#i had no idea that wanderer came back with like no recollection of his past???

[yusukenui]

.

[jakeyt]

Covet: Chapter 12 (Sneak Peek)

a/n:

hi, friends!

yet again, I deliver a 4,000 word 'sneak peek.' l m f a o.

like I've previously mentioned, the monstrosity that is Chapter 12 was initially part of Chapter 11. buuut due to these two being quite the stubborn pair, the chapters continue on their pattern of being much longer than the I anticipated. hopefully they tone down after chapter 12 comes out, but... there is no telling. lmao.

the chapter count has increased by like 2 (? I think.....) chapters, if you check out the masterlist you'll see that. the ideas just keep on coming on my long drives to work everyday, as I blast the playlist to this silly little story.

plz enjoy the cringe manip of Josh... I couldn't help making it. just had to see him in the booth at Jungle Juice for god knows what reason l o l.

Warnings: (as always: MDNI 18+); vivid recollection of unprotected p in v sex; self doubt; body image issues; sadness; heartache; pregnancy; mentions of infidelity (sry not sry, maya); as always, if i missed anything that is triggering to you, PLEASE lmk!

-🌼🌼🌼- 

Arguably, as you left that yoga class, you felt the most relaxed you had in a long while. 

Your belly was still heavy at your front, but everything else felt so loose. Weightless. It was nice.

Josh had decided afterwards that it was a good plan to get a couple of smoothies. And who were you to argue that? It was even more tempting since he’d offered to buy them.

The drive to and from all of your ventures had been nice. You two had listened to music most of the car ride – enjoying the soul music you’d both bonded over several years ago. 

But, as soon as “You’re All I Need To Get By” came on the shuffle, you quickly reached forward to skip past that one. And, it must have been your lucky day because as soon as that one was out of the way, the other song from that morning on the living room floor was playing. 

"(You Make Me Feel Like) A (motherfucking) Natural Woman", to your lovely surprise. Because why not?

The only songs you’d skipped and, of course, Josh had noticed. 

He’d snorted at you, making you glance in his direction. “What did Miss Aretha do to you?” 

“Nothing,” you shook your head with a lip stuck out. “Just didn’t feel like listening to those songs, I guess.”

I imagine your brother stark naked, inside of me, when I hear those songs, if you must know, you thought with a skip to your heart at the memory. And that’s just not what I need at the moment, Joshua.

And, with absolutely zero surprise, you were back in that damn living room. No point in skipping the songs, it seemed. The gray morning, rain pittering against the windows. The stupid idea you’d had, forever haunting your association with the Queen of Soul.

You’d just sat up on your elbows to watch him as he thumbed through the records, appreciating the view. “You pick and I’ll let you know if I like.”

And, as he’d searched through the albums, you’d just let your mind wander, right along with your eyes. . .

His body was a work of art. Always would be. Your favorite work of art. 

His thighs, ever-muscular, from the way they flexed when he’d move his body with his guitar on stage. 

That perfectly round ass that was undoubtedly gifted to him by the body gods. 

And his broad shoulders – strong to match his equally strong personality.

When he’d turned a bit towards you, you’d been given an image you’d never forget. His eyes, quickly scanning the back of a vinyl. And as he did so, your eyes had instantly found his straining dick. 

And, in the current moment, right next to his goddamned twin brother, you had to cross your damn legs at the thought of Jake’s dick. Fuck everything. Even if you shouldn't, all you wanted was Jacob Kiszka. All. You. Wanted. It was stupid to ever think you could convince yourself out of that particular desire. 

You could still imagine every detail from the morning. His tip, swollen from being pulled mid-sex. Your clit thrummed and twitched in current time at the thought, remembering how he'd still glistened from your dripping center. 

He’d turned to you fully, the Aretha Franklin vinyl in his grip – her Greatest Hits. You’d found his eyes. They were questioning, but you hadn’t been able to focus entirely on his glance. No, you’d looked away from his eyes to admire your most favorite parts of his body. 

His toned pecs and his solid stomach— fuck. They made you fucking weak.

There were truly no words for the way he was built— pecs naturally firm and rounded with lean muscle. 

And his stomach— just a little soft and the perfect finish to it all, complimenting him just right— finishing out his sturdy, powerful stature. 

His aura would always be compelling. He was utterly beautiful, with his sparkling amber-brown eyes, flowing chestnut locks – even longer now than then – and his sharp features. And the way he was built matched so well with how he carried himself. Without even trying, he could control any room he was in. 

(And control you with a simple snap of his fingers.)

He was honestly what all of your dreams were made of.

And, in moments from the past, like the sacred one you were remembering. . . you remember wishing everyday – more than anything – that he was yours. Still wanted him to be yours. You could remember thinking. . . no matter how bad you could be for him, your selfish wants had you constantly feeling pulled towards Jake.

But. . . he wasn’t yours. Not then. Not now. 

And that bitter thought had helped to snap you out of your trance on that simplistic, perfect morning. You'd finally looked at him to answer. 

He was smirking, knowingly. “I love your body, too, Beautiful.”

Your thighs pressed even closer together as you tapped out the beat of the current song on your thighs. A Minnie Riperton song. Just focus on Minnie. Tried to remember the moment you were currently in. . . But you couldn’t. Not yet.

Wait. Minnie. This song. You focused for a second. Was fucking "Memory Lane" playing? O-kay. Your life was truly hilarious. (Meaning, it was, in fact, not hilarious in the slightest.)

You tried to tune her out, rejecting the lyrics that hit far too close to home for your taste. But all that happened when you tuned her out, was Jake repeating the statement about your body. . . You could only hear those words from his mouth on repeat when you squeezed your eyes shut, so tightly.

With a gentle touch, you placed a hand to the bottom of your tummy to hold it. Your body now was nowhere near the same as it had been then. . . 

How the fuck would he talk about your body now? You knew how he felt about some of your newer assets. But. . . how would it feel now to hear him say things like that about your body? During sex? His dick, impossibly hard and leaking for your current, swollen body? Your belly, your bigger breasts? Your fuller thighs. . . Would he look at you the same during sex now? 

Fuck. Why were you even thinking like that?! You were imagining things that were only breaking your heart. . . Getting your mind in a dangerous space it did not need to be in.

Realizing it was slightly safer in your memories, you leaned back against your headrest to feel the rest of the moment.

You’d flushed at the words then. Even going the extra mile to roll your eyes. Tried your best to play off the way his words made your heart flutter. Ridiculous attempt. With a peek briefly at the record, you nodded at the choice. “Aretha is always a yes.”

“Agreed.”

He’d turned to put it on the Crosley, and as soon as the needle hummed against the record, making its wonderful crackling sound, you knew he’d made the right choice. This record was something else.

And now, the Greatest Hits vinyl held your heart in ways you could’ve never imagined on that rainy morning.

You could remember how it felt to watch him – the intoxicating combination of seeing him walk back to you, with some of the most incredible music backing him. . . Shit. (If you know, you fucking know.)

“I hope you don’t mind. I skipped past the first few,” he’d said as he came back to you, falling to his knees beside you. So near to you and ready to resume sex with you. There'd been no constraints. No girlfriends. No ugly voice in the back of your head telling you how terrible you were for him. Things were still perfect. 

You’d smiled up at him. “Perfectly fine. This is the best song on the entire record anyway.” 

“I think so, too,” he said, eyes lifting with a grin.

God. You felt tears climbing your throat, right next to Josh, as you thought of his sweet face. The smile on his lips that could have cured every single piece of trauma ever. . . If you would have let it. He was so goddamn perfect. And you were. . . well. . . you.

Then, he’d come back to you. Laid on his back for you as you angled your body to straddle him, sinking onto him.

The look on his face when you fucked him was one of your favorite sights. He’d always watched you so closely. . .whether it be your face, your breasts, your ass, or your center that wrapped around him, so tight. He’d scrunch his brows and let his mouth open a bit with certain movements of your hips, and bite his lip at other times. . . 

But, in moments like this one, with one hand holding your face while the other gripped your hip, a small, close-mouthed smile on his soft, plush lips. . . His emotion-filled eyes, boring into yours . . .

Your world had always tipped slightly on its axis when he’d do shit like that. Moments like the one from many mornings ago. . . Those moments had never failed to make a whole lot of gray in what should have been a strictly black and white situation. 

And, as you’d listened to the soulful voice flowing quietly from the record player, your thoughts drifted further. . .

When my soul was in the lost and found,

You came along to claim it.

I didn't know just what was wrong with me,

Till your kiss helped me name it.

The song had perfectly summed up how you felt about this man. The same man who had once been the bane of your existence, was now a light on your darkest days. 

And, in the present time. . . the father of your baby. Fuck.

As you’d glanced down to watch him, his hips had begun to move on their own – never failing to make you feel complete and right. . . You truly couldn’t imagine your life without him. 

Having him around made you feel . . . whole. Without even knowing or trying, he’d helped you find missing pieces to your puzzle. Found hidden pieces of your soul that you hadn’t seen in a long time. Some good pieces. Some bad pieces. But all necessary pieces of you. Pieces you’d forgotten even existed. And by simply being near you, he made you feel authentic in a way you’d never felt with another man. 

As you’d continued riding him, you had leaned down on your forearms to get close to his face. His handsome, handsome face. You’d given him a long kiss. A kiss that you’d hoped, then, was able to say thank you. . . Because, truly, you were so grateful for him. 

But when you’d separated your lips from his and pressed your perspired forehead to his own, you’d found the deep pools of his eyes that held so much of your world in them. And you’d known then that you had to say the words out loud.

“Thank you,” you’d whispered, hoping he’d understand as new tears had clouded your vision. Your hips were moving languidly at the perfect pace, matching the slow rocking of his hips. You’d been holding onto him, keeping rhythm with the beautiful, now-special song.

He’d held your gaze for more than a few moments, a secret smile forming in his eyes as he spoke. “Thank you.”

You’d studied him seriously, the feeling in his eyes seeming to match the longing in your heart. Both of you had stayed there for a minute, taking the other in. 

You’d kissed him once more. And, rather than continuing the conversation, you’d focused on finding a release for you both. 

That hadn’t even been “You’re All I Need To Get By”. . . Not yet. No, that song, that blissful melody from your memory, was “You Make Me Feel (Like A Natural Woman)”. . . And that he did – he made you feel like the melodies of that song. Always would. He was every lyric of that song, sealed forever in your heart that way.

But the next song. . . When you’d fallen apart on top of him. And him, just barely pulling out in time, to finish onto your tummy. . . All while the song had been surrounding you, enveloping your senses. . .

“Y/n!” Josh’s voice called to you from the current moment, his fingers making you jump a bit, your eyes hurriedly blinking open as he continued to snap in front of your face. “Earth to y/n!”

Fuck. How were you going to explain getting lost like that? Thankfully, your eyes had been closed almost the entire time. You could just say you’d been sleeping. 

“I was just sleeping, Josh,” you lamely explained, looking to your right, hoping you were already at the cafe.

And, for once, fate had worked in your favor, as he’d just parallel parked at Jungle Juice. Perfect timing. Avoid avoid avoid.

You hadn’t missed the curious look in his eye after your barely-there explanation or the way he’d opened his mouth to begin to question you. But as soon as he’d parked, you were hopping out of that Jetta. 

-🌼🌼🌼-

You were just sitting down, pomegranate smoothie in hand, at a table inside. Josh was still at the counter, you having instantly put distance between the two of you. As you sat, your mind briefly drifted to the mundane task of taking a seat. You noticed how much easier than normal it was to simply sit comfortably, thanks to the yoga. 

Soon, Josh was sitting down across from you. And, after he took one tiny drink of his smoothie, he pushed it ahead of him with a huff. His fluffy mess of curls flowed around his head with the noise. 

There should’ve been no surprise when he didn’t drop what you'd started in the car. His ass had practically just touched his booth bench when he was asking you. “What the fuck is it with those songs?”

“What?” You crinkled your brow at that. He hadn’t ever been around before for you to skip past those songs. For all he knew, you’d literally fallen asleep after the relaxing yoga class. “Just didn’t feel like hearing them today. And I got tire–.”

“Jake gets weird when they come on, too. . .,” he interrupted with a raised brow, trailing off as if lost in thought while addressing you. “Specifically “You’re All I Need”,” he mumbled, sort of to himself as he looked down at the table. Then his eyes flashed back to yours. “And, no. You were not sleeping. Faker.”

Damn. Yeah, there was no explaining your way out of this one. Were you really going to have to be honest with him? It did not feel like the time – for more reasons than one. But you decided you’d say what you could. . . Maybe you could make him uncomfortable enough to move on. . .

“Jake and I just had some incredible sex to those songs,” you began, eyes not once leaving his. He held firm, even after that blatant statement. Okay. Second try. But you had to look down for this part, too embarrassed to look at Josh as you said it. “Got really close to making the baby that morning rather than the night we got high. He pulled out just in time to aim it on my bell–.”

“Noooo thanks,” the curly-headed twin stopped you, holding up a hand with his lips turned down. “That’s enough. Truly. Thank you, I now know what I need to know.”

You raised a brow, a tiny smirk on your lips as a laugh squeaked past your lips. “Joshua. You didn’t need to know any of that.”

“Well. . . maybe you’re right,” he surmised with another small sip from his green drink. 

“I usually am,” you answered, relieved that he’d gotten all he wanted – no, needed – to know. “So, how are things going with–?” “Also, you are not ‘usually right’, my dear,” he corrected you, air quotes and all. His nose twitched with his own grin as he watched you narrow your eyes in his direction. “I can tell you that right now. Your little speech from last night. . . You and Jake both. Fuck,” he snorted before taking another drink. He covered his mouth with a silent laugh before smoothing the hand down the side of his face. “Both of you are the worst liars to ever live.”

The breath you should’ve been breathing got stuck in your lungs. Where was he going with this? This had the potential to be an extremely embarrassing and awkward conversation you weren’t in the headspace to have. “What are you talking about, Josh?” 

“You and my twin, claiming you were ‘nothing’,” he began, lips quirked with a close-lipped grin and the air quotes coming out to play again with the word you’d both used to describe your situationship. “That all your relationship was was one night of meaningless sex that resulted in my niece or nephew.”

Niece, you silently added. You suddenly wanted to tell him really badly. But you would let Jake do that. Made a note to tell him he could do that whenever he was ready. 

“I just find it funny,” he finished, his mouth still curved into a smirk. “I’m pretty sure we all knew that you were lying out of your asses. Well. . . except for that Theo guy. He’s kind of a moron.”

How did you even respond to this? Did you lie? Confide? Half-heartedly agree? Completely avoid it and tell him you didn’t want to discuss it? Fuck if you knew. 

So, you just began talking. 

“How are you so confident in this assumption that we were lying about it being nothing?” You quizzed him, taking a drink to hide a little. “You didn’t even know that we were doing it while we were doing it. Did you ever stop to think that maybe you didn’t know because it was nothing more than sex?”

“Oh, y/n. How in the world can you begin to question my empathic tendencies? You know I’d sensed the difference in Jake,” he reminded you, noting back to your day of the first OB appointment. “And, the more I thought back on it, I remember there being a rise in your spirits during the summertime as well. . . Only towards the end of it did you get all mopey. When, I can only assume, you started doubting yourself and Jacob. Enough so that Jake wanted to host a night to raise your spirits. . .,” he trailed off, taking another drink before tapping a finger to his chin, sitting the cup on the table.

“But, yes. You were nothing, mhm,” he continued with a sardonic nod, closing his eyes briefly with a mischievous grin before he was looking at you again. “You both were noticeably different – good different. And he noticed every shift in your mood. . . You got emotional way back on the day of that first ultrasound when I brought up his relationship with Maya. . . Um, what else? Oh! The motherfucker takes you to therapy! Of course he does, because you feel safe with him. Big fucking deal, by the way. And, yes, I know all of this, y/n – I’m watchful. Don’t you argue that fact with me,” he pointed at you with a raised brow and a slight smile. “. . .But. You were nothing. Okay.”

Well. “I–.”

“And then last night,” Josh giggled, taking a sip of his smoothie before placing his hands on the table in excitement. “Jake had his hands up your shorts, touching you. . . like that in front of everyone–.” 

“It was a card he was playing, Jo–.”

“. . .Whispering in your ear, your fuckin’ body reacting to it. His bodily reaction to it – I mean, with an unfortunate glance downwards, anyone was privy to that situation in his pants,” he outwardly cringed, lips turned down as he shook his head at the thought. He’d been that noticeably hard? Fuck. “And then, going to the bathroom to relieve himself with everyone in the living room!” Josh couldn’t stop his wail of a laugh at the end of the last line, attracting multiple eyes from fellow customers at the sound. 

“Josh, be quiet–,” you tried to intervene, once again getting stopped with his rambling.

“Well, not everyone, per se. I wish Elsie could have experienced that shit,” he shook his head again, but this time with a laugh as if remembering a fond memory. “She would have gotten a kick out of the free porn!”

Free PORN?! Josh.

“Joshua!” You were stunned, his voice still a higher decibel than it should have been for a proper establishment like Jungle Juice. Voice hushed, you leaned towards him. “Please quiet the fuck down.”

He observed your expression, still cackling. But soon, it calmed down. Calmed down enough to where he was still letting out little huffs of laughter, but his eyes bulged a bit. He seemed to remember at that very moment that it wasn’t just the two of you. Face set straighter than before, he turned, looking around to hastily address the people near you with an apology. 

Meanwhile, your cheeks were positively burning at everything he’d said. How in the hell did you even begin to address that shit? And why was it always on you and never Jake? 

When he was facing you again, you decided to try that line. Just to gain your bearings. “Are you going to quiz Jake like this? Or is it only the emotional pregnant lady who’s getting the heat?”

“Oh, he got it first. I actually crashed his and Maya’s morning this morning,” he replied, waving it off. Your stomach dropped at the thought of them in bed together, like you knew it shouldn’t. “Well. . . if I can even phrase it as such. Maya was getting completely ignored by him. He’d separated himself as much as possible from her, his body was practically pushed against the wall. I know she noticed how far detached he was, though. . . She was looking his way when I barged in, a sad look on her face and everything. Poor thing. Didn’t take much for me to make her leave.”

The way you snorted at that was unstoppable. He what? “Josh! You made her leave?”

“Well, again – if I can even phrase it like that,” he shrugged, one hand waving nonchalantly in the air with a roll of his eyes. “Like I said, she was already awake when I went in. I think she’d just woken up to notice he’d pulled totally away from her,” he grit his teeth, baring them with a hiss as he shook his head. “So it didn’t take much more than me asking if I could please talk to my brother for her to leave. She was already kind of pissy, so she readily agreed. I’m sure she thought I was going to confront him about blatantly cheating on her in front of us all.”

Blatantly cheating. Harsh words. True words. You felt guilty at them. Because, yes, you’d completely joined in on Jake’s antics – helped him be unfaithful to her. To be fair, you couldn’t have stopped yourself if you tried. . . Hence your new determination to be nothing more than a friend. 

As much as it sucked.

“Did you? Confront him?” Was all you could croak out. 

“I did confront him about it, yes,” he nodded assuredly, his tone stern. Damn. Was he actually super pissed? Why had he been all giggly if he was so angry? 

So, you started apologizing. You felt really bad and you didn’t know what else to do. 

“I’m sorry, Josh. I don’t know what came over me. I just couldn’t–.”

“Help yourself?” 

You blinked with a nervous gulp. “Yes. I couldn’t help myself.”

“Well, of course not,” he replied, intonation light once again. You blinked again, this time in shock at the change in attitude. He continued before you could question it. “He couldn’t either, it seemed. There was no other reason for him to act so rashly in front of all of us.”

It was silent for a few seconds, your brain blanking on what to even respond to that. You were curious what he’d said to Jake. What Jake had responded. But you were scared to ask – didn’t want to make even more of an ass out of yourself by prying. 

Thankfully, Josh kept on before you could consider it any longer. “So, I told him this morning,” Yes! He was going to divulge. You tried not to look too interested. He cleared his throat, his eyes finding yours seriously, your stomach dropping at what he could have said. “I told him that if he’s going to do that shit, he needs to keep it out of Maya’s sight. Because, while I don’t condone cheating, I do condone my brother being happy. And hopefully, she’ll be out of the picture soon anyway, so the cheating won’t even have to be a thought. Keeping it out of her sight and all - won’t be an issue.”

Stunned. You were stunned. What the fuck?! Josh had told him what?!

You couldn’t stop staring at him. Your eyes, wide and expression shocked. The way your mouth hung open would have been more embarrassing had you been more aware of how much it gaped. But before you could give it much more thought, you were talking without thinking. 

“Excuse me?” You responded, rather loudly, you must say. "You told him what?!"

“Y/n!” Josh laughed, eyes bugged, pointing towards you before waving his hands theatrically around the restaurant. “‘Please quiet the fuck down.’”

-🌼🌼🌼-

a/n: I, personally, value Josh's opinions on the matter...... what about you? ;)

also. free porn. l m a o.

Taglist:

@jakekiszkapunchmeintheface, @jaketlover, @ohgodthefeeling-gvf, @starcatcher-jake, @anythingforjtk, @lucimoo, @indigostreakmorgan, @gretavanbear, @katelynn-gvf, @alwaysonthemend

@aintthatapity, @bowievanfleet, @fwzco, @takenbythemadness, @cherry-icecreamsmile, @laneygvf @hi-hi-hello11, @sinarainbows, @jakesbarbarian, @mybussyinchrist, @becinabubblegvf, @heckingfrick, @danigvf, @pinkandsleepy1934, @derrangeddumpsterfire, @klarxtr, @josh-iamyour-mama, @abby-gvf, @cassyface, @gretavansabotage, @sacredtheslay, @alienobsever, @hollyco, @age0fwagner, @raceb14, @stardustcatcher, @styles-canvas, @ladywhimsymoon, @earthgrlsreasy, @peaceloveunitygvf

@torniturntomyarrow, @joshsbonnet, @llrosee, @starshine-gvf, @itsafullmoon, @gvfmarge, @creadliz98, @mackalah, @lek-gvf, @carlyfleet, @profitofthedune, @mefiorini, @welllauragvf, @highway-tuna, @dont-go-home-without-me @sarah-gvf01, @polemicandcontent, @ageofbajabule, @texas-bbq-pringles

[mysumeow]

Inconveniences 1/2❜

Eradicating himself from Irminsul proved to be not just fruitless, but also an inconvenience he now has to fix. Among those inconveniences was the fact that he had to start over with the only person who had stood by his side in his final moments of hope, since they had no recollection of their past together.

