#but seriously HE DID NOT NEED TO BE LOOKING THAT FINE

[moonstruckme]

remus one shot where he can’t stop blushing around the reader because he has a huge crush on her and sirius and james are like dude please ask her out already?? 🙈

cw: the trials and tribulations of a restaurant job, semi-confident reader (or at least she can withstand Sirius' flirting, which I couldn't), James and Sirius' shameless wingmanning

shy!Remus x fem!reader ♡ 1.1k words

The cafe is crammed. You’ve almost tripped over two kids already whose parents let them run loose, you did let a glass slip from your tray when a customer stuck his leg out into the walkway without looking, and you’ve quickly reached the conclusion that today was definitely the wrong day to break in your new work shoes. You’re on your last straw at only ten in the morning, but your pasted-on smile becomes twice as genuine when you see a table of your favorite regulars. 

“Hi,” you say warmly, clicking your pen and readying it above your pad. “How are we doing today?” 

You’re greeted with two dazzling grins from one side of the booth and a shyer smile from the other. 

“Y/n,” says Sirius, in his suave, flirtatious way (you’ve learned not to take it personally), “you’re looking stunning.” 

You know your hair is suffering from the weather outside and there’s orange juice down the front of your apron, but you smile at him anyway. “Thank you, so are you.” 

“How’s your morning going?” James asks. These boys are never ones to skip over pleasantries to get to their meal, and while with other tables you might try to hurry them along, you never mind in this case. Today especially, you welcome the break. 

“Oh, it’s going,” you try to joke, looking pointedly down at your orange juice stain. “Could be worse.” 

He makes a face. “Yikes.” 

“It’s fine,” you say breezily. “What can I get you?” 

You look to James, because really he’s the only one you ever need to ask. The other two are fairly consistent, but James seems inclined to try something new every time he comes in. 

He doesn’t disappoint now, locking eyes with you seriously over the top of his menu. “How is your butterfly lemonade? No—actually, what is your butterfly lemonade?”

“It’s…” You bite your lip, thinking. Sirius snickers, and when you look he seems to be sharing in some joke with Remus’, whose cheeks have gone a tad pink. “I’m not sure, honestly, but it’s sweet. I think you’d like it.” 

“That, then.” James slaps down his menu decisively. 

“Right.” You write it down. “And then, a caramel latte and a tea?” You look to Sirius and Remus for confirmation. 

The former shoots you a grin you take as a yes, while the latter nods and says quietly, “Thank you.” 

“No problem.” You soften your smile for Remus. You adore all of these boys, but you have a bit of a tender spot for him. Remus is by far the quietest of his friends, though really just as friendly when he does talk. It’s terribly endearing. 

You click your pen again. “Okay, back soon!” 

The boys’ table remains a bright spot in your morning for as long as they’re there. Their antics you’re rather used to—the flirting, and the pranks, and the teasing way both James and Sirius poke at Remus while his blush worsens and worsens—but it surprises a laugh out of you when you joke that you’ll have to spit in Remus’ food if he orders the brioche (which infamously holds up the kitchen every time) and Sirius snorts doubt he’d mind before yelping and jumping in his seat. By the time you’re bringing them their ticket, the cafe has reached its late morning lull and your day is remarkably brighter than it started off. 

You seem to be interrupting some sort of debate when you approach their table, Remus leaning forward to whisper across the booth before he catches sight of you and sits back. The tops of his cheekbones are tinged pink. Sirius, on the other hand, is grinning wickedly, whereas James looks mostly exasperated. 

“Thank you,” James says kindly, taking the ticket from you. Remus starts rifling through his pockets for cash, but Sirius only looks at you as though sizing you up. 

“Y/n,” he starts to say, ignoring how Remus’ eyes narrow in his direction, “are you seeing anyone at the moment?” 

You feel your eyebrows lift. “Not currently, no.” 

“But why not?” He affects a look of puzzled contemplation, propping his chin on his hand. “You’re a pretty girl. Are you not looking to date?” 

You shrug, fighting the urge to cross your arms defensively. It’s not that you’ve never gotten these sorts of personal questions from customers before, but you weren’t expecting them from this table; you thought you knew better than to take Sirius’ flirting seriously. “Nothing has come up lately, I guess.” 

“Do you fancy men?”

“Sirius,” Remus hisses. “Leave her alone.” 

“What?” Sirius spreads his hands, guileless. “None of us would care if you didn’t, lovely—well, some might care, but no one would hold it against you—” He yelps for the second time today, this time shooting a glare at his friend across the booth. “Anyway, you don’t have to say if you aren’t comfortable.” 

You’re laughing a bit now, half nervously. “No, that’s okay. I do, yeah.” 

“Interesting.” James sets down the ticket. It seems you have his full attention now. “And what do you think of our Remus?” 

Remus makes a horrified sputtering sound, and you turn to find him looking at James in betrayal. He’s pink to the tips of his ears. 

You can’t help a small smile as you catch on. “I think he seems very sweet.” 

“Mm, well spotted.” James nods, tenting his hands like a man at a business meeting. 

“Yes, very good taste,” Sirius agrees. 

“He’s a dateable bloke, no?” James asks you. He jolts in his seat a little, but doesn’t yelp like Sirius had. Remus appears caught between wanting to hide his face in his hands and wanting to burn his friends to cinders with his gaze. He’ll be lucky, you think amusedly, if he doesn’t burn himself up first. The hue of his blush is only getting deeper. 

“He is,” you agree. You look at Remus again. This time, he meets your eyes, his look softening. 

“I’m so sorry,” he says miserably. 

Your grin spreads. “No, don’t be.” 

“So would you like to date him?” James furthers. 

Remus does put his head in his hands now, letting out a muffled groan. “James.” 

“What? Clearly you aren’t going to do it yourself, and I am sick of trying to eat my breakfast whilst you moon over—” He jumps in his seat again, and goes quiet, reaching down to rub at his leg. You tuck your lips in to hide a smile. 

“I’m just going to take this,” you say, reaching for the customer copy of their receipt. You bend over, scrawling your number down on the signature line. “And if anyone has more questions for me later, they can give me a ring. Okay?” 

You look at Remus. He looks nauseous and stop-sign red, but he manages to give you a small smile. “Alright,” he says, tentatively.

“Perfect. Bye, boys.” You shoot them a wave as you go to your next table. You hope Remus sees how your smile is really only for him.

[arcadia-of-pluto]

Casually calling him daddy; Caleb

Word count; 922

Warnings; "daddy" ofc, fluff

Notes; Hope yall enjoy these updated drabbles!! <3

☆☆☆☆☆

You and Caleb weren't…well, technically, you weren't dating, but you weren't exactly sure what to call it. Your relationship is the same it's always been.

The usual cuddling, hand-holding, pretending to date to thwart love confessions…

And you were trying to figure out how exactly to push the envelope just a step further.

As you were scrolling through decade old apps, you found a TikTok compilation.

Now, you weren't exactly sure what TikTok was since it was, at least, 20-years old, but you decided to watch the video anyways since you were doom scrolling in bed at Caleb's home.

As you were watching, one trend caught your eye.

It was the aptly named “calling your boyfriend daddy” trend and while you didn't have a boyfriend…you did have Caleb.

You weren't exactly sure what kinks Caleb had, but whether his reaction was sexual, disgust, or whatever it may be, you wanted to see. So, with that thought in mind, you get up and call your OTTO into the room.

“Hello, master, what do you need help with today? Do you need breakfast? Master Caleb left two hours, thirty-five minutes, and 40 seconds ago to go to work. He won't be home until–”

“Thank you so much for that, OTTO, but I needed something else.” You quickly cut the circular robot off, feeling a bit bad for doing so, but you doubt its feelings would be hurt. “Whenever Caleb gets home and we start cooking, can you switch to your recording mode?”

“I can do that. Any video saved will go straight to Master Caleb's phone.” The bot says as it flies around your head and you shrug, “That's fine with me. Let me know when he gets home!”

Now, you just need to figure out how you'll seamlessly bring the word up in conversation with Caleb…

“He's home! He's home!” OTTO shouts, almost excitedly, as it speeds around the house similarly to an overexcited dog. Though, its warning was a tad too late as Caleb steps in the door while the bot is excitedly yelling.

“You missed me so much, you got OTTO to tell ya when I get home?” He laughs as he takes his Colonel hat off, setting it on the coffee table.

“Maybe…” you grab his hat, putting it on as you shove him toward his room. “Go get changed, I'm hungry.”

“Alright, alright. Geez, no need to be in such a hurry, pipsqueak.” He holds his hands up, allowing you to push him.

After he's changed, he joins you in the kitchen with OTTO flying steadily around the room.

“Did you tell OTTO to do something? It's acting realllly strange.” Caleb's eyes narrow as he shuts the rice cooker. “Nope, maybe it's broken.” You shrug, continuing to peel an apple.

You decided to make an apple smoothie for both you and Caleb, almost completely forgetting about your earlier plan. “Oh right…” you murmur under your breath.

How were you going to bring it up…

“What're you thinking about, pipsqueak?” Caleb rests an arm on your shoulder as he pokes the skin between your eyebrows. “What's got you furrowing your brows?”

“Well da– I mean, hmm…” you're honestly feeling a bit frustrated, but also embarrassed that you can't find a way to naturally insert this word into the conversation.

How come he can do it so easily when calling you pipsqueak?

Caleb raises a brow, leaning more into your view. “What did you say?”

“Ah, it's nothing.” You shove at his chest with a small laugh. “Give me some space, Caleb. You know I'm holding a knife, right?”

But as soon as you say this, you feel an odd pressure on your wrist. Your hand lets go of the knife and it clatters on the marble countertop.

“Caleb– ?”

He turns your body to face him, your back against the counter as he tilts his head to the side.

“Go on.”

“I wasn't going to say anything, seriously!” You can't help but laugh, turning your head to look away from him.

He didn't know exactly what you were going to say from just a few letters…right?

He grabs your chin, turning your head to face him. “Don't look away from me.” He jerks his chin up as he looks down at you. “Go ahead, say what you were going to say. I'm waiting.”

Embarrassment along with…something else was boiling in the pit of your stomach and you let out a low, panicked whine, lightly stomping your foot.

Suddenly, you felt like you couldn't say anything. So tongued that you just kept your mouth shut.

A sharp laugh escapes Caleb and his grip tightens around your chin. “Alright, brat. You really don't want to say it?” He hums, eyes flitting from yours to your lips. “Then I guess that means…no braised chicken tonight?”

“Huh–” you owlishly blink at him, before finally coming back to life. “That's not fair–!”

“Then…Say. It.” Caleb clicks his tongue, slowly leaning forward so his forehead rests against yours.

“I…ugh.” You sigh, feeling heat rush to your cheeks. “I'm sorry…daddy.”

“Good girl.” He hums with a content smile, dipping his head down to lightly peck your lips before suddenly, he's gone. “Now get back to your smoothie.”

Your face was red as you stared at his back. How the hell was he so unphased!?

That's so unfair.

But as you puff out your cheeks in annoyance, you notice how one of his hands is balled up into a fist and his ears are a pretty shade of red.

Casually calling them "daddy" LADS

Word count; 1,913

Themes; slightly barely there suggestive content, fluff, established relationship

Warnings; mention of "daddy" ofc, fluff

Notes; So these turned out more fluffy than I originally intended...honestly, thought they'd be more smutty, but I've learnt that it's really difficult for me to write smut. Or at least, smut with little to no context before it all goes down. I might eventually write some smuttier drabbles, but regardless of smut, I hope you enjoy this little thing I wrote!

You saw that there was an old trend about calling your boyfriend “daddy” and videoing their reaction so, obviously, you wanted to give it a try…

Xavier 

It's been almost a year since you and Xavier started dating– and it was a wonderful eleven months! He told you everything about himself. What his future with you was like, all of his feelings throughout the centuries, and you listened. You wholeheartedly believed him, because it would be one hell of a lie if it wasn't true…and you didn't think Xavier had the time or energy to come up with a complex lie like that. 

But even if you now know, time moves on. There's not much you can do about your future self, so you can't really change the future in that way though…Xavier's here now, in the past, and that's all that matters to you. 

Anyway, today was just a normal day as any. 

You were sitting at the counter, keeping a close eye on Xavier– who was attempting to follow, yet another, cooking tutorial. The man was desperate to cook a decent meal for you. His heart dead set on making you something edible for your upcoming year anniversary…and while that was cute, you also wanted to mess with him. 

You push your cup just out of your reach and make a big show of trying to reach for it, before sighing loudly. 

“Daddy, can you pass me my drink please?” 

You can hear the clang of a spatula hitting the floor and you watch Xavier’s body comically whip around to face you. 

“What?” His head cocks to the side as his wide eyes were set on your face. “Say that again..”

“Hmm? I said ‘Xav, can you pass me my drink, please’.” You copy his head tilt and he quickly shakes his head.

 “No, no you didn't.” He takes a few steps toward you before grabbing your hand in-between both of his. “Say it again.” 

You couldn't resist his sweet puppy dog eyes, so you hold back a smile as you meet his eyes. “I...called you daddy.” 

“Really?” He seems unusually excited. “So are we…?” His gaze lowers to your stomach and you can’t help the giggle that slips from your lips. 

Gosh, he was so cute. 

“Baby– no, no. We're not pregnant.” You run your fingers through his hair with a smile on your lips. “Are...you disappointed?” 

“Mmh..” Xavier hums thoughtfully for a moment before he shakes his head. “No. We can just make it a reality later. No need to rush.” 

Zayne 

You and Zayne have only been dating for six months, but it felt like much longer. Having known each other since you were little, you both had always been close– well, your definition of close and his were probably different. You always thought of him as a friend while he tried to keep a distance and thought you hated him. But time brought you both back together with him as your primary care physician. 

The two of you had been flirting up until his birthday and finally made it official once he blew his candles out on the cake you made for him. It was a sweet time, but that was six months ago. 

Now, though, you really want to fluster the man. 

He always embarrasses you and makes you feel nervous, but you never get to see him that way. Sure, his ears will turn red and sometimes he won't meet your eyes when you get too intense with him, but you've never seen him absolutely shocked. And you just wanted to see one look of surprise from him. 

So, what did you decide to do? 

You decided to casually call him "daddy” as a joke.

That should definitely go over well. 

Zayne is seated behind his desk at the hospital, sorting through papers as you longue on his sofa. Your eyes continuously glancing toward the windows to make sure the door was shut and the blinds were closed. 

“If you keep staring at the door, you just might burn a hole through it.” Zayne says, though he didn't even look up from his paperwork. He was attentive like that and probably already knew you wanted something or you were ready to go home. And he was right. 

“When are we going home…daddy?” You ask as you kick your feet in the air behind you. You were on your stomach, resting your cheek against your arms as you watched his expression…which didn't change at all. 

"Just give me a few more minutes, angel, and I'll be done.” Zayne pushes his glasses up with his index finger and clicks his pen, jotting down a few notes. 

“I–” You puff your cheeks out with a small sigh and decide to keep going with it. “I want to go home now, daddy.”

