#i was walking home and something attacked my legs from under a tree. but i was listening to nicki minaj so i didnt even flinch.

[sar3nka]

I wonder if my brain is permafried. I treat it as a little upgrade tbh.

[blueboybot]

In Your Cold Dead Arms

I don't care! I need to show yall one of my weird pairs.

Twigs and dry leaves snapped under feet that were in a hurry, wind blowing violently enough to feel as though it was one more step from uprooting trees and flinging them carelessly about with its strong might. Rain droplets fell from the dark and cloudy sky, rapid rainfall increasing with every droplet that hit skin and cloth, each one harsher than the other.

Some might find struggle with this kind of weather condition but for him it was way nicer than dealing with someone who could manipulate the weather at will. Luckily for him it was simply an act of nature, no powerful foe was attacking him and he could appreciate that once he got out of said rain.

As he ran his eyes continued to look out for shelter, something he could only hope to find in an area like this. More trees and plants overtook his vision, his temper starting to flare as rain fell even harder, almost feeling as if it were lashing him. Thunder boomed from above and lightening soon followed after, clouds lit up and illuminated the area for a few seconds.

On que, lightening striked next to a tree he was close to making him instinctively dodge out of the way. The tree took major damage, its base split in two and some of its green leaves burnt black. Fire appeared for a quick second before immediately being quelched by the rain. However with the destruction of the tree he was able to see a path, and further in the distance some kind of structure.

With the discovery of shelter he headed straight for the building, his legs picking up speed with the promise of soon being out of rain. Getting closer he saw that the structure was a mansion, an abandoned mansion at that. Not one to be picky he pushed open the gates with overgrown vines, finding them unlocked and bolted straight towards the front door, ready to use his body to force it open only to find out it was also unlocked and opened when his hand pushed on it.

Entering the mansion his first red flag came when he laid his eyes on the interior of the place. It was much nicer on the inside than the outside, the floors were clean and shiny, a chandelier lit up with flames hung high from the ceiling, red carpet and wooden decorations greeted him from where he could see them. Overall, the mansion gave off the vibes that it was well kept and that meant he may have just broke into someone's home.

"HELLO, IS ANYONE HERE?"

He expected someone to come rushing out of a door, cursing him or attacking him for entering their home as an unwated guest but he got nothing.

"Please tell me I didn't walk into some kind of haunted house." He mumbled.

Arsenal stood near the entrance door, wiping his boots on the mat and trying to dry himself with the warmth of a nearby candle. He tried to contact the team but something was blocking his signal, so for now he was stuck here until the rain stopped, but judging from the sounds outside that may take a while. He himself think back to how he got into this situation in the first place.

They were flying in the bioship when they got attacked, while trying to manuver through the air the ship got hit and plunged into the sea. He remembered exiting the bioship to look at the damage, only to be swept away by a current that appeared out of nowhere. He ended up on a beach and tried to contact the others but his communicator didn't work. Leaving the beach to explore the rest of the island storm coulds appeared, then it started raining so he ran to find shelter. Now, he was here in mansion that may or may not be haunted.

With a hesitant first step he continued to explore the mansion, going up the long steps that lead to the second floor. Turning left he was met with a hallway, dark brown with a few candles lighting up the way from which they were positioned from each door. Peaking inside, he saw a room with the same dark brown wood, but this time there were elegant designs carved into some of the walls, soft looking chairs and a rug lay in the center surrounded by bookshelves on the wall, a window showcasing the rainy outside world.

The sound of something falling against the floor in another room caught his attention. He whipped out his bow and readied an arrow, cautiously, he drew nearer toward the sound, stopping infront of the third room on the right that was slightly open. Slowly, he pushed open the door back, coming to halt when he saw nothing but furniture covered in white sheets.

He didn't lower his bow though, and his theory of something being in here was proven correct when movement came from a sheet close to the window. Arsenal stepped closer, arrow aimed directly at what he assumed was its head, whatever is under there could be dangerous for all he knows and he wasn't taking anymore chances. He wasn't about to lose another arm or any other limbs for that matter.

The rustling stopped and the sheet pulled back, revealing the face of someone that was definitely close in age to him. Hair so dark as if it was trying to mimic the void of space looked wet, strands clinging to their forehead. Freckles dusted over their cheeks and nose like they were carefully placed by the gentlest of hands. Blue eyes stared at the bow and then him, looking at him with a hint of curiousity only to turn to fear a second later at remembering that there was a weapon very close to their face.

Those blue eyes intrigued the red head. They were unlike any blue he had seen before, mesmerizing in a way, tempting him into their hypnotic trance. Looking away was becoming more of a challenge the longer he continued seeing into something so enchanting. They reminded him of the ice and a burning blue star. So out of this world that he swore his body was beginning to tingle as those eyes gaze back into him. He was locked in a view so breathtaking that the word did little justice to describe how he felt as he stared.

His trance was broken when the teen scrambled away from him, hitting hard against the underwall of the window, and likely hurting his back if the way he winced was anything to go by. The other boy quickly got up an moved to side, hitting his head into a piece of covered furniture that reverberated with a clang sound.

Aresenal winced, deciding he needed to step in and do something before the teen knocked himself out while trying and failing to get away from him.

"Easy easy!" He put away his bow and arrow, looking at the boy on the floor with his hands up to come across less dangerous "I'm not going to hurt you, I was just curious as to why I heard a noise coming from this room."

The teen looked at him with those blue eyes, accessing him to see if he was lying. He must of taken a gamble and decided to somewhat believe he meant no harm because the boy rose to his feet once again, looking at him with slight caution now.

"Do you live here?"

"No, I was trying to escape the rain and came across this abandoned mansion." He replied, looking away from Roy and opting to stare at the carpet.

"Got a shy one." Roy thought looking over the boy and his body language.

His clothes looked a little too big for him. A white t-shirt with short red sleeves and an oval pattern in the middle, black cargo pants, and red shoes with white lacing. There was also a metalic looking wristband the boy wore on his left hand. Overall, Arsenal took him for a pretty boy who wasn't used to these sorts of situations, one who doesn't do much except for sit in quiet with the popular kids and have everything handed to him without much of a resistance from other teachers or students.

"So do you have a name or do I just call you boy?" Roy asked, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"I'm not a child!"

Oh he was going to have fun with this one.

Roy's face split into a grin as he waited for the boy to reply. The other teen rolled his eyes at him.

"My name is Danny." Danny looked him up and down, "Did you just come from a cosplay party or something?"

He raised an eyebrow, "I'm Arsenal!"

This time Danny raised an eyebrow at him.

"Protégé of Green Arrow."

The boy's face remained the same as Roy's changed.

"Part of the Young Justice team."

Still no look of recognition.

"The Justice League."

"I literally don't have a clue on what any of those are, is it like some kind of sports team?"

"How do you not know the Justice League?"

"I'm from a small town, a lot of outside media doesn't get through to us." The boy mumbled something with a hint of annoyance at the end.

Roy groaned in frustration, putting his hands up to his masked face. He silently wondered if he was going to have to tell pretty boy here about the existance of aliens and meta-humans.

"Woah!" He heard the boy exclaim, feet that barely made a sound ran up to him. "Cool arm!" Roy spread his arms apart from his face to look at him, seeing that the boy's focus was entirely on his prosthetic.

"What kind of lights did you buy for this?"

" Lights? What no— This is how it is." He growled out the last part, remembering what Lex did still left a sour taste in his mouth.

"No. Way!" Danny's eyes seemed to sparkle with awe. "Can I touch it, please?"

Roy let the other teen poke at his arm, watching as fascination filled those blue eyes. The only other person that showed this much interest in his arm was Bart and the little menace would always ask to look at it or try to wrestle him, resulting in him always winning because there was no chance of him losing to someone with those kind of arms.

"This is amazing, can you wiggle your fingers for me?" Roy did just that and watched as a smile etched onto the boy's face.

"INCREDIBLE! The black metal, the desgin, everything was made to fit you. But, I bet I could do a way better job."

"Oh really?" He raised an eyebrow.

"My parents are inventors and scientist, I obviously picked up a thing or two from being around their equipment for so long." Danny placed his two hands on the prosthetic, providing Roy with the knowledge that he was two inches taller than Danny.

The vigilante catalogued the information given to him for later. Even if Danny meant him no harm that didn't mean he trusted him right away, sue him, but the other's parents being scientist that built enough inventions for Danny to alledgedly make his own made him wary.

"You're not a bad cosplayer." Danny said, leaning his head against the metalic arm while looking at Roy.

Those too blue eyes pierced his soul. Danny had to be a meta or alien of some kind, there was no other explanation for his eyes.

"It's not a cos—"

*SCREECH*

An unholy noise screamed out, sounding like a high pitched call and simultaneously a warning from whatever creature it came from.

Roy quickly grabbed Danny by the waist and pushed the boy behind him, shielding him as he armed himself once again.

[crypticandmachiavellianaugustine]

Sweet Nothings (Part One)

Part Two

Eris Vanserra x Reader

Summary: Y/N is a lesser fae who is spending her life wandering around different Courts, everything changes when she ends up in Autumn and by accident meets the new High Lord.

Warnings: angst with a happy ending, lots of self doubt, mentions of dog attack? (not really the smoke hounds are good puppies who look terrifying)

English is not my language so I deeply apologise for any eventual mistake also sorry if it sucks, I reread it while tired.

_______

One day, when she was only a curious child, Y/N had found her nemesis in a bush of wild raspberries. It was the time of dreams and fireflies who, in her mind of little girl, plausibly lived inside thorny loops of greenery with delicious berries peaking from behind the leaves. But the fireflies were not pleased to find a young thief at their front door and that was the day Y/N got her first and only scar, a thin white line on one of her legs as a reminder to not walk through literal thorns too carelessly.

As an adult, Y/N had made it an habit to plant raspberries and roses in every place she had ever lived. She was a lesser fae, and despite everything, that meant a very long life. And she was part mortal, with no other choice than to live in the outskirts of every society she encountered in Prythian, destined to shine briefly for her talents but be quickly disposed of, when those around her could scent the doomed outcast in her.

Born in Winter she had wandered to Summer and from there she had thrown herself into the unknown, as the fates intended. She had lived a hundred lives, voraciously trying to fill her loneliness, learning new things all the time. No matter how much life humbled her, or how miserable she was sometimes. Today she was a patissier at the Court of Autumn, but in the past she had been a maid in Winter, secretly learning a language spoken in a remote mortal land under the light of a candle when the household she was working in was asleep. Silently, in the coldest hours of the night she had fought to stay awake and do something with herself that was different from scrubbing the floors of that old manor.

A century after that, she had been almost a beggar in the lands of Dawn, the witch that lived as an hermit and used every plant she found to create oils and fragrances and remedies, trying to match every smell with a specific feeling or memory.

