#coral looks like she is so done with everything

[annakirk23]

🤣🤣🤣

Just some guys and gals trying on some diamond attire

Bonus:

Miss steal your girl

[novacqnes]

✩ nights like this // sevika

⋆ summary: no coherent thoughts…just stressed councilmember!sevika coming home to you after a rough day.

⋆ warnings: a shit ton of sappiness & fluff, reader loving on sevika

⋆ pairing: sevika x fem reader

⋆ word count: 1.3k

embers of scarlet and coral smacked against the screen of the fireplace, silently stirring sevika from a trance. her head pounded against her skull, locking the rest of her body into place. now this sofa, cheaply made of leather and nylon, was her only comfort. fragments of light reflected off the glass windows, briefly illuminating the door right across from her. in its midst she could single out a you-shaped figure leaning against the doorway. small crescents adorned your eyes as you rubbed away the fatigue in them.

“come to bed,” you whispered, trudging towards her. you hit the sofa with a soft thud, pressing a light kiss to sevika’s soft lips.

she let out a low groan, snaking an arm around your waist, “not yet, go on without me.”

you nibbled on your lower lip, tilting your head to the side as you inspected sevika’s face. her features were tense, eyebrows drawn together with sharp, pensive lines decorating the space between them. her legs were fixed into the ground, boots still on, which was completely uncharacteristic of sevika. for a brief moment, her hazy grey eyes struck yours, they were gentle and radiant. it always amazed you just how hypnotic they could be. they revealed everything about this woman, but this time they weren’t brimming with intense sexual desire but a fervent need for comfort. 

“that bad?”

she shrugged, “something like that.” you waited for her to say more, but nothing else came. rather, you were greeted by an uncomfortable silence and the impossible task of trying to read her mind. her eyes flickered between the fire and your eyes, calling, screaming, pleading out to you so that there was no need for words. sevika’s body was rigid against yours; she looked as if she’d crawl from her own skin and right into the sofa. she detested this feeling. you couldn’t know. you couldn’t see. she needed to protect you. that’s what she told herself as images of the council and their disapproving glares riddled her mind. deeper and deeper, she became trapped within her own mind, leaving you with no option but to intervene. 

she felt your hands on her thighs first, slowly traveling down to her calves before reaching her boots. 

“let’s take these off,” you cooed. 

you started at the dark laces, pulling each one through the silver loops that decorated the sides. once this was done, you tugged them off sevika’s legs, exposing her fluffy rainbow socks. your lips perked up into a smile as your girlfriend quickly looked away, fighting to keep a straight face. it was progress, although you could see that she wasn’t fully comfortable, so you kept at it moving behind her.

you reached for her cloak, peering down at her for approval. “this okay?”

“mhmm….” sevika nodded, sinking further into the couch. she closed her eyes, humming lowly as the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly began to rise. sevika’s skin burned with each slight touch of your hands against her body. warm and hot with determination, you ran them across her smooth skin, moving to undress her in one quick beat. with the cloak tossed to the side, you peeled off her vest, shirt, and bra, leaving her exposed before you. you ran your palms over her sculpted chest, feeling the muscles tense underneath you.

“you’re with me, relax baby.”

she sighed, “i’m trying….i just hate bringing this shit home to you.”

you brought your hands to her face, rubbing your thumb along the scarred skin of her cheek. her eyes were reluctant at first, but you continued with a soft tone emanating from your voice, “look at me sevika, i’m okay. just let me take care of you.”

you moved the dark strands of hair from her face, eager to meet her eye. they were gorgeous. half-lidded and heavy, they were trained on your face, unwavering in spite of the fatigue that pulled on them. it was like a silent battle, a fight that you only saw slight glimpses of before, but sevika’s mask was cracking. in piltover she was utterly alone, and the mere thought of her shouldering that burden chewed at your soul. thus you moved your hands to sevika’s shoulders, desperate to be the support that she needed. once more you looked at her face for a response. silently she nodded, pressing a quick kiss to your jaw before leaning back. 

time slipped by as you undressed her, softly massaging her skin, freeing her from the strain that tore through her body. slowly her features grew more relaxed, shooting you small grins every once in a while as you worked. from the corner of your eyes, a bright halo and its golden rays peeked into your home through the window. half of the living room was illuminated with a faint yellow glow, making visible the antique table in the center of the room and the rest of sevika’s body.

“how’s this?” you hummed, massaging out the kinks in her neck.

she slurred, “perfect…i swear if i have to hear the word contingency agai—“ 

“you’re doing the best you can.”

sevika shook her head as you removed your hands from her shoulders. “it’s not enough. y/n you should see the look on some of their faces; it’s like they don’t even see me.” hurt, frustration, and anger, it spilled from her in one stifled breath. you moved swiftly to her side, cupping her hand in yours. the two of you sat in silence, caught in the sun’s warmth. 

“sev,” you began, “you’re one person, you can’t put that on yourself.”

“i have too,” she whispered, her voice small. sevika’s eyes stung, they begged her to close them and stumble into your bed, but her mind argued the opposite. doubt crept to the forefront of her brain, pervading her perceptions of herself. was she strong enough to do this? could she be enough for you? in the midst of the murky clouds there was no definite answer, and that tormented sevika beyond belief. she’d stayed up for hours, the allure of sleep looming over her as she clawed for an answer, desperately seeking it in the form of solitude.

“i’ll go with you to piltover.” 

her eyes widened, a sheepish grin taking hold of her face as sevika brought a hand to her mouth, “oh, you wouldn’t last a second.”

“what?” you sputtered, playfully smacking her hand away. “i’ll go everyday if i have too…i hate sleeping by myself.” 

she let out a low chuckle, snapping her neck towards the sunrise, taking in the bright, soft pink and yellow hues that fully lit up the room. sevika looked back towards you, her heart beaming with an intense longing and love for the person before her. she adored the way the colors merged with your skin, basking you in a warm glow of sunlight. it captured your beauty like no other, making your girlfriend fall even deeper for you. bare and exhausted, sevika yearned to pull you close. she wanted to feel your skin hot against hers as you floated into a deep slumber, fleeing the world and its worries for just a moment. this was her answer. 

“i love you so fucking much.”

“do you?” you teased, leaning in to place delicate kisses to the underside of her chin.

she nodded, “yeah baby, i do.”

you moved to her ear, allowing your breath to lightly tickle the sensitive skin, “then you know that you don’t owe anyone anything. not those council members. not even us zaunites. you can walk away, and i will love you all the same. i just want you happy.”

“this makes me happy,” sevika smiled, rising from the couch before quickly scooping you up in her arms. 

“good, let’s go to bed.”

[woso-dreamzzz]

Sharks V

Meadema x Child!Reader

Summary: It's your birthday

"This is a big thing, liefje," Mummy says to you, smoothing back your hair," And you have to promise me you can be responsible."

"I can!" You say.

You've just come back from your birthday party. Well, it was more like your birthday celebration. You didn't have enough friends for a party so Mummy and the Arsenal girls took you to the aquarium and Peanut and her mummies flew over from Spain to join you too.

You showed Peanut everything at the aquarium and she even gave you a whale shark that she and her mummies adopted for you that you could track anywhere in the world.

Mama couldn't come with you today and that was sad but she got you up this morning and made you a special birthday girl breakfast.

You missed her today at your celebration but Mummy's being very secretive and said that Mama's got a surprise for you.

You let Mummy take off your shoes and hang up your coat as Mama comes down the stairs.

"Mama!" You cry, running into her arms and letting her squeeze you nice and tight.

"Hey, liefje," She says," Did you have a good birthday?"

You nod. "Me and Peanut saw the seahorses."

"Wow, that sounds fun."

"Is it my surprise now?" You ask," Because Mummy said you couldn't come because you're making my surprise."

Mama laughs and nods. She covers your eyes with her hands and Mummy helps you up the stairs.

You have to concentrate really hard to work out where you're going. You know you've moved past the adult room and your one too but also the office. You think you're going into the spare room.

It's kind of like your play room but it's mostly empty.

"Okay," Mama says, sounding oddly excitable," Are you ready, birthday girl?"

You wiggle.

"Ready!"

"Okay, one, two, three!"

Mama takes her hands off your eyes.

The play room is different now. For one, the big light is off. You like that because you're not a fan of the big light in this room. It's too bright and it buzzes sometimes.

Instead, the only light is coming from the backdrop of the massive aquarium that's been moved in while you were away.

You're practically vibrating as you run over to it.

Mama's done a very good job because it's massive and takes up a lot of the room. There are plants and little hideaway caves and coral everywhere and you gasp when you spot the creature floating along the bottom.

"Wobbegong!" You exclaim, pressing your face up to the glass as close as possible without scaring it. "Mummy! It's a shark!"

Mummy laughs and nods. She doesn't seem to want to come any closer though. "Yeah, you're right. It is a shark."

You look between her and the wobbegong. It's not very big so you don't think it's very old yet. You kind of know how big adult wobbegongs get so you step back to look at the series of interconnecting tanks to see if it will be big enough.

It is.

You smile and point at it.

"Mama! You got me a shark!"

Mama, unlike Mummy, comes forward. "I did. Do you like it, liefje?"

"Love it!"

You giggle when Mama tickles your tummy and sends you on your way to thank Mummy too.

You know that Mummy doesn't really like sharks. She thinks a lot of them are scary looking so you don't make her come to you. You hug her really nicely though.

Mama drags a chair over so you can stand on it and see your shark better.

"Do you know any facts about wobbegongs, liefje?"

"Er..." You think for a second. "They're lazy 'cause they sleep all day and come out at night."

"Wow," Mama says," What else do you know?"

"The mummy wobbegongs don't lay eggs. They have live babies like people do."

"Very interesting. Are you going to give it a name? I don't know if it's a boy or a girl. Sorry, liefje."

"Hmm." You look at the shark, studying it closely.

"Carpet," You say.

Mummy laughs. She's still keeping her distance from it all but she's got her phone out and you think she's recording. "Why do you want to call it Carpet, liefje?"

"'Cause wobbegongs get called carpet sharks like how I get called liefje!"

Mama grins, stroking through your hair. "I think that's an excellent name."

"Mummy," You say," Can you send a picture of me and Carpet to Peanut's mummies?"

Mummy laughs. "Alright. Go on and pose and I'll take a picture."

"Peanut got me a shark in the wild and you and Mama got me a shark at home!" You say," This is the best birthday ever!"

[hermitscratch]

Joel & Etho - 21, for the writing ? :3

Send me a pairing + a number! || Accepting

21. A kiss to shut them up, Joel/Etho, 957 words

[ Inspired in part by this lovely artwork by @plumadot ! ]

"So I've got a theory," Joel started.

It was a nice day; temperate in a way that heralded the approaching warm season. A lot of hermits were taking advantage of it to check the things off their to-do lists that weren't easily done in cold or wet weather. Etho had broken off from the others for just that purpose, but as soon as he mentioned needing coral, Joel invited himself along.

Which meant a return to form in the shape of them, once again, sharing a boat.

"Do I have to listen to your theory?" Etho asked. The answer didn't matter much when he was a captive audience, but their conversations up until this point had been general, casual nonsense. How they spent their morning, how they liked their steak cooked, what ore they'd most be willing to eat. Time killers at worst, amusement at best.

Joel scoffed. "Don't act like you don't want to know what I'm thinking," Etho felt an elbow land against his ribs without any real force. It might have been rougher, if they weren't currently faced away from each other. Joel liked watching the wake the boat left behind, so they were pressed back-to-back. "It's about your obsession."

"My obsession? Don't you mean yours?" He retorted. Joel snorted, and Etho could imagine the smug grin that'd be accompanying it.

"This projection is getting embarrassing, Etho," Joel said with thinly veiled glee.

Etho rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. Just tell me about your theory," He said through a chuckle.

From behind him, Joel wiggled like he was trying to look over his shoulder. The boat rocked hard to the left, and Joel stilled before crowing, "I knew you wanted to know!"

Etho stopped rowing to peer over the boat's edge. The ocean here was deep, illuminated only faintly by magma pockets and the occasional rogue glow squid. They'd made a lot of headway, but there was still a ways to go to reach an untouched reef. "I wonder if I could swim back to shore from here..."

"I'll push you overboard myself if you don't let me get a blummin' word out," Joel griped, even as he fisted a hand in the back of Etho's shirt. It wouldn't do much if Etho decided to move, but the idea that Joel might want him to stay was more than enough for Etho to do so.

Not that Etho would ever tell him that; his ex-soulmate's ego was big enough.

"You're the one stopping, though?" Etho answered, rebalancing the boat and adjusting the oars to continue rowing. Joel's inhale was audible, and before he could argue, Etho urged, "Let's hear your theory."

Joel crossed his arms with a huff. Etho grinned. Joel was probably pouting and everything. "D'you remember what Gem said this morning?"

"Hmm," Etho had to think the question through. They'd been hanging out with Gem, Impulse, and Scar that morning, a lot of things were said. "Mmmmaybe?"

After a few minutes of fruitless sifting through snippets of conversation that Joel might have found noteworthy, he threw Etho a bone. "When we were arguing about who built a better cherry tree, still me by the way, she said-"

Ah. "'Just kiss already', or something?" Etho offered.

Joel clapped once, "Exactly."

Etho laughed, pitching his voice up in a mockery of Joel's, "Oh no, I'm not obsessed, I'm just chasing him making smoochy sounds and thinking a lot about Gem telling us to kiss-"

"That first thing was literally your fault!" Joel argued, "And I'm not thinking about it, alright? There's nothing to think about, it's just a thing that is!"

"What is?"

Joel seemed to shrink, curling forward so their backs were no longer touching. "If we kissed, the world would sorta collapse, wouldn't it?"

Etho stopped so abruptly that he almost dropped an oar. What? "Uh. No?"

"Of course you'd say so, it's stupid how bad you wanna kiss me," Joel scoffed. The turn in conversation was so jarring that Etho didn't even argue the point about wanting to kiss Joel. "But the stir it'd cause would be massive. Gem would explode. Bdubs would probably explode, maybe Grian? Scar and Skizz, definitely, we'd never hear the end of it."

Etho locked the oars and turned around in his seat. If Joel noticed, he gave no indication, plowing relentlessly forward as if he'd realized there was no going back now that he'd started. Etho recognized that habit from their time together in Double Life- an anxious Joel with no other outlet would ramble himself breathless.

"Your mask as well," Joel continued, "Nobody's seen you without it-"

Etho tugged his mask down.

"-that's probably grounds for server obliteration in itself-"

He put a hand on Joel's shoulder.

"-if the first time anybody saw your face was for a kiss like that, then-"

He turned Joel to face him.

And before Joel could say another word, Etho kissed him.

Silence. Bliss. Etho's lips were dry from the mask, and he kept the press of them soft until he felt Joel's stiff body melt, meeting Etho's lean halfway. He tilted his head, and he could feel the flutter of long lashes against his face as Joel's eyes shut. The world kept turning, and Etho let it, stealing a moment just for them.

It only ended when Etho pulled away, leaving a dazed Joel to process what had just happened. Etho didn't bother putting his mask back up when he grinned. "Still alive?"

"Wh- y-?" Joel floundered. Etho chuckled, and Joel scowled, even as a dusty blush painted his cheeks pink. Even as he turned to face Etho properly, dropping his head against Etho's shoulder. Even as Etho felt lips against his racing pulse.

