#i was like oh shit. i have to make sure i'm not doomed here before i start

[damienshaas]

ok so. i did this thing today where I kind of have a crush on this guy who works in the receiving department at the grocery store I work at and he works in grocery also. i was going to ask the older lady he works with that loves me and she's great i love her too but!!!!!!! she wasn't there :( so i had to ask the grocery manager who i'm also friends with (he's great i like him too)!! but i asked him. if he knew him, which he does, and i was like. so. does he have a girlfriend. and he was like!! no i don't think so. no. like definitively he was like he doesn't. and i was like great awesome. and he was like "oh why do you want me to tell him to come visit you [in your department]" and i was like nooooo............. haha..............

but basically i asked if the guy i like has a girlfriend and the consensus is no!!! and i think he might. might! like me so we might be somewhere. which hallelujah because i'll be able to leave whatever attachment i have to the last guy, who treats me like i don't exist, in hell where it belongs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[this-is-tiny-mia]

Sorry, wrong number (H.S. One Shot) Part 3 (Last Part)

General Masterlist Summary: A wrong-number text leads to an unexpected connection between a you and a stranger. What starts as a playful exchange quickly becomes the highlight of their days, leaving you curious about the man behind the messages.

Finally Y/N and Harry give in to their feelings.

A/n: I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW MUCH SUPPORT THIS SERIES GOT, I HAD SO SO SO SO MUCH FUN WRITING IT AND I CAN'T WAIT TO DO MORE STUFF. Thanks if you liked, shared, left a comment, anything! REALLY THANK YOU SO SO MUCH.

Thanks to the best of the best @eileenrry for hyping me up (It's already saturday over there so i guess it's fair i'm publishing this now) Word count: 3.4k

Warnings: A LOT OF FLUFF AND A LOT OF CHEESY DATES YOU'LL BE THROWING UP BY THE END OF IT. MAINLY CUTESY STUFF FOR YOU TO FANTASIZE ABOUT. Use of y/n, everything happens really fast, time moves QUICK.

You read his text again, your heart racing. It was playful, sure, but there was something else—something unspoken, just under the surface.

"I think it means we’re in trouble," you finally typed, keeping it vague. You didn’t want to assume anything yet.

"Trouble? 🤔" His reply came almost immediately. "Define trouble."

You hesitated, fingers hovering over the keyboard. How could you define something you didn’t fully understand yourself? How could you put butterflies at full speed into words?

"I don’t know," you typed. "Maybe… when someone sneaks into your head when you’re supposed to be working, and suddenly spreadsheets don’t make sense anymore."

Brave of you. Classy, even. You hit send and stared at the screen, instantly second-guessing yourself. It was honest, sure, but had you said too much?

The three little dots appeared. Then it disappeared. Then it appeared again.

Oh, shit. Please say something.

"You know what I think it means?" he finally wrote.

"What?"

"That I’ve somehow managed to ruin spreadsheets for you, and I’m not even sorry."

You giggled out loud, the sound breaking through the quiet of your room.

"Good to know you have no regrets" you replied, a smile spreading across your face that nothing could erase.

"None at all," he shot back. "But for the record, you’ve ruined a few things for me too."

The conversation hung there for a moment, his words settling over you like a soft weight. You wanted to ask what he meant, but you were terrified of the answer.

"Fair enough. I guess we’re even," you typed back.

“Want to ruin things for each other tomorrow?”

“What does that even mean?” you chuckled, staring at your phone.

“It means I’ll think of you tomorrow, and I hope you’ll think of me too. Goodnight, Tulip 🌷.”

It felt completely surreal, like you were trapped in a dream you never wanted to wake up from. You couldn’t help but thank your past self—and your lousy fingers—for mistyping that single, life-changing number. Just one little mistake, and now here you were, heart racing and thoughts spiraling every time his name lit up your screen. It was pure magic.

The next morning, you found yourself humming while making breakfast. Humming! Like you were Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, twirling around your kitchen like the birds were about to join in. You were a walking cliché, and you didn’t even care. Doomed, yes—but in the best way possible. In love, obviously. The knock at the door jolted you out of your fairytale haze. You blinked, momentarily confused, before heading to answer it. Standing there was a delivery man holding the biggest bouquet of tulips you'd ever seen—bright, colorful, and completely over-the-top in the best way.

"I didn’t…" you started, unsure if this was a mistake.

"Delivery for Y/N," the grumpy delivery man interrupted, already turning on his heel. "Have a good day or whatever." And just like that, he was gone, leaving you in the doorway with the bouquet in your hands, completely stunned. Were these even meant for you? He hadn’t checked any ID or anything. But the moment your eyes landed on the card nestled between the tulips, your heart flipped.

For Tulip From H.

It was all you needed. That tiny, scribbled note said everything. You felt the heat rush to your face as a grin spread across it. Of course they were yours. Who else would send tulips to you?

You closed the door behind you, clutching the bouquet like it was the most precious thing in the world, unable to wipe the smile off your face.you stared at the flowers like an idiot for a hot minute and quickly grabbed your phone to text him but he beat you to it, as you were typing the message his came first. “Morning Tulip, hope you were awake.”

“I was indeed, woke up to 25 tulips in my face.”

“Oh really? I thought I said 30. Someone’s getting fired,” he replied, clearly joking.

“I really love them, they’re beautiful. 25 is more than enough. Why the flowers, though?” You played the innocent card, knowing full well the answer.

“Oh, I thought I should make sure to mess with those spreadsheets today.”

The sound that escaped your mouth wasn’t even human—it was a mix between a laugh and a scream. You quickly tried to gather your thoughts to reply.

“Then how can I make sure I mess with your day?” you typed, feeling bolder than usual.

“You already are doing it, Tulip.”

And just like that, your heart was officially ruined for the day. You stared at his last message, rereading it like it held the secrets of the universe. How did he do that? Ruin your entire day—in the best way possible—with just a few words?

“Good to know I’m effective” you replied, smirking to yourself.

“So… how do you feel about letting me ruin your evening too?”

It’s happening! Everybody calm down! it’s happening!. Your stomach flipped. You typed and deleted your reply about five times before settling on something casual. 

“Depends. What do you have in mind?”

“Dinner? Unless you’re busy with those spreadsheets.” There it was again, the perfect balance of teasing and genuine interest.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to keep you from your firing spree, but… dinner sounds good.”

“Perfect. I’ll pick you up at 7.”

As you stared at the screen, excitement mixed with nerves. Was this real? Was he actually asking you out? Tulips were one thing, but a whole dinner? That felt… bigger. And 7. It was barely 9:30 am, and you had to wait until 7? That’s torture. What were you supposed to do for the next few hours? Sit around and obsess over every possible scenario? Yeah, you did.

You groaned and tossed your phone on the couch, pacing the room like it might somehow speed up time. Maybe you’d clean the apartment—again. Or work on those spreadsheets he seemed so intent on ruining. Or maybe… you’d just spend the day imagining what this dinner would actually be like. Would it be casual, or was he planning something elaborate? What would he wear? Oh god, what should you wear? The spiral of overthinking had officially begun, and 7 PM felt like a lifetime away.

By the time 7 PM FINALLY rolled around, you were a bundle of nerves. After hours of trying on clothes and second-guessing your choices, you’d settled on something simple but flattering. You didn’t want to look like you were trying too hard, but let’s face it—you were. A buzz on your phone snapped you out of your last-minute mirror check.

 “Outside. No pressure, but I’m hungry.”

You laughed, grabbed your bag, and took one last deep breath before stepping outside. There he was, leaning casually against his car, looking effortlessly perfect. How was it possible for someone to make standing look so good? Only Harry Styles.

“Nice ride,” you teased, trying to hide your nerves.

“Nice dress,” he shot back, smirking as he opened the passenger door for you. LOST, you are more than lost for this man.

The drive was filled with the kind of banter that felt like second nature by now. He wouldn’t tell you where you were going, just that it was “low-key, but worth it.” That’s what you expected actually, he was really recognizable, and you? could be mistaken for a waitress if some took the correct picture. Harry Styles and who is she? But then you ended up at a cozy little Italian place tucked away in a quiet corner of the city.

“Looks amazing” you asked as he held the door open for you.

“Wait till you taste it” he said, leading you inside. Wait…was that….about the restaurant? or….

The atmosphere was warm and intimate, with dim lighting and soft music playing in the background. You sat across from him at a small corner table, feeling like the rest of the world had disappeared.

“Alright, let’s get this out of the way,” he said, leaning forward with a grin. “Tell me all the embarrassing stories about yourself before the breadsticks get here.” You laughed, shaking your head.

“Absolutely not. But I’ll trade one for one if you’re brave enough.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, it’s on.”

The night unfolded with laughter, stolen glances, and stories that made both of you feel like you’d known each other forever. At some point, you realized you hadn’t checked your phone once—a miracle in itself. You were used to distract yourself whenever the guy you were out with started to talk about bitcoin or some pyramid scheme. When the check came, he waved you off before you could even reach for your wallet.

“Don’t start,” he warned, smirking. “Consider it a payment for ruining your spreadsheets.”

I don’t even think we can still say butterflies. let’s evolve to a full on zoo. As he walked you back to your door later that night, the air between you felt charged but comfortable. You paused, turning to face him.

 “Thank you. For tonight. It was…”

 “Perfect,” he finished for you, his voice soft.

You didn’t even mind that he left you with just that. No kiss, no dramatic goodbye.

But.

His gaze flicked to your lips for just a second before meeting your eyes again, and your breath caught.

‘Can I…’ he started, voice barely above a whisper, ‘...do one more thing to completely ruin your night?’

You didn’t answer. You didn’t need to. You tilted your face up slightly, and he took the hint, leaning in and pressing his lips to yours. It was soft at first, tentative, like he was testing the waters. But when you didn’t pull away, his hand came up to gently cup your jaw, deepening the kiss just enough to leave you dizzy. When he pulled back, his forehead rested against yours for a moment, both of you breathing slightly harder.

‘I think you just ruined my whole life,’ you said. It was pathetic, but it was a completely, utterly, undeniable truth.

‘Alright, Tulip. I’ll take full responsibility. But if I’ve ruined your life, I guess I’m going to have to stick around and fix it.’

You could feel your knees WEAK.

----

By now Gwen knew about your lovelife, who didn’t when you were dating Harry Styles, it was really difficult to hide the blushing moments, the giggles, the fancy car that picked you up every now and then, Your days were magical. MORE than magical.

May 12

Harry had sent you a song that morning with a simple text

“This one it’s just pure truth. Song link Specially 2:32”

Listening to it on repeat throughout the day, you couldn’t help but smile. It was one of those songs that felt like a confession, like it was saying all the things he hadn’t quite said yet.

"Are you trying to tell me something, Mr. Styles?" you texted.

"YOU tell me 😉"

May 14

You snapped a picture of your desk—papers, coffee cups, and a very tired-looking plant all vying for space.

"Welcome to chaos" you captioned it and sent it to him.

Seconds later, a photo of a perfectly neat studio table arrived, complete with his notebook, a few pens, and an untouched cup of tea.

"Show-off" you texted.

"Organized chaos" he corrected. “Coming to make me company later?”

“Obviously”

May 18

“🌷”

Every morning now started with a single tulip emoji from Harry. No text, no explanation—just the flower. It made you laugh every time, this simple, silent ritual he’d created just for you. There was something about it—something understated and intimate.

It didn’t matter if the rest of the world felt chaotic or overwhelming; that one tiny emoji always managed to anchor you. Some days, you’d wake up to find it already waiting for you, like a quiet reminder that someone out there was thinking of you. Other days, it would pop up mid-morning, just as you were starting to feel the weight of your to-do list. But he NEVER failed to send it.

You weren’t even sure how he’d decided to start—but you knew it was the first thing you’d look for every day. It wasn’t grand or overly sentimental, but that’s what made it so special. It was Harry in the simplest, purest form—thoughtful, playful, and somehow always knowing exactly what you needed without you ever having to say a word. Sometimes, you’d reply with nothing more than a matching tulip. Other times, you’d tease him with a string of emojis—🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷—followed by a cheeky, “Did one not feel sufficient today, love?” Yes. “Love” had made its way into the conversation. Tulip was still his favorite, but love was now in the game.

He never explained it, never justified it. But in those simple tulips, he said so much more: I’m here for you. I see you. I want you.

May 30

When you told Harry you’d finally gotten the project approved at work, his response came in the form of three celebratory emojis: 🎉🥂🌷.

"I’m so proud of you, my tulip" he wrote.

It wasn’t over-the-top or overly formal, but it hit you right where it mattered. The simplicity, the care—it was so very him.

"You were the one pushing me to keep doing it at midnight that day in your apartment. So it’s all because of you 💖"

The rest of the day passed in a blur of emails, calls, and the lingering glow of Harry’s words. By the time evening rolled around, you were ready to collapse on the couch with a mindless TV show and a celebratory glass of wine. That was the plan as Harry told you he was stuck with some family stuff, at least, until the doorbell rang. You frowned. You weren’t expecting anyone. Pulling your sweater tighter around you, you padded to the door and peered through the peephole. And there he was.

Harry. Standing on your doorstep, wearing that damn smile, holding a bottle of champagne in one hand and—of course—a single tulip in the other.

You flung the door open, heart racing. "Harry, what—"

"Celebrating you, obviously," he said, stepping inside like he’d always belonged there. He handed you the tulip first, letting his fingers brush yours, then held up the champagne. "I figured we could upgrade from emojis."

You laughed, caught somewhere between disbelief and pure joy. "You didn’t have to do this."

"Didn’t I?" he countered, his tone soft but teasing. "You work so hard, Tulip. You deserve to be celebrated properly. And most importantly by your boyfriend"

It was more than 1 month since he made it completely official, and called himself your boyfriend, and you obviously didn’t argue about it, but still, it all felt like a dream. YOUR BOYFRIEND wanted to celebrate you and that’s exactly what he did. You spent the evening sitting on the living room floor, sharing stories, clinking glasses, and laughing until your cheeks hurt. At one point, he grabbed your hand, lacing his fingers through yours, and simply said, "I’m proud of you."

It wasn’t loud or flashy, but it was everything. The kind of moment that imprinted itself on your heart, quietly becoming one of your favorites.

June 8

"Busy next Friday?"

"Depends. What’s the occasion?"

"Thought you might like to see what all the fuss is about. Backstage pass included 😉. A kiss from the performer too. Maybe multiple ones."

“I ACCEPT”

Your heart raced. You weren't sure what terrified you more: being in his world or the fact that he wanted you to be. But in reality you were already in his world, of course there were many MANY articles of “Harry Styles spotted with mystery girl” but you were just too busy actually being so in love with him to even care.

July 16 It was Harry’s idea.

“I’m a decent cook,” he said, grinning as he rolled up his sleeves. “You’ll be impressed. Trust me.”

You weren’t entirely sure if you trusted him, but the idea of spending the evening in his kitchen, cooking together, sounded perfect. He handed you an apron, and you got to work. The plan was ambitious: homemade pasta and sauce, garlic bread, and a simple dessert. But things went off course almost immediately.

“Is this what dough is supposed to look like?” you asked, holding up a sticky mess that refused to cooperate.

Harry peered over your shoulder, frowning. “Uh… probably not. But it’s okay! It’s rustic.”

“Rustic,” you repeated, raising an eyebrow. “That’s your explanation for this disaster?”

“It’s charming,” he said, taking the dough from you and attempting to salvage it.

“Do you happen to have Gordon Ramsay on your contacts?” You said looking at the unfinished (a bit uneatable) dinner. “I do, but i don’t think he would want to see this”

By the time the pasta was in the pot, you were both covered in flour, and the kitchen looked like a tornado had swept through it. The sauce was a little too salty, the garlic bread had burned edges, and somehow, the dessert had completely fallen apart.But when you sat down at the tiny kitchen table, your mismatched plates in front of you, it didn’t matter.

“To our first—and possibly last—cooking adventure,” Harry said, raising his glass of wine.

“Here’s to hoping we survive the food poisoning,” you joked, clinking your glass against his.

But the truth was, the meal was delicious in its imperfection. And as you sat there, laughing and stealing bites from each other’s plates, you realized it wasn’t about the food at all. It was about this—about him.

----

It had been two days. Harry was on a quick trip to L.A., and the time zones, paired with his whirlwind schedule, made communication sporadic. You told yourself he was busy—his life was far more chaotic than yours—but the silence still felt deafening.

You’d held back from texting or calling him, trying not to seem clingy, but the doubts crept in anyway. Maybe this was too much. Maybe you were too much.

Finally, you broke. Your fingers hovered over your phone, hesitating over his contact like he wasn’t your boyfriend, like he was once again just a stranger. Before you could overthink it, you sent a simple message: “Am I ruining your days over there?👀🌷”

The minutes stretched into hours with no reply. You didn’t realize how tightly you were gripping your phone until the screen dimmed, reflecting your worried expression.

Then came the knock.

You nearly jumped out of your skin, rushing to the door.

Harry stood there, out of breath, hair disheveled, his eyes searching yours like he’d been running for miles.

“You’re in L.A.,” you blurted, confused.

“Was,” he corrected, stepping closer. “I—I couldn’t do this over text.”

“Do what?” you asked, your voice trembling.

He held up his phone, the screen glowing faintly in the dim light. Your text stared back at you.

“This. You. I literally cannot think straight when I’m away from you.” His voice cracked slightly, and your heart clenched. “I don’t care if we’re moving too fast. I think about you all the time, and I’m—”

You stepped forward, cutting him off as your arms wrapped tightly around him.

“Harry, stop,” you murmured against his chest, your voice soft but sure. “You’re here. That’s all I need.”

He pulled back just enough to look at you, his hands firm but gentle on your arms. “No, you don’t understand,” he said, his gaze steady. “I love you. Completely. Hopelessly. And I couldn’t let another second go by without telling you.”

The world seemed to tilt, his words hanging in the air.

“You idiot,” you whispered, tears stinging your eyes as a smile broke through. “I love you too.”

The kiss that followed wasn’t tentative. It wasn’t a question or a test. It was an answer—a culmination of every tulip emoji, late-night text, and unspoken promise.

When you finally pulled apart, both of you laughing softly, Harry reached into his bag and pulled out a single tulip, slightly crumpled but no less beautiful.

“I couldn’t come empty-handed,” he said with a lopsided grin.

You took the flower, your smile uncontainable. “You’re impossible.”

“And you love it.”

That night, curled up on the couch with his arm around your shoulders and the tulip resting in a vase on the coffee table, you realized something profound.

It wasn’t the tulips, the texts, or the grand gestures that made this real. It was the quiet moments—the shared smiles, the silent understanding, the unwavering presence.

No matter what, you had each other.

Forever. --- A/n: If you made it til the end, i just want to say thanks again 🥹🫶 If you have any suggestions or comments or complaints! , please feel free to reach out! --- Taglist:

@jackiehollanderr @proudravenclawbird @hopeyoustaythenight @maryjahps @obsessiveenthusiast @liiit44 @loveheart-123 @harrystyleshotwife @harryscherries28 

@addiemb8332 @cumuluscranium @gguksfilter @alemunson42069 @sarah22194 @summertime-pills @hescrush @cosmomento @harrys-wifeyy @isinpfortvdmen

@familyshow-orisit @notsosweetcreature @cevans-winchester @camillegillians @donutsandpalmtrees @amateurduck @hermionelove @misty-heartbreak

[hannahbisssssss]

Dinner and Diatribes (Nandor the Relentless x fem!Reader)

Author's Note: When asked to write this piece, I wanted to make it special for those waiting so long for its arrival. This will be split into two parts. I currently have part one (the majority of the work) done. However, chapter two is strictly NSFW and I'm separating both parts in case that doesn't interest you. I should be done with part two by tonight, so keep an eye out for it.

