#apologies if any of these have been done before

[inspiredangel]

rafe hates shopping

"Sweetheart.." he sighed dramatically, with a small pout on his lips. You two had been at the mall for three hours, all thanks to you walking in and out of 40 diffrent shops, and insiting on trying a bunch of clothes until you came across one you liked.

You huffed, your hands moving down your dress, fixing the creases as you stared at yourself in the mirror, not sure if you liked it or not. "I´m almost done."

You said that atleast 20 times, and you were never 'almost done.' he rolled his eyes "Bullshit." he said in an annoyed tone "You look beautiful. Buy the dress, and let´s go home."

He always hated going shopping with you, because of how long you took to pick a single item out. But he always came either way since he was the one who paid for everything.

His hand reached out and took yours, dragging you closer to him. His other hand moving over to your waist, pushing you down to sit on his lap. "C��mon, baby." he whispered; his voice low, and soft in your ear. You sighed, crossing your arms over his chest "I need to get a dress."

"You have so many already." he stated, with a small chuckle slipping past his lips "But not one like this," you countered, giving him a pointed look. Your tone was pouty but insistent, and Rafe just shook his head, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh, I get it," he said with a dramatic sigh, leaning back against the chair as if the weight of your shopping escapades was physically exhausting him. Which in all honesty, it was.

You rolled your eyes, your annoyance growing as he dismissed your words.

And before you could even open your mouth and say another word, he closed the distance between you, pressing his lips to yours in a kiss that was both firm and all-consuming.

His hand tightened on your waist, pulling you impossibly closer, as if to emphasize his point. The annoyance bubbling inside both of you, quickly faded as you felt your lips dance with his.

You smiled against his lips, pulling away briefly just enough for your noses to brush, his voice was low, a smile present on his face. "Still thinking about the dress?"

‎‎‎‎ ‎ 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 , 𝐛𝐞𝐚

𝐚/𝐧 — the rafe blurbs are coming hottt, i promise i´ll post more sturniolo content soon, i just can´t stop writing for rafe. I apologize if there are any misspells or my grammar is bad, english is not my first language.

@marrykisskilled @chrislilcumslvt @sosasturns @cyberskulzzz @slut4chris888 @waitforyrlove @sturnioloangell @slctsblogana @anyaa2s @emely9274 @shadowthesim @frankoceanfanpage @mrsarnold @freshloveee @t0riiiis @jetaimevous @sturn777 @sturniologirlzz @venusbabysblog @ch6rm @sturniolossss @mattsbrowser @sturnlsstuff @chrissweetheart @lizzyzzn @sophand4n4

[chiasaaa]

— anything for you

itoshi sae x f! reader

summary: sae finds himself doing things he wouldn’t normally do. all for you.

warning: english is not my first language. apologies for any grammatical or spelling errors.

— itoshi sae knew he was beyond saving the moment he set his phone against his pillow and clicked the record button, holding up three boxes of what seemed to be pr boxes for the brands he���s sponsoring.

no, said brands did not require him to film the pr boxes. they only wished for him to use and test it out in an attempt to gain his brutally honest feedback. so why is it that he has his camera open to do a little review?

it’s because he’s deeply and undeniably in love with a so-called idiot named you. you have him wrapped around your finger, and sae was the one to curl your fingers around him for you. a little while ago—right after emerging from the shower of his hotel room—he sent a photo of the three pr boxes that laid on his bed. his manager did tell him he’ll drop it off around the night.

itoshi sae: they’re here.

itoshi sae: [sent an attachment]

you: ohhh! unboxing vid, pls!

itoshi sae: not my thing

you: aww :PP

you: anyhoo, don’t forget to eat dinner!

you: i’m just pinning my sketches in the new mood board, then i’ll head back home.

he knew there was nothing else to your response. sure, you were a bit dampened by how he flat out rejected your request, but you’re not one to dwell in such silly things either. sae knew that you would be the last person on earth forcing him to do something he doesn’t want to do, and video reviews might as well be nonexistent in his vocabulary.

even so, he decided to give it to you. reviews of the products he’s sponsoring.

oh, may god save his soul.

“we’ll start with this one.” he holds up a pastel yellow box displaying the name of his favorite skincare brand. “i heard they’re releasing a new formula for my moisturizer that’s less sticky. if it works well, then i’ll be using that for my games.”

he takes out a tube from the box and showed it to the camera, plucking the lid open. “the bottle’s bigger than the previous one too, and the design’s more minimal. i like it.”

for the next hour, itoshi sae filmed each and every reaction he had for every product he tested, telling you his brutally honest reviews and picking out which ones he considered purchasing upon launch.

sae didn’t even bother screening the videos before sending them to you, well-aware that you prefer his rawest form than anything else. it is a factor as to why he feels so lucky being with you. though, he’d never admit it right at your face, he simply hopes he shows it enough.

imagine the look on your face when you just finished locking up your office, fishing your phone out to let him know you’re about to head home. instead, you were met with three 15-minute long videos of each promotional box sent to him.

itoshi sae: [sent 3 attachments]

itoshi sae: i have to admit, i like the new sunscreen the most. i’ll contact the company and have another delivered to you.

itoshi sae: you should also try the lip glaze. i remember you’ve been complaining about how your lips dry up in the winter. i’ll give it to you next week when you fly over.

your heart swelled at the sight of him actually filming his reactions, nearly slamming into a lamp post if it wasn’t for your driver tugging you back lightly to prevent you from doing so.

you: you really filmed!

you: i’ll watch it on the way home!

you: i love you, querido <3

and your appreciative messages were enough for sae to know that leaving his heart to rest upon your care is the best thing he’s ever done. you have always been the most positive influence in his life, and you never shame him for anything he does out of his character.

itoshi sae: i love you. head home safe.

[cybrasigilism]

All Mine (Player 333/Lee Myung-gi X Reader Drabble)

warning: smut | not proofread | lowercase intended | possession kink | this is my interpretation of this character, please be respectful even if my opinion on the character differs from your own

character: lee myung-gi (player 333)

A/N: been straight up desiring to write for this diva again, i got inspiration for this little drabble after listening to “ALL MINE” by brent faiyaz, hence the fic name. enjoy to all my fellow myung-gi fans!

MDNI! 18+ content beneath the cut, readers discretion is advised

if anyone is into possessive, jealous sex, it’s myung-gi without a shadow of a doubt.

you’ve seen jealous before. you’ve been in your fair share of relationships with guys who felt as though they needed to stake a claim on you if someone even so much as looked in your direction, but with myung-gi it was on a different level entirely. when you first met, you didn’t clock him as the kind of guy who would be into that sort of thing. when all is said and done though, if he feels like he has to prove that your his— you will not be walking right for the next few days.

⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°

you can’t deny that it totally turned you on; the way he would become totally thankless with you. pushing you up against the wall, leaving marks and hickeys all up and down your neck, whispering in your ear how you’re his— you were certain you couldn’t get enough of him like this. he was so rough, yet so gentle at the same time. it was as though he was taking out his frustration and envy out onto you while still reminding you how much he loved you. you really couldn’t say you minded how tenacious he became when eating you out during these fits of jealousy, working wonders with that tongue of his as if in an attempt to raise the bar to an unreachable point for all other men. trust he will take moments in between to dish out possessive comments, only because he knows it gets you going that much more.

“no one else can eat you this good, isn’t that right?”

“fuck, this is all for me right? nobody else’ll ever get to know how good you taste”

you better believe he becomes totally controlling when you guys fuck, too. he’ll demand that you tell him who you ‘belong’ to as he thrusts in and out of your pussy. even through tears, he won’t cease until you’re screaming his name.

“do i need to remind you who this pussy belongs to?” “a-ah! fuck! it’s yours— oh shit, it’s all y-ours!”

he may seem much rougher than usual while he’s fucking you in this jealous rage, but it’s completely out of love. he just despises the idea of a guy thinking he could take you from him so easily, that’s all.

▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰

thanks for putting up with my brief self indulgent post! i apologize if it’s ooc, i just got the idea and wanted to share it inbetween working through requests!

as always, any advice/constructive criticism on how to improve my art is appreciated and requested! have a spectacular day/night lovelies!

tags: @gongyoosgf @strangelife122 @agornotsworld @kvstjwonnie @marymustdie @luvlyfandoms @putrescentpoet

[lucrativesoul]

Fresh Meat

summary: when fear of a dangerous animal hits your small home village, outsider Leon joins the team to help them take on the hunt. the lurking creature is not the only secret hiding in the forest.

pairing: leon kennedy x fem!reader

word count: 14.8k

tags/warnings: fantasy/sci-fi, mentions of animal death, vague smut (non-explicit), questionable consent

a/n: let's hear it for me returning ! if you read the blurb i posted along with the sneak peak of this fic, yes, it is very plot heavy, and by the time i got to the end where the smut would have been, i decided a full fledged sex scene felt very out of place in this. so, i did omit details but there is still something at the end, so i apologize for anyone who reads for that purpose alone. i have an idea for my next one, so i will make it more worth it next time, lol. anyways, if this is up your alley, i hope you enjoyed it and i will see you all when i come back with another one!!

The rabbit was still warm when it showed up at your front door.

It was an odd hour for someone to be out hunting, but with the sun getting ready to enter a state of near dormancy for four months, you took it as a sign that someone was trying to keep your small population fed for the winter.

Bringing the crate with a small, bloodstained bundle into your home, you pondered about who had left this here for you. You were fairly certain that your neighbors were all still home, either that or they were only just now helping dock the ship that arrived with grain. They had been known to occasionally leave you with an animal, but it was usually in the early hours, and the wind chill would lower the carcass’s temperature significantly before you could rouse and bring it in. 

Nonetheless, you didn’t strain yourself over it, as acts of kindness regarding food supply were warmly welcomed before the darkness settled in.

This winter was much like the ones you had seen before–adults of the town strapping down their own food supply, whether that be buried in the ground or in an underground cellar if their cabin was big enough, the children running around only during peak hours when the air was just warm enough that the wind wouldn’t sting when it hit you, and carriages full of leaking meat ready to be skinned and fileted arrived, preparing to be stored with whatever else could last through the winter.

This was routine now, and a small gift like a warm rabbit to eat for the night was one you would not turn down any time soon.

You looked over the animal; the fur was clean, the kill was neat, and it didn’t look harmed. Job well done. You hoped it didn’t suffer for long. As a token of thanks for it, you would save the pelt for a cowl.

You had a decent sized storage for food this winter, you were only feeding yourself and you could survive off of the grains and winter vegetables that were available for as long as you could. Saving the rabbit would be nice, but you knew the winter market would be held shortly, and that is when you did your stockpile. This one would be tonight’s treat.

Leaving the creature on the counter, you whisked yourself over to the front door, sliding your arms into a big woolen coat, your feet into boots, and shoved your hands into your pockets to make the quick walk across the square to your acquaintance’s home. Hissing when the cold made your eyes water, you latched the door shut and raised your shoulders, bringing the collar of the coat up to protect your neck. Such a quick walk made the full winter apparel unnecessary, though at times you do wish it wasn’t so painstaking to put on. The walk would be much better if you weren’t contorted to stay warm.

The sound of the gravel under your feet mixed with the children yelling at one another as they ran around, dodging and weaving wagons and carriages coming into the square. You almost shouted a warning to them, fearing they would get hurt by the large wheels or the horses’ hooves, but selfishly enough, you were too cold to make any extra effort. You knew the other women of the commune were smart enough to do it themselves, you just liked going the extra mile to help neighbors.

The house you were seeking arrived at once. Quickening your pace, you jogged up the jagged walkway of stone and rapt on the door four times. You heard the sound of thundering steps on wood floors within, and the door opened instantly and you walked inside without waiting for verbal permission.

This was your closest ally's house; neither of you were to need permission to enter under any circumstance, though knowing her family was home, you had the kindness to knock anyway. Being a solo woman of the town meant you spent the majority of your time helping her and her family, as you were well off enough with supplies to keep yourself alive. Today was no different, and with her husband out in the woods lowering the population of multiple woodland inhabitants for the winter market, she could use the extra person to run the home for the night.

You shed your coat and propped it up by the door, quickly unlacing your boots and doing the same to them. You followed her wordlessly to the kitchen, not needing instruction.

“I’m worried,” She then said timidly, and you had to turn around from your position at the chopping block to be sure you heard her correctly.

“Worried, did you say? What for? You know he’s out there doing just fine, every market always keeps you all well fed, warm, and whatnot. Is it the children? Have they become interested in wanting to go?” 

You recall her confiding in you that she was anxious of the day her children were old enough to want to follow their father into the woods to join the group of their annual winter gathering. She knew her husband would teach them right, and you had no doubt they were being raised as well mannered children, eventually able to handle firearms for this purpose, but naturally, her mother's instinct would kick in.

“No, not quite…” She paused a moment, opening the floor hatch and pulling up their storage box with chilled greens for supper. You walked over and took a cabbage, placing it back on your board. The cold made your fingertips ache. “I believe this won’t be a great season. He’s told me there’s oddly less game this year than the previous few.”

You furrowed your brow at this. “Well, I suppose it can’t be great every season, no? You know how much you need now, and his catch will be able to provide you with that and more.”

She sighed. “Yes, but… they are growing now. It takes more to feed them. The cold feels like it lasts a lot longer than it used to.” She began chopping, her knife making rhythmic knocks against the wooden slab. You cut your own cabbage in half, leaving it open by the stove to thaw the center.

“I think you’ll be alright. You have the support when you need it, I always have the extra to spare for you.” You looked over at her earnestly, and before she could reply, you both hushed as the door swung open. Seeing it was just one of her three children, she ushered him off into the main room to warm up, not before chastising him about being outside with barely enough on. She shook her head as she walked back into the kitchen.

“They don’t ever listen about their heavy coats. I can’t make them learn.” She sighed again and looked back over at you. “And don’t be ridiculous, please. You need your food.”

You breathed a small laugh. “I’m well off enough to keep myself going with what I have. One small deer is a month of meals for me, you know that. Let me go back to my house, I have a fresh rabbit, we will eat it tonight. I’d rather share it.”

She turned her head sharply, but not out of scorn. “Fresh? From who? No one has come back yet. You certainly didn’t go out.” You laughed again at this, knowing she meant no insult by it.

“I really don’t know. It wasn’t there this morning when I went to the well. I don’t even remember what I was doing in between this time, I had nothing to prepare, I was waiting for the men to come back with meat. I opened my door for something, I don’t even remember what, I just did. And it was there, in a crate.”

She halted her chopping, staring off, pondering. “You didn’t miss it this morning? You know there’s those few that get the dawn’s catch.”

You shook your head, peeling back layers of cabbage that were thawed enough now, pausing to warm your fingertips in the pockets of your apron, loaned by your friend. “Couldn’t have missed it… didn’t see a single soul walk by my window all morning.”

Silence fell between the two of you, and you knew she was also wondering where this could have come from, knowing every man that hunted in the village was not to return until almost sundown with their catches. After a while, she just shrugged.

You nodded your head in agreement. “Meat is meat. Here, let me go get it, I’ve just been letting it sit. This needs to thaw more anyways.” You abandoned your station and walked over to the door, re-suiting up for the walk back. You heard her footsteps behind you. “Would you like the children in? I know they should be all coming back soon, the last thing they would need right now is children becoming more stones under the horses hooves.”

She hummed from behind you. “Yes, that would be great, they should have been back an hour ago now.” 

Having fastened the last button on your coat, you swung the door open. The sky was quickly descending to a deeper shade of gray, indicating the sun was setting against a clear sky the town has not seen in months now. You were about to turn and give her another verbal confirmation of finding her remaining two children when a loud cry from the square stopped you. You turned, and you felt your friend step out to watch as well, unable to ignore the sudden break of the square’s silence.

“I… I’ll go see what’s going on, stay here.” You took a step down and crunched the earth under your boot.

“Nonsense.” She turned to grab her own coat off the hanger, and she shouted inside at her one child home to stay put and not to move. You both hurriedly walked further into the commotion, the other townsfolk creating a barrier around the one who shouted. A break in the human wall opened up, and you were on the outer ring watching the drama unfold.

The man, who undeniably drew attention as he was on his knees and had his hunting gloves ripped off, blood drying and cracking over his cold hands, was recognizable as a man of the hunting group that was soon to be back with their catch for the upcoming market. You looked around as much as you could, past the opposite wall of people concerned for what he was going to say, but you did not see any other carriages arrive with any game. In fact, you did not see even his.

You heard him mumbling something to himself, and one of the elder councilmen came over and took a knee beside him, desperate to figure out what was troubling him. You watched, tense, as they spoke, nods and headshakes and gestures of confusion being traded between them. The anxiety of it all made you forget the rapidly dropping temperature.

