#how pretty is a splash of red in a world of white

[lyss-butterscotch]

The art of violence

[agreeewrites]

Christmas Karaoke | E.M.

He wasn't a Christmas guy, being the town freak and his all together hatred of capitalist bullsh*t, but when he saw you smile like that, your eyes dancing like the twinkle bulbs, he thought maybe he could be.

feat. Eddie Munson x fem!reader

SUMMARY: You go out to Christmas karaoke with your friends Robin, Steve, Vickie, and Eddie and get a little wild, liquid courage and some classic carols giving you the push you need to claim your man.

CW: MDNI 18+, smut, eddies pov, drinking/getting drunk, protective!eddie, mentions of blood/fighting, eddie is the sweetest (and filthiest) man alive, oral (f&m), dirty talk

Eddie flipped down the visor on the van, checking his hair and making sure he didn't have an spaghetti sauce on his chin from dinner at Wayne's. The van was idling outside your door, thick clouds of steam obscuring the outside world.

He was picking you up for Christmas Karaoke with Steve, Robin, and Vickie at the Hideout. It was a normal thing, he'd picked you up countless times for countless reasons, so why the fuck were his hands shaking on the steering wheel?

He clenched his hands, knuckles white and rings digging into his skin, and tried to take a deep breath. Things had started to change for him over the summer, after Eddie got into a fight with a handsy lifeguard at the pool.

He wasn't a violent man, truly. But when that fucker put his hands on your skin, glowing in the afternoon sun and dripping with chlorinated water, and your face screwed up with disgust and fear, he saw red.

It took an hour to clean the blood from his rings, and you'd been gracious enough to help him. Cramped into the trailer bathroom, scrubbing at his Cthulhu ring with some Palm Olive and an old toothbrush, your brow crinkled in concentration.

Now, he couldn't even wash the fucking dishes without thinking of you.

Every since that afternoon, he was a nervous wreck around you, clumsy and awkward, though you were too sweet to ever comment on it. You were oblivious to the change in him, at least as far as he knew.

He flipped up the visor and sagged into his seat, turning that Cthulhu ring on his middle finger. It was just karaoke, he could do this—

“Hey, Eds!” You chirped, tugging open the van door and climbing in.

His greeting died in his throat when he saw your outfit. Leather mini shirt and ripped tights, heavy boots, eyeliner…and what had to be the ugliest patchwork Christmas sweater he'd ever seen.

But somehow, you made it look sexy as fuck.

“What? Too much?” You asked, pulling at the hem of your sweater with a smirk.

Eddie clapped a hand over his eyes, letting go of the wheel. “You're gonna have to drive, babe. My eyes have melted from the hideousness.”

You laughed, the sound like Christmas bells, and swatted his arm. “It's not that bad! Robin helped me!”

“It's grotesque.” He smiled, dropping his hands to start driving. “And I love it—”

“You do?” You beamed so brightly, he almost didn't finish his sentence.

“Sure! The way I love “Night of the Walking Dead”, or when Ozzy bit the head off that bat—”

“Ha ha, go fuck yourself.” You stuck your tongue out at him and he huffed a laugh.

“I'm teasing you,” he chuckled, adjusting the radio to your preferred station. “It's perfect. And only you could pull of that kind of monstrosity.”

You smiled, settling into your seat, and cranked up the music.

It took a concerted effort for Eddie to keep his eyes on the road. The color splashed against your skin was so pretty, and the soft smile on your face every time he passed a particularly elaborate house made his heart forget how to beat.

He wasn't a Christmas guy, being the town freak and his all together hatred of capitalist bullshit, but when he saw you smile like that, your eyes dancing like the twinkle bulbs, he thought maybe he could be.

“So, will we get a Corroded Coffin performance?” You asked, jarring him from his fantasies.

He snorted. “Unlikely.”

“I’m sorry, you, Eddie Munson, who sings more than he speaks, aren't going to participate in karaoke?”

“It's not like Judas Priest has a Christmas song,” he chuckled. “I don't have the range for Sinatra. Though I'm flattered you think so.”

“What if I pick it for you?” You asked, batting those pretty eyes at him.

He sighed, thunking his head back against the headrest. “Stop lookin’ at me like that, it's not fair.”

“Like what?” You tilted your head, glossed lips pursing slightly.

He wanted to sink his teeth into that pout, see a sticky ring of your lip gloss around his—

“Fine, fuck. One song.”

“Yay!” You leaned across the seat, planting a smacking kiss on his cheek, and he nearly swerved off the road in his shock. “You won't regret this.”

“I don't believe that for a second, sweetheart,” he said, praying you chalked his blush up to the multi-colored lights.

“Oh god, not you too,” Steve said when you bound towards him through the crowd, Eddie on your heels.

“You love it, Harrington,” you teased, stealing the beer in his hand and taking a few, long gulps. Steve and Eddie’s eyes met over your head, both wide with surprise.

“Woah there!” Robin said, appearing to Steve’s left, dressed in an equally ugly sweater. “That kind of night?”

You set the now mostly empty beer on the counter. “Yep. What's a Mistletoe Mayhem?” You called out to Nick, the bartender.

Nothing good, Eddie thought.

“Green and sparkly,” the bartender replied.

“Perfect,” you grinned, slapping your ID on the counter.

“Make that two!” Robin chimed in, and Steve groaned.

“I want one!” Vickie emerged from the dance floor, also wearing a hideous sweater, though it was tied around her waist.

“Three Mayhem's coming up,” Nick chuckled, skimming ids before passing them back and moving down the bar.

“And can I get another beer? No? Alright,” Steve sighed, leaning back against the bar. “What's up, Munson?” He said, waving Eddie over.

Eddie tore his eyes away from where you were gushing with Vickie over the bars tiny Christmas tree and moved towards Steve.

“Oh, nothing. Kids have been asking me to put together a festive quest for our session tomorrow. Best I can do is Krampus.”

Steve chuckled, smiling when the pretty female bartender slid him and Eddie some beers. “Not into Christmas, huh?”

“Are you?”

“Nah, Mom was always the Hallmark family Christmas type, just felt so phony, y’know?”

“I do. Poor Harrington with his mountains of presents and immaculately decorated house,” Eddie teased, and Steve rolled his eyes.

“It wasn’t a mountain.”

“Oh, I apologize. A rather large hill of presents.”

“Three Mayhem's up!” Nick called, and the three of you bound out of the crowd like puppies called for dinner. Nick set down three fishbowls full of green, glittery liquid, topped with cranberries and limes, and a sprig of mistletoe.

Steve wrinkled his nose. “That looks dangerous.”

Eddie agreed, but held his tongue.

You took a big sip, needing two hands to hold the giant glass, and immediately pulled a face before unleashing a hundred kilowatt grin. “Very dangerous,” you hummed, taking another sip, and Eddie felt his cock twitch to life at the wicked gleam in your eye.

It was going to be a long night.

Karaoke began half an hour later, with Steve and Robin kicking things off with a dramatized rendition of “Baby, It's Cold Outside.”

Eddie was following you around the bar like a shadow, scaring away anyone foolish enough to look at you twice. But you were none the wiser, already buzzed and dancing around like a Christmas elf on crack.

You were already one Mayhem deep, and he bribed Nick to tell you they were out of the mix to spare the consequences of a second. But you just ordered a double margarita instead, so his efforts, and $20, were forfeit.

But Eddie was more than happy to be your guard dog for the evening, so long as you were having fun and safe. It's what any good friend would do. But when he ran into Gareth and they started talking about the new Slayer album, he lost track of you.

“Shit,” he cursed under his breath, surveying the crowd for your sweater. But with the fog and throbbing multi-colored lights, it was impossible to see anything clearly. “Excuse me,” he said, interrupting Gareth in the middle of a sentence.

He bee-lined to the high top where your friends sat.

“There he iiissss!” Robin yelled, waving her beer glass in the air. “Where ya been Edward-ed-son?”

“Have you seen y/n?” He asked, mostly to Steve, who appeared to be the only other sober person on the entire establishment.

“Thought you had her.” Steve shrugged. “Got my hands full.” He nodded towards Robin and Vickie, who were now loudly singing along to the karaoke.

“I did, but then Gare—”

The crowd erupted in applause as the song ended, cutting Eddie off.

“That was greeeaaat, Tina. Now, let's welcome y/n singing a classic, ‘Santa Baby’!”

Eddie whirled around to the stage and your friends burst into cheers. You sauntered out in your little skirt and insane sweater, grinning ear to ear as the spotlight swung towards you.

“Found her,” Steve chuckled, pulling out the chair beside him for Eddie.

Eddie dropped into it, rolling his eyes and laughing. He should have known. “What's ‘Santa Baby'?” Eddie asked as the song started.

Steve gave him a sympathetic look and clapped him on the back. “Oh, you'll see.”

You stepped up to the mic, the one Eddie's used on countless occasions, and wrapped your little hands around it. Something about it being his mic your lips were so close to made the primitive part of his brain purr with delight, and he relaxed into his seat, hiding his growing erection under the table.

Steve slid his beer to Eddie, who took a grateful sip, his mouth dry as the desert.

“Santa Baby, just slip a Sable under the tree, for me,” you sang, your voice breathy and so sweet. “Been an awful good girl.”

Your eyes locked on Eddie and he nearly choked, his cock lurching painfully against his jeans, heart pounding in his ears.

Surely you didn't mean to look directly at him, right? He had a habit of searching you out during shows too, you were probably just mirroring that. Looking for a familiar face in a sea of strangers.

“Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight.” You dragged your hands down the mic stand, swaying your hips to the music, and Eddie thought he might faint.

He maybe would have, if it wasn't for the roaring men pushing towards the front of the stage drawing his attention.

But your eyes were still locked on him, ignoring them entirely, and he gave you an encouraging thumbs up. He wasn't about to let his stupid crush, or a bunch of leering creeps, ruin your fun.

You kept singing, your voice a little wobbly, but airy in that way that made his pants tighten and his mind wander to places it definitely shouldn't. You looked so beautiful up there, laughing and swaying to the music, that Eddie found himself smiling too.

“Lookin’ a little lovesick there, Eds,” Steve teased, nudging him with his elbow.

Eddie waved him off. “Nah, just making sure she has someone that isn't a perv to look at.”

Steve nodded, popping some nuts into his mouth. Steve was the only friend of theirs that seemed to clock Eddie's shift in demeanor, though he mostly kept it to himself. Eddie knew he knew, and Steve knew that Eddie knew he knew, and that was good enough.

You wrapped up the song with a flourish, doing a little curtsy in your mini skirt, and Eddie cheered as loud as he could, ensuring you heard him over the roar of douche bags.

He jumped up, rushing to meet you at the edge of the stage before someone else could, adjusting himself as went. The crowd parted and there you were, bright as the morning sun, bounding down the stairs and into his arms.

“I did it!” You cried.

“You were amazing,” he murmured, lifting you up and spinning your around. It was totally platonic, but the rest of these fucks didn't know that.

“Phew, what a show. Next up we have a familiar face! Eddie Munson of our very own Corroded Coffin singing ‘Blue Christmas’!”

You squealed in delight and Eddie's jaw dropped. “Go, go!” You shoved against his back, pushing him up the stairs as someone handed him a guitar.

“Figured you didn't need the track, yeah?” Danny, the stagehand said with a grin.

“I don't know this shit, man,” Eddie protested, but Danny rolled his eyes.

“I'll play it in the background, you'll pick it up!”

Suddenly Eddie was in the spotlight, and you were jumping up and down on the side stage. It was far from an atypical experience for him, but butterflies still churned in his stomach. He never got used to you watching him perform, even if it was something as silly as Christmas karaoke. The pressure to impress you was paralyzing, but if it would make you happy…

The track started rolling softly in the background, and he focused on his fingers, finding the simple chord and replicating it with relative ease. The audience cheered even louder, and he smirked to himself.

He risked a glance over at you, confident he had a handle on the notes, and you were practically glowing with joy.

Shit, maybe Corroded Coffin needed to add some Christmas song to their set.

Words started to roll across the small screen at his feet, and he stepped up to the mic, absolutely delighted to find a smear of your lipgloss on the net.

“I’ll have a blue Christmas, without you,” he crooned, putting on his best Elvis impression, and the roar of the ladies was deafening. “I'll be so blue just thinking about you.” He let his eyes wander back to you at the end of the lyric, wondering if you understood just how close this song hit home for him.

You were grinning ear to ear, swaying happily to the music. Oblivious.

“You’ll be doing all right, with your Christmas of white. But I'll have a blue, blue blue blue Christmas,” he continued, finding that he did, in fact, know this song despite his earlier assertion.

C’mon, who didn't know Elvis?

Thankfully, it was an incredibly brief song, and he finished off with a freestyle riff, earning another cacophony of drunken cheers.

He bowed and hustled of the stage to where you waited for him, arms open. He held the guitar behind his back and scooped you up around the waist with his free arm, lifting your feet off the ground.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, wafting your sweet perfume and the bitter sting of alcohol over him. “That was amazing!” You gushed.

“Thanks, sweetheart. But you were better,” he replied, passing Danny the guitar. He started to carry you down the steps, but you shook your head.

“Wanna go backstage,” you murmured against his ear, and his heart stopped.

He pulled his head back to look at you, eyebrows raised. “Backstage? Why?”

You worried your lip between your teeth, eyes like melting honey. “Please, Eddie baby?”

He could do nothing but obey, backing up the steps and ducking behind the curtain with you still in his arms. He shifted his hold you, your legs wrapping around his waist, mini skirt pushing up to enough to give him a glimpse of the cherry red of your panties.

You dragged your nails down his shoulders, your lips finding his throat and leaving soft, sticky kisses along his jugular vein that may as well have been along his cock for how intense the contact felt.

“Honey,” he grunted, stopping to press you against a dressing room door. “How drunk are you?” he panted, eyes crossing when your tongue laved over his pulse, your teeth grazing his pierced lobes.

“Not too drunk, I promise,” you said, pulling back to look him in the eye. “Been wanting this for so long, Eddie, please—”

He swallowed your sweet words with a kiss, tentative at first, but quickly devolving into a sloppy mess, your cherry flavored lip gloss and the lingering taste of cranberry vodka flipping a switch in his brain that had his long-held control unraveling. This was his one shot to impress you, his one shot to get you as addicted to him as he was to you, and he was not about to fuck it up.

Eddie was the town freak, and dating him came with all the baggage of that title. But he’d show you the benefits of it, too.

He had to make like Santa Clause and fucking deliver.

With a quick turn of his wrist, he opened the door to the dressing room and carried you through. He dropped you onto the leather chaise before climbing up your body, capturing your lips in another hungry kiss. Your tongue probed at his lower lip and he opened for you, your smaller muscle licking curiously along the inside of his mouth, when he felt the tip of it brush the warm metal of his tongue piercing.

You gasped, apparently having forgotten about that particular modification, and pride blazed through his chest like an inferno.

He leveraged your surprise to turn the power into his favor, driving his tongue into your mouth, feeling drunk himself on the intoxicating taste of your drool. He dragged the piercing over the roof of your mouth and you shivered, your hips rising to press against his thigh.

He pressed his leg harder against your deliciously warm cunt and you whimpered, you hips rolling in a more deliberate motion. He brought one of his hands down to grip your hip, his rings digging into your soft flesh as he helped you ride his thigh.

“How long you been wanting this, baby? Huh?” He rasped against your ear, hearing your breath hitch. “Barely touched you and look, so desperate already.”

Your hands curled against his shirt, your hips stuttering against his thigh as the pleasure mounted, your slick starting to seep through your panties onto his jeans. “Fuck, feels s’good,” you whined, burying your face into his neck.

“Yeah? Little pussy getting nice and wet for me? Such a good girl. Look so sexy riding my thigh.” He encouraged, noting the way his words made your hips move incrementally faster, the filth spurring you on.

Despite thoroughly enjoying the sight of you dry humping his leg, his mouth watered for something even sweeter.

He moved his thigh back, the denim wet with your honey, and he lowered to his knees on the ground. “Can I taste, sugar? You’re not the only one that's been waiting ages for this.” He started kissing up your inner thighs, wet and loud smacks on your tender skin as he moved closer to your sopping panties.

“Please, Eds, wanna feel you,” you panted, spreading your thighs wider for him like an angel opening heaven’s gates.

His heart gave an elated thump. How could this be real life? Here he was, moments from devouring your drooling, pink pussy and you were saying his name like that? Asking to feel his tongue against you? Maybe he really had gone to fucking heaven.

“Fuck, so pretty. So fucking perfect.” He dragged his tongue over the clingy fabric of your panties, sucking the material into his mouth to taste you. His eyes rolled back in his head—so fucking sweet.

With deft fingers, he slid them down your legs and stuffed them in his back pocket, before settling back between your legs.

You were trembling with anticipation, worrying your lips between your teeth as you watched him through your painted lashes. With a flattened tongue, he licked from your entrance to your clit, feeling the heat, the velvet softness of your slit without obstruction.

You keened, throwing your head back onto the arm of the couch when he swirled the tip around your clit, flicking his piercing over the sensitive bud.

Shit, he could do this forever. Just live between your legs, making music with the most beautiful instrument he'd ever played: you.

With two fingers, he dipped into the pool of slick at your entrance, lubricating himself before easing them inside, watching your face over the stretch of your body for signs of discomfort. But you only continued to moan, already looking gorgeously wrecked.

He worked you with his tongue and fingers, finding that spongy spot inside you that made you sing, and let himself get lost in the rhythm, the mind-numbing bliss of pleasuring you.

“Eddie baby, fuck. M’getting close,” you whined, and he could feel the truth of your statement, your walls starting to twitch and clench around his fingers, your clit swelling under his tongue.