“Didn't I just tell you to be patient?” Now Zayne finally looks up at you with one of his brows raised. “I'll deal with you when we get home.” 

Rafayel 

It's been four months since Rafayel asked you out. Four months since you tugged Rafayel down into the bath with you, which set off a chain reaction of a steamy night, followed by him asking you out the next morning; he also complained that you both went out of order, but he wasn’t too upset when you continued where you left off…

Now, though, you moved out of your apartment and to Rafayel's home, ‘Mo Art Studio’ at Whitesand Bay. 

It was definitely odd at first, but it was a good change of pace. Always being by the ocean, able to take your morning walks together on the beach and collect seashells. You had a whole collection on your desk at work. He'd always give you the most unique and prettiest shells, saying “only the best for his cutie”. 

He was also so easy to fluster. 

You immediately knew you had him wrapped around your finger every time his ears would turn red. That same crimson slowly made its way from his ears to his cheeks, all the way to his whole face. So you assumed your little ‘prank’ would also have the same effect. 

You were sitting on a beach towel in the sand with an umbrella blocking your eyes from the bright sun. In front of you was Rafayel, painting your visage, with an easel. His hand deftly moves across the canvas as he sketches the outline for his new painting. 

Lately, you are the only thing he can paint. Always asking you to stop what you're doing so he can run and get his sketch pad. You could be doing something so normal and mundane, but he'd be struck with the inspiration to record your very image. 

As much as you loved it and thought this was very sweet, after almost two weeks of this…You wanted some form of payback. 

“Hey, daddy, can we take a break for a second? It’s really hot out here.” You squint your eyes to try and see Rafayel's face, your hand fanning at your body because you, seriously, are hot out here. 

“Huh?” 

It's like Rafayel is frozen in time, or buffering. He's just blankly staring at you with a confused expression on his face until his pencil drops into the sand. That's when he quickly stands up  and makes his way toward you. 

“Again.” 

Now, it's your turn to be confused. 

“Raf, what–” 

“Not that, say the other word again.” His ears were red as he crouched down in front of you, a look of determination in his eyes. 

“No– you're making it weird!” You put your hands on his shoulders, trying to put some distance between him as your face turns red. 

“Please, I really need to hear you say it again! I'm seriously going to die if you don't.” There's your overdramatic fishy. 

“Fine, but just this once.” You grumble, turning your head to look away from him. “Daddy…” Though you say it as low as you can and Rafayel groans, tilting his head back. 

“Louder.” He rests his forehead against yours. “Come on, cutie. If you don't…I might want to change that to my new nickname.”

Sylus

It's been about…a year? Yes, definitely a year since you and Sylus started dating. Well, you both have differing opinions on when exactly you started dating. Sylus claims it was the moment he laid eyes on you in the N109 Zone, while you claim it was only about six months ago– which is when you and Sylus made a bet. 

It was a bet where if he came back safely from his mission, he'd leave you alone. He wouldn't bother you anymore, wouldn't talk to you, contact you, anything of the sort…and you won, but you didn't realize he'd actually do it. So whenever you seeked him out to make sure he was safe, and he ignored you, you realized that maybe you did want him in your life. 

This led to you running across the street to him and jumping into his arms like this was a hallmark movie, and you claim this was when you officially started dating Sylus.

But between us, you just agree with Sylus when he says a year, because if you don't, he'll pout for the whole day. 

...And today was one of those ‘pouty Sylus’ days. 

You went on a mission that was probably way too dangerous, even though you told Sylus you were going to slow down on your Hunter's work. But you couldn't just ignore endangered civilians. If any of them would have died, that would've been too much for your sympathetic heart to handle. 

And even if Sylus understands your reasoning, he's still upset that you left without telling him– having woken up to a cold bed without you by his side sent him spiraling into a panic. 

So, when you got home, you noticed he was sulking in the kitchen as he made dinner. 

“Sy…” You take your shoes off by the door, nervously fiddling with your fingers as you tentatively walk into the kitchen. Standing behind the counter, you sigh, “I'm reeaally sorry...” 

“If you're reeaaally sorry, then help me make our dinner.” He says, not looking up at you and that doesn't make you feel any better. 

“Okay..” You finally step past the counter and you look around. “So…what do you need?” You were trying to figure out something– anything that could make Sylus feel better when a thought comes to your mind. 

Most guys probably like it when their girlfriend calls them daddy…right? 

“In the cabinet, top shelf. I need a bottle of garlic powder.” 

Okay, you got this. 

You take a deep breath and open the cabinet, straining your arm to try and reach the seasoning bottle, but your fingertips barely brush it and knock it over. “Shit…” You swallow back your nervousness before continuing, “Daddy, can you grab it for me?” 

The room fills with silence for a moment, but then you hear Sylus chuckle. 

“Sure, kitten.” 

Your back suddenly feels warm as a firm chest presses against it and Sylus reaches up from behind you to grab the bottle. 

“I ask you to do one simple thing and you can't even do that.” Sylus chides, clicking his tongue as he pops the bottle open to pour some into the pan on the stove. 

“Da–”

“If you think a few empty words will make me feel better, kitten…you've got to try a lot harder than that.” 

I'd like to say, this is definitely one of my better drabbles– one of my favorites, in fact!

I have like...six more ideas for drabbles and then I'll need to come up with some more. Like these new cards and Rafayel's student photoshoot event really had me thinking of how seriously the LADS men would take roleplaying– and that spawned a whole different drabble idea, so you can definitely look forward to that!

I'm trying to come up with new ways to do my drabbles, so that's why I did a little prelude before I started writing for the guys. Please let me know any feedback yall have for me! Especially with the coloured dialogue, I'm not too sure if I like it, but it seems really pretty and probably makes it easier to tell who is talking apart. (I won't use it for my fic though, only the drabbles!)

Anyway, I have a small personal project I'm working on this weekend so I probably won't be able to write any chapters for my 'Divisa' fic, but I'm still going to post chapter nineteen of 'Twist of Fate' and try to write at least two more chapters since I'm only on twenty-three or so.

I hope you all enjoyed these drabbles and I hope yall have a great night/day! 🩷

[avelera]

Honestly, one of the funniest "What If" scenarios in Arcane is, "What if Silco was being 100% serious about letting Vander and the kids peacefully leave the undercity to go live somewhere else?"

I mean, obviously it's not ideal to let some criminal chem baron forcibly remove you from your own home and force you to live somewhere else, but, compared to what happened with Mylo, Claggor, and apparently Vander dying, Vi in Stillwater, and Jinx as Silco's traumatized adoptive daughter/weapon, the scenario really would have avoided so many of the horrors and misery that came later, compared to what happened with Vi's rescue attempt and Jinx's monkey bomb.

For real, picture this: You're Silco. You've had it up to here with Vander's pacifism towards topside. You need him out of the picture because you plan to supplant him as de facto leader of Zaun, but you don't actually want him dead. You definitely don't want your friend Felicia's kids dead too.

However, there's no way you can let Vander stay, he'll mount a resistance against your takeover attempts if he's left in place, you can't just kill him because everyone will know you did it, and you can't just say he abandoned everyone to save himself, because there's no way anyone would believe he'd leave his kids behind.

So, you stage a classic kitten trap, ie, you trap the mother, and use it to lure the kittens to one spot. The kids are given an easy rescue mission and Vander is used as bait to round them up. Everyone will easily believe that Vander abandoned the undercity to skip town with his kids, especially since it's pretty clear it's his kids who pissed off topside, and Vander will know he's screwed if he ever comes back to the undercity again because everyone will be pissed at him for leaving them and Silco will have tightened his grip on power. Perfect. Everyone (sort of) wins and gets to live.

There's just one problem with this plan: you're Silco. One of the most malicious looking motherfuckers to ever live. You could ask someone for directions to the library and it would sound sinister. Seriously, he looks like the dictionary definition of a cartoon villain.

So, you're Silco and you're telling Vander and the kids the 100% absolute truth: I'm going to relocate you, it's going to look like you skipped town, you and your kids will be fine, just don't ever come back.

But, since you're the most evil looking motherfucker in the land, no one believes you. Everyone freaks out. The kids mount a violent rescue effort, everything goes to hell, Shimmer starts exploding, now half the kids are dead, Vander is "dead", half your goons are dead, one lost an arm, and the whole undercity is going to know you off'ed the previous leader and resistance movements like the Firelights are going to spring up as a result. You have to rule with an iron fist because there's no other way to seize the power vacuum now and look like a good guy.

Now, do I really think Silco was going to peacefully let Vander and the kids go live somewhere else, in exchange for a promise to never return to the undercity on pain of death? Maybe! It seems a little naive but then, after what we learn in S2, it's not entirely impossible that Silco was reluctant to kill Vander or Felicia's kids and tried to find a peaceful work-around that would lure them to a secondary location for easy capture.

Mostly, I just think it would be funny as hell if Silco really did try to find a peaceful solution to his power struggle/vendetta against Vander, but he's just so fucking sinister no one actually believed he was telling the truth!

[brawberryz]

You think i'm weird?

Damian Wayne × BatSis! Reader 《Platonic!》

Note: English is not my first language, sorry if there is any translation error

You had noticed that Damian was more distant than usual, his self-centered personality and confident tone had almost completely disappeared

You weren't stupid, you knew something was wrong, you were his older sister, maybe you had different mothers and were raised in different environments but that doesn't mean you didn't understand

You said you were going to confront him on the next patrol, you needed answers and as the excellent detective you were, you were going to get them

_

"Is there something bothering you?"

You said suddenly as the two of you sat in front of a building, it was the right time to talk, there was no one who could interrupt.

"What do you mean?"

Damian asked as if he didn't know what you meant.

"You're acting strange, like something was bothering you..."

You said as you stared at him, you knew something was wrong, maybe you didn't say it all the time but you cared too much for him, maybe sometimes you fought and it seemed like you wanted to kill each other and sometimes it was true, but still there was a part of your head that hated the idea that he, your brother, your little brother was in danger or sad.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Damian seemed to simply ignore the subject and want to change the conversation, your brow furrowed at such a response.

"I'm not stupid, Damian, tell me what's wrong? Did you fight with dad again or what?"

You sat a little closer to him, you were going to find out what was wrong with Damian even if it would take you a thousand years

"It's not that, it's just that..."

His voice trailed off in the middle of the sentence, he was hesitating to tell you, he seemed downcast, that wasn't the Damian you knew, he would never have doubted anything

"You... you think I'm weird?"

A laugh came out of your lips and you started laughing like crazy, Damian had never seen you laugh so much in his life as now

"WHAT ARE YOU MAKE FUN OF, STUPID!, ugh I knew I shouldn't tell you, you never take anything seriously"

Damian crossed his arms looking at you angrily, I didn't understand what was funny about the situation, he was telling you something personal and you just... you just laughed!?

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But seriously I've never heard anything so funny in my life"

You tried to stop laughing, you wiped away a tear that fell from your eye before you could speak

"Seriously you ask, of all people you ask me that?"

You said ironically looking at Damian, he just shrugged his shoulders and looked away

"Damian, we are vigilantes, there is nothing normal in our life, the strange thing would be if something was normal, you are literally the son of a very dangerous assassin and I am the daughter of a villain"

You let out a small laugh while saying that, but you saw that Damian's mood didn't change so you decided to get serious

"But hey, seriously, if you are weird but so what? We are all weird and you shouldn't be ashamed of that, I could say that I am weirder than you and I don't care"

Damian was surprised by your words, it was the first time he saw you talking seriously, he always thought you were too stupid and childish but what you just said really surprised him

"Thanks... I think"

"You're welcome, but don't be ashamed of being weird, let's be weird together, what do you think?"

You said giving him a smile as you put your arm around his shoulders and brought him closer to you, it was the first time you had gotten so emotionally close to Damian, you thought he hated you or something but apparently it was far from reality

"That... that's fine with me"

For a second you could see a small smile on Damian's face, that made your heart feel good

A few minutes passed before Damian spoke again

"You dare tell someone about this conversation and I'll cut your throat"

And there he was again the same old Damian, well at least those were the best minutes of your life before Damian went back to being Damian

"Whatever you say, Mr. weirdo"

You let out a laugh as you said those words

"I'M SERIOUS, YOU DARE TO TELL SOMEONE AND I'LL KILL YOU!"

Damian spoke angrily, punching you in the arm

"Hey! That's enough, but stop doing it... HEY, STOP IT, IT HURTS!!"

You shouted, trying to dodge Damian's punches. God, I think you missed the emo Damian...

I imagine the relationship between Damian and BatSis! Reader like that of gumball and anais, i love writing about them, they are so silly

(*^▽^)/★*☆♪

[mixolya]

ᓚᘏᗢ — golden hours, golden hearts : chapter 017 !

you stared at your reflection in the mirror, head tilted slightly as you debated your next move.

should you put in effort? do your makeup, wear something decent? or should you just throw on a hoodie and go in your pyjamas? 

technically, this was a business arrangement, not a date. just a simple conversation about rules and boundaries. nothing that required anything more than the bare minimum.

and yet ...

with a sigh, you grabbed your concealer and quickly blended it under your eyes. just enough to make yourself look awake. then mascara. a tiny flick of eyeliner. a swipe of tinted lip balm. there. casual but put-together.

for your outfit, you settled on something comfortable but still presentable: bootcut jeans, a long-sleeve, your warm puffer jacket, and a scarf. 

once you were satisfied, you checked the time and grabbed your phone and headed out. the crisp air bit at your cheeks as you walked, but the warmth of your scarf and the quiet hum of the city made it a pleasant trip.

when you stepped inside the café, the smell of roasted coffee beans and cinnamon greeted you. you scanned the room, easily spotting sae at a corner table. 

he sat by the window, casually scrolling through his phone, dressed in a dark sweater.

your steps slowed when you noticed the two cups on the table in front of him.

you approached with a raised brow. “did you meet someone before?”

sae glanced up at you, then at the cups, before shaking his head. "no. it's for you.”

you blinked.  "oh.” 

yeah, oh.

you hadn't expected that.

you slid into the seat across from him, eyeing the cappuccino for a moment before saying, “i could’ve gotten it myself, you know.”

"obviously," he looked you in the eye, "but you recommended it so i assumed it's your favorite drink here."

you sighed, wrapping your hands around the cup anyway. it was warm against your fingers, and you hated how thoughtful it was.

"thank you," you said. 

you leaned back and exhaled, sae eyeing you. 

"so, rules. we need rules."

sae quirked a brow. "rules?"

"yes, rules. it's lowkey a deal, no? i don't want things getting messy."

a flicker of amusement crossed his face, but he nodded. "go on."

"no kissing," you said immediately. "no hand-holding unless absolutely necessary. nothing more than just.. being near each other."

his lips twitched like he was holding back an amused smirk. “okay...”

“you do know couples are supposed to act like they like each other, right?”

"well, some things are fine. just nothing over the top. and if we post about each other, we have to ask first."

sae sipped his drink, eyes never leaving yours. "what else?"

