#but hey at least i put in a bid for a house

[klitzy-please]

Missing, But Not In Action

Leon Kennedy x Choir teacher! Reader

SFW; fluff: angst; not thoroughly proof read

Author’s Note: Haiii! Klitzy here! I’m so sorry if this seems a bit chopped, I’ve been busy and only had certain times to work on it! I hope y’all enjoy, and please put what y’all’s thoughts (and prayers) in the comments if comfortable enough to do so!

You pace back and forth, just waiting. You keep calling the DSO, but they keep telling you the same thing. ‘We have this under control, Y/N.’

You don’t believe them, you can’t believe them. If they had this under control, he’d be in your arms, kissing your face off before work, he’d be there helping you with breakfast as you brushed your hair and teeth. He’d just be there.

You tried calling his cell, but you still got that same result.

‘Hey, it's Leon, leave a message.’

Oh, how you hate his job.

You checked the clock, reading 6:30. Shit. If you stayed in that living room, you’d be even more late for work if you mopped in your living room any longer. You grab your bag and hurriedly rush out to your car, keys jingling as you trot hurriedly.

Getting into the metal box, you start the ignition and speed out of that driveway. You and Leon were lucky enough to find this cute little Victorian era house that had about an acre of land around it that served as your yard. The two of you wanted children, hell, you wanted to put. Anything in that yard. He even got you a puppy on your first anniversary of dating. The house was close enough to your job and it was basically out of your dreams. Your whole life was almost actually. Beautiful house, a hot and loving husband, a job you can’t get enough of, everything was perfect, other than what your husband does. for work.

You couldn’t help but think about what he was doing, you knew that if Leon got enough booze in him, he’d drunkenly cry about it to you, but right now, he wasn’t home. He wasn’t in your arms and he wasn’t drunk off of the new bottle of Jamison’s you bought initially for yourself.

Your train of thought was fought off by your phone ringing. It was hunnigan.

You pick up the phone hesitantly. “H-hunnigan..? Why are you calling me? Did something happen?” Your breath hitched in fear and anticipation.

You could hear her sigh “We found him… or at least a sign of him. I could be wrong, but it seems that we should be able to get connected to him soon.” Hunnigan swallowed hard. She was also a bit uneasy about this, but for different reasons.

“Well I don’t know if that’s a good thing… he should’ve been home by now.” Your eyes dart around as you park your car in the “teacher of the year’ spot. “Wait.. how do you know it's actually him?”

“Well, we don’t truly know. But what we do know is that it's in the area that he was sent to…” Hunnigan swallowed hard. “Look, I’m not supposed to say anything, but it’s Leon we are talking about. The mission was a domestic one. Ergo, he’s still in the states… We might be able to get something out of that…”

“You’re actually serious, right? Please tell me you are.” Your lips start to bleed from all of the nervous biting you’ve been doing.

“Yes, I am… I’ll get back to you once I have more information…” Hunnigan clears her throat. “How did you know it was me calling?”

You relax a bit. “I’ve been calling the DSO so much, they just gave me your personal number… I could ask you the same actually.”

Hunnigan chuckled. “Well, I looked through Leon’s emergency files… you were listed as the spouse there. Also, I’m not going to ask why they gave you my personal…”

“Noted… hey, I’ll get back to you later. Please tell me what all you can. I really can’t spend another night not knowing if he’s safe or not.” You tried to stable yourself and swallowed your tears to your best abilities.

The two of you bid your farewells and then hang up. Now, all you have to do is go clock in, check your mailbox, answer emails and get all of your music sheets organized for the 6 periods you teach in a day.

You sit down in your empty classroom in silence. You don’t even want to check your emails, your eyes dart to the pictures of Leon that sat on your desk that was encased in a cute metal frame. It was one of the first dates you ever had with him. You were looking for some vinyls to add to your collection and funny enough, Leon was in that same exact music store looking for some cds for his new (and soon to be totaled) car.

You can’t help but gain a bitter-sweet smile on your face.

Before you knew it, the bell had rung. It was homeroom day… yay.

The bell rang long and a group of kids started to pile in just as always. You sat down at the piano like you’ve done the past a decade you’ve been teaching here.

A tall, blonde kid walks into the class, eyeing you. He’s a junior if you are correct. He’s in your 6th period.

“Mrs. Kennedy?” The kid asks you.

Your mouth opens and then closes. “Uhm.. What's up ,sport?” You ask awkwardly.

He gives you a look before handing you a piece of paper. It’s a permission slip. You nod your head at him and he takes a seat in his respective spot. you can’t help but look at it, to be fair you forgot the kid’s name. It was something that sounded familiar enough.

You read the paper to see the kid’s name. Leo Kents.

L.K..

—————————————————————————————————————

‘L—Le—Leon-n-n!’ Leon’s comm rang as he tried to go somewhere with service. There was an outbreak in rural appalachia. Close enough for him to get home in 3 hours or sped fast enough. He grabbed the thing and proceeded to bang it on his thigh.

“Hunnigan?!” Leon yelps.

“Oh thank g——————safe.” Hunnigan beeped through.

Leon’s brows furrowed. “What? I… I can’t understand what you are saying…. Ah hell, the job’s done… I’m going home.” Leon put the device in his pocket after turning it off, he needed to get a car…

—————————————————————————————————————

It was about 12 in the afternoon and your lunch would be finished in about half an hour. All you could do was stare at your phone. You knew that they’d find him. Hunnigan promised! Right? I mean she told you that they found a sign, so the possibilities are endless.

You sighed exasperatedly as someone knocked on your door. You looked up to see a head pooping up to look through your window. As you stood to see who it was, a second head of hair popped in the window also, at that point, all you could do was chicken to yourself.

“What is it? Shouldn’t you be at lunch or something?” You lean against the door frame looking at the girls expectantly.

The girl first spoke. “We came to tell you our song choices for S/E. You told us that you’d get back to us by December, and here we are.”

Your eyebrows raised as you nodded your head. “I did say that, didn’t I? So, why is it that y'all came to me instead of vice versa?” The two girls blushed at the question which was more of a statement than anything.

“Well, we wanted to go over the ideas. We have many but we mainly have two to show you.” You boy finally piped up. The girl gave you a nod, agreeing.

You sigh and move out of the way so they could come in until it was time for their next class or however long it took them to go over the songs with you.

You start to read the music sheets that they provided you, all you could do was look at them in shock.

“Seriously? I understand ‘As the snow begins to fall”, but ‘When I am laid in earth’?’ You blinked at them in surprise.

The boy chuckled, almost like he knew you’d say that. It was a very odd mix of two songs with two very different voice ranges.

You sighed and shook your head. “If that’s what makes you happy.”

You put down the sheets into your fabric covered lap. All you could do was give these kids a weak smile. At this point, you just wanted them out of your room. You didn’t have to deal with these two and their jokes for another two periods and all you wanted was just a break.

The pair looked at you with looks of triumph and satisfaction. They finally bid their adues and went out of your classroom.

The second they walked out, You ran to your cell to check for any more calls. None.

You bit your bottom lip hard. When in the hell would she call you back?

—————————————————————————————————————

“Baby cakes?!” Leon practically screeched as he ran into the house. Stupidly, he came from the back door. Somehow, he found a ride that’d take him to the gas station closest to your place.

He rummaged through each and every room he could, looking for you. All he could do was yell and scream out your name. He needed to find the love of his life. His world.

The only thing that stopped him was the sound of Hunnigan tapping back in.

“Hunnigan?” Leon barked.

“Leon?! Where are you?! Did the assignment go through well?” Hunnigan shot questions at him quicker than an auctioneer could even talk. This, of course, made the infamous agent chuckle.

“I’m back home… I was looking for Y/N. And yes, it was completed. Once I get to my wife, I’ll be in shortly to put in the documents… though I think back up could easily finish that.”

Hunnigan gave him a glaring look through the screen. “Well they are only there for clean up. You, on the other hand, are the person who was sent in to get the information needed and take out whoever was wanted. But I’m sure your wife and the safety of the country must come first. I bet our boss would just love that!” She quipped, making Leon sour.

“Well, I bet she’s pulling her hair out of her head at the moment… It’s only for a few minutes, she at least deserves that much. And besides, she doesn’t answer her phone at work often.” Leon tried to reason.

Hunnigan leaned back into her chair, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Well one of those few times must’ve been today. I talked to her.”

Leon’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?! Is she okay?”

“Leon… She’s more worried than anything. You haven’t been home. I think she’s a bit desperate.” Hunnigan chuckled. “Hell, she is desperate. She got whoever to give her my personal cell!”

Leon laughed at the mention of your sudden desperation.

“Look, I’ll just put in that you are en route to the main office.” Hunnigan started clicking away at her keyboard.

Leon smiled, relieved that he could at least do this. It was almost rewarding.

—————————————————————————————————————

You reread the score in front of you, making sure to play it just right this time. The students sat there quietly, some murmuring about the sudden and rare fatigue, others, zoned out, reading over their own sheets of music.

Your eyes closed as you sighed out of your nose. ‘You got this’, you told yourself.

your fingers played around on the keys, re-warming them up. You hit the starting notes, the time signature being pentatonic and a 3/2. Suddenly, the rhythm came to an abrupt stop. The students looked up at you as you waited for their expected gazes.

“Open to the beginning of the song, but go to the last measure.” You chirped as you brushed the bangs of your hair to the side, studying the way your hands rest on the piano. As if you were programmed, your fingers fell onto the keys, playing the melody of the music.

Your playing almost took you away from reality, from the aching pain of a very long period of not seeing your husband, from the aching pain that your life just loves to inflict. The sound of the piano brought you to a bit of peace as you ended at a different measure. You look at the children, who were closing their folders and putting them up. All you could do was give them a small smile. It was just about the end of the period.

You stayed. Silent as you watched them get up to the sound of the bell as if they were robots, moving to commands. You silently waved goodbye as they curtly walked out, one-by-one.

The second the last kid walked out, your face dropped. You turned back around, you sighed as your head fell into your hands. No call from hunnigan, no Leon, nothing.

“Why did I get myself into..?” You silently mumbled.

You shot up as you looked at the ceiling. You sniffed, holding back your tears. You had students coming in at any minute. You couldn’t just let them see you like this, they didn’t need to see you fret.

You sat there on the bench, basking in the loneliness that you didn’t know would be interrupted sooner than you were hoping for.

There was a knock on the wooden door frame, making you jump.

You quickly scrambled to your feet, flattening out your skirt and fixing your sweater. You twirled around with a hopefully convincing smile plastered on your face.

You opened your mouth, trying to cover up what you were just doing, as though it would paint you a good excuse. Let’s just hope they weren’t there for long.

“Hey! How can I-” your smile faltered as you stared at the taller, tired being in front of you. “Oh my god…”

Suddenly, your eyes filled with tears, threatening to ruin your perfect makeup.

Leon smiled as he hoisted himself off of the frame, making his way towards you.

“My sweet girl, oh how I’ve missed your ass!” He opened up his arms, just as he always did.

You sauntered towards him, grabbing him and pulling him into a tight embrace.

“I… I thought you were dead? You left me!” You choked on your sobs out of relief, anger, and sorrow.

Leon felt his heart cave. He really did make you worry your head off, he really did put you through that.

He chuckled out of relief. “Well I’m here now, ain’t I? It’s okay, I’m here, I’m safe. We both are together.”

You know that he was right, but the feeling of him not being there lingered. You prayed that it was real, that he was actually holding you and not just some dream.

But this was no dream, he was actually here in your arms. Now, you could go back to your usual routine of drinking coffee on the back porch and watching old westerns as you ate breakfast on the weekends. Just for this little bit, your life would be normal. You knew to hold onto this little bit. Because soon enough, your Scottie would be gone again.

[mothsandbees]

the anima weapon grind is putting this dude through the shits

[embbarnes]

Filthy Fingers.

summary: You check on Bucky after the mission in Madripoor.

warnings: Angst | TFATWS!Bucky | PTSD episode | Sexual trauma | Mentions of SA & SH | Slight SH | Vague descriptions of medical procedures | Swearing

a/n: Back on my bullshit with angsty fics. I wish the series had done something more than brushing this scene off as nothing. I have similar trauma with his experiences, so I sort of put my heart into this. I hope you enjoy, he needs a hug. Unedited. ;; wc: 4.4k

It horrified you, even if you knew about it prior.

After the mission, you searched for Bucky upon returning to the safehouse that Zemo had insisted on using. Bucky had already retreated to the bedroom you both shared, locking himself inside. You knew something was wrong, you knew him better than anyone honestly. He had barely muttered a few words about feeling exhausted before withdrawing from the group. The locked door and his sudden disappearance had you concerned about his well-being, especially considering the shitty mission you had done.

Zemo pushed Bucky to act as the Winter Soldier again, the man took great pride in being his handler and controlling him like a puppet, just as HYDRA had done. He relished in ordering him to attack and heel like a dog, and his cruel comments about using his body, about selling him in exchange for information, made you furious. Sam didn’t quite get the depth of the situation, though he had a good idea, he just didn’t know the extent. He didn’t want to ask.

Bucky’s behavior back at the house seemed unusual, even for someone typically reserved like himself, and you couldn't decide what to do, debating whether to check on him or give him the space he seemed to desperately need.

You also had to fight the urge to break Zemo's jaw.

As deep night fell over the city, a hush descended upon the streets. Sam and Zemo, too, decided to call it a night, bidding their farewells before retiring to their respective rooms. You found yourself alone in the kitchen, the sudden quietness of the house sounded so loud in your ears. Taking a deep breath to steady yourself, you made the decision to head towards the bedroom. Your footsteps echoed softly in the hallway as you approached the door.

Your knuckles gently rapped against the wooden surface as you announced your presence. The sound seemed to hang in the air for a moment before you slowly turned the handle and pushed the door open. You stepped into the dimly lit room, your eyes immediately fell on Bucky. You weren’t surprised that he wasn't asleep; sleep often eluded him, and considering the memories that undoubtedly came back to him after the mission, you didn’t blame him.

He sat on the floor beside the bed, his back pressed against the wall and his knees drawn up to his chest. His gaze was fixed intently on the wooden floorboards, tracing the intricate patterns etched into their surface. The silence in the room was heavy and Bucky remained motionless, not even lifting his eyes to acknowledge your entrance.

You closed the door with a gentle click and cautiously made your way towards him, your footsteps barely audible on the floor. As you approached, you lowered yourself to your knees in front of him. "Hey..." You began, your voice barely above a whisper, carefully considering each word as you prepared to navigate this situation.

You took a deep, steadying breath, feeling the tension in your shoulders as you shifted your position, crossing your legs where you had been kneeling. Your eyes never left Bucky's face, searching for any sign of acknowledgment. He remained motionless, his lack of response hanging heavy in the air between you. But his stillness was preferable to a negative reaction. At least he wasn't pushing you away or lashing out in his distress.

"I know this is stupid, and it's probably the last thing you want to hear right now, but..." You paused, weighing your words carefully before continuing, "Do you want to talk about what's going on? About what happened?" The question left your lips in a gentle, non-pressuring tone, leaving the decision entirely up to him. You sat there patiently, ready to listen if he chose to open up, or to simply provide a comforting presence if he preferred silence.

Bucky remained silent initially, his gaze fixed intently on the floor. He drew in a shaky, uneven breath, his eyes noticeably bloodshot and surrounded by dark, heavy circles. It was obvious that he had been struggling with sleep, but you knew that even a small amount of rest would be beneficial compared to none at all, especially dealing with the Flag Smashers and all the bullshit you were both thrown into again.

"Why don't you try to lie down and get some rest? I'll stay right here with you," you suggested gently, your voice filled with concern as you waited patiently for any sort of reaction from him. After a moment of hesitation, you added, "I know you might not feel like sleeping right now, but we have so much shit we have to do tomorrow.” You mumbled, “A few hours, at least.”

Hoping to appeal to his practical nature, you attempted to persuade him to sleep by emphasizing the logical reasons for doing so. However, your efforts seemed to fall on deaf ears as Bucky remained unresponsive. You sighed, your arm stretched up to reach for the blanket that lay haphazardly across the bed, intending to cover him and provide some comfort if he wasn’t going to sleep. Just as your fingers brushed against the soft fabric, Bucky's voice stopped you in your tracks.

"I felt it," he murmured, his words so faint that you had to strain to hear them, the pain and vulnerability in his tone made your heart stutter.

You turned to look at him, your hand still grasping the edge of the blanket, and you settled back down fully on the seat. Your eyes met his, searching for understanding as you softly inquired, "Felt what?"