The councilman suddenly stood, putting a hand on the man’s shoulders, but he shook it off. You gasped, worried for a violent outbreak that you were sure the whole town wanted to avoid. 

The man stood on his own now, free from what he deemed and feigned support from the councilman.

“I am not saying these things to place fear!” You were shocked at the booming delivery of his statement. Everyone was silent now, not expecting the situation to take the turn it did. “I witnessed it on my own, and though no one else but me did, it does not mean what I saw was not real! Who knows how close it will get to us? Who knows if it will stop not only at our game but turn us into its own?!” 

If the air could somehow grow colder, it did in that moment. You, obviously, as well as the other nearly hundred people surrounding the man, had no idea what he was letting on about, but the sound of what he was saying plus his strained, clearly fearful tone was enough to put you on edge as well.

You felt your friend grip your wrist–you were sure she was suddenly fearful for her husband, who could have been in the way of whatever monstrosity this man claims to have seen. You weren’t sure you even wanted to know yourself.

“Nonsense!” Another elder walked into the circle and up to the man, gripping his shoulder suddenly and speaking to him closely, the words undecipherable. Your attention was diverted to the right, where the elder had come from, the sounds of hooves clopping and wheels churning over rock growing louder. The hunters had come back, and surely someone had filled the rest of the councilmen in on what was going on. Whether or not the townsfolk would also be filled in, remained the question. 

“Everybody!” One of the hunters strode into the center, whom you recognized as their lead, bringing quiet amongst the curious whispering. “I apologize on the behalf of my team for invoking any sort of fear just now. We had a… peculiar encounter on our journey today. With market approaching, the stress of needing a hefty catch along with the preparation of rationing for the hibernating months takes a toll on all of us, some more than others.” He projected his voice with ease, breath coming off in plumes of translucent steam. The scene was entirely chiaroscuro from the rapidly dimming sky and the square lamps up above. “A quick dash by a wolf may scare some of us if we did not see the beast to begin with. Rest assured, we have returned unharmed, and the market will commence this upcoming weekend with enough game for each family’s share. Goodnight!” 

Though a few patrons on the outside of the circle began to disperse, you could see that many did not want to, as drama such as what just transpired was not common in this village. There were no liars, or dramatics, and if there were, it was taken care of so fast that news never got its chance to travel to you. The crowd thinned, but you and your friend stayed put, watching the wagons roll in with slumped deer, hanging rabbits and flayed birds. You felt her grip loosen when her husband sat atop his own wagon now rolling in behind the rest, but you were watching the silent scene happening beyond the newcomers. 

The man who had drawn the crowd was speaking, in what looked to be a rather tense manner, to the man who addressed the audience. Speaking to him as if he betrayed his word, as if he were calling him a fool, or a liar. Whatever was being exchanged between the two was not that of civil camaraderie, but something eager to be settled and swept away. Whatever the intended goal of the man's words to dispel the crowd were, you knew the effect was opposite on you and many others standing around. You knew you would be thinking about it until the market has come and gone, and possibly until whatever threat was out there was defeated.

–

Dark corners of your house had you jumping like never before, even when you could walk through it with a blindfold on, and backwards. 

Admittedly, though being half-heartedly reassured that what he saw out there was nothing more than an unfortunately large wolf, your aquaintance’s husband was kind with his intentions in not spreading a mass hysteria, which he claimed was going to happen if no one tried to counter the claim made in the square the night prior.

The crowd dispersed not too long after that, and after hearing that you were offering up your own portion of meat to share with a family of five, her husband insisted you kept it for yourself, and you joined them for a cut of fresh venison that he just secured that day. 

Though you were now fed for the night and had the animal to spare for the next few, it did you little good in resting your growing worries about a potential danger outside of the town. You knew the men go far to hunt, further each day to find greater populations, but who knew how fast it was? Who knew how strongly it would be drawn to a whole commune of people? Was it carnivorous? Was it big enough to eat a human? Ravage a whole town?

You knew these worries were now getting out of hand–if this were the case, hunting season for the market was about to end and every man willing to kill an animal would be at every corner of the town. But whatever was living in the forest was well adapted to roaming in the dark…

You slept after a while, only after making sure multiple times that the door was locked and the windows bolted tightly. Your heart rate increased at the squeaking floorboards, sounds you were well accustomed to, sounds that now felt like they were intrusions. You now wish you had not gone out to your home that night, if you hadn’t heard this yourself, if you only heard of what went down from someone else, you would have been much more comfortable. But having been there, having heard his tone, your skin would not settle.

And truth be told, you believed what he claimed. Granted, what he was claiming was very vague, and no one had anything better to clear it, but it took a very skilled trickster to sound that convincing. You knew it was no lie.

Knowing there was no one else to turn to for this, though, you had to live as if that is exactly what it was. A deception, an illusion, a truly unfortunate mistake. What else?

This is what you repeated to yourself all day. An emergency would have been declared by now, and the men went out hunting at dawn like they always did during this season. Things were fine. It would be taken care of, you had to believe it.

The next day brought the same as yesterday, minus the showcase. The men left once again for hunting, and you were popping around the square finding neighbors to help them prepare for either their market stall or their rations for the freeze. The incident was mostly off of your mind while you stayed busy, but it was brought back to the forefront once again when the horses pulled their wagons in much too early, and the men rounded the square in what looked to be a secret meeting.

Like the previous day, minus the crowd, everyone around the town fulfilling their own chores stopped and stared, knowing this was out of the ordinary for any hunting season. There would be no reason for the men to return early, and there was a next-to-zero chance that there was no game frotting about in the forest. 

You grew cold, a sensation unrelated to the weather surrounding you, the type of cold that traveled through your veins and wrapped around your bones. You recalled what your friend had said over the vegetables yesterday, “I am worried… He’s told me there’s oddly less game this year than the previous few.” 

Could that be the issue at hand? Were there really no animals left to catch? Couldn’t be… this had never happened, and you knew the whole commune was conscious about their meat intake, giving the populations the whole year to recover their numbers, and the men chose different cardinal directions to travel each season; it seemed impossible. And yet, why were they back with empty carriages?

You spotted your friend’s husband among the men, and felt a surge in your curiosity. You gently parted from the mother you were helping to carry in grain and stalked over, your footsteps becoming quicker with each strike to the ground.

You called out to him and he turned, not being a part of the group conspiring with the councilmen.

“What is it? This can’t be good.” Your breath was ragged from your pace in the biting weather. That, and the addition of anxiously waiting for the answer.

He shook his head and looked around. “I… I don’t know what I can say. There was…” He paused for a moment longer than needed. You nearly shoved him to get it out. “A beast.”

You would have gasped had the air not stung your windpipe. The shock felt like one of the horses had slammed right into you, and yet, you felt as if you knew this would be the answer all along. You believed the man yesterday, no one here had any good reason to lie about the safety of the home he resided in. The thought of that was absurd.

“There was another encounter by multiple of us this morning, it ran off very quickly, but there was carnage.” This time you really did gasp, but he raised a hand to cut off any interjections. “No men down, it was eating deer. But we walked around the area it was found once it put acres between itself and us, and there were carcasses everywhere. It was eating what we could be eating. That is what has been affecting our numbers.” 

And thus, your friend was right. He must have been seeing this all winter so far to clue her in on his personal conspiracy, and here it was being proven true. A skilled hunter he was, he would surely notice when count was declining. 

“What was it?”

He was silent for even longer this time, and you were unsure what to make of it. Once he spoke, it was not words you were expecting to hear.

“It was no wolf. Please, don’t spread it, I’m sure they will come up with some creature to tell everyone, but, I trust you’ll keep my word. It was uncanny. Quadrupedal like wolf, fur standing on end down its back, muzzle black and leather with blood over its body, but it ran like a man. It scaled trees with inches long claws, it had no howl of a wolf, it was so deep, an octave no human could dream of reaching. I felt it in my chest. My eardrums were going to rupture, I was sure of it.”

You stood still, sure your body had turned to stone. There was no way the words he was speaking were true, but the situation holds solid here as well: why would he lie? This man knew you well, you were always round their house to share meals and extend help, he wouldn’t think about putting an irrational fear into you. It made no sense. Yet, that meant this is truly what he had seen…

“Do not say a word… I know they will tell the town something else but someone must know what I have seen. You understand…” 

You did understand, after all, how could he burden his wife with the knowledge of what he had seen? She would become eternally frightened, she would never let her children outside, possibly never want him to partake in a hunt again. You decided to bear this weight with him, it was the least you figured you could do.

“We crossed a squadron of men from another town, out east. We told them we were having some… trouble. They confided in us the same. They did not give away any details but I’m sure that they saw the same creature. Anyway… they offered to help us hunt it down. They should be arriving shortly.” He paused again and looked around. The group of men was now thinning, and you saw many looked to be in distress. You did not know what you could do for them, or for the safety of the community. “It’s safe right now while we are all here, but once we depart again go right back inside, you know.” He stalked away from you to join the rest of the men still discussing with one another. You sighed.

You felt no better knowing this now, obviously; you had to move with caution and you could not take any chances. You didn’t often leave your home during the winter once the sun had set but now you must be certain to remember it. This would be a tough winter, and you hoped the hunters would have it taken care of immediately.

In no world did you think such a beast would exist. You weren’t even sure what to call it, how to describe it. The closest word, without having seen this cosmic beast, was werewolf; you knew there were some legends of werewolves existing within this region, but these are oral tales passed down to scare children into staying in their houses at night and to not run off too far during the day. Tales made to keep them obedient, they were not supposed to be warnings.

Swallowing the lump of fear now present in your chest, you returned to your duties, saying not much at all when asked what was going on. You kept your word, and besides, who would believe you?

Working away the thoughts, they were once again drawn back to the present when the sound of heavy footfall echoed from a trail between town buildings. You looked up and waited for the sound to grow closer. The hunters all convened at the moment they heard it as well, and there entered another 20 or so men from what you assumed was the eastern town that he had been telling you about. They didn’t look much different from the men of your village, save for their primary choice of hide was a deeper brown than your town’s standard tan. 

You felt a slight weight off your shoulders at the sight of all of the men, equipped with their individual weapons slung across their shoulders, but you worried for their safety once they were set out on their mission to defeat the beast.

More talking and strategizing ensued, and you stood to the side to watch them sort themselves out into small groups, presumably to cover area faster. While scanning the tableau, your eye caught a sight of your friend off to the side, two of her children huddled behind her large skirt. You padded over to them.

Once you approached, speaking in a hushed tone, you addressed her, “This is the state of things then?”

She sighed and shook her head. “I can’t believe it. If they find nothing until the market, most of the catch from yesterday will be ours. We don’t even know how much we will be able to trade off. Not like this…” You turned to look back at the men. There were five groups now, and one was making their way over to where the two, or four, of you stood. Her husband was at the front.

They spoke together softly for a moment, and you took the time to discreetly survey the rest of the men who followed him over. 

Again, they all looked similar to your eyes; similar stature, and dress, and they resembled those of your own village as well. You figured that luck was somewhere among the indescribable chaos they witnessed to have run into reinforcements. 

He started talking to you, and you noticed a few of your other neighbors were standing by. He was introducing them all by first name and their village. All standard, you expected this if there were going to be nearby.

There were 6 men to this group total, four of them being strangers. “You’ll see us around, so don't hesitate to also ask for our help,” One of them spoke, voice much deeper than the man you were familiar with. “We are stronger as a unit.” You wrapped your arms around yourself, holding in the cold, and also seeking some inner comfort, as the severity of the situation was starting to dawn.

You were about to walk away and lock up at home when a voice interrupted, “Excuse me. I am late… I apologize. I have been added to your group.”

The group of men parted as they turned around to stare at the newcomer, who you could only assume was someone from their village. They were absurdly quiet for the first moment, letting him take the spotlight from the others.

This man looked nothing like an ordinary villager.

While the men surrounding you were equipped with thick hide jackets lined with fur for warmth and the most contrast to be seen on them was the white trim to their dark hair, this man stood out and would possibly never blend in. He had a deep blue jacket, buttoned and belted together, looking like it awfully lacked in layers, yet he gave no sign of being cold at all. His black pants were accessorized with pockets up and down both legs, and he wore black leather boots, the kind you only saw in mainland areas much further south. He did not get any of this dress from here, nor within hundreds of miles from anywhere around here. 

After scrutinizing his wardrobe, you raised your eyes to await the next words he spoke. Yet, the looks of his face solidified the fact that this man was not only not a villager, he was certainly no native to these areas.

His hair, compared to everyone’s around, was a shocking deep blonde, a hair color you hadn’t seen in years, and had only seen on young children. He was uncharacteristically clean, no signs of having been hunting at all this day, and while most men chose to sport thick facial hair for weather protection, only the light skin and harsh contours of his face were present. And his eyes… those bright blue eyes…

They locked on yours. Heat seared through your veins, the rings of your vision fuzzed, the sky whited out, blood was racing into your head then back out, a wave of dizziness hit you at full force, your fingers went numb then regained feeling all at once, your chest constricted, your knees were about to give out–then he looked away. The chill of the winter returned. You were standing on solid ground.

You were breathless. No one seemed to notice any shift in the atmosphere, except for you. Your hands clutched your jacket even tighter.

“Where are you coming from? I know of no towns that look like… not us.” One of the men said, avoiding the obvious state that he was clearly not local.

“No, I am not from here. I am from much further north. I was passing by and heard word that there was a hunt that needed assistance and… I have no further pressing issues. I am dedicating myself to your cause. My name is Leon.”

Voice like butter, it slid through your ears and caressed your brain, Leon stood with a confidence unknown to you. He held himself as if he were the biggest man in the town and to you, it appeared he was, standing at least 3 inches or more above everyone in this commune. This man was an enigma. Leon was a complete mystery to behold.

“Well,” Your friend’s husband spoke from next to you, making you jump slightly, forgetting he was even involved with this. “We are glad to have you then, Leon. We hope to have this under control within the next few days, we need to keep our market tradition alive.” He clapped the other men on the back and they huddled once again, ready to take off until evening.

You breathed in deeply, not feeling any pain you may have expected. You figured you were suddenly feeling down, from what, who knew, but you were not well. You turned to your friend.

“I… I am not feeling too well, I think I am going to go for the night. I would stay, but I don’t think I should.” Your voice felt feeble, but she seemed to detect no indifference.

“Oh, are you sure? I can bring you what we have left, don’t stress yourself.”

You shook your head. “No, no, don’t worry about me, I have plenty. I need to lay down. Thank you, though.” With a nod from her, you turned your back on her and speed walked across the square, ducking through all of the patrons standing around just as confused as you felt earlier. There was still confusion, but for an entirely different reason.

Who was Leon? There was no way he was simply passing through from a village up north, which introduced more confusion into the equation, because it certainly did not explain the dress. Why would he be dressed for much higher temperature climates up north? There was just no reason…

And those sensations… they were unexplainable to you, yet you had to write them off as coincidence of timing, the shock of seeing the newcomer, some other third party element that caused you to take ill. There was no other way to explain it. It was a mix of unfortunate timing, and he was another man helping the search to keep the grounds safe. Just another man.

But that face was persistent behind your eyelids.

–

The men set out on the hunt officially the next day.

They spent the previous night mapping out routes and directions that each of them would take to avoid overlap and to cover as much area as possible. Your friend came by your house that morning to check on you; she relayed the information her husband had told her later that night, and you felt at least relieved that they were getting out there.

That night you were restless, you tossed and turned and were certain that you got little to no sleep at all. Your body wanted the rest so bad, but your mind would not let you.

You kept feeling the shock of connecting your gaze with Leon’s. You felt like you were at the edge of a nightmare every time you started to drift, and terrified to wake up in one, your mind subconsciously refused. You wanted to sleep, but you knew you could not sleep the day away. Maybe, you supposed, hard work today will put you to sleep tonight.

You finally brought that rabbit up that you had been delivered a few days ago. After the family insisted that you kept it while you shared some of their venison with them, you put it in the underground storage, where it was chilled enough to preserve, yet not freeze. You laid it on the counter, pleased to see you could still save the fur. Your gaze lingered on it.

Its eyes were closed. There were four puncture marks around the head and neck, they didn’t bleed too much. It looked as if it were just sleeping; the position did not suggest any signs of rigor mortis. Eating animals and having to skin them never bothered you–it was how you were raised. Putting too much thought behind it makes things unstable, you begin to question morals, you begin to question the world, but you supposed that was the inherent position of man on Earth.

