#emma woods imagine

[acosmicblizzard]

Romantic ghost manor au Aesop headcanons

For base info on this au go here!

Warnings: mentions of death/embalming (i mean it's aesop, what did you expect?)

Story type: Fluff, Au

Pairings/Characters: Aesop Carl - “Embalmer” x Gender neutral Reader, Emma Woods - “Gardener”

(pov: Emma being the wingwoman again, possible ooc)

Aesop was one of the ghosts that was extremely distant at first, you'd rarely see him and when you did it was only small glimpses as he would disappear rather quickly. The only times he'd ever stay was if he was having a conversation with the others as it would be rude to randomly disappear on them. Overtime though he began to get use to your presence in the manor and stopped disappearing as soon as you made eye contact with him.

Though he's use to doing makeup only on dead corpses he's embalming Aesop began taking interest in doing your makeup, even if makeup isn't really in your interests. Once he starts he gets extremely focused and it's really hard to get him out of that headspace, everything must be perfect down too the detail. Even if it's something simple like eyeliner or blush.

As you two bond he'll start randomly popping up in areas you constantly visit and try to be at places you are. if you work from home he'll sometimes peer over your shoulder and ask you about your profession while you're working but will stop if it distracts you too much. If you don't he'll ask if he can possess a object you keep in a purse or pocket to come with you and check out the place.

Similar to Emily, Aesop is touch averse at first. But unlike Emily he's actively one of the people who hates getting touched the most by people he doesn't trust. When you form a bond with him his touch averseness lessens slightly but he still isn't the biggest fan of being touched. Because of that you've become the master of communicating with him and finding out when he does and doesn't want to be touched.

Love is something Aesop never really knew, he's experienced obsession before with Victor, but that's far from love. But now that he feels like this and has come to accept it, he wants his confession to be perfect. Right down to every detail he makes a plan catering to your interests and likes. Due the whole being dead thing he couldn't do anything extremely fancy but he put a ton of effort into making this confession the best he can. He hates interacting with others but for this he asked Emma if he could help him grow some yellow roses, in which the gardener happily agreed and pressed him for more information about what he was gonna use them for. Aesop eventually told her the truth in which Emma became ecstatic and began to look for yellow rose seeds in her gardening shack immediately. It took about 2 weeks for the roses to grow which gave Aesop a ton of time to revise the plan if needed and prepare himself for actually getting the words out of his mouth, the last thing needed was for him to slip up on the confession. Those 2 weeks seemed to pass as quick as possible and soon Aesop was waiting in the garden for you to show up. He had left a note on your desk in your bedroom asking for you to come to the garden when you weren't busy. The sky a beautiful orange as the sun slowly set and the moon prepared to rise. Aesop sighed thinking he got stood up was about to go back into the manor but was shocked to see you hunched over trying to catch your breath after running to the garden. You apologized for being late as you wiped the sweat from your forehead and stood up straight, asking what he needed. Aesop slightly stiffened up as his brain caught up with everything, a part of him honestly still can't believe he's doing this... well, it's now or never.

The embalmer took a breath to relax himself then looked towards you and began speaking. "I've always had a hate for the living, and almost my entire life i've felt more comfortable around the dead. But with you y/n.. it's entirely different. You make me feel things that i don't really understand, you make me feel strangely happy, make me feel happy to be around people, and so many other things." He paused for a second and took out a yellow rose out from behind his back and grabbed your hands placing it into your hands and covering your hands with his own. "These feelings are strange but.. I don't want them to end. I took me awhile to realize I loved you but, now I understand. I wanna be with you for the rest of the time you have y/n, can I?" You ended up accepting his confession and now you have a ghost boyfriend, congrats!

As your relationship continued as lovers Aesop generally got comfortable sleeping with you and now everytime you wake up Aesop will be there staring back at you, it's a little secret he has but he actually really enjoys watching you sleep. He adores looking at your face and how at peace it seems while asleep, and how if you'd ever have to leave this world he wants to be the one to embalm you. But that won't be for awhile, and he has all the time in the world to spend with you now before you become a ghost like him.

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

swift revenge

Summary: Taking out a threat of a big group of raiders one of Jackson Patrol groups had spotted the day before, leaves Joel finding someone form his past he thought had been dead for over twenty years.

Pairing: Joel Miller x fem. reader

Wordcount: 3.2k

Rating: M

Warnings: post outbreak, raiders, holding people in cages, sexual trafficking, implied sexual abuse, angst, dark themes, reunion, protective Joel, feral Joel taking immediate revenge when he finds out what had been done to reader, reader is Joel's pre outbreak fiancé, blood, little bit of gore

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Full Masterlist // Joel Miller Masterlist

"Who did this to you" Drabbles

There were many, many things he could be doing right now. 

He could be at home. He could be sitting in front of his fire place, in the warmth, reading a book or enjoying a glass of shitty whiskey. 

He could try to talk to Ellie again, maybe talk her into playing the guitar with him again. 

Hell, he’d rather be working in the kitchens, enduring the trash talk of the kitchen staff, than riding through this fucking snow storm with a group of the patrol men and women, riding towards the outer parts to a small town where another patrol group had spotted raiders the day before. 

He knew that if they had been sent out through this weather, these raiders must be a real threat. 

And while he knew he was one of the most trusted and capable patrol group members, he was getting tired. 

The last two years in Jackson had made him grew comfortable. Maybe even a little lazy at times. He wasn’t getting any younger.

Sometimes he wondered how his life would be right now, if the outbreak hadn’t happened.

If he would still be living in his house in Austin. Maybe he would have got into Sarah’s pleas and put a pool in the backyard. 

Maybe his baby girl would have found someone and gotten married. Hell, maybe he’d be a grandpa by now. 

And you… maybe he would have gotten to marry you. Make a home with you. Have another kid or two….

He shook his head, his eyes blinking back into reality. 

„Approach with caution. Will and Emma spotted at least six people before they retreated. They chose the big school that we cleared some months ago as their shelter. There might be more people inside. We gonna meet up with the second patrol group in the woods behind the school and then decide how we carry on,“ Tommy instructed the group of eight people Joel was part of. 

Joel took a deep breath before he rode forwards, next to his brother. 

„How bad do you think it is?“ He asked, hearing Tommy sigh. 

„William said they saw how three men dragged a woman from inside and… you can imagine. Dunno what else is waiting inside. I don’t like it. But they got to close to Jackson. Gotta take care of them,“ he said. 

„Think we could get into the school through the barricaded basement?“ Joel asked, hearing Tommy hum. 

„Possibly. Let’s check in with the other group. They have been watching them for the last four hours,“ Tommy said. Joel nodded. 

„Hey uh… You okay? You seem… dunno quieter today,“ Tommy said, looking up at Joel from where he was riding next to him. 

Joel released a long breath.

„It’s her birthday today,“ he said quietly and Tommy raised his eyebrows before a sad smile came to his lips. 

„You gonna be okay?“ Tommy asked and Joel gave him a half smile. 

„Don’t have another choice, huh?“ He shrugged and Tommy pressed his lips together in a tight smile. 

„We should get a drink after. To celebrate her,“ Tommy said. 

Joel nodded. 

„I’d like that.“

There were definitely more than six people inside this school. Thankfully the basement entrance had still been barricaded, so they could enter the school quietly without alerting anyone inside.

But what they encountered once they made their way upstairs was unlike he had ever seen.

These people must have been here for a while.

And they were monsters. 

Cages were set up, women chained inside, with only either their head or their legs sticking out and Joel could only imagine what these monsters had been doing to them. 

He was still trying to form a plan when the first shot rang out. 

The following minutes where a blur. He had lost count of the amount of men he had killed as he made his way towards the other side of the room, still keeping an eye on the patrol group and his brother who was right beside him, taking the threats out until only three of the raiders were left, now tied up to a pole close to the staircase, William, one of the first patrol men, keeping an eye on them, gun pointed at them. 

Joel closed his eyes, his gun still in his hand as he searched for his brother who was already walking towards him. 

„How many?“ Joel asked. 

„Counted around 20 including the three that are still alive,“ he said, bending down to clean his knife from blood using the shirt of one of the dead men laying on the ground. 

Joel sighed. 

„I don’t like this,“ he said.

„Me neither. Might need some help with getting some answers out of the rest. Wanna know if there are more and how they found this place,“ Tommy said and Joel nodded. 

„What about…?“ Joel gestured around them, counting six cages. He hadn’t looked closer at who was inside. 

Tommy rubbed his fingers over his nose in deep thought. 

„Offer them to join Jackson. Don’t think they gonna trust us though. Can only imagine what these monsters put them through. Might need to send for some women from Jackson. We only have Emma here to talk to them and you know they probably do not trust men. I wouldn’t either,“ Tommy said.

Joel sighed, letting his gaze drift through the room that must have been the cafeteria before the outbreak. 

He would never understand just how much the outbreak changed people. Or more like… let them live their true self without having to think of the aftermath of their actions. 

„We gonna search the rooms on this level first and the rest of the building for more people and then I’m gonna send three people back to Jackson to get some more people and horses over here,“ Tommy said and Joel nodded. Tommy gave him a tired smile before he turned away from him and walked towards some patrol member to instruct them about what to do

Joel walked towards the first dead person laying on the ground, searching through his clothes. He hated this part, but it was important. More than once the stuff people had on them had given him clues to other threats that were around.

He was checking the third person when he heard Tommy call out for him. 

Joel grabbed the ammo he had found and walked towards his brother who was standing at one of the more closed caged. They were build rather amateurish with some wood and some barbed wire on the top. He tried to school his face into a neutral one when he approached, pointedly ignoring the filthy line of what could only be dried cum dripping down what looked like a improvised flap in the door, next to where Tommy was standing in the opened door to the cage. 

Tommy looked at Joel with an expression he had never seen before. Fear, surprise, pity?

„What’s going on?“ Joel asked and he saw Tommy send two of the patrol men away who had been standing next to him. 

Joel joined Tommy at the opened door, Tommy’s lips opening and closing without any words coming out before he finally just nodded his head towards the cage where Joel could see a woman sit in the corner, her back towards them. 

She was hiding, making herself as small as possible.

Her hair was long and matted, laying over her shoulder, almost reaching down to the ground.

„Tommy…“ Joel began, wanting to ask what the fuck was going on when the woman turned her head towards them, bright wide eyes looking directly at them.

It was like his body knew, before his brain did. 

His heart rate going up, his hands clenching into fists. His breathing quickened and he only realised he had lost his balance when he felt Tommy’s arm behind his back, holding him up.

He knew those eyes. 

He saw them in his dreams during good nights when he woke up in his old home, in his old bed, in her arms.

He saw them in his nightmares during bad nights when he imagined the million ways she had possibly died. 

He whispered your name and could see your head tilting, your eyes still on him. He didn’t know how long you just stared at each other before something in your face changed, your bottom lip trembling.

„Joel?“

Through the fog inside your brain, it took a while to realise that the man standing in the opened door of what had been your prison for weeks (or months) was not your in your imagination. 

He looked older, and for a small moment you were angry that even after more than twenty years and a whole fucking apocalypse Joel Miller still looked like he stepped straight out of a wet dream. 

You hugged yourself tighter, still cowering in the corner furthest from the door, your feelings overwhelming you. 

You mourned him. 

All this time you had mourned him.

You had been at his parents ranch near Nashville to prepare the birthday party of his mother the following week, Joel, Sarah and Tommy due to arrive the day after Joel’s birthday.

Never in your wildest dreams did you imagine waking up during the night having to kill both your future mother and father in law, both of them infected. 

For days after you were in shock, hiding in the old bunker under the barn, thankful for Joel’s dad being a little bit of a prepper.

You eventually, after waiting for weeks, made your way to a QZ, not knowing that only days after Joel would have made his way to his childhood home in the hope of finding you. 

You learned quickly that the QZ was your personal hell and you took the first real chance of something better to get out. 

And life was good for a while after that. You joined a community near Denver. You even made your way back to Austin, spending more time than you probably should have searching for even the smallest sign that Joel and Sarah had survived. But you found your old home abandoned. The cabinets picked over.

You had locked yourself into your old bedroom, allowing yourself to cry over the things you lost, before you took some pieces to take with you. 

One of Joel’s shirts and his aftershave that was still halfway full.

A picture of you, Joel and Sarah that had been taken on the day he had asked you to marry him. 

Once you got back to the community life moved on. 

But your luck had to run out sooner or later and after you community fell, you had been taken hostage and deemed to be left alive to… entertain the raiders who had burned down your home. 

You didn’t even know how long you had been with them. 

You didn’t know how long it had been since they had taken you. It could be months or years. 

You grew numb after a while. It was the only way to endure their abuse on your mind and body. 

The only way to survive was to flee into your imagination. 

And Joel was always there. 

You jumped when he took a step forward, his hands outstretched in a calming manner.

„Joel?“ You whispered again, tears filling your eyes. 

„It’s me Darlin’. Can I come over to you?“ He asked, and hearing his voice made the first tears escape. 

You slowly shook your head and he stopped, looking at you with concern. 

„I’m… Are you really here?“ You whispered. You could see him gulp, his eyes closing for a moment before he nodded. 

„I’m here. I’m really here. I…“ he shook his head, looking around before he looked back at you and slowly took his coat off. 

„It’s cold and you’re…. Can I put this on you?“ He asked, holding out his coat. 

You shook your head. 

„I’m filthy and I… You don’t…“ you were overwhelmed, not knowing what to do. 

