#girl from nowhere layouts

[virginzitos]

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[luminities]

★ Kitty Chicha icons

[iconsfilm]

você tem alguma header pra esse icon?? agradeço desde já

like or reblog if you save | headers not mine cr to the owners

[boss-poss]

See, Lethal Company's real genius is that it somehow marries two normally opposed genres, those being horror and comedy together into something greater. Mechanically it's a multiplayer looter extraction survival type game. It's designed to create stressful and scary situations by forcing you to speedrun mini randomized dungeons while monsters hunt your character to meet a certain quota (our asses are not making quota). That's not the clever part though, no, that's giving the players the ability to fuck themselves over and the hilarity that comes from it.

Anything you say into your mic is said in the game world and can be heard by certain monsters. Many items, similarly, can be used to make noise and you can bet there is little impulse control when a player finds an air horn or gets a walkie talkie. The sound of a distant honk somewhere out of nowhere is not something most players are prepared for while in a pitch black maze. Sound in this game has a doppler effect, which makes it harder to hear the further away the source is, allowing screams to fade into nothing and unintelligible yelling heard for a second before vanishing. You must rely on your senses but those are, by design, limited and regularly tricked.

Because level layouts, monster locations, and item spawns are all random, it's insanely easy to get lost or lose track of thigs, especially in the dark and especially when panicking. Seeing a bracken for the first time will almost certainly send a player running in the opposite direction and get lost, if they even see it all. No one is prepared to have a hand wrap around their face and snap their neck in an instant. It's utterly shocking and will leave you gasping in surprise to first time you experience it.

Certain weather patterns make levels harder, some even nearly impossible (looking at you eclipse), and sometimes your options are avoiding deadly lightning or not being able to see due to fog. High level moons have excessively valuable loot but also feature the worst foes and cost a fee to access, forcing a compromise between greed, ability, and resources.

Dying, likewise incurs a penalties. Your team is fined for dying and not bringing the bodies back but if you all die, all your collected loot goes poof. Gone. A team wipe can and will effectively end the run in an instant if you do something stupid like stick around when you hear "pop goes the weasel" or try to pick up that funny looking roomba. You can almost feel the pressure weighing down on your shoulders when you realize you're the last one left and you need to get back to the ship or miss the quota.

The monsters likewise, are engines of terror that are comically effective killing machines with no cohesive theme to help anticipate them. The already mentioned bracken is one of the scariest things I've seen in a game, and those technically aren't even that bad. They're completely manageable if you keep your head on a swivel and pay attention to your surroundings. Coilheads are these mannequins with bobble heads that will path to and kill you in a microsecond the moment you aren't looking at them, weeping angel style. There's a thing called the ghost girl that I have yet to see but is apparently one of the most terrifying critters in the menagerie. Forest giants. If you know, you know.

All these little mechanics, these choices that are made by and for the player, create a maelstrom of unpredictable chaos that, like a buxom blond transforming into an orgasming pooltoy, turns what would be strictly serious horror into a unique form of dark comedy that layers over it like jelly on peanut butter. You are scared, you are on edge, and it only gets worse when you know what these things are capable of, but the sheer hopelessness is something you all have in common. It's funny how little hope you have. You will die. A monster will wipe your team. There will eventually come a quota you can't beat. You were doomed from the start.

So why not get silly with it? Why not try to fight that bracken with shovel? Fuck him. Why not just run past a turret and try to nab that fat jar of pickles? Why not wander off from the group? You're just as likely to come back with arms loaded and the quota met as you are likely to not come back at all. You're already dead, so take the gamble, do stupid shit, repeat this hell until you can meet its horrors with grim determination and put in the effort to afford that goddamn boombox. Dance. Just press 1 and dance the fear away.

You are all united in your mortality and duty, fragile sacks of flesh working to break even at the behest of perhaps the greatest horror of all: The company you work for. You are so preposterously fucked beyond all belief from every angle there really isn't enough adjectives to describe it. And that's comedy baby, when things are so bad all you can do is laugh.

[pedroslittlelady]

Just You & Me, Darlin'

joel miller x f!reader (18+)

A/N: OMG Okay, I'm actually doing this! I'm posting something for the first time in over 4 years and I'm super nervous. Pedro Pascal just has me by the titties, and so do all of you wonderful writers and artists I've been so inspired by, so here is my little contribution 🫣💕

You can also read this on my ao3 if you prefer 😊

summary: When Tommy returns to the QZ without you, Joel is both terrified and furious but he’s determined to get you back safe no matter what.

tags/warnings: 18+ Explicit | Minors Do Not Interact Please! no use of y/n, boston qz, fluff, hurt/comfort, mention of suicidal thoughts, slight exhibitionism, explicit smut, unprotected piv, no description of female reader, other than joel can pick you up and kinda implied age gap, squirting, emotional sex, unbeta'd, use of pet names (sweetheart, baby, darlin', baby girl). oh and you're both super in love so :) I think that's it.

word count: 5.9k

Joel’s heart was fluttering within his chest, nerves and excitement flooding him as he made his way up the steps of his apartment building. If all had gone well, you were due back from the week-long smuggling run outside of the QZ today, and he had been stuck on work duty for most of it. 

He hadn’t been able to go with you since someone had needed to stay back and protect their store of goods and ration cards from being stolen in their absence, they’d learned this the hard way. 

And in his mind he’d drawn the short straw.

Joel would much rather be out there with you than stuck here wondering if you were okay. Here, he was unable to do anything if something went wrong but he knew you, the little hell-raiser that you were could definitely handle yourself. 

The both of you had agreed when you first started sleeping together that it shouldn’t mess with the business, it gave you all a more comfortable life in the QZ than most got to have after all. 

Even after falling hard for one another following the sharing of your past within whispered cuddles post sex, you both still tried to keep the business professional and that meant trusting one another to watch your own and your partners’ backs. 

As he entered his apartment he was surprised to see Tommy sitting on his couch with his head in his hands. 

Joel’s stomach dropped at the sight, he already knew something was wrong. Heart breaking into a gallop against his sternum he quickly scanned the apartment, the open layout giving him a view of the whole room and you were nowhere in sight.

Joel's hands tightened into fists, his jaw tensing in anger and fear as he focused his intense gaze on his little brother who was now worrying his lip.

“Where is she,” Joel stated more than questioned in his deep southern timbre, his voice thick with emotion. Anger, fear, anguish and dread were all suddenly clogging up his throat. He swallowed to keep it contained, needing to keep his head on straight right now.

“I don’t know brother,” Tommy responded, guilt and slight fear painted his features as he looked up at his older brother.

“The hell do you mean you don’t know?” Joel growled as he prowled closer to his brother who quickly stood from his slumped position. “I trusted you to watch her back, to keep her safe for me!” Joel couldn’t control himself, the emotions from the thought of losing you, of never seeing you again were too much to handle and he grabbed his brother by the neck of his jacket and shook him.

“The deal went bad! Me and Tess got separated from her!” Tommy quickly explained, his hands gripping onto Joel's shaking wrists. “We tried to find her but… shit man, things are more fucked up out there than ever. We were hoping she’d made it back here.”

Joel pushed his brother away from him, afraid he would start swinging. Rage and fear consumed him, tightening his heaving chest as he ran his hands through his greying hair. He quickly stalked over to his weapons stash beneath the floorboards while vile images of you being scared and hurt, being taken by sex traffickers and all manner of other atrocities he’d seen and heard about over all his years surviving in this hell were flooding his mind.

If it was the last thing he did, he’d find you himself and bring you home. The thought of never finding you was unspeakable and he quickly pushed that horrible scenario out of his mind. But then another took its ugly place as he quickly grabbed his go bag; what if he found you dead or dying?

Well that would be the end, wouldn’t it?

He paused before looking at his little brother, standing before him paler than he’d seen him in a long time. Exhaustion was dragging Tommy down and Joel knew that he and Tess had done the best they could to find you; they loved you too.

“I’ll find her and bring her back,” Joel stated.

“I’ll come with-”

“No��� thank you, but no. You're exhausted, you’ll just slow me down. If I don’t come back… then I…,” Joel trailed off as he watched anguish and fear become apparent on his little brother's face.

“Joel. Don’t. Please, brother,” Tommy begged, already knowing where Joel’s head was at.

“I can’t…” Joel felt his voice break as tears flooded his vision, blurring the image of his baby brother walking towards him. 

Next thing Joel knew, his brother's arms were around him and Joel let himself feel the rare embrace for just a moment. He and his brother had never been the most affectionate with each other even before the outbreak, so the fact his brother was hugging him so tightly told him Tommy knew exactly what you meant to him. How could he not, with how blatant the two of you were with your lovesick need for each other. You had become his whole world, a quick spiral into passionate need that seemed to drive the two of you from the very moment you became one when he took you on that dirty warehouse floor three years earlier.

His head dipped to Tommy’s shoulder as silent tears rolled down his cheeks and into his patchy beard, into that place where you always kissed him, as if that spot had been made just for you. A place to kiss and lick and nibble like you loved to do when you both were intimate, which was basically whenever you were in the same room as one another, everyone else be damned.

Would Joel ever feel that again? Had you both made all the memories together that you ever would? The last time he saw you flashed in his mind, replacing the ugly panicked images from before. You’d smiled up at him, arms wrapped around one another, foreheads pressed together as you whispered your ‘see you laters’ - never ‘goodbyes’ - to each other, while Tess and Tommy looked on and rolled their eyes in annoyance at your overt pda.

The Joel of before had never been one for public displays of affection, to the point where one woman had broken things off with him because she’d said he was cold, that he didn’t care enough about her. He’d realised later on that she had probably been right. More conscious of how much affection he was giving in front of others than he should have been.

Now though, with you these last few years? Joel didn’t give a single fuck what people thought of how he held your hand, kissed you, sat you on his lap as he made deals with all kinds of people. He loved when you’d do the same, when you would kiss him in that spot that was surely made purely for your mouth while you rolled your hips against his hardening cock. The greedy eyes of lowlifes watching on in pure jealousy of how unashamed you were with showing everyone how wanton you could get for him. His precious little hell-raiser.

Shit, he’d fucked you outside before and hadn’t cared who’d heard. It had actually turned him on to know the residents had heard your desperate and lustful cries as you let him take you from behind in an alleyway between two apartment buildings. Anyone could’ve looked out and seen how Joel Miller got to have you be his, the most vicious beauty in all of Boston, submitting to him, belonging to him.

Joel quickly pulled away from Tommy before he got too emotional about how this day had turned into a fucking real life nightmare. 

As he strode towards his apartment door with his go bag on his back and his weapons tucked away on his person, he rubbed the tears from his eyes and face. He couldn’t look back at Tommy so he roughly pulled open the door and walked out with a quickly uttered, “see you brother.”

While descending to street level Joel struggled to get his emotions under control. It had been a long time since he had cried, since he had felt this scared and helpless, but he pushed through and began to formulate a plan on how he would get out of the QZ through a smuggler tunnel they had created two years ago. Then he would find you so he could bring you home, safe and sound.

There was no other option he would let himself consider from here on out, he needed to focus on his current mission.

Joel steeled himself as he walked out of the apartment building and turned right to head to the closest smuggling route out of the QZ. As he looked up to assess his surroundings he was stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of you standing in front of him.

His eyes widened in shock as you stood before him, a shaky vulnerable look on your pretty as sin face. Joel choked on your name in disbelief and before he knew it his hands were grasping your cheeks and his lips were crushing against yours in a desperate kiss.

He pulled away from your tight embrace to quickly gasp, “What the hell happened, baby?” Before he kissed you again and again and again. So relieved to feel you alive and whole in his arms once more.

But then worry clouded his mind; the look on your face as you saw him notice you replayed in his mind.

Joel once again pulled away from the desperate kisses you both were sharing to truly look into your wide teary eyes.

“Are… are you okay, sweetheart? Are you hurt? Let me see you,” Joel pleaded in a vulnerable whisper. He reluctantly pulled further away so he could assess you until you spoke for the first time since your reunion.

“I’m okay Joel, baby. I’m okay I promise!” You gasped as Joel began to pull up your sleeves and the hem of your shirt to see your slightly bruised and cut skin, clearly searching for a fatal wound like a bite that he thankfully would not find.

“Joel!” You shouted to get his attention, uncaring of the passers-by on the busy street taking notice of your desperate interaction.

Joel stopped his searching as you placed your hands on his cheeks and gave a soft smile when you saw the fear in his eyes recede into a warm relieved look of love that always made your chest flutter in unbelievable happiness, like butterflies bursting with life within you. You had never expected to get to this point with anyone, let alone the cold standoffish brute Joel Miller who had barely seemed to tolerate you the first few weeks after your initial meeting. 

To have this big, dangerous, sometimes scary but protective man look at you like you were his whole world was intoxicating. No wonder you could never keep your hands off of him. 

It had started after the first time you’d fucked, and that’s all it had been meant to be. A desperate fuck after a near death experience, both of you alone and thankful to be alive. You had exchanged no words but a heady look and before you’d known what was happening he was kissing into your mouth before pinning you onto the hard dirty floor and fucking you silly.

You knew he’d been sleeping with Tess at the time, although it wasn’t serious, and you had slipped into Tommy’s bed once or twice, but for years you had respected Joel’s leadership and strength, and of course enjoyed admiring how handsome he really was, but you both had never been particularly close, until then.

After, you had both agreed it wouldn’t happen again. You reluctantly agreed with him even though your legs had felt like jelly after the best orgasms you’d ever been given, having never before been fucked like Joel Miller liked to fuck. 

It happened again of course, the very next night when you took a chance and slipped into his room and cot. He hadn’t said a thing against it, only a cocky, “can’t get enough huh, hell-raiser?” 