“That's it, sugar. Come all over my tongue, wanna drown in you—”

You cry drowned out his words, the cunt clenching hard around his aching fingers, a fresh gush of honey soaking his palm and chin. Pride soared through him, and he greedily lapped up every drop you released for him, watching your body twitch and writhe while you came down.

“You’re a goddamn dream, baby. Did so well f’me,” he cooed, easing his fingers out of you and cleaning them with his tongue before placing a final kiss on your puffy clit.

“Fuck, Eddie,” you panted, pulling him up onto the couch with shaky arms. “You're too good at that.” You leaned in for a kiss, dragging your tongue over his lips before smushing your lips together in a quick, sloppy press.

“Thank you, honey,” he hummed, feeling like a damn king. The luckiest bastard alive.

But then you shifted off the couch, settling on your knees between his thighs, and his brain turned off.

“What are you—” His words fractured into a strangled moan when you dragged your tongue over the hard swell of his cock, separated by the rough fabric of his jeans.

You continued to mouth at his bulge while undoing his belt with quick little fingers, unzipping his jeans. He reached into his boxers and freed himself, still half-dazed by the sight of you on your knees for him in a dirty, dive bar dressing room.

He was painfully hard, the head and angry red and leaking, his balls already tight and hot. And you, being the sweet thing you are, didn't waste a second, popping the head into your mouth and sucking the precum from his skin.

Your mouth was scalding, melting his mind at the wet pliancy of your tongue and cheeks while you took him deeper.

“Fucking shit, baby. Oh god—” he fisted the couch cushions, the temptation to fist your hair and push you deeper overwhelming. But he wanted to see what you would do on your own.

You hollowed out your cheeks, bobbing your head up and down his shaft with messy, drooling strokes, your hand wrapped around his base. His vision went fuzzy, heat curling low in his stomach as pleasure spilled through him.

Shit, you were too fucking good at that.

“Baby, baby, baby,” he chanted, head thrown back against the couch, and finally he let himself place his hand on the back of your head, careful to keep his rings from catching in your hair. You leaned into him, moaning softly around his length.

He picked his head up, needing to watch you as you reached the base of him, a sticky, soaking mess in the thatch of his dark pubic hair.

“That's it, sugar. Just like that—fuck,” he grunted, his hips canting up when he felt the tightness of your throat, your tongue lapping at the throbbing root of him. He was deliriously, embarrassingly close already, but he didn't have the heart to slow you down for even a second.

You pulled back, suckling the head with your plush lips while your hand twisted up and down his slippery shaft, the swallowed him down again with a sinful slurp.

Like a bolt of lightening, his balls drew up and he was coming, unable to give you more of a warning than his hand flexing, his cock swelling on your tongue. Sparks danced behind his eyes, his nerves frying beneath his skin as he released rope after rope of come down your throat.

And like a good girl, you swallowed it all and sucked him dry, broken whines falling from his lips as your nursed his oversensitive head.

“Baby, fuck, take it easy on me—”

You released him with a pop, flashing the sweetest, most angelic smile with your chin covered in drool and lipgloss, and he dragged you up into his lap, desperate to hold you close.

“I do good?” You asked, batting your lashes at him, a smug little smirk on your face.

“Good? Honey, you rocked my world.” He pulled you in for a kiss, toothy and playful since neither of you could stop smiling, giddy with the shock of it all.

You giggled as his rained kisses over your face, down your neck, his fingers tickling along your hips and up over your ribs. He wrapped his arms around your waist, leaning back against the couch as he slowed his movements, coaxing you to relax into him.

“Wanted you for long,” he murmured into your hair. “Please tell me you'll be mine.” The words came out so soft, for a second he wasn't sure if you'd heard him.

But then you pressed your hands to his chest and sat up a little, looking into his eyes. “I already am, Eds.”

He grinned, cheeks sore and heart pounding, and kissed you again while a terrible rendition of Ella Fitzgerald's “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm” bleed through the thin walls.

Looked like it wouldn't be a blue Christmas after all.

[cherriegyuu]

whispers of desire | c.sc | part one

pairing: incubus seungcheol x f!reader  genre: smut, angst, fluff - minors do not interact word count: 7.3k summary: when you cut a deal with the demon king, the man who shows up to help is nothing like you imagined warnings: mentions of god, demons and religion, infertility, infidelity, knives, breeding kink, masturbation, creampie, dirty talking ish, begging, multiple orgarms, unprotected sex, piv, forced orgasm. jeonghan (idk, he deserves a warning too)

a/n: and finally after i don't even know how many months, i finished part one. i really want to thank @ssinboo who not only helped me brainstorm this, but who motivated me into picking it up again. @joonsytip and @nothoughtsjustfic who read it over and promised me that it was good. thank you so much to all three of you, this one would have never left my wips if not for you. i truly hope you enjoy this and if you do please leave comment, i would love to know you thoughts about it! it's 17 minutes past midnight, but i'm going to count this as a valentine's day special

You looked once again at the waiting room—the light gray walls, the black furniture, the small splashes of color here and there. It was mostly modern and imponent but dark. You felt out of place in your bright yellow sweater and almost white pants. You looked like an egg, but when you realized what you had done, it was too late. You were already in the Uber, getting the most incredulous look from the driver. 

The watch on your wrist seemed to mock you. You arrived too early for your appointment, too nervous to stay any longer in your apartment, too queasy to go to the nearby cafe and waste some time. 

You had been sitting on that extremely comfortable couch for 10 minutes, the pretty receptionist giving you suspicious looks followed by insincere smiles. You were so close to just getting up and walking out the door.

It had been a stupid idea. A desperate attempt at one last resort to reaching your dream. The one thing you wanted in life since you were sixteen. But it was, indeed, stupid. How was it possible that a man without a last name, who obviously wasn’t a doctor, could help you get pregnant? Even if he happened to have a magic dick, which you doubted, there was still no chance of you getting pregnant. The problem wasn’t on the sperm donor, it was in you. 

For years, you tried getting pregnant. During the first year you and your husband, now ex-husband, tried in the most natural way: fucked every chance you got, at the most random places, tracking your cycles every month. You knew that for some people getting pregnant took a little more time, so at first, you didn’t think much of it. You managed to convince yourself that the reason why you weren’t getting pregnant was because you had just gotten off birth control and sometimes — most times — the hormones messed up a little too much with the body.

After a year, something felt strange, and little red signs started to go off in your head. It wasn’t natural to take that long, at least according to everyone you knew, so you set a meeting with the doctor and did all the tests in the book. When the results came back and showed that you were infertile it was like the world came crashing down.

In life, many of your plans failed and many of your dreams were taken from you, however being a mother was one that you always carried with you. It was a dream that was yours, truly yours and you didn’t need anyone to make it happen for you. Of course, you couldn’t make a baby on your own, but in the end, it was always your choice. If you didn’t have a husband, you could go to a sperm bank and just choose someone.

Along with your dream, your marriage was also one that didn’t last long. After the initial shock of not being able to have a baby slowly started to pass and the fog that clouded your mind started to lift, you started to think of other ways you could become a mother.  Adoption seemed like a natural path. Your husband, however, didn’t agree with the idea, which led to many fights and eventually a divorce.

The idea of adoption didn't leave you, so you sought out ways to adopt on your own. While the adoption process in itself was excruciatingly difficult as a married person, by yourself was nearly impossible. You went to many people and asked for advice on how to proceed, how to present yourself, what to say and do in front of the social workers. All of them said the same thing “the chances of you getting approved for adoption are very low”.

Every day that went by, with each breath you took, you felt as if the dream of being a mother escaped you, like sand slipping through your fingers.

One day, like many others, you were searching for ways to adopt as a single parent when you came across a forum post talking about an unnamed man who could get anyone to do anything, even things that seemed impossible. You had snorted at the post and almost closed the tap when the word pregnancy seemed to flash in front of your eyes, like a moth drawn to a flame. After you saw it, there was no way you could have closed the tab and moved on to something different. 

You read post after post, comment, after comment, about all of these women who had gotten pregnant after losing all hope. All of them mentioned the same name, Jeonghan. There was no last name. On the very last post was a phone number.

There wasn't enough time to question yourself or your actions, the next thing you knew you had the phone pressed to your ear, setting up a meeting for later that day.

The fact that you were able to set an appointment on such short notice should have made alarms ring in your head. But the alarms only went off while you sat in the waiting room. 

You suddenly stood up and walked to the pretty secretary who was hiding behind the computer.

“Sorry, hi” you waited until she looked at you, and the same polite smile greeted you “Something came up, I need to leave… I'm really sorry”

As the words left your lips the door on the other side of the waiting room opened. A man with a kind smile and hair long enough to cover his forehead greeted you. Despite his smile being inviting, his eyes told an entirely different story. 

“Please, come in”

The little alarms inside your mind suddenly turned silent and the need to flee turned into the desire to follow him inside that office. 

You turned to look at the receptionist, who in return offered you an encouraging nod and smile.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, I had some files that needed attention”

The man, who you could assume was Jeonghan, pulled a chair for you to sit on. He only let go of the chair once you were seated.

“It's okay”

His office was very similar in style to the waiting room, except for the leather chair and the industrial-looking desk. There was no computer, no bookshelf, no degree attached to the wall, just some creepy paintings that looked maybe a little too dark and tenebrous to an office. His desk was also empty of any files, phones, and pens. It was hard to believe that he was going over some files when there was nothing to look at.

“How can I help you today?”

For a second his eyes turned dark, entirely black, before going back to the dark brown color. Eyes of a snake, the words flashed in front of you. Your hold on the straps of your purse tightened until your knuckles turned to white.

It was a mistake going there.

It took an enormous amount of strength to push your body into a standing position.

“I'm sorry, I can't stay” you managed to force the words out, doing your best to smile and sound apologetic “Something came up”

Jeonghan leaned forward, his chin resting on his hand.

“Now, we know that's a lie” there was humor in his voice “You came here for a baby, so do us both a favor and sit down”

It was like your will to leave the room was suppressed by a hand pushing you down back on the chair. That same hand seemed to be holding you in place.

“See? That wasn't so hard”

The back of your neck started to grow cold, your hands sweaty. Your heartbeat with the force of a horse. His eyes turned into snake eyes once again. You felt your entire body grow cold. This time he flashed his eyes for a little more than a second.

“If you promise to be good, I'll stop holding you down” he raised his eyebrows at you, his tone almost bored now “Okay?”

It was a strange sight, a man who was around your age — or at least you thought so –, with soft features to have such eyes. Strange didn't even start to describe it, terrifying was a more precise word, and yet, you weren't scared. 

Perhaps you were at first, after all your initial reaction had been to escape, but while sitting there looking at him you were just curious.

“If you can stop with the eyes,” you used your index and middle finger to point at your own eyes “sure, we'll talk”

Jeonghan pouted but complied. In a millisecond the snake eyes were gone at the same time the pressure on your shoulders subsided. 

“You don't know how to have fun, do you?”

You didn’t bother to answer, you knew that no matter what you said those words wouldn’t make any difference to him and you were sure that your definition of fun was entirely different from his.

“So, a child. That's what you want, your deepest desire?” Jeonghan raised a hand to stop you from talking as if he changed his mind “Of course it is, you don’t have to say it”

It was the way he said it that made a shiver run through your spine. You shouldn’t have gone there. You should have asked someone else to go with you, though who could have been that person was unknown to you.

“Did you bait me into coming here?”

“Well, yeah” he laughed “I'm sure you saved that forum but if you go back there won't be much to see. Let's be realistic here and say that what you want, can be done”

You rolled your eyes and sighed. It wasn't a reaction to what he had said, it was to what you had believed. 

“You were so pathetically desperate that it was so easy getting to you” Jeonghan taunted you “Just one word, one post on a random website was enough to get you here and so fast too! Was it a couple of hours ago?”

Biting your bottom lip was the only possible way to keep your mouth shut, to keep the very much not polite fuck you in the silence of your mind. You tried to get up again, not really willing to sit there and be mocked, but as soon as you made the slightest movement you felt that hand again on your shoulder holding you down, this time much more forceful than the previous one.

“You said that we were going to talk, so, let’s talk”

“I want to go,” you said between your teeth “now”

Jeonghan tilted his head to the side, his snake eyes making an appearance again.

“Silly girl, you should have listed to your grandma when she warned you about what your wishes could bring” a sickening smile made its way to his face, paired with his eyes made your stomach drop all the way down to your toes “Now you can only leave when I saw so”

A sudden memory crossed your mind, one from your childhood. Of you sitting in your grandma’s lap when you couldn’t be older than seven. She said don’t wish for impossible things, you never know who or what could be listening. Your grandma was catholic, always with her rosary in her hand, or wrapper around her wrist or on her neck.

It became painfully obvious who Jeonghan was. From the snake eyes, the smile, how graceful he looked.

“Shit” the curse was almost silent.

He smiled once again, his eyes back to normal. It was all the confirmation you needed from him.

Nights had become a lonely part of the day, not that they were eventful before the divorce but at least you weren't always by yourself. 

Somehow you had allowed yourself to become one of those people who are only friends with their husband's friends so when the divorce happened it was obvious that most Of them — in this case, all of them — stayed with your ex-husband. You also hadn't really helped the situation when you closed yourself off. It had become too much, finding out that you were infertile, a possible affair from your husband, and the inevitable divorce. It was only natural for you to isolate yourself.

It seemed though that not many people seemed to understand it. Your so-called friends, who you cried with when the results came back, seemed to think that crying over was ridiculous, that one week was more than enough to move on from the entire thing, it's not like you don't have a life outside of this dream. 

And while all of that was true, it was much easier saying it than doing it. You felt as if you were spiraling down with nothing to hold onto, without anyone by your side. 

So, nights by yourself, with a bottle of wine and some takeout had become your new normal.

You were in the kitchen when you heard a faint knock on the door. Since visitors were few and you weren't expecting anyone, you assumed that it was on your neighbor. Someone probably knocking with a little more strength than necessary. It wasn't unusual. Your neighbor had loud and often drunk friends you had gotten used to their shenanigans during the three years you lived there.

All you did was keep doing the dishes, swaying your body from side to side with the music you had been playing in the background as you tried your best to forget that entire week and how you had willingly walked into a pile of shit but had no idea of how to get out of it.

The sound of the door opening made you close the faucet. A look at the clock above the door told you that there was no way for your neighbors to be back yet, not when you had heard them leave less than an hour before. You didn’t know why you thought that it could have been them. There was no doubt that the opened door was in your apartment.

You took a knife from the holder, wrapping your hand tightly around the handle. Your hand was still wet from doing the dishes so you held onto the knife as strongly as you could, until your knuckles turned white.

The one good thing about old apartments is that there were certain places that cracked and you knew exactly where those were, so you also knew how to avoid them. Whoever was in your apartment didn’t.

A small part of your brain hoped that it was your ex-husband. If it was, the worst thing that would happen was for you to look like an idiot in front of him, for the millionth time since you met him. Looking stupid was much much better than having to deal with an intruder or a murderer.

You took one last breath before pushing your bedroom door fully open.

“Don’t you dare throw that knife at me”

A man in a purple suit stood in the center of your room. His hair was bright red, pushed back. He looked like he had come out of one of those comic books your brother read as a child. He had your wedding album in his hand. He went through the pages, a pout in his lips and he scanned all the pictures, assessing what he was seeing.

“It’s not polite to hold a knife at your guest,” he said matter of factly.

“Who the fuck are you?” your grip on the handle tightened as if such a thing was even possible to begin with.

He turned the photo album to you, showing you a picture of yourself alone, smiling after throwing the bouquet at your wedding. It was a spontaneous picture, a true smile. That woman in the picture was an entirely different person. Looking at her it was hard to believe that you had been her at some point in time.

“You looked happier here” he pointed out, turning the album back to himself, still pouting “I don’t think she’d hold a knife at a guest”

“Who are you?” you demanded again, your voice louder, desperate.

The man rolled his eyes at you, finally closing the book and throwing it on your bed.

“Think about it, we both know you’re smart” he lightly raised his eyebrows at you “A little over a week ago you had a weird… dream? That’s what you made yourself think, wasn’t it?”

For a moment it was hard to pull air inside your lungs.

You thought that you had gone crazy. You clearly remembered getting out of the apartment, of going downtown in an Uber, of the waiting room, of talking to Jeonghan. But you didn’t remember walking out of the building or how you got home. You just… somehow found yourself back in your bed, in your pajamas in the middle of the night. The clock marked 3:33 AM.

“That was Jeonghan’s fault so I won’t hold it over your head too much. He likes to play tricks like that”

He sat on your bed, arms stretched back, thighs parted. A cocky smile on his lips and you could swear that your legs melted a little when you noticed that he had nothing under the suit jacket.

“Who are you?” you asked again, this time your voice wasn’t as loud or as demanding.

The man raised his eyebrows again and you could swear that it did something to you, tickling a place you didn’t know it needed to be tickled. He moved his chin lightly as if pointing to the knife. You sighed and put the knife down, holding it closer to your body. But that wasn't enough for the man, he pointed at the dresser. You rolled your eyes but did as asked. You didn't dare to get closer to him though. You simply crossed your arms over your chest and leaned against it. 

"I'm Seungcheol," the man said, only when he was sure that there was no chance of you stabbing him "Choi Seungcheol"

"I didn't know demons had last names"

His pout was still in place, as he seemed to be thinking of what to say next.

"We're civil enough, though me coming in without your permission might not be the best proof of character" he was quick to add when you opened your mouth to object. 

It didn't matter how much you tried, nothing came to mind when you thought about your conversation with Jeonghan. All of it was a big blank. You remembered getting there, him scaring you, the realization of who he was but nothing after that.