"Hands," he muttered, his gaze flickered momentarily before meeting yours again. "I felt... hands. On me. They weren't his," Bucky spoke slowly but with a certainty that sent a chill down your spine. He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing, "Not Zemo's hands, but I would have preferred if he didn't touch me at all during the damn interrogation." His words trailed off, hanging heavy in the air between you.

You watched as his brow furrowed deeply, his eyes growing distant as he seemed to retreat into the labyrinth of his thoughts. A maze he still couldn’t get through, he’d always be lost, stumbling upon memories randomly and losing others he had a grip on. The silence stretched on, filled with unspoken memories and the weight of past trauma.

You nodded, remaining silent for a moment as you processed the situation. The anger bubbled within you, fueled by Bucky's own emotions. Zemo's arrogant behavior had struck a nerve, his deliberate attempts to provoke Bucky were infuriating. The man was more than just an asshole in your eyes and words; he was a calculated manipulator, intent on unraveling all the progress Bucky had made.

His creepy obsession had drawn tension between the group. Zemo had persistently tried to breach Bucky's defenses, attempting to draw out the Winter Soldier persona that lay dormant within him. His tactics were cruel and precise, aimed at undoing years of healing and dragging Bucky back into the darkness of his past.

What made it so much worse was Zemo's obvious familiarity with the red book - that cursed tome that held so many of Bucky's painful secrets. You were certain Zemo had pored over every page, absorbing all the horrific details it contained. The book was a comprehensive record of Bucky's torment: control words that could strip away his free will in an instant, precise actions that would render him a puppet, and graphic descriptions of the punishments HYDRA inflicted whenever Bucky showed the slightest hint of disobedience or failure. The thought of Zemo possessing this knowledge, wielding it like a weapon against Bucky, made your blood boil.

"Bucky..." you began, your voice soft and laden with emotion. You paused, searching for the right words to convey the depth of your empathy. "I'm so... sorry. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult this is for you. It's just…not fair…that you have to endure all of this. You never asked to be pushed into this shit again." There was clear frustration in your voice with a mix of anger at the circumstances and deep concern for Bucky's well-being.

Your mind drifted to the apartment you shared with Bucky, while he wasn't always at his best there either, it was a vast improvement compared to situations like this. The space was familiar. He was surrounded by sights and sounds he knew, Bucky found a measure of peace inside the walls, mostly because you were there with him. He still struggled with his demons, but within the safety of your home, he could face them without the added pressure of external threats or responsibilities that weren't rightfully his to bear.

But it seemed that no matter what, the outside world was determined to drag him back into conflict.

In your apartment, there were no manipulative villains, no reminders of his painful past, no hidden ulterior motives to hurt him, just the warmth of your presence and the promise of a better future than past. He had you, and you were always there with him, helping him navigate through the storm that always threatened to pull him down again.

"M'used to it," he mumbled weakly, his voice devoid of emotion, carrying the weight of resignation and defeat. The words fell from his lips like heavy stones of the burdens he had borne. "I've had worse than simply being traded away for sexual favors."

"Yeah, but you shouldn't just be used to it," you countered, "You didn't deserve anything they put you through. I don't care what justifications they gave or what they forced you to do. You, Bucky Barnes, are a good person. You, at your core, are pure and untainted. You are the one in control now. Not the soldier they created, not HYDRA with their manipulation, not anyone else. It's all you."

Your eyes locked onto his, your gaze gentle yet unyielding, radiating unwavering belief in him as you tried so desperately to let him see how much faith you had in him. "You've already won over their programming, Bucky. You've reclaimed yourself."

"Then why won't his memories go away?" Bucky croaked out, his voice cracking under the weight of suppressed emotion. "I want nothing more than to...to forget. It's...it's so hard, doll," his voice wavered, the floodgates of emotion threatening to burst open despite him trying his damnedest to keep it all in. "Why can't I forget the bad, and why can't I remember the good?"

Bucky sounded completely worn down, his voice cracking with heavy emotion as he spoke. He couldn't bring himself to raise his head, feeling an overwhelming sense of shame and self-loathing washing over him. The weight of his perceived inadequacy pressed down on him, making him feel incredibly pathetic and foolish.

Your support through numerous similar episodes didn’t shake off the intense feelings of guilt and self-deprecation that consumed him during these moments. It was as if he viewed himself as nothing more than a heavy burden, a complex problem that you were obligated to solve time and time again. Even a glued vase is still cracked and much weaker than an untouched one.

No amount of reassurance or comfort seemed capable of mending his fractured psyche. He’s still broken, no matter what you do to help.

In his mind, he was irreparable, his former self having been long gone. Hell, he's not even whole. The prosthetic arm, the threatening object that he despised with every fiber of his being. Vivid, haunting memories flooded his consciousness as he recalled the moment HYDRA had finally attached the mechanical limb.

The sensation was overwhelmingly unpleasant - the arm felt unnaturally cold against his skin, its heavy weight throwing off his balance and coordination. In his disoriented state, he could feel the lifeless metal appendage hanging limply at his side, dragging him down both physically and mentally. The phantom sensations of drills and saws assaulted his senses, causing him to relive the trauma of the procedure.

Wide awake.

He was desperate to rid himself of the foreign object, so he clawed frantically at the point where metal met flesh, feeling the cold, unyielding surface beneath his fingertips. The memory of being forcibly restrained to prevent him from damaging the prosthetic flashed through his mind, the clinical indifference of his captors etched permanently behind his eyelids. It was clear to him that their sole concern lay with preserving the integrity of the mechanical marvel they had created, with no regard for the man to whom it was attached.

He was nothing more than a vessel for their prized creation - the arm was their priority, not the broken soldier who bore it.

Then their hands came.

Never-ending hands on his body, everywhere.

They always came when he couldn't fight back.

Teasing, pinching, groping, twisting, penetrating.

Make it stop.

Make it stop.

Make it -

Bucky's loud thoughts were abruptly interrupted as you reached out and gently grasped his flesh hand, your voice filled with concern as you spoke, "Bucky, hey, hey, stop... It's alright, you're safe now, it’s just you and me." The urgency in your tone was notable, yet you managed to keep it soft and reassuring.

His brow furrowed deeply, a mix of confusion and realization crossing his features as he slowly turned his gaze from you to his hand, which you now held firmly in your own, having pulled it away from his body. A searing hot sensation radiated from his scar, and with a sinking feeling, he realized what he had been doing.

He had been scratching at the old wound, hard. Clawing, digging, as if trying to remove something from his skin. His arm, the metal - titanium, vibranium - did it matter?

"It's okay, you're fine," you whispered gently, your voice acting like a soothing balm to his frayed nerves. Your hands worked carefully but firmly to keep his own from returning to where he had been clawing. Your thumb gently rubbed circles on his inner wrist in an attempt to keep his mind grounded. You were always scared during these moments, worried for his well-being as the rooted fear threatened to overwhelm you.

But you pushed it down, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor for his sake. Your voice remained steady as you continued to comfort him, "It's okay... you're doing so good, Buck Buck..." The silly name slipped out naturally, reminding him of where he was and who he was with. You always called him Buck Buck instead of just saying Buck once, you knew that endearment made him think of Steve. And he didn’t like doing that with Steve being gone.

"Breathe," you gently instructed him, guiding him to take slow, deep breaths as the memories and vicious flashbacks gradually began to subside. "You're doing great, just like that. Keep focusing on your breaths." You continued to offer words of encouragement and carefully guide him through the breathing exercises, your voice soft yet steady. His eyes, now rimmed with red, glistened with moisture, the strain of the moment evident in his features.

Delicate streams of tears traced paths down his cheeks, tiny rivers carrying his pain and guiding it out of him. The sight tugged at your heart, but you remained a pillar of support and strength for him to lean on.

"Make it stop," he rasped out to you, his voice thick with desperation and fear. "Make it stop," Bucky repeated, his body instinctively moving towards you as if seeking shelter from an invisible storm. "They're on me," he added, his words barely above a whisper, laced with a haunting mixture of panic and pleading.

You immediately wrapped your arms around him the second his body touched yours, enveloping him in a protective embrace. You would always wait for him to make the first move closer, respecting his space and not wanting to inadvertently exacerbate his episodes. Your touch was gentle yet firm, grounding him in the present moment.

"No one is touching you but me, baby," you assured him, your voice steady and filled with warmth. "And I'm not doing any of those awful things. I would never. You're safe here with me, Bucky. We're getting through this, you’re doing so good. Just focus on me and taking those breaths okay?"

Bucky remained pressed against you, his body tense and trembling as he desperately attempted to hide himself inside your smaller body. His hand darted up to his shoulder, fingers curled as if to claw at something unseen. Then his hand quickly moved to his neck, desperately grasping and pulling at an invisible entity.

The frantic movements sent a chill down your spine as you watched him struggle against phantoms of his past, it never ceased to horrify you to see him react to the glimpses he was shown again from HYDRA. You tried not to let your imagination run wild, but the implications were clear and it only made you feel even worse seeing him play it out.

You felt helpless.

All you could really do during these episodes was be there for him.

Holding him close, enveloping him in a gentle embrace that provided a sense of security and reassurance, something so simple yet so luxurious in his life. Your touch was carefully calibrated, always mindful of his boundaries and sensitivities, ensuring that every contact communicated safety and understanding. You learned what he liked, disliked, what made things better and worse. You would soothe him with those very tender caresses, running your fingers through his hair or tracing calming patterns on his back, grounding him in the present moment.

Bucky really liked when you rubbed his back.

You would speak words of encouragement, your phrases were carefully chosen so they’d break through all the rampant thoughts flooding his mind. You reminded him of his resilience and progress. You whispered affirmations of his worth, validate his feelings, and reassure him of your presence and support throughout the episode.

“It’s not real, Bucky. No one is here, no one is touching you. It’s just me. You are safe.”

The efforts you put into comforting him so tenderly often felt mediocre or not enough, you always felt like nothing was ever working or meant a thing. But for Bucky, they were his lifeline, you helped him more than you could possibly fathom. Having endured these episodes alone for so long, the contrast of facing them with your loving support made them significantly easier, more manageable.

You held him for a while, gently cradling his body against your own. Most of the time, he just needed this physical connection to be brought back to reality, to feel grounded and secure again. Your arms enveloped him in a protective embrace, creating a cocoon of warmth and comfort. Sometimes you’d wrap him in a blanket, but you didn’t think Bucky was going to let you move to grab one.

Slowly, deliberately, you moved your hands up and down his back just how he liked. Your fingertips tracing intricate, soothing patterns across the fabric of his shirt, random shapes and swirls, sometimes a letter or number that he’d weakly repeat into your chest. The repetitive motion seemed to have a calming effect on both of you, a silent reassurance that everything would be alright.

As you continued to hold him, your gaze wandered towards the window. Through the thin, gauzy curtains that hung there, you could make out the blurry silhouette of the city in the distance. The lights twinkled like earthbound stars, their glow softened and diffused by the cloudy barrier between you and the outside world. It created an almost dreamlike atmosphere in the room, emphasizing the intimate bubble you two had created. It reminded you of home.

Still whirling from the events that led to this moment, your mind gradually began to quiet. Bucky appeared to be much more relaxed, no longer breathing heavy and shaking as terribly during his attack.

"You okay?" You inquired softly, your voice barely above a whisper. The darkness of the room cast a deep, night blue hue, partially dulling the angry red blotches that you knew still marred Bucky's face from your sight. Bucky’s sweet, rosy nose glistened from his recent emotional turmoil.

He turned his face fully into your chest, burrowing against you as he sniffled. Amusement colored your voice as you gently teased, "Are you wiping your snot on me?" Your tone remained cautiously gentle, not wanting to upset the fragile calm that had settled over him.

Bucky's response came muffled against your chest, a small chuckle that vibrated through you. His voice was barely audible and tinged with a hint of sheepishness. "Maybe..." he admitted as he pulled back and finally looked you in the eye.

You rolled your eyes, casting a concerned glance back at him as you gently used your thumbs to caress his cheeks. The tender gesture was comforting for him. "Are you okay?" You repeated. You wanted—no, needed—to hear the truth directly from him, to gauge his emotional state beyond the façade he often presented.

Bucky instinctively leaned into your touch, finding solace in the warmth of your hands against his skin. His eyes fluttered closed slowly, almost involuntarily, as he drew in a deep, shaky breath. The contrast between your warm, caring touch and his own clammy cheeks made him shiver. He allowed himself to be vulnerable with you, to absorb the comfort you offered.

"Yeah... I'm..." Bucky started, his voice barely above a whisper. He paused, reconsidering his words. "I'm fine." Another pause. "I mean, no, I'm not but... you know. I'm good." The contradiction in his statement was painfully apparent. He cleared his throat, as if trying to dislodge the emotions threatening to spill out verbally, and slowly opened his eyes again.

They met yours, a swirl of conflicting emotions evident in their depths. It was a typical answer from him, a reflexive response born from decades of forced conditioning and denial of feeling. You had expected it, of course, knowing his tendency to downplay his struggles, but that didn't make it any less concerning.

"Well, it's late. Maybe we should try to get some sleep?" Your lips softly kissed his forehead, tenderly giving him some affection. As you pulled back, you looked into his eyes and reassured him, "If you say you're alright, then I believe you. I trust your judgment, and I want you to know that I'm always here for you, whenever you feel ready to talk about it. There's no pressure, no rush. And in the meantime, I'm more than happy to simply be here, to be your comfort, your support... your pillow, if that's what you need."

"You're too good to me, doll... you really shouldn't have to deal with all this," he said softly, his voice tinged with a mixture of gratitude and guilt. He rubbed his nose a little with the back of his hand, a nervous habit he'd developed over the years. "You've got more than enough on your plate already. Your own struggles, your own dreams to chase. You don't need my baggage weighing you down too."

"Hey, now. I won't hear any of that," you insisted, your brows furrowing slightly in concern. Your voice was firm but warm, you understood why he felt the way he did, but you didn’t like it. "I love you, sweetheart. That means I love every part of you - the good, the bad, and everything in between. Taking care of you, making sure you're okay... it's not some burden I'm shouldering. It's not something I'm just 'dealing with' because I have to."

You reached out, gently taking his hand in yours. "I'm here, by your side, because that's exactly where I want to be. Because you deserve love, support, and care. And because giving you those things brings me joy. It's as simple as that."

You squeezed his hand softly, your eyes meeting his with a look of pure, unconditional love. "So please, don't ever think you're too much or that you're burdening me. You're not. You're the person I choose, every single day. And I want to be here for you, through thick and thin."

"I love you too, doll... I don't know what I'd do without you," Bucky replied quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. He was still avoiding your gaze, but you didn't mind. Vulnerability was difficult for him and you appreciated his honesty even in his discomfort.

"Let's get comfortable, we need to rest for whatever shit is going on tomorrow," you said softly, your voice filled with care and concern, yet a small bite for this ridiculousness of the mission. You were still annoyed you and Bucky had been dragged into this mess.

You began to shuffle the comforter and blankets on the floor, creating a cozy nest beside the bed. Bucky's brow furrowed as he watched you meticulously prep the area, his eyes following your every move with curiosity and confusion.

"You're not planning on sleeping on the floor with me, are you?" he questioned, his voice tinged with disbelief as he observed you fluffing the pillows to ensure maximum comfort. The idea seemed to both perplex and touch him deeply. You had before, of course, at home. But he always insisted you go back to bed after his nightmares died down and he could fall asleep on his own. He didn't like the idea of you sleeping on the hardwood floors with him at night, especially when you could have the bed all to yourself.

"Of course I am," you replied without hesitation, your voice firm but gentle. "You think I'm gonna just let you sleep by yourself after this? Nope, that's not happening. I'm gonna be right by your side, supporting you through this. That's a promise, Bucky, and I intend to keep it." Your words were filled with determination and unwavering loyalty, leaving no room for doubt about your commitment to him.

He let out a deep, resigned sigh, fully aware that you wouldn't budge from your decision, despite the presence of a perfectly comfortable bed in the room. You'd pick sleeping on the floor with him over the warmth and softness of the bed any day. Bucky inched closer and settled into the makeshift sleeping area you had prepared.

Once situated, he gently pulled you towards him, enveloping you in a tender embrace. No words were exchanged, but he carefully repositioned himself, shuffling down slightly to rest his head against your chest, seeking comfort in your presence.

He wanted to be held tonight, and that was perfectly fine with you.