"that's it for now," you said, watching him carefully. "what about you?"

sae leaned back in his seat, fingers lazily tapping against his cup as he regarded you with an unreadable expression. “nothing, really. i'm fine with whatever.”

you blinked, taken aback by how unbothered he seemed. “seriously?”

he shrugged. “yeah. you're the one who seems worried about it.”

“i am not worried,” you scoffed, though the way he was watching you, like he could see right through you, made you shift slightly in your seat.

his lips twitched, this time not bothering to hide his amusement. “right. not worried.”

you huffed, gripping your cup a little tighter. “this is my reputation too, you know. i just don’t want things getting out of control.”

sae tilted his head slightly, his gaze still locked onto yours. “and what would ‘out of control’ look like to you?”

you hesitated. the idea of people actually believing the two of you were in love, of the media twisting stories, of fans picking apart every interaction - it was a lot. but more than that, you weren’t sure you wanted to deal with whatever it meant to be associated with sae itoshi beyond just this agreement.

“just… unnecessary drama,” you settled on, not wanting to over-explain.

he studied you for a moment before nodding. “alright. no unnecessary drama.”

you narrowed your eyes. “you're agreeing too easily again.”

“would you rather i fight you on it?”

“…no.”

“then quit complaining.”

you exhaled sharply, bringing your drink to your lips in an attempt to mask your frustration. this was already exhausting.

sae smirked, clearly entertained by your reaction. “relax. you're making it sound like this is a life-or-death contract.”

“it might as well be,” you muttered.

he chuckled, and the sound was low and brief, but still enough to catch you off guard. you hadn’t expected him to laugh.

you shook your head, pushing past the thought. “fine. since you apparently have no concerns, i'll just assume we’re sticking to my rules.”

“sure,” he said, finishing the last of his coffee. “but i do have one request.”

you tensed slightly, wary. “…what?”

he placed his empty cup down, leaning forward just enough that you could catch the flicker of something  in his gaze.

“if we're going to do this, you have to at least pretend to like me.”

you lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

sae tilted his head, watching your reaction with quiet amusement. “think you can handle that, superstar?”

you stared at him, trying to figure out if he was serious or just messing with you. but sae didn’t waver, his expression calm, expectant. the flicker in his gaze was something you couldn’t quite place, something challenging, like he was daring you to say no.

pretend to like him?

you huffed, setting your cup down a little harder than necessary. “i think i can manage,” you said, lifting your chin slightly. “can you?”

his smirk deepened, like he had been waiting for you to say that. “obviously.”

your eyes narrowed. “you don’t even like people, sae.”

“i like some people,” he countered.

you scoffed. “name one.”

for a second, he just looked at you, something unreadable flickering across his features. but then he leaned back again, casually stretching his arms along the back of the booth. “wouldn't you like to know?”

you rolled your eyes, deciding not to entertain whatever game he was trying to play. “as long as you don’t make it obvious that this is fake, i don’t care what you do.”

sae tilted his head slightly, his gaze sharp but still unreadable. “you think people will doubt it?”

you hesitated, because yeah, you did. you and sae itoshi weren’t exactly the type of people the world would naturally put together. even if your name had been linked before, it started because of him saying that you were his celebrity crush. it wasn't supposed to develop into something more. 

you were stubborn, fiery, and always said exactly what you meant. sae was… well, sae.

“i think people will find it hard to believe that you’d put up with me,” you admitted.

sae hummed, considering your words. then, with the most irritating smirk, he said, “i think people will find it hard to believe you don’t already have a crush on me.”

you choked on air. “pardon?”

he leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table. “you're the one who insisted on rules. you're the one making this complicated. almost like you don’t trust yourself.”

yozr jaw dropped. “you are insufferable.”

his smirk didn’t fade. “and you’re avoiding the question.”

you glared at him. “for the record, i do not have a crush on you.”

sae's gaze softened just a fraction, but his amusement remained. “sure, superstar.”

you exhaled through your nose, trying not to let him get to you. “are we done here?”

sae glanced at his watch before nodding. “yeah. i'll text you details about the wedding.”

“great,” you muttered, standing up and grabbing your coat. “looking forward to it.”

this was going to be hell.

chapter 016 > here > chapter 018

taglist is open ! <3

back to golden hours, golden hearts

a/n: is anyone good at digital art bc im losing my mind at these graduation shirts my classmates did wtf is this

taglist: @darling-dearesttt @saeslove @yuukiririix @sof888a @beepbopzlorp @luvrrin @narcjsistx @catukin @megumismyhusband @morgyyyyyyy @levihanmyotp @kaz-0e @nensi @vaelils @loverryxx @kunascutie @bbladie @swagkittybear @alexiaray @kaidostwin @black-swan-blog27 @syarc0re @vayahatesu @yangx2isawhore @pinkfqiry @treeguzzler @shumeow-h @modxbea @90s-belladonna @rory-cakes @sapph1r3x @yuiearyi @pctterheadd @thecallofmedusa @whisperofae @belovedfedya @anqelkoz @yukari1k @dontmindtheevie @pookalicious-hq @pan-kojiwa @spookysoowpprince @mivqko @chuuyalvover @viviinpt @h1sllvr @luvvmae @renchai @yourlocaleffy @x3nafix

© mixolya 2025. do not copy, remake or edit any of my works.

[hookedonhuge]

make a story with a lot of bloating and belches please

Here we go! Ended up putting in more effort than planned, haha. Aches and Gains: What the hell… where am I? Who are all these huge men walking around? Oh that’s right, the gym. I was working out wasn’t I? Yeah, my muscles feel really sore, must have been a killer workout. Pushing myself to my absolute limit, what a legend I am.

Who is this? Someone waving. Oh they are worried. Don’t worry, haha, I’m fine. UURRP! I just take this place seriously, that's all. Needed a quick rest. Vision’s still a little blurry but I’m getting there.

Now where was I? Just finished a set or did I finish my whole workout? Yeah I’m so sore I must be done. Especially my abs, they are really tight. I guess it was a core day. BUURRP! Oh that feels much better. I can get up now.

Whoo! I’m starting to feel alive again. Let's check out my pump in the mirror. Bet I’m looking real huge today. This shirt is kinda hard to get off, it’s so tight. Must be a crazy pump. Ah, there we go!

What the?! I’m freakin’ huge but… why have I lost so much definition?! My belly is so damn bloated! That’s okay, just my protein shake kicking in. No problem. Damn, look at the pecs on me though! Jealous of these bad boys, losers? Hahaha! King of the gym today. UUURRRP! I was already big and now I’m even bigger! URP!

I keep belching. Kinda weird but it relieves the pressure in my belly. I just need to get it all out, and find my abs again, haha. BUUUUURRRRRP! What are they all looking at? Goddamn greatness, that’s what. Oh don’t give me that pissy look staff, this place might as well be mine anyway.

I still haven’t relieved all the pressure in my gut. Aaaahhh! It hurts so much. UUURRRP! It’s like I’m inflating. I can’t get it out quick enough. BUUUURRRRP! Yeah, I know everyone, I don’t want to burp this much, okay. Geez. Everyone is on my case today. Oh great, now a staff member is coming up to me. This is unbelievable, I haven’t done anything wrong. Oh… my protein shake. Yeah guess I left it back there. Thanks. URRPP!

That cleared some room for a bit more protein shake. Bottoms up. Tastes so good. I’m so hungry too. Can’t stop myself from chugging it all. UUUUUUURRRRRRRP! That hit the spot. Hope y’all can smell that, it reeks of stale protein, hahaha. Deserve it for being so judgy.

God! I can feel myself getting bigger. Yes! I’m growing so much, so huge. My gut though… I look like I’ve eaten a five-course meal… twice. Aaaaaahhhhh! So much pressure… need to get it out… now! 

BUUUUUUURRRRRRRAAAAAAAPPP!

Looks like I caught someone with that point blank. Looks like they might pass out too. Hey, want another one? UUUURRRRP! Hahahaha! Take this! BUUUUURRRRRP!

WOW! Just caught myself in the reflection and damn! I’m so big, I’m jealous of myself. Look at these huge guns. Boom! This chest keeps getting bigger too. And my back, chef’s kiss. So goddamn wide and perfect! Legs looking thick too! I’m such a beast, let's go! Who cares if I’ve got a big, bloated belly. Bigger is better right. I’d take it any day with these gains. BUUUURRRRAAAAP!

I’m starting to get used to these burps. Feels so nice when I let them out. Like a lion’s roar. So manly. UUUUUUURRRRRRRAAAAAAAP! Is this too disgusting for all of you? Well bad luck. BUUURRRP! I’ve got a lot more coming! BAAAAUUUURRRRP! Let me show you all what a beast like me sounds like…

BWWWWWWOOOOOOUUUUUURRRRRRAAAAAAUUUUUUPPP!

Hahahahaha! This entire gym reeks now! Oh look here, we have a big, strong man coming up to start a fight. I’m the king of this gym, okay bro. Wait, not looking for a fight. Complimenting me? Hell yeah! This big guy gets it. New gym buddy right over here. What’s this? A protein shake. Thanks bro, I actually feel like I need another one.

This is UURRP unbelievable, how BUURRP can a protein OOUURRP taste so damn UURRP good? What has BOOOUUUURRRP he put in this UUURRRP thing? No seriously what is in it? Nevermind. Just a bro helping another bro out by giving him some fuel.

Time to leave. Not sure if this gym can handle me for much longer. This employee at the reception looks pissed, haha. Well I’m gonna tell him what’s on my mind.

BUUUURRRRP-OOOOUUUURRRRAAAAAP-BWWWWWOOOOOUUUUURRRRRP!

Don’t think I’ll need to pay to get in anymore.

[rook-laidir]

U Want Sum Banter?

Enjoy!!!

~~~

Harding: Hey, Rook? Thanks again for all your help with me figuring out my magic.

Rook: I wasn’t much help, but anytime. That’s what I’m here for.

Harding: You’re a lot more help than you realize. We’ve been through a lot together, even before all of this. You’re my best friend. I have no idea what I’d do without you.

Rook: Awww, Harding! You’re my best friend too! And for the record, you’d do just fine without me. You’d just have to run from the authorities less.

Harding: You definitely keep things exciting.

~~

Rook: Your Ma’s really nice. I see where you get it from.

Harding: She said you’re welcome back any time. I think she wants to adopt you.

Rook: I don’t think I’d be able to leave. She sent me back with three pies and my laundry done.

Harding: She said you looked like you needed a Ma.

Rook: I did. It was nice.

~~~

Rook: Did Manfred like his gift?

Emmrich: He loves it! It took quite the convincing to get him to take it off long enough to let me wash it.

Rook: The hat suits him. He looks so dashing.

Emmrich: He does, doesn’t he? I just hope it won’t lead to him trying to borrow Neve’s fascinators.

Rook: They’d look so cute on him! I’ll get one from her office, she won’t mind. Probably.

~~~

Emmrich: I’m sorry that Johanna sparked such a visceral reaction for you. I never anticipated she would commit such atrocities, much less that you would have to bear witness to them.

Rook: Huh?

Emmrich: I couldn’t hear you over all of the commotion, but I did hear you say “smash.” I regret that we’ll likely have to bring harm to her, but I do understand your sentiment.

Rook: Oh. Right. That’s what I meant.

~~~

Rook: Bed, wed, behead: Teia and Viago, Antoine and Evka, and Viper and Tarquin.

Lucanis: I’m not dignifying this with an answer.

Rook: Killjoy.

~~~

Rook: Ok, bed, wed, behead - Morrigan, Vorgoth, and Spite - not Lucanis, just Spite.

Davrin: Absolutely not.

Rook: You’re no fun, you know that?

~~~

Rook: So…?

Taash: ‘Kay, I’ve thought about it.

Rook: And?

Taash: Bed Irelin, wed Isabela, behead Myrna.

Rook: Poor Myrna.

Taash: I don’t like corpse stuff.

~~~

Rook: You tinker with stuff.

Bellara: I do! Well, ancient elvhen artifacts, mostly. But I can fix other things too! Unless I’m the one that broke them. Then it’s trickier.

Rook: Right. And if someone had a piece of scrap metal that just had to look like an ancient elvhen artifact, would you be able to do that?

Bellara: I might be able to, depending on the size and the material. Why do you need it to look like one?

Rook: Had a merchant rip me off. I need to return the favor.

Bellara: Rook!

Rook: He started it!

~~~

Rook: Seriously, Neve. How did you win? Did you enchant the cards or something?

Neve: I told you, you have a tell.

Rook: I triple checked. My finger doesn’t not twitch.

Neve: I know. It never did.

Rook: Then why did you -?

Neve: Now you look at your finger whenever you have a bad hand.

[redisthenewblue]

TINKER-Twisted Wonderland x Tinkerbell!Yuu/Fem!Reader Part 5 Part 4

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ "Red... Red... BAM! Whoa! It turned blue?!?" Deuce took a step back, totally shocked. How did he mess that up so badly?!

"Change, you awful color! Change! AHA! BWAH! The rose is on fire!" Grim was frantically trying to put out the flames on the bush.

[Name] just sighed as she watched the boys struggle with painting the roses. She pushed them aside and flicked her magic pen at the bush, instantly changing all the roses' colors.

"See how easy that was? I’m just way too good at this!" [Name] tossed her hair back with a smirk, reveling in her own talent.

The boys exchanged glances before looking back at her.

"What? Why are you staring like that?" [Name] raised an eyebrow, confused.

"[Name]... the roses are... um... pink," Deuce stammered, clearly nervous about how she would react. Ace, on the other hand, burst out laughing.

"Don't tell me you're color blind?!" Ace teased the fairy.

"Wow. You’re even worse at this than I thought," Cater scratched his head, trying to figure out what to do with the first-years.

"Hey, maybe you should just leave the roses white! They look perfectly pretty to me," Ace suggested, but Cater wasn't having it.

"It’s all about tradition. You can’t have an unbirthday party without the roses being red. And you can’t play croquet without seven-colored flamingos as mallets and a hedgehog for a ball. Oh, and don't forget, the roses have to be white when the garden flowers have their spring concert. That's non-negotiable!" As Cater rambled, [Name] was left speechless. What kind of animal cruelty were these guys into?!

"What did those animals ever do to you?!" [Name] exclaimed, horrified by how the dorm treated them.

"All your rules are totally insane!"

"They say the Queen of Hearts made these rules herself—she was one of the Great Seven, you know. And Riddle is really into tradition, probably more than any previous housewarden. I’ll admit, he’s a bit... much," Ace huffed, clearly annoyed. 'A bit' was a serious understatement.

"Yeah, no kidding. I don’t have time for this nonsense. Is Riddle around? I need to talk to him," Ace said, cutting straight to the chase.

"Yeah, probably. But are you sure that’s a good idea? Did you even bring an apology tart to replace the one you ate?" Cater interrogated Ace.

"Uh, no...? I came here first thing in the morning!" Ace clarified defensively.

"Ah ah ah... That could be a problem. Have you forgotten rule 53? 'Stolen items must be replaced.' If you’re not in compliance, I can’t let you in," Cater said, sticking out his hand to usher Ace out.

