#but anyhow . hope everything was alright while i was away !!

[faultedloyalty]

hey there everyone !! since it's been a little while, please like this post if I can dm you to talk and / or plot stuff out, like new threads old threads or anything else :0 !

[jhdyuiee]

tantalizing

ᡣ𐭩ྀིྀི₊ ⊹ pairing: idol bf!mark x fem!reader

ᡣ𐭩ྀིྀི₊ ⊹ tags/warnings: slight fluff, smut!, protected sex, oral (m receiving), fingering, kissing/making out, nipple play/breast play, multiple orgasms, mentions of squirting, marking, possessive mark (?), whipped mark (!?)

ᡣ𐭩ྀིྀི₊ ⊹ w.c: 1.8k

ᡣ𐭩ྀིྀི₊ ⊹ a.n: hi! as per requested by a poll i conducted, here it is! a mark smut fic, woohoo! i hope you all can enjoy it! school has been a real pain in the butt lately, like why they give so much work ㅠㅠ !? anyhow i hope you can look forward to my next release, 'die with a smile.' i didn't intend to release another jaehyun fic so soon but... i love the man ㅠㅠ. please stay safe, i love you all, and see you next time! jiji out 🤍

++ i just wanna quickly say that over the past week a lot has happened in nct specifically & i want to clarify/say that i want full justice for the victim(s) involved, they didn't deserve the disgusting and vile things that guy was doing to them. may he rot in jail, like honestly he ruined the lives of all those around him for his horrid selfish desires. frik you man.

you sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for the door to fly open. waiting for one individual, your boyfriend– mark lee.

sporting a rather sexy, black lace lingerie you await the idol after his long day at work. a new comeback meant his schedule was busier, and what better way to congratulate him than sex. however you also admit, you’ve been feeling rather lonely and needy. so ain’t this a win-win situation?

you’re later knocked from your thoughts when you hear the front door open. it was quite late when you turned to look at the clock, he must’ve been exhausted. guilt was starting to consume you, maybe you should do this another day, maybe you should-

“babe?” mark’s raspy voice calls for you as he enters the room.

fuck, now it’s too late to back out.

you smile at your boyfriend who has an unreadable expression as he eyes you up and down, down and up. “everything alright?” you question him when he doesn’t say another word.

he still doesn’t respond, however instead his body responds for him as he inches closer. step-by-step until he’s only an inch away. he looks down while you look up.

mark curses himself. how could you be so fucking hot, he must’ve stricken the jackpot with you. oblivious to his thoughts, you just stay there– frozen.

“you're tantalizing, you know that?” he finally speaks up, reaching his hand to caress your cheek. you smirk, “am i?”

“fuck,” he curses out lowly, and takes that same hand that caressed your cheek to grab you wrist. he places your hand on his hardened cock. “feel it, can’t you see how excited you get me.” a small whimper leaves your mouth as you feel his cock. it’s been less than 5 minutes since he’s seen you yet he’s this hard.

looking back at him, he stares you down. his eyes lustful and hungry, like a predator looking down at his prey. the feeling didn’t scare you though, it fired you up.

“open that pretty mouth for me,” he says, voice low but commanding. without any hesitation you complied. “stick your tongue out,” he continues, while working his hands on his pants. it didn’t take long before he freed his cock from its confinements.

taking his cock around his hand, while the other slowly pushes your head closer to his cock. you notice the small amounts of pre-cum already starting to come out. your lips touch his tip where you begin to peck around it and on top of it.

“i told you to open your mouth y/n,” his voice still low and commanding. opening your mouth back up, he pushes his cock inside your mouth. slowly and steady until it was finally snug inside your mouth. you tried your hardest to keep breathing, as he was still too hard to take in.

he didn’t move, causing you to look up at him. mark’s eyes are still looking down at you. it’s a sight for sore eyes, mark thought. the way you took his cock in your mouth like the good girl you are, fuck.

he couldn’t take it any more, so he decided to take the lead. he fisted your hair into his hand to begin bobbing your head on his cock. fucking his cock into your mouth roughly, your eyes began to water, and incoherent noises fell from your mouth as drool escaped your lips.

in the past you would’ve done all the work, gone at your pace but you both knew there was no patience in not only mark, but you as well to go on the slow side of things today. you both craved one another, desired one another.

“your mouth is too perfect, fuck, i could cum any second now,” mark groans. the room filled with both your noises and the wet sounds of your mouth and his cock. your panties feeling getting wetter the more you feel his cock deepthroating you.

your hands crept to his thighs, holding onto them as you began bobbing your head. another groan leaves his mouth when he notices what you’re doing. your tongue runs along his shaft, licking him for all he’s worth. and it was your tongue that ultimately pushed him to the edge, coming into your mouth, coating you white.

you let out a muffled moan when you felt the warmness inside your mouth. taking his cock finally out of your mouth, you notice it’s still semi-hard. you look back up at mark as he watches you swallow his cum. his face slightly twitches at the action.

“face down, ass up,” he later says once he feels as though you're ready to take more. getting on your knees, arching your back as your ass sticks up, you wait for the man. you feel his fingers ghost your legs, leaving a burning trail. they reach your ass where he fondles the flesh, giving a light slap which causes you to whimper.

a faint chuckle leaves his lips at your action. continuing his journey he hooks his fingers onto your laced black thong, dragging it down. “this wet already?” he questions as he drags his fingers onto your slit. he teasingly plays with your pussy, taking his time exploring.

“p-please,” you beg.

“please what babe?”

“please, use your fingers,” you replied.

however, mark’s teasing didn’t stop. “where should i use my fingers?” he continued to ask.

you felt your face heat up in embarrassment, “i-in my pussy…”

mark didn’t respond, he just chuckled before he intruded two fingers into you. he pumped his fingers in you ruthlessly, whilst taking his thumb to rub against your clit. both simulations knocked you over the edge, moans spilled from you every second. the way mark curled and scissored his fingers into your brought you closer to the edge.

he felt your walls clench around his fingers, “gonna cum already babe?”

“y-yes,” you yelled out, too fucked out to even keep quiet. all you heard was mark humming before you felt his fingers dive deeper, reaching your g-spot and thumb rubbing your clit faster. that became the final blow before you came crashing down as your orgasm washed over you.

mark’s hand and your thighs coated in your juices, but that didn’t stop your boyfriend from continuing to fuck his fingers in you. he helped you override your orgasm, however it only resulted in more washing over you. it wasn’t until he placed a kiss on your ass that he finally pulled his fingers out.

mark wasted no time, licking his fingers, licking your sweet juices into his mouth. you’re the best meal he’s ever tasted.

still a bit hazy, you failed to hear the tear of the condom mark was getting ready to use. putting it on his cock, he scoots closer to you, the bed slightly dipping. one hand grips your hips while the other drags his cock inside you. he watches as your pussy swallows him. he feels as your walls clench around him.

“you feel so hot,” he says, diving down to kiss your back. you both stay like that for a while, until his lips reach your nape. he sucks on an exposed side of your neck, marking you up. his lips reach your ear where he whispers, “ready?”

you tilt your head, lips nearly touching. “yes,” you whisper back. his lips smash into your, his tongue making its way in as well. he could still faintly taste himself in your mouth. he loved kissing you, feeling your perfect, soft lips on his. how could he ever let you go? if there was one thing about mark it was that he just couldn’t fathom seeming you with another man. the thought enraged him. 

departing from the kiss, he drags his cock out before pounding it back in. he continues repeating this action, holding you by your hips as he harshly thrusts. his tip hitting your womb, hitting that spot that drives you insane.

“fuck, such a perfect pussy. molded right for me,” mark groans. you moan back an incoherent response, throwing your ass back at him. he stops his thrusting, letting you do the work. the lewd sounds of your wetness and ass hitting him echoed in the room. he watches his cock disappear and then reappear from your pussy, the sight was such a blessing.

your tears stained the sheets and your moans muffled as your face was faced down on the bed. you couldn’t take it no more, you wanted to cum. so you discreetly try to drag your hand down to your clit.

“tsk, so needy my love,” mark says, pounding back into you, causing you to move forward. you clench the sheets as mark began fucking back into you ruthlessly. the pace far more better than before, reaching you even deeper. his drags two fingers down to your clit, pinching and rubbing the poor bud until he felt you were near.

“cum on my cock, let me feel you.”

his words were like a spell, as you soon came crashing down once more. clenching tightly around his cock as you came. the action triggering mark’s own climax. he came inside the condom, his cock twitching inside you.

his grip on your hips loosened, causing you to flump down. you were too tired, too fucked, but still desired more.

mark discards of the condom, grabbing another one as he slips it onto his cock once more. “come here babe, i know you ain’t satisfied yet,” he says, breathless. gathering the little energy you had left you crawl to him where he sat on the edge of the bed.

“sit on it,” he says and you follow. your back against his chest, sinking onto his cock. you whimper at the familiar stretch. wasting no time, you begin bouncing on his cock. the position allows for him to reach you deeply, fully in you. you glance down, noting the bulge in your stomach. the sight caused you to clench tightly around him, mark’s arms slithered around your body. “you love my cock don’t ya?” he grits.

you nod your head as you chant “yes” like it’s your only vocabulary. you didn’t know when but mark had removed your bra, his hands fondling your tits while he placed open mouthed kisses along your shoulders and neck. you feel his fingers pinch your nipples, flicking the bud.

moving his hands to your hips, he helps you when he begins to feel your pace falter. “it’s alright, i got you,” he whispers in your ear. the thrusting speeds up, and it wasn’t long before you both came again, together.

it was short, but intimate. you both tired out, slumping on the bed as you quickly lose consciousness. drifting off to a deep slumber, not feeling as mark cleaned you up, dressed you properly, and tugged you back into bed.

nevertheless you could still feel the warmth of mark’s body as he tugged you closer to him, engulfed you. and the sweet little nothings and the i love you’s he whispered didn’t go unheard. both of you secretly looking forward to what the future brought for the two of you.

© jhdyuiee

2024. 09. 01

final a.n: i apologize if this became rather shitty, it's almost 3 am & i'm tired, but i really wanted to get this up for ya'll nonetheless!

[schemmentis]

Like I Can

Pt. 2 / Pt. 3

Warnings: Angst, I guess?

Word Count: 2.1k

You met Melissa on what she calls her ‘worst night.’ Just finding out her husband had been cheating on her for God knew how long. In emotional overload and perusing her favorite bar for someone to get back at him with. Even though deep down she knew evening the score so to speak wouldn't really make her feel better.

Regardless, it was what she was doing. She'd enlisted you as her wing woman after you'd chatted awhile at the bar while her eyes roamed over the rest of the establishment. She promised she'd snag you a guy too before she left with whomever she decided was worth her night. You'd quietly informed her you weren't looking for any men. She'd only grinned and told you she'd snag you a woman then.

Melissa had kept to her promise. A burly guy that had an arm around her waist by the time she was introducing you to a woman. She slipped you a napkin with her number on it. A glance at it in your hand with a quickly scribbled note to call her and hang up after two rings a few times if your date turned…well, the words she'd used had you stuffing the napkin into your pocket quickly. 

You had only smiled and told her to have fun. You hoped she had someone else's number if her date did anything she didn't want that evening. For your part, you spent a drink or two with the woman she'd found you but didn't go home with her. Though she did give you her number too.

When you got home you saved Melissa's number. You threw away your date’s. You really hadn't been interested in a one night stand. It just wasn't your kind of thing. Melissa had a certain charm though, and you needed to make sure she was alright. You left a text with your name and asked her to text you the next morning just to make sure she was okay.

The text you woke up to had plenty of emojis to tell you just how her night went. You were glad she was safe, and even more glad she didn't give you details past the little emojis. You didn't really need the mental image. Though you couldn't help your mind briefly picturing just Melissa in a suggestive flash of day dream that you quickly blinked away.

Without planning on it, from then you and Melissa became good friends. You texted most days about whatever was going on. You had to talk her down plenty of times when Joe pissed her off in the first few months as she tried to, in her words, ‘make it work’. You learned plenty of Italian swearing and unique insults that you're certain only Melissa could have come up with. 

She ended up on your doorstep late one night. Disheveled in a way that was so unlike Melissa. Someone who planned her outfits meticulously and took pride in her appearance. Her eyes were red and swollen as she told you she and Joe were getting divorced. You pulled her into your living room with no hesitation.

You might have met Melissa on her worst night but by now you knew her quite well. It broke your heart for her to hear about the divorce. You knew despite how much she'd been hurt by Joe and did what she could to make him feel the same in return; she did love him. 

The thing about Melissa was she didn't love halfway. She loved the Eagles like they were the only sports team that existed and if you asked she'd tell you they were the only ones that mattered anyhow. She loved the kids she taught like each one was her very own. She loved her family ferociously even when they annoyed her. Including her sister that she claimed to hate. 

You never said it to her but you're pretty sure Melissa wasn't capable of hating anything. This thought only reinforced the night you'd held her while she wept on your couch. Her hands clutching your shirt in an iron grip to keep you close. Empty promises about making Joe regret ever meeting her and cursing him in every way she knew how. Because even with everything that had happened between them she loved him. 

You were there for her however you could be, as much as you could be. You helped her move Joe’s things out of the house once they'd decided she'd keep it. You went shopping with her when she decided she needed to redecorate the entire house. You spent a weekend painting the living room and bedroom. When you asked if she wanted to do anything with the kitchen she'd asked if you were crazy. 

It wasn't until a week later you realized the only places in her house that had been redone were shared spaces. You knew how Melissa loved to cook. You'd had your share of the too large portions she had a habit of making and gave you parts of. Joe probably never had much to do with the kitchen.

You do your best to keep her from making hasty decisions. Ones made in the heat of her emotions. Like the evening you'd both been drinking and she said she was gonna go to Joe's apartment and wreck his car with her baseball bat. She’d made it as far as standing in her living room, bat in hand and barefoot in pajamas. You at least got her to laugh when you said you didn't have the money to bail her out when she got arrested. 

You have less convincing arguments when she goes searching for one night stands. She convinces you to be her wing woman again. Her good luck charm she called you. You only entertained this once or twice. It was surprisingly difficult for you to see her this way. Even though it was how you met. 

You felt something deep and cutting in your stomach every time you went with her. Every time you watched her flirting with men. Every time she would wiggle her fingers at you in a wave goodbye with a wink and smile over her shoulder as she left the bar with a different man. 

The last time you'd gone with her you'd ended up drinking until you passed out at home. Melissa had used your extra key to get in to wake you when you never answered her. Convinced you'd gone home with someone else, just like she thought you had every other time. You'd gotten a lecture about making her think you were murdered over the breakfast she made in your small kitchen. 

The next time she tried to get you to go with her; you claimed you weren't handling alcohol so well lately. She'd taken the excuse exactly once. It was difficult each week to come up with a new one that she would buy enough to let go. You managed for a while though. 

By the time she met Gary, you'd figured it out. What that stab of pain whenever you watched her flirt or leave for a night with her different dates. You hadn't even noticed it had happened. You never planned on it. Melissa was your closest friend, all you had ever been worried about was being there for her. Apparently somewhere in the process, your heart got a mind of its own and fell for her too. 

