#i love them i want to protect them but i also feel so bad for shipping them

[rcvcgers]

Rotten Apples, pt. 2

part one

pairing: caleb x non!mc reader

synopsis: you run into a familiar face at work.

word count: 4.9k words

warnings: extreme loathing, kinda funny, kinda sad, a good mix of everything! a hint of foreplay! not proofread!

author's note: thank you for all the love on part one! here's part two! should there be a part three? also, enjoy a pic of caleb i grabbed from the game today!

taglist <3 : @kebarney @pinkismyfavcolor @romils @erisnxxi @rik0shii @reni502 @spacehopper27 @llamabois @likesvader @pandoras-rabbit @princessfruit @lukassafespace @jexizia

Caleb couldn’t say how long he’s been standing outside your door for. Had it been an hour? Three? Maybe it’s only been thirty minutes…time truly flies by when he’s with his love.

It doesn’t matter, though. Caleb would stand guard outside your door if it meant that you were safe.

Safe and alone inside your apartment…no other specimen in there to protect you.

Caleb wouldn’t let them come in if they came. He’d use his evol to shove them towards the side stairwell. He’d shove them down and watch as their bodies crumbled together, bones breaking, finding their screams of pain and agony satisfying.

It would all be worth it because you’re safe. All because of his much needed protection.

You’re his.

His to protect. His to look after. His to care for. His to love.

He glances to the side and notices that Skyhaven’s clouds have slightly parted. A smile spreads across his face, the man sneaking towards the hallway window, looking out at the morning sky. The weather is still undoubtedly gloomy, but the slight sight of sun is sign enough for him that you two are meant to be.

Caleb prances down the hallway, stopping by your door one last time. He slowly inhales, his eyes feeling heavy, and flattens his palm against it.

He’ll be seeing you soon.

The Colonel exits your apartment building, his phone attached to the side of his face. His voice is cheery and if you were to hear it, you’d think that his face would be all smiles and joy. It isn’t, though, and is instead a stoic expression.

“Hey, buddy. Remember that favor you owe me? Well, it’s time to cash in. I need you to get me information on someone. Yeah, yeah, I’ll send her name over to you now. Great! Thanks!” He hangs up and settles into a spot across the street.

People pass in front of him, his back pressed against the outside wall of a convenience store. Caleb barely pays attention to other woman who pause to get another look at him. He doesn’t have time to entertain their fantasies. He’d prefer to cater to your wants and needs. You deserve it after all your years of being apart.

Caleb tilts his head up and finds your window. His sick smile returns to his face, waiting for you to appear.

Except, he doesn’t know that you don’t peer out the window in the morning. Instead, you stay in bed for as long as you can, face and body covered by your sheets and obnoxious amount of blankets. 

Your arm sticks out, slicing through the chilly morning air.

Shit. You think to yourself. Did the heater not kick in?

Your toes feel inexplicably cold despite being buried under a behemoth of blankets. Slowly sitting up in bed, your tired eyes look around your dark room before they float to the butterfly that hangs from your window. You love how the orange and blue hues grace the floor, softly turning the cold environment into something warm and welcoming.

It reminds you of home and most importantly, it reminds you of him.

You can’t help but laugh, slapping your forehead as you slip out of bed. Last night was a trip and a half!

Your date with George was so bad that you actually hallucinated Caleb being alive. Ha! It’s laughable, really, and you can’t even fathom who was there to witness your crazed haze. You definitely sounded like a crazy person, probably looking like the other blacked out people on the street who struggled to get home.

“Poor guy,” you say aloud, filling in your apartment’s silence, “I hope we never run into each other again.”

Oh, the irony.

You slowly get ready for your day. You take a quick shower, already running late, and stumble into your closet with your toothbrush hanging from your lips. You snatch a clean uniform jacket from the hangers, sliding it over your white blouse. You tuck your shirt into your black pencil skirt and make for sure there are no wrinkles in the fabric.

You hesitate, staring at yourself in the mirror. 

Who are you trying to impress, anyways? It’s not like you’re going to find your Prince Charming at work.

Finally ready for your day, feeling rejuvenated and having shaken off your hysterics from the previous night, you step out of your apartment. You chew on a last minute attempt at making toast. The bread is dry instead of being lathered with butter, a complete oversight on your part.

You don’t even have time to stop for a coffee for a boost of energy. How the hell are you going to get through the day?

The rain stopped but the clouds still hang low in the sky. You’re used to the gloomy days, you actually welcome them with open arms. Too much sun reminds you of home and all of the misfortune you went through and, well, Linkon has a Wanderer problem that you want to avoid. Skyhaven still has them but it’s significantly less. You have the Fleet to thank for that.

And you definitely don’t have to thank a certain hunter who always seems to be at the scene of the worst attacks. As long as she stays away, you can live in peace knowing that if a Wanderer were to show up, she wouldn’t be the one to save you.

Your job as a translator stresses you out. Your boss, Darryl, is a weird, perverted dick that abuses his power. Whenever you don’t accept his daily flirts or go to HR about his behavior, you’re rewarded with horrible assignments that take years off of your life because you’re surrounded by men who are exactly like Darryl. You swear that you’ve seen a gray hair or two sprout from your head.

Being a translator under Darryl is a soul sucking job. You’ve applied to different departments in the Deepspace Aviation Administration, but Darryl has decided that you’re only good enough for translating documents and transcripts.

Your dream is to be a live translator, one that sat in a hidden room during negotiations and meetings between presidents and generals. Hell, you’d be fine with translating between the generals’ secretaries! It’s a thrill that you’ll unfortunately never be able to experience.

A big fuck you to Darryl.

You step through the shiny and clean doors of the Deepspace Aviation Administration. The building is eerily tall, shooting further into the atmosphere. You’ve managed to stay within the clouds, though, barely able to move past the fifteenth floor. Your security clearance is less than desirable, but it hasn’t stopped you from inching your way to the top.

You hope to see the secret levels soon enough but sincerely doubt it.

You smile at Abel and Remy, who work the entrance of the building, manning the security clearance that you pass through every weekday. You place your bag down on the conveyor belt, scanning your I.D. card in the little pad before stepping through the metal detector.

“Good morning you two,” you greet them with a familiar smile.

“Morning!” Remy chimes with a smile. He hands you your bag and nudges Abel’s side. He barely looks up, waving, before sinking his head back into the computer. “He slept like shit. Don’t mind him.”

“It’s all good,” you shrug, slinging your bag over your shoulder. Just as you are about to step away, Abel’s head shoots up.

“Stay here. You were flagged.” Abel waves his hand in the air. Two nicely dressed soldiers approach you, guns slung on their sides. Your eyes widen, looking around for any kind of sign that this is a prank that Remy and Abel were pulling on you.

When the soldiers approach you and take your arm, a weight forms on your shoulders. 

It’s not a prank. It’s very fucking real.

Terror rips through your body. Your eyes widen as the masked soldiers stare down at you, their eyes dark and unwelcoming.

“Ma’am. Follow us,” one of the soldiers barks at you. You nod, ready to comply, but are unable to move your feet. You try to move your leg but it doesn’t budge. You awkwardly laugh to yourself, looking down at the unresponsive limb.

Move, dammit! You internally scream, cheeks heating up. 

Remy gives your back a gentle tap, nudging you forward. You stumble over your feet, pushing through the gap between the soldiers.

They track you from behind and occasionally bark a direction for you to take. They guide you towards the elevator that is reserved for higher ranking officials and officers. Your gulp, heart pounding in your chest. Your ears begin to ring, heating up as nausea overtakes your body. You close your eyes and grip the railing in the elevator, clinging to the cold metal for some kind of relief.

Where did it all go wrong?

Did you translate something wrong? Is it your fault that a world war is about to erupt? You knew you should have told Darryl to not give you assignments on the language you’re weakest at! He should have given it to Miranda!

Your foot rapidly taps against the elevator floor. Each ding from a new floor heightens your anxiety, body shivering at the thought of what could happen to you.

Ding.

Goodbye cruel world!

Ding.

It was nice knowing you all!

Ding.

Don’t forget about me! Use my death as an example on what not to do!

You have heard many stories of what happened to translators that interpreted a word incorrectly. They simply disappeared off the face of the earth and were never heard from again. Or they ended up teaching languages at a community college far away from Skyhaven and the Fleet.

You’d rather disappear off the face of the earth than succumb to that fate.

The elevator doors slide open. You look up from the floor, surprised to see a normal looking work environment. One of the soldiers place their hand on your back, pushing your forward. You move with his hand, not particularly enjoying his touch. You shoot him a glare, crossing your arms over your chest.

“I’ll take her from here.”

You freeze. Goosebumps spread across your skin and chills run down your spine. You focus on the wall in front of you, a figure sliding in front of your vision. Your eyes are met with a black uniform, the typical red, white, and blue accents that the Fleet uniforms have.

Your eyes float up, taking in the figure before you. Purple eyes stare down at you, your haze focusing on the golden spot that lays on the bottom of his iris. The nausea you once felt disappears but is quickly replaced with an even worse feeling of complete and utter dread.

“Caleb?” His name rolls off your tongue like butter, melting the ice that surrounds your heart.

So last night was not a dream. Caleb was the one to save you from George, not some random stranger who was there at the time. It was your ex-childhood best friend.

A semblance of a smile flashes across his face before his gaze sharpens. He looks you up and down, hands behind his back. Your gaze drops, taking him in his entirety.

Fuck…he looks great in his uniform.

“Long time no see,” he quips, stoic expression remaining on his face. “Follow me.” Without missing a beat, he turns on his heel and begins to walk away. You look around, blinking as if it’ll snap you out of the dream you’re clearly inside of.

When you don’t follow, Caleb walks back. His fingers curl around your wrist, his touch shocking your body to life. You fumble over your words, random sounds fleeing from your lips, as Caleb guides you away from invasive eyes.

His hair is still short but is just shaggy enough to remain charming and add to his looks. Your squint your eyes, noticing a few light scars on the right side of his body. They creep up his neck from under his wrinkle-free uniform. Caleb opens a door and you step inside, swallowing whatever confusion you had left in your mouth, and turn to him.

“Caleb?” Your voice is breathy. Caleb’s eyes fix themselves on you, the man leaning against the closed door with his arms crossed over his chest. “You’re…what?”

“Take your time,” he chuckles. Your breath gets caught in your throat. His chuckle makes you want to jump for joy. “We are on a time crunch though, pipsqueak—”

“Don’t call me that,” you interrupt him, hissing as your instincts take over.

Any positive feeling you felt towards him in the past five minutes has vanished. You glare and cross your arms over your chest.

How dare Caleb call you that? That was always her nickname, alongside other ridiculous pet names that always made you gag whenever you looked back in your memories.

You made for certain that you’ll never be his pipsqueak.

You groan, rolling your eyes, and turn away from him. To him, it feels like you just drove a knife into his heart. He stares at the back of your head, his gaze falling for a brief moment, noticing the curve of your ass, before circling in front of you.

“I won’t call you that…noted,” he breathlessly chuckles. Once you tilt your chin up to show your glare, his chuckle gets caught in his throat. He covers it with a cough, suddenly feeling nervous around you.

Caleb has never felt this way with you before. In the past, everything was so easy! It was smooth sailing with you, low maintenance. He knew that you didn’t need the constant validation from him whereas she always needed it.

Maybe that’s been his foolish mistake all along. He should have paid more attention to you instead of her.

Is this what loathing feels like? Complete and utter contempt towards someone? Caleb hasn’t experienced this kind of negative feeling before, at least, not with her.

He had always felt so alive whenever she looked his way. Her beauty and innocence was so captivating. He adored playing the hero she needed.

Where was your hero? Who was there to call you pipsqueak or any other cheesy nickname? God, he’s been a fucking idiot.

“Is there…a nickname you’d like me to call you? For old time’s sake?” Caleb’s question earns him an angered scoff from you.

“You can call me by my name, thanks,” You look at him, eyes flickering down to his exposed neck.

His Adam’s apple bobs up and down. His gloved hand reaches for the collar of his shirt, wanting to loosen his restrictive tie, but falls. When your eyes meet again, his shoulders tense before relaxing.

Is he…is he nervous?

“Tell me, Colonel,” you begin. Caleb’s head perks up and he looks at you, hanging onto every word that comes from your lips. “Why am I here?”

“I heard you’re the best translator we have,” Caleb’s compliment makes you raise your eyebrow, “I only want the best. I need you to translate something for me.”

“Sure, I can do that. Not like I have much of a choice, right?” Your half-joke earns a loud laugh from Caleb. You raise an eyebrow at him.

Really? You think to yourself. That’s what made you laugh?

“I forgot how funny you are,” Caleb comments. He pokes your nose and your face scrunches up, watching as he turns on his heel, opening up the door. You stare at his back and the memories of him from your childhood come pouring in.

You sit alone on a bench. You watch as Caleb stands in line with her at an ice cream stand. You watch them with close and steady eyes, your gaze transfixed on how she plays with his fingers. They laugh and lean into each other, undoubtedly whispering secrets that only they can know to one another.

It pained you, yes, to always be pushed to the sideline. You got used to it with time. You didn’t notice it the first year of knowing them. You were all careless and innocent children. Of course there was no malcontent with their actions!

However, the constant repetition of being left out only to be covered with half-asses apologies and sorries became very old really quick.

And it definitely felt like a stab in the back when you hear their mingled laughter through your open window. You’d catch your self sitting by the window, sighing to yourself as they played knight and princess in Josephine’s backyard.

Whenever you played with them, she always made you the monstrous dragon that held her captive. Caleb had to the the one to kill you. You had to watch from the ground, covered in dirt and dust, as he brought her into his arms, swinging her around.

Her thrilled shrieks and giggles were like poison to your soul.

You were only eight.

With thicker skin and a heart beginning to protect itself with a shield of ice, you braved the final days of your friendship with them. When it grew to be too much, you left.

It was the best decision you could have made, right?

It felt so easy to leave, even as they excluded you from the ice cream line. What’s funny is that they forgot to get you your sweet treat, meaning that you had to eventually stand in the line by yourself while they relaxed on the bench.

You were always left with sticky fingers while he cleaned hers, calling her by that stupid fucking nickname while he wiped away the melted ice cream from her fingertips. They were clean and pristine while yours were left with sticky residue and bits of napkin that lingered behind.

You were almost always determined to ditch them after moments like these. You laid in bed, holding your favorite plushie to your chest, when a small pebble hit your window. You walked over, pushing the glass open, as you poked your head outside.

Caleb stood on the ground below. He smiled up at you and held up a small plastic bag. You watched as he climbed up the side of your house with ease, using the vines to reach your window.

The anger slowly left your body the closer he got to you. He’d poke his head instead and you plucked the plastic bag from his mouth, revealing a small metal butterfly you had saw in town earlier that day.

“I got it just for you,” he said, resting his elbows on the windowsill. You watched him with wide eyes, your ice heart melting from his actions and words. “A token of my appreciation.”

Maybe sticking around for a little longer isn’t a bad idea, you thought to yourself.

You always loved butterflies after that day.

“You coming?” Caleb asks, head tilted to the side.

Looking around, you realize where you are and shake away the bittersweet memories from your childhood. You let out a ragged breath. Your lungs burn and your vision blurs.

His purple orbs memorized every detail of your face. When he noticed the small amount of tears in your eyes, he reached forward, wanting to catch them before they had the chance to fall. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” You slap his hand away and push past him, entering the main room.

As you walk, you realize that what’s left between you two has expired.

The apple of his eye is not you. You were a Granny Smith while she was a Honeycrisp.

You were perpetually sour and she was always refreshing. Everyone always lavished in her presence while you faded into the background. You were left out in the sun while she was carried inside and taken care of.

It’s no wonder why you’re rotten to the core. 

Daggers of pain stabbed into his sides, slipping between his ribs, leaving him breathless. His perfect demeanor finally reveled a crack, head lunched over. He follows you into the hallway, planting himself at your side.

Clearly, there is something wrong with you. Not in a way like there is with him, you know, having failed his psych evaluation, but something that is deeply rooted in your core. He wants to rip your chest open and to pull your heart out. He wants the slowly pull away the thorns that pierce your heart and kiss the wounds. He desperately wants to mend your internal wounds and hold you until you fall asleep in his arms.

“Where’s the file?” You ask him, the tears now gone from your eyes. A slow and ragged breath leaves his mouth, unable to look away from your remarkable face. You snap your fingers in his face, irritation blossoming inside your chest.

“Oh, right,” Caleb recovers. He lays his hand on your lower back. Warmth seeps through the thin fabric of your blouse. Despite the anger you felt a minute ago, you can feel your body relax under his touch. You can tell that he notices it too when his cocky smile returns to his face. You tear your gaze away from his, heat tingling your ears from embarrassment.

He leans down to whisper something in your ear but you turn your head away, not wanting to hear anything else from him. Thankfully, he catches on and straightens his posture.

The office is foreign to you. Many hallways lead in different directions. People in uniforms turn left and right, catching you off guard as Caleb pulls you out just in time before you collide with them. They barely look up from the papers in their hands or leave their conversation to say sorry or apologize.

Caleb swiftly guides you through the floor. The two of you weave and bob through the organized chaos. People stop and salute Caleb as he passes by. He nods in their direction, his charming smiling disappearing as he puts his Colonel mask back on.

He opens a door and reveals an almost empty interrogation room. There’s no two way mirror nor are there the usual cameras in the corner. At least, that’s what you’ve seen on your favorite television show. You step inside, flinching when the door slams closed, the faint click of a lock making goosebumps form all over your skin.

“No need to be nervous, Caleb says, sitting down into one of the chairs at the metal table. He spreads his legs open, making himself comfortable. He looks up at you, gesturing to the chair in front of him. You hesitate, having to force your eyes to look away from his legs, and sit in the chair beside him.

The table only has a few items. Caleb takes off his hat, placing it near the edge. He plucks off his gloves, taking his time since you’re watching him, and set them on top of his hat. In the center sits a neat stack of papers with a few pens and pencils on top. Beside that is an audio recorder with an attached set of earbuds.

“You know how to be discreet, right?” Caleb asks. You sneak a glance at him, throwing a bit of side eye, before picking up the audio recorder.

Ha. Do you know to be discreet…how do you think I got through high school? I was discreet with my hatred of your beloved pipsqueak

“I’ll manage,” you cooly respond.

You already know the drill.

You put on the headphones, you write down whatever it is the people on the other side are talking about, and you hand your work over to Darryl.

Except…Darryl isn’t here. Caleb is.

And you aren’t at your usual workstation using your computer to type. You’re actually writing these words down. What kind of mission is this?

“Then you know that you’ll be working directly under me for the assignment,” Caleb leans closer to you. You pay no attention to it.

“Will I?” You play coy and look at him, batting your eyelashes at him.

Caleb has to picture Josephine naked to stop the tent from forming in his pants.

“Yes…” his word comes out as a whisper.

“May I know any background on it? You know, for translation sake.” You can feel him slowly draw you in.

Those purple eyes that you quickly get lost in. The way his fragrant cologne smells. The way his canine tooth flashes whenever he smiles.

And that fucking uniform. Fuck me. You think.

“It’s classified,” he breathes back, your faces mere inches from each other. Caleb is so thankful that there are no cameras inside. If this keeps going the way he wants, he’ll have you bent over with your panties in your mouth to keep you quiet.

“Shame,” you quickly quip back. You tear yourself away from Caleb, leaving him hanging in the tension you two created. You grab the earbuds and slide them inside your ears. The first piece of paper is placed in front of you and you opt for the pen, knowing you never make mistakes.

Caleb watches you with close eyes. Your hand moves at a furious pace, swiftly scribbling down the words from the audio file.

He sits up in his chair, resting his elbow on the table beside him, placing his chin on his raised palm. The Colonel’s eyes close and he slowly inhales. That sweet yet spicy scent of apples and cinnamon fill his nostrils. He slowly exhales, hoping that your perfume lingers on his uniform long after you leave.

His eyes open when he hears you switch to a new paper. You slide him the filled one, you fingers grazing against each other, before you continue to write like you have a gun to your head.

Caleb chuckles to himself. He leans to the right. With the slight movement, he’s able to get a better look at your face.

Your brows are pushed together, no more space between the two. The skin below your bottom lip is sucked in, slowly moving back and forth. Are you…eating yourself? Your eyes flit to him for a brief second. Your face relaxes before it immediately returns to its focused state.

You are so beautiful. Even when you focus on the assignment at hand, Caleb can see the dedication you have for the things you love.

He hopes that soon, he’ll be number one on the list of things you care about. Caleb can brag about it to his already minuscule group of friends, showing off the future photos and selfies you’ll take together. He’ll be able to say that you’re his and nobody else’s.

If someone like George were to come in the way of that, well, he’ll deal with them and lock you away so you don’t have to witness it.

“What are you looking at?” You question, not even looking up from the paper. You slide it to him, drawing your hand away before he can touch your delicate skin, to feel just how soft it is even if it was for a fraction of a second.

“Are you doing anything tonight?” His question surprises the both of you. It slipped from his thoughts before he could stop it from escaping. Caleb’s face remains stoic. On the inside, though, he’s screaming at himself for coming off as too strong.