After you sucked him to full hardness he’d let you ride him as fast or slow as you wanted while he just watched you. In the wake of your first orgasm Joel had snapped and took control once more by putting you on your back and practically folding you in half. He’d fucked you so hard you’d screamed your pleasure, so loud you had only realised afterward that Tommy and Tess must have been 100% aware of what was happening. But you’d come so hard you’d squirted all over Joel and made a complete mess, but you had seen in Joel’s eyes how much he’d absolutely loved it.

There was no talk of it never happening again after that, only an acknowledgement that business came first. A few months into your arrangement he began cuddling you after sex, asking you not to leave his bed in the sweetest whisper against the back of your head. You had agreed, threading your fingers through his and nodding with a simple, “yes Joel.”

And you hadn’t left, you both barely let the other out of your lovesick sight as you basically moved in with him. Tess and Tommy quickly moved out so they didn’t have to listen to the both of you ‘fucking every goddamn day.’

“I’m fine baby, I promise. Okay?” You kissed Joel softly bringing you back to the present, his arms tightening around you.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done if… fuck, I thought you were-” Joel was crushing you against him, lips brushing yours as he spoke. A tremble was in his voice, one you’ve come to know more over the years as he opened up to you about things from his past.

“I’m right here darlin’, right where I’m supposed to be,” you gently spoke while running your hands through his salt and pepper curls. The action always calmed him down.

“I love you so goddamn much, hell-raiser.” Joel smiled against your lips before kissing you again. You chuckled, feeling tears gather in your eyes at the silly pet name he’d given you after your first chaotic introduction years ago which involved you wielding a couple molotov cocktails. The first of many pet names he graced you with, but definitely your favourite.

“I love you too, big guy.”

Your back gently hit the apartment building as Joel increased the pressure of your kisses, a desperation taking over you both as the feeling of being reunited after a close call washed over you once again.

Joel hiked your leg up and ground his hardened cock against your rapidly soaking pussy making you gasp at the sting of pain the suddenness of your arousal wrought as it travelled deep into your rapidly warming core.

“Joel,” you panted into his mouth as he licked at your tongue before sucking it into his mouth with a growl of need you felt emanating from his belly which was pressed tight against yours.

“Fuck, need inside your tight little cunt right now, darlin’,” Joel rumbled before he hastily began to undo your jeans, his lips carving a wet path across your cheek and down your tilting neck. He bit you quick and hard there, marking you; claiming you. You gasped, your arousal seeping from your desperately empty channel and trickling into your panties as you tilted your hips against his rock hard cock.

Joel slipped his thick fingers into your wet slit making you moan into his mouth.

“Get a room,” you heard someone mutter as they walked past. Joel growled before pulling away to glare fiercely at the man who suddenly blanched before quickly scurrying away at the sight of Joel hovering over you with a murderous look in his eyes. 

You giggled at the interaction, drawing his attention back to you, his eyes softening at your mischievous smirk.

“Take me to bed, big guy. Remind me who I belong to,” you murmured before biting your lower lip in anticipation as Joel's eyes turned blacker than the deepest cavern within the fathomless ocean.

He grabbed you by the back of the neck and began to steer you back into the apartment building and up the stairs. You could feel his eyes on your ass before a slap landed there making you squeak excitedly. “Hurry the fuck up, darlin’,” Joel growled with a squeeze to your right cheek making you skip up the stairs quicker, panties practically drenched now.

The next second he was pushing open your apartment door, throwing off his bag and flipping you around to face him so he could kiss you hungrily once more. His thick tongue probed every part of your mouth, overwhelming you. You whimpered, your hands caressing through his hair to scratch gently at his scalp.

His grip on your thighs suddenly let you know what he was about to do and you braced your hands on his broad shoulders as he quickly hoisted you up, your legs wrapping around his hips. You both groaned and panted into one another's mouth at the feel of being pressed together.

You stilled when you heard the clearing of a throat. Joel groaned in annoyance as your lips separated wetly.

“Uh, sorry to interrupt,” Tommy said before covering a slight laugh with a cough, Joel glowered. “But I’m really glad you're okay, sweetheart.”

“Thank you, Tommy. I appreciate it.” You smiled, so glad to see him safe and sound too. You told him this and questioned where Tess was and he informed you that she was just fine also.

“I just wanted to say-” Tommy started to speak.

“Enough said,” Joel growled. “Talk later. We're busy, brother.” Joel raised his brows clearly unabashed at being caught in this position by his baby brother.

“Jeez, alright lover boy-” Tommy rolled his eyes.

“I swear to God Tommy if you don’t get the fuck out of here now I’ll-”

“Okay okay! We’ll catch up later, Christ.” Tommy shook his head but you could see he wasn’t truly annoyed by the relieved look on his face.

As Tommy made his way to the door, a smirk was painted on his handsome face. Joel just pierced him with a frustrated and grumpy glare, you couldn’t help but snort softly while still being held up in his strong arms.

“See you later Tommy, and tell Tess thanks as well when you see her,” you quickly uttered before you forgot all about Tess and Tommy in just a few seconds.

“Will do, sweetheart. See you later. You too, Romeo.” Tommy laughed before darting out the door as fast as he could once he’d heard Joel’s growl of annoyance.

“C’mon baby,” you murmured in his ear before sucking the lobe into your mouth bringing his attention back to you, his eyes softening once more. “Need to feel your big cock inside me, I feel so empty.” You pouted playfully even though you could still feel some of the adrenaline and fear from your near miss swarming inside you. 

You had very nearly not made it home to him and that thought made your heart jump and your hold on your lover tighten. You didn’t know if you could hold back on the avalanche of feeling you knew was headed your way.

“Poor baby,” Joel responded as he carried you to your bed and laid you down, his back not being able to hold you up for much longer, not if he was going to fuck you like you both needed after today. “Don’t you worry darlin’, I got you.”

Joel stood before you and began to remove the various weapons from his body, his dark intense gaze never leaving you as you began to writhe in need.

“Hurry Joel,” you whimpered, a desperation taking over now that you weren’t in his arms anymore. You felt tears gather in your eyes at just how lucky you were to be back here with him, safe and sound. You couldn’t hold back a hiccupping sob threatening to escape you.

Joel took notice and quickly hovered over you, one hand on your hip, the other palming your cheek and wiping a tear away. “You're okay now, baby. I got you.” He kissed your forehead and you could hear him inhale your scent as he did.

“Joel.” You murmured, feeling a little overwhelmed. You needed to release these emotions, and Joel was the best at giving you just what you needed, what you both needed.

“I know, sweetheart. I know,” Joel murmured, his own gaze tear filled meeting yours before he pressed his lips to yours for a desperate kiss. You struggled to keep up with his kisses at first but then he was scraping his teeth down your jaw and sucking on your neck.

You bucked your hips up against him, his leg slipping between yours so you could grind on him. You whimpered, needing his bare skin to be slick against yours as you once again fitted together so perfectly. 

You needed the intimacy and the vulnerability of being beneath his broad form as he fucked you deep and hard, imprinting himself within you forever.

As if Joel had read your mind, he pulled back from nuzzling between your breasts, his big strong hands grasped the collar of your shirt and ripped it down the middle in one go.

You gasped at the action, at the grimace of need on his face as he began to manhandle you in a desperate need to get you naked beneath him. You unhooked your bra as he roughly pulled down your jeans and panties in one go, snarling in annoyance when your boots hampered his mission.

As soon as you were bare Joel was back on the bed and spreading your legs up and wide so he could see your perfectly soaked little cunt fluttering needily around nothing. Fuckin’ Heaven right there, he thought to himself as he dragged his eyes up your heaving belly and chest to see you biting your lip, small hands fisting the sheets beneath you.

“Please Joel, want you naked against me,” you practically begged, pupils blown out, eyes still glistening. He knew from your reaction something had scared you, probably a moment of terror in thinking you weren’t going to make it back to him in one piece or at all. The idea of that being a very real possibility that could have happened shook him to his core and he quickly tore off his clothes, not wanting to be away from your touch for longer than necessary.

He began to kiss every scrape and bruise as he made his way up your chest. Soon his eyes were looking deep into your soft gaze, your arms and legs wrapping around him and he knew he was finally home. He brushed his nose along yours, both his hands tunnelling into your pretty hair as he gazed down at you.

“You and me, darlin’, that’s all I need. Just you, I fuckin’ love you, you drive me goddamn insane with it, you know that?” His gaze was soft but intense, his words rumbled out of his pouty lips.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, your own hands rubbing his back soothingly before sliding up his neck and into his hair. “But I feel the same.”

“Don’t be sorry, darlin’. You’re the best thing that's happened to me in a really long time. Just scares the hell outta me,” he nearly choked on his words before burying his face into the sexy slope of your neck, inhaling your heavenly scent. “Can’t lose you, baby.”

“I’m right here, not losing me, Joel,” you responded softly before kissing his scarred temple.

Joel slowly lowered his hips as he lifted his head to kiss you, his weeping cock covering your pussy, soaking him even further. Normally Joel would prepare you, stretch you with his thick fingers and make you come on his tongue but from the way you were mewling and moving against him he knew you both needed to become one right now. Besides, you had told him plenty of times how you liked the slight pain his cock created when it stretched your little hole open, the  girth of him too wide to fit comfortably at first.

You both angled your hips, well versed in the best way to slot together hands free. Your breath hitched when the crown of his twitching cock popped inside you.

“So fuckin’ tight and wet for me, baby girl.”

“Joel,” you whimpered against his lips before your hips pushed against him, sliding more of him within your aching heat.

He stared into your watery eyes as he gripped your hip with a bruising grasp and began to push into your tightness. He loved watching the way your mouth opened into a little ‘o’ shape and the space between your brows creased cutely in pain.

“Takin’ my cock so well, you precious little fuckin’ thing,” Joel growled as he bottomed out causing you to gasp. Your perfect cunt clenching around him was like nothing he’d ever felt before. 

Your breasts heaved against his chest as he let you adjust to the stretch of him for a moment. But he had little patience right now, so he soon pulled back making you whimper sweetly and he kissed into your mouth soothingly before he moved his hand to the back of your neck and held it tightly.

Pulling back from the kiss he quickly punched his hips down and forward, slamming deep inside you and causing your body to jolt from the force, his hands holding you steady. You weren’t going anywhere.

The squeak you let out was choked off when he did it again, and again. The soundtrack to your desperate love making became the wet slapping of skin on skin, the gasps of pleasure and the cries of pain as you melded together as one. Sweaty skin sliding against hardened nipples and harsh gasps were shared as he rhythmically pounded you into the mattress

“Joel, Joel, oh God Joel don’t stop!” you pleaded wide eyes staring up at his fervent expression as he gazed down at you.

“Fuck! That’s it baby, take my cock.” Joel grimaced in pleasure.

“Please, baby. Go faster!” You yelped as his hips smacked against you, his heavy balls soaked from your arousal.

He granted your plea, arching his back so he could suck on your tight nipples, hands grasping under and over your shoulders as he began to piston sharply within you, pulling you onto his thick cock.

“Yes yes yes, gonna come,” you suddenly gasped and Joel knew it was true by how your tight little pussy started fluttering around his shaft, sucking him deep.

“Come all over me, baby girl,” he whispered against your parted lips, sweat building between you as you both moved in sync, chasing that beautiful euphoria he always granted you.

You had been feeling it build within you so deeply, you knew you were about to crest that tremendous wave of pleasure you associated with Joel and how he always spoiled you rotten when you made love. It hit deep and sharp, making you arch your back and cry out against his lips as your pussy clutched so tightly to him, never wanting him to stop or leave your most vulnerable place that he always cherished.

It caught your breath as you ascended into ecstasy, all you could do was whimper against his plush lips as you came. His hips stuttered as you tightened, unable to keep up the pace at how tightly you were grasping at him. Nails scraping his back, legs spreading further, toes curling against his thick thighs.

“Good girl, baby,” he practically whimpered as you came around him. “That’s my good girl. Fuck, I love you,” Joel growled while he quickened his pace again, the ache in his lower back completely ignored. He sat up a bit, lifted your legs so they fell over the bend in his elbows before planting his hands on the bed.

You were practically folded in half, completely dazed from that intense orgasm as he manoeuvred you however he liked. You loved when he treated you like his precious little fuck doll. 

“Oh my God, baby,” you gasped, just watching as his hulking form rose above you, his dark desperate eyes dragging from your own eyes to your bouncing breasts as he started pumping his cock into you once more. The generous crown of his cock repeatedly hit that amorous spot deep inside you that only Joel could locate.

His stare was fixated on where you were joined together as he continued to thrust, slowing a little to admire it. “Sweet little pussy is creaming all over my dick, fuck!” Joel couldn’t take his eyes away from it, your abused hole flushed with arousal and soaked with your mingling desire. “God damn, baby girl. You can really take some cock, huh?”

All you could do was whimper at the vision he made above you, greedy lustful stare focused on your needy hole stretched around the wide circumference of his wet cock pumping inside you. The broad expanse of his tanned slick shoulders, the strength of his hands as they wrapped his calloused fingers around your hips, angling them perfectly. He sat up, his knees bracketing your ass and you quickly pressed your hands up behind you knowing exactly what was coming. Your heart jumped in your chest, you loved to watch him above you like this; using you, loving you so deeply and harshly.

“Gonna cum so deep inside your cunt, baby girl. Never gonna be rid of me,” Joel growled before rolling his hips into you, knowingly hitting that special place inside you that usually had you squirting all over him. 

He never forgot that moment you’d shared with one another. Only your second time together and he had given it to you so good it was probably one of his proudest moments, his ego getting a huge boost that had been well needed at the time. 

You had been so shocked and loud, you’d practically screamed at the sensation, shivering so vulnerably beneath him afterward it had stuck deep inside his chest afterward. It had pushed him to coo to you softly at your little whimpers, telling you that you were okay, that you had been so sexy and beautiful for him.

His hips were rolling and thrusting into you making you moan and stare up at him in awe. This man was all fucking yours.

“Mine, Joel. You’re mine.”

