#but honestly- that mission really felt like a fever dream of some kind

[a-f00lish-saint]

Hey- was anyone else confused on the  zombies coming out of basically nowhere’s in SRTT???? Like it was fun and all- (to an extent) but like-.?..why in a saint row game?- like I know I shouldn’t be confused about that part of a game tbh that has cloning,  aliens in the 4th one- and then actually hell- but I can’t help but be a bit confused here man, it was also just an annoying mission to kinda get through, I’m just so confused on it, it felt like it came out of nowhere’s

(This is just me saying I can suspend my disbelief for these games-… if done right and i don’t think the zombies were done right imo)

[lovebeinaprincessworld]

Hopeful Love (Cato Hadley x reader)

Description: The arena was horrifying, but with Cato by your side - maybe you could make it through everything?

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Masterlist

A/N: you can read this even if I might write another part, as always all my writings do have a conclusive ending, no matter which part!

Warnings: death, blood, wounds, the typical hunger games stuff

7515 words

It felt like a fever dream - like it wasn’t really happening. The moment Aspasia had hugged you and the platform started moving, your heart was beating out of your chest, and not in a good way. The light was blinding for a moment and then you took in the arena. The biggest part of it was a forest and there was also a big grass portion where the cornucopia was located.

Your attention snapped back to the other tributes, some looked more than ready to finally kill and some looked like they wanted to kill themselves. The cornucopia was filled with things, less and less of them strewn around the farther they laid from it. They also seemed to be less useful the further one went from it.

And finally your brain kicked in a little, your eyes moving over the other tributes searching for Cato. He was exactly opposite to you, and his eyes were already locked onto you in determination. This was probably the worst possible distance for his plan (the one of you running towards him) and you were sure your chances of making it at the moment were like 30 percent or less. If you died hopefully it would be quick, but you would try to make it - for him.

You could see the countdown was already at 16 and you took a deep breath to ready yourself for the sprint, listening to the steady rhythm of the numbers going down. You were honestly curious how the people watching would take Cato trying to protect you - nobody knew anything about you two yet, how could they?

The countdown was getting lower and lower and you felt like you were about to throw up when it reached 3. You braced yourself to jump down from the platform. 2. You took a deep breath. 1. You really hoped you wouldn’t catch a knife to the back - and then you were running. It was like you were on autopilot, putting one foot in front of the other and towards Cato who was running even faster - considering he was way taller that made sense.

You were almost there, and you really thought you would make it - when suddenly someone tackled you from the right. In retrospect you should’ve been more aware of your surroundings, but what shocked you the most that on top of you and trying to grab you neck was Taron, your own district partner. You had no idea he hated you so much he made it his mission to kill you first. You tried to keep his hands off your throat, but when he finally got a good grip he was ripped off of you.

Cato was determined to keep you alive. Fuck, he had never run this fast in his life and when he almost reached you that son of a bitch from your district seriously tried to take you from him. Foolish. He ripped him off with ease, taking his head between his big hands and breaking his neck with a controlled snap of his hands. One person less.

He pulled you up immediately, taking your hand in his firmly and making his way towards the cornucopia. He picked up a long knife and a small one on the way, giving you the small one and ending every tribute that came near you two with the other. You knew his weapon of choice was a sword but you hadn’t been close enough to the cornucopia yet.

The other careers had already brought the cornucopia under their control, so once you arrived there, the other tributes were either dead or they already ran away. You were shocked that you had honestly made it, still kind of on edge by the way Clove, Marvel and Glimmer were eyeing you, but you knew as long as Cato stuck to your side you were relatively safe - as safe as one can be in the arena.

Cato pulled you into the cornucopia - the other three rummaging through the things in the entrance - and when you were at least a little shielded he pulled you into a bonecrushing hug. You could almost hear Caeser Flickerman commenting in your ear. „Cato“, you whispered, you were surprised he was willing to show this much emotion in front of the camera.

The tall career was honestly a little worried that his feelings for you would damage his hardened career image and offend the sponsors - but on the other hand he was in an arena fighting with others until death. So he didn’t really give a shit, he was just so incredibly happy that you were safe for now and he couldn’t control himself, he had to hold you close, even just for a moment.

When you mumbled his name, pressed against his chest, he gently kissed your forehead before hesitantly letting you go. Eventhough the bloodbath was over for now, you were still relatively out in the open right now and he needed to sort out the supplies and plan with the others. He drank in your pretty face for another moment and without words (he was never the biggest talker and especially not in a situation like that) he pulled you along to sort through the equipment.

—————————

You were quiet, now that the adrenaline was gone and all the death and killing that happened was sinking into your brain you had to concentrate on your breathing to not freak out. You knew Cato wasn’t affected by this nearly as much as you - he was trained for this after all. But the lifeless eyes of the other tributes, the ones that trained next to you for a week, haunted you. And when the canons went off after the bloodbath it felt final. You were really right in the middle of the hunger games.

The Careers were building a camp down by the river and the meadow and you were mindlessly carrying stuff from the cornucopia over there with Cato. The others were leaving you alone, but you knew that if it wasn’t for Cato you would be dead for sure. Two of the Careers - Glimmer and Marvel - were scouting the closest parts of the forest to find tributes who may have lingered around. You had one ally more, a boy who claimed he could dig up the mines from around the cornucopia and bury them around your food stash so it would be safe.

Once the others seemed satisfied with everything you sat down around the camp, Clove in one corner playing with her knives and facing the forest and you and Cato in the shade in the back, while Noah (that was the other tributes name) was still moving the mines. „How are you feeling?“, Cato was talking as quiet as possible, but it probably still would be picked up by the cameras.

He had just put down the last bag and sat down next to you, his eyes scanning your form, his hand reaching for yours gently. Crazy to think how he easily murdered multiple people a few hours ago and now the same hands were so soft with you. „I’m okay, don’t worry“, you gave him your best attempt at a smile, but he looked only partly convinced. How could you truly be okay though? The carefree nights on the rooftop seemed so far away.

Cato wanted to say more, but he didn’t want your private conversation to be broadcasted for everyone to hear, so he just nodded and pulled you into his side with one arm. He kissed your temple carefully, trying to convey his thoughts like that - and simultaneously fighting the urge to kiss you for real. He decided he would postpone that to when it was dark, and their was at least a minimal amount of privacy.

Suddenly Glimmer and Marcel broke out of the treeline, and with them was another person - still alive that is. They came closer and when your recognized the other tribute you sat up straight in surprise. „Peeta?“, you mumbled to yourself and you could feel Catos arm around you thighten. „What’s he doing here?“, Cato barked when they were close enough, standing up and pulling his sword out.

„Calm down lover boy“, Marvel rolled his eyes and walked over to Clove. „He‘s our best shot at finding the chick from his District“, Glimmer explained, picking up and apple from the bag and eating it. „Watch it District 12, one wrong move and it’s over“, Cato warned Peeta with a rough voice and gave him a dark stare before sitting down next to you again, a protective hand on your thigh. Peeta just nodded and they started planning the hunt for Katniss.

————————

Tracking through the dark forest that night, you felt like throwing up. This was all so wrong, Katniss had helped you - considering the weird circumstances she was probably your only friend(ly contact) next to Cato and you were walking through the woods trying to find and kill her. Not that you would be the one to do it, but you were with them, weren’t you? Cato held your hand tightly as if afraid something might happen if he let go for only a second.

And maybe it might, because his hand was literally the only thing stopping you from full on panicking and running away. What was the future perspective here anyway? Only one would leave this arena alive. The other three (except Peeta, who seemed just as unsure as you and Cato who was looking all serious) were joking around and having fun and it only made the whole situation more bizarre.

Suddenly Glimmer squeaked excitedly and when you followed her gaze, you could see a fire in the distance. „The fuck, who would be so stupid“, Marvel was cackling and you took a deep breath when you walked towards the fire, knowing what was to follow. The girl didn’t realize the group was there until Marvel was standing directly behind her, and her face was that of pure horror. You looked away, but the bloodcurling scream would never leave your memory. If Cato didn’t fall for you, this could’ve been you.

The canon went off and you didn’t realize how tightly you were holding onto Catos arm until he pulled you away from the scene. „Sorry“, you whispered and he just calmly squeezed your hand. You were glad he was calm enough for the both of you, always grounding you and protecting you.

After a few more hours and tips from Peeta, you gave up for the night and settled back down in your camp. Clove took first watch and Cato pulled you away to your private corner, settling down on the ground between a few boxes. He leaned against a heavy one and pulled you in between his legs - just like he did on the rooftop. It was dark here, a little bit of light filtering through form the fire, but you felt the tension leave you for the most part when you were tucked into his chest.

„You will be okay, I promise“, Cato whispered close to your ear and somehow that made you so emotional, made you feel like he understood your struggle with all of this without you having to say anything and you had to fight back tears for the first time since you had met him. „I love you“, you whispered back, not knowing what else to say and hoping it would be enough. You could feel him gently lift your chin towards him and pressing a soft kiss to your lips.

———————

It had been two days since that night and the other Careers were obsessed with finding Katniss. You hadn’t had the chance to talk with Peeta yet, but you felt his eyes on you sometimes, making you wonder what it was he wanted. And when the others were arguing about which direction Katniss would most likely be in, Cato had stepped away from you for a second and Peeta seized the opportunity.

„So, you and Cato huh?“, he smiled and stepped next to you, „Katniss told me she already suspected something at training.“ You blushed a little at the thought of the other tributes talking about you two. „Yeah, Cato and me“, you smiled too, „and you and Katniss right? At least it seemed like it“. His smiled was fading a little, and you guessed he felt guilty for trying to help the Careers kill her, when he obviously had feelings for her. Her, you weren’t so sure if this was true.

„Yeah I guess the survival instincts kick in“, he lamely explained, but you guessed the underlying message was, that he wasn’t really helping the Careers, just biding his time until he could run off. You could understand that. „I guess“, you sighed, the look you two shared in understanding was interrupted by a mad looking Cato. „Piss off 12“, he growled and pulled you close by the waist, Peeta raised his hands in surrender and walked off with a small smile towards you.

„What did he want?“, Cato gruffly asked with furrowed eyebrows and squeezed your waist, his other hand on the handle of his sword. „Nothing“, you smiled and stood on your tiptoed to kiss his jaw, making him grumble but relent.

You set off on another hunt for Katniss, and had only walked a few minutes next to the river when suddenly Marvel discovered her in the water. Shit. She looked just as shocked as you probably did and if Cato wouldn’t have pulled you along you would have remained there. The Careers followed her through the woods and you were sure you had to witness her death now, when she climbed a tree.

Glimmer missed with her bow and they were getting agitated when Cloves eyes fell on you. „You’re small, can’t you climb up there?“, she grinned evilly and was probably hoping you would either get killed by Katniss or the fall down there. You were about to answer when Cato spoked up. „I’ll do it“, he grunted. „Cato, I can-", you started to say, he didn’t have to do everything for you, you were really starting to feel bad. „No“, he interrupted you without looking at you and laid down his equipment before starting to climb the tree.

You looked at him worriedly, he was way too heavy and tall to climb up a tree like that. And as if you called it, one branch broke and he fell, taking several other branches with him. „Cato! You okay?“, you kneeled next to him, but he just got up with a grunt and glared up a the tree, while you were checking him for injuries.

„Let’s just wait here, she has to come down at some point if she doesn’t want to starve“, Peeta suggested and unhappily the others agreed, climbing up was out of question now that Cato took all the usable branches with him.

———————

You had been laying awake in Catos arms for what felt like hours, your mind running through all the horrible things that had happened or will happen. The thought that Katniss sat up there right now, fearing for her life (just like probably everyone else in this arena) and you were part of the group that was the reason for that, made you sick. All the other deaths were bad, but you didn’t know them. Katniss? Katniss had been nice to you, showing you how to make fire and how to set up traps eventhough she didn’t owe you anything.

Silently sighing you looked up to the sky, the sun started to rise half an hour ago. The other thought that was bothering you, was that it was either you or Cato making it out alive. It wouldn’t be both of you. And considering your chances of survival without him, it would most likely be him. And he was so thickheaded, he would never leave you out of his sight voluntarily, meaning that in the end it would be either him that would have to kill you, or one of you had to sacrifice themselves.

And you sure as hell didn’t want him to die, and neither did you want him to live with your death on his consciousness. A silent tear escaped your eye when you accepted what you had to do. Now was the perfect opportunity to leave. He would be incredibly angry, but you would rather he be angry than either of you having to live with the guilt.

The others were sleeping around you, and you carefully peeled yourself out of Catos arms, sitting up next to him. He didn’t move, and you looked at him for a long moment, before softly kissing his cheek and standing up as quiet as possible. You made sure the others were still asleep and grabbed your small backpack (with your waterbottle, knives and some food) before silently walking towards the edge of the clearing. You couldn’t stop yourself from looking back one more time and you immediately regretted it.

Cato was awake and sitting up, looking at you with a scowl on his face and tense muscles. Your face fell and you went rigid for a second, before tears filled your eyes and you just gently shook your head, mouthing „I’m sorry“ before taking off. Fuck, he wasn’t supposed to see you, and he would most likely follow you now. You still had to try though.

Catos heart felt like it would jump out of his chest. What the hell were you doing? He sensed you were feeling guilty and overwhelmed but he didn’t think you would try to leave. Try being the main point here, because he sure as hell wouldn’t let you. When you mouthed you were sorry, something inside of him snapped and he jumped up as quietly as he could, grabbing his stuff and following you into the forest. He couldn’t do this without you, the only reason he even tried anymore was you.

Tears were running down your cheeks as you made your way through the thicket and you had to surpress a sob when you heard Cato following behind you. You were about ten meters infront of him, but you knew you could never outrun him, no chance. He let you get a little farther, probably to make sure you were far enough from the others, before closing in on you.

You had just made your way between a rock formation and you could hear a small stream nearby when he grabbed your upper arm and hauled you around, trapping you between his big body and the boulder behind you. „What the hell do you think you’re doing?“, he was visibly angry, but tried not you raise his voice and you refused to meet his gaze.

„Let me go Cato“, you whispered, and you meant it in more than the literal sense in that moment. It would be easier if he would forget about you. „Never! Do you hear me? (Y/N) I will never let you go“, he sounded almost desperate and his hands left your arms, one grabbing your waist tightly and the other cradling your jaw.

He hated how you were refusing to look at him, you were the only thing he fucking cared about anymore and you almost left him. You wanted him to let you go. „Why would you even say that? Without you I wouldn’t…I can’t even…“, he was so panicked at the thought of losing your he couldn’t find the words, but you finally met his eyes, „I love you so much baby, please don’t leave me I need you.“

Your heart almost broke for the man infront of you, and simultaneously you felt so much love for him at that moment. „Cato“, you were slightly overwhelmed and your hands softly cupped his cheeks in an attempt to calm him down, „it’s easier if I go, I don’t want it to come down to us two. Better I be killed by someone else isn’t it?“ Suddenly his lips were on yours, desperate and firm and you could only whimper and return it with as much passion. How could you ever think he wouldn’t have hunted you down, no matter how far you went?

Cato pulled back for air and the both of you were panting. „Don’t say that. Never…never say that“, he sounded liked he was in agony and you hated yourself for doing this to him. „But-“, you tried to reason with him. „Don’t“, he growled and pulled you impossibly closer kissing you again, and you sighed softly, thinking in the back of your mind what a great show you were giving the audience. But neither of you cared anymore.

Suddenly Cato flinched and let out a pained hiss, making your heartbeat rise in worry. He turned around quickly, shielding you with his body and then you could see the arrow sticking out of his shoulder. Glimmer. „You’re betraying us already?“, the blonde called out from the top of the opposite boulder you two were leaning against, another arrow readied. Please, please don’t let him die.

Before any of you could react, there were suddenly screams coming from the direction of the other Careers and Cato seized the opportunity. He reached up quickly with his uninjured arm and because Glimmer was distracted he yanked her down roughly by her ankle. With a scream she came crashing down losing the grip on her bow and with a fast movement of his wrist the pretty girls trashing stopped and the canon went off.

„Come one we have to go“, Cato says, and you were still stunned by what just happened in the matter of a few seconds. Then the two of you were off, quickly running through the forest.

—————————

You and Cato had run through the forest as far as he could go with his arm, until you had singled out a really big oak, climbing up to see if you could settle there. The middle of the treetop was shaped like a small circular floor and after Cato managed to climb up the tree - which was way harder for him than for you - it was perfect for you two as a camp.

Cato looked really pale now, the arrow sticking out the front of his shoulder and you were so in over your head. „Shit, I think we have to pull it through love“, you said, your aunt was working as a nurse and a little bit seemed to have stuck with you. He just nodded, and you got out a shirt you had taken as a spare and ripped it in stripes, to immediately wrap his wound once you cleaned it.

„This is gonna hurt“, you softly stroked his cheek and he closed his eyes. You gave him an encouraging kiss and he chased your lips when you pulled away, before you took a deep breath and fought your inner restraints and carefully but quickly pulled the arrow through. He groaned in pain, throwing his head back and holding onto your hip so tightly you were sure it would bruise.

As soon as the arrow was out, you quickly took of his shirt, cleaned the wound with water - you didn’t have anything else on you - and wrapped it tightly with the ripped shirt. The bleeding wasn’t as profusely as you had anticipated, so that means there was probably no major artery hit. „Rest now, I think we’re safe here for now“, you kissed his sweaty cheek and helped him lay down comfortably with his backpack as a pillow.

You settled down next to him, and you thought he was asleep when he suddenly grasped your hand. „Don’t leave“, his voice was raspy and his eyes half closed, but he still looked scared you would try to leave again. „Never, I promise“, you leaned down and softly kissed his lips, „I’m sorry I tried to.“ He smiled a little and squeezed your hand. „I love you“, he whispered and then he was out like a light.

————————

It’s been days up in that tree, and Cato seemed to being doing worse and worse. You two had enough food and you went down to the stream nearby to fill up the water daily, but you didn’t have any adequate medication for his wound. And it was really infected, the edges a glowing red and everytime you cleaned it there came more pus out of it. Cato was sleeping most of the time and when he was awake he seemed mostly lucid and was worrying about you. Which was ironic, because he was the one who needed the worrying.

And worry you did. There wasn’t much you could do, and you hated it. „Here baby you need to drink“, you woke Cato up gently, and he was burning up. Before he could say anything, your evening was interrupted by an announcement from the Gamemakers.

„Attention tributes, attention. The regulations requiring a single victor have been suspended. For these games stand under the star of romance, the Capitol wants to give love a chance. From now on, four victors may be crowned, but only if they consist of two pairs of one male and one female tribute. This will be all announcements.“

You and Cato were silent for a moment, before his good hand gripped your hip where you were sitting next to him. „Fuck baby, that means we could both go home“, he rasped and you were still not registering what that meant, but let yourself be pulled down by him into a messy kiss. „That’s…that’s great“, you gave him your best smile, trying to hide your worries for now. How the hell were you supposed to get his wound to heal? Or the other option - even more unlikely - how were you supposed to win this for the both of you? Damn.

—————————

Cato got even worse over the next day and his breathing was labored. You had shed a few tears when he was unconscious, but tried to pull yourself together for him. But you were helpless, until there was another announcement.

„Attention, tributes, attention. Commencing at sunrise, there will be a feast tomorrow at the Cornucopia. This will be no ordinary occasion. Each of you needs something desperately. And we plan to be generous hosts.“

Medicine. It had to be something that would heal Cato from the gaping wound in his shoulder. „You’re not going“, you didn’t even hear him wake up, but even this weak he sounded dominant. „Yes I will, you need medicine“, you almost rolled your eyes and he scowled at you, sitting up in great agony before you could stop him.