„I don’t care about that Darlin’. I just want you to be comf…. I don’t want you to be cold,“ he said, approaching you slowly, like he would a frightened deer. As if you would jump away if he moved to quickly. 

„Okay,“ you whispered and he let out a relieved breath before he got closer to you.

„Let me help you,“ he whispered and you took a deep breath, closing your eyes as you turned towards him, your muscles spasming as you moved them, letting him slowly help you into his coat. You heard his sharp inhale the moment he saw what they did to you, the many many scars covering your whole chest, your whole body really, his breath stuttering for a moment before he slowly zipped up his coat and you couldn’t stop yourself as you let yourself fall against his chest. His arms pulling you against him immediately. 

You cried against his chest until you had no more tears left. 

When you finally looked up at him he was already looking at you.

Those big brown eyes you had fallen in love with looking at you with concern and wonder.

He reached out slowly, giving you time to turn away before his fingers slowly brushed over your cheek, the palm of his hand slowly coming to rest against your cheek and you leaned into his touch. 

„Sweetheart,“ he whispered and you closed your eyes. 

„Who did this to you?“ He asked and you released a shaky breath, opening your eyes again. 

„Who… Who hurt you like that? Who…. Who did this to you? Please tell me,“ he was almost begging, and you could see how he was restraining himself to keep calm. There was something lingering in his eyes that should scare you, but instead you found comfort in it. 

„Everyone. They all…“ you stopped yourself, one of your hands coming up to press against your chest, a move that you used to calm yourself down. 

You felt something drop down on your hand, looking up to find a tear drip down Joel’s cheek. 

„Tommy,“ he said and you were confused for a moment before someone else walked into your cell, and there was Tommy Miller, who you had not realised had been there before.

„Hi,“ he smiled warmly at you and you awkwardly smiled back, not having used these muscles in a long time. 

„Tommy is gonna stay with you,“ Joel said and you looked at Joel with wide eyes, your fingers digging into his arms, not wanting him to leave. 

„No… No… No you need to stay…. I need you to….“ You panicked. 

„Shhh…. Sweetheart. I’ll be right back. I just need…. I just need to punch one of these people in the face before I….“ You could feel him shaking beneath you in barely contained fury. 

„Joel,“ you whispered, and he finally looked at you. 

„Can you…. Can you take me away form here?“ You asked, voice quiet, barely above a whisper.

He took a deep calming breath before he looked at Tommy. 

„I’m okay to go back home?“ He asked. Tommy nodded. 

„Okay. Okay….“ He said, more to himself before he looked back at you. 

„I’m gonna take you home,“ he said.

When you slowly made your way towards the exit he picked two blankets, pulling them around your shoulders. You looked around the room, finding so many of the men who had made your life a living hell for so long lying dead on the floor. 

But it were the very alive bright blue eyes of one of the men, Gabriel, who had loved to use his knife on you most, that were looking at you that made you shrink back against Joel, your steps faltering. 

„Ah I see how it is. Kill all of my men and then steal the tightest pussy right under my nose. Fucking assholes,“ he spat and you turned away from him, hiding against Joel.

„Tommy,“ he hissed under his breath and you found yourself in the other mans arms the next moment. You looked after Joel, internally already panicking about seeing him walk away from you, before he picked up one of the axes that had been used for firewood. 

„So you just pick up women and rape them because you feel like it huh?“ Joel asked as he walked towards him. 

„I mean Yeah,“ Gabriel shrugged.

Joel nodded, coming to a stop right in front of him. 

„And I’m gonna continue to fucking do it once I get out of here,“ he said and Joel chuckled.

„You think you’re getting out of here? Really?“ Joel asked, the handle of the axe now resting on top of his shoulder. 

„Had worse odds. Some of our guys are still out, scavenging. They gonna be back and then we gonna kill you. And then we gonna get to your little community and take over…“ he said, confidence pouring out of every pore of this disgustingly excuse of a human. 

„Oh yeah? What makes you think we haven’t killed all 27 of them already?“ Joel asked and Gabriel’s smile slowly disappeared. 

„Huh? Not so sure you gonna get out of here now? You think we’re amateurs? The rest of your men are right outside. Dead,“ Joel mocked.

„Please I….“

„Tell you what. I’ll let you go,“ Joel said and you stilled. You could still feel Tommy with his arm around you, keeping you close.

Gabriel didn’t say anything, just looking up at Joel. 

„Under one condition though,“ Joel’s lips twitched into a frightening smile. 

„What is it?“ Gabriel asked and Joel called for another man, whispering something in his ear, the other man nodding. 

„You really should look away now,“ Tommy said to you and you looked up at him. 

„Why?“ You asked. Tommy only shook his head but you looked back to Joel anyway just in time when Gabriel started yelling. 

The man Joel had whispered to was pulling at Gabriels pants until he was naked from the waist down. Two other men came and grabbed Gabriel who was now screaming. They pulled him up, carrying him over to a table where he then stood against it, Joel following them, the axe now swinging and you slowly connected the dots of what was about to happen. 

„I’m letting you go,“ Joel said, before he brought the axe down, Gabriel’s bloodcurdling scream filling the room that let you hide against Tommy, taking deep breaths against him. 

Everything that happened after was a blur, but the next thing you could remember was that you were on top of a horse, Joel holding you against him, your body tucked into the blankets against his chest.

„Thank you,“ you whispered, feeling his arms tighten around you, his lips finding your temple.

„Always,“ he whispered.

[a-simple-imagine]

Nothing But Cowards

Requested by anonymous: “I was wondering if you could just write about, having a fight and then make up, fluff and angst? If not that’s totally fine”

“I'd like to request a Jordan Li x fem reader where they're dating in secret from the friend group because of everything going down but one morning they oversleep and one of their friends find them curled up in bed together and it's followed by giggles and fluff?”

Pairing: Jordan Li x fem!reader

words: 3.7k+

WARNINGS - mentions of weird hospitals and tortured kids, strong language

GodU had always been your parents' dream. they held such high and heavy hopes for you. their perfect little superhero. a future member of the seven. when you were younger, you hated the idea. you felt... exploited. they forced this life onto you. gave you compound V and for what? so you could become some clog in a corporate machine? help sell merchandise for Vought? but as you got older and realised that you were kinda stuck with your powers, you felt more obligated to follow through with their dream. to actually be a hero. so you applied for Godolkin University. got in. and became a crime-fighting major. that is how you met Jordan Li. They were much stronger than you would ever be. both physically and mentally. the ability to shift between two forms gave them two separate skill sets all wrapped up in one identity. and they were so confident in their identity. not always a boy. not always a girl. just so confidently themselves. and you admired them so much. They were truly the strongest person you knew or at least you thought so.

it was a weird moment shrouded in the darkness of night. you were shaking a little from rage or the cold, you couldn't quite tell. everything was so incredibly fucked. Marie's roommate had gone missing because of some stupid plan of Andre's imagining. you just found out that there was some weird hospital under the school that was experimenting on people; including Sam, Luke's brother who was apparently still alive and in fact did not commit suicide. not to mention Luke was still gone. he used to give some great advice. used to kick your ass in sparring sessions but would occasionally let you win just to keep you on your toes. he was your friend. and you missed him a lot. you could never understand what happened; or why it happened. All these mysteries were piling up like old comic books. so many chapters to one confusing story that if you missed a single issue it became almost impossible to follow. this was impossible to follow. everyone was arguing. people were taking sides. Marie wanted to find Emma, who had infiltrated the woods, to help Andre who was trying to save the kids trapped down there. Jordan was more pissed about rankings than tortured kids. Cate wanted everyone to just back up and not do anything reckless. you wanted to yell at them. you knew rankings were important to Jordan. they wanted to be the best. at least Cate was worried about not dying. your parents' words hang heavy on your shoulders. this was your chance to do some good. to live up to their dreams without becoming just another vought puppet.

"don't you want to be a hero?" your voice is loud. louder than expected. the question was mainly aimed at Jordan. the person who went toe to toe with Golden Boy just to protect Marie; someone they hardly even knew at that point. that was after the club. you wish you could say you don't think about that night. everyone else seemed to just move on but it haunts your dreams. it's a cloudy memory of white powder and thick red liquid. "we almost killed someone."

there is a brief flash of something. Regret, maybe? before the expression turns dark and defensive. "we didn't do shit." and that was partly the problem. you didn't hold the weapon but you still ran. you left a woman to bleed out because you were too high. even sober, you wouldn't have been able to do much but you could have done something. anything. Nobody likes to talk about that day. the same way nobody talks about what went down with Luke. or how, if they had their way, nobody would talk about this weird hospital. If Cate and Jordan got their way, you'd just go back to school where all that mattered was who held that number one spot. currently andre. not Jordan.

"Exactly which is worse, if it wasn't for Marie we would have all been royally fucked." you articulate. irritation bubbling deep in your chest. "we can do some good here- we can help people."

"you're just gonna get yourself killed"

"at least I'm not running away again," you say. Jordan can make all the scooby doo references she wants but you wouldn't entertain the thought of leaving this down to Marie once again. "you wanna know why Andre is number one instead of you?"

"politics."

"because he is the only one person here who is trying to do something." You growl. "you're just a selfish asshole." if all they cared about was their ranking then you had to explain it in terms they'd understand. Their jaw tenses.

"Okay so what does that make you?" they spit. a particular venom dripping from their tone. "I've helped people- actually saved people. can you say the same?" they ask. "you're basically scared of your own shadow."

"Jordan don't."

"no," they interrupt Cate before she can continue. "I may be selfish for not wanting to go on some stupid suicide mission but when you realise what's really at stake here, don't come crying to me." Jordan's words hang heavy in the air, how do you even reply to that? your mouth opens but nothing comes out so you just walk away. Leaving your friends to continue arguing. 

a bitter flavour lingers in your mouth. a painful feeling concealed deep inside your chest. you can't control how others perceive you but is that really how Jordan sees you? some coward who ran to them whenever things got tough? maybe they were right. you were no hero. you may have superpowers. you may spend hours studying techniques and training in the gym but that's just school. it didn't mean anything. You had never saved the day. you had never actually done anything. you haven't spoken to Jordan. Not since that night. they had texted a few times but you haven't even opened them. you don't want anything to do with them right now but you'd be lying if you said you didn't miss them. you missed them a lot. nobody knew about your situation with Jordan. you had both decided to keep it on the down low while you figured stuff out. and with everything going on, it had just never been the right time.

a knock at the door. you don't bother getting out of the bed you had been rotting in for hours; staring up at the ceiling as the sun went down and darkness enveloped the room. another knock. you bury yourself deeper in your duvet but the knocking doesn't stop. it just gets louder. a loud groan as you roll out of bed. your roommate was always forgetting their key but when the door opens, your stomach sinks. it wasn't your roommate. you instantly close the door.

"Seriously,"

"fuck off," you yell back. they knock again. yanking open the door, you spy Jordan Li once again. femme. sweaty. gym gear. duffel bag hanging off their shoulder. "fuck off," you push on the door again but they slap their hand against it.

"Just give me a chance," they probably just wanted to yell at you some more and you weren't in the mood. you shove harder. "I could stand here all night." your brow creases. Jordan probably would too. they're very persistent. with a heavy sigh, you relinquish pressure on the door and it swings open as they let themselves in.

"what do you want?" your eyes follow her as she drops the gym bag down and begins wandering around your room. they had been here before. They knew what it looked like. their hand slides over the wood of your desk. they pick up the open book, presumably glancing over the content before dropping it back down. "Jordan."

"hm," they look at you almost perplexed. like they had been lost in their own little world.

"what do you want?" you request more firmly. they just stared back like it was a crazy thing to be asking. they drop back to lean against your desk. you're waiting for them to say something. anything. but their gaze just falls to the floor. you sigh softly, still loitering by the door. you would leave if this wasn't your room. "why are you here, Jordan?"

"I wanted to see you," their shoulders rise and fall. "everything is so fucked up. a hospital under the school like what the fuck?"

a secret hospital under the school was very messed up. you can't even imagine the things they get up to down there. also, Luke's brother was down there. that's why Emma went down in the first place before she disappeared. "yeah," you nod a little. "I guess."

"And Luke's brother being alive this whole time?" you wonder where this is going. you knew all this. you were there when everyone was arguing. your brow furrows a little.

"Can you get to the point?"

"well it's a little fucked isn't it?"

"You're being weird," you state. monitoring them carefully. they still wouldn't look at you but they did push up from the desk and towards the mini fridge.

"you got anything to drink?" they question, pulling it open.

"Jordan. leave."

"What?" they ask, still looking in your mostly empty little fridge.

"I said leave," you declare firmly. "I would like you to leave."

"why?"

"you know why." they sighed loudly, thrusting the fridge closed with a loud slap. "you don't get to just pretend nothing happened."

"I don't know why you're angry, you're the one who called me selfish." Jordan insists. "Said Andre was better than me."

"You are selfish. All you care about is your stupid ranking."

"It's not stupid," Jordan fires back. "It is important if I wanna get somewhere,"

"Who fucking cares," you groan "Like I get it, you wanna be a hero but this is way bigger than all that."

"And what are you gonna do exactly?" there's a bite behind her words. She's getting defensive. "Whats your plan to save the day Superman?"

"I don't..." you snap before trailing off to a much quieter tone. "know exactly,”

"It's a death wish,"

"We have to do something.”

“no, we don’t.” Jordan replies. “we don’t have to do anything. This is way above our pay grade.”

“of course, you’d say that,” you groan loudly. “can you leave now.”

"I-" They seem like they're about to bite back but they stop short. a tense jaw. they let it go. "I miss you, okay."