Somehow, the aching stab with Gary is worse. Now instead of different men's names each week you can never remember, it's Gary's. Instead of begging her to remember you really didn't need the details of her sex life, she's telling you about date nights and sweet conversations. Whenever she tells you about what she did while you were apart you don't have to ask who she went with. It's Gary. 

You meet him. Of course you do. Melissa likes him enough that she's seeing him regularly. The first real relationship she's built since Joe. Other than you. You remind yourself you don't count in that way. 

Gary is…nice. He's different than the guys you've seen Melissa take home in one night stands. Both in looks and personality. From what little you knew of those men's personalities, anyway. But he makes Melissa laugh, a beautiful laugh you've always smiled to hear. Even if she's gripping his arm while she laughs. 

Gary is nice. You'd be okay with him if it weren't for the way every time you see him the knife in your chest twists. For the way every time he calls Melissa his girl or compliments her it turns. You'd even forgive the pause and look when Melissa had corrected him when he asked if you had a boyfriend.

Melissa notices. Your distaste for him. She knows you as well as you know her. She calls you on it after the first time you meet him. 

“Ya don't like him.” She said, not asked. 

You had shrugged and bought your time by pointing out you didn't really know him to know whether you liked him or not. 

The longer she's with him, though, the more she sees how much you don't like him. You try to hide it, of course. You know how much she likes him and you're not going to be petty and dig at one of the first things that's made her so happy since you met her. You do what you can to focus on being happy for her. 

At the end of the day, Melissa’s happiness is all you really want. You're okay with the knife dug into your chest, really. If it keeps her this happy. 

You don't know if it's her knowing how you feel about Gary, or no longer wanting to put the two of you in the same place, but she introduces you to Barbara. The infamous Barbara Howard that Melissa called her best friend and work wife. You'd heard plenty of her. Even a drunken comment that if Barb wasn't already married and Melissa swung that way she'd make her a Schemmenti. You think she was joking. Mostly. 

As you get to know Barbara, you think to yourself she already is a Schemmenti. With the years she and Melissa have known each other and been such good friends, it isn't surprising she knows all the Schemmenti lore. Though, she seems surprised to find that you do too. In the beginning, often you recognize the story she's telling you from when Melissa had and you interject with the ending. 

Slowly, you and Barbara form your own friendship. Sometimes, Melissa is entirely absent from your get-togethers. Usually for dates with Gary. If Barbara notes your mood is more sullen those evenings, she does you the grace of not mentioning it. 

You realize after a few months that you've seen more of Barbara than you have of Melissa. Most of what you know she's been doing lately is through Barb and not from the red head directly. The knife in your chest pulses around the wound it's made. You miss her. Yet you can't bring yourself to reach out to her yourself. You can't decide which feels worse. Missing Melissa or feeling the stabbing push deeper into you when you do see her. 

You do something you never thought you would. You make Barb your wing woman. Like Melissa once did you. She's perfectly willing and you push away the thought of how many times she'd done the same for Melissa. She makes you promise to call her in the morning before you leave with the woman you meet. You actually go home with her. You let yourself forget everything but the drinks you've had and the woman in front of you. 

You call Barbara in the morning. Well, late morning. You'd slept a bit too much with the hangover you're now severely feeling. You barely have time to say hello before Barbara is apologizing.

“Sorry for what, Barb?”

“I told Melissa.”

You hesitate. You don't love Melissa knowing you had a one night stand but you don't see why that's a reason for the woman to be apologizing to you. 

“Well. She'd have probably found out anyway.” You finally say.

“No,” Barbara says. “I told her I couldn't get a hold of you. She's probably on her way there now.”

“Shit,” You curse. Barbara doesn't even chide you for your language.

Your front door opens so fast it bangs against the wall. You turn to see Melissa standing in your living room with her arms crossing over her chest once she sees you stood in the kitchen.

“What the fuck, Y/N?” 

[just-my-latest-hyperfixation]

Hungry for you

Written for the @steddieholidaydrabbles, day 6

Prompt: Cooking together

Rated: M

CW: sexually explicit language

Tags: No UD AU; modern AU (if you squint); record shop owner!Eddie; restaurant owner!Steve; sexual tension; seriously, it's so thick you could cut it with a knife; top Steve; bottom Eddie

Notes: This is actually taken from a waaay longer AU that I've been rotating in my head for a while but haven't had time to expand on yet. So this was actually the perfect opportunity to get some of it out.

Eddie is in danger. 

Mortal peril, in fact. The cold-sweat-beading-on-skin, heart-in-your-throat, limbs-heavy-with-dread kind of danger. He's minutes away from sneaking to the bathroom and calling Gareth, ask him to bail him out under some pretense. 

Only he'd probably laugh at him, the fucker. 

Because, granted, being trapped in your hot neighbor's fancy kitchen with a glass of wine beside you and candles burning on the windowsill does not sound like a dangerous situation. 

But it is.

Oh God, it so is.

Eddie's an idiot. 

Should've known this was a Bad Idea (capital letters, TM) the second Steve said he wanted to invite him to dinner. 

"Sure," Eddie had stammered. (No, answered. He's a grown-ass adult with his own record store, he does not stammer over the sexy restaurant owner from across the street suggesting dinner.) "I'll swing by the restaurant tomorrow, or-" 

"Not at the restaurant," Steve's eyes had lit up with that fond glint, voice dropping into a low timbre. "My place. I wanna take my time with you." 

The alarm signs were all there. Wailing sirens, big fat neon letters spelling DANGER and ABORT and STOP. 

But Eddie's sense of self-preservation has always been a bit skewed. 

So here they are.

"I hope you like pasta?" Steve asked a few minutes ago. "We're making Tagliatelle al Limone with green asparagus." 

"Sounds great," Eddie said, when in all honesty, he hadn’t processed much beyond the word pasta. Too distracted by the way Steve’s shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing trim arms dotted in flour. "I make SpaghettiOs for dinner all the time." 

Steve makes his own pasta. He's currently rolling golden dough into an even layer to cut it into stripes. Eddie forces himself to quit staring at the flexing muscles in his arms and returns to his own task. Namely, peeling the asparagus. With a potato peeler. 

He's peeling asparagus with a fucking potato peeler like a ten-year-old who can't be trusted to not cut himself. Which is a frustratingly adequate assessment, in all honesty, so he didn't complain when Steve handed him the thing. Only now he's feeling like an idiot, standing at this hardwood counter between all these pans and pots and shiny appliances. Christ, his own kitchen is two cabinets with lopsided doors, an electric hotplate, and an ancient microwave pulling double-duty as an oven.

What the fuck is he even doing here?  

The answer to that, apparently, is fucking up his one task, because his hand slips and he almost manages to cut himself on the potato peeler. The stem - or stick or whatever the fuck it is you call them - of asparagus in his hand snaps and the tip flops to the countertop. Eddie swears, which causes Steve to turn and arch an eyebrow. 

"Everything okay?" 

"Oh, I'm peachy," Eddie brandishes the mutilated asparagus at him. "Unlike this little fella here, but y’know… collateral damage or whatever." 

Steve eyes the battlefield of fallen and mangled asparagus brethren on the counter and smiles. 

"That's alright," he shrugs. "We're cutting them into pieces anyhow." 

"Oh," Eddie just says, because one, if it's okay, why didn't Steve tell him before, and two, if it's okay, then why is Steve sauntering over with that ever-so-slight, blink-and-you-miss-it sway of his hips? 

Which Eddie definitely isn't doing. Blink, that is. He thinks he may have lost the ability to.

Before he can recover, Steve is already slotting into place behind him - an entirely unnecessary move in the spacious kitchen - sliding his arms around his waist and covering Eddie’s hands with his own. They're large and lean and graceful, those hands, all long, skilled fingers and soft, tan skin. Eddie has a very unhelpful mental image of those hands on his naked skin. Those fingers in his mouth, that honeyed voice ordering him to suckle, get them nice and slick for-

"You know," says Steve, right by his ear. His hands have started guiding Eddie’s, holding a stem of asparagus on the countertop, slicing the outer layer away with gentle but firm strokes. Eddie can feel his body heat through their clothes, feel Steve's breath leaving a hot trail on his skin. "Asparagus is rumored to have a very special effect on the human body…" 

"Wha-?" Eddie starts. His blood can't decide whether to rush to his face or his cock. It makes him all woozy - which will forever be the excuse he tells himself for what next comes out of his mouth. "Oh, I know! It makes your piss stink." 

Steve's hands freeze. Eddie considers killing himself with the potato peeler. 

And then Steve laughs. Rumbly noises from deep in his chest that send vibrations all through Eddie’s body. 

"No, silly," he says, voice dripping with that gentle condescension that should make Eddie livid but somehow only serves to kindle the coiling heat in his abdomen. "It's an aphrodisiac."

Eddie blinks.

"So it … makes you horny?" 

Steve hums. "Allegedly." 

Eddie gulps. Stares down at the potato peeler lying limply in his hand. Steve's hands have migrated to his hips at some point during their exchange, thumbs pushing up the hem of his shirt just the tiniest bit. 

"Crazy," he hears himself say. "Haven’t even eaten any yet." 

Steve presses his lips to his neck in a not-quite-kiss, just a coy smile touching skin. 

"So it's working?" 

Eddie wants those lips and hands on his skin, wants Steve's tongue and teeth all over his body, voice and touch and warmth seeping into him until he forgets how to think, forgets his own name, until all he knows is Steve and this burning, all-consuming want, want, want-

Steve laughs, pats his ass lightly. Eddie yelps as if slapped. 

"All in due time, baby. Can't have dessert before dinner." Steve winks. "Better continue with that asparagus." 

Eddie is not going to survive.

Part 2

All of my holiday drabbles

[eeboshmeebo]

👁️I see you, and I love you.👁️

Part 2 of Perfection in Pettiness.

================================================

[(︶-︶)]

You held Monoma's hand as you both walked back home from the comic store, a brand-new series of Belgian comics and groceries you were tasked to buy in tow. It was peaceful with only the slightest hints of tension until he started talking.

"Hey, darling?" He asked, glancing at you with a worried look on his face as you both continued walking back to UA.

"Hmm? Yes, my love? What is it?"

He looked around, biting his inner cheek as his face scrunched up slightly, but decided to say it anyways.

"I... I'm worried about Itsuka, you know? She went on a date with a guy along with Pony who came along to make sure everything's alright and she texted the rest of the class about it, but we haven't seen her. Not recently, anyways."

Your hand tightened around his own as you both walked through the city, pulling him closer so he wouldn't be on the crosswalk for too long while walking.

"Yeah, I'm worried too. All we can do is hope for the best and trust her, along with Pony, okay? I'm sure Vlad and the rest of the teachers know what's going on."

You were a bit annoyed at the mention of the two girls. He couldn't know, though, so you just masked it with nervousness and a reassuring squeeze of his hand along with a smile. That seemed to do the trick, as he seemed less nervous than before as he followed you.

The walk back to UA was pretty quick, fueled by both his worry and your 'worry' for your classmates from 1-B.

[◉_◉]

In the class lounge, after you had put the groceries away, Monoma was on the couch reading the first volume of the comics he had bought.

Of course, you were right next to him. Or, more accurately, you had your chin on his lap, looking up at him with your knees on the ground and your hands on his thighs.

"How's the comic so far, love?"

He peeked past the comic, setting it down and sighing right before he patted your head.

"I'm too stressed to really focus on it right now, with two classmates missing and the test we have in two weeks. AND I'm still working on the slideshow to prove that we're superior to that other class! That's a lot of work!"

He flopped on the couch, another sigh escaping his lips before turning into a gasp of surprise when you moved on top of him to lay your face on his chest.

"How about a little cuddling to relieve some of that stress, then?"

"Hmmmmnnnhhh..."

"I know you want to, to have a little break from it all..."

"Nnnnnnnnn..."

"I'm right here already half-cuddling you, my love."

"Fiiiiine."

He whined, but he wrapped his arms around you and nuzzled into your hair despite his initial protest. You could tell he still wasn't used to this with how fast his heart was beating through his chest, but you loved every bit of him

From the smallest hair to the largest organ.

He was perfect. He is perfect. Flaws were perks in your eyes. You love him.

You love him.

You snuggle against his chest, enjoying the warmth of the shared moment, the closeness, the scent of the clothes he wears, the firmness of his body. Everything.

No shame in taking a little nap.

A few minutes later, he had noticed you fell asleep, so he let a smile rise on his face before carrying you to your dorm.

(⓿◡⓿)

The next morning, you woke up with him by your side along with a few books. Oh, such a delightful sight, you wished you could just lock him up and keep him to yourself forever and ever...

But Neito wouldn't be Neito without the attention of the masses. The attention that made him glow with pride and joy, that gave him purpose. You understood, since he was your purpose anyhow.

"Good morning, my love."

You kissed his forehead and rubbed the crust out of his eyes as he woke up slowly, mumbling about something incoherent. You had your arms around him, which you retracted so he could sit up by himself.

"Feeling like having something for breakfast, love?"

He turned slightly to look at you.

Oh, how you loved those eyes and those lips. Not even the 'morning breath' could keep you from staring at those lips which sounded out 'crepe'. Crepes for breakfast? A classic. You were far too busy listening to his melodic tone than his actual words, so you hoped that you were correct.

"Crepes, huh? Alright," You sat up from the bed, stretching. It was pretty early in the morning, if the sun peeking over the horizon hinted towards anything. You stood up, looking towards him...

"Hmm. I can bring breakfast to you if you want-"

"Noooooo! I wanna watch you make em'..."

You grinned at how he whined and clung onto you even while he was still bleary from just waking up so early. He was clearly unused to waking up at this time, so you let him be.

"Okay, okay, and you can watch. Just don't touch the pan."

"Mmm-hmm."

He followed you out of the room and to the dorm kitchen, where you prepped the ingredients and washed from dishes from last night that your classmates probably forgot to do after dinner.

You let Neito choose what fruits and fillings he wanted in the crepe. He always chose the best things. He's perfect...

Soon after you finished washing the dishes, you took out a flat crepe pan from the cabinet, greasing it with butter and letting it heat it up on the stove before mixing the flour and other dry ingredients together.

Neito watched as you cooked, as you let the batter spread over the pan and how it cooked before you put it on a cutting board, put all the fillings inside and a small drizzle of syrup on top, and gave the finished crepe to him.

"Tell me when you want another, okay? I've got plenty of batter left."

"Okay!"

You focused on cooking, since everything you cooked for him had to be perfect. It had to be, only perfection was worthy of perfection, and to you, Neito was the pinnacle of all perfection.

Some of your classmates were roused by the scent of cooking. Of course you made crepes for them, but without any of the fancy flair you put in Neito's crepes.

Blatant favoritism, but it was excused since everyone knew you loved him. Just not how much.

"Man, Kendo would love these! Too bad she hasn't come back yet, along with Pony." said Tetsutetsu, while shoving a crepe into his mouth. He never really cared for taking time while eating, though it was a bit endearing.

"I think she'll be back eventually. We just gotta hold out hope."

Empty words came out of your mouth, because there was one thing you knew that nobody else didn't.

