#but he's still sort of in hiding and waiting for the dust to settle

[rosemaze-reveries]

― enclosed with love

spending valentine's day with you eli, mary, michiko, naib, norton, percy, philippe

i adored this year's vday café designs so i wrote some hcs for them ^^

⚠️ modern AU

♡ Mary

With a delicate and highly sophisticated palate, Mary is always searching for something new to satisfy her. For Valentine's Day, she books a private tour at a high-end champagne house.

Her driver is scheduled to pick you up in the early afternoon. She arranged your date so “late” to give herself ample time to settle on an outfit. Her room is littered with hat boxes and empty hangers and piles of ‘maybes’. Everything must be perfect for you. But, every second without you feeds into her restlessness, and she ends up calling you to fill the time. Hours go by on the phone & she still refuses to hang up until she pulls outside your residence.

When she first greets you from the backseat of her car, her hands are on you immediately. She smoothes out the collar of your jacket and peppers a couple of warm kisses all across your face, somehow never quite landing on your lips. She quickly dabs away all the lipstick stamps she left with her handkerchief and apologizes for being so forward,,, only to end up doing it again.

Mary takes high pride in her outfits and never compromises on looking classy. But somewhere in the back of your head, you think: All white? To a wine tasting? What if she gets red stains on her dress? From anyone else, this comment would insult her ― she doesn't take kindly to the insinuation that she's a klutz. Coming from you, she laughs it off saying she's always looked better in red anyway.

She waits until arriving for your tour to present her gifts. Mary gives VERY generously. There's an entire table prepared for you. Mountains of roses, desserts, tickets to that trip you've always wanted to take, luxury spa packages -- she has everything.

♡ Norton

This Valentine's Day is the first Norton will be spending with someone. He'll act like he's not that invested in it, that he's just indulging you.

He keeps up a haughty smirk when you first meet for your date. You had a love letter delivered to him that morning, and he's 100% taking the opportunity to tease you about it. You wrote some pretty embarrassing things about him. How's the real deal living up to your expectations? Dying to bring some of those thoughts to life already? Unfortunately, you insisted on having a traditional date for Valentine's, so you'll have to keep yourself in check until tonight. ← He knows he makes you crazy & he loves having that effect on you.

He gives you chocolates as a gift. They're clearly homemade, shaped like rocks of various sizes with a little gold-dusted heart hidden among them. But just in case you wouldn't be able to recognize them as rocks, he also provided a little toothpick "pickaxe."

Presenting something homemade is a little embarrassing, even if he hides it with that big grin of his. He gives your present a little too fast before switching back to teasing you again.

♡ Philippe

As a perfectionist, Philippe starts planning for Valentine's Day very early. He experiments with all sorts of gift ideas. You're not sure what's going through his head, but he has a highly specific vision and won't rest until he achieves it. He seems to find it important that he gives you something handmade.

Matching photo lockets? A decoden case (if you're into fun phone cases)? Not meaningful enough. A flower vase modeled after his own hand, to sit on your desk? Too tacky. A wax figure? Maybe, but that's too predictable on its own. Maybe he should learn guitar to serenade you.

His final choice is ambitious, but Philippe always is. He builds a little table out of resin, and preserved inside it are your favorite flowers, with detailed wax figurines of you and him dancing among them. It sits in a corner of his favorite room, where he often does dance with you ♡

On the day itself, Philippe would prefer to stay home. It's one of the rare times he gets to have you to himself free of work constraints.

He's the type that always needs to be doing something with his hands. He'd enjoy making chocolate sculptures together -- it's a cute idea, he thinks, to watch you make something so passionately. Whatever your skill level, he loves anything you make.

In the evening, he'll take over all the cooking. A quiet night with steak and good wine (or your preferred drink) is a little cliche, but you both deserve it. Plus, he loves nothing more than casually chatting with you while he works in the kitchen.

♡ Naib

Naib isn't really into the idea of Valentine's Day. He might not even realize it's coming up unless you tell him about it. You'd have to be explicit that you're looking forward to spending the day with him, and even then, he's totally unprepared.

Gifts have never been his forte. Neither have grand romantic gestures. But he's good at working his pragmatic side into the little things: so rather than push himself to be this lovey-dovey, chocolates-and-roses type of lover for the day, he focuses on being 'present' for you.

He brings you breakfast in bed. He's a mean cook, and knows all your favorites. Everything he makes tastes like home, warm and full of love.

Most couples give each other flowers, he knows that, so he goes shopping for one. You're surprised when he presents you with a bouquet of lemons. In his mind, they're cool and refreshing like you, everyone could find a use for some lemons, and personally he finds the colors to be appealing. It doesn't occur to him that lemon bouquets might be an unusual thing to give.

He relies on you to direct the date. Whatever you say, he'll agree. In public, he never leans in for kisses but wouldn't oppose yours. You can try to stand closer to him & he'll slink an arm around your waist briefly, as if to reassure you that he'll always have a secure hold on you, but he'll pull away again before long.

♡ Percy

In spite of all of his eccentricities, Percy is surprisingly traditional when it comes to romance. He invites you to a nice dinner date & arrives much earlier than you, waiting with a bouquet and chocolates. When he first sees you, he wraps a secure arm around your shoulders to tenderly kiss your forehead.

Getting to see this side of him is the payoff of building such a deep relationship with him. Percy is a difficult person to get through. He's obsessive to a fault and cloisters himself away in his studio for days at a time ― no one else would have been able to breach his heart like you have. He will take proper measures to express your importance to him.

His first real kiss leaves tiny particles of something on your lips, but they're sweet in taste. He laughs at the startled look on your face and reassures you it was just a sugar cube. At first he says he was just fishing for a reaction, but later confesses: he was afraid the lips of an undead man might have an odd taste, so he crunched a sugar cube to sweeten it.

♡ Eli

Eli spends the morning delivering roses to other couples on his bicycle. People tend to get especially flattered when their flowers arrive via owl, so his services are very popular this time of year.

He enjoys the little bouts of happiness he can bring to others, but of course you are the one he wants to spend this day with most. With every bouquet he delivers, his mind wanders to you, imagining your reaction when he finally gets to deliver his gift.

He asks you to meet him at an ice cream parlor when his shift is done, around noon. Before you even see him, Brooke Rose flies over to tuck a thornless rose behind your ear, and you turn to find Eli already waiting at a table.

He gives you a small homemade cake and a letter he won't let you read until he's gone. He's a pretty sappy guy even in person, so you aren't sure how his letter will be much different. But having something to be excited about, even after you have to say goodbye, makes it worth it.

His bike rides have left very familiar with all the best spots around town. After splitting ice cream, he takes you for a ride to all the little places he thinks you'll love. A flower meadow, a bridge with a superstition attached: if you whisper the name of your love while crossing it, you'll be bound for life. Part of you suspects he made that up, but the way he says your name over and over makes your heart skip a beat.

Once the sun goes down, he brings you to a forest. Somehow he manages to time it just right. He gestures for you to stay very quiet, gently takes your hands, and suddenly you're encircled by hundreds of fireflies.

♡ Michiko

Since losing her ex-husband, Valentine's Day has become a bitter thing for Michiko, especially since it's so close to their anniversary. She has treated it as a day of mourning for some years. Of course, she keeps up a smile for you ― it's not in her character to impose her struggles on others.

The morning goes by slowly and comfortably. You wake up to a gentle massage and the smell of fresh baked pastries. She writes you a sweet letter in her neat script, and she adorns her letter with pressed flowers & a mini bouquet of your favorite candy.

She makes sure to get you a proper gift, too. She follows a rule of getting 1 indulgent and 1 practical thing: a box of luxury chocolates alongside a fine new coat.

Her ideal date would be something intimate and relaxing. Maybe the theatre, in a box reserved for two, or a shaded flower garden where you can enjoy a cup of tea.

[castiwls]

here, always .ᐟ

Paring; dean & sam x reader

Summary; sibling loss was nothing new in their world. Though to you...it just might be the end of your world.

Requested; @s0urw00lf

Warnings; sibling loss

Notes; requests are open!

Masterlist | Taylor Swift masterlist

Dean’s first thought upon seeing the state of the library was that something (or someone) had managed to get in. The place was in complete disarray and much to both brother's chagrin, you were nowhere to be seen. The place was deathly quiet almost, the only sound being the echo of their own shoes as they descended the stairs. 

“What the hell?” Dean looked back to his brother, his eyebrow raised in question as Sam’s eyes glanced over the room. Sam shrugged his own worry settling in as the silence continued to stretch throughout the bunker. 

You’d been fine when they’d left this morning. You’d spent the last night bugging Dean over his limited movie knowledge claiming that ‘there's more to life than westerns and scooby-doo’ before making him sit through three movies you’d proudly deemed as ‘classics’ 

He’d disagreed.

Now though? Now there was no sign of your usual relief over seeing them both back. You weren't waiting with another case or some sort of research you’d figured out in their absence.

You weren't there at all.

Placing his bag down Sam called your name. His own brows furrowed as he picked up a chair which was lying on the floor. He sidestepped around books which were lying strewn across the floor. 

When there was no response both brothers shared a concerned look. This wasn’t like you.

“I’ll clean up in here you go check her room,” Sam murmured as he began picking up books. Dean nodded placing his own bag down on one of the tables - the surface of which was covered in papers.

“Hey, sweetheart? You in here?” Dean’s voice was low as he spoke, his head slowly poking around the door. His lips pulled into a frown as a quiet curse escaped him at the state of your room. “Jesus.” 

Your room looked like a hurricane had hit it. The once tidy space was a mess of clothes and what looked like…pictures? Stepping in he grabbed a picture from the mess. His eyes glanced around noting that all the pictures seemed to be old ones. Family photos from your childhood. 

He quickly moved on, calling out your name as he walked the halls almost aimlessly. His concern only seemed to grow with each passing moment and the thought that you’d been taken began to leave him on edge.

He checked the place in record time, every door and possible hiding place had been opened and checked twice yet there was still no sign of you. 

“C’mon, I know you here somewhere.” He paused, looking down a hallway which was mainly left unused - like many others.

A quiet noise caught his attention. The hair on his neck stood up as he reached back, hand wrapping around his gun as he stepped down the hallway. Flicking on the light he grimaced slightly at the obvious dust which drifted in the air.

They really needed to do another run-through of this place.

His voice echoed down the hallway, the noise bouncing from the walls as he glanced around. The corridor seemed empty except for a single bookcase tucked against the wall. 

A quiet sniffle caught his attention. Dean paused standing still for a moment before the noise happened again. 

“Sweetheart.” His voice caused you to jump slightly, your head moving from where it had been buried into your knees as his feet stepped into view. “What are you doing down here?” He crouched down, his hand rubbing your knee as he watched you. 

His worry for you shifted as he took in your bloodshot eyes and what looked like a cut across your knuckles. “Hey, what happened?”

Your eyes slowly met his as you wiped at your nose with your un-cut hand. A quiet whimper forced its way from your throat as you all but threw yourself at him. He barely had time to catch himself before he fell back with a quiet ‘oomph’

Your hands wound themselves into his jacket as sobs wracked through you. Your body was shaking as he pulled you closer, his hand rubbing through the back of your hair as he tried to soothe you. 