"Oh, shut up, Etho."

[runningfrom2am]

cold nights // part ten

summary: may the odds be ever in your favour.

pairing: coriolanus snow x fem!reader

wc: 3.3k

masterlists / nav / requests

tags/warnings: tribute!reader and mentor!coriolanus, r is very sweet (too kind for this world. literally.), sunshine x grumpy trope kinda, he falls first, violence typical for the source material, r is very smart (as she should), district twelve!reader.

a/n: playlist coming v soon!!

series masterlist // playlist

Coriolanus lets out a scream of anger as he pulls the weight of the cement block down on the boy again, dishing out every last bit of rage he had over the inconvenience he had caused. He had to. He was sure the tribute was already dead, but one more hit couldn't hurt- not when he needed to make sure he was really done; not when it felt so powerful the first time.

He's breathing heavily, staring down at the body in front of him with his curls falling in his face, preventing him from seeing reality. Shielding him from seeing you.

You open your mouth to speak, but you can't. To ask if he's okay, but clearly he is- that final blow was too late to be a hit out of desperation, panic, or pain. It was pure, unnecessary retaliation. It went against everything you stood for. Everything you said.

Coriolanus was Coriolanus indeed; you could see it in the darkness that suddenly appeared behind his eyes. It was like he had done it for fun.

He looks up only when you take a step back, shoe crunching over the rubble underneath your sole and alerting him to your presence.

"Y/N-"

You look between the boy you thought you knew and the battered body on the ground. You take another hasty step back.

The power he thought he felt was replaced instantly by guilt when he saw the look on your face. He wasn't sure your kind features were even capable of showing an emotion so abrasive as disgust- but that was all he could think of to describe what he had to guess was going on behind your eyes. Betrayal, maybe. Horror, even, at something he had done. He moves to take a step toward you, dropping the metal rod in his hand so maybe you'd give him the chance to explain but you were taking off like a bird in the street threatened by a moving car the second he moved a muscle. He freezes, hand extended toward you despite you being too far to reach.

You were scared. Of him.

He very quickly had more pressing matters than your understanding or coping with the idea that you had run from him since he was now hearing the war cry of Coral and her pack as they ran from the tunnels toward the exit he was standing under.

He was grateful you had fled before that, hoping they didn't see you before you hid away again. He hops back over the gate, grabbing Sejanus and forcing him through the front entrance just in time.

"For Coriolanus, when I am gone."

He reads over the words on the outside of the intricately folded note over and over again, sitting at his desk and trying to ignore the stitches pulling at his back. Sejanus had given the note to him when he was discharged from the hospital. A note from you. It was a goodbye, he knew it. Something about your delicate handwriting on the outside felt so sacred to him.

"My Dearest Corio,

For once, I cannot express with words what I need to say to you. Regrettably, Sejanus is waiting so I must find something to say soon. I'll begin with thank you. You told me not to thank you until you had done something for me, but what you didn't understand was that you already had. Having a friend at the end has meant the world to me. I wish I could tell my family about you. When I can't sleep at night, I think of how much they would love you, and how we could sit together in the field at night and look at the stars. I hope one day you get to see them.

I apologize that I have to ask one more thing of you. I admit, I do not know how your mentorship works, but I hope with all my heart that I have done enough for you to win your prize. I regret that I will never know. I'm sorry that you ended up with me, you deserved better. I feel like you weren't given a choice, though I know you would never admit that. I digress. All I ask is that you do not forget me. You don't have to feel guilt, or think of me all the time, I just hope you read Romeo and Juliet one day and guess which parts were my favourite. Or that if you're out on cold nights when the breeze chills your skin, you'll think of us. I also hope that is not too much to ask of you. I suppose, again, I will never know.

If I can take your position for a moment and mentor you; I have some advice I would like to offer. Be whatever you want to be, do what you want to do. Don't let anything or anyone stop you from being good. Your kindness, Corio, was not lost on me while I had the pleasure of knowing you. I've seen who you are, and I will never forget.

I must tell you posthumously that you are the closest thing to my own Romeo Montague I have been lucky enough to have in my life, but our story is different. You get to grow up, change, have a life, and fall in love. Please do. See the beauty in everything and do not let the cruelties of the world change the goodness in your soul.

"Alas, that love, so gentle in his view, Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!"

With love and not nearly enough time,

Y/N

He couldn't resist unfolding the page in his hands and reading it. Every inch of the page was covered in your scrawled print, urgent from not wanting to keep Sejanus waiting for too long. You were still very much alive, but he was probably dead to you and he saw that in your eyes as you looked at him with nothing short of fear. He was supposed to be your Romeo, or at least you thought so when you wrote it. And he wanted that for you. He regrets so deeply that he took that perspective from you. It was a mistake- but maybe, if you won, you would see that for what it was and forgive him.

He wanted to crush up the note and throw it against the wall, tear it to shreds and light it on fire and burn away the fact he had ever met you, but he knew he didn't want to. It was all he would have left of you. He couldn't lose it, even if he hated himself for ruining what you could have had.

Instead, he folded it back up and put it on the shelf where his mother's compact once was before crawling into bed and crying until he finally passed out.

"You can explain it to her, Coryo. I know she will be reasonable." Tigris smiles sadly at him, helping him once again with his blazer following yet another back injury.

He hadn't said anything to trigger her sympathies this morning besides having puffy eyes in her presence. Though, the wall that separates their bedrooms is thin- it was likely that despite the muffling of his sheets, she had heard his cries. He had told her everything, he always did.

"Would you like me to come with you today? I can miss just one day of work, no harm will be done." His cousin offers. He wants to decline, her income is all they had, but if Coryo was being honest with himself, he needed someone in his corner.

"Okay." He agrees quietly and she smiles, patting the front of his uniform.

"I'll grab my things, can you wait a few moments?" She asks, already heading for her room.

"Of course." He nods. In another moment of self-honesty, he realizes he doesn't even want to go. But he had to be there. For you. If you had even survived the night.

When you decided there was enough daylight, you crawled back deeper into the vents. Seemingly you were safe there, if you had to guess it was almost noon and no one had bothered you. You were on your way to check on Jessup- that was a better use of your time than dwelling on what you witnessed last night and slipping deeper and deeper into a downward spiral.

You approach the grate in the vent you entered through, peeking in to see if he was still there. "Jessup?" You whisper, unable to see him. Worried when you get no response, you slide the cover off and hang your head out of it to look around. He was curled up against the wall across the room, and he looked distressed. Shaking, crying, skin ashen.

"Jessup?" You call toward him again, beginning to climb down to go check on him.

He's not responsive to you, not as you take a few hesitant steps closer. "Are you okay?"

His head snaps up to look at you. "Y/N?"

You smile a little, surprised he even remembered your name in his state. "Hi." You crouch down in front of him. "What do you need? Are you holding up okay?"

Again, no response.

"I'll get you some supplies." You whisper to him, knowing that if the microphones pick it up, Coryo would likely send you nothing when you emerge into the open area. He was very clear that you shouldn't share, but Jessup clearly needed help. He'd been down here for over a day without food or water, but now, you didn't know that you had anyone to help. You had Coryo and Sejanus, but now Sejanus hated you and Coryo was never who you thought he was. It had haunted you all night.

"I'll be back soon, okay?" You smile at Jessup reassuringly, standing and untying the scarf so you can get back up into the vents.

Coryo hadn't heard what you said to the boy, but when you reemerged from the vents after checking it was mostly clear, he knew what you were there for. It was decently safe, spare for Reaper who had collected and covered several bodies with a torn flag while you were gone. Making eye contact with him startles you, but you don't move. Neither does he. You give him a nod of understanding as he kneels next to the aboveground grave, which he returns. Lamina wasn't on her beam anymore, and that makes your heart clench. It took you a long time to get from one place to the next using the vents- anything could have happened in the time you weren't watching.

Now that you've established that you're safe, you look to the nearest camera with hopeful and tired eyes. Coryo knows you want to bring whatever he would send back down to Jessup.

He chews his lip, looking between you and the small screen in front of him. He shouldn't enable you to help another tribute, but it did look fruitless. Jessup was not well, not at all, and it would be a waste to even bother feeding him. At the same time, after what he had done last night, after what you witnessed, he would have to buy back your trust. Allowing you to help your friend is his only way to do that, at the moment. So he selects the water and sends it, followed by some bread.

You receive it, giving a weak, almost hesitant smile to the camera with the food and water tucked against your chest. "Thank you." He can only read your lips before you disappear again.

Climbing back out of the vent, this time with a water bottle and some bread in hand as you drop to the ground, you startle your friend. "Hey, Jessup." You say, raising your free hand to calm him. "I brought you something to eat."

You approach him carefully as he stares at you. You hold the items out to him, but he doesn't take them. "Do you want some help?" You offer, kneeling down in front of him. "Here," You tear off some of the bread and try to hand it to him. After not eating enough for so long, smaller pieces would probably be easier. "It may be a little dusty from the vent, but it's still good. You need to eat."

Then, without warning, he slaps the items out of your hand and shoves you back. "What did you do to it?!" He shouts as you fall back on your butt, quickly shuffling yourself back away from him.

"Nothing! Nothing, Jessup, shh, we gotta be quiet down here..." You try and calm him, still backing away.

"You're trying to kill me!" He yells, ignoring your pleas for him to be quiet, reaching for the now empty and broken water bottle that spilled out over the floor.

"I would never, I just want to help!" You try and assure him, standing up and backing away. Clearly, he doesn't want to talk as he's jumping at you, now with a weapon in hand.

You have to run. There's no time to get back into the vent, making a run for the door and throwing yourself through the hole at the bottom.

"Why would you do this?!" He shouts after you as you run down the halls of the tunnel, still trying to stay as quiet as possible through your heavy breathing. "What have you done?!"

"Lyssie- what is he doing?" Coryo asks his classmate next to him, thankful now that you are apparently such a fast runner.

"I- I don't know. He wouldn't betray her like this." She replies with a slight shake of her head, eyes glued to the screen.

"She's fast enough, but she can't get back in the vents while she's being chased." Coryo says, as if either of them could do anything, but he was as helpless as you were.

You slide to a halt in the long, rounded hallway when you see Coral round the corner in front of you. Jessup was sick, he wasn't fast, but you couldn't turn back. You were cornered, and there was nowhere to go but up. You look up, scanning the overhead vent system for a grate but see none. Turning quickly, you look along the ceiling toward Jessup as he makes his way toward you with the broken water bottle. You'd rather try your odds with him than Coral and the others.

Your eyes land on a grate just ahead of you as you hear footsteps and shouting closing in on you from both directions. With shaking hands you scramble to untie the scarf as you run back toward Jessup, throwing it back over the pipe and using all your strength to pull yourself up into the ceiling, hitting in the grate and pulling yourself inside. "Jessup, Jessup! Run! Hurry!" You try and urge him, but it's like he doesn't hear you, jumping to jab at you with the bottle. He misses, luckily, but Coral never does.

Coryo watches with bated breath while you struggle to pull yourself up, abandoning your friend to his fate. He cringes as he watches Jessup fall, the inflicted wounds being just hidden by Tanner's form and the buzzer goes off.

"Oh, and that's the end for Jessup as his district partner climbs into the ceiling!" Lucky's voice sounds distant to him. "Lysistrata, get out of here and Coriolanus, you may want to start packing your things as well."

He wouldn't budge. He's not packing a single thing until you're done taking your final breaths. Lyssie sighs and shakes her head, tears in her eyes as she pats Coryo's shoulder. "If this is it for her, I'm so sorry..." She apologizes before taking her leave.

Your heart is beating out of your chest as you pull yourself almost fully into the vent. You don't make it smoothly, though, crying out in pain as you feel the prongs of Coral's trident plunging into your calf. Your blood drips down your leg and on top of the other tributes as you finally make your way all the way in. You don't have time to feel any pain as you quickly crawl away. They know where you are, she could stab up into the vent just below you and catch you again- you had to find a way up farther.

"Y/N! We know where you've been hiding now, you're not safe in there!" Coral calls after you, and you have to ignore it as you slide through the metal tube, feeling it get slick from the blood pooling underneath you with every movement.

You don't hear them following you, though, so when you finally make it to where you can climb up to the next level, you feel a lot safer. Your chest is heaving as you sit up on the edge of the drop-down to the tunnels, just given enough room in the T intersection of the vents to take a breath and look at your leg.

You hiss as you lift your leg, assessing the puncture wounds. They wouldn't be fatal if you stopped the bleeding. You exhale shakily, pressing down on the flesh with your palms, pain shooting up your leg and into your back. You don't have anything to use to help besides the scarf, but it was Coryo's. You don't want to ruin it.

You didn't have a choice. You grab the material that you had dragged along with you, wrapping it tightly around the skin. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry,.." You cry, knowing he can't see or hear you.

Coryo is already panicking. Just like Highbottom had said, you could be dead in there and he wouldn't know. The panic only escalates when the cameras follow Coral, Treech, Tanner, and Mizzen as they go back up to the main floor, and Treech and Tanner go for the two main vent entrances, all of them too focused on you to even notice or care that Reaper was sat in the same clearing.

You don't hear it for a few minutes. The bleeding in your leg had mostly stopped, soaking the silk material by the time you heard the familiar clang of shifting metal. Someone else was in the vents.

You look behind you, trying to discern which direction they were coming from, but it was nearly impossible to tell with the echo. You had to move, but you could be crawling right into your fate. Maybe you should just stay and wait and let it happen.

As the noises got closer from both sides, accompanied by coughing from the dust, you knew you couldn't just wait. You'd made it this far, and as far as you knew, no one else knew the vents nearly as well. That was an advantage you had sought from the very beginning, and now was the time to use it.

You gently lower yourself down to slide back the way you came, hitting the bottom level with a bang before ducking out of sight and around a corner. It couldn't have been Coral up there, she would be taunting you by now, but she wasn't. It was quiet until you heard whispers up from where you just were.

"There's blood on this side. She must have gone back down." You recognize Treech's voice when you hear it, and you hold your breath as you fiddle with the compact in your pocket. Stroking your thumb over the carved metal over and over again, trying to stay quiet. "Look, there's a trail going that way."

"Down we go, then." Tanner replies, making your heart stop. You couldn't fight them off, you knew that, and there was a trail of your own blood that would lead them straight to you. You couldn't hide.

You slowly pull the compact from your pocket, turning it over in your palm. You swore you wouldn't participate in the games. You wouldn't harm anyone. But maybe, if you 'accidentally' spilled its contents in the vent before you had to move on, they would stop following you.

Before you can think too much about it, you're holding your breath and opening the small clasp. It just looked like salt. Yeah. It's salt. You already believe it as you gently tip the container, making a thin line of the substance across the bottom of the vent. Salt is for protection. The salt will keep me safe.

