#gave up on trying to get the weird greens to match

[honeyroots]

— training day, ft. SOLDIER BOY

SYNOPSIS: ben is particular with what he likes, but he knows how to train you well.

WARNINGS: NSFW (18+) / fem!reader / soldier boy training reader to take him / finger sucking / power dynamic / oral (m receiving) / praise / objectification

“Slow down,” SOLDIER BOY tutted, pressing his gloved fingers down on your tongue to stop the sucking motion. Getting too ahead of yourself, you were almost swallowing his finger. He had you in his lap, legs swung over his princess style. Dark eyes scanned your face, searching for any micro-expression that might flicker across your features. Your expression was always a telltale sign of how you were feeling. His gaze was intense, slanted eyes that made you feel like an unexpected deer in the direct path of a mountain lion. “You can’t take it all at once. We’ve been over this.”

It was hardly fair, the way you were in his lap, borderline naked. Ben was in his suit, the green one that you ogled and drooled over— at this point, it was a pavloved response. When you saw the suit, you were ready to peel your clothes off for him; needy, desperate, and aching. A pink lace bra and the matching panties were the only pieces of clothing holding the last grain of modesty you had. When Ben slowly peeled your jeans and shirt off, he snickered at the sight of your matching undergarments, whispering something snide about how you planned to get naked for him. 

You did.

“Ben,” you sighed around his fingers, the gloves leaving a weird taste in your mouth. Your saliva was tainted with leftover cigarette ash, and droplets of spilled beer that had managed to dry on the fabric of the glove. That’s what Ben tasted like; cigarette ash, beer, and a vanilla musk. It was a scent that drove you mad, coming completely undone when he walked in the room. Another pavloved response, you’d say. “Just let me try.”

“No,” Ben was blunt, removing his fingers from your mouth. Lacing his hand under your chin, he held your face firmly in his grasp. With one thumb hooked on one cheek, his other four fingers spanned the other. The size of his hand compared to your face was comical in retrospect.

“Why?” You whined, jutting out your bottom lip in a petulant pout. You weren’t used to things not going your way, and Ben liked to remind you that you were never the one in charge. When you thought you were one step ahead, he always managed to knock you down a peg. It was like a game of cat and mouse, just as you thought you were about to win, he had a cheat code up his sleeve. “I’ve done it before.”

Ben rolled his eyes. Gently, but with enough force for you to feel it, Ben used his four fingers to tap on the side of your cheek in a disapproving motion. “Gotta train for my cock if that’s what you want, sweet girl, you know that.”

“I’m your sweet girl? Really?” The unamused frown still present on your lips while your eyebrows creased together to offer that sad, almost puppy dog look. 

“Course you are. You’re my little plaything, doin’ anything to please me.”  Ben swiped your bottom lip, the one that was jutted out in a pout. He tugged on it gently before leaning in and taking it between his teeth as if to correct. Letting out a soft squeal, the harsh feel of Ben’s teeth sinking into the flesh of your lip, you pulled away. “But don’t tell anyone I’m gettin’ soft.”

Your movements were calculated, almost cat-like as you peeled yourself from his lap and sank between his legs. Fingers dragging up and down the pant leg of his supe suit, you offered a quivered lip, hoping that he would give into your desperate desires. Ben’s fingers tilted under your chin, his eyes darting between yours, and when he gave one curt nod, you knew that he was going to give you a treat. Leisurely, at a speed that wanted to make you scratch the insides of your thighs in anticipation, Ben pulled his shaft out.

“So pretty,” you gasped at the sight of him. A pink-flushed tip, leaking with precum, invited you in. Mouth watering and in a ditzy trance from the mere sight of his cock, you took in the details; the vein on the underside of the shaft that ran from the base to the tip, the breadth of his shaft was vast which was expected. Blinking once, like you were trying to take a photo of it, you learned forward with your jaw slack.

“Nope,” Ben chastised, pushing his index finger against your chin to create distance. He sported a frown, his brows furrowed in a way that signaled he wasn’t happy by your eager lunge toward his exposed shaft. “Ask nicely.”

“Please?” Your begging was immediate, and laced with raw honesty. The speed of the word tumbling from your lips before he was able to finish his sentence would have been embarrassing if you weren’t so cock-whipped. “May I?”

“Good girl,” Ben praised, and your ears perked at the sound of his reaction. Eager for more encouragement from Ben, you leaned forward, pressing a closed-mouth kiss to the tip of his dick, using his precum like it was lip gloss. Could you do that? Would you be able to bottle it up and use it as a glossy overlay? “Start with just the tip.”

With a deep need to please him, you were compliant and it reflected in your actions. Mouth opening just enough to fit the tip in, you sucked on it like it was your own personal lollipop. The taste of him was salty and tangy, though an undertone of sweetness caused your spit glands to release. Ben wasn’t a moaner— typically quiet, but he knew that you needed praise to feel confident in your actions. Releasing what sounded like a gentle groan, Ben looped his hand behind your hand and began pushing you down further. “Now take it halfway. That’s it, that’s right. You’re doing real good f’me, doll.”

Peering up at him through your lashes, you hollowed your mouth out to squeeze the sides of him. While your tongue worked the underside of his shaft, focusing on the vein that ran up and down the base, you analyzed the way his lips twitched when it felt good. Ben’s hand stayed behind your head, controlling your movements and just how much of his cock he would allow you to take. When he thought you were ready for more, he pushed you down, letting you sputter around the shift, gasping for air through your nose. 

“See?” Ben clicked his tongue, lifting his hips just enough to have you gagging and lurching around him as you took him deeper into your mouth. “That’s why you have to train for it. Can’t take someone like me in one go, sweetheart.”

[wolvietxt]

ᰔ what really matters !

pairing : dean winchester x fem!reader warnings : shy!reader, crazy overthinking, friends to lovers, insecurities, implied anxiety, crying, hurt / comfort, jealousy, kiss, dean flirts w other people to show off, happy ending, size diff wc : 6.5k a/n : currently working on a part 2! 

it was supposed to be a simple salt-and-burn. sam had found a lead on a restless spirit haunting a small-town diner, and dean, ever eager for some pie and action, had jumped at the opportunity. you’d tagged along, like always, quietly sitting in the back seat of the impala, offering occasional input between the brothers’ banter.  

the plan was clear: investigate during the day, torch the bones at night. simple enough. yet somehow, being in close proximity to dean for an extended period always felt anything but simple.  

“you’ve been awfully quiet back there,” dean said, turning slightly in the driver’s seat to glance at you. his green eyes lingered a moment too long, forcing him to correct the car’s steering. “everything good?”  

you nodded quickly, avoiding his gaze. “yeah, just… thinking.”  

“uh-oh,” he teased, a grin tugging at his lips. “are you thinking weird again? i told you, sweetheart, you don’t need to do that with us. leave the worrying to sammy.”  

sam huffed from the passenger seat. “thanks for that, dean.”  

you offered a small smile, unsure how to respond. dean’s words felt warm, like a blanket, but your mind couldn’t stop picking them apart. was he teasing, or did he mean it? did he think you worried too much? was it annoying?  

you shook the thoughts away as the car rolled to a stop in front of the diner.  

inside, the place was charming in that worn-down, small-town way. red vinyl booths, a jukebox in the corner, and a waitress who seemed to know everyone’s name. dean leaned against the counter, his usual swagger on full display.  

“so, martha,” he said, flashing the waitress a smile that could’ve melted butter, “anything weird going on around here lately? cold spots, flickering lights, mysterious whispers…?”  

you hovered awkwardly near sam, feeling out of place. martha’s eyes sparkled as she leaned closer to dean, completely ignoring you and sam.  

“oh, weird stuff always happens around here,” she said with a giggle. “but nothing too scary. why, you boys hunting ghosts or something?”  

dean chuckled. “or something.”  

you shifted on your feet, pretending to study the menu even though you weren’t planning on ordering anything. dean’s charm was undeniable, and you’d seen him use it a million times to get information, but it always left you with a strange, hollow feeling.  

not that it mattered. it wasn’t like he meant anything by it.  

“you alright?” sam asked softly, pulling you from your thoughts.  

“yeah,” you lied. “just tired.”  

sam didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t push.  

the rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of questions and notes. martha had mentioned a former cook who’d died on the job and hinted at some unusual occurrences in the kitchen, which gave you all a solid lead.  

“we’ll dig up his records, find the grave, and salt-and-burn tonight,” sam said as you walked back to the car.  

“easy peasy,” dean added, slinging an arm around your shoulders as he held the door open for you. “see, this is why you keep us around. all the hard work, none of the worrying.”  

your heart jumped at the casual contact, but you forced yourself to focus. it didn’t mean anything. he was just being dean.  

the graveyard was damp and cold by the time you arrived. armed with shovels, salt, and gasoline, you worked as quickly as possible, trying not to draw attention.  

“you’re sure this is the right spot?” you asked, glancing at the headstone.  

“positive,” sam said. “records match up.”  

“don’t worry,” dean said with a wink, “we’ve got this.”  

you weren’t sure how he managed to be so confident all the time. it was like he didn’t feel fear, or at least he never showed it. you, on the other hand, couldn’t stop thinking about what might go wrong. as the brothers dug, you stayed on lookout, flashlight in hand. the woods were eerily quiet, every rustle of leaves setting your nerves on edge.  

“hey,” dean called, his voice pulling you out of your thoughts. “you good over there, sweetheart?”  

you nodded, gripping the flashlight tighter. “yeah, just keeping watch.”  

“you’re cute when you’re focused, you know that?” he said, grinning as he tossed another shovelful of dirt aside.  

your face burned, and you quickly turned away, pretending to scan the trees. cute? he probably didn’t mean it. he said stuff like that all the time.  

still, the word echoed in your mind, making it hard to think straight.  

the ghost showed up right on cue, just as dean and sam hit the coffin. it was a tall, shadowy figure with glowing eyes, and boy did it move fast. too fast.  

“stay back!” dean shouted, stepping in front of you as the spirit lunged.  

sam was already throwing salt and iron, keeping it at bay while dean lit the match and dropped it into the open grave. flames roared to life, and the ghost let out an ear-splitting scream before vanishing.  

you stood frozen, heart pounding as the grave smoldered.  

“you okay?” dean asked, turning to you. his hands landed on your shoulders, steady and warm.  

you nodded, your voice stuck in your throat.  

“you sure?” he pressed, his green eyes scanning your face.  

“yeah, i’m fine,” you managed to whisper, hoping the fear in your eyes wasn’t too obvious.

he didn’t look convinced but let it go, giving you a reassuring squeeze before stepping back.  

the ride back to the motel was quiet, exhaustion settling over the group.  

“not bad for a day’s work,” dean said, trying to lighten the mood.  

you offered a small smile, but your mind was still racing. every little thing he said, every glance, every touch — it all felt so significant, and yet it probably meant nothing to him.  

“you’re thinking too much again,” dean teased, catching your eye in the rearview mirror. “what’d i tell you about that?”  

“it’s nothing,” you said quickly, hoping he’d drop it.  

but dean being dean, he didn’t.  

“come on,” he said, turning in his seat to face you. “spill it. what’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”  

you froze, unsure how to respond. sam shot you a sympathetic look but didn’t intervene.  

“seriously,” dean pressed, his voice softer now. “are you good?”  

you nodded, forcing a smile. “yeah, ‘m just tired.”  

he studied you for a moment, his expression unreadable, before turning back to the road.  

back at the motel, you retreated to your room as quickly as possible, needing space to breathe.  

dean had always been a little too much — too loud, too charming, too... everything. and yet, you couldn’t help but feel drawn to him, even if you knew it was hopeless. you sighed, flopping onto the bed and staring at the ceiling.  

somewhere in the room next door, dean was probably cracking jokes with sam, completely unaware of the chaos he caused in your mind.  

it was fine. it had to be fine.  

because as much as you wanted to believe he saw you as more than a friend, you couldn’t risk getting your hopes up.  

the day started like any other, with sam at the laptop, you poring over your notes, and dean bustling around with an air of restless energy.  

“coffee?” dean asked, holding up a cup for you.  

you nodded, offering a small smile. “thanks.”  

he plopped down beside you at the motel table, his knee bumping yours. “so, what’s the game plan today, professor?”  

“um…” you hesitated, flipping through the notebook in front of you. “so, i think we should — ”  

“let me guess,” dean interrupted with a grin. “the safest, most boring route possible, right?”  

you blinked, taking a second to process what he’d just said, hurt surely beginning to form in your features.

“it’s not boring,” you mumbled.  

“sure thing… but hey, relax!” he said, patting your shoulder. “you’re good at what you do, even if you’re a little… well, a lot predictable.”  

your stomach twisted. predictable? was that how he saw you?  

“thanks, dean,” you muttered, staring down at your notes to hide the burn in your cheeks. sam noticed though. sam always noticed.

sam shot dean a look from across the room. “hey, maybe ease up a little, man.”  

“what?” dean said, shrugging him off, a deep chuckle reverberating from his chest. “i’m just messing with her.”  

the lighthearted tone didn’t soften the sting. you knew dean teased everyone, but his words stuck like a burr under your skin, refusing to let go.  

soon after, the three of you piled into the impala, the rumble of the engine filling the silence as dean cranked up the radio. you stared out the window, letting the music blur into background noise while your mind replayed the conversation from earlier.  

predictable. you thought, the word echoing in your head.  

you weren’t mad at dean — how could you be? he didn’t mean anything by it. but the overthinking wouldn’t let up, weaving a web of doubt and insecurity that clung to you like static.  

“you okay?” sam asked from the front seat, glancing back at you.  

you forced a smile. “yeah. just tired.”  

sam didn’t press, but his concerned expression lingered.  

the diner was bustling with mid-morning activity when you arrived, the smell of coffee and sizzling bacon wrapping around you like a comforting blanket. you slid into the booth, hoping the noise would drown out your thoughts.  

“what can i get ya?” the waitress asked, her voice cheerful as she slid the menus across the table.

“just a coffee, please,” you said quickly, barely looking up as your fingers fumbled over the paper.

“and a stack of pancakes,” dean added, leaning forward and giving her a grin that was just a little too easy. “extra syrup. gotta start the day off right, y’know?”

the waitress’s eyes lit up, and she laughed, her attention lingering on dean as she jotted down the order. there was something almost playful in the way she looked at him, an expression that made your chest tighten.

“you sure know how to charm, don’t ya?” she teased, her voice warm and full of flirtation.

“what can i say?” dean replied, that easy smirk tugging at his lips. “comes pretty easily when i’m speaking to women like you.”

you forced your eyes back to the menu, though you couldn’t stop yourself from glancing at the way the waitress’s fingers lingered on the pen, her attention still fixed on dean. the two of them seemed to be in a world of their own, and you were just... here. watching. waiting.

“what about you, sweetheart?” the waitress turned to you, her smile softening just slightly, though it didn’t reach her eyes.

“uh, just coffee, please,” you mumbled again, feeling heat crawl up your neck. your voice felt small in the noise of the diner, a whisper lost among the clatter of plates and low hum of conversation.

“gotcha,” she said, giving you a brief, almost dismissive nod before turning and making her way to the kitchen. you could still feel her attention on you, like an echo, but this time, it was empty, no warmth behind it.

dean shifted beside you, leaning back and letting out a low chuckle. “she’s got quite the smile, huh?” his eyes were teasing, his grin crooked as he looked over at you and sam. the joke was light, but there was an edge to it that made you feel off balance.

you forced a laugh, but it came out hollow, cracking under the weight of the moment. “yeah, sure,” you said, keeping your eyes fixed on the coffee cup in front of you, the porcelain cool and solid beneath your fingertips.

“you okay?” sam’s voice broke through the silence once again. dean’s teasing slipping away as his eyes studied you too. there was a flicker of concern in them, but before you could let yourself get lost in it, he added, “didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, sweetheart. it’s just... that kind of smile, you know?”

the question hung in the air, and you couldn’t tell if he was talking about the waitress or you. but the sharp sting of jealousy you felt at the thought made your throat tighten. you forced a smile, though it felt like a lie. “i’m fine. just... not hungry, that’s all.”

“you sure?” he pressed, his expression softening as he reached for his coffee. the playful energy had faded, and now there was something else, a vulnerability that felt rare for him.

“yeah,” you said, voice quiet. “just... never mind.”

he leaned back, eyes still on you, but this time, there was a shadow in them, a shift that made your heart twist. he looked away, watching the waitress as she came back with a smile that was just for him. his eyes softened, and he laughed as she spoke to him, teasing and warm.

it was almost too much, the way he could be so effortlessly charming. your chest ached with the realization that the way he looked at her was the same way he looked at you sometimes, though it felt different when it was just the two of you, alone in the dim light of the bunker. 

by the time the food arrived, your appetite had disappeared. dean was still chatting with the waitress every time she came by, his voice low and easy in a way that made your chest ache.  

you stared at your coffee cup, your fingers tightening around it as your thoughts spiraled. was this what dean wanted? someone confident, flirty, and self-assured? someone like her?  

the sting of earlier comments layered on top, building a weight that felt impossible to carry.  

“you sure you’re okay?” sam asked again softly, his voice cutting through the haze.  

“fine,” you said quickly, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill over.  

sam’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t push.  

dean, oblivious, kept talking. “man, this coffee’s strong enough to put hair on your chest. might wanna ease up, professor,” he teased, nudging you lightly.  

that was it. the dam broke.  

you barely registered standing up, the chair scraping loudly against the floor.  

“excuse me,” you muttered, your voice shaking.  

you hurried out of the diner, your chest tight and your vision blurred.  

sam found you a few minutes later, sitting on a bench just outside. he didn’t say anything at first, just sat down beside you and offered a quiet, grounding presence.  

“you wanna tell me what’s going on?” he asked eventually, his tone careful.  

you shook your head, unable to form the words.  

“okay,” he said gently. “you don’t have to talk. just breathe.”  

his arm slipped around your shoulders, pulling you close. the dam fully burst then, tears streaming down your face as you buried your head in your hands.  

sam held you, his voice low and steady. “you’re alright. just let it out.”  

his hand alternating between rubbing soothing circles on your back and tapping you lightly to the beat of your heart, the steady motions helping to calm the blur.

“‘m sorry, sam,” you choked out between sobs.  

“don’t apologize,” sam said firmly. “you don’t even owe anyone an explanation. especially not dean.”  

you flinched at the mention of his name, fresh waves of doubt and embarrassment washing over you.  

sam seemed to sense it, his tone softening even more. “he doesn’t mean half the crap he says, you know. he’s just… dean.”  

you managed a shaky nod, though the knot in your chest didn’t fully ease.  

“hey,” sam said, tipping your chin up to look at him. “you’re okay.”

he pressed a light kiss to your forehead, the gesture warm and comforting in a way that made you tear up all over again. sam had always had a way of calming you down, knowing what was wrong and when. you were very similar in lots of ways.

inside, dean sat in the booth, fidgeting with his coffee cup.  

“where’d they go?” the waitress asked, dropping off the check.  

“outside,” dean muttered, his gaze fixed on the window.  

he watched as sam wrapped you in a hug, his jaw tightening.  

“everything okay with your girl?” the waitress asked, her tone light.  

“she’s not my girl,” dean said quickly, his voice a little sharper than he intended.  

the waitress raised an eyebrow but didn’t push further, the hint of a smile ghosting over her features.

dean sighed, running a hand through his hair. he hadn’t meant to upset you — he never did — but the sight of you crying, with sam comforting you, made something twist in his chest. he threw some cash on the table and stood, his mind racing with a mix of guilt and something else he couldn’t quite name. jealousy, maybe?  

he pushed the thought aside, heading toward the door.  

“dean?” sam’s voice cut through the noise of the diner.  

dean turned, finding his brother standing outside the far doorway, his arm still draped protectively around you.  