"Are you serious?!" Ace looked at the upperclassman in disbelief. Was he joking?

"Are you telling me I came all this way for nothing?!" [Name] nearly lost it. Of course, the one time she got dragged along, she ended up painting roses, getting teased for messing up the color, and now getting kicked out. Seriously?!

"You know you didn’t have to come, right?" Deuce piped up.

"Deuce." The fairy shot him a warning glance.

"Yes ma’am!" Deuce quickly zipped his mouth shut.

"All dorm residents must follow the rules. If I let you slide, it’ll be off with my head next! Sorry, Ace, but I need you to leave before Riddle spots you. Thanks," Cater began pushing Ace out, who was digging his heels in.

"I... think this guy is serious. You guys, do something!" Ace cried for help.

[Name] glanced at her nails, bored. "I don’t really feel like fighting right now."

"Why should WE do anything?" the blue-haired boy crossed his arms, unimpressed.

"Come on, please! I can’t use magic! Hurry, he’s—" Ace begged before Cater blasted him with a light spell, sending him flopping to the ground. [Name]'s wings twitched slightly as she watched him crash. A determined look crossed her face as she pulled out her magic wand and pointed it at Cater.

"Fine, today’s your lucky day, Ace," [Name] said, glancing back at the boy behind her. Deuce looked at her with admiration as he grabbed his magic pen, ready to back her up.

"I’ve got your back, [Name]!" Deuce declared, filled with determination.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

[Name], Deuce, and Grim were panting in exhaustion outside the dorm. Just how elite was this guy?!

"Make sure you bring that tart next time, okay? Bye now!" Cater waved his fingers at the first years. [Name] was the first to break the silence.

"Ace, I am never helping you again."

"What?! Why?!" Ace exclaimed, shocked by her statement.

"We hit him over and over, but he just kept coming. Maybe he was using some kind of illusion magic?" Deuce said, clearly frustrated.

"So let me get this straight: we walked in there completely tartless, and this dude still made us go through that whole rigmarole before tossing us out? He just wanted us to paint his stupid roses!" Ace facepalmed at the realization.

"We really look like a bunch of chumps," Grim said glumly.

"No, Grim," [Name] corrected him, "ACE DOES!" Her voice rose in volume, emphasizing her point.

"I get it, okay?!" Ace sulked, feeling defeated.

"I guess we’ll just have to grab an apology tart and come back. Maybe after class, we can— Oh no!" Pure panic crossed Deuce’s face.

"What’s wrong?" Yuuken asked, looking at the blue-haired boy with concern.

"We already missed the first bell! We’re going to be late for class!"

"Myah! I can't afford to get a blemish on my first day of glorious Night Raven education! Let’s move, everyone! To the classroom, pronto!"

"I’m out!" [Name] said, her words coming out in a jingle as she flapped her wings and zoomed off.

"[Name]?!" Yuuken called after her, bewildered. 

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

[Name] was sitting quietly at the back of the class, trying her best to ignore the curious stares from the other students. Even though she promised herself she wouldn’t let it bother her, those insecurities were eating away at her. Sure, she could be tough, but deep down, she was still just a teenage girl.

“Ah, you must be my new homeroom students!” The teacher redirected everyone’s attention to the latecomers at the door. A grateful smile spread across her face as Yuuken and the others glanced up at her. “Hmm, that’s quite the unique coat of fur you’ve got there. Just make sure you come to class looking presentable. My name is Divus Crewel, but you can call me Master Crewel. Now, take your seats because class is about to kick off. We’ll start with the basics, which means cramming the names and key traits of a hundred herbs and poisons into your tiny brains. We’ll tackle mycelia later. But hey, I’m hoping you’ll eventually figure out how to stroll around without munching on anything poisonous. I know you all have the self-control of ravenous hounds right now, but I will not tolerate a single student failing this class. Get ready to be drilled!”

Deuce looked at the worksheet in front of him, confused. “Huh, so�� does anyone know what a mycelia is?”

“I’m not really into memorizing stuff like that, ya know?” Ace chimed in.

“Good thing I’m a quick learner,” bragged the fairy with a smug grin.

“All I care about is figuring out which plants are tasty and which ones are gross.”

Yuuken groaned, “Seriously, Grim?”

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

“I’m your History of Magic teacher, Mozus Trein, and this is my familiar, Lucius. You’re here to dive into the rich history of magic and see how it’s shaped the world you take for granted.”

“Mrrrrooowww…”

[Name] glanced over at the grey cat, which was staring at her like she was out of place. She grimaced and quickly looked away. What’s with cats and her?!

“I grade based on how you behave in class as well as the quality of your work. Don’t even think about sleeping on my watch. Now, let’s open our books to page fifteen. This section dives into the magestones discovered in the Dwarfs' Mine…” The teacher droned on.

“Mrrrrooowww…” The cat rolled over.

“As knowledge and awareness of magical energy spread across the globe from this point, this year is considered Year One of the Magic Era.”

The fairy could feel her eyelids getting heavy. “Oh my Sevens, this lecture is a snooze-fest…” she muttered to herself. Even the cat looked like it was about to doze off! She rubbed her face in agony, wishing she could escape this boring lecture.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

“I’m Coach Vargas, and it’s my job to whip your weak little bodies into shape. Great sorcery starts with great physical fitness! Just look at the muscles you can build with a diet of raw eggs! A great mage needs a solid physique! So, let’s do twenty laps and a hundred push-ups!”

“Sevens,” the fairy muttered, her feet dragging as she flew close to the ground, shoulders slumped. “Why do I have to run when I can just fly?”

“Ugh. This forced exercise is bad enough, but meatheads like this guy drive me up the wall,” Ace complained, already dreading the class.

“Finally! A subject I’m actually good at!” Deuce exclaimed, pumping his fist in excitement.

“Seriously, what’s the appeal of running around in circles? Do I look like a hamster?” Grim complained, the flames near his ears dimming as he trudged along beside [Name].

“Well, Grim, you’re not too far off from a ham—”

“Henchman!”

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

“Let’s see, our next class is…” Deuce mused as the group walked through the crowded hallway. By now, [Name] had gotten somewhat used to the annoying stares. She tucked her wings close and squeezed through the crowd with ease.

“This so-called magic academy feels a lot like a boring, regular school. Not exactly what I was expecting, but at least this collar isn’t too much of a hassle after all. You feel me on that, Grim? ...Huh?” Ace paused, looking around for the cat.

“Wait, where’d Grim go?” Yuuken joined Ace in searching for the missing cat. This made [Name] perk up her pointed ears.

“Oh! Look out the window! I just saw a ball of fur darting across the yard!” Deuce exclaimed, and the rest of the group followed him, leaving [Name] crossing her arms, glancing back at the mob of students near the classroom door. She scowled, contemplating the consequences of skipping class before ultimately deciding to follow the rest of the group out to the courtyard.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

“I am NOT putting up with this boring routine every single day. I’m Grim, Sorcerer Prodigy, and I don’t need anyone teaching me how to blow stuff up!” Grim stomped across the courtyard.

“The Headmage is going to be furious…” Yuuken sighed, eyeing the cat.

“Wow, that guy really isn’t a fast learner.”

“Tell me about it,” the fairy said, watching with amusement.

“Not a good look to lose your only student on your first day as prefect. Want some help catching him?” the orange-haired boy offered.

“Yes, please!” Yuuken practically pleaded with the rest of the group.

“I do love those chocolate croissants at the co-op,” Ace nudged Yuuken.

“I’d do it for an iced latte at the cafeteria,” Deuce chimed in.

“I think I could go for a donut or two…” [Name] mused, tapping her chin in thought.

Yuuken groaned at the idea of buying all three of them something, calculating the cost in his head.

“Look! Grim’s getting away, Yuuken!” [Name] pointed.

Finally, the boy relented. “Fine, fine! Done, done, and done!”

“Pleasure doing business! Now, [Name] and Deuce, let’s clean up the mess made by the worst prefect to ever set foot on campus!” Ace got ready to chase after the cat.

“I can already taste that latte, Ace, [Name],” Deuce said, pulling out his magic pen from his pocket. The fairy unfurled her wings and stretched, signaling that the chase was on.

“Deuce, go left!” [Name] shouted, flapping her wings faster to pick up speed. The blue-haired boy shifted to the side, allowing [Name] to gracefully maneuver around the cat, fairy dust sprinkling onto Grim’s soft fur.

“Nyah?!” The cat lifted into the air as the fairy dust took effect, clearly distressed.

“Mrrah! I’m done with these boring classes!” Grim whined as he spun around, “Get me down!”

“Wait… you could’ve used that fairy dust floating trick the whole time?” Ace muttered in disbelief.

“Oops!” [Name] batted her eyelashes playfully, “I’ve been a little too tired lately!” She glanced down at her platform Mary Janes, checking for any scratches from landing.

“Can someone get me down?!”

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

“Woohoo! Lunchtime finally! Whoa! This food looks amazing!” Grim’s eyes darted around the cafeteria, drool pooling at the corners of his mouth.

“Ooh, a buffet! That’s fancy,” [Name] said as she grabbed a plate and tongs, opting for a tender slab of smoked salmon with a side salad, though that cheeseburger with fries was definitely calling her name.

“Look at how fluffy those omelets are! Ooh, grilled chicken! And a bacon-and-egg tart!” Grim was swooning.

“Shhhh! Dude, inside voices! Where was all this energy earlier today?” Ace hushed him.

“Yuuken, grab me the grilled chicken! There’s only one left! And an omelet too! And that jelly-filled bread. Just fill your whole tray, will ya? Ow!”

“Hey! Watch where you’re going! My carbonara! You broke the yolk!”

“Whoa, that’s messed up! Poking the egg is the best part! You better make this right, dude!” a boy yelled, grabbing the attention of some passersby.

“I’m gonna need that grilled chicken of yours as compensation,” the delinquent said, reaching for the chicken.

“Myah?! No way! Hands off the bird, dude! I need my protein because I am HANGRY!” Grim pulled his tray away from prying hands.

“Hey! That’s no way to talk to an upperclassman! Meet me outside, and I’ll teach you some respect!” an older boy with magenta hair threatened.

[Name] stepped in front of Grim, intervening. “Are you seriously about to fight a freshman over an egg mishap?! I’m pretty sure you’ll be fine eating it like that.”

The delinquent sized her up, a smirk creeping onto his face. “Are you his owner? You should take responsibility for your little friend. Y’know,I’ve always liked my girls with a bit of an attitude.” He placed a hand on her shoulder while his friend snickered. “How’d a girl like you manage to sneak in here anyway?”

[Name] felt her blood boil, her eyebrows twitching in irritation.

“Uh oh…” Yuuken grabbed Grim and stepped back, knowing what was about to go down. He glanced at [Name], noticing her glow shifting from pale yellow to a fierce blood red. Deuce, sensing the tension, gripped the delinquent’s wrist and yanked it away from [Name].

"Excuse me, sir, but the handbook clearly states that fighting with magic is prohibited. I suggest you remove your hand from her shoulder,” Deuce said, narrowing his eyes, nervousness flickering in his stance.

“Fighting?” the white-haired student glared, “You’ve got it all wrong. I’m just helping this ignorant freshman understand his place.”

The magenta-haired friend grinned wickedly, “Now, let’s see just how many ways there are to skin a cat, heh!”

Sorry for the late chapter I’ve been under the weather recently😥😓 I’ll try making the next chapter as soon as possible 🤍

Taglist : @itwaszzmoon @brights-place @capcryooo

[theemissuniverse]

“YOU’RE STUCK WITH ME” HENRY HART X GIRLFRIEND READER

SUMMARY: Your boyfriend Henry has everyone swooning over him and you hate it (Movie Henry)

WARNINGS : none I think?

MASTERLIST

The argument was stupid. At least to Henry. You were jealous, it was obvious. Since high school, Henry had no problem getting women. Well, now it wasn’t high school anymore. You were both in your twenties and this was the real world now.

But even in the real world, Henry had all the women on him.

It annoyed you. The constant flirting women did with him. Even openly with you present. Granted, Henry always shut the flirting down. He never entertained it.

It didn’t make you any less pissed off.

The argument got heated. Henry was mad you would even think about the possibly of him cheating on you. Then you shut down completely and walked out the house.

Henry has not seen you for approximately seventeen hours.

“Hey, you know who it is. Leave a message at the beep. Or don’t. I don’t really care.”

Beep.

“I swear to god, if you don’t answer me, I’m going to lose my mind. Where the fuck are you?” *sighs* “Look, you want to be pissed at me? Fine. You take the bed and I’ll take the couch but ignoring me for seventeen hours and turning your location off is crossing the line and you know it. Come home. Now.”

You rolled your eyes at the voicemail and deleted it. Were you being a little childish? Yes, but you didn’t care. You were mad. Henry got to be the hero in Dystopia. Signing autographs and having all the women swoon over him.

Who were you? Just his girlfriend.

You were outside of the bar, debating if you should get yourself a drink. You knew it was only a moment of time until Henry figured out some way to track you so you were soaking it in as long as you could.

A man was standing outside of the bar. He was a little bit older than you. He reeked of booze and despair. You tried to not make eye contact so he wouldn’t speak to you but it was too late.

“What? Mad at boyfriend?”

You were trying to be polite. The men at Dystopia weren’t exactly the best so you just gave a polite smile. “Something like that.”

“If you were with me baby, you wouldn’t have worry about that.”

Before you could respond, you heard a voice creeping up behind you. A familiar one. “Good thing you don’t have to worry about that.”

Henry was too quick to find you. Quicker than you anticipated which irritated you.

“How did you find me?!”

“Why were you hiding from me in the first place?”

The guy looked between the two before directing his attention back to Henry. “It seems like she don’t wanna be bothered.”

Henry gave the guy a look, eyeing him up and down. He even looked stunned he would make a remark like that. “It seems like I don’t care.”

You sighed a little, knowing Henry’s attitude. “Henry-“

“Don’t do that. Blackout is still out here and you want to take a stroll in town because what? You think I’m with other women?”

The guy still decided to chirp in again. “The lady doesn’t want you. So leave.”

Henry started to rub his temples in irritation. “Dude if you don’t back the fuck up, I’m gonna punch you in the face.” You grabbed Henry’s arm and forced him to walk away from the man. “No, seriously, who is this guy?”

His attention was focused on the guy so you forced Henry to look at you. “I needed space.”

“You needed seventeen hours of space?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“You can’t just do that.”

“Last time I checked, I’m not you. I didn’t sign up some shitty contract with you and now, you dictate how things go in the relationship.”

“Who’s dictating? If the roles were reversed, my head would be on a stick.”

“Your head is going to be on a stick if you don’t leave me alone.”

Before Henry could reply, the guy walked back up to them. “Leave her alone, asshole. She doesn’t want you.

Henry, very clearly irritated and frustrated, gives in to his impulsive urges. He punches him straight in the jaw, knocking the guy out. You just shake your head, knowing your boyfriend and saw it coming when the guy wouldn’t leave the two of you alone.