Doing something other than what was expected from someone of her stance had been what had kept her alive for so long, what had kept her sane when all of her hopes were digging themselves deep into the ground of a place that was not her home.

And a home was the one thing that Y/N had never really known. She had lived in plenty of places, but in her mind a malicious sentence echoed constantly, 'the point of a home is to have somewhere to always return to'.

Her dreams, her hopes, her passions... Those were the things that made her feel like an individual and not like the lowly being she had often been treated like.

For many long years, books had been her only friends, the only comfort afforded to her by the world. And in dusty books from the mortal lands, wastepaper in Prythian, she had decided than one day she would live an autumn like the ones described in those stained pages. But the Autumn Court had been avoided like the plague by Y/N in her constant wandering, too many stories of cruelty had came out of that place for her to be courageous enough to dare enter that territory.

Months before, when she was still in the Day Court, working in one of the countless libraries, she had heard whisperings of the passing of the old High Lord of Autumn who apparently had died under mysterious circumstances. She decided to move to a closer court and observe Autumn, but once she had catched a glimpse of the rust coloured tree leaves in the distance she knew that it would not take too long before her curiosity consumed her caution.

Y/N lived in the frost covered land of Winter for three weeks before leaving the court she had been born in centuries before, to pry into a forest that reminded her of a particularly bright sunset.

_

A month later, Y/N still had no idea on how a simple walk into a forest turned into her working at the most important palace of Autumn. Actually she knew exactly how it had happened but the chain of events had been so confusionary to live that she preferred not to think too much about it.

It all started when she got lost, too mesmerised by the warm colours surrounding her to carefully stay close to the border of Winter. And it progressively got stranger when Y/N realised with horror that she was walking on a trail that ended in a village. Certainly a picturesque place she thought before trying to put some distance between her and the cabins without being noticed, failing so miserably that she pondered hiding in a cave and have another few almost hermitic decades.

Before she could manage to build up a convincing lie about places she was trying urgently to reach, she had found herself sitting for dinner in a real house as a guest of an extremely chatty family, ordered to sit by a matron that was as welcoming as she was intimidating. And after a week, awkwardly relishing the kindness of the villagers like a wild cat being fed for the first time, Y/N's first real attempt at socialising had been preparing delicious sweets for everyone who had been nice to her. She always stubbornly downplayed her talents, flaunting made her anxious and obsessed about everything that could go wrong. It all started with simple biscuits, buttery and spiced, served with warm goat milk to her hosts for breakfast. Continued with a plate of swirling pastel pink meringues and a strawberry marmalade cake, to an old widow that had tailored and gifted her a delicate dress decorated with numerous embroidered tiny lilac flowers, one of her favourites from when she had been young. Then she baked an earthy weat cake with chestnut cream for a very old fae who allowed her to use his personal library. After weeks of joyful carrot muffins, candied citrus fruits given away to the few younglings of the village at every occasion, and a sustained sequence of birthday cakes, her new ephemeral normalcy was shattered by the visit of some relatives of the family that had welcomed her the first time she had stumbled into that small settlement.

The lady of the house who had treated Y/N almost like a daughter had a brother who knew someone who worked in the kitchens of the Forest House and he swore that he could find a place as an assistant patissier for the maker of the cherry cake he was enjoying, cake that Y/N had baked that day, realising that the small house was fervently preparing for a special dinner.

'Forest House, what a stupid name for a palace' she thought, of course she would leave, the last thing she wanted was to be a burden for her hosts. Even if she had enjoyed her time in the village she was ready to leave, she would go back one day, she knew it.

Y/N had learned the hard way not to fuss over the past and not to get too attached to anything she met in her eternal wandering. She often found herself thinking that her life flowed just like water, unforgiving and unemotional warden of memories that were never allowed to get back to the shore.

She whispered her goodbyes into the morning mist and left without looking back.

_

To fall into a routine while working in the kitchens had been surprisingly easy. Just as easy and unexpected it had been starting to work there, Y/N had been quickly pushed into the role of one of the main patissiers by a small and nervous male who had declared himself too old to bother with the frills of the fine patisserie that was expected to come out of the kitchens of the Forest House.

Y/N found it almost relaxing, to work unbothered in her corner. Baking, preparing, assembling and decorating her various creations, had become the actions that paced her days. The chatter, the clashing of pots and the crackling of the fire were all background noises that kept her mind silent, free to focus on her job.

She rarely left the staff quarters, and when she did, it was to sneak into the gardens and explore them furtively, even if no one was ever there to enjoy them anyway.

Most of her free time was spent with the cats that lived of the kitchen's leftovers, she had realised with delight that the small feral creatures somehow enjoyed the soft singing that sometimes came out of her mouth when she was alone or too distracted.

As an outsider she felt shy when talking with her colleagues, and they had all run out of conversation points rather quickly. All they ever talked about was work, the new elusive High Lord that everyone was wary of and every scandal the nobles caused on a weekly basis. Y/N was not too interested in any of that, after all she did not know any of those people. She strongly suspected to have catched a glimpse of the new High Lord during one of her secret explorations of the gardens, when she had noticed a crowned head move away from one of the windows, in a confusionary mirage of auburn hair and an aura of arrogance. Her visits to the gardens had decreased drastically after that occurrence. Better careful than caught.

One night she decided to sneak into the gardens again, the day had been an almost nightmare and she needed to get away from the kitchens for a little while. It had been a busy day, lords from all over the Court were visiting the Forest House and the kitchens felt like a gigantic furnace. Y/N had been forced to take refuge in the ice cellar to finish up all of the desserts she was preparing to avoid them melting miserably in the torrid chaos. All of her cat friends had avoided the kitchens the whole day, frightened by the deafening sounds and strong smells.

Y/N threw herself on a bed of dense moss, breathing in deeply the scent of alyssum that permeated in that hidden spot of the gardens. She got up with a huff and started walking, falling asleep there would be a terrible idea. She took a new route, one that she had usually avoided during her past secret explorations, she felt bolder hidden by the darkness of the night. The unexplored part of the gardens was near the orangery and the large path in front of it was not covered by trees like the rest. Y/N gently slid her fingers over a fragrant line of muguets before stopping in front of the pot of an majestic orchid that had definitely seen better days, she hid the plant in a corner that was a little more bit sheltered from the crisp autumnal wind.

Y/N continued to walk until she reached an enormous and elaborate fountain. It was one of her favourites parts of the gardens, the intricate metal fence that surrounded it was rusty and the fountain itself was so vast that a small island had been placed at its center, the statues on it were covered with moss. Water came out of small statuettes of all around the perimeter but must of it was coming out of the island, the sound of it difficult to ignore. It was like something out of a book, a forgotten wonder in an abandoned garden. A group of ducks lived there and Y/N liked to gather berries from nearby bushes and feed the adorable animals. She could see them, despite the darkness, smoothly swimming towards her. She quickly picked a handful of blueberries and threw them in the water, her gesture met with a few happy quacking sounds.

Y/N smiled to herself and started to head in direction of the kitchens, hoping to sneak in her little room without awakening any of her colleagues. The night was silent and hearing a rustle behind her made her stop in her tracks petrified, she slowly turned around just in time for a monstrous beast to jump on her and make her fall onto the ground with a terrified screech. The beast, that she realised was a dog, was blocking her with its paws painfully pressed into her ribs, sniffing her face. Y/N wanted to scream loudly and desperately, but she held it back and tried to stay still, hoping that the dog would lose interest in her. Tears were running down her face and usually she wasn't one for praying, but in her mind she begged the Mother to save her from a fate as horrible as dying mauled by the jaws of that animal. It was licking her face, cruelly preparing to take the first bite...

"Let the little bunny go, Willow," said a male voice, good-naturedly scolding the dog. Y/N started sobbing when the monster- Willow- finally allowed her to breathe. The gigantic dog lowered her head to the ground and looked at the crying girl, Y/N could swear that she saw worry in those eyes and Willow tentatively licked her face, whining in a comically apologetic way for a hound so terrifying.

Strong arms grabbed her and pulled her up, in between tears she found herself looking at a tall male, clearly one of the nobles. It took her a few moments to connect the dots, the auburn hair and the hound, she could make out the dark shapes of more of them in the distance, his impeccable clothes and the slightly haughty expression... Y/N was almost sure that she was in front of the Hight Lord, and if the one scrutinising her in that moment was not him, he was probably one of his brothers.

Realising that she had been caught in the gardens she made a curtsy, trying to contain her trembling of fear from everything that was happening. He clicked his tongue, and Y/N held her breath terrified, she had annoyed him even more.

But instead of immediately reprimanding her or worse, he tilted her head up. There was a surprising gentleness in his gesture that clashed with the impassive expression on his face, his eyes on the other hand carried a glint of arrogance and amusement in them.

"Don't worry, little bunny, none of us bites without a good reason," he said, almost as if he was making fun of her. Then he produced a handkerchief and handed it to her, Y/N could not dare to accept it, she didn't want to stain the white and soft looking fabric with the mud that had dirtied her hands after his hound had made her fall. He rolled his eyes with an attitude that in a clearer state of mind she would have found infuriating and, still with that strange gentleness, he wiped her tears off. Y/N almost jumped back, embarrassed.

"Does the little bunny have a name?" He asked. Y/N was starting to get mildly annoyed with his attitude, he was talking to her as if she actually was a wild frightened creature of the woods.

She told him her name in a timid whisper and he repeated it, her name sounding almost comforting in his mouth. Y/N tried to put on a mask of composure.

"I deeply apologise, my lord. I should not be here and..." she said quickly and agitated before he interrupted her by putting a finger on her lips.

"Call me Eris," he said not looking at her and going to damp the handkerchief under the spilling water of one of the small fountain statuettes near them.

Y/N went pale, so he was the High Lord. He started cautiously cleaning her hands, making sure that she didn't hurt herself falling.

"I can do this on my own. You shouldn't bother yourself with me, my lord" she whispered but he ignored her, except for an annoyed look when she insisted in not calling him by his name.

"You don't feel it yet, don't you?" asked Eris frowning and observing her carefully. Y/N looked at him interrogatively. Then suddenly it all became clear and the realisation took her breath away. In a moment something snapped in between them and a single thread of gold tied their souls together. In the past she had tried to imagine what a mating bond could feel like but the reality of it was completely different from every single daydream she had secretly indulged in. The sheer and raw sense of belonging was something unexpected, it was as if the nostalgia that she often felt inside of her heart had been finally placated.

She would have fallen to the ground again if he didn't catch her, holding her in his arms almost with reverence.

"Never again you will fall" murmured Eris "I won't allow it".

"That is an unpractical intention" she replied. Uncertainty was rumbling in her mind, she wanted to run, to hide far away and disappear, to live like a wild animal in the forest and forget everything about all of this. He was her mate and a stranger, their lives were not supposed to touch, they were not supposed to meet, let alone being bound together by a superior force.

