#but maybe waiting for the perfect time when everything is exactly right just means I'll never get a cat.

[running-in-the-dark]

okay, so, I'm seriously considering getting a cat now (or probably two since they'd be indoor only so that seems better), and I need to talk about that to figure out if it's a good idea.

there's a few things that are making me hesitant about doing this.

we live in an attic apartment, and that worries me. half of our windows open onto the roof. we put fly screens on them (they have a zipper so you can open the window), but those are super flimsy and probably wouldn't stop a cat that really wants to get out. the normal windows also have fly screens, but again those are flimsy.

I once had my dog jump out of an attic window, I think that's why this scares me so much. of course a dog and a cat are very different, and if a cat got onto the roof it would likely be fine (but it might run away, which wouldn't be good).

ideally I'd just make sure the windows are never open when the cats are in the room, but that definitely wouldn't work since it gets very, very hot in summer. that also worries me - we have a few fans and it's alright for us, but I don't know how a cat would handle that with nowhere to go to cool down (I've had cats my whole life but that was always in houses where they could go to a cooler area).

I might also be allergic to cats. I've had three allergy tests, one of those said I'm allergic to cats (and a bunch of other animals), the other two didn't. I can't really tell because cats definitely make my skin a little itchy, but all the people I know who have cats have very dusty homes, and I'm very allergic to dust. so it could just be that. and like I said, I lived with (many) cats for the first 25 years of my life, and it was fine. I was sneezing and all of that all the time, but I'm 99% sure that was mainly my dust allergy (which is pretty well managed at this point). and I'd be alright with sneezing a bit more and having my skin be a little itchy, that wouldn't be a problem.

my partner also really loves cats, but he's never had one. he only ever had one pet, a budgie, and he was pretty young so he didn't have to do much to care for it. so he doesn't really know how much work pets can be and I think he might underestimate that. and he'd likely have to clean the litter boxes etc. because I have.. issues with dirt and stuff like that. I don't think he'd mind, but I'd have to explain that it's not something you just do once a week.

weirdly, I'm kind of most worried about the vet. I've never been to a vet, no idea why but I just never went there with either of my parents. so I dont know how that works, and I'm scared of social situations so that's a bit of a problem. though - my mother knows her vet really well, and I'm sure she'd go with me the first few times and I could figure it out from there.

cost is also a bit of a worry. we're doing alright financially, but we don't really have savings. we could definitely pay for vet bills or anything like that, and I think I'd look into getting health insurance for the cats too (I haven't researched if it's worth it, but I think it would make me feel a bit calmer about that aspect).

I also worry our apartment might be too small for a cat (or especially two). it's not tiny, we have a big living room and the bedroom isn't small either, plus the kitchen and bathroom. so they could get away from each other since there's not just one room. but I don't want to get a cat just because I want one and have it be miserable, that's selfish. I don't know how long we'll live here, probably not more than a few years, but I wouldn't want a cat to be unhappy even for a short time.

I've also never had a cat that wasn't allowed to go outside (ours definitely wouldn't ever be allowed to go outside, even when we eventually move). so I have absolutely no idea what that's like. all our cats ran around outside so they mostly slept when they were home. I assume you'd have to have a cat tree and maybe play with them more actively or something, which would be fine if course. as long as there's enough room for them to do that.

I'd also have to convince our landlord, but I think I could do that. she was mostly worried about us having a cat because one of her previous tenants had a cat that was left alone all day and it scratched the walls around the windows and stuff like that. but I'm home all the time anyway, and that definitely won't change in at least the next 12 months, plus.. the walls are already scratched now anyway lol.

mostly, I think it would just be really good for me to not be completely alone so much during the week. maybe having pets that I need to feed and play with would give me some structure and like, a sense of purpose or something.

the dirt and pet hair aspect also worries me a bit. though, I'm much better with that now (I can touch trash cans again, yay...). and I once had a kitten that peed in my bed every single day for a week, and I didn't mind that because I loved her so much. so I think I'd be fine. and I think the cat hair was only a problem because my mother's house was very dirty and smelly in general, so it was too much for me. on its own I think I'd be okay with it.

we don't go on holiday much, and if we did my brother and his family live really close by so they could feed the cats. in the worst case my mother could probably take them for a while at least (like if I have to go to hospital again or something). so I think that would also be fine.

I don't know 😭 I really, realllly miss having cats but I don't want to risk having it not work out and having to give them back or something like that. but I just really want to have a cat 😭😭😭 every day I think at least once 'this moment would be much better if there was a cat here'.

[runninriot]

Damn You, Capitalism!

inspired by and written for @sidekick-hero , hope that helps getting through the day 🖤 because work sucks (i know!) - but eddie sucks harder 😏

1.231 words | cw: contains smut, nsfw, mdni

also on ao3

Steve has been drowning in work lately, it's a nightmare.

Eddie tries his best to support him, to make things as little stressful for him at home as it can possibly be.

He keeps the guitar unplugged when he's working on new music, to keep the noise at a minimum.

Always makes sure there's some meal ready for Steve to grab and microwave when and if he remembers to eat.

He reminds himself to do the dishes as soon as he's done with them because he knows how much Steve hates when the sink is full of dirty plates and forks and mugs.

Eddie even finally figured out how to use their new washing machine - he's not stupid, just lazy, and- why does that damn thing need so many buttons?

So, yeah. He's trying, really, because it breaks his heart every night when Steve comes home from work, looking one moment away from collapsing. Always tired, always moody, just- miserable.

Eddie wishes he could do more. Wishes he could take some of Steve's stress away, help him relax. Ease his mind just for a while.

And- look, he knows what would probably, most definitely help, that's not the thing. The problem is, Steve can barely even stay up long enough to kiss Eddie goodnight as soon as they're in bed. So any attempts of trying to have some one-on-one quality time with his husband aren't really up for debate right now.

Right?

Right.

He'll just have to wait for this massive project to be over and done with.

---

As Eddie crawls into bed shortly after Steve, he finds him quietly snoring, already fast asleep with his face mushed uncomfortably against his pillow.

Even in his sleep, he looks exhausted and it makes Eddie mad how much that job is demanding of Steve.

He pictures himself in front of the corporate building that holds his husband's soul captive, angrily stomping up and down the pavement while waving a sign that reads Damn You, Capitalism! and the thought makes him laugh.

He realises too late that he's been making an awful lot of noise, instantly shuts himself up with a hand over his mouth when Steve stirs awake and looks at him through bleary eyes.

   "Is everything okay?"

Steve sounds knackered (he learned that word from his British co-worker) and Eddie hates himself for ripping him out of his well-deserved sleep.

   "I'm sorry, baby. Everything's good. I didn't mean to wake you up. Just go back to sleep, okay? I'll see you in the morning."

Eddie leans down to kiss his forehead before he turns off the light and lays down next to him, trying to be as still as he can to let Steve drift off peacefully again.

But the damage is already done. Even without looking he can sense that Steve has trouble falling back asleep and it’s confirmed by the heavy sigh Steve lets out.

   "Can you-" His voice flitters quietly through the room, "Can you suck my dick?”

    Oookay, what?

Eddie can’t help but snort at those words.

Steve must be dreaming. Maybe he did fall back asleep after all.

   “I’m being serious, Eds!” Steve sounds almost offended.

He then rolls to the side and even in the dark, Eddie can see his big eyes staring straight at him.

So, not sleeping, then.

   “Babe, are you sure? I’m just asking because- well, we haven’t done anything for weeks and I miss it. God, do I miss it. But you’ve been completely out of it not even 5 minutes ago and-“

What the hell is he even going on about?

His perfect, beautiful husband wants him to suck him off. Why the fuck is he still babbling instead of using his mouth to do exactly that?

   “I just think it’d help me sleep?”

Steve uses that honeysweet voice of his, the one he knows Eddie can never say no to, the one he always uses to get what he wants. And- like, what is Eddie if not a very devoted, very helpful, very loving husband that would quite literally do anything for his man?

---

Steve’s boxers are gone as quickly as the blanket before Eddie makes himself comfortable between his husband’s spread legs.

It’s almost embarrassing how much he’s already drooling just thinking about the perfect weight of Steve’s glorious cock on his tongue but- excuse him for not keeping his excitement in check when he’s literally been suffering from Steve-withdrawal for weeks now!

Still, he tries to take his time, not wanting it to be over too quickly. He can hear in Steve’s pleading moans that he won’t last long, can taste Steve’s desperation in each drop of precum that hits his tongue as he licks the tip.

It’s heaven.

It’s so good Eddie wants to cry.

    Fuck, he missed this. Missed the familiar stretch of his lips when he takes Steve in, the familiar sound of Steve’s husky voice, the scent of freshly showered skin, the feeling of sinking deeper and deeper on his lover’s cock as he swallows him down like he’s starving for it.

His hips can’t seem to keep still, wiggling and rubbing against the sheets where his own cock is searching for friction. But his focus is on Steve, he can take care of himself later. This is just for the beautiful man that is the light of his life – he deserves it. Deserves to be worshipped like the divine creature he is.

   “Ed- Eddie, oh God! Oh fuck!”

Steve’s words spur him on. He finds the perfect rhythm, uses one hand to pump Steve’s cock while his tongue curls around the tip. His other hand strokes the sensitive skin on his inner thigh, dragging his nails up and down, knowing too well that it drives Steve just a little insane.

   “Babe, I’m- I- fuck! Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop. I’m so close!”

Eddie wouldn’t dream of it.

Not when it makes him so happy to hear and taste and feel his husband slowly falling to pieces. When, with every staggering breath, Steve crawls a little closer to the edge.

Until finally, Eddie is rewarded with a mouthful of Steve’s love; a sweet gift, despite the bitter taste, he swallows with pride, not wasting a single drop of it, taking it all in.

Beneath him, Steve’s trembling through his orgasm, legs shaking and breath uneven. He stops Eddie with a hand in his hair, tugging just lightly to make him look up.

   “Com’ere, baby. Wanna kiss you.”

A little reluctantly, Eddie leaves the perfect place between Steve’s thighs and crawls on top of him to comply.

They kiss slow and soft, no hurry, just their lips finding each other in the dark with gentle pressure.

   “Love you so much, baby,” Eddie whispers against Steve’s lips as he feels his movements slow down.

And as he kisses his way from Steve’s mouth to his cheek, to the tip of his nose, his closed lids and his forehead, Steve’s breathing eases into a steady, calm rhythm.

He’s asleep again, hopefully dreaming of beautiful things as he sinks deeper into Eddie’s embrace, lets his husband's warmth envelope him where they’re lying side by side.

Steve deserves it.

Because tomorrow, he has to fight his way through the constricting clutches of capitalism again.

Man, capitalism really sucks.

But, Eddie laughs to himself, he can suck harder.

[tizeline]

When the brothers decided to go up against Draxum and accepting humans, does that mean leaving home and live in the sewers?

What do they think of splinter and dee's.... " home "?

this ask is like a month old, ignore that But I've wanted to talk about this, cuz I've gotten asks and comments and such where people assume that the Drax Bros are just gonna, like, abandon Draxum completely after realizing that they're in the wrong. I don't blame people for that assumption btw (considering it often happens in other separated aus), but while Draxum's relationship to his sons isn't necessarily perfect, they still very much love each other. They're family, the brothers wouldn't just up and leave, and Draxum would certainly not kick them out.

So like in canon, Draxum gets slurped like a capri-sun by the Dark Armour and then unceremoniously spit out. This leads to Donnie and the Drax Bros teaming up to deal with Shredder considering it's now a problem for all of them, but I'll get to figuring out the specifics of that later. After that whole thing is dealt with, the trio would run off to find their dad. He's pretty hurt after the whole Dark Armour fiasco, and then he becomes wanted by the law after the yokai authorities find out about everything. So his sons wouldn't wanna leave him in ✨his dire time of need✨or whatever. (also wait they'd probably also be put on a wanted list haha)

Leo and Draxum would have a pretty strained relationship during this time. I've made some mentions of it, but Leo figures out that The Foot is being sus and tries to convince Draxum that putting on the Armour is a Bad Idea. But when that fails, he actually goes to Donnie to team up with him so that the two of them together can try to stop Leo's dad and his brothers from completing the plan and inevitably getting fucked over. So after all of that, Draxum is salty that Leo went against his orders and teamed up with the enemy, putting their mission at risk, so he grounds Leo for like a month lol. Leo is salty because he was right and they never listen to him and then he gets grounded??

Anyway, considering Leo can just teleport and Draxum is too weak to stop him he just, like, comes and goes as he pleases haha. It's during this time that he and Donnie start hanging out for real, like, as actual friends. It's a bit awkward at first, being genuine towards each other, but it does eventually lead to Leo being invited to Donnie's home.

Also, lmao, yeah it's not exactly as big and fancy as Draxum's home, but it's still a good place to live. Donnie being a tech nerd would've figured out how to implement good airconditioning, heating and lights and stuff. It'd probably not be quite as cozy as in the show, I'm assuming Mikey was the one responsible for livening the place up with artworks and colours and stuff in canon, but it's still homey.

Over time the Hamatos and the Draxums would slowly become closer, and as Donnie and Splinter start to trust Raph, Mikey and Draxum more they would also be invited to their home. I don't think they would move in to the same place until MAYBE some time after the movie.

Actually no wait, it would be interesting if, like in the show, Shredder were to destroy Donnie's and Splinter's home in the sewer, which would lead to them moving into the same place and the Draxums, which would inevitably lead to conflict if they're still in the process of befriending each other.... >:] Oooo conflict is fun, maybe that'll effect how the movie plays out, but I'll have to figure that out later.

[mustainegf]

Looks like James won!!! Time for the first date >:)

→ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟏

𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐏𝐓𝟐 ¹⁹⁸⁴

The day after Valentine's, the house was humming with something. Something only I could hear. There was residual discomfort from what had happened the previous day, id made my decision.

Although I loved Kirk, Lars, and Cliff, James could not seem to leave my mind, that shy smile, the vulnerability in his eyes, he was just a boy with a big heart and that’s what I loved the most.

I took the chance then. Evening saw me out in the garage since that was where James was doing his guitar practice. He looked up as I came in, his changing expression flipping from concentration to a flickering hope.

