#i need to go back and edit their chapter but i still can't believe half of it was like a canon novel

[navybrat817]

Give Me One More

Pairing: Soft!Dark Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: You don't need Bucky. He's going to prove you wrong. Over and over and over...

Word Count: Over 3.7k

Warnings: DUBCON to be safe, explicit sexual content, unprotected vaginal sex, oral sex (f. receiving), overstimulation, masturbation, established and slightly toxic relationship, pet names, possessive behavior, family drama, betrayal, threats (not against reader), loose backstory, slight feels (it's me, okay?), Bucky Barnes (he's a warning and a bit mean, okay?).

A/N: I spoke about prisoner!Bucky ages back and I couldn't let this go. Especially not when I'm looking at that beautiful edit by the more beautiful @nixakimbo! ❤️Not beta read and written on my phone, so any and all mistakes are my own (but thanks to @whisperlullaby for discussing this man with me!). Divider by the talented @saradika. Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog for new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

You pushed the curtain aside to look out the bedroom window, the clouds dark and thick in the sky. Your home used to be your safe haven, a place of comfort, and all you wanted to do now was escape from your prison of sorts. Not the kind of place your boyfriend, Bucky, spent time in. The bars that kept you in couldn't be seen by the naked eye.

“Can't stay in there all day,” Bucky said from the hall, his deep voice reminding you that you weren't alone.

You’d never be alone again.

“Yes, I can,” you called back. You had been in your bedroom for well over an hour since you snapped at him and left him alone in the living room. If staying in there meant avoiding him, you were fine with that.

You half expected him to stomp down the hall, but he only said, “You’re being a fucking brat.”

Blood rushed to your cheeks as anger flowed through you. “Leave me alone, asshole!” You shouted, feeling every bit like the brat he said you were.

You weren’t sure what set you off today. It could've been because you were still angry that Bucky used you. How long did it take for an empire to fall? In your case, six months.

Half a year ago, Bucky Barnes bumped into you at your favorite coffee shop. Literally. He was large, built like a powerhouse, but his grip that kept you from falling was so gentle. One look in his cerulean eyes and you were a goner. He easily charmed his way into your life and bed. He treated you like a princess, better than any boyfriend before, and you naively believed it was fate that brought you together.

You should’ve known it wasn't the beginning of a happy new chapter in your story. It was a clock winding down to your doom. More specifically, your father’s doom. Because Bucky wanted to destroy the man who helped land him in jail.

The White Wolf, a nickname for Bucky you recently learned about, wasn't a good man. Far from it and far from being a reformed criminal. He took it personally that your dad got him put behind bars for a short time. So he tore his life apart. Took his job away. Urged his friends to abandon or turn on him. Got him put in jail. Bucky even rubbed it in his face that he fucked his daughter. All in six months.

It would almost be impressive if you weren't the one living with the aftermath.

Had your dad known exactly who you were seeing, he may have tried to stop you.

“Asshole,” you muttered.

What Bucky didn't plan on was falling for you or so he said. You were, apparently, his chance at happiness. Because of that, he wouldn't let you go. And he expected you to just forgive him and move forward.

How could you forgive him?

He promised he’d hunt you down if you tried to leave him. You naturally tried and didn't get very far. The sick part was how much you enjoyed him chasing after you and bringing you back. After he fucked you where he found you.

As if he read your mind, he called out, “I know you're frustrated. Bet if you sit on my cock you'll feel better.”

Your cheeks flamed, your panties damp. Damn him for still arousing you with so little words. “Go fuck yourself.”

That actually wasn't a bad idea. He was right. You were frustrated and itching to get out of your own skin. Maybe if you got yourself off, you’d feel a little better. Not happy, but better.

“I don't need him,” you said.

That was what you told yourself as you stripped down and got on the bed. But as you ran your hands along your breasts, gasping as you moved one hand lower, it didn't feel right. The normal fire within you didn't burn. Didn't even a flicker. A raw ache instead outweighed the pleasure you tried to give yourself.

“Damn it,” you muttered.

You heard Bucky’s dark chuckle from the doorway and made the mistake of looking his way. You weren't sure how long he'd been standing there, but his cock was free from the confines of his pants and he lost his shirt at some point, too. He didn't attempt to hide the array of scars and tattoos that littered his torso. Ones you traced with your fingers and tongue more times than you could count. Back when you weren't a pawn in his game.

But if you really were a pawn, why did he have your name tattooed over his chest?

“Looks like you need a hand,” he said, brushing back his long hair as his eyes moved along your body from head to toe.

You ignored your racing heart as you said through your teeth, “Go away.”

He tore your life apart like a tornado, leaving destruction where there was once calm and beauty. Instead of letting you pick up the pieces, he continued to wreck everything around you. He broke you, too, but you were also the only thing he put back together.

The smirk he gave you was one you used to adore. “What’s wrong, princess? Still mad at me?”

You scoffed. Was he serious? “Yes, I’m fucking mad at you.”

“Still mad about the past? Or is it because you can't get out of your own head long enough to make yourself come?” He taunted, slowly stroking his thick cock. “Did you ever actually get yourself off before me? Or did you not know what an orgasm was until I gave you one?”

You watched with a lustful gaze as his hand moved up and down, your eyes not leaving the sight as you desperately tried to get some sort of relief. “I had plenty before you showed up,” you hissed, sliding a finger into your tight hole.

“You know, all you have to do is admit that I'm right: That I've ruined you and all you can think about is how good it feels when I'm fucking you. Admit it and I’ll get you off.”

Pushing another finger inside yourself, you refused to admit that he was telling the truth. Nothing felt as good as he did. And that was the problem, wasn't it? You shouldn't want or need him. Not after everything he had done to your family.

He groaned as he watched your fingers sink in. “You're so pathetic laying there. My pretty little slut wants to prove the impossible. Just wants to prove that she doesn't need me when we both know that's a fucking lie,” he grunted as his cock twitched, making you clench in want despite your anger at his words. “Better hurry up and say it. Otherwise I'm going to come all over you and you're going to be left begging to come and not get off at all.”

You whined as a tear fell from your eye. “You're an asshole. The lowest of the low.”

He chuckled as he brushed his thumb along the tip, watching as your eyes followed the motion. “Now you're just trying to hurt my feelings and that's mean, princess. That isn't you. I'm the mean one in this relationship.”

Your fingers froze as you narrowed your eyes. “Relationship? Don't you mean your prisoner?”

Your breath caught in your throat when he smirked, something darker than before. “You think you're a prisoner? You have no fucking idea. I’ve been to prison. This is a fucking walk in the park,” he said, pouring more salt in the open wound when he added, “And your dad knows all about prison now, doesn't he?”

You choked on your next breath. “How dare-”

“Relationship, prisoner, my girl. You're still fucking mine,” he snarled, the sound sending a shiver down your spine. “And I'm still right. So just say it. Tell me you need my cock and I'll get you off. Fuck that pretty pussy so good you cry for me. Won't even make you apologize for repeatedly calling me an asshole.”

“I wish I never met you,” you blurted out.

Guilt churned in your stomach at the hurt in his eyes. Why did you still care after what he did? Why did he matter to you? “You don't mean that,” he whispered before he blinked, ice in his gaze. “You’re just being a fucking brat.”

You let out a small scream of frustration when you removed your fingers and reached for your side drawer where you kept your vibrator. If Bucky was going to keep being an asshole who wouldn't get you off, your toy would. But he didn't let you get very far. Not when he was on you in a flash, throwing the toy far behind him and pinning your wrists above your head.

His breathing was almost as heavy as yours.

“Oh no, princess. You're so confident you can come without me then that must mean you don't need any help at all coming,” he smirked, gripping your wrists tighter as you squirmed beneath him. You didn't dare look down when his cock brushed against your skin. “It's cute that you think you're stronger than I am. That sexual frustration must really be fucking with your head. I can fix that.”

“You're fucking sick. I don't… I… I don't need you,” you said, not having to see your eyes to know your pupils were blown with lust. Your tongue darted out to lick bottom lip before your gaze settled on his, challenging. “You need me more than I need you. What was it you said? That I was the best pussy you ever had? And you’d be happy to keep your cock in me all day every day?”

“Just like my cock is the best you ever had.”

You opened your legs a bit more when he clenched his jaw. “And you don't want to finish on me. You want to be in me. If it were any other guy, he'd-”

He growled when he grabbed your chin. It was a reminder of just how strong he was and how he could hurt you if he wanted to. “There are no other guys. Do you fucking hear me?”

It was your turn to smirk. Bucky was a lot of things, but he never strayed. Not once. He would forever be faithful. “You sure about that? Maybe I can't relax right now, but if you won't fuck me I’m sure I can find someone who-”

He flipped you on your stomach and gripped the back of your neck before you could finish that statement. “If you think I wouldn’t kill any guy who touches you, you’re out of your fucking mind. Keep pushing me, sweetheart. See what happens.”

You bit back a moan at the gravel in his voice as you turned your head to the side, glancing at him out of the corner of your eye. It was dangerous to poke the bear, but you were past the point of caring. Especially when fury looked beautiful on him. “What's wrong, Bucky? Don't like the taste of your own medicine?”

He leaned down, his breath harsh against your ear. “I prefer the taste of your pussy. Always so good for me. You wanna hear that I need you? Fine. I fucking need you,” he rasped, biting at your earlobe. “Happy?”

“And that you’re sorry?”

“For hurting you? Yes,” he whispered, nosing along your neck. “Never meant to hurt you.”

You shuddered, almost delirious from needing to come. And the fact that he admitted that he needed you. That he was sorry for hurting you. But you weren't ready to play nice. “I'll be happier when you finally decide to fuck me, but you're just a fucking asshole, aren't you?”

He let out a slow breath. “Yeah, I'm a fucking asshole.” He nipped your earlobe roughly again in retaliation before settling between your legs and teasingly brushing the tip of his cock along your folds. “And I'll fuck you when you say you need me, too.”

You tried to push back to take him in, but he kept a firm hold on your hips. You tried to wiggle out of it, but it only brought you frustration as you groaned. “If you're really going to make me say it, don't hold your breath. You can't threaten me, Bucky. You're all talk. And guess what?” You said, smiling sweetly. “I can find another guy to fuck me better than you can.”

You couldn’t see the thunderous look in his eyes, but you heard the low and menacing chuckle in his throat. It sent chills down your spine. Maybe you pushed too far this time, but you didn’t care. He deserved it and worse.

“You're trying to piss me off and I want you to remember that you pushed me to this,” he said more to himself than you before sheathing you in one hard thrust, your mouth falling open in a cry at his sudden intrusion. “Hope you enjoy the bed since you won't even be able to walk out of this room.”

You stared at the wall, your eyes unseeing as Bucky tore you apart. Seconds passed. Minutes. Hours. The sound of his grunts from behind you filled your ears, along with the brutal slap of skin-on-skin. Your body burned, the overwhelming stretch from his cock making you lose sense of yourself. You told yourself he’d finish fucking you soon, but that felt like ages ago.

You also told yourself there was no way you’d have another orgasm, but he proved you wrong. Climax after climax, your release practically flooded around him. At this rate, you really wouldn't be able to get out of bed.

“Bucky,” you gasped, trying to grip the sheets for purchase as he pulled out and slammed back into you. “Please…”

You were boneless, exhausted, and he just kept going. “Oh, no, princess. You wanted to get off.”

Tears of ecstasy streamed down your cheeks, whimpering when you felt yourself on the cusp of another orgasm. How was that possible? How many had he given you? “Bucky, I…” you moaned as you clenched around his cock again.

He cooed, a taunting sound when you choked on a sob. “So good, but I want another.”

“I don't… ” Your eyes rolled back, your head spinning. “I can't.”

You’d seriously lost count at that point how many times you’d come. And your whimper didn't stop Bucky from mockingly cooing again. “Aww, you don't think you can? My poor little fuck doll can still talk which means she hasn't had enough yet. This pussy is so fucking wet for me, so swollen,” he taunted, reaching underneath you and flicking your overstimulated clit as a choked moan escaped you, your walls tightening around him once again. “See? Your greedy little cunt can't get enough of me.”

Why did your body need him so badly? “I can't…” you whined as he licked one of your tears away, seemingly unbothered by the sheen of sweat on your face.

“You think anyone else can do this? Work your body up like this over and over again?” He grunted against your cheek. Your eyes squeezed shut at his harsh panting, his pace not slowing. “All you had to do was say that you need me. But no. You just had to be a fucking brat.”

You practically wailed as you teetered on the edge of another orgasm. “I-I need you. Just you, Bucky,” you said. At least, you thought you said it. You had a tough time stringing any thoughts together with his cock splitting you open.

But his thrusts don’t slow. They were just as relentless as before. “Oh, no. You had your chance to say it,” he snarled, leaning up to pull your hips back against his. “And my pussy is telling me all I need to know. So just lay there and give me another.”

The pleasure bordered on the edge of pain as a sob escaped. There was no possible way you could come again. As much as you thought you couldn’t take it, your body tensed. You still craved him and wanted to give him one more. So you did. You shattered. It was almost too easy that he managed to pull another orgasm from your pliable body.

Or maybe you were just easy for him.

Bucky smacked your ass hard enough to make you cry out, his hand kneading the flesh with a delighted groan. “Fuck, each one is better than the last, princess. You want me to fill you up huh? You wanna feel me dripping from you?” He chuckled darkly, finally slowing down as you let out another sob. He shushed you before he put a hand on the back of your neck and kept you down. “I’m gonna fill you up and you’re gonna take it. Then, I'm gonna lick you clean until I'm satisfied.”

“No…”

He gave you one more smack for good measure when you made a sound of protest. “C'mon, princess. Beg for me to fill you up. If you can talk.”

You didn’t know if you could. You were practically a drooling mess as he drove in as deep as he can go. “Pl… Pl… Bu…” you tried to moan, another tear falling as he shushed you again.

“Got you cockdrunk, didn't I? Need to be pumped full? Then let me give you every. Fucking. Drop.”

A tired moan came out when he filled you up, giving a few slow thrusts as he finished. Your body trembled beneath him, a whiplash of chills and heat. You barely registered him pulling out before he flipped you onto your back. Glassy and unfocused eyes. Makeup smeared all your face. Tears stains on your cheeks. You must’ve looked quite the sight.

He relished in ruining you.

And the beautiful bastard didn’t even look like he broke a sweat.

“Should I call you a dog? You’re drooling, princess,” he smirked. You didn’t have it in you to argue as his eyes drifted down to your pussy. It was still twitching and leaking with your mixed release. He licked his lips as he slid down your body more to fully take in the sight. “And you look good enough to eat, so I think that's just what I'll do.”

“What…” you gasped. He couldn't. Not after all that.

You whimpered as you tried to push him away with a tired hand, but he grabbed your wrists with a tsk. “No, no, no, sweetheart. You keep your hands to yourself. I told you I wasn't done with you and it's rude to keep a man from his meal.”

You were still floating from the multiple orgasms he gave you when he took his first lick. Your shivers picked up again and he groaned at your taste before diving in. Any strength you had to try to push him away depleted immediately, even with how sensitive your walls felt. You couldn't stop him.

You’d never be able to stop him.

After a minute, your eyes widened when you felt him build you up again. “No,” you moaned, but the sight of him between your legs, eating you like he was starving, was too much.

He just hummed against you. "Give. Me. One. More.”

Your back arched when his lips latched onto your clit, forcing the orgasm from your worn out body. You weren’t sure if you made a sound, but you trembled as your release went on for what seemed like forever. Bucky’s tongue lapped it all up, humming before he sat back and looked at your wrecked form again. He made a show of licking the shine from his lips and looked just as proud as ruining you with his tongue the way he did with his cock.

“If you ever try to threaten me with another man or refuse to admit you want me again, I'll make sure to tie you to this bed for a week and refuse to let you come even if you beg for it. And I shouldn’t have to mention what else I can do. Do you understand?”

You trembled, knowing exactly what Bucky was capable of. While he never laid a hand on you to inflict pain, you knew the damage he did to others. Like the bodies buried and cold in the ground because of him. Not to mention the connections he still had at the prison. All he had to do was say the word and that would be the true end of your dad.

With unfocused and teary eyes, you gave him a nod. “Yes, Sir,” you whispered.

“Now tell me you love me and that you’re sorry,” he ordered.

A tear slid from the corner of your eye. “…Love you. I’m sorry.”

His smile was tender and for a second you forgot about everything else. “That’s my good girl,” he praised, your heart betraying you like your body did when he kissed your lips. “And I love you, too.”

You whined as he left your line of sight, but he came back almost right away to sit beside you, the bed dipping under his weight. “Drink it, princess,” he urged, his voice gentler than before he helped you take a sip of water. He even smiled again when he wiped another tear of yours away. “We can go back to the way it was before, you know. When you were blissfully unaware and we just quickly fell in love.”

The pain in your heart came and went as your breathing evened. You wished you could go back to innocent movie nights and meals. To waking up beside him with a smile on your face. To making love so passionate that you believed you were made for each other. There was no changing anything or going back. You could only move forward with him by your side.

Bucky sighed when you didn't say anything. “I know I’m a piece of shit, but I won't stop loving you. And I think you learned your lesson.”

You blinked a little as you took another sip, on the verge of passing out.

“You’re mine and I’m never letting you go,” he whispered, brushing the gentlest of kisses against the top of your head. “Don’t you ever fucking forget that.”

So... I know he isn't all good, but I had fun writing this and I hope you lovelies enjoyed it! Would love to hear your thoughts and maybe I'll expand on this? Love and thanks for reading! ❤️

Masterlist ⚓ Bucky Barnes Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

[ahgasegotarmy116]

The Art of Etiquette Part 10 | Jeon Jungkook

Summary: Your lesson with Jungkook ran a bit longer today so he offers to give you a ride home but decides to make a stop along the way Pairing: f!reader x Etiquette instructor Jungkook Word Count: 2.7k~ Warnings: Suggestive language if you think about it lmao but nothing too crazy a/n: I can't believe it's been this long since I last updated this story 😭 (almost 2 months) I know this chapter is short but the ball is coming up in the next chapter so this was a good stopping point. Hardly edited per usual lol Start from the beginning

"Late again princess. I should start counting at this rate" Jungkooks taunts, his back to me as always when I walk in the room. "Prey tell," he continues, turning to face me and sizing me up like a predator does his prey. "what might your excuse be for being late this time? The roads were quite clear last I checked" he presses, walking closer and closer to me. 

"I-I forgot my shoes at home. I know you told me I needed to break them in so..." I say, being truthful but keeping the matter of being stopped by Foster on my way out of class to myself. 

"Why are you so nervous? Have I done something to frighten you already?" he asks, circling me and slipping my bag off my shoulder before walking over to the chair I usually sit on when I change into my heels before class. 

Gone is the easy going and attentive Jungkook from Sunday, leaving a hungry dominant one in it's wake. 

"I'm not frightened" I argue, following him so I can sit down but when I reach for the box that contains the shoes in question he gives me a warning glance, leaving me recoiling and letting him do as he pleases. 

Okay so maybe I am a little frightened but I just don't know where we stand and that fact alone has me on edge. 

"You look at me as though you were afraid I might gobble you up" he smirks, kneeling before me and helping me slip them on. "You look at me as though you would" I throw back and the look in his eyes goes from mischief to one of challenge, knowing now that I'm willing to play into his little game. 

"Is that something you'd like?" he asks, licking his bottom lip making my eyes draw straight to them. "Is that something you'd like?" I echo, throwing the taunt right back. He smirks softly and runs one of his hands up the back of my calf, no higher than my knee but still sparking a flame alight inside me.

"Answering a question with a question, I was under the impression I taught you better than that" he says and removes that hand that I begged would climb higher, him choosing to stand up and straighten his appearance instead, walking towards the sound system to turn on the endless ballroom music I'm sure we'll be dancing to. 

Damn him and his flirting! Can't he ever just follow through with one thing? 

~~~~~

As our lessons draw to a close he hands me a bottle of water, leaving me accepting and downing half of it in one go. 

I feel his eyes on me, watching as a stray droplet trails down my cheek to the column of my neck and collarbone until it disappears under my blouse and it seems as though he wishes he could tear it away and find where else that droplet might've traveled. 

I finished drinking moments before it disappeared, watching him as he watched it, his eyes fluttering up to mine seconds later and noticing my stare. Clearing his throat in response he turns away and goes to shut off the sound system for the rest of the day. 

"Your dancing is improving" he says once he's walked back towards me, giving me a towel to dab off the light sheen of sweat that had appeared during the final three songs. "I only stepped on your foot once today" I say feeling a tad victorious. 

"Twice" he corrects gaining him a frown. "That one doesn't count! My foot barely grazed yours" I groan and he chuckles, "Still hurt though" he says with a shrug. 

"Really?" I cringe, hating the thought that I somehow still seemed to hurt him even after all the time we've spent running through all these steps together. He grants me a devious smile before stepping towards me, one of his feet closer to mine now. I look up at him with a questioning gaze, waiting for what he might say but it wasn't something I had expected. 

"Step on it" he says, smirking at the confusion now running through my whole body leaving me recoiling instead. "What?" I question, baffled by the absurdity of the request and he chuckles, thoroughly amused with my reaction. He glances down at his shoe and back up at me, daring me not to and I narrow my eyes at him while contemplating it for a second but decide to do it anyway, being met with a hard shell encasing the front of his foot.

"Steel toe dress shoes? Really" I roll my eyes, walking over to my stuff so I can take my heels off, feet thoroughly abused with the whole task of breaking them in. "They're very useful when you're in the line of work that I'm in" he responds, amused by my reaction of him revealing his secret to me. 

"I bet they are" I respond and once I'm back in my flat shoes again I stand up but lose my footing after having spent all this time on my toes. "Are you okay?" he asks, catching me right away. "Yeah I'm fine. Dancing with new shoes was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be" I explain and he nods his head, understanding completely and lets go so I can stand on my own. 

"Were you planning on teaching me anything else tonight? It's already a little past the usual time we wrap things up" I ask, checking my phone and then glancing outside, seeing that the sun is long gone. 

"Oh I apologize, I seem to have lost track of time. Let me drop you off then" he says, grabbing his keys. "I drove here though, and I'd hate to have James send someone to pick up the car again" I try to refuse, ultimately knowing I'll lose the battle but still doing so nevertheless. 

"It's fine, I can come pick you up from home and take you to campus when I drop off Bam at his trainers in the morning" he says and I stop in front of his car while he goes to the passenger side and opens the door for me. 

"Isn't that a little too much? I don't want you going out of your way to do that for me" I say, making excuses so he doesn't feel like he has to do all of that. "It's completely fine y/n. I pass by your house on my way home anyway so I don't mind adding a couple of extra stops since I don't have much planned in the morning" he replies and I nod my head, slowly making my way over to his car. 

"I really don't mind driving in the dark Jungkook my vision is completely fine" I relay, trying to back out once again but this time he walks up to me and ushers me over to the car by my waist so I have no other option but to get in. 

"Okay but I-" I start, turning to face him before I get in, not knowing how close his face had been to me, leaving our lips mere inches apart. He tilts his head and hums, urging me to continue. I try to find the words I mean to say but they are buried in the deep recesses of mind, whisked away with the proximity between us. 

"I'll pick you up once your classes have ended as well. That way you'll be here on time tomorrow" he says, touching my jaw for a second before leaning in. "Get in the car" he whispers against my cheek leaving me quickly turning around and doing as he says before he can see my expression. 

Seconds later I could've sworn that I heard him chuckle and mumble a quiet 'Cute' under his breath before closing the door and rounding the car to his side. 