"I don't care," you did care. "leave." you yank open the door. For a beat, they seem taken aback but it rapidly fades. "now."

"just hear me out."

"no Jordan," you huff. "just go. I'm not arguing with you anymore."

they watch you for a second. "I don't want to argue" they clarify. "please?” there’s an unusual desperation in their voice. one you’ve never heard before. it builds a degree of sympathy amongst your anger. you let the door fall closed with a click.

“fine," you cross your arms over your chest "What do you want?"

"you were right," she declares softly. the statement alone takes you by surprise. Jordan? admitting she was wrong? you'd comically gasp if you weren't annoyed with them.

"I don't understand."

"I said you were right."

"No, I heard you," you explain. "look, Jordan-"

"I'm sorry, okay?" they reply sharply "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"why are you making this so difficult?" Jordan asks. "I've apologised so can we just watch a movie or something?" you raise a curious brow. Surely they weren't naive enough to believe you would simply forgive them just like that? There was more to this story that they were avoiding.

"you can't be fucking serious," a humourless laugh. "you don't even really mean it."

"I do though."

"no you don't," you sigh. walking towards them. "look at me and apologise- apologise properly."

"Ugh, I already apologised," they groan loudly, pairing it with a roll of their eyes. It just annoys you even more. "why can't you just forgive me?"

"Because you don't even know why you're apologising," you stress. "it's half-baked. you don't mean it. and I'm tired so-”

"I'm fucking scared" they blurt out. "I'm scared."

A look of surprise; shock. Their very loud confession caught you off guard. Jordan Li wasn't scared of anything. They’d made that bold claim a great many times. "of what?"

"of losing you," they yell back; their hands come up to run slowly over their face. Their hair becomes shorter. They physically grow taller. Shielded by his fingertips, it's pretty apparent that he shouldn't have said that or at least hadn't meant to. You don't know what to say; your head tilts slightly to one side. how do you respond to that? it still wasn't technically an apology. "for fuck sake."

"of losing me?" you recite slowly. "why would you lose me?"

"Because you're an idiot," they urge. "who wants to help people."

"dude."

"Sorry but like it's true. you're a fucking idiot," they repeat. "and I admire that."

"I'm... confused," you mumble softly.

"I admire how much you wanna help people despite knowing it’s stupid and you're probably gonna die" You can't tell if Jordan is just oblivious to what he was saying but it was far from getting him back in your good graces. "I wish I could be like that. naive enough to think I can make a difference."

"I feel like you're just insulting me," you comment.

they shrug a little. "I know this is still kinda new, the whole me and you thing but…” you can tell this is hard for them. expressing their feelings was not their strong suit. Their head hangs low. “it doesn’t matter,” they walk towards you but instead veer off towards their bag. you reach out for them; taking their hand. they were running hot, a sweaty hand.

“you can tell me,” you express, a gentle squeeze. “we’ve been friends for ages…”

“you’re just gonna call me selfish again.” their voice a whisper but they make no effort to pull away. You step closer.

“then you’ve got nothing to lose, right?” it’s a joke. a harmless one but they don’t laugh or even acknowledge it.

“I… I just don’t want you dying before we get a chance to really explore whatever this,” they use their free hand to motion between you. “is. so yeah, I lashed out because I like you or whatever and want you alive. sorry.” you watch them for a moment. their inability to meet your gaze. the light dusting of pink that graced their cheeks. it was really sweet if not a little unexpected. Jordan was so cool most of the time. it was a rarity to see them express such emotions. it makes you smile. you just laugh a little in amusement.

"Jordan," you say warmly. "you're not gonna lose me," you step even closer, reaching for their other hand; running your thumb over their knuckles. "I understand what you're saying but I don't think it's reason enough not to help,"

"I know," the express softly, finally meeting your gaze. there is something unspoken behind those eyes but you choose not to push. “I wish it was.”

you keep your eyes on there’s taking in this tender moment. a moment of vulnerability. a moment of connection. you relish in the way their hands fit so comfortably in yours. you really liked Jordan. liked their attitude. admired their strength. wished for their sense of loyalty. you were so smitten. so lucky to be their chosen person. a smile settles before you slowly lean in. It catches them off guard but they soon settle into it. “I’m scared too,” whispered against their lips. "but I think the bravest thing we can do is try anyway.“ his eyes flutter closed, letting his forehead fall against yours.

"I didn't mean it when I called you a coward," Jordan whispers, his eyes open. Lingering on yours. “You’re the bravest person I know.”

"I am a coward," you express. "I've always wanted to be a hero. it's all my parents want. but I'm scared. terrified. I never could have fought Luke like you did. but I wanna try now. I want you to try too," you ghost their lips. It's subtle; intimate. "if you really wanna protect me, Jordan, you'd help because I'm doing this with or without you."

"do I have to decide right now?" they ask quietly. You're almost disappointed by their reply but you can't really blame them. This wasn't another student hero gone rogue. This was a whole institution willing to do anything to keep its secrets. "do you forgive me?"

"do you forgive me?"

"I was never mad at you,"

"I was mad at you." you declare.

"I know," they nod. "you weren't exactly subtle about it." their expression becomes playful and bright; a strong contrast from the conversation you were just having. You can't help but smile as you pull back.

"do you wanna stay over tonight?" there's a shift in the air. all that tension fading away. you're not mad. you're not thrilled either. but you liked Jordan. a lot. and you could understand their desire to protect you. In a way, it was very sweet. You didn't realise how much they liked you. "we could watch that movie? or Property Brothers? whatever you want."

"Whatever I want, huh?" their hands vacate yours and instead move to your hips. Pulling you close. ever so close. pressing their body ever so slightly into yours "Anything at all?" masc! Jordan was taller than their male counterpart but far less intimidating. firmer. gentler. it’s a rather present contrast.

"you're such a perv,"

"you don't even know what I was gonna say," they insist.

"Anyone with half a brain could figure it out," you tease. their hands slip around to the small of your back pulling you flush against them. playing into your words. "but what Jordan wants. Jordan gets." whispered in their ear, you place a gentle kiss upon their cheek. "right?"

you can feel them practically shudder against you. A heavy sigh left their lips. "oh she wants to play tonight?" all signs of sincerity washed away by something darker. desire. you meet their eyes, lips quirk up into a smirk before they lean in once more. it’s ever so light but you’re quick to deepen the kiss; chasing that warmth that spills through your veins but they pull away instead. mischief laces their expression. their fingers sliding under the hem of your shirt. they pull back just enough to murmur, “I’m gonna make you beg for it,” their words hot against your ear. A shiver spills down your spine as you lean into them; wanting to be closer. As close as possible as they guide you back towards your bed.

it's safe to say you're smitten with the infamous Jordan Li. and when it comes down to it you're delighted when you're together. they bring out a more mischievous side of you. and you like to think you bring out a more vulnerable side of them. You shuffle further into their embrace. Basking in the feeling of their arms around you as you hide from the rising sun peeking through the blinds. A content hum as you drift in and out of consciousness. Still so early. You feel them lean more into you.

"what the fuck," a voice drags you to the land of the living. And as your tired eyes flutter open, your friends stare back. Both you and Jordan shoot up, instantly breaking any contact. Pulling the covers up to hide the fact you were both very naked. Marie stands at the end of your bed; wide eyes and a slightly agape mouth. Cate and Andre are just by the door. how the fuck did they even get in? "we should- sorry," you watch Marie scramble for the door shoving Andre out just as Cate yanks him.

you both fall back down in unison. If anyone had seen it would almost seem planned. After a moment, you roll back into them. giggling into the crook of their neck. after a moment you nip the skin. "guess we're not a secret anymore," muttered against their skin.

"This isn't funny."

"it kinda is," you shrug "Quite the shock for those three." A giggle before you sink your teeth into her neck earning yourself a satisfied sigh but they're quick to push you away. A stern look on their face

"you agreed it was best we didn't tell everyone until all this craziness was over."

"yeah but don't you feel just a little relieved," you ask. You can practically see the gears turning in their head. It's... Cute. You move so that you're now straddling them, hands drifting delicately over their chest. Their skin is so warm; and soft. Their short bob is a mess against your pillow. they looked so peaceful. so beautiful. A strip of yellow sunlight reflected off their chain. "I'm glad everyone knows now. plus," you smile mischievously. "now I can kiss you whenever I want. " You lean down slowly and place your lips against hers. "and that's all I want," mumbled against their lip.

"I guess it is one less thing to worry about," they muse, bringing their hands up to rest against your hips. her fingers apply just a little bit of pressure. you peck their lips once more before pulling away. a gentle tap on their nose, their face scrunches up.

"you shift in your sleep sometimes did you know that?"

"What?"

"you were definitely a guy when we fell asleep and then suddenly I'm snuggling up to a girl? is it like a conscious choice or?" they hesitate for a moment before playfully shoving you off them.

"shut up,"

"ow!!" you groan dramatically, falling down against the bed. "ow. that hurt so much. I'm in so much pain. how could you be so mean," you groan loudly, shuffling about a little for dramatic effect.

"you’re so dramatic,” Jordan rolls their eyes but a mischievous grin spreads over their lips. “now get up we’re gonna be late.”

“for what?”

“class.” they sit up. a hand coming to settle on your stomach. you don’t move. and neither do they. and in those few seconds, everything feels at peace. “you really are beautiful,” they eventually say before finally getting out of bed.

[hotjaneaustenmenpoll]

Round Three Round Up!

In Round Three we were seeing double as 6 out of our 8 pairs were put against their alternative selves and we asked why not pit two bad bitches against each other ?

In the only match-up where the newer version won out we lost another one of our tournament's Mr Knightleys as you declared that riding through rain, willing to ride through worse was not enough to win your hearts - instead he must have a proper understanding of muslin! And so Mr Tilney (2007) became our first Quarter-finalist.

Mr Knightley (1996) was not alone in taking his leave of us as your votes decided that Johnny Flynn's Mr Knightley (2020) was too blonde badly done compared to Mr Knightley (2009) and must go!

Mr Elliot (2022) will be likely soon spotted in town with a Mrs Clay on his arm as though he may have proved himself the hottest of the Persuasion (2022) men he was no match for Colonel Brandon (1995). Joining him in bad-boy exile is Willoughby (2008) who could not beat the man best known as Emma Thompson's husband leaving Willoughby (1995) as the last libertine standing.

In another win for Sense and Sensibility (1995) Edward Ferrars (1995) proved that while a Wet Shirt scene written by Andrew Davies might have worked once, Dan Stevens chopping wood in the rain was too blonde not enough to prevail against Hugh Grant and the power of being married to Emma Thompson in any universe, real or imagined.

Captain Wentworth (1995) also sailed through against his 2007 counterpart as the voters told us once again that they hated blonde men if it was made in '95 that man was staying alive for another round and so Captain Wentworth (2007) becomes only a gallant Captain Wentworth, in a small paragraph at one corner of the newspapers.

In one of our tightest run polls that went back and forth several times it was Bingley Vs Bingley but in another win for the '95 contingent - the curly hair clinched it and Mr Bingley (1995) proved the victor.

And of course I must end with the biggest poll of the week, breaching the walls of our little tournament to be voted on by 28,987 tumblr users, the poll that ended in a most well deserved 50/50 split, Mr Darcy Vs Mr Darcy. How could anyone vote for THAT Mr Darcy you yelled at each other - HAND FLEX! WET SHIRT! you cried! But when push came to shove despite 14,484 of you declaring that you loved him most ardently 14,503 of you had decided he was the last man on earth who you could ever be prevailed upon to marry and left that wet cat out in the rain. And so, though we offer him a most cordial curtsey we must say goodbye to a very worthy loser Mr Darcy (2005).

Thank you for all the excellent propaganda sent in - I will be taking a days break before putting up the Quarter-final polls, giving you until Thursday to send in any propaganda you want included on the main poll posts and me time to add it! But for now we must once again say...

Farewell Gentlemen!

[turbulentscrawl]

Since the topic of body hcs and body hair hcs overall...may I ask what do you think survivors smell like? I've seen some people differ and I just wanna know your thoughts ;w;

Also, we've gotta be honest. They *will* stink at times, specially after matches. But hey that's only but natural so *shrugs*.

They definitely smell more distinct than I think we'd be used to in general, yeah. And I DON'T think most of them smell unique enough to say how they're different from others, specifically, but there are a few things to consider, if we're looking at it a little more realistically:

More regular cleanliness was becoming normal in the 1800s, when most of the survivors were from, but the actual frequency of bathing varied by class and career. Showering daily still was not common until the 1900s, though. Even without any concerns about water supply in the manor, I would imagine most of them average a full clean-up maybe twice a week? A little more for those who get into actual filth on their days off. (looking at Emma, since she digs in the dirt and spend a lot of time outside.)

Deodorent was not invented until 1888, and didn't become popular until the 1930s or so. And most early deodorents didn't come with much in the way of additional scents, rather they just killed bacteria that caused excess body odors. Most of the people in the manor would not have used this, except perhaps the latest arrivals like Frederick and Alice. Instead, before deodorant, people took steps like shaving their underarms to prevent more sweat and bad scents, and used products like perfume and talcum powder to freshen up and get rid of odors.

Fancier soaps were around in the 1800s, but were used sparingly and economically. The lower class especially would have made their own ashen lye soap to bathe and wash their clothes. (Which, if you've never smelled unscented lye soap, is not pleasant to the nose imo. It's a bit of a pungent chemical smell, mixed with the scent of whatever the soap base was, which was usually lard and olive oil.) More expensive soaps could have been made from things like almond oil, coconut oil, or goat's milk, plus herbs or extracts for something much better smelling.