Who had given you this rabbit? That had still gone unanswered, and you weren’t sure you would ever find out. Nonetheless, you were not going to run in circles to find the mystery gifter when you were hungry, and there was fresh meat on the table for dinner.

You were seated to eat dinner alone after a day of doing last minute preparation before the winter market. It was slated to happen in two days, you were helping mothers around the square fill their grain portions and make room in their storage chests. You did all of this for yourself in between, but as you’ve said to your friend multiple times before, you were only one person, and you could ration it should you need to.

You made the whole rabbit. It was small enough, and you could eat the other half tomorrow. It would cool down just fine in the underground storage overnight. 

The candlelight on your table flickered. You were suddenly afraid of it going dark, you had to have your matches nearby in case of this happening. You already knew you would be caged with fear, unable to move, any sense of navigation in the dark stripped from you.

Putting the rabbit in a cloth wrap, you placed it into your underground storage, making a mental note to bring it up in the morning to prevent it from freezing through. You extinguished the candles, but not before setting a small fire in the hearth, enough wood inside to provide you with light until you were able to fall asleep, but nothing too big to risk a hazard.

You hoped with food in you and a fire going slowly would ease you off to sleep, and let you rest thoroughly this time–it was everything but.

Your eyes shot open. You faced the dark, unable to gather your bearings for a moment. You pushed yourself up onto your elbows, feeling the pinch of pine needles under your clothing. You looked down, desperate to figure out the situation. Hearing the wind howl and not feeling the warmth that your home would be providing you, your vision returned slowly, and your mind pieced it all together.

You were in a forest. Where exactly, you could not tell. You did not often journey into the forest, there was no reason for you to be out there. This aside, out there you were, and you had to find a way back.

Your legs were unsturdy, but you forced them in place, holding your balance upright as you took weary steps over the foliage. The wind occasionally whipped your face and you squinted to avoid it, eyes getting teary and fingers growing numb.

All around you in each cardinal direction was nothing but the dark blanket of night and more trees. You could see the tips of leaves up on the canopy painted by moonlight, and now that you adjusted to the dimness, she was your guidance.

The lack of sound should have been comforting, yet you found it ultimately disturbing. There should be more life around you, yet among the vast acres of wildlife, you were somehow the only one making any noise, the only one to exist here. It was wrong. Something was deeply wrong.

A twig snapping caught your attention. You held your breath in a silent gasp and turned, trying to source the cause. You held as still as the wind would render you, but fear was your driving force, and you became an impenetrable wall while facing the danger. 

Seeing nothing and hearing no more, you turned, ready to continue your trek. Mere seconds after you took another step, yet another branch snap rang out, this time, it was only a handful of paces in front of you. Your ears were not deceiving you, you knew this was not a sound that you had produced, meaning there was something, someone else out there. They could see you, no doubt about it, yet you were blind to them.

Your body refused to cooperate. You could not take any more steps forward despite possibly being in direct vicinity of the danger. As much force as you applied, your limbs never gave way, and you were rooted to the ground, eyes peeled on the ages old trees in front of you, watching as the darkness uncovered itself.

A shadowy mist separated itself from the trees. It hung, suspended in midair, not making any attempts to move, until after a few seconds, it began to evolve, tendrils of smoke solidifying into body parts, horridly long body parts and skin that shone under the moonlight, a sheen to it that was not possible for any human to achieve. Ice blue eyes pierced the vast emptiness, and as you stared into them, for whatever creature they belonged to began to take shape. You witnessed in your peripherals arms and legs, bent to support the hunched body on the ground, muscles undulating and flexing under tightly pulled skin, fur sprouting from its back, claws digging into the dirt, teeth shining like stars from a face as black as the void. It was set on you. There was no outrunning this cosmic beast.

It took no steps forward, yet you felt it’s spirit enter your proximity like a snake tightening on its prey. Your body started to tremble, tears streaking down your face, unblinking, expressionless, save for your mouth slightly agape in a silent gasp. You felt it get closer, but it physically remained, your chest tightened, and you felt the pressure on your skin. Its eyes were glowing white, saliva pooling off of its teeth, its jaw unhinged, and your brain went blank, ears ringing from the deep, droning growl it emitted. It was not felt only with your head, but your chest vibrated, your eyes blurred, you fell to your knees.

You opened your mouth finally in a blood curdling scream.

With a gasp that wracked your whole body, you shot up, hands gripping the fabric underneath you as you stared up at the dark ceiling.

A nightmare. 

You sat still, allowing your heart to steady and slowing your breath down, taking a moment to reground yourself. Nothing of what you just saw was real.

You slowly lowered yourself back down onto your bed, listening to the rustle of the blanket and the distant crackle of the dying fire. As much as you told yourself it was just a dream, the feeling it left behind was more real than you had ever felt.

You jumped again when there was a sudden series of knocks on your front door.

You bolted upright again, staring out into the dark in the direction of the door. Whoever was standing outside was not knocking again, but you had a feeling that they were not walking away when you did not answer. Though you were afraid in this moment, there was no reason you shouldn’t trust a neighbor coming to you at this time. It could be dire. You had to find out.

You lifted yourself out of bed and wrapped a light blanket around your shoulders. The fire was nearly out now, and you paused to throw another log onto it, but made that a task for after you helped who was at your door.

Your hand hovered over the doorknob, making second guesses, wondering if you should just turn around and pretend you did not hear it. But that is not how things operated in this town–everyone helped everyone.

You twisted the knob and slowly opened the door, only enough to peek your face through and observe who was standing at the doorstep.

Your brow furrowed immediately when you deduced who it was. You locked eyes, and you expected the wave of intense emotion that came with it, but nothing happened. You spoke.

“Can I help you?”

He nodded curtly. “I am sorry to have woken you. I got a tad distracted on hunt today, spent a little too long down at the parlor… I don’t have anywhere to stay for tonight. If you had the room… but please don’t hesitate to close the door on me should you feel so inclined. I understand this situation I am putting you in.”

You blinked at him. You opened the door a bit more. “You… you aren’t staying at the inn?”

He looked to his left in the direction of the square. You supposed, putting a mental puzzle together right after you said it, that the inn was full from the other villagers aiding you during this time. “No vacancy.” As expected.

You stared at him for a moment longer. A breeze hit your face, and you shuddered. You figured he was faring much worse wandering outside in this weather.

“Okay… I have a mat I can pull out by the fire. I need to throw more wood onto it.” You swung the door open fully, and he stepped over the threshold. Hanging his jacket and outerwear on the hooks, you felt his eyes follow you as you opened your wardrobe and unrolled the spare mat you had. You suddenly felt pressure to perform in your own home. Shaking your head, you threw two small logs onto the fire and waited for it to come to life.

“Again, I am sorry to wake you. You know, your comrade has spoken of you highly, and I figure a full house such as his would not have kindly taken me in at this time.” You turned to look at him, having followed you to the fire, taking a seat on the floor on top of the mat. The angles of his face created harsh shadows under his brow bone. He looked unscathed. Hadn’t he been outside all day?

“It’s alright, I… I had just woken up anyway. Don’t sleep fully through the night sometimes.” He nodded, but did not speak. You poked the last log fully into the embers for it to ignite, warming the house for a few hours longer. “This season is more stress than it usually is, I imagine that has a lot to do with it.”

“Yes, I can tell many of these men are unsure about how to conduct themselves right now. I can’t say I blame them though. I’m sorry, my name is Leon, by the way, I should have started with that before asking for your hospitality.”

You nodded. “Yes, Leon, I remember,” You spoke wistfully. “How did you get to be wandering this late at night? Everything should have closed hours ago if I know what time it is.” He blinked slowly at you, no expressions on his face. 

“I am much accustomed to the darkness. I like to spend some of my time wandering around and seeing what is open, where I can go, and if that results in nothing for me, then I turn and leave. But, I came here for a reason and I cannot abandon the cause that I volunteered to contribute to, and it seems the inn I had last spent time in was already housing those from the east who are doing the same. I came from there. They had a small parlor, but I was forced out once their latest hour of operation came.” Leon shrugged. “And as I said, I recall having heard the introductions of those who live nearby. My first gamble paid off.”

You said nothing to this. His voice was sliding through your head like silk, and his face moved as if it were a statue enchanted. His aura was unlike any other you have encountered, and you found yourself wondering if this is what people from farther regions were truly like, or if there was something about him that no other could replicate.

“Well, I have a half of a rabbit left that I ate for supper if you are hungry. I would rather it get eaten while it has just recently been cooked.”

He looked over to the kitchen, shrouded in shadow. Pieces of his hair stuck together in blades of blonde, yet it looked purposefully tousled and cleaned. The bare white tunic he wore was clearly too light for the winter weather, yet he seemed unbothered by it.

“I would be lying if I said rabbit weren’t my favorite, but I will decline. I am fair off for the time being. I can snatch one up tomorrow.” He scooted himself back so he was resting against the wall, still facing the fire, where you were sitting. The heat of it was licking your skin now, lulling you back into a drowsy state. As much as you wanted to return to the loft bed to sleep, you couldn’t abandon company.

“So, where do you come from Leon? I remember you saying north but… I have not encountered any northerners for quite some time, I honestly forgot there was anyone up there at all.”

He shrugged again. Before he started talking, you moved from the fire, fearing the heat may put you back to sleep right where you sat. “I do come from the north, but I have always been a roamer. I have visited various villages and small cities, anything that the forest wraps around. I explore. I lend my help when needed.” 

“You’re nomadic? How is that possible in the weather the north gets?”

He rolled his head to the side from where it was resting on the wall. His face was painted orange. “I have learned to adapt. I much prefer living that way.”

You stared again, aware that he was aware of how long you were looking at him. Every answer he gave only puzzled you more. “It doesn’t seem possible.”

He quirked his mouth in a small smirk. You ignored the sudden heat surge from the fire that was surely not growing any larger. “I find a way to make everything possible.”

A spell of silence fell over you. You could feel the sleep creeping back under your eyelids, and wanted to return to the loft.

“Do you need anything else? I’m sorry I don’t prepare for visitors too often…” Leon had closed his eyes, hands wrapped around the blanket off of your small sofa and a spare pillow. 

He shook his head slightly. “It is more than enough, I can’t come into your home at dead of night and demand more than you’ve given me. It is plenty for me to be ready to set out with them in the morning.”

You nodded your head and went to stand. Before you even made it a few paces away from him, you turned again, a sudden fear overcoming you.

“Do you think you’ll be able to catch… it? It’s been driving me crazy, it feels. It’s making my mind reel.”

He turned his head and looked over at you now, half of his face hidden in shadow. A few pieces of his yellow hair fell onto his forehead. “I do believe so. If there is anything to catch out there at all.”

Your brow scrunched. “Do you believe there is nothing out there?”

He sighed. The light made the rise and fall of his chest visible. You watched the way his shirt tightened around his torso with the movement. “I think the case is, more often than not, that one person spreads a moment of hysteria and it catches on. There might be something out there, there might not.”

You recall the conversation you had had with your friend’s husband the other day. He had seen it himself, and you knew he wouldn’t lie. Were Leon’s experiences the only premonition he was speaking from? You could only assume that was the case with him. But as to how he could have been nomadic his whole life and never come across a wicked beast… you couldn’t imagine the likelihood of that scenario.

“I feel that the fear that man held was not fake when he told us all what he saw… I believe him.”

Leon stared at you. The fire glinted in his eyes. They looked impossibly dark and deep from where you were standing. “What do you think it was out there?”

You breathed in and cast your gaze down. You honestly were not sure what you believed. Your logical mind, and the mind that wanted to keep everyone safe, told yourself that it was a wolf. A large wolf that was not afraid of people. But the mind of yours that likes to wander is a different story.

“I think… I think there is an animal. And it is getting closer. So, it makes me worried.” Leon nodded as you spoke, but he offered no insight. “There’s rumors.”

“Rumors? Spread by the men on the hunt or the children eager for more legends to pass on?” You could hear the smirk in Leon’s voice without needing to look up. It made you clench your jaw.

“Rumors that it is otherworldly.” You shrugged. “Who am I to deny the existence of that which I cannot claim to have proof of it not?” You looked up again to Leon, who also had his eyes cast down. A chill washed over you despite the fire still burning. “Could be a werewolf.”

Leon’s eyes snapped up at that. Your head seared with a sudden migraine spike, and your vision went blurry. Your muscles and organs felt ice cold yet your skin burned, both sensations merging to keep you rooted to the spot. All the air left your lungs, and your throat went dry. You felt your knees grow weaker until they could no longer bear your weight, and you registered the sound of your body hitting the floor, but felt none of the pain from the impact. Your vision went black.

When you awoke again, the sun was peeking over the horizon and you were in your bed. Leon was not in the house.

–

You carried an air of confusion with you for the better part of the day. You had not seen Leon once since he left your house, and the only evidence left behind that you knew he was there for sure was the spare mat out on the floor, the blanket folded neatly and the pillow stacked on top of it. You didn’t hear him leave, but then again, you don’t remember going upstairs at all.

Did you black out? Have a fainting spell? That could be the only explanation–what else could you attribute it to? This was a new experience for you, as you had never had any issues like this before with your health (that you knew of) and had no past encounters that would offer you any sort of explanation other than a sudden bout of fainting. You were at least glad that Leon was there; he was the only person around to have put you back into your bed, unless you really had woken up and lost your memory of it.

And Leon–you could barely even remember the conversation happening when you fainted in the middle of it. Though you were not this kind of person and always think the better of everyone, you mind did of course do a mental checklist of everything that could have been blamed on Leon. You drank nothing and ate nothing while he was in the house. You offered him half your rabbit, but he declined. You kept your eyes on him at all times while he was in the house, save for the obvious part when you were unconscious, and he left the house in no state of disarray when you woke. Your body felt intact and unharmed, and you mentally felt comfortable with the idea that he simply carried you back to your bed, and hopefully returned downstairs. You hated that train of thought, but you had to cover all bases.

Today was the final day before the market. There was a group of men going out to finish a hunt while the rest of those who usually go out were split up to finish coverage looking for the wild animal that some had seen. You felt increasingly nervous when you thought about this hunt, taking into account what your friend’s husband had told you he had seen. It sounded like an alien. That thought terrified you, knowing something was roaming about that you had no relation to, no knowledge of its existence, and not a clue at all on what it could do to you or the others around. A true monster.

You stopped short, having been struck with the memories from last night. Leon arriving at your house asking for shelter was not the only odd thing that happened–you had a nightmare.

You rarely dreamed at all, nevermind having a nightmare. You can vividly recall what transpired now, though, as you think back on it. You remember being in the woods alone; cold and dark and the infinite stretch of trees the only other things out there with you. And that beast… it felt far too real for you to be comfortable with. 

The image of it was now seared into your brain, and every noise coming from the town made you jump. Was this what was out there? Was that the monster to behold? If that answer was yes… you decided you would be better off if you didn’t know.

A shouting was heard from across the square. Through the clearing of the trees, you saw a wagon being pulled in. You were brought back to a state of confusion once more at seeing this, knowing it was much too early for anyone to return. You stalked closer to where it would be unloaded, only growing more worried and anxious when you saw there was no game upon it at all, but rather, a body.

You gasped and stopped walking, instinctively reaching out to those walking next to you to stop them from seeing as well. You heard more gasps and whispers, felt others grabbing onto you and you grabbed back for support. You watched as they lifted a man from the back of the wagon, looking utterly pale, limbs swinging back and forth as he was carried to a makeshift gurney that someone had rushed out. You felt at a loss for breath. What had happened on this hunt that caused a lost life?

Some people beside you started shouting to those coming in from the hunt. Asking questions on what had happened, who else was hurt and lost, was anyone coming back at all, and was it the wolf that had done this.

One of the men walked closer, chatting with a man from the council. He was speaking loud enough, purposefully, to let everyone know what had happened.

“We saw it, and we were close to taking it down. We had our rifles pointed and ready, and… by god, I don’t know, but we were ready and suddenly we lost track of where it went. I blinked and everything disappeared.” More whispers broke out from next to you, you almost turned and shushed them so you could hear. “It popped up again through the trees, running, someone shot and we thought it hit. It took a hit on the side of its head, its ear… but it kept going, kept running, then it got to one of our men somehow.” He shook his head. “It… it got his neck, and he bled out so fast, he…” He brought his hand up to swipe at his chin, clearly in distress from seeing one of his men go down. You closed your eyes, you could not stomach to listen anymore.

You turned and made haste back to your home. You wanted to be inside suddenly, safe from the outside. You would go seek the comfort of your friend, but you knew you would have to put on a face not to worry her children. You did not have that energy in you right now, you needed to be alone.

