#beta read by moths-are-better

[phosphorus-12]

Wakfu au Chapter One

Yugo was screwed.

He was such an idiot! Why did he just do what he thought was best? He should have listened to Adamai!

Well… he did listen, but he didn’t listen. Yugo heard what Adamai had said, and he had thought about it, weighed his options…

And he did it anyway.

Why couldn’t he have explained it to Adamai? Or tried to get him to help! Maybe then, he wouldn’t have thought that Yugo was just disregarding his advice, his opinion, him.

Yugo didn’t regret helping Percedal. But he did regret fighting with Adamai. He had screwed up. Now he needed to fix it.

He had been looking for three weeks. Adamai wasn’t responding to him through their mental connection, he wasn’t even sure Adamai could still hear him at this point. He jumped from tree to tree, teleporting distances he couldn’t jump.  His thoughts overtook him, he barely noticed that the sun was getting lower.

‘Why?’ he asked himself again. He ran through a million different ways that the conversation could have gone better, asking himself why he had to go with the one that didn’t end well. Hindsight is 20/20, as the saying goes.

Yugo’s, however, was not.

He was low enough that by the time he knew he was falling, he had landed, rather painfully, too.

He had landed in a heap on the forest floor. In a mud puddle.

“Great,” he grumbled, sitting up to his knees and trying to brush off the mud. He was annoyed far beyond his usual sunny demeanor. “This day cannot get any worse.”

As though they were heralded by a gleeful god of misfortune, clouds settled in right then, blocking the setting sun, and almost immediately began to pour rain onto him. He looked up at the sky, displeased. He sighed when the rain fell harder, unrelenting.

“Well,” He said, trying to get up out of the puddle. He would not let one measly rainstorm take away his usually endless amounts of optimism. Besides, the rain smelled good. “At least now it can’t get any-”

His ankle shot pain through the rest of his body as he stood. He cried out and stumbled. He faceplanted into the mud again, cutting him off.

“Worse…” he grumbled weakly. He slumped into the dirt, feeling the cool, sticky mud against his clothes, undoubtedly staining the material.

He missed his brother.

Next>

[evolnoomym]

Secrets and Lies 🌜

Gilf!Joel Miller, Dilf!Jack Miller x f!reader

Pt.1🌛 | Main Masterlist | Joel Miller Masterlist

Summary: The filthy Adventures continue, but now Jack joins the fun. Together they make your dream of taking them at the same time come true. But what about James?

Rating: 18+ mature content mdni!!!!

Word count: 4.5k

Authors note: Finally we got the long awaited Part 2. I hope y’all enjoy cuz I put a lot of energy into this and yes it’s filthy so don’t look at me. 👀🤭

Warnings: no y/n, female reader, Moon is not a name necessarily but more a nickname, age-gap, controversial age gap, cheating, infidelity, unethical I guess, Joel doesn’t need blue pills, 2 other male OC’s, Joel=Grandpa Jack=Son James=Grandson, Moon has tits and a vagina, hair pulling, male receiving oral, female receiving oral, use of a butt plug, ass eating, fingering, deep throating, cream pie’s, fluff in between, nipple licking & biting, anal and vaginal penetration, dp, sucking+biting, Moon bites too, dildo use, lotsssssss of lube, ambiguous ending,

If I missed anything please let me know 🙏🏻

Shoutout to @cafekitsune & @saradika-graphics for the dividers and big thank you to @joelmillerisapunk & @jennaispunk for beta reading. <3

Credit for the Gilf!Joel Pic in the Moodboard goes to @iamasaddie 😈

Disclaimer: English is not my first language so if you come across mistakes it might be due to that. 😅🫶🏻

🌜Songs that are the vibe🌛:

Crush - Ethel Cain

Love Is a Bitch - Two Feet

Guys My Age - Hey Violet

You Don’t Own Me - SAYGRACE, G-Eazy

Moth To A Flame - The Weeknd

BITCH - Allie X

Oh Child - The LION

Let Me Love You - Mario

I’m Yours - Isabel LaRosa

Love Game - Lady Gaga

BABYDOLL - Ari Abdul

Les - Childish Gambino

After Jack had walked in on you and Joel, not a whole lot changed. In fact it seemed to only have gotten better for you. Who in their right mind would say no to two absolute hunks. Admittedly Joel had caught your eye first, but it was not undeniable that Jack was just as hot. Both are older men, mature, dominating and they know exactly how to treat a woman right. That dumbass of a boyfriend could never compare. James didn’t care about you, he was only focused on his own pleasure, but you know how pathetically he likes to brag about what a wonderful boyfriend he is. Perhaps you are not entitled to complain, you had cheated first, you are not good either but it’s worth it.

Every weekend the Millers have a family dinner, which of course being James girlfriend, you also get to attend those functions.

You are out on the back porch that oversees Joel’s beautiful lush garden, standing right by the railing, sipping on the aperol spritz that Jack had prepared for you. While the bitter sweet liquid easily goes down your throat, you watch James sit on a lounger by the pool, animatedly talking into his phone. Always busy talking to his bro’s.

As you frown into your drink you hear the glass doors slide open behind you. Picking up on their gruff, deep yet calming tone makes you immediately care less about the disappointment of another evening practically being ignored by your boyfriend.

Your frown turns into a smirk when they each come to a stop beside you and you can feel their eyes on the sides of your face.

They are equally accessing you, while you silently continue to sip on your beverage.

It’s funny, you are convinced that even if James would pay attention. Really look at you, he wouldn’t realize how not only his Father but also his Grandfather are undressing his Girlfriend with their eyes.

He is that dumb.

Joel is the one to break the peaceful quiet atmosphere. “Talkin’ to his goddamn buddies again, isn’t he?” A shiver runs up your spine from hearing his deep baritone so clear and close.

You scoff “Isn’t that what always happens, what did we expect, huh?”

Closing your eyes momentarily, you inhale deeply before continuing “But it’s not like I don’t have way better company, right?” You turn to Joel and then to Jack giving them both the smile they love seeing on your face.

“S’ right baby, you are in good hands.” Jack muses.

You look ahead smugly giggling.

“Why don’t you prove it?” It’s a challenge, would they dare to touch you when James is not far away. The flowy short skirt you decided to wear gave them the perfect opportunity and sure enough it didn’t take much longer before you felt two big warm hands slowly sliding down your back.

The sensation made your breath hitch and your mouth went dry, making you throw back the last bit of Aperol Spritz. Those big wandering hands made you feel incredibly flustered, you are pretty sure you must look like a tomato, all flushed. You could easily blame it on the unrelenting heat or the alcohol coursing through your body.

Both hands slipped past your skirt's hem, gently touching the back of your thighs and when they slide back up pulling the hem with them. One hand carefully stuffed the hem into the waistband of the skirt to secure it and you looked down at yourself to make sure the front looked unaffected.

Their hands are groping and kneading your ass cheeks so deliciously, it’s impossible to not get wet from their ministrations. Of course they can tell you struggle to keep your arousal concealed, your clenched thighs, elevated breathing, tense jaw and iron grip on the railing are already enough indication.

Either they had this situation all planned out or they are just truly that good at silently communicating. Without a saying a word, one hand move to pull your thong aside, while the other one sweeps through your moist folds, collecting a decent amount before pulling away.

Said hand which you now figure out belongs to Jack is held right in front of your face. You can smell the sweet-salty musk of your own juices on his fingers.

“Look at that baby, she’s messy, drooling all for us, ain’t she?” Your head turns to Jack, you are met with a questioning head tilt and a big smirk adorning his face. Whenever you look at them you ask yourself how you got so lucky. Jack, just like his Father, is insanely stunning. Fluffy dark brown hair, blue-grey eyes, a strong painted nose, his 3-day beard and those lips you loved feeling on your own.

It’s obvious that they enjoy playing with you.

“Go ahead Moon Love, say it, who does that little cunt belong to, huh?” He nods at you encouragingly.

“S.s..she he belongs to you” you nod stammering through the everlasting throbbing of your core.

“ ‘s a good girl, god job darlin’” Joel’s voice has your head whipping around to him. You can’t help yourself from smiling at his handsome face. Even though he’s 60 years old, you can’t deny how incredible attractive he is. His grey-white slicked back hair, the slight wrinkles around his eyes from smiling and that goddamn mustache have you wake in the knees. He’s a masterpiece.

You feel light headed, like floating, all from being sandwiched between them.

The three of you are swiftly pulled from the cloud y’all had been on by the sound of someone approaching.

Joel quickly slides your thong and skirt back in place, while Jack sucks on his fingers that had just been between your thighs. The obscene slurping noises made it hard to focus on James that suddenly decided he wanted to be part of the conversation.

You meet him halfway up the porch and he immediately slides his arms around your waist, pulling you close to his chest.

“What are we talking about,hm? Did Moon talk y’all’s ears off too about her new plant. Had that on the ride here.” He scoffs but tries to make it appear jokingly, when everyone already knows he is just being a condescending asshole for no reason.

“Nah was all us borin’ the pretty thing with our baseball nonsense, wasn’t it Jack?” Your heart soars at the way Joel perhaps not super subtly comforts you. He despises his Grandson for being such an inconsiderate boy.

When James acts like this, you feel less and less bad about what happens in secret and all the lies you tell him.

Whenever you leave for Joel’s residence you tell your boyfriend you just want to catch up with your old friends and like the idiot that James is, he assumes you’re going to Sammy’s. You met her when you went to school to become a Kindergarten Teacher, she lives a couple hours away, that fact leaves you with enough time to spend playing with your two favorite Men in the world.

Every week, usually once, sometimes twice when the desperate need to feel their hands on your body takes over you meet up with them. In the beginning Jack was not allowed to participate, no, he could only watch from his seat how his Father defiled that sweet young girl. As much as Joel wanted to share, he struggled letting someone else have a piece of the cake, you were his precious Angel after all.

It felt so good when Joel let him eat you out for the first time and judging the iron grip Jack had on your hips, he seemed to be very excited as well. Unrelentingly lapping at your core until you came on his tongue screaming his name.

The frustrating part was that they never worked on you at the same time, which something you wanted so badly, so Joel offered to get you there.

That’s how you ended up bent over, with your knees planted on his Lazy-Boy, you were facing away from him leaning on the headrest.

“Moon Love, i know ya want to get these slutty holes filled,” he said while dragging his pointer finger down your drooling pussy and circling your puckered asshole “But I gotta prep ya for that first, can’t jus’ take the both of us without any training,hm?”

You know he’s right, they would probably hurt you if the preparation gets skipped, besides who said that couldn’t also bring you pleasure.

“Yes, I’m sorry, you are right Daddy. How will you do it?” You look over your shoulder back at him kneeling between your spread thighs, you really want to know what he had planned.

“Atta girl,” as he rose to his full height he clasped both cheeks roughly giving them a generous squeeze and pulling them apart to get another clear look at your tight hole.

“Jus’ wait a second baby, I’ve got somethin’ for ya,” with that he lets go of you.

The air shifted and you felt another pair of calloused warm hands on your plush behind, just barely grazing you in passing. After rounding you, Jack came to a halt before you and even when kneeling on the Lazy-Boy the crown of your head barely reached his chin.

“What do you think he will do to me?”

You are nervously chewing on your bottom lip and Jack reaches up with two fingers to pull it free. With the same two fingers he cradled your chin and tips your head up. “Don’t worry darling, whatever the old man has planned for you will be enjoyable. Ya know he got that experience he always brags about.” He winks at you before softly placing a kiss on your lips. It might’ve been just a quick peck but you immediately feel put at ease.

As you hear Joel come back down the stairs, Jack leans in to whisper in your ear “I’ll stay right here keep an eye on you Moon Love, hm?” When he pulls away he slightly nudges your head, his cheeky attitude makes you giggle. That’s the sound he loves so much that sweet, soft and melodic laughter fills his heart with pride.

You mouth a silent Thank you up at him.

“Ya two lovebirds havin’ fun without me, huh?” You turn your head back to Joel as he’s sitting down on the stool placed behind you. Yeah you definitely know where Jack gets his cheekiness from.

You give him your best cheeky smile “Nuh uh, we would neverrrr do that Daddy,” as you start persuasively rocking your hips from side to side.

“Tsk,tsk what a naughty little tease we’ve caught ourselves here,” you enjoyed when they almost behaved as if you weren’t right there, bend over between them.

“Anyway, I got a lil gift for our sweet girl,” Joel reached behind himself picking up a small rectangular black box and a bottle of…lube? You start frowning “Why do we need lube?”

“Cuz that sweet ass won’t get wet like your pussy baby, we will need lots of lube to make sure you have a good time.” He nods reassuring and hands you the little black box “Go on open it, show Jack what’s in the box,”

So you turn around holding it up to Jack and shake it to see if there’s any indication through sound but nothing happens.

“Okay, come on baby stop playing around and open it I’m curious,”

You slowly lift the lid off and all you see is what looks like a half-moon shaped topaz diamond surrounded by some black foam.

“A diamond?” You are quite confused, both had gotten you gifts before but this seems different.

Joel laughs darkly while gripping your hips “Ain’t for ya finger Angel,” one of his big hands is placed on your spine urging you to arch your back more. Before you can even think about it any longer you feel something wet and warm flickering over your puckered hole. Joel’s tongue. His beard scratches your cheeks so nicely.

“Fuckkkk, th..that feels so good,ughh” you are unable to hold the moans back.

He alternates between using the flat of his tongue on your neglected core and the pointy end on your asshole trying to wiggle his way in.

“Yes, yes Godddd Daddy, don’t stop,”

The shock of the sudden unknown stimulation has you forgetting all about the black box, but luckily Jack is right there. You don’t even register that he has taken the diamond out of its foam casing, until something cold and smooth touches your cheek. When you look up at him he’s holding onto the moon diamond but now you can see that it’s a lot more than just that.

“Wh..what is that?” You struggle to formulate straight sentences with Joel treating your cunt but mainly your asshole like a 4 star dinner.

It looks like an oval shaped metal egg is attached to the diamond, you’ve never seen anything similar before. Jack chuckles at your surprised face “ ‘s a butt plug, sweetheart, used to stretch little holes like yours.” He starts tracing over your lips with the oval shaped ending “open up baby.” Jacks dirty words combined with Joel’s tongue have your thighs quivering, hands clawing at the top of the headrest, breath coming out in short huffs. You are close to unraveling and Joel can feel it by the way your holes are furiously clenching around his tongue.

You do without further notice, dropping your jaw, rolling your tongue out and letting Jack places the cold metal into your warm waiting mouth. You wrap your lips around the toy, sucking and swirling your tongue all around.

“Yeah, atta girl suck on it before we’ll plug up your little ass” he strokes the hair out of your face and pats your cheek affectionately, glancing down at you with an adoration that is strictly reserved for you.

Yes the three of you are doing something forbidden, something that should feel bad, but its more than just mindless sex, more than a impulsive decision. You love Joel and Jack, you’ve reached a point where you can admit to have fallen not only for your boyfriend’s Dad, but also his Grandfather. Sometimes you wish to never have met James, as his part in this situation is more than inconvenient but it was necessary.

You gasp loudly around the metal in your mouth when you sense Joel’s tongue being replaced by one of his thick digits.

“Hm baby, that ass of yours ‘s the best I ever tasted, a goddamn delicacy,” while he slides the tip of his pointer finger through your slit, collecting your wetness and spreading it all over your asshole. “Look at how wet ya got sweet girl, all from that ass played with,huh?”

You reach a hand up to Jacks holding on to the plug, urging him to pull it out and once he dies you turn your head back to Joel.

He feels like the luckiest man alive when you gaze at his weathered face with your fucked out expression and gorgeous smile.

He grabs the lube bottle and tilts his head up at you “want me to put a finger in that tight hole, stretch it out more, before I push that plug in and send ya home to him.”

Before you even have the chance to respond, Joel has already squeezed a generous amount of lube onto your hole. You jump slightly at the cool gel texture that collides with your hot core. “Okay sweetheart, last chance, ya want that finger in your ass, yes or no?” Only now does it occur to you that he actually wants audible consent for what he’s about to do to you. It reminds you how precious this bond is, James, in comparison, rarely cared enough to ask you. He just took what he wanted.

As you continue to trace Joel’s face with your eyes, you reach a hand behind yourself to cup his scruffy cheek “Yes Daddy, I’d love for you to fuck my ass with your fingers, before you plug me up and send me back to him.”

On the ride back to the flat you share with James, you reminisce about how the evening continued to unfold. Joel didn’t just fuck your ass with one finger, no, in the end he stretched you till three of his meaty digits fit.

That alongside his eager mouth sucking on your pulsing clit and Jack whispering sweet filth in your ear, had you coming in no time.

When you started to come down from reaching that high, Joel slowly with more lube added pushed the plug into your winking hole. The previous penetration made it incredibly easy and rather pleasant than uncomfortable.

Before Joel called you an Uber, he gave you intensive instructions on how to use the plug the next few days to help make the goal of taking their cocks at the same time somewhat easier.

Of course to prove that you are a good girl for them, you did just as instructed. Spending every free minute bent over in front of the bedroom mirror alternating between using the toy or your fingers.

Now almost a week later you are currently getting ready in the bathroom for the weekly Miller Dinner, putting the finishing touches to your make up and adjusting your hair. The dress you want to wear already laid out, all that’s left to do is insert the plug and off you go.

James is so obvious he doesn’t question at all why you would be so excited for the routinely Dinner, practically buzzing in your seat, giddily singing to the music blaring through the speakers with a big smile plastered across your face. In your dream you’d like to sandwiched between them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all the time. You miss them the second you leave Joel’s house, only in their company you feel so light and free.

You almost run towards the massive entrance door after James had parked his car but stop yourself at the last moment, instead waiting patiently for your boyfriend to put his hand on your lower back and push you towards the house. When the door opens it’s as if all the stress from the outside world falls away, a big weight lifted off your chest.

Again, if James would be more observant he’d notice that the way his Father and Grandfather hug you is longer than appropriate. How their hands glide down your back to squeeze your ass, noses buried in your neck to get a good waft of that sweet bourbon vanilla perfume Jack had bought for you. Speaking of Jack he has the cheekiness to not simply grope your butt, no, he decides to feel for the plug and give it a push. All while James is right there busy taking off his shoes.

As usual, when you sit down to eat at the huge maghony dinner table, it doesn’t take 5 minutes before James pulls out his phone to text god knows who. His blatant disrespect used to upset you but his extra distraction now is more than useful now. While he’s talking without a pause about the great weekend he’ll have with his buddies just a couple hours away from Austin on a camping trip. You have already begun to tune him out as you discreetly slide your spandex covered foot up Joel’s shin, all the way up over his thigh until you gently tap at his crotch his bulge more than apparent.

James nagging voice addressing you directly pulls you from the cloud you had just been floating on “Babe you gonna be okay without me?” As if you hadn’t survived many nights without him. “Of course baby, I’ll pay a visit to some old friends.” You respond while winking at Joel and Jack, yes the weekend surely will be fun.

The first 2 days were spent like all the countless previous weekly hook-up meetings, they lapped at your pussy and ass, eating you for hours till you screamed from overstimulation. You of course got a mouth full of cock whenever you wanted, happily gagging on them. They alternated between fucking you, either Joel was pounding you while Jack watched or the other way around. If they got lucky you offered your pretty mouth for the one watching.

And the current position on Joel’s massive bed isn’t any less enticing, you are propped up on all fours. Joel’s hips flush with yours, one hand tightly gripping your hip while the other holds the clear silicone dildo he slowly inserted at the beginning of the night into your tight ring. Jack is occupying your mouth with his thick length, holding your face in his big hands, persistently hitting the back of your throat, in a rhythm that matches the one Joel uses to push against your G-Spot.

The room smells like sex, sweaty, stuffy and all that can be heard is slapping of skin mixed with the wet noises all three of your used holes make. Accompanied by the deep husky moans of both Jack and Joel. When Joel feels your walls tighten around him, the decision is quickly made to momentarily end the fun. Some silent communication must happen, because Jack suddenly shifts his hips back causing his cock to slip out of your mouth.

“You did so good for us Angel,” he leans down and presses his lips against yours briefly, a welcome distraction as Joel pulls the silicone toy from your ass.

Jack releases your lips “Okay baby, let’s get you in position, hm?” Yes you’ve talked about it, so Joel also shifts away leaving you with an empty feeling in your abdomen. He lays down on his back and you crawl on top of him, lifting up slightly as Joel lines himself up with your entrance. Jack settles up behind you grabbing your hips to help you slide down, “how’s it feel Moon?”

You lean back, resting your head on his shoulder, biting your lip while your own hands

“F..Fee.. Feels sooo good,” you bend forward planting your palms on Joel’s shoulders “, butttt there’s something missing.” all while arching your back as much as you can without risking that Joel’s cock slides out of your core.

“Ah, I know what you need babygirl,” Jack grabs the bottle of lube from the nightstand and starts to squeeze a decent amount out onto his fingers, which then wrap around his length. The slick noise makes a shiver run through your body.

“Relax baby, keep breathing, okay?” His warm moist tip starts to push into your puckered hole, it is so different to the fingers or the dildo, a warm rigid shaft parting your walls. Everything overwhelms your senses, so you seek out Joel’s comfort, nuzzling furter into his neck and instinctively biting him. Not hard enough to draw blood but definitely enough to make him gasp.

“Moon Love, ‘s okay, ya takin’ it so good.” He soothingly rubs your arms with his thumb, drawing tiny circles.

With little to no time you get used to their rhythmic push and pull. Your moans have gotten so loud that surely the whole neighborhood is getting an earful. Even through the hazy arousal clouding your mind it’s not lost on you that Jack is enjoying the tight channel of your butt, it makes him feral. He reaches for your hair carelessly gathering it into a ponytail and pulling you up, it doesn’t hurt, no, the tingling of your scalp turns you on further. That increases when Joel’s lips wrap around your hard nipple and starts biting it.

“U..uh..ughh, soo goo-“ Jack cuts you off

“Yeah feels good having his mouth on those sugar tits,” you only manage a pathetic nod.

Jack let’s go off your hair and Joel stops the assault on your nipple. As you lean back down you give him your best smile, stopping at his pursed lips for a quick kiss. When you open your eyes so close to his gorgeous face all that is on your mind are those 3 words, the ones that have been there since the first moment.

One more peck and you disappear into the safety of his neck again. “I’m so close Daddy,” you hoarsely whisper into his ear. “Ya wanna touch your little clit baby?” You nod. “Nuh, uh Moon, use your words” he knows how hard you try to not let go. “Ple..Pleaseeee, can I touch my clit, please Daddy?” You sound close to crying so Joel decides to show some mercy. “Go ahead, touch that clit, make yourself come.”

You do, with only drawing a couple small circles you fall over the edge, twitching and clenching down hard on both of them. Jack and Joel follow you suit spilling deep inside your holes. The waves of your high are still cursing through you when some commotion forces you to find back to the present moment.

Jack and Joel don’t get to catch their breaths after filling you up. “Wha…What the fuck is going on here?” James furious voice cuts through the blissful quiet. Jack instantly pulls out of you with a hiss letting his cum flow down from your used asshole to your pussy still plugged with Joel’s cock.

