#at least mine loved me enough to make sure I had the best life possible and gave us up when she became homeless

[flamingpudding]

Bat dad meet Ghost dad

Several years earlier....

"JAAAAAAZZZZZZZZ!" Danny flew excited through the Ghost Zone with a little kid in his arms rushing past some of his former rogues as he made a B-Line for his sister that happened to be in the Zone too, currently in a deep conversation with Frostbite about something Danny hadn't cared to pay attention to long enough. But right now he had exciting news he really wanted to share with his sister. Even now as adults Danny tented to live out his childishness whenever he could especially when he and his family went into the Ghost Zone.

The Halfa came to a screeching halt as he grined brightly at his sister who looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, slightly amused at her younger brothers giddiness. "What is it Danny?"

"I got a son now!" Danny declared happily holding up a young ghost teen by the armpits into his sisters face.

The 'son' in Danny's hands stared at Jazz blinking owlishly as if the teen boy still needed a moment to catch up with what was going on and Jazz blinked back at the ghost and then at Danny. That was not a child but a teen ghost. Going by the size the kid was probably around 14 or 15 and he looked very much traumatised and Jazz could not tell if that was because of Danny or because of how the teen possible died.

"Danny what did you-" Her brother did not let her finish her question as he started rambling excitedly.

"He is a baby ghost Jazz! Look how young he is! I found him floating around aimlessly, his hunt hasn't even fully formed yet and when i picked him up there was that instant connection! You know the same-"

"Danny."

"I have with Clockwork and Pandora! I instantly knew he was mine! Mine to protect! Mine to guide! When I saw him I swear I just knew, I ghost adopted him the moment I made contact! He is family Jazz-"

"Danny."

"I just know he belongs with us! Look at him and tell me he doesn't have Fenton charms! I am sure Dan and Dani will love him too! He is such a cute little ghost! There is so much I can teach him! I will be the best dad ever to this wonderful little baby ghost! And-"

"Daniel William James Fenton!"

Danny bite his tongue instantly silenced when Jazz pulled out the full name call. Both him and the teen in his arms stared at her a bit shell shocked and in that moment Jazz couldn't help but hide a small amused smile at how similar Danny and the teen in his arms looked when they stared at her.

"Did you explain any of this to him?" She indicated to the teen, who's name she by the way still didn't know. Danny at least had the curtesy to look a little ashamed as Jazz pointed that out and let go of the teen so they could float on their own. She sighed with a fond smile before looking at the teen that looked a bit unsure between her and Danny now.

"What's your name?" She asked them with a friendly and encouraging smile.

"Jason...."

Current time...

Jason was in a little bit of a predicament. Originally he really thought he never would end up in this kind of situation espacially since he didn't think he would patch up things with Bruce any time soon. But we'll here he was...

Life liked proofing him wrong.

Like with he fact that Jason could use a ghost wail in dire situation. And that something like that would naturally call his ghost dad onto the scene since he collapsed after it.

And like with how he woke up in the bat caves med bay with both Danny and Bruce standing over him and glaring at each other. Or at least he thought they were glaring at each other that looked like a pretty annoyed stare in his eyes from Danny and Bruce's jaw was really tense from what was visible and not covered by his cowl.

So all Jason could do was endure at the moment. Aaaaand refuse to make eye contact with any of his present siblings. Mainly Dick because he wasn't sure how to interpret the others' smiles. For a moment Jason wondered if he could hide out in his ghost-dad's castle in the Ghost Zone for a while until whatever storm was brewing with Bruce was over.

There was also a moment in which Jason wondered if there could have been anything done to avoid this... confrontation(?). Before feeling the need to face palm because his Aunt that sort of has been giving him free therapy told him repeatedly that communication was key. He never regretted not listening to her more than he was right now.

To be fair. Communication with Bruce espacially hadn't been his strong suit for a while now before and after his death.

"So you are his Bat-Dad?" Jason did not like the way Danny, his ghost dad was using the word 'dad' right now. Oh good was he trying to challenge Bruce?

"And you are his Ghost-Dad?" Bruce grunted, oh now Jason was sure Bruce was giving Danny a glare, and Danny was getting that protective look in his eyes Jason was all to familiar with from his time as a dead baby ghost.

He groaned loudly sinking lower onto the medbed. Why did these things always have to happen to him? At least he was lucky that his Ghost Aunt and Uncle didn't show up too.

[iamasimperyk]

Jealous -Rafe Cameron

Summary: You are Rafe's younger girlfriend and he introduces you to his family.

Warnings: Age gap, fluff, angst, judgy people, English is not my first language, not proofread

Pairing: Older!Rafe x Younger!Reader

A.N; I honestly don't know what this is. I had an idea but somehow, I couldn't find the right words to make it really work.

Your parents introduced him to you at Midsummers. Rafe Cameron, son of Ward Cameron and new owner of every one of his father's companies. 

The first time his eyes found yours, he knew he had to have you, and you were naive enough to fall for his charm. He was almost ten years older than you, and for the first time in your life, you felt safe. You knew Rafe cared for you, always wanting what was best for you. 

"Don't you think it's too much?" You asked Rafe, wearing a fancy dress he just bought and all kinds of expensive jewellery he gifted you whenever he had the chance. 

Rafe looked at you, all dolled up for him. He loved it, and he loved to show you off, "You look amazing, darling. Everybody will be jealous that I get to call you mine."

Rafe's family decided to throw a party when they learned that Rafe finally found a girlfriend. You were excited to meet everyone since Rafe has met every person in your family.

"I just hope they like me," You smiled up at him, your eyes shining brightly.

He cupped your face with his hands, kissing your forehead, "I am going to marry you one day, no matter what they say."

You didn't say anything, but Rafe knew what you thought. Quickly, you reached up and kissed him before you ran back into the bathroom.

----

When the two of you arrived, everybody stared at you. Rafe wrapped his arm around you and started to introduce you to his family members. 

After an hour of talking, you excused yourself, trying to find the toilet, when you heard a group of women talking about you.

"I mean, is she even legal yet?" One of them laughed.

"I bet she is just with him because he is rich. She will never have to lift a finger since he already owns a fortune." Another one answered, shaking her head.

The whole group let out a laugh, "She will probably be pregnant soon, so he is tied to her and won't leave her again."

You didn't want to hear another of their theories and walked back to Rafe as fast as possible.

When Rafe saw you, his face immediately softened, and he wrapped his arm around your waist once again. One of the things he always did was touch you in some way. He needed to feel you to make sure you are still here.

"Are you okay, love?" Rafe asked as soon as he saw your facial expression.

You nodded, "Of course, I am fine, don't worry."

Rafe turned his attention back to his sister, whom he had previously talked to, "Would you excuse us."

Before she could answer, he pulled you into an empty room, waiting for you to start talking.

You couldn't keep your face straight anymore, and your eyes filled with tears. 

Rafe felt angry, frustrated and helpless as he saw you crying. Someone dared hurt his precious girl. 

"Darling, please tell me what happened," Rafe said, hugging you tightly while stroking your hair.

After a few more minutes, you calmed down and told Rafe about the conversation you listened to.

"Fuck them. They are jealous because they are not as beautiful as you and were at least married twice." He rolled his eyes, still fuming on the inside.

Rafe took you home immediately after your conversation and showed you just how much he loved you. 

Maybe you were younger than him, but you were one of the most mature people he ever met.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Cant help but notice krubus stardew in the requests,,, so if i may,,,

How about a oneshot/headcanons, whichever ya think works better, for a farmer Reader who's roommates with Krobus, and Shane ends up visiting the farm, and accidentally finds Krobus and the reader is trying their best to calm the situation down or smthn? :]

Ofc you dont have to do this!!

Salt anon (have a good day also!!! always lovely to see ya on my dash :] )

YES MY TWO FAVES <3333

Got carried away but I had so many ideas for this one

.......

'I should check the coop. The void chicken could be hungry, and [y/n] may appreciate me stepping up. But...what if a human saw me? Oh Yoba...I hope there's no surprise visitors today..'

As Krobus paced around your cabin, he kept looking outside the window at the snowfall, the coop just within his sights. It was the second day of winter, and all of the animals you've been raising were huddled inside for the season, the hay keeping their bellies full.

But something told him that the void chicken you recently introduced to the farm felt lonely, a misfit among the "normal" chickens. She wasn't too sociable around them, and that worried Krobus.

Of course he, of all people, could understand why.

To this very day, the shadow monster couldn't fathom why you'd take him into your home..when his existence alone scared humanity and could damage your reputation with the town.

What would the villagers think if they learned you're housing a beast who once dwelled in the mines?

Many weren't anywhere near as brave as you were when it comes to venturing deep into shadow monster territory....and the few who had the guts to made it their personal mission to slay as many of his people as possible.

Or at least..what remained of them after the elemental wars.

Surprisingly enough, some of the brutes began visiting your farmland at night, and Krobus would see them hiding in the foliage, behind trees..or even rummaging through your crops, yet never taking anything for themselves.

He wishes he could greet them normally, ask what drew them to the surface, or try to reason that you're a good human who shouldn't be attacked.

Yet in the back of his mind...he feared being branded a traitor for siding with the species that hurt so many of his own people.

What would they do if they noticed his pendant and realized a human gifted it to him?

Surely they would freak out, coerce him into coming back to the mines where it was "safe"...or worse, they'd kill you and make him watch. He couldn't let his presence be known, lest they discovered you were housing him and destroyed the life you built here.

You would think he betrayed you and brought a siege upon your land--after all you've done to shelter him from the cruelty of the world.

Not even Yoba would forgive such a sin.

Even though he felt his connection with his people drifting with each passing week, he was content with his choice to live with you. He wouldn't trade your kindness and generosity for the world.

Plus, you've told him over and over that you knew what you were signing up for. You knew it when you first bought a void egg from him. You knew it when you and the wizard broke up his fight with Dwarf. You knew it when you created a space in your home that suited his environmental needs.

All he could offer you was a stardrop in return, but it was more than enough for you.

Krobus vowed to contribute to the farm's many tasks how ever he could..when it safe for him to step outside of course.

On this cold winter's day, he figured checking out the coop would be a great first step.

He peeked into your bedroom, discovering you to be sound asleep and looking rather peaceful.

Indeed, it was a stark contrast to how battered and bruised you were last night, having returned from the Skull Caverns at midnight. None of his people ventured there, considering the desert climate would be unbearable for them to live in, but while sharing meals he'd listen to your tales of serpents, mummies, and even dinosaurs living down below.

By comparison..the monsters in the mines seemed tamer and were somewhat civilized, and at his request you managed to avoid fighting them if you could.

The beasts you encountered in the Skull Caverns were brutal and unforgiving, and you had no choice but to defend yourself.

This trip in particular took quite a toll on your body, as you had to use a warp totem to get home...and even then, you were limping from sheer exhaustion. So much so Krobus had to assist you up the stairs and into your bed. He ran the the risk of being seen, yet his concern over your health took priority.

Sleep didn't easily come for him, but it only did after he prayed and thanked Yoba for bringing you home.

He didn't like the idea of you pushing yourself to work so early in the morning, so he decided he'll help lighten that load.

Starting with the coop.

Opening the door, he breathed in the crisp winter air, relieved to not see any humans in sight. There was your pet, who was initially frightened by his sudden arrival, but now warmly greeted him as they climbed the steps.

Krobus laughed softly, crouching down to pet them. "Good morning, little one." He whispered. "Enjoying the snow? I like it very much..but I can't say our chicken friends will agree."

He stood and continued on his way to the small building, eager to check up on your animals and see to it that they're fed.

But unbeknownst to him, a human arrived onto your farmland at that same moment, only seeing a dark figure creeping into the coop.

And he just so-happened to be the man who cared for chickens more than life itself.

......

Shane arrived at your farm, holding a small envelope with a letter inside. It contained a recipe for some dessert--not one that he made or discovered, of course, but rather one he tore out of a magazine.

His first thought was of you, knowing you liked gathering fresh produce and made your own meals..compared to him, a lazy bum who microwaves processed garbage in a plastic dish and called it "dinner."

It wasn't much, but it was the least he could do for a friend who pulled him out of such a dark place..

You were taking a shortcut to the sewer when you found him near the cliffs...where he was truly at his lowest. He doesn't remember much of what he said, but you told him that he considered ending his own life, yet changed his mind after you told him some comforting words.

All the strength you've gained down in the mines allowed you to drag him to the hospital, where you stayed by his side the entire night. Even when Harvey assured you he'll be okay, you refused to abandon him.

Shane never thought anybody in this town would care if he just up and disappeared, yet despite his rudeness towards you...you managed to break down his walls and show him that you cared.

And all it took were some peppers, pizza, eggs, and stupid amounts of persistence.

It really hit him that he almost did something he couldn't reverse..and he never wanted you, Jas, or Marnie to see him get that bad again.

So he promised to make some serious changes, see that counselor Harvey recommended to him, and cut back on the hours he spends at the saloon after work.

The last time you both talked, you mentioned Robin upgrading your coop's space, and Shane was thrilled. So he figured he'd come visit and see how the animals were doing in this cold weather.

He was also curious about that "void egg" you got from a merchant...and he wondered who it was if not Marnie.

Obviously he'd feel like a jerk if he came emptyhanded, or awkward if you weren't actually home right now, thus he decided to bring the letter and recipe just in case. A small surprise "gift" for you to come back to later.

As he approached your mailbox, however, he noticed a dark figure opening the door to your coop. He couldn't tell who it was as they quickly went inside, as though afraid of being seen.

Maybe it was the lack of sleep making him see things, but-

"Huh? What kinda tracks are these..?" He looked down, finding footprints in the snow that didn't belong to any human's.

In fact, they seemed to have clawed toes..

Just like a monster's.

At the saloon, you recounted tales of how you've encountered slimes, plant monsters, bats, and even shadow creatures on your farmland at night--as well as your adventures down in the mines with skeletons, ghosts, and more.

Most of the regulars were 99% certain you were drunk, but others believed your stories and were fascinated by them, as you'd show them gems as proof of your excursions. Sebastian in particular was intrigued by the frozen tear you discovered, flattered that you allowed him to keep it.

Shane, on the other hand, merely dismissed your tales with a "buh" and an eyeroll before sipping away at his beer. He was never a strong believer in the supernatural..convinced that only slimes, rock crabs, flies, and bats dwelled in the mines and nothing else.

Living Skeletons? Metal Heads?? Shadow Shamans???

You HAD to be either drunk, on drugs, or both at the same time.

Although he's become more open-minded to your stories since befriending you, he was still skeptical...yet the footprints he was seeing in the snow didn't match up to any animal he knew in the valley.

Whatever it was, it must've figured out that your coop was an all-you-can-eat-buffet.

That thought alone made him break out into a cold sweat, picking up a stone before rushing towards the building. He didn't hear any noise inside, and that made him all the more concerned.

You helped him when he needed it most, and now he'll repay you by defending your chickens...even though he knew nothing about fighting monsters.

Upon opening the door, he was stunned to find a shadowy humanoid creature holding your void chicken in its arms. It had a goopy smile on its face, looking down at the bird-

Before there was a furious shout.

"HEY! Put that chicken down!"

.........

"HEY! Put that chicken down!"

Just as you were tuning into the Oracle's channel on TV, you were startled by the sound of Shane yelling at someone-

Wait..

'What's Shane doing on my farm? And at this hour, too?? I thought he sleeps in all the time..' Your eyebrows furrowed as you looked around the house.

"Krobus? You in here? I may have a visitor."

No response.

You checked the monster's room, and sure enough didn't find him in there.

Normally he'd freak out and hide beneath your bed if he even caught a glimpse of a human outside. You'd always tell him ahead of time if a friend was coming to visit just so he knew when and how long to stay hidden.

Of course, you never liked having to keep Krobus a secret, yet you understood why he believed that was for the best. He was so, so afraid to go with you even after gifting him the void ghost pendant--a precious amulet from his culture, symbolizing unity and devotion to another.

His worst fear was you being shunned and getting hurt because of him. But you promised to make things work, and so far you've had no problems.

The only other place he'd go besides your cabin was the coop, having grown fond of the animals there and the void chicken you were raising. The winter allowed him to bond with them.

But if he's there right now..and you just heard Shane yell, then-

'Oh fuck.'

Throwing on your boots and jacket, you rushed out the door, damn near slipping on the pathway to the coop.

You opened the door, finding Shane staring down your terrified roommate with anger, ready to throw a stone at who he believed was a monster trying to eat your livestock.

But as he reeled his arm back, he was confused by your hand grabbing his wrist. "Huh?! Hey! Let go!" He grunted.

"Shane, what the hell are you doing?!"

For a moment, he blinked and stared at you as though you had several heads. "What does it look like? I'm....that thing was trying to eat your chickens!" He pointed to Krobus, who was now curled up in the corner, having let go of the void chicken long ago.

"That's one of the monsters you were talking about, right? Don't you have a sword or something that could-?"

"He's not a threat."

Shane froze. "..huh?"

"His name is Krobus. He's a shadow person I met in the sewers." Letting him go, you opted to stand between the two. Krobus immediately got up and latched onto your shirt, hiding behind you for protection.

"The sewers? Jas and Vincent said they saw a monster through the grates, but I thought it was some imaginary friend."

"Well news flash, he's real. And right now he's more scared of you." You huffed. "Now please..put the rock down."

After some hesitance, he complied and dropped the stone. "Fine..sorry. I thought it--he was trying to-"

"I would never harm one of Yoba's precious creatures!" Krobus snapped, despite his voice trembling. "Especially not one that [y/n] so lovingly raised."

"You...understand what I'm saying?" Shane looked astonished.

"Of course.." The shadow monster calmed down a little, but redirected his anger to you. "You..we had an agreement. You promised to tell me if someone was coming."