“give her a minute,” sam said, his expression firm.  

dean nodded, swallowing hard as he watched you lean into sam’s side.  

he retreated back and stood in the doorway of the diner, his boots scuffing against the floor as he watched you outside with sam. his jaw ticked, the familiar burn of guilt twisting in his chest.  

you’d looked so hurt when you bolted. he hadn’t meant to upset you — hell, he rarely thought before he spoke, but he hated that his careless words had made you cry.  

and then there was sam, playing the role of the comforter, his arm draped around you like it was the most natural thing in the world.  

dean hated how that made him feel. jealousy wasn’t a look he liked wearing, but damn if it wasn’t fitting him like a glove right now. he shoved his hands into his pockets, staring down at the worn linoleum. when sam finally walked you back in, dean forced himself to meet your eyes.  

you glanced at him briefly, your cheeks blotchy and red, before dropping your gaze to the floor. the pang in his chest deepened.  

sam gave him a pointed look, one that said, don’t screw this up, before gently nudging you toward the booth.  

you slid in first, keeping as much distance between you and dean as possible.  

“hey,” dean started, his voice uncharacteristically soft. “you okay?”  

“i’m fine,” you murmured, not looking up.  

the waitress returned, her cheerfulness only adding to the tension at the table.  

“ready for the check?” she asked, glancing between the three of you.  

“yeah, we’re done,” dean said gruffly, tossing some cash onto the table without counting it. “keep the change.”  

the waitress hesitated, her gaze lingering on dean for a second too long before she turned and walked away.  

sam cleared his throat. “we should probably hit the road.”  

“yeah,” dean muttered, sliding out of the booth.  

the ride back to the motel was quieter than it had ever been. the only sound was the low hum of the engine and the occasional rustle of paper as sam reviewed the hunt notes. dean kept glancing at you in the rearview mirror, but you didn’t notice. you were too busy staring out the window, your fingers twisting nervously in your lap.  

“so,” sam said awkwardly, breaking the silence, “any ideas on how we’re gonna track this thing down?”  

dean grunted. “same as always. follow the trail, kill the thing.” 

sam shot him a look but didn’t press further.  

you stayed quiet, your thoughts miles away.  

back at the motel, you retreated to your room almost immediately, mumbling something about needing to check your notes. dean and sam both watched you go, the motel door clicking shut behind you.  

dean’s jaw tightened as the guilt settled deeper in his chest. he wasn’t used to feeling like this — so unsure, so aware of every single way he’d messed up. he rubbed a hand over his face, frustration building as he stared at the floor. he could feel sam's eyes on him, the tension thick in the air. he didn’t know how to fix it, and that made everything worse.

“dean, what the fuck? that shit you pulled at the diner… it doesn’t impress her you know. flirting with other people. christ.” sam said, his voice getting louder with every word, visibly stressing out. evidently, he’d been holding that in for a while now, waiting to get dean alone.

“i know i fucked up. okay, sam, i know.” dean snapped back.

“you’re gonna talk to her, right? you better.” sam asked, leaning against the kitchenette counter.  

“yeah,” dean muttered, running a hand through his hair. “just… give me a minute.”  

you didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but the thin motel walls didn’t leave much to the imagination.  

hearing dean pacing and muttering under his breath made your stomach twist. you couldn’t make out the words, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out he was talking about you. the familiar voice of self-doubt crept in, louder than ever.  

he’s probably frustrated with me. i overreacted. i always overreact.

you sank onto the edge of the bed, burying your face in your hands.  

dean knocked on your door a little later, his knuckles rapping softly against the wood.  

“hey,” he called, his voice hesitant. “you busy?”  

you hesitated, then opened the door a crack. “no.”  

he stood there, looking uncharacteristically unsure of himself.  

“can we talk?” he asked.  

you nodded, stepping aside to let him in.  

he glanced around the room, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. “listen,” he started, “about earlier…”  

you shifted nervously, not meeting his eyes.  

“i’m sorry,” he said, his voice low. “i didn’t mean to upset you. i was just… being a bit of an idiot, like usual.”  

you looked up at him then, surprised by the sincerity in his tone.  

“you didn’t do anything wrong,” you said quietly.  

“yeah, i did,” he admitted, his green eyes locking onto yours. “i was an ass, and you didn’t deserve that.”  

the honesty in his voice made your chest ache.  

“it’s okay,” you said, though you weren’t entirely sure you believed it.  

“it’s not,” dean insisted. “you’re… you’re important to me. and the last thing i want is to make you feel like crap.”  

your breath hitched at his words, the weight of them settling over you like a warm blanket.  

“thank you,” you whispered, your voice barely audible.  

he took a step closer, his gaze searching yours. “are we okay?”  

you nodded, a small smile tugging at your lips.  

“good,” he said, the tension in his shoulders easing.  

he seemed to hesitate a little before taking another step closer, looking down at you as he seemed to study your expression. he smiled once again, a big cheesy dean smile and then after he seemed to contemplate what to do he turned on his heel after planting a soft kiss on your head. as he turned to leave, you couldn’t help but wonder if you’d just imagined the way his eyes lingered on you, soft and full of something you couldn’t quite name.  

inside his own room, dean collapsed onto the bed with a groan. he stared at the ceiling, replaying everything over in his head.  

he’d apologized, sure, but it didn’t feel like enough. not when you’d looked so… defeated. for one of the first times in his life he felt awkward, he hoped you hadn’t thought too much of the kiss, however short lived. his chest tightened at the memory of your tear-streaked face in the diner. it was like a punch to the gut every time he thought about it.  

“damn it,” he muttered, scrubbing a hand down his face.  

he hated this. hated feeling like he was losing his grip on something that mattered so much to him. because you did matter — to him, more than you probably knew. and that was the problem. he wasn’t sure how to show you without screwing it up further.  

the tension you thought was resolved seemed to linger between you and dean the next day, hanging over the group like a storm cloud. sam did his best to fill the silence, but it was clear neither of you were really in the mood to talk.  

“i’ll check out the library,” sam said finally, grabbing his bag. “you two stay here, see if you can dig up anything online.”  

dean nodded, not meeting your eyes as sam left. the door clicked shut, leaving the two of you alone.  

“you want the laptop?” dean asked, his voice gruff.  

you nodded, taking it from him without a word.  

he sighed, leaning back in his chair. “look, i don’t know how many more times i can say i’m sorry, but — ”  

“you don’t have to keep apologizing,” you interrupted, your voice softer than you intended. a stark contrast to his.

he blinked, caught off guard. “i just… i hate that i made you feel like that.”  

you glanced at him, your heart aching at the genuine regret in his eyes.  

“it’s okay, dean. you’ve already said sorry, i thought that was it,” you said, even though part of you wasn’t sure it really was.  

he nodded, his jaw tightening as he looked away.  

that night, dean stood outside your door again, debating whether or not to knock. he hated this distance between you two, hated feeling like he was walking on eggshells. but most of all, he hated that he didn’t know how to fix it.  

finally, he knocked, his heart pounding in his chest.  

“come in,” you called softly.  

he opened the door, hesitating in the doorway.  

“hey,” he said, his voice quiet. “you doing okay?”  

you nodded, though the tightness in your chest said otherwise.  

he stepped inside, closing the door behind him.  

“look,” he started, running a hand through his hair, “i know i’m not great at this kind of thing, but… i care about you. more than i probably should.”  

your breath caught, his words hitting you like a freight train.  

“dean, i…”  

he held up a hand, cutting you off. “just… let me say this, okay? i care about you, and i hate seeing you upset. especially if it’s because of me.”  

you swallowed hard, your chest tightening as you fought back tears.  

“you’re not just a friend to me,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.  

your heart skipped a beat, his words sinking in. what could he mean by that? what you’d always wished he felt for you?

“dean,” you said softly, your voice trembling, “you mean a lot to me too.”  

he looked at you, his green eyes filled with something you couldn’t quite name.  

“so… are we good?” he asked, his voice laced with uncertainty.  

you nodded, a small smile breaking through the tension.  

“yeah,” you said, your voice steadier this time.  

he smiled back, the tension in his shoulders finally easing fully. and for the first time in days, things between you felt like they might actually be okay.  

you weren’t sure how it happened, but somehow you and dean ended up crammed together in the tiny motel room armchair, your knees brushing his and his warmth radiating off him like a furnace.  

sam had taken off to follow a lead, leaving you and dean to man the research front. but the computer battery had died, the coffee had gone cold, and now you were both lazily flipping through books neither of you were really reading.  

dean tilted his head, watching you as you squinted at the small print. “you always make that face when you read?”  

“what face?” you asked, looking up at him.  

“that cute little scrunched-up thing,” he said, a teasing grin spreading across his face.  

your stomach flipped, and you ducked your head, suddenly very interested in the book in your lap. “i don’t scrunch my face.”  

“yeah, you do,” he said, leaning closer. “like this.”  

he exaggerated a dramatic squint, furrowing his brow and twisting his mouth into something ridiculous.  

you couldn’t help it — you giggled, the sound soft and bubbling out of you before you could stop it.  

dean grinned wider, clearly pleased with himself. “there it is,” he said, his voice warm.  

for a moment, everything felt easy, natural, like the awkwardness and tension of the past few days had melted away. but then your eyes caught the faint smear of grease on his hand, and your mind drifted.  

you thought back to the first time you’d realized you had a crush on dean winchester.  

it had been a quiet night in the bunker, just the two of you tinkering with the impala. he’d handed you a wrench, his hand brushing yours, and you’d felt it — a spark, like a live wire connecting the two of you.  

he’d smiled at you then, soft and genuine, and it had made your heart race.  

you’d brushed it off at first, chalking it up to admiration or something equally benign. but the more time you spent with him, the more you realized it was something else entirely.  

you’d fallen for him — hard.  

and it wasn’t just his looks, though you’d be lying if you said those green eyes and that cocky grin didn’t make your knees weak. it was everything about him: the way he protected the people he cared about, the way he laughed, the way he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders and still managed to crack a joke.  

but he’d never see you that way. how could he? you were just… you.  

and then there was the size difference. it wasn’t something you normally thought about, but around dean, it was impossible to ignore. he was tall, broad-shouldered, and solid in a way that made you feel both safe and utterly self-conscious.  

you, on the other hand, felt small in comparison — too small, too quiet, too unsure of yourself to ever catch his attention.  

“hey,” dean said, his voice pulling you out of your thoughts. “you good?”  

“yeah,” you said quickly, forcing a smile.  

“you sure? you spaced out there for a second.”  

“just tired,” you lied.  

he didn’t look convinced, but he let it go, leaning back in the chair and stretching his legs out in front of him.  

dean wasn’t immune to overthinking either, though he’d never admit it out loud. he’d had a thing for you for what felt like forever, but he’d always convinced himself it was a bad idea.  

you were shy, sweet, and way too good for someone like him. besides, he didn’t want to scare you off — not when having you around was one of the few things that made the job bearable.  

so he kept his feelings to himself, content to just be your friend, even if it killed him a little every time you smiled at him like he hung the moon.  

but there were moments — moments like now, with you sitting so close, your leg brushing his and your eyes darting to his every so often — that made it damn near impossible to keep his cool.  

“you know,” he said, his voice low, “you don’t have to keep everything to yourself.”  

you blinked at him, caught off guard. “what do you mean?”  

“i mean… you can talk to me,” he said, his gaze steady. “about anything.”  

your heart squeezed at the sincerity in his voice.  

“i know,” you said softly.  

he smiled at that, a small, lopsided grin that made your chest feel warm.  

“good,” he said, leaning forward slightly.  

the proximity made your breath hitch, your eyes locking onto his for a moment that felt like it stretched on forever. but then the moment passed, and he leaned back again, running a hand through his hair.  

later that night, as you lay in bed staring at the ceiling, your thoughts wandered again.  

you thought about all the little things dean did — how he always walked on the side closest to traffic, how he made sure you ate on hunts, how he was quick to tease but just as quick to defend you if anyone else tried.  

he cared about you. you knew that much.  

but as a friend, or something more?  

the uncertainty gnawed at you, and you rolled onto your side, pulling the blanket tighter around you.  

dean wasn’t faring much better. he sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor, his mind racing.  

he thought about all the times he’d come close to saying something, only to chicken out at the last second.  

he thought about the way you’d looked at him earlier, like you were trying to figure him out. he thought about how often he fucked up infront of you, trying to distract himself from his silly crush only to regret it afterwards. and he thought about the way you made him feel — like maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t as broken as he thought he was.  

“screw it,” he muttered under his breath, standing up and heading for your door.  

a knock at the door pulled you from your thoughts, startling you. you sat up in bed, heart thudding.  

“it’s me,” dean’s voice came softly from the other side, muffled but familiar.  

“come in,” you said, trying to keep your voice steady.  

the door creaked open, and dean stepped inside, his movements careful. he closed the door behind him quietly, as if not wanting to disturb the stillness of the night.  

“i couldn’t sleep,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck in that familiar way, his gaze briefly flicking to yours before darting away.  

“yeah, me neither,” you murmured, fingers twisting the edge of the blanket draped over your lap.  

he hesitated for a moment, standing awkwardly near the door before crossing the room and sitting down on the edge of your bed. the mattress dipped slightly under his weight, and for a moment, neither of you said anything.  

finally, dean broke the silence. “so i’ve been thinking,” he started, his voice quiet but deliberate. “about us.”  

your stomach flipped, your pulse quickening as his words hung in the air. “us?” you echoed, barely audible.  

he nodded, his jaw working like he was trying to find the right words. “you mean a lot to me,” he said finally, his voice rough around the edges. “more than i’ve ever really let on. i regret that.”

your breath caught, your chest tightening at the quiet vulnerability in his tone.  

“dean…” you began, but he held up a hand, his eyes meeting yours fully now.  

“let me say this,” he said, his voice firm but gentle. “i’ve spent so much time trying to keep things simple, to keep things from getting messy. but with you…” he trailed off, his expression softening as he searched your face. “it’s never been simple. and i wouldn’t want it to be.”  

his words hit you like a punch to the gut — raw, honest, and so undeniably him.  

“i don’t know if i’m any good at this,” he admitted, his hand brushing yours where it rested on the blanket. the touch was light, almost hesitant, but it sent a shiver up your spine. “but i want to try. if you’ll let me.”  

your heart raced, a thousand emotions swirling inside you. “dean, you don’t have to…”  

“i want to,” he interrupted, his voice steady. “i care about you. more than i probably should. and i don’t want to keep pretending like that’s not true.”  

your hand was fully engulfed in his now. you swallowed hard, his words settling over you like a warm blanket. he looked at you, his green eyes searching yours for any sign of hesitation.  

dean’s gaze flickered, his lips parting slightly before he closed them again, his hesitation palpable. his other hand hovered near yours, fingers brushing faintly, the touch so light it was almost imagined. the space between you seemed to shrink on its own, the weight of the moment settling over both of you. his eyes lingered, tracing the lines of your face as if memorizing every detail.  

his fingers shifted closer, finally grazing yours with deliberate care. the air grew warmer, each heartbeat louder than the last, as if the world itself held its breath, waiting.

“can i…?” he started, his voice trailing off as he leaned slightly closer, his gaze dropping to your lips before snapping back up to your eyes.  

you nodded, unable to find your voice, your chest tight with anticipation.  

his hand cupped your cheek gently, his thumb brushing against your skin as he leaned in. his lips met yours softly, testing, like he was afraid to push too far. but when you didn’t pull away, he pressed a little closer, his warmth grounding you.

the moment his lips met yours, the world seemed to tilt. his kiss was slow, deliberate, like he was savoring every second, his hand sliding from your cheek to the back of your neck, pulling you closer. your fingers clutched at his shirt, the fabric bunching beneath your grip as a quiet whimper escaped you.  

dean groaned in response, the sound low and rough, reverberating against your lips. it sent a shiver down your spine, your cheeks flushing hotter. his other hand found your waist, firm but gentle, anchoring you to him. his thumb traced the curve of your jaw as he deepened the kiss, his touch igniting something that left you breathless.

when he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against yours, his eyes half-lidded and his breathing slightly uneven.  

“i’ve wanted to do that for so damn long,” he confessed, his voice low and filled with something you couldn’t quite name.  

“me too,” you whispered, your cheeks flushed and your heart pounding.  

he chuckled softly, the sound warm and comforting. “guess we’re both a little stubborn, huh?”  

you smiled, a weight lifting off your chest as his words settled into your heart. “maybe just a little.”  

dean’s fingers traced the edge of your jaw, his touch lingering as if he wasn’t ready to let go. “you’re fuckin’ awesome, you know that?” he said softly, his voice almost reverent. 

you giggled quietly, the sound light and easy. “if i’m fuckin’ awesome, what are you?” you said, mimicking his much deeper voice,

he smirked, his expression softening as he leaned in to press a kiss to your forehead, his lips lingering there for a moment. “just lucky,” he said, his voice filled with a quiet sincerity that made your chest ache in the best way. 

ᰔ dean winchester : @person-005, @iloveeveryoneyoureamazing

taglist form linked in pinned post :3

[bunny-jpeg]

heirloom tomatoes

simon "ghost" riley

tags: smut/pwp, farmer!au, romance/intimacy, size difference/kink, proposal, fruits and vegetables, sweet & gentle sex, slice of life

a/n: i've been playing too much stardw valley... (there may be more to this)

wilby port was there you got sent to. you had been living in england for some time now, but you were used to the hustle and bustle of london. the constant grind of the day to day. and now you were grabbing your two suitcases off the bus to the small harbour town.

the little house near the edge of town was your new home after your great aunt passed away. you know you could've sold the house and the land around it. but, after years of working so hard in the city. the idea of an escape felt exciting. so you took it as a chance and ended up in the quiet town.

that was where you met simon riley.

the first spring in the town, you had to figure out how to kill time. you had tried a few hobbies here and there, but with the season in bloom. you wanted to try gardening. and while you could've planted strawberries or even some peppers. you decided on heirloom tomatoes, and with poor internet connection in the town and an excitement that left you with little patience.

you had to ask those in town.

johnny shrugged, "i'd say go to ghost." he placed both hands on the bar and leaned forward to look at you, "he lives closer to the river. i'd say be careful. he likes to bite." the snapped his jaws playfully before he laughed.

"ah, ghost." price said when you asked him, "yeah he'd be your best bed." as he had the cleaver in one hand, "quite man, but if you're direct in your questions he'll give you everythin' ya need." then chopped at the meat on the table.

kyle replied when you asked him while he was doing research at the beach, "i'd say ghost, honestly. he has some kind of green thumb that i couldn't imagine. you know it's possible to kill a cactus." he laughed as he got more of the sand into the test tube, "your best bet would be him. ghost."

it left you with one question, who the hell was ghost?

it took a little while before you found ghost's house. you don't know why you expected to find a haunted house at the end of your adventures. something to match this so-called ghost. but instead you found a small farm house, crowded with various plants.

while it was in abundance, every plant looked healthy and well maintained. this looked like someone who would know how to grow heirloom tomatoes. you knocked on the door and when the door opened, you took a step back from the man who answered it.

he stood over six feet, he was broad all over. he was in a red long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up. as a result you could see his arm full of tattoos. it made you swallow as you tried to maintain eye contact with him.

"can i help you?" he asked as he eyed you up and down.

you swallowed, "um hi! i was wondering if ghost was here?" it sounded weird in your head but you straightened up a little, "i was told by others that he could help me grow tomatoes."

the man looked intimidating. he was curly blond hair, dark brown eyes, his nose was crooked probably from multiple breakages. he had tattoos and scars that lined his body. his voice was a rumble as he replied, "name's simon. no need to call me ghost." then held out his hand. you smiled and shook it.

what you thought would have been an easy few tips turned into a pretty hard-core lesson about not just heirloom tomatoes, but all tomatoes. you tried to take notes on your phone, but ended up having to go old school and writing everything down by hand with a notebook and pen that simon gave you.

"no one usually listens this long." he chuckled a little as he took a sip of his water, "likes of johnny get bored after about five minutes." he crossed his strong arms and you felt something quiver inside of you.

you replied, "well, i want to do it right. it's not fair to the plant that i kill it." you tapped the pen against the paper, "so what was that about cherry tomatoes." and you watched him smile a little.

while you didn't have a huge piece of land like simon. but you had enough to build your little garden. it felt weird rewarding as the seasons changed, it grew warmer. and simon came to visit you more often to check on the plants.

johnny made a joke that simon was your shadow now, even referring to him as "the shadow" and you tried not to think too hard about it. simon was just a good friend.

when simon caught wind of this, he had to be a little more forward. over the time you had spent together, he had grown fond for you. so one sunny summer's day, he picked up flowers from the local shop and went to your house.

when you answered the door, you looked at him. and he looked at you. you were in a purple checkered apron with flour on your face.