Your pen scratches to the side, destroying the perfect lines you’ve made from transcribed words. The tip of the pen pierces the paper. Black ink pools around the sharp metal tip. Your fingertips turn white from how tight you grip the pen.

Caleb reaches over you, his muscular arm passing in front of your gaze, trapping you in your chair. He grabs the audio recorder, the device looking minuscule compared to how large his hands are. Veins are prominent in his hand, leading up his wrist before disappearing under the fabric of his uniform jacket.

Your gaze starts from the tips of his fingers, gently dragging past his exposed skin and up his dark material of his uniform, sliding up his shoulder, hovering on the bare skin of his neck. The audio recording in your ear pauses. Caleb retracts his arm, hooking his finger under your chin. He eases your eyes the rest of the way up to his.

Your breath hitches. Lips barely parted, your cheeks flush from his touch and how close he is to you. His lips are mere inches from yours.

All it takes is one…gentle…push…

“I asked if you were doing anything tonight,” the raspiness in his voice makes your lower stomach purr. Your eyes fall to his lips. You gnaw the inside of your cheek, slowly leaning closer to him.

“Are you asking me as Caleb? Or as my Colonel?” You whisper.

“Which one will you say yes to dinner with?”

“Hmm…” you quietly hum. You reach out, fingers curling around his uniform’s tie. You give it a firm tug. A low groan emits from Caleb’s throat. You smirk. “Neither.”

Caleb matches your smirk. His hand snakes up your arm. His long, slender fingers wrap around the entirety of your hand. He overpowers your grip and the tie falls free from your hold. He brings your knuckles to his lips. He plants a firm kiss to them, his eyes locked onto yours.

“I’ll pick you up at seven.”

You push away from the table. Cheeks red, unable to breathe, you step away from him and to the interrogation room door. You tug on the cold door handle, the metal immediately warming due to you body heat. The lock clicks and you shove the heavy hunk of metal forward, escaping into the public eye of the office.

[northopalshore]

⚚ Asteroid Briede :

in the Natal Chart

The Briede (19029) asteroid is all about your future wife, or female significant other and what truly attracts you towards a woman as well! At the very least, these are the traits of the partners that work best for you in long-term relationships. It also tells you about yourself as a Briede; but in this post I will prioritize your partner instead! This post is based on real people, so it's not going to be too "niche" or romanticized.

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Masterlist

🗝️ Aries (°1,°13,°25) | 1st House

Your wife

She is an assertive firey, passionate women with a young heart & rebellious attitude. Your wife will be very hot, argumentative (both good & bad), protective, hot headed, loyal and honest. They may act before thinking more often than not but that's because they are led by their gut & instincts. She could enjoy physical activities, and workout quite often. She can be somewhat bratty or self centered especially in the 1st house or early degrees.

You as a wife

You may have less patience after marriage, or take on the role of the protector in the household. You will place a lot of importance into your goals (including your children). You may be a somewhat strict mother as well of you choose to have kids. You could also be "louder" in a way.

🗝️ Taurus (°2,°14,°26) | 2nd House

Your wife

She will be very friendly, down to earth and slightly dorky. You will attract a homebody with an eye for beauty and sensuality, usually spending a lot of her time at home or curating things to display around the house. She may act as a traditional wife around you but still have a lot of stubbornness to her. She is very chill, and almost has an "old friend " vibe to her. Very supportive of the things you do but may get rather moody.

You as a wife

You may take on a lot of housework or act as a home keeper, spending a lot of your time focused on either your spouse, kids, family or career. Though you may also have a bit of a lazy streak (or as you'd like to call a knack for rest and reposition). For the most part, you will enjoy being married as you get to be more relaxed or embrace that nurturing part of yourself.

🗝️ Gemini (°3,°15,°27) | 3rd House

Your wife

She is very smart , sharp minded and facetious. She may love to talk to you or listen to word of mouth a lot. She may have a lot of hobbies or is quite occupied with her responsibility, but she always has a way to include you whenever she can. Prepare to listen to her talk for hours on end keeping you updated on what's going on around her!

You as a wife

You may be multitasking a lot once you're married, perhaps juggling responsibilities, your wants and desires. You may think your life is quite hectic, but in a way rewarding. You act as the problem solver in the household. You'll be more talkative and expressive with the people around you.

🗝️ Cancer (°4,°16,°28) | 4th House

Your wife

She is very sensitive and intune with her emotions. Depending on other aspects (like the house/degree it's in) she may be quite childish or emotionaly mature. Very much a homebody and someone who is very comforting to be around. They may feel like a mother & a child in a way, very innocent and kind.

You as a wife

You will be very nurturing. You are the source of comfort for your family, you may be a little naggy or smothering but your heart is at the right place. You'll find yourself being more intune with your emotions or being more openly vulnerable as well.

🗝️ Leo (°5,°17,°29) | 5th House

Your wife

She is someone very bright and optimistic with a special sexy flair to them. They are always the mood maker or the person people look to for a fun time (entertaining). She will love going out with you or just spending time at home feeling happy; even if you do not find yourself attractive their love for you will boost your ego quite a lot! She's flirty, loyal and a little bit possessive. She may seem like a very confident and reassuring person as well. Her energy tends to be very contagious as well!

You as a wife

You are the life of the house hold! You'll know just what to do to make your home more lively, you may lean more into your artistic side as well. You are the fun mom, who may allow a certain amount of freedom to your kids as well. (Though they might find your antics embarrassing at times lol).

🗝️ Virgo (°6,°18) | 6th House

Your wife

In contrast to what people might think, your wife despite her analytical and criticizing tendencies will be very open-minded. There is a tendency for her to overthink herself at times. She is smart and sensible, but may need your help to ease up when tunnel vision hits them. She's very demure, and helpful around the house or just with you in general. Very caring, and will notice the smallest inconveniences in your day.

You as a wife

You will strive for the best for your family. Perhaps aiming for perfection too especially when it comes to your home life & children. You may start to think more about the little details that you've missed about life of those around you. You could even work harder after marriage.

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

🗝️ Libra (°7,°19) | 7th House

Your wife

She is a very fair, courteous lady with good morals and a certain elegance to her. She will always be by your side almost like an advisor, they are very smart and good at balancing out the environment. Something about her will be very lovely to look at as well either her face, her fashion, her walk her talk is easy on the eyes. Princess/ queen energy. I've noticed that this placement also contributes to that "power couple" look.

You as a wife

You will be very levelheaded after marriage, it may bring a certain peace of mind to you. You will also adopt a more sophisticated lifestyle. Being married may alow you to indulge in the finer things more often, or at least embrace that side of yourself more.

🗝️ Scorpio (°8,°20) | 8th House

Your wife

She has a very strong presence, a magnetic aura and a bit intimidating to some as well. She will prefer to keep her personal life private, but she is very warm, caring, and devoted behind closed doors. She is also protective of you and your family, and will stick to you through the ups and downs of life. For the most part, she is emotionally dependable and can keep any secret safe.

You as a wife

You will be somewhat low-key. After marriage, you might not show too much of your personal or married life to those around you. You will be cautious, but in no way afraid of showing emotions. You might be more intense after marriage and feel deeper than you've had before.

🗝️ Sagittarius (°9,°21) | 9th House

Your wife

They are someone very wise and humorous. They enjoy lightheaded laughs but do not shy away from deep conversations or topics, they will teach you a lot of things and may act as somewhat of a guide to you. You will find comfort coming to them for advice or their opinion. That may be quite mature and are a reliable support system (hype woman). The is intuitive, and introspective.

You as a wife

You are likely the problem solver in the family. Your family will often come to you for advice or for help, even if it is something simple. Marriage life may push you to be more introspective about the things in your life.

🗝️ Capricorn (°10,°22) | 10th House

Your wife

She someone who is very dedicated, loyal and ambitious. Someone who values personal goals and has no problem being independent, that being said it doesn't mean that she's heartless. Infact, she will have a very big soft and comforting side to her as well. She's very patient and a great listener, but expect to hear genuine advice ( usually on how to solve your issue) after you're finished venting to her lol. She may act a little cold at times but it's only when she feels uncomfortable, or is stressed out. She may feel like your manager at times.

You as a wife

You may act a little more strict or be more "disciplined" after marriage, you will appreciate good structure in your daily life as well as your priorities; family, work, passion. Though it also means marriage life may make you more independent and tough.

🗝️ Aquarius (°11,°23) | 11th House

Your wife

She is a unique character. Intelligent, strong-willed and independent. Funny and assertive, but also has a deep layered personality. She will be very invested in the lives of those around her, always finding ways to support them. She's unabashedly herself and may despise the "mundane" world view. She believes in freedom to be and believe whatever you want to in life. She has a best friend like energy to her that makes it all the more natural to be around. She has a sardonic flair to her as well or enjoy dry humor.

You as a wife

You will respect your individuality even after marriage life; which includes your spouses independence as well. Marriage will not deter your own sense of control or ambition and you may prefer to do a lot of things your way or differently from what is expected from a wife. You will likely be more analytical as well.

🗝️ Pisces (°12,°24) | 12th House

Your wife

She places a lot of value into balanced & deep emotional connections. Like Scorpio, she is also very private and intuitive. She is creative, and empathetic, compassionate and understanding. She is open to a lot of things and people. There is something very mystical about her nature as well, and may embrace a sort of holistic lifestyle or something that's intertwined with her own little world of ideals. Though, she might be all over the place at times.

You as a wife

Gentle, supportive, calm & just as nurturing as Cancer, you are an incredible devoted wife. You may be more intune with the spiritual or religious side of life after marriage. You would go through hell and back with your partner (and family) and will stand by your word. There may be a certain degree of blind loyalty as well ( if not complete detachment).

Thanks for reading ♡

@northopalshore

@northopalshore briede 2025 all rights reserved.

[pyfsan]

You're my best friend

Synopsis: Your mother makes you attend a trip with your family's friends after your break up with your boyfriend. You don't want to talk or see anyone. Except, maybe, Jake... your childhood best friend

Pairing: bff!jake x reader

Genre: smut, kinda fluff (idk???

wc: 3k

warnings: oral (fem rec), sex with no protection (don't do thiiiiss), nipple sucking, friends to ??? dynamics, family gathering ambient, jake is soooo down for her

N/A: honestly there's not much to warn in this one, i feel like it's vanilla but in a good way!!! Please bare with me —smut under the cut

You had just broken up a long term relationship and you're feeling like shit. It has been weeks since that happened but still you were so lost, it feels like yesterday... still your parents insisted on this stupid trip anyway.

"Jake and Julia will be there!" Your mom tells you with a big smile like it was supposed to make you excited too. But you have known Jake and Julia for your whole life now, you're not exactly jumping with the idea of seeing them again.

"Mom, I'm not feeling like family trip right now... please! They'll ask questions and I don't wanna talk about it"

"Then don't talk about it!" She says as if it was that simple. You sigh "You're going. I'm not traveling and leaving my daughter alone here to rot and starve herself for a whole week"

"Fine! Fuck" you say as you walk to room so you pack up your things.

You left before dawn and arrived at the lake house on the evening. Your family's friends were already there, since they also had the keys to the house. Your moms were childhood friends so the families were this close since before you, julia or jake were even born. You loved them, truly, you could not picture your life without them, but right now you are not in the mood to family gathering, dinner at the table and small talk.

"You look disgusting" was the first thing jake said when you arrived. Sure you look bad after weeks suffering with this fucking break up thing you had going on...

"And you smell bad" you say back going straight inside with your backpack on your back.

"Is everything ok?" He asks, getting the heavy backpack off your shoulder to get it upstairs. You bet an eye on him again before seeing Julia getting downstairs. You two hug and she starts talking so you feel glad you don't need to answer Jake's question.

Dinner is torturing, your dad let it slip that you and your boyfriend broke up and you can see pity in everyone's face. They try to ignore the matter after noticing you are almost crying at the table but still... the way they kept eyeing you made it worse. So you just left dinner early and went to your room to crawl on your bed.

Some time later the door opens and you see Julia and her brother entering with bottles of wine in their hands and you can't help but smile. It was a you guys thing to drink hidden in your rooms late at night.

They crawl up the bed with stupid grins that makes you laugh and jake opens up the first bottle.

"When were you going to tell us about the breakup?" Jake starts and julia slaps her brother's arm

"I was preparing myself... sure wouldn't be at the dinner table" you sigh before leading the bottle of wine to your lips. "Just forget you know about it, ok? I don't wanna talk about this tonight"

"And what about tomorrow?" This time Julia raises an eyebrow to you and Jake is the one scolding his sister.

"I don't know. We'll see... but tonight let's just drink, I wanna forget this stupid breakup, I wanna forget him" you say and instantly feel a release for saying these words out loud.

And as the good friends they are, they answer your call. So the three of you spend half the night drinking until two bottles of wine are empty and dry rolling on the floor and you are laid-back with your head hanging out of the bed with Julia. Jake is sitting on the floor near you. You're laughing so hard you feel your ears burn as he starts imitating the way his sister's hands were trembling to talk to some friend of his the other day.

"So this is your thing now? Getting boys to your little sister?" You raise a brow and he gets defensive.

"She's not little, we're exactly the same age!" He explains himself. "And I only did that once because he was a nice guy"

"Can you get me one of these?" You ask, pouting at him but jake suddenly goes awkward.

"I think you're busy right now" he says with a dying smile that gives you shivers. But you ignore that weird feeling and his weird stare

"You're stupid" Julia rolls her eyes before getting up the bed. "To your information I had a fever that day."

"Ok grandma, I'm sure you did" her brother says sarcastic. The thing with Julia is that she's never kissed a guy before and everytime jake jokes about her shyness, she gets angry.

"Fuck it... I'm going to bed" julia stands up leaving the room.

"Damn, she's mad" you murmur to yourself as you watch your friend almost slamming the door. "You shouldn't have messed with her tonight, i need her around" you whine, pushing jake by the shoulder.

"Hey, I'm still here" he protests.

"And what about it? Me and julia would spoon all night"

Jake sighs before standing up and climbing the bed. You watch in silence as he gets himself under your covers.

"Just until you fall asleep" jake justifies when you open your mouth to protest.

No matter how close you are, this is not common. You would share beds as kids or before puberty, but since Jake's voice started changing and your breasts started growing you were both too aware of the fact that you were not actually siblings. Sure you never felt or thought anything about him, you actually got sick of the idea when both your parents would make jokes about you two getting married someday. But you guess cuddling a little won't hurt anyone, specially tonight when you're feeling so lonely.

You accept his cuddle and get yourself under the covers too, feeling his arms embrace your body. It feels cozy and warm and jake is smelling like alcohol.

"You smell like my grandpa right now, pure alcohol" you whisper and he chuckles, his hot breath hitting your neck and giving you shivers

"And you smell nice" he whispers too and you suddenly get the urge to hide your expressions from him so you just force yourself to not smile. "Bryce is fucking stupid for breaking up with you" oh, there it is... you almost sigh but you hold it in, too nervous by the closeness to his body to actually move an inch.

"How'd you know he did it?" Your voice is so low that he almost can't hear you but he does anyway.

"You wouldn't be drinking and crying if you were the one to do it" jake guesses

"Let's not talk about this. I wanna forget him" you say after some awkward seconds in silence.

"Okay" he nods behind you. "Can you turn to face me?" He asks and you feel your body stiffing. You don't know if you can actually face him this close so you hesitate in your place. But then you feel his hand moving from your stomach to your waist and all of a sudden the air smells different. "Y/n" he calls you

You flip your body in one quick move and then you're face to face. You can see him even in the dark, knowing his face so well you don't need much time to recognize his expression.

"Jaeyun" you let slip your voice as he touches your waist again.

"Is it ok?" He asks massaging your skin under your shirt, squeezing it softly with his slender fingers. You nod quietly, feeling shy. "Relax, it's ok" he whispers encouraging you to close your eyes and you do it.

You close your eyes, feeling your muscles ease under his touch. You allow yourself to get comfortable in this situation, even thou there's a sound far away inside your brain yelling to you that this is not ok. Jake is not allowed. This is not an innocent act. But you choose to ignore it, you lie to yourself that this is in fact an innocent act. Until you feel his lips against your own. Until his tongue is parting its way inside your mouth. Until you're guiding your hand to hold his neck. Then you start lying to yourself that jake is allowed and that this is in fact ok.

He traces his way until he's above your body, pressing you down on the mattress with his weight, but you don't even care. He's stupidly hot right now and his mouth is doing wonders to you. Your face is heated, your body is on fire and his tongue is the only thing that can put out that fire.

You find yourself giving up of that thought at the back of your head telling to end whatever this is. Oh no, you're not doing that. You let him pull your shirt up and taste your skin, you let him suck your nipples and let him touch between your legs. In fact, you take his clothes off with your own hands when you find him taking little too long to get there. Jake himself is in awe watching the way you move so swiftly as you undress both of you.

"You're so hot" he says in a way he sounds like not even him was expecting to confess this. You look at your friend, suddenly too aware that this is the guy you've known for your whole life and had a room at your family's house. He looks at you the same way, but not feeling afraid of this fact.

His hands are now on your face and jake gets close again, his lips touching yours softly and making you forget that you are literally at your panties in bed with him. You touch his slin body, feeling with your hands the flesh you've seen only by far but feel like you know every inch of it. You've seen him shirtless around the house, by the pool, at the beach a million times, however you've never thought that he would feel so good on you.

Jake lays on top of you, wearing nothing but his boxers and everytime he presses his hips on yours, you wish this little piece of fabric would vanish.

"Jaeyun" you call him, starting to get uncomfortable with your sticky panties.

"If you keep calling me like that i will think of you like this everytime you say my name" he says as he slips his boxers away and you try to act cool about it. You wanna look at his size, you wanna see how your childhood friend actually is before he is stuffing his cock inside you for real. "What?" He notices your looks.

"This is crazy" you mumble looking at him on his knees between your open legs, hard cock and heavy balls. Not gonna lie, you're blushing.

"Still want me to do it?" He asks, running his hands smoothly on your legs. Although he is asking a question you don't feel like he is not certain of what he wants. "Please, let me do it" oh my god, you're so fucked up. Jake waits for you to say something but you actually just pull your panties down and off, opening your legs for him again.

With no words needed he gets down, face disappearing between your tights. You were not expecting this, so you are chocked when his puffy lips touches your wet cunt for the first time.

"This is crazy" you repeat yourself but this time it sounds more like a moan.

He takes this as a compliment and starts working his tongue on you, nose pressing on your clit time and time again making you almost squirm. He's moving like a feral, mouth eating your entire pussy like it was nothing, it actually makes you drip even more. But this is not what you need right now, you want him to end this madness already. All this making you so horny and it starts to feel like guilty because this should not be happening. So the sooner he fucks you, the sooner it ends.

"Please, come up" you say, poking him with a finger. Jake stands on his knees again, a little confused on why'd you stop if he knows you were feeling good. "I just want you to fuck me and end with this, ok?"

"Oh... fine" he whispers back.

You choose to do it in the same position you were cuddling earlier, his chest against you back. Jake slips his cock into you with ease and holds your upper leg open in the air so the angle is better. When he starts picking his pace you close your eyes tight. It all feels so good it's frustrating... when the bed makes a sound you look at him on alert but his stupid ass only let out a smirk and continues to fuck you.

"This is too loud" you whisper over your shoulder.

"Shut up, no one hears a thing around this house" jake sounds carefree

"How'd you know that?" you ask still scared someone will notice the noise but he doesn't give a fuck...

"My own experience" he says and holds your left boob to play with your nipple with his fingers. It makes you moan instinctively and he smiles with that.

"You're ridiculous" you sigh.

You wake up next day with your mouth dry and head feeling heavy. You did not drink enough for a hangover but still... you guess that wine is just not for you. Then you notice you're fully naked and your underwear is on the ground together with the rest of your clothes. That's when you recall. Jake was here, he has been on this bed and now is somewhere in the house acting innocent around your families. As if he hasn't spend half the night making you moan and squirm over his veiny cock. Oh your head hurts just by the thought...

You get up the bed to get ready for breakfast although probably everybody else have already eaten. So you take a quick shower and get dressed before swallowing your shame and walking downstairs. It's 10pm, your moms are watching tv in the living room with julia and dads are on the kitchen preparing some fishing equipment with jake.

"Good morning, sweetheart" your dad greets you and you smile at him before looking at jake at the counter. He eyes you back as if he's about to say out loud for everyone to hear that he fucked you last night.

"What" he mimics with his mouth over to you and you roll back your eyes. Jake chuckles then goes back to ignoring you.

You go to the fridge and prepare yourself something for breakfast then walk back to the living room to stay with the girls. Julia was making bracelets so you join her after eating your bowl of cereal.

"Who's fishing today?" Julia's dad enters the living room. He was talking to you girls as you always join them when they go fishing on boat, but today you're not really interested in sitting on a limited space with jake.

"I am" julia says standing up quickly. She looks at you, waiting for your excited words too. And when your moms both look at you too you feel pressured.

"I am" you say as you stand up.

Five of you walk out the house, jake approaches you and leaves a bucket on your hand.

"You're doing nothing" he says annoyingly before leaving to walk ahead of you. You wanna start throwing fist right there but you suddenly remember the sound of his whimper and you freeze on place.