„What are you doing? Lay back down Cato!“, you exclaimed, moving closer but he swatted your hands away. „You will not go to the feast, you’d be dead in a heartbeat. Clove’s still out there, and so is Thresh, I won’t let you“, he grunted, pale and shivering. „Good thing I didn’t ask for your permission then“, you snapped, „you’ll be dead if I don’t go, and it’s only a matter of time that I die then, so no argument you’ll tell me will make me change my mind.“

Cato hated that you were so right. He was slipping in and out of consciousness the last days and to be honest he knew you were right. He just didn’t want to lose you, eventhough he had realized from the start that it would come to that point. But now there was a possibility for the both of you to go home and this stupid infected wound was fucking it all up. The thought of dying and leaving you alone in here, and the thought of you dying were equally painful.

„Fuck“, he cursed, the pain in his shoulder becoming to great to sit up anymore and he laid back down, „please just…let me hold you til sunrise then?“ Your face immediately softened and the now familiar tingling flared up in his stomach at your smile - despite his pain. „Of course baby“, you blushed a little, and he loved that eventhough you were in an arena fighting other people til death, he could make you flustered.

You laid down your head on his good shoulder and he turned onto his side a little, catching you offguard when he captured your lips in a ravishing kiss. „I wish we weren’t in here and I wish I wasn’t sick right now“, he growled in your ear when he pulled away, and you looked up at him shyly when you realized what he meant. „Me too“, you whispered, your hand stroking his cheek before kissing him gently.

————————

You decided against saying goodbye to Cato, he fell asleep all smiley and with several more kisses shared between you and if you died you wanted to leave him with that memory. Fuck, if you died that would’ve meant he died too, so you had to give it your all. You secured the bigger of your two knives in your belt and smaller in your hand and took a look back at the sleeping lover you would leave behind for now.

Then you made it down the tree and carefully tracked through the dark forest, way earlier than needed just to make sure you would make it in time. Once you reached the clearing the cornucopia was in, you settled down in a bush and alertly watched your surroundings.

It must have been over an hour, when the sun started to rise and after a few more minutes a table with five bags on it came out of the ground. Your eyes immediately zeroed in on the one with an eight on it, and you could feel the adrenaline pumping through your veins. You were about to move in - no use in waiting and have someone else snatch up your bag, plus you were fast so if you hurried that would be your best chance - when the redheaded tribute ran out of the cornucopia, snatched her bag and was off.

That was fucking smart, but it was now or never. So you pushed your legs up and ran as if your life depended on it. Because it did. From your left you could see someone else run as fast as you did, and getting closer to the table you recognized her as Katniss. Hopefully she wouldn’t hurt you, considering with the new rules all four of you could make it out alive - if she paired up with Peeta that was.

When you quickly grabbed the bag, the both of you locked eyes and it seemed a quick truce was communicated through that, because you both were on your way again. But then you saw her get a knife thrown at her by Clove. Fuck. You stopped in your tracks when she was tackled by the smaller girl and it looked like she was done for.

You had to help her, she had helped you before without even knowing you so you just had to do something. It was auf if you watched the scene from outside of your body, changing direction and running over to the fighting pair, grabbing your big knife and shoving it into Cloves throat. You pulled it out immediately and both you and Katniss were splattered with the girls blood, the adrenaline keeping you from thinking how horrified you should be at killing another person. That would have killed your in heartbeat if she had the chance.

Clove fell to the side clutching her leaking neck, gasping for air and then she was dead and the canon went off. Katniss got up immediately, picking up her bag and squeezing your shoulder gratefully. „Thanks“, she said and the both of you shared a nod and a smile, before taking of again.

————————

You couldn’t believe you actually survived this, let alone save Katniss. You were still running high on adrenaline when you climbed the tree where Cato was laying with a high fever and a badly infected wound. But now you could actually help him, you actually did it. You let yourself fall next to him, sitting on your knees and pulling out the contents of the bag.

There was a relatively big container in there, wrapped in a cloth, plus a small bottle. They were labeled with their use and so you set them aside, pulling Catos makeshift blanket off and unwrapping his nastily infected wound.

At that he awoke with a groan and looked at you unbelievingly. „You’re alive“, he rasped, he couldn’t wrap his mind around it. His vision was slightly blurred but he could see you actually came back, back to him and you seemed safe. He was thanking whoever was up there that he didn’t lose you yet. „I need to put this on your wound baby“, you said, and he saw that you got the bag from the feast, medicine included. You were incredible.

He nodded, bracing himself for the pain that came with touching his wound, and you scooped up some of the paste before spreading it as careful as possible, using a good amount. He hissed at the initial touch, but after a few seconds the paste cooled down the burning sensation in his shoulder to a low pulsing and he sighed in relieve.

At the sight of the medicine helping already, tension you didn’t even realize was there fell off of you. „Need to do the back to“, you helped him roll onto his side slowly, before spreading the same generous amount on the back of his wound. You packed away the paste safely, before making him take the recommended amount of medicine from the bottle, that was supposed to help with the fever.

It made him extremely sleepy, but you instilled a little water into him, before laying next to him exhausted. It wasn’t dark, but the both of you needed the sleep badly. Hopefully he would feel a little better when you’d wake up.

—————————

When you next awoke you were wrapped tightly in strong arms and pressed to a chest. And you immediately took that as a good sign, that he felt good and strong enough to do that. Then you noticed the sun was rising again, so you had slept for most of the day yesterday.

You enjoyed the way he was holding you a little longer, even more relieved when you noticed his breathing was already stronger and steady again. When you couldn’t wait any longer, you carefully peeled yourself out of his arms to look at his wound. He grumbled unhappily and turned onto his back when you sat up, one hand on your hip and his eyes slowly opening.

„Hey“, his voice was gravely from lack of use and you smiled at him. „Hey“, your hand softly tracked his jawline, „can I take a look at your wound?“ He grinned a little and nodded, so you sat up on your knees and pulled aside the fabric that you had lightly wrapped around it yesterday and you gasped in shock. Positive shock.

„What is it?“, he asked, sitting up quickly, before looking down at his shoulder. „It’s almost gone“, you whispered and couldn’t quite believe that there was only a little bit of pink skin left from his previously gaping wound. When you checked the other side, it looked the same. „How does it feel though? Does it still hurt? Do you still feel sick?“, you worried that it was healing only superficially.

Cato loved the way you worried about him, only now that he felt healthy again was he really able to enjoy it. Fuck, you were so perfect, you risked your life to save him and if you weren’t televised right now he wouldn’t hold back. He was hard already just at the thought of what you had been doing on that rooftop on the last night.

„I’m alright, I feel perfectly fine“, he grinned and suddenly hauled you up and onto his lap with ease. He really seemed to be better. Your gasp was stifled by his lips and they felt warm and soft again, not clammy and cold. You could cry with how happy you felt. You two could make it out of here together.

When he pulled back, he looked you over for any injuries and almost had a heartattack when he saw you were covered in blood. „Why the hell are you covered in blood? Are you injured? Do you-“, you interrupted his panick quickly. „Calm down it’s not mine!“, you cupped his cheeks, your fingers trembling a little when your remembered how you killed Clove.

„How did it get onto you then? You okay?“, he took your hands in his, kissing your shaking fingers and waiting for your answer patiently. „It was…It’s Cloves. She was about to kill Katniss and I-“, your voice gave out and he pulled you closer in comfort. „Hey it’s alright“, he whispered stroking your back softly, the terror you were feeling shrinking a bit, „it will be okay, I promise.“ You just tucked your head into his neck and stayed there for a while.

————————

It has been two more days since then, and Cato was perfectly fine again. There had been a rainstorm and because of the thunder you must have missed the canon, because in the evening you saw that the redhead was dead. So only you and Cato, Katniss and Peeta and Thresh were left.

You and Cato and been walking through the forest, your camp in the tree packed and left behind, and you were searching for food because you were running low. But when suddenly in the middle of the day, the sky turned dark, you knew you wouldn’t need that anymore. The games would come to an end tonight.

„Seems like they want it to end it huh“, Cato gripped your hand tightly, he knew the gamemakers had planned something big if they changed the time of day. „Let’s go towards the meadow“, he suggested and you just nodded, squeezing his hand gently. You almost reached the edge of the forest when you heard it. It sounded like wolves, but more…domesticated. Not quite like dogs either. But it sent a shiver down you spine.

You both stopped to listen, and it seemed like the howls were getting closer. „We should-“, Cato was interrupted when Peeta and Katniss broke out of the thicket about ten meters away, running terribly fast and screaming at you. Run. So that’s exactly what you did, Cato held your hand so tight that the circulation would most likely be cut of but you didn’t care. You only concentrated on getting away from whatever seemed to be chasing you as fast as possible.

You didn’t dare look back, hearing the heavy sounds of paws behind you entirely too close for comfort even if they were a little bit away still. You ran out of the forest and over the meadow, following the other two towards the cornucopia. That seemed like a solid idea.

Cato thought about picking you up so he could run faster, but when he realized you would probably be safe on top of the cornucopia he decided against it. You could make it like that. He heard what were probably mutants pant behind you and howl angrily, and when you finally reached the cornucopia, you had passed Katniss and Peeta a little and Cato immediately took your waist and hauled you up.

Youwere unceremoniously dumped on the cornucopia and were once again awed by Catos strength. He pulled himself up with ease, Katniss right next to him, who started to pull up Peeta. But it seemed like they were a millisecond too slow, because one of the creatures grabbed Peetas leg. „Peeta!“, Katniss screeched and you were thankful Cato immediately jumped into action, grabbing Peetas other arm and ripping him out of the monsters hold.

The four of you stood on top of the cornucopia, panting and gasping for air when you had a chance to look at the creatures for the first time. And you almost got sick at the sight. They were huge mutant dogs, growling and jumping up the side of the cornucopia. But the worst were their faces. They were distinctly human, but not quite. The gamemakers were fucking sick.

Before you could think about anything else, a strong arm wrapped around your neck and pulled you back roughly. With a gasp, you gazed up towards your attacker. Thresh. He was bleeding profusely, and it seemed liked the creatures got him good before they ran after Katniss and Peeta.

The others looked at you in shock, Katniss had an arrow pointed at him and Cato seemed like he wanted to murder and rip apart the tribute holding you with his bare hands. Peeta was limping an balancing on his good leg, looking as helpless as you felt.

„Let her go“, Cato barked at the nearly equally tall man, and your hands grasped the arm wrapped around your throat. „Ha, fuck you! And you don’t even need to try Katniss, if I fall, she falls too“, Thresh seemed to know his situation was hopeless, „fuck all of you! You four get to go home and have a nice life? How’s that fair? Why do you deserve that? I would have deserved that too, Rue would have deserved that, all of us would have!“ He wasn’t only speaking to you, he was looking at the sky and seemingly addressed the Capitol.

Katniss flinched a little when Rue was mentioned. „How about I snap your pretty little neck hm?“, he cackled and you were frozen in fear, „that’s what they want right? Drama, death and betrayal!“

„You don’t have to give them what they want“, you whispered, the other three still rooted in their spots, „you don’t have to be who they want you to be. If you don’t let them, they can’t take that from you.“

Thresh laughed, and then it turned into a sob. Suddenly, he let you go, pushing you forward roughly and Cato caught you in a tight grasp. You turned around just in time to see him raise three fingers to his tearstained face, holding them to his mouth and raising them into the air, before falling backwards and into the pack of monsters on the ground. And then he was screaming, before Katniss went forward and put him out of his misery with an arrow.

Then she raised her hand in the same gesture as he did, Peeta following suit and then you and Cato did too.

———————

You four had waited there for an hour, the pack was long gone and you knew you won the games. But there wasn’t anything happening, which worried you tremendously. When the sun started to rise, you decided to climb down and as soon as your feet hit the ground, the gamemakers spoke up.

„Attention, attention tributes. There has been a slight rule change. The previous revision allowing for four victors has been revoked. Only one victor may be crowned. Good luck. And may the odds be ever in your favor.“

The four of you stood in silence for a few moments, looking utterly defeated. „They have to have a victor“, you whispered, scared for what might happen now, because Katniss was still holding her bow and Catos grip on his sword was so thight his knuckles were white. Only you and Peeta looked at eachother with surrender.

„No“, Katniss said, throwing her bow down and pulling something out of her jacket. Nightlock berries. You recognized them from back home and from training. If you’d eat them you’d be dead before they reached your stomach. And you suspected what her idea was.

„We don’t have to give them a winner, why should we“, she locked eyes with you, and you nodded, looking up at Cato who was watching your reaction. He seemed to know what they were too. He held out his hand just like you. Fuck them. None of you would be happy if you went out of here a victor. Let the last thing you ever did be a big defiance against the Captiol.

„Together?“, Peeta asked Katniss, and Cato couldn’t help himself and pulled you in for one last kiss. He hated that you were going to die - he didn’t care about himself - but he knew you wouldn’t back down. And going together with the woman he loved seemed like a good way to go. And giving the gamemakers a big fuck you felt reassuring too.

Cato let you go and the four of you looked at eachother one last time, your hand tightly laced in Catos, and then Katniss gave a small nod. „One“, Peeta said, and you and Cato moved closer. „Two“, you whispered and looked into his blue eyes, memorizing the way he always made you feel. „Three“, Katniss said and you raised the berries to your mouth, ready to die, when you were interrupted.

„STOP! Stop! Ladies and Gentleman may I present the winners of the 74th annual Hunger Games.“ Cato pulled you into his embrace immediately.

—————————

So this was part 2! And yes I know all four winning is as unrealistic as it might get, but I didn’t want to kill Katniss or Peeta and if I want to write another part, I need the normal revolution storyline. What do you think? Do you want another part?

I just tagged everyone asking for a part 2, I hope that’s alright it’s y’all!

@xplrcolbyy @riverlikethelake @l0stinth3nightsky @lisedanie @mysticdaisy21 @n1ght5h4d3-24 @inparanormal @hannahnikohl @worshiptheduck

[derekscorner]

Witchy Timed Ramblings

I dont even know where to begin

Bayonetta 3 was such a mixed experience. One that was ultimately proven to be negative and frustrating by the time I was done. I know many, both casual and shipper alike, have issues with the Cereza-Luka ending but that proved to be lower on my list of complaints.

I hated Demon Slave as a mechanic. It was fine at first but the game did it’s damnedest to make you use it around every corner which angered me greatly. I still ignored it when I could in favor of normal combat but that option wasn’t as readily available as you’d expect.

And yes, I know ignoring that core new gimmick will make the game more frustrating. When I say I was frustrated it was for things I couldn’t seemingly help.

The things that proved the most frustrating was camera, the abundance of mini-game bosses, and Jeanne’s levels. Camera itself worked perfectly fine and was zoomed out a bit too far at times at it’s worst. The issue I had camera wise was enemies. It felt like I got hit out of eye-shot more far too often...which made no sense given how the camera operated fine.

Between that random sniping and being forced to use the clunky Demon Slave system I felt like I died a lot or was just annoyed by what I was doing. I want to play Bayonetta not a demon that’s far slower and limited in moveset and I definitely dont want to control this demon when Bayonetta herself can’t move only to get sniped off screen.

I am by no means a good Bayonetta or action game player. I get mad at Bayo 1 & 2 as well but I at least realize my deaths in those games are my own fault. The only thing that feels unfair in those earlier titles is Bayo 1′s sudden QTE segments.

And while many hated Bayo 2′s umbran climax mechanic they could still choose to play without it since they could use the magic meter for torture attacks instead. It didn’t really impact a desire to ignore it since both mechanics used the same meter for different gameplay gimmicks.

In other words Bayonetta 3 forced me to do things that I did not find fun in the slightest. My deaths or damage didn’t feel like my own fault.

Mini-games Galore

Then there was the Jeanne missions and the over abundant mini-game boss battles or mission segments.

Jeanne’s missions aren’t overly offensive just not fun. It felt like the director got drunk, binged Totally Spies, and threw Jeanne into that fever dream. I already have to swap between Viola and Bayonetta during missions so I do not know why Jeanne couldn’t have proper missions. She’s so fun to play when unlocked in older titles.

Luckily she only had four missions so it was a disappointment at best. The thing that ground my gears nearly as much as the Demon Slave gimmick was the number of gimmicky events in Bayonetta’s story.

Nearly every boss was some sort of mini-game event. They ranged from painful to boring. The worst one by far, Sin Gomorrah, was used twice. I can’t begin to describe to you how painfully slow those Gomorrah battles are.

The only one that moderately fine for me was Baal. I suck at rhythm games, dislike them even, but this was amusing at least. Baal’s humanoid appearance and personality got me to enjoy it despite how bad I am at such games.

The moment demonic hands reach up from hell with glow sticks I actually laughed. That’s the kind of silliness I’d expect from Bayonetta. Despite that I wouldn’t want to play it too often but it was a welcome moment in a set that didn’t hit with me.

I spent more time playing something besides Bayonetta herself I felt. When I did get to play Bayonetta I felt some levels went on far too long. Worlds were too big at times as well. (I hated the Egypt world with a passion, forty fucking minutes...)

World Maps

Finally, the most mixed aspect for me was the maps. I do honestly feel that missions go on far too long but it was something I both liked and hated.

I grew up on adventure titles so I’m 25yrs hardwired to explore a level. One reason I loved Sonic Adventure 1 more than 2 was due to the existence of a hub world.

In that sense I love the island of Thule and left sadden I get so little time on it. I wanted to see more of the Umbra and Lumen history there. I also love the feel and aesthetics of Gunnigap. (or however it’s spelled)

I initially loved finding things in the levels but it gets tiring quickly. The very fact that Bayonetta, a game about hack n slash combat, needs a marker button to remind you of where you’re supposed to go feels wrong.

The sheer scale of it all makes my complaints about the camera prior feel contradictory but that’s just how mixed it made me feel. I think the levels just went on a tad too long with too many nooks to look into.

I will end this small section on a random note; Thule really made me want to know the Lumen/Umbran history there. Did they visit other worlds? Did they just watch? Did they leave due to the war? So many fun questions!

Resolution

I suppose I should wrap this up. It became far longer than I expected due to Viola and Lore. (I had to break this up into three posts linked below)

Ultimately the game proved frustrating to play and unless I can skip the mini-game boss battles I wont touch the game again.

My only other impressions weren’t even complaints. Like the graphical style. It doesn’t suck yet everyone either appears slimy or rubbery for some reason.

Or fairies. They were thrown in so randomly and then used as excuse to give Luka and Viola devil triggers. It’s not even offensive it’s just fucking there...at least the Bayonetta Origins seems interesting thanks to the introduction of Fairies and their “twilight magic”.

I’m not interested in Bayonetta 4 with Viola there. I’d like a proper game about her with her actual mother and father but not what they’ve done here. Hell, I’d be more game for a title that focus’ on Jeanne.

Imagine a remake of Bayonetta 1 or a game similar but now Jeanne’s the star etc. The Multiverse is there so do something actually interesting...anyway I’m tired. Bye now~

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

For the rest of the Witchy Timez Ramblings go here: https://derekscorner.tumblr.com/tagged/Witchy-Timed

[ama-kuu]

Dabi Fever Part 1

So this is my very first post. Please be kind, however any critics would be welcomed. This story is actually based off a dream I had but intend to give an actual ending. I’m kind of nervous but excited to see what other people think. :)

Struggling through the grocery store, sick and disoriented, you stumble here and there, leaning against the shopping cart for support when needed.