Thank you for reading. -em🌿

Dividers by @/strangergraphics | Cover images from Pinterest

[sturniologals]

Make it up to you -m.s

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆ ☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆ ☆

Dom!Matt x fem!reader

in which~ y/n had a crush on Matt but his friends/football teammates found out and teased you about it, he joined in on the teasing to hide the fact that he has feelings for you but six months later, you’re desperate for a ride to school and Matt is your only option.

warnings~ p in v/ unprotected (don’t be silly,wrap up your willy)/ use of baby, sweetheart, y/n, praise kink, cursing

───⋆⋅☆⋅⋆───

I stretched my limbs as I tried to peel my eyes open from my sleepy state. "y/n! Hurry up!" My mom shouted at me, afraid id miss the bus.

"Frickity frickity Frick" I mumbled to myself as I looked over at my phone and saw the time reading 7:15, my bus runs in literally like 7 minutes, theres no way I was gonna make it. I opened up my contacts and called and texted at least five of my friends in hope that I could get a ride from one of them but I failed.

I clicked on my last contact I was going to try and started to call my friend Nick.

She answered and her soft voice spoke "Hey y/n!"

"Hey Nick! Is there any possible way that you could give me a ride to school today?" She hummed to herself as she thought about it.

"im sorry girl, Matt took my car today. He has some thing after school but I can call him. He should be able to pick you up!" He chimes.

"No no no, id rather walk. Thank you tho." I say before we bid our goodbyes and hang up.

I meant that, i really would rather walk. Matthew sturniolo has been my biggest enemy since last year, when I first started high school and became friends with Nick. I had an obvious crush on matt even though he was a bit older. His friends found out because matt overheard me talking to Nick about it one time and his friends started to tease me about it and eventually matt joined in and ever since then, they make jokes and poke fun at me anytime I see them.

"y/n! Why are you still in your fucking pajamas?" My mom says angrily from my door.

"Mom its okay, matt is gonna give me a ride!" I spurt out quickly, just not wanting to get into an argument with her.

“Matt? oh! It’s been forever since you guys have hung out.” My mom says, her mood quickly changing to a more joyous one. I roll my eyes at her words and she tells me she loves me before she leaves out for work.

I stand up and put on a pair of black jeans and a dark blue body suit that accentuates my body perfectly. I finish straightening my hair, my luscious blonde locks flowing perfectly down my shoulders. I sit down at my vanity and apply a few makeup products, really just mascara, and a bit of highlighter. Mid way through my routine, i remember i haven’t called Matt yet. My hands start to tremble a bit as i scroll through my contacts in search of his name.

I reluctantly click the call button under his name and the ringing of my phone makes me shudder. After just two rings, he picks up.

“Y/n?” His deep voice grumble from the speakers on my phone.

“Hi Matt! Can you give me a ride to school?” I say peppily, not wanting him to give me any shit.

“I’ll be there in five.” He says before hanging up.

well, that was easy. i think to myself before spritzing myself with some perfume and slipping on my shoes. I grab my bag and walk through my house.

I get to the front door and see trey pulling in.

perfect timing.

The sight of Matts truck parked in my driveway makes me nervous. I push the nervousness down, pulling all of the courage i have out of me and I start walking down my driveway.

Once i step out of my door, he immediately steps out of his truck and walks to the passenger side and opens the door up. He stands leaning on the door, a small smile on his face.

why is he being so fucking nice?

“Hi y/n.” He says in a seductive voice while his eyes trail over my body. The way he’s looking at me sends a heat straight to my core but i try my best to ignore it. I shoot Matt a side eye and a nod of my head as i step up into his truck. He places his hand on my lower back for support as i climb into his vehicle which has me crossing my legs in the passenger seat. Matt looks at me with a hungry look in his eyes as he shuts the door for me and walks over to the driver side.

He climbs into the seat and takes a deep breath in before turning the key over.

“Thanks for picking me up.” I say in the most nonchalant way that i can.

“Yeah, i mean- you haven’t talked to me in almost 6 months so i was surprised you’d wanted me to.” Matt says while looking at me, our eye contact holding strong.

“I didn’t have any other choice.” I say with a shrug of my shoulders and i can see the pain flash in his eyes as i finish my sentence off and i immediately feel bad.

“No- I didn’t mean-“ I start to correct myself but he cuts me off.

“I get it y/n. I really do- don’t apologize sweetheart. I’ve been an asshole to you for so long and i let my friends make jokes and i’m just- i’m so fucking sorry. I was a coward because you made me- feel things.” Matt spurts out, his confession surprising me but making my heart skip a beat and my pussy convulse at the name he called me.

“Matt-“ I start to speak but he cuts me off yet again.

“Can you come to my football game tonight?” He asks impatiently as he starts to pull out of my driveway.

“Matt, you know i hate going to school functions.”

“Please” He says quickly.

“Okay, i’ll be there.” I say reluctantly. I don’t even really know why he wants me there but it seems important so i agree.

The rest of the ride is silent, just Matt glancing at me every few minutes and at some point his large hands made their way to my knee, slowly trailing up my thigh as i squirmed around in my seat, Matt glancing at my neediness but his hand never moved to my heat.

“Here you go sweetheart.” Matt says as we pull up next to the busy school entrance.

“Aren’t you coming?” I ask him.

“I’ll be here later.” He says with a small smile as he unbuckles my seat belt for me and walks around to open my door. His truck is raised high off of the ground but Matt is so tall that his head is still up to my level when he’s standing on the ground in-front of me. He puts his hands around my waist and picks me up out of his truck. I giggle as he sits me down on the ground. He chuckles and tells me he’ll see me later.

As i walk into school, all that’s going through my head is Matt.

the things he said to me were definitely more than ‘friendly’

why is he being so nice?

is this another joke?

the way his hands were all over me tho…

sweetheart?

why does he want me at his game tonight?

i made him feel things?

what things?

i spend the rest of my school day and the whole ride home and the whole time i’m getting ready for the football game also thinking about Matt. The thoughts about him in my head are inevitably erotic and i genuinely can’t help it.

My mom drops me off at the game and i pull at the tight shorts on my legs as i hop out of the car. I walk up into the bleachers and i find a seat that gives me a perfect view of the field. Matt comes out of now where and runs up to the fence that separates us.

“c’mere!” he says loudly, i can see his friends behind him starting to laugh and i get nervous and all of memories of them poking fun at me make me sick and i want to run out of there.

“y/n baby, i said to come here.” Matt demands in a soothing yet firm voice that makes me feel safe. His friends behind him starts staring and looking confused. I am too but i listen to try and walk over to stand over the fence. His eye black is starting to smudge and his hair is tousled perfectly and i’m so close that i can smell his manly musk.

As soon as i’m standing slightly over Matt, he pulls his hands up to my head and pulls me down to him and immediately shoves his lips onto mine. The feeling of his mouth moving over mine is something i’ve wanted to feel for so fucking long. I groan into his mouth as his tongue slips into mine and i can taste the saltiness of his mouth and i’m

craving more. I audibly groan when he pulls away, his lips swollen and pink as he runs back to the field. His friends just staring at him angrily and confused as he flips them off and walks down the field with a smile on his face.

what the fuck just happened?

and why is his whole football team staring at me?

Matt yells at his friends from across the field.

“hey! shitheads! stop staring at my girl and get your asses down here.”

I get butterflies at him calling me ‘his girl’ but then i remember the months of teasing he let his friends do to me and i wipe the smile off of my face quickly. Maybe i should let myself enjoy this tho?

Throughout the whole game, my internal monologue argues with itself. By the end of the game, i decide i want to give him a chance. I believe what he told me. Matt sweaty figure runs up to the fence at the end of the game, they won of course. I’m clapping and smiling at Matt, his eyes looking directly into mine. He puts his arms out over the fence and motions for me to walk over. I do so and he puts his hands on my waist and picks me up over the fence and pulls me onto the field. I smile up at him and he immediately kisses me again.

His friends and even his coach “oooo”-ing at us as he gives me a desperate yet gentle kiss.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you ever since you showed up to my house with your fucking sparkly pink jump rope for cheer practice almost two years ago.” he whispers into my ear as he pulls away. My face goes red with embarrassment.

“You played good.” I say with a proud smile.

He flashes his white teeth at me before one of his friends, jacob, comes up behind Matt. i sigh and immediately get nervous because jacob was one of the main people who teased me. Matt looks over at jacob with sharp eyes, as if he’s warning him to not say anything to me. Jacob just smiles at me. “I’m sorry y/n, i was a dick to you and owen for a long time.”

I nod with a small thin lipped smile.

“you wanna get out of here sweetheart?” owen says to me. I nod my head and he smiles at me as he takes my hand and walks us out of the stadium.

as we walk through the busy parking lot, murmurs from people in our small town are heard.

“ew he’s like- old as fuck.”

“didn’t he literally bully her?”

i block out the noise, Matt squeezing my hand as a sign of comfort.

We get into his truck and i immediately look over at him. “Matt. why?”

he looks at me confusedly. “why what?”

“why did you want me to come tonight?” i ask timidly. He laughs out loud and i grow confused.

“you’re oblivious. I wanted you here tonight so i could kiss you in front of all of the assholes who used to give you shit.” he says with a genuine smile of happiness as he rubs his hand up and down my leg.

“Oh.” I say quietly as it clicks in my head. “Oh!” i say once i get it.

“cmon sweetheart it’s late. i’ll get you home.” Matt says as he reaches over to buckle my seatbelt for me, his long fingers grazing over my chest. Butterflies erupt in my stomach and heat grows between my legs as owen starts his truck and pulls out of the parking lot. His hand is resting on my thigh and quiet music plays, my window cracked slightly allowing some of the cold friday night breeze to flow through the cab of his truck. Every smidge of cold air that hits my skin makes me shudder. My body is extremely sensitive to the touch right now. I look over at owen and his dark eyes are trained on his hand that’s resting on my leg. “you’re so beautiful y/n.” Matt says in a low, seductive voice as his thumb draws circles on my inner thigh.

“pull over.” I say nervously, trying to muster up all of the courage that i have. Matt smirks, knowing what i want as he pulls over by an empty desolate park by some trees that offer a good enough coverage. As soon as he shifts into park, i immediately swing my legs over his lap so i’m straddling. My lips are on his in a hot, sweaty and passionate kiss. The smell of sweat and grass still on Matt makes me impossibly needier.

All of a sudden- Matt pulls my face back.

“Patience baby.” Matt says with an attractive chuckle.

“you’re not gonna fucking tease me all day and then tell me to have patience Matt.” i say firmly as i slowly start to rock my hips back and forth on him, making him groan out.

“oh- don’t- god, y/n.” he says as he throws his head back and shuts his eyes in pleasure as his eyebrows knit together.

“Nuh uh, you owe me six months worth of apologies. You’re gonna be the one making me feel good, yeah?” i say deviously as i cease my movements. Matt eyes open up and meet mine, a smile playing across his features as he laughs and nods his head yes.

“i guess you’re right about that one sweetheart.” he says as he quickly puts a hand on my back and turns me so my back is against the passenger door of his truck as he pulls my ankles up to his shoulders. I groan out as i arch my back needily.

“calm down pretty girl. let me take care of you.” he says softly as he pulls my shorts down my hips. His eyes clench shut together for a second. “you’re so perfect.” he praises as he starts to kiss up my thighs.

“Matt…” i moan out as he gets closer to my core.

he starts to kiss over my clothed cunt before slowly pulling my panties down.

“you’re so soaked. all because of me?” he speaks seductively as i bring my fingers up to his hair and pull his head closer to my pussy impatiently. He laughs out loud before licking a stripe up me which pulls a loud moan out of me. His tongue moves against me quickly and skillfully, pulling more and more noises from me.

“Oh you’re doing so good for me sweetheart.” He says against my cunt before ducking on my bundle of nerves.

“Matt- i’m gonna-“ i pant out, unable to form a coherent sentence.

“Finish in my mouth, let me taste you.” he says, which sends me over the edge, screaming his name as his head gets squeezed between my clenching thighs.

I pant out as i come down from my high as owen continues to lick me clean like a starved man.

“good?” he asks with an egotistical expression on his face.

“i’ve had better.” i say sarcastically with a shrug.

“Yeah i bet.” he says as he pulls my shorts back up my legs for me.

I sit up straight and fix my hair in his mirror before i buckle my seat belt and Matt starts to drive again.

“y/n” Matts deep voice speaks out, diverting my attention to him.

“hm?” I hum out.

“I love you.” he says with a small nervous smile on his face. My stomach immediately erupts in butterflies and a smile forms on my face.

“I love you too.” I say as i intertwine my fingers with his.

[blossomarlia]

A Quiet Escape

you find your introverted boyfriend, remus, hiding from a party.

remus x fem!reader

warnings: none!

Remus is hiding around the shady side of Lily and James’ house, expression guilty the moment he sees you. 

You beam reassuringly. “Hiya.” 

“Hey- I’m sorry,” He says. You cock your head; he’s always so adamant that you not apologise, it’s amusing when he falls into the trap himself. Before you can call him out on it, he continues, “Warranted apology, sweetheart. I was being plagued by Peter’s aunt Mathilda and I abandoned you completely.”

“It’s alright, Remus,” You step forwards, hands behind your back. A perk of having a boyfriend who sneaks off during parties is the joy of finding him in private places like this. You’d used to worry that you were intruding, only he’d assured you that your presence is one of the select few he’s not avoiding. “I’ve been having a lovely time discussing how to get the most out of a lemon tree with Mr Evans.”

Remus smiles fondly, meeting you in the middle and wrapping his arms around your waist. “Have you?” “M-hm.”

“Darling girl, we don’t have a lemon tree. Do you think we ought to get one?” You think for a moment. Remus watches your expression, wishing he had a photograph of you in this (and every) moment, all sunkissed and happy. “I don’t think so,” You decide. “We haven’t the space and if we did, neither of us like lemons enough to find a whole tree useful.”

“Probably true.” You stand on your tip-toes to kiss him, hands laced around the back of Remus’ neck. He presses his hand affectionately to your cheeks- the skin there is still warm. “Are you burnt?”

“Not terribly,” You admit, smiling guiltily at his raised eyebrows. “The sun’s not nearly so fierce anymore. I have aloe vera in the glovebox of your car, we can get it if you’re ready to head home.”

Remus laughs softly, more out of affection than anything. He’d want you forever in the summer, warm and tasting of fruit punch, if you weren’t equally lovely in the wintertime when he can dress you in his jumpers and share hot chocolates. 

“I don’t want to pull you away from the party,” He says. It’s not the whole truth; if he could take you home this moment and kiss you more than would be appropriate down the side of his best friends’ house, he would, but you’re so outgoing and he’d hate to cut your day short. 

“Plenty of people are leaving,” You assure him, as if you can read his mind. He wouldn’t put it past you. “We won’t be hurting any feelings. You’ve valiantly made it through six entire hours, I’m very impressed.”

Remus doesn’t feel very valiant, tempted as he is by the thought of a book on the sofa with your feet in his lap. He hates the idea that he’s dulling your happiest moments for you, irritated by even the dearest of his friends far more quickly than you are. You’re really the only person who has the opposite effect; he can’t seem to be around you enough, even when you’re right in front of him.

“I’ll find a way to help inside.” “No, don’t,” You shake your head. “I’m happy to head off. Just give me a moment to say goodbye?”

You’re so sweet that Remus has to press another kiss to your soft lips, knowing he has at least another half-hour before you’re finished bidding farewell to the small crowd on the lawn and not minding in the least. “Of course, lovely girl.”

“Thanks, lovely boy,” You laugh softly, mirroring his gentle tone and holding his face tenderly in both hands. “I’m excited to tell you the gossip I learned.”

He raises his eyebrows, intrigued. As little as Remus enjoys having the conversations wherein he would learn gossip for more than a moment, he very much likes hearing you relaying news from your group of friends to him in front of the telly. 

“I’ll meet you by the car,” He says, reluctantly letting go of you. You smile. 

“See you then, handsome.” 

[earlysunshines]

misty

kindergarden teacher!sana x fem!reader. (p1. 1)

summary: you take your niece to her first day of school and- shoot, you might have a crush on your nieces' teacher.

wc: 2k

warnings: none, pure fluff

pt2 pt3 pt4

a/n: hiii this is my first post, feel free to leave feedback or just ask, comment, or anything like that, hope u enjoy!!

also, credits to @soliarus for inspiring and encouraging me to post my take on this! I really liked their take on this prompt/idea, so please check it out!!! it's so cute :'-]

-

you and your niece Hana, approach the classroom, and you spot parents already bidding their goodbyes and waving to their children from the cheery, chat-filled classroom. 

Hana reaches for your hand, holding your large hand with her small one. you look down at your niece, and she wears a white shirt, denim overalls, and a beige backpack, you had dressed her up this morning. The young girl stands outside the door with you and looks into the classroom from the door nervously.

“y/n, auntie…” She begins, “What if no one wants to be my friend?” 