“The word you’re looking for is demon king,” he said. 

His eyes seemed to assess you, each and every movement you made. Seungcheol’s eyes never left you, not even for a second. When you moved to the chair on the opposite side of the room he followed you, adjusting his own body he would be seated directly in front of you. 

If your memory served you right, which at that point you had no idea, Jeonghan seemed to know what you were thinking. You were inclined to think that he couldn’t actually read your thoughts because according to Seungcheol, again if you could take his words for anything, demons too were civil and would just be way too invasive, but he was awfully good at knowing exactly what you were thinking. But then again, Jeonghan seemed to know way too much in the first meeting. Were the files he was looking at something like your life’s history? Where you were born, about your parents, your first boyfriend, your college crush, your husband, and everything that happened after?

You did your best not to focus too much on the demon king thing. If you did, your mind would take you somewhere else entirely and you weren’t sure if you could go there at that moment. Actually, you were sure you shouldn’t, especially because if you did the man in front of you, or a demon, would probably laugh. And being laughed at wasn’t something you were ready for at the moment.

“Okay,” you said slowly, exhaling all the air in your lungs all at once “Jeonghan is the demon king”

Seungcheol nodded, a small smile on his lips as he was proud of a child who had just given a correct answer. 

“That makes you…?”

“An incubus”

You closed your eyes for a second, folding your legs in front of you. Incubus… the demon who would sleep with women in their sleep and get them pregnant, and these women birthed demon-like children. 

Fantastic.

“So, magic dick,” you said, half not believing what you were saying, on how easily it seemed for you to understand it all “Great” 

That seemed to pull out an honest laugh out of Seungcheol, to the point a dimple made its way into his cheek. You couldn't help but smile along with him. 

“Something along those lines, yes”

He stood up, his eyes no longer filled with laughter and amusement. They had turned darker, hungry even. At that very second you felt like a prey under his eyes. You bit your bottom lip and he got closer to you, his eyes focused on your lips as he moved deliberately slowly to get to you. It seemed that your room was much, much, bigger than it actually was, almost like there was an entire runaway between him and you. 

You stood up as well, though that was probably a bad idea, considering how wobbly your legs felt. 

Seungcheol smiled, not in the cute and almost condescending way of before, but in a way that was much darker and held so many promises at the same time. He took your hand, pulled you towards the center of the room, walking backward.

“So, this is it? No flirting, no nice words, no dinner. Just straight-up sex” 

You hoped that your tone was light, teasing. Though there was nothing light about the way you were feeling. The few inches of your skin that were under his touch felt like were on fire. 

It had been a long time since you were with anyone, your husband was the last one a year and a half before. That wasn't to say that you hadn't found any sort of pleasure, but it had always been by yourself.

You couldn't help but wonder if part of the heat on your skin came from the lack of contact or if it was because of him. Something told you that it was a mix of both. 

“Well, you had dinner before I even got here and I thought you holding a knife was flirting”

Seungcheol circled you. The hand that held Yours suddenly pressed on your stomach, holding you against his firm chest. He pressed his nose to the crook of your neck. Giving him more access to your skin felt almost natural.

You felt his lips on the back of your neck. It started as a chaste kiss, followed by the burn of his teeth sinking into your skin and then soothed by his tongue flat over the space he had just bitten. 

“Are you a vampire?” you hoped your voice sounded steady but even to your ears it was breathy, close to a moan. The thing… the man… had barely touched you and you were ready to just melt under him. 

Seungcheol’s chest vibrated against your back and he leaned into your neck once again, now biting the other side. 

“Never met one of those, but if you want, I can become one for the night”

It suddenly crossed your mind “would he do anything I ask?” but you didn’t have it in you to ask. More than that, you didn’t know what to ask. You wanted too much but at the same time, you weren't sure where to begin. 

Slowly, Seungcheol ran his hand down your body. You felt your core tighten at the proximity, wetness slowly damping your panties. You were in a haze, one you didn’t want to come out of. 

“Tell me what you want. Whatever you want, however, you want it. It’s all yours”

It was like he had somehow heard your thoughts. Was that also part of his abilities? Magic dick and mind reading? Seemed like good powers to have. 

He nuzzled your neck again, this time placing kisses all over your skin as he slid down the strap of your shirt and continued his discovery of your skin. But your shoulder was not the place you wanted to feel him the most, it was not the spot that was craving for attention. 

Seungcheol ran his nose over your shoulder, the curve of your neck, up to your ear. 

“Ah, not so sweet and innocent after all” the hot breath over your skin made your entire body flame up. 

Finally, he lowered his hand, going under the elastic band of your shorts. He roughly rubbed his palm over your covered clit as his other hand went up to your breast, tugging at the hard nipple.

“You’re this wet and we barely even started?” he nibbled on your ear “You were all brave with that knife but all you can think about now is my magic dick filling you over and over and over again. Right, sweetheart?”

He pushed your panties to the side, his finger finally rubbing over your sensitive clit. A whimper left your lips as he was exactly where you needed, but it was far from enough. 

“Oh, I’m going to have so much fun with you”

He circulated your slit with two fingers. Once, twice, three times. 

“Please” you whispered. 

You felt his smile at the same time he pushed his fingers into you, your arousal more than enough to suck him in. You sucked in a moan as he picked up speed with his fingers, then another when his palm pressed over your clit adding another layer of pleasure. 

“Make that pretty noise for me again, sweetheart,” he asked, his voice low, though commanding “Let me hear you”

You tried your best to stay quiet, to not make any sound, and let the only sound in the room be the almost obnoxious noise of his fingers slipping in and out of you. But when Seungcheol found that one spot, that tiny piece of skin that made your mind almost go blank it was impossible to be silent. 

The sound coming out of you was pathetic, each new moan getting louder as you felt your abdomen cramp. The louder you got, the faster he moved his fingers. He didn’t stop pumping his fingers, didn’t stop pressing his palm on your clit, until the tide finally broke loose. 

You tried to shut your legs, suddenly the stimulation was too much at once, but Seungcheol was willing to let that happen. He kicked your feet apart, using his own knees to keep yours proudly open. 

Your orgasm hit you harder than ever before, your body convulsing in his grip, shaking as each new wave of pleasure hit you, somehow stronger than before. Seungcheol held you together until your body calmed down. A moan that could have been easily mistaken for a sob, came out of your lips, a light tremor in your legs, though you were certain that it was no longer visible. 

Seungcheol slowly guided your body towards the bed, both of his hands on your hips, steadying you. He sat you down on the bed and took a couple of steps back. He didn’t say anything as he opened the button on his suit and pulled it off his shoulder, tossing it aside on the chair to his left. 

He was teasing you, that much was obvious. Under normal circumstances you’d have looked away but as he unbuttoned his pants you couldn’t force yourself to look away. Your mind was in a trance by him, he had your undivided attention and he loved it. 

His movements were deliberately slow, a cocky grin making its way to his face as he noticed your eyes following the movements of his hands. 

The only piece of clothing covering Seungcheol was his underwear, though it did very little to disguise his erection. Your mouth watered at the sight, a nagging feeling on the back of your mind telling you to get down on your knees in front of him and take all of him into your mouth - or at least as much as it could fit anyway. 

Seungcheol laughed as he finally pushed the last piece of cotton off. You bit your lip to stop yourself from moaning at the sight of him on full display. Every inch of his devilish body, in full glory, was mesmerizing. You felt you pussy clench around nothing as Seungcheol started to pump his dick. 

“We’ll have enough time to play later tonight,” he moved closer to you, standing in between your legs, his cock was close to you face that you simply inch forward and have him like you wanted, he had different ideas though “but right now I want to know what it feels like to be buried deep inside that sweet, sweet, pussy”

You reached down to the hem of your shirt, pulling it over your head. It was only when you reached for the elastic band of your shorts that you felt the embarrassment creeping up every inch of your body. 

“Come on, sweetheart, don’t hide yourself from me”

He lightly pushed you onto the bed, his knee pressing against your center and he scooped you up on the bed. He grabbed you by the hips and flipped you so that your face was pressed into the mattress. 

He pushed your shorts down, though not boring to take them off all the way down. Seungcheol straddled your legs and he teased your pussy with the tip of his cock. Running it over the slick entrance but never fully pushing it inside. 

You tried to change the position in a way to force him to just sink in but he was having none of that. He gripped your head by your hair, pulling it back until your ass up in the air, your back arched in a way that should be painful but somehow all it did was heighten your pleasure. 

“Beg” he whispered against your ear, his voice deliciously low.

“What?” you breathed out as he continued to tease you, your body moving along with his, a new whimper escaping every time he almost pushed inside. 

“I’m not going to make it that easy for you” he laughed “You wanna be fucked? I’ll fuck in ways you can’t even imagine. But you’re going to have to beg”

In any other situation, in any other moment of your life, you’d have felt embarrassed by his demand, to some extent would even have felt angry towards it. But right in that second, with the promise of what was to come, saying a few words sounded like a fair price to pray. 

“Please, please, Seungcheol” you begged, voice dripping with need and honey as you moved your hips wanting nothing more than to just be filled “just fuck me, fill me up. All of me is yours…” for the night.

He didn’t let you finish, pushing his cock into your throbbing pussy. There was no time to adjust. Seungcheol drove his dick into you again and again, each thrust harder than the previous one. He pulled your arms back, holding them against his chest with his own. 

Each sound that left your mouth was increasingly louder but you didn’t care in the slightest. Seungcheol’s grunts behind you, the slapping of his skin against yours every time he drove into you was intoxicating.

“Oh my god” you chanted over and over again

“No, no, not god” he laughed, biting the soft skin of your shoulder “He can't help you now”

He snaked a hand around your waist directly to your clit, massaging it in slow circles, in high contrast to his dick. The pressure was just perfect, his pace never faulting. 

An orgasm hit you yet again, without notice, this time not as hard as the first one, but still enough to have you shaking to the core. Seungcheol held you even tighter, his pace relentless as he searched for his own high. 

You felt his warm cum splurged into you, too much of it. 

Your body felt limp on the bed, all energy drained out of you, not a single drop left. You turned, looking at the ceiling, trying to steady your breathing, waiting for the tremors to pass when you felt Seungcheol his hand over your thigh. 

He pushed your shorts and panties all the way down, tossing them on the floor with a mute sound. He spread your legs and smiled proudly, seemingly happy with his work. It only lasted a second though, as a frown took over his features. 

“You’re wasting it, sweetheart” he tsked “We can’t have that, now can we?”

You felt his hand on your sensitive cunt and tried to flinch away but he didn't bulge. His finger grazed over your clit before he pushed them into you. You held his wrist, trying to push his hand away. 

“No, it’s too much” you shook your head, pleading “Please, I can’t, please”

He laughed at your words, pinning the hand that held his wrist over your head. Seungcheol kissed your breast, taking the nipple into his mouth, sucking hard, and blowing on it a second later, all while he pumped his fingers in your pussy, pushing back inside all the cum that had dripped out. 

“You can” you bit your lower lip and tugged at it “and, most importantly, we both know you want it”

You could only shake your head as the pleasure became too much, almost unbearable. Almost. You felt yet another orgasm build up again, like your entire body was throbbing, closing itself tightly before it finally broke free.

Seungcheol swallowed your scream, kissing your lips, neck, and shoulders as your body spasmed. Your quiet whimpers were the only sound in the room. He only pulled his fingers out of you when you calmed down completely.

“That’s it” he kissed your cheek, letting go of your hands and using them to hold his head so he could look down at you “See, I told you you could it”

Out of the possible outcomes of the previous night waking up to a mop of red hair on the other side of the bed wasn’t one of them. You were certain that when you woke up you’d realize that the night had been a dream — the most real one you had ever had in your life but that was beside the point. 

Just for good measure, you pressed your index finger to the shoulder of the man. Warm and soft skin was under your finger.

Okay, not a dream then.

You turned on your back, facing the ceiling of your bedroom. The night played vividly in your mind. The way Seungcheol pressed the first kiss to the back of your neck and how that alone was enough to make you go crazy under his touch. Not only that, how you were so willing to completely let yourself go to him, how every time he whispered in your ear, chills ran down your entire body and you could feel him everywhere.

You couldn’t help but wonder if all of your emotions had been heightened because he was…. him. A demon. Or if you were just so touch-starved that the smallest caress was enough to drive you over the edge.

Most of all, you couldn’t look past all how you had been so incredibly reckless. A random man who looked like he had gotten out of some comic book suddenly showed up in your room — mind you without using the door — and you somehow, for whatever reason, thought that it was a good idea to have sex with him. And then, as if all of that wasn’t enough, you still fell asleep by his side like it was the most normal thing in the world like he was someone you could trust entirely.

You covered your eyes with your arm, a groan leaving your lips.

There was still the whole “deal with the demon king” part that you were yet to think about.

It seemed unfair that you couldn’t remember what you agreed on. You should have the chance to prepare for whatever was to come, didn’t you? The demon king, or Jeonghan, you weren’t sure how you should address him, was well… unfair.

“Are you usually this loud so early in the morning?”

Your entire body jumped on the bed and a scream died in your throat. For a couple of minutes, you had been so lost in your mind that you forgot that Seungcheol was by your side at all.

His voice in the early morning, just after waking up, was almost made out of honey, velvety, tingling in your ears. By your side, Seungcheol had turned to you, his eyes barely open, his full lips pulled almost in a pout, a few strands of hair covering his face. You had to grip the sheets closer to your body just so you could suppress the desire to move them aside.

Your eyes moved slightly down, to his half-exposed chest. Another flash of the night before crossed your mind, of him over you, the way the chain around his neck hung just over your nose, how you used it to pull him to you again.

“You look cute when you blush,” he said with a lazy smile on his lips. You felt your cheeks warm but didn’t think it was enough to cause any visible change. 

Seungcheol folded his arm, holding his head up. The sleepy smile he gave you was the most delicious thing you had ever seen, it was enough to take your breath away all over again. You were happy that you were still in bed, otherwise there was a chance that your legs might have given in under you.

“I didn’t think you’d stay” was all you said as you swung your feet out of the bed, looking for the pajamas that were lost somewhere on the floor.

It was on the other side of the room, how it had ended up there was beyond you. You gripped the sheet closer around your body but you were only able to move one step away from the bed before you felt it being pulled back.

“You know, I already saw everything there’s under those sheets” you didn’t turn to him but you could hear the smile in his voice “In fact, I did a lot more than just look at it”

You took a deep breath and closed your eyes. You were certain that if you forced the sheets out of his grip, Seungcheol would have let go of it but if he did such a thing then he would be the one exposed, and while you were sure that he had no problem with the idea, everything you screamed that if you saw him naked again there was no way that you would just have a redo of the night before.

Letting go of the sheets, you walked to the other side of the room, opening the dresser drawer and pulling out a clean pair of panties and bra.

“I’m going to shower and by the time I finish it I want you gone”

Seungcheol’s laughter still echoed through the apartment when you closed the bathroom door.

You had managed to keep yourself busy enough during the weekend that you had almost forgotten about Friday night. The keyword being almost. Usually, you would have come up with an excuse to not help your sister during the weekend. She was a wedding planner, a very good one at that — she had been the one to plan your wedding — and highly sought out so it was easier to find her working than being at home.

The reason why you always declined was that weddings, while they could be wildly different from one another, there were things that were the same, didn’t who was at the isle. Two people were promising each other eternal love.

When you saw those people, standing in front of each other, eyes filled with love and hope, you couldn’t help but think about Joshua. How you had once been in that exact spot, saying similar words, how you had been happy with him for so many years until all of it came crashing down on you. The only thing that love left behind were scars that were still all too fresh but hidden enough that no one would ever see them.

Still, working during the weekend with your sister was better than staying at home and thinking about all the stupid decisions you made and how much you’d love to make at least one of them once again. She was also kind enough to let you work on the setup and then later back in the kitchen. Maybe she had some sort of sixth sense that said that you need to get out of your mind. Her call was at the right moment.

Even so, there were moments when you were on your own, in the darkness of your bedroom, when Seungcheol’s perfume somehow still lingered in the air. There was no escape then. It was like a replay of that night played in your head again and again, and everytime it it did there was a new detail that you had somehow forgotten.

It was both a blessing and a curse.

You ran your hand over your face and hair, urging your mind to just stop and let yourself fall asleep. You had a meeting early in the morning and you needed your sleep, just so you could function like a semi-normal human being.

You were in the kitchen when you heard a sound in your bedroom. Your heart skipped a beat, hoping that maybe… just maybe… You shook your head in an attempt to come back to reality. The chance of seeing Seungcheol once again was below zero. You heard the sound again and this time your heart wasn’t the only thing doing a weird flip inside your chest, you also felt chills run down your skin.

The third time the sound came you felt as if you were under a cold shower when it was followed by the sound of laughter in the hallway that belonged to your neighbor. 

It was hard swallowing the expectation that had somehow found its way into you. You weren’t even sure why you were expecting something in the first place. After that night it was clear that there wasn’t going to be a second one. Not that there was any conversation on the matter, it just seemed like the most natural option. 

If things had gone according to plan, and if your mind was worthy of any trust, apparently it did, there was no real reason why you should ever see Seungcheol again. And yet, there you were wishing that he’d just show up again, and for what? 

You set the glass of water down, wishing you could have something strong – God knew that if you wanted to sleep you’d need some help – but not wanting to risk anything. Shutting down the lights in the kitchen and living room.

Before you even opened the door to your room you felt this shift in the air. You pushed it open, hard enough that it smashed against the wall. 

“You must really love your kitchen, the second time I show up here and the second time you're in the kitchen”

You closed your eyes for a second, basking in the sound of his voice, how it made chills erupt in your skin. 