James thinks it’s just him walking in on something strange. His Dad and Grandfather going to town on some woman, but when you lift your head and stare straight at him while his father’s cum is dripping out of you he feels sick. “Mo..Moon, wha..what is this?” he almost wants to take a step closer but stops himself.

You don’t have the energy to answer but it’s not needed James puts two and two together. Turning away running down the stairs. Jack stumbles of the bed, grabs his shorts and hurries after James “Wait, Please James listen son..-“ the rest is cut off as they are out of hearing range.

“Fuck,” you mutter closing your eyes and putting your head down “what’s gonna happen now?”

His hands smooth over the plains of your shoulders drawing shapes on your spine. “Don’t know baby, no idea what Jack will do. But i don’t care, as long as ya here I’m happy.”

You begin to place gentle kisses to the spot you bit him earlier “Sounds like a good plan to me,”

“Good, ya gonna be the last woman I’ll love Mooni,” you sit up smacking his chest “Don’t say that Joel,” while scoffing, he’s impossible making you all sappy after fucking you brainless.

“Wait,” you move his head with your hands to face you “, where did you get that Moon Diamond Plug. I’ve been meaning to ask.”

He shrugs his shoulders “Had it specially made for ya baby girl.”

You sigh dreamily “I love you Joel,”

Without missing a beat he replies “I love you too.”

This is what heaven on earth feels like.

©️ evolnoomym 2024. Please don’t repost, copy, translate, or feed into any AI. Support your fellow creators by reblogging, commenting, and liking!

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[chunksworld]

Moth to a Flame

IVE Wonyoung x Male Reader | (Tags: Smut)

A/N 1: Welcome to another episode of Chunk goes monkey brain. Credit goes to @kaedespicelatte as always for beta reading

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

From: Vicky Jang

“She told me she just got on the plane, daddy. You know what to do.”

You should’ve known that she had something up her sleeve as soon as your girlfriend left for Japan. You should’ve known how opportunistic she is and yet you find yourself driving to her apartment as quickly as possible once again like you don’t already have a significant other that loves you very, very, very much. It should have raised red flags when you didn’t receive any messages from her the week leading up to your girlfriend’s departure. It was foolish from you to think that maybe, just maybe, she finally realized just how extremely messed up the situation is. You should’ve known better, you should be better. But it really doesn’t matter now because it was pathetic how quickly you dressed up as soon as you received that text from her. You couldn’t even wait until your girlfriend has completely left the country and you’re already dying to dick down her best friend out of all people. 

It’s infuriating how addicted you are to Jang Wonyoung. It’s infuriating how she can manipulate you. It’s infuriating how easily she can gaslight you. It’s infuriating how you are willingly giving in to all of it. And what makes all of the above worse is that she’s not even your girlfriend to begin with. No, she’s just your girlfriend’s beloved best friend that somehow crept her way into your life like some sort of parasite waiting for a vulnerable host. And you were vulnerable in more ways than one because it only took one session of drinking before she was able to seduce you and you’ve been falling prey constantly ever since. It didn’t help that you’ve already developed some sort of attraction with her that you tried so hard to hide deep inside you because of your “morals” but it’s almost disgusting to even bring out such a word at this point. Knock on the door in a specific pattern that only you two know and you’re met with a surprise that far exceeds your expectations.

“Wonyo—“

Only one foot inside and you already find your body meshed with hers, lips doing the same as you haphazardly close the door behind while you attempt to weather the storm that is Jang Wonyoung. It’s all too overwhelming and yet you should be familiar with it now; one second you find yourself engaging in an awkward dance in the middle of her spacious living room and then another finds you blindly crashing on top of her sofa (be careful not to land on her pillows again or she might actually kill you this time). An outsider might think that this is all just one giant mess but everything is carefully orchestrated; Wonyoung is one for establishing routines and sex is no different matter. Her slender fingers make quick work of your hoodie, hurling it god knows where and leaving you awkwardly in a white tank top that you wore in a rush. You hope she would look past it and she fortunately does, more so because it gives her an even better opportunity to ogle at your biceps than she usually would and such a sight turns her on immensely (though that’s something she won’t ever admit to you).

“Hmm. I’ve missed you so much, daddy.”

You hate it.

You hate how one word can bring the most primal and sinful desires out of you, the way she utters it with such conviction and vigor devolving you into a shell of your former self (which doesn’t say that much considering you’re so willingly giving in to what she wants). You hate how her perfume lures you every single time, notes of red berries and datura flowers driving you further and further into the edge of your sanity. You hate how those lips intoxicate you much faster than any alcoholic concoction could; their taste and texture rivaled by none—soft, plump, and with a hint of the peach-flavored lip balm she always uses. You hate how amazing her body feels against yours, tight, slim, curvy and oh-so-delectable in all of the right places. You hate how just one measly text from her brings you right into her apartment every single time. You hate how you always promise to yourself that this shouldn’t happen ever again and yet you find yourself itching to fuck her right at this very moment. You hate how easily you forget the fact that she’s not your girlfriend—or even worse, you hate the fact that she’s not your girlfriend.

“Wony, I told you not to say that.” It’s a feeble attempt in trying to look and sound intimidating when she already knows you too well—even better than your own girlfriend, unfortunately. It’s almost pathetic hearing her laugh in response, her teeth sinking into her bruised lower lips to prevent herself from destroying your ego even further though the sight just makes her that much tempting to your eyes. She knows how much power she holds over you, an irony considering her position in this power dynamic you two have going on; and yet it’s a position she’ll gladly relegate from if it means getting fucked until she can’t walk the following morning. But she’s too nice of a girl to push you to your limits and she doesn’t want her dick appointment to be ruined so she pulls you for another kiss to subdue your feigned anger. It’s embarrassing how quickly your anger is quelled the more she swirls her tongue around yours, the more amorous sounds that emit from those lips of hers, the lower her hand travels starting from your well-defined abs down to the raging tent forming on your gray sweatpants.

“Or what, daddy?” 

It’s downright poisonous, the way her eyes dare you to do something, anything and yet you’re like a deer in the headlights. Those damn alluring eyes. This isn’t anything out of the ordinary either, it’s common knowledge that you’re too much of a coward to actually confront her about the usage of that particular term of endearment (See, the truth is that you actually love the fuck out of being called “daddy”, but why boost her inflated ego even further by telling her? Keep acting like you hate it and she’ll continue to tease you for it). Thankfully, there’s still a small part of you that is completely aware of just how wrong all of this is—and this small remnant of humanity in you wants to inform her of such unjustness. To inform her that you have a girlfriend who you have a loving relationship with, that you should be in your shared apartment and FaceTiming her because she’s bored out of her mind in that hotel room, that all you should be worrying about right now is how to make sure her dog doesn’t leave a mess all over the place. Isn’t it your anniversary in a few weeks?

“I can’t.” Of course you can’t. It’s a “grass is green and the sky is blue” situation. Any response other than that would freeze hell over (not that you aren’t there already). Was it worth trying? Perhaps. But all it does is make Wonyoung even more impatient—and you should know out of all people just how incredibly difficult it is to deal with an extremely horny and needy princess. This brief moment of vulnerability enables her to flip your positions, straddling your lap. Groan as the underside of her shorts make contact with your clothed length and the sensation almost sends you into a frenzy. A proud smile paints her features—it’s another battle won for her and you didn’t even put up a fight. Maybe you should stop trying at this point, you’d rather paint her face with your cum anyways. That will surely look better on her than the loads of makeup she spends hundreds of dollars on.

“That’s what I thought. Now take these clothes off of me— and wait! Don’t rip them, okay? I’ll cut your dick off if I have to throw away another expensive top.”

“You’ll have nothing to fuck then. And if I recall, none of your toys can make you scream as loud as I do. I don’t think you want that to happen. Right, Miss Jang?” Checkmate.

“Hmph, shut up!”

Before either of you could retort, you sit up to meet her at face level. Take this moment to appreciate just how gorgeous she is, a face truly sculpted by the gods and made to be ruined. Starstruck couldn’t even begin to describe how you felt when Yujin introduced her to you, it was like looking at a Michelangelo piece come to life. Except she’s actually real and you’re about to spend another night finding out just how perfect she is, no need to snoop around in a museum somewhere in Europe. Brush loose strands of her hair aside and grab her by the waist, pulling her into a kiss that is gentler and softer than the first two. It’s captivating, alluring, and addicting. It’s a feeling you don’t quite achieve even in your hottest sessions with your girlfriend and deep down, that’s probably what kills you the most. “You’re so gorgeous, Wony.” 

“Save the compliments for later, I want you to fuck me hard right now, daddy.” Before you could even do the honors, she’s already pulling her top over her head and you do the same to yours. Wonyoung moans as your lips latch on to her neck; kissing, licking, and biting as you give her hickeys but you’re careful not to leave any darker ones or you’ll be out of here in a flash. It’s so sinful the way she moans your name, and it fills you with elation knowing that you’re the only one out of eight billion people on this planet that is capable of such a feat. It sends more blood rushing to your groin and you can’t wait to just ruin her. Your hands aren’t idle however, roaming her smooth back as you search for the clasps of her lace bra before throwing it with the same force as she did with your hoodie.

She’s definitely not as big as Yujin but her breasts are perky, taut, and just the right size to fit in the palm of your hands. You’ve grown to love them over time and you wouldn’t have it any other way. They look perfect in your hands and even better once you have your lips wrapped around them. Trail your kisses down to her collarbones, continuing to leave marks while you fondle her tits. It only makes her moan louder and you bring your lips to hers to silence her—you two have already received a noise complaint and you don’t want her to get kicked out (it’s definitely not purely because you want to kiss her again). But it’s useless once you do end up sucking on her tits, careful not to overstimulate her while your tongue twists around her areolas and your lips latch on to the soft flesh.

You would gladly stay like this until the end of time but of course the night couldn’t end like this because before you knew it, she already had a firm grip on the waistband of your sweatpants. Regretfully lift your face off her tits and she gives you a look that could only scream “fuck me already.” And what Wonyoung wants, Wonyoung gets. She removes herself off your lap and pulls the obstructing fabric down in one swift motion, immediately exposing your fully-erect cock to the cold air of her apartment. She almost drools at the sight, but she doesn’t want you to boost your ego either so she could only cover her hand to prevent you from hearing any sounds of arousal. But it really doesn’t matter because at the end of this night, you’ll have her screaming for your dick as if her life depended on it.

“Commando? Seriously? And yet here you were acting like you didn’t want to do this?” She tries hard not to give any further reaction and yet, her eyes can only look at its size and girth in awe. The sheer attention she gives to it almost makes you want to pull up your sweatpants again because of how much precum is dribbling out due to arousal. Completely remove your sweatpants and it joins the scattered pieces of clothing in her living room. Now you’re completely naked; and as much as you don’t want to think about it, not even Yujin gets the privilege of seeing you in such a state regularly (go ahead, keep thinking about your girlfriend and that would make it two women you’ll disappoint tonight). Just focus on Wonyoung, you already made it all the way to this point so you might as well see through it.

Make her straddle your lap again, this time working on unbuttoning her shorts and taking off her matching lace panties that are absolutely drenched. You would tease her for this but given the mutual overflowing lust for each other, you decide to save that for a later time. Now both of you are fully naked and given how wet she is, it makes the task of sliding her down your length much easier. Though it doesn’t say much considering how tight she is, even tighter than Yujin, despite the handful of times you’ve had sex with her already. You almost groan in pain as her nails dig deep on the skin of your back while your cock digs deep inside her warm and suffocating pussy. She screams, the sound reverberating throughout her studio apartment and given how thin the walls are, you two are about to give her neighbors a show tonight.

“So fucking tight, Wony. So. Fucking. Tight.” You hiss and grit your teeth as you fill her more and more, stretching her out with every inch inserted inside her. It takes a few more seconds before you can finally impale her, your tip reaching her cervix and then completely pulling out—audible whines from Wonyoung as she grabs your cock from underneath and forces you back into her. She’s so damn needy. But you would be lying if you said you aren’t either because you grip her ass needily as you begin to stroke upwards, immediately sending shockwaves throughout her slim body as she falls slump on your chest. Her slick thankfully aids in helping you maneuver or you’ll have to use some lube (something you’ve only had to do when she asked to do anal once and you’ve been dying to try it again).

“God—ah—f-fuck, daddy. You’re stretching me out so well.” Hot and heavy breaths send goosebumps all over your body as she buries her face on the crook of your neck, completely pressing her warm body against yours (you actually wanted to kiss her again but you’d gladly feel every inch of her perfect body as an alternative) and god, does she feel so fucking amazing. The way her thighs crash against yours, the thunderous slapping of skin on skin mixing with the faint noise of the heater turning on in the background, her moans flowing directly into your ears—it’s all too much to handle and as much as you hate to admit it, the fact that she’s not even yours to begin with is what truly sends you spiraling into a world of bliss. You’ve already fucked up anyways, might as well indulge to the fullest before judgement day comes.

And indulge you do because soon enough, you’re moaning and groaning much like she does—only at a lower tone as if a conductor is telling you to harmonize with her. But eventually, it gets drowned out by the continuous slapping of your hips to her thighs, creating a vociferous squelching noise that only increases in volume and confirms just how wet and aroused she is. Look down and the juices flowing down her thighs adds further evidence as it stains your crotch with her precious honey as well—such a delectable treat shouldn’t be wasted and should be lapped up instead. Fortunately you have the weekend all to yourselves so you can eat her out all day tomorrow if you want.

“H-Heh. You’re really enjoying this aren’t you, daddy?” Wonyoung lifts up her face to look at you for the first time in a while and she looks so beautiful, breathtaking, and absolutely fucked. Tears have begun to well under her eyes and yet somehow her mascara is still intact, guess it was money well spent after all. “I bet Yujin unnie can’t fuck you this good, huh? I wonder what she would be saying right now once she finds out that her best friend loves getting dicked down by her man, hmm?” It should make you angry, it definitely has to make you angry. But every sexual encounter with her has stripped you of any sense of dignity and honor. And at this point, you don’t give a damn about anything else other than giving in to your desires.

“Shut the fuck up, Wony.” You have no response either, so you just grab on the sides of her face and pull her into another kiss. “Just shut the fuck up and take this dick like the cumslut you are.” Fuck it. You go back to the hickeys you’ve made earlier and turn them to an even darker shade of red, making it near impossible to hide the sinful events that took place tonight. No worries, it’s not like you two are planning to leave this house for the next two days anyways. You want to make sure that you’ve fucked her in every single corner and in every position manageable. You don’t see it but a smirk appeared on her face. She got you worked up again like she wanted and it caused you to be even more aggressive just like how she wanted. You really are just a moth to her flame, how pathetic.

“Of course, where else would I want your cum? Turn me into your breeding bunny, daddy.” A sultry whisper to your ear and it unlocks an even more primal side from you. Plant your feet on the couch and you begin to fuck her with reckless abandon like the wild animal you are. Wrap her long legs around your waist and lift yourselves off the couch, a position that almost makes your knees give out. But your leg muscles are there for a reason as you grab on the back of her thighs and pound her relentlessly. It’s raw, it’s hot, and it’s so fucking passionate. The way her sweaty body would lift high up in the air before gravity brings it right back to your cock, the way she clings on to you for dear life, the way she tries to kiss you despite it being an almost impossible task. The air grows increasingly hot signaling your impending orgasm.

“I-I can’t hold on much longer—ah, shit. I can’t hold on much longer, fuck.” Thank goodness her floor isn’t made out of carpet because her slick starts to seep out of her pussy with every deep thrust. Usually she would respond with a one-liner but she’s so deep into her own world of ecstasy that all she could do is cry and wail as your spearing length continues to drive home into her cervix. You can’t talk that much more either because the familiar, bubbling sensation in your stomach only grows with each thrust. And the way she clings on to you for dear life, screaming to the world how good your cock is only serves to expedite and intensify your eventual undoing. It only leads you closer to completely unraveling like she intends you to, like how you’re supposed to.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuckkk! I’m gonna fucking cum inside you, Wony. Gonna cum and fill that tight pussy.” 

“Don’t fucking stop, daddy, I-I’m gonna cum as well. Please—“

“FUCK!”

With one final deep and unrelenting thrust, you completely explode. It’s a shout that’s definitely justifiable enough to cause your eviction, even more so as she joins you in your peak. It’s a sensation that’s overwhelming and numbing at once. Your vision is filled with white. You can feel your ears ringing, legs completely giving out as you crash back down on the couch. An out-of-body experience that only happens with her leading you to become breathless and scrambling for air. You won’t stop cumming, can’t stop cumming as ropes upon ropes of semen continue to unload inside her, every jolt of your hips make sure to shoot your cum deep and fill her walls white. It fills you to and over the brim with bliss, a feeling that you want to chase over and over again. It’s addicting, it’s mind blowing, and it leaves your balls completely drained inside her. So much so that your cum immediately starts dripping out of her fucked pussy as soon as the last spurts have been left inside her, an erotic sight that you will never get tired of. 

A few minutes past before the tremors completely stop and you engage in a mindless makeout session with her to help you two calm down. Brush loose strands of disheveled hair aside as you can gradually feel her breathing return to normal, wrap your arms around her waist possessively and she squeals due to her heightened sensitivity. “You filled me up so well daddy, fuck…..” Wonyoung takes a finger and swipes at a streak of cum that drizzled out of her and brings it to her mouth as if it was spilled ice cream, her facial expression indiscernible. “Yum! Next time I want it all in my mouth, m’kay?”

“God, you’re insatiable.”

She gives you a kiss, then she starts grinding her hips again. “Only for you, daddy.” 

[jokeringcutio]

Jealousy - Stepdad William Afton x Male Reader (SMUT)

Summary: When Stepdad William Afton comes home and sees you with a friend, he grows jealous. Warning: This story contains explicit sexual content (SMUT), Stepdad William Afton x Stepson Reader, not beta-read AN: I literally just wrote this now, hope you enjoy anon:

You tapped your pen against the notebook, eyes flitting between the scribbled equations and the clock. Your friend leaned over the table, his voice a hushed whisper laden with urgency.

"Come on, man, think. What's the next step in solving this?" he urged, tapping the paper where a complex algebra problem taunted you both.

"Isolate the variable," you murmured, but your concentration broke when the front door slammed shut with a resonance that seemed to ripple through the house.

"Damn it," you muttered under your breath, feeling the familiar knot of apprehension twist in your gut.

William Afton, your stepdad, loomed in the doorway like a dark omen. His shadow stretched long and ominous across the kitchen tiles, a harbinger of the mood that followed him home from whatever hellish workday he'd endured.

"Evening," he grunted, his voice gravelly, unused. He shrugged off his coat, movements stiff and deliberate, the fabric whispering threats as it slid down his arms.

Your friend's eyes darted toward the man, then back to you, an unspoken question hanging between you. But you knew better than to acknowledge the tension. You kept your focus on your homework, pretending the atmosphere hadn't shifted, pretending the air wasn't now thick with the sour tang of his displeasure.

"Long day at work?" you ventured, a feeble attempt at normalcy. Your stepdad was usually gruff when he got home – had never been soft since your mother’s passing a few years ago. But today his mood was exceptionally sour.

"Every damn day's a long day," William snarled, the sound of his work boots heavy against the floorboards as he trudged closer, his presence filling the room with a pressure that seemed to squeeze your chest.

You watched, heart pounding erratically, as William's eyes narrowed on you, the ghost of a scowl etched deep into his weathered face. He was a relic of a life before, a reminder of things best forgotten, things that lurked in the corner of your mind, clawing for attention.

"Focus on the problem," your friend said, but his voice wavered, betraying his calm facade.

"Already am," you replied, though your gaze never left William. You were caught in his gravitational pull, a moth too close to the flame, anticipation curling hotly in your belly.

His eyes, steel traps snapping shut, fixed on you. William's gaze burned, a silent blaze scorching through the room.

"Studying hard?" His voice dripped with sarcasm, each word a laden weight in the charged air.

"Trying to," you replied, the words sounding hollow even to your own ears.

Your friend shuffled papers, a nervous rustle amidst the growing storm. He must have sensed it – the electric crackle of William's mood, the kind that precedes lightning, dangerous and unpredictable.

"Think I'll head out," he muttered, scooping books into his arms with trembling hands. He was a pretty boy, one of the prettiest in your class. With a youthful blush on his cheeks, long black lashes and plump lips to die for. His chair scraped back, a desperate plea for escape etched into the sound.

"See you," you murmured, your voice steady despite the quickening beat of your heart. Your friend nodded and offered a tight-lipped smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. And then he was gone. His footsteps retreated, a fading echo against the tense silence left in his wake.

The front door closed softly, a definitive click sealing your fate. Alone now, with him, the air seemed to shift, became thicker, laced with something unspoken but palpably present.

William moved, a shadow stretched across the floor, reaching for you with dark tendrils. You sat, still as stone, yet every muscle screamed to flee.

"Good riddance," You heard your stepdad say. There was a smile in his voice – but it was the kind that has teeth, sharp and unforgiving. The smile of a predator who has cornered his prey, and you, frozen in place, could only wait to see what form the pounce will take.

You tilted your chin up, eyes narrowing as you met his glare. Your spine straightened, an act of silent defiance. You knew what was coming; the unspoken challenge hung heavy between you. "Anything wrong, William?"

The title of 'stepdad' was stuck in your throat, a deliberate omission that does not go unnoticed. You did it on purpose, of course. Relieved to see your stepdad hadn’t been ogling your classmate. Relieved that envy radiated from his pores, a thick jealousy drenched with desire.

A desire for you.

Just as you wanted.

Just as you had allowed yourself to indulge in ever since you’d become of age. To tease him, to challenge him, to draw out that desire.

His jaw clenched, the muscles ticking in his cheek. "Don't push me, boy," he warned, the words low, the threat clear and pointed.

"Didn't think I was," you replied, the edge to your voice was like a razor. Sharp, dangerous. You locked your gaze with his, unflinching, daring him to make the next move.

He moved swiftly, his large hand clamping around your arm with bruising intent. Roughly, he dragged you from the chair, your body a mere object to his force. "I've had enough of that clever mouth of yours."

"I could put it to good use, sir…” But your clever protest was crushed under his grip as he bent you over the table, punching the breath from your lungs. His other hand stroked past your shoulders, finding the back of your neck, pressing down hard, a vice of control.

"Time you learned some respect," he growled, his breath hot against your ear. Fear spiked through you, chased by a forbidden thrill. You were trapped, caught in the snare of his power, your body enjoying the struggle until your cock twitched tightly against the inside of your jeans.

"William..." It was a gasp, your voice strained. You were at the mercy of whatever was to come next. As expected, you didn’t have to wait long for your stepfather’s hands to leave your neck and pull your jeans down.

Leather bit into your ass, the sound of the belt cutting through the air amplified in the silent room. You cried out, the pain white-hot and searing, leaving you trembling. Your cock was heavy and leaking pre-cum against the table’s surface. You were grateful you had the table in front of you to rest upon since your legs threatened to give out.

"Teaching... you... a lesson," William grunted between each strike.