"what are you doing?" he asked as he looked past you into the house. he could see the mess in the kitchen and the smell of cookies wafting in the air.

you looked at the bouquet of tulips in his hand, "what are you doing?"

"i was bringing you flowers.. to ask you out." "i was making cookies... to also ask you out."

you both looked at one another in the eye before he handed you the flowers and you looked at them then him again. you felt a leap in your chest and felt a heat in your cheek.

in unison you both said, "will you go out with me?"and then both of you smiled at one another. simon gave you that quiet smile he had and you broke into a wide grin. next thing he knew, you were pulling him into the house just as the timer went off for the cookies.

they were your attempt at shortbread cookies in the shape of hearts. but simon thought they were delicious. especially when you sat in his lap and chased every bite of a cookie with a kiss. simon soon learned that he loved your kisses.

"how does it taste?" you asked as you leaned in a little closer.

"perfect." he placed his large, rough hand on your soft cheek and leaned in to kiss you on the lips. you melted a little at the feeling. you felt comfortable with simon.

he was a protective force in your life. he didn't make you feel small, in a bad way. there was an obvious size difference so you were physically smaller. but simon would never make you feel weak. after that, simon was over every day.

he brought vegetables and fruits from the farm. sometimes he'd bring wild flowers from around the property and on weekends eggs for breakfast.

"simon! simon!" during the middle of a warm summer, you called your boyfriend frantically. he instantly was on high alert from your tone. when he asked you what was wrong, you replied, "the tomatoes! they're here!" and as soon as simon hung up the phone, he instantly was getting his boots on to head to your home.

you waved him over when he got there and he saw them. he saw the heirloom tomatoes, his eyes went wide at the sight of them before he pulled you in close to him. you two looked at each other before you leaned up towards simon and kissed him deeply on the lips. you held onto the front of his black t-shirt .

you pressed your face against his chest soon after and said, "thank you so much, simon." you felt heat radiate through you, a deep love for your partner. simon held you close and peppered your face with more kisses.

the kisses got a little deeper and simon held you closer. you smiled against his lips before you pulled away. he looked as red as the tomatoes you were trying to grow.

he swallowed, "as much as i would love to make love to ya out on the grass. i don't think ya want grain stains on everything."he chuckled as he held you face once more in his large hand. he watched you shift a little before you got out of his grasp and took hold of his hand.

once again you were leading him into your home. and simon barely had time to kick off his work boots before you were kissing him passionately on the lips. his arms wrapped around you as he pulled you up against him. your hands in his t-shirt as you both tried to navigate through the small house towards your bedroom.

eventually you pushed you much larger lover onto the bed and he hastily took off his shirt. you had seen him nude before. both in intimate photos he sent, and also when he'd walk out of the shower with just a towel around his waist. but to see his heavy cock one he got his bottoms off and exposed his heavy cock to you.

you licked your lips at the sight of it and got out of your clothes. before you could get onto the bed, he placed a hand on your lower back and pressed his scratchy cheek against your middle. he sighed, visibly relaxing.

"so soft." he said, as he groped your ass. you giggled and combed your fingers through his curled hair. eventually you ended up on top of him in bed. you helped remove his clothes as well, his socks and t-shirt. and you ended up in bed with you. his broad hands mapped your body perfectly, he wanted to feel every inch of warm soft skin.

you looked beautiful when you eventually ended up under him. your head in the pillows and simon was between your legs. his hefty cock was at full attention as he gazed lovingly at your figure. how could a woman so beautiful want to date a man like him? but,he realized a long time ago not to question you. if you wanted to date him, then he'd happily accept your love.

but only if he could give it back in a tenfold. he rubbed his achy cock up against you. it was painfully stiff and he loved the sight of it up against your smaller slit. he was so big compared to you, a fact that turned both of you.

simon had to admit as he sank into you, he liked feeling like a protector. to know that you were safe because of him. that nothing would hurt his darling girl. it made him feel a tug of pride as he slotted himself into your cunt.

the feeling made him shudder for a moment and the stretch made you arched your back a little. he watched your nipples grow hard which only made his cock twitch with lustful want.

he placed his hand over your chest for a moment, but didn't apply much pressure against you. his palm over your heart as he said, "your mine and i'm yours. you, me and all the tomatoes." he smiled down at you before he leaned in further to kiss you square on the lips. his words made you core feel gooey, you felt his love for you in your blood, raising the temperature of it.

he kissed you as he put both hands on your hips and moved against you. he was cautious about hurting you, causing you pain as his cock nudged against you. you moaned against the heated kiss, you shifted a little and he pressed further into you.

when the kiss broke, you looked at one another while the air in the room grew warmer. you felt the heat between your legs as he moved. his gaze was hungry as he moved against you. he admired every inch of skin he could. he couldn't deny it, he never could, but you were the most beautiful woman he ever had the pleasure to love. he wasn't known for being a lady's man, but to know that he had you. he didn't need anyone else.

when perfection was in front of him, he'd never waste you. the pace continued as did the pleasure. the heat between you two as he moved against you. you tightened your legs around him and reached out for him. you were soon chest to chest with simon making sure that he wasn't crushing you.

the last thing he wanted was to hurt you. it would be like crushing a flower, it would break simon. but you soothed any anxiety as you held his face and kissed him passionately with each of his movements.

the pleasure bloomed through both of you as the two of you continued to move against one another. you started to pick up his pace and the kisses became deeper. it felt amazing, you felt like you were on cloud nine thanks to his pleasure. there was something undeniable about him. there was something heated and needy about his movements as you pushed up against him.

"glad i fit." he remarked, "was worried for a moment that she wasn't gonna fit me." he patted your middle for a moment, the action made you squirm and clench around him a little tighter his heart hammered in his chest the more he moved against you. there was a slice of heaven under him and he wanted to make sure his girl felt good.

you giggled a little, "you're not that big. nothing i can't take. i'm strong enough." and let out a sharp moan when simon pressed into you further which made you feel snaps of pleasure in your head.

he chuckled and held onto you a little tighter, he pushed himself further into you and let himself enjoy the sweet, tender feeling of his beloved. he loved you, it was clear from the moment he asked you out. his affection for you only grew with time, he needed you daily. he was constantly around because you made him feel needed and wanted. you were perfect for him.

he kissed you once more and continued his hold on you. he rocked against you sweet cunt and felt the wraps of pleasure in his core. he loved the feeling, being so close to climax with his beloved under him.

you deepened the kiss and threw your arms around his shoulders. he thrusted up into you, his pace steady but not too rough. once again, the idea of hurting you, even by accident, pained him. he never wanted that, he only wanted your sweet moans in his ear and your smiles to brighten up his day.

you two moved against one another, the pleasure continued to course through you. the two of you made love on your creaky bed, but enjoyed each other's gentle company. you tensed up a little bit as you felt the heat of climax was over you. you moaned into the kiss, and quietly said 'i love you' under your breath as orgasm took hold. the thump in your chest made you feel hot all over.

"i love you too.' he said softly as he continued to move against you. you clenched onto him and he loved the feeling of your nails against his skin. he felt extremely hot as he bucked his hips against you. the hammering in his chest only fueled his want for you.

he soon climaxed and felt the shudder through his body. the blossom of heat in his core as he finished inside of you. with a few more heavy thrusts, he slowed his pace to a stop to catch his breath. however that was made hard because you pulled him in for another searing kiss.

you both got under the covers and kissed deeply with one another. you felt connected to him, so close to him. so loving for him. you moaned into the kiss and simon cuddled up against you.

you said i love you to each other many times as you laid comfortable in each other's arms. the love flowed between you two. simon knew and you knew that you'd be together for a long time.

simon looked at you as you laid there comfrotably. you looked like someone special to him. you looked like the future mrs. simon riley.

-

it was a hot summer day two years later, you had come by to visit simon and found him working away at the blueberry plants on the farm. eventually you got him back inside his home. you moved around the kitchen like it was your own home.

you were giving simon a stern talking to while you got him a glass of water to help cool down. simon just watched you from his spot at the kitchen table.

"and you know what happens if you don't drink water! i don't need you passing out and crows peckin you-", when you turned around you noticed a small box on the table. the glass of watr almost fell out of your hand as he opened it. shock marked your expression and he chuckled.

he took a hold of the velvet box and opened it with a smile on his lips. your scarred, famer's tan having boyfriend with a love for heirloom tomatoes, was proposing to you.

"will you-"

"yes!" you squeaked before you quickly put the glass down and went over to him. he grabbed you and seated you on his lap. you held his face for a moment to look into his brown eyes before you laid a kiss on his lips.

he only pulled away to slip the ring on your finger (it was a big too big, but that could be fixed). you looked at the emerald in the ring and felt tears in your eyes. you kissed him once more.

you had everything, a home, a husband and heirloom tomatoes. <3

[charliemwrites]

Woof, grrr, woof

No content warnings

Your trip to the vet turns up nothing. No microchips, and none of the staff recognize the wolf-dog. They’re the only vet in town too, and he looks too pristine to have come from another…

“You’re a weird little guy, huh?” you muse on the car ride to the pet store.

The vet office was kind enough to make a file for him, standing name “Buddy”. If you get to keep him, you’re definitely changing it. They also gave you a spare leash so that you wouldn’t have to leave him in the car while you shop.

It’s a pitifully flimsy thing, but the dog seems leashed trained and does tug. Could probably let him off it and he’d stay glued to your side.

The shopping is even weirder. He doesn’t seem very distracted by treats or food, only snaps at other dogs when they get into his personal space. Otherwise, he just stays right next to you, tongue occasionally lapping at your hanging fingers.

“Beautiful dog,” a man says to you. An older guy, rugged, looking at toys.

You shift. “Thank you.”

“Should really be feeding a beast like that a raw diet.”

“Raw diet?”

“What they get in the wild. All that processed shite ain’t good for ‘em.”

You thank him for the advice over the dog’s grumbling. A quick internet search on your phone reveals it’s not a bad idea, actually. Not too expensive either.

“Raw it is,” you muse.

He tilts his head, make a low “woof”. You scratch absently at his ears as you continue shopping. Let him pick toys - his favorite a squeaky grenade of all things that he refuses to put down. You get a big matching set of food and water bowls, a cushy dog bed, a parasite repellent. Even some dog pads in case he’s not house trained.

You stall in the leash aisle, a bit overwhelmed by the choices of leashes and collars and harnesses.

“How do you feel about pink…?”

Snort.

“Yeah didn’t think so. I didn’t like the rhinestones anyway. You’d probably end up eating one and shitting glitter.”

A long whine.

“Oh, sorry, is that embarrassing? Poor love.”

The gentlest scrape of big teeth at your knuckles. You chuckle and tap two fingers on his sandpaper tongue. His head jerks back, tongue flicking in offense.

“S’what you get, dummy.”

Shaking your head, turn back to the selection. The pup huffs, shakes his head, and noses at something lower. It’s a deep green - army, you think the shade is called - collar with a silver buckle instead of a snap clip.

“Not bad,” you muse. “Matches the whole woodsy vibe we’ve got going.”

You find the matching leash and harness set, dropping it in your cart. You receive several more compliments on your big gorgeous dog, though he refuses to let anyone pet him. You awkwardly make excuses that he’s a recent rescue and try to avoid further conversation.

The last stop is at the kiosk for a tag. You can’t just let him go without one, but you despise officially naming him “Buddy.”

You end up just putting your name, number, and address on there. A matte black heart engraved with silver.

“What do you think?” you ask, offering it for a sniff.

The dog doesn’t even pretend to be interested, just takes the opportunity to drag his tongue over your wrist again. You huff and wipe off on your pants.

“Gonna have to take another bath at this rate.”

You ignore his grumble - it’s uncanny at this point, how quick he is to respond - and guide him out to the car. He hops into the passenger seat, flops over into your lap first chance he gets. You have to nudge his snout away from your crotch again, but he seems satisfied with a hand smoothing over his head.

Home is warm when you arrive. You set up your new dog’s things, buckle him into his new collar, tag and all.

“There,” you coo, dropping smooches all over his head. “Look at how handsome you are, sweet boy! Can I have a kiss?”

You yelp as he barrels you over onto your back, well over 100 pounds of wolf-dog stretching over you. You turn your face away as he licks at your mouth, trying to get inside. You remember reading somewhere that that’s a wolf thing; just another tick in the “hybrid” box.

“Gross, gross! Nooooo,” you laugh, covering his snout. You squeal as his tongue flickers between two fingers. “Nasty boy! You’re so rude!!”

He finally lets you up with much coaxing, looking far too pleased with himself.

You make yourself dinner, providing your dog with scraps of chicken and unseasoned veggies based on your online reading. He seems happy with the offering, eats it all up with gusto.

As the evening comes, you stretch out on the couch. Finally feel brave enough to put on a scary movie now that you’ve got a big-ass deterrent.

Your dog even climbs up to cuddle, head on your chest while you hug him through scary parts. The really interesting part comes at the end, during the climax.

“Heeeeeere’s Johnny!”

Your new companion perks up, eyes on the screen.

“Oh? Is… is that your name? Is your name Johnny?”

His head snaps around to you, ears straight up and eyes bright.

“Johnny…” you croon, trying it out.

He makes a little “boof” noise and wriggles closer.

“Johnny baby,” you continue, grinning. “Johnny boy. John John the bon bon.”

It’s utter nonsense, but it makes his tail thump against the cushions, leaving slobbery kisses of excitement all over your neck and jaw.

“Alright alright!” you laugh, dropping a kiss on the top of his nose. “Johnny it is. Thank fuck I don’t have to come up with a name. Was thinking of calling you Philip or Simon or something.”

You yelp as he starts to make gagging sounds, nearly kicking him off the couch before it seems to subside.

“Good lord, bud,” you breathe as he grumbles and settles his head on your thigh, puffing out a big breath through his nose. “You’re gonna be a handful.”

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Masterlist

[rosierin]

i used to love him | suna rintarou

synopsis; (y/n) talks about her feelings towards suna, from childhood to current day.

suna's pov here

this fic is part of the off-season quartet™ series! for more, click here :)

I used to love him.

Not in a way you plan for. It just sort of… happened.

It was cute, honestly. Innocent. Simple. The kind of thing people call puppy love. At least, that’s how I’ve always seen it. Loving him came as easily as breathing, or blinking. It was quiet but constant—something that made the world feel a little brighter. Something worth waking up for. A little secret joy that sat behind everything else, like music playing faintly in the background of a really good day.

I think it started when we were around ten, in elementary school.

We were kids who got along without even trying. The ones who sat in the corner at birthday parties, trading sweets instead of dancing. The kind that didn't need to fit into larger friend groups. We were happy so long as we had each other, perfectly content as just a little duo.

Rin didn’t talk much—still doesn’t, actually.

He was my opposite in every way.

Quiet. Aloof. A little standoffish. I’m pretty sure people called him “the weird kid,” which—yeah, he kind of was. He never really made the effort to make friends. Usually ate alone during lunch. Would rather work solo than in group projects.

I don’t really know why I approached him first… I guess I must’ve found him mysterious or something. Like maybe he was just pretending not to care, and I wanted to see if I could crack it.

I still remember our first proper conversation.

We were sitting next to each other during lunch, and I noticed Pokémon Platinum poking out of his backpack. I’m pretty sure I went into a full-on tangent that day, rambling about how Sinnoh was my favourite region and which Pokémon were criminally underrated.

I always laugh when I think about it. He must’ve been like, “Who the hell is this nutcase and why is she all up in my face?”

But I mean—he couldn't have been that bothered since he sat through the whole thing. Nodded along. Never looked away. Even at the time, I remember being weirdly struck by how good he was at eye contact.

He couldn’t have been that shy, then, I thought.

And clearly he wasn’t as anti-social as everyone said, because after that? We were inseparable. I’m not sure how it happened—though I’m almost certain I planned it—but before long I was going to his house nearly every weekend. We’d play DS together. Have sleepovers. We'd even share a bed.

He wasn’t chatty like me. But that never bothered me. I was more than happy to do enough talking for the both of us. I think even as a kid, I liked his silence. It meant I could ramble about whatever I wanted without worrying if I was being too much.

Rin never made me feel like I was too much.

Never told me to be quiet. Never told me to go away.

And somehow, despite being nothing like me, Rin quickly became my favourite person.

I remember sitting by the school gates before class, tracing patterns into my shoelaces while I waited for him.

Even if he was late.

Especially if he was late.

Even when he was sick, I’d wait for at least an hour, just in case he'd show up. (I sound kinda crazy now that I say it out loud.)

I always gave him the green highlighter. I think I told him it didn’t suit me. Told him it matched his eyes. (It did. I've always like his pretty eyes.)

Everyone called us a duo. Not in a weird way—more like we just made sense together. Wherever one of us went, people expected the other.

And honestly? I liked that.

I liked when teachers asked, “Where’s (y/n)?” or “Where’s Rin?” whenever one of us was missing.

I liked being his other half. Loved being his person.

And maybe that’s where it all started.

In the little things. The small, unnoticed spaces where love begins to grow—before you even have the words for it.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

I think I really knew when we were around thirteen, in middle school.

I started getting nervous around him—even though I never had before. And for the stupidest reasons, too.

My hands got all fidgety and clammy when we talked. My words jumbled. I noticed how close we sat. I noticed the way our hands brushed when we walked side by side. The way his arm felt warm when it pressed against mine during class. I noticed how much I noticed.

Rin's always been big on eye contact when he talks. It’s something I love now. But at thirteen? It was terrifying. I used to look away when he held my gaze too long, like I was going to combust or something.

It was that kind of crush. The teen rom-com kind. The hair-twirling, feet-kicking, doodling-his-name-in-your-notebook kinda love. Sweet, harmless, a little naïve.

I remember doing some pretty cringe stuff. Like trying to mould myself into his exact type.

If he complimented another girl’s outfit, you better believe I’d show up the next week wearing something eerily similar. Oh—he liked a certain perfume? I ordered it off Amazon that same night.

There was even this one time he mentioned he liked the “sporty girl” archetype in anime. And after that, I wore a ponytail. Every single day. No exceptions. Sometimes I’d even throw on a dad cap on weekends, just to really play the part.

It was embarrassing, honestly. And so painfully obvious. (Even though thirteen-year-old me probably thought I was being subtle.)

And yet, Rin never said a thing. Nothing changed. He never pulled away... but he never leaned closer, either.

I’m almost certain he knew. He had to know. I guess he just didn’t see me that way. Which was totally fine, for the record. No pressure. So I kept smiling. Kept laughing at his jokes. Kept pretending I wasn’t in love with him.

And for the most part? That was fine by me.

I was content loving him quietly. Just appreciating his company. Daydreaming in secret. Hoping, a little—but mostly just accepting whatever it was we had going on.

And eventually… it started to fade.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

We started high school at fifteen. Same school, of course.

Choosing a high school was, at the time, the most stressful decision of my life. I genuinely thought if I made the wrong choice, I’d ruin everything. Like, full meltdown. I cried twice and made it everyone's problem.

(Spoiler alert: it wasn’t that deep.)

I considered just staying local. The town school was fine. Definitely the safer and easier option. But then Rin got scouted by Inarizaki’s volleyball coach, and that was it for me. End of story. Because going to a different school than Rin?

No way. That was... unequivocally, out of the question.

Going to a different school than him wasn’t just unappealing—it was impossible. I’d told him back in middle school that I’d follow him wherever he went, and I meant it. (I don’t think he believed me at the time, but he should’ve known better.)

My parents weren’t too fussed about it. In fact, when I mentioned Rin was going too, they were relieved and said something like, “ Well if Rin’s there, we know you’ll be fine.” Which… fair enough. They trusted him almost as much as I did.

Still, moving to a new region, staying in dorms, living away from home for the first time? It was a lot. I was excited, but also terrified. Everything was new and unfamiliar—new teachers, new routines, new slang I had to Google in secret.