Warnings: Overprotective brother Guillermo, horny Nandor (duh), and an innocent reader. Take that as you will. Blood and violence (also duh)

Word count: 11,000+

Requested by @binks1004

This will also be posted on AO3 by tonight!

I sigh softly as I finish putting the last touches on my homework. Another assignment done. I look at the clock that resides next to my desk. 12:30 in the morning: shit… I should have been out of the dorms ages ago. I promised Guillermo that I would go to sleep earlier tonight because I wanted to make my way over to his house in the morning. Well, it’s not like I haven’t gotten less sleep before and still survived. 

Suddenly, my phone rings, and I jump in surprise. I check the caller ID… Guillermo. Shit. I hesitantly pick up the phone after letting it ring a couple times.

“Hello?” My tentative voice rings out.

“You should be asleep.” Guillermo’s voice sounds disappointed but not surprised. I almost hear the eye roll in his voice.

“Why would you call me if you didn’t know I was asleep or not? Who knows, maybe you just woke me up.” There’s a hint of snarkiness in my voice. As Guillermo’s younger sister, I felt occasionally obligated to annoy him.

“You were last active on Instagram 15 minutes ago.” Guillermo’s ‘I gotcha’ voice is laid on thick.

“…Whoops?” He laughs on the other line.

“Whoops is right. You need to go to bed, Y/N.” I feel the exasperation start to rise within me.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I had homework to get done before winter break. Is that so wrong of me to want to spend my full time and attention with you when I’m there at your house?” I decide to guilt trip him. I hear Guillermo sigh before I hear heavy footsteps on the line.

“Guillermo? Who are you speaking to?” The voice is distant, but I can swear I hear the essence of a Middle Eastern accent. The phone is clearly covered by one of Guillermo’s sweaters, as I can’t hear much of the conversation after that. I think I pick up the words ‘master,’ ‘sister,’ and ‘visiting.’ By the time Guillermo uncovers the phone, he responds almost sheepishly.

“Sorry. My roommate.” I am hit with the remembrance that Guillermo has four other housemates that he lives with.

“Oh, right… who was that?” My curiosity is piqued now.

“Nandor.” Guillermo says curtly.

“Nandor.” I repeat, testing the name on my tongue. “Is he nice?” Guillermo sighs.

“Sometimes.” I laugh. 

“I’m sure we’ll get along just fine, then.” I try to assure him. 

“Sure. Y/N, please go to sleep before you end up driving over here like an exhausted zombie.” 

“Alright, alright. I’ll go to sleep, but don’t be shocked when you see I’m active on Instagram for the next 15 minutes: I have a routine, you know?” I hear Guillermo stifle a chuckle.

“Yeah, okay.”

“You know you love me.” I tease.

“Of course I do. That doesn’t mean you can’t be insufferable.” He teases back.

“That’s the fun of having a sibling, I think.” Guillermo doesn’t hide his laughter this time.

“Goodnight, Y/N.” I can hear the chiding in his voice.

“Goodnight, Guillermo.” I hang up the phone and make my way over to my bed. I’m a lot more tired than I previously thought, as I plug in my phone within five minutes of my nightly doom scroll routine. 

The drive over to Guillermo’s house is nothing special. It’s cold, with some snow falling, but nothing I can’t handle. As I made my way over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, I feel myself getting a little nervous. What if Guillermo’s roommates don’t like me? What if I end up biting off more than I can chew with this trip? I mean, I’m staying for an entire month. Certainly his roommates would get annoyed with me after staying with them for so long. 

Before I can panic myself any longer, I realize that I’m already at his doorstep. I raise my hand to knock on the door, but Guillermo is already there. 

“Y/N.” He says fondly. I smile and let my hand drop.

“Hi, Guillermo.” We smile and hug and get all the niceties out of the way. 

“Did you end up sleeping well?”

“After scrolling on Instagram for approximately five minutes, yeah.”

“I noticed you weren’t active super long. I was hoping that meant you were asleep and not on that one website I don’t know about.”

“Character.AI?” I say with a laugh. He laughs too. 

“Yeah, that one. Who’s your current fictional character of choice?”

“I’m embarrassed to say…” I fidget with my hands for a moment. 

“Now you have to tell me.” 

“I most certainly do not.”

As I walk in the house, I am met with an ornately-decorated foyer. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling looks quite beautiful, and I can’t help but stare in awe.

“Like it?” Guillermo looks at me taking in the scenery. 

“Holy crap, you must spend a fortune living here.” He laughs at this response. 

“If only you knew…” I give him an odd look but decide to drop it. 

“Well, it’s 9:30 in the morning… What would you like to do?” I ask him with a pleasant smile.

“Did you eat breakfast?” I shake my head.

“Let’s do that first, that way you’ll be prepared for any activities I have set up for you today.” Guillermo says with a smile.

“Ooh, what kind of activities are we talking?”

“I’ll show you around Staten Island, and that’ll give me time to debrief you on each of my roommates.”

“Yeah, where are they? You’d think they’d be up by now.” Guillermo suddenly starts to fidget with his hands.

“They’re kind of nocturnal.” I look bewildered at this statement. “They work at the railroad, so they have weird hours.”

“But I thought… I thought you also worked at the railroad.” Guillermo looks stunned and a little frightened by my statement. “I-I do…” Guillermo looks down at his hands.

“Guillermo. I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re telling a lie. Did you get fired or something?” He perks up at my statement. 

“Fired, yup! I’m just trying to look for new work, so I’ve been keeping busy with the upkeep of this house. Please, don’t tell mom.” I nod in solidarity.

“Of course I won’t. Your secret’s safe with me.” Guillermo smiles and visibly relaxes. Suddenly, another figure walks in the room. He’s bald, wearing a vest, and carrying a cup of coffee in his hand.

“Who’s this?” I perk up as he makes his way out of the kitchen. Guillermo shoots him a warning look. For what reason, I can’t be too sure.

“That’s Colin Robinson.” Colin raises his cup as a friendly gesture.

“Hello… You must be Y/N. Guillermo told us you were coming. You’re in for a lot of fun.” I smile at Colin, as he seems friendly enough. 

“Yes! I’m Y/N, nice to meet you. I sure hope I don’t become a nuisance too quickly.” He smirks at my statement. 

“Oh, I don’t think that will be a problem.” Guillermo shoots Colin another warning glare and for a moment, I could swear that Colin’s eyes brightened. Guillermo quickly takes my hand and leads me out of the house. 

“We’ll be back later, Colin.” I look at Guillermo, confused.

“What about breakfast?” He tugs at my arm again. 

“I’ll buy you breakfast, okay?” Guillermo closes and locks the door behind him, rolling his eyes at the thought of Colin. 

“He seemed nice.” I try to give him a reassuring smile.

“Yeah, well ‘seeming’ isn’t everything. Colin Robinson is one of the most annoying creatures on this planet.” I laugh a little at this statement.

“Alright, I’ll keep that in mind. Breakfast?” Guillermo smiles back at me.

“Breakfast.”

The two of us take Guillermo’s car throughout Staten Island. A diner, a mall, a work building, everything that sees me throughout the day sees a smile on my face. The minutes turned to hours and I suddenly feel the sisterly urge to connect with Guillermo. 

“I’ve missed seeing you.” I break the silence with my voice, knowing the words would ring true. Guillermo nearly trips in the shoe store we’re currently walking through.

“I’ve missed you, too.” Is his simple reply.

“I just don’t think you’d be able to understand the depth of my statement. I really fucked things up.” Guillermo stops this time, looking at me as I speak, as if seeing me for the first time in his life.

I don’t come from a functional family. I grew up Catholic, fatherless, and forced to grow up fast. The weight I bear is not something easily shaken. My mother loved me dearly, but was always worried about Guillermo. He was 7 years older than me. He didn’t have many friends growing up on account of his rather odd hobbies. By association, when I finally reached the age he was when he first started getting bullied, I was left friendless and alone. 

Life as an emotionally-mature person in an emotionally-immature body often led to grief beyond the imaginable. I knew as I grew up that there were things I would never experience. Teenage romance, of course, was the least-established of my facilities. The days boys would hit on me were over… Nobody wanted to be friends with the girl whose brother believed in vampires. What if it runs in the family? 

“I really messed up. I should have been reaching out more. College fucked me up and I think I was still holding a–” The words spill forth before I can even think. I only recently got in touch with Guillermo a few months back.

“You were never supposed to be taking care of me. I was supposed to be doing that for you. I should have listened to your feelings; spoken about your hurt.” Guillermo’s words nearly tear at my heart. There are moments like these with one’s family members that help one realize just how connected blood really makes us. Seconds turn to minutes turn to us sitting on the floor and crying together while a Shoe Carnival employee checks in on us. 

The day passes a lot more calmly than earlier. I’m not sure exactly how many times I am warned about each of his roommates. 

“It really sounds like you don’t enjoy living with them.” Guillermo grimaces at my words as if struck.

“I do enjoy living with them, but they are a particular bunch. I know you can be, too. I just don’t want anyone butting heads with you; they’d do that even if I were to specifically ask.” My face softens at my brother’s words. 

“It’s only one month. It’ll be alright.”

When we make our way back to Guillermo’s house, the lights are on and I can see shadow figures moving around inside, albeit with some paper in the way.

“Guillermo?” I ask quietly.

“Yes?” He follows my gaze before going silent.

“What’s the paper for?”

“They’re very private people. Who would I be to judge?” Guillermo nearly chokes on his answer.

“Do you think it was a good idea to invite me to spend my winter break with you?” I feel Guillermo’s warm hands clasp around my freezing left one.

“I would do anything to ensure your comfortability here. They’ll behave, I promise.” He shuts the car off and makes his way out of the vehicle, motioning for me to do the same. We make our way to the porch and Guillermo takes the jingling keys out of his pocket. As he opens the door, I peek into the foyer. Nothing. Nobody. 

“Where did they go?” My voice asks softly. Guillermo gives me a smile that could be perceived as tentative. 

“Probably the fancy room. The curtain is shut.” I immediately shrink into myself at his words. 

“They know I’m here. I should leave–” I begin frantically.

“No, Y/N, please stay. We can go and introduce you.”

“Memo, please. I know you’ve lived with them longer than since we lost contact with one another. I don’t want them to think to ask you why we stopped speaking.” There’s a rustling heard behind the curtain as it’s pulled aside. Standing on the other side of the curtain is a black-haired woman with green highlights. She is dressed in Victorian garb and looks superb. 

“I take it you are Y/N.” She says in her Greecian lilt. I give her a bright smile; years of acting makes switching from emotions a thing to do with ease.

“Yes, I am. Hi! Are you Nadja?” She smiles at me and I immediately take notice of her sharp canine teeth. Odd.

“The one and only. Come, come, you must meet the others since Gizmo won’t be introducing you himself.” Guillermo rolls his eyes and makes his way to the fancy room with a huff. Inside the room are two men. One sits on the couch with a pipe in his mouth, occasionally blowing out puffs of smoke. He shoots me a suave smile and I recognize his sharpened canines as well. I mentally take note of that as I look at him.

“My darling, who did you bring for us to meet?” His voice is strained and clearly fake. He knows exactly who I am. “This is Y/N, Gizmo’s beautiful sister who he never speaks of.” My face flushes a deep red and I feel Guillermo preen behind me. There is a throat clearing heard from the corner of the room. Out steps a figure that dwarfs the others. He is tall and imposing and every bit of the name I know him to have: Nandor. 

“Be nice to Guillermo, Nadja. You do not want to scare off his sister.” He steps closer and I feel his steps, both graceful and lumbering, get closer and closer. He is wearing a furred cape with some other cultural garb that does not seem from the United States in the slightest. He makes his way over to me with his broad chest leading the rest of his body. I almost pass out as I look up at him, feeling the air in my throat constrict. 

“Nandor.” He says in his baritone, holding a hand out for me. “Nandor the Relentless.” My mouth opens and closes like a fish before I spit out my own name.

“Relentless? Why’s that.” He doesn’t need to answer, as I’m sure I’d believe any answer he gives me. 

“Y/N. You have a very lovely name, as well as a lovely curiosity about you.” He replies. 

“Thank you, that’s quite kind of you.” I recognize now that I still haven’t taken his hand and I do, trying to shake it frantically before realizing how immovable he is. His steady hand lifts my hand to his lips as he keeps eye-contact with me. Normally, I’d explode from the attention, but I immediately clock his fangs.

“Is something wrong?” Guillermo’s voice chimes in and I realize I must have been staring. I blink a couple of times and come back to reality, noticing Nandor’s lips are still on my hand. Guillermo takes notice as well and swats at my arm. I pull it back in surprise and Nandor’s deep voice chuckles behind me. 

“Careful with this one. She’s fragile.” Nandor’s voice is both teasing and deadly serious, as if sending a warning to his roommates. Guillermo tugs my arm and leads me out of the room. I wave at Nandor and he gives me a smirk I can only describe as fond yet… hungry. After Guillermo drags me out of the room, I immediately round on him.

“You live with a bunch of cosplayers?” Guillermo shrinks from my anger. 

“They’re quite eccentric people when they’re not working at the railroad.”

“Speaking of, why the fuck are they here playing dress-up when they should be at work?”

“It’s a Saturday evening.” I deflate with Guillermo’s response. He’s right, of course.

“Okay. I’m off to bed.” Guillermo gives me an apologetic smile and as I turn away, I realize I have absolutely no idea where I’m going.

“Upstairs to the right.”

“Thank you.” I respond curtly before making my way up the stairs. When I make it to the top of the stairs and take the first right, I close the door behind me and take a deep breath. After my brain runs silent for a few moments, I decide to use the bathroom and brush my teeth. Of course, that meant exiting my bedroom, and I did not want to do that just yet. I wanted to take everything in. I look at my bed frame, an ornate metal one with a stained glass lamp on the nightstand next to it. Jesus, they took this whole cosplaying thing very seriously.

Guillermo’s POV

“Are you fucking kidding me? I asked you guys to do one thing: act normal! How hard is that? You were humans once, too!” Guillermo’s whisper shouting is quieted by Nandor, who places his hand on Guillermo’s shoulder.

“Laszlo, Nadja, leave us.” Nandor waves a dismissive hand at them.

“Fuck off.” Nadja’s voice is the first to pipe in. Laszlo is quick to recover as he stands and grabs his wife’s shoulders.

“Nadja, how about you and I go to our room and… discuss this new development in the house.” Both Guillermo and Nandor bristle at his statement for the very same reason. Laszlo drags Nadja out of the room before either of them could chide the married couple. When they finally leave, Nandor looks down at Guillermo.

“I would like to court her.” He says blatantly. Guillermo feels as if he had just been electrocuted. 

“Fuck no.” Guillermo is quick to recover from his immediate shock.

“Guillermo, she is a beautiful, unwed woman of childbearing age. Would you enjoy watching your sister turn into a spinster?” 

“Not any more than I’d enjoy watching her turn into your concubine.” Nandor looks as if he could snap his bodyguard’s neck. “You will not be courting my sister, and I’m so fucking serious. She’s a Van Helsing as well – she could kill you without a second thought.” Nandor perks up at this statement.

“I do enjoy a challenge.” Nandor’s voice is smug and steady. Guillermo storms out of the room, making his way to his room under the stairs. 

Y/N's POV

The house is cold and quiet. The fire in the living room does not create enough heat to reach where I am. Guillermo set up the room nicely, with a few extra blankets that will not go unused. I smile to myself as I make my way out of the room to head to the bathroom. Unfortunately, I smack into the chest of the person waiting outside my door. Nandor. He gives me a smirk, one of the fangs popping out of his lip.

“Hello, little Y/N.” I nearly shiver at his voice, but maintain my composure. 

“Hi Nandor. Sorry, I should have been paying more attention.” He gives me a friendly smile.

“You are quite alright. Do not feel bad. I was standing right outside your door, so I should be the one apologizing.” Nandor’s hands are clasped behind his back, making him look quite serious and almost otherworldly. 

“Yes. What were you doing outside my door anyway?” I look skeptical of him. 

“I wanted to apologize for causing any strife between your brother and you.” Now that was an answer I was not expecting. I swallow and try my best to not look phased. 

“I don’t know what you mean.” Nandor chuckles at my words, a deep and smooth sound. 

“Guillermo clearly cares deeply for you. I wouldn’t want to make a bad first impression.” Nandor’s voice is genuine, without a hint of any of the confident bravado he carried earlier. 

“I know he cares for me. Sorry, I’m incredibly tired and have to get ready for bed.” I gently scoot him out of the way and make it to the bathroom without looking back. I lock the door behind me, standing before the mirror in front of me. It is a humbling sight: I look as though the exhaustion I’ve felt since I was 12 was surfacing all at once. Realizing my face was getting red with that discovery, I covered my face to cry. 

What I could not see beyond the door was a stunned Nandor, able to hear my soft cries. He did nothing, and yet here I am, angrier than ever. I stayed in the bathroom for a long while, knowing I could not go out and face him again.

Nandor’s POV

As he stares at the bathroom door, all he can feel is completely helpless about the situation. Had he said something wrong? What did he do? All he said was that your brother cared about you. Was that so wrong? Nandor awkwardly shuffles to his bedroom, closing the door to drown out your cries. He could hear them slow and eventually stop, listening to your feet shuffle back to the room across his. He wants to try again, to reach out and tap your door; to ask you what’s wrong. He doesn’t. Of course he doesn’t. He tries to ignore the feelings your emotions stirred within him as he listens to your breathing even out as you fall asleep.

Next Morning - Y/N’s POV

I wake up the next morning feeling completely out of it. As I opened my eyes, I felt all the emotions slam into me as they did last night. Fuck. Had I really gotten that emotional around Nandor? I knew that my emotions had gotten the better of me, and I wanted to apologize to him. He couldn’t have known that my and Guillermo’s relationship was a sore spot. Of course he wouldn’t have known that: Guillermo has always liked to keep his shame hidden. I sit up in my bed and groan, trying to catch my bearings. His door is right across from mine… Maybe I could sneak over and speak with him. 

Why I felt so drawn to Nandor, I couldn’t explain. Maybe it’s because he’s incredibly handsome, or maybe it’s due to the fact that he has no clue about me. A clean slate. That’s certainly what I felt I deserved at this moment.

I stand and make my way over to my door, opening it and running into someone for the second time in under 12 hours. I’m surprised to see that it’s Guillermo. 

“I’m so sorry,” are the first words that leave his mouth. I look at him skeptically. “Nandor told me you were upset last night. I should have known.” My face heats up in embarrassment. 

“It’s no big deal, really. I was just upset–”

“Stop. Please stop lying on my behalf. I’m your older brother, and I fucked up. I haven’t told you the whole truth.” That stops me dead in my tracks.

“What are you talking about?” Guillermo takes my hand and looks at me with an emotion on his face I can’t quite read. 

“I know I’ve been obsessed with vampires since I was a kid, and I hoped above hope that they were real. So real that I went looking to find them. I found a job application when I was 19 that seemed suspicious enough, so I showed up here: to this house,” I shake my head in confusion as Guillermo continues. “I was met by Nandor at the front door, who took me in for an interview. The job detailed the upkeep of the house and what being a servant–a familiar would be like.”

“A familiar? What the hell are you talking about?” Guillermo takes my hand and continues.

“I haven’t been working at the railroad for all of these years… I’ve been working for Nandor, Nadja, Laszlo, and Colin Robinson. I’m a familiar. They’re vampires.” My face turns blank for the first few seconds after he said the words I desperately did not want to hear. 

“Are you serious?” I can see Guillermo’s face fall. “After all these years, you still don’t care about how your actions affect other people. Do you know what it was like? Taking care of mom when all she wanted to do was see her son. Getting bullied at school for being your sister?” I wrench my hand from Guillermo’s grasp. “I get that us getting back on speaking terms is new and exciting because I’ve missed you, but don’t fuck with me about this,” Guillermo quickly grabs my hand again and drags me to Nandor’s room.

