#i miss this fucking idiot cat so bad i feel sick with it most days. i dont wanna put his things away it feel like a betrayal which obv

[wulfhalls]

getting the kitkat in three days instead at the end of the week :)))))))

[darkdevasofdestruction]

An Angel and A Demon ~ Pyramid Head x Reader

Update 2: My laptop restarted when I was in the middle of writing this, and trust me when I say it, I am positively pissed off, and I want to end my days, that's how bad of a day this was.

And I didn't leave the house.

That says a lot about today...

Update 1: But, without further ado, I was half-way writing this story, and I received this ask, and let me tell you...

helloooo, i absolutely adored the fanfics you wrote about kazan and danny🥺 could i request one where pyramid head is just really whipped for and in love with the survivor! reader but he doesnt know how to announce it to them so he brings her random ,,gifts" in and outside the trials and protecting her bc well, im pretty sure he cant speak so he doesnt really have any other options on how to express his feelings??

I live for it.

Bless you for sending me this, it's the reason I'm still sane right now.

I love you, baby-cakes.

Update 3: I want to kill myself so bad. Just smash my head on a wall until it explodes or sth. I was so happy with how this imagine turned out, only fuck fucking tumblr to just fucking delete EVERYTHING just as I was about to put the last gif and hit POST NOW.

--------

For the 5th time writing this :

FUCKMEDADDY - but this time - FUCKMYBRAINSOUTPLEASEIWANNADIE

Thanks.

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Hell - What was that place, anyway?

Some would describe it as an infinite ocean of flames and lava, where it's eternally melting-hot, and a bunch of hooved, horned, tailed red demons torture you with acid, with their red pitch forks, or boil you alive in their cauldron for soup. Or maybe you just get tortured by Stalin, who knows?

But never would have anyone thought that 'Hell' could look so...Normal. Well, normal in a very demolished, desolate, ravished way, but still...Normal, by human standards. Albeit, the never-ending loop of madness, anguish, agony and desperation of getting killed in different gruesome ways or fleeing for their lives and feeling a myriad of emotions pumping adrenaline through their veins so badly that their anxiety-meter skyrocketed to abnormal levels.

All this darkness, this hatred, this...Everything...It changed all the survivors. They became selfish, stubborn, rude, some even went as far as to sacrifice their fellow survivors in trials, just so they could survive. It was a complete mayhem that defied all kinds of reason, normality, morality or even ethics. Everyone became devoid of any laws that used to bind them to their humane sides, and now, you weren't sure if the killers were saner than the survivors or not.

But even in this abyss where you couldn't even see your hand in front of your very eyes, there was a little star - A beautiful angel radiating brightness and warmth, someone who was somehow able to guide everyone's straying souls with her benevolence.

In reality, she was merely a survivor, not the little lantern from an angler fish's head, but she treated everyone with such an untainted kindness...It was beautiful, and yet, unrequited for most parts. Everyone was still putting their own lives above all - And who could condemn them? - Perhaps their cowardice, for the girl preferred to save her fellow survivors as much as possible, even if that oftentimes assured her place on the hook, to be a sacrificial lamb for the Entity.

On the other hand, she rarely ended up on the hook - Most killers prefer to kill her themselves, instead of letting her become pray for the horrible Entity who tortured so many of them for refusing to cooperate - The Trapper, Evan MacMillan - He knew the best, with those hooks digging into his flesh, impossible to extract. He was the first to protect this girl. It wasn't much, but if he had to, he'd rather give her a swift, painless death, than seeing her without that serene, angelic smile on her face, as the Entity feeds on the last bits of her soul's beauty, the last parts of her humanity.

The other Killers were confused at the Trapper's actions, but little by little, they began to understand why this girl was so precious and special - And this domino effect hit Rin Yamaoka next, with Y/N stopping in the middle of a chase and taking off her jacket, just as Rin was about to butcher her with her katana, and she smiled, extending it to her. 'You must be cold' she said, realising that the Spirit was merely wearing a few bandages, not even her school uniform, or her kimono.

The ghost girl was shaken up by this, and told the others at the killer camp, but they just shrugged it off - Rin was a little girl who faced close to no kindness, they weren't surprised she was so taken aback by such a feat. That is, until Adiris, in a particularly terrible day, when everyone at the camp was staying away from her, as her profane censer wasn't able to cover the stench of rotting flesh - Y/N came over, taking out a small yet elegant glass bottle with pink liquid on it, spraying some on her - And now, The Plague smelled of roses and vanilla - 'You can come to me for perfume whenever you want, I always carry some with me!' she grinned at the Babylonian High Priestess, before leaving back to the survivor's camp site, leaving the ancient God symbol to stare with her mouth agape at the girl.

These words began to spread, and it was no surprise when the killers saw Susie clinging and begging her Legion friends to spare Y/N, for she was there to hug away her worries more than once, to tell her sweet words, to play with her hair and play the guitar whatever songs she wanted to hear, to get reminded of her home - She was so home sick that she freaked out, but now she was better, thanks to Y/N - 'I know you miss home, but sometimes, home is where your best friends are, and all three of them are here!' she tried to encourage the cute pink-haired girl who could only squeal and hug her new friend.

Even Ghostface wasn't exempt from falling to her charms, and they would often take silly selfies and mess around, making fun of the old horror movie tropes and doing lots of puns and pranks - So much that she even got his trust to be told about the Danny/Jed thing, and how he began his killer profession - 'You're a very talented photographer, Danny! You deserved all that recognition you got, both as a journalist, and as a killer!'

And very soon, Y/N found herself in the crushing arms of an overprotective Anna, humming her mother's lullaby together with walking through the forest, Y/N making flower crows for all the female killers at the camp site, and little by little, she somehow managed to worm her way under everyone's skins.

Y/N was the survivor with the highest survivability percentage, and maybe the Entity sometimes got pissed off, but at least she still got killed sometimes, so who cares? Well, that was soon to change as soon as a new Killer was added to this sick game - Pyramid Head, the terror of Silent Hill, as Cheryl, the new Survivor, called him - or The Executioner, as he was known now. He was ruthless, merciless, grotesque - He had his own criteria of killing, his own moral compass, ethics, conscience and understanding of the concept of life and death. Nothing that could compare to the visions of humans, clearly - Everything was gravitating around Divine Retribution and Justice, but the from the outside, he was nothing but a killing machine.

He would kill everyone and anyone that crosses his path, without fail.

Y/N felt like her fortune ended completely the second she found herself in the new, overly cramped map, with Pyramid Head as the killer - She couldn't help but run around like a spazzic meerkat, trying to find and fix as many generators as possible, without having to get face to face with the walking hazard...

Only to run past a stuck Pyramid Head.

Slowly backtracing her steps, she saw the mountain of a man with his metal pyramid stuck in the frames a low window which he tried to walk over. He was trashing like a raged bull trying to attack a matador, but it was clear he was getting nowhere with this.

"H-Hey, u-uhm...Need some help?" she asked in a soft, careful voice, almost like a meek cat trying to test the waters, but in return, he started groaning even louder from the wrath he wanted to unleash upon the whole world. "Okay, uhm...I think I saw a can of vaseline in one of the chests around. I'll go fetch it and I'll come back for you. Don't move." she said, only to then realise how horrible that sounded, considering the situation, and it only seemed to anger the killer. "...I'm sorry, ignore me, I'm an idiot." she slapped herself pretty harshly before bolting out of there trying to find the chest.

However, Y/N cursed herself for not having perfectly memorised the whole map by heart already, since she found the vaseline can after the 3rd chest, and then, it took quite a while to find the bloody window that got the killer stuck - And by the time she got there, she was dead tired. "Okay, I'm here, I found the vaseline! Let's try to get you out of here." Y/N muttered as she put her feet on the low window pane to get to his level. "If it's not too much trouble, could you please hold onto me? I can't balance myself with both hands occupied, and I'd rather not fall." she explained as she opened the vaseline can, only to shiver as she felt two big, strong hands getting a firm grip on her hips. It was almost...Endearing, were she not too busy trying to get the killer unstuck. She kept massaging the metal edge, trying to push and pull, also praying to whatever deity that existed in her human world that she had her tetanus shot done on time - Until finally, she was able to get hear a loud screech, like a pop, and the killer got unstuck, and in the process, he stumbled backwards, while Y/N fell down on her butt.

"Ouchie..." she muttered, rubbing her back and sides to take away the pain surging through her body. "Are you okay?" she asked, almost intuitively, without realising it at first, until she heart a low grunt that brought her back to reality. "O-Oh...! You have glass shards stuck in your side! And you're bleeding too! Hold up, let me help." she hurried to his side, while the killer merely stiffened, feeling her delicate, slender fingers tracing his body, while he heaved and slouched his shoulders from the repressed wrath. "It may sting a bit, and I'm really sorry, but I promise it will be better soon." her voice was so motherly and warm, which also resonated in her actions, as she gingerly took a water bottle and imbued some tissues with it, to wipe away the blood smearing down his skin as she extracted the glass shards, and then..."This is grandma's marigold ointment. It's really good, and it smells nice." she explained as she carefully smeared a thick layer of the yellow ointment on the biggest wounds, while the little ones were covered by smiley-flower patterned plasters. They were cute, and colourful, and they never failed to make her smile. "Okay, there we go, all better! I hope you'll feel better very soon!" her voice got a tiny bit more cheerful and upbeat.

It made the Killer think about a trillion things, as he stepped in front of her, towering over her like the Empire states building next to a smiling pomeranian. What was with this girl? Why did she help a killer? And why did he feel so...Warm inside? He could sense a foreign kind of luminosity, a naivite and innocence that he only witnessed in children and animals. This woman in front of him was untainted by the darkness and evil of the world.

It didn't matter how many hardships she's been through, or how much sadness she had to endure - Her soul remained as pure as any snowdrop, as the first snow of winter, as the fleece of a baby lamb who let out its first 'meeeeh' to its mamma sheep.

He couldn't allow this human to be maimed in any way - Not by the world, not by the Entity, and certainly not by him. - Screw the Entity, Pyramind Head kills by his own rules, and now, he was blessed to be faced with a human who bore no real hatred for her peers, or for the world, despite the horrible situation she was thrown into.

He didn't understand, obviously, especially as he remembered the myriad of abominations that lurked through Silent Hill, all of them created by the torment of humans - The very torment that distorted their own reality, which resulted in him needing to solve the purpose as The Executioner - Eradicating the world of all evil.

"Th-This sword is so heavy...H-How can you carry this around like that...?! Your muscles must be so strained and sore...Y-You really need a massage, I'm sure." she stuttered as she tried to lift the much taller and heavier sword from the ground, only for the brute to simply bend and pick it up with extreme ease, putting the girl to shame with her complete lack of strength. "Hehe...You're really strong. I'm embarrassed now." she chuckled softly, scratching the back of her neck.

Before she could leave or do anything else, Pyramid Head picked her up by the throat, careful not to hurt her or restrict her air intake - I mean, how else was he supposed to carry her so he wouldn't hurt her with his metal head or sword? - and it was pretty clear she didn't feel any malevolence from him, as she clinged on his forearm, trying to keep herself up, only to be dumped on top of the hatch, as the killer pointed towards it, so she would leave.

"O-Oh...! Thank you so much! You're really kind! I really appreciate this...I-I know it probably doesn't matter much to you, since you'll be doing this over and over again with all the survivors...But I really appreciate you for your kind gesture, and I appreciate you for being so nice with me. Thank you. Take care!" her dazzling smile lit the whole place up, but he couldn't talk, nor could he tell her how he should be the one thanking her for showing him that, despite the hundreds and thousands of years he had to roam the 'Earth' and execute the injust, miracles still existed.

As soon as she reached the survivor's camp, everyone cheered for her, asking how in the world could she have escaped the wrath of the butcher. "Oh, but he wasn't that bad. In fact, he's much more humane than I anticipated! I think he has a beautiful, blooming heart!" okay, she's lost it - the other survivors thought - but even so, she's always been a bit...Out of it, so who cares?

It took quite a while for the other three survivors to reach the camp, all bloody, in fact, like the new killer, who dragged himself with the same menace to the Killers' camp. "How the hell did you manage to survive?!" they yelled at her in utter shock, seeing that she got out of there unscratched. "Oh, you see...I found the hatch." she shrugged simply, not wanting to give away that the person who massacred those three was a soft one and he basically threw her down the hatch to her safety.

As she took a twig to roast a marshmallows, she noticed how Pyramid Head was standing much farther away from the rest of the killers - She knew that silent killers were bound to stay away from the more obnoxious one, remembering how Michael Myers almost killed Ghostface and The Legion at least a dozen times - But this time...He seemed kinda...Lonely? So Y/N took the matters into her own hands, roasted another marshmallow in another twig, and when it was done, she went to the killer's camp, calling out the lonely one's name - She has no idea why, but he actually followed her, pushing her further deep into the forest, until he was sure nobody was going to hear, see or interrupt them...

"Hey. You seemed pretty lonely out there...I thought you could use a friend. Thank you again for what you did at the trial...Here, this is a marshmallow. I don't think you've had many before...Cheryl told me of that horrible place you had to live in...So I hope this will make your day a bit better!" Y/N extended one of her hands towards him, so he could take the marshmallow - And a long, black tongue erupted from underneath the pyramid, snatching away the fluffy marshmallow and gulping it in one go.

What the hell was he turning into?

A towering man built of pure muscle, wrath and divine justice, with a pyramid representing the evil of humanity burdening his body, and a sword taller and heavier than the average human being constantly dragged in one of his hand...He now was a slave to a cute, innocent girl who was putting flower plasters on his minuscule wounds that would heal in a heartbeat regardless - He saved this girl who was now offering his these soft, squishy things that tasted overly sugarly, just like her upbeat and cheerful personality - If he could eat her, he was sure she would taste even sweeter than this - A sickish kind of sweet, that is.

She was indeed a beautiful angel in this tragic hell. But he didn't wait to snatch the second marshmallow either.

"Ah...! You liked it, didn't you? Well...Next time, I promise I'll give you more!" she grinned at him the same way a princess would to her chivalrous knight who saved her. The since he couldn't talk, silence took over them - It wasn't an uncomfortable one, per se, but it made it feel as if the conversation was over. "W-Well...I'll guess I'll see you around! Take care and I hope to see you again soon!" she waved cutely, trying to turn around back to her camp, only to feel a rough hand on her shoulder, turning her around and urging her to stop and wait for him and he went deep into the forest, leaving her alone and undefended by the potential malevolent forces of the forest.

When he returned, however, he stepped right in front of her, creating the perfect shade as he towered over her - Then he kneeled in front of her, so he would reach her eye sight, then he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and put a beautiful pink flower - As pink as the blush that started creeping on her face - He wanted to see her luminous face better, to highlight her dazzling smile and her glimmering eyes as the warm, silver light of the mother moon caressed her face.

Y/N felt her heart picking up the pace - It was beating so much faster than ever before - But this time, it wasn't out of fear or anything negative...It was something good. Something she never felt in her life, especially with her human acquaintances from back home. None was as chivalrous and gentle with her as this butcher of tormented souls - The bringer of justice, the merciless Executioner who was supposed to end the life of every living being that would cross his path.

It was insane how every Yin finds its Yang, even if that comes in the form of a little lamb of a small, frail girl, and a huge abomination of a brute man who knows nothing but death, bloodshed and carnage. It was truly crazy how opposites attract, and here she was, holding the killers large hands and gingerly putting them on her face, leaning into his touch - She felt safer now than ever in her life - Now, in the arms of an ancient killer.

An Angel and A Demon brought together in a perfect union.

As she leaned down, she touched the metal of the pyramid where she anticipated his forehead would be with her own forehead, and closing her eyes, she finally felt herself calming down. There was no need for words, actions spoke louder than anything, and she appreciated it...She appreciated him.

"Thank you." she whispered to him, knowing that yes, even though nobody else would hear it anyway, it was much more intimate than anything she ever experienced.

She was hooked.

Hope you liked my completely shameless pun, I couldn't stop it, especially after the pain I went through trying to write this...3 freaking times.

Yay.

[fruitcoops]

Ok so what sbout remus/sirius being too sick to go to an away game so the other one has to go alone, and then tons of facetime conversations and "get well soon" videos from the team?

This is related to this fic about Remus and Finn bonding over terrible reporters--hope you enjoy! SW credit goes to @lumosinlove, and the Loops/ Talker bonding is for @lee-1012!

TW for illness

“You don’t look so good.” Remus frowned as he held the inside of his wrist against Sirius’ forehead. “And you definitely have a fever.”

“Non.” Sirius sat up on his elbows with a groan, then almost immediately flopped back down.

“Yes.” He leaned back on his heels and checked the clock—they had two hours before they had to be at the airport. “Baby, I don’t think you should—”

“ ‘m going.”

“It’s not a good—”

“Gotta go. Games.” Sirius cracked one glassy eye open. “Two weeks away. I’ll take the first couple days off.”

Remus sighed through his nose and brushed his sweaty hair out of his eyes. “You shouldn’t go on the plane if you’re sick. Not just for your sake, but for the rest of us. We don’t need everyone to come down with this.”

He received a halfhearted glare in response, but Sirius finally huffed and curled on his side to nuzzle against his thigh. “I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too, baby,” Remus said quietly, bending to kiss his temple. They hadn’t been apart for that long since before he was a player, nearly a year prior. Hell, he had never played a game without Sirius, let alone two weeks’ worth. “Lily will check on you, okay?”

Sirius mumbled an incoherent response and cuddled closer when he began combing his fingers through his hair. The second alarm beeped, loud against the quiet of their bedroom; time to go, he thought ruefully. Sirius touched his knee as he started to stand. “Love you. Be safe.”

“Love you more.”

“Love you most.”

“Go back to sleep,” Remus said as his heart clenched. “I’ll let Coach know what happened, but you’ve got to rest and take care of yourself. Hydrate or die-drate, yeah?”

“Yeah. Love you.”

“Sleep,” he repeated, kissing his forehead once more before hauling himself out of bed and tucking the covers around Sirius’ shoulders. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

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

The clouds were a soft, pastel pink around them as the sun rose—Sirius’ favorite. If his phone was correct, Lily would be there soon to let Hattie out and make sure Sirius wasn’t pushing himself too hard. The thought brought Remus a bit of relief, but not enough to quell his concern.

Talker poked his forearm, snapping him from his reverie. “What’s going on?”

“Just worrying.”

“About Cap?”

Remus waved a hand vaguely. “And Hattie, and Lily, and whether he’s got a cold or something worse. Feels weird being here without him.”

Talker hummed his agreement and offered one of his earbuds. “Want to listen to half of Bohemian Rhapsody with me? It’ll give you five minutes and 55 seconds of relative peace.”

“It’s too quiet,” James groaned just before he pressed ‘play’.

Across the aisle, Remus saw Kasey roll his eyes. “Your husband is sick, dude, not dead. He doesn’t talk to you on planes anyway.”

“It’s the principle of the thing, Bliz.”

“Oh my god,” Kasey muttered under his breath, securing his headphones tightly over his ears.

James let his head flop to the side with a baleful look. “Loops, you’re on my side, right?”

“I’ve got you, buddy,” he assured him. Talker stifled a laugh, and the opening chords began as more clouds rolled past. Remus let himself drift with them, taking deep breaths to soothe his worries; Sirius would be fine. He had the sniffles, or at worst the flu, and he would be join them for the second week in top form. There was nothing to worry about.

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

“He’s got pneumonia,” Lily sighed.

“He what?”

“A mild case, but the doctor said it would take a week of antibiotics and rest before he’s close to a hundred percent. No hockey for about a month, too.”

Remus stared at the wall of his empty hotel room, lost for words. “Well, fuck.”

“Yeah.”

“Fuck.”

“Pretty m—absolutely not, go lay down.” There was a rustling noise and two grumbling voices. “Sorry about that.”

“Will you put me on speaker real quick?” Remus asked, pinching the bridge of his nose until he heard a faint click. “Sirius? You there?”

“Yes! I miss you, and I was just going to tell you that it’s really not that—”

“Please sit your ass down. Lily, if he tries to fuck around and find out exactly how nasty pneumonia is, you have full permission to sit on him. I miss you too, love,” he added after a short pause.

“He’s blowing you a kiss,” Lily informed him. “Oh, and he’s giving me the puppy eyes.”

“Resist if you can. Love you both. Give Hattie lots of cuddles from me.”

“We will,” she promised.

The second the call ended, Remus groaned aloud and thumped his head against the wall before padding down the hall. Just my fucking luck. The door swung open after the second knock; Arthur’s face fell. “How bad is it?”

“Mild pneumonia.”

“Fuck.”

“Yep. Doctor said he’d be out for a month.”

Arthur rubbed his eyes and nodded, motioning Remus back towards his own room. “Get some rest, then. I’ll let everyone know in the morning. Any idea how he got it?”

“Not a clue.”

“Thanks for the update, Loops. Sleep tight.”

“I will,” Remus lied as he headed back for a sleepless night between cold sheets.

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

Lily sent updates every few hours; most reported that Sirius was sleeping well and looking better with each passing day, but Remus couldn’t help but feel overwhelmingly guilty. If something happened while he was hundreds of miles away, he would never forgive himself. He had sworn in front of their closest friends and family to be there in sickness and in health—what kind of husband ditches their partner for one of a million roadies?

This one. He stabbed a piece of broccoli and shoved it in his mouth. And then he goes and makes an idiot of himself for the world to see.

The interview was supposed to be easy, but he couldn’t let it roll off anymore. Not when he couldn’t answer their questions even when he wanted to, not when he was states away from the love of his life while he was sick, not when he felt helpless and shoved aside in every current aspect of his life.

“So.” The chair next to him creaked as Talker planted his full weight in it and set his plate decisively on the table.

“What.”

“Oh, pissy Loops. Haven’t seen you in a while. Talked to Cap yet?”

“Yeah.” Another piece of broccoli fell victim to his frustration.

“How’s he sound?”

“Better.”

“Sweet.” Talker continued to munch away on his dinner. “Anyone ever told you that you have the general disposition of a wet cat when you’re upset?”

Remus tried and failed to keep down a smile. “I seem to recall you bringing it up on occasion, yes.”

His dark eyes softened and he bumped their elbows together. “He’ll be okay.”

“I know.”

“Really, Loops. Cap’s going to be just fine. Lily doesn’t sugar-coat this kind of stuff, and he’s a tough guy. Mild pneumonia doesn’t stand a chance. Besides, we’ve only got four days left and we need you to kick some ass out there.”

If Remus was a little more emotionally vulnerable, he would’ve burst into tears. Instead, he settled for leaning his temple against Talker’s with a quiet ‘thanks’ and allowed himself to be pulled into a side hug. Across the dining hall, Finn shot him a thumbs-up and a wink. “Love you, man.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Talker teased. “The internet is already coming to your aid, you know.”

“About…?”

“Not only have those asshole reporters become a new meme, you’ve also got a shit ton of people bringing up past mistreatment of athletes in the press room. You’re the face of a revolution, Loops.”

“I’ve been the face of too many revolutions for one person,” he groused, not even bothering to duck out of the way when Talker ruffled his hair.

“Well, one more won’t kill you.”

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

Remus’ heart raced as he stepped off the plane. The logical part of him knew that Sirius would be waiting outside the security gate, but everything else screamed to see him now, now, right now so he could be sure he was alright. At least he had sounded healthier on the phone the night before—Remus wasn’t sure what he would do otherwise.

“Deep breaths,” James reminded him as they walked toward the baggage claim. “I’m sure he’s—”

An excited shout broke through the thick crowds. Remus’ heart skipped a beat, and then he was running, racing through the people that parted for him as his vision tunneled. His carry-on hit the ground with a low thud that he hardly heard as Sirius lifted him straight off the ground and held him tight.

“I love you,” Remus said immediately, locking his ankles around Sirius’ lower back and squeezing his eyes shut. “Are you okay?”

In lieu of a response, Sirius pulled back and kissed him, cradling one side of his face in his warm, warm hand. Two weeks may as well have been an eternity. He broke away after a moment, searching his face for any signs of illness or pain. “I’m fine,” Sirius said softly, as if he could read his mind. “I promise. A little tired and sore, but there’s no lasting damage.”

“Don’t do that again,” Remus said into the side of his neck as he hugged him close. He smelled like home. “Not when I have to leave.”

Sirius’ arms were steady around his back. “I won’t.”

“I’m going to grill you on everything as soon as we get home.”

“I know.”

“But right now, I’m just going to hug you because I missed you and I worried myself into a hole, like, every night.”

He could feel Sirius’ smile against his shoulder. “I know.”

[apparentlyaswarmofbees]

can you do a hc of the bros and would they help mc feel better. like mc is sad and what would the brothers say and do to make them feel better. idk if this has been done so yeah :)

Lol, let's see if I remember what being sick is like, haven't caught a single cold since the start of the year, and thank fuck for that too-

Also, once again, one more time, third time actually, it's hard to focus things on the MC as I try to make it possible for many to put themselves in the story (I know I have written one on MC liking insects but that was very self indulgent lol)

I will change things up a bit on the request, but if it was with my own MC, she would be fairly practicle, checking up on the brothers, giving them water and asking if they wanted food, even keeping company if not contagious. It will look like she is just being considerate but it actually pains her to see them sick, it's just that she is used to expressing herself in acts of service.

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When Your Seven Demons Get Sick

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Warning: a LOT of uncensored swearing

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Lucifer

We all know this can go two ways: either this piece of shit refuses to acknowledge that he is coughing like a damn nuclear explosion or he responsably takes his work home and refuses to fully rest because he needs to keep and eye on not only his brothers but also on the man child he works under that he somehow has come to fondly call a best friend.

So, yeah, tomato tomato.

His stress is reaching levels higher than celestial realm and he definetelly has been staring at a piece of document for way too long and not making any progress.