But Rin was still Rin.

Still my person. Still the one I sat next to during orientation. Still the one I went to when I got homesick.

We weren’t just fine. We were solid.

We had different classes, sure. Different schedules at times. But it didn’t matter. We still ate lunch together. Walked back to the dorms together. Watched anime on his laptop together. Nothing between us had really changed. And that alone made everything else feel manageable.

It wasn’t long before I started watching him play.

Volleyball had always looked good on him. His movements were sharp, calculated and effortless. Watching him on the court made me feel oddly proud, even though I had nothing to do with it.

Eventually, I asked to meet the team. I always saw them after practice so I figured, why not? He agreed, of course. Told me they were all "pretty cool".

That’s when I met the Miya twins.

And honestly? My first impression? Pretty 50/50.

I'll let you guess which twin was my favourite.

(Spoiler alert: it wasn't Atsumu.)

Atsumu was loud, cocky, and honestly a little insufferable. He was your typical jock. A frat boy in the making. At least that's what my initial thoughts were. I'd later realize he's far too much of a softie for that kind of debaucherous lifestyle and actually cares about his education.

Osamu, on the other hand, was far easier to talk to. Calmer. Less... in your face. He still teased and was competitive like his brother, but he was a lot more grounded and mature. He actually listened when people spoke. He was a little more serious. A little more thoughtful.

He reminded me of Rin in some ways—same sense of humour, similar "vibe"—but I could tell he was just as hot-blooded than his twin, just better at hiding it.

I liked him straight away.

But Rin? Rin was still the one I looked for.

Still the one I cheered for during practice.

Still the one who made everything feel like home.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

By the time we were sixteen, something shifted.

It didn't hit me all at once. Nothing like that. No sudden realisation. It was... more of a slow build.

I think it started when I stopped waiting for him after class. Not because I didn’t want to—but because he stopped expecting me to, I think. We were older now, and maybe I just didn’t know how to ask if he still wanted me there. I think a small part of me was afraid he'd find be overbearing.

So… I found new people to walk with. I sat with the twins more often. Got to know them more. I found out Osamu was a massive foodie and a true sweetheart, and that Atsumu was actually just a massive poser—a big, fat jerk, yes, but one with a big heart for those in his circle. A circle I had somehow managed to weave myself into.

I was starting to learn how to hold my own in a school that didn’t revolve around Rin.

And it wasn’t about replacing him. Oh no—definitely not that.

He was still my safe place. Still the person who knew me best.

But I was starting to feel like… maybe I could be my own person too. I’d always been more of a social butterfly, but ever since I met Rin, my circle had mostly revolved around him. So making new friends felt really nice—refreshing, even.

I got close to the Miya twins pretty fast—faster than Rin did, actually. They were impossible to ignore. Loud, chaotic, but strangely grounding in their own way. Osamu was calm and dependable, with a wicked sense of humour once you earned it. We had our own inside jokes now—mostly at his brother’s expense.

Speaking of the latter—

Things got... strange between us. Well—not strange. But at some point, our bickering didn’t feel like bickering anymore. It felt like something suspiciously close to flirting. He started it, of course.

He was so not my type. Funnily enough, if I had to pick one of the two, it’d be Osamu. So imagine my confusion when I started to realize I had feelings for Atsumu.

I think it’s because he challenged me. Pushed my buttons. Pulled things out of me I didn’t know were there. He made me raise my voice. Made me dig my heels in. Made me fight for my space in a way that was oddly exhilarating.

We were fire and fire. Burned too bright on some days, but we always came back.

He was never quiet like Rin. Never still. Never easy.

But with Atsumu, I didn’t feel like I had to wait.

And maybe that was easier than reaching for someone who never reached back.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

We were seventeen when I realized I wasn’t in love with Rin anymore.

And it didn’t break me. It didn't make me feel particularly sad.

It just… passed. Quietly. Like something I’d outgrown. Like a sweater that didn’t quite fit the same, no matter how much you used to love it.

I still loved him, of course. I don’t think that part ever changed. But it wasn’t the breathless, giddy, daydreamy kind of love anymore. My love had settled into something softer. Like nostalgia. Like home.

Or at least… that’s what I told myself.

We were eighteen when the four of us moved in together. It felt like a natural next step—me, the twins, and Rin. Like starting a new chapter of a story we were all co-writing.

And then came New Year’s Eve.

Rin's house was quiet. The twins were back in Hyōgo. His parents were out. We were alone in his room, lights off, movie forgotten, fireworks going off in the distance like the climax of some cheesy shōjo anime.

And then… he kissed me.

No warning. No build-up. Just—one second we were sitting side by side, and the next, his mouth was on mine.

And I froze. Not because I didn’t want it. Just… because I didn’t understand it.

Because for one awful, beautiful second, it felt like everything came rushing back. Like my feelings had been waiting. Like they’d never really gone away at all.

I kissed him back. I kissed him like I’d always wanted to.

My hands in his hair. Chest pressed to his. His breath in my mouth.

And then his hands slid to my waist. He climbed on top of me. And I let him. I let him kiss me harder. Let him touch me. Let myself get swept up in it—drunk on him. On the weight of his body. The way he whispered my name. The way he called me beautiful like I was truly his to admire.

I think I was panting his name by then. I think I forgot how to think.

And somewhere in the middle of all of that—that’s when the confusion hit.

Because I didn’t know what I was feeling. Didn’t know what he was feeling.

What made him do it? Why now?

Surely not love. He’d never hinted at anything like that before. He’d never looked at me like that. Never touched me like someone who’d been waiting.

So was it lust?

And if it was… That stung. More than I thought it would.

I didn’t feel it that night, though. Not right away. That hurt only came later—once the adrenaline wore off. Once I was lying awake and remembering every second. Every sigh. Every touch.

But in the moment?

I was too busy getting lost in him. Too busy writhing beneath him. Too busy hoping—just for a second—that maybe I was wrong. Maybe it did mean something.

And then I panicked.

Because it was too fast. Too much. Too not us.

And I knew—deep in my gut—that this couldn’t be the way our story played out.

I didn’t want to be a one-night thing for him.

Didn’t want to ruin what we had just because my heart got caught in the crossfire of something he didn’t mean.

So I pulled away.

Didn’t say a word. Just let the moment pass.

And we never talked about it again.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

I thought maybe he regretted it.

Or maybe he just didn’t care.

Or maybe I’d imagined the whole thing meant more than it did.

It didn't help that he never brought it up. Not once. Still, he never looked at me any differently. But he never asked if I was okay, either.

And yeah… maybe that hurt a little.

Was it embarrassment? Was I a mistake? Was it just lust, some throwaway moment he didn’t want to acknowledge?

I didn’t know. Still don’t.

So I let it go. Buried it deep. Filed it away in that part of my brain labeled: “Don’t think about this unless you want to overthink yourself into insanity.”

I decided to move forward. I started laughing more. Smiling wider. Let myself lean into other people.

I grew closer to Atsumu—not to replace something I lost, but because he was there. Steady in his own chaotic, big-hearted way.

He made me laugh. Gave me hell. Challenged me. Made me feel seen. With him, I never had to guess. Never had to read between the lines or sit with questions I wasn’t brave enough to ask.

(Or at least, that’s what I thought at the time. But that’s a whole other can of worms.)

Sometimes—just sometimes—that night still comes back to me.

His hands. His breath. The way he said my name like it meant something.

And I still don’t know how to feel about it.

It’s probably nothing.

It’s all in the past.

And there's nothing weird about it.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

We were nineteen when I started realizing how little I thought about Rin in that way anymore. Like—actually, this time.

Not because I didn’t care. I still care—very much so. I guess I just... stopped expecting anything to happen entirely.

He was still Rin. Still steady. Still there. Still my best friend who I deeply cherish and always will.

But whatever we used to be—whatever I used to feel—it's settled into something quieter. Something softer and easier to carry.

He never brought up that kiss. Not once. Never looked at me differently. Never made it weird. Just… carried on like it hadn’t meant anything. Like we were the same as we’d always been.

And eventually, I guess I believed him and moved on.

Even now, nothing’s really changed.

We’re almost done with college. On the cusp of whatever comes next.

Atsumu and I aren’t a thing. Not really. But there’s something there. A flicker, maybe. Or a fire I’m still figuring out.

I’m happy, though.

No, really—I am!

I’ve got three best friends. A home that feels like mine. Days that make me laugh until my stomach hurts.

Rin’s still a major part of my world. Still close, in that comfortable, familiar way. Still easy to be around. Still my best friend that I'd do anything for.

It’s rare—but sometimes, I wonder if he still thinks about that kiss.

Even rarer—but sometimes, I wonder if I should’ve let it happen.

I wonder if I ever really fell out of love with him… or if I just learned how to live without hoping.

But most days?

Most days, I don’t wonder at all.

Most days, I’m okay.

And that’s more than enough.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

He’s looking at me now.

I smile—out of habit, mostly. But it’s real.

He smiles back, like always.

And for a second, something in my chest stirs. Something old. Something that used to ache.

But it doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s just… there. A quiet flicker of something that once mattered a little more than it does now.

I blink, and it’s gone.

Whatever it was—it’s not ours anymore.

Maybe it never really was.

And maybe I’m okay with that.

I’ve got my little home. My little family. A life that’s messy and chaotic and warm in all the right ways.

I’ve got the twins and their bickering. I’ve got Rin and his quiet, grounding presence.

I’ve got love, just… not the kind I used to dream about.

And honestly?

That feels more than enough.

[yrenesbrainrotss]

Thank you for answering my question! 🥰

If it's ok, could I please request headcanons of yandere ENA (Dream BBQ) secretly thwarting female human reader's endeavours at getting back to her own dimension because, as a fellow anomaly, she wants reader to stay with her?

Thanks a lot! Have a happy Easter Sunday. 💚🕊

A/N: Hiii tysm for your request and happy Easter to you too! I tried to make her as accurate as possible. I really hope it came out alright and that you enjoy it!

-not sure abt the word count but it is a bit lengthy.

• summary : after landing in a strange place ENA soon finds you a purpose by her side.

•reader pronouns: not specified but i wrote it with a female reader in mind.

•warnings: obsessive and manipulative behavior.

♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱

~ pending business ~

ֶָ֢. ｡𖦹°‧ You don’t even know how you got into this position honestly. Surrounded by weird creatures in a world where everything is upside down and any attempts at a normal day are erased. What you know is that you now have a friend! Kind of… she’s really weird but at least she made adapting to this weird amalgamation of shapes and things more bearable. Dizzy and disoriented you found yourself in a strange place,with strange creatures and with a person who’s name is ENA you suppose, since that’s how everyone calls her.”Hello fellow anomaly! Whatever may have crossed your mind when you chose to enter this strange realm?” she inquired.She was a pretty tall woman,her skin was split in two sides,with different personalities. One colored white, a side which expressed mostly anger and frustration and the other red which reminded you of a sketchy salesperson.Her black short hair framed her face just right and her attire consisted of some knee socks,striped suspenders and a matching green hat.

“You look like you’d make a great business partner! So what do you say… yes or… yes!”

Without even a moment to spare for any kind of introduction she just dragged you aside claiming you’re her new assistant. Without complaints you just kinda went along with it, it might be good to befriend her and find out just how you could escape this strange realm. You don’t know what your job is or what you’re supposed to do with the strange briefcase she gave you, you just know that wherever she goes you follow.

Eventually you assist her on different jobs that consist of running errands for her clients,catching some eyeball-shaped fish for a strange guy that could only speak in loud screams, escaping a shape-shifting maze,following ENA around and watching her try to sell coupons for 30% off of saddnes,attending weird events that were too much for your poor motion sickness to handle and learning how to grow a human board from scratch, the usual stuff,you know?

ENA’s attempt at flirting while on jobs are weird as hell. If what she says could even be considered flirting.Her salesperson side always makes weird remarks out of nowhere such as “could i interest you in a limited time offer on a strategic partnership? Or maybe a coupon for endless ENA dedicated affection?”. Your confusion is visible and sometimes due to her frustration her Meanie side startles you with threats like “IF YOU LOOK AT THIS CLIENT FOR MORE THAN 5 SECOND I WILL THROW YOU IN THAT BOTTOMLESS RIVER.” that she considers are only “declarations of love and sweetness for her favorite asisstant”

You considered all of ENA’s jobs to be really strange but you try to make the best of them. After completing a task you ask for some information about other dimensions and how you could get to your own “organic” one. The odd entities however give you distasteful looks,harsh replies and even say that you are tainting their world. With reluctance,they end up giving you some intel about what they know regarding dimension traveling but refuse to elaborate any further than they think it’s necessary.

Your endeavor at gathering information didn’t go unnoticed by ENA nonetheless. Her watchful eye is always tracking any move you make,any interaction you have with entities that aren’t her. She swears that she’ll get rid of those pesky creatures. You don’t really pay much attention to your past clients that have helped you gain some insight on escaping but you think they are giving you some odd looks.First,they narrow their eyes in your direction and then when ENA practically teleports to your side and grabs you by the waist too tight for your comfort, they avert their gaze and scurry in some other place. You think its a bit strange but ENA thinks that it’s good for them to learn their worth,saying they shouldn’t have been so nosy.

After another successful job you manage to get the coordinates to a….Bathroom? The shadow-like thing said that you might find what you need there and handed you a small piece of paper with directions and passages. ENA asks why would you need directions to the Bathroom when she already knows the way? You insist that its a personal matter and after a few more attempts at her trying to convince you that these entities can’t be trusted she gives up and doesn’t pry anymore.

Later that night you hear shuffling and footsteps clicking across your bedroom floor. They stop at the nightstand where the figure crouches next to you. The cold claws of a carmine hand brush a few strands of hair off of your face, another hand,softer rests atop of your neck as if checking your pulse. You try not to move, then,a familiar voice, her voice,is heard throughout the silent room. “You fool..you really thought this cheap attempt at escaping would work?” “You don’t need to talk to those things anymore,you don’t need to talk to them at all! It would be a poor investment to waste such precious resources on them…”

In the morning,the paper once containing the only thing that might aid to your wish is scribbled over with what you hope is red ink, reading “DON’T WORRY, I’LL TAKE CARE OF IT :))”.

To stop you from snooping around ENA invents new job requests and insists that you help her with her new sales idea.”How about leaving that whole escapism thing aside for now and help me with this new errand i received!” You see what she’s trying to do and you don’t buy anything she says.Her creative mind is trying to come up with as many ideas and job listings as possible to keep you away from the people that regardless of her threats keep on offering intel. Eventually you have enough and confront her about it, she denies everything but her charming salesperson side can’t cover up the glitches in her voice.

Then she cracks. Her face becomes a dark green, broken like a porcelain vase,with odd blue and purple liquid oozing out of her eyes. She grabs your shoulders and pulls you into a hug falling down on her knees and dragging you with her. “Don’t leave..please..” “Without you im just..an overworked machine…a business woth no customers…” she gazes into your eyes,cupping your cheek with her sharp clawed hand “you and I are the same… two anomalies fated in this amalgamation of creatures, feeling and places…rejected by everyone but our own kind…”

You dont know if it is out of fear or pity but you embrace her head in your arms,letting her rest against your chest.She holds onto your shirt with a strong grip, afraid of letting you slip between her fingers.After some time she calms down and her normal cheeky self comes back.

You still want to leave but you refrain from making any attempts at leaving,scared that she will have another break down, which she might not recover from this time..

ֶָ֢. ｡𖦹°‧ֶָ֢. ｡𖦹°‧ֶָ֢. ｡𖦹°‧ֶָ֢. ｡𖦹°‧ֶָ֢. ｡𖦹°‧ֶָ֢. ｡𖦹°‧ֶָ֢. ｡𖦹°‧ֶָ֢. ｡𖦹°‧ֶָ֢. ｡𖦹°‧ֶָ֢

[standamianwayne]

yandere!batfam/damian’s twin!reader

cw: one (1) cuss word, underage drinking ig? (reader and dami have like two sips of beer lol), i can’t write a fight/sparring scene to save my life oops

The silence in the gym was almost eerie.

Sure, there were the sounds of soft panting and muttered curses, hand and feet meeting skin and bone, and the occasional thump when one gets knocked to the ground. Those were normal when it came to you and Damian and sparring. What wasn’t normal was the lack of another presence.

The two of you were hardly ever alone nowadays, with how big your family is. Sometimes it’s nice, seeing as how it was just the two of you for a while. But, though you’d never tell each other, you did miss your twin.

Damian missed you too, but he certainly didn’t miss the way you went easy on him. You deny it, of course, but the two of you were evenly matched in every way when it came to combat. If you tried as much as he did, you would tie at the very least, but even when you were younger you’d let him win. If he gave 100% (which he always did, thank you), you would give 99%, it was just a fact.

The fight ends like every other one does, with Damian knocking you to the floor and pinning you there. There’s a sense of pride when he defeats an opponent, an inflation of his ego. He doesn’t feel that.

The two of you don’t talk much, trying to catch your breath and cool down. A bead of sweat rolls down your side when Damian breaks the silence between you — something he hasn’t done since… you’re not sure when.

“You should try harder.” He says. His eyes are pointed at the ground, but his face is fixed into a glare. There’s a hint of a sneer on his lips, trying to bite back a snarky comment.

“…I’m trying as hard as I can,” you reply, a huff leaving your lips. It’s a mix of frustration and a bit of guilt. Is it a crime that you want your little (less than an hour, but still!) brother to win? At the same time, you can tell what he’s thinking: that you go easy on him. Which, truth be told… okay yeah maybe he has a point.

You don’t see him as inferior, you don’t think that you have to lower yourself for his benefit. For others, it’s impossible to see past his steely green gaze, to truly get ahold of his thoughts. For you, it’s obvious: he thinks the opposite— you see him as a kid still.

“Obviously not,” Damian snaps his head up to glare at you. For a moment, you can almost see the demon that everyone else does, though that thought quickly washes away. “Stop going easy on me. I’m not weak, in case you needed reminding.” He spits out the word like it’s bile. To him, it may as well be.

“I did not,” You furrow your eyebrows in return. Not quite a glare, more so a stern look. “I don’t think that of you, you know that.”

“Oh, do I? You surely don’t act like it.” He rises from his sitting position, now standing over you. You don’t bother looking up, instead letting your eyebrows raise as your expression stays flat. “You hold yourself back,” it’s almost a scoff that leaves his mouth, “you always have. I can take a hit— I don’t need you to treat me like I’m still some brat!”

“Don’t you like winning?” You ask, leaning back on your sore palms, relaxed as ever. “I’m already putting in effort to fight you, I don’t get why you can’t just take the victory.”

“Because it’s not an even match!” You aren’t sure if you’ve ever seen your brother this mad frustrated before. “And clearly whatever ‘effort,’” he uses air quotes, also something you’re not sure you’ve ever seen him do, “you’re putting in isn’t enough.”

You can help but roll your eyes, glancing away from him. “Fine, whatever,” you concede, figuring the fight isn’t worth it. “Next time we spar, I’ll kick your ass.”

It’s weird, if anyone else had said that to Damian, he’d probably scratch their eyes out. With you, he lets his lips curl into a snarky grin. “You better,” he nods. You nod back.

With that settled, you return to your routines. ‘Next time’ rolling in your brains.

Of all the amenities Wayne Manor has to offer, you’ve become quite fond of the outdoor pool. Not only is it great for exercising in general, but you have a habit of coming out here late at night. Like now, for example.

You aren’t a drinker, not really. Occasionally, Bruce will let you have a glass of wine or something at dinner. It’s not like you necessarily enjoy alcohol, but when you saw a pack of beer in the fridge — well, who are you to pass up an opportunity?

So, you sat on the edge of the pool, the bottom half of your legs submerged in the water with a beer bottle in hand. It was a bit chilly out, but it was a rare night off for you — hard to complain, really.

You don’t bother to look when you hear footsteps approaching from behind. Why bother, you already know to whom they belong.

Damian plops down next to you. A bit ungracefully, might you add, considering his whole ‘poise and proper’ demeanor he tends to portray. Wordlessly, you grab the unopened bottle and hand it over to him. Wordlessly, he pops it open and takes a sip.

