#but then in others in seems like it'd make it MORE noticeable since the coat is SUPPOSED to go out a little bit but wouldn't if the-

[chaotic-history]

The thing they don't tell you about getting into history is that sometimes you'll end up googling 18thC coats specifically to see how noticeable a flat ass would be in them.

[uranometrias]

my love mine all mine , aaron hotchner

this is incredibly self indulgent. i wrote this for myself, because my cat passed away today && i have no idea how to grieve correctly. but i've always been able to express myself the best through writing, so here i am trying to do so.

basically reader loses her kitten && hotch is there to comfort her while she grieves. reader is a doctor && gets her nails painted. mentions of sleeping in a scarf and braids (but this can apply to any race <3) hotch is pretty flirty. he also had a dog that died when he was younger (idk) ... i'm still getting used to writing him (but he's been rotting my brain) so hotch girlies please be sweet to me, i'm trying.

"Have you decided what you want me to grab on the way?" You feel giddy, eyes beaming vibrantly as you unlock your front door. Aaron was on the other line, he'd been looking forward to spending the evening with you for the past two weeks. Your jobs often sent you in separate directions, with him following cases cross country, and you spending nearly twenty hours a day working at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus. The commute was nearly an hour from Quantico, which made it difficult for your schedules to coincide the way you hoped.

Today though was an exception. He'd just gotten back from a case, a successful one, and you'd been lucky enough to finally get two days off. You couldn't contain your excitement when you'd finally managed to get Aaron on the phone, and with Jack staying at Jessica's for another night, it seemed everything was working out in your favor. You still had no idea what you were in the mood to eat, despite having ample time to figure it out. "I dunno." you mutter, and you drop your keys into the basket just to the left of the front door.

"Well honey, you've gotta give me something." Aaron chuckles, and his voices makes you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. "I'm sure you haven't anything at all today." and it doesn't take a rocket science to know he's absolutely correct. Your stomach grumbles audibly, and you cringe, the sound a dead giveaway of your poor eating habits. "Do you need a bit more time to think about it?" he asks, and you're nodding your head, despite the fact that he can't see you. Your focus is split, eyes darting around your place in search of Piper.

Piper was your five year old tabby, the most special companion that you'd cared for since she was a newborn. Usually she'd be making her way to your front door, nudging her head against your shins, meowing her head off as some form of reprimand for being gone too long. Her absence was unusual, but you'd noticed she'd been sleeping a touch longer in the recent months. You'd taken her to the vet and they'd written off any life threatening illnesses. Perhaps she was jus becoming a lazy cat they had said.

"What'd you eat yesterday?" you ask, and you shrug off your coat next, hanging it in the closet as you slip off your cork-leather clogs. You admire your pedicure, French-tips gleaming back at you as your feet hit the cherry laminate flooring. You imagined that he'd hardly been able to eat well while out on a case, Aaron (and his team) had a horrible habit of neglecting their own health and wellness for the sake of cracking the case. You'd call him out on it, but it'd feel to hypocritical with the way you gave most of your life to the hospital.

"Four cups of coffee." and he sounds sheepish as he replies, he'd been running himself ragged with this last particular case. He couldn't leave the precinct until he was convinced he'd made a dent in the investigation. He could imagine your disappointed pout, but he was doing his best, or at least trying his best. "But, Dave made sure that I got something this morning before we got on the jet." and it's not like he has to explain himself to you, you'd never berate him. He believed it was just a side effect of falling for you.

"Four cups?" you gasp, head already shaking. "You're going to turn into a cup of coffee if you keep up with habits like those." you scold. "You'll have to double your water intake, you could seriously dehydrate yourself that way." you say with a quiet huff. You round the corner of the foyer, heading for the kitchen. "Are you feeling alright?" your tone grows a bit softer, "Four cups means you were really absorbed in the case. Everything okay?" you tread lightly. You weren't quite sure how he felt about you asking about his job.

"As far as endings go, I'd say it was better than most." he replies thoughtfully, clearly unfazed by your desire to probe. That makes you smile a bit, the obviousness of his trust for you. "We minimized the amount of deaths, the unsub was taken into custody... the team worked really hard." he proceeds, and you find yourself grinning. "But, I will do a better job of taking care of myself. You'd be a good nurse, but I can imagine a few better scenarios for you to take care of me."

You smile despite the fact it makes your heart stutter step. You were still getting used to him growing more confident in this way, but you weren't complaining in the slightest. "I'd be a great nurse." you correct him delicately, "I'd enjoy taking care of you in any way though." and you bet he can hear your shyness through the phone. Your relationship with Aaron still felt fairly new, you'd been seeing one another for going on seven months, but you knew you loved him.

Even if you hadn't managed to say it just yet.

"Look at that, another thing we have in common." he exhales, and you want him to hurry up and get to you. You hadn't seen him in so long, and despite the fact you were willing to mount him on sight, you just wanted to enjoy being in the same place for once. "How are you? Did you have a good day?" and you like the way he's so attentive, how he seems to genuinely care about what you had to say.

"It was great." you insist, and you've poured yourself a glass of water, ice tinkling as you scanned the dining room for any sign of Piper. Still nothing, weird. "I went to the bookstore a bit earlier, got a few novels for my book shelf." you list. "I got my nails done, and I got a facial. It was so relaxing I wound up falling asleep on the table." and you chuckle a bit at the memory. "Piper and I went on a drive before lunch, she's so spoiled." you add, but you're still scouring the space.

"Drafted up my budget for the month, my new schedule came in," you exhale tiredly at the thought. "Picked up my scrubs from the dry cleaners, I did a grocery run, and went to see the flower exhibit near the Farmer's Market. I got this really incredible soft-pretzel croissant." you sigh dreamily at the memory. "And now I'm home, and waiting for you." you complete, and you lean forward, arms resting against the countertop. "It was a really nice day. I thought I wouldn't know what to do without work, but I'd nearly forgotten what it feels like to be off."

Aaron's silent, but not because he's disinterested in your ramblings. He finds them endearing, and oftentimes had to remind himself that you, much like Jack, needed verbal response in order to feel heard. "I missed you." and it's not quite what he was aiming to say, but it's what comes out. It's true, it had been a while since he'd seen you in person, and with the way your schedules overlapped, he'd hardly been able to get much conversation out of you apart from quick check-ins in between patients and breaks in BAU cases.

You let out a quiet puff of air, it's not quite a sigh nor an exhale. Your lips curve upwards, and you wonder if there's a record out there for most smiles achieved in a single phone call. "You've got no idea how happy that makes me." you reply, and you inhale deep. "I missed you too, hurry up and get over here." you press, and you replay the sound of his responding laugh over in your mind. You don't think you could be more lovesick, but it's a more than welcomed feeling. "As far as dinner, why don't I just cook something?" you offer with a shrug.

"Do you want to?" and Aaron's got this weird thing about him where he's still getting used to the fact that you want to do certain things for him. You go over it a lot, reminding him that you'd love nothing more than to spoil him as much as he spoils you. He's still a bit hesitant, but you don't mind fighting the good fight until he relented. His hands tighten just slightly on the steering wheel, and his leg jumps as he awaits your response. He knows, or better put, he has an idea of what you'll say. He still wants to hear it either way.

"We take care of each other, mon amour." You coo, and he feels that familiar rush of affection towards you. "It'll be fun." you add, and then you're sighing audibly. "I just really can't wait to see you. I don't want to wait any longer than I need to." you express, and Aaron understands. He'd been restless on the jet, Dave and Emily seemed to zero in on his jitters, he was thankful they had enough couth to keep it to themselves. All he received was a knowing smirk from Rossi as he made a beeline for the tarmac the second the jet landed.

"I'll be there soon." he promises, and you grow giddier. "I-" and he wants to cross the line, mutter three worded phrase that would change everything. He'd been learning to be more bold, to focus on the things he could control, and appreciate those things. "I love you." he doesn't have time to think about the repercussions, because it's out, and there's a strong sense of relief that washes over him. You are surprised, but elated. The excitement his words bring you is hard to diminish.

"I love you too." and it comes out as easy as breathing. Probably because you mean it with all of your heart. "I'll see you soon, Mr. Hotchner." you promise, and he's chuckling at your sudden formality, likely a side effect of your newfound nerves at the huge step you'd both taken in your relationship.

"See you soon." you don't bring the phone from your ear until you hear the faint click of the call ending. You exhale shakily, mind running at a mile a minute as your heart seems to double in size. Still, you find this moment is short lived- mind once again on the eerie silence in your apartment. You place your glass down on the counter, coaster be damned as you make your way past the dining room and towards the living room. Sometimes you'd find Piper curled up on the couch, quiet purrs escaping her as she slept contently.

"Piper!" you coo, surprised when you note that she's nowhere to be found. You know that she wasn't outside, you'd made sure before leaving back out that she was comfortable in the house. You follow the layout of your place, the archway that led from the living room back to the foyer is the route you take, heading towards your bedroom as you continuously call for the cat. "Piper, where are you, pretty girl?" you enter your room, hopeful that you'll find her there.

You spot her little paw peeking out of her hideaway and instantly relax. "Oh Piper, you scared me." you let out a shaky sort of giggle as you fully enter your bedroom, feet brushing over the comforting carpet. You kneel just in front of the hideaway, reaching out to pet her. It takes you a few moments to make peace with the fact that she's not rousing. You swallow thickly, a lump growing in your throat as you wiggle her paw. She doesn't move, just as limp as before.

"Piper?" you feel the way your throat constricts, eyes immediately wanting to brim with tears, as you grow frantic. "Oh, please no-" you exclaim, head shaking as you feel a shudder rack through you. You're gentle as you maneuver around the hideaway, hands looping around her small body as you move to pull her out. She's limp, not even the act of you lifting her up enough to make her move. Your glow feels like it's diminished almost instantly, a dark cloud setting in over your head. It seemed a bit silly, panicked over the loss of a cat.

But she was yours, like a daughter to you in the way you cared for her, and made her apart of your routine. She was special, and despite the reputation cats gained for being standoffish and unable to understand human love, you knew that to be wrong. Piper was sweet, a loving cat that curled up beside you every night and followed you like a second shadow. She'd play games of tag with you, chasing you around your apartment as you squealed and screamed for your life.

"Please, please, no-" you're shedding real tears now, they're slipping down your cheeks in a constant succession. "Piper, please wake up!" it's silly, probably. Rocking back and forth with a dead cat in your hand hoping that sheer adoration will be enough to turn back the hands of time. It's certainly not, and the reality crushes you. The first sob is choked, almost like you're holding yourself back, not letting your feelings take full affect. You hadn't prepared yourself at all.

You didn't know what to do.

You think that's when the first swell of sobs begins. They're more ugly wails than anything else, the loud sound echoing through the space in front of you as your arms lower, Piper's body leaning against you as you continued to let your tears flow freely. Your chest tightens, constricting every couple of seconds like you'd suddenly developed chronic heartburn. The pain is a violent assassin, the air around you feeling tight. You think you may be choking on all that you're feeling.

You hate the part of your brain that was constantly in 'Doctor Mode', the side that reminded you that despite your grief, handling a deceased animal like this was a surefire way to get sick. Her body wouldn't start to decompose for at least another day, but you had no real way of knowing just how long she'd actually been dead. You don't move though, until at least your sobs have waned, you know it's not the end of them, but it's a reprieve just for a moment.

You slowly climb to your feet, still clutching Piper as your eyes whip around your bedroom. Your eyes land on her carrier, and the image makes you want to cry all over again. You shut your eyes, allowing yourself to take in a deep breath. It doesn't help. Still, your feet lead you over to the carrier, where you're gently placing Piper. Her vet was only eight minutes up the street, and maybe your ability to dispose of her so quickly was precisely why this was happening to you.

Guilt was loud, too loud. It almost knocked you to your knees as you imagined Piper's fear whilst you were gone. Was she sick? How long had she been? Why hadn't you noticed? Why did you leave her alone? Why weren't you there? You let her down. You had let her down.

You want to curl into a ball, hide under the blankets and cry until you passed out. But, she deserved better. She deserved to not be lugged around like she was some prop, she needed a proper place to rest. Once her carrier is zipped up, you're picking it up by the handles, using your other hand to swipe at the tears still trying to fall. You take the route you'd walked not ten minutes prior, slipping your shoes back on, and grabbing hold of your keys. Aaron still had another forty minutes or so in his drive, you hoped it went by quickly.

You don't think you ever needed him more than now.

────────────────────────

The sobs returned the second you'd walked past the threshold of your house. You sluggishly made your way back to your bedroom. It felt much lonelier now, the house feeling much too big for just you. You think that makes you cry even harder. You're covering your mouth with your hand, hoping that it would be enough to mask the sound of your bawling. You doubt that it does, but you can't do much else. You don't want to go to sleep, you don't want to do anything.

You begin berating your behavior once more in your head, replaying all the ways you'd been a shitty caretaker even though you know it's a bad idea. Your leg shakes under your comforter, the blanket squished underneath your body as you hid your face beneath the blazing heat of your huge blanket. You don't even realize how long you've spent in this space of self-loathing and bitter tears, until you hear the front door's lock shifting out of place. Aaron was here.

"Y/N, sweetheart?" and you want to run to him more than anything. You can't though, because you don't want him to think you're a failure. So you stay put, and you cry a bit more, sniffles growing more audible as you're forced to choke back angry sobs. It doesn't take long for him to make his way towards where you are, and you don't know what he'll say when he finds you looking a mess. You know your mascara has given you racoon eyes, and in your grief, you'd failed to tie a scarf around your head. Your braids would look messy soon.

"Y/N?" and his voice is so soft, soothing, everything you don't deserve now. Your hand clutches a fistful of your shirt, right where your heart rests. "Are you in here, honey?" and you sniffle, an answer all on its own. You barely hear his footsteps, but you feel it when the bed dips just slightly, and you feel it when he gently pulls at your blanket. When he's pulled it back, he's met with the sight of your tear-streaked cheeks. Your nose was runny and raw, and your lip was quivering. It didn't take a profiler to know that you'd been crying, and he frowns.

"Are you alright?" he questions, and his hand reaches out to brush against your cheek and neck, almost like he was checking your temperature. "You've been crying?" and he examines you subtly for any signs of assault or struggle. "Did something happen?" and he knows he keeps asking questions, but he's getting worried.

"P-" and a sob racks through you, your entire body curling in on itself. Your hand is pressing against your mouth again, and your shoulders shake as you began to cry once more. "Piper she-" and your head shakes, hand clenching and unclenching against your shirt. Aaron's eyes dance around your room, and his eyebrows push inwards. He was worried, but determined to be extremely delicate with you, namely by being patient as you got out what you needed to tell him. "Piper's dead." you finally say, shoulders sagging as you weep.

Aaron's examining your face, which gives you a front row seat of the way his face is eclipsed with compassion. "Oh, honey..." his lips pull downwards into a frown, and you know, of course you know it's awkward. What do you realistically say to a person that loses their cat? It's not like any amount of conversation would bring her back. "I'm so sorry...." and usually it sounds empty when anyone offers condolences, but like with most things, Aaron is an exception. "Are you okay? Can you tell me what happened?" he pleads.

And you know that he knows that you're not okay. It's meant to be a stupid question, the obvious one. But you also know that he's giving you the chance to vent, to articulate everything you feel with no judgement. It makes you want to curl into him, and stay wrapped up in his arms until neither of you had any idea where one ended and the other began. "I just-" you have to take a moment to gather yourself, hiccupping blubbers escaping you. "I came home, and I-" your voice cracks harshly. "She was just gone. I don't-" you shake your head.

"I don't know what happened." you express, and Aaron's sympathetic, and he hates seeing you like this. Every time you cry it makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand upright. He supposed that came with loving you, an innate desire to protect you, and keep the bad things out. He'd only ever seen you in this state a handful of times, mostly when things went wrong at the hospital and you lost a patient. He had to get to you before you started blaming yourself for something that completely out of your control.

He didn't know much, but he did know your love for Piper, and how deep it ran. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that you'd never do something to put her in harm's way, you'd never do anything to hurt her. And he wants to pull you into his arms and tell you everything will be alright, he wants to be there to anchor you down. To ground you in the midst of all these swimming and overwhelming emotions trying to fight for the upper hand. He wanted to be there for you.

"Is there anything that you need from me?" he asks gently, grief was harsh, it came in ripples and waves. It was gut-punching, it could be loud and then silent. Sneaky and then outright. It was a process, and whether anyone else thought so, if you needed to grieve the life of your pet, you should. Who was he to ever get in the way? He's gently rubbing his thumb over your cheek, your tears splattering as you kept the duvet pulled up to your chin, as you stared him down. He figured you must have been deep in thought.

It takes a moment for you to reply, and he's fine with the silence. You're tears haven't stopped, but they've grown more quiet. Silent tears that pool and trickle down his wrist and onto the blanket. You soon take in a shaky puff of air as you sit up. Aaron's patient as ever, watching as you pull your legs from underneath the blanket, crawling until you were sitting on his lap. There's no sexual undertone to your movements, you don't want to fool around, you just want to be close.

Your head rests against him, eyes closing as his arms envelop you. "Can you just stay with me?" you ask, and he's already nodding his head. You both knew it was an impossible request. At any moment you could get paged, or he could get a call about a new case. The world didn't stop all because you were grieving, but for one second you both could pretend. He could stay right here with you, and you could love him, and not feel so overwhelmed by all your sadness.

"I'm not going anywhere." he mutters, and he's reaching for your hand. His easily dwarfs your own, but it's still just as comfortable, letting your palms press against his own. "I have never lost a cat before-" and he's treading lightly, wanting more than anything to help you and not harm you. "But I did lose a pet when I was younger." he expresses, and your interest is peaked, just slightly.

"What type of pet?" you ask faintly, and you're squeezing his hand in your own. He knows that it's comforting you so he says nothing about the tight pinch of his fingers pressing together.

"He was a golden retriever actually." Aaron replies, "Nothing was particularly wrong with him. He was fed well, taken care of, treated like one of the family..." he proceeds, and you involuntarily hold your breath as you listen. "But one day he just... he just went." Hotch proceeds, "And when you're a little kid that's not in the best environment, a staple like a pet dog is important. Losing him was like losing the only bit of sanity I could cling to. Does that make sense?"

