#i can't stop crying either but its a clear headed cry

[girlwithwolftatoo]

What is chained -Chapter 1

Summary: There was a dream named Rome, and saving it doesn't always mean to chop heads off.

Words: 1677

Characters: Marcus Acacius, emperor Geta, emperor Caracalla and others.

Chapter 1: Taraxia -Disturbance

Any man who has been to sea knows that, when a storm approaches, it is preceded by a shivering calm where silence and stillness are only the desperate cry of an inevitable terror. The air becomes salty, suffocating, the sails hang lifeless, the oars are stowed. And so Acacius thought of his own ship as the slaves loaded their belongings into a wide cart, pulled by a beautiful Gaul steed with its shaggy ankles and curly mane. Lucilla watched, paralyzed with anger from the porch, her hands wringing a sprig of lavender as she struggled not to cry. Her father said that what a free man earns should not be taken from him without cause, but her brother would have sadly agreed with his successors, those two little red-haired devils. Acacius turned away, once he had signaled to the servants that they could retire, and approached the woman with what he considered a reassuring face, which he well knew was not going to do much good. It broke his heart to provoke her to so much distress, but he knew, for that is only learned through years of iron and blood, that refusal would have been worse. “I'll be fine,” he told her, reaching out a hand to stroke her face. Lucilla closed her eyes, bowing her head over the powerful hand that tried to comfort her “Listen, give me a week, two maybe, I'll send messages in the meantime and then… I'll negotiate with the senate. They'll be reasonable, once they see results.”

Lucilla sighed, looking at him defeated. “I never wished this for you, and look at you…you're being sent into the jaws of wolves.” “I'll be able to handle them, you trust, don't you trust me?” he said it lightly, smiling, but his wife didn't play along. “When you raise your sword I do not fear for you, but these… enemies… how will you defend yourself if…?” “With the senate. One word from me and they will regret it. Please…” he added in desperation, giving her a kiss on the cheek, "trust, I know what I'm doing, or at least Gracchus does.’ It was all part of a defensive plan, Acacius said to himself after saying goodbye to Lucilla, riding with his things in the wagon that was taking him to his destiny, was that destiny? he wondered as he left his villa back to the scandal of the city. No celebrations, no making the matter public, that was the decision of the good Gracchus, a great and loyal friend of his wife and her father, so as to avoid angering the demons. It was true that in any case, the demons were already angry. Thraex was still trying in vain to reassure them when the cart stopped at the palace stables, so that Acacius barely set foot when he had clear duties to perform.

“General, I thank the gods you made it” whined the man, exiting through a double door from which could be heard shouts of two men fighting loudly. Acacius looked with exasperation at the door.

“They didn't take kindly to the news, I'm afraid.”

“No way, they're a wild beast, when I told them I thought they were going to kill me.”

Acacius was already used to Thraex hypersensitivity, so he didn't take it so seriously either, and walked through the double doors as if he had just entered an enemy barracks.

On one side, there was Geta, using one of those platters for exotic meats as a shield, and at the other end, his face so reddened that it showed under the heavy makeup, Caracalla, whose raging voice had become so high-pitched that Acacius thought he was going to summon bats.

“You can't tell me what to do!” he shrieked, waving a narrow-mouthed vase varnished in gold.

“I know, I know, I just want you to listen to me, if you keep going on like that...!”

“Do you think I care, I've never been insulted... like that...!”

Geta turned his head and met Acacius, his expression soured but he did nothing but clench his jaw, Caracalla instead dropped the vase - which shattered - and went running towards him, his brother unable to stop him; the older one clenched his muscles in case he rammed him, but the little twin was reduced to stopping a good few feet away, pointing a finger at him as he groaned:

“Et tu, Justus?”

“Calm down, you're embarrassing yourself,” Geta warned him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Acacius relaxed, he detested them both in equal parts, but ruefully admitted that the older twin was a bit more reasonable. “Your Majesties… I see the patrician Thraex has already informed you of the news in the senate.” “News? You call that news?” shrieked Caracalla, wincing ”They have mocked us, that's what they did, and you participated!” “If it wasn't me, it would have been someone else, my lord, and perhaps someone less sympathetic and more… interested in the privileges to be obtained than in the good of you and Rome” continued the general. “I don't know if you haven't noticed but we are no longer children, general” Geta rebuked him, still holding his brother ”We have ruled this empire for years, since we were very young, back then no one cared about our decisions and suddenly…” “You must understand, your majesties, that the people of Rome are no longer as they were in the time of Marcus Aurelius” at the old emperor's mention, Caracalla grimaced and Geta rolled her eyes, ”when the common people were… easily satisfied because they had all they could ask for. The empire is larger, yes, but not stronger or more prosperous.” "How are they not satisfied? We give them parties, shows, military victories, what more do they want?” hinted Geta, supported by his twin who nodded vigorously. Acacius made an effort not to change his expression, that was worse than talking to an infant.

“Yes, but none of it brings food to their tables or fire to their homes. Not all of them are nobles, or wealthy dynastic providers. That's why... that's why the senate has decided...”

“Yes, yes, we know! A curator...” The tone of contempt was not lost on the general.

“See this better as a... advisor in the face of the people” he tried. Acacius regretted not knowing how to speak with the astute finesse of politicians, just now a little lip service would do him good. “If I am always at their majesties' side and... advise them on matters of the people, nothing more, then the people will perceive you as... more... approachable.”

His brain was struggling to find the right words, and he wished he had Lucilla with him, she would surely know how to explain them better. Meanwhile, on the twins' faces there was an identical internal struggle. It was Caracalla who spoke first:

“Who was the idiot who suggested this plan? It couldn't have been you” He said it as if the very idea mortified him.

“No, I certainly don't know, the senate communicated to me only the decision... and that they voted for me as your... advisor.”

“And well, will you be glued to us at all hours? Will you follow us everywhere to tell us how to do our work, general?” asked Geta.

“Their majesties know that I don't know about politics. Of war, on the other hand...”

Yes, he thought suddenly, now that he could explain.

“Come, please, I want to show their majesties something” he requested as politely as he was able, approaching one of the exquisitely narrow windows. The twins followed him, wary. “See out there? Beyond those marble statues and those white steps…that's Rome, your subjects. Tell me, if you were down there, like them, arguing in the marketplace over the prices of a bit of garum and taking your boots to be darned for the third time in the year, how would you feel?” None answered, it seemed too existential a question for their brains. “The enemy can become an ally, if conquered…and it must not always be through violence. You want those people at your feet? You will have to win them back. That's what I'm here for.” The thought brought a strange smile to the twins' faces. Geta, the sharpest, nodded. “Ah, I understand… you'll make them love us, won't you? They adore you, how they get when they see you marching in your chariot! They almost deafen us, don't they?” he asked, turning to Caracalla. “Oh yes, good General Justus, they would make you emperor if they could…” he added with venom.

"Well then, if your majesties would offer your help, I could… well, I would take this matter very seriously. My duty…” he felt a shudder as he said it, "is for Rome to love you once more." That seemed to be enough for Geta, at least he was calmer. Caracalla however continued to insist. “What's in it for you, general? You already have a beautiful house, a noble wife, a superb horse… what more could you want?” Acacius thought it was amusing that the boy spoke to him as if he could bargain. “I do it for Rome, the people I swore to protect and glorify. Nothing more.” “Well… they certainly haven't announced the matter with fanfare” Geta commented, thoughtfully ”We would have expected you to arrive with full honors, a little party for your appointment…”

“No way, I'm not doing it for my own benefit and besides, it would be improper for me to have a party for such a thing. Too many parties would anger the people.”

“Especially since they are not invited” reasoned Caracalla with a silly chuckle ”Yes, yes, that's all very well, I think we can survive this. Don't overdo it, General, and I don't see why we shouldn't get along.”

“Excellent.”

Acacius took his leave, in order to go to his assigned quarters. Part of being curatormeant that he had to live in the palace, the one thing he abhorred most about that job; if Lucilla wasn't so friendly with Gracchus he would punch him in the face for getting him into that mess, but he would have time to ruminate on his frustration, perhaps later in the bath when he could relax as well. For now he had to go back to being the general, and come up with a strategy for this unequal war.

[daintylocket]

gm tumblr my head is clear

[mv1simp]

Cuffing Szn ♥️

Max Verstappen x MidSize!Reader

it's cuffing season and all the girls are leaving to get a big boy (I need a big boy, give me a big boy)

As Max Verstappen's new girlfriend, you're one of the few WAGs on the grid who isn't a model and the only one, you think self consciously, who doesn't look like a model either. Good thing your big, strong boyfriend is here to set the record straight about how much he disagrees with you.

Content includes: 18+ MDNI, trigger warning: explicit discussion about eating disorder and body dysmorphia, dom!max, sub!reader, size kink, this is just a shameless excuse for me to write smut about max's thighs, 3.3k WC

When you'd delivered one of your favourite patient's 3rd baby, handing over the healthy, crying pale blob (after thoroughly wiping it down because, you know) with a congratulations, Victoria, its a boy! you hadn't expected to catch the eye of the patient's very attractive, tall older brother at her side.

But as you walked off down the hallway once the baby checks were done, you were surprised to find Max stopping you with a large but gentle hand on your shoulder. You'd seen him a couple of times in Victoria's pregnancy, accompanying her and her husband at the ultrasound checks leading upto the delivery. You'd secretly thought he was so adorable with the way he handled his nieces and nephews patiently while his sister got scanned.

You'd also thought he looked positively delectable in his white linen shirt that highlighted his broad shoulders, and skinny jeans that clung to some of the thickest thighs you'd seen a man be blessed with. But making bedroom eyes at patient's hot family members was generally frowned upon (although not explicitly prohibited in the Hippocratic Oath, one could argue) so you promptly forgot about the handsome blonde 5 minutes later when the emergency bell went off.

But he stood before you that day, looking every bit as attractive as you remembered, even more so with a pink dusting on his cheeks as he asked if this was the last time you'd be looking after Victoria?

You tilted your head quizzically at him, your neck a little strained from looking up at his 6 foot frame from your 5"1 one. Yes it is, you informed him, and because new families often got anxious, you sweetly added that it was a good thing, to not see you again, because it meant darling Victoria and her baby are both healthy.

He confuses you again by saying that he was hoping to see you again. Oh! You smile excitedly, are you and your wife expecting? You pull out your clinic card and tell him that you're actually all booked out for the year but you'll make an exception for Victoria's brother.

His blush deepens. (Somewhere in a hospital broom cupboard, Lando Norris was filming this scene unfold and cackling.) Max rapidly explained that he's not expecting. Oh, and he's not married. And also he doesn't have a girlfriend. Basically, I'm single - he finally stammers out. (Rizzless and bitchless, Lando texts him). Thankfully, at this point you had caught on that Max was trying to ask you out, and after a quick phone call to the legal team to confirm you were clear, you turn back around to inform him cheekily that he could pick you up at 8pm Friday night for dinner. (Wait, this actually worked? a flabbergasted Lando now texts.) The emergency pager then goes off so you gently tug on Max's shirt to hint that you want him to bring his face down, give him a goodbye kiss on the cheek, and sprint off to Ward 6.

The dinner goes perfectly, with Max's charm returning in full force after a G&T - Sorry about earlier, schat, you're such a gorgeous woman and a very smart doctor, it makes me nervous - leading to a 2nd date and then a 3rd and then to a weekend trip in a romantic Nice winery, where you can't resist jumping into his muscly arms after a glass of wine and demanding he have his way with you. (He does. Very thoroughly. Multiple times that night, and the morning after. Thinking about it still has you blushing.)

6 months later, you two are officially going out and you're making your first appearance as his girlfriend at the races. You had carefully dressed in a classy Mirror Palais dress, complete with matching heels to save your poor boyfriend having to bend down too much. You'd also become rather turned on at seeing your normally soft, gentle cat dad of a boyfriend turn into an absolute menace once the Redbull suit is zipped up, terrorising his way all the way to P1 and living up to his nickname of the Dutch lion. As his assistant guides you to the podium ceremony, you're stopped by various fans who compliment your outfit and ask for pictures. The media attention is very new to you, as Max had been very insistent on protecting your privacy as you two established yourselves as a couple. But everyone had been so nice today - until you started noticing the dirty looks thrown your way, glaring up and down your form. And then, a couple of snide comments from passing fans about how you were very confident to wear such a body hugging dress, especially with your curvy figure.

You roll your eyes at their clearly jealous tones, and walk over to the podium ceremony to greet your boyfriend. He breaks into an adorable grin when he sees you, his whole face lighting up as he easily scoops you up for a deep kiss. The cameras around you two go crazy, but don't pick up his whispers when he sets you down and leans in, telling you that you looked so pretty today, schat, he'd been staring at you so much GP had to tell him to focus, and how was your first race? nobody gave you a hard time, did they? You don't miss the way his eyes are attentively focused on your face, clearly still worried about the damage he had warned you about before you agreed to go public.

You aren't going to spoil his win over a couple of snide comments. Not at all, baby you reassure, before whispering back that he looked really hot in his tight fireproofs, could he pretty please bring them home later when you give him his reward for such a good performance on the track? The tip of Max's ears go pink as he struggles to maintain a straight face for the cameras. Giggling, you press a kiss to his cheek and murmur you'll see him after his interviews.

Later though, when Max is in his interview across the paddock and you're being introduced to the other WAGs, you can't help but notice how different they all look in their body hugging dresses compared to you. Although you wouldn't be called fat, you aren't slim either, and you're nowhere near the tiny, trim figures the other girls maintain. Once the seed of insecurity is planted, it's very hard to stop it growing out of control - and at each race or public event or launch party you attend at Max's side, you start to pick apart more and more insecurities about yourself. How you're so much shorter than the numerous models on the grid, making you feel childish and round compared to their lithe gracefulness. How their delicate collarbones and ribs can clearly be seen at all times, but yours only if you twisted your neck a certain way. And they're all so lovely, chatting eagerly with you and interested to hear about your work, asking if you'd take so-and-so on as a patient, you had a great reputation already even though you were a new doctor in Monaco! The conversations distract you from your worries for a bit.

But afterwards, when you'd be laughing at cat memes online and sending them to your boyfriend, you'd come across the paparazzi pics of you speaking to the WAGs and felt sick to your stomach at how huge you thought you looked compared to everyone else, clearly standing out as the plainest one amongst their flawless faces. Some of the comments agreed, saying that it was just sad that the best driver on the grid had the ugliest girlfriend, and couldn't Max buy his gf some ozempic with all his tax evasion money? Comments that would have made you laugh at the originality now suddenly had you sobbing, and you're glad you hadn't stayed at Max's tonight and had to explain the state you were in.

When you'd been younger, in college, you'd started struggling with managing your stress levels given you were a perfectionist working towards a very difficult medical degree. Having always been a stress eater, you frequently binged on junk food, and obviously ended up gaining quite a bit of weight. Your family and ex boyfriend had ridiculed you endlessly, and so the year after you had to work hard and lose it all, which you had managed to do. You'd mentioned this to Max in passing, a couple months into dating when he'd spotted an old college picture of you and muttered so fucking cute, pocketing it.