You had hoped for positive news on the return of the men, but hearing this, you knew nothing good could come out of their mouths next. If whatever was out there was taking down the men that were sent to protect those who live within these communities' walls, then who is to say how safe anyone inside is now…

Your mind was reeling as you shut yourself into your home. You found yourself no longer wanting to be outside, no longer wanting to help out of your own selflessness due to the fear of that being the last time you would help anyone, or worse, witness someone else’s unfortunate end to their destiny. The mess this has become was too much for you to swallow. You were nearly drowning in your fear.

You didn’t move positions all night, watching the sky go from a dimly lit gray to a dark one, then deep navy, then black. You weren’t sure what time it was, but you had no intention of moving. Emotion gripped your stomach, making you unable to eat, not wanting to, not wanting to simply get up.

The fire was dying slowly, and the only motivator for you to move right now was the threat of being in the dark. You pushed yourself up off the mat you had not yet put away to throw another couple of logs on the fire. You stared, hunched, as they began to catch fire and watched as their layers were peeled back by the flames, as the bark curled and crumbled to ash, and your face was basked in intense heat that you almost couldn’t free yourself from.

Deep in a trance, you were startled when a series of knocks sounded at the door. Your head whipped in the direction of the sound, blood flowing like a rushing river, knowing who would be behind the door but still being afraid to make the move and let him in.

Your brain was yelling at you to get up and move, to be a good person, the person you were, but something inside of you was still terrified. Terrified that if you let him in, the beast would sneak in with him.

You finally stood, deciding to do the right thing, and perhaps, having some company below you while you slept might ease the worry.

You grasped the cold door handle and turned slowly. Through the light cast from the fire, a sliver of his face was illuminated. Part of his eye was clear under the shadow from his brow, and he looked to be glistening in what you guessed was sweat, but you couldn’t imagine how he could be sweating in this weather. Strands of hair were falling over his face. He looked menacing in this moment, yet he waited for your invitation to even speak first.

“You’re here again.” You spoke in a low whisper, knowing he could hear with the silent world around you.

“You’re awake to greet me again,” Leon’s voice was a low rumble, clenching your heart with emotion, untangling the strings of fear in your ribcage. “I fear I must ask for safety from you once more. It is… the same situation as yesterday with none of the outsiders leaving your grounds yet.”

You breathed in, feeling the cold air of the outdoors fill your lungs. It cleared your head a little bit. Last night was fine, it was you lending a hand to someone who needed it and it did you no harm. There was no reason to turn Leon down this time.

“Sure. I still have your setup by the fire.”

Swinging the door open let in a rush of cold air, but you welcomed it for a moment, feeling yourself calm down from the heat of the house and the mental mess you have been creating. Leon shed his jacket and boots and walked himself over to the mat on the floor, collapsing into a barely sitting position, resting his upper body on the wall behind him. From where you stood in the kitchen after closing and locking up the door, you could see his shirt was almost soaked through.

You swallowed, carefully studying the curves of his arms and the way his back flexed to accommodate his new position, head tilted and exposing the flesh of his neck to you, oranges and yellows dancing over the sheen on his skin, bringing it to life. You took careful steps over, taking a seat by the fire once more.

“Did I wake you again?” His voice was low and raspy, and without moving your eyes from the floor, focusing on nothing, you knew he was looking at you.

“No,” You shook your head. “I was already awake.” 

He hummed. “Another nightmare?” He questioned. You swallowed, not liking the unwelcome recollection of that dream, trying to focus on the present and the tangible person in front of you, not the wretched beast of your darkest dreams. Anything to be distracted from… everything.

Your breath caught in your throat at once, however, upon a dawning realization: Leon should not know about the nightmare.

You suddenly shot your gaze upward, ready to question him, when your thoughts completely derailed.

You gasped. “Leon! Your ear… you’re bleeding…” You stood up and ran to the kitchen, wetting a rag in your basin. Wringing it out, dripping on the way over, you pressed it to the right side of Leon’s head, taking his face in your other free hand. He did not resist, rather he let you pamper him; he seemed to not care about the dripping and drying blood on his face and clothes.

You cleaned his skin to a degree, the wound still looked fresh, but it stopped dripping blood for now. The rag would have to be thrown away.

“How did this happen, Leon? Did you get hurt on the hunt?” You tried to wipe away some of the fresh blood from his shirt, but it merely smudged it. You sighed and stood, deciding to leave it, knowing he didn’t seem to care either way if he was covered in blood or not.

You heard him breathe in deeply. “You can say that.” You glanced back over your shoulder, growing a bit weary to see he was barely moving positions. It would be crazy from what looked to just be a flesh wound on his ear, but you hoped that luck would not have it so he would die in your home on you.

You walked back over to him and crouched slowly again, still by the fire, but closer to him, in case of more blood emergencies. His skin was unnaturally shiny; you could tell he was wet, but the fire was not nearly strong enough for it to be sweat.

“Is everything alright? You seem ill, I think you should see the medic–”

“No, I’m fine.” He cut you off. His tone was much more stern than he had been with you just prior, and the night before. You watched the muscles in his throat contract as he gulped. He was clearly unwell, but you would not push it anymore. “It’s just been a long night. I should start listening to my body when it is telling me enough is enough.”

You nodded, holding yourself back from getting up and fetching all the blankets you had left in the house. Sweating this profusely while it is not nearly the correct weather for it could only mean a fever. But this was still a man you did not know well enough, and you did not want to push on any boundaries where you didn’t know where the line was.

“Leon…” You started gently. He turned his head to regard you. His gaze was as hot as the burning logs beside you. He said nothing, eyes urging you to continue. “I worry that you are unwell. Please tell me what I can do for you. Or… tell me what you would like me to do for you.”

He quirked a smile at this. You felt a rush of cold under your thick wardrobe. “I need you to stop worrying. I know I look ill but I give you my word that I will be just fine. I would have let you know if this was new for me… but I have seen it before.” He shook his head and turned away again. “I will be fine come morning.” He fell into silence again. You watched the veins in his neck dip and bob with the breaths and swallows he took, feeling torn between two distinct emotions inside of you, knowing one came from the humanitarian you were raised to be, and the other, a deep, twisted lust that you felt crawling back up from the grave you buried it in a long time ago.

The fact of the current, unfortunate, situation was this–Leon was a very attractive man. This you could not deny. No amount of strangeness between you two would make you blind to this fact. There was no arguing against saying this as a statement, this man was taller than any other man you saw daily, he was nearly twice their size as well. His face was carved of the smoothest marble, and the way his hair sat brought even more emotion than there already was to the deep inset of his brow bone. With his shirt dampened with sweat, it clung to the hills and valleys of his pectoral and abdominal muscles, and your eyes were glued. You felt a wave of guilt rise, knowing you were taking pleasure in your viewing when he was in such a state, but you could not look away. You just could not.

After what felt like long, agonizing seconds of admiring his build, your eyes drifted upward again to meet his, and you felt a wave of shame pass over as you realized he was already looking at you.

“So astonished by meeting someone like me?” He looked smug without so much as a hint of a smile, his blue eyes practically radiating in the firelight.

“I’ve never seen anyone like you around here.” You choked out, suddenly barely able to speak. 

“No surprise there. There is no one else like me to come wandering by.” He barely moved as he spoke, save for the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed raggedly. “I know no one here has seen someone like me before, in fact. It is all the same from years past when I came through the first time. It is like history is re-living itself.

“You’ve been here before?” You asked with mild shock, knowing no one has ever alluded to a mysterious traveller who has stopped by. Word would have gotten around no matter how long ago it was–even when you are greeted by others of villages far, they look much more similar to you than they do to Leon.

He stared at you for a moment longer before continuing. “Many, many years ago. Nothing has changed. Not that I would have expected it to, the method of living here has worked for decades so why alter it? Why come in and destroy a civilization like I’m stepping on an anthill just because it is in the way of the path I travel? I could have. I didn’t, though. It’s more fun to be the looming threat over the colony and lead a single ant or two astray, leaving the rest wondering if anything ever happened at all years down the line.” 

You felt your body tense with each word he spoke. What was he saying? How had he been here before, long enough before to know decades of history about the commune? Not even you had that many years of life itself to be able to speak for.

This time, a grin spread on his face. You were confusing the emotions blooming inside of you again.

“I…” Chest constricting, you tried to talk through it. You could only muster a loud whisper. “I don’t understand.” 

“How could you? It’s more than one person can bear witness to. The legends always have some concrete event to back them up.” He shifted, brows furrowed as if he were in pain. You felt yourself slightly less inclined to want to help him. The glow of the fire against his skin was turning him even more golden, it seemed like it was happening without help from the flames. “Still have that rabbit?”

You blinked, thrown off by the sudden change in conversation. “No, I ate it already. I am sorry if you wanted it.”

Leon shook his head in response to this. “No, I didn’t want it. Just curious. It was for you, not for you to share.”

You sat up straighter, leaning forward toward him only an inch. “The rabbit was from you?”

He breathed a laugh at this. “Well, who else do you think left it?”

You shook your head. “But… you weren't even here when that was left for me. You didn’t show up until nearly two days later. How?”

Leon sat forward to meet you. He was now inches away from your face, and while on the surface rippled a thin layer of fear, you were far braver than to back down in front of him. The swelling heat of emotion inside of you was enough for you to keep your stance. “I’ve been here. I am not new, and I never have been.” You stared in defiance at him, trying to untie whatever knot he was creating with his words. “I might be new to you, but these grounds are not new to me. You are my ants. I stand over you and watch how you behave in my shadow. Generations come and go from the anthill, but I am always outside watching how tall it gets. Waiting for it to collapse. Seeing how many ants can wander away before the whole colony is gone.”

You tried to shake your head, but you were rooted in place. His eyes burned a hole through you, and they almost unnaturally glowed. He took a deep breath in and rolled his head back, and you unabashedly watched the languid movement the skin of his throat made against the stretch. 

“I… like to watch it and yet… I can’t help but play a game with them every once in a while.”

His eyes were back on yours now. His face showed no signs of discomfort, or any sort of illness it seemed he was sporting minutes ago. The shadows and contours of his face gave him a harsh look, and his stare felt like he knew everything about you. The longer you looked into them, the more you felt yourself unravel, the more unsteady you felt in your own body. A shock passed through you at once, and you were unsure if this was natural, or a phantom being taking control. 

“Game?” You finally managed to get out.

He hummed, and you felt it in your core. “Joining in on a game of hide and seek, trying to find the one that won’t appear, yet the whole time, it is hiding right under their noses. They let it seek with them. Why would they think it hides among them?”

You did not like what he was insinuating with his words–you hoped you were misconstruing them, but you kept up rapidly, and made the connection all too easily. 

You wanted to disbelieve, yet you said it yourself: Who are you to deny the existence of that which you have no proof of living? You have the proof now. He was in front of you.

Wanting to object to his words, you opened your mouth to shut down what he was saying, but you were left speechless. No matter how hard you tried to utter one word, the effort was useless. You felt a wave come over you again.

It felt as if the oxygen in the room had thinned. Now, not only could you not speak, but you could barely breathe. You began to feel dizzy, not sure if you were swaying in the spot you were sitting or truly falling back to the floor. Your vision blurred, and all of the harsh, strong lines defining Leon’s body from the rest of the scene went soft and fuzzy, but the irises of his eyes were a beacon through the fog. They never left your gaze.

You felt the pressure of a hand around your throat, but even through the rapidly unfocusing and refocusing of your vision, you could see Leon was not touching you. Despite this, the sensation never let up, and you felt it get tighter, warmer, and you heard yourself wheeze in a breath around the grasp.

“I must say… I appreciate the mind you had to not cast aside the outlandish ideas you have heard being thrown around regarding what was happening amongst your woods… it made it all too easy for me to take residence inside you.”

The voice, Leon’s voice, was being spoken inside your brain. Your ears were only registering the crackle of the fire, but the deep reverberation of his voice was bouncing around in your head, echoing within, opening your mind to a realm of new possibilities–ones you had previously assumed impossible.

The next time your vision cleared, it stayed that way, and you felt a wash of relief upon having your sight back. The relief was short lived, however, when as your consciousness recentered itself, Leon sent you falling backwards onto your floor with one swift push to your shoulder. He was quicker to reangle himself and send his hand flying to meet your head at the point it would have collided with the hardwood, and you could only gasp as you registered this happening all too slowly for your liking.

Your back was flush with the floor and Leon was hovering above you. You felt the back of his hand underneath your head, the cushion from the wood, and your skin felt alive from his gaze as if he were touching you with invisible hands a million times over. There was no longer firelight dancing on his face, he was swathed in darkness, turning the hollows of his eyes and contours of his cheekbones even darker. But still, his blue eyes emitted a soft glow.

“How easy to lure a rabbit into a false sense of security by standing still until it forgets it saw me. How easy it is to become a presence in the mind of those that had no armor to protect themselves against me in the first place.” This time, as Leon spoke to you outloud, the voice inside your head was still tumbling around in there, making him sound as if he were in too many places at once. You felt so scrutinized under his gaze, still feeling the edge of movement restriction around you, surely still the work of him somehow.

Making as stable eye contact as you could muster, your voice returns for seconds long enough for you to choke out, “If choosing to fight a battle with those that are helpless is how you conduct your strategy, I don’t think of you as worth any nobility we had to offer you.”

He lowered himself closer to your face with swiftness unseen by human capability. “When did I say I was anything of a nobleman?”

As if unleashed by his words, a sensation similar to a boa winding itself around its prey consumed your body. You struggled to breathe in again, back arching off the floor, feeling your torso meet with his as he still held himself above you, watching you obey his command. You tore at the edges of this invisible confine, eager to fight back and prove you were not so easily controlled as he seemed to have a hunch about.

He shook his head slowly above you, laughing in a low, tumbling, growl-like sound that nearly left your ears ringing. “Fight harder. Don’t put your walls up now when I am already inside.”

At this, you stuttered in your movement, trying to make it unnoticeable, but even after it happened you thought this was stupid, as he caught the very moment you faltered. He removed the hand that was pillowing your head and put it on your chest, pressing you back down onto the floor. It was impressively, and embarrassingly, easy for him to do so considering your own struggle against it. He kept his hand there, and whatever trance he had you under made you still at his touch. As much as you wanted to fight it, your body went completely unmoving under the pressure of one hand. 

“Enough…” You rasped out. “Just take what you wanted from here and go. You took our animals and hurt our people, was that not enough?”

Leon smiled in your face. It was simultaneously horrid and mocking as it was suggestive and flirtatious. “I told you already. All I wanted was the game.” He leaned in closer once more, bringing his face into the crook of your neck. You felt his breath paint your skin, and you felt a trail of shivers race down your body at it. While you were fighting against his hold, you were also fighting to get closer to it. The hand that was pressing into your chest snaked upward, and you felt the chill of his fingertips creep up your throat and onto your chin, holding your jawline in between his thumb and forefinger, tilting your head to the side with the lightest of touches. You gasped at the movement, and your breath fluttered when his lips made contact. Your hands curled into fists at your side, inwardly wincing when you felt the pinch of needle-like teeth scraping the skin. His mouth came up to your ear, and the heat from his proximity filled your veins. “I am not leaving without the trophy.”

His teeth, sharp fangs like vampires, sunk into the tender flesh where your jaw connects to your skull, and you gasped, body finally able to move again, writhing against him on top of you, and it was as if he were injecting a venom into your bloodstream, you were hit with another wave of his mind control.

Any fear you had lingering turned to a burning lust. Dizziness ebbed and flowed throughout your limbs, the contact you had with Leon at any point of your bodies burned as if you touched a hot iron. Your hands were covered in pins and needles as they reached up and grabbed onto the thick bicep of the man over you, squeezing as hard as you could muster, but losing any feeling seconds later.

Leon detached himself from you and sat back on his knees; you tried to push yourself up to meet him but your body was utterly unresponsive. His lips were coated in your blood, a shade so dark you were stunned to assume it came from you at all. His eyes were shaded over completely, ice blue irises gave way to black voids, and visible blue veins spider-webbing across his neck and near his eyes. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, still soaked to the touch, and he glistened as he was backlit by the fire still burning, still heating you as if nothing were wrong.

He reached his hand out and grabbed your chin again, your eyes rolling back at the searing pleasure shooting through you at his mere touch. He tilted your head backward, and the lightheaded sensation returned. He held your face firmly rooted away from him, you were now completely turned away from him, left only the sensation of touch as he rooted his other hand up your leg from under your long skirt, settling himself in between your legs. 

Your hand came up to wrap itself around his wrist, needing something to stabilize yourself as he brought himself lower upon you once more. 