“I can prove it. Look,” Guillermo opens the door to Nandor’s room and there, laying in the middle of the room, is a large coffin made from some of the finest wood I’d ever seen. 

“What the actual hell,” my voice is quiet but certainly not calm. “What is this?”

“This is where Nandor sleeps. He sleeps during the day because he’s a vampire, not because he works night shifts. If he touches the sunlight, it hurts him. And if he steps fully into the sun, it will kill him. That’s why the windows are boarded up; that’s why this house looks so haunted: because it is. It’s haunted by the vampires who have lived in it for over 100 years,” I cover my face again and pull my hand from Guillermo’s grasp. 

“You’ve actually been galavanting around with vampires for over a decade?” I am dangerously calm. 

“I don’t know if ‘galavanting’ is the right word, but–”

“Well, what would you call it? Leaving your family behind to live with vampires. Some fantastical fucking dream you got to have,” I turn away from Nandor’s coffin, feeling scorned. 

“Y/N, I’m so sorry. I can’t take back those years that I left you and mamá, but I want to make up for it.”

“You left us! For years, you left us! And what am I supposed to do? Be fine that you were gone for so long, only to be living your dream,” I sit against the wall, sliding to the floor. “While I was stuck taking care of mamá, who wanted nothing more than to have her son back. Do you know what that’s like?” Guillermo takes a step closer to me, slowly sitting next to me. 

“No. I don’t. But I want to. It’s not fair that I was gone, but I want to have you back in my life–”

“Did you tell mamá?” Guillermo looks ashamed and it’s all the answer I need. “Why would you ever trust me with this secret?” 

“Because I can’t try to satisfy you with lies. I’ve done that for long enough,” Guillermo looks at me with such sincerity it almost hurts. I sigh, feeling a headache coming on.

“Is there anything else I should know?” I look at him from between my fingers.

“...We are descendants of the Van Helsing family,” I immediately groan and put my head back in my hands. 

“What does that entail?” Guillermo takes a breath as he prepares to explain.

“It means that you’re probably unnaturally good at spotting vampires. I noticed you noticing their teeth last night,” I look up at Guillermo again.

“You did?” Guillermo laughs at my question. 

“Maybe it’s why I was so good and seeking vampires out in the first place,” a small smile appears on my face at his statement. 

“Guillermo De La Cruz: always alone, traversing between two worlds,” I give him a smile as I take my hands off my face.

“Not alone anymore,” he replies with an openness I had not yet seen from him. 

“Not anymore, no,” Guillermo wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him.

“Yes, yes, that’s nice. Now Guillermo, please flee from my room with your sister so I may slumber,” comes a voice from the coffin. I almost forgot we were in Nandor’s room. I laugh at his words. 

“Shit, sorry Nandor,” Guillermo says as he stands, pulling me to my feet. 

“Yeah, we’ll go,” I say as I start to leave the room. Guillermo closes the door behind him and looks at me a moment before we both start laughing. 

“Whoops,” Guillermo says first. 

“I guess I didn’t think vampires could be light sleepers,” I reply. 

“They most certainly can. Breakfast?” Guillermo asks. 

“Yeah, just give me a few minutes to do my morning routine. I need to brush the heart-to-heart out of my teeth,” Guillermo laughs and makes his way down the stairs. 

“See you in a few!”

After taking the time to do my morning routine, I make my way down the staircase to the kitchen. Before I can get there, I’m intercepted by Colin Robinson, who is, once again, holding a cup of coffee and wearing another vest. I shuffle nervously on my feet, now come to the realization that I am surrounded by vampires.

“What makes you so different?” I blurt before I can stop myself. Colin looks bewildered. “Good morning to you, too,” he mutters. 

“I’m sorry. Good morning. What I meant was, if you’re a vampire like everyone else, why can you be awake in the daytime?” Colin takes a sip of his coffee. 

“Your first assumption was incorrect: I am not like everyone else. I’m an energy vampire: a daywalker,” I nod at his explanation, though I’m still confused. “I feed off of people’s negative energy. Energy vampires are the most common of vampires, and I’m sure you’ve met some before meeting me.”

“Are you draining me right now?” I ask cautiously. Colin seems to find this amusing.

“No, no. I do it when you least expect it.” His words hang in the air for a moment before Guillermo peaks out of the kitchen. 

“Leave her alone, Colin,” Colin’s eyes glow blue at Guillermo’s words. So his eyes were glowing yesterday. 

“Go and enjoy breakfast. I sure have enjoyed mine,” Colin smirks before walking away. I make my way to the kitchen and prepare for the rest of the day. 

The rest of the day is rather mundane. Guillermo told me I should start getting used to taking naps in the daytime if I wanted to spend time with the vampires. When asking him if he was going to take a nap, he merely laughed. 

“The job of a vampire’s bodyguard is never-ending,” he responded.

“I thought you were a familiar,” I eye him.

“I was, until the vampires got attacked by other vampires,” Guillermo responds as if it’s the most normal thing in the world. I guess, for him, it has been his normal.

“Should I be worried?”

“Not with that Van Helsing blood in you,” Guillermo nudged me. “Now get some rest.” So I did. The day was spent in a mostly-dreamless slumber as I tried to preserve my energy for the nighttime. Being a college student, changing my sleep schedule was certainly not hard. I woke up to my alarm and checked the time, seven o’clock. I rub my eyes and sit up, seeing the sun had already set below the sky. Being wintertime, it gets dark a lot earlier than I’d like. Maybe vampires enjoyed the winter more for that same reason. 

While pondering existential questions about vampirism, I peek out my door to make sure I won’t run into anyone else. As I look across the hallway, I see Nandor’s door is already open. I make my way over to his room, trying to be as quiet as possible, as if sneaking into somewhere I shouldn’t be.

I look inside his door and see his coffin opened. As I survey the rest of the room, I do not find him anywhere. 

“It is rude to try and sneak up on a vampire such as myself,” I jump in surprise and turn around. Nandor stares at me, a smirk playing at his lips. 

“I wasn’t–I didn’t–” He chuckles in that same deep baritone. 

“You’re not too sneaky for a Van Helsing,” I stand a little taller and cross my arms.

“Van Helsing or not, I’m still a De La Cruz,” Nandor raises an eyebrow at me. 

“I can see the resemblance between your brother and you. Come, would you like to sit?” Nandor gestures to a couple of chairs in his room. “The others are probably out hunting for the night,” I feel my blood go cold at his words. Nandor chuckles again before speaking, “Don’t worry – I ate yesterday in preparation for your arrival,” I feel his eyes on me as I sit in the chair. He moves to sit next to me. 

“Do you… kill people?”

“Yes,” his response is quick and almost cold.

“Do you enjoy it?” Nandor sighs.

“Only sometimes. Those are boring questions. I hear them too often. Let’s talk about something more interesting,” Nandor feigns a yawn which elicits a smile from me. 

“How old are you?” Nandor peers down at me from the corner of his eye, smiling. 

“I am over seven hundred years old. How old are you?” I suddenly feel much more shy and self-conscious. “Oh, come now, don’t tell me you don’t want to answer any of my questions.”

“I’m 23,” I respond quickly, as if challenging his words. 

“But a sprout amongst the trees,” Nandor’s words flow from him. “Y/N, I like your name.”

“Thank you… It’s a family name. Where does ‘Nandor’ originate?” Nandor smiles proudly. 

“From Hungary. It’s a version of ‘Ferdinand,’” Nandor says the name with a hint of distaste. 

“You’re Hungarian?” Nandor immediately shakes his head.

“No. I’m from Al Quolnidar. It used to be part of the Ottoman Empire, but now would be southern Iran.”

“I feel like I’m getting a history lesson,” I say with a laugh.

“Do you enjoy learning?” Nandor asks, blinking slowly at me. I pause for a moment, wondering how to respond.

“Yes, I think I do,” Nandor’s chest seems to puff up proudly, like a bird showing off his feathers. 

“Then I shall give you history lessons whenever you please.”

And he does. Days pass in the house and I always await Nandor’s rising in the night. I spend some of my time getting to know everyone in the house, but Nandor, of course, steals my attention most of the time. We spend long evenings and nights getting to know one another. Yet, it feels as though my life is not as exciting as his. No matter how many times I state this fear, Nandor is quick to respond.

“Just because I’m ancient doesn’t mean I’m more interesting.” We agree to disagree on this front. During the nights we are not speaking to one another, Guillermo catches us stealing glances at one another in the kitchen or the library. He, of course, knows we both have feelings for one another, but tries to inform me of how stupid and dangerous that is. I hush him up every time, telling him to let me have my fun, as there’s no possible way Nandor feels the same way about me. Guillermo shuts up every time, going back to whatever he’s doing. During one of our nightly talks, Nandor begins to open up a bit more about his love life.

“I had 37 husbands and wives,” I nearly spit out my drink at the number. 

“Shit, I realize this is probably insensitive, but how did you keep up with all of them?” Nandor laughs and waves off my question.

“I loved 35 of them, so it was relatively easy. The other two were political marriages: women meant to bear my children to carry on my name,” I try not to blush at the thought. 

“That must have been nice–having so many partners to spend time with,” I try to spin the situation.

“Oh no, I spent most of my time with my concubines when I was on the battlefield,” I, once again, try not to choke on my drink. 

“Did you ever think it was enough?” The words fall from my lips before I can reign them in. Nandor looks at me, surprised by my question.

“No… I suppose I didn’t,” I frown at his response.

“Do you ever think about settling down?” The dam has opened. 

“I’m a vampire. All I ever think about is settling down for eternity. I lived enough lives by being a conqueror as a human,” Nandor looks at his glass, half-empty with AB+ blood.

“Seven hundred years is a long time to be alive. I feel like I’ve lived through enough as a 23-year-old,” Nandor gives me a look.

“You’re still young,” he says as a matter-of-fact statement. “Let the world open up to you.”

“I think I have had enough of the world opening up to me,” I begin to swirl the wine in my glass. 

“What do you mean?” Nandor’s curiosity is piqued.

“Helping out a single mom since you were 12 is not exactly a job for sheltered individuals,” I say with a sigh. “My mom needed someone to help out around the house after Guillermo left. I was that someone. It wasn’t all that bad, but it was hard.”

Nandor is suddenly hit with the crushing realization that he inadvertently did this to you. He took away Guillermo, he made it nearly impossible for Guillermo to reach out and speak to his family. Nandor takes a sip from his glass. If his face could blush, it would certainly be burning from his shame right now. 

“I’m sorry,” is his only reply. I give him a smile, one that he recognizes as a friendly but tired look.

“Don’t be. It shaped me into who I am. I like me,” I say simply.

“I hope you don’t mind if I were to ask you about your father?” Nandor immediately wishes he could take back his words once he watches my face fall. 

“I don’t remember much. He was a piece of crap who bullied our mother for a living. When he finally decided to get lost, I couldn’t help but feel abandoned. My mom loved me as best as she could, but that doesn’t mean it was what I needed,” I say before taking another sip of my wine. “Blood is thick, though. I am forever appreciative that I got this opportunity to reunite with Guillermo, even if that means having my worldview shattered,” I say with a laugh. 

“How do you do it?” Nandor asks as he studies my face.

“How do I do what?”

“How do you speak about such things with a smile on your face? You should be crying.”

“I weep when I’m alone,” I tell him as I look into my glass again. “It’s not very becoming of me to cry in front of people I don’t know that well, now is it?” Nandor also looks into his glass before looking back up at me.

“I would like to know you,” Nandor says those words simply, as if it wasn’t a declaration.

“I don’t think you would. I’m broken–” I start.

“I don’t know why you’ve convinced yourself you’re not worth knowing. You’re allowed to be angry with me, you know? I took your brother away for years, causing you to have to raise yourself. I would understand completely if you chose to hate me,” Nandor’s words spill forth like a waterfall. 

“I don’t hate you,” my face is burning.

“Why?” Nandor’s question is exasperated. 

“I’m not sure, but I don’t. You’ve given me every chance in the world to speak freely, but I don’t feel like hating you. It does not change the past, nor does it heal the future. I think just being in your presence now is a comfort. One I should not take for granted,” Nandor is stunned into silence. 

“Can I kiss you?” I am stunned by this question. I stand abruptly before getting ready to leave. 

“I should get going,” I close the door before he has the chance to respond.

Nandor’s POV

By the end of the night, Nandor’s room looks as if a tornado blew through it. Once he heard you leave the house, he began to destroy everything within it. He threw his glass of blood at the wall, watching it shatter with a cruel satisfaction. Of course you would not reciprocate. You’re too full of life, too wonderful, too good for him. Nandor roars in anger at each of these thoughts, destroying some of the furniture in his room. All that remains untouched are his coffin and the paintings of himself on the wall: all a cruel reminder of the warlord he was. The violent, cruel, evil dictator who took lives without care. Of course you felt the need to run away for the night. He made you uncomfortable, and he couldn’t blame you for feeling that way.

At some point in the night, there is a knock at his door. Nandor rounds on Guillermo, hissing as he stares at his bodyguard. 

“Leave me,” Nandor’s words are cold and angry. But Guillermo does not leave.

“What happened?” His question brings forth a thousand more thoughts in Nandor’s head, who clutches it as if it is going to explode.

“She left. I scared her away,” Nandor’s voice cracks from emotion, and he curses himself for it, finding a book on his nightstand and ripping it apart.

“What? How?” Nandor storms over to Guillermo, towering above him intimidatingly. 

“Leave. Me.”

“This is my sister we’re talking about. My sister, who is alone in the streets of Staten Island because of you. Now, tell me what happened,” Guillermo’s temper almost matches Nandor’s. Nandor lets out a frustrated huff before explaining what happened. 

“She was never angry with me. Never angry at me, the monster who kept her brother away from her for 14 years. She held no bitterness towards me about it,” Nandor turns around to hide his shame. “None, until of course, when I ruined it by asking to kiss her,” Guillermo falls silent with these words. 

“We have to go find her. She couldn’t have gotten far–” Guillermo begins, trying to ignore the feelings stirring within him.

“We don’t have to do anything. You will go and find her. I have done enough for tonight,” Nandor hisses, throwing a glare at Guillermo over his shoulder. There’s a pause between them before Guillermo glares back at Nandor. 

“Fine. Next time, stay away from my sister,” the door slams behind him and Nandor jumps, quickly returning to destroying his room. 

Guillermo’s POV

She couldn’t have gotten far. That’s the only thing he can think as he goes out to look for you. You couldn’t have gone too far. Guillermo, met with constant lefts and rights, decides to follow a path he had taken you on during one of your many daily adventures through Staten Island. Left, left, right, straight for a few miles… You couldn’t have gone far. He tries to think of all the possible places you could have gone. 

You took your car, of course. You left in your car to do whatever you wanted, and he had no chance to stop it. Suddenly, he remembers the pang of disappointment he felt in his stomach when you said you enjoyed going to bars. He took you to a bar a couple days ago. It had food, greasy food, but it also had drinks. That’s probably where you went. He tries to stuff down the thought of you drunk driving. You wouldn’t. 

Guillermo feels an immense sense of relief when he sees your car outside the bar. He opens the doors, a sense of peace washing over him. That is, until he realizes you aren’t there. Guillermo’s panic rises within him again as he looks around. He asks the bartender if he saw you – he hadn’t. You were sending him on a wild goose chase. Guillermo clutches his head in frustration, trying to think of where else you could be. That is, of course, until he hears you scream.

Y/N’s POV

I wanted to go to the bar for the shitty food. I knew it would make me feel much better after running away from Nandor. I had been mentally kicking myself the entire night over Nandor’s question. Why did I leave? I cover my face as I sit at the front sidewalk of the bar.

Commitment issues. It was always commitment issues. I felt so embarrassed for leaving Nandor hanging, but I was terrified when he asked to kiss me. I wanted to, of course, but I had never… I mean, what would come next? Marriage? Sex? The last thought sends a shiver through me. He’s a vampire. I’m just a blip in his long existence: an impermanent thing. I cover my face and groan to get myself free of those thoughts. Standing up to go into the bar, I reach the front door before I feel my arm grabbed by some stranger, dragging me away with a hand over my mouth.

I’m dragged into an alley, a knife pressed against my back. Yeah, this would happen to me.

“Don’t scream,” the voice is scarily calm. “I’m just robbing you. This will go as easily as you want it to,” he speaks the words as if they’re molasses stuck in his teeth. As he removes his hand from my mouth, I take a deep breath. 

“I don’t have a lot of money on me,” I responded brokenly. 

“Well, it seems we have a problem, don’t we?”

“Please. Let me go. I’ll give you the keys to my car,” I am pleading now.

“You think I want some busted car from a college student?” The knife begins to dig into my skin. I gasp and the man shushes me before whispering in my ear.

“I told you this would go as easily as you wanted it to. It seems you don’t care too much,” I shake my head and try to reason with him. 

“Please, I won’t tell anyone about this. I’ll go quietly. I’ll give you everything I have, it’s just not much,” the man removes the knife from my back and brings it to my cheek. He slowly drags it down the side of my face, certainly drawing blood. I cry out, beginning to scream for help. After a brief moment, I feel the weight lifted from behind me as the man is dragged off of me. 

“Don’t touch her,” I hear a familiar voice hiss behind me. I scoot away from Nandor and the man he is now holding off the ground. His eyes are a deep red; red as blood. With that thought, I raise a hand to my cheek, feeling the warm liquid running down my face. I catch Nandor watching me touch the blood on my cheek. He hisses at the man, and it’s a deep and menacing sound. “Look away,” his voice is deep and commanding. 

I tuck my head and cover my face. The moment I do, I hear a disgusting squelching sound, followed by a gasp from the man. I’m sure he would have screamed if he could, but I would guess Nandor went for the throat.

“Y/N, we have to go,” I uncover my face to find Guillermo staring at me, frantically trying to pull me to my feet. In a split-second decision, I turn to look at Nandor, who is crouched on the ground like a predator, face deep into the man’s skin. His eyes are on mine the moment I look upon him, and I can feel his relief as he looks at me. Guillermo drags me out of the alley, holding my hand the entire way. 

“Stop looking!” Guillermo commands as he pulls me out of Nandor’s view.

“He’s not going to hurt me–” 

“You’re bleeding,” Guillermo interrupts me. “I don’t want to tempt an apex predator, thank you very much.” He opens the passenger door and helps me sit down before going to the driver’s side. Guillermo speeds off in his car, headed back in the direction of the house. When I looked behind the car, all I could see was Nandor standing in the middle of the road, blood covering his face.

We got back home after driving for a few minutes in silence. When Guillermo parks the car, he looks over at me.

“Are you okay?” I cover my face and look away.

“Yes,” I responded curtly.

“No you’re not,” Guillermo puts a hand on my shoulder to comfort me, rubbing it softly. “It’s okay to not feel okay after something like that. I remember the first time I saw a human die at the hands of vampires. It’s scary. You shouldn’t have had to see that,” he speaks so gently.

“I’m okay, really. I mean, yes it was scary… I guess I’m just glad Nandor got there in time.” Guillermo nods.

“Me too. You can thank him when he’s not all bloodlusted,” Guillermo almost reads my mind. 

“I’ll just clean up and it’ll be alright–” I begin.

“No. He’s already got the scent of your blood. He’s going to be touchy for the rest of the night. We need to get you patched up and to bed,” Guillermo cuts me off. “That is a talk that can happen another day.” I finally relent, nodding in agreement.

“Okay… Can I go get cleaned up now?” Guillermo turns the car off and walks beside me the entire way, keeping an eye out for Nandor. “I’ll be fine, you know?” He scoffs at my words.