You gasped. The pain coiled in your stomach, roiling, insistent, and, to your disbelief, there was an answering heat. It was wrong, you knew it is, but the adrenaline, the edge of danger, sparked something deep within you.

“Think you can just date other boys?” You knew it wasn’t really a question. It was just William showing you what was on his mind, how he’d gotten worked up. His jealousy.

The belt stilled – your ass given a short reprieve. You moaned, suppressing a shiver when a cold liquid was dribbled generously into your hole, your muscles quivering. Goosebumps formed on your skin, you could see them on your bare forearms.

Suddenly, the belt dropped, clattering to the floor. A zipper could be heard as it lowered, and before you could process it, your stepfather’s hard length pressed against your entrance, seeking entry.

"No, William, we can't – "

"Oh, we can," he whispered, and then he was inside you, filling you to the hilt, stretching you in ways you never thought possible. You bit your lip, tasting blood as the sensation overwhelms your senses.

His hands gripped your hips, holding you in place as he thrust, brutal in his intensity. Each time he bottomed out left you gasping, your vision blurring.

"Feel that, boy? This is what happens when you disobey me." Panting, harsh.

You couldn’t form words, reduced to moans and whimpers as your body betrayed you, your cock rubbing painfully tight against the wooden surface of the table. It felt so, so good.

To feel your stepdad deep inside, the head of his cock battering that sweet spot deep inside. He knew just how to stimulate your prostate, drove into you like a pro – as if he hadn’t always had wives before you. As if he was used to making love to young men.

It must have been why you stayed, why you remained in his home after your mom died and you grew old enough to go to campus.

Faster and faster he pushes into you, his breathing labored in your ear, the smell of sweat and leather mixing, intoxicating. "You like it, don't you? You like being under my control."

"No," you breathed, but your voice was unsteady, a fractured denial. You sure as hell did.

Faster Daddy, deeper. But all that escaped you was another sinful moan. Sopping-wet sounds of the lubricant around your stepfather’s cock filled the room, betraying how easily he could slide into your tight hole. Your muscles spasmed, your fingers clawed at the wooden surface of the table – grasping nothing.

With a grunt, he picked up the pace. "Liar," he hissed, his grip on your hips bruising. "Gonna make you come, boy, and you're going to beg for it."

And that was the last straw; the humiliation, the pain, the pleasure, all of it crashed over you like a tidal wave. Just as you were about to come undone, he pulled out, and with a devilish smirk, jerked you off, milking your release onto your stomach and all over the kitchen table.

Gasping, spent, you collapsed onto the table, your heart pounding in your chest, your body aching. You didn’t care having slumped down upon your own cum. All your mind repeated was the feel of your stepdad’s strong fingers around your own shaft as he pushed and pulled, the way his veined hands had worked the veined flesh, the way his thumb had brushed past the slit of your cock the moment you’d started to orgasm, how cum now coated his hand.

"Next time, think twice before you defy me," you heard his low voice like a growl behind you. You heard the wet sopping sounds of his hand on his cock, jerking himself off at a rapid pace before you heard the low grunt and felt the warm release hit your back.

You gasped for air, your body pulsing with every heartbeat, consumed by a heady mix of shame and satisfaction. The lingering ache between your legs was a reminder of how you crave more. So much more of him.

“No other man,” William started, his husky voice cracked, “or boy, may ever be inside of you. Got it? Just me. Only me.”

You lay sprawled across the cold surface of the kitchen table, every heaving breath a testament to the turmoil within. The aftermath clung to your skin – a mixture of sweat and something far more primal. His satisfaction filled the air, thick and suffocating like the summer humidity that sticks to everything it touches.

"Only you," you whispered, the vow etched deep into the marrow of your bones. It was a promise to yourself, a line drawn in the sand of your own will. You would not let anyone else breach your walls, seek solace inside your body. Your clenched fists were symbols of your newfound understanding, knuckles white as the fierce determination took root within you.

You turned to look at your stepdad, who was immaculately dressed once more. The trace of his spent dripped from your inner legs. His pants showed no stain. Everything was on you. You looked debauched, while he looked fatherly. Put together. In full control.

William straightened his tie with slow, deliberate motions, an air of ownership radiating from him. His eyes, dark and fathomless pits, reflected a twisted sense of achievement. They bore into you, heavy with unspoken words. Words that screamed of dominance and possession. He had exerted his control, marked you like you had silently begged for.

"Look at me," his voice commanded, low and gravelly. You resisted, but only momentarily. When your eyes finally met his, you saw the smug curl of his lips, the shadow of a man who reveled in the power he wielded.

"Good boy," he sneered, the condescension in those two words cutting deeper than any physical touch could. Each syllable was a brand upon your spirit, marking you as his in a way society would never condone.

He turned away then, leaving you alone with the echoes of what had transpired. But his departure did nothing to alleviate the weight of his influence. It lingered, a specter haunting the corners of the room, a reminder that he could – and would – return to claim what he considered rightfully his.

And boy… you couldn’t wait.

[thoughtsfromlayla]

26 Ways of Taking You: F for Face Sitting

Summary: You've waited for 106 years for an apology. So an apology you shall receive.

Notes: ~1.4k words, not edited or beta read lol, we are raw doggin it

Warnings/Tags: MDNI - 18+, face sitting/queening, Sub!Dream, reincarnated reader, unexpected orgasm, strip teasing is you squint really hard, written at 4am do not come for me at grammar mistakes

Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist

E for Edging ⇆ G for Grinding

In the rubles of an abandoned kingdom, you have long since accepted your solitude. 106 years of solitude is something no person, mortal or not, should go through. And though, yes, you were mortal, each lifetime you have reincarnated you have always sought out Dream of the Endless as your lover.

When you came to be in your previous lifetime, you did not know that he would be captured and that you would die alone and cold in your bed. Here you are now, walking amongst the broken pillars and cracked shards of glass once more. The Dreaming is more broken since the last time you visited some decades ago. 

The once shared bed that you lay in brings little comfort to you. Its satin sheets have grown rough, the pillows flat, and even as you bundle yourself within the blanket, the familiar smell of him has faded. Soon enough, even that will be gone and you will have nothing left to remember him by.

You felt his presence before you saw him. It was like a pulse that rippled through the realm, a pulse that guaranteed the return of its king, a promise of rebirth. But, after being disappointed for so long, you stay put; waiting patiently for him within his castle walls. If Dream really has returned, then a few more minutes won’t change anything.

Melancholy turns to anger as you remember the day he was captured was the same day he left you waiting at the lover’s table. The waitress had come by several times to ask if your dining partner was going to come and every hour you insisted he would. 

Dream never did show himself, for reasons unknown to you at that time, and you drown your sorrows in the sparkling champagne they offered. You didn’t bother eating dinner and left embarrassed, hiding your face from the pitied faces of the other diners around you. 

Much to your surprise, he does show himself to you. He looked tired, skinner, and almost broken. When your eyes connected, it took him a few moments to read your soul. To know who you truly are in this new reincarnation. He came to you like a moth to a flame, his relief evident on his face as he slumped into your arms. 

If only you were in a better mood.

“How dare you leave me!” You pushed him away and smacked his chest. “You embarrassed me! You forgot about me! You let me die alone!” Each statement was met with another smack to the chest. You were positively fuming, brows furrowed.

“Forgive me for missing our last date,” He muttered and slumped back into your neck. 

“You should be sorry.” You sounded mad, but you were relieved that he finally came back home. 

You hold Dream’s head in your hands, and even when the situation doesn’t call for it, the way he looked at you with a downturn lip and pleading eyes sends signals straight to your cunt. It has been several years since you’ve last laid with him. 

“You should make it up for me, then I’ll accept your apology,” You stated with a smug look on your face. 

Dream only nodded as he let you lead you to the bed. You push him back until he is watching you on his elbows. After you back away from the bed did you begin to shimmy yourself out of your clothes. Morpheus watches intently as your fingers ghost across your waist, giving him a glimpse of your stomach. 

He swallowed as you discarded your top, the bralette does little to hide your figure. Your hands move down your curves and his eyes follow when your fingers trace the top of your pants. You walked to him and he sat up slowly, looking up at you with a plea. 

“Do you deserve this?” You asked as his hands cover yours over the rim of your pants. His finger traced across your knuckles as he memorized your body once again. 

Morpheus only nodded and with a satisfied smile you guided his hands to the button that keeps you from him. His fingers are cold against your skin, the gentle carasses tickling the sensitive skin the further he goes. The button pops open easily as his dexterous fingers opens the seams of your jeans 

You allowed him to be impatient, to take your underwear off with your pants. When you’re bare to him in nothing but your bralette, you push him down once more. 

With a slow and deliberate motion, you crawl over him, resting yourself high on his chest. Dream’s hands roam across the softness of your thighs, running his fingers down the expense of your legs. You stay there a moment, basking in his presence and the way his chest rises and falls with his vitality. 

“Please,” He begged, wetting his dry lips with his tongue. Your eyes dilate as you watch the wet muscle cross over his lips.

Your wetness was seeping through the fabric of his shirt and he was, quite literally, starved. Starved for food perhaps not, but for you and your taste alone? Yes. 

“Okay,” You whispered. “Lay down for me, my love.” You guided him again with a gentle hand. 

He does as he is told and waits like a good boy as you settle yourself above him. You feel the heat of his breath on your most sensitive areas and when you look down at him you see him already staring at you.

Morpheus licks his lips again and when you still don’t sit down on him, his impatience gets the better of him. He turns his head and sinks his teeth into the plushness of your thigh. Your hands shoot for the headboard to steady yourself as he sucks a blooming hickey where his lips part. 

He’s staring at you again, his eyebrows furrowed as you have yet to sit down on him. Dream’s hands keep your hips in place as he goes to your thighs once more, dragging his tongue in a long line until his head is almost off the bed. 

“Holy shit,” You gasped as the wetness of his tongue grazed over your pussy lips. Your breath grows uneven as heat pools between your thighs. 

“You are trembling,” He hummed in content, nosing your other thigh for attention. His cock was tented and growing uncomfortable in his pants and he shifts to gain any traction for himself.

“Oh, shut up,” You groaned, finally lowering yourself onto his face. 

Dream moaned as your entire being invaded his senses. In scent he adores you, in touch he connects to you, in taste he worships you, in sight he ravishes you, and in sound he hears the whispers of his name like a prayer falling from your lips. 

Morpheus’ tongue shoots out, licking the length of you. He circle’s your clit slowly and your hips jerk in place as his hands keep you steady. Your other hands run through the strands of his unruly hair and you grab at the base, steering him to where you need him most. 

Dream lets you take control, he will have his time, but for now it’s about apologizing. He tastes you deeply, pushing his tongue into your weeping cunt. The Endless’ eyes rolling to the back of his head as he feels you tighten around his tongue and your nails dig into his scalp. 

You’re a whimpering mess above him, grinding your hips down and in a corner of your mind, you’re glad to have an immortal lover. If not, you fear you might have broken his neck. 

But there’s no room for thoughts like that. Not when he’s back at your clit again, using the flat of his tongue to pleasure your bundle of nerves. He gulps down your arousal, tasting you in the back of his throat like honey.

His nails raked along the length of your legs, leaving rising claw-like marks on the soft skin. Dream does his best to taste you, all of you, but some of your arousal drips down the sides of his chin. He groans as his nose bumps against your clit and you jump at the sensation.

Your thighs tremble, your fingers tingle and your moans grow higher in pitch as your orgasm comes to you unexpectedly. You see the stars of the Dreaming dance across your eyelids and Morpheus helps you ride out your orgasm, his name singing from your lips. 

When you’re done and nothing but a panting mess and a slump of flesh and bone does his stop. His hands are still on you, rubbing the indent on your hips in soothing circles. 

“Forgiven?” He asks, looking at you with the rare smile that could make flowers bloom. 

“Forgiven,” You sigh happily.

E for Edging ⇆ G for Grinding

Main Masterlist || Series Masterlist

Here you go you thirsty people

♡ Yours, Layla6

[sanjoongie]

𝔻𝕒𝕪 𝕋𝕨𝕖𝕝𝕧𝕖: 𝕄𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕪 𝕂𝕚𝕟𝕜

🥀Au: Fanboy Au, Fanfic smut writer! Wooyoung, Idol! Reader

🥀Pairing: Jung Wooyoung x Reader (f)

🥀Genre: Smut

🥀Rating: 18+, Minors Do not Interact

🥀Author's note: the following takes place within a world where Wooyoung is a smut fanfic writer and you, an idol pretending to be a male called 'Mingi' and his bias, are his friend

🥀Trope: loser to lover

🥀Summary: wooyoung is just a loser guy in the 2000's and you're the hot 2000's girl that's considering letting him go down on you... at a cost, of course

🥀Kinks: Mommy Kink, oral (f), face sitting, degradation kink, smothering kink, bdsm safe signals to stop and go, inexperienced! woo, experienced! reader, sub! wooyoung, dom! reader, riding Wooyoung's nose

🥀Word Count: 1,278

🥀Betas: @mejuii

🥀Day Eleven: Somnophilia 🥀Mini Masterlist 🥀Day Thirteen: Uniform

You took a deep breath. It wasn’t like you hadn't read some of Wooyoung’s stuff already, you had been hella curious after seeing Hongjoong’s nsfw fanart. So you just put yourself in the mindset that Fleur, which was your stage name, was you and the male reader was Wooyoung, because why not? And then you began to read.

📼Wooyoung’s Fanfic☎

All Wooyoung wanted to do was go to the cute candy store and get something to munch on while he gamed later tonight. Yeosang bought the new Twisted Metal Black game, and he invited him and San to play. It was just supposed to be a drive there in his Ford Focus, pick up the snacks, and then get out of there. But for the past twenty minutes straight, he couldn't stop looking at the barbed wire tattoo that was peeking out of the cashier’s short shorts as she restocked some of the bins.

When you turned around and noticed the nerd in glasses was staring at you, you rolled your eyes dramatically. “Take a picture. It’ll last longer.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Wooyoung stuttered and proceeded to drop the bags that he had already made. The various jelly beans, soft gummies, and gumballs spilled all over the floor. 

You snapped a bubble of gum angrily. “Really? A couple minutes before closing, and you’re gonna do this to me?”

You spun around to go find the broom. This was the worst shift you had ever had, and once you had to entertain a birthday party of four year olds with sticky hands. 

“Wait, I can help!” Wooyoung chased after you. Your annoyance, your anger, was making him feel some kinda way. 

“Don’t bother,” you spat over your shoulder, “You’ve already made a mess. Probably would make it worse.”

Wooyoung couldn't help but pursue you, like a moth to a flame. He couldn't pull himself from you. 

So when you stopped abruptly and smacked into the back of you, yelping in surprise, you couldn't help your own burst of anger. You pushed him by his shoulders. “Get away from me, you freak!” You shouted in disgust.

“I can make it up to you!” Wooyoung pleaded desperately. 

His glasses had fallen off when you pushed him. You tilted your head. Wait… was he kinda… hot?

You pulled your hot pink Razr phone from your back pocket and pushed the side button to see the time. It was closing time. So you stomped over to the front, flipped the sign from open to close, and then went back to Wooyoung, who was still lying in the center of the aisle with his candies all across the floor. 

“You’re probably only good for creaming in your own pants,” You sneered. Wooyoung stared up at you with his mouth open in surprise. You shoved his glasses back on his face. “Prove me wrong.”

“Yes, Mommy,” dropped from his lips before his mind could catch up. “I mean!--” His face was red with embarrassment.

You rolled your eyes but began to unbutton your shorts. “I knew you were a freak. Do you know how to give head or not?” You huffed.

Wooyoung pushed his glasses up his nose, still in shock. “I--I don’t think I--”

You let out a noise of frustration, having unzipped your shorts and revealed the black thong underneath. “Nevermind, I should have known better.”

“No please!” Wooyoung protested, a hand reaching up to halt you from doing back up your pants. “You can sit on my face, right? I can try? Please, I want to try.”

“God, you really are THAT desperate for pussy?” You demanded.

Wooyoung swallowed, and you watched his Adam’s apple bob. 

“Fine,” you grumbled, “But you’re going to call me Mommy, like earlier. You know to tap once to go and tap twice to stop, right? What am I saying? You don’t know shit. Listen, I am going to grind my pussy on your face and hope for the best okay? If you can’t breathe just tap my thigh twice and I’ll let up.”

Wooyoung nodded his head so enthusiastically that you thought his glasses were going to fall off again.

As it turned out, Wooyoung’s nose was perfect for grinding on. He clumsily licked at your wet folds, slurping and moaning, which only added to the allure of allowing some virgin nerd to eat you out. His arms wound around your legs, his fingers sometimes tracing the raised bumps of your barbed wire tattoo. 

Just to test out if Wooyoung had actually listened to you, you sat down harder on his face, covering his nose and mouth with your cunt, bucking your hips into his nose and tongue, watching with cruel eyes as his breath was cut off. Wooyoung’s eyes widened, but his tongue didn’t stop, and you were actually impressed. Eventually, you felt a tap tap on your tattoo, and you eased up.

“Please, Mommy, do that again,” Wooyoung begged.

“I don’t think you can handle it.”

Wooyoung practically shoved his face into your cunt, tongue flat and head worrying on your clit. You gasped as he actually showed some brains, alreading picking up some technique as you grinded against his face after hours in the candy shop. 

You grasped his long hair tightly, keeping him buried in your pussy. “Can you even get Mommy off with that clumsy tongue of yours?” You cooed mockingly, “Am I going to have to do all the work myself?”

Wooyoung whimpered, and you glanced over your shoulder. His baggy jeans were tented, and he was humping the air for some friction. 

“Poor baby, you got a hard on? Guess you'll have to deal because Mommy always comes first, right?”

Wooyoung nodded, nudging the bridge of his nose against your clit and making you moan. He tapped twice again and when he pulled away the second time, he was gasping and his face was an absolute mess. And if you were being honest, he looked hot and debauched with his glasses fogged up.

You rode Wooyoung’s face until you came, your thighs shuddering under his arms and his chest swelled with pride as your wetness spread across his tongue and he lapped it all up, making happy, eager noises. You pushed his head back with a French tip manicure in the middle of his forehead before he started to make you feel sensitive.

You pushed upwards to get up, but Wooyoung's arms clung to you. “Liked sucking Mommy’s candy that much?” You mocked him.

“Please give me your number,” Wooyoung begged, all semblance of pride gone. 

“Mmm, I don't think so, loser,” you declined. You untangled yourself from him. You adjusted your thong, careful of your freshly eaten out pussy and pulled your shorts back on.

“I'll do anything,” Wooyoung insisted, wiping his face with the back of his hand.

“Please don't make this more awkward than it already is,” you said with a look of disgust.

“I'll come back every day and you can smother me with your pussy,” Wooyoung pleaded. “Mommy,” he added belatedly.

Well, there were perks to having a guy eager to eat you out every day.

🎤Back to Reality✍️

“Hey,” Your group mate patted your shoulder. “It's your turn to get your hair done.”

You smiled shakily and tried really hard not to squeeze your thighs together. Your next few hours of filming your music video were going to be torture. But if you just thought about how happy Wooyoung would be that you beta read for him, it would be worth it.

And maybe if you slipped in a little something about androids, Wooyoung would think he manifested it in your new music video.

🥀Day Eleven: Somnophilia 🥀Mini Masterlist 🥀Day Thirteen: Uniform

this au is always for @smallfrye, she claims it, it's hers 💞

[flightfoot]

Best Lovesquare-centric Fics And Series That Completed In 2023

So the majority of fics I read include the Lovesquare in some capacity, but I figured people might appreciate a list of great fics that really center around them, particularly romantically.

As with the other lists like this, these fics all come from my previous reclists for ML fics I really liked that finished during 2023. So if you like these, you might want to look through the collection I set up for all these fics.

---

home is where the fight is by @rosie-b

Nadja Chamack’s voice greeted Adrien as he sat up straight, wiping his clammy hands on his pants and ignoring the black kwami floating by his shoulder. “—shocked to see our heroine fall in battle today, taking a direct hit from the akuma just as she detransformed. Parisians are torn between blaming Hawk Moth and Cat Walker for their roles in this tragedy, which ultimately revealed the civilian identity of Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” Adrien turned off the TV and lowered his head as his vision blurred. Written for Ladrien June Day 7: Injured

I adore this fic! Which shouldn’t be a a surprise, it’s no secret that I love Sentiadrien Enemies AU. Adrien’s so worried about Marinette getting hurt, and wishes that he could help keep her safer, could tell her what’s really going on or get rid of the ring or something, but he can’t. Still, he IS able to find clever ways around some of his father’s more problematic orders. Loopholes for the win!

---

Patrolling with a friend for Christmas by @seasofsilver

Adrien just wanted to gift his Lady some time off and hang out more with Marinette during the festive season - it didn’t exactly go to plan, but somehow ended up… better?

This was adorable! Chat Noir tries to give Ladybug a break by recruiting Multimouse to replace her on patrols for a bit, and Ladybug returns the favor by recruiting Aspik to replace Chat. Yep, it’s Snekmouse!

---

Under the Umbrella by @fruitdragon1a

Almost everyone has a soulmate. What are Adrien and Marinette supposed to do when they meet theirs? ML Secret Santa gift for Mei! Merry Christmas! Thank you to Now Loading and Rewan Demontay for beta reading this fic!

So this is a version of soulmarks I haven’t seen before. Around age six, soulmates get a soulmark that shows what their soulmate is thinking when they first meet them. Though I guess it doesn’t register while transformed, since it only counts for this one when Adrien and Marinette meet as civilians, and not when they first meet as superheroes.

---

you don’t even know me at all (but I was made for loving you) by @ladyofthenoodle

They didn’t remember each other. The hospital told them there’d been an accident—brain damage—but Alya had told them the truth, later. Who’d they’d been to each other. What they’d given up, and why. But even with their memories of each other gone, Adrien and Marinette are still inextricably tied together—by law, by their social circles, and by their hearts. And in the apartment they share, there’s only one bed.

Yep, it’s the “there was only one bed” trope XD! I especially love how it was used here, how Adrien and Marinette are strangers now but they had a whole life together, and they pine for each other even without remembering, and how Marinette just can’t believe how in love with her Adrien is even though he doesn’t remember her. I loved the emotional turmoil the two of them went through together in the fic, and the resolution, it’s great!

---

Until I Found You by @linnieluna

Working their way up to a settled adulthood, Marinette and Adrien, now 23, gain a reason to believe that they are expecting—way earlier than they ever planned. Still unwed, it evokes a revelation on Adrien’s behalf. Was it time to take the next step forward?

I loved the emotions here, how Adrien and Marinette reacted to the results of the pregnancy test, how complicated their feelings about it were - and how it prompted Adrien to take action. It’s a really sweet fic!

---

From school bells to wedding bells by @linnieluna

When the superhero duo takes on another exhausting fight against an akuma, Chat Noir does what he never hesitates to do and takes a hit for his partner. The problem being: neither of them knew what power the akuma possessed. That is… until he is transported into the future. More specifically, to his friend Marinette’s wedding.