Y/N felt ashamed suddenly, she was being weak by allowing him to be close, to hold her up when she was supposed to ruinously fall. Someone of his stance would never accept to be shackled to a lesser fae, she did not want to delude herself into heartbreak and rejection. Maybe he was being polite for pity or for some perverse game, was she a rabbit about to fall into the jaws a fox?

She hastily put some distance between them, in that moment she really wished to have the ability to winnow.

Eris had a hurt look in his eyes when she backed away, it lasted a second before he composed himself once again and started speaking calmly, as if he knew of her intentions and he wanted to keep her from running like a frightened wild bunny.

"I have no intention to hurt you. I merely plead you to allow me to take care of you and to protect you, others may try to harm you for this bond between us. It is your choice to accept it or not but I would like to clarify that, for me, you are a miracle I never dared to hope in".

"You don't know me, don't use words you will regret," said Y/N, her face a mask of cold nonchalance that she sometimes used to protect herself with. But he simply smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Please," he whispered, in a vulnerable manner that made Y/N raise her brows with scepticism. How could she surrender to the unknown?

_

Y/N was standing in front of her mirror, doubtfully studying her reflection. Three months had passed since the night in the garden.

Two months of tedious hours with a dozen seamstresses who had been tasked to create a wardrobe for her that was worthy of the High Lord's mate. Three months of eating almost every meal with Eris and spending time in his office or in the gardens together. Three months of trying to fill her days with literature and other pastimes to keep her mind from thinking too intensely about the uncertainty of her future.

When she had accepted to be moved to another, more suitable, room for her security-excuse quickly added by Eris just when she was about to start protesting- she had insisted for her new room to be as simple as possible and she was sure that her mate had not taken that request into consideration in the slightest.

Her room was spacious and sumptuously decorated, the windows were tall, some of them partly made of intricate stained glass art, and there was even a terrace.

Y/N continued to stand in front of the large mirror, trying to find a way to make her hair presentable. She knew that she could never match the sophisticated looks of the ladies she had seen at court, wives and daughters of advisers and courtiers with intricate hairstyles and the behaviour of someone who belonged there in the Forest House. She had started to be almost ashamed of how her hair only reached her shoulders, she had used to love how the delicate waves framed her face and how comfortable keeping them at that length was, but at court she felt like a fish out of water. Shortly after the first dresses had been completed and started to be placed in her room, jewelry appeared as well and Y/N had refrained from wearing it. The jewels were magnificent more that anything she had seen before, she debated if the mating bond had somehow made Eris aware of the things that she would like when emeralds and dark amethysts, baroque pearls and aquamarines had started to appear. She huffed exasperated and took an elaborate pair of gold earrings with rose-coloured pearls, they matched her dress and hopefully counterbalanced the simplicity of her hair.

She picked up one of the cats that had mastered enough bravery to go find her deep into the labyrinth that was the palace when she had disappeared from the kitchens. She had tried to dissuade them from playing with the canopy of her bed but the finely embroidered fabric beared the signs of their mischievous claws. Willow had also found her way into her room, the hound looked silly with the cats playing with her tail while she observed the mate of her master move around the chamber.

The cat in her arms immediately started purring, Y/N had called the fluffy creature Luna, after the feline decided to live constantly gravitating around her.

She considered wearing a pale green mantle but decided otherwise, it was one of those rare days when the sun shone over the Autumn Court and she was determined to make the best of it.

Y/N left her chamber and started heading in direction of the gardens, she knew that she would find Eris waiting for her. It was starting to become a habit to promenade together around the gardens in the afternoon, her initial shyness had soon become curiosity and she had realised that conversing with her mate was quite enjoyable. When the mating bond had snapped, it had been a long time since Y/N had a long and significant conversation with another and now in three months she felt as if she had never talked so much ever before in her entire life. During the busy days that kept Eris in his office she usually went to curl up in one of the sofas there, with a book, silently thinking about why for some strange reason she did want to be in his presence anyway, even in silence when he tried to disentangle whatever problem the Court was facing.

He was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, his attention to the hounds enthusiastically wagging their tails, happy to be in the presence of their master. He looked up, feeling her presence, and offered a warm smile. She would never say it out loud, not after knowing him for such a short amount of time, but his smile made her think about the calm days of Autumn she had often daydreamed about in the past, when she had been wandering around the others courts always with a book in hand, reading the descriptions of warm coloured leaves and bonfires.

Eris reached for her hand as she approached him and gently kissed her knuckles before intertwining their fingers.

"Your grace is brightening my day," he murmured.

Y/N smiled at him, hoping to control the blush that she knew was making its way to her cheeks. She blamed the magic bond between them for how she had catched herself thinking about him in the last few days. In truth she had been relieved when she had realised how gentle he was with her, always making sure of her comfort; but she had seen the fire that was his power as much as it was his personality, the firmness and confidence he displayed in ruling his Court. The night before she had surprised herself thinking about how it would feel to kiss him, to have that gentleness turn into the fire she knew he had in him, to feel his hands and his lips fervently and hungrily explore her body. She had quickly put her absurd thoughts aside and it had been almost easy, but now she was walking next to him and it was impossible to ignore the warmth radiating from his body, making her remember every thought she had the night before. Y/N was tempted to snatch her hand away from his, but that would probably rise questions and maybe erase all of the progress they had made.

Eris guided her to a wisteria covered gazebo overlooking the woods that surrounded the Forest House.

"I was under the assumption that you had a meeting with your advisors this afternoon," said Y/N, not that she was upset to be there, but still the note she had received from him hours before had made her perplexed and a little guilty.

Eris grinned "No, the meeting had strangely disappeared from my schedule". She refrained from rolling her eyes, she didn't want him to ignore his duties just to entertain her, she didn't feel worthy of such bother.

He pressed a kiss to her temple as if he had sensed the tone of her thoughts. "Since the first time I saw you in this gardens, secretly smiling at every little plant as if they were your friends you had become the light of my days. And I will make sure to demonstrate that for as long as you will allow me," he murmured and then he added with a tender expression "Stop doubting your importance to me, my mate".

Y/N didn't respond, she looked away and started walking slowly in direction of the fountain, trying to hide her flushed cheeks and the troubled look in her eyes. She ignored the water and entered a path to the rose garden. She could feel Eris' eyes on her, studying her reactions and the awkwardness she had not presented in weeks. She asked herself what would he do if she broke their silent harmony of friendly hours spended talking and polite touches, they were mates but they acted like nothing more than two strangers who had recently started a discreet friendship which was also not far from the truth, but did he want her in the same way she had surprised herself wanting him lately? Or were they just trying to be civil after a superior force had pushed them together?

Y/N looked down pretending to find the falling of the leaves over the gardens interesting.

She did not notice Eris taking a rose from one of the bushes that were all around them until he brushed the flower against her arm and handed it to her.

Y/N didn't want to look at him, knowing that all of her thoughts were perfectly readable in her eyes, instead she leaned back, knowing that she would be met with his warmth. He chuckled when her back rested against his chest, his arms surrounding her waist.

"What did I do right to deserve such a treat?" whispered Eris in her ear.

Y/N shook her head and turned around, shyly leaving a delicate kiss on his lips and then observing his reaction, instinctively expecting him to laugh at her or to tell her that it was a mistake. The conviction of being unwanted and undesirable was stronger than her, deeply engraved into her heart by a life of solitude. She felt tears threatening to escape her self control.

But before she could regret her actions and run away, Eris' lips were on hers, hungrily kissing, tasting, savouring her with a passion that made her knees weak. When they broke away from the kiss she noticed tears in his eyes as well, and a fire that took her breath away. No one had ever looked at her that way and she was sure that no one would ever want her as fervently as Eris did.

They stayed there for a long time, both made speechless by the raw sense of belonging that had rushed over them, created by the mating bond and by something more. Neither of them had the courage to say it out loud yet, irrationally scared to shatter the enchanted silence of the rose garden with words. Without them noticing, love had made its way into their lives and it felt stronger than magic.

[toournextadventure]

everyone but her pt.21

Summary: You get a hit with a bit of reality and go back to apologise to Wednesday. But it might be too late, and now everything is catching back up with you. And this time, you don't have Nicky to keep you out of trouble.

Word Count: 7.5k Warnings: swearing, stages of grief, implications of self-destructive behaviours, flashbacks Pairing: Wednesday Addams x Reader (everyone but her Masterlist) Taglist: @extinctspino @basichextechml @cfvgbhndun-new-blog @jinxscatbomb @awolfcsworld @suzhiman @gengen64 @eclipsesmoonshine14 @alexkolax @thenextdawn @cacciatricediartemide @cozwaenot @the-night-owl-blr @natashasapphic @parkersmyth @alilbitlesbian @irish-piece-of-trash @rainbow-love4ever @audigay @bakugounuggets @myfturn @rockwyn @bigbadsofty07 @andsoigotabutterfly @captainbeat @smromanoff

You felt the sticks snap under your feet as you landed haphazardly, quickly leaning against a tree so you could dry heave. Again. It was becoming something of a routine from the past five or so hours. After stopping at the house to get your things and say goodbye to Mabel and Jenkins - who promptly gave you hugs and cheek kisses. It made your stomach turn and you wanted to scream at them to please stop, it’s all my fault - before flying off.

In the grand scheme of things, you were only able to fly for about 20 minutes at a time before having to land. At first you panicked when your stomach turned, and it hurt because you hadn’t eaten and you were already exhausted. But then after another 20 minutes or so of shaky flying, you had to land and heave again. And so the vicious cycle continued.

Your skin was sticky with sweat by the time you walked through the gate at home. There was a shakiness to your legs that, for the life of you, you couldn’t get rid of. It was humiliating and you felt weak. Weak because you had just ruined everything and now you were running away? Running back home to Momma and Pop? What, were you going to tuck your tail between your legs next?

“Y/N!”

The push against your stomach was stronger than it should have been. You stumbled back, your arms windmilling in an attempt to keep you on your feet. Your duffel bag hit the dirt with a *thud* and you managed to get your feet back underneath you just enough to see your faux attacker.

And it broke your heart.

“You promised,” Hailey shouted. Not her usual yelling or griping. She shouted. With tear stained cheeks and red eyes.

“Hail-”

“-you promised he would wake up!” She continued, stepping closer. Her claws were out.

“I didn’t-”

“-and you didn’t even tell us!” She pushed against your stomach again; your feet were better planted this time. “We had to find out from Auntie Rissa!”

“Hailey!” Alex was running across the yard, the other kids fast on his tail. “Stop!”

“You promised,” Hailey cried. She swiped with her claws once. You jumped back but still felt the slightest sting on your left hip. “You promised and you let him die!”

Oh. Oh.

“Don’t talk to her like that,” Alex huffed as he did his best to get in between you and Hailey. His sunglasses were riding low on his nose, but he quickly pushed them back up. “You know better.”

“Your best friend came home,” Hailey shouted at Alex. They were starting to square off. Oh no. “Mine didn’t.” She was crying. “It’s not fair.”