“I seriously don’t know how you became a superhero.” You told him honestly.

Henry ignores the statement and changes the subject, feeling the bruise starting to form on his knuckles. “We need to have a real conversation about this. Not you dismissing me like you always do.”

You gave him a look. “Like I always do? You’re the one that’s been dismissing me and my feelings!”

Henry sighed. He scratches the back of neck, pulling at the back of head slightly. “I’m not trying to, babe but I don’t understand what more you want me to do. You honestly believe I would cheat on you?”

“I don’t know.”

Henry looked at you like he couldn’t believe what you just said. “You don’t know?”

“Yeah, I don’t.”

Before Henry could say anything, he saw exactly what he was dreading. News reporters and a whole bunch of fans, specifically women. “Ah shit.”

One of the news reporters came rushing to him. “Henry! Is it true you punched this defenseless man?”

“Now is not the time.” Henry told him. He tried to focus his attention back on you but one of his fans that were women grabbed on the material of his jacket.

“Ooh. I like this. Is this real leather?”

You nodded, officially done with whatever conversation you and Henry were having. “Okay. I’m out of here.”

You were already walking away when Henry was calling your name. “Stop worrying about that loser.” The woman said flirty to him.

The random woman calling you, his girlfriend a loser made his blood boil. He shoved him off of her. Almost to the point where she could’ve fallen on her ass. “Get the hell off of me.”

He doesn’t care for the shocked look on her face. He pushes past the news reporter and keeps walking to get to you. “Baby, stop.” He grabs you and forces you to look at him. “Okay, I’m done. You hear me? I quit.”

You looked at him confused. “Quit what?”

“All this. Fighting crime. Being in the spotlight. If that’s what it takes for you to get over this and trust me again then I will stop. I don’t want to be the hero if it means losing you.”

That’s when it all it you like a brick. Henry was willing to give up everything. Again. Just to be with you. Just like he did when he was Kid Danger.

You were being selfish and you couldn’t keep doing this to him. Not anymore.

Tears were rushing down your face. Henry let out a sigh seeing how upset you were. “I’m sorry.” You told him.

If there was one thing Henry hated, it was to see you cry. He immediately wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a hug. He rubbed your back to soothe you.

Henry’s hugs always felt like a big warm grizzly bear was hugging you. “I just feel like I don’t deserve you…” You said through the tears.

“Baby…”

“We met in high school and sometimes I feel like you settled for me.”

“Me? Settle with you?” Henry asked like he couldn’t believe it. He pulled away from the hug and you looked at him. “I love you. More than anything in the world. So what we met in high school? That doesn’t mean I want to ever explore the idea of other women. I want you and only you.” He takes his hand and interlocks it with yours. “I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t have you.”

“Dead?”

Henry laughed a little. You wrapped your arms around his neck and he pulled you closer. “Yeah, probably.” He gave you a peck on the lips. “You done being mad at me?”

You gave him a suggestive smile. “You going to take me home and show me how much you love me?”

Henry immediately caught on. He scooped you up, bridal style which made you let out a squeal. “Yes, ma’am.”

[overflowingteacupoflove]

Tid-bits ✎ this series includes mature content such as sensitive topics,substance abuse, sex, angst, and more. Read with that in mind.

Chapter 1 ✎ Pool House.

"You're just too much." Is the last thing your ex-boyfriend said before you're off, stumbling through the crowds of party goers, Sorority girls in short dresses, frat guys in snapbacks, random kids in bright clothes that hurt your eyes. The entire crowd smells like sweat and achohol, concoctions mixed in red solo cups, sloshing liquid out onto the grass. The smell of it burns your nose. You stumble into someone and their drink spills on the front of your dress, whatever it's old anyway and you don't even like dresses so you shouldn't really care.

"You're just too much." Is the only thing that plays in your head when you smack into the door of a small shed. When you open it you're hit with the scent of chlorine, mildew, and plastic. You tiptoe through the shed, through buckets filled with pool toys, towels that stink of mildew, and pool noodles thrown about on the floor. Almost slamming your head into the wall stepping on a pool noodle, the styrofoam of the neon green floating help, crunching and sliding out from under your sneakered feet, you gasp as you steady yourself.

"Fuck." You groan, sitting down on a threadbare couch. Tears are slipping down your face, slow and then faster until you can't stop them or wipe them away. Gosh you swear to yourself that you're never going to date again. "Too much? I'm not too much." You grumble to yourself. The sound of music is blasting "Bourgeoisieses" by Conan Gray playing from the cheap speakers you're sure some frat brother got from the Walmart 3 years ago because its mostly staticy. It drowns out your words.

The music gets louder and a flood of light comes in from the door as someone shoulders it open and in comes a fratboy, red snapback on his head and an oversized red and gray jersey looking shirt on his torso. He looks seriously confused when he turns around to see you, teary-eyed, snot dripping down your face, harsh breathes forcing through your lungs.

"Oh-shit I didnt know that someone- that you- I didnt know anyone was in here. I thought it was a bathroom" He says gently, like you're a wounded animal who you need to be gentle with or they'll lunge.

"I-I-Its's fi-fine." You stutter through sobs and gasps, wiping at your face with your hands. They get sticky from the snot and tears drying on your palm in the creases as you fist up your hand. The boy looks concerned, his eyebrows drawn together and a soft frown on his lips.

"You okay? You don't...I mean I don't mean to sound rude but you don't look okay." He says rather gently as he's tiptoeing around the clutter on the floor to get to you. He reaches you and barely puts his hand on your shoulder before you're hunched over and throwing up, all over his airforces. "Oh, okay. Okay, yep- uh-huh, let it all out." He grimaces, patting the back of your head as you sputter and cough, spitting off to the side. "I think its time to go back to your dorm, yeah? No more drinks, party girl."

"Did I throw up on y'shoes? m'sorry, dude. I'll- uhhh- buy ya new ones." You slur sitting up and wiping the back off your mouth with your sleeve. "Also I think I jus' pissed myself. Jus' a lil bit."

"Yeah well that's what happens when you throw up. Vomiting creates sudden stress on the opening of the bladder, leading to leakage." He explains while hauling you up to your feet and hooking an arm around your waist.

"Nerd." You huff as you lean on him, head on his shoulder. "Doctor in training." He corrects as he walks, and you stumble along beside him, out of the Pool House.

"But you're a fratboy?"

"That I am." He nods, stopping to mumble something to a friend of his before continuing to walk, practically dragging you now. "That sounds illegal." That makes him laugh and you smile at the small victory. "It's not, party girl. Trust me."

You walk in silence for a while until he reaches his car and helps you into the front seat, buckling you up, and making sure you don't fall over, before closing the door and getting into the driver's seat. "Did you see me crying?" "Which dorm do you live in?" Your words overlap eachother and there's a bit of an awkward silence as you tell him which dorm house you live in and wait for the response to your question.

"Yeah, I did. What was it about?" You flush in embarrassment because this random doctor in training, fratboy, Jeep driver has seen you cry, throw up, and maybe pee yourself a little all in one night and you don't even know his name. "I don't wanna talk about it." You mumble, rubbing the tip of your nose with the knuckle of your finger.

"That's fine. I'm Chris by the way." Chris smiles at you before turning his gaze back to his phone to pull up the GPS and then start the car. "Y/N."

"Cool name, party girl." You smile softly, "Thanks."

You're back at your dorm, the car ride was mostly silent, random music playing low on the radio. You felt to awkward to try and say anything so you didn't, sitting with your hands wrung together or tugging at a loose string on your dress. Chris got you out of the car with some difficulty because your dress got caught on the arm rest of the seat and you tried to fix it yourself but only got yourself more tangled up. He had to hook an arm around your shoulder to hold you still while he fixed it Chris got it unhooked with a simple "See?" as he pulled it off the arm rest.

"We should take the stairs, it's way faster." You explain as you walk without Chris and only with minor difficulty because you're rather sobered up from the activities of the night. He shakes his head but follows anyway only to watch you take one step up the stairs and fall flat on your face. He winces and hauls you back up,checking for any injuries of anything, and then drags you to go take the elevator.

Once in your room he helps take off your shoes and get you into bed. "Hey, wait, wait. I needa get your number so I can buy you those shoes." You protest, grabbing Chris's arm, as he turns around. He turns back around with his brows furrowed and a frown gracing his lips. "You dont need to, I have more shoes." He reassures and pats your hand.

"Just give me your number, doctor fratboy." You sigh and reach around for your phone in the bag that's been thrown on the bed. He huff out a laugh at the nickname and types his number into your phone before handing it back to you. Chris watches as you giggle and type something, before closing your phone and letting go of his arm.

"Okay well text me in the morning, just a check up y'know. I'l talk to you later, party girl." You nod at his words before rolling over onto your side and closing your eyes. Chris, rubs your shoulder before he's reaching into his pocket and pulling out a granola bar, he's always prepared, and maybe he wanted a little snack, but he thinks you're going to need the snack more than he does.

He pulls the covers up over you and goes to the bathroom to place a trashcan by your bed, just incase. Then he leaves, turning off all the lights, except for the lamp by your bed, and closes the door behind him.

Lo's post-writing clarity-wagging my tail rn

[sillygoose067]

A Masked Promise

Ch. 37

Dick Grayson (Nightwing) x Reader

The infirmary felt suffocating. Not because of the sterile scent or the quiet hum of the machines, but because of him. Because Dick hadn’t moved from your bedside since you woke up, hadn’t let go of you, hadn’t even thought to take care of himself.

The dark circles under his eyes were deeper now, his exhaustion evident in every slow blink, every sluggish movement. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days—like the weight of the world had settled onto his shoulders and refused to let go, like Atlas doomed to carry the heavens without rest, his burden as endless as his guilt.

“Gray…” you murmured, your voice still rough from disuse. Your fingers brushed over the back of his hand, drawing his attention. “You need to get some sleep.”

He scoffed lightly, shaking his head as if that was the most ridiculous thing you could have suggested. “I’m fine.”

“You look like hell,” you countered, watching as his lips pressed into a thin line. “And this bed sucks.” You shifted against the stiff mattress, wincing slightly to sell your point. “I feel gross. I need a shower.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, suspicion flickering across his face. “You’re still weak.”

“I’ll be fine.”

His response was immediate, firm. “You’re not walking.”

Before you could protest, he was already moving, arms sliding under you with ease. Your breath hitched as he lifted you as if you weighed nothing, his warmth immediately surrounding you.

“Gray—”

“I said you’re not walking,” he murmured, voice unwavering.

You exhaled, knowing better than to argue with him when he was like this. Instead, you leaned your head against his shoulder, letting him carry you through the hallways to his quarters—the same place you’d been staying with him. The tension in his body was palpable, his grip on you firm but gentle, like he was afraid you’d slip away again.

You tried to lighten the mood. “So… are you planning to carry me into the shower too?”

His gaze flicked down to you, unimpressed. "I'm still mad at you, you know that, right?"

Inside his quarters, he set you down carefully on the edge of the bed, hovering like a worried mother hen as you pushed yourself up. The moment you were steady, he hesitated, as if torn between giving you space and staying close. You squeezed his arm before making your way to the bathroom, letting him know you were okay.

The warm water helped wash away the remnants of blood, battle, the grime, the sweat, the exhaustion clinging to your skin. By the time you stepped out, towel-drying your hair, you felt marginally better. You slipped into one of his shirts—soft, oversized, smelling like him—and returned to the bedroom to find him sitting on the bed, a fresh bottle in his hands.

You frowned. “Seriously?”

His grip tightened slightly around the bottle, but he didn’t meet your eyes. “Just one.”

“No,” you said firmly, walking over and plucking it from his hands before he could argue. “You need sleep, not this.”

His jaw tensed, but he didn’t resist as you set the bottle aside and nudged him toward the pillows. He let out a heavy breath, rubbing a hand over his face before finally relenting, settling into bed. You climbed in beside him, shifting closer until your bodies aligned, your head tucked under his chin.

The moment you did, his arms locked around you, pulling you against him as if afraid you’d disappear. His face pressed into your hair, his breathing slow but uneven, his hold unyielding. You closed your eyes, letting yourself sink into the warmth of him, his presence, his scent.

“Sleep,” you murmured against his chest.

He tensed slightly, then exhaled, his fingers tracing slow patterns against your back. “I can’t.”

You pulled back slightly to look up at him. His gaze was distant, haunted.

“Every time I close my eyes,” he admitted, voice barely above a whisper, “I see it. You died. The way your eyes—” His breath hitched, and he shook his head, swallowing hard. “I lost you.”

His voice was so raw, so broken, that it cracked something inside you. Without hesitation, you shifted, moving above him, gently guiding his head against your chest, your arms wrapping around him as he had done for you before. He didn’t resist—just let himself sink into you, his body finally releasing some of the tension it had been holding. The steady rhythm of your heartbeat against his ear seemed to soothe him, grounding him in something real, something alive.

Your fingers threaded through his hair, nails scratching lightly against his scalp. “I was scared too,” you admitted softly. “Watching you fight Slade, knowing there was nothing I could do… I couldn’t imagine a world without you, Gray. Without Richard Grayson. Without Nightwing.”

His arms tightened around your waist.

“I’m expendable,” you continued, your voice steady but gentle. “But you’re not. More lives would have been lost if—”

“Stop.” His voice was muffled against you, but firm. He shifted, burrowing further against you, his breath warm against your skin. “You’re not expendable. You’re—” He exhaled shakily. “I can’t imagine a world without you either.”

The room was quiet after that, save for the steady rhythm of your breathing. You continued running your fingers through his hair, grounding both of you in the moment. His body slowly relaxed beneath you, exhaustion creeping in.

And then, as if the thought had been weighing on you all night, you spoke. “I’m ready.”

A low hum vibrated against your skin as he shifted slightly, not quite lifting his head. “Mmm?”

“To go all the way,” you clarified. "You know...Sex."

That got his attention. He pulled back just enough to squint up at you, sleep-heavy but alert. “You’re only saying that because you’re drained right now.”

You rolled your eyes. “No, I’m saying that because I almost died.” He winced. “And it put things into perspective.”

His gaze softened, his fingers brushing slow, aimless patterns over your ribs. “I get that,” he murmured, voice thick with exhaustion. “And believe me, I feel the same. But I don’t want you making this choice because of fear.”

“It’s not fear,” you insisted. “It’s clarity.”

He hummed again, skeptical but not dismissive. His fingers trailed just beneath the hem of his shirt draped over you, warm against your skin. “Still… sleep on it,” he said, voice softer now, heavier. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

You sighed, about to argue again, but he silenced you with a kiss—first to your forehead, then your nose, then finally, your lips. It was soft, lingering, filled with quiet understanding.

“Sleep,” he murmured against you, and this time, it was an order.

He shifted, tucking himself against you once more, his head beneath your chin, his arms holding you close.