Ah I love time travel fics! Older!Marinette’s surprised, Younger!Adrien’s bewildered, and Older!Adrien is off knowing exactly what happened and giving his younger self some subtle heads-up. 

It gives Adrien something to look forward to, to cling onto, through bad days in the future at least!

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u + me = love by @xiueryn

Marinette has a massive crush on Adrien. He has a crush on the superhero, Ladybug. When he says the only person he’ll invite as his plus one to an event is Ladybug, Marinette takes her chance to romance him for the night. AU. (a fanboy and fangirl start to date.)

This is just a fun Ladrien story. Ladybug is happy to oblige in Adrien’s fantasies, and no one else believes that he’s actually dating Ladybug.

---

Miracoffee by @pauliestorylover

Ever since the last Mr Pigeon attack over nine months ago, Hawkmoth has fallen off the face of the earth, seemingly for good. There’s never been a better chance for an identity reveal—but after keeping her identity a secret for so many years, Marinette feels incredibly nervous about one. When Chat Noir accidentally finds Ladybug working at a café, Alya comes up with a brilliant idea. If Ladybug and Chat Noir interact regularly in a civilian setting, surely they’ll move towards an identity reveal without outside interference?

Adrien Never Goes To Public School Coffee Shop AU here! It’s funny how he clocks Marinette as being Ladybug IMMEDIATELY. And then after discussing it for awhile, decide to make a bit of a game of the identity reveal, having Chat come in on pre-determined days and seeing whether Ladybug can figure out who she is, all while they get to know each other, even if in passing. 

Love the other Miraculous heroes making cameos as well, Marinette seems annoyed that Nino cosplaying as Carapace actually doesn’t tip anyone off XD.

---

For the Sake of a Ring by @rosie-b

An akuma that transfers people’s consciousnesses into other universes hits Ladybug, sending her into a world where everything is the same… but instead of earrings, she’s wearing a ring on one hand! She’s only just arrived in this universe, but already Plagg seems to have gone missing. It’s up to Marinette to figure out what happened before she’s sent back home! This fic takes place in the future, after Season 5, but it does not contain any leaks or major spoilers. Please keep the comment section spoiler-free, too!

This is really cute, Marinette gets transported into a world where she’s married to Adrien and is really confused as to why and how they got married at sixteen. Adrien’s just an adorable puppy who thinks his wife is the most amazing person in the world! 

---

His Princess and Her Knight by @seas-of-silver

Adrien, Marinette, Nino and Alya have a group assignment about how the past has shaped them into the people they are today, but they’ll make a discovery that’ll send them searching for answers.

This fic is adorable, Adrien, Marinette, and Nino uncover that they all went to the same preschool together, with Adrien and Marinette immediately latching onto each other, Adrien being the knight to Marinette’s princess, and also making friends with Nino. Sadly he was pulled after two weeks, but it made quite an impression on him.

---

A Friendship Not Abandoned (Just Delayed) by @nomolosk

Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste first met as tiny little kids, but then Adrien had to move away. When they finally meet again, will they even remember each other, much less become friends again?

Poor Adrien keeps on saying or doing just the wrong thing to give Marinette the impression that he’s a bully like Chloe when he’s not, and he keeps desperately trying to fix it. So a bit of an enemies au in that way, since Marinette doesn’t like him much. He does gradually manage to convince her that he’s a good person though.

---

The Mer-Human Race by @rosie-b

Bringing her hand closer to his lips, Adrien tried to plant a kiss on it, but Marinette pulled away before his lips could touch her. “Save it for your girlfriend,” she said teasingly. “Or do you still not have one yet?” Adrien smirked and crossed his arms. “It’s a girl,” he said. “And I know her in real life. That’s all you get. Now, let’s get back to planning, shall we? We have a mermaid to beat.”

Lovely world-building here! Merfolk and humans have had a treaty for a long time, so there’s a tradition where merfolk can challenge humans to a race, and whoever wins gets to ask for a reasonable sort of reward (in Marinette’s case, she wants to be allowed to captain a ship at a younger age than is usually allowed). Alya, Nino, and Adrien are naturally very encouraging towards Marinette, and luckily for her, a nice merman going by the name of Chat Noir shows up and challenges her to a race…

Yeah you can see where this is going XD. It’s fun, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

---

A Mousey guest by charliepoet13

Adrien Agreste has finally managed to break away from his father and make his way out into the world. One faithful night, after settling down in his new home, he spots a strange guest.

Adrien X Multimouse fic here! So this is inspired by the Borrowers, with little people the size of mice living amongst ordinary-sized humans, and Marinette got a little careless here XD. But soon finds that Adrien’s friendly and not a threat. It’s adorable and reminds me of the The Littles book series that I read when I was a kid!

---

Caught In A Multimouse Trap by @a-flaming-idiot

Adrien was having a rather slow morning. That was until he discovered a tiny superhero trapped in his home and decides to be a bit of a hero even out of his suit.

This was adorable! Adrien does his best to care for the little miniature superhero caught in a mousetrap, bandaging her up as best as he can (thankfully only her tail got caught so it’s more of a phantom pain than an actual injury) and just… it’s really cute.

---

do you think I have forgotten about you? by @roseinaugust

Based on the song ‘About You’ by The 1975. Memory Loss. Told in alternating time lines, one leading up to and one dealing with the aftermath of Marinette relinquishing the Miracle Box and the guardianship. Marinette struggles with her life after losing her memory, though there is a persistent voice that calls to her that always seems just out of reach in her memory.

Beautiful memory loss fic here, with seeing Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s relationship before she gave up the Miracle box, juxtaposed with the present day, when Adrien is only a stranger to her. I could really feel how Marinette was struggling with navigating these new circumstances, with her friends seeming to expect her to remember, to be who she was to them, to Adrien especially, before, and her just… not knowing whether she can do that. It’s got a happy ending though, for those who are concerned about that.

---

How Marinette Learned to Stop Worrying And Love The Ball by @rosie-b

Hidden from the crowds thronging around the busy fairy portal in Paris’s town square, a fae gate sits at the edge of the forest, locked, rusty, and full of ancient magic. Marinette thinks that this abandoned gate must not work anymore… but one day, a fairy disguised as a black cat steps through it.

Ah, Fantasy Soulmate AUs, my beloved XD. This ain’t the only one of this fic type I’m gonna be recommending. This is just a cute fluff fic without much strife. I love Marinette and Chat Noir being able to be childhood friends via his visits, even if he has to pretend to be her cat whenever he comes over, and I ESPECIALLY adore Alya being his chaperone and quickly becoming friends with Marinette in her own right. It ain’t a complicated plot, but it is a nice and warm fic.

---

Stay Weird, Ladybug by @diadraws

Ladybug receives an invitation at the end of a patrol! Contains some of my own headcanons, most notably: MIRACULOUS HOLDERS ARE CREATURES!!! They get actual animal traits when transformed instead of just a costume. My tumblr is diadraws where I elaborate some more on my headcanons which may add some additional context to this fic if you are interested! CONTENT WARNINGS: *major* depictions of panic attacks, discussion of child neglect/abuse, and a minor emetophobia (vomiting) warning towards the end.

I’ve loved the comics and fanart I’ve seen dia create for this AU, with Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s more animalistic designs, so reading a fic set in that AU was a real treat! It’s mostly just a Ladrien sleepover at Adrien’s house, but it’s very nice and cozy, with some good character development of Adrien helping Ladybug with panic attacks she keeps having.

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Our Tales Are Endless (That’s Why I Tell Them) by @joonapeach

Marinette lives a simple life - one surrounded by pretty dresses, fresh macaroons, and the calming view of Paris. It’s a life she thinks she has always fit in. And yet sometimes, when a certain boy comes by her shop with a flower and a new adventurous story, she can’t help but wonder if there’s something else she’s missing.

This was a truly gorgeous story. It’s the classic “Marinette gives up the Miracle Box and loses her memories” storyline, exploring her life two years later. Even though she’s had time to heal and recover, she still feels like she’s missing something, something big. At least Adrien’s stopping by regularly to tell her stories about Ladybug and Chat Noir, even if she doesn’t understand why they resonate with her so well.

---

a winter so warm by @rosekasa

winters were hard for even the best of vampires, but at least adrien had marinette to keep him warm with her cuddles. december was going to suck without her. so it was only to be expected to get extra cuddles in before she left, right? (well, not really, considering those heating supplements he was taking, but she didn’t need to know about that).

This one’s mostly just cute cuddly adorableness! It’s basically like all those “Marinette gets the Ladybug trait of needing to cuddle up to someone for warmth”, but with Adrien instead. And of course featuring Marinette being a very talented witch who just wants to help Adrien stay warm when she isn’t there XD.

---

The Power of Love by @nedjsmlfavs

In which Ladybug announces that she’s pregnant via her long term boyfriend and Chat Noir is a supportive partner. After all, he can hardly be upset when he’s been dating his Princess for years!

A different take on the show’s tagline (“The Power of Love Always so Strong”) written for Valentine’s day 2023.

This is just a sweet, fluffy fic about Ladybug and Chat Noir finding out they’re having a baby, revealing to each other, getting married, and becoming parents. Gabriel actually tries to do better here, as he does actually care about getting to know his grandchild, and realizes that he can’t undo this timeline without undoing his granddaughter’s existence as well. 

---

Villainous Matchmaking by @nedjsmlfavs

When Chat Noir is tragically unable to attend an event with Ladybug, the mayor calls in a favor from a designer ‘friend’. Now she’s attending in style, on the arm of the hottest male model in Paris. Which would be fine if it weren’t for one, tiny issue: Paris’ favorite domestic terrorist now knows how Ladybug feels about his son. This leads him to his greatest plan yet, using Ladybug’s extremely obvious crush on Adrien Agreste to akumatize Chat Noir.

A Ladrien/“platonic” Ladynoir fic

This is adorable and hilarious. Gabriel keeps on “accidentally” releasing things which makes it looks like Adrien and Ladybug are a couple in an effort to make Chat Noir jealous, while Adrien and Ladybug ae just over-the-moon about getting to spend time together and finding out that the other person loves them XD.

---

Fate, Destiny... A Hamster by @mostmagical

After finally moving into his very first apartment per Ladybug’s suggestion, Adrien discovers something no movie or TV show could have ever prepared him for: someone else's hamster.

Marinette was so excited to have her first pet. If only it would stop escaping!

At least now there’s an excuse to talk to the new neighbor.

(Adrienette Never Met AU)

Funnily enough, this is based on a true story. Specifically, the author’s own experience of having her hamster run out and be found by a neighbor.

Anyway, this is adorable! Marinette and Adrien become smitten with each other extremely quickly, with Marinette’s hamster keeping giving them reasons to talk. Very effective wing-hamster, that one XD. 

---

Through the Looking Glass by @jheqiawrites

Adrien is a lonely child, cut off from the outside world by his parent's strict rules. But when he discovers a window in his closet and sees a young girl looking back at him like his reflection, maybe he has hope for friendship after all.

Poor Adrien here, he makes a long-time friend (who everyone thinks is an imaginary friend), and has several great years interacting with her as his parents grow more concerned with him not growing out of it... and then Emilie dies, Gabriel orders the window destroyed, Adrien’s put on medication to suppress his “hallucinations” (which also makes him forget Marinette) and he’s just kind of left like that for the next several years, until he’s an adult.

Luckily, while Adrien forgot Marinette, Marinette never forgot him, and he’s not too difficult to track down...

This is some really cute Adrienette, if you want a “forgotten childhood friends-to lovers” Adrienette story, you should check this out!

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Miraculous Conception series by @ladynoirfanao3

Summary of the first story, The Power Of Creation:

Everyone knows that Ladybug's cure fixes everything after the destruction wrought by Shadow Moth's akumatized villains. After an akuma with an unfortunate power leaves Ladybug and Adrien in an awkward position, Marinette has never been happier to simply forget. However, she soon discovers that her miraculous ladybugs have a limitation on their curing ability, a limitation that puts her in a situation she never expected to be in.

So basically, Ladybug and Adrien run into each other just as an akuma makes everyone in the vicinity extremely horny, and when they both start remembering things again, they’re in a pretty... compromising position. But it’s just an akuma so they put it out of their heads, until Marinette discovers she’s pregnant and has to decide what to do about it, whether to keep the pregnancy, tell Adrien she’s Ladybug and is having his baby, what to do with the earrings when she’s too pregnant to be Ladybug, etc.

I really enjoyed it! Just watching Ladybug and Adrien try and navigate the situation, especially with secret identities thrown into the mix.

The main fics in the series are basically the same story, it’s just that the first one is from Marinette’s perspective, while the second one is from Adrien’s. The Power of Creation is rated M while the Power of Destruction is rated E, but for both fics it’s just rated that for a single sex scene that occurs in the fic (with it being the same sex scene in both fics, just told from two different perspectives).

---

you made me a hero - reverse crush short stories series by @non-fantasy

This series is just plain fun! Like the title says, it’s a reverse crush AU, so Adrien’s head-over-heels for Marinette, while Ladybug’s smitten with Chat Noir. Which means that Adrien’s constantly trying to woo Marinette while Ladybug’s attempting to have normal conversations with Chat Noir (and failing), and both of them are oblivious to each other’s feelings. 

I love the way non-fantasy executes it, with Alya literally carrying around a spray bottle because of how eager Adrien is, and Ladybug being VERY SCARY if you ever lay a finger on Chat Noir (seriously akumas will literally beg for their akumatized object to be broken just to escape her wrath). 

Oh, also, Ladybug regularly stops by Adrien’s room so they can both lament how difficult of a time they’re having wooing their crushes, and just have fun together.

There’s a lot of entries in this series - 29 of them in fact - but most of them are pretty short, making it great if you want to devour some quick, cute, hilarious romcom action! 

Some stuff does actually change over the course of the series, it’s not just slice-of-life. Like identity reveals, dating, and even Hawkmoth’s defeat, so there’s clear progression and changes in circumstances as well.

---

Dreams of You by @chocoluckchipz

Dreams had long been his only escape. Dreams of Ladybug, the girl who had always been there for him.

If only in his dreams. And only while she was also sleeping.

Because with the first rays of sunshine gliding over her skin, with the first fluttering of her eyelashes, from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning, memories of Adrien would vanish from her mind.

She would go on living her life.

He would always be the only one who remembered.

At least until they meet in the real world and fall in love all over again, something that would’ve been easier to do if Adrien wasn't a prisoner in his own home.

Chocoluckchipz has some of the most beautifully executed lovesquare fics I’ve read, and this is no exception. Most of the fic is dedicated to Adrien wooing Marinette, spending time with her, with her own dream self acting as his wingman, giving her tips on how to get her to fall for him, all the while frustrated that she can’t share memories with her waking self, and that she and Adrien can’t share as much information as they’d like while asleep, due to limitations of the “curse” that allows Adrien to share dreams with his soulmate. 

It’s not all cute Adrienette fluff though. There’s a threat in the background waiting to erupt, as the weirdness of Gabriel’s ultimatum to Adrien about finding Ladybug or else being forced to marry Lila keeps on gnawing at him - and with good reason. This is a world with magic and kwamis still, and that fact makes itself very relevant in the last third of the story. 

It’s a well-written tale and very much worth a read!

[ardentprose]

the day matt murdock became devout

Type: angst, no relationships, young!matt murdock

Length: 1.5k~ | 6 min

Warnings: grief; mourning; mention of bullying; religious subjects; mention of blood and injuries; depression

Feel free to message me if a necessary warning isn’t mentioned.

Summary: A short scene exploring the time shortly after nine-year-old Matt Murdock loses his father.

Read on AO3

A/N: (I am still figuring out how to format these...) So this one was written after a downward spiral of emotion. I wrote it in one sitting and lightly edited it, but it's not beta read. I'm not Catholic, so forgive me if anything is amiss. However, I was raised in a religious background and this draws inspiration from that.

This is the song that inspired the work and which I kept on repeat while writing, if any are interested.

__________

Nine years old is too young to know the taste of blood.

It smells like acrid dust that burns the throat.

It smells of rain and rotting wood and moth balls.

It smells of claustrophobic velvet.

Matt doesn’t know where he is. All he knows is he ran with hands outstretched, stumbling into walls and corners until he found a closet deep in the recesses of the church.

It’s dark. It’s quiet. It’s safe. For now.

Sobbing until he chokes on the blood running into his mouth and spewing from his lips. Salt and iron.

Dust. Cobwebs. He knows there are spiders in the corner above his head. He doesn’t know why but he knows they are there, on webs that thrum like pricked violin strings.

Loneliness, like a dagger, tears with every inhale. It deepens the black gash of loss that has bled into the cavity of his chest for weeks now. His ribcage thunders against his heartbeat. His veins strain with agony.

Matt falls to his knees in scuffed jeans. He swallows, grasping at oxygen before the next round of grief wracks his body.

He’s scared.

He’s alone.

Alone.

So very al-

May we sing.

Together.

Always.

Matt huffs, trying to stop the momentum of soft cries tumbling from his lips. His panic stops only because his curiosity outweighs it. He tilts his head, his ears ringing with voices.

May our voice be soft.

Soprano. Alto. Tenor. Bass.

A choir.

Angels.

May our singing be music for others

And may it keep others aloft.

Matt sucks in a sharp breath, determined to stop crying so loud so he could hear. It wasn’t that the choir was distant, it was that his body was too close. He could hear everything, from his heart, to his blood, to his organs convulsing and squelching and it was scary. He was so scared.

He wanted a hug. But his father was gone.

He has no mother.

He has no one.

A wail tempers at his mouth, threatening to spill, but he bites his lip until it stings. Matt bows his head, screwing his eyes shut and holding his breath so he could hear better.

Sing,

Sing gently,

Always.

Sing,

Sing as one.

He releases his breath slowly. His body shudders.

May we stand together,

Always.

May our voice be strong.

The voices blend together as they carry to the ceilings of the cathedral and echo throughout the church. Matt can picture it. He can sense it. His eyes flit back and forth, chasing fiery impressions behind his eyelids as they continually morph into different shapes.

He rests his forehead on his crossed forearms, bowed into a shivering ball on the ground. His cries become ragged whispers.

The voices rise once more and caress his senses. They lull him into a state of temporary stability. Nowhere near alright, but just enough to be fascinated.

To be transfixed. To have a shred of comfort.

Guilt flashes across Matt’s chest. Maybe he shouldn’t be eavesdropping. He shouldn’t be here, hiding from Sister Maggie and the other nuns. He’s going to get in so much trouble if he doesn’t show up for dinner.

But he can’t bear to leave the four walls he’s cowered in, listening to the choral melodies reverberate around him. It feels like a cocoon. Like a safe haven.

May we hear the singing and

May we always sing along.

Fresh, hot tears pour from Matt’s obscured eyes. Peace, or at least a semblance of it, takes the tension from his shoulders. He presses into the floor, now sobbing for a completely different reason.

Now he cries for the beautiful music soothing his heart. He cries for the comfort he’s longed for since everything changed for the worst. He cries for the choir with their sacred voices singing for a divine love towards heaven and one another.

How badly he wants to be apart of it all. To not be alone anymore.

He hugs himself tighter and tries to remember his father’s scarred hands on his stomach and back.

No one hugs here. Not law enforcement, social services, or reporters. He’s too old for the nuns to give him more than a reluctant pat on the back, pushing him towards his next activity on the itinerary.

For one sacred second, here in this closet, Matt Murdock feels comforted, held, and loved. Through their voices alone, Matt feels the presence of God wrapped around him.

If the church was the bride of Christ, then maybe it could be his mother as well. Embrace him with the maternal affection he will never experience in the flesh.

_____

Matt jolts awake, startled at first.

Why is it so dark? Where is he? Where did the voices go? Did he fall asleep and for how long because it’s so dark and- oh.

Right.

His heartbeat settles as he remembers everything. Then his brow crumbles, threatening to repeat the entire process of the previous moment.

A firm hand squeezes his shoulder.

“Matthew? Matthew Murdock?”

A low, soft voice. Father Lantom. He recognizes that quiet authority from mass.

Matt is half asleep, eyes swollen and aggravated. His temples pulse with the start of a migraine. His lips are puffy from being chewed on, drool and spit and blood crusting on his round cheeks. He flushes with embarrassment at how he must look in front of the priest.

“Son, what are you doing in here?” He’s in huge trouble now.

How can he explain to the priest that he wasn’t trying to disobey? He just needed to-

He only wanted to…

Hide.

He doesn’t remember how it started. Only that the other boys made fun of his father for losing a match and that he must not have been that good. Jack Murdock was probably so embarrassed he killed himself and then, Matt’s hands were flying out in wild directions until they struck someone. Then he was shoved. Kicked. And a fist flew into his nose.

The sound of his cartilage crunching and the blood bursting from between his skin cells terrified him more than the pain of being beat up by three other boys. Somehow he crawled far enough away to scramble to his feet.

Their laughter and feet were loud and so he ran. He ran, collecting more bruises on his knees, face and feet as he kept slamming into things, unaware of his surroundings and too terrified to orient himself.

Then he found the closet. The choir. God’s divine bride cradling him in heavenly voices.

“I…” Matt shuffles into a sitting position, still half-coherent. He felt drunk on the music and now that it had stopped, he felt the stark emptiness that was quickly taking over his whole life and becoming a constant companion.

Father Lantom hums and Matt can feel he’s being stared at.

“Never mind it. You’ve made quite the mess. Let’s get you outta here and cleaned up. We’ll have you back to the nuns before anyone’s the wiser.”

“Sir? I-I mean Father…” Matt is confused by the lack of punishment. He’s trying to sort through why he can hear Father Lantom’s skin stretch into a smile and further away, hear the sound of churchgoers arriving in the sanctuary. Footsteps and coats and soft greetings.

“Unless you have something to confess?”

“What?” Now, Matt’s truly confused. Did the boys lie to the nuns? Well, Matt did instigate it…but it was in self-defense so technically speaking-

“Matthew, you’re sitting on the floor of the confessional and by the look of that guilty face, something awful is weighing on your conscience. It’s enough that you’ve made quite the mess in here and those blood stains won’t come out that carpet for a good while. Now, either tell me what’s on your mind or let’s clean you up.”

“Oh…sorry.” Matt sniffs. He runs the back of his arm across his face, unbeknownst to him, smearing the snot and blood garishly across his young face.

Father Lantom sighs. He stands up, then offers his hand. “Up you go, Matthew.”

Matt accepts the hand that pulls him to his feet as if he weighs nothing.

Father Lantom clamps down on Matt’s shoulder and Matt expects him to turn his small body in the direction of the nearest bathroom to clean up.

Matt nearly twists his ankle as Father Lantom pulls Matt into his chest instead. Matt finds his face buried in the priest’s shirt, buttons pressing into his cheek. The priest hunches slightly to wrap both arms around the young boy.   

Hugging him.

Matt’s lips tremble, but he couldn’t face anyone if he cried again. Besides, he was too exhausted. Everything hurt.

Father Lantom pulls back, keeping his arm across the young boy’s shoulders. Matt turns his face up at him, waiting for some explanation.