“Hey-”

“-Why should she get to come home when Nicky can’t?-”

“-You know it’s not that simple-”

“-Why does she get to be happy when he can’t even breathe?-”

“-Don’t be such a bitch-”

“-Enough!”

You stepped in between the both of them, your arms outstretched on either side to push them further apart. It was impeccable timing, really. You managed to step in between them right as Hailey swiped again and Alex threw a punch. The claws swiped across your forearm, and Alex tried to curb his hit but still managed to catch you in the shoulder.

You felt sick.

Everyone else had finally gotten closer, now just watching the scene unfold before them. You looked up into Pop’s eyes, trying your best to convey everything you were feeling. Scared, sick, angry, frustrated, numb. Everything and nothing all at once. You wanted to cry, and throw up, and scream, and hurt.

“It’s your fault,” Hailey said around a sob that she no longer bothered hiding. “It should have been you-”

“-Hailey,” Momma chastised immediately, but Hailey was already running off into the woods around the barn. A pained howl quickly followed.

“Come on, Nicky,” Hailey begged, “you promised to sing karaoke with me.”

“It’s 3am, Hails,” Nicky chuckled. Your eyes slowly opened to see them snuggling on the couch in the basement.

You couldn’t say much; you were cuddling with Alex on the other couch.

“Then at least sneak some ice cream with me?” Hailey asked again. She was using her puppy dog pout. Smart move, it always worked on Nicky.

“Fine,” he sighed, but he was still smiling. “But only because we’re best friends.”

“You love me most,” she said as she pulled him up from the couch.

“I suppose I do,” he laughed again.

“I didn’t mean to hit you,” Alex said, his own voice sounding watery. “It was an accident.”

You felt sick.

“I’ll go get Hailey-”

“-Let her run it off,” Pop interrupted Momma softly, his eyes never leaving yours. “Alex, grab her bag.” He looked around at everyone else, including the nearly-crying kids. “Everyone else git back inside.”

A chorus of “yes Pops” filled the suffocatingly silent air. Your arms slowly fell back to your side as everyone moved, leaving the area as quickly as possible. No one wanted to stay; you didn’t blame them. You didn’t want to stay either. You didn’t want to be anywhere.

“You gonna hurl?” Pop asked as he stepped closer to you, his hand patting your shoulder a little rougher than necessary. “You’re lookin’ a little green.”

“‘m fine,” you said.

“Don’t hurl on my boots,” Pop warned.

As if on cue, you turned just in time to double over. Nothing came up; there was nothing to come up. But it still took you a few minutes of dry heaving and Pop patting your back harshly before you could stand back up on shaky legs. You just used the back of your hand to wipe the spit off your chin.

“Come inside,” Pop said softly. You don’t deserve soft. “You need food and some sleep.”

“‘m not hungry-”

“-I don’t give a damn if you’re hungry or not,” Pop interrupted. “You’re walkin’ like a newborn foal.”

“I can’t- I- I can’t eat,” you whispered. You couldn’t look into his eyes; couldn’t bear to see the pity. “I can’t.”

The stammer was embarrassing enough on its own, but the way Pop’s grip on your shoulder softened made your stomach turn and a lump form in your throat. Don’t touch me. But he did, and he was so incredibly soft, and you wanted to scream.

“Come on, baby bird,” he said softly as he pulled you into his side and started guiding you to the house. “Let’s get you home.”

You ate what Abuelita put in front of you. If anyone had asked what it was, you couldn’t have told them, but you ate it. Ate until you felt your stomach turn, then excused yourself and went straight to the bathroom. The food didn’t stay in your stomach, but at least you ate.

Momma let you sleep in her room for the night; no one would bother you in there. And you laid there on the bed and the pillows smelled like home and you didn’t sleep. Every time you closed your eyes, all you could see was Nicky. Or your father’s bloody face, eyes staring up at you in absolute fear.

You wanted him to fear you. But you didn’t. All you wanted was for him to hold you and say he was sorry and that he loved you. You wanted both of them to say they loved you and they were proud of you. Not that they were scared of you, or they hated you, or they blamed you for everything.

You just wanted them to want you.

Turn it off, that voice in your head said again. It sounded a little different, but still familiar. You didn’t want to turn everything off, you wanted to feel. But the words themselves buried the anger and sadness under layer after layer of numbness. Buried it until you felt nothing, and nothing went through your head except unbearable silence.

You couldn’t help it.

It was early in the morning by the time you stumbled out of Momma’s and Pop’s room. Everyone was still asleep, thankfully, and you didn’t want to be there when they woke up. You had heard Hailey come home last night and you just couldn’t be there when she got up.

It should have been you.

You left the house without any warning. The fall air was cool and the trees were a beautiful orange and yellow and red and it made you sick. Fall was Nicky’s favourite time of year, and it was so perfect out, and he couldn’t even enjoy it. A stinging sensation settled in the back of your eyes and a lump lodged itself in your throat as you started running.

It left you shaky and the cold air stung your lungs, but you still ran. Down the dirt road, into the woods and up the small hill that led to the creek. The babbling brook would normally be soothing, easing you into a calm that could only come from the outside. But today, all it did was make you angry. Angry because your feet had carried you here when you didn’t want to be here.

You couldn’t bear to be in Nicky’s favourite place.

A scream wanted to tear its way up your throat, but you wouldn’t let it. You didn’t, because if you kept it in then you could suffer a little bit too. It would continue to rage and tear you apart from the inside out. If you were lucky, maybe it would do more than that and you could prove how sorry you were.

Your eyes stung when you finally collapsed near the riverbank. The ground was cold and muddy but truthfully? You couldn’t give a damn. You were still in those fucking suit pants and dressy undershirt, and you didn’t give a damn that they were soaking through with freezing water.

The frogs and birds kept you company. Croaking by your leg while the brook continued to flow steadily in front of you. Your wings weighed heavy on your back, forcing you to hunch your shoulders in an attempt to ease the weight. It didn’t. The muscles in your back ached and it was good. Pain was good.

“It’s too quiet,” you huffed as you threw another rock into the river. The *splunk* was pretty satisfying.

“That’s the point,” Nicky said. He was laying on the riverbank with hands behind his head. His eyes were closed and his face was illuminated by the sun shining through the leaves above.

“You like listening to nature?” You asked; your fingers were digging through the mud for another rock.

“It’s relaxing,” He said with a smile. “Maybe you'll learn some patience.”

“Hey, Y/N.”

You didn’t look up but felt the body sit beside you, her arm brushing against yours only briefly. It sent a shiver down your spine and your eyes fell shut for a moment. Only for a moment. When they opened again, you looked back out at the river. It was too quiet.

You felt numb.

“Hailey told me you were out here,” Ash whispered. Please shut up. “She wanted me to check on you.” Of course she did.

"Go away, Ash," you said just as quietly.

"All due respect, sweetheart, I'm stayin," she answered. "I know you, and the last thing you need is to be alone."

"Who taught you to talk like that?" You asked. "You never used to care this much." It was a low blow and you knew it. Your eyes travelled down to the mud by your freezing legs. Without hesitation, your fingers dug in, searching blindly for something to grab.

"I grew up a little," Ash said with a light chuckle.

You hummed in response. It wasn't like you were really in the mood to talk to her anyway, and she probably knew it. Something hard stopped your digging and you slowly excavated it, lifting your hand to show off a rock. Simple, grey, jagged. You halfheartedly tossed it into the water and got to digging again.

"How's that girl from your school?" Ash asked after a few minutes of silence. "The one you brought home a few months ago."

"Small talk isn't necessary," you said quickly. "It's not even wanted-"

"-You can't push me away this time, Johnson," she cut in. "It worked before but it won't work now." You found another rock.

“Or you could just go hang out with Johnny,” you grumbled when Ash sighed. “Clearly he’s better company.”

“He’s my best friend,” she shot back. “I can have friends, can’t I?”

“Yeah, sure,” you said with a shrug. You weren’t looking at her. “You can hang out with him while I sit here and worry about my brother who's still in a coma.”

“You’re such a dick,” Ash said quickly. “You know that’s now what I mean.”

“Just leave.”

“Gladly.”

“So how is she?”

“I don’t know.” You threw the rock into the river. “Think I fucked it up already.”

“You tend to do that,” she said with a soft chuckle. Your fingers were already in the mud. “Wanna talk about it?”

No, you thought. But yes. The look of absolute pain on Wednesday’s face when you had turned away after she had confessed. Fuck, she had confessed. She had done it and you hadn’t even had the good sense to say anything positive. You were more than aware of how difficult it was for her to express emotions, but after this? You’d be lucky if she even looked at you again.

“She told me she loved me yesterday,” you said softly, your eyes travelling down to the mud. Still no rocks.

“At a funeral?” Ash scoffed.

“Her parents confessed at a funeral,” you said simply with a shrug. There was a beat of silence.

“She looks like her parents confessed at a funeral,” she finally said in a hushed voice, almost like she was experiencing a new revelation.

It almost made you laugh.

“Shut up,” you chuckled as you lightly elbowed her in the side.

“Did you say it back?”

Silence.

“Y/N,” Ash scolded. You stopped digging for rocks just long enough to look at her out of the corner of your eye. “You said it back, right?”

“I was a little distracted-”

“-You’re such a dick.” She elbowed you back; far harder than you had done to her. “That was probably peak romance for her.”

“I’m sorry I was mourning my brother, Ashley,” you taunted back. “A love confession wasn’t necessarily on my list of things to expect for the day.”

“Why the fuck are you still here?” Ash asked. 

“Excuse me?”

“Go back and apologise!” She shouted. The birds stopped chirping for a few seconds before resuming their relaxing songs. “And return the love, for fuck sake.”

“Why do you even care?” You asked. The search for rocks to throw was long forgotten.

“Because I saw your face when she kissed your cheek,” Ash sighed. “And I know she was simply markin’ her territory, but you looked happy.” Her eyes met yours; they were soft. Reminiscent of all those years ago. “I don’t think you were ever that happy with me.”

“We were kids,” you said, turning to look back out at the brook. You couldn’t handle her stare anymore. “Not sure we could have-”

“-Will you shut the hell up?” She interrupted. “Fuck, Y/N, that girl can keep you.” A huff left her lips.

“You’re doing a wonderful job at comforting me,” you grumbled.

“Go tell her,” Ash said again in a tone that left no room for argument. “Because if she doesn’t take you back then we’ll be stuck with you.” She was trying not to smile.

“You’re a bitch.”

“And you’re a dick.” Her smile turned softer, less taunting. “But you’re a dick who deserves a little bit of happiness after this clusterfuck.”

“Thanks, Ash,” you whispered.

“Just make sure you change first,” she said, her tone sounding more judgmental. “You smell like a pig.” Her eyes went down to the mud on your pants. “Look like one too.”