Pony Tsunotori and Itsuka Kendo weren't coming back.

Pony was sweet, but she saw too much. A witness. Witnesses had to be rid of.

They won't find the bodies.

That thought made the strawberry in your mouth taste both sweeter and sourer. A pity she had to go, but it was necessary. You couldn't risk her telling anyone.

You held Neito's hand for comfort. She'd never tell anyone anything ever again, and it was all for him.

================================================

I'm sorry Pony, and Itsuka, but sacrifices had to be made for the plot! ಥ_ಥ

[etherealacoustic]

Lifeless Eyes pt.3

Pairing - Wolfstar x daughter!OC, Fred Weasley x OC!

Summary - Nova Lupin-Black comes home for the Easter holidays and her parents are in for a shock.

Warnings - breakdown, depression and cursing.

Here is the final part of the small series, my first ever as well! Hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing this <33

Link for pt.1 here

Link for pt.2 here

And before she knew it, a pair of arms were wrapped carefully around her vulnerable frame.

Sirius held her close, pulling his daughter close against him as much as possible, wanting to hide her away safely from all of her demons.

"Shhh," he murmured and pressed his lips to the top of her head.

"Da," she sobbed, her hands tightening as she gripped his shirt. "I c- can't- 's too much- I can't do- I'm sorry-"

"Hush love," Remus whispered from her side and rubbed her back. "Let it out".

"Pa," she stuttered and lifted up her head to look at him and Remus had never felt his heart being broken like this before.

A huge amount of pain had struck his chest as he looked at her destroyed state. He himself was shaking and he could also feel his eyes starting to water.

Her eyes on the other hand were crimson red, puffy and all wet with the tears that continued flowing down. She was shattered, as though she really had enough of everything.

Remus swallowed down his own lump and cupped her face, "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere, okay? I'm right here," he said desperately and she fell right into his arms.

"I'm right here," he repeated and shut his eyes tightly, a lone tear slipping down at last as he hugged her.

Nova Lupin-Black cried.

She cried and cried and cried.

She cried till there were no more tears left to fall, she cried till her throat was sore, she cried till her eyes were a deep red and her face a mess, she cried till every broken piece inside of her was free of all the emotions that were kept bottled inside for too long.

Her body stopped trembling after a few minutes and she lifted her head from its place on Remus' shoulder.

She let a deep breath escape her lips as she wiped her face, feeling her heart lighten at the breakdown.

"Sit down," Sirius instructed softly and directed her towards the bed while also handing her a glass of water.

"Feeling better now?" Remus asked.

"Loads," she answered and sniffed. "My shoulders seemed to have lost half the weight".

The two just smiled at her, their faces the embodiment of gentleness and comfort. They glanced at each other and both had the same thoughts.

They sat in silence after that, both men in no way intending to pressure or rush her.

"Can- can I tell you everything?" Nova broke the quiet hesitatingly.

"Course you can, love," Sirius grinned, extremely glad at her decision.

"Take it at your own pace," Remus suggested. "Go slow if it gets too hard".

She nodded gratefully but was then stumped, "From where do I even start?" She laughed nervously.

"Anyhow you like it," they said in unison.

"Alright," she said and bit her lip before beginning. "Well I've been like this for the past 3-4 months at least. And I didn't know what was happening. One day everything just suddenly went dull, black and ugly. I was no longer happy, or enthusiastic or passionate about anything anymore. It took a lot of effort to even smile, you know? It was like my face was a statue, like my very heart had gone numb".

"Dolores Umbridge," she muttered suddenly and both of their eyes narrowed at the rather familiar name. "She's the main reason, Dad," she mumbled, addressing them both.

"That woman is horrible, vile, cruel, evil, monstrous and every other synonym there is left. She tortured everyone, Da!" She exclaimed with slight emotion.

Sirius didn't say anything but Remus noticed the way his jaw had tightened considerably.

"She- She still has us read all those useless textbooks that have nothing apart from ridiculously long theories and boring passages. We still don't do any practicals because she's afraid we're gonna start our own army or something. And she's turning a blind to Voldemort as well! Talking about Cedric that way-" her voice broke as she took a minute to collect herself.

Cedric Diggory. Her best friend, the type of brother she never had. The loving, handsome, funny, brave and pure Hufflepuff.

Her Ced, whose memory was tainted everyday by the woman's false statements.

Now the only thing Nova felt was anger, and both of her parents sensed it quickly.

"I tried Pa," she said honestly and looked at him, her grey eyes meeting his honey ones. "I really tried to be as quiet as possible and not let her taunts get to me. And I was good, seriously I was".

He nodded, knowing there was a huge but coming up. He wasn't angry at her of course, he knew she had tried.

"But you can't expect me to stay quiet when that bitch mentions you," she said through gritted teeth.

"She what?" Sirius asked sharply, his gaze an identical one to his daughter's.

"Yes she did!" Nova said, glad that someone was now on the same level of furious as her.

"What did she say?" Remus questioned, his mind once again filling with thoughts of self-hatred.

"I can't even say it for merlin's sake! She- she insulted you because of- because of your furry little problem. In front of the whole fucking class!" Nova seethed.

"She did not," Sirius now whispered in a deadly tone.

"She did, Da!" Niva riled him up even more, but the pair fell silent at Remus' warning look.

"What did you do?" He asked cautiously, not wanting her to be in trouble because of him.

"I defended you," she answered with an innocent smile that was failing to hide the satisfied smirk. "Respectfully".

"Sure you did," he scoffed but a smile spread across his face anyways at seeing Sirius high-five her and at the huge grin adorning her face now.

"I got detention, but it was worth it," she shrugged. "And don't you dare tell me off for that. Even if you do, it'll be all worthless as I'd do the entire thing again in a heartbeat," she warned.

"I won't say anything," he rolled his eyes playfully. "But you should've been careful".

"Godric do I feel so much better now that I've got everything off," she laughed .

She laughed.

The two men stared at her for a second before laughing out loud themselves.

"This was the main part, the rest was just stress, tension, pressure from the exams and studies," she added.

"Sure?"

"Sure," she nodded. "Hogwarts has really become a terrible place since that wretched thing has stepped foot inside. I don't even wanna go back," she mumbled.

"No problem!" Sirius said with a very obvious glint in his eyes. "We have a teacher at home, you'll be all set".

Remus shook his head as the two shared a wicked laugh. "As much as I would love to keep you here, darling, you have to go. Unfortunately".

Nova faked a pout and huffed dramatically before resigning to her fate. "Well, the force can't always be with me".

He chuckled and leaned back against the headboard of the bed, "What did she have you doing in detentions?"

Silence. And more silence.

Remus' smile faded as his eyes glanced between Nova and Sirius, who looked a bit anxious too.

"Love, what are you not telling us?" Sirius asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion and also anger at Umbridge.

"I- um- she had me doing lines," she answered, not fully honest but not lying either.

"And?" Remus prodded her, knowing there was something to add.

She sighed, her eyes wandering for a second before she slowly lifted up her sleeve and put forward her left hand.

All that followed her action was a deadly calmness, one that was so intense that she was sure there was going to be a murder happening soon.

Remus swallowed and his eyes pierced the swollen skin of his daughter's hand, his entire figure radiating anger.

"Always a monster, always a disgrace," Sirius read it out through gritted teeth. "She's etched these words, Nova!"

"She didn't do it by herself," Nova mumbled. "I was given a blood-quill, where you use your own blood to write and the words appear on your hand".

"That absolutely revolting and bloody maniac-" An endless stream of curses fell from his lips as he paced around the room.

"Pa?" Nova said cautiously.

Remus didn't say anything and just took her hand in his, his touch filled with every bit of gentleness that his eyes were failing to provide at the moment. He tapped the red skin with his wand and she hissed a little as he healed the deep cuts.

"It looks fresh," Sirius added as he sat down again and watched the wound being treated.

"Well I did have my last detention just a day before coming here".

"For how long?" Remus questioned.

"Almost a month now".

"Why didn't you send a letter?" Sirius muttered and was already planning different ways to commit a crime.

"She would've intercepted it and the result would be more detentions," Nova grumbled. "But it's okay though, I'm fine now".

"It's not okay!" Remus exclaimed. "It's not right to use these things on students. This is a form of torture for godric's sake!"

"I know, Pa," she nodded and spoke softly. "And believe me I would love nothing more than to beat the shit out of her, but it'll not only land me, but us all in trouble too. And it's not worth the risk".

"And where did that girl go who always quoted, 'What's life without a little risk?'" Sirius frowned, not at all liking this.

"I'm still the same, Da," Nova smiled. "But it's really not worth it".

"It bloody is, it's you who's on the line. It's worth every fucking risk," Remus scowled but he did understand.

"Yeah yeah whatever," she brushed it off and flopped onto his lap while keeping her legs in Sirius'.

"If you happen to get the news of Dolores Umbridge mysteriously turning bald, I didn't do anything," he said suddenly and the other two burst out laughing.

"You'll be the first to know," Nova grinned and poked his stomach.

The trio sat there till it was quite late. Just speaking randomly and enjoying each other's presence after being away for so long.

"I'll go get some water," Nova got up holding her stomach as she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes, the reason being Sirius' very bad joke.

She still had a smile on her face as she reached the kitchen and was met with her best friends.

"Hey boys," she greeted cheerfully and the two turned around unbelievably fast.

"Nov," George breathed out and his lips rugged upwards at seeing her back. He quickly went over and hugged her tightly, almost squeezing the life out of her.

She grinned and pulled away to see him pushing Fred towards her and then shooting them a wink before leaving the two alone.

"Hey Freddie," she whispered softly and snaked her arms around his neck as he pulled her close.

"Hullo love," he smiled giddily and wasted no time in pressing his lips to hers with double the passion.

He kissed her with every bit of emotion that was filling his heart, all for her. He kissed her as a sorry for not doing more, for not helping out more. He kissed her as a thank you for fighting the battle and coming out victorious. He kissed her lovingly, feeling his happiness rise upon seeing hers.

"Thank you," she said after they pulled away. Breathless and overwhelmed.

"Every time," he replied and pecked her cheek gently.

"And sorry too".

"I'll take that one as well".

The couple laughed like buffoons, being crazily drunk over each other that they were unable to form a meaningful sentence.

Fred gave her a beautiful smile and wrapped her in an embrace, "I love you".

Her lips twitched and she leaned her head on his shoulder, enjoying the warmth and intimacy. "I love you too".

She then pulled back and gave him one last kiss before saying good night.

"Night," he whispered back and watched with a daze as she walked up the stairs.

Nova still had the red hue that had coated her cheeks during the kiss and as she entered her room, her parents were quick to spot it.

"Took you long enough to just get some water, eh?" Sirius teased and lifted his eyebrows while Remus smirked.

"Oh shut up," she grumbled and laughed despite herself as she finally settled on the bed.

"Of course," Remus smiled, one that wasn't sincere in any kind of way making her roll her eyes.

"Sleep now," Sirius said after toning down the teasing session and turning off the lights.

"Yeah," she answered, grabbing the blankets and closing her eyes.

"Love you, darling," said Remus.

"Tons and tons," completed Sirius.

"I love you 3000," she offered them a cheeky grin and wink before letting sleep take her.

The two men chuckled fondly at her antics, glad to have their little star once again. They looked at her adoringly before gazing at each other with the same amount of love.

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

[trainingdummyrabbit]

oooooooobhhhh...... would it be alright if you talked abt ur ocs......... if it's not a bother.......

stands here like some sort of beast . this took me two days. im so sorry. inhales

i can absolutely talk abt my ocs yeah :D never ever a bother!!

this is rose and wolfe! theyre two of my lobcorp ocs whom i love very dearly :] they (and the rest of their group) have their own lil story going on, but i say that very loosely bc im just having fun honestly ^_^ and they sure do love making decisions that make that Rather Difficult For Me. but alas, anyhow,

this is inevitably going to get Pretty Fucking Long! (post-post edit. ~35 paragraphs.) so if youre prepared for that. 👍 yippy!! anyway hope you like fucked up little lesbians bc here we go

im probably going to be retreading ground here a bit bc im gonna try and take it from the top, but also because i dont remember what ive said and what i havent so ill just say whatever i remember ^_^

the basic gist of th storyline is that its kind of a pseudo-murdermystery but instead of dying u get turned into some sort of beastie ! ^_^ aka 'nobody knows what the distortion phenomenon is yet and are kinda too busy freaking out about it to notice headquarters exploded last week'. dont worry about that.

slaps notes on the table. this is gonna be really messy and maybe kinda incomprehensible but its ok bc this is just how its going to be. hope this helps.

OK LISTEN. they started out as one thing and then slowly kinda turned into something else and theyve been haunting me for months but they make talking about them Literally Impossible because of how much they just. fucking cling to each other, narratively. its impossible. they make everything so fucking difficult.

wolfe is some offshoot of a take on those Edgy Playground Wolf Ocs that you see a lot in middle school-- or well, thats the root of it. she was always going to be played fully seriously, but everyone was kinda written more silly-like towards the beginning anyhow. yknow, one of those 'orphan lab experiment who pretty much had to take care of themself and really hates people, with Cool Mysterious Powers theyre really conflicted about' type characters. and honestly a lot of that still sticks, really.

she presents herself in a kind of over-the-top way to try and get people to take her seriously and leave her alone, but honestly its just kind of . offputting.. in a way, shes kind of a stand-in for what its like to be a teenager (neurodivergence notwithstanding). sometimes the only thing you can do to get people to listen to you is to make a scene and yell really loud! and everyone will always discredit it as just something that happens while growing up, being "disobedient" because you want attention or want to be rebellious and contrary, but everything you feel IS real and it DOES hurt and nobody BELIEVES you so all you can do is yell LOUDER. its all theyll respond to. (and all it does is make people double down on what they think of you.)

wolfe is a character that is honestly kind of genuinely a bit extra, a little bit embarrassing, but very genuine. a lot of her life was spent not being able to decide what happened to her physically; just kinda pulled and prodded around whether she liked it or not; (again, the whole orphan lab experiment thing was never a lie.) and thrashing around is really all she can do about it. be inconvenient, irritating, hard to deal with; any small victory, any little foothold would do. unfortunately, most of what that's ever done is make things harder for herself. (she hates being expected to be something convenient to others, yet in her attempts to cast it away, forms her worldview to the dichotomy they set up around her. curious !)

so you have this fucked up lil thing and drop her into an lcorp facility. great superb fantastic. n then you give her some ego gear and it messes her up Big Time because guess what, her body is all sorts of fucked up and is Not reacting well with this whole thing, causing it to quite literally Stick and all those 'mild' side effects are now 'major' side effects and everyones Fussing over you again because youre an Anomaly and you Dont get any rest and youre still getting used to a body and mind that isnt Quite what it was before and you Cant leave since they need to figure out whats going on here and Oh God Fucking Damn It Its Again.

so its pretty fair that shes being Like That about the whole thing all things considered.