Dabi watches you as you move through the store. He was wearing a black hoodie with a black face mask covering most of his identifying scars. He has been following you closely since your last encounter when he had been sent on a food run for the LOV and forgot his wallet. Yes, they still needed to stay low and act normal for regular errands. His alternative being to make a scene and blow his cover, something in that moment he wanted to avoid and just go home. Before having to make that decision, you stepped up to the register and offered to cover his bill. Using the excuse that you would like to pay it forward with the intentions to help someone out that was in a bind.

He didn’t even know your name. He watched as you stumble one more time before deciding to step in. You looked terrible, dark bags under your eyes and as unsteady as a newborn filly.

Leaning onto the cart handle for stability, out of breath and panting, you started to rethink your decisions. When you left your apartment you had no idea your fever had gotten this bad. You rarely got sick. Sure maybe you got the sniffles around flu season. But never so bad that you couldn’t properly function. Honestly you just wanted to stop by the store for some orange juice and some fresh fruits hoping it would make you feel a little better while Keigo was away. It had been a few days since you heard from him, but you didn’t want to trouble him. You glance at your engagement ring and lay your head down on the cool metal handle.

Soon hands are beside you, gripping the cart handle on both sides, your heart rate spikes for a moment. Before calming back down soothed by the warmth felt against your back. You slowly peak behind you, never lifting your forehead off the bar. Staring through hazy eyes at the man behind you, vaguely recognizing him from your last trip here.

“Hey.. How are you?” You whisper out through a building headache.

Silence. He just keeps looking down at you, concern painted over his expression. … “Let me help you finish your shopping, it’s the least I can do to pay it forward.” He chuckles using the same phase you had spoken to him previously.

Standing upright to the best of your capability and grateful to the assistance. “Thank you, that would mean a lot right now.” A deep sigh escapes from your lips. “I really just need one more thing and I’m done but it's on the other side of the store, orange juice.” Groaning, resenting in that moment, it was located at such an inconvenient area. But relieved at your welcomed helper that came to your rescue.

Dabi glances at the ring on your finger, and anger starts to swell up in his chest. You had someone in your life, yet here you were barely able to stand. Heat spread down to his hands, he flexed them trying to ease some tension, hoping not to tip you off. Looking back he made a mental note, an engagement ring… no wedding band.

“Where is your fiancé, shouldn’t they be here? While you recover at home, and let him care for you.” He keeps his tone flat, trying to not sound like he was angry with you.

You look back down at your ring. Keigo had left for his mission a week or so ago. You knew he was probably busy and didn’t want his thoughts scattered being concerned with you feeling under the weather.

“Normally yeah… He’s been away for work though lately. I guess I have been a little stressed and not sleeping well. I really never imagined my fever would get this bad when I left the house. Typically I don’t get this bad. But it really hit me hard when I got here.” Tilting your head back and taking in a deep breath, you forget this man has not moved from behind you. Your head nearly resting against his chest, you inhale the intoxicating scent of smoked sandalwood.

“The name’s Dabi, please allow me to repay you for your help last time.” His hands grazing over your shoulders steadying you, before moving down your arms. Guiding your hands to grab onto the cart once again. Then slowly moving you and the cart to the side of the aisle, out of the way on any oncoming shoppers.

“You stay here. I’m going to get your orange juice, then we will get out of here.” Dabi quickened his pace to collect the juice. No way was he about to let you leave on your own. Hell, you could barely even stay on your feet, how could he expect you to get home alone. Grabbing what he needed, he turned on his heels and headed back to you. Preparing to say whatever necessary to get you to leave with him.

[simsadventures]

Baby Fever

Summary: You and Bucky desperately try for a baby. One day, a spirit comes to bless the union.

Warnings: myths, Deer Woman/Lady, enchanted forest, smut (MUST BE 18+ TO READ THIS STORY), fluff, swearing

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 2549 A/N: This little something was written for the best of the best, @waiting4inspiration​ and her Myths and Legends Challenge. There are many different explanation for the Deer Woman, a Native American myth, and I’ve chosen to only concentrate on the good characteristics (fertility, love, etc.). She is also believed to be luring cheating men to their deaths, but that’s not where I’m taking the story.

Hope you all will enjoy it, even if it’s a little different to what I normally do. Let me know! xx

Bucky Barnes Masterlist __ Masterlist

Baby Fever II

It was a stressful morning for you. You were currently sitting on the lid of the toilet, counting seconds before you heard your timer telling you that it was already a minute. You would’ve thought it was the longest minute you’ve ever experienced, but, truth be told, it was just one of many. This was the 7th pregnancy test you were taking, and you had the feeling, that just like the rest of them, this one would also be negative. But there still was a string of hope in your heart, and you decided to stick to that.

Bucky was behind the doors, probably waiting as nervously as you were for the results. You both have already been to the fertility doctors, and they told you that while everything was perfectly fine with your eggs, Bucky’s swimmers were not as active, despite his physique.

He knew it would be a chance after all those tests and experiments Hydra did on him, but until he met you, he never thought it would ever be an issue, having kids. He was the Winner Soldier, who would want children with someone like him?

You did. So so much.

And the longer it was that you couldn’t get pregnant, the more you wanted it. Ever since you met Bucky, you knew you’d want a family with him one day. There were other options, of course. But you just wanted to try a few more times before abandoning your dream of carrying a child on your own.

Bucky even suggested one night that maybe you should have a sperm-donor and that way it would work perfectly, but you dismissed this idea altogether. It was either with Bucky or not at all, you were dead-set on it.

When the timer buzzed, you got up on your shaky legs and walked towards the sink. You took a deep breath and turned the stick in your hand to see the result.

Your heart fell.

Only one fucking line, again. You sighed and felt tears streaming down your face again. At that moment, you could hear the door to the bathroom opening, and before you could do anything, Bucky was cradling you in his arms. The look of pure agony on his face at seeing you so upset because he couldn’t deliver. He hated this. He vowed to make you happy and to protect you, to give you all you’ve ever wanted.

But he obviously couldn’t give you this one thing, and it tore his heart apart. You were the last person he wanted to disappoint, but lately, it seemed it was the only thing he was doing.

Before he could overthink too much, you touched his cheek and made him look down at you.

“Stop. I can see your thoughts pretty clearly, and I’m telling you, stop it. It’s not your fault, I’m not putting any blame on you, and I’m sure, not disappointed with you, Bucky. I love you and that is why I want a family with you. If it doesn’t go this way, then we can adopt. I’m fine with that. More than fine actually. All I want is for us to be happy, and we obviously aren’t stressing about this so much. Let’s just stop trying, and maybe it will come one day.”

You smiled up at him, the tears now drying on your beautiful face, and Bucky couldn’t believe his won luck. There you were, the woman of his dreams letting him known of your undying love. He kissed you fiercely, passionately, trying to convey all the emotions he was feeling in this one kiss.

When you both felt like you needed air more than you needed to reassure each other, you pulled away, but only so slightly that your foreheads were touching.

“I love you, doll. More than anything, and I’ll give you a baby, one way or another,” he said in a hushed voice, still panting slightly from the lack of oxygen.

You giggled and kissed the top of his nose before you turned around and threw the stick to the garbage. No more of this nonsense, you decided, and a weight fell off your heart.

—-

Weeks after that, your life improved drastically. No longer hung over the whole pregnancy-thing, you and Bucky could finally fully enjoy sex again, and, oh boy, were you going at it.

The appetite was back and it no longer felt like a chore to neither of you. You felt as if you were back to the beginnings of your relationship, where Bucky would take you any time of a day, just because he felt like it, on any surface of the apartment. You usually woke up sore from the amount of sex you had the previous night, and the glow returned to your cheeks.

The whole team noticed that you both seemed much happier and your steps were lighter than two months ago, and despite not knowing what the cause was, they were all ecstatic for you.

Even after particularly draining mission in India, you two came back smiling at each other. Bucky felt like a teenager again, looking at you with amazement. Not once have you two talked about babies or pregnancy, or vitamins, or anything like that in the last two months, and you honestly did look that much happier now. So he wanted to take you somewhere to appreciate you properly.

Bucky knew that he couldn’t take you to a proper vacation, not with so many Hydra bases still standing, but a few day getaway wouldn’t do anyone any harm. And if you were still on the US soil, you could be with the team in a matter of a few hours, should they need you two.

There were so many options, and it took Bucky (well, and Steve and Sam, because let’s be honest, Bucky felt still a little better with the help of his two friends) a good few hours to actually settle on some destination. He even asked Tony if he didn’t own some kind of cottage somewhere in the woods, anywhere in the US, and when Tony gave him the list of places he could let Bucky and you use for the weekend, and he combined it with the places he actually liked, he finally picked something.

Great Lakes area.

Bucky knew you’ve been there only briefly once when your parents were still alive, and you had fond memories of the place.

And because you had no idea what he was preparing, he wanted to keep the moment of surprise till the two of you landed near Tony’s cottage. Or a villa. Or mansion, or whatever it was Tony actually had there.

—-

The day finally came, and Bucky only told you to pack something a little warmer, but that was it. You, always the curious one, tried to pry for information, but despite Bucky being the one to always tell you everything because he couldn’t resist your charm, this time he was like a fortress. He didn’t even let you look at the destination he put into the GPS in the quinjet.

You were sitting next to Bucky, pouting like a little child, not willing to talk to him because you just NEEDED to know where you were going.

“Relax, doll. We’ll be there soon enough, and you’ll see for yourself,” Bucky mumbled, leaning from his chair towards you to kiss your hair.

You let him, of course, and you huffed.

Bucky just laughed at your childish behaviour and continued to be his relaxed self, which only irked you more.

It was when you finally saw the vast water reservoir in front of you and saw that there were so many of them, that it all dawned on you. You looked at Bucky, who was already watching your reaction, and squealed loudly.

“Is this what I think it is?”

“Well, I’m not sure what you think it is, but, probably? I know how much you enjoyed it here with your parents and I wanted to give you another great memory of this place. This time around, more sex will probably be involved.” Bucky said, laughing at you rolling your eyes at him playfully, still smiling.

When the plane finally landed on Tony’s property, you all but ran out of it to see the whole beauty of the place for yourself. Bucky walked behind you, both of your bags in his hands, and he had to stop and take it all in.

The sun was high up, the nature was awake and singing, and among all this, there you were. You looked like a vision, even in your jeans and sweater. Bucky dropped the bags and ran to you, lifting you off the ground in a bride style, and twirled you around.

The surprised and happy giggles that escaped your lips were music to his ears.

“You like the surprise, Y/N?”

You gave him a kiss for an answer and beamed at him.

When he let you down, you both strode towards the house in front of you, which, to Bucky’s surprise, was a really cozy cottage, and not some crazy high-tech mansion.

The second you looked around the place, you turned around to face Bucky with a smirk plastered on your face.

“How about we go for a little walk? You know, explore the nature here, maybe have a little quickie in the forest, or something, huh?”

Bucky laughed, but pecked your lips, and dragged you out of the house. The image of you pinned against a tree with him pounding into you was motivation enough. He could already feel his cock twitching with interest, and he couldn’t wait to find some secluded place to take you.

You were walking hand in hand, chatting about nothing in particular, just enjoying the closeness between the two of you, while you were getting deeper and deeper into the woods. The whole setting seemed to have changed, there being more and more broad-leaved trees around, with also the temperatures rising significantly, to the point where you had to take your sweater down, and Bucky his leather jacket.

But neither of you really paid attention to it. The only thing that was important at the moment was that you were far away from any peeping Toms in the area.

Bucky saw a tree he like in particular and didn’t waste a second by pushing you against it roughly, cradling your face in his hands and kissing you with fervour. You responded immediately by giving him full access to your mouth, submitting to him fully.

You moaned when he pinched your nipple through your shirt and got to work yourself. You undid his belt and his zipper, finding that he went commando.

You opened your eyes, staring at his already smirking face and raised an eyebrow at him.

“What? I knew I’d want you and it’s just easier this way,” he said, but his voice was muffled by his mouth attacking your neck, and his hands trying to get into your own pants. To his utter surprise, you had the exact same idea as him, and he found you bare under the pair of jeans.

He laughed heartily.

“You’re the one to act surprised, sweetheart. Damn, I even wished you wore a skirt so I could just push it up your thighs and take you straight away.”

“Patience is a virtue, Buck. It will be that much sweeter when you actually pull those pants off of me.”

He smirked and kneeled in front of you, peeling them off, and kissing the skin that was revealed to him by every tug by his hands.

You were wet already, and without the barrier of your panties, he could see the wetness marking your thighs, and he couldn’t wait. He stopped his movement at your ankles, and without a word, he licked your dripping pussy.

The sound that left your mouth was loud enough to wake up any sleeping animal in the woods, but you were far too gone to care. All you wanted was to feel Bucky’s wet tongue in you.

But he didn’t give you much. He just groaned into your core, sending shivers down your spine, and then he pulled away, despite your whines of protest.

“Don’t worry, love. Imma eat you out like never before when we get back, but right now, I just need to be inside you.”

As he said it, he finally freed you off the jeans and stood up, kissing you once again, and could feel his very hard member stroking through your folds.

You bucked your hips, driven purely by the need you felt in your core and the love you felt for Bucky.

He obeyed immediately, his cock catching in your entrance before he gave a hard thrust to be fully sheeted in you.

The gasps and moans were the only things that could be heard around you, and they were loud enough that you didn’t pay much attention to what was happening around you.

From behind one of the trees, a beautiful doe stepped out, her big brown eyes following the limited movements of your bodies against the tree.

You felt as if you were being watched, and when you opened your eyes, you could see her there, just standing, watching. There was something almost human about that doe, but before you could think about it too much, Bucky hit your g-spot precisely, and he had you crying out in pleasure.

Despite the loud noises, the doe was still there.

What you didn’t, and couldn’t know was that you were already on the territory of the Potawatomi tribe, and the deer standing there was not a regular deer.

It was the Deer Woman, the phantom of fertility and love, in which mainly the Native Americans believed, and which was, obviously, very much real.

She watched the two of you in her animal form, feeling the love and adoration you were feeling towards each other surround her and tell her all she needed to know about the two of you. She smiled inwardly, loving the strength of your emotions. She could also feel a specific loss deep inside you, and when she looked well enough, she could see the problem.

And as she was feeling rather generous, she wished the nature and the universe to bless you, to give you the strength to carry a child and send a wave of this blessing towards you.

It felt as if a warm wind hit your insides. It was comfortable, and you credited it to the pleasure you were feeling thanks to your husband.

You were gasping, chanting Bucky’s name over and over again until you climaxed around him, your walls pulsing vigorously trying to milk him of everything he had. And it didn’t take long before Bucky followed your suit, shooting this cum into your warm and ready womb.

When you opened your eyes again, the deer was gone. You smiled to yourself, and let the image of the animal watching you go, feeling a little ashamed that there actually was somebody there, peeping on the two of you.

You two quickly grabbed your clothes and walked briskly out of the woods, the quickie tiring you both.

Little did you know that this trip to the enchanted forest would change your lives forever, in exactly 9 months.

Disclaimer: some places are totally made up, like the “enchanted forest”, for example, but the tribe of Potawatomi is very much real, and it is in this tribe (among many others) that the myth of Deer Woman appears, and they are indeed, to a certain extent present settled around the Great Lakes area. Just wanted to make sure we’re on the same page here :) xx

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Marvel Taglist

@voltage-my2dlove​ @kneel-begyourpardon​ @lumar014​ @ptrs-prkrs​

Forever Tag:

@eileenalone​ @sasbb23​ @p8tn0lish​ @coffeebooksandfandom​ @waiting4inspiration​ @caswinchester2000​ @mogaruke​ @justthatfangirloverthere​ @mushyjellybeans​ @livsheph​

[rosesgonerogue]

Damian’s Birthday

Daminette December Day Twenty-One

Note: This is a continuation of Day Twelve- Animals

Damian had never been one to celebrate his birthday. It simply wasn’t done in the League of Assassins, and by the time he came to live with his father he had decided that the whole thing was a waste of time. He didn’t need or want a party, presents, or any of the other nonsense that people insisted were a necessity. 

Of course that never stopped his family from trying. Grayson was the most incorrigible by far, and Pennyworth always made a decadent strawberry cake--Damian had never admitted that it was his favorite, but it was Pennyworth, of course he knew. 

But this year he was still stuck in Paris on the mission that seemed like it was never going to end. He had woken up to a series of texts from his family wishing him a happy birthday instead of Grayson launching himself onto Damian’s bed. He… missed them. Damian wanted his family back, he wanted to be home with Father, and Pennyworth, and Grayson, and all of his animals. 

He found himself at the humane society as per usual, but earlier than usual. The employees were happy to see him, and strangely enough Damian found himself wanting to see Marinette, the only person he had really connected with in all of Paris. 

Damian rubbed Eclair’s head. “You want Marinette to visit today too, don’t you? It’s too bad it’s a school day.” 

“Luckily for you, we were given the day off to finish up our service projects,” came a sweet voice. 

He whirled around, ignoring his red cheeks. “Marinette? How long have you been here?” 

“I just got in,” she said with one of her blinding smiles. “I’ve been wanting to see you too, Damian. It’s been a few days, I wasn’t sure if you would still be in Paris or not.” 

“It wasn’t the plan originally, but here I am,” Damian said, with a slight bitter edge to his voice. “The… project I’ve been sent to work on here in Paris is very touch and go, so this is the only thing I have to fill up all my free time.” 

Marinette looked troubled. “That sounds… lonely. Do you have plans for the rest of the day?” 

He had honestly planned on staying at the humane society as long as they were open, and then he was going to spend the rest of his day hoping for some kind of progress in the Hawkmoth case. It was a stupidly complex case, and they refused to let anyone else come to help him and Paris’s superheroes, because there was no guarantee that they could master their emotions well enough. 

But if there was another option…

If there was an akuma, he would have ample reason to leave and investigate. It wouldn’t hurt to have a friend in this forsaken city. He found himself saying, “No, I don’t have anything major to do today.” 

Marinette’s smile was even more blinding than before. “Great! I only really need another hour of community service and then we can go to my house and play video games or something!” 

“Sure,” Damian said, sounding anything but. 

She delivered on her promise, bidding farewell to everyone in the humane society before pulling him to her house, her hand delicately gripping his forearm. 

“Do you play any video games?” she was asking. 

“A few, with my brothers.” 

“That’s one option of things we can do, but there are a lot more. It’s all up to you!” she said, most likely unaware of the adorable skip in her step. 

Damian had almost no idea what “hanging out” with a girl entailed, especially a girl such as Marinette. However, he felt his brow wrinkle when Marinette stopped and said, “This is it!” 

“This is a bakery, I thought we were going to your house?” 

“Oh, this is my parents’ bakery,” Marinette explained, forging ahead. “We live above it.” 

She pulled him inside, shouting hello to her parents before darting up the stairs. The bakery and house were quaint, but they seemed to fit Marinette perfectly. 

Because Damian couldn’t come up with anything better to do, they ended up playing video games for the first hour at least. He had expected to need to go easy on Marinette, but she continuously and mercilessly defeated him. Out of fifteen games, he won one of them, and he was fairly sure that he had only won because Marinette was taking it easy on him. 

They spent the day largely doing nothing in particular. Marinette frequently procured heavenly food, but they did a bit of everything. They talked, they laughed, Marinette told him about her dreams of becoming a designer, while he told her about some of his family’s antics. 

It was… nice. Damian wasn’t aware of how much time had passed until it was late enough that when Marinette asked him to stay for dinner, he couldn’t come up with an adequate excuse to get out of it.