There's not a ton of hard labor to do in the manor, which would keep some people from working up so much of a sweat, but there's not likely an AC there. On the plus side, I don't imagine there's too much weather fluctuation in the manor for the sake of keeping the passage of time as confusing as possible, which also means it's not getting too hot. Most of the temperature changes you experience would be on the maps. I also don't think a lot of the Hunters would sweat! Any of those who have been dead and were brought back probably don't perspire anymore, though they may have the slightest hint of something off about them.

In short...yeah there's definitely more BO than we're used to in most modern settings. Most of the people in the manor are going to smell pretty natural--which won't always be offensive to the nose, mind you, since they say the smell of someone who's right for you will smell GOOD--plus some talcum/baby power or perfume scents to 'soften the blow' a bit. (Though it wasn't really in fashion to DROWN yourself in perfume by most of these peoples' time, so I think only a few people might lay it on too thick. Mary or Vera, for instance.)

And some people probably maintain very small scent hints about their professions or lives before the manor, just to distinguish them up close. Luchino has a touch of carbolic acid on his clothes, from sterilizing tools in the lab. Norton still smells of coal and minerals, just a touch. Victor smells a bit like sun-heated dog due to walking around outside all day with Wick, and Ithaqua like snowy pine trees from his years wandering and guarding winter woods. You get the idea.

I won't say who I think smells the worst or the best because that;s just too subjective--especially since I've revealed I don't like the smell of lye which is probably what most of them would have used LOL. But I'm definitely not one to say 'let's fully suspend our disbelief and say Naib smells freshly showered and uses Old Spice 😜'.

[violettduchess]

A/N: I am so happy to be able to share my gift for the lovely @ikeromantic 💜 A deep dive into your blog told me you love AUs as much as I do so I was so happy to create one for our favorite Lelouchian.

Thank you to @ikemenlibrary and @sunnyikemen for hosting and for being supportive, accommodating and all-around superstars. 💜

Clavis x Emma

Magic AU, Soulmates AU, First Kiss, Enemies to Lovers

WC: ~2k

The sun is glowing a bright lemon-yellow as Emma closes the wooden door to her shop. It’s a beautiful door, made of dark walnut and decorated with silvery moons and stars. Across the top, the words “Belle Magie” are etched into the hard wood. At night, the lettering glows a soft gold. Humming to herself, she wraps her free hand around the ornate brass doorknob and a subtle, warm orange glow emanates from her fingertips. The moons and stars flash once and she hears a satisfying, soft whoosh of magic. The door to her shop is now locked via enchantment and no one except Emma will be able to enter and poke around at all the treasures that line her shelves and counters.

Smoothing down her ochre and black robes, she carefully makes her way across the cobblestone street to the shop that is literally across from hers. Her nose wrinkles at the sign that hangs above the wooden door: “Lelouchian Enchantments” written in swirling, silver lettering that she would say is barely legible. His note, written in the same dizzying writing, is clutched tightly in her hand as she pushes open the lavender-colored door with a celestial design nearly identical to her own. But that is where the similarity ends.

Whereas Emma’s shop is neat, organized by ingredients, everything with its own place and labeled in her own very careful handwriting, his is a gigantic explosion of almost anything one can imagine. Bottles filled with liquids of all colors and bottles with questionable things floating in them, dried herbs and seeds in pots and packets, a whole section of plants that bite anyone who comes near them, not to mention odd gemstones, vibrant powders, paints and feathers. She ducks underneath the silver vines that have wrapped themselves around the wooden ceiling beams, ignoring the way they contract and rustle their leaves at her, and approaches the counter where she finds Clavis himself, carefully sorting what looks like glittery kidney beans.

“I got your missive. I believe it broke in through my window in order to deliver itself.”

At the sound of her voice, he turns, golden eyes gleaming like copper in sunlight. He wipes his hands on the folds of his pale lavender robes, grinning slowly. She is forced to admit to herself for the millionth time that Clavis is hardly unpleasant to look at, per say. But oh, how he irks her, with his smooth words, flamboyant personality and flashy enchantments. 

“Oh dearie me, when I said it was urgent, I suppose that gave it permission to cause destruction. I apologize.”

She bats away several tiny golden motes that have taken an interest in her chestnut hair and Clavis lifts his hand, wiggling his fingers in invitation. The golden pinpricks of light float towards him, circling his wrist and then solidify into a gold bracelet.

Refusing to be distracted by his tricks, she unscrolls his letter and lays it on the counter.

“Well? Where is it?”

“So impatient,” he tuts as he kneels down, lifting an ornate silver box from under the counter. It’s about the size of his hand and she can’t help but watch the way he trails his fingertips over the decorative embellishments. He has such elegant hands.

One brow arches slowly as she crosses her arms, shoving that thought away and burying it in annoyance.. “Well…..are you going to open it….?”

He sighs theatrically. “Some people have no sense of showmanship.”

Her lips quirk into a small, involuntary grin. “I’m not one of the poor suckers who come in here for your tricks and potions, Lelouch. Now open the box.”

He tilts his head, clearly enjoying how much she is trying to hide her curiosity. His hand rests on the lid of the box but doesn’t move.

“Don’t you want to know the story of how I acquired such a treasure? Why, it’s a tale of mighty heroics the likes of-”

“No. No, I do not.”

He pretends to be offended but the light in his eyes gives away the truth. 

“But it involves a goblin merchant from Benitoite and a heartsick wizard from the Jade Forest and-”

“And a dragon and a sea witch and a bloody one-eyed pegasus. Clavis, just open the box!” 

He laughs and it is the needle deflating the balloon of irritation that had overtaken her. She’s never met anyone with a laugh quite like his. It’s almost musical, but in the way of the inviting, simple melody of a children’s song. Something that stays with her, imprinting itself on her mind.

“Such an impatient pumpkin.”

“Don’t call me pumpkin.” The response is automatic, a reflex built over the long while she has known him. The first time Clavis had seen her do magic and seen the yellow-orange glow her magic emanates, he had bestowed her with that aggravating nickname.

Nimble fingers curl over the lid of the box and then he lifts it, revealing a round, milky-white stone nestled into a bed of black velvet. It reminds her immediately of the moon against a starless night sky.

She tilts her head quizzically. “This is the all-power Amor Lapis?” She had imagined something called the “Love Stone” being far more ostentatious, something pink or red and wild with sparkles. Something that would take her breath away. This stone, while pretty in its own way, looks rather ordinary.

“Such a skeptic.” He lifts the stone from its box, holding it in the palm of his hand. “It will only glow when two soulmates have found each other.” He lifts his gaze to her, his smile playful. “Know any perfect couples?”

She rolls her eyes, reaching out to touch the stone. “There’s no such thing as a perfect-” Her fingers brush Clavis’s palm and suddenly, the middle of the white stone begins to brighten, a soft glow radiating out from the center.

She jerks her hand away even as he nearly drops it. Her heart roars to life, knocking wildly around inside her chest.

Neither of them move and then, at the same time they both do, Clavis uncharacteristically fumbling to put the stone back in its box and she taking several steps back, one hand curling into the velvet folds of her cloak.

“It’s broken! It’s clearly defective!” Why does her voice sound just a bit shrill to her ears?

He clears his throat. She’s rarely seen him so rattled.

“It….oh dear…..maybe it is.” He frowns, staring down at the stone, at the dull, cream color of it, no glow to be seen. Then he draws in a breath, one that even she can hear shaking and looks at her. There is something unfamiliar in the depths of his sunrise eyes.

“We should try that again.”

“Try what again, exactly?”

“Touching.”

She should be balking at the very suggestion. 

She should already be halfway out of his crazy shop. 

She shouldn’t be stepping closer again, her gaze jumping from the stone back to him and then back again. 

And she really really should not be saying-

“Alright. To-to prove its deficiency.”

The smooth, dark counter is a barrier between them, one that feels like armor, something that will protect her although what she needs protecting from is uncertain, some nebulous thing forming on the edges of her consciousness, some unknown dream rising from the shadows of slumber.

Clavis then holds out his hand, palm up, his gaze meeting hers. Her heartbeat drums wildly through her veins, a rhythm she has never known before. Slowly she lifts her hand and places it in his. His skin is cool and smooth, soft in a way she would not have expected. Emma can feel his magic just here, flowing through him. It feels shockingly calm, not the wild chaos she thought it might be but soothing, like the scent of lavender, the soft pastels of the sky at sundown. She can feel her own magic responding, warming as it flows through her.

Beneath their joined hands, the Amor Lapis begins glowing again, a soft white light like a tiny flame igniting inside the stone. Her heartbeat roaring in her ears, she slowly withdraws her hand from his and watches as the glow dims and then, when they are no longer touching, winks off like a tiny candle snuffed out by a breeze. When Emma has gathered enough courage, she raises her gaze from the milky-colored stone to Clavis and her heart trips over its own beat. His eyes rival the glow of the stone, something new burning in their golden depths. The light of revelation. The light of truth. The light of desire.

When he finally speaks, his voice sounds soft, breathy in a way that causes Emma to bite the inside of her lip at the sound.

“Dearie me,” he murmurs, his gaze locked with hers, bright with an intensity that feels almost physical. “If that happens when we touch hands, imagine what might happen if we actually kiss.”

The word lingers between them, shimmering in the air like desert heat over sand dunes. Emma unconsciously licks her lips and Clavis’s gaze drops there, fast as quicksilver. His own lips part slightly as he stares at the full curve of her lower lip, the sweet bow of the top. His own voice, his own words, echo like thunder between them. 

….if we actually…..

….kiss….

Emma hasn't moved, hasn’t said a word, her soft eyes wide as a deer’s startled by a sudden, unexpected sound. And then he realizes what he said, what he has actually suggested and shame floods him, a tsunami of embarrassment that washes away the glimmer of hope, the clouds of desire that had overtaken him. 

What the hell was he thinking, talking like that? As if someone like her, someone so intelligent and kind and talented, someone beautiful inside and out, would ever be soulmates with someone like him. Forget soulmates, she doesn’t even like him. 

He hangs in head, soft twilight locks falling across his forehead, his knuckles white as he grips the counter with trembling hands. Stupid. Idiot. Never good enough. Never smart enough. Never ever would he be enough for someone else.

“Nevermind, I lost myself for a moment.” The words are acrid on his tongue and he feels the hot wash of color staining his cheeks and neck. “Obviously, there’s no way–”

Her hands are suddenly gripping those warm cheeks, pulling him towards her, forcing him to lean over the counter, above the stone, where she presses her lips to his. The Amor Lapis explodes with radiance, a tiny supernova encased by smooth stone. Even with closed eyes, Emma notices the brightening of the light but right now, she does not care. Because right now, she is holding Clavis’s face in her hands, and she is falling falling falling into kissing him.

At first he freezes, shock turning his blood to ice water in his veins. But then he realizes her mouth is really there, pressed against his, and then the burst of light automatically closes his eyes and the shock begins to thaw.

Now all he feels is the warmth of her kiss, the tentative movement of her lips and he gasps, reaching across the counter to touch her. Cradling each other’s face, they kiss, at first slowly, drinking in the fragile newness of the sensation, the unveiling of the truth that has been growing in both their hearts, quietly. Steadily. And then novelty slowly turns to pleasure, to desire. He grows bolder, sliding a hand down to the nape of her neck, holding her there so he can part her lips and sink into the sweet taste of her. If this is a dream, may he never wake up.

Emma sighs against him, a sound that echoes the twinkling of diamond-bright stars in a black velvet sky. All this time….all this time she’s been falling in love and never even realized it.

Minutes pass. Or maybe hours. Neither of them can say when they finally pull away from one another. Breathless, light-headed, floating, they both glance down at the Amor Lapis. The stone is luminous, glowing like a tiny moon dropped from the heavens. 

And it will continue to give off its beautiful light, for the rest of their days.

Tagging: @xbalayage @alexxavicry @queengiuliettafirstlady @rhodolitesrose @ikemen-writer @bellerose-arcana @thewitchofbooks @aria-chikage @redheadkittys @tele86 @dear-mrs-otome @firestar-otomeobsessed @curious-skybunny @rhodoliteschaos @kpop-and-otome @writingwhimsey @mxrmaid-poet @silver-dahlia @wendolrea @otomefoxystar @nightfoxqueen @myonlyjknight @portrait-ninja @ikesimpleton @mastering-procrastinating @namine-somebodies-nobody @queen-dahlia @scorchieart @nightghoul381 @bubblexly

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

Imagine...Forest Ranger Dean

Pairing: Forest Ranger!Dean x reader

“Hi,” you said into your phone, speaking as soon as you heard the other end pick up. “This is Y/N Y/L/N and I don’t mean to be a bother but there’s sort of a big black bear outside in my yard and it’s uh, not going away.”

“You want the forest ranger, Miss,” said the voice on the other end. “One moment.”

You sighed as you looked out your back window, the bear still roaming around, lazily taking a seat and laying in the sunny backyard.

“Dude, go away,” you said.

“Excuse me?” said the other end of the phone.

“Sorry. I was talking to the bear,” you said, getting silence on the other end for a few seconds.

“Can you safely tell me what the bear is doing?” he asked.

“Um, sunbathing from the looks of it,” you said.

“Remain indoors. I’ll be over there soon.”

“Charlie, go home,” said a man in a brown uniform and jeans, wandering into your backyard. The bear rolled on its side and the man ran a hand through his hair. “Charlie.”