“Ugh,” he sneers, pulling the bottle away from his lips, “this tastes awful. Who even buys this stuff?”

You shrug, because you don’t really know either. Probably Dick, you guess, but it doesn’t really matter. “It’s beer, nobody buys it for the taste,” you point out.

“Fair…” A light silence stretches for a few moments, only broken by the water rippling around your legs. The lights from the pool are still on, you told Alfred you’d be the one to turn them off, illuminating you both in blue.

“Do you think,” you start hesitantly, “that we, like, made a mistake by staying here? That we’re too… different?” You look up from your lap to glance to your brother. Even you aren’t too sure why you said that. It’s not like you’ve been made to feel unwelcome (well, not by your family, anyway).

It’s another moment of silence, something that seems to be all too common between you two nowadays, before Damian responds. “No,” he says simply with a small shake of his head, “I don’t feel that way at all.”

“Hm,” you hum appraisingly. You aren’t too sure what to say next, so you tuck your lips between your teeth, only undoing so to take a sip of your drink. “Just me, then.”

heyyy…. hey… how yall doing 😅😅😅😅 uh so… been two months! sorry for not uploading yall. lot has happened, got busy, and i’ve been on and off sick these past two months. but! hopefully i’m back?? eh who knows.

thank you guys for supporting me again! i say this every time i upload but oh well lol. love you guys 😛😛

[snowysosturn]

Fire & Desire - Matt Sturniolo Part 12

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29 Finale

Pairing: Y/n x Matt Sturniolo

Summary: Y/n has always clashed with Matt. Despite working for Chris’s clothing brand and being close with Nick, her relationship with Matt has always been tense at best. While being forced to be around each other more, their animosity turns into something deeper. Can they overcome their differences, or will their fiery emotions tear them apart?

Warnings: angst, tension, arguments, mentions of alcohol, being intoxicated

I sat cross legged at the small vanity in my room, blending out the last bit of highlighter on my cheekbones. My outfit I had planned to wear was already laid out on the bed behind me, ready for the evening ahead. My hair was half done, still tied back loosely as I finished off my makeup. It felt nice to have a little time to myself to unwind and prepare, especially after the long day of travelling.

I was in the middle of putting eyeliner in my waterline when I heard a knock at the door. "Come in" I called out, not looking away from the mirror as I focused on not poking my eye.

The door creaked open, and I glanced at the reflection to see Matt stepping in, a glass in his hand. "Vodka lemonade" he said, his voice still carrying the unmistakable slur of someone who had had a little too much to drink.

I turned fully to face him, raising an eyebrow. "You remembered what I drink?"

He shrugged, his grin lopsided but genuine. "Of course. Hard to forget when its the only thing you drink"

I rolled my eyes, taking the glass from him. "Thanks, I guess" I said, swirling the liquid before taking a sip. The moment it hit my tongue, I winced, coughing slightly. "Oh my god Matt! All I can taste is vodka!"

He laughed, leaning against the doorframe like it was holding him upright. "Yeah well, you’ve got some catching up to do. Consider it motivation."

I shook my head, setting the glass down on the vanity. "It’s almost like you’re trying to kill me" I teased, but there wasn’t any bite to my words.

He gave me a wink, nearly stumbling in the process, and we both laughed. For a moment, it was like we never hated each other. It was weird. Today, we’d actually been nice to each other. From the plane to downstairs to now, it was almost like we’d turned a corner. Or maybe the alcohol had simply dulled his usual sarcasm.

Matt straightened up and glanced around my room, his eyes landing on the green crochet outfit on the bed. "That what you’re wearing tonight?" he asked, nodding toward it.

"Yep" I said, turning back to the mirror to finish my eye makeup. "I’m just hoping it comes to get the way I have it in my head."

"Bet it’ll look good" he said, his tone softer than I expected. When I glanced back at him, he was already heading out the door. "Hurry up though. Dinner waits for no one, especially when you’re as drunk as I am."

"I’ll be down soon" I replied, watching as he gave me a lazy wave and disappeared into the hallway. After Matt left my room, I set the vodka lemonade on the dresser, deciding to pace myself as I continued getting ready. As I stood back to admire the final look, I adjusted my halterneck top, making sure everything sat just right. 

I slipped on my nude heels, grabbed a small clutch, and downed half of the vodka lemonade Matt had brought up. The burn of vodka was strong, but he wasn’t wrong, I did have catching up to do if I wanted to match their buzz. By the time I walked down to the foyer, everyone was gathered there.

“You took long enough” Nick teased with a grin as I joined them.

“Beauty takes time, Nicholas” I shot back, earning a laugh from the group.

We stepped out of the villa together, the warm evening breeze carrying the faint scent of sea salt. The walk to the restaurant wasn’t far, but navigating the uneven path in heels was proving to be a challenge. After a few steps, I stumbled slightly on a dip in the road.

“You alright?” Matt asked, catching up to me.

“Yeah, these heels and this road aren’t exactly the best of friends, a bit like us” I muttered, half laughing at myself.

Without saying a word, he offered his arm. I hesitated for a moment before looping my hand through it.

“Don’t make it weird” he said, smirking down at me.

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it” I replied with a sarcastic smile, though I appreciated the gesture.

We arrived at the restaurant, a cozy spot with string lights draped across the patio. As we approached our reserved table, I heard Nick let out a quiet yell.

“What are you guys doing here?!” he exclaimed, his voice a mix of shock and excitement.

I looked up to see a couple seated at our table, their parents. Their mom stood up with a wide smile, pulling Nick into a hug.

“We’ve been in Hawaii for the last few days” she said warmly. “We wanted to surprise you!”

Their dad chimed in, “But don’t worry, we’re staying on the opposite side of the island. We’re not here to crash your whole trip.”

Nick let out a laugh, still processing the surprise. Chris and Matt looked equally stunned but pleased to see them. 

The waiter approached to seat us, and we quickly rearranged our tables, one table with four seats and one table with three. I glanced at Matt, who caught my eye with an amused look.

“This should be fun” he said.

“Let’s just hope they don’t figure out how drunk you three are” I whispered back, earning a small chuckle from him.

We settled into our seats, Nate sat across from me, Matt was next to him, and Chris was beside me, while Nick took one of the seats at the table with his parents.

Chris leaned forward toward his parents while pointing at me,  his tone casual yet proud as he introduced me to his parents. “This is Y/n” he said. “She works with me for Fresh Love. We’ve been working hard on the new drop, couldn’t do it without her!.”

I smiled politely, but before I could say anything, Nick chimed in from the other table, his grin as wide as ever. “And she’s also my best friend” he added, his playful tone leaving no room for debate.

Their mom smiled warmly, nodding in approval, but the moment didn’t last long. Nick dove into conversation with his parents, leaving the four of us at our table to converse with each other.

Nate glanced up at Matt and Chris, his lips curling into a smirk. “Actually, I never asked how’d Vegas treat you two? Looked like you guys were.. occupied” he said, his words almost like he was implying something.

Chris chuckled, leaning back in his seat. “Occupied is one way to put it. Christina practically glued herself to Matt” he teased, earning a scoff from Matt.

Hearing another woman’s name left a bitter taste in my mouth. I had no reason to feel jealous, and yet, the idea of Matt being drooled over by someone else stirred something in me that I couldn’t quite place. It was irrational, and I knew it, so I kept my thoughts to myself, silently picking at the edge of my napkin.

Nick’s voice broke the conversation as he turned to Chris. “Hey, wanna head outside for some pictures real quick before we order?”

Chris nodded, standing up and following Nick without hesitation, leaving just me, Matt, and Nate at the table.

There was a brief moment of silence before their mom, who I assume was half listening to our earlier conversation, leaned over with a smile. “So Nate, do you have anyone special in your life right now?”

Nate chuckled, shaking his head. “No, not at all” he replied, his tone light.

Matt, of course, couldn’t resist. “Harsh one.” He snickered under his breath, looking directly at me.

I raised an eyebrow at him, confused by his comment. Before I could even ask what he meant, Matt took things further. He smirked and leaned back in his chair, his voice loud and clear. “Y/n and Nate went on a date last week, you know that?”

My heart sank, my face flushing red as all eyes seemed to land on me.

“What?” I stammered, but Nate jumped in before I could say anything more.

“It wasn’t like that at all” he said firmly, shaking his head. “We just grabbed dinner as friends.”

Matt wasn’t ready to let it go, though. “Oh, come on, Y/n” he teased, his voice making a mockery out of me. “Why so quiet? Feeling the sting of public rejection?”

My stomach twisted in humiliation. I could feel my face burning as I desperately avoided eye contact with anyone at the table. The old Matt was back just like that.

“Matt, stop being so rude” their mom interjected sharply, her tone firm. She turned back to her husband, trying to steer the conversation away from Matt’s antics.

“Yeah c’mon man we’re just friends” Nate tried to make it clear.

But Matt wasn’t done. His next words hit like a punch to the gut. “Oof, imagine just being a quick fuck and then friendzoned.”

The air left my lungs. The humiliation was overwhelming, and I could feel the sting of tears forming in my eyes. None of what he said was true, but the damage was done.

“I.. I’m actually not feeling the best right now.. I think it's the heat.. excuse me” I said quickly, my voice cracking as I stood up. I turned to their parents, forcing a polite smile through the lump in my throat. “But it was lovely to meet you.”

Without waiting for a response, I walked away from the table, the tears streaming down my face before I even reached the door.

As I pushed through the entrance, I nearly ran into Nick and Chris, who were heading back inside.

“Y/n?” Chris asked, his expression immediately shifting to concern. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t feel well” I mumbled, not stopping to explain. Before either of them could say another word, I kept walking, desperate to escape the restaurant, the humiliation, and, most of all, Matt.

I still felt the heat on my face, not from the warm Hawaiian night, but from the lingering embarrassment curling in my stomach. I really hoped his parents didn’t hear him say that. I was halfway down the quiet street when I heard the sound of running footsteps behind me.

“Y/n, wait!”

I clenched my jaw, picking up my pace, but Matt was faster, jogging until he caught up beside me. “Come on, don’t be like that” he said, slightly out of breath. “I wasn’t trying to embarrass you.”

I stopped abruptly, whipping around to face him. “Oh, really? Because bringing up that in front of your parents sure didn’t make me feel like the star of the evening.”

He ran a hand through his hair, his usual cocky demeanor fading. “I wasn’t thinking. I was just messing around, you know how I am-”

I let out a sharp laugh. “Yeah, I do. That’s the problem.” I turned back around, ready to keep walking, but he stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?” His voice was softer now, the arrogance stripped away. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”

I folded my arms, giving him a glare. “And yet it did.”

He exhaled heavily, clearly frustrated, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to let him smooth this over with some half assed apology.

“Y/n” he tried again, “I just-”

“I don’t care, Matt.” My voice was cold, firm. “You always do this. Say something without thinking, then act like it’s not a big deal when it is. I don’t need an apology. I just need you to stop.”

He stared at me for a moment, as if trying to figure out a way to fix this, but I wasn’t interested in hearing it. So I stepped around him and walked away, leaving him standing in the middle of the dimly lit street, finally at a loss for words.

He didn’t follow me this time. Maybe he finally got the message, or maybe he knew pushing it any further would only make things worse. Either way, I didn’t care. My chest still burned from embarrassment, and my head was buzzing with frustration as I made my way back toward the villa.

I reached the villa, slamming the door behind me before kicking off my heels and making my way to the room. The relief of being alone and actually having a bedroom door for privacy was short lived because not even five minutes later, there was a knock.

I sighed, already knowing who it was. “Go away, Matt.”

“Just let me in for a second” he called through the door. “Please.”

I rolled my eyes, but something in his voice made me hesitate. It wasn’t his usual cocky tone. It sounded.. tired. Frustrated, even.

Against my better judgment, I walked to the door and swung it open. “You’ve got sixty seconds.”

Matt stepped inside, his jaw tight, hands shoved in his pockets like he wasn’t sure what to do with them. “Look” he started, pausing for a second before meeting my eyes. “I was a dick. I know that.”

I folded my arms. “Great self awareness. Anything else?”

He let out a sharp breath, shaking his head. “I don’t know why I said it. Maybe I was trying to be funny, or maybe I was just being an idiot, probably both. But I didn’t mean it the way it came out.”

I scoffed. “You said I was a quick fuck that got friendzoned, Matt. How else was that supposed to come out?”

He winced, rubbing the back of his neck. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“But you said it” I shot back, my voice rising. “In front of your parents, no less. Do you even think before you speak, or do you just say the first thing that pops into your head?”

“I-” He stopped, exhaling slowly. “I don’t know. I guess I just didn’t think you’d care so much.”

I blinked at him, stunned. “Care? Are you serious? You embarrassed me, Matt. You made me look like some desperate fool who got used and thrown away. Why wouldn’t I care?”

Matt’s jaw clenched, his eyes flickering with something I couldn’t quite place, frustration, maybe, or something worse. I could tell he wanted to argue, to push back, but I wasn’t going to let him.

“You know what pisses me off the most?” I continued, folding my arms. “It’s not just what you said, it’s that you acted like you knew everything. Like you had some inside joke at my expense. And for what? A laugh?”

Matt exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “It wasn’t like that-”

“Then what was it like?” I challenged, my voice rising. “Because you made it sound like I was some easy target for Nate. And for the record, nothing ever even happened between us.”

Matt’s brows furrowed, his lips parting slightly in surprise. “What?”

“You heard me.” I snapped. “That night? Seven Minutes in Heaven? We didn’t even kiss. We sat there and talked, thought we’d mess with everyone's heads. And when we went out when you were in Vegas, and we made it clear we were just friends. There was nothing more to it.”

Matt blinked, like the idea had never even crossed his mind. “So you-”

“I never hooked up with Nate.” I interrupted, my tone sharp. “Not then. Not ever. So whatever picture you had in your head, whatever assumptions you made, they were wrong.”

He was quiet for a second, his hands still shoved in his pockets. “I didn’t know that.”

“No, you didn’t” I said bitterly. “Because you never asked. You just assumed.”

I could see it sinking in, the weight of his words finally hitting him, but I didn’t feel the satisfaction I thought I would. I just felt tired.

Matt let out a slow breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was an asshole.”

“Yeah” I said, my voice flat. “You were.”

He glanced at me, like he wanted to say more, but I was done.

“I don’t have the energy for this” I muttered, stepping back toward the door. “I’m done, Matt. I don’t care how sorry you are. Just leave me alone. It’s best if we just stay out of each other's way for the rest of the trip.”

His jaw tensed, but this time, he didn’t fight it. He just nodded.

“Alright” he said quietly. “Goodnight, Y/n.”

I didn’t reply. I just closed the door, locking it this time.

a/n : everything is .. not changing?

taglist : @mattybearnard @sturn-33 @ncm9696 @yourfavsturniologirl @crazy4jewel @sodakid1234 @stupendoustreewinner @lovealwayssturniolos @matthewsturniolosss @m4ttsmunch @loveexxx @ilusa @starkeyszn @wonnieeluvvr @dylnblue @valxrieq @maggot3647 @cigarettecemetary @ribread03 @chrisstvrns @bandasaruswrx @noplaceissafeanymore @amexiass @witchofthehour @mattssgf @jetaimevous @v33angel  @ivysturnss @urmom69lol @ashlishes @watercolorskyy @sturnioloshottiekay @amelia-sturniolo3 @imjusthereforthesturniolosmut @pvssychicken @alizestvrnss @chrisstxrnsaxe @sophand4n4 @vickytaa @marrykisskilled @bxtchboy69 @yourfavsturniologirl @julisturn @sydneyylainn @sophia-77n @trevorsgodmother @sturnslutz @yourmother29 @girl24cherry @astronea @pinkdyit

[svt-demi]

𖥔 HOMESICK . masterlist

SYNOPSIS: when demi leaves everything behind in australia to train in korea, she feels out of place and missing home is catching up to her.

TIMELINE: 2013

this took wayyy longer than it should've to finish. it's also not as good as i wanted it to be but i started struggling on what to write lmao. requests open ^-^

demitra was sick to her stomach. what was she thinking? god, she felt so stupid.

if you told her a few months before all this that she’d be moving to seoul all on her own, giving up everything she’d achieved so far in australia to join the kpop industry, she probably would have laughed in your face.

cause thats ridiculous, right?

sure, she had experience in dance — years of it. the people who scouted her knew that. they’d pulled her aside after a cheer competition, handed her a company card, and asked if she was interested in singing.

she still remembered the way she had stared at the man who handed her the card, blinking dumbly. a career in singing wasn’t something she had considered before. she’d only posted a few singing covers on youtube just for her friends to watch. they’d ramble on about how her voice was ‘too good to waste’, and she eventually gave in. she could sing, she knew that — knew that her voice didn’t sound bad. holding notes and matching pitch wasn’t hard for her. but this whole singing thing was just something she liked, something she did for fun, nothing she was ever planning to pursue.

she had no formal training. no vocal lessons. nothing beyond singing along to the radio in her room or messing around with friends. so when the scout had smiled and told her that a cover of hers, one that’d gained a little attention, had caught the eye of whatever company he was from, she almost laughed.

never once would she have thought that a few blurry covers filmed on her bedroom floor would be the reason her entire life changed.

so when she was stood in a bright green practice room with twelve teenage boys staring at her like she was some new weird species, her hands felt clammy and awkward at her sides, and she suddenly became hyper aware of everything. of how stiff her arms were, how she was biting down on her bottom lip, how she wasnt sure if she should bow again and say more about herself or just stand there. her throat was dry and she swore she could feel the heat crawling up the back of her neck. she wished she had prepared for this moment more. maybe then she wouldnt feel so exposed. so out of place.

she didn’t even notice that the manager had left the room until one of the boys spoke, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“you’re kinda short.”

the words hit her before her brain could even catch up. her eyes snapped toward the voice — a boy who looked alot younger than the others, standing slightly off to the side.

there was a beat of silence.

then an elbow jabbed into his ribs. “dude, don’t start with that.” another one hissed.

the first guy blinked, like he didn’t get what he did wrong. “what? i wasn’t being mean. it’s just… like, an observation.”

demi felt her stomach twist a little tighter. first impression? height commentary.

no one said much after that. a few of the boys exchanged glances and some just looked back at the mirror, like they were pretending this wasn’t weird. like they didn’t just find out today that a girl was joining their groups lineup.

because yeah — clearly no one had told them.

she shifted awkwardly in place, trying to shrink herself, like maybe if she stood still long enough, they’d forget she was even there. she wasn’t usually like this, but standing in a room full of boys who all knew each other was messing with her head.

no one really spoke to her after that. they didn’t ignore her exactly, but no one tried to talk either. they broke off into little pockets of conversation, some stretching, others warming up, a few just sitting around. demi hovered near the back corner of the room, clutching the hem of her hoodie and opening her phone.

she didn’t know how long she stood like that before someone walked over.

“so…” a voice said, smooth and almost too casual. “do you always stand in corners, or is that just an australian thing?”

she looked up, startled. the boy with longish hair and a smirk plastered across his face was standing infront of her, waiting for a reply.

demi blinked. “what?”

“you’ve been standing here for ages. are we really that bad?” he teased, casually leaning back against the wall.

when she didn’t respond, he straightened up slightly, his tone softening. “we were told there’d be a trainee coming from australia, just… didn’t expect you to be a girl. don’t worry, though. everyone will warm up eventually, they’re just a bit confused right now.”

demi bit her lip, her gaze shifting to the others around the room. something about his words made the tension in her chest loosen just a little. the knot that had been squeezing her lungs didn’t feel as tight, and for the first time since walking in, she realized she could actually breathe a little easier.

she didn’t even know his name yet, but his calm demeanor had somehow made her feel less uncomfortable.