“Second time you don’t use the door”

“I’ll be sure to remember that”

Seungcheol smiled, hands in his pocket. 

“You better”

Before you gave yourself a chance to think about it, you crossed the room in two strides and pulled him to you. Seungcheol smiled against your lips before he finally kissed you. 

if you enjoyed reading, please reblog and leave a comment, it really does mean the world to me and i would love to know your thoughts. thank you! 💕

you can read my other fics here ➝ masterlist

[el4ise]

bittersweet﹐

feat. ⤷ snowcrow x reader (seperate)

genre ⤷ angst, fluff, hurt/comfort

contains ⤷ mentions of insecurities & jealousy

✦ the night was supposed to go by well with a nice dinner. how will the lads li consult you when something seems to trouble you?

𝘀𝘆𝗹𝘂𝘀

as usual, sylus took you to one of the fanciest 5-star restaurants in linkon. it was the night that you both celebrated your first anniversary.

the restaurant was filled with people wearing white-fluff coats, suits, expensive dresses. you looked around and saw ladies who looked like they spoke money. and the only reason why you can afford to be here is because of sylus.

you felt a flush of insecurity wash over you, seemingly feeling poor and unworthy amongst the people inside. you only wore a red silk dress— that was bought by sylus. the two of you waited for the orders, sylus sipped his red wine while you played with the rim of the glass with your fingertips. your mind absolutely gone.

sylus was way out of your league. he screams money, he could choose any girl he wanted to, yet he chose you? someone who wants to go on picnics instead of going on high-end bars?

“what’s going on in that pretty mind of yours, kitten?” you were snapped out of your daze when he speaks. “oh! it’s nothing.. just, hungry.” you brush it off. not wanting to ruin the mood. but as sylus saw the way your other hand covered your body, your eyes darting to the other people in the restaurant, biting your lip as you heard their conversations— he knew. ‘cause he knows you.

“sweetie, do you not feel comfortable here?” he breaks the silence once again, his hand laying on the table, waiting for you. you place your hand on top of his. he holds it softly. “I.. well..” sylus gives you a look, one that always made you feel safe to be honest. “..I just don’t feel like I belong here, sy. this is for riches and class and I’m none of that. I couldn’t even pay to be here if it weren’t for you.. and I just.. I feel so little because you’re all this and I wonder why you chose me. I’m way out of your league and I’m not even all tha—” sylus listened, tending to your complains. but when he heard you downgrade yourself? no.

“sweetheart,” he squeezed your hand lightly. “look at me, please?” you slowly lifted your head, meeting his soft crimson eyes. “I understand if you don’t want to be here. but you know the type of person I am and I don’t put people in places where I think they aren’t meant for, no? you are everything and so much more in my eyes. It pains me you’re belittling yourself into filth. have you forgotten how dashing of a woman you are? you’re the greatest hunter in linkon, turning your face into the fields of wanderers, and I bet these people would cave and run when they see one. and you? I fell inlove with you because you’re so perfect in my eyes. and I’ve seen hundreds if not thousands of things in this world. okay, kitten?” he presses a kiss on the back of your hand. “we can go back home and i’ll cook your favorite meals or we can eat at your favorite instead, hm?” you smiled. “the first one please?” he chuckles, standing up and dragging you with him.

“I love you, sylus.”

“I love you most, sweetie.”

𝘇𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗲

zayne took you as his plus one to a party for workers in akso hospital, celebrating it’s success throughout the years. the halls were filled with chatters between doctors and nurses, most of them sharing the same aura as zayne.

you were clinging onto his arm as he spoke to other surgeons. everyone spoke off high matters, sometimes you couldn’t even keep up even if you wanted to.

zayne proudly showed you off, but you we’re still feeling unworthy. “zayne? I’ll just go to the bathroom real quick.” zayne gave you a slight nod and you went off.

you splashed water in your face, it drips off to your cheek then your chin. you felt stupid amongst these people. doctors and surgeons were incredibly smart. and you barely made it pass highschool. grades fluctuating and mostly going down. you knew these people were insanely smart— including zayne. you felt dumb, knowing that you were only praised by bravery and not wits. you envied his co-worker, lily. she was calm and composed, just like him. you overthought, did zayne prefer someone similar to him instead of a childish, giddy person like you?

you hear a soft knock on the bathroom door. “darling? are you alright in there? you’ve spent quite a while.” you quickly pat your face with a towel. “yeah.. I’m goin’ out.”

you turn the knob and step out, seeing zayne with the ‘tell-me-before-I-make-you-tell-me’ look. you hastily laugh. “what’s with the look?” he silently grabs your hand and drags you to a much less crowded spot. “I know something’s wrong. what is it? we can leave right now if you’re uneasy.” you quickly shook your head. “no! it’s fine.. I just.. I feel so dumb compared to all of you, I’m just a hunter and I can barely compete with the knowledge you guys have..” your arms trailed down to your neck, embarrassed. “.. and I don’t know!.. I thought maybe you didn’t like me being all goofy and smiley. maybe you wanted someone more.. calm. someone who’s nonchalant.” zayne listened intently, but his heart ached at the thought of you thinking he’d choose someone else over you.

“darling? will you look at me please?” he held both of your hands in his, and you slowly look up. “you are not unintelligent. one of the main reasons why I even adored you was because you were well-educated. your wits outgrew in the battlefield, thinking precisely even when death is just on your palm. I love your bubbly personality. it lights up my day especially after I finish a tiring shift. I would not even consider aomeone else,”

his hand then cupped your cheeks and gave you a kiss. “do you want to leave?” you nod. and he smiles. saying goodbye to his colleagues and guiding you back to the car. already searching nearest restaurants with a drive-through.

© el4ise ✦ do not repost or translate.

# taglist ──── @nishikio, @jeondyy, @ruenaie

[hughiecampbelle]

Charnel House (Will Graham x Sibling!Reader)

Character/s: Will, Jack

Word Count: 1,284

Inspired By: I've Been Dying by Deadbeat Girl

A/N: I absolutely love sibling dynamics!!! I still don't know a lot of Wills past or upbringing, so I kept things pretty vague, but the idea of him being a protective older brother is too sweet not to write! So sorry it's off schedule! I was so stumped with what to write and then the idea came this morning :) Anyways, enjoy my loves!!! Feedback is always appreciated!!! ❤🥩❤🥩❤🥩❤🥩❤🥩❤🥩❤🥩

WRITING EVENT ❤️🔪🩸

Young, Will thinks, you are too young for this. Crime scene tape. Massacred families. Blood splattered walls. Small pools of red beneath their heads dripping, dribbling, down the dining room table. Pale skin. Wide eyes. You follow him like you did when you were children, close behind. Bumping into him, stepping on his heels, apologizing quietly. He resists the urge to grab your hand, squeeze it, and remind you to look both ways before crossing the street. He resists the urge to hold you back, shield your eyes, pretend like this is all one bad dream. It’s not. Beside him Jack Crawford. Next is Bev, Price, Zeller. Countless nameless faces in and out of frame. Trailing one another. Jack says something he cannot understand, his attention focused on you. You get that look in your eyes, where your pupils grow big and you get this million yard stare. What do you see? He wants to ask, but remains silent. You are not a baby in this room. You don’t need his guidance or protection. You are a guest, neither FBI nor teacher, but help nonetheless. You are working. He must remind himself you are here as equal. Perhaps not an equal, perhaps your pedestal is taller than his. He glances back at his coworkers, friends he’d say if he were stretching the truth, all of them smirking, laughing at something obviously inappropriate. He tries to smile along, to pretend, but the effort is futile. When he searches behind him you are gone. 

He’s not sure how the topic came up. Was it in therapy? Rattling off anecdotes of his youth. A crucial piece of himself is coming up. Without it, the story would be incomplete. Or, was it in passing? To Be or Alana, both is a possibility. His “gift” is neither special nor worth talking about. Not when his baby could do so much more. Stories of your childhood. Disorganized, without linear time. You are in your pajamas, so small, so scared. Crying to him about a man hanging in your closet. Another monster under the bed. Old houses, with creaky floorboards and white-haired women. Running through the hallways, your feet patting against the thick runners, screeching and giggling. Playing. Not with imaginary friends, like the women laughed. With the dead, he wants to correct, but bites his tongue. You’d been able to see them all of your life. Some are more eager than others. The children are the most trusting. People who went peacefully. Others are harsh. Vengeful. Stitching their existence to you. Unable to shake them off. Seeing them. A young woman in the bathtub, her wrists open. Splashing in the bubbles, in the red only you could see. Finding yourself wandering through fields, through trees to unmarked graves. Begging to be believed. Both of you. Someone suggested your name. Startled, his worlds colliding, his words stern. No one listened though. Each of them wary, disbelieving, and yet so desperate. He makes the call, afraid their voices, their words will somehow taint your world. Somehow they will turn you into him. 

The killer elusive. Skilled, capable, and thoughtful. Massacring entire families. They’re not innocent, though. There are always secrets keeping them together. It’s the daughter you see. Not exactly intact. Her wounds bleeding, her dress stained, though she does not react to it. They rarely ever do. Up the stairs she leads, moving through various officers. Opaque, and unfortunately very real, you squeeze past them, trying your best not to disrupt their investigation. Loony, you heard one say to the other in a low voice. This is not the first time you’ve had someone doubt you in this way. It would not be the last. At first wanting to play. A massive dollhouse sits in her room. A family much like hers lays scattered across the rug. Bodies face down. Joints bent in inhumane ways. When you look inside, it matches the very house you’re standing in. Beaming, you compliment her. It was lovely. The wallpaper from her room pasted across the walls of the toy. Her replica sits on her bed waiting to be played with. She moves to the window where she points to a swing set. It must've been built when she was a baby. After all these years, these snowy winters, it moves in the wind. Unstable, but loved dearly. A swing for her and her brother, never forced to share. Enough to go around. A slide and monkey bars. Scenic, you think. Familiar and yet so foreign.

Reaching out, attempting to grab your hand, she leads you out, down the stairs. The scene has been cleared. Only your brother stands in the dining room. He does as he has been trained to. This ability described to you dozens of times. He feels himself pull out the gun. Aim it at each of them. You want to watch, but she insists, eager to show you. You disappear into the kitchen where a set of stairs leads to the basement. Neither the son nor the parents make themselves known. You’ve been tricked before. And yet, you trust her. There’s no way to explain it. And so, you follow. Unfinished, it sits with dirt floors and cold, concrete walls. Above you, Will's footsteps move across the room. You can trace his path. The girl urges you forward. A washing machine and dryer sit behind an open doorway. She moves past it though, further. A small hole carved into the wall. Small. Too small. Tugging at a board placed over it until it falls to the floor. Right away you smell something familiar. It’s a scent you’ve grown accustomed to. Something rotten. Rotting. Just a little, though. You come to realize the body is mostly gone. She points and you follow with your gaze. A skull. Next to it, a rib cage and spinal cord. Most of the outer flesh decayed, sunken into the dirt, but small parts remain. She stares at you, trying to read your expression. This is what the killer knew. Punishing her family for taking a life. Hiding the body. Thinking they could get away with it. 

You call for Will, your voice steady and unafraid. He comes running. So does everyone else. When you turn back to thank her, this little girl, innocent alongside her brother, she is gone. There is a second body further back, but you came without a flashlight. They question you, your knowledge, but Will comes to your defense, eager to shut down their accusations. Bev compliments you, says the whole Graham family is skilled in this department. You shrug it off, trying to hide your smile. Everyone knew about your brother, amazing and skilled. Few gave you the same credit. Whoever they were, they knew about the bodies in the basement. Thinking of themself as a vigilante of sorts. A killer of killers. Before you leave, you check the backyard, hoping to see her on her swing. It moves gently from the wing, back and forth, snow piled a few inches high on the seat. Jack congratulates you on your work. Neither you nor your brother have explained exactly what you can do to him, not exactly, and he does not insist on answers. Whatever you do, whatever the both of you do, it helps in the long run. Will hopes this collaboration will be a one time thing. Let you go back to your life unscathed. Unharmed. Already there is talk of another case, another murder. You don’t mind. You get to work with Will. You get to understand the dead. Help them in ways you’re typically forbidden from. Meddling, they used to say. Now you were of value.

[randomfirebug-142]

Lost Echoes

Possible part one?

I wanted to try and play around with the language barrier a little for the Apocalyptic Ponyo AU (@keferon) Jazzprowl.

English isn't my native language, so there might be some grammar mistakes. Hope it's ok :D

————

Muffled cheering echoed as Ricochet swam circles along the sides of the pool.  Once, twice, slow to a stop by the shallow. Let Rose (who's never smelled like the flower) climb off him– don't help her up, don't move away– before her whistle rang out for a second. 

Swim another circle around the perimeter.

Whistle.

Roll to side, splash some water into the air with his tail for some extra flair– aw there's some kids here!– Salute the kids. (Very important. Look at them, they're jumping.)

Whistle.

Go under, finish the loop, and go through the opening gate that’s mostly hidden. Ignore the bar snagging his fin (ow) and keep going as the announcer wraps up the show. Second gate opens, swim through the public aquarium, salute those kids there (they look so squishy..) annnd through the third gate.

Out from the public, out from the show. Ricochet enters the somehow over bright training room and finally stops moving.

His back hurt.

Nothing against Rose, she tries to be careful while on him, but you can only swim around the surface so many times with someone standing and sitting on your back, as well as hold someone up by their feet while the only thing below you is more water, before things start to hurt. Not exactly easy keeping himself from sinking while acrobatics are happening on him.

The show was the last of today, meaning (after confirming that the noise is quieting down,) that the aquarium is closing.

He could really go for a nap right now.

A click echoed out through the white-tiled room before the door squeaked open.

Rose came in with a new bucket of fish– wait there's red in there. Is he gonna get crabs?? Did he do that good??? Oh hell yeah he's getting some Crabs!!!– Ricochet quickly swam to the shallow end of the pool, earning a hearty chuckle from the lady.

"You did great today Rico, so I brought you your favourite. Up!"

The whistle's shriek was mostly drowned out over the water splashing loudly from how quickly he pushed himself into the deeper end, going low before jumping up high with all his might– swiping his treasure from the air in time– before crashing back into the depths.

Rose's laughter reverberated through the water and his chest, soon to be joined by the sound of crab shell snapping loudly in his mouth. Teeth crushing the plating apart easily, to get to the soft meat within.

"Slow down or you'll choke again!" Rose said, handing him two fish (boo) that he bit the heads off while trying to reach for the bucket. He can hear that plating clanging against the metal, you can't fool him. 

Rose, the cruel woman that she is, jumped away before he could steal it from her.

"Hey now! If you're gonna be that greedy I might not give you the second crab after all."

How dare you. He was the bestest and prettiest boy today, he deserves that second crab.

Give.

".....oh.... Alright, alright... Stop sulking in the water you big oaf. You know you're too cute for me to say no."

Damn right he is.

Finishing the rest of his fish, he swam up to the shallow end again, mimicking the “grabby hands” he's seen some especially little kids do. And just like with the babies, Rose gives him what he wants. His well deserved crab.

Best thing in the world.

He should watch the kids more often when he's not doing any shows. They have so many tricks to get what they want successfully, aside from downright theft.

Though he's pretty good at that one, too.

-

Rose said something about a new neighbor while she left. He didn't really care, he was too busy eating.

With the fourth and fifth gate open, he swam into his "bedroom," gate five closing as soon as he got through.

Low light, old walls and tiled floors with nothing else to say about them, other than the quiet rumbling of a machine far below. Maybe he should decorate the space some more. Add another few scratches to the growing collection inside of this box.

He's been making sure to let his nails grow out a bit, lately, after having worn them down until they were blunt nothing's. So he could.

Not like there's anything else to do.

Jazz doesn't feel like moving.

…

Probably not.

He should sleep.

...

..or not. Apparently.

Whoever his "new neighbor" is, they've been moving so much the water sloshing against the walls could be compared to ocean's waves at this point. How's he supposed to fall asleep if there’s so much noise?

Rude.

"{Hey can you stop?}"

Jazz drawled. All of his neighbours throughout his life have really improved his English, he must say. When he first tried talking he sounded like that one man with a swollen tongue after some insect bit him. Now? He mostly just sounds like someone with food in their mouth.

Not li-

A shower of water flew over the thinner, dividing, wall and to his side– some plashing him in the face– interrupting his thoughts.

"{Okay that's even more rude than you making a whirlpool over the-.}"

Water was flung over to his side along with some snappy short-but-fast clicking.

Bitch??? Two can play at that game.

Turning on his stomach, Jazz swam two or three meters away from the wall with left behind drops of water crawling their way down to his pool, before angling himself to be right in front of the area where there's the most dripping down.

Quiet as a mouse, his tail dips low below, before catapulting water up with enough force to almost make him summersault.

Water rushes up and over and– score! A disgruntled buzz?- no, sonar– low enough to sound buzzy– tells him he hit the dumb fish that decided to refuse him of his beauty sleep.

He waited for the water to be chucked over the wall in retaliation, but nothing happened. Fishy gave up so soon already? Boring.

Oh well. Maybe he can finally sleep now.

…

...

...ok what the hell.

First he couldn't sleep because the neighbor was being rude, now he can't sleep because he got what he wanted?

It's too quiet. No– It’s as quiet as it always is, and as it’s supposed to be. Why can’t he sleep.

Rolling around a few times, leaning against a corner, counting whatever sheep are supposed to be, hugging his tail– Nothing is helping. Jazz huffs, letting go of his tail with force, spraying a row of water on the (not neighbour’s) wall. (See how polite he is?)

Ricochet won two crabs but at what cost. (His sleep, apparently.)