His mind worked a mile a minute as he tried to figure out what the hell could have happened in the hours they’d been gone. Through your sobs, he could make out quiet mummers. Words jumbled together as you buried your head into his neck.

“Did something get in? Sweetheart, you gotta talk to me what's going on?” Dean’s eyes glanced to the end of the hallway for a moment as his brother appeared. His look of relief fell almost immediately when he noticed your state.

Sam crouched beside his brother, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked to Dean mouthing ‘what's wrong?’

Dean shrugged, his other hand rubbing over your back. 

“Hey.” Sam’s hand gently found purchase on your shoulder as he guided you away from Dean’s chest. His brown eyes were full of concern as he looked you over taking note of the way your body seemed to droop almost without Dean’s support.

“She-” Your voice shook as you tried to talk. Another sob cut off your words, the sound pulling on both their hearts as they watched you crumble right before their eyes.

Sure, they’d seen you upset before but never this. 

They both stayed quiet, waiting for you to calm down yet again. “She’s….She’s dead.” You rasped before falling into another round of sobs, your hands curling into your sweatpants.

Both brothers shared a look at your words. Sam shifted forward slightly. “Who.” He urged softly. “Who’s dead?”

Dean watched you for a moment before his mind went back to what he’d seen on your room floor only a few minutes prior. “Sammy.” He mumbled, his blood running cold as he looked at his brother.

Sam met his gaze, his lips parting slightly in question as Dean stood. He gestures to the door.

Sam mumbled something before following his brother. “Dean, we can’t leave he-”

“It’s her sister.”

“What?”

Dean sucked in a breath pressing a hand to his head as he gestured for Sam to be quiet. “Her room is covered in family photos of Sam. Her parents died years ago…last I knew her sister was living in New York.”

Sam’s lips pulled back into a frown. “You don’t know that though. I mean it could be a grandparent or-”

Dean shook his head. “Her sister was the only one left.” His voice was solemn as he spoke, his own heart hurting as he looked back over to you. He could still remember that night he’d lost Sam for the first time. The feeling of pure helplessness and desperation as he’d done anything and everything to get his brother back.

It had cost him his life but he’d done it.

You though. He doubted you would get that chance. Your sister had never been a part of this life.

Maybe it was selfish of him to stand there and decide that he wouldn’t let you make a deal. He wouldn’t let you do what he did. He wouldn’t loose you.

Sam ran a hand through his hair as he looked between you and Dean. “What do we do? I’ve never seen her like this Dean!”

His brother shrugged. “We both been through this at least once.” He mumbled. “We both made stupid decisions…I’m not letting her do that.”

Sam nodded in agreement. “She needs support.” Dean nodded a plan seemingly forming in his mind. “We give her that.”

You sucked in a breath, your eyes fluttering slightly as you felt yourself get pulled to your feet. A strong arm wrapped around you and before you knew it you found yourself lying in a bed.

Not your bed. Deans room you realised as your eyes slowly took in your surroundings. “Try and get some sleep. You look ready to pass out.” Dean’s voice startled you slightly, his figure appearing by your side. 

“She’s gone.” 

“I know.” He soothed sitting down beside you. “I’m sorry.” His hand ran through your hair. “I’m so sorry sweetheart.” 

The world was quickly growing fuzzier as your eyes drooped. Your lack of sleep catching up to you. Your memories of the last 10 hours were fuzzy and jumbled. 

All you remembered was getting the call and feeling your whole world crumble in a matter of words. Your grief had quickly turned to anger and had quickly turned to pure helplessness. 

You were alone. Truly and utterly alone. 

“You’re not alone. You never gonna be alone okay?” Dean’s voice broke you from your haze and you frowned slightly realising you must have spoken. 

His voice was firm as he spoke, his hand trailing from your hair to your shoulder. “Me and Sam aren’t going anywhere. Not now, not ever okay?” He watched you expectantly as you nodded slightly at his words. 

“Okay.” You whispered feeling his hand squeeze your shoulder. 

Satisfied he tucked the blanket closer to your chin. 

“Get some sleep okay? We’ll be here.”

[bts-hyperfixation]

Outside of the Fox

Chapter 23 of 30

1389 words

Y/N longs for a new life when the one she'd been living comes to an abrupt stop. Without much thought to those she is leaving behind, the little fox packs a backpack and disappears. She stumbles across the shelter and makes an interim home for herself while she works out exactly what she wants from her second chance.

Last

Namjoon is a proud man. You had worked that out when you started offering to pay for things. He hated feeling like someone thought he couldn't provide for his own family. And Jin's innocent attempt to offer advice had clearly weighed heavily on his shoulders.

A few days had passed since the failed lunch date and Namjoon was still stomping around the house. He slammed cupboard doors, grumbled under his breath, and was just making life miserable for everyone else as they worked to tread on eggshells around him. 

It didn't help that Jungkook was also pouting. He wouldn't let Namjoon into his room which only upset the bear further. Every evening Jungkook dragged you with him to bed and left Namjoon sleeping alone in your room. Neither of them had talked about the date since.

From the small conversations you had managed to get with Namjoon, he was heavily blaming Jin for this sudden behaviour change in Jungkook. Assuming it was the accusation that they needed help that was upsetting Jungkook, rather than Namjoon's attitude. You rolled your eyes behind his back but tried to let the dust settle a bit more before bringing up Jungkook's real issues. 

But the problem just seemed to be growing, taking over Namjoon's entire mindset as he slipped from angry to depressed.

"We need to sort this out." Jimin comments.

You were sat with Jimin, Taehyung, and Yoongi in the living room, watching Namjoon closely. The bear was stomping around the kitchen trying to make lunch for himself but it was clear his attention kept shifting to Jungkook's closed bedroom door. 

"I think he has every right to be mad about what Jin said," Yoongi shrugs.

Yoongi had been almost as annoyed as Namjoon for the first couple of days. He was better at controlling his annoyance but it had been evident in the slight spice that invaded his scent. While he had slowly calmed himself down, the leader of the pack didn't have the same inclination to let things go.

"I'm not sure he does..." You say, earning a glare from Yoongi and a curious glance from Jimin.

You had been waiting patiently for days to bring up the prospect of getting Jungkook some help but you had been weary of approaching Namjoon like this. He had already cut off all contact with Jin and he had been falling head over heels, you didn't really want to risk your own position in the house. However, as time went on it became more apparent that the right time was never going to come.

You swallow hard and prepare yourself to risk everything you have built.

"I think we need to have a family meeting." You state, sounding far more confident than you felt. 

______________

So on Sunday morning, you found yourself sitting in a circle in the living room once more. All eyes flit between you and Namjoon, waiting for either of you to speak. The air feels too warm as you loosen your collar.

"Why have you called a meeting Y/N?" Namjoon asks.

"We need to talk about what Jin said." 

"I don't want to talk about it." He huffs.

"Tough, it's time." 

You try your best to level him with a glare, challenging him to tell you no. He grumbles to himself again but makes no effort to leave or to speak.

"Fine, I will start. Namjoon you can't keep walking around the house like this. It's uncomfortable for everyone."

"It's my house I'll do what I damn well please." He growls

"It's our house Namjoon." Yoongi snaps back. 

Tension runs high between the pair of them as they stare each other down, low growls in their throats. Jungkook takes the opportunity to pull Jimin away from Taehyung and into his lap, hiding behind him as the anger in the room becomes palpable. Hoseok shrinks back into the chair he has chosen, not used to the displays of animal aggression. 

You start to wonder if you should try to butt in again and get a proper conversation flowing when Namjoon relents and sighs heavily. He rubs his hands across his temple, and Yoongi settles back into his seat satisfied. 

"I just can't stand how judgemental everyone is about Jungkook. I try my best you know. It just feels like everyone has an opinion and it's always critical. No one ever comments on the progress he has made." Namjoon says.

The anger in his eyes has faded to defeat. Your heart breaks for him as the tears gather on his waterline. Jimin reaches across to bridge the gap between the armchair and the sofa, taking ahold of the older man's hand. 

"Was it this bad when I accidentally mentioned it too?" You whisper to Yoongi.

He shakes his head no.

"I think this is because he has gotten to know Jin, and maybe because Jin is a professional?" Yoongi whispers back.

Namjoon continues to apologise for his actions, words tumbling for his lips as he searches for explanations and excuses. He looks sheepishly at Jungkook as he talks, obviously trying to gauge his reactions, not wanting to trigger the bunny. 

Jungkook has his face buried into Jimin's shoulder, his arms wrapped tight around the panda's waist, but otherwise, he seems unaffected. 

"I just can't stand thinking we aren't doing what is best for Jungkook." He finishes.

"Then maybe we should start talking about therapists." You point out.

But even with his apology, it is clear that Namjoon isn't fond of that idea. 

"No." He says flatly.

"Why not?" You ask.

"Because... because... because we are enough for Kookie, he doesn't need anyone else, and it will only make him worse if we force him to talk to someone else." He stumbles over his response. 

"And have you actually asked Jungkook if that's what he wants?" Tahyung asks, taking some of the pressure off of you.

"I think I know what Jungkook wants." Namjoon counters, the anger returning to his voice.

"I want to be better!" The bunny yells, surprising the room. 

You all turn to stare at the man and he continues. 

"I want to be better. I want to be able to talk to Jin, and take Y/N on dates, and go shopping on a weekend when it's busy. I want... I want to be okay." 

You all turn your attention back to Namjoon. He is looking very introspective, unsure of what he can say next. 

"Okay..." He relents, clearly conflicted. "But we might have to wait a little while... money is a little bit too tight right now."

"No it isn't" Taehyung interjects. "I will pay for Jungkook's therapy, and anything else we need."

"Taehyung we can't ask you to do that." Namjoon protests.

"You're not asking, and I'm not offering, I am telling you. I WILL pay for anything Jungkook needs. Anything any of you need."

"But, but it's my job to provide." Namjoon says, his tone getting watery

"You cannot provide for six packmates all by yourself, and I have the money. Stop being stubborn and let me take care of you too." 

"And me for that matter." You back Tae up. "I have some money from my marriage and I think it's time I put it to good use."

"I can't let you use your money for us. You should use it for yourselves and what you like." Namjoon tries to argue again.

"Well I like you, so that's what I am spending my money on." Taehyung states, shutting down any further conversation on the matter.

"In actual fact... I want to spend as much of my money as possible on you." He continues. "And I thnk we can all use a break, Let's go to the beach." 

"I've never been to the beach," Jungkook perks up.

"Even more reason to go. Everyone take some time off, and lets go." Taehyung grins

"Namjoon needs to apologise to Jin first though." Jimin says.

"Yeah... I will." The bear says looking uncomfortable.

"Great, and what better way to apologise than offering him a free vacation." Taehyung says.

And with that, you all begin to disband and go about the remainder of your days. You can't help but overhear as Jimin turns to Jungkook 

"You only want to take Y/N on dates?" Jimin says pouting, making the bunny all flustered. 

Next

Masterlist

Send me asks - doesn't have to be fic related. Can be smutty, thirsty, fluffy, angsty, whatever you're feeling regarding BTS. Can be literally anything doesn't have to be BTS

[zombiethingy]

lone monster

Written for the @steddiemicrofic prompt ‘edge’

wc: 509 | rated: T tags: upside down, Eddie has powers, fix-it of sorts | cw: no [AO3 link]

Eddie isn't dead.