The bear stood up and yawned before it padded out of your yard. The man walked around to the front of your house and knocked at the door.

“Thanks,” you said.

“You’re not from around here. Everybody knows Charlie,” he said. “He’s got that white tuft of fur that’s like the shirt Charlie Brown wears.”

“It’s still a bear,” you said.

“Yes, it is. Be more conscious of keeping the fence to your backyard shut,” he said. “Charlie loves to get his tan on.”

“So if I keep my door shut-“

“Charlie will just keep on passing by. Don’t feed him and keep your distance but Charlie is friendly,” said the man.

“Thanks,” you said. “Wait don’t bears like garbage?”

“I’m teaching a class on wilderness safety this afternoon if you want to stop by the rangers station. We’re right next to the entrance to the state park down the road,” he said. “Starts at 2.”

“Thanks. Maybe I’ll swing by.”

You were giving the ranger a bitch face when you finally caught his attention at the station.

“Hey, Y/N,” he said, waving you into the back room when he was done counting heads. “Come on in.”

“That’s a group of kindergarteners,” you said.

“Their teacher said it’s okay,” he said. You grumbled but followed him inside, standing along the back wall with a few other bored looking adults. “Okay little guys and gals. In case you don’t know me-“

“I know you, Uncle De,” said a girl near the front.

“I know you do, rascal,” he said, ruffling the top of her head as he walked past to the other side of the room. “For those of you that don’t know me, I’m Ranger Dean Winchester, also Emma’s Uncle, but you guys can call me Dean.”

“Can I?” asked the little girl from before.

“No, rascal,” he said with a smile. “Now sh, Uncle De’s got to tell all your friends about being safe in the woods.”

Dean went into a presentation of the local area and the animals that lived there, the types of plants that grew and basically a bunch of places they should never go without an adult with them.

“Now kiddos, who wants to go for a hike?” asked Dean. A bunch of hands shot up and you took that as your cue to leave. Dean grunted when you started to go for the door. You went back to your spot, Dean moving the kids into their smaller groups with their assigned chaperones. He paused once they were outside in the parking lot, nodding at you. “Hold up.”

“Do I really have to go on this little nature hike?” you asked.

“You won’t pass the class if you don’t,” he said with a smirk. “Come on. You’re the one I’m most worried about.”

“Me?” you said with a scoff.

“Uh huh. All those kids have parents that know what they’re doing. You...you make me concerned and I don’t want to be concerned so I’d rather you go on our little hike and learn a little bit more,” he said.

“What do I get out of this?” you asked.

“Peace of mind for one. I’ll buy you dinner tonight too,” he said with a cock of his head.

“Dinner?” you asked.

“Hey. Gorgeous single women don’t exactly move here all that often. I’m not above asking you out before somebody else in town can,” he said.

“I didn’t move here to date,” you said. “I moved here to get away from guys actually.”

“Oh. We do suck sometimes,” he said with a smirk. “One little date though? No strings. Just dinner at our one restaurant in town. I mean, it’s the least you can do after I saved you from that viscous bear this morning.”

“Fine,” you said. “You get one date, Casanova.”

“That’s all I’ll need.”

[kai-anderson-whore]

Hi!!! Could you do an imagine where y/n is the first serious girlfriend he’s had since Emma so she’s insecure and she gets hate because she’s a good bit younger and has to deal with the fact Evan and Emma still work together on AHS so their fans still want them together. Lots of fluff with a touch of smut? Thanks!!!

Insecure of the ex (Evan peters x fem reader slight smut)

Warnings: hate comments, doubting a relationship, being compared to an ex, smut, heavy kissing, p in v sex nothing too major, fluff

Word count: 1,4k

A/n: in my flop era xoxox

•¤❅¤•.•°˚˚°•..•°˚˚°•.•¤❅¤•.•¤❅¤•.•°˚˚°•.

The dim light lit up the room the coffee cup in your hand, your phone in the other. Evan your boyfriend of two years sat on the other side on the room watching tv. You had just posted a picture of you both on instagram it was a picture one of your friends took when out for dinner you were cuddling into Evan, his lips on your head hugging you close with the caption "here's to two whole years with you my love, and many more 💕💕".

You loved the picture one of your favourites. You received nice comments from your close friends and family congratulating you both on the milestone. But you couldn't help but notice the negative comments. "They won't last any longer", "I miss Emma", "he's probably going to go back with Emma", "she's so much more younger than him probably only with him for the money", "god I hate her #evan&emma". You knew you shouldn't have let it bother you but it did.

Sure you were a couple of years younger than Evan five years to be precise but you weren't with him for his money. You loved Evan you both met at a convention and hit it off from then on sure it wasn't too long after his split from Emma roberts. He still worked closely with her in ahs which did make you feel unsettled but you learned to get on with it since Evan loved working on the show despite his ex girlfriend being there too.

But the comments on each post didn't stop you from getting into your head. You wondered why he was with you, was he just using you to get over Emma and you were just sticking around to something that means nothing to him. You didn't know. Every time Evan was filming for ahs you knew Emma would be there and with their history you didn't know if there was still feelings or not between them. Their fan ship them more than you and Evan it was just something you learned to become accustomed with.

You glanced over at Evan his eyes focused on the screen in front of him. "What time is it?"you asked you already knew the time it was past midnight already but you wanted him to notice. "Twelve fifteen- oh happy anniversary babe" he says after pulling out his phone getting off his seat giving you a kiss on the lips. But you couldn't help but feel hurt at the fact you had to tell him.

"What's this?" Evan asked his eyes glued to your phone. 'Shit' you thought you forgot to lock out phone so he wouldn't see all the comments. "It's nothing Evan really" you tried to dismiss but Evan wasn't having it. "Come on let's see the post it's obviously us" he smiled taking your phone from your hand his smile grew at the picture remembering the day clearly.

With a short scroll of his thumb his boyish smile dropped seeing all the horrible hate comments you were receiving for the first time. Evan's brows scrunched in confusion reading all the comments. "How long has this been going on for?" He asked the tears pricked your eyes uncontrollably you felt like you couldn't breathe.

"Almost the whole of our relationship, I delete the comments so no one can see but there's so many of them" you started to sob. "Sometimes I think they're right what do you see in me Evan, they're obsessed with you and Emma I can never compare to her" you started to sob. Evan just placed your phone down engulfing you in his arms.

He smelled of your favourite cologne hints of wood, tobacco and citrus notes it was all so comforting to you. Your tears staining his white t-shirt but Evan didn't care about that all he cared was making you feel better and putting a stop to these comments. "Listen to me" he started cupping your chin so you can meet the gaze of his brown eyes.

"They might be obsessed with me and Emma and can't get it in their heads we're history. But I'm obsessed with you okay your the best thing that's happened to me what I see in you is a beautiful, smart, independent woman who loves me just as much as I love her and no dumb comments will change that you can't compare to Emma because your better and I mean that". His words made you cry more but a smile crept on your lips which Evan didn't hesitate to kiss.

"I love you so much Evan I'm sorry for-" you tried apologised which Evan placed his index finger to your lips shushing you. "Don't apologise you have nothing to be sorry for it's natural to get upset and let these comments get to your head and I know me working with Emma still isn't necessarily helping but your the only one for me". you could see the hurt in his eyes Evan hated seeing you upset. Nodding your head you whisper a small "I'll stop apologising" to him before burying yourself back into his arms.

"I'll put a stop to these comments I'll log back into my instagram account and say something I promise" he added kissing the top of your head. You still felt shitty these comments really have took it's toll on you. "Hey look at me" you looked up at Evan again who placed a kiss on your lips, "I - promise- I'll- sort- this" he said in between kisses. His lips continued to kiss you your hands roamed his hair. His body pushing you further down on the couch slotting himself between your legs.

A giggle escaped your lips Evan took those thoughts away a smile once again invaded your lips, "there's that beautiful smile" he sighed happily. His lips peppered themselves along your neck, your head moved to the side slightly giving him more access to you. "Happy anniversary babe" he mumbles against the hot skin of your neck. "Happy anniversary" you sigh in satisfaction completely forgetting about those comments you knew they shouldn't matter all that matters is you and Evan. 

His hand roamed your body slipping under your sweater feeling every curve. His lips continued its work along your neck and collarbones. "Evan" you hummed desperately, Evan knew what you wanted and wasted no time in giving you it helping you out your sweater and sweatpants leaving you in just your undergarments. Evan then proceeded to remove the remaining articles of clothing from his body, you took the time on getting completely bare for him showing him every curve and shadow of your body.

"How did I get so Lucky with you" he smiles his eyes drinking all your beauty before him. He slotted himself back between your legs your arms wrapped around his neck, your legs hooking along his waist. Evan gave himself a few tugs before lining himself up with your entrance. Your body quivered as he started pushing into you slowly.

Your eyes rolled back in pleasure as evan thrusted into you in a slow passionate way. Your arms still wrapped around his neck bringing him down to meet your lips. Your lips moved in sync swallowing each others moans. Wanting to be more closer to him if that was even physically possible. “I love you so much” he whispered against your swollen lips bringing his back upon your own.

Soon enough you felt that knot form within you. Evan picked up the pace a little more bringing you closer to the edge. Your moans got louder as you came undone beneath Evan. He stopped for a moment drinking you in a smile forming on his lips, “god you so beautiful” he thought out loud coming down from your high Evan started to chase his own high coming undone on top of you.

You both felt limp laying on the couch not saying anything just trying to collect yourselves. Evan had his arm slung over your frame a small smile on your lips completely forgetting about the comments. “I’ll sort all that out I promise” he broke the silence nuzzling his head into the crook of your neck placing a lazy kiss there. “I know thank you Evan” you sighed tracing your fingertips along his back.

[ponyosmom35]

Here for you

Simon Ghost Riley x reader

Liability chapter thirteen!

synopsis: Before MW2, reader had finally gotten Simon to trust her, they were even friends. Both have feelings for each other but neither has said anything about it. Her sister is KIA and Simon finds her outside in the middle of the night with tears in her eyes. He opens up to her.

warnings: angsttttttt, talks about death, simons past, PTSD

Liability masterlist:

https://www.tumblr.com/ponyosmom35/733401347573088256/simon-ghost-riley?source=share

a/n:

strap in, this is a long ass chapter! poor Simon needs a hug.

She sat with her back pressed against the guard tower, she stared out at the empty base, the calmest she’d ever seen it. Tears stream down her face as she tries to reconcile the truth: her sister was dead. It didn’t feel real, how could Emma be gone, she’d just talked to her earlier that morning. Though she’d long since washed the blood off of her hands, she still felt it. She looks down for the millionth time checking them. She shakes her head and runs her hand through her hair. 

“what are you doing out here?” a familiar deep voice asks 

She whips around to see none other than Simon Riley in his balaclava at the top of the steps. “Simon, you scared me” she says holding a hand to her heart “I couldn’t sleep” 

“me neither” he responds as he moves to sit beside her. “How are you doing?” 

“I’m not really sure yet, I don’t wanna talk about it if that’s okay” she says, looking over at him. He nods, worrying that he wasn’t the right person to be here. He’d always been dreadfully bad at speaking. Never was he a man of many words, he’d use as many as he needed to get his point across and end it there. If he could speak in one-word sentences he would. He knew that any of the others would be able to comfort her, say something that would make her feel better. 

“tell me something” she asks gently 

“what do you want to know?” he responds, shifting uncomfortably, another thing he wasn’t good at; talking about himself. 

“anything about you” she says softly “please” she nearly whispers

Simon looks at her thoughtfully, never feeling more exposed in his life. He swallows the lump in his throat and tries to think of something he could share. He knew she needed this, she needed a distraction. If it were anybody else he wouldn’t have stayed, if this were anyone else he would’ve excused himself instantly. But this was her. The woman who’d somehow melted the ice in his heart. The woman he found himself thinking about at all hours of the day. The only woman he’d ever really trusted. She was the first person to learn his name in years, bringing him back from the ‘ghost’ persona that he’d so carefully crafted. She saw him, and he was terrified. 

Simon takes a deep breath, knowing that there was no going back now.  “Well, um... when I was a kid, my parents took me out to a cabin in the woods a lot. We’d go fishing and swim in the lake during the summertime” 

“sounds wonderful” she smiles, imagining the scenery and a little Simon running around with a fishing pool in hand. 

“it was” he says, staring down at his gloved hands. “sometimes I think about how different my life would have been if I had just stayed there… would’ve been so simple... maybe I would have even met someone, and started a family of my own, had some semblance of a life outside of this” 

Both are shocked at his confession, she was certain that this was the most he’d ever spoken at once. Her heart swells as she notices his behavior shift. He was sad. 

“so there is no Mrs. Riley back home then?”

“no, no there isn't” he responds, not an ounce of emotion in his voice, she could tell he was trying to pull away. She was losing him. 

“what do you do when you're not here? How does Simon spend his days off?” she asks, trying to lighten the mood. Her heart leaps when he chuckles softly. 

“I'm out on missions or back at base waiting for the next one” he shrugs 

“So you’re telling me you have no hobbies?” she asks

“what, you mean like knitting?” he asks sarcastically 

“Sure” she giggles

“I'm going to tell you something I've told very few people. this stays between you and me, alright?”