You pocket the compact again and quietly crawl away.

taglist: @soulessjourney , @dreamyysouls , @rockstarbfs , @maysileeewrites , @baybieruth , @kitscutie ,  @fratboyharrysgf0201 , @totallynotkaibiased , @stelleduarte , @secretsicanthideanymore , @bejeweledreverie , @drewsandsebastianswife , @niicole-87 , @innercreationflower , @nallasstuff , @baybieruth , @scorpiolystoned , @iovemoonyy , @thatmarvelchick19 , @wearemadeofstardust0 , @regulusblackcore , @puredreamagination , @fantasticchaosthing , @becauseseaotters , @secretsicanthideanymore ,

okay suddenly tumblr isn't letting me tag more people than this so i just made some cuts unfortunately :') i just left the max amount of people i could whose users i recognized and see in my notifs all the time :) if you're not on here and you should be i'm so sorry! hopefully for part eleven it'll be business as usual!

also this taglist is closed now!! if you’d like to get a notification when i update, turn on my post notifications!! i promise i won’t spam y'all :,)

[ilovemesomevincentprice]

What’s your take on Vincent’s personal life? From what I’ve gathered he wasn’t greatest husband and father - cheated on wives, neglected children like crazy. I like him as an actor but kinda wish I’ve never dived into research of his personal affairs lol.

He's a human. Humans make mistakes. Of course he had done things in his life that he probably wished he could take back. From what I've heard, he didn't neglect children. I've heard he was a wonderful father. His first wife took his son Barrett to live with her, so he only got visitation. But he loved him. The letters to Mary early in their marriage shows how much he cared about his son.

He did have sexual trysts with men throughout his marriages. It was a day and age when gay, bi, etc., had to sneak around and do that. Doesn't mean he's a bad person. He was finding who he was. I'm sure he loved his wives. I'm positive he did. But he had to do what he had to do. He was bisexual, after all. Which makes him even sexier in my book.

Victoria, his daughter, has said on MANY MANY MANY occasions that she loved her parents and she is so thankful that she had the two parents she had (Vincent and Mary). The many pictures I've seen, and from all I've heard, Vincent loved his daughter with everything in him. He sent postcards, money, etc.

Also, his job called on him to go here, there, everywhere to film movies, TV shows, etc. of course, you can't always take your kid to work. Not on a movie set, anyway.

She did get to see him live as Peter Pan though. She was two years old and her mom took her to see him as captain hook. She became scared. Seeing her father with a hook as a hand, and scaring little kids on stage was too much for her, bless her, and she began to cry.

Her mom took her backstage to see that her dad was still her dad. He kissed her boo boo away and she went from tears to smiling. That doesn't sound like neglect. To me, anyway.

As far as cheating, he did cheat. But then again, the number or people who cheat on a daily basis, are a dime a dozen. Is it right? No. But do people make mistakes? Yes. He did end up divorcing Mary after he met coral, but I did hear from his daughter that he and Mary were still close friends. He sent her post cards, called her, and even bought her her favorite perfume (Joy) every single year until shortly before his death when he could no longer do so. According to his daughter, Victoria, it wasn't always easy for them to remain friends, because of Coral.

He's a celebrity. A human being. So, his personal life sounds like any personal life to me. Shit happens. Even to celebrities of his calibre. And he's still alright with me. :)

PS. Here's some of my favorite photos of he and his daughter. Doesn't look like neglect to me...

[aonungapologist]

act fool

neteyam, lo’ak, kiri, ao’nung, tsireya x reader

ೀ neteyam

the sun filtered through the heavy coat of branches as you paused for a rest. hunting with neteyam was a daily occurrence, hours spent crouching low, tracking the tiny footprints of forest creatures in the mud, not saying a word but speaking plenty with your eyes. neteyam reached for a curled up leaf, the rainfall from earlier that day sitting patiently, waiting for a passing na’vi to drink from it. he tilted his head up, letting the water fall into his open mouth, some of it dribbling down his chin. his jawline was as sharp as his knife as he swallowed, gracefully wiping the excess water from his chin with the back of his hand. you found yourself unable to look away from the defined curve of his jawbone, barely registering when he offered the remaining water in the leaf to you.

ೀ lo’ak

your ilu yelped as lo’ak’s nipped at its fins. adrenaline rushed through you as you dodged corals and unsuspecting fish, desperately trying to evade lo’ak. but he somehow caught up to you, his smile wide and his eyes bright when he resurfaced, you following not far behind. he laughed out in delight, radiating elation and exhilaration. you internally swooned at the sound of his laugh, feeling butterflies take flight in your stomach. alas, all good things come to an end, and the sound of both yours and lo’aks parents calling for you from the docks caused your laughter to dwindle down. you talked about anything and everything as he walked you to your marui, slowing when you neared the entrance. his hand left where it had sat comfortably on your back and reached for your hand, smiling and giving it a light squeeze. “thanks for today,” he mumbled, meeting your eyes and moving his hand to your cheek. “i’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“yeah, see you.” your hand grazes your cheek, feeling the blush that heated them. his subtle touches never failed to fluster you.

ೀ kiri

the morning light shone harshly on your eyes, forcing them open. you groaned, turning around to see kiri still sound asleep. she could sleep through anything, you thought to yourself as you admired her peaceful, relaxed face, the tiniest hint of a smile on her lips. eventually, she stirred, yawning and finally opening her beautiful golden eyes. she stretched then, her back arched like a cat as she released the built up tension from sleep. you looked away, embarrassed you were so easily fazed by such a simple action. kiri started her morning as usual, telling you about her plans like she did every morning. her voice was in the background of your mind as you replays the scene of her stretching over and over again, not hearing when she snapped her fingers in your face and laughed at your blank expression.

ೀ ao’nung

the festivities were in full swing. several young na’vi had completed their iknimaya and were now warriors, ao’nung included. he had been whisked away by his fellow warriors to prepare for the celebrations, and you had not seen him since. you sipped on some fruit juice as you watched your clan dance and sing along to the music of the musicians. “you look lonely,” a voice behind you startled you, turning around to see ao’nung smirking smugly down at you. you almost didn’t recognise him, for he now had the sign of a warrior tattooed across his cheekbone, reaching up to his temple. it accentuated his already sharp features, and gave you a sharp feeling in your stomach, the sudden realisation that he was a man now. he also wore the special garment given to all warriors, strapped across his chest and shoulders. “you look different,” you murmured, feeling a way you had never felt before. you reached up to dance your fingers along his tattoo, and he grinned and took your hand in his own, holding it to his chest. “dance with me.”

ೀ tsireya

fruit picking was always a calming and rewarding activity. most of all when done with tsireya, who had a naturally calming presence and always made you feel at ease. deciding your basket was full enough, you picked a few fruits to eat yourself on the journey back to the main village. you bit into the sweet fruit, sighing at the refreshing taste on your parched tongue. tsireya giggled, picking one herself and taking a bite. the purple juices stained her lips and you had to admit that maybe the reason you enjoyed fruit picking was not because you found it relaxing but that the fruits would paint tsireya’s delicate lips the most beautiful colours. abandoning your basket and fruit, you crossed over to her and pressed your lips to hers, tasting the fruit on your tongue. she flushed when you pulled away, noticing how your eyes were locked on her mouth. “is this why you always ask me to accompany you fruit picking? because this is always how it ends,” she grinned when you broke out of your reverie, your eyes wide and mouth slightly agape that she had caught you out. “n-no! i just-” “it is okay, i understand. i am not the only one who looks good with fruit on my lips.” with that, she leaned in again, and you vowed to go fruit picking more often.

[magalidragon]

priceless | chapter 2: sunken ships

OMG this fic is over two years old and I finally updated it 🤗 it’s got another chapter because I can’t stop myself when writing but the third chapter is almost done and will post soon. Enjoy this forgotten WIP!

It was time to leave.

If not because she was getting nervous each time Daario Naharis eyed her up and down, making her skin crawl in that way only someone feeling under threat could understand, their sixth sense of protection kicking in, then because of the other part of her sixth sense warning her to protect herself.

Protect herself from Jon.

And the emotions that came up and threatened to overtake her whenever he wandered into her presence.

She lay awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling of the stateroom, the yacht so stable in the water you could hardly feel the vibration of the engine. However, she'd spent most of her life on, in, or near the water, and like the air she breathed, it kept her alive and she could sense any disturbance. Usually that was a good thing, it lended itself to some of the best sleep she'd ever had, just sitting on the water, bobbing along.

Tonight though that stillness was why she hadn't been able to sleep.

She kept having a dream, one of the water, of the coral and the sand, drifting through her fingers with every lift of her hand. She wasn't <i>her</i> though, but someone-- something-- else. It consumed her, threatened to drown her, and she kept waking up just when she thought she knew what she was looking for in the dream. Just when she thought she found the meaning of it all.

Like why she was here with Jon.

Like why he'd called her, after all they'd been through. It wasn't just the treasure or the connection to Rhaegar. It was something else.

It bothered her, gnawing in her belly, and she closed her eyes tight, turning to her side, trying to get rid of....everything. All the <i>feelings</i> confusing as they were. It would just be easier to think of him as her first love and he got away. They were stupid, young, traumatized by Rhaegar's passing. It was too much for any one to handle, let alone two people with their weight of emotional baggage.

They could move beyond it, finally move on to live the rest of their lives instead of drifting into each other's current again. She needed to leave before she collided with him again and she wouldn't be able to get out, before everything sank and she drowned.

[blackoutdays13]

Tbosas head cannons I started making and then realized they are all kinda sad

All of the kids in district 4 look up to Coral. She is an inspiration to all of them, and they just adore her. They will wait until she is off of work, so they can greet her when she is done. She is well loved, and so many kids mourned her loss when she never came back home like she promised them.

Lamina has cats back home in district 7. Two to be exact. They are her best friends and she loves them to death (literally). I think Laminas mom is dead, so after Lamina died her dad took care of them. And he loves those cats so much it’s insane. They make him feel connected to his lost daughter. 

Tanner hated killing cows in the slaughterhouse. He could handle everything else, but not cows. He probably had a cow or two and loves them. So when he works he makes sure he doesn’t have to handle cows. He also will cuddle cows the night before they are slaughtered so they feel loved.

Treech picks flowers for his mother. He goes out into the forest whenever he notices that they are dying and picks fresh ones for her. He has a specific pot or container he sets them in so she can look at them. It’s his way of showing his appreciation for her. After the 10th hunger games concluded, when the knowledge that he was never coming home set in for his mom is when she noticed that the last pot of flowers were dead.

Mizzen loved starfish more than anything. It was his passion. He would collect them from the beach and study the unique patterns and differences. In his house he had part of his collection on display as a decoration, and everyone who saw it loved it. He even had a starfish plush he couldn’t sleep without. So in the arena he got no sleep, and now his mama can’t sleep without the starfish plushie now that he is gone.

[infinitywrites]

I Didn't Expect You Part 3 ~ Conrad Fisher

(Part 2) (Masterlist) (Part 4)

synopsis: Y/N never expected it to be the summer that everything changed. Conrad, Belly and Steven were all dealing with the consequences of recent break ups while Jeremiah's wasn't acting like himself. Susannah was undergoing treatment that provided unpredictable health results and kept her loved ones on the edge of tragedy. Had they drained the well of the magic of Cousin's beach? Or could something new fulfil it again?

warnings: multichapter slow burn, warnings will update with every chapter, timeline is both POST S2 and a retelling of S2 with changes, everyone swears A LOT, 4th of July party, THIRST, Cam Cameron, Taylor Jewel, Nicole (sorry to this Queen), Gigi, Marisa and girlfriend, Dara, Conrad's friend Danny (made this character into my own thing), hints of Belly/Jeremiah, I don't know shit about sports

word count: 4,058

___________________________________________

You brush past me in the hallway

And you don't think I, I, I can see ya, do ya?

But what would you do if I went to touch you now?

What would you do if they never found us out?

'Cause I can see you waitin' down the hall from me

And what would you do, baby, if you only knew?

That I can see you

It was finally here; the reason we'd all come back to Cousin's this summer at all. Susannah's famous 4th of July party was underway in all its glory despite the setbacks of the past year. Everyone had spent the day before running errands and putting up decorations, preparing appetizers and double checking the rest of the seafood catering while the woman of the hour sat on her chaise lounge and orchestrated it all to perfection. I barely talked to Belly and Steven that day let alone Conrad but it wasn't awkward when we were sent on a few errands together or standing side by side chopping veggies again. We all had a common purpose and it felt good. The five of us joined Belly on her night swim before bed that night to clean off the remnants of a productive day.

I pulled out my black swimsuit from the top drawer the next morning and was stopped in the doorway to the bedroom by Belly. "What is that?"

I looked at her for a second, confused before answering, "I'm gonna change into my suit after I shower." I attempted to leave again but she wouldn't move. Belly shook her head and muttered a handful of no no no's. I sighed dramatically, "What's your issue, girly?"

"Why did we go shopping for new bikinis if you aren't gonna wear yours? I learned about complimenting colours for you and look!" She rushed into the bedroom, pulled out the purple one that Taylor had treated her to for her birthday and the coral one hidden at the bottom of my top drawer. Belly held them up together to show me and I could tell she was moments from an adolescent tantrum. "Come on, it's the 4th and they're so pretty! Don't make me do it alone."

"Wear your Speedo with me then!"

"If you brought a cuter one piece, I'd compromise but you only brought two suits and only one of them is cute." She shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world and she's biding her time until I gave in.

She wasn't not wrong but that doesn't mean I made it easy for her. "What has Taylor done to you? We're here for less than a week, what do I need more suits for?"

"For the party, Y/N! You brought this one for the party so don't back down now."

I took the first step and grabbed it from her hands at least as I contemplated. "I feel kinda slutty…"

Belly translated, "Which means you look hot in it, amazing. I agree."

"Who are you right now?"

"Make sure you tell Taylor, she's gonna be so proud of me." She turned away from me to rustle through her drawers and assemble her outfit.

"Belly. It's a family party."

"Other people will be there! Jere said Cam's coming, Dara, Marisa and her girlfriend and then Conrad said something about Danny too. I invited Nicole but she said she wasn't sure and then my dad should be here with Taylor any minute. Lots of people not related to us." She wasn't even looking at me anymore and I didn't know if she'd just gotten good at this or she'd realized that she'd always had me wrapped around her little finger.

I sighed, "If I bring this with me, can I please shower now?"

Belly tosses the next words over her shoulder, mood changed on a dime from her dramatic pout. "Hurry up! Everyone will be here soon."

I groaned dramatically to try and get a final rise out of her but she was in her own world, discovering the perfect holiday fit.

Taylor did congratulate Belly when she arrived even when I insisted I hadn't made my mind up yet on what I was wearing under my dress. It was fun getting ready with the girls again, trading new makeup hacks and exchanging jewelry and shoes like we'd always done in the summers. There were last minute adjustments to our outfits only caught by an objective opinion. We'd all decided that red, white and blue was out this year and we committed to pink, purple and green instead. Taylor said they were meant to stand out and own it. I just always hated red against my skin tone.

I was the last one to get downstairs to greet Uncle John and the 'debs' as we affectionately called them since last summer. Susannah was set up on the outdoor couch in a floppy white sun hat and linen set that made her look like she should be vacationing in someone more tropical. The group of us had perfected the unspoken rotation of checking in with her, refilling her drink or keeping her snacks stocked. She seemed quite happy to lay around and watch the party unfold before her eyes.

Belly dropped her jaw in a silent scream when she saw me in my coral bikini covered up by my sheer white cover dress and squealed as she clapped her hands together, "See? Compromise!"

I just rolled my eyes and prayed no one was paying attention to her insanity. "Yeah, yeah. You look cute too." Her and Taylor were the cut off shorts sisters and they worked it.