You didn't tell Max about how you'd lost the weight though - with a vicious binging and purging cycle for the better chunk of a year. You'd grown out of that "phase" once you'd left college, or so you thought - because it was almost too easy to slip back into it now, to enjoy the sick pleasure at barely eating all day and seeing the weight drop on the scale, then bingeing on whatever you wanted because it didn't count, you'd throw it up anyways. You had to be very careful with it this time round, because your boyfriend's attentive gaze had been fixed on you even more so than usual - noting how you've been wearing higher heels, how your dresses are still as gorgeous as ever but never body hugging anymore, how you spend hours before a race now perfecting your makeup instead of joining him in the garage and don't spend the nights at his anymore. You weasel your way out of his questions when he asks you repeatedly if everything was okay, schat?

But you weren't able to fool him any longer after attending a charity gala for one of his sponsors. You'd actually been happy with your appearance for once, pleased with your slimmer waist this month, but as the night went on you started to feel the fatigue of starving yourself catching up, leaning more and more into Max's side as he glanced at you with concern. Rubbing your back soothingly, he asked if you wanted to leave early, but you shook your head, murmuring you were okay, your feet just hurt a little is all. He frowned then, hating to see you in pain just to be dressed up for some stupid event he couldn't care less about. Bringing you to the empty lobby, he told you he was going to grab your coats and have the car brought round, end of discussion, you need to rest, okay liefje? You didn't have it in you to protest any longer so just nodded. You hadn't realised just how much you'd been leaning on him until he left, and as stars started entering your vision, Max returned just in time to catch you before you stumbled.

You felt him firmly grab your waist, fully supporting your weight as he led you out to the car, lowering you gently into the seat and even buckling you in. You started feeling a bit better inside his Aston Martin with the aircon on, nibbling on a high protein low calorie bar you'd stashed in your clutch. Regaining your alertness, you notice the tense atmosphere, with a stormy expression on Max's face as he drove rather furiously through the Monaco streets, his hand not even resting on your thigh like it usually did but gripping the wheel tightly. Maxie - you begin uncertainly, hoping to diffuse the tension and ask why he was upset, but he cuts you off with a terse Don't. Let's wait till we're home.

So you wait, until you're both walking in through the front door. Max rips off his suit jacket, rolling up his sleeves, but he still doesn't talk and instead heads to the kitchen. You follow him, sitting on a barstool to admire how he still looked so handsome in the fitted sky blue shirt and tight navy pants, even when he was clearly mad. As Max starts cooking, his back to you, he tells you about how growing up his sister Victoria had to go to therapy for a long time because she wouldn't stop throwing up every time she ate because their father told her she was too fat (despite looking like a buffalo himself, Max snorts as he sets down a simple but delicious plate of chicken pesto pasta with salad in front of you), about how Max has seen countless girlfriends on the paddock purposely avoid eating all day, including his already stick thin model exes, and how Max himself would be called fat every month or the other by some trashy gossip magazine, because the media is just fucking toxic, he hisses. This is why I wanted to keep us hidden away from the cameras. He glances pointedly at your plate, where you've eaten the salad and chicken and not touched your pasta. You sigh and pick up your fork, slowly working your way through the food as you tell him that you suppose your diet had somewhat...spiralled out of control, but honestly, Max, I'm completely fine, and you two can't avoid the cameras forever given how he's the frickin F1 winner at all-

Don't tell me that you're fine. Do you really think I don't know what's going on? Max demands tersely with crossed arms. Finally finished with your meal, you hop off the stool to neatly place your plate in the sink, ignoring his question. Standing behind you, he watches you wash the dishes, still not even reaching his chin, even in those damn 6 inch heels you're still wearing. You do respond when he asks you just why you're putting your body through such torture.

C'mon, Max you say with an eyeroll, You know why, I need to lose some weight, I'm so much heavier compared to all the other girls and all your exes, and you deserve to have a girlfriend who looks-

Don't tell me what I do or don't deserve, schat. I always want the best and that's why I picked you. You're really gonna question the choice of a world champion, hmm? Max's deep voice is now right by your ears as he leans down behind you. You feel a shiver run up the back on your spine as he curls his huge arms possessively around your waist and thighs. He continues his whispers, his hands roaming up to your plush tits and another squeezing your ass, telling you You're so goddamn pretty. Every single part of you, just for me, making you bite your lip and breathily moan from his affections - it'd been a while since he'd had his way with you with all your avoidance, after all.

You feel him slowly unzip your dress, and the silk easily falls to the ground, leaving you only in your stiletto heels and a deep red lingerie set he’d gifted you for your 3 month anniversary. You tense, already feeling self conscious, but before you can say anything Max has wrapped a large hand around your waist and easily flipped you around to sit on the kitchen counter. You gasp from the action, hands automatically going to rest on his broad shoulders as your face comes level with his.

I haven’t made it clear just how lucky I am to have such a beautiful girl all to myself, schat, Max says huskily, before pulling away to unbutton his shirt, his blue eyes darkening as they roam over your pretty tits spilling over in the lacey bra, over your cute plush tummy, and over those deliciously soft thighs he adores. His hungry stare is really starting to drive you wild now, and you beg at him to hurry up and finish undressing. Chuckling, he throws his pants to the side as well, now only wearing his tight boxers. He pulls you forward on the counter so you're flush against him. See what you do to me, sweet girl? Hmm? he grinds the very prominent bulge in his boxers against your own damp core, making you gasp. You get me so hard and you haven't even touched me yet, that's the kind of power you have over me.

At his words, you don’t hold back from running your hand all along Max’s well defined chest. Your boyfriend is so much bigger than you and it's incredibly sexy. He towers over you easily with his 6 foot frame, all wide shoulders and swollen biceps and muscled thighs, and you don't hide the hypnotised look in your eyes as you trace from his thick neck down to his slutty waist, desire and desperation coursing through you, replacing any inhibitions you'd had earlier.

He grasps one of your wandering hands in his own, his larger palm easily dwarfing your tiny one and making you bite your lip at the difference in size. His attentive gaze doesn't miss this either, and with a low hmm he brazenly asks if you found it as hot as he did, the fact that you were the perfect size for him to snap into half if he wanted? He knows he's got you right where he wants as your pupils go wide with desire, breath hitching at the thought of your big boyfriend using his strength against you for once.

Then he's pulling apart your pretty little set, lace ripping and a large hand easily wraps around your entire throat, pulling you into a breathless kiss that has you moaning at his skilled tongue. You barely have time to collect yourself when he suddenly lifts you up by the waist, biceps flexing, and your eyes widen as you're lifted impossibly high in the air and find yourself straddling his thick shoulders, his face now at the perfect height to bury his tongue into your dripping pussy right in front of him. Max! you squeal, utterly ruined by his impressive display of strength. You're desperately scrambling for purchase at the cabinets behind you, head banging back against the wall as he relentlessly thrusts his wicked tongue into your puffy folds.

And he only sets you down after you cum obediently all over greedy lips like he demands you to do, then gently carries your shaky form to the bedroom to show you multiple more examples of how you were just made to take him, truly the perfect girl for him, weren't you? You'd been too blissfully fucked out by that point to form a coherent response.

Needless to say, you find yourself caring very little next time strangers had anything to say about the way you looked, thanks to Max's hands on affections (he'd also taken you to therapy like the supportive boyfriend he was, bless him.) He'd quickly formed a personal favourite method to prove to you just how desperate he was for you and how you had the world champion in the palm of your hand, whenever he saw that look flicker into your eyes from time to time. He'd take you back home, make you undress yourself for his hungry gaze, then lift you up into his arms, folding your thighs up against your waist from where he held them. You’d moan as he slid into you, bouncing your whole body onto his hard cock like you were a ragdoll, making you scream his name endlessly as he fucked you mid-air.

And sometimes, when he was feeling particularly possessive, he'd flip you around, pressing your back to his toned chest, as he made you watch with him in the mirror how he obscenely slid in and out of your dripping pussy. Whispering in your ear that see, like he had told you, he had such good taste, don't I, schat? And as you met his heated gaze through the reflective surface, clenching around him when you saw the pure love and raw desire in his eyes, you couldn't help but agree.

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A/N: guys can you guess I have a thing for boys who are big. Big boys, if you will. Someone just let me sit on Max’s lap goddamn 💸💸 as always lmk what you think and if u have any requests!!

[woso-dreamzzz]

Injured V

Alexia Putellas x Child!Reader

Summary: The next day

The day that Alba takes you is the worst day of Alexia's life which says a lot.

For a long time, the worst day of her life was tearing her ACL, the time before that was when her father died but even those moments have been taken over by Alba taking you away from her.

Alexia slept outside your bedroom door that night, adamant that you would open it when you thought everyone was in bed. She didn't have much of a plan after that apart from grabbing you before you noticed her and not letting you go ever again.

But you don't open your door until Alba arrives early the next day.

You shrug off Alexia when she tries to reach for you, whining and crying until Alba picks you up. You're still in yesterday's clothes and no matter how much Alexia begs, you don't even acknowledge that she's speaking to you.

Alba doesn't talk to her either and both sisters are caught in a standoff that forces Olga to pack your bag.

No word is spoken by either you or Alba even as Alexia rants and raves and begs until the front door swings shut behind you.

That's when she really breaks down, crumbling to the floor as she sobs.

Your bedroom door is left open and Alexia can peer inside, clearly seeing where you've destroyed things last night.

Your trains are knocked over. Your ballet pumps are strewn around the room. Your bedsheets and pillows are bundled up in your wardrobe like you slept in there last night rather than your bed.

There was a picture of you and Alexia that lived on your bedside table. You're a newborn in it, lying on Alexia's chest. The labour had been gruelling - thirteen long hours - and Alexia's face is all red. You're red too but completely content. The picture's lived there for as long as Alexia can remember until now.

It lies on the floor, the frame completely broken and unsalvageable. The picture is ruined too, a big rip right down the middle until one half features just Alexia and the other half features you.

"Ale," Olga says softly," I'm...I'm going to call you in sick, okay?"

Alexia shakes her head, wiping away her tears. "No," She insists," I'm going in to train."

"Ale-"

"No."

The radio doesn't get turned on when Alexia drives to her recovery session. She drives in silence, stewing about it all as she pulls into the car park.

It's clear to everyone that she's in a mood which is a little strange seeing as they won the Copa De La Reina last night. No one seems to want to approach.

No one except Mapi, despite Ingrid's hushed warnings.

"So, which one did she choose?"

The words shock Alexia, who nearly drops her shirt. "What?"

Mapi frowns. "Did you not let her choose this time? That's so mean, Ale. Did she at least like the one you got her?"

"Mapi, what are you talking about?"

Mapi rolls her eyes. "The train? You always let y/n choose a new train when we win a trophy. Which one was it this time? Last time I saw her she talked about wanting this fancy red one that you could take the top off to put little people in the cars. Was it stupidly expensive? Is that why you didn't let her choose?"

Alexia clenches her fist at the reminder. She can't think of the last time she bought you a new train. She used to buy one every week. Its all you ever ask for but she can't remember the last one she gave you.

Was it the green one at Christmas or the black one at new years?

No, it can't have been then because she got you a big train set before Jaume was born, wrapped up and placed in the cupboard to give to you the day of Jaume's birth.

But...

Alexia can't remember seeing it in your room this morning.

When recovery is over, she nearly tears the cupboard door off its hinges.

The present is still there, a thick layer of dust covering the pristine packaging and Alexia sobs all over again.

She's in her car before she knows and is banging on Alba's door before she can stop herself.

"Go away!" Her sister snarls.

"Let me in!"

"No! Go away!"

"I want to see her!"

"Fuck off, Alexia! And get lost! You're not coming anywhere near that little girl!"

"She's my daughter! You've kidnapped her! Move!"

Alba looks ready to throw hands again but so is Alexia. She knows that she's got a long way to go but she's got the present from Jaume's birth in the backseat and the train you told Mapi you wanted.

"Kidnapped," Alba scoffs," That's rich. You've been neglecting her! You're lucky I didn't call the police on you!"

"Watch it," Alexia snaps," This is what you wanted, wasn't it? For me to take notice? Job done! I've noticed! Give me Bambi!"

"Over my-"

Alba breaks off as the pitter-patter of little feet sound behind her. She turns, blocking Alexia from your view as you come running towards her.

"Tia! Tia!"

"Hey, bambi. What have you got there?"

"Me and you! I painted it!"

Alba smiles, gently cupping your cheeks as she presses a soft kiss to your forehead. She keeps her body between you and Alexia, desperate to make sure you don't notice.

"It's so beautiful. Why don't you go and put away your paints and then we can put it up on the fridge?"

"Okay."

You run off again and Alba goes to shut the door.

Alexia wedges her foot between it and the frame.

"I'm not leaving," She insists," Not without Bambi."

"Go back to your precious son," Alba hisses," You're not going anywhere near her."

Alexia doesn't exactly have a plan. All she wants is to grab you and take you home. She'll give you your new trains and not let you out of her sight for the rest of your life.

"Alexia Putellas Segura!"

She turns slowly to see her mother walking up the driveway, a face like thunder.

"Mama-"

"No!"

She falls silent.

"Go."

"Alba-"

"Alexia, I will not ask again. Go home to Olga and Jaume. Your presence will do Bambi no good."

Tears water in her eyes. "Mama, I'm trying. I will be better, I promise. Please."

"Alexia." Her mother's voice softens ever so slightly but it's clear she's not going to budge. "This will not be good for Bambi. Go home, reflect and we will sort out a day where you can see her again."

"I want to see her now." Her voice cracks. "Please, Mama, she's only little."

"Go home, Alexia," Eli says," Hold your son but go home and do not come back until you are invited. This is hard on you, yes, but it is much harder on your daughter. Something like this does not happen overnight."

"Mama, I will do anything. Just, please, I need to see her."

"I have already made my decision. You will not be seeing Bambi until I have been told what has happened from her mouth. You will go home and think about your actions. If I don't think your presence will help then you will not see her."

"She's a baby, Mama," Alexia sobs with no shame," I..."

"I know," Eli says," I know, Alexia but we need to start doing what is right for her, not just what is right for you. So, go home while I talk to Bambi and we will see where this goes."

Alexia sniffles and wipes her tears. "I...I have trains for her, in my car..."

"I'll give them to her."

You're sitting in front of a train set when Eli walks in.

She didn't really want to believe it when Alba called this morning, telling her that Alexia had been neglecting you. She hadn't wanted to believe it when Alba said that she had taken you away but seeing Alexia a few minutes ago had made this all clear.

"Do you have room for more trains?"

You look up. "Abuela!"

"Hola, Bambi." She sits down next to you. "I've missed you."

The look on your face is heartbreaking. You look so excited, like you can't quite believe that someone has missed you.

"Really?"