You felt him return to the side of your head. “The choice is yours. Will you be the trophy of my choosing or will you pick another to make the sacrifice?”

You breathed in as deeply as his trance would allow. Your vision continued to dart in and out, blinking feeling like a process that took whole minutes rather than seconds. Your hand slowly moved its way up his forearm, feeling the flex in the muscle as a response to your touch. That alone solidified it, him reacting to your actions below him was enough.

“It will be me.” Your words came out closer to puffs of air rather than a sound, but the clarity of the delivery was not what Leon was concerned with. “It must be.”

He hummed, turning into an almost carnal growl, before transforming into a deep bass you felt in your chest, making you feel as if your ears were sure to rupture. Your whole body vibrated along with his call, both of your hands clawed upward in an attempt to grasp onto any part of him. They found purchase on the frail cloth of his shirt, ripping holes you knew he was surely not to care about as you pulled him closer. He obeyed, and you felt the prick of his teeth on your neck once more as the weight of his body crashed on top of yours, feeding delicious pleasure when he ground himself into you, locking you in a dance of lust tinged with fear as you needed him closer, needed to feel him in every regard.

The hands of his that were trailing up your skirt ripped apart with a swift motion the thin leggings you had under to sleep in for warmth, feeling the cool air grace your skin as you were now burning from the physical heat and from the heat within. You felt his tongue trace patterns across your throat, and you almost thought he had ripped out your vocal chords and you were unaware–as no matter how intense it felt like you were sighing and moaning from his pleasure, you never uttered a sound.

Your head rolled to the side as the energy to keep your body rigid fled from you, with wave after wave of your own satisfaction mixed with the toying you knew he was doing to your brain. You felt like not yourself, yet when you felt his touch, it was the only thing you could focus on. The weight of Leon on top of you paired with his roaming hands, hands that felt cold from an unhuman skin, and exceptionally warm from the friction between you. 

He now had an arm under your leg, seating himself perfectly between your legs and pressing all of his weight onto you. You felt like prey in this moment, and you knew there would be no way out here.

“I fear that when I keep going I will have no control left to stop… but I am far to gone to pretend I can back out now.” His growl was ever present in your ears, hearing him beside your face as well as inside your head. His voice alone had your eyes rolling back into your skull, your hands losing grip where they sat on his thick arms and sturdy chest.

He swiftly scooped up your fallen wrists into his own hands, pinning you down to the floor, leaving you with no energy to try and fight his strength–but you knew in your mind you did not want to try this. Regardless of whatever spell of his that had you in a clouded state, that deep emotional awakening coming from within you was telling you now, as you were pinned underneath this man-monster, I will accept that this is my way to go.

Wearily, taking in every sensation there was to feel, you brought a hand up to grace the side of his head lovingly. He moved his head further up your body again, locking eyes with yours. You felt the swell of dizzying tides take you away, reveling in the heat that you felt his body throwing off.

You fluttered in and out of consciousness, seeing his mouth dripping crimson every time he came up for air from your neck and body. You could not tell what the temperature was in the room any longer. You registered in pieces his hands still roaming over you, the sounds of his human pleasure when he reveled in your body and thrust himself deep into you, your own mind being clouded from the lust emerging through your trance. You poked back to the surface at your own climax, nearly feeling weightless from the way Leon brought it to you. 

You let Leon have you. After all, you are who he chose.

–

It was on the rising dawn of the next morning you came back to the present. You were not in your home.

You could not move an inch, but your eyes were working normally past a thin layer of fog that you couldn’t differentiate if the source was your own vision or the atmosphere around you. The leaves and twigs poking through the ground went unfelt by you, and you were unsure if you were numb, or you had been there for so long that you no longer felt it.

In your haze, you saw a small movement out in the distance.

Leon’s voice reverberated through your head. “The extent of my heart and gratitude goes to you for allowing me to exist. I will repay your honor in my many years to come.” A blanket of warmth came down onto you, surely Leon’s doing, and an exhaustion took over your senses. You sighed.

The small bundle of movement came closer. You were so still, the rabbit approached you with no caution and all curiosity. It was perfectly round. It would make the perfect meal come nightfall.

[amourtoken]

i can’t stop thinking about sub!luke. imagining him laid back on the couch and whimpering as you take him apart and not caring that jack could come back at any time and see the mess he can make at your hands. i also think sub!luke would love for you to spit in his mouth, he’d practically beg for it….

GODDDDD THIS IS SO GOOD FUCK

Lukey in subspace would be so fucking malleable, he'd do anything under the sun for you cause the way your tight pussy feels gripping his cock has his brain melting.

Push him back onto the couch, sit on his lap and grind your hips against his until he's literally tearing up just begging to feel you. He's so easy to break. It'd be even worse for him on the days where you make him hold his hands behind his back so he can't touch you, but today you're feeling rather generous so you allow his trembling hands to rest on your soft hips while you're in his lap.

Jack said he'd be back from the gym by 10, it's at least 9:30 but you could really care less especially since it's just starting to get good. When you finally give in to Luke's pleas and drag his sweats down just enough to free his cock he's practically worshipping you for the bare minimum, hips jerking when your hand brushes his length as you move to strip your lower half. You think he's so cute like this, but God is he pathetic. He's big, strong, tall, insanely talented and driven, adored by the Devils' fans, and here he is begging you for pussy with teary eyes. If only they knew, you think.

You'd love to just sink down on his cock right away but that'd take away from the fun of really unraveling him. instead you take your place straddling his hips again, reaching between your bodies to slowly stroke his cock and guide him right against your soaked slit. Luke's head fell back against the couch cushions but your free hand reached up to lace into his curls, tugging just enough to make him whine as you made him reconnect eye contact with you.

"Did i say you could stop? Eyes on me, Rusty"

" 'm s-sorry- f-fuck I'm sorry- p-please-"

you'd planned on teasing him a little differently but your attention had been redirected. His apologies are sweet but you'd like to see his mouth doing more work and talking way less. One of your hands stays tangled up in his hair while the other releases his cock to slide up his torso and settle at his throat. You squeeze the sides gently, feeling his soft moans vibrate against your palm as his brain goes fuzzy. God he's so pretty, in every way. Even the sounds he makes are pretty. Nothing could compare to the strangled sob that left his lips when you finally settled onto his cock though, especially when he's already struggling not to cum from just the feeling of your warm walls squeezing him just right.

Once you start bouncing on his cock he's done for. His arms tighten up around your waist to hold you close and he tries so hard to just sit and take it but he can't help the way his hips buck to meet yours halfway. You'd be lying if you said the friction wasn't nice, even if he's technically out of line. Your hands move to cradle his face and he just melts into your hold, especially when your thumb brushes his bottom lip and he takes it into his mouth. It does a pretty good job of muffling all the sounds escaping his chest but this isn't enough for you. You know he could do way more for you.

"Lukey, open. Stick your tongue out."

If there's one thing about him you appreciate it's that you never have to ask anything twice. He does exactly as you asked, not expecting you to lean over and spit in his mouth but he's not complaining. The action has him whimpering, especially when you slide your two middle fingers over the slick mess on his tongue before sliding further into his mouth. He can't tell which feelings to focus on first and he loses track, his body so overwhelmed he can't do anything but let you take over even more. He absolutely cums buried balls deep inside you while one of your hands stays settled on his throat and the other fucks his mouth. He's such a mess, drooling around your fingers and quivering so hard he's sure his legs are too weak to stand.

Youve both lost track of time and are DANGEROUSLY close to Jack walking in and seeing Luke fucked out beneath you by now.

[echo-riot]

✞⛧Sevika/Abby/Ellie if you cheated on them ✞⛧

Warnings: Mentions of cheating, angst m?

✞⛧ Sevika ✞⛧

✞⛧ Sevika doesn’t react right away. She’s too angry, too betrayed to speak. The silence between you two feels suffocating. She just stares at you, her grey eyes turning cold like metal, her jaw clenched so tight you can almost hear her teeth grind.

✞⛧ She’ll act like it doesn’t bother her at first. She’s tough. She’s not the kind of person who lets things like this get to her. But the truth is, it cuts deeper than any blade. The realization that you—her person, her ally, the one person she’d let in—would do this to her? It’s too much. It’s a betrayal she can’t shake off.

✞⛧ Don’t expect her to shout, to throw things, to cry. Sevika doesn’t cry. She’ll leave instead, disappearing for a few hours, but when she comes back, she’s colder than before. Her metal arm will be clenched tight, and her voice will be low, almost a growl, when she speaks.

✞⛧ She’ll corner you in a room and ask in the most dangerous tone possible, “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out? Did you think I’m that stupid?” But there’s no yelling. It’s all calm, controlled rage.

✞⛧ Sevika will demand answers, but she won’t beg. She’ll force you to say the truth, to admit it, and when you do, her gaze will be so intense, so full of pain, that it’ll break your heart to see it. But she won’t show the hurt on her face. No, she’ll mask it with anger, with disgust.

✞⛧ She’ll remind you of everything she’s done for you. All the times she protected you, fought for you, killed for you. How she made you hers in every sense of the word. But now? Now you’ve thrown it all away for someone else. For what? A stupid mistake?

✞⛧ Sevika won’t scream. She won’t make a scene. But her body will shake with fury, her fists clenching at her sides. If you don’t beg her to stay, if you don’t apologize properly, she will walk away. Not even a backward glance.

✞⛧ You’ll feel the weight of her absence for days, weeks, months. When you come across her in public, you’ll see the way others look at you with pity, knowing what you did. But Sevika? She’ll act like you never existed. She’ll keep her distance, refusing to give you the satisfaction of seeing her hurt.

✞⛧ She won’t immediately forgive you. It’ll take time. If she does forgive you, it’s not going to be easy. She’ll keep you at arm’s length, never fully trusting you again. And when she does decide to let you back in, there’s no guarantee you’ll be the same person you were before. You’ll have to prove you’re worthy of her trust again, and that won’t happen overnight.

✞⛧ If you beg for her forgiveness, don’t expect it to be given easily. Sevika’s pride won’t let her give in that quickly. She’ll make you work for it—show her you’re sorry, prove that you won’t do it again.

✞⛧ She’ll probably stop calling you “hers” for a while, at least until she knows she can trust you again. You’ll feel the sting of her indifference every time you see her with someone else, every time you hear her laugh with someone else.

✞⛧ But you know what’s worse than her coldness? The rare moments when she lets her guard down. When she finally speaks to you, when her voice cracks with the emotion she’s been holding back. That’s when you realize just how deeply she was hurt. That’s when the guilt eats you alive.

✞⛧ If you think Sevika won’t find a way to punish you, you’re dead wrong. She might not do anything overt, but she’ll make sure you feel the consequences. A cold shoulder. A brush off. A reminder that she’s a force to be reckoned with—and you’re not the only one who can be ruthless.

✞⛧ Sevika won’t apologize for anything, but her actions will eventually speak louder than words. If she’s willing to take you back, she’ll show you in the way she holds you when she thinks you’re asleep, in the way she keeps her arm around you when no one else is around. But even then, there’ll always be a part of her that’s guarded, that’s holding back. Because you’ve proven that even the strongest walls can come down. And she can never forget that.

•|||——————————————————————|||•

✞⛧Abby ✞⛧

✞⛧ Abby finds out in the worst way possible. You think you’ve been subtle, but she’s been watching, quietly observing every small change in your behavior. She notices the way your smile doesn’t quite reach your eyes anymore, the way you avoid her touch, the way you get quiet after your phone buzzes. She knows. She always knows.

✞⛧ When she confronts you, she’s calm. Too calm. It makes your stomach drop because you know that when Abby is this still, this composed, it means she’s broken. Her voice doesn’t shake, but you can see the hurt in her eyes, even if she tries to hide it behind that stoic, cold façade.

✞⛧ Abby won’t scream. She won’t yell. She just… stops. She’s quiet for a long time, and that silence feels like it stretches on forever. It eats away at you, because the worst part is that she’s not angry—she’s disappointed. She’ll never yell. She won’t even beg you to explain. She’ll just leave. And that will hurt more than anything.

✞⛧ When she walks away, it feels like everything in her life just crumbled. All the walls she built to protect herself, everything she sacrificed, was because she trusted you. And now it feels like all of it is gone.

✞⛧ You’ll try to apologize, to explain that it was a mistake, but Abby’s not stupid. She’ll cut you off before you can even finish, her eyes sharp like knives, “Don’t you dare. I’m not stupid. Don’t make me regret ever giving you that trust.”

✞⛧ She won’t leave immediately, but she’ll pull away, emotionally, physically. Her touch? Gone. Her warmth? Gone. You’ll feel cold, like you’re just a ghost in her life now.

✞⛧ Every attempt to make things right will feel like it’s hitting a brick wall. You’ll buy her gifts, write her notes, try to touch her hand… but nothing works. She doesn’t want your apologies, she doesn’t want your gifts. She wants the trust that you broke—and now it’s gone forever.

✞⛧ You’ll regret it. Oh, you’ll regret it so hard. Because Abby Anderson isn’t the type to let go of people easily. When she loves, she loves deeply. And when she cuts someone out of her life, it’s like she never even knew them.

✞⛧ You’ll sit there, remembering the way her fingers would curl around yours, how she’d soften when she kissed you, the warmth of her body wrapped around yours at night. And then it hits you: I fucked up. You threw that all away.

✞⛧ And the worst part? When she’s gone, Abby won’t look back. She’ll keep moving forward. She’ll survive, like she always does, but it will kill her inside. Because she thought you were worth fighting for. And now, she’s fighting against herself. She’s fighting to forget you.

✞⛧ Maybe you’ll see her again, maybe you won’t. But every time you do, you’ll see the coldness in her eyes that wasn’t there before. You’ll see the wall between you, a divide she built to protect herself. She’ll never forgive you, not fully, and the pain of that will linger with you for as long as you live.

✞⛧ Abby doesn’t forgive easily, especially when it comes to betrayal. And now you’ll never be able to take back the damage you caused.

•|||——————————————————————|||•

✞⛧ Ellie ✞⛧

✞⛧ Ellie would feel a pit in her stomach, like someone just ripped her heart out and stomped on it. She doesn’t know if she wants to scream or cry, so she does both in her head while trying to stay calm on the outside.

✞⛧ She wouldn’t confront you right away. No, she’d need time to process. Maybe a couple days of silence where she avoids your gaze, her mind racing, but too hurt to speak up.

✞⛧ When she finally confronts you, it’s not with anger. It’s with quiet, devastated hurt. Her voice shakes, her hands trembling, and she’s trying to hold back tears. “Why? Was I not enough for you? What did I do wrong?”

✞⛧ She’s the type to think she’s messed up somehow. That she’s broken. Maybe you left because of something she couldn’t give you, maybe it’s her past catching up to her—her survivor’s guilt, her trauma.

✞⛧ The guilt would consume her. Even if you were the one in the wrong, Ellie would still find a way to blame herself. She’d second-guess everything she did for you. “Did I push you away? Was I too much?”

✞⛧ Her jealousy would become unbearable. Every time you talked to someone else, a dull ache would sting in her chest, knowing what happened. She’d try to act like she’s fine, but the weight of the betrayal would linger in her eyes.

✞⛧ If you tried to explain yourself, Ellie would shut down. She doesn’t want excuses. It’s too late for words now. She wants to forget everything and pretend like it never happened.

✞⛧ She’d probably push you away at first. Not because she doesn’t care, but because it hurts too much to love you knowing what you’ve done. She’d rather you hate her than face the possibility of being with you and feeling that same sting every time you touch her.

✞⛧ But deep down, she’d want you to fight for her. Not with words, but with actions. Show her that you’re sorry. Show her that you really want her. But she won’t admit it. Instead, she’ll act cold, distant, and self-destructive.

✞⛧ Ellie would start locking herself away even more. Her guitar would be the only thing that comforts her, strumming out painful, broken chords, her soul pouring into each note.

✞⛧ Every time she sees you, there’s this flicker of hope in her that maybe, just maybe, you’ll regret it, but it fades every time you look at her like she’s just a thing to you.

✞⛧ If you genuinely want to make amends, it would take a long time. Ellie’s not one to easily forgive, not when the wound is this deep. She’d need space to heal, but even then, she’d always wonder if you’d hurt her again.

✞⛧ She’d become distant, but in her quiet, fragile way, she’d want to be loved again—just not in the same way, because she can never go back to the naive hopefulness she had before. That part of her is gone.

✞⛧ The scars would remain. She could never forget, not fully. But she might forgive, in time—if only because, deep down, she still loves you. Even if it scares her. Even if it hurts too much.

✞⛧ But don’t be mistaken. She’s no fool. If you do it again, she’ll walk away. And she won’t look back.