“Yeah, baby. All yours, this cock is all yours. And who does this pussy belong to, hmm?” he questioned with a smirk as he stared down into your wide eyes as his hips picked up the pace, you continuing to reciprocate his movements like a well choreographed dance.

“Yours, my pussy’s all yours. No one else's, baby.”

“Good girl,” Joel praised before leaning over  you, his pretty lips pressing into yours, widening your mouth and swiping his tongue against yours as your pussy flooded his cock and balls creating a slapping sound that made you whimper and blush.

“Always so fuckin’ wet for me. Ain’t ya, sweetheart,” Joel groaned. “Fuckin’ love you.”

“Love you too, now fill me up, baby. Please!” You gasped against him, your foreheads now pressed against one another, mouths sharing harsh breaths. 

You braced against the headboard with one hand while moving the other to his curly hair desperately seeking purchase as your arousal grew once more. Core warming and tightening in an impending orgasm and when he shifted your position so he could press against your clit and urethra with his fingers your stomach jumped, knowing exactly what he wanted from you.

“Oh Joel,” you whined.

“Yeah baby, drench me please,” Joel encouraged and you began to flutter around the precise pumping of his twitching cock within your sensitive walls.

It hit you suddenly, your back arched with a quick scream of pleasure and the overstimulation that you associated with squirting. Joel groaned in pleasure as you burst with feeling.

“Atta fuckin’ girl, baby! That’s it, shit I’m gonna come,” Joel gasped as you soaked him, a vision beneath him, sweat slicked tits bouncing, mouth agape in a shout of intense pleasure and eyes practically rolling into the back of your head.

Joel's hips stuttered, his balls tightening even more as he felt his pleasure travel from deep within his core, up to the swollen tip of his cock. “Fuck, baby,” Joel whimpered into your neck as he began to spurt his come deep into your womb, hips stuttering and grinding against yours with the need to stuff you full of his cum.

“Yes, Joel,” you whimpered as you felt him empty himself within you. You nudged his head as he did, wanting to see his handsome face in pleasure. He lifted and looked down at you, cum still spilling, overflowing you and trickling down your ass. “That’s it, baby. Fill me up good. I want all your cum,” you whispered softly as you gazed up at him. His face was so vulnerable and needy in that moment you couldn’t help but clench around him once more.

His balls had emptied with each ejection of his cum inside you, hips finally stilling as his cock became oversensitized to the stimulation still happening.

“Easy, baby girl. Easy.” Joel chuckled as he fell against you, completely spent before kissing you so softly that your heart jumped. “You think I can go again at my age?”

“You think I can go again after that?” You giggled breathily, completely satisfied. The impending avalanche of emotions purged from you in pleasure by your lover.

“Yeah, baby. Don’t doubt yourself.” Joel rubbed his nose against yours affectionately, a small grin on his face, eyes as soft as chocolate ice-cream.

“Then you don’t doubt yourself either.”

“I know my limits and my back is shot, darlin',” Joel grumbled in annoyance, his softly grinning face turning so grumpily pouty you couldn’t help but melt, you loved that you got to see this side of him that he unveiled to no one else but you. He really was all yours.

“Oh, poor baby,” you whispered to him before nudging him to the side so he could rest flat on the mattress, his softened dick slipping out of you with a flood of his cum which tickled your still trembling thighs. You definitely planned on giving him another back massage as soon as you both got some sleep, he had fucked you so perfectly; hard and loving. He certainly deserved it. “Rest now, we’re together and that’s all that matters.”

Joel sighed as he settled into the admittedly uncomfortable bed, but with you snuggling up against his chest he had no complaints.

“I don’t want you goin’ out there without me anymore, okay? Fuck the business, you’re more important.”

You looked up at him “As long as you don’t go out there without me either, we’re more important,” you agreed with a sigh of relief.

“Just you and me, darlin’. That’s all I need,” Joel assured you.

You snuggled deeper into his strong arms, a warm sense of safety and love blanketing your heart as his arms tightened and his lips kissed the top of your head with a mumbled, “Love you, hell-raiser.”

You kissed his chest before replying, “Love you too, big guy.”

A/N: Thank you to any of you who made it to the end of this, I hope you enjoyed it! Please consider reblogging and/or commenting to help this little story of mine find new readers💕😘

[waterdeep-weavemoss]

Mother

@dansnotavampire inspired this one. Musings on Raphael's mother.

'Do you know I could break beneath the weight of the goodness, love, I still carry for you?'

She has been trying to break in for thousands of years. Other shades wander the wastes of avernus, flickering in and out of its red valleys, the styx cutting like a wound across the heat and dust. She has no mortal weight, no body she can go home to, but cruelty hangs like air in this place; a single moment haunts her. A baby, or what might have been one in another life, drawn from the offal of her body crushed red like pomegranate seeds. The memory is torn at the edges, pain washing her vision in red as magic knits her back together. In the space of a few heartbeats, she sees what has been brought forth from her, the deep brown of her own eyes, the twisted, fanged little mouth.

Taken away.

She might have loved him, had she been allowed. Even with the stories whispered around the boundary of the House of Hope, the horrors on the inside, she might have. Not the devil who begat him. That particular trauma was still knifelike behind her eyes, or where they would���ve been if she weren’t a breath amidst brimstone and flame. She’d dreamed him, the devil, put the night from her mind until she began to change.

And the child looked like her. She’s been haunted since.

So she tries to break in, and fails, and tries again. He doesn’t even know she’s there. Just one of the millions of wretches wilting on a battlefield.

Then one day, a stranger. Mortal, striding into the house like she owns it, unshackling that poor girl bound beneath the sumptuous hall. She knows the layout, even if she cannot enter. She peers in the windows. She knows there is something that looks like him but is not him. He’s never glanced outside. That mortal sets everything on fire. And with the seals broken, whatever magic that kept her out, she sets foot over the threshhold.

He’s coming home. She makes it to the portal and waits, for just a glimpse. He is so angry, the house trembles with it. He materialises from nothing, stride so like his terrible sire.

She sees her son for the second time.

Raphael.

Named for an angel in a story from nowhere, his lips pulled back in an expression of fury and hate. She had hoped, like a fool, that it might fall away when he looked upon her. That he might smile. Instead, his eyes cloud over with something entirely unexpected.

Fear.

‘Not possible,’ he whispers. She can almost sense his human heart.

‘Raphael,’ she says, barely an echo. ‘My son.’

The doors bang open. That mortal girl wielding an infernal hammer, standing in the doorway. She frowns in confusion at the devil trembling before her, cowering under the gaze of a woman who barely reached his shoulder even in human guise.

‘What in the hells is going on?’ A spike of fear. If the devil is afraid…

‘It- my- she’s my-’ Raphael cannot form the words. For the first time in his life, he sounds so, so human.

But the girl can see it. In the set of his jaw, the defiant set to the mouth, the burn of his gaze. And he looks at her now. It might have been with hate, but his mother sees through, even now, even separated from his babyhood she knows.

The girl takes a step back. Her hands tremble; adrenaline is thrumming through her body, sweat on her brow from the heat. She balls her hands into fists.

‘You’ve done terrible things,’ says his mother. ‘The stories about you… I can’t be proud. I wish I could. I wish there could be love in this house. But you have lost your way, or never had it to begin with. But I would’ve loved you, if I was allowed to.’

‘Stop.’ His voice is a knife’s edge.

‘I wanted to. Keep you, I mean. Even though objectively it would’ve been the worst-’

‘That’s enough.’

‘No, child. You will listen. Your nature can be overcome, if you want it enough.’

‘I never stop wanting,’ he replies, voice cracking. ‘Never. And it hurts.’

‘I know.’

The girl is at a loss. Taking a step back, and another. But the woman catches her eye, roots her to the floor. Shakes her head. Save him, she seems to say.

‘Begone,’ says the devil. His mother does not move. He follows her gaze, alights on the mortal fool.

Comprehension in the girl’s face. He is looking at her in desperation. For help.

‘You can be better than this.’ He shudders when his mother takes his hand. Has he ever had a kind touch? He closes his eyes, tries to will her away. But she stays, and he buckles, knees hitting the floor, head bowing. She holds him like she would have done if he were a small boy, and for her of course, he was.

Tags:

@bluerosetarot @dansnotavampire @further-than-forever

@forget-me-maybe @poetryvampire @sasha199 @wandawillow

@boufsy @owlseeyoulaterpal @lanafofana @amorgansgal

@auroraesmeraldarose @aryancunin @miradelletarot @marlowethebard

@netherese0rb @crimson-and-lavender @reeseykins @medra-gonbites

@roguishcat @weaverofnetheril @galedekarioswifey @hyperfixationstation128 @lastlight-inn

@astarryvamp @feedthepheasants @dabigstinky @dreamingofthewild @ladyofcrowsandcoffee

[jamdoughnutmagician]

Teenage Dreams (13 going on 30 AU) - part 2

Eddie Munson x reader

<- Previous part Next Part ->

Word Count:3, 054

SERIES MASTERLIST

Masterlist // Eddie Munson Masterlist

*dividers by @saradika-graphics

You roll around in bed, happily dreaming until you’re rudely awakened with a start as you find yourself slumped on the bedroom floor, realising that you must’ve rolled and fallen out of bed. Groggily you lift your sleep mask from your eyes and stumble around the room until you reach the door-handle.

It’s only when you start to walk through the hallway from your bedroom into the adjoining living space that you suddenly realise that you don’t recognise where you are.This wasn’t your home, the walls were a different colour, and the layout of the rooms were completely different. Actually, come to think of it, even in the dimly lit bedroom, the familiar sight of your Bananarama poster in your bedroom, was nowhere to be seen. 

You continue to stumble further into the living room, catching a look at yourself in the mirror.

With a shrieking scream you stumble back to the floor.

Who was that old woman looking back at you in the mirror? Surely that couldn’t have been your reflection, the last time you checked you were a thirteen year old girl, not a fully grown adult woman. 

You smush your face in your hands, pinching at your cheeks and raising your eyebrows, only for your reflection in the mirror to follow your every move. Your hands move down your body, skimming over the silky material of your slip dress nighty, stopping at the curves of your boobs. Boobs? When did they happen?

“What is happening?” you whisper softly to yourself. Your head was practically spinning with confusion. 

You stumble on unsteady feet to slump down in a nearby sofa chair, holding your head in your hands you try your best to make sense of what you had woken up to.

Finally you clear your head enough to look up, and see the small stack of mail on the coffee table. Picking up each envelope, you see your name printed on them clear as day, one after another you sift through the mail, and sure enough they’re all addressed to you.

“Okay…�� you drag out as you talk to yourself, trying to understand what was happening. “So this is my apartment.”

Your eyes scan around the room, finally landing on the phone on the side table. Quickly you reach for it and immediately dial your familiar number of your family home. The phone’s dial tone rings for a few seconds before going to voicemail.

“We’re not here at the moment, but be sure to leave your message at the tone and we’ll get back to you when we can!” comes your mother’s chirpy message recording.

“This is a dream, this has to be a dream. It’s all just a very weird, very strange dream.”

You get up from your seat, thinking it might be a good idea to tentatively walk around your new dwellings, at least to see what kind of place you were now living in.

You make your way back down the hallway towards the bedroom in which you had previously stumbled out of, when the sound of running water and the faint low rumblings of someone singing was coming from the room opposite. Suddenly your heart-rate spikes when you realise that you’re not alone in your apartment. There is someone in your bathroom, and judging by the singing, it’s a guy. A man. A man in your shower. Presumably a naked man in your shower.

The bathroom door opens up, swirling streams of steam billow out to reveal some guy that you have never seen before. He was tall and toned, the water droplets cascading down his chiselled chest, down to where his towel was slung low on his hip.

“Oh hey, sweetcheeks, I was just finishing up in there, unless…you want to join me for a little early morning action?” he smirks, wiggling his eyebrows at you and dropping his towel.

You let out a yelp as you quickly cover your eyes. You most certainly did not want to join him, not one little bit. Hastily you run back to grab, presumably your, coat that’s hanging off the peg on the wall and slip on the pair of shoes set down by the door. You didn’t know where, but you had to get away, just anywhere but here.

The man calls out after you, hollering that nickname once more.

“Sweetcheeks! Where are you running off too?”

You sprint out of your front door, getting in the elevator and making your way out of your apartment block’s revolving door.

And there, on the curb stood next to a dark car with its back door open, is a woman. She’s got a mobile phone in one hand pressed against her ear as she talks rapidly to the person on the other end of the line, and in her other hand she’s got a steaming cup of coffee. 

“I don’t care if you have to drag him by his ballsack, I want him in New York in 12 hours, you hear me? He needs to be at the party.” she shouts before pulling away from the phone to look at you. “There you are! Can you hurry up and get in the car already, we’re going to be late.” she snaps, handing the cup of coffee over to you.

You shake your head, your parents always told you to never get into a stranger’s vehicle, and that rule had served you pretty well until now.

“I’m not supposed to get into the car with strangers!” you fluster.

“Come on, stop messing around, I really don’t have time for this, just get into the car.” she pleads between talking to the person on the phone. “Just tell him because Nancy Wheeler said so, that should get him off his ass.” she rolls her eyes, as if annoyed at the response the other person gives her. 

Wait, Nancy Wheeler? Was this Nancy Wheeler all grown up? 

“Hey, Honey-Bunches!” comes the voice of the strange man you had woken up to in your apartment. You look up and see that he’s leaning out of your apartment’s window. “Have a good day at work! I love you!”

Between the still unnamed, strange man in your apartment, and this lady who was increasingly trying to usher you into the back of the car, you weigh up your options. Taking the chance you slip into the back seat of the car.

Now you find yourself sitting next to Nancy in the back of the car, hurtling down the busy streets, although wherever she was taking you was anybody’s guess. 

“Look I know I’m your best friend, but the slip dress is a bit more sleep-wear than office-wear, don’t you think?” she says

“Are you really my best friend?” you ask, turning to look at her.

“Oh my god, don’t tell me you’re pregnant, aren’t you?” 