at this point shes just trying to make it through day by day without someone prodding her about something or another, just stop Staring at her already, fuck off. just one foot in front of the other and try not to think about it too hard. thumbsup 👍 more often than not she works alone; not just because of her own decisions, but also did you know cobalt scar gets a boost on low hp for the exchange of activating friendly fire? pretty crazy. shes kinda reckless and bound to get herself hurt anyway, so it doesnt really Change anything to just kinda.. send her out there without backup. not like she works well with others anyway, right? itd be pretty dangerous to pair her up with someone n all. yknow.

it kinda sucks, yknow? at this point shes so fucking tired of The Everything that honestly she just wants to get in and get out as quickly as possible without having to deal with any nonsense. shes still really pissed off about the entire Situation, still trying to keep any small bit of autonomy she gets to have, but like. well. sometimes it really is easier to just Do Your Job And Leave. finish your tasks and not think about it and not bother with anyone and fuck off until you have to do it again. thats how it always wouldve been anyway, right? easy. annoying. so, so annoying. god she fucking hates it here.

so anyway, rose. she sucks. she doesnt, but i have to say it every time i talk about her Or Else. shes the reason i have such a hard time talking about The Everything. and also why i had to rewrite this and take Two Days getting to it. she is just. So Much. shes an idiot. shes too smart for her own good. she would fit right in as a YA novel protagonist. this is all stalling on trying to explain what the hell is wrong with her.

honestly on a surface level shes pretty chill all things considered. mostly stays in her lane, gets along with people pretty easily, just kinda goes here, pretty good at small talk. she loves listening to people. she Loves listening to people. the problem. she isnt lying, per se, about her entire Presentation and general manner of being, but she isnt really honest either. shes disingenuous. kind of.

rose as a character is Very aware of how people act, and why they choose what they do in what situations. as such, she has gotten very good at Acting A Part rather than actually Living It. she loves listening to people because she wants to know who they are. not in a "i want to get to know my coworkers ^_^" type of way but in a "writing down all your character traits and quirks to record your habits" type of way. a weird sort of genre-awareness. she is very Very easily able to track exactly what type of person someone is and adjust the way she acts around them to... any sort of effect she wants to, honestly. mostly its just quelling dumb spats and getting people to stop being stupid like people tend to do, but every so often she isnt exactly averse to just kinda... messing with people. only a little! but she Could, if she Wanted to. which she doesnt. because shes nice.

rose sees interpersonal interaction as a complex 'game'. not by that name, but by that function. everyone always Expects something, in engaging with another, and all it really is at its core is getting what you want without giving too much ground. to figure out who the Other is without them figuring out who You are. its a competition. to understand what another person Is is what gives you the advantage. to know is to win, to be known is to lose. keep your cards as close to your chest as you can, and they cant control you. easy. its something everyone Does, but only a few acknowledge. she was just good enough to learn.

but like, admittedly, shes very chill. shes literally nice? like yeah all that but she is literally nice. shes fine. shes like... fine? shes all right. like Yeah it sounds bad when you put it like that but she is literally nice.

rose plays a lot with the idea of Symbol. shes a fully realized person, yeah, but she was never Expected to be. she exists mostly as a formality, and she knows thats all that was really expected of her. she was there to Fulfill An Ideal and little else; so she reaches for what she can when she can. be Sweet and Simple and Pretty-- that's all. and she isnt, she knows this, but it sure does make things simple when thats all people know of you. (impossible for people to dig for information people dont think exists.)

a flower in a broken vase unsure if its defined by the petals or the holes. shes someone intrinsically frustrated by the rules that define her, but is unable to comprehend a self without it. clinging to it because its the sole point of control she feels she can Have over things, but wishing to cast it aside to self realize and prove that shes worth the time of day to acknowledge. (she doesnt care what her caretakers thought of her, but still she defines her actions based on their idea of her. curious !)

so you have these two in the general vicinity of one another right.

rose initially interacts with wolfe as almost a game. a test, even. just to see if she could get anything out of the weird one that sulks in a corner by themself, refusing to interact with anyone. shes just curious, yknow? and wolfe, obviously, takes this about as well as you think she would. dont you have better things to do?? stop asking about my fucking hobbies. ..rose could always count on her for a reaction.

wolfe was very, Very resistant to playing along much at all. she thought that giving just simple brush-off responses would get her to get the hint that it wasnt worth bothering, but then rose would come back with more questions building off of whatever they'd talked about, just... idly talking at her. a frequent annoyance turning into just. consistent background noise. yeah this might as well be happening. but even still, the amount of things that rose remembered and considered and genuinely seemed to listen to kind of caught her off guard. it was... weird. it was really really weird.

it wasnt really all that hard to read what wolfe was feeling at any given moment. it was kind of funny, honestly, especially with how she tended to present herself. (honestly, how did everyone else just Miss all of this?) but after some time, rose was surprised to find that she started to just... speak to her frankly. it was stark, only every so often, almost as if she didnt realize the shift in her own tone. its around then that rose started piecing things together herself and... oh. ohh. (how did everyone just miss all of this?)

Bad News Motherfuckers! Its Fucking Over For Both Of You! wolfe finds someone who is genuinely willing to listen to her on the sole drive of simply Understanding Her, rather than wanting something in exchange, wanting something From her; and rose. god. she finds a reflection of exactly what she wishes she couldve been, things she couldve done, were she not shaped into what she Is. an understanding of something she'd never acknowledged, never knew was there, but was there with her the entire time. someone with a clear understanding of what they are, willing to fight tooth and nail to keep it, regardless of what anyone or anything else tries to do with them. things that the narrative constantly tries to take from them; things that rose wants so desperately to let wolfe keep.

so yknow, girl things. THIS is where things get really annoying.

rose seemed to enjoy messing with wolfe just for fun, but honestly shes just kinda taken by her honesty. she doesnt ever seem to have any ulterior motives when shes around her, she just… is. and does. because she wants to. rose honestly isnt really sure how to handle someone who isnt just… mildly bluffing at all times, especially about connection. that level of vulnerability is scary to her. so she teases her. she expects her being flustered-- and she is-- but still, she finds herself caught off guard by wolfe's earnestness.

even so, rose catches herself being far more open than she intends to be-- accidentally, at first, against her better judgement, but then tentatively, almost as if to test the waters. just how much could she show of herself and still uphold that trust? how many red flags can she put up before wolfe notices? no, that was unfair. before it becomes unforgivable. before it recontextualizes her. she cares, yes, genuinely and deeply so. (but what does that mean, coming from her?) she wants wolfe to be safe. (im asking you to leave.)

wolfe and rose both trust each other to a degree that they dont trust many others. its the passive understanding that theyre very much alike, and the even more silent knowledge that they want better for each other; in a roundabout way of knowing that they themselves deserved better, no matter how much they insist otherwise.

theyre very genuine with each other in a way that kind of surprises themselves. neither of them quite know what theyre doing, nor do they want to put a name to something so fleeting, but… its there.

wolfe desperately wants to be closer to rose, but hates that she desires that vulnerability. (it was always rather dangerous, showing your hand like that.) its an annoying fondness, constantly prickling at the back of her head any time rose is even remotely relevant. even when she isnt. shes kind of haunted. shes very defensive of her in a way she honestly doesnt realize until someone points it out. it just comes naturally to her. (whats the difference between a guard dog and an attack dog again..? (is she really ready to deal with the implications of this? is this not just having another will enacted on you? how does she really feel about that?))

rose, meanwhile, is… actually also conflicted. she likes wolfe. this is obvious. it wasnt intended, and she can roll with it, but it's… complicated. she handles it a lot more analytically. she notices when wolfe takes a step forward, and matches it in turn. equivalent exchange, and all. show that youve noticed, that you care, that youre paying attention. (i think she may be afraid. despite her presentation, she's afraid.)

she acknowledges the feeling of desire in this bond-- she wants wolfe to be able to live outside of others' influence. desperately. (if she cant, then…) she refuses to acknowledge what this says of Herself, though. but most importantly, she knows how easy it would be to simply take the role of someone who controls her. (isnt that just what she's always done to others?) she hates the idea of becoming that. (it would be so easy.) goes out of her way to avoid influencing her in that way-- but somehow, this just makes her more distant. hesitant to touch.

and with that fear, she tends to react, again, logically. tries to solve it like a puzzle, like she always has. finds the shortest distance to a perceived goal. this makes her rather distant, disconnected-- shes trying to control her own feelings by controlling what is around it.

what this means, most importantly, is that she is unable to trust wolfe the way She trusts her. she isnt strong enough to push back against what she sees of herself, or that which she uses to protect herself. giving in to those well-walked patterns instead of being able to brave uncertainty in something that new. she hides herself because she isnt sure what will become of her-- and is too afraid to risk what may come of losing the person she suddenly deeply cares about. setting herself up to crash harder should the worst happen. because she would simply blame herself. proving herself right.

meanwhile wolfe is dealing with Actually Trusting Someone for the first time in longer than she can remember, whether she likes it or not. maybe she was being stupid. maybe this was just a foolish foray into trusting people like she’d always told herself not to do. but… but. rose just brought this sense of comfort wherever she went, this feeling of certainty.

it was never good to let your guard down, but… but just this once, she so badly wanted to. once you let these things go, it becomes harder to get them back. she knew this. and yet, all the parts of her that protested were overruled by a deep desire to simply lie down and fall asleep in that comforting feeling. how frustrating. how annoying. how dangerous. now she had someone she could not argue against. and yet, she held this advantage as if she did not know it was one she wielded, a dangerous thing held without intent. was this trust? …did she want it to be?

and so, foolishly perhaps, she decided to trust. it was a tenuous thing, unbeknownst to anyone but herself. …probably. rose did have a way of seeing right through people. but even through all that, through the Everything… it felt nice to have someone to look out for. someone to worry about, someone on your mind when there used to be nobody else but you. she’d spent so long worrying about the repercussions of leaving your back to someone, yet she’d never known the comfort of having someone do the same to you. she’d never realized how hard it was to do much of anything with fangs bared the entire way. the ache of worry was dull compared to the weight of silence. (she would give her Everything to her. all or nothing, with her. maybe this was simply part of the inevitable problem.)

hey remember the whole turning-into-creatures thing? yeah thats still happening. crazy right? anyway. The Problem.

so you have people turning into things not quite unlike abnormalities, expressions of deep fears and desires running away with what used to be a human. and youve got some fucked up little guy with a Lot of barely repressed issues thats deceptively easy to mess with and actively averse to anybody really reaching out to them whatsoever.

and then rose is trying her best to figure out whats causing all this bullshit going on, but also her . coworker. is suddenly acting Really snappy and distant and its kinda starting to make her worried and she doesnt want to push her but shes looking really rough lately and fuck. wait. god. wait. shit.

long inhale. so you have two stupid motherfuckers 100% willing to drop everything and kill everyone in this facility and then themselves if anything so much as happens to the other (but theyre super normal about it, its fine, the other doesnt have to know.) theyre so good at this interpersonal interaction thing guys they swear (dont look too close though ok haha.) theyre sooo unknowable guys theyre really pulling a fast one on everyone here. they Definitely know what to do to fix the problem forever its fine they totally get it. dont stop them.

anyway heres a bunch of images for no reason

[jaxxsoxxn]

"So I'm praying for some rain (like a young man finally praying to get laid)" [BF]

is there a Boomerflash discord server, or somewhere where ppl just chat about them? Or is there not enough peeps? hm...

Anyhow, Boomer gets caught in some heavy ass rain, as in practically a storm, and gets to Flash to get warm, without expecting Barry to be there, actually.

Me, trying to shorten Digger to smth that sounds sweet: ,,,digimon,,, (also, ye, Digi is supposed to be read as in Digimon)

Was going to make it smutty, but deemed it okay rn (i might edit it later just to add smut, beware!)

---

In Digger's defense, Central City wasn't exactly known for weird weather. Of course, when you have two elemental-specialists as Rouges and one goddamn Weather Wizard, it can get a little confusing, not even adding the Speedstorm fiasco to the whole equation, but nothing ever was close to what was happening now.

So here he was, his skin lightly tanned and full of freckles (and he means FULL, like he didn't even know they could get low enough to reach his thighs!) after three weeks of something so close to a drought that in the middle of Central City's second week, people started manically buying water. Now, suddenly, halfway through a warm and sunny day, it started pouring - not raining because that'd mean that water wasn't falling from the sky with enough strength to actually hurt him.

Somewhere in his mind, while he was rushing from the shop back home, he wishes his lover wasn't so busy lately, even if he knows it's a thought only from a selfish need to get home quicker, all he can do is focus on it. He can't see ahead when the water hurts his eyes, his clothes so heavy from moisture that he wants to slow down against himself. The cold gets worse, he's shaking while running, and he honestly hopes it's a villain attack because then it won't last too long.

Flash was usually so warm it shook people, his body full of excessive energy. If not his job - two jobs technically - Boomer would come home, lose his wet clothes and just cuddle up with him, maybe without putting something on if the speedster wouldn't mind. His thoughts turned bitter when he remembered that his partner was still out on the mission.

When he finally got inside, his eyes hurting and his whole body shaking, all the energy slowly leaked out of him with every drip of the water coming from him. He just let go of the groceries and shook off his boots, lazily moving towards the couch. His mind whined to him about the cleaning later, but everything else already gave up.

The couch wasn't comfortable, actually far from it, but it was enough - the second he hit it, he couldn't help a peaceful groan and dozed off.

He woke up hot, too hot to do anything but whine deeply, while his dizzy mind caught the fact that someone was tearing off his shirt and pants, still as wet as they were before. He tried to move one of his hands to wack away the person who did it, but a hollow ache in his joints made a good argument against it.

"Shh, you're okay Digi, I gotcha." a soft voice of his lover rang in his ears.

Boomer slowly opened his eyes, his vision swimming a bit, but not enough to not catch the blond hair and blue eyes.

"Can't be, Barry's at work..." he slurred, while trying to push away the skinny hands. Pain swiftly run through his whole body, starting at his fingertips, while the other grabbed his wrists lightly.

"Just let me help love, it's alright, you're burning..."

He never noticed before how quickly Barry's voice made him fall asleep.

This time, when he woke up, a warm body was pressed against his, while there was a wet towel on his forehead. He tried to move slightly around, but the grip tightened, while Barry groaned.

"Stay put, you had a fever all night, Digi." a pair of soft lips found its way onto his forehead, while a hand under his neck moved higher to brush his probably disgustingly sweaty hair. "You feel... better."

He answered with a delicate hum, before slowly moving his face towards the others. Barry had a slight 5 o'clock shadow, his eyes worried, but also happy. He looked somewhere between tired and excited, which made Boomer's heart throb a little.

"Ya alrighty love? Ya don't look all that hot yourself" he mumbled next to his lips, while all the speedster did was smile back at him.

"I wanted to make you a surprise that I'm home quicker than expected, but well- you didn't even believe I was home."

The Australian noticed the change in tone, Flashes voice slightly sadder. He knew that Barry blamed himself a lot over things he didn't have control of. He understood it a little after the bracelet changed a few things in his natural biology* and he also had a better taste of being a speedster - always too late, not enough.

"But ya were." his own tone is steady, more serious than normally. "Ya were here in the end, an' if ya'll beat yourself over it, I'll beat ya with the closest stick."