The food was incredible, the decorations held up in the breeze and it seemed like we'd pulled it off. We'd managed a normal but perfect set up for Susannah's favourite holiday.

"I probably shouldn't have fucked Liam Meyer again but other than that hot girl summer is a go." The group of girls were sitting by the pool, dipping their feet in or laid back in the lounge chairs while Steven and Jeremiah were already swimming around and dunking each other. I'd always liked Nicole for the most part (if I forgot about her nasty revenge streak) but I would have liked to know less about her sex life. I was the only one though because the rest of the girls were giggling and eager to hear more stories from her.

Belly agreed, "I hear you. I swore to myself I wouldn't get tied down this summer."

Nicole looked surprised but impressed and Taylor smiled at Belly happily, "She's branching out from the Fisher family this year, right Cinderbelly?"

Belly shoved her arm and looked around to see if anyone heard. "Shut up! But…yeah, I guess."

"Good for you, girl. No need to settle for one summer boy when there's lots to choose from…at this party alone." Marisa's eyes were across the pool where Cam Cameron and Danny walked into the yard and waved their hellos around. The girl's attention was distracted by them for a moment.

Belly laughs, "I meant more like eating as much ice cream as I wanted and skipping shaving my legs a few days in a row."

Nicole looks at her friends before nodding, "I mean…that's cute too."

"Hot girl summer can mean whatever you want, Bells." I couldn't hold it back but tried to keep my tone as light as possible and Taylor shot me a grateful smile.

Nicole looked right at me like I must have read her mind, "Exactly. Mine just means the sampling platter of the finest dick that Cousin's Beach has to offer."

Her eyes focused over my shoulder and her mischievous smile grew as she spoke. The girls facing her way giggled loudly and I turned to look at what they saw. It was all the guys climbing out of the pool, looking fucking good because of course they did. I wasn't completely oblivious no matter what Taylor thought. Except Steven because gross but he was definitely being looked at by everyone that wasn't his blood relative. Conrad must have come out of hiding too because there he was, right in the middle of the group pushing the wet hair out of his eyes and laughing at something his friend said. Danny Wilder, who was tall and broad and looking damn good this summer.

I didn't even notice how my head tipped to the side until Taylor smacked my arm and gasped a wicked laugh. "OhmiGod, she's human after all!"

I laughed, "Shut up! You know what? Apparently I'm the only one with balls too." I got up and shrugged my shoulders at them before making a beeline to refill my drink and grab two towels before I spotted Cam and gently hip checked him to get his attention.

He was talking to Danny but quickly flashed his wide smile, "YN!"

I handed them each a towel and smiled back. Danny muttered a quick thanks before being dragged away by Conrad. I thought I heard him complain about why he didn't get towel service. I refocused my attention, "I'm so glad you came."

"Me too. Mrs. Fisher hosts the best parties."

"Good to know you're still as smart as you are sweet." He blushes and smiles. I stepped a bit closer to him and lowered my voice so hopefully he'd be the only one to hear. "Hey, I hope this isn't weird but I didn't get a chance to say anything after you and Belly–"

The poor guy looked so worried for a second, "Oh, that's totally cool now. Belly and I are good."

"No, that's what I mean. You were so great to her in every way and when– Just as someone who loves her and worries about her, you couldn't have handled that situation better. So thank you."

He shrugs as his smile spreads across his face again. "Ah, I got a good mom."

"Never change, Cam Cameron." I held his forearm gently and shook him in the mock threat.

"I'll remember that, Y/N. Thanks."

I nodded, "Can I get you anything? There's frozen virgin margaritas this time."

That sparked his interest. "Oh, actually…"

"Right? My idea and I'm very proud." I walked him over to the drinks table and swore I could feel a prickling on my neck. I looked over my shoulder to check my surroundings but there was nothing out of the ordinary.

The gang started to mingle a bit more after I broke the ice and I saw Cam giggling at something Dara said, Taylor and Steven were essentially beating each other up and if it wasn't so quintessentially them I might have worried. Jeremiah was sitting next to Belly on a lounge chair, trying to cheer her up no doubt. He'd always had a sixth sense for when she needed it most and he'd perfected how to make her smile. He was holding her hands in his lap and her smile was starting to light her face back up. I was smiling at the display when I went to find my own seat and got a glimpse of Nicole trailing her fingers up and down Conrad's abs. I took back what I thought earlier; she had steel ones.

Danny glanced in my direction and we exchanged quick smiles before he looked back at Conrad, who didn't look as happy about Nicole's bold moves as I expected. Next thing I knew, Danny was leaning against the table in front of me and when I looked back in Conrad's direction, he was shooting daggers of betrayal through his eyes at his friend who'd abandoned him. Danny Wilder was either stone cold or completely oblivious.

"Hey." Definitely oblivious if I judged that sweet smile correctly.

"Hi." I couldn't help but smile back again.

"I just, uh, wanted to say thank you for the towel. I didn't know your hostess skills were at the 'anticipation of needs' level." Just when the smile was drifting off my face, it came back with a vengeance.

"I mean, I was taught by the best." I gestured towards Susannah on her couch throne and noticed Conrad looking over his shoulder at us with a look of bewildered disgust. He was such a fucking drama queen and all it really made me want to do was flirt with his cute friend more.

Danny's focus was steadfast, unlike my own and it was exhilarating. He deserved my undivided attention. "That's true. You could pass it down the family line or charge for your services."

My eyes narrowed but the smile didn't leave my face, "You wanna pay me to bring you a towel?"

He paused and contemplated, "Yeah, that sounded way better in my head." The thing about Danny was that he was smart, as smart as Conrad or Steven but he wasn't trying to prove anything. If he said something stupid, his ego was never bruised and he was the first one to laugh at himself, not unlike sweet Cam Cameron who embraced his awkwardness and seemed to grow more into his own confidence every day.

I decided to throw him a bone, "How's school?"

He took a deep breath, "It's…a lot but I knew that going in. I mean, I love it so…"

"You're lucky." The sincerity between us was refreshing. Conversations with him had always been easy.

"Actually, I'm playing a little around Cousin's if you wanna come check it out. Conrad's supposed to play backup if he decides to get off his ass this summer." The idea piqued my interest. I could never call myself a baseball fan but baseball players…

"I never agreed to that!" At the mention of his name, Conrad yelled his interruption and practically galloped over to where we stood.

He claimed his territory by slinging his arm around Danny's shoulders and plastering on a smile that didn't reach his eyes right in my direction. "Besides, what the fuck are you guys talking about me for? I thought you were flirting."

We were embarrassed for exactly two seconds before we exchanged exasperated gestures at Conrad's fuckery. Danny shoved him and I rolled my eyes, "Fuck off, bro."

Conrad laughed in his direction, "Jeez, sorry. Y/N is leaving on Monday anyway. So too bad, so sad."

Danny's face falls in disappointment, "Shit, really? I thought you guys usually stayed for the summer."

I shrugged and regretted the short term plans for the first time since I'd gotten there. "Yeah, it's just been a busy year."

Danny nodded in understanding and Conrad looked between us before shouting at the top of his lungs, "Who's down for chicken?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, "You hate chicken." Everyone around them was hooting and hollering in agreement.

"No, you hate chicken. Let's go!" His crazy eyes had gotten out of control and I wasn't convinced he didn't suggest it just to piss me off. So I sat down on the pool's edge in protest and Danny asked if he could join me. We watched the first few rounds and I decided it was a way better game to watch than to play. No bruises on your arms or thighs from overzealous team members and I could even stay dry if I wanted.

Taylor tried to claim Steven at one point but he dodged her, "Not this time, Taylor. I want a fighting chance." He swam over to my direction and I sighed. He smiled expectantly, "Come here, you."

"You know I'm not good at this game."

"You're better than Taylor."

Taylor splashed him, "I can't believe you're being mean right now." She swam away and I resigned myself to my fate.

Steven splashed Taylor back but he was too close to Danny and we got sprayed . "Shit! I'm an idiot, sorry guys." I stood up to take my cover dress off before I slid into the pool. I saw Danny wave Steven off as he laughed.

I splashed him back gently and smiled, "It's fine. Go ask Cam if he's down."

"Oh, excellent idea."

I shouldn't have been surprised that it ended up being a chicken tournament in the end. There were too many varsity athletes at this party. Belly and Conrad alone could have been the driving competitive force so when I kicked him in the chest on accident, he said he was making it his mission to take me out. Jeremiah and Belly were a formidable team which surprised no one no matter how much shit his brother gave him. The teams weren't set at first but the strongest pairs stuck together after a while. Cam and Dara bowed out early due to weak arms and bad balance, their words, but they were giggling when they admitted it. Belly was determined to get Marisa and her girlfriend, Sarah eliminated as soon as possible which took a while but in true Conklin fashion, was a success. Taylor had abandoned the whole thing for snacks and I was so jealous.

Next up was Conrad and Nicole against Steven and I and as much as I wanted to do my best for Steven, expectations were low. Cam had taken up the mantle of announcer while Danny handled the scoreboard and refereeing. Nicole and I climbed onto the boys shoulders and looked at each other to exchange a friendly smile.

"Ooh! Here, let me help you with that." Nicole brushed Conrad's wet bangs from his forehead and he muttered a thanks. It looked like him and Steven were having a silent conversation.

"I thought you quit football last year, Con? I swear I've got more wiggle room up here than last year." She then made her point by wiggling her hips in place. The stones.

My brows raised against my will, I stifled a chuckle and tried to cover the reaction by joining in, "Funny, I think you lost weight, Stevie."

"If you think I won't dunk you right now…" Steven threatened as Conrad laughed at his expense.

Cam made his round announcement and read off the current score from Danny's phone. I squared myself on Steven's shoulders and took a deep breath while the boys shit talked until it got ridiculous.

"I'm gonna make you hate this game even more than you already do, Y/N!" Conrad spat and I just stared back at him for a second before I heard Cam yell 'GO!'.

I almost had that shit in the bag, Steven laughing maniacally, and Conrad must have known it too because all of the sudden when Nicole was starting to tip, I was distracted by a ticklish feeling on the bottoms of my feet under the water. I tried to squirm away while concentrating on the game but ultimately, I squirmed right off Steven's shoulders and into the water.

"What the fuck, Y/N?" Steven exclaimed in defeat and went to complain to Danny and Cam.

"You fucking cheater…" I came up from the water and spluttered. Conrad was laughing and high fiving Nicole.

Next thing I knew he was holding his hand out to me, "Come 'ere. I'll try and give you a fighting chance. You're embarrassing yourself at this point."

I scoffed at his offer, "Fuck off, I took Taylor down!"

I had no intention of replacing Nicole on his team but he grabbed me around the middle and dragged me along with him as he nodded placatingly, "There's the energy we need! Keep that up."

I wondered if Nicole had told him she wanted an out because when I looked around the pool I saw her getting out entirely.

Conrad whistled, "Jere! You and me, let's go. Pick your best fighter." The fucker wasn't wrong and we did beat Belly and Jeremiah. It was the first time I knocked Belly off balance but I still didn't know what Nicole was talking about, Conrad wasn't any bigger or stronger this summer. There were better ways to hit on him.

In the end, the championship went to Belly and Jeremiah even after mine and Conrad's temporary victory. They both shoved it in Conrad's face mercilessly and I couldn't help but enjoy every second. He called me a traitor when I wasn't shy about how much joy it gave me to see him lose even if I was right there along with him. Luckily it didn't trigger a bad mood like it might have done a few years prior and we all celebrated with crab legs and cake.

I was tossing my paper plate into the trash when Danny found me again equipped with puppy dog eyes, "I feel bad."

"Cause I lost the chicken tournament? Don't. Conrad's the one who needs someone to help nurse his war wounds." I nodded in his direction where he was chugging a margarita.

Danny looked back at him and chuckled softly, "Oh, believe me I know."

Conrad called from a few feet away, "I'm still pissed at you for dropping the ball!"

His focus turned back to me, "But that's not why. You asked me about school and that idiot interrupted before I could reciprocate. So are you excited? Stanford, right?"

I was surprised he remembered. "Good memory. I'm excited, I'm just also…trying not to think about it at all, you know? I don't wanna freak myself out."

"Oh, no. Believe me. That's smart. It's a lot of pressure and you gotta move to the west coast on top of everything." He nodded and blew out a breath.

I narrowed my eyes as my smile grew, "Are you saying, hot shot pitcher destined to go pro, Danny Wilder, was nervous about starting at Northeastern?"

Danny blushed and it looked good against his tan skin. He tried to laugh through it but before he could respond Conrad poked his head between us again. It was inevitable.

"Did he tell you that he sweat through his new uniform in the first practice?" Danny's shoulders slumped as his head turned towards Conrad's grin. "Honestly, bro, you should probably get that checked out."

I just focused my gaze at the grass for a moment before I tore into Conrad again. But it wasn't necessary.

Danny squared his shoulders as he looked at his friend, "You're just pissed because you gave up your football scholarship and went pre med instead. Not to mention your fastball was always a half second behind mine." Danny shrugged at his expense and I saw the moment Conrad froze. He scoffed and pushed his friend too hard to pretend it was a joke anymore.

My eyes closed as I sighed and I was treated to the sight of poor Danny's bewildered face when I opened them, calling out to his friend. "Connie, come on, man…"

We watched him stalk back into the house. "Ignore him. He's been like that for a while."

Danny was still focused on Conrad's path, "Do you think…? He knows he's a great ball player. I swear, I say that shit to him all the time."

I did my best to reassure him, "I know. You didn't do anything wrong, I promise."

He finally looked back at me and sighed. "Okay. Only because you said so."

"Wow. Some power I have." The spirit of our back and forth had lost most of its momentum.

"I'd say but uh, could you go check on him anyway? Maybe I'm just soft but I'm gonna feel shitty until he comes back and I think you could convince him." His brown eyes were pleading and it was so unfair. He was pulling a Steven.

I scoffed a laugh and meant to say under my breath, "Why does everyone think I'm the Conrad whisperer all of a sudden?"

Danny furrowed his brow in confusion, "Sorry?"

I mentally slapped myself out of my own thoughts and nodded in his direction. There was no way I was ever getting out of this. "Only because you're such a good friend. He barely deserves you."

The sincerity in his voice was so pure it hurt. "Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment…I think." A real smile came out at the end and it brought out mine too.

"You should."

"If it helps, tell him I'm an idiot and his arm was always better than mine." Danny pauses for a moment, "Which isn't true but…" He made a shushing gesture and I laughed softly.

"Yeah, not a chance. I draw the line at inflating his ego."

His eyebrow quirked up, "But not mine?"

I debated with myself for a moment, "Uh, to be determined, I guess."

Danny hummed, "Okay. Good luck."

The laugh that escaped my lips wasn't as sincere as he was as I focused on the sliding door, "I'm gonna need it."