“No! Oh no! God no!” you splutter.

“That’s a relief, you had me worried there. What did you get up to last night?” she asks, her eyebrows raising as she takes a sip from her coffee cup.

“See, that’s the thing, I’ve just had a really weird morning. I woke up in an apartment I’ve never seen before, and there was a naked man in my shower!” then you lean in closer to Nancy, letting your voice drop to a whisper. “I even saw his…you know what..” you flush,

“Ooh scandalous!” she giggles, before turning to the driver in the front. “You can just drop us out here thank you.” 

She opens her door and starts to walk towards the tall high rise building, with you desperately trailing behind her, frantically babbling your worries.

“Wait! Wait up! You don’t understand! Listen to me! I’m thirteen!”

“Look, if you’re going to start lying about your age, I go with 27, it’s a lot more believable.” Nancy shakes her head with a scoff.

“No, really! I know it sounds strange but I had this really weird dream…and what is that noise?” you swirl around on your toes trying to figure out where the sound is coming from.

“It’s your phone.” she says bluntly, reaching into your bag to pull out your mobile that was ringing incessantly. “It’s probably just Michael”

“Who’s Micheal” 

“God how much did you have to drink last night, huh? Michael, you know, your boss. Tall, dark hair, kind of stuck up and arrogant” Nancy says, handing you your mobile phone.

You take your mobile off her, and press it to your ear, only to hear the now familiar voice of the guy from your apartment.

“Hey, cutie-pie..” he starts but you cut him off.

“You! Put on your pants and get out of my apartment! And stop it with all these stupid pet names!” you shout down the line, before snapping your phone shut.

“Ooh who was that?” Nancy giggles, as if she’s caught you in the middle of some scandalous bit of gossip.

“I have no idea.” you say bluntly. “I don’t know what’s happening, and I don’t know what to do.” you pout.

Nancy stops you in the middle of the street and grabs you by your shoulders.

“Look, I don’t know what’s up with you today, but you have got to get a grip on things. We have a meeting in 10 minutes!” she says, locking eyes with you as she lightly shakes you by the shoulders. “Repeat after me: I am Y/n. I’m a big-time magazine editor..”

“I am?”

“Yes. You’re a big-time magazine editor, and you are a tough bitch.” she nods, looking for you to repeat her words back to her.

“I am Y/n. I’m a big-time magazine editor..and I’m..” you mumble before dropping your voice to a shy whisper “a tough bitch.”

“And you are going to walk into that office, and you are not going to let anybody know that you’re hungover..”

“But I’m not hungover.” you try to correct her, but Nancy raises her eyebrows in suspicion.

“Good, you just keep telling yourself that, because the future of Star Magazine depends on you.”

“Star Magazine?” you stutter out. Star Magazine was the holy bible for every young woman going, you had spent many hours pouring over every article and picture, following their fashion and beauty advice like it was gospel, and always making sure to read your horoscope.

“Oh boy, this is going to be a long day.” Nancy shakes her head at you with a huff.

As you walk into the office space of the building, you're immediately bombarded with your assumed work colleagues who are looking to you for your opinion.

“We need to decide on a layout for this article before we go to print” says one guy, holding up two different images of magazine covers.

“Just pick any one, it’s not like it hardly matters.” Nancy says, leaning into your ear.

“Oh, um.. That one!” you smile and as quick as a flash the guy is gone.

You proceed to walk down the bustling space following Nancy’s every step. 

“There you two are! The dream team!” A tall man with dark hair comes strolling up to you. “I’m going to assume that my executive editors are late again because they were terribly busy promoting us at all of this city’s hottest parties.”

“You got it, Michael.” Nancy says, slyly rolling her eyes behind his back.

Okay, so this guy was your boss, best not to get on his bad side.

 You sit yourself down at the large table in the office’s meeting room, dutifully writing your name in a swirling script at the top of the page of blank notebook paper in front of you. Everyone else is settling themselves into their seats as Michael takes up his space standing at the head of the board-room’s table, awaiting everyone’s attention with a quietly commanding presence.

As you settle yourself down in your seat, an older woman pops her head over your shoulder.

“Is there anything you need from me, Miss L/n?” she asks sweetly

“You mean like a favour?” 

“Sure, if you want.” she nods slowly.

“I really need to find this guy, I’m not sure where he’s living but I can give you his number.” you say, hastily scribbling down Eddie’s name with his uncle Wayne’s phone number on to the paper, before tearing it off and handing it to the lady. It was unlikely that he was probably still living there, but it’s the only number you had to go off.

“Uh, if you could leave us please, so we can get the meeting started.” Quickly, the sweet older lady scurries off, under Michael’s intense stare.

Michael claps his hands together to get everyone’s attention on him. Without a word he pins a print of last month’s front cover of Star Magazine to the corkboard behind him, the print of the magazine sits next to a print of last month’s magazine from Diamond Magazine. Both magazine covers bear a lot of similarities, almost to the point of them being near-on identical.

“For the past six months, Diamond magazine has been one step-ahead of us, giving their readers the latest scoops in celebrity gossip and fashion tips, and we have been trailing behind them, falling out of popularity. We need to prove to everyone that Star Magazine is still hot and happening, and very much relevant.  Our party tonight is going to be huge, so we need to do everything we can to make sure that we come out on top for once, and steal back our lost readership.” he rattles off his concerns. “Y/N, what do you think?” he asks and suddenly everyone in the meeting turns their eyes to you, waiting for your reply.

“Uhh..Yeah, sounds good. Definitely sounds like you got a plan there, boss.” you nod, giving him an enthusiastic thumbs up.

You trudge your feet out of the meeting room and down the hallway, when your eyes land on a door that has a small metal plate with your name on it.

“I guess this must be my office?” you say to yourself as you push through the door.

Once inside the room, you cast your eyes over the numerous fashion drawings, articles, and sticky post-it notes tacked on to the walls. Then your eyes see a small framed picture on your desk, it’s a photo of the strange naked man you had seen in your apartment, only this time he was wearing clothes. His arm was slung around your shoulder and he was planting a kiss on your cheek, and to your surprise there was a bright and beaming smile on your face.

You square your eyes, pointing to the picture.

“You can’t fool me, mister. I’m on to your games.” you scowl at the photo, but a sudden knock at your door startles you with a jump. 

“Good afternoon, Miss L/n, I have your messages, and I also have the information you asked for.” She smiles before continuing. “I called the number you gave me, the guy on the other end of the line seemed a bit stand-offish..” Yup, that was Wayne Munson, alright. “..But once I told him you were looking for Edward, he was only too happy to help. He’s living downtown, on 213 Park Street, apartment 2A” she says, handing you over a piece of paper with all the information on it.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch your name earlier?” 

“Uh, it’s Patricia, Ma’am.”

“Patricia, you’re an absolute angel.” you bring her into a tight hug. “And please, don’t call me ma’am, it makes me feel as old as my mother.” and with that you were rushing out the door and making your way out of the building.

“Wait! Should I cancel your 3.00 meeting?” Patricia calls after you, but she goes unanswered because nothing else mattered to you. You were going to meet Eddie and everything would be alright.

You flag down a taxi and ask them to take you to Park Street. You arrive at the address that Patricia had given you, and you stand outside the door, frantically buzzing the call button to be let into the building.

“Uh, hello, who is this?”

“Hi, this is Y/n and I’m looking for Eddie. And I don’t know if you’re the same Eddie but if you used to live in Roane county trailer park with your uncle Wayne, and your favourite band is Metallica then I need to speak to you right now.” you babble nervously into the speaker.

“Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that..” comes the voice through the other end of the speaker.

“Eddie..please..it’s me.” you plead in a last effort to  speak to your friend.

You wait a second and the door unlocks for you. Quickly you go up to the floor where Eddie’s apartment hopefully is, and you locate his front door. You knock your fist against the wood, steadying your nerves with a breath hoping to any god that was listening that this was your Eddie.

The door opens up a peek, with the lock still bolted shut. 

“Um..Hello..?” Says the man from behind the door.

“Eddie?” you ask hopefully.

“Yeah…That’s me.”

He was taller, the shorter mess of dark curls that you remember were longer, falling down around his shoulders in a shaggy mess. Those familiar chubby cheeks of the boy you remember were nowhere to be seen, but those big brown eyes and button nose were unmistakable. This was your Eddie, all grown up.

“You look so different..” you sigh.

“Uh..okay?”

“You don’t know me?” trying to hide the hurt in your voice that even your best friend didn’t recognise you. “It’s so funny because I saw you yesterday, only it wasn’t yesterday, because we were both thirteen and now we’re not, because I’m here talking to you.” you ramble quietly.

“Y/n?” Eddie asks. “Is it really you?”

“Yeah it’s me, Eddie.” a wave of relief washes over you once more as Eddie unbolts the door to open it up for you.

You fling your arms around him in a tight hug, happy to have him back in your life. His arm snakes around your body, giving you a friendly one-armed hug.

“Why don’t you come in?” he smiles, pulling away from the hug.

@paybacksawitch @penguinsandpotterheads @ali-r3n @aphrogeneias @eddiesxangel @mrsjellymunson @munsonology @onegirlmanytales @xxbimbobunnyxx @optimisticallygarbage @nailbatanddungeon

[gingerjolover]

Julien with the prompt "I can't risk losing you again." <3

hi baby! i combined this with 2 other #30 w julien asks as well as two asks that requested a haunted house mini fic (i hope that's ok mwah)

wc: somewhere around 775 (short king!)

julien baker x fem!reader - #30 "I can't risk losing you again."

The orange and green strobe lights do nothing to help pave your way through the dark hallway, the panic rising in your chest as actors in horrifying makeup jump out, just barely grazing your shoulders and hips. This was not how the night was supposed to go.

5 minutes ago, Julien's hands were on your hips, your fingers interlocked with Phoebe's as she walked in front of you; Lucy in front of Phoebe, Billie behind Julien, your other friends scattered sporadically, effectively sandwiching you between them as you walked through the haunted house.

Signing a release was the first sign that this was not a good idea.

The second was the orange wristband Julien insisted you ask for as a precaution. “Do not separate," stamped on the outside.

Yet here you were, like a mouse in a maze, trying to maneuver through the twisting hallways, the exit nowhere in sight.

You swear you can hear Lucy's scream, but she doesn't sound near or far. The best thing you can do is hide in the corner, recalling the moment an actor with "melting skin" popped up out of the floor, your entire group scattering in different directions; you felt Phoebe's hand slip from yours, Julien getting pushed into a different direction behind you.

It feels like there's no way out; your breathing gets heavier, and the corner comforts you with promises that nothing can come up behind you. Your back slides down the wall, eyes squeezing shut, hands to your ears to drown out the screams and cackling.

You don't know how long you sit there before two cold hands grab your body, one on your ankle and the other near your cheek. You're instantly screaming, kicking, and pushing the hands away.

"Baby... hey, hey! Babe! Hey! It's me, It's Jule...ow don't kick me," Julien says loudly, grabbing your wrists. Your eyes try to focus on her face, the strobe lights behind her washing her out. You instantly wrap your arms around her shoulders, small sobs leaking out of your eyes, her hands moving to support your lower back. "Shh, sweet girl, I know, I'm sorry...I'm so sorry baby..." your tears soaking into her flannel jacket. She pushes you away softly so she can see your face, wiping your eyes as she presses apologetic kisses to your cheeks.

"You left me," you say softly, voice thick with emotion. Julien's heart cracks; your wobbly tone and slight rasp fill her with guilt, even if it was an accident. "I would never leave you on purpose, princess. I got shoved to the left, and when I turned around, you were gone..." Julien says sympathetically, the music getting louder, groups of screaming teens and young adults passing you where you're both hidden in the corner of a long hallway.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," Julien says, cradling your arms and helping lift you up. Julien aggressively grabs your belt loops, tugging you to her front, your back hitting her chest harshly, "Ow, don't be so rough," you grumble, already feeling anxious.

"I can't risk losing you again," Julien says, leaning close to your ear. She places a few kisses on your hair before you start to walk through. You've walked for a few minutes when Julien pushes herself in front of you, choosing to lead you, facing whatever is ahead of you first. She has you grab her belt as an anchor, walking quickly, telling you to keep your head down. It was like Julien had gotten familiar with the layout while you were separated, reaching the exit easily and with only 12 panicked screams from you.

As soon as you get out, Julien's face goes from determined to pissed, her eyebrows furrowing as she steps away and puts her hands on her face. "You have a fucking wristband, how did none of the actors attempt to-"

"Julien, please just... can you just hold me for a sec?" you ask, slightly panting, the adrenaline coursing through your body quickly.

Julien's eyes soften instantly, moving back towards you, "Yeah pretty girl, I- I'm sorry," before wrapping you up in a hug.

Phoebe comes rushing out, face flushed and eyes wide, a small smile lifting on her face in relief when she’s the two of you.

"Thank fuck, there you are," Phoebe says, moving to you quickly. Julien steps back and allows Phoebe to pull you into a bone-crushing hug. "I went back in because when we all got separated, I couldn't find you or Julien. Billie and Lucy got out but went over to ask the worker to find you because of the wristband and-"

"Pheebs I'm fine," you breathe out, a little overwhelmed at Phoebe's out-of-character quick and panicked speech. "Julien found me," you say softly.

"She kicked me," Julien says deadpan.

"Why did you kick her?"

"Phoebe, I couldn't fuckin see anything!”

[ripdragonbeans]

Do You Believe In Fate? // Part 6 // Aegon II x Reader

Summary: You spend the night with Aegon.

Warnings: smut, unprotected sex

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5 // Part 6

You couldn't help the blush that stained your cheeks the entire drive back to his house. It was a dream come true, and hopefully it will stay that way. By the time you arrived, everyone was asleep and Cassandra was out of the house. Good riddance. You despised the girl. It would've been one thing to ask for money for fake dating but to force Aegon to have sex with her was horrific. No one should be used like that. Just thinking about it made you clench your knuckles until they were white.