"I didn't know he was here at all." You frowned. "You could've told me you were checking out the coop."

"But you were so weary from last night, and I thought you'd appreciate sleeping in-!"

"Look..if it helps, I can just leave and pretend none of this ever happened."

Both of you looked at Shane, who was slowly making his way to the door, only for him to stop as you sighed.

There's no way you could hide this now..

"Stay. This isn't something you can "pretend" never happened. Let's all head back to my house and I'll explain everything. Maybe we can come to an understanding without any violence. Whatdya say, boys?"

Shane and Krobus briefly glanced at each other, before silently nodding.

.........

"So basically...you got chased out of your home by Dwarves, had some great war with them, got cozy in the sewers...and [y/n] just...stumbled upon you?"

"Erm..slight correction, the local librarian had a key to the sewers, which [y/n] obtained. And only then they stumbled upon me-"

"After I donated like 60 artifacts to the museum, of course." You added on as you stood by the oven, watching the timer.

For a brief moment, you looked back at the two people sitting awkwardly at the table:

Shane, who was still wondering if the shadow monster sitting across from him was really a monster, a hallucination from his withdrawals, or just..someone in a SUPER convincing costume.

And Krobus, who stared at this scruffy, tired man who desperately needed a shave and a new jacket--the only other human he's spoken to aside from you and Rasmodius.

"Wow..I'd say I need a drink, but um..I'm in recovery right now. So I gotta cut back on those." Shane admitted, scratching awkwardly at his hair. "Do you like living on this farm with [y/n], Krobus?"

"It was...a difficult transition. Something I never expected to happen." He fidgeted with the pendant around his neck. "Our existence..terrifies humans. They attacked us when we came to the surface to make peace, so we stopped and hid back underground. We learned the world wasn't kind to those who were different. But [y/n] showed me that not all of them are like that...and I'm grateful for all they've done for me. I don't regret my choice.."

Then he looked to you, suddenly bashful. "A-As long as they don't regret it, of course..sometimes I feel like all of this is a dream. Or some foolish prank.."

"It's no dream or prank, Krob. I have no regrets becoming your friend." You smiled and patted the monster's head reassuringly, before glancing at Shane. "Just like I don't regret befriending this guy."

"Yeah..I was uh..in a pretty bad place myself." He mumbled, suddenly finding the weather outside more interesting.

"You said your name was "Shane", right?"

He blinked, looking back to Krobus. "Uh yeah?"

"Did you know that means "gift from Yoba"?" His eyes lit up, smiling from ear-to-ear as he clasped his hands together. "You should be proud of it! You are a blessed child of.....um...what's with that look?"

Shane's expression abruptly shifted to one of discomfort, and he couldn't help but shrink back. "Did..I say something wrong? W-Was I out of line?"

"No, no. I probably should've mentioned this sooner, but I'm actually atheist."

"....as in...you don't believe in Yoba?"

Reluctantly, Shane nodded and averted his gaze once more, expecting some kind of lecture or change in his friendly tone that would make this his first and last conversation with him.

Nobody liked it when he mentioned how he stopped believing in Yoba long ago, especially after what happened with Jas' parents and how his life just plummeted into a downward spiral since then. He feels like his name was cruel joke, and he had a pit in his stomach whenever he was reminded of it.

So now he was fully expecting this devout monster to spew something vile and call him a "horrible nonbeliever"-

"Why the guilty face?"

"..wha?" He did a double-take, seeing Krobus' smile return.

"I've observed humans long enough to understand their religious preferences, or lack thereof. We have our beliefs, and you have yours..and that is okay." He reassured. "No need to feel ashamed, Shane."

It took the man a few moments to process his words..before a small smile appeared on his face as well, shoulders less tense than before. "Whew..thanks. Seriously..you're somehow more understanding than all the people in my life." He chuckled dryly.

Krobus was about to respond, when the ding from your kitchen timer made the two pause their conversation, seeing you take something out of the oven.

It was a dessert that had a shimmering purple hue.

"Oh hey..you actually made it?" Shane blinked. "The infamous "Strange Bun"?"

"Yep! It actually looks pretty.." You smiled, setting it on the stove so it could cool down. "I almost don't wanna eat it...but I'm sure we can split it three ways."

"I recognize that dessert." Krobus gasped. "It's considered a delicacy among my people! How I've longed to taste it again....but how did you come to possess its recipe?" He looked to Shane, who simply dug out a crumpled magazine page from his pocket.

"Right here. It looked good, and [y/n] likes cooking stuff and finding the ingredients themselves..so I figured it's something new they could try."

"And it came out fantastic." You chuckled, bringing over plates of the strange bun and sitting down at the table, passing them to your friends. "Dig in, boys."

While Krobus was actively drooling and devouring it with his bare hands, you took a few bites and instantly felt rejuvenated....whereas Shane kept awkwardly poking at it with a fork, eyebrows furrowed.

"You sure this is safe to eat? Like..I'm not gonna keel over, am I?"

"...you're acting like Jas when she doesn't wanna eat her vegetables."

".....shut it." With a grumble, he rolled his eyes before finally taking a couple bites. You and Krobus watched him in anticipation, studying his reaction.

Only to be met with disappointment.

"Eh..I think I'll stick to frozen pizzas, but thanks. Here. It's all yours." He pushed the half-eaten bun towards Krobus, who gleefully finished it up.

"Thank you..this was delightful." The shadow monster swallowed, looking up at you both, frowning slightly. "But I do fear..now that one more person knows of my existence, word may spread to the town and-"

"I won't tell anyone."

"....really?" He looked at Shane, surprised.

"I used to not believe in "shadow people"..I actually thought you guys were just stuff of fiction. But no, you're actually pretty cool. And...I get that feeling of being stuck in a dark place, thinking you're a pest and a burden who has no future to look forward to. It sucks, but [y/n] here..." He paused and gestured to you with a smile. "They pulled me out of that funk, and it seems they'd pulled you out of one, too."

"They have..I-I find this hard to believe, but it seems we have more in common than I first thought." Krobus chuckled softly. "I'm glad we could come to an understanding, and that you embrace my existence, Shane."

"Yeah, uh...glad you can..embrace mine as well." He mumbled, already kicking himself mentally for how weird that sounded. "But tell me..you like caring for chickens, too? I saw that one with the black feathers and red eyes."

"Indeed, that is a void chicken! I've carried their eggs for ages, but the mines weren't suitable enough to raise chicks in. Then [y/n] showed me the coop, and now I know they're in good hands."

"Ah...did you wanna meet Charlie sometime? Or one of my blue chickens?"

"......chickens can be blue?" Krobus had such a starry-eyed look, as though he had just been told the secrets of the universe.

Meanwhile, you were just cleaning the dishes, listening to their conversation delve into chicken care, eggs, and more. And you could only smile, glad to see that your monster roommate was finally warming up to humans.

Only a select few will get to see him, as you didn't wanna compromise his safety...

But for now, Shane is the only one you could trust.

[itsthestutterforme]

Just Try (A Johnny Storm Drabble)

Summary: You and Sue grew up together and Johnny has always been on the sidelines in your mind. Until one day, he gives you a hypothetical.

Notes: GIF is not mine, this is not a beta’d read, mentions of Ari Levinson, allusions to sex

—

“Johnny’s been in his head a lot lately. Have you noticed?” Sue questions, applying her mascara in the vanity mirror next to you while you brushed your lash extensions with a spoolie.

“I mean, he has been more quiet than usual. But I didn’t think much of it. What could Johnny possibly think so hard about?”

“Do you think he’s talking to someone?” You stopped brushing your lashes and looked at her. “Are we talking about the same Johnny Storm?”

She nudges your side with her hip, causing the two of you to chuckle.

“Can you at least try to talk to him? He talks to you more than he does with me.” You leaned against the vanity table and took the mascara wand out of her hand.

“Hey, none of that. There is no sad talk allowed on your birthday.” “I’m not sad. I just.. I know I’m hard on him, but that’s because I want what’s best for him. And now he doesn’t trust me.”

“Of course he trusts you, Sue. You’re his big sister. He just doesn’t want to disappoint you.”

“And I said enough of that,” you set the mascara on the table and pulled her to her feet. “You’ve been playing big sister all day. Now it’s time to let loose and shake some ass.”

A knock on the door brings your attention from the mirror. Johnny leans his body against the door, giving you a quick once over.

He wore a simple black t-shirt and some jeans. But he felt a little underdressed once he saw what you and Sue were wearing.

“The limo’s here,” he states. He spun on his heel to wait by the front door when you called his name.

“How does she look?” You motioned to Sue but his eyes was trained on you.

“Beautiful- she looks beautiful. You better not bring anybody home.” He says, finally shifting his glance from you to Sue.

“As if. That’s something I should be saying to the two of you,” Sue snorts, pushing past him with her coat and purse in hand.

“Hey, I haven’t brought a guy home in a while.” You called after her. Johnny’s gaze fell to the floor at your words.

“Yeah, yeah.” She calls back. You spared yourself one last look in the mirror when you noticed Johnny meeting your gaze through the mirror.

“Everything okay?” You ask slowly, hugging your trench coat close to your chest. You had closed the gap between you.

Despite the fact you were wearing heels, you still had to lean back a little to look him in his eyes.

The scent of your perfume eased his nerves but your gaze combated that eased feeling, making his heart stutter in his chest.

“Johnny?” “Uh, yeah- yes, I’m fine.” “Are you sure?“ he opens his mouth to say something when Sue reenters the room.

“You guys ready?” Sue asks. “Yep, ready when you are.” You answer with a smile. You and Johnny follow Sue to the front door and took the elevator down to the lobby.

His eyes were glued to his phone the entire limo ride to the club, despite the music and Sue opening all of the windows and climbing through the sun roof to shout after a couple shots of tequila. A few people walking on the street wished her a happy birthday.

You had closed your eyes, relishing how the wind kissed your cheeks and smoothed over your silk pressed hair.

The music drowned out and it was just you and the wind. Johnny notices your silence and lifts his gaze to you. Time slowed when he watches your features relax, your head leaning further out the window.

Every night he thinks of what life would be like if he was with you. Not just with you in bed but with you. Loving you.

Things he never gave the time of day was now flooding his mind every chance it gets. Truth was, the thoughts were always there.

He suppressed them.

He turned his attention towards motocross and being a womanizer. But none of that stopped him of seeing you smiling when he would close his eyes at night.

He hasn’t been on his A game in months. He complete disappeared from the media. No instagram posts. No interviews. No special appearances. Nothing.

He felt like a love sick puppy.

He could tell by how limp your neck was that you were falling asleep. He hesitantly reached over the seat and touched your knee, refusing to acknowledge your dress was riding up your thighs.

Your eyes slowly peeled open at the touch, meeting Johnny’s concerned gaze.

“You okay?” He asks. “Oh God. Did I fall asleep?” You sat up straight at the realization. “You did.”

“Please tell me she didn’t notice,” the two of you looked to Sue shouting something about an apartment key through the sunroof. Mostly likely something about Reed.

Then she mumbled something about fuck men, which was definitely about Reed.

“I doubt it,” Johnny states, making the two of you chuckle. “Doesn’t take much to get her drunk, huh?”

“No, I guess not.” You met his gaze again, the warmth of his hand remained on your skin. There that feeling was again, a thrumming under your skin at the connection.

What was happening right now?

“We’re here!” Sue squeals, dropping back down into the limo.

Johnny hand pulls away from you and you cleared your throat, adjusting your dress as Sue opens the car door.

Johnny gets out first to help you and Sue out of the car.

You made an effort to avoid eye contact with Johnny throughout the night. You don’t know what is going on but it’ll stop if you ignore it long enough. Right?

Johnny watches as a man weeds his way through the crowd to where you and Sue were dancing.

He smooths a hand over your waist and you looked over your shoulder at him. He flashed you an award winning smile that immediately made you weak in the knees.

“I’m Ari,” he says into your ear, smiling when you said your name in return.

Johnny’s jaw clenched at the sight, taking a long swig of his beer. Ari drapes his arms over your shoulders, his hips rolling against your backside as he whispers something in your ear to make you laugh.

Why were you laughing with him? He doesn’t know you, Johnny thought to himself.

“Hey Johnny,” a woman greets, sliding into the space next to him. “You here with someone?” She asks, sliding her hands up his clothed chest.

Johnny looked to see if you noticed her touching him, only to see your eyes closed as Ari kissed the side of your neck.

“Fuck it,” Johnny says allowed, cupping the blonde woman’s cheeks before kissing her.

“Gross, get a room you two!” Sue shouted at you and Ari over the music. “And leave you? No way!”

“I’m sure Johnny will take me home.” Sue mediates. The two of you looked over to Johnny who had his tongue down some blonde’s throat.

“Looks like that’s not happening. Let me take you home.” You told her. “No. I’ll call an Uber. It’s okay.”

“I don’t like the idea of leaving you here drunk and alone while you wait for your Uber to get here.”

The two of you continued to bicker until Ari stepped in.

“I can take drop her off if you’d like,” “No, Ari. You don’t have to do that.”

“It’s really no problem. I don’t like the idea of any woman being alone and drunk either. People don’t exactly have the best intentions.” Ari explains.

“And after you drop her off?” You asked, his gaze darkening at your words.

“Well that’s entirely up to you, sweetheart.”

**

The morning after wasn’t anything like you expected. Typical, the morning after consisted of getting dressed and doing the walk of shame out of their apartment.

Except the morning with Ari meant morning sex with you on top, him drilling into you from below.

His arms encircling you so you couldn’t writhe away from him. He wanted you to take every inch.

While you were fucked out on his bed, he made you Belgian waffles and poured you some orange juice.

He offered to drive you home but you strongly insisted against it. Instead you called yourself an Uber to take you home, reminiscing at how Ari knew your body like the back of his hand.

You knew that meant that he was a fuck boy like Johnny was, but that didn’t take away from the fact that he made you feel like you were on Cloud 9.

You bit your lip as you reminisced on Ari’s hips slotted between yours. The smile fell from your face when the Uber driver pulled up to the curb in front of your apartment.

You thanked him before taking your heels in your hands and stepped onto the curb. You unlocked the front door, sighing when you closed it behind you.

“It’s almost noon,” a voice states behind you.

A yelp leaves your lips when you spun around, grabbing the nearest thing you could. You held the umbrella tightly in your hands until you slowly recognized the man in front of you.

“Damn it, Johnny! What the fuck!” “You really should have better security,”

“I had security. No one knows where my spare key is and I have a ring camera,” you explain, setting the umbrella back on the rack.

“A ring camera that would work better if you didn’t mute the notifications,” he retorts. “I’d got annoying after a while, okay. It’s a busy street.”

“What are you doing here, Johnny? Did something happen to Sue?” You added, changing the topic of conversation.

“No, Sue is fine. I thought something happened to you,” “You thought- why?” Your gaze fell to the blanket sprawled out on the couch. “You spent the night here?”

It wasn’t the first time he’s slept over your place. Most of the time it was because he was hung over from the night before and needed a place to sober up. You hadn’t thought much of it until now.

“Yes. I told you I was worried.” “Why?” He disappears into the kitchen and came back with some coffee and ibuprofen. You graciously took the cup of coffee and tossed the two pills on your tongue.

“Something felt off about the guy you were with last night,” he said, watching you take a careful sip of your coffee.

“Right, like you could make such an observation when you’re too busy making out with some blonde chick.”

“Didn’t think you cared much. Considering you let that guy fondle you in the middle of the club.”

“I did not let him fondle me,” you pointed, annoyed with his accusation.

What was this? Why were you bickering like you were.. a couple?

“Look, I don’t care about who you take home. So why do you care about who I take home?”

“I didn’t take her home, alright? She tried to take me back to her place but.. I couldn’t.” “Why not?”

“Let’s just picture something for a second, okay? A hypothetical. Me having a girlfriend. An amazing, smart, independent, long term girlfriend. We go on trips together and do interviews together. And just be happy together.”

“I’m sorry but I’m having trouble figuring out where all this is coming from, Johnny? If you have a crush on someone, just ask them out. You’re Johnny Storm. Talking to woman is as easy as breathing at this point.”

You take another sip of your coffee and Johnny stuffs his hands in his pockets.

“Not this woman. She makes me freeze every time she looks at me. I can’t think straight. It’s like I’m back in grade school all over again.”

“Wow. She really has you in the palm of her hand, huh? Who is she?”

You take a longer sip of your coffee once you felt the coffee had cooled down a bit. You wait for his response but he simply stares at you, waiting for you catch on.

Your face fell when the silence set in the room. “No,” Shaking your head, you step around him and walk into the kitchen.

“Y/N,” he calls after you. “No, Johnny.” You said, lifting your hand not wanting to make eye contact.

“Come on. Is this so far fetched? You know me better than anybody. I know you better than anybody. Definitely better than that guy from last night,”

You rounded the counter top to put some distance between you, sighing in disbelief. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing.

“You are a fuck boy and I have serious commitment issues. Not to mention, you’re my best friend’s little brother. It’s not going to work.”

“Aren’t relationships about work? Wanting to better yourself for someone else?” “Change because of someone else never lasts,”

“Just give me a chance,” he rounds the countertop to near you. He huffs when you backpedal away from him.

“Is this why you’ve been acting different? To get my attention?” “Not exactly. I just made the decision to work on myself and shy away from the optics for now.”

“Don’t you hear how insane that sounds coming out of your mouth? The motocross playboy wants to shy away from the optics.”

“I know it sounds insane.” He takes another step to see if you would move away. When you don’t, he slides into the space next to you, resting his elbows on the counter top.

And I know you feel the same way from the way you looked at me last night,” “I was buzzed so that doesn’t count,”

“Oh yeah?” He starts, encroaching in your space.