Your head nods, and you squeeze his hand again to show him you care. "And surprisingly enough, I found myself crying over it. Mourning this dog, an animal that was part of the family, but of course, was not my family member." he continues, and his chin rests on the top of your head. "The point is, him being a dog didn't make it hurt any less when he left. It's okay to be upset about Piper, she was important to you, special even." he whispers. "And you did a great job giving her all the love you possibly could." his eyes close then.

"I need you to know that it wasn't your fault. And keeping yourself up with thoughts of 'what ifs'." it's his turn to squeeze your hand this time. "And those moments where you... didn't want to play, or wanted to be left alone are not what she remembered when she passed on." he insists, and he won't take any arguments on the matter. "You gave her five amazing years, and whether science backs it up or not, she knew how much you loved her." he insists. "You might not believe it today, but I hope that you do in time." and he kisses your forehead.

It's butterfly inducing, and makes you cling all the more to him. "You're not by yourself." he adds, and you're glad to know it. You peel back, eyes locking with his, and they're glassy. You hate seeing such a grief-stricken look on his face, at your sake no less. It makes you lean forward and kiss him, in the hopes you'd manage to kiss it away. He kisses back instantly, and you're still sad, you probably will be for a long while, but you don't feel as lonely as you did an hour ago.

"I love you." you mumble the second you've pulled back, and this time there's no phone. His eyes are swirling with so many thoughts and feelings of his own, but you need him to know you mean it, and likely always will. You couldn't imagine anyone else being here with you like this now, nobody else that would care enough to grieve with you. He gives you a half smile, and kisses you once more, a much deeper kiss that makes you lightheaded and dizzy. Of course he had that effect.

"I love you too." and you're happy that he hasn't left you hanging. Your fingers trace his collarbones and cheeks, moving to cup his face with your right hand. You kiss him again, this time just long enough to get the message across. When you pull back, your head is finding it's place back on his chest, and his arms move up and down, rubbing gentle circles against your back, as he cranes his neck to kiss your head. It makes your stomach flutter, but it makes you want to cry too.

He leaves three gentle pecks on the top of your head, moving to kiss your cheek, before he's looping his arms around your waist with a palpable amount of admiration. He plants a sweet kiss on your shoulder, and mimic this action by offering him a kiss of your own. "Thank you." you exhale, and you mean it so wholeheartedly.

"You don't need to thank me, Y/N. We take care of each other, mon amour, remember?" and he recites your earlier words back to you. It makes you cling to him much tighter, tears returning to your lashline as Aaron pulls you even closer to him. "If you need to cry a little bit more, go right ahead. I'm right here." so you do.

Grief was a lot, it could be paralyzing, debilitating, and outright traumatic, but you knew even if it didn't feel that way now, in time you'd be okay. Part of you felt like you had Aaron to thank for that.

[rosedere]

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓡𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓔𝔂𝓮

(Professor! Riddle Rosehearts x Student! Reader)

CW: Power abuse, Older man/Younger Girl Relationship, Drxxxing

I.

You have a secret. A secret that could be exciting to some and was even exciting for you when you mused about it.

You were in a relationship with Dr. Riddle Rosehearts

Head of the Veterinary Science Department.

Recalling anything from when the arrangement began would be difficult. It started naturally since you were just as fond of all animals as he was, the interest in you snowballed into you both hanging out away from the lab and sterile environment you'd see each other in every day.

He invited you over to his country home of sprawling green fields and some hay and cow pastures since you two were on pretty friendly terms. The reason for the spontaneous visit from the university to his whimsical home was so you could practice conducting checkups on young mares since you had complained that there wasnt much you could learn from looking at the images in a Textbook.

You were excited since you'd only practiced on the small animals the department took care of it'd be the first time you ever observed animals from outside of the textbook.

Everything seemed to have been going fine.

Leading you to the back of his vast… Well, a yard of sorts since there wasn't a house or fence for a while he led you to the horse stables introducing you to his three polite and healthy horses.

Midnight,Vorpal, and finally Rose

You bent over to pet the lying down mare who was taking a liking to your gentle strokes on her muzzle. 

Unbeknownst to you your professor standing behind watching you silently interact with his prized horses. The short jean skirt you wear under your practitioner jacket riding up revealing your biker shorts beneath. Unaware of the signals you were giving the mostly tenderhearted Dr. Rosehearts. you felt his mature, but smaller than usual sized hand begin to wander behind to the hem of your skirt under your lab coat.

Startled you only looked up with question at your Professor, your hand still perched on Rose’s muzzle.

And when you looked into his eyes, something flickered inside of you, like it connected the both of you together in that moment.

rising to your feet you only contemplated, staring still with a slight confusion about what this feeling exactly was.

It was then with pleading eyes he suddenly was now leading you inside his house up the stairs past the very vintage— but Farmhouse kitsch interior to An immaculate master bathroom that screamed of old money all around you before he abruptly sprawled you out on the rose-scented sheets. You both began to undress each other; Being smoldered with lustful kisses all along your tense body, his eyes filled with desire as he whispered sweet nothings into your skin.

That was the evening you lost your virginity in the rustic master bedroom of your professor's queen-sized bed with the sun setting in the distance outside the two-story window. The technicolor sunset was all projected into the room as you tried your best to catch your breath; your professor beside you Riddle gently stroking your hair as he tucked you against his chest.

It was the beginning of a secret relationship.

You honestly enjoyed it. 

Deepening the friendship the both of you shared he began to pay more attention to you in class. Asking you if you needed assistance with your assignments or if an animal was being stubborn he’d help you keep them subdued enough to complete the lab assignment for the day.

Your grades were never under 100 marks as he'd hand your reports with a small peck to your cheek.

Or how he noticed you were hungry because of most of your funds going to Books or pointless fees for your course. Almost like a caring angel He would arrive at your apartment different snacks you had told him you loved to eat in passing along with packing you meals he’d tried to make himself to feed yourself for the few days you both wouldnt see each other.

You'd accept the warm meals despite them tasting weird you weren't going to hurt him since you could tell he had made them with you in mind.The look in his eyes he'd have the minute you'd walk into class; full of radiance and warmth swirling in them as he’d quickly approached you to wish you a good morning with a secret kiss behind the various curtains around the Examination stables away from prying eyes.

It was the first time someone was attracted to you which is what made you fall even harder for him. It might seem like your secret was being in this taboo or strange relationship with your professor.

But it wasn't.

You started your relationship when you were 18; now 22 about to finish your veterinarian degree was when you tire of him.

The feelings you were beginning to feel was something that couldn’t be told to him; still receiving flowers for your birthday every year and eventually being as bold as to walk hand in hand with you in the city together.

It was one evening when he picked you up after class for dinner as usual; Riddle and you were preparing dinner together as per usual; Riddle was cutting the ingredients grown from the planter box by the window outside while you were stirring the now softening noodles in the ceramic clay brown pot on the vintage gas stovetop for your main entree for dinner.

“(Name) my beautiful dearest?” 

Involuntary clenching your jaw You hummed in acknowledgement as you stirred the noodles creating a tiny greasy whirlpool in the pot.

“It's been five years since we've been together”

You felt a tinge of nerves shoot up your spine.

“And I know you're graduating next month”  he continued while he shakily cut the last few herbs in his hand.

Hesitating you turned to see the faint blush forming on his face.

He paused for a moment as he began to clean the knife he had in his hands. Setting the knife down he reached behind him in a tall cabinet in a smaller drawer.

Your worst fear confirmed when the small velvet box was revealed.

”I saved up my last five paychecks to buy this one” he dreamily sighed. “I want you to be my wife (name)” Riddle nervously blurted barely getting the words out of his mouth, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

You were in utter shock.

Turning back to the steaming meal you didn't have to look at Riddle to know he was probably standing still in front of the cutting board on top of the wooden kitchen island. His facial features were tense but his mouth was in a small smile confessing his feelings for you.

“Your my sunshine (name) if I lose you next Month it'll be like if the land lost its light”

I won't know how to live.

Grabbing your frozen hands over the simmering pot and ladle holding it to his cheeks warm pliable cheek.

“I've already told my mother about you and sent her your pictures” he bashfully spoke as he ran your hands in his.

“For once she approves of one of my love interests, which means we are meant to be” he once again nervously smiled.

You only stayed silent for the longest going back to making dinner.

It was a good thing Riddle was preoccupied in his ramblings about the future, something about opening his own clinic in the small town he lived in together and maybe making the empty nest that was his home into a more lively abode.

You just wanted to leave.

You didn't want to be married and tied down with kids; you wanted to pursue your career. 

Especially at your age.

What you thought you could salvage from the situationship you found yourself in now seemed impossible.

You realized he had to go.

It seemed like it couldn't be as hard to end a relationship with someone as it was to enter it. You were sure He was only enjoying the sex you gave him every time you came over.

So that was where you began trying to dismantle the relationship first; declining any advances simply using excuses consisting of not being able to due to your period or being too tired from earlier in the day. He'd only reassure you it was alright with a soft smile as he cuddled beside you in bed intertwining his legs with your own under the bed sheets.

After three weeks of this, he wouldn't leave only talking more about this imaginary wedding he was planning asking you your thoughts on what kind of honeymoon you'd prefer. Your next plan involved you trying to turn down his invites to come to his home, being busy with other classes since you still had to finish your thesis and exams for other classes in your major before you graduated.

He began to waver, asking if he had done something to offend you his smile still soft on his face.

You never answered; only insisting you'll see him before graduation.

Walking away you didn't want to see the heartbroken stare of your professor. It seemed to work for a little while giving you time to stall.

But on the third week before your graduation while you were out in town shopping for the perfect white dress and heels to wear across the stage downtown you got an email from your advisor.

Check your grades and this instant; if the alarming reports I have received are true then I'm afraid you might not be able to walk down the stage at this spring graduation or ever

Going into your phone and logging in you felt the rush of bile begin to form in the back of your mouth.

“Failing due to unprofessional conduct including; plagiarism, unfriendly conduct towards students and staff, possibly stealing drugs and assorted medications from internship”

All under Dr. Rosehearts class notes and comments.

you instantly left the boutique, rushing to the nearest bus stop: the destination was Dr. Rosehearts Office.

II.

Riddle Rosehearts office was empty, but you knew he was nearby. He dared to write all those lies about you an hour ago. Letting yourself into the opened office you saw his almost barren office besides a rose-shaped lamp in the corner of the hardwood desk and a green swivel armchair.

His plaid messenger bag was hanging on the nearby coathanger next to his desk,  other than those few items it seemed empty of any personality.

With vigor, you sat in front of the desk ploping abruptly into the hard oval chair. As soon as you plopped into the chair you were fuming as you tucked your phone under your arms.

At first glance, you only saw the mountain of papers and a few magazines strewn about. But sitting against the keyboard was a small white phone.

He must be coming back soon if he left this you thought to yourself.

“Name”

Feeling his cold shaking hands on your bare shoulders before the door shutting was heard behind your seated self.

“Did you finally decide I was good enough to be seen with now” he spat.

His hand pressed deep into your shoulder feeling his forearm shake violently threatening to break your shoulder blade with the uncomfortable hold he had on you.

“Get off of me” You pried his hands off of you as you stood up to tower over him. But before you were able to get another word in he suddenly struck you; hard.

It was a sharp dull pain now spreading around your lower stomach.

Wheezing from the impact of his closed red cardigan fist you kneeled below him collapsing on top of his brown leather loafers.

Riddle awkwardly squatted beside you as you writhed in pain sprawled out on the hard shabby carpet below.

“Now, I'm going to give you two options (name)” he cooed as he began to run his hands on the back of your exposed shoulder blades.

“I either give you this horse tranquilizer and we begin our new life together” 

The cold metallic tube you handled so many times during your examinations for your fieldwork was unmistakable as you felt it brand itself to you. A threat.

“or you indulge me with an apology” He then got close to your ear feeling it tingle as he breathed in.

“And I'll allow you to graduate” After a few more splutters trying to reclaim the breath he had knocked out of your body, you rolled to your side to look up at Professor Rosehearts tight frown.

“I-I'm sorry Professor Rosehearts” you murmured while you began to try to sit up. Another kick collided with your side as you grabbed your sweetheart sweater. “Please calm down dear—”  you cried out as you tried to sit back up once again.

He only grabbed the top of your sweater; the hand holding the syringe in his other hand squirting the liquid up from the tip. Your eyes grew wide, shaking now while he held you up like some dog under examination.

Now, what you did next you still mentally scold yourself for. You could have just let him inject you and just found out if you would awaken from the large dosage.

But the words slipped out of your terrified dry lips.

Riddle, the baby—

His eyes dilated and his breath grew ragged as the red on his angered face disappeared. Your mouth was agape as his grip was about to waver.

his other hand trailing your sweater. Gulping a large lump in the back of your throat you watched him touch under the tender part of your abdomen, clothed by your thick sweater.

“I-I was going to surprise you after my graduation” you blurted, “but I guess you had to ruin the surprise” you screeched at him.

The thunk of the syringe falling on the floor confirmed to you all that you needed. His arms immediately embraced you, his cheek connecting to the side of your neck.

A soft sniffle, and then the feeling of salty warm tears trickled down your shoulder, catching in your cashmere sweater.

Stiff, you didn't know what to say.But the danger was gone now. At least he stopped. “I'm so sorry (name)” he whispered, Looking up at you with hazy steel orbs, tears still freefalling onto the ground. 

His hand now reached to caress your face so you both would be staring back at each other. A small smile started to form as he searched inside your own eyes. “I apologize for what I just did to you my love” he stuttered as he rasped his words, “You were hiding from me and I thought I was about to lose the only Rose that grew in my garden”.

He held you there for what felt like forever.

You only nervously looked down at your feet.

But if this would spare your life and get him to let you graduate what would be the issue?

-

III.

You had gotten reinstated to walk the stage. Receiving your degree in the rustic green mailbox in the hill country where you resided.

For now. Riddle was idly upstairs painting the nursery for your baby. You just politely declined saying you were too tired to go upstairs and help.

Not like he even cared, he was on a cloud of delusion.

Today was the day you will finally come clean.

The piece of paper you patiently waited to be mailed was here.

No more wearing the gaudy maternity dresses he picked (his mother helped pick out together with him), having to pretend to be more tired and sick. Although he was more pushy about the wedding since you decided to push it a few months after your graduation ceremony that he crashed despite your insistence you didnt need him to be there. You shudder at the thought of having to explain to your family who the man who wore a velvet red tuxedo beside you was.

Dismissing him as a close friend you made in the veterinary science department you kept your distance from him.

Slamming shut the mailbox door you decided to stop stalling your chance at freedom. Walking up the gravel path up the driveway you had the mail gathered in your left hand.

Your right hand sitting on top of your “bump” as you walked up to the familiar property. A small plastic syringe of horse tranquilizer in your right frilly pink and jade apron you had around your waist.

knocking on the screendoor you let yourself inside.Wiping your feet on the mst he had gotten when you suggested a welcome mat at the farm supply store, you continued your trek inside.

“Riddle?”

you stood in the entranceway. But you didn't hear his record player spinning upstairs like it was before you left him to go outside.

Calling out loudly once more making sure he was still present in the house.

“My Strawberry tart I'm back with the mail” 

but silence. You slipped your house slippers off near the grand wooden entry table before you continued into the kitsch hallway. Your ears perked when you heard a sound coming from the kitchen.

“Riddle?” 

Holding the mail and your certificate closer to yourself you cautiously walked up to the open space.

your foot crossed the threshold of the kitchen before you felt yourself pulled back.

You thrashed as you felt his much stronger arm wrap around your neck. In a headlock, you only flailed around before you remembered your apron. The mail is scattered on the floor below your feet.

Your hand grabs the syringe in one fluid motion. You stabbed his long exposed arm in front of your neck. Plunging it deep you heard an angry grunt as you pushed down on the syringe. Watching the clear viscous liquid enter his veins you knew the struggle should be over.

Pulling the needle out of him you waited to feel the muscles relax before he inevitably fell back onto the lacquered floor.

But he never did.

A dark chuckle bubbled from his throat.

You didn't have to turn to see the malice his face was probably coated in.

“I count all of my medicines every Tuesday (name)” he rustled something in his back pocket behind you. “Color me surprised when I looked last Tuesday and saw my horse tranquilizer missing” 

A wet stream of something fell into your exposed arm.

“I wanted to believe it wasn't true so I checked your Diary drawer” 

He then constricted his arm around your neck, now being strangled you could only gasp and sputter. The pain from no air entering was hurting you.

“You lied to me” The sickening tap against your skin he made before he squirted some of the liquid out of the larger syringe in his possession on you.

“So I did a little lying myself; Saline is also the same consistency as Xyaline” he chuckled to himself.

“I'd rather be dead than let you leave my garden” 

And with those words.

The dull thud into your neck. The liquid was now inserted into your bloodstream; the sickening sound of it entering your head was now all you heard. He finally let go of the back of your neck too. Catching you as your heavy body limply laid in his arms.

It felt like you were made of lead as you tried to pick your head up to no result.

It happened so fast.

Your eyes fluttered shut slowly.

Riddle waited a little while, truly examining your tired face. Brushing a few scattered hairs covering your face he pushed them back to frame the side of your sleeping face.

Yes.

Just sleeping.

Humming he held you close to his beating heart.

“I love you my Rose Pudding” he smiled. Patting the top of your head he let his other finger trail over the floral blue and yellow milkmaid dress you were wearing. Riddle was going to make your small lie a reality. You did owe him after all; this would merely make your relationship stronger. Unwrapping the lacy ribbon in the front or the dress he was already eager to begin right here in the kitchen. But ignoring his urges he lifted your dainty body now heavy with a dreamless sleep. Going up the wooden stairs he built himself he could only imagine how special it would be when he took you up these stairs after the wedding.

Your modest dress His mother will help you pick out draping down the banisters as you hold onto his neck; you giggle remarking about how he smells like a fragrant rose. He would look down at you like right now and plant many dozen kisses that night onto your tempting lips.

Reaching the landing he wouldn't bother to close the door to the bedroom. Only laying you sprawled out under the flannel cotton sheets.

Just like the first time…Temping him to let you consummate your marriage. He smiled to himself as he kneeled on top of your heavenly body.

Riddle kissed the top of your forehead.

“I love you (name)” Silence was all that he was met with. His hand finds your silky locks once more.

“I hope our baby has your beauty (name)”

-

[angstigone]

WARNINGS: idiots-to-lovers, afab character - she/her pronouns, cliffhanger ending.

although you should have paid much more attention to your office crush, your mind had all been focused on aki to your right, who looked painfully irritated, enough that you weren't startled when he excused himself for a smoke break.

you were more startled when he excused you as well with him.