[ddaz3d-and-cc0nfused]

𝘼𝙂𝘼𝙄𝙉 || a spencer reid series

“You don’t what you got till it’s gone my dear… so tell me that you love me again.”

summary: A dark alley and a moment of weakness was all it took for that night to be your last. Death was scary, but no one tells you about the part where you wake up in your bed alive and well the same day you died.

status: ongoing

word count: to be determined

genre: time travel!au, happy death day!au, time loop!au, friends-to-lovers, slow burn; smut (maybe), fluff, angst, hurt/comfort.

warnings: heavy angst, murder, death, graphic descriptions of violence, the reader lightly describes a case that includes murder, torture; suicide, main character death but not... (to be added)

a/n: well hello there, friends! yes, this is another series. yes, i am aware that i already have a series i need to finish but nevertheless, here's the thriller that i promised almost a year ago, and there's still gonna be romance of course!

i apologize if anything plot wise is inconsistent, i'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants with this because i've been craving to post a series once more!

i don't really have a posting schedule nor any idea when this'll be finished, i'm really doing this just for fun! i also have no idea if anyone has done this before, and if there are any similarities, they are complete coincidences!

masterlist | AO3

prologue

chapter 1 - deja'vu

chapter 2 - nightmares are real

chapter 3 - unavoidable

chapter 4 - past, present, and future

chapter 5 - to the end

chapter 6 - even if i tried

chapter 7 - no i in team

chapter 8 - closing in

chapter 9 - then there was one

chapter 10 - a gun, a killer, and a backup plan

chapter 11 - again

[steven-g-rogers]

Despite not expecting Tony to move so quickly, Steve had clocked the blows before they happened.  He didn’t react though.  He wanted Tony to try and get this out.  Not just the physical, but all of it.  He let him spit his each word uninterrupted, even if his pain had been poisoned by an inaccurate lens.  He felt what he felt and he needed to be heard.

The hits to his chest and side were fine.  He’d taken harder and worse plenty of times.  The kick to the balls however, that had doubled him over and he stumbled back with a soft grunt, his hands going straight to his crotch.

He took a second for the pain to subside as he tried to think of the best way to formulate his response.  He didn’t want to invalidate Tony.  And Tony had said he didn’t want apologies. 

He raised his hands.  Tony had said he wanted to spar, so he’d give him that.  “You ready?” he asked.

When he was sure that Tony was ready to spar he began to throw some jabs at him, always making sure the genius was able to catch or deflect the blows.  “Tony.  I am going to say again, I wasn’t hiding it from you.  I admit, selfishly, I considered it.  Honestly, I do wonder if I did the right thing.  What good has knowing done you?  Your parents aren’t any more alive because you know they were killed over having an accident.  I’m in the process of completely erasing the organization that killed them.  All telling you has done is hurt you.  But - I told you.  I only found out a month before I told you about it.  It took time for me to process the information, to decide what the implications of that was, and to look for the right moment to tell you.  Are you seriously telling me, if our roles were reversed you would have told me immediately?  I - wouldn’t - believe - you.”  Each word of the last sentence was dotted with a series of harder blows that backed Tony up against the wall. 

Steve’s anger of the situation and Tony’s reaction to it was starting to get the better of the supersoldier.  He towered over the man, his face getting close to the mechanics as he continued to trade jabs.  “You said it yourself we could have been friends.  We weren’t though, were we?  We were two almost strangers who worked together while arguing constantly and then we went in different directions and on my own mission, I discovered a man - my best friend from childhood - hadn’t died - something I had been grieving and blaming myself for since 1942.  No. Instead it was much worse.  Because of me, that friend had been tortured for sixty years, had his mind wiped and was turned into a weapon for the same organization that we’d been fighting when he died.  And not only that, he’d been forced to kill a man, we were both good friends with.”

He stopped, breathing heavily, his eyes shining with unshed tears, his face so close to Tony’s that he could taste his breath.  “I’m sorry that I chose the moment when I realized we could actually be friends - to be …” What, Steve? More than that? “... close.  I’m sorry I had other things to process before I got to you. I’m sorry that I thought there might be a perfect moment to tell you.  I’m sorry that not every thought I had was about you and how you’d take it.  But I swear some of them were.  Some of them were about saving you the pain completely.  But either way - I did it.  I hurt you.  So now what?  How do I fix it?” 

"You want to know how I'm feeling?" Ha, wasn't that the question of the hour and Tony himself didn't even know how to answer that properly. Everything in his head was a muddled mess (more so than usual) and it rapidly switched from anger to sadness quicker than he could keep up with. "I feel like shit, Cap." Words were spat out like venom, poised to hurt and maim as part of him hoped to verbally wound the older Avenger for his transgressions.

"I feel betrayed by someone I was hoping was a friend," A forceful right-hook was sent in the direction of the blond's chest to punctuate his sentence. "-not just a teammate or a colleague but a person I could trust." Another quick jab with his other hand balled into a tight fist went for his side, followed up by a knee to the balls. A dirty trick but one that the Iron Man had no regrets doing as any pain he could cause wasn't going to even be anywhere close to how he himself felt because of Steve's mistrust of him but it still felt like a step towards making them even. "I would have helped you with your friend if you fucking trusted me, Rogers. But you assumed the worst and hid shit."

[gayczennie]

Forever ago I said I’d write this oneshot for Johnny, but I haven’t been in the headspace to write for a while. Today I randomly felt the inspiration to write a bit. I apologize if it doesn’t read well, I may or may not have written it while high af. It took way longer than I thought it would to lead into the actual sex part of the story, so there’s not really any smut in this yet. I’ll try to return later and write the actual smut later, but in the mean time enjoy whatever this is 🤩

Johnny x male reader

General summary: Johnny jerks you off after practice as a reward for getting through a really long day despite being super sore from yesterday’s activities

Reader is having a really hard time keeping it together with all the stress of being an idol

Johnny has been mentoring him and helping him get into shape

Johnny drags him to the car straight after practice seeing that reader is on the verge of breaking down

“Fuck this is exhausting!” you exclaim pushing back your hair that’s sticking to your forehead from all the sweat. “I don’t know why this choreography just isn’t getting through my head. And I’m tired and sore and I just wanna be done for the day so bad!!” Your throat stings from all the cardio you’ve been getting and your thighs shake under you, threatening to give way and send you collapsing onto the floor. You’d been obsessing over looking perfect for the performance that’s quickly approaching. Every free second of the day was spent in a practice room or with Jonny at the gym. He’d been so patient with you the last two weeks, really taking you under his wing. Johnny had made it his personal mission to get you whipped into shape before the upcoming reward show stage with the rest of NCT 127. The two of you had spent a lot of time together recently and you were of course naturally becoming closer. Johnny was harsh on you though, always manhandling your body into the correct form whether you were lifting weights improperly at the gym or doing the choreo slightly wrong. It had left you feeling a weird mix of admiration for the man mixed with a slight fear of his stearnness… and maybe, just maybe, it made you feel a tiny bit turned on feeling his harsh glare and his strong hands around your body guiding you to where you needed to be…

“You done complaining y/n?” asks Johnny from his place on the floor in front of you. He sits in front of the practice room mirror where he’s been for the last 3 hours straight helping you drill your choreography. “I know you’ve been working hard all day baby. But I think you can nail it if you go one or two more times y/n.” Fuck did he just say baby? Did you hear him right?. Maybe the tension you’d been feeling between the two of you the last couple weeks wasn’t all in your head after all. Too exhausted and sore to get your hopes up just yet though, you respond in a whining voice“Johnny I can’t. My whole body hurts and I can barely even move anymore. What’s the point? The performance is so soon anyways I’m not gonna get any better.” You expect Johnny to scold you and tell you to run it again, but instead you see a glimmer in his eyes and the start of a smirk spreading across his face. “Keep going until I tell you it’s satisfactory, and I’ll surprise you with a reward baby. How does that sound?” There it was again. “Baby”. You were certainly intrigued to say the least. Before you even have a chance to respond, Johnny hits play on the music again and you get back into position for another shot at the choreo.

Your legs are still shaking, but you do your best to keep it together and run the song again. Every ounce of your concentration goes into perfecting the dance, hoping that this will finally be the last run through. You put on your best show and move with every bit of energy you’ve got left, sweat spraying across the room as you move to the beat. Finally, the song’s end comes to an end and you finish and then fall to the ground. Rolling over onto your back, you peer up at the ceiling through hooded eyes and Johnny moves into your field of vision. His head hovers over you, making his necklace dangle over your face. “I won’t lie to you, you still have more work to do y/n. But you’re getting better for sure. You worked hard today and you looked good doing it. Come on” he said, holding a hand out to you to help you off the floor. You ignore his outreached hand and instead meet his eyes and ask “Johnny. Is it really still bad? Be honest. I need to know if it sucked”. Tears prickle at your eyes and Johnny’s smirk down at you on the ground quickly fades. He scoops you up onto your feet and places his hands on your shoulders. “Y/n. You don’t suck at all. It was really fucking good! I’m just being hard on you because I wanted you to keep improving. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

Somehow Johnny’s words of encouragement make you feel worse, as if he’s lying to you just to make you feel better. “Baby don’t worry about it ok. You looked really good. Like I said before. How about that reward?” He tilts your head up at him and you notice that same glimmer enter his eyes again. It hits you too that he’s got his hands on you again, manipulating your movement the way he so often does. You let him grab your hand and guide you toward the door to finally leave the SM building. The two of you walk toward his car in the parking lot to go home, but to your surprise Johnny leads you both toward the back doors of the car instead of the driver’s and passenger’s seats. “Are we not going home? Johnny I’m so exhausted and I just wanna lie down and cr-

Your words are cut off as Johnny shuts the door and aggressively presses his lips against yours. You’re a little caught off guard at first, after all you didn’t even know if he was gay, but it doesn’t take any convincing for you to kiss him back passionately. Johnny’s hands waste no time exploring your body, and settling around your waist where he can easily control your small body against his. Pulling back a little, Johnny is the first to speak. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do that y/n. Watching you train at the gym and in the studio has been turning me on for the longest time.” You smack his chest and ask him “why did you wait so long to do anything about it? You think I’m not thinking the same thing staring at your muscles every day? Or feeling your hands around my waist while we work on the dance? I’ve been spending all this time worrying and feeling stupid and you were interested in me the whole time??”

“I was waiting until I was sure you felt the same way” He shrugged. “What the fuck Johnny. I’ve been trying to hide a boner like ten times a day because of yo- He cuts you off again with a kiss. His tongue slides into your mouth, exploring a bit, while one arm wraps around your lower back. He lowers you down on your back in the backseat while continuing his attack on your lips. “You taste salty” he whispers as he pulls away slightly to remove his shirt. The sight of Johnny’s impressive muscles makes your dick jump in your pants. For once, you do nothing to hide it. You want to fuck Johnny. And it looks like he wants to fuck you too

To be continued.

[luigi2028]

Seeing what you commented about his booking photo is something I think about almost daily... I wonder if he was crying right before it was taken. Mind you, that's a suicide vest they have on him.

I’m sorry, that’s a fucking WHAT!?! I thought that was just some sorta weird exam gown for when they do their full body searches and shit (imagining him getting cavity searched literally haunts me. Idk if that’s something they would’ve done then or if they do that when you’re actually convicted and sentenced? I could google it but I’m already typing this out and too lazy to switch screens)

They said at the time of arrest he started shaking really bad. Some people took that as “oh yeah he was obviously scared because he did it and knew he got caught.” (Sorry anon I know this is kinda going WAY off but I was thinking about this last night).

So two cops approached him at McDs and asked he pull down his mask. He complied. They asked for ID. He gave them the fake ID he’d used in the hostile. Why? IMO, it was to avoid being matched with his real name to any missing persons reports put out by his family and I’m sure he knew they’d put one out. THEN they asked if he’d been to NY recently. Obviously he had. And he obviously knew about the shooting that’d just happened. So the gears start turning in his head that ‘oh shit they think I’M the guy?!’

Now he realizes he just gave them a fake ID and the same ID he’d used in NY at that. He knows that’s gonna look really REALLY bad.

They cuff him and lead him off which is when I believe they search his belongings and find all the “evidence”.

So yeah I can absolutely imagine him BAWLING because he went from trying to simply avoid his family and figure himself out on his own to now being accused of the MURDER of a CEO. And I’m sure he was well aware they’d planted that “evidence” but that now it was his word against theirs and that’s gotta be a helpless feeling. He screwed up with the ID. Somebody pointed out if he had given them a different ID (fake or otherwise) they wouldn’t have had reason to search him cause the name wouldn’t have been the same as the one at the hostile. I don’t think he was worried about that because at that initial moment he probably never assumed they were coming to him as a murder suspect.

The damage that’s been done to this poor boy is irreversible. The PTSD he will no doubt inevitably suffer is something he’ll probably live the rest of his life with. He’s gonna have such a hard time trusting ANYBODY. His dating life was stagnant before all this, it’ll be completely dead afterward. I wanna hold out hope that since he has seen all the support he’s been given that that’ll help him reintegrate back into society a little easier. And yes I’m gonna talk about this as though he’ll be found not guilty and released. Cause as of right now he is Not Guilty. It is up to the prosecuting team to PROVE his guilt, not the other way around.

Again, apologies for such a long-winded reply. I was stewing on this thought for a bit.

[k9emote]

Hey

I'm not having fun creating here anymore. I can't handle the inbox threats, I can't handle the rumors and I can't handle the constant dread of being perceived incorrectly. I apologize to my audience but I'm not going to be posting here anymore. Thank you for the support from those who have been kind and understanding. Thank you to those who have criticized me fairly and maturely, and especially thank you to those who have brought it to me privately and been considerate of my symptoms during.

I will be using this inbox to do requests in my discord server only. I am safer from threats and harm there, and I can create freely out of harms way. Any commissions I've taken on this app have been moved to discord. My emotes will remain in a google drive and archived here. I will not be responding to any further public drama. If you see something insane said about me, please bring it to me privately before you believe it in full. Be your own person and have your own thoughts. Don't defend or attack blindly because those around you are. 🫶

In full admission, I've had issues in the past with

1. Aggressive lash outs towards people I've perceived as attacking me

2. Creating unoriginal art

My explanations and defenses are here, you can read through my posts if you want to see my apologies, explanations and break downs.

I've been targeted by a lot of people in this community. I joined this community around a year ago, and turned 17 last September. the leading people causing the attacks are adults I've cut contact with for my own safety. I really can't do this anymore. I get blamed for just about everything that happens involving me, and I don't have the energy to reply or defend or apologize anymore. If you don't like me, that's okay. You can even hate me if I've wronged you or if you literally just want to. All I ask is that you're careful how with how obsessed you become, and try to spread kindness in this community when you can; even if it's far away from me. There are children on this app who want to create. Make it safe for them; and I apologize when I made it unsafe too. I've gotten better, I promise you.

I'm not a perfect person. Hell, I'm probably not even a good person sometimes. But I did try, and that's what matters to me. I tried and I created and I bonded with people I now consider really close friends. I survived attacks on my mental health, and I now get to go focus on my more private community away from all this. I lived and you will too.

If i've hurt you, and you want an apology from me, dm me at k9.s_ on discord. I don't want enemies and I want to right what I've done where I can. 👋

[flamesignite]

He was surprised when he felt arms wrapped around him. His heart racing, hearing what he was saying. His body shuddered when he felt those familiar arms around him holding him close. Hearing the words that screamed to not say such things. Even if they were true, and Roy's inner demons were screaming out that he didn't deserve this, this happiness.

To be with someone for the rest of his life.

He shudders again hearing those words Atem screams about his demons haunting him. That he doesn't want to walk away from this, from all of it. Even after what he said, even though it had been obvious with how he truly felt he was willing to swallow down all of those feelings for him.

That sounded... all too familiar.

I will swallow every horrible thing I've done here, and I'll smile when I'm with her. I swear on my life, I will make her happy.

So this was how it felt... to swallow all that he had done in that place. To smile with someone he cares about and loves. Now he understood what Hughes had been talking about.

It took a moment, as he listened to all of what Atem had said, feeling the others head in his shoulder. The emotions that he had held back beginning to come out.

He felt the stinging in his eyes, he did his best to keep himself together, but he couldn't hold it anymore and he let out a sob. Tears starting to fall over, as he heard the words that Atem had said. He's never felt this way before, this feeling of being loved fully for everything that he was.

A mess of a man, one that did horrible, and unforgivable things. He didn't think that Atem would stay, he gave him an out if this was all too much for him, yet here he was, yelling at him to never say such things that he was willing to burden all of his demons for him. Even after all that they were still here together, Roy Mustang sobbed against Atem's shoulder.