“Get the hell away from me,” you grumbled as you pushed her away. “Ha!” You laughed when she got her own shirt covered in mud.

“God, I hate you,” Ash grumbled. “Messin’ up my good shirt.”

Silence fell over the both of you and you looked back out over the babbling brook that no longer seemed quite as inviting. Now it was just a brook, and the frogs were just frogs, and the birds were just enjoying their day. 

For just a moment, the anger had dissipated and you could sit there. Nicky was still on your mind, and your father was still on your mind, and Wednesday was still on your mind, and everything was still slowly falling apart. But for a moment, you could sit there.

Ash was right. You needed to go back and talk with Wednesday. She would understand, right? If she would just listen and let you explain and hopefully let you say those three words back to her, it would be okay. It would be okay, right? Your pulse started to race in your ears again.

You felt numb.

—---

Getting back to Nevermore had been easy enough. You had said your goodbyes to Ash (and promptly told her not to contact you again) before heading back to the house. A quick shower (which almost felt nice after nearly two weeks without it), a change of clothes, goodbyes to everyone except Hailey (who was still furious), and a quick flight home.

Well, it wasn’t a quick flight. But it was a flight.

“Thank heavens.”

You felt a body crash into you when you walked through the front doors of Nevermore Academy again. A pair of arms wrapped themselves around your shoulders and squeezed you tight. There was only a moment of hesitation before you dropped your duffel bag and returned the hug, leaning completely into Mama Weems. The familiar scent of lavender and tea invaded your senses and for a moment, your shoulders sagged as you exhaled slowly.

“Don’t you ever run off like that again,” she whispered into your ear. Her grip tightened ever so slightly. So did yours.

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled back. There was a lump in your throat and a stinging in your eyes.

You felt numb.

It was the only warm welcome you got back at Nevermore.

Ajax and Kent had waved at you from across the courtyard before Divina and Enid pulled them away. The migraine came back, but you physically shook it away. They probably just wanted to give you some space, right? You weren’t exactly one to talk openly anyway, they were being polite.

But then Yoko practically refused to look at you. You had tried to approach her the next day, but she almost immediately turned in the other direction and walked into one of the classrooms. There was an undeniable skip in your heartbeat, but you ignored it. You had ignored her for two weeks and she had seen you lose your shit; she always hated it. It made sense that she was going to keep her distance. Right?

No one let Eugene get near you. Plain and simple as that.

And you hadn’t seen hide or hair of Wednesday even after three days of being back.

“Where is she?” You asked Bianca after cornering her before a class.

“I have physics,” she said.

“I need to talk to her,” you said again. “Everyone can ignore me again later, but I need to talk to her.”

“She’ll be practising her cello in her dorm tonight,” Bianca said with only a moment of thought. “Why do you need to talk to her?” She straightened up.

“I reacted poorly to something,” you said with a sigh. Bianca was going to be late to class; she didn’t seem to care. “And Ash said I-”

“-You talked with your ex before talking with your girlfriend?” Bianca interrupted. “Are you stupid?”

“Clearly,” you said as you threw your hands in the air. “That’s why I need to apologise.”

“Don’t tell her you talked to Ash,” she said with a pointed look. “Especially if you’re already in the doghouse.”

“Keep the trio away?” You asked.

Bianca didn’t answer, but nodded once after exhaling slowly.

“Thank you,” you mumbled, quickly stepping aside so she could get to class.

When you were finally standing in front of Wednesday’s door that evening, you felt numb.

Usually you would just walk in. After so long of being friends with Enid, and then with Wednesday, you had earned the privilege of coming in unannounced. But now? After the past few weeks and particularly after your reaction? Just the thought of walking in made your stomach churn. So you lifted your hand, knocked three times, and waited.

Wednesday was already in her everyday clothes when she opened the door. And yet, you couldn’t have found her more beautiful. You had missed her. If nothing else, you had just missed her company, her presence reminding you that on purpose someone chose to be with you. On purpose someone actually wanted you.

But then you saw the light bags under her eyes, and the downturn of her lips, and that murderous spark in her eyes. And you knew. You knew what was going on in her head, and you knew your heart wanted to jump out of your chest, and you knew your eyes stung. And you knew she was furious.

“Can we talk?” You asked quietly once you realised Wednesday wasn’t going to say anything.

“There’s nothing we need to talk about,” she said as she walked back out to the balcony.

“Yes there is,” you said. You shut the door behind you and followed after her like a lost puppy. Maybe you were. “I was a dick, and I’m so-”

“-I don’t require your apologies,” she interrupted you. “In fact, I would prefer you keep them to yourself.”

“No, it wasn’t right,” you said quickly. She still wasn’t even paying you any attention. “I didn’t say what I actually wanted to say.”

“I do not wish to hear what you wanted to say,” Wednesday said, and you froze. She was talking differently, like she had when you had first met. Why was she talking differently?

“What?” Maybe you heard her wrong.

“You made it clear you are either unable or unwilling to reciprocate,” she said, finally turning around to look at you. If you looked a little closer, you could see the slightest pink tint to her eyes.

“I’m- I’m not- I-” You couldn’t get the words out. You couldn’t get the fucking words out.

“Yoko has informed me of your unfortunate incidents around verbal affection.” She barely even let you open your mouth to answer. “To save us both some trouble, I have decided to return to our previous acquaintanceship so you may have the space you require.”

Oh. 

Oh. 

If your heart could physically break, that’s exactly what it was doing. You could hear and feel each individual beat of your heart, each one hurting more than the last. It made you want to rip into your chest with your bare hands and pull it out, offering the broken muscle to Wednesday on a silver platter if that’s what it would take to make it stop hurting.

“Acq- a- a- acquaintanceship?” You asked, shaking your head. Trying to get the migraine to go away. “Wednesday that’s- that’s not- I don’t-”

“-I am in the middle of something,” Wednesday interrupted. “You may say what you wish to say, then leave me to my allotted practice time.”

She turned her back to you and sat down in her chair on the balcony. Her delicate fingers repositioned the cello and picked up the bow, and it was like you weren’t even there. Like you hadn’t just come by to say you were sorry, to say you loved her too. You were nothing more than an inconvenience to her schedule, just like old times.

And you couldn’t even blame her.

The music started to resonate through the open window, bouncing off the walls of the room. It echoed in your skull and picked apart the folds of your brain one by one, like it was slicing the excess chunks off until it could force itself into every available inch of space. Usually you loved to hear her play, loved to sit on the roof above her and just watch until she was finished; a watchful gargoyle against the inky black sky.

But now? No, now it was just intolerable. Unbearable, even.

She didn’t turn around when you dragged your leaden feet to the door. Didn’t check on you when you tripped over the air, your feet hitting the ground with a little extra force. And she certainly didn’t turn around when you did. Don’t let me leave, your heart begged her.

“I just…” Don’t say it, your mind told you. Please say it, your heart cried. “I love you too, Wednesday.”

The cello came to a screeching halt, only for a second before resuming again. Wednesday didn’t turn around; you knew she wouldn’t. And all those big feelings you had finally mentally agreed to start feeling grabbed the shovel and started digging until they were six feet under the numbness.

Not even anger stayed on the surface. Not this time.

With shaky, sweating hands you opened the door and stood face to face with Enid, Yoko, and Divina. A lump formed in the back of your throat as you looked at each of them briefly. You forced an unconvincing smile and gently pushed past them. The hair on the back of your neck stood up as they watched you leave, but you didn’t care.

What was there to even care about anymore?

You felt numb.

—---

There was a reason Wednesday had never let anyone too close. It was a distraction, a liability, and it was a gateway to feeling hurt. Nothing good ever came out of letting anyone close. After all, look what had happened with Nero? She had loved him, and all it had gotten her was suffering. And not the good kind.

That’s what you had done. You had hurt her, and she hated you for it. She knew your situation, she understood as best as she possibly could. But her childish feelings had led to you hurting her. She had dared to open up and feel something, and it had led to all this unbearable suffering. Maybe she had been right when she had told her mother she would never fall in love.

It was impossible not to see you around Nevermore, and that made everything so much harder. You were there in class, grading papers or cleaning up afterwards. You were there in the quad, walking with Weems with a straight back and wings hidden. You were there in Jericho, sitting on a bench with shaking hands and a cup of coffee that had gone cold.

She hated you for that too. For looking so pitiful all the time, like a stray dog begging for someone to give them attention. Yoko was still upset with you, she had made it very clear on numerous occasions. But Kent and Ajax had pulled you in again, always sitting with you or hanging out with you again. You almost smiled on those days.

You turned cold with everyone. The occasional nod of acknowledgment, or even a small wave was all anyone got out of you. Not that she had tried to get your attention, she had told you to leave. Had downgraded your relationship to nothing more than acquaintances on the best of days. But she didn’t think you would have actually listened to her and started practically ignoring her.

More than once, Wednesday found you in some sort of disarray once the work day was done. Sometimes you were dangerously high in Kent and Ajax’s room, not saying a word but eyes focused on the ceiling. One of the boys always tried to keep the door closed enough for you to be hidden when she came by, but she could still see you. It was pathetic, truly. At least she tried to convince herself it was.

Other times she found you wandering the grounds late at night. Never with your wings out and always near the lake. She could see you from her balcony; sometimes she would catch you while practicing cello, other times she was actively looking for you. You would stand out there and just look. More than once you toed your shoes off and dove into the freezing water, fully clothed. Wednesday would wait with bated breath until you finally resurfaced after far too long.

You would crawl back up onto the dock, gasping and sputtering as you laid on your back with your hands over your face. She didn’t have to assume what was on your mind during those nights.

But the worst part was a few weeks later, when everyone was finally starting to talk about the Rave’N once again. You had wormed your way back into sitting with the group during meals, talking with everyone as if nothing had happened. Well, everyone except her. There was still a certain lack of emotion to your words, and an underlying anger.

With the way you talked to her though, as if she was someone you had barely met before instead of someone you had harboured feelings for. That was what hurt. Yes, she had told you to simply be an acquaintance, but she hadn’t expected it to be this utterly painful. To have you so close, the heat from your body warming her own, but not being able to touch you.

Wednesday knew it was unfair. She knew she should have heard you out, listened to you, even accepted whatever apology you would have attempted to come up with. It had been clear you were sincere, and she knew you were suffering over your own things. There was no ground for her to be painting you as the villain in this whole situation.

But she had made her choice. Yoko had told her of your aversion to people loving you. How you felt it only led to the suffering of those who fell victim to it. Nicky, Hailey, Alex, your ex. Each had suffered in some way after admitting their affections aloud.

Wednesday supposed she now could sign her name on that list as well.

“Are you going with Dumb and Dumber?” Divina asked you. You stopped picking apart your sandwich for a moment to look up before resuming. “Or Bianca?”

“Nah.” You shook your head slowly. “I volunteered as a chaperone.”

“So someone can spike the punch,” Yoko said with a small smile. “Devious.”