“my lips are sealed” she promises

“I like to read” he pauses, thinking about how strange it is to tell her this. To anybody else, it wouldn’t be such a crazy admission. He looks over at her, noticing the happiness in her eyes and the smile on her lips, so he continues. “ I've always been a fairly quiet and reserved person. Never been able to find the words you know? I didn't have too many friends to talk to when I was growing up, so I could always rely on books”

“I love to read also” she responds “I feel the same, sometimes it’s nice to escape the world for a bit”

“that's exactly why I do it” his voice is soft and vulnerable, something he’d never heard from him before. For the first time in years, he’s relaxed.  He didn’t feel the need to maintain a serious facade. “ it's a nice feeling to get lost in an endless world of wonder and excitement. and for a little while at least. You just get to exist in this universe where you're completely in control. it's... freeing”

“You can be anyone you want” she agrees 

“Yeah” he murmurs

“thanks for trusting me with that Simon, I promise I won't tell anyone”

Simon nods and looks over at her, noticing the way she rubs her hands together as a light breeze hit them. He takes his gloves off quickly and hands them over to her wordlessly. She looks up at him with a smile on her face. “Thank you”

“Don’t mention it” he says gruffly, she snorts, there’s the man she knew. 

“can I tell you something?” she asks, watching as he nods

“I'm awful at cooking, I was banned from the kitchen at my parent’s house growing up” 

“oh yeah? what, do you burn everything you touch or something?” he asks playfully, his voice lighter now. He tries to imagine her in the kitchen. 

“guess you could say that” she laughs 

“I love cooking. It's therapeutic. There is something very calming about kneading dough, chopping up vegetables, and getting your hands dirty in the process”

“I knew there was more to you than meets the eye” she teases  “seriously though I can see it, for some reason it actually kinda makes sense to me that you can cook”

what's that supposed to mean?” he raises his eyebrows

“It suits you” she shrugs “can I ask you a really personal question?”

“Go on” he says

“what's your favorite color?” 

He chuckles loudly “you're really pushing it now darling”

“seriously though what is it?”

He pauses for a few seconds before answering “green... I like trees, grass, leaves... the color of nature in general. And you? What’s your favorite color?”

“Green” she smiles 

“Fucking hell” he nods, surprised how much they had in common. Amazed that he’d stayed for so long, he’d opened himself up so easily, that being with her made him want to keep talking.

“Yeah” she says pushing her sleeve up to show him the green moss agate bracelet he noticed that she would wear on her constantly. The only time he’d seen her without it was when she was working with a patient. 

“I like it”

“It’s moss agate, supposed to give you emotional balance” she responds, dropping her hand back to her lap as they fall into a comfortable silence. Simon wonders why she would need emotional balance, she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. Never had he seen her lose her cool (except for when they fought - which he tried to forget). Simon moves his body, pushing himself against the railing so he could face her, his foot bruises against her leg and he drops his hands in between his thighs. He was so interested in her, he wanted to know everything. 

“So, how did you end up...here? It's a big world, and you could've landed in any number of places, yet you ended up in the middle of nowhere”

“I always wanted to help people, that much I knew growing up. It wasn't until after Emma left to join the service that I was stuck at home with my parents, I know they meant well but they constantly compared the two of us. nothing I did could ever measure up to her” she pauses as she takes off her bracelet, tracing the stones lightly. 

“go on... I'm listening” he encourages 

“my grandma had an accident, she needed CPR and I don't know what came over me, I just started compressions without a second thought. I was able to save her, and I guess from then on I knew that I was meant to be a medic. To answer your question, I'm here because of Emma. I wanted to be closer to her and when Laswell offered me the job I accepted. Now I'm here with the legendary Simon Riley” 

He laughs lightly “sounds like your destiny” 

“how did you end up here?”

“you wanna know how I got here?” he asks, unsure if he was ready to discuss that. Part of him wanted to tell her everything he’d been through, the other part was terrified of letting her in. He looks over at her with a soft expression. 

“Had a shitty childhood, enlisted as soon as I could. Worked my way up the ranks, turns out I was really good at my job. About ten years ago, give or take... I was leading a team on a mission. We were tasked with apprehending a terrorist leader who had been responsible for many attacks. The mission wasn't exactly sanctioned, however. It was sort of a personal favor to me from my CO, General Shepherd. He knew I wanted this guy, so he gave me the go-ahead to conduct the mission” he pauses, she could tell that he was reliving it all in his mind “after crossing the border and deep into enemy territory, we finally made it to the terrorist's hideout. We were able to gain the upper hand, and captured him and a few other members of the group who were working under him, but things didn't quite go to plan” 

He stops again, trying hard not to say the words that are forming in the back of of head. He stares off into space. Memories plaguing him.  

“I lost them. All of them, except... “ More emotions cloud his voice until he can barely understand what he was saying. His heart started beating so fast that he could hear it pounding in his ears.

“you don't have to tell me Simon” she says gently, noticing the visible distress he was going through. As the seconds pass, he slowly regains his composure and looks back up at her. His voice is much calmer as he speaks again.

 “doesn't matter. The mission failed. We failed. We did everything right... everything” he says, she doesn’t hesitate and gently grabs his hand in her own. 

He looks at her hand on his own and let out a sigh, a smile forming on his face underneath the mask. 

“I'm not used to people touching me” he admits, looking at her, finding the moment oddly intimate. His voice is soft and quiet, and he looks at their hands, the moment suddenly feeling so important to him. “I've never been the type for affection or physical contact, not my thing”

“Oh god I'm so sorry!” she exclaims as she drops his hand. Simon looks at her and gently takes her small hand in his own. His actions saying the words he couldn’t. He looks back up at her, noticing your flustered face, and finds himself unable to look away. Her cheeks, glowing in the moonlight, her green eyes, filled with light and curiosity, and her face, slightly flushed with embarrassment. 

He felt himself drawn to her in an almost primal way. He could swim in her eyes, and he wanted nothing more than to hold her close.

“We were outnumbered, we fought to the fucking death. But we lost. I was taken the leader and tortured for information” he says placing his free hand on his ribs as he closes his eyes, remembering the pain. She squeezes his hand, showing him that she was there. 

“I was able to escape but I lost them all, I lost a part of myself. I gained a higher ranking. Lieutenant Simon Riley. Fucking sicking”

“what about your family?” she asks 

“They were collateral damage…” he says as he drops her hand, noticing the sun rising, a small glow lighting her face. “The leader warned me if I came after him that it would happen. He killed em’ all. My mum, my little brother, my nephew, his wife, even my son of a bitch father, dead cuz of me” 

She raises a hand to her mouth in horror, tears fill her eyes as she starts to piece it all together. It made so much sense now, why he was this way. “god Simon, I'm so sorry, I don't even know what to say”

“Ain’t nothin to say” he says emotionally 

“What happened to the leader? Did you catch him?”

“I hunted down each and every one of em’. Took some time but I got the fucker. I killed him and whatever remained of Simon Riley that day. Wasn’t long until Price found me, and recruited me for the task force” 

“How do you live with it all?” she asks

“I’m not the person to ask” he says honestly, watching as her face falls in disappointment. 

“I know it's hard” he sighs putting his elbows on his knees. He closed his eyes and leaned back, his hand resting on his head. “Sometimes I wish things didn't go the way they did... but life has a funny way of showing you who you are” 

He pauses, thinking about how to say this last part. “I’m the last person you should be taking advice from, but one thing I do believe is that shit happens for a reason. It fucked but now I’m here, doin’ the best I can, bloody hell I’ve saved some people along the way. That’s what matters”

“you're saying that I'm gonna have this big revelation about myself now?” she asks 

“there's a chance” he murmurs, sitting up and looking at her. “do you want to know how I know things will get better for you?”

“Enlighten me”

“because you already have everything you need to survive, it seems to me that people are so afraid to fail to the point that they don't even try. everyone wants to blame something else for their problems because it's easier than accepting fault, right? But in the end, it's all about perspective. You're a bright person, and the fact that you're here right now shows that you're strong enough to make it to the next day. you're a survivor, and that's something to be proud of. And one day, you’ll look back on this time in your life, and you'll realize it was all about perspective” He pauses for a moment, wondering how that sounded. He looks over at her and finds a small, genuine smile. “It’s not gonna be easy, you’re gonna miss her every day, but that pain is gonna be what drives you, live your life, for you and for her”

“I don’t know how to do this without her, I’m scared to go home, knowing that it’ll never be the same” she admits 

“No it won’t” he agrees, knowing that she didn’t want a bullshit answer that would make her feel better. 

“do you take your own advice? or are you just saying this to make me feel better?” she asks 

“I have a lot of demons inside of me. And I still have a lot to work on” He looks over at her, expecting a smart remark or a joke, but she doesn’t say anything, just giving him a subtle nod. “but even I can admit that what I said was truthful, as cheeky as that sounds”

“I appreciate it nonetheless”

“look, let's be honest here. I'm just trying to distract you long enough so I can steal that bracelet you're wearing” he jokes, trying to lighten the mood

“here, take it” she says handing it over to him without hesitation. 

“No I couldn’t” 

“I wouldn't have offered if I didn’t want you to have it, take it so you have something to remember me by” 

Simon takes the bracelet, noticing the beauty and simplicity of it. The moss agate stone glints in the light, its color a symbol of their connection. He puts it on his right wrist, the stone warm to the touch from how she’d been holding it. 

“I'll remember this forever”

“don't get sappy on me now Simon!” she exclaims, pushing him gently as a smile crosses her face. He laughs. 

“I'm a soldier, not a poet, alright? what do you say we get back inside?”

Simon stands and offers his hand to her, helping her up, she gingerly takes his hand and stands to her feet. He gestures for her to go ahead of him, letting her take the last step before he closes the distance between them and grabs the door handle to open it for her. 

“thank you for sitting with me, and for letting me talk. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you trusted me with your story. You are truly one of a kind, and I can’t tell you how much I respect you. I don't know how you did it but I feel like I might actually be okay, so thank you for that”

“you're welcome, love” the words come out quietly but sincerely, almost a whisper.  We're slowly nearing the doorway and hear talking from inside the trailer. As we walk in, we see Gaz, Price, and Soap leaning against the wall and talking amongst each other. The three of them look over at us for a second, with Price and Soap glancing at him and smiling. He gives them a nod, and the three of them turn back around and continue talking.

“they're up early” she comments 

“we have a mission today”

“that's right” she muses

Simon walks her to her room, a comfortable silence falling between them as they both realize that this may be the last time they see each other. She’d be flying back to Washington the next morning, unsure if she’d ever be back. 

“Hey” he asks as they near her room, she pauses and looks at him.  

“Yes?”

“can I ask you... a favor?”

“of course” she says 

“don't let yourself be consumed with anger and regret, its no way to live”

“I won't, as long as you do the same”

“okay. well, I guess that's a deal then”  

“good luck today, if I don't see you before I leave. stay safe, take care of yourself”

He nods in response, taking in every small detail about this moment. Her smile, how her orange hair frames her face and falls down her shoulders in beautiful long waves, the sound of her voice, the glimmer of her eyes in the light.

“Always” he responds 

He watches as she opens her door and slips inside. He says nothing more,  standing there for a moment as it occurs to him that I might not see her again. He takes a deep breath and starts to head back towards his own room, thinking about what just happened.

[neverland93]

Peter Pan imagine/ Villain

You and Peter are deep in the woods having a conversation and things get heated …

“My fault , I forgot you were fragile.” Peter said with such an attitude

“Excuse me?!” You almost yelled

“I forgot someone who doesn’t even know me says I’m an asshole.” He folded his arms

“You’re referring to my sister?” You asked

He shook his head yes with such anger

“So funny how someone can be such judgmental but I’m the villain.” He says mad

“Peter you know Emma just wants what’s best for me , and she just wants me to stay in storybrook with her and the others.” You say

“You know you think she’d forget I’m the better choice for you.” He says

“Oh yeah?” You smile “How so?” You say

“You’re happier with me, I spread positivity. “ he leans on a tree

You giggle

“Peter I’m sure it has nothing to do with you.” You say reassuring him

“Oh I know it’s not , it’s self hatred.” He says

“What do you mean?” You ask

“”Y/n your sister hates me, and hatred comes from people who hate their own existence.” He says

“That’s not true.” You say with a little offensive tone

“Maybe in better off alone if you agree with her.” He says

“That’s not what I meant I’m just saying you should give her a break.” You walk towards him

Peter walks to you , lifting up your chin, looks into your eyes and smiles in such a wicked way

“It’s fine Y/n I’ll be the villain, because hero’s, let me tell you something about hero’s. A hero will sacrifice you for the great or good, but since I am a villain, I have no heart, therefore… I will burn this world for you.” He whispered in your ear.

He walks away leaving you speechless.

[acosmicblizzard]

Weekly Motivation boost (Lady Truth x Gender neutral reader)

Warnings: None

Story type: Fluff

Pairings: Lady Truth (Emma Woods) x Gender neutral reader

(I absolutely love truth and inference and am really excited to see where the story goes next! Netease pls release another essence involving them, Art from official twitter)

Truth sighed as she put down the casefile and leaned back in her chair, this specific case had been tough. After about a week of investigation she hit a dead end and it turned out all the evidence she had discovered earlier had been fabricated. As her name implied, she always searched for the truth. To shine light on what really happened in cases. It's something she's always strived to do ever since she lost Anna, she doesn't like others losing people as close to them as Anna was to her. But it always slightly burned her out when she wasn't able to solve cases quickly and efficiently. Not being able to find the truth fast was.. frustrating. She was brought out of her thoughts as she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. "Truth, you okay dear?" She turned her head and saw you standing there with a cup of tea in your hand. She smiled and grabbed it from your hands, "I'm okay, don't worry y/n. Thank you for the tea." She stood up and pecked your cheek, her smile growing wider. Seeing you always brightened her day and made bad days not as bad. "Truth, you need to go to bed. It's almost 11. You can continue working on the case tomorrow." You said as she yawned and took a sip of the tea. She paused as he lips touched the warm liquid, "decaffeinated?" You let out a small hum to approve of her suspicions. "I didn't want you getting more energy when you need rest." You tidied up her desk and put all her casefiles away into a safe location as she finished drinking the tea. Putting the porcelain cup on her desk and standing up to grab your hand. "C'mon y/n let's sleep.. I'm tired." You giggled as the woman leaned into you as you both walked to your shared bedroom. Truth quicky flopped onto the bed snuggling into the warm and welcoming covers as her consciousness fleeted. "Goodnight Emma, sweet dreams." She heard you say as you wrapped your arms around her. A massive smile overtook Emma's face at the call of her real name, she wishes you'd call her that more often as she drifted off into the realm of dreams.