Placing a hand on either side of you, bowing his head until he was at eye level with you. The tip of his nose grazed the bridge of yours.

The smell of his cologne enveloped you, forcing you to resist leaning into him.

“And how about now?” He smiles when you lifted your head in defiance, you tense when you feel his leg brush against yours.

You couldn’t make any movements with touching some part of his body.

“I feel absolutely nothing,” “Liar,” he leans in to whisper in your ear.

“It’s lust at best,” you crossed your arms, using your body weight to nudge him away from you. He nods in understanding, smoothing a hand over the back of your head.

He pressed a gentle kiss to your temple. Your eyes fluttered at the gesture, meeting his gaze for the hundredth time since last night.

“Then it looks like I’ll have to convince you otherwise,”

He pulls away from you entirely, crossing through the kitchen back into the living room to put on his shoes. He doesn’t say anything else before he strolled out of your apartment, leaving you in silence.

“What the fuck?” You said aloud, taking your phone into your hands to call Sue.

[sunraies]

rafe request — can you please write about reader getting into an accident after a fight with race and rafe getting worried but make it really really dramatic like car accident life threatening, i wanna cry and feel angst 🫢

I mean this in the nicest way possible. I hope this is angst enough to make you cry. If this doesn't work, watch Daisy Jones and The Six. That made me cry today or the Notebook. We all need a good cry sometimes x

You Can Go Your Own Way

Rafe Cameron x Kook!Reader

Warnings- Angst. Car accident. Argument. mentions of a pregnancy scare. Talks about future. Hospital. Coma

As requested above.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

It wasn't even that big of an argument. At least wasn't meant to be until you told Rafe, you couldn't do it anymore.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" He frowned, hurt flooding his eyes that you loved so much.

"I just. We keep going round in circles" You began gathering your things dotted around his room.

"Baby, stop" He tried to gently stop your hands before you moved away from him and continued "Baby, fucking stop!"

"Rafe, it just isn't going to work" You could feel the tears burning in your eyes as they threated to fall.

"It will! I promise" He tried to pull you closer but you resisted, knowing the minute you were in his arms, you would melt.

"Don't make promises you can't keep" You whispered before cutting off his reply "god, Rafe. I love you but we want different things. I'm off to college, and you'll be here, working for Ward."

"I never said I didn't want you to go," He frowned. "All I said was let's get married. "

You looked up to the ceiling before back down at him. "Because of a scare fucking pregnancy, Rafe" You pointed to the test thrown in his bathroom bin, only moments ago "God, your face when you were hoping it was positive. I can't do that. I don't want that. Not right now."

"I know, baby, I know." He ran a hand through his hair, "but I meant it, I would marry you. Not because of a baby but because I fucking love you"

You shook your head and swallowed "I don't want to be some tropy wife. I've seen how it broke my mother. She had so many dreams and I do too. You can't come with me and I can't stay here"

You had always wanted a life bigger than Outerbanks could give you. Collage in New York was that chance. Your heart was torn in two, all because you had fallen in love with Rafe Cameron.

"I love your dreams" Rafe looked like he could cry too. "I want you to live them, baby"

"I can't do that as a married collage student with my husband half way across the country. All I'm asking is that we wait. I can't give you the future you want right now"

"Why wait? It's just a ring. It shows that you are mine." He sighed before your eyes widened. It suddenly twigged, the other reason he had asked you.

"That's it! Fuck Rafe, do you really think that little of me? I'm not going to sleep around!"

"No. No. It's the guys I don't trust" He desperately tried to reach for you as you nodded and picked up the last of your things. "Baby, please"

"I'm not something you can fucking own, Rafe"

You had been together for two years and it was wonderful. Rafe was kind, caring, protective but the one thing that always caused a problem was when the protectiveness turned into possessiveness. A little you could handle, an arm around you at a party, a kiss on temple as you talked to another guy but the fighting, the anger at someone for even looking at you the wrong way, it was too much.

As you stammered your car door and locked it. Rafe ran out to you and hammered on the window. He called out to you, but you drove away, leaving him cursing barefoot in the driveway.

You weren't sure where to go. You couldn't go back home right a way. The moment your mother saw you crying, it would feel too real. Your best friend was most likely in The Cut, and again, if you fall into her arms, it would be too much to bare. You loved her brother so much, it hurt. So you drove into the night to clear your head.

It happened quickly. They say things can change in the blink of an eye. That life is made up of split seconds.

You had been adjusting the volume on the radio as 'Go Your Own Way' by Fleetwood Mac played. It seemed like the sky was crying with you as it began raining heavily.

Your phone lit up with a message distracting you.

Gorgeous 👑 - 'Call me or tell me when you are home safe...'

The rest of the message was cut off.

The name you had given him made you smile at the memory of him finding it. It was a few months into your relationship, even after the years together, you hadn't changed it.

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

"Why gorgeous? And a crown. " He frowned as he stared at your phone

"Because you're my gorgeous king." You kissed his cheek

"That's fucking cheesy as shit" He teased before you grabbed his phone

"Oh yeah, what's yours, then, huh?" You opened it, smiling at his lock screen of you before finding the contact and laughing "Baby with a red heart? And mine was cheesy"

"Shut up" He blushed before pining you down on the bed as you laughed.

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

When you glanced back up at the road, all you could do was gasp as yellow headlights blinded you. You tried to swerve but you just felt the car spin out of control on the wet road before the impact of metal hitting metal, the stretching, the boom of air bags, the smell of burnt rubber and the iron taste of blood.

Every nerve in your body screamed as your head felt heavy. Somehow, you ended upside down. You could hear a strangers voice, muffled like it was under water. A buzzing caught your attention as your phone lay broken on the road. Rafe’s face appearing on the screen, his gorgeous smile, broken and cracked as it showed he was calling. It was the last thing you saw before losing conciseness.

*-*-*-*

"Who the fuck are you?" Rafe asked as a male voice was on the other end of the phone.

"Calm down, son." The officer, on the other end, replied, "I'm officer Warron, now I need you to remain calm for moment."

Rafe dropped to the floor, holding his head as Officer Warron told him you had been involved in a road traffic accident and that you had been transferred to the General on the main land in crucial condition. They had contacted him as your mother had told them too, he needed to know. She couldn't bring herself to do it, and he was the last call on your broken phone.

He got to the hospital as quickly as he could, taking the Druthers as fast as it would possibly go. He almost forgot to pay the taxi before following the instructions your mother had messaged.

"Oh, Rafe!" Your tearful mother embraced him as he entered your room. He gently patted her back as he looked over to you.

You looked so broken and fragile in the bed, hooked up to a million machines. He just stared feeling completely numb.

"I know, it looks scary, but they said the surgeries went well. They put. They put her in an induced coma to, to help the healing." Your mother stumbled over her words. "She can hear you"

All Rafe could do was nod before your mother gave him a sad smile. "I'll give you two a moment," she moved to kiss your cheek before speaking to you. "I'm just going to update your dad, sweetie. Rafe's here. He's here."

They both could have sworn your heart beat raised a little at her words before she left.

Rafe stumbled into the seat next to your bed and shakily took your hand. "Shit, baby. I don't. I don't even know what to say, " He whispered. "I'm so sorry. Fuck..."

He suddenly broke down, his head on your arm as he sobbed. The only sounds filling the room were the beeping of your machines and his broken sniffles.

[lavenderchqn]

𝐶𝛨𝛢𝑃𝑇𝛦𝑅 𝟎𝟐𝟐 — UPON QUOTES (1,9K WORDS) 𝑅𝐸𝐷 𝐿𝐼𝑁𝐸𝑆 — lyney x f!reader smau

𝑆𝑌𝑁𝑂𝑃𝑆𝐼𝑆 —

Second year of university should've been everything you thought of it - more studying with human interaction sprinkled throught... What it definitely wasn't supposed to be was an investigation saga where one of your friends goes missing out of nowhere

𝑃𝑅𝐸𝑉𝐼𝑂𝑈𝑆 — 𝑀𝐴𝑆𝑇𝐸𝑅𝐿𝐼𝑆𝑇 — 𝑁𝐸𝑋𝑇 𝐸𝑃𝐼𝑆𝑂𝐷𝐸

Once Furina and Neuvillette confirm they’ve made it to the cafe, [Y/N] heads out. Although she has asked them to be there as early as possible, she still feels like she's in a rush. If there’s one thing she cannot be… is to be late. Not to mention, her mind is racing with each step. 

At this point, it’s debating whether she was more or less worried when visiting the orphanage. She wants to believe Chevreuse will be helpful. Angelique had been their first known missing person. She has taken her case specifically into her own hands… 

She wants… no, she has to gather as much intel as possible. 

The weather is lovely. Sunny and yet not too warm at the same time. These are perfect conditions for trying to learn further about the case of university students being kidnapped. 

Soon enough she sees the building of the esteemed Café Lutece. The closer she gets there, the more details she sees — people walking their dogs, stray cats scaring off pigeons enjoying some crumbs… And two girls standing close to the entrance.

Oh how glad [Y/N] is that Chevreuse’s profile picture matches her appearance in real life.

“H-Hello…” She walks up to the girls, greeting them politely. 

“Heyy, must be [Y/N]?” Chevreuse puts her hand out to shake the girl’s hand. “Glad to finally have a face to put to the messages.” 

“That’s right.” She smiles slightly. “Nice to meet you.” 

Her attention turns to Chevreuse’s companion. This must be the friend she had been talking about.

“This is Em, a dear wife of mine.” 

Emilie rolls her eyes playfully in response, flicking Chevreuse on the arm. “A friend. I’m your dearest friend, Chevy.” 

Her attention goes back to [Y/N], standing still and confused. “Pay her no mind, she just likes to joke in such ways. I'm Emilie, a biology major.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Emilie.”

“The pleasure is all mine." She retaliates with a smile.

“Damnnn, can’t believe you’d cheat on me like that… In public no less!”

“Oh, shush you!”

Is this how best friends act? Is this how she and Lynette used to act? Surely not… 

“L-Let’s get inside, shall we?” She asks, trying to diffuse the situation. 

The establishment is abnormally quiet at this time of day. Had it been the school year, business would most certainly be booming. [Y/N] can make out Furina and Neuvillette chatting happily at one of the tables. Lovely, at least this makes it easy to choose a table. They exchange a brief glance, reminding each other why they're here.

Well, thank heavens they kept true to their word. Although [Y/N] believes in the sincerity of Chevreuse and Emilie, there’s never too much being careful. The words said by Madame Knave still linger on in her mind. 

“I don’t frequent cafes that often,” Emilie says, looking at the menu, before turning to the other girls. “Could anyone of you recommend something?” 

“A latte or a cappuccino, I guess?” Chevreuse answers.

Emilie doesn’t choose either, staring at the choices with full attention. 

“If you want something lighter,” [Y/N] starts. “A latte would be better — its milk texture is more delicate.” 

“I see… Thank you, Miss [Y/N].” 

With the blonde soon making up her mind, the girls finally put in their order and head to have a seat. They’re near one of the exits —  Charlotte’s preferred spot, right next to a socket. 

Their table is relatively close to the one where her chaperone is sitting… However, when they finally sit down, their awkwardness due to having this be their first meeting begins to show. 

“Sooo…” Chevreuse starts, trying to break the ice. “Why are you interested in Angelique?” 

The question shouldn’t surprise [Y/N] at all, and yet it does. She had rehearsed all the possibilities of this conversation multiple times. Should she answer truthfully or bend it a little?

“We’ve shared classes together.” 

“Did you work on any projects together?” Emilie inquires further, clearly sceptical of this being the sole reason. “I don’t wish to sound unkind, however, it does feel unnatural for such sudden interest in another person.” 

[Y/N] gulps in nerves. This shouldn’t be happening. She’s a journalist for fucks’ sake. She’s supposed to be in charge of the conversation to gather as much as possible.

“To be completely honest—“ Her voice gets reduced to whispers as she leans over the table. The staff of the cafe doesn't have to know.

The bell rings, as the doors next to [Y/N] swing open. Another customer has entered the building, shutting the journalism major completely out. Can’t be going around spewing such important news when somebody’s right next to you.

It seems like life is completely against [Y/N] at this exact moment. One of the waitresses is here to bring the girls their coffee. 

“Your order is ready. Hope you enjoy!” She turns around noticing the new customer. “Oh! Good morning, professor. You’re later than usual!” 

“Traffic, nothing else— Also.” The seemingly older male starts. “I’m no professor, just a mere assistant.”

[Y/N] shakes her head, getting her thoughts back to what they were gonna talk about.

“Dear me... sorry about that you two.” She tries to give a smile, struggling to get herself in order. 

Her body feels weird. She hasn’t taken a sip of the drink yet, so there’s no way it would get spiked. Has Charlotte’s ‘bad-vibes’ radar been passed onto her? 

“Don’t worry, take your time.” By the way, Emilie is speaking, she must understand something. In all seriousness, back in their texts, both girls mentioned topics serious enough to be said eye-to-eye. 

“The thing… is quite complicated…” 

“No wonder.” Chevreuse comments. “Something minuscule as wanting to ask about projects wouldn’t be as nerve-racking, would it?”

“Here’s your order sir, I hope you have a nice day.” 

“Likewise.” The male replies as he leaves the building. With that, it seems the cafe has returned to its homey atmosphere.

“Okay.” [Y/N] sighs, before lowering her voice to a whisper again. “I’m pretty convinced Angelique has been kidnapped.” 

Chevreuse and Emilie look at each other, confused.

“What do you mean?” A questioning tone replies.

“A friend of mine went missing around 3 weeks ago.” 

“How does it have any connection to Angel, though?” 

[Y/N]’s trekking through thin ice floes. She remembers every detail Charlotte managed to find about Angelique... and how it connects to Lynette's case.

“Angelique has been a writer for the Fontinalia Group, right?” 

“Em, was she? I don’t remember.” 

“That's right, she was.” Emilie’s shushed voice replies. “Didn’t talk much about her work there.” 

“A friend of mine was invited to join in the middle of April… And there are two other girls with connections to the troupe also gone.” 

The more Chevreuse and Emilie learn, the more concerned they get.  

“Did you go to the police?” 

“We did. The case has been moved to a different district. We haven’t heard a word ever since submitting it.” 

“Chevreuse… do you think?” The blonde leans down to take something from her bag. 

“Oh god, not fucking thatttt…” Chevreuse muffles back. 

It takes Emilie quite a time to locate whatever she was looking for… and it seems to be… a stack of papers? 

“What’s that about?” [Y/N] asks, noting the papers are in a ziplock bag. 

“In the middle of the semester, this was slid under our dorm's door.” 

“Can I look?” 

“Be our guest… just be careful—“ 

As soon as [Y/N] opens the bag, the room gets filled with an overwhelming scent of a male’s perfume. Holy fuck, that’s quite intense. 

“Oh god…” The girls all cough a bit from its sheer amount. 

[Y/N] slowly unwraps the paper noting its great quality. Whoever was in charge of that most certainly knew their stuff. 

“And she was mine, she was mine, the key was in my first, my fist was in my pocket…” She starts reading the letter out loud — her tone still shushed. “… she was mine.” 

She gives a questioning look to the girls opposite her. Why would they feel like it’s related?

“When did this get delivered to you? It must've been after Angelique's case has been brought up.” She asks. 

“Many people from the administrative office came to ask us about Angel in late April.” Chevreuse answers, her eyes on the letter. “Em, do you remember?” 

“This letter arrived in early May. Surely you remember me looking into this scent. It’s just… mind-numbing.”

“Oh right… Yeah, that sure was a journey…” 

“Emilie, have you found anything?” 

The girl shakes her head. “I’ve come to the conclusion, that it’s a mixture of different colognes. Quite difficult to pinpoint something noteworthy, unfortunately.” 

[Y/N] furrows her brow, the implications of the letter weighing heavily on her. The words she just read resonate with a chilling undercurrent. “What does it mean by ‘she was mine’? This sounds more like obsession than affection.” On the other hand, if she were to go by predictions of the perpetrator to be well informed in arts… it could be a quote from a book. 

“I'm no poet, yet it most certainly reads as somebody being fixated on other’s being… rather than being affectionate to them.” Emilie’s expression is equally serious. 

 “Could also be somebody who considers affections as the same as fixation.” Chevreuse comments, sighing… But the look [Y/N] gives the girl… She has figured it out.

“Oh— Oh god…” 

She stands abruptly, bumping into the table in the process. Nerves overtake her body. Her legs are jittering, giving out a little.

Chevreuse and Emilie are scattering out of their seats trying to help to keep her steady. Even though they haven’t known Angelique long, and they’ve known [Y/N] for even less… both of them can tell her emotions are real. 

“Let’s get you to sit again.” Chevreuse leads her back onto the chair. “Have you figured out what the text means?” 

“… Lolita. It’s a quote from the book.” 

More time passes before Emilie and Chevreuse feel comfortable to leave [Y/N] on her own. She even rejects their gracious offer to drive her back to the dorms, since they’d be heading the same way.

The only thing she asks for is to exchange phone numbers. Even though they might not about Lynette’s situation still… having more people on your side makes it safer whenever something eventually goes wrong.

Furina and Neuvillette, despite observing the situation did not interfere at any point during their conversation… thus their job had been switched to notifying the rest of the group what has been going on… at least partially. 

Soon after the girls say their byes, they also leave the shop. Their job has been completed, regardless if they were necessary there in the first place. 

And [Y/N]? Well, she’s been keeping close to the small cafe, trying to contact the orphanage to share what she has learned… Whoever is behind Angelique’s, and by proxy Lynette’s kidnapping is either a sick person… 

… Or directly related to them. 