"Hey, James," I said, trying to sound casual to hide the butterflies in my stomach.

"Hey," he replied, setting his guitar aside. "What's up?"

Though to any other person, him disregarding his guitar would be nothing, to me it meant a lot. James hardly looked up from his guitar when even Lars tried to talk with him, so It made me feel special.

"I was just wondering if your offer from yesterday still stands," I asked hesitantly.

A smile cracked across his face, lighting up his boyish features. "Definitely. You free tonight?"

"I am," I replied, feeling excitement rush through me.

"Sick," James said, standing up and running a hand through his long sandy hair. "How about we go in an hour? I want everything to be perfect, and I’m not exactly looking very presentable." He giggled, looking down at his outfit; grey sweats, barefoot, and the same misfits tank he’d been wearing the last two days. Whatever, I thought it was cute.

"Sounds perfect," I replied with a smile.

An hour later, James and I were seated in his car, cruising down the city streets. He’d changed now, and I was shocked he owned something as sophisticated as he had on.

He had on casual black jeans, a bit baggier than they usually wore with a few rips and holes in the knees. And a black long sleeve shirt, tugged up past his elbows. And of course, those old, beat up white shoes. They were hardly even white anymore, nobody could convince him to take those off.

He looked incredibly handsome.

The silence was loud. Each of us lost in thought, James's fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white as I could see how the nervousness kept him on point.

"So, where are we going?" I asked, trying to warm up that frosty tension.

James looked at me then, a shy smile on his lips. "I thought that maybe we can grab some food first. There is this nice little diner I know. Nothing too special, but the food is killer."

"Sounds good to me," I said, smiling back at the boy.

We went into this diner, kinda small, with checkered floors and red booths, real nice. The smell of burgers and fries filled the place, it was definitely somewhere James would take me. We took a booth right next to the window, and finally, a lot of that awkwardness just sort of went away as we sat down.

James fumbled with the menu, his hands shaking a bit still. "Do you know what you want?" he asked, looking up at me.

"I think I'll just go with a burger and fries, keep it simple," I answered. "What about you?"

"Same here," James said, his eyes finally lighting up. "Their burgers are really good."

We ordered and, while waiting for the food, things began to flow a bit more naturally, slowly. James spoke about the band and their future plans, about music in general. His passion made me so happy, seeing him so in love with it.

"You know," I said, smiling, "I always liked how dedicated you are to the band. You seem to really love it."

James went red, his eyes averted to the table. "Thanks… That means a lot from you."

Finally, the food came and we dug in, chatting and laughing with each other between bites, that were quite good. By now all those nerves had melted away.

After dinner, James suggested a walk by the water, rather romantic, especially from James. It was a clear night, stars as bright as diamonds twinkled in that sky. We strolled hand in hand up the dock with the water lapping gently at the wood planks. I had to admit, I liked the feeling of his holding my hand, it made me feel loved, safe.

"This place is beautiful," I said softly, looking out over the water.

"Yeah," James agreed. His voice was soft. "I come here to write lyrics sometimes."

At the end of the dock, we sat down and let our feet dangle over the edge. Moonlight glinted off the water, bathing us in soft saphire.

We just sat there. I turned to James, his blonde, frizzy hair was going every which way. I giggled.

"What's so funny?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Your hair." I said, still in stitches. "It's going wild."

James chuckled nervously and ran a hand through his hair, attempting to smooth it out. "Yeah, it gets a little crazy sometimes."

"Here, let me," I said, reaching out to straighten out his messy locks.

James was quiet, his eyes glued to mine, while my fingers raked through his hair.

His gaze was pointed and meaty with nervousness and something more, and he just could not keep his gaze off my eyes and lips.

Everything went quiet, just the two of us. The air was foggy with hesitation. But slowly, James took his chance, and leaned toward me, his eyes never left mine, and the space between our faces was barely an inch.

I could feel his breath on my skin, warm, inviting, so nice. My heart went crazy as the inch between us closed, and then, slowly, his lips set against mine.

It was everything a first kiss should be, and something about James made it even better, his warmth, scent.

Finally, as we pulled away, James ticked to me. In his eyes was a wide mix of thoughts. "I'm sorry," he said below a breath. "I didn't mean to—"

Before he could say more, I clasped his cheeks between my palms and kissed him again, harder this time, my way of letting him know he didn't have anything to be sorry for, this was exactly what I was hoping for too.

James responded immediately, one hand on my cheek, the other on my thigh. I smiled, a chuckling hum onto his lips. When we finally pulled away again, we were both breathless, our foreheads sandwiched against each other.

"Fuck," James whispered, his lips melding to a smile. "I’ve uh… I’ve always wanted to kiss you."

I agreed with a giggle, my heart inflated with love for him. "And I’ve wanted to kiss you."

We sat on the dock a little while longer, my head on his shoulder, and his hand around my waist, whispering and laughing as the stars shone above us.

Eventually, we reached the car again with the cool night air hitting our skin. As we finally made our way back to my house, James walked me inside, not letting go of my hand. "Thank you for tonight," I said gratefully. "It was perfect."

"Yeah, anytime," James said in return, his eyes shining bright with sincerity. “Maybe we could do it again…”

[madlittlecriminal]

[04] Secret Ingredient⥓ Mafia!Miguel O'Hara × Female!Baker!Reader

Warnings: Danny is an oc, mention of death in the family (not reader or miguel related), mention of pregnancy (not reader), annoying customers, two cliffhangers in one (im sorry), patrick o'hara (web-slinger)

series masterlist | miguel o'hara masterlist

Another day, another employee seeming to irritate him to the core. Miguel didn't understand what was so hard for this guy to understand that no meant no, but seeing him beg Miguel for a day off when his PTO ran out was comical to say the least.

"For the last time, Danny, you used up your PTO. I cannot give you the day off simply because you don't want to work. If you were at work more often instead of doing whatever you want to do, then maybe you'd have the day off." He says while leaning back in his chair.

"But you don't understand! I need the day off, Mr. O'Hara! Please!"

"Give me a valid reason why and I'll think about it." It was bullshit. The only way Danny was going to get out of this is if his fiancée was giving birth or if he had a death in the family. For any other reason, Danny was going back to work and Miguel didn't care if Danny was going to throw a fit.

He was honestly surprised that Danny and his fiancée were still together considering he hardly works and they live together.

"Well...you see..." Danny started, but he couldn't come up with a valid excuse other than not wanting to work.

Miguel waited for him, his leg folded to where his ankle rested on his knee and his hands folded on top of his abdomen. He tilted to the side as he listened to Danny stutter.

"Danny, I'm a patient man. However, your stutter isn't natural. You're nervous because you can't come up with a lie right now and that's fine. However, don't expect me to listen to you if you can't come up with a lie. Get back to work."

Danny grumbled before leaving Miguel's office, slamming the door behind him.

"Slamming doors como si paga por algo-" he paused and shuddered. "Oh God, I sound like my mother." (like of you pay for something-) Miguel shook his head and fixed his blazer before going to type on his computer before his phone rang. A small smile formed on his lips when he saw your name pop up on the screen, but he didn't answer it until the third ring.

"I thought you gave me a fake number there for a second." You let out a sigh, making Miguel let out a shy chuckle, fidgeting with his pen as he tried to tell himself to relax from how hard his heart was thumping in his chest with nerves.

"Nope. Right number." He says, leaning back into his chair again as he heard you put the phone down.

"Good! Okay, I had a weird question to ask you." You say, everything around you sounding much louder which he automatically connected it to you putting the phone on speaker.

"Ask away." He reaches over and grabs his glass of water with a trembling hand from his nerves.

"Why did you need to know about interior designers and such?"

Miguel smirks, thanking whoever that it was a phone call and not in person communication or a video call. "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

"Of course it is."

He heard you huff out a breath and he couldn't help but bite his bottom lip to hold back a laugh.

There had to be flaws somewhere in you...right? I mean, he only saw perfection-

'No. Stop it, Miguel. Not yet. Don't fall just yet.'

"Well, I'll let you go. I have a cake to work on."

Before he could get a word in, you hung up.

Miguel put his phone down and let out a chuckle. He rests his elbow on the arm rest of his desk chair, his chin resting on his palm as he let his mind wander a bit.

Where did his mind wander to exactly?

To you.

He wondered if your hands were rough or surprisingly soft. He wondered where you learned to bake. Was it taught to you by a parent or guardian? Did you learn from recipe books? YouTube videos? I mean, he had to thank someone for your talent. Shit, he wouldn't be surprised if you were self taught.

He shook his head before a soft knock was heard from his office door. He looked up and immediately regretted it when he saw the look of shock and anxiousness on Lyla's face.

"They're here for the meeting, Mr. O'Hara."

He got up and buttoned his blazer before following Lyla out of his office and into the conference room. He knew Lyla well enough that when she said his last name, it wasn't Alchemax business.

-----

You raise a brow at the man in front of you who was asking for a gender reveal cake.

"Sorry, can you repeat that?"

"I want a gender reveal cake, but instead of the usual pink and blue and you do black?"

You blink at him.

"Black and...?"

"Just black."

"Do you want the frosting black?"

"No. I want the cake to be black."

"Sir, that's not how a gender reveal cake works. If you want, I can do black and whi-"

"No, I want black."

"What's the gender?"

"Boy."

"Okay. So you want everything to be black?"

He nods.

"What flavor?"

"Vanilla."

You stood there for a bit, screaming internally as you head to the back to take out a vanilla cake you just made. You quickly made black frosting with food coloring before decorating the cake. When you triple checked that it was perfect, you showed it to the customer.

"You made sure it was blue on the inside, right?"

You wanted to throw it at the customer.

"Sir, you told me you didn't want to do pink or blue, you wanted black."

"Yeah. The frosting."

You clenched your teeth before forcing a smile.

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, I need it within the next two hours or so."

"Come again?"

He gave you a nod before stepping out of the bakery.

"Customers piss me off sometimes." You murmur.

"Do they? I'm sorry to hear that."

Your eyes widen before they meet a familiar pair of brown eyes.