Warnings: 3.3 archon quest + wanderer's/scaramouche's lore spoiler. Mild angst, some comfort/fluff, brief mention of blood. Canon-divergence.

a/n: ive had this idea brewing for some time but was ready to forget about it until i decided to start writing again only because ive been inactive for a while kdjfhalkhkjadsfh enjoy this humble two-shot

Despite knowing him for a long time, Wanderer never failed to keep you at arm's length—both physically and emotionally. Even if you weren’t aware of the former detail.

But when it came to the private enclosure of your Serenitea Pot, he allowed himself to be softer. A tiny bit softer. Or when you're too far into the forest, devoid of any human traces, he's willing to walk closer to you. Yes, even something like that would require him to keep a considerable distance when strolling around the city. 

"What's with that look on your face," Wanderer spoke up, sparing you a side glance before taking another sip of his black tea.

Right, you were spacing out again. You couldn't help but feel your heart ache when you met his violet eyes and had a feeling that something didn’t fit, in the same way one would try to force a puzzle piece into a space in which it doesn’t belong. 

But you knew better than to openly cry and pity him. He disliked it when people stared at him with sorrow, as if he were defenseless. 

Before he could make another comment about your weird change in mood today, you asked if he wanted to have breakfast. He nodded, and you took the opportunity to flee to the inside of your abode.

You wanted to take your mind off cooking while you occupied yourself with preparing something to eat. It didn't work out. Now you were cutting some vegetables and, at the same time, still pondering about him.

It wasn't long before you felt a presence behind you, which startled you.

A slight, instant pain shot through your index finger, and your blood dripped from the fresh wound. 

"Didn't think you were such a scaredy cat," Wanderer laughed. "You're so clumsy,"

You just rolled your eyes and went back to continue with your task; you weren't in the mood to argue with him.

"Can you hand me the paper towel? I—"

Lithe fingers wrapped around your wrist and pulled it towards his face, followed by the faint warmth of his tongue removing the red liquid. 

"Don't waste time on trivial tasks. Go back to work."

He let go of your arm and turned around to go back outside.

It took you some seconds to collect yourself before you frowned and shook your fist in his direction. 

"And who do you think you are? My boss?"

"You know well I was joking."

You did, it's just that you were taken aback by his advances and felt you had to say something, anything. Nevertheless, you simply shook your head and went back to what you were doing. 

---

Confused eyes met each other with varying degrees of uneasiness. 

"The kid. Where's he?"

"Do you mean...the one whose parents perished from illness?"

"That's correct. I've been keeping an eye on him and trying to delay the symptoms before they get worse." 

Like a light at the end of the tunnel, this stranger's words seemed to ignite a brighter hope for him. Nevertheless, the wounds were still fresh, so the eccentric tried to remain lucid.

"Please, do help him. Follow me."

At first, you were unsure about leaving the kid in the care of the unknown fellow you met that day. Not because you doubted him, after all, his eyes demonstrated nothing but genuine worry for the orphan; it was because the kid was in a delicate situation and needed the utmost medical attention. 

As you saw the interaction between the two, it felt wrong to force them to be apart from each other. You couldn't pinpoint how such a bond happened in so little time, but despite all logical reasoning, you decided it was best if they stayed together and took care of one another. 

"Please wait," Kabukimono surprised even himself when he reached out to your sleeve. "If it's not too much to ask, could you stay the night, for his sake? I'm...anxious at the idea that something could happen overnight,"

You had some more work to do. You should really go back.

Your heart clenched at his disheveled state and the obvious signs of stress. This poor guy needed help as well. Then again, what kind of doctor would you be if you neglected someone who required your immediate aid? 

You sat down again next to the child who was sleeping and rested your hand over the wet cloth over his forehead. 

In the days that followed, you soon understood that your first impression of him wasn’t far from the truth. Even if cautious in certain situations, this person meant no harm whatsoever. You couldn't deny that your curiosity about this eccentric's identity was piqued. Where did he come from? Why’s he here, and how did he find the child?

Despite your better judgment, you grew fond of them.

He who was once a stranger to you, to this day, you are yet to know his name. All you knew was that people used to call him kabukimono before he decided to stay in this small village.

"I brought you something else to wear," you said as you placed a new set of clothes on the table.

Every day, when you came back during the night after spending the whole day attending to the medical needs of other village folk, you would always find the white linen of kabukimono’s clothes smudged with dirt and soot.

You continued, "I’ll wash this for you, okay? If anything happens, call me and I’ll come back."

"You’re going outside at this hour? It’s dangerous. I ask of you to please not worry about me," he placed his hands on his lap and bowed his head.

You placed your hand on his shoulder, to which he raised his head and looked at you.

"There is no need to be formal."

You knew it would be fruitless, it was like his life depended on the child’s health improving. Which you understood but were concerned that he would disregard his own.

The rustling of covers and the sound of footsteps woke you up late at night.

Once you distinguished the lilac eyes that were gazing right back at you, you sighed and lied back down.

"You scared me. Are you okay?"

"It’s cold. I feel like…my hands and feet are freezing," he was shivering. "I checked if the child was having that same issue, but his temperature seems to be okay,"

"Did you try to put your hands under the pillow? Maybe that could’ve helped you."

"I did."

"Do you want my blanket?"

He shook his head no.

"I wouldn’t take that from you. If you were to greet the morning with a cold…" gently, watching every movement he carried out as if he were afraid of doing something wrong. "You do appear to be…very warm,"

It took you a few seconds to catch on to what was implied.

When you glanced back at him, the tips of his ears were tinged pink. "I’m sorry for disturbing your sleep. I’ll go back to my—"

"I don't mind," you said as you scooted closer to the edge, giving him more room to lie beside you. "I don’t know how comfortable it’ll be for you, as this futon is not that spacious. However, if you think you’ll sleep better like this, then I don’t mind,"

Of course, you didn’t suspect he was lying, but once he took the space next to you, the low temperature from his body made goosebumps appear. He was modest about the distance, though; it was close, yet there was no skin-to-skin contact. You were concerned that maybe the low temperature wouldn’t let him sleep; funny enough, you heard the soft snores coming from him mere minutes later.

You were up at six in the morning, knowing you had another long day ahead of you.

The eccentric fellow was sound asleep, his hand holding onto yours with a grasp so tender, you did your best not to wake him up.

[xxjinxxisdedxx]

More sketches of my little goober >:3 (+backstory!!)

(Pinkshift is their favorite band, so must be listened to/j)

Hehe :3 so here is more traditional art of my OC because I am obsessed with drawing xem. No idea why, I just love them :0 anyways.

__

Backstory (the gist of it anyways)!

Born to the zones, Retro Bolt was just another average zone kid with a makeshift family and a broken history. Now, Retro doesn't remember most of their past after they were brainwashed when xe was around 14ish and turned into a draculoid, which left them without any recollection of their past life.

The mask had melted into their skin, but they were hostile. Xe never fought anyone and was eventually kicked out into the zones to find a purpose from the city. Retro just wandered and wandered, with no purpose. Their mind was fuzzy, xe didn't know who they were or what they were meant to do.

This was all until xe was found by the one and only Cherri Cola. At first, Cherri was ready to shoot Retro when he noticed how hostile they were. Xe didn't attack and simply kept walking in an unknown direction. With the sympathy in his heart, Cherri took Retro back to the station. Dr. Death was completely against the idea of attempting to take someone out of draculoidzation. It was too risky and dangerous. But Cherri kept arguing that this could change something and they could find a weakness.

Reluctantly, Dr. Death allowed Cherri to do what he found the best. Cherri spent days trying to pry the mask off of Retro and to no use, it never came off. Slowly melting more into their skin. Eventually, Cherri gave up but kept Retro around.

One time, Poison and the girl were visiting because the girl wanted to go see Show. Cherri directed The girl to a room before talking with Poison about some poem. The girl ran off and accidentally went into the wrong room, opening the one that held Retro inside. Xe was sitting on the floor, not doing anything. The Girl walked over, knowing Draculoids were bad, but she had heard the way Cherri described this drac.

The Girl had also heard Cherri's complaint about how he couldn't get the mask off. So, she wanted to try something. She walked over to xem, slowly and hesitantly as to not scare them. They didn't move and stared, in a daze. The girl was able to locate the zipper and pull it off, but not without a bloody mess. Retro screamed out in pain as the mask ripped off parts of xers skin and nerves, leaving the blood to leave their face.

Their hands were covered in their own blood and xe was still dazed, but now they were more conscious. They couldn't see out of one of xers eyes and slowly backed away against a wall. Retro wanted to say something outside of their screams but it seems as if xers vocal cords just stopped working to produce everything but words. Cherri ran into the room at the first scream and stared at the mess. If blood loss didn't get to xem, the sand would.

It was a harsh time to get the blood cleaned up, but Cherri managed to get something done. So, now there was this dazed Retro will no recollection of their past and no idea even where they are. Cherri worked with Retro, like a teacher. He spent hours figuring out Retro's name, although Retro didn't know and simply made one up, or one that sounded familiar.

Cherri helped Retro adjust to the zone life and it was pure luck Retro survived.

Little Fun Facts! X3

- Retro had constant flashbacks, mostly of their memories. Xe tries to piece their life together from before the draculoidzation.

- Retro is obsessed with colors and always has art supplies on xem due to how long they spent in a black and white vision.

- Retro roller skates! Show taught them how to and helped xe make their own pair.

- They can't feel anything on the side of their face with the scar, it doesn't feel like anything due to the nerves being ripped out.

- Their favorite band is Pinkshift (Yes, I am kinda putting myself in this OC, shush)

- Retro is confused on sexuality and gender identity (believing they don't have a gender) because xe doesn't know about how to feel about anything like that. They've never experienced romantic feelings and don't feel any gender really fits them.

[firowisteria]

Hiko x Jake fanfic for the two people that want to see it (Semi-SFW I think?)

(one being me, the other person being @royaltystudios)

The sun was setting. Jake waited for Hiko to meet him in a place just several yards away from Camp Tipiskaw. Out of everything he could have done, like tying him to tree and looking for the prize money himself to blatantly killing him, Jake brought himself into asking Hiko about the finale he lost in.

Hiko arrived in his host attire. He looked into Jake's gaze and couldn't help but daydream about running away with him into the other side of day. His mind wandered aimlessly about, ignoring what Jake was capable of whenever he falls into hysteria. He didn't listen to the first few sentences Jake spat, not like he ever felt liked listening to reprimands anyways.

"Don't you know how hard I have worked for that? And Ally too! Have you ever considered how painful our journey was?" Hiko finally heard Jake scold.

"I was only doing what I was told. And don't you think that losing to me is at least better than losing to Riya?" Hiko responded nonchalantly. "And why are you defending Ally?"

"Riya is in the hospital for crying out loud! No one gives a shit about her anymore! And.. Ally.. and! Oh, screw you! I never wanted to be here in the first place!" Jake balled his fists towards the eye-patched ginger.

"Then why did you come here again?" Hiko asked the taller man in pink. "Do you have any ulterior moves I don't know about?"

Beating Hiko to a pulp and putting him out of his misery would have been the perfect idea if Jake wanted to serve jail time. Jake knew that he shouldn't do anything foolish.. like anything that the Jake-of-the-past would. But then Jake remembered about the time that Hiko saw him for the first time in a year in which he mistaken him for a personal stripper. He also took the multiple times where Hiko flirted with him and pieced it with the former clue. Jake had a plan. A desperate plan, but one that works.

Jake begins to perform a distraction plan. He takes Hiko by the hips. "Are you okay with this?" He made a mental note-to-self to never mention about this plan when he comes back to visit Ally.

Hiko looks at Jake's eyes and becomes as red as his hair. "Are we?"

Jake responds, "As long as no one knows about this." He pulls Hiko in for a kiss. Hiko reciprocates as they proceed to keep on doing this for half a minute. Hiko's hands wandered around Jake's torso under his jacket and shirt, but stayed cautious enough so he didn't reach in places he wouldn't reach without overstepping boundaries. The moment to Hiko was glorious nevertheless.

Jake didn't know if he wanted this moment to stop. He, much to his chagrin, came to find out that Hiko was a fantastic kisser. Hiko started to kiss the side of Jake's neck. Jake didn't think his plan through, but he knew that he wanted to let Hiko do as much as he could to the extent, as long as it led him to forget about his intentions.

Hiko finally pulled away from Jake. He was flustered about the moments that happened. "Yyyeahh... We should never speak about this.. Well.. That was fun. See you around, Jake!" Hiko waved and went his way.

Jake paused to recollect what just happened those ten minutes prior. "Well.. That was a close one."

[iruludavare]

silva stares off into the trees. what happened still hasn't completely set in, in a way. it was terrifying, and yet she tried so hard not to think about just how scared she had been. how much she felt betrayed by the expectation that flare might actually have cared about her, actually protected her.

the idea that her entire time with the organization was malicious came up, then faded up; coming in waves of believe before promply pushing it away. how is she supposed to accept that half of her life was just a lie?

silva frowned, then turned to serena. silva tried to think positively, she still had support. still had friends!! and serena, especially, was someone that she felt understood more than others.

" du yu ever think abut lysandre? "

silva paused, then corrected her question.

" --the. his effect un peuple? i thught he really cared. "

( THROWS THIS AT YOU )

@picavecalyx

          They sit in silence, blanketed by the long blades of grass, hiding in plain sight. No comfort in shared pain, but an understanding. A silent promise from Serena to not pry, but stay as a grounding figure in case if either mind was to wander just a little too far. At their backs, a cave of mirrors. Before them, trees, and further beyond that ruins of past and present times. Crumbled and yet crumbling still.

          The silence is broken by a single question. From Silva.

          Harmless and short, but built on uncertainty and loose ends. A web of sound that with its dissipation traps a fraction of the sky with each, miniscule piece until the clouds themselves almost appear to stop moving. Did he ever care? To look back on memories, to analyse each twitch and tone forever etched into their minds— would it be worthwhile? Would it be true? How, from recollections made by rosy eyes and cotton-filled ears, could either discern sympathy from pity? A smile of understanding from self-satisfaction? He was no man of simple words— that much, Serena knows. Careful and calculated at all times, even in moments of genuinity. And in the worst, dressing the loom just so. The selection of threads, the winding, every finest detail organised in such a way that neither thoughts on the matter nor true intent could be discerned. Letting the conversation ebb and flow enough to let him readjust. Separate the pieces. Group the stray or newly formed yarn together. Straighten the path. Tie the knot a little tighter.

          In the end, perhaps it never mattered if he cared. Only if they did.

                    "All the time,"

          Is what finally leaves Serena, an exhale more than a statement. He is there, whether she likes it or not. In the deepest reaches of the nightmares the heroine can remember upon waking. Within morals and opinions always held close to her heart that words wormed their way into. Right next to each and every doubt, waiting. Watching. If she were to close her eyes in those moments, she could see that expectant and look and the tugging of the corners of a ghost's smile. Silent taunts to do more, to give more, but at the same time believe all hope has long left world and could not be put back into it. Instead, arms draw her knees closer, and she glances over her shoulder before speaking.

                    "I wonder if he is really gone. If anything he said was true, or to sway me towards his ambitions. Or how many of us are there. If I could have done anything different… or why I never saw through it all from the start."

          A mentee. The daughter. One born tied to life, and the other soldered to death. While she would not claim to know exactly how Silva feels, they are familiar, with guilt and confusion and disappointment chief among them. And so, she rests her chin between kneecaps, careful to not look the younger girl's way.

                    "I thought he cared, too."

[maggiedelusional]

Let Me Go

Pairing: Hangman x f!reader, (eventual) Rooster x f!reader

Warnings: none, very brief mention of sex, Angst, pregnancy

Word Count: 2.4k

Summary: Reader is married and shares a child with Hangman, Life and circumstance drives reader into Rooster’s arms, but Hangman isn’t giving up that easily

Author’s Note: Hi y’all, I am back from the dead. Truthfully, I haven’t written anything fiction for a freaking long time. I’m a political science major so I have been writing only research papers and journals for the past 3+ years. Please bear with me here, I don’t have an  editor or anything, will probably just make my little sister read it (but she’s the meanest person ik so it would basically be like having an editor). Anyways, I have recently become OBSESSED with Top Gun: Maverick and basically fell in love with the characters and their universe. This idea came to me as I was getting ready for work and I disassociated the entire drive thinking about this specific plot/story. Next thing I knew I was at work with no recollection of driving there lol. But I am deciding if this will continue to be a one-shot or if it should be a little mini series, let me know!

Rooster Playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4tS2I0YnKUSrBOMSUCqLgh?si=6a1898d0be474904

Hangman Playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2z4lAcBPvbCx19NWni8DVS?si=f7da4ba91773424e

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9

Italics is past

“Mommy! I can’t find my dress!” Your 4 year old daughter screams from her bedroom.

“Sweetheart, you have plenty of dresses, just pick one!”

“Not just any dress! I want the dress with daddy’s planes on it!”

You walk into her room, covered in pink pastel wallpaper with a gigantic pile of dresses greeting you and a missing 4 year old.

“Astrid! Where are you sweetie? Your dad is gonna be home soon and we need to clean this mess up.”

You see your daughter planted face down on the floor of her closet.

“Daddy is gonna hate me forever, if I don’t wear my dress!” She cries with a muffled voice.

You laugh as you shake your head, your daughter may look like you but definitely inherited her father’s flair for the dramatics.

You pick her up and sit on the ground, placing her on your lap.

“What makes you think your dad is gonna hate you if you don’t wear the plane dress?” You ask your daughter as you wipe the tears from her face.

“Because Daddy loves planes! That’s why he goes away all the time, so he could fly in the air! If I wear the plane dress then Daddy will want to stay here with us.” Astrid pouted.

Your heart breaks for your little girl. Jake’s job often took him away for sustained periods of time, often not knowing when or if he’s coming back. You never wanted to stand in the way of his dreams, and the arrangement was fine for a while. You kept busy with your job as an attorney at a large law firm, trying to pay your dues and work up to a partner. Then, on the special occasion that Jake would come home the reunion was always explosive.

What you had with Jake just worked for both of you. You were both deeply passionate and ambitious about your careers and it was comforting to know that you found someone who understood your drive. Most importantly, you loved Jake so intensely. Being with him felt like being on fire. It was the kind of love that had you screaming at each other at the top of your lungs at 3am, cursing his name, only to end with you under him as he fucked you on the nearest surface.

Getting pregnant changed that dynamic. Your mind wanders to when you first found out about your daughter.

The 3 ClearBlue Pregnancy tests sat on your bathroom sink, all adorned with the same terrifying word, “Pregnant”.

Your best friend breaks you out of your lull. “So no doubt, you are definitely pregnant, what are you gonna do?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” You reply. “This is coming at such a bad time, I’m up for an important promotion at work… and then I'm gonna have to go on maternity leave…and I can't drink alcohol or coffee!! I LOVE COFFEE. I can't stop drinking coffee! And then-” My bosses will NEVER Your best friend interrupts your tirade, “Okay (y/n) you need to breathe, stress is bad for the baby.” She says jokingly. You glare at her in response.

“Besides, you’ll have Jake right?”

“Oh shit, Jake. I forgot about that. What am I gonna tell him? This was not at all part of the plan. Kids were not even on the table!”

You suddenly hear the front door open and Jake’s booming voice as he travels up the stairs. “Hey sweets, I’m home!”

“Oh shit I forgot that he was coming back today. Quick! Hide the tests!” You toss the pregnancy tests to your best friend who fails to catch them.

“Eww no, I’m not touching those! You peed on them!”

“Come on work with me here! I don’t want Jake to see them!”

“What’s going on here? What don’t you want me to see?” You freeze as you hear your husband’s voice behind you. Jake looks on the ground to see the three discarded pregnancy tests scattered on the floor. He furrowed his eyebrows.

“Are those pregnancy tests?”

“Well this signals my exit, call me later (y/n). Jake, always a pleasure.” Your best friend says as she leaves the room.

Jake looks back and forth between you and the tests on the floor, you stand frozen in front of his gaze. Both of you break out of your daze when you hear the front door close.

“Jake…” You begin to say

“(y/n), please tell me those pregnancy tests aren’t yours.” Jake interrupts.

“Well I can’t because they are…” You reply with a sigh.

“So you’re… we’re pregnant?” Jake asks.

“Yes…” You respond meekly, bracing yourself for an argument and possibly a yell. Instead you were surprised to feel a set of strong arms around you.

“I can’t believe it, Sweets! I’m gonna be a daddy!” Jake smiles into the hug.

“You’re…happy?” You were very, very, confused. “I thought you didn’t want kids?”

“I know we haven’t talked about it, but I want a family with you (y/n). And I know that things are hard because I’m always away and you’re busy kicking ass as a lawyer, but I think we’re ready” Jake admits, giving you a soft smile.

“Jake, I’m scared. What if I’m not a good mother, I’m too career focused and I can’t be the doting wife and mother that you and our future child deserve.”

“Don’t say that (y/n) you are the smartest, most passionate, caring…” “And the hottest woman I know.” Jake adds with a smirk “You have been an amazing partner and I know you'll be an even better mother.”

You smile as you embrace Jake and pull him down for a kiss. “I love you Jake.” You tell him after you pull away. “I love you too Sweets.” He replies “And I promise I will be around more, even if it means saying no to missions. I wanna be able to see our baby Hangman grow up”

Except he didn’t keep that promise. He did take a leave after finding out you were pregnant and was home throughout most of your pregnancy and the birth of your daughter. But when he got called back to Miramar for a special detachment, he couldn’t say no. He came back from the mission still the cocky and self assured man that you loved but something had changed. After not being chosen to fly the mission and left as reserve he felt like he had something to prove. So every mission, every detachment, anything the Navy would give him he’d ship out. He had to prove that he was a better pilot than Rooster. Bradley Bradshaw, of course you knew your husband's rival, but that’s something to think about for later.

This resulted in huge rifts in your marriage. You were passed on for promotions and big cases because you had to miss meetings and retreats to take care of your daughter. Everytime Jake promised you he would come home, a new mission would come up that he couldn’t pass up. He missed out on Astrid’s first steps, her first words, the first day of kindergarten. So when he told you a month ago that he was coming home you honestly did not expect him to actually come.

You were used to Jake not coming home when he said he would, but your daughter whose eyes were full of hope and adoration for Jake still believed his empty promises and you did not want her little heart to be exposed to disappointment just yet. So if Jake bails again, you will actually kill him.

You pull yourself out of your thoughts and reply to your daughter.