“i didn’t know i’d be added to a boy group lineup either, for the record.” she said, her voice lighter than before.

he chuckled at that, as if he was thinking about it for a second before giving her an easy smile. “jeonghan,” he said, finally introducing himself. “the others probably wont wait very long until they build up the courage to introduce themselves. ”

jeonghan had been wrong.

within a week, the only people demi had managed to grow even somewhat close to, apart from jeonghan, were joshua and vernon — thankfully they spoke english — and surprisingly, dokyeom, seungkwan and dino.

it wasn’t that the others were unapproachable, but they kept their distance. so did demi. they were unsure, maybe, and awkward definitely. she didn’t blame them — she wasn’t exactly making it easy, either. but still, it was a little disappointing. jeonghan had made it sound like things would fall into place quickly.

everything was making demi miss home more than she’d expected. the streets that were still unfamiliar, the dorms, the way she didn’t seem to quite fit in. the way everyone around her joked with eachother in a rhythm she hadn’t learned yet. it was all piling in her chest, making her throat tight.

so when the first practice break finally came, she slipped out quietly and made her way toward the stairwell. it was cooler there, quiter too. she pulled her phone out of her pocket and stared down at her mom’s contact, thumb hovering over the call button. she didn’t know if she just wanted to talk — or if she just wanted to hear a familiar voice. maybe both.

she was so wrapped up in her own head that she didn’t hear the footsteps behind her.

“you gonna call?”

demi turned around, eyes locking on seungcheol.

they hadn’t really talked before. not properly. just the occasional check in — him making sure she was eating, ready for practice, keeping up. he’d never lingered enough to chat. demi was not going to be the one to start a conversation first.

she shifted on her feet. “maybe.”

“homesick?” seungcheol asked.

she nodded, gaze drifting back to her screen. “i dont want to call about something like this too early. she’ll freak out and end up booking me a flight back.”

her mom would, too, no hesitation. demi had begged for this opportunity, sold it like a dream — like she could handle it. and now she was here, standing in a stairwell like the whole thing was too heavy.

“you should call,” he said, resting a shoulder against the wall. “not to ask her to come home or anything. just to talk. it helps sometimes.”

demi didn’t respond right away, but her grip on the phone loosened.

“you’re allowed to miss home.” he added. “if it makes you feel better all of us feel homesick, even if our families are in the korea. it’s normal.”

she looked up at him, eyebrows slightly raised. he didn’t look like someone who’d ever doubted anything. with him being the oldest and the leader (and only knowing her for a week), it surprised her that he was talking like this.

“thanks,” she said.

seungcheol gave a small nod and then something in him shifted — like a curtain dropping over whatever soft part he’d just shown.

“practice starts again in ten,” he said, his seriousness back. “if you’re late the staff will never let you hear the end of it.”

then he turned and walked off, his footsteps echoing down the hallway until they faded entirely.

for a moment, demi just stood there. she didn’t move. didn’t even blink. it was like something in her had been knocked loose — not in a bad way, not in the way she’d been feeling since she first arrived — but in the way that made her shoulders drop, even if just a little. cleared her thoughts a little.

seungcheol hadn’t said much. he wasnt overly warm, wasn’t trying too hard to comfort her — but maybe that’s exactly why it helped. he hadn’t tried to sugarcoat anything or talk to her like she was fragile. he’d just acknowledged it and reassured her of the normalness of it. and for the first time since arriving, demi didn’t feel like she was being dramatic or weak for struggling.

the feeling of being homesick had crept up on her slowly — like an ache that you ignore until it’s too big to push down anymore. and she had been trying to push it down, to stay quiet and composed and “grateful” because she was the one who asked for this. she was the one who packed up her life and promised her mom she’d be okay.

the knot in her chest hadn’t disappeared completely. but it wasn’t choking her anymore.

and she’d listened to seungcheol’s advice.

[shadowsviper]

Ooo can you write the reader as a cat while thanos and namgyu take care of them?

Thanos and Nam-Gyu taking care of Cat reader

Literal cat. I made it so they live together just to make it easier to write. Whether they’re dating or not is up to you. Bro who was gonna tell me that the formatting for phones is weird compared to laptops

• There’s two ways I can think of how they find you and they’re high as fuck in both situations

• One way is that they’re coming home from the club and while walking down a dark alleyway they find you rummaging through some trash looking for something to eat

• Nam-gyu noticed you first, he immediately got down to your level and started pspspspsps at you

• Thanos was high as fuck so he actually kept walking and left him behind for a minute

• You were cautious of Nam-gyu. You peeked your head out to look at him but didn’t make a move

• He tried to lure you out with his hand but because of how cautious you were and the fact that he had nothing to offer you, you stayed put

• Thanos came back after realizing Nam-gyu was gone. When he noticed you, he let out the loudest gasp, scaring the fuck out of you

• You immediately hid under some cardboard

• “What the hell? You scared them off!” Nam-gyu grumbled.

• “We should take them home!” Thanos suggested. He started moving some cardboard out of the way

• Unfortunately for you, his movements were fast and unpredictable which scared you even more. It didn’t help that compared to you he was a giant human

• His hands reached down for you, effectively grabbing your body and lifting you up to his chest. Your paws immediately pressed against him, trying to push him away

• “You suck at holding them, give them to me,” Nam-gyu said, reaching over for you. His hands grabbed you from Thanos and cradled you to his chest

• It wasn’t that much better than Thanos, but at least he had a comfortable grip. Just like that, they now have a cat and you have a new home

• The other way I could think of them finding you is at a animal shelter. They were high as hell and decided to go look at some animals for fun

• Thanos immediately went for the dogs, claiming that they would match his energy

• Nam-gyu gravitated towards the cats. He preferred them over dogs.Dogs were too energetic for him. Having Thanos around was enough for him

• Nam-gyu looked at every cat available before he circled around and came back to you. He couldn’t explain it but there was something about you

• He stared at you, and you stared back. It became a staring contest for the two of you. Nam-gyu didn’t blink at all, but not blinking might be a side effect of drugs

• He asked a worker to let you out so he could spend some time with you. He already knew you’d be the one

• You were the only one who even bothered to approach him and accept his hand for pets

• It took some time before you were comfortable to play with him. You swatted at the toys he gave you, showing off how playful you could be

• Nam-gyu sat near you, his hand constantly reached over to pet you. His touch was gentle, almost as if he’s scared to pet you. You can’t help but purr every time he pets you

• Thanos comes in loud as always, scaring some of the cats in the room

• “Nam-su! They have a bunch of dogs here-” Thanos stopped when he realized you were right besides Nam-gyu and purring. “Is that a cat?”

•”No it’s a hamster,” Nam-gyu said sarcastically, ignoring the nickname. “Yes, it’s a cat. They’re very playful. I think they’ll be a nice fit to our place.”

• And here comes the argument

• Thanos wants a dog, Nam-gyu wants a cat. They’re both arguing over which animal to pick as if they actually had the goal to adopt when they came into the shelter high as fuck

• “Dogs are cooler,” Thanos whined. “Imagine me walking around with a big ass German Shepherd, or a Doberman! I won’t look as cool with a cat, I can’t bring them outside.”

• “Yeah but guys having cats is considered a green flag,” Nam-gyu said. He was getting distracted by you making biscuits on his pants as he pet you. “You’re a walking red flag, you need some green to even it out.”

• Thano argued that he did have green to even it out. It was weed

• Nam-gyu sighed.

• Either way, Nam-gyu eventually convinced Thanos to adopt you. It didn’t take too much effort considering that he was high and he listened to Nam-gyu whenever he was high

• Congratulations you now have two dumbass junkies as your owner

• Which ever way they found you, they made sure that you were the most spoiled cat ever

• They made their apartment more comfortable for you. There were beds everywhere, cat trees everywhere, scratching posts, you name it they have it

• Thanos made sure you had every toy in existence and that you would always be comfortable

• Nam-gyu made sure you had the best quality food. Whether that be the best quality kibble, wet food, or even raw diet, he made sure it was perfect

• Cuddles are a must for Thanos and you don’t have a say in when or where. He’ll just grab you and hug you close for a while. He’s done it while you were sleeping which earned him a few scratches

• He definitely tried to grab you while he was in the bathroom saying some shit about needing a buddy while he goes

• Yeah just stay away from him when he’s in the bathroom

• Nam-gyu respects your space. Which is funny considering how touchy he is with Thanos

• He’ll let you come to him most of the time. The only times he’ll grab you first is if he needed to move you or just wanted a hug

• The bed is always the best spot. It’s warm and cozy, and it has their scent. It keeps you sane when they’re gone for a long time doing whatever it is they do late at night

• You soon realized that they’re different when they’re sober

• Thanos is still as loud as ever but he’s more aware of how loud he is. Ever since having you in the apartment he realized how sensitive your ears are and will quiet down around you

• He respects your space a little more when he’s sober because he’ll realize that he never leaves you alone

• Nam-gyu is pretty much the same. He’s more aware of his surroundings and will be more accommodating towards you but fuck everyone else he doesn’t care about them, only you… and maybe Thanos

• Thanos would be annoying as hell, he’d buy every pet outfit he sees and buys it for you to try. His phone is filled with pictures of you dressed up

• They both have you as their wallpaper

• Thanos either has you with an outfit as a wallpaper or it’s some bad quality photo he got of you mid sneeze. He only has bad quality photos of you and maybe like 2-3 good ones. He loves to send those bad quality photos as reaction pictures when texting anyone

• Nam-gyu only has good quality photos of you. Ones that people would pay hundreds for. His wallpaper is always you looking perfect. On the couch lounging, sleeping in the cat tree, looking at birds out the window. The best quality only

• Anyways, they love you very much and will only provide the absolute best for you, nothing less

[thescarletnargacuga]

Love your series….ever thought about writing a oneshot of Caine and Pomni being nervous on their first date?? Just an idea! 😁

AN: And it's a lovely idea! Two nervous beans coming right up! I'm glad you like my Raceway series, it's fun to write!

ART BY: @waffle-gal

DATE NIGHT

WARNING: gets a teensy bit suggestive at the end out of context

~~~

"Ow!" Pomni cried as Ragatha brushed her hair. "Are you trying to scalp me? Ease up."

"Sorry, I'm just so excited for you! You and Caine, finally on a date. Took you two long enough." Ragatha set the hairbrush down on the vanity and touched up Pomni's makeup.

"We've been out together before, just the two of us." Pomni adjusted the blue evening gloves that matched her ankle length dress. "It's really not that different." She was telling herself that, more than anyone else, to ease her nerves.

"Not that different!?" Gangle nearly dropped the gold necklace she was putting around Pomni's neck. "It's entirely different! You two agreed to a date. This isn't just you two hanging out. You're going to get closer romantically, not just as friends." She clasped the necklace in place and picked out some gold bracelets.

Pomni's stomach did a backflip. "It's just dinner. He doesn't even eat, we'll probably talk the whole time. We already do that. No big deal." She smiled nervously at herself in the mirror and squeezed the red shawl in her lap, trying to remain calm.

~

Caine floated with his hands on his hips in front of his closet in his dressing room. He stared at the line of tailcoats, all the same bright scarlet. His tie hung loosely around his neck. "Ugh! I don't know what to wear!" He dramatically threw his arms up. "It needs to be perfect! Pomni deserves nothing less! Presentation matters!"

He snapped his fingers and a coat appeared on his body. It looked the same as it always did. "Nope!" He snapped again, it turned green. "Nope!" Again, pink. "Fashionable! But no." Again, yellow. "No." Again, blue. "Definitely not!" Again, black. "Well, now! This is classy!"

He looked himself over in a floor length mirror, spinning his body 360° without moving his head. He snapped and his buttons and tie fastened themselves, and a red cummerbund accented his waist. "Now I just need my accessories!" He took one look around. "Hey! Who's got my hat?"

Bubble floated to him from inside an oversized toy box, wearing his top hat. "Look! I'm the ringmaster! Pomni, Pomni, Pomni!" Bubble danced around in the air mockingly.

Caine rolled his eyes. "Ha. Ha. Gimme that." He snatched his hat from Bubble and adjusted it on top of his head perfectly. He clapped his hands together and his cane telescoped out of his palms, he gave it a twirl for good measure. "How do I look?" He posed for Bubble.

"Like a [%$!#]." Bubble grinned.

Caine didn't know what else he expected. "Well, I can always count on you for an honest opinion." He popped Bubble with the end of his cane and took one more look at himself. "I just hope Pomni likes it."

He had it all planned out. He'd pick her up from her room in the tent, take her to a really nice restaurant he fabricated himself, then a romantic moonlit stroll in the garden terrace. He could do this. Consider it a special adventure. No need to be nervous. Not at all. Nope.

He was grateful he couldn't sweat.

~

Pomni paced by her door inside her room, holding her shawl around her shoulders like it would protect her from the anxiety tearing through her system. If she could go through the whole night without vomiting, it would be a miracle.

"I really will be alright, Pomni. You don't have anything to worry about. It's obvious to everyone that Caine likes you. You should try to relax and enjoy yourself." Ragatha tried to be reassuring but Pomni was practically vibrating with anxiety.

"But what if I mess it up!?" Pomni blurted out. "What if he realizes just how...how weird I am!?

The girls almost laughed. Ragatha put a hand on Pomni's shoulder to stop her from wearing a hole in the floor. "This is Caine we're talking about. If anything, he'll have to be the one to dial back the weirdness to not scare you away."

"No, no, not weird as in wacky. Weird as in awkward mess of a human being!" Pomni would have continued ranting about herself but the knock at her door silenced her.

"He's here!" Ragatha squealed. She and Gangle made sure Pomni was ready last second and hid behind the door.

Pomni opened it to see Caine in his sleek black suit; hat in hand, cane under his arm. Her eyes went wide as she looked him up and down shamelessly. "Wow.." she cleared her throat. "Hello, Caine. You look great." She smiled and stepped out of her room, leaving the door cracked. The girls inside peeked.

Caine clutched his hat to his chest. His pupils dilated as he took her in, from her red heels to her blue dress to her makeup. He committed every detail to memory. "Pomni... you're somehow more gorgeous than the last time I saw you! How did you do that!? Do you have special powers I don't know about!?"

Pomni knew her cheeks were going to be warm the whole evening, but she didn't think she'd want to dunk her face in cold water so soon. She looked down and picked at her gloves. "No, uh, Ragatha and Gangle helped..."

Caine flew around her, trying to see her at all angles. "However you did it, you look fantastic, my dear! Are you ready for our date?" He put his hat back on and offered her his arm.

Pomni gave a small smile and put her arm in his. "Yeah, let's go." Her stomach fluttered, full of butterflies. Caine being his usual boisterous self actually helped her feel at ease. If he could be confidently weird, maybe she could too.

Caine snapped and they teleported out of the tent. Pomni blinked and she was in a softly lit restaurant. All of the staff and patrons were the typical faceless NPCs, including the full orchestra performing on stage at the end of the grand ballroom sized room.

"Woah..." Pomni looked up and the ceiling was ornately painted. It looked like an A.I. generated oil painting, but it was nice nonetheless. A huge diamond chandelier glowed from the center of the room. A small two-seated table directly under the chandelier was the only one empty.

Caine smiled to himself as he watched Pomni take in the atmosphere. "I assume you approve?"

"Absolutely, I do. This place is so fancy."

"Only the best for you, my dear. I made sure of that." He escorted her to the table and her chair pulled out with a wave of his hand.

Pomni settled into the comfortable chair. The table had a white cloth and a vast array of cutlery. It looked like it had a special fork or spoon for every different type of food.

Caine sat but still hovered over the seat of the chair. He left his cane mid air and placed his hat on top of it like a hatrack. He took an inner sigh of relief. So far, so good. She likes the setting! She's absolutely stunning! They were on a date! ...now what?

Pomni made eye contact with Caine. They smiled at each other but neither said a word right away. They took in the general feel of their surroundings and decided it was a good one.

"So wha-"

"How-

They spoke at the same time and had a good laugh over it.

"You first." Pomni said.

"Nonsense, my dear. You go ahead."

"Oh, I was just going to ask what adventures you've been working lately."

"Now, now." He wagged a finger. "No spoilers. However, I will give you a hint. I've really been itching to do more underwater themes."

"Like reefs? Those colorful and vibrant coral habitats?" Pomni said hopefully. She grimaced at the thought of being under deep water.

"...that would probably be a better idea. Maybe I could make one big enough for the multi-whale." He tapped his "chin" in contemplation.

"The what, now?"

"No spoilers!" He snapped his fingers and a waiter came by the table and poured drinks. "Now, my turn. How do humans do this?" He leaned against the table.

"Do what?" Pomni took a sip of what was, at least presented as, wine.

"Date. What's the protocol? I wasn't programmed with this in mind. I, quite literally, have no idea what I'm doing. This-" he gestures to the whole room. "-was a mixture of background settings and NPC presets. So, how do humans, uh...what's the word I'm looking for here? Consummate?"

Pomni did a spit take. She coughed and spluttered and wiped her face with a napkin. "No. No, that's not the word. How do you even know that word? Never mind. Dating is a more intimate form of social bonding. Where two people get to know things about the other that would go deeper than just friendship." She surprised herself with her answer, it was very concise.

"I see. So, we should tell each other things we haven't shared with others? Like secrets?" He liked that idea.

"Pretty much." Pomni shrugged.

"Would you like to proceed?"

"Uhhh, how about turns? We could make a game of it."

"NOW you're speaking my language!" Cane rubbed his hands together.

Pomni giggled at how excited he suddenly got at the mere mention of a game. "Okay, it's called two truths and a lie. We tell each other three facts about ourselves, but one of them isn't true. You try to guess which one, and you win if you figure it out. But this game is more about the stories attached to the facts than actually winning anything. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, it does! I'll start!" He held up his fingers. "I was trademarked by C&A Tech Industries cerca 1997. I had a humanoid face, my current look is actually a permanent graphical glitch. And Bubble freaks me out."

Pomni thought for a second. "Bubble doesn't freak you out. You love Bubble."

"Wrong!" He said a bit too loud. He coughed and hushed himself. "Bubble is creepy! And they say the most horrific things! It just goes to show how good of a performer I am that you believe otherwise." He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, looking smug that he fooled her.

"Wow! That's hard to believe, you have such a good stage presence together."

"We keep our beef off the stage. Anyway, yeah, the lie was my face. I was made to look this handsome on purpose." He winked.

That got a good laugh out of her. "You are uniquely handsome, I'll give you that."

"It's the pearly whites, isn't it? The ladies can't get enough of my smile."

"That they can't." She paused and stared for a moment. He was so easy to talk to, even if she didn't know what to say. Probably because he could talk enough for both of them, but it was nice all the same. She didn't know what she was so worried about earlier.

Caine cradled his chin in his hands and rested his elbows on the table. "You're turn." He was kicking his feet under the table. She had called him handsome. He was going to be riding that high for a while.

"Oh! Oh right. Uh, let's see... I don't like bananas. I can juggle. And I snort if I laugh too hard."

"If the third one is true Pomni, you know I'm gonna need to hear that cute little snort."

"Oh, it's not cute. Not even a little bit." She admitted.

"Ah-ha! So you DO snort laugh!"

"Wait, hey!"

Caine laughed hard enough to bring a tear to his eye. "Okay, okay, okay, so it's either bananas or juggling. Hmmm....you LOVE bananas."

"Nope." It was her turn to be smug. "Never liked them. They taste weird and have an even weirder texture. The lie was about juggling. I mean, have you met me? I had no coordination in these noodly limbs." Her cartoonish arms squiggled out to her side for emphasis.

He chuckled and took a deep breath. His ribs hurt from laughing. "You're hilarious, you know that?"

She smiled sweetly at him. "Do you know that you're really fun to be around? You bring so much energy into a room, even when you're not in show mode. You make me laugh. You make me...happy."

Caine sat upright. He felt a warm fuzzy feeling in his chest and held out a hand across the small table. She put her hand in his and he squeezed it gently. "You make me happy too, Pomni. Happier than I ever thought I could be."

Pomni felt warm and fuzzy too. She glanced at the side of the room that had huge glass doors viewing the garden outside. "How about we skip dinner? Take a walk with me?"

He didn't hesitate. He stood and continued to hold her hand as she joined him outside. His cane with his hat floated along behind them.

Outside was quiet, say for the sound of insects and nighttime birds. The warm light of the restaurant illuminated the courtyard. A fountain took center stage. Benches occupied the four corners. All of it was surrounded by the vibrant forest that was the garden. Colorful flowers and strange plants only parted for the narrow walkways. Fireflies danced their nightly ritual, giving the garden a mystical feel. The air felt cool underneath the late evening sky.

Caine took off his coat and draped it over Pomni's shoulders. "There you go. Can't have you catching chill."

Pomni hadn't stopped smiling most of the night, but this warmed her heart. Caine was the all powerful being of this realm. He could just change the temperature if he so desired, but instead he gives her his jacket. It felt so personal. "Who taught you this?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets. As far as you know, I'm just a regular Casanova." He leaned in with an exaggerated smolder in his eyes.

This made her go all shy. She gently pushed him away. "Don't ever make that face again."

"What? This face?" He did it again, but even more ridiculous. Sticking his tongue out as well.

She giggled. "Stop."

"Why Pomni? Don't you find dis attractive? Am I wooing you?" His face got even crazier.

She laughed harder. A small snort snuck out and she froze.

Caine stopped everything. Had he just heard what he thought he heard? "Yes! I did it!" He whooped and hollered, flying in a circle.

Pomni couldn't stop. He was making her laugh more and she snorted multiple times. Their laughter rang out into the night. Pomni became lightheaded from it and swayed. Caine held onto her but he himself was unsteady. They leaned on each other as they slowly caught their breaths.

Caine cupped her cheek and wiped away the happy tears running down her face. "You're laugh is the most beautiful sound in the world. Snort and all."

"Tell anyone about it and I'll deny it."

"Heh, our little secret then. A special laugh only I get to hear. I couldn't ask for more." He looked at her with softness in his eyes.

She stood close, her hands on his waist. He felt nothing short of lightning pass through him when she touched him. His gaze drifted to her lips. "Is it weird...that this didn't feel like a first date, Pomni?"

"No. Not weird at all." She instinctively got closer, keeping her eyes on his.

His other hand joined in on holding her face. He sounded out of breath. "Pomni...I want to kiss you."

"Then kiss me..." She whispered back. She waited to see what he would do. She had NO idea what he considered his own lips.

The tip of his tongue peaked out over the top of his bottom teeth. His bottom jaw puckered with his tongue and she got a lip lock of teeth and tongue. It was nothing short of magical. All the fireworks were going off in her head. Perhaps it was the digital world's doing or Caine's influence, she didn't care. Kissing him was full body euphoria.

They separated very briefly to look each other in the eye. They silently confirmed that they both had felt the same thing and immediately pulled each other back in. His hands supporting her back and neck as he leans into her, her arms fully wrapped around him.

~

Gangle and Ragatha played cards on the floor of Pomni's room. They wanted to be there to support her if things went tragically wrong. OR be the first ones Pomni spills all the datetime tea with. A snap sound outside the door makes them pause. They both scramble to the door and press their faces to it. They heard muffled voices on the other side.

"You were wonderful company, my dear. I look forward to our next outing. Rest well, and my apologies if I was a bit ... overenthusiastic. You're quite the rare delicacy." A quiet smooch sound. Gangle gasped, Ragatha slapped her hands over Gangle's mouth.

"I look forward to the next time too. And, don't apologize. I enjoyed myself. Goodnight, Caine."

Ragatha went as red as her hair. She heard Caine snap away and she flung the door open. Pomni jumped, not expecting the girls to still be up. Ragatha eyed the teeth marks on Pomni's ahoulder. "Tell. Us. Everything."