___________________________________________

Next

author's note: I hope you enjoyed part 1 of 4th of July! I ended up having to cut in half but that means part 4 is coming so soon! I'm making shit up about sports and other things I don't know a lot about in this fic and I've accepted it so I hope you can join me 😅. Thank you again for the support 💙💚💛🧡. Reply with comments and let me know if you wanna be added to my taglist. If you'd like to ask me about any upcoming chapter warnings you wanna be warned of ahead of time (angst? 18+ smut?) then come visit my blog with any questions and I'll be happy to answer!

taglist: @c4rpediem-s @jackierose902109 @lcvecstiel @h0t-as-h3ll @stylesxroyalty @fandom-addict404

[torukmaktoskxawng]

60 with Lo'ak x reader? I put in 1-101 on a generator and this came up three times so i think it's a sign PFFT

it just feels right for lo'ak to have this with someone, kind of like Ronal and Tonowari speaking with their eyes basically!! reader can be omaticaya or metkayina , whatever you deem fitting :)

#60: In Sync/Wordless Conversations

Pairing: Lo'ak x Fem!Metkayina!Reader

Warnings: Language, fluff, time skips

Na'vi Words: olo'eyktan - clan leader, tanhì - bioluminescent freckle, marui - home, sem'pul - father, maite - daughter, nivi - hammock, skxawng- moron, nantangtsyìp - dog (Earth animal)

A/N: Oh, hell yeah I love this sort of prompt. Wordless Conversations is definitely my love language. Do I love it because I'm terrible at vocally expressing my feelings and crave for someone to know me inside and out without prodding me for words? Shut up and lemme cope.

He had always struggled with saying what he meant, and he always said things he didn't mean. In his youth, he was Jakesully's troubled son, someone who wasn't Neteyam, the firstborn golden child. Being second in everything, Lo'ak couldn't live up to so many expectations being Toruk Makto's son, and so his communication skills were shit, to say the least.

Lo'ak knew Y/n would one day be his mate simply because no one understood him like she did, and she understood him without even asking.

From day one, when he first saw her emerge from the waters of Awa'atlu, their eyes met, blue on yellow, he knew he was done for. Those eyes stared into his very soul and read him from the inside out. He wasn't sure if it was even possible to keep a secret from her. During their very first interaction together, when Tsireya had properly introduced the pair, Lo'ak couldn't hold back what he was thinking, no matter how hard he tried to keep it to himself. One look from Y/n, and he was spilling his newly found secret, "Beautiful."

Day one and Y/n could See Lo'ak in ways that no one, not even his family, could see.

~~~

It was safe to say that Lo'ak could See Y/n, too. After he had called her beautiful, their interactions were cute, shy, and flirtacious. Y/n would help Tsireya, Rotxo, and Ao'nung teach the Sully children their ways in between her chores. Nearly every time she walked up to their little group, Lo'ak is the first to spot her, and every time he grins and calls out, "She's back!"

"I am. And how are you, Lo'ak?" She rolled her eyes, despite smiling.

"Same as yesterday. You didn't stay away long," his grin was attractive, fangs sparkling in the sun, and looked as though he knew the secrets of the universe, "You just can't get enough of me, can you?"

"Please make him shut up," Ao'nung snarled under his breath, addressing it to only Neteyam who stood beside him.

~~~

Even before learning the sign language, Lo'ak was able to See Y/n. While Tsireya is using hand gestures to speak to the Sully kids in the water, Y/n spoke to Lo'ak with her eyes. They swam close together, weaving through the coral reefs as they explored the sea life around them.

Lo'ak had reached out to touch a particular fish that glowed green, but one glance in Y/n's direction beore he had done so made him pause.

She didn't move her hands or even shake her head to tell him 'no'. Her eyes, staring through Lo'ak's soul, said what he needed to know. 'Stings.'

He moves away from the fish, swimming closer to her instead, eyes bright and eyebrows raised in her direction. He was smiling with his eyes, and even through his eyes, he was grinning. 'Worried for me?'

She rolled her eyes in response, and his own crinkled as his way of laughing. He didn't miss the way her ears darkened a shade of teal.

~~~

Payakan was his Spirit Brother and Lo'ak would defend him, even against a mighty olo'eyktan like Tonowari. However, even Y/n knew when enough was enough, fearing her clan leader more than Lo'ak did in that moment of stupidity. From over Tonowari's shoulder, Lo'ak caught Y/n's gaze, and with one look, her ears pinned back to emphasize the warning, Lo'ak closed his mouth.

~~~

Quaritch had grabbed Y/n by the throat and all Lo'ak could see was red. He lashed out, hissing and baring his teeth, struggling against the orange cuffs. He was so preoccupied with insulting the Recom with every bit of foul language known to Na'vi that he nearly missed Y/n's eyes flicking in his direction, her second pair of lids wiping away the salt water that was her tears. Lo'ak noticed, anger slowly calming as he stared back at her. It was obvious she was afraid, and much like how you would try to appear smaller when calming a scared cat, Lo'ak did just that. He stopped struggling against his restraints, closing his mouth to hide the fangs away. Ears resting in a more natural position, Lo'ak made sure to keep Y/n's beautiful eyes on him. His gaze softened once she slowly began to calm herself, eyes blinking slowly as she caught her breath. Lo'ak smiled at her and nodded with encouragement. 'Do not be afraid.'

After they escaped, Lo'ak gathered her in his arms. Gently cupping both sides of her face in his hands, he stared her down with one glance, 'Okay?'

She nods, sinking into his embrace and hiding her face away in his chest.

~~~

With one tilt of her head, his tail swayed in response, betraying his thoughts as he watched the way her smile twinkled and their eyes met again. The tilt of her head was pointed in the direction of the jungle behind the village, and after the communal meal, Lo'ak found himself following Y/n there, without a verbal invitation needed.

She was leaning against a tree, facing him when he broke through the heavy foliage. Expectedly, he waltzed over to her, eyes never leaving hers as she tilts her chin up to follow his height. They stood so close now, sharing the same air as the sky darkened and the fauna around them began to glow, igniting both Omatikaya and Metkayina tanhì like constellations. Lo'ak knew what she wanted without ever saying a word. Leaning in, he did what she had asked and kissed her.

~~~

It wasn't their first fight, but for Lo'ak, everything with Y/n felt like the first time. They had been mated for three years up until this point, three years of gaining more tribal tattoos, being one of the Metkayina, and lying in a hammock that was meant for two with the most beautiful woman in the world.

He couldn't remember what the fight was about, but between his pride and Y/n's stubbornness, it was safe to say that both of them could have easily been the cause of it. After the argument, Lo'ak left to cool his thoughts. He had already said some things he didn't mean (as always, it was still a bad habit) and struggled to say the things he wanted to say. He couldn't bare to stay any longer knowing he could do something he would sincerely regret. After a few hours to relax and recollect his thoughts, he returned. Y/n was still in their marui and didn't bother looking up when he entered. She keeps her head facing away from him and purposely pinned her ears back. 'No, I don't want to talk to you.'

He understands clearly. Trying his best not to touch her, he pulled a strand of her hair behind her ear and left to go hunting with Ao'nung, Rotxo, and Neteyam. He had stayed in his parents' marui that night.

After he returned the next morning, Y/n was still there, though her posture had definitely relaxed and her mood had shifted. She stood up and moved out of her husband's way so that he could get what he needed to be ready for the day. When he turned to leave again, she cleared her throat. Right, how could he have forgotten? Lo'ak turned on his heels and fit himself in front of his wife, planting a parting kiss on her lips and reveling the smile she bore as he left.

~~~

Almost every night it was like this, their little girl begging to stay up late because all her older cousins get to.

"Sem'pul, can I please stay up with you?"

Her eyes were even bigger than Tuk's when she was that age. Lo'ak was ready to give in until he saw the way Y/n looked at him behind their daughter's back, "Of co-- Actually, maite. I just remembered how I'm not feeling well and should probably get some sleep."

"Oh, no! You have to rest, Dad! I can tuck you in."

"That would make me feel so much better, baby. Thank you."

Y/n smiled with her eyes, nodding with approval as she moves to join the two in their family-size nivi. Lo'ak was nearly smothered with the little girl nestled in his chest and the woman pressed comfortably at his side, but he wouldn't want it any other way.

~~~

Ao'nung's son? With Lo'ak's daughter? Hell fucking no! What is that skxawng thinking?!

Lo'ak makes one step toward the son of the olo'eyktan only for Y/n to step in front of her mate, keeping his line of sight strictly on her. She stares up at him with half-lidded eyes and a sweet -if not amused- smile. Both smile and eyes now had soft wrinkles in the corners, and her hair wasn't as dark as it used to be. But, like before, time with Y/n was always like the first time, and nothing had changed except for their age and the fact that Ao'nung's son wished to court Lo'ak's daughter!

The thought brings anger back into Lo'ak's eyes that Y/n quickly stamped down with a glare of her own, her amusement forgotten in replace of forcing her husband to sit down with just one look. Kiri had watched the scene with amusement, muttering "Walk him like a nantangtsyìp, Y/n," loud enough for Lo'ak to hear it and snap his teeth at her.

At least Ao'nung was just as displeased as Lo'ak was when he found out about it. Finally, they agreed on something. However, everyone knew that Lo'ak was wrapped around his baby's fingers, and eventually, he welcomed the chief's son into their family after his daughter exclaimed, "I want what you and Mom have!"

He couldn't argue with that.

[onskepa]

Can I get a Lo'ak x Metkayina female reader?

Where Lo'ak meets the reader when he first met Payakan. As Lo'ak gets to know the reader better he asks her why she stays in the sea with Payakan all the time and never goes to the village. All the reader answers is "Because I am considered outcast. Just as Payakan is. That's why I live here with him instead of with the other Metkayina. I don't belong with the other Na'vi. The reason for that is..."

You can continue it from there :3

Heeeeeeeeey! ngl this took me a bit. Was thinking long and hard what would make the na'vi different...until it hit me! So here ya go! enjoy!

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

Kelsar

Lo'ak had enough. Enough of everything. The change of home, learning new things that aren't meant for him, being forced to get along with that skawng ao'nung. He had enough. It was bad his father was breathing down on back at the forest, but it has gotten far worse.

And as if his luck couldn't get any worse, he was stranded out in the open sea.

"FUCK YOU AO'NUNG!!"

He hated his life at the moment, as his life was being threatened by an akula. They looked more terrifying than a thanator. He hid under the coral and rocks He braced for the worst until a hand reached out to him. As means to keep him still. He couldn't turn to see but saw as the akula was ready to once again attack when suddenly, a tulkun hit the akula!

The two creatures fought a bit when the akula thought it wasn't worth it and left. Feeling the mysterious hand guide him up, with the tulkun assisting him. Breaking the surface and finally take in air, he gasps heavily. He heard a feminine giggle behind him, turning around he sees a metkayina girl.

Smiling, the girl helps him up on the tulkun's fin, sitting down as she calms herself.

"my my! that was fun!"

Lo'ak looked at her confused, taking in a good look at her. The girl's hair was long, very long, even with braids, she wore very simple top and loin cloth, not much jewelry on herself, just a simple hair piece with a shell décor. But she looked like all the other reef na'vi he as meet. Same shade of blue, but her eyes were than of teal blue. Her smile wide and bright.

"thank you for saving me, you and the tulkun" he says finally.

"this is payakan, my good friend" she says as she pats gently on payakan.

"nice to meet you payakan" he says, payakan made some noise and lo'ak shakes his head a bit. "im sorry, I don't know what he is saying".

The girl giggled again, "its ok, I can teach you, my name is kelsar". Lo'ak tilts his head a bit feeling confused. That name meant 'useless'.

"lo'ak" he says.

For the remainder of the day, they talk, kelsar would show him how to speak sign language, not to throw dirt of tsireya who was a wonderful teacher but kelsar was better in showing him sign language.

Lo'ak heard a bit of payakan being an outsider, but never heard of a metkayina being with the outcast.

"if its ok to ask...why are you with payakan and not back at the island?" he asks a bit nervously.

The girl smiled, but her smile was a bit sad. "they don't see me as one of their own...much like payakan, I too am an outcast".

"how? I understand with payakan but you? What could you have done or anything for you to be an outcast?" he asks, curiosity getting the better of him.

The girl didn't say anything but rather she bends down, splits her hair into two parts for him to take a look and there he realized.

Kelsar doesn't have a queue.

It didn't look like it was cut or anything deformed. Nothing was there.

Flipping her hair back kelsar begins to explain.

"when I was born, my mother and the tsahik were shocked to see me born without a queue...they never knew why it was like that. The tsahik at the time believed I was cursed, that I wasn't was Eywa envisioned me to be. That I wasn't her child..."

"she continues as she strokes her hair as mean for comfort.

"they knew it be a struggle. That I could never connect with Eywa or any animal, much less connect with my possible mate. My communion with Eywa never happened. I did my best doing my iknimaya but obviously I couldn't connect with a skimwing much less an ilu. I couldn't finish them...I tried my best. I hunted, I fought my best. Nothing was enough, my mother hated me. Everyone saw me as a freak, no one wanted to be my friend, no one even bothered to try...one day my mother suddenly wanted to go out an explore the reef with me. I was happy, I thought finally she wanted me. But I was wrong.....so so wrong....."

lo'ak lean in, letting her continue.

"she took me beyon the reef, into the open sea. I thought it was fine, but no. I looked behind me and she was gone...she left me. And not just leaving me like that no no. She left me where an akula was there. She left me to be killed. But payakan here saved me. And I have been with him since then. Isnt that right payakan?" she says as payakan agrees.

Hearing her story, being born with something that isnt in her control, he understood her. Understood her pain.

"now you tell me, do all forest na'vi have four fingers?" kelsar asks as means to change the subject.

"no no, you see my father was...."

they chatted more and more. Until night reached, where payakan and kelsar took him back to the island while being discreet. They hear jake and the other na'vi call out his name, they were searching for him.

"best you go now. Before they lose their minds" kelsar says. Lo'ak looks back at her then back at the people. "will I see you again?" he asks. He enjoyed her's and payakan's presence and felt more at ease with them. He didn't want to lose that. Kelsar giggled once more, he come to love that sound.

"of course silly boy. But you better go, they seem worried for you, go go" she gently pushes him onto the rocks. Taking one last look, they wave each other good bye as kelsar and payakan go back underwater.

Lo'ak shakes his head as he goes to his father. Ready to embrace what will come. Though he hopes to see more of his two new friends. Outcasts gotta stick together no?

And that is it for this fic! hope you all liked it! byeeeeeeeeee~!!

Kelsar = useless

[gracelaurie]

Falling into your ocean eyes 🌊 | Orm Marius x Fem!Reader

part 2 🌊

Warning ⚠️ : enemies to lovers, Fights to each other, Orm attacks y/n (choke), harsh words.

for the next part ➡️ masterlist

Y/N's brown hair turned slightly golden in the sea. She couldn't stop looking at how beautiful the view was from under the sea, the coral reefs and all the plants on the seabed that were lit up colorfully. She really wanted to get out of this transportation and enjoy directly the beauty she saw behind the glass, but creatures like sea aliens were really serious watching her, making her sick.

There is like a large and majestic gate, the road to enter Atlantis. What she saw was really like a myth, or being in a dream that you don't want to wake up from. everything is so sophisticated, advanced civilization, no less than the surface.

But the worst part had come, she had to face King Orm.

“Lady Y/N is already here, Your Highness.” Vulko said.

Orm turned around, his hand still holding his trident. He looked into Y/N's eyes sharply, then a few seconds later he smiled, “Welcome to Atlantis, my future sister-in-law.”

Y/N dived closer to Orm, then responded with a sinister smile, “This place is so beautiful, I almost thought it wasn't real. But sadly, its beauty becomes gloomy because you block it.”