“Sweetheart, your daddy loves you too! Not just planes, and you know all he wants to do is spend all of his time with you. Your dad just has a very important job and he does it to keep you safe.” You tuck your daughter’s stray hair out of her face.

“Now no more tears, you don’t want your daddy to see you crying and think you’re not happy to see him right?” You teasingly say to your daughter. Astrid gets up with the renewed energy only a toddler could have.

“No! Of course not mommy!” She screams as she runs back into her bedroom.

You pull yourself off the ground and follow your daughter into the room. You spend the next 20 minutes folding the giant pile of dresses and your very eager daughter putting them back in the closet. This pays off because you eventually find the infamous plane dress. Your toddler breaks out into squeals after seeing that you found her dress.

“THANK YOU THANK YOU!! I'm going to put it on before daddy gets here!!”

You smile to yourself as you watch Astrid run to change.

You walk downstairs to make sure that the rest of the house is in order, while Jake never complains about the mess, you know as a Navy man, cleanliness and order is hardwired into his brain. When you see that the house is to your standard, you sit on the couch, happy for a minute of peace after a busy morning.

After a few minutes you hear keys unlocking the front door signaling Jake’s return. You watch as Jake pulls his pack into the house and takes off his shoes, he stops as he feels your gaze on him. He gives you his signature cocky smile “Sweets!”

You were about to reply but instead was interrupted by the loud boisterous yell of your daughter.

“DADDY!”.

Astrid runs down the stairs and throws herself into her father’s arms.

Jake catches Astrid and spins her around in his arms.

“Well hi there Pixie! Did you miss me?” Jake smiles at your daughter.

Jake had a big sweet tooth, he loved chocolates and candies like he was an 8 year old boy. It was something you noticed when you first started dating, which is why he gave you the nickname “Sweets”. He couldn’t resist a Hershey’s bar when he was on leave and his love for Reese's cups was unmatched. You later found out that his favorite candy (for the life of you, you could figure out why out of all the candies in the world this was his favorite) were pixie stix. He always told you that he avoided candy whenever he was on mission, leaving it as a sweet treat at home after a job well done. But you couldn’t help but sneak a pack of KitKats and of course Pixie Stix whenever he left for deployment, staying true to your nickname.

When Astrid was born, you couldn’t believe how much love he held in his eyes for the little pink bundle, and you knew that she would have him wrapped around her finger forever. He nicknamed her Pixie, after his favorite candy.

“Look at my dress daddy!” Astrid exclaims as Jake places her on the ground. She twirled and ran around the room and you wondered how such a small human can have this much energy.

“Are those F-18s?” Jake asks you. You chuckle while nodding your head. “Where the hell did you find a dress with F-18s made for children?” Jake asks amusingly.

“I think you seem to forget how good I am at online shopping.” You reply with a smile, “and your daughter here INSISTED that she just HAD to have a dress with her daddy’s planes on them.”

Astrid smiles as she hugs her father’s legs. “Well you have a good eye there (y/n)”

“Thanks Jake.” You reply before sitting up from the couch and patting down your work skirt.

“Well I have to head out to work, I have a big case with lots of depositions to go over so I probably won't be home until after 7.” You inform him.

You crouch down to your daughter's level. “You’re gonna spend the day with Daddy. Remember to not let him eat too much candy, and make sure you don’t mess up your room again, okay sweetheart?” Astrid nods in response.

“Why aren’t you spending the day with us mommy? Daddy just came home!” Jake gives you a sad look.

You open your mouth to reply but before you could answer Jake tells your daughter “You know how daddy has to go away for his job sometimes? Well mommy also has an important job defending good guys so she has to go away for a few hours, but she’ll be back in time to tuck you in.”

Astrid looks down in disappointment but nods. “I just want to be with both of you, it’s been a long time since you’ve come home daddy.”

Your heart stings in pain knowing that your daughter didn’t know the rift that is currently between you and her father.

“I promise, after I go to work today, I will spend the rest of the week with you and your dad, okay sweetheart?” Astrid’s pout finally turns into a smile “Okay mommy! And we could all play and watch movies and bake cookies…and-”

You laugh as you pull your daughter into a hug. “Of course! I love you and I will see you later okay baby?”

“OKAY!” Astrid screams as she runs to her room to get her toys to play with. You and Jake watch her run up the stairs and disappear down the hallways.

You start to give Jake instructions

“All her snacks are in the pantry, there’s some chicken nuggets and fries in the freezer, but if she doesn’t want that you can always get her pizza or get a can of chicken noodle soup, she loves soup for some reason..” You stop your monologue when you notice Jake staring at you.

“I missed you Sweets” Jake says softly looking at your face.

You finally stop to look at him, still handsome as ever with his muscles apparent under his white shirt. He looked good, a little sadness in his eyes but you remind yourself that it would be a mistake to ask any questions.

You offer him a small smile as you put on your work pumps.

You open the front door and walk out of the house. You hear him ask a question that stops you in your tracks,

“You’re going to see him aren’t you?”

You feel a heavy weight settle on your chest, tears welling up in your eyes. Gathering just enough strength to look back at him,

“I’ll see you later, Jake.”

[kass-storycorner]

I really loved your ghost fic with Xiao. But it left me curious to have a second part in which they finally find the way to communicate. Whenever is just to say goodbye and having reader going to the afterlife or getting stuck there forever in an eternal solitary pseudo-company together is up to you, I just want to see them talk 😭

awww, thank you! I'm so glad you loved it (though I am sorry for the sad feelings haha). And I was really struggling to find a way to end that orginal story in the beginning, which is the reason why it ended that way oops. Well, now here is the follow up for it. Compared to the small bit I wrote for Xiao... I mean not even compared to it, this is the longest fic I've posted on here so far? Ah, well. I just had so much fun with it.

Idea/Prompt: a follow up to Xiaos part in this post

Genre: a bit of Angst and Hurt, more comforting than the first part, but if the ending is a happy one is up to you!

Characters: Xiao (Zhongli as side character, mention of Hu Tao, Verr Goldot, a new character I made up that did not get a name)

Format: Text

Word count: 5593

Content warning: mentions of blood, spoiler-y for the second act of Zhonglis story quest and the same spoilers warnings as for the OG post! this is not proof read, I started writing this at midnight and its 5am now ahha fml

The Ghost of you Part II. - To the end

yes we are keeping the mcr names

“Xiao”, he felt an uneasiness in his body upon hearing his name. Where was he? Looking around, Xiao saw he stood in a field of flowers. When did he come here? He had no recollection of it at all. Confused he furrows is brows, worry filling his heart and then- “Xiao.” There it was again, that voice calling out to him. Speaking his name softly, voice filled with affection. Where did it came from? He walked around the field, no end of it in sight, looking for that voice calling out to him. The longer he searched for it, the more his heart was filled with dread. “Xiao.” This time the voice came from behind him and when he turned around, he saw you, holding your hand out to him and smiling. “(Y/N)”, Xiao looked at you in disbelief. Was it really you standing in front of him? Your laugh pulled him out of his trance. “Xiao, why are you standing there like a pillar? Come, take my hand,” and at that you wiggled it a bit, signalling him that you're waiting for him to take it. “(Y/N),” Xiao repeated, standing still and looking at your hand, then to you. “What are you doing here?”. Again, you laughed as if what he said was the silliest thing you ever heard. “What do you mean by that? Xiao,” you shook your head and then you shoot him a bright, warm smile. “You wanted to come here, remember? Now come, take my hand and dance with me before the music stops.” Dance? Music? At first Xiao did not understand what you meant, but then he heard it. In the distance, the low sounds of a flute, a sweet melody that sounded strange but all too familiar. “Xiao”, he heard you whisper his name, speaking so gently. Slowly, he was still a bit hesitant, he reached out for your hand, taking it in his. A smile came across your face at the touch of your hands. With a swift motion Xiao was pulled into your arms, you both at first staying still in that embrace. “Xiao, lets dance, okay?”. With that you both started to waltz around the field, Xiao not knowing how he knew to dance like this, but somehow, he did. The dread that started to spread in his chest earlier was now gone, replaced by the feeling of love he felt for you. Still, there was something tugging at his mind, telling him something was amiss here. It felt familiar, yes. However, it also seemed to be strange to him at the same time. Though Xiao tried to push the nagging feeling away, wanting only to enjoy this pleasant moment with you. Which is why he at first didn’t notice how the sky darkened above them nor that the music had stopped a while ago. As you both stopped to dance, still holding each other in your arms, he heard you call out to him again. “Xiao”, the sound of your voice was filled with pain and when he looked at you in his arms the light behind your eyes was gone, your face stiff and emotionless. At the sight of your dead eyes, he wanted to part from the embrace, but he couldn’t let you go. Xiao saw the blood, saw the bruises and suddenly he was on his knees again, you are laying in his arms. He wanted to cry, wanted to say your name but he couldn’t. It was as if there was no air to breath so he could speak. And then – “Xiao.” His name. “Xiao.” Again. “Xiao.” Over and over again he heard how his name was spoken, but with every whisper of his name the voice became more distorted, louder. Until he cowered in pain at the sound of it, wanting it to stop, wishing for it to stop. “Xiao”.

With that Xiao woke up, his body covered in cold sweat and his breathing erratic. Another nightmare of you, another nightmare of something he wished the both of you could’ve done but never did – because of his shortcomings. Xiao sat atop of a rock, looking over the forest in which your ghost continued to wander aimlessly around. He had been watching you for a few weeks now, trying to figure out what kept you here and how he could help you. However, Xiao was clueless at what could be the cause of this. It was clear to him now that he couldn’t help you, he needed to find someone who could. Looking down at the forest, seeing your ghost wander around between the trees, he softly whispered. “I will be back soon, I won’t leave you again for long, I promise.” There weren’t many people Xiao could ask for help. Back when you were alive Xiao wasn’t the most social, wanting to keep his distance from humans. After you died this habit of his, avoiding others, only worsened. So, the only person Xiao could think of to ask for help in this matter was the same who saved him from his servitude as a bloodhound. Zhongli spend most of the last hundred years among the people of Liyue, but for a few decades now he lived in a remote house. It was now the door of said house Xiao knocked on, knowing that although he could easily enter the house, Zhongli preferred it for him to knock. “Ah, Xiao, it is nice to see you,” Zhongli greeted the adeptus. As Xiao entered the house and followed the tall man into his kitchen, it was a standard practice of Zhongli to drink a tea with anyone who visited, he couldn’t stop to notice that the notebooks scattered around the house grew in number. “So,” Zhongli began his question, “what brings you here? From your troubled look I can tell you didn’t come for the tea or my company.” With that Xiao didn’t waste any time on more formalities, explaining his predicament to the former Geo-Archon. “Mmmh, I see,” he replied, taking a sip from his cup. “I fear I might not be much of help in this case, although I have some knowledge on the topic of the human afterlife, I can’t think of a solution to this. However, it might be best to go ask Hu Tao on advice, as she is way more… let’s say, perceptive when it comes to the dead.” How bothersome, Xiao thought at the mention of Hu Tao. “Zhongli, Hu Tao is long dead”, was all Xiao could say. It happened more frequently now that Zhongli seemed to forget things, small ones but also important pieces of information and this filled Xiao with unease. He didn’t like it that the erosion of Zhongli already was set in motion, thinking about that one-day Xiao might have to face him in battle should he lose all sense of self and sanity. Neither did Zhongli enjoy slowly losing his memories of the past – although he wrote down as much as possible, it bothered him that he had to even rely on his notebooks. “Ah,” Zhongli replied, setting his cup down on the table and with a troubled look, “I seem to have forgotten something again. Would you please help my memory, when did this happen?” “One thousand years might have already passed,” Xiao saw how much it stirred Zhongli up that he had forgotten the passing of a friend. “She had a good life, right? I’m sorry for asking, but I somehow can’t seem to remember much about her later life.” “Yes,” Xiao answered, thinking about the 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. There weren’t many humans he tolerated or even enjoyed being around, but Hu Tao was one Xiao always was fond of. She was also the one at the Parlor that day you died, when Xiao came in with your dead body in his arms, he hoped he might find Zhongli maybe he could do something about it, but… Xiao knew there was nothing anyone could do. Hu Tao understood his pain, without a word she showed him where to put your body and prepared your funeral, without even asking for a single Mora. “Then, “Zhongli pulled Xiao out of his thoughts, “maybe you might find help with the new Director, her family always had some knowledge about that human afterlife that’s even a mystery to me.” With that

Xiao said his goodbye to Zhongli and made his way to Liyue. The city of Liyue changed over the last thousand years a lot, but the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was still one of the constants in the city. Xiao couldn’t remember the last time he visited the city, though it must have been a few hundred years ago for sure. He just never really liked it and since, what the humans called a ‘industrial revolution’, the city was even more crowded and overwhelming for Xiao. “Welcome to the Wangshen Funeral Parlor, how may I help you?”, a young person greeted Xiao as he set foot into the building. At the enthusiastic way the person greeted him as he entered a funeral home, Xiao was sure this was one of Hu Taos descendants. He barley could imagine anyone else be so happy surrounded by death. “Are you the director?”, Xiao asked in his usual stern voice. “The 107th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, yep that’s me!” “I may need your assistance.” “Wonderful, I’m always happy to help- oh well, not happy as I am happy for your loss, my condolences by the way, but in happy as I am happy that I can be of help. So, what do you need help with? We have some wonderful new coffins out of a wonderful wood, really they are also very comfortable, not that comfort is that important for someone who’s dead, but I thought it might be also of interest to say that they are really comfort-“, ah yes, Xiao thought, definitely related to Hu Tao. “I don’t need a coffin”, he interrupted the young director. “Oh, um… what can I help with then?”, they asked and then Xiao explained everything to them. At first, he wasn’t sure of the director would be of help, most humans have long forgotten the existence of the gods and adepti, as most of them died or lived a life among humanity, but sure enough the director did turn out to be well versed with the forgotten knowledge of the world. “So, you say the ghost is just roaming around those woods? Nothing else happens?”, the director asked, sitting in their chair in the back office of the Parlor, and they had their hand on their chin, looking like they were thinking about something “Will you be of help now or why do you keep repeating the same useless questions?”, Xiao became a bit impatient now. He just needed to know if someone was able to help you. Without even answering the question the director stood up from the chair and walked towards a bookshelf, pulling a big and old looking book out and opening it up on the table. “Mmmh, from what you’ve described it seems to be nothing to grave, they don’t seem to have become an evil spirit just yet, moreover it seems like they are just one who got lost, though it is surprising that after such a long time the spirit didn’t just turned into something malicious. Normally for most human ghosts it takes a few hundred years until they go insane and well, you know all too well what then happens with an evil spirt I guess.” Xiao was aware what happened to the evils in the world, because it was mostly him. Though he didn’t like to think about it what it would have meant if you- no, he didn’t even want to finish that thought. “How do I help them?”, he didn’t care about any of the other information, he just wanted to find a way to help you. The director pointed at a passage in the book in front of them and continued. “What we have to do is easy if you think about it, I just need something that belonged to the deceased they held dear, a few materials like Qingxin flowers, around twenty should be enough, and the next part is more tricky if you don’t know the deceased that well, which shouldn’t be a problem here, but we need to, well you need to, speak some words that you know are important to them. A story or something like that, sometimes even the voice of a loved one is enough to help to guide the spirits back. Though I will definitely have to accompany that spirit to the border, just to make sure it won’t happen again, you know getting lost, because I can’t guarantee this method will help a second time.” Xiao was quiet. Something that belonged to them, when the director said

those words, his hand immediately flew up to the necklace with the small pendant he wore. Xiao wasn’t the most adept with words, he rather enjoyed listening to what you had to say to him most of the time. He enjoyed the sound of your voice; it was so much more pleasant than his own. One day, Xiao still remembers it so well, your voice said something he did not expect for you to say. “Xiao, I love you.” It took him by surprise, standing on the balcony of the Wangshu Inn, watching the night sky… he suspected that you liked him that way, he did too. Oh, but how he hoped that you wouldn’t say anything about it, like he planned too. Your openness scared him. The idea of being loved scared him, for what was there to love about him? He didn’t want to be a burden to you, his karmic debt, his burden – he feared it would all just make you hate him one day if he let you see it all. That night, after you said these words, Xiao disappeared without a word from your sight. He wasn’t far away, but he wished back then that he teleported out of his hearing range. The sobs that came from you after his departure broke Xiaos heart. After this he avoided you, which wasn’t too hard because you did the same thing too. But with every day that passed when Xiao didn’t see you, hear your voice, his heart grew heavier. Asking himself if he really did do the right thing. Verr Goldet approached Xiao a few weeks after your confession, inquiring why now you didn’t come to the Inn anymore. Xiao did not answer her question, but Verr was a smart woman and at the look in his eyes she understood. “Don’t give up someone you love, only because you are scared of the love you both feel for each other, Xiao”, was all she said. This was the final push for Xiao to finally get over himself and embrace the feelings he felt for you. He didn’t know anymore where the idea came from, but he decided to gift you a handmade necklace along side his confession. Xiao was scared that it might be too late for telling you that he felt the same. However, he knew he had to do it and he wanted to give you something that showed you how he felt too. So Xiao collected the material all around from Liyue, creating a metal necklace and using a small piece of Cor Lapis, your favourite you told him once, as the pendant. With that he looked for you, finding you sitting in the middle of a flower field. “(Y/N)”, he said, stopping himself from continuing when he saw how you jumped at your own name. “Xiao! You scared me!”, you quickly stood up and turned around to him. Xiao wasn’t the most adept with words, he enjoyed listening to you – but you stayed quiet after facing him and you kept quiet when Xiao came closer. “I-“, he began, but unable to speak the words he so wished you to hear from him. Instead, he took your hand and put the necklace in it. “I- I made you this,” was all he could say, feeling how fast his heart pounced in his chest. The look in your eyes, Xiao saw the love you felt for him in them. “Xiao, I-“, he saw how you viewed the necklace in your hand, tears starting to form at the corners of your eyes. Before you were able to finish the sentence or let the tears fall down, Xiao took your face in his hands and kissed you. Yes, he wasn’t the most adept with words, but he learned that he could show you how much he loved you in other ways.

From that day on you wore that necklace every single day, never taking it off since Xiao but it on you after the shared kiss. You joked that it was a physical representation of your love for each other, though Xiao felt like you actually meant it. And somehow it really was. Xiao remembered how that necklace was still around you neck when he took your body to Hu Tao, he remembered that it was covered with your blood. He didn’t even think about taking it off you. It was Hu Tao who gave him that necklace after your burial and since then he hadn’t taken it off. It was the last thing he had of you, the last reminder of your love for each other and every night after your death, when he cowered in pain because of his karmic debt, the cool touch of the stone on his skin helps him to stay sane. Just like the flute he heard even long before he met you.

When Xiao and the director arrived at the forest, they collected the flowers on their way, he could see your ghost again. Walking around, calling for him. His heart breaks every time he had to witness your suffering. “Okay, we have the flowers… do you have something that belonged to them with you, Xiao?”, the director asked, and Xiao shifted his focus from you to them. Slowly he took the necklace off, feeling somehow so vulnerable without it, and gave it to the director. “You know where they start their walk and end it right?”. Yes, Xiao knew that. He had watched over your ghost for the past couple of weeks and noticed that you were walking in circles, without even knowing so it seemed, starting from the place you died and ending up there again. Although your body was buried in another part of Liyue and already long gone, taken back by nature, you stayed here. Where you died. Xiao wished he had come here earlier. Together with the director Xiao made his way to the place where your life ended and your endless suffering in a sort of limbo started, laying down the flowers and the necklace. “And how is that supposed to help them now?”, he asked, not sure how any of this will work. “Like I said, we put down something that belonged to them and was important because they will gravitate to the feelings still connected with that object. The flowers are helping, because they built a bridge between the living realm and what state they are in. Now we just need some words that they have a connection with, in the past it used to be certain prayers because people kept using them a lot, but you know it honestly doesn’t matter what you say, it just needs to be connected to them in some way. Maybe their favourite story or a lullaby, there are many possibilities.” “A lullaby, huh,” this was something Xiao hadn’t thought about in a long time. “Xiao, are you alright?”, he heard your voice from across the dark room. It was the middle of the night, normally he would be out killing monsters, but for tonight you were able to make him sleep with you. When you found out that he never sleeps you were shocked, though he tried to calm you saying that an adeptus didn’t need to sleep. “Maybe you don’t need to,” you told him with a stern look, hands on your hips, “but it will be good for you too, believe me!”. And somehow, after each of you confessed the feelings for the other, you were able to make him sleep next to you some nights. Just for that night his karmic debt plagued Xiao. He sat in front of your window, trying to keep his distance from you, not wanting to disturb your sleep and he didn’t want to worry you. “Xiao?”, you asked again, but instead of an answer Xiao growled in pain. Suddenly you were beside him. “Don’t”, he said through gritted teeth as you tried to touch him. “You’re in pain, let me help you.” He saw your worried painted face, ashamed that you had to see him like this. “It’s fine, I’m used to it. Don’t worry.” “Don’t tell me not to worry when I see the person I love most suffering,” and with that you took his hand. “Please Xiao, let me help you.” Even when he wasn’t in such a weakened state it was hard for Xiao to refuse you and now – all he wished for was your comforting touch. You led Xiao back to bed and when you noticed how he had a fever you quickly prepared a cold and wet towel for him. As you both lied down in bed you took Xiao in your arms. “I don’t know if this will help,” you began after a short amount of silence, “but when I was a child my mother always used to sing this lullaby to help me fall asleep. She even continued singing it when we were older and got sick… it always helps me feel better and at ease, shall I sing it to you?”. Xiao only gave a small nod, not believing it would help when you sang that song for the first time. But it did, you soothed his pain and helped him fall asleep. From that night on you would sing it more often to Xiao, he never asked for it but you somehow always knew when he wished to hear it, especially on the nights when is karmic debt caused him great pain. That lullaby became

another sign of how much you loved each other – the necklace was Xiaos gift, the song yours.

Now there he stood, in this forest that once was just a plain field, the flowers and necklace to his feet singing that lullaby. Xiao never sang it when you were alive, he never sang at all. No matter how much you begged him to sing for you, this was something he always refused to do. Thinking about how beautiful your voice sounded, he never wanted to soil this song with his voice.