“Please, please just answer…” She says, looking at her phone deflated. She does not want to disturb anybody around her. Surely the caretaker of the House of Hearth wouldn’t be petty to leave her high and dry just because of a minor disagreement. Well, even if she did — [Y/N] does her utmost to convince her mind otherwise.

Soon, her call finally gets answered. 

“Hello?” They say. That… Is most certainly not Madame Knave… This is… 

“—Lyney?!”

The line cuts off instantly. 

𝑇𝐴𝐺𝐿𝐼𝑆𝑇 — OPEN

@state-of-grac3 @santaluna @meigalaxy @romyoia

@meurtreofcrows @charles-braindump @floweringanna @moonjellyfishie @vavrin @lovelypadisarah

date of posting — september 28th 2024

[st4rwon]

dates with skz

hyung line, hurt comfort(in minho’s), lots and lots of fluff, mentions of food, pet names

bangchan 방찬

full day dates

either planned extremely well or he just shows up to your house and is like “lets go on a date”

always get you flowers (had never failed to bring them single time)

loves to bring you to places that are special to him

“channie you know you didn’t have to do all of this for a date” you said looking over and your handsome boyfriend that sat next to you. “i know but I wanted to show you how special you are to me” he answered clasping your hands together. you stared at the stars in the sky, it was just you and chan stargazing together. “thank you for all of this, you never fail to put a smile on my face. i love you chan” he mumbled a small “i love you too” before pulling your face towards his so he could give you a kiss.

minho 민호

likes indoor dates, but will still go on outdoor ones

if it’s an indoor date he’ll get your favorite take out and set up something for you both to do

(watch a movie, play games, etc)

will definitely end in you and minho cuddling with soonie, doongie, and dori

“hey babe?” minho said getting your attention “yeah?” “do you ever find these dates…boring? i mean most people usually go out, but we tend to stay in because of me…” you fully turned your body towards him, the sounds from the movie still playing behind you “minho of course i don’t find these dates boring, i love all the time we spent together and even if it’s not a extremely thought out formal date i appreciate the effort you put in trying to make it as fun as possible. plus i get to see soonie, doongie, and dori, how could it possibly be boring” minho shuffled close to you and gave you a small hug “yeah your right” he chuckled “..does that mean you only come here for my cats” he said jokingly “yeah of course what did you think” he playfully shoved you but in his head all he could think was ‘i wonder what i did to deserve a girl like her’

changbin 창빈

goes out with you at least once a week

cannot live without seeing you

it’ll alternate between you two, one week

you plan the date and the next week he does

recalls things that you’ve talked about and plans accordingly

the MOST romantic

“binnie you didn’t have to go all out” you say after he had taken you to one of your favorite places, he had also gotten you your favorite food and flowers “my baby deserves the best of the best!” he exclaims pulling you closer to his body. “i guess i’m gonna have to one up you next week then” you chuckled changbin stayed silent but continued to hold you body, and you just stayed like that for a little bit. “c’mon let me walk you home” he said finally breaking the embrace, though he had the brightest smile on his face. “my boyfriend is such a gentleman” “only for you babe” he said pulling his head down to kiss your forehead.

hyunjin 현진

Extremely romantic pt. 2

loves bringing you to fancy dinner places

showers you with love and complements everything you do

“how can someone looks so cute just by sitting there? i’m so glad your mine”

HIS EXACT WORDS

dates always last longer than expected because he can’t leave you

“hyun you gotta go home, you have work tomorrow” you said pouting at your boyfriend, he had taken you on an amazing date and made sure you had the time of your life. “but i don’t wanna leave youu” he said holding you tight in an embrace. “alright” you said giving in “we can go on a small walk around the neighborhood, but then you gotta go home, I don’t want you to not get enough sleep because of me” hyunjin smiled brightly and took your hand, going on the normal route the two of you took. “did i tell you how pretty you are today?” he says pressing a kiss to your cheek “yes baby, multiple times” you said giggling “just gotta make sure you know it” you hide you face, his words making you blush in seconds “jinnie your gonna be the death of me”

please don’t spam like posts, repost, translate, or use my work without my permission. all work is fictional and only used for entertainment purposes. © azurez 2023

[thesafecafe]

Eat Me: Feb Filth Fest day 7

CW + Disclaimer: 18+, MDNI, accidental aphrodisiac usage/ingestion, overstimulation, Husband! Yeosang, multiple orgasms, ab riding (brief), choking with a belt, fem! reader, pet names (mama, baby girl, doll, etc.), oral (mostly fem rec), unprotected sex (don’t), possessive sex, body worship, making out, heightened senses (smell, taste, etc.), cream pie, Yeosang and the mc are freaks, (this is also partially inspired by an idea I had a while back), smut under the cut, enjoy! 

Disclaimer: I do not believe that the members of Ateez would act in this way in real life, nor is this meant to be a reflection or guide to their real personalities. This is a fictional depiction for entertainment purposes.

Words: 1,738

“Are you sure those are safe to eat? Seonghwa looked a bit eager giving them to us, like, too eager.” You watched as your husband, Yeosang, took out a box of sweets from the fridge. “Well, he said the other members enjoyed them a lot, and he wanted us to relax and have a nice time together while we’re on vacation. He’s just being nice.” You didn’t doubt that Seonghwa would genuinely want you to enjoy your vacation, but the way he looked when he  handed Yeosang the box was enough to put you on guard. Like he was expecting something. “He wanted us to eat them then, I’m sure. He all but said so when he was hovering over them.” You huffed as Yeosang sat next to you, flicking your nose. 

“Oh just hush and have a cookie, would you? It’s not like it’s poison.” Yeosang sassed you, pushing a heart shaped cookie into your mouth. You made a noise in protest, but decided to take a bite of it at least.As you tasted the soft cookie and delicate frosting, you quickly found yourself wanting more. Before you knew it, the cookie was gone, and you were reaching for another. Yeosang laughed at you, extending the box in your direction. “I guess it’s a good thing that the cookies say ‘eat me’ on the front. You’re going to eat them all, hey!” He snatched the box back, seeing that you’d taken at least five more. “The rest are mine!” 

You giggled at his indignant protests, sitting back in your seat. Soon, the both of you had finished off the box, relaxing into your afternoon activities. Yeosang read a book, while you typed away on your laptop, a comfortable silence overtaking you, and the little box of cookies was momentarily forgotten. You’d forgotten all about your previous worry, believing that it would be a peaceful afternoon.

___________________________

One hour was all it took for everything to come crashing down. You were laying back  in your recliner, minding your business, when you started to feel hot. It was odd, since you only had on a cropped hoodie and shorts. It was steadily getting hotter, and you were starting to become hyper aware of things. Has the light  in the kitchen always been so bright? And has the scent of Yeosang’s soap always been so strong? You were almost willing to ignore the new sensation, if not for the intense ache in between your legs. You shifted your hips, trying to ease the sudden throbbing in your core, but the more you moved, the more you felt yourself spilling into your shorts.

Yeosang was faring no better across from you. Trying to read his book in peace, he too felt hot and bothered. He could hear the slick sounds of your movements as you tried to adjust yourself comfortably. He caught himself glacing at you over the pages of the book subtly, trying not to make it harder on himself. But as he looked at your thighs shifting, he felt a hunger, a need  to be inside you, to taste your skin as he filled you up in the best way possible. He was debating on how to approach the topic, when you called his name.

“Yeosang?” Your voice came out smaller than you intended, but you didn’t mind. Yeosang lowered his book to his lap, looking at you over his glasses. “Yes my love?” You beckoned for him to come to you, and he obeyed, kneeling by your legs. “Is… is something the matter, love?” Yeosang swallowed thickly, nervously fixing his glasses. His hands came to rest on your thighs, and you lost it. Grabbing Yeosang’s shirt, you quickly pulled him up into the chair, bringing his lips to yours. He let out a small cry of surprise as your lips collided, his glasses flying off. You kissed him fervently, and he kissed you back, gripping onto your waist.

You reached for his shirt, helping him to shrug out of it. He latched onto the side of your neck, leaving open mouthed kisses down to your throat. His hand slid down to your shorts, tugging at the material. You pushed him away from you for a moment, pulling off your shorts. Yeosang cussed under his breath. You were dripping, your arousal leaking out of you and sliding down your legs. “Fuck, you’re soaking, doll. Come here.” Yeosang pulled you close, kissing you once more before pushing you down into the seat again. He kneeled before you, putting your legs over his shoulders. Pulling you close to his mouth, he parted your lips with his tongue. Licking from your hole to your clit, he sucked on it harshly. You moaned, gripping the arms of your recliner as his tongue twisted around your clit. 

Moving down to your entrance, Yeosang pushed his tongue into you, reveling in the feeling of your walls spasming against his tongue. He swirled his tongue, pushing it back and forth, and side to side. His fingers rubbed at your clit, and as your moans got louder, he knew you were close. Pulling his tongue out, he brought it slowly back up to your pearl. He did his favorite tongue trick. Your orgasm washed over you, and Yeosang caught most of it on his tongue, lapping up the mess he made. Catching your breath, you looked down at him watching as he licked his lips clean. He stood up, pulling you with him. He pulled you quickly towards your shared bedroom, the both of you unable to keep your hands to yourself on the way. You barely made it into the hallway before he was pressing you against the wall.

Your legs wrapped around his waist, and his hands were on your hips as he kissed you. Using his arms, he helped you move against his abdomen, flexing his abs as your core slid against him. He sucked along the base of your throat, and you cried out as he found your sweet spot. “Please Sangie, please, I need you in me, please.” You begged pathetically as he pressed you harder against the wall. Reluctantly, he pulled his face from your neck, his eyes dark with lust. Pulling you away from the wall, he carried you into the bedroom, carefully setting you on the bed. He took a step back, observing you. “Take off your top. Bra too.” He watched as you took them off, baring yourself to him completely, before reaching down to his belt  It was your turn to watch as his ring clad fingers undid his belt, swiftly taking it off and pushing down his pants. 

Stepping towards the bed again, Yeosang beckoned you over. Knowing exactly what he wanted, you crawled over to him. Siting up on your knees, you tugged his underwear down, and he stepped out of them, leaving him completely bare. His impressive length hung heavy between his legs, thick, veiny, and proud. Leaning forward, you sucked the tip between your lips, slowly swirling your tongue around it. Yeosang groaned, spurring you on. Taking him in your hand, you moved from the tip, gliding your tongue over his skin, licking up and down his length until it glistened. Pushing you back onto the bed, Yeosang spread your legs, settling between them.

Still holding onto his belt, he wrapped it around your wrists, before sliding into you. You moaned as he stretched you out, never getting completely used to the way he practically split you open. “You ready baby girl?” Yeosang’s voice was gentle as he addressed you, the look in his eyes making your breath hitch. Nodding, you gave him the okay to move. His eyes darkened once more, and he pulled his hips back, before slamming them into yours. You cried out as he continued, his hips relentless as he brought you towards your end. Yeosang kissed along you neck as he pounded you into the bed.

“Such a good girl for me. You take me so well doll, so perfect for me. My perfect doll, only I get to feel you like this, yeah?” He praised you as he marked your neck, your whimpers and moans serving as encouragement for him. “Always making me feel so good, baby, so pretty and warm, just for me.” Your walls spasmed around him, and Yeosang knew you were close. His free hand found your clit, applying pressure as he rubbed at it, bringing you to your second orgasm of the night.  You moaned so loudly, you were sure you’d get noise complaints from the neighbors, but you felt too good to care. But as you were coming down, you realized that your husband  hadn’t stopped yet, not even through your second release.

Your walls convulsed at the feeling of overstimulation, slight pain mixing with pleasure. As the feeling became too much, you tried to  get away, pushing yourself towards the headboard. Yeosang was having none of it, pulling you back by your legs. “Don’t try to run from me, mama,” he panted, “we’re just getting started.” He stuck out his tongue, focusing as he continued to drill his hips into yours, mercilessly fucking you into the bed. Your third release of the night had you gripping the sheets, crying out his name. “That’s right doll, let everyone know who’s making you feel this good.” Yeosang came not long after you, his warmth spilling into you. Pulling himself back, Yeosang carefully pulled out of you, before flipping you over.

“Arch your back for me doll.” Yeosang took the belt from your wrist, waiting for you to get adjusted before he slid his length back into you, deeper this time. Yeosang held back from groaning, preferring this position most of all. His pace was more brutal this time, and his hands held your hips so tightly, there would definitely be marks the next day. Wrapping the belt tightly  around your neck, Yeosang pulled you up, your back flat against his chest.

One hand held the belt tightly, partially restricting your air flow, as the other came down to toy with your clit once again. Your vision started to blur as you were on the brink of your fourth release of the night. “So so good, pl-please, don’t stop!” Your words were slurred, but Yeosang got the message loud and clear. “Oh don’t worry baby. There’s plenty more where that came from.”

___________

@minhyuuk, ​@hijeongguk @mintmoose64, @treasure-hwa, @atinyszn, @hwalysm, @k-drizzle​, @doom-fics

[incorrect-ikevamp-quotes]

Oh we are so BACK

When I tell you I saw this and died. HELLO?????

I keep hiding my face lahshjsdhjgfsaf HE HAS NO RIGHT. NO RIGHT AT ALL BEING THAT SEXILY INTENSE AAAAAAAAAAA

Anyway, I should probably try to make some attempt at describing the event since. If I don't I'll just be barking/crying/hiding my face for the next twelve hours.

Basically--and I'm not sure this is going to be across the board, but it held true for Napoleon and Sebastian at least--each suitor has a birthday event this year instead of a separate story. Comte's won't be released until tomorrow, but they have posted a preview.

From what I gather, he talks a little bit about himself and reveals parts of his past that haven't come to light in the game yet. There wasn't really enough to convey a coherent narrative beyond attending a party, but the line displayed here does get across the larger theme:

Comte: (I don't need momentary pleasure or ephemeral affection any longer. Now that I know love, there's nothing but you.)

He talks about how the aristocracy have thrown parties and extravagant celebrations for his birthday for most of his life. But none of it has ever really made him happy, largely because he knows that they are attempts to strengthen and broadcast power relations within high society. While I don't think he means it's entirely devoid of well wishes, I do think he sees it as a nexus of influence--and thus, by nature, impersonal. And honestly, I don't think he's wrong about that; the higher the echelon in social standing, the more it requires performance to maintain the position.

That being said, there is a fascinating flashback where he remembers a pureblood telling him about how falling in love with a human is an experience of another caliber entirely. My understanding is that Comte was still a fairly young vampire at the time, so he didn't really understand what the person was getting at. It seems like the other pureblood was trying to convey the difference in feeling, perhaps the fact that humans are more grounded in accordance with how they live--the reality and necessity of change.

After reading this--and the recent 5th bday story--I can absolutely see how change is something Comte has a complicated relationship with. He's known a certain way of life for so long, has constructed a sensibility of distant, rational maturity. After all the heartbreak of his youth, and two very acute traumatic events in his life, I can see why he'd be so afraid of broaching any kind of proximity with another person. Because on some level it's so much easier not to put your feelings on the line, to never have to fear devastating loss. And that's to say nothing of the worry of being unable to measure up on behalf of another person, of letting them down.

I'm so excited to see the rest of the contents, but something about the preview made me equal parts giddy and enamored (all I do is kick my feet with excitement LOL). I think what gets to me with Comte is that he truly does love companionship as a place to rest, a place where he can be honest about himself and his feelings without fear of ridicule (and the same goes for MC). In a world increasingly obsessed with surface level performances of power, status, and emotion, it's hard not to feel his exhaustion to the core.

Also, because these lines at the end more or less destroyed me in the best possible way:

MC: ...The you who had nowhere to belong no longer exists. In much the same way...Abel, I belong to you. Comte: ... Comte: I wish I could say to myself all those years ago, the me who kept indulging in such paltry things. Comte: Until you meet MC, you will never know love... The warmth of MC in my arms filled me with such joy I was near tears. (I don't need momentary pleasure or ephemeral affection any longer. Now that I know love, there's nothing but you.) The moment my lips found hers, the sweetness lit a fire deep in my body. Comte: These cute lips that melt against mine, the heat of your skin, the love that envelops me in your embrace--always leaves me so deeply in love with you.

[rainbow-nerdss]

Fic Writing review 2023!

I was tagged by: @just-my-latest-hyperfixation @aidaronan @exhuastedpigeon @jamespearce9-1-1 @theotherbuckley @aspecbuddie @thewolvesof1998 @daffi-990 (And possibly others, i may have missed one or two, sorry if i did!)

I can't believe 2023 is over, honestly. This year has had some ups and downs for sure but overall I'm so proud of what I've achieved. I started the year mainly writing Stranger Things fics, and while I still love that fandom and all of the wonderful people I met there, my inspiration for writing it was beginning to fade.

And along came 9-1-1. I am so happy with where I've ended up, and for all the new friends I've made since I found this show back in April!

Here's an overview of my year in fic:

Words posted to ao3: 235,060

Words written: 250,465

Works posted: 38

Fandoms posted for: 3 (Stranger Things, 9-1-1, MCU/Captain America)

Specifics and tags are under the cut!

Longest fic:

Crawling on Back to You 109k words, 30 chapters Stranger Things, Steve/Eddie, Rated E

Shortest fic:

Keep on Walkin' and don't look back 521 words Stranger Things, Steve/Eddie, Rated T

Top 5 by kudos:

1. Right in front of your eyes

9-1-1, Buddie, 15k

He and Chris, and Buck. They work, they’re a unit. Why should it matter that he’s single? Buck is watching him, like he’s reading every thought on his face. “You’re already planning to lie about the date. Why don’t you just tell her you met someone yourself?” Eddie shrugs and tilts his head to the side, squinting in thought. “She won’t set me up on dates if she thinks I’ve got someone,” he muses. “But she’ll want to meet whoever it is.” “So... Introduce them?” Or: Buck offers to fake-date Eddie so Pepa will stop setting him up on dates.