"you do remember I don't smoke?" you had whispered promptly as you got up from the floor, smiling at your office crush with a forcefulness that made your jaw click awkwardly.

it had been going that well as you had been glad to have put right in front of your office crush and hence it had felt naturally to start catching up and chatting about events.

well, he did a whole lot more of chatting than you and you were sure that he had cut you through a few times, but you were talking after long months of pining away at your desk in the hopes he'd notice you.

"I know" aki had replied sombrly, holding the door open for you to exit the busy izakaya and move outside in the chilly air of the beginning of autumn; the past few days had been pretty cold and you cursed yourself for having changed in a dress at the knowledge that it'd be your - one and only - chance to catch the eye of your office crush "... I just... well, I had to talk with you".

«couldn't it wait tomorrow?» you asked as you adjusted the coat around your shoulders to further shield yourself from the cold, standing the closest to the heat of the inside «... the conversation was going so well and it was... oh gods, it was flowing!».

«are you sure?».

aki's tense comment got you immediately self-doubting as you tried to recall the exact last words you had spoken to your office crush, immediately senidng you panicking before he added, while putting the cigarette between his lips.

«... because from what I could see he was the sole one talking. that isn't a conversation in my book».

you startled, definitely taken aback and after a first moment of confusion you couldn't help but be the irritated one: had aki just pulled you aside to... chastise you?

«well, I mean... he's... it's good, still, though?».

your experience with relationship was lacking as a former unpopular student; maybe that was also why you struggled so much to make the first move and had been basically snowballed by that trainwreck of a crush.

«... I don't mind it».

«you should».

since when had aki started giving out relationship advice? you did know he hadn't a girlfriend and neither he had had one for the time in which you had known each other, so what was he going to judge you on? w

hat were his grounds and what were his credentials?

professional party-pooper?

«... I don't... he doesn't seem like a nice guy».

«don't you know that girls usually go for bad boys?» you humored him, clearly wishing for this conversation to unfold in another whole way; the tone felt so heavy that you could cut the tension with a knife and wondered what got aki to act so somberly «... either way, I do apprecciate the concern, aki, but believe me...».

«is that... is that who'd you like be with?» although from anybody else it'd have sounded judging and ominous, strangely aki - and his blue eyes - had the ability to make it sound painfully serious, and more concerned than patronizing.

still, you couldn't help but feel slightly burned by the comment, moving further into the entrance of the place while aki exhaled promptly smoke from his mouth.

with his eyes set up onto you, it was impossible not to look at him: he looked handsome, damningly so and hadn't you been painfully aware that aki didn't do relationships, your work crush would have probably been him: pretty loose hair framing a delicate face with pretty features and a body that you knew was honed by training.

a forbidden fantasy that got you blushing.

«ahem... he is funny, and he...» you struggled sudenly to find adjectives to describe your office crush: you certainly thought him handsome but he paled if compared to aki.

he was funny, indeed, but in a way that got you to feel a bit annoyed at times as he recounted stories time over time that made nobody laugh.

he was... respectful you thought, but he had given you the bare minimum and he had indeed over time talked above you.

«... well, there isn't such a huge choice in the office».

and neither in the world outside, you had to admit: dating apps didn't work nor speed dating events or such. or better, they didn't work for anybody but you; was something wrong with you? probably but you were desperate.

and you were just about ready to throw yourself at a 'decent' man, a casual find instead of a perfect match.

«... well, you don't have to settle for him».

and maybe it was the fact that aki saw right through you that you felt yourself grow angry when you knew he was right all along; he had no right to be like that, no right to call you out at all for trying to form a relationship when he had backed off from them all too well.

maybe, if he hadn't been so emotionally unavailable...

no, that was a dangerous ecanrio that you didn't want to go down on; you knew of some subtle and unspoken feelings you had for aki, but they were to be kept smashed down and ignored, because otherwise you'd have ruined a good friendship.

«and you don't have to tell me what to do» you shot back, cringing at the harsh way in which you sounded; aki might have been sticking his nose where he shouldn't have but this didn't give you the right to berate him for something that was within you only «... I like him. maybe he isn't perfect, but I like him and I want to start a relationship with him so that's enough».

you had hoped that aki would banter again - if anything to show he cared -, but instead after a moment of confusion he simply smoked the last of his cig, nodding slowlu as he dropped his head to have his hair fall onto his face.

«yeah, I... heard you loud and clear» he spoke slowly, smushing his cig underneath his sole, promptly cruushing it in a quiet fashion that had you wondering whether he had heard you "loud and clear" as he had said «... it's cold, I... it's better if we go inside, alright?».

you nodded, a bit uneasy after this conversation - definitely unsettled at how attentive to you aki had been - but moved inside slowly, somehow not comforted in the slightest when your office crush waved you over, as you took back your place in front of him, catching with your side-eye aki settling onto your opposite sides but quickly collecting his coat and wallet.

"already going, aki?" himeno muttered, with her usual slurred speech while a poor arrai barely escaped her grasp "... you truly are no fucking fun!".

"think I have had enough for the night" aki replied gently, before putting an hand onto your shoulder strangely comforting and far warmer than the whole room "... have a good evening".

and like that he was off, as your eyes stayed linked on his back till it disappeared, brought back when your crush snapped his fingers in your face to regain your attention before starting to talk again; much to your horror, you found out that without rose-tinted heart shaped glasses, aki was right: he was an idiot.

his rambles weren't cute nor interesting and although you tried to fake a smile through them, by the time that everybody moved away from the bar, you were exhausted and socially drained.

"would you like to... have a coffee at my place? to end the night?" you were startled when your office crush asked you to stay, while you wrapped a scarf tightly around himeno's neck, least she got cold while obviously passed out.

had he asked you such a thing an hour before, you'd have been throughly happy, but somehow you couldn't help but overanalyze every small detail, like the fact that he had drunk almost as much as miss himeno and insisted that you did as well, although you weren't that big of a drinker.

his cologne smelled far too intensely and his eyes lingered all too close to where your dress pushed your chest up.

was this the man you truly wanted to go out with?

were you that desperate and alone to wind up with such a dude?

your mind flashed with deep blue eyes and concern, a warm hand on your shoulder and the gentle tone of somebody who cared.

"I am wiped" you immediately saw the disappointment over office crush's features and somehow you found yourself not caring at all, whereas his rejection would have meant the worst for you "... maybe another time".

"yes of course" no 'I enjoyed talking with you, tonight' or anything else.

and somehow that was all you needed.

---

monday you felt like couldn't have come sooner as you moved quickly into your cubicle, no longer catching snaps of former office crush; if anything, you ducked your head when he passed clearly searching for you, and were glad when aki came, looking as polished as ever although he hadn't the same precise glint. something was amiss.

it was already telling that he hadn't messaged you n the weekend aside for a "did you arrive home safe?" (that sounded like "did you go home, alone?"), but you had tried not to give it too much thought. you tried not to give too much thought to the night spent drinking.

not at all.

«hey!» you called him over, noticing he didn't have the air of somebody who had had his morning coffee «... coffee?».

at the canteen, you found that aki's silence extended from the weekend onto the weekdays as he stayed quiet after the usual pleasantries.

«you didn't ask me about how my weekend went» you took it upon yourself to speak up.

«mmh, thought you'd fill me in» he said, lightly brushing with his tips the hot lid of the plastic cup of coffee; the gesture shouldn't have felt as dirty-minded as you thought it «... anything interesting happened?».

«aside a good session of romcoms on my own with ice cream? not really» you shot back «... although I did receive a proposal on friday night. for some coffee... from you-know-who».

obviously even aki could tell that the proposal wasn't about coffee.

«mmh» it would have seemed disinterested but by now you knew all about aki hayakawa's slight moans «... how did it go? probably bad considering the romcoms and ice...».

«I didn't go» you flustered lightly, feeling silly at your admission, although not because again you were lonely and painfully single but somehow you hoped that aki wouldn't catch the reason why you hadn't gone with it «... you were right. he was a bit of a tool. talked too much and out of place... I don't... well, I don't know what got me into him in the first place».

you expected for aki to goad, to mutter a quiet and comforting 'I told you so' but nothing came out of his mouth for a long time making the silence awkward enough that you were about to excuse yourself and your coffee when he spoke again.

«I am glad» he spoke slowly as if he was coming up witht he words as he went, although they seemed also somehow practiced «... I... I know he wasn't the one for you. I... you deserve somebody better».

you doubted it somehow, but you doubted even more than you could find better and in an attack of sarcasm you shot back caustically.

«why the sudden concern, hayakawa?».

«because I like you» of course, he liked you as he was your best friend «... like... because I wish I could be the one. the right one for you».

you hadn't expected that in the slightest and it seemed not even your friend as he regarded you for a moment as if you had been the one admitting to him your sudden attraction to him.

«I... I....» he stalled, and as his face shot out sudden looks at you, you found yourself unable to speak what was aching in your mind; you had denied for so long your feelings for him that you had thought that they'd never come up your throat agaiin «... sorry, I... I ruined it, didn't I».

«no, aki, I...» that was all you managed to say before he was the one that got up, eyes darting everywhere but upon you as he said what broke your heart next.

«don't... you don't have to worry, I... I'll assure myself that my... my feelings won't interfere... it'll be like always... I won't make it awkward».

and somehow that felt more hurtful than straight up rejection.

part 2?

[nanasparadise]

A Visit

☆彡 Yan! Zeke x fem reader (Modern AU)

☆彡 Part 1

☆彡 Word count: 1039

☆彡 I do not condone any 'yandere' behaviour in real life.

☆彡 A/N: I was kinda hesitant to post this because it's super self-indulgent and I feel like many people hate Zeke (which is totally fine, you can like/dislike any fictional character, I just don't want anyone to judge me for writing this), but maybe someone else might enjoy this as well!

! TW: yandere behaviour, noncon touching, implied age gap (since reader and Eren are around the same age and Zeke is ten years older than him), just Zeke being a weirdo, MATURE AUDIENCE ONLY/MINORS DNI !

Summary: You want to visit your friend Eren. Instead, you end up being alone with his brother Zeke.

You really hoped Zeke wouldn't be there this time.

He wasn't mean or rude to you. On the contrary, every time you went to visit Eren, his brother was accomodating to you and played the perfect host.

Maybe a little bit too much.

Eren was always annoyed by his behaviour and grumbled to turn it down. You, on the other hand, didn't want to be a bad guest, so you just chuckled awkwardly and kept quiet. You'd always wondered how the two brothers could live together, since they couldn't be any more different. Eren had once mentioned that his father wanted them to get along better, but this topic seemed to be a sore spot, so you let it drop.

Right now, you were in front of their shared apartment, waiting for someone to let you in. Eren had spontaneously texted you to come over and play video games. Not one to turn down a chance to finally beat him at Mario Kart, you quickly accepted. Though your excitement was quickly squashed when you saw Zeke open the door.

"Ah, Y/N", he spoke your name with such familiarity. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" He shot you a warm smile.

You gave him a nervous smile in return. "Hey Zeke, I'm actually here for Eren. He asked me to drop by."

"Oh, did he?" His head tilted slightly to the side. "Are you sure he asked you to come now? He's currently not home, he should be still at the gym as far as I'm aware."

You furrowed your eyebrows. He wasn't home? Why would he say to come over then? You took out your phone and checked the chat, just to make sure you didn't misunderstand anything.

No, he clearly wrote two p.m.

Not wanting to bother Zeke, you played dumb. "Oh yeah, you're right, he did say to meet later. I must have confused something." You let out a quiet chuckle, trying to cover up for the unease you felt. "I'll come back later, sorry for bothering you." You turned away from the entrance door, angling your body towards the stairs. Giving Zeke one last smile, you bid goodbye. "See you around, Zeke."

A hand shot around wrist and stopped you from moving any further. "Wait, Y/N!" Zeke gave you an intense look. Your heart started beating faster, startled by the sudden touch, and you pulled your wrist out of his grip. Noticing your discomfort, he schooled his expression into his typical calm smile again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. But how about you wait here? I've got an hour left before I need to go to work, so I can keep you company. That way, you don't need to come back later."

You didn't like the way he seemingly stared into your soul, trying to get an answer from you. Would he be upset if you refused? In the end, it'd be easier to stay, wouldn't it? "If that's okay for you, I don't want to impose", you hesitantly replied.

His smile reached his eyes now. "You wouldn't impose at all! In fact, I'm glad I don't have to be alone now." Zeke put his hand on the small of your back and gently guided you inside the apartment. You took off your shoes and were about to do the same with your coat, but Zeke was faster. Quickly, he grabbed the fabric and forced you to wiggle out of it.

"You didn't have to…", you uttered, embarrassed by his action.

He, on the other hand, gave you a chuckle in return and winked. "Only the best for my guest."

The two of you ended up playing Mario Kart instead. When you admitted that you didn't think he'd be so good at the game, Zeke answered he 'was talented with his fingers'.

You prayed he was only referring to his job as a surgeon.

Luckily, that one hour passed quickly. Zeke stood up from the couch and made himself ready for work.

Before you could realise his intention, Zeke had already bent down in front of your seated form and pressed a kiss on your head. His right hand gripped the back of your neck, making an escape attempt difficult. "I'm looking forward to doing this again with you", he whispered close to your ear, causing a shiver to run down your spine. The smell of nicotine and expensive cologne permeated the air and clouded your senses as you were fixated on his longing gaze. What the hell was going on?

Wordlessly, he got up again and offered you a small wave and innocent smile, as if the whole interaction hadn't happened.

You were about to say something — anything, to make clear that you were definitely not happy with this —, but Zeke had already turned around and left the room.

Still too perplexed by the situation, you stared at the TV in front of you, hoping the device would miraculously give you an answer on what to do. Of course, such thing didn't occur, so you grabbed your phone instead and sent Eren a message, telling him to get his ass home now.

A few moments later, the front door's lock clicked open and a sweaty Eren came to the living room. Relieved by his appearance, you got up from the couch and went to greet him.

"You could have told me the correct time instead of making me wait here with your weird brother for an hour!" You playfully boxed his shoulder, yet your words were genuine.

Eren shot you a puzzled look. "As much as I'm happy to see you, I have no clue why you're here." Now it was your turn to be confused. "I didn't ask you to come over today. In fact, I forgot my phone, so I couldn't have texted you."

„This can't be, look, I've got a text from you that clearly said-" as you showed him the chat, a sense of dread began forming in your stomach, heavy like a stone.

Realisation hit you hard. Eren couldn't have written that message, but someone else, who had been home the whole time, definitely could.

You wouldn't come back to Eren's place again.

[wexhappyxfew]

whispering prayers into her hair

(a/n): requested by @sunny747 for Annie x Brady and ‘wrapping arms around the others neck when standing behind’. ie — annie and brady being two adorable people in a horrible situation and all their deepest thoughts seem to surface underneath a cold sun. and oh. annie wants to be a mom (distant sobbing). please enjoy this rather sad piece and commentary on two people struggling to hold onto each other in a world like this. (plz know i am sobbing !!!!) thank you so much for this prompt - quite literally has altered my life <3

Staring was the worst part.

At what was just past the barbed-wire fence; what stood between her and the world on the other side.

It had been six months and she was still standing here, still on this side of the fence, still staring at the opposite end of the threshold. Through the wires, the wood, and the dust. The world was on the other side and she was here.

Annie knew she shouldn't be out here alone - especially with the way the Germans had been ever since the British had dug those tunnels. She crossed her arms tighter over her chest and let a sigh escape her chapped lips as she squinted in the bleak sun, the warmth seeming to dissipate just as it reached her body.

Glancing over her shoulder, she watched as some of the men in the bunk room next to their groups began playing a scrap game of ball in the dust pit that could become a makeshift play field when needed. The kick-kick-kick of the pathetic ball bounced about, as the wind whistled past her ears and the sound of silence hung above. There were little-to-no animals around the place - no birds sang, no crickets chirped, there was no sign of life except for the American officers.

Otherwise, they were a dead zone.

A black 'x' crossed out a dot on a map.

"Hey, little birdie." Annie glanced over her shoulder and saw Brady coming towards her. Hands shoved deep in his pockets, his coat looking a little too big now on his form, his broad shoulders now swamped in the scarf and the wool button-up, he still looked like the John Brady from her first day on base at Thorpe Abbotts. Even with his hair a little longer and his cheeks dotted with stubble, and that scar nestled near his jawline.

He was still John Brady.

"Hi." Annie said, watching as he approached her, that lopsided smirk growing on his face, as his eyes fought to keep that grin growing.

He'd been growing quieter in the coming weeks, she'd noticed. Not majorly, not anything that would make her incredibly concerned though, she would always worry - about the crew and about Brady.

He'd say a little less at dinner, when they all sat around and were inhaling what food they had, and then when they were all sitting around, and she was tucked into her bunk, attempting to read (she never did get through any of the books or even a page anymore), she'd glance towards Brady's bunk and catch him in his silent prayer.

His lips a silent whisper, his hands clasped together, eyes and those long lashes gently shut. Everything about him calm and at peace.

And by the time she was curled up beside him, she swore he'd been whispering prayers into her hair, against her forehead and through their threaded fingers, like if he said it enough it'd get them through. And she clung to that more than anything.

He came to stand beside her, this awkward distance between them as they stood there, eyes locked on one another, this fence in between them and the world, dust at their feet, the war at their backs. Hands empty. Annie couldn't look away.

"How are you doing?" she asked him quietly, watching as his face winced slightly, like the question was more hurtful than the response, "You didn't eat much at breakfast." Which was true - his plate still had some oatmeal (they called it oatmeal) on it and he had looked withdrawn and distant. And Annie had watched, her stomach in knots.

It reminded her of when she had to get her siblings ready for school and sometimes one of them wouldn't eat - usually because they didn't feel good or were upset about something - and she'd get a pit in her stomach because she wasn't sure how to fix that. And she had felt that here. Watching Brady.

"Okay." Brady said with a nod, a stiff smile. She wanted to make him smile. More than anything. "Just wasn't super hungry." Annie caught his gaze for a moment and nodded slowly.

"I don't know," Brady said with a shrug, his smile falling, face focused on the world just past the fence, "just think this place is getting to me a bit." And she could see it in his face - just saying that, admitting that - she could see it hurt. He looked over at her and nodded weakly. "You know?"