So there he sat, regrets filtering through his mind as Marinette slipped out of the room, leaving him to make conversation with Marinette’s mother, a tiny Asian woman named Sabine. 

“It’s so nice to meet you, Damian. Marinette has told us a bit about you, so it’s wonderful to put a face to the name,” she said, gray eyes shining in the same way Marinette’s often did. 

“It’s nice to meet you as well,” he said a bit stiffly. 

“Okay, tonight we’re having Croque Madelines for dinner,” Marinette’s father said, entering the room with a few steaming plates. Marinette entered with the others, setting one in front of Damian and the other where she would sit. 

Somehow Marinette’s parents were just as kind and warm as she was, and it was a bit terrifying to be honest. But all in all, it didn’t make for a terrible birthday. A part of him wondered what it would have been like to have grown up in an environment like that, where you were loved and comfortable. 

Damian almost regretted when the food was finished, but he was here for a reason. He needed to research more into this Hawkmoth if he ever wanted to leave. 

“Well, I should really get going, I need to--”

“Wait just a few more minutes!” Marinette said, darting from the room. When she came back, she was holding a multi-tiered fluffy cake with layers of whipped cream and… strawberries. 

He was getting a strawberry cake for his birthday party after all. 

“I wasn’t snooping, I swear, but I noticed you got a text telling you happy birthday, and… I wanted to celebrate with you, since your family can’t,” Marinette said. “I’m sorry if I’m overstepping my bounds, I just… I think you’re fun, you know? So I wanted you to have a good birthday.” 

Damian found himself smiling. “This might be my best one so far.”

Taglist: 

@daminette-december2019 @cravethosecrazysquares @krispydefendorpolice @thesunanditsangel @sonif50 @kris-pines04 @persephonebutkore @tbehartoo @corabeth11 @caffeinetheory @drarryismylife101 @bluerosette23 @weird-pale-blonde-person @mystery-5-5 @heaven428 @thethirdwheelfriend @thetinymoonflower @interobanginyourmom @chocolate1721 @akana-sama @skyel0ve @katiegardneriscoolerthanyou

This is one that I really wanted to have written on time, but instead I saw the love of my life in concert on Saturday. Then I got a pretty nasty fever on Sunday, so here we are. But I hope you guys like it! 

[snowbellewells]

“A Cottage by the Sea” {Part Two}

I apologize now for the delay, but I had my second @cssns​ fic to post, a few family obligations and other things pulling at me. I will absolutely try to get this one back on a regular schedule after this, but for now, I’ll stop making excuses and let you get back to what has been happening to our shipwrecked sailor and the princess who loves him...  Enjoy!!

***Thank you SO much once again to @searchingwardrobes​ for the stunning artwork she made to accompany this story! I seriously can’t say enough how much I love it. <3***

Summary: Princess Emma has always been drawn to the shores of Misthaven, where the sea meets the shore near her parents’ castle. When an unknown boy washes up on the sand, with eyes as fathomless and blue as the waters that brought him to her, he soon becomes Emma’s best friend, her partner in crime, and her other half.  But the tides give and the tides take away, and as her blue-eyed boy sails in her father’s navy and risks all in defense of those who made him family, unexpected danger and challenge will try to tear them apart, and might well show him just where he came from that day he first appeared to her from the sea…”

Links to Previous Installments:   Prologue        Part One

Part Two

When Killian’s eyes opened once more, it felt as though he had been unconscious for ages. The grit he blinked away and the painful shock that the bright sun was to his retinas had him fighting not to close them again and float back into oblivion. It took a moment for the dizziness and disorientation that pressed down on his back to subside and for his shaking arms to support pushing up to a sitting position. His skin stung and stretched with the movement when he did so, and it was only then that Killian realized he had been sprawled out prone on some deserted stretch of sand, the naval uniform he’d donned so proudly stained and torn, and any exposed skin blistered red with sunburn.

Wincing, struggling not to vomit seawater and sand back up on himself, he began to recall a bit more of what had occurred, brushing a dark, saltwater-encrusted hank of his hair off his forehead as he tried to squint against the brightness assaulting him to get the lay of the land. There had been a terrible freak storm out on the water, blowing up suddenly as if conjured especially to attack their vessel and take it down. There had been no hope of navigating such a maelstrom - in spite of their best efforts. And then, he’d gone overboard in the rising waves… there was fire… and a whirlpool… It had swallowed the ship, and all his fellow sailors, whole, right before his eyes.

Trying to take stock of himself, Killian made sure his fingers, toes, legs, arms, all extremities seemed in order, and then managed to haul himself to his feet. He staggered a bit drunkenly at first, sensing he looked a bit like the old sea dogs seen at port, past their years of crewing a vessel and often lost in their cups, but forced himself to reach the minimal shade of a palm tree nearby and leaned against its trunk heavily, catching his breath.

There wasn’t much else to take in. As far as his sight carried in either direction, he saw only the isolated beach, the sea to one side crashing against the sand in unending rhythm and a thicker stand of trees farther inland on his other. At least there was some shelter from the blistering heat, he tried to comfort himself. But no signs at all of any habitation, or any other living beings.  The pounding waves, the rustling leaves overhead… and nothing else.

But wait… hadn’t there been a voice? Before, as he’d slid under the churning waves, he’d felt arms pulling him back to the surface. And there was… singing?

Killian blinked dazedly, shaking his head of such fanciful nonsense. Who would have been singing? For all he could tell, he was alone, on a deserted island. What he needed to focus on were not fevered mirages but finding some source of water, aloe for his burns if a plant could be located, and some sort of shelter before nightfall.

Heaving a sigh, the young lieutenant knew he needed to get to work if he wanted to have any sort of protection from the elements and any natives or wild animals he might encounter before nightfall. Trudging further from the crashing surf, Killian rolled up the damp and bedraggled sleeves of his white shirt, after quickly shedding the naval jacket, and tried to push aside the waterlogged fogginess of his head and the aches and pains of extremities that had been buffetted by waves and debris from the ship’s wreckage. He had more pressing concerns needing to be dealt with in short order.

Soon, he was pulling branches and underbrush to a flat spot of beach and attempting to weave them together in his best approximation of a canopy - both for shade and rain protection when he lay down to rest. He propped it up to form a sort of lean-to up the beach near the treeline using boards from the ship that had washed ashore near him. Killian tried not to focus on the fact that he saw no sign of the ship’s sails, lifeboats, or any of his fellow sailors. He knew they’d been swallowed by that unnatural whirlpool, and yet he couldn’t fully process it either. It didn’t seem possible that all other traces of the ship, the mission, and its crew had vanished in an instant, and that he was the only one left.

When finally he had what passed for a sturdy enough shelter in which to pass the night, Killian noticed while wiping sweat from his forehead that the sun was beginning its descent back down the western side of the sky. He needed to find fresh water to drink, and gather enough more brush to start a fire. By this point, his limbs were nearly numb from exertion and lack of water, but he couldn’t stop yet. He would be doomed if he lay down before accomplishing at least those two tasks. Grim determination in the fierce lines of his young face, Killian headed into the trees, in search of some stream or pool toward the island’s center. Something must support the vegetation after all.

He was too focused on the necessities before him to sense that he was being watched, though he was indeed. Kind eyes, void of malice, indeed aching to help him, if their mood could have been read, kept their distance, but yet drank in every movement and detail of the young survivor on the sand. Eyes that seemed so intent, so loving that they might never look away… and were as limitless and blue as Killian’s own.

~~***~~

At the same time, back in Misthaven, Princess Emma waited anxiously for her love’s return. Oh, she knew it might yet be some weeks before they could possibly sail to Agrabah and back - even with the fairest of winds and smooth sailing. Despite that rational knowledge however, her young heart aflutter with love newly voiced and emphatically returned couldn’t help counting the days, even the hours, until Killian’s ship made port once more, she could look upon his well-known and beloved face and fling herself into his arms.

She grinned mischeivously as soon as that image graced her mind’s eye. Killian himself would caution her not to do any such thing. He was self-assured and competent in his naval training, a confident sailor, secure in his position and satisfied that he had earned his rank among his peers. Still, much to Emma’s chagrin, he never seemed to forget that she was royalty- the sole heir to an entire kingdom - and that he was certainly not; in fact his origins were so completely unknown as to be a mystery even to him. Though the smallest quirk of his smile or wink from his eyes as they made faces behind the dance master’s back when Emma struggled with a step and he turned to demonstrate again with long-suffering sighs at the princess’ lack of natural grace, though even those tiniest of his familiar expressions could set her blood rushing and her heart to pounding, Emma knew Killian would be embarrassed if she were to be as brazen as she were tempted in her feelings for him in front of a crowd. If she really were to throw herself into his wiry, tanned arms and take the second kiss she had been dreaming of since the first ended at their parting in full public view, he would blush to the very tips of his honestly quite adorably pointed elfin ears. She had learned quickly over the years that he did not see himself as of the same standing as she and her family; no matter that he had been brought up as one of them since they found him, and her parents would no more think that way than she did, he would still fear tarnishing her standing or regard by choosing him as her match.

‘Utter nonsense!’ Emma snorted to herself with a frustrated shake of her head, a furrow of consternation creasing her brow. She wouldn’t stand for anyone to say or think such a thing; it was one of the first topics she meant to discuss with him as soon as they were reunited. Everything had happened so quickly once they had admitted their feelings to each other; he had been ready to set sail, and after such a breathless kiss and embrace, she had been struggling to regain her wits enough to speak at all.

Even days later, Emma blushed to think of their stolen moment as she ran a comb through her hair before twisting it into a long braid for comfort while she slept. Surely the messenger bird of her mother’s would return in the morning with an answer to the missive she had sent after her lieutenant. She had kept it short, but had yearned to let him know she would think of him every second he was gone and be counting the moments to their reunion. Queen Snow’s winged couriers never failed to locate their recipients - and often within a day or two, much quicker and more reliably than any sort of human post by land or sea yet devised.

With that encouraging thought buoying her spirits, the crown princess curled up on her side under the covers with the hope that she might receive a reply in her sailor’s own hand as early as the morrow. She slept that night with a smile on her face, dreaming of a crooked, playful grin and kind eyes as blue as the ocean itself.

On the morrow, Emma rose with the sun, well rested and full of energy, her mind recalling almost immediately her hope for the day. She paused at her vanity table only long enough to pull on and belt her dressing gown over the long, silken shift in which she slept, stuff her feet into slippers, and peer out her window at the perch with food to which their messenger birds were trained to return. Even the absence of the small creature didn’t dampen her spirits; it was early yet, and the day was young.

Not until she headed downstairs to break fast with her parents and godmother did anything occur to rattle her cheerful mindset. Their morning meal opened as usual with Granny bustling around them to place fresh-baked biscuits with newly churned butter and stewed apples for topping, along with fried ham slices, before them, and they all happily tucked into the simple but delicious repast. Ruby and her mother spoke animatedly on the possibility of whether or not Graham would actually allow himself to dance with Ruby at her birthday celebration and admit the mutual infatuation which had been clear between the queen’s guard and best friend for months, or if he would continue to linger on the sidelines keeping watch, as serious and solitary as always. It seemed as though the man were still paying penance for choices made long ago leading to his enslavement and forced allegiance to Snow’s wicked stepmother before he was freed. All of that had happened years ago, before Emma was even born, but she did often sense the captain of their royal guard carried some weight on his shoulders that never lessened. He had always been kind to her, doting even, teaching her survival skills when she had been yet a child to help her in case she were ever lost in the woods, or needed to hide in nature as a place of escape. As she had grown, he had often gladly shown her techniques to better her tracking and archery when her mother could not. All the same, even when the quiet, gentle Huntsman did smile, there was a haunted sadness still clouding his eyes. Emma was contemplating that even as she met her father’s humored gaze while her mother teased Ruby that she should wear her tightest corset and brightest red gown and not give Graham a chance to deny her a turn around the dancefloor. Her godmother had winked and given them all a devious smile in return, which Emma knew meant that their Huntsman was bound to get an eyefull he couldn’t resist, and their foursome had returned to quietly finishing their meal.

Once they had eaten all they could hold, her parents were standing to go to open court where they would hear the needs and requests of the people for the rest of the morning, telling Emma to join them whenever her morning’s lesson was completed, when an emissary of a neighboring kingdom hurried into the kitchen, led by her “Uncle” Grumpy and his rather suspicious usual grumbling face. The young man appeared not in the least daunted by the dwarf’s inhospital introduction, however. He looked only at the King and Queen, bowing and breathlessly offering a quick apology for the interruption. Emma paused as well on her way back upstairs to her tutor, curious for any word of things beyond their borders - both hopeful for news of Killian’s mission and fearing it, as news might well mean trouble and explanation for why her note had remained unanswered. Ruby waited at her elbow, as if also alerted by some sixth sense to the import this man’s tidings could bear.

“Nonsense, my friend,” King David reassured the young man as he smiled understandingly and nodded for him to proceed. “You are quite alright, what news do you have for us?”

Emma, however, had taken note of the young man’s attire - the livery of her parents’ friends Eric and Ariel, King and Queen of the neighboring maritime kingdom - and her stomach flip-flopped sickeningly, the premonition that his news might pertain to her sailor’s well-being growing all the stronger.

The courier dipped his head in respectful acknowledgement once more, but as he actually began to speak, Emma noticed that he pulled the cap from his head and began to nervously twist the material in his hands as he proceeded, clearly reluctant to offer the tidings that were in store. Emma tried to steel herself for whatever might be coming, but the slithering nausea moving through her frame warned her she might have only limited success. 

“My Lord and Lady bid me notify your Highnesses of the occurrence witnessed off the shores of some uncharted islands near the Echoing Seas on our kingdom’s border, two nights hence,” the messenger began hesitantly. “As you well know, our Queen Ariel has familial connections and contacts in the acquatic world, far beyond the scope of which my king’s merely human scouts would ever possess. On the night in question, one of Queen Ariel’s own sisters was nearly swallowed by a sudden and unnatural whirlpool that came out of nowhere. As she just barely pulled herself from the undertow that would have dragged her to the very depths - dangerous even to mer-people, apparently - she saw a ship sucked into its vortex. She was reluctant to report, as you can imagine, knowing our leader’s friendship and allegiance with your Majesties, that she recognized Misthaven’s flags on the doomed ship, as well as numerous sailors onboard, fighting for their lives. According to Princess Arista, the entire vessel and all its visible passengers were subsumed within moments of the typhoon’s appearance.”

The young man’s head fell to stare at the floor as his report finished, knowing it was dire news to digest, and yet clearly well-trained enough to wait for a reply or further instructions, no matter how awkward. Emma felt herself struggling, gulping for air as she blindly stumbled to one of the kitchen stools they had vacated before she collapsed to the floor.  ‘No,’ her mind was repeating blankly, ‘It cannot be...not Killian…’ even as a dizzying haze seemed to obstruct her senses, clouding her surroundings and setting up a dull roar in her ears that made all other sounds fade to a distant hum. Ruby was immediately at her side, a soothing hand stroking her hair like the woman had often done when Emma was small and woke from a nightmare, when the werewolf’s keen hearing made her godmother the only one aware and who always slipped through the silent and darkened halls of the castle to comfort her.

She knew her parents must be looking to her in concern as well - asking if she was alright - but with the strange echo resounding in her head she couldn’t hear them clearly. As the monarchs, obviously, they would be saddened for the loss of all aboard the ship, and would keenly feel the responsibility for each death, not just Killian’s. It had been an official mission, and as such her parents would bear a weighing burden, though they could have had no way of knowing such a tempest would appear.

After some long minutes of heavy silence, the emissary prompted gently, “Your Majesties? Will there be any reply?”

Her father spoke then, moving forward to shake the man’s hand and give him thanks for bringing them news so promptly and accurately, before rumors and falsehoods could spread. Though he spoke with the same calm assurance she had always known, there was a quaver of emotion in King David’s words that couldn’t be ignored for one who knew him as well as his only daughter. Though she was far from being clearly focused and taking in all that was being said around her, Emma knew from experience that he must be expressing their hope that he would return their gratitude and good will to Ariel and Eric, along with the hope that they would notify them of any further developments regarding the storm and its aftermath, and that the rider would partake of food and drink before returning to his own kingdom.

Once it seemed that the newcomer was leaving their presence, alone at last with only those loved ones she had known all her life, Emma slumped further in her seat, nearly boneless in the devastation attempting to spread throughout her being. Head in shaking hand, Emma tried to console herself, repeating that he must have escaped the ship sometime before “Auntie” Ariel’s sister saw the craft’s demise. He could not simply be gone from this earth and she feel no different. Surely she would have known…

However, just before the man exited the room, he turned back with a remembered afterthought. “One last thing, my lieges,” he added, almost sheepishly. “My Lord and Lady were unsure whether or not to include this supposition in their notification, as many outside our borders do not believe in the craven villain and view him as a mere character of legend and imagination, but rumors have been increasing for weeks now of more frequent and violent attacks from the sea demon Davy Jones. No one had died, merely property taken or destroyed and many frightened. But reports have been fragmented at best and wildly varied. We were uncertain whom to pursue, or how to accomplish the pursuit. But now King Eric seems resolved that it must indeed be Davy Jones. He and the Queen know of no other who could have whipped up such a sudden and powerful storm to swallow a ship in the blink of an eye. They are still debating how to rebuff future insurrections, but intend to answer his treachery. Take from that what you will.”

Emma had straightened in her seat as this last announcement was made. Her senses seemed to clear as she heard her mother thank their visitor this time with benevolent grace and ask him to assure his Queen that she would contact her soon, even as her capable hands prepared bread and cheese with some cakes for him to take before he did at last leave on his return journey. The princess’ will was somehow galvanized once more by the idea of Davy Jones’ scurrilous role in their ship being wrecked. It gave her something to cling to, right or wrong, in the knowledge that perhaps her love was not lost as the rest must believe. All who did believe Davy Jones and his cursed crew and ship existed, knew that they prowled the sea, taking ships and sailors as plunder, indenturing them to sail as additional ill-fated hands on his Flying Dutchman. Though it was horrific to contemplate, and she shuddered imagining Killian once more trapped and forced into servitude as he had been before they met, she drew some resolve from the knowledge that if he still existed somewhere, he could be found and rescued. She would not rest until she found a way.

~~***~~

As he continued to move through the dense vegetation, Killian was surprised  at his own relatively calm thinking after all which had occurred, but he simply knew he had no choice but to keep his senses about him. True, his first instinct upon waking had been to scream and rail at the gods of sea and sky, shed tears for his lost comrades and lie down on the sand in defeat. Part of him still wanted to take off swimming frantically in hopes of reaching land, but going blindly without knowledge if there were any to reach was a futile fool’s errand. He must focus on what he could do if he were to survive.

If he explored the entire expanse of this seemingly uninhabited island, and found no lake or stream, he could try to boil the most of the salt from the ocean water over his firepit - but it would be a painstaking and continuous chore if it could be avoided. And so doggedly Killian moved toward the center of the island, further and further into the trees. He could only hope he wasn’t traveling further from the safety he had been provided so far, but he would not survive long in the heat and the elements without a potable water source. It was one of the first points of wilderness survival he had been taught in the case of shipwreck, marooning or capture. There was always the danger of unknown wildlife, injury on unfamiliar terrain, or becoming lost, but his sense of direction had always been admirable - it was one of the first things which had won him praise from commanding naval officers - and he really had no other recourse.