~~~~

After we've been driving for a bit I notice how he's pulled off onto a dirt road and I'm instantly confused. 

"Is this where you plan on killing me?" I joke, curious as to where we're going. "If I wanted to kill you Pretty," he starts, paying close attention as we round a bend, pausing in his response for a second. "you'd already be dead" he finishes, sending a chill through my body and when he notices how stiff I've gone he gives me a sly smile before turning back to make sure we get to our destination safely. 

"I went ahead and messaged Matthew and asked him to inform James that our lessons ran a little late so they won't be too concerned" he says, putting the car in park and unbuckling his seatbelt. "So this is where you're going to kill me" I say and he chuckles again before tapping me twice under my chin. "You're cute when you're scared" he says before opening his door and rounding to open mine.

I cross my arms over my chest, thoroughly annoyed by the fact that I let him get away with stuff like this to the point where I actually prefer it. I'll never give him the satisfaction of knowing that though. Knowing him though he's probably already very aware of it, otherwise he wouldn't keep pushing my buttons. 

When he opens the door I glare up at him keeping that same posture and he smirks down at me while offering his hand to help me up. "Where are we?" I ask and he lets out a dry chuckle. "Get out of the car and you'll find out" he temps and I look between him and his outstretched hand that is still waiting for me to take and against my better judgement I decide to dance with the Devil. 

Who would blame me though when he looks at me like that, a heated gaze that never truly acts upon the sinful desires hidden behind them.

Stepping out of the car we're met with an open expanse of land, not a single soul or building in sight with only the low hum of vehicles barely audible from the highway behind us. "What is this place?" I question marveling at the serenity of it all, breathing in the could night air and letting the chill surround me. 

I shiver slightly as it's seeped through my clothes a lot sooner than one might think and just as I'm about to wrap my arms around myself for warmth I'm met with a coat being draped across my shoulders and when I turn around I see he's looking up towards the sky. 

"Have you looked up yet?" he ask, the body heat from him wearing it moments ago still present making me shiver for another reason but once I do look up none of it matters anymore as I take in the sight of thousands of heavenly bodies strewn across the clear night sky. 

"I-" "You were so concerned with the thought of me harming you that you didn't even notice the clear purpose of me wanting to bring you here" he say, cutting off whatever nonsense I was about to let tumble out of my mouth. I sigh in response, not bothering to ruin this moment of peace with nonsensical bickering since he's clearly done this with me in mind.

"How did you find this place?" I ask after having taken in the sight of it, countless start twinkling above us. "I went driving one day and my car broke down so I pulled off near the entrance of this little dirt road and while I was waiting for the tow truck I walked down the path and well..." he says, trailing off making me fill in the obvious blanks. 

"I see" I respond and we stay silent for a while, the both of us standing there with all of our thoughts angled up towards the heavens until he finally speaks again. "I should probably get you home" he says, turning towards me but I shake my head.

 "No, no not yet. Can we stay a little longer? Please?" I ask, this moment difficult to let go just yet and can see him smiling at me from the corner of my eye as I continue to keep my eyes on the stars above, praying that I'll be able to feel this way forever...

~~~~~

When he parks his car in the driveway and opens the door for me he keeps me there for a second, not letting me get away so fast this time. "Thank you for letting me keep you a little longer tonight" he says, ghosting his hand on my waist and it's then that I realize I'm still wearing the coat he let me borrow. I try to take off but he grabs both of the open sides and pulls them together, trapping me inside and in turn pulling me closer to him.

"I wanted to give your jacket back to you" I mumble since the intimate space between us makes even that sound too loud. "I realize that, but I want to get you inside first before taking it back. Don't want you to catch a cold after all the effort I put in to make sure you stayed warm" he explains, one of his hands now holding onto my waist while the other keeps the coat closed.

I hum in response and look away as I notice he's started to study my features. "The ball is this weekend" he says and I nod my head. "I know" I mumble again, my expression now one of doubt. "Hey" he says, cupping my face, trying to make me meet his gaze but my eyes then turn downward in response. 

"There's nothing to worry about y/n, I promise" he says and I nod my head again, not bothering to utter a word in response. He tilts my chin up and I give in, letting my eyes peer back into his and I notice how sincere he looks, an expression I don't think I've ever seen from him leaving me holding my breath and waiting for him to continue. 

"No matter what happens just remember that I'm proud of you. You've done well in our lessons and I have no doubt that everyone is going to love you" he reassures me making me feel a little more at ease with the thought of it all but also nervous about him saying things like this to me.

"Thank you Jungkook" I whisper and he smiles in response before reaching into the car to grab my bag that's still on my seat and handing it to me. "Let's get you inside" he says placing his hand on the small of my back, walking me to the front door and stopping right outside of it, waiting for me to unlock it. 

Once I step inside I turn around to say something but he steps inside making me take a step back but he takes another step closer so he's standing right in front of me, hardly any space between us now. 

I blink up at him, not really sure what his plan is before he slowly unzips the coat the rest of the way, making my breath hitch, the feeling of him taking my clothes off even if it's as simple as this making my brain short circuit. Once he unhooks it at the bottom he pushes it off my shoulders and leans in to help it slide down my arms leaving me shivering once his warm breath hits my neck. 

He hums, satisfied by my response and places a feather light kiss under my ear before quickly pulling back and pretending as if nothing had happened meanwhile leaving me completely flustered by his ministrations. 

Let's just say I'm lucky neither of my parents came downstairs to greet us. 

"Sweet dreams" he says playfully and slips out without another word, walking over to his car and driving off. I only close the door once his car is out of view, my back against it now, catching my breath as I think about everything that happened today and all I can think of is 'How the hell am I supposed to take much more of this?'

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[theamazingdigitalraceway]

Just read the latest chapter and I must say I do believe everyone deserves a break, and by that I mean why not just let them relax like if they were all actors. Maybe have Abel be what he wants from the 4th wall ask so there isn't any tension, it's just a fun non-canon event to wind down.

BREATHER

A RACEWAY AU ONESHOT

WARNING: none

~~~

"CUT!! Good job everyone, that's a wrap for today." The Author closed her notes for episode 13 of The Amazing Digital Raceway TV series.

As the set crew turned on the overhead lights to start cleaning, Seth tossed his newly lit cigarette and coughed. "Ugh...how much longer am I going to have to pretend to like these things?"

Pomni unzipped her tracksuit to the waist, took off the top half and tied the sleeves around her waist. The tracksuits were hot under the stage lights, so she was much more comfortable in her black tank top underneath. "You know you don't actually have to smoke those, right? They'll edit it in post."

"I'm a method actor. I can't work with this unless it's actually lit."

"...then don't inhale. Really, this is a you problem."

"meh, meh, meh. Shut up." He grabbed her jester hat and shoved it down over her eyes.

"Reeeeal professional." Caine walked up, still covered in electrical burn makeup. "You staying in character or something?" He handed a bottle of water to Pomni.

"Like I said, method." Seth dug around in his pockets for items to give back to the prop department. As he searched, a phone rang in his pants pocket.

Pomni gaped. "You had a cellphone on you the whole time!? AND IT WAS ON!? You could have ruined the scene!"

Seth took out his modern flip phone, ignoring Pomni, and answered it with a smile. "Hey, baby. Yeah, just finished up." He started walking away, paying no mind to Pomni or Caine. "Have you heard back from the Author about your audition? Yeah, I told her if she needed me to have a love interest, I would prefer it be you."

Pomni rolled her eyes. "I can't believe that's guy's your brother."

Caine raised an eyebrow. "He's not."

"But he looks just like you."

"I know, but we never knew each other before the casting call. Wild coincidence." Caine finished his water. "I was wondering...after we finish up here, would you like to join me for drinks? I know this really nice pub."

Pomni smirked. "Now who's method acting?"

Caine chuckled, blushing under his makeup. "Nah...no acting. Just, I think... I don't know...I've felt some chemistry here. I'd be very interested in getting to know you outside of work."

Pomni smiled sincerely. "I'd like that."

~

Gummigoo grunted as the makeup assistant took out the bright blue contacts that covered his whole eye. "These bloody things are awful." There was some relief with the eye wash, but not as much as he'd like.

"Sorry you have to deal with that." Abel said as he glanced over the script draft for the next episode. "But it looks like you're going to be wearing them for a while. Uh, good news, you're getting a costume change at least. Says here you wear a black tracksuit. Don't know why the Author waited an entire episode for the wardrobe change. Seems like an afterthought. I would've changed the moment I reincarnated."

Gummigoo shrugged. "Maybe the Author is taking details like that slower. I mean, think about it. You've supposedly been stuck in the walls for 15 or so years and you jump into the mainframe head first. Did you expect to know how to do things from the inside right away? Your character has never done that before. He doesn't know how to be 'god'."

"eh....I guess you're right." Abel tucked the script under his arm and saw Ragatha walking by with Jax. "Oh hey, you two alright? That was some intense stunt work today."

"I'm fine, dear. Don't you worry. Jax, however is-" Ragatha was cut off by Jax hurling into the barf bag. "...not doing so good."

Jax groaned, "The world is spinning in the wrong direction."

"And you said you could do your own stunts." Ragatha patted Jax on the back. "I'm taking you to the on-site medic for some help. You need to sit down. See you later Abel, Gummigoo." She waved to her co-stars and escorted Jax away.

"Crikey, I'd hate to be him right now." Gummigoo shook his head.

"Yeah...so, anyway, I also wanted to ask: HOW have you been able to hide your Australian accent the entire time you're me? You sound so different." Abel wondered.

Gummigoo laughed. "Lots of practice and American movies."

~

Kinger was a little sore from today. The crashes were a bit more intense than originally intended. But, without complaint, he made his way to wardrobe to change, where he came across Loo. "Oh, hello, Loo. Did you have fun today?"

Loo pouted, "No...I didn't even have a line this episode. I feel like I've been on the story less and less. My character feels so...useless."

Kinger sat next to her. "We don't know what's coming next. I'm sure the Author will figure something out. She's one of the most passionate directors I've ever worked with, and I've been doing this for a long time."

Loo sniffed and wiped her face. "I think she should just kill off my character and let me go home. I'm not needed here."

"Hey," Kinger said gently, taking her hand. "Yes, you are. Every character is important, even the background ones. They flesh out the story and give the audience different perspectives on character struggles throughout the plot."

"What about Bubble? They left after episode 12, and I haven't seen them-"

"Bubble's on hiatus. They had to be written out for a bit. Nothing to do with how useful they are. Don't compare your performance to the others. The sooner you stop doing that, the better off you'll be in this industry."

"...okay..."

"You're young, beautiful, talented and hard working. You'll go far, I just know it." Kinger gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Thanks." Loo wasn't fully convinced, but she was grateful Kinger was trying.

~

"What do you mean you haven't heard back!?" Gangle screeched angrily into her phone at her agent. "I am a Shakespearean trained actor! I have a repertoire longer than all these other actors combined!! Well, maybe not Kinger, BUT STILL!! How have you come up with nothing!? You have 48 hours to find me a new offer or you're FIRED!!"

Gangle almost threw her phone. She couldn't believe it. Years of training and child acting and this backwater TV show was all she had for work. She could do SO much better than this. She DESERVED better than this.

She dialed a new number with tears in her eyes. "...mom? The agent you got me is useless! I'm still stuck with the TV show! I-...yes, it's popular or whatever, BUT I'M NOT THE MAIN STAR! I auditioned for the lead role and I got side-charactered! It's not fair!!" Gangle whined and cried, pulling the bow out of her hair in frustration.

~

Zooble was about to leave for the day, but was flagged down by the Author. "Hey, what's up?"

"A lot, Zooble." The Author sighed. "I need to touch base with you about your role in the next episode. Have you seen makeup and wardrobe about-"

"Oh, yeah, I have. They got the latex molds done. My new look should be done by time you're ready to film my scenes."

"Excellent. Best news I've heard all week."

"You look like you could use a drink." Zooble half joked.

"I really could, but I can't. I have too many projects that require my attention. My producers for Unseen are breathing down my neck for the next script. Not to mention co-witing for the Time Capsule and Harlequin shows. Sometimes I have time for spinoff scripts. Those are fun." The Author runs her hand through her hair.

"Wow. Maybe you're taking on too many projects at once? Take a break. Have a drink."

"....maybe. Once I get-" The Author's phone rang. "Excuse me." She stepped away and answered. "Hello?"

A smooth male voice came though. "I read the script. The answer's yes."

The Author could dance in place. "That's wonderful! I'll have the other drafts sent your way. Thank you for calling me yourself. Your agent was rather uppity about letting me even offer the role to you."

The man chuckled lightly. "He's a card. No, I like this a lot. You can count me in. In fact, I'd very much like to discuss my role in person. Are you available tonight?"

The Author almost dropped her stuff. "I am now."

[gravedigginbbydoll]

Hawkins University : The Munson Edition

64.media.tumblr.com

AN: Hey, y'all. Haha tricked you into thinking this would be another Eddie POV, huh? Sorry but we need more of Bug first to really get the drama going! Hope you're doing well :) This chapter goes further into smut but also romance and a bit of drama! Pls remember that reblogs and comments are appreciated! Also feedback!

→ cliches: friends to lovers, heavy use of nicknames instead of Y/N, we're all just struggling college kids, Music Tutor! Eddie, Resident Assistant! Reader, good girl x bad boy, instant connections, 'I don't trust most people but I trust you', 'are we friends or more?', and 'I can't believe you're such a slut that you have a special dtf drawer...'

→ warnings: mature topics, insecurity, hurt and comfort, drinking and drug usage, strong language, bullying, mental health, discussion of suicide and self harm, mature thoughts, eventual smut, minors dni

→ pairing: modern!college!eddie x college!fem!reader

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Chapter 9

Bug's POV

It was about a week later, you and Eddie getting ready for finals, ignoring the looming fact that you would be separated for a month. You were headed home briefly for the holidays (though you were postponing it as long as you could) and Eddie was staying with Steve up until Christmas Eve, then going to his Uncle Wayne’s. 

He had invited you to The Hideout again, Corroded Coffin playing for the town’s Krampusfest, a silly little tradition that consisted of some people dressed up like Santa or Krampus, a local market and food trucks, along with musicians playing at the local bar. You were in the crowd with the rest of the gang, all of them dressed appropriately. Steve and Robin wearing goofy matching Santa hats with their sweaters, both of them holding beers and laughing a little too loudly at the local artist selling goofy ceramic holiday themed dicks, the artist both blushing and beaming at their wonder. Jonathan and Argyle brought edibles, which made you laugh a bit in contrast to their ugly Christmas sweaters. Nancy was dressed in an absolutely adorable green sweater with a black skirt and tights, complete with a soft red bow in her hair, half of her hair pulled back.  

You were packed into the outdoor area of the Hideout, you and the rest of the gang off towards the side. You tried to ignore the swirling fear and sourness in your belly, nursing a cup of warm mulled wine, your heart getting that familiar squeeze. It didn’t slip past you that lately, more and more cute girls showed up to whistle at Eddie during his shows. In the crowd you spotted girls dressed to the nines, makeup flawless. They were looking around, hoping for Eddie. It’s not as if Eddie ever gave them the time of day. But you still felt like you were competing. I mean, the girls who showed up were so different from you. You felt yourself chewing on your lip before Steve and Robin caught your attention, the pair jumping up and down and screeching. You turned toward the stage to see Eddie and the rest of the band. Eddie clearly caught your eyes, his outfit making you salivate. scantily clad in a black cropped shirt with the sides almost entirely cut out, his tattoos and muscles out on display. His hair was down and he wore smudged black eyeliner with red glitter smeared across his eyelids, his guitar slung low across on his back. His blood red and diy patched jeans were tight and worn at the knees, making your mind swim with the last time he wore them.

Eddie on his knees, you laying on his bed, his hands spreading your legs as he looked up at you through thick lashes. Eddie’s lips wrapped around your-

You felt your face burst into flames as Eddie stared at you with a smirk, clearly reading your thoughts. He winked at you, grinning devilishly. Your heart melted, your skin tingling as Eddie strolled up to the microphone, grinning. He gripped it with his hands, looking out among the crowd before speaking. 

“Hey Hawkins…How we doin’ tonight?!,” Eddie cheered, the crowd erupting into screams. 

“Now we got a very special show for you all, full of holiday cheer or whatever the fuck they told me to say,” He cheekily joked, earning an eye roll from you as he grinned. 

“Alright…Let’s go!,” Eddie screamed energetically, throwing his guitar back around to be at his front, immediately beginning to play, the venue thumping with the bass of the speakers, the rest of the band jumping on immediately, the crowd going wild. You smiled, cheering along. 

Eddie performed his heart out, per usual. He was dripping with sweat, bounding up and down the stage and hopping on speakers, his deep yet melodic voice ringing through the crowd. He quipped jokes between songs, earning laughs from the crowd. Your heart soared with his performance, seeing his personality shine so vibrantly. 

But you felt the energy shift as he stopped to take a drink of water, your heart squeezed at Eddie’s sudden solemness as he approached the microphone. He sighed softly, looking up into your eyes. You felt his warm brown irises stare into you, your brows furrowed as you tried to read his expression. You tried to mouth to him to ask what was wrong, but he just shook his head softly, lips tugged up slightly in a smile Then he cleared his throat. 

“So I’m gonna get sappy here for a minute,” He began, earning a joking boo from Steve, to which he pointed at him in the crowd and teased, “Shut up, Harrington. I know where you live.” The crowd giggled a bit, people anxiously awaiting Eddie’s speech. 

“Anyways…This next song is a bit slower, a bit sweeter. And yeah, I know, that’s not the Corroded Coffin brand. But…,” He trailed off, meeting your eyes once again, sitting against a stool on the edge of the stage, his presence making the rest of the crowd fade away. 

“Sometimes people come into your life who completely shake everything up. But in the best way. Before this year, I was feeling out of place, in a new town, and absolutely depressed. I was handling online bullies and being alone. I wanted nothing more than to fade away. And sure, I came out of it, but I was a changed person. I was guarded. I didn’t connect with strangers. I mean, fuck, Harrington knows. I stayed in my bubble,” Eddie joked, smiling. You felt your own cheeks tug up a bit as your heart raced. 

Eddie’s voice got soft and raspy. “And then I met her. The most selfless person with the biggest heart…a fuckin’ worrywart if I’ve ever met one,” Eddie teased, his eyes glinting with mischief as he beamed at you, a laugh leaving your lips as your eyes watered. 

“She came to me and I couldn’t help but…just…melt. She understood me, and was patient. She made me feel seen. She was the first person to make me feel like I didn’t have to prove myself. And she’s so blind to how amazing she is. How sweet she can be, how much I feel my heart beat for her. She’s made me want to open up. To be better. To be vulnerable and…myself,” He choked out, your heart squeezed and your tears spilling over as you smiled. Your heart floated up, your stomach fluttering at his words. You felt your legs itch to run up to him, to wrap yourself in him and never let go. 

Eddie’s eyes were glossy as he looked up at you, his voice raspy as he grabbed for the acoustic guitar by him, his smile soft and face sincere. 

“Bug…My girl…Baby…This is for you,” He rasped out, his voice sending more flutters to your stomach, your heart soaring. You felt your friend group staring at you, Steve in the background, whisper yelling at Robin ‘I fucking knew it!’.

You felt your heart soar as Eddie looked you in the eyes, the crowd quiet and instead listened to Eddie’s voice, his tone driving goosebumps up your skin. His words swirled around you, your heart squeezed by the lyrics, their implications. 

You were his moon and stars, his breath of fresh air. 

His heart was in your hands, his trust in you blind. 

He wanted to wake up and sleep next to you, make you coffee. 

He finally felt a reason for breathing. 

You felt your tears overflow, your heart squeezed and your stomach full of fluttering, your smile growing as you smiled and cried, eyes focused on Eddie, who kept meeting your gaze, eyes glossed as he sang, his smile soft. 

It was just you two. 

And goddamn, you were lucky. 

You waited anxiously with your friends outside the green room, bouncing on your toes. You wanted to tackle Eddie. Pummel him with kisses and never let him go. 

His girl. 

He called you his girl. 

When he came out of the room, your friends all began to congratulate him and speak to him, but he just met your eyes. Immediately, Eddie walked over and grabbed you by the waist, pulling you into a bruising kiss. You melted into his arms, your heart soaring. You faintly heard Nancy usher away the friend group, Steve protesting loudly. When you finally pulled away, you looked into Eddie’s warm and twinkling eyes, your heart squeezed.

“Let’s get out of here, hm?,” Eddie whispered, his nose brushing yours, your heart racing as you nodded, mind foggy with Eddie Eddie Eddie. 

You could hardly wait. 

The moment you and Eddie entered his room, his mouth was on you, his touch anywhere he could reach. His kisses were passionate, his warm lips igniting a fire in you. 

He seemed to be fueled by the same feverish desire as you, breaking his kisses to start nipping and kissing your neck. His groans against your skin seemed to just push the feelings off the deep end. 

“Fuck…Y/N. You drive me crazy.” 

You whimpered, head thrown back, nails clawing at his back, realizing somewhere in your lusty daze, you and Eddie had both removed your offensive clothing, at least on the upper half. 

“Please, Eddie…” 

He got to work on quickly removing the jeans covering your lower half and your underwear, pulling you to his bed, quickly setting his mouth on you as you laid down, his kisses trailing down, quick to lick and kiss your breasts, his lips leaving a blazing trail down to your center. He looked up at you, voice rasped. 

“Let me know if you ever want to stop. Because if not, I plan on going all the way.” 

A shiver passed through you at his words, the acknowledgement of how you were about to have your first time with Eddie inside you, the line crossed. You nodded weakly, feeling the desire between your legs grow as your heart skipped a beat. 

Eddie looked up at you through his long lashes, continuing to leave soft kisses at your inner thighs before licking a long stripe up your center, his wet tongue making your toes curl. You felt his tongue circle your clit, occasionally sucking it into his mouth before letting it go with a pop and dipping his tongue into your center. He continued this pattern, the waves of pleasure making you begin to almost start dripping. You knew you were done for when he added his fingers, using his thumb to rub your clit while messily eating you out. You practically rose off the bed, moans echoing in his room as he finished before he rose up.  Eddie wiped at his mouth, a smirk tugging up his lips as he shimmied out of his jeans and crawled over you, reaching into his bedside drawer, pulling out a condom. 

“You want this?,” He asked, voice graveled and sending a soft shiver throughout you. You nodded, looking in his dark eyes, the makeup making him seem even more like a vision of lust, his eyes burning with desire. 

“Yes.” 

He tore the wrapper with his teeth, quick to put the condom on and hold himself over you with his arms braced on either side of your head. He fidgeted a bit with himself before looking into your eyes, his warm and full of concern, searching yours. 

“Let me know if you ever want to stop,” He whispered softly. 

You nodded in acknowledgement, slightly parting your legs more to make room for him, eyes staring into his, the warm brown simultaneously making you shiver and melt in his gaze. He lined himself up with your entrance, his head pressing against you as you fought a whimper. He slowly pushed in, fighting a growl, the vein on the side of his neck visible. 

You felt a slight tug of pain that dulled when you stayed still for a moment, recognizing that Eddie was decently sized and you hadn’t had sex in a while. Not penetrative, anyways. 