He's not alive either, or free.

He's bound to the land once known as Hawkins, now but a wasteland of lifeless fragments, the results of the ground splitting open like an eggshell, the upside down spewing poisonous air and directionless monsters out to topside.

He's one of them now; a monster.

Just before his final breath left his lungs, his powers had reached out to the consciousness that almost became his grave, bound themselves to it, offering his might in turn for his life.

Particles collected around him, patching him back together, feeding him their strength, altering and empowering. But One noticed the commotion and rushed in to press parts of himself into Eddie's being, to make him his slave.

Before the last bits of his control vanished, Eddie released an agonizing cry, putting in his authority to tell all living things to get the hell out of there, to leave the circle of One's influence and get to safety.

Then he built mental walls as strong and impenetrable as he could manage, the outer one to keep One prisoner in the hell of his own making, the inner one to give his own self a place to shrink back to and hide away in. Then he let his body be taken over and puppeteered, trusting that he couldn't harm any living thing anymore.

While his body was steered to upturn and destroy, Eddie observed, sharing his power with the might inherent to this place, offering tiny pieces to information, directions to turn the surroundings more hostile towards One and his creations. He felt triumphant whenever one of the creatures slipped from One's control, dropping to the ground like its strings were cut and dissolving into nothing but dust before One could regain it.

One by one they vanished, reabsorbed, and used to rebuild what once was – until the only monsters left were Eddie and One.

Eddie remained behind the wall, let his body be used while he kept monitoring the power balance, and waiting for One to make a mistake.

Then One channeled his powers into Eddie to destroy their dimension from the inside out and breaking free of its bounds; Eddie knew it was time. They destroyed One instead.

Eddie let his walls crumble, reaching out to the boundaries of his conscious to feel for any living creature. There isn't one; he's alone.

Having done his deed, he curls up where his home used to be, feels the presence of this world wrap around him like a blanket and settles in to spend eternity with dreams of what could have been.

Until he feels a tickling at the edge of his conscience. He opens his eyes to Steve standing before him, body bruised and broken like the day they parted, Eddie’s blood still coating his hands.

"Eddie," Steve gasps, reaching out desperately.

The touch sets him ablaze, making him feel alive again. He reaches back, pulling until their lips meet in a kiss. Eddie feels the presence dissolve into content ripples.

He’s free.

[pjoxreader]

Hii! Can I request Frank/Reyna/Hazel asking if reader wants to come live with them in New Rome after the war is over? I’m a sucker for cute domestic bliss bro. Like the reader has a sort of “I don’t know where I belong” moment and they’re ask if the reader would want to stay with them

Asking Reader to Live in New Rome

((So sorry for the long wait on this I hope you still enjoy it! 🫡))

Frank Zhang

-Frank was forced with the realization of his mortality at a young age. And Because of that, he never once took anything in his life for granted, and that included you.

- He thought of himself as the luckiest person on earth to be able to call you his. It was like you were everything he ever dreamed of and more. Through fighting monsters and being stuck on the Argo Two together he never took a second of your time for granted.

-But now the quest was over which left the question of ‘what now?’. You were both sitting on the Argo watching the stars and just enjoying each other's company in a peaceful silence for a few moments. 

-”So… Have you decided what camp you want to stay at?” Frank looks over to you holding your hand to help ease his nerves as he tries to not get his hopes up. He sees your brows furrow in thought making him almost feel bad for asking.

-”I… In all honesty I’m not sure… I don’t feel like I belong to either camp. Neither really feels like home.” you admit as you look up into the starry night sky. There’s another beat of silence before Frank gently rubs his thumb along your hand to help soothe you. 

-”You… You could always come with me to New Rome?” he suggests, as you look over at him in surprise you see a bright red dusting his cheeks. “Well… I know you feel like home to me…” he continues. “It doesn’t matter where we go as long as we’re together right? Then that means we’re home.” his voice was a soft whisper as if this was a secret between the two of you. You can’t help but tear up a bit at that and press a gentle and loving kiss to his lips. “Yeah… I’m home.” you whisper gently to him. 

Reyna Ramírez-Arellano

-The war was over. But now was the question on everyone’s mind. ‘What now?’. Reyna had plenty of work to do at Camp Jupiter, trying to piece together the camp after everything that had happened…

-It wasn’t going to be easy, that's for sure. But there is one thing she knew, she’d want you to stay by her side. You had more than proven yourself during the war and she’d trust no one more to watch her back. 

-So she heads off to find you. You were sitting down on Half Blood Hill looking over the camp as the sunsets cast the cabins in a beautiful orange glow. Without a word she sits beside you looking over the camp, even she had to admit there was a charm to this place.

-”I… Don’t know if I should stay.” you admit softly after a moment. There was pain in your voice as you choked out those words, you didn’t want to admit it out loud but it was true. You weren’t sure if you should or not and it was eating you up inside. Reyna looks over to you studying your expression as she works out what would be the best to say.

-”There’s… Always room for you in Camp Jupiter. New Rome is a place where all demi-gods will be able to retire… Even us.” she says looking over at the camp avoiding looking you in the eye as her cheeks had a dusting of pink. You can’t help but blink in surprise feeling your cheeks flush at her words.

-”Are… Are you asking me to move in with you?” you manage to choke out. Reyna clears her throat trying to hide her own blush with the little cough. “And… If I am?” you feel your heart flutter at that as you take her hand, watching the sunset once again feeling your heart fill with love. You could feel all your previous anxieties melting away. “I’d love too…”

Hazel Levesque

-The war had ended, the peace had been made, and now everyone would be working together to piece together what they could. Now that things had settled down and everyone was working on the next steps of their life you were stuck, torn between two camps.

-The seven were splitting up, divided between the camps. They knew which camp was their home, but… You didn’t. You weren’t sure where you belonged, you knew the seven were your family, but now it felt like your family was being torn apart.

-Of course that wasn’t true, you could visit each camp whenever you wanted but it wasn’t the same. You sigh quietly flopping back into the sand as you were at the beach of Camp Half Blood. You couldn’t sleep with all these thoughts racing in your head so you decided to take a walk. -”Can’t sleep?” A familiar voice calls as Hazel sits beside you laying down in the sand as well. You can’t help your smile knowing Hazel was beside you. You really did love her and she always seemed to show up exactly when you needed her.

-”Just… Thinking a lot… I… Can’t decide which camp to stay in…” You admit to her. She hums softly at that holding your hand and rubbing her thumb along your knuckles to soothe you. “Well… In New Rome we can relax…? Not have to worry about monsters, have a place to relax and settle down… Oh! And they have amazing hot coco.” She rants out moving one hand as she explains all this to you.

-You can’t help but blush as you sit up to look at her better, seeing her cheeks were flushed red. “Are… Are you asking me to move in with you?” She sits up as well smiling a bit nervously. “Is that a no…?” You must have looked really surprised if she thought it was a no. “No! I mean, not no! I’d…” you groan as you cover your face with a bright red blush as you get flustered, which at least gets her to giggle. You take a breath sorting out your words. “I’d love to move in with you.”

~Masterlist & Rules~

Like my writing? Please consider sending me a Ko-fi! ☕

[velvetcloxds]

if you're too shy- send me a character and a scenario and I'll write a little baby blurb for it

Moniqueee can you do a little Christmas thing with Der🥺 I need some holiday fluff with this man but you can decide whatever Christmas related thing it is!!

SANTA'S HELPER | D.H.

word count: 0.5k

warnings: sourwolf appearance

You couldn't contain your smile, nearly skipping behind Derek as he carried the large box down the spiral staircase of the loft, already mentally preparing himself for a long day, a notion only proven when the next Christmas song started playing over the television music channel. Christmas wasn't exactly something the Hale family was all that big on, that or any other holidays for that matter, but you were very intent on changing that. You'd started off small, buying one of those fake Christmas trees online and setting it up in front of the window of the loft, buying some decorations in little bits until you could fill the box in Derek's hands and lights, so many Christmas lights.

"Where do you want it?" he asked with a raised brow, eyeing the large green plastic tree that was already shedding on his floor, but he'd have to be brave, Cora told him as much, told him how important this was for you, so who was he to be all grumpy about it. You pointed to the floor with a smile, squeezing his arm as you stilled next to him.

"Do you want to help or just watch?" you were careful in your question but he could sense the hopefulness, sense how you were trying to hide how eager you were to do this with him, it was your first holiday as a couple, first time doing something so grossly domestic. It was starting to feel infectious, he wanted to make you happy, and that much was a given, but he could also feel himself getting a little eager as well, eager to see the finished product, eager to do it with you.

"Think I'll help," he stated and was already bending down to open the box, using a claw to cut open the tape you'd used to keep out dust. "Make sure you do it right," he teased and you simply giggled, happy that he was starting to give in, you settled down on the floor, crossing your legs to begin sorting through everything. The two of you fell into a silent routine, sorting the decorations by color and then shape and then attempting to pull the lights apart, despite being brand new they'd already formed a big knotted mess. It wasn't long before you were adding the lights and tinsel, finally happy with how you'd positioned everything, maybe a little too structured for a Christmas tree but there was hardly any rules for this type of thing.

"What do you think?" you were fiddling with your fingers, swaying from your toes to your heels, waiting for him to say something.

"Think it's very us," he noted and didn't even hover before trying to snake his arm around your waist surprised when you jumped out of reach. You stole a quick kiss before picking up a ball of lights and placing it in his hands.

"Do you want to put these on the window while I go grab something upstairs?" Derek looked down to the lights with a raised brow, looking back to find you biting back a smile. "I'll be quick."

"What are you up to, trouble?" he demanded lightly, not fooled at all as you giggled lightly.

"Just put up the lights, Der," you gave him a quick look before skipping upstairs, the werewolf was extremely confused and even more curious but did as he was told, he'd made it halfway through when he heard you paddling towards him. Perched up on a chair he turned around to look at you, one hand against the glass as he leaned back to look at you. You were hiding something behind your back, that same guilty smile on your lips as he took you in.

"Whatcha got there?" he asked, sliding down to take a seat on the chair.

"A little surprise," you admitted, bringing the box from behind you, a little red velvet box with a ribbon far too big dangling from the top, your steps were big as you walked towards him, holding it out for him to take. He couldn't help but smirk, finding your extremely curious behavior very much adorable, careful fingers opening the lid, and moving away the tissue paper until he scoffed lightly.

"Now I wonder who this could be?" he smirked, the little trinket dangling between his large fingers, it was quite self-explanatory really, a black wolf wearing a Santa hat, well it could only really be him, couldn't it. "You want to do the honors?" he was already standing up, already taking your hand and leading you to the tree, smiling with hands firmly planted on your shoulders as he watched you hang it right next to the little reindeer he'd very fittingly assigned as your lookalike.

"Perfect," you declared, leaning back against him as you looked over what you'd created together.

"I think so too," he agreed, a small kiss placed on the back of your head. "Very us."

send something in for my writing event

[oh-katsuki]

About the Tsukki thing - he swears he doesn't like you, he can hardly stand you in a platonic sense - obviously.