"Of course. I always miss my favourite little girl."

Your face clouds with something that Eli can't quite work out and you say softly," Mami used to call me that."

Eli's heart cracks completely at your words and she has to resist the urge to cry herself. "I hear that you are staying with your tia for a few days."

Alba hovers uncertainly nearby, shifting on her feet even though her eyes are still glued to the windows looking out on the driveway. Eli doesn't have to look to know that Alexia hasn't driven away yet.

She knows that she won't be coming in but leaving and driving back home makes it certain. Eli isn't sure that Alexia wants to admit that just yet.

You nod, looking back down at your trains. The set-up isn't as elaborate as the one you have at home but it's still quite big. You make little chugging noises with your mouth before speaking," Tia Alba says we can go to the beach tomorrow and that I don't have to go to nursery!" Your face goes cloudy again. and you mood drops "I got forgot at nursery yesterday."

Eli hums. "And how did that make you feel?"

Your bottom lip wobbles and Eli doesn't want to push but she needs to know so she can fix this. She wants this to be salvageable. She doesn't want to give Alexia hope that this can be fixed if it can't be. She doesn't want to force you to reconcile if it'll cause more harm than good.

"Mami loves Jaume," You say, face scrunching up," And Miss Olga. They're her family."

Tears spill down your cheeks.

"Your Mami loves you too," Eli promises, feeling her chest go tight," Even if she forgets."

"No, she doesn't," You shake your head," I..." You like around wildly like you're scared. "I...I love Mami but she doesn't love me."

"She does," Eli insists," You are so loved, Bambi. Your Mami is having a bit of a stumble but she does love you."

It's clear that you don't believe her.

"Mami wanted Jaume. She didn't want me."

Eli chokes out a breath. "Who told you that?! Bambi, who said that to you?!"

Your conception was always a difficult subject to breach. Alexia had gotten drunk, slept with someone and woke up with no memory of the experience. She ended up pregnant though, with you.

It wasn't something that they ever told you. All you had ever been told was that you were loved. No one ever wanted to label you as a mistake or unwanted.

It was one of Alexia's deepest shames. She'd always told you that she chose your daddy, that she spent hours and hours choosing the perfect one. She had never wanted to tell you that you were an accident no matter how many times Eli had told her you would find out one day.

To you, you were chosen. Alexia chose to have you, to make you a part of her life. To you, you and Jaume have the same daddy because Alexia chose yours.

Eli should have known this would come out eventually, no matter what Alexia had told her.

More tears flow down your cheeks.

"Was an accident," You sniffle," Didn't mean to listen in. Was meant to be sleeping. Mami was talking to her friends-"

"What did Alexia say, bambi?" Alba's voice is harsh and Eli could never imagine this is what her family would come to.

Two sisters on warring sides and one little girl used as the rope in this tug of war.

"Said that Jaume was planned. Does that mean I wasn't? That I wasn't wanted like him?"

"I'm going to kill her," Alba declares. If she squints, she can just make out Alexia sobbing into her steering wheel. "I'm going to kill her."

"Alba," Eli says," Calm down. Go and make some snacks but do not attack your sister."

"Abuela? Does that mean Mami didn't want me?"

Eli doesn't want to have this conversation. She's never wanted to have this conversation, to have you question your position in this family. She wants to tell you that just because you weren't planned doesn't mean that you weren't wanted. She wants to tell you that you were so wanted by everyone in this room the moment they found out about you.

But, somehow, she doesn't think that will help.

What you want is assurance from Alexia but Eli doesn't trust her eldest daughter with you right now.

It's a horrible thing to admit but it's so easy to see that Alexia adores Jaume. It has always been a little harder to see Alexia's love for you.

Eli doesn't trust Alexia with you in the slightest and she hates that. She hates how splintered her family has become. She can hear Alba pacing in the kitchen and she can make out Alexia still in the driveway, sobbing.

"Your Mami..." She sighs. "I wanted you and your Tia Alba wanted you. You are so loved and so wanted by everyone in the family, Bambi. Do you trust me?"

You nod.

"I'm going to be staying with you and your Tia for a few days and I'm going to make everything better."

"Is Mami and Miss Olga and baby Jaume coming over?"

"Do you want them to?"

"No."

"Then they won't. Your Mami did give me something to give to you, though. They're presents from her."

"Why?"

Eli doesn't want to think about this. She doesn't want to think about why you're even questioning Alexia giving you presents. Every weekend at the end of Alexia's matches, she used to take you to the model train store near your house.

Eli used to be forced to go too and Alexia would let you pick out a new train simply as a present, a gift for being her favourite girl in the entire world.

You were singlehandedly keeping that store in business and the old man that ran it even kept it open late if the match ran over. It used to be your favourite time of the week.

If you're asking her why you're getting presents all of a sudden, Eli doesn't want to think about how long it's been since you must have set foot in that store.

Her voice cracks. "Because you're her favourite girl in the entire world."

She pushes them both towards you.

One of them is covered in wrapping paper so Eli can't tell what it is but she recognises the second one.

It's a red train that you'd been eyeing up since the last time Eli went to the train store with you and your Mami almost a whole year ago. It's big and comes with its own train track and little people.

It's based on those fancy trains that serve afternoon tea and cakes because each of the train cars can have their roofs taken off to place the little people figures inside to enjoy their lunches.

It's stupidly expensive, seven-hundred euros and Eli remembers you telling her that Alexia had promised it to you for your birthday. But your birthday came and went a month ago so to see it now means you didn't get it then.

You don't reach out to tear off the wrapping paper of the first present but you do tentatively touch the front of the box of the train you've been begging for.

More tears then Eli thought possible drops down your cheeks.

"I don't want it," You say eventually," I don't want them, Abuela. I don't!"

"Okay, okay," Eli hushes you softly," I'll take them away, Bambi."

You climb into her lap and sob and Eli wants nothing more than to heal all your pain and stop this but even that sounds too difficult to do. She'd hoped that this was all some big understanding but it's clear that this runs deep, that this isn't something that can be fixed quite so easily.

It's clear that Alba has made the right choice though, to take you away from Alexia and the mess of your home.

Eli had been worried when Alexia had named her as your godmother but it was clearly the right decision. She doesn't want to think about what could have happened if you had been left there any longer.

"Abuela?" You say and the next words out of your mouth are the worst things Eli has ever heard," Do you think Mami would be happier if she didn't have me?"

[nothomegal]

HIII I MISS YOU :(( straight to the point, I need a yandere pyramid head fic!!

I´m sorry for the disappearance ;v; Can't post much due my studies.

Anyways, I ADORE your suggestion! And boy if our little (Y/N) is going to have a rough time with a yandere creature like Pyramid Head ._.)

Welp, let's start the story!

"Innocent lamb"

(Yandere!Pyramid Head x GN Reader)

Summary: the entity's realm was hell for some, heaven for others, and an inconvenience for the rest... But when one of the creatures encountered you, he made it everyone's problem, even the entity's that brough him there in the first place. But he meant no harm to you. He likes you. He wants you. He needs you. And he wͦ̀ͯi̸ll̩ͩ have Y̛̗̰͇͚͓͈̣͕̰͓̗͛ͤ̀̇̍ͥ͒̓͝Ơ̵̔_̰̅U̵̷̡̧̡̨͖̟̹͙̙͓̥̗̫̣̙͉͕͉̣̬̇ͭ͗̉͂̅̍͗̇̇́́̈͟͞

Warnings: yandere/obsessive behavior, violence and violent acts, quite angst(y) mood in general, (understandably) terrified reader darling :(.

Word count: 4.2k

The moment they entered the trial, all four survivors knew right away who the killer was. Either its the dread they all felt as soon as their feet made contact with the ground that gave it away, or the fact that the entity had placed all of them in the same spot next to two generators just to have any chances to make it out alive.

But they know it's in vain, they know they're doomed for a long long death by bleeding out.

They know it... Because (Y/N) is with them.

Said survivor had to bite their lip to avoid crying, as guilt and terror embraced them. Just because the monster had this unholy obsession with them it didn't mean they were okay with it, if anything it scared them more.

He, Pyramid Head, the Executioner... Or however you want to nickname him, is said to be one of the most powerful creatures the entity had the pleasure to bring, so powerful in fact that the spider-like being had to make a deal to bring him.

So it's not surprising that they are absolutely horrified, but who wouldn't? This monster, an embodiment of pain and punishment, almost a god, has been hunting them relentlessly ever since he laid his gaze or... Helmet? On them.

At first it was all jokes and gags;

'Aww look, (Y/N) has a boyfriend!'

'Watch out, here comes your crush (Y/N)!'

'Uh-oh, the triangle man seems jealous, look how pissed he is at Nea for healing you!'.

But the jokes stopped when it got clear how truly messed up and sinister said 'crush' is.

They still remember it, it was a regular match against that one masked knife wielding guy that runs a lot, he's called 'Legion' they think. The trial was going relatively well, just like many previous ones. Until it suddenly got an 180° turn when one of the walls to the realm was literally destroyed by a hulking mass of muscle and a giant knife. To say both (Y/N) and the killer nearly had a cardiac arrest was an understatement, things got so ugly that the entity had to intervene and cut the trial short.

That incident could be a fuel for a new wave of jokes, could... If it didn't happen again. And that next time was even worse, the beast nearly made his way into the survivor side of the realm, somehow bursting through the barrier the entity had created to keep the survivors separated from the killers to avoid any pity fights after trials.

Ever since that event, Pyramid Head was strictly kept in 'his' realm, aka Midwich Elementary School.

Sometimes, after escaping through the gates and running back into the camp through the fog, (Y/N) could swear they can hear the monster roar in the distance. Loud, distorted and fierce howls resonating somewhere behind the dense fog, as if the creature was desperately trying to yell out their name. Either to let them know how badly he wants them or a promise to break free and get them... Both possibilities giving them chills.

The entity of course wasn't okay with this, it was pissed! But it also could do so little... The great deal now had turned into a major curse. If the deal is broken, the Executioner won't hesitate to damage the realm to get what he wants. But if it remains, the monster will find new ways to bend the rules and make it everyone's problem.

Why the entity doesn't just give (Y/N) to the beast or gets rid of them ones for all? No one really has the answer. Some think it's due the entity's pride, or the possibility of the executioner going ballistic. For now, it's more of a silent (and petty) battle between two stubborn beings, each of them refusing to back away from their goal.

Goal. The entity's goal, though still confusing, is more or less clear; force people and creatures to play these twisted games and feed on those who get sacrificed. But the executioner's goal? It's straight up a mystery. (Y/N) know it has something to do with them, but... Why them exactly? Why not Cheryl? Didn't she come from the same place as that beast? What the monster even wants them for?

What will he do when he finally gets his hands on them? Wh-

A rough shake snapped (Y/N) out of their internal break down.

They blink a couple of times, tears of fear nearly sliding down their cheeks as their body shivers. They were scared, more than the other three survivors combined.

The survivor holding them by their shoulders, David, sighs when he finally notices them react.

—"Look, I know you're scared..."— he starts talking, his voice surprisingly calm.

—"I'm-... I- I'm sorry, I'm s-so sorry-..."— you choke out in a weak wobbly voice, guilt eating you from inside.

—"No no. Just listen for a sec. I... Well, we all can tell that you aren't enjoying it neither. So, let's not break down into a soap opera, okay? Don’t think of this as hopeless match, but as another chance to woop that asshole's ass and escape."—

—"And also leave him empty handed!"— Feng announces from her place while already working on a generator.

—"Yeah, screw that triangular piece of shit! Let's try out Dwight's strategy this time. You remember it, do you?"— he asks you, not letting go of your shoulders yet.

The surprisingly positive and reassuring words of their teammates towards them really soothed and even cheered (Y/N) a bit. With a small smile they quickly wipe their eyes before nodding.

—"Good, see? We're already starting on a good note!"— he lets go to then pat your back, basically pushing you forward. —"Now go help with a gen before putting the 'plan' into work."—

Though the push hurt a bit, (Y/N) didn't care at all about the pain, too focused on keepings all the negative and pessimistic thoughts away.

For the first minute and a half everything was going well, (Y/N) and Feng were working on one generator while David and Jonah were working on the other one. The four of them were dead silent, straining their ears for any of the sounds the creature makes, such as heavy footsteps, the scraping of his gigantic knife or their own heartbeat. Weirdly enough, everything was calm... Too calm.

(Y/N) nearly choked with air when a cold chill ran through their spine.

Spine Chill. The beast... Is watching them.

They attempt to subtly alert Feng by carefully tapping her leg, but as soon as their fingertips touched the other girl’s skin, their heartbeat started to get louder and louder, until…

—“WATCH OUT!”—

(Y/N) exclaimed as they pushed Feng, just in time to dodge a bunch of sharp and rusted metal pieces coming out the ground.

—“Holy-...”— she mutters.

Now that the monster is here, the four survivors decided to put in action the mentioned strategy.

They all let go of the generators and run away in different directions, (Y/N) being the most desperate while running since they know exactly who the beast is targeting.

His pattern is always the same; chase after until sending them into a cage to then down all of their teammates and then come straight back to all caged and helpless (Y/N) and then… Stare or touch them until the others bleed out or the entity has enough.

The difference in the current case, is that (Y/N) is not playing just cat and mouse. In fact, chasing them is the worst the killer can do. All of their abilities are chase oriented, another teammate lurking around has all the boon ones, while the last two have all is needed to rush through the generators. If everything works out, the monster will get himself in a situation where he's be forced to leave (Y/N) alone.

The chase was intense, at least for (Y/N). Despite never catching a clear view of the Executioner, they could feel him close behind, following them methodically like a wild animal on a hunt, waiting for the right moment to strike while keeping up the tension.

It was hard to maintain the focus, every single hallways in The Game looked the exact same. Did they vaulted that window already? Didn't they pre-dropped that palled over there? Did Feng placed it up again? Are the other two working on the generators? Have they taken this left path before?

So many questions where swarming their mind as their legs kept carrying them on, only momentarily relaxing when two generators finally made that distinguish noise.

Two done! Tree left.

A breathless laugh escaped from them. Great! This is already going better than all of their previous encounters with the Executioner, which would always end with the first generator barely reaching 30%.

However, their smile was quickly swept when they realized they no longer hear their heartbeat or thundering footsteps tailing behind. It was silent, dead silent, with no other sounds that their own breathing.

A wave of anxiety flushed through (Y/N) like a tsunami wave and started to drag and drown them deeper into their own worries.

What the?... Okay, this was not part of the plan. The Executioner had never left the chase with them, never. So the fact that he finally did, and apparently a while ago, made them shake.

With nothing else to do, they gather the courage to start moving again. Where? Somewhere! Anywhere but to stay in place and be an easy target to the beast that so desperately wants them.

They keep running, stopping only for a brief moment before turning a corner, making sure they don't hear any muffled breathing that at times resembled growls. They learned the hard way with the Shape that some killers like to wait around corners, and they don't want to commit the same mistake right now.