You will have to literally german suplex this man into his bed if you want him to get more than 5 seconds of shut eye.

It will take a while for his brain to process that 'oh yeah he can trust you to keep at least 10% of the house intact while he recovers'.

He may be a bit insufferable as he will attempt to work again, but it is a very adorable sight to have him whining, being way too happy at small gestures, and of course, his squishy cheeks as he sleeps soundly.

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Mammon

As long as he is being dramatic about it, you know he will live.

Though he probably won't realize he even is ferverish until someone points it out that his responses are much slower than normal.

Like, it took him one second too long to screech in terror and start running for his life when he spotted Levi's all nighter dying body crawling out of his bedroom!

And oh yes was he delighted to be deprived of his obligation to go to RAD until he got back to his full health.

Until he was not allowed to not do anything but rest for the entire day that is.

Yes he will be restess and willing to do anything just to be allowed to stand on the front porch for five seconds and yes you will end up threatening to tie him to the bed in a non kinky way and yes you will only be half joking.

Just make sure to keep close attention to his levels of drama so that you can spoil him properly when he truly feels bad.

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Leviathan

With him it can also go two ways: either he also doesn't fully realize until someone points it out or he will immediatelly let you a "Oh hell no" the moment he gives out a single cough that feels just a little bit out of the ordinary.

How he will take care of himself, if at all, will depend of the situation.

If there is absolutely nothing to lose from being sick other than the hability to breathe through his nose he would definetelly spent the entire recovering process binge watching slice of life animes while laying confortably on his tub.

If he had plans related to the things he is passionate about though?

I wish you luck because he is definetelly not backing down and will consequently make himself even more sick afterwards.

Although the extremelly satisfied expression we wears even when he can barely laugh without having a coughing fit kind of makes it all worthy in the end.

.

Satan

The most chill sick person you will ever encounter and will always make sure to be responsable and nurture himself back to full health.

The catch though?

This big brained idiot definetelly doesn't know how to judge between what is small cold and straight up dying when it's about his own body.

So yes he is the kind of person who will always take some painkillers, drink water, lay on bed and read a book until he falls asleep no matter what the fuck he actually has.

So much for knowledge is power smh.

First off, he deserves to be vibe checked with the thickest medicine book you can find in the cluttered mess he calls a bedroom.

Second off, he is so much more prone to being pissy when he's sick. It's almost funny how fast he goes from :) to >:( in half a second the moment someone who isn't you steps inside his bedroom.

And last but not least, cat videos. No further explanation needed.

.

Asmodeus

Oh someone have pity on this poor baby. He took so much care to not get himself sick and has managed to avoid even the worst of pandemies for centuries! So why now?!

He is basically so desperate to recover to the point he actually makes it take longer due to him stressing things out.

And he feels so sticky, he will basically want to take 5 showers per day.

Also his voice is basically gone?? And that just makes him want to s c r e a m ????

Locks himself inside his bedroom and throws a pity party.

Many of his posts on the media are something like "Oh no! I think I got sick? I am feeling a bit under the weather right now so, will you nurse me back to health~? Pretty please~ ❤" while in real life he is pretty much sneezing and coughing at the same time every 5 minutes.

If you bring him consolation sweets he might cry. Both because you're making him happy and because he is definetelly going to have to lose those extra calories later.

As much as he wants to cuddle he doesn't let you too close in case it's contagious and damn if he isn't rocking the pale skin, runny nose and swollen eyes.

He doesn't agree.

.

Beelzebub

Big boy is definetelly one of the easiest demons to take care of when sick seeing he will to his most to not feel like a chore to you.

Yes he will lie when he feels unwell so that you don't worry.

And that's when you should vibe check him with a spoon.

Like yes you may be getting out of your way to take care of him but no it's no problem at all because yes you love him a lot and would do anything to see him get better and you know he would to the same if not more for you if switched places.

Happiness is the re ocurring 'aah's as you spoon feed your bed ridden man and watching as he keeps on smiling throughout each bite and eats everything like a good boy.

But you can't tell me he doesn't manage to get drunk on cough syrup though.

He is definetelly not as hungry as usual but damn this cough syrup tastes great.

The results are Beel going on a cursed chain of crypid comments in which he makes sure to whisper them in the strangeat ways you could imagine at the most random times always giving a happy smile once he is done.

He apparently doesn't recall any of it the next day-

.

Belphegor

How he reacts to being sick completely depends on who is close enough to hear him whine.

Most of the time, whenever he feels anything out of ordinary, he will immediately text Beel in case this is just one more of their cases of twin-powers.

If he is actually sick though?

He will not stop whining, but then he gives a cute smile when he sees you and even makes a motion closely resembling grabby hands with his fingers as he raises one arm in your direction while saying some shit like "I missed you" when you literally were only gone for exactly 2 minutes to go grab him a cup of water and I think you can understand the power this little of shit has.

Be prepared to roll your eyes so much your eyes will probably start hurting.

The good side though? He is the only brother who listens exactly to what you tell him to do without feeling bad about being a burden. Though it's all because he doesn't wants you to worry about him any further than necessary.

[ladyorlandodream]

Lady Dimitrescu-tag FanFiction List PART 3

here the links for part 1 part 2  part 4  part 5 part 6   part 7

401) Venomous Lips (Chapters in progress)

402) She Won't Take Kindly To Grandmama (Chapters Completed)

403) Danse Macabre (Chapters in progress)

404) When Things Go Bump in the Night (Chapters in progress)

405) At the Beginning (Chapters in progress)

406) Within Dark Corridors (Chapters in progress)

407) Obeying Mother Miranda (short story)

408) The Strength of Her Embrace (short story)

409) I'd Rather it be Me Than You. (short story)

410) Guiding Star (Chapters in progress)

411) Blood of a Song So Sweet (Chapters in progress)

412) Indulgence (Chapters in progress)

413) Allergies (Chapters in progress)

414) Unholy Sanctuary (short story)

415) You Had Me Worried (short story)

416) Insomnia (short story)

417) Caring Hearts (short story)

418) Not a Poet (short story)

419) Only You, Forever and Always (short story)

420) ・ (short story)

421) Forever with you, Mother (short story by me, changing capcom ending)

422) Chemicals React (Chapters in progress)

423) The Lady’s Lapdog (Chapters in progress)

424) Sanguineum Miseria (Chapters in progress)

425) Antistrophes (Chapters in progress)

426) A Different Plan (short story)

427) Like a Duck Takes to Water (short story)

428) Shadows on you (short story)

429) Eternal (Chapters in progress)

430) Nu e mai bun decât tine. (Chapters in progress)

431) Just a bad dream, darling (short story)

432) In another life (Chapters Completed)

433) În viață respirăm, În moarte dormim (In life we breathe, In death we sleep)

434) To Exist In Your Space (Chapters in progress)

435) Come let's play a game Winters (Chapters in progress)

436) Tăcere (Chapters in progress)

437) Reborn in Fire (Chapters in progress)

438) She Who Waits in the Dark (Chapters in progress)

439) Down with the lady (Chapters in progress)

440) Mother knows best (Chapters in progress)

441) Shadow of the Four (Chapters in progress)

442) Where the Watermelons Rot (Chapters in progress)

443) Sharing is Caring (short story)

444) Dead Man's Party (short story)

445) Sexual Education (short story)

446) A Storm (short story)

447) Like a dying phoenix (short story)

448) personal, no. out of spite? yes. (short story)

449) Uninvited Guest (short story)

450) Warmth (short story)

451) Oh shit? You're Alcina's maid! (short story)

452) Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens (short story)

453) Every Mother's Nightmare (short story)

454) Mother 母亲 (short story, not english)

455) The waterfall (short story)

456) A Guest of Castle Dimitrescu (Chapters in progress)

457) You Dare Hurt My Daughters?! (short story)

458) 【夫人×伊森】孕育 (short story, not english)

459) Entertaining Foreigners (Chapters in progress)

460) Fuck Canon (Chapters in progress)

461) Eros and Psyche, permit me the vision of thy form (short story)

462) The Consequences of Curiosity (short story)

463) Unexpected Circumstances (short story)

464) Size (short story)

465) Common Grounds (Chapters in progress)

466) Heisenburg, You dirty dog (Chapters in progress)

467) an honest death (Chapters in progress)

468) Hello Sorrow (Chapters in progress)

469) The Daughters of Castle Dimitrescu (Chapters in progress)

470) Amantă Sângeroasă (Chapters in progress)

471) Rescue (Chapters in progress)

472) Jealousy almost Kills (short story)

473) The Embrace (short story)

474) Room For One More? (short story)

475) Mother (short story)

478) Mess (short story)

479) To Lose a Life so Precious (short story)

480) Compliments (short story)

481) Vampirii (short story)

482) Your Sharp and Glorious Thorn (Chapters in progress)

483) And Icarus Looked Straight Into The Sun As He Burned (Chapters in progress)

484) Even in this, the darkest of nights, I see her Moonlight (Chapters in progress)

485) Blood and Chains (Chapters in progress)

486) De-a V-aţi Ascunselea (Chapters in progress)

487) A Nightmare Dressed Like A Daydream (Chapters in progress)

488) offer it a soul (Chapters in progress)

489) A Garden of Steel (Chapters in progress)

490) Just as Boredom Tempts The Cat to Break a Glass... (Chapters in progress)

491) Misthios (Chapters in progress)

492) The (Un)lucky Chosen (Chapters in progress)

493) Homewrecker (Chapters in progress)

494) Within The Castle Walls (Chapters in progress)

495) Unleash the Beast (short story)

496) It's Just a Dream! (short story)

497) the art of loving you [alcina dimitrescu] (short story)

498) Drowning Her Sorrows (short story)

499) Sommelier (short story)

500) do you see me? (please tell me you do) (Chapters in progress)

501) Mother of Two (short story)

502) Bloodlust (short story)

503) Lady Dimitrescu x buttermilkink (short story)

504) Break Me (short story)

505) Oh, that’s not what she thought was happening (short story)

506) Vena Amoris (Chapters in progress)

507) Don't look at the moon (or do?) (Chapters in progress)

508) The Tailor’s Daughter (Chapters in progress)

509) here come the sun (Chapters in progress)

510) Call of the Castle (Chapters in progress)

511) Dawn of Love (Chapters in progress)

512) A Wildflower in Early Bloom (Chapters in progress)

513) Custody Arrangements (Chapters in progress)

514) In The Red (Chapters in progress)

515) The Things That We Become (Chapters in progress)

516) Yield to Her (Chapters in progress)

517) Resident Evil Village but awesome: the prequel (short story)

518) Power (short story)

519) we'll cast some light and you'll be alright (for now) (short story)

520) the taste of crimson (short story)

521) Your New Master (Chapters in progress)

522) Trapped In A Nightmare (Chapters in progress)

523) Meet the family. (Chapters in progress)

524) The Way of the World (Chapters in progress)

525) Shadow Work (Chapters in progress)

526) Family Bonding (Chapters in progress)

527) Sick Day (short story)

528) Liberum Vinculorum (short story)

529) Sing for your Supper (short story)

530) Insulă (short story)

531) self-help (short story)

532) Mother of Three (short story)

533) A Talk With Angie (short story)

534) Mind Your Mouth, Man-thing (short story)

535) leviathans (short story)

536) viata dupa moarte (short story)

537) Game of Survival (short story)

538) so don’t come looking for me. I’ve got no joy to lend (short story)

539) Drop-By (short story)

540) The Witches' Funeral (short story)

541) Of Cakes and Late Celebrations (short story)

542) Forever and Always (Chapters in progress)

543) I Bite Back (Chapters in progress)

544) Welcome, Ethan Winters (Chapters in progress)

545) Harvest (Chapters in progress)

546) Blood Not So Vile (Chapters in progress)

547) Only Monsters Come Out At Night (Chapters in progress)

548) Én, a B.F. (B.O.W.) (Chapters in progress in Magyar)

549) A True Home (Chapters in progress)

550) A gift to some , a curse to others (Chapters in progress)

551) The beauty of the grotesque (Chapters in progress)

552) Blessing or Curse (Chapters in progress)

553) Parasite Blues (Chapters in progress)

554) Obedient Servant (Chapters in progress)

555) ice cold sweat (Chapters in progress)

556) in her mercy (short story)

557) Hemorrhage (short story)

558) Dragon Claw (short story)

559) Mother Miranda's secret (short story)

560) Pregnancy Cravings (short story)

561) Sacraments (short story)

562) Resident Evil Village but awesome: the third installment (short story)

563) tooth and nail (short story)

564) Picture Perfect (short story)

565) Notes on Colvyr (short story)

566) In Her Anguish (short story)

567) Someones Waiting For You (short story)

568) Exposure (Chapters in progress)

569) the moments between (Chapters in progress)

570) The Lady and Her Loyal Knight (Chapters in progress)

571) RE : VILLAGE (Chapters in progress)

572) Resident Evilove (Chapters in progress)

573) Las Siete Maravillas (Chapters in progress in Spanish)

574) Most Favourable (Chapters in progress)

575) The Factory (Karl Heisenberg x f/reader) (Chapters in progress)

576) How Far Can One Go For Family? How Far Would You Go To Protect Family? The Dark Side of Life! (Chapters in progress)

577) hirudo medicinalis (leech therapy) (Chapters in progress)

578) What's His is Mine and What's Mine is Mine (short story)

579) I fancy you, Ethan Winters. || A resident Evil Fanstory (Chapters in progress)

580) Cursed Summer Vineyards (Chapters in progress)

581) Shadow and Bone (Chapters in progress)

582) Flowers and Flies (Chapters in progress)

583) On a soft bed, delicate (Chapters in progress)

584) Corrupted Sin (Chapters in progress)

585) Friction (Chapters in progress)

586) 5+1 times Karl Heisenberg was an idiot and got into trouble (Chapters in progress)

587) Licensed to Carnage (Chapters in progress)

588) Vampires have pets too (Chapters in progress)

589) Blood Atonement (Chapters in progress)

590) Beastial Natures (Chapters in progress)

591) A mothers rage and a sons vengance (Chapters in progress)

592) A Mothers Grief (short story)

593) A Simple Song (short story)

594) Sacrificial Lamb (short story)

595) Prepare for trouble and make it quadruple. (short story)

596) Delicios (short story)

597) Escape (short story)

598) Daniela's reign of terror...? (short story)

599) He's no better than you. (Chapters in progress)

600) Eternal (Chapters in progress)

601) Call Me Calloused, Call Me Cold (Chapters in progress)

602) The Plunge (Chapters in progress)

603) Of Stars and Moonlit walks (Chapters in progress)

604) A gift (Chapters in progress)

605) Witchling (Chapters in progress)

606) Created By Man (Chapters in progress)

607) Happy Family Living - Generic Second chance in life fanfic (Chapters in progress)

608) i feel like pulling my guts out (Chapters in progress)

609) I'll See You in the Village (Chapters in progress)

610) Working With Metal (and Not Happy About That) (Chapters in progress)

611) A Faithful Maid (Chapters in progress)

612) Creatures of the Night (Chapters in progress)

613) handle with care (short story)

614) Like A Phoenix, We Are Reborn (short story)

615) She Never Liked Flies (short story)

616) Little Darling Of Mine (short story)

617) Miss You (short story)

618) Certified Simp (short story)

619) In which Alcina breaks your leg and it’s Incredibly Awkward (short story)

620) The Great Morel Garden (Chapters in progress)

621) Metal Wire (Chapters in progress)

622) Ember In My Darkness (Chapters in progress)

623) The Other Side (Chapters in progress)

624) Wonder (Chapters in progress)

625) Nightmares In Castle Dimitrescu (Chapters in progress)

626) Exhaustion. ||KARL HEISENBERG X READER|| MAJOR TW (Chapters in progress)

627) See something you like, Maiden? (Chapters in progress)

628) Man Eater (Chapters in progress)

629) Anything For You (Chapters in progress)

630) The Bride (Chapters in progress)

631) Seraphim and The Angel...or is she? (short story)

632) False Gift (short story)

633) Like A Doll (short story)

634) A Lonely Night (short story)

635) athirst | lady dimitrescu x fem! reader smut (short story)

636) To Serve Castle Dimitrescu (short story)

637) Show me you need it (short story)

638) Hung Up (short story)

639) Unbelievable (short story)

640) Thicker than Blood (Chapters in progress)

[insomniziam]

Analysis of the PR Relationship between Liam and Maya

Okay, Liam and Maya made their relationship official in September 2019 through Liam’s Instagram post:

(notice how there are only two points of contact on his behalf, the two fingers on her waist and their foreheads. Doesn’t come off very relationship-y to me. I can’t say for sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this were photo shopped) 

Conveniently, this news came to light a few days after the release of his new single at the time, Stack it Up (shocker, I know). And what did we get? The same thing that happened with Zigi:

Bringing attention to Liam’s new single and of course, the new up and coming model (sound familiar to you at all?)

Maya Henry

But who is Maya Henry? The first real news we ever get about her is due to her father spending a whopping 6 million dollars on her fifteenth birthday party back in 2016 (more on that later). But what does this prove? That her father is incredibly rich, and has no issues spending millions of dollars on a single night if it means getting his name in the papers. He hasn’t just done this with Maya, he spent another 4 million on his son’s 18th and another 4.5 million on his own 56th birthday, and both somehow made headlines (paid promo maybe?)

That’s not even the best part... They tried to do their own Kardashian style reality TV show but it flopped massively. 

(Literally the only place I could find it anywhere was dailymotion...)

They have a Facebook page, but most of the videos have been set to private on YouTube so you can’t watch pretty much anything on the page anyway. There’s probably on average 50 interactions per post (and that’s me being generous).

Maya started her own YouTube channel early 2018, but that didn’t gain any traction either (it’s currently sitting at 16K) and there are no videos on the page at all (I’m pretty sure she’s deleted them off, although I can’t find copies of them any where, probably because no one actually cared to download them).

I will admit, she was doing pretty decently before she was connected to Liam, had even done a few international covers for magazines like Elle Romania and Vogue Ukraine.

But Gigi had walked the New York Fashion runway at the age of 18, a feat Maya herself didn’t seem to be nearing. However, Gigi also has a lot of connections that no doubt helped her gain a following (her “friendship” with the Jenners, as well as her connections with Swift and her mean girl posse). 

(If ya’ll don’t see how this was a publicity stunt, I don’t know what to tell you)

But how does an increase of following help you career wise, isn’t about talent? You may ask, and I would have a hard time not chuckling at the question, because talent has nothing to do with it (Miss Gigi “I’m still learning how to cat walk” Hadid is a testament to that).

As for the answer, an increase in following leads to an increase of fans, which leads to an increased likelihood of more people buying the shit her name is attached to - makeup, accessories, clothing lines ect. - and increased viewership that have her (and her ‘best friends’) starring in. *cough* Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show *cough*. 

But one thing in particular that really stood out, was Gigi’s ‘relationship’ with one Zayn Malik... you see where this is going?

Why Liam?

Now, unlike Zayn, Liam didn’t really have any bad press he needed to distract the general public from. However, he pretty much only had three different talking points in interviews; ‘his son’, Cheryl and One Direction. Those three subjects no one really cared to listen to anymore, because it was the same bullshit over and over again. Enter new (but also extremely old) topic: a new girlfriend!

It gave the papers something new to talk about (although funnily enough, they would always end the article talking about Cheryl and her kid), someone Liam could use to promote himself a little more. So although the benefits were heavily leaning to her side, there still was something in it for Liam, and she had already been linked to him in the past, an easy set up.

Maya’s Age (this is where you’ll either feel really grossed out or extremely pissed, fair warning)

Now this is where shit gets hella shady. According to articles, Maya has been 19 since last year: 

Using the fact that Maya’s 15th birthday was in 2016 as according to this Daily Mail article detailing all the expenses and a little bit of quick math, it’s easy to see that she only turned 19 in February of this year.

Now, your eyebrows might be furrowed right now, and you may be asking why does her age matter?She’s still a legally consenting adult. However according to articles, Liam and Maya had actually met back in 2015 at a One Direction Meet and Greet:

Sound familiar at all?:

This shit has me feeling sick to my stomach (I did give you a fair warning) because this is the second time Liam has been linked in some way to what some could argue somewhat child grooming behaviour. Because not only did he meet her back in 2015, when she was actually 14 despite what the papers are trying to tell you she was 15, he apparently started dating her back in 2018, when she was 17 years old:

Realising their mistake, my guess is that Liam’s team tried their best to have her birthday changed a year earlier, so as to make people think they started dating when she was 18, to make their relationship more acceptable. But the damage had already been done, and when someone made a thread on their twitter pointing out this fact, some absolute idiot decided to use Liam’s twitter to try and discredit them:

Despite the fact that neither Liam or Maya were tagged in the thread, meaning that whoever was behind the keyboard would have had to go searching for it, especially since the thread probably only had a few hundred interactions before, they drew eyes to it. (The tinhat in me wants to believe that this was actually a smart move made by Liam to show people just how shady their relationship is, but I highly doubt that fact considering how creepy it makes him look 😒)

And, because people were smart enough to actually read through the thread, they weren’t buying what whoever was running the account at the time was selling:

It’s not a good look, but I guess any press is good press according to Liam’s team.

Conclusion

Maya and her family are crazy thirsty for attention. They tried to acquire that attention through spending millions of dollars on birthdays parties to gain headlines. Obviously not enough for them, they tried out their own reality TV show which somehow made it to season two before scrapping the whole thing entirely due to low ratings. Maya started a YouTube channel, it didn’t go as well as she hoped and then focused on Modelling full time. However she wasn’t climbing anywhere near as much as she would like, and since her father had no issues paying for celebrities in the past, probably had no issues with paying Liam’s team for him to play boyfriend, and try to recreate a Zigi situation.

Liam’s team saw this as an opportunity for a new subject to be brought up in interviews and headlines and decided to go for it. They fucked up with the age, tried to fix it and just made the situation worse, and hoped eventually everyone would just forget about it.

At least, that’s my best guess

[dhwty-writes]

Dreams

Merry Christmas, everyone! This is my contribution for the @thewitchersecretsanta for @heyabooboo on tumblr.

My thanks also go to @contemplativepancakes, who betaed this fic for me. Thank you for your patience while I was still writing this <3 You guys should also definitely go check out her work, I love it to pieces!

Anyways, I shouldn't bore you too much. Let me just say one last thing: I think this is the most well thought-out piece of fiction I have written in my entire life. I have weighed every words of this five times at least. I hope you guys like it.

Have fun reading!

Summary: Geralt takes on a contract to investigate some spectral activity in a haunted ruin. As it happens, he disturbs the residence of a powerful being, that traps his soul in a nefarious netherworld. Jaskier, local bard with no sense of self preservation, does the obvious and follows him, trying to parse information from talking plants and braving unspeakable horrors in order to bargain for his witcher's soul. If only that were as easy as it sounded.

Moodboard by the amazing @petrificustotaluss

Warnings: Rated T. Canon-typical violence

Read on AO3

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7

It was a serene and sunny day when the witcher scaled the hill to the abandoned mansion. It shouldn't have been, by any rights; neither day nor sunshine quite set the scene for a monster hunter to come slay to his prey. Alas, Weather does what they want rather than what they should—most of the time they are too busy laughing at humans they catch by surprise, to notice another one of their storms escaping anyways— and neither of that is to set a picturesque scene for a murder to take place.

Well, not necessarily a murder; that might, admittedly, be a bit crass. An eviction, rather, though the witcher did know yet that was what he was about to do. He simply marched up there, convinced that he would do some light reconnaissance and then return to the bard he had left behind. He was so adamant in his conviction, even, that he simply couldn't imagine anything else.

Geralt of Rivia slid from his saddle and pat Roach on the side of her neck. "Good girl," he muttered as he tied her reins to the withered remains of a tree on a field of dried grass. 

He stepped back to retrieve his sword from her saddle and heard the telltale sign of a dried-up flower crushed beneath his boot. Geralt lifted it. It was a dandelion. He cursed internally. Were he a superstitious man, he might’ve thought it a bad sign. He wasn’t, though, so he knew it to be a bad sign.

Nothing good ever came from places where not even weeds could stubbornly cling to life. It usually meant that nothing would stay alive—or dead— for very long either. He'd have to be fast. 'A quick look around and I can go back to Jaskier,' he promised himself, the only silver lining on the horizon of this shitty day. 

With a grunt he went to the road that led towards the ruin looming up above him, taking in every detail of his surroundings. The tree Roach was tied to seemed to have belonged to a grove, considering how systematically the husks of the trees were arranged. 'Like gnarled fingers trying to reach for the sky.'

Geralt huffed. Jaskier was rubbing off on him again. The collapsed stone wall lining it was another strong indicator that once there had been someone tending to the woods. 'A cemetery?' he wondered. It might be a strong start...

He stepped past the large erratic to his left to vault over the crumbling wall. He had barely taken two steps when a dark shadow fell over him. He looked up to see the sun inching closer and closer to the horizon. A shiver ran down Geralt's back. ‘So late already?’ He had barely set out an hour ago, he was sure of it. And yet— something moved to his right and his medallion vibrated. “Fuck,” he cursed. He didn’t like this at all. 

Still, he had come here for a reason, so he turned away from the deserted grove and headed to the ruin. It wasn’t a large ruin, by any means, barely three walls standing. The first floor was completely decayed, so he didn’t have to check that, at least. In less than an hour he’d be done. 

That didn’t alleviate the uneasy feeling in the slightest. With each step it seemed like the temperatures dropped further. By the time he reached the facade his breaths were visible in white clouds, mingling with the fog drifting up from the ground. The weather was changing entirely too fast for his liking.

Slowly, Geralt stepped over the threshold into the broken mansion. He kept his eyes on the fog the whole time. The tendrils were thicker now, larger than any snake he'd ever seen as they slithered across the rotten floor. 'I should turn around,' he thought. He knew he should turn around. Still, he kept moving further into the mist.

A movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. His head snapped around. One of the wisps rose above the ground, twisting and twirling to a melody he couldn't hear. "The fuck," Geralt grunted and reached for his sword. 

He regretted taking the contract already. It was a fool's errand, and he had known it to be. But coin was scarce these days and he had to make do. Even if it meant investigating haunted ruins that made his medallion nearly jump off his chest.

The shrill sound of rusty door-hinges made him twirl around. He was met with an inscrutable wall of fog. "Shit." His sword was in his hand before he could even think about it. A gentle gust of wind swept through the ruin, as if the air itself around him heaved a breath of relief. 'I have to get out of here.'

He turned towards where he had entered and bolted; not quite running, but almost. He hit the wall face-first. "Fuck!" he cursed, holding his bleeding nose.

An all-too-familiar laugh rang through the silence. "Fuckin' idiot!"

"Lambert?" he groaned as he raised his hands to set his own nose. It hurt like a bitch.

"Who else, you bastard?" his arsehole brother answered.

"Where are you?" Geralt wanted to know, feeling blindly for his sword. 'Fuck.' Why had he dropped it? It had been stupid to drop it. He knew better than that. He was a witcher, for fuck’s sake.

"Right behind you!" Lambert laughed again. He was probably within a punchable distance.

Geralt found the grip of his sword and whirled around, coming face to face with... fog. Nothing but fog. "Lambert?" he asked, desperately. No answer. "Lambert!" He waved his hand, a futile attempt to disperse the mist, and squinted, as if that would do anything. Of course, it didn't.

There is something to be said about the eyesight of mortals, and that is that every single one of them possesses a truly despicable one. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that when the witcher blinked and tried to focus his vision, he did not see anything he hadn't seen before; which was nothing at all.

A quiet groan rippled through the dark, and Geralt stumbled forward before he even knew what he was doing. "Eskel," he gasped desperately, trying to follow the ragged breathing. He’d know that sound everywhere, he had heard it far too often already. "Eskel, where are you, I'm coming," he promised, while the maddening mantra of 'I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't.' kept fluttering through his head. He knew exactly what he would find, Eskel with his face slashed open, bleeding and barely breathing. 'I can't do it again, I can't, I can't, I can't.'

"No!" the high-pitched shriek made him halt in his stumbling, nearly doubling over. "Get out!"

"Yenna," he breathed. He vaguely realised that the world was spinning around him and fought the instinct to throw up.

"No, help!" she screamed again.

"Yennefer!" he shouted in response. "Where are you?"

A woeful giggle swept past him, one that might've belonged to a child or a giant or something else entirely.

"Did I not train you well?" a weak voice, that barely sounded like Vesemir, coughed. "Is your sword your only weapon?"

"N-no," he stammered and raised his trembling hand. He willed his fingers to bend; each movement was pure agony. After half an eternity his hand formed the sign of Aard and the fog dispersed.

Never in his life had he regretted anything more. "No-" he choked out weakly as his knees hit the blood-slick floor. "No!" He could barely comprehend what lay before him, only that they were dead dead dead, all of them, gone, dead, their blood soaking him to the bone.

"What happened?" he whispered, whimpered, wailed. There was an uncomfortable feeling coiling in his gut. It was something important, he knew. Something he should do. Somewhere he should go. Someone he still missed. But whatever it was, there was a thick fog clouding his mind that he could not see through. 

"You failed me," Yennefer answered, rising from her last resting-place. With each movement her broken bones popped back into place. But there was nothing to be done about her torn-up chest; nothing to be done about her empty eyes, picked clean by the crows long ago, full of accusations.

"And me," Eskel agreed, blood trickling from the gashes on his face. And his legs. And his arms. And his guts. There was not much to trickle left.

"And me," said Lambert's head where it lay inches from his torso. Two swords protruded from his body, one silver and one steel. They had stripped him naked save for the medallion around his neck, a snarling cat where there should have been a wolf.

"You failed all of us," Vesemir rasped, lying limp on his deathbed. After months of sickness and starvation, he could count every bone on his body. But it was the garrotte that had been his end.

"Who did this?" he gasped.

"You did," they answered in unison.

"Me?"

A shadow giggled and caressed his cheek. "Of course, you," a velvety voice answered. "It’s what you do. Butcher. Hunter. Priest. You brought war to my peace."

He groaned quietly, desperate to lean into the touch. When he did, he nearly toppled over. He caught himself inches from the ground. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. "Who are you?"

"Who am I? That answer's not yet due," the strange voice answered; wisps of fog danced, curled together, formed what might have been a body. "The real query is: who are you?"

"I-" He inhaled sharply as realisation hit him. "I'm- missing someone."

"Missing someone, are we?" The shadow giggled. "Pray tell, who might that be?"

He did not want to answer. He didn't. Still, he said: "Where's- Jaskier!" Fear closed its icy fist around his heart. True fear, that was paralyzing, numbing, horrible. He wanted to do something, wanted to��� he didn’t know. His hands were shaking too much.  

"Geralt!" a bard’s piercing scream ripped through the eerie silence.

The sinister giggle rang again; a wisp of fog caressed his shoulder. Suddenly, there was light. So much light, it was overwhelming after the all-encompassing darkness of the fog. He screamed in pain, trying to avert his gaze, trying to flee— but he couldn’t. 

"There you are," a smile spread on what might’ve been the creature’s face as they bent down, their mouth dragging across the shell of his ear, "Geralt."

[artificialqueens]

Chase the Shadows Away (Taywhora) - Juno

Summary: It’s April 2020, the UK is in lockdown, and Tayce gets a hand-delivered letter from her neighbour Aurora which may change her life.

A/N: So this is set during lockdown and does mention covid, so please bear this in mind when reading if this will be a worry, but otherwise I hope you enjoy. CWs in place for alcohol, mental health mentions, and non-adherence to lockdown rules at one point. 

Otherwise it’s quite fluffy with some h/c. I hope you enjoy.

The first letter Tayce got was in early April.

She hadn’t had much post since the whole country had been locked down, no one allowed to move outside their front doors for more than once a day for threat of fines and penalties and even getting sick. Most of the letters she was getting this week had been birthday cards for her absent housemate. She’d put the various brightly-coloured cards and Amazon boxes in a pile outside Viv’s bedroom door, and gave the pile the middle finger every time she walked past it.

But today there was a plain, white envelope, with “Hi” written on it in glittery red pen, and when Tayce opened it, she found a piece of notebook paper that had been folded at least four times, and Tayce nearly threw it across the room with the effort it was taking to open.

This had better be worth it.

When she got it unfolded, she read the three lines in the same glitter pen, then again, and once more just in case.

‘Hi, I’m Aurora. I’m on my own in my flat 7D because my housemate moved home because of lockdown, and you seem to be alone too. Want to write to each other? X’

And Tayce couldn’t hold back the rush of emotion, as much as she tried - but she was alone, and she took comfort knowing only these four walls would see tears stream down her face.

——

Tayce was on her own in the flat.

In the day time she opened her work laptop, thanking god she was allowed to work from home; throwing a hoodie over her pyjama top just in time for the 9am meeting where her boss grinned at everyone and told them all to keep swimming and chin up and whatever other self-indulgent bullshit she had read in her How To Motivate Your Teammanual in the chapter about Managing Pandemics. 

Tayce was still surprised at how much bullshit her workmates seemed to swallow; all of them with the same broad smiles and straightened hair and shaved chins and eyeliner, for fuck’s sake - but Tayce copied them, knowing that not painting her own smile and her own eyebrows on was damning herself for the inevitable call and the simpering It’s Good To Talk conversation, followed by u k hun xx to be flashing repeatedly in the work WhatsApp group from all the team.

In the evenings, the only noise was the clink of the glass bottle against the wine glass. One glass was enough to make her a little sleepy, two was enough to make her dance, and three was enough to make her post something cryptic on her insta story and see if anyone DMed her. 

Sometimes they did. 

Joe liked to crack a few morbid jokes about how it was the apocalypse and we were all going to be dead by 2021, which didn’t help Tayce in the slightest. Ginny would message “You alright, bab?” at three in the morning, but never reply to any other message. Tia would send Tayce a picture of the banana bread she’d baked as if that would cheer Tayce up.

And Cherry sent her a message one time, telling her to look after her mental health, and then Tayce felt bad because Cherry worked for the NHS and only seemed to work and sleep right now, her insta photos showing her looking more and more gaunt, with #ClapForHeroes and #ProtectTheNHS appearing at the bottom of all her posts.

Nothing curbed the gaping black hole in Tayce’s chest, sucking everything that was good from her body and leaving her a shell.

Until the letter arrived.

——

Two days after she’d posted her own letter back to 7D, another letter arrived, in the same glittery red pen, this time addressed to her, with Tayce written on the front of the envelope this time.

‘Hi Tayce (sp?) nice to meet you, don’t worry I don’t know what to say either! Where in Wales are you from? I’m from Nottingham but I came to London for uni and didn’t leave! Are you still working rn? I got furloughed which is a bit shit. And my housemate is staying with her boyfriend so she can’t move back. Have you been clapping for the NHS? Someone on my floor was banging a pan or something!! Hope your ok? WB Aurora xx’

“I’m making a new friend,” Tayce had said to her mum on the phone later that night.

“In lockdown?”

“She’s delivering me letters.”

“How?”

“By hand, mum.” Tayce forced a laugh. “You know. Through the letterbox like a normal letter.”

“I hope you’re washing your hands before and after you open them, are you?”

“Yeah, of course,” Tayce grimaced as she said it.

“Good. Stay safe. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

One of these days, Tayce thought as she disconnected the call, she might be able to say it without her voice breaking.

——

By mid-April, a full month since lockdown had started and two weeks after the first letters between them, Aurora had given Tayce her instagram handle, and Tayce had given hers in return. Tayce found herself spending all of her Good Friday skimming down the page on moreauroramore, looking through all of her new pen pal’s photos and trying desperately not to look like an idiot by accidentally double-tapping any that were obviously over a year old.

Tayce had pictured Aurora in her mind as being over-excitable, short, with dark hair and lots of dusty pinks and baby blues and other pastel colours as her aesthetic, maybe with pot plants and cat pictures and cutesy little slogans surrounded by hearts. Instead she’d found a smolderingly attractive woman with a ridiculously versatile and sophisticated sense of fashion; one photo in a rococo-inspired summer dress, and the next in a cerulean blazer, matching trousers, and stilettos. Her hair was platinum-blonde, but it was hard to tell her eye colour as she seemed to own a never-ending plethora of colour contacts; and the eyebrow ring in the early pictures was replaced by a silver septum ring in later ones. 

Her own insta looked quite plain in comparison, Tayce thought to herself. The landscapes she liked to post were interesting to her but probably not to the magnificent person on Aurora’s insta. The last picture Tayce had taken was of herself with her brother and niece in red rugby shirts just before the Six Nations was on; the last selfie before the last time she’d gone home which was … only February, she realised. 

February felt like years ago.

When Tayce had awoken the next morning, she was greeted by the doorbell, and an Amazon driver sprinting away the moment she opened the door. A letter was on the doormat, in the familiar red glittery pen, and a single chocolate Easter egg. 

‘Happy Easter Tayce. Don’t know if you celebrate but lol thought you would like some chocolate anyway! Don’t eat it all at once. Aurora xx’

It made Tayce’s gut wrench with guilt that she hadn’t thought to get Aurora one.

But it made Tayce even more pained, once she had clicked onto her instagram, to see that moreauroramore had liked all thirteen of the pictures she’d posted this year.

——

The zoom call at the end of April with the others from her uni group, saw not just Cherry missing, but also Ellie and Veronica.

“Ellie’s moving this week,” Lawrence nodded at the screen, “but that was all she’d tell me. She didn’t say where. Or if she’s staying in Dundee or anything. I just know she’s still trying to get her internet set up and I think she’s a bit stuck.”

“What about Vee?” Ginny asked in a low voice.

They all recognised the somber tone. They’d all taken it up. A change in their voices that all of them recognised in a kind of collective telepathic awareness. A hush in the calls, as if someone were dying, or had just died. Whenever anyone was missing, it was always the same worry circling all of their minds: what if it’s covid what if it’s covid what if it’s -

Tia was shaking her head. “It’s not covid,” she said, reading the minds of everyone through the internet, but her voice was still solemn as she continued. “I spoke to her mum. She’s -“

“Say depressed, Tia, it’s fine.” Bimini spoke gently, but not all of them were as open as Bimini was. Especially when it came to Veronica, who was a brick wall when it came to showing what she was feeling.

“She’s - not in a good place.”

“Say mental health,” Bimini said, shaking their head. “It’s okay to not be okay.”

“I don’t think that’s gonna make her feel any better, Bim.” Tia rolled her eyes. 

“We’re all feeling this,” Pip nodded. “We all need to talk to each other.”

“Veronica won’t. Not yet. We just need to be there for her when she does. Anyway, who’s done anything interesting? Anyone else been trying banana bread? Everyone managed to find bogroll from somewhere now? No one is having the same problem that Joe had when she -“

“I don’t think we need to go any further with that one, love,” Joe muttered.

“I’ve made a pen friend.”

Everyone sat in stunned silence at Tayce’s sentence, mouths open like fish at feeding time.

“A pen friend? What is this, 1986?”

“Shut up, Ginny. I think that’s kind of cute, actually,” Tia mused, tilting her head to one side. 

Tayce nodded. “Something a bit different. She lives in my block of flats. Two floors up from me. Been nice, to talk to someone, ever since Viv buggered off to her boyfriend’s house. Seriously, as soon as Boris announced lockdown she was jumping in her car and off to Liverpool.”

“You said she was a bit flaky,” Tia said sympathetically. “What’s your new pen pal’s name?”

“Aurora.”

“A-what?” Ginny raised their eyebrows. “Can we just call her Rory?”

“No.”

“We should get her on a call with us when Veronica’s back. Ronni and Rory, sounds like Ant and Dec will have some stiff competition when they get wind of that.”

“Ginny -“ Tia began, but Tayce was trying to hold back a chuckle. 

——

‘Someone is talking about a street party on the 8th of May. Are you gonna go? I was gonna stay indoors but if you’re gonna go outside i will too xx’

Tayce knew she shouldn’t be thinking of meeting strangers outside her flat while the pandemic was ongoing, but she hadn’t seen a familiar human since March other than on a zoom call screen. 

‘Hi Aurora, yeah i will go outside for a little bit. Look forward to meeting you properly instead of over letters! Tayce’

And Tayce finally stopped hesitating, adding two kisses on the end for the first time.

The weather was meant to be lush for a May bank holiday, as Tayce knew because her colleagues wouldn’t shut up about it. Almost eight weeks of lockdown were beginning to show the cracks in all their faces - no more eyeliner, and even Linda in Accounts had stopped posting boomerang videos of her kids doing Joe Wicks workouts while she waved her arms behind them. 

So Tayce was over the moon when Friday rolled around and she could slam the Dismiss button on her phone alarm, turn over and sleep in until noon. Once she woke up though, she sat up with a jolt in her bed and realised she’d have to get ready; somehow it was important that she looked right today. 

It was a power play, she knew it. An armour. But there was just something about clothes that made her mood turn in an instant. Her favourite leather jacket was probably a bit too heavy for the warm sunshine - warm sunshine? In May? - so she opted for the black denim instead and a skirt that hugged her slender figure, leaving her hair loose and wishing she’d gone for a trim before the lockdown. Maybe she should take her scissors to it? 

She held the only scissors she had to hand - a pair of craft scissors - and wondered what her hairdresser mum would say if she knew that her daughter had taken non-styling scissors to the 30-inches of hair that she had. 

No - better not. Her mum could give her a go over once the lockdown period had ended.

Someone was playing tunes on a speaker already when Tayce came down the stairs, dragging the garden chair Viv had left behind and brushing the digestive crumbs off it. One of the neighbours she recognised from her floor handed her an ice-cold can of Fosters which she sipped, not really enjoying the taste but relishing the freedom of it all. She knew to keep two metres from everyone, and she knew Cherry would absolutely murder her if she disobeyed that rule.

As soon as Aurora came into view from the block of flats, Tayce knew that keeping to the two metre rule would prove a little harder than she had first thought.

Aurora’s insta pictures showed a fashion model trapped in a little box on a screen, striving to get out - but in the flesh, she looked as if she had just rolled out of the living room after a Tiger King marathon. The grey jogging bottoms paired with the crop top and zip-up hoodie were probably too warm for today - 23 degrees, the radio kept repeating - but she made them look so effortless and stylish that Tayce suddenly wanted to buy some. Her platinum hair was piled in a messy bun, dark brown roots showing but the lackadaisical nature made it seem like Aurora meant it that way.

On her insta page, Aurora was way out of Tayce’s league; but here in life, she seemed a lot more accessible, a lot calmer, a lot more real. 

Maybe it’s armour for her too. All this perfection in the photos. God. Why did I wear this?

She dropped her own deck chair down a reasonable distance from Tayce, taking another can of Fosters from the same neighbour and cracking it open. She took a swig, wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, and waved.

“Hi, Tayce. Here we are, then!”

“Yeah,” was the only thing Tayce could think of in response. Really cool. Very clever.

But Aurora was talking animatedly about how much she’d missed the sun, as she pulled a pair of sunglasses from her pocket and leaned back against the deck chair, claiming “Tesco are having them on sale - two for £12, so I got two - what else am I gonna do on furlough other than sunbathe!”

And the more the Fosters flowed - their neighbour’s 24-pack almost completely gone before 5pm, he seemingly wanting to give a can to the whole block - the more Aurora opened up her life history to Tayce. 

How much she wished she was still in Worksop and could go on the long walks into the forest. How she’d give anything to hug her mum, a care-worker, and how she FaceTimed her shielding grandad every Sunday at 6.30 just after he finished his tea. 

But most of all, how lonely it was every single night being alone in a flat in a huge city. Aurora dabbed her watery eyes with her thumbs as she described how much she loved everything that London had to offer when it was full of people, not dead to the world like it was now - and in this hollow place that lockdown was, she’d discovered that a city - any city, however exciting - was just a built-up area if you had no one to share it with. 

Tayce hadn’t expected to cry. She’d cried maybe once or twice this whole time in lockdown, still too numb to have taken everything in that was happening. But the moment she’d opened her mouth, suddenly the Fosters had started talking for her too, and she was spilling out her worries onto the pavement below them as Aurora rubbed her back. 

How her mum was furloughed from the hairdresser and her dad was always out in the lorry up and down the country. Her brother and sister-in-law, and her niece, were all still fine in Newport, but Tayce had missed her niece’s birthday, having to settle for blowing her a kiss down FaceTime and promising her through gritted teeth and cold fear that she’d give her the biggest cwtch ever as soon as this was over.

But now Tayce was in tears again, this time on Aurora’s shoulder, releasing her sorrows onto this woman who she had only exchanged written words with; now seeing her true soul laid bare in emotions that just refused to stop once she started. Aurora’s gentle hands ghosted through her hair, but then gripped Tayce tightly to her chest, planting a long, tender kiss on her hairline. 

How had this happened? How had social distancing become this? Two people, thinking they were islands, clinging to one another for dear life?

Tayce held her for too long.

Aurora’s hands froze as she realised what she had done at the same moment Tayce had.

Cherry is gonna kill me.

Aurora walked with Tayce back to her flat as the sun was setting. It was nine in the evening, the heat finally starting to break, and both of them were aching and tired, spent from their tears. Aurora gave Tayce’s hand a gentle squeeze but said nothing else, her eyes red underneath her sunglasses, and Tayce had felt herself harden once again, turning the key in the door and closing the outside world back to where it should be.

——

After two weeks had passed, both of them not developing any symptoms after their contact, Tayce had an idea. 

She put the letter through the letterbox in 7D at midday when she broke for lunch, and had a reply by half past one, a new record for Aurora.

‘Tayce, I’d love to form a support bubble with you. I thought you would have one already thats why i didn’t ask! Want to put on a film tonight and just chill? Bubble bud? Aurora xx’

So Tayce saw inside Aurora’s flat for the first time that same evening. After work, she practically sprinted up the stairs, thankful to get away from more of u k hun xx and her still-simpering colleagues.

It was very clean, as if it had only just been cleaned that day - freshly-washed surfaces, hoovered carpets, a sparkling bathroom - and Tayce marvelled at how tidy and orderly things were, a stark contrast from her own living space which had evolved into a nest of mess by now. Aurora’s living room and kitchen space were one area, with a mismatched sofa and chair facing the tv screen, hooking up a PS4 - Tayce hadn’t counted Aurora as a Dishonoured player either. The wall opposite the window was filled with small pictures of past fashion models - Kate Moss, Agyness Deyn, Cara Delevigne - all with matte black frames which had obviously been painted in lockdown, as one was on the coffee table drying over a copy of Hello magazine.

“My housemate’s not coming back, I can see it happening now,” Aurora shrugged, “so why not make the house the way I like it while I look for someone else to live with?”

Aurora poured Tayce a huge glass of wine, and that was followed by another; while she topped up her own glass liberally and kept shifting on the sofa as if trying to get comfortable. Tayce, for her part, took the chair instead, while Aurora tapped on the PlayStation controller to try to get Netflix up. The more she drank, the more cumbersome the controller seemed to become in her hands, until Tayce leaned over and took it away from her, Aurora’s fingers lingering a little too long on it before relinquishing.

When Aurora got up, meaning to pour them both a fourth glass of wine, she slipped on something and tumbled into Tayce’s lap in the chair, tittering something that sounded like “god I’m clumsy” through the giggles that came from her, unable to stop. Tayce slapped her on the back as she started coughing, but as that died down, Aurora straightened up, picking up Tayce’s hand in hers and drawing her up and away to join her on the sofa.

Lockdown had been so fucking lonely.

Aurora’s hand in hers was all Tayce needed to dissolve every wall she was still rebuilding from May Bank Holiday.

Aurora’s eyes were on her, she knew; through her peripheral vision as she tried desperately to cling to her focus on whatever episode of Tiger King this was.

When Tayce finally met her gaze, she averted it, turning her face to the window opposite them. Almost … playfully.

So Tayce looked back at the TV screen, but Aurora’s hand squeezed at hers, thumb in her palm pressing right in the centre, the pressure somehow travelling all the way to her gut. Tayce turned back to her, and this time Aurora did not look away.

“God, you’re gorgeous.”

Aurora looked at her through her eyelashes, lips parted in a smirk, curiously searching Tayce with her gaze as if wondering what her next move would be.

Tayce blinked incredulously. “Me? Like this? What do you mean, I’m gorgeous? Have you seen yourself?”

“And that accent, oh my days -“

“Go to Newport, we all sound like this.”

But the wine was hitting hard now and oh god lockdown is so fucking lonely and Tayce’s feet on the floor suddenly felt unsteady and Aurora was so fucking close to her on the sofa -

——

Once the hangover was gone, the memory of rest of the night felt like a dream, or maybe a nightmare. Tayce wasn’t entirely sure when she’d gone back to her flat, but she had, long before night had fully fallen and long after she was sure the burgeoning friendship she was finally making with someone lay in tatters two floors up from her.

The wine had washed away the strength she’d had, leaving her raw and vulnerable, and all the affection that had been growing since Aurora had first held her bubbled and burst into life. And Aurora must have felt the same magnetic pull, drawing them together across the sofa, nail marks still present in Tayce’s back that she could see in the mirror, a bruise forming on Tayce’s collarbone as Aurora had dipped a little lower. 

It had been Tayce who had halted it - not because she hadn’t wanted to, but because she couldn’t decipher how much of this was affection and how much of this was just two lonely people, starved of company, starved of normality, seeking and clinging to it in any form.

And now it was the following day, and Tayce still didn’t know.

The group call at the end of the day was interesting. She stretched over the back of the sofa in her living room to grab her water, and that must have been enough to flash a sliver of skin. 

“What’s that?” Lawrence asked loudly, prompting everyone else to go quiet. “Tayce? What’s that on your chest, hmm?”

“I didn’t see anything.”

“You’re not wearing your glasses, Ginny, you can’t see shit. What’s that on your chest? Why d’you have a bruise there?”

“Hi!” Ellie’s voice as she joined the call unexpectedly saved Tayce any further embarrassment; everyone shrieked when she came on, having missed the last two zoom calls following her move. “Thank God my internet is working now, I’ve missed all your faces!”

Tayce silently thanked Ellie’s timing and contentedly listened to the rest of them as they chatted about everything and nothing that they’d all missed. All of them were there; even Cherry showed up about twenty minutes in to wave at them and blow them kisses, her face even more pallid than before; before ducking back out to go to bed. 

Only Veronica was still missing.

“She’s been messaging me,” Tia explained, “and she said she’s feeling a bit better, but since she got furloughed, she’s feeling like there’s no point getting out of bed or getting ready because there’s nowhere to go.”

“Send her some love,” Tayce said, but Tia snorted.

“You send her it! She’s gonna feel better if she knows we all miss her.”

It was true though, Tayce realised after they all disconnected. They all seemed to be drifting apart, no more energy to continue with these online gatherings, even though there were so many virtual meetup groups and apps that there almost seemed to be no excuse now.

She looked back through her phone messages. She hadn’t messaged Veronica since early April, taking her silence as a sign that she wanted to be left alone; but what if it wasn’t? Veronica was a closed fist, everyone knew that. And Tayce’s brother? Again, early April, and a quick call the week after for her niece’s birthday. 

Lockdown, and self-isolation, seemed to be one and the same. 

So Tayce spent the rest of the afternoon sending messages to everyone she had neglected since then. Maybe they would reply, and maybe they wouldn’t - but there was no harm in reaching out, no negative consequences. 