He doesn't like how your hair smells, he doesn't even notice it on the days you shampoo before you see him. He especially doesn't like that frilly lotion you got from the cosmetic shop the other day, the one that smells like lavender and lemongrass. He can't hardly stand you going on and on about some stupid book you've read, pouring over the details. It's annoying, watching your mouth move, seeing you smile and wondering how nice it would feel to feel you smile against his lips and - gross. You wear too much lipgloss for that, he reminds himself.

He can hardly stand how quiet your apartment is, tadashi is long gone, throwing a dramatic wink to him as he slips into his sneakers and shuts the door. You come back to Tsuki sitting on your couch all alone, "he's gone?"

"Yeah, he said goodnight."

You sigh a little to hide your giddy smile, "oh, well....okay..." you trail off and sit next to him. Knee a little too close for platonic, shoulders brushing a bit too often for friendly intent. Your apartment is dull - you have a table lamp on stretching a heavy orange gloom while you watch the VCR blink 12:00 over and over. The few drinks you've all shared keep you warm and light, you can still see the pink dusting tsuki's ears, whatever music you had on is turned down to almost-zero, "you're staring." He's quick to side-eye you. Raising his brows, he's waiting for a tease that you can't muster, "yeah well, what can I say," you're quick to tuck your chin into your chest and let out the breath of a laugh. Normally, he'd scoff but he finds himself melting towards you, slowly and surely trying to catch you in some sort of gravitational pull he hope will jumpstart his confidence. Jumpstart your gumption, the will you usually have in abundance.

You catch him in your peripheral, turning just in time to lick your lips, catching the corner of your bottom lip between your teeth and he starts to crack - his stubbornness is caught in your teeth, too. He's stretching his shoulder around and grabbing your chin just before he can catch himself. He's leaning down and down and down, and suddenly his lips feel that little smile and he can't help but laugh - "you're not laughing at me, I hope," it's so warm coming out of your mouth, he can't help himself, he's chuckling at you. The song changes.

You're sitting with your legs spread just enough to be uncomfortable, draped over his lap, resting on your knees. He's pushed so far into the sofa, you have to look over him. Your hands are running through his hair, down his face, settling on the back of his neck. His lips are swollen, and he can't bring himself to open his eyes. His head tilts back, and you take the opportunity to drag your lips across his jaw and down his neck, sucking below his ear - careful enough not to leave any marks, but just enough to feel him deflate a little more below you. His hands feel bigger on your hips than they'd looked all night. He's slow to move them to your back, he feels the fabric of your thin t-shirt drag under his palms as they move up and up, and eventually settle on your shoulders, pulling you further into his lap as he moves to sit up straight. He pulls away from you, staring up and directly into your eyes. He's suddenly embarrassed of himself, pulling you by your neck to meet him in the middle this time.

He still thinks you have too much lipgloss on. It's sticky and gross, as far as he's concerned. He'll say as much when tadashi asks tomorrow.

I'm gonna start ripping my hair out u have written him so sexily here. The way he's so self-aware around you... fucking heart pounding and shit. He's got this awful complex but it means jack shit when you get close and he doesn't know how to handle it im so AUGHH

He's kissing you and he's so aware of his motions. He's hyper aware of his every move, wondering if they're unnatural, if his nerves show. Kei can hear the music on the speaker, but he can't make out what song or even what genre it is. The sound of your mouths clicking together and the pounding of his heart drowns out any recognition or familiarity he might find in it.

Your skin is warm when he slips his hands under your shirt. Like the early morning light coming through his blinds, it warms his palms. Kei's hands are warm too. He slides them up your back to rest the flat of his palm against the spot just below the nape of your neck. There's a lot he wants to feel. A lot he wants to do, but he's so drowned by these nerves that he doesn't know where to start. They make his stomach flip, but he doesn't mind. Kei thinks for a moment that if you're just playing, he's glad to be the toy that you picked.

im so WAAGHH

i actually started a fic for this last night (bc i have no self control tee hee) it's at 2.7k and it's written with a pretty similar mood to what you've just created. Do you wanna come live in my brain with me?

[smolwritingchick]

You Did Everything You Could

Author's Note: This is a Marvel related smol brainstorm. Nothing BTS related. It's regarding Jennie's Marvel Character, Arjana! Working on the other requests and random brainstorms too so stay tuned!!

I wrote this years ago regarding her Marvel Character. I like the fact that I took a break from writing and got back into it because my mind has come up with new ideas while rereading and editing. 

This gets a bit angsty so warning here. 

I was thinking Jen's character, Arjana, would be a former member of the Dora Milaje. She'd have a chip on her shoulder and have some sort of rivalry with Okoye. Okoye becoming the leader of the Dora Milaje would be the cause of it. I even thought the reason she was chosen as leader instead of Arjana was because Arjana cracked under pressure during a mission and made a bad call, choosing to disobey an order in the process. The way she'd get scolded and suspended from her duties for a while, and have to see Okoye become leader instead would frustrate her. When back after suspension, she'd try to endure Okoye as a leader while going on missions until it became too much. Fed up, she decided to leave the Dora Milaje and Wakanda to live life in South Korea, settling for Seoul.

So, when I write her scene in Black Panther, I want to write the tension between Okoye and her. T'Challa would still want Arjana to come back to Wakanda but she'll refuse. However, she will still be there to assist him in any way she can while in Seoul. There will be a point when she finally comes back to Wakanda, and Shuri will be happy and request for her to be her guardian since the two are great friends. 

I also thought her character could have a bond with Bucky and become friends with him when he's in Wakanda. She'd be requested to watch him by Shuri, which she'd complain about but does it anyway. Despite not wanting to act like a babysitter, the two end up bonding and have a close friendship while smol feelings start to grow but nothing develops. 

For this smol brainstorm, I would like for her character to deal with Survivor's Guilt during the whole Infinity War and Endgame movies. The reason is that she felt like she failed to protect Shuri and watched her fade to dust in her arms. Traumatizing af...but Captain America finds her and tries to talk some sense into her.

Now when Jennie is told that she would be filming with Chris Evans...her dramatic ass is going to literally faint lmfao.

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

Five years after Thanos’ snap, Natasha debriefed with Captain Marvel, Okoye, Rocket, Nebula and Rhodey. After their discussion, Okoye stayed with Rhodey while everyone else signed off.

“Any update on Arjana’s whereabouts?” Okoye asked.

Natasha nodded. “We found her. She was sighted in Japan, recently.”

Okoye sighed out of relief but then shook her head at the thought of her being absent from Wakanda after all these years. 

“That stubborn woman…hiding like a coward. All we want is for her to come home. And for her to get through that thick stubborn skull of hers it is not her fault,”

--------

Arjana laid her back on the couch as she stared up at the ceiling. She managed to find a place in Japan to try to move on and forget about the blip. But dreadful thoughts would creep up on her now and then about Shuri fading away in her arms. How traumatizing it was to watch helplessly the person you've sworn to protect vanish into the air.

A series of knocks were heard at her door and she quickly sat up in alarm. 

She had been extremely careful about not getting tracked. Did Wakanda find her? 

Grabbing one of her sais, she got off the couch and slowly approached the door. And when she looked through the peephole it was Steve Rogers patiently waiting for her on the other side of the door.

Her stomach dropped.

Rogers was the last person she expected to come to see her. Letting out a deep sigh, she contemplated opening the door as she set her sai down on the table.

With a sorrow-filled expression, she slowly opened the door to meet the blue eyes of Steve Rogers as he greeted her with a sad smile. It seemed like he was trying his best to move on too after they failed to stop Thanos.

“Why are you here?” she asked softly.

“It’s nice to see you too, Arjana,” he greeted kindly.

“Sorry…” she shook her head. “I didn’t mean it like that…“

“Don’t worry about it. You’re a hard person to track down,”

“Well, I didn’t want to be found and yet here you are,” she responded dejectedly and let him inside.

"Are you all right?” He asked as he sat at the dining room table.

“I’m gettin’ by. You?”

“Taking it day by day,”

She made her way to the kitchen and grabbed two cups. “Tea?”

“Sure,”

Steve watched as she began to pour hot green tea she made not too long ago into the cups. Arjana looked different. Her hair had gotten longer. He then remembered Bucky had talked about what she would look like with long hair and confidently said it would suit her.

It did.

Usually, she would keep it trimmed and short but this time maybe it was because Bucky had suggested it to her that she decided to try out long hair.

After smiling at the fond memories of Bucky, Steve then thought about the reason why he came here.

“Okoye has been asking about you,” he informed her and watched as her body visibly tensed at the name.

She carefully placed Steve’s cup in front of him and sat across from him at the table.

“…how is she and Wakanda?” she asked.

“She misses you. She asks about you a lot. She felt less uneasy when she found out that you did not vanish. Wakanda is holding up and trying its best to move forward. They need you,”

Arjana felt a pang of guilt set within her as she thought about her home. It was selfish to leave abruptly like that after the blip. She used to be heavily a part of the Dora Milaje many years ago, even before the situation with Thanos but then chose to leave to enjoy life in different ways.

“You haven’t been in Wakanda ever since…that day, right?” Steve’s question interrupted her thinking.

She cringed at the thought. Ever since the effects of Thanos’ snap, Arjana couldn’t stay in Wakanda. Not after she failed to protect Shuri and had to watch her fade to dust. Not after she lost to Corvus Glaive as she tried to watch Shuri’s back. What kind of guardian is that?

After taking a long sip of her tea, ignoring the burning sensation on her tongue, she answered, "That is correct,”

“Why?”

“You know why. I can’t go back there,” she frowned and set her cup down.

"Yes, you can. No one in Wakanda will blame you. It’s not your fault,”

“I still couldn’t protect her. It was my duty and I failed,”

“You did everything you could to protect Shuri,”

“And it wasn’t enough!” she exclaimed with pain in her voice. “Because now she is gone. Faded away. It should have been me,"

"Don't do that to yourself,"

"I can’t even bear to understand how Wakanda is doing right now or what it looks like. I failed...”

“We all failed,” he shook his head.

They sat in silence for a moment, deep in thought.

“All I keep thinking about is that it should have been me. Not her. And not my king. They are both gone. The people we love and care about are gone…never coming back…” she whispered in the last sentence.

“You’re right…the people we love and care about are gone. But not forgotten. I wanted to thank you,”

She stared at him with confusion. “Thank me for what?”

“For taking care of Bucky while he was in Wakanda,”

The sound of his name gave her butterflies as she shook her head, “…that was all Shuri. Not me. She helped him with the brainwashing and everything. Her role was much bigger than mine,“

“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Arjana. The change of scenery and Shuri’s doing helped but also your companionship. You two were close, huh?”

She chuckled sadly as she felt her eyes burn from tears. She then began to wipe the tears away.

“Sorry… every time I think about him I start crying…but yes…we were. During his time in Wakanda, he began opening up to me. Slowly but then as we spent more time together, things flowed naturally. I wasn’t expecting him to do that but he had a lot of trust in me. And I appreciated that. There are just a lot of things I wanted to say to him…and when I spoke to him before he went on the battlefield in Wakanda, perhaps I should have said everything then if I knew all of this was going to happen. I deeply care about him. I just wish I could have told him how much…”

“When we get him back, you can. We are thinking of a plan to try to get everyone back. I want you to be a part of it. We need all the help we can get. And when we do get everyone back, he can tell you the things he has told me,”

“Which are?”