Their heart jerked when they heard a scream resonate from their left, and a faint reddish aura in the shape of a human gleamed for a second before disappearing.

David is down.

And it seems like he's not getting picked up, which could either mean that the monster is setting up a trap or chasing someone else. Whichever the case is, they shouldn't go-

They hear a bunch of footsteps come their way, and in a set of panic they crouch behind a bunch of boxes, silently praying that their disguise is mildly good.

They can't see much from their spot, but they can clearly recognize the shape of Jonah running away from something massive.

As soon as the two figures passed by, (Y/N) gets up and takes off running towards David to check on him.

After some wondering around the labyrinth-like place, they finally reach their injured teammate, who was still on the ground and groaning from pain.

—"{David!}"— you whisper-yell as you start running towards him.

He weakly lifts his head just enough to see them. When he recognized who it is, he starts to frantically shake his head.

—"NO! GET THE FUCK OUT!"—

Huh? What-

As (Y/N) is about to reach David, a path of sharp metal pieces and razor wires had emerged right in front of them, just when they're about to make contact with the floor again, making in impossible to dodge.

The second their leg got tangled into the sharp metallic mess, everything went too fast. They don't even have time to pull away as something sliced them on their side, sending them directly on the ground.

They send a guilty and ashamed glance to David, who had an frustrated expression.

—"{Sorry...}"— you mouth.

(Y/N) has no chance to see David's answer as a massive hand suddenly curled around their throat and forced them to look away from the other man.

Their eyes wide at the sight of the beast menacingly hovering over their helpless form, holding their body in place between him and the ground. The muscles of his extended arm were tense, his breathing heavy, almost like he's holding back the anger and displeasure caused by them giving attention to someone else.

Their heart skipped beats, their breath uneven, their eyes watered as they tightly closed them, not wanting to witness whatever this thing was about to do. They can feel the warmth coming from his body, his breathing slowly stabilizing, as if staring at them and watching them slowly submit was enough to calm the monster. Ironically, it did the complete opposite to (Y/N), as their own heartbeat raised from the anxiety of having to face the unknown, attempt to predict the unpredictable and prepare to witness another massacre unfold around them at any second... Just to then end up caged and at the mercy of this-

—"LEAVE THEM ALONE ASSHOLE!"— David angrily yells from his place, struggling and trying to stand up. —"You're fucking terrifying, of course they don't want to look at you!"—

They can feel Pyramid Head's hand tense and start shaking, his fingers twitching and pressing further into their skin. (Y/N) was beyond terrified now, just a little bit of pressure and the creature could crush their throat like a cardboard tube.

David, though clearly using all of his strength, ended up falling back on the ground, as if some invisible weigh is actively pushing him down.

—“You freak! Absolute sick fuck! Let them go already!”—

As the waterfall of profanities continues, (Y/N) slowly places their hands around the monster’s wrist to attempt to push his hand away, unfortunately he didn’t budge at all.

Suddenly, David’s stops screaming and the very next second (Y/N) feels something warm and slippery press against their cheek.

They jerk in place at the uncanny sensation and shoot open their eyes, a breathless gasp escaping them at the sight of a… Wh-What even is that? A freaking tentacle? A tongue?…

The dark pink muscle wiggles in front of their face for a moment before licking another stride, wiping some of their tears and blood in the process, making (Y/N) shiver in discomfort.

They shoot a confused glance to David, desperately wanting to know if he’s witnessing this too. The man had an expression of pure ‘what the fuck’; eyes narrowed, brows furrowed and mouth slightly gaping.

This eye contact was brief though. (Y/N) got startled for a loud growl that reverbed from the beast's chest and helmet. The hand finally leaves their throat as the beast stands up to his full height and starts making his way to David, leaving them alone, as well as his knife?

(Y/N) throws their teammate a scared look, but David responds with a forced smirk.

—"Ah, now you decide to drag your big ass towards me."— he mutters through gritted teeth.

The monster seem to not react to his taunts. With each step that he takes towards David, his mask of confidence seems to crack.

Nevertheless, the man didn’t back out from his insults, he never does.

—“What’s wrong? Why so pissy, huh?! Jealous that (Y/N) prefers us?!”—

Saying their name was a sore spot to hit, and the way Pyramid Head reacted confirmed that.

The monster roughly grabs David by the neck, completely ignoring the fact that he’s not even holding his weapon. Instead he uses his bare hands to silence him.

Nasty, wet and crunchy sounds resonated through the room and hallways as the creature began to tear the man’s body limb by limb, piece by peace, unbothered by the pained screams of his victim or the low groan of displeasure that resonated from above for again not playing by the rules.

(Y/N) froze in horror at the sight in front of them. Blood, chunks of flesh and bone pieces where flying everywhere, never before they’ve witnessed this type of gore, not even during the ‘mori’.

Though it felt like the massacre lasted hours, it was actually second. The monster threw the whatever remaining he had in his hands and slowly turned back to (Y/N), who was still frozen and unable to look away from what was left from David. They know they will meet again in the fire camp, in one piece and alive, but god they felt sick...

Their shock breaks only when the thundering footsteps began to resonate again, shaking the ground underneath them with each the creature took. He grew closer, and closer, with them being able to do absolutely nothing aside from attempting to crawl away.

But that pity attempt was stopped when the same sharp wires and rusty metal pieces emerged from the ground and wrapped around their body, pulling them slowly underneath and sinking them further into the ground. And before they realize it, their body is already trapped in that rotten metallic cage.

Cold metal spikes just inches away from their flesh, so close to penetrate their skin, a wrong move and they would undoubtedly get hurt. But even if they wanted to move, they couldn't really. The space in the structure was small, claustrophobic even, each spike perfectly adjusted to keep their form in place. In some twisted way, it felt like a hug, a very cold, unwelcoming and unnerving hug.

They flinch when they hear a scream resonate from somewhere, which was cut by a loud slam.

Feng was caught.

It seems like the Executioner didn't bother to down her, rather getting rid of her directly, most likely because he's aware that Jonah is not keen of going for rescues...

And speaking of the man, there is his aura flashing before (Y/N)'s eyes as his body fell on the floor.

He's down... Which means that-

Before they even finish their conclusion, the tall figure of the monster appeared. Just by looking at them his behavior seemed to change; movements more erratic and pace uneven, almost like he's hypnotized.

He makes his way to them, slowly, as if purposely building up the tension.

(Y/N) wanted to look away or close their eyes, but whenever they did so the cage felt painfully small. It hurt, literally, so they stare at that beast grow closer with wide shaky eyes that struggled to keep their focus on him. This is something Pyramid Head was always good at, he could always make you fear, even the toughest bravest ones would inevitably succumb to the terror his presence brings.

Ones in front of them, the creature stops in place and simply stares, like he always did.

(Y/N), though still scared, was a tiny bit relieved that this is what the rest of the trial would be; them being pinned like a butterfly with the monster observing.

It would be just that.

Just this bizarre staring contest.

...Right?

WRONG.

The creature suddenly let go of his weapon and grabs the edges of the cage with both hands quite violently.

Now the little hope and comfort (Y/N) had was thrown out the window, as now they realize they no longer have any idea of what will happen next.

And by what it looks like, the entity is not planning to intervene, as if curious itself to see what will happen next.

Pyramid Head remains like this, his big hands tightly squeezing the imperfect metal bars, bending them slightly and making the already miserable looking material groan from the pressure he was applying.

It looked like he wanted to destroy that cage, rip it apart and get to them, but didn't do it by holding himself back... Why? What's even the point of this build up? What's even the point in wanting them?!

—"{Wh-...Why?...}"— you choke out in a very quiet voice. —"{Why a-are you d-... doing this?...}"—

(Y/N) knows is stupid to ask, Pyramid Head can't even speak! But they can't help themselves, they're too scared, their anxiety is unbearable and their thoughts are too out of control. They need answers, anything that could even hint for a possible explanation of the killer's intentions.

They began to second guess their decision to speak when the creature froze in place, even his breath was now inaudible. This was the first time (Y/N) spoke directly to the monster, but they didn't expect him to react at this fact, not like this, or at all.

But he did, he did acknowledged that little detail, and he will make sure they acknowledge it too.

The creature soon moves again, by slowly leaning closer and slightly tilting his head to the side, almost like trying to get a better look at them.

His breathing got heavier, low huffs and growls resonating from that metallic helmet of his. It really looked like he was actively holding back some major urge or desire, but what it is?

(Y/N) wanted to ask again, but decided against it as there is little Pyramid Head could do to answer, and even if he could, why should he? Maybe it's more amusing to him to see them helplessly wondering in the dark and unable to comprehend what's going on.

Or maybe, there is simply nothing to explain?... Maybe he does what he does just because? Human mind is way too used to seek for reasons and explanations for anything and everything, often forgetting that sometimes the answer is way too simple or straight up null, could that be the case?

The same groan coming from the cage bars pulled (Y/N) out of their thoughts. They forget how to breathe at the sight of the structure slowly collapsing as the monster starts to rip the bars with his raw strength.

A scared yelp escaped them as they try to back further into the cage as much as they can, ignoring the sharp edges that scratched or pierced their body. They barely felt pain, none at all actually, the adrenaline and basic survival instincts keeping their body resilient and ready to run. The sad part is, is that there is nowhere to run, nothing to do. It's sweet that their body tries so desperately to keep their hopes up and reassure their survival, but their mind is more than aware of the cold desolated reality...

The front part of the cage was eventually ripped off and thrown against the floor violently. (Y/N) can only cover their eyes with their hands and quietly sob as they wait for whatever the monster had planned to do next.

Even when no further actions are made, they refuse to look. They no longer want to face this thing, they no longer want to suffer this torment. Regardless if they believed in any religion or no, they mutter silent prayers under their breath, but not no save them, but to make it end and to know how sorry they are for any evil or harm they've did in their life that leaded to such tragic conclusion.

But this is where the catch is... They've committed none. At least from the Executioner's perspective.

Despite their whispers being so silent to a non-existent point, Pyramid Head heard them loud and clear. And the more he heard their voice, the more he felt the inside of his chest burn and the desire for them grow even more. (Y/N) is not perfect, they're human after all, and all humans have their fair share of flaws and defects... But unlike the rest, (Y/N) has the ability to acknowledge said imperfections and genuinely try to make up for them, to fix them... Regardless if they get something in return or not.

This, this is the true purity in a human being. An innocence and kindness so genuine that it would be a sin not to worship and protect... And who is a best fit to take care of it other than the fearsome Pyramid Head?

(Y/N)... So pure... So innocent... So kind... He must keep them save.

He must keep them...

He wants them...

W̴͕̳͈͔̭̝͠ͅ a̶̩̰̲̎̓͊̈̓̕ ǹ̴̢͇̬̘̗̯̜̍̋͊͠͝͠ ṭ̶͇̃̔͝ s̶̭̩͔̹̝̼̅̍̆̉͌͝

As the monster is about to reach them, a spider like legs burst out through the floor and wrap themselves around (Y/N).

The trial... Is over.

And while the absolutely livid roar gets overshadowed by the groans of the entity as the black fog surrounds the whole place. (Y/N) only keeps quietly sobbing as they cling to the spider leg sticking out of their chest. And though they knew the entity is the main responsible of their current torment, they were too overwhelmed with emotions to properly process their actions.

Surprisingly, the spider-like being didn't disappear right away, probably feeling pity for their situation and allowing them to cry for a brief moment, most likely to compensate this unplanned mess they have to deal with.

To everyone's surprise in the camp, when (Y/N) finally arrived they where unconscious, either passed out after such emotional roller coaster or the entity wants them take some genuine rest. Whatever the case it, it didn't matter, what matters is that their fellow friend is back save and sound, right?

As one of the survivors decided to take them closer to the bonfire for warmth and comfort, they could swear they heard some weird noises from afar.

It resembled a demonic cry filler with rage, so distant yet menacing. Everyone instinctively shivered.

And though (Y/N) successfully 'survived' yet another trial with the executioner, almost everyone had the gut feeling that the next encounter they have with the beast, it will not end good...

They all take a glance at their still unconscious form.

Poor (Y/N)...

[dark-konohagakure2]

hii i love ur work smm <33 do u think u could write an obito x younger sister reader where he still becomes evil but he watches over in the village as the years pass and notices kakashi getting too close, so he kidnaps her and reminds her who she belongs to <3 thank u

tw: incest, brother/sister, noncon, stalking, jealousy, possessiveness, semi-public sex, kidnapping, quickie, manipulation

All characters depicted are 18+

Obito still possesses a deep resentment for the Hidden Leaf Village, and just reality itself, but there are two things that keep Obito spying on the village; Rin's grave, and his younger sister. Obito still has some semblance of love and protectiveness towards his sister, even if she is all grown up now and able to be on her own, Obito just wants to make sure that she's alive and well, as long as she isn't getting involved with the wrong crowd that is.

He's checking up on her one day when Obito gets his worst fears confirmed, his sister has fallen in with the wrong crowd, the worst crowd possible; Kakashi. Obito is enraged, wondering why she would involve herself with Kakashi of all people, she knows damn well that Kakashi was (and still is) his biggest rival, so why would she be getting so friendly with him?

The Uchiha can only reach the conclusion that she's either malicious, getting involved with Kakashi just to spite her dead brother, or she's forgotten about him, about her own brother, the one whose supposed to be the most important man in her life, and Obito just won't let that slide. He's going to make sure his sister learns two thing: that he's still alive and kicking, and that she belongs to him entirely.

He'll snatch her up the very second she's alone and vulnerable, didn't he ever tell her not to walk alone at night? He's disappointed in his dear sister's carelessness. She has no clue who this mysterious masked man grabbing her is, and it takes her a moment to realize who he is even after he removes the mask due to his scarring, but when she realizes that it's her presumed dead older brother, she looked horrified, especially since Obito looks pissed.

"I can't fucking believe you! I leave for a few years and you decide to jump ship to Kakashi of all people?! I think its time to show you who your real big brother is!"

He'll start dragging her away with the intention of taking her to his hideout, but she's struggling and screaming her empty little head off, she's being much too loud and annoying for Obito's liking. He'll take a little detour, one that will shut her up nice and quick. He'll shove her against a nearby tree, covering her mouth with one hand and holding her wrists with the other. He'll hiss at her one last time to keep her mouth shut before he begins to undo his pants.

Obito is normally very gentle with his sister, seeing her as delicate and helpless, but his judgement and rationale is greatly clouded by his anger at the moment, so he'll be anything but gentle as he rips off her panties and forces his cock into her without any preparation or consent. He might apologize to her later, and she has to forgive him, they're family after all.

Normally hearing his sister scream and cry would make Obito upset, even if it is muffled by his hand, but Obito has become nothing but normal since his supposed death, and instead of being saddened by the sight of his sister in pain because of him, it turns him on, his decency and morality seems to have died along with his old self.