2. Pinky Promise

9-1-1, Buddie, 1k

Christopher Diaz doesn't mind that his dad's dating someone new. He's not dumb, he knows there's someone. The way his dad has been smiling lately, the way Chris catches him staring at his coffee, daydreaming like he isn't a grown man. The sleepovers Chris is suddenly allowed to go to on almost a weekly basis. Chris is happy for him, really he is. He’s just not planning to let himself get attached to whoever it turns out to be, just in case. He doesn't need a step-parent, because he has Dad, and he has Buck, and that’s enough. Whoever his dad dates, well. They'll probably leave, eventually. Chris doesn’t need to worry about them. Or: Eddie and Buck come to Chris with some news, and he doesn't take it very well at all.

3. Peek-A-Boo

Stranger Things, Steddie, 1k

Eddie tried not to stare. He really tried. He didn't notice at first, too preoccupied with the tub of pringles he'd been making his way through while talking about Corroded Coffin's last gig. Sure, he'd noticed the shorts. The ridiculous amount of leg Steve was showing, the way they hugged his ass, but it wasn't until Steve moved, lifted one foot to rest on the cushion, knees spread, that Eddie noticed another feature of the shorts. Or: Steve puts on a bit of an accidental show.

4. Definition

9-1-1, Buddie, 2k

It keeps happening, time and time again. People get it wrong. Whatever people say, it feels wrong and they don't know how to set the record straight, until Chris takes it into his own hands. or: 5 times people get Buck's role in Chris's life wrong, and 1 time they set the record straight

5. take my hand (knot your fingers through mine)

9-1-1, Buddie, 4k, written with @pock-o-pea

At least Buck’s okay. He’s outside, safe, doing his job. Buck’s okay, which means no matter what happens inside this van, If the crushing weight of the fridge takes him before Buck can get to him, if the van pancakes or flips or any number of likely disasters occur, if Eddie dies in here, alone, and in pain, then… He thinks of Mallory, of Jo. How they’d called out for each other. His eyes shut briefly as Mallory’s words echo in his head. “She’s not my daughter. Jo’s mother was my best friend… she saved me so many times.” Or: what 6x18 could've been

2023 Events I've participated in: AUgust, Fandom Trumps Hate

Current works in progress:

The bodyguard fic (somebody to someone) -One chapter posted, 3 more written and (almost) ready to post!

Steve time travelling in the upside down (of moments and unmoments (of time lost)) -One posted, two more in the drafts 😁

The break-up fic (you were my town) - Two posted, the third almost ready to post

Season 7 fic: 10 chapters, currently being edited to post

and then a bunch of isolated oneshots I've yet to figure out an ending for: 5+1 times Eddie sees buck with kids that aren't his, friends with benefits, secret relationship, Teacher!Buck, Buckley siblings kiss of death, Buck in the stairs (just started this one last night!)

Goals for 2024:

I want to finish posting all of the WIPs which are already on ao3, post my s7 fic before March 14, keep working on all the WIPs I have in my docs and of course write more and keep sharing!

Most of all I want to keep participating in this wonderful fandom I've found on here, I have had *such* a good time over the past year in fandom 🥰🥰

No pressure tags (sorry if you've already done this and I missed it!)

@hellwrites @the-emdash @wildlife4life @disasterbuckdiaz @loserdiaz @jeeyuns @callmenewbie @911-on-abc @bittersweet-in-boston @kwills91 @trenchcoatsandtimetravel @spotsandsocks @devirnis @housewifebuck @lover-of-mine @gayhoediaz @mojowitchcraft @wikiangela @steadfastsaturnsrings @sunflowerdiaiz @cardamomsage @velvetjinx

Also tagging anyone else who might want to look back at the year and I've accidentally missed!

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either.

[keelt9]

Chapter 9

Fog

Masterlist

It's Friday night and I sit in the steps from the main door letting the breeze help to clear my mind. “Here.” Camille offers me an ice lemonade. 

“Thanks.” She sits next to me, grabbing her cup of ice tea, clearly enjoying the same view that made us Riley and I fall in love of this place.

“Me? Thanks to you Y/N, we retain you here all week with the move, taking care of Henry, fixing, painting, etc.” I smile to the horizon, the memories of me and Riley doing the same years ago brings me comfort.

“It’s my pleasure and you know that.” She remains silent.

“For months Jack thought we would never see you again.” I put my head down. “Not because we blame you, but he thought it was hard for you to see us. When you appeared at our door, something that was absent in his eyes came back. The night before we moved, he said that; you coming back in some way to our life, is like keeping the promise he made to Riley.” 

I look at her, the confusion in my eyes makes her keep talking. “Riley makes us promise that if for some reason something happens to him, Jack will make sure that you never feel alone.” 

I remember talking to Riley about the years I felt alone when I started my path for being in the navy and he swore to me that while he is around, I never have to be lonely.

I put my hand in my chest rubbing it, just when Jack got out of the house and sat next to us. “And now we promise the same, you are always going to have someone in the world.” 

“I hate to cry in front of you.” I tell them, cleaning my face. “Thanks, I’m really thankful, I hope you have a bright life here, Riley wishes that for you.” Jack put his hand over mine and then Camille. 

“Whatever life takes you Y/N, we hope the same, and you promise Henry; visit us from time to time.” I smile and nod, crying like a little baby.

When I arrived home Wednesday night, my parents had a letter for me. The admirals called for me Tuesday at 12:00 hours, it’s time.

“Everything is going to be fine.” My mother says while holding me. “You are the best.” 

I look at my father and he is smiling at me. “The #1.” He raises his finger so I can see it before joining the hug.

I call Jill hoping she is already in Fighterown, she answers me that actually all the team arrive a couple of days ago and left for visit their families, but she calls them for they giving me their support, I was expecting intensely calls but no, Monday night they drag me out of my house to the runaway.

“Are you nervous?” Justice asks me, I cross my legs and laugh. 

“Very.” But they just scoff, I think we understand the risk where I am. “But, here, I want you to make me a promise, if it’s possible.” All nods. “Never let anyone put you down without giving your best, whatever the veridic is, I always look out for every one of you.” They nod looking at each other. “Even for you Shooter, you have a huge job, being in my place it’s hard.” All laugh and Shooter pushes me. 

I asked all of them and my parents remained silent about the appointment and the fact I was already in Marimar. The least thing I need is people looking at me with concern and pity for a whole week. I focus on painting the parts of the house I miss before leaving, keeping my mind and hands busy.

“Painting till the exhaustion won’t change the decision they already take.” Dad tells me from the window of the kitchen. “Y/N.” I refuse to stop painting. 

“It’s enough.” I crash in the grass letting all the air I’ve contained come out. “You already did your best, be back or not won’t change all the years you serve, whatever that comes, you are going to face it like you always do, with your head up high and the confidence you are going to give your best.” 

I see him, he has that soft look on his face. “Get rest, tomorrow is an important day.”

That night was the most stressing in my life, I keep rolling and rolling in the bed, I stand a couple of times and layback but when the tiredness takes of my body I get some sleep, in the morning I put my uniform and get ready, I barely touch my breakfast and when my father leaves, he just hugs me and smile at me. At 11:00 I say goodbye to my mother.

“Honey.” She calls me from the hallway. “I’m so proud of you, never forget that.” I smiled at her but inside I felt bombs in my stomach and my head.

I wait as calmly as I can outside of the big room, in the hallway I see all my team but no dagger was there, I don’t ask about it because that will make me more nervous, so I just focus on one thing, all the time I have been in the sky.

“Lieutenant Kazansky.” A man calls me to get in, I turn and watch them with thumbs up and smiling before entering, whatever happens inside I want to see familiar faces.

The feeling I start to have when I get in isn't the one I want to remember at that moment. I listen to them but I don’t hear them; they tell me my ups and downs, my failures and my success, but my mind is having flashbacks.

“Lieutenant Riley Miller died in action....” My hands are sweating. “After analyzing all the reports and actions….” My heart is pumping so fast that it feels like someone is bombing it. “…There’s no reason….” I have my head straight and looking at all the people in front of me but at the same time my vision is so blurry. “…Lieutenant Y/N Kazansky has any kind of responsibility or guilt in the death of Lieutenant Riley Miller.” 

After the verdict I hoped to find some kind of solace or at least felt a little bit less miserable, but it was the confirmation of something I already know. I can’t save Riley no matter what.

The sound of the squeak of one chair against the ground, brings me back to the present.

“May I ask you a question, Lieutenant?” Rear admiral Jhonson asks me, seeing me straight to my eyes, whatever it was I already experienced all the judging face years ago. “You have an impeccable record, you can easily leave with honor the navy, why come back?” 

“Well…For 2 years that question keeps rounding my mind and actually I don’t think I have a reasonable answer or one that you want to hear.” He crosses his hands over the table. “I’m not chasing a ghost if is something that concerns you, it’s just since I was so young, I always dream be up there, the excitement I experiment be in the sky and the comfort that give me help to my country…if you want a simple answer, I want back because that dream isn’t over yet.” 

Maybe it’s my sentimentalism but I can see a little side smile followed by him sitting straight one more time, he watches Cyclone who nodded to him, that was the approval he needs.

“Lieutenant Y/N Kazansky after exposure and analyze all the results and observations of the multiple tests and exercises, also the reviews of the officers in charge to evaluate you….” I take a deep breath. “We conclude reestablishing your status and being an active element of the navy.” Is really hard holding back the smile and the tears. 

“Welcome back Lieutenant Kazansky.” Rear admiral Jhonson says, after a couple of seconds all the officers and admirals stand and lift the room congratulating me for being back. But I watch to my left side where my father is standing watching me with proud eyes and nod his head before leaving the room with the others.

“Sky” I see Cyclone speaking from the door. “We see you tomorrow.” I smile at him, but he sees the hallway. “But just for today, celebrate.” 

When the door was about to close all my team rushed to get in. “Well?” Tom asks and everyone's eyes are watching my face with attention. 

“I’m back.”

All scream and high five with the other before hugging me and congratulating me. “We have an appointment tonight ladies and gentlemen.” Justice says making everyone giggle.

When I left the base, everyone makes me promise I’ll be in Hard Deck at night, I’m not going to lie I was expecting some kind of miracle where the dagger team found me in the parking lot and I give them the good news but it’s useless they couldn’t arrive, I just hope everyone be safe.

At home my mom and Penny prepare a little celebration. Dad, Maverick, and Hondo ask for permission in the base, Amalia comes when she gets out of school and rushes to be there, all congratulate me and wish me the best. When my parents and I remain in the house, they hug me and tell me how proud they are of me.

“Riley must be really proud of you honey.” My mom says grabbing my face. 

“Really proud.” My dad grabs my hand. “You did well Sky, you did really well.”

In the night I change my uniform for a black sundress. I know before going and celebrating with the team I have an important stop to do.

Jack decided Riley must be buried here in Miramar where he made his dream come true, after the funeral I never came back to his grave. It was so painful to stand in the front line with Jack, Camille, and baby Henry, people watching us and giving us words of consolation that day; I promise him I just came back when I have really big and good news. With the sun hiding I stand in front of him one more time.

“Hey, you, I’m not bringing you flowers if that’s what you expect.” Riley always made fun of me about the fact I hate the act of giving and receiving flowers. “But I bring you this.” I put in front of his grave a pinwheel with a flower shape, I kneel in the ground. “I’ll be back with the team, it won’t be easy, it won’t be the same without you annoying me in the back, but I’ll work hard to be a better version of me, of the girl you protect until the end.” 

I put my hand over his name. “Thank you so much Riley, I promise I’ll keep me safe as much as I can and everyone who flies with me.” I stop for a moment because the knot in my throat is making me lose my voice. “And like Henry says, we always meet up there.” A cry escaped from my mouth. “I am making the changes you and I talk about; your family is fine, and I always keep an eye on them like you do with me, they already called me for the news.” I scoff. “My ears are still numb because of their scream when I told them I got back.” 

I hear an airplane flying above us. “Be happy wherever you are, and always talk to me when I get lost.” I stand and shake the ground of my knees. “I love you so much.” I spin the pinwheel before I go.

[plothooksinc]

hi! if you're still answering questions...I think you mentioned you found a life partner without dating. as a person who is thinking they might be asexual but might still want a life partner... I was just curious about how that happened for you. (please feel free to ignore if this is too personal!)

Ah, man. First, no, it's not too personal! I just delayed long enough to check in with my housemate to make sure he didn't mind me talking about this.

But for us it just- sort of happened naturally. I've known my housemate for 27 years at this point and we met when he was a customer at the RPG store I ran. Then at some point I joined a game of his and then he joined a game of mine and we started talking as more than customer-manager? And then he joined the people I took home with me at night (I hated going home to an empty house so I was constantly bringing guys home with me lmao, I don't know WHAT my neighbours thought but they were legit only coming over to hang out and play more games) and then I realised he literally lived on my route home and I started knocking on his window at 2am on my way home from work and hanging out with him there for a bit, and then we went from friendly acquaintances to actual friends, and then "that friend I will ring when I'm having a bad day, pls come over and bring me something to eat" and then he wanted to move out of home and I could no longer afford living on my own and had bounced around homeless a bit and so we rented a house together. Which was rough as hell to begin with because I do not play nice with people in my living space and so I nearly moved OUT again, but by the nature of struggling to run a business and having no money we ended up living together long enough we got used to each other's rough edges and then. Then we just KEPT living together. And a lot of life happened and we just got used to living with each other, and we've always been just friends-- I mean when we first moved in, I was still dating! We didn't even know asexuality was a thing back then. (Or at least I didn't, he might have. It didn't come up. For me, I was still engaged in "fake it until you make it???" which is the fun game of the asexual when you don't realise you're asexual.) But over time it became-- well, still friends but kind of like married friends, because we just knew each other too well and could balance each other out. When I finally was introduced to the concept of asexuality (I was 35 by that point jeez) I was so relieved I just settled right into the concept of living with my best friend for the rest of eternity. And he's also ace (or Chris Hemsworth-sexual as he puts it) and we're just... comfortable together. And know each other's minds to a very startling degree, the amount we're in sync is hilarious sometimes. Last year we bought a house together, so that cements we're just gonna live together forever. I kept this as brief as possible because you would not believe how many times I wanted to go off on tangents about the kind of incredibly decent man I live with. I have no sexual attraction or desire for intimacy of any kind, but I love him all the same. He's like a best friend/brother/something other. And... there was no plan to it, it all happened naturally. Which is probably not helpful to you I'm afraid-- we didn't plan to avoid dating and go straight to life partnering, it just happened. But all I can say is to wish you well, anon, and to also say: aces and aros tend to gather together. When I realised I was ace, I discovered a great many of my friends were also ace, because... like recognises like, I guess. And that means that if you're ace, the chances you're just gonna gravitate naturally to other aces and have a chance of just progressing into something warm and long term with one of them is a lot greater than zero. I hope for all the best for you. ♥

[caffeinated-and-annoying-bard]

Lord forgive me but there are girls in there. In my school. They have known me for 3 years and I don't talk much to most of them but i need to vent a bit. Ceaseless and meaningless rambles. Today was the last day of class for my 5th semester (only exams and final engineering project are left) and I'm emotional

Andy and her eyebags. I don't know her very well, but everybody knows that Andy has the hugest eyebags you'll see in your life, her face is sharp and when she smiles you can see something scary in there. She's so sharp. She has won best orator at our school contests for 3 years straight, many external poetry-reciting contests, is in the board of secretaries for tecmun, and currently getting into med school in CDMX. I think I've got a head and a half on her, but you almost never notice how short she is, with the way she can make a room go quiet, as she scans your eyes in search of– something. I think she saw fear in mine once. She didn't bite me, she smiled and my heart almost failed me right there–. She's the girlfriend of one of my engineering classmates, Leo, good man, awesome taste. I wish I had spent more time watching her (or talking to her, for that matter) during these last 2 and a half years.

Azul and her movements. Azul is my friend, she's in all of my classes and we've become very close this semester (I'm sure I could have loved her. It frustrates me a bit, the ways in which I didn't cooperate at all. We're just too similar, except that she's smarter, funnier, more hardworking, a bit taller, calmer, and has some sort of calm glow around her. She dances, she writes, she's in theatre with me, she learns so many things so fast and she's already applying for the uni scholarships in our school. I'll take a sabbatical year, but goddamn I feel like I'm missing it. I still have time, I could go to the same course as her (we have both been aiming for mechatronical engineering) and be by her side for 3 years. I will never get back every single French class when we cannot stop laughing at some stupid thing and saying nerd shit at each other (mostly her, though. That's a compliment. She has so much in her brain, so much in her soul. She's also very tired.) She dances– silly little choreographies that can look elegant while still meme-able– whenever she's stressed. I could have loved her. I love her in the only way you can love someone you didn't get enough time with, someone that you know will be separated from you in half a year. But you know, I could have loved her properly. If I had been less of an idiot.