“More like so I can get out of cleanup duty,” you answered quickly. “You going with anyone, Addams?”

You mean far too much to call me that, Wednesday’s black heart cried. Your eyes were far too gentle and there was too much left unsaid in your question. Why were you being so gentle? She wanted you to fight back. If you weren’t going to fight for her, then she wanted you to fight her.

“You could always take Xavier,” Enid teased.

“She’s a sadist, not a masochist, Sinclair,” you shot back. But Wednesday saw the slightest downturn of the corner of your lips before you turned to look at her again. “You could do better.”

I can, she thought. I had you. But she kept her mouth shut and looked back down at the half eaten apple sitting in front of her. You shouldn’t be giving her relationship advice, you should be the one with her. You pushed her away, her mind told her. She just scowled and kept her head down.

“What about the barista at the Weathervane?” Yoko asked. “That Galpin kid.”

“Barista?” You asked as your head shot up. Wednesday noticed Yoko was staring directly at you with furrowed brows, almost daring you to say something wrong. “What barista?”

“He’s been sweet on Wednesday for the past month or so,” Yoko continued. Stop it, Wednesday thought when she could practically see the gears turning in your head, trying to connect dots that weren’t there. You’ll make her give up. “Some normie kid.”

“Wait, Tyler?” You asked.

“The Sheriff’s son,” Yoko said with a nod. She almost looked confident; it wasn’t a good look for her.

“You know Tyler?” Divina asked. Was he another ex of yours? Clearly you had them and weren’t keen on sharing your past experiences.

Oh. That thought was far more vindictive than Wednesday had intended. What were you even doing to her?

“They fought a few times,” Yoko answered before you could. You were still staring at your sandwich, lost in thought. “Didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” you said quietly. “Sheriff Galpin knows me by name.”

“You should go with him,” Yoko said, finally turning to look at Wednesday. She was planning something. “I guess he’s cute. You two would be the talk of the dance.”

Wednesday turned to look at you from the corner of her eyes. She wanted you to say something. Argue, tell her it was stupid, fight her about it. But you didn’t. You didn’t even look at her, instead moving to pick apart the granola bar now that your sandwich was decimated.

Conversation ceased until everyone separated again.

Wednesday wasn’t convinced about asking Tyler to the Rave’N. Yes, he had been seeming far more interested in her over the past few weeks, and yes, he had given her free quads lately. Did she like him? He had done nothing of worth, so she felt absolutely nothing for him.

“Go ask him,” Ajax urged two evenings later while everyone was at the Weathervane.

You included. Currently you were on the other side of the cafe, sitting across the table from Bianca talking about who-knew-what. Neither one of you were smiling, but you rarely did when together. At least not when Wednesday was observing you both. You didn’t look upset; more neutral.

“She’ll see you ask him, get jealous, and then you’re in the clear,” Kent continued.

“Are you two high?” Enid asked cautiously.

“Not currently,” Ajax answered.

“Maybe that’s why you’re being so stupid,” Enid sighed.

“This ploy appears immature,” Wednesday said with a frown.

“If it works, does it matter?” Kent scoffed.

“Kent-”

“-Hear us out,” Ajax interrupted Enid. “I’ll comfort her about Nicky all day every day,” he started, “but that bitch needs tough love when it comes to relationships.”

“That sounds counterproductive,” Wednesday said.

“That’s why it works,” Ajax said with a smile and a nod. “If you think it’s ridiculous, then it works on her.”

“Oh my god,” Enid huffed. “Willa, just please ask Tyler to the Rave’N already so we can get back to normal.” She looked at Wednesday more seriously than ever before. “Thing and I want our cuddle buddy back.”

Wednesday looked over at you once again. You leaned back in your chair with your eyes on the coffee in front of you that was no longer steaming. You never finish it anymore, she thought with a slight frown. Was that her fault? Did you no longer drink coffee after she had given you space?

No. It couldn’t be her fault. She was never wrong.

Without a second glance in your direction, Wednesday stood up and walked to the counter with a purpose. Tyler was already there, cleaning something that, realistically, he had already cleaned. She noticed he had a habit of cleaning things when he was bored. Admirable, really.

“Need another quad?” Tyler asked with what Wednesday supposed everyone else would call a boyish smile.

“Do you have plans this Saturday evening?” She asked with a slight tilt of her head.

“Plans?” He asked, mirroring her. Clever. “Not yet.”

“Excellent,” she said. “Then you can accompany me to the Rave’N.”

“Are you asking me or telling me?” He asked, his smile turning into a smirk. “I won’t go unless I’m asked.”

Wednesday blinked once. The absolute audacity of this boy. Who did he think he was to demand to be asked? It almost stopped her right there, going back to the table because we tried, he’s not worth the effort, better luck next time. But Ajax and Kent swore it would work…

“Would you… go… to the Rave’N with me?” She asked with great struggle. The look in Tyler’s eyes indicated he enjoyed it.

“I would love to,” he said softly. “I’ll pick you up from your dorm at 7.”

She didn’t bother saying anything else to him. The whole situation was humiliating enough without adding even more conversation. When she turned around, she saw you; you were furious. If looks could kill, Tyler would have been eviscerated. Your bottom jaw readjusted a few times before you looked back down at your coffee.

Maybe this ridiculous plan would work after all.

The pointless dance came far sooner than Wednesday had been prepared for. She had been so busy watching you, revelling in your petty comments on Tyler and your sudden possessiveness that made occasional appearances. It hadn’t even occurred to her that the Rave’N was actually arriving, and you weren’t actually going with her.

For a moment she had forgotten about the current situation.

“You look beautiful,” Tyler said as he stood outside the now-opened dorm door.

“Let’s get going,” she said simply. “Thing, don’t wait up.”

Thing saluted and tucked back into the magazine he was reading. Wednesday took the corsage from Tyler and quickly walked away. The sooner this whole dance was over, the better. If Ajax and Kent’s stupid plan didn’t work, she was going to kill them. Slowly and painfully.

You were already at the dance by the time everyone arrived. Weems had greeted them, giving Wednesday a particularly unusual look, but you were inside. Not too far from the DJ, locked into what appeared to be a heated discussion with Eugene. The both of you were in white suits, and she wouldn’t deny you looked particularly stunning.

White was a wonderful colour on you.

Talk was cheap the entire night, not that she was paying attention. She was too distracted keeping an eye on you. On the way you were constantly walking around, fidgeting with your hands, tapping your foot far too offbeat to be usual. More often than not she would catch your eye; only for a moment, but that moment made her stomach twist into knots.

She had missed it.

“I’ll grab some punch,” Tyler said into her ear in an attempt to be heard over the music. She nodded once before he left.

Much to her excitement, you caught him at the table. That was the moment Wednesday realised Yoko was right; you two had history. It was evident in the frown on your face and the tight set of your jaw. In the way your lip lifted into a snarl at something he said. In the way you reached out and grabbed his arm when he tried to walk away.

She couldn’t hear what you were telling him, but she didn’t have to be smart to know it was about her. Not when the both of you turned your head simultaneously to look at her. She knew she should look at Tyler; he was her date for the night.

But she was looking at you. Only at you.

“I can see why you two aren’t together anymore,” Tyler said as he handed a cup to Wednesday once he got back to the group.

“Watch it, normie,” Bianca said. It wasn’t a threat. Yet. “You’re only a guest for the night.”

Everyone started conservative conversations, not about anything special. Now that everyone was on edge, no one deemed it appropriate to have fun. Wonderful, now they could feel almost as miserable as Wednesday did. Not that she was listening, of course, she was too busy staring at the cup sitting in front of her-

“-Wednesday.”

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, barely even touching her. She twisted in her seat in time to see you pull your hand back, holding the recently formed fist to your stomach. You were worrying your lip in that way she had become accustomed to, and your eyes were flitting between her and where Tyler was sitting.

“Can I talk to you for a second?”

She nodded once and stood up from her seat without wasting a single breath to tell anyone where she was going. Everyone should have noticed anyway, if the grin on Yoko’s and Divina’s faces were anything to go by. Your knuckles brushed against her hand before you quickly pulled away again.

“Be careful around Tyler,” you said once you had pulled her to the far side of the room.

It was the place where you had both stayed during the Rave’N last year. Had you done that on purpose? Or was the small detail so important, so ingrained into your head that you had done it subconsciously? Would she have even preferred it one way or another?

“He’s a prick,” you continued with a snarl of your lip. You glanced up in the direction of the table before looking back down.

“I simply needed someone to accompany me,” Wednesday said quickly. Don’t tell her that.

“To give me space,” you said with a nod. She blinked once and nodded back. “I don’t need space.”

“Yoko said-”

“-Quit listening to what Yoko said,” you interrupted not unkindly. “Listen to what I’m saying.”

Wednesday met your eyes. She could hold eye contact indefinitely if the need arose, unless it was with you. For once, you didn’t look high and you had clear eyes again. How long had it been since you had last been sober? There was such a clarity and intensity in your gaze that it was almost like you were looking through her.

And she missed you. Having you so close, your face mere inches from hers once again. It was disgusting, and humiliating, but she missed you. Missed your proximity, your voice, the way you looked at her as if you would break her. Yet even then you never treated her as fragile; instead like she was invaluable, irreplaceable even.

“I’m listening,” she said softly, her eyes flitting down to look at your lips as you licked them once.

“I just-”

-Your eyes darted up for a second before you did a quick double take. You straightened your back and kept looking behind Wednesday. She turned her head, almost instantly finding what had caught your attention. Sheriff Galpin had walked into the room with three officers - clearly not from Jericho, if the gear was anything to go by - following after him.

You both watched as Sheriff Galpin walked directly to Tyler, talking and gesturing. She hoped he was only coming to talk to his son; that would be typical for the man who barely tolerated Outcasts to begin with. But then they both turned and looked in her direction, in your direction.

“Y/N,” Sheriff Galpin said with what Wednesday could only describe as a pained smile.

“I didn’t touch Tyler,” you said with a shake of your head.

“That’s not why I’m here, kid,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“What is going on here?” Weems asked as she came up to the group. She looked furious.

“Out of my jurisdiction,” Sheriff Galpin said with a halfhearted shrug.

“Turn around and put your hands behind your back.” One of the officers behind Sheriff Galpin told you.

“Fuck,” you mumbled, but did exactly as directed.

“You’re under arrest for battery domestic violence and two counts of homicide,” the first officer said as the other put the handcuffs around your wrists.

“I beg your pardon?” Weems asked. “Where are these charges coming from?”

“You have the right to remain silent.”

The music continued to blare in the room, and everyone continued dancing. But the only thing Wednesday could hear was a ringing in her ears. You turned your head to lock eyes with her, and it felt like her heart had stopped beating. There was a fear in your eyes, but also something else. Something that was emphasised by the sag in your shoulders and the way your head hung low.

Acceptance.