He's in a bit of a rush, so Obito will dump his load into her pussy rather quickly, consequences be damned. He'll make a half hearted attempt at apologizing to her as his spent cock slides out of her cunt, but it's clear he doesn't exactly mean it, he just doesn't want her to completely hate him, but he'd be fine with her fearing him, it makes her more obedient that way.

"Don't be like that, this is just a punishment for your bad behavior. Now stop whining already, let's go home so I can make you feel better, like I used to..."

Of course when he says "home" he means his dark and dank cave he calls a hideout, but he can make it comfortable for her, if she's good. If she's an extra good girl, then he might even give her the privilege of having her own bed instead of being forced to share his.

[popponn]

Hihi, im the same anon that loves ur page!!

the froggys are seriously silly :)

Anyways, can i request some hcs abt bllk boys with a reader who's going thru a depressive episode? im just goin thru stuff rn, if u can't its fine.

So, hows ur day been?

I hope you're well

have a great day! <33

byebye💖

notes: anonnie;;; i hope you are feeling better when you finally read this;;; this took so long, im sorry. i have been busy and there are lot of things going on, but i am fine thank you for asking :> and hey, a depressive episode could be tough. but you got this! okay? try to take it slow and step by step, drink water, eat food, and move around a bit. a light walk or a stretch is okay. like how the clouds always change, things will change. i hope reading this could give you a little happiness, especially when you need it.

isagi

if you are looking for someone who will listen and give practical advice without dismissing your feelings or concerns, honestly he is the one. especially as a boyfriend, you can trust him to be the one who will sit beside you on the sofa while wrapping you in the blanket. will ask you what you want to eat and the moment you decide to fight the cold hard life back, don’t worry, your isagi yoichi will be your #1 supporter! especially if you guys have spent more time in the relationship, he really is good at balancing giving comfort while still giving you trust to walk on your own. though he sometimes couldn’t 100% understand your point of view, but the sincerity in his effort to be always there for you is no joke. he promised every part of him he could give to you and he means every word of it.

bachira

who hurt his baby—he will fight it. somehow. he has this odd sixth sense when it comes to you. just with a glance, he will immediately get how down you feel and what you need. a joke and a cheer up along with many kisses? coming right up. a listener who will hug you like a koala? do you want to do that while cuddling in the bed or in public in front of his friends because he won’t hesitate honestly. just say what you want—if he must eat a cake messily like 5 year old to make you laugh then so be it. will get you out for recreation the moment he could and if he couldn’t that means it’s time for his creativity to shine (and boy does it always shine). but if the one that makes you feel down is someone, bachira is not one for violence but he could you know. if you want. (please stop him.)

rin

if you don’t cry, at best he will be an awkward listener—but a good listener nonetheless. if you cry, though, honestly he will panic. this guy is already not good with his own emotions, so you need to be clear about what you want with him. he is not the best with words though, and advice he offers is usually either “let me just fix this for you” or a straight up detached, objective one that is better offered to someone with a cool head and controlled emotion. therefore, more often than not, he opts to just listen and hold your hand. he will try to help, though, and if he can’t—at the very least you will get a really menacing guard dog who won’t let anyone mess with you while you are trying to get up. (also, go tell him to buy something. his credit card is ready and feeling like he is doing something for you is good for the both of you.)

sae

itoshi gene is harsh and he is somehow worse than his brother in this scenario. he is a naturally critical person towards anything. if you are ready to get your fault pointed out and think up a “what can i do to make this better or avoid this from happening again” go to him, but if you are looking for someone who will listen or give validation, as much as you love him, don’t. him and a terrible headspace is not a good combination. however, a direct “can you hug me?” or a “can you do something for me?” is not completely out of the question—he, after all, still cares about you. high chance he won’t ask, especially if you said you don’t want to say anything, but in this situation the softer part of him who has a hard time saying no to you truly comes out. a movie night, even if it involves the goddamned fries, would happen. he is smart enough to know when to spoil you, especially since he knows your habits and tendencies by heart.

kunigami

the sort of person who sees a hint of gloom on your face and immediately cradles it with a tenderness that no one would expect from someone with his build. he is a good, caring person by nature, if you are looking for someone to help you, he is the best choice. he can be clumsy sometimes and the words he gives to cheer you up have a high chance of being uttered with a lot of pauses in the middle—but the way he acts will probably be enough to bring a smile to your face again (and he will also smile along with you when this happen because by god you are his happiness). all those aside, high chance he can’t give advice, but he will give you top-notch cheering up—words, actions, cuddles, everything—along with genuine validation. (especially after wild card, he has seen hell. “feeling terrible” is something he understands a lot.)

kaiser

for this one i won’t sugarcoat it: jesus christ. why. is there no one else?

jokes aside, as i love to bully him a bit here, objectively—this really depends on the sort of type of person you are. if you are looking for advice or validation or a listener—not him. but if you are the sort of person who prefers a distraction or the “tough love” sort of motivation that is more scathing and heartless—borderline degrading—he is the one. out of spite, his words are probably enough to spur you into action, forgetting whatever blue feeling you have as it has turned into a red raging anger. however, a little note, believe it or not, this actually comes from a caring place in his heart. kaiser is someone with many, many harsh edges—and this comes more from “i rather see you angry and living than seeing you down without me being able to do anything” root that he rather die than say out loud.

nagi

the best you could get is a passive listener. worse you can get is a passive listener who still plays games. the worst you can get is that one scene where isagi has a legitimate concern and gets his hair pulled by this guy. another one who is better to have as a company in seeking distraction for the time than anything. but, despite how admittedly terrible he is in cheering you up with words, he truly makes it up by action when it finally hits him how down and different you are. it will take a few hours or a few days, but he will get there. afterward, expect many small sweet gestures ranging from cute gifts, your favorite snacks, et cetera. your chatroom with him will too suddenly get noisy with many cute stickers and “u ok? :x” for at least a few weeks. (also he is shameless enough to ask out loud to his teammates about what should he do with you when he realizes how stuck he is. so hey. there is that: possible extra brains if you need a solution.)

reo

common knowledge that he never shies away from using that money of his when he needs to and this is one of those situations where he genuinely considers taking you away for a trip so you can feel better near a sunny beach or a peaceful lake—you pick. if you don’t want that, however, this guy is still the best when it comes to understanding you and will be there until you give him a smile. what else do you expect from someone with a complete set of love languages? do watch out though, he is also someone who could get angry pretty quickly, especially when it involves something or someone he cares about—and this time it’s you. on a brighter note, though, this means if you are looking for someone to shit talk with, he is the one. he is a smart caring boyfriend, so talking with him during this time will do a lot of good to you. a good advice along with good validation.

bonus round:

barou — has this very awkward and unique way of cheering you up by getting you to clean the house along with him (and somehow he is less strict with you this time) and then cooking for you after; somehow always works like a charm. yukimiya — do you know all those shoujo manga perfect handsome famous sporty smart boyfriends? this is it. coming to you live. chigiri — shit-talking session that will soon move on to a pep talk that will give you every bit of confidence and drive you to need. a best friend and a boyfriend in one package. one of the people who truly knows and understands how despairing an overwhelming situation could be. karasu — will he tease you a bit like a meanie to distract you, ironically? yes. but if you need an advisor to brainstorm the best possible solution he is also the one.

[little-miss-dilf-lover]

Oh my god i just had to run overhere!

How are you doing? Holding up okey? Hows the mirror?

Inspiration you said....

Maybe something angsty?

Like in the terms of "I can't do this anymore!" ?

With Tangerine 🍊

Both are toxic people in their relationship?

I know, i know its kinda vague...

You do you bab 😘

Love ya 🫶🏻

hii honey!! im doing alright thank you! how are you? how you been? and you’ll never guess!? the day it broke I found one online someone was selling and it’s almost identical to the broken one??!? how crazy is that! and this idea scratches my brain so good, made it extra angsty bc I love it. thanks for requesting, hope you like it💌 love you

NOTHING LEFT TO GIVE.

tangerine x implied fem!reader — angst no comfort

word count. 718

Communication —or lack thereof—in your relationship with Tangerine was an issue. It was something both of you promised, though it was simultaneously something each of you failed to deliver. When problems arose, you both brushed it under the carpet: either far too tired or far too busy between work and other life things to talk it over.

And so these minuscule problems stacked up, and what would have been a simple fix had now become a mountain of resentment.

Tension was prickly, like you walked on eggshells around the other. Nothing ever got resolved. Nothing ever felt clear. It just left a giant looming question mark over things.

Maybe this was just a rough patch, and maybe it will smooth over soon. But you couldn't stick around with the thoughts of 'maybe's. You wanted an answer on the direction of your relationship, even if that meant talking over your apparent issues.

Tangerine was en route home from the pub after hanging out with his brother, almost two hours late to the dinner you had spent all afternoon preparing. And when you see the taxi pull up out front, Tangerine stumbling and slurring as he gets out of the car, you knew there and then nothing would get resolved tonight.

You walk over to the front door, pulling it open as he approaches.

"Screw you," you say softly, defeat and disappointment evident in your voice.

He inhales, shrugging as he drunkenly kicks off his shoes. "You said seven."

"I did. I said to be back for seven," you confirm, eyes narrowing in on Tan. "That was two fucking hours ago."

"Yeah, well," he murmurs, pushing past you and towards the sofas.

"Not even a sorry?" you follow after him. "We agreed on dinner. We said we'd talk," you remind him, voice growing louder.

"Don't shout at me, head's fucking spinning."

You scoff, the noise frustrated and unamused. "Are you kidding?"

He brings his hand to his face, his palm brushing down the bottom half of it. "Talk about it tomorrow. Can't be fucked tonight."

"That's what we always say. Now look at us," you gesture between the two of you. "This sucks—"

"Seriously," he warns, interrupting you. "I cannot be doing this tonight."

You ignore him, talking over as you finish your thought. "—and I hate it. We make each other miserable and... I can't and don't want to do this anymore."

He leans forward, resting his elbows on his spread knees. "What? That's it?" he straightens his neck to look at you. "Three years down the fucking shitter?"

You still, diverting from his stern eyes.

"Yes? No?" he prods for an answer, making you look back at him. "Hm?"

"We're not happy," you start, voice tired. "There's nothing here— there's no love. There's nothing left."

"No love?" he repeats.

"No," you squint at him. "You don't love me anymore."

He nods in defeat, the motion so gentle you could almost miss it. "Do you?" he pauses. "Do you still love me?"

You shake your head, and like Tan's, the movement is faint.

"Brilliant," he sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

You inhale raggedly, trying to stop yourself from crying in front of him. "While you were out, I uh... I arranged somewhere for me to stay. I'll come back in a couple of days to pick up the rest of my stuff," you say, false confidence in your voice.

He doesn't look up, instead keeping his face in his hands - elbows still resting on his knees.

Nothing else gets said, so you head into the hallway, picking up the bags you had packed earlier. You carefully close the door behind you and make your way towards your car - loading things in the back as you finally allow yourself a brief moment to be upset.

And as you reach for the driver's seat handle, you take a final look at the house, now seeing Tangerine standing in the frame of the front door.

You return his nod with a soft one of your own and get into your seat. Turning on your ignition, you roll down the drive - making your way to your staying arrangement.

You just had to see him again in a few days, and then that's it. It'll all be over.

[bspeaks]

Please let us hear some more group smut thoughts

im on my knees

glad you're already on your knees because that's probably where the boys are gonna want you at some point.

i honestly just think they would love to keep you as their own personal toy, "band property" if you will. lets say you're touring with them. you tell people you help sell merch but its a big fat lie. you can't even assist at the merch table because you're typically put to work in different ways in the time frame surrounding bad omens set.

so yeah they basically just use you whenever they please while they're on the road. i'd say you spend about 40% of your time being used by all of them at once, 40% being passed around, and 20% sitting looking pretty for them.

things switch up a lot, and nothing's super consistent except for the pre-show ritual. the guys all swear up and down that this ritual is the sole reason they perform so well each night, but you feel like you've seen them do just fine without it...

anyway the ritual consists of you performing a few simple tasks that help each band member prepare to get on stage:

first, you're sat on noahs lap. his cock is buried inside you and his hands are all over you. having full access to your body like this helps to make him feel powerful enough to get on stage and give his all.

at the same time, folio is standing in front of you holding your head in place so he can fuck your mouth. he says cumming down your throat is the perfect way to relax his mind and his muscles so that he can get into a good flow once hes sat behind his drum kit.

continuing the trend of multitasking here, you also have nicky and jolly on either side of you, your hands wrapped around each of their dicks trying to get them off. it amuses them both to see you struggle to maintain steady strokes with your hands while you're distracted by the two men filling you from both ends. you always manage to do such a good job, though, eventually making both of them cover each of your cheeks in their cum. they say it helps clear their minds so that they can lock in on stage.

after folio, nicky, and jolly all finish, noah finally grips your hips and fucks up into you. hes so mean about it, you're already so exhausted from getting the other boys off but he doesn't care. he fucks you as hard as possible and doesn't stop until you're a complete mess. he needs to see you cry, he needs to hear you scream, he needs to watch you fall apart under his control so that he feels strong enough to control the crowd too. and he needs it before every single show, no exceptions.

-this is just the little au ive created in my head... let me know if you wanna hear about different scenarios or specific pairings, this was fun to write

[covenantofthedeep]

i call and you come through ☆

☆ feat. | lumine, zhongli, lyney, lynette, yelan and kunikuzushi ☆ summary | they help you when you're in trouble. ☆ a/n | a lumine for lumiconic. and a country skewer too. this is so not ok. i'm so sorry if lyney/lynette/anyone is ooc!

lumine |

lumine hadn't expected to see anyone at all, much less you. you were somewhat of a subject of interest to her; she wasn't quite sure what you did, and yet she hated you, or at least she told herself she did. she had headed out with the intent of soaking up the cool air before the morning came and the sun sweltered down again, but instead she'd run into you.

she's so focused on your face, at first--the frozen expression of terror as you scrabble uselessly at the drainpipe attached to your house, the way your lips look as you whisper, "back! get back, oh my archons! get back!"--that she doesn't realize what, exactly, you're sending back, and then she looks down. she has to blink a couple of times; are you really scared of cats?

you glance up at her as she makes her way closer, flashing her a pained smile. "thank archons you're here, lumine, seriously. i really can't manage all of these things by myself." her name in your voice sends a spark through her veins, but she ignores it and rolls her eyes at you. "huh, yn, i thought you were so brave? scared off by a couple of cats, are we?" she bends over to grab one around its waist. it mews plaintively at her as she strokes its head, and your eyes flicker to her hands and make their way to her lips. "i guess you aren't so much the brave knight that you let everyone believe you are?" she glances up at you, at the scarlet blush across your cheeks, and wants to drop the cats and give you a kiss.