He ended the sentence with a soft kiss, deeming it distracting enough. Barry moved even closer, his whole body clinging to the other, while his hands slowly moved around, just feeling him up - like he was checking if he's still here. His body relaxed into the touch, his mind swimming lightly when the kiss got more passionate, when Flash finally decided that his hands could stay on the other's hips.

He found somewhere in his head enough IQ to ask himself why the Speedster was acting like that only because of some sickness, but hey - he got kisses and attention, so that question would have to wait.

[stxrmylxve]

Hii!!(:

Can i request Hanma x Reader where reader is overthinking a lot of things which makes them really quite (like they think about who they are too much for everyone, always annoying, that’s they’re a loser, like yk the usual overthinking which hurts themselves a lot) and Hanma talks with them about it and comforts them? It doesn’t have to be these exact thoughts but like i’m having a really bad week rn and everything and i just need a little comfort with my favorite character 🫠

if you don’t want to write that, it’s okay!!(: i hope your doing good, byee!!<3

Hi ofc!! That sucks, I hope your week gets a bit better :(

You stared off into space, tracing the wall with your eyes as your mind became louder and louder.

'they think i'm a loser... don't they? always clumsy, just a stupid little kid. which they're not wrong, i guess i am pretty dumb. maybe i should-'

"Y/n?" hanma's soothing voice brings you back to reality as you refocused on the meeting.

"yes?" you say quietly, watching mikey dip his head down as hanma runs his hands down your spine.

"you alright?" he asks, pausing as you stiffen at the question.

"yes." is all you can offer, holding back your tears with all of your might as you turn to face him with a weak smile and a nod.

He frowns as checks the time on his phone, sighing when he does the math saying there was still another hour in the meeting. He grabbed his bag and took hold of your hand, telling Kisaki to take the rest of the notes and to fill him in as he led you out of the room.

"but- the meeting!" you say, trying to pull away, but he kept going until you both got to the elevator.

"you haven't focused anyhow, why does it matter? if you're down, please start to tell me..." he says, running his tattooed hands through your hair as your tears prick the edge. The tears eventually fell as you lean into his chest, crumbling in the elevator as it went down.

"it-it's just too much!" you babble, hitting his chest lightly as your tears became coated with worry and anger. "school shouldn't be this bad, why is it so hard for me? and you, always taking care of me... I just- i don't know what to do..." you hiccup, clinging onto his shirt as you covered your face with his jacket when someone awkwardly got onto the elevator.

"get the fuck off of the elevator." hanma growls, making the person rush out of the door before it closed as fast as they could. Hanma let out a sigh as he pulled his hands from your hair, leaning down to hook his hands under your thighs as he pulled you up.

you wrapped your arms around his shoulder, your tears still flooding but becoming less and less as you snuggled into his neck. His strong cologne relaxed you as he waved to the front desk lady, pushing open the door with his leg as he walked out towards your house.

"i'll take you home and we can talk there, yeah? only if you want. but I will get your favorite candle from my house on the way there. maybe we both just need a massage to relax, hah." he says, rubbing circles into the small of your back as you hummed in agreeance.

While it may not seem it, he was a true gentle giant with people he cared about and would drop everything to help them.

I hope this cheers you up! sorry it was so short, but i think it did its' purpose. sending hugs and kisses! <3

[howdoyoudothedew]

Rated: G

Pairing: Goopleck (Tyrian Callows/Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck)

Word Count: ~2k

A/N: @rwbyrarepairexchange for @preppy-lizity, using their coworker professor's prompt! I hope you like it, sorry I'm posting it here a bit late

"Huh, that's wrong." A voice says over Bartholomew's shoulder, making him turn around. Tyrian is staring down at his teaching notes, tail curled around his leg, frowning. "My nana didn't do that."

"Your... grandmother?" Bartholomew asks slowly.

"Yes." Tyrian blinks down at him. "Lieutenant Brunhilda?"

Bartholomew stands quickly, his chair rolling away. Tyrian sidesteps it easily. "Your grandmother was one of the best fighters in the war?"

"Who do you think taught me to fight?" Tyrian says like it should be obvious. Which it very much isn't, though it does explain a few things. Bartholomew grabs Tyrian by the shoulders, Tyrian's tail flicking out briefly in instinct before it curls around both their legs.

"Tell me everything," Bartholomew says with a seriousness and excitement only a history professor can have. Tyrian frowns suspiciously at him. It doesn't diminish Bartholomew's excitement.

"... alright," Tyrian says slowly and perches on Bartholomew's desk. Bartholomew sits back down, moving himself back to sit slightly to Tyrian's side so Tyrian's tail can wrap itself around his wrist.

Tyrian and Bartholomew's relationship was... complicated, to say the least. Tyrian was a well of forgotten history, thanks to his connection to a still little-known (though steadily growing more well-known) island. But Tyrian was also... rough. Not cruel, but not quite kind either. He's saner than he was when he first joined. Often Bartholomew doesn't know what to make of the other man, which to him, simply makes him more intriguing. Bartholomew has always liked learning.

Bartholomew watches Tyrian's combat class sometimes, watching the students run through the intense obstacle course he's still not entirely sure how Tyrian convinced Glynda to let him build. It contains fire dust, though not enough to seriously injure a student. Not after the first time it happened, seemingly to Tyrian's genuine surprise. (Tyrian had asked him to watch over the class while he took the student to Rose and Oobleck still remembers the concerned look on his face, under everything else.) Despite the dangers of the obstacle course, Bartholomew knows several students rather enjoy it. It's also a helpful, if unusual, tool.

Sometimes, Tyrian also comes to watch Bartholomew's class or perches on his desk, tail swaying calmly, while Bartholomew himself paces over every inch of his room as he plans a lesson or grades papers. Sometimes Tyrian will bring food. Or sometimes, Bartholomew brings extra for Tyrian. It always ends with them eating together, anyhow, Tyrian looking over whatever Bartholomew was half-rambling about without noticing.

"I'd still give them points for this," Tyrian says, cackling, looking at one of the answers Bartholomew marked wrong. Bartholomew looks back at it over his shoulder. What stopped the Great War? Signatures

"They're certainly not wrong," Bartholomew agrees, laughing. He adds back half a point to their grade.

Some of the other teachers have questioned Bartholomew before, when they learned he watches Tyrian's class occasionally, about the nature of the obstacle course. They haven't seen the class before, but they think it's too dangerous. It is dangerous, but so is being a huntsman. At least with the obstacle course, they're being watched carefully. Bartholomew always replies by asking how they feel about the accompanied missions, which are just as dangerous, if not more. It's kind of funny how quiet they always get, afterwards.

The first time Bartholomew sees Tyrian like he was when he first joined is also the first time Bartholomew ever sees Tyrian's semblance in action.

Semblances are a mystery of science and philosophy, with some needing to be activated and some always being active. Bartholomew's own semblance sits in a grey area, with how much he uses it. Anymore even he's not sure if it's a permantely active one or not, despite speed semblances typically needing to be activated. Tyrian's semblance is in a similar grey area, simply because of how it affects him.

It's rare for teachers to go on missions, but even combat school's take breaks and teachers are still huntsmen. Tyrian and Bartholomew go on a mission together on one such break during winter, and it goes well, until Bartholomew's own curiosity outweighs their luck. One day, Bartholomew might learn from his own mistakes and be more careful with strange things he doesn't recognize. Of course, he's in his forties and still hasn't learned it, but he's not dead yet so there's always time.

Tyrian is the reason he's not dead and still has time.

It doesn't happen immediately after he touches it, because it's only ever immediate in dramatic scenes in movies or books or plays. Instead, they're walking, keeping an eye out for grimm, when Bartholomew's knees start to buckle and his vision blurrs. He does go down slowly, though. Or at least it feels that way. But for a man who's always going at a rabbit's pace, it's not much of a surprise a fall which likely takes a few seconds feels like several minutes. Tyrian catches him before he wobbles fully into the dirt, lowering him carefully so he doesn't hurt his knees on the ground.

"What happened?" Tyrian asks, looking him over with a careful eye and an expression Bartholomew recognizes from survivors of tragedy. Bartholomew doesn't like the latter, so he chooses now to focus on the former. The hand Tyrian puts on his forehead is cooler than it should be.

"It seems I've touched the wrong strange plant," Bartholomew says with a smile forming slower than it should. For a second, Bartholomew thinks he sees Tyrian panic. His tail wraps around Bartholomew's ankle. Before Bartholomew can assure him it'll be fine, he's interrupted by a coughing fit he knows means it likely won't be. Both of them know they are too far away from anyone else and their medkit is too bare to do anything. All they can do is hope whatever Bartholomew touched isn't as bad as it is making itself seem. Except Tyrian's eyes go purple for several moments, the tail around Bartholomew's ankle twitching. When Tyrian's eyes go gold again it's with a terrible, hacking cough. And suddenly, Bartholomew's vision isn't blurry behind his glasses.

Bartholomew helps Tyrian to a hospital, Tyrian's tail wrapped around Bartholomew's waist and Tyrian himself twitching and cackling in spurts around coughing fits the entire way, while Bartholomew's brain reels. It's not until a nurse is treating Tyrian for the plant Bartholomew touched that it really hits. Whatever Tyrian's semblance is, it let him take the poison from him and helped Tyrian's body deal with it better than Bartholomew's own could. Only once the poison is out of Tyrian's system does his tail unwrap itself from Bartholomew and Tyrian stops cackling. Later, he realizes neither the cackling nor the twitching were common effects of the poison.

Later, Tyrian tells in quiet words about losing his moms to a plague no matter how much of the sickness he took from them, and Bartholomew suddenly knows exactly why Tyrian was like he was when he ended up on Beacon's doorstep, looking for a job: Cackling, twitching, with a hollow expression in his eyes.

"I'm technically a prince," Tyrian says one day, out of nowhere, making Bartholomew's eyes snap to him, followed soon after by his entire body. The only thing keeping him from running full-bodied into Tyrian is Tyrian's tail. He might be worried, if he didn't know Tyrian and if Tyrian wasn't laughing brightly at him. Not quite the unhinged cackle, but close. Bartholomew barely notices either, half bracketing Tyrian to his desk with his hands.

"What do you mean?"

Tyrian shrugs, a familiar glint in his eye, backing further onto Bartholomew's desk. "Well when a beautiful, clever woman marries a very wealthy man-" He begins and maybe if he were anyone else, this is where Bartholomew would scoff and roll his eyes, but he's not and Tyrian knows that. Just as much as Bartholomew knows Tyrian isn't anyone else. Bartholomew slowly goes between pacing and simply leaning against his desk listening as Tyrian tells him about a beautiful, clever woman who uses her smarts to gain, only to lose everything in a tragic back-and-forth. It's sad, the way Tyrian tells it, in the way greek tragedies are sad. Inevitable. Unstoppable. For every rise, there is a fall, until there is no longer a rise.

Bartholomew stares at the floor, still, and Tyrian slides to the floor, wrapping his tail around Bartholomew's wrist.

Later, much later, Bartholomew makes a dessert with the help of two archeologists he knows who specialize in Vacuo's history. He's not sure if it's a thank you for the story, or a kind of apology.

Either way, it's one of the few times Bartholomew ever sees Tyrian cry.

It's also the first time Tyrian kisses him.

Dating Tyrian Callows is a bit strange, but there are many things in Bartholomew's life which are strange, from his seemingly always active speed semblance, to his weapon, to his choice of drink actually being decaf coffee instead of caffienated.

It's funny to Bartholomew, as a history professor, but Tyrian is more open about his past than Bartholomew himself is. Bartholomew tells his own story in bits and pieces, like a jigsaw puzzle, where Tyrian is sudden revelations followed by stories, like translating a short novel after finally cracking the forgotten language.

"I worked a dig site in Vacuo one summer. Even after all the warnings, I wasn't quite prepared for the heat."

"My parents died when I was a teen. It's part of why I'm a huntsman."

"I don't actually care for cauliflower."

He can feel Tyrian picking up each piece, fitting them all together to create a single picture. It's odd, because Bartholomew doesn't think anyone's done this before, even Peter. Maybe Ozpin, but Ozpin is more enigma than even Bartholomew can handle half the time and the rest of the time he's in his office, hidden away.

There is something nice about it, though. He doesn't know why, because it's not as if he's ever felt like the amount of thought others put into his personal life or past relates at all to how much they care about him, but something about Tyrian taking the time to figure out where each part fits is nice. Bartholomew wonders if this is how fossils feel when archeologists put their skeletons back together. If, of course, the long dead creatures could feel anything at all. If they did, he thinks they would thank them simply for taking the time to learn their story.

Because that is what archeologists and historians do—they learn the stories. That is what Bartholomew has done, both consciously and subconsciously, a very large part of him always wanting to learn. And that is what Tyrian's done as well, Bartholomew realizes slowly. He has learned as much about Bartholomew as Bartholomew has learned about Tyrian, only he has learned it in chunks and pieces with careful tools in dangerous hands. And Bartholomew has been on several dig sites in several places. He's been a historian for nearly three decades. Bartholomew knows from experience; you only use the most careful brush strokes to sweep away grime to reveal the things you really love. And sometimes, with luck and patience, they reveal themselves to you, and it feels like being loved back.

The next time Tyrian shares a story, they are in the training room, and Bartholomew tells Tyrian a story of his own.

[aidansloth]

{Honey - Gareth Emerson X GN!Reader}

Warnings: hurt/comfort, crying, negative talk about self. pronouns user: they/them and you/you

Summary: Gareth gets a bad grade and you comfort him.

Words: 1k

taglist: @manyfandomsfanvergent @thatsthewaythechrissycrumbles

a/n: I apologize for taking so much to write this, the imagination just wouldn't come. this one-shot has nothing to do with the other fics I wrote about him, you can imagine it if you want but they're not connected! I projected everything in Gareth today so be nice to him. anyhow, hope you enjoy the angst!

totally not me smiling like an idiot at the last part

★★★

Tears filled his eyes, but they were quickly wiped away by his own hand. He tried to steady his breath, while silencing his own breathing to make sure others wouldn't suspect a thing. He stared at the paper in his hand, it has a big red C- in it. Now is not the time to cry. God, it's not even anything to cry about, you really are pathetic.

Luckily the bell rings right after that so he's free to sprint out of that classroom. He thanked Ozzy he didn't have Hellfire or band practice that day; he just wanted to go home and hide in his room all day. The crowded halls buzzed at his ears as he made his way towards the exit. He certainly didn't feel like talking to anybody.

"Sweetheart!" a voice from behind brought Gareth back to his senses and despite his current emotional state he smiled. Arms flew around his torso from behind, making him stumble forward a bit; he may have not felt good but your presence certainty improved his mood.

"How did your History quiz go?" you asked smiling, you knew he aced that test since he talks about how he loves the subject all the time. Infodumps about the Roman empire are a usual with him. He gulped while turning around to face you and tried a forced smile.

"It went well." you looked at him up and down, squinting and then nodded. Normally he would be ecstatic but he just looked like a kicked puppy. Maybe something happened and he just doesn't feel like talking about it. Yeah, that must be it.

"Alright... well, we still on for this weekend?" you hoped to get something out of him, even one sincere smile is enough. His lips moved slightly upwards.