"Hey darlin'. Hope I'm not interrupting anythin' important." Patrick says softly, giving his charming country boy smile that made you relax.

~~~~

tags:

@deputy-videogamer @barbiecrocs @deepinballs @faimmm @wakeupr41 @bubblegumfanfictions @smartyren @kimmis-stuff @latenightcravingz @youcantseem3 @corpsebridenightamare @thedevax @cicithemess @diannana @itsameclinicaldepresssion @hwasoup @migueloharasbbm @vkumi

[starseungs]

➳ this is how to be in love with you. hjs

pairing — han jisung x gn!reader

synopsis — dating han jisung was something you had never expected to happen, but now you wouldn't have it any other way.

genre/s — fluff. and i actually mean it this time. (a pinch of angst at the start but its over quick) • 2.1k words

warning/s — cursing, mentions of drinking

note — tbh i wrote this with a fever and dont know wth im writing aside from the fact that im so in love with han jisung it physically hurts

2022 ⓒ starseungs on tumblr. do not steal, repost, or edit.

It was almost frightening how easy it was to fall in love with Han Jisung.

Who would've thought that the cute part-timer at the convenience store across from your apartment building would have such a huge impact on your relatively boring life? You certainly didn't, and yet his presence alone still hit you hard like a truck.

Everything started on one particularly hard day that ended with you fighting back salty tears in the midst of your dimly lit room. It was not the best sight, nor will it ever be, despite the shimmery streaks of moonlight seeping into the space in a pathetic attempt to provide lighting around you. The clear night sky would've been beautiful to gaze at if only it didn't remind you that your day would be ending soon without a single positive thing happening in the entirety of its hours. You were so so tired and wanted nothing more than to sleep until the sun rose for another day—a fresh new start for you to leave the past behind like you've done just this morning. But it seemed like fate had other plans that prompted you to storm out of your apartment in spite-filled rage.

Admittedly, you didn't have a plan at that time—only knowing you'd be damned if you continued to swallow your frustration alone. The weather outside was average at best; there was nothing too special going on. However, it was for that exact reason that the fluorescent "open" sign of the humble convenience store right across the street seemed to attract your eyes more than it ever did before. And who were you to say no to its obvious invitation? Beggars couldn't be choosers, after all, and you desperately needed something, anything, to distract you until the day officially came to an end.

So here you were, curiously slipping inside the store to find anything that might interest you. You faintly registered the chime of the door when you stepped inside and the polite greeting of whoever was behind the cashier at the back of your mind as your sight immediately zeroed on those eye-catchingly green bottles of fun.

It was just what you needed.

You hurriedly snatched a few bottles of soju with childish glee, already thinking about how perfect this was to end your less than ideal day. Maybe you could still sneak in some enjoyment in the remaining minutes until midnight—not that you thought drinking your problems away was exactly good, but it was certainly better than bottling up your sadness when you could open another type of bottle instead. It was an okay plan, or at least in your books, it was.

"That's quite a few bottles you've got there."

The sudden voice startled your train of thought, bringing your focus back to the real world. "Wait, shit, sorry if I scared you," the voice continued in a panic. "I didn't mean to, I swear. Damn, I'm not even supposed to comment on a customer's purchase."

You blinked dazedly at the person standing in front of you. When you raised your head to find a face to connect the voice with, you didn't know, but you quickly found yourself wishing you had done so earlier.

Because, wow. That face was very attractive.

"Oh, uh—it's fine," you shook your head lightly in an attempt to stop blatantly ogling at the guy. "You're good."

Unfortunately, that only seemed to send him into another spiral of misplaced guilt since he threw out a sudden offer of, "I'll give you a discount."

Your eyes practically bulged out of their sockets at the sentence that came out of his mouth. "What? No! You don't have to, really!" was your hasty reply, to which the guy only hummed as if it were no big deal.

"Would you let me do it if I say it's because I find you cute?"

"I'm sorry, come again?"

You watched as his eyes widened comically, almost like he didn't expect those words to be said out loud—and if you were to say, that might actually be the case. "Okay, yeah, that totally backfired," he exhaled shakily; you could almost hear him screaming internally. Honestly, you couldn't blame him. You would too. "This must be so creepy—I'll place these in a bag and get out of your hair in a moment."

After a few more seconds, the situation finally dawned on you. "Hold on," you wheezed like you just heard the funniest shit ever. "Are you seriously hitting on me right now?"

"No! I mean, yes? Kind of?" The guy ended up groaning in embarrassment at his own answer, running a hand through his hair while awkwardly avoiding your eyes. His actions were oddly charming, forming an unconscious grin on your face. "I meant it when I said I find you cute. You don't have to say anything, though. Just take it as a compliment or something."

"Why thank you, kind sir," was your amused response before composing yourself and giving him a genuine smile. "I needed that."

He snorts at that. "With five bottles of soju? Who would've guessed?"

"I suppose you're not wrong," you went along with his observation, eyes trailing along the bottles he had just finished placing in a plastic bag. "Also, what the hell was I thinking? I can't finish all of this tonight."

"You can give some of them to me if you want. I'll pay you back the amount."

You quirked an eyebrow at him as you handed over your payment. Thankfully, you had half the mind to bring money with you when you stormed out earlier. "Is that really fine with you?"

"My shift is almost over, anyway. A drink after would be nice," he shrugs nonchalantly. The information had you thinking. You'd hate to be drinking alone right now, so perhaps having him as a companion for a while wouldn't be too bad.

You bit your lip lightly before asking, "Do you want to drink a bit with me?"

"Oh," he reacts blankly at first, clearly not expecting the offer. His face revealed his thought process like a window, the gears turning in his head as he tried to piece together what you had just said. It wasn't long until he caught up, though, and with a shy grin he finally answered, "Sure."

You beamed brightly for the first time that day. "Sweet. I'm Y/N, by the way."

"Jisung. Han Jisung."

And the clock strikes twelve.

Just like Cinderella, everything started changing after that night. You had gained a new friend—or at least that was what you called him for now, even if you damn well knew friends certainly did not feel this kind of attraction towards each other. It was almost embarrassing to admit how much your heart leapt in happiness whenever you two were together, and you swore that if it continued any longer, you'd end up floating amongst the clouds. His gaze alone already sent a buzzing shiver all throughout your body, your mind going into overdrive at the sheer amount of emotion Jisung was able to pull out of you with somewhat concerning ease. He could melt you to a puddle on the ground with a single word, no questions asked. Maybe it was his frustratingly smooth voice, but the guy charmed his way into your heart in a matter of literal days. Either he knew what he was doing or you were just a hopeless simp—and no, you refused to ever admit the latter out loud.

So it was to no one's surprise when you agreed to his request to take you out on a date. And after the first one, more followed. Jisung's plans were, as one would say, straight out of fiction. Stuff that you knew existed in real life but never thought would have the same spark as its literary counterpart. Well, you really should have expected it, but Jisung certainly proved you wrong. The guy was an absolute romantic, and that translated well into everything he did between you two. Though you found out through your talks that he had a big love for the angsty stuff—to which you could only wish you wouldn't find yourself in that situation too soon. It was only when you felt a warm hand casually slipping into yours with a reassuring gentle squeeze that you realized.

God, you may have already fallen for Han Jisung.

There was no doubting it. When the night sky you had just cursed out weeks ago for reminding you of the dragging day you had was replaced with waves of affection and happiness, you knew there was no way you could doubt it even if you wanted to. That whenever you closed your eyes to rest, the darkness only brought images of you and Jisung screaming each other's name into the distance in an attempt to replicate a cliched scene of professing one's love during one of your many nightly picnic dates. Joyful laughter echoed under the stars as hands held each other's, a silent promise that didn't need to be said out loud for you to know what it meant. The moon was a witness to the blooming portrait of memories being painted at the very moment when you two had made it official.

You also particularly loved the moments that you shared indoors, where it was just you and Jisung. The comfort of being alone together was one of the things that came more naturally, especially with him leaning on the introverted side. This was where you found him thriving best, and it warmed your chest to see him so in his element. Whether it was his place or yours, there was never a dull moment, even if you two weren't doing anything. Then there were also the times where you did do something—quickly developing a soft spot for your domestic activities with Jisung. The sound of the oven working its magic was faintly heard in the background while he danced you slowly in the flour-covered kitchen from your earlier baking shenanigans.

Loving Jisung felt like second nature to you, as if you'd been doing it for years. Perhaps you did. The concept of soulmates wasn't new to you; only that you hadn't given it any more attention than mere acknowledgement. Yet, something about Jisung made you feel like changing your stance on the matter. Slowly but surely, he had taken over you.

And you didn't fight it one bit.

His lips were an inviting shade of pink as he went on about his newest interest. You really didn't mean to stare, but he made it a challenge for you to not have your full attention on him alone. To the point that you hung onto every word he said, whatever topic he brought up, you made a mental note of it to bring up at other times when it might be appropriate. Oh, how you wanted to stop time and just continue to admire the man Han Jisung is.

Sometimes you couldn't even believe he was yours. You knew your eyes dripped with love every time you had your gaze fixed on him, but it always caught you off guard when you noticed the same look in his eyes—and it was directed towards you. They always shone with tender gratitude and warmth mixed with fondness, making your breath hitch at the sheer intensity. If this was all a dream, you hope you'd never wake up.

"Hey now," you heard Jisung's voice call out to you softly. Warm hands cupped your face gently to ground you back to reality. "What's with that look, baby?"

You sighed dreamily, leaning in more towards his touch. "How are you real?"

"This again?" Jisung chuckles at your misty gaze pinned at him as if he could disappear in the blink of an eye. "I am. And I'm right in front of you."

"You're so good to me," you mumbled in a quiet whisper, starting to feel drowsy from the comfort he provided you at the moment. You could hear Jisung's heart flip at your honest words.

"Which is what you deserve," he leans in closer to press a light but passionate kiss on your lips before pulling away to stare at you with eyes containing hundreds of unsaid dedication. "I love you."

"I love you more."

Dating Han Jisung was something you had never expected to happen, but now you wouldn't have it any other way.

mastertag 🔖— send in an ask if you want to be added ! 🫶

@tyuniiz @lhskokoro @bookishcalls @comet-falls @starlostseungmin @ameliesaysshoo @jeonginwrld

[nar-nia]

hoodie season

heeseung x fem!reader

warnings: none

word count: ~1k

~~~

Heeseung always knew what he had to do to cheer you up. You didn't know how he did it, maybe it was a magic ability, but he always made you feel better in one way or the other. And you desperately needed that today.

"Hey baby." You didn't even have time to answer after opening the door, before Heeseungs arms were wrapped around you. "How are you."

You returned the embrace, pressing your boyfriend even closer to you to take in his warmth. "Could be better."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Just a stressful day." You buried your head deeper into his hoodie "I missed you."

"I missed you too. Have you eaten?"

"Just breakfast," you mumbled. "I wanted to wait for you so we could eat together."

You felt his lips pressed against the top of your head, a sweet gesture before he suddenly wrapped one arm around your legs to pick you up. "Let's change that right now, hmm."

You let out a squeal of surprise, arms wrapping around the back of his neck to prevent you from falling down again. "What are you doing?"

"Making us food," he grinned. "How about ramen?"

A smile lit up your face while you nodded. "Sounds perfect."

"Perfect like you," Heeseung smiled. He took advantage of the fact that you were looking up at him, his lips softly connecting with the tip of your nose. Your cheeks were almost instantly covered in a deep blush, your face now pressed against Heeseungs shoulder.

"Like you, you mean."

"I meant exactly what I said," he grinned. In the kitchen he sat you down before he went through your drawers, picking out two packages of ramen. "Are those okay?"

You nodded, watching him in comfortable silence while he prepared everything. This wasn't the first time he cooked ramen in your kitchen, so his hands were moving in confidence and it didn't take long until you had a steaming bowl in front of you.

"Do you want to watch something while we eat?"

You nodded, grabbing the bowl while you dragged Heeseung along. "I already know what to watch."

A small groan could be heard behind you - an indicator for what's about to come, words you already heard a lot of times before. "No en o' clock please."

"Yes en o' clock," you grinned, dragging him to the couch. "Please."

"Y/n…" he sighed.

"Pretty pretty please." You looked up at him with big eyes, a pleading look in them - and you knew he couldn't say no anymore.

"Okay. But only because I love you so much."

You grinned, pressing a small kiss onto his lips before you got comfortable on the couch. "Mwuahh. I love you too."

He just shook his head, but you could see the slight smile on his face.

A short while later you had settled onto the couch, your eyes fixated on the screen. You loved watching those episodes. And even though Heeseung always kept getting embarrassed and claimed he didn't want to see it, you were sure he was secretly enjoying it too. Maybe not the episode itself, but you would regularly catch him looking at you, face lighting up with happiness and love seeing you enjoy watching him so much.

"Are you cold?" Heeseungs words grabbed your attention, his eyes focusing on you. "You're shivering."

"Oh - a bit." You shrugged. "I think I'm coming down with a cold or something."

"No what?" Before you could fully realize what was happening Heeseung had already taken off his hoodie, handing it towards you. "Wear it."

"What.” You blinked at him one, two, three times, your brain trying to comprehend what was happening. "Why are you shirtless."

"So my girlfriend can take my hoodie and not get a cold. Wear it please."

You took it, still stunned when you put it over your head and pulled it down. "Won't you be cold now though?"

"Stop worrying so much," he chuckled. "I'll just cuddle with you instead."

"Okay…" You were still hesitating, but surrounded by the warm fabric you instantly felt warmer, snuggling into it. "Thank you."

"It suits you," Heeseung smiled. "You should keep it."

"Nooo." You stared at him. "No."

"Yes." He swiftly pulled you closer to press a quick kiss onto your lips, before he wrapped his arms around you. "Keep it."

Your sounds of protest were muffled when he pulled you against his chest, one hand creeping under the hoodie.

"Hey!"

"What is it?" His eyes feigned innocence, but the big smirk on his face showed that he knew exactly what you meant. "Your boyfriend is cold, y/n. Don't you want to help him?"

You were speechless. Especially when you felt a second hand moving towards your stomach, a thumb drawing small circles onto it. But you couldn't help but melt into the touch - something that you could imagine caused another smile on Heeseungs face.

"Just cold, huh."

"Just cold." You could even hear the smile in his voice.

You tried to fight down your own smile, instead hiding more in the hoodie while you pushed your focus back onto the tv that still showed an en o'clock episode. Time passed in silence, Heeseungs presence spreading a comfortable warmth through your body, your eyes slowly closing - until you saw one of Heeseungs hands creeping towards the tv remote.

"What are you doing?"

It froze midair, as if Heeseung had to debate if he should accuse you of having delusions or just admit that he had tried to turn the episode off. Both of you knew anyway that it was the latter.

"Just… trying to turn the volume higher."

"Mhm." Now it was your turn to grin. "You're an awful liar."

"And you love tormenting me."

"I do. But you love me."

It was quiet for a second. You turned your head to look at Heeseung, trying to figure out why he suddenly turned silent, when you saw his face right in front of yours, a knowing grin on his face.

"What-"

"I love you." And with that his lips were suddenly onto yours, trapping you in a kiss that almost made you forget about the tv - almost.

"We will still finish that episode."

The kiss was stopped abruptly, a groan escaping his lips. "Whyyyy."