Eddie waited for you to claw at his back and whimper before he started rolling his hips, the rhythm steady and slow, yet still somehow making you see stars. You felt the pleasure deep in your bones as he kissed you, his lips mumbling his feelings for you. You felt yourself claw at his back and run fingers through his curls, making him groan softly. 

Despite the waves of pleasure, you were so present in the moment. The bubble of seclusion you two had built. How his skin was so warm and felt right against you, and how his thrusts filled you in a way that made your heart overflow with feeling. 

Eddie continued to kiss your neck, muttering praises. He shook with how he was feeling and what he was holding back. You knew slow and passionate wasn’t usually Eddie’s style. But by God, did you feel the pieces of your soul crack open and become enveloped in his warmth. 

By the time you were cumming, your back was arched, your mouth back on his, your heart pounding, and body completely boneless. He continued to make you see stars as he worked you through your orgasm, making you finish twice. 

He came with a groan, eyes rolling and head falling forward into your neck as he shook. 

It was magic. 

After that night, you two spoke in hushed whispers, agreeing that despite not being relationship people, you’d be fools to deny each other any longer. 

You both had made the other fall to pieces multiple times that night, testing out the waters with new pet names. 

Baby. 

Darling. 

My sun. 

My moon. 

Had it been any other couple, you and Eddie would’ve giggled over the ridiculousness. 

But to the two of you…It felt right. 

It became a highlight you often got lost in thought about during classes, blushing when you snapped out of it. It wasn’t helping either that for some reason, some of you classmates seemed a lot more hostile to you. 

Two days after you and Eddie established your relationship, a leggy blonde shoulder checked you in your Psych 101 course, making you confused and angry. 

And that wasn’t the end of it. 

People were giving you glares, some downright rolling their eyes if you ever dared ask a question in class. 

It built up when you were hanging around the desk with a fellow coworker, discussing a future program plan you had for next semester. 

Your boss came up to you, her brows furrowed. 

“Hey Y/N? Can I talk to you?” 

You frowned a bit, giving an apologetic wave at your friend before walking with your supervisor to her office, sitting on the couch across from her desk, your stomach churning with anxiety. 

Sure you’d been going out more and whatnot, but you were still there for your residents…weren’t you? 

She sat at her desk, giving you a sympathetic look before sighing. 

“You’re not in trouble, so don’t worry about that. Some stuff had been brought to my attention and I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” She stated, looking at you intently. 

You furrowed your brows, your stomach twisting in knots. “Yeah…I’m fine. What’s this about?”

She frowned, looking worried. “Well…I’ve been notified by some residents about some possible cyberbullying. Mostly an account directed towards you,” She clarified, her voice soft. 

Your heart dropped. You weren’t huge on social media and honestly had been focused on exams and figuring out how to see Eddie during the holidays. You nodded, swallowing. 

“Oh. Um, I haven’t seen anything but, I mean…Thank you for the heads up,” You tried to keep your voice even, your hands shaking. 

She nodded and looked at you sincerely. “Just know if you ever want to talk about it or need help reporting, I’m here.” 

You nodded, standing up and exiting the office in a daze. 

What was happening?

You were sitting with some of your residents, studying with them, smiling and waving hi to some of them as they passed by the study area, them smiling back  and waving. 

You were midway through your notes, the common space still quiet and some of your residents studying beside you. One of your more outgoing residents, Aya, sat beside you. A group of her friends came in and handed you some candy, all your favorites. You smiled softly, your heart strings tugged. Aya was an outgoing resident who faced her first major breakup and came to you. You were quick to play dorm mom, letting her rant and cry and even getting her some ice cream from the campus market, letting her eat the pint while she complained. She had begun to view you as a mentor since then. 

“Look, I wouldn’t usually say anything but you’re one of the best RA’s in this damn dorm and you are always sticking up for us as residents. Just be careful with some snakes around here,” She whispered, her friends nodding behind her, looking like they were ready to jump to your defense. You felt your heart squeeze while your stomach twisted. 

Clearly this account was subtweeting you or something. Nevertheless, having some of your sweet kiddos on your side made you feel a sense of relief. 

“Thanks, you guys. Now, go study. Don’t worry about me, I got this,” You whispered back, ignoring your other residents looking over at you curiously. You skin crawled with the thought that someone could be out there spreading lies or even bullying you without your awareness. 

Aya nodded before suddenly hugging you, whispering. “We’re here if you need someone to kick ass.” You laughed a bit at the statement, shaking your head as she pulled away. 

The group waved bye before retreating to Aya’s dorm, stealing glances over to you, clearly worried over your wellness. 

You pushed down the growing discomfort you felt, trying to remember that you needed to focus on finals. 

On a late night while taking a break from studying, you finally caved, deciding to try and find out what the account was. It took no more than a few seconds before you found it, your stomach bubbling with anger, fear, and sorrow. 

There was both a Twitter and Instagram chock full of photos taken off of your own accounts or random candid pictures of you. The messages scribbled across the images and posted on twitter all reflected the same idea. 

Skank. Whore. Munson’s groupie. 

How does he like her? She’s so plain. 

Can’t believe she works for the uni…thought she was his full time whore? 

You felt your heart stop as you tried to gasp for air, eyes watering. The account had hundreds of likes and followers, which wasn’t insane but…made you want to crawl out of your skin. 

You felt your eyes water as your thoughts swirled. 

Robin and Eddie were both rarely on social media, the two of them even worse at paying attention to media trends than you. 

And Steve had an Instagram but it was private. 

So it made sense why you’d only become aware of it now. 

And fuck, if the comments didn’t get worse. 

Wow…she’s desperate huh? Lol

Can’t believe Eddie ditched the chance with Chrissy for this slut 

I bet she is crazy, that’s why he’s tied down now

You felt your chest begin to heave as your body was wracked by sobs. You felt like small daggers were being hurled under your skin, making your skin crawl and heart ache. 

Why you? 

They were asking the questions you wondered yourself, knowing you were dating a boy who shone like a star, a boy destined for greatness. And you were just…you. 

And god, did that hurt. 

Taglist: @josephquinnsfreckles @corrodedcoffincumslut @kirisuteg0men @bebe07011 @amira0303 @vintagehellfire @lottie-90 @animechick555

[j-nipper-95]

Six Sentence Sunday

Yes, 2023 is drawing to a close. Yes, I have been lurking for (I think) months at this point. Yes, I have been writing. Thank you so much to everyone who has been tagging me in recent weeks/months, I'm so sorry I haven't been interacting as much with you all as I have in the past. In the last few months I just haven't had the social battery to do much more than just lurk in comments sections, and sometimes not even that (autistic burnout is not fun, can confirm, 0/10, do not recommend).

But I'm back, and here's hoping 2024 is a good year, and one that's productive where writing is concerned! 2023 was a pretty good year for me; I published my first fic (which was also the first bit of writing I've properly published anywhere!), and I sent off my first query for ASR! To a proper literary agent! Like ... WHAT?! I still can't believe it!

As for the end of this year, let's get one last hurrah in for the year of 2023 with the final WIPsday of the year. Chapter 11 of Trails is coming, it just needs to be edited. Here's an unedited snippet of the chaos you have to look forward to.

“When I tell you to, run like fuck,” Fiona tells us, clicking the hammer back on her revolver.  “How many more rounds have you got?” Penny asks. “Enough to take down half the idiots aboard this ship.” Fiona takes up a position on one side of the hatch, her finger on the trigger guard. As she moves I hear the tell tale clink of a box of rounds, and see the outline of it in her trouser pocket for the first time. “Fiona,” I caution. “Maybe we should try to do this quietly.” “No chance of that, boyo. I’m killing as many of these fuckers as I can before we go overboard.” “Fiona,” I try again, but she isn’t listening. “The lifeboat is on the right side,” Penny whispers to us, eyeing Fiona out of the corner of her eye. We’ll lower you into it, Baz, then follow.” I guess I don’t have much of a say in this, as Snow is literally the only reason I’m still standing right now. I nod, and Penny creeps up the stairs behind Fiona, who does so about as well as a bull in a china shop. She storms out onto the deck and I’m actually surprised by how long it takes for bullets to start flying. There’s a solid fifteen seconds or so, which allows Bunce to make it up the stairs and gesture for us to follow, before an alarm is raised and Fiona does what she does best: cause chaos.

This hiatus with Trails wasn't planned, but work and general holiday madness got in the way of the tentative schedule my beta's and I had. New Year, fresh start, once more into the fray, as they say. I hope you can join us for this fics future shenanigans.

Tagging for the new year: @artsyunderstudy @aristocratic-otter @bazzybelle @blackberrysummerblog @bookish-bogwitch @cattocavo @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @cosmicalart @cutestkilla @dragoneggos @erzbethluna @ebbpettier @fatalfangirl @frjsti @henreyettah @hushed-chorus @ic3-que3n @ileadacharmedlife @ivelovedhimthroughworse @krisrix @larkral @letraspal @martsonmars @nightimedreamersworld @orange-peony @prettylightsbigcity @palimpsessed @phoxphyre @raenestee @shrekgogurt @skeedelvee @stardustasincocaine @subparselkie @that-disabled-princess @theearlgreymage @wellbelesbian @you-remind-me-of-the-babe 

[sinukiyo]

Author you did it again and never fail to leave us readers breathless👏🏼.

Hope you don't mind me sharing my thoughts on your latest chapter as well as a deep dive on your characters as well.

Daichi my guy. You knocked up yo baby mama, abandoned her and left to raise yo kid BY HERSELF and you're upset that her mama and best friend are acting cold towards you. Boi miss me with that shit. You can but yeast in the oven and expect steak to come out. And it sure as hell doesn't seem like you understand the consequences of yo actions. On top of that you have a whole ass family (allegedly) and you wanna reconnect with Ami? Granted if the story does confirm that Daichi does in fact have a wife and a kid(s) that means he had the choice to step up and he could have stepped up. But he chose NOT TO. Like how can you say you want to be in yo kid's life SIX YEARS LATER while you already started something with someone else DURING THOSE SIX YEARS. And I'm curious to know why he waited six years to want to reconnect with Ami.

Kenji, my man, my man telling Daichi of like: "I'm hoping she'll grow out of having bad taste in sports teams just like she did her bad taste in... well, everything else." COLDEST LINE EVER. I WAS SCREAMING AND KICKING MY FEET. And I can't stop grinning. And that cute little moment with Chiho tells me he's still the best dad even after Emi.

My takeaway from this chapter is the importance of having people in your corner supporting you, and Ami has that. Mama Wakita, despite her disappointment in her daughter's choices, chose to be in her daughter's corner coz she, as a mother herself, understands what Ami is going through. And kudos to Juri for being a true best friend and a real one. And Kenji? Do we even have to explain? Like, really?

Many single mums/parents in Ami's position don't always have that luxury of having a support system. Half the times family and friends would just welcome back the absent parent with open arm with not consideration for the single parent's feelings because "they at least stepped up". It's kinda sad that social media is treating single parenthood, especially single motherhood, like it's some kind of achievement and a flex. It's admirable being able to raise your kid on your own without the other parent present you still NEED people in your corner. You NEED your own community coz believe it or not, single parenthood can be lonely at times, not just for you but for your kid also.

1. Y’all are going to find out why Daichi is just now showing up real soon! Brace yourself🗣️

2. Fun fact about Kenji’s line, I originally wrote, “I’m hoping she’ll grow out of her bad taste in sports teams just like she did her bad taste in men,” but even I gasped while re-reading it so I edited it because a more subtle jab is even more exciting than a direct one!

3. Kenji is the best dad! You’ll will be seeing more of him and Chiho in today’s chapter! I actually just took a break from writing to answer this ask.

4. Love your little takeaway because that supportive dynamic between Ami, her mom and Juri was a big part of this chapter fr😭 They may not have liked that Daichi was there but they understood and supported her still.

I for one have experienced the impact of a good community. Life can be so exhausting sometimes. We really do need people behind us.

Thank you for sharing!❤️

[gxilds]

PWRR C.2 | Basket case

s. Masterlist

When brought in to the beach the last thing expected was such fanfare….

warnings: I took a year and a half to write this i’m p sure so expect there to be some less than great writing. I also think i’m going to change POV’s after this chapter so for warning… anyway theres literally no game in this chapter it’s just… niragi, honestly… 😭 he’s kind of a warning of his own… I also did all of this on mobile so the chance that I need to edit this later is pretty high.

No. No they did not. In fact there was a good handful of people but as quick as the people were passing by you, they were gone as you were led away from the crowd through hallways that lead to what you could only assume was a meeting room.

At the head of the room stood a man dressed in the flashiest of garments and a pair of sunglasses to cover what you would assume to be a hangover with how he reeked of alcohol. You couldn’t help but look back to the short man who had led you into the room as though you were in disbelief. It was so strange for the world they lived in.

To your left were two women and by observation they were both as concerning as the former, granted; they were a stark contrast between joy and nonchalance. To your right stood a man who seemed to be wearing what you would consider one of the more convenient outfits - a button up and shorts. The two familiar men who lead you here would soon join on your right.

“Welcome!” your eyes shot to the man in the front who’s arms opened up, waving for you as though a child too scared to sit on santa’s lap, “don't be shy.” You took tentative steps towards the center of the room as it felt like everyones eyes were on you (and they were by the way,) “welcome, to the beach, the utopia.” he said with a scripted enthusiasm, as though he said this a million times before.

Just as he finished the wall in the middle slid away revealing a wall of cards, several of them crossed out, “You don’t seem to be unintelligent so I’ll put this plainly, at the beach everyone is united as one to collect all 52 playing cards.”

“what?”

“and in return you get to have fun. total freedom.” besides the fact you’re literally in hell, he forgot to add. your eyes looked around between everyone else and it seems they all held such a boredom, ready to move on as though they were used to the shtick.

your eyes caught onto the likes of chishiya’s, he stood swaying back and forth and his expression shifted to a scrutinizing smirk, provoking you to continue prodding, knowing that any answer the man gave would be as enthusiastically fake as before.

“I would assume this has no real benefit for me though, does it?” in the corner of your eyes you saw the shorter woman’s face light up, her eyes matching that of a Beagle’s.

“I firmly believe that freedom alone is a benefit” His response was clear and his eyebrows rose, confirming the competitive tone he held. “I fear, though, that only one person may leave the borderlands once all the cards are collected; although, we have a rank structure here that decides who gets to leave. I am number one. There is nothing to worry about though, as far as we know games get replayed so eventually everyone can leave.” He spoke like he knew everything was for sure; you couldn’t help but think he was kind of a phony.

You stood still once more. You almost had no idea what cards he was talking about that there were to give. You felt as though if you asked this would turn out to be longer than it needed to be and with all these eyes on you, you were desperate to escape.

“And what if I can't?” and the shorter woman grinned once more at your words.

“Oh. yes, right,” The man folded his arms, taking a step back towards you, “that would be handled accordingly.” you were pretty sure you knew what that meant but every part of you hoped it was just you being radical. Deciding not to question it, you nodded and the man in front of you let out a breath. “welcome. oh, and by the way, there is a dress code.”

what? You could hardly question it before you had been given a wristband that had a piece of plastic labeled ‘35’.

You stood in the mirror of your room and brushed off the invisible dirt that covered all the open parts of your being. it was every bit uncomfortable but the thin, sheer shawl like cover up you had been given was slightly redeeming. you had decided that it wouldn’t be worth it to hide in your room until your visa ended but to take advantage of the outlet of power, fresh foods and probably awkward social interaction.

you carried yourself down to the pool, where along the sides stood small groups of people lounging and partying. A breath hitched in your throat at the mere sight of all the people surrounding you and you almost walked back out before a slightly familiar voice called you over.

“you! you!” The voice shouted, “(y/n)!!” your eyes shifted over and caught the sight of the tall woman waving her hand back and forth as the short, quiet man stood next to her.

you moved with them and gave a short hello. you crossed your arms over yourself and fidgeted with the skin on your elbows. “Not to sound stupid but what exactly are the cards? Is it in reference to the games or did I miss something?”

Their expressions were so starkly different. One was willing to explain and the other looked at you with furrowed eyebrows, but it wasn’t the willing one who spoke up, it was the latter. “Each game is based off of a suit and number, the game in the end produces a physical card. Think of it like a souvenir.” you nodded slowly and before you could question further, he began again, “each suit has a meaning. Diamonds are logical, Clubs are combined or group, spades are physical, and hearts are psychological. Obviously, Hatter, believes collecting these cards will get him out of here.”

“And what do you think about that?” you furthered.

“I think it’s a strange approach.” Chishiya paused, plastering a small smirk that twitched at the edge of his lips onto his face, “I don’t think I buy it totally, one card can’t compensate for the amount of people who played the game.”

“Fair,” you responded. “Have people ever just tried to steal the cards? you’d think they would’ve with that logic” you got a hum in response.

“Hatter offers these people booze and freedom I don't think many of us would have it out for him because of that,” Kuina interjected, “and anyone who would would have the smarts to oppose him is already in power - anything to placate them,” to which she was correct, everyone around you seemed so drunk and happy but everyone who stood in that room earlier was so quiet and analytical - something you had assumed wouldn’t benefit you later if you got into deep shit. If.

“It would be entertaining if just one person really tried to steal the cards nonetheless. an impressive feat,” Chishiya admitted.

“Not exactly someone you’d think would be happy about that,” You pried.

“Never said I would be happy or it would benefit me, Just it would possibly mildly entertain me.” He corrected, his arms slipping over and under each other hugging against his small frame.

“I suppose.” You finished and before you could change the topic of conversation it seemed someone was eager to do it for you.

an arm laid around your shoulders a familiar laugh fell upon your ears. You cringed at the sound and you moved inwardly on yourself. “Seems like you're acquainting yourself quite nicely, there are better people you could be hanging out with though.” He stretched his words as though holding back a drunken slur as he gestured to himself. You on the other hand twisted in wry.

“That’s definitely an idea.” You hardly got out uncomfortably as you attempted to push his arm off from around your shoulders. The man wasn’t going to say no or see through the deadpan purposely and Chishiya and Kuina knew this very well. Chishiya seemed to be holding back what you would’ve taken as maniacal laughter and Kuina seemed to cringe just as much as you were, you could appreciate the sympathy as he attempted to drag you away. “Hold on, Hold on. I don't even know you. And you’re drunk!” To him your words were just distant kvetching.

“I’m Niragi. Now you know me.” You hardly followed as his long arm dragged at you, “And I’m hardly even intoxicated.” He was practically falling over as he spoke and you finally pried his hand from off of your arm. He stumbled and looked back at you with offense.

“Your inability to stand up right speaks otherwise.” Now it was you grabbing at his arm, walking him over to a chair by the bar. “How much have you drank? geez.” he looked at you with confused eyes, seemingly adamant on his attempts to convince you of his lack of intoxication and need for you to hang out with him. You didn’t buy it.

“Niragi.” the familiar monotonous voice rang behind you with a sense of command. “The least you could do is give her a day before you hassle her around.” To which Niragi responded with a huff, claiming that he would never do such a thing. “Besides, I was just trying to get to know her.” You could only look at him, Chishiya’s eyes were trying to stay calm but from what you could understand this was him trying to placate the model for inebriation that sat next to you. Your eyes widened - so he wasn’t so one dimensional after all.

Niragi huffed once more, becoming a repeated gesture that you seemed to notice, and backed down. “Just know,” he dragged your attention towards him, “I’ll be here if you need me.”

You gave a twisted expression as the tall man drifted away. You felt inclined to care for him but at the same time his demeanor left you speechless, truly stunned. Chishiya seemed pleased at the disappearance of Niragi, practically trying his dear hardest not to laugh at his drunken state.

you didn’t know what to do at that. You felt a welcome energy from Kuina and her expression seemed to invite you back to her and Chishiya, but Chishiya’s energy seemed otherwise at all times - you took note of this and wondered if it was truly genuine or if he was just that good at acting like he didn’t care, or maybe he didn’t know how to act otherwise.

You guessed you could understand and even just in a few days you grew to know Kuina, chishiya by extension, the borderlands, and the beach more. They didn’t seem to be close friends by any means, that much you could tell, but there was a mutual understanding there that gave away some sort of silent allyship and understanding that people who stuck out needed to stay together and that now included you. Kuina was a rather open book, not afraid to express herself or her thoughts and that was something you could admire, but Chishiya was something you had to think through yourself. Chishiya was half of an open book, he would quite often air his thoughts on what other people did but could never find it in him to express himself fully. It didn’t seem like he was afraid of emotion, or terribly confused by it, but just that he didn’t know how to plaster his thoughts into his face and when he did it felt almost forced, an attempt to appease the people around him.

“So how do games work around here?” You asked as you approached the lobby of the beach. People in the lobby mingled as they always did, obvious cliques amongst everyone; you, Chishiya, and Kuina remained by an adjacent bar with equally judgy gazes towards the rest of the people.

“You’ll see,” Chishiya mused, a grin on his face as he cozied into his spot against the bar.

“You don’t even want to know,” Kuina groaned. It was In all cinematic affect, the patrons of the beach began to cheer for what looked like their mighty overlords. The beach only had so many people yet the obvious fanfare was eary. Within the past few days you had learned a few things:

Don’t drink whatever you’re offered.

Stay away from the pool at night.

Don’t even try to get cozy in your rooms.

Do not pick a side.

Rule number 4 was something most people in the beach violated very early in their stay. The beach was teetering on the brink of civil war at all times and the warm hospitalities of both sides was very appealing to most… or at least anyone without a brain. The people who ran the beach seemed to be split between those with an actual knack for garnering support, and those who just waved around guns and talked a little too loud for your tastes. It was a very familiar concept, sadly.

“Thank you! Thank you!” Hatter, who stood high above everyone, cheered. It was definitely a sight to see. Hatter pretended that he didn’t but he seemed to equate himself to godliness. If godliness was equated to cleanliness, as so the wise words of the smashing pumpkins declared, then this place was nowhere in sight of that. Despite the grime and the mess of the place, people still managed to worship the figurehead who held the sanity of the beach within his two hands. They cheered, cried, and pranced around in his presence. “Tonight we play!” he announced and everyone began to cheer, moving around in what seemed like practiced movements as they began to gather towards lists of names.

Shuntaro Chishiya

Mira Kano

Futaba Hayashi

Y/n L/n

It wasn’t that you had expected to not play a game, in fact your visa was running short, but not having a choice who you were placed with was unsettling. Everyone seemed fine with who they were placed with, there seemed to be a firm sense of comradery amongst other players; you, on the other hand, were already very skeptical of many of the members of the beach which didn’t make any partnership easy.

The car door clicked shut and you sat cramped next to Mira as Chishiya was forced into being the designated driver, something he wasn’t pleased with. Mira looked you up and down while you faced ahead, an obvious discomfort permeating through the car. The only one to speak up was her. “I hope it’s hearts!”