“Is that really?” Orm dived around Y/N, his ocean eyes met her brown eyes. He smiled sarcastically, “because as far as I thought, you always presented yourself as my mistress. It’s impossible that behind that hateful face you show, there is a very deep feeling of attraction to your King.”

“I already know how evil you are, and your jealousy of your brother. You know that he is the one who deserved the throne. And as for Mera, I don’t feel any love growing for you.” Y/N spoke with so much confident.

“I’m the true King, you stupid witch.” Orm raised his tone for the first time towards Y/N. Arthur ran away with his fiancée Mera, which made him quite frustrated. Y/N's words were enough to make his blood boil.

“It's not my fault if I'm telling the truth—“

“Take her.” Orm said to the guards, then they immediately surrounded Y/N.

“No, no… you can’t do this, I need to see my father.”

Orm glared, “And I need you to shut your fucking half-blood mouth. Obey me, so I will give you to King Nereus.”

Y/N smiling, “Oh I will not obey anyone.” Her eyes turned bright red, a red flash struck the room so that the guards were thrown into the corner of the room because of the magic that had just come out of her hands.

Orm immediately attacked her by using her trudent, but before the attack hit her skin, she threw Orm using her chaos magic.

Attack after attack, shots continued to be fired at Y/N, but she avoided the shots very well. Her magic works very well on the seabed, making her unstoppable.

“Your Highness, this madness has to stop. King Nereus will be here soon.” said Vulko.

“It won’t.” Orm didn't launch another attack this time, he dived very quickly to choke Y/N's neck making it difficult for her to breathe.

Orm smiled with satisfaction seeing Y/N's face red and struggling to breathe. He tightened his choke to Y/N's neck, “You know, I hate it when someone says that someone is more worthy of being King than me. A surface witch like you has no right to have that opinion but to brazenly entered my mind to seduce me.”

“I’ve…..seen it….all,” Y/N said with her breath starting to run out, “future.”

“See what, surface witch?” Orm said with disdain, “Our relationship?”

“You…wish.” Y/N said one last time before she fainted from running out of breath.

“Take her away.” Orm ordered his guards, then they took Y/N's body which was lying on the floor.

He looked at Y/N who had fainted and was being carried by her bodyguards. It occurred to him to do something that was the opposite of what he had just done.

“Stop there, let me carry her.”

****

[imagines--galore]

Hi. I’m taking a big step to come out of my shy shell, and ask for a TASM x Reader request from you. I’ve never done this before, but I’d like to share my idea with you, if you’re ok with it.

“A sick TASM 2 Spidey battling a fever and sneeze exploding head cold, while swinging on patrol. He winds up on the fire escape of a surprised F reader, whose soft spot for Spider-Man results in her growing close to her hero. A lot of fluff & SFW romance, some PTSD Gwen angst concerns, and a bit of hurt/comfort moments when she first cares for him during their first meeting.”

Pairing: TASM Peter Parker x Reader Rating || Genres || Warnings: T. Romance. Angst. Fluff. Just a bit of PTSD but nothing too drastic. A/N: I hope I did your request justice! Thank you for sending it in!

You had begun to think your balcony was cursed. There had been occasions in the past, when you would open the door leading out to said balcony, only to find some injured animal taking shelter there.

The very first time that happened, you found a pigeon. The poor thing had a broken wing and it looked so pitiful that you carefully scooped it up and brought it inside. You took it to a nearby walk-in pet clinic. It took a couple of weeks, but pretty soon the bird was starting to show signs of flying and one day it flew out your window.

And though you had been sad to see it go, you were happy it was healthy now.

After that pigeon you found several other birds on your balcony. Once you had even found a cat with a broken paw. Another time a cat licking over newborn kittens. The latter of which had allowed you to adopt one of the kittens as your own. It had actually been the runt of the litter, and your tender heart didn't want it to die, so you had fed it yourself, taking care of it until it became strong enough.

You named her Coral.

Birds and cats, that was the extent of injured creatures you found on your balcony.

So one night, when you opened the door to let in a little fresh New York air, and found an unresponsive figure laying there, you very nearly screamed out loud.

To top it off, it was Spiderman.

Yes the Spiderman.

On your balcony.

You instantly checked the costumed figure over for any signs of bleeding. You couldn't very well check for injuries with the way the suit covered everything.

Well not everything.

It seemed, before passing out, Spiderman had the sense to remove his mask. Your eyes widened as you saw his face in the fairy lights you had strewn across the balcony railing.

He was young, and if you were to judge correctly, he looked to be about your age. He was breathing rather rapidly, and you couldn't help but feel a bubble of concern rise within your chest as you knelt down next to him. You whispered his name, your hand slowly coming to rest against his forehead. A startled gasp left your lips once you felt just how hot his skin was.

Immediately you felt your instincts kick in. Wrapping an arm around his waist, and guiding his to wrap around your shoulders, you managed to lift him up and half-dragged him inside your room. Thank goodness your balcony was adjacent to your room.

During your little trip, he barely stirred, and you could feel the heat from his fever against your own body, causing you to frown in concern. As you laid him down on your bed, he was hit with a coughing fit, one that had him curling up on his side as each cough seemed to wreck his entire body. All you could do was thump his back lightly, trying your best to reassure him somehow.

Once the cough subsided, you quickly poured him a glass of water. He seemed to have gained some consciousness, as he gulped down the water greedily when you pressed the glass to his lips. His eyes were still closed, and sweat had begun to line his skin as he fell back against your soft pillows once more.

His breathing was deep, and you couldn't help but feel dread settle into your stomach as you quickly grabbed the thermometer gun from your bathroom cabinet and took his temperature.

He was running a rather high fever, and from the way he breathed through his mouth rather then his nose, told you that perhaps he had a cold as well. You just hoped it was nothing more then that. If it was anything serious, how would you get him to a doctor. You couldn't just walk into a clinic with a boy in a Spiderman costume and ask to see the doctor.

Besides, you doubted he would want anyone to know who he was.

So you decided to tackle this situation yourself.

With newfound determination, you quickly went into your kitchen and within minutes you were whipping up some chicken noodle soup. You always bought the ones that came in cups and only needed some hot water. You didn't have time to make one from scratch. You also grabbed some medicine for fever and cold from your bathroom cupboard and made your way back to your surprise patient.

Setting the tray down, you leaned over the still figure. You wish you knew his name, as you gently shook his shoulder and whispered.

"Hey, I brought you some soup and medicine. You should eat something." You urged softly. Thankfully, he stirred, mumbling something under his breath as his eyelids flickered. You had made sure to only keep the light of the lamp on, so it was a little dark in the room.

"Gwen?" He mumbled, even that one word slurring slightly as he tried his best to sit up. "You're here."

Gwen? Who was she? His girlfriend maybe? Whatever, if he thought she was Gwen, maybe she could get him to sit up and eat. And though you didn't like lying, you knew it was necessary. So you smiled softly at him and nodded. "Yeah! I'm here. Come on, sit up for me and eat."

He barely had any strength to do that himself, but you helped him sit up, propping multiple pillows behind him as you did. He barely opened his eyes once, making you wander if perhaps his eyes felt hot and heavy because of the fever. He sniffed, confirming your suspicion of him having a cold.

Since he made no move to pick up the soup bowl, you settled the tray onto your lap, and slowly began to spoon the broth into his waiting mouth. You couldn't help but let your eyes wander over his face as you fed him. He was handsome, in an adorable kind of way. His brown hair stuck out in all directions, but that was probably because he had been wearing the mask for a long time. During the entire feeding session, he did not say anything, but he did manage to finish the whole bowl, making you wander just how hungry he had been.

Once done, he let his head fall back against the pillows. "So tired." He whispered hoarsely. You nodded. "Thats alright, you can go to sleep once you've had some medicine." You quickly held the two pills out for him to take. A covered hand slowly took the pills, placing them inside his mouth which he then chased down by drinking an entire glass of water.

Satisfied you made to pick up the dirty dishes when his hand darted out to grasp your wrist. You let out a gasp of surprise, eyes dropping to his hand, before lifting to meet his near desperate gaze.

"Stay." He whispered in such a broken tone that you couldn't help but feel your own heart ache for the poor thing.

Nodding, you set the dishes back down. "I'll stay." You promised, your wrist sliding out of his hand only so you could wrap both your hands around his, holding it between your palms as you sat down on the bed next to him. He gave a sleepily smile, eyes already closing as the medicine began to kick in.

Once he was asleep, you couldn't find it in your heart to leave, so you fell asleep right beside him, propped up against the headboard, something that you would come to regret the next morning.

                                            ————————–

ACHOO!

A loud sneeze was what startled you awake the next morning. Instantly your back protested from where it had been against the wooden headboard the entire night. You blinked in the light of the morning sun as it streamed through your still open balcony. It was another blustery autumn day, which meant lots of wind.

Which could not be good for your patient.

Events from last night flooded your brain and you quickly stood up to check on your patient. Who seemed to have woken himself up by sneezing. You quickly shut the balcony door, cutting off the cold air. Once his little sneezing fit was over, Spiderman managed to blink away whatever sleep was left in his eyes and assessed the room around him.

You watched as his gaze darted from one object to the next, before finally finding your still figure next to the balcony door. Giving a sheepish grin you gave a little wave. "Hi."

The hero lifted a hand to his head, rubbing his temples. "Is this a dream? Am I dreaming?" He asked, his voice still nasally. It seemed he was still fighting his cold. You gave a sympathetic smile as you shook your head. "No, not a dream. I found you passed out on my balcony. You had a high fever and I brought you in." Reaching out you pressed your hand against his forehead. "Well your fever is down from what it was last night."

Your gaze met his, and you quickly realized just how blatantly you were touching him. Without his permission. Your eyes met his, the surprise of the situation clearly written across his face. A horrified look overcame your features as you quickly pulled your hand back. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have....." Your eyes dropped to the temperature gun, which you quickly lifted and aimed at his forehead. "Your fever has gone down, guess the medicines worked."

With a groan, he moved to stand up, but it seemed he wasn't steady on his feet, as he seemed to stumble would've fallen if you hadn't reached out to catch him. "Easy. Easy." You whispered in a soothing voice, helping him sit back down. "You still have a fever, and I'm sure that cold isn't helping with your head." Your eyes assessed his face for a few brief seconds before you looked away.

"I know this is not the most ideal situation, but I won't mind if you stay here and recover. And if you do stay here, it will help put my mind at ease as well. Otherwise I'd probably end up chewing my fingernails off with worry." You admitted with an awkward laugh. Spiderman continued to stare at you with those big brown eyes. You could feel a blush starting to creep along your skin as you nervously fidgeted in place.

"H-how about I fix us some breakfast? And I can get you a change of clothes if you'd like Spiderman?" You continued to babble, moving to the dresser that stood against a wall. You were sure you had a couple baggy shirts and a pair of sweatpants that would fit him.

"Peter."

You spun around, eyes wide, the shock and surprise clearly written on your face as you stared at him. He offered you a small smile from where he sat on the bed. "My name is Peter."

Slowly, a bright yet shy smile pulled at your lips as you gave a small nod. "I'm Y/n." You quickly introduced yourself. There was a moment of silence, where the two of you simply looked at one another, before you cleared your throat and turned retrieved the appropriate clothes.

"Here, you get changed, while I make breakfast. Just try to move slowly." You advised as you held the clothes out for him to take. "Fresh towels are in the cupboard beside the sink. And if you need any help, just yell for me alright?"

His lips parted, as if he were about to say something. But whatever it was got lost along the way, as a loud sneeze echoed in the room, prompting you to give a sympathetic laugh and hand him a tissue.

"Bless you." With that you stepped out of the room to make the hero some breakfast.

                                            ————————–

Spiderman, Peter, stayed at your place for a couple days. Once the fever had gone down, the sneezing had increased tenfold, and you had to make two runs to the store at the corner of the street to get some more tissues. Peter had been extremely apologetic about making you work, but you waved him off.

"You keep the entire city safe and barely get a thank you, I think I can buy a couple rolls of tissues for you." You had teased him, prompting a grin to pull at his lips.

The first day he mostly spent resting and sleeping, recovering from the toll the fever had taken on his body. On the second day he was well enough to sit up and speak to you.

He explained how he had started to feel dizzy while swinging near your apartment building and knowing he was about to faint, he had swung down on your balcony, before passing out.

"Well lucky for you I'm used to having injured or sick strays come across my balcony. You aren't the first one I've brought in to help. Though you are the first person, and hopefully my last." He had laughed at that, before asking you to relay the past patients you had had over the months you had lived at the apartment.

The two of you had talked almost non-stop and it was at your insistence that he rest that he got a few hours of sleep during midday.

'You know its been a long time since I spoke to someone like this." He said on the third night of his stay. He was looking much better, and had even managed a shower earlier. "Don't tell me you don't have any friends." You teased, setting down a fresh cup of hot tea and handing one to him. He took it with a smile and shrugged.

"I do, but I'm not that close with them. Honestly, I was only ever close to one person." He admitted, looking down at the liquid in the cup. "Who?" You asked, settling at the foot of the bed as Coral curled up into your lap.

Peter cleared his throat before taking a small sip of his tea. "Her name was Gwen." Your eyes widened and you gave a nod. "Yeah, you did mention her once or twice when I was bringing you inside. And when I was feeding you the soup." Suddenly, the use of past tense registered in your brain and you frowned.

"Wait, was?" You asked, a feeling of dread settling in your stomach at what he would say next.

Where there had been laughter just moments ago, there was now a deep soul-aching sorrow as he met your gaze and gave a small sad smile. "She died. A couple years ago." He admitted with a catch in his voice.

"Oh." You couldn't help reach out and grasp his hand, giving it a squeeze. "I'm so sorry Peter." You whispered. He looked back up at you, and this time neither of you looked away for a long time.

                                            ————————–

He left after five days.

No goodbye, no seeing him off. Just a small post it note that said he would visit soon.

You kept the note on the shade of your bedside lamp, to remind yourself that what had happened wasn't a dream.

                                            ————————–

Since that day, Peter had dropped by your apartment many times. His place was just a couple blocks away from your own, but he would mostly drop by after patrolling the city. The two of you would sit on the balcony, share a beverage and talk.

It became such a regular occurrence that you actually bought a couple of recliners and installed a cute awning above the balcony so the two of you could have some shade if it ever rained. And you added some potted flowers as well. It was all very picturesque and magical, and you had blushed with pleasure when Peter had commented on it.

The one time he came back with a bleeding lip, bruised cheekbone and a cut on his forehead, you added a first aid kit to your list of necessities as well. You had patched him up and when he jokingly said you should kiss it better, you caught yourself by surprise when you actually leaned in and quickly kissed his cheek.

The two of you could barely stop smiling and blushing as you sat side by side, simply basking in one another's presence. At one point you felt his fingers brush against your own, and you allowed him to take your hand and interlock your fingers together.

                                            ————————–

A few months after first meeting Peter, you were anxiously pacing the small balcony. According to the news Spiderman had to face off against a rather deadly villain, and from the reports it didn't seem good. You were worried out of your mind, and had sent Peter a message to come to the balcony if he could once he was done dealing with the villain.

Finally feeling tired, you allowed your body to drop into one of the recliners, your eyelids heavy with sleep. And despite your best efforts to keep them open, you slowly began to drift off.