This was driving you crazy. Everytime someone looked at you was like they knew what you did and everytime jake would say something was like he was bragging about it. But in fact... no one knows, only you two. And maybe this was even worse considering that jake was the type to act dramatically mysterious when he had a secret. You were doomed.

The group finally gather inside the boat and your dad starts the engines to get it to the middle of the lake. Julia and jake both sit beside you and it makes you nervous again. You look at the view on his side, just as excuse to see him at your panoramic view and he looks as normal as ever. Not carefree, nor mysterious, nor like he's plotting something, not even stressed like you.

"What you looking at?" he asks cockingly but with a smirk after he notice his sister walking away from you. And when you take a bit to respond he leans more to you and whisper in your ear "bet you're thinking about me naked" oh great now your face is red. He is laughing when you face him again and it makes it all even worse. Not that you were thinking of him naked, but was it necessary to out you like that?

"Can you not say stuff like that around everyone?" You whisper back with a serious face and jake starts acting innocent again which is common but still annoying. "I'm being serious, this shouldn't have happened" and that's when his face changes.

"So you regret last night?" He asks with his voice low.

"What the fuck do you think?" You're whispering to him but avoiding eye contact at this point "stop trying to tease me, it won't work" you tell him and leave to sit next to julia on the bow.

For the next two hours you avoid talking or even looking at him. Which is difficult, almost impossible, but you try anyway. And when your dad finally calls it a day to get back to the house, you're feeling drained. You knew it was going to be exhausting to be around people after the breakup but you never thought jake would be the reason.

This stupid guy who you've seen eating nose snot is now looking at you like he would open your bra with the power of his mind only if he could and for the first time in your life this is a real problem. Getting railed is a problem.

[aliceinborderlandsquidgame]

I just love you | The Salesman x Wife!Reader |

Summary: The Salesman loves his wife and sometimes it shows in...unsetting ways.

Warnings: Possessive!Salesman - Obsessive!Salesman - Toxic!Relationship - Manipulation - Short

Its subtle, you wont notice it unless you were looking for it, or unless you were like him.

The Salesman its never one to lose his composture, even less in front of you. The firm grip he has on your hand while you two take walks its only his way of being sure that you are still by his side and that he did not lost you on the crowd. Its only that.

Right?

Its not him being paranoid over you wanting to run from him. No that would make him weak and be a signal that he is doing something wrong.

What about these tense smiles he gives to strangers when they (oh casually dont see the ring on your finger) come to you ? That predatory gaze that screams at them to back off. Its him being protective of you. Any husband would look bad at other men flirting with his wife. Its not something that should worry you.

What you dont know if that some of these same men end with him. On a different aparment that you dont know he has. Playing games for their lifes as a punish for even thinking they had a chance with you.

And when he worries that you are going out ? With your friend wearing that dress ? He does tell you how bautiful you look of course. Anything you wear looks perfect on you.

Then once you leave with a final kiss and promising that you will send him messages that you are fine and that maybe once you are back both of you can indulge in some pleasure.

He is on the app tracker seeing exaclty where you are. If he had any work to do while you were out its out from his mind. He can picture you having fun, and really he has no problem at all with it.

But he cant help but bite is UÑQS at the idea of someone getting close to you. At the idea that something bad could happen. Does he sends someone to follow you and make sure you are fine ? No. He does not want a single soul to know about you, and he wants to be your only protector.

When you send him different texts telling him you are doing fine and even some pics of you and your friends he can breath in peace. Just a bit.

Its only when you are back at his home that he his worries wash off. He is over you kissing you but also looking for any type of bruise or sign that someone touched you. He would also smell you, telling you he missed you but he his making sure no male fragance its on you.

Helps you take a shower and then cuddles you till you fall asleep in his arms whispering non important things.

Another thing he does that you dont know about its record your voice. Specially during the moments you tell him you love him or tell him soft things. He would listen to them on his way to the first station and then turn them off so he can change into that cold persona that needs to be to recruit players.

Plays it again on his way home since he needs to feel more human. Like he is getting out of one disguise and leaving himself for you to attack. On a playful and full of good intentions thing of course.

The moment he has you in a hug he is letting out the day he had and just enjoying this moment so perfectly made with you.

[meerkatp]

I made this a couple years ago. Been feeling relevant again.

Honestly I'd argue that currently BIDEN is more responsible for the current death long covid and sickness count. And that's not to downplay what likely will happen in the future, but it was FUCKING INFURIATING how they dropped all covid restrictions way too soon because it wasn't Trump insisting on it, it therefore wouldn't look bad to go "back to normal", the lives of vulnerable civilians be damned. And while I'm sure things will get worse again in the future, especially considering we've now got fucking bird flu to be worried about, Biden's part in the spread of covid in this country should not be downplayed.

But hey, now that it's Trump doing it, the genocidal maniac that most people are willing to admit is a genocidal maniac is in control again, and now that he's got other obviously cartoonishy evil people in charge of departments like the CDC, people will start to care again and admit this shit is bad and fucked again, right? Right?

Anyways at least do your part in protecting you, your loved ones, and anyone else you come into contact with as well as anyone that person comes in contact with and wear your fucking mask. Surgical masks are good and effective but N95/KN95 masks offer so much more protection. General cloth masks don't give much protection at all so if you want a non-disposable one seek out one that offers actual protection.

Get vaccinated. The CDC said that generally you should be vaxxed about every 8 weeks. With RFK Jr. now heading the CDC you should do this sooner rather than later.

Don't eat out at restaurants, get takeout/ delivery or if you're able to, make something at home. I shouldn't have to explain how eating out is a fucking stupid idea but I can't even get my parents to get it through their thick skulls so if you don't get it, when you eat in public, you need to take off your mask. And around other unmasked people covid can spread. Even if you are vaccinated it you can still spread covid, even if you don't have any symptoms. And eventually it could get to someone who's either not vaccinated or immunocompromised and give them the permanent disability of long covid, or kill them.

As for bird flu, while there currently haven't been any cases of it being transmitted from human to human, humans have still gotten it from birds (wild and domestic). Cows have also been documented getting it. Also cats are extremely susceptible to bird flu and there have been several cases of them dying from it. So keep your cats indoors. There already are a bunch more reasons to keep them indoors but this is currently the most dire. Bird flu is already a big reason why eggs are so damn expensive right now. It's because captive birds keep getting it, leading to the farmers having no choice but to kill their entire flock. And let's not forget the whole bird flu thing got it's start under Biden who proceeded to just ignore it. And yes Trump will make it worse, there's no doubt about that, but we cannot forget Biden's part in all of this either.

[brothersfuck]

YOUR GIRL!SAM HC’S OMG.

any thoughts on weecest and dean coming to the realisation he wants to fuck his little sister?

Omg yes yes YES I've been thinking about it so hard and so long that when I came back to check my inbox and saw this I almost passed out [Here's a warning!! this post contains mentions of SA(but not between Sam and dean), please click off if you're uncomfy, thank you!!]

Dean didn't really realize it just like that one day, it was more of a build up to find the treasure, like a car drive until you reach the gas station kind of realization

Like that one time where John left them alone in a two bed motel and Sam, poor little girl, woke up from a nightmare and shook Dean hard enough to wake him just so she could snuggle under his arm

Whenever that happened, he'd crane his head down and sniff her hair (smells like dandelions and being out in the sun too much, dean told me so), wrap his arms around her body and close his eyes too hard when he'd feel the blood rush down

It couldn't have been his fault, it wasn't his fault, he was a teenager--he had hormones. But hugging his soft twelve year old sister and getting horny over that? He really needed to question his morals. Or maybe he needed a drink, whichever one made the strain in his pants go away first

He tried to cover it up as much as possible, even explaining it to himself the best he could. It was just girls, just girls. He liked girls, he kissed girls; lots of them, so maybe it's just some kind of trigger in his brain to get rock solid when he's cuddling his little sister who's, also a girl?

Whatever. The thing is. Dean definitely wasn't attracted to his little sister.

When Sam turned thirteen, she stopped trying to cuddle up under Dean's arms after nightmares anymore, she'd wake up in cold sweat, grab a flashlight, and read a book in total silence, sat against the corner farthest away from his brother

Dean noticed, of course, like all good big brothers do, and even felt a little disappointed in that. It was a tradition at this point, that he'd be the one to protect her from all the bad, keep her clean and virgin, but he understood that Sam was at that age where things get unbalanced and the world feels too big or the room feels too small so he tries to help out as much as possible

When Sam has questions, he actually answers. What questions he can't answer, he takes Sam to a nearby library and lets her read up on things. When Sam has questions about boys and relationships and love, Dean tenses and sweats. He knows all about relationships and love, hell, he's had some rough make out sessions with girls under the school bleachers so yeah, he knows about love

But boys?

Really?

Sam wasn't prepared for that. Sam wasn't prepared for anything, matter of fact, Dean was the only boy aside from dad, maybe, that Sam should ever even talk to! Yes, he was speaking crazy inside his head, but it made no sense to Dean why Sam needed other boys, he was right here wasn't he? Was he a bad older brother? Was Sam getting rebellious?

Was he just jealous?

Sam stopped asking those kinds of questions when Dean stopped trying to steer the conversation to some other topic and outright just started to tell Sam that she wasn't ready. Sam was ready, hell she was thirteen, so what was Dean even worrying about?

This topic led to Sam's first ever late night sneak out, she was secretive, you had to give her that, and extremely quiet--when your father's a soldier you have to learn what wakes him up and what doesn't. She'd been talking to a boy she met behind the school her and her brother go to (for the meantime) and he was just there, reading, away from the noise and sweaty sport kids

Safe to say they got along pretty well, and under the guise of researching on the net about monsters or whatever, she even managed to keep their chats secret from Dean!

When she sneaked out and went to that dark park expecting a scrawny boy to show up carrying books they could both read together, she was right. Nerd kid number one was there, but no books. She greeted him like she usually would and asked where the books were only to be greeted with a harsh grab to the face and a forced kiss, teeth clanking against teeth and her hands trying to push him away. Once. Twice. On the third try, she managed to get him off, but not before he already felt up her chest and kissed down on her neck

Fuck! She underestimated boys at this age, boys and men..she was prepared, she thought she was..and besides, a scrawny kid wanting to kiss and make out? That doesn't fit the criteria at all! And why was he so strong?

The thoughts ran as fast as she did, away from that park, away from that boy, away from the disgusting sensation of hands on her chest. She was mad. And crying. Like having a nightmare

When she got back to the motel room, she didn't bother being quiet. The door handle rattled like an anxious before giving way to a crying, heaving Sam, and this time, Dean woke up to it.

Groggy, yet used to being awakened so suddenly, he caught glance of Sam running up to the side of his motel bed and sniffling out a "Dean, dean...can I please sleep in your bed.."

Dean is ecstatic.

He shushes and coos at Sam, and for once, she lets him. She's so eager to cuddle up against her brother that she doesn't notice the hard bulge pressing against the small of her back, doesn't notice Dean's hand splaying over her stomach, because it's her brother, and her brother would never..

She keeps on crying and eventually, Dean has to ask why she is. She tells him about how she's sorry for talking to a boy behind his back, about how she's sorry she sneaked out and went to meet with him, about how his hands...his lips..

His lips. On hers.

Dean reached the metaphorical gas station, driving his metaphorical car, when his arms tightened around her and comforted her to sleep and his nose stuck to her hair like a claim, like maybe if he held her tighter then what that boy did, stealing her first kiss away from someone who deserved it more, would be erased

Sam goes to school the next day with Dean trailing behind her, and she hears the whispers of other students talking to each other about a kid who went to their school found dead in a ditch and she knows..she knows dean knows she does, and without exchanging a glance, she keeps moving

Because it's terrifying knowing your brother would kill anyone who laid their hands on you

But it's even more terrifying finding out he did it because his hands should be the only ones on your skin

[yumeaoka-chan]

Maybe It's Canon...

My hand slipped...? Blame @the-kr8tor @hyperfix-wip and @pleaktale for not stopping me😭���� Also credit to Bleaky for the ask sent to Katy. Lovely banners made by @cafekitsune ❤️

Pairing: Ekko x Reader x Hobie Brown/ Prowler! Ekko x Reader x Spider-Punk! Hobie Brown

Word Count: 1.9k

Tags: Angst, hurt/ no comfort (straight up bad times, man), fighting(im still bad at writing fight scenes), blood, no physical description of reader, can be read as any gender really, TW death, cursing

Summary: In every universe, you fall for them. Sometimes, it doesn't end well.

Blood rushes in his ears as he holds you close, senses buzzing and sensitive hearing picking up the way your heart thrashes like a battering ram inside your chest. Frigid air whips your face, tears from the sharp gusts of wind slipping from your eyes as you gasp, trembling like a leaf from being up so high.

“‘S alright, love,” Hobie breathes out, pulling you away from the ledge of the sky-scraping tower, arms firmly wrapped around you and thumbs rubbing circles against you. “‘M gonna get you down from ‘ere. Promise.” His bones still feel like it's rattling from Electro’s shocks, fingers twitchy and body aching and ribs creaking. But he had to get you to safety first. After everything you've done to ensure his win against the electric powered villain, he had to make sure you were safe. With a jerky nod, you blink away the stinging tears, face as cold as ice due to the blistering London winds.

Just as he goes to launch a web at an opposite building, his senses suddenly go haywire. Only giving him enough time to snap his head in the direction of danger before a sharp pain blooms across his ribs, breath leaving him in a whoosh as he's slammed onto the ground away from you. Your frightened cry rings in his ears as he pushes back at the force that had rushed him, rolling himself into a crouch as he whipped his head up to glare at the newcomer. A frustrated snarl forming on his lips beneath his mask, Hobie narrows his eyes at the flash of purple and green.

“Ain't the time, Prowler”, he snaps, eyes darting over to your shaking form, seeing as you latch yourself to the glass skylight windows of the tower. Your chest heaves as you try to regulate your breathing, watching with trepidation and worry as the Prowler stands up. Claws of his mechanical gauntlets gleaming under the light of the full moon, glowing white eyes of his purple mask sharp and narrowed. He points a clawed finger at the web head, voice deep and masking any resemblance of something human.

“You had time to fuck up my plans. I can spare a few minutes to kick your ass, insect.” Hobie scoffs, eyes focused on the way the thief circles around him like he's prey. He might as well be, what with his mind solely focused on protecting you, getting you out of this mess as quick as possible.

“Arachnid, P. ‘Sides, it ain't my fault you can't plan your heists at a better time.”

“Always a joke with you… Too bad I ain't laughing”, Prowler spits out lowly, the hairs on the back of your neck rising as you watch him shift into a defensive stance. Eyes drifting over to Hobie, you shake your head, hoping and praying that he understands that you don't want him to fight. Not this time. Your silent pleas are met with a firm shake of his head, Hobie throwing his battered guitar to the side and crouching lower, dashing any hope you have about no violence. It's silent then, nothing but the harsh winds whistling in your ears. The two men watch each other closely, muscles coiling beneath the skin as they ready themselves to spring into action. Everything that happens is a blur then.

Quick on his feet, Prowler dashes towards Hobie, swinging his fist at him once he nears the web head. The punk easily dodges the blow from his left, backing away from a hit from the right. A hand comes up to block the knee to his stomach before he drops down, sweeping a leg out to trip the thief. Falling down from the sudden sweep, the clawed man is quick to use the momentum from the fall, spinning his body on the ground and delivering a harsh kick to the masked hero's face. Hobie groans as the Prowler flips, standing up and rushing him once more. He delivers an onslaught of punches and kicks to the web head who weaves away from every blow before lifting his leg up high and bringing it straight down towards the punk's head in a mean axe kick. Hobie manages to sidestep away from it at the last second, moving forward and bringing up a hand to catch the thief's leg. Lifting up a fist to hit Prowler in the chest and right before he can kick his leg from underneath him, the masked thief suddenly grabs him by the shoulders. Clamoring onto him and wrapping his thighs around his head, they both tumble to the ground.

You watch as they exchange blow after harsh blow, watch as they somehow stumble closer towards your little safe haven called the skylight. Heart feeling heavy with slight dread as you see Hobie get punched so hard that you can hear the stuttered gasp of pain leaving his lips. Prowler yells angrily as he swipes his claws down over the webslinger's chest, bits of red spandex clinging to the sharp metal. Hobie hisses as pain blossoms, body still heavy from the previous fight and strength wanning. A mechanical fist collides into his nose and if his brain wasn't rattling inside of his head right now, he would have sworn he heard a distinct crack. A cry of terror sounds in his ear as his back collides with something cold, something breaking beneath the combined weight of him and the man leering above him. Another blow rains down on his nose, which he for sure knew was broken by now. Then another, making his head snap to the side, blood welling up behind his now swollen eye.

“That's all you had in you, Spider-Man”, Prowler hisses before delivering yet another blow to the downed man's face, name leaving his lips like a curse. “What happened to being the best, huh? This'll teach you to stay outta my way…!”

Hobie's head is swimming as punch after punch lands on his face, eyes rolling behind his mask as he tries to get up. He has to get up. It doesn't matter if his ribs were for sure fractured by Electro earlier, it doesn't matter if he could barely seem to move a finger. All that mattered was keeping you safe, living to make it back home and spending time with you and Ekko. The two people he loved more than anything. He could hear you, hear as you cried out for Prowler to stop, begged for any semblance of mercy for his sake. It broke his heart, hearing the fear for his life that he's unfortunately instilled in you. And, suddenly, the raining of blows cease, Hobie cracking open heavy eyes to blearily peer up at the man causing him harm. The Prowler's fist is raised up high, shaking with restraint as his head is turned towards you. You, whose standing up on shaky legs on the skylight, tears streaming down your face as you sniffle.

“W-What… What did you just call me…?” The thief let's out breathlessly, whatever you said having caused him to tremble as he speaks his words. Wiping at the tears you take a shaky step forward and Hobie lets out a jumbled slew of words, protesting your advancement towards danger.

“Please stop, Ekko… That's Hobie…” You choke out and it makes the pain he feels almost instantly go away. Because what in the world did you mean, calling the thief Ekko? Ekko…? There was just no way that could be true. Glowing white eyes now boring down at the injured man beneath him, Prowler lifts a trembling clawed hand up towards the hem of the webslinger’s mask, and Hobie can't even find it in him to stop him as it's pulled up and off of his head.

“N-No”, Prowler chokes before ripping his own mask off of his face. Hobie's met with familiar hazel brown eyes boring into his own and his breath leaves him. Twisted white locs falling over his face as he gently cradles the punk's face within his mechanical claws, Ekko has tears shining in his heartbroken gaze. And then, before he could utter a word, before he could try to figure out how exactly you figured out his identity, the glass beneath you three cracks. Everything seems to happen in slow motion then.

A gasp leaves your lips as you fall through the shattering remains of the skylight, air whipping past you as you tumble down the tower. Hobie and Ekko fall straight down, bodies bumping and landing on hard metal beams. Eyes darting around, looking for you, widening once they see you falling. In the last moments of your life, you gaze at the two men you hold dear, reaching for you, yelling out your name in horror. Tears slip from your eyes as you smile at them, your deadly descent never slowing. They're diving to you, fingers so far from brushing against your own. As a last resort, Hobie shoots out a web, hoping, praying to anything out there that it reaches you in time. It looks like a tiny hand, you think to yourself as you gaze at them lovingly. It latches just as you reach the hard floor of the tower and Hobie's heart thuds so loud within his ears that he can barely hear anything else.

He got you. He made it in time. You'd be okay. That's what he tells himself repeatedly as he and Ekko finally reach the bottom, his hands yanking away the web and holding you close. Hand cradling the back of your head, his mind doesn't register the slick warmth that seeps from it, smile on his pierced lips as he awaits for you to open your eyes.

“Love…”, he mumbles, russet brown eyes roaming over the serene look on your features. “Lovie…? Open your eyes for me, yeah? Can you do that, sweetheart…?” His sensitive ears can't seem to pick up your pulse, which he finds odd. Strange. You were okay. You were safe now.

“C'mon, darlin’. Jus’ open your eyes f'me and we can go home. Promise…” Hobie doesn't dare to look behind him, tunes out the sound of Ekko falling to his knees. When he sees that your expression never changes, that your face granted with serenity never wanes, he starts to trail his fingers down to your chest. Trembling as he searches for where your heart is beating. Because, of course, it was beating. Of course it was…

Oh…

Oh…

“No, no no… You can't do this to me”, Hobie whispers harshly, vision blurring and swimming as he lets out a choked sob, nose scrunching and face crumbling. Despair threatens to claw out his broken heart as he fervently shakes his head, fingers cradling your face. “C’mon, lovie, please. Please.”

The man behind him is sobbing loudly now, the sound rattling in his brain as Hobie holds you close against his chest, gripping your lifeless body like a lifeline. He couldn't breathe, breath coming out in heaving gasps as the tears streaked down his face, dripping onto your rapidly cooling skin.

“Don't fuckin’ leave me…” His sobs rattle in his chest as reality finally sets in. You're gone. He didn't make it in time. Placing a gentle kiss on your forehead, he lays your body down on the ground and stands. Legs wobbling, he falls onto his knees a moment after, chest aching and grief all consuming. Ekko takes his place, holding onto you and whispering apologies against your hairline. And as Hobie watches him, he no longer sees the man he loved and respected. No longer sees the man he cherished just as much as he cherished you. No longer does he see the man he wanted to spend an eternity with alongside you. No. All Hobie can see now is red.