———————————————————————————-

TAGLIST:

@mybones537 @thereeallink @ziziriaa-blog

[d1xonss]

Desert Rose

Chapter 69 ~ We've all got Jobs to do

Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Rose

Era : Season 5

Word Count : 6.4k

In this chapter ~ As Rose continues to contemplate the job she was unexpectedly offered, Deanna talks of a party she's throwing to welcome all of the newcomers such as themselves. But that's not all the group has to be weary of as Rose has a run-in with a certain doctor that puts her on edge. Like a wolf in sheep's clothing.

I was beyond irritated. Irritated because I was woken up at the ass crack of dawn to hear someone knocking frantically on the door, and that someone just so happened to be Deanna. The sight of her of all people irritated me too. She made a huge fuss about what happened yesterday with Nicholas, saying I ran away too fast before even having a chance to go to their infirmary to be looked at. But I knew it was pointless. The man had his hands around me for about two seconds before I shut it down immediately, wanting to just forget it ever happened. Though eventually, I agreed. Because she wouldn't seem to shut up about it until I did.

But the worst part was I was missing out on the first secret meeting with the others as they headed off toward the woods. Rick, Daryl, and Carol were planning to escape for a while to discuss what the next move would be to take back our guns. While I on the other hand had to go get a fucking check-up like a five year old. However, I knew that if I skipped out on seeing the doctor, Deanna would eventually find out, and I definitely didn't want to deal with that.

So, here I was, standing tiredly outside of the clinic, telling myself to knock while also simultaneously wanting to turn on my heel and leave. But the quicker I got in, the quicker I would get back out. With that I finally tapped my knuckles on the door and awaited the answer of the doctor that apparently was "too good to be true," according to the woman in charge.

The door swung open a few seconds later and I was met with a man that instantly gave me the chills. He looked perfectly normal upon first glance, but there was something about him that rubbed me the wrong way. I just didn't know what.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

But there it was. His speech was too slurred, and his breath smelled too much like liquor for it being nine in the morning. Seriously? The town drunk was the doctor that was too good to be true? The quicker I get in, the quicker I get out, Irepeated to myself before putting on the best fake smile I could muster.

"Yeah, I hope so. Deanna sent me over here to get looked at after what happened yesterday."

He gave me a blank look, like he had no clue what I was talking about. "The uh...the fight? Some guy got his hands around my throat and...well I guess it's better to be safe than sorry." I explained.

He let out a long sigh of frustration before reluctantly opening the door a bit wider, "Fine." he muttered, turning around to head back inside with a stomping of his feet, expecting me to follow.

My feet remained planted on the ground for a beat as I took a second to collect whatever patience I had left, before finally trailing after him. I followed his frame with my eyes as he led me into the back area, telling me to take a seat while he gathered some things together. I did a brief scan of the room, the varies of medical supplies before ultimately doing what he asked, sitting myself on some type of metal table. His back was facing me as he got everything he needed, surprising me a little that he was the one to break the dreaded silence.

"You're a part of that new group?" he asked, "Rose?"

My brows furrowed slightly, confused at how the hell he knew who I was, "Yeah..." I answered hesitantly, "How did you know my name?"

He turned around to face me now, "My wife said she met you the other day. Jessie."

Oh shit. "Oh, right yeah...briefly."

He hummed a response and came over with gloved hands, "Let me know if this hurts." he mumbled as he put some pressure on different parts of my throat.

I sat there patiently while his fingers moved with precision, but nothing pained me in the slightest. I knew coming here was a giant waste of time. My gaze traveled around the room again in utter boredom as I waited, scanning right past his head and quickly noticing a bottle of whiskey hidden behind a tissue box on the counter. Called it. But I didn't utter a word.

About a minute went by before he took his gloves off and threw them away in a nearby trashcan, taking out a small flashlight from his back pocket next. He aimed the light at different spots and angles of my neck to check for markings, before clicking it off a few seconds after.

"You might have some small bruising in the next few hours, but other than that you should be fine." he said under his breath as he turned away from me once more.

I nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I figured it wouldn't be anything too serious."

His head then suddenly whipped around to face me again rather quickly, "Then why the hell did you come in?" he questioned with a slightly raised voice.

My eyebrows flew up in shock at his sudden outburst for absolutely nothing, and the look on his face afterwards told me he knew he had fucked up. Not because he suddenly yelled at me, but because he didn't want anyone else to know about his bipolar behavior. He attempted to brush it off with a chuckle and raised his hands up to me as if he was surrendering.

"Sorry, sorry...I uh...didn't get much sleep last night. Someone kept me up." he said.

I hummed as if I understood, "Was his name Jack Daniels?"

The man's smile faded instantly, and a dangerous look appeared just behind his eyes. But I wasn't fearful. I knew he didn't have the balls to do a damn thing considering any marks or bruises he could potentially leave would be much harder to cover up rather than a few words he spit. Plus, he knew that I could fight. After all, that's the reason I came in here in the first place.

Now it was just the waiting game, to see who was going to make the next move. Personally, I was just waiting for him to say something, perhaps deny my assumption, but I could tell he was too angry to come up with a reasonable response.

"Does your wife know you start your day off with him bright and early?" I suddenly spoke again.

I was playing a dangerous game, but I wanted him to know a few things that were disguised behind my words. One, I wasn't going to let anyone talk to me like that. Two, I noticed his little secret that he seemed to keep hidden away. And three, I wasn't scared of him no matter how big and terrifying he may think he is.

His hands gripped the side of the counter until his knuckles turned white, and I took this as my cue to leave. "Well, thanks for the checkup doc. For your sake, I hope this is the last time I see you." I said sweetly before shoulder checking him on my way out, making it to the front door to leave.

I can honestly say I was left surprised when he didn't make a peep after the way my mouth ran on and on. But then again, he had to keep his sociopathic behaviors to himself, and couldn't show his true colors other than behind closed doors was my best guess. My mind didn't linger on the interaction for longer than it had to, tucking it in the back of my mind for later in case the man could potentially be a problem. But I prayed to God he wouldn't be.

Time passed as I finally made my way back to the safety of the house, expecting to see a few stragglers inside, but instead the place was empty when I walked through the door. The silence was almost unnerving in a way. But I tried to not let it bother me as I opted out to head upstairs, needing to find something to pass the time.

As I passed the bedrooms to my right, I stopped and backtracked a few feet when I noticed someone was in fact home. Michonne stood in front of the full-length mirror, looking at herself in the uniform she was given that looked exactly like Rick's, turning different ways to see every angle. I leaned against the doorway for a moment, watching as she adjusted the jacket a few times in unsureness.

"Damn, look at you girl." I suddenly spoke.

She jumped a little at my presence, but smiled when she saw it was just me, "Yeah?" she asked genuinely, "It's not too much?"

"No, it is," I said honestly, "You just pull it off pretty well."

Her smile grew larger, "Thank you." she muttered somewhat bashfully, before pausing and looking towards me a bit longer, "You know...you could be rocking one of these jackets right along with me."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, I know."

"So why don't you just accept the job? I mean if we're going to stay, I think that would be the best thing for you." she said.

"I don't know, Chonne...it's just not something that I thought I would ever have to do again. I mean it's not like I hated my job or anything, but...it's just a lot, I guess. Going back to normal."

She nodded, "I know, believe me it feels weird for me too. But we'll get used to it, build up something for the future. If you really think about it, this is the start of something that could be pretty amazing."

I didn't say another thing as I just looked at her, a growing smile on my face that apparently made her grow uneasy. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing...you've just come a long way since I first met you." I said.

She rolled her eyes playfully, "Haven't we all?"

"I guess so," I shrugged, "But you've just become so...positive. Makes me sick sometimes." I joked as I scrunched my nose a bit.

"Just trying to move forward and be optimistic." she said with a small laugh. I hummed in response, watching as she grew a little more serious, "But seriously...just think about it, yeah?"

I stared at her for a moment longer before slowly nodding my head in agreement. I already told Deanna I would think it over, and that's exactly what I was doing. I just didn't know if this decision was the right one. Looking at this opportunity, I only saw it as a shell of who I once was, and that's not someone I necessarily wanted to go back to. All of this was supposed to be a chance to give us a fresh start, not something old from the past that we were trying hard to forget.

The floorboard suddenly creaking to my left is what caused me to look over, seeing Rick was back and making his way up the stairs to stand beside me.

"Hey," he greeted as he squeezed my shoulder before then nodding towards Michonne, "Deanna wants to have a meeting with us about the job. Just the basics of what we're doing." he informed her.

Michonne nodded simply, moving to make her way out of the room as I let her pass, "Well, you kids have fun." I spoke sarcastically to the two of them.

The man chuckled, "Uh, yeah don't think you're getting away that easy. She specifically asked that we bring you along too." My eyes narrowed at him, and he quickly raised his hands to defend himself, "It wasn't my idea, don't look at me like that."

"I haven't even agreed to take this, why do I have to go?"

"Because if I go down, I'm taking you with me." Rick muttered so only I could hear, wrapping an arm around my shoulders to practically drag me out of the house alongside them.

My stomach churned uncomfortably, the anticipation building further and further as we approached her familiar house, making me want to crawl into a hole. I felt as if this is something that I shouldn't be a part of, something I shouldn't have any input on seeing as I hadn't fully committed to the role. And there was still something about this woman that always left me feeling a sense of dread. One that I had felt before, yet couldn't quite place.

As the three of us finally rolled in, Maggie was sitting at the dining table with Deanna to her left, a welcoming smile on her face once she noticed us.

"Ah welcome you three." Deanna greeted, giving us a chance to pile into the room, "Mrs. Dixon tha-"

"Rose." I interrupted with a wave of my hand, "Just Rose."

She nodded slowly, "Of course. Rose, thank you for coming along for the ride. Have you had enough time to think about my proposal?"

I glanced around at the others before shaking my head, "Um, no... still thinking."

"Well, take all the time you need. I've also been meaning to check in to see how the visit with Pete went today, is everything alright?" she asked.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes, "Oh yeah, everything's great..." I said sarcastically.

She nodded, "Good."

Man, that one really flew over her head.

Though the man being brought to my attention again caused me to cease the opportunity while I had it, subtly gesturing for Rick's attention while Deanna's eyes were directed elsewhere. Exchanging a few words with Maggie that I couldn't be bothered to pay attention to. I felt him shift closer when he noticed my waving hand, leaning closer so I could lower my voice.

"Keep an eye on him." I muttered.

"Who?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of the others as to not draw attention.

"Pete, the doctor. He's an alcoholic and was showing signs of aggression during our little time together. Could be abusive." I said casually. Though I could feel his gaze divert toward me, staring at me in what looked to be slight amazement. "What?" I asked.

An impressed smile crossed his lips, "Nothing...detective." he emphasized.

I rolled my eyes, "Shut up."

"How long exactly were you with him?"

I shrugged, "I don't know, a few minutes?"

"You found all of that out in a few minutes? And you still don't think this is the job for you?" he continued.

"It wasn't hard to figure out," I assured, "Just please back me up on this, okay?"

Upon seeing how serious I grew, he instantly nodded his head, "You got it, Rosie."

As if on cue, Deanna tore her attention away from Maggie the moment our silent conversation was done, getting straight to business it seemed like. "Well, it seems we all know why we're here. And your job is to protect and serve. You patrol, walk the wall, watch out for the kids. If there's a conflict- you solve it, and people will listen to you."

"Because we're wearing windbreakers?" Michonne asked, her eyes briefly looking at me with a knowing smile.

"Because they believe in this." she answered seriously, "Because I'm telling them to. A police officer used to live here so we already had the jackets, and I wanted to make it official. So, now it's official. There's going to be a government again one day and that's why I want Maggie working with me. There's also going to be a police force, which is why I want...you three to start it."

I couldn't help but shake my head at what she was saying, looking down at my shoes. "What?" she asked when she noticed the slight tension in the room, "Does it sound like pie in the sky?"

"No." Maggie answered immediately, Michonne's voice following soon after as she gave the woman the same answer; the one she wanted to hear.

Deanna then looked at Rick and I expectantly, "No..." we both seemed to mutter at the same time.

But it did. Every single thing she talked about seemed unrealistic, something that she tried hard to push for even though it wouldn't work out in the end. People had to be willing to work together in order to make a bright future possible. But from what I've witnessed, it seemed like not everyone here liked to play nice. And she had absolutely no idea.

"Let's talk security." Rick suddenly said, gesturing with his fingers for us to follow him back outside to look at the gates of Alexandria.

My boots clicked against the pavement as I followed behind the others, hearing Rick start to do what he does best. Take over. But he had clearly noticed something that he wanted to bring our attention to; and that was the lack of protection. He couldn't seem to express enough how there needed to be people on patrol at all times. How there should be someone constantly looking for any type of danger that could be coming our way. It amazed me slightly that this place had lasted as long as it had without really anyone keeping an eye out, especially with how the world was now.

Rick's voice seemed to fade into the background as I looked around at the walls, wanting to find any blind spots that Deanna should be made aware of for the future. But I paused when my eyes instead caught sight of Jessie and Pete standing just outside of the infirmary, talking quietly amongst each other. But by the look on his face, it didn't appear like the conversation would be staying peaceful for very long, his skin turning a slight shade redder. I watched the interaction closely, as if wanting to catch something I wasn't meant to see. As if to prove to myself that I was right about him from the very beginning.

"Excuse me?"

I blinked a few times and looked over to see Sasha approaching the small group we had formed, politely interrupting whatever was being said. However, I quickly tore my attention away again to find the couple I had been analyzing just seconds ago, but to my surprise, they were gone. Like they had vanished into thin air. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me all along, or maybe they had noticed me watching, quickly escaping from the public eye while my attention was elsewhere. I was leaning toward the latter.

"I want to volunteer to be one of the lookouts in the clock tower." Sasha spoke again, her hands resting on her hips as she looked toward Deanna.

"There are no lookouts in the clock tower." the woman said.

My brows furrowed as I was caught up with the conversation now, "What?" I found myself asking before my brain had time to process it.

Michonne grew concerned, "But we saw someone up there earlier."

Deanna waved it off, "That was an empty rifle my son, Spencer put up there. He mans it sometimes but not often. Look...there hasn't been a need."

I couldn't hold it back any longer. Her ignorance and stupidity starting to really get under my skin, "Hasn't been a need? Do you have any idea how dangerous people can be now?" I asked harshly, "There should have always been the need to have someone up there...if you want to protect your people that live here, you better be prepared to make some damn changes."

A deafening silence followed after my outburst. But deep down, I knew they all were aware of how right I was. "The truth is harsh sometimes, but someone had to say it." I muttered.

"No, I agree." Rick chimed in, "We need a lookout in that tower right now, twenty-four seven. It's the only way we'll be able to see if someone's coming at us."

The woman nodded her head in compliance, "Okay, okay, we'll make shifts."

"I'll take those shifts, as many as possible." Sasha quickly offered.

Deanna stared at her for a moment, "Why?"

My eyes panned back and forth between the two women, wanting to roll my eyes at my next words. Even if they were true. "Sasha's one of our best shots, she can handle it."