You grinned. "Because you love me."

~~~

guess who's back 🥲 i didn't even mean to be ia for so long but life has just turned stressful and there were so many things to do that i had barely time for anything. but that will hopefully change again now and i will be able to be more active again. starting with this little story, i hope you enjoyed!

permanent taglist: @maeum-your @suneonu @hoonsmarsbar @soobin-chois @sjyuniverse @taekbokki

[quodekash]

ECLIPSE INCORRECT QUOTES

because that’s when you know im obsessed with it

(disclaimer: I meant to do this literally two weeks ago but I didn’t think I had enough but I stopped for a bit and my adhd brain promptly forgot about it for a week and then remembered and then forgot for another week, and honestly i meant to actually make this for like a month before that but i didnt actually start finding the quotes until two weeks ago, but it’s fine I’m here now)

—- —-

Akk: Ayan is a little bitch.  Wat: Why?  Akk: Number one, he’s little. Number two, he’s a bitch.

(episode 1-3 core)

—- —-

Namo: The floor is lava!  Kan: *helps Thua onto the counter*  Akk: *kicks Wat off the sofa*  Ayan: *lays on the floor*  Namo: ...Are you okay?  Ayan: No. 

(im 80% certain this is a deleted scene from the beach episodes)

—- —-

*Akk and Ayan are planning to break in somewhere*  Akk: We need to distract the guards.  Ayan: Right.  Akk: What are we gonna do?  Ayan: I'm gonna break their elbows while you poke their eyes.  Akk:  Ayan:  Akk: Deal. 

—- —-

Akk: Aye, can you help me? All of my clothes keep disappearing for some reason.  Ayan, wearing a hoodie that's 5 times bigger than his size: Spooky. 

—- —-

Akk: I'm going to take a shower, I'll be right back.  Ayan: Why are you telling me this, I don't care.  Ayan, right after Akk leaves the room: I miss him already.

—- —-

Aye: Fuck capitalism. It's a rigged system that keeps us poor and it isn't fair. You shouldn't need to work three jobs to afford basic necessities.  Aye, playing Monopoly: Sorry, if you wanted to win you should have tried not being poor. 

—- —-

Akk: I fell—  Aye: From heaven?  Akk: No, I literally fell—  Aye: In love with me the moment you saw me?  Akk: MY ARM IS BROKEN!  Aye: Okay, but do you think I'm pretty? Be honest. 

—- —-

Aye: Are we fighting or flirting?  Akk: I'm pinning you against a wall with my hand around your neck-  Aye: Your point? 

—- —-

Thua: Two bros!  Kan: Chillin' in a hot tub!  Thua and Kan, in unison: Zero feet apart 'cause we're GAY AS FUCK! 

—- —-

Akk: I owe you one.  Aye: That’s ok. You can just date me and we’ll call it even. 

—- —-

Thua: I want to kiss you.  Kan, not paying attention: What?  Thua: I said if you die, I wont miss you. 

(its okay thua, he's not ignoring you, he has adhd. just kiss him, he'll be happy, trust me)

—- —-

Kan: And now for a gay update with Akk and Aye.  Akk: Getting gayer.  Kan: Thank you, Akk. 

—- —-

Wat: So… I’ve seen you’ve been spending a lot of time with Thua recently.  Kan: No, Wat, it's not what it looks like, I swear.  Wat: Oh really? So no reason for me to be jealous?  Kan: No! You’re the only one for me.  Wat: Is that so?  Kan: I promise! Thua and I are just dating, okay? He’s my boyfriend.  Wat: So there are no best-friends-feelings involved?  Kan: You are still my one and only best friend! He’s just the love of my life, nothing more!  Wat: But I’m still the platonic love of your life, right?  Kan: Of course bro!  Wat: Bro...  Thua: What the- 

—- —-

*at 3am*  Kan: *runs into Akk’s room and turns on the light* Wake up sleepyhead!  Akk: *wakes up* Dude!  Kan: *cackles*  Aye: *sits up from where he was sleeping behind akk* What the fuck, Kan? Kan: *jaw drops* Wait WHAT- 

(the original vine is now playing over and over in my head and its probably my favourite vine and its literally them and i love it so much gerjdhgbrh)

—- —-

Kan: This totally sucks, man.  Akk: This is horrible.  Kan: Yeah, I know, I mean look at everything the curse did to those rulebreakers today.  Akk: No, it’s not that, it’s Aye. Akk: It’s just like, I can’t get him out of my head and every time I look at him I have these pains in my chest, and I just know it’s his fault, that bitch! 

(AVPM QUOTE LETS GOOO and yes it is perfection and is exactly canon i take no criticism)

—- —-

Kan: Did Thua just tell me he loved me for the first time?  Akk: Yeah, he did.  Kan: And did I just do finger guns back?  Akk: Yeah, you did. 

(oh you sweet sweet maybe-bisexual man)

—- —-

Aye: *finds a note* Hmm, whats this?  Kan: Hey, that's mine! *tries to grab it*  Aye: Aww, it's a love note for Thua?  Kan: No-  Aye: *opens it*  Aye:  Kan:  Aye: I can't read this. 

(is it because the contents are too explicit to read or because kan's handwriting is awful? you decide)

—- —-

Kan: So are you gonna explain how the hell you crashed my car?  Akk: Well we were driving and there was a deer in the road, so I said "Aye, deer!"  Kan: ...And what did you say?  Aye: ..."Yes, Honey?" 

—- —-

Kan: I love you.  Thua: I love you too. I've waited so long to hear you say that.  *Kan and Thua kiss passionately*  Wat, to Akk: You owe me 20 dollars. 

(HES BEEN SAYING IT FOR YEARS AND THEY FINALLY DID IT. IMAGINE THE VICTORIOUS FEELING WAT FELT IN THAT MOMENT. NOT TO MENTION THE JOY AT HIS SHIP FINALLY GETTING TOGETHER. BRO IS AS PHENOMENAL AS TIW AND I LOVE HIM SO FREAKING MUCH (someone write a crossover fic where tiw and wat get together and plot their ships' getting together. if someone has already written this, please tell me)

—- —-

Kan: Time sensitive question how flirt boy.  Akk: Throw rocks at he.  Aye: Hot Dogs.  Wat: Kill him.  Kan: Thanks guys. 

—- —-

Kan, trying to sound happy: *about Aye and Thua* They’d make a cute couple, huh? Akk, holding back tears: They certainly are standing next to each other. 

(first few episodes core. specifically when aye is whispering in thua's ear and theyre both just standing to the side watching it happen and completely unaware that this means they are gay and in love with one of them)

—- —-

Thua: I'm so happy, I could kiss you!  Kan: Um...Neat.  *later*  Kan, lying face down on their bed: I said "Neat," Akk. Who the fuck says neat these days? It's not neat to say neat but I said it anyways because I'm fucking stupid.  Akk, reading a book: Don't beat yourself up too much, Kan. Everyone gets nervous sometimes. Remember what I did when Aye confessed his love for me?  Kan: Didn't you thank him?  Akk: *closes the book and looks at the ceiling* I fucking thanked him. 

—- —-

Kan: How is the most beautiful person in the world?  Thua: *blushing* I—  Aye, butting into the conversation: Akk is perfect, thanks for asking. 

—- —-

Wat: Do you love Kan?  Thua: Yeah, I do.  Wat: Akk! I told you I knew it! You owe me 100 baht!  Akk: We all love Kan. You should've asked if he was IN love with him.  Thua: I thought that was implied.  Akk: ...  Wat: ...  Thua, looking straight at Akk: Congrats Wat, you just won 100 baht. 

—- —-

Akk: Are you trying to seduce me?  Aye: Why, are you seducible? 

—- —-

Aye: Jail is no fun. I’ll tell you that much.  Wat: Oh, you’ve been?  Aye: Once. In Monopoly. 

—- —-

Wat: When I was a kid, Kan told me that the paper strip that’s in the chocolate kisses were edible and I ate them with the chocolate for a year.  Teacher Sani: They are!  Wat: FOR REAL?  Sani: No! Why did you fall for it again? 

—- —-

Thua, on a random band name generator: Oooo! They Might Be Depressed Horses! That about sums up my friend group. 

—- —-

Akk: Being gay is a constant battle between "I wish to sit on a window bench with my lover, our legs tangling as we listen to the birds" and "Hey, let's go throw rocks at fascists" and I think that's very sexy of us.  Ayan: If the window's open and you time it right, you can do both. 

—- —-

Ayan: Hey, Akk, what do you think it would be like if we had kids?  Akk: What would it be like? Inconvenient, mostly.  Ayan: No, I mean, what would they be like, the kids? You ever think about it?  Akk: Can't really say I have.  Ayan: You know, for someone as eccentric as yourself, you can be boring as fuck sometimes.  Akk: Sorry, Aye. For what it's worth, I'm picturing them now. A boy and a girl. Two perfect little freaks of nature raised by people who've clearly got no business bringin' up anybody. 

—- —-

Ayan: Talk dirty to me, baby~  Akk: The dishes.  Ayan: Wh-  Akk: They’ve been there for 4 days and it’s your turn to wash them. You still haven’t cleaned them and I have asked you to do so several times. 

—- —-

Ayan: My hands are cold.  Akk: Here, let me hold them.  Ayan: My lips are cold too. Akk: *covers Ayan's mouth with his hand* 

—- —-

Akk: Okay, I’m going to get the wedding cake.  Ayan: Perfect, while you do that I’ll check on the ring bear.  Akk: ...  Akk: You mean ring bearER, right?  Ayan: ...  Akk: Look me in the eyes and tell me you are not going to bring a dangerous wild animal to our wedding. 

—- —-

Ayan: Since we're in a relationship now, your clothes are my clothes too. Don't ask me why I have your shirt on, this is our shirt.  Akk: Fine, but when I come strutting in with your fuzzy socks I don't want to hear shit. 

—- —-

Akk: You are the love of my life and I would do anything within reason to make you happy.  Ayan: I would be happy if you ate, stayed hydrated and got a reasonable amount of sleep.  Akk: I said within reason, Ayan. How about I murder that guy?  Ayan: So murder is in reason but proper self care isn't?  Akk: Well, duh. What kind of question is that? 

—- —-

Ayan: I don't need to go to bed. I'm not tired, I'll be fine.  Akk: But, darling, I'll be so lonely without you. Come curl up in my arms so I can feel whole again.  Ayan: O-oh. Well. Are you trying to seduce me into healthy sleeping patterns??  Akk: Is it working? 

—- —-

Akk: I don't need to go to bed. I'm not tired, I'll be fine.  Ayan: But, darling, I'll be so lonely without you. Come curl up in my arms so I can feel whole again.  Akk: O-oh. Well. Are you trying to seduce me into healthy sleeping patterns??  Ayan: Is it working? 

—- —-

and now, for my personal favourite...

Ayan: Akk is playing hard to get.  Ayan: Little does he know, I'm a master at playing hard to get rid of. 

—- —-

that's all for now, but i promise, i will be back

[swearyshera]

This scene in canon legit made my blood boil cuz I was very much NOT aboard the "everyone welcomes Catra on the team" train yet, so this bit was... less than endearing. The writing team and target audience had obviously been in agreement with Catra being cute for a long time but... I had yet to be persuaded and wouldn't be for a good while.

I know its to show how out of her depth Catra is dealing with actual friendship and how much of a ball of sunshine Bow is, but 'specially with the lack of Angella resolution this cutesy shit felt like they were jangling keys in my face to distract me from the past. Bow here showing he hasn't forgotten what Catra did even in a minor way lifted the fug off this scene for me. Amazing how I can get SO angry yet be appeased by the smallest changes. This series is like emotional/narrative aikido. Or maybe I just take shit in media way too personally and need my little hand held thru every scene that isn't immediately solving my foremost issue. Regardless, great job.

I think this episode, and to some extent the two either side of it, creates a lot of tension in the audience because of how uncertain everything is with Catra and Adora. And I don't mean tension between people who think Catra's all fine and forgiven now and those who don't, it's a tension where we see the characters going on as if everything is normal when we, the audience, know it's not. I've been thinking about this from two points:

Firstly, it's from a story structure point of view. This part is where Catra, and Adora to a degree, have what they want (each other), but not what they need. The entire story so far, on a personal level to them, has been about wanting each other back with them - and now they've got it, so everything is fine, right? They want to believe it is, so they act like it is. But they haven't learnt what they needed to (now what that is is open to interpretation, but for this, I'll say they needed to open themselves to love), and so you have this really uncomfortably awkward situation where they're both forcing themselves to accept that this is it. This is all they needed. And it's not.

If I refer once again to John Yorke's excellent Into the Woods, this puts us firmly into Act 4 territory: Your character will have changed in some way, but not enough to achieve their goal and overcome their flaw. The weakness is revealed in a low moment of the story (for Catra and Adora, this moment is the end of Failsafe). These few episodes are, by design, supposed to evoke the same sort of response you've had. In regards to Catra getting angry about being called cute, that's a perfect example of her not having overcome a flaw.

The other way I've been looking at it is from another, more realistic, and how people with BPD (if you're playing Sweary bingo, cross that one off!) would react to being reunited with their Favourite Person(TM). It's an innate ability to many of us with Brain Please Don't to suddenly forget the shit that happened when that one person graces us with a tiny amount of love (or, at least, something that isn't outright hostility). And I think for Catra here, that's exactly what's going on. Adora saved her, welcomed her back, waited for Catra to stop being angry, and now everything is FINE. Catra doesn't want to think about the past, she doesn't want to think about her flaws (or Adora's) that led to them splitting apart and fighting each other for so long.

You can see throughout this episode, the stress of forcing herself to be fine just so it doesn't rock the boat with Adora, coming out in these moments where she gets intensely angry for just a moment. I think, ultimately, they've moved from the unstable 'we're apart' relationship to the unstable 'we're together' relationship, and both need to learn a little more about how they fix that.

So yeah, this scene and this episode aren't really about 'Catra's suddenly been forgiven by everyone', but more 'everyone thinks Catra's been forgiven but they haven't sorted out the real problems', and that drives the conflict for the latter half of the season.

[themysteriousauthor18]

PT. 2

“Good morning New Orleans! I do hope you all are having a lovely morning. I'm your host, Alastor. And I do thank you for tuning in my dears. Well be talking here in just a moment. But first to today's weather-”

The radio hosts voice is drowned out by a loud girlish scream, followed by the sound of broken glass. The little girl who had been sitting on the couch jumps. She stares at the closed door with trepidation. “Daddy?” She calls, unmoving.

There's another crash, followed by that same girlish yelp. The child slides off the couch. She walks towards the door. Before she can get too close the door swings open almost smacking her. She stumbled back.

There's a sudden high pitched loud beeping.

A ploom of white smoke floods out of the kitchen.

A small white man with short blonde hair stumbled out of the kitchen. He was coughing and waving his hand trying to dissipate the smoke.

It took a moment for the man to notice the child. When he does, his grumpy expression changes like a switch. In an instant he's cheery. “Char char!”

She looks at her father. “Did daddy burn breakfast?”

“What? Haha noooo. No no noooo.” He scoops up his daughter. Briskly walking away from the kitchen. “Let's go out kiddo.”

“Daddies a bad cook.” She laughs.

Lucifer is severely wounded.

Lucifer morning star. One of the elite. Someone apart of the high class society. He was rich, handsome, very very very tall for sure! He had it all. Riches, fame, his adorable daughter Charlie! Yes he had everything he could ever want.

Except for Lilith.

But hey! At least he had a cozy lifestyle. Rich beyond belief. That's exactly why Charlie and him were currently eating at a small diner. Hey, kids eat for free on Mondays! And the place was much more relaxing than high society restaurants.

Okay, maybe everything wasn't perfect. But, at least he had Charlie. That's all that really mattered to him.

“Welcome back sir.” The waitress greeted him as he slid into the booth. Charlie was already settled across from him in a booster seat.

“Hey! What's up!” wait to friendly! “Uh erm I mean, hello.” He waved. Perfect.

The waitress gave him a polite smile. He wasn't sure if her greeting was because of his status in the French Quarter, or because this was the 5th day in a row he and Charlie were in here.

It was honestly getting a little embarrassing.

“Back again hm?” Okay yeah it wasn't the status.

“Daddy burned breakfast again.”

Lucifer wanted to hide.