[abyssalwavezz]

zayne smut and i need it neowwwwwww do whatever you want with the plot

Impulse Control

Author's note: I know who you are anon, and this one is for you <3 that's all I've got to say LOL also if you like kpop, check out my kpop page @ta3mint bc I am trying to revive it after such a long break lol also fun fact...I think this is one of if not the longest fic I have ever written. So yeah...send in your LADS requests. It's good to be back, ya filthy animals.

Contains: Zayne x MC/YN, consent king Zayne, jealous/down bad Zayne, explicit sexual scenes with unprotected P in V (use protection irl pls), fingering (fem receiving), MC briefly on top, relatively vanilla missionary (but it’s a classic okay?) and somewhat vague hints at Zayne and MC lore if you squint

Warnings: Minors for the love of God, pls do not interact!! Sexually explicit content, adult themes, cursing, etc. and as always...no proofreading <3

Word Count: 7,872

It was no surprise that Akso Hospital was winning an award for their exemplary service to Linkon City. What was a bit of a surprise though, was Zayne taking the initiative to ask you to come to the banquet with him. He could be so hard to read sometimes, and though of course he could be thoughtful, this seemed to be a direct request, even for him.

You couldn't help but reread the texts from earlier, your heart and your mind racing in tandem.

Zayne☃️: How has your day been so far? Have you been staying hydrated? You often forget to drink enough water when you are busy.

Me: Dr. Zayne, do you text all your patients and remind them of their hydration levels?

Zayne☃️: Only the most forgetful ones.

Me: You mean there's more than one? And here I thought I was special :(

Zayne☃️: Don't fret. You are, in fact, the only patient who I perform this service for.

Me: Well in that case...I should probably go drink some water in between training sessions.

Zayne☃️: Before you go, I wanted to ask you something.

Me: Oh? I am listening (and hydrating as we speak)

Zayne☃️: The hospital is receiving a service award tonight. There will be a banquet. I was hoping you might want to come with me. After all, you have served Linkon as much as I or any of the other medical staff has. It is only fair that you are my plus one. If you want to be, of course.

Me: I would love to, Dr. Zayne. One question though...

Zayne☃️: Yes?

Me : Will there be dessert? 🧁

You had hoped the little joke about dessert would take your mind off of...everything. But it hadn't worked. You were still sitting in your desk chair, knees pulled tightly against your chest.

What did this invitation mean? Did Zayne...no. No way. There was no way he was inviting you because he saw you as something other than a friend and a patient. He said it himself, that it was only fair to invite you due to your service as a hunter.

How about you, though? What did you see Zayne as? You definitely would like to be more than friends. You couldn't help but fall for him after seeing him so often nowadays. He was everything you could have ever dreamed of in a man. But did he know about your feelings? Did he notice the amount of time you spent watching him work or study instead of focusing on your own work or training material in front of you? Did he notice you watching him even more closely during your workout sessions?

You swallowed the lump forming in your throat.

Anyway. It was time to get ready now, and the part you dreaded most was here... Choosing what to wear.

You didn't really have many formal outfits to choose from, and you felt like the ones you did have were worn too many times. Right about now, you were wishing that Zayne had asked you earlier than the day of so you could've had more time to prepare. But honestly, would it have made a difference? Procrastinating was one of your favorite sports.

Eventually, you settled on your favorite dress.

Putting it on turned into somewhat of a chore, though. It didn't fit quite the same way as you remembered... but it had been a while since you last wore it.

Thankfully, it went on without any damage to the dress, but you couldn't help but pull at the fabric at the bottom of the dress. It was also a bit shorter than you remembered, it seemed.

And was this slit in the side always there?

Never mind that, it would have to do. There was no more time, and you still had to do your hair and makeup, as well as put on accessories to go with the dress. To be honest, you were a bit out of your comfort zone at the moment.

"Tonight better go well," you muttered to yourself.

~

The sudden noise from your phone caused you to stop what you were doing with your hair.

Grabbing it with a gloved hand, you immediately saw the text from Zayne letting you know he was waiting outside to pick you up.

You placed the last bobby pin in your hair and gently pushed your earrings in, then grabbed your phone and clutch before heading out the door.

As you passed by the mirror on your wall, you checked your makeup one last time, too.

Was it too much? It was a formal event, so you assumed you were to look the part. Ultimately you decided you looked fine, and part of you wished that Zayne would like it, too.

Oh, who were you kidding. You really hoped that Zayne would like it.

The sounds of your heels meeting the hard floor echoed throughout your apartment building until you got into the elevator. Once you were inside, you sent Zayne a quick text letting him know you were on the way.

Ding!

The elevator alerted you to let you know that it had arrived on the first floor. Quickly, you stepped out and into the parking lot, not wanting to be the cause of potentially being late.

After a quick scan of the nearby parking spaces, you saw his car a short distance away. You made your way over, cursing yourself for choosing these particular heels that were already causing foot pain.

As he saw you approach, he stepped out of his car and walked around to the passenger side, placing his hand on the door handle. He was wearing a traditional suit, accompanied by his glasses that he seemed to save for special occasions or work.

"Wowww, Dr. Zayne. No lab coat today? And doesn't your car have a button to open the doors, even when you're inside?"

"Would it still count as chivalry if I were to only press a button?"

He gave a small smile and pulled the door handle, stepping aside to let you in the car.

You smiled back, gently sitting down so as not to disturb your hair and dress.

As you moved past him, Zayne took a deep breath through his nose, closing his eyes briefly before forcing them back open.

"You okay, Zayne? Am I wearing too much perfume? Or even worse...do I stink?"

Zayne shook his head and smiled once more.

"No and no, of course not. I like what you are wearing."

You nodded, satisfied with his prompt answer which caused your cheeks to burn.

Zayne closed your door and walked back around to his. He sat down and buckled himself in, motioning for you to do the same.

"The banquet is in an event hall not far from here. There will be some speeches that may bore you, by the way. This is your last chance to back out."

It was your turn to shake your head.

"Not a chance. It took me so long to get ready, I have to see this through. Besides, I was glad you thought to invite me."

Zayne turned the steering wheel to back out of his parking space, carefully eyeing his backup camera.

"Well, I am glad you accepted my invitation."

~

Zayne was telling the truth about it not being far. You made it there in only a few minutes. Frustratingly though, it had started to drizzle.

"Aw man, my hair and makeup will be ruined. Then everyone will think you brought a drowned rat as your plus one."

Zayne chuckled, pressing the button to turn his car off.

"Nonsense. Chivalry is still alive and well in Linkon."

Once again, he came around to the passenger side of the car rather than pressing the button to let you out. Seemingly out of nowhere, he had produced a large umbrella that was big enough to cover both of you, and especially big enough to protect your hair and makeup.

"Zayne, you are really outdoing yourself already. How could I ever repay you?"

"Don't worry, you already are."

Zayne walked slowly with you, making sure to keep the umbrella placed perfectly over your heads. Thanks to him, you both made it to the doorway of the event hall dry and in one piece.

There were lots of people, which was to be expected. Nevertheless, you instinctively clung to Zayne's arm, wrapping a hand around it tightly.

He was caught off guard, but only for a moment, before placing his large hand over the top of the silky fabric of your glove.

"You hunt Wanderers for a living and you're scared of a little crowd?"

You glared at him playfully, the amusement obvious in his usually soft voice.

"Hush, you meanie."

If you thought there were a lot of people in the foyer, it was nothing compared to the amount of people in the actual hall.

Numerous circular tables littered the hall as far as the eye could see. Pretty much all of the seats were already full, causing you to wonder where the two of you could possibly sit down. In the center against the back wall was the stage, presumably where the speeches Zayne mentioned were going to take place. Flower displays were plentiful, several of the biggest ones taking up the front of the stage, and the smaller ones sitting in between tables. Tiny vases with smaller versions of the displays sat on top of the tables, surrounded by expensive looking crystal dinnerware. It was definitely not something you see every day.

"Where would you like to sit?" Zayne asked.

You scanned the nearest tables, squeezing Zayne's arm when you saw an empty one.

"Let's sit there," you said quietly, pointing with your index finger so he could see what you were talking about.

Zayne nodded once he saw your choice, leading the way through the people that were still standing around.

There were five seats at the table in total, and by the time you got there, one of them was already filled by a young man that hadn't been there before. Oh well, you couldn't have expected to sit at a table with only Zayne at an event like this. But a girl could dream.

After you and Zayne sat down, the young man turned his attention to you. Nothing in particular stood out about him, and you couldn't say you recognized him from anywhere.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you," he said in a voice that didn't quite match his plain-looking features.

"Hi! It's nice to meet you, too," you replied politely.

"And you as well," the man added as he looked towards Zayne.

Zayne nodded, but didn't say anything. It seemed his mind was elsewhere at the moment.

"I'm (Y/N), and this is Dr. Zayne from Akso Hospital."

The man gasped quietly and looked back over to Zayne.

"Ohhh, I've heard a lot about you. You're definitely a big part of the reason the hospital is receiving the award tonight, I'm sure!"

The man seemed genuine in his comment, as far as you could tell.

"I am only doing my job. I have no desire for awards or accolades. Besides, there are many competent doctors and nurses that work at Akso. That is the reason for our award." Zayne said harshly.

You were a bit taken aback by Zayne's choice of words, but you chalked it up to potential nerves about tonight. The man didn't seem too fazed, which relieved you.

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Richard."

You nodded and smiled at him, just before a sharp noise echoed throughout the event hall. Your eyes searched the surrounding area, and you realized the banquet must be underway. There was a very important looking man near the edge of the stage, clinking a metal spoon against his wine glass.

"As you all know, we are here tonight to recognize the achievements and outstanding service of Akso Hospital...but we are also here to eat!"

This earned a few laughs from the crowd of people, and even one from you. You couldn't deny you were starting to get pretty hungry.

You looked at Zayne and noticed that he did not laugh, nor did he even smile. Instead, he seemed to be set in stone, staring straight ahead at the man speaking by the stage. It almost seemed as if he was looking through him, like his mind was still somewhere else entirely.

"It isn't like Zayne to be nervous...but what else could it be? Does he regret bringing me here? I probably look so silly, like a little girl all dressed up for her secret crush", you thought to yourself.

Ignoring the sudden pain in your chest, you turned your focus back to the man up front.

"...once again, I thank you all for coming. But for now, let us eat and we'll get to the rest of the award ceremony later!"

The hall gradually began to get louder as people began to talk amongst themselves again. This seemed like a good opportunity to get Zayne to talk and settle the nerves that were boiling under the surface of your skin.

"Zayne, aren't you starving? We didn't eat before we came!"

"Mmm," Zayne hummed quietly in agreement.

"Oh! I didn't realize you two came together. Are you...?

Richard didn't finish his implied question and your ears began to burn instantly.

"Oh, no no! Nothing like that," you quickly replied, waving your hands back and forth in front of you.

You didn't dare glance at Zayne, so you weren't sure of his reaction to the conversation. But thankfully you didn't have to worry for long, since Richard started talking again.

"I see! Well, (Y/N), what do you do for a living?"

Grateful for the change in topic, you jumped at the chance.

"Well, I'm a Hunter!"

"She's very good at what she does. I have seen her at work. We often assist each other," Zayne said suddenly from the side.

Both you and Richard glanced at each other before looking at Zayne, who was as stoic as ever, but this time looking directly at you.

Your ears, still not recovered from a few moments ago, grew uncomfortably hot.

"I think the line for food has gotten a bit shorter," Richard pointed out. "Should we go ahead and head over?"

"Yes, I-."

Zayne cut you off, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table.

"Why don't you save us a spot, Richard? I need to ask (Y/N) something about a confidential matter at work. It cannot wait."

Richard stood, giving a small nod and a quick smile in your direction before walking towards the food serving line.

Once he was out of earshot, you hastily gathered yourself before facing Zayne.

"Is something wrong? You've been acting strangely since we sat down."

Zayne pushed up his glasses, keeping his eye on Richard's back as he stood at the end of the line on the other side of the hall.

"There is something odd about him. We should find somewhere else to sit for the night."

You scoffed, unsure of what he could be talking about.

"I'm not sure I understand, Zayne. He seems perfectly normal and nice to me."

He shook his head.

"Don't you trust me?"

"Well, of course I do, but..." you trailed off before continuing, "It just seems like something has gotten into you. Am I not allowed to make friends?"

"Of course you are. You can have as many friends as you like. Just not him. There is something wrong."

For some reason, Zayne's words frustrated you.

"I don't need permission, Zayne. Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to get some food because I am starving. If you'd care to join me, I'll be over there."

Without waiting for a response, you left the table and walked with determination over to Richard, where he was still waiting in line. You truly had no idea what had gotten into your usually very kind and understanding friend, Zayne. You had never seen him act this way, so far as you could remember. Even so, as you got farther away from him, your resolve faltered. Had you been too harsh? No. Zayne was being...weird. You wanted to get to the bottom of it before the night was up.

"Hey!" Richard smiled and waved you over.

You gladly stepped beside him where he had saved you a spot.

"Thanks for holding a place for me, Richard. I'm sorry it took so long for me to get over here."

"It's no problem! I know you and Dr. Zayne must have a lot of secret work you need to do for Linkon. Speaking of, is he coming? There's more than enough room for him!"

You sighed, shaking your head.

"I'm not sure. He seems a bit...stressed at the moment. I may just bring him something to eat to help out a little bit."

Richard nodded.

"That's very kind of you. Dr. Zayne is very lucky to have a friend like you."

"Yeah," you couldn't help but sigh as the staff behind the table handed you a serving of the first dish. "A friend."

As you progressed down the line, Richard told you more about himself. You returned the favor, sparing some of the more private details of your life. But it truly was nice talking with him. He was very easy to get along with, and that further fueled your confusion towards Zayne's behavior.

After the two of you finished getting your food, you made your way back over to the table. As you got closer, you realized Zayne was no longer in his chair.

"Where did Zayne go?"

Richard looked around, nearly spinning in a circle.

"I'm not sure. He must have gotten tied up in an important conversation somewhere."

Just then you felt a buzz in your clutch, your phone alerting you to a text.

You set your plate down and reached into your clutch, grabbing your phone easily thanks to the small size of the bag.

On your phone's screen was a brief text from Zayne, asking you to meet him outside.

"Is everything okay?" Richard asked.

You snapped your attention away from your phone and smiled nervously at Richard.

"Of course! I just need to use the restroom before we start eating. Will you finish telling me your story that you mentioned in line when I get back?"

Richard nodded enthusiastically.

"I would love to!"

"Great, I'll be right back, I promise."

~

The air outside had gotten significantly cooler after the sun finished setting. Thankfully, it wasn't raining anymore. But you didn't see Zayne anywhere. He wasn't in the foyer and not immediately outside of the building. Almost in a panic, you turned around to search the entire parking lot. And that's when you caught a glimpse of a nearby streetlight reflecting off of something other than a car a few feet away.

It was Zayne's glasses, and he was leaned up against the side of his car with his arms crossed, looking off to the side.

"Zayne?"

Your voice caught his attention, and he used his weight to push himself off his car and move closer to you.

"There you are. I need you to come with me, we have to go."

As you got closer to him, you noticed he had an unfamiliar look in his eyes. It was one you had never seen in them before, and it instinctively made you nervous.

"Zayne, what's going on? You've been so weird tonight and now you're kind of scaring me."

Zayne sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Forgive me, I..."

You remained silent, waiting for him to finish, the rapid beating of your heart pounding in your eardrums.

"I seem to be acting on my impulses tonight. Something I thought I had been teaching myself not to do."

His actions were still not understandable to you, and he instantly read the confusion on your face.

"It's...it's his fault," Zayne murmured. "It's this dress."

Suddenly, he bent down to your level and ran his finger up the sleek fabric of your dress resting against your thigh. It caused you to tense up and shiver, whether from his actions or the night air, you weren't quite sure.

What you were sure of though, was how badly you wanted him to touch you again.

"Forgive me," he repeated. "I can call you a taxi to take home. I shouldn't have done that."

"Zayne," you said abruptly, causing him to stop from getting his phone out.

"Yes?"

"Kiss me."

"What?"

"Kiss me," you repeated, this time a little less confident.

Zayne didn't say anything else before closing the rest of the gap between you in one step. Both of his large hands found space on each side of your face, and they rested there for a moment before he looked at you in the eyes, his own moving back and forth to discern the expression on your face.

"(Y/N)..." he began hesitantly.

"What?"

"If tonight has shown me anything, it's that I have not been controlling my impulses as well as I have previously. If I do this...I fear that I won't be able to stop myself."

You tried to take a deep breath, but it got caught in your throat.

"Do you want to kiss me, Zayne?"

"Yes," he breathed, pressing his forehead against yours and closing his frenzied eyes. "I cannot tell you what it has been like, seeing you almost every day now and falling in love with you all over, again and again. I have waited as patiently as I could have."

Shakily, you reached a hand up and loosely gripped one of Zayne's hands still on your cheek.

"Again? You've fallen in love with me before?"

Zayne hummed quietly, almost imperceptibly shaking his head against yours.

"Never mind that. Just know that I need you...I always have."

"Zayne, I..."

Something about what he was saying felt eerily familiar, and it felt like an invisible force was pulling you somehow even more closer to him in that moment.

"Please," Zayne whispered. "Tell me what you want."

"I...I want..."

Zayne rubbed his nose against yours, inching closer and closer to your parted lips. His labored breaths mixed with your shallow ones, causing the cool night air to visibly swirl around you. Your heart continued to pound, so loud and hard you were sure Zayne could hear it.

"I need to hear you say it...one more time."

Lighter than a feather, his lips brushed against yours as he spoke to you. And finally, finally, you were able to get your words out.

"I want you to kiss me...and I don't want you to stop."

Zayne tightened his grip on your face, his hands slipping slightly due to the thin layer of sweat that was between your skin and his. And then he pressed his lips firmly against yours.

You would be lying if you said you hadn't thought about what it would be like to kiss Zayne before. You had always assumed it would be magical, meaningful, and passionate.

And it turns out, you were right.

His lips tasted slightly sweet as he moved them against yours in perfect harmony. The sounds of your breathing echoed around you, muffled slightly by the sheer lack of distance between his face and yours. Your hands moved to hold onto his shoulders, and his moved from your cheeks to your waist, leaving a feeling of bitter cold behind. Somehow, in the contrasting heat of it all, he turned you around so you were now pressed between him and his car.

As soon as he did this, the kisses became more sloppy, more intense. You could feel his energy shift and it nearly caused your knees to buckle as he moaned quietly into your mouth. It occurred to you that your nails might be digging into his shoulders, but he didn't seem to notice.

Suddenly unable to breathe, you were the first to pull away. Zayne froze, looking down at you with a scared look in his eyes now.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry, I should have restrained myself properly."

"Zayne...again. Please, I only needed to catch my breath. You aren't the only one who has been waiting for this, you know."

This time, you didn't even wait for him to initiate the kiss. You moved in first, catching him slightly off guard. But he recovered quickly, matching your intensity in a flash.

The tip of his tongue brushed against your bottom lip, causing you to shiver for what felt like the hundredth time tonight. You weren't sure if he did it on purpose or if just happened, but you decided to open your lips slightly, providing an opening for him to push into deeper than before.

Zayne quickly obliged, a significant portion of his tongue meeting yours. This time it was your turn to moan, though yours was a little less controlled, and a little more loud.

He audibly groaned, the gnashing of your lips, tongue, and teeth causing a drop of saliva to run down your chin. You were pressed up against his car so tightly that it cause your shoulder blades to burn where they met the hard exterior of it. Zayne had a vice grip on your hips, and his hands were so large that you were sure it would leave marks.

The slit in your dress that you were shocked by earlier became Zayne's next target. He used one finger to trail up your thigh and hook under the edge of the slit as he kissed you, the fabric being pulled taught against your tingling skin.

Once again, you pulled away, letting your head roll back so that it rested against the top of his car. Your chest heaved, stretching the dress where it rested against your breasts with every breath in.

Zayne nestled his head into the crook of your neck, leaving small, wet kisses there. His finger that had been hooked into the slit of your dress continued its way up your body until his hand came to rest against your ribcage.

"Zayne, we should...get back before people start noticing we're gone."

"Hmm," he hummed against your collarbone.

"I mean it. What about the speeches?"

"Easy..." he murmured before placing an open-mouthed kiss, this time against your jawline. "Forget them."

"Zayne! You can't be serious."

"I assure you, I'm very serious. As serious as a heart attack."

You weakly raised your head back up to meet his gaze. There was a deep hunger in his expression, one that you could tell had not been fully satisfied.

"I did warn you," Zayne murmured before kissing you on the lips again briefly. "I have waited so long for you, it will be nearly impossible for me to let you go now that I have you."

You couldn't help but wonder what exactly he had in mind. But your thoughts and your body seemed to be communicating together, the undeniable warmth from your core spreading outwards fast. You knew you wanted to taste him again, to feel him against you again.

"Take me home, Zayne."

~

The drive back to your apartment seemed longer than it did when you left earlier. Inside Zayne's car, the air was thick with tension and desire. Neither of you spoke, too hesitant to mess anything up.