Aegon held your hand as you crossed the threshold into the house. He held on tight as though he was afraid to lose you. All the lights were off so you trusted Aegon’s knowledge of the layout to get to his room. Granted, you knew the layout, too, but you let him take the lead.

By the tone he had when he made his request, you know he didn't expect anything to happen tonight but spending time together but you wanted more. More of his kisses, more of his touch, more of him. Heat pooled in your core just thinking about what “more” could imply. The two of you turned the corner that led to his room. Before he opened the door, however, you stopped and pulled him to you.

“I'm not against anything tonight,” you whispered. “I know you don't expect anything to happen but I'm more than willing.” You pressed a soft kiss against his lips.

Aegon groaned when you pulled away. “Shit, I really wasn't expecting anything but now you have me rethinking everything. What do you want, baby?”

You opened the door. “You.”

Immediately, Aegon pushed you into his room. Closing the door without looking behind him, he turned you around so you were pressed against a wall. He captured your lips in a heated kiss. His arm caged you between him and that wall. There was nowhere to go; not that you’d want to go anywhere else. There was fire and passion between you two. All of the unsaid words, all of the emotions built up over the years, were finally released.

You ran your hand over his chest and rocked your hips forward. Aegon quickly realized what you were doing and wedged his leg between yours so you could grind on him. The heat that pooled in your stomach intensified, building. You wanted more and you were going to take it. Taking one of Aegon’s hands, you guided it over your breast and leaned into his touch. The kiss grew hotter as he began to let his hands wander. You were practically sitting on his knee, grinding against him. The thin fabric of your panties were quickly getting wet and you loved it. Aegon pulled away from the kiss briefly to watch you. His eyes were glazed over with lust.

“Ride my leg, babe.” His voice was raspy.

Hooking your arms around his neck, you began to grind faster. Aegon was holding you up; one hand around your waist and the other cupping your ass. He gave your butt a squeeze, making you moan and throw your head back.

“Gods, you’re sexy. I’ve wanted this for so long,” he said as he moved both hands to your waist.

Aegon stopped your ministrations, much to your dismay, but distracted you by picking you up bridal style and carrying you to his bed. He threw you onto the bed with little grace and quickly climbed on top of you. Nudging your head to the side, he kissed up your neck and nibbled on your earlobe. The sensation had you lifting up your hips to meet his.

Aegon whispered, “Patience.”

You groaned in response, wanting more touches, more friction, more everything.

One of his hands slowly made its way down your body, teasing your nipples through the dress then dragging its way down to your core. You gasped when you felt his touch on your inner thigh. The heat that had relaxed a bit made its way back to your stomach as he ghosted his fingers over your panties. He teased you. Aegon’s gentle circles over your clothed clit had you groaning. You pulled him closer to you so you could nuzzle your face into his neck.

“More, please,” you said.

He stopped his circling. “Since you asked so nicely.”

In one swift movement, Aegon pulled down your panties and rubbed his fingers against you. “Fuck, you’re so wet already, baby.”

“Mmhm,” was the only way you could reply.

You moved your hips to match his rhythm but caught you off guard when he plunged a finger into your core. You moaned loudly but Aegon covered your mouth with his before you could make any more noise.

He stilled his hand. “As much as I want to hear all those sweet sounds, you have to be quiet for me, okay?”

After nodding your head in acknowledgement, he began pumping his finger in and out. Soon, he added in a second. Curving his fingers perfectly, he hit that special spot inside you that had made you putty in his hands. On top of that, he used his other hand to circle your clit. It felt so good. You were almost at your peak and Aegon could tell.

“Fuck, are you gonna cum? Gonna make my pretty girl cum all over my hands then I’ll taste you,” he said as he moved faster.

White hot pleasure ran over you, your whole body tensing as Aegon helped you ride out your orgasm. When he slowly stopped moving, your mind cleared ever so slightly. As soon as you were able to, you pulled him down into a searing kiss. When Aegon broke the kiss you made a noise of complaint, but shut your mouth when he lifted up your dress to take it off of you. He was about to go in for another kiss when you stopped him.

“If you get to see all of me then I get to see all of you,” you whispered against his lips. One of your hands began palming him over his pants. “I want to see that thick cock of yours.”

“Fuck,” he said as he began to peel off his clothes. “I can’t deny you anything anymore.”

Soon, both of you were completely bare. For a moment you just stayed there on the bed, kneeling and facing each other as you ran your hands over each other’s bodies. When Aegon cupped your tits, you caught him licking his lips.

“Do it,” you told him.

Aegon swooped his head down and began to kiss his way to your nipple. You moaned and threw your head back as you held his head close to your chest. He was so close to your nipple, you arched forward, but instead, he decided to tease you. Slowly, he ran his tongue around your nipple, getting close but not too close. You tried pushing his head but refused to give in to you. After what felt like hours, he gave in and took a nipple into his mouth. After all the teasing, you couldn’t help but moan. Aegon gave you a look but kept going all the same. Tongue swirling over one taught peak, he released it with an obscene pop then moved to the next one. He didn’t bother with the teasing this time; he went straight for it.

When he was done he pushed you on your back and spread your legs. “I still haven’t tasted you, yet.” That was all he said before he moved down your body and ducked his head between your legs.

You felt Aegon lick a strip up the center of your pussy and it immediately had you wanting more. As he played with your clit, he brought his fingers into the mix and began fucking you. You met his thrusts with your hips the best you could but it was hard to focus. All you could think about was Aegon. After a moment or two he switched it up. He fucked you with his tongue and used his fingers to mess with your clit. The sensations were too good, it felt like heaven. Soon, you reached your peak and screamed out his name. As soon as his name left your lips, however, he shut you up with another kiss.

When you broke apart, you told him, “It’s my turn to taste you.”

Aegon visibly swallowed. “You don’t have to if -”

“- I want to, Aeg.”

It was your turn to climb on top of him and move your way down his body. His cock was thick and hard. Your mouth watered at the sight of it. Testing the water, you kept your eyes on Aegon as you licked the tip. He bit his fist to keep from moaning out loud and threw his head back. Feeling energized, you began to lick more and more of his length. Once you licked the length of him twice, you took him into your mouth.

“Fucking hell,” Aegon rasped out.

Looking up at him, you gave him a wink before bobbing your head up and down. His eyes went wide as he watched you take all of him. He was hitting the back of your throat and it made your eyes water but you didn’t care. All you cared about was making him feel good. As you took him, one of your hands moved down to play with yourself. You hallowed out your throat and kept at it, taking him over and over again. His precum was salty on your tongue and you wanted all of it. Aegon, however, pulled out before he could finish.

“When I cum, it’s gonna be in that pretty pussy, not your mouth,” he growled.

He grabbed you by the waist and flipped you over so he was on top. Lining himself up with your entrance, he slowly pushed himself in. He was so big, you had to take a moment to adjust for his size.

You took a deep breath. “Fuck me.”

As soon as you said those words, Aegon moved his hips. It was complete bliss. He filled you up so good. Picking up the pace, he caged you in his arms. Every now and then he would lean down to kiss you. Quickly, he gave up on holding himself up and instead embraced you as he fucked you into the mattress.

“More, more, please,” you begged.

Aegon got up, causing you to groan at the loss of him inside you, but flipped you over so you were on your stomach.

“Ass up, baby,” Aegon instructed.

Following his orders, you got on your hands and knees and wiggled your ass teasingly. A sharp smack hit you but was quickly soothed by a kiss and a squeeze. Using both hands, Aegon spread your cheeks and licked you from your pussy to your puckered hole. You pushed into his face, wanting more. He gave you one last smack on the butt before plunging his cock back into your pussy.

Aegon didn’t take his time. He fucked you like tonight was the last night you’d ever be together. You rocked your hips back and forth, trying to keep up with him, but he was going so hard and so fast it was difficult to keep up. Not only that, but you were dazed from the amount of pleasure you’ve been receiving. Aegon’s cock was hitting the right spot over and over again. You were tightening around him.

“Fuck, cum with me,” he ordered.

He picked up his pace and soon there was no rhythm or rhyme with his thrusts, only pure desire. With three last deep thrusts, both you and Aegon hit your peaks together.

Aegon collapsed on you but did his best to catch himself.

“You can lay on me, it’s okay,” you murmured.

“Give me a few moments and I promise I’ll clean you up,” he murmured back.

You smiled and tried to turn to kiss his cheek but failed.

“Okay, time to get up.” Aegon groaned as he pulled himself out of you and hobbled to his bathroom.

While he was getting the wash rag, you rolled over and took in what had just happened. Exhaling deeply, you felt a blush beginning to creep up once again.

“Oh, no, don’t tell me you regret this,” Aegon said, spotting the blush on your cheeks.

You shook your head. “I don’t regret this at all, I’m just happy.”

“Happy, you say?” Aegon sat on the bed and began to gently clean you up.

“Yeah, happy.”

“For the record, I’m happy, too.” He smiled at you.

When he finished cleaning you off, he tossed the rag into the hamper and layed down next to you. You cuddled close to him, wanting to feel as much of him as possible.

“So…” you started.

“So…”

“This is happening, huh? Us?” you asked.

“Fuck yeah, there is.”

You smiled and nuzzled in closer to Aegon. “And to think you were avoiding me these last few years.”

“What can I say, I’m drawn to you. No matter how hard I fought it, I always found myself thinking of you.”

“Same.”

There was a comfortable silence. All you cared about was listening to his heartbeat and his breathing.

“I was wrong at the party. Cregan’s party. You were right. There is something more between us. I was just scared and didn’t want to face it head on.”

“It’s almost like fate was telling you to suck it up,” you laughed.

“And now I see why.”

Aegon captured your lips in one last kiss before getting both of you under the blankets to fall asleep.

[ipkkndlovescenes]

Gadbad...or attraction/P4

Nothing will be the same...

Read Part 3 Here

“There is a strange feeling concerning you. As if I had a string under my left ribs, tightly knotted to a similar string in you. And if you were to leave, I’m afraid that cord of communion would snap. As for me, I’d take to bleeding inwardly. As for you, you won't forget me either and bleed with me.” ~Mysticaldivine~

Khushi came to pick up her DeviMaiya yet after feeling his presence near her heart changed everything in her. Her mind and heart were not listening to her, which was the scariest thing ever. She had no idea why she was feeling the way she was. A girl with a sheltered lifestyle and with a certain layout of life, where marriage was the one that could bond two people together with love and all those sacred relationships. There was no space for the unfathomable emotions she was feeling right now in front of this man. This was not right, not pure, it was a sin, a man in her thoughts, dreams, her words, in her life by all means so far, from the moment she met him. He was creating havoc in her, bringing out the woman she was unfamiliar with.

No, this wasn't right at all. He was an arrogant, khadoos, money-oriented, stubborn, rich, powerful man who didn't even believe in DeviMaiya, but today he saved her from falling as well.

Who really he is?

The one who can put her life in danger without putting two cents on it or the one who brought her home safely. All of these contradict her mind because midst of all, she thinks of him all the time, dreams of him talks about him, her heart wants to see him, and beats erratically near him. All of this was enough to enrage her as a woman; a commanding woman in her is tired of these unfamiliar emotions, and at the top of his temper, echoes in her crazily.

Her voice started rising, and her nerves started shaking, but Khushi had to be in command. The duel of mind and heart was dancing its own tune lyrically with the fire of passion and essence of desired need.

And her need to be out of there, away from him as soon as possible and at any cost. "pehle aap darwaza khol dijiye. [first, you open the door.]

In her heart, she knew he would open the door, and he won't hurt her...

They backfired by testing each other's limits, waiting for the other to give in. Arnav was losing his grip every moment his voice raised, but something snapped too in him, finding her eyes wide open, a bit scared, and that feeling made him retreat... . she was in command until the very end. He stormed to the door and started kicking it vigorously until he kicked it down. Violent yet in control with one mission in his head...to make her listen to him.

ab sunogi? will you hear me out now?

Then she throws a neat surprise to his dazzled state of mind. She gives him a baffled and strange scared look, closes her lips for not uttering anything to make it worse, rushes to pick up her things, and then stands just in front of him to deliver her last word, a last piece of her mind to make peace with her. The final blow, if you say doubt, is She was tired of the duelling with him, with herself, with these feelings, the constant feeling of heightened emotions… she is frazzled and wants to get out of there, get away from him.

"Hamain aapki koi baat nahin sunani, nafrat hai na aapko hamse, hamari aukat se, hamari shakal dekhna nahin chahte na app? to khush hogaiye, kyun keh hum aapki nazron se hamesha ke liye door ja rahe hain Lucknow jaa rahe hai hum, hamesha ke liye."(I don't want to listen to you. You hate my face and my status, so be happy I am going to Lucknow forever).

hamesha ke liye door ja rahein hain... lucknow ja rahein hain hum... hamesha ke liye.

Words are nowhere to be found for Arnav as he looks at her lifeless after hearing all of this; he felt the same after her resignation, but worse than that. He gives her an incredulous look as if he has been struck. Her words are like a blow to his mind. All the frustration and the desperation are forgotten, and he looks at her, totally unconvinced.

She waits to see his reaction and leaves as she can't take this pain any more and can't give him the time he can come up with something new either.

Arnav"Tum aise nahin jaa saktin

Khushi' KHUSHI !

(You can't go like this Khushi) He wants to say, Don't go to Lucknow Khushi.., don't'.

I feel so much pain here, bringing tears to my eyes as his mother left him, and he is hiding this pain behind his rage and confusion because he could not stop her. And here Khushi'...at this moment only'

Khushi, indeed has left an enormous impact on him...

Part 1,2, & 3

[the-face-in-the-mirror]

I cannot express how LOUD I squealed the moment I scrolled down and saw Zeldris' rewrite after months of being away from Tumblr and I legit cannot praise you enough for the absolutely delicious serving. You did that man justice in the best ways possible!