The brush of a hand against your cheek startled you awake, and your eyes blinked open to stare up at the injured yet smiling figure of Peter Parker. "Hey Nightingale." He greeted, using the nickname he had given you on account of your always taking care of him. He had actually named you after a famous nurse.

You let out a sound of utter relief as you jumped from your seat and wrapped your arms around him. And as you embraced him, you couldn't help yourself as you pressed your lips against his. He caught you as if he had been expecting you, matching the enthusiasm of your kiss, which was the epitome of sweet, gentle yet deep, charged with every ounce of emotion the two of you felt.

And though you would later tell him off for worrying you like that, and he would apologize and hug you while wiping away your tears, for now the two of you were utterly content.

[mcx7demonbros]

Shark Attack (Leviathan x GN!MC)

Ft. Leviathan x GN!MC

C/W. Shark attack; Reader being called “ugly”; Cursing.

N.B. I name some minor characters for easy writing.

No proofread

You should have stayed at home.

You didn’t want to join diving trip with Karen, Jason, and Max. However, Karen managed to convince you to join her and the others. You knew that Karen invited you not out of the goodness of her heart, but to have someone inferior with her so that she could feel she was above someone else. And who could be a more perfect target for her than you? Airhead, clumsy, very normal with a face clearly inferior to her. Initially, you didn’t want to suffer going on a trip with her and her two “servants”. But when she described the beauty of the ocean and the aquatic creatures, you lost it. Your boyfriend, the Grand Admiral of Hell Leviathan, has a deep connection with the ocean and creatures within it. Yet you never had the chance to look at any of them in real life, except in the case of Lotan. (Henry 2.0 doesn’t count because he’s a fishbowl-bound goldfish).

On the day of the trip, you four met a man named Constantine, whom Karen hired to guide the group. At first, the trip was pleasant and enjoyable. With Constantine’s guidance, you were able to put on a diving suit and gear. Then you got to look at various colored fishes at a beautiful coral reef. You were also able to take a lot of pictures of the fishes. The only annoying thing was probably Karen’s constant demand to have her face in every picture the others took.

However, everything changed when Karen heard Constantine talk about a more beautiful coral reef quite far from where you were. Karen demanded Constantine to take them there. He objected at first, saying that he heard that people saw big and dangerous sharks there. But when Karen offered more money, Constantine accepted and took the whole group there. You did voice your objection with Constantine, but Karen shouted at you, telling you to shut your ugly mouth.

Karen’s demand was the beginning of a disaster…and a tragedy. Your boat entered the shark area and encoutered an unusually big Great White Shark. It attacked your boat and overturned it after a few tries. You all fell into the water, it hunting territory. With your might and strength, all of you tried to swim away, to a large rock nearby.

You managed to reach the rock, and while trying to climb on it. You heard a woeful scream. You turned around and saw Constantine being devoured between the jaws of the shark, turning a whole area of sea water red with blood.

“What d-do we do now? That monster is going to e-eat us like it h-has done with the old guy.” Max couldn’t stop shaking in his voice.

“From what I have observed, the rock we are standing on will submerge under the water when high tide comes around sunset. We must do something and not waiting for death.” Jason reported to Karen.

Karen looked at the overturned boat afar and then at the large fin moving within the vicinity around the rock.

“Someone has to swim to the boat and get the phone or the signal gun.” Karen said.

“Who’s gonna do that?” Max asked before realizing whom Karen was hinting.

“MC.”

“What?” You didn’t hear the conversation as you were sitting, trying to comprehend what had happened. You would have died today had you been the last of the escape group, with the jaws of the beast wrapping around you and tear you apart with its sharp teeth, chewing you like some meat gum.

“MC, we need you to swim to the boat over-there and get us a phone or a signal gun so that we can ask for a rescue team.”

“I-I c-can’t do that. There’s literally a hungry shark out there. Do you want me dead?” You shouted at Karen, while her two lap dogs looked back at you with threatening eyes.

“C’mon, MC. High tide is coming and this rock will soon submerge under the water. We can’t just sit around and wait for death.”

Knowing that you couldn’t fight all three of them, you reluctantly agreed. Jason even patted your shoulder and told you not to worry, while you were swimming, they would flap on the water so it would attract the shark away from you.

After calming yourself down, you entered the dangerous water and swam towards the boat, while the others created flapping sound on the other side of the rock to lure the shark away from you.

You managed to reach the boat safely and dived down to find the things Karen asked for under the overturned boat. You found your D.D.D floating on the water. Thanks Father it could still working. You also grabbed the flare gun among the things in Constantine’s bag.

Time to return. I can’t wait too much time here.

You left the boat and swam back to the large rock, carrying with you the hopes of the group.

However, the shark soon realized that it was being deceived. It turned its attention on you and began to chase you down.

Seeing the shark swimming at you with high speed, you began to swim faster and harder. When you nearly reached the rock, the shark also open its mouth and…

.

.

.

Sea water turned red with your blood as the shark managed to bite your thigh. It then dragged you across water, far from the rock.

When Karen saw the scene, she thought you would be done for and intended to shout to you to throw your phone and signal gun to them, but then she had a better idea. Taking the chance, the three of them swam towards the boat, abandoning you. They managed to turn the boat back, climbed on it and left.

What they didn’t expect was that you managed to escape the shark’s jaws. You shot the signal gun at the shark’s eyes, blinding it as you escaped back to the rock.

When you saw Karen’s group leaving you behind, you couldn’t help but cursed them under your breath. “Go die and rot in hell.”

You turned back to look at your wound. It was quite deep and the bleeding was constant. You gritted your teeth and washed the wound with sea water.

“Argh. Fuck.” You couldn’t help but cursed again. You continued to bear the pain as you bandaged it with the clothes you tore.

After dealing with the wound, you dialed Levi on your D.D.D.

“I’m on my way.” Levi said with a murderous tone even though you hadn’t explained anything to him.

The moment the call was cut off, you noticed the pact mark on your injured leg began to shine with a dark orange light. Then you looked at it closely, you discovered that the shark had bitten you right on the mark, making it soaked with your blood. Levi must have felt it so he was already on his way when you called him.

A few minutes ago, at the House of Lamentation, Levi was playing his game like any other day. He was even swearing at his bad teammates in a team game. Such team games made the third born miss you. To him, you were the best teammate he could ask for.

MC, I miss you so much. What are you doing now?

Suddenly, he got a tingling sensation. And he could smell blood. A demon’s nature told him it was his master’s blood.

Someone or something is threatening MC.

After that realization, Levi’s console dropped to the ground. A dark orange aura wrapped around him as his growl turned into snake’s hiss. His pupils constricted until they became vertical like snake’s eyes. His skin disappeared to make room for hard purple snake scales. His fangs grew longer and became as good as sharp swords. But the thing to watch out for was the poison & acidic liquid oozing out of the fangs.

Return to you, the sky suddenly darkened even though it wasn’t sunset yet. The pact connects a demon with their master. So you could feel Levi was nearby. You look at the sea and you just wanted to shout “OMG, there’s a big shadow under the water.”

Even the Great White Shark knew the danger and turned around to escape. But it was too late as Levi summoned a water blade. The blade traveled in water with sound speed and cut the shark in half.

“MC” the giant sea serpent emerged its head out of the water and turned to you. “You are badly wounded.”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go back.”

“No, I still have something I want do do.”

Meanwhile, Karen and her two lap dogs were struggling to find direction to return to shore. However, they were completely lost as the compass was left at the treacherous water. Jason and Max were so pissed off that they began to argue and shout at each other. If Karen didn’t stop them, they would have fought each other.

Suddenly, something smashed into the boat, made it shake.

“What was that?” Karen asked as Max looked at the ocean before shouting. “SHARKS! L-LOTS OF THEM!”

Karen and Jason also looked at the ocean and panic soon filled their faces. Sharks, sharks were everywhere in the vast sea they were.

“Look, what’s that?” Jason pointed as the huge shadow under the water, in the centre of the shiver of hundreds of sharks.

The shadow soon emerged from the water, revealing a gigantic purple snake-like creature with two large corals as its horns. And there was something…someone sitting in the middle of the two horns.

“M-MC! I thought you w-were-were” Karen shouted, realizing it was you.

“Dead.” You finished the sentence for the girl. “Yeah, consider me dead but now I have returned from Hell, along with a part of its Navy under my command, to take you disgusting horrible sinners to Hell.”

“W-wait, let’s talk.”

But you didn’t want to hear another word from their mouths. Leviathan opened his mouth, spatting the acidic liquid at the boat. The boat melted into sea foam before turning into nothingness and the trio fell into the water.

“They’re yours.” Levi coldly said to his shark underlings.

The sea water was soon dyed red with blood, and the sound of waves were replaced by Karen and her lap dogs’ miserable screams. Soon the only thing left was a large pool of blood, but even it would dissipate in the vast ocean.

Nothing was left of this trip. No witness, no evidence, the only things remaining of the horrible trip were the photos of fishes and aquatic creatures you took. You took out your D.D.D and deleted all of them. You just wanted to forget this horrible memory.

“MC, I will take you to another ocean trip, to make wonderful memories, if you want.”

“Thank you, Levi. But I already had enough sea and ocean for today.”

“Including me?” Levi’s vertical orange pupils constricted further more, sadness in his eyes.

“No, not you, Levi. I’ll never be tired of you. Mmm, let’s go home.”

“Ok.”

With that, you and Levi, together with the Shark Squad of Hell’s Navy, disappeared from sight. A few days later, rescue teams were sent out to look for your companions, but to no avail. Nothing was found. Your companions’ disappearance became one of the most mysterious missing cases at sea.

[imagines-ahs]

Chapter Forty-Eight: Bisque.

Summary: Wilhemina Venable felt it was finally time to leave Kineros Robotics and get a job with people who weren’t such morons like Jeff and Mutt. What she didn’t expect, however, was for her new boss to be so damn insufferable. She didn’t expect to fall in love with her, either.

Tag List: @mayfair-fleur @mistysswampmud @paulsonsratched @msvenablx @notmeellaannyy @rwoolfe @golddustdykes​ @lovingsarah @slut-for-sarah @geinobinarie​ (message me to be added if interested!)

“Affection memories are the best kind,” Billie’s words came as soft as melted butter. “How old were you?”

I’m not sure I have many of those. “Six.”

“I wish I could have seen young Wilhemina eating cheesecake for the first time.” The corners of Billie Dean’s sparkled lightly. Venable couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as she took another bite.

“Do you have any pictures from when you were young?”

Even though the question seemed a little odd, Billie had learned not to judge. It was safe to say their experiences in life had been very different, even though they shared their fair amount of similarities. She nodded as she took a bite. “I do. Why?”

Wilhemina shrugged. “I’d like to see them… sometime. If that’s alright with you.”

“Of course.” Weird. But it made sense… Billie did want to see younger Venable, too.

Wilhemina nodded slowly as she looked down at her plate. I think I might have a few pictures from school… Granted, she had always hated taking pictures. Brown eyes moved back up to Billie Dean, and a small smile graced Venable’s features as she realized the small amount of cream cheese on Billie’s face. “Your chin,” she said softly.

“Hm?”

“You have cream cheese on your chin.”

“Oh.” Billie let her fork go and reached for a napkin. She chuckled as she wiped her face clean. “Thank you.” Embarrassing.

“Of course.” I can’t believe the nerve of her to look good even with cream cheese on her face.

Carefully taking one last bite, Billie Dean set her plate aside. She licked her lips and made sure no bits were left on her cheeks. Venable still savored the dessert, and so honey eyes watched her. In no time, they were back at the living room with the dishwasher all loaded and running. Purpura sleepily watched them from her spot at the center table.

“That was good,” Billie sat back down at the couch, right beside Wilhemina, whom nodded.

“When did you first find out you had a talent for finding good food?” Venable teased as she leaned back against the couch. Billie Dean let out a small chuckle. Is it safe to feel that comfortable around her? That was a constant doubt in her mind.

“I think it’s a talent only for you.” She reached for one of Venable’s legs, hand resting on her knee and caressing it on top of the pants.

Wilhemina smiled to herself. Floratta Blue permeated her house in comforting tones of coral. “If you say so…”

“Mhm.” Leaning closer, Billie kissed Wilhemina’s cheek before resting back on the couch.

With the corners of her eyes sparkling lightly, Venable turned her head to stare at Billie Dean. The caresses on her leg no longer felt foreign. Such a short time… Things with Emma had taken so long so develop to whatever it had been. How was any of that even happening with Billie? “Will you help me set my iPad?”

“Of course.”

Afternoon dawned and night arrived pretty fast. Shades of orange invaded the living room as Billie Dean was just done helping Wilhemina set everything, and then Venable got up to turn the light on. The iPad now lay charging on the corner table, already with the purple case on and a few apps installed. Honey eyes watched as Wilhemina caressed Purpura on her way back to the couch, and as she was about to comment on her trousers, her phone began to ring from her purse. Brown eyes moved to hers. Billie Dean bit her lower lip and wished the name on the screen didn’t start with the letter ‘E’—thankfully, it didn’t. “It’s Jenny,” she told Venable before walking to the bathroom, receiving a nod back. Closing the door, Billie quickly picked it up. “Hello?”

“Stop ignoring my texts!” From the other side, Jenny yelled teasingly.

“I’m not!” Billie said with a chuckle. “I just haven’t been around my phone today.”

“Oh! Oh—oh! You’re at her house?!”

Laughing, Billie Dean moved to sit down on the closed toilet lid. “Yes, I am.” Her words were quiet, low.

“Did you spend the night? Oh, of course you did!”

Billie couldn’t help but find Jenny’s excitement funny. “I did, but nothing happened.”

“How come?”

“We’re going slow.”

“Did you make out at least?”

“Jenny!”

“Come on!”

Smiling to herself, Billie Dean nodded on the phone. “Yes…”

“So she does have feelings for you, huh?”

“… yes.”

“Where’s my ‘You told me, Jenny. You’re always right, Jenny. I should give you a raise, Jenny.’?”

“Shut up!” Billie chuckled yet again, hearing as the girl did the same on the other side of the phone. After a moment, she bit her lip. Their laughs died down. “Thank you…”

“You’re welcome,” Jenny’s voice came softly, now. “On a more serious note, is everything alright? Is she treating you well and not like she’s made out of ice?”

Billie Dean shook her head. “She’s the sweetest, Jenny…”

“If you say so.”

“Truly.”

“I believe you.”

Billie licked her lips as she thought. “Was Emma alright? Yesterday, when you dropped her home?”Silence. Billie Dean felt Jenny shifting on the other side of the line. Oh no.

“She was just drunk. Do you really want to talk about her now?”

“She said something about Terry, didn’t she?”

Jenny took a deep breath. Billie gulped. “She said a lot of things…”

“Jenny…”

“Yes. She did talk about Terry.”

“Fuck,” Billie breathed out. Closing her eyes, she reached to massage her temple. “What did she say?”

“I don’t remember exactly—or rather, I didn’t understand it very well— but it was something that had to do with telling Wilhemina about her.” Billie Dean groaned. “She was drunk and very much mad at you, I doubt she’ll do anything,” Jenny tried to amend. It didn’t help much.

“She thinks she knows what happened, and she’s assuming that’s what I am doing with Wilhemina.”

“Yeah…”

“That’s not it, Jenny. Terry wasn’t even fired because of that!” Her voice raised a little. Billie quickly took notice of it and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment.