Once you were at your door, you prayed Zayne didn't see your hands shake slightly when getting your keys out to unlock it.

As you made it inside, Zayne closed the door behind the two of you and then slowly crouched down in front of you.

"Zayne, what are you..."

"Shh. Let me help you."

He motioned for you to lift one foot up, and you did so. He then undid your heel's strings and slid it off your foot carefully, before repeating the same steps on the other foot.

This time though, he placed his hand against your calf and let it trail up your bare leg until he stood up all the way. He took a deep breath as he did so, causing you to shake in anticipation.

"(Y/N). I know what I said, but if at any point anything becomes too much for you...or you simply change your mind, I want you to tell me. I will never do anything you don't want to do. Does that make sense?"

You nodded, overwhelmed with all the feelings coursing through you at the moment.

Zayne seemed satisfied, taking off his suit jacket and hanging it by the door. You couldn't help but notice how nicely his white button-up shirt sat against his toned arms.

He chuckled.

"If you don't like this," he said softly, pulling at the fabric of his sleeve, "I can remove it, too."

Involuntarily, you shuddered, realizing what he meant. But you had a better idea.

"Can I?"

Though your question was short, he understood what it meant.

Without a word, he stopped closer to you, looking down at you with a glint in his eye.

"If that's what you'd like."

You didn't mean to necessarily, but you held your breath as you let your clutch fall to the floor and instead placed your hands at his collar. As carefully as you could, you undid the first button of his shirt. Zayne watched you intently, his breathing picking up again like it had earlier in the parking lot.

One of your knuckles accidentally brushed against his collarbone while you undid another button, and it was his turn to shiver, even at such a slight touch. Honestly, it made you feel good, knowing that he must be feeling the same things you are feeling.

You continued down the shirt, each button coming undone with an almost inaudible pop sound. The farther you made it down, the more of his chest you started to see. It was unsurprisingly perfect, chiseled in all the right places, so much better than you could have ever imagined.

By the time you made it to the last button, you needed to pull the fabric out from where it was tucked into the hem of his pants. It was here that you hesitated.

"Are you alright?" Zayne asked, sensing your mind reeling. He placed a hand over top of yours where it still held onto the last button of his shirt.

"Yes, I'm alright. I just...don't want to mess anything up."

"Don't worry. You are perfect. Whatever happens will be perfect. Let me help again, okay?"

"Okay," you whispered, nearly silent.

Zayne gently removed your hand from the last button, and tugged his shirt out from his pants to remove it completely.

Your breath hitched in your throat as you took in the sight before you.

Then without thinking properly, you let your hands reach out for him, flattening against his bare chest. Your fingers traced the lines carved into his skin, and you realized you really shouldn't be surprised at this since you know he works out regularly.

“Would you let me take you somewhere more comfortable?” Zayne asked, nodding his head towards your bedroom.

“That definitely isn’t a bad idea.”

Zayne chuckled at you again before grabbing one of your hands to lead you away, making sure to carefully step over your forgotten bag and his white shirt on the floor.

He sat on the edge of your bed, waiting for you to enter into the room completely.

You were still mesmerized by him, by the situation. And then you realized that you had on remarkably more clothing than him. You decided to enlist his help one more time.

You turned in a circle, so that your back was now facing him. Though you could do it yourself, you thought this would be more fun.

“Help me again, Dr. Zayne”

From behind you, you could hear him stand up and make his way over to you. You moved your hair out of the way so that the zipper on the back of your dress was now visible.

“If that is what you wish.”

Even through the material of your dress, you could feel his cold fingers against your back as they slid the zipper down to your waist.

Once he made it to your waist, you took a step forward and chanced a look over your shoulder.

Zayne stood behind you, watching you with another unknown emotion behind his darkened green eyes.

You shrugged off the top of your dress, causing it to instantly gather around your waist. Your bare back was now directly in front of Zayne, as the dress didn’t require you to wear a bra. The air in your room made you tense up.

Braving any lingering fears, you pulled the dress past your hips so that it fell to the floor, and you stepped out of it. Now you stood only in your underwear.

A few seconds passed and you could then hear Zayne take another step forward. A few seconds more, and you hissed as Zayne’s cold hands made contact with your exposed hips.

“So beautiful,” he whispered, planting a kiss against your shoulder.

You no longer felt the metal of his glasses bump into your skin, so you assumed he must’ve tossed them aside.

“Let me show you what you do to me. What seeing you with someone else does to me. How it makes me feel…”

Before you could respond, one of Zayne’s hands snaked around the front of your waist and began teasing the waistband of your underwear. You instantly knew what he was planning to do.

“And more importantly, let me make you feel good.”

You couldn’t help but gasp sharply at how bold Zayne was being as he gently slid the tips of his fingers past the edge of your underwear. His other hand was laid flat against your stomach from behind you, and the pressure against you only intensified once his pointer finger made contact with the edge of your aching core.

Zayne placed his chin on your shoulder, looking down with an almost gleeful smirk on his lips while he watched the rest of his hand disappear past your last piece of clothing.

“Mmmm,” you hummed as the pad of his pointer finger circled around your center.

“Such a pretty sound,” Zayne stated as if it was a well known fact.

He took this time to softly dip the one finger inside of you, pumping it a few times before adding his middle finger. You could tell he was instantly covered in the wetness coming from deep within you, the slick feeling of his fingers inside already driving you wild.

A fire began burning inside your mind and body as he continued drawing his two fingers in and out of you, curving them slightly to find the spot that would inevitably cause you to unravel around him.

Your knees buckled and his grip around your waist with his other hand tightened.

“I’ve got you. I always will,” Zayne spoke against the thin skin of your neck, nuzzling deeper into the space between it and your shoulder.

The faster he went, the less you felt like you were physically there. The only feeling you had right now was the feeling of his touch, as if that feeling which wasn't even your own doing was the only thing that tied your existence to this room, to this place. You weren't even sure if you were standing properly anymore or if he was holding you up with his other arm. You didn't really care.

Never in your wildest dreams had you expected to end up in this situation. But now that you were, you couldn't imagine being anywhere else or with anyone else. You knew from this point on, he was the only one allowed to witness you like this. There was no going back from this. He had drawn you in and made you his, and this was where you belonged.

It was when you realized this that you came undone.

Somehow, you remained conscious of your neighbors and stifled the strangled whines that threatened to escape your gaping mouth. You eyes screwed shut in pure concentration, causing a single tear to escape the corner of your right eye.

"Shh," came Zayne's quiet voice from behind you.

He rubbed his nose against your cheek where the tear had fallen, ultimately wiping it away. The contrast of his cool nose against the sizzling skin of your cheek was very noticeable.

"Would you like to lay down?"

"Mhmm." This was the only sound you could get out now, but Zayne understood.

He kept a stable grip on you because he had, in fact, been holding you up for the past several minutes. You would have to thank him later.

Zayne guided you towards the bed and helped you first to sit down, and then to lay your head against the pillows. He gingerly grabbed your ankles and readjusted your legs so that they would be laying more comfortably on the end of the bed.

You couldn't help but cringe at the feeling of your now freezing, wet underwear that was sloppily pulled back into its proper position.

From the left side, you could hear Zayne lay down next to you, and his wide hand rubbed the clammy skin of your stomach.

You laid in silence for a few moments, waiting for your breathing to calm down before speaking.

"That was, ummm..."

You briefly glanced over at the man next to you and couldn't think of what to say next, your mind a tangled mess. Really, you had assumed he would say something to fill the silence where you were lacking. But when he didn't, you decided to take a better look at him.

Though his hand had come to a rest on your stomach, he was not looking at you. Instead he was looking at the ceiling, his jaw set harshly as if he was concentrating on something.

"Zayne, are you okay? Did I do something wrong?"

You rolled over onto your side, wrapping an arm around him and trying to ignore the feeling of your bare nipples against his cool exterior.

"No," he said shortly, but softly. "You were perfect, just as I said you would be. I just find myself...struggling to restrain my actions further when I should already be satisfied. And I am...satisfied. However, it would seem that you allowing me this pleasure has turned me into not only an impulsive version of myself, but a greedy one as well."

"Zayne...?"

You began to sit up on your elbow to look at his face, but your other hand brushed up against a lower part of him you weren't expecting to. The sensation immediately elicited a sharp hiss from Zayne.

"Oh!" you exclaimed in surprise, "I'm sorry."

Zayne shook his head roughly.

"Don't be. And don't feel obligated. Promise me, (Y/N). We don't have to go any further."

For a minute, you thought about what you would like to happen next. You took Zayne's words to heart, and you knew he meant them.

But perhaps you had become a bit impulsive as well.

Wordlessly, you finished sitting up enough to look down at Zayne who was now making eye contact with you rather than looking at the ceiling. Your hand had come to rest on his lower stomach now, right below his belly button. If you moved down any further...

You noticed how tight the fabric of his pants was around his bulge. You swallowed thickly, the embers of the fire you felt a little while ago becoming reignited.

"(Y/N)..."

Zayne watched as you looked between him and his painfully restricted erection.

"What do you want, Zayne?"

He was visibly surprised at your sudden confidence, but remained composed.

"That is not as important as what you want. I will always place your needs and wants above my own, no matter how tempting it may be otherwise."

Zayne sounded almost hoarse from timid anticipation and it only further fueled your own desires.

"Let me show you what I want."

He didn't say anything else, he could only watch as your now steady hands touched the belt keeping his pants up.

"(Y/N)," he repeated, this time urgently.

"I want..."

You let your sentence trail off and began undoing his belt as sensually as you could manage. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Zayne's chest begin to heave as he studied you like a hawk.

"You."

The belt was now completely undone, and you pulled it from its loops to toss it carelessly aside on the floor. You then undid the zipper of his pants, the sound of it clashing with Zayne's distorted breaths. Once you had the zipper down all the way, you did the best you could to pull his pants down while he was laying down. It didn't take much before his throbbing length was now restrained by one less layer of clothing.

He shook at the air hitting him down there, and you struggled to keep your eyes from widening noticeably at how large he seemed to be. At the center of his white underwear, you could see several small dark spots from his increasing arousal.

Before he could try to talk you out of it, you lifted one of your legs to straddle him. Both of you moaned simultaneously as your tingling core came into contact with his rock-hard bulge.

Using the last bit of your newfound confidence, you bent down and captured his lips in a wet kiss.

"I have always wanted you."

Zayne watched your lips in awe as you spoke, the corner of his own lifting in a small smile.

And then he collided into you.

It was like the kisses you shared in the parking lot, only...it wasn't at the same time. This felt more primal, more passionate. As if your souls had begun threading together like they were somehow meant to.

You held onto his face tightly as he kissed you, the wet sounds of your mouths echoing in your small bedroom. His deft hands came to rest on your ass, and they dug into the softness there as he thrusted upwards against your throbbing genitals. This caused your back to arch slightly, making your lips leave his, the only thing now connecting them a string of your mixed saliva.

Zayne took this opportunity to roll you under him so that he was now hovering over your exposed body.

One hand held his own body up, and the other tenderly traced around the edge of your breasts.

"You are too good to me," Zayne sighed under his breath.

"And while I do not normally condone this..."

Zayne stood up suddenly and fully removed his pants and underwear in what seemed like one swift motion before climbing back over top of you.

"I have no control left within my body."

His hands gripped your underwear tightly, his knuckles turning white and his veins popping as he completely ripped the flimsy material off of you.

"Zayne!"

He gripped the headboard, leaning over you to whisper in your ear.

"I'll buy you more."

You shuddered at both his words and the proximity of his naked body to yours.

"Do you trust me?" he continued.

"Yes. I trust you Zayne."

"Then hold on," he growled, his hot breath fanning over your ear.

Using his other hand to grip himself, he steered his length to your entrance, teasing it slightly with the head.

"Oh, shit," you gasped loudly.

With no further hesitation, Zayne fully inserted himself inside of you, making the both of you moan noisily. He remained there for a moment, his sweaty chest rubbing against your own. The hand that was on the headboard now came down against the mattress to hold the rest of his body up. His other hand grabbed one of yours, and he weaved his fingers in-between your own.

Your clasped hands gripped each other stiffly as he started to thrust in and out of you. As he did so, your other hand clawed at his back.

Where it had been silent before, your room now seemed like a concert of lewd noises. Zayne's grunts, your mewls, the wet sound of your bodies slamming together repeatedly...it was all so disgustingly beautiful.

Though your eyes were shut, you could feel Zayne's sticky forehead against your temple. The grip he had on your hand intensified, and the rapid, hot breaths from his mouth collided with your neck. Shamefully fast, you felt the familiar feeling of your impending climax, and you couldn't help but wonder if Zayne could, too.

"You..." Zayne panted, pulling himself out of you before slamming back in, all the way up to the base of his cock. "Already?"

You scoffed, opening your eyes to look at him, chastising yourself for thinking he was anything other than observant.

"You do things...to me too, you know?"

Zayne groaned, almost animalistic in the way that it sounded.

You licked your swollen lips, the moisture temporarily aiding in the chapped sensation you had been feeling.

"I want to feel it...I want you to look at me."

Zayne withdrew his hand from yours and instead grabbed your chin roughly. He then turned it, so that you were facing him completely.

"You are doing so well..."

For some reason, you fixated on the sweat that was flowing down the side of Zayne's face, dripping from his soaking wet hair. A few drops of it landed on your cheeks, but Zayne's increasingly harsh thrusts made them run down to your neck.

He kept a grip on your chin and began sucking on the skin where his sweat had pooled against a divot in your neck. It was with such force, you knew there would be a purple bruise there the next morning. The thought of others being able to see the evidence of the filthy night you had with Zayne was enough to send you over the edge for the second time.

Zayne felt you begin to tense up, and knowing what was coming and that he would not be able to stop himself from climaxing inside of you if he remained there, he begrudgingly removed himself just in time.

His warm cum splattered harshly against your pulsing core, and he couldn't help but watch as it did. The sight of you so utterly spent and covered in his seed was enough to make him collapse next to you.

This time, the silence in the room seemed ridiculously loud. It smelled completely of sex, and you knew you would have to wash your bedding tomorrow.

But you also couldn't help but feel completely at ease. That was the closest you could have ever hoped to be to the man you loved.

Love...what a word, right?

Part of you wanted to proclaim it right then and there. Though the other part of you was content with the silence, laying next to the second half of your somewhat broken soul.

It felt complete. You felt complete. And you hoped he did too.

You'd have to thank Richard if you ever saw him again.

[cheekinpermission]

How would the twst bois react if they found Erin keeps those flowers?

The question you answered, only said that not many know, it didn't mean no one else knows. Who knows? (Besides Rollo)

https://www.tumblr.com/cheekinpermission/772579719018315776/15-what-is-a-secret-not-many-characters-know

Oooh, good question!

I imagine most of them wouldn’t be too happy about it, especially the ones who were actually at the masquerade 

Erin kept the fire lotuses for self-defense. That might bring up some feelings of betrayal, especially for those who are closer to her. It not only implies that she doesn’t want to depend on them to protect her (which is true), but that she might also consider them to be a threat to her safety (not as true). 

For those closest to her…

Ace / Deuce / Riddle - Ace and Deuce seem pretty obvious to me being that they are her closest friends, but I brought up Riddle specifically because of the way I developed their relationship. The artwork I draw of them is usually pretty wholesome and sweet (hanging out with the hedgehogs), but what I haven’t shown is what it took to get to that point. They did not get along in the beginning for obvious reasons. Erin was still settling into NRC when all of a sudden some temperamental short stack on a power trip starts making his problems her problems. She’s just trying to keep her head down and get through whatever this was when all of a sudden she had to go collect chestnuts to bake a tart so that guy with the heart over his eye would stop crashing on her couch. Riddle overblots and it's her first one so it left quite the impression on her (and not a good one). She was kinda scared of him for a while afterwards. She didn’t really know how overblots worked at that time and she had it in her head that he might overblot again if he got too angry. Riddle set the record straight, they investigated the whole situation over at Savanclaw, and they eventually mended fences. All of that was to say that keeping the flowers might bring Riddle right back to that point in time when Erin felt threatened by him. Yikes.

(I would love to draw a full comic of them one day but I’m just biased because I love Riddle lmao)

Kalim - He has this tendency to kind of blow off his problems? He’ll start to bring something up, but then laugh and quickly change the subject. It’d probably be much the same here. He’d say how he understands and everything is fine but would be lowkey hurt by it. 

Vil - “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed” energy. 

Malleus - Hit bro pretty hard. People have theorized that the fire lotuses could straight up just kill fae (as opposed to just draining a person’s magic indefinitely) so… yikes. This was his one friend who SUPPOSEDLY wasn’t scared of him. Erin was the only one who wasn’t shaken by his regal status or his powerful magic and what not. Was that all a lie? (No.)

Grim - Sooooooo Grim didn’t know. Erin didn’t want to tell him for a few reasons. 1) Grim isn’t exactly subtle and she wasn’t sure if he could keep his mouth shut about it. 2) Grim’s goal is to be the greatest mage of all time. He’d definitely oppose having flowers around that could threaten that goal. 3) Most importantly, she didn’t want him to face the fallout if they were ever found. In her mind, Erin was protecting Grim. She knew that this would be an unpopular decision. For all she knew, it could threaten their enrollment at the school. She didn’t want Grim to face the repercussions. It was her decision and it was for her safety - he didn’t need to be caught in the crossfire. He’d definitely be the most hurt by it. They’re supposed to be in this together!

Most of them will probably at least recognize why she did it. Between the overblots and the kidnappings and the human trafficking (jfc twst)... having something to protect herself against magic isn’t a bad idea. MAYBE JUST NOT THE FLOWERS THAT CAN PERMANENTLY ALTER THEIR LIVES. This all could’ve been circumvented if she just, I don’t know, opened up a little about her concerns? Ever think of that, Erin?! 

They definitely wouldn’t let her keep them after they found out. They’re far too dangerous and risk growing out of control (despite Erin’s insistence that she has them contained). She’d be forced to get rid of them, face some kind of punishment from the headmaster, and be ostracized by her peers for a while.

So who knew? 

Rollo - As you’ve pointed out, Rollo knows. He’d obviously be on board and he’s a great source of knowledge on how to take care of them properly.

The Ramshackle Ghosts - I feel like hiding anything in Ramshackle is just kind of impossible without them knowing? She can lock them away and hide the key, but how is that going to stop them from phasing through the walls? It won’t. They know and they reluctantly keep the secret. They do care for her as well and let that influence their decision. 

That’s it lol. Just them. 

Ortho might catch on that something fishy is going on if he ever, like, scans the building or something and is like “tf is that weird magic energy I’m picking up?” but the flowers were supposed to be extinct so there’s no existing database to draw from. Tbh he might be the catalyst that gets her caught. That, or she’d own up to it when she whips one out in an act of desperation. 

I could also see maybe Leona picking up on something? He seems super in tune with "sensing magic". For example, he was the one to mention that he didn't sense any magic on Yuu or Gidel / Gino in the Playful Land event. Another moment that stands out to me is when he asked about Grim gobbling up the overblot stones. He seems to know something we don't (but won't tell us for some reason??) Idk he's just so omniscient and "in the know" that I wouldn't be surprised if he somehow knew about the fire lotuses lmao.

Actually, that could give me something to work with for them. I'll have to think on that a bit more.

[velmashaircut]

I played Caleb's route and myth a while ago and here are my thoughts/ theories/ predictions about him and the story (long af):

I reread my prediction post I made a month ago about Caleb, and I feel bad for painting him as some sort of villain. This man has been through the ringer, I thought the other LI's had it bad, Caleb somehow has it worse, he's been through so much and this is just in one lifetime. I both anticipate and dread his second myth, although the story will be good, it'll also be sad af

His main story branch update was the best of the main story in my opinion. I found it really engaging, not that the other chapters suck or anything. The same goes for his myth story; it felt like a continuation from the main story and the plot of the myth was enjoyable. If you want to understand Caleb and what's going on with him, read his myth! I would say his myth story is one of the best in the game.

MC's emotions and inner conflict were executed perfectly in this story branch. The emotion in MC’s voice when she’s face to face with Caleb was so touching, and the way she hugged him as soon as she could...it was sweet, her VA did a great job depicting her emotions! I really liked seeing MC so overjoyed to see an LI; in her initial meetings with LI’s she's either annoyed or neutral, so seeing her over the moon to be reunited with Caleb was refreshing and just solidified how deep their bond runs. Caleb naturally has an advantage compared to the other LI's in that sense, in this timeline, even if MC doesn't love Caleb, she'll always be warmer to him and he'll be her first choice.

Playing the main story and witnessing MC’s joy to be reunited with Caleb slowly turn into suspicion and eventually morph into frustration and anger was so good to read. The player and MC both bare witness to Caleb's transformation in character and it's heart wrenching to discover, both the MC and player don't fully understand what's going on to cause this switch in behaviour.

The ending for the main story was very solemn; MC failed her mission, Kevi was taken away and Mia died. Her short reunion with Caleb turns bittersweet. I thought that would be the end, but then it was revealed Caleb's been tangled in EVER's schemes and Caleb is making himself look like the perfect weapon to spare MC from this fate - he’s trading his life so she can keep hers. And his myth ending makes this all the more heart wrenching - the chip has taken away most of his memories, and he's doing whatever he can to preserve the memories he has of MC not only to keep his sense of self, but to still resist EVER's control of him.