“You just looked like you could use it.” Father Lantom smiles. Then, satisfied with his appraisal, Father Lantom turns Matt’s stance the opposite direction and begins to walk with him towards the back exit, towards the orphanage.

“Now, we’ll keep this a secret between us. Priestly confidentiality and all that. I’ll tell Sister Susan a wild rat got into the booth and I had to do what I had to do.”

Matt snorts. Pain flares up his nose, across his face and to his temples.

But he keeps smiling. Bloody face and all.

[alwaysjustmina]

Whispers of Rain

Chapter 8: For So Long I Have Waited

Thank you @kamonart for this beautiful artwork!

Also thank you to @papaslittlesunshine for beta reading and @midnight-moth for listening to all my feelings on this story!

Eidolon didn’t know what to do, Dew hadn’t said anything since he had returned from his lunch with Ifrit. He looked hollow, the little spark he still had in his eyes had gone out completely. All he could do was hold Dew, hoping he wasn’t overstepping again.

Their days turned back into a monotonous routine, get up, shower, eat, sleep, repeat. Ifrit didn’t stop by, but he made sure the servants checked on them and relayed messages often. It was through the servants that he found out what had happened at lunch. Or at least the part about Beltane. Dew would just look through the servants as they carried on about plans that were taking place. They didn’t need to ask questions, it wasn’t like Dew would be allowed to make any decisions.

Eidolon found out at these “meetings” he would be attending the festival as well, he could enjoy some freedom there as both Dew and Ifrit would be busy “entertaining” others. He couldn’t leave the grounds, there was a fence covering the grounds that barred that. As it was his first time off a leash, he was to behave or he would not have further demonstrations of Ifrit’s generosity. Got it, follow the rules, or be punished. He tried not to roll his eyes, did they think he was stupid? His responsibility was to get Dewdrop ready for the big day, make sure he looked presentable and was ready to go.

Eidolon figured this is what had upset Dew, how couldn’t it? Once he and Ifrit were mated, the only separation of that bond was true death. He would not be able to be with Rain again. Eidolon had never seen the bond forced on someone before, he didn't know how that would work, but he had seen people who weren’t in love to the depth they were after the ceremony, did it take away free will? He grieved for what this would do to Dewdrop.

He had calculated it had been a few weeks since they had left the room, from what he understood Beltane was the following week, not much longer now. He awoke before dawn one morning, to Dewdrop staring at him from across the bed. His eyes looked partially clear for the first time in weeks.

“Hi,” Eidolon whispered in hopes of not scaring Dew now that he looked he may be ready to talk.

Dewdrop’s eyes closed, his face scrunching up, as if he was fighting an inner battle to emerge from within his cocoon of depression. Eidolon was thrilled when he opened his eyes back up to look back at him.

“I’m sorry,” He could barely hear Dew.

“You have nothing-”

“Don’t, Don’t play it off like it was nothing, and I left you here, having to deal with what happened between us by yourself. I am sorry, I should have stayed and talked to you, even if it was just a few moments. To make sure you were ok.” Dew closed his eyes as he talked, the pain of the last few days playing across his features, the pain of what he left Eidolon to deal with.

“Dew, it-”

“I am serious Eidolon, I know I hurt you, I am sorry.”

He brought his eyes back up to meet Eidolon's eyes, both trying to not lay more hurt on the other. They stared at each other for a while, both trying to read the other's expression, unable to tell what the other felt.

Dew dragged his hands through his hair, untangling the knots as he went, looking away from Eidolon as he did it. He wasn’t sure why he felt calm, he should be breaking apart still, after what Ifrit told him. Maybe he was just numb. Maybe him and Rain were only meant to burn fast and bright? He hoped Rain hadn’t suffered, that he didn’t know Dew wasn’t there with him in the end. That he couldn’t see him now. He just had to make this right with Eidolon, make sure he was ok.

“Dew,” Eidolon started quietly, “I should have stopped, I thought you knew it was me, I-I should have realized, should have known, should have-known better.”

“Eidolon.” He didn’t know what to say. He liked him, he did but he was in no place to offer anyone anything. Least of all someone he cared about, who had cared for him like he had.

Eidolon’s heart broke when his name was uttered from Dew’s mouth. He wanted him so badly, he wished Dew felt the same way he did, but he didn’t, he knew he didn’t. He would offer his friendship, even if that is all he would get in return.

“It’s ok, really, Dewdrop, I care about you, I am sorry I didn’t stop it sooner.”

Dew looked at him questioningly, but he nodded his assent. If that is what Eidolon wanted to say for the moment, he could accept it.

“Do you want to talk about what Ifrit said at lunch?”

“Not really-I assume you heard about the festival though?”

Eidolon nodded, he didn’t want to hurt him by asking questions he wasn’t ready to answer.

“I will be there with you, every step of the way, if you want?”

Dew reached out his hand and took Eidolon’s in his, squeezing his thanks, while nodding his head.

They stayed like this for a while, both in and out of subconscious as the day went on. Dew finally fell back asleep.

His dreams were plagued with Rain, as always. The one he found him in today, was comforting at least. It was the second time they had a hotel room together. Both were exhausted from the earlier ritual, they barely carried themselves through the hotel room door. They had both looked at the one bed, then back at each other, laughing.

“Want to share?” Raising his eyes, in shock Rain laughed at Dew’s question.

“Share, what would the others think?”

Even through their haze of tiredness, Dew reached out to Rain, grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the bathroom.

“You can share with me on one condition.” He shut the door behind them, turning from Rain and reaching into the shower, turning the water to warm before turning back around.

Read the rest on Ao3

[phosphorus-12]

Wakfu AU Chapter 3

Yugo panicked, thinking he’d been found. He opened his mouth, not entirely sure what would come out when the person put their finger to their lips and shushed him.

“Shut up, you’re gonna get me caught,” the person hissed. They were a head shorter than him and had a mask covering their face. It looked like a skull and it had black feathers on it that fell down their back. They wore a cloak going down to just above their feet, which had no shoes.

“Who are you???” Yugo was confused. “What are you doing in here?”

The person lifted their mask. It was a little Osamodas girl who looked about six. She had pink hair and an indignant look on her face.

“I don’t think you need to know that.” She turned up her nose at him, looking at him like all little kids do when they thought they knew more than him. Grougal often had that look and while Yugo never appreciated it, and he could usually handle it. But now, he was reaching the end of his rope. “You don’t look like you think at all.” He internally facepalmed. He was talking to a six-year-old like this? What happened to being mature?

Then the girl snickered. She obviously wasn’t phased. That’s new. Whenever kids in his village talked to their little siblings like that there was crying and whining, or biting in Grougal’s case. Adamai used to get really impatient with the younger dragon. Sarcasm never really helped.

“I’m Coqueline,” she said, holding her hand out. “I’m here to free these animals. You?”

“Yugo.” He shook her hand. “Me too.”

“Wanna help me?” She offered.

“Uh, sure. Yeah, why not?”

“Okay, so we start by unlocking this…”

They worked in total silence, any noise that their clothes or the cages made concealed by the roaring laughter and loud thunder outside. As they worked, Coqueline whispered to the animals to stay put until she said so, and they listened. Yugo thought that this was incredible. When the rain slowed to a stop, the sky was still closed by rain. The men had gone to sleep a while ago and now started waking up. The cages had all been unlocked and the animals unshackled. The doors were still closed so that the trappers wouldn’t get suspicious.

The two snuck out of the cave and waited in some nearby trees. The men took the cages out of the cave and put them on the ground in the clearing just outside the entrance to the cave. Now that it was lighter out, while admittedly still being gray, Yugo could finally see around them.

The forest extended as far as the eye could see. There was a river nearby that fell off of a cliff that he somehow hadn’t seen. The ground next to it looked pretty unstable, though. He needed to avoid that.

Yugo wondered where they were going to put all the cages. A tall one took out a Haven bag. Smart choice. Made sense.

Coqueline got ready to whistle. The animals would stampede and then they would incapacitate the trappers while the creatures fled.

One… Two… Thr-

And the clearing burst into flames.

<<First/ <Previous/ Next>

[hallowsden]

Devotion

Zevlor x G/N!Tav snippet

Author Notes: All I'm gonna say is this was originally supposed to be only about 500 words only for me to finally get to the part of Act 2 where I managed to save Zevlor and OH BOY- it evolved into 1.2k words. Just- I adore Zevlor. This came out having more angst than I initially thought, though, so... Anyways, hope you all enjoy it! [Not beta read]

He pretends not to see the relief in your eyes when you first go up to him after fighting the Mind Flayers and Intellect Devourers. After all, why would you give him such a look with what he's done? No, that's just all in his imagination. He knows you're aware of his sins. Then again, you always did have a habit of knowing things before anyone else does...

Even without the tadpole that now inhabits his head like you and the other saviors, Zevlor could see through your brave mask. In those mismatched eyes he had grown fond of long before your lot had done the impossible all those months ago, he sees a mirror image of himself.

The festering fear that haunts you and everyone else like the shadows that barely stood by in this damnable land. The neverending guilt that attempts to drown you to the depths of your mind as the blood refuses to wash away from your hands, your head chanting apologies as you think about the what ifs of you have done better.

Zevlor knows that look you wore well. He's seen it in himself every time he caught a glimpse of his reflection, as of an occurrence that was... Not to mention, it reminded him of the others... The younger Hellriders especially tend to wear it more publicly, not yet developing the skills to effectively hide their inner demons yet... So many gone, just like that-...

The exhaustion you practically wore like a second skin, with bags that cling to you with a vengeance, one that came along with you before he had even met you. The exhaustion that weighed your trembling shoulders and buckling knees had it not been the adrenaline that roared through your ears-. Hell, he swears he could see some new scars marking your delicate face, even.

Has it been that long ago since he last saw you? You haven't appeared to have changed much, and yet...

And yet, as he goes on to blink, he senses it immediately as he explains himself to you. What once was the hollow void in your chest when he first met you, the one that mirrored his own so brokenly is now replaced with a bright, burning radiance of celestial strength and blessing, one that pulses to the beat of your heart.

A not so mirror image. But it was still you, nonetheless...

No longer were you a fellow oathbreaker who was ever so lost in the world and of yourself. You had what he once had, an Oath of Devotions that glowed in you but more, filling up your broken cracks like the way the false God had shown him if he just gave them his broken faith and devotion and followed what they said...

It was nothing but a lie, as his people got hunted down and slaughtered. The people he swore to protect... He betrayed them all and failed them once more.

But you're here, giving him a look of understanding... And admittedly, it confused him...

Why do you care for him, he's so tempted to ask. The moment you met him, you practically acted as if you were drawn to him like a Moth to a flame... He doesn't understand it. Why care for an old, decrepit man like him? And why did your eyes shine with familiarity when you two first met?

You saved him. And no doubt you saved the others. He just knows you did. From all that he knows about you, from word of mouth and the times you decided to hang around in his little area back in the Druid's Grove, you'd never let anyone suffer under your watch.

You were always so compassionate. He at first thought it was due to being a fellow Tiefling. Goodness, how the world already hated their kinds existence. It wasn't uncommon for Tieflings to stand up for one another. After all, who would if not themselves in the world they lived in? But no... He's seen how you work. Your heart was far bigger than the body that holds it. It was something he appreciated about you.

You were the person he once was. You were a person he wished to be once more. Brave and strong despite it all. Kind and passionate and protective even to the low lives like him.

He adored you more than he could ever realize up until now.

Maybe that's why he didn't hesitate when he hastily said "I want to help- if you let me" even when his throat burned with dryness and guilt as he spoke. Even when anxiety shot high in his blood, his tail pinned itself between his legs, feeling just how drained his body was.

He knows you have already done so much for him, for his people. But... Maybe he'll find salvation and forgiveness if he goes with you. Find redemption. At the very least, he could repay you with his services, even if it's being a meat shield as he goes to try and help out the others. He'd deserved that if anything...

Death was too good for someone like him. He deserved to be tortured for all his failures... Yet, when his eyes met yours...

... Maybe you were the angel he had prayed to the Gods for from before... Who knows? Not him. Not when he was surprised you even listened to any of his words. Not when you gave him such a gentle look, eyes full of empathy that he didn't deserve, as you asked him to join your party, another blade in the fight to come.

You... Want him by your side?*

And even when he had his doubts, not wanting to be a backstabber twice over, your glowing eyes met his as you said, "I trust you." You had said it with such earnestness, how could he deny you like that?

He could never turn you down, not with those eyes of yours... And distantly, he remembers how the other refugees would tease him upon meeting you back before everything went to shit... Admittedly, they were right. Just as you were drawn to him, he was drawn to you... Maybe that's why he cared for you more than others...

"... On the condition that if I ever freeze like that again, do not hesitate to strike me down. Better me gone than being a traitor once more." That was his only condition. And he sees you nodding, ignoring the slight hesitation you had at first.

He couldn't bear the idea of hurting you.

"Let's get you checked up and rested first, yeah? You've already been through a lot. And I need to go check for others trapped... Just follow me closely, alright?"

You care so much... He didn't deserve it.

Oh, how he didn't deserve you, but obediently, he followed you with his hand clasped in yours. For you, he'll give you his devotion and faith. His everything, even. After all, you never broke his trust. You never broke his faith. If anything, you gave him what he had lost for so long. Hope.

You have given hope to him just as you gave hope to others. Maybe that's what caused you to stand out from even your group.

You deserve the world with all the good you've done. Of how you saved his people. Of how you saved him. For that, he is grateful, and he'll make sure, as long as he sides with you, he'll help with any endeavors and goals you put your mind to, knowing it would always align with that good nature you carry in your heart. To the end, he will follow.

'So he swears, so mote it be.'

[meatydilfpp]

Like Moth to Flame (Stu Marcher x fem!Reader)

Summary: Stu had always been followed by some kind of darkness, that most people did not seem to realise. You however, revelled in it.

In which reader is equally deranged as Stu, and suspects he had something to do with the murders of Casey and her boyfriend. She wants him to open up to her and be hers once and for all.

Warnings/Tags: Explicit sexual content, obsessive behaviour, infatuation, vaginal fingering, oral (f receiving), unprotected sex, creampies, discussions of murder, mentions of blood, reader is equally deranged as Stu is. No use of Y/N, reader has no physical description other than being shorter than Stu. Reader has female anatomy.

Words: 4.3k

Cross-posted on ao3.

A/N: This is my first time writing fan fiction since 2018 and I wanna come back strong baby. Additionally, this is my first time ever posting on tumblr so pls be kind while I learn to navigate. I found the lack of exclusive Stu x reader fics disturbing, so I did something about it. Likes and reblogs, as always, greatly appreciated.

Guys, I want the constructive criticism, so feel free to rant about it in my asks if you want! More to come soon x

Also, not beta read 😬

Stu had always been followed by some kind of darkness, that most people did not seem to realise. A kind of malevolent energy followed his every step and action, even though he appeared like a typical teenage boy, forever shrouded in the shadow of Billy Loomis, the guy every girl in school wanted to date, and every boy in school wanted to be mates with. You however, revelled in that darkness, drawn to it like a moth to flame. It was just as well that Stu himself was incredibly social and engaged in regular conversation with you, about everything and anything. It sometimes made you wonder if he was drawn to you the way you were drawn to him. You didn’t have many friends, just a small group of people, you weren’t part of any clubs or societies, you were just there, going to classes, then home, rinse and repeat.

So when the murders of Casey Becker and her boyfriend shook everyone else to the core, you were unbelievably intrigued. And the only person who seemed to be just as unfased as you was Stu.

“I’m just saying, it seems counter productive to call the person you’re trying to kill beforehand. Gets rid of your element of surprise.” Stu said looking down at you as he leaned against a locker and sucking on a lollipop. Next period was soon, and you needed to grab a few books from your locker for your next class. “No you’re right, but-“ you slammed the door to your locker shut, “It’s more fun that way.” You finished with a slight smirk on your face looking up at him. He was so much taller.

More fun that way. Stu could feel his cheeks getting hotter and the fire at the pit of his belly growing larger at your words. You understood. You were just like him. He was sure that if you were to be let out and do something as heinous as what he and Billy have been doing, you would do just as well if not better. Billy had his own motives for what they had done and were planning to do, but he was just there for the thrill of it. Seeing someone beg for their life on their knees in front of him, while he had the power to take it all away, made him feel like a god. Stu had been speaking to you for a while now, he knew you were interested in true crime, horror movies and the like. For a while he believed that your interests simply ended there. Something that intrigued you, something to do to pass the time. But ever since the case of Casey broke out in the community, he has seen nothing but genuine interest in finding out who Ghostface was from you. Not the simplicity of finally identifying who the killer is, but something deeper. He saw how you wanted to get to know him on a more substantial level, understand his motives, his thought process, everything. Sometimes he wondered what you’d do if he told you. Even better, how would things be if you joined him instead of Billy.

He looked down at you with a smirk on his face “Oh yeah? How would you do it then?” You hummed in thought as you walked with him to your next class. You figured if you went into too much detail he’d probably freak out, so instead you simply said: “I would make sure she knew I was coming for her. Nothing personal, but you know, if I am to do something horrible like that, I should at least go all out.”

“So you’d go for something slasher-like or?”

“Slasher. The more blood the better.” You cut him off.

He could barely contain his smile, every word coming out of your mouth drew you to him even more. He had to find a way to get closer to you. He even felt the need to drop in front of you on his knees and tell you everything. You’d probably shake your head at him disappointed and berate him for his sloppiness. He hoped you’d tell him how to do it better, give him ideas, maybe even tell him who to go after next.

“I didn’t think you’d be so messy with it. Being sloppy can lead to getting caught, you know.” He said.

“How do you know Stu, have you done this before?” You asked as you rounded a corner on your way to your classroom. You didn’t know why, but you had a feeling Stu was somehow involved. Logically, you had no reason to suspect him, no more than anyone else in the school, but you felt it deep within you that he wasn’t innocent. There was a glint in his eye every time the incident was brought up, a suppressed look of pride at his actions that he wasn’t able to let out. You wanted to pull that out from him, wanted him to open up to you and only you. If he was Ghostface that is. You were aware that you might be hallucinating the whole thing, but you wouldn’t let that stop you. You wanted to draw that side of him out, and you’d try your best to do just that. The answers to his questions were genuine, and the way he looked at you made you want to fall to your knees for him and worship him; reward him for a job well done. Clean his knives for him, wipe the blood from his face.

“Are you serious?” He quipped back, a slight frown on his face, and you shrugged.

“You seem to know an awful lot Stu.” You said looking up at him suspiciously.

Suddenly, you saw his chest in front of you and you felt yourself be pushed against the wall. Stu leaned his head to look down at you, his one hand toying with the lollipop between his lips. “So do you.” His voice was low “You wouldn’t want me to think it is you, now would you?”

Your eyes danced between his plump lips and icy blue eyes. You toyed with the idea of telling him that it was you, and see his reaction to you taking credit for his work. You decided otherwise, you wouldn’t want to get to his bad side after all, even though you knew he was aware that this was a game for the both of you.

“It’s not me, Stu.” You gently placed your hand on his chest, your eyes staring up at him from underneath your eyelashes. He didn’t say anything back, his eyes boring into yours, his heartbeat a steady rhythm underneath your fingertips. You were so close to him, physically that is, that you could feel the heat radiating off of him. Suddenly, you noticed how red his lips seemed, probably from the lollipop he was sucking. You wanted to take it from him, so that he would finally be able to lean down and place his lips on top of yours. His deep breathing seemed like he was about to do just that, before he let out a deep chuckle that resonated within you.

“You wouldn’t have it in you anyway.” he taunted as he leaned away to let you resume your walking. That statement alone made you want to kill him. He didn’t know what you were and weren’t capable of doing. If he gave you a chance you could prove him wrong any day, properly show him how you would’ve done it.

You shook your head at him. “Whatever you say, Stu.” You turned around to walk away before the sound of your name brought you to a halt.

“Come over to my place tonight.” He said with a look full of confidence, like he was sure you wouldn’t deny him. You were certainly intrigued, this would be the first time you’d hang out with him outside school, and you had zero inclination as to what he may possibly want from you. Regardless, you wanted to humour him, and above all you wanted to be alone with him. It was very obvious you were into him, in more ways than just physically. The darkness that drew you to him seemed to be drawing him to you equally and you wouldn’t pass that opportunity.

“Okay.” You simply said before turning around and heading to your next class, leaving him standing in the middle of the hallway, as people passed by him.

——

Later in the evening, after school, after homework, and after contemplating every possible scenario regarding tonight’s encounter, you suddenly found yourself in Stu’s bedroom, some horror film playing in the background. The room itself held a mix of horror memorabilia, along with the remnants of a seemingly ordinary life- books, movie posters, and a well-worn jacker casually thrown over his desk chair. Your legs crossed, you were sitting on top of his bed, your back against the headboard, the muted glow of a single desk lamp casting an amber hue. Stu was sat next to you, his side touching yours, the heat from his body keeping you warm. A million thoughts were racing through your head, as he hadn’t said anything profound the entire night. Just a single greeting as he met you at his front door, and a question about what horror film you guys should watch. This was all so uncharacteristic of him, his usual loud, outgoing, albeit sometimes annoying demeanour being totally replaced by a quiet, stoic version of himself. A deep sense of discomfort filled you as a result, with a strong desire hidden underneath. Somehow you knew, this was him, not the loud obnoxious guy you knew from school, but this calculating, slightly cold man that was now sat next to you.

A shrill scream sounded from the television, some girl being close to her death probably, but you weren’t paying much attention anyway. You didn’t know if you wanted to climb on Stu’s lap, or confront him about everything.

“See, in real life she wouldn’t sound like that.” His voice was low, his eyes still glued to the screen. Your head snapped at him with the sound of his voice, a stark contrast to the otherwise silent room. You felt as if this was an invitation for you to prod further.

“Yeah?” Your voice barely above a whisper. “How would it be then?” You continued, as you looked up at the side of his face. The glow from the lamp was accentuating his features, the dip of his cheekbones, and the near black of his irises as he turned his head towards you.

“Well, for starters, she wouldn’t scream like that. She’d be too panicked to make any sound.” He said in a low voice as his eyes trailed down your face to your lips. “Then, when she realises what’s going to happen to her, then she’ll scream.” His hand was trailing up to grasp the side of your face bringing you closer to him. “She wouldn’t last long though. I would end her before she made too much noise.” He finished as his breath fanned your face. Your heart was about to beat out of your chest, the way he spoke as if he was the one doing everything send a thrill down your spine, unlike anything you had ever felt before. You couldn’t know for sure, but deep down you knew this was his way of confessing to you, his way of admitting everything without actually admitting to anything. The atmosphere was so charged with the tension of your attraction to him, and the weight of his words, that you could cut through it with a knife. So many different sensations bombarding you at once, that you wanted to straight up combust. You decided that it was now or never. Stu threw the bait, now it was time for you to take it. In a breathless voice you asked, “Did Casey scream?” The smirk on his face and the way his breath hitched told you everything you needed to know. “Yeah, she did.” he said before closing the gap and placing his lips on yours, giving you a slow passionate kiss that made your heart jump out of your chest. His other hand came up to hold the other side of your face, as his kiss deepened and his breath grew heavier. You were ecstatic. You got him to admit it to you. Only you. He was now forever yours. Surely, he was aware of what you were, otherwise he wouldn’t have opened up so easily. You didn’t want to think any of that now. The only thing you wanted to focus on was the feeling of his lips against yours, the touch of his hands on your face, the heat radiating off his body.