"I do." she answered quickly, wanting to comfort him as her immediate response to the pain in his voice, "And I try to tell myself it's not. That doesn't usually work anyways, but…." Brady quirked out a small grin that faded just as fast as it'd appeared.

"You shouldn't be out here alone." Brady said quietly, hands shoved deep into his pockets, but it wasn't in a way that was scolding or even upset. Just a statement, a fact, something they all kept a conscious eye on.

"I know." Annie said quietly, her voice strained as she looked out through the barbed wire again, "I just….couldn't keep staring at the bunk room ceiling, you know?" Brady chuckled slightly, like it was some funny inside joke they'd all remember one day.

"I know." he said, voice soft, as they met each other's eyes again. He put on a hopeful smile, as best as he could it seemed. "The sun suites you, An, by the way." Annie caught his gaze, the small flutter in her chest warm, gentle and comforting.

God, the sun. So bright and gleaming even in this gloomy world that had been their ever-present for the past six months - in this bitter cold, this dull air - the sun still would shine even on days where Annie felt like it shouldn't.

"Who was your letter from?" Brady asked - it had seemed like he'd been waiting to ask her that question all morning - between his longing stares, those split second gazes where she swore she could breakdown in front of him and he'd patch her right back up. With all that, it seemed he just wanted to be there with her, to ask her that, alone.

Annie watched him, biting back her lip as the cold rushed over her cheeks. Something in the way his face was strained, like it pained him to even beg the question, knowing her response would hurt either way - knowing her response would hurt him, because it hurt her. The ache never dulled in a place like this.

"Dad." Annie said, her voice a whisper; quiet and shallow.

Seeing her dad's handwriting had sent her into a new dimension - she was sure of that. She couldn't remember the last time she'd even gotten a letter since being back at Thorpe Abbotts. So seeing his handwriting there, loopy and scratchy had made her heart ache in a way that she knew wouldn't fade in a lifetime.

You're mother isn't doing well, kid. She's really sick now, won't eat much or drink much, keeps saying something's tugging her arm. She's calling out for you. Don't know what to say. Keeps saying it's my fault you're gone. She's going down the tubes.

Annie looked to Brady, who was watching her in that unspoken way where it seemed everything and nothing was on his lips, that vulnerable glint of his gaze destined only for her, the want to reach out towards her.

They were always reaching towards one another, she thought.

In every lifetime there was, she was reaching for him and so was he.

But stood out here - in the open - with the eyes of the Germans on their backs, waiting for them to pulsate into the barbed fence just to shoot them, to make a run for it, she couldn't risk it. Instead, watching him made her yearn for every bit of him and more in those other worlds, those other times.

"What was he saying?" Brady asked quietly, tightening his jaw a bit, noticing her evident quietness. Annie sniffled and crossed her arms together in front of her and shifted her shoulders.

"Mom's probably going to be gone soon." Annie whispered quietly, looking at him, "She keeps asking for me. She's blaming Dad. For me being here. For me even joining up in the first place probably. It's…..it's basically a shit show."

"Annie, I'm sorry…." Brady whispered shifting towards her, that unspoken distance when they were outside the bunks room seeming to make a reappearance as he froze and then watched her as she stared back at him.

"It's okay…..it killed her." Annie whispered quietly, nodding, "Having to take care of us kids. Her and my dad…..one night, they were talking about it all. She never wanted to be a mother. She never wanted any of that. But that was what she got and that was her life and she drowned herself in cheap liquor to get rid of that pain." Annie looked at Brady with tears in her eyes. "I didn't want to end up like her."

Those inches between them pushed on her stomach like a heavy weight; it hurt, physically hurt. Annie glanced up behind his head towards the guard station, before looking back at Brady and his crestfallen face.

What hurt was, there were no amount of words a person could say take it all away, to magically get Annie back home to watch her mother's passing, to be there with her family.

War didn't care, the Germans didn't care, life didn't care.

Despite being dealt the short straw with a mother who wanted nothing to do with her, Annie still wanted to be there for the end of her life. She still had that want to be there for a mother who was still her blood. And that want made the guilt explode inside her chest and suffocate herself nearly to death.

"It's why you joined up," Brady whispered quietly, looking down at her, "in the USAAF. You didn't want that life."

"Yeah." Annie whispered back with a nod, "I'm sorry, you probably came out here to want to talk about anything else rather than this." Annie reached up to wipe at her eyes, but Brady only gave her a smile and watched her.

"You know I came out here because I wanted to be with you, you know that?" Brady said with a sad smile, "Now, c'mon, you got me interested now. What was it like? Joining up for yourself?" Annie watched him and couldn't help but smile a bit.

"It was probably the proudest I'd been of myself in my life, to be honest." she said, "Especially after the war broke out and I had enough money to get myself doing something more than farm work. I flew a few planes with kids from school. At the fair. Little things, but enough to make me want to do it more." Annie smiled up at him. "And sometimes they say you can't do something and usually that's enough to make someone do it."

Brady seemed to step forward and cut off that silent agreement to not make contact when outside the bunkhouse or in daylight hours - and he didn't seem to care.

For a moment, they just took to watching one another there, listening to the sounds around them, the chatter of voices in the background, the shuffling of feet, the linger of stale air. It was consuming, but yet, when looking at Brady, she didn't quite mind the sudden presence and stillness of the world around her.

"I remember seeing a poster," Annie said quietly with a smile, "in the local market. Surprised something like that even made it up, that's to say, even got put up in a market in Mankato, but….I saw it and." Annie looked to him. "I knew what I wanted to do right then and there. Then I signed up. 'Your Fight Too Sign'. Must've gotten the masses out because of that." And Brady juts smiled at her that wide grin, standing there like he couldn't look away from the sight of her. Despite where they were, despite it all, he could still stand there and look at her like that.

"What about after this?" Brady asked her, "Where you going?"

"I always wanted to be a mother." Annie said quietly, her heart squeezing as Brady's head tilted to the side and that certain, pained look erupted across his face as his fingers trailed to the side of her cheek. She nodded.

"You will be." Brady said quietly, encouraging smile on his lips, "When you get out of this. That guy's a lucky son-of-a-bitch." Annie watched him, her big eyes exploring his face before settling on his gaze again.

You, she thought, I want you to be that lucky son-of-a-bitch. And she couldn't seem to form the words, tell him that all she ever wanted was right here in front of her, but that look in his eyes, the war standing around them, she couldn't. Making promises that she wasn't sure would come true or not.

"Do you want kids?" Annie asked him quietly, watching as Brady smiled just as the word 'kids' left her lips. She managed a watery smile. "You'd be such a good dad. I know that."

"I do." he said with a small smile, "Always have."

"I know you'd be a good one because that one time I got way too drunk, you made sure I got into my bunk and had water and ate the next morning. You even let me use your sunglasses. And you didn't have to, but you did it just because." Annie said with a smile, watery grin, "They'll be lucky." Brady watched her inches from her face, seemingly taking a minute to simply watch her and then nodded.

"They will be." he whispered back, before licking his lips and smiling at her, "Why do you want to be a mother?" Annie watched him.

"My mother told me I wouldn't be one. A good one." Annie said quietly, watching as something shifted in Brady's gaze - from soft to protective in a manner of seconds that was enough to make her heart race, "But it means I can selflessly love this child that is my own. Nuture them into their life, fulfill them with all that is goodness and love that I never got myself. Give them a better life than what my own childhood was. I can give them what they deserve." Annie smiled. "I get to be the person I never had." The emotion swirling in Brady's gaze was enough to make her smile, eyes welling with tears, and reach out towards him and brush his cheek fondly.

"That's what growing up is sometimes, not for everyone," she said, "being the person you never had when you were little." Brady seemed to lean into her touch a bit as they stood there, cuddled in jackets and wool sweaters and warm hands, underneath a cold and frostbitten sun, staring at each other like it was their last time together ever again.

"What are you going to do if we get out of here?" she asked him quietly.

"We will." Brady said back to her, clenching his jaw, "We're getting out of here. One another or another." Annie stared at him. "I'll be heading back to New York, most likely." Annie cracked a smile at him.

"With your parents?"

"Yeah." Brady said, "I'll try and get my gig back teaching. Play some more music." Brady watched her. "I can finally take you on a date." Somewhere in that string of words, Annie felt her body shutter to a stop and all she could do was stare back at Brady with wide eyes, slightly glazed over and frozen as she watched him.

"A date?" she asked him quietly and Brady grinned instantly, and nodded.

"A date." he said quietly back, "You and me. Where I grew up. In the mountains." Annie couldn't help but watch him with some much awe in her eyes - despite how battered and bruised they looked, he was making promises that could be hard to keep in a place like this, looking at her the way he did. He didn't seem to care or mind and when he looked at her that way, she believed it would happen to.

She wanted a life outside of this and she wanted, somehow, someway, to share that with John Brady.

"I'd love that. With you." Annie said quietly with a smile, staring at him with wide eye still, taken aback by his words, his forwardness, his sudden step over that invisible line they had drawn when they had both started acting like more than just friends. When whatever 'this' was appeared more than just what friends were to each other. And they'd been just too scared to acknowledge that maybe there was something more there.

"What's it like? New York?" she asked him quietly as she stared at him. Brady grinned.

"You'll have to wait and see. It's a surprise." he said with a chuckle, "One that'll be worth waiting for."

"What about a hint." Annie said quietly back to him, "In the mountains and all?"

"Here," Brady said softly, placing his hands on her shoulders and slowly turning her towards the barbed wire fence and holding her there. Warm hands on her shoulders, pulsating through to her skin, she felt a shiver run over her as his face appeared above her shoulder.

"You see that out there? All that greenery, trees, shrubbery?" he asked her with a smile, a nostalgic twinge to his voice that made her long for the sight of where John Brady had lived and breathed as a small child - who had grown to become the person standing there with her now. What had made him to be the person he is today. Her heart clenched.

"Imagine all the birds out there, the wildlife. Frogs, birds, foxes, sometimes bears, the cicadas in the summer. Leaving the windows open. You can hear the frogs from the lake. Everything's alive." Brady said, his voice dropping, "So different from here." Annie tilted her head to look up at him. "You'd love it, Annie."

Staring at him there on her shoulder, she slowly felt his arms wrap around her neck loosely and hold her against him. Leaning back against his chest, enveloped in the warmth from his jacket and his arms and simply his body, she had never felt more relaxed in a place like this, comforted by the touch of a person who she was growing more and more feelings and thoughts for by this point in time. And someone who had seen her in far too many phases of life now than she would've thought.

Looking out past that fence, she did imagine a life in New York, near those Finger Lakes, John Brady playing his saxophone as the sun set, listening to the frogs and the cicadas and the birds, his gentle, jazzy thrum, watching his eyes glow with mirth and life, a quiet step away from war and this camp and the world. A place where she could let herself simply be. A home. With him.

And for a moment standing there, she could imagine her life where it was just the two of them, watching the sunset, listening to the world around them, being enveloped in the presence of one another. She could practically feel it, reach out and grab it with her fingertips. It was so close. It was right there.

[sleeplesssmoll]

Can you imagine everyone in the suitcase getting together to prepare the Foundation Kids’ first Christmas 🥹🥹🥹

The gift exchanging and the cuteness would be the most wholesome thing! Little Santa hats for all! Honestly this became a long list of HCs and not all of them are related to Christmas. It'll be Crew member and Vertin interactions because it'd be a lot to do it both ways for every single character. My ears are open for anyone who wants to share their HCs!

Regulus (actually Apple) gives a Vertin a set of high quality paint brushes. She also gives her also a weird rotund plushy with this face

• _ •

This is the real one Regulus picked but she and Apple work as a pair. She says it's face reminded her of Vertin. Vertin will keep this new friend among her growing collection of oddities from her crew members. She keeps everything they give her, even if it's just a pretty marble.

Joshua gives her a DIY woodworking book and then brings up his bookshelf being broken (hidden agenda!) At first the others are like "wth?" but Vertin seems to love it. You know the little game pieces we see throughout the game to represent the characters? Vertin makes something similar with her new skill and they use them when developing strategies. Jessica and Sonetto like to help her paint them. Druvis gives her tips (since she's a wandmaker she has more experience). Also, Vertin does fix his shelf eventually and made a few adjustments so it won't break again.

I see Vertin as the type who can figure out those God awful assembly instructions with 70 different letters and numbers labeling everything. For tech stuff, Regulus and Joshua have them covered. They try not to ask X if they can help it because despite being a genuis he always adds an unnecessary feature. No I don't need my camera have a "brew coffee" function!

None of the "fix-it" people above can put together a proper meal though.

Madam Z is invited but couldn't make it (Constantine at it again). She sends Vertin a very elegant coat with a water proof enchantment to keep her both warm and dry. She she noticed Vertin's grown a bit taller and she'll most likely need a new coat.

Tooth Fairy also couldn't make it (helping Madam Z so she can get leave the office sooner and they can celebrate with wine). She sends Vertin a jar of candies and a finely crafted pocket knife. Why a pocket knife? No one knows for sure. Despite no one getting it at first, whenever they have a package they can't open, a freshly picked fruit from the garden, etc. they ask Vertin if she has her knife. Of course she does. She's Suitcase Dad lol. Tooth Fairy was predicting the future.

Sotheby will give her candies that are actually healing potions! It's one of her newest creations! They're more convenient than carrying potion bottles. There are a few...side effects but nothing too major. Vertin is extremely grateful for this and carries a few in her pocket at all times in case someone gets hurt. This usually ends up being herself (in combat) or Sotheby tripping and scraping her knees, palm, etc. She'll hesitate to take the candy herself (because what if someone else needs it later?), even when she's barely standing but heaven forbid one of her people gets a boo-boo or a bruise. It's frustrating as it is endearing.

Sonetto gives her a tin of her favorite brand of tea and a thermal blanket. Vertin's the type of person with a cooler body temperature. In winter, her hands are freezing! This worries Pupnetto even though the Foundation trains them to endure cold temperatures. However, most of the other members end up snuggling in the heated blanket, including Sonetto herself (she is slowly unlearning the Foundation's way of suffering pointlessly) but she will share it with Vertin when she does. Vertin doesn’t mind. Honestly, Sonetto is hot blooded (the opposite of her) so having her nearby makes it warmer anyway.

And Sonetto's always at her side. She doesn't worry about the cold.

Druvis gives Vertin a wand with her arcanum built into it. It's shaped like a pistol, similar to Schneider's but it's nonlethal. The "bullets" are infused with the slime from Druvis's thorns and can hinder enemy movements (inflict petrify status). This way she can "protect" Vertin even if they're apart. With more eyes on the Suitcase than ever, she believes Vertin needs to take extra precautions. Vertin takes very good care of the gun (though she's never had to use it in real combat yet) and when they do co-op missions with other departments it garners a lot of attention from the soldiers.

Druvis is not accepting requests at this time.

Blonney gives her an ugly Christmas sweater but her gag gift backfires when Vertin looks cute. Stupid yes, but cute. Also the fabric is very soft and Vertin seems very cozy inside.

Later, Blonney gives her the real gift. She was too shy to give it to her in front of the others but there's a hand written card thanking her everything she's done for her and Jessica. There's money in the card of course. Jen also gives her a little short story she wrote. Not a horror one, but a sweet one about a curious kitten going on misadventures and making friends. Vertin can immediately tell its based on the shenanigans she gets into with her crew members. Blonney doesn't stick around long (blushing too hard) but Vertin is moved by this. The crew members are represented by their Udimos!

Jessica gives Vertin a doll (think chibi) she made that looks like the Timekeeper and it has removable accessories. For Christmas, the chibi Vertin is wearing a Santa suit. Sometimes the doll goes missing from her shelf if she's gone for more than a day (work relates reasons). 98% of the time it's with Sonetto who crumbles like a guilty puppy if Vertin asks about its whereabouts. The separation anxiety is real. Vertin recognizes this and eventually says it looks happier in Sonetto's room. She asks Sonetto to please take good care of her (the doll). Vertin also makes more effort to "call" home or send a message with arcanum tech after this event.

She's not used to having people wait for her at home, but one day in the near future she will be.

[zae-heeyyy]

Hiatus

Summary: You meet John during his year away from the gang. Pairing: John Marston x gn!Reader but mostly platonic Word Count: 1,725 Tags/ Warnings: alcohol, violence, mature themes

a/n: Just a little idea I had. I actually sketched/traced the saloon picture on my iPad. (Thanks John for bad drawing skills because I'm not an artist. To be clear, this is my interpretation of John’s sketch of a saloon haha) Something a little different, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading!

hiatus: A temporary departure or absence, often marked by a pause in activity or routine, reflecting a period of separation from the usual path or environment

Rip Van Winkle? Did he take you for a fool? You'd be insulted if you couldn't clearly see the bastard was miserable. It'd been three months since he stumbled into your saloon, throwing a few bills on the bar top. A few bills covered a lot of drinks, but a lot of drinks he had. He would drink and gamble all his money away and would somehow come back the next day with more. You didn't know any fellas around who could make their money and spend it as fast as he did. Minding your business seemed like the best course of action, and that's what you did, mostly. All you asked for was a name, and that's what he gave you. You took the hint and stopped asking questions. 

Until you couldn't curb your curiosity about the tall, lanky stranger anymore.

"What do you do, anyway?" You asked. Nobody around knew him, and it wasn't a big town. People were fishermen and farmhands, and he didn't fit either bill. He'd dodged that question, too. It didn't take long for you to figure out how he made his living when you saw him "accidentally" bump into someone. Just thirty seconds later, he threw the dime he'd presumably pickpocketed onto your bar. You stared at him, unmoving. 

"Well, you gonna pour that whiskey or not?" He learned on the counter, impatient, and glared at you. Intimidating you would take more work than he was probably used to.

"You gonna give that man his money back or not?" You shot back. His face didn't change, and he steadily held your gaze. He picked up the coin and placed it back on the counter, scooting it in front of you again.

"No," he replied simply.

"Then no." You responded with a shrug and turned to walk off to serve someone else. Rip sighed deeply and put another dime on the counter. 

"But I'll buy him a drink-- on him." You wanted to laugh but didn't give him the satisfaction. 

"Now I'm robbing him, too?"

"It ain't robbin. He was gonna buy a drink anyway," his tone grew even more vexed. You were the one loudly exhaling now. You took the money, poured the whiskey, and offered the other man his "free" drink. Rip was lucky you didn't call the law on him, but he seemed to have enough problems as it was. 