Soon he was blazing a trail through the low-hanging vines and branches, doing his best to slice brambles and brush from the way before him and create a path. If he did indeed find some freshwater pool or stream, he would want to have a clear way back and forth between it and his rough campsite. Killian was holding out hope that there must be something of the sort because there was such a wealth of greenery and growth; it had to be supported somehow.

The heat seemed to climb higher with every step; the humidity wrapping around him and seeping down his throat with a stifling heaviness, but Killian pressed on. He was in excellent health and fitness - his naval training had seen to that - but he still came to feel as though he had been plodding through this relative jungle for hours, his arms and feet burning and feeling heavier with every step, his light, loose shirt clinging to his torso with the sweat that ran over his skin, stinging in his eyes and the numerous cuts and scrapes he bore from the wreck.

He had just promised himself he would sit to catch his breath soon, when he broke through an especially dense stand of trees and scrub brush to hear the sound of rushing water and glimpse the light of sun off a liquid surface just ahead. Hurrying forward once more, rejuvenated in his excitement and relief, Killian broke through the canopy to find a pool fed by a small waterfall in an open clearing.

Thankful for the blessing in his stranded situation, Killian left the trees and rushed to the edge of the pool to throw himself on the ground and plunge his hands into the clear, calm water. Breathtakingly cold and bracing, Killian reveled in its refreshment, splashing it onto his face, his hair, the back of his neck before cupping his hands together to bring the water to his lips and drink greedily - one, two, and three times. 

Lying prone on the bank for a minute when he finished drinking, trying to cool off slightly and catch his breath, Killian closed his eyes, thanking God that he did find the fresh water he needed to press on. Now that he wasn’t moving, hacking and fighting through the dense growth, he could take a moment to feel the worry abate slightly and gather his resolve once again. For the moment, he at least had the jug on his belt to take some water back to his shelter, but he would search the beach again upon his return for any washed up wreckage, hopefully to yield him some larger bowl or pot, some container to hold more water from a trip to this clearing. He hated to be away from the shore for too long, knowing he also needed to start some sort of signal fire which could be seen by any passing ships out at sea, and he did not wish to miss any rescue vessel which might be sent to look for his ship and fellow sailors. Certainly he didn’t overvalue himself, but he did regret the knowledge that his princess would be worried for him. She had almost undoubtably already sent him messages he had not received, and she would be at a loss for why he had failed to respond.

Still, he would count himself grateful for this moment’s success and do what he could to find his way back to her. Rising to his knees, he pulled out his water skein and uncapped it to dip into the water and fill. As the lip of the bottle broke the surface, however, Killian felt a current run through his limbs, intense, but not unpleasant, instead calming and strangely peaceful.  Looking over his shoulder and to both sides, he took stock of the forest he had left and the clearing all around him, but all remained as quiet and undisturbed as before.

Forcing himself not to succumb to flights of fantasy, Killian returned to his task with an inner admonishment against imagining things. Yet again, as soon as his fingers dipped into the water, he had the same enveloping impression that he was no longer alone, that a presence he had encountered before was somehow nearby. Out in the center of the pool, almost at the foot of the gentle waterfall, ripples began to spread in ever-widening circles, drawing always closer to the bank where he crouched warily.

It was then he picked up another sound, one that did not fit in with running water, rustling breezes, birdcall and the buzz of hovering insects. Once more, as it had the previous night when he’d nearly drowned, it sounded as though someone were singing. No one was around, and as before, common sense chided that it must be in his head, but the voice was so beautiful, so full of almost supernatural comfort, that it could not be ignored.

As he continued to watch the ripples widen, the pool’s surface was broken in their midst, some six or seven feet from him. Slowly, with liquid grace a head broke the water, followed by the shoulders, torso, and eventually the full form of an inexplicably familiar woman, who emerged from the depths fully and seemingly walked upon the water to stand before him with affectionate, beguiling smile.

Though anyone else observing the scene would have been struck immediately by the resemblance this lovely creature bore to Killian himself, the young lieutenant was a bit too stunned to recognize the uncanny similarities. She was slim and poised, dark hair the same shade as his streamed down her back to nearly reach her hips, and unique pointed tips to her ears also resembled Killian’s that Emma had so often tweaked and playfully joked about him being half an elf. Perhaps most remarkable of all though were her deep, oceanic blue eyes, framed with long, dark lashes, drinking him in as if Killian were every bit as awe-inducing to her as she was to him. Those eyes so like his own, made Killian swallow hard at how much the color and shape and the warmth of emotion in them as they studied him reminded him viscerally of Liam. 

What sorcery was this? Who was this being? And how did she come to be here? Why was she here before him?  So much was invading his mind at once that it took Killian several more beats to realize that her lips were moving, and only when they stopped did the song he had heard cease. She was the one singing the night before, the notes in his ear as he had been plucked from the murderous waves.

“You,” he breathed, blinking rapidly as he again found his voice. “You saved me. Why? And who… who are you?”

The look on that ethereal face turned unbearably sad. Her musical voice whispered brokenly, “Oh, my dear, I had feared you would forget. Don’t you know me, Killian? … I’m your mother.”

Tagging some shipmates who have enjoyed before: @searchingwardrobes​ @kmomof4​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​ @jennjenn615​ @capswantrue​ @therooksshiningknight​ @spartanguard​ @tiganasummertree​ @captainkillianswanjones​ @teamhook​ @revanmeetra87​ @lfh1226-linda​ @tornadoamy​ @bubblegum1425​ @hookswan25​ @gingerchangeling​ @courtorderedcake​ @jarienn972​ @nikkiemms​ @thisonesatellite​ @artistic-writer​ @hollyethecurious​ @stahlop​ @winterbaby89​ @darkcolinodonorgasm​ @resident-of-storybrooke​ @thislassishooked​ @laschatzi​ @kday426​ @ilovemesomekillianjones​ 

[gdotsand]

The Fastest Way Back Home - Prologue

Pairing - Bucky Barnes x Reader (Post Infinity War) 

Summary - A collection of memories sprinkled along the road to regain what she lost. 

Word Count -1,400 (ish) 

Playlist Link - Link (will be updated as more chapters are added) 

Warnings - Sadness. Angst. Bad jokes regarding muffins. 

A/N -  I really wanted my first published Bucky series to be happy, I really did. I fought my brain so hard but this was the first work in progress it allowed me to finish for him. I’m sorry in advance? I honestly get physical chest pains from writing this story because it also makes me sad but I will promise you happy endings and it wont (hopefully) all make you wanna curl into a ball and listen to sad songs. Likes, reblogs and feedback is always appreciated. Also big shoutout to Lara (it wont let me tag you), thank you for encouraging me to post this finally and listen to my ramblings. You’re the real MVP. Thank you - G.Sand 

Present 

He'd always said that the water calmed him, the darkness lapping against the small dock. One of the main reasons he'd thrust a pros and cons list into her hand the night after viewing the house. Top of the list, the water.

There were many other things on the list, a tree that seemed like it had grown specifically for a treehouse to be constructed against the thick branches.

A living room big enough if they pushed back the furniture he would be able to twirl her around barefoot as the record player in the corner softly played old country vinyls her grandfather left her when he passed.

A wrap around porch, sure it needed some work, some of the slats have fallen though, but he promised to replace them, whitewash them and share lazy Sunday afternoons drinking fresh lemonade and watching the sun disappear beyond the horizon.

It felt like a life time ago, sometimes, most of the time it felt like a fever dream. Calloused fingers against her jaw line, the slipping of a golden band onto her finger, her doing the same for him. Bright smiles and her mother softly wiping the tears from her cheeks. Promises of forever and always, promises of a future beyond the hurt and loss that lingered deep within his bones.

Promises of all perfect and beautiful things that would now never come true. Promises of a life away from bloodshed and fear. Away from anger and torment. Everything turned to dust that day, breathy whispers at some ungodly hour, promises, commands, vows, everything including the man she loved turned to dust, and she had no idea.

Sometimes she could pretend, pretend he was on a regular mission, or he'd gone out to a meeting or to the store. Because he was ever present in her home, their home.  The photos that adorn the walls, his jacket is still on the hook by the door, weapons safe still locked. It can only be opened by a retinal scan that now didn't exist in the world. Tony he said he can override it, find a way to disable his own systems but she declined. What was the point anymore? What was the point in anything anymore?

So she looks out at the water. Watches as the sun starts to set, another day has been added to the tally marks somewhere etched into the walls of her brain. Filed away, so she wouldn't be able to recall an exact number if asked, but still enough to keep a permanent hole in her chest since that day. Its been almost five years, and Betsy is bordering on her birthday, and she wants, she prays that she can believe that Betsy is a happy child but it always feels like something is missing. Its in the depths of her eyes, in the dark curls that sit on top of her head a question that will forever go unanswered, at least not completely. Because no sweetheart your daddy isn't coming home and no bugs he was never home to begin with. Not really, not with both of his girls. So she take things day by day and who can blame her? Honestly what else do people expect. Not that theres many people left to judge her that is. So to hell with it.

If he was here, he'd tell her to buck up. She knows that, but even Tony dare not make that joke. He'd tell her that everything happens for a reason and that everything will work out in the end. But thats Bucky all over, and Bucky isn't here.

The light shifts into something reminiscent of artwork purple and oranges splayed across the horizon, and a smooth pebble is thrown into the icy darkness, it skips across the water at speed and disturbs the darkness, but eventually like everything else the ripples dissipate into nothingness again.

"See kiddo, it's all in the wrist" Tony says, and Betsy listens, she idolises her uncle Tony more than he can know however it's not lost on anyone else. Eager to please Betsy takes the second stone from his outstretched palm, skims it across the surface of the water and it bounces once, twice, three times before eventually sinks, and Betsy squeals as she hoisted into the air in celebration. Y/n could listen to the sound of her laugh till her dying day and never get bored of hearing that little girl enjoy the freedom of happiness, but y/n? She allows herself a smile and turns back to the water, because you know, it always said it calmed him.

Steve approaches slowly behind, careful not to make her jump in the process, spends a good minute or two just watching her. She's never been the same since the snap, okay, no one has been the same since the snap but out of everyone, he thinks that maybe y/n had it the worst. And sure he may be being an overdramatic asshole as Buck might have said once upon a time but Buck's not here to reprimand him. Even if he can hear his taunt somewhere far away, carried on the winds that come from wherever he is.

"He was right you know"

Steve hums at her as a response, an explanation waiting on the other-side of her tongue that for some reason needs to know that Steve is listening before y/n continues.

"It's pretty fucking calming when you think about it"

He hums again, but it's more of an amused tone.

"I came to talk to you specifically before we do this" he says, always a man to get right to the point is Steve Rogers, there is no proverbial bush and he'll be damned if he beats around it.

"Well I assumed you didn't come here just for my muffins Steve"

"You're a married woman can we not talk about your muffins"

"Ah, no one is talking about my muffins these days" and then earns her a chuckle at least. She's always had a way with words like that, always been the one to crack the jokes. First to make light of a situation that really doesn't need it.

"We can get him back, well" he swallows but continues "we can get all of them back, but we're going to bring him back y/n"  

Y/N rolls her eyes and takes a couple of steps off the dock towards the house, "Don't make promises that you can't cash Rogers i'm not in the mood" she throws over her shoulder. It only takes half as many steps for Steve to catch up and stop her with a hand on her shoulder. There are already tears in her eyes, and it's a knee jerk reaction. Because she remembers the day that Steve had made that promise to her before, years ago.

5 Years Ago 

The house was too quiet, the kind of quiet that strikes fear like a match in the pit of your stomach. The hollow feeling that just something, somewhere isn’t right. There are no books to read, no work to be done, no shows to watch and no mindless task that she can do that will keep her brain from thinking the inevitable. It’s always the case yet it never gets any easier.

Washing done, book shelves back into the correct organisation system. Dinner being planned in her subconscious because she has to keep that hope, that preyer that there will be dinner. There will be another set of feet under the table, a light too minimal conversation to be had and a head on the pillow next to hers at the end of the day.

But then there’s gravel crunching under tires, there’s one, two, three car doors being slammed and three pairs of out of sync footsteps growing closer to the front door. Three sets of footsteps isn’t good. She knows this. She knows as she crosses to the front door, pulls it open and meets the eyes of his best friend. Although she had known that at some point, this day might come, it makes the horror no less scary. It doesn’t make the gravel any less sharp on her knees as her breaths come quicker and Steve arms aren’t quick enough to react. To catch her before she falls.

She can see it reflected in the gaze of Nat that he’s not coming home, that something terrible, something unimaginable has happened.

Steve swallows around the lump in his throat that he prayed wouldn’t be there by the time he got out of the car.

“We’ll get him back Y\N. We’re going to bring him back”

[threeletterslife]

CHjakldfjskANA I am lowkey embarrassed to say that I am confused by pt 2 of Ignis Fatuus ;-; I get what happens literally, but I'm pretty sure I'm missing out on all of the more underlying messages and what the ending is supposed to represent and what you were intending to convey ;-; I guess I'll just talk about parts that I thiNk I understood and hopefully won't make me sound like an idiot :D I really liked how the endings to both the dream and reality were paralleled,

but houf I was kind of exasperated in the beginning when everyone was dying on the hypothetical trip to the hospital. I always kind of felt like they would just let Y/N die, because logically speaking, even if they ended up at the hospital, none of them are really qualified to treat TSS so they would just be going on a suicide mission because as shown, zombies are e v e r y wh e r e :D So when it was revealed that was only a dream, I was like yAY thank goodness :,,) The part at the end before

Y/N dies when Jungkook corrects her saying “it’s did well and not did good” was a reaLLY nice way to end things though :,) jklsfjkls I don’t know, Chana pls send help+explanations because I’m definitely only understanding the very surface level ideas of Ignis Fatuus D: I think the very vEry ending though is a big part of the whole Ignis Fatuus thing though because back in pt 1 in Target Jungkook was like omg yes don’t worry Y/N things will be over and we’ll definitely be able to play baseball

again without any zombies around, but aaa Chana why are there thRee “endings”,, that’s making me think there’s something very elaborate about how all of the endings could be tied together/are related :,D 🌻 anyways I think? the first part to my ask might've not gone through because it didn't have the "thank you, your ask has been received" message when I clicked ask but o well :,) it was just me lowkey embarrassing myself because I am confused on the ending of Ignis Fatuus :,)

[SPOILER WARNING!]

GOOD NEWS! the first part of your ask WAS received!! and omg yes i totally understand ignis fatuus pt 2 was kinda hectic so lemme just clear up the confusion ✨

i think the whole ignis fatuus stORY is a bit hard to digest. the only ‘realistic’ element in the story is really that the members self-quarantined LOL. other than that, i really took inspiration from the office (though it may not seem like that). jungkook and yn are the only “normal” ones in the group of eight just like jim and pam were the only normal ones in an office full of crackheads LMAO. i just thought it would be cool to tell the story of two normal pple stuck with six other crazies (all equally obsessed with something different. i mean namjoon studying DURING the apocalypse?? seokjin obsessed with the kitchen? hoseok obsessed with his secretary??) and i chose to go for a very subtle romance so it wouldn’t overshadow the other dynamic characters

to elaborate on the endings!

the first one (the one that yn dreams): only in her wildest dreams would the seven men yn’s learned to love and live with DIE to save her. i mean, in a sick, twisted way, isn’t that what so many romance movies depict? the knight sacrifices his life to save his princess. it’s shit that only happens in your head. it’s tragic and stupid, yes, but also honorable in it’s own way. maybe yn subconsciously wanted all seven men to help save her life (even though it wouldn’t logically make sense). but maybe she wanted a knight in shining armor. i mean, isn’t that what media brainwashes women to think? yn’s dream is her subconscious acting up. she’s a helpless woman (sick from a mf bacterial infection that women mostly get) and she must depend on men to save her. but the end of her dream concludes that it’s not a matter of who saves who. some people just can’t be saved. yn doesn’t have a knight in shining armor. even before she got sick, she is a strong, independent woman. jungkook offers her emotional support, but he never outwardly saves her from any disasters. in fact, in part 1, yn is the on who saves jk. maybe, in yn’s subconscious, she wants to be saved. who doesn’t? it’s not a female v. male thing. being saved just means doing less work (and who doesn’t want that?). the savior, on the other hand, must go through the trauma and carry the responsibility of another’s life. maybe that’s why yn had her dream! another, more obvious reason yn’s dream turned out that way may be because that’s her worst fear—watching everyone she cared about die in front of her eyes (but also being too helpless to be able to stop it). she’s also afraid of dying alone, which she did in her dream. you’re absolutely right though! the second part of ignis fatuus is supposed to make you feel exasperated—frustrated and pissed, even. it’s just supposed to be nonsense, honestly. just stupid shit happening in rapid succession. it’s literally a fever dream. and also a dream carefully crafted by yn’s subconscious

a lot of the ‘deeper’ meaning is very subjective, though! and even as the writer, my analysis is still subjective. you can honestly analyze ignis fatuus in so many other ways. no analysis is wrong. and it’s also perfectly fine to have no analysis at all! 

the second ending (with yn actually dying) is easier to explain. it’s a direct contrast from yn’s dream where everyone was trying to be the hero. reality is different. even at the end of part 1, joon and jk knew that they wouldn’t be able to take yn to the hospital. yoongi even knew yn would die. they wouldn’t even think of such an outrageous idea to go to the hospital at all. they may have hinted taking yn to the hospital only to make her feel better, to make her feel safe. but they would’ve never actually done it. the plan was always to let her die in the house (as sad as it sounds). but there was really nothing left to do! as you said, none of them (even joon and tae) is qualified to treat tss (nor do they have the medical equipment to do so). the second ending is more of the closure that the first ending didn’t provide. yn wished to die in jk’s arms in the first ending and she got what she wanted in the second ending. but i still didn’t exactly think ending the story with yn’s death (tWICE) would be the best. something didn’t feel right. so i felt like i had to add the third ending for better closure

and you’re totally right! i connected the third ending to what jk and yn had talked about in target. this is essentially a glimpse of their dreams come true. something that didn’t necessarily happen, but something that the readers can imagine and feel at peace with. i thought it was good to wrap up such a traumatic part 2 with something lighter, something sillier and something happier. ignis fatuus is a mf roller coaster. and the title itself ‘ignis fatuus’ literally means something deceptive/deluding. i think part 2 encompassed that well

as for the purpose of this story? to answer the question you may be having, “if yn died after this whole ass journey,,, what was the mf POINT?” maybe there isn’t a point. maybe there is no rhyme or reason. maybe i just told a story as it is. kind of like a reference to waiting for godot but on the less indifferent side. BUT! i would honestly argue that there IS a point! i think the relationship yn made with the seven very distinct men is special. the seven of them are depictions of very stereotypical men. a nerdy med school student, a grumpy bus driver, an impatient businessman, a spoiled daddy’s money lawyer, a scaredy-cat cop, an obsessive chef and a too-perfect-to-be-true baseball player. i think part 1 is interesting to see how the eight of them have created this synergy together. it’s also interesting to see in part 2 how yn twists the men’s stereotypes to fit in the fever dream narrative

ignis fatuus is one of my more depressing stories. i had the idea since january of 2019 so i spent quite a bit of time thinking about it before i decided to write it. i didn’t think i’d end on a lighter note, but i’m happy it turned out that way. 

aNYWAYS sorry this turned out so long 😭😭😭i guess i rambled too much again oOPS. but i swear you’ll get a break from all this depressing writing LOL. i’m not posting another official story until january 15th! (and GOOD NEWS that story is going to be FLUFF!) 

as usual thank you sm for such a kind message 🥺🥺

[rebelredeyes]

The Gray Sky

This is short story based off the Alien dream I had. Please understand this is just for fun, and that this is a rough draft that I probably won’t ever polish on top of it all. Other than that, please enjoy the story under the cut.