From the other side, Jenny gulped. “I know, Billie… but you do know that a few people can’t help but make that connection, right?”

Billie Dean took a deep breath. “Yes…” And it fucking sucks. Just another thing people assumed about her life, as if she didn’t have enough of that already.

“Have you told her about it?”

“Wilhemina?”

“Yes.”

“No… not yet.” Honey eyes fell down. Billie sucked on her lower lip. “I think it’s too soon.”

“Billie, it’s either you telling her or her possibly finding it out through Emma… and I really don’t think you’d like the latter.”

“I know,” Billie Dean murmured. “What else did she tell you?”

“She just cried a lot… and called you a bunch of names.”

“Fair,” she murmured again.

“Not really, but we’ll not dwell on that right now.” Billie nodded to herself. “Are you spending the weekend there?”

“Yes.” Taking a deep breath, Billie Dean sat up a little better. “Why?”

“Just asking. The reports about the party should be out on Monday, and we need to approve the pictures for the special.”

“Right. You can ask them to e-mail me the material.” I desperately need a break from working. The end of the year was always hectic for Billie Dean.

“Already did. They’re waiting on an answer until Monday, noon.”

“Perfect. We can do it in the morning, then.”

“Mhm.”

“Do I need to do anything this weekend?” Billie had found Jenny’s question a little odd, so it was always best to ask.

“Not really. I was just curious about you and her,” the girl chuckled.

“Oh.” Chuckling back, Billie got up from the lid. That’s good at least. “I’ll tell you more on Monday.”

“Good. I’ll be waiting excitedly as the reason for all of that to be happening I am.”

“Silly,” Billie Dean teased back. “Alright, I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Alright. Have a good weekend, wink wink.”

“You too, you annoying human.” With both of them laughing, Billie ended the call. She looked up to the mirror and fixed her clothes and hair, eyes glued on herself. She sighed. She’ll think I do that with everybody. Maybe that talk could wait until Monday… or at least until tomorrow. Billie Dean decided she wouldn’t think about it now. At least not for the night. She still had another whole day before the next week, after all.

Quietly stepping out of the bathroom, Billie Dean walked back to the living room; she didn’t find Venable there. “Wilhie?”

“In the bedroom,” Venable called back.

Quietly still, Billie Dean followed that way. As she got to the room, her eyes were graced with the lovely image of Wilhemina, sitting on the bed with Purpura and a tube of lotion by her side. Lavender notes invaded her nostrils. Billie smiled. “Are you moisturizing her?” She remembered Venable had said something about it, once.

Wilhemina nodded. She reached for more of the lotion and gently caressed the cat’s back, which purred lowly. “Winter makes her skin drier.”

“She’s so well behaved.” Carefully, Billie sat down beside Wilhemina. She watched as her hands worked on Purpura, so gentle and caring. And with such long and dainty fingers… not now. Billie Dean licked her lips and looked back up at Venable, watching the way she was so absolutely focused on the cat, with lips curling up and eyes so soft above the sky of freckles there. To be loved by her must be holy. She could only wish to experience that one day. “Can I help?”

Taken positively aback, deep brown eyes met honey ones. “To moisturize her?” Billie nodded. Venable opened a smile. “Of course.” She reached for the lotion and pushed it closer to Billie Dean. “Here. Her chest is missing still.

“Okay.” As gentle as she could, Billie Dean scooped a small amount of lotion on her fingers and began to caress the cat’s chest, right underneath her neck. Purpura purred a little louder, shifting on the mattress to accommodate the hand. Billie smiled, and as she looked up at Wilhemina, their eyes and smile met again. Air seemed scarce all of a sudden. I want to give her the world.

I love her. When had anyone ever treated Purpura like that? When had anyone wanted to be a part of her life like that? How scary? How good? How foreign? “She likes it,” Wilhemina said, voice as soft as melted butter. “She likes you.”

With a tiny chuckle, Billie Dean used all of her strength to take her eyes off of Venable and look back at the cat. “I like her, too.” With her free hand and mindful of her nails, she reached to pet the cat’s head. Purpura leaned against it, eyes closed. Another chuckle left Billie’s lips.

With her teeth trapping her lips in order not to allow them to smile too big, Wilhemina kept on watching them. She pulled her hands away and wiped them on a towel she had taken, cleaning them of the lotion. After a minute or two, she spoke again. “Thank you for being so nice to her…”

“Of course,” Billie Dean’s eyebrows drew closer in confusion. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Venable shrugged. My mind clearly works wrong. “It’s just that… a few people can be mean because of—of how she looks.” Just like they are to me. She nervously licked her lips. “You know… the skin.”

Billie’s frown grew for a second until she understood just how deep the topic actually was. Her eyes reflected nothing but kindness now. “There’s nothing wrong with how she looks, Wilhie… and even if there were, quote on quote, something wrong about her, that wouldn’t be an excuse for people to treat her in any way but kind.” Gulping again, Wilhemina nodded. She took a discrete deep breath and clutched the small purple towel on her lap. Billie Dean took notice of it. She’s nervous. With her own heart picking up slightly in speed, Billie looked down at the cat for a second before looking back up at Venable. Her lips curled up on the corners. “Besides, I think she looks really cute.”

This time, it was Wilhemina who looked away from Billie Dean. Her cheeks tinted softly. The underlying tone of their conversation was very much explicit. “R-really?”

“Oh, yeah.” She knows I’m talking about her. There was no need to point that out. Billie had been learning compliments and words of affirmation were better left in the murky, at least for now. “More than cute, I think she’s beautiful.” Clutching the towel in her hands a little harsher, Venable nodded quietly. She slowly looked back up, and when her eyes met honey ones again, she found a look in them that left her warm all over, sweet all over, comforted all over. Billie Dean’s smile grew lovingly, pouring affection all over. Carefully not to disturb Purpura, Billie scooted closer to Wilhemina, hand reaching to cup one of her cheeks—slowly, so she could ask her to stop if she wanted. She didn’t. Billie Dean’s thumb caressed the plump crimson skin with so much tenderness it nearly hurt. Venable sighed lowly. “You’re beautiful, Wilhemina,” she whispered, voice as soft as a cozy blanket and as sweet as honey. She could feel Venable’s breath against her lips, faster than usual and oh so inviting. So she kissed her, slow and gentle and affectionate.

With blood rushing up to her head, Wilhemina felt her hands trembling against the cloth. She did the best she could and let go of it, reaching to caress Billie’s arm as she kissed her back. Their lips danced slowly and passionately, and for a split second Venable felt herself losing touch with the parts that could be so damn horrible to her. Her lips picked up in intensity, and she subconsciously scooted closer to Billie Dean, too. Purpura meowed from between them, therefore causing the kiss the break. Wilhemina took a deep breath as she stared at Billie’s eyes, lips rosy and tingling deliciously. Billie Dean watched her closely, thumb still tracing Venable’s cheek. I’m terrified things will change. Reality set back in. Wilhemina gulped. “I’m n-not used to that…”

“Compliments?” Venable nodded. I know. Billie smiled sadly. “Any chance I can help you get used to them?”

With her cheeks still red and hot, Wilhemina bit her lower lip. Hesitantly, she nodded. “It might take a while…” It might never happen at all.

With the softest smile she could manage, Billie Dean reached to tuck a lock of red hair behind Venable’s ear. “That’s okay,” she whispered. Billie felt as dark brown eyes fell down to her lips, so she leaned closer and kissed Wilhemina again, which got herself a sweet sigh. Billie Dean pulled away just enough to stare at Venable. “I’m not in a rush.” She had said that already, about many things, but she would never grow tired of easing Wilhemina’s mind.

And yet again, there she was… bare, raw in front of Billie. Vulnerable, and yet she didn’t feel so scared. That’s scary. Would that become something usual for her?

Sunday morning arrived as sweetly as the past night had been; Wilhemina found herself falling asleep tangled in Billie Dean’s arms again, this time receiving kisses on the forehead until she, eventually, allowed sleep to win. When the first ray of sunlight slipped through the curtains, their limbs were still tangled and their skin was still warm from their embrace. It was Venable who opened her eyes first, eyebrows close as she frowned from the light. When her vision wasn’t so blurry anymore, Wilhemina focused on whatever was in front of her—it happened to be Billie, still fast asleep and with her lips inches away from her own. She took a deep breath. I kissed her. Venable licked her own chapped lips, body falling slowly into reality as it got aware of its position: legs tangled with Billie Dean’s, an arm that wasn’t its own wrapped around her waist, feet touching, blonde hair tickling her face. How lovely was it, to not wake up alone? To not always be by herself? Wilhemina took another deep breath, brown oceans examining the face in front of hers. Is she even real? Venable still had her doubts. Billie frowned as a strand of her own hair tickled her face, nose scrunching up. Wilhemina smiled to herself and reached to pull the strand of hair away and behind Billie Dean’s ear. As she pulled her hand away, she couldn’t help but brush her knuckles against Billie’s face, caressing her peachy skin. I shouldn’t be so attached already. How could she not? When that woman treated her and made her feel a way she had never experienced before? Venable watched as Billie Dean began to slowly open her eyes. She smiled sleepily to herself.

Letting out a small sigh, Billie hummed as her vision came into consciousness, body snuggling closer to whatever was providing it warmth. Lavender soon clouded her senses, and so Billie Dean finally fixated on the face in front of her. Her lips mirrored Wilhemina’s sleepy smile. Was she watching me? “Hi,” Billie croaked out, as sweet as she could manage in her state.

“Hello.” Venable’s smile grew as her cheeks began to tint for some reason. Down her legs, she felt as Billie Dean’s foot caressed her own. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

Billie shook her head before hiding her face against the pillow to cover a yawn. Her hand reached for Wilhemina’s waist and pulled her closer. “You didn’t.” She looked back at dark brown eyes. “I wouldn’t have minded if you had, though.”

Venable nodded at the words as spidery fingers slowly moved up to cup Billie Dean’s cheek. Wilhemina just stared at her for a minute before taking a deep breath. “I like waking up next to you,” she whispered. I didn’t know not being alone could ever feel this way.

Coral fingernails scratched softly against the cloth of Venable’s purple pajamas, caressing her waist and the small of her back. Billie Dean leaned closer and kissed her gently on the lips. I hope my breath is tolerable. “I like waking up next to you, too,” she whispered back. Wilhemina stared at her like she was made of all the stars in the universe, eyes shining and all. Billie couldn’t help but pull her even closer, and this time Venable’s hand fell down to her waist and pulled her closer, too. Their bodies left no space between each other, breaths mingling. “I sleep pretty well when I’m with you… you’re warm and you don’t snore,” she teased.

Chuckling lowly, Wilhemina bit her lip to stop her smile from growing too much. “Why, thank you. I could say the same, but your feet are freezing,” she teased back, because being playful didn’t come with a sentence of being punished when it came to Billie Dean.

With a laugh, Billie made sure her feet were well tangled with Venable’s. “I don’t know why they’re so cold.”

Wilhemina hummed. She reached for the hand that caressed her waist and tangled her fingers with Billie Dean’s. “So is your hand.” She caressed the cold digits between her own, trying to warm them up. “Are you cold?”

“Not really.” Billie licked her lips, and part of her heart still melted every time she was reminded of how just how caring Venable was with her. “Are you?”

“No,” Wilhemina shook her head. She let go of Billie Dean’s hand and now caressed her arm, even though Billie had said she wasn’t cold. Billie Dean didn’t mind, not at all. She kept a smile printed on her lips. “Are you hungry?” I should have bought some pastries.

“A little.”

“I can cook us an omelette, or maybe I can go out and get a few pastries, if you’d like. There’s this—“

“Wilhie,” Billie Dean cut Venable gently just as she was about to start lifting the covers to get out of bed. Wilhemina looked at her. “Can we cuddle a little?”

With her cheeks turning purple, Venable nodded. She blinked twice before slowly snuggling closer to Billie again. “Sorry,” she whispered.

Billie Dean shook her head. Hadn’t it been Wilhemina, she could have thought that maybe there was something wrong with her, but being Venable, she knew she was simply eager to please. “You don’t have to apologize,” she whispered back. Her hand found its place on Wilhemina’s waist again, caressing it. She’s always so anxious.

With a nod, brown eyes fell down. Venable took a deep breath. I’m so idiotic. The deprecating voice was already up and running. She gulped and looked back at honey oceans, legs tangling back with Billie’s. After a moment, she spoke again. “I like cuddling with you,” she said, because part of her felt like Billie Dean could maybe be thinking otherwise, and she didn’t want to ever cause Billie Dean to think like that.

She’s worried. Opening a smile, Billie reached to pull a strand of read hair away from Venable’s eyes. “I know, darling. I didn’t think otherwise.”

Darling. Wilhemina didn’t know if her stomach would ever stop turning with the pet name. This is the second time she’s called me that. How delicious did it feel? “Good,” she murmured somewhat shyly.

Billie Dean hummed back, hand caressing her waist slowly, feeling as it rose and fell with Venable’s breathing. She stared at those chocolate eyes in front of her, watching the way they moved away and back to her own. She’s shy. Her lips curled up softly. “Did you dream of anything?”

Wilhemina shook her head, eyes struggling to stay at brown ones. “Not that I remember. Did you?”

Billie Dean had actually had a dream; she saw a woman, hair red just like Venable’s, face full of suffering and with lines well marked. She cried, but couldn’t speak. Wilhemina didn’t need to know that. “Not really.” Venable hummed. Billie licked her lips, eyes tracing the soft freckles on Wilhemina’s cheeks. “I love your freckles,” she said after a second.

To be stared at like that had never felt good… not until Billie Dean. Venable’s skin grew red still, but not from being uncomfortable. “I’m not a huge fan of them…”

What’s new? Wilhemina didn’t seem to be a huge fan of anything that made her who she was. Billie didn’t need to point that out, but she did keep that in mind. “You always cover them, don’t you?” Venable nodded. Billie Dean opened a sad smile. “I love them,” she repeated.

Wilhemina gulped. She nodded again, eyes falling down before going back up. She licked her sudden dry lips. “Thank you.”

Billie couldn’t help but smile a little more. It was clear Venable wasn’t used to being complimented, or having any kind of intimacy with people, but there was something so sweet about it… so strangely pure, in a way. Most people wouldn’t see it that way, but Billie Dean had never been most people. So she leaned closer and placed a small kiss on Wilhemina’s nose, and then another one on her left cheek, and another one on her right one, right on top of the freckles. Wilhemina blinked twice, and with a chuckle Billie Dean kissed her full on the lips, reaching to cup her face.

Sunday went by with nothing but sweet kisses being shared and a movie or two being watched. When the night began to fall down again, Billie Dean hesitantly went back home, but with the promise of seeing each other on Monday morning. Billie knew she should have talked about Terry; knew she should have brought it up before anyone else had the chance, but how could she when Venable looked at her so lovingly and gave her more trust than she had ever given anyone in a long time? Billie Dean simply didn’t have the guts to do it. And she prayed no one would before she could master the courage to do so.

At night, Wilhemina caught herself missing the warmth of another body next to her. Floratta Blue lingered in the air only slightly, and Venable wished she could smell more of it. Fear clouded her senses before sleep could, trying to trick her, trying to scare her. Wilhemina closed her eyes and thought about Billie; about the kiss they shared just before she entered her car and drove home that evening. Nothing would change in the morning. Nothing would change in the week. Right?