It felt like you screamed for Xiao for hours and hours on end, but your voice doesn’t hurt. Where were you? What had happened? In your head you repeated and repeated the last things you could remember again and again. You were walking in the fields, wanting to collect some crystal flies for a commission. Then you remembered that you were attacked, who or what attacked you slipped your mind. However, the fight was tedious and hard… and then you called for Xiao. That’s it. That’s all you could remember. But where was he? Where was Xiao? Didn’t he say he would always come when you called out for him? Why didn’t he come now? You feared that he was still angry with you, though you didn’t know anymore why he even should be angry with you in the first place. The two of you had a fight yes, but… was that it? You spend so much time apart, did he just decide you weren’t worth his time anymore? Did he maybe stop loving you? Those thoughts filled you with dread and you wanted to cry, cry at the thought of Xiao not loving you anymore, but somehow you couldn’t. So you kept calling for him, over and over again. “Xiao,” you screamed. “XIAO!” And then you heard something, at first you weren’t sure what it was, but there was a noise. You stopped calling out for him, trying to focus on where the sound came from, following the direction. It got louder and – was that Xiao singing? The closer you came towards the sound, towards Xiaos voice singing that lullaby… your mothers’ lullaby, the lullaby that became yours and Xiaos. Which he always refused to sing, no matter how much you pleaded. The closer you came you started to remember the things that happened more clearly. How you didn’t want to call for Xiao at first that day, how something hit you in your stomach and how you felt the blood gusher out of you. Yes, you remember how you couldn’t stand anymore and all that was on your mind was Xiao, you wanted to see him again. Just once. You wanted to tell him how sorry you were, how stupid it was for you to fight and how stupid it was to wait this long to call for him. You wanted to say this to him, all of it. But all you remember you said was his name. “Xiao.”

He stopped singing, his head flying up seeing your ghost stand right in front of him. His name. You just said his name. “Xiao,” you said it again, this time he heard you say it clearly and you looked right at him, not through. “(Y/N)”, it came more out as whisper. This is what he wanted. He wanted you to see him, to get out of that limbo, but why does it still hurt as much? “Ah, seems like it worked, great!”, the director interrupted the moment, looking at Xiao and the ghost of you. “I ummm- I’m gonna leave the two of you alone for a while, so you can talk things out, say your goodbyes, yadayadayada.” With that the director walked away and it was just you and Xiao.

“I-“, Xiao began, but somehow his voice failed him. What was there to say? What should he say? “Xiao,” he heard the hesitance in your voice. “Xiao, I am dead, right?”. He couldn’t stand looking at you, his eyes avoiding yours as he gave his short answer. “Yes.” “I see,” you replied quietly. You slowly started to remember the nights you stood on the field, waiting for him to come. “Why,” you weren’t sure if you wanted an answer to your question, “why didn’t you come? After, you know… I- I waited for you. I called you. Why-?”. “I felt guilty. It was my fault, if I just hadn’t tried to push you away again, then you wouldn’t have died, I’m so sorry,” his voice was so quiet, but you could hear how he tried to hold back the tears. “Xiao,” at hearing his name again he looked back at you, you now seeing the tears that pooled at the corner of his eyes. “It wasn’t your fault. I shouldn’t have pushed you… and I should have called for you earlier. But Xiao,” you saw how the tears started to fall down his face, “it wasn’t your fault.” He couldn’t hold it in any longer, Xiao fell to his knees, hands in his face and crying. “Please,” he sobbed. “Please, forgive me. I should have protected you that day, I should have come here earlier and see what was happening… please, forgive me.” You walked towards Xiao, reaching out your hand, wanting to touch him. Wanting to take him in your arms, but you couldn’t. It broke your heart. “Xiao, please, please look at me,” he did, his eyes red and filled with his tears. “There is nothing to ask for forgiveness for, you did nothing wrong Xiao. It’s alright. I’m sorry for leaving so soon, for running away that day we had this stupid fight. I don’t even know what it was about…”. “I don’t know either”, Xiao admitted and somehow you had to laugh a bit at that. None of you ever remembered why you fought even in the first place, all of this nearly felt so normal. But it wasn’t. Xiao wiped away the tears from his eyes and stood up again, this time to be able to face you. You looked just like he remembered, except for the see-through part but… your smile hasn’t changed. Even if this was a sad one. “Xiao, how much time has passed since I died?” That question surprised him. “Around…”, he was hesitant to tell you the truth. Should he really tell you? “Xiao,” and you looked at him and he knew that he couldn’t hide the truth. “A thousand years perhaps.” Thousand years, you thought. For thousand years he walked around with this guilt, for thousand years he kept that necklace that still was on the ground… for thousand years he lived his life, still mourning you it seemed. “Did you get over me?”. Again, another question he didn’t expect. Why were you asking him this? Did he get over you? “No, every single day since you died you were on my mind, I couldn’t forget you and I do not wish to. I can never get over you.” This wasn’t the answer you hoped for. “Xiao, I’ve been dead for thousand years. Even if I hadn’t died that day, I would have died on another one. Thousand years compared to what, sixty? Maybe seventy years if I had lived a full life is nothing. Humans are weak after all, aren’t we?”. You didn’t mean to stir him up with your last comment, it was more intended as a joke, alas a sad one, but somehow you struck a nerve within him. “No, they are not. I always said that, but I was wrong (Y/N). I don’t understand how you human can live your life, knowing that you will die, that those you love will inevitably die. How you can idly sit next to people you care about forgetting important things, things about themselves, struggle to remember who they are, seeing them die… and you move forward. I watched over you humans for such a long time, protecting you and I still- I don’t understand how. How can they love again? Where does the strength come from to keep moving forward?”, Xiao’s voice was full of pain, you heard it clear as day, seeing how tears rolled down his face again. You felt that there were even other things weighing heavy on him, not only you, but you knew that you couldn’t comfort him. That this was

something he needed to figure out himself. “Xiao, you will learn. You will understand it one day, it just takes time.” Your voice heavy with sadness and oh, how you wished you could take him in your arms, wipe his tears away and kiss him.

Before Xiao could reply anything in return the director disturbed the two of you again. “So, are you ready now?”, looking directly at you. “No, but I stayed here for far too long now, didn’t I?”, a sad smile coming across your face. You really didn’t want to leave, but you knew you couldn’t stay any longer. It was time. “I will come with you as far as I can,” Xiao had wiped his tears away and stood now right next to you. If you still had a body your shoulders would touch.

Xiao and the director accompanied you to the border of life and death in silence. Before you crossed it you looked at Xiao. He looked so sad, as if he was to lose you a second time. “I wish,” you heard him say, “that you could stay just a bit longer. I know it’s selfish, but I just wished you could have stayed by my side forever. But you can’t stay, and you shouldn’t.” “Xiao, I feel the same. I wish I could have spent eternity with you, but I can’t and it okay. I just want to ask you for one thing, one last promise before I go, okay?”. Xiao looked at you with a heavy heart. “Yes.” “Promise me you will try to find happiness for yourself again, okay? Promise me you will love again, please. Don’t stay alone.” Silently Xiao looked at you to then finally say “I promise.” “Thank you Xiao,” Archons, you wished you could take his hand. “Now then,” you said looking in the directions you had to go. “Time to go.” “(Y/N)”, you heard Xiao say before you left. “I love you.” “I love you too, Xiao.” As Xiao and the director left the border, he stayed quiet, the atmosphere being quite sombre. “Maybe,” the director pulled Xiao out of his thoughts, “there is nothing behind the border and they stopped existing completely. But maybe their soul will now find a way back to you, just in another way? Who knows,” and with that the director left. Xiao didn’t know if he believed that you would find a way back to him, but as it started to rain and as it fell down on his skin, Xiao felt now lighter as if a heavy burden was taken off of him. With that he started to move forward again.

[danihow]

Flower love

Legolas x human!reader

Lord of the rings

Word count: 2.5k

Summary: While crossing through the forest, our dear Y/N decided to help Legolas to braid his hair back.

Warnings: Fluff, that’s it. 

A/N: I actually thought of this after learning the meaning of some flowers. Im so sorry ittook me a month to finish this and I’m not even please with it.

The sun was half an hour away to be hidden by the tall mountains that surrounded the valley when Frodo and Aragorn came to the agreement of staying the night in a forest opening near a stream.

The girl nodded with a little smile just before leaving the bag she helped Sam carry beside an oak near them. She could still feel her back tense after carrying a hobbit for what seemed like hours while crossing some really high grass a couple of days before, when horses were not available to use. Those little men could be short but all the food they could eat a day really weighted on them.

Then, she looked at her surroundings, her gaze danced over the men who she shared her everyday with for the last couple of months, her gaze went from the four hobbits that gathered in a small circle talking over what should Sam cook for supper before going to sleep, Frodo being the center of the debate that Sam was arbitrating. Next to them, sat against the log of probably the eldest oak in the bunch that circled the fellowship was Boromir, his long legs stretched in front of him while his head was abutting the log, a small smile spread on his relaxed face as he overheard the hobbits’ chatter, almost closed eyes staring at nothing but a yellow hyacinth a few feet from him. 

Then, she spotted Gimli arguing with Legolas for who may take the second best place near the fireplace Aragorn was building up, the woman could see how Gimli scrunched his nose in disgust when seeing the other option perfectly placed near the fire was over some wet mud, mentally determining himself to win over the elf, who looked with a playful smirk at the dwarf getting angrier, even Frodo knew that the elf was bothering the dwarf for mere fun, he did not need a fire to keep him warm.

Lastly, there was Gandalf, sitting with his pipe in what seemed to be the perfect place, not too close yet no too far, a place where he could watch over each member of the fellowship during what was left of the evening without getting cold.

“Who’s turn it is to check the surroundings?” Frodo asked once their little gathering agreed with Sam to prepare some rabbit soup.

“It is mine.” The lady told she took her bow and quiver from her champagne horse and he nodded, looking up from the fireplace as he finished. 

“Be careful young Y/N, this woods are not to be trusted.” Gandalf warned in his wise voice, looking at the young woman with kindness, receiving the same smile back as she waited for Aragorn’s permission to leave.

“Be back before the sun is out, if not, Legolas will go and search for you.” The ranger said without looking at her, knowing well she was more than capable of handling any inconvenience by herself.

“Of course I will be back before darkness arrives, there will be no need to search for me.” She told with a smirk just before leaving the little safe place they have established themselves for the night.

With light steps she jogged through the woods, taking in the smell of wet dirt mixing up with some wild flowers, probably some dragon flowers. Her warm eyes wandered in between trees and looked up the branches, noticing hints of the bronze highlights making their way throughout the branches, giving the woods a special feeling. The thin golden brims of light could be seen shining down to the ground covered in either moss or clovers.

Her cheeks caught the whisper of nature that summer was in its way in the warm breeze that blew around as her ears could catch a distant chirping, oh, how much did she wished to have the hearing of an elf to listen better to the beautiful melodies birds gifted in this season.

Time went by as she enjoyed the peace the woods carried as her eye caught nothing irregular that deserved extraordinary attention. Now, in a slower pace she walked alone to the opening just when the sun finally sat below the horizon and nothing but darkness could be seen, taking her time to arrive as she spotted the warm light of the fire not too far from her.

“Just in time, young Y/N. We were about to search for you.” The old wizard muttered at her returning with the pipe placed in between his lips. Making her notice how the silver-haired elf left his own bow aside and sat back down in the place he was before, it appeared the elf have granted the log to Gimli since the dwarf was proudly sat on it at the contrary side of the fireplace. 

“There are no signs of orcs in the near paths, they seem not to like these ways.” As the words fell from her mouth relief seemed to take over the hobbits a bit once she finally took off her quiver and bow and placed it near where her loyal horse, Dagros, rested. 

With much grace a human could have, she sat in the free place next to Legolas, reaching for a little notebook she kept in a little bag attached to her cloak

“Miss Y/N.” Pippin called, getting the woman and the elf’s attention. “What is that notebook you write in each night?” The curiosity in his voice make her chuckle as Merry elbowed him in the ribs.

“Pip, you cannot ask people things like that.” He scolded with a frown in his features.

“It is okay Merry.” She smiled warmly at them as Pip smile got back to his face in pride as he did not actual wrong. “Well, Pip, I just like to write what happens each day so when I get old, I can read and remind it in case I ever forgot any of the crazy things we do now. Is like a journal.” She said, opening the notebook to a random page, just to find a sketch of the mountains and a dry blue flower, which she carefully took in between her fingers. “I also keep the flowers we recollect, so I can frame them and treasure them in some years as I do now.” And with that, she had gained the attention of the four hobbits, who stared at the blue poppy and the acacia blossom the elf at her side had collected for her around a week ago.

“That is an amazing idea, Miss Y/N.” Samwise spoke as he stirred the rabbit soup he had in the fire and Frodo nodded by his side, staring directly to the soup with hunger.

Then, everyone returned to their usual chatter, Merry and Pippin chattering their mischievous plans someone should worry about later, Frodo talked with Sam as he cooked, Aragorn seemed to be talking with Gandalf in their own voice level, Boromir was resting with his eyes closed for some minutes as the dwarf sharpened his axe a few feet away with total concentration; the elf, sat at the other side of the fireplace, looked at the orange flames without attention while his ears searched for any strange sound near them and the woman by his side scribbled something in her notebook, knowing that the elf would not betray her trust and look over the pages she transcribed her life in.

Minutes passed by and the elf bit his inner cheek, his hand playing with some flowers he found earlier and kept in his pocket. “Y/N.” He called to get her attention, once her gaze was placed on his and he got a kind smile, he talked. “I found these near the stream before sunset, thought you would like them.”

His hand grabbed the flowers and revealed to her two pink peonies just blooming, one smaller than the other one but still with a far more vivid pink tainting her petals. “Legolas, thank you, they are beautiful.” Her delicate hands grabbed the flowers from his, touching for enough seconds to make his heart twirl in his chest with joy.

A few feet away, the wizard and the ranger looked the scene with a little smile on their own, knowing farewell what the elf was doing and how oblivious they both were to it in their own minds.

“I will keep them as long as I can.” Her words were sweet and warm, making his chest warm at her as she placed the flowers in between the two pages she wrote in a few moments ago. “I have not seen these type of peonies in a long time, back home we only grew tree peonies.” Her smile may not have been wide, but in her smallness all Legolas saw was comfort and happiness, making himself happy.

He smiled at her one more time and guided his gaze to the fire in front of him, losing itself in there. Gears in his head started to spin, taking himself down memory lane for some long minutes. Thinking about everything and nothing, like the trip they had ahead, the woods and its creatures, thinking about the fellowship and more; then, he started to remember, all kind of memories striking their own way back in his mind, the last months, his mother and father, anything his mind could get access into, he remembered.

“Legolas.” A distant voice talked to him, but he was still lost in his mind.

“Legolas?” A voice and a squeeze in his forearm took him out of his own mind, looking up he found Sam with a bowl of soup standing in front of him with a concerned look on his face, the elf, concerned by himself on what was happening look to his side to find Y/N with the same concerned look in her facial features while one of her hands slowly let go of his arm. “Sam is asking if you want a bowl of the soup, its rabbit.” Her words were slow for him to understand why they were calling him. 

“Oh, sure, thank you.” With a small nod the bowl was taken out of Sam little hands into Legolas’, careful to not spill any food in the ground. Once Samwise had walked away to serve Aragorn’s and Gandalf’s soup, the pair sat in silence, enjoying quietly their own soup.

“What has you so troubled? If I may ask.” Her voice asked in a mutter some moments later. There was no way in the world she had not noticed how he was lost in his own thought to the point his keened ears were shut from the world, something not so typical in any elf.

“Nothing, lady Y/N, just some memories from the past.” He answers, leaving the empty bowl of soup aside as looking at her, finally noticing the bits of worry in her eyes. “Seriously, there is no need to worry Y/N.”

“I cannot help but to when you wear such a look on your face Legolas. It almost depresses me too.” The young woman joked with a knowing smile on her face. “But is okay you don’t want to tell, just let me know if I can help.” She muttered, making the elf smile at her, how could she be so sweet?

“Thank you, Y/N.” He said with the sincerest smile he could give her. 

“And what happened to your hair?” She asked, just now noticing how the braids he wore were more undone than done.

"The orcs in the morning probably messed it up.” He mutters while his hands passed over the thin braids on the side of his head, remembering how in the last village they visited the woman in front of him braided a bunch of young girls’ hair. “Would you like to braid them for me?”

“Are you sure you want me to?” Her voice was pure concern, she knew about the traditions of the elves and the dwarves, she knew what the hair meant to them. “Is not that I don’t want to, I do, is just... I mean- It is your hair what we are talking about and I am... me.” She tried to make him understand her point because of her fear of disrespecting other culture, yet, deep inside she yearned to braid his hair for a long time now.

“I know you are you.” He chuckled, reassuring her. “And that is why I am sure, do not worry about that.” He nodded in her direction and make himself comfortable in the ground in front of the log they were sitting in, right in between her legs so she could have it easier. “You said you would want to help me how you could, believe this would help me a lot. You can braid whatever you want in there.”

“Alright, if you say so.” She whispered, untangling his soft blonde hair with her fingers, it felt even better than silk or velvet. Soon, she started braiding his hair, taking two thin braids from each side of his face to the back of his head, forming a big braid in the middle with both of them and tying it. Then, with her delicate fingers she soothed the hair that was left down, smiling to herself as the soft strands of his hair ran through her fingers with such ease. Through the process, the elf whose hair was being braided was smiling wide as he felt her fingers brush again his hair and in some occasions, against his ears, causing him goosebumps. 

Meanwhile, both Aragorn and Gandalf stared at the scene with a small smile in their faces, both of them could see at bare sight the special bond the elf and the human had together now and the eldest could predict how it would evolve in both of them, still, that was not ought to be said now.

“And... I’m done.” She muttered once she fully finished, making the elf to raise his hand and carefully touch the braids. 

“Thank you so much, I love them.” He said, getting up from the ground to sit back again in the log. 

“Next time an orc messes up your hair, make sure to pick up more flowers so I can braid them in your hair, maybe some more acacia blossoms.” She smiled while a blush covered her cheeks as he turned to face her.

And while the woman played with the pages of her notebook and the new peonies inside, rethinking if the braids and flowers meant what she thought they could mean; the elf smiled back with gratefulness as he may or may not try in a future to mess his hair more if it meant she would be the one braiding it. And then maybe, just maybe he could ask to court her.  

Yellow hyacinth: Jealousy.  Dragon flowers: Grace, strenght.  Blue poppies: Oblivion, imagination. Acacia blossoms: Concealed and chaste love Pink peonies: Romance, love at first sight.

[arminbitchlover]

reincarnated lovers (3)

armin arlert x f! reader

summary: reader and armin decide to give the start of their relationship a second chance.

word count: 3.7k

content warnings: content warning: mentions of drug use, vaginal and oral sex (F & M receiving), a slight insinuation of overstimulation, fingering, praise, & creampie

“Wow, you have a nice apartment.” Armin opens the door for you, and you gaze at his spacious apartment in awe.

“No need to flatter me.” He slightly chuckles, placing his keys on the small table against the wall.

“Trust me, I would never.” You tease as he grabs your hand and leads you to his kitchen.

You immediately take notice of how modern and simplistic his home is. The color palette throughout his apartment is cool tones, mostly consisting of white and gray. It somewhat makes you feel like you're in a museum rather than someone’s house. He doesn't have any pictures of family or friends on his wall, not even a frame of him and Eren.

“How do you feel about pancakes?” He crouches down to the bottom cabinet and pulls out a baby blue griddle.

“That actually sounds amazing right now.” You place your stomach in your hand, realizing how queasy you feel with only alcohol in your stomach.

“Could you get the pancake mix from the pantry, please?” He smiles at you while grabbing the oil from the upper shelf and placing it on the counter.

You open the door and instantly spot a never-ending pile of ramen neatly stacked on the floor. Adorable. Your eyes shift to the box of pancake mix on the middle shelf that's surrounded by other dessert mixes and grab it. You walk over to Armin, who already took out the ingredients with a bowl, measuring cups, and a spoon that's nicely arranged next to the griddle.

“I’m letting you know right now, I am not a gourmet chef so you cannot complain about the results,” He playfully warns you as he opens up the pancake mix.

“Armin, we’re making box pancakes. Not even from scratch.” You laugh, pulling out the plastic bag from the box, and cutting it open.

“You don’t have to make me feel bad about it.” He fakes a pout as he starts to pour the oil into the measuring cup.

You try to give him a serious look, but immediately break out into a smile when he makes eye contact with you. He hands you the ingredients while you incorporate everything into the bowl, enjoying the presence of one another.

As you pour the batter on the griddle, Armin starts asking you random questions from your dream job as a kid to your biggest fears in life. While it was somewhat arbitrary, you thought how cute he looked while he listened to absolutely every single word that came from your lips. Occasionally, while you're busy flipping pancakes and answering his questions, he gets a quick glimpse at your slightly parted lips, but you never seem to notice.

"You're a really interesting person, you know." He leans back against the counter, watching you place your dinner onto the plates.

"I doubt that very much." You argue while taking the plates to his dinner table.

"Well, I think otherwise, and you still haven't thanked me for making dinner for our date." He rolls his eyes but quickly breaks character, seeing the confused look on your face.

"Huh, so it wasn't you that was just sitting on your ass and questioning me as if I was at a job interview?" You joke with him, taking the seat that's across from him.

"I have no recollection of such." He smirks as he walks over to the refrigerator and grabs two water bottles.

"Thank you." You takes the water bottle out of his hand, taking notice of how pretty his hands looked around your beverage.

He smiles and sits down, eyeing what he thought to be the best-looking pancakes he's ever seen.

"Well, enough about me, I want to get to know you now." You make eye contact, holding it a bit longer than needed before looking down and cutting up your meal, not wanting to make yourself look weird.

"Ask away." He opens his water and takes a quick sip.

"How were you like as a kid?" You begin eating your pancakes, waiting for Armin to answer.

"I was and still am a quiet kid. I've always minded my own business, so I didn't have many friends growing up. I only had Eren and Mikasa and we only met because they defended me when they saw some older kids messing with me." You look up at him, only to be met with a neutral face.

"I'm sorry about that, Armin." You break eye contact, worried that you may have just ruined his night by making him reminiscent.

"Don't apologize, I stopped thinking about those assholes a long time ago." He gives you a reassuring smile as he continues to eat his food.

"I'm happy to hear that." You take a swig from your water bottle, thinking of the next question to ask him. "What's your favorite memory? Whether it be from last week or years ago." You lighten the mood, immediately noticing Armin break out into a huge grin.