There’s a look of surprise on your face after hearing what she said. She looks down at her beige, velcro sneakers. You squat down to match the little girl’s level,

“Hana… Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know… I don’t want to be the only one alone.” She says, and her frown deepens,

“Hana, sweetheart,” you start, holding both her hands in between your palms, “Trust me, at least one person will talk to you. Even if it isn’t today, someone amazing like you will make a friend, I mean, who wouldn’t want to be your friend? I made a lot of friends when I was your age,” 

You pause and put your hands on her shoulders, making eye contact, and your tone softens,

“You and I, we’re alike, . your dad and grandma think so too.” you begin, “And, be glad. Your dad isn’t as cool as me, trust me. Be glad you got your auntie’s genes, and because you have my genes, you’ll be the coolest in the room.”

“You sure?” Hana questions,

“Of course I am.” You assure her. You stand up and encourage her, “Now, come on, let’s go inside, your dad said your teacher was nice!” you say, smiling at the little girl and standing up again, “You lead me, I might get lost and I’m a bit scared myself, this isn’t my classroom after all.”

Hana’s worried expression is replaced by a growing smile after hearing your last remark,  “You’re so silly y/n, you’re old and scared? I thought you said you were the coolest!” Hana giggles, teasing you slightly.

“Hey! I am the coolest! and I'm not old! you should see your dad!”

The little girl laughs and gains a sudden boost of confidence from the lighthearted teasing, holding, no, grabbing your hand and practically pulling you into the classroom with her as if you were Alice traveling into some wonderland.

You two enter the classroom, and the first thing you notice is the smell. The vanilla scent isn't overwhelming, and you can even smell the faint notes of peaches and pears. The scent matches the slightly chaotic classroom and its well-thought-out arrangement and reminds you of the cafe you work at in a way.

There are kids in seats that are coloring, some looking or running around the room, and some with their parents taking pictures. Hana drags you to the colorful cubbies where she would put her finished work and lunchbox in. She shows you the sticker she put on the cubby with her dad from when they visited for the open house, and you smile at the sight. It’s a shark sticker, Hana and her dad love sharks.

“Hana, love, stand next to the cubby, I want to show your dad.” You tell her, pointing to the area where you want her to pose. She scoots over to the spot and smiles widely, her gums showing a bit as she smiles so brightly; it makes you smile too. you quickly snap a picture and send it to the group chat that your brother, mom, and dad are in.

You two wander around to where the backpacks are supposed to be hung, and your gaze wanders across the room to see a beautiful woman waving to a parent. The woman smiles at the other parent and crouches down to the little boy's level, then points to an empty seat before standing up and making eye contact with you. 

The woman is beautiful. Her dark brown hair flows effortlessly down to around where her ribs are. You find that it might be weird to think this, but her nose is perfect. The way it’s angled and the slope of it, and you surprise yourself at how much you like her nose, because you’ve never really thought about a nose like this. your gaze moves down to her peach-colored lips, and they look soft, lush, and really kissable-

you stop your thoughts on her lips there, because this is a woman you’ve just seen for the first time (and she’s making you all flustered and blushy like a stupid teenager in some romcom).

You look at her outfit, it’s cute and pretty, just like her. She wears a beige cardigan and white skirt that is loose on her thin figure, and the jewelry that completes her look is a small silver necklace sitting on her fair skin, just above her exposed collarbone, a small bracelet around her hand, and small gold earrings.

Hana feels the hand that holds hers slightly loosen up, and she looks up at you to see you staring across the room, ears tinted a shade of light pink. She looks over to what, or- who you’re looking at, which makes her tug at your sleeve, and it breaks you out of your trance.

“That’s my teacher, she’s really nice,” Hana says, smiling, “Last time, she gave me an extra sticker! Dad says she reminds him of you.”

“Me?”

“He says that she has the same warmth or something, I don’t know how people can be warm in the same way, that was kind of weird. He also said the way she talks to me reminds him of you.” Hana says. Your niece walks you over to the woman and she smiles at your niece,

“Y/n, this is Ms. Minatozaki.” Hana says shyly, tugging at your hand. 

“Hello, Hana. It’s nice to see you again.” The woman says, patting her head. Her voice is sweet and higher pitch, and the way she speaks is soft and welcoming, it even makes your cheeks warm up a bit. 

Her smile almost has you losing your balance, as if you were a weak tree getting hit by a gust of strong wind. The way her lips curved up to reflect her genuine joy in seeing your niece again made you weak in the knees. The woman’s gaze lands on you, and she makes eye contact. Her head is just barely angled when she looks up at you due to her being a couple of inches shorter, and you try not to fall into another trance from seeing her alluring features up close.

You try to compose yourself as you put your hand out to greet the beautiful woman, 

“Hello Ms, I’m y/n.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Y/n.” She replies. Sana is stunned by the woman in front of her, and it takes her a moment to really take in your presence. Your face is almost intimidating from how sharp your features are, and she’s trying not swoon over you in the moment seeing as you’re in the middle of introducing yourselves, and you’re (what she thinks,) Hana’s mother. 

her smaller hand fits yours perfectly as she shakes it. the world seems to pause for a bit as you realize this beautiful woman is shaking your hand, and it feels like you’re in a drama of some sort as everything slows down around you. She puts another hand on the outside of yours so that both hands are welcoming you into her precious workplace. 

Hana looks between the two women, a small smile tugging at her lips. She senses the spark that forms from the small interaction, and the way her aunt’s stoic and (usually) confident facade disappears at the moment.

You notice that your hands are still connected, and you pull away to run a hand through your hair, trying to play it off (you don’t, by the way, Hana reads right through you). 

You shift your look over to the little girl and squat down again to meet her level. A loose strand of hair that didn’t get braided is pushed behind your niece's ear by your slender fingers.

“Alright,” You say, placing a thumb on the girl's cheek, rubbing it lightly, “I’ll let you be off on your own, go have fun and be good okay? I’ll be here in the afternoon.”

“Yes y/n!” Hana beams, giving you a toothy grin. You laugh out softly and give her an almost identical grin back,

Your smile widens and there's a small feeling of worry that doesn’t go unnoticed. You really do hope everything goes well for your niece, after all, she’s your only niece and you just want the best for her. 

“If your teacher says you were good today, we can go to the cafe and I can make you your favorite hot chocolate, how about that? Ms. Dahyun also said she made a special croissant for you.”

“Please! Please! I’ll be good, I promise.” Hana says, practically jumping up and down. You smile at her enthusiasm and nod, 

“Alright, be good to Ms. Minatozaki lovely, I’ll see you later.” You say before you two exchange a nice, warm hug, and after you pull away, you push away her bangs and press a kiss to her forehead, lingering for a second.

You stand back up and watch the little girl run off on her own to an empty desk with coloring pages and markers, you smile at the sight.

“Hana is very enthusiastic, she’s a wonderful little girl from what I’ve seen so far. She’s so cute!” Ms. Minatozaki beams, and you turn your head to meet her gaze again, nodding.

“Yeah, she’s a curious little girl, and very bright.” You begin, then sigh, “I just hope she doesn’t cause any trouble. She’s pretty shy with new people, but she’s very energetic when she warms up and, well- you know how kids are.” You joke. 

Ms. Minatozaki lets out a giggle, and the way her nose scrunches makes you lose your cool a bit, it’s so cute that it has you laughing with her, and you don’t even bother to think about how pink your ears are right now.

“I’ll be going now Ms-”

“You can call me Sana, I mean, you’re not my student.” She says, laughing a little. 

“Definitely not.” You joke, and you want to joke on forever and make her laugh the whole day just to see how her face lights up and how adorable she looks when her nose scrunches slightly.

Sana watches you straighten out your dark brown jacket and her cheeks warm up a bit when you shoot her that cute smile of yours, but of course, you don’t notice due to how oblivious you are in the moment. The young teacher punches herself mentally for feeling a small flutter in her chest from who she thinks is her students’ mom, and she wonders how she’ll survive the year if she’ll see you more often.

“I’ll get going then, again, let me know if anything happens.” 

“Of course, I’ll make sure Hana has a great day,” Sana responds, nodding.

You and Sana exchange sweet smiles again, a similar warmth spreading through the two of you as you part. 

Before heading out the door, you wave to your niece again and the two of you smile at each other. You also take one more look at your niece's beautiful teacher, then head out to clock into your morning to afternoon shift.

Leaving the building, the sun seemed to shine a little brighter, and there was a new warmth in your chest knowing that Hana was in the hands and care of such a beautiful, sweet, and cute teacher: Ms. Minatozaki.

You were definitely going to convince your brother to let you take Hana to school more often, and pick her up regularly too.

… and little did you know, Sana would hope to see you often as well.

[luza-wayne]

drunk talk.

bokuto koutarou x reader

wc: 1.3k

i like the little hurt i felt, rereading this fufu. i remembered i posted this on one of my old tmblr acc. pls request to me, i'm begging T^T

you were woken up from your afternoon nap when you heard your phone went off continuously. you grumpily reached for it on the nightstand just beside the bed.

as if a spell was cast on you, your expression immediately lit up, when you saw the notification.

bokuto has been more expressive and more clingy this past week. he does things like staring at you while you do work and he'd always bring you sweets and flowers every time he came home.

just yesterday, he brought you another necklace.

though you want to know why he's like that, you don't mind it, in fact, you love it. that's why you make sure to show him how much you love him too.

you looked at the time on your phone and it's already quarter to five.

i guess i should clean up the house. you thought as you fixed your hair and stood up.

...

*ding dong* 

you were woken up from your slumber for the second time today when the sound of the doorbell rang throughout the living room of the house you shared with your boyfriend.

ah bad. i fell asleep while cleaning. 

you drowsily rubbed your eyes as you walked to the door, not minding the unfinished work.

you opened it and there was akaashi looking so done with his life, while your partner hanged on his left shoulder.

“akaashi, did he drink that much?” you said looking at him pitifully.

“yeah,” he stated. “...but he's acting weird today.”

you wanted to ask what he meant, but you told him to get in first to at least place bokuto on the couch and rest his shoulder.

he softly throws his previous captain on the couch as you take off bokuto's shoes. when you came back from putting the footwear on the shoe rack, you offered akaashi water.

“hey, what do you mean earlier?” you asked him, worried that bokuto might be having a problem.

“normally, he would be so energetic and loud, but today he just drank and drank. i immediately noticed it, that's why i didn't drink too much because i'm sure he'll be too drunk later on.” akaashi explained and chugged on the water you gave him.

you looked at bokuto and you noticed how troubled his expression is, even though he's sleeping.

“did he tell you anything?” you queried the editor who’s looking at bokuto.

“sadly, he passed out before i could ask him anything.” he sighed and fixed his glasses.

after you talked a bit to akaashi, he bid farewell to you, since he has work tomorrow. you sent him off while thanking him for looking out for the drunk guy on your couch.

you went to the bathroom after to get a bowl and towel to clean up bokuto. you crouched beside the couch and slowly took his arm.

you successfully wiped it, so went to the other arm. as you reached for it, you suddenly froze when he groaned.

“hm? who you?” he questioned looking at you suspiciously.

here it is again. every time bokuto is drunk, he always fails to recognize anyone. anyone. 

“ah. i was with akaashi. you're akaashi, right?” he wanted to confirm, but you just smiled at him and offered him water, but he refused.

he turned his body to the side, he's facing the backrest of the couch and his arm dangled on the edge of it.

“akaashi…” he called even though akaashi's not there.

you just decided to go along with it, hoping you'd catch something funny that you can tell him tomorrow once he comes to his senses.

“yes?” you answered, putting a low tone to your voice.

“i want to ask you something.” he said, not moving from his current position.

“what is it?”

“i don't know what to do.” 

“about what? tell me.” you listened to him intently.

is he going to talk about what's bothering him?

“actually, i love (y/n)...” you replied with a hum.  “but…” he refutes.

but?

he changed his position again and now he's facing the ceiling with his arms covering his eyes. this is the first time you saw him this serious while drunk.

“i love her, but i don't love her.” he whispered and bit his lips.

“what?” you were unsure whether you heard it right or not.

i must’ve misheard it, but i’m pretty sure i didn’t. what is he talking about?

“what do you mean?” you let go of the towel accidentally making it land on the bowl, splashing water on its surroundings.

“what i mean is that i'm not feeling the same way as before. i love (y/n), but it's not the same love i'm feeling from before.” he said, his lips were quivering and his voice was a bit shaky.

“i'm trying, akaashi. i'm trying to bring back the love. i’m doing the things i did when we were still new to the relationship. i'm hoping the love would come back, but…” a tear fell on the side of his eyes, down to his ears. 

“what if it doesn't come back?” his voice was getting quieter and quieter.

“what if my love for her fades away?” he sobs.

you just stood there looking at him talking. a lot of information came in at once, it seems like your mind can't keep up.

he doesn't feel the same anymore? so the reason he's been extra sweet lately is that he wanted to revive his feelings for me? 

you let out a laugh and comb your hair with your fingers.

“what are you laughing for, akaashi?” he fixed his position, sat on his butt and looked up at you, even though his eyes were still blurry.

“nothing. it's just, (y/n) thought nothing of it when you were extremely sweet and clingy, though she loves it, now she feels like shit knowing what was the reason.” you tried to finish what you were saying, while also trying to keep the tears from falling.

he confusedly looked at you. you cleared your throat and clenched your hand.

“why don't you just tell her the truth? that you've already fallen out of love?” he lowered his head and placed both of his hands on the sides of his head.

“but, i promised her forever.”

he said, vocals almost inaudible, because of how shaky it is. anyone who can see him right now, can tell that what he's showing right now is what he really feels deep inside him.

“i promised that to her, and i still don't want her to be sad.” he clasped both of his hands.

“but you shouldn't lead me on that you're still mine because that hurts much more thinking all your i love you's are genuine, but it isn't. it’s not love, if you’re faking it.” 

you sighed heavily, you felt as if your legs lost all their power, you suddenly wanted to sit down. you did, but on the floor right in front of your boyfriend.

you looked at him while cries and worried about what to do with himself for minutes and minutes.

it seems like he sobered up. 

you smiled weakly and reached for his cheeks. you noticed how he melted into it, now you know that he's really back to his senses.

“babe…?” he muttered and looked at you. 

you saw how his eyes showed terror now that he'd realized that the one he's talking to all the time was you and not akaashi.

“b-babe, i—” he held your hand that was on his face, but you pulled it out of his grip.

you nodded slowly, smiling at him.

“shh. it's okay. we can talk about it tomorrow. you should take a rest for now.” you said and walked towards your guy's room, refusing to let even a drop of tear fall in front of him.

bokuto watched as you took each step. what he's feeling right now doesn't seem right. 

it is as if you're walking away from him for good, but he feels like he should run after you. 

but, shouldn't he feel that way if he had already fallen out of love, right?

thank you so much for reading! reblogs would much appreciated!

also, you can visit my ko-fi acc, if you'd like to tip me and help this broke college student (>//3//<)

[thelunarfairy]

Hey there! Am back :3

Chap 120 was uh...ow. AidaIro hurt my feelings to put it lightly.

Ahem- anyways.

I was thinking a lot about how in thos timeline, Tsukasa and Amane almost switched roles. I mean, Tsukasa is still infested with the entity, but Amane is the one doing the enitity's bidding this time. I know Hanako still had the entity in him in the normal timeline, but you het the point.

Anyway, I wanted to know your take on why Amane seems so out of control with the entity, and Tsukasa handles it better. Why Hanako needs a seal. I mean, Tsukasa does some pretty fucked up shit, sure, but he also doesn't try to kill everyone or sacrifice them (Sakura, Natsuhiko, etc). It's like Tsukasa and the entity have more of a partnership, while Amane is almost enslaved to it.

Now, I know memory also plays a part here, because he doesn't recognize Kou or Nene (at least not u til the split second when Nene screams for Hanako to help her) and it snaps him out of it. If he remembered them, would he able to hold back and not murder Kou and Mitsuba? Then again, can't exactly ignore all the murdering he's doing anyway. Besides that, Amane has always been known to have the kinder temperament. You can see it in his eyes versus Tsukasa's, and his personality in general.

I guess my curiosity stems from the fact that with the entity, Tsukasa never killed humans despite having the entity in him. He was probably hurting Amane, but it was because he WANTED to break Amane right? Wanted him to kill him. So why could Tsukasa grow up (before he was murdered obv) and not go on a murderous rampage, while Amane does? Amane is literally an adult too, and Tsukasa is still a child! Lil psychopathic bb.

Sorry if this is too long of an ask 😅 I really dont know how to stfu lol. Excited to see your take on this if you decide to!! No worries if not :)

Hello dear!!!!! welcome back!!!