Steve smiled softly. “That is not my place to tell,”

[sankttealeaf]

race to the finish line

fandom ; six of crows

summary ; While laying low from the law, Jesper and Kaz partake in a (sort of) friendly horse race.

other info ; part of the @grishaversebigbang's mini bang event! find the art from @maxe-murderer HERE and from @beani-ed HERE

Also posted over on AO3

Luck had refused to be on their side that night. It wasn’t even in the room the crows gathered in to plan out their sting of heists, which was the first sign that things were going to go wrong. The second sign things were going to go bad were the increased patrols of Stadtwatch in the area they were staking out. A few loud noises, broken glass and a lost hat later, the crows were hightailing it out from the city, chased out by the law. At some point in the chaos they had stolen a few horses, so their escape was quicker than on foot.

Kaz knew of a place where they could lay low for a while - he always did. It was near the south of Kerch, on the outskirts of Lij, a small farmhouse he had purchased a while ago. His family home to be exact, and the rest of the group had no idea.

“The owners of this place aren’t home, right?” Jesper asked, dragging a finger through the thin layer of dust that had settled on the table. “The last thing we need is to be on the run again.”

“Of course they are.” Kaz pulled out a chair, amused at Jesper’s face falling in shock. “Who do you think owns the place?”

Jesper blinked at Kaz, piecing together what he had just said in his mind. “Wait, you’re a homeowner?”

“I’m everywhere.” He hadn’t planned on revealing this place to the group this early on, or ever, actually. But times called for a hideout that was unknown by the law, so this card had to be played.

Nina shut the doors of the cabinets with a heavy sigh, sliding into the seat Jesper was about to take. “You didn't stock up on food, though. I missed out on dinner for this heist.”

“I hadn’t planned on needing to use this space. You should’ve packed some snacks.”

“I didn't know we would be in hiding, Brekker,” Nina huffed. A small box was placed in front of her, and she gave a look to Matthias, who shrugged.

“You get hungry during heists. I packed some cake.”

There wasn't much to do in the farmhouse or the surrounding area, and with Ketterdam on high alert after their plans went awry the crows found themselves looking for anything to do. Which is how Wylan found himself being thrown head first into riding lessons, taught by Jesper.

“I’d rather just watch you ride,” Wylan said, turning back to Jesper who was ushering him towards the horse with glee. “Really, Jes, I’m much better at watching.”

“No, no, I refuse to leave here until I’ve taught you all I know about horse riding. Now, up!” Jesper gestured to the saddle, ignoring Wylan’s look of disappointment. With a defeated sigh, he hoisted himself up onto the back of the horse, already regretting this decision.

Jesper knew a lot about riding, but not enough about teaching. He called out commands and ways Wylan should adjust in his seat, only to be met with confusion and frustrated yells from the other. It had taken them half an hour for Wylan to even consider walking, and even then he was telling Jesper that it was enough for him.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Jesper?” A voice spoke from behind them. Jesper turned, spotting Kaz standing by the fence.

“What do you mean? He’s learning.”

“You can’t keep still in the saddle. Last time I saw you on horseback you fell off.”

“Shut up. I’m a great teacher. And an even better rider.”

“History proves otherwise.”

Jesper glared at Kaz, the comments to his riding abilities bruising his ego. He adjusted his waistcoat as he stood upright. “I could beat you at a race.”

Kaz raised an eyebrow. “No, you couldn’t.”

“So, any bets on me?” Jesper asked, looking down at the rest of the group who had settled themselves along the fence by the makeshift starting point. Silence. Jesper frowned. “Thanks, really, I appreciate it.”

“My bet’s on Kaz,” Nina said with a nod of her head in Kaz’s direction. “Look at him. If a man ever looked at me like that, I’d follow his orders. And I never follow orders.”

“I’m also with Nina on this one. Kaz has my bet,” Inej added, giving an apologetic look to Jesper. “Sorry, Jes.”

“I’m wounded. You’re awful, the lot of you!” He exclaimed, a hand over his head in mock hurt. 

"You have my vote," Wylan said with a smile.

" Finally . Someone knows a winner when they see one!" Jesper gave Wylan a wink, as Kaz mounted his horse, ready to get the race started.

"Just don't fall off." Wylan gave Jesper a supportive thumbs up, as everyone slowly turned their gaze to the only person who had yet to place a bet - Matthias. Nina gave him a nudge, and he sighed heavily.

"Neither of you are worth placing actual money on to me-"

"How honourable of you to not take part in a friendly bet," Nina interrupted, rolling her eyes at how he always seemed to find a way to take the high ground.

"Fine." Matthias looked between Jesper, who was eagerly awaiting a vote from him, and Kaz, who was waiting for the race to hurry up and start. Matthias pointed. "Kaz."

"What? Why?" Wait - don't answer that, I don't think I can take it!" Everyone knew Jesper was exaggerating the hurt he was feeling, it wouldn't be a Jesper problem without big theatrics and an attempt at making a tear roll down his cheek for extra points. Luckily for the group, Kaz moved to place himself at the starting point and began to list off the rules of the race. One: no cheating. Two: stay on horseback for the entire race. Fastest wins.

Inej gave a countdown, and on 'go' the two galloped off down the dirt path, leaving the rest of the crows in the dust. They watched the two race off and once they were both out of sight, Wylan spoke up.

"Shall I make some tea while we wait?"

The road diverted off into a small forest, as Kaz has mentioned during the pre-race talk. At the moment they were neck and neck, but as the road narrowed Jesper managed to pull ahead, letting out a loud cheer as he passed Kaz.

"I told you I'm going to win!" Jesper exclaimed, not noticing Kaz slow down as he rode off ahead, brimming with excitement at being in first place.

Kaz knew this area well, having grown up here as a child. He remembered a little trail off the beaten track he and Jordie used to explore, and how it would loop around towards the end of the main trail, close to the finish line. Kaz clicked for his horse to move towards the bushes, knowing this would be faster for him. Jesper would not see it coming. 

The overgrown branches were becoming a bit of a bother as Jesper struggled to keep them from hitting his face, and he turned around to see if Kaz was having the same problem.

The road was empty. Kaz was nowhere to be seen.. Did he take a wrong turn already?

"This is really nice tea, Wylan," Nina said, lounging back on a lawn chair she had found somewhere, the tea poured into a whiskey glass she had also found somewhere , topped with a tiny umbrella. "Would pair well with some ginger biscuits."

"Are you sure you didn't want it in a teacup?" Wylan asked, giving Inej a smile as he finished pouring her a cup.

"No way! This makes me feel fancy, like I'm at the races watching actual horsemen riding and not… those two," she replied with a wave of her hand towards the general direction Kaz and Jesper rode off towards. “We should go to the races one day. I will make it happen.”

“Kaz is banned from the racecourse,” Inej said, and Nina raised an eyebrow at the statement.

“How do you get banned from the races?”

Inej knew the real answer - he had attempted to steal one of the winning horses and replace him with an untrained horse and let the chaos ensue. Somehow his plan was uncovered, and now he was not allowed back. Nina was waiting for a response. She shrugged. “He never told me how.”

The conversation ended there as Matthias rejoined the group with some more chairs. He and Nina had checked the small shed earlier, and she left the moment she found a chair for herself.

"I found another one of those chairs under some boxes." He placed it down for Inej to sit on. Under his arm were two fold out stools, and he gave one to Wylan.

"Wonderful! Now it feels like a real party." Nina grinned, handing her plate of cake and her drink to Matthias as he sat down so she could lay back.

The trail twisted and turned through the forest, and Jesper could only assume he was still in first place. It was hard to pinpoint when Kaz disappeared; he was going to bring this up to the rest of the group to see if it came under the “no cheating” rule. He had to be cheating. The trail began to straighten out now, the treeline becoming less dense as he approached the end of the forest. If he sat a little taller, he could make out the farmhouse in the distance. The final stretch, and Kaz was still nowhere to be seen.

“C’mon, girl. We’ve got this,” he mumbled, spurring his horse to go faster. He could taste the win. Out of nowhere, breaking through the treeline came a familiar black horse, a smug Kaz on his back. He was a good few feet in front of Jesper now, much to his dismay. 

“Hey!” he yelled out with a frown. “That’s not allowed!”

“There was nothing in the rules about taking a shortcut. It’s useful to know the area you are racing in, Jesper. You might just find an advantage,” Kaz replied, amused to see Jesper get so worked up over a loophole.

“No, no! That was cheating, and you know it! I’m going to tell the others.”

“You have no proof.”

Kaz was now past the break in the treeline, and Jesper knew if he didn't close the space soon he was going to lose. He couldn’t lose. Not to Kaz. Not to stupid Kaz and his stupid loopholes.

“They’re close,” Inej said softly, rising from her chair to look down the road. She was right - the faint sound of hoofbeats running down the dirt path could be heard. The four were quick to set down their cake and tea, rushing over towards the finish line to get a good look at who would be crowned the winner. From their position, it seemed like Kaz and Jesper were neck and neck, neither managing to get ahead of the other. 

“Who looks like they’re winning?” Wylan asked, looking at Matthias as he was the tallest and had a better view.

He shrugged. “I can’t tell.”

“Kaz has to be. He hates losing,” Nina suggested.

“So does Jesper,” added Wylan.

The horses grew closer, and the four stepped back to give them enough room to pass. Inej was crouched by the finish line, ready to take note of who passed first. It’s not too long before they both cross the finish line.

“I knew I would win!” Jesper proclaimed loudly, pointing over towards Kaz. “How does it feel to lose, huh?”

“Ask yourself that, I clearly crossed first,” Kaz replied, confident that he was the real winner. He didn't need to exclaim it like Jesper was.

“No way, I won.”

“I planned to be a head in front of you. I won.”

They both turned to Inej.

“You crossed at the exact same time.” How they managed to do that, she had no idea. Jesper began exclaiming how unfair that was, and how he was demanding a rematch. There was no way they crossed together like that!

“The horses are tired, Jesper,” Kaz said as he dismounted, Jesper following shortly after. “And I refuse to ride anyone else’s horse.”

With a sigh, Jesper gave Kaz a defeated look, knowing there was no way they were going to settle this without a rematch. “Call it a draw?”

Kaz waited a moment, just to make Jesper worry he was going to say no. “Draw.”

With them both accepting the title of winner (and loser, but neither of them said much about that part), they joined the rest of the group in drinking tea and eating cake. A good way to lay low from the law.

[i-eat-worlds]

Alex & Friends Part 19-Commitment

Firebird, Wolfman, Elemental, Gecko, The Warden belong to @/pigeonwhumps. Go check them out!

cw: self destructive behavior, touch of angst, questionable depictions of London

“I’ll go.”

The words fell out of her mouth before she’d really thought about the consequences. All it took was the glimpse of a bloodied hero from behind Joseph’s shoulder, punctuated by the words of the news anchor, for her to decide.

Joseph slowly turned around, the rest of the team's faces painted with looks of poorly concealed shock. “Alex, I-”

She cut him off. “I know what Zorland does to people.” Her voice was hard. “I don’t care, he’s not doing that to anybody else; I won’t let him.”