“You’re as stubborn as him – I’ll give you that,” he mutters under his breath. When we make it in the house, Guillermo helps clean me up. Luckily, the other vampires were nowhere to be seen, though Guillermo was sure they could smell my blood. “I’m going to put a cross on your door tonight. Give you a couple stakes…” 

“Would that really be necessary?” Guillermo shoots me a look. 

“I’m not taking any risks. He’s dangerous and I will not have my sister getting bitten by a vampire,” he continued to dab a washcloth on the wound on my cheek. 

“It’s going to be a huge, ugly scar, isn’t it?” There’s a hint of despair in my voice. Guillermo sighs.

“I don’t know… Probably… But not ugly! Let’s… not worry about that right now,” he tries to filter his words, but it’s really no use. He begins to use alcohol prep pads on my skin, causing me to hiss through my teeth. 

“Ow, that really hurts,” Guillermo’s face turns sympathetic.

“You’re very strong. I don’t think it needs stitches: it wasn’t that deep. Can I put gauze on your cheek?” I nod.

“Here we go. It’ll be okay. You will be staying in your room tonight,” Guillermo’s words leave no room for argument. I groan at him, rolling my eyes.

“Fine,” Guillermo nods as he finishes disinfecting my face and putting gauze over it. 

“You’ll bounce back quickly. Something tells me you always do,” he gives me a wink and helps me stand before pushing me into my room. Guillermo places a stake on my bedside table, then goes to hang a cross on the front of the door. 

“Is all of this really necessary?” My question is exasperated. Guillermo shoots me a glare. 

“Is keeping you safe from a deadly vampire necessary? Oh geez, let’s think about that,” I roll my eyes again at his words. 

“Okay, thank you. Good night, Guillermo,” I sigh and place the hand over my gauze. Guillermo’s eyes soften and he makes his way to sit on my bed next to me. 

“You’ll be okay, I promise. I just want to be careful, you know?” I nod along to Guillermo’s words. 

“Thanks. I know you’re just looking out for me. I appreciate it,” I say to him sincerely. 

“Just rest. The morning will be here before you know it,” he leans over and gives me a tight hug. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too… Good night,” I say to him. Guillermo smiles and makes his way to my door, closing it behind him. 

I wish I could say that I tried falling asleep, but I did not. I stayed awake for what felt like hours, tossing and turning in my bed. All I could think about was Nandor standing in the middle of the road, watching me drive away with Guillermo. There’s a level of guilt that falls on my shoulders as I think about that look he gave me. I hold my cheek, beginning to cry softly at the thought of my face being marred for the rest of my life. 

After crying for a long enough time to feel dehydrated afterwards, I hear the loud flapping of wings and a squeak outside my door. There’s a poof sound, followed shortly by a hissing as Nandor approaches my door. 

“Fucking guy,” Nandor hissed at the cross on my door. I stand, tiptoeing over to the door before cracking it open. Before me was Nandor, cleaned up and in the same outfit I saw him in earlier. His face immediately softened once he saw me. “Y/N… Are you okay?” He reaches a hand out and I flinch, a little afraid from what I saw earlier. 

“I’m alright, I promise. You… shouldn’t be here,” Nandor scoffs at my words.

“What did your brother tell you?” He spits the words. 

“He said you would be… touchy. I don’t want to irritate you,” I whisper, trying to make sure Guillermo wouldn’t hear us. Nandor’s face widens into a smirk.

“Oh no, my dear, wrong touchy,” I blush in surprise and he takes this as an opportunity to push past me, closing the door swiftly behind him as he carries me towards my bed. 

“Nandor! Please,” I protest as he lays me down on my bed, quickly following to curl up behind me.

“Please what, darling? Use your words,” he nuzzles against my face, nose rubbing against the gauze on my cheek. 

“I don’t– I can’t…” The words are lost on my lips and Nandor shushes me. 

“I know, darling. I can smell it on you,” he nuzzles against my cheek again, pressing a kiss to the gauze on my face. “A virgin, are we? I smelled it in your blood,” Nandor whispers as he puts an arm around me. I blush deeply in surprise that he was able to guess so easily. 

“I grew up very Catholic,” are the only words that leave my mouth. Nandor chuckles darkly.

“I don’t care. It doesn’t matter why, it matters that you are,” he kisses my cheek again. I shake my head again, trying in futility to deny.

“I ran away after you asked to kiss me,” Nandor stops suddenly, his grip loosening. 

“I will leave you if you wish it,” he continues to pull away. 

“No! I mean… you don’t have to,” I try to cover the desperation in my voice. Nandor chuckles again and leans in against me.

“You smell amazing,” Nandor continues to nuzzle against my cheek. 

“I shouldn’t have run away. I’m sorry,” I feel the remorse surge within me.

“Don’t be. I got a free meal of it,” he teases gently before nosing against the pulse point on my neck. 

“But I am sorry. I shouldn’t have left you. I should have told you that I’m afraid to get close to people, that it was never your fault–” Nandor nips my neck gently, causing the words to die in my throat.

“Hush, Y/N. Stop apologizing. I don’t want you wasting your breath on something I already understand,” he leans down and kisses my head. I flip to my other side, facing Nandor and getting a good look at him for the first time since the attack. His eyes are still a faint red, pupils blown wide with some primal feeling deep within him. I reach a hand up and push a strand of his hair behind his ear. I hear a low groan rise from his throat.

“What does it feel like?” I ask suddenly. Nandor pulls away to look at me.

“What does what feel like?”

“Drinking blood. Is it… I don’t know… enjoyable?” Nandor smirks as he looks at me. 

“I wouldn’t be able to explain it. Drinking blood is like nothing I ever did when I was a human. It feels so powerful, like something out of a movie,” Nandor gets lost in thought, staring out of the paper-covered window.

“What does it feel like for a human?” Nandor looks at me a moment, before answering.

“When I was turned, it was not a pleasant experience. I’m assuming that was due to the violence of the one turning me, but I’ve heard some humans find it to be a pleasant experience. Why?” Nandor asks the question he already knows the answer to.

“I… would you drink from me?” I look up at him shyly. Nandor’s breath hitches as he looks at me. 

“You would want that?” I nod, the words dying in my chest.

“Would you remember me?” Nandor looks perplexed by the question.

“I would know you through the rain and the snow, through every storm that appears in the night. Just because your blood calls to me doesn’t mean I will answer in violence,” Nandor leans down and presses a kiss to my undamaged cheek. 

“You make it sound so easy,” I whisper to him.

“For some, it really is.”

“Is it for you?” Nandor hesitates.

“No, but I will not forget you,” I lean forward and hug Nandor against me. 

“You saved my life once. I owe you, at the very least,” Nandor leans forward and captures my lips in a kiss. It is a deep and passionate kiss that conveys the days of yearning between us. I could imagine myself getting lost in that kind of yearning forever. The kind of yearning that leaves one seeking answers from the beginning of the first interaction. 

Nandor’s tongue presses against my lips, licking off any balm I put on there a few hours before. I open my mouth to him, breath getting stolen as he takes a greedy gulp of my air. 

“The second you view this as a transactionary agreement,” he starts as he pulls away from my lips, “you’ll forget how much I want to get to know you. I don’t want you to forget that,” he says as he presses a kiss to my nose. He pushes my head to the side gently, sniffing my pulse point and taking a moment to just sit there. 

“You’re so sweet,” I whisper to him.

“Sweet. That’s not a word that’s been used to address me before,” He laughs and presses a kiss to my neck. I giggle softly as he continues to press kisses to my neck. “I like those noises. You sound happy. I only want to hear you happy,” Nandor mutters against my neck.

“I hope that not always being happy is not a let-down,” Nandor chuckles again, nipping my neck softly. 

“Don’t speak as if you’re some consolation prize. I don’t care. I like you,” he mumbles against my skin. 

“Are you going to bite me now?” I ask, trying to deflect some of the attention he was putting towards me. Nandor nuzzles against my neck again, dragging his teeth along my neck. 

“The second you say it back, I will. I like you,” Nandor says, pulling away to look me in my eyes. I blush deeply, trying to maintain eye-contact with him.

“I like you, too,” I say as Nandor leans down and captures my lips in another kiss.

“That’s more like it,” he says, bending down and pressing a kiss to my jaw. He leans down and kisses against my neck, growling against my skin. “So warm, so soft, so sweet,” he sinks his fangs into my skin. It feels like a short needle prick and I jump a little in surprise. As I jump, Nandor’s hold on me tightens to keep me in place. I whimper a little as I feel him begin to take pulls of my blood. 

“That… feels really nice,” I mutter to myself, feeling as if I had entered a trance. Nandor groans as he continues to drink deeply from my neck. The sounds are lewd and wanton as my body curls into him. It feels as though a thousand hands are holding me against him, making me feel safe and protected in his arms.

He takes a couple more pulls of my blood before pulling away, licking the puncture wounds on my neck. He kisses the marks gently, groaning from deep in the back of his throat. 

“You taste divine,” he breathes the words as if they are keeping him alive. 

“That felt really nice,” I mutter, still in a daze. Nandor chuckles and holds my face in his hand.

“I’m sure it did. I made sure to be gentle with you,” he says as he kisses the spot where he bit again. There are moments like these that help one realize just how connected blood really makes us. It feels as if we are bonded in some way, and I can tell Nandor is feeling it, too. “I’m sure you can feel how intense things are right now. Just take a deep breath, okay?” He holds eye-contact with me and takes a deep breath, trying to get me to follow suit. When I do, he smiles and kisses my cheek. “Good girl,” he whispers. My eyebrows knit together with his nickname.

“Oh, you liked that, did you, darling?” He kisses my lips quickly before saying, “my good girl,” once again.

4am - Nandor’s POV

Nandor woke up with you in his arms, feeling the weight and security you offered him. However, after a moment of peace, he feels something pressed against his back. 

“Get up,” Guillermo’s voice is a deep warning. 

“Guillermo–” Nandor tries to speak.

“Get up. I will not ask again,” he hisses again, holding the stake against Nandor’s back. Nandor looks over as you begin to stir. 

“You wouldn’t want to wake her up, would you?” Nandor’s voice is a deep purr. 

“Did you bite her?” Guillermo already knows the answer.

“Only because she asked,” Nandor nearly taunts Guillermo, who grabs Nandor and pulls him out of the bed. 

“I told you to leave my sister alone,” Guillermo growls at Nandor, who holds his hands up in defense. 

“She invited me in,” Guillermo frowns at Nandor’s words. When you stir, they both look over in surprise.

“Did anyone think about asking me what I wanted?” You stare at the two of them, glaring at Guillermo. “Yes, I invited him in. Yes, I realize that may sound dumb to you. No, I do not regret it,” Guillermo bristles at your words.

“I’m just making sure you’re safe,” his voice is a strangled mix of frustrated and calm. 

“Unhand Nandor, dude,” you say to your brother, who begrudgingly lets him go. Guillermo storms out of the room, causing you to want to go after him. 

“Don’t. He needs a minute alone,” Nandor starts.

“You don’t know what he needs. I need to apologize to him.” You get up and make your way out of the room, heading down the stairs to find Guillermo fuming in the kitchen. 

Guillermo’s POV

“I’m sorry,” are all the words you can muster. He hears you from behind him and he turns around, glaring.

“I told you to leave it alone for the night, and what did you do? Not that. Certainly not what your brother asks you to do,” you frown.

“It’s fine, he was fine! Nothing happened,” at your words, Guillermo’s eyes flicker to the puncture wounds on your neck. She flushes in embarrassment and quickly covers up the marks. “Nothing beyond that.”

“I don’t care what happened between the two of you, I want Nandor to be good to my sister. I don’t want him to lose interest the second you lose your novelty to him.”

“I don’t think I’m some novelty to him. I think he likes me–” Guillermo holds a hand up to quiet his sister. 

“I need to speak with Nandor,” he says with a biting edge to his tone. 

“Not with that stake, you don’t,” Y/N says with a glare thrown his way. Guillermo huffs, standing up from the table and walking out of the kitchen without his stake. As he stomps his way up the stairs, he sees Nandor peer from out of his room. 

“You, me, talk. Now,” Nandor opens the door for him, allowing him entry. 

“Guillermo!” Nandor says with a friendly lilt in his voice, trying to appeal to Guillermo’s normally good-natured attitude. “What is cracking, friend? How has your day been going?” Guillermo looks at Nandor’s room, still in complete disarray from the night before. He turns at Nandor and looks up at him. 

“When you said you wanted to court my sister, I could have killed you. When I saw you holding my sister this morning, I almost killed you,” Nandor shrinks from Guillermo’s words. But, he sighs. “Be good to her. That’s not a lot to ask for, is it?” Nandor immediately shakes his head. 

“I will be the best to her. Only the best she deserves,” Guillermo nods, thinking over Nandor’s words. He huffs and pinches the bridge of his nose.

“If you so much as break her heart, I’ll put a stake through yours,” Guillermo threatens. Nandor crosses his fingers over his heart.

“Scout’s honor,” he bares his teeth in a little smile at his bodyguard. Nandor nearly jumps for joy as he makes his way out of the room to find you. When he sees you at the bottom of the stairs, Nandor grabs you around your waist and spins you around, kissing your bandaged cheek again. 

Y/N's POV

“Well, that went well…” I say with a laugh as Nandor brings me closer to kiss my cheek. 

“It did. Better than I could have ever imagined, my morning star,” I blush at his nickname, which elicits a satisfied noise from Nandor. “You like my little nicknames?” Nandor leans in and kisses my lips once again with a surprising amount of gentle energy. He dips me once my feet touch the floor, breaking apart only to look at me with the same reverence as yesterday. 

“Yes, I could get used to the nicknames,” Nandor smiles brightly, his fangs bared. 

“Anything for you, little one,” he whispers, leaning down to kiss me again.

[poppadom0912]

🍰 with Conner Rhodes. Prompts ‘this isn’t up for debate’ and/or ‘are you hurt’? Congrats on 1k!!!

A/N: Thank you so much for ordering! I've been in a bit of a slump recently and I wasn't motivated to write anything till you sent this so another thank you. Please enjoy!!

🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰

"Are you hurt?"

You whipped your head to the door, immediately regretting it as the pain pulsated, head continuously throbbing and eye twitching. You took so long to recollect yourself that you missed the concern wash over your husband who instantly rushed over to you, bag discarded and coat still on.

"What the hell happened?" His voice was ever so soft, drowning in concern, his gentle fingers cradling your face, both hands providing warmth the snow outside couldn't.

"Just a small accident at work." You said under your breath, voice hoarse from all the shouting. "It looks worse than it feels, trust me."

"You look like you've been in a car accident, this isn't small at all- your hands are bleeding!"

Sighing, you were already internally preparing to give up. You were so tired after a long day at work that you didn't have it in you to be your usual stubborn self who would fight so everything would go your way.

"We're going to med." Connor said with that no-nonsense tone to express his seriousness, knowing that you were going to fight back.

Which is exactly what you did.

"Con please, a few bandages, a shower and painkillers and I'll be perfectly fine." You argued back, already moving to stand up, trying your best not to wince at the burning in your legs.

"Oh my- you can't get even up you're in so much pain." Connor said under his breath, his hands feather light as he supported you in getting up. "What even happened?"

Yeah, there was no way in hell you were telling him what happened, he'd carry you out the house to the hospital no questions asked.

He clearly didn't appreciate the silence.

"Baby please." He stopped you from walking away, his big eyes boring into yours with desperation that only made you hurt more. "Just let me help you."

Sighing, you begrudgingly told him, unable to not fold when he looked at you like that.

"We were chasing someone on the run and we didn't realise there was two of them... so I might've gotten hit by a car."

Silence

"I'm sorry." Connor laughed incredulously, shaking his head in disbelief before asking, "Say that again for me because there's no way I just heard you say you got hit by a car."

You sucked air through your teeth, remaining silent, watching as reality set in.

Nodding his head, Connor looked on the edge of hysteria.

"We're going to med." He stated, picking up your phone and going to get your jacket. "Right now, let's go."

"Con babe-"

"This isn't up for debate." He finalised, resting your coat on your shoulders.

"It's okay to ask for help, that's why I'm here - it's why you married a surgeon." A soft smile made its why to his face. "Let me do my job and look after my wife, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good." He said before sweeping you off your feet so smoothly that you felt no pain even after the sudden movement.

Squealing, you tried to keep down the laughter as not to be in more pain, you hands tightening around Connor's neck as he started walking.

"My gorgeous stubborn wife, oh what ever will I do with you." He said wistfully, making sure the door was locked behind him before looking down at you so fondly that it was hard to believe that his wife just got hit by a car.

"Ah, you'll just have to pamper her and be at her beck and call for the rest of eternity - that's the least you could do." You played along, your smile brightening as the pain dimmed a little.

"Oh no! I'm forever doomed, someone needs to save me."

Giggling, you found yourself relaxing, almost going limp in his arms.

"I'm joking, the only person who needs saving is Ruzek for not calling me the second you got hurt."

Shit. Adam was screwed and there was no one able to save him.

[myhamartiaishubris]

Ben Hargreeves is the worst written best character and I can prove it

This is a poorly organized meta/essay about my baby boy who got massacred. Originally posted in the discord server so some of y'all have seen it already.

Let me be clear: this is a love letter to my favourite Hargreeves boy. I could write him better. I could fix him (narratively).

Here's why Ben is a great character who, paradoxically, was very badly written.

Umbrella Ben

Listen. Listen to me. Ben Hargreeves was, from the moment I saw him, my absolute favourite character. He's already dead? Doomed by the narrative before the narrative even begins? Also, an East Asian character in the year of our Lord 2018?? I was on board. And Brelly Ben gets a lot of good moments! You know that scene where Klaus is in the motel closet, tied up, and Ben says something like, "How does it feel being helpless? This is how I feel, watching my brother piss his life away." Um, hello?? That's such a delicious line.

Because up until this point Ben's been kind of quiet, in that dead broody way, or we saw his young self being soft and reluctant. But suddenly we realize, oh, Ben isn't nice. In fact, he's kind of nasty to his addict brother, and you get this kernel of a glimpse into his character. This is a character who might have been soft-spoken in life, but death and the years since have shredded him down to all his razor edges. He's still that bookish little Ben, except he's not little and he's frustrated, angry, traumatized, and in pain.

And season 2 builds on this! He's willing to violate Klaus's personal boundaries just for a taste of life again. Holy shit that's so delicious. My problem is that, especially in season 2, this isn't explored nearly as much as it could be. Ben's possession shenanigans are mostly played for comedy, when in fact we could be delving into the implications of Ben's character and his relationship with Klaus. You have this character who's kind, who (from what we know so far) represented the "good" of the academy, who loves his brother so so hard and it hurts him so bad to see Klaus hit rock bottom every time. The little "I missed you guys" in season 2? Devastating. And yet despite his goodness he is capable of being a bad person, and he repeatedly hurts those around him (namely Klaus).

So surely this is part of his arc, right? This is going to be explored and resolved. Right?

The Season 2 Ending

So the thing is, I didn't immediately hate the way they had Ben move on / die to save Viktor. I was sad to see my favourite character go, but also excited to see where the writers would take that storyline. Because, obviously, it wasn't over. Right? Obviously Ben's arc isn't finished, he hasn't resolved his frustrations, his complicated relationship with Klaus is never fully untangled, plus the rest of the family never get a moment of real closure with him (except maybe Diego). So clearly, it wasn't over. Right?

Well, in light of season 4, I can confidently come back and say that killing Brelly Ben off here was a stupidass decision.

And here's why: you've effectively splintered his arc in half. Starting from season 3, Ben is an entirely different character, with an entirely different arc that needs to be built from the ground up. While everyone else gets 4 seasons of development, Ben only gets 2, both times. And I'm so not over the fact that his arc isn't over. We saw Ben do some reprehensible shit to Klaus, especially in season 2 with all that possession shit! And we just. Never hear from him again? That's bullshit.