I really hope it’s not…

[onwriting-hrarby]

a writing year—in which i wanted to become famous but didn't

i like to go back to january and recap what i've been doing in a year. writing—writing achievements—is something i often don't want to talk about because i feel like i haven't done my best, i haven't been the most productive or i haven't really achieved anything. normally, because achieving something would be to get published, which i'm actively working on.

however, i feel like this year i could finally assess my skills without the productivity tag on them, and therapy finally allowed me to feel productive without maybe having been productive at all. last year, i was on the path of truly learning this, but it hadn't settled in. this year, though, i've approached my writing with the mindset that it is fine to fail, that i don't have to rush, that no one published their masterwerk at 28, and that i love doing this. i am, published or not, a writer. i am truly a writer, and sometimes, more of a writer than some people i've known who've published.

writing original novels: how to deal with myself (i still don't have an answer)

in january, i flew to rome and when i came back i got the flu. thinking it was covid, i stayed at home for some days and decided to finish my novel. it was an exhilarating feeling, but bittersweet—i knew i had to edit it to the extreme, and this was just the raw version. being an editor myself makes me not feel excited at all about finish a novel, since i know the hard work it still needs—and, probably, a few twitches until it fits my high demands.

i didn't touch the novel since april, when i printed it and began reading it and pinpointing what it needed—a lot of cutting, less description, more agility. i told myself i would get it to a literary prize in october, but i didn't begin the editing itself until september, so of course i couldn't submit it. and part of this tiredness and demotivation, i understood in the end, was that i really didn't want to work on it. i didn't like it.

i decided to abandon the novel i had been writing for 5 years.

so, hating myself for it, i decided to abandon the novel i had been writing for 5 years. and this is it. and here i am. i worked on a page last week, just for the sake of it, but i really don't know if i'm going to come back fully.

oh, also, a friend of mine told me to write a proposal novel in a month and a half. i wrote 2/3 halves of it and i abandoned it. i didn't like it—and he didn't either. maybe it would have been my breakthrough!

at the same time... i have a new idea... and it's been simmering in my head for two months, now. slowly, slowly, i'm getting the structure and the characters. i can't wait to begin writing. i think i talked more about this in one of the posts—i also talked about the language, since i will write in English.

i understood a lot of things about myself this year: 1) i don't work well under pressure. 2) if i don't love it, i will hate it. 3) i'm the best at raw, but i don't like editing my own work. 4) i'm way too harsh to myself!

and part of this tiredness and demotivation, i understood in the end, was that i really didn't want to work on it. i didn't like it.

writing fanfiction: the breakthrough that never came (how i changed the plot of my fic because i'm incapable of writing anything but angst)

okay, i'm going to get REALLY personal in here. when i started interacting in fandom twitter (january, instead they said was at chapter 8, i believe), all i wanted was my work to be known. like, i wanted to promote my work, maybe because it was the only way of pouring out what i was writing and not getting anywhere (like the og novel). that's when i took twitter like a promotional tool. it helped, really, in making instead they said more famous—i got promoted by emdailyfics, which were of real help, and i got more followers.

but—bad things came. karma, maybe. it showed me that twitter is not a safe space for fandom things, not for the way i write or think about fiction. but, before that, as i was finishing ITS, i began plotting RJ. it was supposed to be a romcom, sitcom, romantic, cute type of fiction. i thought about it that way because i wanted to have readers, and instead they said, even thought it was well-written and romantic and touched a lot of hearts, wasn't just the kind of fiction that maybe fanfic readers were looking for. easy, amiable, something to distract themselves. smut, too (which i could never write).

rotten judgement was conceived to be a peak in my popularity... for all the wrong reasons. and that's when the twitter cancellation happened: i almost deleted my account (i came back, but ended up deactivating in august back again and i never came back. my account doesn't exist anymore). i was included in another community which understood me, and help me a lot to navigate the hate and the disappointment in my fandom. at one point, i didn't even want to continue rotten judgement, which was at chapter 2 at the time and hadn't even taken off plotwise.

twitter is not a safe space for fandom things, not for the way i write or think about fiction.

and that's when i realized too—no, rotten judgement wasn't a romcom, a sitcom, a romantic comedy. writing something that readers craved wasn't what i did well. i don't do that well. i don't know how to plot short chapters that leave you hanging. i don't know how to write sexual tension to have good smut. what i was crafting in my mind was everything i lacked as a writer. i wasn't the type of writer that could have thousands of kudos or readers and discourse on twitter and asks and mentions and fanarts. i wish i could be—but i'm simply not. and that's okay. at first, i regarded it as a failure. but then, i realized that i might be doing my own thing... i don't want to be famous in the fanfic world. validation is very, very important to me, but not that extreme, and not in a fandom that insulted me and my critical capacity of thinking in twitter; a fandom that called me racist for writing a story about racism (?); a fandom that thought i couldn't twitch canon to my own liking in fanfiction.

rotten judgement was conceived to be a peak in my popularity... for all the wrong reasons.

yes, these were either all comments in rj or comments in twitter that i saw, clearly referencing my fic. it's alright that they think like this—but this is not how i think. therefore, i'm not writing for this people. i am writing for my readers who are still following my work even after so many months. i don't want—i realized—to be in the twitter discourse. i don't want to be idolized in twitter, to be one of those fanfic authors who deserve the praise more than they deserve the hate they get for, literally, being idolized in twitter. i want to lay low. i am not that brave, i can't put myself upfront that way.

so, rotten judgement ended up being even angstier than instead they said, converging in some of the topics of i did not live until today. i think it might be the most choral, incisive fanfiction i have ever written. i hope it will not disappoint. i hope people can catch up to it (if the low readership is about that, really, i don't know what is). it's what i didn't know i wanted to do, but exactly what i needed to write.

i just hope 2023 will bring me more good stuff. i will finish RJ, i will move on from EM and AOT, i feel... i hope i can keep on finding good stuff along the way that will motivate me to write.

i want to do some "thanks" for the ones who have been in my journey, but i will mention them when i finish RJ. till now, they know who they are, i believe <3

[claudiajcregg]

🏆🪨

Thank you for asking, Ally! I've answered both (trophy, rock) but happy to give alternatives! I have plenty of them.

🏆- The fanfiction you are the most proud of

Once again, the answer is all of them. Today's pick is oh, and I will be with you to feel the California sun. I debated between the 3+1 press fic, the vignettes and this one, but went with this one. An unusual choice, maybe. It's tooth-rotting fluff, and there are a million ways that day could have gone, but I just love how romantic and natural and precious it all is.

(Press fic my beloved. I love writing about that period in S7, and beyond. Once again, a fic that benefitted from sitting in the drive for a while, since the 2 and the +1 definitely work better with the changes I did as I edited. And funnily enough, had I not posted the vignettes we wouldn't have this fic – it came out of realizing I could've used this moment as the 2007 rep, lol.)

🪨- The hardest fanfiction to write

I find that writing long multichapters is the death of me. Same with angst, since I need to be in a special kind of headspace. I need an outline with a lot of ideas. My IM AU from… three and a half years ago (wtf) had one… Until it didn't, towards the end. Coincided with many different developments. So the hardest for this one were a couple of early chapters and then finishing it.

But truly, the most accurate answer to this question is my infamous s5 pregnancy AU, which would also be a great answer for “out of my comfort zone.” Much like my driving license, this is taking too long, and I've started to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but haven't gotten to the end of the process yet. I started with an outline and then the characters decided to take over… So I had to recalibrate, and I haven't always had a clear idea of what direction I wanted to take it in. Shorter stuff, I can write on vibes and ideas, but I didn't want this to feel pointless. (Still kinda feel like it sometimes does, though.)

Plus, it's written in many phases. I had the idea in the spring of 2023; started writing in June, just to get it out of my head. And… It's still going, lol. I can knock down an 8k chapter in a couple of days, and then be five months without touching it. (That inconsistency in writing meant I've been/am reluctant to take the step to start posting it.) Pair that with it being about something I have not experienced but am trying to portray in a somewhat believable way without sounding like I'm spouting my research back at the reader, and we've got a ballgame.

Still love it, though, and I can't wait to share it.

Thank you again for asking, Ally!

[j-ut-da-e]

Heart of Hearts

Chapter 2 (2/2) - You're It! あなたはそれです!

Summary - To cap off the worst year of her life, Kutsuki Hotaru is thrown into an unknown world where everyone in Tokyo has disappeared. She's forced to play games to survive and dark memories catch up to her. Can some coincidental encounters with someone from her real life help her escape from the Borderlands?

Pairing - Chishiya Shuntaro x FEM!OC

Word Count - 1646

Warnings - minimal editing, slow burn, aib warnings (blood, murder, fear, etc), cursing, lmk if I missed anything

A/N - I'm posting full chapters on ao3 btw

Masterlist

A tense silence fills the air. Hotaru cautiously removes her hands from her ears. She slowly stands, leaning over the concrete half-wall. Two girls from before lay dead on the floor two levels below her. Her throat can't manage a sound, no matter how badly she wanted to check on Imai.

Thudding footsteps break her out of her stupor. She turns and a large man in a long coat stands before her, a horse mask over his head. Her eyes travel downward and land on the mini machine gun in his hand.

Without thinking, Hotaru swings her body over the railing. More shots ring out and she catches herself on a pipe attached to the balconies. She swings around it, landing on the floor below. A laugh erupts from her unintentionally, she almost couldn't believe she'd done that.

She steadies herself and is up in a second. She sprints down the hallways, trying every door as she goes. A voice cuts through the relative silence, Arisu.

"Hey! Everyone!" He yells “The tagger is currently at the seventh level of the central area!"

Karube's voice can be heard yelling back at him, "Stop it, you'll get killed!"

Arisu continues, "The tagger has bad vision because of his mask! Let's inform each other of the tagger's location and search for the safe zone together!"

Of course, that's why he didn't see me at first upstairs.

"The tagger is moving from the fourth level of the central area!" A woman's voice calls, "Anyone nearby, run!"

"Eight minutes until the game ends. There are currently eight survivors."

As she reaches the next floor, the young man from before is about to open a door. Hotaru's eyes flick upwards and she sees the tagger pointing his gun at the boy, "Get down!" She screams.

She runs towards him, practically tackling him to the ground. Bullets hit the wall in front of them as they sit up. The boy cowers in fear as Hotaru wraps an arm around him.

"Okay, kid. We have to get out of the open air, we need to move!"

He whimpers in response. Movement catches her eye and Arisu and Karube crawl out from around the corner. They start beckoning them, but the boy doesn't move.

"Okay, tell me your name," she shakes his shoulders as the bullets halt, "Hey! What is your name?"

He looks up at her with tears in his eyes, "T- Tatta."

"Okay, Tatta. You can call me Hotaru," he nods, "We're gonna go to those guys and we're gonna get out of here, okay?"

She nudges him forward and follows closely behind him. They reach the two men as the tagger starts shooting again. The four of them sprint towards the stairs, the duo letting Hotaru and Tatta go first. She doesn't even notice they aren't behind them anymore until the next floor.

"Go, find my friend, he's the tall guy with long hair in a Hawaiian shirt. Just tell him you're with me now," she nods at him encouragingly before heading back up the stairs.

She finds them quickly. They're still in the stairwell talking to the bigger man with buzzed hair and his companion. Karube and the big man are both holding fire extinguishers.

"I'll check for the safe zone from the top," Arisu says, still out of breath.

"Arisu! Don't do that," the blonde argues.

Hotaru steps forward, "I'll go with him."

A woman with short hair wearing athletic clothes suddenly appears on the ledge behind them, "I checked the fifth floor on the south block and the sixth floor on the east and south blocks. Let's split up and search for the safe zone."

"My friend should be almost done with the second and third floors."

"Understood. I'll go check it out," she says before disappearing over the edge.

The group nods to each other before parting. Hotaru and Arisu head up the stairs again. Her chest aches from the exertion, exhaustion was catching up to her.

"Calm down. Relax and think," the man mumbles to himself as they reach the top floor.

They split up and go to opposite wings. Sudden realization takes over Hotaru, "Arisu!" She points at the door that she and Tatta were at, the only door the tagger had shot at from far away.

"Five minutes remaining."

They nod in agreement and run back down. As they reach the door, the white-haired man is walking from the opposite direction. It didn't look like he had even broken a sweat.

"So you realized that too?" He asks, the corner of his mouth quirking up.

Arisu grabs the door knob, "Yes, the safe zone is in this apartment."

He hesitates, "Are you going to open it?" Hotaru asks.

"Why did the tagger chase us?" He wonders aloud, "They could've just waited here."

"Seems like there's something else we don't know," the blonde says, "However if you don't open it…"

He holds up his phone, and the screen shows three minutes left in the game. A cold chill runs up Hotaru's spine as she looks pleadingly at Arisu. She takes the door knob from him and slowly turns it, the door creaking open on its own.

The apartment is plain, with white walls and one large room. There's a bathroom in an alcove to their left and a closed door further beyond that. A cold draft blows through the room as the three of them enter.

Hotaru investigates the bathroom before Arisu screams, "Look out!"

A blur of motion happens as the blonde is pushed into her, her back hitting the wall. A second tagger shoots wildly, trying to hit one of them. The blonde lunges forward, jabbing the tagger with something. The thing lights up, buzzing wildly before they hit the ground with a loud thud.

She steps forward and he flips the contraption in his hand, "It never hurts to be prepared-"

Bullets rain from below them as the tagger comes to, waving their gun everywhere. Arisu ducks into the closed door. Hotaru and the blonde dive towards the door. She scrambles out and the door slams behind her, bullets denting it outward.

The air stings her throat as she tries to catch her breath. Her shoulder leaning on the man next to her. She rips off her flannel and throws it at the wall.

"Two taggers…" she pants, "That's cheating, no?"

He looks at her, an eyebrow raised, "I would say so, but what do I know?"

Arisu's voice cuts through their heavy breathing, "Someone, please come over! The safe zone is in Apartment 406! It's impossible to clear the game alone! We need two people to do this!"

"Seriously?"

"This is getting interesting, huh?" The man says, standing and opening the door. She follows him back inside, he peeks into the door before ducking again, bullets barely missing his head.

"30 seconds remaining."

Arisu wrestles with the tagger, "Give me that taser," she says, holding out her hand.

"Just hit this," he says, guiding her finger to the trigger.

Glass explodes as the short-haired woman from before crashes through the window, "You called?"

Hotaru flashes the taser before throwing it at her. She dodges the bullet spray before catching the device and jabbing it into the tagger's side. Arisu yells that they both have to press the buttons on opposite walls. They both leap into the air.

"Three…Two…One," Hotaru covers her head in anticipation, "Congratulations."

It's silent aside from everyone panting. She looks up, seeing Arisu, the woman, and the now unmasked tagger on the ground. The blonde is standing behind her, she joins him and all four of the player's eyes go to the tagger.

A terrified-looking woman sits before them. She whimpers, her eyes darting between them. A collar around her neck begins beeping before an explosion of blood comes from her neck. She slumps over and Hotaru wipes the splatter from her face.

Arisu lifts himself from the floor, tentatively walking towards the woman, "This person…were they also made to play in the game?"

They all stand in silence, pondering that horrible thought before it’s pushed out of Hotaru's head, "Imai!"

Spinning on her heel, she makes a mad dash for the hallway. As she heads toward the stairwell, she grabs the flannel. It doesn't take her long to get to the third floor.

"Imai? Tatta?" She screams, looking frantically, "Imai! Ryotaro!"

Come on. Come on. Bright yellow catches her attention from the corner of her eye. Her chest feels like it’s being crushed. She slowly moves towards it, the floral details becoming clearer.

A cry dies in her throat as she rounds the corner. Blood is splattered all over the walls and pools of it are all over the floor. Ryotaro is half slumped against the wall, clutching her shirt in his hand, his eyes wide open.

She kneels next to him, gently closing his eyes. His hair was matted with coagulated blood. The source was several bullet wounds to his abdomen, as well as one in his neck.

"Imai," she says, barely above a whisper, "you were a sweet soul. I know you fought hard, but I'm glad you get to rest now."

She rests her forehead against his as silent tears stream down her face. Tears and blood mix on the floor. Sobs start to rack her tired body as she throws her arms around her friend, cradling him against her.

Blood soaked into Hotaru's clothes and hair, but she couldn't care at that moment. It had only been three days in this place and she'd already lost her best friend. She takes the shirt from his hand and a small slip of paper falls out.

I tried not to get blood on it. Is written in sloppy, uneven characters. She chokes out a laugh and layers his flannel over her shirt.

"Let’s meet again, Ryotaro."

[punmster]

Hi! I've decided to exclude some out of slight embarrassment (as i said in the tags, they are really edgy middle-schooler-core) and also i'm not sure they are that relevant to the story lol (oh, and this list would be WAY longer if I did include all of them)

IDKHBTFM - Leave Me Alone (literally the very first song I ever associated with this story, still one of my faves; 7th year)

The Offspring - You're Gonna Go Far, Kid (7th year focused, so might not be clear as to why it's there yet--I imagine it as a conversation between Draco and Voldy)

The Offspring - Half-Truism (6th year, mainly the chorus)

Gang of Youths - Achilles, Come Down (6th year death scene, also b/c gay drama)

Set It Off - Nightmare (yeah this band and this song specifically is one of the edgier ones, but it works for the 6th year death scene lol)

Set It Off - Killer in the Mirror (mirror of erised anyone?)

Set It Off - Skeleton (not particularly related to the plot, it's just a damn good song; way more pop than the others)

Set It off - Hourglass (I was thinking time turner with this one but it's actually really related to the whole time travel fix it/rewriting the story thing--also yes there are a lot of Set It Off songs, and more to come)

ELO - Mr. Blue Sky (just for the one line "Mr. Blue you did it right/now here comes Mr. Night/creeping over, now his hand is on your shoulder" b/c the shadow in erised--i like how this bright song is lumped in w/ all the edgy ones lmao)

Green Day - Boulevard of Broken Dreams (not a song I like as much, but the content is similar to the previous song--the whole shadow thing)

Set it Off - Midnight Thoughts (back to SIO--pretty sure this song is actually about insomnia but hey, I can't resist when there's day/night themes)

Set It Off - Dancing With the Devil (at first, this was b/c of Draco dancing w/ Riddle's corpse in the old version in summer before 3rd but it describes Harry and Draco's relationship better)

Set It Off - Criminal Minds (not one I like the sound of as much as others but that first lyric and a few others fit so hilariously well)

P!ATD - Turn Off the Lights (Fitting for Draco's thoughts, but also the light symbolism w/ the Guiding Star shtick)

5SOS - Teeth (I'd need to spoil 6th/7th year to explain but it still vibes w/o knowing why it's here lol)

IDKHBTFM - Lights Go Down (here for the vibes)

STARSET - Die For You (I feel this one is obvious even w/ only the first few years as context, but it is really 6th/7th year)

STARSET - ECHO (more Draco-Harry relationship in 6th/7th)

Regina Spektor - Two Birds on a Wire (more like two boys on a tower, eh? hehehe)

Set It Off - Catch a Break (b/c draco can't lmao--inspired draco falling on his face and slapping himself in 2nd; very unavoidable tragedies because we will never make a different choice coded)

Set It Off - The Magic 8 (prophecies and all that)

MISSIO - Sing to Me (I think you just gotta listen to this one to understand)

Mother Mother - Problems (I'm honestly not sure about this one?)

Half Alive - Creature (from Harry's pov, about Draco)

Electric Callboy - Supernova (Rage 2 Edition) (this one I found while looking for a song specifically w/ a supernova theme, cuz of that note in chapter 16)

The Score - Born for This (this one, oddly, I feel is more edgy than the SIO songs? So I feel a little cringe about it. However the line "We come from different places but have the same name" and "I believe we can write our story" made me keep it)

Saint Motel - Snake Charmer (kinda obvious--golden snake and all)

Out of curiosity, do you have a playlist for DSMG?

yeah, it's like. 70 songs long lol

[pumpkinpaix]

hello there, hope you're having a nice day <3

so i've been reading a lot of fics lately, uk for sanity's sake, and i've noticed that in most of them, lwj doesn't use contractions (eg., says do not instead of don't)?? and i think he doesn't in the novel either but i don't remember lol so i can't be sure but anyway that made me curious - does chinese have contractions as well? does he not use it bc it's informal?

hello there! I’m doing all right, i started to answer this ask while waiting for a jingyeast loaf to come out of the oven 😊 many thanks to @bookofstars for helping me look over/edit/correct this post!! :D

anyways! the answer to your questions are complicated (of course it is when is anything simple with me), so let’s see if I can break it down--you’re asking a) whether chinese has contractions, b) if it does, how does they change the tone of the sentence--is it similar to english or no?, and c) how does this all end up with lan wangji pretty much never using contractions in english fic/translation?

I’m gonna start by talking about how formality is (generally) expressed in each language, and hopefully, by the end of this post, all the questions will have been answered in one way or another. so: chinese and english express variations in formality/register differently, oftentimes in ways that run contrary to one another. I am, as always, neither a linguist nor an expert in chinese and english uhhh sociological grammar? for lack of a better word. I’m speaking from my own experience and knowledge :D

so with a character like lan wangji, it makes perfect sense in english to write his dialogue without contractions, as contractions are considered informal or colloquial. I don’t know if this has changed in recent years, but I was always taught in school to never use contractions in my academic papers.

However! not using contractions necessarily extends the length of the sentence: “do not” takes longer to say than “don’t”, “cannot” is longer than “can’t” etc. in english, formality is often correlated with sentence length: the longest way you can say something ends up sounding the most formal. for a very simplified example, take this progression from least formal to absurdly formal:

whatcha doin’?

what’re you doing?

what are you doing? [standard colloquial]

may I ask what you are doing?

might I inquire as to what you are doing?

excuse me, but might I inquire as to what you are doing?

pardon my intrusion, but might I inquire as to what you are doing?

please pardon my intrusion, but might inquire as to the nature of your current actions?

this is obviously a somewhat overwrought example, but you get the point. oftentimes, the longer, more complex, more indirect sentence constructions indicate a greater formality, often because there is a simultaneous decreasing of certainty. downplaying the speaker’s certainty can show deference (or weakness) in english, while certainty tends to show authority/confidence (or aggression/rudeness).

different words also carry different implications of formality—in the example, I switched “excuse me” to “pardon me” during one of the step ups. pardon (to me at least) feels like a more formal word than “excuse”. Similarly, “inquire” is more formal than “ask” etc. I suspect that at least some of what makes one word seem more formal than one of its synonyms has to do with etymology. many of english’s most formal/academic words come from latin (which also tends to have longer words generally!), while our personal/colloquial words tend to have germanic origins (inquire [latin] vs ask [germanic]).

you’ll also notice that changing a more direct sentence structure (“may I ask what”) to a more indirect one (“might I inquire as to”) also jumps a register. a lot of english is like this — you can complicate simple direct sentences by switching the way you use the verbs/how many auxiliaries you use etc.