"i'm just- i can handle everything else, but not cats," you protest, nudging one away with your foot. she bites her tongue. it's so cute. everything about you is endearing, but she can't say it. oh, archons, what a struggle this is. "can you really handle everything else, though?" she prods at you, nudging a rather insistent gray cat away with her boot.

you look at her with furrowed brows, stepping forward as the cats in your path clear away. "lumine, do you hate me?" you ask her, so sincerely, so nonchalantly, almost as if you don't care what her answer will be either way.

she starts, then stops. she looks at your cheekbone, your right eyebrow, your lips. she glances down at your hands, at her feet, anywhere but your eyes. "yes," she says to the ground.

"huh," you respond, squinting at her. she finally drags her gaze upwards, and your eyes sparkle with amusement. "because it doesn't seem like you do. in fact, it sort of seems like the opposite." and you walk down the pathway towards the gates of mondstadt with a newly acquired pep in your step, leaving her absolutely blindsided and spluttering.

kunikuzushi |

kuni goes explicitly out of his way to avoid bumping into you, so really, he doesn't know why he stops when he sees you almost in tears at a food stall. he hovers behind you for what seems like an eternity, debating tapping you on the shoulder and asking what's wrong. he studies the back of your head and your neck, the slump of your shoulders wonders if he's acting like a creep. the vendor behind the stall has his back to the both of you, busily prepping something that smells absolutely exquisite.

you step back a bit while he's lost in his thoughts and step on his foot--and jump about a foot in the air. "oh, archons!" you exclaim, turning around. "i'm so sorry, kuni. i didn't realize you were there."

his face feels absurdly hot under your direct gaze, and he stutters out something along the lines of oh, it's okay. archons, it's like he's stupid when you're standing in front of him. why did he stop? why didn't he just keep walking? now he's going to be late, and you're still smiling at him, looking insufferably beautiful despite crying your eyes out a moment earlier.

he realizes he'd looked down at your feet, almost instinctively, and slowly drags his gaze upwards to meet your eyes. your eyes, which are perfectly ordinary, perhaps, but they send something through his veins, and they're so arresting, maybe he could drown in them? could he? your eyes, which reflect the stars, but there aren't any, because it's the middle of the day? maybe he's hallucinating, he tells himself.

you smile at him, and he's prepared to do anything you ask him to--honestly, why is he still here? you seem fine, he could probably move on, he thinks, but before he can, the vendor places something down in front of you.

"160 mora," the man tells you, and your brows draw together anxiously as you rummage through your purse. you pull out a handful of coins that jingle against each other in the palm of your hand, and the whole while, kuni watches your face. he watches the way your shoulders tense and the cords on your neck stand out as you swallow, and the way you blink rapidly but a tear slips out anyway. your eyebrows stay scrunched, and he can't resist the urge to pull out his own coin purse and wordlessly set down 160 mora.

you whip your head around to look at him, protesting wildly, but he flashes you a pained smile and tries not to look at your eyes as he steps back. "consider it my treat," he tells you, forcing the words out from his throat, wondering why you have such an impossible hold on him.

as he walks away, he replays the entire exchange in his head and vows to never stop for you again.

yelan |

yelan regrets telling you that you can call her for help whenever, because now your cat's stuck in a tree and she's standing at the base, looking up at it, feeling immensely foolish. you're looking at her, though, and whenever you do that, her heart pounds so hard she's worried it'll leap out of her chest. she's seized by the undeniable urge to leap into the tree and fish your wretched cat out, if only you'll keep looking at her like that.

"please, yelan," you beg her, your face the epitome of pleading. she stares at you for a few seconds longer; in her mind, she's tracing your eyebrows and cheekbones and also your lips, oh archons, your lips. she can feel the heat rising to her cheeks and neck, and she's positive she's red, so she clears her throat and steps towards the tree.

she doesn't do romance, she doesn't do daydreaming about you, and she certainly should not be helping you wrangle your beast of a cat out of this tree, but unfortunately, here she is. you cheer her on as she turns a deeper shade of beet red, climbing up the tree in a way that she never had imagined she would ever do; climbing as though her life depends on it.

she finally reaches a branch that she can comfortably sit on, and realizes, to her horror, that she's out of breath. she leans over and rests her forehead against her knees and wills her breath to slow down so that she doesn't seem so desperately out of shape that you regret having asked her for help. when she looks down at you, you're staring back at her with an intensity in your eyes that makes her blush. "are you okay?" you call, voice threaded with concern. "do you want me to come up there?"

does she want you to come up here indeed. archons, she would kill for you up here. unfortunately, who knows what would happen if you came up here. so she shakes her head and continues upwards, craning her neck to impossible angles to search for your fool of a feline.

zhongli |

zhongli doesn't pine after strangers (albeit a stranger with whom he's gotten rather close over the past few months) and he certainly doesn't stop to help many others. but for some reason, he's spent the evening chasing your dog around your house because you had cornered him earlier when he had been on his ritual walk. your closeness, combined with your hand on his (why did you always feel the urge to touch people in some way or another when you were talking to them?) had dried up all of the words on his tongue, but you had looked at him expectantly and he had nodded. nodded. he doesn't even like dogs.

now, he sits on the ground and tries in vain to coax the dog over (mora, its name was; what a stupid name) but it's set on ignoring him. "come here," he tries. "here! come here!" and then he realizes he's switched to the baby voice you often use on mora and has to glance over his shoulder to make sure no one's watching.

he inhales and leans back against the couch he's sitting in front of, staring at the darkening sky outside and wondering what it is you're up to. perhaps a dinner? when you'd let him in earlier, you'd been all dressed up; hair pinned up and your face bright and glowy. you'd smelled like glazelilies, and he had sputtered out agreements while trying not to look you directly in the eyes. briefly, he wonders who you would go to dinner with--and then banishes the thought from his mind.

mora ambles over to him and settles in his lap, but for once, he finds he doesn't mind. he strokes the dog's head and sighs, finally feeling at ease. "oh, aren't you a little nugget of gold? oh, yes you are. yes you are. yes you are." he's so wrapped up in the dog that he doesn't hear the door open and you come in until you're standing directly in front of him, your shoes dangling from your hand. "enjoying ourselves, are we, zhongli?"

lyney |

lyney has taken a liking to you, as much as he tries to pretend it's just platonic. he follows you around, brushing off your complaints of lyney, please! i need to work! instead choosing to focus on the fact that him being around distracts you from your work. so when he stumbles upon you in tears on the ground, of course he sits down beside you.

you scrub your face with your fists, burying your head in your knees as lyney pats your back awkwardly, unsure of what to do. "yn...?" he finally asks. "are you... are you okay?"

"yeah," you squeeze out. "yeah, i'm fine." you blink up at the sky, trying to stop the pressure of tears from making their way out. "i had been working on these documents for a week, and i tripped over the bridge." you gesture weakly in the general direction of the bridge. "and now they're all... gone. down there. in the water."

he digs around in his pocket, searching desperately for a handkerchief. he had one yesterday, when he was practicing his magic tricks... where is it? where is anything when he needs it? blowing out a frustrated breath that rustles the hair on his forehead, he hands you some fake flowers. "do you want me to go get them?"

you laugh, the sound shaky and tear-filled. "thanks, lyney." you set the flowers by your feet and lean against him. "no, no, please don't. seriously, i don't want you--"

he leaps up, his cape flying out behind him. crossing one foot behind the other, he bows, tearing off his hat. a stray dove soars free, flapping erratically. "anything for you, ma cherie," he says, flashing you a wink. he trots off towards the bridge, his heels clacking against the pavement, heart racing.

you stare after him, unable to stop the laugh from bubbling up in your chest. you wipe your eyes and make your way down after him, calling his name. "no, yn!" he shouts valiantly, looking over his shoulder. "you sit down! and rest! i'll get them for you! i'll get--" and he trips over the bridge, splashing into the water below.

you lunge for the railing, scanning the bubbles worriedly. "lyney!" you yell, debating leaping in after him. "lyney, can you hear me? lyney, if you can hear me, come back! lyney, come back!"

he pops up with a sputter, his hat sodden and filled with--are those your documents? his hair sticks to your forehead, giving him a look akin to a rat, but he flashes you a smile so brilliant it sends your heart galloping again. "for you, ma cherie! for you!"

lynette |

lynette ignores all of your attempts to woo her, despite the fact that they get her heart fluttering. you bring her romaritime flowers every tuesday, garlic baguette on thursdays. she thanks you cordially for these gifts, and then spends an hour writing thank-you letters that she never sends.

lynette tries to avoid you, even adding five minutes to her journeys across the city when she sees you. not because she hates you, but because simply being around you sends her into hysterics. (in her head.) she's flustered, she's red, and you're standing in front of her right now, offering a handful of berries. why, oh why, oh why hadn't she just cut behind the houses? now she's cornered, trying hard not to lose her composure. she closes her eyes and opens them, and you're still there, smiling at her, holding those berries.

"thanks," she mutters, reaching for them. you yank them out of reach and tsk. "you can't have them until you help me with this one thing! just this one, i promise."

she crosses her arms firmly over her chest, because oh my archons, your smile has her fully disarmed. "what is it?"

you clap, beaming. "i knew you'd say yes! i knew it!"

she interrupts you. "no, no, i haven't said yes yet. just tell me what it is."

"okay, okay! okay, you need to help me put up these posters." from seemingly nowhere, you wrench out a stack of crisp thick sheets--all with "REWARD: 5000 MORA. LOST CAT!" printed on them in big, alarming letters. she takes one, her brow furrowing.

"is your cat... lost?" she asks, glancing up at you.

you nod, sighing. "he's been gone since this morning. he's not an outdoor cat, you see. he's just so clingy, and it's not like him to be like this...." you trail off, clearing your throat. "you don't have to help me look for him, but could you please help me put up these posters?"

lynette shifts from foot to foot. she's got loads of work to do with lyney, but also... you're looking at her so plaintively, concern written so clearly in your eyes, that, she feels, to say no would be similar to murdering an animal. a baby animal.

"fine," she huffs, and you grab her hand. "thank you, lynette! thank you, thank you. i'll make it worthwhile, i promise!"

you let go and spin around, heading down the path, but she's frozen, her hand ice-cold and red-hot all at once. "lynette," you call over your shoulder. "are you coming?"

she shakes her head, trying to clear her feelings like cobwebs, and dashes after you.

four hours later, the sun's setting and everything is bathed in a golden glow, almost as though you're a statue. you're spent; exhaustion pools in dark circles under your normally-alight eyes. her legs ache and her fingers hurt from plastering posters on walls. "oh, my poor baguette," you complain, sitting down against a tree.

she can't stifle a chuckle. "you named your cat baguette?"

you look at her indignantly. "she's very long and very brown. it seemed fitting!"

this strikes lynette as the funniest thing she's ever heard, and she laughs until tears run down her face. her ribs ache and her stomach aches, but it's worth it for the look of bemused adoration on your face.

something brushes against her leg and she jumps, shrieking. your grin stretches ear-to-ear, literally, and you dive for the barrel she's sitting on. "baguette!" you yelp, cradling the cat in your arms. "oh, my gosh, baguette!"

the sun vanishes behind the clouds, and they glow from the inside. almost like you, she thinks. it's a picture-perfect scene, an indignant baguette pinned between you and her, one of your arms wrapped around her shoulders as you kiss her cheek. she never wants to leave.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Just Friends

A pre-Stoncy s1 Fanfiction

Jonathan was so grateful that Will was returned safely from the Upside Down that he never left his side once he woke up. Will had insisted that Jonathan take a break, and he had no choice when Joyce backed him up. With Will coming back, he hadn't really had time to think about anything else or the consequences of his actions until he found Steve in an empty waiting room, digging his finger in his ear.

"Steve, are you okay?" Jonathan asked, but Steve was either ignoring him or he couldn't hear him. "Steve?!"

Jonathan touched his shoulder, and Steve jumped, whirling around. He looked surprised. Okay, so he hadn't heard him.

"Jonathan!" Steve yelled. "I didn't hear you come in!"

"Steve, are you okay?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah, I just think that I have something in my ear," Steve said.

Then, the weight of everything that Jonathan had done had sunk in. He wanted Steve to be the asshole and he wanted to blame him for everything that went wrong. Steve Harrington with the perfect hair and who had everything handed to him. The truth was that Steve had been an asshole for what he had said at the theater and for not stopping Tommy and Carol. Jonathan had been a bigger asshole for taking those pictures and for taking back his apology to Nancy when she had confronted him. He had been so angry that Steve had destroyed his camera. Breaking a camera, he realized, was nothing in comparison to breaking someone's brain. It didn't matter that Will had been missing. Assaulting Steve and nearly killing him was way worse. Jonathan being so distraught about Will going missing wouldn't have been a justifiable excuse for either deafening or killing him. Jonathan was scared again.

"Fuck, Steve, you need to see a doctor," Jonathan said.

"What? No! I'm fine!" Steve exclaimed.

"Steve, I could have seriously messed up your hearing," Jonathan said.

He wanted to throw up when he said that. He couldn't believe that he was so worried about a stupid fucking camera. A camera can be replaced, a brain can't. If his hearing got permanently damaged because Jonathan was too stupid to control his anger. . . He had risen to Steve’s bait. It was almost like Steve had wanted Jonathan to keep hitting him, like he had been begging him too.

"It's just a little water in the ear," Steve said.

"Have you been in the water recently?" He asked.

"Well, no," he replied.

"I fucked up your hearing," Jonathan said with a sigh. "Go see a doctor."

Suddenly, Nancy entered the empty waiting room. Well, it was no longer empty except for the three of them. Her eyes were red rimmed from crying, reminding Jonathan that Barb hadn't come back from the Upside Down like Will had.

"What's going on?" Nancy asked.

"Steve can't hear out of his left ear," Jonathan said. "It's my fault."

He couldn't take it. Jonathan ran the trash can in the room and emptied the contents of his stomach. Images filtered through his head: Steve lying in a hospital bed in a vegetative state. . . Steve lying dead in that alleyway. . .then a memory of long ago entered his head. He remembered the first time his father had hit his mother. Joyce had always made sure that they had never seen it, but Jonathan had come inside much earlier than he had been told to. His father was making excuses to her, but no real apologies, making it Joyce's fault that Lonnie had hit her. Joyce had looked much like Steve does now.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Mommy just had a little accident," Joyce said.

Jonathan wanted to throw up again. He stood up and wiped his mouth. He turned to Steve.

"Get your ears checked," Jonathan said.

"It's going to clear up on its own," Steve blushed.

"Don't be an idiot, Steve Harrington," Nancy said. "If you're having trouble hearing, you need to get it looked at."

"It's not fair that you're both looking at me like that," Steve said. "Fine. Let's do this. I just - hate doctors."

"I'll go with you," Jonathan said.

"You don't have to do this," Steve said. "I deserved to get hit. I was an asshole. You have nothing to feel guilty about."

"You deserved to get slapped for what you said, not me turning your face into ground beef," Jonathan said. "If your brain got damaged. . .man, that can't be replaced, but my camera can. I deserved what I got, but you should have just gotten slapped."

"Oh my god!" Nancy said, rolling her eyes. "You were both doucebags. Steve, let us go with you."