He couldn't say anything, all that would break out was sobs that echoed in the air. This was a moment of finally letting everything out of his body. The feelings he had held back of being scared of losing someone so precious to him, someone he truly loved and wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Someone willing to bare everything for him, even if it had nothing to do with him.

He didn't want Atem to keep the feelings locked away, he was allowed to not like it, but he wants Atem to accept that the part of Roy will always be there, he will ALWAYS be labeled as a murderer and a war criminal, but that doesn't mean that he wanted to be one or was okay with what he did. That was just something he had to deal with, the nightmares, the constant reminder of who died by his flames. those were his sins to bare and Atem said he'd bare them with him, just like he had done for his... Father.

It felt like minutes of sobbing against Atem's shoulder. He was squeezing him softly. Pretty sure there was stains from his tears on Atem's outfit. He would apologize for that later, but he was finally stilling his sobs so that he could at least whisper in Atem's ear, shaky breathing as he does so.

"I'll.. Always hold myself... accountable.. for causing so much terrible destruction. I was never okay with it, even if I had no choice but to follow orders it still was no excuse, I should have saved them instead of kill them. People of my own country, I'll always be reminded of that war, and I take full responsibility and that is why I vowed to protect this nation or any nation that I am in. To make sure nothing like this ever happens again."

"...Don't say that." Atem whispered, the familiar emotion starting to intensify the moment he heard Roy now be the one to give him an out. Hearing that Roy never wanted to get close to anyone, that he doesn't deserve happiness, that he thinks Atem actually hates him, that he doesn't have to stay...

That he could walk away.

That all of this could end, and he wouldn't be with his Colonel anymore. No more Roy, no more late nights drinking and watching bad movies, no more laughing and playing around under covers, no more special moments in his studio. All of it gone... and Atem would be left by himself. All... alone.

...

No!

Forget the hurt for those who lost their lives at the hands of the Colonel! Forget the anger towards the families that have been ruined! Forget the disdain at the Colonel's actions in that damn war, that damn genocide! To hell with those feelings, no matter how true or valid or right they were, they meant nothing if it was going to cost him all the good that was brought to his life because of his Colonel! Push them away! Lock them away! Bury them! Dispel them! Destroy them! Remove them! Anything!

Don't... take my Colonel away from me. Don't leave me all alone.

"Don't say that!" Ill-advised and without even thinking he wrapped his arms around Roy's shoulders, clinging to him as close as he could possibly be. "I don't care if what you've done was unforgivable! I don't care if I hold disdain and resentment towards what you've done! I don't care if your hands are covered in blood! Wipe them off on me for all I care! Let your demons haunt me! Let them call me a hypocrite for wanting to stay with a murderer, I don't care!"

"I've stayed because I was willing to push down and lock away those feelings because I wanted you most of all, and I'll do it again in a heartbeat if it means you stay. I've allowed your blood soaked hands to hold me because I want them to hold me, and I always want them to hold me, feelings be damned!" There was a panic in his voice, a rushed clinginess to his tone as he just held Roy tight and refused to let go.

"Yes you've done some horrible things, but so have I! And if staying with you means I shoulder that burden of my Colonel's crimes, all the lives he's taken then so be it. I have taken the responsibility of a village's massacre before at the hands of my predecessor as Pharaoh, and I will gladly do it again for the one I love! I will do anything and everything I have to to give you the happiness you deserve! No matter what! For better or worse I will gladly bear it!" He pulled away, panicked worry in his eyes as he looked right at Roy. This was fear, but a different type of fear. The one emotion he was afraid of feeling, as he had felt it far too many times and he wasn't about to let it take him again.

Loneliness.

"I've walked away once, and I refuse to walk away again! These past seven months with you have made me the happiest and most fulfilled I've ever felt with you, and not a single day goes by where I don't think of you! And I am not about to throw all of that away because of my weakness and cowardice! So don't you dare ask me if I want to walk away, because I don't ever want to lose you! I don't... I don't care what this looks like or what this means, I don't want to lose you. I don't want you to go away. I'll never bring it up again, I'll not even think about it! I'll do anything to make you feel like you deserve happiness because you do, and you have, all this time! So please..." He buried his face into Roy's shoulder, knowing damn well it was only a matter of time before he was moved away for being too "clingy", for not helping things. Doesn't matter. All that mattered is he didn't want to leave his Colonel, nor did he want his Colonel to leave him.

"Don't ever ask me if I want to leave. Don't you dare ever say that."

[gotham-daydreams]

The Dawn

Day 5 {Challenge Masterlist}

Has come, but of course, not every day is meant to go as planned.

[Yandere Batfam × Gender Neutral! Cop Reader(?)]

[Warnings: Gore-esc descriptions (a lot of mentions of flesh, flesh moving, muscle, teeth, growth like that and being described being where they shouldn't be), eldritch horror sort of description, ooc characters (?), implied death, alien reader, monster reader, confusing and vague description, obsessive behavior (at least implied), hardly a sprinkle of possessiveness but it's there if you squint, an almost-end-of-the-world scenario. Suicide in the form of self-sacrifice, there is fighting but nothing in detail, harm is done to the reader, body horror.] (Note: If I missed any, I apologize but I think you get the gist. This one is a doozy. Might be a little confusing, and isn't my best work, but I tried my best and once again apologize for the delay. For all those reading this, I hope you enjoy and this has been an interesting short series to try and write with you.)

-------------------

Of a new day has come, and all the residents of the Earth could feel it. Before the sun showed itself, the skies seemed to lose their blue undertones for one half of the world, and the other could see the effects as people – imitators and humans alike – with patches of stars etched into their skin, offered themselves to the sun when it shined down on them, all just to join the vessel who had given promises it never intended to keep. With their essence going into the ground of the Earth, slipping into every crack and crevice, dropping into the near boiling waters as brown, near reddish undertones overtake the atmosphere.

You don’t wait until morning, not with everything in place and nearly everything prepared.

The detective that came with you from Metropolis was lost, but a few miniscule organisms being lost compared to the large amount of other lifeforms on this planet meant little. He served his purpose, just as the rest had – and of their own volition no less. All for the chance to get closer to whatever their heart and mind desired most, a promise you never made but they believed in anyway. It was a funny thing, how something like that worked, but it’s something you’ve come to expect and have worked with numerous times. It’s helped you before, especially with the last few planets, and a little planet such as Earth didn’t seem to change that. Not that such a silly little thought had ever crossed your mind.

Even if the effects seemed to differ, and your encounter with this world’s strange anomalies seemed to only prove that further – you can’t say it wasn’t… enlightening in a way you hadn’t considered before. Which was saying a lot since you’ve had this ‘effect’ on living things for a long time, and yet you still learn more about it as it helps you feed and grow all the more. Admittedly, you didn’t notice it much at first – but after that day, you haven’t forgotten about it. You couldn’t. Not when it held the potential to finally satiate your unending, painful, excruciating appetite.

The memory is a fond one, and you can’t help but recall it each and every time you’re able to feast once again. After all, it’s done you so much good – and without it, you never would’ve been able to even fathom being where you are now. Let alone imagine how utterly satisfying a good meal could really feel. Not with how your own people treated such things, and certainly not with their inability to move from such idiotic customs and traditions – always looking towards a future they never truly worked towards. Though, you had no such problems, and if there was anything you had to thank them for – it would be that one fond, meaningful memory you hold that’s allowed you to see the error of their ways, and be the one to break the cycle of such foolish nonsense. They were lazy, almost arrogant with how confident they were that a good meal large enough to fulfill all of them would come someday and fall right into their laps. It was honestly embarrassing that you were supposed to be the same as them.

However, unlike them you have drive, ambition, and the will to actually try and achieve what they so desperately wished for. To say you had a ‘good meal’ was putting it lightly – as you’ve heard humans put it, in their terminology, you feasted like a king that day. Although the price was high, it was to be expected as food such as that didn’t come easy, nor did it simply grow from the ground. No, such a thing didn’t even exist on your planet.

The results alone were worth it, that much you knew – and it was enough for you to do it again, and again, and again.

One tradition from your species did stick, for it was the only thing that actually made your meals feel better with time. Especially as each and every feast made it easier to endure such things, and this own ‘habit’ of yours became more than just a means to an end. More than just a way to fill your gut and move onto the next planet – no, no, no. It was about feeling the rewards of your efforts, and being able to truly take it all in. You’ve heard a few humans refer to it as ‘chasing a high’, and you can certainly agree that it feels similar to that, just on a much larger scale.

Hence why now, your excitement knew no bounds. You could feel the sun just about to rise, but could feel all those already under its haze begin to fall rapidly, and that alone sent tingles down the spine of your current form. If there was one thing you appreciated about humans, it was their need to please – something that, in a moment like this, certainly changed things enough to where you would surely remember them after this. Their planet may have been small, but you could feel the thrill of the coming feast edging you on. These were certainly the most confusing, annoying, and impatient species you’ve ever worked with – but you couldn’t deny how helpful and fascinating they’ve been. You’ve learned a lot from this little preparation of yours, but now? Oh, now you’re able to finally relish in the reward for your efforts.

The small group of officers you came in with from Metropolis await outside the door for you, and line the hall in straight, parallel lines with their backs to the walls, and after them are the devout members of your little gathering you’ve had placed in Gotham a long time ago. You’ve honestly forgotten most of their names by now, but none of that mattered, and they didn’t seem to mind regardless.

A more natural smile rests on your face, and as you take one step out of the door, their bodies unravel right before your eyes. The very essence that made you, the thing your planet was mostly made out of, replaced the very humans who had followed you so diligently until this day. Most of them had described it as a sort of red dust, but you’d compare it more to the pollen plants on this planet produced, the ends of dandelions – but you could see the comparison, especially when it was more condensed. Something you had to figure out in order to even have them touch it or interact with it in any meaningful way. That was annoying at best, but once it was all figured out… well, you could appreciate humans for at least one other thing. Nevertheless, this was your reward to them, and they all took it with such ease that all you could do was smile wider and continue on with the rest.

The particles begin to swarm you, not one touching the ground as you breathe them in. Even tasting it on your tongue as you pass by more organisms, and they add to the growing haze around you.

By the time you step out of the apartment, it's hard for any other human to see you amongst the storm that seems to be forming around you, but you just continue to walk calmly. Each and every particle sinks into every pore of your body, and as much as you liked this vessel – since it was from one of your most devout followers, and you honestly had a bit of favoritism for it – you knew you’d have to let it go. Human bodies weren’t made to hold you, and could hardly withstand a fraction of your shifting abilities as it is. Like this, you knew it would only be moments until you shred this body to pieces with the mass you’re going to accumulate. Hm. Maybe as a true sign of respect for being such a wonderful host, and offering a body that could actually withstand the transfer while being able to last so long, perhaps you could save them last. For ‘dessert’, as humans called it.

You personally didn’t understand it fully, but it seemed like a good thing. So it’d have to do for now, and seemed honorable enough.

Licking your lips, the sun peaked above the horizon, and while it was still mostly white – the ring around it was a faint red, and the once blue skies were stained and tainted with murk, looking no better than the waters of the Earth. The clouds almost looked dirty from down below, and the world flooded with an odd silence it was never capable of before.

No screams sounded, but as you made your way to the heart of Gotham, many humans approached you to become part of the swirling particles around you that were growing into a sort of cyclone. All in an attempt to feed you, to give or gain whatever your mere ‘presence’ had told them. Their eyes began to leak with water, and they bore their teeth at you in such an odd way – with the corners of their lips still turned up, as if trying to smile with the bone underneath revealed. Something akin to ‘cheering’ filled the streets, and even if you didn’t fully understand the sound itself, you knew what it was supposed to convey.

Joy.

It was then that you knew this planet would truly be one to remember, as it too would relish this day – just as you were going to relish it. 

Before you could risk more damage happening to this vessel of yours, you stripped yourself from it – tucking it away in a nook between buildings before letting the swarm fully attach itself to you with no barriers left in between.

Finally, you could eat to your hearts content. 

— — — — — — — — — —

In full honesty, they should’ve anticipated that you’d be excited for this. That the very moment the first person decided to jump ship, you’d be itching to start, and get things going early – but they had hoped they’d have more time regardless. Your little countdown said as much, but clearly you were impatient, or simply just hungry – but those two things weren’t mutually exclusive, and it was sort of cute how excited you seemed to be. Even if the cost itself was great, and only growing steeper.

They were so close to finishing, and just on time too, but they’d just have to work with this. They didn’t have much of a choice, and even if they could hear the siren’s song from here, could feel the temptation in the very marrow of their bones as it practically ached to be released – they knew what awaited them would be much greater if they resisted and played this right. They’ve gathered as much help as they could, and with your effect washing over everyone on the planet at full force… well, if no one wanted what they did, they were useless anyway.

Getting started was easy – they had begun that part hours ago, and while you were taking your little ‘nap’ no less. A little over half of them were working on little to no sleep, but whatever you did…? It gave them just the energy boost they needed to continue regardless. As if their bodies have been freed of their limitations – or they just couldn’t feel the repercussions as strongly. Regardless of what it was, they weren’t complaining, and took full advantage of this. Barbara was even able to stand from her wheelchair, and even as her legs shook, she could nearly run like this despite still being unable to feel them entirely. Almost.

Those who were most needed on the finishing touches stayed, and the others went to greet you properly.

Finding you wasn’t the hard part – especially not when civilians were practically running in your direction, and all organic matter slowly seemed to fade away, and float towards where you were as well. Like just you revealing yourself made life corrode and rot away at the seems, almost like you had an amplified version of death’s touch, or perhaps were the manifestation of death itself – not that they believed such silly nonsense. You were a hungry little thing! You just needed a bit of discipline, and a very good teacher.

Luckily for you, they were many things – and they’d help you. Just as you’re going to help them.

The swarm looked mesmerizing from afar, and really matched the more earthy and dirty undertones the whole city seemed to take. Like roots from the ground, moss on walls, or vines hanging down from any high point they could reach – masses of flesh and veins seemed to form and grow. Latching onto buildings, and coming from the ground and every crack in the pavement below. Any other life that wasn't close enough to you, such as pets and so on… well, the crawling, writing masses from the ground and various buildings seemed to take care of it, and consumed what you immediately could not. Stemming from the very soil of the city that was once a dark brown, and now seemed oddly red – as did everything else the others seemed to touch before this day.

Small bits of vein and thin bones formed in food, with small pieces left in coffee beans, flour, and similar things having small spots of red in them. No one had to touch any of the baked goods to know the rot forming inside, and it's almost curious how all these small pieces writhe and wiggle, trying to reach one another in order to grow and form a larger mass. As if, even like this, such tiny pieces knew where other small fragments were. How to recognize each other, and had a natural need to be close. To fulfill its purpose.

Reaching the center of the city was easy, the lack of distractions was helpful – not that anything could take their eyes off of the spire forming right before their eyes.

Rising above the skyline, and as if trying to touch the sky and grow closer to the warmth the star it held, provided, was a sculpture in the making – and almost felt inappropriate to see it now, incomplete, unpolished, flawed in a way nothing human could be. Like strings of life, twisting in a braid, flesh from the ground began to rise up and formed something that was shaped like the top half of a human but lacked all the necessary features of one. Various rows of teeth, arteries, muscle, tendons, bone, and so on appeared all over the spire, with it growing much bigger the closer to the ground it was – where most of the feeding was done, as various mass of flesh dragged themselves across the ground and flung themselves to the center piece, allowing it to grow, and for the particles around you to take on a much brighter shade of red. The storm forming around you from the sheer amount of feeding you were doing all at once was nothing short of fascinating, but also made it easier to spot you, even if said ‘storm’ drew more dense around your form.

They couldn’t do much with the storm acting as a sort of barrier between you and them, and they knew the moment they crossed… well, their bodies would make the choice for them – and they couldn’t have that, so they started to cut off your supply from the outside.

Soon, smoke joined the clouds as fires began to spark, and nearly everything was set ablaze — something that immediately caught your attention. To say you weren’t happy was putting it mildly, but your actions afterwards were predictable.

You immediately went in for the attack, and chaos spawned from there. Noises never meant for human ears sounded, and it only further confirmed how alien you truly were – even if your most pure form tried to shape itself as a human at the top. Tendrils and other masses from buildings close to you shot out, and began attacking outside of the swarm of particles. Little to no thought was put behind the attacks, just simply charging forward, and trying to either grab ahold of or take out whoever was being attacked. All with the intent to kill, to consume no matter what – that much was obvious, and so was the fact that despite such smaller organisms holding no brain, they didn’t attack or run into each other. Working in tandem, acting as smaller parts that worked to keep the bigger, much larger and complex machine running.