“Call my Pop,” you said. You hadn’t listened to anything the officer had told you. "Please."

She wanted to reach out to you, to say something to you. Tell you it would be alright, or that she would get you out. But she didn’t say anything. She didn’t even move as they escorted you out of the Rave’N. No, she just stood there with Weems and watched until you disappeared.

You had been arrested. You were being taken to a jail, clearly not in Jericho, and she didn’t know where you were going. She couldn’t keep you safe, she didn’t get to hear what you had to say. You would now be labelled a criminal.

Maybe she had a type.

[colderdrafts]

12 - Tomorrow

Underground visitor, gn reader x monster (male drider). Sfw. First Previous Next

It should be around here, shouldn't it?

You stretch your back with a sigh, sore from standing bent forward for a bit too long. You've been wandering around the forest outside Dren’s home for a while now, scanning the ground for your lost device. It’s a hazzle pushing past bushes and leaf litter, remnants of the storm’s destruction not helping matters.

"A little black square with a dark 'skreen'," Dren repeats to himself for the third time, voice balancing uncertainty like he believes this is an elaborate prank. Still, he’s adamant to assist your pursuit, moving through his own forest space. He blows some of his unruly black locks out of his face when leaning down. "And it allows you to talk to someone at once, despite not being in their vicinity?"

"Yep," you call over your shoulder, jumping over some heavy fallen branches. "Very handy, if I do say so myself."

Dren hums in agreement.

There's a loud crash from his direction, and you spin on your heel at the sudden sound.

You find Dren casually hurling timber of a fallen tree further into the woods to get a better look at the bushes crushed underneath it. He picks up another large log with his front legs, seemingly unaware of his startling you, gets his arms under it, and simply throws it aside with a low grunt of effort.

You can’t resist admiring his casual strength for a moment. The perfect sync between the two halves of his body, despite them being put together in such a strange way, are like two separate creatures working together as a unit.

Dren looks up from the lumber he’s been toiling with, catching your eye. There’s a certain knowing warmth in his expression, and it makes you briefly wonder if he was showing off on purpose.

You distract yourself by looking back to your own bushes.

"Damn, give me a heart attack, would you?" you laugh, busying yourself by moving away branches. "What did those poor trees do to you?"

"I would prefer not to," Dren replies simply, grabbing and throwing aside another fallen log. "And they got in my wa – ah, oops. Apologies, critter."

There’s a frantic rustling and movement from something low on the forest floor. Seems his lumbering startled a brown ground-dwelling bird from it's hide in the underbrush. It flaps it's wings from the scare with a shriek, darting left, then right, then settling for the nearest exit being between Dren’s legs, under his abdomen, and then out on the open path.

Dren patiently stands very still while the bird figures out how to ‘escape’ him. It quickly seeks shelter in the deeper forest.

"Careful over there, 'Scary'," you tease him, watching the poor creature go. "We’re not out here to disturb the wildlife."

"I did apologize," Dren chuckles, re-starting his previous task.

You smile fondly, and return to your own patch.

The area you’re in should be around the place where you first appeared when the Darkness yanked you, if your ability to estimate distance is still functional. You had a palm on a tree, and from there you spotted the rocky entrance to the cave – it should be around here somewhere. You grin as another loud crash follows Dren’s part of the objective. He’s as destructive as the storm at this point.

It takes a while, combing the forest floor with shared effort. You cover as many bases as you can, desperation pushing you past the boundaries of your initial estimations. No dice. Perhaps it’s ambitious to think you’d be able to locate a small phone in an entire forest.

Perhaps it’s ambitious to think it’ll allow you to leave, something inside your mind purrs.

You stubbornly ignore both the thought, and the aching in your heart that comes along with it. The annoying pressure, however, remains.

The path you followed when you were walking home that fateful night isn’t exactly as you remember, but again, this is not where you used to be. You suppress a humored snort when yet another soft thud comes from the forest – yet halt, when you realize the sound didn’t come from Dren’s direction.

Careful.

Right after, you hear the unmistakable sound of footsteps approaching. And judging from the sound of the gait, it’s someone walking on two legs.

You look around, and true enough, further down the path you spot a sole individual calmly walking towards you. Anxiety spikes in you at the sight. There’s no way the stranger haven’t heard you rustling about, and now, they’ve seen you too. From this distance you spot canine features of the stranger’s face, and a furry body clad in protective leather.

You quietly look her in the eye at her approach, hesitant to call for Dren to put him and his young in a dangerous spot. And for all you know, your paranoia is completely unneeded.

The wolf-person approaches, eyeing you. Her face is relaxed, and no teeth bares when she speaks.

“Why are you out here on your own, sentry?” the wolf asks in a clear voice, stopping a generous few meters from you. You note a sharp spear attached to her back, the point glinting slightly in the dwindling sunlight.

“I’m not,” you inform the wolf.

“They’re not,” Dren reaffirms, appearing from between the trees. He swiftly steps to your side, not taking his eyes off the wolf you’re talking to. He chitters lowly. “Isn’t it a little early for you to be out and about?”

The wolf immediately focuses on him, subtly taking a wary step back. “Isn’t it a little late for you?” she counters.

Dren hisses. “Not quite yet.”

The adversary attitude is slightly concerning. As much as Dren is solitary, he usually at least maintains a polite demeanor when talking to other common-folk. That he deliberately has cast it away in favor of beefing himself up a bit tells you this is not just any common-folk.

You’d probably do well to get out of this interaction as soon as possible.

“You should leave,” you tell the wolf, trying your best to sound disarming. “We don’t want any trouble.”

“Neither do I,” the wolf replies, looking at you. “I was just out for a walk when I heard you scurrying about. Not often we see your kind around here.”

“I get that a lot,” you grumble. You nod toward the road. “Now you’ve seen me. You can go now.”

“That I have,” she agrees. She eyes Dren. “Lucky one, eh? Are you-”

“Leave,” Dren cuts her off with a snarl, not so subtly letting the wolf know his patience is running thin.

You pause to look at him and find his eyes hardened, subtly brandishing his fangs. You’ve not seen him like this since the clash with Morgan. You can almost feel the vibrations in the air from his lower body searching for any indication of an attack.

You slowly step closer to him – you know he can feel you coming – and place your palm against the side of his waist. His warmth is there immediately, but it doesn’t travel through you as usual. Dren doesn’t remove his eyes from the wolf.

“-looking for something?” the wolf continues regardless, watching your attempt to calm her adversary. She plants her feet slightly apart, like preparing to bolt.

“What’s it to you?” you ask, trying to sound calm. Better keep things smooth while the wolf is still here.

“Nothing. Just curious,” the wolf replies cautiously. “And I’ve found this thing. It smells like you, so I put two and two together.”

The wolf carefully reaches into a pocket with her other palm out, a placating gesture. And, of course, she pull back out your black ‘skreen’, holding it with two clawed fingers like it could burn her if she's not careful.

Drat.

“This is what you’re looking for, isn’t it?” the wolf asks, sounding almost like a statement. She could probably spot the way your eyes widened at the sight of it.

There’s no point lying. That is, indeed, a thing you very much need.

“It is,” you reply as casually as you can. “I lost it a while ago.”

“Give it back,” Dren demands. “It doesn't belong to you.”

“Well, it doesn't belong to you either, by the looks of it,” the wolf growls back at him. She focuses on you. “It belongs to the sentry. So. I’ll make you a deal. I’ll give it back no trouble, and you make sure your custodian lets me leave this forest alive?”

Alive? What? Does she honestly think that – well. A look at your companion, and supposedly it’d make sense for her to think that she maybe won’t. It still surprises you just how easily violent this world can get. But why even approach you then?

He’s not my- is in the front of your mind for a reply, but perhaps it’s better shut off for now. The wolf assumes you have any inkling of control over Dren’s actions, and that might work to your advantage here. As far as you know him, Dren doesn't want to fight either, he’s just determined to show he’s well prepared in case things were to escalate. Perhaps you can utilize that advantage so they don’t.

“Alright. Give me my device, and you can go,” you state, gently squeezing Dren’s side. You’re not sure if you’re apologizing for, or asking for permission to speak on his behalf. “I promise.”

The wolf observes you for a second, assessing your words. Supposedly deciding to trust them, she casually throws the phone to you. You manage to catch it.

“I’ll be on my way, then,” the wolf says. “Done deal.”

She casts one last glance back at you, before swiftly retreating into the deeper woods.

You can feel Dren’s leg pressing against your back. You lean against his side and put your hand on it, feeling the rough hairs there underneath your palm.

“You alright?” you ask lowly.

Dren is quiet a moment, staring at the hastily retreating back of the wolf. He huffs. “No. I do not like their kind, and I especially do not like them this close to my home.”

“That was a hunter, wasn’t it?” you say. You hesitate a moment. “What do you think she was doing here?”

“Scouting,” Dren growls. “Common-folk like her don’t go far from their homes for pleasantries.”

You could choose to hope that a pleasant walk to take in the brown and red hues of fall in this forest would be motivation enough for the wolf. But even you know that's probably naive.

“I have a guess as to what they’re scouting for,” you mutter, looking up at your companion.

Dren gives a short nod, still looking dead ahead. “You’d be correct.”

And curse your correctness, because here you are, having just let a new potential threat to Dren’s existence go on its merry way.

Should you have let him take care of it instead?

Dren keeps staring in the direction to wolf left, waiting a minute until she's completely out of view. He takes a deep breath, and leans down to gently press his face against your cheek momentarily. You lean back into him, reveling in his comforting warmth in the cool air around you.

“I’m sorry. Should I not have – should you just have -” you ask, without finishing the sentence.

“No,” Dren replies quickly. “There’s no need to fight today if it can be avoided. I will deal with this at another time.” He sighs, and gently nudges you to change the tone a bit. “But we got your skreen, did we not?”

“My ‘skreen’,” you echo him, smiling while holding it up for display. “Yeah. We did.”

You press the power button momentarily. Nothing happens. Either it’s out of power, or the rain and laying in the cold, wet dirt for who knows how long has simply done enough damage to break it.

Dren zeroes in on the strange device in your hands, squinting and blinking in succession. It’s as if he's trying to get it to tell him its secrets.

"What an odd little thing," he muses. Then he looks at you and smiles. "The ‘skreen’ as well, I suppose."

You snort, and playfully push at his furred shoulder. "Very funny. But this is awesome! Maybe now I actually have a better shot at getting this whole Darkness business attracted to this place again."

"And how will this work?” Dren asks, intrigued. “Will you be able to catch the Darkness with this object of yours?"

His question makes you pause. Truthfully, you hadn’t thought too far ahead on that aspect of your plan. You’d mainly focused on getting a starting point. Yet now the device rests easily in your palm, and so far nothing has happened.