"There was this one time during senior year in high school with Eren and Mikasa and we smoked weed but for Eren, it was his first time. So, I guess to like 'impress'," He starts giggling as he does air quotes, "me and Mikasa, he decided to take a long ass hit and it completely backfired on him. When he first breathed out, he started coughing but tried holding it back, but he just started hacking nonstop, and every time he tried drinking water, he would just spit it back up." He throws his head back, cracking up while finishing his story.

"So, you enjoy watching other people suffer?" You smile, not aware of how contagious his laugh is.

"Yeah, I guess." He keeps laughing as his eyes start to tear up.

"It just makes it so much funnier than I was already somewhat high, and everything just gets a billion times more amusing than what it really is." He chuckles before looking back into your eyes, taking in the beauty that'sin front of him.

"Damn, I wish I was there to see it." You snicker, thinking about how Eren embarrassed himself even though you feel a bit guilty thinking it was funny in the first place.

"Well, we frequently have sessions so you should definitely join us if you'd like." He finishes up his dinner and takes his plate to the sink.

"I'll think about it." You quickly eat the last of your pancakes and feel your phone vibrate in your pocket.

༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛

roomie <3

Today 12:12 AM

where tf are u

i've literally been gone for the

past hour

with armin right ;)

uhhh

omg i need to stop texting you and

sleepover while you're at it :)

we'll see (;

have fun and use protection

love you

oh god

love u too

Read 12:14 AM

༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛

"Is everything alright?" Armin looks at you concerned, noticing your eyes widening at your screen.

"Huh? Oh yes, uh it was just Sasha." You put your phone back in your pocket, not wanting to give Armin any ideas.

Your heartbeat quicken as you face Armin, Sasha's message ingrained in your head. You doubt anything would happen tonight, it's barely your second date, but it was something to think about. As soon as your mind starts wandering into more inappropriate thoughts, you're interrupted by Armin's voice.

"Do you need me to take you back to your dorm?" He starts making his way to the door, not letting you respond.

"No, I can stay." You clear your throat; he stops in his tracks, having a bit of excitement by your answer.

"Oh okay, well is there anything you want to do?"

He stares into your eyes, feeling the tiny spark that wants to ignite. You feel your face start to heat up, trying to muster up anything to continue your night with Armin.

"Can I ask you one more question?"

"Of course." He feels his chest tighten, the electricity between you grow stronger as the silence stretches out.

What the hell do you want to ask him? You have little to no idea what you wanted to face him with. While you have to admit, everything about him at this very moment is so fucking perfect and you don't mind trying something, you wouldn't dare pressure him into anything. You continue bouncing with thoughts and kept convincing yourself that a little persuasion wouldn't hurt him and besides, it would be a shame if nothing fun went down.

"Is it okay if I kiss you?" You stay in your seat, worried that you may have broken a boundary that Armin had no intention of crossing. Your chest gets knotted up as you feel embarrassment rush over your body, regret started to quickly sink in.

His eyes widen and feels his heartbeat in his throat, indulging at the thought of doing so much more than just a kiss. He starts walking towards you, not aware that he didn't answer your question, rather just pulls you out of your seat and snakes his arms around your waist.

"Is uh- this okay?" His face turns into a bright pink, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness.

"Yes." You wrap your arms around his neck, not wasting a second longer.

You meet your lips with him, a soft whimper comes from his throat as you pull him closer. Your lips move in sync as if you had already done this a million times before. You bring one of your hands to his hair, slightly gripping it to try and get another noise out of him. You feel him pour all of his desire for you into that one kiss.

"Fuck." He mumbles under his breath, moving his hands to your ass, slightly squeezing it. Before you can take it any further, he pulls away from your kiss, grabs your hand, and takes you to his bedroom.

"Are you fine with this?" He has a concerned look on his face, making sure what he felt was a mutual feeling.

"Mhm." You nod your head, and he collides his lips with yours, drawing you in for a more heated kiss.

You part your lips, allowing his tongue to slip through, and you feel your body thrill with electricity. Everything just feels so natural between the two of you, there's no second-guessing or hesitation; it all felt right.

You both slowly started making your way to his bed, not breaking away your kiss as he lowered you onto it when the back of your knees is met with the edge. His hands traveled lower and made their way under your shirt and his cold fingertips are met with your warm soft stomach while pulling your shirt over your head. You slightly gasped when he came into contact with your skin, but this doesn't stop him from going any further. He took his lips to your neck, softly sucking and biting along your collarbone, letting his hot tongue glide over each spot he marked.

"Shit-" You choke and slightly arch your back, thinking to yourself how you've never felt this kind of delectation from someone before.

You grab his chin and pull him back to your lips and push his wrist down to your clothed core. He lightly presses against you, causing a jolt in your thighs while you moaned into his mouth. You feel a slight grin form on his face as he continues to tease you and felt you grind against his middle finger.

"You sound so pretty," He whispers into your ear.

You feel the arousal pooling low in your stomach, feeling him slowly dip under your panties and started massaging circles on your clit. You felt your legs start to slightly tremble and your back arched even more than before as the heat from his body filled you with a wave of delight.

"Armin." You grip your hands against his shoulder, becoming desperate for things to start escalating.

"Say my name again," He commands as he lifts his head and stares into your eyes, full of lust and desire.

"Armin, give me more, please," You whine, feeling your walls fluttered around nothing.

"Anything for you." He makes his way down your body, leaving a trail of peppered kisses from your neck to your pelvis.

He pulls off your panties, leaving you in only your bra, admiring what was inches away from his face. You could almost feel his gaze travel all over your body. You look down and make eye contact with him, watching him lower his face into you. You grasp the bedsheet and your eyes rolled back as his tongue lightly flicks against your clit. You buck your hips against him, growing incredibly impatient and he knows it.

"C'mon, please," You whimper, moving your hands to his head, and clutching his golden hair.

He grips the sides of your thighs and begins devouring you, his tongue becoming completely coated with your slick arousal. You feel his nose bump against your clit and causes your vision to swim while tugging on his locks from the bliss Armin created. You suddenly feel one of his fingers slip into you effortlessly, causing your mind to go blank while he curls it to hit the perfect spot.

"More," You cry out, grinding on his face as you felt your orgasm start to build up.

Without any hesitation, he slips another finger into you, widening your legs even more, making you start to see stars. It all starts to become too much for you, the stimulation starts to overload all over your drenched center. His tongue vigorously presses against your clit and fingers hitting your sweet spot, making everything feel so delirious.

"Sh-shit, Armin I'm close." You dig your nails into his scalp, throwing your head back, trying to hold off as long as possible to make it last a little longer.

"Let me hear you." He pull away for a second before enveloping himself back into you, making sure you feel nothing but pleasure.

That's all it takes to put you over the edge, and you reach your climax while moaning out his name. Your body becomes filled with a riptide of euphoria as you lose yourself in all the sensations. You can't believe the way he makes you feel; every little thing he does to you makes you feel so weak and submissive to him. Your legs are trembling, and he doesn't waste any time and begins to start kissing your inner thighs while gently rubbing your clit to help soothe you from your high.

"God, you're so beautiful," He breaths out while making his way back up your body and to your chest while unclipping your undergarment with a single hand.

"Y-You make me feel so fucking good." Your hands moves across his shoulder blades as he starts kissing your breasts, using his index finger and thumb to stimulate your nipples.

His other hand travels over your curves, feeling as if he needs to memorize every single feature of your body. You feel ecstasy relish over you, breathing heavily as Armin's lust for you takes over his mind. You can't ask for more than this right now, having someone do everything they could to make you feel nothing but absolute pleasure and you want to return the favor.

You slide up from under him, sitting up against the pillow, and flip him to the bottom.

"Wha-" You cut him off with a rough kiss, moving your hands to the bottom of his long sleeve, tugging at it.

You pull away and allow him to take off his shirt, admiring his pale, milky body. You can't believe the sight in front of you, he looks so fucking beautiful. You meet with his eyes and notice embarrassment rush over his face. You lean down and give him a gentle but passionate kiss.

"You're so handsome," You whisper his ear before you nibble on his earlobe, causing his thighs to slightly jolt.

You begin kissing down to his jawline, somewhat pressing your tongue against it while your hand softly traces his abs. You feel his stomach muscles contract under touch while his arms loosely wrap around your waist, delicately sliding his palms across your back. It doesn't take long for you to make your way down his body while you make sure to leave a hickey or two on his chest before meeting his bulge.

"You d-don't have to." He starts sitting up, but you place your hand on his chest to stop him.

"Let me make you feel good." You plead, pulling off his pants and boxers to reveal his hard cock that was seeping of pre-cum, just for you.

You run your hands on his thighs before bringing one up to the base of his dick. You look back at Armin, who seemingly has his head back while his face is flushed into a soft red. You glob spit on his dick before pumping your hand slowly, making sure that he feels every little sensation you're making. He lets out a shaky exhale, trying his hardest not to release with only a single touch.

You smirk to yourself feeling him pulse in your palm before moving it back down to the base and swiping your tongue on his tip.

"O-Oh." He moans out, moving one of his hands to your head.

You start humming very quietly, bobbing your head up and down with the slight pressure of Armin's palm. He groans, feeling his face heat up with everything you're doing to him.

As seconds passed, Armin's pressure on the back of your head only becomes more forceful, making you gag a bit and cause tears to form as he starts throat fucking you. It doesn't take long to begin to feel him twitch in the back of your throat, but before he could release himself, you pull away, looking up and seeing a shocked look on his face.

"I'm sorry, did I take too far?" He starts sliding up against his headboard, thinking he made you uncomfortable.

"No! Not at all... I just want to do something more." You hesitate with your words.

All you want at this very moment is to make sure Armin felt nothing but pleasure from you. Your heart starts thumping sporadically, loving the idea of riding him till he couldn't take it anymore.

"Y-Yeah, of course," He stutters as he quickly pulls out a condom from the drawer in his nightstand.

You think to yourself how cute he lookes getting flustered and excited with the thought of you topping him. You watch him slightly stumble while taking the condom out of its packaging before rolling it on himself. He looks back at you, a smirk on his face as he grasps your waist and pulls you onto his dick.

You align yourself with him before lowering yourself, watching his head fall back. His eyes become filled with desire as you bite your lip from his cock stretching you out.

"Shit.." He groans as you take all of him in, feeling your walls become adjusted to his cock.

You don't move for a second, savoring how it feels with him inside of you; feeling connected with one another. But once you begin to move, it's impossible to stop.

You start off slow and sensual, feeling him hit your cervix that caused a delightful pain in you. You bend down to his face leaving kisses all over across his jaw as you slowly move against him. You don't want this to end, everything feels so right.

"You feel amazing." He drags out his words, sliding his hands up and down the sides of your body.

You pick your head back up, speeding up from his praise.

"I hope I make you feel so fucking good," You cry out, feeling him start to hit all the right spots that you didn't even know were there.

Before your legs could start to burn, you feel his hands form a good grip on you before he starts thrusting forward, at this point making himself fuck you instead.

"A-Armin!' You yelp, feeling overloaded from the overwhelming pressure that begins to build up inside you.

He starts controlling the rhythm, taking all the power you thought you had over him. You grip his shoulders, leaving crescent-shaped markings from his strokes becoming harder and deeper.

He admires the way your tits bounce every time he thrusts into you, wanting to see it happen over and over again. He loves seeing your head falls back as your eyes roll to the back of your head, starting to lose control of yourself from everything he's doing to you. He worships the idea that he's the one making you feel this good.

"I'm about to.." You close your eyes, letting yourself surrender and submerge into the wave of pleasure.

"Fuck, me too." His eyes darken, picking up the pace as your grip on him began to loosen.

You feel your stomach swoop from his words.

"C-Can I cum inside you? He groans, feeling himself twitch in you, worried that he might release himself too soon.

"Please." You unravel yourself onto him, your walls flutter against him and your arousal drips out of you.

"Armin!" You cry out his name one last time, the sensation becoming too much that it was almost painful.

The feeling of bliss and ecstasy take over as you feel his cum gush into you while moaning out your name. You ride him out a little longer, helping him come back down from his high before lying next to him.

You both exchange lazy kisses with one another, savoring each other's warmth for as long as possible.

"Thank you for an amazing second first date." You smile, resting your head against his chest while he softly caresses your jaw.

"You deserve nothing but the best." He kisses your forehead before pulling you closer to him.

At this moment, you fee nothing but happiness; you know from then on that Armin is the person that you're going to spend the rest of your life with. You just can't believe that it took you nineteen years to find your soulmate, but luckily, you'll be spending the rest of your lives together in pure bliss.

a/n: armin does ask reader permission to cum inside her even though he has a condom on because he wanted to make sure she was completely comfortable with it :)

previous chapter | series masterlist

[the-chicken-or-the-banana]

i had an idea i would love to see from your perspective (you're so good at andreil oh my god) if you wanted to write some stuff about it? i always wondered how andrew reacted when he first found neil missing after the binghampton game (starts pg 235 in the king's men). thoughts? (-- the ttyl blog <3)

omg i literally finished re-reading that scene before seeing your ask skjflsj ~ i hope you like this ! (i'm just realizing that i barely followed ur request and just rambled a lot but that's FINE 😬)

read it on ao3 here :)

«««———»»»

Andrew walked in line to the bus with the rest of the Foxes, mind going a million miles an hour behind his impassive expression. 

"Thank you," Neil had said, eyes truer than Andrew had ever seen them. "You were amazing."

Andrew wasn't such a fool for Neil Josten that he couldn't figure out there was something more happening under the surface, something bigger than just an Exy shutout, that he wasn't telling anyone. Something forcing truth out of him.

Neil looked scared.

Apparently, no one else received the memo, because behind him, Matt Boyd kept kicking at Andrew's heels and Andrew could nearly see the nosy smile on Reynold's face. Boyd's voice was drowned out by the cacophony of both jeers and shouts of approval coming from all around them, but he had no doubts that Boyd was fishing for information surrounding his and Neil's "not this" to settle a bet of some sort.

Andrew didn't really care. He was more focused on leaving Binghamton, getting some answers out of Neil, and then kissing him senseless.

Of course, Andrew had no plans to tell Neil of that last item on the list, but he was sure he (and everyone else, apparently) knew anyway.

Maybe not Nicky, though. For all his cousin boasted about having an "incredible gaydar," he tended to be a bit clueless about Andrew.

Andrew's eyes were unfocused, gazing at the bounce of Neil's red curls while his thoughts wandered around nothing at all.

Nothing? his mind mused unhelpfully. Or Neil? Or is that one in the same now?

Shut up, he huffed internally. I hate him.

Lost in his head, it was only until he heard a pained curse from Aaron that he jerked straight and saw the world burning around him.

«««———»»»

Andrew's vision went red. 

He nearly would have broken out of line and straight into the tidal wave of rioters had he not noticed the police trying to push back the crowd. He had never trusted the pigs, but Andrew supposed he could let them handle the mess until he'd gotten a chance to check on Aaron at the bus.

He had nearly fooled himself with that thought when an ice cooler sailed through the air and missed Danielle's face by an inch. An enraged shout came from Andrew's right, and he could feel the familiar heat of adrenaline in his stomach that always came when he and Renee sparred.

There was going to be a fight.

No sooner than he had that thought, the crowd around him exploded into madness, nearly running the Foxes over. Andrew may have been ready to throw some punches, but he was not at all prepared for the onslaught of unfamiliar bodies piling on him. Moving around him. Touching him. 

Andrew couldn't breathe.

He lost sight of Neil's head in the mess, hoping one of the security guards would bring Neil to safety while Andrew tried to ground himself. What had Bee taught him? 

What is your name? Andrew Minyard.

How old are you? 20 years old.

What is upsetting you? Hands. Everywhere.

Can you do something about it? Yes. I can move now.

He felt the glancing blow of someone's elbow on his face, nearly hitting his eye. It was sure to bruise later, but for now, the sharp pain mixed with Bee's words were enough to shake Andrew out of his stupor.

He ducked to the left, neatly missing a thrown shoe and was grateful to his limited stature for once. He kept an eye out for a flash of red, the glint of blue eyes, but seeing that Neil was nearly as short as Andrew himself, the effort was futile.

He'll be fine, Andrew thought. Find Nicky, Aaron, and Kevin, and get to the bus.

To his surprise (or maybe not), Andrew found Reynolds trading fierce blows with someone twice her size, Renee at her back. He caught Renee's glance and she gave him a firm nod of reassurance.

He nodded back, already swiveling to find the rest of his group. 

After a few minutes, he spotted Nicky and Kevin huddled together, slowly moving to the edge of the crowd. He caught up and grabbed Nicky's wrist, who jerked away and reared his hand back for a punch before realizing it was Andrew.

Despite it all, Andrew felt a thrum of satisfaction. A few years ago, Nicky had let people beat him down over and over again. At least now he was learning to fight back.

"Oh thank god," Nicky cried, catching Kevin's attention, before his eyes widened. He reached out, remembering himself at the last second. "Andrew... your face, what happened?"

Andrew shrugged. He'd been through worse. 

Nicky looked like he wanted to say something, but Kevin cursed loudly and began pushing out of the sea of bodies with renowned vigor.

"It's getting more violent and more people are joining," Kevin said, voice strained. "We need to get out and regroup at the bus."

"Aaron?" Andrew asked. Nicky glanced around a few moments before pointing to his right.

"There!" he exclaimed, and motioned to Kevin to go in that direction. Kevin nodded and they made their way over to Aaron, who was ducking under beer bottles and was nearly smacked in the face by a PSU banner.

"Aaron!" Kevin called, and Aaron's shoulders dropped with relief as he swerved a growing fight and made his way over to them.

Andrew scanned his brother quickly and, after seeing no visible injuries, motioned to start back towards the parking lot. They made their way over to the bus and found Boyd and Danielle standing, the former looking like he'd just lost a fight with a mountain lion.

Danielle was gripping his arm as Abby tended to his wounds, but Andrew heard her say he might need to go to the hospital for the more serious injuries. Boyd looked pained at the thought, but when he glanced up and caught Andrew's eye, he smiled and waved them over.

"Andrew, here," Abby said, noticing his injury. He took an ice pack from her and glanced around.

"Where's Neil?" he asked, choosing to ignore the suggestive look between Boyd and Danielle. Abby shrugged and opened her mouth before her eyes caught on something behind Andrew and she waved.

Andrew turned around to find Renee and Reynolds walking proudly towards them. Reynolds had a mosaic of bruises all over her, and Renee was holding her wrist precariously.

Abby sighed and began treating them as Wymack rounded the front of the bus and finally found his team.

Not the whole team, a ringing voice said in Andrew's head. Neil isn't here yet.

Which was odd, no? He had a security guard in front of him, surely he would have made it here first? Perhaps Wymack had seen him and taken him somewhere. Maybe he was already safe in the bus and Abby hadn’t noticed him.

Andrew pushed past Danielle and boarded the bus, walking the length of it but not finding a loudmouthed striker in its shadows. His stomach became knotted with a curious feeling he slowly identified as dread.

Andrew was at the door of the bus again. He looked at Wymack.

"Where. Is. Neil." he demanded. He saw Wymack's confused expression and before he even said anything, Andrew felt his heart stop.

"I don't know. I thought he was with you."

Reynold's knowing smirk gave way to uncertainty as the rest of the Foxes quieted. There was silence for a moment. Two.

Then Andrew threw his ice pack on the floor and raced back into the heart of the riot.

«««———»»»

He ignored the shouts coming from behind him, his mind an endless loop of Neil, Neil, Neil, is he safe, has he been hurt, he was supposed to be nothing, NEIL

After a few minutes of searching and more than a few near punches, the police finally regained some control over the situation and Andrew was able to scour the grounds for any hint of where Neil might be.

He saw the racquet first. The duffle bag was a few meters away from it.

Numbly, Andrew picked up both items, grabbing Neil's phone as it fell from the netted side pocket.

0, it said. 

Andrew felt a piercing emptiness when he saw Neil's things without their rightful owner beside them.

He slowly walked back to the Foxes' bus, head pounding but unable to really register the dwindling fight behind him. And when the Foxes finally came in view, he saw the confusion on their faces when they saw no Neil walking with him.

Andrew mentally ran through everything that he knew. Neil was scared. He was running from someone, someone Kevin knew about? A zero on his phone from an unnamed number — a countdown, perhaps. He would never leave his things unattended, so maybe he wanted to tell Andrew he had been taken unwillingly, knowing that Andrew would never leave without him.

There was something he was missing, some vital piece of information that Neil hadn't told him that was causing this mess.

The guilty look on Kevin's face told Andrew everything he needed to know. He knew something.

He dumped Neil's things on the ground by Wymack's feet, mentally assessing himself. His cheek throbbed, each breath he took was sticky with sweat, his heart was pounding.

Neil was gone.

Andrew felt such a blind hot rage at that, the likes of which he hadn't felt in so long, the type where he felt like laughing at how cruel the world could be.

And before he could tell his body to stop, Andrew's hands were around Kevin's throat.

«««———»»»

"Shit Andrew! You're hurting— " "Andrew, stop— " "Get off of— "

«««———»»»

Andrew couldn't remember what happened after that, not immediately at least. It was a bit disorienting, going from a perfect recollection to being so overrun by anger that his mind went blank. Was this how everyone else felt all the time? He felt like someone just took out a Jenga piece from his mind, like it was close to collapsing.

Distantly, he recalled being yanked off of Kevin as he gasped some explanation about a mob boss, Kengo's right hand man, Nathaniel Wesninski. But none of it mattered. Andrew had broken his promise. He had hurt the person he had vowed to protect, just like so many had done to him.

And he still didn't have Neil.

«««———»»»

Neil used to make the emptiness a bit fuller, a bit easier to manage, Andrew thought. It felt so impossible to navigate himself now without Neil by Andrew's side.

«««———»»»

There was a hospital. A hotel. There were FBI agents. The news turned on. Off. On. There was another hotel. Handcuffs. Taken away.

«««———»»»

There was Nathaniel Neil. Standing in front of him. Blue eyes, wild hair, bandages unable to hide how irresistible he was, unable to stop the jolt in Andrew's heart.

There was Neil. And everything felt right again.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Secrets ~ 7

Warnings: noncon sexual acts later in series; fingering.

This is dark!Bucky and dark!Steve and explicit. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Notes:

Will King Steve ever show up?! Haha, we’re getting there, I promise.

I love you all, I thank you for your patience and feedback as always! Please don’t shy away in the comments, reblogs, etc.

After your midnight run-in with Barnes, you hid under your covers but didn’t sleep much. The morning rose behind the curtains as you groaned and mulled over another day of royal hell. You dragged yourself out of bed on your own that day. You dressed after grumbling over the selection of pastels and print then waited for your keeper.