The waitress just chuckled, politely. She’s a short black plump southern woman with a strong twang to her voice. Truth be told, Lucifer doesn't mind her so much. For the other times they had been in here and then now, they often got this waitress. Which shouldn’t be a big surprise, given that the diner is rather small and likely understaffed. Still, she's warm and kind.

Her name was displayed on her shirt. It said Millie. Not that Lucifer really needed the tag to know her name by this point with how much they frequented this diner.

Millie hands him the menu and Charlie a child version of it. “Coffee for the Lord again?”

Lucifer smiles nervously. Trying to hide his embarrassment. “Y-yeah. If it's no trouble” He fails. Of course it wouldn’t be any trouble, it's her job.

The waitress isn't mean about it though, she turns to Charlie. “And let me guess you want apple juice again, little princess.”

“I want chocolate milk today.” Charlie states like she's thought about this her whole life. Which isn't long given she's only six.

“Oh? Switchin it up on me today? Okaaay.” She's amused. “I'll be right back.”

Once she brings them their drinks, the short waitress leaves them to ponder their orders. Well, Charlie already knows what she wants. Pancakes. Because she's been saying that on the way over. Yes that's what those black discs currently sitting in the trash at home were supposed to be.

Lucifer on the other hand doesn't have his mind on food. He hardly does lately. He'd forget to eat if not for Charlie.

While Charlie is coloring in her menu, Lucifer stares into the brown abyss that is his coffee cup.

The glint of the golden band around his finger catches his gaze as it flickered off the Sun's morning razes. Lucifer frowns.

I wonder what she's doing right now. He stares a moment longer. Does she miss me? Lucifer checks his phone. Nothing. Of course. No, you're being stupid. It's been this long, why would she contact you now?

He sighs. Pulling at his hair in an effort to stop thinking.

“Welcome back dear listener's!”

Lucifer jumps enough to hit his knee on the table. He gets several looks for it.

“Sorry! Uh.. Bumped the table.” He pats the table. Why does he pat the table?

The radio seems to save him further public humiliation.

“This next song goes out to my dear mother. Quite the favorite of hers.”

The radio host starts singing a jazzy song. His voice is low and tumblr. It flows well with the fast paced jazz, his pitch moving up and down when needed.

He looks over to find Charlie lip singing to the song. Using her crayon as a mic.

He smiles.

Lucifer joins in, and he doesn't care much about the looks he's given.

Honestly, without Charlie he would probably have been swallowed by his thoughts long ago.

Once the pair of them eat some real food and not burnt discs. Charlie demands to go to the library. Lucifer doesn't understand if a six year old having a love for books is normal. Is it abnormal? Should he call Bee and ask her? Is he hurting Charlie's brain by letting her read books?

Maybe she likes reading because he has a stack of how to parent books on his desk at home. Volume 1-10. He's currently on volume 7…it's not weird.

“Daddy look!” Charlie says running up the several stairs leading to the front of the library. Its a large enough building with two levels. Lucifer tries not to tumble over while holding the small stack of books in his arms.

“Charlie dear, slow down! Wait for daddy.”

He moves a little faster, almost dropping a book. When he gets to the top and peers around his stack of books, Charlie is standing by one of the statues at the front of the library. A big stone lion. He’s - for whatever reason - petting it. “Look at the kitty! Isn’t he cute!”

Lucifer looks at the stone lion. Its a male lion with its female counterpart on his left. He chuckled, “Yeah, he’s adorable. But uh, lets head inside and you can pet the lion on our way out. Okay?”

She turns to him, no less bright or excited. “Okay!” She runs ahead.

“Charlie, wait.”

She pauses at the door, Charlie reaches up and yanks it open for her father. “Thank you honey.”

“Your welcome daddy.” They walk to the front counter and return the books. “Let's go look at some books over here and then will go to the kid section, okay?” Lucifer asks his daughter, pointing to one of the sections near the back of the library. Among a wall of bookshelves. The children's section isn’t anything new to either of them nor hard to miss. As it's to the left side of the library and adorned with a colorful area of plastic chairs, beanbags and tables for the kids. But Lucifer always liked to keep Charlie close.

“Okay.” She smiles and Lucifer takes her hand in his. They walk to the adult section near the mystery genre. Lucifer is a bit of a picky reader and he doesn’t take out a lot of books for personal interest. Most of them are for cooking or more or less advice books that help him with Charlie. But sometimes he likes to browse the sections and see if he can find something he enjoys. As picky a reader as he is, when he does find one he likes he can hardly put it down. Plus, reading something he enjoys transports him to another world. Something he desperately needs some days.

Lucifer runs his index along the different titles. Pulling out a book occasionally when the title interests him. Then glancing at the summary on the back. However he doesn’t find one he likes yet. He takes longer than Charlie would have liked or so it seems. Because she tugs on his arm after several minutes. “Yeah duckling?”

“Can I go look at the books down there?” Charlie points to the bookcase behind them but further down. Its the teen section for the mystery genre. Lucifer is certain Charlie can’t read those yet due to her reading level. But thinks she’s bored and more interested in looking at the pictures in the books or the covers. Nonetheless, its within his eyeview.

So Lucifer nods. “Yeah, but don’t go too far.”

“Okay.” She says letting go of his hand. Lucifer watches her for a moment to make sure she doesn’t run off. When she simply walks down the bookshelf starts looking at the covers - as he suspected - Lucifer feels comfortable enough to go back to his searching.

A few more minutes pass and Lucifer sighs, having given up. He’s not sure why but all these novels feel so predictable to him. Occasionally he flips to the first few pages, skimming them and he can already tell who is going to be the big bad. Or who is the killer. As if to prove it he would flip to the end only to be proven right. The tropes - for him at least - are just a little too predictable. But maybe growing up reading has made him something of a snobby reader. It’s fine, he’s not a critic and he’s sure he’ll find another good read another time. But he doesn’t want to stand there all day and bore Charlie.

Lucifer hums, seeing one more title. He plucks it from the shelf and begins skimming the summary on the back. Hm, this one’s a tad more interesting looking? Although it looks less mystery and more fantasy? Is this book in the right section? There’s a red-haired sourcer on the cover and he’s standing in front of a blonde-haired woman and her baby in a protective manner. Holding up his staff. This looks like it should be in fantasy. Unless it can be mixed genres? Of course it can but…ugh this is pointless. Regardless the book looks like something more Charlie would enjoy then him. Pass.

“Thank you.” Lucifer suddenly comes out of his thoughts at the voice. That radio host again? He glances around for a radio. He didn't think there was one in here.

However, those thoughts immediately go away as another more pressing one takes its place.

Where is Charlie?!

Lucifer suddenly darts out from the shelves. Panic rising in his chest. “Charlie!” He darts around poking his head into an isle “Charlie! Honey, where did you go!” He's ignoring the annoyed looks. Whirling out of the isle and into an opening with shelves stacked against the wall.

Lucifer's eyes find her immediately. Her blonde hair abd overalls makes her stand out. She's near the horror section and she's tugging on a man's shirt. He looks startled and confused.

“Um.. Hello, little one.”

“It is you!”

Lucifer rushes over mortified.

“It's you, I knew it!”

“Charlie!” He shouts and she looks at him immediately letting go. Lucifer has never grabbed his daughter so quickly. He takes her in his arms, stepping back. By the time he looks at the man an apology is already spilling out. “I am so so so SO sorry sir!”

However the man's already fixing his shirt. A polite yet friendly smile on his lips. He lets out a chuckle as he responds, “it's quite alright.”

“Dad, dad, it's the radio man!’ She’s pointing excitedly.

Lucifer looked at the man in question. Now that Charlie was safely accounted for, and in his arms. He took a moment to properly take in the gentleman before him.

He was a young looking guy, he looked around his own age probably somewhere in his 20’s . He was definitely mixed with something, or Hispanic judging by his light brown skin tone. A pair of dark brown eyes peered at him behind round frames. The guy was also annoyingly tall. But not by much - maybe 2 feet above him at most…surely…But it was already too tall. However amongst everything two things stood out to him about the man.

One, that he was dressed smartly. Meaning he was wearing black slacks and a buttoned up red vest over a white button down. Much more refined than the rest of the people's attire here. Even making his plane pink button down look sloppy in comparison.

The second was his hair.

He noticed its color. It was a bright red. That was the most eye-catching thing about the man. That paired with his darker skin tone. Well… his appearance alone practically demanded anyone's eyes when he walked into a room.

His hair was short at the nape of his neck. It was longer on top, combed and styled so his bangs laid on the left side of his face.

He was definitely interesting looking.

Lucifer realized he was staring and immediately stopped. Hoping the man didn't notice. Instead he turned to Charlie who was squirming in his arms. “Charlie, honey, you can't run off like that.” He scolded..in the nicest way possible. He turned back to the man. Who was watching them curiously. “Again, I am so sorry. My daughter- she's a huge fan of you- like- I mean HUGE. And she just got really excited when she saw you because-”

“It's okay.” Alastor laughs, “I always appreciate meeting one of my fans.” Charlie finally manages to squirm out of Lucifer’s grasp and heads towards Alastor again - against Lucifer’s silent protests. Before she can get too close, Alastor kneels down and gives her a pat on the head. This emitted a wide grin from the child. “I love hearing you on the radio, Mr. Radio Man! Daddy puts the radio on your station every morning!”

“Just call me Alastor, dear.” Still kneeling at her level he offers one of his hands. “And what's your name, little lady?”

“I'm Charlie!” She exclaims, giving a jump of excitement as she proudly proclaims her name. She puts both of her tiny hands and places them in Alastor’s outstretched hand. The man tries to gently shake her hand so as not to hurt her, but this fails when Charlie excitedly and violently shakes his instead.

“That's enough, honey.” Lucifer quickly interjects.

Alastor chuckles - for a second Lucifer thinks it's an awkward one. Surely not; he's probably interacted with hundreds of his fans. He lets go of her hand before she can shake his anymore.“Now don’t hurt yourself, little lady.”

Lucifer clears his throat, causing both heads to turn towards him. “Uh- Charlie, dear- uh.. We should be on our way now. I'm sure Mr. Alastor has a busy schedule; he can't spend all day with you.” He chided.

Charlie pouts but doesn't refuse to listen.

“Unfortunately your father is right.” Alastor stands up, his eyes narrow on Lucifer. “I don’t believe I got your name?” He says, looking at Lucifer.

Lucifer is a little surprised that Alastor doesn’t already know who he is. Not for anything out of pride but because usually people already know who he is. But maybe he’s just being coy. “Uh, Lucifer…morningstar.” He hesitates to say his last name. He’s unsure if he is still allowed to say it.If he wants to.

Alastor hums, “ah so you're our little angel from above.” Lucifer looks at him perturbed. “The only one out of the morning stars who enjoys helping.” He says it lightly, keeping in mind Charlie is present.

Lucifer deflates on the inside but he puts on his usual sunny disposition. If for Charlie’s sake. “Yep! that's uh- that's me. I’m Lucifer morningstar.” Why does he say his name again?

“Well my lord,” Alastor extends a hand towards him. He waits for Lucifer to take it, he does after a moment. “It's a pleasure to meet you in person after all I’ve heard of you.” Alastor shakes his hand curtly in a tight firm grip. Lucifer’s own is weak and flimsy at best. Alastor lets go.

“Oh- you- you’ve heard things about me? Um..” he glances at Charlie.

Alastor catches the look. “Only good things.” He lies. “Nonetheless it's a pleasure to have met you and your daughter. And I thank you for listening to my radio show.”

“I love your singing!” Charlie says with a grin.

Alastor looks down at her, “thank you. I enjoy singing, especially for fans like you.” He makes a show of checking the watch on his wrist. “Well, it was lovely meeting you two. But I must be on my way.” Alastor says politely, giving them a wave and walking towards the exit.

He watched the man go. It was strange, he'd been listening to this man's show for a few years. More for Charlie sake. But it was weird to finally put a face to the voice. Not that Alastor's face had never been in the public eye. He assumed at least. He had just never bothered to pay attention.

“Come back soon!” Charlie called.

…

While meeting New Orleans highly regarded radio host was…interesting. Lucifer didn’t find anything particularly noteworthy about Alastor. Other than his red hair. But once upon a time he had to handle that same song and dance. In his case, going to high class balls or parties with the intent of meeting people who had an interest in the morningstars. Whether with good or bad intent, he would greet those guests with that same jovial politeness.

So all in all, Alastor didn’t stand out to him. And as Monday reered its ugly head Lucifer had just put it behind him as another out of the blue thing to happen in his mundane life. He would have forgotten about it, if not for Charlie constantly talking about how happy and excited she that she got to meet her idol. It was adorable though and Lucifer definitely won’t complain if his daughter is happy.

But Monday does come.

And Lucifer hates it, but not for the usual reasons people hate Mondays. It's because he's left by himself for eight hours. Being bored out of his mind, with no one to talk to, and constantly struggling to entertain himself.

He goes about his morning as usual. It begins with him walking to the end of the hallway and knocking on Charlie’s door before opening it. She has an alarm set but he makes sure she’s awake anyway. Next he makes a̶ h̶o̶m̶e̶ c̶o̶o̶k̶e̶d̶ b̶r̶e̶a̶k̶f̶a̶s̶t̶… a good ol’ bowl of cereal! And that's their breakfast for the day. Because once Charlie is finished eating he ushers her off to get dressed while he makes sure she has everything packed in her school bag for first grade. It's a public school and the kids have been…okay - a questionable okay - with her. He hasn’t gotten any complaints from the kids or Charlie so he thinks it's okay? Regardless, it's been two weeks since she started 1st grade and he can only hope it continues to go well.

Once Charlie is dressed and Lucifer checks that she has her schoolwork, and her lunch - a sandwich and some fruit - they are out the door at 7:30 and hopping in his car.

Lucifer opens the back door on the passenger side and lifts Charlie into her car seat. He buckles her in - struggling with the straps, as always - and sets her backpack in the middle seat beside her before shutting the door. He walks around to the driver’s side and gets in, starting up the car.

Charlie, still waking up, rubs her eyes and yawns before asking, “daddy, can we listen to the radio man?” Lucifer smiles; her voice always sounds so cute when she's tired. “Of course, sweetie.” He pressed the button on the radio that flipped through his saved radio stations. First was a Kidz Bop station. Charlie really liked listening to that one before she began listening to Alastor.

He pressed the button again and immediately heard Alastor’s voice cut in.

“-oing? I hope all of you lovely listeners out there are doing fantastic today! It's a warm eighty degrees here in new Orleans today, and it looks like it will be another sunny day with no rain. Perfect conditions for some outdoor cooking later today, if I do say so myself!”