Suddenly, you felt yourself be pushed into the bed as his weight came to rest on top of yours. You immediately closed your leg around his waist and pulled him closer to your body. His one hand trailed underneath your shirt to wander against your scorching skin. His touch set your core ablaze, as you finally got to be in the place you wanted to be the most. Beneath Stu, making him feel good. His kisses and ministrations grew ever more passionate as he leaned backwards to take your shirt off you, before doing the same to his soft sweater and discarding it somewhere across his room. The glow of the yellow light coming from the lamp next to his bed combined with the soft street lights streaming in from the window, danced across the curves of the muscles of his toned torso and arms. He was even more beautiful like this. You imagined what he’d looked like with specs of someone’s blood on him, how it would glisten in the light, how you would make sure to meticulously clean it all off, before falling on your knees and sucking him off. You wanted to make him happy, you wanted to do whatever he asked of you. He was sick and deranged, he killed two people, and then gloated about the fact to everyone, without actually admitting to anything.

His head dipped to the side of your neck to suck and lick and nibble as you ran your hands through his short hair and tugged at it. Your heavy breaths drove him crazy, he wanted to devour every single inch of you, coax every sweet sound that he could out of you. His kisses trailed from your neck to your chest, his mouth peppering kisses across your breast, as his hand came up to squeeze the other. His lips wrapped around your nipple, his teeth nipping at it making you let out a long moan. His blue eyes, dark with lust stared at you from your chest, the sounds you were making were driving him insane. He continued trailing kisses down your stomach, before he reached the waistband of your jeans. He made quick work of them, pulling them off along with your underwear in one go. His hands grabbed both your knees and roughly spread your legs apart, his eyes looking down at your glistening pussy, a wide grin taking over his features. He glanced up in your eyes, to look at your fucked out expression. He hadn’t even done anything to you yet, and you were already a mess under him.

“You have no idea the things I wanna do to you baby.” He said breathlessly as he dipped his head between your legs, his mouth attacking your clit instantly. A scream escaped your throat, as your hand instantly shot down to grab his hair and pull him closer. His breath was heavy, and he let a low satisfactory hum at your reaction to his assault on your clit. His hands held your legs open as he licked and sucked on your clit like a man starved.

“Fuck baby you taste so good.” He mumbled in-between licks and prods before going back to the task at hand. He wanted to make you cum using his mouth, and then he would make you cum again around his cock. He had always known you weren’t like the rest of them, and all he wanted was to ruin you for him even more. Mold you and turn you into the perfect little thing to be by his side and use whenever he felt like it. And he had done it. He knew you had been aware that something was up with him, but he wanted to see how far you were willing to take your own curiosity in regards to his relation with the murders. He didn’t expect you to be as bold as you were, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

The more he licked around your clit, the sweeter sounds you made which drove him insane. The finger he decided to slowly push in you slipped inside so easily, that he almost creamed his underwear at the implication. You were so wet for him. He wondered how much of that was due to what he was doing and how much was due to the knowledge that he had killed people. He hoped it was both. His finger made quick work in finding your most sensitive spot before he added a second one. He curled his fingers in and out of you harshly as he sucked your clit so hard, you thought he was gonna rip it off. He was so unbelievably turned on, he wanted to fuck you and hurt you at the same time. The sensations of pleasure and pain ignited a fire within the pit of your belly that you made sure to voice to him.

“Stu I’m gonna cum. Please. Please, don’t stop!” You whined as you threw your head back, your leg twitching and spasming as his harsh movements made you cum right on his face and fingers. The groan he left as he felt your walls squeeze him tight was almost guttural. He couldn’t wait any longer, he wanted to have you now. He slowly pulled his fingers out of you, soaked through. He pulled them apart from each other, strings of your arousal connecting and breaking from between his two fingers.

His eyes marvelled at the sight of his drenched digits, your glistening pussy, your hard nipples, the heat coming off of your skin, and your fucked out expression. He shuffled closer to you, and leaned down again, brining his fingers to your mouth. You didn’t need instructions, you stared deep into your eyes as you grabbed at his wrist with both hands and sucked his fingers clean, your tongue running between his digits, a sly smirk adorning his face the whole time.

“Good girl.” He said as he leaned back, his massive erection tenting his underwear. He quickly kicked them off before grabbing your ankle and pulling you towards the edge of the bed, you ass almost hanging out of his as he towered above you. He looked so ethereal, the glow on his naked skin, the darkness in his eyes, the expression of pure determination to fuck you silly. You were in love.

He brought your legs to rest on his chest, he was too tall for them to rest on his shoulders anyway, and bent his head down to give your ankle a peck as he stared deep into your eyes before bending down and slowly pushing his cock inside. The stretch of his dick made you shudder out a breath as he bottomed out.

“Look at that baby. You swallowed me whole.” A tremble in his voice as he stared down at his pelvis flush against yours in awe. “I thought you’d need more time but you’re such a good girl you took it so easily huh?” He said as he started thrusting in and out of you, each pump of his hips becoming harder and faster. You couldn’t reply to him, all you could do was stare up at him, at the way he was fucking you like he had been craving to do that for ages. Which he did.

His cock was the perfect size and girth, brushing all the sweet spots inside you, the lewd sound of his hips snapping against the back of your thighs filling up the room, the sounds of the movie still playing in the background fading away as the sound of his breaths took over your senses. The grip on your legs tightened as his thrusts grew harder and harder. Your head was thrown back in ecstasy, you couldn’t think of anything else that could make you feel any better in this moment, but when the feeling of his thumb suddenly resting on your clit and starting to rub languid circles in time with his thrusts came to you, you let out a guttural moan. His breaths came out ragged, sweat accumulating on his forehead and chest as he thrust chasing his release.

You could feel the familiar tickle of an orgasm forming within your belly and you told him as such. He bit his lip at the sound of you coming close to climaxing, his ministrations on your clit becoming more erratic. You suddenly felt the cord of your release snap, cumming and clenching all around his dick.

“Oh fuck, oh shit.” He said through gritted teeth, as he felt your pussy convulse around him, he couldn’t describe this feeling as anything else less than euphoric. The feeling of your tight wet heat around him was enough to send him over the edge, and he now didn’t have a reason to hold back. He wrapped his arms around your thighs and thrust into you with whatever little strength was left in him before letting out a strained groan and shooting his load deep inside you.

He stayed inside you like that, your breaths and his coming out heavy. You looked so fucked out, pride filled his chest. He slowly pulled out of your pussy, his cum following suit dripping out of you in thick strings. He trailed his hand between your folds pushing any that leaked out back into you before giving your clit one last little stroke, the feeling making you clench around nothing. You were too sensitive, and too blissed out to worry about the implications of him cumming inside you. If you were being honest with yourself, you didn’t mind. You wanted to be as close and bound to him as possible, this was just another way to achieve that.

You weren’t moving other than your chest rising and falling as you breathed. Stu, probably for the first time in his life, found himself at a loss of words. You looked incredible like this and he wanted more, that much he knew. He pulled his underwear up before grabbing his discarded sweater and throwing it over your head and helping your arms through the sleeves. You unashamedly pulled the collar up to your nose and took a long sniff as you stared deep into his eyes, which made him let out a small chuckle. Cute, he thought.

You scooted back to lean your back against the headboard and cross your legs as Stu rounded the bed and sat down next to you. He broke the silence speaking in a whisper, “You know, most people would run away screaming if they knew the truth. But not you.” His fingers idly traced your thigh where his hand had come to rest. You were staring at him the entire time he spoke. You tentatively shuffled closer to him, your gaze never leaving Stu’s, a silent acknowledgment of the forbidden connection that bound you together. The room seemed to close in around you, and the outside world faded away leaving you two in the shadows.

Stu’s hand reached out, fingertips brushing against your cheek, a feather-light caress that sent a shiver through your entire being. The touch held a promise, an unspoken agreement that transcended the boundaries of reason. Your heart raced, torn between the thrill of the unknown and the magnetic pull of Stu. He knew he didn’t have to say anything more. You knew, and you revelled in it. You revelled in the fact that you were right about him, about who- what he was, what he’d done.

“You’re different.” Stu murmured, his voice a seductive melody against your ears. He had you within his grasp now, and he wouldn’t let you go. “Most people fear what they don’t understand, but not you. You revel in it.” He concluded. His thumb slowly rubbed circles around your cheek as he rubbed your face.

In that charged moment, with the post sex bliss setting in, the unspoken tension crackled like electricity. The room suddenly became the sanctuary of your shared secrets, his, the things he did, and yours, the fact that you loved him all the more for it, a haven for those who dared to dance on the precipice of chaos and desire.

It was a sick and twisted thing, for so many reasons, but your infatuation with him was nothing less than love, you knew that within you. You were willing to do just as much if not worse than him if he asked for it. You were his in any way that he’d have you, and even though you didn’t know, Stu was yours just as much. He would give himself to you in a way that no one else would ever have. He didn’t believe in the concept of soulmates or even love for that matter, but he knew he would do horrible things if it meant making you happy. He couldn’t wait to see how you’d stick by his side, see you actively participate in what he did, but he was excited to find out.

In this moment, you, aware of the risks, couldn’t deny the magnetic pull that drew you closer to him, willingly surrendering to the allure of the abyss. You leaned your head against his chest. You were drawn to him like a moth to flame, you knew it, but you didn’t care, even if it meant you’d burn.

[2old4this8]

Like a Moth to a Flame (part 2)

“Are you hungry?” he asks, and Ruby turns to look at him.

She shakes her head no but then seems to think better of it.

“Unless you have some ice cream lying around,” she says with a shrug. “I wouldn’t mind some Ben&Jerry’s.”

James can feel himself grin.

“We probably do. Lydia likes their Cookie Dough flavour.”

“Then she has good taste,” Ruby replies.

Ruby and James leave Cyril's party to spend some time together at his house.

My thanks to @cherrycourage for her careful beta-reading.

Part 2 is up now!

[colgatebluemintygel]

hey toothpaste! got any good fic recs for me to read?

hello little moth friend !! YES i do <3 admittedly i have spent most of my free time recently in the trenches of captive prince fic lolza........... but i have many r/s fics (ft. 1 rogue james/regulus fic) that i've read and loved over the past few months <3 so without further ado ::::

long live living (if living can be this) by excaliburned

SCREAM i had to start this list with my very favourite comfort fic <333 the oblivious/jealous sirius blueprint! fic of All time! i love love loooove this one, truly i adore it <33

the weather inside by earlybloomingparentheses

this fic.... fakkk i re-read it recently and was just as affected by it as i was the first time i read it. i feel like i can't say too much here without hashtag exposing myself but i truly adore it. for me personally, it scratches n soothes the rawest of wounds <3

the making of the map by fox_pitch

this is one of my favourite canon verse fics, and although it was written semi-recently it still very much has that old-school mwpp feel <33 it's the perfect balance of angst and humour ft. top tier pining ;;; i truly lose my mind every time i read this 🤭

storm and stress by @mblematic

an all timer ‼️‼️‼️ sirius durmstrang AU ‼️‼️‼️ i love this fic so much, they're so sweet, so much crush crush crushingggg (i love it when they do that), this remus in particular is so....... 🤭🤭... i want to pat his head. this is another of my all-time favourite comfort fics <333 truly LOVELY

this hell (is better with you) by @maybebabyplease

i don't often read jegulus, but if it's em writing i'd read it every day PLEEK i love this fic..... it's saurr funny, james's internal voice is so well done, and REGULUS.......... :'-)))))) ..... altho i am listed as a beta, do not be fooled... i did very little other than gush n giggle n go insane in the comments.... i will forever be obsessed with this iteration of them. i cannot say enough good things about em's writing, and this fic !! searing capitalist critique ft. a love story about an angel and a demon, w equal parts heart and humour ...... HELLOUGH .... teslas being the official Car of hell never ceases 2 make me giggle 🤭

you wouldn't like me by @crushofdoves

GAHHHHHH i finally caught up with ywlm recently (i'd been saving it for a rainy day... the days are very rainy atm) and it's just <333 so Gender and lovely and full of heart and makes me feel so nostalgic in the most delightful way <3 i have so much to say about this one and haven't quite found the words yet, but all i'll say for now is that i will probably forever associate caring is creepy with this fic and that song is one of my favourite songs of all time so. that's when you know xxx (also remus literally sucks the strap.... like.... hello🖐️....)

shorn and scarred and yours by @lynxindisguise

thee slytherin sirius fic of my dreams i am not kidding i truly adore this fic so so much !!! it made me go absolutely insane and pulled me headfirst out of a truly awful reading slump and i have not looked back since 💋💋 this sirius (and remus!) are so special to me <333 every now n again, as i'm going about my day, i randomly remember sirius starting a cult and have a little giggle to myself🤭

there are so many others that i know i'm forgetting ... so stay tuned for pt. 2 :o))))

[yourlocalartsonist]

ROTTMNT Moths Fly In Packs - Chapter Eight

A/N: I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG OH MY GOD. I genuinely didn’t expect it to, chapter 8 was supposed to be way shorter but uh yk my brain didn’t like that apparatnly. So now it’s uh 10K words. I think it’s genuinely worth the wait and read tho so hey, alls well that ends well or something. I’m gonna try to be faster with updates now. I’m FAIRLY CERTAIN chapter nine will be much shorter or at least nothing crazy like 8 or 10k. But what I can guarantee is chapters 10-13 will most definitely be short and lead up to the grand arc finale of chapter 14. We’re getting pretty close to it and I’m literally vibrating from excitement but no spoilers. Anyway enjoy the chapter! :D

Credit to: @sweaterrat and @yosajaeofficial for being my beloved beta readers! This story wouldn’t be able to have the quality it does without them so please give them some love and check out their ROTTMNT stories too!

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Chapter One

Disclaimer: Chapter involves depressive thoughts, mentions of bullying, depressed behavior, mentions of Kr*ng, PTSD behavior, violence, very lightly graphic description of injuries, blood, and curse words. If you’re sensitive to that stuff, scroll past and stay safe!

Outside the window, you can make out a bird’s nest sat in one of the trees. It’s been here for a week now, perfectly timed with when I got back to a consistent school life. But lately, the mother’s been staying at the nest more often. I’m guessing they’ve got babies on the way, she’s probably incubating her eggs right now. I think I’ve gotten attached to them, that small family of robins. The parents are so dedicated, aren’t they? The mother especially, never leaving the nest unless absolutely necessary. 

On the contrary to my peaceful view, the classroom is noisy, hectic, and cluttered. No real science work for today so everyone’s just doing their own thing. Very loudly. Jaiden and Zane are chatting and laughing with each other next to me. I think things are better between us, I still don’t really know where Jaiden and I stand right now but at least Zane seems fine with me. Though I won’t lie, I’ve been feeling more and more like a third wheel around them. 

“Dude! I’m telling you, we have to play this game together! We’d have so much fun!” 

“I already said I would, Jaiden! Man, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you laugh like this. Shame you’re letting such a pretty smile go to waste.”

“Yeah? Let’s hang out more often then and maybe I won’t do that.”  

Like right now.

Lowkey, I’ve been feeling invisible around those two. Jaiden barely pays any attention to me, it’s as if Zane was their best friend instead of me! I mean, I know friends can drift apart, I definitely know. But still, I never imagined it would happen to us. I still don’t wanna believe that’s what’s happening. I wanna keep hope.

“And ironically, you’re being pretty quiet today, Salena. Did you two switch personalities or something?” 

“You are weirdly quiet, actually. What’s up?”

Oh lookie, I’ve been acknowledged. “Nah, you guys don’t have to worry about me. Just lower on energy than usual.” 

I went back to my routine of staring out the window like the main character in a music video. In the reflection, Zane was still watching me. With the way his eyes lingered, I had a feeling he’s not falling for my excuse. 

Seems like Jaiden’s not too worried, though. “Oh, Zane! You wanna hear about this new skate park I found?” Just went right back at it with Zane. Who’s weirdly still staring at me.

“…Actually, I’m kinda hungry. Jaiden, you mind getting me a snack from the vending machine?”

“Huh? But I wouldn’t know what to get you. N-not that I don’t pay attention to what you like! But, you know… Salena has better taste in these things! She should go-”

“She always goes.”

“‘Cause she knows what she’s doing.”

“Jaiden.”

“Guys, it’s fine! It’s fine. I’ve got this.” I didn’t want them to fight again so I got up from my seat. “Be back soon.”

Jaiden gave me their most gleeful smile I’ve seen them make in a while. I think seeing them smile makes this gesture worthwhile. Even if it’s just for a little bit.

The walk to the vending machine shouldn’t have been long, it’s not super far away. But my legs dragged on forcing each step to be slower than the last. I feel guilty thinking like this but a part of me wants this dumb walk to go on forever. I can’t stand being near them and I don’t know why! It’s not like we’ve got bad blood, they’ve both been normal towards me since I came back. So why am I acting like this? I’m seriously starting to doubt Splinter’s theory of me not being the problem here…

I approached the machine, stopping as I heard a struggling voice in front of me. 

“Argh! How’d she say these things worked again?” 

His finger pressed against the glass, tracing the code for the snack he wanted. He tapped the buttons on the screen. Nothing happened. Scratching his head, he leaned forward to read the next instructions. Finally, he pulled out a dollar bill.

…Before proceeding to insert it in the wrong way. And taking it out. And inserting it back in. And repeating the process. I can feel my soul exiting my body from second-hand embarrassment. 

I recognized the fluffy black hair. With a crooked smile, I pulled out my own wallet.

“You’re supposed to put it in this way.” I slid my bill into the slot, the granola bar he selected successfully being pushed down soon after. “Good to see you again.”

“Woah, cool!” He stared at the giant food box almost with a childlike wonder, pausing for a few minutes before turning to me. “And hey! Yeah, it’s really nice seeing you again, too.” His eyes remained locked for a while before he scrambled to hand me the bill he had. “Here! Let me pay you back-“

“No, no, no, don’t worry about it! Really! Consider it my apology for, um, last time.” 

“Apology? I mean, you weren’t the one doing anything weird so I don’t think you’ve gotta apologize.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Casey Jones Jr. I was gonna introduce myself the first time we met but, you know.”

“Salena Moni! So, how’s everything holding up? You joined pretty late in the year so if you need any help reviewing stuff I’m more than happy to.”

 

“Oh, don’t worry! It’s actually going alright. Still technically my first time going to a real school, so it’s a little bit of a challenge but I already knew most of the material anyways. I didn’t have to catch up on much.”  

“Wow, that is… remarkably impressive.” If only I handled transferring as well as this guy. “Wait, hold up, real school? Were you homeschooled?”

“You could… say that. My uncle taught me everything, he was the smartest person I knew! Just turns out it was literally everything.”

“Cool! I guess we can check grades off the box, then! So, is everyone being nice? Made any friends?”

I bit my lip as I received my answer in the form of his face freezing mid-speech. “W-well uh…”

Oh, you poor thing…

I guess he could read my face since he immediately tried reassuring me, as if he wasn’t the victim in this scenario. “I-I mean it’s not awful! A couple people were nice to me, including you! Sure, some are a little… hostile. But it’ll get better eventually.” 

“Y-yeah! It definitely… definitely will.”

And cue the classic awkward silence that stars in any first conversation. A little overdue for this one now that I’m thinking about it. 

I’m so conflicted. I know damn well he’s not gonna have the high school dream he’s probably imagining right now. No one does. I may not have been at this school for long, but I’ve been here long enough to know how the people are. April told me it gets even worse every year as cliques start getting established and people grow past the initial politeness. I’m glad she did, she never kept anything about high school from me no matter how bad it was. Nothing was in my control but at least I knew it was coming.

And here I am playing the exact opposite role for Casey. I hate giving people false hope, I hate it with a passion! But I’m supposed to, I think. In a situation like this I’m supposed to hype him up. Ignorance is bliss! Wouldn’t it just ruin his spirits if I broke the glass? 

“Anyway, it was nice to meet you! I guess I’ll see you around?”

“Y-yep! Hope things get better for you soon!” 

“Me too.”

Ugh, the guilt is eating me up! I’m acting like I’ve never told a lie in my life but it’s not that. It’s his pure mindset that’s completely fucking with my morality! 

I know to keep my mouth shut, I do. I don’t want him to hate me like everyone else does. I haven’t met someone who’s been so nice to me in this stupid ass school before, I don’t want to ruin this chance now that I finally got it. Plus, he might not even believe me…

I watched him turn to walk away. 

Fuck it, social norms are for losers!

“W-wait! Casey?” He turned back around and I nearly shit myself from fear. “So, don’t be mad but I may have um… lied about something?” 

“Uh, sorry?”

I took a deep breath, bracing myself. “Well, here’s the deal. Things aren’t really gonna get better, sorry. Or, actually! I don’t mean that extremely literally, I guess...” 

Focus on your hands, it’ll be okay. “Just… People here are mean. Really, really mean. You’re homeschooled, you’re new, and you’re nice. It’s a recipe for disaster here whether it’s today or even a year after you’ve settled in!”

I can’t even read his expression and get an idea of his reaction. He’s got a scary good poker face, I’m curious which relative taught him that one.

“Casey, please don’t take this the wrong way. I-I’m not saying any of it is your fault! Or that you need to change or do anything. I’m only saying this so you don’t have any… unrealistic expectations so to speak.” 

God, his silence is more terrifying than anticipated.

So much so I couldn’t help letting out a quiet breath of relief when he finally did speak. “You know, you’re the first person here who’s told me that.”

“…Is that bad?”

“Not at all. All my family, they never got the chance to go to school. Hell, I didn’t think I’d have the opportunity. But here I am! First time in a new building with weird people and absolutely no clue what to expect. I’m usually good with surprises but this one is just so… different. Different is scary, you know?” 

I nodded. I most definitely did know.

“Anyway, you’re right that people are just mean here. I don’t even know why, I mean, I’ve met my fair share of dicks before but at least they had good reasons! We were under so much stress… But that’s not what I hate. It’s the fact that any time I tell an adult, they say the same thing over and over again!” 

“Let me guess.” I cleared my throat and enhanced the performance with my intoxicated Mrs. Doubtfire voice. “Just ignore them and give it time and it’ll magically fix itself ‘cause boredom beats bullies or some shit, right?”

“Yeah, exactly!” His laugh is like holding your parent’s hand when you’re getting the flu shot, it’s magical! “They say that to everyone, don’t they? God, what’s up with that? I’m so not used to adults lying to me.”

“Dude, what? You’re kidding, your whole community’s gotta be amazing if you’ve never been lied to by an adult.” 

“Eh, more or less… Anyway, um, thank you. For telling me the truth. And the granola bar. I seriously owe you for this.”

…I take it back, Splinter might’ve actually been onto something.