That chapter made the fandom suffer XD

You answered your own question. Tsukasa has a special connection with the entity. Apparently he is the first one not to fear the entity, he taught it to speak and stayed with it daily for a while.

Tsukasa sacrificed himself willingly, he fulfilled the agreement, and he went alone, he didn't have to be forced to do it. So yes, he and the entity have a partnership.

Tsukasa does what the entity asks, which means that it doesn't need to control and order him, because he will do it.

And the entity "trusts" Tsukasa so much, that it allowed him to come back, and the one who asked it to come back with him was Tsukasa.

It wasn't the entity that said "you'll only come back if I go with you".

It was Tsukasa who said that the entity would go with him.

In the old reality, Tsukasa is committed to accomplishing some still mysterious things, his intelligence resonates with the entity. He can convince it to do certain things or stop it.

Like how he easily makes the house retreat when he sets it on fire.

Not because the house wouldn't listen if he asked, but because Tsukasa was pretending not to have a direct connection with the house to Kou and Nene, so that they wouldn't suspect.

He wouldn't say "stop it" in front of them, so he used another effective way without taking away the idea that he is trapped and is a victim of the house. Yes, he is a victim, but he was the one who chose to sacrifice himself, he wasn't forced to do it.

He talks casually with the entity, as if they were close friends. He isn't afraid of anything, so Tsukasa doesn't need to be manipulated or controlled, he does what he has to do.

Remember that I'm referring to Yorishiro and little Tsukasa from the old reality. It's still too early to conclude anything about Tsukasa of the new reality.

Amane from the old reality fears the entity, you can see the fear reflected in his eyes, he knows the danger that creature represents. Hanako doesn't like the entity and is forced to do the things it demands.

He doesn't like what he does and is against it, but it seems that he has too much experience and understands that fighting the entity is problematic. The entity will force him to do what it wants, as you saw, and since Hanako doesn't want to do what it asks, then the entity takes control over him.

This seems to be something that really happened in the old reality too, since he can only control himself if he is sealed.

In the new reality, Amane has no control at all, suddenly he is controlled and the entity does what it wants without even allowing Amane to have memories of it, so that he won't be able to try to get rid of it.

So in short, Tsukasa has a partnership with the entity, so it doesn't need to control Tsukasa at all. (in the old reality).

Hanako fears and is against the things the entity does, that's why he is possessed, to be forced to do what the entity wants.

Amane probably wouldn't kill Kou and Mitsuba if he were fully conscious, at least if it didn't have any direct objective.

For example, if he needed to sacrifice the two for someone he loves, he would do it. He already did. Hanako will always be Hanako, what changes are the circumstances. As much as he is kind, he still has the potential to be someone bad.

Tsukasa hurting Amane is an old theory, because the signs point to it, who would Amane forgive for hurting him like that?

Tsukasa, but Nene too.

Tsukasa can be aggressive and violent with people, but so far he has never been like that with Hanako. That must mean something. I once created a theory about Amane's injuries.

Now about Tsukasa, don't believe that he is a "psychopath".

We now understand how the entity works, in many moments we have clearly seen how the entity also influences Tsukasa's actions, just as Aidairo made it clear how the entity acts.

Amane is a serial killer now, but it is not exactly him. The boy is just a shell that is being controlled by the entity, it is the entity that wants the deaths.

You just said that Tsukasa does not kill humans, how would he be a psychopath if he does not kill humans?

Remember, the entity is still inside him.

Why is Tsukasa, who has always had the entity inside his body, still considered a "psychopath", and when Amane kills MANY people, he is just the boy who is being "controlled?".

Do you see the point here?

They both have this thing in their bodies, and they are both under its influence. Neither Amane nor Tsukasa want to kill anyone, in any reality.

The only psychopath that exists here is the entity.

Don't worry!!!!!!! Thank you!!

[thinkingaboutbetterdays]

the perfect distraction. ( niles crane x reader )

gif belongs to me

You had many dresses in your closet at home and when Niles asked you to join him at a fundraiser, you believed it would be easy to find a dress to wear, but with every dress you showed, you thought his head would fall off from how hard he shook it.

"I've worn these lots of places and always get compliments." You told him, dumping the dress in the pile of rejections on the floor. "And I can remember each occasion half of these dresses ended on the floor."

Niles opened his mouth but quickly closed it, pursing his lips when he realized that he had no rebuttal - for now at least.

"You should go or you'll be late." You sent him a smile as he checked his watch, eyebrows rising when he noted the time.

Niles placed his hands on your arms, kissing your forehead. "Think about it?"

"I don't know..." You jested.

He tilted his head, an amused smile forming on his lips before he leaned in to kiss you goodbye. "See you later, my love."

You adjusted his tie as you pecked his lips, smiling as you said goodbye. Niles left the room and went to his study to collect his briefcase on his way out of the house while you looked at the pile of dresses, a sigh leaving your lips.

"I didn't realize I had so many!" You exclaimed, after telling the story to Roz and Frasier over coffee.

"And he didn't like any of them?" Roz asked.

You shook your head, taking a sip of coffee, turning when a hand rested on the back of your chair and sent your husband a smile. "Hey, I was just talking about you."

"Hi." He mirrored your smile, "About this morning?"

"Oh!" Roz snapped her fingers, "What about that gown you wore last year to the Seebee Awards? The mermaid dress?"

"It was put in storage. There weren't many chances to wear it afterward and it took up a lot of space in the closet. Oh, I loved that dress!" You turned to your husband when you noticed he was shaking his head. "Let me guess...you hate mermaids?"

Niles pursed his lips and you looked at your best friend for backup and when she agreed that it is a fabulous dress, you turned to your husband with a raised eyebrow.

"I do believe that's what's called the clincher. Shall we go?" He motioned over his brother's shoulder towards the road several feet away and you sighed as you stood up. While Niles would always be grateful that Roz decided to bring you to the coffee house on that particular Wednesday, the two still exchanged jabs now and then. Roz settled on glaring at the younger Crane as he held your jacket and you slipped your arms in the sleeves.

You bid your best friend and brother-in-law goodbye before leaving with your husband, waiting until you reached his car to ask the question you had been dying to ask all morning.

"What is it about the other dresses that you don't like?" You weren't angry with him, perhaps a little annoyed that you would likely spend hours fretting over a new dress but mostly curious.

"I didn't say I didn't like them," Niles replied, unlocking the car and opening your door. "I just find them distracting."

You tilted your head as you pondered what he meant, remembering your earlier comment about how each time you wore the dresses they ended up on the floor, and a smile formed on your lips.

"Are you saying I distract you?" You stepped closer until you were blocked by the car door.

"Every waking hour, thereafter you haunt my dreams."

A giggle left your lips, "We need to make a pit stop on the way to the boutique." You got into the car, looking at Niles as he held the door.

"Where?"

"Somewhere. Anywhere."

Niles caught onto your meaning and closed the door. Your smile grew as he got behind the wheel and drove off. You fully intended on finding a dress that would beat all the others you had worn. You wanted to turn heads at the fundraiser, but most of all you wanted to watch your husband struggle all night and return home to relieve all the pent up frustration he had been holding back all night.

[tehyunnie]

this was inspired by this

i did this 4 u @strawberry-kirby @mazeinthemoon 🙏🙏💖💖

 A grunt left your lips as you finally sat down after hours of standing and serving customers. Rush hour just passed by and you couldn't be more grateful that it was over.

 Sure it meant more customers but it also meant having to stand around longer and having to put up with more annoying customers.

 You were about to scroll on your phone before your mind began wandering about a certain blonde boy.

 Kai was his name and he was a regular. And by regular, i meant going to the cafe every single day at least two times a day and ordering the exact same thing.

 You even memorized his name, his order, what he looks like, what time he usually comes— which reminds you. Where was he?

 It was already 5:53 pm— which is wayyy past the time he would usually comes. 

 Negative thoughts soon engulfed your minds, what if he found another cafe? what if he got tired of this cafe? what if he just decided to just not come here anymore? what if—

 And speak of the devil and he shall appear.

The door of the cafe swung open, revealing none other than the blondie himself. You could clearly tell he's been running from the way his sweat glistens under the dimming sun; to the way soft panting escaped his beautiful soft lips— wait what?

"Yn! H.. hey!" A breathless kai made his way over to the counter, leaning against it as he catch his breath.

 "Woah slow down there, big guy. Take a deep breath then talk to me." You advised him, a slight undertone of worry hinted in your voice.

 Kai did exactly as you told him and took his time before looking up at you, his eyelashes batted itself at you while a soft smile made its way towards his face.

 "The usual please." he politely said, a cheeky grin now replacing the soft smile. You nodded and typed his order in, ringing it up for him. "Its on the house."

 Kai looked at you before shaking his head "On the house? Pleaseee just take my money pretty." he said while shoving the exact total. You rolled your eyes at this— trying to hide your red face as you shoved the money back at him "No I insist!".

 This goes on for a while before you finally give up and just take his money before dragging yourself to the kitchen to make his strawberry acai.

 Kai sat at his usual spot, waiting for his orders and you.

 You brought out his order, placing it neatly in front of him— then proceeded to drag yourself back behind the counter.

 But before you could get far, kai tugged at your wrist halting you in your steps. "The cafe seems pretty empty so.. chat with me for a bit?" You looked around the cafe before sitting down in front of him.

 Peals of laughter filled the once-quiet cafe, seemingly brightening up the atmosphere. Unfortunately, you both were too busy chatting with each other to notice how the sun has already bid farewell with the moon now replacing its place.

 "Oh, what time is it? I should close up the cafe and you should probably head home now." Kai looked at you, clearly sad now that you have to go. "Don't look so sad now, you'll see me again tomorrow!" 

 Despite saying that, kai's mood didn't seem to change. 

 "Um.. Oh I know!" You quickly grabbed a pen from your apron and wrote something down on a tissue. "Here!" You beamed while sliding the tissue, with your number, towards him.

 Kai's face got noticeably redder upon seeing said tissue. "Text me!" You said while getting up to close up the cafe.

 Kai smiled and grabbed the tissue and shoved it inside his pocket— almost skipping while making his way out of the cafe.

 Just know that your phone will never be empty again after this.

follow my writing blog!! @tehhyunie

[mydarllinglover]

Alone || Shit Happens

Previous

Carl unlocked the gates once T-Dog called out that the food had arrived.

"What you got?" The kid asked.

"Canned beef, canned corn, canned cans, theres' a lot more where this came from." T-Dog said, carrying it through to one of the cells.

Sully jogged towards Natalia, sniffing the stuff she was carrying as he walked by her side.

"Any change?" Rick asked the make shift infirmary cell.

"Bleeding is under control and no fever" Lori said. "But his breath is laboured and his pulse is way down and he hasn't opened his eyes yet."

"Take my cuffs, put them on him." Rick told Glenn. "I'm not taking any chances."

Carl helped T and Natalia whilst Rick talked to Lori, Natalia was still fuming about what had happened in the cafeteria, she should have killed him and let Rick kill her after, least she'd be taking the creep down before he could do anything to anyone else.

"Nat, T, come on, let's go." Rick called out once their conversation was done.

"Stay with Carl, Sul, I'll be back. Be a good boy, will you." She gave the dog a treat as she rubbed his head, scratching behind his ears.

"Hey, I don't blame you" T-Dog told her as they walked back out the door.

"Least someone agrees with me." She scoffed.

Rick could hear them, he didn't say anything for the moment. Once they got back to the prisoners and Daryl, Rick layed the weapons on the table, for them to choose from.

Tomas picked up the crowbar, looking at it.

"Why do I need this, when I got this?" He asked, taking out his gun once again.

"You don't fire guns" Daryl said. "Not unless your backs up against the wall, noise attracts them, it really riles them up."

"We'll go two by two. Daryl will point with T. I'll bring up the rear with you. Stay tight, hold formation, no matter how close the walkers get. Anyone breaks ranks, we could all go down, anyone runs off, they could get mistaken for a walker, end up with an axe in the head."

"And that's where you aim, these things only go down with a head shot." Daryl explained.

"You ain't gotta tell us how to take out a man"

"They ain't men. They're something else."

"Just remember, to go for the brain."

The prisoners picked up their weapons to get ready.

"And what about you little lady, ain't got a partner?" Axel asked.

"She can handle herself just fine." Daryl told him, catching her off guard.

"Nat here was on her own, been surviving like that for a while, hell, she damn near saved our lives and ended it." T joined in.

"You broke into my house and refused to leave." She scoffed, walking after the others.

"Why'd ya call your dog Sully?" Big Tiny asked her, they'd clearly seen her bidding the animal goodbye.

"You ever seen Monsters Inc? One with the monsters who have jobs?"

"Yeah, once." He replied.

"The big blue one, he's called Sully."

"You picked that?" Axel asked.

"No."

"It's a stupid name, who'd you let name your dog that?" Andrew included himself into the conversation.

"What you do to end up in prison, show the world how much of a fucking brainless idiot you are?" Natalia turned on the man, the people in the group slightly thrown off by her sudden aggression.

"Jeez, was just a question, uptight bitch" Andrew grumbled.

"Well mind yer own business." Daryl told him in a low voice.

"Man, it's too damn dark in here." Oscar complained as they walked through the dark hallways.

"Gotta hold it up high out In front of you." Daryl told him, gesturing to raise the flashlight.

"You're gonna hear them before you see 'em." Tomas whispered.

A clanging sound came from behind a corner, unsettling some of the prisoners.

"It's coming!" Axel called out.

"Shh." Rick hissed.

A lone walker trudged past the corner, Daryl raised his hand in the air, counting down, but before he could reach one, the prisoners ran at the dead prisoners yelling and shouting.

The four watched as the prisoners punched, kicked and beat the other walkers that came out.

"These guys are idiots, why are we helping them?" Natalia asked.

"Cause we have a deal." Rick sighed.

"We're wasting time." Natalia scoffed, pulling out two knifes, pushing Axel out of the way so that she could plunge one in the head of a walker that was getting its gut punched in, then handling the one Oscar was kicking, before taking out the third, as the prisoners stared at her. "Are we done? Can we move on now?"

"Let's go" Rick ordered, nodding at T and Daryl to lead the way again.

Once again, a walker by itself walked round the corner.

"It's gotta be the brain" Daryl said, shooting it in the head with his crossbow. "Not the stomach, not the heart, the brain."

"I hear you, the brain." Axel repeated as another one came at them.

Oscar, Axel and Rick took out three as more kept coming.

"Stay in tight formation, no more prison riot crap." Rick told the group. 

Natalia noticed the biggest member of the group step back as everyone took out the walkers, one with long curly hair had followed him, she went to help when a walker that had been handcuffed struggled to get his hand's free, had managed to slip one out, although his hand had slid off the bone.

"Look out!" She called as it reached for Big Tiny's back. She threw a knife at the walker, causing it to drop dead as the knife imbedded itself in the skull of the walking dead prisoner.

Though what she didn't account for, is the walker that had sized her up as a meal, falling into her and sending them both to the ground, She struggled to get it's face away from hers as it snarled and spat at her.

It had ceased when a metal arrows head poked through, almost firing into her.

Natalia pushed the walker off of her, Rick quick to help her get to her feet.

"You alright?" Rick asked.

"Fine." She caught her breath.

"You saved my life." Big Tiny expressed, picking up the woman as he hugged her, almost crushing her bones.

"Don't mention it." She patted his back. "You can put me down now."

"Oh, right, my bad." He smiled shyly, dropping Natalia down so she could stand on her own feet.

As they went to continue, another walker had walked round the corner, Big Tiny hadn't noticed it until it was biting into the mans side.

"Argh!" He screamed out.

Tomas was quicker than everyone else, shooting two bullets into it's skull.

"Oh my God!" Natalia gasped, looking at the bite as Rick stared down Tomas, before coming to his senses and gently nudging Natalia out of the way so he could get a better look with the flashlight.

"I'm telling you man, I don't feel anything, it's just a little bite."

"I'm sorry, man." Rick sighed, knowing what would happen.

"I can keep fighting!" He argued.

"You cut that old guys leg off to save his life." Andrew brought up.

"Look at where the bite is"

"Guys, I'm fine! Just, I'm fine." He repeated, trying to reassure Rick.

"It's slow, you don't always get hit with it so soon." Natalia sighed.

"Look at me... I'm not changing into one of those things."

"Look, man, there has to be something that we can do." Oscar said "We could just lock him up."

"Quarantine him." Axel joined in.

"We gotta do something. Why you just standing there? We gotta save him."

"There's nothing we can do." Rick disagreed.

"You son of a bitch" Andrew cursed.

"I'm all right."