[dark-frosted-heart]

I’ll probably translate Matias’ card story later but I’m leaving y’all with this part from the beginning for now

In the latest story:

Emma and Matias were out in the are going out to into the woods and are now but first stop at a cafe. Even though Emma's dressed for the weather, Matias suggests they warm themselves up with some coffee.

Who tf puts hot coffee in a metal cup, but anyway Emma goes to pick up her cup but it's too hot so she ends up spilling it. Coffee splashes onto Matias clothes and Emma goes to wipe it off of him

Matias muttering to himself: I never imagined that a fantasy of mine from back when I was a student would come true

Edit: Misremembered the order of events so edits were made

[thehereticdiaries]

Dead Man Walking: Chapter Two

Chapter Summary: You tell Chan and Hongjoong how you ended up alone. Afterward, you get to know the group and start to work on pulling your weight.

Warnings: Descriptions of violent deaths, allusions to SA, suicidal thoughts

Series Masterlist

You refused to look up from your lap, scared that you would lose your fragile composure. 

“It happened a little over three weeks ago,” you began, already feeling the sting of tears at the back of your eyes. “I wasn’t alone in the beginning. I was with four other people. My two brothers, Noah and Ethan, and their girlfriends, Emma and Grace.

We were trying to make our way north. Ethan had heard a rumor that the dead don’t like the cold. We had set up our camp for the night in the woods at the edge of the city. It was the middle of the night and it was my turn to take watch.” You paused to suck in a shaky breath, pressing the heels of your hands into your eyes. 

“I fell asleep. I woke up to screaming. A group of, like, ten men ambushed us. One of them slit Noah’s throat and fed him to a zombie they had on a leash. Four of them crushed Ethan’s head with their boots and shotguns. Me, Emma, and Grace were clinging to each other. The men surrounded us, talking about bringing us back to their camp so they could have some fun.” You spat at the memory. 

“Three of the men moved to grab us while the others gathered our stuff for themselves. All of a sudden, Grace screamed and threw herself into the men. She told me and Emma to run. I was frozen, but Emma pulled me up and dragged me toward a thicker area of trees. Someone shot her in the leg. She pushed me forward, begging me to keep running. The last thing I saw was their pet zombie ripping into her neck.

I’ve been alone since then. I’ve been in a pretty hazy state of mind, I don’t know how I wasn’t killed. Before Yeosang found me, I was wandering around the shops for anything useful. I turned a corner and saw the herd a block away. One of them must have smelled me, cus they started sprinting toward me. I was going to let them kill me, I was tired and so, so lonely. But in my mind I heard Emma and Grace yelling for me to run, to survive, and I ran on instinct. That’s when Yeosang grabbed me.” You finally lifted your gaze to the men sitting across from you. They looked back at you with a mix of sadness and understanding.

“I’m sorry. We’ve lost people, too, but I can’t imagine how you must have felt seeing your family taken so cruelly,” Chris sighed, trying to offer some comfort with a kind look in his eyes. You sniffled and swiped at the traitorous tear that escaped.

“It was my fault. If I hadn’t fallen asleep, I would have seen them coming. They’d probably be alive right now. It should have been–”

“Don’t.” Hongjoong interrupted, speaking for the first time since you met him. “Don’t you dare say it should’ve been you. What’s done is done, the past can’t be changed. Mourn them. But you can’t give up. If you die, their memory dies too. Then they’re truly gone.” His words cut into you deep and you couldn’t hold back your sobs any longer. You hunched in on yourself, burying your face in your hands.

“You can stay with us.” Chan’s voice was closer now. You felt hands on your knees, and looked up to see him crouching in front of you. Your body sagged in relief as Chan ran his thumbs in soothing circles on the tops of your thighs. 

“Minho told us that you’re an ‘almost doctor.’” Hongjoong stated with air quotes after you calmed down. “What does that mean?” Chan moved to sit beside his co-leader again.

“I was in my last semester of medical school. I was in my residency and getting ready for commencement. I was going to be an emergency room physician, and already had a job lined up.” The leaders shared a look of approval.

“We need to get our inventory more organized. Minho is trying to do it all himself and won’t admit he needs help. Can you try to get him to split the responsibility?” Chris asked. “We obviously won’t need medical attention all the time, so inventory can be your secondary job.”

“I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises,” you agreed. They told you where you could find Minho, so you headed toward what used to be the office’s break room. You made a pit-stop at the maintenance room to pick up your backpack and peeped in the break room. As promised, Minho was sifting through the group’s resources. 

“What do you want?” Minho didn’t even look up at you to ask. You stepped fully into the room.

“Chris asked me to help with inventory. I figured I could take over for the medical supplies.”

“You figured wrong, I can handle it,” he denied. You bristled at his cold tone and marched over to stand directly in front of him, arms crossed over your chest.

“I don’t want to argue with you, Minho. I know you don’t trust me, but Chris and Hongjoong agreed to let me stay. If I’m going to help, I need to know what medical supplies you have,” you asserted. Minho finally looked up at you with a scowl. When you looked closely at his face, he was pale and clammy with prominent dark circles. 

“I don’t need help,” he snapped at you. 

“You’re tired, I can see it.” Minho’s eyes narrowed while yours softened. “You look pale, a little clammy, and you have horrible dark circles under your eyes. You’re taking on too much at once and you’re going to burn out if you don’t let someone take some of the responsibility.”  You could see his inner conflict in his eyes. 

“What do you have in mind?” He asked hesitantly. You smiled gently and pulled one of the chairs over to sit in front of him. 

“Split everything into categories, and have one person in charge of each category. I would say we split it into medical supplies, food and drinks, miscellaneous items, and weapons,” you suggested. Minho tapped his fingers on his chin, considering your words. Slowly, he nodded. 

“That’s… not a bad idea,” he admitted. 

“Thanks, I think. Obviously I would take over the medical supplies, but you know this group better than I do right now. Who would you want to put in charge of the other categories?” The room fell to silence while Minho mulled over his decision. You didn’t want to pressure him, so you busied yourself with finding notebooks to catalog everything. This turned out to be a very easy task. The former office building had an abundance of extra notebooks, pens, markers, and various other stationary supplies. You brought four notebooks and a marker back to your seat. On the cover of the first notebook, you wrote “Medical Supplies” and your name underneath. 

“I want to do the food and drinks. Jongho should do the miscellaneous, and Changbin and San should split the weapons, one in charge of guns and the other silent weapons.” As Minho spoke, you wrote the category and group member name on the front covers of each notebook, grabbing one more for both weapon categories. 

“Okay, let’s go let them know. I still don’t know everyone’s names, though.” You stacked your notebooks, hooked pens onto the spirals, and tucked the marker into your pocket.

“I’ll introduce you.” Minho led you out of the break room. He went through each room, pointing out what it was used for and telling you the names of anyone inside. Jongho was the quiet guy from the rooftop and he readily agreed to his new role. You handed him the notebook and pen and he immediately left to get everything written down. You had met almost everyone, with the final two being the appointed weapons masters.

“Changbin, San, I have an offer for you,” Minho called out as he pushed open the door to the maintenance room. These two were the obvious muscle of the group. Both of them were absolutely jacked.

“What’s up?” The shorter of the two furrowed his eyebrows, looking warily between you and Minho.

“I want you two to take charge of our weapons catalog. Who wants to take guns and who wants silent weapons?” The way he phrased it made this more like a demand rather than an offer. 

“Oh! I’m glad you’re finally letting us help, man. I don’t mind either way. You have a preference, San?” You could finally put the final names to their respective faces. 

“I can take the silent weapons.” You added San’s name to the silent weapons notebook and handed it to him, doing the same for Changbin and the gun notebook. They, too, got to work cataloging the group’s weapons. You and Minho returned to the break room, joining Jongho to work in silence. Jongho had moved the miscellaneous supplies to one of the long tables along the wall of the break room. He was breaking the supplies into subcategories while Minho got the food organized in the cabinets.

“Is there another room I can bring the medical supplies to? I don’t want to have to treat wounds in the same place we eat.” Minho nodded and showed you to one of the empty offices. It was just big enough to fit a desk, office chair, and a hip-height cabinet. The desk and cabinet were both, thankfully, empty. You wheeled the office chair back to the break room and began piling up the medical supplies.

“Wow, you guys have a lot of good stuff here,” you remarked. “What, did you raid a hospital before you settled down?”

“Yes,” Minho and Jongho answered at the same time. 

“Oh!” You decided against asking any more questions. It took two trips to get all of the supplies to your new office. You put most of the supplies in the cabinet, delighted that there were shelves for more storage space. You kept most of the over the counter medications on top of the cabinet so the group would have easy access to them. You left a note reading ‘let Y/N know if you take any meds!’ taped to the wall above the cabinet. You decided that the desk would serve as your exam table. You were so engrossed in your work that you didn’t hear Felix come in.

“Wow, you actually got this looking like a doctor’s office.” You yelped, dropping your pen and swinging around to glare at the Aussie from your spot on the floor. He cackled behind his hand, leaning against the doorway. 

“Felix! Don’t sneak up on me!”

“Holy shit, sorry, but you jumped like a foot off the ground,” he teased while clutching his stomach. You rolled your eyes.

“Alright, alright! It’s not that funny. What did you need?” You huffed and changed the subject.

“Dinner’s ready. We’ve been shouting for you for a couple minutes now,” he explained. 

“Oh, shit, sorry.” You quickly stood and followed Felix to the break room. Minho was dishing out small portions of rice topped with a slice of spam. 

“Finally! Chan won’t let us start eating until everyone gets their plate,” Jisung complained. You muttered an apology, more focused on the food. You’ve only had a granola bar today, and that was right after you woke up. Minho handed you a plate and you had to force yourself to eat it slowly. 

���I saw the new inventory notebooks. Good job, guys,” Chris praised. 

“I like how you divided the supplies up. It makes things a lot easier to find.” Hongjoong agreed. You perked up at the praise, pleased that you were earning your place in the group.

“Who’s going on the run tomorrow?” Seonghwa chimed in, looking at the group’s leaders.

“Hyunjin, San, Wooyoung, and Seungmin. It should be a quick one, there and back within a few hours,” Chan answered. “They’re gonna head out after breakfast.” The rest of the evening went by in a blur. After dinner, you finished up your inventory list then joined everyone else in a large waiting room-looking area of the building. Thin blankets were strewn across the carpeted floor.

You sat against the wall, pulling your knees up to your chest and resting your chin on them. Yeosang quietly removed himself from Jisung’s crushing hug to sit beside you. The group split into various cuddle piles but still included everyone in conversation. You stayed quiet for the most part, opting to listen to the others talk. You chimed in every now and then, and answered their questions about medical school and your home state. One by one, the group members succumbed to sleep. Mingi stayed up on first watch, looking out of a nearly invisible slit in the wood planks. 

Falling asleep sitting up would leave your neck sore in the morning, but your contentment and feeling of safety being surrounded by others made it worth the discomfort.

Permanent Taglist: @furfoxsake22 @babygirlskz98

Series Taglist: Open, comment or send an ask to be added!

[werepuppy-steve]

steddie dads | wc: 669 | cw: none

Steve pauses outside the bathroom in the downstairs hallway, basket of dirty laundry tucked under his arm. The door is shut, which isn’t weird, but he can hear little splashes on the other side of it and what sounds like plastic bottles being dropped on the counter. Steve presses his ear to the wood and the whispered muttering tells him all he needs to know.

He needs to get these clothes in the washer first, so he takes the basket down to the laundry room before coming back to the bathroom. He doesn’t bother knocking, if he does, it’ll just make room for a hurried clean up. He turns the knob as quietly as he can (it’s not locked, thank God) but as soon as he opens the door, he’s hit in the face with a smell that makes his nose burn and his eyes water. Emma stands on her princess step stool in front of the sink, completely oblivious to him standing there.

The sink that’s filled with blue soapy water and smells like a Hollister store exploded.

Steve crosses his arms and leans against the doorway as Emma stays concentrated on whatever concoction she’s making, muttering under her breath in a way that undeniably makes her Eddie’s child. “What’cha doin’ there, Emmylou?”

Emma jumps and the bottle of lotion she slips out of her little hands and clatters on the tile. Her brown eyes wide as saucers and her mouth puckered in a tiny ‘o’ shape. It makes her look like an adorable fish and Steve has to clear his throat to stifle his laughter.

“Looks like an awful big mess in here.”

“I’m making potion.”

Steve raises an eyebrow. “Potion?”

“Mhm.” Emma nods, her curls, identical to Eddie’s, bouncing. “I’m a witch.”