Sasha glanced over at me in obvious surprise, but ultimately nodded her head as a thank you, to which I returned the gesture. There was obviously a certain tension left between the two of us ever since we were nearly at each other's throats the last time we spoke. But I wasn't planning on holding a grudge. After all I would just be a hypocrite. If Aaron forgave me then why shouldn't I?

Deanna nodded to herself as she looked back at Sasha, "I'm going to put Spencer up there today, and I'll consider you being our primary lookout...but I want something in return."

Sasha grew to look just about as confused as the rest of us, "Tonight, I'm hosting a welcome for all of you at my home. I want you to be there." she said to the woman.

"Why?" she asked.

"Come tonight...then we'll talk about it." she said before turning towards me, "And you too. Don't try and hide out like you have been since the day you got here."

My eyebrows raised, "I'm sorry...hide out?"

"I can see why you and Mr. Dixon are married...similar in many ways. Like running away from anything unfamiliar. But if you'd just venture out for the evening, who knows? You might even have fun." she said with a raise of her eyebrows.

My fists clenched tightly at my sides as I wanted to rip her a new one, but I didn't. I managed to swallow whatever pride I had left before turning around to walk away without another word. It had only been three days in this hell and that bitch was acting like she somehow knew me like the back of her hand. To me it was unbelievable, the way she treated me the minute I walked through her door; like I was below her. It infuriated me.

The sound of heavy footsteps seemed to echo with mine the moment I took off, glancing over my shoulder to see Rick jogging to catch up with me. "Who the hell does she think she is?" I asked harshly before he could even get a word in.

He was slightly out of breath from the little run he had to make, "I don't know...I'm just surprised you held your tongue."

"Oh," I breathed, "Believe me, you have no idea. I'm over here considering her offer to help her and all she can seem to do is insult and condescend me like..." I trailed off, suddenly slowing down to a stop as I came to the sudden realization.

I hadn't thought about her in years. And now it was like she was standing in front of me all over again.

Rick looked down at me in concern, "Like what?"

"Like my mother used to." I finished, connecting the dots in my head finally as to why I resented the woman so much. Why I couldn't stand to be in the same room as her, or even look her in the eye. It was like my childhood was flooding back to me at full force.

But to my surprise the man next to me started to laugh a little, unknowing of the weight behind my words. Though one unamused look from me seemed to shut him up as he cleared his throat. "Sorry," he muttered, "Anything I can do to help?"

"Just...talk about something else, so I don't break into the armory and shoot myself right now." I replied with a thin-lipped smile.

"Speaking of," he lowered his voice, "Carol thought of a plan. She wants to sneak in there tonight so we can get a few of our weapons back."

I blinked, "That's what you guys talked about?" He nodded. "Some meeting." I muttered sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes, "I don't like not having those guns on us at all times; we're taking them back. The party tonight- everyone's gonna be there. That's our chance."

I nodded slowly, "Okay, fine. Carol's taking care of it?"

His eyes panned from me to just past my head, "I'm about to find out." he said, causing me to turn around to see where his gaze was now trained too. The woman herself was standing nearby, talking to some neighbor on the porch a few houses down from where we stood.

"Okay," I agreed as I turned back around, "Just keep me updated on what's happening." I spoke, snapping his attention back to me as he nodded in confirmation. "Did Daryl come back with you?"

He nodded, "Yeah, but he said something about heading out again to go out on a hunt. I'm thinking he needs more time away from here."

"Right. I'm going to try and catch him before he leaves."

"I'll talk to Carol." he said.

And with that, we parted ways, splitting off to head down different directions of the street. In my opinion, the idea of taking back the guns that were rightfully ours to begin with didn't seem like that big of a deal. It's not like we were trying to take over this place now, even if it was something to keep in the back of our minds.

My head was practically spinning and it was already starting to feel like the longest day of my life. With the secrecy we were keeping from the others about the armory, the idea of Pete being a new threat we had yet to escape from, and Deanna...it was a lot to process. I suppose this just goes to show that it doesn't matter how lucky you are with what you got, life truly doesn't get any easier.

"Hey, Ro!"

I sighed as I came to a stop again. What now?

Looking back, I saw Maggie approaching as she too apparently wanted to catch me before I wandered off, coming around to face me with a soft huff. "Well...that could've gone better don't you think?"

"You're the one who jumped at the opportunity to work alongside someone like that." I deadpanned.

She sighed, "Don't start. You know we need to put in the work, make an effort around here if we want to stay. And that includes going to that party..." she hinted sheepishly.

I pretended to think about it for a moment, "Hm...no."

Her face dropped, "What? Come on babe, she asked you to be there just like everyone else should be."

"Yeah, right before she insulted me." I corrected, "Did you know she acted like that from the minute I had my interview with her? She didn't even know me, and she still looked down her nose at me. I can't say I'm a huge fan."

She sighed, "Alright- you're right, she shouldn't have treated you like that. So, don't show up for her, show up for...me. Please?"

"Don't do this to me." I said with a roll of my eyes.

"Now, you know you don't do nothing you don't wanna do, but it would mean a lot if you stopped by tonight. And hey, maybe you can even get Daryl to go."

I stared at her like she was crazy. "Oh yeah, he'll be there. Maybe I can even get him to wear a nice, pretty dress."

She narrowed her eyes at me, "Stop."

"No, no, maybe with some heels too, that'll be real nice and classy."

"Okay, enough, you made your point." she laughed lightly, "But you never know unless you ask, and I know that man would do just about anything for you."

I sighed heavily, "Alright I'll ask...but I'm preparing to get shut down."

"So...you'll be there?" she asked with that hopeful glint in her eye.

It was silent for a few seconds before I rolled my eyes again how she was able to subtly manipulate me, "I'll be there."

A smile broke out onto her face and she pulled me into a hug, thanking me over and over again under her breath. I couldn't really understand why it was so important that I showed up in the first place when the others company would be just as good as mine, but I didn't linger on it. After we parted she began heading in the other direction, but not before calling over her shoulder that I should wear something nice. Like a dress? I was kind of joking about that. I guess maybe now it was a part of my karma.

Again I found myself lost in a spiral of thoughts on the way back into the house, mindlessly wandering in to see if Daryl was around here somewhere or if I was too late and he had already left. A part of me wanted to at least try to convince him to come with me, but I knew in the back of my mind he wouldn't do it. He hated shit like this just as much as I did.

Going out and socializing wasn't really his thing and that's okay. Socializing wasn't really my thing either, but here I am, being forced to go against my will. "You should take the job," "You should come to the party," man, these people were sure as hell making themselves comfortable crowding on my back. And I say that with love.

I looked up suddenly when I heard footsteps making their way down the stairs, seeing my husband in all his glory, standing there with his crossbow slung across his back ready for a hunt.

"Hey, there ya are." he said as he came up and kissed my cheek, "Was just about to head out and find ya."

I smiled, "I was looking for you too."

We fell in step together as he headed toward the kitchen just down the hall, "Did ya talk to Rick bout the meetin we had this mornin?"

I nodded, "Yep, the plan about the guns, be ready for anything, we aren't taking this place over yet still being cautious. I got the whole thing." I went on.

He huffed softly, "Alright, good. M' bout to go out huntin but I'll be back by dark. Just wanted to come and say goodbye to ya first." he said with a sweet smile before turning and grabbing a glass from a cabinet.

I took in a breath, "Okay, yeah just be safe out there...and uh, I actually wanted to run something by you quick."

"Shoot." he said, briefly glancing at me over his shoulder.

Here we go. "Well, Deanna mentioned this thing earlier that's happening tonight at her house, and the whole group is invited. It's more like a...party?"

"Mhm." he hummed.

Jesus Christ, please take the hint.

"And the thing is, I wanted to ask if you...would spare me the absolute horror of having to go by myself...?" I asked hesitantly.

He was silent for a moment before he let out a soft huh sound, turning on the faucet and holding the glass underneath to get the cup full of water. "I know it's not your thing; it's definitely not mine either, but I sort of promised Maggie I'd show up. Not that I know what difference that would make, I don't exactly light up the room with my bubbly personality. But anyway, I get it if you don't want to, I just thought I would, you know, ask."

"Rosie?" he questioned.

I raised my eyebrows, "Yeah?"

"Yer rambling." he said with a slight chuckle.

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes, "My point is, you really don't have to go if you don't want to."

There was a long and terribly loud silence as I watched the wheels turn in his head even though he was facing away from me. He took his time taking long sips of the water in his hand, purposefully making me crazy. I could almost sense the smirk on his face while he did it. He knew what he was doing, I just wanted him to turn down the offer faster so I could get on with my day.

My nails began to tap impatiently on the counter, "May I remind you that you don't have to go?" I repeated to try and move this along.

He turned back to look at me, his smirk fading slowly as he saw the look on my face, before he turned back and dumped the rest of the water down the drain, "Ya want me to go?" he asked, now facing me again.

"Well...yeah-" I started.

"Then I'll go."

I shook my head a little, "What, that easy?"

He shrugged with a small smile, "Yep." he said, making his way over to stand in front of me, "But I ain't stayin the whole time." he warned.

"I'm not staying the whole time."

"Well, then you got a date pretty lady." he said softly before leaning down to peck my lips, the action alone bringing the reassurance I needed.

I hummed with a smile as I tilted my head to look at his face a little longer before he left for a few hours, "Is it pushing it if I asked you to dance with me while we're there?"

"Yeah." he answered immediately.

I shrugged, "Eh, worth a shot."

He chuckled quietly, leaning down to kiss me once more before parting from me, adjusting the strap of his weapon. "Might not be back by the time it starts, but I'll be there, alright?"

"Hey, you're showing up, that's more than I could ask for." I joked.

He smiled, "I'll see ya later."

"Bye" I winked, watching as he headed out toward the front door, opening and shutting it with a soft click, leaving me alone in the quiet.

Now I had the whole day to be anxious about this stupid party.

I never thought I would ever be in this situation again. Staring at a closet full of clothes, absolutely not knowing what the hell to wear.

I was never a big fan of dresses really, but it seemed like the only suitable option considering I didn't just want to show up in a shirt and jeans. I had been nervously anticipating this event for hours, cautious about meeting a bunch of people and the thought of dressing up sounded awful. But regardless, I promised Maggie that I would be there, and a part of me wanted to prove to Deanna that I wasn't just going to hide myself away like she had claimed. Even though I felt it was better that I did.

Eventually, I decided on a simple black dress with thin straps and added a pair of tights to really bring the look together. And luckily enough, I had managed to find a pair of dark heels sitting in an old shoe box in the closet, a pair that looked like they would absolutely torture my feet the moment I put them on. I sighed quietly to myself before walking over to the full-length mirror and taking a look at the final product in the reflection.

My eyes widened slightly when I saw what I looked like. I guess maybe I could clean up nice, even though the scars on my face didn't really match the whole "classy" look; it was still unique. My thick curly hair came down to below my chest and surprisingly looked full and healthy, but as my eyes trailed down, I noticed just how jittery my hands were. A small part of me wished that Daryl was here to help soothe my worries, walking right next to me into that personal hell as we went through it together. But that wasn't the case. I didn't need him there, but I wanted him there.

"Wow." came a sudden voice from the doorway.

I turned around slowly to see Rick standing there with slightly wide eyes and his hands on his hips. He was dressed nicely in a clean, white button down and some nice black jeans with his hair slightly slicked back.

I made a face, "Like a good wow?" I asked, subconsciously smoothing the dress down to get rid of any lingering wrinkles.

He nodded his head, "Yeah...like a...a breathtaking wow."

A shy smile stretched across my lips as I waved him off, "Aw, thanks Ricky." 

He laughed softly, making his way further into the room until he was standing right in front of me, "I've never seen you so dressed up...you look nice."

"Yeah, well don't get used to it or anything. You don't look too bad yourself." I said as I slightly fixed the collar of his shirt, "Got someone you're trying to impress?" I asked with a wiggle of my eyebrows.

He rolled his eyes, "Thank you, but no. Just going because..." he trailed off, before sighing as he rubbed his head stressfully, "I don't even know why I'm going."

I nodded, "You're not the only one in that boat." I muttered, my eyes taking him in for a moment in contemplation, "Hey, can I ask you something?" He met my eyes and nodded. "That job...you really think I should take it?"

"Yeah," he assured almost instantly, "I get why you're weary...but you're damn good at being a cop Rose. You just have to...trust yourself again."

I knew he was right. At times like these when all I could do was doubt myself, he always seemed to swoop in and say just the right thing whenever I needed to hear it. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad in the end.

I smiled at him in appreciation before my feet involuntarily shifted uncomfortably, to which I let out a frustrated groan. Rick began to chuckle under his breath, "What, was the advice that bad?" I heard him ask.

"No," I sighed, "We just haven't even left the house yet, and my feet are already killing me." I said in faux agony.

He laughed even harder before moving by my side to place an arm around my shoulders for support, "It's alright. Just lean on me when you need to." 

"Ah, you're the best." I mused as I wrapped an arm around him to steady myself as we walked out the bedroom door.

After getting Carl and Judith, the four of us left the house to venture down the street towards Deanna's. The sun was just starting to set which gave the whole community a warm orange glow, and we could already start to hear the music that was being played from the inside as we inched our way closer to the source.

Before any of us were really ready for it, we were standing tall in front of the door, almost dreading to knock. Though eventually Rick stepped up to the plate while Carl and I eyed each other cautiously, both silently hoping this wouldn't be as bad as we thought. But just as that thought crossed my mind, the door opened up to reveal Deanna standing there, greeting us with a welcoming smile. While over half the community in the background immediately looked over at us with curious glances.

Yeah, this was going to be a long fucking night.

~ Thanks for reading!

Taglist ~ @justareader95 @hayley1998 @ryoujoking @sipsthecoffee @marsmallow433 @catlalice @winterassassin1804 @writingstreetspirit @silentlysurffering98 @mystictf @remuslittlesister

[boozerbooz]

Wont Bite…

First fanfic…hope you guys like it…

Arisu x Male! Reader

[Name] and Arisu weren’t always on the same side on things, sometimes the both of you would end up in situations where both of you would disagree on something and it would lead to an argument. But this time, thankfully, was different. [Name], Usagi, and Arisu decided to enter a game together, a Clubs game to be exact. (not really a good idea since Yknow.. you guys could’ve entered a hearts game without knowing..)

Lucky for you three, the game task was simple, figure out a way to escape the escape room you just entered. The trio only had an hour to figure out how to escape the room.

[Name] sighed before you leaned on the wall, “Seriously? An escape room?” [Name] said with an annoyed tone, his visa only got one day since the last game he played so it was obvious that he needed a break from everything.

“Its fine, im sure we can figure it out..” Usagi said as she moved, looking around the room along with Arisu behind her. “Find anything?..” He asks before Usagi gets up from her crouching spot “Nope..”

[Name] got off the wall and walked towards the opposite side of the room, [Name] saw a little table and walked towards it. He grabs something from the table before finding a control. “What the?..” Before anyone else can say something, [Name] presses a button and the door opens, leading towards another room.