“Alex, wait,” Joseph tried.

Alex didn’t listen. “You don’t have to come-' She quickly knotted her boots, “-but I’m going. Nobody else should have to get hurt.” She started to dig for the weapons she hid in her bag. “You-”

“No,” it was Eric this time, and his tone was final. Alex’s mouth clicked shut. “My team was assigned to protect you. And we’ve done that. Joseph took a knife to the arm for you, for crying out loud.”

She stood frozen, guilt suddenly flooding her veins. “I-”

“I’m not done,” Eric took a step forward. “If you think, for a second, that we’d abandon you to Albert fucking Zorland, then you’ve made a serious misjudgment about us.” She swallowed nervously. “If you wanna go, we’ll go. You’re right, your presence there could be helpful. But you’re absolutely not going in alone. Give us time to suit up, and then we can go do this properly.” He paused to take a breath. “You said you didn’t want anyone to get hurt? That includes you.”

After the dust had settled, Alex let out a quiet “Okay.”

Eric seemed pleased with her answer. “Get suited up. You have twenty minutes.”

***

Half an hour later, they pulled up to the gates of the maintenance office on the New Charlton side of the river. All sorts of vehicles were clustered around the entrance, mostly INSUPA, but some were HAL as well.

From the back of the van, she could hear Eric negotiating with whichever junior hero had been put on gate duty. Using her finger, she pulled the collar of her suit away from her neck. It was a little too tight, since she was wearing one of Avia’s old ones.

Even if it had been custom fitted to her, she still would’ve felt awkward in it. There was no hiding her affiliation, not with the blue and orange stripes and the INSUPA logo stenciled on her sleeve. The intelligence corps didn’t have a sleeve patch, but Eric had let her wear the team one, which was awfully kind of him, considering the circumstances.

Her stomach had hollowed itself into a deep, cavernous pit on the drive over, and the tightness of the collar hadn’t helped calm her nerves at all. There was no turning back now, though, and it was the right thing to do. Using her pointer finger, she traced a figure eight on her leg, taking steady, calming breaths.

It was the right thing to do.

The van lurched forward. Eric had gotten them in.

***

A command center had been set up behind one of the office buildings, the tips of the pier’s roofs just visible. As they walked towards a group of HAL superheroes, Alex could make out the light purple glimmer of a force-field. That would denitely complicate things.

A person wearing a dark blue HAL uniform waved them over. “Good afternoon,” he greeted curtly, shaking hands with Eric. “I’m Wolfman (he/him), I’m running the show right now.”

Eric nodded. “I’m Unshakable, (he/him) INSUPA. The person that Zorland’s been asking for, they’re detailed to my team.” It was a half truth at best, and the chances were high that Wolfman would guess there was more to the story. Hopefully, he wouldn’t say anything about it.

“Thanks for coming,” Wolfman nodded, leading Eric and the rest of them further into the building. “One of Zorland’s henchmen can make force fields. It's a challenge.” He pushed a door open, and started climbing the staircase. “My team is up top.”

Wolfman quickly introduced his team. First, there was Gecko, whose name is easy enough to remember because of the small green creature painted on her cheek. Then, The Warden, whose suit was gray and shimmery and, last but not least, there's Elemental, who was wearing a striking gray suit with dark purple and pink accents. Alex found it a bit weird that there were only three of them, but that was quickly explained by Wolfman introducing the one other member of his team.

It was Firebird, the hero being held hostage by Zorland.

The plan came together quickly. They needed him to lower his shields, and the only way for that to happen was if Alex showed up. Being used as bait twice in the same day was far from ideal, but at least both times had been her choice.

The first part involved approaching the pier where Zorland was barricaded on a boat, using Alex to get him to lower his shields for the exchange. Sil would be driving, Joseph would be along to tend to Phoenix when they got them out, and Gecko, a telepath, would be there to make sure that Zorland or his cronies didn’t try anything. Eric would lead this team, communicating with Wolfman, who’d lead the second team.

He, along with The Warden, Avia, Teri, and Elemental, would use the underground tunnels to gain access to the pier from underground. Once the shield was lifted, they’d be able to get in no problem. With good timing, they would cut off Zorlands escape routes and attack him from two sides. He’d be cornered. As a final precaution, Aarav would keep watch from the roof, communicating with his pigeons to make sure that all their bases were covered. The plan was solid.

For both her sake and Firebird’s, Alex hoped it would work.

Taglist: @pigeonwhumps @sassafrassmoke

[justmoreocs-writing]

‘Wait, hold on,’ Cali said, looking between Cormac and the large guy sat on his bed; she hadn’t even meant to push her way into the room, it had just sort of happened. Trying to get away from some of the cast in the hopes of not dealing with them, Cormac’s door had been partially open. She should have apologised, but everything had happened so fast, and the bombshell that had just been dropped kind of blew any thoughts of manners out the water. ‘You’re not Cormac, he is?’

Cormac – or rather, Jamie – nodded. She could see him fidgeting ever so slightly, as if hopeful the problem might just disappear as soon as she was out of the room. She guessed telling Viv had been more a choice than a necessity. Cali made a mental note to ask about that when the dust settled.

‘Why lie about that?’ she asked, running a hand absently through her hair, trying to untangle a knot.

‘Because I didn’t want anyone to know I knew Pippa,’ admitted Jamie. ‘Nobody’ll tell her brother anything.’

‘But a stranger can vouch idle curiosity,’ Cali finished, nodding as the words slowly sunk in.

‘Exactly,’ Jamie said, glancing briefly, almost accusingly, at Cormac. Cali had a feeling the stowaway wasn’t part of their deal.

‘Luckily, you’ve got more help then,’ she said firmly. ‘More people to take the heat off you.’

‘You’re helping?’ Jamie asked sceptically.

Cali rolled her eyes before folding her arms across herself. ‘This ship is screwed,’ she told him, not bothering to hide the bitterness behind her voice. ‘My best mate won’t even look at me since I boarded, and the officers are slimy. Something is going on here, and I want to know what it is. Might even help figure out what happened to your sister.’

There was the barest flicker of a smile across Jamie’s face; a look of uncertainty on Cormac’s.

‘Let me guess,’ said Cormac, earning her full attention. ‘You scratch his back –’

‘You really think there’s more than one thing going on here?’ Cali questioned, hands dropping back to her sides.

Cormac merely shrugged, attention still searching her expression.

‘Thanks, Cali,’ Jamie said, glancing briefly between the two of them. His calmness soothed a little of Cali’s irritation. She just hoped that Cormac’s implication was wrong; that there really was only one bad thing happening on the ship, and not a whole bunch to contend with.

[elusivia]

With legs crossed and hands in her lap, Ivy is there waiting in the infirmary when Zelkov returns. Her leg shakes a bit when she shifts in her seat. There is no need to hide her emotions here. She is disappointed and upset.

"Tell me, Zelkov, what made you think it was a good idea to kiss and threaten two individuals that attempted to flirt with me? Will you do that when I search for a spouse? Or have you already taken it upon yourself to scare or seduce anyone who's shown me interest?"

A breath. The stress is still there, but most of it is off her chest. "...I appreciate your concern, Zelkov, but..." Pink dusts her cheeks when she says it aloud. "Kissing Sain and threatening Laslow is... well, you shouldn't have."

Zelkov would normally be delighted to see Ivy in his workplace uninjured, but her expression and body language made his relief dissipate instantly. Disappointment. A failure as a retainer. Thinking back over the recent weeks, he couldn't imagine what she'd have complaint about.

Oh.

He thought about her query, honestly.

"They have *not* bothered you since, have they Your Majesty?" he asked. His methods had been effective, if not unconventional. At least, he hoped so. At her further questioning, he legitimately pondered that as well. "The sort of *boys* who gave you attention were far *beneath* your caliber. I thought it *akin* to chasing off seagulls."

Now, as far as seducing went, he coughed, averting his eyes. "The Sain incident... became a bit of a *pursuit* for... *personal* reasons. As for Laslow, didn't actually stab him," he pointed out. "I did *inform* him that I could treat whatever *burns* other women give him, in fact." He tapped his chin. "Very well, I *cannot* disobey a *direct* order. I shall... let *you* deal with your own *suitors.* Apologies, for my *unconventional* actions."

Ivy had only mentioned Sain and Laslow, but he pressed on. Had he stood too close to anyone else lately?

"I don't know what *else* you heard, but I neither kissed nor *stabbed* Griss during that party, nor did he seem *interested* in you. And, after *consideration*, I *approve* of King Diamant. It is *unlikely* I should ever need to stab him."

Another pause. "Kagetsu isn't *into* you, that I know of, so I believe that *event* is fine, yes? So, that should be all *settled.*"

His clarification likely presented more questions than it answered, and he bowed slightly, holding out a little dish from a nearby table.

"Would you care for a *mint*?"

[riders-of-azaron]

Amory and Electra

A short story sort of written to mess around with Electra, a.k.a. the Shadow of Change or whatever you want to call it, as a character, and Amory's introduction to it.

Figuring out the idea of Electra, along with Azaron just being part of the Fantasia multiverse, has completely and utterly changed my view of Azaron and it finally has a purpose.

Note: I use he/she/it for Amory interchangeably here.

｡･::･ﾟ❤,｡･::･ﾟ❤｡･::･ﾟ❤,｡･::･ﾟ❤｡･::･ﾟ❤,｡･::･ﾟ❤｡･::･ﾟ❤

And the Rider found itself in a clearing. The air was slow – almost still, yet stirring – in the uneasy twilight. A certain paleness fell upon the trees and the dust the Rider walked upon. At that moment it was as if the world was uneasy, not as if it were holding its breath, but as if it were primed to scream at the slightest excitement. It was silent – not even the Rider’s footfalls on the dry dirt below, which the dirt gave soft landing to, were audible. The sky was clear, save for a few wisps of high cool clouds what gave the impression that Brother Rain had forgotten to sweep.

The Rider was led here by a strange feeling – one she’s not a stranger to. One less familiar with it would call it a hunch or a premonition, but for Amory it was a certain wicked and unignorable knowledge. Something waited for him here – something strange and powerful – something wicked yet pure – something that permeated through the dreams of the people of Azaron – something everpresent yet not known by many. At the other end of the clearing, amidst the tall trees and clear forest floor, something Horrible stood. It was not human, and, though it vaguely looked the part, it did not pretend to be. It was a thing most dark and most vile and most wicked and most evil on the outside, yet Amory knew a certain childlike joy and excitement and whim was locked away beneath the surface – the urge for impulsivity and for play and for tender Magick. It only seemed evil to the unknowing observer, though it was not. It was simply chaotic and unstable in a way most destructive. Its form was uncertain, waving, jolting, and spiking here and there. It was dark, uniform in colour and texture, and its bottom hem stretched out in all directions as if covered by flowing cloth. The Rider’s blind eyes, naturally, did not see it, but she knew it fully and thoroughly. It was a thing that was much too pure to hide its nature. Amory stopped, and stood, unwaveringly and politely, her cloak lagging behind and slowly falling to resting on her back in the stillness of the clearing. The Thing at the Other End seemed to shake in anticipation, and at Amory’s readiness it grew excited. Its form was all unsteady, as it shook and shimmered and waved, bouncing between the shadows which seemed to lengthen readily the more it moved. It dipped and swung ‘round. It galivanted and its gesture seemed to giggle as its form merged with and danced with the shadows below with such a pureness that almost brought a smile to the Rider’s face.