THE POINT IS: with regards to english, more formal sentence structures are often (not always) longer and more indirect than informal ones. this leads us to a problem with a character like lan wangji.

lan wangji is canonically very taciturn. if he can express his meaning in two words rather than three, then he will. and chinese allows for this—in extreme ways. if you haven’t already read @hunxi-guilai’s post on linguistic register (in CQL only, but it’s applicable across the board), I would start there because haha! I certainly do Not have a degree in Classical Chinese lit and she does a great job. :D

you can see from the examples that hunxi chose that often, longer sentences tend to be more informal in chinese (not always, which I’ll circle back to at the end lol). Colloquial chinese makes use of helping particles to indicate tone and meaning, as is shown in wei wuxian’s dialogue. and, as hunxi explained, those particles are largely absent from lan wangji’s speech pattern. chinese isn’t built of “words” in the way English is—each character is less a word and more a morpheme—and the language allows for a lot of information to be encoded in one character. a single character can often stand for a phrase within a sentence without sacrificing either meaning or formality. lan wangji makes ample use of this in order to express himself in the fewest syllables possible.

so this obviously leads to an incongruity when trying to translate his dialogue or capture his voice in English: shorter sentences are usually more direct by nature, and directness/certainty is often construed as rudeness -- but it might seem strange to see lan wangji’s dialogue full of longer sentences while the narration explicitly says that he uses very short sentences. so what happens is that many english fic writers extrapolated this into creating an english speech pattern for lan wangji that reads oddly. they’ll have lan wangji speak in grammatically incoherent fragments that distill his intended thought because they’re trying to recreate his succinctness. unfortunately, English doesn’t have as much freedom as Chinese does in this way, and it results in lan wangji sounding as if he has some kind of linguistic impediment and/or as if he’s being unspeakably rude in certain situations. In reality, lan wangji’s speech is perfectly polite for a young member of the gentry (though he’s still terribly rude in other ways lol). he speaks in full, and honestly, quite eloquent sentences.

hunxi’s post already has a lot of examples, but I figure I’ll do one as well focused on the specifics of this post.

I’m going to use this exchange from chapter 63 between the twin jades because I think it’s a pretty simple way to illustrate what I’m talking about:

蓝曦臣道：“你亲眼所见？”

蓝忘机道：“他亲眼所见。”

蓝曦臣道：“你相信他？”

蓝忘机道：“信。”

[...] 蓝曦臣道：“那么金光瑶呢？”

蓝忘机道：“不可信。”

my translation:

Lan Xichen said, “You saw it with your own eyes?”

Lan Wangji said, “He saw it with his own eyes.”

Lan Xichen said, “You believe him?”

Lan Wangji said, “I believe him.”

[...] Lan Xichen said, “Then what about Jin Guangyao?”

Lan Wangji said, “He cannot be believed.”

you can see how much longer the (pretty literal) english translations are! every single line of dialogue is expanded because things that can be omitted in chinese cannot be omitted in english without losing grammatical coherency. i‘ll break a few of them down:

Lan Xichen’s first line:

你 (you) 亲眼 (with one’s own eyes) 所 (literary auxiliary) 见 (met/saw)？

idk but i love this line a lot lmao. it just has such an elegant feel to me, probably because I am an uncultured rube. anyways, you see here that he expressed his full thought in five characters.

if I were to rewrite this sentence into something much less formal/much more modern, I might have it become something like this:

你是自己看见的吗？

你 (you) 是 (to be) 自己 (oneself) 看见 (see) 的 (auxiliary) 吗 (interrogative particle)？

i suspect that this construction might even be somewhat childish? I’ve replaced every single formal part of the sentence with a more colloquial one. instead of 亲眼 i’ve used 自己, instead of 所见 i’ve used 看见的 and then also added an interrogative particle at the end for good measure (吗). To translate this, I would probably go with “Did you see it yourself?”

contained in this is also an example of how one character can represent a whole concept that can also be represented with two characters: 见 vs 看见. in this example, both mean “to see”. we’ll see it again in the next example as well:

in response to lan xichen’s, “you believe him?” --> 你 (you) 相信 (believe) 他 (him)? lan wangji answers with, “信” (believe).

chinese does not do yes or no questions in the same way that english does. there is no catch-all for yes or no, though there are general affirmative (是／有) and negative (不／没) characters. there are other affirmative/negative characters, but these are the ones that I believe are the most common and also the ones that you may see in response to yes or no questions on their own. (don’t quote me on that lol)

regardless, the way you respond to a yes or no question is often by repeating the verb phrase either in affirmative or negative. so here, when lan xichen asks if lan wangji believes wei wuxian, lan wangji responds “believe”. once again, you can see that one character can stand in for a concept that may also be expressed in two characters: 信 takes the place of 相信. lan wangji could have responded with “相信” just as well, but, true to his character, he didn’t because he didn’t need to. this is still a complete sentence. lan wangji has discarded the subject (I), the object (him), and also half the verb (相), and lost no meaning whatsoever. you can’t do this in english!

and onto the last exchange:

lan xichen: 那么 (then) 金光瑶 (jin guangyao) 呢 (what about)？

lan wangji: 不可 (cannot) 信 (believe)

you can actually see the contrast between the two brothers’ speech patterns even in this. lan xichen’s question is not quite as pared down as it could be. if it were wangji’s line instead, I would expect it to read simply “金光瑶呢？” which would just be “what about jin guangyao?” 那么 isn’t necessary to convey the core thought -- it’s just as how “then what about” is different than “what about”, but “then” is not necessary to the central question. if we wanted to keep the “then” aspect, you could still cut out 么 and it would be the same meaning as well.

a FINAL example of how something can be cut down just because I think examples are helpful:

“I don’t know” is usually given as 我不知道. (this is what nie huaisang says lol) It contains subject (我) and full verb (知道). you can pare this straight down to just 不知 and it would mean the same thing in the correct context. i think most of the characters do this at least once? it sounds more literary -- i don’t know that i would ever use it in everyday speech, but the fact remains that it’s a possibility. both could be translated as “I do not know” and it would be accurate.

ANYWAYS, getting all the way back to one of your original questions: does chinese have contractions? and the answer is like... kind of...?? but not really. there’s certainly slang/dialect variants that can be used in ways that are reminiscent of english contractions. the example I’m thinking of is the character 啥 (sha2) which can be used as slang in place of 什么 (shen2 me). (which means “what”)

so for a standard sentence of, 你在做什么? (what are you doing), you could shorten down to just 做啥? and the second construction is less formal than the first, but they mean the same thing.

other slang i can think of off the top of my head: 干嘛 (gan4 ma2) is also informal slang for “what are you doing”. and i think this is a regional thing, but you can also use 搞 (gao3) and 整 (zheng3) to mean “do” as well.

so in the same way that you can replace 什么 with 啥, you can replace 做 as well to get constructions like 搞啥 (gao3 sha2) and 整啥 (zheng3 sha2).

these are all different ways to say “what are you doing” lmao, and in this case, shorter is not, in fact, more formal.

woo! we made it to the end! I hope it was informative and helpful to you anon. :D

this is where I would normally throw my ko-fi, but instead, I’m actually going to link you to this fundraising post for an old fandom friend of mine. her house burned down mid-september and they could still use help if anyone can spare it! if this post would have moved you to buy me a ko-fi, please send that money to her family instead. :) rbs are also appreciated on the post itself. (* ´▽` *)

anyways, here’s the loaf jingyeast made :3 it was very tasty.

[madaboutmunson]

Don't Stand So Close To Me - Part 15 - Dancing In The Moonlight

Part 14 | Chapter list | Eddie Munson Fanfiction Masterlist

Warnings: Swearing, crude humour, romance, angst, food, bullying

Summary: Lyra attends Hellfire, and the Club go back to Lyra's for an after party, but with everything going on will Eddie's intentions all go according to his plan?

Word Count: 6K

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Author note: I cannot for the life of me work out/read how 1st edition D&D is played, so I'm using my couple of years experience of playing 5th Edition to help me write the D&D game

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Eddie! Come on, man! You can't do that. She's your girlfriend! You should at least give her another chance at the roll!!" Gareth yells down the table.

Lyra stares at the one on the twenty-sided die.

"Gareth the Great, you know as well as I do, at this table, there are rules, and my love life", he shoots a wink at Lyra ", is not a factor in those rules changing. At this table, you are my players." he says firmly to Gareth, pointing at the table, before turning back to Lyra, "Sorry, sweetheart that's a critical fail," he says gently but with a smirk on his face.

"So with that mighty swing of a mace, missing the ogre wildly. It's now their turn in the initiative." Eddie is half kneeling on the table and looks from under his hair at Lyra, still with that same little smirk. "Unfortunately, you're still engaged with them so..." Eddie adjusts his seating position again, "The ogre stands over you laughing cruelly ', Is that all you've got, tiny human?' as he raises his great club above his head, waiting to crash down on you."

Lyra can hear a die roll from behind his screen, and Eddie takes a small sharp intake of breath, "That is gonna hit for sure. Any last words?" He asks Lyra sinisterly, tapping his newly steepled fingers together with glee.

She flops back in her chair, disappointed. She hadn't expected to, but this game had been delightful to play, plus Eddie was here, which meant Eddie often had, over the last few hours, leaned over her pointing out which modifiers she needed to add onto the die roll, or why she couldn't use that spell just now, or how far she could move. It took all her strength not to reach out and touch or lean against him. Something about him in the setting lit a fire in Lyra, which was occasionally quite unmanageable. If it wasn't for everyone else at the table also requiring to be engaged with Eddie's storytelling, she probably would have played up to it a little more.

"Well, I guess knowing their time in this world is coming to an end, they would hold their holy amulet," Lyra says as she clutches at an imagined pendant at her chest and closes her eyes, "and say a final prayer to their deity. Asking for forgiveness and to be welcomed into their hall upon death."

Eddie shakes some dice in his hands, and Lyra opens her eyes. But this time rolls them on the hand-drawn map stretched across the table. All eyes watch them as they tumble across the drawn terrain until they finally come to a stop. A one on each die, "That's six points of damage."

Lyra checks over her character sheet that Eddie had filled out for her, "Wait...six, did you say?" Eddie nods. Lyra scrubs out the number eight and replaces it with a two, putting her hands to her face, "I'm still up!! Barely, but still up."

Lyra's enthusiasm makes Eddie grin as he turns back to the rest of the table and looms over his dungeon master's screen, "Your Cleric is bloodied and beaten, swaying from side to side in a vain attempt to keep upright. They're praying for a miracle, some divine intervention, but do any of you have it?" Eddie's eyes scan each of the other players at the table and finally land on Kevin, "I do believe it's the turn of your mage."

Kevin looks at Eddie, the map, Lyra and then back to his sheet, "How is the ogre looking?"

"This grotesque giant has taken quite a beating, but he's got a little left in the tank," Eddie says.

Kevin taps his pencil on his forehead, "Ok, I was gonna save this, but as a delicate little wizard, I can't really afford to have our only conscious healer out of the game, so...I'm gonna aim a fireball just to the right of the ogre, so it hits them but just misses Lyra."

"What's the dexterity save I've gotta meet?" Eddie says, tossing the twenty-sided die up and down in his hand. The reflection of the low light danced devilishly in his eyes.

"Thirteen," Kevin says confidently.

Eddie rolls the die towards Kevin, and it lands on thirteen exactly. Kevin sighs and picks up a bunch of dice in his hand. The clattering whilst he shakes them makes Lyra's eyes go wide. How much damage can a fireball do exactly?

Kevin lets the dice fly into the map, eight, six-sided die to be exact.

Kevin's eyes scan over the dice as they come to a stop "Twenty-nine, but that's halved because you made the save, so Fourteen points of damage" Kevin looks hopefully up at Eddie.

Eddie tilts his head, looking at the miniature figures on the map, "Well, fourteen is not gonna take this lumbering oaf down" The table lets out a collective groan. Kevin drops back into his seat with a huff, "but" Eddie raises a finger in the air, "Because of how utterly inflexible this ogre is, they actually get minus one on their dexterity saves, so, he takes the whole Twenty-nine which will indeed put this guy on his ass, and you've saved your cleric. Well done!" Eddie beams at Kevin as the table erupts with cheers.

"And as I'm feeling quite benevolent today, that's where we'll end it for this week", Eddie says, finally closing his book.

Eddie is met with praise around the table and thanks for running a great game. Lyra carefully puts all the dice in the drawstring bag and the character sheet and hands them over to Eddie.

"That was a lot more fun than I expected. Thank you." Lyra smiles hugely at him.

"You don't want to play again?" Eddie looks at the sheet and bag in her hands.

"Do you think I did well enough to be able to play again? I had to ask for a lot of help," Lyra asks.

"You know, I did notice you asking for a lot of help, but you've never played before, so that was to be expected" Eddie looks up at her from under his hair with a big smile, "but I also noticed you weren't entirely listening to what I was saying and might have been spending a little too much time staring at me, and not at your character sheet."

Lyra feels herself flush with embarrassment. He wasn't wrong, but it made her cringe a little that she had been so obvious.

"Sorry?" She smiles and shrugs at him, trying to hide her bashfulness behind some humour.

Eddie runs his hand along the table as he paces towards her. Looking at the floor until he gets within a step of her. "I guess I can forgive you this once, on account of it being your first game. Nothing to do with how absolutely adorable you are or anything," he smirks.

"In regards to playing again..." He takes her by the shoulders and turns her around to face the rest of the table, who are happily in the depths of their own conversations whilst packing up, "You'll need to take it up with the rest of them." Eddie leans forward to murmur in her ear, "Personally, I'd wait until after they've seen the potential party quarters if you're worried about them saying yes."

Whilst he's so close, Lyra quickly wraps her arm around him and pulls him closer to her side, "And what if I would sacrifice a seat at the table to get you back to mine, on your own, sooner?"

Eddie blushes a little and lets out a low, quiet chuckle as he wraps his arms around her, "And there I was thinking you'd enjoyed yourself tonight and might want to join us again."

"Oh, I did enjoy myself for sure, and I would love to return, but I kinda think I'd enjoy you a little bit more", Lyra teases, gently tapping him on the nose.

"You are not making my attempts to keep to my plan very easy, you know that?" He says, squeezing her sides in his arms, "I mean, you did say you were gonna follow my plan to the letter, right? Unless, of course, you were just telling me things I wanted to hear, so you could trap me in your wicked web of debauchery" he says overly dramatically finishing with a laugh, before he tucks his lips back in his mouth, and looks a little worried.

Eddie had made a joke touching on her current biggest insecurity without thinking, but for once, Lyra didn't feel bad. Almost like it was safe because it was Eddie that said it. Instead, a new concern creeps over her. Did she trust him already? That was pretty scary. Maybe scarier than anything that had happened so far.

Lyra smiles at him and pinches his face, "Cheeky little thing, aren't you?" Eddie breathes a sigh of relief and pushes his face into her hand. She pats him gently.

"I guess I did say that, didn't I? Fine!" Lyra says in pretend defeat, and Eddie grips her waist and wiggles her from side to side rapidly, gritting his teeth with excitement.

Eddie brushes down his t-shirt and clears his throat, "Ok, ok, calming down now." He turns to the others, "Anyone coming to Lyra's can follow us. Otherwise, thanks for playing, and I'll see you next week" Eddie smiles, bowing to the others and returns to packing away.

Lyra helps out where she can, and soon they are on their way to the van. Lyra hopes to any pantheon of God that may be listening that Eddie likes the surprise.

Eddie is talking about the few movies he has in his bag that they might watch tonight and some music he's packed in case they can't play LPs by the pool.

As they emerge onto the parking lot, Lyra can see the rest of Hellfire crowded around Eddie's van.

"Hey, I don't mind giving some of you a ride there. Gareth's got more than enough room in his station wagon too, you know," he says, bundling towards them, but under the lamp light, the van's new paintwork comes into view, and Lyra chews her thumb nervously.

"What the-," Eddie says slowly in shock, walking up to the van, then glances back at Lyra. He puts down his bags slowly, his mouth partially open in a very slight slack jaw kind of way. His eyes widen, and he starts walking around it.

Lyra wants to hang back and wait for his verdict, but the anticipation is eating her alive. She moves forward to stand behind the others, as Eddie is still circling the van reaching out to the paintwork.

The suspense builds, but he's not saying anything. Well, nothing she can hear anyway. Everyone else seems to be frozen, waiting for him to respond too.

"I can have it changed", she blurts out, "I just got a bit heavy-handed with the paint thinner in spots, and the guy said he could do a basic spray job, and I remembered this...um...background and the guy said a basic version of it was achievable so...but yeah he could probably get it back to near original colours or something else if he had more time" Lyra plays with her cuffs nervously.

"You got someone to come out here and respray my van to look like the background of the ride the lightning album because you rubbed off too much paint, removing graffiti...am I understanding correctly?" Eddie says, still looking over the van.

"Yeah, well, it was mostly blue, I thought...." Lyra starts to explain, "and cars can be blue. This one just has lightning bolts on it."

Lyra is so nervous right now. She thinks of how impulsive this was. She didn't know if the van had sentimental value or if her request might have painted over something special.

The intense worry must show on Lyra's face because the next thing she feels is an arm around her shoulders. She turns to see Clara smiling so hard that her eyes can barely open, and she gives Lyra's shoulder a supportive squeeze.

Eddie eventually stops, still looking up at the van, his back to Lyra, "Well, ok, we have to have a discussion about grand gestures, but" he turns entirely to face her, "I love it. It's so fucking metal, babe."

Lyra breathes a sigh of relief as she's embraced by Eddie, Clara, the rest of Corroded Coffin, and then Archie and Kevin. All in one massive group hug. In the centre, Lyra looks into Eddie's eyes, her eyes clouding with tears.

When she got to this school, she knew it would be tough. She tried her best not to stick out but failed. On that first week here, she would never have imagined dating anyone from here, least of all Eddie, but teenage minds can dream and crush hard, and maybe it would have been possible to be with someone eventually.

But friends? Friends that accepted her. Friends that were just as different in their own ways as her. Friends that embraced her in a parking lot because she'd made their saviour happy? Never in a million years.

Eddie smiles, pulls her tight to him, and shouts at the others in pretend annoyance, "Alright! Alright! You fucking chancers, she's mine. So back away, go on...get!" Eddie loosens his grip as they start dispersing and lifts her chin up to face him, "You ok?" Lyra nods, still tucking her lips back in her mouth, frightened that letting them go might cause a flood of tears to stream from her eyes.

"Come on," Eddie says, opening the van door, and helping her into her seat before hopping in himself.

Eddie puts the keys in the ignition but pauses before he starts it and turns to Lyra for a second, "Look, I know I made a big deal about your house and was excited about us all hanging out there, but I feel like" he sighs and drums gently on the steering wheel, "I dunno. I don't want you to feel like it's a factor or something to play up to. I just thought it would be fun. I would've invited everyone to the trailer, and I have done, but you know it's pretty cramped." Lyra feels Eddie's hand wrap around hers, "I guess what I'm trying to say is, you don't need to make all these grand gestures. I would have loved it just the same if you'd painted a little smiley face over the rough patches, you know? I don't need to be bought Lyra. Before the house, before the driver, maybe even before the outfit, I was already completely sold. Understand?" Eddie says kindly.

Lyra sighs, "I understand. I guess I just wanted you to have the best of things because you deserve them. You're so good to everyone else, Eddie. Sometimes I think you don't see that. You deserve the world, truly, and if I could, I'd give it to you." Lyra says, finally looking back at him with a small grateful smile.

Eddie's smile widens, and his dimples puncture his cheeks. He tilts his head thoughtfully and inhales deeply, "You know what, you're absolutely right. I do. I'm great. Just the best." He teases and fires up the van, "But let's just keep it to a minimum, hmmm, don't want to make the entire town jealous, you know? Only one of me to go around," Eddie chuckles, and Lyra nudges him playfully.

"Alright, I'll stop being over the top," Lyra says, squeezing his hand, "Can't speak for Phil and Chef, though. They haven't had guests in some time."

"What about your old friends?" Eddie asks, a little puzzled.

Lyra shifts uncomfortably in her seat, "Well, as it turns out, and when I look back on things, I don't think they were actually my friends. It was more like, um, parents networking through their kids, if that makes sense. Also, compared to their houses, mine was the least party friendly, let's say."

Eddie screws up his face, "What do you mean?" He asks, throwing a confused glance at Lyra.

"Well, not every home has a Phil, who will turn a blind eye to the more minor teenage activities, but other things are party-ending offences. For example, weed and beer, maybe some or alcohol is allowed up to a limit, but the, erm, harder stuff, excess or people getting overly friendly is not. That's why they tended to be at some of the other's nearer town."

"Wait a minute! Were you at those parties??!! Shit, I used to do the drops at some of those. They looked wild!" Eddie laughs.

"They were wild, but by at those parties, I mean, after the first few, I just turned up, and I did my social duty," Lyra says. "You know, show your face, bring a gift, mingle, small talk, if it was early enough, maybe grab a drink, but out of there before it started to get too scandalous. The first few times, everything was new and had novelty, and it's something for people to talk about next week, and you know it was fun in parts. But, um yeah, it's got a bit samey real quick, well, for me anyway. You see a trashed bunch of rich kids once. You've seen it all." Lyra shakes her head, "Also, on the topic of seeing it all, that's the other issue with those kinds of parties. There are things that you can't unsee." She laughs, thinking back at those outrageous parties and how the first few times, it was almost like it was a checklist to try every substance going around at that particular event, but she had always shied away from any kind of intimacy with people. Not that it was much of an issue, to be honest, no one ever hit on her anyway.

She weaves her fingers between Eddie's, "Do you mean to tell me that you could have been at the same party as me? That we could have met much sooner? Before Tabatha and Curt? " Lyra asks coyly.

"Well, no, I was never allowed into the parties. I mean, I did my fair share of spying, I won't lie," Eddie laughs, "but yeah, maybe, just on the other side of the door from you, all that time ago. Weird how the universe works, huh?" Eddie smiles over at Lyra gently and then looks back onto the road.

The van continues to drive through the night, both content to just listen to the music, Eddie sings or hums along, and they keep a hold of one another's hand.

Lyra takes the opportunity to digest what happened today and her worry that it might all happen again or something worse.

"So, um, I'm a little worried about something, I can talk to you about it tomorrow if you prefer, but I thought maybe we could get it out of the way now?" She asks a little nervously.

"We've still got a way to go, might as well do it now. So talk away, honey," Eddie says happily.

Lyra smiles to herself. Despite the topic she's about to bring up, she's been acquiring different pet names from Eddie today and wondered if he was testing them out or if he just wanted to use all of them.

"I know this is day one, but I'm worried after what they did to your van today. I'm worried they won't stop, you know?" Lyra says uncomfortably.

Eddie sighs, "The thing is, they trashed this van, and now it's got its well overdue service and paint job. They trashed your locker, and we just dealt with it. Ok, maybe there was a little retaliation on our part, but if we hadn't, I can tell you from experience, it would have been worse. They keep pitching at us, and we keep knocking it out of the park," he says, grinning and shaking his head.

"Won't you get tired of it, though?" Lyra asks carefully.

Eddie snaps his head around at her, "No!" He quickly looks back to the road, "Why? Will you?" Unexpectedly Lyra detects a slight panic in his voice.

"No! Of course not! It's just they ruined my locker. They didn't ruin my stuff, you know?" Lyra exclaims.

"Then why do you think I would?" Eddie sounded a little offended.

Lyra is still so astounded he can't see how she was punching well above her weight with Eddie. He was so wonderful, and the more she learned about him, the closer they became and the more beautiful he got. She opens her mouth to attempt an answer, but Eddie interrupts.

"I don't know what strange negative reason your brain is giving you right now, ok? But just know I'm not gonna quit because some assholes are being their usual dick selves, alright?" Eddie adjusts his hand on the steering wheel, and the tip of his tongue is pressed against his top lip for a second. Lyra has come to interpret this face as concentration or decision-making. In this case, it must be the latter.

"I avoid getting myself in deep shit, like, you know, facing jail time, getting my head kicked in, or anything too aggressive. I'm not a complete coward. I just know the odds are stacked against me when it's my word versus theirs. So yeah, I might avoid, I might obnoxiously flirt my way out of situations, I might run from those heavy conflicts, man. But not from you, ok?" He says earnestly." So that negative voice in your head can just shut the fuck up because it's Eddie's day!!" He adds with a smile.