"Of course." now you knew something was wrong. You two were planning this for weeks, you were going to go camping that weekend by yourselfs. He loved being out in the open and when he found out you've never gone camping he made it his personal mission to make it the best experience for the two of you.

"Ehm, I have to study for the Chemistry quiz tomorrow, I have to go, sorry. I'll pick you up at 11am this Saturday, alright?" his fingers started tapping onto his leg and he kept avoiding your eyes. You nodded and he took off. Yep, something was definitely off.

★★★

His cheeks stained red, his eyes glossy with sadness and his neck a sticky mess of tears. He hadn't cried this much in years. All over a stupid test, that isn't even that important. Hiccuped breaths getting in the way of his useless breathing exercises; he kept trying those but they never really for him. He's curled up on the bed while hugging one of his cushions with his own face planted in it.

Knock Knock

"Mom, I told you, I'm fine, nothing-" he stopped as soon as he heard your voice.

"Unless you've got something to tell me, I'm not your mom." you chuckled through the door and he knew that moment he was fucked. He rushed to hide the mountain of tissues on his bed and wipe away his tears as he told you to come in.

"I noticed you weren't yourself earlier so I thought Back To The Future would cheer you up, I also brought sna-" while taking the rented movie out of your bag you lifted your head to a red-faced, sniffling Gareth. You instantly dropped your bag.

"You're crying."

"What? No I'm not."

"Don't lie Gareth, you are! What happened this morning?" you sat next to him on the bed, him still avoiding your gaze.

"Nothing happened. I'm fine, it's just some allergies."

"Gareth it's December. And I know something is wrong. You haven't looked at me all day, you are literally crying and you're not even using pet names! Not even 'honey', you love that one, you know, 'cause it reminds you-"

"It reminds me of old married couples, yes I know." he smiled at the thought. A genuine smile. He bit his lip and looked down, then took a deep breath.

"You'll think it's stupid." you took his hands into yours and he finally looks at you.

"Not in a million years." he nodded.

"I... I got a C- on the History quiz. I know it's stupid and whiny of me to complain about not getting an A, but I worked so hard for it. I always get top marks in History, it's the subject I'm best at and- and, god. You should have seen him, Mr Jones said he expected better from me, he- he said he was disappointed in me. I did my best and I still failed, I'm a failure-"

"Hey, stop it!" you stopped him before he could spiral even more into a panic attack, "Just because you didn't get an A doesn't mean you're a failure. Even if you fail it doesn't mean you're a failure. You'll never be a failure to me, okay?"

You cupped his cheeks and wiped the tears away, smiling sweetly at him. His breath steadied a bit.

"And Mr Jones can suck my dick." at your comment Gareth left out the most carefree laugh you ever heard. He looked happy, with a bitten down smile and eyes full of love.

"Yeah, he can."

"And, you deserved that A. I'm not sure what Gareth the Great could ever get wrong," you poked his tummy and he chuckled, "but if you want, I could help you study and understand what you got wrong." he nodded with a shy smile.

"That'd be immensely appreciated, thank you, honey." you moved closer to him, still holding his hand.

"Of course, sweetheart." you kissed him softly, his lips still a bit salty from the tears, but sweet nonetheless.

"Then we can beat up Mr Jones." he laughed again while settling in to cuddle with you; you laid down on the bed with him on top, head on your chest while your fingers went through his hair.

"We are not beating up Mr Jones."

"Maybe you're not. I am though." Gareth knew he wasn't going to win this so he nodded, still chuckling.

"Thank you."

"Mh? What for?"

"Just... being here. You always make me feel better."

"Anything for you sweetheart." you whispered with a smile. A comfortable silence fell onto the room, just the sounds of each others' breathing and the occasional smooch of a kiss. Just the two of you holding each other.

[lighthouseborn]

  Henry’s relationship with his dreams veered in a similar pattern to his ongoing battle with his impulses. Some days he managed them well, and never so much as flicked a little piece of paper at his friend while they were talking. Others, he jumped into the channel even though there were drifts of snow two feet tall upon the bank. And so, some nights he thought nothing of them. They came as vivid parades of nonsense, and turned to naught but smoke or the vague sense of seeing an old friend when he woke. Others he sank straight to the far edges of pain.

  Agony, maybe, was the better word for it. (If he wasn’t saving that one for something that truly seemed it could get no worse.) All-encompassing for the way it bubbled out of him, pulling out of the very middle of him, where it teetered on the brink of ripping something vital right out. It’s the first and only thing to exist, like it was waiting for him. Then he heard her.

  “Henry! Henry!” dotted with high whines and the patter of paws on the ground. Lektra.

  He discovered himself, then, laying face down on cold, smooth stone. The fabricated kind, devoid of any natural character or merit. It was just hard. Cold. Henry, driven by his dæmon’s anxious fussing, found it I himself to lift his head and open his eyes. The sight forced understanding.

  Steel bars surrounded him, and the heart of his heart was some number of meters away, similarly caged, pacing and whining. Some sort of amphitheater surrounded them, equipped to seat hundreds, though for what purpose he could not imagine. It did not matter at all- he focused on pushing himself up onto his arms. Dragging himself forward. Pressing himself at the gaps between the bars as if there was any hope at all of fitting through them. Even with his shoulder as far out between the bars as he could get it, reaching toward her, they were too far apart. The pain eased only as far as resetting a broken bone put it a millimeter closer to rightness, but did not undo the harm; the idea –the feeling– of a cord pulled nearly to breaking remained.

  Any further from each other and it’d tear.

  “We’re alright,” he said anyhow, voice echoing across the empty void between them, “hey- hey. It’s alright.” Lektra whined again, but stopped pacing. The bars surrounding her were the same as his, as thick around as to squelch all notions of bending them even with the strongest of arms, only lined with a double layer of mesh sealed to the metal, as if expecting the chance of smaller occupants who might slip through the thicker gaps. Henry got the sense that she would have pressed herself against it, fur poking through the little holes, except that would mean she was unable to keep both eyes on him. His eyes welled. He sniffed sharply and reached as far as he could, fingers straining toward her. We’ll be alright.

  From the shadows at the edge of the empty plain stepped a woman. She wore dark robes and darker makeup, her body concealed and her face painted into a mask of sorrow so great it seemed mocking. The eyes were too down turned, the mouth twisted and wild. She approached the middle of everything. Not quickly, but not tarrying. Dutiful, one might say. When she stood just before the imaginary line Henry had reached out along, the one drawing him to Lektra, the woman stopped. She looked at Henry. Her pale eyes were like the stone beneath him. She looked to Lektra. The dæmon ducked down, her head well below her shoulders.

  In a flourish of sleeves rustling and whipping through the air, the woman produced a blade. She held it high aloft, so that the light caught its edge, making it ripple like silver fire. The sight of it alone instilled in Henry a sense of dread so visceral he flinched. Across from him, so far away, Elektryona bared her teeth in a silent snarl. She liked it even less than he did. But why? It was only a little knife, why should they fear it so? But the question did not come to mouth, or reach the air.

  The woman began to speak in a language that had no words. The sounds twisted and danced like hurricane winds, ripping through the air, howling and moaning in shapes that were almost familiar. That Henry almost believed he understood, if he could just listen a little better, but the effort escaped him. Like he’d forgotten how. The woman swayed as she spoke, the long tendrils of her dark hair brushing the ground. Then she stopped. Stopped swaying, stopped speaking. She even seemed to stop breathing. She slowly extended her arm, the knife gripped just-so, and drew the blade down… and down… she stopped at a height roughly around what would be the lowest of Henry's ribs when he was standing. Then, in the air between Henry and Lektra, she made a cutting motion.

  Henry almost laughed. It was such a strange act of pantomime so far from anything flesh and blood, so mundane after the sense of arcane profanity her formless speech and wild swaying brought on. Then he felt it catch.

  So small. Like the barest of misses while learning to cook with his mother, a little too eager at cutting root vegetables for the first time with young, unpracticed hands. So brief. So shallow. And yet this ran all through him in shudder, jarring loose a soft cry of shock and fear. Worst of all was the yelp that sounded in exactly the same moment as Henry’s cry. Their eyes met: soul and body staring in turn at all that belonged to them. Then the woman gestured again, and this time struck true, sawing at the bond stretched thin between them.

  A cry of anguish split the air. Elektryona howled.

  Henry surfaced with the same lack of effort it had taken him to sink. One moment here, the next there; now back again with all due confusion as to where he truly was and how he’d gotten there. The only clear thing, in this new place where he lay on his back instead of his front, was the weight of a wiggly, furry body on his chest, wedging herself under his arms.

  “I tried to wake you.”

  He lifted his arms enough to let her near, paws poking into his shoulder and elbows sharp against his ribs. Her golden fur felt like silk under his hands. No bars or mesh between them.

  “I heard you,” Henry said, “I heard. I just- I didn’t know that’s.. what it was.” The only bit of speaking that had made any sense: Elektryona calling to him. His answer.

  “We’re alright,” she promised, pushing her nose up alongside his cheek. She licked at the tears sliding back across his temples.

  Henry could not respond. He was thinking, still, of silver flame blades and heart-rending howls. It was a noise he’d never heard her make before or since. Perhaps because it matched that and only that feeling.

  Being torn apart.

  He drew her tightly to his chest. Counter-intuitively, the crush made it easier to breathe.

[burgers-and-french-fries]

05

Since writing in her journal about her plan for the summer, Kenzie's mind was spinning with possible outcomes and ideas that could help aid her in her mission. She knew that she had to be sneaky about everything as Jeff was pretty smart and she knew that he might catch on if she acted any differently than normal. It was going to be hard as she was excited for what was to come; so excited that as soon as her phone read 6:30 am, she pulled up Zarah's contact info and pressed the call button.

Kenzie sat and waited for what felt like ages before Zarah answered the phone. She wasn't at all happy to be woken this early.

"One good reason and I won't murder you," Zarah grumped as she put her phone to her ear.

"Would you settle for an I miss you?" Kenzie asked with a hint of teasing in her tone.

"No. What do you want?" Zarah replied and Kenzie gasped dramatically.

"I am wounded that you think I want something," Kenzie told her friend as a small chuckle escaped her lips.

Zarah rolled her eyes and pulled the phone away from her ear as she felt a yawn coming on.

"You just rolled your eyes at me didn't you?" Kenzie asked, knowing her friend all too well.

"Just tell me what you want so I can go back to bed," Zarah responded.

"Ok, ok. I need your help with something," Kenzie said and Zarah took a deep breath.

"You get rejected by someone?" Zarah questioned sarcastically.

"Hey, I will have you know that I am a great catch," Kenzie defended and Zarah burst out laughing.

"That's a good one, Ken," Zarah said through her laughter.

"Seriously Zar, I am, but no, I need your help with something else," Kenzie told her.

"Alright, jokes aside, what is so important that you need to call me this early?" Zarah asked as things settled down and she could sense her friend's eagerness.

"So the other day Uncle Jeff was teaching me how to surf and-" Kenzie started just before Zarah cut her off.

"I bet you fell over," Zarah said out loud without meaning to.

"Oi," Kenzie replied.

"Sorry, go on," Zarah said.

"I was knocked off my board by someone and I sprained my ankle. Anyway, we went home after that and when we got back to Jeff's, there was a moving truck in the driveway next door," Kenzie explained.

"So you did fall," Zarah answered, making Kenzie roll her eyes this time.

"Really? That's what you took from that?" Kenzie asked, somewhat dumbfounded but not entirely surprised.

"Kenz, it's me you're talking to. Yes, that's what I took from that," Zarah responded.

"You're right. I shouldn't be surprised at this point," Kenzie joked.

"Hilarious. Anyhow, what does a moving truck have to do with you needing my help?" Zarah asked.

"Zar, the person moving in was my uncle's old flame, Liz," Kenzie said, finally getting to the point.

"Are you serious!?" Zarah shouted a little too loudly. She quickly covered her mouth and both girls remained quiet for a minute just in case Zarah's parents came into Zarah's room and told the girls to get off the phone.

"I'm not kidding and get this, Mom told me that Jeff and Liz had talked about getting married at one point," Kenzie said as a burst of energy coursed through her veins.

"Holy crap, that's big," Zarah replied.

"I know. I'm still a little shocked cause he never struck me as the type to want to get married," Kenzie told Zarah.

"What did he do when he saw her?" Zarah asked, curious of Jeff's reaction.

"He just stood there staring at her while she got a box from the truck and when she went inside, he scurried toward his place. It was the fastest I've ever seen him move." Kenzie explained.

"I can see that. Has he spoken to her at all yet?" Zarah questioned.

"Well, she came by yesterday with some baking she had done in the hopes of getting to know her new neighbors while Jeff was out, and I invited her in. She seemed nice but when Jeff came home, he stood there like a goober and frowned at us. He made everything awkward, and she rushed out the door," Kenzie explained, feeling the annoyance with Jeff resurface.

"That's not cool," Zarah noted, and Kenzie nodded.

"I know right? I told him what I thought, and he didn't like that cause he stormed out of the house," Kenzie added and Zarah shook her head incredulously.

"What a weenie," Zarah replied, and both girls burst out laughing.

"He is, but once he came home, he filled me in on a couple of things. It was quite interesting," Kenzie replied after the laughter had died down.

"I bet," Zarah said as her neck cracked from the way she turned her head as she stretched.

"The most interesting thing was that when we were talking, he had the same look on his face that Liz had when we were in the kitchen talking about friends, school, and boys," Kenzie said and Zarah's eyes went wide.

"Do you think they miss each other?" Zarah asked and Kenzie shrugged. She didn't know for sure but if she had to take a wild guess, then yes, she had a strong feeling that they missed each other in more ways than one.

"I think so. This is where I need your help though." Kenzie answered.

"What do you need me to do?" Zarah wondered.

"I'm going to get Liz and Jeff together once and for all and I need you to be my sounding board. You up for the challenge, Turner?" Kenzie asked and Zarah nodded enthusiastically.

"Hell yes!" Zarah responded and Kenzie beamed.

The girls spent the next couple hours getting ideas compiled and by the time they were done talking, Zarah's parents were up and so was Jeff.

"Call me if you need any more ideas and if I think of any today at work, I'll text you," Zarah told Kenzie.

"You're the best Zar. I owe you one." Kenzie said and Zarah hummed in agreement.

Kenzie bid her friend goodbye and was about to hang up when Zarah stopped her.

"Hold on, I need the details of how you fell off the surfboard," Zarah said, and Kenzie rolled her eyes.

"Dude, I didn't fall off, I was pushed off," Kenzie replied sarcastically unamused.

"Yeah, ok kenz," Zarah said, and Kenzie raised her brow.

"It's true." Kenzie defended.

Zarah was about to reply when her father knocked on her bedroom door and told her that it was time to get off the phone and get ready for work or she'd be late.

=

Walking into the main kitchen after her call with Zarah, Kenzie found Jeff on the laptop assaulting the keyboard as he typed away. She smiled to herself at the look of concentration on his face. It was very much the same concentrated look her mother got when she was doing something that she didn't particularly want to do.

"Morning." Kenzie greeted as she took one of the Banana chocolate chip muffins Liz had made off the platter given to them and warmed it in the microwave for a couple of seconds.