“Room 1, complete.” The robot of the game says before the trio walks into the next room. “Another room..” [Name] says, sighing before you, Arisu, and Usagi look around.

30 minutes remaining

The game instructor says, it doesn’t take long for the trio to figure out the solution for the next room.

20 minutes pass by quickly and the team beats the game. You guys walk out of the place and decide to take a rest before you head back to the beach, so you guys set down a tent from a store you saw and decided to take. Usagi already had her own and set it down.

“Im not sharing mine.” She says sternly, [Name] groaned and sighed ”Please Usagi, I dont wanna share a tent with this Idiot..” “Dont call me an Idiot when you barely did anything back at the game!” [Name] and Arisu argue, bickering back and forth before Usagi gets annoyed

“Shut up! Its final, im not sharing my tent” She says before she turns and walks toward her tent and enters it, leaving you and Arisu alone.

A few minutes go by before [Name] and Arisu finally accept the fact none of you can sleep outside since its too cold, you both lay down in the tent, your shoulders touching.

Awkward silence fills the tent before Arisu speaks up, “I wont bite, by the way..” He says, breaking the silence.

[Name] swallowed hardly, his Addams apple bobbing, he doesn’t like getting close to him because of his growing feelings for him. “I know..”

SOO THATS IT UHM PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT ANY MISTAKES IVE MADE OR THINGS LIKE THATT

[haddieyu]

Overbearing Tension: part 1

Christian Yu x Fem!Reader

Warnings: swearing, masturbation (f), slight exhibitionism (kinda?), sexting and sexcalling (mainly f receiving), I think that's it, lmk if there should be any other warnings!!!

Summary:

He needed a date for his second cousin's wedding and nobody else was available so he called you up. Not realising what the next night would be like.

Note: couldn't be bothered proof reading ngl so sorry if there's mistakes 😭 hope you enjoy!!!

You and Christian were never that close. You met through a long time friend of his, Dabin. You knew of him, of course, but you never thought you'd meet, or let alone call yourself friends with him, or whatever you two were.

Not that you two ever even flirted with eachother, but it wasn't that hard to feel the gazes. To feel the tension of his subtle attraction. You tried denying it though.

Why would he even be attracted to you? You were pretty simple, just a digital artist for Dabin's albums.

But fuck, the butterflies were there. Even a glance at him at your insides all fluttery. You wouldn't ever be able to look at him without a tiny tingle between your legs either.

You two occasionally began to talk, just subtle things like events coming up for DPR, but what you didn't expect was for a late last minute call at 1am.

Seeing his contact name, you picked up the phone, "Chri-"

"I need you."

Woah.

Holy fuck was an understatement. Already feeling an ache in your gut.

"I need you to be my date for my second cousins wedding."

What?

That was not what you were expecting.

"Please?"

You sighed, looking at my wall as his voice rang through the phone speaker.

"Why?"

"because I don't know who else would be available."

Really? That was it? Because you were available? You expected more. Maybe that he wanted you to be his date or something.

Shrugging off your thoughts, you recalled the few times he would listen to your problems. You guessed you could. A favour for a favour.

You finalised you decision, "Fine."

"Thank you." You could hear his sigh of relief. It was just a day, one day you would go to a wedding with him, even simply a few hours.

Wasn't that hard, right?

"No problem." You said with a little defeat, not even bothering to put up a fight as you began hanging up the phone.

The earler heart palpitations that came from how he said he wanted you were still there. The flutter between your thighs. That was so random, 'I need you.' Who the fuck says that first thing on a call?

"This man.."

"Uh... How's this?" You turned, looking at yourself in the long mirror of the dressing room. Shopping with him was one thing you didn't exactly expect. You thought maybe you'd just get a nice dress or whatever, but he insisted on matching.

Looking to him, you barely met his gaze. He was too focused on how it looked on you.

Not that it was a typical silk dress, it was fitting on the top but had a small lift on the bottom that went down in a long cascade, making your waist look longer and more snatched than usual.

"So?" You asked, verbally seeking affirmation on his opinion.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" Huh?

Staring at him for a second. You recalled how he was usually a very sweet man, of course he would say something like this. Nothing to get all bashful and weak about. But you did.

"Are you sure..?" You asked a bit quieter.

"Darling... You look incredible."

Your face heated up, smiling at him. How you wish you could kiss the lips that parted as he said that sentence.

"Thank you. Should I get this one?" You turned back to the mirror, your hands on your sides as I looked and moved to see how the dress would look in action.

"Mhm."

*Closing the curtains, you sighed, trying to catch the breath you lost when you saw how he looked at you. You couldn't be going insane, he was clearly checking you out. And the compliments? Ugh.

If this man is seriously single you were gonna try to change that.

After purchasing the dress and holding the bag, you walked out with him. Already having have looked at suits for him.

"So.. this is a pretty fancy wedding, huh?" You tried making conversation, not wanting it to be awkward even if you were crippled with attraction for him.

"Uh, yeah." He was staring at his phone as you two walked.

Thinning your lips into a line as you looked at his phone, was he texting someone?

"Busy?" You asked suspiciously.

"Mh, a little.. just wedding things. They think you're my girlfriend."

Pause.

"What?" You immediately responded, stopping in your steps.

"Yeah.. I guess my mom just wants me to finally settle down or something."

"Ah.." you trailed off in momentary understanding. Gosh, being his girlfriend would be a dream. if only he knew the sight of his arms alone had your pussy fluttering for him.

"Does she bug you about it alot?"

A soft chuckle left his lips, "more than a lot. Constantly. She didn't fully understand how much I try to work. Especially with my.."

You

nodded at him, not needing him to continue. You knew even if he was very mature and emotioanlly available when it came to communicating, his mental health was rather touchy.

He gave you a soft smile, but you swore he wasn't looking at your eyes, but rather at your lips. But you looked away, nervous from how handsome he looked even glancing at you.

Get a grip, what the fuck?

"Let's eat," you changed the subject.

"yeah, yeah, okay," he followed as you went into whatever restaurant was close.

Taking your time to order and sitting a bit silently with eachother as you waited for the food.

You went on your phone, scrolling through social media silently since he seemed a bit out of it.

The feeling on a shoe gently tapping yours caught your attention, glancing forward to him only to be met by his playful gaze. A soft one.

Smiling at him, you tapped his foot back. Noticing his small smirk as he gently rubbed the tip of his foot against your ankle. Just what was he doing?

"you okay?" You questioned.

"Why wouldn't I be, darling?" God, that would always make you crumble.

"Nothing," you rubbed his ankle back, searching his face for a reaction. When the sight of subtle desire illuminated his expression, you gently bit your bottom lip, trying to suppress the desire you were hit with like a heat wave.

Staring into his eyes silently since you didn't know where else to look. The tension between you in that moment was definitely palpable. Not thick and heavy, but definitely there in a way that turned you both on.

Being disrupted by the food was a blessing and a curse, focusing on eating but your stomach make you feel quesy. You were definitely going to need some sort of release by the end of the night or you'd go insane.

Heading home after bidding goodbye, you flopped onto your bed, sighing as a small smile lit up your face. He had to be into you. Or else you'd be insanely delusional with no explanation.

Your core ached for him, for some sort of release you knew some rubbing or toys wouldn't be able to help with. That's how badly you were attracted to him. Settling with a pillow between your legs as you'd watch some videos, even reading some sort of smut to distract you and get you off.

Nothing worked.

Turning off your phone and closing your eyes, you began to imagine. Mentally creating a scenario.

You went back to earlier in the day. When you were in the dressing room.

Slowly rocking your hips, you imagined if he had walked into your dressing room. The look of surprise that would be on your face before he would hold your face and start kissing you. His hand slipping into your panties and beginning to feel the we-

*Beep!*

Trying to ignore it as you continued rocking against your p-

*Beep!*

'Who the fuck is texting me?' you thought, opening your phone to the label of Christians name. Your eyes widening as you quickly sat up, opening the DM.

« you felt that too right?

What?

« felt what?

« the tension.

Your heart skipped a beat. Was this happening?

« just kidding. I was actually going to ask you a favour.

Is he for real? You just got soaked for him with a single text and now he's saying he's joking?

« can you pretend to be my girlfriend?

WHAT?

« excuse me? 😭

« sorry, darling. I know it sounds weird but I really need this. So my family will leave me alone atleast till the wedding is over.

This was so stupid. Was he being for real?

« aren't I already your date?

« yes but that's different. That's just my date, not my girlfriend.

He's a bit.. dumb.

« uhuh. So then why should I be your girlfriend if it's so different.

You were upset. Being his last option wasn't flattering but now he wants you as a fake girlfriend?

« because I need it. I need you.

Fuck... When he puts it like that..

« mmmmmmmmm maybe?

« darling.

« hmmmm 🤔

« I need you.

Staring at his text, an evil thought went through your mind.

« how badly do you need me, hm?

You responded. Your hand beginning to slip into your panties. Wait. This was wrong. You shouldn-

« Please, darling. I need you to do this for me.

Gently rubbing your arousal up and down to wetten your clit before you softly rubbed it, typing with one hand.

« you can do better than that.

You responded.

« fuck, please? I need you.

A tiny sigh of air left you, still rubbing your clit.

« darling?

You didn't respond, too cloudy with desire as you touched yourself with his text's.

« my love.. what are you doing?

Your heart skipped a beat, your hand stopping it's movenents as you quickly responded,

« nothing?

Your heart skipped another beat.

« don't lie to me. You just made me beg for you over text and you haven't responded once for 5 minutes. What are you doing?

Fuck, were you caught?

« sorry I was a just making my bed

« were you touching yourself?

Cough. A choke of spit getting caught in your throat as you read the text.

« WHAT?

« Don't give me that. You were, weren't you?

What the fuck? Were there cameras in here?

« uhm, what? That's a bit fucking weird to text me about ??

« so you were.

HOW DID HE KNOW?

« how? Were you rubbing yourself? Slipping your fingers inside? And to my texts too.

You didn't know how to respond to that, just staring at the screen with your jaw dropped.

« keep going.

Your breath caught in your throat. What?

« what do you mean?

« keep touching yourself.

« I

« Christian..

« nono, keep touching yourself.

A soft moan of desire emitting past your lips, rubbing your clit again as he continued typing.

« are you doing it like a girl good?

« nyes

You could barely type since it was with one hand, so turned on your eyes fluttered.

« are you all wet for me?

« I am

« have you been aching for me, my love?

« yessjendrj

« can't even type? You're so fluttery right now, aren't you?

Your finger sank inside your aching cunt. You never felt much when you fingered yourself but in that moment you wanted something inside you. You wanted him inside you. You needed it.

« fuck, Christian. I need you so badly.

That was extremely risky to text, but he already knew you were clearly touching yourself for him, what else could you lose?

« I know you do, darling.

« can you pick up for me?

You stared at the screen as his contact photo showed up with the green and red button, sighing shakily as you pressed the green button. Silent as you waited for him to speak first.

"Darling?"

You could practically hear the desire radiating off his voice, even through the phone.

"Yeah?" You answered quietly, a bit shaky in stabilisation.

"Fuck, you're shaky, baby."

"mh.." all you could muster was a noise.

"Are you touching yourself because of me?"

"yeah.." you breathed out, softly rubbing your clit with the finger that was inside you before.

"fuck, you don't know how much that turns me on."

"Christian.." you murmured his name softly. Wanting to somehow turn him on more, even if you were so clouded by your own desire.

"Are you rubbing yourself?"

"mh.. yes.."

"That's my pretty girl. Keep rubbing yourself for me, baby."

A soft whine left your mouth. All you wanted was him, and it was obvious he clearly knew that now. But fuck, how would you even face him after this?

"Just like that.."

He cooed softly

"You're making me so hard, all for you. I'm aching for you too, especially when I saw you in that dress, looking all.. fuck.."

Your eyes fluttered shut, your hand that was holding your phone began clamping so tight that your phone fell to the side of your head.

"Need you.. need you so bad.." you whimpered with all the strength and dignity you had left.

"Shh.. I know darling. Just keep rubbing your little nerves for me, okay? Imagine it being my fingers, softly tapping and rubbing your clit. Treating you the way you deserve.. all soaked and fluttert for me."

That was enough for you to mewl softly, finding the feeling that meant your orgasm was close.

"Close.." you whispered with all your might. you were clearly extremely shy and he loved it.

"keep going, you're doing such a good job for me."

Whimpering quietly, your eyes closed as you found your orgasm, the feeling overwhelming you from how hard it was, if anything it overstimulated you. Making you whine a bit louder as you continued rubbing your clit even if it hurt a little bit.

"That's it, just like that.. good girl.." he said softly through the phone.

Catching your breath, your eyes opened a bit tiredly, looking at the ceiling as the gravity of what just happened. And fuck, you wanted more.

"Thank you.." you said quietly, sacred someone would hear you as if you didn't live alone in your apartment.

"You did such a good job for me, cumming so sweetly all over your fingers for me.." he praised, making you needy again, but you were too tired to continue anything.

"Stay on call..?" You asked sleepily.

"Of course, baby. Close your eyes and sleep, hm?"

You yawned, closing your eyes. You were so tired from how hard you orgasmed that your hand was still in your panties.

Your mind slipped into a state of post-orgasm bliss that you fell asleep within one minute. Soft murmurs and sounds from your sleep went through the reciever, making him smile. Even if he had a boner as hard as rock.

"Goodnight pretty girl." He murmured softly before hanging up.

He leaned his head back, looking at the ceiling as he realised what happened. He couldn't wait till he saw you again, that was for sure.

I hope you enjoyed!!!!! That's just part one, expect part 2 soon 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

[rotteneldritchhorror]

rewatching the cross melting scene and UOFGSDHOFUDSHFODSHUOFGUOSDOGUFDS

"I don't think I got this in me, country club."

"I do."

"I knew you did."

WITH SO MUCH LOVE IN HIS EYES FOR THIS CRAZY BITCH??????

BARRY LOOKING SO DAMN FUCKING FINE IN THAT FUCKING JUMPSUIT, AND SOMEHOW EVEN EXTRA FINE WITH IT RESTING LIKE THAT ON HIM AND THE SUNSET?????

AND BARRY SAYING THEY'RE GOING TO HELL FOR SURE AND RAFE JUST NODDING AND GRINNING SO GENUINELY.

BITCH DOESNT NEED TO BE LOOKING THAT FOINE WHILE MELTING AN ANCIENT ARTIFACT- YALL ARE DISTRACTING ME FROM THE HEARTBREAK WITH YOUR FUCKING HOMOEROTIC TENSION

[sorryimananti-romantic]

as a fellow deluyuyu looking out for another deluyuyu.. do NOT look at Yunho's Saitama Day 2 pictures 💀🧎🏻‍♀️🕳 we don't have the hotteok health insurance!!

bro.

YOU'RE TELLING ME WE WITNESSED THE YIPPLE???? HE ACTUALLY BROKE THE WALL DFKJGHJDFHGJKDF

AND HE LOOKED THIS HOT ANYWAY???

I. AM. NOT. OKAY.