Abril and her round glasses. She's my best friend. We've been growing a bit apart this semester, because I'm a mess and she's a different one and also she's got a boyfriend (better than her ex-girlfriend. She sucked. This guy is nice, listens to my advice and we're streak-friends in duolingo) but I'm pretty sure I'll never manage to understand how to live without her? From the friendgroup that formed when we started highschool, she's the only one that stuck. She and I, we took it as a defiance of those who hurt us. Hurt her. Mostly her. Sometimes we hold hands and I feel like we're meant to be there, like the only ones who are properly allowed to snicker during a 6-hour long bus ride are she and I. For a time this summer, I thought i was in love with her (when I want to Vienna for our student exchange program, she went too. There wasn't a day in which we didn't talk about anything and everything, and she was fighting with the asshole (now i can call her that) that was her girlfriend then (fuck you sofía). It was just her (her long, soft blonde hair and her huge round glasses and brown eyes like the dream of a titan. Her intelligence, which hits you in the face. It's nice to have a friend that knows at least a bit of anything, and everything about some things. I'm a know-it-all, she ACTUALLY feels like she could possibly know it all. When she looks at you so coolly and she has a pencil in her hand and you just know she's about to draw your bare soul. When she explains something about literature, medicine, philosophy, chemistry, physics, history, art? Psychology?? Her voice is a constant stream of repeated information in my brain) and me against everyone else. Her voice could wake me up from a coma, if she told me she was hungry and we should go get food. She's a very negative person sometimes. Also a trump supporter, I think? And me, a selfish dickhead who's too deep in his own victimisation to analise how my behaviour affects others with my 180° from "tears up on the thought of being selfish" to "i'll never apologise again" (none of those mentalities has ever stopped me from hurting people and being toxic, mind you), is frustrated. I'm frustrated with her. She knows me better than I know myself and I should know her better. But I know this will get better, she'll get better and I'll do my best to try not to hide from her tomb-of-a-hundred-secrets brown, all-knowing gaze. I love her. We have time.

Eun Chae and I haven't talked in 2 years. The fight with the 1st semester group did it, and she hurt Abril so, so much. I still think she's pretty.

Mariana was in my classroom during my first year. She's stunning. She was openly bi and talked to me in that "i am speaking spanglish and could be very mean if i wanted to but i am not. Because i like you!" Tone that i've always hid from. Niña fresa voice, but she was nice to me (whenever i let her copy my french and programming homework, at least). She dropped out of the multicultural program last year, and i never admitted it out loud but i only started watching Good Omens because a pretty girl told me to. I am a weak man, and an animal (although I loved Good Omens, that was never a contention point). Abril's ex-girlfriend told her (and she told me) that Mariana had said to her(the ex) that she only talked to me because I let her copy my homework, and that I was "pretending to be autistic and making a fuss" (paraphrased, what she said in spanish can be taken much more harshly). The day she comprehends the feeling of not-belonhing, of inhumanity, the constant chant of rejection on the back of my head will be the day I feel true vindication. I am not a good person, and I have never been one, but I thought I could be, 2 years ago. I proved myself wrong.

I thought Ana was pretty when we were friends. She's the only one, one of the onlt girls at my school whom I think is ugly. She's not, objectively, but she did so much harm, on purpose and knowingly and with so much venom in it, all with the voice tone of an angel. I don't think she's pretty anymore.

There was the girl from my volleyball team in 1st year that hugged me once and I never recovered from it. I never caught her name and I'm too awkward to ask now, but she knows mine and says hi to me after my physics class every morning. She's tall and athletic and carries a blanket to school because she cannot be bothered with the cold. She's, from what I've seen, a sunshine in the least romanticised way possible: she burns you with her brightness. She's awesome.

Majo is so strong. So short. So, so short. She's a horse girl who's on the go for a B2 in Japanese, she plans her family trips all on her own and plays genshin impact in class (then asks for us to explain calculus to her. Icon). What I like most of her is the feeling of chaotic comfort she can bring into a room. She will pick me (I have like 2 heads and a bit on her) up and/or drag me through the floor. She will laugh. I will laugh, and the teasing will feel so unfamiliar yet fitting that I can't help but love her. I love being her friend, she sends pictures of her horse, Lukka and sends 10min long audios of F1 gossip. She bakes for fun even though she can't eat it (fear of family diabetes) she BROUGHT A WHOLE BAG OF BAKED GOODS TO SHARE IN CLASS BECAUSE TODAY WAS OUR LAST CLASS DAY BEFORE THE EXAMS. She's so lively, so lovely. She can make you feel safe and listened-to while pulling your hair and making fun of you. I wish I had made friends with her earlier.

From a year below, there's Zuri, Luz and Renata (there's so much about them but I'm getting tired) from theatre and from 1st year there's Sofi, Pau, Mariali, Maat. There's Sofi, Mariana (a different one) Mila and Miriam from uni (our campus is big so all of them are in theatre with us)

There's stupid idiot motherfucking Sofía (Abril's ex) whom I'm so happy to no longer be obligated to talk to.

There's so many more girls in my classroom to talk about. I'm graduating in a semester and there are so many girls I never made friends with. I'm a weak man. (I do have male friends, of course, and some of them even make me feel like one of them, but this post is for getting emotional over girls. They are pretty. Thank you for your understanding).

[mrs-johansson]

Chapter 5: Avengers: Age of Ultron - Two Ghosts

Part 7:

As soon as we stepped foot into her room, she locked the door and captured her lips with mine. It was our first kiss in a while and I wanted to melt into her and stay lips to lips forever.

She took a few steps, not letting go of my lips until my back met the wall. “We’re not supposed to do this,” I mumbled against her lips, trying to breathe at the same time. “I know…”

But we kept going. Clothes were flying left and right, keeping it as quiet as possible. And we didn’t stop till the sun started rising.

***

I quietly slipped out of bed, praying to god that I wouldn’t wake Natasha. And thanks to my spy skills I didn’t wake her up.

Quickly exited the room and went to the kids’ room to check on them and when I saw them still asleep, I closed the door and went downstairs.

Made myself a big cup of coffee and sat outside on the deck. It was a very peaceful morning, the view was amazing.

Gosh, what have we done? It’s gonna be a mess for both of us. And even though I don’t really like Bruce at the moment I still feel bad for him. I don’t know their status but still.

“You’re up early,” heard the familiar voice and I turned to see Steve walking outside. “Uh… I couldn’t sleep,” I shuffled in my seat, knowing we were supposed to share a room for the night and he was definitely to say something.

“I’m not even gonna ask, you have bruises all around your neck,” he sat down and I wanted to bury myself. I pulled the blanket up my neck and wished to disappear. “At least you were quiet, I give you a point for that,” he said and I laughed out of embarrassment. “What am I doing with my life…” I hid my face in my hands. “It’s hard to move on. I can’t even imagine what it’s like moving on from Natasha. And I’ve seen the whole thing, you struggle really hard,” said Steve. “Yeah, no kidding,” I sighed and leaned back in my chair.

“Sometimes I feel like there’s still hope…” I said just above a whisper. “Hope in us. Magically someday all our problems will be solved and we’ll be happy,” I stared at the forest that was close by. “Maybe there is hope. I don’t think you should give up,” I glanced at Steve and he had a small smile on his face. “Especially if you still love her.”

***

“Mama’s gonna be home before you know it,” I held Katarina in my arms. “I will miss you,” she signed. “I’ll be back before you know it,” kissed around her cute face and she giggled. My heart aches every time I have to leave but as long as she’s in good hands, I’m not worried. “Can I hold her a bit?” The sudden question made me look up. Natasha was standing beside us, her hands behind her back, waiting for the response. “Sure,” I handed her Katarina and walked off to talk to Laura.

“If you need anything call me. I left you the number of my doctor friend, she’s probably the best in the country. I also promised the kids that they will spend a weekend with me after we get back.” I rumbled and she chuckled but pulled me in a hug. “Take care of each other,” she whispered and I hugged her close. “Always.”

“Okay, guys, we’re leaving,” Dad walked in and we all said our goodbyes. “Mama loves you,” gave one last kiss to Katarina’s head and ran after the others.

***

We ignored each other throughout the whole journey. She didn’t look at me, I didn’t look at her.

“Y/n get ready for landing,” Cao spoke up, putting his helmet on. I checked my guns and knife one last time and made sure my boots were tight enough. “Make sure to get Cho,” Natasha said and I just glanced at her.

Steve and I were quick to get to the lab and what we saw was not what we were hoping for. “Dr. Cho,” Steve ran to the injured woman’s side. “He's uploading himself into the body,” she struggled to say this. “Where?” I asked while Steve was trying to hold pressure on her wounds. “The real power is inside the Cradle. The gem, its power is uncontainable. You can't just blow it up. You have to get the Cradle,” Cho said, holding onto dear life. “First we have to find it.” “Go.”

“Did you guys copy that?” I asked, trying my best to keep Cho alive. “We did.” “Steve, get me something I could sterilize her wound with, alcohol or something,” I said and he ran around to find something. “He will get away, go!” Helen told firmly. “But you-“ “Go!”

Steve and I ran outside, looking for Ultron. “There. It's a truck from the lab. Right above you, Cap. On the loop by the bridge. It's them. I got three with the Cradle, one in the cab. I could take out the driver,” said Clint. “Negative! If that truck crashes, the gem could level the city. We need to draw out Ultron,” As Steve finished his sentence I jumped onto the truck, him following behind.

Steve was quick to edge to the back door and then it flew open, making him get in between the door and the side of the truck. I started burning a hole into the top while Steve somehow was now on the almost broken-down door. “Well, he's definitely unhappy! We’re gonna try and keep him that way,” he said. “You're not a match for him, Cap,” Clint got into the conversation and I had to laugh. “If you think about it, Ultron is kinda my brother,” I added and heard Clint scoff. “Especially then, not a match.” “Thanks, Barton.”

The next thing I knew, Steve was sent back into another car. “Oh fuck that,” I looked at the hole and simply just jumped off the truck to fly behind it. “Well, hello,” I said as Ultron and I were face to face. “What now?!” He asked and sent a power blast my way but I was quick to block it. He wasted no time and flew right at me, making me lose my balance and fly back a couple of feet.

Steve successfully got back on the truck and Ultron got out too. “You know what's in that Cradle? The power to make real change and that terrifies you,” he said. “I wouldn't call it a comfort,” Steve told the robot and threw his shield at him, sending him back.

I was there in a second to punch him right in the back. The three of us were fighting for a while, but it seemed to bring us no good. “Stop it!” Ultron yelled as the shield got stuck in his chest. He took it out with no hesitation and tossed it away.

Natasha was already on the way with a bike and we were still trying to hold off Ultron. “I'm always picking up after you boys,” heard Natasha over comms. “Hey, don’t include me,” I said as I punched Ultron. “They're heading under the overpass, I've got no shot,” Clint spoke. “Which way?” Asked Natasha. “Hard right... Now.” She threw back the shield and I was the one to catch it, and quickly knocked Ultron away.

Steve and I were on the train now, trying to keep Ultron away from Natasha and the Cradle. Then suddenly a quick punch made Ultron stumble and as he was about to move away, the railings on the train got in his way, surrounded with red power. I looked around and saw the twins. “Please. Don't do this,” Ultron said, looking at the girl. “What choice do we have?” She asked, with a heavy accent in her voice.

Ultron flew off and I wasted no time jumping out of the train. “I lost him! He's headed your way!” Steve spoke. “I’m in flying pursuit,” I said into my comms. “Nat, we gotta go,” said Clint.

Ultron was sending blasts at me as I was chasing after him. I saw the Cradle drop into the Quinjet and as I took my eyes off from Ultron for one second, a blast came straight at me.

I lost consciousness for a minute but quickly recovered as I realized that I was falling towards the ground. It took every fiber in my body to hover just above the ground. “Gosh, we lost him again…” I fell on my knees, taking deep breaths as my whole life flashed in front of my eyes. “At least we have the Cradle, right?” I chuckled dryly which then turned into coughing. “Do you have eyes on Nat?” Heard Clint’s voice. “What?” I was on my feet in a second. “We’ve lost Nat. She was still in the truck.” “If you have the package, get it to Stark! Go!” Steve shouted through comms. “Do you have eyes on Nat?” Clint pressured. “Go!”

***

“How can we lose her?” I shouted. “Ultron probably took her,” Steve said. “Yeah, no shit Steve!” I spread my arms. “We will find her,” he stood up. “What if she’s already dead, huh? What then?” I asked. “I’m gonna melt that robot to the fucking ground with my bare hands.”

***

“Anything on Nat?” Asked Bruce as Dad and I walked in. “What do you think?” I asked with a straight face. “Haven't heard. But she's alive, or Ultron'd be rubbing our faces in it,” Dad explained. “This is sealed tight,” jumped off the Cradle, Clint. “We're going to need to access the program, break it down from within,” Bruce stepped up. “Hm. Any chance Natasha might leave you a message, outside the internet, old school spy stuff?” Asked Dad. “There's some nets I can cast. Yeah, alright. I'll find her.” “I’ll help.”

“I gave her a vest with a GPS, I don’t think she wore it though,” I sat down in front of my computer. “You could check at least,” he said and I opened the tracking program. And saw where the vest was. “Is that… that’s Sokovia,” Clint pointed at the screen. “She’s wearing it.” I'm not going to lie, I blushed. Even though it’s a pretty high-tech vest, it was still me who gave it to her. “We should send her a message,” said Clint and started connecting things on the machine. We made sure to stay off the radar and we managed to do so thankfully. “Tell her we know where she is, just… stay alive,” I mumbled the last part and left the room.

“This framework is not compatible,” said Dad as he was going through some files. “The genetic coding tower's at ninety-seven percent. You have got to upload that schematic in the next three minutes,” Bruce looked at the cradle.

“I’m gonna say this once,” walked in Steve, behind him the twins. Wow, he has a marshmallow heart after all. “How about nonce?” Dad chimed in. “Shut it down!” “Nope, not gonna happen,” walked down Dad from the console. “You don’t know what you’re doing,” Steve pressed. “And you do? She’s not in your head?” Bruce spoke up. “I know you’re angry,” said the Maximoff girl. “Angry?” I stood up. She looked at me with a questioning look. “Wow… That’s what you think we are? Angry?” I scoffed and took a couple more steps towards her. “I did nothing to you,” she said. “Nothing? You think hurting my family is nothing? One more of this little trick of yours and I’ll melt your brain, you understand?” She tilted her head up and clenched her jaw. “Y/n, after everything that’s happened-“ Steve tried to make me step back from the girl. “That’s nothing compared to what’s coming!” Dad said firmly. “You don’t know what���s in there! The creature-“ Started the Maximoff girl but the next second all we could see was her brother standing next to the cradle with its cables. “No, no. Go on. You were saying?” He looked so amused with his action. “I could choke the life out of you right now,” I sighed and found the closest chair to sit on. Then the glass floor was shot out from under and he fell through the ground. “We have to fix that now, thanks Clint,” I spread my arms and looked at my dad who was rushing around, trying to fix the cradle. Steve was quick to try and stop him and threw his shield so he would destroy some equipment. The Iron Man glove flew through the newly broken window and Dad sent Steve back flying a couple of feet away. Bruce secured Wanda and Clint got a gun, edging up the stairs. Not gonna lie I was not in the mood to participate. I just wanted to get Natasha out and then take a vacation somewhere sunny. But guess what?! The Avengers never stop fighting. Even if it’s with each other.

Up next came Thor sliding into the room, eyes set on the cradle, the hammer almost breaking from the grip he had on it. The next thing we knew Thor shocked the whole system and the cradle opened.

A red kind of… human looking but also a robot looking… thing? person? I don’t know. Flew to the edge of the cradle. We all stood around, jaws on the floor, hoping we wouldn't die in the next second.

And then the creature just launched himself at Thor who threw him across another glass wall. I don’t even know why I’m trying to keep this place in one shape.

He just hovered in front of the windows, looking at the skyline of New York. A bluish suit formed itself around his body and he turned around, slowly flying towards us, before lowering to the ground. “I’m sorry, that was… odd. Thank you,” he looked at Thor. “Thor, you helped create this?” Steve stepped up. “The main thing again, Rogers?” I glanced at him.

“I’ve had a vision,” Thor started. “A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life, and at its center is that,” he pointed at the gem, lighting up the poor guy’s forehead. To be bald and have a bright yellow gem in the middle of your forehead… so unlucky. “What? The gem?” “It’s the Mind Stone. It’s one of the six-“ “Infinity Stones,” I finished his sentence. “I’ve read about them. The greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities.” “Where do you read these?” Asked Clint, kind of jealous that I know information he doesn’t. “Asgardian books. I thought it was a myth until now…” I walked closer to the newborn man and observed the gem. “Then why would you bring it to…” “Because Stark is right.” “That’s a problem,” I mumbled as I looked at the man like he was an alien. Okay, not a great example.

We started packing shortly after we discussed Vision's intentions. Yeah, his name is Vision now.

“You’re awfully quiet,” said Clint as he picked his arrows. “I just want to find her… Alive,” I shut the gun storage. “We will.” “I don’t want to tell my daughter that she has lost another person in her life,” I buckled my holster and put on a vest. “Y/n,” Clint put a hand on my shoulder. “We will get her, safe and sound. Besides… you think she wouldn’t fight till her last breath?”

[jazlynriddle]

Welcome to your life - Pt 2:

Acting On Your Best Behaviour Ch 22:

Summary:

They'd seen it in their fellow orphans often enough to recognise the pattern and were now forced to admit, despite their hopes to the contrary, that Isidora had likely suffered similar side effects.

No… they'd always known she had. The Keeper had just wanted the power that Ranrok had, enough to convince themselves that they would be able to handle it better than that naive woman.

With the start of the Keeper’s sixth-year in Hogwarts, comes a whole slew of headache-inducing challenges from the most unexpected of places. Between insignificant pests throwing wrenches into their plans and tedious teenage drama, that the Keeper is entirely unprepared for, they wonder if they'll make it to their NEWTs without losing their sanity.

Or worse, Ominis or Sebastian.

Warnings: Sebastian x MC x Ominis! Drug Addiction! Spoilers! Slow-burn corruption! Dark content! Fucked up 1800s orphanages! MC has no love for Anne or Solomon! Dubious happy ending (it's happy for MC, Seb and Ominis at least).

You can also read on AO3! (chapter specific warnings below)

Notes:

“Hello, Poppy.” The Keeper greeted as they stepped through the entrance of Brood and Peck, closing the door behind them quickly to prevent a diricawl from escaping the beast materials shop.