Jeff barely looked up from the laptop as he gave his niece a mumbled reply.

"What are you doing?" Kenzie asked and Jeff glanced at her briefly.

"Why?" He asked as he continued attacking the keyboard with his vigorous typing.

"I asked you first," Kenzie replied as she popped a piece of the heated muffin in her mouth.

She was hoping to get more of a conversation out of him, but it was useless. He was too far into his task to respond with more than one-word answers.

"Kenz, please." He replied, needing to focus on the amount of inventory, orders, and bills he had to take care of for the bait shop.

"Fine, I'll leave you alone, but I do have a question," Kenzie said.

Jeff sighed and gave her his full attention, though the look on his face told her that he wanted to be left alone to work.

"What?" He asked.

"Do you have a soccer ball?" She questioned.

Her foot had begun to feel better, and she wanted to test its strength by kicking a ball around.

"I do but you need to rest that foot." He said sternly.

Kenzie wasn't the best for letting herself heal after an injury. She was usually up and walking around within a couple of hours if she was able to.

"It feels a bit better, but I just want to see if it's up to kicking standard." She told him.

"I'd rather you not and give your foot more time to heal," Jeff answered, even though he knew she wasn't going to listen to him.

"It's fine Uncle Jeff," Kenzie replied, feeling confident in her ability.

"It's your foot, kid. Ball's in the garage." Jeff replied before going back to the laptop.

"Thank you," Kenzie said as she took her food into her room so that she could get herself together before heading out to kick the ball around.

=

Kicking the ball around felt good. Her foot still hurt of course but it was nowhere near as painful as it was when it first happened. It made Kenzie happy to know that she was right, and her ankle was healing nicely.

"Kenz!" Jeff called from the backdoor. Kenzie looked over at him and walked over to him.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"I'm heading to the bait shop; do you want to come with me or stay here?" He questioned. He knew her answer already but he wanted to check just in case.

"I want to stay here." She told him. This was perfect. She could work on things while he was gone and out of earshot.

"Alright, call me if you need anything but please try to stay out of trouble," Jeff replied, and Kenzie smiled goofily.

"Me? Get into trouble?" She teased and Jeff rolled his eyes.

"Yes, you," He responded, and Kenzie chuckled.

"Don't worry about me. I'm just going to kick the ball around a little more and then maybe play some video games," Kenzie said.

"Ok. I will see you in a little while," Jeff answered.

Kenzie waved goodbye to him and went back to kicking the ball but just as she did that, Jeff reappeared.

"No more strangers in my house while I'm gone," Jeff said as pottery could be heard smashing from the backyard next door, followed by a slight high-pitched scream and an over dramatic gasp.

"My pot!" The person shrieked.

"Kenzie!" Jeff shouted in both shock and warning.

"My bad," She called to the person next door, but no reply came.

"Be more careful with that thing," Jeff cautioned, and Kenzie nodded.

"Safe to say my foot's ok," Kenzie said, attempting to change the subject.

"Inside missy," Jeff replied, moving to the side so that Kenzie could get past him.

"Why?" Kenzie asked.

"So you don't break anything else and because you've been on your feet for too long," Jeff told her, and she couldn't argue with him. She was feeling tired.

"Okie dokie," She responded, walking inside.

Kenzie plopped herself on the couch next to Annie whose tail was wagging enthusiastically.

"Right, I'm leaving now. Call me if you need anything and no strangers in the house while I'm gone and no more breaking things." He reiterated as he grabbed his keys, Annie's leash, and his hat.

"I will and as for not breaking anything else, I'm not promising anything." She replied and Jeff shook his head. What was he going to do with Kenzie?

Kenzie had to laugh at his response to that.

"Come on Annie," Jeff said, encouraging his four-legged friend to come to him so that they could leave.

"Bye," Kenzie told them as they hurried out the door. No reply came as Jeff was practically in his truck and pulling away already.

Kenzie waved to him through the window and when he was out of sight, she went next door. She was going to apologize for breaking whatever it was but as she put her hand on the doorknob, someone knocked on it, making Kenzie jump.

"Flaming Cheetos!" Kenzie shouted with panic as her heart thumped wildly in her chest. She assumed that the person at the door was her uncle, but it wasn't.

Kenzie opened it and came face to face with a kid around her age. He stood a few inches taller than her. He had reddish brown hair, and blue/green eyes and wore an exasperated look on his face.

"Think this is yours," He said as he handed her the soccer ball. Kenzie took it and tried not to laugh as his scream echoed through her head.

"Anyone ever told you that you scream like a girl?" Kenzie asked. She couldn't help herself.

"Do not," He defended.

"Yeah, you do," She told him and he huffed at her.

"No, I don't," He answered.

Kenzie was having too much fun pestering him.

"What were you doing back there anyway?" Kenzie asked, moving on from playfully insulting him.

"What's it to you?" He questioned in reply.

"I believe your exact words were and I quote: My Pot!" Kenzie said, raising her brow at him, silently asking him what he meant by that.

"Not that it's any of your business but I was planting something," He begrudgingly answered.

"You garden?" Kenzie questioned, letting a chuckle escape her lips.

The boy in front of her blushed and glared at her. He wasn't appreciating the fact that she was picking on him.

"I don't need this. Just keep your bloody ball out of my yard," He snapped and walked away.

Kenzie felt guilty for mocking him, so she called for him to stop.

"Wait!" She hollered and he did. He turned to face her, but she could tell that he wasn't impressed.

Kenzie carefully trudged over to him, trusting that he wasn't going to leave her alone.

He just stood there watching her as she inched closer to him.

"Going to keep bothering me?" He asked and Kenzie shook her head.

"I was going to ask if you needed help with gardening," She replied, hoping that he'd forgive her and let her help him.

"Thanks but you should put your foot up." He told her and Kenzie looked at him in surprise.

How did he know that she had injured herself? Unless.....

"You," She said, pointing at him.

"Call it even?" He suggested with a shrug and sheepish grin and Kenzie remained in her spot for a minute contemplating her answer.

She could hold this over him if she wanted to and keep making him miserable, but she could use a friend while in Boca, so she decided to give in to his suggestion......Kind of.

Kenzie pondered and pursed her lips at him while allowing her eyes to roam his body up and down, making him sweat a little bit.

"On one condition," Kenzie said. She had a feeling this kid could help her execute her plan of playing Cupid.

"I'm afraid to ask but go on," He replied.

"I'll let you know eventually. For now, however, I'm Kenzie," She introduced, holding out her hand for him to shake.

He looked at it for a second, unsure of what she was planning but he knew that if he wanted to stay in her good graces and not be the target of her insults any longer, his best option would be to place his hand in hers and reciprocate the handshake.

"Jesse," He responded simply.

"Great. Well, I should go back in," Kenzie told him, pointing in the direction of her uncle's house.

"Aren't you going to tell me your one condition before you go?" He queried.

"All in due time, Jesse, all in due time." She said in a tone that freaked him out a bit.

He gave Kenzie a worried glance and she smirked at him.

"Tell you what, meet me at Pete's burger shack on Wednesday afternoon and I'll tell you," Kenzie said but Jesse grunted, not feeling satisfied with her reply.

"I work on Wednesday," He told her and Kenzie squinted her eyes and bit the inside of her cheek as she struggled to come up with another idea.

"Where do you work?" She asked him.

"I'm not telling you that," He replied warily.

"Eh, fair enough," She responded. She had to give it to him, he seemed like a tough nut to crack, and she would get through to him one of these days; she just had to be patient at least for now.

"I could meet you at the beach on my lunch break," He offered, and Kenzie smiled at him.

"Sounds good," She said, staring at him once more.

Jesse didn't mind it at the beginning as it didn't feel judgmental like the first time she eyed him but then he started to feel like he was under a microscope again and he didn't like it.

"Stop staring at me," He told her and Kenzie looked away.

"Habit, sorry," She said genuinely.

"It's fine, it's just creepy," He replied, drawing a laugh from her which made him smile.

"I'll keep that in mind," Kenzie countered, and Jesse nodded.

"I'll see you on Wednesday, creep," He said as he walked back to his house.

Kenzie chuckled to herself in disbelief knowing that she had just made a friend.

When Kenzie felt confident that Jesse was inside his house, she pulled her phone out of her pants pocket and pressed Zarah's contact info.

<<Call me ASAP! We need to talk.>> Kenzie typed as she texted her friend.

She couldn't wait to tell Zarah about the kid she had just met and was about to recruit.

===

Tag List: @hauntedflamingo

[i-have-not-slept]

Malectober day 22: Wings

Aaaaand here is my first attempt at an AU! If you haven't read/watched Good Omens this might not make much sense but I hope you enjoy it anyway👼

It was a nice day.

All the days had been nice. There had been rather more than seven of them so far, and rain hadn't been invented yet. But clouds massing east of Eden suggested that the first thunderstorm was on its way, and it was going to be a big one.

In the garden, something stirred. A large black cat, the size of a panther, padded out from behind a tree. There were many animals in the garden, but none with eyes that burned like the cat’s. Candles hadn’t been invented yet, but a fanciful writer might have said that the eyes looked like candles burning in Hell. The other animals were wisely remaining hidden. 

The cat stretched languidly, then padded to the high wall encircling the garden. The bright eyes zeroed in on the figure standing on top of the wall, staring out to the east. The muscles in the cat’s back legs bunched, and with a single spring, it was on top of the wall. It strode over to the figure. With a ripple of the fur along its back, the cat was gone. In its place stood a man, or at least a man-shaped creature. His jet-black hair matched the cat’s fur, and the cat’s burning gold eyes, with their slit pupils, were set into his face. The robe he wore was black as well. From his back arched a pair of glossy black wings, with shimmers of cobalt blue and purple nestling among the feathers. 

The other man, or man-shaped being, didn’t seem particularly surprised at the transformation. His wings were white, shot through with gold. His robe was white, and over his shoulder he carried a bow and quiver of arrows. The cat-man noted with interest the black symbols that wound around his arms and over his shoulders. They were the language of Heaven.

The demon sighed dramatically. “Well, that was a shambles.” 

The angel blinked at him in confusion. “Um, sorry?”

The demon waved a hand at the landscape around them, indicating the entire situation. “All of it. The apple, them getting kicked out of the garden. You showing up— not that you’re a shambles.” he added. “It was a bit of an overreaction, if you ask me. I mean, first offence and everything. I can’t see what’s so bad about knowing the difference between good and evil anyway.”

“It must be bad,” reasoned the angel in a slightly worried tone, “otherwise you wouldn’t have been involved.”

The demon shrugged. “They just said, Get up there and make some trouble. What’s your name, anyway? I might as well know if we’re both going to be stuck on Earth for a while.” 

The angel looked at him warily. “Alexander.”

“Magnus.” said the demon. “It’ll mean ‘great’ one day, in one of the human languages. For now it’s just a name. ‘Alexander’ is too cumbersome to say, anyhow. I’m going to call you Alec.” 

The angel blinked again. “Oh. Okay.” He tried out the name. “Alec. Yes, that sounds alright.”

They stared out over the desert, to the storm clouds gathering east of Eden. The first roll of thunder rumbled in the distance.

“Wait a minute.” Magnus said suddenly. “Didn’t you have a flaming sword before?”

“Um,” said Alexander, looking guilty. “Well….” He ruffled his feathers nervously. 

“You did, didn’t you? It was flaming like anything.”

“Er….”

“Lost it already, have you?”

“No! Not exactly lost…”

“Well?”

Alec bit his lip. He mumbled something Magnus couldn’t quite make out.

“What’s that?”

“I gave it away.” Alec said wretchedly. 

Magnus blinked at him. “You what?” 

Alec looked desperately at Magnus and the demon noticed, for the first time, how blue the angel’s eyes were. “I had too! They looked so cold, and it’s going to be dark out there, and there’s probably vicious animals, and the storm…I just told them to take it and go, it’d be best for everyone in the long run.” 

He gestured to the two distant figures trekking across the wasteland. For the first time, Magnus noticed the tiny spark of light one of them carried. 

“It was the right thing to do, wasn’t it?” Alec asked anxiously. 

“You’re an angel.” Magnus said dryly. “I’m sure it can’t be wrong if you do it.” He nudged the angel with a grin. “Be funny if we both got it wrong, wouldn’t it? If I did the right thing and you did the wrong thing.” 

“Yes.” said Alec. “I mean, no! It wouldn’t be funny at all! It’d be a huge mess!”

“Ah well.” said Magnus, sobering up. “I suppose it’ll all be alright in the end.”

“I hope so.” 

They looked at the clouds. Another rumble of thunder sounded. The first raindrops began to fall.

Absently, like he wasn’t even thinking about it, Alec raised one of his wings to shield Magnus from the rain.

[blog-reflection]

ONE / Thirty - The Gang

What. The. Fuck? 

I woke up, panicky looking around, touching myself. I was sweaty from fear. What was that? I looked at my phone. There was a video playing, a porn to be exact. I slowly started to piece everything together. I was tired and have been looking at the video. Out of pure tiredness I must have fallen asleep while the video was still on. The sound has triggered my brain and created this whole scenario. There was no hotel, nor a group. Just my imagination playing tricks on me. I was as relieved as I was disturbed by my own capability. 

I gazed at the alarm clock on my right side. Two in the morning. Right, as if I could ever wake up to a normal time for once in my life. Well since I’m awake like I’ve been drinking energy nonstop, I might as well get up in total. I looked down the stairs into the hallway which was dark. Meaning Sarah must still be in bed. If she’d been awake, the floor would shimmer in the living room's light. But nothing. Also no smell of toast so she hasn't eaten yet. It’s crazy how fast I get used to the habits of others that are around me. I mean I’m living here for a few but still. I got in front of my computer and stared at the screen, waiting for it to turn on, which it did about two minutes later. My computer is nothing compared to Henry. I mean yeah I could check Henry for those updates as well but he’s still busy processing the last data update. To be honest it kinda bums me that Henry is as buff as he is while my computer is suffering, but we all have to watch out for our resources. 

Discord was the first thing that popped right into my face. Multiple messages have been listed as unread. There is a friend invite from Midas, the guy I met a few days ago when I slept at Lucia's place. There have been a few messages from Jessen and two from Ethan. Wait…ETHAN? I stood up and fell face first into my bed. After a small break of my pure excitement I went back to my pc. Okay, let’s do this. 

Discord conversation 

@GreenOtter Yesterday at 11.46pm Hey I just wanted to check if everything is alright. I haven’t seen you in the last few days. I mean I haven’t seen you before but I saw your friend. I assume you don’t live here then? Well that’s a shame. Anyways, where do you live then? I guess I can easily come around if you want me to.  

@GreenOtter Today at 12.50pm I hope that I don’t come across like a total creep scaring you away like that. I promise, I didn’t mean to! I was just wondering if you’d like to meet up for a coffee sometime. Anyhow ttyl Jam!

Oh my goddess he called me Jam, a nickname, already? Wait no I’m stupid, that’s literally my nick on discord. Nevermind then. However, how cute is that! I mean I have no Idea what to answer but I’m sure I’ll do so! The fact alone that I started blushing when I read this message says enough doesn't it. But before I do that, let’s check out Jesse’s annoying ass. 