With a groan, Jazz eyed the sixth gate. His neighbor's door, technically. Technically also the first gate and not the sixth. It really depends what direction you start from. It was closed, but the keepers must've put up some sort of....... Thing. Over it. He can't see the other side.

"{Hey fishbones, you shy or feral?}"

Water curled from something– a tail?– dipping. Jazz waited. Eyed the wall for water to fly in, but the other’s tail stayed under. By the sounds of it, the fish submerged completely.

Jazz approached the... net? under water. Tiny metal wires woven together like fabric, covering the gate. If he pressed his face against it (ow-) he could see into the other room pretty well.

It’s as empty as his. And actually used to Be his, before he decided he liked this box more. Walls barely decorated at all. Only one or two scratches around, but those are the older ones from his previous neighbours (his ones were filled and painted up.) This one hasn’t done anything to the space, as far as he can tell. Or he has, and it just so happens to be on the wall that the gate is a part of. He’s apparently also very determined to stay out of Jazz’s sight. Jazz had only seen the white end of a tail-fin for a second before the new guy moved even further out of sight.

Rude. Jazz just wanted to say hi.

“{Knock knock. You home?}”

No water shenanigans. Guess neighbor boy isn’t in the mood to splash him for talking, anymore.

He can feel the water swaying again. A harsh swish audible every seven or so seconds. That guy must be really antsy about being in there. Doesn’t sound like he’s small… maybe around his size? Larger? Pacing incredibly fast. Powerful tail. Been a while since someone else larger than him was brought here.

For a moment, Jazz considered talking some more, since he has nothing better to do and the other guy doesn’t seem to like it. (Doesn’t even appreciate the effort that goes into mimicking human sounds under water.) But without a body to watch or the guy chucking water over the wall anymore; there’s no real fun in it.

…

Well. Might as well play nice. It’s been a few years since he’s had a neighbour, and even if they don’t seem to understand anything he tries to communicate, he’d rather not lose the new company only a few days after getting it.

Swimming back to the water’s surface– the guy paused his swimming for a second– Jazz laid on his back. Taking the moment to breathe for a bit, running thoughts through his mind.

Neighbour probably wouldn’t like any songs Jazz had learned from his stay here. Too unfamiliar, right? Right.

There is one song he knows… well, two actually. But it feels wrong to share the other one, (why?-) So there’s one song he knows that might help.

Jazz can only guess where he heard it from. It’s….. Comforting. He knows that.

Always thinks back on the song when the need to start biting the bars or bashing his head against the wall in this place got too strong.

Swimming slow circles, Jazz dipped just a bit lower into the water to make sure the sound travels properly, and starts with the low note. Drawing it out before flowing into a higher one with some klicks in between.

Why did he actually stop singing this song?

The sound echoed all around him. The water making him live in the song itself.

Strong arms holding him snugly.

Repetitive, slow, calming.

Right.

This was a lullaby.

When was the last time he held a hand much larger than his own?

Okay no need for those- Stop- Put those thoughts away. He’s supposed to be comforting the new guy (who stopped swimming,) not wallow in his own head. One note to the next, the song gets strung together like connecting rivers that he’s occasionally heard about. He’s a bit rusty in a few places, not having made these sounds in a while, but the song is still beautiful. It’s what would’ve been home, if he knew what that was.

Clicking softly, he was about to repeat the song again, when his neighbour clicked something by his gate.

Jazz cracked open an eye (when did he close them?) and looked over, seeing the vague silhouette of hands and a torso.

The neighbour clicked again in a pattern; it sounded familiar. Diving into the water, he could still hear the remaining echoes of those clicks around him. It was odd- it filled him- it was– Jazz knew that pattern. How does he know?- He’s heard it before- where?-

Pressing his hands against the net(?) Jazz blinked at the sight of blue eyes that matched his own. The gate between the net didn’t let him touch the other fish. (Person?)

His… He clicked again, same pattern from before. Jazz blinked, listening to the echoes of each set of clicks (they came in sets! A structure- A-) Jazz perked up, startling the other a little.

That was! Oh what was that- um. The last bit was “You,” right? How does he-

Jazz pulled back his right hand, circling it a few times while tilting his head, before putting it back where it was. He couldn’t see much, but the other… orca….? Looked a little confused.

One more time, he repeated himself. A little more slowly this time. (Thank god.)

“[Where are you?]”

No no, he wouldn’t ask that, Jazz is in front of him. “Who?” Is that it? Oh right! “Where” and “Who” sounded similar! "Who" having the last click cut off instead of drawn out. Right!!! “Who are you!!” Oh wait he should answer-

“I…” Jazz looked to the top of the gate, the next word at the tip of his tongue but somehow out of his reach. He huffed a bit, instead putting his hand on his chest.

“Jazz.”

The orca moved his head back a little with slightly narrowed eyes.

“Who are you?”

Does he not believe him?

“Jazz. Me.”

He touched his collarbone a few times, hoping the other orca could see it.

“Jazz.” “zh- … Zh..aasz…??”

Oh right, English is weird.

“J aazzzz. Jazz.”

“...zh- xh– Jah.  “J. asz.. szzz. ZZ. “..Jaazz…??”

“Yeah! Jazz!” He chirped, barely keeping himself from doing a flip out of excitement. Oh he had so many questions! How does he ask them? How-

“Prowl.”

Huh?

“I [am] Prowl. [???] you [?] here?”

What.

“...heeere…??”

Prowl regarded him for a moment, clicking a few times in thought. Not words this time, it seems. Just brain noise. After a moment, Prowl gestured with his hand for Jazz to get closer.

Though there wasn’t really… any closer he could get??? Other than pressing his face against the net and bars. 

Technically he Could open the gate. He knows how. They have this neat lil trick to opening them in case any power goes out. Humans would need their tools to reach it properly, but his larger hands do the job just fine. Sadly: The staff know that he knows how to do that. And clearly blocked that off as much as possible with the net (that he could definitely tear away but. Any metal thread will hurt to tear open. And he’d really rather not start bleeding on his new roommate.)

So! Shoving his face into the net is clearly the better option!

Thankfully, Prowl didn’t want him to Actually actually shove his face into it, motioning for Jazz to stop a centimeter or so away from the barrier between them, before he himself got close, too. Squinting his brighter eyes at him as if he’s trying to spot if his food had gone bad or not. Prowl started to eventually guide him around, too. Motioning for him to tilt his head down, up, left and right. (What are you, a doctor?) Before he backed off, resting his curled index over his lips. In the meantime, while Prowl prowled about in his thoughts, Jazz decided to go for an air break before coming back down to the gate. Crossing his arms on the floor and making himself comfortable. Watching the silhouette of Prowl until the orca got close to him again.

“[???] [you?] [?????] ?” “What.” The clicks and notes were way off. Honestly he’s not even sure if that “you” was actually a “you.” The simple note that it was made out of before was now that same note! Sure! But ending with a harsh click for some reason.

Prowl nodded with a hum, cocking his head a little.

“How [did?] you [?] here?”

“uh… How… did? I um… here…. Flow? No- no uh. um.” Jazz tapped the floor, pressing his forehead against it for a moment, hunting that damn word like his life depends on it.

“Come!” Jazz popped his head back up, startling Prowl again with the movement. Technically the word he used is “swim,” but he remembers them being the same thing.

“How did I come here?”

“...yes. How did you [get?] here.” Prowl tapped the net, pointing at Jazz. “Northern [??]”

“...nnorthern? What?”

Prowl watched him again for a moment, tapping his sharp claw against the net.

“From [the] north? You? Polyhex?”

“Polyhex.”

A name that crashed through his mind like a bucket of ice down his back. He.. Knows that name. It… What was it..?

‘From the north,’ Prowl said. It’s a place. It’s a Place. He Was there. Wasn’t he?

He must’ve been!– But he can’t?– No the memories are there he can Feel them– How else would he know it? Why would that name alone be a glacier of deep emotion?

“You..! You uhm..” Curse his brain. Remember damnit. “You…..go..? Go.. was? To Polyhex?”

“Once…” Prowl paused… trying to find the right words? Probably trying to accommodate him. He clearly didn’t have any trouble talking before.

“Work. I was there [for] work, once.”

Jazz was about to try and talk again– he needs to remember– but Prowl beat him to it, furrowing his brow a bit while glancing at the ground for a moment.

“I [??].  “Go” [and] “Was.”” Left hand (“go”) curled into a loose fist while Prowl gestured with his right. Deliberately moving it over and to the left of his fist. (“was”) A show of…. “Behind”..? No- “Before!” The past!

“[??] “Go and Was is [??]”

“[Went?]”

Jazz repeated the noise, tail swishing behind him while he used the gate to keep himself in place.

Prowl nodded, repeating the word again in confirmation.

“I went there once. For work.”

He could barely keep a trill from escaping him. He’s remembering them!! He’s remembering the words he forgot!! Jazz had forgotten just how filling his mother-tongue felt in his mouth. The words were so clear and easy and smooth. He doesn’t have to force the sounds in his throat and nose to come out in specific ways just to say something. He can just Say it! Say everything!

“How did you get here?”

Prowl repeats. Words a little slow to help Jazz keep up with them.

And that sure is a question. A bit too vague to his liking. Now how does he ask for more details… (no, this isn't a ploy to hear Prowl talk some more.)

“How did I… come here?” Jazz waved to their general surroundings. “What is uh.. No cave, cave? …ssssong?”

“”Song” is [Word.] The word for this [??], for this “not cave, cave” is [room.]”

“Yeah!!” (He really should stop surprising the other mer with sudden bursts of movement.)

“How did I come here to… to um…. this. To this room?”

He tilt his head, watching Prowl for a moment before pointing to gate number five.

“There. Behind.. this,” Jazz tapped the gate separating them, “is…. not cave. Long.” Similar to what Prowl had done before, Jazz decided charades were needed, and made his left arm bend into an arc before passing his right arm (like it’s swimming) through it.

“Long. Not cave.”

“... “..[tunnel?]”

“[Tunnel!] Maybe!”

The only thing keeping him from resting his head on his hands again is him continuously using them to form his words.

“Go from here, to tunnel, to uh… room! And then more room. “The room is like you! Like- like um.. uh.”

Jazz waved his hand towards what he could see of Prowl’s face, clearly only confusing him more than he already was, before remembering that he’s an idiot actually and could use his own body to demonstrate. Curling his tail over his head and pointing to the underside of his fin.

“Like you! Like light?”

The movement made Prowl have A reaction. The net obscured what exactly it was, but he backed away a tiny bit, staring at Jazz’s tail (that he was peeking out at him from below) with slightly wider eyes. After a moment of silent staring (and Prowl shifting away more,) he shook his head. Waving his hand upward a few times until Jazz stopped curling the tail over himself. Only then did he speak again.

“[White?] “The room is white?”

“Uh, yes!”

At least he assumed Prowl understood and that the word he used was the colour and not something else. Speaking of– Prowl shook his head again.

“No-”

He blinked, lowered his head and shoulders a millimeter, held up a hand and went up for some air– Wow he swims fast– returning almost immediately. (Did he even breathe??)

“Do you [re-] … “Do you know, how you got here. [From] Polyhex.”

Ah.

“Nuh-uh.”

If he blinked a second later, Jazz would’ve missed the tiniest narrowing of Prowl’s eyes.

“I am- uh. Uh..  “Hm.”

Jazz closed his eyes, covering them with his hands too for good measure, before undoing his actions with a very slight dramatic flare.

“That..? I was… arh.…”

“[???]”

“Huh?”

Prowl eyed the gate and its net before regarding himself. Pushing himself over to almost be touching the wall next to them before curling up. Resting his head on his crossed arms and closing one of his eyes, keeping the other on Jazz.

“[Sleeping.]” He repeats.

“Ah! Um um!! Yes? No? That, but… after! When light.” Jazz pointed up, where the sun would be if it weren’t for the ceiling. And if it didn’t probably set by now.

Prowl followed his motion. Coming out of his position and going back to how he held himself before. Perfectly replicating the pose he had, somehow.

“...[Woke up?]”

Spoken, unintentionally, softly. Jazz could almost hear– feel a “did i wake you up?” wash over him. What?- (who?)

“a-Ah yeah! I uhm. I.” Not important right now. “I woke up. Here.”

Prowl hummed again, glancing away while thinking, probably. Jazz seized the opportunity to feel his (rapid) heartbeat in his chest.

His body felt wrong.

He needed to remember.

Crossing his arms and forcing his body to look relaxed, Jazz laid his head on his arms. Tilting it slightly, watching. (If only the net wasn’t there.)

“What..? uh…” He doesn’t have the words he needs. “....how is uh. Polyhex?”

Prowl blinked at him, ripped out of his thoughts to process the question, and Jazz’s change in position.

“..It is [??] [?]. The [???] …. [??] ? Hm… “... “The… “rooms” are [????] nicely. More [?] are [going?] there, [which] [??] is and isn’t [???].”

“Ah.. really? That’s uh. Good to know.”

Jazz smiled easily, as Prowl hummed before talking some more about Polyhex, getting faster and using even more words he couldn’t understand at all. “About Polyhex,” well, probably. Prowl hadn’t explicitly brought up the name again so he could only guess that Prowl is still talking about (his home?) that place, since that’s what Jazz had asked him about. What could he be rambling about while answering “how is Polyhex?” The economic state of the place?? Come on, now.

Jazz sighed. He really needs to remember.

“{Welp!}”

Jazz stretched– cutting off Prowl before he started another intelligible sentence– moving away from the gate a little.

“It’s uh… stars. time.” That works. “Sooo… we {should} sleep.”

Prowl hesitated a little, lifting his hand for a moment before putting it back down and offering a nod.

“It is [??]. “Stars time.” [Night.]” … “Sleeping isn’t a bad [idea.]”

“Ok, good! Uh. Bye-bye, then!”

With a wave, Jazz swam into the middle of his room again, laying on his back while staring at the turned off lights. Offering a small wave to the camera nestled in one of them.

“... “...Good night.”

Prowl offered, quietly. Before- by the sounds of it- swimming to a corner to try and sleep.

A good hour passed before Prowl finally fell asleep. Jazz was tempted to go out into the aquarium, but didn’t want to risk waking up Prowl with his movements. So he just stayed where he was. Staring at the same ceiling. The faint hum of machinery from below the floor being his only company, as his eyes roamed over the metal wiring over the lights, again and again. Noticing new spots where the painted white had chipped off.

Again and again, over and over. Until he, too, eventually fell asleep.

————

My writing is so slow... This took me about over a week I think hdhd I have some snippets written out of a potential part two! If I ever do finish it, it'll probably be weeks from now, though.

Oh, here's a fun fact for you !

There was a beluga whale named NOC (“no-see,” i believe?) that told a diver to get out of the water, once. He sounds like he’s playing a kazoo, if you listen to a video of him mimicking human sounds. As someone who spends every summer swimming in a river; the “pattern” he’s mimicking is actually very similar to what it sounds like when you try to talk while under water (minus all of the air bubbles coming out of your mouth.)

Oh also, since it probably isn't very clear; Prowl going from somewhat comprehensible, to not comprehensible in the slightest, to mostly comprehensible when he asked "How did you get here," is because he was switching between dialects :]

[yandere-class-1a]

Class 1a as mermaids and mermaid and reader as a human-like one day reader finds a trapped mermaid and they save them and now that mermaids tell the other mermaids about the humans and their will to meet the reader

Author Note: I tired my best to work on this and keep it from going to far of track so I really hope you like it. I actually headcanoned what each on of their tails would look like so if you want that just send in another ask! It's perfectly fine if you have your own ideas though ♡

On a warm summer night, as the moon cast its gentle glow upon the beach and the wind sung a sweet lullaby, you some how found yourselves tossing and turning, unable to drift of into your dream world for the third time this week. Frustrated, you decided to go on a late-night stroll along the deserted shoreline of the pink sand beach. You weren't sure the actual name, maybe it was the romantic settings or probably the pink tinted sand, but most people called it Soulmates Beach.

As you walked along the shore line and in the moons soft glow, the rhythmic crashing of the waves provided a soothing soundtrack to your thoughts. Almost forgetting your frustration at not being able to sleep you become lost in the beauty of the night. That was until your eyes caught sight of something peculiar in the water. A glimmering pink and yellow tail, trapped in a net, struggled against the unforgiving holds of captivity.

You paused for a second thinking it might be a large fish if some kind. However you quickly dashed towards the thrashing net as you saw a human arm hand grab at the net from the inside. To your amazement you discovered it was a living breathing mermaid. You freeze for a second once again. No way is that a real mermaid, you thought to yourself, it's every kids dream to meet some type of mystic creature! However you quickly snap out of it once you hear a distressed chirp come from Mina.

It took you a few minutes and using a shell as a knife but you finally manage to free her from the entanglement. Grateful and relieved Mina let out a small thank you purr before swimming deep into the ocean and returning to her mermaid pack. The news spread like wildfire among the members of her mer-pack, each one if them instantly amazed by the very idea of a human saving a mermaid.

Driven by a mix of curiosity and thankfulness at saving Mina, they all set their sights on meeting the stunning human that mina had told them so much about. They didn't even know you, heck Mina was the only one that hhad even seen you, and yet they all felt some sorta warm and fuzzy feeling when one of them would mention you. They had all decide to name you Shinning Star. They thought it was perfectly fitting as you lit up their worlds just by being mentioned.

Days later, the encounter with Mina still planted deeply in your brain, you returned to the beach. You weren't expecting to see her again, after all if you had been caught by humans you would be pretty scared to come back up to the surface so you don'treally blame her. You sit at the edge of the beach, on a small stone that was oddly shaped like a chair. You gently start to hum a song as you close your eyes.