And of course, I LOVED what you did with Margaret and Veronica along with Gilthunder, Guila, and Jericho! They're absolutely stunning and love the more roles they play in here.

And Helbrim- (I cannot for the life of me remember how the hell to spell this guy's name, he always eludes me. So I just spell it however it sounds like to me) -and his added lore actually brings home the angst! And adds more world building. I love it!

Zedris and Guila have to be my favorite rewrites, I love their designs that I just stared at them for a good solid 30 minutes just taking it all in!

Now then, for me questions in this rather jumbled up and messy ask; Is the Boar Hat changed at all? What kind of role does Hawk and his mom have in this rewrite, is it roughly the same? Or are they taken out completely?

Apologies for the rather jumbled writing, I don't have time to edit it all neatly so sorry if something doesn't quite make sense.

OMG, it's so good to hear from you again! :DDDDD I'm so glad you like the redesigns I've done since you've last been on here. I do pride myself on Zeldris' and Guila's redesigns if I do say so myself... I have a knack for creating people, what can I say? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

As for your questions: yes! Hawk and his mama will still be in the rewrite, because they are simply perfect. I love them with everything I have. Although, Hawk might be a girl this time just because it feels right for some reason. Either way, we all know Hawk transcends gender.

I think they'll roughly have the same rolls as they do in canon, with slightly adjusted designs just to account for art style. Hawk's abilities may be changed a bit as well because they always just seemed kind of random and out-of-nowhere when they showed up in season 2. I also think that Mama, this giant pig that just wanders and chills, being the original prison of Chaos and essentially one of the most powerful beings in all of Britannia, is absolutely hilarious, so of course I'm keeping that. And, because I loved seeing the little bits of her own personality in canon, I hope to convey her as more of a character rather than just the vehicle that takes us from place to place. (Love you, Hawk Mama, they could never make me hate you)

And the Boar Hat will have minimal changes; the layout was always a little bit unclear to me so I'll be adjusting it a bit. Since Mama Hawk is technically "hollow," since she's basically a moss shell, there may be a basement for cold storage, and more rooms for the Sins to stay in since it's never fully established what upstairs looks like outside of a few scenes - Meliodas made the Boar Hat to stealthily look for the Sins, after all, and even if he didn't have the expectation that they would travel with him I think he would still have set up the place with them in mind. And, slightly unrelated, but Elizabeth actually gets her own room this time instead of just sharing one with Meliodas since it seemed a bit weird to me that she was sharing a room and a bed with the guy when she only just met him. But that's just a side note.

Thanks so much for asking, I love your questions!! XDDD

[fedoraspooky]

I haven’t been here long. What irritating changes have been made?

Credit where it's due, some changes have been good, like polls and stuff! But the big recent changes thus far that I would classify as irritating are:

- The UI change. This one may be less irritating for newcomers because it's basically the same layout as twitter and instagram, but for a lot of folks who've been here a long time, it feels cramped and like a loss of identity for the site. For many, the appeal of tumblr is that it ISN'T an algorithm hell like twitter or insta. Also, there's the annoyance of having to relearn where everything is, because it all got moved around.

- The users being lab rats for various tests the devs wanna pull out of nowhere without consenting to beta testing new site features- like the one that took away user icons on the dash for like half the site. They finally put them back after getting enough feedback that said NO, but users were so used to their feedback being disregarded that they were half expecting the change to be pushed through anyway.

- The Netflix tie-in advertising being pushed even to people who had PAID tumblr for a no-ads experience. Complete with them somehow thinking it would be a good idea to put an unescapable-by-scrolling spooky clown on peoples' dashboards that u had to use ublock to get rid of. While I'm not scared of clowns and often find them quite charming, it sucks that staff didn't take coulrophobia being a common fear into account.

- A wave of fully sfw trans posts being wrongfully marked Mature and staff doing little to nothing about it. Not sure if this is still ongoing, but it destroyed a lot of trust and good will. (LGBT+ users have been having to fight a constant war against censorship ever since the adult content ban on tumblr, so yeah... Nevar 4get the list of banned search words that would bring back no results, like 'girl')

- The site gradually moving away from customization. Tumblr is a BLOGGING site. But it seems to have lost sight of that fact, because most new users don't even know you can fully customize your blogs with css and stuff (an option that is now off by default for new accounts!), because of the in-dash viewer giving you only how blogs look on mobile, which is a lot more uniform. There, it's more like every other site- you get a banner and icon. Oh, but you can change colors and fonts from a drop-down list too, that's cool I guess. Though they recently took away custom color schemes on Message windows, just another little bit of personalization taken away.

- TUMBLR. LIVE. Basically tumblr teamed up with a skeevy dating app partner to allow for livestreams- but not the cool kinda livestreams like on twitch where you can draw or play games, no- to a site full of people who value anonymity, they decided to push phone cam only livestreams. Not only that but by agreeing to the terms, you're giving out tons of personal data including your location to said skeevy dating app partner and all of THEIR third-party ad partners. Needless to say, most people didn't wanna use it, so instead of users it's flooded by p*rn bots (which is ANOTHER issue we've been dealing with for a long time and have been getting an even bigger influx of FROM tumblr live) and scammers. And thus, since tumblr likes to put a carousel of current streams on people's dashes, you often get softcore p*rn thumbnails from the bot streams with no way to avoid it except for toggling off tumblr live entirely.

- Oh wait. That's right. You CAN'T toggle it off. Because you can only snooze it for a while until BAM, you're jumpscared by a carousel of ladies licking your screen again! But hey, at least they made the snooze 30 days instead of the 7 it used to be, right? Yeah, except for the fact that you can't get rid of the tumblr live button itself on the app anymore, and now it's front and center with a NEW notification tag on it, overlapping your dash and cramming useful stuff like the search button out of the way.

NOW- A lot of this stuff CAN be at least mostly fixed on desktop by installing ublock and xkit and tampermonkey + dashboard unfucker... But that's a lot of stuff just to make the site usable, you know?

[rebelscums]

You Drew Stars (Hunter x Jedi reader)

Ratings: Angst

Summary: Mess around and find out.

Pt 10 to You Drew Stars

“We’re almost there.” Tech’s voice rang out through the otherwise silent cockpit as he exited hyperspace.

Hunter glanced up from sharpening his knife and took in the view of the large planet. The world seemed flush with life as mountains rose and trees filled the land. You wouldn’t think that this world would have a secret lab conducting unlawful experiments with kidnapped clone troopers… Clearly the perfect choice for the empire to set up such a dangerous operation.

“We will have approximately three minutes when I land to get inside without being detected by security.” Tech stated once again.

“Got it.” Hunter put the storm trooper helmet on that Rex obtained for them.

He already didn’t like the way the suit fit him or how it was a lot less mobile then the uniform he used to wear when he was fighting for the republic… How times have changed.

“Wrecker, make sure you get the ship somewhere inconspicuous and wait for our signal… And it all else fails… Do what you do best.” Tech stated.

He then motioned for Wrecker to take the controls as soon as he landed the ship near one of the secret entrances to the mountain.

“Let’s go.” Hunter stated.

Echo and Tech followed behind him, each wearing an identical storm trooper outfit to Hunter’s. They remained quiet and vigilant as they entered the mountain and made their way up one of the ventilation shafts.

When Echo peaked his head out and saw that the coast was clear, they exited the vent and began pretending as if they belonged there.

The three stayed clear of any suspicious personnel that could blow their cover as they made their way to the level that they were keeping clone troopers.

“Up ahead and to the right.” Tech voice spoke through their personal comms.

They entered the room and was met by rows of multiple clone troopers being held against their will.

“He should be in one of these cells.” Echo said as they began their search.

Each cell was met by another familiar face, but none with the signature crosshair tattoo and permanent scowl.

…

“Can I come with you? Please? I can’t just sit here waiting a moment longer. I’ll go crazy.” Omega pleaded with Phee as she was boarding her ship.

“I know, but your brothers insisted that you stay here and I didn’t expect an urgent call from Sid. It should only take half a day tops and I’ll be back for dinner alright?” Phee tried to say.

“See! You said it yourself. Only half a day tops which means I should be able to go with you!” Omega begged and the look in her big eyes that quickly made Phee fold.

With a sigh, Phee motioned for the young girl to follow her, “Alright, but you have to listen to everything I say. Promise?”

Omega nodded eagerly as she strapped herself in the copilots seat, “Promise.”

“And I expect to get one of those smoothies that you and Wrecker have been making.” Phee said with a small grin.

Omega crossed her heart, “As soon as we get back I promise to make you one.”

…

“Do you think he might be on another level? Did we miss something?” Hunter asked as he looked into another cell.

Each cell they past left an empty feeling in each of their hearts. One, that their clone brethren were locked up and two, because their brother was nowhere to be found. The image of what has become of their brothers in arms have left a permanent scar in their minds.

Tech shook his head, “Negative. All clones have been stationed here in this cell block.”

“But he’s not just any type of clone.” Hunter shook his head, “They could have transferred him somewhere else.”

“I highly doubt that. He has to be here. There is no other place where he could be.” Tech urged as they moved forward.

“I’m going to check the layout and see if there’s a turn up ahead.” Tech looked at his data pad following behind Echo and Hunter.

“Let’s not give up just yet. We’ll keep searching until we find him.” Echo said with certainty laced in his voice.

…

“What did Sid say that she needs to talk about anyways?” Omega wondered as she swung her legs.

“Don’t know.” Phee shrugged, keeping her eyes on the stars while she flew her ship, “She just said that it was important. Maybe if we’re lucky enough, it’ll be another treasure hunt.”

“Oo!” Omega’s eyes lit up, “We haven’t gone in one of those in a while! That would be fun and I’m sure my mo-” Omega suddenly stopped swinging her feet as her happy expression fell realizing she caught herself forgetting again.

“I lost my mom when I was young too.” Phee mentioned when the silence grew heavy, “She was an amazing women. The best treasure hunter in the entire galaxy and one day… Something went wrong and I never saw her again.” Phee spoke gently, “It’s the memories that you have that counts so don’t be sad. Be proud.”

Omega nodded, “I just… I feel that she’s still here with us somehow.”

“I feel like that about my mom too.” Phee said.

Omega fell back into her seat, leaning her head against the headrest, “She would have liked a treasure hunt.”

Phee smiled softly, “I’m sure she would have.”

…

They were cutting it close as their pace quickened with each turn. They knew that it was only a matter of time before storm troopers will be poking their heads around the corner and figuring out they weren’t actually one of them.

This whole mission was dangerous and yet none of them would turn back. Not if it meant saving their brother.

“There!” Echo quickly pointed towards one of the last few cells.

Hunter let out a breath of relief as the three of them ran up to the cell.

There they found Crosshair, barely moving on the ground with bruises swelling over his skin. It looked like he had been through hell…

What happened to him? Hunter thought as Tech quickly got to work on disarming the cell shield.

“None of the others look as bad as he does.” Echo mentioned what Hunter was just thinking, “They wouldn’t have done this to just any clone… There must have been a reason…”

Hunter and Tech both nodded in agreement.

“Maybe because of Omega?” Hunter questioned.

“That is highly plausible. The cell should be open… Now.” Tech stated and suddenly the shield vanished.

Hunter and Tech quickly made their way to help their brother up as Echo stood guard.

“Crosshair.” Tech gently shook his brothers arm and doing a quick scan to check his vitals.

To that touch, Crosshair reached up and held his brother’s arm in his own death grip.

“Don’t touch her.” Crosshair growled before he fell unconscious again.

“Her?” Tech furrowed his brows underneath the helmet, “Crosshair, who are you talking about?”

“What does he mean by her?” Echo asked as he glanced towards the three in the cell.

“I don’t know, but we have to go. We’ll ask him later.” Hunter shook his head before helping Tech lift their brother in their arms.

“Echo, we need to get to a database. Rex requested we obtain all information about Project Light.” Hunter ordered and as quickly as he was trained to do, Echo tracked down where they needed to be.

“You need… Go…” Crosshair was once again fading in and out of consciousness as he muttered each word, “In… Trouble…”

“We’ll go soon, brother.” Hunter tried to console his brother as they entered a room filled with computer systems, “Just hold on a bit longer.”

Echo quickly inserted himself into the data base and began searching for the proper file that he needed.

Suddenly they were sealed shut inside the room as red lights and a loud alarm started blaring throughout the base.

“I think they suspect we are here.” Tech stated as a matter of fact.

Echo, Tech, and Hunter took off their helmets.

Hunter sighed, “Didn’t notice.”

Hunter looked to Echo with urgency, “Echo where are we at with those files?”

“Almost there.” Echo muttered without looking away from the screen, “You just need to buy me some time.”

…

“Come on. Up out of your seat little copilot.” Phee patted Omega’s shoulder as soon as she landed the ship.

The two were off the ramp and heading towards Sid’s bar without a worry in their mind, save for the boys of course. They both only wished that they would come back safe and sound with Crosshair.

“Oddly quiet tonight.” Phee remarked as she noticed the streets were pretty bare, unlike what she was used to seeing.

“I’m going to head to Sol and grab some cakes for my brothers if that’s okay?” Omega asked.

Phee nodded her head, not seeing the harm in it, “Sure thing. Grab me a snack while your at it too. Something fruity.” Phee smiled as she pulled out some credits and handed them to the girl.

Omega nodded her head and took off, leaving Phee to continue the rest of the way to Sid’s.

“Hey Sid!” Phee called out the the older woman as soon as she stepped into the bar.

It only occurred to her then that the place was empty also and a unwanted feeling began to make its way through her chest, sending pulses to her brain that told her to run.

“I’m sorry, but I need to know where the kid is Phee.” Sid appeared from her office, followed by two storm troopers, a short man in a coat and…

“You…” Phee’s eyes widened at the sight in front of her.

The cloaked woman’s body was covered by a black coat with a hood to conceal her face.