He took to you after that, though, always throwing extra change down for you to have a whiskey yourself. You'd thank him with short words, but never poured yourself a drink, knowing where the money came from. Keeping your distance seemed like the logical thing to do.

Then, someone you'd never seen before pushed open the doors to the saloon on a particularly slow night. You'd noticed Rip's posture stiffen as soon as he laid eyes on the man. He placed a casual hand on his right hip, and his eyes moved to yours for only a second before they were watching the man again. You should've felt something was wrong but didn't have time to think before the newcomer approached you, pointing his gun at you from inside his coat.

"All the money. Now. And don't say a word." Your blood ran cold, but before you could move, you heard a click.

"Put the gun down, idiot." Rip had moved from his seat and was standing behind the intruder, his own revolver pointed to the back of his head, "gonna lose your life over this? I hope you ain't as dumb as you look."

Rip diverted the stranger's attention long enough for you to reach for your own shotgun under the counter. You pointed your gun at the would-be robber, and Rip yelled at the few others in the saloon to get the law. You finally let yourself breathe when the man was taken away. 

Rip stayed for the rest of the night, sitting long past his usual departure time. Faint sunlight was beginning to peak in the windows, and your shift replacement had walked through the doors. Instead of going home, you walked around the bar to sit with Rip. Sometime in the night, he'd settled in a seat on the side of the bar, closer to you, still nursing the same glass of whiskey you'd poured hours earlier.

 "You knew that was gonna go down tonight, didn't you?" You'd asked. You noticed his sudden change of demeanor as soon as the thief stepped foot inside.

He shook his head, looking down at the glass. "Didn't really know. Had a feelin', though. Can't explain it. Maybe it was a look in his eye or how he walked in? I don't know, just a feelin'. I knew fellas like him." He paused for a moment, "Hell, I am a feller like him. "

You didn't know anything about him, but you think you understood. A feeling in your gut told you pickpocketing was the more tame of his crimes. 

"I'm surprised you didn't get in on it," Your tone was severe, but you were grinning at him. He scoffed, laughing a bit. 

"I ain't that far gone. I got morals, you know." You had an inkling that he was trying to convince himself more than he was trying to convince you.

"Morals." You repeated back to him. You couldn't believe the ridiculousness of it all. "Right"

He threw his hands up defensively, "Do you think I am the type of guy to put a gun in an innocent person's face? For some saloon cash?"

You shrugged, skepticism all over your face, "I can't say I know what kind of man you are, Mr. Van Winkle," you said, adding finger quotes around his name.

He looked down at his glass and let out another sigh. "John-- my name's John...Marston. Since you wanna know so bad," he finally finished off the last of the liquor. You searched his face; he was grimacing slightly.

You hum appreciatively. "It's nice to thank a man with his own name, John Marston. Thanks. You definitely saved my ass tonight. How about some breakfast on the house to show my appreciation?" 

Maybe oatmeal had some aphrodisiac properties you didn't know about, or perhaps you'd finally lost it. Still, somehow, you'd ended up pressed against the wall by the cowboy in a room above the saloon. His kisses were sloppy, and his movements were sporadic and clumsy, even. He'd made a move to pull you towards the bed but stumbled, knocking his head hard into yours. 

"Shit," he stumbled back, rubbing his head. You leaned against the wall, nursing your own sore dome. But the collision seemed to knock some sense into you. 

"This was...it wasn't..." You tried to find the words to let him down softly, but he cut you off with a shake of his head and sat on the bed.

"Yeah, weren't a good idea. Don't worry about it," he gave you a strained but reassuring smile, and you stood there in awkward silence before he spoke again, "I don't know what I'm even doin' these days." He said, eyes trained on the floor. Part of you couldn't believe that he was trying to have a conversation with you after that, but like always, you felt a little sorry for him. 

"How about another drink? For both of us."

He could say no to that, so you made your walk of shame back downstairs. Your colleague at the bar gave you a look but didn't say anything as he poured your drinks. After everything, you felt like he owed you the truth, and he was too tired to argue.

"Ask away," he relented. 

"Why the fake name?" That was your first question, and you had so many more when he was done talking. Almost hanged at twelve, riding with Dutch Van der Linde and robbing trains and banks. No wonder he was so miserable. 

"Left it all, and I don't feel any better. I'm still robbin, still here drinking every night."

"Doesn't sound any better," was all you could say. 

"It ain't. And the worst part? There was this girl, a working girl, who fell in with us, Abigail. Me and her-- well, she was more to me than a working girl, but then she got pregnant. And I got a son, at least, that's what she told me. Don't know if he's mine." He buried his face in his hands and groaned, the weight of it all heavy on his shoulders.

You were silent. You didn't know what to say or how to respond to any of it. All of this, his life, was something out of an Otis Miller tale. A life of crime was utterly foreign to you.

"That's...a lot," was all you could manage. He bobbed his head up and down in agreement. "Did you love her?" Something seemed to wash over him, and he stiffened. It took him a few moments to respond, but he looked off like he was picturing something in his mind's eye.

"I think I did. Think I still do." You could see the turmoil clearly on his face then. You snapped him back, your voice low and soft.

"Think she would lie to you? Especially about something like that?"

"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore."

You pondered for a second. "You said you didn't have a father until Dutch took you in. Want this kid to be the same, without a dad? You love his momma; you think she loves you. Give the kid a chance to grow up with parents that love each other."

You could see his jaw clench, and he waved you off without even considering what you said.

"Didn't ask for advice." 

"Well, I'm giving it to you, miserable bastard." He relaxed his jaw and chuckled.

"Fair enough."

More silence fell between you, and he finished what was left in his glass before sliding a dime to your co-worker and leaving. He returned only a handful of times after that, noticeably drinking less. One day, as he was leaving, he took his hat off and met your eye. 

"I'm gonna get goin' now. Thanks for everything." 

And you knew it was the last time you'd ever see him. You just hoped he decided to do the right thing. You had a feeling he did. 

[newstedz]

snowfall ☆ kirk hammett

okay so i'm relatively new to this but i just was so inspired by @mustainegf 's prompt that I just kept writing and writing and you get the idea. basic gist is that kirk calls you over to watch an old movie with him, its all fluff (timeframe is around 1987, post damage inc. tour.) also sorry for the incredibly generic title I literally cannot think of anything else

exhausted was an understatement.

you'd finally gotten a day off, and god was it needed. you barely had any energy to get out of bed to grab a snack, much less go outside. besides, it was freezing, and as much as you loved the idea of snow, it loses its charm when you're stuck waiting at the bus stop in the middle of a blizzard.  the day is yours, and ideally it would have been spent alone, tucked into bed. but then, you got a call. your stomach instantly dropped. you anticipated it'd be your boss, fabricating some asinine reason for you to appear at work today, even though nobody in their right mind would be out in the cold just to go to some shitty retail store. you pick up the phone with a groan. however, you're met with another familiar voice. one you weren't expecting, and suddenly, that dread in the pit of your stomach is replaced with butterflies.

"hey!" kirk beams from the other end of the phone. "sorry- did I wake you up?"

"no." you reply. granted, you weren't fully awake, but you didn't have the heart to make him think he may have been burdening you.

"oh.. okay!" he says, not seeming to need much convincing. "anyways, i just got this tape, you've gotta see this. it's some horror movie from like, the 50's or something. I got the tape  from this guy, he- I mean, that's not really important, I guess." he says, his enthusiasm dwindling as his voice grows more shy. "but I was wondering, I mean, i'd really like for you to come over and watch it with me. if you want." he offers sheepishly.

you can't help but smile. if it were anyone else, you'd consider making up some elaborate excuse about how you caught a stomach bug or fell ill after standing in the cold for too long. but you've known Kirk since you were kids, and you can't remember the last time you guys got to really hang out. between you working and his touring schedule, things just never seemed to work. it was something special to him, too. you knew how involved he was in tape trading, horror, and all that stuff you couldn't quite wrap your head around. but for him, you'd do it in a heartbeat. you gaze out the window. it's still snowing, but it had slowed to flurries. a thin layer of snow coats the grass and branches of the trees. you can't pass this up.

"sure."

"really? nice! so um. I'll see you." he exclaims, abruptly ending the call before you could even ask when he wanted you to be there. you sigh, getting up and heading for the shower.  one long bus ride later, you arrive at his door. as soon as you knock he rushes to the door, trying (and failing) to hide his excitement. "hey!" he grins, showing off his adorable, crooked smile. he steps aside allowing you to enter. "sorry its a mess in here. i just got back.." he murmurs. you cant help but laugh. "its whatever, man. i've seen worse from you." you reply, earning a chuckle from him. as soon as you two get settled, the snow gets heavy. very heavy. seems like you made it just in time. kirk seems to notice too. "looks like you're stuck with me."

_

the next hour is spent watching the movie, though it seems like it was only used as a catalyst for the two of you to play catch-up and for him to infodump trivia about the film. though you can't focus on the movie, at least not now. you're too focused on the way the light shines off his face and curls. the way he incessantly giggles when recalling a crazy road story. the snow is piling up outside, and it's only now that you realize he was trying to talk to you.

"hey, did you hear me?" he asks, tilting his head. he figured he was talking your ear off, though you really could listen to him all day.

"huh? i- no, you're good. i'm just.. cold." you attempt to wave it off unconvincingly, only leaving you to be met with more of his concerns. "are you okay? you were kinda just staring. are you bored? we can do something else, if you want." he murmurs as he gazes briefly at you, only to shift his focus to the TV screen. it could be the lighting, but you could've sworn you saw the lightest tinge of color come to his cheeks. 

"what about you?" you ask. the whole time you've been here, you've gotten the basic stuff, yeah. but it wasn't as personal as it used to be between the two of you. you used to stay up for hours talking about your worries, your goals. you were the first one he told about anything, and vice versa. but now it seemed like he was nervous just from being the same room with you. 

"what about me? i'm fine." he shrugs, now trying to shift the attention back to the movie.

"then why wont you look at me?" the question sorta just slips out. you didn't mean to pry, today was supposed to be lighthearted, but kirk's reaction seems to confirm your suspicions of there being something more, as he begins to stumble over his words. you place your hand gently over his. "you know you can talk to me, right?" as your eyes meet, his face goes red. "it's stupid." kirk murmurs again, though he knows he can't hide this from you anymore. "i feel like.. i'm running out of time. I mean- you're not always gonna be waiting around for me, and it's like whenever i'm gone, i.." he trails off, shifting his gaze away from you yet again. he takes a deep breath, gathering his courage. "I like you. like really like you, and I don't wanna drift off from you or mess anything up-" kirk rambles on, but you've heard enough. you laugh, suddenly scooting closer to him. all you give is an affectionate "shut up" before your lips meet. you move away to see his shocked expression, but he quickly swaps it for a huge, dorky grin as he pulls you in for another.

a few more shared kisses later, kirk pulls away, staring back at the window. he turns back to you. "y'know.. it's pretty nasty out there. maybe you should stay the night." he grins, not subtle in the slightest. you can't help but laugh and nod. suddenly, the room feels so much warmer.

[ravetillyoucry]

PUPARIA

Chapter 25 - Knuckle Velvet [PART 1]

prev - chapter 1

It really was a good thing Hosah had only just checked that day how many vacation days he had left for the year.

The pair sat, quietly, in the near empty diner on a particularly cold late November evening. The shifter still wasn't quite sure what the phone call was about, but whatever it was, had troubled Teddy beyond comprehension. He just ate in silence, not even looking in Hosah's direction, where he sat on his knees with his hands rested atop of Teddy's fist.

Hosah could watch all he liked, but that same thousand yard stare Teddy gave to the wall in front of him still wouldn't answer his burning questions.

The giant blinked, clearing his throat as he finally glanced down, as brief as it was, "Oh. Sorry. I didn't.. How rude of me, you want some? Here."

Teddy tore a small piece of whatever it was he ordered off between his fingertips, and handed it to the shifter before he was able to really get a straight answer. It would've been 'I'm good, thanks', but, Hosah didn't really feel as though he was in the right place to be declining any offers.

"I guess we've both had a pretty bad day." Teddy sighed. The fist Hosah leant against opened up, his own hands sliding off the back of it, only for the palm to curl around his frame as gently as it could.

There was no protest when Teddy rested his head against the table, as badly as the shifter wanted to tell him how unsanitary it was, and there was even less of one when the hand behind him pushed Hosah closer, his knees practically under Teddy's nose by now.

In the moment, Hosah couldn't tear his eyes away from the giant's face, even as his hot breath tickled at his skin through the tiny gaps between the buttons of his shirt. His fingertips were about the size of the freckles painted across Teddy's face. If he weren't so close, and if he weren't so small, he probably would've never noticed them at all. In a comforting motion, Hosah brought his hand to the bridge of the nose, and traced along every single one of them.

"It'll be okay." The shifter whispered, "It has to be."

He didn't even know what exactly it was that was wrong in the first place, but, by god would he do everything in his power to fix it.

It seemed like today was one of those days. Teddy was weird, very weird. Sometimes, it felt like he was avoiding the shifter, unable to get far enough away, avoiding touching him, doing everything in his power to make it so Hosah could do things independently. It wasn't like it was an entirely bad thing, it was just.. Strange. Other times, however, he was the complete opposite. His hand would come out of nowhere, cradling around him in a similar fashion to how it was now, Teddy physically couldn't get any closer than he was already in those moments. It was so, so confusing. Hosah could never tell which it'd be.

"Once the money comes in, I'll have more than enough to fly us both out to Italy and back, then we won't miss it." Teddy muttered, most likely speaking to himself more than to the shifter.

Hosah didn't quite know what 'it' was, but he could make a few educated guesses with how the sentence was phrased, and how Teddy had reacted entirely.

It was weird to hear the giant laugh, especially given the weight of what he was implying, and the weight of his laugh itself as the sound vibrated through Hosah's entire, tiny body, shaking him to his core in a way that could only be described as perfectly overwhelming.

"I've wanted to take you since the day I met you," He sighed, the hot breath ruffling Hosah's coat, "To where I grew up. I don't know, it feels like.. That would be far easier than telling you anything. I'm not a very good story teller."

"You're a good story teller." Hosah kneaded at the bridge of the giants nose, a far gentler way to playfully jab at him, especially when in such a fragile state.

"If I'm good or if I'm terrible, this is still sort of a good thing. I feel like I should be sadder, but I'm not really upset, per se. It's given me the perfect excuse to drag you out of the country." Teddy had more to say, the shifter could tell with how he ended his sentence in a sigh, but he refrained from saying it for a good while.   ".. I don't have to be so afraid anymore too. To go back. It's- Now that my grandmother's, well.. Gone. I'm finally safe forever, it feels."

Huh. Hosah didn't think he could do much other than be there. So, be there he did. The shifter didn't stop stroking the bridge of Teddy's nose, even when leaning his body against it. This was the closest he could get to hugging him at this size, as frustrating as that was.

"And.." Teddy filled the silence, "It gives us a good excuse to cut work for the rest of the week."

That was true. Very, very true indeed. A funeral was a mighty good excuse for time off, that was for certain. It was only Wednesday, but something about the joint events of today really made Hosah not want to get up at stupid o'clock in the morning the following day.

As the shifter stroked up and down the perfectly straight slope that nuzzled into him, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly Teddy had meant. His grandmother was dead, seemingly, but the giant had never had a bad word to say about his upbringing, especially his grandparents. Maybe he was better at hiding things than Hosah had initially assumed. It wasn't his business to press, and by god would it be an awful time to do so, but that didn't stop him from wondering.

-~-

After a streak of bad luck, it seemed that things could only go up from there, and up they went.

Hosah managed to grow back to his usual height, all their trains arrived on time, and they arrived in New Jersey with a travel time of just under two hours.

The plan was to stay the night at Teddy's parent's place, and then they'd all collectively fly the following morning in order to make both funeral and care arrangements for his grandfather. Neither of them were sure why it was decidedly easier this way, but, Teddy was strangely adamant on the plan either way.

It had been a breeze, surprisingly, with their bags already packed the night before, and everything having fallen perfectly into place was certainly a refreshing sight. Maybe this was it. A sign. The total lack of the usual chaos doing its best to tell the pair that what they were doing was right. Now that Hosah was off the case, he could seriously start taking his plans into consideration. The cabin on the lake, that was the end goal, but, some compromises could be made. After all, the northern Italian countryside didn't sound so bad, not bad at all.

Things really seemed to be working in their favour, before Teddy made a point to stop right at the front door of his parents house, just to say-

"Before we go in, just know, I'm sorry in advance, and we're.. probably gonna have to be discreet about, well, what we are. I should've told you that earlier, but,"

"No," Hosah interrupted, "Its okay. Whatever they're like, I can handle, and I wasn't really interested in having your dead grandma be the catalyst to the whole 'meet my partner' deal, so.."

Teddy didn't look too convinced, but, all he could really do was sigh and nod as he knocked on the door, just twice, letting go of the shifter's hands in the process. He was starting to miss the touch already.

The house was stunning, Hosah could say that much. White panel, suburban neighbourhood, well-maintained front yard, all the works. Truly the american dream, he thought to himself.

He knew Teddy's parents had money, but, this was just absurd. It was nothing close to the likes of Arthur Emily and his... 'humble' abode, but it was definitely nice. It was the kind of neighbourhood he and his mother would drive down back home, making up stories about who they thought lived in each extortionately expensive house, what they'd do with the yard or the interior. The memory only added to Hosah's nerves, being so used to just windows shopping out of the car from a distance, he felt almost unworthy of stepping inside, but it was far too late to turn back now.

It really didn't take too long at all before the door cracked open, a woman at the other side of it. She and Teddy whispered to eachother in a language the shifter couldn't understand before the door opened entirely. Just by looking at her, anyone could tell it was Teddy's mother. Their faces were near identical, and if it weren't for the fact she was clearly older, along with her warmer complexion and darker features, they could've been mistaken for twins. Another thing they had in common was being tall, as when Hosah stood up to shake her hand, he realised she definitely had a good couple of inches on him.

Hosah smiled as warmly as he could, "Oh wow, Mrs-"

"It's Miss Altieri now. Thank you. You are the roommate I hear so much about." Miss Altieri smiled back, although her perfectly straight posture and firm, unbroken handshake only served to make Hosah cower back slightly as he nodded.

".. Ah, right, apologies. You have a beautiful home."