Warnings: Canon-typical violence and wow this is a pretty long chapter-

Not sure why, but my chapters have been getting longer and longer, it's getting harder to cut them off at a middling range, oh well, more to read probably isn't bad xD

I do worry that I do too many in-brain musings in this fic, but like, I feel that humans’ minds are always recontextualising memories and perspectives, and I enjoy writing and documenting the changes in perspective that moments in life create in a person's world-view.

So, there's bound to be some repetition since humans change in small increments irl ya'know? The human brain is the most unreliable narrator on earth.

Fears come back constantly, happy moments are muddled and remembered through dark-tinted glasses when a person's mood is low. Victories become objects of shame and self-loathing. Good things become bad, bad things become good, we forget how happy we were three days ago just because today sucks and we'll forget how much today sucked in three days or suddenly remember it in three years.

Human brains barely make sense half the time and that's when we're just trying to understand our own minds, what we want and what can help us feel better, let alone other people, and then the miss-communication happens.

In the end, all we can do is keep trying to make things better and be honest and communicate, even if we don't know what we're doing or if what we're doing will make us happy and can't be sure if what we're seeing is real or objectively interpreted, and I'm hoping that this ideology of mine gets communicated in this story xD

Poppy turned to smile at them as the shopkeeper, Miss Peck, rang her up. “Oh, just give me a minute and we can get going!”

The Keeper nodded, leaning against the wall beside the door, relieved that she seemed to be more lively today and was wearing more practical clothing, though that could easily be attributed to their destination today.

Wherever that might be, all she'd said was ‘in the forest’, which they would guess meant that they were visiting a beast den. The Keeper was pretty sure that she wasn't stupid enough to visit the snidgets while they had a stalker on their tail, but that still left hundreds of possible venues.

“Alright, let's get going!” Poppy beamed as she shoved the bag of beast feed into her pack, before slinging it over her shoulder and running over to open the door.

“And where are we going?” The Keeper asked with a wry smile as they followed her out the door and onto the path to the right.

“Hehe, you'll see!” Poppy giggled, following the path to Hogsmeade Square before taking the left fork to walk along the river.

As the Keeper passed the stairway leading right, towards the square, they spotted Sebastian and Ominis seated outside Steepley and Sons. A pang of longing hit them like a bludgeon, and they sighed wistfully, wanting more than anything to be by their sides instead.

At least the boys were sitting close together, perhaps their quarrel had been resolved? That would be a relief, the subtle tension between the two of them had been awful to deal with over the week. It hadn't been very prevalent, considering how much of their time was spent studying for the upcoming exams, but it was certainly something lingering in the background as the three fought to stay afloat in their studies.

Realising that her companion had stopped following her, Poppy bounced over, took the Keeper by the hand, and tugged them towards the path eagerly. “Come on, it's this way!”

The Keeper blinked, startled out of their thoughts, and allowing her to pull them up the hill. Somewhere between resigned and bemused by her enthusiasm, as Poppy dragged them a little ways out of Hogsmeade, before slowing at a patch of open grass.

“It's a bit of a walk, so… um, you brought Highwing, right?” Poppy asked sheepishly.

“So, that's why you asked me to bring her.” The Keeper snorted, wondering why she hadn't just said so, they'd have asked Deek to pack Sepulchria in their Nab-sack too, then the two of them could have had a more comfortable flight.

Without another thought, the Keeper summoned Highwing from their Nab-sack and Poppy greeted the hippogriff happily. “How've you been, Highwing?”

The proud beast made a gentle sound, nuzzling against the girl's shoulder and she laughed warmly. “I've missed you too!”

The Keeper smiled fondly, giving the friends a moment to enjoy their reunion, before swinging up onto the hippogriff's back and offering Poppy a hand to climb onto her back as well.

As Poppy made herself comfortable, the Keeper asked. “Where to, then?”

“Upper Hogsfield.” Poppy replied, her heart beating rapidly as she wrapped her arms around their waist, pressing her face against their shoulder blades.

With a nod, the Keeper urged Highwing into flight, keenly aware of their tail following on a broom a ways behind them. Well, fucker could try bringing down a hippogriff if he wanted, he'd have a harder time with Highwing than a broomstick.

“Careful, there's a pretty large spider nest nearby.” The Keeper cautioned quietly as they followed Poppy, finding the forested path they were on rather familiar.

“Two actually, but don't worry, we're not going in that direction.” Poppy replied as she dropped down from a stone ledge, landing with a soft grunt. "It's just a little further."

The Keeper nodded and continued following her, travelling deeper into the forest along the path.

As they did, the Keeper began getting an inkling that Poppy was bringing them to the clearing where Bugbrooke had asked them to search for her Unicorn friend Hazel, a pure white mare who had been injured protecting her from wolves. As requested, the Keeper had taken in the injured beast then, and as they followed Poppy over the rocks, they were not surprised to find themselves in the selfsame clearing.

Ahead of them, Poppy smiled, it was as beautiful as she'd remembered, yellow-green fireflies shimmering and reflecting off the shallow pools of water on the floor, surrounded by deer and hares. With the warm afternoon sun streaming through the trees, it was the perfect place to have a pleasant picnic and, if they were lucky, even meet some Unicorns.

Stopping in the middle of the clearing, Poppy spun around to face her companion, eager to see their reaction to the scenic view as they trailed after her. “Well, what do you think?”

“This is what you wanted to show me?” The Keeper asked, their expression not giving anything away as usual. While that was rather expected, it would have been nice if she could read them this time though. Poppy nodded, finding it difficult to breathe through the pounding of her heart.

“I thought we could use a change of venue and have our tea here.” Poppy explained, placing her hands behind her back, and wringing them nervously.

The Keeper opened their mouth to speak when a whinny, pitched high in distress, reached their ears, and they turned to face it, asking. “Did you hear tha-”

Poppy immediately took off in the direction of the sound.

“Wait! It could well be dange-” The Keeper called out, but there was no stopping her, and they sighed, drawing their wand, and chasing after her.

Running past a few trees, they found Poppy crouched beside a bush, speaking softly. “Hey, it's alright, I'm not going to hurt you…”

The Keeper approached cautiously, looking around for any danger. “Pop-”

“Shh.” She shushed them and returned her attention to the bush, holding out a handful of feed. “Here, are you hungry?”

A soft neigh came from the shrubbery, and a moment later, a small gold coated Unicorn foal emerged from behind the bush.

“There we go, it's alright…” Poppy cooed, reaching out to gently stroke the foal's side as the young Unicorn ate hungrily from her hand, frowning in concern. “Where are your parents, little one?”

The Keeper hummed, examining the little Unicorn's golden patterned body, painted with an array of inexplicable patterns, before their eyes widened. This… was a rare and valuable breed of Unicorn, the kind that would wear their golden coat into adulthood. What a stroke of fortune, and this little one's parents were likely of the same bloodline.

“We should see if they're nearby. Revelio.” The Keeper waved their wand as they cast their gaze around, frowning when nothing lit up in their vision.

“Yeah, he's probably scared.” Poppy nodded, standing slowly so as not to spook the foal. “Come on, let's look around.”

The Keeper and Poppy spent the next hour searching the area, the small foal following Poppy at a doddering pace, as a child might, the entire time.

“I guess they aren't nearby…” Poppy sighed, looking discouraged as the two returned to the clearing, the little Unicorn stooping by the water to drink.

“Perhaps they'll return after some time.” The Keeper patted her on the shoulder.

“You're right, I suppose we can have tea until then.” Poppy brightened, looking around before making her way over to the arches of winding wood with flowers adorning each twisting vine and lowering the pack from her shoulder.

The Keeper blinked in confusion, wasn't that where she put the beast fee-

Poppy produced a large, folded mat from the pack, followed by sandwiches wrapped in cloth, a jar of water and a pair of teacups that didn’t even have coverings.

“You put our food with the feed…” The Keeper trailed off at Poppy's confused expression.

“Yes?” She nodded, seemingly not seeing anything wrong with that statement and continuing to lay out their picnic spread.

The Keeper stared at her for a moment, before smiling wryly. Well, it was a Poppy thing to do. The Unicorn foal trotted over to her side, perhaps thinking that he would be getting some food too and the Keeper sighed, about to follow, when a shrill girlish scream came from behind them.

Drawing their wand immediately, the Keeper was promptly struck with confusion when a familiar figure came running up the path towards them, and they soon recognised Macnair's ugly mug. They didn't focus on him for very long however, because behind the motherfucker, was a horde of spiders.

The Keeper cursed, the stupid boy must have disturbed the large nearby nest, they glanced back towards Poppy and the foal. They wouldn't be able to get away with the foal fast enough, so they and Poppy would have to stand their ground here.

“Protect the little guy!” The Keeper shouted at Poppy as the swarm of spiders closed in on the clearing, scuttling over roots and rocks with incredible speed.

“Got it!” Poppy replied, readying her wand as well and standing protectively in front of the trembling foal.

The Keeper nodded, scanning the clearing quickly as the fauna scattered to hide, they would have to utilise some strategy to win this one. They wished they could take a hit, but they neither had the time, nor the privacy to do so. They just had to hope that their stamina would hold out.

Taking a deep breath, they dug into the well of their Ancient magic, stabbing their wand into the earth and channelling that magic through the soil. A moment later, a short wall of earth formed to their left and one to their right. Poppy should likely be able to handle any spiders that got past the bottleneck, at least the twisted wood arches would make it easier for her to defend the Unicorn.

Like hell they were going to lose such a rare specimen.

Sprinting into the clearing, Macnair tried to run past them, through the opening between the walls, before releasing a yelp as the Keeper kicked a leg at him, slamming the front of their shoe into his knee and sending him flat on his face in a puddle of water.

Glaring at them from the floor, the boy stumbled to his feet, pulled out his broomstick, mounted it, and flew upwards quickly through the opening in the trees.

They would've loved to punish the stupid boy further, but they had bigger problems right now and they couldn't afford to waste magical energy on him.

As the first large hairy arachnid crossed the treeline, and the last hare disappeared behind tree roots, the Keeper flung a Bombarda at the wave of spiders, throwing three backwards with a large explosion.

A screech of anger and pain rose from the mass of spiders as they rolled into the clearing like a wave crashing upon the beach. Gritting their teeth, the Keeper shielded themselves with a Protego, breaking the tide like a rock, the cascade splitting into two streams around them and slamming into the walls they'd created.

With that, the battle began.

The spiders were relentless, slashing at the Keeper with their tarsal claws and snapping at them with pincers dripping with poison. They'd had a lot of experience fighting spiders, but not in quantities like this and only alongside Sebastian, who was the sole student in Hogwarts who came even remotely close to the Keeper's prowess in combat. Macnair must have caught the attention of both of the large spider nests nearby, fucking lovely.

The worst part was that they couldn't roll very far from their position, lest they allow more than one or two spiders past them at a time, which meant that they were forced to use Protego continuously and to a strenuous degree. With every Diffindo and every area blast of Incendio, they could feel their magic reserves draining, cursing as they paused to hit a spider with a Confringo, knocking it off the left wall as it attempted to climb over.

Eventually, they reached a point where they couldn't afford to keep using Protego and were forced to resort to physical combat. Drawing the dagger that they kept strapped to their upper arm under their robes, the Keeper transferred their wand to their non-dominant hand, blasting a Bombarda at a spider with one hand as they embedded their dagger deep into another spider's head with the other.

Behind them, the Keeper could hear Poppy casting at the few spiders that made it past their blockade as they kicked a spider away from the gap between the walls and stabbed their dagger into another large spider's carapace.

“Shit-” The Keeper cursed as they attempted to withdraw the blade and encountered resistance. Taking advantage of the opening, a spider jumped at them, slashing its claws down their side, ripping through their robes and digging deep into their flesh, its sharp clawtips scraping against their ribcage.

With a yowl of pain, the Keeper used the ensuing adrenaline spike to wrench their dagger free and jammed it in-between the spider's eyes, right as another spider latched onto their non-dominant arm with a sharp burst of heat.

Struggling to hold onto their wand, the Keeper cast an area Incendio, feeling the flames from their spell lick dangerously close to their skin, forced to cast it slightly closer to themselves than they normally would, to drive the spiders back and give themselves some space.

Using their Ancient magic on the spider still attached to their arm, they shrank down the large insolent creature to the size of a regular spider. It then dropped to the floor where the Keeper ground their heel into the dirt, crushing the spider under their shoe.

Casting a Transfiguration spell on another spider, the great hairy creature turned into an oil barrel, and they swung their wand in an arc, flinging it at the last cluster of spiders with their Ancient magic, where it exploded on impact.

The Keeper bit back another curse as their body screamed in protest, the gash in their side stretching wide open with the gesture and soaking their robes even further, but as heat from the explosion rolled through the clearing, the last of the spiders shrieked as they died.

Breathing heavily, the Keeper held a hand against their bleeding side as they cast their eyes over the clearing, the grassy floor, and pools of water near covered in charred spider corpses. Finally…

Heaving a sigh of relief, they turned towards the arches, the large pile of spider corpses piled in front of it inciting a fond huff from them. Poppy was a force to be reckoned with when there were beasts to protect. She wasn't nearly as skilled as Sebastian, but to an extent, one could attribute some of that inferiority to her spell choice.

About to call out to her, the Keeper stiffened when the ground on the other side of the arches erupted in a spray of soil, right behind the foal. A large spider shot from the cloud of dirt, flinging itself at the foal with its legs raised in attack and the Unicorn let out a loud whinny of fear, catching Poppy's attention.

Without hesitation, she dove in front of the foal, wrapping her arms around it protectively and the spider's sharp tarsal claws slashed down along her back, ripping through the cloth over her shoulder blades. The Keeper felt a jolt of déjà vu, the image of a woman shielding a terrified child from them flashed over their mind's eye, before they were called back into the moment by Poppy's cry of pain.

The Keeper's teeth clenched, at this distance, they might hit her if they used a Diffindo or Confringo. Remembering Sebastian's clever use of Imperio on the goblin that was about to kill Anne, they made a quick decision and cast the unforgivable as the spider raised its pincers again, this time to bite Poppy.

Fortunately, their spell hit their mark and the spider immediately stopped moving. The Keeper sighed in relief, instructing the spider to crawl over to them, slashing its legs off with Diffindo as it approached. Before they placed their wand between its many eyes and fired off a direct Bombarda, causing the back of the spider's head to explode and spray its blood across the floor.

Limping past the mess, the Keeper made their way forward between the walls, waving their wand and pressing the earth back down, returning the clearing's terrain to its original state.

Withdrawing a wiggenweld from their satchel as they approached the arches, they called out breathlessly. “Are you alright, Poppy?”

“Uck- Y- yeah.” Poppy gasped, gripping her shoulder in pain as the patch of red gradually spread over the back of her shirt. Lifting her eyes towards them from her spot kneeling beside the foal, Poppy flashed a wry smile. “See someone's not afraid of the Dark Arts.”

“Got a problem with that?” The Keeper chuckled, wincing as the movement sent stabs of pain through their side.

“Not really.” Poppy shook her head as their hobbling gait finally brought them to her side. “I'm pretty fond of being alive.”

“Here.” The Keeper snorted, offering the potion to her with a grin, which she accepted gratefully, before they gingerly lowered themselves to sit on the picnic mat with a tired sigh, leaning back against the wooden arches. Taking out another wiggenweld for themselves, they popped off the stopper and knocked back the potion quickly, a wave of exhaustion rolling over them.

Sighing in relief as she lowered her empty vial, Poppy grimaced as the skin of her back knitted together under her shirt, glancing over at the Keeper, whose robes were much more bloody than hers, and near drenched in sweat from their battle. After giving the foal a look over and a gentle brush against its coat, she crawled over to their side.

“And you? You look worse off than I.” Poppy asked in concern, brushing a thumb over a cut along their forehead that they hadn't even noticed, the soft touch felt so familiar, a trace of warmth from a moment of kindness.

The Keeper huffed a light laugh. “You're such a mom.”

“A- a mom?” Poppy echoed with a bewildered expression.

“Ah, sorry, you just reminded me of a mother I met once.” The Keeper shook their head, a little surprised that they'd spoken aloud. They must be more tired than they'd thought.

“...you're an orphan, right?” Poppy asked hesitantly.

“Yes, but it wasn’t a prospective parent looking for kids to adopt.” The Keeper shook their head, guessing her thoughts.

“No?” Poppy blinked curiously and the Keeper mentally shrugged, well, there wasn't any reason not to answer.

“A dumb kid threw a rock at me when I was around ten. Little bugger hit me right in the head too.” The Keeper began, tipping their head back to rest against the wood as the wiggenweld began stitching their wounds, resisting the urge to scratch at the spreading itch.

Does that hurt? Gonna go cry to mommy? Oh right, you don't have one! Hahaha!

“I picked it up and decided I'd give him a taste of his own medicine.” They chuckled, remembering how terrified the boy had looked as they shot towards him with the intent of slicing his throat open with the sharp edge of his own weapon. “His mother jumped in to take the hit. Thought she'd be angry at me, but she turned right around and scolded him instead.”

Jonathan Andrew Lewis, what have I told you about hurting others!? Apologise right now!

“She treated my injuries and answered some questions.” The Keeper smiled, remembering how confused they'd been, asking plainly why she had scolded her own son if she cared about him enough to shield him.

Well, I do love my boy, but it's because I love him that I can't let him behave like this. If he keeps starting fights for no good reason, it'll be him that suffers in the end. When you love someone, you want what's best for them, you don't want them to hurt, even if that means you have to fight with them sometimes.

“That was the first time I heard about love. I thought it was a parent thing back then, but I've recently realised it isn't just something that exists between family members.” The Keeper shrugged as they closed their eyes, thus missing the way Poppy's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed.