The fight that broke out was messy, but thanks to you, the family was able to work in sync much better as well – and still being connected to you was very helpful in this instance. For once, the amount of damage they’d cause to the city was of little concern to them, as the flames roared on, and they used their most destructive methods yet. Others were extra messy with it compared to the rest, but there was a certain delicacy in their actions as the swarm slowly grew smaller and more dense, but ultimately got them closer to the center.

Naturally, your temper and mood was only worsening. Making you rage all the more and still try to consume as much as possible, but also growing more petty as you destroyed building, streets, and so on with your roots as an attempt to kill them, get them away from you, and or just rid of them entirely – but also to see something they had cultivated and tried to shape over their short lifespans, destroyed.

If they were all human, perhaps it would’ve worked – but they weren’t, and at least had partially expected this. After all, you were more akin to a child or wild animal when it came to these things. They didn’t exactly know how many times you’ve done this, or where, but had a good enough idea to suspect you didn’t expect much to begin with. Maybe this sort of thing had come easy to you before, and they didn’t necessarily see that as a bad thing, but that also meant your defenses were down, and they fully intended to use that.

Eventually, the few left at the manor had come back to join the battle, with a note being made to Bruce, and some things being discussed as majority of the action was kept elsewhere. After, was when the real plan began.

They started at your roots, which you immediately tried to defend, but you had to focus on all other things as you couldn’t sacrifice the organisms closest to you for growth you could get back quickly. Food was the most important thing to you at the moment, everything else was secondary. Yet, it seemed like these damn Wayne’s knew that as they deliberately went after your food, and also burned your defenses.

This was supposed to be the easiest city to handle, the one that would allow you to pass the first stage with ease – and move in more food without anyone catching on too quickly. They had no powers, they were at the disadvantage besides a few flimsy contacts, and had only noticed anything was wrong during their final moments – but they somehow managed to learn of your greatest and most shameful weakness, knew where to attack, and were still able to coordinate and think clearly enough to form plans?! It wasn’t fair!! It isn’t FAIR!

Another loud shriek fills the air, and when you begin to feel a tingling ache – you finally take things a little more seriously, and more of your mass forms into muscle and bone. Yet, you swear you hear the smallest sounds of amusement from below through the smaller piece that had yet to reach you, coming from various members of this little, pathetic excuse of a so-called ‘family’. Something akin to anger sparks again, and you target all who dared to find anything about this ‘funny’.

You were so focused on targeting anyone who insulted you with such pathetic noises that you hardly noticed when you were low enough to swipe at some individuals – but eventually, you tire of this game.

“ENOUGH!” You shout, voice booming and loud as it echoes down the overwise quiet streets. Taking all the mass you could, you place yourself atop the spire of flesh, bone, and writhing life again. Forgetting your reasons for even doing this, you take in all of the particles that swarm around you, with them swirling around you in a whirlwind before it all stops, and you finally let out a sigh. Having to remind you that these foolish little creatures that dare stop you are made of only a fraction of what you have, that they are merely human, weak, and nothing more. A language without scripture falls from the countless mouths etched and stitched across the beautifully erotic form you call a body, but whatever you said, it makes the small pieces that were left in even the furthest parts of Gotham bolt towards you, and help grow the mass. There, much better.

Looking down at the pathetic life forms that tried to strike you down, you curse them in the only way you know how, and all the windows of the buildings around you shatter into fragments of glass. Whatever mass was able to grow in them. Formed together in large tendrils, and slammed down on the concrete below – beginning their own attacks, and rooting in the building they overtook. Like a parasite clinging onto its host long after death.

Anger itself wasn’t something you were entirely familiar with. You yourself didn’t seem to realize it, but they could tell – something like that is easy to pick up on in their usual line of work, and especially when one of them can read body language as easily as she can. It didn’t seem like an important detail, and it certainly didn’t make your attempts any less ruthless, but it made way for them to have the confidence that you’ve had all this time up until now.

Unfamiliarity can make one messy, uncoordinated, and unable to notice things they wouldn’t miss otherwise. Naturally, they should’ve been that way with you, but because of your very… ‘presence’ – it was nearly impossible for them to feel that way.

The air becomes harder to breathe as smoke continues to fill the air, and the smell of chemicals is mixed in. You hardly notice, not having such senses in a form like this, but you can feel the heat, and it only makes you more agitated – and thus more violent in your attempts to snuff out such insulting efforts to interrupt your feeding.

Your roots move further into the ground, and spread – parts of the braid that make up the lower half of your body untangle themselves and provide whatever defense and offense they can. More of your body hardens, and from down below, you look like a tree that’s slotted itself into the earth and just uncovered the fleshy, bone-like structure inside. People keep trying to run towards you, and fewer are succeeding, but those that do turn to particles for a brief moment before their immediate consumption. It’s clear you're taking this a little more seriously, and the family responds by doubling their efforts.

Then, the strangest thing happens as an oddly familiar shape moves in the sky, and soon blocks out the sun. Illuminating the pulsating, red mass that is your true and most captivating form. Yet, as much as they’d like to stand around and simply stare in awe, they take this opportunity while you’re disconnected from the sun.

Sounds of gunfire, roaring flames, indescribable shrieks, and occasional communication from the remaining heroes increase in volume as you only seem to grow bigger and bigger – yet clearly more agitated as well. Who knows what exactly is getting on your nerves, but it’s enough for you to swoop down and swipe at them. Something akin to animalistic growls escape the countless misshaped ‘mouths’ on your form, and your so focused on attacking and getting these pesky bugs away from you that you fail to realize a few areas on your roots begin to secrete a substance they aren’t supposed to. Though, when you finally do and are about to pull away – one of the younger ones, an anomaly you notice too late that is dressed like the pathetic family pulls you closer to them with a force you can hardly account for, and just as you try to retaliate, you realize you can’t right away.

The bottom half has been severed from you, and you only come to realize what, exactly, that substance may have been as an explosion ruptures throughout the city.

Of course, you try to over take the body of the being that grabbed you – only to get pulled off once again, and flung away from any nearby bodies. Only screams leave the body they severed you from, and all you can do is scramble as each part of you that’s left tries to latch onto something, anything, and that desperation nearly splits up the upper body you have left.

Some of it does split off, and as you lose multiple senses, you form very grotesque eyes on the neck of your form, and they move – trying to look in every direction possible for something to latch onto – and then you spot it.

Not a single question runs through your mind, as you rush and latch onto the body of the human form you had worn all this time. Which now laid out in the open, looked deprived and like it was nearly about to rot away at the seams – but as the smallest of tendrils from your body touch it, life returns to the corpse.

Of course, some damage is done to it, but you have no time to think about that as the sun begins to peek through the moon once more – only for it to get cut off once more. You can barely feel the warmth of its rays over the cold metal that both binds and burns you, but despite it all you try to fight it, and call to the pieces of you that remain.

Reaching out to the sun, you’re dragged across the rough concrete as you try to claw toward the sun. It’s harder than they expected to move you, but with enough effort, they’re able to pull you away.

At the sacrifice of some of your form, you try to shape whatever defenses you can and fight against whoever is dragging you and lash out against them – but more chains are formed as a response, and their grip on you is anything but kind and tender. They feel as if they’re about to rip you apart and melt away whatever’s left over, but nothing grants you that mercy.

Your sensations are dulled with the dark cloak that surrounds you, and you can hardly even register as you're thrown into a box that’s air tight. There is no telling where you’re going, if anywhere at all, but you can feel the call and connection to the pieces of you in Gotham City beginning to sever. Not once do you stop struggling and screaming. An endless stream of your own curses – both foreign and familiar to this planet accompany you until you're roughly tossed into a dark space you can hardly make out, but it feels as comfortable as the pavement in the human city.

The cloak falls, and you can only glare at the sight that greets you – but they can hardly focus on that, not when majority of the color in your iris has taken on a light shade of pink that surrounds your pupil in the shape of a large star, with the gaps in between each corner being filled with your original eye color. Mass of muscle is stuck to half of your face and around one of your eyes, as if the tendons themselves are attached to the skin and grew out of it. It trails down to your arm – with your hand being similar to Greenwood’s after his little ‘reveal’, only smaller and reduced to the same size as your human hand. It's clear the transition from your true form to a human one has come with its downsides and its own flaws, and even if at least one of them was sorry, a few weren’t and almost preferred you this way. It felt like the best of both worlds, and at least this way you were more comprehensible, and easier to understand. Less of a headache to look at – not that they had minded, you were utterly breathtaking regardless.

Still, with you down here, they had a lot of cleaning to do upstairs, and as right as it felt to be down here with you, they couldn’t let you get to their heads too much just yet. There would be time for that later.

“LET ME OUT!” You demand, and honestly it almost works – as did all of your commands prior to this, but just as all those previous moments, they’re able to resist. Their own drive and will trumping yours. Their need to have what’s been promised to them taking over any and all sense.

So, those that brought you in begin to leave, moving to the elevator they had used to come down and head back up to the batcave. However, the last of them stops for a moment, and turns to glance at you. “Just sit tight, and we’ll be right with you. Don’t try anything too drastic- I’d hate to return to nothing but a puddle of goop- and the others too, I guess.” He didn’t seem too thrilled on the subject, as if the concept of sharing with the rest upset him somehow. “But, go ahead and knock yourself out. Because you’re going to be staying with us for the rest of your time here on Earth. So, if you’ve got any other space buddies?”

He turns to face you better, though only by one additional step. “I hope your last memories of them were good enough.”

When he turns and leaves, another shriek tears through your throat, but by the time they all reach the bat cave, it’s hardly even audible. They can sense it more than they can actually hear it, which is an odd sensation but one they’re willing to adapt to. The payoff already feels more than worth it, and just knowing you're around makes them feel so good they don’t know how they’ve been able to survive without you until this point in their lives. Like they’ve all been missing something, and whatever it is, you have it, and are the key to gaining it.

So even as you scratch at the damp, cool walls – deprived of a meal you were so close to fully devouring, and your senses can hardly pick up on anything as the sun's rays are far, and all other extensions of yourself are being dealt with, you scream until you can no longer afford to sacrifice the amount of energy you were able to consume.

Earth will regret this. They will regret this, and you will do everything in your power to ensure that each waking moment of theirs is nothing but utter torture…

However, in spite of all the dark promises you make and vow to see through, your glorious feast is cut short, and life on Earth is allowed another day to flourish.

[moptopper]

the beatles, everybody

[kalinara]

I pretty much feel the same way about the Throuple, I think.

I like that it happened both for the Doyleistic sense of "fuck your triangle, they're all queer" and the Watsonian acknowledgment of all the underlying tension and sublimation (especially on the Scott-Logan side.)

I think it works as a perfect symbolism of Krakoa as this point where, for all of its internal problems, mutants could actually breathe and exist without constantly reacting to everything. It made sense then that they all just kind of unconsciously buried/set aside all the pre-existing conflicts - which was frustrating to me as I've been very invested in them, but yeah, they don't want to bring that TO Krakoa.

But honestly, I'm also okay with it being an over and done thing. I want Marvel-the-company to stop being chickenshit about it having happened, but I don't particularly see the need to resume.

Especially since old injuries and resentments are starting to come forward again, and I personally, unbiased fan that I am (:-P), think that Logan needs to do a lot of apologizing before he gets back into any polycule with them.

Jubilee reads Jean Grey's diary

It's Jean and Scott's wedding day and Jubilee is complaining that marriage is, like, totally bogus. Jean leaves to do ... something dress-related and the sneaky little shit reads her diary. I'd say 'don't read people's diaries' but I'm not sure I could help myself. I've only read diaries with permission before and it was juicy shit.

An entry from when Jean was at the mansion with Chuck to get help with her trauma and telepathy. The verdict - he seems okay. Her cursive is really good - or maybe it looks that way to me because I never learnt it.

Jean is doing a lot better now, and has come around on Chuck. Unsurprisingly, she feels immense gratitude towards him. Meanwhile, the old man is asleep by the fire. I wonder if this is stylisation for a visual medium or if Jean put these photos in her diary. Who took them if it's the latter?

The pair are doing some creeping on Cerebro and discover Scott Summers. Jean feels a profound connection and Chuck leaves Scott in a horrible situation for a few more years. Dude is mean mugging something fierce too, especially in contrast to Jean.

This is the day Jean returned to the mansion after the formation of the X-Men. She'd been with her family I guess, but now she's back and she has a crush on Scott. Slim Summers hehe

This entry is from the first time they fought Magneto, who is stylised closer to his 90s incarnation. The gist is that Scott is the best and has solid intuition. It's clear how young Jean is when writing this - the black and white morality of the 60s run is front and center - 'his evilness.'

The day Scott dropped the L bomb and Jean thinks he's 'the one.' Jubilee's commentary is pretty funny. 'The minute she scoped the old Scottdog it was loooove.' I kinda wish she called him that more often. I love Jubilee's slang and speech patterns - it's always had a slight 'how do you do fellow kids' vibe to it while being close enough to function as a time capsule.

This one is interesting because it's completely about the day she met Wolverine, which is not how I remember it. I wasn't there, nor am I a telepath, but Logan was a violent obnoxious asshole in Giant-Size X-Men and beyond. 'Gentle soul' sure. It's on the page, though, it just irks me that this is very obviously a way to centre Logan in Scott and Jean's relationship. After she'd gotten to know him? Sure. Day one? Less so. The diary never lies though.

Jubilee apologizes for dissing weddings/love and Jean doesn't really care. It's more a Jubilee moment than a Jean one. Definitely an interesting format for storytelling IMO.

[echo-riot]

✞⛧ If you cheated on Vi… ✞⛧

✞⛧ She’d probably find out before you even think you can hide it. She’s not stupid. You’re not getting past her, especially if her gut tells her something’s off. She’s got a sharp eye and she notices everything. You’re gonna be caught up in a lie so fast that you’ll feel like you’re drowning in your own bullshit. She’s observant, especially when it comes to you. No slipping past those defenses.

✞⛧ Vi wouldn’t scream, she wouldn’t yell, she’d go quiet. That’s the worst part. It would make you feel like your heart’s sinking. She’d give you that icy silence—a look that cuts deeper than any insult. The moment the truth hits her, her eyes would go cold, and you’d feel the weight of every unspoken word.

✞⛧ But if you tried to apologize… Don’t even try. She’d look at you like you’re the biggest disappointment. “You really thought I wouldn’t know? I gave you everything, and this is how you repay me?” Her words would be sharper than a blade, cutting into your conscience until you feel like absolute trash.

✞⛧ She’d probably punch a wall or something, not even you. She’s not the kind of person to let her anger turn on you physically—she’d punch something near you, something that might remind you how stupid you were. She’s got mad self-control, but her emotions? Out of control. And when she hits that wall, you’ll know it’s your fault.

✞⛧ Her guilt trip would be on another level. No matter how bad it hurts her, she’d start thinking it’s somehow her fault—her mind spiraling into that deep dark place where she wonders if she wasn’t enough for you. “Was I not good enough? Did I not protect you enough? Was I not worth sticking around for?” And it’s gonna eat her up, because she’s deeply self-conscious about how others see her, especially after everything with Powder.

✞⛧ You better be ready for a massive fallout. She’s not just gonna let it slide. Vi might be a lot of things—impatient, hot-headed, cocky—but she’s loyal. If you broke that trust, she’d cut you off. Cold turkey. She’s not gonna give you another chance unless you beg for it, and even then, good luck. It’s not just about forgiveness—it’s about respect, and you’ve already destroyed it.

✞⛧ If you ever saw her with someone else… Yeah, good luck with that. If she was even considering getting with someone else after this mess, she’d probably purposely make it obvious—just to show you what you lost. And every time she walks away with someone else, it’ll sting. But you’ve lost her, and you’re gonna feel that every second of the rest of your life.

✞⛧ Vi would protect herself before anyone else. As much as she’d be devastated, she’d eventually find her own closure. She’s been through too much to let herself fall into that hole again. She would grow, learn, and move on from the betrayal—for her own sake. You? You’d just be a painful memory, a chapter she’d have to rip out of her life.

✞⛧ But, don’t think she’d forget about you. She’d always keep an eye on you from a distance, not because she wants you back—but because she wants to make sure no one else ever gets to do this to her again. Vi doesn’t forget, and if you tried to pull this with someone else, you can bet she’d have a few words— and maybe some fists—ready.

✞⛧ If you ever tried to explain, just know She’d cut you off before you even finish. “You don’t get to explain this to me. You don’t deserve that chance. Not anymore.” That’s it. Done. End of story.