After a few minutes of sitting there with your eyes closed you are met with a loud and continuous splashing sound accompanied by small chirps. Your eyes open faster than you ever thought they could, and there is a absaloutly amazing sight.

Emerging from the depths of the beutifull blue ocean are not one, not two, no not even three, but nineteen whole mer-people. All of their beutifull tails glinting under the sunlight. With eager eyes they gently call for you to come close to them. You knew it was risky but you are absaloutly amazed by what your seeing, so without thinking you gently walk over to them and smile a amazed smile at them. Your hands are fidgeting from how excited you are at this opportunity.

Izuku is the first to greet you. His tail is a beutifull emerald green with freckles of red and white. He flicked it happily as you step closer. In the excitedness he let's out tons of happy chirps and goes to lean forward to touch you. Unlucky for him he was as far as the water would let him go and he face planted in the sand. You rush over to him and check on him.

Izuku thinks it's absaloutly adorable, your in the presence of real life merpeople and your worried that he got a little sand in his eye. He chirps happily and snuggles his head gently into your stomach, a sign of love and respect in mermaid body language, not like you know that though. You chuckle as Izuku hops up and turns to the rest of the mer-pack before chirping out somthing unreadable to humans. They all greet you one by one.

As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turn into months you and the group of mer-people forged a unique bond. You all had a absaloute blast, even though somtimes it seemd asif they never wanted you to leave. Mer-pack 1-A, once captivated by your heroism, now found themselves captivated by your very presence.

With each passing day, their heart grew fonder for you. Their once pure curiosity and admiration for you blossoming into something more. In your company they all found found acceptance, understanding, and a love stronger than anything they had ever felt before.

[kenyukisser]

so right, what's wrong?

Being NAGI SEISHIRO’s best friend wasn’t easy, he’s not the best with his emotions, and an absolute asshole to be paired with in group projects, but if you asked him, he’d try to find the right words to tell you all the stars in the universe were smiling in his direction when he’s with you.

You know Nagi like how you know the back of your hand, you don’t. tracing the veins in your hands, sometimes, it’s there. Sometimes, it’s not. Nagi who wasn’t made for loving, or the warmth of having a real friend to lean on. He’s not used to it, not used to you.

Yet, the way the dark shade of blue reflected on your skin, the way your skin brushes through his, as you try to make him look at the water-dwelling plants, and the various kinds of fishes on the aquarium. He thinks it’s boring, and a hassle to even spare the fishes some sort of glance, but seeing you with the biggest smile plastered on your face? It made his dull world brighten.

No. He doesn’t want to let go of you now. Not now, not ever.

“Sei? Are you okay? You’re spacing out.” You snap your fingers, causing him to retort back to reality.

“Huh?” his half-lidded eyes widened slightly at the distortion, before he spoke again. “yeah ‘m fine, was just thinking.”

“About?” You ask, voice laced with curiosity as you looked at him as his mind wanders off, thinking of what to say next.

“nun” he shrugs, placing his hands on the pockets of his hoodie, it’s as white as snow, just like his hair. For someone like him, it’s impressive how clean it is.

“Nun?”

“Nun of your business.”

“Sei!” The way the crinkles underneath your eyes disappeared, as your smile turns into a small pout. He saw it all. The pang of guilt in his chest that he covered up, he was feeling it. and if he had it in him. He’d stay with you till the end of time.

And can you remember when?

When the hot air of summer breezes through your hair, the hot sun shining down on your pretty face as Reo splashes you with the salty water of the beach. While he stayed underneath the shade of the parasol, his usual excuse was ‘it’s such a pain’ but maybe, just maybe... He loved seeing you smile, even if it wasn’t him who made you smile. He watched you keenly, the way the tips of your hair got wet. You’ve always wanted to see the sun shining so brightly, but to him, you were his sun, shining so brightly.

And he didn’t understand it, why he felt like this, and why it had to be you. But he knew it had to be you. Reo has had his fair share of dating women, which affected his perspective of love too, the type of love he’d think would be a hassle, a responsibility, and newsflash: That’s a really big word for him.

Likewise, he was amazing, but there were times where…

Where the rain would be pouring, and he’d come over with nothing but his phone in hand, while you’d open the door, greeted by his 6-foot figure, too frustrated about your shared project that was due tomorrow, the way you’d ramble about how the two of you forgot to do it, sharing small laughs as you wrote down ideas for the project.

You ended up falling asleep on his shoulder, while he annotated and worked on your shared project.

Love did many things to a person, Seishiro knew this. He loved the way your face lit up when you saw the perfect score your teacher gave the two of you.

A rose only blooms in the right soil, and seeing you smile like that? He’d like to think you’re a rose. So delicate, the sweetest flower nature could yield, just like your unfolding heart. You set his world on fire, burning red like a rose that’s freshly bloomed. the thoughts that ran through his own head made him sicken, because he wanted to be your soil.

He’s only 19, with a pocket that’s filled with tragedy. You are his biggest tragedy.

And the world is cruel, so there he was, at the airport. And much to his dismay, a strifeful of words to say to you. The words you’ll never hear, because he can’t see you again, he’s accepting it. He’s going to be Manshine’s genius, after all.

does this need a part 2??!?!?!? | yes it did. give it a read!!

[iveneverbeenhere]

“I wish you roses, and roses, and roses, and roses”

Summary: Flowers and attached notes of BTS boys

Genre: Fluff, angst(?), descriptions of hardships and arguments between Tae and Reader but ending is hopeful

CW: Nothing

A/N: Who would have known my fall back into flower language would align with me doing my first prompt challenge thing. I used a bunch of them, so they will be highlighted in the notes.

Giving credit to @writinginstardust for their huge brain🫡‼️‼️ 🫶🫶

Jungkook: sunflowers, yellow tulips, red tulips

“For my sweetest pookie.

I can’t write much on this card because the company gave me a word limit. Poor me. Can you feel my pout through this? I wanted to tell you that I dreamt about you last night. I saw it so clearly. It was late at night and we were stargazing outside. Bam was sprawled out on our laps like the lazy kid he is while you talked to me about your day, childhood, and everything. I don’t remember which story you were on but I remember you smiling at the end. God, I told you how much I love your smile right? I want to see it again soon. Seeing your blinding smile, I rush back into the house to fish for this bouquet. When I gave you the flowers, you rolled your pretty eyes. Still, you gave me the warmest smile I’d ever seen. It felt like deja vu.

- From Jungkook”

Yoongi: tarragon, daisies, morning glory, gardenia

“Hello dear.

I’ve missed you. Last night I woke up in an insomniac haze. For a second I thought that I was home. I saw you standing in the shadows gazing into me. I came to you and you held me while I clung to you. You smelt like vanilla and lavender. You smelt like home. Then reality hit me like a brick. Genuinely. Once my vision cleared I had a thumping migraine between my eyes and a stiff-as-shit neck. You always did tell me not to fall asleep in my studio chair. I spent the next hour lying in the dark on my studio couch like a wounded orphan. I wish I had told you. I should have told you. I would have been less alone. Less in pain. I don’t think I’m cut out for this job, I swear.

I can see you rolling your eyes, but I mean it this time. I’m coming home tomorrow. Finally, I can’t wait. - Yoongi”

V: Saliva (Red, blue, purple), Red carnation, baby’s breath

“Hi, clover.

You miss me?

I miss you. I’ve been thinking about you all day. I feel dreary. I’m working on a small ceramic mushroom…It’s not going well, It’s too lopsided. The sky is covered in a light gray fog. I hear the rain splash against the windows while Yeontan barks. We were supposed to see each other but I’m all alone now. Are you still upset? I was harsh. I felt the fearful pain of you leaving me, so I was determined to hurt you back. To make you feel what I felt so strongly. However, when I went back to lick my wounds, memories of our bliss came back stronger. Every touch. Every kiss. Every midnight walk we had when we both couldn’t sleep. The mornings waking up together. I was a fool. I always am, but more so in these moments.

When I see you again, can I hold your hand? I miss your warmth. And you - Your Alien”

Jin: red roses, pink roses, white roses

“Did you know my mother adores you?

Yeah, you’re all she ever talks about. “Oh, they’re so sweet.”

“Have you no manners? You see them looking so beautiful and you don’t say anything?”

“Yah, Seokjin how’s my favorite child doing?” Then when I tell her I’m fine, she goes “Quit joking, you know who I’m talking about.” How upsetting! I’m her actual son, but compared to you I’m chopped liver! Still, I can’t blame her. I’m the same way. I missed you during enlistment. I also missed the boys. Though not as much when compared to you. I see them 360 days out of the year. They’re staples in my life, but you…you’re my world.

My private heaven. My home. And I’ve been away from my home far too long. I intend to fix that. Get ready!

- From, Kim Seokjin ♥️”

Namjoon: Magnolia, cactus, succulents, aloe

“

“If the devil were to ever see you, he’d kiss your eyes and repent.” - Farouq Jwaydeh

Good morning, my Divine. I hope your day is going well. Mine could be better. It’s not bad, but not great. Just a day. I’m in a rut. I went to the studio and tried to write but my slack brain didn’t want to. Instead, it wants to focus on you. Where is my love? Have they finished the book I gave them? Have they thought about me today? As I think about them every day? How often do they think of me? I could close my eyes and still envision them perfectly. It’s wrapped itself in roses and lilies and recites love poems and scenarios. It’s excruciating shit. So, I’ll give it and myself an outlet. For starters, do you know how beautiful you are? It’s truly distracting. You’ve left me so lovesick that I’m borderline diseased. My waking hours are anguishing. My feet feel heavy and my head spins. My third rib begs for its return to my body so that my heart can be caged away once again. I know this is a lot to take in. I want to talk about it more with you when I’m less of a shell of a man. I won’t resent you if you don’t reciprocate. I’ll be pained, but I’ll come back to you. If do you reciprocate…Either way, say you want me, and I’m yours. - Kim Namjoon”

J-hope: honeysuckle, forget me nots, chrysanthemum (red)

“Hellooooooo. I hope your day has been as lovely as you are, honey. By the way, what kind of jewelry do you like best? I can’t pick. Gold makes you look stunningly regal but Silver shows the depth of your skin and eyes. This bouquet and the jewelry were both supposed to be same-day gifts, but the company never gave me any damn updates! How unfair is that! So now, these gifts have been forced apart. It’s so cruel. 🥲

I know I could call you about this instead, but it’s too different. I’ve been gone too long. I said I needed a refresh. A moment to connect back to what I want in life. Well, I have! The sky is so clear. The sun is shining. The forecast said there would be nice weather. They were absolutely right. My feet feel lighter. So does my heart. The cloud that hung over me has gone and I’ve stepped out of the box that’s kept me trapped. I’m ready to take my first step, but I want you there with me.

Tell me what you want.

Of the jewelry, I mean. I can’t afford to spend the whole day shopping! I love you. - Jung Hoseok”

Jimin: white jasmine, hibiscus, daffodils, white camellia

“Hello Darling ♥️.

I just realized how much I love you.

Well, not just realized, but I still needed to remind you. It sounds corny, but I’m very sincere. Besides, there’s no occasion for when you should declare your love right? Sure, there are preferred moments, but what’s wrong with keeping love fresh and exciting? Shouldn’t you want your lover to voice their love for you every day?

No, but honestly, It’s crazy, really. No one’s ever made me feel like this.

I’ve dreamt about this for as long as can remember, but only now have I found it. The person who I thought of every second of every day. The person who colored my dreams at night. The one I envisioned whenever I sang love songs. The one who I searched high and low for without fail or doubt.

I’ve waited so long for this.

So long…

I just needed to remind you. I’ll spend the rest of our lives reminding you. So don’t worry, I’m here. - Love Mochi”

[glassrowboat]

Worthy of Vespers. Argenti.

Summary: Just a drabble about an hc I have for Argenti where he's really insecure about the eczema on his hands

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder is such a common phrase, to the point you've come to roll your eyes at it every time it so much as graces your ears. For you have heard it too often. When you're poking at acne you know not to squeeze out of your skin but your mind keeps telling you to go on and do it because at least then you could convince yourself you look pretty, when you're struggling to try on a dress, when-

There's too many examples to count.

For it's too common a phrase.

One shoved at you like hearing it will do your whirling mind any good besides adding guilt on top of your self hatred and pus covered fingers as you finally give in and squeeze the white head that had been haunting you all day with a dull ache on your forehead; blood replacing the disgusting dot.

If only you could understand what Argenti of all people saw in you.

Then again, that's the same man who looks down at his hands and hides the red, irritated blotches away with a pair of leather gloves. Covering the digits you have kissed again and again with lips reserved only for his ethereal grace as Argenti’s lips tighten, forcing themselves up into a smile. All for your sake.

So maybe your eye was tainted, unable to see something in the person staring back at you, but was he not the same? Picking at patches of skin in distaste.

“You can adulate a potted plant, but your own visage is too much of a task for you?” You whispered as he tried to pull away. To yank his hands from you as your touch fell on the flakes of dead skin, he had been trying to scrub, scrub, and scrub off.

“Ah yes, the blooming colors that glowed a sprightly green akin to the nymphs in tales of folklore. Only a painter could possibly bring such a thing to life, but it still laid before our eyes gracing us with its presence.”

“That's great, honey.”

“And you-” Argenti cut himself off as your fingers ran over the roses on his skin, blooming for all the world to see.

“Yes, and you. Can you say something like that about yourself?” You asked.

You knew he couldn't. You've asked before and Argenti had only confessed he missed his pure white hair, how it would curl under his fingers as he braided it back and out of the way before training the day away, but that was gone now, washed away like blood after a rainstorm.

And you also knew he couldn't even try. Not when his eyes were flicking back to the eczema spots that had his throat bobbing every time you brought attention to them.

“Oh my stupid Knight of Beauty, you may not see it, but to me, you are worthy of vespers and evensong.” With a wink you added: “And to be worshiped by someone on their knees before you.”

“Hardly.” Argenti whispered back.

“Verily.” You corrected him with another kiss.

“You are stubborn as ever.” Argenti pulled away from you, going to pick up the washcloth he had been using to try and scour his skin like it was a counter in need of a cleaning. It hung from his hold, dripping water as he squeezed it over the basin it had been soaking in. “Just…a little longer.”

A splash of water rang before you answered him. “Is that really what you want?”

“It is. Please, I'll be with you in a moment, my love. I promise.”

With a sigh, you nodded, stood up front the floor, and gave Argenti one last look as you caught sight of him hunched over in the mirror. All as he scrubbed and scrubbed, for as they say: beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[ms0milk]

sleepy nagi loves to watch you and gets halfway jealous of fireworks

it’s hard to not be in awe of that which is so much bigger than you– stars, the sea, fireworks. It’s easier for Nagi, when you’re there to look at.

The ground rumbles below and above you’re splashed in reds and yellows and whites, blinding light and bursts too loud to hear half the time. It’s exhausting, you smell nice, the grass at the edge of his picnic blanket itches whatever long limb he can’t fit onto the fabric.

Nagi, petulant, fishes one of your hands out of your lap beside him and tries as hard as he can to sink into you, shoulder to shoulder with his cheek resting in your hair. You don’t react to the cling but it’s nice that you’re warm and that you’re soft and he’s lulled immediately by the heartbeat in your temple, and how it skips when a sparkler whistles into the night sky and screams open ten different directions.

You are very nice, to look at and to touch. You– well you– Nagi lifts his head. Your face is illuminated in split seconds of light, smiling big. You cheer and ooh and aah too. And startle at the boom of roman candles, which makes you laugh, and the whole while you squeeze his hand to the rhythm of your excitement without ever taking your eyes off the sky.

The bursts are too loud for him to hear what your laughter sounds like but he can fill in the blanks easily enough sitting so close to you, like looking at photographs. Awe of you was preprogrammed into him. You, just happy to watch the show even though it’s already dewy and the bugs are out and you ran out of snacks an hour ago, because you are perfect and still find wonder in things so much bigger than you. Do you look at him like this?

Nagi cups your face in sleepy hands and pulls you into his kiss before you can protest. Warm like smoke.

“So pretty.”

“What?” You pull away half to look at him and half to watch the last white comets explode like it’s the end of the world but your boyfriend wants you back. Big soft hands pull you again closer and Nagi presses his forehead to yours as the earth trembles and the crowds shriek with joy.

“You’re missing the show” you smile in acquiescence but he only shakes his head and kisses you again.

[monty-glasses-roxy]

I want to send Monty a collection of sunglasses in various colors and shapes. Let him have a bit of variety.

For the second time today, you dig through your backpack for a gift to give. What will this one be? You hope it’s a good one like the last pair. After what feels like an age, your paw lands on something. You eagerly pull it from the backpack to give it a good look over and read the tag. It was a present wrapped in green polka dotted paper, a sticker on one side of the ambiguous shape with the name Montgomery Gator written on it, the whole thing decorated in stickers. You check your database for the animatronic in question and start to make your way up the steps in front of the daycare, towards the security door you hoped would lead directly to the atrium.

The door opened without question for you and you stepped right through, once again wondering when you were going to run into the security around here. You always do eventually… or at least you always do when the location has security to run into. You shake off the thought as you take in the atrium for the first time from the walkways.

This place is huge! You can’t help but gawk at all the lights and colours in awe. There was just so much to look at, you struggled to find a place to start!

Strangely enough, you end up starting at the scaffolding and white covers over the attraction at the opposite corner to where you’re standing. What’s that about? Fazerblast next door and Bonnie Bowl next door but upstairs looked fine though. Your curiosity almost got the better of you but you shook yourself out of the desire to explore over there for now. You turn your gaze determinedly towards the attraction directly to your left, all green and full of fake plants of the jungle variety. Do alligators live in jungles? You’re not so sure… but then again, Fazerblast is clearly themed on space and bears aren’t aliens so you wouldn’t be too surprised if Fazbear got it wrong.