They'd probably seen it without realising it at the time, in Sebastian and Ominis, watching the two fight so hard to protect each other in their own way, not because they wanted to hurt each other but because each boy wanted what was best for the other. Because they didn't want each other to hurt.

We've always looked out for each other - Ominis and I. I hope he knows that hasn't changed.

Perhaps that had been the moment that the Keeper really began wanting it, wanting them, wanting to be a part of what Sebastian and Ominis had. Wanting both of them to be happy and to ease their sufferings. Another pang of longing hit them, ah, they just wanted to curl up with the two boys again, to hold the two in their arms, feel their warmth, enveloped in the faint mingling scents of parchment and mint.

They could practically feel it, that contentment and warmth, almost dizzying in its comfort…

“H- hey, are you alright?” Poppy's voice was oddly muffled, as though they were hearing her speak from underwater.

The Keeper felt a cool touch on their forehead and then Poppy's muffled voice became more alarmed. “...you… bitten!?”

There was the rustling sound of Poppy moving about, before the Keeper felt her shaking them by their shoulders, clearing some of the haze that was descending upon their mind. “...with me… where's your… Highwing?”

The Keeper grimaced, fighting to think through the fog that was filling their brain. Highwing… They reached into their satchel, fingers fumbling for their Nab-sack, and their vision blurred as they passed it to Poppy, forcing their body to cooperate enough to speak. “Bring the- Unicorn… dangerous… alone here.”

“I will, just hang in there!” Poppy's words came out in a rush as she frantically summoned Highwing, soothing the Unicorn foal, and securing him in the Nab-sack, before tucking it into her pack temporarily.

“Gently please…” Poppy instructed Highwing as she settled on the hippogriff's back, directing the beast to pick up the Keeper by their arms with its large and strong claws. “Alright, up, Highwing, we must bring them to Nurse Blainey quickly!”

The Keeper felt their stomach turn as the wind kicked up about them and the earth fell away from under their feet. Their last thought as they succumbed to the fog of unconsciousness, was a faint hope that their partners wouldn't be too upset with them for giving them yet another heart attack.

“Will they be alright?” Poppy asked worriedly as the nurse slowly fed the unconscious Keeper a green-tinged fluid with a long glass dropper.

“Yes, don't worry, they'll be just fine.” Nurse Blainey reassured as she placed the empty dropper down on her tray, before slowly lowering the Keeper's head back onto the cot's pillow. “It seems like they got a rather large dose of arachnid poison, so I'll be giving them the antidote every hour till their condition improves.”

“O- okay.” Poppy brushed a few strands of the Keeper’s hair from their face as the nurse adjusted their blanket. “I guess that means they'll be staying the night?”

“Yes, I imagine they should be ready to be discharged tomorrow after noon.” Blainey smiled as she gathered up her tray. “They'll probably sleep till tomorrow, so you can come back again then.”

“...alright.” Poppy nodded slowly as the nurse returned to her office.

Poppy sighed, feeling uncertain about the day's events and what they might mean, the desire to speak with Natty warring with her worry for the Keeper. She hesitated for a few moments, but ultimately decided that there was little she could do here. The Keeper would be safe here under Blainey's watch and she really wanted to talk with Natty.

Standing and setting the Nab-sack down beside their bed, Poppy gave the Keeper one last glance, before leaving the infirmary to search for Natty.

Nurse Blainey looked up from her papers when the small clock on her desk chimed on the hour. Setting down her quill, the nurse left her office to retrieve a tray and prepare the necessary items she'd need to administer another dose of antidote for the Keeper.

When she was ready, she approached the Keeper's bedside and began her routine checks before casting Anapneo on them to make sure their airway was clear, then tilting their head back to prevent choking and inserting the dropper.

Blainey spent the next several minutes slowly feeding them, waiting a few moments more for the Keeper to swallow naturally, before lowering their head back onto the pillow and tucking them back in. As she did so, she heard a faint murmur from her patient.

“...Omi...nis..."

The nurse blinked, finding the word familiar, wasn't that the name of one of the Slytherin boys? That's right, come to think of it, she was rather surprised that the two boys hadn't been with them. Those two had been practically glued to their bedside the last time the Keeper had been warded in her infirmary.

Normally she wouldn't pry in the business of the students, but Blainey was fairly certain that those boys would be here if they knew that their friend had been injured again. Perhaps she should send Mr. Gaunt an owl...

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed up and down the stairwell as Ominis and Sebastian hastened to the infirmary.

As they ran down the hallway, Ominis clutched Sebastian's hand tightly, struggling to keep his fear at bay. Nurse Blainey's letter had said that the Keeper wasn't in any danger, but his blasted mind was still dredging up the stench of rust and iron that had permeated the air the last time the Keeper had been warded.

He’d witnessed Selwyn trying to poison their tea at Steepley and Sons when Sebastian went to use the loo. Idiot probably hadn't realised that Ominis was only blind, not deaf, and he'd tossed the spiked tea before Sebastian could test it on anyone. Macnair must have tried something with the Keeper too.

While he was somewhat mollified by Sebastian staying by his side, Ominis was still upset about the Keeper saying that they would protect Poppy at their own expense because she was only in danger on their account. His lover was not the self-sacrificial kind, they were calculative, and he'd thought that their protective nature extended only to him and Sebastian.

It had surprised him how bitter that revelation had made him, how much he now resented Poppy for having acquired such status. Had he enjoyed it so much? Being special to both the Keeper and Sebastian, being the exception to two individuals with high standards for preferential treatment.

He'd always thought he wanted to be treated like a normal person, like everyone else. Well, not in this context apparently.

Ominis glanced around the infirmary with his wand sight, quickly locating the nurse walking through the room.

“Nurse Blainey, are they alright?” Ominis asked breathlessly, feeling Sebastian release his hand and move past him towards one of the cots, presumably where the Keeper was lying.

“Yes, they're quite alright, I was just about to give them another dose of antidote.” The nurse replied kindly as she made her way to the Keeper's cot where Sebastian was gently wiping the perspiration from their forehead with a handkerchief.

“Do you know what happened?” Ominis asked, standing by the bedside with Sebastian and taking the Keeper's hand in his as the nurse prepared her tray of implements.

“I believe that they and Miss Sweeting were attacked by spiders, both sustained lacerations, but your friend here was also bitten and suffered a rather large dose of arachnid poison. As such, I'll be administering an antidote every hour until their symptoms alleviate.” The nurse explained, as she filled a long dropper with the aforementioned antidote.

Ominis’ jaw clenched as the Keeper's hand burned with a feverish heat against his palm and felt that bitterness return, an ugly feeling coiling in his chest. They were like this for someone else. He wanted to erase that fact with his own hand.

“Nurse Blainey, could I- that is, would you allow me to do that?” Ominis asked haltingly, as the nurse looked up, pausing in her task of feeding the Keeper.

“Administering the antidote?” Blainey asked with some confusion.

He gave a curt nod in return. “I am hoping to become a Healer when I graduate.”

The nurse gave an understanding hum. “A rather unorthodox request but I suppose there's no harm in it, you'll have to follow my instructions, however. Wouldn't want your friend to choke on it, now would we.”

Ominis flashed a wry smile as the nurse placed the dropper in his hands.

“First, we must ensure that the patient's head is tilted backwards slightly to prevent choking.” The nurse placed Ominis hand against the back of the Keeper's neck to feel the angle she had positioned them in.

It was incredibly strange to be holding the Keeper while they were unconscious, their normally tense neck muscles limp and loose against his fingers as he moved his hand into position to support their head, in place of Blainey. There was something almost thrilling about holding them in such a state, their bared neck exposed and vulnerable. Shaking off the odd feeling, Ominis forced himself to focus.

“Next, is to open their mouth by placing your thumb on their chin and pressing down.” The nurse watched in supervision, as Ominis gently opened the Keeper's mouth with his other hand. “Very good, now place the dropper's tip against the wall of their mouth, between the cheek and gums.”

Ominis nodded, lightly tapping the glass tip along the Keeper's teeth to get a feel of where the target space was, and gently rested its tip against the soft inner wall of their cheek.

The nurse nodded with an impressed hum at the accuracy of his placement in spite of his visual impairment. “Excellent, now, you'll need to squeeze the dropper's bulb very slowly and steadily. You want the potion to trickle out in small, controlled amounts, so that the unconscious patient will naturally and automatically swallow it like they would with their saliva.”

Ominis nodded, his eyes narrowed in focus as he followed her instructions. “Could I ask how you determine what ailments a patient is afflicted with?”

“The most common method is the spell Diagnosa, it's a basic Healer spell that draws from your own understanding of the human body to identify symptoms to diagnose a patient. Though, that would only be useful if you already know how to match symptoms to a diagnosis, so it's not included in general education.” Blainey explained, a speculative expression on her face.

“That sounds incredibly useful. Might I ask if you could teach me?” Ominis asked, feeling the resistance of the squeeze bulb ease a moment later and gently slid the glass out from between the Keeper's lips, his fingers brushing over the curve of their mouth.

As he did so, Ominis was struck by a most unexpected impulse to claim those still lips, to feel an unnatural softness that he'd never experienced before, since the Keeper was not exactly a passive kisser and was a very light sleeper. There was a strange tingle under his skin at the thought of experiencing a sensation that no one else ever had.

“It's rare for students to express such clear interest in a particular career and I can see that you have a very steady hand.” Blainey mused.

Ominis almost jumped at the reminder of where he was, his cheeks flushing at being caught in the middle of such unusual thoughts. Fortunately, she seemed to take it as a reaction to her compliment and he offered the nurse the empty dropper, before lowering the Keeper's head back onto the pillow.

“If you'd like, I would be willing to take you on as an apprentice.” Blainey smiled as she set the dropper on her tray.

“I- really? Yes please, I would like that very much.” Ominis nodded with a surprised smile.

“I'll speak with Professor Weasley about this and if you'd like, I can teach you Diagnosa and some basics until curfew.” The nurse gave a bemused huff. “Since the two of you will be staying till then I imagine.”

Ominis flashed a chagrined smile, glad that she didn't seem to hold animosity for his bluntness during the Keeper's first stay a few months ago. He imagined that was something he'd have to get used to as well when he was a Healer, people would be more brusque when upset or in distress like he had been then.

However, while he did rather want to start learning, to have something to focus on, a part of him was reluctant to leave the Keeper's side.

Seemingly sensing his hesitation, Sebastian placed a hand on his arm gently, reminding Ominis of his presence. “Go ahead, I'll let you know if they wake up.”

Ominis relaxed, it never ceased to warm his heart when Sebastian displayed that rare sensitivity that the earnest boy seemed to reserve just for him. Staying by his side all day, supporting him now, Ominis could probably fall in love with him a million times and it would still feel like the first time. If not for Sebastian's inspiring confidence and kindness by his side, or the Keeper easing his fears and uncertainties, Ominis was certain that he wouldn't have the courage to do anything.

Placing his hand over Sebastian's in gratitude, Ominis nodded and followed nurse Blainey towards her office.

Sitting down at a bedside chair, Sebastian sighed wistfully, rubbing at the crescents shaped imprints that Ominis had left on his hand.

It never ceased to impress him, how clear Ominis’ path always seemed to be. His best friend hadn't shown the slightest hint of self-doubt when trying to stop Sebastian from pursuing the relic or when leaving his home and cutting ties with the Gaunts, nor did Ominis ever seem to have any question of what he wanted to do and be.

Ominis had declared, after confiding in Sebastian about his parents forcing the cruciatus on him, that he would become a Healer. That he would spend his life curing and saving the very people whom his parents deemed worthy of derision, purely for their blood purity or lack thereof. Since then, he'd been working towards that goal, slowly but steadily.

In contrast, Sebastian had spent two years searching for a way to cure Anne, failing constantly and when he thought he'd finally found the right path, it too had failed abysmally. Would that he could bear Ominis’ conviction in his own actions without becoming a fool at the same time.

He'd thought Ominis too cautious and afraid, but it had been Sebastian who had been too desperate and afraid, throwing himself into his search to escape the fear. Now, he was feeling desperate again but this time he was trying to cure himself. To cure himself of the doubt that Anne's actions had unearthed from under his stubbornness, but he didn't know what would do that.

He didn't know if anything could do that and that was scarier than being told that he wasn't good enough to save Anne.

Notes:

Did I just give Ominis some mild somnophilia? ...yes. It seems like I did. I don't know, it just came out while I was writing- x'D I'm not even sure why, do you think it's enough that I need to add a somnophilia tag? Please let me know if you do =D

Also, I hope you guys like Diagnosa, because I'm gonna use this spell I made up decently often. It's more like my usual type of world building than JK's, I just can't create something without any realistic logic in it-

I headcanon Sebastian smells kinda woody and paper-like cos the dude's always reading and Ominis just feels like a mint kinda guy for some reason, like a very clean refreshing kind of smell.

Also the Keeper really needs more defence points, kid's a glass canon.  Sebastian tank pls xP Imo, Sebastian's use of Imperio to save Anne was a smart decision, every other offensive spell (Diffindo or Confringo) would be dangerous if he missed and hit Anne. If he accidentally hit Anne with Imperio, he could just force her to get out of the way despite her pain, saving her anyway.

Plus, the kid was angry so it's understandable for him to make the goblin gut itself. I mean, imagine your sister got raped and impregnated and there are no abortion clinics so she has to drop out of school and she might die during the birth because she's 14 a year old kid with a frail body and the guy who raped her is about to stab her with a knife.

If you could, you’d probably take his knife and gut him too.

At this stage, Sebastian doesn't yet see the difference between goblins, thanks to social engineering racism. To him this goblin is the same as the one who cursed Anne. (Even though we know now that it was actually Rookwood.)

Sure, he probably shouldn't have had the goblin kill himself in front of her, but the kid was angry and when giving a mental instruction, I imagine it's less defined and clear cut than verbal commands. He could have just been visualising it because he was angry and didn't have the presence of mind to give it a specific order.

Also, the random mom in the Keeper's history is why they have such a healthy idea of what love is, despite being an orphan from a shit orphanage with shittier caregivers. We actually see the Keeper reflect her actions when they blocked a Bombarda for Sebastian during chapter 16 xD

I can't understand the people who say Sebastian was just using Ominis and didn't care about him. Like did they not hear Sebastian? "I didn't want to worry him all over again." And my favourite line, looking out for each other, he only lied and kept secrets because he cares about Ominis, I just don't understand these people.

Also, man, the Keeper was exactly the same kid five years ago huh? “Oh, you threw a rock at me? Prepare to die motherfucker.” xP

Minor sidenote, I added more descriptions for part 1 chapter 3 and added a paragraph to Sebastian's inner monologue in part 1 chapter 11 (when he's approaching the Ndiaye twins) these adjustments don't change the plot at all but just gonna mention it because they're not just one or two rewordings. In case anyone cares enough to get mad at me for changing something like that unannounced xD

Geez my notes are definitely getting longer along with the chapters-

[lasersheith]

I need to get some feelings out about the US elections and related stuff and it's gonna be heavy. Back story first.

In 2022 I developed a severe neurological disorder. I was having daily migraines, losing my vision, having very strange and unsettling episodes I later learned were a type of seizure, and a whole host of other, largely less severe symptoms. I couldn't look at computer screens or direct sunlight or sometimes even have any light bulbs on in my house. Noise was excruciating to the point where I would sometimes vomit if my dogs barked too long or too loudly. It was miserable. I really thought I wanted to die instead of living like that.

A little over a year of monthly (or more) appointments and scans and medicines and specialists, my last resort was brain surgery. Thankfully it was largely very successful and my symptoms are so much less severe and I'm on a lot fewer medications now and there's no evidence my vision damage was permanent.

The week before surgery I wrote letters to my now husband and my best friend in case I didn't make it through the surgery or something went wrong post op. I've been suicidal before, in my teens and early 20s, and even got to the point where I'd written notes for people but this was so different. I'm still not really sure why it had such a profound effect on me but it did.

As I was writing what might have been the last words of mine they'd ever have to the two people I love most in this world I didn't feel the need to apologize for anything, or reassure them they did enough, or put any sadness into those letters. I told them how much I love them and why and thanked them for being the amazing people they are. I told them I wanted them to remember me fondly but to let me go and to live the rest of their lives knowing all I ever wanted was them to be as happy and loved as possible. Something about that process fundamentally changed me.

Moving on to the current time, the current shit sandwich we all have on our plates. So many people I know are feeling so hopeless and so defeated and several people have confided in me that they don't know if they want to be alive anymore and I don't know how to help.

It's not that I don't think things are going to be bad. I agree that they're going to be terrible and we all have a lot of work ahead of us and not all of us will make it out but I desperately want to be one of the ones who does. I really really want to live. I want to grow old with my husband. I want to finish all the stupid diy projects I have cluttering my basement. I want to read good books and eat good food and meet good people and enjoy all of the good things that life has to offer as long as I can.

But you can't just say to a loved one who is terrified and devastated and suicidal "hey cheer up, our rights are probably going to get taken away and our food is probably going to get even less regulated and we might not have weather tracking information anymore but at least we can make some really delicious cheesecake that probably won't give us e. coli at least for another couple of years" like that's not helpful at all.

But I also can't meet them at the despair because even if my food is poison and the weather is catastrophic and I don't have legal personhood I still want to live. I don't know. It's hard. Everything is hard. I just wish I knew what to say to other people who are hurting right now.

It feels very dissonant in my head. I am worried. I am angry. I am sad. It doesn't feel like there's much hope. But I'm hopeful anyway. I want to be here anyway. I want to help anyone I can in any way I can anyway.

Maybe I'll live to eat these words but even that doesn't bother me much as long as I'll be alive.