“Electra.”, Amory said, tenderly though sternly, with a certain caution the shadow seemed to react to.

It waved again, wrapped itself around the trees and unwrapped itself again, over and over and to and fro and around. It settled, eventually, and its silhouette rose and fell as it seemed to speak.

“Oh… Oh! How well you know me, Weeper! Dear Weeper, O dear Rider of Azaron! Of course you do! Why, yes, of course you do! Oh… Oh! My servant most dear, O you of Chaos and of Change – O dear Weeper of Azaron, how long have I waited to see you thus?”, giggled the thing Amory called “Electra”. It folded over itself and bounced around yet still.

“You wanted to see me, Shadow.”, the Rider said, paying no mind to its excitement, and little mind to its word.

“Oh… Oh Rider – Yes. Why yes of course! You are a great thing to behold, O mighty Rider of Azaron. I am assured I need not introduce myself, but hence here I will.” The thing cackled sharply. “I am the Shadow – The shadow that hides from the light of Tyranny and the force of Hatred. I am Change and I am Chaos and I am the wicked Evil that drives destruction over the Realms of Man to bring upon them a different world. ‘The brighter shineth the Light, the darker becometh the Shadow’, they used to say. I am Change, Amory. I have inhabited many forms before. I have seen many worlds before. I am from a world above, of Magick, and I am a dear friend to your Mother Azaron. A dream is what bore me, a dream of those oppressed, dreaming to see to a new world. A world that, though maybe less habitable, was in all ways more just. And for so long have I embodied that, for it is all I am. ‘Electra’, you called me, Rider. Why is this?”, the Shadow said, seemingly calm now that the initial excitement had died down.

The wind blew strangely. The birds scattered. The Sun fell yet more. Shadows lengthened yet more. The Rider spoke yet more.

“It is the name I learned.”, he replied, still cautious, though not showing any signs of fear or shyness.

“It is a name many have called me, yes. Oh! Oh, how the minds of Man seek to put a name to the things they cannot explain. ‘Electra’ was one such monster that I… Patroned, to turn the phrase. She lived long ago – long before your mother Azaron. And the stories remained for a time. They forgot about ‘The Shadow of Change’ and knew me only by her name. And so, I am Electra, and, so, will be you.”, it said, growing excited once more.

The Rider stepped forward.

“And say I accepted this of you. What then?”, she said, form yet unwavering, standing eerily still.

“Oh, you misunderstand, my dear Rider. The time will come. You will not ‘choose’ this path. It will come to you, believe me. Much like water rolling down a hill. You will reach the base. And, it will not come to you now. Dear lone Rider of Azaron… You will know it one day.”, the shadow said, swooning.

“And what’s to say I am not already on the path? What’s to say I haven’t accepted your Shadow already?”, Amory said, coldly, and stepped forward once again.

The shadow seemed to stop at this for a moment, its eyes, if it had any, would have been wide and overjoyed. After a few moments, yet again the same, falling over and folding and phasing and giggling.

“Oh! Oh, how well you know me, Rider! Oh, Oh! O dear Rider of mine… Dear vigil Azaron… Oh! You overjoy me, dear Rider. I repeat myself a thousand times and yet I will repeat those thousand times another thousand times thus-!”, it said, standing perfectly still for a time, in anticipation.

“The change has already begun.”, the Rider said blatantly, finishing Electra’s thought. The air stood still, and then blew again. “I am in my ways embodied of the Shadow. I have fought long against this ‘Light’ of yours. And my journey is itself Changing, and it Changes me.”, the Rider said, though not with any profundity. It was as if she knew this from the beginning, and was simply stating a fundamental and well-known truth of the wider world.

The Sun fell more, and Amory’s shadow lengthened enough to meet Electra. The moment they touched, the Shadow faded away as if it were merely imagined.

“… ‘I will meet you again, Rider of Azaron. Your time with me is not over. I shake your hand and tip my hat had I them to shake and tip. Fare well, Rider of Azaron. Stay wavering. See to your Journey and see it does not break you. The change will change you, and it will change itself in how it changes you. I extend to you my good wishes. You will see me again. I will see you again. We will dance again. Our shadows will dance again. I love you, dear Rider of Azaron. You will change the world as I have changed it before. For you will be Electra some day soon, dear Rider of Azaron. Fare Well to you.’, Fare well to you too, Electra, though I have my doubts you at all have left me”, said the Rider, clearly speaking not from her own mind, merely saying a thought she Knew Electra had left to her.

The Horrible Thing turned sharply on its heel and began walking away. Back to their mother… or old friend, Azaron.

[severevoiddragon]

OK DND STORY PART 2!!!!!!!!

Important detail I forgot about last time, during the long period of meeting the guests, the musician(the one who dies not the pc)

Took every guest aside in a attempt to get money from them to pay off the mob (he had gotten into some trouble after a concert and needed to pay them)

Ok that’s all I forgot!

Part 2!!!!

After the musicians death, the guests were obviously shocked, leading to silliam locking the doors with an ice spell.

Then the party decided to investigate the body, revealing a letter saying about the mob deal and that he was planning on staying with silliam and waiting out the mob.

Also deciding to investigate the piano, the detective discovered that some sort of mechanism had triggered, triggering a crossbow bolt to sever the rope holding the piano above stage.

Following this, the mad scientist decided to take advantage of the situation, unleashing a horrific monster upon the group!

Then a long combat took place, highlights included

Vector using the wingsuit as a curtain to distract the beast bull style

The detective shapeshifting into smeggins and using that to attack the beast

The pc musician using the combat as a excuse to try and damage the mechanism(to hide the clues and get away with the murder)

And Aaron attacking and killing the scientist round 1

After the dust had settled, the detective decided to try and shapeshift into the dead musician to gather more clues, this failed however as Aaron immediately attacked the shapeshifter form, revealing the detectives secret! (Every pc kinda had a secret, but most weren’t relevant)

This triggered a brief combat, leading to the detective being knocked out and interrogated using zone of truth(I only gave zone of truth to the murderer because it’s easier to deal with)

After this the party decided to finally climb into the rafters to investigate the mechanism that triggered the piano!

After a long segment of mainly smeggins bits the party noticed that the way the mechanism worked was a crossbow that was attached to a pillar,that when a button was pressed, would fire

After this and some more banter, it was time to accuse the killer!

The way it worked was: each player would get to vote for any other character(telling me through dms)If it was a tie, I would roll for silliam to be the tiebreaker

This was VERY intense for me, as the detectives player had found all the clues and thought it was the player musician, vectors player didn’t pick any of the clues but thought it was a pc, obviously the player who did it wasn’t going to vote for himself, and Aaron’s player caught some of the clues, but still didn’t trust the detective

The votes went as followed

The detective voted for the musician

Vector voted for silliam

The musician voted for Aaron

And Aaron voted for the musician

THEY GOT IT!!!

Immediately triggering a combat in which the murderer almost escaped using sleep and misty step, but was caught by the detective shapeshifting into the dead musician to suprise him, leading to his capture

That was it really! They got the murderer and all escaped alive!

I obviously left out some stuff like most of the npc had other things, but they never really went anywhere soooooooooo

But yeah hope you enjoy reading this!!!:3

YIPPEE !!!! A happy ending hehe yay I'm glad !!! I ABSOLUTELY enjoyed reading this !!!!

[selenelavellan]

A keeps getting B's mail, for Dirthalene and/or the Fear/Deceit/Dirthamen/Selene/Des poly ship plz and thank you :D

Two-for-one!

Mail AU

Fear, Deceit, and Dirthamen are @feynites

Once upon a time, Selenes apartmentbuilding had a competent mail person. Back in the glory days, whenthe only items filling her mail box had either her or her roommatesnames on them. Back when it was only bills and coupons andadvertisements, and she never had to worry about being attacked bythe affluence of letters sitting inside the locked box.

She misses those days, she thinksbitterly as a small pile of magazines for camping supplies, fashion,and yet another brown envelope with official letterhead and All CapsHandwriting (who does that, really) fall onto the smallcommunal table in front of her.

Still, she scoops them up and waits forthe elevator to take her up to her apartment, not even a little bitsurprised when her roommate immediately takes the magazines andhappily flops onto their couch to skim through their latestaccidental haul as she walks in the door.

“It’s illegal to go through someoneelse’s mail you know,” Selene says for the umpteenth time.

“Magazines don’t count; they’reunsealed and fair game babe,” Des retorts as he casually flips apage.

Selene lets out a puff of frustratedair and unceremoniously drops the rest of the mail onto the kitchencounter. Carefully, she pulls a glass out of a cabinet and fills itwith iced tea from their fridge before her attention returns to the pile.

“Apparently someone needs to calltheir mother,” she hums, spreading the items out. “Hopeeveryone’s ok.”

“What happened to not opening upother peoples mail?” Des teases.

“It’s written on the outside of theenvelope, there’s no breach on my end.”

“Oooh, look at you, rebelliousthrough technicalities. Have we finally cracked through that rigidmoral shield of yours?”

“It certainly took you long enough,”She shrugs, taking a sip of her drink.

Curiously, she flips the brown envelopeover, checking for any other information she might be able to get offof it.

She lets out a loud snort as shefinally reads the name on the front of it.

“We’re getting mail for a god,” Sheinforms Des.

It grabs his interest enough that hefinally looks up at her from the fashion magazine. “Sorry?”

She holds up the letter, elbow proppedon the counter. “It’s addressed to Dirthamen,”she informs him as she glances over the names of the otherrecipients. “And these are to Fearand Deceit. D'youthink maybe we’re just being pranked?”

Desfinally sits up in rapt attention, magazine tossed onto their coffeetable as he tilts his head slightly. “Or it’s destiny.”

Selenelevels him an unimpressed look.

“No,no, stay with me here,” Des explains. “We’re getting mailaddressed to the god of secrets.That’s a sign. I don’t even believe in the gods, and Iknow that’s a sign. You get a literal letter from a god, you shouldlisten to it.”

“Sure, Des.And who’s going to tell him neither of us is capable of calling ourmothers, what with that whole mortality issue?”

“Wellobviously that bit’s not meant to be taken literally!But Fear and Deceit for instance? They’re supposed to be constantlysearching for him or something, right? Maybe since we’ve got thingsfor all three, we’resupposed to go looking for him. Or them.”

“Ormaybe we’re being pranked, because someone in the building heard weused to be dalish and thought it’d be funny.”

“Seleeeeeeene~…”

Shefrowns at her roommate, who responds by jutting out his bottom lipand tilting his head up just enough that his long dark hair creates acurtain around golden, currently puppy-dog reminiscent, eyes.

Herresolve wavering, Selene takes another glance at the pile of mail onthe counter.

“Howwould we even go about something like that? I’m not knocking on everydoor in the building asking for Dirthamen.We’d be laughed out of the complex.”

“You’rethe smart one, I’m sure you can figure it out,” Des grins, finallycrossing their living room to settle behind her. His arms wrap aroundher waist, neck stretched to let his head rest on her shoulder, andshe lets out a long sigh as she looks at the address in an attempt tonarrow their search.