Or at least… you’re pretty sure that bears aren’t aliens. They’re not aliens… Are they?

It takes you more effort than you’d care to admit to break out of that train of thought and get back on track. You have a job to do! You can’t keep getting distracted!

With that in mind, you march onwards towards Gator Golf.

Eyeing the golf ball ride as you pass, you continue on until you find yourself standing in the attraction itself. There was even more fake foliage in here, with mini golf greens marking a path throughout the place and an alligator ride still chugging along far overhead. How in the world are you going to find Monty in here?

You wander along the path of greens, passed holes and bunkers and mechanical alligator heads jumping out of the water, passed the huge stage, around the game hazards and under the giant bucket. It takes you a while before you finally spot him. At first, you thought it was just another cool prop, but as you drew closer, you realised that the green and red thing in the water was the real thing.

And that you’d walked passed him at least three times.

He was just floating there. Belly down and snout just above the water line, his tail acting like an anchor. With the star shaped glasses on his face, you couldn’t tell if he was watching you or not.

You whistle to draw his attention but he doesn’t respond. He just carries on floating. You whistle a little louder, but still no response. You try once more, as loud as you possibly can, and still nothing. Maybe he lacks audio sensors? He wouldn’t be the only one after all…

Leaning in closer, you wave at him instead, hoping his eyes are open under those glasses. You lean over the barrier some more as he seems to drift lazily towards you with the water current. Your frantic waving has no effect. You keep trying, wondering if you could drop something on his head to get his attention as he drifts closer to you. You’re about to leave to try that-

Splash!

In a blind flurry of motion, Monty suddenly launched up from the water. He snapped his jaws. You leapt backwards, teeth missing you by an inch. You stare, wide eyed from the floor at the figure now hanging over the railings from the opposite side. Monty laughs, almost cackling at your misfortune, completely unbothered by the water dripping from his every limb. He nudges his now decidedly stupid glasses up his snout as you huff and pick yourself up off the floor. You brush yourself off as he continues to laugh.

“Damn, I gotcha good, lil’ guy!” Yeah, no kidding. This must be the Pizzaplex’s resident funny man without the funny. You’re pretty sure every Fazbear location has one of these goofballs. “Who are ya anyway? Not seen you ‘round here before. You new?” You shake your head and insistently pat the badge you proudly display on your chest. He raises his glasses and an eyebrow at it, studying it for a few long moments before muttering a ‘huh.’ You give him a second to process, wondering if he knew what your badge meant or not. He perked up as the realisation seemed to hit him and his eyes fell straight to the green package at your feet. He should consider himself lucky it’s not soaked…

“Ya got somethin’ for me?!” Monty’s eyes almost sparkled with surprise and excitement and the second you nodded, he dragged himself over the railings so fast you’re surprised he didn’t break anything. “Really?!” You nod, stepping back a bit so as not to get dripped on as he towered over you. Safe from the rain, you stand up straight, puff out your chest and present the gift to him, holding it up as high as you can. He gasped, jaw dropping a little as he stared at the present in awe.

It took him a while to gently lift it out of your grasp and sit himself on the floor with a ground-shaking thud. His tail wrapped around himself, his legs crossed and his eyes never left the little green bundle in his hands. You wave your paws to it to urge him to open it, hoping he does so before the water soaks through too much of the paper. You don’t know what’s in it, but the last thing anyone wants is for him to ruin it like this…

He pays you no mind, taking his time to deliberate it for a good while longer before taking his claws to it. He drags them lightly down the side, cutting paper and stickers alike, but never harming what lies beneath in an impressive display of precision and control. The paper tears away with ease, falling to the floor in surprisingly clean strips and gradually revealing the container within. It didn’t give much away, with no markings to speak of and no labels to describe the contents. With the lid opening towards you, all you could do was wait until Monty showed you to see what it was.

“Oh hell yeah!” A grin split his face like lightning as he beheld it, wasting no time in lifting them up to try them on. He swapped the star glasses already on his face with a blue pair with lenses shaped like the moon, “whaddya think?” You think for a moment before nodding and offering a thumbs up at his goofy smile. “HAHA!” He cheers before swapping the moon glasses for silver clouds with little lightning bolts dangling from them. You mouth an ‘oh’ and nod more enthusiastically. He sniggers with mischievous glee as he digs through the box for the next pair of glasses that catch his eye. The next pair replaces the old, this time shaped like bolts of fire.

“Heh, bet Rox would love these!” You had to agree these ones were pretty cool… what else does he have though? Peeking around the edge of the box, your vision suddenly turns purple and you almost lose your balance from how roughly the glasses were shoved onto your face. You blink a few times as you adjust them with your paws, taking a good look in the mirror on the underside of the box’s lid to find that they’re shaped like paw prints. A smile makes itself known and it only grows as you turn to find Monty grinning goofily at you with red lightning bolt glasses that barely covered his eyes at all. You can’t help but quietly giggle too and before you know it, you and Monty have spent at least an hour trying out his new collection of coloured shades.

He must have had every shape you’ve ever seen in that box! Love hearts, diamonds, rabbits, apples, flowers, feathers, and heck he even had a pair shaped like fish! And of course, Monty had set aside a pair or two he thought would suit each of his friends, often commenting how much Bonnie would have loved this. It was perhaps the only time his cheer was dampened throughout your time with him. What was up with that…?

Well, it was none of your business anyway. If he didn’t want to say, then he didn’t want to say. Who are you to pry? Instead, you would choose another pair of glasses at random and offer them up to him, managing to bring his attention back to the positives as much you could.

As you’re about to take your leave and return to your important job, you place the glasses you were just wearing softly back into their box. You turn to leave, ready to wave goodbye as you go when your arm is suddenly grabbed and you’re pulled back a few steps. Your vision turns purple as the pair of paw print glasses is plonked right back onto your nose.

“Hold onto these ones for me, will ya?” He lets go of you and starts making a mess of the glasses in the box, acting like the lid won’t fit. “Can’t get ‘em all back in so you might as well have ‘em.” He winks behind Saturn-shaped lenses and a good natured, toothy smirk. You’re surprised for a moment, but gradually, a happy smile replaces your round eyes and open jaw. You clasp your paws together and nod your thanks. Your hair is ruffled with a light chuckle in return before he nudges you back the way you were going before he stopped you.

“C’ya later, yeah?” You nod again with enthusiasm, readjust your backpack and wave goodbye as you head on out. He waves back, and just as you’re about to turn a corner and out of his sight, you hear him call out, “you better watch out for alligators next time, lil guy!” You snigger and poke your head back around the corner to give him a thumbs up before you leave.

You make your way back through the jungle foliage and back into the Gator Golf section of the atrium, coming to a stop beside the golf ball themed ride to once again slide your backpack from your shoulders onto the floor. The glasses slip a little as you look down at the bag and you can’t help the smile as you push them back up your nose. It’s not very often you get a gift as well, but it leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy inside every single time…

Sticking your paw into the bag, you can’t wait to show the next person your new glasses. You wonder who you’ll be going to see next...

[fandom-go-round]

Sea Salt Like Glitter: Part Two

Summary: You’re a forest ranger. Trees and mammals are your specialty. Mermaids in the ocean? Way outside your area of expertise. Good News: They like you. Bad News: They like you a lot

Mer! Sun x Plus Sized! Reader x Mer! Moon

Part One , Part Two (Here!), Part Three

Part two for everyone who was looking forward to it! Mostly fluff and plot set up here, I hope you enjoy! Also this is over 4k and honestly people need to get me away from the computer. Also also, happy Ruin DLC! I’m hoping we see something good

Warnings: Different Species, Threats of Bodily Harm, Implied Poaching, Cross Species Interactions, Mild Flirting, Cross Species Courtship

           You take the realization of mer people pretty well in your opinion. Sure, there was some yelling and swearing, pacing up and down in the woods. The birds that make their nests by your cabin are convinced that you’re crazy but you’ve always been an odd one. You want to chalk it up to a hallucination but the rope burn on your hands and lack of fuel tell a different story.

           Mer people don’t change anything about your job, which is a relief and a struggle. You have to go back to your normal day to day knowing that there are other things out in the world. It does renew your passion around nature and conservation, just with a different twist. Your boss raises your eyebrows when you come in a little cagy but doesn’t push for an explanation, only requesting that you get some more rest.

           You swear you will, even though it’s been a struggle. In your dreams all you hear is the sound of waves against rocks and red eyes under the water. You’re treading water and keep feeling something try to pull you under. Every morning you wake in a sweat and want to scream. The creature had been scary, sure, but it hadn’t tried to hurt you. Just chase you off. You argue with yourself as you head back to the beach, mumbling under your breath.

           “You’re being ridiculous. Even if the thing lives around here, you saved it. It doesn’t want to eat you.” Your rational brain agrees with your words but the other part of your brain scoffs. You know some kind of underwater secret now, why would it let you live?

           The argument continues as you go down the stairs, scanning over the beach. There isn’t any trash and you’re thankful. It takes more willpower than it should to look over the water and, very slowly, you relax. The gulls are the only animals above the water and fish dart happily underneath. There’s a ping in your chest and you hope the creature you saved is alright. It had looked like a deeper water fish. Your brain happily chimes in that it might be nocturnal too, based on all the squinting it was doing. Even better, now you won’t have to see it and you can go back to pretending the experience was a fever dream.

           A high-pitched click, almost like a dolphin call, snaps you out of your thoughts. Your eyes scan the surface again and go wide, white eyes peeking out above the water. There’s a head sticking out of the water.

           Both of you refuse to move, the other new creature in the water and you on the shore. Red fins raise just a little and you remember the other splashes. Your creature had a friend. Well fuck.

           This creature makes another click and, ever so slowly, moves closer to shore. Your feet are rooted to the spot in fear and it pauses, not knowing what to do. You know that you need to do something but you have no idea what and you wave. Your hand comes up to give a few, very quick and sharp wags before going limp at your side once again.

           You want to curl into a ball. Your brain howls at you for being an idiot while another part is cackling. How in the world humans have become the dominant species is beyond you. Waving at a fucking fish, are you crazy-

           You’re brought out of your spiraling thoughts by a loud splash. The creature’s fins are widely displayed, fanning around it’s face like petals and it has a large grin on it’s face. Webbed fingers break the surface to give you it’s own furious waves before it dives under the water. You watch, half fascinated and half terrified, as it makes a beeline for shore.

           You back up a meter as it getting closer, the mer dragging itself half out of the water. The fins by it’s head wiggle happily, reds and oranges and yellows distracting you. This mer is covered in warm colored splotches and you watch as two larger fins by it’s hips come to hug the sand. It’s teeth as just as sharp as it’s companions, as are it’s claws and you resist the urge to book it.

           The mer has been making clicking sounds the entire time you’ve been staring at it and you subtly close your mouth. Hopefully it doesn’t think that you’re trying to be a threat. Of course you aren’t but who knows what mer culture is. If there is mer culture. A long, low whistle catches your attention and you focus on the mer. The fins around it’s head have wilted a little and you realize that it’s eyes are completely white. Part of you thinks there may be a pupil there but you’d need to get closer to confirm.

           “Umm sorry bud, I didn’t mean to ignore you.” It takes you a second to find your words but when you talk the creature perks up again, a wide smile on it’s face. It gives something like a coo and you nod, ignoring the way the hair on your arms stands on end. “Nice to meet you?”

           “Friend!” You almost scream when it speaks fucking human and moves closer to you. You scramble back or at least try. Your boot gets caught in the sand and you fall backwards, landing straight on your ass. Your eyes are huge but the mer doesn’t stop, getting closer until it can almost touch your feet. It doesn’t touch, claws stopping about half a foot away. It looks almost like it’s vibrating in place, fins wiggling and no actually, that’s it’s entire body wiggling.

           “You speak-?” You cut your own question off, gesturing between the two of you. It gives a high-pitched giggle that makes your ears ring. It nods, getting lower to the ground and reminds you of a dog doing a play bow.

           “Yes yes! Only little.” It’s voice is deeper than you expect, not that you expected anything. There’s another tone behind the first that you can’t exactly place; maybe it’s a mer thing? You nod back and introduce yourself, pronouns included. You want to laugh at yourself; maybe you’re in shock? Why else would you give your pronouns to a mer person? Was gender even a thing under the ocean??

           “Nice to meet friend!” The mer gives a few other happy body wiggles and then a cross between a hiss and bark. You stare, not saying anything and it frowns. “Name translate no. He!” You could already feel your brain starting to melt but give him a nod.

           “Is there something that’s close? To your name” His head tilts to the side at your question and he begins to hum, tail burrowing into the dirt. The humming is soothing and you find yourself  relaxing at the wordless tune. As you watch him and notice that he seems completely happy in the sand, his larger fins pushing the sand around him.  It reminds you of some kind of fish but the mer speaks up before you can get too far.

           “Sun!” He’s more than a little excited to tell you his name, leaning as close as he can get. His face is much larger than yours and you shrink back a little, even though he doesn’t seem to notice. Sun changes back to clicks and coos, tail slapping rhythmically in the water.

           “Sun huh?” You can’t help but smile a little. He seems like a big puppy dog, just with extra teeth. And his fins are sort of like the sun. Kind of? “Nice to meet you too Sun.” You don’t have time to react. Right after you finish saying his name, his eyes go wide and a long tongue comes out of his mouth. He drags it across your cheek and you shriek in surprise, the mer giving a pleased rumble.

           The next couple of hours pass in the same way, Sun chatting as much as he can and you carrying the conversation. It’s easy to pass the time; you and Sun are both fascinated with each other. It seemed that while Sun could talk, it was rare that he actually got to interact with people. You were getting more comfortable with him, letting him lean on you and put his head in your lap.

           The sun was starting to dip below the horizon and your new mer friend was slowly sinking back into water. The darker the sky got, the more he yawned and seemed to drift off. He was almost all the way back into the water now and you gave a small wave, Sun giving one back. You turned to go but a deep, more menacing growl came up from the water and you froze.

           Red eyes glared out of the water at you, mouth pulled into a snarl. Sun didn’t seem at all worried, giving a coo but not turning towards the other mer. You quickly glance between the water’s edge and where you stood, wondering if you had enough distance. Quiet hissing got louder and you watched as the other mer dragged itself out beside Sun.

           The mer looked a lot better than before; skin healed and healthy looking. Red eyes were brighter and more focused, squarely on you. You didn’t know if you should bolt or stay still. Sun leans on the new mer, rubbing his head against a dark shoulder. The one you rescued gives a snarl but rubs their head back, not pushing the other off. You’re still in shock that the mer is completely healed, even though it’s been less than 24 hours. Maybe a couple over? Either way, that’s nothing short of impressive.

           “Him Moon.” Sun’s voice is sleepy, slurring heavily but still clear. You look at him and then the new mer, apparently dubbed Moon. Moon makes a face and begins to click and whistle. The two of them fall into conversation, leaving you to watch and figure out what to do. You’re more nervous with Moon here but Sun doesn’t seem worried. Your eyes keep scanning the beach, just in case; you remember the tentacles on Moon and have no desire to get snatched.

           Moon sees you scanning and gives a deep laugh, flashing his teeth at you. Black tentacles slide onto the sand and you want to be terrified, you really do. You can’t though because they’re gorgeous. Moon, like the other fish in the area, has bioluminescence and it looks like stars are dancing across his scales. Now that you’ve noticed the lights you see them everywhere, covering his entire torso and arms.

           Sun gives a happy coo and smiles at you, beckoning you closer. You hesitate, looking at Moon. He looks half annoyed but also half amused, lips curling up a little but the rumblings have stopped. You give a sigh, wondering if anyone would find your body and get closer. Both of them watch you approach and don’t move, a tension in the air. It doesn’t feel bad, just intense.

           You stop in front of Moon and he doesn’t shrink down like Sun has. He looms over you, blocking out the moonlight. Sun gives another sleepy coo, fingers gently wrapping around your arm. You can’t breathe, ruby eyes locked on your face. Moon leans closer, scanning your face and then your entire body. A cold tentacle wraps itself around your ankle and you resist the urge to yell; if you’re going to die, you aren’t going to show any fear.

           Being this close you can really see Moon’s lights fading in and out. There’s a larger patch of lights at the end of his head fins, dangling over his shoulder. It almost looks like a lure and you try not to think too much about it. Moon calls your name and you flinch, focusing back on him. You had been so zoned out earlier that Sun must have said your name and you didn’t realize.

           “Keep secret.” Moon’s voice is harder to make out than Sun’s but you understand him. He hadn’t phrased it as a question but you nod anyway, wanting to reassure him.

           “I won’t say anything, I promise.” You’re completely sincere and Moon scoffs, rolling his eyes. You furrow your eyebrows, not know why he wouldn’t like that answer. You don’t get a chance to ask because one of his hands comes up and places a claw directly on your forehead. A tingle of tear slides down your spine but you ignore it.

           “Ours now.” The words themselves are ominous but Moon’s tone is kind, even a little fond. You don’t get it, not really, and he can tell based on his face. He gives a rumble and gently flicks your forehead, snickering as you yelp.

           “Hey! What was that-!?” You’re clutching your head and don’t notice him going in under your hands it’s too late. Another cold tongue drags itself against your cheek and you shriek, mer laughter filling the air. “Eww again!? What is with you two and licking!?”

           Either of them answers your question, Moon snickering and Sun giving a lazy wave. You watch as Moon helps the other one into the water, hands gentle and they disappear under the water silently. Your heart is pounding like crazy and you can’t stop the giddy laughter even if you wanted to. Does it sound a little hysterical? Maybe. But it also feels like something you’ve been missing is finally clicking into place.