But anyway, since we're here, let's make peace with being here. Hey, Justin H Min is still playing a version of Ben, and he seems interesting, if way different! Surely this will have some interesting implications.

Sparrow Ben

Oh god, Sparrow Ben. In terms of Ben's character writing, season 3 is... fine. Like I said, it suffers from effectively fracturing his arc in half and having to start over, and this isn't the complicated, kind but frustrated and prickly ghost Ben I originally fell in love with. But ok, I do like Justin, and EA rep is still a win to me, so let's go with the flow.

For the most part, season 3 does a solid job. We get some solid beats relating to Ben's ambition and inferiority complex being Number 2. There's a bit of overacting on Justin's part, but hey, that's camp. (I think. I have no idea if I'm using that word right. Am I hip with the kids?)

I really, really loved Ben's moment with Sloane as she's getting married, because it highlights the core of this Ben's character: someone who desperately yearns for family but has forced himself to be all hard shell and soldier. In a way, he's the other end of Brelly Ben's spectrum. (Like forsterite and fayalite - all Mg on one end, Fe on the other.) How much of this Ben is family softness, how much of it is defense mechanism and lashing out?

And then of course - the thing I've been craving so badly - the in-universe comparison to Brelly Ben. This was done... underwhelmingly, if I'm honest. I liked that Ben had a moment of crisis where he couldn't live up to the Umbrellas' dead version of himself, and his moment with Klaus was nice, but in light of season 4 it becomes clear that we could have had more. I wanted him to have an entire arc about it - after all, it's a pretty significant aspect of your character to be "the worse version of yourself from another timeline." (Refer to @vyther16's Gongye Jiwu fic.) I feel like there's a lot of meta you could pull from that, about how your siblings who aren't your siblings look at you and see someone different. Someone you won't be. Someone you can't be, even if you tried, so why bother trying? And they really don't dig through that at all, which is disappointing.

The tentacle samurai fight is badass, though.

Season 4

Oh buddy oh boy. There's so much dumpster fire here, but I'll start with the season 3 loose ends and then move on to season 4's own problems.

1) Sloane. Luther picks Ben up from prison, so I thought they might have an interesting bonding moment over Sloane - after all, they're the two people who cared most about her. But actually no, apparently Ben doesn't give a shit about the one real sister he actually had left at the end of s3.

2) The subway thing. Wasn't he in Korea? My grasping-at-straws ass truly thought that might have been Brelly Ben in the reset timeline, and we'd get a Ben-Ben confrontation or a battle in the minds thing. But I guess that doesn't matter.

3) The Jennifer Incident. So we all know that everyone forgetting about an incident they explicitly reference is stupid, right? Especially because the name Jennifer only exists because they reference it in s3. Ben obsessively draws Jennifer, and then he doesn't recognize or know her? Kill me.

The continuation of his arc is also just sloppy, if it even exists. No more identity crisis about being the worse Ben, no more secret yearning for family or inferiority complex about being a good soldier. Suddenly his arc amounts to, uh, being an asshole and getting hit with sex pollen so powerful it ends the world.

And look, there is a world where Sparrow Ben spiking everyone with marigold could parallel with Brelly Ben's consent problems with Klaus. There is a world where Sparrow Ben dying because of Jennifer could echo Brelly Ben's death in a haunting, tragic, destined kind of way.

But, uh, none of that happens. Here we are, finally getting a Ben-centric season, and it's this. Being relegated to a plot device in your own season. Looking back and realizing that you were always the plot device, even in season 2. Carrying all that tragedy in your little ghost body and being treated like Chekov's waterlogged gun.

And I can't help but look back at season 1, Klaus trying so desperately to prove Ben's existence, and contrast it with the literal next season where a single throwaway line from Klaus sidelines Ben for a whole season. And then he dies. And he dies again.

Fucking hell.

It feels like I'm being made a fool of. Oh, you cared about this East Asian character? You wanted him to have narrative weight and character presence instead of being a plot device for the benefit of his White brothers? Idiot.

Because you'll still be here anyway, right? You'll grasp onto your crumbs for a cool EA character, you'll let us run a character through a trash compactor and keep pretending he's a good character because you latched onto this one East Asian protagonist and you don't want to admit that maybe you should have let go years before.

[partycatty]

older!johnny cage > overheard

you're caught in the act of swooning over your boss

notes: i'm not even fuckin playing i just woke up from my nap in a cold sweat with this idea haunting my mind so here i am. i truly honestly genuinely cannot stop thinking about dilf johnny and his thick fucking arms and how much i want him to [REDACTED]

[ masterlist ]

• during your break from training, you managed to squeeze in a meal break with one of your closest friends. it was just the two of you, laughing and for once breaking the stoicism implanted into your demeanors from training ruthlessly.

• "jesus, commander cage really kicked our asses today," your friend whined, rolling her shoulder. "i get we're fighting against demons and elementals, but did we really need to run twenty miles?"

• "it wasn't all bad," you shrug, poking at your food. "we've done worse, i feel."

• "oh hush, you had the time of your life," your friend groaned, lightly pushing into your shoulder with a smirk. "you and johnny cage got to run beside each other in formation." your friend was sure to say his name in an announcer voice, wiggling her fingers as she pretended to read a large sign.

• you huff, planting a fist on the table as you try to conceal your embarrassment with faux anger. "oh my god shut up..."

• your mind wanders to earlier in the day. johnny decided to wear only a tank top instead of a long sleeve with a vest, giving you a delicious view of his arms as they pumped during the run. while you two didn't talk, he shared panting encouragements by your side, telling you you were doing so good and how much further you had left. it made running feel almost impossible as each word and grunt knocked the wind from you.

• "jesus, look at you," your friend laughs at your dreamy expression as you replay the memory. "you're down bad, girl, anyone and their mother could tell."

• "is it that obvious?" you murmur, burying your face with your hands. "i'm doomed."

• "nah, you might have a shot," she insists, pulling your hands from your face. "he might be into younger women, most celebrities are."

• "but he's not just a celebrity, he's our superior," you whine, rolling your head back. "i just watch his movies and pretend i'm the love interest."

• "oh, it's bad bad," she laughs, looking past you for a moment. her smile falters.

• "can you blame me? ugh," you rake a hand through your hair. "he's all muscle, he could just pick me up and snap me like a twig! normally i'd settle for height alone but holy fuck he's built like a brick fucking wall!"

• your friend falls silent.

• "and don't even get me started on his age," you point an accusatory finger. "he is 50 something and so fucking fine i can't even bring myself to focus on literally anything ever. i watched some of his old movies, and he literally aged like the finest fucking wine any vineyard has ever even dreamed of making! thank god his daughter is the commander because if he stood around and told me what to do i'd behave so much like a dog it would embarrass me. he is the god damn devil in disguise and i sure a shit don't have a single chance of him even looking in my direction with any more than a smile because at the end of the day i'm just a sad little recruit crushing on a guy who probably has a massive di—"

• "i'm fifty-nine," you hear a low, horrifyingly familiar voice in your ear. you can't even bring yourself to turn around, smile dropping and eyes widening. the only thing you can bring yourself to do is stare across the table at your friend, who's as equally still. maybe if you were still enough, he wouldn't see you. like a dinosaur.

• "lieutenant," you breathe out after a long silence, drunk on the smell of his cologne. "we were just... t-talking about you."

• "oh yeah?" his voice is rumbly, a teasing inflection making you want to burst out in tears. you had a faint suspicion he was behind you the entire time, something he confirmed before you could muster the strength to speak. "sounded more like it was just you."

• "well," you wonder if you can outrun him, stammering as you try to talk yourself out of this. "you know..."

• you finally get the courage to spin in your chair, turning around to face him. he's towering over your sitting form, a shit-eating smirk on his lips.

• "i'm sorry, sir, i'll... i'll do extra push-ups, i'll go overtime on training, scrub the toilets, anything to—"

• he holds a hand up, waving it away as he shakes his head slowly.

• "don't stress it," he stands up straight, crossing his arms. oh my god his arms. "but, uh... just a word, in my office, when you have the chance." you almost miss the wink he sends at you, but you caught it just as he spun on his heel and walked out, a cocky sway to his hips.

• you spin back around, slack jawed at your friend, who's red from holding in her scream of excitement.

• "he's totally gonna bang you on his desk," she finally spits out, covering her mouth immediately after. you just lower your head, hitting it against the table in defeat.

• who knows what he's gonna do to you in his office?

[absolute-flaming-trash]

Been a hot minute, my friends, and I'm sorry for that.

This is something that has been sitting in my drafts for a bit and with how long it's been taking me to get other work out, I figured why not even if I'm not fully pleased with it.

I hope you enjoy regardless 💛

Pairing: Yandere!Chrollo x Reader

SFW

Word Count: 910

Warnings: Yandere, Kidnapping, Forced relationship, Murder (mentioned)

Please be nice, I don't write for this man often

“May I ask you something?”

It was a simple question, but one you regretted the moment it left your lips because of how it silenced the room.

Gone was the soft scratching of pen against paper as Chrollo looked toward your seated position, his expression thankfully that of neutrality mixed with a hint of slight intrigue.

You swallowed and looked down at your lap. Better than annoyance, you supposed.

“I just… I can’t stop thinking about it, and I have to ask...” Your fingers picked at the frayed ends of the couch while your graze returned to his. “Why me?”

He arched a brow, amusement creeping into his eyes. “Why you?”

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

“Yes.” You replied with a little more conviction in your own tone this time. “Surely keeping one person alive when the rest were doomed to die is more trouble than it’s worth.”

“Are you saying that you would’ve preferred to have shared the same fate as the rest of your fellow party go-ers?”

Your cringe followed by a beat of silence was more than enough of an answer, but you felt obligated to continue since you were the one who started this conversation in the first place.

“...No.” Your teeth found your bottom lip while you tried to gather your thoughts in a way you hoped would make sense, all while pushing the memory of the fundraiser-turned-bloodbath out of your mind. “I’m saying I don’t understand.”

Chrollo leaned back in his own seat, still looking directly at you. “You’re here to keep the police from doing anything foolish.”

“I know that!” The frustration in your chest made itself known. “But you could have taken anybody. One of the sponsors of the damn thing, or even some other random woman, yet you kept me alive. I want to know your reasoning for it.”

He didn’t seem upset by your outburst, if anything it just served to increase his growing interest in the conversation.

Likely because these were the most words you had ever spoken to him at a given time.

Bastard.

“I liked you.”

Such a simple answer, and one you did not expect from someone who typically played their cards so close to the chest. It threw you off whatever balance you mentally had, and you recovered with a scoff.

“You liked me?”

“Yes.”

A twitch went through your eye when he didn’t expand on that - the sound of pen on paper filling up the room once more. You refused to let the conversation die there.

“I don’t believe you.”

That was a lie, but one you were willing to risk if it meant bringing the topic back to life, and boy did it work.

Not only did he stop writing, he set the pen down on the desk in front of him and turned his whole body to face you. “Oh?”

Shit.

“I mean, I don’t know how you could decide using something like that in a situation that was such a spur of the moment.”

“What makes you think any of what I do is ‘spur of the moment’?”

That made you pause. He had a point there. In the short time that you knew him, he had proved himself to be anything but impulsive…

Your temples throbbed with a quickly encroaching headache.

“If it wasn’t, then what? Your choice was made before the bloodshed started?”

The words were spoken sarcastically, but you had no idea just how right you were until you saw his expression change from amused neutrality to one of…

Come to think of it, you had no idea what to call the look on his face. Admiration came closest to mind, but that didn’t feel right.

“You catch on fast, well done.”

You made a face, not a fan of the condescending tone. “So, what? If I’m not sacrificed to the cops in a hail of bullets, you’re going to keep me as some kind of pet?”

Amusement crept back onto his face. “Is that what you think?”

“If it is, I hope you know I’ll fight that with every fiber in my being.”

He hummed lowly, your promise of violence completely brushed to the side. “As intriguing as the notion is, I have no intention of doing such a thing to you.”

“Then what do you intend to do?”

A small smile appeared on his face, but he didn’t answer, allowing you a moment to draw your own conclusions.

When you did, you frowned.

“Not a chance.”

“Why?”

You gave him an indignant look. “You can’t seriously expect me to willingly be with you after everything that has happened.”

“I don’t, hence your current circumstances.”

Silence filled the air again after that. A nice reminder that whatever outcome you could’ve hoped for during this exchange, you were doomed to lose regardless.

All you could do was shake your head in malcontent and pick at the frayed ends of the couch again, unable to come up with anything further to say.

More amusement flickered across his face. “You do not wish to be my pet, nor to be my lover.” He sat back ever so slightly in his chair. “Tell me then, what do you wish to be?”

“Free.” You replied without a sliver of hesitation, locking eyes again with him once more. “But we both know that will never happen, will it?”

Chrollo threatened to genuinely smile at your answer and he shook his head once.

“No. It won’t.”

© absolute-flaming-trash 2023. Do not repost, modify, copy, or claim.  

[moon-princess-93]

Zayne Hospital Story 18+

All right, here is the long awaited long Zayne story that everyone voted on. I hope you guys like it, I typed this up a while ago when I first started playing the game. I'm not the best writer, but I tried. Lol

Synopsis: You sent some naughty text messages to Zayne while he was hard at work, but oops you have an appointment with your doctor. Too bad it happens to be Zayne!

-Dom.Zayne. P in V, Creaming, Evol out of control, Naughty texts, Zayne's office in Asko Hospital, Sorta proof read, An aspiring smut writer so take it with a grain of salt on bad writing (Sorry!)

Word Count: 4.5~

Mndi 18+

     "Oh shit…." Thinking to yourself as you mournfully walked into the Asko Hospital. You knew there was going to be big trouble as soon as you walked into the hospital today after all of those naughty texts you'd sent Zayne earlier. You had the day off and knew Zayne would be hard at work all day so what the hey, let's tease him a little bit. You loved getting a rise out of this stoic man. Pushing him to his limit before he was grabbing you by the face, giving you a hard kiss and ripping your clothes off.

     You had sent him some photos of yourself wearing one of his t-shirts that you had “borrowed” from him with only a pair of your sexiest panties. You had too many to choose from in your panty drawer so you just went with a pair that was soft in color. Zayne usually liked the more neutral colors anyways. They were light blue hipsters with white lace on the sides accentuating your hips. Most of the pictures were ass shots, but you had some under boob hanging out from his shirt. He didn’t seem too bothered about the pictures, at least not enough to really get a rise out of him until you decided to send him a video of you fingering yourself moaning his name. Panting his name while you finger fucked yourself as deeply as you could into cumming. Zayne’s fingers were so long that he didn’t have to reach far to make you cum. That's when you got him on the hook.

     “Fuck me…, I’m at work. You have to send this to me now, especially right before I have a meeting…. I'm going to have to punish you for this,” he texted back quickly. “Well you know where to find me,” you send a winky face, giggling to yourself on how such a bad girl you were. That was until your phone chimed that you had an appointment in an hour, making you die a little on the inside. The usual appointment that you always have every two weeks to make sure your protocore hadn’t exploded yet or your heart, whichever one that wanted to go out first.

    Oh my God… Your jaw hit the floor when your phone chimed again saying you had thirty minutes left to get to the hospital. Realizing you had been standing in one spot for thirty minutes made you mad dash to get changed and out the door. How could you have forgotten this?? In the time of your merrymaking to piss off your lover made you forget a lot of things. You debated about whether or not to cancel it before you stepped out the door, but you knew that Zayne would be even more pissed off at you if you didn't show up. He almost made you pay a no show fee for being one minute late for your last appointment. You sadly made it to the hospital in time with plenty of time to spare in your crazed dash to get there.

     Reluctantly walking up to the reception desk, you check in for your appointment. “Wow, you're actually here on time! Early, even! Dr. Zayne won’t be mad at you this time. A nurse will be with you soon to take you back,” the receptionist gleefully smiled at you. You weren't sure if she could see the impending doom in your eyes or not, but you smiled weakly at her before going to sit down. You sit down while waiting for your name to be called, waiting for the ultimate ass chewing that you’d receive in about five minutes or so. Your stomach has butterflies trying to escape out of your stomach at the thought of all the things you texted to Zayne and how you'll be punished.

     "Y/n!" You jolt back into reality as another nurse calls your name to come back. You stand up lightning fast, shocking the nurse a little but by how fast you stood up and quickly follow after her to Zayne's office. You are absolutely sweating by the time you get to the door with a bright red face and your fists clenched tightly. 'Fuck me…. I'm in so much trouble!!' The nurse knocks on the door, patiently waiting for an answer when you and her both hear a cold ‘Come in’. She opens the door to Zayne’s office and it feels like a blizzard blows out of the room freezing you and the nurse. She ushers you in and hands him your charts.

     There he is like usual at his office desk, typing away while he fills out patient charts. You walk in behind the nurse slowly making your way over to the chair, shivering as you walk inside. After she hands Zayne your clipboard she leaves the office and closes the door behind her giving you a happy ‘have a nice day’. You get to the chair in front of his desk and ease down into it gently as if not to disturb him, sitting down on the edge. Definitely ready to bolt out of this chilly doom room. The two of you wait in silence until he's done typing away which feels like an eternity. Zayne looks down at your charts for almost an equally long amount of time before speaking to you. 

     "So you're here just for your usual checkup on your heart?" He asks in a soft, icy tone. Eyes scanning the papers in front of him, not looking up at you.

     "Yup! That's all I'm here for!" Your response is high pitched and squeaky that it makes you jump. Doesn’t help that all your nerves feel like they’re on fire despite the chilly atmosphere in the room. Hopefully he'll end this quickly so you can go home and forget about any of this happening! Why did you have to tease him on a day like today??? Maybe he has forgotten what all you had sent him earlier? If so then you could ask him out to dinner, that would be a plus!

     Zayne gets up and comes to you with his stethoscope in hand. He places it on your chest checking your pulse, you flinch at how cold the stethoscope is. His lip curls up a bit in the corner, “Sorry, it's cold.” You hold your breath as his cold fingertips graze your chest with the equally cold stethoscope. Couldn't he have warmed it up for you before he started touching you? He usually does, but this time was very different. Maybe this was the start of your punishment, icy cold stethoscope. Goosebumps slowly creep across your skin after the lingering spots the stethoscope was.

     "You know I could hear your heart better if you actually breathed, right?" He says with a slight smirk. You didn't realize you were holding your breath the whole time he was touching you. Not sure whether you were holding onto your breath because of him or just how cold everything touching you was.

     "Oh…. I'm sorry," you mumble as you try to breathe calmly and deeply for him to hear better. Zayne takes his stethoscope out of his ears and wraps it around his neck. He then proceeds to touch you in places like your neck, behind your ears, and holds your wrist to finish your checkup. “Have you had any problems? Shortness of breath, chest pains, etc?” He asks while pressing along your collarbones and chest. “No?” you fumble, taking in his warmth of being so close to you as well as his scent. Hints of mahogany, jasmine, and disinfectant fill your nose making you feel all warm and fuzzy. “No?” he pulls you back into your current conversation. “I’m good, I promise!” you stammer out while he goes to sit back down behind his desk. The silence is deafening as he says nothing then proceeds to scribble things down on your chart. Double checking things on his computer as well and refilling your prescriptions like he usually does.

    "All right, you're good to go. You have a clean bill of health for now until I see you again. I’ve refilled your heart medications as well. Next time we’ll have to do some imaging so have the nurse schedule you an appointment when you leave. Is there anything else you need while you’re here?" Zayne doesn't even look at you while he fills out your paperwork. You breathe a little easier since it seems like he's not too bothered about your texts. Hopefully….