By the end of the day, she was fielding messages back and forth from everyone she thought she’d lost through lockdown, the grey cloud over her head starting to lift, the fuzzy feeling disappearing and clarity settling in. She felt light, lighter than she had in weeks; and warm as the summery days they were getting in this late-May spring.

Towards the end of the day, she got a message back from Veronica at last.

Veronica: I’m doing ok. I got up and went for a walk today just to the park and back. It’s really nice although my hay fever sucks. Thanks for checking in on me i appreciate it x  Veronica: Oh also Tia said you had a hickey on the group call haha tell me what her name is x

Tayce was surprised to realise she was grinning at the phone as she read Veronica’s message, her fingers stroking the mark on her collarbone as if to savour the vivid image that it sparked in her head.

——

It was three days after their drunken kiss on the sofa that Tayce had another letter through the door. The same red glittery pen, the same scrawl, but the writing a little smaller as if Aurora wanted to diminish herself.

‘Hi Tayce. I’m really sorry if i came on too strong this week. Can we go back to friends? Want to hang out tonight, bubble bud? Aurora xx’

Tayce swallowed down the part of her that immediately rose up and cried that she … didn’t want to just be friends. 

Then it hit her.

God. I only met this girl properly this month. What’s wrong with me?

But she replied and immediately started clearing the house. 

She put the pile of Viv’s birthday cards and presents from the hallway floor into a cupboard under the sink, giving it the middle finger again; put the six-weeks worth of laundry on to wash; cleaned all the dishes; and dragged the hoover out of the tiny airing cupboard and got to work on the carpets. The hard floors she swept, and carried the bin bags out to the communal bins, all before midday.

“Who needs Joe Wicks workouts?” She muttered to herself, panting, as she tugged some marigolds over her hands to sort out the rest of the kitchen. 

By the time it was six, and time for Aurora to arrive, Tayce thought the house looked much better, and honestly, she felt much better too. The little spring clean she’d given the place had cleared a little clutter from her head as well. 

It’s nothing to worry about. She’d just coming over for food and -

Tayce grimaced as she realised she hadn’t thought of what to do for food. She thought back to the beans on toast she’d had at four and kicked herself for not thinking of that. Dominos was still delivering, so she brought up the app and busied herself looking through the list of pizzas.

Aurora hadn’t arrived by ten past six, and Tayce started to worry.

Maybe she’s changed her mind.

But Tayce refused to let that thought take any root. She looked at the clock, which of course seemed to slow down from having eyes on it, and firmly told herself that she would message Aurora at quarter past if she wasn’t here before.

With a minute to spare, Aurora turned up, grinning merrily and waving the bottle of rose in Tayce’s face.

“Hey bubble bud! Sorry I’m late, well I’m always late, sorry in advance if you expect me on time for anything!” Aurora took a step inside and her jaw dropped. “Wow, your place is well nice!”

“Thanks,” Tayce grinned, although she wasn’t sure what Aurora was looking at. Tayce wasn’t allowed anything on the walls from what her landlord said, but Aurora wouldn’t stay still - checking out the titles of the handful of CDs Tayce had brought down to London with her; scanning a nail along the books on the shelf above the TV.

“It’s nice to hold a book sometimes,” Tayce shrugged, “rather than just read it on the kindle app.”

When Aurora got to the kitchen, Tayce cringed. She’d have to confess.

“I haven’t got in anything to eat. Only - only some bread.”

“And pot noodles,” Aurora added, opening a cupboard and helping herself to the contents as if she’d lived here her whole life.

“And pot - oh, are you thinking, maybe …”

“No way!” Aurora slammed the cupboard door and grabbed her keys again. “Be right back!”

Ten minutes later and Tayce was at the hob over the oven with Aurora, dicing onions while she cut up a red pepper, mince that Aurora had grabbed from her own fridge was out and ready to go in too.

“I needed to use that up anyway,” she shrugged. “Please tell me you don’t just eat bread and pot noodles, Tayce, please. I need to give you a cooking crash course if you do! Didn’t you learn to cook at uni? Or didn’t you do much cooking before you went? Oh my days - no fry the onion off first, with the garlic - I’ll chop the mushrooms, Jesus Christ pot noodles …”

“I know how to cook, give me some credit!” Tayce murmured, but she couldn’t stop smiling. “I just haven’t been to the shop yet, it’s been a long week.”

Aurora closed her eyes and hummed in appreciation. “Just keep talking to me, please.”

“What about?”

“Anything! Your life, your family - I don’t know, house prices, I don’t care - but that accent, ugh -“ Aurora shivered.

“Yours is cute, too,” Tayce smirked.

Aurora looked at her reproachfully. “You’re lying.”

“Yeah, I am.”

It was no use. The air was full of electricity, static around them, and before Tayce knew what was happening, suddenly they were kissing again, this time stone-cold sober, while the onions burned shadows into the bottom of the pan.

——

Viv gave her notice on the flat at the start of June. 

“I just can’t afford to live here anymore,” she explained, sighing, when she got back and started to pack up everything in her room. “I’m gonna see if I can get some work back home.”

Tayce was numb, although she knew Viv didn’t mean it personally. It wasn’t her fault that she’d been made redundant straight after the lockdown ended, and it made sense that she wanted to be near her family. It was now four months since Tayce had seen hers, and she missed them every day, although she had been sticking religiously to her new routine of calling her parents every Saturday night and her brother’s family every Sunday afternoon. 

“I’m sorry that’s putting you in a tight spot, Tayce,” Viv muttered, hugging her, and Tayce hugged her back.

“Can’t be helped,” Tayce replied, which was all she could think to respond with that wasn’t an inarticulate growl in frustration.

Viv was adamant she would pay her final month’s rent, and pay her half the utilities even though she wasn’t there. But she had to go home.

“How was your move?” Tayce asked Ellie on the next group call on zoom.

“Shite,” Ellie replied, “but partly because we struggled finding someone to move us. There’s plenty of places around, plenty of places to rent and stuff, because everyone’s moved back to where they came from.”

“You’ll find somewhere else to live, bab,” Ginny murmured in a soothing voice to Tayce, stroking the side of the laptop screen as she liked to do to show affection now that she couldn’t hug anyone. 

“I know,” Tayce sighed. “It’s just a pain in the arse.”

She wasted no time. One of the spare room websites was always open in the background, and she was refreshing, looking maybe a little further out from central London to see if anywhere was cheaper, but nowhere was.

Then she spotted the dot in her own block of flats, and clicked the advert.

That’s - that’s Aurora’s flat.

Now she remembered. Aurora had mentioned something about her housemate moving out! It must now be official. 

She read through the advert - how was it £50 cheaper than what she was already paying? - and looked at the contact name for the housemate, and there it was in black and white pixels: Aurora Martin, use form below.

Grabbing a piece of notebook paper - one of the last bits left, she’d been ripping them all out to write to Aurora - she penned a letter, one of what might well be the last ones, and jogged upstairs to post it through her letterbox.

The response came back to her in less than an hour, a new record for Aurora.

‘Tayce! I’d love it if you wanted to move in here! OMG. My landlord will want references from yours, but if you can get them quick then he can approve you really fast, he’s working from home. OMG you made my day. Come up at 7pm xx’

“Work contacted me today too,” Aurora beamed as she settled with Tayce on the sofa. “They want me to start back next week! Can’t wait. Need to get that coin again now! I mean, I’m dead grateful, you know, that I still have my job and I was on furlough so the government paid most of my wages, but it will be nice to have the full package again!”

“What is it you do again?” Tayce asked.

“Oh - I work as a fashion buyer. But because fashion’s kind of stopped right now, most of the designers are shut. Reopening now, especially the ones in mainland Europe! Can’t wait to be on the phone to them all again.”

“Wait. You speak to designers in other countries?”

Aurora nodded. “I speak French and Spanish.”

“You -“ Tayce was dazed. “I didn’t know that!”

“Well why would you? I mean you’ve only known me a couple of months!” Aurora laughed, and leaned back closer to Tayce, her perfume overwhelmingly sweet in the air. “You’re not gonna know everything about me yet, bubble bud.”

“No,” Tayce purred, “but I can’t wait to find out.”

——

By the Monday after the move, early July, Tayce was all set up to go. She’d moved the bed into the corner as she liked it, arranged her books into a rainbow as she liked them, and unfurled the posters she’d been unable to hang in her last flat, mostly punk bands that she liked, Bimini’s band’s poster, and the noticeboard with all the tickets tacked to it of all the gigs she’d been to. The vanity with the mirror that she’d brought from home fitted perfectly next to the window so she could do her makeup with natural light; and it was large enough for her work setup, which was where she was now.

The flat layout was almost identical to the one she’d just left, and the room was the same one - Aurora having the slightly bigger room - but it felt a lot more comforting, knowing she wasn’t alone here any more, knowing she had a little more freedom in decorations, and knowing that the hollow feeling in her chest was starting to slow down for good.

She turned off her work laptop at five as normal, which was when Aurora came in. Tayce pulled her in, giving her a peck on the lips. 

“They’re gonna love you, I promise.”

Aurora just made a moan in the back of her throat and put her face in her hands, shrinking away from the vanity.

Tayce turned on her personal laptop, logging into zoom and connecting to the group chat. Her monthly uni call was set to half four today for some reason, and everyone else was already all there.

“Tayce! We wondered where you’d got to!”

It was Veronica’s voice, and Veronica’s face was in the top left. She still looked a little tired, and the shirt she was wearing looked suspiciously like a pyjama top, but she was here with them all, and this was a big step for her.

Tayce beamed at her. “So good to see you!”

“The move went alright then, bab?” Ginny asked.

Tayce nodded. “And there’s someone you should meet.” She pulled Aurora into frame, who still looked uncharacteristically shy for a moment before waving at the people on the screen. “This is Aurora.”

“Aurora!” Tia squeaked. “Like the princess!”

Aurora rolled her eyes. “Yes.”

“So we’ve got Rory and Ronni here together at last!” Lawrence exclaimed, while Veronica gave the camera two fingers.

But Tayce just grinned at her friends on the screen, far apart but together in this strange way. Aurora’s nails dug into her shoulder, still a little nervous, but even that was fading as she got more comfortable. 

Aurora had been right - the city was just a lot of bricks in intricate patterns without someone in it that made it a home. 

And this just might be becoming one.

[minyoonmeme]

Normalcy of the Pretty Posse

Chapter 1 

Word Count: 2494

Pairing: reader x ?????

Genre: like 90% fluff, 10% stupid jokes and bad humor

Description: Stupid Jeongguk and his cute sweaters and pretty posse of hyungs. 

(Disclaimer: This will probably have some typos. I started writing this instead of doing some Statistics homework and spent so long on it that I have zero time to edit. Sorry~)

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masterlist

There was no game plan. There never really had been, at least not for me. Making it past 16 was something I had never foreseen, never imagined I could do. And now, here I am, alone in a country in a university far from home with no idea how life is supposed to go. Okay, maybe I’m being pessimistic because I’m not completely alone. I have friends if you count the two idiots who don’t let me drown in takeout boxes on weekends. They’re wonderful, they really are, I promise. 

Yoonjin is the sweetest person I’ve ever met no matter how much I want to strangle her into putting herself first. She’s the one who calls me about anything and everything. Don’t tell her that I secretly love that she calls me first when something happens. Chaebin is my right hand gal. My broski. My homegirl. My uh… well she’s great honestly. She’s all bark and no bite with the strongest affiliation for cute things, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. These two are pretty much my whole life other than the impending doom of my failing future that I have chosen to personally personify. Makes it less scary if it's punchable, honestly. 

“Are you gonna actually do your work or are you gonna stare at your coffee all day?

Rolling my head to the side, I eye Chaebin with the blankest face I can muster. 

“I didn’t ask to be criticized when I asked you to come to the library with me.” 

“No, but you did ask me to make sure you finish your paper in time for practice tonight. Yoonjin will cry if you let her go by herself again.” I groan, throwing my head against the cushion of the booth’s chair. She’s right, I know she is. I’ve missed two weeks of dance workshops and Yoonjin, without missing a beat, after every workshop comes knocking on my door teary eyed and sputtering about how she was all alone and lost without me there. Food usually helps soften her up. 

“You think she’ll forgive me if I miss just one more week?” Chaebin twitches her eyebrow up as she side eyes me from her computer. I slump even further and push my laptop farther away in favor of laying my head down. “You’re right. She’ll probably accuse me of abandoning her and our friendship if I skip one more time.” 

“I’ve literally seen you pump out a 12 page research paper in 3 hours, just go dance or whatever tonight and stress yourself later.” 

“Anxiety and Red Bull are a toxic combo, but I’ll have you know that I got a 94 on that paper.” Smiling smugly, I turn my head to look at her. She’s not wearing her glasses today, so it’s hard to tell if she’s glaring at me or blind today. “If I bail, are you gonna be okay by yourself? I can swing by afterwards with Yoonjin, so you don’t have to walk home alone tonight.” 

Her glare softens as she shakes her head no before grabbing some eyedrops. Oh. So she is wearing her contacts. “No, I’ll be okay. I came packing.” Her right hand pats her bag before she smirks and continues searching through her syllabus. 

I eye her bag warily and half jokingly say, “Please, tell me you don’t have a gun.” 

Her face scrunches as she stares at me. “Are you stupid? Why would I have a gun? I meant I have my phone and a taser. Do I look like I know how to shoot a gun?” 

I shrug and start packing up my bag. My joints scream and pop from being stationary so long. “I am, do I look like I know how to shoot a gun? You never know Chae, I could be a highly skilled marksman just waiting to take someone out. I might not even be a real college student, just a really good undercover assassin.” 

Her nose twitches as she clicks open a few browsers. “You almost cried last night when you saw a stray cat ignore you. I highly doubt you’re killing anyone these days.” 

“Animals love me and that one hurt, don’t use my feelings against me. Don’t you remember when you cried because you thought I was ignoring you last year?” Her face dropped as she coughed into her shirt, trying to hide the red splotches. “I was literally sick for three days and you came to my apartment with food because you thought I hated you. What was it you said? Something about not being allowed to hate you if you fed me.” 

“We don’t talk about junior year, I was going through it.” Her voice was tight, but I could tell she was amused. “It’s almost 6 o’clock, you should text Yoonjin and tell her that you’re not abandoning her tonight.” She slides my bag towards me and lets me scoot past her out of the booth. 

“Yoonjin and I will be by later to walk you back to your apartment around 9:30. Sound good?” My legs wiggle as I try and get a feeling back into them from sitting so long. When I stand there longer than normal, her eyes flash up as she nods and waves her hand at me to leave. 

To: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

You wanna meet outside the commons tonight or walk over together?

From: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

WAHH 

YOU”RE COMMING? No more awkwardly standing in the back by myself!?!?!? :)))))))

[crying egg dog.pdf]

let’s meet in the the commons

To: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

7? By the double doors upstairs?

From: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

No, no, no my friend come ASAP. We have much to discuss.

To: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

Uh okay???? See you in like 10 minutes I guess??? 

From: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

See you! <3

_______________________________________________________________________

“You actually did come.” Yoonjin’s hand reaches out and pinches my arm before she settles back against the wall. “I thought for sure your text was all some weird daydream I had conjured up.”

“Chaebin convinced me that our friendship was on the line if I left you alone at another workshop for the third week in a row.” My bag landed on the ground as I slide down next to Yoonjin. Her hair, newly cut and dyed to a short choppy greyish purple bob, was still something I needed to get used to. Yoonjin had failed her midterm last week and as a result decided that her hair would rejuvenate her life and, thus, her will to study. I still don’t think she’s bought her textbooks for this semester yet, but that’s not my business. 

“As she should! It was your idea to start coming to these dance things, and you left me!” Despite her anger, she still turned her smoothie toward me as an offering. “I look like a loose limbed monkey in there. At least with you there, you explain the steps to me.” I choke on the smoothie a little bit, as she crosses her arms.

“Loose limbed monkey? Yoon, you look fine! These workshops are meant for people who don’t have dance experience. It was your idea to try dancing, I just found a place to do it” Her face contorts as she sips on her smoothie again, shaking it to mix it up and get some frustration out. 

“It wouldn’t be so bad if people like you or Jeong-fucking-guk didn’t kept coming. It’s not fair to suck and then have to watch you two just like magically do it.” Her head gets thrown back with a thud as she grunts. Immediately I laugh and rub the back of her head in oder to soothe the soon to be ache. 

“I can go if you want since you seem to not want me or Jeongguk here apparently.” Her eyes dart over to me in the most non threatening but threatening way possible for someone like her. “Okay, so I’ll stay. Make your mind up Yoonjin, I can’t keep playing these games with you.” I click my tongue against my teeth as she smacks my thigh closest to her. “You said something about Jeongguk coming right? Since when does he come out to these things? I thought he was a dance and choreography minor? Shouldn’t he be with the big dogs or something in like a real class dancing?” 

Yoonjin hums, offering me the rest of her smoothie. It’s a green looking health smoothie from a self proclaimed health bar down the street. It’s for sure my favorite, and definitely not her’s, so I take it and nudge her as a thanks. “That’s the thing, I didn’t even know he went to these things. Usually I just hang out with you and everyone else who hides in the back with me, but last week he came up to me and asked if you were still coming.” I raise my eyebrows in surprise and nod for her to continue. “I told him you’ve been busy and he kinda just nodded and shuffled away. He did tell me to tell you to take it easy though.” “Were you ever planning on telling me that a boy approached you about me?” 

“I'm telling you now and that’s all that matters. Besides, I thought you swore off men after the mishap freshman year with that one Tinder date.” 

Immediately my face heats up, and I grimace at the memory. “We don’t talk about that for a good reason, you brat.” If she’s mad I called her a brat, her smug smile doesn’t show it. I go to open my mouth and further yell at her for bringing up the traumatizing story when a pair of black heavy boots skids to a stop by my stretched out legs. 

Okay, so here's the thing about Jeon Jeongguk . He is terrifyingly good looking. So much so that looking at him hurts, like physically hurts. Jeon Jeongguk could punch me in the face and I would say thank you for the attention and bow before passing out. Okay, that’s perhaps way too far but he is attractive and built. God, is he built. And he’s not even an asshole about it! Most guys who exercise thrive on showing off their bodies and flaunting their muscles. Not Jeon Jeongguk , though., Nope! Jeongguk wears sweaters and button ups that make him resemble a Korean version of Mr. Rogers. All smiles and kind eyes with a heart of gold. Men like Jeongguk are the reason I have heart issues and top notch acting skills. 

“You’re back!” My eyes blink a few times at Jeongguk before I register that he's looking at and me actually speaking. When I don’t say anything Jeongguk fiddles with the sleeve of his shirt and looks at Yoonjin before letting out a cough. He speaks a little calmer now, more airy and rushed. “Yoonjin said you’ve been busy and I was worried you weren’t gonna come back ‘til next semester. Not that I worried about you or like not not worried about you, but uh…” He sputtered a little and lets out a small huff of air before ruffling his hair back. My lips pressed together as I swing from internally swooning over his cuteness to the attractiveness of him pushing his hair back. “It’s good so see you back. Hobi hyung, says it's good to have some experienced people in the class to encourage and help beginners.”

“Is that why you keep coming too?” 

Maybe he doesn’t expect my question or for me answer him at all, but he blinks a little too hard and shyly looks over my shoulder rather than my face. It’s cute and maybe it makes a smile break out on my face. Just maybe though. “Yes! Hobi-hyung asked me to help him since he can’t uh ya know help everyone at once.” He doesn’t sound too sure of himself, but I let it go seeing as this is our first comprehensible conversation. 

“That’s sweet of you to help your hyung for free. Does Hoseok-shi think I’m there to do the same? I feel a little bad missing the past two weeks if you’ve been doing it all by yourself.” I frown and pinch my eyebrows a little tighter, looking the direction of the doors. Should I apologize? Yoonjin beside me, I can tell, has grown more and more interested in our conversation as she undoubtedly is texting our group-chat with Chaebin about what's happening. She nudges me to focus when the conversation stalls a little. The nerve of her, I swear.

Jeongguk , getting redder and slightly more panicky, shakes his head no a little too roughly. His hair looks a little messed up, and I nearly squeal with the need to fix the adorable mess that he is right now. Outside, however, I just smile softly and encourage him to explain. “Hobi-hyung and I are okay, you’re just like an added bonus to class cause you know you obvious have some experience with your technic and seem to pick up the dances quickly.” It’s a little rushed, but I think I make out everything he’s saying.

“Are you trying to say I’m a good dancer Jeongguk ?” It’s meant to be lighthearted and playful, but Jeongguk physically widens his eyes and looks everywhere, but in my direction for a few seconds before he stops trying to voice anything out just nods. My hands clasp in my lap as a I suppress a smile and will the flush to disappear from my cheeks. “Thanks, you dance really well too. I can see why you’re studying dance.” 

Jeongguk whispers the faintest, “Thank you,” before shoving his thumb in the direction of the door indicating that he’s gonna help them set up for the workshop. I wave goodbye and watch as he does the same and dashes behind the door. Now that he’s gone, I can breathe a little easier. That was probably the weirdest experience I’ve had today, or this week for that matter. Pretty people don’t just go up to me and talk, let alone me of all people. And when I say pretty people, I mean pretty people like Jeongguk and his pretty posse of friends.  Jeongguk and his hyungs are just uncommonly so pretty and somehow together all the time. Even now Jeongguk is inside with Jung Hoseok, a graduate student who hosts the beginner dance workshops on Thursday. The fact that  Jeongguk even talked to me, or asked about me last is enough to twist my insides a little. Normal people talk to people all of the time, but  Jeongguk was not normal and his hyungs are not normal. I mean they are, but they project this ethereal aura that just intimidates everyone. So, why for the love of God was Jeon Jeongguk just talking to me?

“Are we gonna talk about what just happened or are you gonna keep staring at the door?”

“Shut up, I'm trying to process everything.”

[captainjanegay]

in the lane, snow is glistening | Stucky | Canon Divergent, Winter Fluff, Pre-War, but also Post Endgame | 2.3k words | Ao3

Summary:

Two times Steve and Bucky take a walk through the snowy park.

based on a one-line holiday prompt - "if you throw that snowball, you’re declaring war"

A/N: It’s funny you said you’re in the mood for some winter fluff cause this one is specifically for you. Thank you so much for the prompt, my love  @its-tortle​ ♥ The summary it's basically what the fic is about lmao You just need to add two dumb boys in love, loads of fluff and bickering and a good helping of emotions.

Also - my seventh fill for the @stuckybingo2020​ ♥

The Prospect Park looks beautiful covered in a thick layer of white fluff, sparkling in the morning sun. It only started snowing last afternoon but there's a good two inches of snow everywhere. The park is relatively empty. The hour is late enough for most people to be at work or whenever they need to be but also cold enough for most people to stay at home if they don’t need to be anywhere. Bucky has no idea why he and Steve are outside. It was probably one of Steve's stupid ideas that Bucky has agreed to because there are only a few things he is able to deny when it is Steve who does the asking.

So here they are. Strolling through the snowy, almost completely deserted park on a Wednesday morning. Both shaking slightly in their worn coats, too thin for such weather. Bucky curses himself in his mind. He shouldn’t have agreed to this. What if Steve catches another cold? Even a light one always completely wears him out, tying him to bed for days. At least he agreed to take Bucky's scarf in addition to his own. He didn't go down without a fight. It took almost half an hour of arguing before Steve finally gave up and took the scarf.

So what if Bucky is now trying not to shake too visibly. At least Steve is warm. Ish, considering the temperature, but it's still comforting.

"Steve, come on," Bucky sways to the right, nudging Steve lightly. "We should head back."

Steve nudges him back, pressing his arm into Bucky's for a bit too long. The alley is wide enough and yet they still walk with barely an inch of space between them.

"Just a minute," Steve looks up at him. "It's the first snow of the year, let's enjoy it without your nagging, shall we?"

Bucky rolls his eyes, annoyed. But he doesn't press any further. Damn Steve Rogers and his stupid ideas. And damn his stupid, beautiful blue eyes. Just one look into them and all of Bucky’s common sense flies out of the window.

“I wonder if you still will be such a punk if you get sick again,” Bucky mumbles. Still, instead of taking the left turn that’ll take them home, he goes right, to take another leap around the park. 

“Probably,” Steve grins.

His smile is as bright as the sun. Bucky feels warmer already, just looking at Steve’s happy face. Steve’s eyes are sparkling and he looks content and healthy and Bucky really hopes it’ll stay this way for the rest of the winter. Or forever, preferably. And maybe Steve’s right. The times they live in aren’t the easiest and it’s important to cherish all the little joys they’re able to find.

“I don’t know why I still put up with you. You’re horrible,” Bucky says. The way he looks at Steve says something entirely different, though.

“You’re horrible, too,” Steve points out. “So we’re even.”

A fond smile still in place, Bucky only rolls his eyes and quickens his pace, just a bit to get ahead of Steve in pretend annoyance. After just a few seconds he glances over his shoulder and sees that Steve is crouching down. At first Bucky thinks he’s just tying his shoe but he’s proven wrong soon enough.

“Oh no. Don’t you dare,” Bucky says as he turns around quickly. “If you throw that snowball, you’re declaring war.”

Steve cocks one of his eyebrows up as if Bucky just challenged him. Which Bucky didn’t, he’s not stupid enough to challenge Steven Grant Rogers. But that’s probably what Steve thinks has happened.

So — of course — before Bucky can say anything else, a snowball hits him right in the chest. After a second the hurriedly-made soft missiles are criss-crossing over the park alley. Steve’s not bad but he’s no match for Bucky and his perfect aim. In the last heroic and desperate measure, Steve runs across the alley with a fierce scream and tackles Bucky. Completely surprised by this sudden course of action, Bucky tumbles to the ground and a surprised laugh is knocked out of his chest as he falls.

Steve hovers over him. He has his arms braced on both sides of Bucky’s face. His bony knees are pressing gently into Bucky’s sides. 