Phee held her breath as she waited for the mysterious form to reveal themselves. Slowly, the figure pulled the hood down with a metal arm to reveal a face that confirmed Phee’s gut feeling.

Phee breathed out in disbelief and happiness, “You’re alive.”

It was the man in the coat that spoke next.

“My name is Dr. Hemlock. Sid here told us all about you and how much you love treasure.” He threw a bag onto a nearby bar table and the remnants inside revealed jewels that she has never even seen before, “I know you are a smart woman and you don’t want to be caught up in this mess so be a dear and tell us where Omega is.”

Phee glanced at the bag intently. She slowly looked at the Jedi who had a glazed look over her eyes as if she wasn’t even present.

“What did you do to her?” Phee glared at the doctor.

“Don’t mind your friend, she wouldn’t even remember you even if you tried to tell her.” Hemlock waved his arm and without a second thought, the General ignited her lightsaber.

“Now. I am pretty sure I have made us a fair trade here.” Hemlock said and this time his voice was far from kind, “Tell me where the girl is.”

…

Hunter could hear footsteps quickly approaching them. He placed the rest of Crosshair’s weight to Tech before he smashed the key code to enter the room.

“That should buy us some time, but not a lot.” Hunter stated, but with a less than confident look as the banging continued outside of the door.

“Hunter…” Echo’s voice was oddly quiet as he stared at the screen in front of him.

“What?” Hunter turned to look in Echo’s direction.

He didn’t like the way that Echo looked up as if he had just seen a ghost.

“What is it?” Hunter repeated, his voice snipped as he waited for Echo to give him an answer.

“It’s.. It’s the general…” Echo took a pause to collect himself, “She’s still alive.”

…

Omega felt herself slow her run as she reached the Sol cafe. The lights had been shattered inside, leaving the cafe as dark as the street outside.

“Omega?” A familiar voice called out to her.

She hasn’t heard it in quite a while, but the waiter poked his head out from behind a booth with wide blue eyes, “What are you doing here?” Indul asked.

Omega rushed to him, wincing as she saw the deep gash that scarred his right leg.

“Are you alright? What happened to you?” She asked as she looked around at the destroyed restaurant.

“I don’t know who they are… There was one one… Black robe, they wore a hood and wielded a lightsaber. They killed Jun.” He pointed shakily to the kitchen.

He looked up panicked and scared, “They came in here looking for you Omega… You need to run. Get away as far from here as you can.” He struggled to talk through the steering pain, but the urgency was president in his voice.

Her hands hovered over his wound, not sure of what to do, “I can find Phee and she can help you.” Omega said as she stood.

“I don’t need any help.” Indul shook his head with a sigh, “But you can’t go out there by yourself.” Indul struggled to stand, “I’ll go with you.”

Omega immediately shook her head and gently sat him back down, “I’ll be fine, you need to stay still.”

“Mary is grabbing some medical supplies for my leg.” Indul assured as he placed his hand on top of hers, “Go… And may the force be with you.”

…

“Tick tok.” Dr. Hemlock spoke in a bored tone as he glanced at his watch.

“I won’t.” Phee shook her head as she took a step back and crossed her arms, “I don’t know how many pirates you’ve come across, but I ain’t one of them.”

Hemlock sighed, “I really hoped that you would have been more easily suaded like your dear friend Sid here, but I suppose it can never be that easy twice, can it?” Hemlock motioned to his new toy, “Kill her and find the girl.”

The Jedi stepped forward, a murderous look in her gaze as she lifted her lightsaber.

Phee raised her hands up, “You don’t have to do this. Please.” She said as she took a few steps back, the jedi matching with a step of her own.

Suddenly the doors to the cantina swung open and two cans of smoke rolled through the doors.

“Hurry!” Omega shouted to Phee who took no time in following the young girl out the door.

The two bolted down the street as they headed straight for their ship.

“How did they find us?” Omega asked.

“Sid sold you out kid!” Phee said as they ran.

“What? No. That can’t be!” Omega yelled shocked.

“We’ll talk about it later, this way!” Phee yelled as they took a right.

They were almost to their ship when suddenly large rubble and stone broke from a building, sealing their path shut. As they turned they could see the glowing purple from a lightsaber.

“Who is that?” Omega asked as she squinted at the cloaked figure.

“It’s…” Before Phee could answer, Omega was falling to the ground in a heavy sleep.

As Phee looked up in shock, she watched her old friend wave her hand and in a second she was out like a light.

…

“What do you mean?” Hunter’s voice was cold.

He could quiet literally hear his heart beat loudly in his eardrums blocking out the banging on the locked door as he stared at the screen that showed the very being he couldn’t live without.

He could see her face, void of any emotion as she stared at whoever had taken the photo. Her scanner showed active on the screen with the word successful project written in the top right corner of her file. His mind was racing with confusion as he tried to piece together what could have happened to her during these last few months…

The pain she must have endured. That thought alone sent a knife through his heart.

“She must have been alive when… They took her.” Echo muttered as he glanced at his brother’s reaction, “She must be who Crosshair was trying to protect…”

“Alive?” Tech echoed the word as Crosshair leaned into his side. He kept a tight grip on his brother to keep him balanced, but that didn’t stop the lump that formed in his throat, “She was alive and I left her.”

Hunter’s fury laced in his bones as he ripped the frame piece from piece. His voice roared through the sealed room as he ripped through everything he could find. Echo, Tech and Crosshair stood against one of the walls as they watched Hunter mentally loose himself. They listened to the sound of the shields disappearing in the next room, letting them know that Hunter had just inadvertently released the clones being held hostage.

“We left her.” Hunter’s voice was barely a whisper.

He headed straight to the sealed door that now opened up to the stormtroopers on the other side. Each swift movement, each yell gave way to a storm trooper falling to the ground until Hunter stood above them remaining victorious and blinded by rage.

His brothers slowed stepped to the entrance of the room, watching their brother with concern.

Hunter stood there, unmoving as each clone warily stepped out of their cells.

“Burn this place to the ground.” Venom laced his voice and fire filled his eyes as the sirens blared and the battle cries of his brethren rang out through the halls.

“We’re bringing her home.” Was Hunter’s final words as he grabbed his blaster and led his brother’s back to the Marauder.

Just hold out for me a little longer mesh’la, I’m coming for you.

[elitadream]

Ok so I randomly had this angsty idea come to me at 2 in the morning and I thought I would share the pain lol

Mario is successful in defeating Bowser and rescuing Peach once again. It was a long and exciting adventure, a bit rough during some parts, but as always Mario prevailed. He tells her of all the places he’s been and all the enemies he had to fight. But it was all worth it in the end. Nothing could’ve stopped him from saving the woman he loves.

It’s the journey back home that proves to be the biggest challenge. Harsh storms and dropping temperatures take a toll on them as they constantly seek shelter. Peach insists she can keep going, but it’s painfully obvious the cold is getting to her. Mario offers her anything he can to make her comfortable, though there’s only so much he can do. He didn’t prepare for weather like this.

Eventually it gets to a point Peach can barely move. Her body feels numb, she’s shaking like a leaf. Her legs are already achy and sore from walking so far she can’t take another step. Mario doesn’t hesitate to start carrying her. He braves the storm, crossing rivers and valleys, keeping the princess secure in his arms. Peach tries to tell him not to wear himself out and to take a rest. But there’s nowhere to go but forward, so he stubbornly keeps going, promising to bring her home where she’ll be warm and safe again.

After days and days of endless rain/snow and starvation, he finally sees the Mushroom Kingdom in the distance. He drops to his knees, at last letting his body take a break. He smiles in relief and tells her they made it home. But when he looks down at the girl in his arms, his smile fades instantly. Her face is sickly pale, her eyes remain closed. She doesn’t respond when he calls her name. Her body is no longer quivering like it had been the whole trip.

Rather or not she survived I’ll leave up to you, but when I pictured it it just broke my heart thinking about how Mario is able to save her from monsters and a fire-breathing turtle, but the one thing he couldn’t save her from was Mother Nature itself.

Ooh I love this idea.

Scenarios that bring forth Mario's enduring determination, bravery and selflessness are always my favorites, but in a world where enemies abound, we rarely see those qualities being exploited in a context where said foes are absent from the picture. But when we look at the world itself, we realize that active opponents ironically aren't always the biggest danger Mario has to face.

From my own gaming experience, I can say that I've actually died more often due to the tricky layout of the level than because of the enemies patrolling inside of it, and I think this would serve as a wonderful basis for a dire journey.

It's tragic and heart-wrenching, but it also makes a lot of sense. These realms can be very unforgiving and life-threatening at times, and it would certainly be a challenge for both Mario and Peach to survive the whole way back.

With that said, I'll go with the alternative where she does live, if you don't mind! 😭

[caitlynmeow]

Headcanons about the girls in college ?

sure!

All three daughters know what is expected of them, they know that they are responsible for the future of their family and they don’t take this lightly at all. They are very aware that House Dimitrescu is a noble house, and they have no intention to mar its name. They are very proud of their bloodline, and aren’t shy about who they are.

Bela was already set on what she wanted to study by the time she was around 16. It was a no brained for her, really. She wanted to study something related to what she plans on doing, because she will never be caught not knowing what to do in certain situations because she doesn’t have the knowledge for it.

Bela double majored in business management and finance, university wasn’t that big of an issue for her. Since campus is quite the drive, almost two hours away, she decided to get an apartment in the city nearby the university.

She spent the summer packing her things and looking for the perfect location. She found a nice spacious apartment, overlooking the city. It was an open space layout, with windows taking up two walls. It has three large bedrooms (two of them en suite) and two bathrooms. All in all, it was an ideal place.

She packed and left, accompanied by her mother and sisters (Cassandra was only fifteen by then, and Daniela was barely 12) they all spent the weekend there, but had to go back to the castle by Monday morning.

Bela was considering going abroad. She was applying to Cambridge and she would go there after she is done with freshman year.

Monday evening she retired form classes, to an empty apartment. She enjoyed the peace and quiet, it was a stark change from what her life was like back home. Her sister are annoying and are always up in her business. She can certainly use the break from that.

Also, she doesn’t have to worry about her stuff being messed with. Wherever she leaves her things she finds them. No clothes and makeup going missing out of nowhere.

She really loved the change.

Although, she couldn’t ignore the tightness she felt in her chest. Surely, she can have a quiet evening by herself; watch some tv then go to bed. She won’t have to listen to Daniela and Cassandra tell her about their day before the went to bed. She won’t go to her mother’s room and catch her up with everything. Things are different now. She doesn’t live at home. She is adult.

It’s only two hours away.

Bela arrived at the castle around 10:30 pm. Her sisters are already asleep but her mother wasn’t.

If she switches some classes into late morning, she can drive to and from campus with no issues.

Bela tried, for days and days. But homesickness was always stronger. She shamefully and tearfully admitted that she will be the daughter to disappoint her mother. She cannot possibly go to Cambridge if she can’t bear to live alone while in the same country, right?

Alcina had different thoughts. While she will never stand in her daughters’ way, and while she was welcoming of the idea of studying abroad, she really didn’t think of Bela as a disappointment when she couldn’t bear to be away from home.

On the contrary, Alcina was full of pride knowing how hard it must be for Bela to admit such a thing. Alcina was upfront with her, and she didn’t spare her the praise. She said that it made her happy that Bela has confided in her. That deep down, Alcina is very happy that her daughter is attached to her family. Alcina is assured that if she isn’t around, Bela is going to take care of the family and her sisters.

To make things somewhat easier, Bela kept the apartment for when it’s needed. During school breaks, Cassandra went with her, the two of them were enough company to ward off any homesickness (and knowing it’s a brief stay always helps) Bela would stay there during midterms and finals, but she mainly lived at home.

She generally did well; honor roll and everything.

But honestly? She couldn’t leave her home and she felt conflicted about that.

Cassandra is different. Out of the three sisters, she is the more emotional one. She saw how Bela couldn’t spend a night alone in her apartment, she knew that she wouldn’t even try. The apartment is there, deserted most of the year, but the two sisters spend time there together when it’s time for midterms and finals.

In university, Cassandra was very studious. Unlike Bela, who prioritized social life, Cassandra was focused on academics. She had he schedule set up with the help of her sister. Classes were overwhelming and she figured that she can have a lighter load than she planned because she cannot afford to get anything less than straight A’s.

Cassandra didn’t want to be on the honor roll, she wanted to be the top student at her university and nothing was going to sway her from reaching that goal.

Despite that, she made plenty of friends.

Cassandra is one of those people who study hard and party hard. It’s not unusual to see her at parties in the evenings. Her alcohol tolerance is quite good so she spends the night downing shots and dabbling with weed because she has no impulse control.

Overall, Cassandra did have a fun time at university. Yes, she was often stressed with her classes and break down crying more times than she wants to count. But overall, it was a fun experience.

She was one of those people who are naturally popular. People flock around her and everyone wants to be her friend. Just the kind of attention Cassandra Dimitrescu lives for. She had it all: too grades and a very busy social life so there isn’t anything for her to complain about.

Daniela takes more after Bela, even if she was lazier. She stayed in the castle, if her two big sisters stayed home then so will she. Besides, living away from home will make her miss all the drama and tea and Daniela can’t allow that.

Daniela lowkey idolizes Bela, so it was natural that she will study the exact same thing. But that came after getting yelled by said older sister because Daniela declared that she didn’t want to go to university. She doesn’t need to, if she’s being honest. That declaration made Bela seethe in anger. she sat her down and drilled into her how important it is that she has the qualification otherwise people will use that against her. And besides, it’s Bela. She will never let anyone of her sisters get anything below what they deserve.

That talk sobered Daniela up, and she decided to go to university because Bela would probably kill her if she bring up not going again.

She wasn’t as wild as Cassandra, or even as studious. She did study and got good grades. She made plenty of friends, but it was the normal amount: people she met in class and other places she frequents.

Honestly despite what some might think, Daniela was the most lowkey among her sisters. She just did her own thing and went with that. She enjoyed the peacefulness more than anything else.