The brief thought of asking Charlie if she'd like some barbecue tonight was immediately shut down. He can't even cook an egg, let alone an entire barbecued meal. Maybe I could ask Ozzy one of these days? He's a master on the grill.

As Lucifer went deeper in his thoughts, he realized It felt strange to hear Alastor and know his face and having met him in person. Now he can picture the man sitting at his desk, talking into his microphone.

“Before we continue into another song I'll be taking a few callers for the next twenty minutes. So if you'd like to call into the studio and speak to me nows your chance.”

Charlie instantly started bouncing up and down in her car seat. “Daddy! I wanna call! I wanna talk to the radio man again!”

Lucifer instantly feels guilt; he hates telling Charlie no. "Uh- honey, we need to get you to school. We'll be there within five minutes.”

Charlie sighs. "Pleeeeeease? I'll do my own clothes for the week!”

Lucifer sighs with a defeated smile. "Well, I can't pass up a good bargain. Let me get my phone.” He reaches in his pocket with one hand while keeping one hand on the steering wheel and his eyes on the road. Nothing. He switches his hands around and feels in his other pocket, his expression changing to one of small horror when he realizes it's not there.

Shit..

“I- uh- Charlie? I uh.. I think I forgot my phone at the house.”

He looks in the rearview mirror and immediately sees Charlie’s expression change from joyful to disappointed. “Oh.. Okay..” She replies half-heartedly.

Lucifer frowns, but plasters on a smile before Charlie notices. “Hey, keep your head up.” He tells her with a positive voice, hoping she doesn't hear the guilt behind it. “To make it up to you, we'll be the first people calling the next time that he takes calls. How's that sound?”

Charlie smiles. “Okay.”

They pull into the school and go into the line of cars where people are unloading their kids. He sighs and hits his head on the steering wheel. They really need to start leaving sooner. The car line is always the busiest between 7:30 and 7:45. Lucifer’s hands tighten on the wheel and his pulse rises a little. Ugh, the crowds. He taps the wheel while he waits nervously.

After about five minutes, his car is in front of the school. He immediately hops out and unbuckles Charlie’s seatbelt. He lifts her out of her seat and sets her on the ground, then hands her backpack to her. He leans down and gives her a kiss on the cheek.

“Love you very much, miss you very much, see you this afternoon, bye!” Charlie exclaimed as he stood back up. Lucifer smiles; Charlie had been saying that same thing every morning starting from about halfway through her kindergarten year. He doesn't know when she thought it up, but he likes it. It's simple, sweet, and to the point.

“Tell Vaggie and Emily I said hi!” Lucifer calls out.

“I will!”

Before the other cars behind him start honking, he hops back in his car and pulls out of the school lot. He turns the radio on a generic jazz station, because as nice as it is, he doesn't really want to listen to Alastor’s voice. He wants to get in his own thoughts, and the man’s voice between almost every song distracts him from that.

As the jazz starts to play an all-too-familar song - which Lucifer tries to ignore that fact - he starts thinking: what am I going to do today?

He turns onto the main road, his eyes focusing on the road while his head stays in his thoughts.

The house is looking a bit dirty. It's been a while since I cleaned it. Maybe I could do that today. I miss having the maids around - they were always great company. Especially Mary, she always laughed at my silly jokes. And I miss having help from Lil-...

Lucifer shakes his head before the thought can fester. No; she's a thing of the past. He needs to keep it that way. Focus on what to do today.

Yeah. Clean the house today. Maybe I can call Ozzy or Bee to keep me company. If they're not too busy, of course. I don't wanna trouble them.

Before he knows it, Lucifer pulls up to his house and turns into the driveway. The house isn't bad. He actually prefers it over the mansion he used to live in. His house is a two story blue house. The neighborhood is nice and well taken care of, but he doesn't like the neighbors much. Sure, they're friendly but their judgy nature reminds him too much of his…

…family.

It doesn't feel like the right word to describe them.

He sighs and walks up the stone path to his door. When he enters, the house is quiet. Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be quiet? Since he's the only one here. He shutters, hating how big and hollow the home feels without Charlie in it. How all the warmth is zapped from it… how, it reminds him of his room in his fathers mansion.

It was too quiet. Too large. Too empty.

Maybe this was too big of a house for only two people, after all.

He was…honestly lucky. He wouldn't have this home, his car, this neighborhood..if not for his mother. Even when he was disowned, she helped him. Afterall, he was born a Morningstar. And at birth, every morningstar got their percent of that wealth that they could have at eighteen. He had been eighteen. Disowned or not, his mother fought that battle for him, making sure he got his portion of the fortune.

Maybe it would have been smarter financially to settle into a lower income neighborhood. However, those places were always a bit more sketchy. The house may have been a pretty penny, but the neighborhood is safe and taken care of. And that's the kind of place Charlie needs to grow up in.

Mom..

He misses her..a lot.

He shook his head. No. No getting in his head. He should clean.

Maybe I should get some company.. I don't wanna be in my head anymore.

He began looking around for his phone, trying to remember where he'd left it. Right; he'd never even taken it off the charger that morning. He went to his room and sure enough, there it is, sitting in its charger. It’s a Nokia 1011, and they'd been released earlier that year. It cost a bit for him to get it, but he could afford it. So why not? Besides, who knew when he'd need it? Maybe he'd get a job one of these days and need it for communication.

He looks at the notepad next to the charger that has all the numbers of his main contacts written on it….as well as the number of the diner in case he massively screws up dinner again. Which happens more often than he likes to admit.

He looks at the list of names. There aren't a lot on the list. Most of them are about Charlie in some way. Like the number of her doctor, or school. But otherwise, there aren't many. He hums, while he stares at the list. He really needs to rewrite them in alphabetical order. He keeps going down until he sees where it reads, “Ozzy”. There’s a half-hearted doodle next to the name. It's a small sketch of a cat head with sunglasses on. Why a cat? Because Ozzy is cool like a cat. At least that's Lucifer's reasoning. He dials the number written next to it.

It rings once.

Then twice.

Then a third time.

Lucifer starts to think he's too busy right now and debates hanging up. He takes the phone away from his ear just as the line is picked up.

“Yeah?” The deep smooth voice carries through the phone. Lucifer immediately presses the phone back to his ear.

“Ozzy! Ozzster..big dog. My man..” NOPE. “My dude.. Bro..” He cringes “what's uh, what's up? .. Bro?”

A booming laugh comes from the other end. “What up, Lucy? What's happenin’?”

Lucifer laughs nervously. He starts walking around his dining room. “Ohh uh, not much just… doing things. Tons of things. Like uh..” he looks at the window. “Admiring my….lawn?” he slaps himself, dragging his hand down his face. He hears a ‘pft-’ from the other end of the line. “What about you? Your not busy are you? Sorry if you are. I hope I'm not interruping anything.”

“No, of course not! Whatcha need, babe?” Ozzy asks.

Lucifer rubs his neck, and here he goes with the pacing. “Well uh, I.. Charlie's at school and… I was hoping you could-” no don't sound needy “uhhhh…if your not too busy would you mind another cooking lesson? Or… something? Oh- I uh got this tea set from Bee do you-”

Another laugh comes from Ozzy. “If ya’ just want some company, just say somethin’. I don't mind comin’ over. Fizzy’s out doin’ some errands today anyways, so I don't got no plans.”

“Right! Right..” He drags his hand down his face again. “Sorry…uh, yeah. I could use some company if you wouldn't mind?”

“Sure! I'll be over in twenty.” Ozzy replies.

“Okay!” Lucifer's face breaks into a smile. He clears his throat. “Okay” he repeats more calmly. “See you then.”

He sighs, his anxiety dimming.

At least he agreed.

[paramorearchived]

September 12, 2012

Transcript:

to be happy now.

fair warning. i am allllll over the place tonight! so hopefully, you guys can follow along down these rabbit trails...

we're officially a little over half-way through the tracking of this album. it feels real-er than ever. i'm starting to understand all these songs more and where they've actually come from... for a minute, it was such a whirlwind of inspiration, emotion, and sweat. now that we've spent some time getting to know the album and growing with it, i can finally tell myself it's real. i can just almost tell myself that it's alright to relax. 

have you ever been that way? haven't you ever said "things are so great right now that i know something's bound to go wrong... any minute." just so you know, i might be the QUEEN of that phrase. maybe it's part of being a total realist? maybe it's just the fact that i've been through some rough situations and i know how awful it feels not to be prepared for the worst? it's been a while since i didn't have my fists in a ball... since i wasn't sort of on the defense, waiting for the attack. if there was an actual good reason for why i lived that way for so long i'd give it to you but now that i'm (hopefully!) passed that, it's a little unclear as to why that would ever be worth it. because now i wake up every morning and i know for certain that there are at least a few good people around me, if not physically then just by an iPhone somewhere, who could look me in the eye and tell me that they love me. i've got just enough blood in my veins and air in my lungs to know that i am definitely not dead. and that could be enough to say outloud, to myself... "You're OK!" 

another thing to consider is what if there is a part of us that doesn't fully want to be satisfied? what if there's something that asks us: if everything is "OK" then what do we have to strive for? to LIVE for, even? that's the constant duel in my spirit! i want life to go smoothly but when it's all working out... i'm sort of bored. ugh. it reminds me of a lyric by mewithoutYou that i've always connected with so deeply. "All I want is to want one thing." how beautifully that depicts our nature as humans to want everything, sometimes multiple things at once that couldn't be more opposite... and in the end get upset with the whole thing and want to get rid of desire altogether. (i digress!) 

what i've had to learn during this last year and a half, is that i might actually just be happy with where life is heading at this point. doesn't mean i'll always feel this way. nothing's perfect... at least for very long! anyway, it might just be OK to be happy now. right now in this very moment. i should just go with it, right? by the way, if i don't sound completely insane to you after 3 paragraphs which all are complete contradictions to each other then i appreciate your patience and flexible perspective. 

all this to say, i feel happy and i feel like my soul is actually being fulfilled. not only by the making of this album but also by the few close relationships i have in my life that have either stood the test of time or have bloomed from virtually nothing since entering whatever phase of my life i'm in at the moment. i'm not waiting for the sky to fall because i know that while the sky is staying up there in it's place, i have my opportunity to live. no more wasting time, hope, emotions, on worrying when, if, or how i could ever be let down again. i'm going to tell myself it's okay to be happy now.

i guess i want to finish this off by asking you what fulfills you. what is it that reaches your soul? it doesn't have to be some profound thing or even anything cool. if you can hold that one thing in your mind and know that you're exactly who you are supposed to be in that moment, then that could be all you need to get from point A to point B. maybe i want to finish THAT by saying, let's all listen to "One Thing" by One Direction and sing it to each other. you've got that one thing and guess what? it doesn't even need to be named. cause you just know and so does One Direction.

ok, i don't know how you made it to the end of this.... love you, mean it.  hayley

[nightfallgame]

(NSFW) SHORT — Hisa Igarashi (01)

Originally Written: 07-31-20

Prompt: F! Hisa makes me want to bully ver just as much as I want to with her male counterpart. So, maybe ter s/o keeps denying her orgams until she is begging for it, and then shaming her for begging.

Hikari is little enough that she's easy to tie down. You've commented on that a couple of times, but Hikari never thought much on what that could mean until now. 

Her hands are tied to the headboard, soft fabric binding her little wrists right where you want them. Hikari is completely unclothed, every part of her slender, pale body revealed to your eyes. You're sitting between her spread-wide legs with a small, pink object in hand. 

"Get to it!" she snaps when you spend a little too long just looking at her. You said you had a reason for tying her down, and this is embarrassing enough without you staring. 

"Fine, fine. Gonna cut me off from admiring my pretty girl, hm?" 

You laugh, but reach between Hikari's spread thighs next. 

The feeling of your warm fingers spreading the loose, petal-frilled skin of her labia makes Hikari tense. She's... sensitive down there. You both haven't done much in the means of sex, but you've made Hikari 'come' in ways that have her screeching just from fingers down there. Hikari bites her lip. There's something unsettling in your eyes. 

You use one thumb to lift the little hood of skin off of what you say is called her 'clit'. 

"Wh-What are you doing?" Hikari asks, NOT at all nervously, when your attention diverts to the little pink thing still in your hand. 

You click a button on the top of it, and the thing buzzes to life. 

"Making you beg," you smile. "This is a vibrator, and it's going to do some very fun things to you. Or more like... I'm going to. I won't let you come until you beg me, and I know how proud you are, so get ready to wait a bit, I guess."

"I will not beg!" Hikari protests. "I don't care what you think you can do, I will not—!"

You press the pink thing to her clit and Hikari cuts herself off with a shriek. 

Instantly, her thighs try to snap closed around the shock of feeling right where she's much too sensitive. The buzzing feels so good it almost hurts. It's way, way more stimulation than your fingers ever came close to. You hold the thing in place for one second, two seconds, three, and then, just when Hikari is about to try to kick you, you take it away. 

She's panting in its loss. The sound that just came out of her has Hikari's cheeks burning. You barely held the thing there for three seconds and her everything down there feels hot and tingly. 

"Y-You, you will not do th-that agai-" You cut Hikari off by doing exactly what she was ordering you not to; pressing the buzzing thing right back on her clit and holding it there. 

Hikari's hips twist, but you pin her in place with your free hand. She's suddenly, painfully, acutely aware of how much bigger you are, of how easy it would be for you to grab her and hold her down and keep that pink thing there until—

She feels herself whimper at the thought. 

It doesn't take long for her to get to the verge of coming. You hold the toy in place for maybe ten seconds, and just when Hikari is about to the edge... you take it away. 

With a high-pitched moan of loss, Hikari squirms helplessly against the sheets. She doesn't know when she started wanting the toy on her instead of away, but she was so close. You pulled it away just before the shuddery, clenching feeling could take her over. 

"You want to come, don't you?" you ask her with a near-pitying look. "I told you what you have to do. Beg me, and I'll let you. Otherwise..."

The toy goes back to her clit. Hikari, suddenly twice as sensitive, yelps like she's been shocked. When her legs try to close this time, you use one hand to hold her thigh open and spread, giving you a perfect view of every embarrassing part between her legs. You hold the buzzing thing against her clit again until she's making sharp, short, fluttery moans, but just when she's about to hit the edge...

You take it away again. 