You could probably march right out of the palace and not be noticed, you thought. Last night, he hadn’t even heard you enter the pool room. You cringed at the recollection and pushed your legs together as you felt a tickle between them. You stood sharply and teetered on your feet. 

You marched to the door and pulled it open, intent on sneaking out in your bare feet without the annoying and unsteady click of heels. If your mother could outrun Astrania for two decades, you could probably put up a good chase.

You were stopped by the figure awaiting you on the other side. Barnes was just as surprised as you as his hand was still outstretched as if to turn the handle. He blinked and his lips curved in amusement as he looked you over. You scowled, caught before you could run, and crossed your arms.

“You’ve forgotten your shoes,” he looked down.

You huffed and turned back. You stomped to the closet and wrenched it open. You blindly pulled out a pair of white heels. He followed you and kept you from closing the closet. He bent and reached past you to reveal a pair of nude pumps.

“The white… doesn’t go,” he switched the ivory for the beige. “Are you so impatient to start the day?”

You were silent as you sat on the edge of the bed and held back a whine as you shoved your already tortured feet into the shoes. You stood and flitted past him for the door.

“Eager for it be over with,” you swept through the door.

His chuckle stoked your chagrin as he caught up to you. He walked beside you as you retraced the usual path to the dining hall where he would sit and chide you for holding your fork wrong.

“Oh yeah? And how did you sleep?” He smoothed the lapels of his jacket, “Or maybe you were kept awake… by some wandering thoughts?”

You stopped short and turned on your heel to face him. He calmly met you as he came to a smooth halt and he smirked at you. His dark hair was combed neatly but still appeared soft and his thick beard was, as ever, trimmed and clean. He watched you with an unsettling confidence. His eyes ventured further down and you smacked his shoulder.

“And what happens if I tell your king what you did last night? What you tried to do?” You challenged.

He shrugged and fixed the top of your dress as the frill that ran along the neckline folded oddly.

“You think he would be bothered?” His hand slipped down your chest and you shoved him away. He caught your hand and held it firmly. “First, you do not strike a noble.” He remanded, “Like it or not, I have my own title, your highness. Second, I have done nothing more than the duty I’ve been handed. The king wants me to present him with a fit wife and your vow includes a lot more than dining room etiquette.”

“I assure you, I have more than enough experience to guide me in those matters,” you struggled with him as you twisted in his grasp. “Let go of me, Barnes.”

“My lord,” he corrected as his grip tightened, “That is how you must address me.” He released you at last. “Not Barnes, definitely not James.” He sniffed. We have only a few more days and I have little confidence that you will retain much of our work, so if anything, you might appease the king in other avenues.”

“And you would what? Show me how to f--”

“Language!” He cut you off as he grabbed your arm and spun you suddenly. He tapped your ass harshly. “You push too far, your highness.”

“You,” you tried to elbow him but he kept your arm in place as he tugged you down the staircase. “You push too far… my lord.” You descended if only to keep from falling on your face. 

“Because I must,” he sneered and for a moment, you were proud of how you had irritated him. “Because you insist on making it so… difficult.” The pause revealed his urge to swear himself. You wanted to laugh but his hold on you had you more inclined to slap him.

“Get off,” you wiggled free as you got to the bottom of the stairs, “Lord Barnes,” you spat with spite, “You want me to be proper, you want me to act as a queen would, then you should treat me like one and listen to me.”

His blue eyes gleamed as he watched you. You shook your head and waved him off as you strode ahead of him. He followed with even steps. You refused to look back at him or slow your pace. Just a few more days, but for what end? For what would be a man just as bad, if not worse.

“You’re not queen yet,” he admonished from behind, “But… not so far as you were.”

👑

Another ridiculous dance lesson, this time without Priscilla tapping your calves with her stick, and you were ready to kick your heels off. Barnes, however, had other ideas. He ushered you from the grand hall and back up the stairs. You knew where he was taking you before you even turned the first corner. The hall of mirrors was your personal nightmare. Your flaws reflected back at you from every angle.

You stopped before the door and, with his arm still hooked in yours, you drew him back.

“Not another fitting,” you pleaded as you untangled yourself from him, “I can’t--”

“You better get used to it, your highness. All of this isn’t for nothing. This will be your life. Fittings, dancing, events… your wedding is a footnote to the list of expectations.” He pushed open the left door. “For every season, you will need a new wardrobe, and as time goes, you might need second fittings.”

“Jesus,” you sighed.

“Your highness,” he reproached curtly. “You must learn to withhold your gripes. Whenever you feel you must bemoan your unhappiness, you might instead smile and count to ten. It works well for my nephew and he is much younger than you.”

“I…” you grimaced, “How dare you--” You searched for words but all you could think was “asshole”, so instead you clamped your lips shut and stormed through the doors.

“There,” he entered behind you, “Much better but you must remember to smile.”

He poked your cheek as he came up beside you and you shook him away. You squinted as you looked to the middle of the airy hall. The mirrors reflected the lights in your peripherals as you took in the scene. A bench had been dragged out and a folding screen was only six feet away, erected beside another rack of clothing. The garments, however, were scant and made your lip curl.

“What is this?” You snarled.

“Well, we have your wardrobe sorted, your attire for your engagement, and of course, the wedding dress,” he passed you and turned as he walked along the bench, “We only need to worry about the wedding night.”

“Oh, no,” you laughed dryly, “No, no, no. I don’t think--”

“Do you think? Ever?” He scoffed. “Now, I will give you a choice. Humour your stubbornness for this one instant. You can choose whichever piece you want and try it on or I can choose and put it on you myself.” He unbuttoned his jacket and pushed it back as he put a hand on his belt, “So?”

You stared at him. Your eyes strayed to the rack of laces, satins, and silks. Your gaze was drawn back as his fingers twitched and you nodded. Slowly, you crossed the hall and swept by the end of the bench. He turned and sat, you glanced over your shoulder from the corner of your eye as you approached the hangers.

You flicked through the selection and found none of it preferable. Whatever you picked would offer little coverage and you expected, little defense to the king’s whims. You tapped your toe and grabbed a hanger without looking. You felt the heat of Barnes’ gaze as you moved behind the screen.

You paused and closed your eyes. You took a breath. Your nerves swirled amid the anger boiling in your chest. You sighed and lifted your lashes. You held up the lingerie and turned it in disgust. Something blue…

The pale blue lace was stretched between slender boning along the structured bodice. You set the set down on the small stool and stepped out of your heels. You rubbed the soles of your feet as you delayed. You wanted to moan as your thumb grazed the tender arch.

“Do you require assistance, your highness?” Barnes taunted from the other side.

“I could just check the sizing and--”

“Would rather the second option?” He called back. “I do like the pink one.” You let out a disgusted ‘ugh’ and strained to unzip your dress. “Two minutes,” he warned.

You slipped out of the pink, frilly dress and shivered as you stripped off your underwear. The panties, made of delicate lace, barely covered your ass as you stepped into them. Your cheeks peeked out the bottom as the top tickled low on your pelvis. The bodice met the upper hem of the bottoms and the cups barely covered your tits, finely embroidered flowers just big enough to conceal your nipples beneath the lace.

“I can’t--” you stood and looked down at yourself, “I can’t-- Barnes, it fits but I can’t…” You were suddenly very self-conscious. You didn’t want him to see you, or anyone else for that matter. “Can I just--”

“Well,” he startled you as he came up and peeked around the screen. You tried to cover yourself but it was of little use, “It does fit.”

“Hey,” you turned away from him and grabbed your dress.

“Mmm,” he purred, “Very nice.”

His hand closed around your arm and he drew you back. He wrestled the dress from your hand and tossed it over your shoulder. He dragged you away from the screen and turned you ahead of him. He placed his hands on your shoulders as he walked you to one of the many mirrored walls.

“Look,” he ordered, “Look at yourself.”

You blinked and raised your eyes. You made yourself focus and bit down as you faced your reflection. Your flesh was on fire as you took in the revealing lace and your exposed skin. You gulped and your gaze met Barnes’ in the mirror. His tongue glided over his bottom lip as his hands slid down your sides.

“You’ve convinced me. The blue is… nice,” he slithered as he gripped your hips. He pressed against you and rocked his hips. His arousal was obvious through his trousers. 

“What-- Hey,” you grabbed his wrists, “That’s enough.”

“His majesty doesn’t like a woman who acts shy,” his hot breath grazed your scalp.

“I don’t care what he likes. You either,” you wrenched his hands away and spun to face him. “I tried it on. We’re done.”

You shoved him but as your hands met his shoulders, he caught your wrists. His eyes were dark and dangerous as they clung to you and he marched you backwards. You stumbled, afraid you would trip, and were steadied only as your back met the cold glass of the mirror. He pushed your hands against the wall on either side of your head and leaned in. His nose met yours as he loomed over you.

“Now, don’t go making a mess,” he raised your hands up above you and held them together. 

His right hand fell to stroke your cheek as he stared you down. He played with the strap of the bodice and slid his fingers beneath as he tugged it past your shoulder. You trembled as your hands throbbed from his tight grip and you squirmed against the mirror.

“Barnes,” you warned as boldly as you could but your voice wavered tellingly. “Get off!”

“You don’t want to ruin this,” his fingers danced over your breast and along your stomach. “Not yet.”

“Let go,” you begged as he fumbled with the lace along your pelvis. 

He turned his hand and pressed two fingers down your vee. He pushed along the crotch of your panties as he forced his foot between yours. He hummed as he crushed the lace against your cunt and both felt the slickness seeping through it.

“Your highness,” he rubbed your clit and you hissed in surprise. “What did I say about making a mess?”

You could only squeak as he swirled his fingers. You turned your head away from him and closed your eyes. Your thighs closed around his hand but did not deter him. He kept his hand snug against you as he curled his fingers and teased you through the lace.

He released your hand and grabbed your chin. He turned your head as his large hand framed your face. His hot breath washed over you.

“Open your eyes,” he demanded and you whimpered. He repeated himself, his tone so deep, so dark, that you obeyed without thinking. You bit your lip as his fingers kept on. “Don’t hold back. You can’t. Not with him.” He rested his forehead against yours. “You have to let the king hear you.”

“B--” your words fizzled to a moan.

“Like that.” He goaded, “Or the king will do worse. If you do not show your pleasure, he won’t care for it.” Barnes fingers sped up and you writhed between him and the wall. “He’ll use you like he has so many, or you can make him want you, like he has never before.” Your mewls grew louder as he played with your bud. “Just like that,” he growled, “Listen to you.”

You spasmed as your climax rose at once. You braced the glass as your body tensed around his hand and you quaked through the ripples of ecstasy. You gasped and gulped for air as your nerves bounced off each other and your blood pulsed hotly in your veins. 

Barnes stilled his fingers and his other hand slid down to your throat. He tutted as he stood straight and kept you against the mirrored wall. He dragged his fingertips up the lacy panties and hooked them beneath the top. 

“We’ll have to choose another,” he tore the panties down your thighs and dropped his hand from your neck. 

He rolled the lace to your feet and tugged until you stepped out of them. You leaned against the glass senselessly as he stood and folded the panties. He felt the wet fabric before tucking them into his chest pocket and buttoning his jacket. He cleared his throat and winked at you.

“Try the pink one,” he said before he strode back to the bench, “The king likes pink.”

You pushed away from the glass and covered your vee with your hands, dazed but humiliated. Only two more days. Could you make it through?

[fellulahh]

He finds out MC’s pregnant despite her trying to hide it

(This is a repost because I lost the original and didn’t save a link!)

A little context: in the weeks coming up to her departure from Devildom, MC finds out she’s pregnant. Being completely terrified because she’s returning to the human realm within a month, she doesn’t tell the brother because it’d make their goodbye even more difficult than it already was. This may not be the most rational solution but it’s what she feels is best. However, the brother is more observant than she thought.

How he finds out

Lucifer:

Lucifer is the most observant demon there is. He probably knew before MC did but never said anything. He’d notice every little detail, from the lack of use of the sanitary products in the bathroom, the sudden stoppage of alcohol consumption, the sensitivity to certain foods etc

He had a hunch for a while but the pinnacle moment that confirmed his suspicions is when Mammon and Levi were play fighting one day. MC was watching them, giggling at the way they played. Lucifer on the other hand was studying her closely. If it was true that she was pregnant surely she’d either tell him soon or slip up at one point? Did she even know she was pregnant? And if she did, why hadn’t she told him?

Laughing at the fighting demons, MC wasn’t prepared for them to come tumbling toward her. Widening her eyes as they bumped into her standing body, they nearly knocked her to the floor. In a moment of panic her hand flew to her belly without thinking, shielding it from the two demons.

Lucifer prepared to launch himself forward and scold the brothers for being so careless but he stopped in his tracks and parted his lips as he watched her. Even though she quickly removed her touch just as fast as she’d placed her hand on her stomach, he knew exactly what she was doing. She was scared for the growing baby that was in her. Her one quick gesture was the final bit of evidence he needed to know the truth.

MC was pregnant with his baby.

Mammon:

Mammon would have taken a long time to catch on to the fact that MC was pregnant but he’d eventually realise sooner or later. Admittedly it’d probably be the day before she leaves but better late than never!

He’d probably be in their room rummaging through the drawers for something (most likely goldie) and would leave no stone unturned as he searches. As he’s going through MC’s underwear drawer he feels something hard at the back.

Immediately he gets excited, assuming it’s something naughty that she’d hidden so being the nosey demon that he is, he pulls it straight out. However, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared down at the foreign object. Narrowing his eyes, he noticed a word printed underneath his thumb. Adjusting his grip, his eyes widened completely as he read the word aloud.

“Pregnant?!”

Seeing the symbol beside it, his eyes then quickly flickered to the tiny little ‘screen’. Appearing quite clearly in it was a cross. The symbol that matched the one on the end of the stick.

“M—MC’s carrying my baby...” he stuttered to himself in a moment of panic as he dropped the test on the floor. “I’m gonna be a Dad!”

Levi:

It was a warm evening in Devildom as MC and the brothers were at Diavolo’s palace for dinner. Thinking of a million and one places that he’d rather be, Levi spent most of the evening on his D.D.D. However, his battery soon decreased and he was left with no entertainment.

Not wanting him to sulk, MC nonchalantly passed him her D.D.D; not thinking anything of the gesture. Getting really excited by her kindness, Levi soon began logging into all of his accounts as he started searching up his different fandoms.

As he was in the middle of reading an update, a notification came through from Solomon. Moving his thumb to ping the preview away, he froze in his tracks as he read his name on the message.

‘Are you sure about not telling Levi?’

Confused, he clicked on the message wanting to know what MC was hiding from him. Immediately he began to worry - did she not love him anymore?

Reading the messages between her and Solomon, his whole face turned white.

‘I can’t tell him I’m pregnant Sol, we’re literally leaving in less than a week!’

‘Are you sure about not telling Levi?’

Breathing shakily, Levi quickly exited the messages and placed the D.D.D face down on the table. He couldn’t believe it. He’d gotten MC pregnant.

Satan:

Much like Lucifer, Satan is a very observant demon. It wouldn’t take him long before he became suspicious of the subtle changes of behaviour in his human.

It would all start when MC would spend most of her mornings in the bathroom. She’d claim she just has long baths but Satan notices that the shampoo and soap don’t seem to be getting used as quickly as expected given the amount she ‘bathes’.

Next it’d be the change of diet. Often her and Satan would spend evenings sipping wine and reading drunken monologues to each other but suddenly she was ‘not in the mood’ for it anymore. Every little detail seemed to point to one thing.

Then one day he caught her in the act. Walking into their bedroom after a long day, he noticed the bathroom light was on in the next room. Stepping up to the door quietly, he peeked through the gap to see MC pacing back and forth on the phone.

“Simeon I was right - I was right about everything!” She breathed.

Listening eagerly, Satan furrowed his eyebrows. Were his suspicions about to be confirmed?

“I went to the doctor’s today and had a scan - I’m about 8 weeks along.” She sighed.

Satan’s breath hitched in his throat.

“No I can’t tell him! I’m leaving in a week - how can I break such huge news to him and then leave him straight after?!”

Hearing enough, Satan stepped away from the door. His heart was racing as he processed the confirmation of his suspicions. ‘MC’s pregnant and she’s leaving me soon...’

Asmo:

MC did a pretty good job of hiding her pregnancy from Asmo. She managed to always have a reason for her off behaviour. However, one thing that she wasn’t able to control was her bodily changes.

Although there wasn’t any changes to her appearance yet, parts of her had grown far more sensitive. And unfortunately for MC, it was parts of her body that Asmo was particularly fond of.

Laying in bed together one night, he snuggled up to her while his hands caressed her body. “How are you doing my sweet?” He grinned as he began kissing her neck making her giggle.

“Babe!” She grinned as his affections.

Suddenly though, as she got lost in the moment, she paid no attention to his wandering hands. As he grazed one of her breasts, she immediately winced. Feeling her body jolt at his touch, Asmo became concerned. “What’s wrong? What happened?” He asked quickly, “did I hurt you?”

“Yeah babe I’m just a bit sensitive at the moment.” She sighed, sitting up in bed.

“Period?” He asked nonchalantly.

“No.” She spoke, “I haven’t had that in ages.” She mentioned without thinking.

Realising what she’d said, she abruptly got up off the bed. “I need a drink.” She spoke quietly, rushing to the door leaving Asmo completely speechless.

Beel:

Given how much he loves food, Beel and MC are constantly going out to eat. Often they will go to her favourite cafe and share a sandwich together. Without fail, MC always buys the same one every time.

One day - making the most of the very little time they had left together - Beel took her out to the cafe. Like always, they made their way inside. MC thought nothing of the experience until as soon she stepped through the door her eyes widened.

Usually she’d always welcome the smell of the meats that immediately fill your nostrils as you step into the cafe. However this time the experience was far more different. Scrunching her nose, she tried to compose herself as her and Beel stepped up to the counter. While he ordered the entire menus worth, MC asked for her usual sandwich.

A few minutes passed and as they were sat at their table in the corner, the waitress brought over their food. As soon as MC laid eyes on her sandwich she felt a familiar feeling in her stomach. Confused by her unusual stare, Beel questioned her. “What’s wrong? Did they bring you the wrong sandwich?” He asked as he lifted the slice of bread.

Just the exposure of the filling in her sandwich caused the fumes of the meat to enter her nose. Without warning, her cheeks bulged and she ran to the toilets abruptly. Beel immediately knew something was up. She’d never turn down her favourite sandwich let alone throw up at the sight/smell of it. Unless...

Putting two and two together, Beel gawped at the sandwich in shock. ‘She can’t be, can she?’

Belphie:

As Belphie was sat in the lounge with Levi, he had an obvious concerned look on his face. Eventually noticing how distant he seemed, Levi turned to face him. “What’s gotten into you?” He asked with a scrunched nose.

“What? Nothing.” Belphie spoke quickly. Levi didn’t looked convinced and the youngest brother saw this. Letting out a sigh, he told the truth. “It’s just MC - she’s been acting strange lately.”

“How do you mean?” Levi asked confused, setting aside his game.

“She seems to be sleeping so much nowadays, even more so than me!” Belphie furrowed his eyebrows, “its all she seems to do nowadays.”

“Maybe she’s pregnant lmao.” Levi joked before returning to his game.

Although he may not have been serious, Belphie didn’t find the comment as funny as Levi did. In fact, the thought terrified him. It all made so much sense.

Thinking in the mindset that MC was carrying his child, Belphie began trying to recollect all of the moments across the past few weeks that might have added to the idea. Loss of appetite...yes, random days where she suddenly fell ill...yes.

“Oh fuck...” he muttered quietly to himself.

Levi was right!

[btsinwonderland]

A Drop of Poison - Ch. 8: Conversations

A Loki fanfiction!

Previous Chapter --- Next Chapter

Full Chapter List

-----------------------------

“I can take you back to your room!” You said, reaching for Valkyrie’s bag to carry it for her.

She clicked her tongue at you. “Will you stop fussing about with me, I’m fine! I can carry my own things.”

You smiled tightly and nodded. Valkyrie sighed and put a hand on your arm. “But, I appreciate what a sweetheart you’ve been to me. Thank you.”

“What are you going to do now that practice is cancelled?” You said.

Valkyrie shook her head. “Ugh, I don’t know. I’ve been itching to get back to the field but we can’t even do that! I don’t even know what happened, Freya. One minute, I got the quaffle in my hands and all I care about is that goal. Next, everything’s gone to shit and I’m getting pecked to death by these damn birds.”

“And now Ken’s missing,” you said. Your lips were chapped with dryness.

“Yeah, it seems like our last year won’t be as fun as we thought…” Valkyrie said, a gloom appearing over her face.

You bid each other goodbye for the day and went to your separate common rooms. You did not want to leave her on her own, but throughout your friendship, you found that letting her be was sometimes best. Valkyrie did not like being coddled too much and appreciated the space. You knew she would reach out when she was ready, and you would wait for her as always.

With Valkyrie’s presence gone, you were left to think about your own problems. Professor Laufeyson had already occupied nearly half of your thoughts earlier on, and now he took over most of them. Behind every question, you wondered if he knew something or was a part of it in some way. It had become a strange mystery that you had no way to resolve since he did not tell you anything.

Upon entering your room, you sat on your bed and pulled out a book from your side table: Spells for the Common House Cat. The dark red leather was faded, but the wording still kept its former gloss. You ran a hand over the cover gently. “Alright, you came to me for a reason, and I’m going to find out what it is.”

You opened the book to reveal a random page. Once again, gibberish greeted you:

Capture grunting mermaids and the secret to life is in the cherry pies. They are so good and open fresh like market Thursdays! Hate to spill the dogs and cats, but it is not in good taste to leave the wine hanging from the bedroom. I cannot dream in rainy houses and Leah makes sure of it!

“What are you trying to say?” you said aloud.

You peeled through a couple more pages and though it was different, none of it made any sense. The entire book was filled with words, and yet, none of them meant anything to you. The name Leah came up several times, but even that did not stir any recollection within you.

From your robes, you pulled out your want and pointed to the middle of the open book. “Aparecium,” you said, and a speck of light came out of your wand and disappeared into the pages of the book.

For nearly a minute you waited, and nothing happened. You raised your wand to try the spell again when the words on the pages vanished. The now blank yellowish white parchment paper faced you and readjusted in your bed. “What are you?”

You sat there staring at it when you had the idea to take out your quill and inkwell from your drawer. Taking the book and quill to the small desk against the wall, you sat down and wrote in the middle of the blank page, Hello. Your words gradually disappeared, as if the ink absorbed into the book.