She shook her head, her hand still holding onto the shifter's, practically pulling him inside whilst Teddy followed, "No need. All is well. Edward, what happened to Penny? You bring your girlfriend to these sorts of things, not your roommate." She still had a smile on her face, not quite matching her overly serious tone of voice, "... No offence."

Teddy nearly choked on his breath as he shut the door behind him, "Oh, wow, that's a.. name I haven't heard in a while. I haven't seen her since highschool. Long.. long over now."

As badly as the shifter wanted to tease him, he understood the feeling all too well. His dad still asked about Jules and whether he'd thought about proposing any time soon, no matter how many times he clarified that they were never together in the first place. Instead, he gave Teddy a smile that said 'I'll be bringing this up later'.

"Penny was such a nice girl. I still speak to her father, she's in medical school you know. Uh.. you, you talk some sense into him, okay?" Teddy's mother slipped up slightly when she went to address Hosah, clearly not having been told as much about him as she initially claimed.

She turned to her son, whispering something that the shifter still couldn't understand.

"Hosah." was all Teddy said in response, although it clearly wasn't supposed to be addressed to the man himself who the name belonged to. Yeah, he could probably guess what exactly she'd asked.

The most the shifter could do in this scenario was stand there, awkwardly, lingering around like a bad smell.

"Yes, right." Miss Altieri placed her hands at either side of his shoulders, "Hosah, you tell him. I need.. I need to make a call. I'll be back."

And in quite the rush, she walked off down the hall, until completely out of sight. Sure, things were awkward, but.. Hosah could handle it. Easily. Surely.

Teddy sighed, rather loudly, his hands cradling his head, "I'm really sorry. This was a bad idea. This was a really bad idea."

".. So who's Penny?" The shifter decided he wouldn't be waiting all too long to get at Teddy for the girl his mother seemed to be stuck on.

He sighed even louder, "The girl I went to prom with. Her name was Penny Lane, like that The Beatles song."

"The one that got away." Hosah smiled, desperately running out of ways to distract both himself and Teddy from just how terrible the situation was.

Hosah couldn't imagine not being close with his parents, and Teddy seemed to be anything but. There was clearly some kind of tension or incident that occurred between him and his family that he hadn't told the shifter about, but he wouldn't push to find those out. It was kind of obvious with the way he acted, now that he thought about it.

"Sure. Fine, let's call her that." Teddy shook his head, his smile, although gentle, still forming at its own pace. A good sign, surely. "What about you, who did you go to prom with?"

Hosah blinked for a moment as he snapped out of this thoughts, "Didn't go." he shrugged.

Teddy's jaw practically dropped to the floor, "How come? You know, you never talk about high school. I don't think I could recall a single thing you've ever told me about the best time of your life."

His voice was sarcastic in the last part, but it was still a phrase that brought a grimace to Hosah's face.

Teddy wasn't so sure why he was so stuck on the topic. The shifter's nonchalance, his vague depictions, were intriguing, sure, but.. That wasn't quite it. Maybe it was the fact his family's home reminded him so deeply of his school days. How he felt as if the whole world were staring down at him, waiting to do something, anything, that would draw attention. Waiting for whatever it was that festered inside of him that made him so distinctly subhuman to crawl out, so they could crush and destroy it as soon as possible. Who 'they' were, Teddy wasn't sure of. His family, his classmates, maybe Hosah.

No. Probably not Hosah. Definitely not.

"We didn't really.. do prom. I don't talk about it because only losers talk about highschool ten years later." It was an unnecessarily cold way to put it, but it was a topic Hosah avoided at all costs, even if it meant snapping at someone whilst they were freshly in the first stage of grief.

Teddy hummed a quiet noise before promptly moving on to the next topic of conversation. One thing Hosah particularly enjoyed about the man was his ability to take a hint, even if his primal urge to do the exact opposite was obvious given the look on his face.

"Did you pack all of your.. er- Medications?" The shifter had no idea why Teddy danced around the word, hell, even the topic as a whole, but now probably wasn't a great time to question it.

Hosah sighed and nodded, "Yep, all of it."

It would be a nightmare if he were to shrink and get stuck whilst they were away. There'd be so many complications. How would they approach Teddy's family about it, how would they get through the airport? It was a situation that kept the shifter up the night before, drenched in a cold sweat, all the different terrible scenarios playing out in his head, each with a worse ending than the last. When lying awake at night, the only voice he could hear rattling around in his brain was his father's. How he should've just come home, never having left in the first place. It was frightening, but he had to be brave, for Teddy's sake.

"All right. Good, cause my mum had a sort of 'post-divorce crisis', and now there's a bunch of cats in the house, so.." Teddy paced circles around the shifter, a smile on his face despite his behaviour clearly showing just how stressed he also was.

No matter how hard Teddy would try to hide how he felt, there was always something glaringly obvious that gave him away. A look in his eye, a nervous twitch, a small curl of his lips into that god forsaken smile. He was an open book, really, you just needed to pay extra attention.

Hosah kept his voice to a whisper, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just getting antsy waiting for my sister to get here. I've told you before, she's basically my twin, you'd like her. You will like her." Teddy shook his head, his eyes darting everywhere, landing on everything but the shifter in front of him. At least his readability gave Hosah the reassurance that he'd never be able to lie or keep anything from him.

Aurelia was the only person Teddy had fond memories of before the age of about fifteen or so, although he'd always hold a grudge regarding the fact she got such a beautiful name, whilst he was left thoughtlessly with someone else's. She was successful in all the ways he wasn't. A useful degree, a stable job and a family, a husband she could introduce to their parents without shame or the threat of disownment. Teddy wasn't angry, he just seethed with sadness. Especially when he looked at Hosah and thought of all the things he desperately needed to do with him, that he'd only be able to do in secret.

Hosah nodded, adopting that same look of subtle disbelief, but dropping the topic either way, their conversation jumping from one thing to another by now as each road they went down ultimately stopped at the dead end of discomfort. Maybe Teddy didn't have the kind of success that would make his parents happy, but he definitely had the kind that made himself happy. He didn't reach out and wrap his arms around Hosah, even though he wanted to, desperately.

"Okay.." The echoing sound of high-heeled shoes against tiled floors filled the room, "Your father is arriving with Aurelia, they're both in her car."

Teddy's mother looked frazzled. More so than before, which seemed impossible until it was in fact proven to be quite the opposite. Even Teddy himself wasn't too sure on what or why exactly they were so tense with each other, and he didn't really care to find out either.

There wasn't much to say. Nobody dared to speak, letting the air conditioner- which most definitely didn't need to be on during the winter months, whir and fill the heavy silence of the room.

"Well." She sighed, "How do you feel about cats? Edward, go find the cats, they love to meet new people."

"He's allergic." Teddy interjected, already feeling his energy being drained with every passing second of being 'home'.

The truth was, Teddy had only been to this particular house a few times since moving out. His parents bought it shortly after both of their children had left the nest, annoyingly. It was beautiful, but, it wasn't home.

"It's okay, I've taken my allergy medication." Hosah was a dog person. "I love cats. Great, great creatures."

-~-

The pair had been sitting, awkwardly listening to Teddy's mother's stories of what she'd been up to and all the gossip she'd heard, for upwards of three quarters of an hour, until the rattling of the front door handle could be heard, along with a good two or three voices and sets of footsteps that followed shortly after.

Hosah usually wasn't so bad with people. He wasn't a particularly shy individual, despite the odds that stacked against him. That being said, he had no clue why his palms were so sweaty, why his stomach twisted into knots as he stood, and why he so desperately wished to stay sat with the ball of transferable white fur Teddy's mother called a cat.

There was probably a reason to why the shifter felt so awkward and uncomfortable when in the presence of a cat, at least in comparison to that of another person or a dog. They seemed to be far more intelligent than Hosah could ever dream of being. Silently judging, in a way that he'd never be able to understand, even if they could verbalise their thoughts about him. Just now was the first time he'd ever had the species willingly approach and sit on him, although he had no idea how to approach it, or, her, himself.

The fact Teddy's family seemed to be made up entirely of cat people didn't put his mind at ease in the slightest, especially not when he'd have to be confronted with just how damp his hands really were in the common courtesy of a handshake.

Aurelia wasn't much like anything the shifter had previously pictured her as in his head whenever she came up in an anecdote or conversation. He'd always pictured her as Teddy, but, a girl, in a way. They looked the exact same in his head, but his brain just knew the difference between them, man and woman, brother and sister. She was not in fact a carbon copy of her brother, and their appearance most definitely differed, quite dramatically. Aurelia was far warmer. Where Teddy's cheeks and nose would be nipped pink with cold, hers remained untouched, her entire face and what Hosah could see of her body being perfectly bronzed, a similar shade to himself, give or take a good few tones lighter, of course. The warmth didn't just stop at her natural colour palette, but extended in the way she dressed. Earthly, bright, and pretty shades of yellow and beige, in the form of a thick cardigan-coat combination type piece, with a long plaid skirt in a darker brownish colour that went past her knees but not quite to her ankles. If it were on anyone else, Hosah would've thought it to look rather frumpy, like something you'd picture in your head if someone were to say 'librarian', but Aurelia much more closely resembled that of a young, motherly elementary school teacher.

He found himself staring quite a bit at her face before really making a point to speak up, given how visible it was. He'd usually have to crane his neck up to get a good look at Teddy's. Now that he stared, intently, he could see the similarities between herself and her brother. She had a soft, pretty, princess look to her, if that made any sense. Like Natalie Portman, if he squinted his eyes just the right amount. Hosah found himself so immersed in her face, that he didn't even notice her husband, or the baby on his hip, as they entered alongside.

Teddy was right, they'd probably like each other.

"You." Aurelia turned straight towards the shifter, having given her greetings to everyone else, just about, "I've heard so much about you."

Hosah was quite used to the touchy type, being raised in a family where saying 'no' to a hug simply wasn't a thing that could ever even be considered, but the way Aurelia pulled him in and held him closely wasn't anything like that. It was as if they'd known each other before, a reuniting hug, sort of. He supposed that made sense, given how he practically already knew her given how much it seemed Teddy spoke about the both of them to each other. They'd met before, through word of mouth.

It wasn't until Aurelia had let him go that Hosah was able to speak, "I've heard a lot about you too. It's about time we met." He turned to Teddy, tilting his head with a smile.

"What an occasion to bring us together." Teddy sighed with a shake of his head, his hands uncharacteristically planted in either one of his pant pockets. Huh.

Hosah would've said something had he been given the chance. The air of silence to prompt any kind of response from him was taken right before his eyes, however, in the form of an accent that grated at his brain as if it were a block of fancy cheese.

"Edward!" Unlike his son's voice, which had marinated in American over time, becoming an indistinguishable blend of his native European tongue and that of any other born and raised New Yorker, Teddy's father was distinctly different. British. "How are ya?"

The 'ah' sound in every word he spoke came out unnecessarily long, although it wasn't quite the posh voice he'd envisioned in his head given how he already knew the fact Teddy's dad was from England originally.

Teddy didn't respond, he didn't need to, because his father's mouth operated in a similar fashion to that of a motorboat, as it just never stopped, seemingly.

"You look good, you know. That's what they say though. Grief suits some people, you should've seen me when your other grandma died, whewwwww. Probably the only reason I was able to get that spot past ten on The Travel Channel."

That's right. Hosah knew he recognised him from somewhere, although there weren't many people on TV over here with such a distinguishable sound and look to them. Tony's Tables, that's what it was. The poor man's Gordon Ramsey. God, how ecstatic his own father would be to know he's in Tony Randolph's family home.

"This is Hosah. My roommate." Teddy sounded to be nothing but defeated, as if just the mere presence of his father had knocked him down several pegs of volume entirely, his voice being nothing but a mumble.

Hosah was promptly pushed, albeit gently, forward and toward the overly loud and talkative man that was Teddy's dad. Teddy and Tony was quite the duo name, now that he thought about it.

"Right." Tony didn't sound all too enthusiastic about the introduction. "What, are you lovers too? 'Ts not really a 'bring a mate' sort of deal, is it?"

The room fell quiet at the implication. Maybe things weren't going as well as Hosah had originally thought they were.

[rinsuniverse]

Hiii can i request taking care of Jun when he got back from a trip and he’s sick?

[7:02]

moon junhui being a sick baby that you have to care for!

jun is the opposite of jihoon when it comes to relationships, so i hope i captured his personality well!

imagine you're waiting at home by your front door

seventeen was just on tour for awhile and jun missed you so much

he'd constantly be texting you and sending you selfies or pics of his perspective during his trip

he's so clingy, it's physically pains him that he couldn't touch or hug or kiss you for so long

he promises that as soon as he arrives back, he'll go and visit you asap

so you sat there with some meal prepared and some videogames set up for the night his plane was to arrive

you hear some knocks on your door and you open it immediately!

he rushes in, pulling you into a big hug

he's wearing a long trech coat to protect him from the cold, and you reach underneath his coat to wrap your arms tightly around his waist

you both have this competition/inside joke to see who hugs tightest, but he seems weaker than usual, so you let go quicker than usual

"i missed you, junnie. how are you?" you say, closing the front door behind him

as soon as he speaks, you notice something's wrong

"i missed you so much, but i'm great now that i'm here with you-"

"do you have a stuffy nose? your voice sounds nasally and strained."

"what? i'm not-" but he suddenly has a coughing attack

his coughs are very loud and crackly, it makes your eyebrows furrow

you move to take off his jacket for him

"i'm sorry," he says, grabbing the jacket from you and putting it to the side so he can cling onto you

"don't be sorry, silly. i know you like to work really hard, so i'm not surprised you overworked yourself"

"it smells good, did you cook something for me?"

"don't worry about it. i'll pack it for tomorrow because you need some warm stew tonight," you insist

he's smiling so wide

he loves taking care of you, so when you take care of him in return, he swears his heart flutters

jun is the type to not share his emotions, to be honest

if he does, it'd be in a joking way because he doesn't want to make others worry about him

"i'm not sick. i'm just super siiiick like dope and swag and sexy," he says, wanting to see your reaction

you chuckle, rolling your eyes as you waddle around the kitchen, making him the stew with him backhugging you

his chin is resting on your shoulder and whenever he talks, he moves so he's quietly talking in your ear

"you should go lay down or something"

"no, it feels nice like this"

if he's tired or sick, he'll be even more clingy to you, trust me

"you should make it really spicy to clear my sinuses. i'm great with spice."

"yeah, whatever you say."

dont let him see you rolling your eyes pls

you do make it a bit spicy for him

you manage to make him some stew as he clings to you like a koala

you sit down together in the living room in front of the tv and he's pouting when he sees the videogames set up

"you set this all up for us?"

"of course, but you need to rest. we can play tomorrow since you're definitely taking the day off of work, right?"

he nods, obeying easily

"good."

"hmm, my arms are really really tired, you know, y/n?"

"what? did you dance too hard or something?"

"i'm not sure, but i think you might need to feed me."

"really? ((T_T))"

he starts fake crying loudly, coughing a few times, that you try and shut him up by covering his mouth with your hand

you do end up spoon feeding him (and he loves it so much, he's eating that sht up)

after he eats, you manage to get him to stop clinging to you so you can fetch him some medicine for him to take

you take notes on your phone, setting an alarm for the next time he needs a dosage

he listens to you easily because (1) he loves you, and (2) he literally is too tired to refuse

the two of you head to bed early, and you play a movie to try and distract him

poor baby gets a fever as it gets later into the night and you start worrying sick

"jun, there's no way you're okay! your head is steaming hot and you have the chills!"

"don't worry about me, just come hereee, baby"

"jun."

"fine."

you get some rags and some ice water with some alcohol in it to press against his forehead and neck

at the end of the night, as he's slowly falling asleep, he turns to look at you

he moves his hand to caress your cheek "thanks for taking care of me, y/n. this means the world to me."

"of course. be more careful of your health next time, though. but if not, i'll still be here to care for you, okay?"

he moves his hand to be behind your neck, and he pulls you into a quick kiss, giggling to himself as he falls asleep

you end up becoming sick too, but it's fine. you both will end up taking care of each other until you're better 🤍

STREAM PSYCHO BY JUN!!!

i hope you enjoyed this, anon. thank you so much for the request. feel free to request more! ✧( ु•⌄• )◞◟( •⌄• ू )✧

(p.s. requests are now open! ς(>‿<.))

[enm-enthusiast]

The Exhibitionists Club Ch. 6 - Thomas Part 2

Author's Note: Two Parts in one day! I know it'd been a while since I last posted, life gets in the way and whatnot but I'm still here and dedicated to giving you the stories you all love!

This chapter will be focused on Thomas from Ethan's perspective...does our stud Professor have the hots for one of his students??? Find out ;)

Part 2 -

Two Parts in One!

Ethan I had just sent away Professor Whittle and her small group of female volunteers when Thomas finally showed up. Only three other male students had agreed to participate which was fine, seeing as the study was meant to be on a small scale though I would interview each of them separately to make them more comfortable…for what came next. Thomas was the last to arrive, and when he entered he looked flustered like he had lost track of time, and I thought it was perhaps from being exhausted, studying perhaps?

I’m ashamed to admit that I found the lad quite beautiful, he had a thin but angular face, with sharp blue eyes and wavy dark hair that narrowly avoided going past his eyes. He wore a plain green tshirt, a dark brown coat from being outside, and brown pants. When I had finally gotten a closer look at him when he came up to me earlier, I thought he was the most beautiful young man I had ever seen, and my cock had started to rise in my pants as if in response to an attractive fellow male in my presence.

I felt a slight heat rise in my cheeks as well, because I could feel the arousal in my loins but it was only a little, not so much as to pop a boner right here and now…not yet anyways.

“Ah, Thomas, I was afraid you weren’t going to show up after all,” I said.

“No, just-just got…lost around the building, that’s all” he replied in heaving breaths. “Regardless, I’m glad you're here because now we can start” I said and directed him to sit with the others.

He did as I told him and it sent a rush through me that he was so quick to obey… “Now, you all know why you are here, I assume you’ve got your forms all signed and you will hand them to me” I said and sure enough all four of my volunteers handed over their signed forms which had now effectively sealed their fates.

“Good, now then, here’s how it works, I’ll call you one at a time and you’ll proceed into the medical exam room right behind me”-I said, pointing towards the door.

“Once you are inside with me, you are to follow all of my instructions to the letter, and will continue to remain part of the study until its duration, understood?” I said, and the first three nodded but Thomas…hesitated before agreeing.