~~~

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, please leave a comment! 🙏

[the-artist-grimm]

Following on from the wonderful "smecks lore" drop earlier, are there any other little headcanons of history within the world you would like to share that maybe you've not been able to incorporate into your work?

I'm sorry for calling it that but it is what it is

Love your work as always Yadda Yadda Yadda I'll shut up now bye!

Alright Miscellaneous Lore Lightning Round go!

Anthea

-Favorite color is green! They don’t mind the red since it’s on brand with the Red Crown, but Anthea would’ve preferred a green cloak had they the choice, it’s why they have green mixed in anywhere else in the outfit they can. 

-They're VERY petite and it's likely from their mother's side since their dad was a giant lol. They can get grumpy about it, but they do really enjoy how Narinder can just pick them up easily. They DON'T enjoy when the kits get taller than they are though XD

-Their love of stars comes from their father! Their village was hidden in the woods with little view of the sky through the trees, so when their father, Aries, started taking Anthea at age 4 out with him on supply runs he would try to always leave time for them to stargaze and tell them stories about the constellations.

-Anthea was the one who found their father’s remains-when he didn’t come home one morning no one else in the village knew his routes, so at just 8 years old they went out on their own to find him in secret. It took hours and was pretty far out, but they did find him eventually, first his bloodied robes and pack, then his charred remains. Heretics had jumped and sacrificed him via a fire to Shamura going off the sigils left burned into his skull, and it was only by the wedding band still left on his hand that they could ID him. From there they broke down for a while, and after crying themselves dry of tears, numbly packed as much of his bones and ashes as they could into the pack and returned home.

Bishops

All the bishops have several domains, but they do each have a main 2 each as follows;

Leshy: Chaos and Order Heket: Famine and Harvest Kallamar: Pestilence and Medicine Shamura: War and Wisdom Narinder: Death and Sleep (the sleep domain was inspired a little by both Greek Mythology and @hotchocolatedemon ‘s AMAZING fic Ichor Betwixt Mortal Palms GO READ IT)

Narinder

-Narinder’s more mellow/melancholic personality in this AU directly stems from his low self-esteem and his belief that his siblings hated him. Had the twins not ended up in his care Anthea likely would've met a VERY numb god, but as guilty as he felt about it, having two sweet kids around was a balm to that festering wound of grief.

-Narinder’s domain of Death is more specifically ‘Peaceful Death’ (Drawing from how Hypnos-the greek god of sleep, is a peaceful god) 

-Narinder's been mostly disconnected from his Sleep domain due to the chains separating him from mortals (he actually feared sleep would be impossible for a time after the chains but thankfully outside of more nightmares most are unaffected rest-wise), but when he starts hearing about Anthea’s nightmares from the crown he starts trying to get them to fall asleep in the Gateway to try and get a chance to peer in.

Heket 

-Heket is a big fucking lesbian ™ and has a thing for ladies that can beat her over the head with a hammer. (cough Forneus cough). While acting as vessel Forneus prefered to attack Heket's ranks the most since it pissed her off a LOT, but it gradually became a weird breaking each others chops to flirt thing. They haven't spoken since Forneus gave up the crown, but Heket is actually part of the reason why she became the one vessel not hunted down-post vesselship.

She didn't know Forneus had been pregnant nor that Shamura took the kits till after the fact, but after learning about it she felt so sorry for her that she told Leshy and Kallamar to leave her be, and that if any of their forces so much as touched her they'd be punished. Like Forneus could be a pain, but she could match her in a fight which Heket really respected.

Aym and Baal

-The twins are technically 300+, but since their aging has been so slowed they don’t recognize it, think children trapped in Neverland, so long as they’re in the gateway centuries can pass and they won’t perceive a thing. They would still be newborns without Narinder intervening with his magic, and the gateway age of 11 is just him guessing based off their teeth (he saved all their fallen kitten teeth since it was the only way to vaguely keep track of their age). When freed Aym still has 2 left and Baal 1, meaning they're just at the start of adolescence.

-Which on that note Narinder feeding them tiny amounts of magic over the centuries has kinda transformed the two-they’re more demi-god than mortal now, and stop visibly aging at 25 since they’re immortal. They also each took on minor aspects of Nari’s domains, Aym can sense when death is near, and Baal can vaguely sense the type of dream someone’s having.

Knucklebones Gang 

-Ranks while working as Ratau’s disciples:

Flinky - Medic and Spymaster, he still actually passes along old contacts/cashes in favors for Anthea now Shrumy - Loyalty Enforcer and Guard Captain, he used to be a pretty tough fighter and later became Anthea’s combat instructor after they entered Ratau’s care. He starts teaching the twins eventually too. Klunko and Bop - Tax Enforcer and Head of Trade, wasn’t very good at actually collecting tax but was good at getting good deals from traders

-I hinted at this in one of my COTLtober pieces but Flinky and Ratau are married! They got together during Ratau’s time as vessel and married after he lost the crown.

-The traps mentioned in the same piece are also to keep Heretics out of Ratau's territory since he's wanted.

-Ratau and Flinky are also technically Anthea’s adopted fathers-they alternate between calling them by their names or ‘Dad’ for Ratau and ‘Pa’ for Flinky depending on their mood/who’s with them. 

-The Cult knows that if the Leader is gonna be gone for awhile then the Rat's in charge-Ratau before Narinder's freed/reconciled with the lamb would often be asked to babysit, though once Narinder's officially Anthea's partner that role goes to him typically, meaning Ratau can go back to enjoying his retirement.

That's just some random bits for now!

[deepdreamnights]

Using Vidu to Make Character Turnarounds

Disclosure: I am in the Vidu Artist Program.

Having (at the very least) front and back reference greatly improves the quality of character image prompting. And very often, one finds that they were lazy and only got a couple of bits of character reference. Or they have tons of it in the wrong art style.

A character like Wally Manmoth requires some good reference to work right.

Now, it's not that hard to prompt up something that matches close enough and then modifying the stuff manually until it works, such as I did with TriceraBruce and DeinoSteve:

You can tell Steve's the bad boy because he's got a cool rip in the back of his jacket.

But for Wally, I decided to try out Vidu as a means of getting turnaround frames.

So I loaded Wally's front-view pic (above) into the image-to-video feature, and prompted with:

vintage traditional animation scene (1985) humanoid mammoth/furry elephant wearing a red hawaiian shirt and blue shorts, by filmation and sunbow productions, 90s colors, friendly on green background, streamlined black line art with cel shaded vintage cartoon color, official media, character design fullbody shot on green background. The mammoth-anthro starts facing the camera, turning around to face away from the viewer, providing a view of his back.

I gave it two shots at the 720x quality setting (12 points per, total of 24), and got:

Huh. Weird it happened twice, etc.

This demonstrates both that the tech is viable for this use, and the reason you'd want to have that multi-view reference. The robot clearly assumes that a luau shirt would have a large print on the back, whereas wally's is a more basic print. That's ultra easy to fix, though.

I started by exporting the last frame of each (or close to it, picking the one that looks cleanest)

While its image editing features and often touch-and-go, one thing the Midjourney edit feature has going for it is it's utility as an upscaler. You load the image in, make your tweaks (just a little bit of background if you're just upscaling) and then upscale and at the very least you have 2048x2048 worth of resolution.

I used the midjourney edit process, that got those two images to the following state, as a test.

The results are good, but getting the large trees to erase-and-replace out took several attempts, and just doing it in photoshop then using the editor to upscale would have been faster.

This is why we do tests.

I went with the slightly-at-an-angle one for the main reference sheet. I'll be keeping the straight-on-back-shot in case it winds up being useful for specific scenes down the line.

In photoshop, I touched up the shirt print, made sure the colors where consistent, and simplified the hair coloration to something more period-plausible.

No more giant trees on the back! On the other hand, I think the feet sprouting toes on the heel is going to be something I'll be fixing frame-by-frame until there's another revision.

Human characters will induce these issues less often. I just stick with my genre of choice.

Midjourney was not cooperating with TyrannoMax (it really doesn't like giving him the proportions I like, preferring to make him a weird big-head salamander), so I went the same direction, resulting in this stage 1 front/back:

Only Midjourney refused to work with it, at all. Declaring everything that came out of it too lewd for its internal censor. Apparently, this hunky relative of cheesasaurus rex is too sexy for general consumption. Nevermind that it's a cartoon lizard in a shade tangello orange.

The workaround is too dumb for words.

Slam the hue slider until it's off anything that could be perceived as a human skintone.

Then make the modifications. Here I had to rework the leg several times, and do a lot of tweaking to remove-overinking. Then I popped it back out, droped it back into lineart, re-colored it, and and composited it back together:

And voila, a front and back for Max. I shortened his tail, as the longer tails have been causing problems with confusing the image prompting systems. The armor skirt has scallops to accommodate the tail, which looked better more consistently than the flaps folding around the tail.

The results are, thus far, encouraging.

Of course, if the back of your character has any unexpected details, you're going to have to add those in after the fact or include them in the prompting, and you're going to be making a lot of edits regardless (as you should).

Oh, and Max has a sword now.

A blade of amber crystal with a fossilized femur grip and a faceted dino-eye that should be far enough away from the Eye of Thundera for safety. A roleplay-toy friendly trademark weapon, usually a sword, was a must-have for 80s action-adventure lines despite the fact that you'd never see it used on anything that wasn't a robot, living statue, or skeleton.

Thus the sword's gimmick is it cleaves through non-living matter with ease but anything BS&P doesn't want subjected to a stabbin's is encased in amber crystal: locked in place if partially encased, put into suspended animation if fully encased. A nice, nonlethal use for a magic sword.

It's proportioned like a gladius, but is generally interpreted as larger, approaching a broadsword, in keeping with the generally ridiculous blade sizes of kidvid fantasy. They're just more fun when they're stupidly huge.

Is "Sword of Eons" too on the nose?

[3mz0mbi3]

HOLY SHIT YOU WRITE FOR MIRACULOUS!? KEKWIWISJSJ-

CAN I REQUEST HOW YANDERE LADYBUG OR CHATNOIR WOULD REACT IF READER WAS AKUMATIZED???

❛ 🦢 ⊹˚․ 𝐀 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐒𝐖𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐄 ⌢ 𝜚 ₊˚

꒰ ​🇹​​🇼​: ― ​🇾​​🇦​​🇳​​🇩​​🇪​​🇷​​🇪​ ​🇧​​🇪​​🇭​​🇦​​🇻​​🇮​​🇴​​🇷​, ​🇸​​🇹​​🇦​​🇱​​🇰​​🇮​​🇳​​🇬​, ​🇲​​🇴​​🇲​​🇲​​🇾​ ​🇮​​🇸​​🇸​​🇺​​🇪​​🇸​.꒱

You hoped your day wouldn't be as shitty as it's now.

─── “Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!” ───

You sigh, about to explode, but you just give them a forced smile.

"Come on, Chloe, it's just a table, you can always get another one! Besides, lunch is almost over, there's no point in arguing anymore, so with Marinette and Alya."

─── “No! This is my table! Sabrina and I always sit at this table, can't these plebs come and sit in the place of royalty like me?” ───

“Well, the tables are all the same, uh—, but come on! I can find you another one worthy of your beautiful presence! Besides, you don't want to deal with so much "plebs", do you? I'll find you somewhere a little more secluded. Not everyone is worthy of your presence.”

You spoke animatedly as you smiled at Chloe, causing her to ponder her words for a moment before she smiling mischievously, blinded by the flattery that made her boost her ego, so it was easier for you to convince her

─── “Well, now that you mention it, you're right, so Shu-Shu! Hurry up and find me a better table!” ───

“Sure, Chloe.”

You smiled, but inside you were pissed off. It was a wonder you didn't explode on the spot and rip out all the blonde girl's hair. You directed your gaze towards Marinette who was with her entire red box., similar to how Nathaniel's hair shook when he hid behind Alya. You only gave a quick nod and a "sweet smile" to the two girls and went back to take care of Chloe, followed by Sabrina to find her a new table so she'd stop making such a fuss.

─── “God, this girl is amazing.” ───

The girl of brown-skinned spoke, fascinated by how much patience you had and how well you could handle Chloe.

─── “Right?” ───

Now the raven girl with the two pigtails spoke dreamily as she followed her beloved with the gaze.

─── “Come on, Mari, try talking to her, it's a bit weird that you're looking at her from a distance.” ───

Marinette ignored her friend's advice and continued looking the girl from a distance. She couldn't believe what an angel ꒰Y/N꒱was even with a witch like Chloe, but there the girl was looking for a table for the annoying blonde… Spoiled, the young girl with the pigtails returned to reality as the bell rang, indicating that her break was over and it was time to go back to class. She sighed as she turned back to her best friend, who was only gave her advice.

‎♡‧₊˚˗ˏˋ 🩰 ˎˊ˗₊‧‎♡

At last, your hell was over and you could return home to recover from the annoying day. You'd have liked everything to change for once, but everything was the same. You had no choice but to go home and rest, only to experience the same shit the next day. As you walked to the school exit, discouraged, you didn't expect someone to suddenly touch you gently on the shoulder; you quickly turn your head and see beautiful green eyes.

─── “꒰Y/N꒱, Uh— Hello!“ ───

“Oh, Hello, Adrien. Do you need anything?"

The blond boy looked noticeably nervous as he tried to remember his words well and not embarrass himself in front of the young woman. He took a deep breath to start talking.

─── “Well, actually, I just wanted to give you something.” ───

He reached into the pocket of his blue jeans, pulled out a pretty pink ribbon and held out his arm to the young woman to hand it to him, whereupon the young woman took it in one of her hands.

“Oh, its cute but may I know why you're giving it to me?

─── “Oh— Well I thought you could tie it in your hair to match your ballet dress.” ───

He spoke nervously as he played with his fingers, but you were still processing what he had just said, you thought that almost no one knew you practiced ballet, you looked at the ribbon in your hand and couldn't help but smile.

“Thanks so much Adrien, I really appreciate it, how did you know I practiced ballet?”

​─── “Ah—"It's just that I, well, uh—I heard you practiced ballet, so I thought you'd like it.” ───

“Oh, I see… Thank you again, see you tomorrow, Adrien.”

She gave Adrien a smile of gratitude, he just smiled nervously as the young woman turned back towards the exit of the school to head to your house.

─── “UHG! Who does Adrien think he is? "Why did he get so close to ꒰Y/N꒱? Do you think Adrien likes ꒰Y/N꒱ too?" ───

─── “Come on girl, maybe they were just talking, you know that not all the people who get close to ꒰Y/N꒱ its because they have to be into her.” ───

─── “Alya, but— did you see the way Adrien was looking at ꒰Y/N꒱?! Also, he approached her very suddenly! I know Adrien is up to something, and I am going to make sure he does not get it! ───

─── “Chill out Marinette, you might still have a chance if you just talk to her, you will never know if you do not try.” ───

The young girl with the pigtails just grumbled, still annoyed by the interaction of his beloved ꒰Y/N꒱ and Adrien, while Alya tried to calm her down.

♡‧₊˚˗ˏˋ 🩰 ˎˊ˗₊‧‎♡

You collapsed on your bed with your backpack, exhausted from walking. You still had the ribbon bow in your hand you just looked at it, you were very tired from walking, not only from that but from having to go to school and from having to solve the problems. Problems from all your "friends", and having to stay up all night studying for even the easy questions in class, you tossed and turned in your bed until you stayed face up looking at the ceiling of your room and think

“Oh, but your only just helping them; what's wrong with that?”

Well, if you had to listen to them all the time, in class, all the time talking about them and their emotional problems, maybe you were already a psychologist??

"But they're just blowing off steam!"

Of course you never saw anything wrong with that. Some of your classmates had a lot of trust in you, but one thing was that they wanted to blow off steam, on the other they expected you to come up with an answer that would solve everything. You could only give them comforting words and support them; why did they expect even more from you?

"Did you always try to please everyone around you, but why? Why didn't you want to disappoint anyone, or why did you want to present a good image? Maybe because that was what your mother expected of you? After all, you They were his golden girl… His perfect girl, right?

…

How pathetic to want to fulfill the expectations of others, but you didn't even have an expectation; you just hid it next to your dreams.

"Why your life now isn't what you always imagined it would be like a child?"

"When did it all go down the drain?"

The only one you blame for this is your mother. As a child, you always had a grade point average of 8. Your mother always congratulated you; she never demanded more from you; she even rewarded you; she paid for a course so that you could learn ballet and practice, since you always adored him.

"Why did everything change from one day to the next?"

You just remember sobbing while your mom yells at you about how much you disappointed her.