For several seconds, there was nothing. And then, words appeared in the middle of the page - in the same rushed scrawl that had been in the book before. Hello there, it said. Then it disappeared.

You sat back for a moment, shocked. You took a breath and then dipped your quill into the inkwell. My name is Freya Eves, you wrote.

Your words disappeared again. And in their place new words appeared in the other script, Hello Freya Eves, my name is Leah Mai.

You swallowed, your nerves sizzled with excitement and a bit of fear. You wrote again: Do you know about the Tesseract?

You waited.

Yes.

Your heart sped as you wrote: Can you tell me?

No.

You leaned forward in disappointment. But then more words appeared.

But I can show you. Let me take you back fifty years ago…

You jumped when you felt yourself being pulled inwards towards the book. The surrounding air compressed, and you found yourself sucked into a spell. One moment you were in your bedroom and the next, you were in the hallways of Hogwarts. However, everything was in a desaturated sort of colour; as if it were an old film.

Students passed you in the hall talking in anxious whispers, and someone nearly walked right into you. You wandered down the hall and spotted a beautiful black-haired girl, skin as pale as the marble on the facades. She was leaning on the stone railing and staring curiously up the stairs.

“Are you Leah Mai?” You said.

The girl ignored you and continued to look up the stairs.

You spoke again. “Hello, can you hear me?”

She paid no attention to you, as if you were invisible and inaudible. You followed her gaze up the steps and saw a much younger Headmistress Frigga, looking extremely grim while a group of professors carried someone on a stretcher down the stairs. That someone had a white sheet over their body and face. As they descended the steps, a hand slipped out from beneath the white sheet and you saw dark blood drip on the floor in little beads. A small gasp escaped your lips.

“Mai!” Said Headmistress Frigga in a stern voice.

Both you and the black-haired girl beside you turned your head to face her. The girl answered in a calm voice. “Professor Frigga,” she said, walking up the steps.

Frigga crossed her arms and gazed down at the girl. “It is not wise to be wandering around this late hour, Leah.”

The girl looked down and placed her hands behind her back. “Y-yes professor. I suppose...I had to see for myself if the rumors were true.”

Frigga clenched her jaw and unclenched. “I’m afraid they are, Leah. They are true.”

“About the school as well?” Leah said. “I don’t have a home to go to, they wouldn’t close Hogwarts would they, professor?”

Frigga sighed. “I understand Leah, but I’m afraid Headmaster Oppin will have no choice.”

“So if it all stopped? If the person responsible was caught,” the girl said, hands firmly clasped behind her.

Frigga leaned in with a curious, yet gentle, look. “Is there something you wish to tell me?”

The girl raised her brows. “No, madam. Nothing.”

“Very well then, off you go.”

Leah walked up the steps and around the hall. You glanced at Frigga one more time before racing up the steps to catch up with Leah. She went down the dimly lit halls, descending a curved set of stone steps into the lower levels, which you were unfamiliar with despite having seven years of exploring the halls of the school. Leah stopped where there was a statue of an old woman holding a lantern. The lantern cast a yellowish colour over the grey stone of her face. Leah tapped the woman’s nose three times with her wand, once on the left cheek, and then ran her wand across the woman’s lips. The statue’s mouth opened large enough for Leah’s fist to fit through. She pulled out a beautiful cloak of silver and blue.

When she put it on, her entire body disappeared. Then, she placed it overhead, and you were alone in the corridor. You concentrated and could barely see a pale outline which moved quickly past you and back up the stairs. You realized she was completely invisible, but the book wanted you to follow her, so you did.

You went to the Headmaster’s floor, where the halls were dead and empty save for two hushed voices. There was one very tall, thin man with a salt and pepper beard down to his waist, which he stroked frequently. The other was a burlier man, but shorter. His face was stern, and he had an eyepatch over his left eye. There was a black raven perched on his shoulder. This man had an air of power and seemed to be speaking passionately.

“We cannot deny that a student is manipulating the creature, Oppin!” The stern man said. His eye blazed with anger.

The tall thin man, Headmaster Oppin, you presumed, spoke. His voice was a gentle rasp. “Odin, none of our students are capable of such dark sorcery, you must know that.”

You staggered back at the realization that you were staring at the Minister of Magic himself, Professor Laufeyson’s father.

“The Dark One has risen, and his shadow lingers here. Doesn’t the Michaels boy prove that?”

Oppin gazed at the floor through his bifocal glasses. “They found his body just by the Black Lake...it was in two pieces, Odin.” He removed his glasses with a grimace and rubbed his eyes. “I do not know what we should do.”

“We need to use the Tesseract.”

Oppin glanced up at Odin, looking almost upset. “We cannot use the magic of the Primis!”

Odin shook his head. “You have no idea how many good auror’s we have lost at the ministry, Oppin! Tell me where the Tesseract is. You merely delay what will be,” he said, with a hiss. His raven flapped its wings before settling back down.

Oppin set his mouth in a thin line and gave a resigned sigh. “I am sure I will deeply regret this decision, but I cannot bear to lose any more students. Come,” he said and led Odin into his office. You followed them up the steps, with the pale figure of Leah in front of you.

They rushed through the door when Oppin spoke. “Deep in the Forbidden Forest, there is a Weeping Willow with black leaves. At the heart of it is a hollow which leads down into the caves where the Tesseract was found at the bottom of an underground lake. We dared not touch it, and I am the only wizard left who remembers where it is. They erased their own memories to relieve themselves of the burden of the Primis.” His voice was grave.

You saw the pale outline of Leah twitch before she bumped the open door and raced out of the room. Oppin and Odin briefly glanced in her direction before returning to their exchange. You thought you should follow her, but you stayed by Odin, transfixed by their conversation.

Oppin spoke again. “Do you really think this will stop the monster?”

“It will stop the one controlling the monster,” Odin said.

You felt a pull from behind you as the compressed feeling came over you again. No, I need to know more! Light surrounded you as you passed through the book and found yourself thrown back into the chair in your room. You nearly lost your balance and toppled over, but gripped the edge of the desk. Your heart fluttered wildly from what you had just seen and your hands shook.

You knew where the Tesseract was and that it was the key to stopping the monster in the Forbidden Forest.

For a moment, you wondered why events were repeating fifty years later. And a dangerous question arose in your thoughts. Who was controlling the creature now? Your stomach churned when a certain dark-haired and blue-eyed professor came to mind. In your heart, you believed he would never do such a thing. But with everything happening, there was little he had given you to trust him. You wanted to reach out to him, to tell him everything, but your doubts clouded all your hopes. It was up to you now to find the Tesseract and save Pom’s brother.

That night, before dinner, you followed the same path from the book and descended the circular stairs to one of the lower levels of Hogwarts. You nearly jumped from excitement when you saw the familiar statue of the old woman and the lantern. Cobwebs covered her face now. Upon pulling out your wand, you tapped her nose three times, once on the left cheek, and then ran your wand across her lips. Her mouth gaped open, and you reached inside apprehensively. Feeling the softness of cloth, you pulled out the cloak and marvelled at it. After dusting it off, you put it on and cried out in surprise when your entire body disappeared.

“Thank you, Leah!” you said aloud.

You arrived at the Great Hall with the cloak tucked away in a cloth bag. Upon eating a quick meal of pea soup and pumpkin bread, you searched for Mo. He was in the hall with Nila, standing suspiciously close as she giggled at something he said. You hid in a corner and put on the cloak. Sneaking up behind him, you pulled his ear.

He swatted his head, and Nila gave him a strange look. “Are you alright?” she said.

Mo glanced behind him, right through you. “Um...y-yeah. Yeah, I’m good.”

When he turned back, you kicked him gently on the rear, and he jumped up. “Alright, you bastard! Who’s messing with me?”

“Listen, I have to go, I’ll talk to you later Mo,” Nila said and rushed away, giving him a sideways glance.

“What the hell is going on here?” Mo said, exasperated.

You bent over laughing and pulled the cloak off to see the initially angry, then stupefied expression on Mo’s face. It took you a few minutes to stop laughing so you could explain yourself and your plan. He stood in silence, gaping at you, while he listened.

“Are you bloody mad?” he said, after you finished.

“No, I’m just the only one who can help find her brother. The creature is guarding the Tesseract, making sure nobody gets to it. That thing could be the reason everything’s been going to shit!”

“Why don’t you tell a professor?” Mo said, crossing his arms.

You rolled your eyes. “Mo, we have absolutely no idea who is controlling this monster. It could be a student, but have you thought maybe it could only be a powerful witch or wizard who could even conjure this kind of magic? A professor would be much more likely…” you said, dreading the thought of Professor Laufeyson.

Mo sighed. “So let me get this straight. You want to sneak out in the middle of the night, go into the forest where this monster lives, get the Tesseract and then what? Magically fix everything?”

“And find Ken,” you added.

“You’re mental.”

“Will you help me?”

“Of course.”

“Then let’s go get Pom and find her brother.”

***

Loki sat in his office grading assignments. So many poor performing students. What has magic come to these days? Some kids were barely trying. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. An icy breeze blew through the room and knocked a few papers off his desk. He cursed and went to go pick them up. Glancing outside, he thought he saw the faintest movement of a tree branch move against the wind. He gazed out the window suspiciously, but there was no other trace of movement other than leaves blowing against the castle.

The girl surfaced in his mind.

“I don’t want you to die.” She had said.

He laughed at himself for being so utterly pathetic that a single word from a stranger would move him so deeply. Loki dared not admit how his heart pulsated at the girl’s words. He thought of her face, quite beautiful, though she clearly did not know it. She was the kind to grow into her confidence, which was just brooding below the surface. It was that confidence that moved in her body, in her hips, whenever she ran from him. It was that confidence that gave him snarky replies to his accusations. And it was that confidence that gave her dark eyes a defiant glow. Loki chuckled at how silly it all was. She was everything that she needed to be, and yet she had no idea.

“Don’t do it,” he said to himself as he unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk. He sighed as he retrieved a folded piece of blank paper and placed it in front of him. This was a shameful ritual he developed recently. It started when he grew suspicious of the girl’s knowledge regarding the Tesseract. He simply needed to know where she went and who she spoke with. That was all. Reconnaissance only.

As the days passed, he found himself searching for her location on a whim. Finding ways he might run into her again.

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,” he said, pointing his wand to the center of the paper.

The paper filled out with intricate floor plans of the Hogwarts grounds and little footsteps with name tags showing every single person in the vicinity. He spared a passing glance at the name Frigga Borson, pacing in her office. As he searched the castle, he saw the name Thor Odinson in this office with Valkyrie Brunnhilde. At this late hour? Curious, he would have to tuck that information away for later.

“Where are you, little minx?” He said, exploring the map.

From the corner of his eye, he caught movement outside of the castle walls. He unfolded the map to its outer limit, just at the start of the Forbidden forest. He moved the map closer to his face and nearly crumpled it in his hands as he recognized three names grouped closely together, wandering towards the forest.

Mo Darwish. Pom Clemmens. Freya Eves.

Loki cursed and shut the map. “Mischief managed,” he said as he grabbed his coat and nearly ran out the door.

What was that damned girl up to now?

------------------------

Chapter Footnotes

I'm sorry for the late post, I was supposed to post this yesterday but things got so busy this weekend. I made time today though and finished what I hope is an interesting and fun chapter! The plot thickens....

Sending you happy thoughts and good vibes :)

[rocking-space-dragon]

Family Reunion

So, here’s the Fundy and Wilbur fic that I’ve been working on for the past while! It’s the third thing that I’ve written concerning the DSMP, and I think it’s the thing that I’m proudest of so far!

So uh...Enjoy!

Wilbur & Fundy, 4k words, TW : Violence, Cursing, Nightmares.

When Fundy opened his eyes earlier, he knew it was a dream before even getting out of bed. He’d learned to recognise the signs – a certain weight in the air, a heaviness that made it hard to breathe properly, and an overwhelming sense of being alone. A sigh rocks through his body as he climbs out of bed, rubbing his eyes – going back to sleep immediately never worked, after all. Instead, he makes his way to the door of his home and pushes it open, bracing for whatever came next. What he found, however, was the last thing he’d expected to see in his dreams.

L’manburg.

L’manburg, standing proudly in front of him, flag flying high up above, Wilbur’s flag. There’s a moment of hesitation as he steps forwards; as welcoming as this place should have been, it felt…wrong. There was no wind running through the tree despite the movement of the flags, no sound of people inhabiting the town. Still, he wouldn’t be able to get anywhere by standing here, so he takes a deep breath and begins walking into the city, head slowly turning from left to right to take in the sights – Nicki’s Bakery, his old home, even that massive tower in the background that always seemed to dominate the skyline. His paw runs along the wood of the buildings, the stone of the floor, crouching down to look at a flower growing by the side of the path in quiet contemplation before he continues on, looking for…something. Anything.

A flash of movement catches his eye as he walks, glancing across to see a figure walking through the streets, looking around slowly – a grey figure with a yellow jumper. After a moment’s pause, recollection catches up to him, and confusion about why he might be here is overwritten by the elation of finding someone else in this dreamscape besides the shadowy figure that he’d met in his first dream. Grinning, he makes his way forwards, holding up a paw.

“Hey, Ghostbur!”

When the figure turns around, however, there’s only confusion written across their face – white eyes set deep, heavy in a grey, spectral face, blue slowly running down their cheeks in thick rivers and pouring onto the ground beneath them, staining the frayed yellow jumper. In their hands they hold a broken leash, looking down at it before back up at the Fox in front of them. Around their neck is a red welt, and as they turn their head hangs slightly, as if they couldn’t quite keep it upright.

“I’m…sorry, do I know you?”

He ran. That’s all he could think to do – seeing his father’s ghost had initially been bad enough, but seeing that sallow face twisted into some kind of…whatever that was…he didn’t want to see it. When he eventually comes to a stop, it takes him a second to recognise his surroundings – the tunnel to Pogtopia. He takes a moment, standing and remembering his trek down this same path, clutching that diary close to his chest – the sight of his father, filthy and…different. The venom in his voice. The hatred in his eyes. He’s snapped out of his thoughts by a sound, however – a whistle, loud and piercing, that rings through the tunnels and echoes louder than it should, followed up by a bright light from behind him, the fox immediately spinning around to see the sight of a train filling the tunnel, speeding towards him.

His legs react before he can, immediately breaking into a sprint away from the train, hearing it getting closer and closer before his foot catches on one of the rails and he barely has time to spin around before it’s on top of him and he only catches a glimpse of someone at the front before- Suddenly he’s awake, heart pounding in his chest, tears streaming down his face and soaking into his fur as a sob chokes its way up and out of his mouth and his paws come up to clutch at his head. Another night, another horrible nightmare, denying him any rest and torturing with things that didn’t make sense. Why L’manburg? Why a train? Why anything?

He needed to do something about this.

Now, the fox stands, looking up at the ruins of the house that had once been his, rubble strewn around him as the smell of gunpowder, a far too familiar smell, lingers on the air with smoke slowly rising up into the air from the wreckage in front of him. His eyes are red with the tears that spilled from them twice in the same day, voice raw from the screams that echoed around the crater of what once was his home. His gaze turns, looking down at his hands, clenching and unclenching slowly before he slowly turns and sits on the edge of the steps, taking deep, shuddering breaths until his heart stops racing and he can feel the stone beneath his fingers. He was real. He was alive. This wasn’t a dream.

After a few minutes, he pushes up back onto his feet, brushing himself down and looking up at the sky – the sun was beginning to rise, and it’d be morning before long – not that he really had any reason to care. Still, it’d be nice to go and watch the sunrise from somewhere that wasn’t the smoking ruins of his home, so he takes a moment to think about where he should go – then turns towards the ruins of L’manburg. It’s a well-tread route, so he allows his mind to wander as he walks, thinking back on what he’d learned earlier today – his Father was alive? Not just alive, but 13 years older than when he’d last seen him, 13 years of being trapped in some kind of…limbo space. What did that mean for Wilbur? He’d been distant the last time he’d seen him, so thirteen more years without him…would he even remember Fundy?

…He hoped that wouldn’t be the case.

But, even besides the limbo, the fact that Wilbur had been lying to Phil…it just didn’t make sense, why wouldn’t Will want to tell Phil the truth about everything that’d happened? In his memories, Wilbur was so proud of his accomplishments, willing to fight and die for everything that he’d poured time into, everything that he’d toiled for, his blood, sweat and tears…so the thought of him lying and hiding the truth…it was hard to understand. He shakes his head, stepping forwards and onto the thick glass flooring atop the crater where the city had once stood, gazing down at the massive hole beneath him, as well as the plethora of bloody vines that spilled out from the bottom, wrapping around the huge replica of the L’manburg flag that sat at the bottom. His breath catches as he stares at the vines, thinking back to the events barely a week prior – the death of Foolish, the Betrayal from the Eggpire, the idea that he might lose another canon life to someone he thought of as a friend in an underground chamber…

He barely manages to wrestle his gaze away from the vines, shaking his head to clear his thoughts and hugging his jacket a little tighter around his body, pace quickening towards his destination. He didn’t want to be around this place any longer than he had to be. Eventually though, he’s made his way to his destination – Tubbo’s docks. Somewhere that he’s actually got…good memories. With a smile, he makes his way to the edge of the docks, sitting down and letting his feet dangle into the water, slowly trailing through the gently lapping waves and thinking about the last time he was here – fishing with Philza, talking about the things that he missed doing with Wilbur. Even just the thought is enough for tears to prick at the corners of his eyes, but they’re quickly wiped away as he turns to watch the sun slowly rising above the Horizon, bathing him in the warm glow of the early morning.

Sadly, that warmth doesn’t last.

The sound of footsteps slowly echoes out, the creak of the wood beneath boots, and the slow drag of a cigarette before a voice cuts through the air like a sword through a chest.

“I’ve missed seeing the sunrise, honestly. Sunsets are pretty, but I’ve always loved seeing it coming more than going.”

He didn’t want to turn around. He wanted to squeeze his eyes shut and stay where he was sitting until he could open them again and everything would be okay, and his father would still be dead and he’d be getting a proper night’s sleep…but he knew that wasn’t going to happen. Instead, he takes a deep breath, slowly turning and looking up to see the face of his father, weary but alive, a streak of white running through his otherwise messy brown hair, gazing out across the water towards the rising sun as the faint glow illuminates the two of them. For a moment, the world seems to stop, as the Fox’s eyes run across that face, searching for something, anything that could answer the dozens of questions that were cycling through his head – and yet, all he could see was the face of his father looking back. The same face that’d shown him love and animosity in equal measure, the same face that he’d seen gazing out from the crack in the cliffside towards L’manburg as it crumbled around him. For the first time since he’d heard the news, it truly hits Fundy – this wasn’t a prank, or a mistake, or anything of the sort.

His Father was alive.

He didn’t know what to feel. Part of him was happy, part of him was scared, part of him was utterly furious, but all of it seemed to blend together in his chest into a tightness that gripped at his heart, staring up at Wilbur as if waiting for something, anything to break the silence.

“What, no hug for your dad? Cmon, it’s me!”

Anger. Anger was DEFINITELY the emotion he was feeling now, as he stands up, facing his father, and slaps him across the face hard enough to send him stumbling back, wide-eyed, cigarette dropping from his mouth and onto the docks below. He could feel tears pricking at the edge of his vision again, paws balled up into fists as he stares him down, clenching tight enough for his claws to dig into his palms.

“A hug? A FUCKING HUG?! How dare you! How- I can’t fucking believe you! You think you can just waltz back into my life like nothing ever happened? Like I didn’t watch you die before you BLEW UP MY HOME?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

He could feel the tears running down his cheeks again, trailing through his fur and staining his cheeks for the third time that day – claws digging into his paws deep enough to hurt, but he didn’t care. He wanted to hurt, he wanted to take that pain and throw it back at the man who’d dared to walk back into his life

“Do you have ANY idea what I – what you put EVERYONE through? What kind of problems you faced, what you left behind? Because, funnily enough, we didn’t get to run away from our problems like YOU did! Like you did when you left everyone behind, when you left ME behind, like you always have, time and time and TIME again!”

“…Fundy, I-“

“No! No, I don’t want to hear it! I don’t want the first thing that I hear from you to be excuses! I don’t! I...”

His shoulders slump as the anger slowly drains out of him, unclenching his paws with a wince as blood trickles from the palms of his paws, slowly turning back away and sitting down heavily on the edge of the porch to gaze at his reflection in the water.

“Do you know what it’s been like, trying to live after your death? I could always tell, y’know! The way they talked, the way they acted, it’s like part of them blamed me, because I was your son, and you were…gone, so they turned to me. And there I was, trying to figure out what the FUCK I was supposed to do next!”

He sniffs, wiping at his nose with the sleeve of the jacket that he’d been given so very long ago, clearing his throat as he continues.

“I spent some time with Phil, since…we never really got to spend time together when you were alive, and we talked about you, but I could…there was always a part of him that was searching for you in me, and that seemed let down when he couldn’t find it. Just like everyone else, when you disappeared, and they tried to fit me into the space you left behind.”

One foot trails through his reflection, scattering it with ripples of water, only to watch as it reformed to show the face of his father standing behind him. There’s a faint creak of wood as the edge of the docks shifts, and Wilbur sits down beside him, looking out across the water – though lacking the smug, proud smile that he’d been wearing earlier, instead replaced with a more contemplative expression. The sound of the ocean lapping against the supports of the dock fills the silence, along with sound of the wind blowing past them – before Wilbur speaks, quietly.

“I…Fundy, I…” He clicks his tongue for a moment, struggling to find the words to say, before sighing.

“I’m not going to pretend I was a good dad. Fact is, I’d say I’m probably one of the worst, and that’s partially because I thought I was doing the right thing. See…when I was a kid, Phil was…distant. He cared, sure, but he was always looking for the next project, the next adventure, and It…meant that he didn’t always pay the most attention to me. Not intentionally, he didn’t mean to neglect me, but…well. So, I did what any kid would do – I tried to impress him. I tried to wow him with everything that I did, so that he’d stop and look at me and go ‘wow, that’s great, Wilbur! I’m proud of you!’.”

He chuckles at that, reaching into his pocket and drawing out another cigarette, soon lighting it up and blowing out a plume of deep blue smoke.

“But, of course, the problem with that was…every time I fucked up, suddenly it felt that much worse. It was bad when Phil didn’t notice that I’d messed up, but…when I messed up and he DID notice, those were the worst parts, because then it felt like I’d just fucked up an opportunity to show him that I WAS worth his attention, and I was always scared that’d be the moment he decided I wasn’t worth it any more…”

He wipes his eyes on that battered brown coat, and Fundy realised that he’d never seen his father crying before. That he’d never heard about what his life with Philza had been like before. His mouth opens to say something, but he closes it quietly as Will continues.