It’stheir address on theenvelope.

They’vebeen living here long enough it’s not just a previous tenant, so whatelse…

Flippingover the camping magazine, Selene grins as she finds her answer.

“They’rethree floors up.”

“Oooh,penthouse. Richdestiny, I approve,” Des croons, squeezing Selene just a littletighter before releasing her. “I’d better go get on something moreappealing before we go. You probably should too, you smell like oldbooks.”

“Somepeople like that smellyou know.”

“Yes,well, some people don’t know good taste when it’s sleeping rightbeside them,” he winks.

Selenejust shakes her head, gathering the last few weeks of accidental mailthey’ve accumulated and wrapping them up with a rubber band.

Destiny…

What asilly concept.

Still,it wouldn’t hurt to change into something more comfortable. Shechanges out of her work blouse and skirt, slipping instead into acomfortable worn pair of jeans, and a large grey sweater with herfavorite depressed donkey on the front.

“Yourtop has a tail,” Des says disgustingly as she steps back out of herroom. His own shirt has a neckline that vanishes right into the beltof his own jeans, and only barely qualifies as a shirt rather than avest.

“It’sauthentic,” Selene points out, spinning so the back of her sweateris facing Des. She gets no small amount of satisfaction from thedisapproval on his face as he pulls at the aforementioned tail andhears the velcro meant to keep it on.

“Atleast it’s authentic in that it also comes off,” he gripes, tossingit onto the counter. “I can’t believe we’re about to meet a god andyou’re wearing a cartoon sweater…”

“It’scomfortable.”

“Godsdon’t care about comfort,” he sighs as she picks up her keys andthe mail bundle. “They want sacrifice, babe. That’s what fashion isall about.”

–

Theelevator ride is short, and Selenes stomach barely stays still forthe bulk of it.

Notthat she’s putting any stock in destiny,but first impressions have never been her strong suit. They mightstill think she’s been stealing their mail, and technically they havesince Des has made a small collection of their magazines.

Assumingthese people actually exist, anyways.

Desknocks on the door to (hopefully) the correct apartment. 9E, at the end ofthe hall, three floors directly up from their own.

Thedoor swings open and a small elf with a sharp nose and an oversizedhoodie looks at them distrustingly.

“What?”they ask.

“Hellothere,” Des greets, all smiles and warmth as he leans forwards, armpropped up in the door frame and completely in his element. “We’relooking for our destiny.”

Theelves eyes narrow, clearly unimpressed and confused as they repeat“What?”

“Sorry,sorry,” Selene chimes in before they can slam the door closed andget Des’s fingers in the crossfire and holding up the bundle in herhand. “I think we might’ve gotten your mail? Uh, we’re lookingfor…Dirthamen, I think?”

Theelves lip twitches slightly. “He’s not home.”

“Oh,that’s alright,” Selene says as she holds out the bundle for themto take. “If he lives here, that’s enough for me to at least leaveit here, right? There’s also some mail for, erm…a Deceit, and aFear?”

Theireyes dart down to the bundle, not even close to reaching for it asthey assess the brown, scrawled on envelope sitting on top. “Keep it. Wedon’t need it, we pay our bills online anyways.”

Thedoor slams closed and Des leaps back in surprise.

Selenestares for a moment at the wooden door, glancing between it and thestack of mail still in her hand.

Who…

Who do they think they are?!

She bangs loudly onthe door, infuriated at their refusal to take something that istheirs!

Finally, the doorswings open again and she all but shoves the pack of letters into thechest of the person behind it.

“Do you have anyidea how rude that is?! This is your mail, it’s your burden todispose of it, I’m not your, your….”She blinks, looking at theelf in front of her.

The elf that isdefinitely not the same elf that was there a moment ago.

“…oh.”she trails off.

Thiself, only an inch or two shorter than her and with shoulder lengthhair, takes the bundle from her into the apartment without complaint.

“Ok,”They say with a slow nod “D'you want to come inside?”

“Yes,we do,” Des grins, stepping in and past them and dragging Selenewith him by the wrist. He lets out a low whistle as he looks aroundthe apartment. “This is way bigger than the units on our floor.Very snazzy.”

Selenenods in silent agreement, uncomfortable in an unfamiliar apartment. She noticesthe smaller elf grumbling from a recliner in the living room,practically staring a hole into her and Des.

Well,at least she’s not the only one upset about the sudden visit, thoughwhat she’s done to offend them so terribly, she isn’t sure.

“Soyou’re looking for Dirthamen?” The more polite elf asks as theyclose the door. “Any particular reason?”

“Hisname was on the top piece of mail,” Selene shrugs. “I wasn’t surewhat to do with it all, and Des said we should drop it off inperson.”

Thetwo elves exchange a look, before the polite one asks them “Hisfamily didn’t send you?”

“Destinysent us,” Des nods solemnly.

“Noone sent us,” Selene assures them. “Ignore my roommate he’sjust…” She makes a vague gesture in the air. “He just watchestoo much tv.”

“Saysthe girl in the cartoon sweater,” He retorts.

“Ithink it is a very nice sweater,” Comes a new voice, as a third elfpeeks through the hallway. He shifts awkwardly in a pair of pajamapants decorated with a yellow bear in a red shirt from the same show.“It suits you.”

Seleneswallows, ignoring the sudden rush of heat from the compliment.“Thank you. I like your pants.”

“You seem to be missing the tail, but thank you.”

“Yeah,well,” Selene jokes “My roommate’s got it nailed to our door.”

Thenew elf offers a small, warm smile in response to the reference, andthe other two nearly lose their eyebrows to their hairlines inseeming surprise.

“Ican’t believe that awful sweater is how you flirt with a god,” Desgroans “Fate is cruel.”

“It’snot flirting, and he’s not a god.It’s just a joke,” Selene mutters, gently elbowing him inembarrassment. “We dropped off the mail, we should probably goanyways.”

“What?Nooo, we just found this huge penthouse full of beautiful elves andyou expect me to leave?”Des says, louder than he really needed to.

Selenecloses her eyes and begins to count, but the elf who let them inspeaks up. “You can stay if you’d like,” They invite. “We werejust debating watching a movie, you’re welcome to join us.”

“Theyare?” Asks the one in the chair.

“Yes,”reiterates the polite one “Because they got Dirthamen to smile forthe first time in a week. I don’t think they mean any harm.”

Selenelooks at who she assumes must be Dirthamen, who swallows and gives asmall nod “I would enjoy it if you stayed. Unless you need to besomewhere else, of course.”

“Nope!”Des answers for her, plopping down in the center of their largecouch. “This absolutely where we’re supposed to be.”

Thereisn’t much of an argument Selene can manage after that, as the othersall begin to fill in the available remaining space, and she ends uppressed between Dirthamen and the arm of the couch while the othersargue over what movie to watch as though they were all old friendsalready. And while she doesn’t put much stock in things like destiny,she has to admit; it does feel like a home, when Dirthamen is snoringsoftly away on her shoulder.

[amaya-writes]

Obey Me Brothers Reacting To You Kissing Them/Their Neck When They're On A Call

Part Two: Satan, Asmo, Beel, Belphie

Notes: SO i saw the tiktok prank and I was thinking you know what? it's been a while since I've written for OM, and I love writing posts like these, so might as well!

Warnings:

Characters involved: Lucifer, Mammon, Leviathan

Gender-neutral reader, you/yours

Lucifer

Lucifer's the one who's most likely actually be on an important call, which is why when he feels you come up to him and wrap an arm around his waist he knows something's up but chooses to not speak to you yet.

It's only when he feels you break away from your quick little embrace (that you only did in an attempt to make your success rates higher and actually be able to kiss him) that Lucifer turns to you with a stern glare.

However, no amount of glaring could have stopped you from placing a quick peck on his lips before racing out of the room to hide in your bedroom for the remainder of the day.

This obviously wasn't a very effective plan.

After a moment of dazed confusion and clearing his throat even as a soft blush dusted his cheeks, Lucifer couldn't help but internally coo at your cuteness, however, he was quick to return to his conversation the second Diavolo stopped speaking and asked why he had suddenly gone quiet.

Once he's done with his call Lucifer is quick to abandon his office to go find you.

He isn't as mad as you thought he would be, and actually just teases you about it.

"If you craved my attention that badly you could have just asked, darling."

For once he doesn't bother with any punishments, and the two of you either end up cuddling for a bit before he needs to return to work or he drags you to his office and the two of you just hang out while he works.

Lucifer might be a little annoyed when he finds out you weren't actually being cute but trying to be a menace, but he finds it easy to forgive you after an hour or two of hanging out with you in his office.

In fact, he makes a bargain with you that as long as you spend time with him in his office more often, then he won't punish you.

Mammon

Unlike Lucifer, who tends to be on calls for important things, Mammon is on calls when he's arguing with people.

More specifically, people from his work as a model or someone he owes money to.

This usually results in him being pretty loud and annoyed, probably pacing around and running a hand through his hair as he tries to both settle the situation and let out his anger.

However, once he notices you hesitantly approaching him he can't help but wrap an arm around you or play with your hand while he talks.

If you make it clear that his loudness or just being around him when he's arguing with someone is getting to you then he's quick to let you go so you can wait on his bed or couch until he's done with the call.

But if you're fine with it and still try going through with the prank then Mammon will all but freeze the second he feels your lips on his.

For a second he can't even process what happened, but then the other person starts saying his name so he can't help but snap back to the conversation, but this time his voice is lower.

Might even lean in to steal a quick peck while the other person speaks.

Your kiss helps calm Mammon during his argument, and unlike normal, he finds himself easily wrapping an arm around you and pulling you into his side, seeking comfort in your embrace while he sorted out the issue.

Once he's done with the call he goes into Great Mammon mode and brags about how you of course needed kisses from him.

But what he doesn't talk about is how much your presence helps calm him and how it's nice to know that you sometimes miss him and his kisses/touch just like he does you.

Mammon actually knows about this prank, because he's an avid user of Deviltok, but he doesn't think that you were taking part in the prank which is why once you tell him it was a prank he gets pretty pouty.

Leviathan

Levi doesn't do calls. He just doesn't. If it's his brothers, he'll just text them or at most send a voice message (that he will probably delete once they hear it) but calls are a big no.

However, he does keep his mic on during games that he needs it in, which is why that's the closest thing to a call you can get.

When Levi's in a game he also gets very distracted which means this is the only time you can get away with being physically close to him without him jumping away in alarm.

So when you initially wrap your arms around him and bend down to nuzzle into his neck Levi's first instinct might have been to jump up in his gaming chair, but he's quick to relax and get back into his game once he realises he's just you.

Is he blushing like crazy? Of course. But does that mean he's going to let himself die so that the squad can blame him? Hell no!

You'll have to wait until he finishes that round and is going to start a new one before kissing him, because otherwise you might risk distracting him and making him lose.

When Levi does feel you kiss his neck he's quick to jump up in surprise and whisper-whine about it, yet he also can't risk getting caught by his teammates so he has to be sort of quiet as he tries to reason with you.

Once he can actually unmute Levi's quick to go on a rant about how you could make him lose, but place a kiss or two on his lips and ask him about what he's playing and all is forgiven.