"Yeah, okay," Steve said as she turned to walk out, and he looked at Jonathan. "She's not the boss of us, is she?"

"Yeah, I think she is," Jonathan said and shared a smile with Steve.

"Well, she's not the worst boss in the world," Steve said and laughed with Jonathan.

"Idiots," Nancy said affectionately. "The both of you."

"What did she say?" Steve asked.

Jonathan made sure to stand on his other side.

"She called us idiots," he replied as they followed Nancy out the door.

"That means she likes us," Steve said.

As they both led Steve down the hallway, Jonathan passed his mother coming out of Will's room.

"Will's asleep. Where are you three off to?" Joyce asked.

He could tell his mother was trying not to look too excited at the prospect of him making friends. He knew her too well for her to hide it from him. Jonathan rolled his eyes with a sigh.

"We're taking him to see the doctor," Jonathan said. "He can't hear out of his left ear."

"Oh, honey, do you need me to call your parents?" Joyce asked Steve.

"They're not going to care," Steve said.

"What?" Joyce asked, concerned.

"I mean, because they're just so busy with my father's conference, it'll seem like they don't care, but they totally do," Steve said quickly. "They're just so busy. I don't want to bother them."

Steve said it too fast for her not to be suspicious. They all looked at him.

"Well, if you're sure. . .," Joyce said, looking doubtfully at him.

"Oh, I'm sure," Steve said.

Joyce hugged Jonathan and squeezed the other's arms before walking away.

"Oh, she's definitely calling your parents," Jonathan said.

"Fuck, they're going to kill me," Steve said.

It didn't raise any alarm bells with Nancy, who just sighed at the mention of his father, but it did with Jonathan. He knew what to look for when someone was hiding their fear. He knew how strong a motivator fear was. He had lived with it, but now they all did. Jonathan had suspected as much earlier. He gently brushed his fingers up against Steve’s, letting him know he was there. Steve smiled softly at him. Nancy still lived in a bubble, a bubble he hoped was never popped, where she didn't know or couldn't see the signs of abuse at the hands of a parent. This was a trauma she could never understand, just like they couldn't know what it was like to lose your best friend the way that Nancy had. Although, Steve had a closer idea of it.

Steve had no qualms about taking Nancy's hand before giving Jonathan a look for a moment and taking his hand as they continued walking down the hallway. Jonathan felt his head buzzing, and his stomach grow warm as the feeling of Steve’s hand in his. He looked straight ahead. Everyone was too busy to wonder what it looked like. Jonathan cared. . .Yeah, he cared very much.

"Good news, Mr. Harrington!" The doctor had proclaimed. "It's not permanent."

The doctor had kept them waiting for a while, leaving a very awkward silence with them trying to look anyone else but at each other. No one knew what to say to fill the silence. There had been one reprieve when Steve had been taken away to get some scans. Though it had been less awkward with only Nancy, it was still pretty awkward, and Jonathan had no idea what to say to her. The awkward silence had grown when Steve was returned back to them. Finally, the doctor returned to the small room with the results.

"Well, that's good to hear, or rather half hear," Steve joked, and the doctor laughed.

Jonathan drowned out what the rest of what the doctor was saying, letting the sense of relief wash over him. Was it selfish of him to be so relieved that he didn't have to deal with the consequences of those actions? He was pretty sure that he would have carried that guilt with him until it ate at him like a cancer. He was also so relieved for Steve. . .although Steve definitely could have handled being deaf considering how graceful he was now and how much he had handled taking on the demogorgon. He bit his lip as he remembered the way that Steve had burst through the door and picked up the nail bat. Suddenly, a hand was waved in front of his face, and Steve was standing in front of him. The doctor had long since left. It was now only Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve left in the room.

"You can breathe now, Jonathan," Steve said with a crooked smile. "I told you that I'm fine."

"I'm glad you're okay," he said as he tried to avoid Steve’s eyes.

Steve tucked a finger up under his chin so Jonathan could look at him.

"What else were you afraid of?" Steve asked.

"That I'm a lot more like my father than I thought," Jonathan said.

"Would your father have been so guilty that he had thrown up?" Steve asked.

"No, and he wouldn't have even bothered with a fake apology," Jonathan said.

"See? You're nothing like your dad," Steve said.

He was still holding Jonathan's chin with his fingers. Blushing, Jonathan moved his head and nudged his cheek into Steve’s hand. Steve grinned as he rubbed his thumb over Jonathan's cheekbone.

"I am sorry for all of it," Jonathan whispered. "Not just for hitting you but for what happened with the camera."

He said the last part to both Steve and Nancy. Jonathan blushed at the soft way they both looked at him. Did they also know about him sneaking away earlier to throw up when he also thought about the pictures and the things he said to Nancy in the woods? About using her fear of turning into her parents against her? Jesus, how do Nancy and Steve know how to inflate their eyes like that? He suddenly realized how dangerous they were. He was pretty sure they could convince him to do anything now just by doing their eyes like that.

"My father never apologized to me or showed that he was even guilty for hurting me," Steve said. "I never want to be like him either. I think a part of him spilled out of me in that alleyway when I said those things. That's why I wanted you to keep hitting me."

Nancy's eyes widened, and she looked at Steve. She was starting to put it together why Steve was so afraid of his father. It wasn't just a thing that someone says.

"Yeah, there was this moment in the woods with Nancy where my father also reared his ugly head," Jonathan said.

"I guess we have a lot more in common than we thought," Steve said.

"I wish we could have become friends without having to know what that's like," Jonathan said. "I wish none of this had to happen."

Jonathan was surprised when Steve moved and pulled him into his arms. He froze for a moment before wrapping his arms around Steve’s waist, breathing in his scent.

"I guess we can't really change the past, only change how we deal with it," Steve said.

Jonathan wanted to hate himself for believing in the stereotype that all jocks are dumb.

"Steve," he whispered, prepared to make another apology.

"So, we're friends, huh?" Steve asked.

He could feel Steve’s lips right next to his ear, and Jonathan had to suck in a breath. He hoped Steve never let him go. Steve pulled him closer. Their bodies now flush tightly against against each other as they both shifted. Jonathan wrapped his arms around Steve’s shoulders, letting Steve’s arms fall to his waist. Jonathan pressed his nose into Steve’s neck, trying to breathe him in deeper. He wondered how lonely he had felt with a father like that? Did he also hope to one day find someone who understands him like Jonathan did?

Jonathan was very warm, and his heart was racing. It was too warm in here. With his face still tucked into Steve’s face, Jonathan moved his arms away to tug off his jacket and let it fall to the floor. He moved his arms back around Steve. He grabbed the back of Steve’s sweater, bunching it up in his hands and pulling it up until his hands made contact with his skin. Steve’s hands slipped up under his shirt, causing Jonathan to gasp when his hands made contact with Jonathan's skin. Jonathan's lips brushed up against Steve’s neck before moving to brush up against his ear, placing a delicate kiss there. Nancy let out a loud breathy gasp.

They jumped apart rather quickly, remembering that she was in the room. Jesus, it was like they had tried to crawl inside of each other. Suddenly, Jonathan remembered when they had rolled around in the alleyway. Jonathan had gotten on top of him, his leg sliding between Steve’s leg. . .his knee had inadvertently brushed up against his. . . Judging by the way Steve blushed and the way he looked at Jonathan's legs, he remembered it too.

"Sorry," Steve and Jonathan said in unison.

"Don't be. It seems like you really needed that. . .hug," Nancy smirked, her face red.

Jonathan wanted to change the subject to anything else. God, was his heart pounding in his ears?

"I, uh, really meant it. I'm sorry for taking those pictures. I wish I could take it back," Jonathan said. "You have every right to get mad at me, and I shouldn't have gotten so defensive about it. I just - "

" - tried so hard not to be like your father that you did any way?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah," he said meekly.

"Well, you're a thousand times off to a better start than he will ever be," Nancy said. "Neither one of you are like your fathers. It's all about perspective, especially when we faced the demogorgon together. I forgave the both of you in that moment. Jonathan, you took on a monster from another dimension for your brother, and Steve, you went back into the house when you could have run to safety. In the long run, it doesn't matter as much anymore. We came out of it alive. I forgive both of you."

"I spent so long just trying to pretend like nothing hurt and hid all my pain behind the facade of King Steve. Doing nothing was better than feeling all the hurt that my parents left behind," Steve said. "If we're being honest here. . ."

"Yes, please," Nancy said.

"You two have shown me a better way of living," he said. "You showed me what was truly important and what people should do for the people they care about. My parents. . .Tommy and Carol, they showed me what not to do. They only ever cared about what I could do for their image. You two are more real than they've ever been. I want real. I don't want to run away from that anymore."

Jonathan and Nancy shared a look before smiling at Steve. They hugged him tightly. Yes, this felt right, being in their arms. Jonathan was staring to feel the same warmth that he had felt with Steve just a moment ago. It was building up. Jonathan pulled back with Nancy and Steve, their arms still around each other. The three of them were gazing at each other in a way that Jonathan felt should be weird, but it wasn't. Jonathan gazed at Steve's lips then at Nancy's, trying to decide. He could feel them do the same. His heartbeat was growing louder in his ears. This was it. No turning back. They were just leaning in when the door burst open. They sprang apart. The three of them ran out of the room before they could be questioned, Jonathan grabbing his jacket on the way out. They found themselves in Will's room, looking over him while he slept. It gave them an excuse not to talk about what just happened. Well, Steve just had to say something.

"So," he whispered. "I'm not crazy. There was something there, right?"

"I mean, you're definitely crazy but not for that," Jonathan whispered back.

"Hm, cute and funny. You're the complete package," Steve teased.

"I definitely feel something, but my head is still spinning from all of this," Nancy said. "Especially with Barb gone."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I just thought we should be honest. Whatever you need from us, we're here for you," Steve said.

"As much as I want to throw caution to the wind and respond to my very carnal desires," she whispered and rolled her eyes affectionately when they grinned. "I am not in the right headspace for any major decision-making right now since we're all being honest with each other right now. . .if you two want to go ahead. . ."

Nancy was leaning against the wall in between them both. Jonathan looked at Steve over Nancy's head. They had a short conversation with their eyes.

"No, uh, I think we both want you there," Jonathan said.

"I just don't want anyone to feel like I stopped them from being together," Nancy whispered.

"Nance, you're the reason we're here now. We wouldn't have become friends if it wasn't for you. I mean, maybe it would have eventually happened but it would have taken a lot longer without you," Steve said.

"It just makes sense that our first time together should also be with you," Jonathan said.

"Whenever you're ready, we're ready," Steve said. "You're worth the wait, Nancy Wheeler."

"So. . .just friends for now?" She asked, smiling.

"For now," Steve and Jonathan agreed with soft smiles.

"So, did you ever think you'd want to be with a guy?" Steve whispered to Jonathan.

"I actually always assumed it was just guys until Nancy came along," Jonathan said.

"That's funny. For me, I always thought it was just girls until you came along," Steve said and flashed him a crooked smile.

"Funny how things work out," Nancy smiled softly.

Jonathan worried for a moment that they had been too loud when Will woke up suddenly.

"I'm hungry," Will said.

"I'll go get your mom," Steve said. "I'm pretty sure she's probably still filling up my parents' machine."

"Wait," Will said in confusion. "Are you three friends now?"

"Yeah, nothing like fighting a monster from another world to really bring you together," Steve grinned.

Will laughed, and it warmed Jonathan's heart to see Will light up with Steve. He groaned internally. Just friends. For now. It was going to be tougher than he thought it would be. Just friends, just friends, just friends. . .

"Ooh! A lucky penny!" Steve exclaimed and bent over.

Jonathan and Nancy both groaned.

[valkyyriia]

Pokes

Arthur with the sick prompt (and tchai) preferably pre-relationship >:))

The Adventure of the Doctor's Orders

Words: 644 CW: None | SFW Tags: Sickfic, OC x Suitor Prompt: Arthur + Sick Pairing: Arthur / Tchaikovsky (Koco's OC) (Pre-Relationship)

OC: Pyetrovna Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Note: The title for this one is subject to change. I can't think of anything better but I'm not happy with it either haha.

I hope I did Tchai justice, Koco!

It started with a sniffle.

The sniffle turned into a cough.

Arthur wasn't worried, no; why would he be? Arthur hardly worried about a thing (if you were to believe his words, anyway). The way his mouth would go dry and his hands would shake every time Tchaikovsky's body convulsed with cough was purely coincidental.

Vampires hardly ever get sick, Comte told him once. They were also incredibly difficult to kill. Even the lesser vampires were more resilient than a human, albeit less so than the purebloods.

The rational thought in Arthur's brain told him it was nothing serious. Every logical part of him screamed that he had nothing to worry about.

Yet the emotional part of Arthur that he tried so hard to keep at bay wouldn't hear of it.

What if it was something serious? Tchai was sickly, wasn't she? Something didn't quite click when she was revived, and her ailments continued to plague her. It could be she had also somehow not gotten the vampiric super-healing and-

No.

Arthur stopped himself there.

It did him no good to dwell on such thoughts.

"Luv, are you okay?" Arthur asked, his concern evident in his voice. He looked at Tchai, his blue eyes scanning the girl's frame analytically. He took note of the abnormally strong shivers wracking the girl's body and how she was paler than usual. Small details, sure, but to Arthur's experienced eye, they were as obvious as a lighthouse on a clear night at sea.

Fever.

"I'm fine," Tchai argued.

"You certainly are not," Arthur replied, walking closer to her. He took his glove off and pressed the back of his hand to her forehead, checking Tchai's temperature.

Just as he expected - she was warm and her skin was clammy to the touch.

Arthur clicked his tongue. "You shouldn't be walking around like this. Off to bed with you." He shooed her back towards her room.

Tchai tried to protest, but realized quickly that it was futile. Arthur wouldn't hear a word of it.

The blatant, unhidden display of concern was enough to cause Tchai's eyes to water. She didn't think any of the residents would care enough about her to worry if she was feeling under the weather. She blinked back tears, determined not to cry in front of Arthur.

Despite her best efforts, a couple of tears slipped out. If Arthur noticed, he didn't say anything.

Arthur walked them straight over to Tchai's bedroom door and opened it, pushing her into her room with a light hand on the back.

"Go on. Get yourself comfortable. I won't look, even if you ask me to," Arthur joked, though his grin lacked some of its usual cheer.

Tchai tried to laugh, but it quickly turned into a cough.

"Strict bedrest. Doctor's orders," Arthur chided. "You're lovely, Tchai, truly; but I don't want to see you up and about until this fever's broken." He pointed a warning finger at her, slipping his glove back on and moving to head out the door.

She made a small noise of protest. Arthur popped his head back in the room. "Now, now, no need to miss me that much; I've hardly been gone for ten seconds! I'm going to get a couple of things while you're getting yourself back in bed."

When Arthur returned, Tchai had changed back into her nightclothes. Arthur placed a bowl of soup on the bedside table alongside a bottle of Rouge.