Bucky looks up. He looks at the joyous sparkles in Steve's eyes, at the satisfied grin, the dishevelled hair and cheeks reddened by the cold and exertion. The midday sun is right behind him, making it look like there’s a bright halo surrounding him. He’s the most beautiful sight and for a moment Bucky feels like he can’t breathe. This is the sight he wants to store carefully in his memory and take to his grave when his time comes.

In a split second something around them changes. The world turns, a minute ticks by but the atmosphere changes from joyful to something heavier. Bucky’s perfectly aware of Steve’s gaze that flicks to his lips once, twice, before skipping back up to his eyes. It makes Bucky go crazy. There’s nothing that he wants more than to lean on his elbows and kiss the remnants of Steve’s cocky grin off his face. But he doesn’t. The cold ground under his body, the distant voices of the city make him regain control.

“We should—,” Bucky starts, his voice hoarse all of sudden. “There’s people— We should head back home, yeah?”

Steve lets out a small sigh but he nods shortly before scrambling to his feet. When he pulls Bucky back up, their fingers remain intertwined for a moment longer than necessary.

***

The Prospect Park looks beautiful, covered in a thick layer of white fluff, sparkling in the morning sun. It’s the middle of the winter but only recently it got cold enough for the snow to stick for longer, instead of melting the moment it hit the ground. Despite it being almost midday, there are many people hanging around the park. 

It was Steve’s idea to go outside and wander aimlessly through the city. His ideas of fun are a bit different than Bucky’s. If it was up to him, they’d stay in their warm flat and do things that didn’t require getting cold. But after all this time, he still has a hard time saying no to Steve.

Bucky is not a big fan of the cold these days. Sam always laughs that he’s just a big, mean cat that will hiss and scratch everyone who looks at him the wrong way. He calls him the Winter Panther and actually asked T’Challa to adopt him at one point. Sam is ridiculous sometimes. It’s not Bucky’s fault that he doesn’t like to be around people sometimes and that he really enjoys having his hair pet — but only by Steve and Nat. And maybe Clint. Or Sam, but he’s rarely willing to do that. And Bucky does tend to pick the warmest, sunniest part in any place he’s at.

After everything, Bucky just has a pretty bad associations with cold.

Today is fine, though. He doesn’t mind wandering arm in arm with Steve. Bucky’s safely tucked up in his long, warm coat and he has two scarves wrapped around his neck. When they left home he had only one but after walking for a while he confiscated Steve’s. The idiot had it hanging loosely around his neck anyway, didn’t even bother to wrap it once. It’s a miracle that his coat is buttoned up. This man has turned into a walking furnace after the serum. Bucky is convinced Steve’s leeching his warmth to fuel it.

"You want to head home, already?" Steve asks, looking at Bucky with a soft smile.

There's a tiny hint of concern in his eyes. It's easy to miss but after all those years and everything they've been through, there's almost nothing about Steve that gets by Bucky.

"I'll be fine," Bucky grumbles. They both know it's more on principle. "We can freeze my butt off for a bit longer, no problem."

Steve only rolls his eyes at Bucky, shoving him to the side but doesn't loosen his grip on Bucky's elbow.

"Ah, you're incredibly cheerful today, my love," Steve says, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"How could I not be? My partner always has such splendid ideas for our daily activities," Bucky answers, with an overly sweet smile.

"You're such a jerk," Steve laughs. 

After a moment, he extracts his hand from under Bucky's elbow and crouches. Assuming that he needs to tie his shoe, Bucky doesn't stop. When he looks over his shoulder a moment later, he audibly gasps and turns around.

"Fuck off, Steve! Don’t! If you throw that snowball, you're declaring war!"

As soon as those words escape his mouth, Bucky frowns. He looks to the side, trying to decipher that weird feeling of deja vu. A memory appears in his head. 

It's a memory from a life long gone, from a park much like this one, from a winter that ended ages ago.

"Bucky?" Steve asks, dropping the snowball and taking a step closer. "You're OK?"

"Yes, it's just—," Bucky hesitates and when he looks back up at Steve, he sees that the concern in his eyes is as clear as a day now. "I've just remembered something. An old memory," he clarifies and smiles fondly. "I believe it was about a snow fight I've had with some little punk in this park. I said the very same thing to him back then. It's not a very detailed memory. And who knows if it actually happened?"

The smile on Steve's face grows gradually with every word Bucky says.

"Oh, it did happen. I actually might know the punk you're talking about," Steve jokes. His hands come to rest at Bucky's waist as he continues. "I'm pretty sure it was him that persuaded you to take a walk and since you've always been lazy, you've had a lot of complaining to do before you agreed."

"Oh, of course. It's not like I tried to keep the little punk from dying of pneumonia or something," Bucky rolls his eyes but he's smiling.

Steve completely ignores his comment. "The two of you walked for a while, didn't talk much but enjoyed the day. At some point he made a snowball and you said the same thing you did a moment ago. It didn’t make an impression on him, though.”

"Because he was a little shit," Bucky smiles softly, pressing the palm of his hand to Steve's chest.

"Maybe," Steve says with a chuckle. "The snow fight took some time and even though you weren't kids anymore it was the most fun you had in awhile. And then he took you by surprise and did this."

Before Bucky properly registers Steve's words, his legs are swept from under him and he tumbles to the ground. Steve goes with him, an arm behind Bucky's back cushions his fall. If it wasn't for Steve Bucky’s habits, both the Winter Soldier and the army ones would already kick in. But Steve is and always has been a calming presence for him. His anchor. So the only thing Bucky feels right now is surprise and a bit of annoyance, probably. No sight of feeling unsafe so he is able to remain calm. 

Steve's face hovers over him, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

"He easily knocked you down. You stayed like this for a bit, just staring at each other," Steve's hand comes to brush against Bucky's cheek.

The look in Steve's eyes is both tender and heated and it makes Bucky forget all about the people around them, about the cold ground underneath him.

"He couldn't stop thinking about how badly he wanted to kiss you, right there and then. Just for a moment he wanted not to care about the people who could see you and how dangerous that could be. It would have taken so little effort to do so," Steve's voice is down to almost a whisper.

As if to prove a point, he leans down and presses a sweet, chaste kiss to Bucky's lips. Bucky smiles into it, feeling the tell-tale prickle of tears in his eyes.

"Who knows if he managed to do that after you'd gone back home."

"I think he might have," Bucky says quietly, swiping his thumb across Steve's jaw.

Steve's face is soft and filled with pure happiness. Bucky's heart feels like it's about to burst simply from looking at him, from all the emotions he tries to store inside. Steve’s beautiful blue eyes crinkle at the corners, his lips spread in a big smile. The December sun is shining high on the sky behind Steve, surrounding his body in a bright embrace. He's beautiful. Even after all those years, Bucky still thinks Steve is the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. Breathtaking. And when Bucky's time comes again, he knows that that is the memory he is going to take with him. 

Since the mere sight of Steve is enough to have saved him from desolation once already. 

"Come on, Buck," Steve says, getting to his feet. "Let's go home."

Feeling a bit hazy from the sudden tide of emotions, Bucky let's Steve pull him up. He leans forward, pressing another kiss to Steve's mouth. Even if no words are exchanged, they both know what the other thinks.

I’m yours and you’re mine and there’s nothing that could make me stop loving you.

After shaking the snow off of each other, they head back to the same part of Brooklyn where they used to live in the previous life they shared. 

Their fingers stay entwined the entire walk home.

.

Title: in the line snow is glistening Creator(s): niallhoranbitches Card number: 065 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27844513/ Square filled: A4 - New York Rating: Teen and Up Archive warnings: None Major tags: Canon Divergent, Winter Fluff, Pre-War, but also Post-Endgame Summary: Two times Steve and Bucky take a walk through the snowy park. based on a one-line holiday prompt - "if you throw that snowball, you’re declaring war" Word count: 2287

[thegeminisage]

this is not a post for other people to put on their blog last time i said that some idiot reblogged it anyway. don’t be fucking stupid

anyway THEEE ways in which i am going to mcmurder my aunt. my aunt is like. she’s developmentally disabled so she’s like a little kid in a lot of ways, and she can’t help that, but she can help the fact that she’s like a BRATTY little kid, the BRATTIEST kid that ever existed. and so recently she developed coldlike symptoms which she said were allergies from having cut the grass. except then she said she felt like she was dying and then the next day she said she felt fine again. and she kept saying she didn’t have covid and she didn’t need a covid test, and because all of my relatives are tr*mp people, even though she’s not really able to understand politics she repeated what they’ve been saying, which is “if i go take that test they’ll MAKE me have it, they’ll say i have it even if i don’t,” and my mom and i weren’t even totally sure that she actually WAS sick at all, because a lot of times she likes to pretend to be sick when she isn’t (or sicker than she actually is) for attention, and she thinks ive gotten a lot of attention and “special treatment” recently because i have covid and we obviously Can’t have ANYONE, ESPECIALLY liz, getting more attention and special treatment than auntsname, because auntsname has to be the most specially treated person in the universe or that means nobody loves her

and so last night she called my mom sobbing into the phone saying she felt so bad, she was dying, she wanted her mother (who has been dead since 2010), her mother was the only person who could make her feel better now, and of course that activated both my mom’s grief and hysteria and sent her into a meltdown, and we finally got my aunt to agree to a covid test. and she went and took the test today - my mom had to drive her, and my aunt sat in the back so she could be on the side of the window, which meant she had to give herself the test. apparently she did every single thing possible she could to be difficult - they give you an alcohol wipe and tell you to put it aside for later, for cleaning the box, and not to let it touch your face, and she wrung it in her hands the whole time like a tissue. they told her to peel the packaging the swab came in and she peeled it all the way and just let the swab drop on the floor which forced them to give her a new one. she cried the whole time she stuck it up her nose because it huuuurt (it doesn’t hurt) and she couldn’t find the place to break and snap it off to fit in the vial so the people behind her had to wait and there was a huge line, the test took them more than 20 MINUTES to complete and it’s a fucking 5-minute ordeal

and then as soon as my mom dropped her back off at her house, she immediately asked for 1000 things to make her feel better. she wanted gatorade and ice cream and fried chicken and etc etc etc. like my mom doesn’t have enough to do without me around to take care of her. she wanted to know if my mom would take her dogs out for her 2-3 times a day if she wasn’t feeling good and started worrying about what would happen to them if she died and like. give me a FUCKING break??

first of all, you know who’s been taking OUR dog out while i had covid? me. my mom did it one time and he hurt her hand so i’ve been doing it ever since. HE’S NOT EVEN MY DOG. he’s my mom’s dog and i take care of him so she doesn’t have to. i cleaned my own cats’ litter tray. i’ve been making do with the groceries at home and telling my mom not to make special trips. i made half my own meals. hell, i did a load of DISHES. i’ve been telling my mom i really didn’t feel so bad even when i felt absolutely horrible. when i was trying to figure out what would happen if i kicked it i did not include my mom in that discussion because i didn’t want her to worry. i’ve been putting a brave face on it this WHOLE TIME because i didn’t want her to worry. i even did my mom’s groceries for the inventory at work like i usually do because it’s something i can do from the computer. i am about to get started on doing the schedule for her employees RIGHT AFTER I FINISH THIS POST. WHILE I HAVE COVID. to make her life easier!!! all of it was to be as little burden as possible even though i was the one with the plague! and then my aunt who only MIGHT have covid comes along and has to be THEEE hugest baby so she can be the BIGGEST burden and make my mom’s life as difficult as possible. she has absolutely succeeded in taking all the attention away from me because my mom has been super nice to me while i was sick and today she yelled at me for NO reason which means the ~special treatment~ i’ve been getting (not getting yelled at) is definitely over - you know who never gets yelled at by my mom? MY AUNT. she gets that special treatment 24/7 and she doesn’t even know it!!! 

and so now. my mom is telling me to check my temperature as often as i can. because she wants me out of quarantine as quickly as possible. and she says it’s because she’s worried about me and misses me and wants to know that i’m okay but it’s a big flip from “don’t rush it just take it easy” because. she wants me around. to help her take care of things again. because she can’t take care of work and the house and my aunt at the same time because my aunt is demanding 110% of her attention. so like i’m 36 hours fever-free which means i still have 36 more to go, but i’m already done being sick, not because i’m actually done being sick but because my aunt decided she was done letting other people matter. i HHHHHATE her and if covid doesn’t kill her i will. at least if i HAD died last week i wouldn’t be having to deal with her stupid bullshit AGAIN

[zuffer-weird-girl]

A bit of everthing in this new Chisaki Family au scenario of mine.

Misunderstanding

"MOM! GRANDPOP! UNCLE KURONO! ANYONE HELP! HE IS GOING TO KILL ME!"

The shouts of your son made you almost gag in your own tea as Pops look up at the door with one of his eyebrows arched up.

Your 15 years old son just barged in the room and closed the door shut before laying his back on it with heavy breaths.

"Oni-san?" Kin spoke, right besides Pops holding her own cup carefully.

"What's all that fuss and yelling about my soldier?" You asked while laying your cup down on the coffee table.

Your son, usual serious eyes just like his father, looked at you with wide and feared ones.

"I fucked up. I fucked up badly." He muttered before receivung a scold.

"Language young man, respect your little sister here." Pops said normally, patting her head "What happened my boy?"

"You two remembered that I am entering the high school right? And need to do exams for high schools."

You both nodded, unsure of what point exactly Kaito was trying to get.

"So.. speaking curt and short." He breathed in a sigh before freezing cold at the loud bagging. "Not. A. Sound." He mouthed to you three and you only shared a worried glance with Pops.

The bagging stopped and whoever was the person seemed to go away. But just when Kaito went to sigh in relief the door just exploded and from there, it came a VERY INFURIATED Chisaki Kai.

Fuming in rage, metal and bare hand curled up into fists as he sended one of the most terrifying glares of his to son.

"I'm screwed. It was a nice life, mom and grandpop, love you all, Kin don't forget to feed the cat and torment Irinaka for me." He said nonchalantly but still remained with his face of horror.

You got up in a instant and got in the middle of your son and husband hands on his toned chest that was rising and falling from his heavy breath.

"Kai calm down." You tried but his vision seemed completly darkned as he only growled in response.

"This brat. Just did the only thing. I always said to not to. And went againstnot only MY bit HIS OWN morals."

Pops got up as well, seing that the wrath of Kai wasn't going to vanish that soon.

"Chisaki, listen to your wife. He is still just a child." Kaito frowned at the elder's comment.

"He still have a brain and can think. But he still did it. Now he suffer the consequences for doing that just to anger me even more." He raised his hand to touch the floor before you gently grabbed his wrist.

"Kai. First of all, what did he do? You never got like this with him."

Kai furiously shoved his metal hand on his pocket grabbing a paper and showing for both you and Pops to see.

"Kaito... why?" You looked at your son, mentally slapping your own face as he still remained frozen in place as Pops only shooked his head.

"This time I agree with your father kid. He always let that clear, and even you share the same ideals about it just like him."

"I know but let me-"

"There's no excuse for this." Kai hissed as he showed the letter with more enfazis "Why. The actual hell. You subscribed to enter the high school of U.A Chisaki Kaito?"

Kai and Kaito had a argument just a few weeks ago, just before the day it had the date on the letter... and your older baby was going to high school now... but this was not only totally out of chatacter of your son but way too serious to be just a prank on his father.

"I..." he gagged, feeling way more nerbous than he ever felt on his life when one of the times his dad was mad at him.

"There is a difference between wanting to piss me off and making me angry Kaito. A very drastic difference." He growled darkly getting even closer to his son.

You told Pops to take Kin out of there as you were going to try to ease things down. Poor girl was with wide eyes at her father, especially at the state of anger he was.

"Explain. Or I might even do something way worse than you are thinking off."

"Ok. You want a explanation? Alright, just please stop looking like you're going to tear me apart." Your son begged monotonously as his father threw the paper at him with disgust.

Kaito sighed in relief before looking at both of you.

"There were some guys that always spoked bad about the yakusa. No matter how many times I scared them away or punched them to shut up, they would always talk behind my back."

You nodded as your husband's pacience was fading, especially when you noticed the boucing of his feet and the way his skin was appearing light hives.

"Spit it out." He spatted, not missing Kaito's flinch.

"Ok! ok! The main leader of these sick group is going to attend to U.A... so I planned on not only subscribing on my own choice of high school but also U.A to take his place and crush him on both exams to completely crash his dreams and make him lose the opportunity, then soon neglect the heroes offer."

You blinked in shock... this boy was getting more and more similiar with his father each day it passed and this was slightly concerning in some ways...

"This wasn't to piss you off dad I swear. I don't like the heroes... they are just looking for fame..." He holded the letter tightly on his hand, face crinched up in disgust as he stared down at his own feet "I just wanted that bastard Ohori to stop for once talking that we are villains or other atrocities of the Shie Hassaikai... I'm sick of it!" He threw the letter on the ground before squezzing his eyes shut to prevent any tears to fall from his (E/c) eyes.

You looked up at your husband, whose thank god had calmed down and only stared numbly at his son, arms crossed and eyes serious.

"Kaito.." you cooed, taking steps closer to your son before welcoming him in our arms, carresing his back as he trembled.

"This was all because you wanted revenge on the yakusa..." Chisaki stated quietly as he stared at his son, hidding his face on you as he still controlled his emotions.

"Kaito, attending to a high school that you clearly don't like is not the right thing even for yourself." You scratched his dark brow looks, noticing that Kai had picked up the letter from the floor.

"Your attitude was dumb, irresponsible and idiotic." You winced at your husband's venom, while he overhauled the letter and looked down at his son.

You let go of your teenager son, still with his gaze locked to the ground.

"That school not only is infested, but their exams xonsist on you to use your quirk, you could havs gotten wounded on that thing."

"But i know how to use my qui-"

"I didn't finished." He growled, glaring down at his son who winced at his tone of voice.

"Next time you use your brain brat, I know you have one. Me as your father, knows your own ideals about heroes, that are clearly not much different from mine, and I don't want my son to submit himself at such a thing." Kaito ckenched his jaw but still remained stuck, not glancing up at his father still.

He sighed before bringing his hand to pat his son head, carresing the familair dark brow looks, finally catching jis attention.

"But I am grateful to see that even after so many years, you still protect our honor Kaito. You have my gratitude for that son."

Kaito blinked up at his father before nodding with a monotonous hum, rubbing one tear away from his eye.

"You two I swear." You sighed catching both of your boys attention, the two of them arching one of their eyebrows up.

You laughed before bringing yoir son for a hug and kissing his temple softly, receiving a hearted grunt and a hesitant hug in response.

"I will call to cancel this whole thing." You muttered in the embrace receiving a thanks from your son before you stealed a glance at your husband, staring at you both.

"Come here." You chirped with a smile, extending your hand at your husband with a smile which he only glared at it.

You giggled before you pushed him anyway, noticing how his muscles tensed but soon relaxed.

"Leech." He growled as he slowly and awkwardly slowed one arm down as the other went to your shoulders.

"Oh hush we all showered." You pouted before he noticed you making a gesture with your hand at the door.

He flinched slightly at feeling his daughter hugging his waist all of the sudden and glared at you.

"I despise you woman." He growled while you sighed, givung him and your son a quick squeeze before letting go and bringing both of your chikdren close.

"Sk much that you despise me that we both had two wonderful half angels and half demons huh?" You grinned up at him, receiving a flip on your forehead.

"Shut your mouth."

He was thankful for his mask for hidding the half smirk of his.

[lavendertwilight89]

What You Like-- White Day Speical

Hope this makes up for the lack of Valentine’s Post :) 

Thanks go to @keichanz​ for her fic “Selfie” that inspired parts of my fic

@lemonlushff​ @clearwillow​ for hosting White Day!

@dangerouspompadour​ @akitokihojo​ @bearpluscat​ @kaze-ranna​ @xfangheartx​ @sarah-writes-stories​

Enjoyyyyyyy

She awoke with a start. It wasn’t the first time this had happened since she moved out of her family’s shrine. It had only been a month maybe since it had become a permanent move. She got a nearby one-bedroom apartment; she needed her own escape—she meant place! She gathered her surroundings and realized she was completely alone… like usual… until she noticed the sound of running water…

What. The. Fuck. Happened???!? She remembered she hit the sauce pretty hard last night. Last night marked four of the longest years of her life. Four long years without her friends from the other side of the well. Four years without the love of her life. Four years of pure misery… Ugh her head was going to split in two from her careless actions or probably the worst hangover she had ever had…

Since her quick departure from the Feudal Era four years ago, she couldn’t shake her rampant and monstrous dreams. They caused her frequent disruptions throughout the night and drove the need for alcohol (well, to be honest, that wasn’t the only reason for her to start drinking). College had been not the best experience—especially when she had to share a room with a roommate. She knew her dorm mate didn’t care for her; in-regards-to: well-being, modesty, or just all around courtesy. She often had a pillow (sometimes heavier objects) thrown at her if she was screaming or crying in her sleep to wake her up, had her food ate without permission, or had her privacy violated…But the worst thing was—her roommate was what one would have referred to as ‘loose’. And by that, she didn’t care that she entertained men. No, she understood. Your body, your rules. Kagome didn’t care about what or who she did that with… She did, however, care her roommate did it when she was in the same freaking room!!!!

She often had to find refuge in Yuka and Eri’s room. Ayumi had decided to travel abroad her year having taken extended courses in high school of German to prepare her. But their second year, the four of them got a suite style apartment and things worked out better. But the nightmares never faded. She started to sleep with a nightlight, kept her bow close, started drinking before bed... Her friends felt for her, but they had their own lives, their own boyfriends.  They still hadn’t heard the full story of what happened to Inuyasha… They just knew he was gone. They tried to reset her up a couple times with Hojo… But she refused when she knew it was a date-like-thing. She was determined to always wait for Inuyasha to find her. He always found her… He would always come for her…

She could have started screaming because not only did she hear the shower running, but she looked down at herself and she was FUCKING NAKED.  And she was extremely sore down there. FUCK. DAMNIT ALL. UGH. Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes from her own stupidity… Four long years of not ever having a boyfriend, no random make-out sessions or anything… and she lost it on a night she blacked out… Actually, she could kind of visual some of what happened, so not completely blacked out, just some parts were missing… Think! Think how did I let this happen!?!?

 She had been out with the girls and their boyfriends. She didn’t have to work, for once, on the weekend in the Emergency room. She usually was always worked weekend shifts with her being so new and willing—because obviously she didn’t have anything else to do. No boyfriend. She avoided home because of the reminders of her past, didn’t want to be alone in her new apartment... An excuse to avoid people in general… But when her friends called her, she reluctantly agreed as she hadn’t been out with them since graduation…basically a full month ago… whoops…

They had bought her shots all evening and kept trying to get her to make a move on Hojo because they knew she was upset about this was year number four without Inuyasha. They were at the newest club down the street from her apartment. They’d made her wear a black pencil skirt and a forest green sleeveless tank, sheer, but she insisted she had a black camisole underneath so no one could see anything inappropriate. She had been nicknamed the prude of the group. She didn’t care though. She didn’t care what anybody thought. She would stay a virgin her whole life if she had to. She would wait for him… Her friends assumed she was just nervous… Pfffft. Don’t get her wrong, she pleasured herself enough at home, but no one excited her. No one sang her that sweet erotic song like the owner of those amber eyes had. Call her prude, nervous about the idea of someone down there, whatever—bottom line was she wasn’t easy. She refused to just sleep with someone who didn’t even appeal to her. Maybe if someone had come along that inspired those feelings… Those wants… But no, no one had. Ever. There was no one who made her feel like that. She was doomed to become the crazy cat lady who fucked herself with her fingers.

But she also reluctantly, refused to give up hope. She could have decided just to more or less poison herself with shot after shot and pray Hojo would finally look okay enough to just ‘bang it out’. But no. Barf. Nope. Sorry, he had been the most boring person she had met. She’d prefer Koga. Koga. Even then, if Koga appeared right there in front of her, she’d still say no. Because it wasn’t him. Still didn’t have that beautiful silver hair that fell to his waist, those sexy little triangles that sat on top of his head, furrowing dark brows, sultry smirk…

After she lost count of shots, she snuck away and paid her tab. She didn’t really remember signing her name or how much she tipped, but that was neither here nor there. She made enough to support herself, her habits, and then some. She dipped out before her friends tried to get her to dance with Hojo. Nothing had ever turned her off less than them dancing together. She’d prefer to dance with her brother. Ok, she admitted, that was kind of crass, but still—that’s what she equated a dance with Hojo with; like her brother trying to make move on her. Barf. Hojo had just become that constant reminder to her how boring her life had become once she returned from the Feudal Era. A reminder of what she really wanted… Oh Gods, she thought she was going to be sick. Nope. Nope. She needed to make it to the apartment.

She walked noisily up the stairs. Staggering around and laughing at herself, she knew she looked like a drunken idiot. The only person who she knew who lived here was Jiro, her across the hall neighbor. She didn’t mind him. He was okay looking. He had black hair, kinda longer than most but wore it in that trending man-bun. He had bright blue eyes. Brighter than Miroku’s. It was weird because he looked similar to her old friend... But he was nice and not at all handsy. He listened to some of her college stories. Listened to her cry. Watched movies with her as she passed out from her drinking too much in an evening. He was nice guy. He never took advantage. But it probably did help she made it clear nothing would EVER happen.

She finally got to the fifth floor (the thought occurred to her why hadn’t she taken the elevator? Oh yea, she couldn’t figure out the buttons hahahaha). And he was standing there. She had to be crazy. It wasn’t him. Demons were gone. They hadn’t been around in ages. She searched, researched, tried to find any clue that they could be around. That he could be around… That they’d just gone into hiding… Nothing… She clearly was delusional at that point. Drunk. Yea, definitely that. She had what… four shots bought for her? No, probably like six…eight? Not including the two drinks she had herself?