─── “Damn it, tell me! What do you think they're going to say about me when they find out my daughter got a 7 in math?! You always disappoint me! You've always done that! It was my mistake to leave you practicing that shit! Isn't that more than standing on your toes and flying around? What good would it do to you in life! It won't make anything of you instead of worrying about your future! What university will you go to? None!, if all you can do is dance and not even that well!! ───

You were startled to hear the memory of your mother's voice echoing in your head. That memory did nothing but make you cry. It was the worst moment of your childhood, when you literally had to bury your dreams because your mother had had enough of your crying and ended up burning your pretty ballet shoes along with your tutu and the ribbon you used to tie your hair with. You sigh as you try to calm yourself down, but you can't; the only thing going through your mind are these words. You realize that even as you are crying, squeezing the hand holding the ribbon Adrien gave you, you do not want to look at it. Now that you were trying to calm your silly whining, you were so focused that you didn't even notice a little black butterfly appear with purple tones that now approached you and perched on your ribbon bow

— “Oh, poor girl, you help everyone with their problems, but never with yours. You get recognized by someone who is not you. I am Hawk Moth. How about I help you shine and be recognized for your biggest dream?"

Now that you hear a man's voice, you smile at his suggestion as you sit down on your bed.

"Yes…"

You spoke unconsciously, thinking about how everyone would finally see what you were made of and what you should have been all along, but that your mother despised.

— “Just in return, I want you to bring me Ladybug and Catnoir's Miraculous

“Sure…Hawk Moth.”

— "Go and shine, Cygnus Noir.”

‎ ♡‧₊˚˗ˏˋ 🩰 ˎˊ˗₊‧‎♡

A young girl in a red suit with black dots was moving quickly from building to building thanks to her yo-yo with which she was swinging. She had been alerted by the sighting of an akumatized person near the Eiffel Tower, On the news they described it as a horrible gigantic monster. While she was swinging, she watched as several citizens were attacked by what seemed to be small porcelain dolls dressed as ballet dancers. I watched as they attacked mainly with the sharp pointed ballet slippers. He wondered where his companion Catnoir could be. For some reason, the faces of the dolls seemed familiar to him, something that worried him.

Meanwhile, a boy in a black suit was carefully sneaking out of the Agreste mansion to support his partner. As he ran across some rooftops he could already see the disaster that was generated by that akumatized person.

He did not hesitate to come down from the heights of the buildings to face some small dolls that attacked the citizens with fury, they were fast with their movements so he barely had time to see them in detail, while he dedicated himself to dodging and counterattacking with his cane at the moment that one of the dolls attacked him directly at her face with her sharp sneakers, while stopping his attack he could see her better when he managed to look at her more carefully. It was at that moment that he was little terrified when he looked at her face, the thing he least wanted to think about was that his beloved was the akumatized one but it was obvious. He did not hesitate much to break the doll into pieces with one blow with his cane and the other little dolls that were still intact only quickly dispersed, escaping from the hero for fear of ending up like his companion.

Cat Noir was trying to take his time from him as he could feel the panic running through his body. He was staring at what were now just broken pieces of the doll, although he was looking to one in specific. The face, broken into just one perfect piece.

— “There you are, Cat Noir! “I was looking for you!”

The hero in red and black landed a few meters near the black cat who was still in shock. The confused girl approached him, but it was then that the blonde reacted and walked away from her, which disconcerted her.

— “My Lady, we have to finish off the Akuma as quickly as possible.”

I speak Cat Noir seriously. Could be heard the annoyance in his voice.

—“Uh— yes I agree, but it something happened to you?, Are you fi-

The raven girl's words were suddenly cut off when she felt something creak under her foot and a noise could be heard as if it were broken porcelain. Under her gaze, she had actually stepped on something. When she removed her foot, she gasped in fear..

'That is what I think..?'

It was when she now knew who the akumatized person was, it was her beautiful angel ꒰Y/N꒱, she felt how not only worry invaded his body but also the rage.

── 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐌𝐄!

𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖👽 . ˙ ── Everybody died and the end.

𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖👽 . ˙ ── AHAHAHA- Sorry, I didn't have so many ideas for a fight between the akumatized reader and Ladybug and Cat Noir (╥﹏╥), but I'll definitely update it when I get an idea. 𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖👽 . ˙ ── I didn't really like how I did it to the reader, I would have liked it to be a little more neutral, I don't know if I understand-

𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖👽 . ˙ ── I apologize for any mistakes I have, if some things don't make much sense or can be misinterpreted, my English is not very good.

[f4iry-bell]

BEAUTIFUL MISTAKE

a/n: just some rubbish hehe.

pairing: grayson hawthorne x reader

synopsis: gigi invites a captivating random stranger to an event and she mistakens grayson for someone whom he totally isn't...

taglist: @unnoodles @nqds @alwaysthefangirl @clarissaweasley-10 @benny1989fredd @imaseabear @never-enough-novels @nikolaisprivateer (LMK if you want to be added)

“Can you get me a glass of water?” asked the girl who was wearing a light green tube top and a matching green skirt with fake wings attached to her back, her hair done up as a bun. 

“Excuse me?” Grayson’s eyebrows formed a frown. If this girl is trying to mess with a random stranger at a party, he was not the right person to do this.

“Should I repeat myself?” She asked. 

“I'm Grayson Hawthorne.” He was clearly offended.

“Great. Grayson Hawthorne, can you get me a glass of water, please?” At least she said please this time, but still Grayson wasn't letting this go.

“No, I can't.” His words were sharp.

“Why not? Aren't you paid for this?” Now it was her turn to frown. Clearly confused.

“I'm Grayson Hawthorne.” He repeated again, she gave him a look that says am-I-supposed-to-know-what-that-is?

“I'm not a caterer.” He scoffed.

“Oh.” She said, realisation hitting her slowly taking its fine time. “Oh! I'm sorry! You just…”

“I just what?” He asked, still offended that she mistaken him for the caterer.

“I mean, your outfit.” She pointed at his Armani suit which she probably didn't know that it costs ten times her whole outfit.

“What is wrong with it? Is it not ironed properly?” He asked. He got it ironed just this morning, it was impossible to find a tiny wrinkle.

“No. This is a costume party. Or am I wrong?” She looked around to make sure she didn't imagine people dressing up as ridiculous characters. “I'm not!” She confirmed.

“You're not”

“Then why aren't you in a costume?” 

“I am.”

“Oh? What are you dressed up as?”

“Figure it out yourself.” He wasn't dressed up as anyone, in fact he refused to dress up as anyone but himself. Even with all the begging that Gigi did or threatening that Jameson did couldn't make him change his mind. He was probably the only one who wasn't in a costume.

“You are” she tried to think of a character. “Oh! I know, James Bond!” She exclaimed.

“No.” It was a good guess, he'll give her that.

“Um, Elijah Mikaelson? Aaron Warner? Chuck Bass?” 

He had no idea who these people were.

“I'm sorry. What's your last name?” It was a very weird and specific question.  Yes, this was a costume party, but also a fundraiser. He wanted to know if she is here with an invite or just snuck in.

“Why?”

“Just tell me.”

“But why?”

“Show me your invitation.” He demanded.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“Um.” He was right, until she looked around for something or someone and finally pointed at someone. “Her!” She pointed at a short haired girl who was dressed as a star, a literal star with cat ears whom recognised well. It was his half sister Gigi.

“What do you mean?” He was confused. But I had an idea.

“We met last week and she invited me in exchange for a discount.”

“Discount?”

“At the vet slash pet shop.” 

Grayson was confused and disappointed. 

“You know? Vet where you take your pet and pet shop where you buy stuff for your pet.”

“I know what those are.”

“You just seemed lost.”

“I was not”

“Were too.”

“Excuse me, I need to have a word with your “invitation”” With that he walked away to have some serious conversation with Gigi on how she invited a stranger to a charity even for a discount when she's literally rich as hell. 

Part 2...

BONUS

“We need to talk.” Gigi immediately knew that with that phrase, there I'll be a lecture coming up.

“What did I do this time?” She asked, she genuinely had no clue.

“You invited a stranger to a fundraiser.” He went directly to the point, as usual. 

“I- She's not a stranger! She's a friend!” 

“Whom you met a week ago.” He pointed out the fact.

“We're platonic soulmates.” She gave him a cheerful smile hoping it'll ease him down.

But it didn't.

“Juliet, you can't invite random people you've just met to important events like this where she serves no purpose.” He lectured.

“I know! But she was talking about how she makes cute dresses for cats and dogs and for humans too! And then I was like do you like to dress up? And she said yes! And that's why I invited her. She had the costume ready! And it was too pretty to let it go to waste.” She gave her statement.

“That's it? She likes to dress up so you invited her?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Uh huh.” Gigi was easy to read for Grayson.

“Tell me what you're hiding.”

She sighs giving up. “Fine. Her brother, well they both sometimes switch their shifts at the place where they work. And he's really cute…I thought this might help her give me his number.”

“All this for a boy?”

“A cute boy! Who loves cats!”

[silent-stories]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 - 𝟏

Pairing: Eddie x F!Reader

Summary: After moving to Hawkings for a fresh start, you meet a boy with kind, brown eyes who will quickly become a friend and maybe something more. The only problem is: you took something that belongs to him by accident and now you don't know what to do.

A/N: Yes, there will be more parts. No, i don't know when. I hope this start doesn't suck.

You kind of hated how you had thought moving there was a good idea. Of course, your aunt had told you that she would welcome you with open arms if you ever decided to go and live with her but she had never told you that the people there seemed to look all the same and that everyone would have stared at you in a weird way, being the only crazy person who moved there after years of no new arrivals.

Hawkins was a small midwestern town located in Roane County in the state of Indiana and it wasn't hard to tell that it wasn't a very busy or interesting place even though you were driving down the main street for the first time, heading towards the house where you were supposed to live for quite some time, if everything would have gone as it should and your aunt hadn't decided to get rid of you after a few days, like you had basically done with your parents.

You looked first on the left and then the right side of the road, while the music was still playing loudly in the vehicle, trying to figure out which way you were supposed to go, then you remembered that you had a map of the city somewhere in your pickup.

You glanced at the back seats, where there were several suitcases and a few bags full of things that you would probably never need and which were just taking up a lot of space in your car already always full of various junk.

You noticed a lamp peeking out from a bag and wondered for the second time that morning what the hell was going on in your mind.

"C'mon, where are you?" You talked to yourself, searching through the sea of ​​objects scattered on the dashboard: a concert ticket, some polaroids containing memories of a life you were leaving behind (which had fallen from the ceiling of the car where you kept at least fifty of them fixed with tacks), a horror book by an unknown writer (the school library had crossed it out because it was considered inappropriate for kids), a shoe whose match had been lost while you were packing your bags, a half-empty green spray can and no trace of the city map.

The car behind you honked: you had not moved for at least two minutes.

"I'm trying to figure out where I need to go! I'm sorry!" You shouted through the rolled down window before the car passed you and a man gave you the middle finger.

"Rude." You commented, sighing and thinking about what to do.

Did continuing to wander around the city until you found the right path make sense?

You were about to restart the pickup when you saw a boy who couldn't have been older than fourteen and a taller, blond boy wearing a green and white jacket talking to each other as they walked along the sidewalk.

You grabbed your leather jacket and got out of the car, hoping no one would complain about the inappropriate place you were leaving it. Your driving teacher was probably right when she told you you sucked at parking.

"I'll be right back Casper." You said to the thing in the passenger seat. Nobody responded.

You reached the two boys just as the blond guy took the hat off the younger one, laughing.

You didn't immediately understand what was happening.

"Sorry, do you know where I can find-"

"Hey! Give it back!" The younger one tried to grab the hat while the other laughed, raising his arm straight up so he couldn't reach it.

"Give what back?" The blond laughed.

You cleared your throat. The two turned to you suddenly.

"What do you want?" The older one asked in an annoyed tone, looking you up and down.

"I wanted to know where Piney Wood Lane was but now I don't wanna talk with you anymore. Give the hat back."

He snorted as if I had come to ruin the party. "You can never have fun with you weirdos around."

You caught it before it landed in a puddle as the blonde dropped it to the ground.

He pointed to the kid saying something like "I'm not fucking done with you" before walking away.

"What a nice guy!" You yelled after him as he turned the corner.

"As always." The younger commented.

"Is everyone like this around here? I just moved but people like him make me want to go back to where I came from." You handed the hat back to him with a half smile.

You hated people like that guy, you had never understood how anyone could take pleasure in making someone else suffer.

"Not all. Most but not all, some of my friends are really cool. Thanks for that." He put the hat back on his head, covering his short curls, on his face a grateful expression even if you didn't do much.

You found yourself wondering what these "cool friends" of his were like.

"Good to know." You sighed ironically.

“I'm Dustin, by the way.” Dustin smiled at you.

You said your name and shook his hand, you thought that you had known that kid for about five minutes and you would already do anything to protect him.

Dustin looked at the car parked behind you. “Your car is so cool!” He commented in amazement, pointing with his finger at the drawings standing out against the black background, on the side of it.

"Thanks, it's a mess but it represents me, I think."

“Wait, what is that thing sitting in the passenger seat?”

"Oh, that's Casper!"

"It's a-"

"A skeleton, yes. My biology teacher let me borrow it from his class."

Dustin looked at you questioningly.

"Okay, I stole it. But he's a great travel companion, and never complains about the music I choose."

Dustin laughed. "I swear, you would love my friends."

"And I really would like to get to know them but now, could you help me find Piney Wood Lane? I lost the map in the middle of all the shit in my car."

"Sure I can, I know that street!" The boy nodded, hoping that you could become one of his "cool friends".

That afternoon, what had become your room was already full of stuff scattered around and suitcases that you didn't feel like unpacking everywhere. The posters you would soon hang were on the desk but you had decided to leave Casper in the car for a while longer. You had put most of your clothes in the closet and packed a bag full of spray cans with the intention of going out and finding a nice wall to do your first mural in the new town.

That time you didn't have any of your friends to make sure the cops didn't come but you figured that for your first few days there, you could manage on your own.

You grabbed a book in case you found a quiet place to read: you felt safer when you went out taking a book with you, even if you weren't sure you'd find a place or time to read.

“Are you going to explore the town?” Your aunt asked with a smile as you came out of your room with your bag over your shoulder.

You couldn't help but be grateful to her, she had said she would treat you like a daughter and give you a room of your own and that was exactly what she had done. You hadn't seen her in years and you didn't know each other very well but for the moment you seemed to get along well and your relationship seemed more peaceful than the one you'd had with many people in your old hometown.

Maybe this was really a new beginning for you.

"Yeah, something like that." You tried to sound convincing.

"Okay, don't get in trouble on your first day here."

You smiled.

"Oh, I would never do that."

You jumped off the trash can you were standing on, in the alley you had chosen for your mural.

You turned the spray can in your paint-stained hands, observing the work on the wall in front of you: you liked dragons in fantasy stories, you thought it might be nice to experiment with something like that.

"Yeah, you don’t look that bad." You said to the creature painted on the wall, before noticing that the sun was starting to set and it was probably time to go home.

You put the spray cans back in your bag and threw the empty ones into the bins you climbed onto.

Then, you heard a noise.

"Please don't be a cop." You muttered to yourself, placing your bag over your shoulder and walking out of the alley.

The footsteps got closer.

"Please don't be a cop." You repeated, keeping your gaze down as you rounded the corner, hoping to escape, that way, from whoever was coming in your direction.

Of course, luck wasn't on your side, as always: you collided with the person who was coming in your direction and if they hadn't grabbed you by the arm you would have surely ended up on the ground like the rest of your stuff.

Your book, your bag, and several spray cans scattered across the ground, some rolling away from you.

"Shit." You said through your teeth, looking up to look into the eyes of the person you had collided with.

A gentle and slightly worried gaze met yours, his chocolate brown eyes watching you as if to make sure you were okay. His expression was completely different from the way the boy who was bothering Dustin had looked at you that morning.

His messy, curly hair was brown like his eyes and his slight smile was reassuring.

"Are you good?" He asked, letting go of your arm after making sure you wouldn't fall.

"Oh, thank god you're not a cop!"

“And neither are you, good for both of us.” He chuckled before helping you pick up what you had dropped. You did the same, so quickly that you didn't even realize you had put something in the bag that didn't belong to you.

"I'm fine." You grabbed the spray can he was holding out to you, your fingers grazed his, adorned with chunky silver rings, and the action made you feel a weird sensation that you couldn't identify and that only lasted a few seconds in your stomach, “thank you.”

"It's a pleasure. It's always nice to help pretty girls break the law." He chuckled.

"I wasn't breaking any laws." You rolled your eyes, aware that you both knew you were lying, almost without realizing that he had called you pretty.

"Then why did you hope I wasn't a cop?"

"Maybe I just think they're not nice."

"Well, believe me, I've been arrested several times and I can guarantee you that most of them aren't."

You raised your eyebrows. "You've been arrested several times? What the hell did you do?"

"You really don't wanna know."

“Okay mystery man,” You rolled your eyes, the boy laughed at the nickname and you immediately liked the sound of it, then you held out your hand, introducing yourself.

He shook it and you felt that feeling in your stomach again but decided to ignore it, “Eddie.”

"Okay Eddie, are you good at giving an unbiased opinion on a mural done in an alley while standing on garbage bins?" You asked and without even waiting for an answer you started pushing him towards the dragon on the wall.

Usually you didn't need random strangers' opinions on your street art but this time you felt like you wanted to spend more time with that metal singer looking guy with the sweetest eyes you'd ever seen. And also, he wasn't a stranger anymore, he was Eddie.

“Oh sure, I was born for that.” He stated confidently.

Your laughter echoed down the alley as you reached the mural.

"There we go. Now you are an accessory to the crime."

"Well, in reality.... I didn't do anything. I'm just an innocent witness."

"You have paint on your hands."

"I don't-" He looked at his palms and realized you had stained one of his hands with green paint when you held it. "Oh, fuck you."

You laughed. "So? What do you think?"

“I think it's worthy of being on the cover of a metal album, it's amazing, really.”

"Well, thanks. For now it will stay on the wall of a dark alley."

"Really, that's so fucking cool. You should do this as a job or something like that."

"Well, I'm still in high school and I'm looking for someone who needs a babysitter to earn some money so... not yet, I guess."

"Well then I guess we'll meet there."

“Are you still in high school?”

Eddie sighed, as if expecting a joke on that.

"Hey, we don't judge people here. What do you expect from a girl who's spending her Sunday afternoon with a stranger chatting in front of some garbage cans?"

"I expect her to be cool as hell. And well-" He paused, as if thinking about it carefully, "I think she is."

You couldn't help but laugh again.

When you got home you still had a stupid smile on your face. You liked Eddie, you liked the way he made you feel like you didn't have to pretend to be someone else around him, you liked the way he called you "pretty" five more times that afternoon, you liked the way his eyes lit up when he talked about music, you liked the way he kindly asked you if he could walk you home since the sky was getting dark and he didn't want anything bad to happen to you, you liked the sound of his laughter and the way he tried to hide the blush on his cheeks when you told him that your opinion on Hawkings had become better after you met him.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Your aunt asked you when you entered the house.

"I met a boy."

She smirked.

"Don't look at me with that face, I just met him. He was just being nice."

"Mh-mh sure." She laughed as you rolled your eyes and walked into your room, leaving your bag on the bed.

When you unzipped it, something inside caught your attention: a small, brown leather-covered notebook you'd never seen before.

Your first thought was how the hell did he end up in there, then you remembered your clash with Eddie a few hours earlier. Was it possible that you had taken it without realizing it?

You got under the covers with the notebook in your hands. It was small but the pages were so many and so thin that someone could have started writing in it years before and still not filled it all.

You knew you shouldn't have done it, it might have contained private things, but you couldn't resist.

You opened it.

As soon as you did, a black and white photo of a girl with dark hair and a sun dress fell off the first page.

She was smiling and she was really pretty, you wondered who she could be. In the background you could see a garden and the sun shining in the sky.

It was wrinkled as if someone had held it in their hands for a long time.

Then, you read the first lines of the first page of the notebook. The writing was messy but legible, some words had been crossed out and rewritten probably due to some grammatical error or unclear thoughts.

"I realized that I almost don't remember her anymore and that's the thing that scares me the most. I don't want to forget her."

You couldn't help but wonder how you could feel the pain in those words simply by reading them in an old, crumpled notebook.

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