I mean, he’s a little strange, I won’t lie about that. This is the first time I’ve heard someone actually be grateful for me telling the truth. In the past it either got me isolated or in huge trouble, depending on who I was honest with. Maybe this is why I’m so used to lying. I hate it but I’ve had to do it so much. I’ve never met someone who finally lets me relax about it, not until Casey Jr it seems.

Maybe he deserves me being a little braver for a change. 

“Well, here’s a way you can repay me. By us being friends!”

…

This was a lot more epic in my head without his speechless pause. Maybe I got the vibe wrong-

“REALLY!? OMIGOSH! That would be so cool! I’ve literally been thinking about asking you the same thing ‘cause I keep wanting to talk to you but never run into you but now we can talk whenever we want, IT’LL BE GREAT!!!” Spoke too soon, he is literally shaking me by the shoulders. It feels unnatural not being on the other side of this scenario. 

“Casey, my stomach doesn’t approve of this-“

“Sorry, sorry!” He finally stopped and allowed me to remember the pleasant feeling of absolute stillness. “I just can’t believe you actually wanna be friends with me!” 

Still, his surprising enthusiasm gave me a good laugh. “Dude, it’s alright! It’s kinda more surprising you wanna be friends with me.”  

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re the kindest person I’ve ever met in my entire life, anyone who’s friends with you is lucky to have you!” 

Lucky to have me?

Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, unexpected compliments go burn in a fire but also don’t leave, it actually feels really nice. 

“Salena, are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”

“N-no, I mean, all I did was buy you a snack and tell you people are jerks. I’m not too sure I should be receiving the title of the ‘kindest person you’ve ever met’ and stuff.”

“O-oh yeah, you have a point.” He got a little flustered at that, despite it really being my fault for not being able to take compliments. “I don’t know, I mean, I still think you’re really cool. I’m just so happy you wanna be friends with me!” 

He looked like a child on Christmas morning as I tippy-tapped my number into his phone. Come to think of it, I know I’ve definitely reacted excitedly towards certain people - or turtles, I should say - but having someone do it to me? Feels kinda nice.

I looked up at the clock. “Shit. We should probably head back to class before we get in trouble.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. But hey,” his eyes closed as the corners delightfully wrinkled “it was great running into you again! Fate really wants us to be friends.”

He has a really nice smile. 

“Funny how life works, ay?”

I skipped my way back to class, mind too deep in thought to realize how fast I went.

This guy, Casey Jones, he’s giving me certain vibes. I don’t mean the creepy, stalkerish, "I need to get the hell outta here” vibes. More like deja-vu. I can’t pin what exactly, but something about him feels so… foreign yet familiar. Homey, if you may. Like a nice, warm fire in mid-winter night. It’s really soothing. 

And immediately I’m thrown into emotional whiplash as I went back inside the annoying ass classroom of teenage chaos. So much for soothing vibes. I plopped back in my desk as Zane slowly scanned me.

“You took a while. Did you get my snack?…”

…Fuck. “Sorry! I completely forgot!”

“How did you forget when it’s the literal reason you even left?” Jaiden doesn’t seem as chipper as before.

“I know, I’m so sorry. I got a bit distracted. Gimmie a sec, I’ll be right back-”

“No, wait! It’s fine, I’m not hungry anymore.”

“Really? Okay, suit yourself.” I shrugged, getting settled in again. He leaned closer to me, both confused and concerned.

“You seem happier right now. Did something good happen?”

“Oh, yeah, I guess! Just ran into a new friend.”

His face scrunched up, going back to chatting with Jaiden. I have no clue why he glared when I said that, I don’t think I said anything wrong or alarming. Honestly, bro has worse mood swings than I do. It's seriously annoying sometimes but whatever, they’ve gone back to their little bubble now so I shall go back to mine.

I pulled out my phone, greeted with Casey’s excited text already.

CJ: Hey! Not really doing anything in class so if you’re free too, text me back :D

Smiling, I let myself get engrossed in my phone, happily typing away. He’s a fun guy to talk to. His enthusiasm and bubbliness is a little surprising considering how borderline timid he seemed at first. Goes to show, never judge a book by its cover! I felt my mood lifting, less gloomier than before.

Until I remembered something he said.

“My uncle taught me everything, he was the smartest person I knew!”

Was?...

***

Ah, midnight. A time when the mentally sane and emotionally stable would be sleeping. Turns out I’m neither of those folks, I’ve got better things to do. I have weapons now but I’ve gotta actually practice using them if I don’t wanna render them useless. Besides, in bed or out here, I’m not falling asleep either way. At least this serves as a good distraction! And won’t give me a headache like my phone will.

The blades cut through the air as I twirled them, striking at an imaginary enemy soon after. 

I try not to think about life when I’m training, it distracts me too much. Sometimes I feel like Casey’s the only thing making school bearable anymore. We don’t share any classes so we text more than talk but I don’t have to do any mental gymnastics to figure out how he views me. I’m still confused as hell if Jaiden likes me or hates me and have no damn clue what Zane’s deal is anymore. He keeps staring at me. More than usual. Sure, I could always sit there and ponder for hours on end what the fuck is going on, but I doubt even that’d get any results.

The sickles, however, do show results. They feel lighter, smoother, easier to duel. I’m getting faster with them and my arms don’t feel as broken after training anymore! It’s something I can lose myself in, track the improvement. It’s so much simpler than everything else.

It keeps my mind occupied. If I focus on them, I don’t think about anyone from school or anything bad that’s happening! Or at least, I usually don't. I guess I’m thinking about it now, though…

“Someone’s training hard.”

“AHH!!!”

Immediately I jerked to turn and held up a blade in defense. However, it turned out to be a false alarm as instead of some midnight mugger I expected to see, I’m greeted with a smirking blue idiot standing in front of me.

“Woah, hey! I come in peace!” The stupid bitch held his hands up, mocking me with his fake fear. “Been a while, huh?” 

“Leo? Oh god, you scared me! Where did you even come from?” 

“The better question would be: Where did you disappear to? We haven’t gone out in like a week! You kept leaving me on read when I texted you but seemed fine in the group chat. What gives?” 

“…I forgor?”

“Really?” I could tell he wasn’t satisfied by my answer. “You just forgot to respond to me? Every single time?”

“W-well sorta. I mean, it’s nothing you did so please don’t take it personally! It’s with everyone. I’ve just been a little bad at responding to dms…” My social battery’s been so low lately I question if it’s even charged at all. “That’s entirely on me, though! I’m so sorry.”

He crossed his arms and looked me up and down. He’s doing that nonchalant poker face again, the one he does when he doesn’t wanna be read, otherwise he’s an open book. 

“You know you can tell me if something’s up, right?”

I guess he also does that face when he’s trying to read someone else. “Yeah, I know. I’m alright. It’s just… I dunno, things are a little weird but it’s fine. It’s really nothing to worry about.”

He hummed in response. I don’t really think he bought it but his eyes eventually drifted to my weapons, dropping the topic regardless. He must not wanna push it.

“Sooo, sick weapons! Where’d you get ‘em?”

“Oh, these? Draxum gave them to me!”

He gagged, interrupting me. “You met Draxum? The sheep guy? Oh, poor you! Was he awful to deal with? I bet he was! You know, like always.” 

“Oh come on, he wasn’t that bad! A little grouchy at first but in his defense, I caught him in the middle of his shift, so.”

“Please, sheep bitch doesn’t need a reason to be a jerk! He’s just an old cranky loser who spends his days yelling at kids and smuggling whatever mystic bullshit of the week he found from the Hidden City! It’s giving Oscar the Grouch, just missing the lemon. Oh wait, that’s ‘cause unlike Oscar, he doesn’t even have one single thing that makes him uncharacteristically happy!” 

“Wow, angry aren’t we?” It’s rude to laugh, but I can’t help myself around this dork. He looks like a kid who got denied an Xbox when he crosses his arms like that. “Leo, be real. This is because he threw you off a roof, isn’t it?”

“You know!? I mean-“ He laughed, trying to hide his poorly made lie. “What? Of course not… Maybe just a little but that’s not important.” 

Leo grumbled on with some incoherent noises for a minute, before cooling down and moving on from the “sheep bitch”. 

“Ugh, well anyway, if you got it from that moron, they’re definitely mystic or something, right?”

“Oh, absolutely! They’re actually super cool, I mean-“ For a good five minutes I kept blabbering on and on about the sickles and how they function and all my progress that I didn’t notice Leo - bless his heart - trying and horrifically failing to pay attention. He doesn’t really hide it well when he spaces out.

“And they- Uh, Leo, you good?” 

“…Would you be mad if I said I got like, none of that?” 

I sighed but gave a gentle smile. I knew he had a short attention span so I can’t really act like it’s his fault I forgot about that. 

“Actually, do you want me to just like… act it out instead? I think I’ve gotten pretty good at using these so I don’t mind showing instead of telling!”

He shrugged “Nothin’s stopping you. Go on, impress me!” 

Well, nothing except my nerves. But hey, it’s just Leo. If I mess up, he’ll laugh with me a bit and then I’ll just retry. No real pressure around him. I could use a progress check right now, anyway.

“Aight, so we only know two out of who knows how many powers for these things, they’re the only two I’ve been practicing. First up!”

 

I spun them around, careful to not mess up my handling. My goal is to form blades strong enough to crack a dent through the concrete edge of this building. So the sickles need to be made out of metal or steel. I usually go with metal but I do actually wanna impress him and steel’s stronger. I aimed at the edge and swung my arm forward, the sickle shot through the air and sliced through the concrete like a knife to a cake.

“OH SHIT!”

“I got it!” He teleported to catch the flying solo sickle and came right back within a matter of seconds. Oh, what I’d give to experience never having to walk again. 

“Sorry about that! They’ve never broken the edge like that before!”

“Sorry!? You’re not allowed to be sorry, that was so cool! It went clean through!” I’ve never seen him gush about something this way. I’ve gotta admit, it’s kind of adorable. “Okay, I’m hooked! What’s the other thing it can do?”

“Invisibility! But I can’t do it for long, at least not yet. I made progress, though! Went from only three seconds to five!”

“Wait, actually, back up a bit. I get that Baron Ass told you how the sickles work and blah blah blah, but how’d you learn how to fight with ‘em? Ya know, the non-mystic aspects.” 

“Oh, YouTube tutorials at first. But honestly, sickle fighting is mid so I did a lot of improv, really.”

He chuckled and eventually lost to his giggles as if me saying that wasn’t completely justified. “Did you just call an ancient form of martial arts mid?” 

“Stop judging me, I’m right! Sickles were improvised weapons. They’re good for the last resort, not the first choice!”

“I’m not judging, I’m not judging! Promise! I respect it, even!” He leaned against the roof’s edge, gradually collecting himself. “But if they’re that bad, why didn’t you ask for a different weapon? One that’s cooler and not ‘the last resort’?”

Oh boy, where to begin?

I then explained how I essentially found myself wrapped in some “chosen one” bullshit through the sickles. They still don’t work any time Barry touches them but are perfectly fine in my hands. It’d be pretty dumb to pass up these weapons for a different one, even if sickles aren’t the coolest thing to own. Although, he’s definitely acting like they are judging by how intensely his eyes are staring at them. They’re sparkling brighter than I thought eyes realistically could. 

“Well, now I’m offended! Mystic mystery sickles that do all kinds of glowy stuff for you specifically? How could you not tell me about these sooner!? They’re so amazing!”

“I know, I’m real sorry, Leon.” He’s joking around, his tone’s too light to be mad. But I do still feel bad for accidentally ignoring him like that. “Anything I can do for you as an apology?”

“Well…” His smirk revealed that thing was the main reason he came here in the first place. “We could make up for the lost time and go on a run together tonight. It is a weekend so you’d still have tomorrow and the day after to rest up. But hey, that’s just an idea…”

It's Friday again. Just like the first time we did this.

He held out his hand as an offer and I took it with a grin. “You make a convincing argument.”

And off we went, dashing through the night. It’s a bit humid today so the wind from sprinting so fast is greatly appreciated. Not to mention my speed is so much better than before! 

The daily restrictions of civil life can go suck my dick and feed my liver to their uncles ‘cause oh my god nothing beats this feeling! No one else is here, no one who could stop us! Sure, jumping off roofs isn’t the safest way to have fun, but everything else in my life is already so safe! I’m allowed to have this one thing, this one moment to be free.

I’m so distracted that I didn’t realize I’m actually giving Leo a run for his money this time! Hehe, run. God, I’m so funny.

“Looks like you can actually keep up with me now!”

“I know, right!? It feels fucking amazing!” 

Judging from his mischievous ass face, I probably should’ve kept my mouth shut. “I don’t mean to burst your bubble but…”

 A blue light appeared as a hole ripped in the sky and the lovely piece of shit went right through, appearing again somewhere way ahead of me. “I’m still faster!~”

“Hey! No portals allowed!”

“Uh, last time I checked, portalling is totally allowed.”

“Says who!?”

“Says me and I’m leader! Whatever leader says goes!”

To add insult to injury, he doesn’t just portal himself. As I’m trying to catch up to him mid-jump, the jackass opens a portal right under me, sending me back even further than I already was with no time to recover. 

“Leo, you cheat!”

Bro’s giggling his ass off as he blinked in and out of sight. I’m no different with how sore my face is, so I can’t even pretend to be mad. 

Instead, all I can do is try my best to speed up and catch up, plotting my revenge in the meantime. Easier said than done, that dude’s faster than the Flash right now since he’s, ya know, portalling. Doesn’t help that he keeps appearing right next to me every few minutes just to taunt me and disappear again.

A few minutes into our little cat and mouse game though, I lost track of him and he hadn’t shown up in a while to pester me. So, I started calling out his name, trying to look for him. You’d think it’d be easier to find a 5’5” giant, green turtle man but I guess they wouldn’t be ninjas if that were the case.

“Leo? Leo!? Le- Huh?”

I finally found him. But instead of the shit-eating grin he gave me earlier, he’s silent and still behind the edge of a roof, his back facing me. It’s starting to freak me out a little, he looks like he’s going fucking Blair Witch mode. No words, no witty remarks, nothing. Just ghostly staring at whatever the view is. Only thing I can see from here is a museum. 

“Hey, Leon, you okay?”

“Shh!”

With his eyes still fixed up ahead, Leo took my hand and guided me forward. He eventually looked at me and nodded towards the street below us. Gazing in that direction, I saw a large purple truck with the logo of that one weird shoe store I browsed a few years ago. From what I’ve gathered these past few weeks, big trucks mean bad news. 

But maybe that’s not what I should be focused on. Standing near the truck were two people, their skin an unnatural shade of purple. One’s large and brutish, the other tall and slender. They’ve got foot marks on their faces and flames on their bald heads. Exactly how Mikey described…

“The Foot Clan.”

He nodded. “I don’t understand, those guys were all turned into Krang during the invasion.”

Sorry, what? “You’re sure it was those two specifically? I haven’t heard about any cures or vaccines for the Krang victims on the news. It’d make headlines if there were.” I haven’t heard anything about them for a while now that I think about it.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” He leaned closer to the edge, as close as he could get without getting caught. “They’re parked a street away from a museum, the hell are they up to now?” 

I mimicked his actions, trying to hear the Foot people better. The slender one’s on the phone, sounding frustrated. He’s doing that whisper-yelling thing people do when they wanna be mad quietly to avoid societal shame. 

“Yeesh, someone’s having a bad day.”

“You can hear them?” Why does he look so confused?

“Yeah, can’t you?”

Leo shook his head. “Whatever, what are they saying?” 

I cocked my head to the side, spying in on their conversation.

His voice is scratchy, a little sore on my ears. “What do you mean you can’t get it off? Just bring the whole thing and hurry! We can’t risk alerting anyone!” Neither of us can tell what he’s referring to, unfortunately. The Foot dude avoids naming it. 

I looked back at Leo scanning around for any clues. He stared at the back of the museum for a minute before his eyes widened. “I know where we are. It’s the Historical Society Museum. Donnie mentioned wanting to come here once.” 

“I think I’ve heard of it. Isn’t there a lot of ancient stuff in there? Like, from centuries back?”

Nodded again. He’s being unnervingly quiet, considering it’s Leo. He stared at the clan, then at the museum, then back at the clan. He looked… scared. Scared in a way I’ve never seen him before. I felt my hand being subconsciously squeezed. I didn’t even notice he hadn’t let go in the first place.

…I have to help him.

I readied myself for whatever his idea was, no matter how outlandish or risky it may seem. “Alrighty, what’s the plan?” 

“Right.” He hesitated, before gripping his katanas and turning back. “…The plan is for me to portal you home, kick some Foot ass, and pick you up so we can continue our run.” 

WHAT!?

“What do you mean ‘portal me home!? I’m not leaving!” I was prepared for anything, but this!? “We just stumbled across the Foot Clan who are for some reason not freaky alien zombies and messing with ancient artifacts that do who knows what!”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m sending you home before your adrenaline junkie ass can do something stupid.”

“And what makes you think I’d do that!?”

He held up my scarred left arm and stared at me unimpressed.  

“…Okay, that’s a low blow even for you.” 

Though as much as I hate to admit it, he kind of has a point. I sighed. “Alright, tell me. If I leave, will you at least call your brothers to help you out?”

“Yes!”

“Leo.”

“Fine, I lied.” The steel fucking balls of- “But still! I’ll be okay! I’ve gone against them plenty of times before.”

“Doesn’t mean you’re invincible!”

Before I could say anything more, I heard the sound of a truck starting up. I looked down and Leo followed my line of sight to see the Foot getting ready to drive. 

Shit, they’re getting away!

“Okay, okay! Listen, I promise, I promise I won’t run off on my own and do something dumb this time. Anything the leader says goes! Just please let me join!” I can’t leave him alone!

I could sense him debating on what to do. His eyes look so conflicted, there’s definitely more than what he’s telling me. Nevertheless, I’m not budging. I don’t wanna sit at home being useless and worry the entire time.

He took a deep breath in, and let out a loud sigh. He looked at me with a defeated smile. “I’m not getting rid of you, am I?”

“Nope.”

“Alright, fine, but you’re sticking close.”

Before I could celebrate too much, I felt the ground beneath me disappear into bright blue light. Not anything sudden, more gentle really. Even then, I felt disoriented with my feet going from firmly grounded to touching the air! Not to mention how light my whole body felt. Gravity did a complete 180 and I got flipped around, landing under the truck. 

I nearly lost my grip but a hand on my back kept me in place long enough for me to recollect myself. Leo portalled us here.Well, obviously he did, it just caught me off guard again. It’s not really too bad going through his portals but it sure is a fucking trip when it’s unexpected. Either way, it got the job done. 

They drove for quite a damn while. It wasn’t the most pleasant experience having to cling on to the bottom of a moving truck as the only scents to breathe in were that of oil and gasoline, but we probably looked super cool! My ears disagreed but oh well. They parked in front of a mall this time. Not just any mall, the fucking World Trade Center! We’re literally on the other side of the city, what on Earth could they need here?

I wanted to follow them in but Leo was against it. He said it’d be safer for us to spy from a distance for now so we went to the roof of a neighboring building, looking in at them. The Foot are on one of the higher floors, almost seeming like they’re scavenging for something. 

Leo’s trying to figure out another way in for us. I still don’t understand why we didn’t just follow them. I know Leo’s not a total reckless nutcase or anything, but being this cautious felt a little unlike him. 

“Hey, look, I don’t mean to shoot your own words back at you or anything. But you know you can tell me if something’s up, right?” 

For a split second, he looked different. His eyes were dead, his lips shut and neutral. He stared at me but he looked so… lost. Empty. 

And then his smile returned, face back to normal. Or at least what he convinced me was normal. I’m not so sure anymore. He flicked my forehead again. Even softer than the first time he did it. “Stop worrying so much! You’re gonna give yourself a chasm worse than Raph’s.”

I didn’t know how to take it from there. So I just watched him.

He eventually decided on portalling us into the building’s vent system. It’s a little cramped but was the only place we can eavesdrop without being immediately spotted. Though honestly, I don’t mind this one bit! I’m controlling the impulsive adrenaline ,however, he didn’t say shit about internal adrenaline! I can’t help it if stealth makes me giddy!

“Hehe! It’s like we’re in a movie!”

“Love your enthusiasm as always but remember to not get too caught up in it.”

I momentarily shoved my excitement to the side as we both tried listening in on the Foot Clan. The skinny dude, who I now know to be the Lieutenant, is barking orders at the rest of the soldiers scouting around while talking to the giant Brute. 

“You disabled the cameras, correct? You know we can’t make it any harder for them!”

“Of course I did, it’s a no-brainer! Why’d ya have to ask it like that?” Woah, villain or not, his New Yorker accent is one to admire! “You know, sometimes I feel like you think I’m just stupid and nothin’ more.”

“Oh, don’t start now. Focus on finding good metal. The sooner we finish this the better.”

Hearing his raspy voice makes my own throat itch a little. I lightly clawed at it, trying to not make too much noise as I moved. 

I leaned a little closer to Leo “What do you think they need metal for?” 

“Not sure. Could be to make more soldiers or something? It’d be a cool upgrade from their paper soldiers.”

Leo’s tone seems a little lighter than before, I’m glad to hear him joke around again. “They could make paper soldiers?”

“Yeah! And they’re completely sentient, one of them even became besties with Raph! Anyway,” he pointed down at a handful of soldiers collecting metal artifacts “they’re probably trying to make those origami soldiers again with something stronger.”

“But how would you fold metal?”

“Beats me, Mikey would know more on this. He’s figuring out how to recreate whatever spell they used so we could get some help with patrolling. Word of advice though, salami origami does not work as a substitute.”

“No shit. Who’s bright idea was that?”

“...You don’t know him.” His guilty face says it all.

We were giggling a little too loudly, I suppose. One of the Foot dudes stopped and started listening for our voices again. He shrugged and moved on soon enough. I didn’t realize I was covering my mouth till I let myself breathe again.

“We should probably be a little quieter and take this stealth thing more seriously.”

I nodded in agreement. He’s not upset, honestly he’s struggling just as much as I am to choke down more giggles. It’s like we’re hiding under a blanket during a sleepover pretending we’re not awake in front of the parents and not in a likely life or death situation spying on the black-magic cult. I’m trying my best but it’s already hard enough to keep my adrenaline addiction in check and Leo being here makes it worse in the best ways possible. 

Still, I don’t wanna know what happens if we get cau- What was that creaking sound?

CLANG! 

It would seem those were not really sturdy vents. 

You know that moment from the Ice Age sequel when the vultures surround the main cast with hungry, devilish eyes ready to feast on them at any given moment? Yeah, let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised if the Foot Clan randomly bursts into song about “glorious food” full on broadway musical style.

“Uh… Hey, fellas! Long time no see, am I right?” Despite his demeanor, I caught the real reason he raised his hands. I reached back for mine as well.

A sheath of metal filled the air as Leo took his katanas out their case, perfectly timed with the Lieutenant’s new orders.

“GET THEM!” 

“Run, hide first then get the stolen thingie if you can. I’ll keep ‘em busy!” Leo charged into the fight, holding them off to make sure they couldn’t get to me.