"So...um...did that help?" He asks cautiously.

Lyra can't help but squeeze his hand, she'd kiss him if she could, but she had promised to keep to his plan, just for today at least, "That helped a lot, thank you...um...darling", she tries but starts laughing, "I think you're better at these than me."

"Well, at least you tried, angel, at least you tried", he teases.

Lyra playfully huffs at another of his effortless usage of a per name as they hit the tree-lined road to Lyra's house.

As they approach the garage doors, Lyra makes out a little banner over one of them saying, "Welcome, Hellfire Club," and her heart melts.

As they get out of the van, Eddie's eyes scan over the house again as he walks around the back of the van to help Lyra down from her seat. He holds her in his arms a little longer than necessary for the task but not nearly long enough for her liking. Their eyes gaze fondly into one another until the Scottish voice booms out of the intercom sending Gareth, and due to proximity also Jeff and Paul, to the ground with fright.

Eddie looks over at the scene and chuckles intensely, shaking his head, "Is that what I looked like?" He asks.

"Kind of, just you know, less falling over, more deer in headlights, clutching your imaginary pearls", Lyra giggles.

"Oh, you can tell she's on home turf now," Eddie says, sending her a sideways glance before retaking her hand and racing to beat the others to the front door.

"Ok, Hellfire," He says, raising his hands to get the group's attention as Lyra unlocks the door, "Listen up, do not touch anything breakable, take your shoes off, be respectful, and we might get invited back again."

"And most importantly," Lyra says, turning around to face them, ducking under Eddie's arm and putting her arms around his waist, "Have fun. Please. The old place needs it." She adds, half lifting and half dragging Eddie out of the way to let the rest in first.

Lyra turns his chin to their friends, looking up and turning around in the entryway, "That's what you looked like. Except, you know, much cuter", she says, standing up next to him.

Eddie side glances at her and gives away one of his more bashful little smiles before grabbing her hand and pulling her inside.

Lyra introduces everyone to Phil, Phil looks concerned at her clothes, and Lyra shrugs with a smile.

"We'll talk about this later," he says with a confused smile.

Phil then leads the tour of the downstairs, dropping them off at the projector room.

Lyra would love to call it a theatre. It had a big screen and a projector, but ultimately this room was only really ever used by Lyra and Phil, so it used to have two no longer stylish armchairs in it, but Phil appears to have spruced the place up somewhat.

The armchairs remain, but several of the couches have also made their way in here, as had a mini fridge, mini freezer, a popcorn cart and a giant hamper of candy.

"Load yourselves up, and let me know when to hit play," Phil says, smiling at them all.

There is the sound of metal on metal and a soft thud as Eddie runs around everyone to leap over the back of the two-seater sofa behind all the other seats and lounges across it, grinning and waving everyone else forward to the other seats.

As Lyra approaches him, he sits up and moves over, rustling in his bag for the movies, "I'll be right back", he says, rushing over to Phil.

Within a few minutes, he's back, arms laden with popcorn, candy and drinks, which he hands to Lyra as he flops down next to Lyra. Then, finally, the lights go down, and the movie starts.

The trailers of old movies barely begin when Eddie lets out a yawn and stretches his arms up and then out, draping one around Lyra's shoulders. She just smiles and shakes her head at his funny little ways, "Don't laugh at my moves", he whispers, failing to hold back a laugh himself.

Archie turns around and shushes them both, which makes not laughing even harder.

Lyra decides to use the popcorn to either stop or distract from giggling with Eddie, but Eddie has other ideas. As she reaches for a piece out of the box and lifts it upwards, she feels Eddie's hair brush her arm, and she turns towards him. His mouth is partially open centimetres from her hand, but his eyes are fully locked with hers.

There was something about his eyes in the dark. Sure, they were still beautiful and entrancing in the light, but in the dark, with just a fleck of light reflecting from them, they were almost impossible to look away from. In this low light at this proximity, they stir up something in Lyra, and her heart begins to pound deeply and loudly in its bony prison, she can almost hear her pulse in her ears, and her breathing deepens to catch up. Her breath almost trembles as Eddie opens his mouth wider near her hand, not looking away from her once. Hands shaking, she gently places it in his mouth. Eddie blinks slowly and sits back up in his seat, and all Lyra can do is follow his eyes with hers until her whole self turns towards him.

Eddie's eyes softly look around her face before he easily takes the popcorn box from her hands because she's barely holding onto it and puts it on the floor.

Eddie tucks her hair behind her ear and leans in to whisper, "I'm thinking of heading out for a smoke, do you, maybe, wanna come with me?"

Lyra can only nod slowly in a daze, entirely under his spell. With that, they quietly sneak out of the room to head outside.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Eddie had wanted to wait. He had wanted to wait until everyone had gone home, and it was just the two of them, but he couldn't wait any longer, not sitting so close in the dark. Not with the way the low light danced on her soft skin. Not with how good she felt. Not with the sweet smell of her perfume and shampoo. It's made him lose all composure. He had to be alone with her right now.

Lyra goes to lead him outside by the pool. Eddie shakes his head and nods towards the stairs, "The balcony might be good", he says sweetly, hoping she understood. He didn't want anyone walking in on them. No one could ruin this.

Lyra's eyes looked so innocent. She almost looked a little nervous. Eddie hoped it was the same kind of anticipation nerves he was feeling and not that she was scared or worried.

Their fingers interlocked with one another, Lyra guides him upstairs through a room he hasn't seen before and onto the balcony.

Eddie looks up at the sky as he takes out the cigarette packet from his pocket and pulls out a cigarette he has no intention of smoking. He gently taps it against the box, grateful that the sky was behaving precisely as he had hoped. Not a cloud to hide any of the celestial bodies, the moonlight bathing the two of them in its glow, and the stars sparkling their hardest just for them.

He slowly taps the end of the cigarette against the packet and looks back down at Lyra, whose hands are in her paint-smeared jean pockets, as she looks around at the floor and surrounding seating nervously.

Eddie rolls his shoulders back and speaks, "Nice night, isn't it?"

"Huh?" Lyra finally looks up at him and then at the sky. "I mean, yeah, it's nice. Definitely nice." She laughs awkwardly, and it is completely adorable.

Eddie can't remember the last time he felt this nervous. Outwardly he was pulling on every speck of confidence, false or real, he could find within himself, but inside he was verging on terrified. He tried to remind himself it was just a kiss, and he'd done that hundreds, maybe thousands of times.

It wasn't that Lyra was more attractive than them or that he didn't care for all the others that he'd kissed before. It's just that this had foundations. Shaky small foundations, but things they'd agreed together, and it felt equal. It didn't feel like another one of Eddie's falling harder situations, and it didn't feel like some lustful way to pass the time.

The way she looked at him sometimes made him feel incredible. Like he was the most wonderful thing in the universe like she couldn't believe he was real, and whilst he found all of that impossible to believe about himself, he couldn't deny how entirely loved it made him feel.

He taps the cigarette on the packet three more times, gazing at her. He wished his eyes could take a photograph. Instead, the best he could do was to stare at her for a while in the darkness. Hoping his brain would hold this memory for as long as he needed it.

He puts the cigarette behind his ear, completely disappearing into his hair and puts the packet back in his pocket. His hands now free, he steps closer to Lyra and takes her hand.

"Lyra?" He says softly, his voice rasping out her name into the darkness. She looks up at him again, her pupils dilated, making them look like perfect circles of obsidian glinting in the night. They move slightly from left to right, searching his own eyes for something.

Eddie cups her face with his free hand, letting his thumb caress her cheek, his fingers touching her jaw and neck lightly.

"May I kiss you?" He asks and hears a breath tremble from her mouth as her eyes dart between his and his mouth.

"Yes," she answers in a whisper. He steps forward and moves his hand from her face to her lower back under her sweatshirt. He can feel the heat radiating from her body against his. Her eyes flash wide for a millisecond, and her chest heaves against his.

Eddie brings Lyra's hand up to his mouth, maintaining soft intermittent eye contact. Like a regular check-in, he kisses the back of her hand. He sees her shoulders relax.

He prises open her fingers and plants a kiss on the palm of her hand before moving it to the centre of his chest. He wanted her to know he might look calm, but he was nervous too, and everything was just how it should be. He feels her fingers push against the fabric of his t-shirt and keeps pulling it closer until her palm is entirely against his body.

With his newly free hand, he tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, runs his hand over her hair and finally plants a soft kiss on her forehead, then tipping her head back slightly, one on the tip of her nose, that makes the corners of her mouth turn upwards in amusement, he smiles and hums in happy agreement.

He turns her head from one side, then the other planting a small peck on each cheek before bringing her back to the centre. He pauses, his eyes taking in as many details as possible. Her eyes were dewy, sparkled in the low light, her brows ever so slightly pushed together, and her lips minimally pouted in anticipation. Eddie tilts his head and presses his lips to hers gently, carefully, and lovingly.

Fourth of July-worthy fireworks go off in Eddie's mind, and he'd always thought going weak at the knees from a kiss was just something people said until this moment.

He keeps his lips pressed to hers for a while. He feels like he could stay like this forever. Then, finally, he admits defeat and moves back a millimetre or two so that their lips part, but light can barely get between them.

He looks over her face, her eyes are still closed, and she lets out a breath and smiles.

"Was that ok?" Eddie asks tenderly, his lips brushing against Lyra's again as he speaks the words, and she opens her eyes slowly.

A smile erupts across her face suddenly, "Yeah. Very good. Can I try?"

Eddie feels his smile copy hers, "Yeah. You can try", he says confidently, trying to tease her a little, but swallows nervously. He hadn't thought this far ahead.

Her one hand remains at his chest, and the other runs up his arm and lands gently on the side of his neck, her thumb runs over his Adam's apple, and he swallows again, making it bob.

"Don't be nervous, baby", she says soothingly, "It's just me". Eddie does not know how he remains standing when she says that. He's just glad they are so close, and it's almost like they are supporting one another anyway.

Lyra's hand disappears into his hair and pulls his face to hers, their lips meet again, but this time she takes his lower lip in between her own, tugging on it a little, finishing with a simple peck on the lips, her fingers still pressed against his chest and gently moving against his scalp. Eddie's brain feels like complete mush. He knows he should say something, but he has no idea what.

As they part a little, the words finally come, though he can't seem to stop looking at her mouth. "You know, I could just tell you the start of the movie. I've seen it so often I've got it committed to memory".

That beautiful smile of her's reappears, "No need. I've seen it before too".

It takes a few seconds for Eddie to thoroughly digest what she's said, but once it computes, his hands are around her face, moving into her hair, pulling her back to him into a passionate kiss, falling backwards over a chair, but landing thankfully on a cushioned lounger.

Eddie's brain and body feel fully alive for the first time. Every sensation is millionfold like electricity coursing through his form.

His only thought.

Let this be my turn. Let this be my once.

[helloalycia]

The Wrong Lifetime — Ten // Wanda Maximoff

chapter nine | story masterlist | main masterlist | wattpad | chapter eleven

author’s note: okay so this was supposed to be published yesterday but (if anyone cares lol), basically, i finished my last year of uni two days ago and so yesterday was the first official day i had that i didn’t have to do work, so i spent the whole day playing video games 😂 but it’s here now, so i hope you liked it!

Approaching Y/B/N's study, my annoyance returned when I remembered how he acted only an hour before. I didn't bother knocking as I let myself in, seeing him loosening his bow tie and looking out the window.

"What the hell was that?" I snapped instantly.

He sighed, yanking his bow tie off and throwing it to his desk. "What was what?"

I crossed my arms to contain my frustration. "You know what, Y/B/N." He continued to play dumb, so I watched him with a frown. "Why are you so against me getting published? I thought– I thought you'd be proud of me. It's all I've ever wanted."

With a scowl, he looked the other way. "I'm the writer, Y/N, not you."

His words created an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach. Jealousy was a disgusting look on him, one I never wanted to see.

"No," I said, uncrossing my arms and staring daggers at him. "You're not the writer. I am. You only got noticed because of me!"

"Shut up!" he shouted, finally meeting my eyes. "You don't get to do this! It's not about you!"

"Yes, it is!" I shouted right back. "For once, it is about me, Y/B/N! Because this is my chance to do something I love."

He rolled his eyes, getting riled up all over again. "And that's another thing. Why the hell are you putting silly ideas into my fiancé's head about making money? Are you trying to make me a fool in front of my in-laws?"

I squeezed my fists together, narrowing my eyes. "They aren't your in-laws."

"Oh, you know what I mean!"

He didn't deserve Wanda. He couldn't. She was too good for him.

"Sorry that your masculinity is so fragile that you can't let your fiancé do something she's passionate about," I said through gritted teeth.

He glowered down at me. "You need to butt out."

I smiled bitterly. "Maybe if you didn't start on Pietro for no reason, I would."

He scoffed. "Please. That man is only trying to get into your pants."

I don't think I'd ever wanted to strangle my brother as much as I did right now. Did he really not believe in me? He couldn't accept that maybe I'd earned this on my own accord? Thankfully, unlike him, I could contain my emotions and managed to swallow down my anger.

"You know that's not the case," I said with a dangerously calm voice. "You should talk about your soon-to-be brother-in-law with some respect."

Y/B/N sighed, moving to sit at his desk. I followed him with my eyes, unable to recognise who he was. I hadn't dubbed him for the insecure type, but I was being proven wrong many times tonight.

"I don't want to do this right now," he said quietly, sinking his head into his hands.

I uncurled my fists, fed up. "It's already been done."

He looked up, but I didn't wait to see his face. Maybe he wasn't the brother I thought he was.

—

"Honest opinion," Wanda said, before revealing herself from behind the curtain. "Nice or ugly?"

"Nice."

She smiled brightly, twirling around in the dress she was trying on, before going back behind the curtain to change into another one. She'd invited me over to hers to hang out, which meant watching her try on a bunch of new dresses and getting excited over each one. I wasn't complaining.

"So, that first book," she picked up from our previous conversation as she changed. She was referring to Y/B/N's first published book. "That was really you?"

"Yep." I pulled my legs up onto the lounge sofa and leaned on my hand, elbow propped on the back of the seat. "I mean, it got edited of course, but the initial manuscript was mine."

"Wow," she commented. "That must have really sucked to hear everybody praise it when it was actually yours."

"It did indeed."

She came out from the curtain wearing a dress that wasn't particularly nice looking. It had a baggy torso and slim legs, making Wanda look very unflattering. And that was saying something – she could pull off anything.

"Nice or ugly?" she asked, hands on her hips.

I squinted, tilting my head and trying to think if I should lie or not. Her blue eyes peered down at me intimidatingly and I knew I couldn't find it in myself to lie to her.

After a moment, I released a breath. "I'm sorry, love, but it's kind of ugly."

She chuckled, giving me a knowing smile. "Good. This was a test. Means you're paying attention."

"Wow. You think I'm just sat here for fun?"

She didn't respond, but an amused smile was on her lips as she headed behind the curtain to change yet again. It was quiet as she was changing, before she spoke up again.

"You know when we first met? And you showed me around your room?"

"How can I forget? You thought I was jealous of my brother," I quipped with a smile.

I could imagine the eye roll she was giving me. "That was before I knew you wrote half his stuff."

Stifling a laugh, I nodded even though she couldn't see me. "Okay, go on."

She sighed. "I told you how I fell in love with that first book. How I fell in love with the words. And the person who wrote those words.”

"I remember."

She reappeared from behind the curtain, this time wearing a stunning floral blue sundress. It fell off her shoulders, revealing cream-coloured skin and a well-defined collarbone. I smiled softly, overwhelmed with admiration for the beautiful woman before me.

"I'm glad it was you," she said, and I suddenly remembered we were in the middle of a conversation.

Her eyes sparkled brightly as she smiled my way, and then her words sank in and my heart fluttered with adoration.

"Me, too," I breathed out.

She held my gaze for a second longer before looking down at her dress, pressing her hands over it. "So. What do you think? Nice or ugly?"

I raised my eyebrows with astonishment. "Wanda, you look absolutely beautiful."

Her shoulders relaxed as her eyes flickered to mine. "So, I should keep it?"

I spluttered, "Duh!"

She laughed, before approaching me and sitting beside me. Leaning her head on my shoulder, she pulled her legs onto the sofa and sighed contently. I wrapped an arm around her, resting my cheek on her head.

"I'm glad you'll finally get the recognition you deserve, milaya (darling)," she said, lifting her hand to intertwine it with mine over her shoulder.

With an entertained smile, I held her hand firmly. "Maybe, love. I haven't said yes."

"Oh, you'll say yes."

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, revelling in the warmth her body created as it pressed to mine. We had no concerns that somebody would catch us since nobody was home and the servants knew not to bother us.

"So, what was the book actually about?" she asked, playing with my fingers.

"Huh?"

"The book," she repeated. "I've heard Y/B/N's take on it, but what about yours?"

At the mention of my brother, I rolled my eyes. We still hadn't spoken since our argument and I wasn't exactly in the best place with him right now.

"It doesn't matter," I mumbled into her hair.

She used her elbow to nudge me gently in the stomach before grabbing my other hand and wrapping it around her waist.

"I like hearing you speak," she said softly. "And I love the way your mind works."

My cheeks flushed at the compliment, but I appreciated her words. She always had such an effect on me and I'd come to only care about one opinion nowadays – hers.

"Okay, I guess..." I sighed, subconsciously pressing my fingertips to hers. "The book is about a man who loses his wife to his own ignorance, right?" She hummed in agreement, so I continued. "Y/B/N always talks about how it's about a man failing to appreciate his wife, but that's not how I intended for it to be perceived."

Interest piqued, she sat up straight and turned around to face me, leaning her head on my chest and looking up with curious eyes. I smiled down at her, pressing a kiss to her nose, making her scrunch it up adorably.

"It's supposed to be about the wife discovering that she's her own woman and that she doesn't need her husband to be okay," I continued, holding her gaze. "It was her own self-discovery that pushed them apart, as well her husband's stupidity."

Wanda's lips curved into a gentle smile. "I like that interpretation a lot better than his."

Licking my lips, I breathed out through a smile. "You're biased, dear."

Her eyes flickered to my lips. "Maybe."

I chuckled before closing the gap between us, connecting our lips in a short, sweet kiss. She relaxed against me before smiling as we pulled away.

"Ya lyublyu vas (I love you)," she whispered.

I always loved when she spoke in her native tongue. She sounded so at peace when she did and it warmed my insides.

"I love you, too," I whispered right back.

She grinned, carefree, before turning to lean on my shoulder again. I held her, enjoying the silence that formed between us. Her presence was always enough and I never wanted anything more. But I knew Wanda and I knew that she couldn't stay quiet for too long, so something was definitely up.

"What are you thinking?" I asked quietly, not wanting to startle her in case she was too deep into her thoughts.

She sighed. "It's stupid."

I smiled. "I doubt that."

It went quiet and I assumed she didn't want to share, but then she played with my fingers again as she spoke.

"I was wondering what it would be like if we were able to get married," she murmured. "With the dresses and walking down the aisle and the rings."

I laced my fingers through hers, the thoughts having crossed my mind at times, too. It was nice to think 'what if', but it was also a dangerous game.

"The wedding cake would have to be chocolate," I played along, not wanting her to think she couldn't talk about it.

She snickered, loosening up in my arms. "Of course. And the colour scheme would have to be red."

"Definitely," I agreed, knowing she wouldn't have it any other way, "...it could be somewhere small but comfortable. Surrounded by nature, maybe."

"Yes. With flowers all around us and the sound of birds tweeting in the trees."

A comforting smile crept on my lips as I closed my eyes, imagining it in my mind. What a beautiful day it would be.

"I'd force Pietro to be the ring bearer," she added as an afterthought, and I laughed, chest moving up and down with her on it.

"He'd hate that," I pointed out.

"Exactly," she said with a mischievous hum.

I rolled my eyes playfully. "What about afterwards? Where would you want to live?"

She scrunched her face up before settling with, "Somewhere remote. Away from people. Maybe a nice cottage somewhere."

Nodding in agreement, I said, "We could have a beautiful garden in the back. I'd do my very best to make it perfect for you. And you could paint whatever you wanted there."

A considerate smile tugged at her lips at the thought. "Yes! And we could get a pet. I've always wanted a pet."

"I guess we could... what pet do you want?"

With no hesitation, she said, "Chickens."

I looked down at her, quirking a brow. "Chickens?"

Looking up at me, she stared like it was self-explanatory. "They're cute and they lay eggs. Think about it. Fresh eggs for breakfast every morning."

God, she was so cute. I smiled, squeezing her hand. "Chickens it is, love."

She got excited as she tugged on my hand. "You can finally get a study of your own!"

"And you can get your own studio," I added, making her grin.

"And I'd keep it sparkling clean."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Don't lie, Wanda."

She rolled her eyes, though wore a humoured expression. "Okay, maybe not..."

"You can keep it as messy as you want," I promised her, as if it was actually going to happen and we'd get what we wanted.

The dream was so vivid in my mind that it could have been a memory. Wanda and I living together, peacefully and without hiding... if only we weren't in the wrong lifetime.

"I like to pretend that you gave this to me," she said after an unsettling silence fell upon us, raising her left hand for me to see. She wiggled her ring finger, the silver band and emerald gem glinting in the light. "It makes me feel better."

I swallowed hard and forced a smile, intertwining my fingers in hers and bringing them to my lips to kiss gently.

"Technically I picked it," I reminded her to lighten the mood, but it didn't work.

A sad smile appeared on her face. "Maybe in another lifetime, we could have met in a world that allowed this."

My smile faded into a frown at her words. Like I said, considering the 'what if's' was a dangerous game, and we'd already played too much of it.

"You're going to marry my brother soon," I said quietly, the realisation hitting me. "This– us, will have to stop."

She sat up and turned to face me, eyes looking between mine as she shook her head. "It doesn't have to."

I rested a hand on her cheek and she leaned into it, kissing my palm. I savoured the feeling of her lips against my skin.

"What we're doing isn't fair on either of us," I said reluctantly, afraid to say what we'd avoided for as long as our relationship lasted.

She frowned. "I'd rather have you like this than not at all."

My heart ached because I knew she was being genuine, and the truth is, I felt the same. But that brought me to our next dilemma.

"It's not fair on Y/B/N either."

She tensed her jaw. "The world doesn't want us together, Y/N. They're the ones who forced us to be like this."

"Like what?" I asked with knowing eyes. "Cheaters?"

Her eyes glossed over and it broke me to see her so hurt.

"Is it really cheating if I never wanted to be with him?" she asked with a shaky voice. "If I'm only acting out of duty? If I never loved him?"

Realising I'd saddened her, I moved forward and pulled her in for a hug, running my hand down her hair and to her back. "Sorry... I didn't mean to make you upset."

She sniffled and I felt her tears soaking my shirt. "Don't talk like that... I don't want to lose you."

I swallowed hard, nodding into her shoulder. "I don't want to lose you either, Wanda."

But I knew that deep down, we couldn't hold onto everything we wanted to in life. Deep down, she must have known that, too.

—

"...and this is where we write up the contracts. It's where we'd write up yours if you say yes."

Pietro grinned cheekily as I gave him a knowing look. He was showing me around the publishing house – a proper tour, not just me lurking around on the few visits I'd been here for Y/B/N – with hopes of convincing me to sign a contract with him.