The gray sky was a continuous color without any breaks in sight to reveal if it was just naturally how the sky was here or cloud cover. Despite this mystery, it was not of importance as I surveyed the fauna from the truck window. Dark and gloomy as it seemed like a painting made by an artist in a deep depression. Still there were small glimpse of bright orange pool in the far distance. I wondered if it was perhaps from a volcano or something similar.

Returning my view to the interior of the truck, it was just as dark and gloomy on the inside as we rode on. The rough road made the occupants and I nearly hit our heads as one person complained the shocks were brand new. I didn’t really listen as the faces all seemed so familiar, but I couldn’t see ⅓ of their faces for some reason. I just leaned my head back and rested my eyes till we stopped.

I was the second person to get out as I instantly grabbed up a personal bag and another bag of equipment before heading over to the site that had been waiting for our arrival. The team leader was already there and was very casual though icy about our sort of late arrival, or so it seemed. She spoke swiftly, letting us know the huge box next to the rock wall was our generator as the cables lead to these T shaped boxes that sort of interconnected. There was another line that sort of went off into the distance, the dark ground making it hard to see where

I found my box was next to the team leaders as I stored my personal bag in the stubby length of the T box. I noted a small hole, big enough for a chisel to be sent through as I opened my box and  checked it out. The weird thing was the box opened like a chest as I got it and found that you couldn’t lay stretched out, but rather curled up on a side. No other position would let the box lid close as I noted the was a heavy duty latch on the inside, though a chisel through the outside hole could get it open if needed. It left a bad taste in my mouth as I brushed it off, as I tested some other positions to lay in the box  as I hated laying on my side.

I was then retrieved from my white hell box to go to a meeting as I followed the team through the woods as something hiss and skittered about us. The team leader said that was normal for the local creatures, but it didn’t sit right as I felt we were being tracked. The other were noticeably uncomfortable, but mostly brushed it off as we got to a clearing where a stage stood, shiny and clean while wood benches were gathered around it. More teams appeared from the woodlands as the team I was with took a seat.

I sat and listened to the hype of what our mission was, but I felt distracted and strangely tired. It felt as if white noise was faintly playing in the back of my head as my eyes watered from a long yawn. The introducer saw and made a joke about it being a long trip but to hold on as it was about to get scientifically wild. The stats predicted will be off the sheet and I think I tuned him out as I saw the orange glow in the distance, behind the stage side, closer than before.

I then saw a flash of something with a mouth within a mouth with fanged teeth. No eyes, a ridge that had micro holes, a smooth long head with some piping hanging out while a smudge of orange sat on its head. It hissed like the woodland locals as I was jerked back from whatever that fever daydream thing was as I was pulled upright to clap. Someone informed me that I dozed off with my eyes open, looking at the quarantined, off limit, lava zone. I mentioned I don’t think that’s lava, but it was ignored as the afterparty started. I wasn’t in the mood so I left with our team leader who was also heading back.

I tried to make conversation, but I was met often by a brick wall. She wouldn’t be direct other than telling me to rest up more as she had seen me sleeping earlier. We then arrived to see the generator was off as the Team leader said it will reset itself soon enough. It was just drained from the show and would be recharged tomorrow. I wanted to argue, but felt a wave of sleep hit me.I was also worried about the others, but the team leader assured me they would be back within the hour or two.

I crawled into my box as the team leader did the same, her box sounding like it had more locks than mine, as I got as comfy as I was going to get. Before going to sleep though, I pulled out a padlock I had snuck in and locked my box that way so even if someone undid the latch part, my box would still be locked shut. I made sure, by pressing up while the box latch was undone, but the padlock on. It moved a bit, but stayed mostly tight as I let myself finally drift off into  restless sleep.

I awoke to a scream as I undid my padlock and flung out my box lid. I checked on the team leader, but her box was torn away from mine with heavy scratch marks across it. Blood seemed to ooze from inside as I couldn’t elliste a response from her. I then hear another cry from the wood followed by a terrible hiss as I stupidly rush towards, grabbing a metal light rod from my torn gear bag. I honestly didn’t even think while doing this as I ran, blindly into the woods.

I heard more cries, screams and hisses while the sound of running and russling filled the air. I honestly was lost and just kept running forward when I broke out into a large clearing on a high hill point which quickly dropped down into a cliff siding. I looked out to the glowing orange area and can see that it looks like a plant cell under a microscope. It’s massive and felt like a graveyard, which I soon realized it was

The orange substance wasn’t lava, but blood of creatures that looked humanoid, but were largely different at the same moment. I really couldn’t see their details as the planet’s atmosphere made it hard to see and even worse now that it was night. That fact had hardly registered as I tried to make sense of what was happening or what I was witnessing. I took a deep breath, holding for a moment before letting it out as I refocused on the graveyard, vaguely hoping for some kind of answer from the dead.

The structure was indeed like a plant cell, only more simple. The walls of the cell were the glowing orange blood which came from the pile of bodies that had their chest ripped open. I didn’t know why they were ripped open, but from what I could take of the more closer piles; these beings died in terrible pain. I brushed it off as I saw the brain of the ‘cell’ was this roundish, egg thing near the top. The bodies sort of morphing to it as I felt a soft chill of cold sweat wash over me. 

Something terrible had happened here and our bosses had known. Was this something they did to these people because these beings wouldn’t give up their land for mining and colonization, I wondered in horror when something hissed behind me. I turned just in the nick of time as something went over the edge with a terrifying hiss. Another was charging at me though as I swung the metal rod I had grabbed up. Contact was made.

The creature skidded to the side as I bolted forward to the cover of the woods. I didn’t have a plan really as I thought of the boxes. Sure they weren’t the safest, but they were all I had as I rushed through the brush. That’s when I heard sniffing as I glanced back and saw in horror that the creature i had struck was following my trail. Even worse, it was like the one I had seen in my dream. I ran harder.

My brain for some reason, told me not to be scared as I tripped over something. As I tumbled through some over growth, I swore it was a teammate with their face having a hole in it. Like a hammer to a piggy bank. I didn’t have time to really analyze the glimpse, and to test if it was real or not as my body froze up. My heart raced, but my instices said to be still, breath deeply and above all; Don’t Panic. I did just that as I heard the creature soon approach.

It circled me as I forced myself to breath even as it began to brush and bump me. It sniffed  the entire time as it began to purposely nudge me with it’s body and head. It hisses a bit and baring it’s fanged teeth. The inner teeth popping out  as an attempt to scare me or at least make me run more. It seemed like it wanted me to run.

It then put it’s clawed digits on me and shoved me sideways. I steeled myself against the gesture as it did scratch me and sniffed the oozing liquid as my arm hurt, but I focused on my breathing again as I felt it flop against my back now, pushing up against me while sniffing in my ear as I stayed still. It’s head nudged my ear, as it’s sniffing was deafening to that side as I silently said a prayer to no one and knew nothing more.

[atopearth]

Shall We Date? Love Tangle Part 14 - Maxim Morozoff and Alexey Morozoff Routes

Well, Alexey sure doesn’t cut to the chase, he legit just fell for her and wanted to go on a date with her already lol. Love at first sight, huh? He’s very honest about it lol. Tbh, I never really thought about the idea of Maxim and Alexey being twins until I did the mini game to get points to pass the checkpoints and their portraits look pretty much exactly the same lol. They both have jobs related to space with Maxim being a scientist of sorts in the aerospace division and Alexey being an astronaut so that sounds pretty cool!

Hmmmm… I’m kinda disappointed that Maxim is going to be working with her because he’s well versed in other sciences besides aerospace so he’s working on the living conditions of the leopards, I don’t want another work romance thing…there’s already Moses, Timo and Paul, and even Ivy (since her route was just her helping out the heroine instead), I enjoyed the variations in jobs and how they tie in with their personality and the plot zzzz. Well, Alexey is a persistent one lol, I guess there’s no harm in letting him show her around the city though lol. Wow, he’s so dedicated to even get Maxim to sub in for him on the date since he was running a high fever and didn’t want to cancel. I’m also surprised that Maxim went along with it haha. It’s nice to know how serious Alexey is though, he ended up being able to make it to the date haha. Gotta say though, Alexey is way too affectionate and touchy feely especially when they barely know each other.

I do admire Maxim’s dedication that he’d forget about sleep and eating for work though, I hope to love my work as much. The new character Angelo is an architect!~ he looks kinda cute and he designed Lilac Court! Maxim was the one that originally wanted to become an astronaut but ended up becoming a researcher on the ground? Gotta admit with the heroine that imagining Maxim as an astronaut feels weird haha. What Alexey said was really interesting! The idea that Alexey chose to go to space (as an astronaut) so he can always see the Earth and how Maxim ended up choosing to stay on the ground as a researcher to always see the stars. I never thought about it like that. I knew something would happen with Alexey considering the constant mentioning of survival training and going into space etc, but I didn’t expect him to go missing! Although it’s a bad situation with Alexey missing, I do like how much more emotion we get to see from Maxim for feeling so distressed over it. It was also really nice to see the heroine’s perspective and encourage him to go to work and keep calm and logical to see if there’s any news on Alexey at the workplace instead of wallowing in grief when nothing bad has been confirmed yet.

I find it really cute the heroine remembers that jigsaw puzzles could help Maxim get his mind off things naturally. Good to see that they’ve found Alexey and he seems to be fine, I wonder how this is gonna work out with how affectionate Alexey seems to be towards the heroine though, how is Maxim gonna break it to him later on that he likes the heroine too? So bold of the heroine to confess to Maxim like that! Too bad he won’t accept her considering Alexey’s feelings, especially after discovering that the heroine has actually met Alexey before and that’s probably why he’s so obsessed with her? Not surprised that Alexey knew how Maxim felt and told them to just get together lol. Why should the heroine be angry at Maxim for hiding that they’re trying to test a vaccine in zero gravity for that virus that was spreading near where Alexey disappeared before? This is a big thing, why would they just reveal it to her like that lol. It’s not even related to her or her job. And they get together happily with Alexey’s blessing! Lol, honestly, I really like Maxim’s character, but as with the recent routes, the story has been very lacklustre, there’s no depth to it. The only part I liked was when she stayed beside him and supported him with the right words when Alexey disappeared, otherwise the rest of the route had a half baked story that didn’t aim to accomplish anything and it proved not as any proper obstacle for the two to overcome, so yeah it was boring. I’m not even sure if his job even had a proper part in it b/c everything was so surface level. Hopefully Alexey’s route shows more effort in the story.

Well, everything is basically the same, just that Alexey gets found much faster haha, I guess it is his route so it won’t do without him lol. It’s cute that they went on a date going on the Ferris wheel and stuff to have some fun together. I can see why Alexey seems so obsessed with her, she helped him out and comforted him with a kind gesture during his darkest time when he felt defeated from the astronaut training etc, so it’s understandable why he feels so grateful and fond of her. I like how they shared their views on their dreams and how she said she needed to just keep treading on to fulfill her dreams, since she thinks that once she gives up once, she won’t be able to continue so she tries her best to keep going no matter what, but she also realises that breaks are important, and I guess that’s something that clicked for Alexey, he’s been way too strained about achieving his dream that he’s forgotten that relaxing is important too. It’s a pretty cliche interaction but I really liked it, I think it really helped to develop the basis to their relationship and how much she has been supporting him through those words she said even though it was a while ago. He’s so brave to have confessed right then and there on their first meeting though! Lol! Too bad the heroine didn’t take it seriously and completely forgot about him in the present hahaha. But yeah, it’s hard to not feel fond of someone that would remember you for so long and appreciate you haha.

Omg, saving the earth?!?? When did this game become something like that?? Hahaha, anyway, so the the space station is falling to the earth, that sounds very interesting I guess lol! Ooh so Alexey has been doing all this training for a mission and it was actually to go destroy that part that’s falling from the space station so that it would be small enough to disintegrate as it falls back to Earth or something. Kinda crazy of a situation that I never expected from this game lol but I guess it’s quite a different take from the usual astronaut explorations haha. I have to say, Alexey has become really cute with the way he handles everything in such an optimistic manner, he’s really respectable! I admire how he can be sincere and yet so positive in such a dire situation, especially when there was an error and he had to manually disengage a lock. Scary, but I guess with the heroine there to support him and believe that he truly is a hero, he’ll definitely try his best to come back alive😊 Alexey really is the hero he makes himself to be (even though it is pretty cliche) and then he gets some free time to properly spend it with the heroine😆

Overall, Alexey’s route was definitely the better one in terms of romance and story just because it felt like there was some effort put into it lol. It felt quite understandable how they came together and fell for each other whereas for Maxim, it just didn’t feel as natural lol. It’s pretty saddening since I do like Maxim’s personality much more lol.

[egoiistas]

022218 Warm Embrace

@b-griveros: It was nice to do a first collaboration with Mar;  she sent me the reference and I couldn’t get the image out of my head. I needed to draw.  And then, with this new perspective Marilyn captures perfectly the atmosphere between them two. I f*cking love this woman and I’m thankful she’s been inspiring and motivating me to improve over the past months. Thank you so much for existing, Marilyn, and I hope everyone gets a little warm ache in the chest.

Rated: T for cursing. || Words: ~1400

“Come here.”

“Colonel.”

“Lieutenant, give me your hand.”

She didn’t lack the temptation, but - “At any moment, someone can walk in.”

“So Breda will let us know.”

“It’s really… it’s all right, I’m all right. Your coat… it’ll be enough.”

“No…” From his seat, he reached blindly for her hand. “Come here. ….just rest now.”

A mixture of determination, ire, concern, and adrenaline surged through her veins. Rebecca Catalina was hellbent on finding Riza, but even hell hath no fury like a woman on a mission to find her comrade-at-arms, her closest friend…  

The only sister she’s ever known.

After victory was assured, amidst the mayhem, literal hours went on trying figure out which hospital Riza and the Colonel had been sent to and her heart plunged, desperation brimming at the cusp, because only Mustang’s wellbeing had been reported. What about his adjutant, the Lieutenant? She had asked. The blonde who was always next to him, where was she? She’s important too. If not more. The hours of radio silence felt like decades, and her exhaustion served to irritate her more than she already was. How difficult was it, really, to find someone who had been in the heart of it all? How do you misplace the decorated matchstick?

Eventually, coms were re-established and she pestered a military police officer who wasn’t shit. She successfully coerced the “sensitive information” she needed from the MP, commandeered the nearest vehicle she could find, and Rebecca floored it soon after.

Surprisingly, the roads maintained orderly traffic, but her destination… this hospital could only be properly described as jungle. The outside was busy with temporary medic tents erected outside of the building. The sheer amount of people, the amount of blood, the amount of disorganization. She faltered, momentum lost as the reality of their actions began to set in. She weaved through rushing doctors in bloodied coats, patients hobbling in crutches, and the injured yet to be processed.

Inside, the chaos crackled through the atmosphere like lightning with thunderous volume. Orders were shouted. People were crying, searching for relatives, hoping they were alive. The noise overwhelmed her internal ramblings. For that one second stolen breath, she thought to herself any one of these could have been Riza: wounded, missing an arm, or worse, killed in action.

Mustang’s battle had been won, to be sure, but it was the footsoldiers, the normies, and the people that didn’t use alchemy that took the brunt of someone else’s ideals. They were the ones that got burned. Each day that Riza was in Central, Rebecca worried that one day she might not call back. She threw away the notion that soldiers died valiantly for their cause, because no death was valiant enough to ever vanquish Riza Hawkeye. The feeling that she would possibly not come back felt like a knife to her ribs.

In between skirting through throngs of people, Rebecca wondered the extent of Riza’s injuries. She was thankful when she wasn’t immediately redirected towards the morgue, but her blood pressure began to rise at the thought she had sustained injuries for him. Her friend’s indomitable loyalty to the Flame Colonel was a mystery, despite her full disclosure as to why. No matter the amount of pleading Rebecca would do, Riza would not be moved; even when they went so far as to place her in a fucking hostage position as the Fuhrer’s - well, former Fuhrer’s assistant, she thought savagely as she turned down another corridor.

At the end of it, an innocuous pair leaned casually against the wall, but Rebecca knew a post when she saw it. Fuery noticed her quickly enough and Breda stood at attention soon after.

She didn’t care how she must look to the two of them, storming down the hallway at full tilt, hair a mess and blood staining her pants.Hands on her hip, she asked, “Are they in there?”

The older one raised his eyebrows. “They could be.” He turned to look down the hall. “Or they could be elsewhere.”

It was not the answer she was looking for. Her vexed glare shifted to the smaller one, “Is she in there?” Honestly, it was all she cared about. But if he was in there, she would be too.

She saw the Adam’s apple bobbing in Fuery’s throat. Rebecca had heard from Jean he’d been sent to the front lines in the south, but no matter how many times that crossed her mind, he still looked like a kid just out of the academy.

Breda sighed loudly as Fuery’s saving grace. “They’re both in there,”  Breda interrupted as he stepped forward. He dipped his head with his unfortunate haircut, urging her to do the same. “But it’s on a need to know basis. Better if they’re not disturbed,” he said lowly.

Rebecca scoffed. “For the love of-” She was interrupted by stretchers being carried past them, like a procession. Some were covered. She whispered with exasperation, “What, are they fucking in there?”

Fuery choked inelegantly and Breda’s brow flattened. “If you have to, then go in quietly. They’re refusing treatment until everyone else is taken care of. Pretty reckless if you ask me, considering the Lieutenant’s condition.”

Rebecca began to vault forward and she nearly tore off the arm that was set in front of her.

“We’ve already tried to convince her.” Breda’s voice betrayed the exhaustion she knew they were all feeling, in the comedown from hours of adrenalin and gunfire.  “She refuses to get seen until he does and vice versa. If you really know her, then you know how stubborn she is - both of them are.”

Rebecca frowned.  

“But there aren’t enough doctors to go around,” said Fuery, as if he caught on to her displeasure in Breda’s answer. “There are too many wounded, even more dead,” he continued solemnly, like he knew it first hand. She supposed he did. The field of battle today wouldn’t have been a far cry from his stint in the south.

“Go in, if you can promise to be quiet.”

She rose an eyebrow that said, “Me? Quiet?”

The two of them glared at her, clearly not buying it.

She threw up her hands in surrender, and after a moment he opened the door for her.

She walked into a small room, the kind of waiting rooms designed for family members to privately wait for a relative’s operation or the like. When the door closed behind her, it was as if the maelstrom outside simply faded away into obscurity. Here, the room was washed in a softer spring light. It was a significant contrast to the hard, sterile fluorescents outside, free from the turmoil outside, like a separate, tranquil haven from the rest of the world. In here it was like the Promised Day was a figment of her imagination; a hazy machination conjured up in the midst of a fevered dream. It made no sense for such an undisturbed space to exist alongside the events of today.

Until, she spotted them and her heart pulsed out of her chest.

In the corner, crowded on one of the more comfortable armchairs, they rested, curled up against each other. They were unmoving and silent, but their sounds of sleep filled the room once she toned out the noise outside. She stepped closer. Her muddied boots suddenly seemed far too loud - but they didn’t stir.

There was so much blood; it horrified her. It splattered on her friend’s cheeks, stained her clothes and hair, and smeared his hands; which, she realised had deep cuts in the middle of them. The blood had obviously congealed in an effort to stem the flow of bleeding, but Rebecca could still see it glistening on the back of his hands, sluggish and dark with oxidisation. Despite his injuries, his hands clasped over her sleeping figure in a protective hold like she was his lifeline or better, to hold her steady while she was wearing so thin.