Discord conversation 

@J3ss3 Yesterday at 11.46pm Yo yo yoooo You won’t believe it! Guess who’s now a happier woman than ever before!?!? Petal’s so happy about the fact that you made those changes. She was so happy and teary when I showed her the info display. It worked all flawlessly, according to plan, as the cool kids these days say! Nonetheless, I made a Server for all 3 of us! If you want we can even add Lucia!!! OH man this will be the beginning of something great I can tell ya!!!

@J3ss3 Today at 12.50pm Oh and Petal loves the Idea with the Icerink, she’s already on it to get tickets for the gang. Please join the server! Anyway buyeeeee

Well, first I’m more than happy that Petal is happy now and that all programming did what it had to do. Second, *the gang*? What are we? A bunch of stupid soccer lads??? Nothing against people that play soccer, I just never understood why you let 20 people chase a ball when you could have 20 puppies chasing the same ball. It just doesn't end up to me. But I guess it doesn't need to. Soo let’s see, the link is there. The profile picture is just a really….really ugly one of Jesse holding a kitten into their phone. Not sure if the kitten wanted to end there though. I assume it’s either Pixel, Sniffer or Lucian but I’m not sure it was dark when I saw them at Jesse's place. 

I did have to gag a tiny bit while reading the title of the server. They literally called it “the gang” with an ugly star next to it. They better want it to look like it’s freshly baked in trash rather than a real approche on creating a fitting server for us. Well… We are kind of trash so they might have done a pretty decent job. 

Anyhow, let’s see what is in there and if I’m prepared.- I was not. 

This server could’ve also simply been one that was abandoned and then found by two toddlers who smeared paint all over it to make it look .. pretty? Literally, if the world would end, this would be the outcome. 

On the other hand, I get to see Petal! Her nick is relatively unspecial, being Petals. However her profile picture is just amazing. It’s a picture of her, but drawn in a really cool style. It looks like concept art, but all the lines,  the colours, everything is clear. She, no caps, looks like a Kpop Idol that was thrown into a game. I’m not sure if that’s an outfit she really owns or if she just made it all up to fit the vibe. Nonetheless, let’s get into this mess.  

Discord Server “The Gang ✩*⋆ “ conversation 

@J3ss3 Today at 2.00am So if we get there at ten we might as well get snacks prior to that?

@Petals Today at 2.05am Oh my yes please! Everyone likes snacks. 

—> @Fallen_Jam joined the Server! Today 2.43am

@Fallen_Jam Today at 2.43am Hellou

@J3ss3 Today at 2.45am Yo bitch you made it! Happy welcome to you!

@Fallen_Jam Today at 2.45am THIS IS THE FUCKN FIRST THING YOU SAY TO ME??!!?

@Petals Today at 2.47am JAMES?!?! I FUCKING LOVE YOU!!!! THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!

@Fallen_Jam Today at 2.48am Haha I get paid for that lol. I hope it wasn’t too bad of an experience for you though :/

Happy you liked the surprise tho!

@Petals Today at 2.50am I did yeah big big big thx! Also, I was about to order the tickets for the ice rink if you still wanna come with us. They have a group ticket so if you have another one we could save some money ^^

@J3ss3 Today at 2.45am Maybe Lucia likes to come? She’s super fun. I bet Petal would love her too!

@Fallen_Jam Today at 2.48am Aktually, let me recheck something. I’ll answer later, gtg doing some stuff. Cya!

That’s it. I could ask Ethan out to join us at the ice rink. Lucia is already busy with school and being famous, so he’d be the best standin. Apart from that. Jesse could check him out as well. I trust Jesse and, well, he’d been writing with Amadeus back then so getting their view on the situation might even help. And Jesse could already meet him, and the other way around. I mean, I’m not sure if he’s able to skate on ice but if he can’t he could hold my hand. This Idea might be the best I had in forever. 

All right, I’m going to ask him now. 

[josie-anne-darling]

The Home of An Overlord

So I apologize in advance for this. I'm sure this isn't something a lot of people do and that the format is gonna turn out looking strange but here goes nothing.

I have not been on Tumblr for very long and I actually wrote this short story quite a while ago, although I have edited it since then (It was originally posted on Amino). It is a small narrative surrounding my Hazbin Hotel OC, Josie/Josephine who is Alastor's daughter.

I am aware Alastor is canonically asexual and I fully acknowledge and respect that. Josephine's story generally still paints him in that light actually but I thought I'd just make note for anyone who may be concerned. There's a lot more to the whole thing of course but I'll save explanations and Josie's full character layout for another day or DMs :)

I have had her for around 5 years now so she is quite dear to me.

I will do my best to respond to any appropriate comments or questions if I receive any.

Anyhow! I hope you enjoy the short read and if not, I still wish you a great day/night! ^-^

............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The Home of An Overlord

A frost demon was exceptionally rare to be seen in Pentagram City, let alone one so young walking alongside that of yet another adolescent soul. To Matthias, it felt as if he'd been following Josie for hours despite it only being just under 45 minutes. The manor in which the couple of kids sought was quite a ways away from everything else the city had to offer, making it quite the trek unless one had the ability to teleport or fly. This was of course done on purpose as the master of the dark estate valued his privacy. Though it wasn't necessarily uncommon for various walks of death to come snooping around the place here and there. Just seemingly curious folks wanting to get a glimpse of it as if it were some sort of haunted attraction. Nonetheless the spry doe continued her stroll towards the main gates of the manor, not nearly as nervous or frightened as Mathias. One would think the girl should be quaking with fear and yet she seemed perfectly collected. It was odd to him how a single soul from the first circle could have such a comforting and exciting influence over him but for the record, he hadn't met many beings his own age. Let alone a female.

 Josephine came to a halt just outside the gate, her delicate ears twitching as the two pieces separated and screeched open for her. All three of her friend's eyes blinked with awe as it did so. The boy appeared so easily amused at times.

"Alright. Let's go over this one more time, okay? Stay close to me and keep to the edges of the walls. If you absolutely must say something, keep your voice down and be sure to whisper. He's not home but we still need to be cautious. We'll be taking the long way around to the library, avoiding the kitchen and the den. Do you understand?" The fawn questioned, glancing at her friend, waiting for his response.

 Blinking his darkly lit eyes in an expression of blank acknowledgement to her words, Matthias nodded. "Yeah, I think so." The young man answered, watching as Josie knelt down and gracefully placed a small green orb upon the ground just outside the property's edge. "Come on then, we most likely do not have a lot of time to waste." 

 With that being said, the crimson haired doe motioned for her companion to follow her forward. Their silent and seemingly tedious task began the moment they both set foot on the smooth stones that made up the narrowed pathway that led to the porch of the towering manor. Plucking a single and simple enough looking key from her messenger bag, Josephine carefully slipped the contorted piece of metal into the lock and proceeded to twist it until they both heard a decently loud click. The doe was quick to slide the key out and drop it right back into her satchel before hesitantly turning the handle on the left side of the double door styled entrance. 

 As delicate gray hands pushed the door open with a creak, a decent sliver of amber tinged light from the outside climbed its way across the main entryway, illuminating the details in the rug that laid there. However as soon as both teens were inside, Josephine immediately but softly shut the door and made sure to lock it back up from the inside. With little light coming in from the windows it was somewhat difficult to see much at all, let alone enough to navigate a place they had never been before. At Least that was what Matthias thought as he glanced about the darkened home in curiosity.

 Josie immediately started off by taking her own advice and sticking close to the walls, her heels only an inch about from them as she slowly made her way along. Mathias followed suit, glancing about and taking notice of the only place any light seemed to emanate from. This being a large living space in the opposite direction of which they were heading, presumably the den mentioned earlier. The shadow of dimly burning coals danced about the ceiling, trickling into the hall every so often. It seemed there had been a fire burning not too long ago. 

 Mathias' thoughts were broken as he realized Josie was waiting patiently for him at the edge of the next doorway left of them. Picking up the pace ever so slightly, the young frost demon shuffled over to his friend whilst attempting to make as little noise possible. How in all the circles did this little doe-demon know where they were even going? Blueprints? Unspoken psychic abilities? It was anyone's guess if one were to ask Matthias. The further the two ventured inside the home, the darker it got and the more nervous one of them became. Just when it seemed pitch black, a delicate but bright enough light beamed from Josephine's eyes. A sort of golden glow. Some may argue that it was a useless skill at times but it was not one to be taken for granted and also one that she'd learned to control quickly after discovery. 

“Why are we keeping so close to the walls like this?” Matthias asked in a whispered voice as requested, copying the way Josephine was moving to the best of his abilities.

“Traps. He leaves them around from time to time when he’s feeling…paranoid.” She answered, leaving her friend wondering how she knew all this.

Josie continued onward, leading their two person party along as she had been. She appeared to be on high alert, looking from corner to corner and avoiding shining her eyes in certain areas. The doe's ears twitched and moved as she surveyed each movement whenever they needed to turn a corner or pass another hall, all the while making certain she didn't lose track of Matthias. What a clever and meticulous little creature she could be when she so desired.

It was only a few moments later that the two of them reached a decently sized staircase, one that they needed to use from the look of Josephine's face. The girl turned her head slightly to glance at her counterpart, mouthing the word edges as a quick reminder and then pointed to the opposite side of the first stair. With a nod, Matthias caught on quickly to how they'd be going upwards. One step at a time. Once in position, the almost dance-like maneuver began as the two young demons matched their footing. Moving from one small platform to the next in perfect sync, carefully avoiding any loss of balance or falling out of rhythm with one another.

 Smiling at each other in the presence of darkness, they made their way up the stairwell with little falter on both parts. Soon enough, the duo reached the end of the little game and came to the top of the stairs. Josie couldn't help but let out a single breath she had been holding within her chest throughout the tactful ascension of the stairwell, relieved that they had yet to set off any traps. She seemed almost bewildered with herself that she had actually managed to lead Matthias this far. If it hadn't been for her ears abruptly reaching for the ceiling at the sensation of noise - she may have felt the slightest bit of pride.

 Unfortunately for Matthias and Josie, there would be no time for that or any other emotion beyond panic for the time being. Any noise was an unwelcome one in that moment and Josephine made that clear by quickening her pace and dragging the young frost demon along by his wrist. She knew that there was only one thing, or more accurately one being, who'd be making such blatant noise without a care in The Radio Demon's home. The crimson clad overlord himself.

 Shoving open a door further down the hallway, Josie pulled her companion inside the room right behind her. As quickly and as quietly as possible, she shut the same door as impulse and guilt took the reins. She had obviously underestimated how much time they would have and now the plan would suffer because of it. But there was no time to dwell on it now and Josie knew that was certain. The doe pushed at Matthias' back, shoving him towards the closet. 

"In there, as far back as we can go." She whispered into the side of his neck. It would be the best hiding place for the moment, given that her identifying smell was all over the various articles of clothing already. Hopefully it would be sufficient enough to mask Matthias' scent, surrounded by her own. She was fairly confident it would work for a while. Or at least this detour would give her some time to ponder what their next move would be. Regardless, Josie needed to think and she needed to think quickly.

The continuing sounds of a presence in the home seemed to consume the fawn’s train of thought. The downside of having such excellent, yet selective hearing. Her behavior definitely dredged up anxiety and panic within the young frost demon beside her. He looked to his friend to find her softly nibbling on her bottom lip in thought, being careful not to draw her own blood. Baby fangs or not, the girl's canines were still abnormally sharp. He wouldn't enter this room of all the ones that made up the large manor. Why would he? As far as he was aware, there would be nothing within those four walls to interest him after being out and about.

Thinking to herself, Josie began internally listing off the most likely places Alastor would venture to. His room, the kitchen, his studio or study and the room they were in seemed to be the most prominent in her mind - unfortunately. Out of those she could imagine, his studio would be her preferred choice. Worst case scenario out of the options would be the room in which they were hiding or his own as it was quite literally across the hall from the one they remained hopelessly trapped in. But even if he went to his studio, it would still be treacherous getting her companion out with both him and the book still intact.

Rolling the little green marble like trinket between her petite fingers, Josephine released a gentle sigh. She reminded herself of why she'd put herself in such a fine predicament in the first place. To help Mathias and ultimately The Pentagram in a way. The girl cautiously removed her bag from her shoulder and hung it up silently within the closet. It wasn't like she'd be needing a portable satchel anymore. The emerald ball of mysterious intent remained in her hand as she met Matthias' gaze.

"Matthias. Listen closely. The book you're looking for is navy blue with raised writing on it. It's leather bound and should be to the right between two similar looking red ones when you first enter. You must be very quiet and be sure to leave the door exactly as you found it. Opened or closed." 

The young doe took the young man's somewhat larger hand into her own, placing the green pearl in his palm and then gently aiding his digits to close around it. 

"As soon as you have the book, place this pearl on the floor and step on it. Make sure you crush it beneath your foot and do not raise it until you're outside. There’s no need to be frightened, it won’t cause you any harm." She instructed and reassured, letting her hands fall from his.

Matthias opened the hand that Josephine had caressed a moment ago, looking at the little orb with concern upon his brow. "But...I don't-"

Two delicate hands gingerly grip his shoulders in the darkness of it all, a reassuring gesture to balance him once more and bring him back into the moment. "Down the hall to your left and straight down, you can not possibly miss it." She smiled and gazed into his eyes, doing her damnedest to dispel any doubts he had. Those bright yellow eyes. So big and entrancing, maintaining a radiance within them that was all their own.

The boy gulped. "I meant to say, I don't understand. I thought we'd be doing this together."

His statement caused Josie’s smile to falter slightly although Matthias couldn’t see it too clearly. Of course she wanted to make sure her friend got home safe but plans changed and this seemed to be the best choice for him to move forward as safely as possible. 

"I know but I can't have him hurting you and someone needs to keep him busy…it's the best idea we have and I don't believe we have the time to come up with a better one." She reasoned before finally pulling her hands away and turning around to place one on the doorknob of the closet, only to have her opposite wrist firmly grabbed.

"I'm not leaving you here, I can't. You're my friend and I don't want to imagine him chopping you up into itt- bitty deer pieces and eating you with a side of rice!”

His slightly louder exclamation earned him an immediate shushing from Josephine.

“...Please, let's find another way." Matthias pleaded, despite Josie’s arm slipping from his loose grasp. 

"Trust me, he won't be eating me. I'll be alright I promise…" The young lady insisted with her ever present and pure grin that he could actually somewhat admire once the closet door was at last opened again. "No matter what you may hear or think has happened, you must stay here for a few minutes. Remember to keep to the edges and please be careful." She reminded him as she took the first step out into the large bedroom.

"Josie..?" Matthias prodded with a whisper.

"Hm?"

"Thank you...for everything. I hope we meet again someday. I think I might…ya know, miss hanging out with you."

A rather flattering and almost unnoticeable shade of pink dusted the fawn's cheeks in response to Matthias' kind words. Nonetheless, she replied. 

"You're welcome...and perhaps I may miss your company as well, Matthias. I hope you make it home safely... goodbye and good luck."

"Goodbye... Josephine."

And with one somewhat blunt and final goodbye, the two young demons separated.