Tomas charged forward, shoving Natalia out of his way and onto the floor, before bashing his weapon into Big Tiny's head, letting the man fall to the ground as well, he looked at the bloody weapon for a moment, bringing it back down onto the mans skull repeatedly, sending blood and brain matter splatting everywhere.

Natalia crawled back as she watched the scene unfold, her eyes wide, she had killed many times before, but never so gruesomely, never like the man had just done, she was a survivalist, he was psychotic.

Two hands gripped her arms, pulling her up, she looked behind her quickly before noticing that it was T-Dog, Daryl beside him.

"You alright, got hurt?" T asked.

"I- I'm." She looked back, letting the rest of her sentence die down in her throat.

Once Tomas was satisfied the job was done, he looked back at Rick before walking ahead once more.

Daryl walked toward the handcuffed walker, pulling out the knife and wiping it on the overalls, passing it back to Natalia as the others headed after Tomas.

"Thanks" She muttered. "And for..."

"Let's go." He grumbled, nodding for her to go first.

Rick, Natalia and Daryl stayed behind the others as they walked down the dark hallways.

"You see the look on his face? How he threw Nat?" Daryl asked Rick.

"He makes one move." Rick told the pair.

"Just give me a signal." Daryl finished his sentence.

"I shouldn't of let you stop me earlier, told you I got a knack for this kinda thing." Natalia gritted.

The group made it to the laundromat, inspecting the empty room, just in case anything jumped out at them.

Snarling and banging came from the double doors in the room.

Daryl chucked his ring of keys at Tomas as they neared it.

"I ain't opening that." Tomas said.

"Yes, you are." Rick told him. "If you want this cell block. You're gonna open that door. Just the one, not both of them. Because we need to control this."

With a sigh, Tomas bent down and picked up the ring of keys, looking at the group before stepping towards the door and unlocking it.

"You bitches ready?" He asked, he struggled to open the door. "I got this."

Tomas pulled one more time, opening both doors before jumping back.

"I said one door!" Rick shouted at him.

"Shit happens."

The group fought off the overloading herd of walkers that followed out from the double doors, spreading everyone out.

Natalia pulled her knife out of one head, dropping it to the floor as she watched Tomas purposely try and take Rick out, who had narrowly missed it, causing her to almost forget about the walker that came straight for her.

Natalia dealt with it before running to Ricks side, who was now on the floor from a walker being thrown at him by the Hispanic.

She plunged the knife through its head, letting the man push it off him as she helped him get to his feet.

"T, mind the gap!" Daryl shouted out, also seeing what had just happened.

"Thanks." Rick said to the woman.

"Just paying you back." She said, fighting against another walker that came at her. "Now deal with our other problem."

He nodded at her in agreement, Rick knew what he had to do.

Soon enough, the laundromat was rid of hungry walkers.

Daryl aimed his crossbow at Tomas who shrugged off Ricks heavy stare as he walked towards him.

"It was coming at me, bro." Tomas said.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." Rick agreed. "I get it. Shit happens."

The laundromat was silent as Rick and Tomas had a stare off.

Until Rick swung his arm back, the one carrying the machete, before bringing it down onto Tomas's head, pushing it down so that he landed on his knees before dropping to the ground.

"No!" Andrew cried out, attempting to hit Rick with his bat. Natalia tugged out her handgun from her waistband, aiming it at him.

"Easy now" Daryl said, moving the aim of his crossbow.

Andrew looked at the pair before turning back to Rick, realising he had no options here. He spun around, running out of the door.

"I got him" Rick told the three as he chased after the prisoner.

Daryl and Natalia pointed their weapons at the other two prisoners, T-Dog quick to copy with his own gun.

"Man, get down on your knees." Daryl ordered.

"We don't have no affiliation to what just happened!" Axel told the three. "Tell him, Oscar!"

"Stop talking, man" Oscar said, his hands up in surrender.

Rick soon enough came back, raising his own gun at the prisoners.

"We didn't have nothing to do with that." Oscar said.

"You didn't know?" Rick asked him. "You knew, let's end this now." Rick moved to point his gun at Axels head.

"Sir, please, listen to me!" Axel cried. "It was them that was bad, it wasn't us."

"Oh, that's convenient."

"You saw what he did to Tiny! He was my friend. Please, we ain't like that. I like my pharmaceuticals, but I'm no killer." Axel pleaded, Natalia scoffed at him. 

"Oscar here, he's a B and E, and he ain't very good at it neither. We ain't the violent guys, they were! Please, I swear to God! I wanna live!"

Rick turned back around and aimed his gun at Oscar.

"What about you?" Rick asked when he still had said nothing.

"I ain't never pleaded for my life. And I aint about to start now. So you do what you gotta do."

Natalia eventually put her gun back on safety, tucking it back in the waistband of her pyjama bottoms.

Rick took this as a sign, lowering his own gun, letting the pair stand up.

Daryl grabbed a hold of Axels overalls pushing him to walk forward to cell block D, using his keys that he picked back up to unlock the door, throwing the man onto the ground.

The Cell block was full of dead prisoners lying on the ground just outside their cells, their hands zip tied behind their backs and blood coming out from their heads, where they had clearly been shot.

"Oh, man." Oscar sighed.

"I knew these guys." Axel whimpered. "These were good men."

Natalia couldn't help the thought that they were in prison not let her fully believe what he said.

"Let's go." Rick told the three.

"So, you're just gonna leave us in here?" Oscar asked him. "Man, this is sick."

"We're locking down this cell block. From now on, this part of the prison is yours, take it or leave it, that was the deal." Rick shrugged.

"You think this is sick? You don't wanna know what's outside." Daryl offered.

"Consider yourselves the lucky ones."

"Sorry about your friends, man."

Natalia followed after Rick and Daryl.

"A word of advice, take those bodies out and burn them." T-Dog finalised before leaving as well.

"What a day" Natalia sighed, stretching her arms up high.

"Yer lucky yer still breathing." Daryl told her.

"Yeah, well, falling on my ass twice and saving a mans life before his horrific death, all without dying, I would say that's pretty lucky."

"Lets just get back and see how Hershel's doing" Rick told them, scratching at his beard.

"Hey, that was pretty badass, what you did with the machete and the dramatic pause, but I still think my idea was way better." Natalia told Rick.

"It wasn't really for a show. Your way was barbaric"

"I know, but it would of been gratifying, would make me feel a damn lot better." She shrugged.

"Hershel stopped breathing" Carls voice could be heard as the group walked into the cell block. "Mom saved him."

"Its true." Glenn clarified.

Natalia slid down the wall facing outside the cell as everyone filled it, Sully jogging to her side as he nudged his head against her chest, making her raise her hands to hold his face, scruffing up his fur as she kissed the top of his head.

"Daddy?" Maggie called to her father, followed by a more excited Beth as the man opened his eyes.

Hershel had made it, and Rick was to thank for that.

The sun was shining as Natalia walked round the field with Sully, throwing around a ball she found for the dog to catch and bring back as Rick, Daryl, Carol and T-Dog brought in the cars.

"Hey, Nat, you helping out today?" Daryl shouted over to the woman, gesturing for her to come over.

"Come on, boy." She called to her dog, walking over.

"It's gonna be a long day." T-Dog told her. "Collecting and burning bodies."

"How exciting, so glad you asked me to help out." Natalia teased.

"Where's Glenn and Maggie? We could use some help." Carol asked.

"On watch, right?" Natalia asked, looking around for the pair.

"Yeah, up in the guard tower." Daryl pointed up at the tower.

"Guard tower, they were up there just last night." Rick reminded.

"Must've been a lot to scope out."

"Glenn! Maggie!" Daryl called up.

The head of Glenn popped up through the window, unlocking the door and walking out as he was in the middle of getting dressed.

"Hey! What's up, guys?" Glenn called down, doing up the button of his jeans.

"You coming?" Daryl asked him.

"What?"

"You coming?" He repeated.

Glenn looked towards Maggie unsure of the question as everyone stifled laughs.

"Come on, we could use a hand."

"Yeah, we'll be right down." Glenn raised a finger as a dishevelled Maggie looked down unapprovingly.

"Least someone's getting some action." Natalia mused.

"Maybe you can try your luck with one of them" T-Dog pointed from behind them, causing the group to turn around.

Axel and Oscar had walked up to their side of the fence, looking down on the others.

"Come with me" Rick muttered, walking towards the fence, the other four on his heels.

Natalia slipped the gun out from behind her belt, holding it tightly just in case.

"That's close enough." Rick told the prisoners. "We had an agreement."

"Please, mister. We know that." Axel pleaded as Maggie and Glenn came out from the red door behind them. "But you gotta understand  we can't live in that place another minute. You follow me? All the bodies, people we knew, blood, brains, everywhere. There's ghosts."

"Why don't you move the bodies out?" Daryl asked.

"You should be burning them" T added.

"We tried. We did."

"The fence is down on the far side of the prison. Every time we drag a body out, those things just line up. Dropping the body and just running back inside." Oscar explained.

"Look, we had nothing to do with Tomas and Andrew. Nothing. You trying to prove a point. You proved it, bro. We'll do whatever it takes to be part of your group. Just please, please... don't make us live in that place."

"You can always leave" Natalia said.

Axel looked at Natalia before back at Rick.

"Our deal is non negotiable." Rick told the two prisoners. You either live in your cell block, or as Nat said, or you can leave."

"I told you this was a waste of time." Oscar told Axel. "They ain't no different than the pricks who shot up our boys. You know how many friends corpses we had to drag out this week? Just threw them out, like. These were good guys. Good guys who had our backs against the really bad dudes in this joint, like Tomas and Andrew. Now we've all made mistakes to get in here, chief. And I'm not gonna pretend to be a saint, but believe me  we've paid our due enough that we would rather hit that road than to go back into that shithole."

Rick turned around, to where Natalia and Daryl were both stood, his eyes asking their thoughts, at first she thought it was just to Daryl until his eyes shifted to hers, each both shook their heads.

"The road it is then." Rick told them.

Daryl escorted the pair into the outer gate where one of the cars still sat whilst Rick deliberated with everyone else.

"Are you serious, you want them living in a cell next to you? They'll just be waiting for a chance to grab our weapons. You want to go back to sleeping with one eye open?" Rick asked T-Dog.

"I never stopped. We let Nat join us, she could of easily done the same thing, now look at her, locking her cell at night so we can't get in."

"Hey, mind your own business, I let you people in, besides, I've never been in prison, from committing a crime!" Natalia defended herself.

"And we're all grateful for that" T-Dog told her. "But what I'm saying is, I think we should bring them into the fold. If we send them off packing, we might as well execute them ourselves."

"If you think they're that incapable on their own, what use are they to us?" She asked him.

"I don't know, Axel seems a little unstable." Glenn joined in.

"After all we've been through? We've fought so hard for all this, what if they decide to take it?" Carol asked.

"It's just been us for so long. They're strangers. I don't... it feels weird all of a sudden to have these other people around." Maggie sighed.

"You brought us in" T-Dog reminded her.

"Yeah, but you turned up with a shot boy in your arms. Didn't give us a choice."

Natalia looked between the group, she had been with them for around two months, she didn't realise how much she actually closed her self off from the group until finding out that Carl had been shot, just now.

"They can't even kill walkers." Glenn brought up.

"They're convicts, bottom line."

"Yeah, both points I've been making, thank you."

"Those two might actually have less blood on their hands then we do, especially Nat." T-dog said, making Natalia scoff as she bit her lip.

"I get guys like this. Hell, I grew up with them. They're degenerates, but they aint psychos. I could have been in there with them just as easy as I'm out here with you guys." Daryl said, seeming to have swayed his vote.

"So are you with me?" T asked him.

"Hell, no. Let 'em take their chances out on the road like we did." He finished with, bringing back Natalia's hope in him.

"What I'm saying, Daryl-"

"When I was a rookie, I arrested this kid. Nineteen years old, wanted for stabbing his girlfriend." Rick started. "The kid blubbered like a baby during the interrogation, during the trial suckered the jury. He was acquitted due to insufficient evidence, and then two weeks later, shot another girl. We've been through too much. Our deal with them stands." Rick finalised, walking away, the rest following except for T-Dog, who eventually came to his senses and caught up.

"Move the cars to the upper yard. Point 'em facing out. They'll be out of the way but ready to go if we ever need to bail." Rick told Glenn, chucking him the keys, who jogged ahead. "We'll give the prisoners a weeks worth of supplies for the road."

"Might not last a week." T-Dog sighed.

"It's their choice." Rick shrugged.

"Did they really have one?"

Natalia ignored the conversation, leaning against the fence, Sully by her side as the vehicles were being moved.

"Twin cylinder. is that a Triumph?" Axel asked Daryl as he hopped on his motorcycle.

"Don't even look at it." He threatened the prisoner, struggling to start it up.

"Don't want it bored out?" Axel tried again at making conversation. "Sounds like it could use a tune up. I'm pretty handy with a wrench." He shouted over the revs of the bike starting. "Heads are leakin', I know my bikes!"

"Man, will you just stop?" Oscar asked the blond, also watching the pair interact. "Have some balls."

"Just sayin'"

Natalia leaned off the fence as Glenn was closing it, walking back up with the others.

Carol was moving the red truck as Daryl, Rick and Natalia climbed through the hole in the fence, planning on heading for the woods, Glenn caught up after giving food to the prisoners.

"Should I take her out?" Glenn asked, pointing to the walker on the other side of the water.

"No." Rick told him. "If that armoury hadn't been picked clean, we could spare the ammo."

"I'll start making runs" Daryl offered. "The sooner the better."

"We'll throw as much wood as we can in the dog run."

"Won't fire attract more walkers? Maybe we should bury them." Glenn suggested.

"You wanna count how many bodies that is we'd have to bury?" Natalia asked him, looking over her shoulder to see that Daryl was still stood at the gate, looking into the woods.

"Besides, we're behind the fence. It's worth the one-time risk to get rid of the bodies for good. I don't want to be planting crops in walker-rotted soil."

"I don't get why I'm out here collecting fire like a lumberjack, I could've helped with the cars" Natalia sighed as they began making piles.

"Can you even drive?" Glenn asked her.

"Yes, are you old enough?"

"I'm 22."

"I'm 26."

"Liar. There's no way you were walking and talking by the time I was even born." Glenn rejected.

"Believe it, kiddo."

"We've never seen you drive, we've seen them." Rick said. "When was the last time you drove a car?"

"Uhm, probably nearly three years ago?”

"Why so long?" Glenn asked, surprised by her answer.

"That's a personal question." Natalia said. "But I still know how to, besides, I didn't need to, my boyfriend did, but he's dead, so it's up to me again."

"Oh, uh, well I think this is enough firewood, so we should head back." Rick cleared his throat.

The four of them walked back towards the fence, only three of them carrying firewood as Daryl carried his crossbow, helpful.

"Looky here" Daryl said, holding the fence open for the others to get through.

Natalia was the last to climb out, chucking the logs of wood into the pile the other two placed theirs as they all watched Hershel, on crutches, walk around the courtyard.

"He is one tough son of a bitch" Glenn grinned. "Alright Hershel!"

"Shh! Keep your cheers down" Daryl muttered to Glenn, gesturing to the walkers roaming around outside the fences.

"Oh, man, can't we just have one good day?" The Korean sighed.

"Don't go jinxing it." Natalia told him.

The four smiled at the others, happy for Hershel's achievement, until Natalia noticed something behind Carl.

"Shit!" She cursed, instantly reaching for her knifes.

"Walkers!" Carl screamed, turning around. "Look out!"

"No!" Rick shouted, sprinting down the fences, Daryl following and Natalia right in front, Glenn skidded back to tie the fence back up in order to not get outsiders coming in either.

"Get out of there! Now!"

Natalia reached the gate first.

"Keys! I need the keys!" She screamed out.

Glenn chucked the keys to Daryl, who threw them to Rick who then tossed them to Natalia, who unlocked the gate, throwing it open so the others could get through.

"Move!" She shouted at the two prisoners, running for the other gate to unlock it.

"Come on! Come on!" Daryl shouted.

"I'm trying! It's stuck!"

"Out my way" Rick moved in front of Natalia, trying his luck.

"Got it" He eventually said, throwing the gate open.

"Hey, bro, what about us?" Axel cried out as the four ran up to the prison.

He was ignored.

Rick and Natalia shot walkers, landing headshots, Daryl took a few out with his crossbow, whilst Glenn opted for his machete.

"What the hell happened?" Rick shouted at Beth and Hershel, who were safe in a cage, Natalia could thank the lords above that they had brought Sully with them.

"The gate was open!" Beth answered him.

"Where's Lori, Carl... everyone else?"

"Maggie led Lori and Carl into C block." Hershel replied.