Hikari howls and really does try to kick you. All you do is laugh. 

The process repeats itself over and over. Eight times, if Hikari is counting right. You drag her right up to the point where she's about to come, then take it away eight times. 

Hikari moans and struggles and bucks her hips to either get more or get away, but you don't budge. You hold her in place and hold that stupid pink thing in place until her head is spinning and her throat feels raw from how much noise she's made. 

Every time, she gets more sensitive. Every time, Hikari feels her desperation spike. What started out as mild frustration has turned into an awful, all-consuming need for some kind of release. Her clit feels swollen up and painfully tender. You can barely hold the vibrator against it for more than two seconds at a time before you have to take it away to deny her her release.

Finally, she can't take it anymore. 

"Please," Hikari whines, even as she recoils at her own embarrassingly desperate tone. "Please, c-come on. I'm b-begging, so— d-do what you said you would." 

"That's not begging at all," you laugh. "You're telling me what to do, not asking nicely. I suppose a spoiled brat like you just doesn't know how to say things the way she should. Try using some nicer words... and maybe try telling me how desperate you are. What a slut you're being."

Hikari grits her teeth. You're mocking her. 

"P-Please," she bites out again. Anything to avoid the awful, awful edging. "M-Make me come. I'm being good, so— Ah—!" She's cut off when you tap the vibrator against her clit once, short and sharp. If you do it again, if you tear her orgasm away again, she's really going to scream. "Please, please, p-please!"

"Wow, you really are needy. You know, I expected better of the 'pure one', not hearing her pleading for an orgasm after what, ten minutes? You're all puffy and pink down here, Hikari. I think... you're not ready yet."

"Wh-What—!?"

"Nope, not ready. If you can still get words out, you don't need to come. We'll keep going until I think you really want it. I think... ten more edges will do it. You'll be really desperate then, so I look forward to seeing what comes out of your mouth." 

With a wicked smirk, you pull the hood of her clit up again, exposing the little bud completely, then press the buzzing thing right against it. 

Hikari sobs. 

[channiebelly]

Classmate

tropes: body worship.

ship: vernon/chan

wordcount: .9k

Vernon has a crush on the chubby boy in his class, Chan. He asks Chan out and everything seems to be going well until things start to get heated. Vernon needs to show Chan just how sexy he is.

There's this guy in Vernon's class, Chan. He's cute, funny, talkative, has adorable chubby cheeks, a good butt, and, most importantly, an impressive, round belly. So, he's just Vernon's type.

Towards the end of the semester, Vernon finally gets up the courage to ask him out.

"Chan!" Chan has left the classroom already, and Vernon is racing to catch up with him (not that Chan walks particularly fast).

"Oh, Vernon?" Chan asks when Vernon finally catches up to him. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah! Everything's perfect!" Vernon cringes at himself. That was definitely too excited. "I just wanted to ask if maybe you wanted to go out with me sometime. As a date."

"Oh." Chan blushes, to Vernon's delight. "I'd love that."

"Great," Vernon says. They exchange numbers, and then Vernon's off, walking in the other direction to his next class, a grin not leaving his face.

The date goes very well. They meet up for coffee and lunch, and arrange another date a few days later. That date goes well too. Amazing, actually. Vernon likes Chan more than he thought possible after such a short amount of time.

For their third date, Vernon invites Chan over to his place for a movie night. He tries to make his intentions very clear: he tells Chan that they'll have the apartment to themselves, he arranges it for the evening and even drops a "netflix and chill" comment in their text conversation.

Chan shows no hesitation to the concept.

Which is why Vernon is a little confused when Chan suddenly switches gears when Vernon tries to take his shirt off. They had been making out heavily on the couch just a minute before, Chan's hand had been on the bulge in Vernon's jeans, and they were both very into it.

"Sorry!" Chan yelps as soon as Vernon's hands grip the hem of his shirt. "Wait."

Vernon backs away immediately. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm just worried you'll be disappointed," Chan says. "I'm not exactly ripped."

"...Yeah," Vernon says.

"I'm a bit chunky," Chan says. He's blushing again. Vernon ignores how cute he finds it, this is clearly important to Chan.

"Chan, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but I know. Your size is not exactly a secret."

"Oh," Chan says. He sounds upset. Shit.

"I like your size. I knew what your body looked like before I asked you out, and I liked it. I wouldn't have asked you out if I wasn't attracted to you."

"Really?" Chan says. Vernon wishes he could tell Chan just how alluring he found his size, how he had to stop himself from staring at the prominent swell of Chan's belly from across the room, how the time Chan's shirt had risen up and shown his soft underbelly hadn't left his mind for weeks, how he had fanaticised about what Chan looked like under his hoodies all semester. Vernon had been wanting to get his hands on Chan for ages. He hated the idea that Chan thought that he wasn't attracted to him.

"Absolutely." Vernon kisses Chan again, deep and slow. "I think you are incredibly sexy. Can I please take your shirt off?"

Chan giggles. "Well since you asked nicely."

Vernon doesn't wait any longer. He pulls Chan's shirt over his head, and there Chan is, shirtless and right in front of Vernon. He's hotter than Vernon ever could've imagined. Somehow, his belly looks bigger without the fabric obscuring it. It's rounded and enormous, with a pair of chubby moobs sitting on top. The sides of his belly turn into rolls of fat that wrap around his back and he has large love handles that are struggling to stay contained in his waistband. He's gorgeous.

Vernon must be staring too hard, because Chan gets nervous and starts to move away. "I'm sorry. It's too much. I'll just go."

Vernon grabs his wrist. "Don't. Please. You're absolutely incredible." He runs his tongue over his lips. "Can I touch?"

Chan nods and Vernon reaches out to place his hands on the distended sides of Chan's belly. He does it slowly, taking in every sensation. He'd wanted to touch Chan for month, and now he's right where he wants him. He's going to make the most of this.

He runs his hands over the full expanse of Chan's stomach, testing the firmness at various points. He's mapping out Chan's stomach with his hands. The top of Chan's stomach is incredibly firm, almost solid, and Chan lets out a little hiccup when he presses into it. Around his bellybutton and above is also very firm and taut, but there's a bit more give when Vernon presses into it. Underneath his bellybutton is pure softness. The skin there is buttery soft and smooth and supple enough for Vernon hold it in his hands. He takes two handfuls of it and shakes, watching the rolls on Chan's sides shake with it.

This whole time, Chan's breathing has been getting heavier and heavier, as Vernon continued his exploration. But when Vernon trails a finger gently over Chan's underhang, his breathing gets rapidly heavier. He likes being touched there, Vernon learns.

"Fuck," Vernon says. "you're so hot." He starts kneading into the sides of Chan's belly, more insistently now. "Please let me fuck you."

Chan must believe that Vernon isn't lying about finding him attractive at this point, because he nods.

Vernon can't wait any longer. He stands up quickly and offers a hand out to Chan to help pull him off the couch. Vernon is going to spend the entire night convincing Chan of just how sexy he is.

[youngpettyqueen]

some uhhh *tosses dart* BJ/Peg hurt comfort?? with maybe something motorcycle related? (vroom 💜)

this is perfect cause this has been on my mind since your addition to my Yalu Brick Road posting last night. please enjoy the Hunnicutts Cannot Fucking Drive agenda

"I think I did pretty good for my second try." Peg tells him.

BJ, currently carrying her back to the house, snorts and shakes his head. "That isn't exactly a tall order," He replies, "Your first try on the motorcycle lasted all of 5 seconds and I got to treat my first sprained wrist." He reminds her.

"An improvement is an improvement!" Peg insists, "This time I lasted at least 10 seconds, and I only scraped my knees. You're the one who decided you just had to scoop me up like a blushing bride." She points out.

"I like carrying you," He reasons, nudging their front door open with his foot so that he can step inside, "Why walk when you can be carried by your big, strong husband?"

Peg can't help but smile at that. Husband. The title is still new, but she likes the way it sounds when he says it. "I hope you know you've just signed up to carry me around for the rest of our lives," She says, "If my feet ever touch the floor again I will be filing a complaint."

"Every day, huh?" BJ asks as he sweeps through the entrance and into the kitchen, "I can think of worse things. After all," He sets her down, carefully and gently, to sit on the kitchen counter, "We can't have you complaining, can we?" He flashes her a dazzling smile.

Peg meets his smile with one of her own, though hers is full of mischief. "Does that mean if I complain, you'll let me back on the bike?" She inquires.

His smile never drops. "Peggy, darling, if there's one thing I know about you, it's that I will never be able to tell you what you're allowed to do," He tells her, full of love and warmth, before continuing, "I can, however, ask you very nicely to not get on the bike unless I'm right there to keep you from tipping over," And then, just to be cheeky, he adds, "Again."

"I suppose that's fair," Peg gives him. She watches him as he takes a quick look at her bloody knees, lifting one leg up and then the other. His expression is going concerned, and she can't have that, so she asks, "Give it to me straight, doctor- will I live?"

"Only if we amputate," BJ replies without missing a beat, "But that can wait until morning. For now, I can clean these up and apply the best thing medicine ever came up with," He leaves her in suspense for a moment, flashing a grin at her as he says, "Bandaids."

"Excuse me, Dr. Hunnicutt," She reaches over to take him by the collar, her mischievous grin only growing, "I do believe you're forgetting a step in the treatment plan."

"Oh?" He follows her tug easily, eyes flicking quickly to her lips, his own smile growing eager, "And what would that be, Mrs. Hunnicutt?" He asks.

"A kiss," She informs him, "Kisses make everything better, didn't they teach you that in school?"

"How silly of me to forget," He hums, leaning in close, "I guess I'll have to make up for it."

And then they kiss like newlyweds do- too much for too long, and completely forgetting about everything they're actually supposed to be doing. If kisses really could make anything better, Peg's scraped knees would've been good as new.

Still. It's pretty damn good, even if they do eventually have to break apart so that BJ can take care of her.

(They can always pick up where they left off afterwards.)

[pyr0manias]

BRIM ANGST!!!!!!!

(Badly written edition)

"..What do you mean?"

Brian's tone nearly broke Tim, the shakiness of it practically tearing out his heart. He couldn't even look at his face. If he tried he knew he'd be weak, he'd change his mind.. he can't even handle the thought of Brian's pretty face, a shaking lip and teary eyes at Tim's request.

"I just.. I think we need a break. It's not exactly working out." Tim choked out, staring directly at the floor.

"You wanna break up..?"

"No, no, not break up just-.. a break.. give eachother some space."

"But.. did I.. did I do something wrong?" Brian whimpered, tears threatening to spill as Tim avoided his eyes. Tim knew he didn't understand, knew what he was thinking. 'Was he not enough? Did Tim want someone else?' Of course he didn't, Brian was perfect. But as Tim's symptoms got worse, he knew distance was for the best until it got better again.

"You did nothing wrong, Bri..." Tim sighed, wincing at the sound of Brian's sniffles. No doubt he was crying now. "I just.. need some time."

After a long moment, Brian slowly nodded, holding in a hiccup as he stood.

"I understand." He whispered, wrapping his arms around himself. Where was he gonna go? He didn't have anyone to stay with, he lives with Tim right now.. he's a poor college kid, he can't afford an entire new house.

"..I'm gonna go for a walk."

Tim didn't get to answer before Brian left, now wandering the sidewalks as he let himself cry. Tim left him. All this time spent together, sharing, loving.. and he left. Brian told him about everything, about his fears, about his past, and Tim promised. He promised they'd be together, he promised he loved Brian, but he lied. He is a liar. He made a promise he never intended to keep, and now Brian has to deal with the consequences of his own foolish trust.

Tim wasn't doing much better, his head in his hands as he barely kept himself together. He was pacing now, unsure of how to progress. He doesn't want to kick Brian out, but what if that demon starts targeting him, too? Maybe someone else will let Brian stay with them, keep him away until things are better.

Tim eyed his phone and took a deep breath. He picked it up and slowly dialed a number, biting his lip nervously. The only person he could really ask this of.

"I swear to god if you're gonna tell me you're not coming in next week I'll kill you." Alex's gruff voice answered immediately once he picked up. "Jay already might not make it, I can't have you dipping out too-"

"I need you to do me a favor."

". . .What."

Tim took a deep breath before continuing.

"Brian and I are taking a break. Do you mind letting him stay with you until it's over?"

There was silence from Alex for a minute before he answered, even angrier than before.

"What did you do?"

Tim couldn't help the chuckle that left him at the accusation. Of course, everyone expected that Brian would be the one to leave Tim. He's way out of his league, it's a miracle he agreed to date Tim in the first place.

"Nothing. I was the one who asked for it."

"...."

"...."

"...What... what did -he- do?"

That didn't even sound right to either of them.

"Nothing.. I just.. need space. He'll come over with his stuff soon, if you can have him over."

"Yeah, yeah I can.. I can have him over." Alex's voice was far quieter now.

When Brian returned home, there was a box waiting for him. All packed. Brian broke down immediately at the sight of it- where is he supposed to go? Tim really is kicking him out.

"..You're back."

Speaking of who...

Brian didn't turn to face him, just kept crying.

"Look, um.. I asked Alex if you could stay with him for a bit.. he said yes.. I just don't think we should live together while we.. sort stuff out. It's not that I don't want you here, it's just--"

Tim didn't get to finish before Brian left, bringing the box with him. He sighed, staring longingly out the open door for a minute before slowly reaching out to shut it, closing his eyes. His head was aching.

"..Sorry, baby." He whispered, opening his eyes after a minute. Slowly, Tim retreated upstairs and shut the door behind him as he began to cough, curling up in bed and holding tight onto the sweater he'd taken from Brian's side of the closet, which was now half-empty.

[bismuthupmy]

Nothing Hurts | Leon x Luis RE4

Chapter One | 3.0k

The story of tragic righteousness where nobody is hurt and everything is perfect. Except nothing is perfect in hell.

A re-imagining of the events of the Resident Evil 4 remake where Luis and Leon get the ending they deserved.

——————————————————————————————————

Hello! I fell terribly in love it’s both this game and with our two resident boys and I couldn’t help but write for them. I absolutely refuse certain events :))) so here i am with a fix-it. This will be multi-chaptered so I’ll link all the chapters in my masterlist as well as the previous and next chapter at the bottom

I also posted this on my AO3!

——————————————————————————————————

The car rattled down the old road, the early morning moonlight casting long shadows of the trees onto the pebbles in front. Some Spanish song was quietly playing on the radio, getting on his nerves. He preferred silence when going into missions. Keeps the edge off.

Leon watched the trees go by, head leaned against his hand. It had been hours since they left the station nearly heading into dawn by now. He looked down absently at the picture in his hand, the young girl's face burned into his mind by now.