     "Um… No, not that I can think of. Thank you, but I wanted to let you know that I was just kidding with those text messages from earlier," you nervously babble out of your mouth. He stops writing for a brief second then goes back to writing the rest of his notes down. When he’s done writing, Zayne looks up at you with hazel eyes drilling holes into you making you feel vulnerable. You almost feel naked in front of him with how serious his expression is. You’ve been such a brat today, how is he going to tame you this time?

     "A joke, huh?" He puts his pen back into his doctor’s coat, and leans forward onto his desk still drilling into you with his eyes. His hands neatly folded together with his chin gently resting on them. 

     "U-um… yeah…" you look away from his cold stare, wanting to leave immediately from his intimidation. He takes his stethoscope off of his shoulders and puts it on the desk sighing. You shiver again, making more goosebumps appear on your skin. The air in the room changes as well, seeming to get colder by the second like Zayne was trying to use his Evol to intimidate your brat ass into acting right.

     "Too bad cause I thought you were serious about all those naughty texts you sent me," he leans back into his chair looking hurt? It's very hard to tell if he's serious or not. "And here I was planning to take you out to dinner after this, but I guess plans have changed," he looks back at you with a small pout on his face. He slowly takes off his glasses and lays them on the desk. He proceeds to rub the spot where his glasses were on his nose as if in annoyance. He was starting to get tired of your games, especially when his cock was throbbing so hard before you arrived at the hospital. Zayne was trying to hold out, but his patience was running thin. Your skimpy skirt didn’t help, nor your hard nipples pebbling up from how cold his office was.

     "W-well we can still go to dinner if you want. There's that new restaurant I know we've been wanting to try. The one with the spicy hot pot…." You suggest still being nervous because you didn't want to get rejected after all the naughty texts you sent him, but also you guys hadn't had dinner together for a while now with all the long hours he’s had to work. Hell, you guys hadn’t had sex in a couple days either and it was starting to make your cunt ache for him so much.

     "I'm not really sure if I want to go to dinner now after all of those texts. They have me thinking of what I should do to punish you instead, especially since you sent those right before a very important meeting that I had to calm myself down before I went," he said to you, his eyes turning dark. Knowing what all you sent to him earlier was making you pulse in your core more, but you were excited at the teasing thoughts of him fucking you hard. Pulling your hair and saying how naughty of a girl you were while he fucked you until you hurt for a couple of days.

     "Um… well we could go to dinner and then go to your place for some fun?" You tried to tease with him, but you knew he'd see right through it. Seeing if you could maybe prolong the inevitable punishment you had coming to you. You rocked from side to side in your chair trying to dissipate the ache in your cunt, but he was so handsome from behind his desk. Your panties were starting to get soaked.

     "Come over here," he commands while motioning a finger to come towards him. You stand up slowly and walk over to the desk almost in a trance. You put your hands on the edge of the desk in front of him waiting obediently for his next command.

     "I said come here," he pointed down towards the floor directly in front of him behind the desk. Zayne moves his chair back from the desk enough for you to stand in front of him and slightly turns his chair. While you hesitantly walk over to where he's pointed on the floor, he moves his paperwork and computer over to one side of his desk. "Sit," he motions to his desk directly behind you and you oblige in his demands. You put your hands behind you and lift yourself up onto the top of the desk. While lifting yourself up, you can see Zayne's hard cock bulging in his pants.

He wanted you just as much as you wanted him. Seeing the sight of his big dick straining against his pants made you soak your panties even more. You lick your lips lustfully at him before sitting fully on his desk. You had worn a skirt in your rush out the door just because it was easy to put on. You didn't really think about it until now sitting here in front of Zayne that he could probably see your wet panties.

     He gingerly puts his cold hands on your thighs, slightly gripping them. A small whimper escapes your lips eager for more touches from him. You had hoped to go to dinner with him and maybe get it on at his place, but Zayne couldn’t resist you anymore especially now that you were here in the flesh. Wearing a tiny skirt with a blouse that accentuated your tits. He was basically drooling in his mouth, panting as he gripped your legs.

     "Zayne…," you whine. "Someone is going to hear us, especially see us if you do anything now!" He chuckled darkly at your pleads. "No one is going to hear us if you keep quiet plus the door is locked so no one can come in. So are you going to keep quiet?"

     You pout at Zayne. Being heard that the hospital would definitely not be great for his reputation, but it puts a thrill in you that someone might possibly find out. This was going to be a great test of your will power.

     "Now… Spread," he commands while pushing your legs apart. You let him dominantly spread your legs open to reveal your soaked light blue panties. Zayne rubs the wet spot on your panties glossing over your clit making you whimper at his touch. “Z-Zayne…” He hums in response before lifting your skirt up and pulls down your panties. You lift yourself up so that your ass rests on top of his desk. It's so cold that you get goosebumps that rise on your thighs. You shiver from the cold wood top from his desk. He takes your panties and shoves them into his front right pocket. "Is that really necessary?" You look at him with your eyebrow slightly raised with blush creeping across your cheeks. "I'm confiscating them because you've been a brat," he smirked devilishly.

     “I'm glad I took these because they're the exact same pair that you teased me with earlier,” he chastised. You bit your lip nervously at him, “Well I didn't exactly have time to change them…” You trail off not sure how to continue.

     "Fuck… I've been thinking about this all day," he says quietly while marveling at your leaking slit. He slowly runs his thumb up along your slit until reaching the top. He then places his thumb upon your bud and starts rubbing in circular motion.

     You whimper quietly, still nervous that someone might hear you while he kisses your thighs and continues rubbing. You lean back onto your elbows to fully expose yourself to him. "Mmmm, that feels so good," you purr at him. Zayne continues kissing up your thighs until he gets to your clit then switches his thumb in favor of his tongue. You moan a little bit louder this time, throwing your head back from the pleasure. You were trying your best to keep it to a bare minimum, but god did he know how to make you feel so good.

     While still eating you out like the delicious meal you are, he slips a long finger into your heat making you hum for more. You feel so hot from all the stimulation, while Zayne slowly slips in another finger sending you deeper into ecstasy. You lean forward while resting on one elbow and grab the top of Zayne's head, shoving him deeper into your slit.

He slides his fingers out for a second for his tongue to slip down into your hole, licking up the sweet juices flowing out of you. You shove his head in deeper causing his nose to hit your clit. You try to will your hips to stay still, but Zayne keeps licking all the right places. He comes back up to suck on your bud making you moan and grip his hair harder. The velocity at which he’s finger fucking you takes you closer and closer to toppling over the edge. He’d been wanting this just as much as you, his cock pulsing painfully against his pants.

     “I-I'm about to c-cum…,” you whimper at Zayne to finish your climax. He hums in response to oblige your needs. He starts to finger you a bit faster while lifting the tips of his fingers to graze your sweet spot, edging you closer to your orgasm. “I'm gonna… c-cum!” You lean up and grasp Zayne’s hair pulling him closer to you as you start to convulse in pleasure. 

     Zayne helps you ride out your waves of pleasure. After your spasms, Zayne lifts his head up to look at you while wiping off your love juices from his mouth. He licks his fingers from where he was just finger fucking you licking them off like he can’t get enough of your sweet love juices. His hair is disheveled from where your fingers were from pulling. “Well that was an exquisite appetizer,” he grinned mischievously. You sigh as you lay flat on top of his desk, woozy. “That was so good,” you mutter sleepily. 

     Zayne stands up, “I'm not done with you yet, there's still the main course to be had.” He lifts you off the desk, setting you flat on your feet before spinning you around where you're facing the desk. He kisses your neck before he trails off to nibble at your ear. “Are you ready?” You start to get goosebumps at his musings. You can feel his hot girth on your messy pussy as he rubs against you. 

     “Yes��.” Your eyes flutter. His hands were warmer from when he first began touching you. “Good girl,” Zayne growled into your ear. He pushes your feet apart with his luxurious dress shoes, he unbuttons his doctor's coat, and unzips his pants then lifts up your skirt so it lays on the lower part of your back out of the way. He then lays his hard dick between your ass cheeks, feeling the hot warmth of him makes you wet all over again. You’ve had his dick several times before this, but the girth and length of it always made you nervous at the sheer size of it.

     “Now… tell me what you want,” he begins teasing you by sliding his dick up and down your ass cheeks with his precum. He was always good at warming you up before slamming his big cock into you. Zayne was a gentleman and you always came first before his needs.

     “I want you…” you pur at him. “You'll have to be more specific,” he torments you. You almost want to just grab his dick and slam it into you, but you don't want to mess up your chance to have his girth in your hot, wet slit. “I want you… inside me please,” you beg as you lean back into him, making his dick ride up the crack of your ass.

     “That's my girl,” he growled. Zayne then lets his dick slip down the crack of your ass before lining up with your wet hole and slowly slides himself into your pussy. White hot electricity goes throughout your entire body as he thrusts inside of you. You gasp as more is inserted more into you inch by inch. His hands grasp your hips tightly trying to maintain control over his primal needs as he starts to pump torturously slow into you. 

     “Fuck me…,” he moans. “Your pussy is so fucking wet.” Hearing him say those words just makes you clench your gummy walls around his dick. “Damn baby, not so tight!” he tries to command you, but he’s almost lost in pleasure himself. He pumps a couple of more times before pushing you down on the desk. He grips you with his left hand on your left hip while his right hand pulls your right arm back towards him. You start to drool out the corner of your mouth from how rough he's being with you.

     His grip on you is tight, but his Evol starts to freeze on your hip and your wrist slowly. He’s trying his best to hold back, but you can tell by the way he's pumping into you that he's getting closer to the edge of losing control especially with the ice creeping onto your skin. Zayne is usually in control, but with the texts you had sent him just made it so much harder to control his Evol.

     “Zayne….,” you gasp out, “I'm… gonna… cum..,” He grasps your hip tightly, “Not yet,” he demands harshly. You feel like your body is being torn in half from how aggressive he's being now and your wrist and hip are getting colder by the minute. He lets go of your arm and your hip before he leans over you with his hands on the desk next to your shoulders while still thrusting into you. Some of the things on his desk have fallen off from how hard he’s thrusting. The papers he was writing on before had fallen and his name placard bounced off the floor. On the edge of losing control, he starts pumping harder where your hips are knocking into the desk. If people didn’t hear that, they definitely heard the desk scoot across the floor a little bit.There definitely will be bruises tomorrow, but at this point you're in so much ecstasy that you didn't even care.

     “I'm gonna cum,” he gasps into your ear. He latches onto your neck leaving marks along your pulse point that’s thumping out of control. Hearing that makes your gummy walls grip on his length even tighter. “Fuck me harder, cum in me,” you pant. Upon hearing this releases a primal urge in Zayne. He pumps several more times groaning and whimpering in your ear before releasing his load into you. You both orgasm together whimpering in pleasure as not to alert the whole hospital of your activities. Zayne lingers inside you for a few minutes panting in your ear before slowly pulling out. You feel every inch of him pull out and it almost makes you cum again.

      Before lifting yourself up, you realize that where Zayne's hands were there's medium sized ice circles with his hand prints in them. Seeing his Evol go a little crazy gives you shivers, but luckily they start to melt away when you stand up. Even where he was holding your arm and hip earlier is slightly red from his ice. 

     Zayne opens one of the larger drawers on his desk revealing towels and extra clothes in the drawer. He grabs a towel and cleans himself off and sits down. “We made quite the mess, didn't we love?” He had a smirk playing on his lips. “Yeah, we really did,” you try to grab the towel from him, but he swats your hand away. Zayne takes another towel out of the desk before he cleans you off. After he finishes cleaning you off, he pulls your skirt down for you ever the gentleman. You stand in front of him with a love drunk smile on your face.

     His hair is all messed up from where you grabbed it and his tie is slightly askew probably from where he was leaning on top of you. He places his hands on your hips while you fix his hair and tie for him. Zayne takes your wrist and examines the red band around it. He looks slightly upset about his Evol hurting you. You reach out and cup his cheek with your other hand. “It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt,” you say quietly. “I just need to be in better control of myself, but with you it's hard to do sometimes.” his eyes are miles away, but when he looks back to you, his look softens. 

 “Are we still going to dinner? I mean real dinner,” you sheepishly look at him. Zayne looks up at you with a smirk, “I suppose we can if you're still hungry.” You nod at him, even though you did fully enjoy your so called meal it was time to get a real meal in you before you got hangry. “Then we can, but are you ready?” He questioned seriously. You then thought about how you must have looked at that moment, your clothes slightly askew. Trying to smooth out your hair and clothes the best you can, Zayne comes in to help you like you did for him a moment ago. Zayne didn’t give back your panties as part of your punishment. Maybe the wind wouldn't lift up your skirt on your way to dinner.

     Zayne stands up and straightens up his clothes a bit more. He takes off his doctor's coat while walking to the door and puts it on the wall hanger next to the door. You walk behind him slowly following about to head out the door with him when he grabs your chin and leans in for a kiss. 

     “Hey…” you pouted after he pulled away. He chuckled softly, “Are you ready to go? Maybe we can have dessert at my house later.”

[carlyraejepsans]

ok enough twewying out for today. stopped around the beginning of day 4, after catching up to beat and rhyme. so! thoughts under the cut:

I'm completely addicted to this game's battle system. mind you it took me a WHILE to figure it out (i used to switch back and forth between neku and shiki after every combo in the beginning and never understood why i kept getting E rank before i realized i had to use them simultaneously) and then a while longer once i did to as they say "git good", but now I'm just tearing through enemies like paper. i love this shit. especially now that they let you queue fights together. i always clear an area of all noise the first time i enter it, even though it's gonna reset immediately after i leave and come back. grinding them is so much fun

new mechanics! memes! I don't know whether to make an internet joke or an SCP foundation joke. i was wondering when the random snippets of conversation were going to become relevant. i like that not all of the thoughts you gain are relevant for the mission, really gives you an incentive to fuck around and explore. also shiki should meme implant her period cramps into neku's brain, she's earned it at this point.

very amused by the clothes brand debuff system. from the pace it introduced the battle mechanics with, to the pin system, to the food, and now clothes trends, it's obvious that twewy is a very dynamic game in terms of strategy and item systems and it tries to get you to cycle through them to their fullest extent, as well as engage with its shops and money system. It's sure different from a lot of games I've played before! I'm very intrigued. it's pretty fun so far, nice way to keep me on my toes. it also 1) fits diegetically with the look and style of the game and 2) allowed for some cute character moments for shiki (she's so passionate about it!) and neku (get this autistic kid out of here please)

absolutely delighted by beat and rhyme every time they're on-screen. can't wait to see more of them now that we've officially teamed up. shiki becomes more and more interesting with every scene... is it doomed yuri i smell on her? god i hope so. neku amnesiac reveal made my opinion on him take a big leap forward, but he's also gotten progressively less insufferable all around. his shitty comments towards shiki have grown sparse enough that I've finally had the space to find his other scenes endearingly tsundere (and then he insults her again out of the blue and i go back to wanting to beat his ass). oh well. it's gonna end at some point. he's made progress at least.

"ready to die?" "then die!" is such a cute sync catchphrase. pinching their cheeks. i also like that they call out for each other when injured in battle, man i wish that vibe extended to their dynamic outside of battle as well.

players temporarily give up the most important thing to them when they enter the reaper's game, huh? i wonder if for shiki that was her best friend. and for neku his... memories maybe? or something else that would inevitably result in amnesia. if that's the case that tells of a character that is extensively defined by his past and looking backwards. that would sure be a cool setup. we'll see!

[thewertsearch]

GC: 1T F1NDS W4YS TO 4NN1H1L4T3 TH3 P4THS WH1CH DO NOT CONTR1BUT3 CONSTRUCT1V3LY TO 1TS OWN PROP4G4T1ON

I think this is partially true, but it can't be entirely true.

If all timelines that don't propagate reality were annihilated, then failed sessions would be completely impossible. The kids' unwinnable session would have started out as a doomed timeline.

Well... I suppose reality could occasionally permit a failed session, if that session's failure contributed to universal propagation in some other way. I've talked before about how this might actually be what's happening - how Sburb might be maneuvering these kids into a position where they can stop Lord English from destroying the universes it's trying to create.

Still, situations like this would presumably be very rare. The vast majority of sessions would contribute to propagation by directly creating a universe, so if Terezi's hypothesis was true, the vast majority of sessions should be successful.

Karkat certainly seems to think that plenty of sessions end in failure - but where's he getting his information? This might just be another case of his worldview bleeding into his understanding of the game.

For now, the average win rate of a Sburb session remains a mystery. Hopefully it won't remain one forever.

GC: 4ND 1T 1S 3QU4LLY M3RC1L3SS TO THOS3 WHO 1NH4B1T TH3M, 4ND 1N P4RT1CUL4R, THOS3 WHO C4US3 TH3M

And this is even more dubious.

Like, Sburb gave them these powers. Dave has his time machines because of Sburb. Why is he getting punished for using them as intended? If the game really abhors doomed timelines, why is it giving portable timeline-doomers to its players?

I suppose it's possible that Paradox Space is actually being managed by some force external to Sburb, so it's not actually Sburb that hates doomed timelines, but reality itself. But that just raises further questions, such as: why do universes spawn from a game that breaks the laws of the universe?

On the other hand, I'm pretty sure Terezi's just guessing, here...

GC: 1T 4PP34RS TO H4V3 4 S3NS3 OF JUST1C3, DONT YOU TH1NK?

...and they've very Terezi-flavored guesses, too.

She's been primed her whole life to think about everything in terms of justice and punishment, so she's biased towards doing so, even when it doesn't quite fit.

TG: i dunno none of this is making for a very persuasive argument that i should kill doomed me GC: BUT H3 1S GO1NG TO D13 4NYW4Y! GC: WHY NOT JUST B3 TH3 ON3 TO PUT H1M DOWN? GC: 4T TH3 V3RY L34ST, YOU COULD M4K3 SUR3 1T 1S 4 PL34S4NT D3M1S3 1NST34D OF SOM3TH1NG N4ST13R >:]

Oh, she's having fun with this, isn't she?

Like Dave said, Terezi's already seen the future, so she knows what he's going to choose. To her, his final choice doesn't really matter - the fun lies in watching him squirm.

TG: this shit youre doing now TG: this is the morbid shit i was talking about TG: its not anywhere near as endearing as you probably think […] TG: this whole thing was a ruse TG: and not even the funny kind that qualify as distactions TG: i think you got my whole timeline there in front of you and you know damn well i have no intention of killing this guy ever

Dave likes Terezi, but he's clearly getting sick of being jerked around here. He wants to know if there's a point to this - and I think he's going to be disappointed with the answer.

[just-an-elf-with-the-socks]

I've never really talked about any of my other LoTR and Silm ships on here, but I definitely have them and I also thought it would be funny to just make a comprehensive list of why I fucking like them at all

Aralas (Aragorn x Legolas)- This one is so goofy to me but I love it. I enjoy the "childhood best friends turned lovers during the middle of a war" aspect of it and the fact that it's pretty much two horse girls in a romantic relationship. It was mostly dredged up when I saw the rerelease of Fellowship of the Ring in theaters and was like "huh some of this shit looks a little more gay than I remember." Its one hundred percent the least angsty ship of them all and that's saying a lot considering they're one hundred percent not canon. They're cute, simple, and traveling together across Middle Earth as lovers makes me smile.

Angbang (Melkor x Mairon)- Oh boy. If you already follow me you knew this was coming. A lot of this ship revolves around me loving Mairon and his story and also the fact that my heart breaks for him. I love writing them and exploring the dichotomy of how to write them. Canonically they're both terrible people, so it stands to reason they didn't have the healthiest relationship (Mairon got the brunt of it). I love writing about they're doomed from the beginning, about how the people they already are guarantees that they'll crash and burn. But at the same time I like the cheesy, if not a little out-of-character fics of Melkor genuinely caring for him or missing him or realizing he fucked up by treating the only person he's ever loved like shit. I love the fics of Mairon taking care of Melkor, and even the angsty ones where Mairon isn't worth to Melkor half of what he thought he was, that it feels like he was never worth anything to anyone. I also adore the community of Angbang shippers, they're so tightknit and one hundred percent unashamed of everything they write/draw.