“And then I made L’manburg, and I would send Phil all these letters, telling him about Tommy and the Van, and the battles and the Independence and…about Sally, and about you. And he’d respond, and tell me how happy he was that I was doing something, and making something myself, and then…” As he speaks, his face breaks out into a grin, gazing out as if reliving those same moments, those same years, only to freeze for a moment, falling into a sad smile as he takes another drag

“Then Schlatt happened, and the election happened, and…and I didn’t want to send Phil any more letters about what was actually happening, because…because I was a failure, Fundy. I’d failed at the one thing he’d finally been consistently proud of me about, and the thought of what might happen if I’d told him that, terrified me more than anything else.”

His gaze turns, looking upwards at the steadily brightening sky, rocking his cigarette between two fingers as his smile falls slowly off his face.

“So, I lied. I lied and I lied and I told him everything that I wished was happening, and in those letters I wasn’t a failure, I wasn’t a disappointment, I wasn’t a villain, I was his son, Wilbur, this great, confident, never-say-die figure who…I don’t know was ever real in the first place. And then…he showed up, and every lie came crashing down like the room around me, and I…I told him to kill me, because I was the villain, Fundy, and I was so, so scared that if I stayed alive, that me, that Wilbur that he knew in the letters would vanish. I thought…”

He takes a moment, hands sliding down to tightly grip the edge of the dock, tears running down his face as he grits his teeth through the smile “I thought that if I was dead, then maybe he’d never realise what a disappointment I really was.”

The silence that hangs in the air is thick enough to cut with a knife; even with the ambient sound of the docks around them, it’s thick enough to be suffocating – and it’s only broken as the man releases his grip on the dock below.

“…But, that was selfish of me. I was…SO obsessed with what Phil might think that I didn’t think about other people, that I didn’t…think about you. See, I…wanted to make myself the villain because I figured that if I was the villain in your story, then at least you’d hate me, and that’d somehow be easier than watching you realise I wasn’t the man – wasn’t the father you wished I was. ”

He takes another long drag, blowing out smoke into the cold morning air, smiling weakly and shaking his head slowly

“I still remember when you showed up with that book, and I could see you searching for the Wilbur that you knew, that you were hoping to find back then. I was…a terrible person, in Pogtopia. Y’know, I-“

“…Is that why you always called me your little champion?”

“What?”

“Because…because of Phil. Because you said he was always busy and never really paid attention to you – is, is that why you always called me your little champion? Because you were trying to make sure that I never felt – that I never felt the same way you did growing up?”

“…I mean, maybe. Maybe that was a part of it, but…I called you my little champion because that’s what you were to us. Our brave little champion, the hero of a new nation, our son – you, Fundy. Even without a nation, you’re still my little champion.”

How long had it been since he’d heard that? How long since those words had been spoken about him? However long it’d been, it was long enough for a sob to claw it’s way out of the Fox’s chest, paws running up through his fur and rubbing at his face before turning to face the man next to him, tears streaming freely down his face, dripping onto the wood below. His paws grab at the man’s chest, pulling him in to look at him – to look at his son.

“Why the FUCK would you think that I’d EVER want to hate you?! I don’t care if you’re a villain, or a hero, or a disappointment, or whatever! I never wanted any of that! All I ever wanted was for you to be proud of me! Because you’re MY DAD!”

Those last two words are more of a scream, as Fundy buries his face in his father’s chest, years of unspoken words spilling from his body in deep, shaky sobs, digging his claws into Wilbur’s coat and holding onto him tightly

“All I ever fucking wanted, everything I did…I just wanted you to be proud of me…because I’m so fucking scared that if you’re not, then…nobody else ever will be…”

His hands tense for a moment, lifting up, as if scared to touch the fox currently buried in his chest - only to reach forwards and pull him in tightly, wrapping his arms around him in a hug

“Oh, Fundy…I’ve always been so, so proud of you, of everything you’ve done, of how strong you’ve been…and I’m here, now…my little champion…I’m sorry I was gone so long.”

Tears roll down the face of the man sitting on the dock, holding his son close; letting him sob into his chest, clutching his coat like he never wanted to let go, so scared of the idea that if he did, he might never see him again. His arms pull the fox in close, holding him tightly – as if one hug could make up for so, so much lost time, though he knew it couldn’t. Still, it was a start – and as he sits on the dock together with him, the hues of the morning light steadily fading to blues, he begins to sing a quiet song – one that he’d once sung with his wife – and his son, in quieter, happier times.

"My little champion, what's to say to you? You have my eyes, you have your mother's smile When you came into the world you cried. And it broke my heart…”

[wastelandlovingscenarios]

hancock, maccready, and deacon react to sole kissing them/them kissing sole~

prompt 17: “I remember kissing you, why do I remember kissing you?”

i got so many requests for 17, and i can’t blame y’all. this shit is cute as heck. anyways i hope you guys enjoy! ❤️ i changed deacons own a little just to give it variety.

crushing reacts got me crying with happiness. (yes these turned out long)

-

MacCready:

“he should be fine now,” doctor amari commented, giving sole a small, reassuring smile, “we had to put him under drugs to calm him down but we managed to remove the bullet either way. you can go see him.” sole nodded, thanking the doctor before walking past her to enter the room. they turned the knob slightly and carefully opened the door to avoid waking mac up. the sight of him laying on the bed, all bandaged up on his shoulder made them cringe, knowing that the recovery time would be nothing but a big bitch for the next few weeks. mac was probably gonna whine about it for long while and they wouldn’t be able to hear the end of it.

slowly, they walked over to him and sat on the chair next to the bed, observing his features as he slept peacefully. they ran their fingers softly against his cheek, admiring how handsome the mercenary was but jolted in surprise when maccreadys hand caught theirs a little too quickly.

mac opened his eyes and locked eyes with sole, who stuttered an apology while blushing. he smiled at them and pressed his cheek against their palm, their apologies soon dying from the sudden contact. “i like it.” he muttered, continuing to stare up at sole with dazed eyes. their eyes softened at his expression- he looked so out of it and definitely did not look like he was in pain. the drugs were probably still active at that very moment and he wasn’t realizing half the things he was doing nor saying. sole lightly brushed their thumb over his cheek, earning a soft, pleased sigh from mac who closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. his hand squeezed theirs a little tighter in response and sole chuckled.

there was this long, tranquil pause between the two until mac opened his eyes. sole let out a small, “hm?” before he sent them a woozy smile, “can you kiss me?” sole blinked in surprise, their mouth opening and closing a few times before responding. “that’s the drugs talking for you, mac so im gonna have to say no.” he pouted as he shifted in his bed. “would you say no to me if i was sober?” soles face grew crimson as they bit their lip in wonder. it’s not like mac would remember their response once he sobered up, so it wouldnt hurt to be honest. “i wouldn’t say no, but-“ before another word could leave their mouth, he wrapped his hand around their wrist, pulling them and closed the distance. sole looked at mac in astonishment as he pressed into the kiss gently, his hand traveling towards their hair. 

despite their words, they didn’t pull away and instead, closed their eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the warmth that was shared between the two. mac pulled away slowly, opening his eyes to meet with soles crimson face. he moved his hand down to caress their cheek softly before letting out soft smile. they snapped back into reality and pushed maccready back down onto the bed gently. “rest up, okay?” mac kept his hand on their arm firmly, “can you stay with me?” they nodded, intertwining their fingers with his. “goodnight mac.”

“goodnight sole.”

-

mac groaned in discomfort, the pain finally catching up to him. he threw an arm over his eyes, hearing the sound of footsteps rush over to him quickly and the familiar sweet sound of soles voice. “hey now, don’t move too much. your stitches might open up.” mac lowered his arm and opened his eyes slowly, his vision clearing after a few seconds. “sole?” they laughed softly and placed the food on the table near him. “hey there. how are you feeling?” sole pushed his hair out of his face, wiping off any sweat he had on his forehead with the towel nearby. mac flushed at the contact, his voice weak. “like shit.”

“as you should.” they chuckled, dabbing his forehead. “you should get more rest, you still look tired. you did lose a lot of blood anyway.” their eyes flickered from his forehead to his eyes, a small blush appearing on their cheeks. “do you remember anything that happened?”

“it’s hazy.” he muttered, closing his eyes as he attempted to recollect his memories. sole let out a small hum. he remembered there were figures hovering over him, trying to remove the bullet and him conversing with sole, but couldn’t quite remember what was said. all seemed to be normal until a particular memory popped up into his mind and a sickening feeling twisted in his stomach. he looked up at sole with half lidded eyes, his body way too weak to properly react to the discovery. with a strained voice, he murmured, “i remember kissing you. why do i remember kissing you?”

sole froze for a second, meeting eyes with mac as a blush appeared on their cheeks. “um, cause you kinda did..” he blushed lightly, guilt clearly written all over his face. if it wasn’t for the bullet wound on his shoulder, he would be screaming the apologies instead with a more panicked reaction. “i-i’m sorry. i didn’t mean to, i- uh,-“

sole shook their head and cupped his cheeks, brushing it with their thumbs reassuringly. “don’t apologize. i loved it.” they coughed nervously, “if that means anything.”

he let out a breath of relief, smiling up at them like a child. mac gripped their sleeve gently, “i couldn’t tell. i was too drugged up to notice.” he whispered quietly, “maybe we should try again?”

they grinned happily and leaned in without another word.

Hancock:

goodneighbor was full of life and energy at the moment, a ‘small’ party being thrown for the mayors birthday. there were definitely a handful of people partying out in the streets and inside the third rail, music loudly blaring and people chattering with one another. it was your typical celebration full of alcohol and drugs.

sole was one of the many individuals who fell victim to the drinks being passed around and became intoxicated themselves, hancock gladly watching after them in case anything were to happen. their professionalism was now thrown to side as they happily laughed and jumped around like a child, clinging onto the mayor more than they usually would. it’s not like hancock minded or anything, this was probably the closest he was ever gonna get to holding sole. he stood near them with his arms crossed, watching as they played a round of beer pong with his fellow residents. sole clung onto his arm, happily calling him name.

“hancock!” they slurred, tapping his arm excitedly, “look ‘m gonna make this shot!” he chuckled and ruffled their hair. “i’m watching. can’t take my eyes off someone so breathtaking anyway.” a shy giggle escaped their lips and they stuck a tongue out, focusing on their aim to hit the cup ahead of them. they threw the ball and missed completely due to their intoxication, letting out a childish point once it bounced off the rim.

“dang it..” they whined in defeat, resting their head on hancock’s shoulder. he felt them grab his arm tightly against their body and he let out a smile, finding their behavior rather adorable.

“hey now, we could always try again.” he reassured them, grabbing the ball that sat on the edge of the table. hancock placed the ball onto their palm, enclosing their fingers around it. “show me whatcha got, sunshine.” they beamed at him and nodded happily with a grin. “i won’ dissapoint you!” they closed one eye, trying to find their aim and after a few seconds of silence, they threw the ball, successfully landing it into the container.

sole let out a victorious scream, throwing both arms in the air as they bounced. “did you see that, hancock?!” they turned their body to face the mayor, their eyes full of pride. oh how he could just look at them all day like this.

“sure did, sunshine. i knew you had it in ya somewhere.” before he knew it, sole had thrown themselves at him, wrapping their arms tightly around his shoulders. he was so caught up in trying to keep them balanced that he didn’t notice the feeling of something crashing against his lips. it wasn’t until he noticed the unusual silence of the room and the way sole smiled into the kiss that he realized the person he loved the most was literally smooching him in front of the crowd of wandering eyes. it was more than he could’ve ever imagined and hoped for since he’s fallen for them. their lips were softer than he had anticipated and the way their body pressed against his own was heavenly. yet he refused to kiss back, not knowing if this was what sole actually wanted. this could’ve been the alcohol talking for all he knew.

he placed a hand on their shoulder, pushing them back gently to create distance between them. soles eyes fluttered open, a hint of pain crossing them as their smile faltered. “oh.” though they wanted it to sound as if it was casual and brush it off, it still came out as hurt. hancock felt a sense of guilt hit him and squeezed their hip gently, not wanting to give them the wrong idea.

“it’s not like that, sunshine. trust me, i love you, more than anything. ever since you waltzed right into goodneighbor, i couldn’t keep my eyes off of you.” they gripped his clothing, their voice quivering in sadness. “so why didn’t you kiss me?”

he took a strand of their hair and tucked it behind their ear before smiling reassuringly at them. “we’ll talk more about it in the morning when you’re not drunk, okay?”

“promise?”

“i promise.” he released them from his arms and instead, held their hand in his. “i’ll be waiting here for whenever you’re ready to head back home. just say the word and we’ll go.”

they squeezed his hand in response, biting back the pout that threatened to form. “okay.”

-

if sole had any regrets, it would be the amount of alcohol they poured into themselves as if they didn’t hold any responsibilities that needed to be done. they remained hunched over the bucket in front of them, one arm gripping on their stomach and the other resting on the wall to keep them balanced. they managed to regurgitate all the drinks they consumed the night before but still remained at their spot just in case more decided to spill out.

their eyes shot open at the sound of the door creaking open and saw the sight of their favorite person tipping his hat at them as a greeting. “morning, sunshine. not looking so good.” he commented, shutting the door behind him as quietly as he could. he approached them, crouching down at their level before cringing at the sight of the contents inside the bucket. “you’re telling me.” sole groaned miserably and pushed the hair out of their face, sweat sticking onto their skin. “what even happened last night?”

hancock shrugged with a shiteating grin, raising a brow at sole who looked at him for some type of an answer. “i don’t know. you tell me what happened. i’m sure it’ll come back to ya if you think hard enough.” he adjusted his hat, “use that little mind of yours.”

sole would gaze at him with a confused expression, their mind wandering back to the previous night, desperately searching for something, anything. the more they got lost in thought, the more vivid things became and then suddenly, their heart stopped, face paling at the sudden realization. the upset feeling in their stomach would soon be replaced by a wave of anxiety and their face would redden, much to hancock’s amusement. the way their face twisted into different expressions was rather adorable in his eyes.

“i remember kissing you,” they croaked, “why do i remember kissing you?” the smirk growing on his face gave them all the answers they needed, but still continued to deny it, hoping to some kind of god out there that this was all but a joke. “oh no, please tell me you’re kidding.”

his smirk grew wider and looked at them with an amused expression. “i ain’t that bad at kissing, am i?”sole would roll their eyes and groan in embarrassment, wanting nothing more but to disappear at that moment. “i should be asking you that,” they muttered, “you’re the one who didn’t kiss me back.” there was a pregnant pause between the two before sole broke the silence, “why?”

he let out a small breath and sat on the floor near them, “i did promise you i’d tell you.”

“so spit it out.”

“i like you. hell, i love you sole and don’t get me wrong. that kiss? it was amazing, everything i coulda ever hoped for,” sole felt their heart beat abnormally fast at his words, “but that wasn’t how i wanted it to go. i wasn’t even sure you liked me or anythin’, that could’ve been in the heat of the moment for all i know. your consent matters to me. don’t want you doing anything you regret.”

their expression softened and their embarassment was soon replaced with a warm feeling, “did you really think i don’t like you or something?” he shifted in his seat, “well, yeah. i’m not the prettiest looking person out there, i figured someone would catch your eye eventually.”

sole leaned forward and cupped his cheeks with their hands, placing a soft kiss against his lips. hancock needed a minute to realize what was happening, his mind blanking out the moment he felt that familiar, warm feeling. he closed his eyes, sliding his arm around their waist and pulled them closer to him, depending the kiss. they didn’t press their body against his like last night but this kiss was much more genuine and loving, pushing away any doubts that floated in his mind.

sole withdrew from the kiss slowly, their eyes opening to meet hancock’s, which stared at them with awe. they leaned their forehead against his, a shy grin forming on their face. their voice was barely a whisper as their breath fanned his lips. “hope that answers some of your questions.”

hancock chuckled huskily, bringing them in for another kiss, “definitely.”

Deacon:

everything happened so fast. they were just heading to their next available stop to shelter in for the night and were suddenly ambushed by a group of raiders that met them by the bridge. clearly outnumbered, 2 to 10, they shot whoever they could and hid behind whatever cars that could shield them and quietly gave each other gestures and signals that could somehow get them out of the hole they were in. in total, they were able to dispatch majority of the raiders so far and tried to take down as many as they could before the situation became overwhelming.

the plan was going well at first with both sole and deacon managing to maneuver around the situation as unscathed as possible but soon went downhill after sole was tackled by a raider and held hostage. they winced when the raider had tightened their arm around their neck, gun pointing at their temple. “drop it.” they hissed, pressing the weapon against their skin roughly. a pistol was also pointed at deacons side by another individual nearby, earning a series of muttered curses from him. his eyes flickered to sole, who looked terrified and wanted nothing more but to shoot the man in front of him and take sole in his arms.

none of that happened though. with his hands up, he dropped the gun on the floor instead, not wanting to escalate the situation more. despite his terror for sole, he tried to act casual, fighting the panic that threatened to rise. “fine.” he seethed, his face growing red in anger.

“good,” the raider smirked, his eyes traveling to meet his acquaintance, “you know what to do. i’ll take care of this one.” once those words had left their mouth, all plans of being calm and collected swept into oblivion and deacon attempted to rush over to them, only to be pulled back by the sound of the pistol cocking. “where the fuck are you taking them?”

he couldn’t hear the words that left the scums mouth, the words only coming out as static and solely focusing on a plan on how to get them both out of there, or at least sole, unscathed. with a quick movement, he elbowed the raider nearby who fell to the floor in pain and grabbed his gun beneath him, shooting the raider that held sole hostage between their eyes.

deacon was so caught up on sole and trying to check if they’re okay, he didn’t notice the raider that he had previously striked get back up on his feet. before he could react, the individual had smacked him on his temple with the butt of his gun and deacon ultimately lost balance, falling over the edge of the bridge. “deacon!” sole screamed, shooting the raider down and jumping off the bridge themselves without a second thought.

once they had hit the water, they had caught sight of deacons body lifelessly floating and rushed over to him, doing their best to pull him above surface. sole held him above water, rushing to the nearest shore and dropping his body against the dirt. he was unconscious, his face pale and body limp as they observed him from above. to say that they were terrified was an absolute understatement, it was beyond those words.

quickly, they checked for any signs of breathing and pulse, which was indeed there but very, very faint. they pressed his chest multiple times, tears falling down their face as they tried to hold themselves together. they leaned forward, tilting his head back while keeping his chin down and pinched his nose. sole sealed his mouth against his, breathing into it and watching his chest while doing so. they went back to the compressions, trying to keep themselves calm while doing so. after a few seconds, they heard that familiar cough and pulled back as deacon turned over, coughing and throwing up whatever fluids that filled his lungs just moments ago. once finished, sole wrapped their arms around deacon, who still remained quiet and weak, letting a sob escape their mouth. “fuck,” they muttered into his ‘hair’, “thank fucking god.” deacons eyes were still closed, signature glasses now gone, but his breathing remained steady compared to his shallow ones only minutes ago. sole ran their fingers on his cheek before whispering, “let’s get out of here.”

they threw deacons arm over their shoulder and held him up, dragging him to the nearest building or safe spot available for shelter.

-

deacon woke up to the sounds of crackling nearby and felt his head pound at the sudden brightness once his eyes opened. “shit.” he quietly said, rubbing his temples to stop the throbbing. he searched the area around him, including his face, pockets, and anything nearby for his sunglasses. where the hell was it? where was his bag? where was-

“sole?!” he croaked, jolting into a sitting position. his eyes frantically scanned the area he was in, disregarding the growing pain in his head as he desperately searched for them. he began to panic, not seeing them around and yelled their name in fear, “sole!”

a wave of relief washed over him when that familiar voice had called out his name in response and let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding, “deacon?! i’m coming!” the sound of footsteps grew louder and he eventually caught the sight of sole running to him with sticks in their arms. they dropped whatever they were holding and kneeled down, hugging him immediately without another word. even if he wasn’t fond of affection, he found himself enveloping them just as tight, breathing in their scent as if he hadn’t seen them in years.

sole pulled back, placing both hands on either side of his face in panic. “fuck, you scared me!” they cried, “are you okay? are you in pain?” he shook his head, sending them a reassuring smile. “i’m okay, charmer. you can’t ever get rid of me even if you tried.”

they let out a shaky laugh, swatting his arm but hugged him again, whispering into his clothes. “i’m just glad you’re okay.” deacon rested his chin on top of their head, “i’m glad too.”

after a few moments, sole withdrew from the hug, much to deacons disappointment and went near the fire to roast some mirelurk meat they had caught. while they did that, deacon backtracked to what had happened earlier in the day and lost himself in thoight trying to piece together the memories. he looked at sole, who hummed contently as they turned the meat above the fire with full focus and his eyes fell on their lips. his heart stopped at the feeling of a vision crossing his mind and he sucked in a sharp breath. ‘it can’t be,’ he thought dreadfully.

even if he wanted to keep it to himself, the words still managed to slip his mouth, knowing damn well that he wouldn’t be able to sleep without knowing the truth. “i remember you.. kissing me,” he said nervously, “why do i remember you kissing me?” sole whipped her head towards him, a small blush appearing on their face. “w-what?”

deacon tried to laugh it off, instantly regretting the question that left his mouth, “oh, nothing. all that water must’ve made me see things. you know, crazy old deeks.” he felt uneasy as sole became more flushed, fiddling with their fingers nervously. with an awkward smile, they’d reply meekly, “well.. about that. it wasn’t a kiss, per say...” deacon blinked a few times, waiting for them to finish the sentence, “more of cpr, but yknow, in a way it is. just without the romance and whatnot.”

he began to redden at the thought of soles lips on his and tried to play it cool despite the beating of his chest. “ah, got it, charmer.”

they smiled nervously at him and grabbed the knife nearby, heading towards the forest. “well, i’ll be back. fires, uh, dying. wouldn’t want your mirelurk to get cold or ‘nything.” he nodded in response, not trusting his voice at that very moment. they waved at him and left the premises, leaving a blushing deacon behind with his thoughts.

his hands gripped the sleeping bag. whatever he had previously felt for sole had grown stronger than a crush as he silently wondered how their lips would feel against his. he just hopes that moment wouldn’t be the only time they’d share such contact and wishes that it’d be under much better circumstances.