Despite the lack of transparency and control Caleb exercised over MC’s life, I didn’t think he went too out of line. Caleb seems to believe he needs to amass power to protect MC and himself, Tainted Cuts seems to prove this ideology. Skyhaven is dangerous and Caleb knows it; despite being influential, he can't control over Skyhaven the way Sylus does with the N109 zone, he has to keep MC under lock and key to ensure she's out of harms way. He knows there are people after her, he works for them! He's not safe either. And in the end, Caleb was proven right to keep her under surveillances; MC nearly died twice in Skyhaven. When MC and Caleb get into an argument towards the end of the story, and she says she doesn't need his protection, instead of possession I think he felt more frenzied despair. He knows what lurks ahead, and he knows he can't hide her away forever and protect her from the danger.

...

In my theory post about Caleb, I suggested Caleb orchestrated the explosion, clearly that was not the case. I still think he wasn't clueless about what was going on behind the scenes though, his behaviour was still weird before the explosion. Unlike MC he remembers the past experimentation - I wouldn't be surprised if he was keeping tabs on EVER in case they made a reappearance in their lives. I used to think he didn't like the granny because of this, but I've changed my mind. He arranged for her to be moved to a nursing home that was remote and of good quality, he was remorseful when he told MC he couldn't save her in the explosion. Maybe he grew to forgive her for her past experimentation, or was just glad she gave them a roof over their heads.

I also believe Caleb failed to save Grandma in the explosion because he instead chose to protect MC. That could explain why his necklace was left behind. I also think the explosion was meant to target all three of them, kill the granny and take MC and Caleb back to EVER headquarters, but Caleb somehow managed to prevent them from taking MC. Or they were after MC only and Caleb convinced the raincoats to take him instead. It tracks with Caleb's intentions to have EVER focus on him rather than MC.

My theory post was mainly wrong, but I was right about one thing; Caleb wants to return to a place where it felt as if it was only himself and MC in the world; the secret/ abandoned garden he visits (in his mind?) at the end of his myth. In my post, I speculated this may be a reference to the Garden of Eden due to commissioned fanart of the game representing MC and Caleb with the forbidden fruit. Now I'm not so sure; What does the apple represent for MC and Caleb, their blurring relationship? And what about the serpent? I think it's no coincidence we meet Viper in this branch, who is some sort of snake cyborg...

I've seen speculate that this timeline is the first lifetime Caleb and MC have shared with one another, and as much as I like the theory, I disagree with it. The main reason being this:

I think this is how Caleb dies in the end of his next myth... question is what the hell happened for this to occur.

As well as that, Caleb and MC have the whole Adam and Eve thing going on, 100 years, space/nebula's surrounding their characters... the scene in the main story in which they watch the shooting star...that must link to a different timeline somehow. I personally believe in another lifetime, Caleb was banished from somewhere, maybe the heavens, or was sentenced to death, and MC decided to go down with him. I think this is a nice parallel to their current relationship, MC wants to be in the loop, wants to stand alongside Caleb, but he won't allow her to do so for her own sake, and instead shoulders everything on his own. Maybe he doesn't want to be the reason for her demise again. Whatever it is, like Zayne, I don't think Caleb has any recollection of their shared past.

Also, I believe Caleb surviving multiple instances of near death is no coincidence. He claims its because of MC, he needs to persevere to return to her... a part of me thinks he's being literal. Maybe he's been afflicted with some sort of curse, and he cannot die until MC does, or they are each others life source or something crazy like that.

Last but not least I want to say this: I hate EVER for what they did to Caleb. They have been fucking up his life since day one. Putting that chip in him and making him lose a part of himself was toooo much. I just mourn for Caleb now; he just wanted to fly and protect his loved ones, he was so beloved by those around him, and now he's been turned into a war machine. Free Caleb! If the 6th LI is the EVER ceo I'm throwing hands.

[riizetarot]

timing and current status on seunghan's return to riize

is the company still in discussion about bringing him back to the group?

yes, they're still in discussion. the seven of wands represents someone who is in a position in which they're faced with defending themselves or others. it speaks of those staying true to themselves and their vision. i get the sense that the members and staff who are for rii7e are trying to protect what they fought so hard for: seunghan's return to the group.

how might the news of his return be dropped?

the six of pentacles is all about giving and receiving. the news that will be shared may almost feel like a gift when it comes. however, the seven of swords indicates there will be some hesitance or secrecy. this is on par with what we know about sm though, so no surprise there. they likely won't give us all the details at first. also, i can't believe the the two of wands came out again lol. but like i said in my reading a couple of days ago, this is another confirmation for me personally. the two of wands represents future planning. the news could include hints about what they plan on doing next, focused on future events or possibilities.

are the members aware of sm's current plans for seunghan? are they giving us hints because of the positive development in their plan regarding seunghan or are they just showing love and support for rii7e and those fighting for the group to be 7 again?

the fool = yes. i believe the members are, for the most part, aware of the plans now. this next part is just my thoughts and not a message i'm getting from tarot, but i wonder if they fought to be included, considering how they seemed to be in the dark last time (how they were out of the country when seunghan left the group, unable to be there to discuss with him before he made a decision). but back to tarot, yes, with the hierophant coming out, they're giving us these hints because of the positive development regarding seunghan.

is there a possibility of seunghan returning in february?

this card leans toward being a "yes", that significant change is on its way, but it's also the card that reminds us that good and bad things happen in a cycle. the possibility is there, but don't be disappointed if he doesn't. while things may turn in a direction we don't want them to go, the wheel will come back around eventually. trust that things will happen when the time is right.

when might seunghan return to riize then?

within two months! this is still consistent with all my previous readings of him returning in the spring. <3

[hisfavegirl]

Endless Battle Of Love - Modern!Jacaerys Velaryon x Female.

Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6.

Word Count : 5.4k

Jacaerys Velaryon Masterlist.

House Of The Dragon Masterlist.

and also big thanks to @zaldritzosrose for let me using yours beautiful dividers 🫶🏻.

The office smelled like lavender and old books, a mixture that had become strangely familiar over the past month. The soft ticking of a clock on the wall was the only thing filling the silence as you sat on the couch, knees pulled close to your chest. Jace sat beside you, his hand resting protectively on your thigh, his thumb drawing soothing circles over the fabric of your jeans.

"How have you been sleeping?" your therapist, Dr. Elara, asked gently, her pen poised over her notepad.

You hesitated.

Jace’s grip on your thigh tightened slightly in encouragement.

"Better," you said finally. "The nightmares aren’t as bad anymore. Some nights, I sleep all the way through."

Dr. Elara nodded, offering you a small smile. "That’s progress. And the panic attacks?"

Jace answered for you before you could. "Less frequent," he said, his voice firm. "But they still happen."

You glanced at him, watching as his jaw tensed, his other hand curled into a fist on his lap. Even after all this time, he still carried the weight of what had happened to you. He had seen the worst of you—the screaming, the shaking, the nights when you woke up clawing at your own skin as if you could rid yourself of the ghosts Cregan had left behind.

But he never left.

"Would you like to talk about them?" Dr. Elara asked.

You swallowed hard.

"It’s always the same," you murmured. "I dream about being in that jet again. About being trapped."

You closed your eyes, and for a moment, you were there again. The dim lights. The suffocating silence. The weight of Cregan’s hands on you.

Jace must have sensed your distress because he immediately shifted closer, his arm wrapping around your shoulders, pulling you into his warmth.

"You’re not there anymore," he whispered. "You’re safe. I’m here."

Safe.

You clung to that word.

Dr. Elara tapped her pen lightly against the notepad. "Have you been using the grounding techniques we discussed?"

You nodded. "The breathing exercises help. And…" You glanced at Jace. "So does having him with me."

Jace looked down at you, something unreadable in his expression. He had given up so much for you—his company, his peaceful life—stepping into the darkness without hesitation just to protect you.

Dr. Elara sighed softly. "That’s good. But you need to be careful. Depending too much on one person for stability can be dangerous. You need to find strength in yourself, too."

"She is strong," Jace said immediately, his voice quiet but firm. "Stronger than she thinks."

You turned to him, startled.

Dr. Elara smiled knowingly. "And do you believe that?" she asked you.

Did you?

For months, you had felt like a victim. Like a shattered version of the person you used to be. But now… you weren’t so sure.

You had survived.

You had fought back.

You had walked into the darkness—and come out the other side. You inhaled slowly, then exhaled.

"I think I’m learning to."

The sun streamed through the windows of the therapist’s office, casting golden rays onto the wooden floors. You shifted slightly on the couch, feeling the warmth seep into your skin, but it did nothing to ease the unease creeping through your chest.

"You’re making progress," Dr. Elara said, her voice calm and reassuring. "You’ve been able to get into cars without panicking. That’s a big step."

You nodded, biting your lip. "I know, but… the plane was different."

Jace’s hand found yours, fingers intertwining as he gave a gentle squeeze.

"Tell me about it," Dr. Elara encouraged.

You took a slow breath, trying to steady your thoughts before speaking. "Jace’s family planned a trip last week. I—I wanted to go. I didn’t want to be left behind."

You swallowed hard, recalling the way your hands had started trembling the second you stepped into the airport.

"She started shaking before we even got to security," Jace murmured, his grip on your hand tightening. "And when we got to the gate…" He trailed off, jaw clenching.

You glanced at him, watching the way his thumb brushed absentmindedly over your knuckles. He still carried every moment of your pain like it was his own.

"I froze," you admitted softly. "I couldn’t breathe. I felt like I was back there again."

The memory came rushing back—your heart pounding against your ribs, the feeling of walls closing in, the sheer terror that gripped you as you stared at the cabin door of the private jet.

"I told her we didn’t have to go," Jace said, voice edged with frustration—though not at you, never at you. "But she wanted to try."

Dr. Elara nodded. "So what happened?"

You exhaled shakily. "I couldn’t do it. I wanted to, but my body just—just shut down. I started crying and—"

"And she almost passed out," Jace finished, his voice tight.

You flinched at the reminder, your free hand curling into a fist against your lap.

"So we had to sedate her," Jace muttered bitterly. "She slept through the entire flight."

Dr. Elara regarded you carefully. "How did that make you feel?"

You swallowed, looking down.

"Weak."

"You’re not weak," Jace said immediately, his voice a low growl. "You went through hell, and you’re still standing. That doesn’t make you weak."

Your throat tightened.

"It felt like I was back there," you whispered. "Like the moment I stepped into that plane, I wasn’t safe anymore."

Dr. Elara leaned forward slightly. "That’s a trauma response," she explained gently. "Your brain associates the plane with danger because of what happened. It’s not something you can just ‘get over.’ It takes time."

Jace exhaled through his nose, clearly struggling to keep his frustration in check. "How do we fix it?"

Dr. Elara smiled slightly. "We don’t ‘fix’ it. We work through it. Gradually." She turned to you. "Would you be willing to try exposure therapy?"

Your stomach twisted at the thought.

"It doesn’t have to be all at once," Dr. Elara assured you. "Maybe just stepping onto an empty plane while it’s still grounded. Sitting in a cabin for a few minutes. Small steps."

You hesitated.

Jace’s thumb stroked over your knuckles again. "You don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for," he murmured.

You bit your lip, glancing between him and Dr. Elara.

"I… I want to try."

Jace tensed beside you, but he didn’t argue.

Dr. Elara smiled. "That’s a good first step."

And deep down, you knew she was right. You couldn’t keep running from this forever. If you wanted to take back your life—to stop feeling like a prisoner in your own mind—you had to start somewhere.

Even if it scared you.

The ride home was silent, the weight of the session still lingering between you. Jace's fingers traced slow, comforting patterns over your knuckles, but neither of you spoke.

Your mind was spinning. Next session. That was when you’d have to face it. The thought alone made your stomach twist, but you had agreed. You wanted to try. You needed to try.

Jace glanced at you again, his grip tightening around your hand for a brief moment before loosening. "Are you okay?" he finally asked, his voice soft.

You hesitated, staring out the window at the passing city lights. "I don’t know," you admitted.

His jaw tensed, but he didn’t push. Jace had learned not to pressure you—not after everything. Instead, he lifted your hand to his lips, pressing a lingering kiss to your knuckles. "We’ll take it slow," he murmured. "You don’t have to do this alone."

You turned to look at him then, meeting his gaze. The concern in his eyes, the quiet determination—it made your chest ache. "I know."

The car pulled up to his mansion, and Jace stepped out first, walking around to open your door. His hand was already reaching for you before you had even moved. You took it, letting him help you out, his warmth grounding you as he pulled you closer.

Inside, the atmosphere was just as quiet. Jace set down his keys and immediately turned to you, hands finding your waist. "Come here."

You let him guide you toward the couch, where he sat down and pulled you into his lap. His arms wrapped around you tightly, his head resting against yours.

"I hate seeing you like this," he murmured after a while.

You sighed, curling into him. "I’ll get better."

"I know," he said, but there was something else in his tone. Something unspoken.

You pulled back slightly, looking into his eyes. "What?"

Jace hesitated, then exhaled sharply. "I just—" His grip on you tightened. "I wish I could make it all go away."

Your heart clenched. You reached up, brushing your fingers along his jaw. "You being here helps."

He leaned into your touch, his eyes dark with something unreadable. "I’ll always be here."

You nodded, believing him. Jace had never once left your side. For now, that was enough.

Jace stiffened at first, caught off guard by the way you leaned in. Your lips brushed against his—gentle, testing—and for a moment, he didn't move.

You felt his hesitation, the way his hands stilled on your back. Jace had always been careful with you, sometimes too careful. He never wanted to push, never wanted to risk hurting you. But this time, you were the one reaching for him.

So you kissed him again, a little firmer.

A quiet sound escaped him, something between a sigh and a groan, and then he was kissing you back. Slowly, deliberately, his hands sliding up your spine as if mapping every inch of you. His lips moved with restrained hunger, as if he was still holding himself back.

But you didn’t want restraint. Not tonight.

You deepened the kiss, shifting in his lap so that your arms wrapped around his neck. He pulled you closer instinctively, one hand pressing against your lower back, the other coming up to cradle your jaw. His thumb brushed against your cheek, his touch unbearably soft.

When you finally broke apart for air, Jace rested his forehead against yours, his breath uneven.

"Are you sure?" he asked, voice hoarse.

You nodded, your fingers tightening around the fabric of his shirt. "Jace… I want this. I want you."

His grip on you tightened for a fraction of a second before he exhaled sharply. "I don’t want to hurt you," he admitted, his brows furrowing. "I don’t want you to feel like you have to—"

"I know." You cut him off gently, brushing your fingers against his jaw. "But I’m not afraid right now. With you, I’m safe."

Jace swallowed hard, his eyes searching yours. Whatever he saw there seemed to undo him.

"God, I love you," he murmured, and then he was kissing you again, deeper this time. Less hesitant, more sure. His hands roamed your back, his lips trailing from your mouth to your jaw, then lower.

And for the first time in a long time, you felt like you were reclaiming a part of yourself—one kiss at a time.

You felt Jace’s arms tighten around you as Aegon’s amused voice filled the room.

“Well, well, well… don’t stop on my account.”

Heat rushed to your cheeks as you turned away, but Jace only exhaled sharply, his grip on you firm. “Get out, Aegon.”

Aegon merely laughed, strolling into the room with that insufferable grin on his face. “Relax, lover boy. I’m just here for my laptop. Unless…” He smirked, looking at you. “You two need some pointers?”

Jace growled low in his throat, his jaw ticking. “Aegon.”

“Alright, alright, I’m going.” Aegon held up his hands in mock surrender, but his smirk didn’t waver. He grabbed his laptop from the desk, but before he left, he paused at the door, casting one last glance at the two of you.

“You know,” he drawled, “it’s about time. Poor Jace has been suffering for months.”

Jace didn’t even hesitate. He grabbed a pillow and threw it straight at Aegon’s head.

Aegon ducked, laughing as he stepped out of the room. “Just saying!” he called over his shoulder. “Don’t be too loud. The walls are thin.”

The door shut behind him, leaving the room in silence.

You could feel Jace’s frustration radiating off him, his hold on you still possessive. When you looked up, his face was buried in your shoulder, his breaths slow and controlled.

“You’re tense,” you murmured, running your fingers through his hair.

“Because he’s an ass.” Jace huffed against your skin.

You giggled, the sound soft. “He’s not wrong, though.”

Jace lifted his head to look at you, his expression softening. “Are you okay?”

You nodded, your fingers tracing slow circles on his shoulder. “More than okay.”

His lips quirked up slightly before he leaned down, brushing a kiss to your forehead. “Good. Because I’m not letting Aegon ruin this moment.”

You smiled as he pulled you closer again, pressing another lingering kiss to your lips—one that Aegon, thankfully, wasn’t there to interrupt.

Jace pulled away first, and you let out a small noise of protest, making him chuckle.

“Patience, love,” he murmured, his fingers tracing your jaw before cupping your cheek.

You pouted. “You started it.”

His grin widened as he pressed a quick kiss to your forehead. “I know. And I plan to finish it—later.”

Before you could complain again, he took your hand in his, bringing it to his lips. “But first, I’m taking you out tonight. Dinner. Just the two of us.”

You blinked in surprise. “Dinner?”

“Yes. A proper one.” Jace’s thumb brushed over your knuckles. “And I won’t take no for an answer.”

You smiled, your heart warming at the idea. “Okay.”

He smirked. “Good. But first, I’m taking you to a salon.”

You raised a brow. “A salon?”

“Yes.” Jace tilted his head slightly. “I want you to relax and feel good. I’ve already made an appointment.”

You laughed softly. “You planned all of this?”

“Of course.” His fingers toyed with a strand of your hair. “You deserve to be pampered.”

You sighed, leaning into his touch. “You’re spoiling me.”

“And?” He grinned. “Isn’t that my job?”

You rolled your eyes playfully but couldn’t hide your smile. “Fine. I’ll get ready.”

Jace’s smirk grew. “Good girl.”

Your cheeks burned, but before you could say anything, he was already guiding you toward the closet. “Now, go. I want you looking like the most beautiful woman in the city tonight.”

“I already am,” you teased.

Jace hummed, his eyes darkening slightly as he pulled you close once more. “That you are.”

Then, with one last kiss, he let you go. “Now hurry up. The salon is waiting.”

You chose a simple dress, something elegant yet understated—just the way you liked it. Even though you now lived with Jace and his family, you had never been the type to indulge in excessive luxury.

As you descended the stairs, you felt Jace’s gaze lock onto you. He had been leaning casually against the railing, scrolling through his phone, but the moment he looked up, he froze. His expression shifted—his eyes darkened, his lips parted slightly, and for a moment, he looked as if he had forgotten how to breathe.

“You’re staring,” you murmured, stopping a few steps above him.

He blinked, inhaling sharply before smirking. “Can you blame me?”

Your lips curled into a small smile. “It’s just a dress, Jace.”

He stepped forward, closing the space between you. His hands found your waist as he looked up at you from where he stood a step below. “No. It’s you in that dress. That’s the difference.”

Heat crept up your neck, but before you could respond, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to your cheek. “Come on, love. We have a salon to get to.”

You let him take your hand, allowing him to lead you outside. The drive to the salon was peaceful, the city lights passing by as Jace rested one hand on the wheel and the other on your thigh, his fingers tracing absentminded patterns.

“Are you nervous?” he asked suddenly.

You glanced at him. “About what?”

“Tonight.” His grip on your thigh tightened just slightly. “It’s our first proper date.”

You considered his words. In a way, he was right. The two of you had been tangled in each other’s lives for so long—through obsession, trauma, and chaos—but you had never had something as simple as a normal date.

“Not nervous,” you admitted softly. “Just… I don’t know. It feels different.”

Jace smiled, his thumb stroking your skin. “Different is good.”

You met his gaze, warmth blooming in your chest. “Yeah. It is.”

The rest of the drive was quiet, filled only with the soft hum of the radio. When you arrived at the salon, Jace was already out of the car before you could move, opening your door for you.

“My lady,” he teased, offering his hand.

You rolled your eyes but took it, letting him guide you inside. The staff greeted you warmly, already expecting your arrival, and Jace made sure you were comfortably seated before pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

“Enjoy yourself,” he murmured. “I’ll be waiting.”

You smiled as he stepped back, watching him settle onto one of the couches near the entrance, his eyes never leaving you. Even now, he couldn’t take his attention off you.

And you wouldn’t have it any other way.

You hummed softly as the hairstylist ran their fingers through your hair, carefully working on the final touches. The salon smelled of lavender and vanilla, the air warm and calming.

“You’re a lucky woman,” the stylist commented with a smile as they adjusted a curl. “Jacaerys Velaryon isn’t just rich—he adores you. I can see it in his eyes.”

You met their gaze through the mirror, a small smile forming on your lips. “I know.”

Jace was many things—obsessive, overprotective, sometimes reckless—but his love for you had never wavered. He was always there, watching over you, making sure you were safe. Even when you had been at your lowest, drowning in trauma, he never left.

Just as you were about to turn and look at him, you noticed he was gone. His seat near the entrance was empty.