"And T was bit." Beth added.

"Anyone else?"

"I couldn't tell."

"Stay put." Rick instructed, turning around to take out another walker.

"Those chains didn't break on their own." Glenn reported back, once they had got all the walkers in the courtyard. "Someone took an axe or cutters to 'em."

Daryl, Rick and Natalia turned around to find Axel and Oscar walking up.

"How convenient they show up now." Natalia commented, aiming her gun at them.

"You think they did it?" Glenn asked.

"Who else?" Rick said.

Just then, an alarm blared around the prison.

"What's that? Oh, you gotta be kidding me!"

Glenn, Natalia and Rick shot at the speakers, but not ceasing the alarms.

"Kill it!" Hershel shouted.

"How the hell can this be happening?" Rick asked the prisoners, pointing his gun in their faces.

"Woah! Woah! Woah! It must be the back up generators." Oscar said.

"Well how do you turn those on?"

"There's three that's connected to a diesel tank, okay? Each one controls a certain part of the prison. The hacks shut 'em all off when the prison was overrun."

"Can someone open up the gates electronically with full power?" Rick pointed at the main gates.

"I only worked in there a few days. I... I guess it might be possible."

"Come with us!" Rick grabbed Oscar by the overalls, running to the cell blocks.

Once they got to it, there were a few bodies on the ground, but Carl, Maggie and Lori were nowhere in sight.

"We just took out five of 'em in there." Daryl said, grabbing one of his arrows.

"There were four in here but no sign of Lori or any of them." Rick reported back.

"Must've been pushed back into the prison."

"Somebody is playing games!" Rick exclaimed. "We'll split up and look for the others."

"We need to shut this alarm off" Natalia said.

"We will, whoever gets to the generators first, shut them down! Lets go!"

They ran back out the cell block, the prisoners accompanying  them.

Glenn and Axel ran off, but before anyone else could they got chased towards the generator room by a large group, forcing them through.

Daryl and Oscar kept the doors closed as Rick and Natalia looked around, guns held high.

"How do you shut these down?" Rick shouted, looking at the machinery.

"Go, help him, Nat, c'mere, switch" Daryl ordered.

Natalia helped hold the door closed as Oscar went to turn off the machines.

"Did you see how many was out there?" She asked, gritting her teeth.

"Was too busy running!" Daryl responded.

"We could take them."

"No!"

A loud cry sounded from the other side, before metal hitting metal.

"What's going on?"

"It's Andrew, he's alive!" She told them as they both struggled with the door, her being able to see slightly better than him.

"Alright, one... two  three!" The two stepped away from the door, Natalia readying her knife whilst Daryl reached for his crossbow.

The door flew open, Walkers entering as the pair took them out.

"Shoot him! We can take back this prison!" The voice of Andrew shouted. "What you waiting for? Do it! It's our house, shoot him!"

No one else said anything as a gunshot went off.

Daryl closed the door back up, both looking at each other before moving to see what had just happened. 

Oscar was holding Ricks gun, pointed straight ahead. then he spun it, handing it back to the man, Andrews dead body on the floor.

Rick took his gun back, holding it as he moved back towards the machines, turning dials and soon enough the alarms stopped.

"Let's go" Rick told them.

They walked down the dark hallways, only finding a few lone walkers, that Natalia was quick to take out, the others holding flashlights. Soon enough, they met back up with Glenn and Axel.

The six halted behind a corner, running past it quickly to be met with two walkers eating an corpse.

Rick took them both out, the bodies dropping, revealed what was left of T-Dog.

He was dead.

Glenn paced back. Natalia covered her mouth, not knowing what to do with herself.

Daryl bent down, picking up a red cloth, Carols headscarf.

Next.

[obeymestory]

Obey Me!! (Demon Brothers x Reader Lemon Story)

Warning!!: This chapter contains content that isn't suitable for children. This specific chapter will include; cuss words, cock warming, pillow humping, desperate behavior, one rough action, tit cuddling, slight orgasm control, clit rubbing, one pillow talk question, begging, whimpering, reversed somnophilia, gentle coitus, and grinding. Time skips in this story are still signaled by GIFS.

Enjoy this chapter and just remember: You have been warned.

Chapter 3 - Pillow talk with Belphie

After the night with Beel, you awoke and got into your uniform to start the day, sharing another breakfast with the demon brothers then heading to all of your classes for the day.

After sixth period, the last period of the day, Belphie perked up from his seat and lazily lifted his head from the table he was previously snoring on.

"Hey Y/N."

Belphie greeted, yawning softly and covering his mouth as he did so, standing up with you and putting on his backpack again.

"Hey Belphie."

You greeted right back, giving him a small smile as he started to walk with you down the halls of RAD.

"Sorry I fell asleep in the planetarium last night. Since exams are this week I'm more tired than usual."

Belphie spoke up after a moment, glancing at you and continuing to talk.

"Would you like to gaze at the stars with me again?"

His amethyst eyes faintly sparkled in hope as he quickly added onto his words before you could respond.

"I promise not to fall asleep this time."

You let out a soft laugh and nodded in agreement.

"Sure. I'll join you."

You gave him another smile, more kindly this time, making the sleepy demon give you a smile right back.

"I'll be expecting you in the planetarium then."

Belphie and you continued to walk together all the way to the house of Lamentations.

As you both arrived, Belphie went off to go to his and his twins shared room, doing his after school routine.

Meanwhile you decided to take a peek to see how the kitchen and your room were coming along for the renovations, seeing they already covered the door frames of each area with caution tape.

You peeked into your room, seeing that half of your room was destroyed and the other half was just fine, luckily nothing valuable was taken in the accident. Your clothes, accessories, bed, and anything else of value were all just fine.

That small peek was enough to make you smile at least, as you closed your bedroom door and pulled your arm out from in between the lines of caution tape.

You stepped back away from your door then felt a gentle hand on your shoulder, making you jolt and snap your head to see who it was.

It was just Solomon.

"Hey Y/N. How're the repairs coming along?" The fluffy white haired human asked you, pulling his hand away and putting his arms on either side of him like they usually were.

"You scared the shit out of me."

You declared making Solomon laugh and instantly apologize for frightening you.

"My apologies."

You sighed and shook your head, already having forgave him, speaking after a moment.

"They haven't gotten to fixing my room yet, I'm pretty sure they're working on the kitchen first."

Solomon nodded in response to your comment, shifting on his other foot and meeting your gaze again.

"Ah yes. Beel would be most happy to hear that."

He started, waving and bidding you adieu.

"I'll see you later, Y/N." You nodded and waved at him back, getting out of your school uniform and into your casual clothing, getting ready to go out again with the demon brothers for dinner since the kitchen still wasn't fit or safe enough to cook in.

The brothers and you all feasted at a restaurant together, of course; Beel took up most of the table with his outrageous order of food, and the bill was pages long as well. Fortunately, you weren't the one paying for the meal.

"So... after tonight, where is Y/N going to sleep?"

Satan spoke up during the meal, already having finished the food he ordered and looking around the table curiously.

"We'll figure that out tomorrow."

Lucifer immediately responded, making all of the brothers sigh and go back to eating their plates of food, aside from Satan, since he already ate.

Once the meal was finished and Lucifer's wallet was empty; you all headed back to the house of Lamentations, all the brothers heading to their rooms for the night to do their nightly things.

You were allowed to grab your pajamas from your room again and go to the twins room, taking a shower after Beel took his, Belphie always took his showers before Beel did. You did your usual routine and headed to the planetarium to hang out with Belphie like you had promised to earlier.

You entered the planetarium and saw Belphie gazing up at the constellations, sitting beside him and noticing him snap his eyes away from the stars to look at you.

"Hey Y/N."

He greeted as always, yawning softly and looking back up at the stars again, keeping a calm smile on his face.

"Hey Belphie."

You greeted back, smiling at him then joining him in gazing at the little dots in the sky, the lights from the stars glistening off of your eyes.

"What's your favorite constellation, Y/N?"

Belphie asked, slowly resting his head on your shoulder and continuing to join you stargazing.

You told him your favorite and he hummed, pointing it out immediately in the handful of lights above.

"It's right there."

He murmured softly, seeming to be an astrology nerd, it was admirable though, how he had at least one thing he was passionate about aside from sleeping.

"Your zodiac one is over there."

Belphie added, moving his finger and pointing at your zodiac constellation, lifting his head off of your shoulder slowly and gazing at you, it was endearing how he remembered your birthday.

"Would you like to share my bed tonight? I know Beel let you sleep in his bed last night."

He asked, you silently hoped he didn't hear you two, but based on his friendly gaze towards you, you would assume not.

"Sure."

You agreed, slowly standing up from your seat and watching him stand with you.

Belphie stretched and started to walk with you towards his and his twins room again, this time he was awake like he said he'd be, wanting to take your soft hand in his and hold it as the two of you walked but not wanting to overstep his boundaries.

He opened the door and held it for you, surprisingly Beel was sleeping already, murmuring different dishes he'd love to eat right about now and snoring faintly.

Belphie couldn't help but chuckle as he heard his twin murmur food items in his slumber, turning off the lights and laying on his bed, hugging his cow pattern body pillow and gazing up at you as you walked over to him and sat down on the edge of his bed.

Belphie yawned and covered his mouth, then nuzzled his pillow and scooted over more for you to lay beside him. You gladly laid beside him and pulled the covers over both of your bodies, scooting up close and pressing your back against his pillow.

"Good night."

Belphie whispered to you, instantly falling asleep with his arms wrapped around his pillow.

It took you a minute but you eventually fell asleep alongside him, Belphie's bed was softer than Beel's, it was definitely comforting to you.

~Smut warning~

A few hours later when you were deep in sleep, you slowly woke up to the bed slightly shifting a few times, you thought it was just because Belphie was rolling over but when it continued it made you fully wake up.

You rolled over to see what was happening and blushed deeply as you saw Belphie humping his pillow in his sleep, muffling soft moans into the cushion he was rubbing himself against.

You bit your bottom lip, reaching slowly and gripping the pillow he was moving against, moving the pillow out of his arms carefully so as to not awaken him, and rolling back over, covering your mouth as he immediately wrapped his arms around you, mistaking you for his pillow while he was still in deep slumber.

Belphie shifted and cupped one of his hands over one of your clothed breasts, the other just being wrapped around your waist, his crotch being hardened from arousal, it made you wonder what he was dreaming about.

He moved a little more and pressed his crotch between the small space in between your closed legs, making you open them a tiny bit in response and him press up more against you. His clothed cock curved up and pressed against your clothed clit and cunt just as he moved closer, making you muffle a soft moan into your hand.

Belphie rested his chin on your shoulder and buried his head into the crook of your neck, whimpering softly and starting to slowly grind between your legs, the friction making your pussy wet immediately as he moved his hips back and forth.

"Nn...~"

He moaned into your ear, the arm that was wrapped around your waist shifting down and moving into your pajama bottoms, pulling your underwear to the side of your pussy and pressing the tip of his middle finger against your soaking clit.

Your eyes widened in shock at Belphie's behavior, his grinding becoming more fluent as he pressed his clothed tip against your clothed entrances instead, twirling his middle finger against your clit in a circular motion and letting out more soft moans near your ear.

"N-ngh... s-so warm~"

Belphie moved his finger away from your clit suddenly, making you moan in a needy way, his hand moving and ripping off your pajama bottoms and underwear roughly, earning a gasp in response from you, his other hand moving underneath your pajama top and groping one of your bare mounds.

The same hand he used to take off your bottom half of clothing; moved to his crotch and untied his pajama pants, pulling them down and moving back forward to now press his bare curved cock up against your slick cunt, grinding his tip against you desperately now.

He moved his hand immediately back to your clit and twirled his middle finger faster against it than before, his tip sliding into your cunt slowly, making you shiver and bite your bottom lip again.

"N-need... more warmth..."

Belphie moaned, suddenly sliding himself completely inside your womb, curving up into the most sensitive spot inside you, and starting to move his hips back and forth, his movements less desperate than before as he felt your warm walls surround his thick cock.

He kept rubbing your clit, his eyes still shut which meant he was still asleep during all this, he truly slept through everything.

Belphie pulled you closer, making his tip press more into that sensitive spot inside you, almost resulting in you squirming, his movements were gentle and slow, and it drove you crazy.

"A-ah... mm~"

You arched your back, his breath grazing your skin, and his finger rubbing your clit faster, but his hips still moving at a slow yet gentle pace, making your orgasm build up slowly.

Belphie whimpered again into your ear, you felt his shaft twitch inside you, making you unintentionally tighten around his member, he moaned more desperately in response to this and pressed his lips against the crook of your neck, moving his hips a tiny bit quicker to match the pace of his fingers rubbing your clit.

"Ngh m-mph... S-so tight... mm."

Your clit twitched against his fingertips, coating his skin with your essence and suddenly releasing all over his cock without any control, pulsating intensely around his length and making him move a little quicker inside you, his fingers stopping their movements against your clit, not overstimulating you but due to you just climaxing it felt ten times better with him moving in and out of you.

"H-haAh~ Mm. I w-wanna cum... I-I need t-to- mMm!!" Belphie started begging in your ear as if he were awake enough to know what was happening but he was still indeed asleep at the moment.

"Please. Please- pl-please!~ M-mm... Y-Y/N~"

He gently pinched one of your nipples with the hand that was still cupped over your breast, his cock twitching again against that sensitive spot he kept hitting every time he moved.

"Pl-please m-may I? M-may I fill you u-up? N-nGh~"

You could tell he was on the edge of exploding inside of you, and it only turned you on all the more.

"Go ahead."

You whispered, hearing him whimper and feeling him move as fast as his hips possibly could go, suddenly enveloping your innards with his thick white sticky fluids, making him gasp awake and shake in absolute ecstasy, wrapping his arms tightly around you and thrusting one more time before stopping.

The both of you both caught your breaths, Belphie holding you while still shaking, his mind slowly coming back to reality and realizing what he just did in his slumber.

"Mm... Mm sowwy."

He murmured adorably into your ear, making you giggle faintly and shake your head, he slowly pulled out of you, and looped your underwear then pajama bottoms back onto your legs, pulling them up and making sure they were comfy on your body again.

Belphie moved and pulled up his own bottom half of clothing, then watched as you rolled over to meet his flustered face, still in slight shock that he did that to you without being awake.

"It's okay Belphie."

You whispered to him, feeling him sheepishly smile and wrap his arms back around you, planting a soft kiss against your lips and moving down to rest his head on your chest, nuzzling between the soft mounds that felt like pillows to him.

"Mm. You have such a calming heart beat..."

He whispered, his ear resting against your sternum as he listened to the peaceful thumps against your chest, glancing up at you sleepily and mumbling.

"Did... did it feel good?"

He blushed softly at his own question, making you smile and nod, wrapping your arms around his neck and trailing your fingers through his hair with one hand, answering him.

"It felt amazing."

The sleepy demon smiled again in a more dorky yet satisfied way, he was glad he could please you like that.

"Good."

He yawned softly like a sleepy cat, nuzzling his face between your mounds again and continuing to listen to your heart beat, whispering again before falling asleep again, this time with his face cuddling your breasts.

"Nighty night Y/N."

You relaxed and yawned after he did, nodding and planting a small kiss on his forehead before responding in a whisper again.

"Good night sleepyhead~"

He smiled at the nickname, the both of you cuddling each other all night.

Chapter 3 - End

(Thank you for reading!! Read the previous two chapters to understand the plot if you haven't already. I hope you enjoyed reading!!~)

[puroresu-musings]

NJPW THE NEW BEGINNING in Osaka Review (Feb 11th, Osaka EDION Arena)

Toru Yano & YOH vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Boltin Oleg **

Bishamon vs. Great-O-Khan & Callum Newman ***1/4

Shota Umino, El Desperado, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask vs. EVIL, Ren Narita, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi **1/4

Tetsuya Naito, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. SANADA, Yuya Uemura, Taichi, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku ***

Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi ****1/2

IWGP Tag Team Championship - El Phantasmo & Hikuleo (c) vs. KENTA & Chase Owens **

Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. *****

10 Man Dog Pound Cage Death Match - United Empire vs. Bullet Club War Dogs *****

Photos.

Wow, what a show this turned out to be. It started pretty ordinary, but ultimately had three exceptional bouts, one of which is the best match of 2024 so far. The show opened with CHAOS teammates Yano and YOH taking on Taguchi and Young Lion Shooter, Oleg. This was perfectly fine, but only went 3:45, so there really wasn't much to mention. YOH scored the win over Taguchi with a roll up. Next, UE Young Boy Callum Newman got a chance to shine in his tag match with O-Khan against Bishamon. This was a good little sprint, with the spirited Newman looking especially good. It wasn't to be his night, however, as he was put away by the veterans at 7:37 with Shoto.