It couldn’t have been very comfy, she surmised, huddled together like with the cuts and blood and sweat, limbs bunched up over his. She studied Riza’s face, pale and anemic, even under the softer afternoon light; how her ashen complexion only served to highlight the dark and sagging skin under her eyes - like she hadn’t slept well for weeks. Her expression told another story. The lines Rebecca had become familiar with were gone. The tension in her body had vanished. It looked like it was the best damn sleep she’s had in a long time. And he wasn’t wearing that stupid coat because she was.

Crossing arms over her chest, Rebecca favored and shifted to one leg, sighing, and without wanting to, Rebecca smiled.

The sneak, she went and found herself a nice man in Central before her.

a/n: MEGA BIG SHOUTOUT TO @tsaritsa who basically shaped and shined this better than i had it. ilysm. AND BARBARA. KSDFJHDJKSFHSJ YOUR WORK IS CONTINUOUSLY INSPIRING ME ;_; ilysm too kfdjhdjkfhs (wheres my moon emoji)

[styomi]

Fifteen study dates | 15-day prompt challenge | Sweet Pea/OC | Day 11

AB: Fluff. Fluff fluff fluff and more fluff… I officially have diabetes from how sweet this one is. I give up. Enjoy!

Info:

Fandom: Riverdale Pairing: Sweet Pea/OC Rating: T Word count: 2193 + 129 bonus Chapter count: 11/15

                                                        Delirium

Sweet Pea woke up to the buzzing of his phone. He groggily rolled over, grabbing it from the other side of the bed and struggling to unlock the cracked screen for a moment. Then, he managed to focus his vision with a few blinks and read the text.

I’ll be over in a few.

“Shit.” Sweet Pea cursed, realizing what day it was. Saturday and it was well after noon when Ruby had told him she’d call to arrange their study date. And, she had called. Fifteen times, in fact. Not to mention that she’d sent him quite a few texts, ranging from ‘are you still asleep?’ to ‘are you alive?’. Sweet Pea groaned and texted her back, telling her that he was awake now and to come over and bring some food.

He struggled to get up, his limbs a bit heavy and head pounding. But, he figured that it was all because of last night’s Toni’s bright idea to try and climb one of the trees by the quarry in her semi-drunken state for the perfect position for her picture. That, in turn, had resulted in Sweet Pea having to go up halfway in his slightly inebriated state and help her get down once she’d taken her photos. He felt the scrapes on his hands as he washed his face and brushed his teeth before Ruby came over. One glance in the mirror told him that he looked like hell. Drinking was bad, Sweet Pea repeated to himself, as he usually did after a night out with the Serpents.

But, it wasn’t just the usual grogginess of drinking that was slowing him down. As he went around the living room of his trailer, collecting some of his discarded worn clothes, he felt a heat on his face and a tightness in his throat that weren’t common after drinking a lot. But, he would make do with a cup of hot coffee and he would bounce right back, the biker was certain. He hadn’t managed to collect all of his dirty laundry before there was a knock on his door. His head pounded.

“Coming,” Sweet Pea wobbled over to the door, opening it and leaning on the metal doorway, enjoying the feeling of the cool surface against his forehead. “Hey.” He greeted the petite girl on his porch. Ruby’s eyebrows were furrowed.

“Hey,” she greeted back and stepped inside when he moved. “You don’t look so good. Are you okay?” She asked.

“I’m fine. You got some breakfast?” Sweet Pea replied, going to the living area and plopping down on the couch. He immediately felt better when he was off his feet. Ruby came over, giving him a bag from Pop’s and looking at him intently as he opened it. “What?” Sweet Pea asked.

“You really don’t look good.” She told him with a worried look.

“That’s what every guy wants to hear from a hot girl, cupcake.” Sweet Pea tried to brush her off with a comment that he knew would spike her temper, but Ruby was a woman on a mission. As he dug into his cheeseburger, she placed her hand on his forehead.

“You’re a little hot. Where’s your thermometer?” Sweet Pea’s head was pounding, despite her soft tone.

“Haven’t got one. And, I thought I was a lot hot?” He gave her a cheeky grin.

“Crappy flirting won’t get you out of me taking your temperature.” Ruby gave him a stern look which made him groan. The cheeseburger tasted like carton in his mouth, but he still swallowed.

“Please, I’m fine. It’s just a little hangover,” Ruby’s glare intensified. “A little one. Besides, you came over to study.” The girl dug out her cell phone and moved away without saying anything, her fingers typing away on the keyboard. Sweet Pea focused on eating as quickly as possible, both to get through the tasteless food and to hide his lack of appetite from the girl. If she noticed that, she would definitely go all Dr. House on him, diagnosing a zebra instead of looking for the horse. She was a worrywart and tended to assume the worst first.

“I’ll be right back,” Ruby told him and left the trailer. Sweet Pea sighed while she was out, wrapping the rest of his burger up and rising to place it in the fridge. He would get to it later. Before he could return to his spot on the couch, Ruby was back. “Here, Toni lent me hers. Take your temperature or I will.” She sternly told him.

“You’re cute when you’re bossy, you know?” Sweet Pea tried to distract the girl again, his arms coming to her shoulders, but Ruby’s hand rose in between them, the thermometer stopping his attempt to kiss her and successfully distract her.

“Do you really want to go down this road with me, Sweet Pea?” She asked in a warning tone. “I will dropkick you into bed and tie you up, if necessary.” Obviously, flirting wasn’t getting him anywhere, so he abandoned the tactic. He took the thermometer.

“I thought that we were going to study?” He asked, placing the tip in his ear and pressing the button. It took a few moments for the automatic thermometer to beep and he took it out. He was running a slight fever. Ruby pointedly looked at him. “Fine, here.” Sweet Pea gave her the thermometer. The girl read the number and her frown deepened.

“Bed. Now.” She instructed him.

“Oh, come on, Ruby, I’m fine.” He tried to protest. However, her small hands grasped his shirt and she pushed him back, guiding him backwards into his room. Sweet Pea’s knees hit the edge of his bed and he allowed the girl to push him down and cover him with his blanket.

“You’re not going to be doing anything in this state.” She adamantly told him.

“So, let me get this straight,” Sweet Pea grumbled from his pillow as she made sure that he was tucked in well. “You can bulldoze through finals with a fever and a cough, but I can’t study with a cold?” Ruby immediately stopped tucking in the sides of his blanket around him and he honestly thought that she would hit him. But, her expression was soft in the dim sunlight which poured through his bedroom blinds.

“These aren’t the finals, Sweet Pea,” she told him, brushing his hair back from his forehead gently. “Now, will you let me take care of you without protesting or do I have to bring back-up?” Sweet Pea paled at the thought of back-up. She could only mean Toni and Fangs. Or, worse, she could call FP. Neither option appealed to him in his groggy state.

“I’m going to be good, I promise.” He told her cheekily. With a slight smile, Ruby bent down, kissing his forehead gently.

“Then, get some sleep while I go grab you some medicine and head to the store.” Sweet Pea wanted to ask what she was going to buy, but the warmth of his blanket being wrapped up around his body so snugly and the soft smile Ruby was giving him were too much. He drifted off.

Sweet Pea remembered waking up at odd times, fairly vaguely. His fever had spiked, even more, making him more than a little delirious. He could recall Ruby propping him up and giving him some pills and water. He could also remember opening his eyes and smelling something nice cooking. He could definitely recollect spying Ruby going around his room in the dark, collecting things from here and there. He wasn’t sure if it was a dream or not, but when she noticed him watching, she dropped her task and came over, talking to him in a soft voice about something he couldn’t remember, holding his hand and kissing his forehead gently.

The first thing that Sweet Pea could recall well with certainty was Ruby waking him up with a bowl of hot soup. She’d arranged his pillows so that he could sit up and eat, before tucking him back into his blankets. And, the next thing he remembered very well was waking up and calling for her, only to have her rush into the doorway of his bedroom and smile at him brightly. Then, she’d sat behind him, letting him lay his head down on her stomach as she played with his hair and talked to him in soft tones.

Sweet Pea couldn’t remember a better time in his life. Sure, he was sick. But, for once, someone was taking care of him and not the other way around. His mother hadn’t been the caring kind. In fact, she’d been the whiskey bottle and cigarettes kind. And, his father had been overseas serving most of the time. When he was sick, Sweet Pea had been left to figure it out on his own. He would go to the pharmacy alone, get his medicine and hope that it worked quickly. He hadn’t counted on Toni or Fangs to help, even when they’d offered. His friends had other things to do other than to take care of a boy with a cold or the flu. He didn’t want to be a bother. Besides, Sweet Pea could take care of himself. He was always fine.

But, not to Ruby. She wouldn’t take no for an answer. She took care of him on her own time, with surprising gentleness. All in all, a small part of Sweet Pea was happy that he was sick, for once in his life. He didn’t have to worry about his mother drinking herself unconscious and dropping her cigarette. Instead, he had a girl making him chicken soup in the kitchen. He didn’t have to lie to Toni and Fangs and tell them that he had plans for the evening, while he was shivering in his bed. Instead, he had a girl who wouldn’t go away even when he’d asked her and said that he would be fine after sleeping it off.

That was the moment Sweet Pea was absolutely certain, one hundred percent, that he was completely and utterly in love with Ruby Wolfe. And, in his groggy mind, the realization didn’t scare him one bit. In fact, he welcomed it like an old friend, happy to finally see them. The panic set in the next morning, when his head cleared.

Sweet Pea got up, feeling his forehead. It was covered in a layer of dried sweat, but a normal temperature. He was surprised to be able to walk through his bedroom without any trouble, no clothes were strewn about messily on the floor. Next, he headed for the living room of his trailer, seeking out his caretaker. On his way, he noted that every surface of his home had been cleaned and tidied up meticulously. Curiously, he peeked into the kitchen, seeing it sparkling. Giving in, Sweet Pea opened the fridge, finding it full, for once. Fruits, vegetables and a number of Tupperware containers sat on the shelves, replacing cold pizza, wrapped up burgers and beer bottles. Ruby had obviously made herself at home.

He found the girl in question in his living room, sitting on the couch and folding his freshly washed clothing on the coffee table neatly.

“Hey,” she got up as soon as she saw him, abandoning her task. “How’s your head? Do you feel hot? Groggy?” She was instantly in front of him, hand rising to touch his forehead gently. Sweet Pea didn’t reply, instead ducking down and kissing her lips, hard.

“I love you, Ruby.” He told her when they parted, making her cheeks redden.

“Uh-um-w-wait, what?” She stammered, so Sweet Pea kissed her again, his arms wrapping around her petite form. For a moment, she was too shell-shocked to accept his affection, but she quickly recovered, her hands coming to grip the back of his shirt gently and her lips moving against his in soft motions.

“I said that I love you.” Sweet Pea told her in a soft whisper when he was done thoroughly kissing her.

“Oh,” Ruby said, breathless, a dazed expression on her face. “I guess… I love you, too?” She returned.

“Why is it ‘I guess’?” Sweet Pea groaned. “And, why is it a question?” He laughed, making her dissolve into giggles.

“I don’t know! You didn’t exactly give me any thinking time here!” She protested, making him groan again.

“You need to think about it?” He sounded exasperated. There was a coy smile on her lips then and Sweet Pea groaned again. She was teasing him, as always.

“Oh, I knew I pretty much loved you from the moment I told you that I’d get that tea with you,” Ruby said with conviction. “I just liked watching you squirm and try and figure out your own feelings.”

“Jesus, don’t you know that it’s not nice to tease a sick man? Some might even consider it cruel, in fact.” Sweet Pea chuckled.

“Sick people should stay in bed.” Ruby’s eyes connected with his, telling him that it wasn’t a request at all. Sweet Pea groaned again, but obediently headed back for his room, Ruby in tow.

Oh, gosh… That’s all for now… I wanted to something a bit more Sweet Pea, from the last chapter, which was very Ruby-centric :D

Taglist: @enticinghell @projectcampbell  @sweetscamille

Previous parts: Day 1: A way to memorize Day 2: How to prepare for a study date (?) like a proper gentleman Day 3:  With proper motivation, anything is possible Day 4:  PG13 PDA sugar can be good motivation Day 5: Autumn time is picnic time Day 6: It’s best when we can compete Day 7:  Master of procrastination and his jailer Day 8: Take me anywhere, everywhere, away from here Day 9:  Dirty French for beginners   Day 10:  I need… sleep?… no, you…   Day 12: Stay still for me   Day 13:  Debate? Apparently, a turn-on   Day 14: Two-seater and Chinese   Day 15:  Unintentional intentions  

Let me know how you liked it :D

                                                      Bonus

Ruby: Do you have any of the cold medicine left over?

Sweet Pea: What for?

Ruby: Your idiotic ass kissed me while you were sick and now I’m sick and dad’s out for a week on a job.

Sweet Pea: I’ll be over in a few.

Ruby: Thanks.

Sweet Pea hopped up from his seat at the Whyte Wyrm booth, grabbing his keys from the table and tossing a few bills in the middle of their drinks.

“Where are you going?” Fangs asked, looking between Sweet Pea and his unfinished drink.

“Gotta return a favor.” The tall biker told his friends and headed out with a small smile on his face. He didn’t know how to prepare chicken soup, but he knew where he could get some to go.

Now, I’m done ;)

[just-here-to-share-stony]

Tony was already up and getting his coffee ready as the team started to come in.

“Mmm.. good morning.. thank you for finally awakening.”

Clint was the first to respond.

“Hah’SHoo! ESSHHoooo!”

Tony jumped and moved back.

While the rest of the team blessed him, Tony looked disgusted.

“Are you sick?” He asked, going to the sink to wash his hands.

Clint sniffled thickly and grabbed a napkin as everyone sat down, “Yup... picked something up on the last mission.”

Tony groaned and brought over some food he had delivered. “Just... please stay as far away as possible... i don’t want to deal with the disgustingness that comes with illness.”

Clint rollwd his eyes. “Alright Stark, not like we would be close.. with you always in the lab...”

Tony gasped and sat up. “The lab! That’s a great idea!” He picked up his food and coffee and looked back to the group. “I’ll be in the lab.. just let me know when...” he looked to Clint and gestured to his face, “that’s all done.”

Tony quickly left and Clint looked around the group.

Steve looked confused, so Natasha explained.

“Tony is a germaphobe,” She said, putting some food on her plate, “If someone is sick... he’s been none to leave the tower completely or just hide out in the lab until the person’s sniffles are gone.”

Steve nodded slowly and took some food on his plate. “Wow... I didn’t know that.”

Clint cut in, “it’s kind of dramatic... but it’s not the worst thing to not have him around while I’m sick.”

Natasha chuckled and started to eat. “And I don’t think it would pleasant to see him sick.”

Steve just listened as he ate. “Thank you for letting me know,” he said, eating a little more, “I take it someone brings him meals?”

Natasha nodded. “Yup. And it can’t be the person who’s sick.”

Steve nodded. “I can handle that...I can’t get sick anyways.”

Bruce looked to Steve. “You can though..” he said as he ate, “it’s not as easy for you to get sick... but it can happen.”

Steve just sighed and tensed slightly. Honestly, he’d been feeling a little run down the last few days.

He began to feel worried about what would happen if he did get sick. He never wanted tony to find him disgusting.

He knew it would be hard if he got sick. He’s been used to Bucky taking care of him, and he knew it would be lonely.

———

A few days went by and Steve was definitely sick. Tony was still down in the lab and Steve was terrified for when he finally came out.

At breakfast Steve came to sit at the table, red nosed and visibly tired.

“Good morning,” Clint said, no longer sick, “I’m about to let your boyfriend know I’m better.”

Steve was about to respond when he was overtaken by a fit of sneezes. “Hih’ngxt! Nngxt’uh! Heh! Heh’nnGgxt!—chu...”

Natasha, Clint, and Bruce exchanged looks and frowned. “You alright Steve?” Natasha asked, rubbing his shoulder. Steve sighed and sniffed. “I’m sick...” he said with a blush, wiping at his nose with a tissue.

Bruce was up in a heartbeat, feeling Steve’s forehead. “If you got sick... it must be bad...” he said, looking him over, “wow.”

Steve sighed and coughed a few times into his wrist. “I’ll be okay...” he looked to Clint and blushed. “Would you mind not telling tony to come out of the lab?” He asked, “I don’t want him to know I’m um sick... or to see me like this.”

Everyone exchanged a look.

Clint sighed and nodded. “Alright cap... but I think you should tell him.”

Natasha and Bruce sighed too. “I get why you’re doing it,” Natasha said, “just... let us know if you need anything.”

Steve nodded and wiped his nose a little more.

Suddenly, clients phone started to ring. He looked tot he group and answered it.

“Hey stark.. umm... still feeling under the weather... so maybe just a few more days.. I think it’s something really bad.”

They all heard a groan. “Alright, is Steve there?”

“Steve is...” he looked to Steve and he shook his head. “Steve is working out... maybe try calling him later.”

“Oh alright,” tony said, sounding rejected, “yeah... Umm.. maybe he could bring my food down later?”

Clint looked to Steve again and sighed, “he’s been pretty busy... we can see though.”

“Alright birdbrain... thank you.”

“Anytime Stark.”

Clint, Bruce, and Natasha looked to Steve as he had another fir of sneezes. “Thank you Clint...” he said, “I appreciate it.”

——

After breakfast and after receiving some medicine from Bruce, Steve went to bed.

He curled up in their blankets and shivered at the fever. He turned off the alerts to Tony about Steve’s nightmares and went to sleep.

A few hours later, Natasha came in to check on him.

As she got closer she heard Steve letting out... whimpers? In his sleep and saw him shaking.

“Steve...” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed, “wake up..”

Steve fosses and turned for another minute and shot up with a gasp.

“Easy Steve... it’s okay... just a dream...” she said, soothingly.

Steve nodded and started to cough harshly.

Natasha patter his back and frowned. “You okay?”

“Bucky?” Steve asked sounding broken, “I’m not feeling too good... where have you been?” He attempted to try and get into Natasha’s arms, and quickly realized it wasn’t Bucky.He coughed a few more times and shivered violently. “Oh Nat... I’m so sorry...” he said shaking, “just um...” he sniffled and brought his elbow up to stifle a fit of eight sneezes.

“Whoa Steve...bless you!” She said as she tried to ease him back down, “you okay?”

Steve just closed his eyes and turned on his side. “I-I’m fine...” he said, curling up, “just... not used to um...” he paused, “it’s fine.”

Natasha frowned and rubbed his back. “Not used to being alone?”

Steve sighed and let out a few coughs. “Yeah..” he bit his lip slightly, “I just get cold... and I appreciate you, Clint, and Bruce... it’s just... I miss.. being held when I’m sick, and having someone lay down with me.”

Nat frowned and rubbed his back. “Are you sure you don’t want us to tell Tony?” She asked, “maybe he’ll surprise you...”

Steve shook his head. “He can’t see me like this Nat... I’m so disgusting and... I don’t think I could handle...” he paused and went silent.

Nat knew he was going to say. He couldn’t handle tony somehow leaving him just because he was sick.

Natasha saw how Tony was with Pepper, and wondered if that’s how it would be with Steve. Tony told Pepper to keep her distance, and Natasha felt nervous about if Tony reacted that way with Steve.

Seeing Steve so upset made Natasha want to go demand Tony get over himself and take care of his boyfriend.

Suddenly, Steve started to bob forward with silent sneezes. After about ten bobs, Natasha rubbed his back. “Steve stop that...” she said, grabbing a tissue, “here... use this... don’t hold them in.”