Russingon (Maedhros x Fingon)- I represent the duality of shippers that loves Angbang but also adores Russingon and wants to kill Sauron when it comes to the latter ship. Maedhros actually is my favorite Silm character and a lot of that revolves around personal reasons and also the fact that I have a lot of intense feelings about him (as we all do). Russingon is the closest you get to a canon ship beyond Beleg and Turin and the deliberate statements of "they were married" concerning other characters. I'm absolutely not normal about Fingon rescuing him from Thangorodrim, I'm not normal about the Helcaraxe or the First Kinslaying, and I'm sure as hell not normal the mourning that comes with Fingon's body not being able to be brought back. I also legitimately cry at the fics that write Fingon as waiting in the Halls of Mandos for Maedhros to join him because god.

Barduil (Bard x Thranduil)- I saved this one for last because they're my favorite across both mediums of Tolkien works and Thranduil is my favorite character (you wouldn't guess by this blog). Everything about Thranduil as a character breaks my heart once you look into him deeper (I have a type) and realize that the motivations behind most of his actions aren't a result of greed and spite, but a result of intense trauma and grief. And I love Bard because he's literally just a guy. He's just some guy who lives on a lake town with three kids and has a simple job as a bargeman. There was never anything special about him until he became a Dragonslayer, and even then in the Hobbit (the book version) he doesn't kill Smaug with anything special, it just happened to be his last lucky arrow. The two of them couldn't be more different on the surface. But they both lost their wives, they've both raised kids on their own, they were both forced into a position of power before they were ready and they've both seen the horrors of war. I love every fic about them, especially the ones where Bard sees Thranduil's wound for the first time and the ones where Thranduil realizes it's not so scary to let himself love again, even if it doesn't last forever. Also every modern AU is so fucking cute, I can't even deal.

I have other ships but these are the big four and the ones I'm least normal about and have the most vague ramblings of.

[tinyfantasminha]

TALK ABOUT YOUR SONIC 3 EXPERIENCE 👹

HHHHHHHHHHHhhhHHHHHHHHHHHH

OKAY before anything else I want to state that I am well-versed enough in sonic lore and I played Sonic Adventure 1 + 2 and watched Sonic X in japanese so I'm VERY biased 😫(also I watched it in the PTBR dub so when I mention dialogues it might not be totally accurate to the original audio BUT I did as much research as I could 😫)

Overall the movie went pretty much the direction I was expecting 🤔it wasn't 100% accurate to SA2 sure but?!? The changes were not bad at all! I remember when I saw the trailers I was a bit doubtful on Gerald being present throughout the movie but he ended up BEING ONE OF THE BEST THINGS OF THE MOVIE OHMY GOD BLESS JIM CARREY 😫 I found myself having a blast of fun and laughing at EVERY single scene of him and Eggman just doing silly (for evil reasons >:)) shenanigans

EGGMAN'S AND STONE'S DIVORCE ARC 💔💔The ''toxic'' yaoi was only a facade..... they were actually just doomed yaoi this entire time 💔

THEY ACTUALLY DID THE ''talk about low budget flights ✈️🙄no food 🍿🍕or movies 🎞️📺💅i'm outta here 😂😂😂🏃🏃'' IM CRAYZYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Tails was OK in this movie, not really as interesting as he was in movie 2 but ooOHHMYNGOODDD KNUCKLCKES 😫😫😫😫😫😫💕 I LOVE LOVE LOVE the movie characterization for Knuckles... the big-brother coded scenes ..... the highlight was definitely the scene when he and Sonic are arguing about the Master Emerald, OML THE TRUST HE HAS IN HIS BROTHER

Ok let's skip to the good part already. SHADOWWWWWWWWWW SHADODWWWWBWHGHHGHDHJFGDFJNJNFD THE INITIAL SCENE WITH HIM KNOCKING OUT THE GUN SOLDIERS AND TELEPORTING I WAS JUMPNIG IN MY SEAT POIUNTING AT THE SCREEN THEY REFERENCED SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG 2005 OPENIGN IM SHITTING MY PANTS I COULD ALMOST HEAR I AM ALL OF ME IN THE DISTANCE OML

Shadow's and Maria's story was done spectacularly. It was SO nice to see how their daily life was..... Maria getting to act just like a pre teen her age, they danced and watched movies together.... 😭😭😭I was almost tearing up at that sequence just by knowing that these peaceful moments would come to an end. Her death was a liiitle different than what we expected yeah they wouldn't just fucking shoot a 12 year old in a kids movie unfortunately but it had the same impact nonetheless and dAAMMN Gerald's absolutely HAUNTED look??! I GOT CHILLS

Okay but hands down the moment that I just can't get out of my head??? ''Oh Ivo... you're no Maria.'' I LEGIT GASPEDDDDDD like yeah I did expect Gerald's plan because that's what happens in canon after all but I was NOT expecting this level of coldness towards his own — and REMAINING — family. Not a twist villain, but a villain with a twist. I may have gotten spoilers for the post credit scenes but I'm SO GLAD I wasn't spoiled for this. (Also me and my friends laughed out loud when he went down like a looney tunes villain 😭)

I was spoiled that Amy appeared in the post credit (the kid behind me was also saying ''oh Amy will appear'' 💀) but UUUHHH IDK HOW I AVOIDED THE METAL SONIC SPOILERS SO I WAS LEGIT SHOCKED. The only time I admittedly screamed in the theater, ''WHAT IS THAT?!? METAL SONIC?!?!!!'' OKAY SO SONIC 4 WILL BE BASED ON SONIC CD IG........... I regretfully am not really well versed in classic Sonic lore BUTTT I WATCHED SONIC OVA A LOT so PLEASE PLEASE if Metal turns out to be the main antagonist in Sonic 4 PLEASE make Sonic OVA references 😭🙏 ESPECIALLY TO ITS CLIMAX...... if you know you know.

AND LAST THING BUT THEY DID IT. TJEY DID IT THEY DID IT IM FUKCCN CRAZY

NOT ONLY SHADOW IS A FEMINIST HE ALSO LOVES LATINAS CONFIRMED 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 GABRIELLA SHOULD KILL THEM BOTH SHES NOT A PRIZE TO BE WON !!!!!!!!!!!! THANKY YOU SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG YOURE THE REAL ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

so glad I went with my special shirt for this occasion 🙏🙏🙏 IF NO ONE GOT ME I KNOW SHADOW GOT ME

[tobiasdrake]

Dragon Ball Daima, episode 5. Time to meet the new girl for realsies.

For like forty years.

Goku's leaving out information that's extremely relevant to the new girl's question. The reason he has the skills of a middle-aged martial arts master is because that is literally what he is.

We're still going to the castle? I thought we turned around to go chase the Dragon Ball instead. Maybe I misunderstood.

Gloom n' Doom was trying to leave her behind but we all know who the real star is, and he accepts bribes in exchange for friendship.

He also accepts friendship without bribes. He's just nice. But he's not gonna turn down some onigiri if you're offering.

We have a name! Between Glorio and Panzy, it seems the denizens of Daimakai have flowers for their name pun theme.

(Goku, you named your son after rice. You have no room to talk.)

Not sure if the exchange over whose name is weirder is meant to be a parallel to Goku's first meeting with Bulma. Very rarely do the punny names get called out as funny in-universe.

They're going the "Everyone has their own unique superpower" route for the Majin, I see. And Panzy's is....

Telekinesis.

We've seen telekinesis a few times. Chiaotzu and Guldo are the most prolific telekinetic characters. But they're also...

Like. They both kinda fall into the category of "Characters who got exactly one fight and then fucked off or died." We've never had a character who was important to the plot and had abilities centered around psychic powers.

I hope that's about to change but Dragon Ball is notoriously terrible with its female characters so I'm not taking anything for granted.

Panzy is completely ruining Glorio's vibe as our solemn guide to the demonic lands and he can die mad about it. XD

Weird thing to have a character say before cutting to a montage of everyone pleasantly sightseeing with no trouble whatsoever while happy fun-time music plays in the background.

The front gate is HUNGRY OM NOM NOM NOM

Is....

...is the plan to raise Baby Dende like an ordinary child over the course of many years so that he imprints on Gomah and comes to see this castle and its occupants as his home and family?

Is that what we're doing here?

(Wouldn't he still have his memories? Goku and the others do.)

Oh, she is definitely like the king's daughter or something. There's a reason she happens to know the most convenient way to and from the castle. Glorio needs to learn how to read a room.

You know, I really thought they were gonna tease that out a bit longer.

She's got her own distinct style to her but she's definitely a bootleg copy of Bulma. Child genius female super-mechanic who attaches herself to Goku after seeing how powerful he is and happens to be the daughter of the most rich and powerful family in the region. There's visibly a lot of Bulma in her character DNA.

Even her logo on the front of her shirt often looks like a C because of the stuff covering it.

Which is kinda making me start to wonder if Glorio is a bootleg copy of Future Trunks. Grim and serious demeanor, showing up out of nowhere in a magical fantasy vehicle, leaning on a weapon but also being able to fight without it, that jacket... Huh.

HAHAHA NO

Goku, sure, but Kaioshin is one whole Fuck No in the realm of fighting Majin Buu. It is thoroughly established that he'd be up shit creek without a paddle in a straight fight with Buu.

...

In fact, so is Goku. The only form of Buu that Goku has ever been a match for is Fat Buu. And that is strictly hypothetical, based on Goku's impression of Buu versus how strong Super Saiyan 3 is supposed to be..

Strictly hypothetically, his Super Saiyan 3 could waste Pure Buu too. We all saw how well that worked out.

"Wait but wasn't Goku holding back so Vegeta could have a turn?"

Common misconception but no. Vegeta accuses Goku of that, but Goku was sincerely giving Buu his all and getting wrecked. Super Saiyan 3 is the only form Goku has that can match Buu on paper, but Super Saiyan 3's drawbacks prevent it from being able to match Buu in practice.

So. Uh. No. There is not a single person in this room that can cash the check that Glorio's stupid mouth has written. Not counting sequel series that haven't taken place yet at this point in the timeline, the only time Goku has ever been on Buu's level was when he had Vegeta to fuse with.

Seems legit. I like the cut of his jib. We should definitely make him king.

He commodifies women as bargaining chips to be bought and sold by their fathers. I don't like the cut of his job. We should not make him king.

Goku proving himself by fighting all the royal guards at once is a fun fight, well animated, and nicely paced. But I particularly enjoyed this moment.

Goku transforming to Super Saiyan not to actually go Super Saiyan but just to use the burst of ki that comes from it as a radial attack to blow the goons away. Weaponizing the power-up itself.

Some real "Shazam hits his opponent with the transformation lightning bolt" energy going on here.

...

I legit thought this guy was going to, like, reveal some sort of power that lets him teleport directly to Earth and then bring back Vegeta, Bulma, and Piccolo in a snap.

I'm looking forward to having Panzy on the team. Especially when Bulma gets here. I can't wait for Bulma to meet Discount Bulma.

[hwhimsypc]

girls love musicians

Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes

Note: I have actually loved them as a ship for a very long time, this is just the first time I'm actually writing them. Though I spent very little time on this compared to my other fics, I am actually very satisfied with how it turned out. First time in a long time the words have just flown out of me. Hope you enjoy!

(also on Ao3 here.)

Summary: Marlene likes getting drunk, playing the bass and hanging out with her friends. Oh, and she also has a huge crush on the infamous quidditch player, Dorcas Meadowes.

Word count: 2897

Now, it was perhaps - and only perhaps - maybe Marlene’s own fault. But that was putting it on thick, anyway. 

She had been drunk, as eighteen year old people do sometimes. So really, it's not exactly her fault - it's drunk hers fault. Drunk her is a completely different person, and Marlene doesn’t associate with her at all. 

“Or maybe, it's the true version of you,” a mysterious and wondering voice sounds beside her. 

“Shut the fuck up, Sirius.”

The man mock innocently puts his hands up in defence. Marlene hates him. 

College parties suck, that is no secret. It mainly consists of stoners getting high in the sofa or the bathroom, people only looking for a cheap shag and drunk athletes who thinks they are invincible. It gets old pretty quickly. 

But at this one, everyone, no matter their house, were in good spirits. They were drinking and dancing and smiling, the dimly lit room making it seem like her and Sirius were stepping into another world. 

Marlene was just about to go be one of them before spotting someone in the distance. And this wasn’t just anyone. This was the girl who was so good at quidditch it was unfair, infamously known over the whole school as the best. She made sure slytherin won almost every game against gryffindor, barely by a hair’s breadth some of the time. And that only made her more frustrating. This was the girl who seemed to be good at everything - somehow always knowing the answer to every question no matter the class, even if she seemed like she hadn’t been paying attention. 

It was also the girl Marlene had a massive crush on. 

“Holy shit,” she says, as every girl does when they see a pretty girl. 

“What is it?” Sirius slurs, tripping on his feet and itching to get inside, not in the mood for Marlene’s fairly pathetic gay panic, that she has occouringly more than three times a day. While she's lively and more outgoing than the next person, she is also by heart and soul incredibly angsty. And when it comes to girls like the one she has a crush on (is head over heels in love with) can you really blame her?

“It's her.”

Marlene can practically feel him roll his eyes as he follows her gaze. But when he sees who it is, he instantly mirrors Marlene’s reaction. 

“Holy shit,” he says. 

“I know.”

Dorcas is dancing with some Ravenclaw girls, looking carefree and just like she belongs there. Marlene could never look that good on a dancefloor. Aside from sweating profusely and getting red in the face when she drinks alcohol, she just has no sense of rhythm. At all. 

Dorcas had gotten a lip piercing - and had she stretched her septum piercing over the summer? - now that she isn't in her school uniform, she is wearing an all black lace top and a long skirt. Silver rings cover every single one of her fingers, as she raises her hands over her head. Holy shit, Marlene is shutting down. 

“Shots,” Sirius shouts in her ear and she glares at him for the disturbance. 

While they had pregamed before they got here, Marlene is going to need some liquid luck. The alcoholic kind.

Somehow every time Marlene and Sirus drink together, they mannage to convince themselves that shots are a good idea. They end up in a doomed argument over who can drink the most, and somehow never manage to find the actual winner, too shitfaced, and then too distracted by everything else to care. They are a dangerous pair together, both of them too prideful to back down from a challenge. But then again, who were they if they didn’t live out every bad idea that had ever existed?

Sirius holds her hair for all of twelve seconds before puking his guts out in the sink himself, the reeching sounds making Marlene's stomach curl. The smell is worse than anything she had smelt before (seriously, what did his diet consist of?), and Marlene could feel the spit pool in her mouth before she puked for the second time. 

“You're disgusting,” she mutters sourly.

“You know I can't handle the smell of puke!”

Feeling immensely better now that the worst part is over, she flushes the toilet and leans against the wall on the floor. 

“You're a true warrior, you are,” she says, with as much sarcasm as she can muster up. 

Sirius just laughs, throat still sounding a little rough. 

“I know. So, have you snogged Dorcas yet?”

Marlene groans. “I'm getting there.”

“But she's,” and he actually finger quotes her, the fucker, “so pretty youre intimidated and scared to make a move?”

“Bugger off.”

He falls down on the floor beside her, hair tangly and face shiny with a thin layer of sweat. He pulls out a pack of muggle cigarettes and passes one to Marlene. 

“Cheers,” she mutters, taking it gratefully. 

“Now, this is not the Marlene I know,” he says after a long drag, smoke engulfing the room slowly. “The Marlene I know is confident, flirty, and not scared of rejection.” 

“But everyone else is not Dorcas!” 

“So you're a scaredy cat?”

she glares at him. 

“Just tell her you play the bass and you've written a song for her. Girls love musicians,” he wiggles his eyebrows. 

“Sirius, you're gay.”

“I've had girlfriends before! Trust me,” he looks incredibly smug in the way only Sirius Black can manage, and Marlene hates him. “Works every time.”

She is about to bite a sarcastic remark back, when a voice sounds from outside the door. 

“Please tell me you're not shagging in there.”

Marlene’s eyes widen and she almost chokes on her cigarette, giving Sirius an alarmed look. 

“It's her,” she whispers in panicked disbelief. 

Sirius looks as panicked as she feels, and that's the thing about having been best friends for so long, it's almost like they're connected. 

“Quick!” Sirius hisses, immediately getting to work and quickly wetting some toilet paper to wipe the residue mascara under her eyes while she frantically tries to make her hair look somewhat representable. Luckily, she didn't barf all over herself like during that festival in the summer right before she was seeing one of her muggle friend’s bands. She's sure she would actually cry if that ever happened again. 

After the most stressful thirty seconds of Marlene’s life, they open the door to Dorcas, who is standing there with a raised brow. Marlene smiles awkwardly at her, hands finding the pockets of her leather jacket so she can try to look somewhat normal. Dorcas is wearing black eyeliner and Marlene is going to pass out. 

“Hey,” she says, Sirius has somehow already left and Marlene is so going to hit him the next time she sees him. 

“Hi,” Dorcas says, and Marlene has already run out of words, desperately scouting her brain for just something . 

Dorcas, however, gets to it first. “I thought Sirius was with Remus?”

Marlene shrugs, surprised and confused at the question. Her heart beats loudly in her chest.

“He is.”

Dorcas scoffs. “Wow, you really are an asshole.”

And then Marlene’s slow, dumb brain connects the dots and she is frantically trying to stop Dorcas from entering the bathroom so she can explain herself. 

“We drank too much, I practically threw everything I've ever eaten up. Sirius was just there for support, well until he threw up himself,” she laughs and it sounds a little hysterical to her own ears, “He's the gayest person I know,” she barely breathes before she adds, “and so am I, just so you know.”

She clams her mouth shut before she can say more stupid shit and embarrass herself even more. 

“Cool,” Dorcas says slowly, but Marlene swears she can see the ghost of a smile on her lips. “Can I do my business here now?”

Marlene’s eyes widen and she wants to hit herself instead of Sirius now. A pretty common occurrence. 

“Of course! I'll-” she points to the hallway, and Dorcas nods. Marlene immediately takes off to find Sirius and steal his fags and get him to play beer pong with her. 

“Heard what happened with your girlfriend.”

Marlene is the most hungover she's probably ever been, and she swears she'll never drink alcohol again. (That promise will probably last all up until next weekend.)

“Go stick it, Potter,” She mumbles into her glass of water. Somehow, none of them seemed as hungover as her (aside from Sirius) and somehow, they had all decided that Marlene’s room was the perfect place for an early Sunday morning get together. Yay. 

“We're still on for tonight, yeah?”

“For what?” Marlene asks sourly, not even able to comprehend the next ten minutes. 

“Our performance, obviously!” James exclaims, “you didn't forget, did you?”

Marlene looks at all of their sad, expectant faces. “'course not.”

She had completely forgotten. 

“Good,” he says, “Cause it is going to be the best concert ever. Sirius and I here, are going to make sure that you Snog Dorcas Meadowes.”

She groans and throws a pillow at him. It was bad enough that she couldn't stop thinking about her, her friends absolutely had to mention her at every possible opportunity. (And it absolutely had to always catch Marlene's attention, like a moth to a flame.)

To say that their band sucked might be a bit harsh. But they were not exactly good either, to say the least. 

But they had fun. It was entertaining to see the faces on some of the purebloods that sometimes showed up, and it baffled Marlene how foreign music was to them, as someone who grew up with it. Her dad had taught her how to sing and play various instruments, as a local known musician in their hometown. 