Unfortunately, there’s like a bajillion of them that can easily outnumber us. I’ve learned to be quite a slippery sprinter but even then two already managed to block my path.

Now would be a good time to turn invisible!

“Come on, come on!” I could barely get the sparks to even start spreading. Turns out stress is a huge fucking factor I neglected in my training. 

I wouldn’t have minded if it just took a few seconds to work but the real issue was I couldn’t keep it working. I didn’t even really go invisible, just sorta flashed in and out of transparency for a few seconds! The only reason I haven’t gotten caught yet is ‘cause these two morons are too busy laughing at me.

“Is that really the best you can do!? Whoever you are, little girl, you’ve got your work cut out for you!” 

“Oh no! She’s… she’s… blinking like an old flashlight!! We’re so scared!”

…BITC-

Resorted to traditional methods. I made the sickles the consistency of a metal pot and threw it at one of their heads, knocking them down. The other I kicked straight in the chest while they were distracted by their idiot teammate, also knocking them down. I’d love nothing more than to give some extra special attention to them but this old flashlight’s gotta run for the shadows while they’ve got an open chance. 

A blue portal opened in front of me. “Hey Salena, so this fight’s a little more intense than I expected and I wanted to quickly check if you’re really sure about-”

“Leo, I’m fine! I’m not leaving mid-battle!”

“No, no, that’s fine! That’s great! Just a reminder there’s no shame in calling it- DUCK!”

 

Without hesitance, I dropped to the ground right as his sword swung above me to block one of the soldier’s attacks. Maybe I should let Leo handle this guy since I can’t really do much while laying on the floor. Then again, doesn't mean I can’t do anything. And also I don’t have good impulse control.

“OW!!! WHAT THE FUCK!?”

I bit on to his ankle as hard as I desired despite his pleading cries. I didn’t let go until Leo broke out of his shock and finally punched him unconscious. Fighting might actually be a really good way to get out my urges.

“Why-“

“Don’t. If it works, it works.”

I flashed a grin, got back on my feet, and bounced away. I need a better vantage point if I wanna find the stolen item, especially with the chaos over here. I quickly made my way up to the indoor balcony thingie. Terrance? The second floor? Whatever the fuck it is. I’ll have to admit, despite how absolutely pumped I’m feeling right now, it kinda feels nice getting away from the clusterfuck for a bit. I heard Leo still spamming all his dialogue options to keep the main two creeps occupied. Actually, I’m pretty sure I can see them from up here, too. 

“So, you guys are looking great! Never thought I’d say this, but I am loving the old look making a return.” His hands did more tricks than usual, keeping his swords flowing like an intricate dance. There are multiple soldiers practically hounding him yet he’s fending them off almost gracefully.

“Can’t you stupid children stay out of our way for one night! There’s great evil being put on the hold right now for your antics!”

“Hey, speaking of evil, what’s with the normal amount of eyes? Not that I’m missing the other option but- GAH!”

And yet, even with Leo’s skilled moves, he’s struggling to keep up with the two leaders specifically. I deadass would’ve been slaughtered by now if I didn’t listen to him about hiding. 

“We got some outside help. Now, stop askin’ annoying questions and maybe we’ll go easier on ya!” He swung his axe again, thankfully missing Leo.

I gotta wonder, from Mikey’s stories, they’ve fought the Foot Clan with ease several times in the past. Leo was doing fine just now, too. So why does it look like this could be his first time facing off the Lieutenant and Brute? Nobody’s perfect but I don’t think either of us expected him to lose his grace and become borderline clumsy against them.

Wait, no! Distractions! Leo can handle himself, I need to focus on my own task. Stolen thingie! But where the hell is it?

Just as I was about to think they left it in the truck like common sense would dictate, a soft, reflective red glow caught my eye. The moon was on my side tonight.

“There she is!”

Or maybe I was being too optimistic. In fairness, I should’ve known I couldn’t stay here for long.

It would be really fucking nice to turn invisible now. Sickles? No? Oh, okay, fuck me then I guess.

I hopped off the edge before they could reach me and slinked to the other side of the room, following the red gleam. Despite the sickles betraying me with horrific timing twice tonight, I got them to cover me long enough to reach the ruby ring the glow came from. The light bled past the folds of the drape covering their stolen prize. I lifted it to find a… weird mannequin bust? With arms. Decorated with several ornaments and jewelry including the ring. What the fuck are they using this for, a fashion show? 

I flinched to the sound of a loud thud paired with Leo’s groan. Flipping my head behind me, I saw him cornered against a wall, swords shielding him from the Brute’s axes.

“Okay, either you two got a lot stronger or my body isn’t what it used to be.”

I gotta calm myself down, Leo’s a trained ninja and will likely be completely and totally fine! A tiny slip doesn’t mean inevitable doom!

 

…I hope.

I turned my attention back to the mannequin thing to mentally measure its size. I’m fairly certain it’ll fit inside my backpack, it’s not too big. Just gotta get it in now.

Another sound interrupted me. This time, it was loud metallic clanking off the floor. Leo’s katanas…

“On second thought, maybe it’s both.” His weapons were away from him, too far out of reach. His voice sounded weaker, arms wrapped around his torso.

Oh no.

Neither of them were holding back. As soon as he was down, they were practically hammering at him. His arms were up, defensively blocking his head. I’m supposed to stay away from this. I’m supposed to listen and focus on my task. But I can’t stop my body from turning when I see something like this happening. 

He’s in the air now. I need to move. He’s being swung. I need to be faster. 

“Let this be a lesson, turtle. Our battles have drastically changed.”

The window shattered from the force of his body.

“LEO!”

I don’t remember ever sprinting this fast, but I was out the window right after through the very hole he created. The height couldn’t scare me if it tried. My arm outstretched, I caught him with one hand and had my sickle in the other. Careful to not dare mess up my timing, it snatched onto a power line just as my blades turned to rubber, thick enough to not get us shocked from the voltage. 

“N-nice… nice catch.”

“Thanks.” It’s harder to talk when I’m panting like a dog and trying to limit my shaking limbs.

His weight felt like it would rip my arms apart. I didn’t expect a giant muscular turtle to be light but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. Still, some-fucking-how, I’m able to keep us both hanging from the wire, comprehending the fact that we’re not dead. Thank fuck for Raph forcing me to work out sessions.

“You, uh, you doing good up there? You’re breathing kinda heavily. Hey, heavily! Didn’t even mean to make that one!”

“Leo I will drop you.”

He convinced me to suffer a little longer and try to swing him, giving enough momentum for him to catch onto the side of the neighboring building. Then, I swung myself, Leo catching me to soften the landing. We scampered up to the roof, coincidentally the same one we were on a while ago. 

“And literally back to square one. Fantastic.” He sighed, clearly annoyed by our failure. His attention quickly shifted once he noticed me rubbing my sore arms. “Hey, you okay? Want me to take a look at you?”

“Me? Take a look at yourself first, idiot!” 

I’m not gonna pretend I’m not in pain, but it’s nothing close to the tragedies on his body currently. His arms are bruised and cut from the fight. One was actively bleeding with bits of glass still stuck in some places. Luckily it was the only fleshy place he took damage on, everything else was protected, albeit a little cracked.

“It’s… It’s fine. My shell took most of the hit, anyway.” This bitch. “Besides, I’ve got bigger things to worry about.”

Despite his condition, he started walking to the edge of the roof, heading back towards the WTC.

“Where the hell are you going?”

“To get my katanas back.”

“Oh, no, no, no, you are not going back in there! Can’t you just make new swords or something?”

“And help the foot by practically gifting them Hamato weapons?”

“You said they’re made from your magic! Shouldn’t that protect them from other people trying to use them?”

“I don’t know, we only learned about this ninpo stuff, like, last year! I don’t know enough to be sure nothing will happen if I leave them with the Foot. I’m not doing that.”

“Well, I can’t let you go back.” I stood in front of him to block his path. “We can figure something else out but you are not going back in there! Look at you, it’d be crazy!”

“I was crazy once-” My hand shut his stupid, smug mouth before he could complete the ritual. 

“Leo, you were thrown out a window! You’re hurt!”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay! I’ve been through worse! I’m just gonna get my swords back, that’s all.” He put a hand on my shoulder and threw on a fake smile to comfort me. The blood is literally dripping down his arm as he did, defeating the point. I looked back at his eyes, not bothering to hide how furiously concerned I am. If I’m reading him right, he’s not oblivious to reality. He’s a medic, he knows it better than I do.

He took a shaky breath in. “Fine, you’re right that I’m a little hurt. But we can’t waste time patching me up, I need to get my swords! Rule number one of basic survival is never let the Foot come into possession with highly mystic material ever.”

“Then I’ll go while you take care of yourself.” 

“NO!” His head perked up as his eyes grew wider. He tried saving his initial reaction. “No way, not happening. It’s a safer plan if I go in, I’m more used to them” Safer for us or for just me. 

“And yet, you got beaten to a pulp, isolated from your weapons, thrown out a window, and are now bleeding with shards of glass sticking out your body. Did I miss anything?” He’s neglected himself all night being overly cocky and confident nothing bad would happen to him. That’s what’s led to him turning out like this! “They didn’t exactly go easy on you, Leo-”

“Then imagine what they’d do to you!”

His brows knit together, staring at me, not blinking. I guess my wish was granted since he finally stopped disguising his true fear.

“Salena, please. Stay here, I’m going in.”

I almost let him go. Almost.

Too bad for him, I yanked him by the mask tails and pulled his stunned face back to face me. 

“Hey, wh-”

“Alright, listen. I know whoever these guys are, they’re dangerous as fuck. I know I’m nowhere near as skilled of a fighter as you and I probably never will be. And I know I am way in over my head about this. But none of that matters to me.” 

He kept quiet. So I continued. “What matters is that I’m your friend. Friends don’t let each other jump into losing battles, okay? You’re hurt, Leo. Please, just let me help you.”

I looked up at the sky. The clouds are covering the moon now and should stay that way for a little while. I could take advantage of the newfound darkness. 

I stood on the ledge, mentally preparing myself to reignite the flames. Sure, I talked big about being able to handle myself and whatnot but I’m just trying to fool myself into thinking I’m not scared. If I can keep myself level-headed and use my sickles, I’ll be able to stay invisible for a short bit. If I play my cards right, that should be all I need.

I felt a hand grab my wrist. Turning around, I readied myself to once again reassure Leo I’d be fine but stopped when he put something in my palm. I recognize them, they’re tanto knives.

“Hey.” His smile is forced but not disingenuous. 

“You’ve got this.”

So off I went with the last little push I needed. The cool night air feels fantastically refreshing on my skin. Every leap leaves me more confident I’ll succeed. I have to. He needs someone he knows he can depend on. 

I scouted around and found an open window to sneak back in through. Judging by how crazy strong these guys are, my best bet is the element of surprise and for these oversized lethal boomerangs to actually work in my favor. Which they hadn’t before. But nothing’s ever hopeless. The reflection off the moon was their main source of light, with the clouds hiding it now and my knowledge of the floor’s layout, I think I might have a working plan this time.

I rushed over to the balcony I was at previously, this time being more cautious of any look-outs. There were three of them up here so I’m glad I didn’t choose the reckless route. I took my sickles out my backpack, breathed in, and turned invisible. A little harder to do since my nerves haven’t completely disappeared but it’s going smoother than before. 

I snuck up to the soldier at the back of the trio, covering his mouth and dragging him to the dark, knocking him out shortly after. His two buddies were a piece of cake after that, hit one with a blunt-force sickle and take the other by hand at the same time. No one noticed a thing. 

With the balcony cleared, I reclaimed my little sighting spot and looked over the entire floor, making note of every nook and cranny I could hide in. The clan’s focus changed since last time, they’re trying to get out as fast as possible. Seems like they’re taking Leo’s katanas with them since Lieutenant Itchy McSore-Throat was holding onto them.

“All of you hurry up! We must get out of here!”

I spotted the stolen mannequin in the distance. It’s actually not too far and surprisingly not removed. The two leaders seem distracted by someone. Perfect timing. I crept down and started taking out some more soldiers, listening in to the conversation at the same time. 

“What about getting all the mystic metal we can?” That’s a new voice.

“Forget the metal, we’ve got enough for today. We need to leave or that turtle will bring reinforcements!” 

“Yeah, sure, whatever makes ya happy, boss.” 

“You better not be questioning my authority.”

“Our authority, he means. We’ve had your type before, and they grew to be traitors. I suggest you don’t test the patience of the Foot ‘cause it’s growin’ thin.”

“Nice phrasing! Even if you shouldn’t have interrupted me.” I can’t tell if these two have workplace tension or workplace bromance anymore. “But he’s right. You’d do well to remember your place, rookie.” 

“Hey, I wasn’t tryna question anything guys. Just sayin’ maybe we should’ve planned this better in case we got caught.”

“So you may be right. We’ll keep it in mind but work on your delivery when it comes to criticism. Now quickly, go join the others.”

“Can I at least hold the magic swords?”

“No.”

She grumbled and left through the door, likely exiting the building. Her attitude was a pleasant surprise. I’ll admit, I kinda assumed all the Foot soldiers had brain-numbing levels of obedience. 

The clouds were clearing up, though. The moonlight brightened the room back up, I can’t use the darkness for cover much longer. Alas, if only I knew how to use my literal invisibility powers for longer than a few seconds but you know what? This is genuinely perfectly okay. I’ve taken out enough of them to only leave a few left standing, not to mention the majority of them are already out the building. I gotta take these freaks head on if I wanna get Leo’s swords. No more hide and seek.

I let the light illuminate me. 

“Hey guys!~” I waved gleefully as the Foot idiots finally noticed my presence. “Remember me? Hope it hasn’t been too long.”

“You!” The Brute turned to me first. “You’re the Hamato ally from earlier!”

“What are you doing here! Why have you returned!”

“You sure have a way of asking questions that makes them feel like statements. Anyway, I’m here to collect something you stole from my friend.”

He gripped the swords as he scowled at me. I held my own sickles tighter.

“You foolish child! You leave us no choice but take you out permanently.”

“Oh, really now? You and what army.”

I scoffed when I caught his expression change. Everyone looked at each other, noting how very few of them are suddenly in the room. So distracted they barely noticed me going for my first blow. 

He quickly got ready to block me with Leo’s weapon, absolutely bewildered when I only zoomed past him and sliced at the leg of another soldier behind him. It wasn’t too deep but poor guy was still rendered useless. I dashed to my left at another soldier, dodging his attack and punching right up his chin. 

“What’s going on!? Those sickles were dull the last time she used ‘em!”

 

“They must be mystic…” 

“Right you are, Lieutenant! I kept them dull on purpose, my mistake.” 

I threw a tanto at a cultist’s shoulder. 

“You threw Leo out a window. I think you can bear to see some blood.”

One by one, I went around the room, sprinting past anyone chasing after me and immobilizing anyone with their guard down. I got in a groove good enough to keep myself progressing along while getting out my rage. I wasn’t kidding before, I would’ve kept my blades dull again. I’m still careful to not do anything fatal but I’m not gonna be exactly merciful, either. They deserve this.

Fighting felt like dancing, gliding across the room in an energetic fashion. I’m not crazy enough to go for the Lieutenant or Brute which ended up being a plus for me. They was more than ready to protect themselves, but not their team. At last, I got them all exactly where I needed them. 

Alright, stay calm. Turn invisible no matter what.

My sickles shone with a pink glow, allowing me to disappear from their sight. I scampered past them, reaching the bejeweled mannequin behind them. It feels a little different? But there isn’t any concrete proof for this so my brain’s just tricking me. Whatever, no time to lose. I shoved it in my bag, getting myself used to the weight, and aimed a sickle at his arm.

 

“Where’d she go!?”

“Stay alert! Don’t let her catch you off guard!” 

A bit late for that buddy. 

My blade sliced through, leaving a massive gash on his arm. He screamed and dropped Leo’s sword. I ran through, catching it just as I became visible again. I snatched the other one as quickly as possible and sprinted to create some distance.

I held my arm up to my face, making good use of the wraps’ built-in comms. “Leo! Heads up!”

I threw a katana out the window, smashing the glass as it flew outside. I stopped in my tracks with a smirk. I knew we won.

I dodged the last attacks of the night, accelerating faster than I realized I could go. “Well folks, this was quite a fun match! Hope to never see you again!” Blue light sparked across my body. I leapt in the air, gave a quick peace sign purely to piss ‘em off, and bid my farewell.

“Toodles~”

Teleportation isn’t actually too bad if you know it’s coming.

The cool night air returned on my skin. I was floating for a few seconds before crashing to the roof on my knees. I didn’t even care about the pain, I was too busy enjoying the hug I received for my success! 

“I DID IT! I FUCKING DID IT! WOOHOO!!!”

“Celebrations later, escaping now! Come on!” 

Leo dragged me up and pulled us through another portal.

***

“We are the champions!~

“Gone with the losers ‘cause we are the champions!” 

I handed another slice of pizza to Leo, half the box pepperoni for him and the other half plain cheese for me. We already dropped off the mannequin back to the museum and I gave an anonymous tip to 911 so now we’re simply chilling on the roof singing to celebrate our victorious night. I’m honestly still hyper as hell over it.

“I can’t believe we actually did it! I can’t believe I actually did it! Salena one, Foot Clan NONE BABY, FUCK YEA!”

“Man, I am so happy you came out okay. You have no idea how relieved I was when I saw you again.” He bit into the cheese, the least stressed I’ve seen him all night.

I couldn’t realize it earlier but that hug he gave wasn’t for my success. It’s clear to me now.

“Leo?”

“Hm?” He looked towards me as he bit into the cheese.

“Thanks for trusting me.”

He mirrored my smile. “Hey, we’re friends, right? That’s what I’m here for.”

The spring breeze feels so sweet. The view of the city is rewarding as always. A safe city, a safe night. I can see why they’re so into this whole hero gig. Everything about this moment feels absolutely perfect.

Buzz! Buzz!

I swear to god if my fucking phone’s gonna ruin it again. I quickly checked the notif to see if it was anything important. To my surprise, it’s Jaiden.

They sent me a text. The first one in weeks. It’s a dumb meme I saw earlier today.

We used to do this a lot in the past. Whenever we got into a fight, it’d be our way of ending it. We could never stay mad at each other for more than a day. In the past at least.

I guess this means they’re not mad at me anymore.

“Everything okay?” Leo stared at me, probably concerned by my change in demeanor. 

I double tapped to like Jaiden’s meme and put my phone away, going back to normal.

“It’s nothing important. Just, uh, highschool stuff. You wouldn’t get it.”

He laughed “Oh, okay, well. I know I’m too fabulous to be the average, uncool, normal teen guy doing normal teen things like going to highschool that you want right now but…”

“If you ever need someone to lend a shoulder, you know who to call.”

He’s an idiot, but a very sweet one when he wants to be. 

“Thanks, Leo, but I mean it this time. It’s nothing.” I raised up my slice to request a toast of some sorts. “Let’s go back to celebrating, shall we?”

He let out a satisfied chuckle, returning my toast. I didn’t wanna let anything ruin the way I felt tonight, even if their text tainted the vibe a bit. But hey, it’s technically a win, too! I got my confirmation that Jaiden and I are indeed still friends.

Though I gotta admit, I’m not as happy as I thought I’d be.

Next Chapter

[elemit]

A Gift, A Curse

A story in which we discover just how damned an ascended vampire can be, and just how far you will go to save the spawn you loved.

Read in full on AO3

dead dove/not beta read

fic warnings: Abuse, Angst, Biting, Blood and Gore, Blood Drinking, Bondage, Dom/sub, Dubious Consent, Food Restriction, Hate Sex, Horror, Mental Coercion, Mind Control, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rough Sex, Sexual Coercion, Torture, Total Power Exchange, Trauma, Vampire Bites

Chapter 25: Shadows

You have become a shadow in your own home.

You exist. For now, that has to be enough. You know that the days are slipping by from the passing glow and fade of sun around the edges of the heavy red curtains on the windows. When wine doesn’t offer enough escape, you find yourself turning to the endless shelves of books in the house. You used to be the type who favoured blades over books, but now the pages that you lose yourself in are worth more to you than any weapon. They are a shield against the darkness that surrounds you, and gods know you could use the protection.

You still hate being alone. Astarion is gone more days than he is here. You can’t help but wonder how much the incident with the Fist has disrupted his plans for the council. If he’s worried, he never shows it. And if the stacks of correspondences that arrive for him daily are anything to go by, there are still plenty of people out there who want to remain in his good books.

 Even when Astarion is around, he sometimes tires of your constant company, commanding you to wait in mindless silence in your bedchamber until he wishes to see you again. To avoid this fate, you begin to follow him less, although it pains you to do so.

You know you should stay away from the west wing, that den of Flaming Fist and New Watch, lest the sunlight burns you, or some other Fist discovers your secret, but you find yourself drawn to it like a moth to a flame. The bustling noises, and the energetic buzz of people hard at work, are proof of a world that is still thriving beyond the stone walls of your living tomb.

So you have taken to venturing into this hive of activity, keeping to the places that the sun cannot reach even with the curtains thrown back and the windows flung open. You haunt the alcoves and the inner corridors, stepping lightly from one shaded spot to the next. You only go directly after you have drunk, so you need not fear your hunger getting the better of you. When you find a place in the half-gloom, obscured from the view of the flurry of living beings around you, you sit, read, and absorb the tumult with a feeling close to joy.

You never try to speak to anyone. You do not crave communication. Besides, it would be useless, tongue-bound as you are. You only wish to know that you are not entirely alone.

You are sat like this, in a dark alcove, reading, lost in an imaginary world, when a voice interrupts you.

“A good one, is it?”

The voice is so painfully cheerful it makes you wince. You look up into the youthful face of a human man - a boy, really - wearing the uniform of a Flaming Fist. He grins at you.

“The book, I mean. It’s a good one?”

You stare at him, frozen. When was the last time someone spoke to you with good will? Someone new? Someone free?

“Never been much one for reading, me,” he continues. “My sister loves it, though. Reckon she’s read more books in t’ past year than most read in a lifetime.”

He seems to have finally noticed your utter lack of response. His grin stays in place, but his brow furrows slightly as if he’s just remembered himself.

“I’m Lucas, by the way. What’s your name?”

You purse your lips in something that isn’t quite a smile and give a small shrug.

“Cat got your tongue, eh? Ah, well. Worse parts of you to lose. I should know.” He reaches down, beaming, and knocks on his left shin, which emits a hollow clunk. You raise your eyebrows at his enthusiasm. He seems to take it as encouragement.

“Great, ent it? I told everyone at the Mermaid that I lost it in t’ Battle of Baldur’s Gate and now I get free drinks all the time.” Then he continues in a lower voice, “Don’t tell anyone, but I actually lost it on the journey here. Horse bloody fell on me. Total nightmare. Still, got to look on the bright side, don’t you?”

You blink incredulously. Somehow, he is still talking.

“Anyway, best get back, supposed to be on duty. Get lost in this bloody house all the damn time. Good to meet you, o’ silent lady of the books.”

He crumples into an inelegant bow, then lopes off down the corridor. You are left entirely too bewildered to get back into your book.