"Eat this, and drink that," he told her. "And then go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

After ensuring she followed his instructions, Arthur settled at Tchai's desk, his latest manuscript in hand. He wasn't entirely certain why he felt the need so strongly to reassure himself Tchai would be okay, but regardless, he would do his part.

Arthur promised himself he wouldn't lose her.

Taglist: @natimiles Banners/Dividers by @natimiles

Let me know if you'd like to be added!

[bonny-kookoo]

I'm really curious about what happened to tongue tied mc before she was with the boys. Can we get a glimpse of her past like maybe when she was coming to the hynr building or just in general when she was in a shelter?

Obvious Warnings for angst.

---

Sometimes, you think of yourself as a ghost.

No one really looks at you, no one talks to you because you can't hold a proper conversation, and so no one bothers to really try and interact with you. It's the same right now, as your caretaker leads you along with her and the new, unfamiliar people talking up front. They're talking about you- but it's like you're not even there.

"Does she need any safety measures or anything? We only have category two hybrids here, that's why I'm asking." A more older man asks, and your caretaker shakes her head.

"We initially put her at more of a category three anyways, but then in her last home things went a little wrong- you know how it goes-, so now most of her issues stem from past brain injury more or less." She clarifies, and the man nods.

"Alright so she can stay on her own?" He only wants to know, and your caretaker nods.

"Mostly." She laughs. "Its not like she can complain, so we just assume, really. But she rarely ever gets hurt; and if she does, she learns pretty quickly not to do it again." She seems to joke, and everyone laughs.

Except you. Because you don't think it's all that funny.

"Great, alright! I mean, I don't know if she can read so I didn't buy anything for her to I don't know.. occupy herself with, but I guess we might buy something in the future." The man shrugs, opening the door to a standard furnished small apartment. It looks like you; mostly white, no color, bland and lifeless.

Like a ghost.

"I mean, we can't tell either, so I'm not sure about that." The lady holding your hand explains. "Alright! You've signed everything, all is approved- I guess that's done then!" She says, almost a bit too happy, as she puts your hand and backpack into a younger woman's hands. "Now don't cause any trouble alright?" Your caretaker tells you, and only now does it really dawn on you.

You're going today. You're leaving today. You're staying here, right now.

And while no, the carecenter wasn't a great place to live, it's still familiar and comforting and somewhat home- you don't want to stay here, not today, not like this- but it's clear that it's not your choice.

Because it never is.

"No no don't cry now- keep a good hold of her alright darling? She's got a tendency to run off, and the last time she did- well, you see the results for yourself." Your former caretaker tells the young woman almost as if shes joking, before she leaves.

No amount of whining, crying or fighting against the new woman's hand is gonna help, and you know that.

But as a hybrid, you can't help your behavior, you can't help but at least try, at least somehow let the people around you know that you do not agree with this because they don't listen to anything else you do. They never listen.

Only when you're doing something bad- only then do they seem to see you.

And it shows, moments later- because as soon as you stop struggling, as soon as you accept your situation, the door to the apartment closes, electronic lock beeping to signal its now secured, all while you stand in the middle of the empty and cold apartment while rain patters against the windows. And weirdly enough, as you stand in the silent living room, no one around to look at you or notice you, you only ask yourself one thing;

Is this truly that much different from where you came from anyways?

[seramilla]

I have two images of Charlie learning Vaggie used too date Emily. One is back off she's mine. The other is guilt did she steal Vaggie from Emily the two had been dating before Vaggie fell and its not like they stopped because they broke up but because Emily thought Vaggie was dead and had no way to contact her. Is she keeping Vaggie from who she should be with. (I suspect after learning about everything Sera and Emily offered to let Vaggie stay in heaven where it's safe and also with Emily but Vaggie turned it down because she didn't want to abandon the hotel when they need it most.) It’s probably a mix of the two Charlie feels guilty whenever she thinks about it but has her horns out whenever she sees Emily around Vaggie.

Charlie is still reeling from the sheer chaos that had been her and Vaggie's meeting with Heaven. Not only had her attempts to make a case for Angel Dust's redemption been thrown back in her face in spectacular fashion, Adam had said he'd specifically be targeting her hotel in a mere month's time. And absolutely worst of all, her girlfriend, her partner, the love of her life, had been lying to her for years. Not only is she actually an angel, an Exterminator, to boot, but she also already has a partner, from a former life that Charlie knows absolutely nothing about.

To say things can't be worse would be an understatement. All of Charlie's optimism and hope, the very future she had envisioned for her people, is smashed. Dashed across the rocks into a million tiny pieces; there are so many, she cannot conceive of a way to put them back together again. She turns over in bed, where she's currently swaddled in her bedsheets like an infant. She's spent all day in here; unable to face Vaggie, unable to ask her how she could lie to her for so long, and treat her like she's the most precious thing in her life, when she already has a partner waiting for her back home.

Home...not with Charlie, but in Heaven, with her...Emily. The thought makes her sob again, and she's already done more than enough of that today. She usually feels better after a good cry; especially when it's into Vaggie's shoulder, with her hand patting her back, telling her it's okay. Right now, the effort seems pointless. It does help her clear her head in the moment, but it's short-lived when the feelings come rolling back in like a tide an hour or so later.

She wants Vaggie here with her, helping her try to process everything they'd learned in Heaven, like she normally does. She should have heeded Vaggie's warning...should have listened to her, and never gone up there. Maybe then she'd still be clueless; there is some happiness to be found in naïveté, after all. Maybe then she'd never have found out she only had half of Vaggie's heart.

A part of her knows that's unfair; it's not Vaggie's fault she fell. She saved a literal child from the end of an Exterminator's spear. And the price she'd paid was beyond anything Charlie thinks a person ever deserves to experience. She's been through so much pain and trauma in the last 3 years, and realistically, probably never thought she'd see Emily again. She'd tried to move on with her life, and make a new purpose with Charlie's cause, and a new home with her.

Charlie smiles, thinking of all the things they've been through together in such a short time. Her life spans hundreds of years, but somehow, the last 3 have been the most meaningful, the most joyful, the most special of all of them. She'd never give any of that up. And while her heart hurts, and she feels a little resentment toward Emily, she knows it's not the Seraphim's fault, either. All three of them are simply victims of circumstance; a really fucked up series of events. They just have to learn to move on from it.

Emily had been so nice to her; welcomed her, showed her around, treated her like some kind of celebrity, despite who her father is. She'd stood up for Angel when no one else in the angelic court would. If Vaggie had seen something in her, once...then she can't be a bad person. And if they're going to make her plan work, they need an ally on the inside. Even if it's awkward, or hurts her to work together...she thinks she may have to try. For Vaggie, and for herself, and most importantly, for the very souls of her people.

[reve-writes]

—end of the line; chishiya shuntarō.

ʚ chishiya shuntarō x reader | alice in borderland. ʚ it's the end of the line for you, and it has to be by his hands. ʚ heavy angst; either chishiya or reader dies but the ending is pretty much open! the choice is yours ;) ʚ a/n i wrote for him after s2 dropped and then just stopped. started reading the manga again, wanted to write some angst for him.

“Come on, Shuntarō. You don't have all day.”

The words ring clear and true. He doesn't have all day, not when the clock is ticking down. Tick tock tick tocks fuel the anxiety that burns inside your chest. This is bound to happen one way or another. In a world that is so keen, so determined to push the players to the edge of desperation and then some, what the two of you have is built on a rope bridge—ready to snap any moment.

Any moment has turned into now.

You've accepted this half an hour ago, handed your life on a platter to him so he lives. An easy trade for you to make. A difficult one for him to take when it shouldn't be.

He's silent. The metal collar seems to tighten around his throat as his glassy eyes study you. His lips tight to mask the quiver, fists clenched to soothe the tremble.

“Don't do that,” he protests, voice pitchy even as he tries to keep it level. “Don't accept your death so easily.”

You are numb—can barely feel the tips of your fingers as you reach up to touch him, hands cold on his cheeks. He leans into the touch as he always does. A terrible realisation crashes over him like a tsunami: he'll have to live without your touch.

“This should be easy for you,” you insist. “Remember what you told me? ‘Don't expect much. If it comes down to you or me, I'll always save myself.’”

The Shuntarō who stands in front of you can barely believe he has ever said those words. Ten days into the Borderland and meeting you after he won his first ever game, he actually said that to you—word by word. Back then, you think it was horribly cold of him, but you understood then and you understand now.

As time passes, you stop registering into games together. Not if you can help it. He wants to avoid being put in the position of having to choose because he doesn't he can make that choice anymore. Until today, and it seems that you've made the choice for him.

“Is it easier if I walk away? So you don't have to see—” my body. “—the aftermath.”

It is almost comical how collected you are in the situation. The dynamic you share has shifted on its head. His generally calm figure is shaking head-to-toe. Your usual worried state is nowhere to be found.

“No,” he whispers. “Stay.”

He doesn't cry. He blinks as little as he can. He wants to drink you in, remember every part of you: the shape of your eye, the hook of your nose, the curve of your lips, the lines on your palms. Everything. It fills him with a terrible sense of dread when he thinks he might forget you. Gradually, your features will start to blur and time will take his treasured memories of you away from him.

He cannot have that. “You'll live.”

You shake your head frantically. “I can't.”

“You can,” he insists, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “You will live.”

“Please, Shuntarō.”

“Why are you so determined to die?” He snarls. Annoyance rises up within him.

“For a selfish reason. I don't think I want to exist in a world where you don't.”

“You think I do?”

“No, but you can bear it,” you reply resolutely. “You can.”

You press a kiss to his lips. It's messy, desperate and tear-filled. He wants to remember the feel of your lips slotted against his, to commit to memory the feel of his hand on the small of your back.

“I don't think I can,” he admits finally, breath rushing as he pulls back from the kiss.

“Shuntarō.”

He makes plans. He tries to stay steps ahead from the games and the shittiness of this world. Always does. This feels like his failure.

“It's not your fault.”

Like a mind-reader, you reassure him. Your presence helps his mind come to a halt—stops himself from spiralling into madness. The type of madness that comes when one falls too deep into the rabbit hole of one's mind. God knows he spends a lot of time up there.

“Live a good life, Shuntarō.”

They are your last words to him and then you're moving away from him—limbs untangling, touches disappearing and he thinks his sanity has left him too as he watches your retreating form.

The sick device is in his hands—one press of a button and one of you will fall. You've left the decision up to him and his head spins as he hears an obnoxious computer-generated voice blaring in his ears, reminding him that he only has ten seconds.

Nine, eight, seven.

His hand shakes.

Six, five, four.

He doesn't know what to do, for once in his life.

Three.

Two.

One.

The whole venue goes silent. A loud game clear erupts. The lights dies out. A thud of a lifeless body as it hits the floor.

Only one walks out, heart torn out of their chest, air stolen from their lungs.

What a joke of a world it is.

[ ]

[bellysoupset]

I love love LOVE this new Wen + Max (+ Vin) trilogy 😍

The hospital not being able to afford Wendy going above her hours and then threatening to request a phsych eval. God, girl, you need some rest, go and get it!!

The text messages between her, Jonah, and Bella were hilarious. Wendy needed them so bad to realise she could just go and be with Vince lol.

70% lingerie? Go, girl!!

Vince in detention duty? Now I want to see that. But poor Wen though, she was so frustrated with the headache already and all she wanted was Vince 🥺

Being on the road with a migraine must suck so bad.

Thank God for Max's need to suuubtly follow her. Being A Nice Person indeed. He knew Wen was nauseous immediately because he is so familiar with the signs himself. Poor thing. The both of them.

"Hurl and then I'll drive you"😳 jkgkfkfkg

Max continuously calling Wen gorgeous!! Hell yes.

Oh Max is going to get a heart attack if these two keep fainting on him. He was SO panicked for a sec there.

"Polar bear of a boyfriend" couldn't be more accurate.

Poor girl was on the verge of crying in pain and Max just kept talking because he was worried and frustrated by her request to stop it then unintentionally made it worse. Oh my heart.

Then he took her to Vin's place and wanted to stop her tears and pain so badly, but didn't know how. I feel like Max wanted Vince to arrive more than Wendy herself did lol.

Vin was sooo confused and guilty when he finally got home, but he immediately jumped into caretaking. The contrast of him being that familiar with Wen's migraines and Max just feeling totally out of place, not knowing what more to do to help. Then the way Max was so eager to grab the meds when Vin asked him to that he almost tripped over himself. Baby.

Vince was so grateful for Max' help, and Max got red in the cheeks and butterflies in his stomach from Vin's smile just to turn the situation into a comedy with the puked on shirt.

Btw what do you mean you feel like you don't make it clear enough that Vince loves Wendy more than his life? No way. Soup, I only need to read a single sentence from Vin to Wendy and it's clear as day even if they are not as "dramatic" as you put it. Better yet, Vin can stay silent even and I would know he is head over heels in love with Wendy just by his actions and mimic. Like, just look at the beginning of the third part. Vin showed up with food and tulips because he didn't want Wen to have lunch alone 🥺😍 How would this not be clear?  You describe their connection so well, Soup. There is no need to worry.

I should truly shorten these asks I'm sending, but I don't want to send 10 separate ones and I simply can't shut up, I'm sorry.

Back to part 3. Vince is understandably worried about Wen and her constant need to be busy and not be alone. Working that much is not healthy.

I loved his reaction to Wendy wanting to have lunch with Max then him just asking the guy so casually like 'my girlfriend wants to take you out for lunch'. Max' face must have been something else 😂

It's so obviously Wendy to just invite Max for lunch as thanks. Will she get him a nice shirt to replace the one she puked on like she did to Vince back then? 👀

Max let Wen pick the place because it didn't matter, he was going to end up sick anyways. Poor thing I feel so bad for him for having such a sensitive tummy. (But I really enjoy reading about his suffering, damn 🙈)

I love that we got to know more about Max and Wen's background and that he felt a bit more understood with Wendy's family not being perfect either.

"Should've told you my gut is a temperamental bitch" "Like its owner?" God, I love her

Max felt so embarrassed to be seen sick and Wendy was like 'nope, I'm a doctor and you saw me being sick too, now let me help'.

I'm going to shut up now because this ask is beyond huge already. Hope you have fun reading all this.

- 💜

Vin in detention duty would be PITIFUL! He's such a pushover and teenagers are not at all his demographic as a teacher, he'd just be "😐 guys I know none of us want to be here, so let's just try and be nice and yeah, sure you can watch tiktok I guess- Sure, let's watch some youtube videos..." then the principal never again puts him on detention duty

Max is SO overwhelmed by these people, between Vin and Wendy he had such a month, most emotional month he's had in a very long time. I'm so happy you enjoyed his POV!!

Btw I love the idea of Wen giving him a shirt like she did with Vin, crazy parallel I hadn't even noticed. Stealing that!

Wendy really does need to calm. down. Her, Jon and Luke are ridiculous overworking people who need someone in their life telling them to just go sit in a corner for a while, thanks. These really tend to be the dynamics I gravitate to!