The NJPW Babyfaces took on House of Torture next. This was your typical HoT match, beginning with a brawl, before the babyfaces got their shine, only to succumb to heelish shenanigans. After Dick Togo distracted the ref, Narita hit Tiger Mask with the Metal Plated Push Up Bar Of Doom, before SHO pinned him with a Shock Arrow in 8:43. Post match saw SHO steal Despe's IWGP Jr. Belt and proclaim himself the new champion, so we've got yet another HoT stolen belt deal, and Desperado seems destined to feud with these dorks for his entire reign. This was followed by pretty much the same LIJ vs. J5G match we've seen all tour now. It was a good outing, but I can't say that I'm interested in any of this, aside from Tsuji and Uemura's Hair Match in Sapporo at the end of the match. The two youngsters carried the action in this one, which culminated in SANADA tapping out BUSHI at 11:05 with Skull End to go strong into his Title Match with Naito on the 24th.

Perhaps the final ever Okada vs. Tanahashi match followed, twelve years to the day that the Rainmaker Shock happened in this very same building that made Okada a Superstar. This was excellent, emotional stuff that was by no means the best match these two have ever had, but it was a great send-off for what is perhaps the greatest, most consistent feud ever. I've potentially gone a tad high with the rating, but I don't care, I'm sticking with it, as this one had me invested from the minute the entrances happened. The Osaka faithful were super into this, loudly chanting for Okada at the start, going crazy throughout. Tana, who's definitely in "office shape" at the moment, even turned back the clocks and hit the High Fly Body Attack to the floor, which was awesome. After getting the knees up on a HFF attempt, Okada nailed the Tombstone, but Tana turned the Rainmaker into a small package for a great near fall. After some back and forth which the crowd were totally into, Okada hit a beautiful dropkick, a Landslide, and a Rainmaker to put the President away at 16:50 with one final Rainmaker. The pair embraced in the post match, and a teary bowed to the Lion Mark and Okada bid farewell to Osaka. He only has two matches left in his NJPW career in Sapporo, which should be similarly emotional occasions, and hey, who knows, maybe he could even put someone over on his way out (nudge nudge, wink wink).

The IWGP Tag Title bout that followed was something of a dampener, to say the least. This was the opposite of the last match, the crowd were dead for the most part, and it moved at the speed of smell. It was hovering around one star territory, but things picked up once Hikuleo got the hot tag and ran wild, but it was short lived as the ref got bumped, Taiji Ishimori ran in, hit his old pal ELP with a belt, then Hikuleo, which allowed KENTA to steal the win and the titles. Look, I know New Japan likes and rewards loyalty, and Chase Owens was there for them when they needed people badly, but the notion of him holding a major title in NJPW in 2024 is all kinds of bemusing. And to say the new GoD's Tag Title reign was a bit of a disappointment would be an understatement. These guys deserve better, and I honestly don't have the strength to watch another match between these teams after the two we've already seen so far this year.

Thankfully, things turned around in fantastic fashion with an absolutely perfect display of pro-wrestling between ZSJ and Bryan Danielson. This was a rematch of their 5 star classic in AEW last October, and it managed to surpass that match and is the best bout of 2024 so far. Outstanding grappling and counter sequences throughout this, Dragon used an arm wringer to send Sabre's legs into the ropes, which he then proceeded to work over the whole match with intense kicks and leglocks. Zack fought back, working over Danielson's neck. Lots of Romero Specials, Manjigatame's and Cobra Twists, before it broke down into a stiff strike exchange. Danielson hit a big Back Suplex off the top for a near fall, then tried Cattle Mutilation, which Sabre escaped and hit a Zack Driver for a near fall of his own. Dragon hit the stomps, then locked in the crazy arm submission he submitted Okada with, but Zack fought to the ropes. Another strike battle culminated in Danielson hitting the Busaiku Knee out of a backslide, but Sabre turned a second into a European Clutch, they exchanged great cradles, before ZSJ got the pin with a crucifix at 32:46 of fabulous action. The two shook hands afterwards, and now being 1-1, Danielson challenged Zack to a 2 out of 3 falls tiebreaker backstage, which I'm 100% down for. In the ring, ZSJ signalled he wanted a belt, then called out the winner of Naito/SANADA (despite what Chris Charlton might have claimed he said). I'm all for Zack winning the belt to be fair. I've lots to say about Naito being the champion again, which I'll refrain from, but all I will say is that the guy who holds the top belt in this company sure has felt like an after thought since winning.

Then the Dog Pound Cage main event that was also Will Ospreay's New Japan swan song. Look, theres way too much to even attempt to recap, and I went back and forth about going the full 5 stars on this one, as it did feature some stuff I really wasn't keen on. BUT, at the end of the day, these 10 guys put on an absolute spectacle of bloody drama and craziness, and it's definitely not a match I'll forgot any time soon, and a tremendous post match. They had an impossible task in following the previous match, but they had an equally blow-away outing, that was the complete wrestling polar opposite. This was set up like that classic ROH vs. CZW Cage of Death from 2006, in that the cage encircled ringside as opposed to the ring itself, and was fought under War Games rules, with guys coming out every two minutes.

Ospreay and Finaly started, with Ospreay convincing Finlay to let them fight for 5 minutes. Lots and lots of crazy stuff followed, which included the heels bringing out a ton of plunder, Akira hitting an incredible dive off the cage onto the War Dogs before Connors gave him a big spear through an upright table in the corner, Gabe Kidd potatoing HENARE with table shot, that split him open bad on the top of his head, which the doctors at ringside spent a lot of time trying to patch up. HENARE got a receipt of sorts later when he hit Kidd with a super stiff slap that looked like it knocked Gabe silly. Connors hit a big spear on Ospreay through the ropes, off the apron and through a table at ringside, Jeff Cobb ran wild on everyone with his incredible power moves, TJP emerged from under the ring as the Aswang, running wild and misting all the heels, Maloney broke up a pin attempt by Drilla Killa'ing Ospreay into the pile of bodies, Coughlin took a serious wilful beating with kendo sticks, who then took a big senton through a table off HENARE from the top of the cage. Connors introduced thumbtacks, but ended up bumping into the pins. Gedo came out with a barbed wire wrapped table, but O-Khan put an end to his interference, and it was Finlay who went through the barbed wire table, thanks to an Ospreay powerbomb. Gabe Kidd responded by hitting Ospreay with a piledriver off the apron, through a ladder bridge to the floor. Moloney forked Akira in the head, who juiced heavily, but then overcame his fear of the fork, no-sold it, and stabbed Drilla in the head with the cutlery, drawing his blood of his own, then hanged Connors over the top with a dog collar.

The heels then handcuffed Cobb to the cage, removed the ring canvas and padding, exposing the boards, and what followed was absolutely terrifying, as those boards were flying around and guys were falling through the ring left and right, to the point I thought someone might get seriously hurt. HENARE hit a massive vertical suplex on Kidd to the boards, before he too was handcuffed. Akira then took a horrendous Tombstone on the boards, which left Ospreay alone with the War Dogs. Sacrificing himself to save Akira, he tried a Hidden Blade, but collapsed from exhaustion, resulting in him taking a spear into the boards by Connors, then Finlay wrapped his knee in barbed wire and hit Ospreay with his new Overkill finish to end this insanity and win for his team in 64:05 of crazy, mind-blowing action.

The Overkill finish was quite ironic given the amounts of sheer overkill in this thing, there were times when I thought/was begging it would be over, but they just kept going and doing crazier stuff. Anyone who knows me knows I love a good crazy, unhinged blood and gimmicks match, and this was one of the best there's ever been, overkill or not. In the post match, Ospreay bid farewell to New Japan, and he got the big emotional send off with the confetti and all the UE guys surrounding him. Ospreay asked that the fans not forget him, and backstage he promised he'd be back, but when was still a mystery. Losing Ospreay is a major blow to NJPW (not to mention they're also losing Okada!), but I've no doubt he'll do great things in AEW.

NDT

[howlingday]

In the Jaune is Hades AU will Jaune ever tell his team and RWBY he's a god? And what exactly can Jaune do while on Remnant?

"DAMMIT! DAMMIT!" Jaune ran as hard as he could towards the tower. Towards where he last saw her. At this moment, nothing else mattered. Not the White Fang. Not the Grimm. Not the innocent souls he would have to sort. The only thing that mattered was her.

'Don't worry.' Weiss' voice played in his head. 'We'll help her.'

How could she? How could anyone? Nothing escaped death. Not even Ozpin could.

He reached the tower, and a shade slowly crept towards it. Jaune held out his hand, and the entity stopped. With a wave, the shadpw retreated back to the burning city. Back to where the rest of hell waited for him.

Jaune sat himself down against the stone wall and let out a deep breath. His true form, invisible to mortal eyes, stood above his corporeal disguise. Reaching out to the top of the tower, he lifted himself high, higher and higher into the air until he reached the ruins of what was once Ozpin's office.

He watched in horror as his worst fears were confirmed. He could see Pyrrha's soul, his best friend's soul, the soul of the woman who threw herself upon him only moments ago, and it was fading. Her time was running out.

"Do you believe in destiny?" Jaune's fist tightened.

"Yes." In a foolish attempt, Jaune ran forward, hoping to stop the deathblow.

But even gods bent to their laws.

"No..." Jaune's voice broke, reaching for Pyrrha's fading soul. The least he could do was bid her good-bye. Welcome her embrace into his and guide her to the afterlife that she truly deserves.

But this was not to be.

Pyrrha's soul splintered, fracturing into smaller pieces. Like embers of a dying flame. A hand reached through his body and he watched her blow away. He barely caught her dying words as she soul faded.

"Jaune...?"

Everything went white around Jaune.

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

Jaune awoke from his trance, shaking his memories of that horrible night free from his mind. He had spent most of the morning "training" with Ruby, Nora, and Ren. Said training consisted of video games, exercising, and cooking new Mistrali recipes, respectively. Meanwhile, Qrow lay across from him on the couch, a flask of alcohol Jaune wished stayed empty.

"What time is it?" Jaune looked to the clock. Four in the afternoon. Almost time to get things ready for dinner. Standing with a stretch, he walked towards the kitchen.

But stopped when he noticed something. Someone.

There was a knock at the door. It was small, feeble. A child's knock. Jaune felt his mouth go dry as Qrow awoke and answered the door. To the partially sober man, Qrow saw a young teenager who looked barely old as Ruby. To the god of souls, Jaune saw two souls living inside one body. And one of them was too familiar.

"What do you want, kid?" Qrow asked. "You lost, or somethin?"

"Um, h-hello, sir." The boy's voice cracked. "Um, my name is Oscar and, uh, I was told to come find you."

"Oh, yeah? By who?"

"Who is it, Uncle Qrow?" Ruby called as she descended the stairs with Nora.

"An old mentor." The voice changed. "And an older friend."

"Wait, is that-?" Nora began to ask, but didn't finish as a blond blur rushed past Qrow.

"YOU BASTARD! YOU SICK, EVIL, INSANE BASTARD!" Jaune roared at the man guised as a child. "YOU SWORE YOU WOULD NEVER DO THIS! YOU GAVE ME YOUR WORD!"

"HEY!" Jaune turned to see Qrow pointing his gun at him, with Ruby and Nora behind him, looking on in fear. "Put. The kid. Down."

Jaune set the boy down. Ozpin dusted his body off and let out a sigh. "My apologies, Mister-"

"Lord Jaune." He growled. "You don't get to use that name anymore."

Ozpin nodded and walked past, retreating to the house. He could feel their eyes on him, but none made an effort to approach him. Instead the door shut behind him and he heard the lock latch to keep them all safe.

He couldn't blame any of them.

He never flew into such a rage before. Not once in Jaune's existence has pushed him to a point where he would physically attack someone. Leave it to Ozma to push said boundaries. But even so, his rage was justified, wasn't it? Before, Ozma's vessels had all been adults, mortals who had married with children and spent their lives dedicated to a craft to the benefit of their community.

Ozma swore to the god that he'd never inhabit the body of a child. And oaths to divine beings were never to be taken lightly.

"Jaune?" He turned to find Ruby standing next to him. "Are you okay?"

Jaune looked at her. Her silver eyes cut into him, thinking back to a distant time when he last met a silver-eyed warrior. More than 200 years ago. And yet she was the first he met since. He needed to learn the truth about what happened to the others, but to find this truth, he need honesty. And honesty, was a two-way street.

"Jaune?"

"I'm a god."

[mariacallous]

Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary is on thin ice in the Senate and man, it’s really something. 

Republican senators told HuffPost reporters today that they have some reservations about Pete Hegseth’s personal conduct. The Fox News host has been accused of alcohol abuse so severe that his TV colleagues had to “babysit” him; of financially mismanaging multiple veterans’ groups; and of raping a woman in a hotel room in 2017, along with other alleged sexual misconduct. 

Hegseth has denied all those claims, calling them “fake.” 

But Senate Republicans don’t seem convinced. And they sure don’t sound like they want to vote for him to lead the Pentagon.  

“I have some very real concerns about some of what’s come out recently and I want to ask him about that,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told HuffPost on Wednesday.

If Hegseth goes down, he would be the second high-profile Trump Cabinet pick to flame out before even getting a Senate vote — and a real testament to Trump’s haphazard approach to governing. 

The president-elect’s transition team apparently made little effort to check Hegseth’s background, just like it made no effort to see if Republican senators could stomach former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz — who at the time was under a House ethics investigation over allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor — as attorney general. 

Trump and his allies have been trying to project the idea that they have a more organized, put-together agenda for his second term. But so far, he’s just winging it like he did in his first term. Not impressive.  

Trump’s nomination struggles are also a smaller-level testament to the institution of the U.S. Senate and some of the Republicans in it. Of course, they’re just doing their jobs as stewards of the constitutional “Advice and Consent” function of the Senate, but hey, at least they’re not being total doormats. 

As for now, Trump will still need their support if he wants to quickly install his Cabinet in January. And the president-elect has not reupped his recent demand for recess appointments, which would — theoretically — be a way for Trump to bypass the Senate’s approval. So we’ll see how long this strugglebus dynamic holds.

[sewer-sermon]

erm what the phreak......it's like some kind of phighting oc post in here!! yeah i have four of these guys n they're all a big beautiful found family. Smiles

Enphoso's gear is based off the joyful periastron epsilon, albeit VERY heavily modified- she's the Crossroads' very own slasher, and also the adoptive mother of these three doofuses! Despite being a serial killer she loves her babies very much and keeps regular contact with them. Somehow. We're not.... Entirely sure how that's working out- but hey, it is! She never shows any skin and uses a voice changer while speaking- no one's really sure what she looks or sounds like. She's in her early 60s, so she's pretty damn adept at keeping herself alive.

Zombiestaff's gear is xeir namesake- xey wanted to be a Phighter, but unfortunately Dom & Valk have filed a restraining order on them due to xeir.... Unorthodox methods, putting it politely. Besides xeir tendency to Literally Just Bite People, xeir Phinisher quite literally entails mind controlling any Phighters within a certain radius, briefly turning them into hapless zombies to serve Zombiestaff's bidding! After some brief discussing and one-too many matches swept, the move was agreed to be illegal and Zombiestaff was banned from using xeir gear in matches. This doesn't stop xem from sneaking into the ring every so often, of course! Xey are the youngest sibling, jobless and currently living in the sewers of the Crossroads. C:

Bloxy Cola is god's least favorite service worker! Similar to Zombiestaff (despite what xey might insist), her dreams of being a Phighter also fell through, though mostly due to his own anxieties and feelings that her gear was "worthless" for combat. He works painfully long shifts at a gas station in the middle of buttfuck nowhere instead, selling cheap junk food and gasoline to people who are probably, generally having more fun than her for a living! He's tired, man. She's very tired. He's the middlest sibling.

Alien Parasite is a rather interesting case. Oldest sibling, and the only actual successful Phighter of the phamily- she used to reside in Playground with the rest of her family, until a particular Sword event and a bad run-in rendered it partially zombified! She still has a relative amount of her personality and free will intact, which is exactly why Blackrock took such a strong interest in it. She was "politely made" an "offer" of free housing within Blackrock, in exchange for completely signing away its human rights to scientific study- and really, how could a guy refuse??? Her siblings don't hear from it much anymore, but any correspondence they do get out of her sounds cheerful enough, so surely it's doing fine! Right? Right??

.....Bloxy and Zombie don't like to think about it all that much.

under the cut is some bonus doodles, concepts n little snippets of them interacting C:

+ hey man who's that