[sephirthoughts]

I wish you would write a fic where...

too embarrassed to ask so i went anon you mentioned you like tseng x aerith as a ship would you possibly be down to write a little something for them? 🫣

Hello lovely anonnie! i adore any excuse to write about ships that i like but never get around to writing, so you're the real hero. thank you for the ask and the excuse for self-indulgence!! 🖤

tags: tseng, aerith, tseng/aerith, elmyra gainsborough, ms. folia, cute, short, unresolved pining, inconvenient interruption trope

rating: general audiences

warnings: aerith-typical violence, very very minor blood

note: yes i gave tseng a first name don't @ me i have no time for cowards

think sephiroth with masamune is scary? wait till you see my girl with a folding chair

“Tseng!” Aerith exclaimed, dropping the folding chair, with a resounding clatter. “You scared the shit out of me! What are you doing sneaking up on people, like that!”

Tseng pushed himself up to a seated position, on the dirty floor, gingerly touching the large bump that was already forming, on the side of his head. “I apologize for startling you. I’ve certainly learned my lesson.”

“I’m so sorry,” Aerith winced, as she held out her hands to help him up. “I really didn’t know it was you. I just heard a noise and, to be honest, I’ve been pretty high-strung, all day.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Mm, nothing I can put my finger on. It’s like…the energy in the air is all tensed up, or something.”

Tseng stopped dusting off his trousers and frowned. “That doesn’t sound like anything good.”

“Never is, these days. Oh—your head is bleeding. It looks pretty bad. You better come back to my house. I’ll clean it up and heal it for you.”

“No, thank you. I doubt your mother would appreciate my intrusion, at this hour.”

“She’s not there. She went over to the Leaf House to work on the layout for the new garden. They’re pulling an all-nighter.”

“Even more reason for me not to go. You shouldn’t be alone in your house, with a man.”

“What is this, the 50s?” Aerith laughed. “You think I’m gonna ruin my reputation and never be able to get a husband?”

“Of course not,” Tseng said patiently. “I only meant that it isn’t safe for you to be by yourself with a man, in that isolated house.”

Aerith rolled her eyes. “So, now you think I’m stupid? I wouldn’t just invite some man to my house. It’s ok, because it’s you.”

“I see. I…wasn’t aware we’d become so familiar.”

“We’ve seen each other at least twice a week for fifteen years, Tseng. How much more familiar do you want to get, before you let me treat your bleeding head injury?”

“An injury you inflicted. With a folding chair.”

By way of reply, she raised her eyebrows and pointed at the door. 

Aerith had a specific mood in which she simply would not be contradicted, and so the stone-faced, professional killer found himself obediently following a little pink-clad girl, out of the church and up the dirt road, toward the town center.

He attracted many glares, as they passed people on the narrow streets of the bustling little slum, but that was the worst of it. Everyone knew the long-haired Turk was a friend of Aerith’s, and no one was eager to incur her wrath. 

The atmosphere had been stuffy and stale, as usual, on the walk back from the church, but the evening air was crisp and refreshing, in the hidden grotto where her little fairy-cottage lay, surrounded by lush and gorgeous greenery, that could be found literally nowhere else, within a several-miles radius of Midgar. 

Inside the small, tidy house, that Tseng knew as well as his own, Aerith commanded him to sit, at the dining table, then went off to do something in the kitchen. He heard rummaging and water running. He felt a tickle on his cheek and brushed at it, thinking it was a stray hair, but his gloved fingertips came away wet and sticky.

It was only then that he realized the blood had run down his face, and dripped onto his white shirt. His head was throbbing pretty badly, too. Just how hard did she hit him? He was more inclined to be impressed, than anything.

“Don’t touch!” Aerith scolded, as she came back bearing a tray, loaded with clean towels and a steaming kettle. She poured the water into a ceramic bowl, into which she dipped one of the towels. “Sorry about your shirt. I could try to get the stain out, but I don’t have anything for you to wear, in the mean time.”

“That’s not necessary. You’ve—tss!” he hissed, as she pressed down on the wound, with the towel.

“Too hard?” she said, pulling it away.

“Hot. It’s too hot. You have to let the boiling water cool for a minute, before you slosh it all over someone.”

“Oops. Sorry, I’ve never done this before. I always hear people say to boil water and get clean towels, when someone’s hurt, so that’s what I did.”

“I think you’re thinking of childbirth.” 

“Am I? Oh, you’re right. That’s funny. Why would I confuse the two?”

She grabbed his chin to turn his head to the side, before she applied the wet towel again, and he employed himself in looking studiously at anything but her. Because while she was dabbing at his head, chatting away like they were old friends, she was also leaning extremely close, and her gauzy sundress wasn’t exactly cut conservatively, at the neckline. Her knee kept bumping into his thigh, too, which was profoundly distracting.

“Alright, that’s as clean as I can get it, before we get the bleeding stopped,” she announced, after a several long minutes of what seemed to be needlessly assiduous labor. “I’m gonna cast a healing spell, but I’ve never used it, so. You know. No guarantees on how well it’ll work.”

“I’m sure it’ll be—wait, you’ve never used it?”

“Nope. It just sort of…came to me, today. I haven’t had a chance to test it out, yet.” She smiled sunnily. “I guess that makes you my guinea pig.”

Tseng balked. “Maybe we should just use one you already know works.”

“Maybe if we were cowards. We are pioneers, Tseng! Now, sit still. This might sting a little.”

For a second or two, he felt nothing. Then there was a swell of intense, golden light, and his head felt like she’d pressed a branding iron to it. He gave a start and pulled away, but it was already over. 

“Wow, did you see the light?” Aerith breathed. “I’ve never had one do that before. Your wound healed so fast, too. I didn’t even have time to blink and it was just gone. It’s all healed, already!”

“It is?” 

“Mm-hm. Go ahead. Feel.”

He reached up and gingerly prodded the area with his fingertips. Sure enough, the swollen, throbbing lump on the side of his head had vanished. Not only that, there was no pain at all. Not even the lingering tenderness and tingling, which he regularly experienced in wounds that had been treated with cure materia.

He gave a stiff nod. “Impressive. Your skills are developing.”

“Maybe not,” she said, laying a hand on her brow. “I think…I think I’m gonna—” 

Mid sentence, her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed, like a puppet with cut strings. 

Tseng caught her and cradled her in one arm, patting her face and shaking her gently. “Aerith? Aerith, are you alright?”

“Mm…” she murmured faintly. 

He leaned closer. “What was that?”

“Mmmm…my hero!” Aerith burst out, with a peal of laughter. “What a knight in shining armor! A big, strong man, taking such tender care of a fainting damsel. You caught me and everything! If I’d dragged it out a little longer, would you have princess-carried me?”

Tseng let her go and stepped away, pursing his lips. “I’m glad you’ve amused yourself. I didn’t find that funny, at all.”

“What, because you can’t deliver damaged goods to Shinra?”

“Because I care what happens to you, Aerith!” he said, with sudden heat. “If I thought you’d harmed yourself, helping me, I would be very displeased.”

Aerith’s green eyes went as wide as saucers. “You care about me?”

“Of course I do.”

“But care about me, how?” He wouldn’t look at her, so she leaned around, into his eyeline. “You mean, as a valuable research subject, that your bosses would be furious about you losing…right?”

Tseng gave a cold laugh. “I dislike that you think that about me, but I suppose it was inevitable, given the nature of my employment. Whether you believe me or not, is immaterial. I have never seen you as a subject, or a target. Not ever.”

“Oh, really? If you don’t see me that way, then why are you always trying to make me go back to Shinra?” 

He narrowed his dark-brown eyes. “I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic, or not. If not, then it can only be willful blindness.”

“What do you mean by that?” she demanded, putting her hands on her hips. “Stop insulting me through the side-door, and just say it, outright.” 

The tall, black haired and black-suited man stepped closer, looming over her, suddenly appearing very different, to how he normally seemed. Sharp and dangerous. Like an unsheathed blade. “I have the power to destroy nations, with a snap of my fingers, Aerith. Do you truly believe that if I ever intended to deliver you to Shinra, you would still be free?”

Her lower lip trembled and she faltered back a step. “I never thought about it. I guess, I…I never thought of you as such a scary person.” 

“No—I wasn’t trying to scare you,” he said, with a sigh of frustration. “I only wanted you to understand me. To know where I stand. After all this time, you should…know.”

“You mean, you stand…between me and Shinra.” A tear escaped her emerald eye and slid down her cheek.  “I see, now. You’ve been protecting me from them, all along. But why? Why would you do that for me? Why would you spend fifteen years watching over me and holding them off, at your own risk?”

Tseng turned away. “Everyone has their reasons. Let’s leave it at that. It’s getting late. I should go.”

Aerith caught him by the sleeve of his jacket, stopping him in his tracks. “But…what if you didn’t?”

“If I didn’t?” he asked, glancing down at her white fingertips, just pinching the edge of the black cuff.

“You should stay,” she blurted out, then blushed and lowered her eyes bashfully. “I mean…I want you to stay.”

He let himself be tugged back, away from the door and escape. Toward her. As if he could have resisted. It was like the pull of gravity; gentle, ceaseless, inescapable. Unconsciously, his hand turned over, to cradle the one grasping his sleeve. Ever so lightly, so that she could easily have pretended not to notice, and drawn away. She didn’t. She let go of the sleeve and let her hand rest in his. Her palm on his palm and her tiny wrist between his fore and middle fingers. 

Her head was tilted down, and her eyes were still fixed on the floor. He could feel her trembling, as if she were afraid. But he had never seen her afraid of anything, in her life. So, was it fear, or something else?

“Tseng…” she murmured.

“Jiang.”

“What?”

“Tseng is my surname. My given name is Jiang. Since we’ve become so familiar.”

“Jiang,” she repeated slowly, rolling the unfamiliar word around on her tongue. “It feels strange, calling you a different name, after all this time. But it suits you. What does it mean?”

“It means descendant of the god of water, but the meaning has no special significance, in relation to me. My mother chose it because she liked how it sounded. That’s all.”

“Oh,” Aerith smiled. “Mine means something between earth and flower, because the Cetra spelling included both word elements, but there’s no special significance in relation to me, either. My mother probably chose it for the same reason your mother chose yours.”

“She chose well.” 

“I guess they both did.” 

Her hand was still resting in his hand. All this time they had been edging imperceptibly closer together, till they reached the event horizon. All it needed now, was for one of them to poke a hole in the window paper. Then there would be no going back to the way things were.

“Zack,” he said. 

Aerith stiffened perceptibly. “Um. What about Zack?”

“Zack was…my friend,” he explained, haltingly. “I promised him I’d take care of you.”

She lowered her eyes, then looked up at him again. “Then you should take care of me.”

His other hand slipped around her slender waist. Her body felt impossibly fragile and delicate, compared to his (particularly for a girl who had whacked him over the head with a folding chair, not an hour ago). She leaned into him and he bent down. 

The sound of footsteps and voices, on the walk outside pushed them hastily apart, again. A moment or two later, the door opened, and Elmyra entered, with one of the women from the village. Aerith was at the table, gathering up the towels and teapot, and Tseng was standing a professional distance away, with his arms crossed. 

“Mr. Tseng,” Elmyra frowned, looking back and forth between her daughter and the Turk. “What’s going on, Aerith? What is he doing here?”

“Hello, mother. Ms. Folia,” Aerith said breezily. “Nothing to worry about. He had a little injury and I treated it for him. What about you? I thought you were going to be at Leaf House all night.”

Elmyra’s gaze flickered down to the blood on Tseng’s shirt, then back up to his face, before she turned to Aerith. “Well, I forgot my notebook, with everyone’s ideas from the last meeting, so we came to pick it up. How exactly did Mr. Tseng get injured?”

Aerith looked sheepish. “Well, he—”

“I wasn’t paying attention, and I hit my head on a stray piece of furniture. Aerith was kind enough to tend to it. Thank you, for your hospitality. I’ll be going.” Without waiting for a reply, he gave a clipped bow and departed, quickly vanishing into the night, outside.

“Good goddess,” Ms. Folia remarked, after he’d gone. “I’ve heard people mention the long-haired guy in the suit, but he is something else. I’ve never even seen a man that good-looking, before.”

Elmyra glanced toward the door, the way he’d gone, then back at Aerith, who was carrying the tray into the kitchen. She had a lot of reasons to hold that Turk in deep distrust, and be wary of his presence, but this specific one had never even occurred to her.

Not that she thought of her daughter as some kind of vestal virgin (she was well aware of the extent of her intimate relationship with Zack), it was only that she hadn’t considered the man who had spent all this time circling overhead, like a hawk above a rabbit’s den, might be a different kind of threat, altogether. 

“Aerith, if those Turks hurt themselves while they’re poking around and spying, it’s their own problem. I don’t think it’s a good idea to invite them into the house, too often.”

“Huh?” Aerith said, looking perplexed, as she came back from the kitchen. “But we invite them in, all the time. You and Rude have tea together, every Wednesday. Or…oh. You mean Tseng, specifically. I understand why you’d worry, but the thing is, I kind of had to help him. He was lying about how he got hurt.”

“Oh, goddess, what did you do?”

“Well. He startled me, at the church, and I may have…hit him over the head with a folding chair.”

Ms. Folia burst out laughing, and Elmyra couldn’t suppress a little chuckle, even as she shook her head disapprovingly. 

“You know what? Nevermind,” she said, squeezing her daughter’s hand. “You can clearly take care of yourself. Here’s that notebook, Ms. Folia. We’d better get back, before they send a search party.”

“Bye, have a good time!” Aerith called after them, waving cheerfully, as they went away down the walk. 

When the two ladies were out of sight, she shut the door and leaned on it, letting out a deep breath, as if she’d been holding it in. Absently rubbing her palm, where it had rested in Tseng’s hand, she gazed into the middle-distance, with a troubled expression clouding her brow.