"Pietro, you said you wouldn't be biased," Wanda warned, and I gave her a grateful smile as Pietro chuckled.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it," he apologised, though he definitely didn't mean it. "I just really think you'd be a great fit here, Y/N. I already have editors willing to work with you based on the few pages they've seen of your work."

I raised my eyebrows, startled. "Wow, seriously?"

He nodded. "Most definitely. As I told you the other night, you're talented. And with my help, you can be successful, too."

A smile fell on my lips uncontrollably. A real editor wanted to work with me. Woah.

"I'm gonna get some coffee," Wanda said, squeezing my shoulder. "I'll get you both some, too." She wagged a finger towards her brother. "Don't pressure her whilst I'm gone."

He raised his hands in defence. "Okay, calm down, sestra (sister). I'll be fair."

She lowered her finger, shot him a final look, then smiled at me before leaving for the café next door. I chuckled at how cute she was and how much she cared before returning my attention to Pietro.

"I won't pressure you," he said to me, perching on the edge of an empty desk. "I just want you to know that you'd be well looked after here. I wouldn't let anyone talk down to you, nor treat you with disrespect because you're a woman. I don't condone that here."

I relaxed at his words, offering him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Pietro. That really means a lot."

He returned the smile before his gaze moved over my shoulder. Smile fading, he cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away. I turned around, curious to what had caught his attention, and then I saw Y/B/N standing in the doorway, looking around for something. His eyes eventually fell on me and he perked up before heading our way.

I hadn't spoken to him since two nights ago after dinner. He'd actively avoided me, too and I wasn't complaining, having still harboured an unexplainable anger for him. What was he doing here?

"Y/N, hey," he said awkwardly, stopping before Pietro and I. His eyes flickered to Pietro before he asked me, "Can I speak with you?"

Instinctively, my jaw clenched and he seemed to notice as he shook his head quickly.

"Not to argue," he clarified. "Just to talk."

His eyes were pleading and I couldn't find it in myself to deny him. He was my brother after all, we couldn't argue forever. Nodding wordlessly, I smiled apologetically to Pietro before following Y/B/N to a quiet side of the room. My eyes ran along the many employees working away at their desks before falling to my brother before me.

"What is it?" I asked, maybe a little too harshly, but there was no going back now.

He frowned, eyes flittering around nervously. "I want to apologise for my behaviour the other night. I shouldn't have acted how I did."

I hugged myself as I shifted my weight between my feet. "Okay."

"You were right," he continued, finally meeting my eyes. "You deserve this. You've always been there for me, helping me with my writing when I needed it. I should have reacted better, but I let my jealousy get the better of me."

My mouth opened, surprised at his apology.

He offered me a sad smile. "The truth is, Y/N, we both know you'll be the more successful of us both. And you'll be so preoccupied with your own writing that you won't be able to help me anymore. And it was selfish of me to think that first, but I did. And I shouldn't have. I'm sorry. I'm your big brother and I should've been better."

Chewing on my lip, I let go of waist and straightened up, nodding slightly. "I– thanks. Thank you. For telling me that."

His shoulders relaxed as he nodded. "Also, you were right about what you said about Wanda. And I'm going to apologise to her first thing."

My expression softened at the mention of the girl who'd only ever been good to us. "She's seriously talented, Y/B/N."

"I know."

I nodded, stepping forward and resting a hand on his shoulder. Looking between his eyes, I only saw regret and I knew he was being genuine with his apology.

"You're forgiven," I told him with a small smile, before pulling him in for a quick hug.

He returned it and I felt relieved to know he was supportive. I didn't see a reason to not accept Pietro's deal now... everybody I cared about was okay with it.

"Wanda is here by the way," I told Y/B/N when we pulled apart. "She's just getting some coffee for us."

He nodded and we returned to Pietro, who gave me a concerned look. I smiled reassuringly and he relaxed before looking to my brother with a smile.

"Hey, Pietro, sorry for what I said last night," Y/B/N was quick to say. "It wasn't cool. I know you're not like that and I shouldn't have even thought it, let alone said it."

Pietro was one of the chillest people I'd met as he offered his hand out to my brother. "No worries, mate. Bygones."

They exchanged a handshake before my brother glanced to me.

"She's really good," he said to Pietro. "You'd be lucky to have her here."

My face heated up as Pietro nodded in agreement. The two of them looked to me with proud smiles and as uncomfortable as I felt with the attention, I was grateful to have their support.

"I know," Pietro said. "All she's got to do is say yes."

"You haven't said yes yet?" my brother asked with disbelief, before slapping me on the arm playfully. "Y/N! This is your chance!"

"And it's a big decision!" I reminded him.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but then I caught sight of Wanda over his shoulder and perked up. She smiled my way but then noticed Y/B/N's presence and proceeded with caution.

"Hey, I got you both a coffee," she said, giving Pietro his and handing me mine, but her eyes were searching mine with worry.

My hand brushed hers as I accepted my coffee and I squeezed it reassuringly. She seemed to believe me as her lips twitched into a small smile before looking to Y/B/N.

"Hey," she said to him quietly, biting her lip.

He glanced to me for encouragement and I gave him a subtle thumbs up. This seemed to help as he wiped his hands on his trousers before looking to Wanda hopefully.

"Hey," he finally spoke. "Please can we talk in private for a moment?"

She nodded, humming in response, and followed him to talk.

"Match made in heaven those two," Pietro said sarcastically, and I tried not to laugh, but damn was it funny.

"Look, I think I've made a decision," I said after a moment, feeling my heart speed up at the realisation of my next words.

"Oh? And what is it? Will you let me publish you?" Pietro asked, quirking a brow and watching me with an excited smile.

Well, there was only the future to look forward to now.

I grinned. "Yes."

[blazlngblade]

Rosa Rambles about Leon/Elletrix Story Ideas!

This has been in my drafts for the last week and a half or so. I've come back to it constantly to make small edits. But, I think it's time to post it.

I am going to become the CEO of shipping Leon and Elletrix, and nobody can stop me!!

And they will be called "Elleon" as it easy to say, and it puts both "Elle" and "Leon" into it very naturally.

They just look so cool! The awesome seafarer pair! Two beautiful people! I love them both so much! The ex-pirate turned merchant, and the current Grandport Kingdom's lord with the reputation to rehabilitate pirates, it makes for an interesting romance.

I like the idea of their earlier meeting that I wrote up a long while ago, which you can read here.

Just disregard the ending where I said that I don't ship it, I've changed my mind! The chemistry between them and shipping potential is amazing.

So going with that, and expanding on the story ideas in more detail, The idea of Leon still wanting to "make it big" by attacking a Grandport vessel in order to get his motivation back as a pirate is still what would happen. Though, Leon is defeated by Elletrix, so him and his crew are taken into custody by Grandport's army.

No matter how sad he was about Baltazar's passing (or if you're like me and actually prefer the idea he just faked his death, changed his identity, and left to the East to fulfill his dream of becoming a merchant), I can't see Leon wanting to look defeated or show those emotions in front of Elletrix (this would be before she's the lord of Grandport, she's simply just a princess right now). I'm sure there's no a pirate that hasn't heard about the princess of Grandport who can change a pirate's outlook on life just by defeating them. He's pretty prideful and he wouldn't let up so easily, even if he was beginning to doubt things after he lost his friend. We know that he is very prideful thanks to the flashbacks in chapter 3 for Tressa's story.

So after being taken in, I imagine a lot of his crew were pretty quick to just bail out from being pirates, and join the Grandport navy. We're told this is common with pirates she has defeated (mostly because they all love strong women!). Left alone as the singular person who refuses to join her army, Elletrix has no choice but to have him imprisoned. Of course, it doesn't end there, since Elletrix makes it her goal to get this man to change his mind and to walk a better path. I'm sure she likes a challenge every once in a while, as she's the stubborn and strong willed princess, but is in no less a kind person just like her sister.

With that as her goal, perhaps she often visits him, maybe tries to chat, and get to the root of what she can work with. It probably takes a while to make even the smallest breakthrough. This could take months (I'll say about 2-3?), it wouldn't be that easy. After some time, she manages to get the info about Baltazar, whether knowing the two were rivals already and asking herself or he told her himself eventually, perhaps she managed to have him talk about some of Baltazar's last words told to Leon; “Do ye have somethin' precious to ye?”

Now if you read the other post, you would know that I believe that the Eldrite was originally the royal family of Grandport, and the reason behind Elletrix's name. Assuming this is true, that would mean that Elletrix has already met Baltazar in the past, as he was the one who stole it from Grandport, and that he was one of the only pirates to have resisted her forces and successfully steal the Eldrite. With this feat, he gained the title "Baltazar of the Eastern Sea". Whatever her opinion is on Baltazar now, it needs to not overtake her approach on trying to get to the bottom of everything.

Putting it aside, she relates Baltazar's words to her family's quote of "do you have something to protect". She asks Leon this, and which reminds Leon about when Baltazar asked the question, he had no answer for it then or now. Maybe something about this question causes his demeanor or attitude to change and Elletrix notices it. She knows she struck a nerve and it's something to work with. Not being able to give her an answer, they're left in silence. For the moment, she leaves it alone, simply just saying to think about it. The next time she visits, she asks the question again, to which he says, "I don't know". What I like most about Leon taking a bit of time to open up is because we get told in Tressa's chapter 1 and in the Gate of Finis journal for Graham that he doesn't place his trust in others easily. This time she would say that she can help him figure it out, but he has to let her try. Not being able to do much else, and knowing that if both Baltazar and Elletrix have asked him the same question, he finally agrees, knowing enough that it must be important.

At last being let out of the cell, Elletrix decides to take him around Grandport, perhaps down the docks or into the market. She would talk about the benefit of not being a pirate, being able to instead help people than to take from them, probably reminding Leon of his quote, to which she does know. We know in the later parts of life, he dislikes this saying a lot, and I don't blame him. It's a terrible reminder of the things he might have done to other people, likely even innocents.

Perhaps after a long walk around the town, seeing all the merchants selling all kinds of wares and being happy while doing so, Elletrix can point out that people worked hard to gain those things in order to sell them again to customers. They earned their wares through honest means, not through stealing. It could remind Leon of the dream that Baltazar spoke of; the dream of being a merchant. This would help remind Leon that his old friend wanted to do something good despite all the sins as a pirate he might have committed. It gives Leon some food for thought.

Obviously, we can't forget about the fact that Leon is supposed to rebuild Baltazar's ship. We'll get to that soon!

I like to think that after a bit of time and the frequent visits while he is in custody, Leon has decided to actually open up about things with Elletrix. Maybe if she learned about the race between Leon and Baltazar, and how it's assumed that Baltazar had died as his body was nowhere to be found. Perhaps when Elletrix learned this, she told the tale of losing her sister to Edoras, not because she wants to share the story with people, but sometimes it helps to relate to someone's problem or grief by talking about your own. Or at least that's how I've always seen it, I struggle to understand something if I can't relate it to something I know. it would show a growing trust between the two. Elletrix and Leon both cared about their deceased loved ones a lot. Remembering that Leon said he found his friend's ship wrecked on the coast, he thinks about that.

Since the questions of what Leon's precious treasure is, or what he protects have been brought up before, this could be where he decides that Baltazar and his ship are his some of his precious treasures. He decides to rebuild the ship as a major step of his rehab. Elletrix chooses to support this idea, and perhaps after a time, she even helps him rebuild it too. At first, I could see Leon being a bit stubborn to wanting her help, as this is his way to atone and to really understand why this ship is his precious treasure, but after a while I think he would accept her help. She's the daughter of the lord of Grandport and is the captain of her own vessel, so I am sure she knows a thing or two about building a ship. Elletrix is a "hands-on, get-it-done" kind of woman. What better way to bond than to work on a difficult project together? You can work on the ship together and just kind of chat to get to know each other. This project would be the thing that would help deepen their friendship.

Building a ship with very few people would take a long time, so this is something he might have worked on for 7+ years, as well as learning the ins and outs of business to be a merchant. Thanks to being in Grandport and having a connection with the respected daughter of the lord, these things are possible. He was likely very busy in the town, and I know that she was involved with his rehabilitation heavily, and perhaps even tagging a long during the times he was learning about being a merchant, you know, if she didn't teach him herself. Again, daughter of the lord of Grandport, I 100% believe she knows this kind of thing.

And during breaks of rebuilding the ship, I could see Elletrix insisting that he tags along with her on her patrols to protect Grandport from nearby pirates that threaten her seas. If he were to do this, he would gain the trust of Grandport's army, the townspeople/merchants, and Elletrix's father, Lord Benedict. At around this time, Benedict would have also grown sick and would have begun to give his role of lord to his daughter. While she may be busy with that kind of thing, and the trust of the ex-pirate is more apparent to her, perhaps he could offer to step in as her replacement to patrol the surrounding waters?

If Leon has been doing this while she cannot, it could tie in perfectly with Elletrix's Traveler Memory later too. Please feel free to watch it! It's a pretty good story! We loved translating this one!

She might have been busy with lord work while he was out at sea to which he rescued a castaway from pirates. The fact she comes in and already has heard about it means it was somewhat connected to her own patrols out on the ocean. He tells her about the Miedo Pirates (Avery, Gacco, and Wappa) and then suggests she deals with them. Plus, when the idea of a battle comes up, she says, "Battle? Sounds exhilarating!" as if it's been a while of being able to do it herself. The use of the exclamation point and quick response was like, "At last!" She's been busy with lord training, that these moments of excitement are likely rare now.

The irony that Avery doesn't like Leon, but I wonder if he's aware that it was Leon that allowed Avery to meet Elletrix at all? It'd be funny if he didn't know that though, or if people told him, he'd just brush it off as false..

In the Traveler Memory, I'll always love these exchanges. There's something about the way he says "my lord" is great. Some people have pet names, but he just calls her as the "lord" or "my lord".

This one has that right amount of casual humour, something very few would ever be brave enough to do, helping imply that these two are close. Sure, her subordinates have said some things and she normally pays no mind, but that's exactly it, she pays no mind to it., But, in the next dialogue I will share, she does respond.

This one is after she sends her soldiers to go get ready for battle. He comments about her commanding skills as "scary", but it's got that right amount of humour to it. The fact she responds with a "Hm..." and a somewhat half-laugh audio too. <3 She doesn't often laugh or respond to these kinds of comments, but was able to with his comment? It's intriguing. Something about the fact her eyes are closed as well, I'd believe this comment made her smile as well, another thing she hardly does. To be fair though, people think Leon's pretty scary too. If he can make tease her about that, she can right back. Heck, maybe this is how they would flirt...? <3 I've actually been in the process of drawing this scene. <3

Though honestly, given Elletrix's situation in life, I would not be surprised if she didn't really believe in love all that much. Losing her sister, and Ulrica having to marry someone like Pardis III, is obviously not a form of "love" (Elletrix wouldn't know about Rembrandt/Ulrica though, that was obviously more true love), we don't know who or where Elletrix's mother is. Maybe she left her family and husband after Ulrica was given to Edoras...? Making love seem less real from a younger person's perspective. Not to mention the fact that Elletrix's army, almost half of them or more claim they are in love with her, it probably also sullies the idea it's real. As mentioned earlier, she doesn't react to them when they say things like that to her. So then if you have someone like Leon who manages to prove that it is real, seems kinda interesting. Basically, Paramore's "Only Exception" is now an Elleon song.

My brother tells me he likes the idea of them just keeping it more to themselves for a while, perhaps not really sure how it would be taken as a famous pirate being with the new lord of the kingdom. I do agree though, I find it might be difficult for people to process at first. It's very opposite to what a person would expect from her at first assumption. But, that's what makes it so interesting. On the brightside, it's clear that lots of people actually don't know who Leon is. His story tells us that he has done a very excellent job keeping his identity hidden. I'm sure that was also the help of Elletrix as well. I imagine she has the ability to make sure any of her rehabilitees are protected from people's judgement. If anyone's doing the judgement, it will be her if they step out of line.

Having mentioned his Traveler Story now, the possible timing of the story works out. Since it takes place in Grandport, it might be the most recent visit of his. The great thing about when he gets to Grandport is he says that it "smells of treasure... and danger". Let's be real, he was talking about Elletrix. He was likely going to visit his girlfriend, as well as go do some merchant business, but learned she wasn't there (if we're going with the Bestower of All plotline, she's busy helping to save the continent right now!). So instead some other things happen, and he helps out the painter Bastian instead, as well as help deal with the Chimera Pirates while she is absent.

We will have Leon's Traveler Story uploaded in time, so please be patient with us!

As for the current year of the first game. I'll say that the reason Leon was not a part of the Merchant's Fair competition in Grandport was because he was spending time with Elletrix and watching the competition from a more "VIP" area. I'd say that by this point, they're a little more public about their relationship. I'm not entirely sure what Benedict's status is either, but the two of them might be the true standing rulers of Grandport by now.

As for the Eldrite, since I did mention that, but never mentioned it again, and we just brought up the Merchant's Fair. I would imagine that Leon has confessed to her that he as allowed Tressa to keep it. Honestly, I think she'd be okay with that, even if the Eldrite was once Grandport's treasure, and likely the thing she was named after. Over time, just like Leon, she learns that her own treasure was not the gem, but probably the love of her kingdom. She cares about her home a lot, so the city would be her most precious treasure.

I am really thinking about writing this story out.

For a timeline of the events I'd probably write, it'd be like this:

Ages in the first game would be Leon at 33 and Elletrix at 41. There is an 8 year difference between them.

Elletrix (~17) | Ulrica (~20) | Leon (9) | Baltazar (~13) --- 24 years to Present Time - Elletrix loses her sister, Ulrica, in an exchange for "peace" by the kingdom of Edoras. Ulrica marries King Pardis III. - Leon and Baltazar are struggling to live in the old quarter of Victors Hollow. They result to thievery to survive.

Elletrix (~20) | Ulrica (~23) | Leon (12) | Baltazar (~16) --- 21 years to Present Time - Elletrix decides to keep herself preoccupied from losing her sister by head to the ocean to protect her kingdom. She also recruits ex-pirates as soldiers for Grandport's navy. - Leon and Baltazar have chosen to become pirates in order to better support themselves. Stealing from the rich and weak alike.

Elletrix (~24) | Ulrica (~27) | Leon (16) | Baltazar (~20) --- 17 years to Present Time - Elletrix knows of her nieces, Elrica and Araune, and she travels to Cragspear to rescue them and her sister. Ulrica refuses, and Elletrix leaves before the Edoras soldiers find out. She swears she will never forgive Edoras for stealing her sister from her. - Leon and Baltazar have come to be known as the Sea Serpent and Wild Eagle.

Elletrix (~26) | Ulrica (~29) | Leon (18) | Baltazar (~22) --- 15 years to Present Time - - Leon and Baltazar have a sort of on/off "relationship". It's less of a real relationship, mostly just sexual tension. "Rivals", you know. - Ulrica chooses to protect her daughters by ending her own life. King Pardis III chooses to let his kids live. Elletrix hears the news about Queen Ulrica's death, causing her to hate Edoras even more. - Leon hears about a famous ore called Eldrite that resides with the royal family of Grandport. He aims to try and take it, but Baltazar is quicker to action. - Baltazar goes to Grandport and attacks Elletrix's ship. While she's still grieving from the loss of her sister, her ability to defend her treasure is lesser. He comes out as the victor and steals the Eldrite from her. This earns him the title of "Baltazar of the Eastern Sea". Elletrix might have asked him if stealing from the "hurt", making a reference to Pardis III taking her sister, was worth it. Since then he has questioned his role as a pirate, remembering his childhood dream of being a merchant.

Elletrix (~28) | Leon (20) | Baltazar (~24) --- 13 years to Present Time - Since stealing from Elletrix, Baltazar has begun to act different. He acts distant, and Leon has no idea why. Baltazar asks Leon what his most precious treasure is, Leon cannot answer. - The race between them happens, and Baltazar is the winner as his boat made it to the island first, but he is also assumed dead and no body is found. Leon grieves for his lost friend. - Baltazar used the storm as a way to fake his death, and he escapes, hiding away from Leon to one day making his way towards the East to become a merchant.

Elletrix (~29) | Leon (21) --- 12 years to Present Time - Leon's drive as a pirate has lessened since losing Baltazar. He makes his way towards the Coastlands, where he chooses to challenge a Grandport vessel, to which it ends up being Elletrix's. - Unlike when Elletrix lost to Baltazar, she succeeds against Leon. Taking him and his crew into custody, many of his crew choose to abandon pirate life and pledge to join her army. Leon refuses, and is imprisoned. - Elletrix makes it her goal to get Leon to change his mind, seeing value in him, despite his crimes. Stubborn to agree, it takes about 2-3 months to finally accept her offer of help. - Another month passes, and Leon chooses to rebuild his friend's ship to keep himself busy while being reformed. Elletrix supports the idea and chooses to personally watch over his progress herself. Occasionally, Elletrix helps him with the construction, much to his dismay at first, he gets used to it and eventually accepts her help. - During the months of rebuilding the ship, Elletrix and Leon have begun to develop a bit of a mutual trust. Leon tells her about Baltazar's dream of becoming a merchant. He decides he will do it for him. Elletrix offers to have him trained.

Elletrix (~30) | Leon (22) --- 11 years to Present Time - Leon's training as a merchant has gone smoothly, having already the talent to appraise an item's worth during the time he was a pirate. Alongside ship construction and merchant training, he sometimes accompanies Elletrix on her patrols to protect the Grandport seas.

Elletrix (~31) | Leon (23) --- 10 years to Present Time - At the 3rd anniversary of losing Baltazar, Leon requests to borrow a ship from Elletrix to travel to Victors Hollow, so he can pay respects to his friend from now on. Having more trust in the ex-pirate, she lends him a ship and a small crew of her army, giving them permission to cut Leon down if he makes even one wrong move. "Scary as ever, my lord." :') - She uses this as an opportunity to test his morals. Along with his goal of visiting his old town, Elletrix suggests taking this chance to put his business methods to the test. - The journey goes smoothly and he has a toast to his celebrate Baltazar's life, thanking him for the opportunity to become a new man. Before he could travel back to Grandport, he is approached by Graham Crossford who asks to board his ship to reach Bolderfall quicker. Graham's journal is left behind. - Having been gone for ~2 months, he finally returns back to Grandport, Leon reports to Elletrix that everything went well. Since coming back, their construction project of the ship continues, as does accompanying Elletrix's patrols.

Elletrix (~33) | Leon (25) --- 8 years to Present Time - Lord Benedict, Elletrix's father, has begun to grow ill, but he doesn't shirk his duty as lord. However, he begins to make sure that Elletrix is prepared to take the role one day. She becomes less available for helping ship construction or patrolling the sea. Leon offers to take her place.

Elletrix (~34) | Leon (26) --- 7 years to Present Time -Elletrix has been busy with transitioning as the lord, that she sometimes feels "trapped", not being able to go to the sea as often. However, she takes her duties seriously and is becoming a great lord. - The Miedo Pirates have been targeting the Grandport area, taking down merchant ships. Leon hears of it, and reports to Elletrix. Elletrix's Traveler Memory takes place and she recruits Wappa as a helmsman and Avery and Gacco as soldiers.

Elletrix (~36) | Leon (28) --- 5 years to Present Time - At this point, Leon and Elletrix are very close friends. Though Avery is very loyal to his new lord, he is bothered by the closeness that Elletrix has with Leon, especially with all the time she spends helping him rebuild his ship. - Seven years total have past since the ship construction project begun. The ship is completed. Elletrix gives Leon full freedom to travel away from Grandport without her watch. He accepts, and goes on a journey to prove his mettle as a merchant.

Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent begins. Major spoilers ahead for "Master of All", "Bestower of Power", and "Bestower of All". This won't be written in full detail, as it will one day be written in the CotC story about Shelby (our story's Chosen One). I still feel the need to summarize events anyway. Feel free to quit reading here!

Elletrix (~38) | Leon (30) --- 3 years to Present Time - The news about Princess Elrica's trial arrives. Not wanting to see Pardis III, Elletrix sends a Grandport official in her place to vote to keep Elrica alive. The Meeting of Kings ends with Pardis III winning, giving him permission to execute his daughter. This refuels her hatred for Edoras. - Being gone for two years, Leon finds himself missing Grandport and Elletrix's company. He makes his way towards Grandport again. Upon arrival, he learns that Elletrix has officially taken the role as the standing lord now that Benedict is too bedridden to continue on. He sticks around to support her as the new lord and helping her get through her father's illness, as well as the execution of her niece.

Elletrix (~39) | Leon (31) --- 2 years to Present Time - The war with Orsterra and G'roha begins. Elletrix is approached by Queen Araune of Edoras to ask for help to defend Orsterra. After a direct attack on her city happens, she accepts to aid Araune. Leon, who has remained in Grandport since coming back, also helps out. - After the war, he decides to confess his feelings to Elletrix, but has a bit of doubt they would be reciprocated knowing her stance on "love". Since almost all of her whole army is in love with her, he doesn't want to come across as "just another one". To his surprise, she tells him she feels the same, and they choose to be a couple, but decide to keep it to themselves while the city is still healing from the scars of war. After the final battle with G'roha, he leaves Grandport again, but promises to come back soon.

Elletrix (~40) | Leon (32) --- 1 year to Present Time - Elletrix is called by Finis to meet with other heroes on the Isle of Orsa to witness the sealing of the Divine Rings with the Chosen One. It ends in betrayal by Sazantos as he wounds Finis, steals the rings aside from the Flamebringer's, and he escapes. Elletrix helps support the Guardians of the Light against Sazantos. - At some point, Leon's Traveler Story begins as he makes his return to Grandport to see Elletrix again. Finding out she's absent, he sticks around Grandport, meeting Bastian, and deals with the Chimera Pirates (as they claim they murdered himself and Baltazar at some point) in place of Elletrix. - With permission from Benedict, if he's not dead anyway, haven't had word from him in forever, Leon tells him that he loves his daughter and would like to ask her hand in marriage one day. Benedict approves, and Leon acts as the substitute lord in her place. - Whatever else happens in Bestower of All, I have yet to learn.

Elletrix (~41) | Leon (33) --- Present Time - CotC plot is over, first game events happen as already written.

If you made it this far, you deserve a pat on the back, because this got long, and I know it's full of rambles!

I've been very "Noelle" in these last few days, I had so much fun thinking about all this story potential.

[wefoundloveunderthelight]

Treasure Seekers - Blackbeard's Bounty by GleefullyCaptainSwan Chapter 1/8

Read on AO3: | Chapter 1 |

Or on FF

Stacy's Tortured Crew: @teamhook @kmomof4 @stahlop @lfh1226-linda @ilovemesomekillianjones @itsfabianadocarmo @mariakov81 @qualitycoffeethings @zaharadessert @jrob64 @jonesfandomfanatic @natascha-ronin @tiganasummertree @xarandomdreamx @therooksshiningknight @batana54 @superchocovian @onceratheart18 @ultraluckycatnd @snowbellewells @karlyfr13s @the-darkdragonfly @xsajx @deckerstarblanche @jonesfandomfanatic @winterbaby89

Summary:

The legend of Blackbeard has made the tiny town of Treasure Island a famous tourist hot spot for adventurers and treasure seekers far and wide. The locals use the tall tale to sell trinkets and spin the story in order to make enough of a living to survive the off season. Natives Liam Jones and his brother Killian, orphaned as teenagers, use the money set aside by their parents to create Jones Adventures, Inc. With the help of their childhood friend, Emma Swan, the three set the stage to excite and thrill their passengers as they sail around the island on the infamous Jolly Roger, while searching for the fabled Blackbeard’s treasure.

Though no one on the island, nor most of the tourists believe the tale of buried treasure with untold fortunes, there are those who venture to the island with a gold gleam in their eye, ready to change their fate. It is those visitors that Liam has learned to avoid, unwilling to take on the risk of dealing with the unscrupulous nature of the individuals who come searching for the hefty payday, until he gets an offer from Gold Enterprises that he simply cannot refuse. One week, one million dollars, no questions asked. What could possibly go wrong?

Notes:

Hey it's me! I know, I've been gone so long at this point that I feel like I need to apologize. Times have been rough and I haven't been myself. I'm still not there yet but I've decided to try going back to writing now and then to try and pull me out of my funk. I will try and post weekly but I can't guarantee it since that adds to my stress, so I promise not to leave you all hanging, will that work?

I have the story almost finished except for about 400 words, but I've started going back and editing what I wrote so many months ago and I think the re-writes aren't half bad. lol. I hope you enjoy this story, I still have so much I want to write but this one has been waiting for far to long to be told. :) Enjoy.

Chapter 1: An Expedition of Sorts

Liam stared out onto the horizon, squinting into the sun as he steered the ship toward the small island where they would be dropping anchor for the day. The ship was buzzing with activity at the start of the final month of tourist season, usually the busiest time of the year for their small crew, but it had been a disappointing season financially for Jones Adventures, Inc. Tourists seemed less inclined to spend money on the Treasure Seekers Island Tourthey offered six days a week, searching for Blackbeard’s lost treasure, the claim to fame for their tiny island they called home.

From his last calculation, even with all the tours they had booked until the end of the season, they were still short the money they needed to survive the off season, and if things didn’t change, he was going to have to consider selling off some of their assets.

“Land ho.” Snapping out of his thoughts, Liam gave a distracted smile directed at a few of the guests onboard their home away from home, The Jolly Roger. His brother, Killian stood at the bow of the ship, pointing toward the island on the starboard side of the ship. Liam spun the wheel toward the island, following the path he had taken at least once a day for the past few months.

“Permission to drop anchor, Cap’n?” The blonde pirate parroted from her place next to Killian, a brilliant smile plastered across her face.

“Permission granted.” He bellowed in response, following the script they recited so often he sometimes found himself mumbling it in his sleep.

Liam had known Emma since she was six years old. He still remembered the scared little lass who showed up on his parent’s doorstep, blood trickling down her forehead after an unfortunate car accident had taken the lives of her mother and father outside their home. The woman currently standing at the edge of the ship was no longer a scared little girl, she had emerged from the darkness to become a pillar of strength for both Liam and Killian throughout the years.

“Who’s ready to search for treasure?” Killian asked excitedly as the young “pirates in training” cheered in response. “Aye Mates, lets follow the lass to the dinghy, there’s gold to be found.” He chased a few of the children toward Emma as she herded them up the ladder. Killian climbed down into the waiting boat and Emma began sending excited children and dutiful parents after him.

Liam approached Emma as she sent the last one down the ladder. “I’m going to go below; I have a few things to take care of.”

“Everything alright?” She asked with a concerned narrow of her eyes, he could see the wheels turning behind her emerald orbs, accessing her self-appointed super power of claiming to always know when one of them was stretching the truth.

“Of course!” He lied. “Just need to finish the accounting for the month.”

“I thought you said all that was done last week?”

“It’s nearly done.” He said with a tight smile. “Just double checking my digits.” She bit her lip, a usual sign when she was worrying about him. “Go, don’t leave Killian alone with the kids too long, who knows what he’ll have them doing.” He laughed heartily and Emma relaxed, turning back toward the ladder.

“If you need any help when we get back, let me know, we don’t have to go out tonight, you know.”

“It’s your birthday. Killian’s been planning your party for weeks.” He pushed her gently toward the ladder. “Now go or we’ll be here all night.”

“Fine, but I’m buying you a drink tonight. You need to relax, Lee.” She teased before disappearing down the ladder. He turned, mumbling under his breath, and made his way beneath the deck, dropping down into the seat next to the table. Reluctantly he pried open the ledger and stared down at the numbers on the page.

He exhaled an audible sigh.

He knew he needed to find a way to save their business, the only thing they had that continued to honor his mother and father, but more importantly, he was responsible for ensuring his little family would survive.

~*~

“And X always marks the spot.” Killian spoke in an animated voice as he held up the fake treasure map in his hands, children bouncing up and down in front of him in wild and impatient anticipation.

Killian always played the role of entertainer for the children on their excursions. It wasn’t that Emma didn’t like kids; she just never seemed comfortable interacting with them. Luckily for her, she had Killian to keep the guests interested on their sailing adventures while she played the role of his loyal first mate.

Emma Swan…he watched as the blonde siren peered out from underneath her pirate hat she wore on each sailing, pulled down almost over her eyes to shield her from the sun.

He had known Emma for as long as he could remember. He would see her running on the playground while he peered down at her from his tower during recess. She was such a happy little girl. And then the unimaginable happened.

When Emma lost her parents at the age of six, she was taken in by his parents Alice and Brennan Jones. Killian wasn’t sure what to expect when she came to live with them, but he was intrigued with her immediately, even after she bewitched his mother and stole her attention away.

His mother had always longed for a daughter and poured every ounce of love and devotion into raising Emma. For her part, Emma was reluctant and took much longer to embrace his family, understandably after losing her parents at such a young age. However, she eventually learned to love them as if they were truly her family, until tragedy struck once more on her 15thbirthday. A night that would change them all.

On that fateful night, Alice and Brennan had been flying home, returning from a business trip on the mainland when their plane crashed into the ocean, a loss that would be felt by everyone for years after.

While Killian dealt with the loss in less productive ways, Liam stepped in to care for Emma and Killian, making sure they always felt like they had a home, a family. A year after his parent’s untimely death, Liam started Jones Adventure Inc., with money that had been left for them after their parent’s sudden and tragic deaths.

The three of them had been in business together ever since. Liam would sail the ship and manage the bills, Emma would keep everything cleaned up and organized and scheduled all their bookings, and Killian kept the crowd entertained, always the life of the party, the glue that held this rag tag team together, he thought.

~*~

“Is he always like this?” Emma turned to her side as one of the mother’s walked up beside her. “So full of energy?”

Emma snorted, “It’s almost like he never grew up.”

“Does he have kids of his own? Or you know…a wife or girlfr…”

Emma rolled her eyes; the mothers were always attracted to Killian. “His boyfriend considers himself very lucky.” She said with a sly smile.

“Boyfriend…oh my, I wouldn’t have guessed he was…” She leaned over and whispered “Gay.”

“Really? Huh, well the good-looking ones always are.” She shrugged as she walked away, not feeling the least bit guilty for her deception.

~*~

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…”

“You look like a monkey…” Killian sang as his brother shot him a dirty look, he paused before joining back in the chorus. Emma stuck her tongue out at him before blowing out her candles.

“Happy birthday, Lil Em.” Liam patted Emma’s hand as he pushed a package across the table.

“Oh, come on guys, I told you no gifts this year.”

“Did ya hear that Liam, we can get our money back, she doesn’t want a gift.” He said sarcastically with a wink.

“Sod off, little brother, let her open her gift.” Killian shot him the bird as Emma ignored them both.

He watched as she opened the lid of the wooden box, her eyes lighting up as she peered inside. “Oh my God you guys, it’s beautiful.” Emma held up the bracelet with tiny jars dangling from the silver chain. “Is this sand?”

“Yup, there’s sand in the jars which Killian…”

“Thought you’d think was cool.” He interrupted his brother, ignoring his look of confusion.

“I love it, it’s perfect. Thank you.”

Emma wrapped her arms around Liam’s neck before turning and throwing herself into his waiting embrace. “It’s just a bracelet Swan, no need to gush and cry.” He teased as she sat back in her chair.

“No one has ever bought me jewelry before.” She smiled excitedly, holding the bracelet up to the light as it glimmered. He couldn’t stop the smile from growing on his face, seeing the genuine happiness the gift brought her.

“Maybe you should try dating men instead of whatever boys the ferry brings over.”

“You’re one to talk, Mr. Summer Bikini Boobs.” She shot back.

“Hey, it’s not a crime to admire a fashionable bikini.” He retorted with a snort.

“Yeah you’re just waiting for your next opportunity to host America’s Next Top Model.” His brother chided.

“No fair, you two always gang up on me.” He complained with a frown, finishing his beer.

“Honestly, you are both just as bad when it comes to tourists.” Liam grunted. “I feel like I’ve met everyone that’s come to the island this summer simply because they end up in my kitchen eating my food after an evening with one of you.”

“We’re just friendly.” Emma shrugged.

“Yeah but no one asked you to be Treasure Island’s welcoming committee.”

“Just trying to help our business grow.” Killian grinned. “Bringing in a few potential customers.”

“Besides it’s really easy.” Emma continued. “All you have to do is bring up that stupid treasure and they come running.” She laughed until she snorted, covering her mouth quickly.

“Tourists love a good gimmick.”

“Yeah well we need a few more of them interested in paying money rather than having sex with the staff.” His brother groaned, and Killian realized that he had been unusually salty this evening, especially considering the happy occasion of Emma’s birthday. Emma had warned him earlier that Liam had seemed off when she spoke to him during their excursion.

“Has the season been that dismal?” He saw the flash in his brother’s eyes for a split second before he returned a smile to his face.

Liam shrugged. “Nothing to worry about besides, we’re here to celebrate our little cygnet, not talk shop.” Killian didn’t miss the way his jaw remained tense, something that convinced him that his brother was not sharing the truth with them. He turned his attention to the woman beside him, currently sipping something with a colorful umbrella sticking out of the top of the bright concoction.

“I’m surprised you came out on a Friday night, I thought you were allergic to fun.” He teased, watching as her mouth dropped open, before the smirk returned to her face.

“I wouldn’t want to overdo it when you have enough fun for all of us.” She winked.

He snorted, “The two of you could do with a little fun, you know, let down your hair, undo a few buttons.” He tugged on his brother’s shirt and then playfully yanked Emma’s ponytail.

“Hey.” She complained, tightening her ponytail against her head. “Maybe you should try using the buttons on yours, a woman isn’t going to buy the milk if she can get the cow for free.”

“Bloody hell, that’s a crass way to insult a man.” He swore, tugging at the sides of his shirt to cover his nipples with his palms. Emma stood from the table, grabbing the empty pitcher.

“I’ll get us another refill.”

His brother stood. “Nonsense, it’s your birthday. I’ll get the refill.” He stood and took the pitcher from her, walking toward the bar.

“I told you right? Tense.” Emma whispered as she sat down in her chair.

“Yeah, and he hasn’t said anything about what’s got him so stressed?” Killian inquired.

“Nothing, but I know he was doing the bills. I thought the season went well, but it was a bit slower than we’re used to. Last year we were booked solid every day, we’ve had a few weeks of spots that are never taken. I guess people are getting tired of searching for a lost treasure that doesn’t want to be found.”

“I wish there was something we could do to bring in business.”

“You mean besides all the moms looking to get jabbed by Captain Hook’s sword?”

“Very funny.” He said with a roll of his eyes before reaching out to pull one of her tendrils free from behind her ear. “You know, if you tried, you could be pretty easy on the eyes…”

“Gee thanks, Jones, such a compliment.” She pulled away from him, slapping at his hand.

“I’m just saying, couldn’t hurt…” He gestured toward the bar, as another group of tourists entered the bar. “We all need to do our part to bring in business.” He teased.

She narrowed her eyes before looking back at the bar again. “Are you asking me to whore myself out for the sake of the business.” She shrugged, tying her shirt up under her breast, exposing her stomach, allowing her bikini bottom to peek out from her the hem of her shorts.

“Hey I was joking.” He said in a warning tone.

“You’re the one who said we need to bring in business.” She stood up from the table. “Just doing my part.” She walked toward the bar, her hips swinging a little more than usual. She tugged on the hem of her shorts and the curve of her ass seemed to slip from beneath the denim, exposing more skin than necessary. She passed Liam on his way back to the table as she sauntered up to the man who was ordering his drink. She giggled as he introduced himself and Killian grunted his disapproval.

“Where’s she off to?” Liam asked as he put the pitcher on the table. Killian filled his glass, tipping it back as he took a larger than normal sip of his beer.

“Attracting business.” He said shortly.

“That’s really not necessary.”

“We all have a part to play.” He winked, trying not to portray his annoyance. “But seriously, is everything alright with Adventures Inc?”

“I told you not to worry about it, little brother.” Liam responded curtly, pouring a glass of his own beer.

“When are you going to start seeing me as more than just your younger brother? You don’t have to take on all the stress of this on your own, Emma and I are more than grown now.”

His brother groaned. “It’s my job to ensure you are both taken care of…”

“And we are, let us help you brother.”

He let out a long sigh. “I appreciate that you both mean well…” He smiled brightly, his eyes clearly still hiding some piece of the truth. “When I need assistance, you will be the first to know, but for tonight, let’s just enjoy the evening.”

“As you wish, Liam. You are and always have been as stubborn as a mule.” He teased, turning back to look at the bar as Emma was currently cozied up to the newcomer seated beside her.

“Though not the most stubborn in the family.” Killian turned his attention back toward his brother who was watching him intently.

“Just what are you implying?”

He shrugged. “Nothing at all, though I did notice you left out some details about our gift tonight.”

“It wasn’t important, Emma doesn’t care much for sentimental…”

He nodded his head with a laugh. “Bollocks, she’s carried that old swan with her since we’ve known her, she still uses her mother’s hairbrush, and she…”

“Ok, I get it…” He relented as he turned his attention back to Emma who was brushing her fingers against the gentleman’s arm with a laugh. “I’ll mention it next time I get the chance.”

“A man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets.” His brother patted his shoulder as he stood and walked away from the table, passing by Emma as he made his getaway for the evening.

Killian watched as Emma stood and embraced Liam, introducing her to the man sitting with her at the bar, her smile was bright and jovial as she giggled at something the men were discussing. He was happy she seemed to be having a pleasant birthday.

From the moment she had come to live with them, Killian wanted nothing more than to see the lass smile. After losing his parents, she had been his savior, destroying the darkness in his heart, her smile was the only thing that brought him back to the light.

He finished his beer and stood from the table, dropping money for the tip on the empty plate. He made his way toward the exit, simply waving at Emma before he stepped out into the street. He heard the door shut behind him, running his hand through his hair before tugging his gloves onto his hands.

The bell rang again as the door opened behind him. “Hey, you didn’t think I was just going to let you leave without saying goodbye did you?” He turned around to see Emma standing behind him, her eyes narrowed.

“Didn’t want to complicate your chance at an eventful evening, Swan.” He smirked.

She rolled her eyes. “His name is Neal. I think I might have sold him on a sailing. He came here with friends, and I think he might be rich.” She gleamed happily.

“Good for you, love. Liam will be pleased.” He zipped his leather jacket up as he reached for the helmet to his bike. “Make sure you are careful.” He winked.

“Whatever, ass.” She stuck out her tongue before lunging forward and wrapping her arms around his waist. “Thanks for my bracelet, and the party. I really enjoyed it.” He allowed his hands to wrap around her, one of them resting against the soft locks of her golden blonde hair. He closed his eyes just for a moment before she pulled away, smiling up at him. “Get home safe ok, you drive like a maniac on that thing.”

“Still safer than the way you drive that yellow rust bucket.” He gave her one last wink before he buckled his helmet and mounted his bike, sending her a wave before he roared off into the dark toward his apartment.

~*~

Liam went over the same line on the sheet in front of him again. He knew things were bad, but this was catastrophic bad. Surely his math was off. The bell went off over the front door and he looked up to see a man enter the store.

“Good afternoon, welcome to Adventures, Inc, how can I help you?” He offered.

The man seemed out of place as he shut the door, wiping his hands on his handkerchief. He heard a quiet shriek before a small head peaked out from behind the man’s shoulder, a tiny monkey peered toward him. “Afternoon, I’m looking for someone to Captain an expedition of sorts.” He stepped toward him.

“Well, that depends on the expedition.” He smiled.

“I’m in search of something.” He stated ominously.

“Aren’t we all.” Liam laughed, a nervous feeling bubbling in his gut.

“I’m sure I don’t have to tell you about Blackbeard’s treasure.” He paused and Liam nearly rolled his eyes. He didn’t need a tourist to tell him about the legend that his entire company was built around. “My business is in antiquities.” He passed him a card with the name Walsh Ozman written across the front in script. “Which affords me many opportunities to procure things that others can only dream of.”

Liam felt a shiver across his spine as the man looked around their small shop.

“I would like to rent your little outfit here for a week. How much would that cost?”

“We specialize in day trips, birthday experiences, bachelor parties, you know, men who want to play pirate for a day.”

“And how much money does that make you?” He paused but not long enough for Liam to answer. “Not much based on the sad state of affairs of the ship docked outside this shop.”

“We survive.” He stated flatly.

“Why merely survive, when you can have it all?” The man flashed his arms around before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a wallet. “I’m prepared to offer you more money than you have probably seen in your lifetime.” He slid a roll of hundreds toward him. “A down payment of course, but all I need is one week, a small able-bodied crew, and no questions asked.”

Liam looked at the money sitting in front of him, remembering the red mark in the checkbook he had just seen this morning, but something didn’t sit right with him about the man standing across from him, desperation and determination set behind dark eyes. He knew the business was struggling, he knew that he needed something big to happen to save them, but more than anything, he knew that the man in front of him was trouble.

~*~

Killian walked the length of the dock with the tray of coffee in his hand. He skipped past a few of the locals who were pulling in their nets from their early morning fishing hauls. He waved to Granny who was setting out the morning breakfast on the patio facing the shore. The breeze was starting to come in from the bay, summer was almost over, soon the island would be a ghost town again.

He pushed open the door to the shop and stepped inside to hear voices. “I’m afraid that’s just not possible.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“As I said, I’m already booked this week, and we have a reputation about honoring our commitments.”

Killian walked toward the counter to see a man who obviously was not used to wearing shorts based on the ghastly white skin color he was displaying below the knees. He was startled when a screech distracted him, and he felt something tugging at his leg. He looked down to find a small brown monkey that had latched onto his pant leg. “Bloody hell.”

“Nikko.” The man commanded and the monkey jumped to the man’s shoulder. “Apologies, he’s a curious one.”

Killian glanced behind him at his brother who was staring down at a large pile of cash on the counter. The man with the monkey turned back toward Liam. “Pity, I thought perhaps this arrangement would be beneficial to us both.” He gathered up the cash and shoved it into his pocket before turning toward Killian. Killian stepped to his left, letting the man move quickly past him as he exited the shop.

“What the hell was that about?”

Liam grunted. “Trouble.”

“What did he want, and how much cash was he offering you for it?”

“Enough to be trouble, little brother. He was looking for Blackbeard; you and I both know those types are desperate and dangerous. We don’t mess with them.”

“But all that cash, brother, wouldn’t that solve the problems you refuse to share with us.”

“I don’t care if the building is burning to the ground, I’m telling you, that man isn’t worth the hassle. End of story.” He slammed his book shut and headed to the back of the shack, leaving Killian to wonder about his brother’s brisk attitude lately, and just how bad of a state the company was actually in.