“So tell me, Yanqui,” the police officer in the passenger seat swivelled around, bringing Leon out of his thoughts. “Why did you come to this horrible place, as close to nowhere as I’ve ever seen?”

Leon tipped his head back in exasperation. They couldn’t have asked him that ages ago?

“Let’s just say- looking for someone.”

“That someone must be very important, eh?” The officer turned backpack around, gesturing broadly with his next words. “The chief gave the orders himself. ‘Help him,’ he said.”

“Well, I'm sure you boys didn’t come all the way out here to roast marshmallows,” Leon remarked. Both officers chuckled. “Or maybe you did.”

Leon turned back to the window watching as tree after tree was left behind them. The officer in the passenger side regarded Leon again.

“You have a strange sense of humour. I'll let you in on a little secret. Just between us. A lot of people have gone missing here. And it's been that way for a while now.”

“Well, then… should be just another day in the office, right?

The officer hummed, “I mean, last week there was a search for some missing hikers.”

If he was trying to scare Leon with a ghost story or interest him in doing their job for them, Leon didn’t know. He wasn’t buying it though.

“I'm sure you’ll do your best to help me,” was all he replied. 

The car sped down a side road, supposedly leading to the village. The car rumbled to a stop in front of an old wooden fence, rotting and eaten by fungus.

“I think this is it,” the officer driving pointed out. This was it, alright. However, they were supposed to drop him off closer to the village.

The passenger officer turned around to justify them stopping prematurely.

“Nature calls, eh? I'll be right back.”

He steps out of the vehicle wobbling into the darkness for some privacy.

“¡Que frío!”

“¿Te has bebido el bar entero?” The driver teased, pulling out a cigarette. The other officer scoffed and continued walking. “You smoke?”

He offered a cigarette to Leon who waved him off in favour of watching the woods where the officer had wandered through, spying a wooden icon nailed to a post amongst the trees. Wasn’t exactly comforting. The radio crackled, not able to pick up a stable frequency this far into the forest. They waited ten minutes for the officer to return without a sign. 

“He sure is taking his time,” the driver mused. “Did he fall in?”

Leon ignored him. He continued talking anyway.

“Maybe you better go and take a look?”

Huffing out of frustration, Leon begrudgingly pulled himself out of the police car, cool morning breeze rushing into the warm car. 

“I'll watch the car,” the driver smirked with no intention of leaving where he sat. “Wouldn’t want to get a parking ticket.”

Leon wandered deeper into the woods, “So much for helping me.”

─•~❉᯽❉~•──•~❉᯽❉~•──•~❉᯽❉~•──•~❉᯽❉~•─

Walking deeper into the woods beyond the fence, the more random abandoned objects there were. Wheelbarrows were upturned and barbed wire fences had collapsed. Leon even came across a mangled deer corpse past the old remains for an iron gate which brought mainly more concerns with the whereabouts of that officer. Up ahead, through the brush, orange light could be seen. Leon crouched under more barbed wire, coming up quietly on the lodge.

Cautiously Leon nudged open the door and was met with silence throughout the house. Walking down the hall he edged inside the next room which was also empty. On the bed was an icon of sorts, marred with blood with hasty writing scrolled down the length of it. Judgement is nigh. Something was terribly wrong with this village.

A small crack in the wall of the bedroom caught Leon’s eye. Looking through it revealed what looked to be a kitchen on the other side. Leon left the bedroom and quietly walked through the halls coming up to a door. Locked. He’d  come back to it later. 

There was another door to the right of where he stood which was the kitchen he saw. Leon carefully opened this next door, unable to indulge in the warmth of the fireplace as a man stood directly behind him. Leon jumped, seeming to not be on the man’s radar as he listlessly wandered back to his pot, muttering in Spanish. Mildly peeved, Leon asked him about the officer.

“Sorry to barge in like this,” Leon tried to communicate. The man ignored him, seeming to not notice that he was there so Leon tried again. “Busco a un policía, ¿vino aquí?”

Leon  approached the man slowly, stepping on something which crunched slightly under his boot. He knelt down picking up the bloodied badge of the officer. The sound of a thump caught Leon’s attention as the man on the other side of the room lunged at him, hatchet in hand. Leon parried the attack, pushing back against the force of the man, making him stumble back. Without hesitation, Leon’s leg collided with the man's head, crushing his neck against the wall with a roundhouse kick. Leon breathed heavily, taking a few steps back. What the absolute fuck. 

A man’s scream resonated from the depth of the house, startling Leon back into attack mode, gun pulled out of his holster. Looking down at the man on the ground he spotted a key that had fallen loose and snatched it up. Jogging back to the locked door, the key slid in easily. Leon swung the door open silently, handgun by his ear as he stared down the eerie staircase to the basement of the lodge.

“Fuck me.”

The floorboards creaked, making him cringe as he descended into the thick smell of rotting corpses. Pulling out his flashlight, he shone the beam around the room at the bottom. Lo and behold, there were corpses. A large deer layed dismembered on a table, skulls and bones and the meat of some cattle were held up on hooks, rotting. The stench was enough to take you out.

The wet squelch of coagulated blood bounced off the wooden walls as Leon inched closer to a curtain separating the basement. The old cloth was dead still, dispersing dust as he nudged past it. The crackle of a radio came from somewhere in the corner of the room. Twisting, back against the adjacent wall, Leon scanned the tucked away room, torch light resting on a very bloody mound. 

“Hey!”

The police officer was frozen in a state of terror, blood dripping from his nose and where his throat and forehead had been split open. His radio crackled and garbled Spanish came through. Leon crouched beside the dead officer and fished the radio out of its holder. Screams and then silence and static.

“Shit.”

Thump. The door of the basement was thrown open. Leon stood, gun out in front of him. Creeping back past the cloth curtain he made his way back to the main slaughter room. Heavy footsteps clunked down the stairs as Leon backed up against the stone wall by the bottom of the landing. Sucking in a breath to steady himself he looked to the edge of the stairs.

A crooked neck and oozing flesh met Leon's eyes for an instant before there were hands around his neck. His knife was drawn and seated deep into his attacker's throat causing him to stagger backwards, unphased. Didn’t he already smash this guy into a wall?

“What the fuck!”

Two well placed bullets between the eyes and the man fell to the ground, hopefully dead. Getting a closer look at the man Leon saw the very obvious break in his neck where his head was hanging on for dear life when he had been standing. Gross. Leon rubbed the tender spot on his neck where he was grabbed, straightening up.

“That’s cool. Didn’t really want to explain to the owner why there was a dead man in his kitchen anyway,” Leon huffed and climbed the stairs with much more mindfulness this time. At the top of the stairs the door hung open, beyond it another man slinking down the hall a hatchet in hand.

“What is wrong with these people?” Leon muttered to himself. Now these guys were definitely not here to roast marshmallows, Leon knew for sure. 

Stepping past the man and slipping into an adjacent room was easy enough. Leon followed a staircase which creaked painfully like the last one, however he made it to an empty room without incident, locking the door behind him.

Exhaling, he looked around the room. On the far wall were maps and images hastily taped together illuminated by the butt end of a candle. One picture in particular caught his eye so he held his hand out to it so he could see it better. The picture was of a young girl tied up unceremoniously. Beneath her picture was the map, a large red cross indicating a location on a lake.

“Ashley…”

Leon put a hand up to this earpiece, sifting through more papers littered on the desk.

“Roost, this is Condor One.”

“Hunnigan here. What’s your sitrep?” A woman came through on the other side.

“The president’s daughter— Baby Eagle. It’s likely she’s in this village.”

“Our intel was correct, then,” Hunnigan began furiously typing into her computer. “Well done.”

Leon fished out a few other photos, each one pointing more and more towards Ashley’s location near a lake at some point. It was a good place to start.

“Need a location on a nearby lake. She may have been taken there.”

“Copy that. I’ll see what I can find.”

“Hurry up. Something’s happened to the people here. My escorts are-”

Several thundering footsteps travel up the stairs, eerily muffled through the door. More alarmingly, a hatchet was struck through said door. 

“Gotta go. Talk later.”

The hatchet was brought backwards and smashed through the door again, breaking it open with its force allowing several people belonging to those several footsteps to pile into the room. They closed in, weapons braced in their hands, sickly looking faces scrunched in anger. Leon backed up thinking of the best course of action in this situation, eyes landing on a window.

“I’ll let myself out.”

He dove out of the window, arms shielding his face, landing and rolling through the dirt to diffuse the fall. Looking up, the men in the lodge leaned out the window, eyed him, but let him go. Standing up, leon carefully dusted off any shards of glass with his forearms. Deciding to put the entire lodge incident behind him, Leon turned to the only path ahead. A rickety, bloody bridge.

“Perfect.”

─•~❉᯽❉~•──•~❉᯽❉~•──•~❉᯽❉~•──•~❉᯽❉~•─

Leon trudged along, eyes and ears open out for anything suspicious. He stepped through an abandoned hut just as the morning sun was beginning to illuminate the forest. The path was overgrown, weeds whipping at his legs as he walked through them. Up ahead he could hear murmuring in Spanish. He hoped to god, which he didn’t do often, that these people were normal but he didn’t have high hopes. Not completely to his surprise, the villagers tried to impale him. He made quick work of them. He had better things to do than be held back by a few homicidal lunatics.

Just as he was beginning to move on however, one of the farmers started jerking, limbs shaking and body convulsing. Leon was definitely sure that dead bodies didn’t do that so another swift bullet to the head didn’t hurt. 

The rest of his walk to the village was uneventful. Only when he came up on the gates of the village did shit go down. Yelling and jeering from the villages in the square carried on the wind. Crouching to stay unseen by the crowd, Leon watched. The second policeman escorting him was tied to a similar icon post that Leon had seen earlier in the night. The villagers crowded him, stacking piles of sticks beneath him. They were going to burn him.

Before Leon could act, a torch was thrown onto the sticks, immediately catching fire and extending to cover the officer screaming for mercy. What a way to go.

“Holy shit…”

It definitely wasn’t a good idea to get in the villagers' way so Leon ducked down a side alley. A lone woman was digging at some hay at the end of the alley and Leon thought to himself, what the hell. Sneaking up behind the woman he pulled out his knife. He lunged up, grabbing the woman by her mouth and digging the knife upwards into her skull. Some part of him wondered if he had just killed an innocent but by the state of this village that wasn’t likely. Better to be safe than sorry.

The closer he got to the village centre, the more villagers had gathered around the bonfire. Sticking to the outskirts behind buildings, Leon inched his way around the open area, turning down a second alley and into a store room. Crates splashed with yellow paint were stacked against each other which Leon found odd. When he opened the crates to find ammo and a grenade he was less sceptical. He was hoping to get away from the crowd without being seen but if worse came to worst the grenade would be handy.

Spying through the cracks in the storeroom door, Leon made sure there were  no villagers coming his way before stepping back outside. The road adjacent ran from uphill down to the city centre, giving Leon a clear way out of this segment. He tilted his head around the corner of the store room, unfortunately immediately coming face to face with a villager.

“¡Ahí está!”

Leon sighed. So much for sneaking around. His handgun was pulled from its holster and a few bullets nailed into the villager’s head. This only caused the villager to stumble slightly which very much irritated Leon.

“What the fuck are these people eating? Pure steel?”

He swung his foot into the villager’s face, knocking him to the ground. He whirled around to face the gang of villagers stalking towards him from the bonfire. Leon dashed for a house, hoping for a bar lock like the lodge. He slipped into a large house and flung himself at the door to keep the villagers out, indeed finding a lock which he slid into place. The sound of mechanical whirring behind the door alarmed him. 

Taking a quick peek out through a window revealed  a rather gnarly looking villager with a sack on top of his head, bloodied hands holding an old rusty chainsaw.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Leon muttered to  himself moving further into the house. The house had stairs. That was good leverage over the villagers. Running up the stairs Leon spotted an old shotgun mounted on the wall. 

“Now we're talking.”

Leon grabbed the shotgun and checked the chamber. Full. It’ll have to do. The villagers had barged down the front door at this point, scrambling over each other to get to him like children at some sick circus and he was the petting zoo. 

Leon waited for them to get close to one another as they tripped over each other at the base of the stairs, pulling out his grenade and tossing it into the hoard. Limbs went flying. Leon was flung back into the wall, coughing harshly, dust and smoke coating his lungs. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to do that inside. More villagers followed the first lot, the chainsaw villager following behind. 

Ears ringing and chest heaving, Leon tried to compose himself. The villagers were fast though and didn’t give him time. One of them lunged at him, grabbing him from behind and holding him open for  attacks. The Chainsaw Man menacingly took  his time coming up the stairs as Leon struggled against his captor. The chainsaw was raised high above his head just as Leon managed to manoeuvre one of his arms around the villager holding him, twisting and hurling him over his shoulder into the chainsaw. This gave Leon the time to dive through his second window of the day and out onto a roof.

Glass clung to his hair and jacket but he paid no mind. There were other pressing matters. Scrambling on top of the roof Leon pulled out his new shotgun. As villagers climbed out of the window after him he blew them to bits. The shotgun worked magic. Well, until Chainsaw Man came out.

Two shotgun shots to the head staggered him and Leon followed up with a kick resulting in a meaty crack. Chainsaw Man remained just fine, picking his chainsaw back up effortlessly. Cursing, Leon pointed the shotgun at him again but all  that came out of it was clicks.

Tucking the shotgun under his arm, Leon dropped to the ground below. Chainsaw Man, and whoever else, followed. Quickly, the remaining villagers took up the rear as Leon focused on the chainsaw, effectively blocking him in. Another villager grabbed him from behind, dragging him backwards. A woman with a pitchfork charged, heading straight for his chest, but then stopped.

The town bell sang. The villagers stopped, turning the attention away from Leon as if entranced. Arms removed themselves from around his shoulders. Leon stood there perplexed as they began to march dutifully toward the bell, dropping their weapons in the mud. One after the other, they disappeared into the town hall, the doors closed shut tightly behind them. Leon was left alone in the city centre, remnants of the bell echoing in his ears.

“Where’s everyone going? Bingo?”

——————————————————————————————————

Hope you guys enjoy this one! I’m really exited to see where i can take this story :)

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