“Excellent, now, Blake is it? You're up first” I said and the tall skinny blonde from my Anatomy II class followed me into the medical exam room, and as I closed the door I glanced towards Thomas and we locked eyes for a split second before I fully closed it. I silently cursed myself to get a grip and be professional, he's a student for god’s sake!

Thomas He’s a professor for god’s sake! I thought as I noticed Professor Ethan’s gaze locked onto me right before he closed the door. I could hardly ignore my dick twitching in my pants as I saw that familiar gleam in my professor’s eyes…I still couldn’t quite figure out what it was exactly, but I had my suspicions. Still, he couldn’t possibly be interested in me…would he? He was the star Adonis of the campus, all his students talked about how hot he was and were jealous of whoever got to date him. So the thought of him desiring me was absolutely preposterous…wasn’t it?

I waited there, down at the end of the row of pull-up chairs that were put out for everyone to sit, and as I sat there my mind was an influx of emotions, ones worried about George, others on getting this extra credit, and now I have to deal with a possible crush on my professor??? It was enough that by the time that Blake had returned it seemed only seconds had passed for me. The tall blonde looked…different, like a warm glow about him but also an ashamed look in his eyes as well. Next up was Wes, a medium-height caramel skin and shoulder-length hair that it seemed he braided himself and when he was in there I swore I could hear them talking or some very…odd noises. Regardless, he came out quicker than Blake did and had a satisfied smile on his face. Next up was the guy sitting at the opposite end and for the first time I noticed…it was George from the Anatomy I class. He was glaring right at me, his ice-cold stare sent chills down my spine like it did before and Professor Ethan looked disturbed when he had to call him in. Not taking his eyes off me, George got up and followed Ethan into the exam room.

For some reason, George was in there a lot longer than the other two, longer than they probably should have. I started to worry, remembering George’s threats from earlier, what exactly did he mean when he said “or else I’ll make you my little bitch, too?” that didn’t make any sense at all! nonetheless…I was about to get up and go find Professor Whittle when at long last George emerged from the exam room and he had a devilish smile on his face. Ethan looked…disheveled, but nonetheless the same if a bit more stiff and stoic than he usually was. George didn’t glare at me again, instead he merely winked and walked right out, leaving it just between me, and professor Ethan.

Ethan “Thomas Miller? Come on in, you're the last one” I said, trying to sound as professional as possible and not like my ass had just been rammed into, I felt ashamed and disgusted with myself for continuing to let George do this to me. Ever since he and James had…stolen my clothes and done all those…other things then maybe I would feel like I still had a shred of dignity to my name. But now? Every time George got me alone these days he held that copy of the video over my head and I had no choice or I’d lose my job at best and go to prison at worst. Most of the time he just wanted to fuck me, other days he’d strip off all my clothes and leave me tied up to my own office chair until the janitor found me and helped me. Thankfully I was able to play it off as a silly prank by some trouble-making students.

Just now? As soon as the door was closed he wasted no time, he bent me over the table that I now directed Thomas to sit on and then he…took off my pants and started pounding my ass, he had even grabbed my hair, and I thanked god that the walls were thicker in this building because even though I stifled my moans, George never made an attempt to hide what he was feeling. The little punk had the nerve to threaten me before he left…he told me to keep my eyes off of the other guys in the class, said I was his and that he didn’t like to share. He seemed particularly focused on Thomas about that last bit, and it worried me, he could do whatever he wanted to me but I drew the line at hurting my students! I had to do something about this, it was far past time and needed to take action now before Thomas or anyone else…got hurt.

“Professor? Is everything alright?” I heard Thomas say and I turned to look at him and with the lamp shining directly on him I stifled a breath in surprise because he looked absolutely beautiful, even more so than usual.

I realized then I had been staring at my clipboard for a few minutes now, distracted by my thoughts about George. “Oh, yes just…checking to make sure I had to right papers for you here” I said and to prove it I got a new copy of his initial charts and refilled out all his information on it before I collected myself and started preparing him and myself…because I was about to see Thomas butt naked.

“Alright…here’s how it works Thomas, first I need to do a full check of your male anatomy so…I’m going to need you to take off all your clothes please, and put them on the chair by the door” I said, my voice even despite that my cock was literally lurching to life in anticipation.

Thomas’ face grew bright red, and under the lamp light it only made the color more prominent which made him so adorable…but nonetheless he didn’t seem surprised, in fact he didn’t even voice any protests like Blake had.

He hesitated at first, but he muttered something and despite that he was still bright red he got up and with great reluctance he began to pull off his clothes. First he removed his socks and shoes, afterwards his coat and at the first glance of his upper body I could feel the blood rushing to my dick. I tried not to stare, captivated as Thomas lifted his shirt over his head exposing his bare torso but I was surprised by how much musculature he had on him it was difficult for me to try and concentrate on filling out the form in front of me especially as my cock started to ache inside my pants.

What came next, though, was Thomas slowly unbuckling his belt and unzipping his jeans. He kept his head down but I could tell he was so embarrassed to be exposing himself to his own teacher, but it seemed…more than that somehow. I peeked inside his pants and my cock rose to full hardness when I saw the sexiest burgundy red silk briefs on him. I was positively drooling at the sight, but I managed to tear my gaze away and take notes on Thomas’ male anatomy features. At least that wasn’t so difficult to do in this state, especially as the lad finished removing his jeans which left him in nothing but his briefs. My breath caught in my throat as he slowly grasped each side of his briefs and slowly lowered them down his legs. My dick throbbed and even felt it leak a little as I saw Thomas’ perfect cut cock come into full view. It seemed that Thomas regularly shaved off his pubes which only made his dick seem that much larger, there was already a little blood rushing to it so…I was guessing maybe 7 inches? The perfect length, too….no, stop it he’s your student I said to myself.

Thomas stood there, fully naked in front of me and he slowly started to gather up his clothes and placed them on the chair beside the door as I instructed and stood there by the table with his arms covering up his crotch. “I’m sorry Thomas, but I need to examine your anatomy and that means…genitalia too” I said, gently trying to calm the poor kid down.

Thomas grew redder in the face but he moved his hands aside and his cock had grown to half-mast now, and with my clipboard in hand I prepared the checklist the same as the others…

“Now, for our first overview I’m going to be observing your anatomy, and once I am done with that I will be testing your body’s sensitive areas to get a rudimentary idea of your body’s sexual arousal response, alright?” I said, again gently.

Thomas didn’t object but nor did he respond except for a slight nod of his head and refused to meet my eyes. I could hardly blame him, but I had a job to do still despite the aching boner in my own pants.

So, I raked my eyes over Thomas’ naked body and the more I looked at it the more…aroused I got, he had such an incredible and beautiful body that I took clear detailed notes on the various parts of his anatomy and from what I could see and my general knowledge of human anatomy Thomas was a healthy, fit young male like anyone else except…

He was hard. Fully hard. By the time I was able to move past Thomas’ juicy bubble butt towards his front the lad’s head was upwards, refusing to look at me as I gazed at his amazingly hard cock which dangled between his legs like a trapped treat that was begging me to reach out and touch it only to end up paying for it if I dared to do such a thing. After that, however, I had to start testing his erogenous zones which started towards the top, specifically his ears which surprisingly earned a twitch from his still fully hard cock down there. When I reached his nipples I got a much bigger response from him, I saw him biting his lip as I used my gloved hands to massage them. My cock was practically begging and felt like it would rip through the fabric and just flop out in the open.

I couldn’t help but to try and twist one of them a little and I heard a soft “oh!” escape from Thomas’ lips. “Good, subject has ummm…sensitive response to stimuli around the nipple area” I managed to say.

I moved on towards his lower half now, one gloved hand feeling down his torso to test for sensitive areas which Thomas didn’t seem to have. However, next came the rather more fun part, depending on your perspective.

“Thomas? Next is gluteus and penile stimulation, just so you are aware and of course please state if you are in any distress as I complete your examination” I said, sounding rather professional this time.

“O-okay, but be careful I’m rather…sensitive down there” he said, his voice wobbly and embarrassed but I gave him a reassuring smile. That seemed to relax him a bit, and he closed his eyes as I reached around his waist and gently massaged around his butt. I couldn’t believe I had my hands massaging Thomas’ ass, I was afraid of getting too close to Thomas’ legs or he’d know I have a hard on, big time. Thomas seemed to find the sensation stimulating but not as sensitive as his nipple area which I added to the notes. Next was the finale, I gingerly reached out and grabbed his cock gently but firmly in my hand to test the firmness of his arousal and what I felt blew me away completely. I was such a torrent of conflicting desires.

I used my free hand to caress his balls, the combination of which made Thomas moan through gritted teeth. Now I had to further stimulate him and I prayed to whoever was out there that what I was hoping for came true. I used the tips of my fingers to stimulate the glans at the tip of his penis.

“Oh! Fuckkkkk” Thomas whispered out loud. I was almost done here, so I continued to fondle his balls and teasing the tip of his cock when suddenly I heard him say: “Fuck…Professor umm…I’m gonna…if you don’t stop” he said.

I didn’t stop.

Instead, I started slowly jerking his cock, increasing the pace until I could see his body language communicate for him as his muscles contracted and legs buckled as he shot his load. Thankfully I aimed it towards a small cup I had for this exact purpose. I forgot to mention we needed to collect sperm samples from all the volunteers…it seemed Thomas really enjoyed doing it this way. He grunted and moaned as he shot his load inside the cup and I managed to collect most of it, with only a few drops on the floor, none of the others had shot nearly as much. I was…impressed, almost like a display of dominance. I cast those thoughts aside as I let Thomas recover and finished up taking my notes and made sure to say “Don’t worry, we already collected your sperm sample for the study so you are all good to go, your clothes are in the cor-” I said and looked to see Thomas had already started getting dressed, his eyes downcast, ashamed.

“Thomas? What’s wrong?” I asked him, concerned.

“Professor…you said you took my sperm sample…what did that mean, exactly?” he asked.

“Oh, oh! I’m so sorry Thomas I forgot to mention it, we do it with all the other volunteers, see?” I said, indicating the row of three cups on the medical counter which all had sperm samples of the previous three volunteers…even George.

Thomas immediately lightened up a bit after that and started to pull his clothes back on, which seemed a shame as he truly was as beautiful as I imagined…not that I imagined it at all.

“Our next scheduled interview will be the same time tomorrow night, where we will go over the more extensive rules of this study, so be on time” I said, ignoring the aching need for release in my own pants. Thomas finished getting dressed and gave me a wan smile and said “Don’t worry, I’ll be here, can’t afford without that extra credit after all” he said. I showed him the way out and once the door had closed behind him, I immediately locked it because now…now I needed some release and started undoing my pants…

Thomas I couldn’t process what just happened, the hottest professor on campus now only just saw me naked but he actually jerked me off! No wonder the others looked so different when they came out…even George. I walked back towards my dorm building where Seb was waiting for me, it was already dark and the security guards were out on patrol but I didn’t care about any of it because I was slowly reaching a conclusion that in truth I already knew but I didn’t want to admit it. As I climbed the steps up towards my dorm, I braced myself because I had no idea how he would react and…he could get rather jealous at times. There was only one way to find out as I walked in and greeted my boyfriend with a smile, and he immediately leaped up towards me and planted a kiss on my cheek. I blushed and smiled at him but I told him I needed to tell him something. He sat on the couch as he waited for me to find the words, but it was…hard, much harder than I thought until I managed to blurt out “I think…I think I want to fuck Professor Ethan!” I said.

End of Part 2.

Author’s Note: Next chapter is going to see an escalation as Thomas attempts to navigate his burning desire to fuck his teacher and needing the extra credit to pass the class…elsewhere, jealous George is up to something new this time, but who is the target of his latest scheme? Find out the next chapter everyone!

[my-st0ff]

Acid Rain

Chapter One

Fandom: American Psycho

Pairing: Patrick Bateman x female reader

Chapter song: Acid Rain - Robert Delong (lyrics in bold)

Summary: Set after the events of the film and going off of the conclusion that Patrick did not actually murder anybody and it was all in his head.

After a recent breakup you meet a tall, handsome stranger on a night out. A handsome stranger who seems to have an extremely alluring aura. So alluring that after one short encounter your questioning whether you might have finally met your perfect match. Though I mean he is a bit... much at times...

Clubbing really just wasn't all that fun anymore. You'd enjoyed it when you were younger and had alot more friends, but nowadays you tended to keep yourself to yourself and were sort of a loner. Especially since your breakup, a couple weeks ago now, with your ex boyfriend Murray. What a slob, he'd never even take me out dancing you thought to yourself as you chucked another vodka shot down and headed toward the dancefloor. Not to dance, not really, just sort of move about smoothy in one spot and enjoy being fucking drunk. You spun your body around to face the bar as you started to sway in the crowd when all of a sudden your eyes were completely fixated on the figure of a tall man in a long coat. He stood so so still and he seemed to be staring straight back at you. Strobe lights made it impossible to see any features of his, you bit your lip flirtatiously and stared at the face of the shadow that stood by the bar as you swayed your hips - you could do with a little excitement after all. The colors screened him and then you saw through, a chiseled face with slicked back chestnut hair accompanied by a suited body with a long coat over - though neither the suit nor coat concealed that he was clearly in quite amazing shape and to top it all off, a playful smile painted his cheeks whilst his eyes lay on yours. You stopped moving for a second when you saw him, in shock of your luck. You looked at him with an open smile until he began to walk out of view like nothing. Your smile fading as your eyes remain glued to him until he's completely out of view again and hidden within the crowd.

After a solid ten minutes you'd finally come to terms with the fact you weren't going to stop thinking about your handsome stranger. Your mind could not rest on any other topic, it was all so thrilling and exactly what you needed after such a trying few weeks. You decided it'd probably be best to just take a breather from the crowd and all this excitement. You headed to the bathroom which would ultimately also be packed but definitely not as bad as the rest of the club. You were moments away from opening the door into the restroom, then you saw him.

You: "hey!"

You call to no reply. You shuffle quickly through people to try and catch up with him as he walks the other direction, toward the exit of the club. He seemed to easily and smoothly make his way through the crowd, as if everyone just moved out of his way upon threat or some other reason. You, almost breathless now, grab his shoulder, causing him to turn to you - making the two of you now chest to chest. You looked up at him realising you had nothing planned out to say and just awkwardly stared, though his eyes were so strangely hypnotising you couldn't look away if you tried - and you did.

"can I help you pumpkin?"

You laugh nervously but his face remains plastered with a smug and small smile.

You: "y-you were watching me dancing"

You shout above the noise

"I was. I like the way you move"

Your face becomes slightly hot at his words and your grin is unbreakable

You: "in that case, care to join me?"

"I was actually about to leave"

He speaks so strangely formal, just something you'd noticed straight away

You: "pretty please"

Your confidence growing

"what's your poison sweetheart?"

You: "uh, raspberry vodka and coke"

You answer in a tone that sounds like your asking a question. In hopes of validation

"y'know I do quite like sweet things... so why not"

He says and immediately begins walking over to the bar, making it so you have to follow and catch up with him. Once there, he hands you the already made drink. Exactly what you said. Then he turns to you, leaning on the bar.

"I'm Patrick Bateman"

You swallow your sip quickly to add to the abruptly started conversation

You: "y/n y/l/n"

Patrick: "well isn't that a pretty name, d'you have a pretty job to suit it?"

You: "I'm a- um- hairdresser"

You smile and continue sipping

Patrick: "oh really? Where'd you work?"

You: "I work from home, y'know people come to me to get their hair done"

Patrick: "is that beneficial? Wouldn't you be better off, financially, working in a shop?"

You were a little taken back by his question but truly admired his bluntness. You'd never been a fan of sugar-coating.

You: "well I'm planning on opening up my own hairdressers eventually. That's what my mum did"

Patrick: "why don't you work there?"

You: "oh it um closed down after she died"

Patrick: "I'm sorry to hear that y/n"

You: "nah don't be, years ago now so"

Patrick: "do you mind if I ask what brings you here tonight? As you seem to be alone, unless I'm mistaken"

You: "yeah I just uh, needed to get out of my apartment, have some fun by myself y'know"

Patrick: "break up with a partner recently?"

You are completely taken back

You: "how... how'd you know that?"

Patrick: "you just said, wanted to have some fun by yourself, makes it a little obvious y/n"

You: "I think your just very observant. I like that"

You smile up at him

Patrick: "what went wrong between the two of you then?"

You: "not able to figure that one out aswell, no?"

Patrick: "no actually"

He huff-laughs a little. You roll your eyes and with a sigh begin to explain:

You: "he just wanted sex all the time and it was sort of all that he wanted from me. The spark died ages ago and it just became mindless fucking"

Patrick couldn't deny to himself that hearing your beautiful mouth produce such an abhorrent word turned him on just a bit. He ignored it just for now though, he wanted this conversation to keep going smoothly and wanted to keep having control over it.

Patrick: "not a fan of mindless fucking, no?"

You: "depends. I dunno' I just sometimes miss how sex used to feel and how I used to think about it. Y'know when you first start having sex and everything is electric... but the feeling slipped away at about 25, I dunno', you ever feel like that?"

Patrick: "absolutely. I just have sex because it's a primal need, I can't remember the last time I actually had fun or really really enjoyed sex"

You: "really? I- I've never met someone who got what I meant, like my girlfriends never did, and Murray sure didn't- my ex"

Patrick: "I'm glad I could do that for you... This Murray didn't treat you very well I presume?"

You: "no- well- neither did I, I didn't treat him great either, we just didn't work out. I wanted it to feel the same way as the first time but it just didn't compute for him every time I tried to communicate it to him I guess"

Without you even realising that his hand had snaked towards you, his hand suddenly landed on your lower arm and slid down smoothly and then intertwined his fingers with yours.

Patrick: "what if I said I could do that for you y/n?"

Your face gets that hot feeling again and now your visibly blushing

You: "I'd say your wrong - even if you think your not"

Your faces are gradually edging closer to one another as you speak now

Patrick: "I'm not trying to cause an argument but I think your actually wrong... why don't you come back to mine? I'd love to keep talking with you y/n"

He looks down at your lips

You: "okay, yeah why not"

Your staring directly at his lips but immediately after you agree he turns toward the exit, letting go of your arm aswell in the process. You, catching on from the last time he'd done this, follow behind him quickly.