But this was the first time she felt like she could actually sense him. His demonic aura… She hadn’t given up all her hopes yet. But she resigned herself and just smiled sadly thinking her mind was playing tricks on her though; it was their four year anniversary of being separated after all.

“Heyyyyy… Why you up so late, Jirooooooo?” She sang drunkenly.

His face changed from sheer awe to confusion. His head titled as she approached him stumbling in her heals. As she watched his ears twitch, wow she had a very active imagination, she tripped and gasped but his arms caught her easily. She giggled and hiccupped turning up to face him.

“Opps, sorry ‘bout that! Probably had like, four too many tonight…I blame the girls though. They bought more than half, said stuff about ‘no pity party’ or sumthin’…” she felt her face heat as his hands didn’t move away nor did he say anything… probably just thought she was being crazy and had been helpless like usual when she was absorbed in her bad influences. She turned away from his chest to the purse in her hands to grab her keys but unfortunately spilled the entire contents onto the floor with only her keys and purse intact.

“Ugh *hiccup*darnnnnnnnn! Jiro, lemme go, I need to pick all this up and climb into bed,” she slurred.

He still didn’t release her and was breathing unsteadily. What had gotten into him? “You’re acting all weird ‘n stuff Jiro, everythin’ ok? I’d ask if you wanna talk but it’s late and I’m pretty sure I’m not gonna remember at this *hiccup* point,” she drowsily turned to face him.

Goddddddddd[AR1] [AR2] . That FACE was still staring back at her with those amber eyes, silver hair, fluffy ears, dark brows, tan skin…

“Uhm… Jiro? I know this sounds kinda crazy… but—you have a different face on ya. For real, I need to go to bed. I’m losin’ my mind.”

“Whose face do I have, Ka-Go-Me?”

Her eyes widen and her breath hitched. She swallowed uneasily. That…that voice… Maybe this was a sign—she should just give into her needs and just fuck this dude already that now took on Inuyasha’s form. For whatever reason, the universe, the Gods, her imagination were finally making her see, hear, smell, and touch “Inuyasha” again… She had refused to entertain those ideas anyway just in case Inuyasha did manage to come along… Well not just because that. The attraction thing was huge. But she hoped if he had lived 500+ years he didn’t wait for her… She just knew his sense of smell would put him off if she fooled around with someone not special to her, but he could probably forgive her for not waiting... Wait—was that why she didn’t find any one attractive? For the off chance he finalllllllllly appeared, he would smell her? What was she saying? Thinking? God, all her thoughts were jumbled. She didn’t need to play counselor to herself right then. Maybe she should’ve just stopped waiting… He was gone… This wasn’t him. No, she couldn’t allow her heart to be shattered again…

“Wh—uhm—” she cleared her throat, blushed having heard her name said like that. It’d been since she started traveling with Inuyasha since her name was pronounced like that. She was beyond flustered. “Ji-Jiro uhm, it’s late, I may be drunk but—but—I’m waiting for someone. If you know what I *hiccup* mean. Go home,” she said flailing her arms towards his apartment.

His eyes softened, “Who are you waiting for?”

He had been acting so weird and clingy! So unusual for him. He would have usually just leave her, let her stumble—he respected her independence. Even though sometimes in the morning she wondered whyyyyyyyy he would have left her in the state she was in. But he remained steadfast—his arms still around her. She figured he could come in for bit… He was always respective… He wouldn’t have tried anything… Grabbing her keys she leaned forward against his chest, resting her head on his shoulder—had he gotten taller?—reaching around him and put them in the door and twisted. Even with heals, she probably would’ve been able to meet his head… He wasn’t that tall… Who knows, she was obliterated. What was she thinking about anyway? His arms slightly increased their pressure around her, and she swore he took a giant whiff of her hair.

“Well come on in; I probably can’t walk anyway without you’re help. The girls thought it’d be ‘sexy’ to wear these disastrous shoes… but I’ll tell you a story Jiro *hiccup*. About the man I fell in love with…that one’s new right? I know I’ve been refusing to share, but I’m probably numb enough to share tonight.”

He bent slightly and picked her up bridal style causing her to shriek a little in startlement and her to wrap her arms around his neck. Wow, his hair was really that long? She wove her fingers through it… Jiro’s hair isn’t this long, there’s no way I’m that creative with my imagination… Nope—nope don’t let your hopes get raised. You’re just crazy. Crazy. Yep. He paused at her ministrations looking down at her as she turned back to face him… Her heart was racing… She swore she saw him eye her lips and lick his briefly but then placed her on the couch gently before turning away. She immediately missed the intimate contact. He returned to the door and picked up all her things from the floor outside putting them back in the bag for her. Dude, he was such a nice guy. She felt bad to burden him with her problems…

He closed the door behind him and stopped midstride having caught an eye of a picture she had by the front door. The picture of her and Inuyasha taking a selfie in the feudal era. Where she was encompassed between his legs smiling radiantly into the camera and he had his handsome cocky smirk on his face. She giggled drawing his attention back towards her.

“That’s the guy you look like right now. Liquor is a cruel bitch like that, I guess. His name is…was… Inuyasha… I met him when I was fifteen… We uh… knew each other for three years. He was in love with someone else, for a while there… but I couldn’t stop how I felt. If anything, the love I had for him just grew stronger. We had so many moments I really thought, ‘he feels the same’… Like one time he made me cold medicine, he had told me he was scared to lose me but that he needed me by his side, different battles, uh, things happened to have those words fall from his stubborn crass mouth, but he’d also give my his haori even if it meant he’d be more vulnerable… Kisses on the cheek…Temple… A couple on the…” she lightly touched her lips remembering the sensation. “I was eighteen when we got separated by time, literally, and I’ve been searching for him since. Today made four years...FOUR. Can you believe that?? But I’m still lookin’. Even though I don’t think I’ll ever find him… I-I…”

He came and sat by her and looked at her worriedly.

“I’m not crazy—not some childish girl lovesick on some crush she had in high school! I love him! It was real! I’ll find him! I’ll prove everyone and even myself wrong! He can’t be gone! He-he can’t…H-he always has come for me…I-I can’t give up on him,” she started crying. Sobbing actually. Hysterically. How embarrassing. God she was pathetic; she’d been so good about keeping her secrets about her broken heart. Her resistance to move on. Her lack of enthusiasm of seeing the people she still had in life. She always just cried and said she didn’t want to talk about it… Jiro never had pried further. But she apparently lost her last shred of dignity and bawled like a child. “You should leave. Please, don’t judge me. Please! I-I can’t lose you as a friend. I lost all my closest friends then too…The ones that mattered. I-I just miss him so much!”

He grabbed her hands from her face and looked into her eyes with those beautiful rich golden eyes…

“Kagome…It is me…I-I’m not Jiro. You aren’t seeing things—it really is me.”

She stared at him disbelievingly. “It-It can’t be…”

“It is though, Kagome. You’re not just seeing things. I’m here! I’m real,” he steered her hands to his ears. Oh God, she swore he started purring as she massaged them.

“It—I—this isn’t possible…”

“I’m sorry it took so long for me to get to you. I tried to find you but the first time I came by you had left for college… I should have just told your mom who I was when I came by, but I didn’t want to distract you from your future or what you wanted… You were still so young and I wanted to give you time to grow still… The next time she said you had gotten a job at a hospital nearby, but you didn’t come by often. She was reluctant to tell me where you live, and I couldn’t blame her for wanting to protect your privacy—but I actually got a call from Jiro before I could actually tell her who I was while I was with her. He was certain it was you. I told her I was a friend of yours and swore everything would make sense after I talked to you… I-I just wanted to make sure you still wanted to see me. To be in my life before I said anything to her, I just had to see you… I came here and I-I found…” he trailed off. This had happened earlier that very day… He had just left her mom’s house and came here. She had unpacked those pictures since she had the time and Jiro came by and had lunch with her. Her mom had called her three times while she was out… and she stupidly ignored all three. He had waited here for her for hours... And found her stumbling up the stairs laughing to herself drunk as fucking skunk. Nope! He wasn’t real! No God was that cruel. He was for sure an illusion.

“No, no, no, no, noooooo….P-Prove it! Prove to me, you are who you say you are then; prove you’re real,” that extra hiccup at the end made her realize how unserious she sounded—but she thought she sounded pretty desperate at least.

He slightly cringed but appeared to be willing to play her little game, “Ok… ask me anything you’d think I wouldn’t be honest about…anything you want…”

“Mk fine I will! *Hiccup* How did we meet?”

He got up and got her a glass of water and returned handing it to her, “You broke the seal on me. The one Kikyo placed…You broke the arrow, and I attacked you for the jewel. The subjugation beads were placed on me and we began to travel together after you shattered the jewel.”

“What about, how did I get back and forth?”

“The stupid fucking well…You came and went to be with your family and for those stupid tests at school…I should’ve smashed that thing when I had the chance before it separated us.”

She blinked… It couldn’t be… There was no way…

“Ki-kyo…” she said brokenly hoping he would know what she was asking.

“Sigh…I know we never really addressed this. Hopefully this will be enough. I loved Kikyo. We both sought each other out on loneliness. The problem was, we didn’t trust each other. She didn’t trust me because of my demonic heritage. She wanted me to become human using the jewel… I hesitated because I wasn’t sure that was something I wanted. But she said as long as the jewel existed, she could only be a shrine maiden. A priestess. She wanted to be ordinary—in order to be a normal woman with a normal life, the jewel had to be used... I agreed, because I was done being alone, and couldn’t take it if she wouldn’t be with me if I was a half-demon… but in the end I didn’t trust her to believe she wouldn’t try to kill me. After all, I was a dirty half-breed. Then I met you; you taught me to trust, work with others, befriend others… care about other people…

“When she was resurrected, I had already started to fall for you. We were beneath that tree in the village when I tried to kiss you and you pushed me away. But with Kikyo back among the living so shortly after that, my duty to avenge her, save her from the person she had become… it was too much. I couldn’t stop myself from falling for you, but I refused to let you know. Because I was stupid, stubborn, afraid you didn’t feel the same. Even once I did hear that you did love me, the idea that anyone I loved died, it drove me away from you… It didn’t stop the little moments between us. I-I couldn’t help it. Knowing you actually did love me… I just—I wanted to wait until it was all over before we could actually figure out what was between us.

“Kikyo will always be my first love; but Kagome, you had always and will always have my heart.” He took her hand and placed it on his chest. Oh Gods… this—this—

“Th-that picture…” she continued. She had to hear more.

“You brought your cell phone back one time and you took pictures with all of us… So that you had something to remember us by just in case…We were awake after the others fell asleep… I asked you for another one to be shot because the other one we had taken before wasn’t good enough. I wanted… I made you believe it was something you wanted, a better picture with just us… We took a couple. The last one I surprised you and kissed you.”

She swallowed. She knew she was going to start crying again. Stupid drunken images. He couldn’t have been real. But it reallllllly seemed like he was. She didn’t normally see him when she was wasted... Even though she really wanted to. She thought it would numb her pain. Make her forget. But there he was—right there in front of her. On her navy couch. Red button-down shirt, grey suit pants, long silver locks uncut, blazing amber eyes… Oh Gods… this wasn’t real… She wouldn’t allow her hopes to be raised. They had been shattered so soooo many times, she couldn’t allow herself to allow the deception in.  

“Where did you find me after the final battle?”

“In the jewel…”

“And we…”

He grabbed her face and kissed her softly which made her melt into his body. She finally let herself go. Who cared? No one could or even would blame her. Even if it wasn’t Inuyasha, she had proved her loyalty to him and then some. She climbed into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to pull him as close to her as humanly possible. His hands found themselves on her hips. She felt it. They were both hungry. Hot. Aroused. Needy.

He still smelled of pinewood, forest, musk. God, she had butterflies swirling in her stomach, heat spreading to her lower regions. If this was a dream, an illusion, or just a drunken image, she couldn’t have stopped it even if she wanted to. She needed him. Or whatever he was. Right then. Right there. She shifted and started to slowly grind on his hips, moaning all the while she started to unbutton his red shirt... His hands found hers and he pulled away. She whimpered loudly in disappointment.

“Kagome—God—You don’t know what this means to me. Seeing you, finding you again… But—but you’re drunk. You’re not thinking clearly.”

“Don’t care,” she tried to start kissing him again only for him to have kept her still.

“I’m not going to take advantage of you like this. We just found each other again. I—I can’t—”

“Inuyasha—it’s been four years for me, five-hundred-four for you…Just—shut up” she plunged forward and finally was able to recapture his mouth and he seemingly reluctantly resumed kissing her. Her hands started their handy work again until she shoved off his shirt down his fucking ripplin’ muscles. God, he was more built than he had been before. She swore she could have cum just from the sensation of her fingers touching his warm god-like body, or even having kissed him and him kiss her back in such fervor probably only they could have ever knew.

She moaned as she kept rubbing herself against his very present hardened length. Her skirt was basically no longer a skirt as it was so pushed up exposing her heat. She felt bad knowing that his pants probably were just as wet as her panties. If this was a fantasy she had conjured up, whew boy was it an amazing one. But each kiss, each brush of their tongues, each moan, growl, pant had begun to break down her walls to let her start believing it was reality. He was groaning but clearly hadn’t lost himself completely yet. If this was a dream, she wouldn’t have had that! He was going to fully enjoy this just as much as she planned to. It just then it became a plan of how to get him to unwind.

She moved from his lips, which did cause her to whine a bit but kissing her way down his jaw to his shoulder, to his pecks, Godddddddd. She was beyond wet. She was so horny it was unbelievable. She had never felt like that with anyone. She needed him more than she needed air. But he clearly refused to undress her or be an active participant aside from kissing her. Fine; she admitted she was drunk. But she didn’t care. She maybe would have regretted this in the morning, but the alcohol was definitely convincing her to not give a shit right then.  If this truly was Inuyasha, she would have zero regrets… She dropped to the ground between his legs and laughed. Which in turn caused her to hiccup making her only laugh harder.

She turned her eyes back to his face who was flushed but gazed down at her with concern.

“I waited for you, ya know? I couldn’t find anyone who was even half the man you are…I’ve never done…anything…” she trailed off while her hands moved along his thighs which caused his muscles to tighten and forced him to let out a low groan. She reached his button and unbuttoned while she maintained eye contact. She then pulled down the zipper. Slowly. Teasingly. Testing.

“Ka-Kagome—”

“Sh, sh, shhhhh. I’m going to prove this isn’t just about me…Inuyasha…I need this for myself too…Please…” Her skipped a beat when she uttered his name. She tugged down his pants to which he seemed hesitant but still willing complied to her nonverbal commands.

After a long look into his unsure hazy eyes, she turned to look at his twitching hardened cock. This had to be real. Even her imagination couldn’t have made this kind of thing up—the details were so…explicit. Mouthwatering. They made her body burn with excitement. She slowly wrapped her fingers delicately around it and stroked up gently. He jumped and growled. Mmmmm how she missed that sound.

She bent forward and took him in her mouth. His hands shot out to her shoulder and he tried to push her off; but she clenched one hand onto his bare thigh to steady herself and reassure him. Her other remained stroking in time with her taking him as deep as she could in her mouth, covering what she couldn’t contain. Clearly his resolve was weak enough at that point as it kept him from completely over-powering her. Or her fantasy she was stronger. Whatever it was.

He started panting and moved his hands into her hair, but he did not push her down or try to control the speed. It was like he just enjoyed having her tresses in his hands, between his fingers—she didn’t mind either. The sensations only added to her desires. He still rumbled through his gasped breaths, deep from his chest. She felt him twitch in her mouth and his grip tightened as he tried to pull her away but she held firm; she swirled her tongue around the tip, softly grazing him as she would bob up with her teeth and then encase him with her tongue on way the back down. She wanted to know how he tasted or wondered what her imagination would dream up. She was determined to keep going no matter how fucked up she would feel tomorrow. She had to know if in that very moment he was real…

“Kagome—I’m gonna—" She looked up at him and it caused him to hold his breath. His flushed face, tremoring body, God, she started praying to all the Gods she hadn’t spoken to in years that this wasn’t a dream or some drunken made up illusion.

He howled when he released, and she drank him up like she was parched and stuck in the desert, unsure when she would see water again… He was her savior. Her light. Those golden eyes bore into her own chocolate orbs heating her like she was laying on the beach in the middle of summer. She pulled back once she felt him stop pouring into her mouth and remained kneeling.

He grabbed her by her upper arms and drug her back up to him and kissed her hard. His tongue pushed back her lips and she let him taste himself in her mouth. He growled in approval and embraced her hard. He pulled back for them to catch their respective breaths again and locked eyes with her before he kissed her forehead gently.

“Kagome… I-“

“Inuyasha… Please…”

“Grrrr, you’re still the same stubborn wench from five-hundred years ago.”

“Hehehehe, you can say that. Please, I just… I want to believe you’re real… That you’re really here… Please…” she implored stroking her hand on his cheek.

He leaned into her hand sighing. He was still holding back. For whatever he was, real, fake, in between, he was uneasily wavered. Her hand moved subconsciously to his ear where she started kneading it in her finger. He more or less purred (she would never tell him that if he had been real) and kissed her again. She melted in his arms as he picked her up letting her wrap her legs around his bare waist and was carried to the bedroom. She actually didn’t remember that very clearly, she was still in a drunken haze, and only felt she was becoming more intoxicated by that man’s tongue working every angle of her mouth while her own grazed his sharp fangs. Was it possible to get high on this feeling? If so, she was.

He sat her on the bed and moved to unbutton her top but, yet AGAIN, paused. She exhaled irritably and earned a chuckle in addition to the resumption of his fingers delicately unbuttoning her top. She released his shoulders so he could push her top down her arms. She pulled her own camisole over her head and unzipped her skirt letting it fall loosely to her bottom and legs. She sat in just her under garments—lustful eyes set on him. Pleading. Begging for his touch. He slowly cupped her breast which caused a very unexpected sound to escape her own mouth. His mouth moved to her neck and his tongue laved its way to her shoulder.

Her walls were almost broken at that moment. This was a million times better than any fantasy she had dreamed up. She couldn’t have controlled her panting or her withering body at his ministrations even if she had tried to. Her images started to get harder to remember from the night before. Ughhhh noooooo! Keep thinking stupid!!!!

Her bra came off, did she take it off? Or him?

She remembered lifting up her hips for him to pull down her skirt while his mouth suckled on her nipples. That wet hot mouth on her breast made her mewl loudly. She was putty in his hands. Her underwear met an unfortunate fate, while she didn’t see them being removed, she heard a very distinct tear and the sensation of lace went missing…

She had been lying flat on her back as he crawled above her; he took her lips in her gently and lovingly. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and lightly brushed her fingers over his back and then threaded her fingers in long silver hair. He pulled away and started to trail his way back down her body, nipping, licking, kissing, hands brushing against every surface his face passed.

Fire. She was on fire. She was desperate for her release. She had never been so achy in her life. She was brokenly saying his name over and over pleading for him to understand what she wanted when she felt his tongue lick between her folds against her core.

She wailed and locked her hands on his head. Pressing him, if possible, further into her. His pace was torturous. She could tell he was learning her smell and taste all over again. She heard him mumble about how amazing she smelled and he had so many dreams about tasting her—none of which stacked up to that moment.

“Please Inuyasha… Pleaseeeee…”

That was what broke him—he began to set a better, fast rhythm. He used one hand to keep her hips steady (which she hadn’t been aware they were apparently out of control) and the other had started pumping a digit in and out of her. She had already been spoiled. She could never go back to her own fingers. No. Never. They would never stack up.

She was sooooooo close. The coil in belly was pulled tight. She wasn’t even sure if she had been panting or breathless at this point. She remembered trying to buck her hips in time with his fingers (wait, he added some??) but he still held her hips still. But the moment his mouth clamped down on her nub she was gone. Literally and figuratively. That was it.

 The shower turned off and she heard the sound a towel being wrapped… She was scared. She figured she might as well check herself into a mental institution… That or AA. She knew she had issues. She shivered in revulsion pulling the cover up to her breasts and closed her eyes when the bathroom door opened in the hallway.

“Kagome?”

Th-that voice… She dared peek and… it really was him. He was standing there, wrapped in a towel hanging from his hips, hair dripping from the shower, concerned eyes on her. She threw the sheet off, stumbled out of bed, and jumped to embrace him. He caught her easily and held her close as she sobbed into his chest brokenly weeping his name. He started to stroke her hair then picked up her and carried her back to the bed. They remained like that for some time until she finally calmed down.

“I-I’m sorry, Kagome.”

“What?” she asked as she lifted her head from his chest.

“I said I’m sorry… I… I took advantage of you…” his ears were flat on his head and he trembled slightly.

“Inuyasha, what do you mean?”

“I let you talk me into going further than I had planned on. I knew you were drunk and I tried to stop, I tried to stop you, but you were so persistent and I—I missed you so much, your scent was driving my instincts wild and—”

“Inuyasha,” she pressed a hand to cup his cheek which he leaned into. “I wasn’t—I didn’t—uhm…honestly I’m embarrassed to say I don’t remember everything from last night. But I know you wouldn’t have taken advantage of me. I actually have never been with anyone before and the fact I was so desperate in the parts I do remember, I’m not surprised I made us have sex,” he opened his mouth but she pressed a finger to it. “Wait, I want to finish. The parts I do remember I know you made me feel alive, for the first time in years. Just like when we traveled together. I’m not sorry last night happened. I love you so much, Inuyasha. I always wanted to be with you. I had been waiting for you, trying to find you since the well closed. I-I just hope… you’d be willing to do it again while I am sober and that I didn’t ruin our chances at that...”

He nipped her finger lightly and she squeaked and pulled it back blushing like mad. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…” she braced herself for him to tell her he regretted last night and that there would be no repeat. She couldn’t have said she would have blamed him. She had been stupid. She shouldn’t have been that drunk. She was seriously going to start a sober streak after today. Hopefully she could win him back…

“We actually didn’t have sex.” She blinked. Twice. Did she hear that right? They…did not? But why was…

“Why don’t you tell me what the last thing you remember, Kagome.”

“Uhm… you-you had just finished, uhm—” she blushed like mad, just remembering what his tongue had made her feel heated her up. She noticed he stiffened beneath her, sniffing the air, and he growled sexily. She tried to swallow but before she could, he had her pinned underneath him, lips pressed to hers hotly. She moaned from the contact and let his tongue enter her mouth while she used hers to reacquaint herself with those fangs. He pulled away and started kissing down her jaw rumbling deep in his chest as she struggled to breathe. Her body was in flames. Clearly, she was always going to burn with him. She was so hot, so needy, she had never wanted anything more than his mouth to go lower. She wanted to jump into the flames with him.

“Let me—refresh—your memory—Ka—Go—Me,” he said brokenly as he kissed all down her chest and took her nipple in his mouth. She mewled, gasped, moaned, she had no control her body or the sounds it produced for him. The alcohol had not been a source of fuel—her body and mind apparently craved him so much that any touch would send her over the edge. But she had zero cares about being so wanton because it seemed like it just egged him on more. She arched herself into his mouth and massaged his ears as he thoroughly refreshed her memory. After each of her breasts for fully loved, bitten, suckled, he continued his quest south. He knelt to the ground between her legs allowing the towel to drop as he gave her a teasing lick. Her hands latched onto his head, entwining her fingers in his hair while she moaned his name.

“Oh Gods, Inuyashaaaaaa!” her hips rocked in rhythm with his tongue, she was aching. Yes, she had this pleasure last night, but at that moment, she knew she would never get enough from him. Ever.

He pushed two fingers into her folds and started pumping in and out of her while the other hand reached up and started to knead her breast. His mouth found purchase on her sensitive nub and she about lost it right there with a desperate cry until he drew back—damnit!!! He’s a fucking tease!!!

“We stopped right after you came last night. You more or less passed out mumbling not to leave you again… Let me tell you something right now, wench…” he started pumping his fingers faster, harder, making her cry from pleasure but still not enough to release for him. “I have no intention of ever letting you out of my life again. We were born for each other, Kagome. I waited five-hundred years for this moment; and I was not going to mark you while you drunk out of your fucking mind. But Gods, did I want to, I’m struggling for control now.”

“Th-Then stop—take me—pleaseeeeee—ahhhhhh! Inu-Inuyasha please!”

“Don’t gotta ask twice,” he smirked his mouth engulfed around her jewel and sucked hard. She came hard crying out loudly, soaking his fingers and the edge of her bed. She didn’t get a moment to recover as he rose to his feet and steered her fully on the mattress then climbed over her. Their mouths locked and her legs swung and wrapped themselves around his hips while her arms swathed his shoulders. He lined himself up at her entrance but paused.

“Inuyashaaaa—” she whined pathetically.

“Do… you do know this is a ‘forever’ kind of thing…right? Demons, we don’t just go and do this with anybody… We either need to sire an heir…or we plan on mating forever. I won’t be able to stop my inner demon if we start Kagome—it has been screaming since last night to take you. Claim you. But—I know as a human, you need to know, that you will watch your friends die. Your family. Time will become almost nonexistent… Are you sure this is what you want? I—I am just so thankful to have you back. I want anything you want.”

“Inuyasha… if I’m with you, I will always be whole. I will never regret this decision. Four years was enough for me to know I could never be without you. I want to be with you… Always,” she reached up to cup his face and pulled him down for a tender kiss.  As their lips were locked, he pushed forward gently. She felt herself slowly being stretched but it felt so amazing to feel this complete, it overrode the slight pain and discomfort. She was so wet, it made it easy for him to slide in. She suspected he was restraining himself to not just shove himself fully in her. Or this felt completely overbearingly amazing. His face was pleasure ridden she couldn’t tell one reason from the other.