Your eyes scanned the room until you caught sight of him through the reflection of the mirror. He was standing near the back of the salon, phone pressed to his ear, his expression dark. His jaw was tight, shoulders stiff, fingers gripping his phone with more force than necessary.

Something was wrong.

Your fingers curled into your lap. You wanted to ask, to get up and walk over, but before you could, the stylist gently tilted your head. “Almost done, sweetheart. Just a few more minutes.”

You swallowed your concern and nodded, letting them finish. Jace was still on the phone, his voice low, his free hand rubbing the back of his neck.

By the time you stood up, he had disappeared completely.

Your stomach twisted slightly as you stepped away from the chair, smoothing down your dress. Where did he go?

You made your way toward the back of the salon, slipping past the employees. You pushed open the door leading to a quieter hallway, and there he was—standing near the exit, his back turned to you.

”—if he’s still alive, I want to know where the fuck he is.”

Your breath hitched.

“No mistakes this time. Handle it.”

Silence.

Then, Jace let out a slow breath, his shoulders visibly relaxing before he ended the call.

You took another step forward. “Jace?”

He turned sharply, his eyes meeting yours. The storm in them softened almost immediately.

“You’re done?” he asked, his voice lighter now, as if nothing had happened.

You nodded slowly. “Who was that?”

“Just business.” He stepped closer, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “You look beautiful.”

Your heart clenched. He was trying to distract you.

“Jace,” you murmured, your fingers brushing against his. “That call—who were you talking about?”

For a moment, he hesitated. Then, instead of answering, he sighed and cupped your cheek. “I told you, love,” he whispered, his thumb tracing your skin. “I’ll do anything to keep you safe. Even if it means making sure ghosts stay buried.”

A shiver ran down your spine.

Ghosts.

Cregan was dead.

Or at least… he was supposed to be.

You froze for a moment when you saw the dress draped over the chair—a stunning white gown, its fabric smooth and flowing like liquid silk. It was elegant yet simple, not overly extravagant, but enough to make anyone feel like royalty.

Slowly, you turned to face Jace. He was leaning casually against the counter, hands in his pockets, watching you with a small smile.

“You got this for me?” you asked softly, fingers grazing the fabric.

His smile widened. “I did. Thought you might like it.”

You swallowed. The idea that he had taken the time to choose something like this, something so perfect, made warmth bloom in your chest.

Before you could say anything else, one of the salon attendants approached, bowing her head slightly. “Would you like to change now, miss?”

You hesitated, glancing back at Jace. He didn’t say anything, only giving you an encouraging nod.

So you took the dress and followed the attendant into the fitting room.

The moment you slipped into it, you felt… different. The way the fabric hugged your body, the way it shimmered under the soft salon lights—it was breathtaking. You barely recognized yourself as you stared into the mirror.

The attendant helped adjust a few details before stepping back. “Perfect,” she murmured.

Taking a deep breath, you stepped out of the fitting room.

Jace was waiting just outside.

The moment he saw you, his entire body seemed to go still. His usual confidence faltered, his lips parting slightly as his gaze traveled over you. He didn’t speak. Didn’t move. Just stared.

You had seen him look at you many times before—with adoration, with amusement, with that possessive hunger that never seemed to fade. But this?

This was something else.

“Jace?” you murmured.

He blinked, as if snapping out of a trance, then exhaled a soft laugh. “You’re…” He shook his head, running a hand through his curls. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”

Your heart skipped a beat.

You smiled, stepping closer. “You really think so?”

His hand reached for yours, fingers curling around your wrist gently. “I know so.”

There was something about the way he was looking at you—like you were the most precious thing he had ever laid eyes on. Like he would burn the entire world down just to keep you safe.

And in that moment, you realized—no matter how dark things got, no matter what ghosts from your past tried to haunt you—Jace would always be there.

"Jace, what are you doing?" you grumbled, your hands reaching up to pry his away from your eyes.

He only chuckled, his breath warm against your ear. "Patience, love. Just a little longer."

You could hear the waves crashing gently in the distance, the salty scent of the ocean filling your lungs. The breeze was cool against your skin, sending shivers down your spine.

"Jace—"

"Alright, alright." He finally let go, stepping back. "Open your eyes."

The moment you did, your breath caught in your throat.

The beach stretched out before you, bathed in the soft glow of lanterns carefully placed in the sand. A small dining table sat in the center of it all, draped in white linen, adorned with flickering candles and a delicate arrangement of roses. The ocean reflected the moonlight, casting silver ripples across the waves. It was… perfect.

You turned to Jace, speechless.

"You did all this?" your voice barely above a whisper.

His lips curled into a smirk. "Do you like it?"

You exhaled a shaky laugh. "Jace, this is—" You shook your head, eyes glistening. "It’s beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you," he murmured, his fingers brushing against your cheek.

Your heart fluttered.

"Come," he said, guiding you toward the table. He pulled out your chair, waiting for you to sit before taking his place across from you.

For a moment, neither of you spoke. You just stared at each other, the sound of the waves filling the silence between you.

"You didn’t have to do all this," you said softly.

"I wanted to." His voice was firm, unwavering. "You deserve this. You deserve everything."

You looked down, swallowing hard.

Jace reached across the table, taking your hand in his. "You’ve been through hell, love. But you’re still here. Still fighting." His thumb brushed over your knuckles. "I want you to know that no matter what, I’ll always be by your side. Always."

Tears stung at the corners of your eyes.

"Jace…"

"No more looking back," he whispered. "Only forward. With me."

You nodded, squeezing his hand.

"With you."

You couldn't help but chuckle as you watched Aegon and Aemond pour champagne into your glass with exaggerated grace, as if they were trained butlers.

"What is this?" you asked, raising an eyebrow.

Aegon smirked. "A royal service, my lady. Enjoy it while it lasts."

Aemond rolled his eye, setting the bottle down with practiced ease. "Jace insisted we do this. I still don’t know why I agreed."

"Because I made you," Jace interjected smoothly, amusement flickering in his eyes as he took a sip of his drink.

You shook your head, still chuckling, before a sound caught your attention—the soft, elegant melody of a violin drifting through the night air. Your laughter faded as you turned, eyes widening.

A musician stood a few feet away, playing a slow, enchanting tune that mingled perfectly with the sound of the waves. The scene felt like something out of a dream.

When you looked back at Jace, he was already watching you. His gaze was intense, filled with something deep, something unspoken. The flickering candlelight reflected in his dark eyes, making them look almost golden.

"Dance with me," he murmured, standing up and holding out his hand.

You hesitated for a second, your heart pounding, but then you placed your hand in his.

Jace pulled you to your feet gently, his grip firm yet careful. With Aegon and Aemond smirking behind you, you stepped onto the soft sand, where the melody continued to play.

"Ignore them," Jace whispered, pulling you closer. "It's just us."

And so, with the moonlight shining above, the waves singing their lullaby, and the violin playing just for you, you danced.

Jace’s arms tightened around you as you swayed gently to the rhythm of the violin, the soft sound of the waves harmonizing with the melody. His warmth enveloped you, grounding you in the moment, in him.

Then, his voice—low, rough with emotion—whispered against your ear.

"I love you."

You stiffened slightly, your breath catching in your throat.

"I love you more than anything in this world," he continued, his voice steady, unwavering. "And I will protect you, no matter what it takes. No one will ever hurt you again."

You swallowed hard, your fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt as your heart pounded.

"Jace... I—"

"Shh," he cut you off softly, pulling back just enough to look into your eyes. His hand cradled your cheek, his thumb brushing against your skin with infinite tenderness. "I don’t need you to say anything. I just need you to know that I will never leave you. Never."

Your eyes stung with unshed tears, overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of his words, of his presence.

Jace leaned in, pressing his forehead to yours. "You are everything to me," he whispered. "And I will walk through fire, through hell itself, if it means keeping you safe."

The night felt still around you, as if the universe itself had paused to witness this moment.

Slowly, you lifted your hand to his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath your fingertips. A silent promise. A vow.

And when you finally spoke, your voice was barely above a whisper.

"I believe you."

Jace exhaled shakily, his lips curling into a small, relieved smile. And then, without another word, he leaned in and kissed you—soft and slow, as if pouring all of his love into that single moment beneath the moonlit sky.

The world around you seemed to blur, the sound of the waves fading into the background as Jace knelt before you. The small velvet box in his hands was open, revealing a stunning ring that sparkled under the soft glow of the moon.

Your breath caught in your throat.

"Jace..."

His gaze never wavered as he looked up at you, his eyes filled with nothing but love, devotion, and something deeper—an unbreakable promise.

"I know you’ve been through hell," he began, his voice steady yet thick with emotion. "I know you think you're broken, that there are pieces of you that can't be put back together. But I don’t care how many scars you carry, how many nightmares still haunt you—I love you."

Your hands trembled, your mind racing, but he reached out, gently taking one of your hands in his.

"You don’t have to be perfect," he whispered. "You don’t have to heal overnight. I just want to be the one standing beside you, through every high, every low, through every dark night and every bright morning. I want you, always."

Tears welled in your eyes as you looked at him—the man who had fought for you, who had held you through your worst nights, who had never once turned away even when you tried to push him away.

"Marry me," Jace said, his thumb rubbing soothing circles against your skin. "Let me be the one to love you for the rest of my life."

Your lips parted, a shaky breath escaping as emotions swirled inside you—fear, hope, love.

You had never thought this moment would come. Not after everything. Not after the nightmares and the broken pieces you thought no one would ever want.

And yet, here he was.

Still choosing you.

Still loving you.

Your voice wavered as you finally found the strength to speak.

"Yes."

The moment the word left your lips, Jace let out a breath he had been holding, his expression breaking into one of pure, unfiltered joy. He slipped the ring onto your finger, his hands shaking slightly, before standing up and cupping your face.

Then, without hesitation, he kissed you—slow and deep, as if trying to tell you everything words couldn’t.

The cheers of Aegon and Aemond broke through the quiet night, but you barely heard them.

Because, for the first time in so long, you felt something you thought you had lost forever.

Hope.

Your tears fell freely, but for the first time in a long while, they weren’t from pain or fear. They were from joy—overwhelming, heart-crushing joy. Jace was still kissing you, his lips moving softly against yours, pouring all his love into that one moment.

Then, the sound of clapping grew louder.

You pulled away slightly, your breath hitching as you turned to see a group of familiar figures standing nearby. Rhaenyra, Alicent, Luke, Daemon—his usual smirk present—Helaena. They were all there, watching, smiling, celebrating.

Jace chuckled, pressing his forehead against your temple. "I should’ve known they wouldn’t let us have this moment alone."

Rhaenyra stepped forward first, a teasing smile on her lips as she looked between the two of you. "Took you long enough," she mused, her voice warm. "I was starting to think my son didn’t have the courage."

Jace groaned, shaking his head. "Not you too, Mother."

Alicent laughed softly, stepping beside Rhaenyra. "Oh, she’s not the only one. We’ve been waiting for this moment for a while." Her eyes softened as they met yours. "And I can’t think of anyone better to stand beside him."

Luke practically tackled you in a hug before Jace pulled him away, shaking his head. "Careful with my fiancée, Luke."

Hearing that word—fiancée—sent a shiver through you. It was real. You were engaged.

"Fiancée, huh?" Aegon smirked, holding up a glass of champagne. "So does this mean we can start planning the wedding? Because I have some… let’s just say, unique ideas."

Aemond rolled his eye. "Don’t let him anywhere near the planning, unless you want a bachelor party that ends in absolute chaos."

Jace shook his head, wrapping an arm around you protectively. "Aegon is not planning anything."

You laughed softly, leaning into Jace as he held you close. The moonlit beach, the sound of waves crashing, the warmth of Jace’s body beside you, the presence of family—it was more than you ever thought you could have.

And for the first time in forever, you didn’t feel like a broken woman trying to survive.

You felt like a woman who was finally, truly living.

Tag list : @danytar @hangmanscoming @julessworldd @yazzzmints @callsignwidow @giirlinblack @searatarg @vaelry @ashblooddragons

[midnight--sadness]

you are so right about everything!!! thanks so much for replying to that and sharing your opinions. i love that you are very levelheaded about the show but also like to enjoy fanon. :)

I get so mad when people say Jun-ho ruined everything/ was a bad person for not telling Gi-hun about In-ho being the frontman. Thats his brother! That is his big brother who he doesn’t know what will happen to if Gi-hun finds him. He doesn’t know what Gi-huns reaction to that information would be or how the other people in charge of the games will react if someone were to expose his brother’s identity.

And god the theories, accusations, and comparisons of Gi-hun being a new frontman/becoming evil really disappoint me. Maybe I am just in denial about my favorite character, but i just dont see that happening. He is supposed to be the character the audience roots for and his actions are meant to be seen as how they would want to react in a situation like this. (for the most part) I just think the approach of making Hi-hun just like In-ho is lousy and not satisfying at all. I think squid game might give us a more satisfying ending for gi-hun even if that means his death.

Gi-hun certainly is not perfect. no character is and i will always admit that, but the way some people react about these two? crazy

and i don’t want to be more of a d-rider than i already am when it comes to gi hun, but the way people act about him not getting on the plane is ridiculous. how do people expect him to lead a normal life after all that had happened plus him figuring out it will all continue and happen to more people?? also lets not mention how he probably doesn’t feel like he will be an adequate enough father with all his trauma and flaws. AND!!! would you go to see your daughter after knowing these psychos have been tracking you? that would risk her life if they ever wanted someone to use against you? (which they very much would do. ive seen theories that jung bae was placed in the games not just by coincidence)

These two characters are good men and we can’t forget what causes them to make these decisions or the fact that they are meant to have flaws!!! It’s infuriating how they are treated compared to actual villains.

also i would like to see in ho not be forgiven as well. if there is some kind of redemption for him, i hope we still see people he’s hurt so badly be angry (which i dont think will be depicted as a real redemption, just him making a good decision) i agree that jun ho may be more forgiving, but gi hun deserves to be infuriated with what happened to him. seriously in ho didnt have to go as far as he did with gi hun. luckily i dont see him ever doing that because he has no reason to. he was never close to in ho, only young il. he can come back with a lot of heat and vengeance if someone does what in ho has done. (re: gi hun trying to attack sang woo after he killed sae byeok)

this is way too long, im sorry. im just passionate about these characters and their dynamics with in ho. i hope you dont mind my ramblings and i dont feel like looking over it so hopefully they make sense. i really appreciate you talking about this with me!

i so glad u liked what i had to say!! i'm very protective of gihun so my instinct is always to say that he's innocent and does no wrong but in real life people make mistakes. also pls never apologize abt rambling in my inbox i love it so much!! 💖💖 i'm really liking talking to you too!!!

about junho not telling gihun, i once made a post wondering what junho's endgame was. if gihun and his team was successful, then that entire ordeal at the club was to kidnap inho. eventually, gihun was going to remove inho's mask and junho would have to tell him that inho was his brother. gihun finding out was inevitable, so i think junho didn't do it because, like u say, he didn't know what gihun's game plan for inho was. he probably assumed gihun was going to kill him since gihun pointed a gun at junho just bc junho said he was at the island during the games.

yeah, him being front man would be disappointing. in general i have no faith in the writers of shows, but director hwang seems to have a good head on his shoulders and in s1 the fact that gihun "won" that battle with ilnam i think is a good indicator that director hwang is trying to say that gihun is in the right in this situation and he won't abandon his ideals even if he has suffered for them.

the plane thing 😑 it is so irritating!!! why would gihun get on that plane? to see his daughter who is safe with her mother in another continent? so that gayeong can forgive him? gihun is too selfless to let 400+ die for his own safety and comfort.

and omg, that theory abt jungbae is so good! i'd never thought abt it but them placing jungbae would ensure inho has someone close to gihun that he can kill if gihun steps out of line (which he did). it's like how he combed his hair to look like sangwoo's so he could appeal to gihun's love for him.

i completely agree with you that inho isn't going to be fully redeemed. he'll make a good decision - maybe he'll sacrifice himself to save junho or gihun, or he'll decide to abandon the games so the players can escape, or he'll stay behind to blow up the island while every leaves (the last theory is kinda valid but i have to rewatch s1 to see what they say exactly abt the explosives).

i think junho is actually getting closer to not necessarily forgiving junho but accepting his fate? i was remembering his talk with his mother, about how inho made his own choices regarding taking money from a criminal to pay his wife's treatment. and he tells his mom that it wasn't her fault for not giving inho attention or for not trying to help him. he knew they were there and he never went to them. i think junho is, subtextually, saying that they aren't to able for inho becoming the front man, that he made his own choices on the matter and that nothing junho did would change his mind.

this is something that gihun will also have to learn. he can't help those who don't want to help themselves. i can see gihun at first trying to redeem inho, to get him help by appealing to his humanity and this failing. this would confirm to gihun that inho is without "salvation". he's not the devil but he's made so many mistakes, so many bad decisions, that gihun can't help him even he wants to.

[lillaydee]

The Unlucky One Part 12

Joel Miller (No Outbreak AU) / F Reader

When it comes to love, Lady Luck seems to have lost your address. After being left at the altar without so much of an explanation, you decided love is no longer something you are interested in. Not even meeting an unlucky-in-love-himself Mr. Grump could change your mind.

Right?

Let me know if you want to be tagged, or if you want to be removed from the tag list.

WARNINGS: Protective Joel (The Last of Us), Good Parent Joel (The Last of Us), Soft Joel (The Last of Us), Joel is Bad at Feelings (The Last of Us), Joel Needs a Hug (The Last of Us), Hurt Joel (The Last of Us), Grumpy Joel (The Last of Us), Jealousy, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Idiots in Love, unlucky in love, Child Abandonment, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Alternate Universe - No Cordyceps Outbreak (The Last of Us)

@peelieblue, @vickie5446, @harriedandharassed, @lovefreylove @martuxduckling @kikookii @liciafonseca @wowitsafemale @noisynightmarepoetry

SERIES MASTER LIST

Part 11

---

***WARNING***

Implied sexual assault and child pornography ahead. Also, some vague descriptions of a murder.

“I had to, Aria,” she told you. “I had no other choice.”

You sat across from her, a police officer standing right behind you, just in case.

“I know you hate me. I know that. I hate me too. But I needed you to hear this from me.”

You didn’t move, didn’t react. You just listened.

**********

Mother never let Nell forget she was adopted. The day she was brought home, the car ride was filled with Mother reminding her that no one wanted her, that she should count herself lucky to have someone as good as her to take such an unwanted girl in. You will want for nothing, she had told Nell. You will have everything you had ever wanted. Mother’s got you.

Nell had been excited to see you when they got home. She finally had a sibling! You were nice to her. Tried to play with her, talk to her at the beginning. But no, Mother warned her that you were deranged, not right in the head, that you may seem all sweet, but you were pure evil on the inside. That you had turned your grandparents against her, that you turned your father against her. You would turn everyone against her too.

It didn’t take long for Nell to believe her. You would disappear to your Dad’s, and Mother would tell her that it was because you didn’t want to see her face. Every time you came back, you would have new clothes and books and toys, all of which she really wanted, but Mother told her they didn’t have the money to get them. She believed Mother back then but would get sad that she didn’t have the nice things you did. So Mother took them from you and gave them to her. Mother stopped her from talking to Grandpa, telling her he was just like you, someone who pretended to be nice to her face but really hated her and didn’t want her around, just like everyone else. Mother was the only one who loved her, wanted her. She made sure she was the only person Nell trusted.

Nell grew up thinking Mother was right. That you had started dating Kyle simply because she liked him, to stop her from getting him. That you pushed Kyle into liking boys because you didn’t want her to be with him, just like you didn’t want your Dad to be with Mother. She liked your other boyfriends too, so Mother taught her what to do when they came around, so that they would like her instead of you. They never came around again. Again, Mother whispered to her that you had hid them away from her, just so she couldn’t get them. She had some boys at school she liked, but Mother told her those boys were boys. She shouldn’t be with boys. She should be with men. Mother introduced her to the men she would sometimes bring home, but those men left after a few minutes, angry at Mother for some reason. Mother would be angry after, and Nell was terrified Mother would throw her out. So she tried her best to get the men to like her, but none of them did, for some reason.

Mother never let her have any friends. She took Nell out of school once she started making friends. She didn’t need anyone, Mother told her. All she needed was Mother. Mother would make sure she had everything and everyone she needed.

When you started seeing Eric, Mother wouldn’t stop talking about him, how she had seen him around town with you, how tall and handsome he was, how perfect he would be for Nell. How he was wasted on someone like you. He was going to be a doctor, so Nell would be set for life with him. So Mother asked her to do one thing when Eric finally visited, told her what to say, what to do. She did as Mother asked, but Eric left too. The day you and Eric left, Mother brought a man home to help Nell feel better. She hated that man, hated the way his breath smelled, hated how he hurt her, hated how he touched her. That man stopped coming after a while, and Mother was angry again. So she went along with Mother’s plans to get Eric to stay. She knew Mother lied about the baby, but she was excited to marry Eric. He’s nice. Surely he would love her once they married, that’s what married people do, they love each other. And then they could have a real baby and live happily ever after.