Once you'd gotten a fairly quiet taxi back to his, and had enough time to take in the magnificence of his apartment, you'd settled with a glass of prosecco on his sofa. Patrick wandered over and took a seat next to you.

Patrick: "don't you get too drunk now"

You: "why not?"

You playfully snap back, feeling just a little springy after the few drinks you'd had tonight.

Patrick: "cus I want you to remember tonight"

He says, his body faced toward you and his large hand now planted on your bare thigh, fingers teasing the bottom of your skirt.

Patrick: "d'you get told your beautiful often y/n?"

You giggle and answer

You: "no, why Patrick?"

Patrick: "good, makes it ever so much sweeter to tell you myself. Because then your smile will be so full of genuine fluster"

You look down nervously with a small smile. Patrick moves closer to you so that your knees are touching, he brushed a piece of hair behind your ear so that he can see your face then takes your hands in his - dwarfing your hands.

Patrick: "you are so beautiful y/n"

You nervously giggle and bite your bottom lip

Patrick: "an earth angel - I would argue"

You: "oh my god"

Your words completely flustered, you hated it but whatever he was playing at was completely working.

Patrick: "look at me"

He softly commands and you raise your head to meet soft and longing eyes.

Patrick: "y/n"

You: "yes, Patrick?"

Patrick: "can I please kiss you?"

You: "yes, Patrick"

You grin. He leans in slowly and finally his sweet and perfectly soft lips fall onto yours. Your grin spreads to his cheeks and it becomes at first a sweet and toothy kiss until Patrick asserts a seriousness by stopping smiling in just a millisecond like nothing. The kiss becoming more passionate, you lift one of your hands from his to cup his right cheek and rub little circles with your thumb onto his chiseled cheekbone as he kissed you so sweetly as if he needed this so badly and only this. You begin to lift the leg farthest from him and move it onto the other side of his legs whilst shifting your body round so that you plant yourself in his lap, all the while not breaking the kiss. Your hand moves up from his cheek and into his thick locks of hair, you tangle your fingers within them, scruffing up what he had obviously perfected before leaving his apartment this morning. His hands rubbed up and down your back and then your sides, taking in and admiring your figure. You were becoming comfortable with him but were still so nervous to mess anything up, he seemed so sure of himself and like everything he wanted to do would just run down his brain stem and out his fingers like nothing. He definitely had total control over you. Then, without warning, Bateman stood from the sofa, taking you with him in his arms with a strong grip, you let out a yelp of suprise into his lips when he did so. He began determined strides towards what you could only assume to be his bedroom, but you were sure of it when lowered back onto an insanely soft duvet. Patrick finally breaks away so that he can stand straight and begin to unbutton his shirt whilst you lay there watching. All of a sudden you begin imagining how horribly this could go, you started believing that he'd charmed and fooled you and was about to use you like every other shoddy guy would have at that club if they got the chance. You started to regret everything. You became fidgety and were completely zoned out until you felt lips pressing small pecks up your lower legs and eventually onto your thighs. Kisses light as feathers. You tried to think of how this was a bad idea again but the vision slipped away into nothing, he was giving you true and passionate affection and your intrusive thoughts were immediately passifide. You hummed in small affirmations of pleasure to communicate to keep going as he made his way up your legs and eventually circled your crotch. Kissing your inner thighs whilst slowly spreading them apart and caressing your lower belly. All of a sudden he stops, you finally open your eyes to look down at him.

Patrick: "I want to make love to you y/n"

Your eyebrows arch upwards and you bite your lip with anticipation once again

Patrick: "can I please make love to you?"

You: "yes- please"

You almost beg. You don't even care about how pathetic you may or may not sound and look. You trail your eyes down his built figure and eventually land on his hands as they undo and then pull down his suit trousers. Without even a little hesitation he then pulls down and chucks aside his boxers, revealing his above averagely sized and twitching member, fully erect. Your eyes dart back to his face and he starts to pace back toward you, you shuffle your way up the bed and stop at the headboard so that he could crawl on top of you. He helps you pull down the straps of your tank top whilst placing delicate kisses onto your shoulders and collarbone whilst you shimmy off your skirt and underwear beneath him. Finally, he reaches around your torso and unclips your bra, whilst making eye contact with you the entire time.

Patrick: "lay down"

You shuffle completely beneath him and he then places himself above you, his elbows supporting him on either side of your head. You turn your head to face one of his massive upper-arms for a second and place a few little kisses on it, then looking back up at him with lustful, glossed-over eyes. Without warning, he pushes himself inside of you.

You: "oh god"

You gasp, feeling him slowly push in his entire length. You grab ahold of one of his biceps and squeeze as support, making little hums and gasps as he eventually sits his cock inside of you fully for a moment.

Patrick: "god, you feel as beautiful as you look y/n"

You: "p-please"

Patrick: "please what baby?"

You: "make love to me- I need you to make love to me Patrick"

You'd met this man four-ish hours ago and your begging him to 'make love to you'. You were completely hypnotised by this man. Without hesitation, Patrick began to slowly move his length in and out of you, letting out a long sigh of pleasure as he did so. You followed with a string of harmonious moans as he repeated the motion at a medium pace. You wanted to screw your eyes shut from the pleasure but forced yourself not to so that you could stare into the warm-like-honey eyes of the man above you. You reach up your hands so that you can drag your fingers up and down his cheeks, jaw and temples. Bateman moves his head down so that his forehead can press to yours and then blesses you with another hot kiss.

You: "th-that's the spot- don't stop- please"

You fumble onto his lips and Patrick begins to hit that sweet spot over and over again even harder with longer and deeper thrusts.

You: "o-oh god"

Patrick: "like that?"

You nod frantically and he begins to nibble on the side of your neck

You: "Patrick, I'm not gonna last!"

You squeak

Patrick: "it's okay pumpkin, let it out"

He muffles into your neck and your hand springs to his head so that you can grip his hair. When you tug, hard, he lets out an animalistic groan. His growingly loud moans push you further and further until your completely over the edge - your thighs squeezing as hard as you can around his hips as you go silent and still for a moment before letting out a blaring moan and your body begining to shake. Patrick, about to follow after you, frantically asks:

Patrick: "i-im gonna- d'you want me to pull-"

You cut him off

You: "I'm on the pill! Just do it"

You state carelessly. At your command Patrick immediately cums inside of you, letting out a loud moan mixed with whines breaking in within the groan. Once he'd come down from his high he lay inside you still, his body collapsed onto yours and letting out small whimpers, panting. You tickle your nails in circles around his shoulder blades and then down and up his slightly pokey spine.

Patrick: "h-how was that for you"

He muffles into your chest

You: "it was... perfect, it was exactly what I needed. I-it felt like the first time..."

Patrick: "I told you"

He giggles into your chest and plants a kiss onto the side of your boob. His eyes drooping shut again and again uncontrollably. Before he completely falls asleep he decided to shuffle up and next to you, he flops onto his back and drags the arm closest to you around your torso, pulling you close, on your back, to his warm body.

You: "I like your watch"

You comment, noticing the very expensive looking silver watch that decorated his right wrist. You reach down to run your fingertips over the intricacies of the silver. He flinches just a tiny bit when your fingers first land on it but then relaxes.

Patrick: "th-there's something about you y/n"

He tiredly grumbles

You: "oh yeah? There's something about you too"

You answer, finding the comment sweet and almost flustering

Patrick: "I was completely planning on staying home tonight but for some reason my gut was telling me to go out, so I decided to follow the signs, and then I saw you"

You: "well ain't that somethin'"

You smile, listening to what you believe to be his half-asleep ramblings

Patrick: "I... think I met my savior tonight..."

You: "hm?"

You look back at him a little confused but see him completely nodded off. You forget it and snuggle to his chest, wrapping an arm around him and soon falling asleep in his incredible bed, a muscular, perfect arm wrapped around you.

Chapter Two:

[thyandrawrites]

Ok this is not really an important topic but in most fanfics I read Dabi is insecure about his scars and the way he looks but I actually feel like it'd be the opposite? Like he would think that he looks gruesome and ugly but also enjoys how the way he looks make people (especially his family and heroes) feel uneasy and disturbed. His burns are endvr's and hero society's fault, and he wants people to see that. Or maybe he wouldn't care at all since his only purpose in life is taking endvr down. Anyway what do you think about it?

Disclaimer: fanfic is often very personal to the author and doesn’t have to line up with canon. Sometimes fic writers just want to explore things exactly because the source material never went there, and I don’t think it’s fair to judge them for something they create out of love. Fanfic also shouldn’t be taken as a 1:1 of that person’s views of canon imho. I know I’ve jumped between opposite headcanons on the subject (and other things), and that might be true for others as well.

That being said, staying true to what we see in canon… Dabi seems rather… impassive about his scars. The one time we see him openly acknowledge them (that wasn’t when someone else brought them up first) was when he was on that ratty couch after the war, looking at the back of his hand and noticing the new burns. His reaction however is fairly subdued, almost indifferent. He doesn’t feel the pain attached anymore, and even if it did, it wouldn’t matter. His whole focus shifts back to Endvr a beat later, to the goal of getting his revenge and making his family look at him. 

If I had to hazard a comparison, the way Dabi thinks about his scars is very similar to how Deku thinks about his. Both of them see them as a means to an end, or rather, as an unfortunate but tolerable compromise that lets them get to their desired end goal. How they get there doesn’t matter, so long as they do. They sort of… accepted that their quirks will always take a toll on their bodies, and are now fairly blasé about it. They don’t even blink twice when they get new ones, tho they also typically don’t go out of their way to injure themselves if they can help it, if that makes sense. 

As for the insecurity angle… canon-wise, we don’t really see him struggle with his appearance. In fact, Horikoshi plays it up quite a bit. After joining the League, Dabi’s ratty and plain clothes get swapped for an outfit whose trench coat has suture-like stitches, and they’re clearly meant to mimic his seams and staples. Then in the PLF arc said stitches extend to most of his clothing. Whether you want to take that as a simple character design choice on Hori’s part or not, Dabi does wear those fits, and that’s not something he would do if he was self-conscious about his appearance imho. At least for the PLF one, we can assume it was commissioned (to Detnerat, maybe? I don’t remember) because it was tailor-made to be fireproof. So Dabi could’ve turned it down if it crossed any boundaries, I think. 

However, I want to mention that Dabi does have some self-perception issues stemming from his scars. Or more precisely, stemming from people’s comments on them. Understandably, he takes issue when he’s judged based on his burns. However, I would say that it goes past the distaste he holds for actual prejudice (see: Geten, those alley thugs he cremated), and extends to any sort of unwanted attention on his burns. He’s so used to getting negative feedback for them that he bristles even in the face of genuine worry (Fuyumi, Toga). He seems to take any attention on his scars as negative attention, after being conditioned that way by his father’s upbringing. Whenever someone points out that he’s burning, or that he’s scarred, he looks disgruntled, sometimes downright hostile, with the sole exception of that time with Shouto during the war arc (where he wasn’t fully lucid anyway). 

So I would say that he is self-conscious about that. He fears being judged only because of his lack of fire resistance, rather than for his skills, since that’s what happened in the past. The reminder brings up unpleasant feelings, so he shuts it down. Much like when he was a kid, he wants people to focus on what he can do, and not on the limitations of his quirk. On him, rather than on his injuries.

That’s about all we know from canon o/

[moltensmusings]

About to ramble a bit about my thoughts on volume 4 now that I'm rewatching it. It'll be positives mixed with negatives. A bit long so under the cut.

I am enjoying volume 4 of rwby more now. Still don't like the Blake plotline, hurting knowing sun will be going away soon. Maybe he's not the best at reading situations but the way some fans act like he's the worst and are okay with the writers just massacring his character hurts. He's just trying to be a good friend to Blake and be supportive.

I wouldn't mind Kali and Ghira as characters if they weren't related to Blake. Or at least not her parents. Their designs are nice but I never have been a fan of her suddenly having parents when it always seemed implied that she was an orphan or at least from a lower class family. I also don't really like how Ghira treats Sun, maybe if he wasn't the overprotective father stereotype I'd have less issues with him.

I'm wondering why Oobleck and Port didn't get new outfits. Those men have been in their teacher outfits since we met them. They have no other clothes. Please I'm begging for them to get new clothes.

I don't have really any negative feelings about Weiss' plot currently outside of wishing her butler wasn't all seven dwarves in one. It feels a bit gimmicky and of they were broken into 7 workers at her parents home it would make the Schnee family feel wealthier through having more people employed.

I finally figured out what about Blake bothers me: She's running so the large amount of white feels like a weird choice, it being a long coat is something I don't like. If it was short all around, I'd prefer it, and I think it should've been closed.

I still think they were too heavy handed with Tyrion as a villain. I love unhinged villain characters but he seems more ridiculous than scary in his scenes. If they pulled back a bit and had him be more invasive when interacting with others than laughing all the time it'd work better. Specifically I really enjoyed how they handled his writing in the fight against RNJR. It's more noticeable because of how understated most of the inner circle is.

All the female characters having larger eyes and rounder faces bothers me mainly for the older characters. Raven having smaller eyes would make her look her age and work far better. Though I wish it general there were areas of hee design they altered to make her visually more mature and seasoned.

Things I do really like: the appearances for the new characters, weiss having moments where she lashes out after clearly feeling suffocated by perfection and angry at everything bad that has happened, yang and her quiet dealings with her trauma and feelings, getting to explore other towns and areas as team RNJR travels, the story being allowed to slow down more. The pacing of this and season 3 does make me again wish we had one more season to build up characters before the fall of Beacon. Overall I still do prefer season 3 over this season but it's not as bad as I remember it being.

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

Your anthro Ingo where he's all thin and pale and ghostly and he looks almost feral, is. SO. FUCKING. COOL. Dude, dude. He looks so fucked up, I love him, I love him so much. I love all of the rest of them too, trust me, but oh my god. Just, the contrast between him in Hisui and him before he fell is stellar. Fantastic even. And his EARS. His haunted eyes, his canon posture that has new connotations, the way you can see his spine through his coat. The cute aggression is real, I want to shake him around like a dog with a toy and then wrap him in a blanket and cuddle him close.

Wait, no, okay, I'm going a little bit crazy over this. I haven't drawn anything in like two years because of art block, but this. You have ignited a fire with this. So. That is a thing that is currently happening. I hope you don't mind? Who knows if I'll actually finish it, but I've made quite a lot of headway.

But anyway.

I mean, I don't how many more there'd be or if it's just Adaman and Mai in the clan right now that are reptiles, but I do think that historically they produce much, much more than the Pearl Clan, and I don't think Galaxy Team is too likely to have many either. Their populations are just so sparse you probably don't get most than a handful of any given type of animal.

Actually, I wonder if Adaman or Mai would be the one to approach Ingo about it first. Adaman if Irida decided that it was worth asking for help from the Diamond Clan if it meant her friend and warden was able to function better (which I figure she would, if she realized they might know something he could benefit from), or Mai if she just noticed at a warden's meeting that Ingo was struggling, put together why, and felt compelled to offer him some advice. Not sure if Mai would be the type to offer unsolicited help, but she seems like the responsible type and might be inclined to if only because he's a fellow warden.

Oh shit, you're absolutely right. Even though it probably isn't super safe for an arctic animal to visit the mirelands or coastlands during the summer, she and the others still could pass through safely as long as they weren't like vigorously exercising and kept hydrated, and at pretty much all times of the year they'd be okay in three of the five regions. Ingo can only go to like, two safely, and even then it's probably hard for him to go up towards Snowpeak for too long. Good thing it was Melli who got Moonview Arena and not him. Even if that doesn't really feel like a punishment to Ingo, I do think you're right that it'd hurt Irida. It'd probably help that he can still go to Jubilife once he starts wanting to, since at the very least he's able to go do something he has fun doing. I bet that'd actually mean a lot to her, to know that she hasn't basically shackled him to the highlands for his own safety (the irony being what she does in OoP lmao).

Very true, a lot of it could be! That's part of what makes it so fun to think about for me lol

>:3c tysm!! i'm really happy with how that art turned out too, it was actually the last ingo i drew after doing the other sketches (& a bunch of hare studies) and i was like "hmm. this isn't weird and concerning enough. let me make it worse" and there was a point in drawing one of the faces, i don't remember which which, but i like went. ohh yeah i love this man but there is some kind of primal monkey-brain instinct to get very far away before he sees me

MIND?? DO I MIND?? of COURSE not!! i love knowing ive inspired other people! ty!

and yeah, for sure out of all the groups in hisui they would probably have the most reptiles. whereas the galaxy team has the most diverse array of species, and the pearl clan has a bias towards fluffy mammals. the ginkgo guild is probably also a pretty random assortment. (maybe ginter's another goat, though?) so adaman might not necessarily agree that reptiles in general are unlucky, but when he hears about that particular pearl clan tradition there's probably still a "hah, yeah" moment anyway.

awwww the idea of irida approaching adaman to ask for help for ingo... especially if you assume that they're still on kind of shaky ground at that point. and she doesn't necessarily like him, but she's worried enough about ingo that she's just like "screw it" anyway and sets that aside for his sake. mai might care enough to offer her help, but the other question is, would ingo even listen? i feel like it'd require hearing it from someone he really cares about/trusts, like irida, for him to even notice/acknowledge that anything's wrong. before that he'd just be like "well that's good advice to keep in mind for the future or for anyone else i come across, fortunately i'm in perfect operating condition and don't need it. thank you though" and mai's just ... :/

YEAH... i do feel like in this au, irida and ingo are considerably closer than they are in ounce of prevention (not to say they AREN'T close in OoP, just that it's Very Complicated and in this au there seems to be less clan stuff getting between them.) i feel like there's probably also something in this au that means the clan in general is a lot warmer (ha) towards ingo... in my head i've been thinking that maybe lady sneasler was unevolved/young when he arrived and he happened to find and bring her back from having run off into the snow, which is a thing i think i've seen one or two other people do and i enjoy the social implications of lol. it also means that irida and others might be more inclined to see him, maybe not literally but metaphorically, as someone who was sent to help them during this troubled time, since he literally saved one of the noble lines from destruction before they'd even met him. which would just make the fact that hisui is so Objectively Bad for him hurt even worse!

yeah lol, it's like canon-a-bit-to-the-left right now which is really fun to play with? seeing what gets exposed to investigate if that makes sense. also reminding me that i WOULD like to write more cc stuff to do character/lore exploration... hmmm