He rested his forehead against hers once he was fully sheathed in her. He was likely trying to control himself, but she refused to have any of that. She needed him. All of him. Demon, Human, Half. That wall of disbelief was shattered last night and almost lurked its ugly head back again when she had woken up—she was vulnerable and demanded to be filled by Inuyasha. This was real. He had come for her.

She bucked her hips causing them both to gasp and moan out their pleasure. He took his cue and began slowly driving into her. She met him thrust for thrust—encouraging him to go faster, deeper, harder. He gritted her name through clenched teeth, his fangs elongating. She reassured him by cupping his face then slowly moving her hands to stroke his ears. His growl vibrated her to the core, and he began to plunge in deeper and faster. She could barely keep her eyes open let alone not grasp his ears tightly; before she could have harmed his little furry appendages, she dropped her hands onto his shoulders, stabbing him with her blunt nails, no longer able to match his pace. She was just along for the ride and this was the best roller coaster she had ever rode.

She was mewling, crying out his name and probably a God or two, begging for more. She was so close. So close. She heard him cuss under his breath and opened her eyes see his purple strips present on his cheeks. She felt his claws prick her hips. He had finally lost whatever battle he had within himself. But his amber eyes shined through.

“I-I’m close, Kagome.”

“Me-Me too! Ah! God!”

“When I release, I’m going to mark you. Here—” he dropped his head and licked the junction of her shoulder and neck and pulled back up to make eye contact.

“Okay—Inu-Inuyashaaa, pleaseee…”

“Yea, Kagome? What do you want? What do you neeeed?” he purred.

She couldn’t articulate what she really needed—but she knew what she wanted. She knew one way to finish them both. She looked up to make sure he was watching as she let go of one of his shoulders and dropped her hand to rub her overly stimulated nub. He sucked in a breath and almost closed his eyes, but he looked too entranced to look away. His thrusts became harder and he resumed his previous pace before having paused to tell her about the mark. She cried out his name as her coil snapped, her core seized around him, pulling him in, trying not to let him go, milking him for all he had.

He roared her name as he came pulling her up to his mouth and bit down. She whimpered in pain but didn’t fight him. She wanted this. Craved this closeness. Absorbed his demonic aura into her body happily without hesitation.

He pulled his fangs from her first and swabbed the blood with his tongue then pulled out of her slowly. He released her hips and lowered himself back down to the bed gently next to her. She immediately closed the gap clambering to rest her head on his chest. He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her pulling her body close, leaving his hand on her bottom, stroking it gently.

“So… if we didn’t have sex last night…” she peered up to look him in the eyes. He placed a pillow under him so he was elevated so he could look down into her eyes with ease.

“We didn’t. I would have never take advantage of you when you were that far gone. Marking you and having explain everything after? Yea, if the beads still worked, I would have been sat to Berlin.”

“No, I wouldn’t have been mad, but—why was I sore between my legs when I woke up?”

“You were sore… Oh! I forgot! You wiggled your way out of my hold last night complaining about having to pee and you fell hard straddling the toilet. I came in but you shoed me out… I waited outside the door only to hear you fall in the shower—you’re lucky you didn’t bust your head open.”

“OH… God…” she covered her face with her hands. “Why you would still want me to mate with me after last night?”

“Kagome, when you came up those stairs you reeked of liquor and sadness, all I wanted to do was make the pain stop. Jiro said for the month you’ve lived here all you’ve done is drink yourself to sleep or cry. He said you refused to open-up and he didn’t want to push you in fear you wouldn’t let him learn who you really were. After hearing about your nightmares and everything else, it tore me up to know this was how you had been living… I thought it was best you decide on a future for yourself; I didn’t realize how much you would suffer alone like I had though, and I’m so sorry. I understood why you had been drinking the way you had.”

“Inuyasha, you didn’t know. It’s ok. We’re together now. That’s all that—wait a minute, how do you know Jiro?”

“You really don’t see it?”

“That he kind of looks like Miroku? Yes, I do. But I didn’t…how…I know you’ve lived for hundreds of years… I just have so many questions! What are you doing now? What—what happened from then to… now?”

“The short version is Sesshomaru and I run a technology cooperation together, he’s still Lord of the freaking West, regions are still divided into four. Two jackasses run East and South that I try to refrain from every having to interact with and Koga is head of the North. He mated Ayame, have a giant pack of little nasty flea-bags—” she elbowed him in the chest and he rolled his eyes. “We’re fine now. He’s mated. He actually doesn’t know I have been lookin’ for you. I can’t wait to see his face.”

“But he’s with Ayame now. Why would he be upset?”

“That dumbass wolf, even though he is mated to Ayame and is a loyal mate, has never given up looking for you. He still cared about you. Yes, he has grown to love Ayame and would never abandon her, but he was convinced I let you die… never heard the end of it. All this shit about he would have never allowed that to happen, how I let you down… not that he isn’t a total moron for thinking that but…”

She reached up and cupped his face and he kissed the inside of her palm. She crawled her way to lay on top of him and took his lips with hers. It was slow, loving, patient kiss. She tried to convey all her emotions, gratitude, love, longing, anything she felt to show how there was no anger or grudge she could have held.  Slowly the kiss turned more sensual, not that she was trying to start anything again, but Inuyasha was there, lying beneath her, naked, and she was fairly certain she felt a certain piece of anatomy poking her thighs. His wrapped his arms around her back slowly rubbing up and down until his hands found purchase on her ass and squeezed. He slowly rubbed himself on her and she moaned into his mouth allowing his tongue to reacquaint itself with her taste. She felt herself growing warm again and pulled away slightly gazing into his eyes. He stared back at her with all the love she had ever dreamed he would have for her.

Still breathing raggedly, she pressed as she started using her hips to aid his hands in their little dance of rubbing her core on his length, “What else?”

“Hahaha… you would be a talker… Sess’ and Rin mated when she was eighteen, I—we have three bratty nieces and one asshole nephew.”

She dipped her face to lick his nipple causing his breath to get caught in his throat, “Shippo?”

“Shippo is mated to some fox demon he met at the that stupid inn we went to. They’ve been mated for about three hundred years… Couple kids. Technically our grandkids—adopted—fuck Kagome—” She had bit his neck and started kissing up his jaw to his mouth again.

“I-I know they’re gone… but what about…”

“Miroku and Sango lived long full lives. Eight kids. Lech wasn’t exaggerating about wanting a big family. Kirara actually lives with me for now; she was traveling to each descendant of Miroku and Sango for a while. She still will visit them here and there—but they usually come to visit us because it’s easier that way. Family reunion shit. Ugh,” he grabbed her hips to steady her a bit. She knew she was teasing him, but to be fair, she owed him from keeping her so on edge last night and this morning. “J-Jiro is one of them, probably the closest to their original heirs—the story is passed down in the family and they just refer to me as ‘uncle’. J—God damnit you’re trying to kill me—” her hands were rubbing the base of his ears and she was dipping her wet opening just at the tip of him. She was impressed he was still talking as coherently as he was, but he was speaking extremely fast.

“I’m sorry? You got cut off… what about Jiro?” she smirked with another twist of her hips almost letting him in fully.

“Son of a—if this is the punishment I have to have, I guess I’ll take it,” he smirked back at her as he reached one hand between them and grabbed her mounds, fingers dancing before twisting and pinching her nipple. Her breath caught as he chuckled, “Jiro runs a dojo his family started years ago we helped fund. He technically works for me and we are as close as the monk and I were. He said he saw the pictures we took put up in your apartment yesterday and finally put two and two together—” he moved his over hand and started rubbing her jewel. She moaned and finally couldn’t take anymore torture and pushed back letting him be sheathed within her. He remained still for her to adjust—both panting having endured what seemed like hours of teasing. She finally tested to see what it be like to move forward and push back. HOLY. FUCK. RIGHT. THERE.

He sat up and she immediately grasped his shoulder raising herself up to push herself back down and didn’t expect to feel him thrust up. She gasped and withered from the sensation. She was already almost there. He was so hard she imagined he probably was too. But she didn’t care. She would’ve rode him all day. They had years of catching up to do. She remembered she was off all weekend too and mentally did a happy dance as she bounced up and down literally on his cock.

“Do that again,” he said huskily.

“Wh-what?”

“Touch yourself. I want to feel you,” he whispered into her ear, licking the shell and grabbing the lobe in his teeth.

She didn’t falter her pace and did as she was told. He leaned down and took her nipple in his mouth sucking, nibbling. She froze and crashed down on to him crying her release, trembling, holding onto him as she tried to ground herself. She felt like she was soaring through the skies like they used to do—traveling on his back. Free, carefree, just enjoying the scenery.  Together.

His hands on her hips guided her to lie back as he resumed their previous pace as she came down from her high. His mouth found her mark and re-pierced it with his fangs, sucking hard on her skin.

“Fuck!! INUYASHAAAAA—” she was already restrung ready to snap again when she felt him stiffen and grumble her name as he growled loudly letting himself go causing her to wail as she felt her walls crash down on his length buried within her. He crashed down on top of her, completely spent, head resting on her chest as she languidly brought her arms around him.

She was exhausted. She felt sleep edging its way faster and faster through her consciousness but she wouldn’t allow it to claim her yet. Four years. Over five hundred for him. She needed to be with him. She didn’t want the connection to be broken just yet. She swallowed and softly asked, “How are you here…? I mean, why haven’t I been able to sense any demons? It sounds like there are plenty around here…”

“Mmmmm,” he reached one arm up tilting his head to find the strand of hair his hand began to twirl through. “We have charms. Like the fuyoheki Naraku used. Made it easier to be less noticeable; blend in and have less trouble amounting power. The demon council that had been established knew we couldn’t keep killing humans who would wage war on us, and humans would never fully accept us. We often had to change identities, move to different countries for awhile until people who knew us and would have realized we didn’t age passed, but all in all it hasn’t been too hard to amount wealth and stuff. Make life more comfortable.”

“You never… you never took another mate?”

“Never found one I loved. You were always in my heart Kagome. Don’t be mad, but I did try. I really did because I knew you expect me to; but no one ever came close to how I felt about you. I told you for demons sex is just—different. Even though I am only half, my demon half refused to allow us to go around fucking anyone who gave me any attention. It only desired you. It knew you would be back… My human half recognized that too. My love for you made me refuse to move on…I also felt no need to sire any descendants of my own. I had Shippo. Adopted or not, he is our son.”

“I’m so sorry you spent all these centuries alone… It—it’s all my—” Inuyasha leaned up and took her lips to cut her off.

“Shut up. You won’t let me apologize for making you wait, then you aren’t allowed to blame yourself for being my mate.” She blushed hotly and averted eye contact. “Shippo is probably going shit himself when I tell him I found you.”

“What does he do now?”

“He’s actually a teacher—Chemistry. You know. Has a thing for burning shit and all,” he winked at her causing her to giggle.

Her phone began chirping from the living room. She groaned and patted his shoulder to move. He jumped off the bed after a quick peck to her temple, grabbed the phone and returned to lay by her side instantly. She had to blink to realize he had even actually moved before looking at the caller id. “MOM” it read. She answered, “Hello?”

“Kagome! I’ve been trying to reach you all evening! Are you ok? Your friends said you disappeared at the bar and they weren’t able to reach you either! Jiro didn’t answer his phone and someone has come by looking for you twice at the shrine! He wouldn’t say who he was, only that he was a friend! What is going on??”

“Mom, mom, calm down. I’m ok. I’m great actually.”

“Kagome—you had us so worried! We thought something happened to you!”

“Mom—I’m really fine. I promise. I—”

“Kagome this behavior has to stop! I’ve let it go long enough but—”

Inuyasha grabbed the phone from Kagome, “Mrs. Higurashi?”

“—enough—You! You were at my house yesterday!”

“Yea, I found her.”

“Kagome!!!!”

“Owwwwww—not so loud. Hurts the damn ears.” Kagome grabbed the phone back shaking her head at him and massaged the abused appendage.

“Mom, he is a friend… Well, more than that actually,” Inuyasha snaked the arm his head wasn’t propped up on around her waist.

“What do you mean Kagome? You said you haven’t been seeing anyone since you came back from the Feudal Era! Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”

“Mom, I didn’t lie. He found me. Yesterday. It’s Inuyasha,” he lowered himself to rest his head on her chest again as she stroked his ears.

“Kagome—Are—Are you sure??”

“Doggy ears and all,” she said with a giggle flicking the said appendage making him growl in annoyance.

“Oh my gosh! That’s wonderful news Kagome! So, when will you be getting married and giving me grandchildren? OH! Will they have his ears?!? Are you coming over tonight for dinner still?? Bring him!! I can’t wait to actually see him again without that disguise he was wearing!”

Inuyasha nodded yes to the question on Kagome’s tongue, “Uh—yes, we will be there tonight.”

“Ok my darling, have fun!” she could literally hear the smirk and wink from the phone. “Be safe—no grandchildren until after you’re married!”

“MOTHER!”

“Love you!” she heard a click and held the phone away from her. Completely mortified. Inuyasha snickered in response.

“Keep laughing dog-boy and you won’t have to worry about kids,” looking at her multiple missed calls and texts and quickly responding without being totally forthcoming to her friends.

“Right, as if you could hold out on me—don’t forget who had to be the one to tell you no,” his mouth engulfing her breast.

She sucked in her breath and shifted her hips a little, “Ah! Mk, you’re right.”

“Besides, not to be gross, but I can smell when you’re in heat.”

“That’s not surprising; if anything, it explains why you act the way you would. Extra moody and pushing me to go home because I was ‘bothering’ you,” she smirked realizing it wasn’t actually a lie. “Oh, the girls want to go out again tonight. They want to know who finally ‘met my standards’... But I think I’m gonna pass…”

He rolled his eyes as he trailed kisses up to her collar bone, neck stopping to lave her mark again, then made his way to her lips.

“We should go after dinner with your family,” he breathed on her lips.

“W-We? Y-You wanna go to a club? Really? But—I didn’t think you’d—”

“Keh, I think you forget I’ve lived five-hundred years since we last saw each other. My nieces, while they can kick anyone’s asses, all enjoy that scene. ‘Someone’ said one of us has to watch them. Protective Uncle is better than Asshole Dad. I’ll warn the fucks, Sess would just kill them. Also, not to make you jealous, but enough women I dated wanted to do that kind of shit… But there’s only one person I ever wanted to grind on,” he winked as he came back down to smoother her in kisses as she giggled.

“Uhm… Ok. I guess we can go. I’m sorry in advance if they bring Hojo.”

He laughed, “I’d actually love to kick that scrawny fuck’s ass if he tries anything while I’m there. But,” he started to rub his hands along her body, lingered on her curves and then settled for massaging circles in between her folds, “Why don’t you tell me what you’ve been up to Ka-Go-Me?”

She groaned internally. How could someone invoke such intense feelings out of a person? How could he make her so desperate with barely any effort?? After being fully dated multiple times already.

“College. Sucky roommate. Friends still pushy. Graduated. Nurse,” she informed through each kiss exchanged with their as he teased her.

“Heh, impatient are we?” he smirked down at her as she was already breathless. He leaned closer to her ear and whispered, “Why don’t we go shower together this time and then get breakfast?”

She nodded vigorously and he laughed as he edged off her allowing her to the lead the way…

 At dinner, Inuyasha filled her family in on his five-hundred years between when he saw Kagome last to now. He apparently worked for Takashasi Enterprises and was directly under Sesshomaru as the COO. His identity was currently Yashiko Takahashi and went by “Yash”. She recognized the name immediately and was shocked how well-known he had been and she never realized it was him. But he told her that had been the point. He couldn’t risk his younger self ever catching whiff of him and his presence. He was, up until four years ago, opening the new branch of their company in Berlin to avoid them.

He had an apartment near where his work was but also owned properties around the world. He maintained his human disguise originally until Sota and her mother begged to see his ears again. It all had been so surreal… He was really there—eating dinner with them again, holding her hand under the table, he had given her his old haori when they stopped at his place to change before dinner, and she had decided to wear it over her cocktail dress she picked to wear for when they went to the club again. She realized she had never been happier. More complete. As she looked into Inuyasha’s eyes, her mate, her life, she realized the feeling was mutual.

  Still debating on maybe a part 2? Epilogue? We will see 

[unsettledink]

Back in the days of LJ, I used to try and do a post at the end of each year, looking back primarily at fandom and fic. I fell out of the habit when everything moved to tumblr, and then it seemed like I didn’t have anything to say since I wasn’t writing or really participating any. 

But I always liked the idea of it, because I love to be overly reflective on stuff. And talk about my fic. Any excuse! I shuffled around some of the topics I used back then and added a few I’ve seen around that I liked. It got… long, because I TALK, so I split into two sections. 

*

Your main fandom of the year? 

    Marvel (MCU) for sure. Primarily with characters from Spider-Man and Iron Man movies.

Your favorite film watched this year?

    The Old Guard - I saw a couple trailers and everything about it looked like catnip. ‘It’s probably going to be so dumb, but I don’t even care,’ I thought. And then it was so good. It was so much fun and so much smarter than I expected and I loved each and every character and it just made me happy in so many ways.

Your favorite book read this year?

    Red, White, and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston - I read it twice this year actually. It’s so… cute isn’t the right world. Sweet and hopeful and soft and comforting and intense. I liked every single character which is pretty rare. I cried during the sad parts and then again at the happy ending, like straight up sobbed - both times. I already want to read it again.

Your favorite tv show watched this year?

    Schitt’s Creek - I started it on a whim and because a lot of people had said it was good. The episodes were short so it wasn’t a huge time investment. The first season was a little rough, but there were enough funny moments that I hung on, and then… I kept getting fonder and fonder of these idiots as they grew. And THEN… it kept not disappointing me? 

     You grow to expect certain scripts, twists, jokes, especially in queer story lines. To wait for the bad thing to happen, because it always does. Instead, Schitt’s Creek kept going, ‘hey, here’s the set up for that! Guess what? We’re not doing it. Here’s the happy version instead.’ The relief of having that happen again and again - the last season I’ve watched (I’m sort of saving 6) I cried a bunch but it was always because I was happy. 

Your favorite album or song to listen to this year?

    1896 - I’ve been waiting for the new Steam Powered Giraffe album so eagerly for aaaaaages. Finally getting recordings of Zero’s songs! Lying Awake remains my favorite off the album, with Eat Your Heart and Bad Days on the Horizon high up there as well. I’m loving what Zero brings to the band.

Your best new fandom discovery of the year?

    I don’t know if I really did discover that much? I stuck pretty closely to old fandoms and the ones I picked up in 2019. Maybe Zodiac? It was definitely inspiring, and I want to write and read more in it. 

    Maybe the couple discords I joined? I still really dislike discord and am not on there much, and mostly lurk when I am, but having somewhere vaguely like the comms I remember makes me feel a little less isolated. It’s the potential, that maybe if I said something I might make a friend, or someone might actually want to hear what I say. 

Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year?

    The Watch - I mean, I knew it was going to be a disaster with every word said during pre production. I wasn’t ever going to be happy with it. And then it came out and was even worse and uglier and … disrespectful not just of the source material but of actual people connected to Terry. I’m beyond disappointed that this is what we got, and it’s probably going to be a long time before we get anything else. 

    Devil All the Time was terrible, but I didn’t have especially high hopes. It still didn’t manage to meet them. Yikes.

The most missed of your old fandoms?

    Maybe MASH? Someone I follow started talking about it and I was reminded all over again of the wonderful fics in that fandom. I went looking and a lot are gone (still on my computer, lol, but not online), but rereading was such a trip. A slightly depressing trip, but still. 

The fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to?

    Hmm. I’ve kind of not had the energy to invest in other fandoms at the moment? When The Witcher was having it’s big moment back in January, I had a feeling I might enjoy it enough to fall headfirst into the fandom, so I avoided watching it. Ikr? I don’t have the time or the energy to actively seek anything out. 

Your biggest fan anticipations for the New Year?

    SO EXCITED about Winter’s Orbit. I mean, the third Spider-Man movie for sure, with worry. The second Venom movie, ugh yes. I have tentative hopes for Jungle Cruise? Jumanji was stellar and I always enjoy Dwayne. I have both hope and dread for the new Suicide Squad - I did love Birds of Prey, so if it’s along those lines, yay. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard because it should be some fun garbage, my favorite kind. I don’t know how I feel about Dune, but, uh, I’m anticipating it. It seems highly unlikely it will actually happen, but The Wheel of Time TV series. 

I want to be excited about Black Widow but it’s hard. It’s not the story I’ve been wanting to see, and I’m angry about Natasha not getting a movie until she’s dead.

You know. If any of it is released for real.

The Good: 

I moved to a better place. I got a better paying, better benefits, better environment job that lets me work from home. The house acquired 3-7 more cats depending on the month. I was able to get some serious problems on my car fixed. I have insurance and was able to start on some health stuff. No one I know got sick or died. I wrote a LOT.

The Bad: 

Aside from the obvious? Depression hitting extra hard during the winter. Having to put two kittens to sleep. Have my car be hit three times in our parking lot. Being driven INSANE by one of the cats for months while the vets were all closed. Kidney stone. Dealing with several health problems. Stalling for months on Gotcha.

The Indifferent: 

Not leaving the house often or easily. Enjoying a new fandom but not doing great at making connections (still real awkward, bud). Raising kittens and saying goodbye. Need new tires. Reading a lot of fic but not a lot of books. Having more pay but more expenses as well (wth insurance??). 

*

2020 fic stats

Number of stories: 39

Number of fandoms: 6? Or 2, if you cluster the others under mcu

Total number of words: 152049

Average word count per story: 4kish

Longest fic: Causality (18k, P/Q)

Shortest fic: Can’t, Won’t (1k, P/Q)

Most comments received: Sieche (49, T/P)

Fandom you wrote the most of: MCU Spider-Man - I only wrote TWO fics that didn’t feature that fandom, wow. And one of those was still MCU.

Fandom you wrote the least of: Zodiac (1!)

Events you participated in: Marvel Trumps Hate, Kinktober, IornspidersGeorg Exchange, Starker Festivals Exchange, MCU Secret Santa, Spiderio Big Bang

*

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?

    SO MUCH MORE OMG. I mean, even just counting posted stuff! (I probably wrote a solid 300k of Gotcha this year.) I did not expect or plan on doing Kinktober, so that’s a whole 31 fics right there. I also wasn’t planning on doing any exchanges - I have a History - but then I did three? And beyond that, I did not expect for everything to get so LONG.

Topic you wrote that you would never have predicted in January:

    Tony/Quentin. Goddammit @the-me09 They were like hey, they could be interesting! And while I agreed, I had no ideas for them. THEN they had to go and write Just Bodies That Collide and next thing I know, I’ve got ten fics featuring them and two-six series focused on them or Peter/Quentin/Tony. What the fuck. 

Leitmotif of the year:

    Vulnerability, I think. I had a bunch of things typed up and they all circle back to vulnerability in the end; sex, being seen, being wanted, sharing trauma, asking for help, trying something new. Offering a soft spot in the hopes it won’t be hurt. 

Favorite character to write about: 

    Tony Stark, for sure. There are just a bunch of slightly different takes, and a lot of canon to work with (kind of frustrating too though). And I’m a sucker for emotionally damaged snarky traumatized characters that are viewed poorly both in universe and out. 

Favorite kind of fic to write:

    This year? Fluff and smut combined. Maybe that’s not the right term really. I keep looking for and writing, even in the angstiest fics, for those soft moments. Sure, maybe it’s a super smutty kink scene, but I want the affection to be obvious. Maybe everyone is consumed by guilt, but I want it to be based in caring too much. Maybe there’s no real love, just sex and even that’s messed up, but I want to find that tiny bit of fondness. 

    And I want happy endings. Or endings that look like they’re going to be happy, at least, even if there’s all the angst first. I don’t think I’ve killed anyone this year? Who AM I? 

Biggest disappointment:

    Not finishing the rough draft of Gotcha. I was making such good progress in 2019, from August to December. Even after the move, I basically finished part 6 in January. I fumbled around and fussed with 1 a lot, but that had already been given one draft, really, and I got through half of 4 before I slowed to a stop. I’ve barely gotten anything accomplished on it since June. Bits and pieces here and there, but nothing significant, not like I was doing. I can excuse October, due to 80k invested in Kinktober (yikes!), but aside from that… I’m sad. I’ll finish it eventually, but I really thought I could have the first draft done in a year. I’m sitting at about 480k out of what I’m almost certain will be 700k. 

Biggest surprise:

    Kinktober! It was kind of spur of the moment, decided just a week in advance. I’ve tried month long or even like, 20-25 day long challenges and I don’t think I’ve ever completed one. I thought there was a good chance I’d do so again, so I gave myself a little help and made my own list of prompts, things I knew I liked and hadn’t done much of yet. And it worked? I actually completed it, what the hell? Despite spending five days travelling near the end! Despite falling behind in getting ahead and writing a bunch of stories the day they were to be posted! Despite apparently forgetting how to do short form! 

    I, uh, could have done without the spawning of eleven series or sequels or continuations jfc WHY SELF.

Something you learned this year:

    Ideas breed ideas. I swear to god, the second I sit down to think through a current idea, I wake up the next morning with three more. 

    Words need to be restocked. I need to consume new - not rereads, not fic - content every so often to refresh my word bank. It is astonishing how quickly writing goes again after I’ve done so.

    I can write so much more than I thought I could. I can do so much more than I thought I could. Yes, I can complete challenges without dropping out early. Yes, I can do exchanges and not regret it. Yes, I can write more than 100k, more than 200k, more and more - and I can write 10k+ easily too. Though I wouldn’t mind if I could once again write less than 10k without feeling like I’ve cut off in the middle. 

    My time is shrinking, and if I want to write as much, I’m going to have to make the time. I can’t rely on three days off a week, on seven hours of uninterrupted overnight shifts, on hyper focused writing binges that leave everything else around me on fire. 