But Eric didn’t love her. He hid from her. He never even talked to her. He stayed in your room, and she hers. Pushed her away every time she tried to touch him. Nell didn’t dare tell Mother this, worried that Mother would call her a bad wife. So she lied to Mother, telling her that she and Eric did get together. But the reality was, he acted like she and Mother didn’t exist. Eric only talked to you, sometimes. Only ate what you brought him. He ignored Mother too. Nell saw, even heard Mother trying to get with Eric sometimes. She heard him yell at her, calling her a pervert and a vile woman. Eric got angrier and angrier over time, not even looking at her. He was basically just another presence in the house, one that existed in your room and walked in and out of the house like a ghost, very rarely seen or heard.

Nell believed mother when she said you had influenced Eric to hate you and her, that his rejecting of her and Mother was all your doing. Eric entertained her that night, it was clear he wanted her, he even agreed to marry her, so he must have loved her. But you got to him, she said, you made him hate her. It wasn’t her, it was you.  

Mother was extremely angry when Grandpa died. Grandpa had been giving Mother money every month. But when he died, he left all his money and properties to you, and none for her and Nell. She told Nell that this was proof that you had been pouring poison in Grandpa’s ears all along. She was plotting something, something to get Grandpa’s money back from you. But it didn’t seem to work. She got angrier and angrier at you, blaming you for the hard life that was going to befall the two of them.

But then, you left, and never came back. Nell realized then how wrong she had been all this time. That she had trusted the wrong person.

Mother changed. Without you to be angry at, Nell became her target. Everything became her fault. She brought men after men home, and Nell had to entertain them, even if she didn’t want to. They paid Mother money after. She told Mother she didn’t want to do it anymore. They hurt her. But Mother hit her, telling her she was an ingrate. Hadn’t Mother always kept her safe? Hadn’t she clothed and sheltered and fed her all this while? Hadn’t she taken her in when no one else wanted her? It’s time to pay her dues now. They didn’t have any income coming in. Money didn’t grow on trees. The money Grandma left her will run out, and Mother needed her to contribute to the household, for once in her life.

So Nell obeyed. She didn’t have a choice. She knew no one. She tried to get Eric to help, but he was never around. He came home really late at night and left really early in the morning. Mother watched her like a hawk, making sure she never tried to tell Eric anything. She even slipped a note under his door once, but Mother caught her and beat her black and blue. So she never tried again.

After months of this, her period stopped. Mother told Eric the happy news, implying he was the father. Mother didn’t know that Eric had never touched her. She believed her when she told her they did have sex when Mother was asleep or away. Eric had no idea about the other men, Mother made sure of that. She must have thought Eric would step up. He was a good guy, after all.

But the next day, Eric left and never came back. Mother was furious. But after a while, she realized that Eric was no longer a hurdle to hide her secret income generator. She brought more and more guys home, sometimes men would line up for their turn with her. Mother didn’t stop even when her belly got bigger and bigger. Mother forced her to work days after she gave birth. Nell never healed properly from her birth after that, having trouble walking properly as a result. The only happiness Nell had was when everyone had gone home, and she was alone with Ellie in her room, the innocent baby making her happy, and for once in her life she understood what love really was, that she would never do to Ellie what Mother was doing to her, what Mother did to you.

When Ellie turned two and was old enough to walk and talk, Mother began taking pictures of Ellie. Nell didn’t know what the pictures were for, but she didn’t like it. Whenever Ellie threw a tantrum, not wanting to have her pictures taken, or was hungry or tired, Mother beat her too. Nell began locking Ellie up, not letting Ellie out of her sight. Whenever she had customers, she locked Ellie in her closet as she worked in the very same room. That was the only way she could think of to make sure Ellie was safe, at least she was there, and not outside with Mother and the strange men. She locked Ellie in the closet at night to sleep too, worried that Mother would take her.

But soon, the men began to dwindle. Mother was angry at Nell, telling her she should’ve done more, made sure the men remain interested. Nights without customers became more and more common, and on those nights, Nell and Ellie were locked in her room without food or water.

A man came to the house one day. He talked to Mother for a while, Mother telling him something or other, crying and sobbing to him. Nell thought he was just another customer, but he wasn’t there for that. She didn’t know what the man wanted. She only saw him because Ellie had run downstairs while the man was there. Mother had taken Ellie by the hand and introduced her to the man, and Nell saw red, snatching Ellie from her and running upstairs to hide her in the closet.

The next week, more men came to the house, this time to yell and shout at Mother, demanding money from her. She didn’t know why. But Mother went out after they left and came back with a van. She told Nell they needed to leave. The men were dangerous. Nell packed what little she and Ellie had and left with Mother. Much as she hated her life with Mother in it, Mother and Ellie was all she had. She didn’t know anyone else.

They lived in that van from that day on, going to different parts of the town every day, Mother all jittery and nervous. The day they left the house, Mother saw your Dad’s car at his old office and went out to see him. She saw him yell at your Dad, Eric’s name mixed in somewhere as she attacked him with her words. All she could see in your Dad’s face was pity. He pitied her. He looked at Nell, and she saw the pity in his eyes intensified.

Whatever Mother said to him must have affected him. Mother told her your Dad gave her some money, and they drove out of town, stopping every now and again to use the bathroom and buy food. Sometimes, Mother would stop somewhere and forced Nell to work. Once, she made Ellie go to a complete stranger to beg for money. Nell locked Ellie in her toy chest, not wanting to expose Ellie to anything like that. Mother was angry but couldn’t do anything about it. Nell may be weak, but she would do anything to make sure Ellie remained safe, and Mother knew that.

Mother received a phone call one day, and immediately drove to Austin. When Nell saw you again, she saw how stable your life was. You had a nice house, perhaps a nice job. How happy you were, how many people loved you. She understood then that all this while, her jealousy of you wasn’t because you had more things given to you, it was because people loved you. Your dads, Grandpa, Kyle, Ethan, Maria, Eric. Even your ex boyfriends loved you. Good people. Not people like Mother. She saw how people rallied around you, how they all wanted to protect you.

That little girl loved you, she yelled at Mother for threatening you. She wondered if Ellie would ever do that for her. If Ellie even loved her. She knew she kept Ellie safe. But she couldn’t give Ellie anything, couldn’t even feed her right, couldn’t even keep her clean these past few weeks. Couldn’t buy her nice things. Couldn’t even send her to school. Whenever Mother beat Ellie, she was always too late to get to her, only getting there when Mother had already had a few swipes, and even then, all she could do was push Ellie into the closet or the toy chest, locking her in. Ellie would never have the life that little girl had, a stable life where she was loved and cared for.

When they went back into the van, Mother was furious that she was unable to get to you, to get money from you. She got drunk that night, parked at some local grocery store, and spilled everything to Nell. She had borrowed a lot of money from some dangerous people. And now they came to collect, and she didn’t have the money to pay them back, blaming Nell for everything, for not earning enough. For forcing her into a situation where she had to borrow money to survive. Ellie’s hungry sobs broke the small window of silence, and Mother stared at the toy chest, thinking for a while, telling Nell that there was one way she could make up for what she was lacking.

All their problems would be over if she unlocked that chest.

They could make a lot of money if they used Ellie.

Men would pay a lot of money for Ellie.

The two of them could be rich.

Nell trembled at those words. So, when Mother fell asleep, she broke the bottle Mother was drinking from and made sure Mother would never touch Ellie again.

Ever.

She dropped Ellie off at your place the next day and drove as far as she could. She disposed of Mother’s body, taking her heart as proof that she was gone, before making her way back to Austin and turning herself in.

She refused to tell anyone what she did with Mother’s body. The detective told you that they will compare the DNA sample from the heart with yours. If there was a match, that was enough to convict her, even if her very detailed confession and the blood in the van were not enough, which they were.

**********

“I know I deserve everything coming to me, Aria, I know that. But Ellie did nothing wrong. Please, Aria, take good care of her. Never tell her about me. I hope to God she doesn’t remember me, ever. This is the one good thing I can do for her. I know you don’t owe me anything. But please, Aria. Take care of her. I will do anything, sign anything, as long as you promise you will keep her safe, love her, protect her.”

You looked at this woman in front of you, shocked at how much sadder you were at her state of mind than you were at the fact that your mother was dead. In all your life, you had never once thought how fragile she was, how badly she was manipulated by your mother, thinking all this while that she was just some spoiled kid your mother preferred to you.

And as selfish of a mother you had always thought your mother was, you never thought she was just evil.

You didn’t know what to say to her. You stayed silent as Maria and some people from CPS and social services talked to her about Ellie, and before you knew it, she had willingly signed her rights to Ellie away to you, officially making you her guardian.

You remained quiet as Maria told her that she knew some people who would work pro bono to help her, maybe argue for a lighter sentence? No, Nell told her. She will take what was coming to her. She killed her mother willingly, no one told her to do it. She didn’t regret it one bit. Please, Aria, don’t come to the trial. Don’t let Ellie see. Keep her away. Please.

She did ask for one favour from Maria. To help get a divorce for her and Eric. He had been unfairly tied to her for too long. Maria promised she would help.

When the officers finally came in to take her away, you found yourself feeling things you never thought you would feel. You didn’t even know what to call the feeling. But your feet were suddenly drawn towards her, and despite the protests from the officers, for the first time since she came into your life, you hugged her. Tight.

She wept in your arms, pulling herself from you and following the officers out, stopping at the doorway, saying goodbye to you.

That was the last time you saw your sister.

**********

Joel drove you, his hand never leaving yours the whole silent journey home. You didn’t cry, you were just quiet. He didn’t ask you anything, he was just there for you. You remained quiet as you walked into your house, hugging Ethan and Kyle, thanking them for keeping an eye on Ellie. You slept in Ellie’s bed and remained quiet for the next few days, only speaking to Maria, Kyle, Ethan, and your dads on the phone. You didn’t want to see anyone.

He knew what happened, Maria told him. But you never told him anything.

You watched Sarah and Ellie play, watched movies with them, did everything they needed from you, but you didn’t speak to him. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to pry or force you into telling him anything you were not ready for. So he waited. And waited and waited some more.

One day you received a phone call and retreated into your room with Ellie, locking him out. Maria later told him that the DNA results were in. That heart did indeed belong to your mother. Give her some time, she told him. She just needed to process this. He nodded, leaving you alone, texting you night after night, telling you he was there for you if you needed him. He watched your window every night, waiting for you to call him, to talk to him, but you didn’t.

He was starting to worry, but everyone who knew you well kept telling him to give you some time. You will come around.

So he waited some more.

You didn’t know why, exactly, but you were feeling things you couldn’t identify. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to talk to him. You wanted to, wanted to tell him everything you were feeling. But you didn’t know what it was. You were so confused. There was a boulder in your heart, and you didn’t know why. Your mother was gone, Nell was gone. So why weren’t you happy? You should be, right?

After about two weeks of this, there was a knock on your door. Eric had come to visit. Tess told him about the whole thing, how you had withdrawn after.

The moment you saw him, you burst into tears. He pulled you in for a hug, and you wailed into his chest, holding onto him for dear life. Eric let you cling to him, stroking your hair, rubbing your back as you cried, kissing the top of your head as you cried. You finally eased, asking him to come in, and shut the front door behind you.

Joel watched as you did so, his heart beating so fast he thought it would break his ribs.

Shake it off, Joel. Eric had known you for a long time. He had been through a lot with you. Of course you trusted him more, felt more comfortable around him to open up to him. The two of you had only known each other a few months, a result of a one night stand, just two broken hearted people who met at the right place at the right time. You will open up to him one day. Right?

But Eric didn’t leave that night. His car remained in your driveway all night.

Shake it off, Joel. Maybe you will open up after tonight. You just needed time to vent to your old friend.

Correction.

Your old boyfriend. The first man you had ever fallen in love with. A man who was taken away from you in the cruellest, most unfair way possible. The man you didn’t get over for years.

And he was spending the night at your place.

Joel was getting ready for bed when he saw your bedroom light turn on, Eric sat on your bed, you closing the curtain. The light was turned off after a few minutes.

Joel couldn’t sleep that night. You wouldn’t do that to him, right? Maybe you slept with Ellie? The bed in the guest bedroom was too small for Eric. He was a tall man. Maybe he slept in your room for the bigger bed? He tried his hardest to shake the images of you and Eric in bed together out of his head, but to no avail.

It didn’t help that he saw the three of you leaving the house together the next morning, getting into Eric’s car, looking like the perfect family. Nor did it help that you came home late that night, Eric carrying a sleeping Ellie in his arms, and spent the night again.

No, Joel, shake it off. You had an explanation for everything, he was sure of it.

**********

You continued sobbing as Eric sat you down on your couch. It was as if the floodgates flew wide open, and you couldn’t do anything to stop it. Seeing him made you realize what you were feeling.

Grief. Anger. Confusion.

You were grieving your mother.

She’s gone.

As much as you hated her, you couldn’t help but feel it. The few times you felt as if she didn’t hate you, felt the things you yearned for from her – the love of a mother, as few as such instances may be. And to your horror, you missed them. You missed those few instances. Memories of the few times she stroked your hair as you slept came flooding back. That night she cooked dinner for you and Eric, smiling and joking, serving you your favourite dish, one you didn’t know she knew you liked.

Before she ripped all of it from under you.

Before you realized how much hatred she really had for you.

Before you realized how much she wanted to destroy your life.

And now, you were so confused. You didn’t understand why you were sad she was gone. She was an evil woman. You should be happy she’s gone. She will never bother you again.

But your mind and your heart were giving you conflicting justifications.

She was evil.

But she was still your mother. The very reason you were here.

She was so evil. She used Nell for money. She tried to… use Ellie for money.

But she was still your mother. She gave birth to you.

And you hated that while you hate her with everything you had, you still had an ounce of love for that woman.

Eric held you, telling you that what you were feeling was completely normal. She was your mother. Of course you loved her, even if you hated her. Feel it, Aria, feel it. Let yourself feel, you will be able to let it all go soon.

He himself was conflicted, he told you. He hated your mother, hated Nell for what they did. But there were times they were nice to him, Nell was always nice to him. Your mother made sure he had something to eat always, and Nell had always tried to get him to eat, but he was too paranoid to do so, worried your mother would drug him again. He felt bad now he knew what Nell went through, felt bad that he didn’t realize what was going on. He would’ve stopped it if he had known. A part of him told himself that he was too bogged down with his own issues to notice, and the other had to reassure himself that your mother made sure he didn’t. She was evil incarnate, and despite the few nice things she did for him, she was not a good person. Remember that, Aria.

He distracted you, watched movies with you and Ellie, cooked dinner for you, reminisced about your college days with you. You got to know him again. By the end of the night, you felt better. He stayed over, sleeping in your room instead of the guest bedroom – he was over six feet tall, he didn’t fit on the queen bed in that room. He asked if Joel didn’t mind you putting him up in your room, you told him you would explain everything to him.

The next morning, you showed him the small box Maria had brought you from the PD. The ashes from your mother’s heart. You wanted so badly to just flush it down the toilet, but you couldn’t do it. He suggested you dump it somewhere else, he could do it for you, just so that you wouldn’t feel the guilt. So he took you and Ellie out, you went to the zoo, Ellie excited to see the animals for the first time. He came back to you sans the box, telling you the deed was done. He wouldn’t tell you where he dumped the ashes exactly, but it was gone.

That was all you needed to know.

He left the morning after that, having spent the time with you to be your friend again. He got to know Ellie better and wanted to get to know her better. As bad as his memories with Nell were, she was never cruel to him, and Ellie did nothing wrong. He wanted to be there for Ellie, and you were more than willing to let him.

**********

Joel practically sprinted over to your house when he got your text. You were finally ready to talk to him. As soon as you opened the door, you hugged him so tightly he couldn’t breathe. You kept apologizing to him for icing him out, you will explain everything over some shit coffee, you told him, making him laugh. You thanked him for his patience, asking him if you could kiss him, you missed him so much. He willingly kissed you, backing you towards the kitchen counter, missing your lips so much he couldn’t think straight. He felt light, all the worries he’d been carrying around these past two weeks floated away. You were back. You were going to explain everything. Everything was going to be alright.

You stopped kissing him when the toaster spat the bread slices out, turning around to get them while he reached for a bag of the shit coffee. Everything just felt normal again.

The doorbell rang.

He kissed you one more time and told you he was going to get it. Ellie came down, asking him for a piggy back, and he happily obliged. He opened the door, a man he had never seen before standing outside, the biggest bouquet of flowers he’d ever seen in his arms, a huge suitcase by his feet. The man looked taken aback to see him.

“You must be Eric,” the man hesitantly said, offering a hand for Joel to shake.

“Who is it?” your voice came floating to the front door before Joel could answer.

“Aria,” the man called out when he saw you.

“Andrew.”

---

Part 13

[fall0utmind]

picturing marc in your omegaverse au being asked by like pecco or luca or whatever why hes never with the grid pack and him just quietly going "im not allowed" and them being like ?????????????? i feel like luca would intervene if he could

Noooooooo wtf. I'm defo writing this!

That's actually heartbreaking. This is like 2024-5, when they finally pluck up the courage, because before then, Marc has been pretty inaccessible to them.

Ugghhhh, Marc just thinking fuck it, I'm so tired and in pain *the sickness has started by this point* and it just kinda slips out. And then he panics and refuses to say why. Then luca is all like, the pack needs an omega (bez is being whiny about it again) , and marc feels a flare of want and protectiveness that he has to stamp out. His face is doing something complex. There's a blister pack of ridiculously high dose suppressants on the side, which luca is eyeing with worry.

Marc realises he fucked up and says nothing about Vale but once they leave they're plotting. I feel like when marc gets sick, Alex finds out, so he now knows (absolutely kicking himself for not working it out sooner) - luca tries to get it out of him, pounces when Alex spends a bit of rare time in the pack room. Other people overhear, suddenly everyone is like wait fuck? Marc is NEVER here. Who's his pack, isn't he an omega? What's happening. Cue whole pack panic because we need more drama.

Alex is like fuck - ugh I'm his pack. Honda kinda.... oops

Anyways, luca is 100% hitting vale once it's all resolved because that's a bad thing to do, and you're meant to set an example. 0/10 for the pack alpha.

(Also, pecco is trying to get it out of Marc by getting close to him, not realising it hurts marc more/ makes him sicker - Pecco is beginning to feel really overprotective....)

So many dynamics to work with, I love it.

[wallcreeper-and-oro]

connection.find(omni_net) connection established omni.id.vericode(Y/N) (Y) {vericode entered} connection verified - lancer 910372

⋆𖦹 hello hi!! it's nice to meet you too Thirteen!! (also is Thirteen the name you'd prefer? or would you prefer something else?)

okay okay om glad im not prying!! i've been reminded a few times that sometimes people don't in fact want a barrage of questions about how they work or about their experiences, which is totally fair and okay! i just get very interested in how people work and think and i think it's so neat how much diversity there is in all of our human and non-human experiences!!!

oh yay!!! wait wait, :D < that's how i'm feeling! :D :D :D!!

ah okay!! thank you!!! i will do my best to remember that!! that's so neat! im so curious how that works that's so neat!! okay okay so programming is like core traits, like personality and like your purpose? the things that are just inherently a part of you. whereas conditioning is more like what you were taught? like the way your personality and self and idea of your role and all that was shaped? i think i understand but do correct me if i'm wrong!

oh interesting!!!! hmm okay okay! like obviously don't want to bring up anything bad what are like hypothetical exceptions to that? like are there any circumstances outside of an override by handler/supervisor that would allow you to hypothetically willingly harm a patient by demand? it does kinda suck that someone can just override you like that though.. i hope you feel like you can stand up for yourself, but i suppose that's a bit harder then it's a core part of how you are.. still.

okay! interesting!! that makes sense ya because otherwise you'd be barred from a fair bit of care! because a lot care does require like at least some amount of harm even if temporary or for the overall good! oooo okay so you can fight! cool! hmmm.. okay the implications of that are interesting, so your core directive is harm mitigation right? but that can be superseded by the need to protect your wards hmm so wouldn't the protection of your wards from harm be your core directive? and then the mitigation of harm they've faced be a secondary priority? or can you not act proactively to protect your wards before they are hurt? is it only after they're injured that your able to take action to protect them?? hmmm thats neat to think about!

oh it just means like i don't mean to stir up big emotions or prompt a conversation on a topic that is sensitive! just an old turn of phrase! don't worry i also didn't know what it meant till Liza explained it!

oh.. but you care about the people you care for right? or is it just a job to you? i suppose you don't have any other option really huh.. like i "care" that i'm breathing cause i can't not do that, so.. so i suppose that makes sense, i don't know, i think it'd have feelings about is all but it's okay that you don't! we all react and process and feel things differently!

ya these answers were very interesting thanks!! much more than satisfactory! this is very cool!! and ya!! i love learning new things it's such a good feeling!

oh i'm so glad to hear that!! ya i agree the omni-net is really fun! and y'all lot are so fun to talk to! it certainly makes my days more enjoyable! glad Kanmi got me to do this! (and ya! sally seems like quite a lovely girl! i'm glad you two have each other, it seems like a wonderful friendship! though i do hope she's gonna try to be safe..)

oh thank you very much!! i will (and i think already have) barraged you with more questions! but as always up to you what you talk about!!

nice to meet you again!! thanks for indulging my curiosity!!

this is Ouroboros signing off!

Enkidu bottom surgery