Steve takes stock of the multiple bottles covering the counter; shampoo, conditioner, sunscreen, his and Eddie’s (expensive) cologne, lotion. You name it, it’s probably been poured in the sink. Briefly, Steve wonders if he’ll have to get underneath and unclog the drain. They’re definitely going over budget on groceries next week to replace everything.

Still, Steve can’t bring himself to actually be mad at her for being a kid and having an active imagination. He steps into the room and tries not to cough from the fumes wafting from the hot water. Christ, he’s gotta get Emma out of here and into fresh air.

“Well, Miss Witch, what do you say we clean all of this up and you can use those potion making still to help me make dinner? Dad’s gonna be home soon.”

At the mention of Eddie, Emma gasps and quickly scrambles off the step stool, but Steve is quicker. He catches her under the arms and puts her right back where she was.

“Not so fast, little lady,” he says, his hands on his hips. He will not be swayed by the pout his daughter is giving him. The very same pout that makes him cave to every ridiculous idea Eddie has ever had. He has to be stern. “What are the rules about messes?”

Emma lets out the biggest sigh her tiny body is capable of. “If you do the crime, you gotta do the time,” she mumbles.

Steve bends to press a kiss to the top of her head. “Smart girl. Go grab a towel and clean up the water, please. I’ll take care of the bottles.”

Ten minutes later, the sink is drained and cleaned and the bottles are thrown away, but the smell has permeated the room completely. Figuring out what to do about it is a job for later-Steve, so he shuts the door and gets Emma upstairs for her own bath before they start on dinner.

When Eddie comes home from the studio, he dips into the bathroom and Steve doesn’t bother holding back his laughs when Eddie drops to the floor and crawls back out, coughing like he’s a cat with a hairball.

“Jesus Christ, who made fucking anthrax in the bathroom?!”

permanent taglist: @yournowheregirl @judasofsuburbia @steves-strapcollection @thefreakandthehair @stobinesque @vecnuthy @scarcrossdlvrs @starrystevie @inairbinad @flowercrowngods @starryeyedjanai @matchingbatbites @corrodedbisexual @theheadlessphilosopher @patchworkgargoyle @sentient-trash @wormdebut @legitcookie @corrodedcoughin @steddieas-shegoes @wynnyfryd @sidekick-hero

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[woodandwaxwings]

Behind Blue Eyes

"He couldn't help but look at him and search for those familiar blue eyes he had come to love only for them to be not there, for doe brown eyes to be in the place of his favorite watercolor blues."

Warnings: PTSD attack towards the end. loosely described though.

(masterlist) (next)

Y/n sighed as the bus he was taking stopped outside Jericho's bus stop. Now he had to commit to leaving Florida and the other peculiars he had grown up with, went to war with. Now he was in Vermont in a small town nobody but peculiars and outcasts would give more than half a shit about. Y/n smiled as 'you can tell she's a princess' from some Barbie movie he had never bothered to watch came from his phone, garnering odd looks as he picked up the phone. "Hey, Claire. I see you've finally learned how a phone works." Claire laughed on the other end, "Shut up! Are you there yet?" Y/n could almost imagine her twisting the honey-blonde curls she let grow out between her fingers. "I just got off the bus in Jericho. Do you know how far Vermont is from Florida? Really far." Y/n walked down the streets of Jericho, probably looking like he had just escaped an old film with his luggage bag he'd had since 1939 before being sent off to Miss Peregrine it was garnered in stickers Abe had sent with his letters to Emma. His outfit didn't help much despite Jake taking him shopping not long after arriving in Florida. With his flare jeans and corduroy jacket, he looked like someone had let one of the characters from That 70s Show loose in a mall. And his tattoos of course didn't help the strangers in small town Jericho from staring.

"How's school in Florida?" Y/n asked Claire as he entered a small coffee shop. After all the traveling, he was thirsty and tired and could go for some coffee. "Oh my bird, it's awesome! I've made so many friends..." He let Claire rant as he ordered a coffee from a long-haired brunette boy behind the counter. Y/n smiled and gave the boy a "thank you," as he handed him his coffee. He heard someone yell at Claire over the phone as he set down in a booth facing the entrance of the coffee shop. "Hey, Y/n, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later, ok? Remember, don't be weird. Mwah," He smiled as he shut off his phone after she hung up and drank his coffee to regain the energy he had lost from the travel. "Where'd you come from?" Y/n looked up from his coffee to see another brunette boy with short hair. "Florida," Y/n spoke, her German accent pushing through his words making the boy laugh as he sat across from him uninvited. "Diese Schlampe,"(this bitch) Y/n murmured to himself. "Doesn't sound like it," The boy across from him said.

Y/n rolled his eye as he looked at the clock, "Ich habe keine Zeit dafür."(I don't have time for this) He said as he stood up and grabbed his bag, the boy across from him standing as well. "No seriously, where'd you come from." "Germany, then Wales, then Florida." He said as he pushed passed the boy in front of him, leaving the coffee shop and the annoying boy behind. He had only been there for about 30 minutes and he was already starting to hate this town, but a promise is a promise. He watched a different bus stop at the bus stop and several kids in uniforms exit. He knew he was supposed to get on that bus but as he looked for the driver's eyes, only for them to be concealed by dark sunglasses he decided right then it would be a better idea to walk to Nevermore. He'd take possible haunted woods over wights any day. He began to walk in the direction that the bus had come from, his fingers shaking as he had to turn his back to the man, mentally preparing himself to trigger his peculiarity hollows be damned.

"Well, look who decided to step out of the 40s." Y/n turned on his heels as he recognized the voice from behind him. "Yoko, hallo." She and the girl on her side walked up to him. "Was machst du in Jericho?" (What are you doing in Jericho) She asked him. Y/n vaguely remembered Yoko from his early years in the children's home before it became his loop. Her fathers were friends with Miss Peregrine. "Wieso bist du nicht tot?"(How are you not dead) She asked as she looked him over, noticing that he was 17 and not 13 or dirt. "The library is gone." He answered in English, noticing Yoko's companion's confusion. "It's real?" Y/n shrugged, "Was real." Yoko noticed his eyes darting back to the bus behind them. "Er ist ein Mensch." (he is human.) Yoko said and watched as his shoulders relaxed. "Benutzen Sie den Bus. (use the bus) It's faster than walking." Y/n nodded as he walked past them and got on the bus. "Another bus ride," Y/n thought to himself as he sat down and the bus began made its way back to Nevermore.

"Sorry for scarin' ya' kid." Y/n looked away from the window and to the bus driver. "You're not the first peculiar kid to try walkin' to Nevermore instead of getting on my bus." Y/n nodded, "Sorry for assuming." The bus driver shook his head as he stopped at the school, "Never apologize for being safe." Y/n nodded as he got off the bus, "Thanks for the ride." The bus driver nodded, "Just doin' my job." Y/n gave the man a smile as he walked through the front entrance of Nevermore. He sighed. If only Victor was here with him if only this was 20 years ago. "if only"s could go on forever, but here he was alone. "Hi," He looked down at the boy who spoke to him. "Hi," He looked the young boy up and down, he could only be about 14. "I'm Eugene Ottinger, peculiar. Principal Weems thought you would be more comfortable with one of us leading you around, and I was the only one available." Y/n nodded as he ranted he reminded him a lot of Millard. "I heard you came from a loop. Is that true? I've never been in a loop before. What can you do? I have a psychic connection to bees," Y/n followed behind him as the young boy guided him around the school. He suddenly stopped, "This is Weems's office. She'll get you enrolled and show you to your dorm." Y/n nodded as he knocked on the door, Eugene leaving him behind.

"You must be Y/n L/n." A tall blonde woman, who Y/n assumed was Principal Weems, said as she opened the door. "Come in," She pulled the door further open, letting him walk into her office. "Very rarely do we ever get peculiars here." Y/n nodded, "Most of us stick to loops instead of school." Weems nodded as she sat behind her desk. "School doesn't start for another 3 days so you should have plenty of time to get situated." She said as Y/n looked around her office. "Do I have to buy a uniform or are they provided?" Y/n asked as he finally sat down on the other side of her desk. "They are provided." Principal Weems set a paper down facing him, "You've already registered so no need for any mindless paperwork. I'll give you you uniform before showing you to your dorms and then your roommate can give you a tour of the school." Y/n nodded as Miss Weems stood and grabbed a purple box that was set off to the side. "Nevermore's welcome package," She said as she handed it to Y/n. "Shall I show you to your dorm room now?" She asked but it wasn't really a question as she opened the door to her office and gestured for him to exit.

"Nevermore prides itself on being a diverse learning environment for all of it's attendants." Weems began the welcome speech spiel. "You'll find that all of our outcasts intermingle well," Her words were said in a tone that screamed 'behave'. "And that is something our school would like to continue to pride itself on." Y/n nodded as she walked down the dormitory halls, "You'll be rooming with Ajax Petropolus." Weems said as she opened the door to one of the dorm rooms, "Who does not appear to be here," She mumbled under her breath as she let Y/n into the room. As Y/n set his suitcase and "welcome package" down on the bare twin bed on the right side of the dorm a boy rushed into the room. "Sorry," He said to both him and the principal as he fixed his beanie. "Hi, Ajax," He stuck his hand out for Y/n to shake and that's when he really got a look at him. Shit, he was screwed. The universe must hate him because he couldn't help but look at him and search for those familiar blue eyes he had come to love only for them to be not there, for doe brown eyes to be in the place of his favorite watercolor blues.

"Y/n," He finally said when he realized he was staring, hesitantly shaking his hand. "Cool," Ajax said, seemingly oblivious. "I'll leave you to get situated," Weems said as she left, shutting the door behind her. Y/n then stepped back and walked back to his side of the room, "What happened to your previous roommate?" He asked as he opened his luggage bag, placing the framed picture of him and Victor face down on his bedside table. "He graduated," Ajax said as he sat on his own bed. "So what's your deal?" Y/n paused in his unpacking, turning to face his roommate, "What?" Ajax shrugged, "Y'know, what's your thing? Are you a psychic? Werewolf?" Y/n nodded, "Oh. I'm peculiar." Ajax shrugged, "Well I wouldn't say peculiar, but you do dress a little weird." "Bist du dumm?" (Are you stupid?) Y/n asked as he shoved his clothes into the dresser drawer that also seemed to be a table. "Excuse me?" Ajax shook his head. "I'm peculiar, as in that's my thing." Ajax just gave him a confused stare. "Forget it. Aren't you supposed to give me a tour of the school or something?"

The gorgon shot up from his bed, "Right! Sorry, forgot." Y/n felt almost disoriented as he watched Ajax. Everything about him was exactly the same but so different to Victor, like the reflection in a distorted mirror came to life. "So this is one of four dormitory halls. There are two girls' dormitories and two boys' dormitories." Ajax begins as he exits the room, expecting Y/n to follow him and he does. "Nevermore was founded by Nathaniel Faulkner in 1791, the dormitories being added on in 1840 and were renovated in 1940." Y/n nodded as he followed Ajax down the stairs to the courtyard. "I'm not going to have to memorize any of this, am I?" Y/n watched as his brown eyes went wide like a deer in the headlights, "Huh? Oh, no. It's just a bunch of crap." Y/n looked around the courtyard to find it almost barren. "I figured there'd be more people here." Ajax looked over the courtyard as well, "Yeah, most people will be showing up tomorrow to get unpacked and stuff. Oh yeah, um, this is the courtyard. Mostly everyone eats their meals here." The two walked around the courtyard to an Edgar Allen Poe statue. "This is our statue in tribute to Edgar Allen Poe, I'm like 90% sure he was like an alumni."

"I don't give a shit about Edgar Allen Poe," Y/n said as he looked Ajax up and down. "Do we have to wear our uniforms all the time?" Ajax shrugged, "I mean most people tend to wear theirs while on campus." Y/n nodded. "So is that a no? yes?" The two stared at each other for a moment, and then a short blonde girl approached them. "Hey, Ajax!" She spoke excitedly. Both boys turn to face her as if being snapped out of a trance. "Oh hey, Enid. " Ajax looked between the two people in front of him. "Enid this is Y/n." HE pointed to Y/n and then pointed to Enid, "Y/n this is Enid. She's a werewolf." Y/n nodded and stuck his hand out for the girl to shake. Enid shakes his hand but doesn't let go of it. "Oh my gosh!" She turns his hand over so the back of his hand is facing upward. "I love your tattoo! Is it real?" Y/n could practically imagine a tail wagging behind her. "Yeah. A friend of mine chose it for me. She said to just use my peculiarity with it whenever I miss her."

Ajax furrows his brows as he leans to look at the thickly lined butterfly. "What can you do?" He and Enid asked almost in sync. Y/n smiled a cheeky smile as he placed his other hand over the top of the one Enid still had a tight grip on. "Wach auf."(Wake up) He whispered before removing his hand to reveal a live black and white butterfly sitting on his hand where the tattoo was. Enid giggled as the butterfly flew up to her nose, following Y/n's eyes as he mentally guided it. "Cool," Enid mumbled as it sat on her face. She jumped as Y/n swatted his hand out to grab the insect and the two watched as the tattoo faded back onto his hand. "Sweet. It's kinda like Xavier's powers." Y/n nodded despite not knowing who they were talking about. There then was a sudden boom that resembled a cannon being fired or a boulder falling. Y/n's heart picked up as he squeezed his eyes shut and slammed his hands so hard over his ears that they began to ring. Memories he wished he did a better job at pushing down came flooding to the surface as he grew lightheaded.