Most memorable comment: 

    So, so many! I can’t pick one. I’ve been really lucky to get a bunch of really detailed, enthusiastic, analyzing comments across all different fics. One of the types that always sticks with me are the ones like ‘I didn’t think/know I liked this ship/kink/twist, but fuck, apparently I do? You made me, what the hell?’. 

What, if anything, are you going to try to do differently in your writing in the new year?

So with writing Gotcha but not posting until it’s done, my view of what I’ve written vs anyone else’s is extremely skewed. I’m sitting here thinking, hey I’m 400k in and got another 10k done today, so much writing! While anyone looking at my AO3 account (for most of the year) is like, you’re averaging three months between fics :(

    All that to say I want to try and get something posted more frequently while I’m working on Gotcha.

    Also, writing for kinktober was really interesting - pushing myself to write every single day, often for that day’s post, forced me to get back into shorter form fic. Which used to be all I did? But it was surprisingly hard to just stop and not write more. So I’d like to challenge myself to write more fics under 10k at least. Maybe even under 5k though that might be asking a lot lol. I might get there with the many continuations of those fics I’d like to do. Does that count?

Goals:

   I want to hit 365 fics. :) I’m only 32 away!

    Aside from writing - 

    I’ve really enjoyed the reading record sideblog I started this year. I’ve let it lapse a little the past month or so, but I’d like to keep it going strong. 

    I’d like to leave a lot more comments. I want to get better about allowing imperfection - I want to write The Best Comment, but in the end? Probably 90% of fic writers are going to be happier with a comment expressing enjoyment in any way over no comment at all. 

And not just on fics, but on general posts as well. It’s hard not to feel… weird and stupid and invasive and rude leaving any sort of comment on someone’s post if I don’t know them at least a little. I have godawful rejection sensitive dysphoria and a lot of interactions that ended poorly; I’m really not good at people. But as dumb as it feels to say those things, I know I am thrilled and warmed and happier when there’s a reblog with tags or a note or a comment or an ask or just, any small interaction that shows someone out there notices and cares, at least a little. There’s no reason I can’t at least try to offer that to other people. 

    I’d like to make/run a couple challenges of my own, later in the year. I’m still figuring out what I want to do and what I could do. I’m really interested in doing something that’s not focused on creators, but the readers; some sort of comment or rec challenge maybe.

    I want to find a cheerleader for Gotcha. I’m struggling to keep up my motivation to write it when it’s already in my head, where I can ‘read’ it any time. There’s a line between depending too much on external validation and trying to generate all your validation yourself, and I’m getting to a point where I think I need to ask for help (gasp! The hardest thing EVER). 

*

(Part Two: Pick Some Fics)

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt 17 - prt1

17

Keeping up with the tradition, they all wound up back at Lance’s house. Keith and Pidge were bonding with Blue, his cat a ho when it came to pats... on her terms of course. Keith seemed mystified over what to do when a cat sat in your lap. Blue was a traitor, bunting up into Keith’s chin because she was a traitorous whore with no taste. In the kitchen with Hunk, Lance nursed a mug of warm wine mixed with blood, as Hunk baked. He couldn’t stop himself. He needed to unwind and Lance was happy to provide his kitchen for that

“Did you really break your phone, man?”

Lance looked over the rim of his mug

“Yep. Dropped it on my bedroom floor. It shattered on the spot”

“You said we’d talk... I’m feeling kind of left out man”

“I didn’t mean to make you feel left out”

“Ever since Keith came along, you’ve been acting weird. I know sometimes Pidge can be full on, but I thought we were tight”

“We are tight”

“Then what haven’t you been telling me? I’ve told you things I wouldn’t think of telling Pidge”

Lance felt as if Keith had gotten his wish and staked him through the heart

“It’s not like that...”

“Then what is it like?”

The vampire didn’t have a whole lot of options. He could confess he was a vampire and give Hunk a heart attack. He could keep lying, which was clearly hurting Hunk. He could claim Keith was threatening him, but then Pidge and Hunk would want to take things into their own hands... Fuck... He didn’t want to hurt Hunk. Lying really did hurt. His friends were so special to him that he hated having to distance himself... semi lies were as bad as the real thing

“Okay... okay... the truth is I’m not really over being sick. I’m still feeling sick most of the time and I’m not used to having company all the time. I didn’t want to tell you because you worry about me so damn much. I’ll recover, good as new, but I’m supposed to have spent this last week resting up as much as possible. I can’t help myself, I love hanging out with you and Pidge, so when you invite me I can’t say no. I pushed myself a little too hard to fast, but I promise I’m working on getting better”

Hunk’s eyes immediately welled with tears

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because all I need is to catch on some sleep. You and Pidge are my best friends. I want to make as many memories with you as I can. I also had a call that wasn’t great, so that’s been on my mind too”

“A call?”

“A work call. The woman was strung out of her mind, I had to call in a welfare check on her. It’s been exhausting, but nothing a few good nights sleep won’t cure”

“Man... I wish you’d told me. We could have gone back home...”

“It’s okay”

“It’s not okay. If you’re sick, you need to be resting. I’ll tell Pidge while you get ready for bed”

“Dude, I’m okay”

“Please, stop being stubborn! Pidge and I both know you’ve never been really well. You’re always so pale. But you never tell us anything. We’re your friends, we want you to rely on us”

He’d been told that by Hunk before, playing it off as a low immune had bought him about a years worth of silence on the matter

“I do. I love you guys like family. That’s why... that’s why it’s so hard. We’ll watch what Pidge filmed, then head to bed”

“Absolutely not. I’ll have dad come pick us up. Keith can crash at mine for the night”

“You don’t need to do that”

“I don’t need to, but I want to. Let me help”

Passing Keith off was a terrible idea. Keith didn’t mix well with others. If he snapped anything was likely to come out... but what Lance wouldn’t give for a night without having to worry about waking Keith

“His brother Shiro should be swinging around tomorrow to pick him up. It’ll be fine, it’s only one more night. Plus, if we don’t watch the film now we won’t be able to watch it all together as a group”

Sure, most of Keith’s face was hidden behind the mask but Lance could tell all his expressions from the way his muscles moved. His brain told him that at any rate. His imagination must have been filling in the blanks automatically based on what he knew of Keith’s personality

“You need rest”

“I’ll be resting on my chair. Nothing strenuous happening, other than being in trouble with Pidge for talking. We’ll watch the video, pick out what to keep and what to edit, then I’ll go straight up to bed”

Hunk sighed, picking up the closest tea towel off the kitchen bench as he did

“You better. I’ll still have dad pick us up. And you need to answer your phone”

“I only have my work phone and the home phone”

“Exactly. Two other ways of calling”

“I can’t promise I’ll hear them, but if I see you’ve called, I’ll call back. Deal?”

Holding his hand out, Hunk took it, his handshake firm

“Deal. Don’t go around worrying me like that, man. I’m still recovering from tonight. Did you see that grey stuff?”

“It was the light off the camera. From having the viewfinder open and in night mode. That’s my bet. That combined with dust. Anyway, anything haunting that place would have made themselves scarce thanks to Pidge. I wouldn’t want to be a ghost and on the wrong side of her”

“I thought she was literally going to blow steam from her ears. She was so cranky”

“Especially when Keith tripped. I thought she was going to go turn him into a ghost on the spot”

Lance snorted as he smiled. Keith would be the dopiest ghost. He’d probably actually turn into one, but go around thinking he was human

“So did I. Our little gremlin is viscous. How long do the cookies need?”

“10 minutes. Go on ahead, I’ll be in soon”

“Alright, buddy. Don’t forget to use the dishwasher instead of doing the dishes by hand. Tonight was hard on you too. You deserve to kick back and relax”

“Yep, will do”

Pidge had Lance’s laptop on her lap when Lance headed into the living room

“Pidge! You’re not supposed to be on there!”

Pidge jumped at being sprung in the act

“I was ordering you a new phone. What kind of idiot doesn’t use a lifeproof case?”

“Me when they’re not very lifeproof. You know there’s sensitive files on there”

“Relax. All I did was open the browser. I don’t want to know about your cases”

“That’s beside the point. How you feel if you were one of them. And, it’s not like I can’t buy a new phone from the post office”

“You can, but I’m picking out a good one”

“Nope. No. I just need a cheap one where I can message you guys, take photos of Blue, and watch cat videos”

“Pffft. No. Trust me, you need to embrace the future, no more living in the past. Now, what colour do you want?”

“I don’t care about colour”

“You’re hopeless! Here’s one for $1500”

“Absolutely no way. I can’t justify spending that much on a phone. No. I’m fine with a $120 cheapie”

“You’re not fine and those things are an insult to technology. Help me out Keith”

Keith’s expression said he was in for trouble. Keith would do anything to mess with his life further, including taking revenge by making Lance pay out an unreasonable amount of money. Give it enough time and everything flashy would become standard for much cheaper

“I don’t know if he’s allowed something, or if he’d just wind up breaking it”

“Damn! Nice one. Okay, I’m ordering your phone now...”

“Pidge!”

“... and it’s done. You can thank me later with a shitload of photos of Blue. She’s such a diva. You should make her her own socials”

Lance didn’t love socials. He didn’t love the fakeness. He wished people could see and love the things in them that they might hate because society had made them feel like shit. He only had socials because of Pidge and his Mami. Most of what he posted was of Blue and her perfect little toe beans... with the occasional, less than lady like, tongue blep as she glared at him. He wasn’t putting pressure on Blue to be perfect for an audience

“Seriously?”

“Yep. A new case is coming too. This one should be Lance proof. Do we need to think about putting child safety devices in place?”

“I don’t know, Pidgeon. Do I need to think about digging a shallow grave when I see the price?”

“Maybe... is it for me, or for you?”

“I don’t know yet”

“Then I don’t know either. Hurry up and sit down already, you can have your precious laptop back. I don’t see why you need the desktop set up and a laptop. Both are practically antiques”

“You did both builds last year”

Pidge moaned

“Exactly, antiques. A painful reminder of my youth”

“Keith, do me a favour and punch Pidge in the arm for me. She’s being an idiot”

Keith ignored him, scratching the base of Blue’s back where it met her tail, Blue purring. Everybody in the room sucked. If it worked and did what it was meant to, Lance was fine with it not being the latest and greatest

“Ha! He knows better than to hit me”

“Yeah, because he’s as scared of you as the rest of us”

Pitch ditched a cushion in his direction, that missed him completely

“Rude”

“Merp”

Keith simply snorted at the both of them, Blue was taking up too much of the hunter’s attention. Still, he was going to be the bigger man, no wet food for Blue until she came back and loved him again.

*

The next week of Lance’s life passed slowly. Very fucking slowly in parts. His thirst wasn’t getting better, Keith wanted to fight every day, he didn’t have the energy to keep up with his work, feeling like he was letting all his clients down. Something in his gut was trying to tell him something, and Lance wasn’t sure what it was. He hadn’t heard from Shiro. Keith’s answer to that problem was that Shiro would come back when it was safe. But “safe for who?” was a totally different question. Lance had found that gradually he was getting used to Keith’s presence. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like this kind of uneasy peace. Keith grudgingly ate Lance’s cooking. The idiot had burned toast... in the toaster. It didn’t take a degree to be able to put two pieces in and pull down the lever, but somehow he’d done it. He’d set off the fire alarms, waking Lance, who immediately went into panic mode. Smacking his arm on the wall, he’d burst the blood blister building beneath his skin, smearing blood on the wall, as he swore. Rushing into the kitchen, the toaster was on fire, Lance ripping the cord out the all and dumping the lot in the sink.

Swapping the washing from the machine to the dryer, Lance closed his eyes and counted to 10 before opening them again. He could hear Keith shuffling around in the kitchen. He could hear his phone vibrating on the bench. The way his coffee machine slowly came to life told him he had all of 5 minutes before Keith would be all up in his face demanding that they fight. He could be in the middle of vacuuming and Keith would still pop up and demand to fight. He seemed to be working out a style for himself and organising his thoughts as he did. He still hadn’t decided on Keith, but he had to give him some credit. He kept trying and he kept getting back up... He was still to get an actual blow in that Lance hadn’t allowed. Maybe he was sick from Keith continually beating him up? And maybe he was kind of enjoying things more than he let himself believe. Or maybe his defences were lower than normal thanks to still being sick.

“Lance! Message!”

So Keith was his answering service now? Where was that in the terms and agreements of having his house hijacked?

“I know! I heard! Some dick didn’t bring all his washing out!”

“That’d be you!”

Like fuck it was. His lapses didn’t count when it was his house and he was going through stuff. Watching Keith try to wash and live in two sets of clothes was painful, so now he had three sets, plus underwear and socks of his own. He had a whole damn drawer in the spare bedroom, the Hunter basically moved in

“Fuck off!”

So much for his calming breath.

Heading into the kitchen, Keith had coffee made for the both of them. Yeah, Lance would have preferred tea but Keith seemed adamant on conquering the coffee machine

“Who was the call from?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t check it”

Lance raised an eyebrow

“I thought that was your thing, snooping on people’s calls?”

“Very funny old man. You look worse than you did yesterday”

“Isn’t that good for you?”

“No. I can’t learn anything if you’re half dead”

“If only I’d known that all along. I would have been off the hook long ago”

“Ha ha fucking ha”

“Shut up drink and your coffee”

Snatching his phone up, Lance’s chest went tight, his stomach dropped and his knees nearly went with it

“What’s wrong?”

Opening the message recorded, Lance held it to his ear as his hands shook

“Hi, Lance, it’s Sally here. Your grandmother’s taken a bit of a fall. She was awake when we found her, but we’ve transferred her to Platt General hospital. I’m sorry to drop this on you. If you want to give them a call, they might have more information for you...”

Lance’s phone slipped from his hand, Keith catching it before he could break another one

“Lance?”

“I’ve got to go”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It doesn’t concern you... fuck...”

He was getting teary. His Mami wasn’t as strong as she’d once been

“Hey...”

Brushing Keith off, Lance started scrambling to get ready, his head already dreaming up worst case scenarios. Had his Mami fallen or had it been something more? Had something happened? Was she not telling him something?

Racing out the front door, he made straight for his car. The key didn’t seem to want to go into the ignition, Lance screaming at it in frustration

“Move over, I’ll drive”

Lance nearly told Keith to fuck himself. He didn’t know why he’d followed him out. Sliding across the bench seat, Keith climbed into the drivers seat

“What’s happened?”

“It’s... I need to get to Platt general”

“You’ll have to give me directions. What’s going on? Who’s in hospital?”

“My Mami...”

Whatever smart reply Keith had for that died on the man’s tongue. Giving a nod, Keith got the key into the ignition, the old bronco starting with a rumble.

The drive to Platt was horrible. It passed in a blur as Lance prayed to whoever was out there that it wouldn’t be something major. Barking directions at Keith, Keith copped all his bad mood and worry, the hunter barely parked before Lance was rushing to get out the car. He hadn’t even bothered to clip in his damn seatbelt for the drive

“Lance, take a breath”

“Fuck you”

“Your teeth are fucking showing”

Oh... he was making a vampire face... fuck... he felt like he was about to throw up across his feet. He needed to see his Mami, and Keith’s presence was the only thing keeping him from completely losing himself. The hunter deserved a break

“Do you know what ward she’s on?”

“No. They didn’t say...”

“Okay, we’ll find out together”

Lance should have known Keith knew all about his family. Keeping his hand on Lance’s good arm, to keep him from running off, Keith talked to the woman at the front information desk, finding his Mami’s room with more patience than Lance had. He’d been here before with his Mami, so he should have remembered the way up to the floor, Keith nearly getting them lost because Lance couldn’t stop the flood of tears rolling down his face over the fact his Mami wasn’t dead. Finding the right ward, the nurse at the desk looked up at them like she was perplexed by their presence, telling them that only family was allowed to see his Mami. With choked words Lance explained that he was her grandson and emergency contact, which was apparently Luis on the hospital side of things. It wasn’t supposed to be him. Lance lived the closest, and he was the one who always made time for his Mami. When the woman looked to Keith, Lance explained that he was Mami’s other grandson, Keith not at all comfortable with the sudden promotion to family. Signing in, the nurse led them to his Mami’s room. She’d fractured her hip in the fall, and done a bang up job on her face, Lance nearly face planting as his emotions grew further out of control.

Propped up on pillows, Lance let out a fresh sob at his Mami’s face. Keith telling the nurse he’d call if they needed anything. His Mami looked so frail, far too frail, her complexion washed out, but when she saw him, she was raising her arms towards him

“Oh, Mijo...”

Walking over to his Mami, Lance wrapped his arms around her the best he could

“I’m okay. It’s just the silly head of mine. I got a little muffled”

“I was so scared”

“I know, you’ve always had a sweet heart. But you know it takes more than a fall to stop me”

Lance snorted a laugh, well aware he was snotting on his Mami’s shoulder

“I was still scared. Sally called to let me know”

“She’s got a big mouth, that one. They say I’m off to surgery soon, time for the good drugs”

“Mami!”

His mother chuckled, her strength wasn’t what it was, so Lance reluctantly drew out of her embrace to sit beside her

“Now, enough of that face. It’s a fractured hip, I’ve still got plenty of life in this old bird”

“You’re not old”

“Says you”

“Touché... fuck... I felt like...”

He felt as scared as when his Papi passed

“You didn’t lose me just yet. My face is sorer than the leg. I’m a tough old duck”

“That doesn’t make me feel better”

“That’s because you worry too much. Now, who is your handsome friend here?”

Right. Fuck... He didn’t know if his teeth were still showing... but this was his Mami and he’d never been that great at keeping secrets from her

“This is Keith... he knows...”

“Nice to meet you “Keith He Knows”... I’m hoping you did the driving and not Lance”

“Uh, yes, Ma’am”

His Mami laughed, her slight wince in the corner of her eyes didn’t go unnoticed by Lance. She had to be in a lot of pain, despite what she was saying and how she was acting

“Gracious. Where did he find you. Miriam is fine, dear. Now, I know my son is a worrywart, so could be a dear and find him a cup of tea for his nerves?”

“I think I can...”

“Thank you. It’s nice to see Lance is making friends. He’s so insistent that he’s fine alone. I hope you’re a good friend to him”

Keith took the the opening to flee, Lance didn’t blame him. They weren’t friends... he didn’t know what they were

“Mijo, I’m okay. Where did you meet Keith “who knows”?”

“Does it matter?”

“It does when my baby boy is making friends... or is there something you’re not telling you Mami”

Lance groaned

“You sound like Pidge”

“Ah, she’s a smart girl. Sooo... you and Keith?”

“Aren’t like that... He’s a human for one thing”

“And?”

“And a single drop of my blood could change all that, plus, I’m pretty sure he actually hates me”

“Ooooh, my little Mijo is growing up!”

His Mami must have been high

“Mami, he’s a hunter���

“I can see how that could make things difficult... Is he here to kill you?”

How could his Mami sound so blasé about his death?

“He wanted to. But things happened. Now he’s annoying houseguest”

“I hope you’ve been treating him right”

“Mami!”

“Good chinaware and fresh sheets...”

Lance groaned

“Mami, it’s not like that. How can you be so calm?”

“Because I can tell he’s not going to kill you”

“How?”

“Just call it a Mami feeling”

“I think Mami’s feeling high”

“A bit. A bit annoyed this happened before bingo. That Andy Jefferies always wins the good stuff. His walker might have to go for a walk”

“Mami!”

“I’m just saying... oh, never mind. Luis should be here soon”

Fucking Luis...

“Don’t make a face like that, Mijo. He is your brother”

“I know and someone changed me from their emergency contact here”

“Well Luis and Lisa are thinking of making the move here...”

“I’m already here”

“I know you are, dear. But you can’t chase after your Mami forever”

“I’m pretty sure I can. I mean, vampire and that”

Lance injected scoff into his tone. He didn’t want to seem as jealous as he was. He’d always thought he’d had a special bond with his Mami, and the rest of his family all had families of their own... except for Rachel. She’d had a troubled life, thanks to him

“You know what I mean”

“I do, but you don’t get to think that you’re rid of me anytime soon”

“I wouldn’t dream of such freedom”

His Mami was viscous

“Now, give me hug. This old body doesn’t always like cooperating”

[ofcornsyrup]

( ellie bamber . she/her . ginger snaps . ) your name is GINGER FITZGERALD. you’re 18, and you’ve been in wayward valley for as long as you care to remember. occasionally, you catch glimpses of another life, and it looks like INSAITABLE HUNGER, A PILE OF GRAINY POLAROIDS, HANDS STICKY WITH BLOOD — but it’s all in your head, surely. after all, your CONFIDENT, OUTSPOKEN, VIOLENT, & MOODY disposition has found a life of sweet contentment here in town, as a STUDENT. so why does it feel like something’s missing? ( sophie . 25 . she/her . gmt . )

Hi everyone :) My name’s Sophie, I live in England, and I’m 25 years old! By week, I’m a school librarian, and by weekend, I’m a costumed tour guide at a thousand year old local castle.

Here are a few of my favourite things: Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Elementary, Russel T. Davies’ era of Doctor Who, The Crown, reading basically anything, cats, and vintage style (I’m very fond of the 1940′s, but the ‘60′s are neat too!)

And here’s some information about my daughter, Ginger:

For people who haven’t seen the 2000 movie, Ginger Snaps, firstly, go watch it. It’s probably the best werewolf movie ever. Here’s a synopsis: two sisters, Brigitte and Ginger. One night, Ginger gets attacked by a werewolf. They look for a cure. That’s all I’m gonna say.

For those who have seen it, wicked! I’m going to be keeping Ginger’s personality fairly close to the original movie, and completely ignore the sequel and third one (seriously, the third movie was a train wreck that totally undermined the original. Sequel was okay.)

Ginger is the epitome of “moody teen emo”. She hates school, thinks life is a sick joke, and the only way to deal with it is to check out early, in the most dramatic and gory way possible. It’s the biggest “fuck you” you can give the world, right? She wears black all the time, and her most prized possession is her necklace, which is a bird skull on a piece of string. Brigitte has one too. They both found these skulls out in the woods a few years ago, and now they both wear them every day.

Ginger and her sister Brigitte are very co-dependent. They do everything together. (Side note: in the movie, Brigitte is a year younger, but since I aged Ginger up to 18, I’m going to say they’re twins, with Ginger being the older one). They submit weird projects for class, to creep out their teacher, hang out at Wayward Cemetery and the abandoned rec room, taking polaroid photos and sticking them to the wall of their shared bedroom.

Brigitte is the only person in the world that Ginger gives a crap about, and she’d do anything to protect her. She’s got into a couple of fights at school when the popular bitches have laughed at Brigitte, always willing to stand between her little sister and anyone who messes with her.

Ginger has lived in Wayward her whole life, and she hates it. It’s a boring, small, town, and she can’t wait to blow it. She’s convinced that basically everyone here is a freaking idiot for staying in such a boring place, zombified. But, as much as she talks about it, something is keeping her here. She doesn’t know what it is, and she’d never admit to anyone, but she’s never tried to run away, as much as she hates it.

Now she and Brigitte are 18, the end of high school is looming, and Ginger has no clue what she wants to do after. She hasn’t got herself a weekend job, or even thought about what she’s going to do next, despite her mom constantly getting on her back about “life after high school”. She would never tell anyone except Brigitte, but Ginger is afraid of the end of high school, of what she’s going to do with her life. She has no plan, no goals.

And, to make shit worse, recently she’s been having really vivid nightmares. She’s running through a pitch-black forest with her sister, her shoulder burning like it’s on fucking fire, and she knows something’s chasing them, something huge and wild and dangerous, and if it catches her, she’s dead; she’s ripping a dog to pieces, feeling the hot viscera and gushing blood; she’s got a weird, wagging, naked, lump at the base of her spine, which looks like a tail. Every time she wakes up from one of these nightmares, she’s gasping, terrified, and she checks her body all over to make sure she’s still her.

TL;DR: Ginger is an angsty, moody, teenager, whose closest friend is her twin sister Brigitte, who has no idea what she’s going to do with her life, recently haunted by freaky nightmares.

POTENTIAL CONNECTIONS

FRIENDS: Is your muse a misfit student at Wayward High School? Do they hang out a lot at the cemetery, or the rec room? Do they hate authority figures? If you said yes to any of those questions, they might be a good friend for Ginger! I’m desperate to give her friends besides Brigitte. Their friendship might be one of convenience, or awkward, or whatever, but I want her to have people whose company she doesn’t totally hate

ENEMIES: This one’s probably gonna be easier, since Ginger is always fighting everyone. Maybe Ginger threatened your muse, or got into a dumb fight with them, or insulted them. Maybe your muse got into a fight with her? Maybe Ginger just doesn’t like your muse’s face. Whichever way we play it, I’m excited to give Ginger enemies, and people she can rail against.

OTHER WEREWOLVES: I would love to explore a relationship between Ginger and werewolves from other media. Maybe they know about each other’s dreams or memories of lycanthropy? Maybe your muse is doing werewolf research, and Ginger spots them? Just give me all the other werewolves, and we’ll make a new pack!

CLASS PROJECT PARTNERS: If she’s given the choice, Ginger will work with her sister for every class project. But what if the teacher is a real dick, and forces her to partner with literally anyone else? I can see this being a really funny way to kick off a relationship between our muses! If they’re forced to work together, and we go from there.

MOURNER / VISITOR TO WAYWARD CEMETERY: Ginger spends a lot of her free time in Wayward Cemetery. Does your muse have someone buried there? They’ve probably seen this weird emo girl hanging out there, sitting on gravestones, taking photos of cool-looking ones. This would be a super interesting place to have them meet, and just see where things go from there.

These are all the ideas I’ve got right now, but if you have more, hit me up :)

I can’t wait to write with everyone! Feel free to hop into my I.M.’s and plot stuff out. Ginger might bite, but I promise I don’t.