Steve just took the tissue and held it over his nose. “Heh’tsshh! Ishhiew! Heh! Ahh’shhiew! Etshhh! Hih’ssshuh! Heh’uhhSShiew!”

He winced after the last sneeze and started to cough violently.

“Here Steve,” Natasha said, holding out a glass of water, “take a few sips.”

Steve sipped and Natasha helped him lay back down after. “Steve,” Natasha said softly, “you okay?”

Steve nodded and moved more under the covers. “I’m okay...” he sniffled, “just going to rest.”

Natasha nodded and stood up.

“Let me know if you need anything, okay?”

Steve nodded slowly and closed his eyes, holding his pillow.

Natasha turned the light off and went to find Bruce.

When she was told Bruce was in the lab, she debated going down there for a minute, but then decided to just do it. Steve was not well and Tony would have to care about that.

——

Bruce and Tony were working on something when

Natasha walked in.

“Bruce!” Natasha said, looking frustrated, “I need to talk to you now.”

Tony sighed and stood up. “Really, right now?”

Natasha gave Tony a look like she was ready to kill him, and Tony backed up. “Wow... what did I do to deserve that?”

Natasha balled her fists and felt Bruce pull her arm over to the side of the lab.

“Bruce... he’s not well at all...”

Bruce tilted his head, “does it seem like the medicine is helping?”

“No bruce!” Natasha said in a whisper, but angry, “he’s so sick... he sneezed over twenty times when I went to check on him, coughed intensely and...” she frowned, “I walked in on him full out sobbing.”

Bruce frowned. “He might need more

Medicine...it’s every four hours... but he might need double every two.”

Tony heard them and sighed. “Please don’t get Clint high... he’s already annoying enough.”

Natasha looked over at him again angrily.

“Tony! If you don’t shut up right now...”

She balled her fists and felt Bruce put his hand on her arm, “relax Nat, it’s alright.”

Natasha shook her head, “you need to stop with this... honestly tony, you...” she sighed, “If you really cared you’d...”she paused when phone dinged and checked the message.

She showed Bruce and then called the number.

Bruce quickly left and ran up the stairs.

“What’s going on?”

She bit her lip at what he said and tensed.

“Okay, slow down, Bruce is coming...”

Tony watched her and was floored at how lost for words she was during that conversation. Tony had never seen her nor be able to tell it straight.

“Don’t use ice! It doesn’t matter how high his temperature is! The ice will make everything worse, Clint!”

At that statement, Tony knew what was going on.

He went over to Natasha. “Where is Steve?” He asked, gathering up his phone and wiping the grease off his hands.

“So you can avoid him or??” Natasha said bitterly.

“Natasha! He’s my boyfriend! Why did nobody tell me? Where is he?!?”

Natasha told Clint she would be right there.

“His floor,” she said, “he’s sick Tony... really bad. He didn’t think you’d want to be near him...”

Tony tensed “again, he’s my boyfriend. He immediately ran up the stairs, not looking back.

When he got to Stevens floor, he went to the bedroom and didn’t even knock.

Steve was laying down and shaking violently.

“Steve...” tony said, moving closer, “honey...why didn’t you...”

He saw Steve had his eyes closed and had a frown on his Eeep

Bruce was standing by, but moved for Tony to get through.

To everyone’s surprise, Tony got into bed next to him and wrapped his arms around his shivering super soldier.

Steve instinctively moved closer to Tony in his sleep, and the shivering almost stopped immediately.

Everyone was shocked and tony seemed to completely forget about everyone else in the room. He was gently rubbing Steve’s back and kissing the top of his head.

Bruce interrupted to talk with Tony about the medicine and Clint and Natasha left, still in shock we at what they saw.

After Bruce explained he left and left the two alone.

Tony felt awful and guilty as he looked over his sick boyfriend. He should’ve been more aware and swore that he would do everything he could to make up for it.

He stayed awake so he could be there to reassure Steve If he woke up.

——

A few hours later, Tony saw Steve stir in his sleep.

“Honey,” he said, rubbing his back, “you alright?”

Steve let out a small, whimper? And curled up more into Tony’s chest.

Tony immediately held him closer and rubbed his back. “It’s alright sweetheart, rest.”

Steve started to wake up and tensed when he looked up and saw Tony.

“Uh... umb...” he sniffled and turned away to cough, “why? How? Whed?”

Tony held him close when Steve started to move away.

[simsadventures]

Baby Fever II

Summary: You’re 9 months pregnant with your first child, and you and Bucky are both excited and nervous about the arrival of the little one.

Warnings: fluff, mentions of smut (nothing explicit this time around), daddy! Bucky, Deer Woman appearance

Word Count: 1932

A/N: Some of you liked the first part so much, you actually requested a second one, and I was honestly very happy to do it. This is pretty much just a fluff with a fluff on top, so I’ll hope you’ll enjoy it. Let me know what you thought :) xx

Bucky Barnes Masterlist __ Masterlist

Baby Fever I

The dull pain in your lower back woke you up. You groaned in frustration when you looked at the alarm sitting on your nightstand. It was 6.29, and even though that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, to wake up in half past 6, it was the fact that it has only been 2 hours since you last woke up. And you were tired. And in pain. And frustrated.

You looked at the other side of the bed seeing Bucky still soundly asleep, and although you were happy for him and his sleeping routine, you were also jealous of him.

You loved the fact you were pregnant, you really did. But your little bundle of joy had no care in the world for a time in the real world outside your womb, and he or she would regularly have a party in there around 4 AM.

And because nature had to make it so that the women would carry to babies, your husband would wake up rested and stress-free every morning, while you looked like a little dwarves dances on top of you the whole night.

You sighed, and rolled over to your other side, dangling your feet off the bed and you tried to get up. Not only were you tired, but your bladder was killing you as well. You were sure the baby thought your bladder was some kind of a ball and would kick it out of spite every twenty minutes, causing you to run to the bathroom.

There were times when you even wanted to have twins. That thought made you cringe now because just the thought of two babies being in there, playing with your organs made you shiver. One at a time was just enough for you.

You rushed to the bathroom, and when you were done, you looked at yourself in the mirror. There were dark circles under your eyes from the lack of sleep, and very probably from the strength of the baby, which, as Bruce said, has inherited parts of the serum from his father. Bucky was alarmed at first, at the thought of his baby being enhanced and all of that, but Bruce assured both of you that rather than being enhanced in the usual sense of the word, your baby would simply be less prone to be sick, its wounds would heal slightly quicker, and that was probably it.

He couldn’t be a hundred percent sure until it was born, but you trusted Bruce, and you were at ease with the whole serum thing.

Your eyes travelled south to your 9-month belly, swollen and hard with stretch marks at the sides. At first, you were horrified to see those lines on your body that use to be lean and without a mark, except the few scars you carried from your fights. But then, mostly thanks to Bucky, you realised that it was a miracle you even had this baby in you, and that your body was just accommodating for the little one to be as comfortable as you could make it.

You touched the right side of your belly, right next to your navel, and massaged it lightly. You knew the baby liked it when you touched the belly, or when you or Bucky spoke to it, and you wanted to enjoy this morning ritual until it decided to finally come out.

You could feel pressure under your palm, and when you lifted it, you could see a little hand protruding through your skin.

Despite your tiredness and all those frustrations you felt when you got up, a smile appeared on your mouth and tears welled up in your eyes. This was all you ever dreamed of, at least since you met Bucky, and you couldn’t believe that it was a reality. Your very own reality.

You didn’t even notice the movement behind you until there was a hand splayed on your stomach. You looked into the mirror and was welcomed by the sight that melted your heart.

Bucky’s hair was still messy from the pillow, his eyes looked like he hasn’t truly woken up just yet, but he had a delirious smile on his face, watching your belly with a newfound adoration.

Ever since you found out you were pregnant, Bucky was over the moon. He would make sure you had everything you needed, even if it meant he had to get up from the comfort of his bed at 2 AM just to bring you a sack of oranges, or a pack of ice cream. He would pamper you with kisses and hugs, give you massages whenever your body hurt too much, and he would be there all the time.

He even misses a few missions just because he didn’t feel like leaving you alone, despite your protests and Tony’s explanations that nothing could happen to you in the safest place on this planet. That wasn’t an argument for Bucky. You were his wife carrying his child, and he would be damned if he didn’t make sure you were both ok.

As the baby made its presence known, Bucky kept massaging your belly, marvelling at the sight of the tiny feet and hands showing through the thin skin of your stomach.

You leaned into his chest, loving the attention he was giving both of you, and you kissed the underside of his jaw. His eyes shot to yours, and he gave you the loveliest smile, pecking your lips in the process.

You were nearing your due date, well, according to Bruce, it could happen any day now. You were anxious, to say the least. You were an Avenger, that was true, but you couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would feel like to give birth to a tiny human being. And if it the little one inside you was anything like Bucky, it would come out kicking and screaming.

But the truth was, you weren’t even scared of the pain, you knew you could take it. Billions of women were able to do it before you, and you knew you could do it. You were more afraid for the little one. What if something happens to it? What if you can’t even do the one thing, right? What if you are a bad mother?

All these thoughts were playing in your mind as the due date neared, and they were now all you could think of. Bucky had no idea, or at least you thought so because you didn’t want to stress him out or let him know about all your doubts when it came to your child.

But Bucky being Bucky could read you like an open book, and so when you got lost in your head again, contemplating whether you are able to take on this new role, in this crazy world, Bucky put a finger under your chin and turned your to face him.

“Stop,” he whispered and touched your forehead with his, letting you take a deep breath, releasing the stress out of your body.

“We’re gonna be good, you’re gonna be a great mother, and I will never let anything happen to the little one, I promise. You are my family, my everything, and there isn’t a possibility of it not ending up ok. We’re gonna struggle at times, just like every other new parents, but we will get the hang of it. I saw you taking care of Morgan, and you’re natural, baby! So stop stressing about unnecessary things, and just enjoy the last few moments of being pregnant,” he said calmly, and just like always, you felt yourself letting go of all your fears, just because Bucky was with you.

“I know you’re right, it’s just the illogical part of my brain that comes up with all these worst-case scenarios. But you’re right, when it comes-“

You couldn’t finish the sentence, because you suddenly felt something wet between your thighs. And because you were pretty sure you just didn’t pee yourself, there was only one other possibility.

Bucky was watching in confusion, as you looked from him to your stomach and further down, and then back at him. It took him a good minute before he realised what was happening, and from the calm and collected Bucky, you had this fretting boy in front of you.

He was freaking out, to say the least, while you were overcome with peace. Sure, you were curious about the contractions, and all, but you suddenly knew you could do this. Your body was made for this. Which you couldn’t say about Bucky’s body, which was now shaking as he tried to remember what it was that you wanted to do first if something like this happened.

“Bucky!” You raised your voice to ensure the message actually got to his stressed brain.

“Call my doctor, Dr Young, and tell her that we are on our way. I’ll call Bruce and tell him what is happening. You’ll then grab my bag, it’s there, on the table, and you’ll calmly drive me to the hospital, just like we planned. Will you be able to do it, or should I call somebody else to drive us?”

“NO! I’ll drive us! I’ve got this! I promise, now let’s go,” Bucky said, obviously still a little shaken, but much better than moments ago.

You nodded at him, and while you were both calling the doctors, and heading towards the car, you looked outside, and for a brief moment, you could have sworn you saw a beautiful woman standing outside the window.

Her hair was flowing around her hips, the flower crown on her head accentuating her beauty just like her plain white dress. She looked like she was smiling at you and nodding, but when you blinked and looked again, she was nowhere to be found.

You thought you were hallucinating, from the pain that started to creep to your belly and forgot all about the image of a few moments ago.

But the Deer Woman has never forgotten. She came in to check on you, and to give you and the baby the strength to go through the labour as painlessly and quickly as possible.

She was also there, just outside the hospital where you were giving birth to your baby boy to oversee the whole process, and when she heard the sharp cries of your baby, and when she heard you saying the little boy’s name, she nodded again and vanished into thin air.

“Micheal Steven,” you said with a smile. “I think we should call him after Steve, because you and Steve have always been so close, and I would like to honour that. Also, we both agreed that sieve should be his godfather, so why not calling him after him?”

Bucky was already on the verge of crying from all the joy he was feeling, but when you asked him if you could name your baby boy after his best friend, the dam broke. He sobbed yes, and hugged you tightly, still careful of the babe in your arms.

He couldn’t believe his luck to have such a beautiful family, and he knew that it wouldn’t end with just this baby. Bucky wanted a whole litter of babies now that you two knew you made such cute ones. And he couldn’t wait to start trying with you again. Well, after little Micheal Steven was safe and sound in his crib and you were all healed up, of course. He could wait that long. But the baby fever in him could never be truly satisfied.

Bucky Taglist

@this-kitten-is-smitten​ @paradisiacalsparks​ @crazybutconfidentaf​ @owlyannah​ @lassini​ @s-trawberryv-eins​ @reniescarlett​ @bxrnsfeyson​ @the-soulofdevil​

Marvel Taglist

@voltage-my2dlove​ @kneel-begyourpardon​ @lumar014​ @ptrs-prkrs​

Forever Tag:

@eileenalone​ @sasbb23​ @p8tn0lish​ @coffeebooksandfandom​ @waiting4inspiration​ @caswinchester2000​ @mogaruke​ @justthatfangirloverthere​ @mushyjellybeans​ @livsheph​ @sebbbystaaan​ @notyourtypicalrose​ @itsunclebucky​

If your name is crossed out, tumblr won’t let me tag you for some reason, I’m sorry.

If you’d like to be tagged comment/message/send an ask. If you like the story, please reblog :) any comments are appreciated, even the critical ones. Always a space to get better, so let me know what you guys think.

[hogwartselementumrp]

Dearest Caitlin, it is with much excitement and deep pleasure that I offer you the role that was supposed to be written by May first if the original plan had been followed. A few bumps and delays on all sides later, Aerwynna Howell,  is yours. I would have been convinced by nothing but the enchanting words of this application that you fully grasp her character and will develop her in exciting ways and develop relationships new and old, but it’s been a pleasure talking to you this past month since you showed interest. Get her on the dash asap!

OOC Information

NAME/ALIAS: Something relating to my gleeful destruction of the romantic relationships of my characters. Go wild, surprise me.

PREFERRED PRONOUN: Oh Great and Terrible Creature of Nightmares.

AGE: I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I’M FEELING TWENTY TWOOOO.

TIMEZONE: What does it even fuckin matter my sleep schedule obeys no time zones

ACTIVITY LEVEL: I am trying REALLY HARD and lbr I’ll never be off Aerwynna once she is mine

HOW DID YOU FIND THE RP (NEW MEMBERS): Beth came to me in a dream and said ‘join this roleplay it will eat your free time and you’ll never escape’ and dream me replied ‘fuck it sure’ and here we are, over two years later.

Character Information

NAME OF THE CHARACTER: Aerwynna Howell

DESCRIBE THE CHARACTER IN YOUR OWN WORDS: You mean beyond the wailing noises of hysterical excitement I’ve been making over the last month while we’ve talked about her? UH. Okay. Well.

Aerwynna is the elegant, ethereal figure in the dreams of half of Mayte’s children, resting a cool palm to their foreheads to soothe fevers and counselling them on matters that range from heartbreak to their purpose in the world. She has been, for a long time, a surrogate mother to her home, a valued adviser and quiet comfort, always on the peripheral, constant in her presence but something that did not need to be acknowledged or appreciated openly. And that was fine. It was her role, carved out for herself, important in its own way and tailor made to pull on everything she excels at.

Deep down, however, she always knew that one day that would change; that it would stop being where she was meant to be, would stop being enough. She knew from the moment she clapped her eyes on the neat, dark haired little boy in church, who spouted poetry so easily and held fervent, then half-formed convictions deep in his lovely, dark eyes.

She is the gentle, comforting hand the Mayte’s need; a constant of home, come to reaffirm that their choices are right and to help talk through and soothe away doubts. But beyond that - beyond her role as the White Queen to Lawrence’s Black King, possibilities of a rekindled romantic relationship aside - this is what she wants for herself. This was her belief before it was hersandLawrence’s, is a mission she has had faith in from the beginning, even if she had no place on the front line at the beginning.

For what feels like the first time in her life, she’s not entirely certain what she should do, how she should handle a world she is entirely unfamiliar with; but she is more than determined, is destined to take control of this and help to guide this world as it falls apart and then recreates itself, and she will not show weakness.

ANY CHANGES YOU WISH TO MAKE?: God no she’s so perfect

TITLES: I’d like if she could take some kind of role assisting Neville in teaching Herbology/at least have clearance to pop into Hogwarts and tend to some of the trickier plants grown in the greenhouses. I know it would only make sense for after she’s been in Hogsmede for a while, but she would want to take any and all initiative to keep an eye on Nerissa.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Lucille

Though Lucille is…difficult, for Aerwynna, a lost child, too wild and unfocused, she feels an instinctive pull toward caring for her, seeing Propera in her wildness, and so much potential to be a lot more. She doesn’t judge her for leaving - as someone who never married, she cannot think poorly of someone who decided their marriage was not right for them and left to discover her true purpose - but in her absence got very close to her children, especially little Emmett, suddenly without a mother at such a young age. There is a little coldness in her, for the sake of the child and the gentle, loving hand he should have had to raise him but has now been denied; but more than that, she sees Lucille as another errant little sister in need of her advice and assistance. How long her patience lasts with her, however, remains to be seen.

Olivier

Aerwynna would never claim to have anything close to Lawrence’s nose for young ‘talent’; but when this young man walked into the potions shop on her second day in town, she felt an interest rise in her that has yet to fade, and promises great things. Beyond the instinct, the bone deep feeling that tells her he could be a valuable asset, she finds him pleasant and slightly amusing; and she has found herself quickly growing attached to the young man. She knows the stereotypes, knows this is expected of women her age with suddenly empty nests; but she honestly believes he is special, and wants to cultivate that as best she can.

Charlie

For Aerwynna, Charlie was never a project. He was, to start, the roguish, silly boy her darling little sister had cow eyes for; and then he was a young man with potential, with hidden depths and all one needed to really become important, to change lives and help shape the future. It was excitement that drove her to mention the young man to Lawrence, and she has yet to regret making such a decision, having no idea the ways in which Lawrence has driven Charlie from the fold; but even after he left Shani - the same way Lawrence left Aewynna herself, though without Shani knowing just what he was leaving to achieve - Aerwynna remains incredibly fond of him, and eager for him to be part of the Mayte’s work in the wizarding world.

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS:

Lawrence

There are no words for what Lawrence is to her. He left because their paths were splitting - temporarily, of course - but Aerwynna never ceased to be his, and in her mind he never ceased to be hers. She doesn’t know if they will pick up where they left off when they meet again, can’t even know if it’s what she really wants; but he is, and always has been, it for her. There is no other. There never will be, as far as she is concerned.

Nerissa

Though Nerissa is her niece, and sister in the eyes of everyone in Mayte, she has always been Aerwynna’s baby. Motherhood came easy to her for all her sisters, but Nerissa was always different, always needed her more, and Aerwynna has never been able to help the way she gravitates toward the younger woman. Besides the cause, Nerissa is one of the main reasons she finally left Mayte. While all her sisters grew up and found lives for themselves, the youngest member of her family was out in the world, needing guidance and comfort; and Aerwynna knows better than anything just when and where she is needed. Nerissa needs her. Whether she likes it or not.

PARA SAMPLE

It’s 1am and I’m tired pls don’t make me.