♥

           The next few weeks you feel like you’re living the high life. Your trips to the beach have increased from once a week to every other day and you’re tempted to go every day. Without fail, one of them will meet you, even if it takes a little while. During the day it’s Sun and if it’s closer to evening, Moon may come visit. Sun is defiantly the friendlier of the two, pulling himself onto the sand and hanging out with you. Moon is more reserved, liking to stay in the water and splash you.

           From what you’ve figured out, the two of them have been living in the area for years now. The secluded beach and lack of people make it ideal for staying out of the public eye. They’re also a mated pair; you’ve been too cautious to ask more details about that. There are cultural barriers that you’re trying to navigate and that seems like a topic to avoid for now.

           The first time you ask about how they learned to speak, Sun gets a little sad. His fins drop and he snuggles closer in your lap. He’s the more physically affectionate of the two and you’ve gotten used to having wet pants.

           “Human friend, long time ago.” His words are muffled by the fabric but he keeps going. You gently start to rub his back and he purrs, eyes looking up at you. “No stay, left soon.”

           “Were they a ranger like me?” Your question earns a dark chuckle from Moon in the water. He glides around the edge, eyes locked on the two of you.

           “Ranger too stupid to notice.” He rasps and you take offence, even if you know he’s not talking about you.

           “I noticed you.” He hums, eyes half lidded and grin sharp.

           “Not completely stupid.” You scoff at his words and he laughs. Sun gives a huff and flips his tail at Moon. The tentacled mer sputters at the water thrown at his face and sinks below the waves.

           “Not ranger, visitor. Before beach was closed. Left once vacation over.” Sun sounds a little better now, not as sad as he explains. You nod, still rubbing his back and he soaks up the attention like a sponge.

           “I’m sorry they left.” Sun smiles at your words, pulling you closer to him. It’s still unnerving to be manhandled so easily but you try to ignore it; people your size don’t usually get moved like feathers after all.

           “Better now that you’re here.” You ignore the embarrassment you feel at Sun’s words, giving him a smile back.

           “I’m glad you think so. I’m happy that I met the two of you.” Sun preens at the praise, the fins around his head fanning out in a dazzling display. Moon cuts off your admiring, shooting a jet of water directly at your face. You yelp and he snickers, crawling up onto the sand next to Sun. The two of them bicker as you clean your face and you can’t help but smile. This is the best time you’ve had in a while.

           That, of course, means that it can’t last. A couple days after your sand cuddle session, you spot a boat out on the water. It’s larger than a normal speedboat and the hull is so dark grey it’s almost black. Dread settles in your gut like a stone; poachers.

           They aren’t a common occurrence but that doesn’t mean poachers are rare. Normally you deal with them on the forest side and its easy to drive them off. Being on the water is going to be harder, partly because of the lack of equipment and partly because of your new friends.

           You keep an eye on the boat as it lingers. You don’t see any nets or obvious illegal fishing but you can’t be everywhere at once. You ask Sun about it one day, making sure the two of you are out of sight of the boat.

           “Boat fine.” He doesn’t seem nearly as worried as you are, chomping on a fish he caught earlier. He had offered you some and you declined, trying not to make a face. He clearly didn’t need to cook his food.

           “You’re not worried about it?” You ask, a little surprised. Sun shrugs, half looking over his shoulder.

           “Boat no fish, boat just stay.” You sigh, leaning against him.

           “That’s what I’m worried about. I’m afraid that they’re poachers.” Sun listens as you speak, giving a rumble. ��The two of you shouldn’t visit me until I figure this out.”

           “What?” Sun sits up, fins flaring out along his head. He looks more than a little offended, leaning close to you. “Why no visit?”

           “I don’t want you to get hurt.” You tell him, face serious. “I doubt anyone knows that you’re here but it’s better to be safe than sorry.” He watches you for a moment before leaning back and pouting.

           “You take care of it?” You nod at his question, giving him a reassuring smile.

           “Yeah Sun, I’ll take care of it.” He hums, fins wiggling for a bit before licking your cheek. You protest and all his does is laugh before sliding into the water. You figure that he’ll tell Moon your warning; you’re less worried about the nocturnal mer anyway. Now, onto the harder task.

           Mark, at the end off the day, is a pretty good boss. He tends to be a little nervous (mostly around people) but he was always willing to go to bat for his employees and wildlife. He’s also the one to notify when you have issues in your remote part of the woods. He’s never been afraid to drive out and see what you’re dealing with.

           “You’re making me nervous.” Mark can’t stop himself from commenting and you can’t blame him. You’ve been pacing up a storm since before he pulled up and hardly let him get a word in edge wise. You take a deep breathe, counting to four before releasing it. Make is here to help, even if you have to get a little more creative in your explanation.

           “I’m sorry I just, I’m really worried about this.” You do your best to explain and Mark gives slow nod, looking out at the ocean.

           “Normally you’re less concerned with ocean life.” Mark doesn’t make it sound accusatory but you still winced, looking out at the ocean. You watch the waves, trying to figure out how to phrase your thoughts.

           “You’re right… I found something out there worth protecting.” You feel like your face is burning but pushed on, Mark watching you closely. “There are creatures who needs our help and don’t deserve to be hunted for sport. They’re worth more than that.” Silence fell and you held your breath; if he didn’t support you there was no way you could drive them off on your own.

           “Some day you’ll have to tell me what you found.” Mark gives you a hearty back slap, surprising you and making you stumble. He laughs as you sputter, grabbing his binoculars and looking out. “Come on then, let’s get these folks out of your ocean.”

           “It’s not my ocean!” Your protest is ignored, Mark snickering as he headed back towards his truck.

           “Course it’s not. Come on, let’s get this down to the boat launch and go pay our friends a visit.” You grin at his words, calmed down with Mark’s confidence. He might normally be nervous but when it comes to wildlife, he was the pushiest person in the world.

           Mark’s boat is nicer than yours and you ignore the ping of jealousy that stabs through you. Wish your boat was that nice. Mark drives you both closer to this boat, now on the south side of the rock formations. The boat had been driving around the rock formations in the area and it makes you nervous, knowing that Moon and Sun like to hunt there.

           Once you get close enough, Mark hands you a megaphone and you stand up, doing your best to stay stable. Taking a deep breath, you let your voice boom out, thoughts of the mers down below giving your courage.

           “Attention, you are in protected waters! State your business!” The ship stays silent for a moment after your request and the two of you tense. If they didn’t react, you would have to call in the coast guard and that was always hit or miss.  You repeat the message, seeing if there were any signs of movement. Nothing.

           “What do you want to do?” You ask Mark, turning to face him. Your boss frowns, shaking his head.

           “It doesn’t mean that they’re poachers but it doesn’t look good. Let’s head back and call it in.” You nod in agreement and turned back around just in time to watch someone lean over the edge. Your eyes go wide as this person begins to puke, wincing as the sound echoed over the water. You and Mark share a look before you bring the megaphone back to your lips.

           “Excuse me?” Your call has the person on the boat jumping, a high-pitched shriek filling the air. The person on the ship turns to you and you give a wave. “Please state your businesses, you’re in protected waters.” You watch as the person flails for a moment before putting their fingers up in a ‘hold on a second’ gesture and heading back into the boat.

           “Not poachers.” Mark says from behind you and you nod, going boneless with relief.

           “Not unless this is their first voyage.” You joke back and he laughs.

           “Bad crew choice right there.” The two of you laugh to yourselves, pleasantly surprised as the person comes back with a few more people, their own megaphone in hand. You take another breath, begging yourself for some patience. This was going to be a long talk.

♥

           It took almost two hours to convince the boat they had to leave. Apparently, it was a private party ship that had drifted too far south. You let Mark do most of the technical talking, especially when it came to where exactly the boat was supposed to be. You had more fun watching the people try to be sober when they very clearly were not.

           You also keep an eye out for your underwater friends but they stay away and you’re thankful. You don’t want to have to explain to Mark about mer people on top of dealing with drunk tourists. Finally, the two of you watch the ship drive off and you sigh, leaning back and closing your eyes.

           “Tired?” Mark sounds as tired as you feel and you nod, closing your eyes.

           “Yeah. They’re more than 20 meters off course, how does that even happen?” Mark gives a snort, turning the boat back and driving to the shore.

           “That’s what happens when you get drunk and your ship is fancy enough to have cruise control. I’m going to call it in once we get back and hopefully someone will meet them on their way back.” You give a hum back, acknowledging his words.

           “Sounds good to me. I’ll write up my report tonight and get it to you by tomorrow.” He waves you off, shaking his head.

           “A couple of days later is no big deal. I have the regional meeting tomorrow too.” You wince at ‘regional meeting’. Sucks to be the boss. The two of you spend the rest of the ride in silence, getting the boat out of the water easily. You’re just about to part ways when there’s a large splash in the water behind you.

           Your stomach drops out as you turn and see a flash of Sun’s bright red tail. Mark’s eyes are wide like yours and you don’t know what to say. He clearly saw Sun, even if it wasn’t all of him. You want to tell him he’s crazy but Mark just shakes his head, rubbing at his eyes.

           “I’m… seeing things, I think. I’m gonna head back. We’ll talk once you finish your report.” You nod, trying not to come off as too relieved because of his words.

           “Have a good night Mark, we’ll talk later.” He gives you a half wave as you see him off, making sure the boat is hooked up before driving off. You pray that Mark will ignore what he’s seen; he loves the ocean more than anyone.

           Sun jumps into the air again and now you watch with a smile, heading back towards the beach. With the sun getting close to setting, maybe you’ll see Moon tonight too. Mark may have competition for ocean lover, now that you think about it.

[1oddboi1]

Ovine Awakening

They got sloppy.

Lambert knew the hammer was too slow for this kind of thing, but the shear power was enticing. A sharp pain grows in their chest as the sword pierces clean through. As their vision begins to fade they let out one final breath. At least they can finally get back to the cult, they’ve been gone for days. They close their eyes and embrace their death, expecting a cool breeze as they arrive at the cult grounds. Instead, a bright light shines through their eyelids. A familiar white void now surrounds them. A large statue, not unlike their shrine, stands before them. They feel drawn towards the effigy, taking cautious steps towards it. Ankle deep water splashes with each step. Distant bleating grows louder and louder until it’s nearly deafening. Blinding white light shines upwards all around them, forcing them to look up to the stone figure. It’s clearly a sheep, but something is off about it. Liquid gold spills from its eyes, its cloth hangs tattered and rotten. Most concerning, the red crown is missing. If this isn’t their statue, then who’s?

“Can you hear them?” The ground shakes as a voice echoes around them. “Can you feel it?”

“What is this?” Lambert trembles. They haven’t felt this way in centuries.

“Kneel before the forgotten visage and take back what is yours.” The voice continues. Lambert falls to their knees, eyes locked onto the shrine. Water soaks the end of their robes. The world begins to shake, the light grows brighter. The gold turns blood red and the cloth burns to ash. A crack spreads up the statue. Its arms fall to the ground as the stone gives way. Its face splits in two, revealing an amorphous blob of eyes and ichor. “Reclaim that which came before.”

Everything goes black. Lambert startles awake. They look down to see their tome and a quill in their hand. They find themselves in the temple, standing before the podium. A new page has been written in the book. It’s titled, “Ovine Awakening”

This was quite literally revealed to me in a dream, no clue where it came from. I might expand on this if I feel like it. I feel like it's pretty clear what it means, especially with a title like "Ovine Awakening." Regardless, I had fun with it and am pretty proud of how it turned out.

I guess it's also worth mentioning this was based on how you unlock the goat fleece in the game

[108garys]

the idyllic hellscape

so while I am very much continuing writing the pyromegan timeline fic, I've also been writing other stuff on the side, namely I'm 8k+ words and counting into something from Manny Sherman's pov and while that's not what I'm posting today(it will be a while before that), I am posting a section pretty far through of a surrealist dream sequence that has basically no context on the rest of everything else, so let's see what you think

[...on a bright sunny morning he wakes alone but happy, he gets up and walks down stairs of a turn of the century home that he's only seen in old photos of his late grandmother's childhood, he hears a dull dripping that he can't place, the home was warm and inviting, photos of dead relatives lined the walls, he never met his paternal grandmother but she was an only child of four... or was it six siblings that had died here? At the bottom step his foot splashes into ankle deep liquid, when Grandma Sharon was six she and her older siblings played by the water's edge, he makes his way to the kitchen, seeing the back of that white dress, black hair wet at the ends, as he gets closer he wades deeper, his movements slowed as if through a thick, viscous honey, Sharon's younger siblings had never left the nursery... He reaches her and she hums along to the song 'I don't want to set the world on fire', the view through the kitchen window leaves a harsh orange glow over the dim room, the dripping grows more prominent, running down the wall, pooling around their legs, the room heats up as the glow from outside follows down the stairs, step by step, his sweetheart turns to him with a knowing smile and a tray held between oven mitts, the front of her dress is soaked through red, the tray dripping as she serves him his own heart. His ribcage hollow and empty running red through the halls as walls crack and burn and the brilliant red rises to their waists, he smiles, paying no mind to the idyllic hellscape of a home he'd never seen in a place she was from... Far Far away in a third hand memory. He holds her close as they're consumed by blood and fire, he takes her into the void in his chest and he is happy...]

Manny drowning in blood with a lover? Sherman grandmother lore? Song lyrics a little too on point? How we feeling about the fact that this is a little piece of this work? I am inflicting emotional damage on this creature lol

@kassiekole22 @delurkr @ctrvpani @aydeenchan @mybrainrotforreal @kindheartedgummybears @eframschweigersskincells @tinynightmarewoman

[celestiaras]

‧₊˚✧ ❛[ i can only see your face when i close my eyes ]❜

ft. pomu rainpuff x f! reader — lazulight, nijisanji en

╰₊✧ there’s not a moment when you don’t ache for her┊0.8k words

contains: angst!! established relationship, mourning & depression, pomu is dead but you don't know

➤ author's note: my cousin asked if it’s really been six months since she graduated…

you feel like you’re weightless and floating among the clouds, barely able to feel the faint sensation of the sand between your toes and the afternoon sun gleaming all around you. despite being almost blinding and requiring you to squint your eyes, it doesn’t shine as bright as her beaming smile as she runs into the ocean. her locks spun from gold flow freely in the breeze as she splashes some water at you, beckoning you to join her in the cool dark teal waters to escape from the heat and laughing infectiously when you do before pushing her over.

her iridescent wings flutter gently to shake off the droplets caught on them, casting faint rainbows in their wake with what you swore were sparkles with them. the iconic green fabric headband with embroidered white crosses and swirls stitched into patterns almost like a halo atop her head. you question for the thousandth time since the first time you met her if she was really a forest fairy or an angelic being that ascended from the heavens. 

there’s not another soul in sight, perks of having a fairy lover who knows all the best spots. a secret little cove next to a mountain range too difficult for humans to climb, only accessible through a hidden passageway that only a handful of magic folk knew about. there didn’t need to be anyone else. even if you two were the only people in the world for the rest of your lives, you would never tire of the other’s presence whether you were doing the most strenuous activities or sitting in silence with separate occupations.

slathering sunscreen on the other’s sun-kissed skin, building sandcastles, playing volleyball, swimming with the little schools of fish, laying under umbrellas with novels in hand— hours of endless fun until the horizon was painted with shades of pink, orange, and indigo. if there was a heaven and you were allowed past the pearly gates, you’re certain that daily life would be just like today: full of happiness by her side.

you were supposed to be back at the hotel an hour earlier with plans to attend the new year’s festival, so it began a little race to run back, filled with giggles and the chirps of crickets in the humid air (as carefully as possible because neither of you wanted to trip and fall over) to claim the shower first. she’s a bit faster than you with her advantage of flying, but she’ll tell you to join her anyway to bathe together with a suggestive comment about how cute you look in your bikini before you swat at her shoulder and climb in.

wearing traditional cultural clothing, holding sparklers with the fire nicking your hands, buying treats from street vendors, exchanging knowing glances when you’re mistaken for a cute pair of friends instead of a couple— hours of endless fun until the dark night sky was bursting with bright, colorful fireworks. you and pomu exchange a tender kiss, looking into her reddish-brown eyes and feeling yourself falling for her all over again before she pulls you into another one. time seemed to slow until you parted your lips as she grabbed your wrist, telling you that the night wasn’t over yet and there was still so much more food she wanted to taste from the stalls.

you don’t think you’ll ever love another the way you loved her.

now you lay in your bed going through the dozens of pictures you took that night, a good mix of pretty shots that were posted on socials and chaotic blurs of comedic moments. the clock on your bedside table red “2:08am” in glowing red letters, and you wondered if she already knew that she would disappear a few weeks later. tears are streaking down your face and blurring your sight, shutting off your phone and resting your arms over your eyes. 

it’s been roughly six months since she vanished without a word, making you wonder if she knew that new year’s night she would be gone in a few weeks. the date of your third year anniversary has already passed, and you feel slightly bitter— but mostly sorrowful— knowing that you could have been eating cake with her and friends to celebrate. you’ve barely left the house since and leave most messages unanswered even though they reach out weekly, feeling directionless and unable to remember life before you met the fairy.

the spot next to you is empty as is your heart. you get out of bed and crack open an energy drink, going through another sleepless night throwing yourself in work and hobbies. you don’t care if you crash and suffer with a splitting headache in the morning, anything is better than mourning her disappearance every time you close your eyes and try to put your mind at rest.

you feel like you’re being watched by a ghost again, but brush it off as just sleep deprivation or your brain trying to make sense of the loneliness that you fear will never go away.