They did covers of muggle songs and performed them under the nose of the teachers. Sometimes in the safer parts of the forbidden forest during the summer and sometimes in one of the infinite rooms of the enormous school. Marlene was sure not even the teachers knew their way around the whole place. But Marlene and her friends did, because they had way too much time on their hands (mainly from blowing off homework and skipping class) and they were adventurous, to put it mildly. 

And today they were doing a cover of The Chain by Fleetwood Mac as the main event, naturally. Marlene was scared shitless. While it was only a short, fairly easy bass solo, she usually never got solos and was therefore never as much the centre of attention as Remus, who sang, or James, who rocked on his guitar to hell and back every time they were onstage. 

“You ready?” Sirius asks. He was on drums, and usually, Marlene would be in the back with him. But James, the mastermind that he is, had naturally decided that she should be further up front today. Marlene hates him. 

“I guess,” she says, nervously lighting a cigarette. She is wearing her usual stage makeup, harsh black eyeliner in her waterline and a heavy layer of mascara. Her genius outfit consists of her combat boots and faded jeans, with a Fleetwood Mac shirt she had stolen from a muggle store. Looking like this helped her feel a lot more confident. 

“You're going to kill it.”

“I'm going to kill you if you don't stop treating me like a twelve year old.”

Ok, that was a bit mean, Sirius was just being supportive, after all. But she was so nervous, and it was only getting worse by the second. 

Finally after what felt like eight years, they were moving on stage. The little room was filled to the brim, most of them James’ and Sirius’ friends, therefore most of them gryffindors and hufflepuffs. 

They start to play, and Marlene goes right through all of the first songs on autopilot, jamming with James and slowly easing into being on stage again. The fright was always the worst just before she went up, and gradually fell to the back of her mind as the feeling of wanting to play well and looking out for her bandmates took over. Marlene actually loved to play in front of an audience, she just had to get over her doubts sometimes. 

As James starts to play the first few notes of The Chain , Marlene soon in tow, she spots those dark, curious eyes in the crowd. her heart leaps, and she barely avoids messing a note up. 

She takes a deep breath. 

So Dorcas is here. 

As the only slytherin, probably, and now that Marlene has noticed her, she can't take her eyes off of her. Dorcas looks beautiful, mythical in the dim light of the room, braids pulled back in a loose ponytail and in her usual slytherin cloak, that fits her like it was made solely for her. People seem to keep a bit of a distance to her, and Marlene guesses they're a little intimidated. 

Dorcas doesn't lose her gaze, barely blinks, and Marlene gets confident enough in the moment to throw her the most flirtatious smirk she's probably ever mustered up, and to top it off, she even winks.

She doesn't see Dorcas’ reaction to it, as she finally looks away to turn against Sirius, as her solo starts, who is already looking at her with a big smile. 

It is easily the best she's played since they started their band in 3rd year.

They obviously decide to celebrate afterwards, and Marlene decides she 's going to dial down on the fire whiskey today. 

they're all in good spirits. It was a brilliant performance after all, but Marlene is anxious, scanning the room in anticipation for dark eyes and facial piercings. She wants to pull Dorcas close and kiss her silly until they lose their breath, now more than ever, the rush of a good performance and her friends complimenting her giving her energy. 

At the end, though, people slowly start to trickle out of the room, one by one. It is after all still a school day tomorrow, so people won’t party until the sun comes up. Most of them actually care about doing well, and on top of that have a much better sleep schedule than Marlene and her friend group. Dorcas still hasn’t shown. 

Marlene tries not to be disappointed, she's had a great night after all. But it still somehow maneuvers its way past the smoke, whiskey and laughter, sly like a snake. 

Marlene goes to the common rooms alone, tired and a bit chilly, makeup a mess and she's probably smelling faintly like sweat as well. 

“You're Marlene, right?”

Marlene stops in her tracks. There, in all her confident slytherin glory, is Dorcas. She hadn’t realised it the other day, but Dorcas has a few centimetres on her. Marlene has to embarrassingly tilt her head a bit to meet her eyes. 

“Uh, yeah,” she gets out dumbly after a few seconds, “we have potions together.”

Dorcas hums, “and you're a seeker. One of the best I've seen.”

Marlene does not blush. Absolutely not. 

“Thanks.”

“I saw you play the bass earlier, by the way. You're talented.”

Marlene laughs, nervous energy slowly disapparating. She has a feeling they could become very good friends, best friends even. Marlene could keep her feelings hidden for years until she somehow got over her crush. And in the quieter moments of the night when they were drunk or studying, she could pretend for a split second that they were something more. And she could lie and tell Dorcas that all she’s ever felt for her was platonic. 

“I kind of wanted to make out with you.”

Or perhaps not. 

“We totally can,” Marlene says immediately, way too eager, all thoughts of friendship and yearning instantly forgotten. “If you want to still?”

Dorcas answers by pulling her close, their lips gently colliding. When Marlene thought about kissing Dorcas at night when she couldn't sleep, she had imagined it would be harsh with teeth colliding and rough hands. And while she of course hoped that that would happen in the future, this was beyond amazing and she was dizzy with it. They barely know each other but Dorcas kisses confidently, hands cupping Marlene’s face. Marlene Instinctively puts an arm around her to pull her closer, a soft sigh escaping her lips in the process. Dorcas smells sweet and fresh and Marlene can feel her smirk against the kiss and she wants to do inappropriate things with her. 

The kiss is both savoury and a little heated, and despite its shortness, it makes Marlene feel dizzy. She wants all that Dorcas is willing to give her. 

Dorcas pulls back and that smirk is in full view now, intensely directed at Marlene and making her feel hot all over, weak in the knees. Dorcas’ eyes fall to her lips again, and she can't resist giving Marlene one last, quick kiss. 

“I'll see you in potions tomorrow,” she says, like it's nothing. 

Marlene stares after her dumbly for a long few seconds before breaking into laughter in disbelief. It was barely anything, but Marlene has a burning feeling Dorcas is going to show her just how making out is with her the next time they’re alone. 

Maybe Sirius was right. Perhaps girls do love musicians. 

[snekwritesstuff]

Take A Break (pt. 2 of ?)

Part 1 Here! Pairing: Doomed Polycule? I think? Word Count: 948 Warnings: Bill is once again a little shit, don't assume this is healthy yet. Otherwise, none!

hi hello we're back with this again. i have some ideas for this still but im not sure how to implement them all. anywho...enjoy!

Fiddleford was ready to wake up. As he clung to the wall behind him, he swallowed thickly at the sight of Bill in the flesh. Or at least in the…whatever he was made of. The demon's eye pierced his own, sending a bolt of anxiety through the engineer.

“Specs! Good to finally meet you, eh?” Bill said, holding out his hand and closing his eye in a smile.

Fidds could only nod, sliding down the cabin wall. 

“I hear you wanna talk! Name's Bill, though you seem to already know that.” When Fidds didn't shake his hand, he brought it back with a shrug. “And you're Fiddlesticks! Gotta say, for a hick, you seem to have a pretty nice mindscape in here. But maybe that's because you've used the old memory gun a few too many times.”

“You know about the gun?” Fidds asked, voice cracking.

“Of course I know about the gun!” Bill laughed, suddenly approaching Fidds’ face. “And I know about your wife, and about your desperation for my Fordsy.”

“My–”

“Oh, don't play dumb with me, Specs, you gave him googly eyes before you left the basement. And it's almost like, and I'm spitballing here, I'm in your head.”

Fidds’ face flushed red as he turned away. “This isn’t fair, Bill. I’m tryin’ to have a civil conversation.”

Bill blinked, taken aback for a moment. “Civil? Where Fordsy is concerned? Never.”

“So you two are…Not important. Not…yeah.” Fidds sighed, bringing a hand to his face. “Look, you’re a little intimidatin’, but if you’re makin’ him happy, then I can’t complain. Just try to be mindful of ‘im. And, well, I think you and I should at least try to play nice since we both clearly care for ‘im.”

“Hm, asking something of me without giving me something in return…Not my style, Specs.” The demon tapped a finger to where his mouth would have been if he had one. Did…he have one? “Though, I do love a good deal. How ‘bout we make one?”

Fidds shook his head vigorously. “Mama raised a godly boy, and while that may be different now, I know better than to meddle in devilish voodoo.” He shuddered with a grimace. “This dream's plenty proof for me that you exist.”

Bill twirled his cane, a hand behind his head. “Fordsy likes you too, y'know.”

“Not my business. He's got his love life, I've got mine. No need to–What?” 

With a laugh the demon swam in front of the engineer, his chin resting on folded hands and legs kicking behind him. “I couldn't give less of a damn if you like him, Fiddlesticks. I care because he always gets so prickly when his little hillbilly's involved. You're a smart one, but nothing like my Sixer.” His large eye inched ever closer towards Fidds. “Which makes me curious. Why does the greatest mind across every dimension care about someone as mediocre as you, when he has a god that cares about him and can boost his potential?” 

“I couldn’t tell you.” The sting of those words hurt more than Fidds wanted to admit. “But I know a gamble when I see one, and I'm starin’ one head on. What is he gettin’ out of this?” 

“Power beyond any mortal mind's comprehension, an expanding kingdom to rule and study as he sees fit, a life with his Muse…” The demon tapped his fingers in a counting motion. “What else could my Fordsy want? Certainly nothing you could provide.”

“Ford's not interested in power,” Fidds spat. 

“Oh-ho, boy are you wrong!” Bill laughed. “All humans want power!”

“I don't–”

“Hold on, hold on, get your suspenders out of that knot! Power manifests in different ways, Fiddlesticks.” The demon jabbed a finger towards the man's glasses. “But we're getting off topic…Here's the deal. I can't physically enter your realm unless that portal's finished.”

“Good,” the engineer growled. “I don't want you anywhere near this place.”

“I mean no harm, of course, and even if I did, Ford's willing to help me. My offer to you is if you let me drive this bad boy around every once in a while, I can make sure we both get a piece of our favorite scientist.”

Fidds’ face twisted in disgust, shaking his head again. “Ford would never. And you’ve got another thing comin’ if you think I’d let you use me to keep twistin’ his brain every which way.”

Bill shrugged. “Your loss, Fiddlesticks, but the offer’s always on the table! Anywho, time for me to go! Nothing matters, buy gold, bye–”

“Now hold your horses!” At Bill’s slow blink, Fidds continued. “That’s all? You come into my head, ruin my night, and-and you’re just gonna leave? I haven’t gotten a single word in! What do you really want with Ford?”

“I just told you, Specs, keep up!”

Fidds finally stood, shoving a finger in the demon’s face. “I ain’t stupid, Billy, you know exactly what I’m askin’ you!”

“And I ain’t tellin’ you!” Bill’s accent was a mockery, fueling Fidds’ bubbling rage. 

“Fine then! But if you hurt him, there ain’t nothin’ in any dimension that can stop me from tearing those stupid little limbs off your stupid yellow body and feeding them to you one by one.”

“Oh, don’t threaten me with a good time, Fiddlesticks!” Bill patted Fidds’ head condescendingly. “You’re fun! I’ll be here more often, I think. Bye!”

As the demon disappeared, Fidds woke up with a start. He slammed a fist against his mattress and stood. Pacing the floor, he muttered to himself before sitting at his desk and drawing up blueprints for an inter-dimensional death ray that aimed only at yellow triangles.

[storydays]

Hello Rosie! P1

(3rd POV)

Angel held (Y/N) close after their love making session, listening to the demon purr softly in his sleep. He'd told the spider what happened in Heaven, and who'd he'd seen. (Y/N) shared his fear of holding Angel back from being redeemed because they were engaged, and tried to break it off. 

The Italian stopped that shit in it's tracks. He dragged the prince to the full body mirror in their bathroom and hugged (Y/N) close. "Look in the mirror, bambino. We fit perfectly. You are my other half, and I am never leaving you if I can help it." "You are my other half, and I can't wait to call you my husband."  They stayed in each other's embrace, knowing that they were truly stuck together. 

*Downstairs*

"So like, where are your wings?" Niffty asked Vaggie, where everyone but Charlie were lounging around staring at Vaggie with a varying of emotions. 

"Niffty, I don't have--" "Didja ever think maybe she's sensitive about her lack of wings.." Angel spoke up before smirking, "Just like her lack of tits?" He pointed at his own chest fluff, mimicking tits.

"Yeah, where are your tits?" Niffty asked innocently, looking into Vaggie's shirt, making (Y/N) snort softly from where he was standing behind the spider.

"Any other questions?"  Vaggie sighed, pushing the cyclops away from her. "I got one," Husk spoke up, "How come every time Charlie talks to Heaven, we get in deeper and deeper shit?" 

"It's not her fault. Angels are just--" 

"Liars?" Angel supplied. 

"Manipulative greedy bastards?" (Y/N) spoke up, before looking down at his Hellphone, waiting for a certain owl prince to text him back. 

"Difficult. But Charlie's trying her best." 

"Yeah, well, her best is turning out real well so far." Husk rolled his eyes, walking away. "And where is Miss Fearless Leader anyway? Isn't about time for another 'doomed to fail' plan?" Angel asked, yelping when (Y/N) flicked him in his forehead. "Watch it." He warned playfully. 

"She's upstairs. Coming up with something I'm sure, in our room. Alone."

"Hmm..." Alastor hummed before disappearing. 

*Upstairs with Charlie*

Charlie was curled under the blanket, sobbing as Razzle and Dazzle watched her with worry. 

"Oh, Charlie, you look an absolute mess." Alastor cooed, smirking as Charlie shot him a dirty look. 

"Ugh, go away, Alastor."

"Now, now, is that anyway to act after picking a fight with all of Heaven and dooming everyone you love?" The deer mocked. "I have enough on my mind without hearing your sadistic idea of a joke, asshole." Charlie turned away from him when suddenly the Radio Demon appeared next to her with a wide grin. 

"Who's joking?" He asked curiously.

"Aaagh!" she yelped. 

"You have a captive audience downstairs waiting to hear what kind of inspiring performance you have planned next." 

Alastor laid on his belly, kicking his legs like a highschool girl. 

"Ugh, I can't.  How can I face them after failing them all so hard? They came here to be saved and all I gave them was more pain. I'm just as bad as the crulest Overlord in Hell. At least they don't go around giving false hope. " Charlie hugged herself. 

"Well, I never expected to see such a miserable display of self  loathing from you." 

"Oh fuck you, Alastor. All you do is stand there, smiling while you watch us struggle and fail. I don't know how you can enjoy all this suffering so much." Charlie rolled her eyes. 

Alastor chuckled darkly, appearing behind the princess. "Just because you see a smile, don't think you know what's going on underneath. A smile is a valuable tool, my dear." The deer took Charlie's face and spread her cheeks to make her smile, before turning away. 

"It inspires your friends, keeps your enemies guessing, and ensures that no matter what comes your way, you're the one in control."

"But I'm not. I'm the farthest thing from in control. The second person I trust most has been lying to me for years. Heaven refuses to listen. Even if they did, I can't prove it works. Adam had an invincible exorcist Army pointed right at my door step and there's nothing I can do about any of it! (Y/N) killed angels himself years ago, but he doesn't even know how he did it. So if the Shadow Prince of Hell himself can't help, how can I, the Princess of Hell, do anything?" Charlie asked, slamming her fist into her window. 

Alastor grinned sharply. 

"~I know something you don't knowwwww~" He sang, catching her attention. "Huh?" "Those big scary angels aren't as indestrutible as you might thing. You said it yourself, your dear big brother killed Angels himself. "

"What are you talking about?" Charlie questioned. 

"Just that you and your little band of misfits might stand more of a chance than you think." Alastor toyed with a plant in the room before walking away. 

"How? I'll do anything." Charlie begged desperately. 

"AnYtHiNg? Then let's make a deal." 

"You...you want my soul?" 

"Your soul?" Alastor asked sisterly, before brightening up. "Heavens no! All I need from you is one itty bitty favor. What's a favor between friends?" 

"I won't hurt anyone for you." Charlie said firmly.

"Who's asking! One favor at a time of my choosing where you harm no one. In return, I tell you what I know. Do we have a deal?" 

Razzle and Dazzle growled warningly before Charlie put her hand out, showing her horns and changing her eye color briefly. "Deal."

They shook hands, a green light glowing brightly enough where the hotel members could see it downstairs. 

"No, no!" Vaggie cried running upstairs, (Y/N) flying up the stairs, the wind from his wings opening the door.

"Right on cue!" Alastor called, as Vaggie arrived. "What did you do? Let her go!" The ex angel cried, charging at the deer. "Vaggie, stop!" Charlie cried. 

"What? No Charlie, please tell me you didn't--"

"No. She still owns her soul; I put a spell on Charlie when she was younger that prevented her from selling her soul." (Y/N) said, lowering himself to the ground, calculating gaze searching the two demons. 

"I made a deal with Alastor. He gave me info that can save the hotel, but we're going to need help. The angels can be defeated and Carmilla is the key." Charlie explained as she walked over to get her jacket. 

"What? Carmilla Carmine? She killed an exorcist in the last extermination. She knows how they can be harmed." 

"I---I didn't even know that was possible." Vaggie whispered in awe.

"If you did, would you have told me?" Charlie said coldly. 

"Charlie, I-"

"I need you to go to her, convince her to teach us. If she can, we might have a chance." 

"With just the seven of us?" Vaggie asked. 

"No, we're--ugh we're going to need numbers too."

"And I know just who can help. As long as Charlie can be her normal, charming self."

"What's that you said about smiles?" Charlie smiled as Alastor pat her head. "Good girl."

"Charlie, can we talk about this--" Vaggie asked quietly.

"We can talk later. Right now, we have a job to do. You with us?" She asked, eyes cold as she looked at Vaggie. 

"Yes." (Y/N) and Vaggie looked at each other with worry before following Charlie and Alastor downstairs. 

"So, uh, Alastor and Charlie just left like they were runnin' away from their responsibilities. Should we be alarmed?" Angel asked. 

"No, tesoro." (Y/N) chuckled, easing his love's worries. 

"We have a plan. But it includes defending ourselves against the angels." 

"Uh! Are you fucking high?" Husk asked. 

"They can be killed." Vaggie started as the Egg Bois ran by. 

"Yeah. That knife lady Camaro Carfight, killed one." Frank called, as Vaggie kneeled to his level. 

"Wait, you knew about this?" "Oh, yeah, I told Boss about it months ago."

"He what?"

"What? They say insane shit all the time. How was I supposed to know this one was true?" Pentious demanded. 

"Bank accounts are a scam created by the shadow government." Frank said cheerfully. 

"See!" Hissed the snake demon.

"What's important now is that we're gonna have a fight on our hands." (Y/N) spoke up, taking his role as Prince up seriously.

Vaggie nodded as she walked towards the door. "I'm going to learn how we can fight back. But when I come home, I'll understand if none of you are here." She left with that final thought. 

"Look, this hotel's about to become the most dangerous place in Hell, and we--I can't guarantee your safety anymore. I still believe in Charlie's dream, I know it can work. But none of you signed up for this," (Y/N) spoke up, "I am still your Prince, and I won't willingly let any of you get hurt, so if you want to leave, please get somewhere safe." 

Silence filled the air before Angel smacked (Y/N) on the back, mindful of his wings. "Babe, we ain't leavin' you. We've been here since the beginning, we'll be here 'til the end." Husk, Niffty and Pentious nodded their heads, smiling determinedly at their prince. 

" 'Sides, we have a wedding to plan, and we can't do that without our family." Angel cupped (Y/N)'s cheek, making the blond press a kiss to his hand. "Thank you, amore. Now, let's get to training." The prince smirked darkly, summoning his shadows' and multiple weapons. "We've got a lot of work to do."

*End.*

A/N: sorry for the short chapter lol. I'm gonna cut it into three parts, and I hopefully should have the next two up at some point today.*