"I'm not really sure," you admit. "My idea was like - waving it around and hope something happens. ‘Darkness grows in the spaces between us’, so maybe if I create one point for magic and one without..? You know, me and the phone on one end, this whole shabbang of a world on the other?” you continue, feeling the weight of your words crumbling the already paper-thin plan.

You take a second to adjust to the feeling. Dren patiently watches you think things through.

“In hindsight, probably not? Then maybe it would have happened by now," you ponder, turning the phone over in your hands. "So what am I missing?"

Perhaps you got too caught up in a potential easy fix to think it the whole way through. Why should this work any differently than you just being here, without any magic in you?

Dren thinks for a beat, frowning. He gets the same expression when he tries to remember something he’s read. "I’m still not well-versed in this – but the harpy also said magic is quite simple. Perhaps it’s just as you said. Maybe we need to cultivate a space where it can grow. Between us," Dren thinks out loud. “Magic and non-magic. Like you and me.”

"What you mean like - the two of us?” you ask. “You want to help me?"

"If I can," Dren nods. “She said your skreen is completely non-magic? And it’s in a place it’s not supposed to be in. It’s an outlier in this world. Something that’s bound to attract attention.”

“So if we try and generate a space, and have the pho-screen as, what, some sort of a lure?”

“Maybe?” Dren says. “We could give it a try.”

“I thought you said magic’s dangerous,” you argue. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Well, I will not do anything beyond my natural abilities,” Dren reassures you. “I’m not the strongest, but perhaps I can – nudge, a reaction a bit.”

“How?”

“I’ll do what I would normally do,” Dren says. “But I will not tie anything together. I promised I would never deliberately use my ability with you, and this is not my intend here.”

No strings attached. Do you trust it’ll stay that way?

“Alright,” you say assuredly, showing the thought down. “If you think it’ll work.”

“Truthfully, I have no idea. But working or not, you will feel it,” Dren warns. He’s wringing his hands again. “It will only affect you.”

“I know,” you say, remembering the harpy’s words. You’re not sure you understand exactly what Dren aims to do, considering the natural limits to his abilities. But you do understand he wouldn’t do anything if he didn’t feel both of you could handle it. He's had odd ideas before. Might as well indulge him in this one. “Well. It’s worth a shot.”

Later you’re back outside the entrance to the cave – away from prying eyes – and Dren has directed you to stand a few paces away from him. The phone is placed in the middle. Seem the idea is to take it very literally, and using it to symbolize the space between you.

It almost feels a little silly, standing around to do this sort of odd improvised ritual. But worst case, nothing happens, and you're back to square one. Might as well check all bases. The cool air gently blows through the trees, and you glance at the place where you planted your flowers. A thought of how they might be doing down there in the dirt passes.

“Ready?” Dren asks, perhaps noting your momentary distraction.

“Yeah,” you reply. “Go ahead.”

Dren closes his eyes, and you can hear him chittering, claws working on the ground, sensing the air all around him. He steps in place for a bit, like trying to find a proper spot to hold on to. You stand to attention, suddenly feeling a little anxious as you wait in silence.

Dren opens his eyes suddenly, settling on something, and juts forward, completely locking his focus on you.

He catches your eye with a vivid stare that drills into you, so intense you simply can't tear your eyes away from it. His eyes are like four black holes, eager to swallow you in your entirety.

You feel a shift in the temperature as something warm slowly, slowly creeps up over your arms and gently flows through your skin, comforting and familiar. It’s Dren’s influence, you realize, the extend of what he can do. It makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, a tingling sensation all over. It’s very much unlike the unpleasant experience you had with a certain other person who did something similar.

“Dren-” you breathe softly, feeling the warmth traveling through your bones, and you find you mostly just want it to keep going.

He purrs in response, and you stare into his eyes and find nothing there but pure contentment, enjoying being able to feel you so intimately. Then you can feel a want to go further, get closer, get inside, and a pain, a struggle, trying to hold himself back. You’re reaching for him as much as he is you, and the space between you is almost maddening, churning with need from forced separation.

“Don’t,” Dren hisses suddenly, and you realize you’ve taken a few steps toward him. You didn't even notice when you started moving. “Don’t come any closer.”

Your vision gets blurry as you suddenly get woozy, just feeling the sensation of Dren’s whole being intertwining with yours.

Dren says something again, and you can’t make it out. His voice seems fuzzy and obstructed, like listening through heavy glass. It takes another second to realize that you didn’t see his mouth moving. Dren wasn’t the one trying to speak.

Something wraps around you limbs, and there’s a scurrying of movement all around you, almost like a noise of rapid steps through water. Suddenly it’s hard to breathe, a dizzying and suffocating cloud surrounding you. There’s a stranger there, an outlier, something that doesn’t fit, and I want to get to it, tie it down, I want to understand it, I want to have it, see it, hear it, feel it, love it, make it mine -

It’s quiet.

And it’s dark. You don’t remember closing your eyes, but you do dare open them again.

There, in the space between you and Dren, on top of the phone, is a small, black void. It gently flows and sways, independent of the wind.

It’s like a hole in the air itself. The complete opposite of taking up space.

The sight makes your brain hurt and you gasp in surprise. In an instant it’s gone, as is Dren’s warmth, and you find yourself shivering from the sudden cold that claws its way through you, gripping tight.

No, no, no, no, something inside you squeals like in a panic. No!

Dren’s breathing heavily, closing and opening his fists, his legs stepping in place, agitated. “No,” he mutters to himself, gritting his teeth. He rubs his face with his hands in distress. “No.”

“Dren-?” you call out warily, still staring at the spot where the thing vanished. Your legs feel wobbly, and you support yourself with a hand on a tree. The tightness in your chest increases tenfold and you hiss in pain. “Are you okay?”

Dren looks up at you through his fingers, focusing on calming his breath. “Yes,” he whispers.

You keep your eyes on the spot the void vanished. “Whatever you did - I- I think it worked.”

“Yes,” Dren says again. He swallows hard. “I think it did, too.”

“But – what the hell was that other thing?” you voice feels hoarse. “That wasn’t you, was it?”

“I-” Dren begins. “I don’t think so? It didn’t feel like it.”

Is that just what interacting with darkness feels like? It didn’t exactly feel like Morgan, either. But you most certainly feel them now. You put your hand over your chest and breathe deeply, waiting for it to settle.

“Why did you stop?” you ask once you’ve calmed a bit.

“I – I wasn’t ready, yet,” Dren replies. “It was a test, and now we know we can do it. But I felt like – like I was throwing you away. I want to plan when we do it for real.” He fidgets with his hands, settling down to your eye level with a huff. “This is not going to be easy.”

You cautiously approach the phone lying in the grass, staring at the innocent looking thing. Nothing about it suggests right now it has just acted like some sort of artifact of the human world, helping you gain access to darkness. Still, you carefully step around it like it’s firework that hasn’t gone off as it should.

“Seems you can do that kind of magic, after all,” you tease him gently, settling down next to him and leaning against his side.

Dren breathes out in relief, wrapping a pedipalp around your middle and pulling you to him. He hesitates. “I don’t know what I did. I thought I just connected with you without – tying, anything.”

“Whatever it was, it worked. We created the space we needed,” you reassure him, idly running your hand over the appendage around your stomach.

“We did,” he agrees quietly.

"Dren?” you say.

“Yes?”

You look up at him. “Do you have any idea what an actual fucking genius you are?"

His face slightly flushes from the sudden compliment. He waves you off. "Come now, I just-"

"Nope,” you state, reaching for him. He obliges and leans down, and you cup his face, staring him in the eye. “Actual genius, right there. Doing magic on the fly like that. You figured this whole thing out. And, you read non-fiction for fun."

Dren laughs softly, carefully putting his palms over your hands on his face. "I am a nerd.”

You grin, leaning your forehead against his. "Damn right you're a nerd."

You can feel his mandibles brushing across your cheek as he leans in further, settling with his arms over your shoulders. There’s an odd pull in your face then, heat in your cheeks of anticipation at the subtle movement, like you were expecting a kiss.

"Now we know it works – when will we do this?" Dren asks calmly. It doesn’t seem he’s noticed. “When will we try this out?”

"Well - whenever we can, I guess?" you ponder, absentmindedly running a thumb over his cheek. "I mean -"

That would be it, wouldn’t it? You still for a moment, indulging in his warmth like a reassurance.

"Tomorrow?" Dren suggests helpfully, gently squeezing you. "I will not stop you if you wish to go at once, but if you'll indulge me for one last evening, I would love to keep you for a bit. Even though I know it selfish," he chuckles. "But it's up to you."

"Tomorrow," you repeat, holding him a little tighter. In some way, ‘tomorrow’ doesn't sound very pleasant either. "Yeah. Sounds good."

Back at the cave you take a seat in front of the fireplace in the now-finished woven chair. Dren settles on your right.

"I'm sorry you went through all this trouble to craft this and now I won’t even be able to use it much," you sigh, gesturing at the item. It’s very comfortable. "But I'm grateful none the less."

Dren smiles at you, but it doesn’t really reach his eyes. "It's alright. Maybe I can trade it come spring."

"Or maybe you'll find someone else who can make use of it," you joke suggestively, elbowing his side in an attempt to lighten the mood. It’s your joke, but even you feel it doesn’t really alleviate anything.

Dren politely let’s it pass without acknowledging it. He focuses on the fireplace, and you watch as the light dances in his black eyes. "Maybe."

A silence settles over the living room for a moment. Usually conversation flows so naturally in his company, but seemingly you both find yourselves at a loss for words.

"You look tired all the time," you tell him eventually, just to say something. “I’m worried about you, you know.”

"Well, you needn’t worry, but I am tired," he replies, humored. "My body is merely preparing for the next coming time. It’s completely normal."

He sounds reassuring, but a lingering thought remains with you. Mainly having to do with who you encountered in the woods today. Supposedly your plan will work, but you’re leaving Dren behind in a state more risky than when he first found you. A gnawing guilt forces you to address it.

You grab his hand and squeeze it. “Dren what are you going to do – about the hunter and-”

“Do not concern yourself with this,” Dren says immediately, almost startling you. He looks at you intently. “This is not your issue. I’ve dealt with this before, and I can do so again.”

You pause and look into him for a moment. He’s being very genuine – he truly doesn’t believe you should fight his battles.

But there’s something else there, a subtle fear that rings so deeply into his very being, something you know he’s been fighting his entire life. And it’s about to happen again. And he doesn’t have any assurance, again, to what the outcome of all of this will be.

Still, he’s adamant that you should go. It’s almost infuriating.

You sigh. “But-”

“No. I am too fond of you to force you into any more danger of my world,” he says seriously. “Tomorrow, we will summon darkness again. You will interact with it, and you will go back home.”

“Dren,” you say patiently, equally serious. “I brought this hunter here. If they try to get to you-”

He smiles then, a fondness over your protectiveness. It stops you dead in your tracks.

“They will always try to get to me,” he says, a little softer. “They would have found me sooner or later, no matter where I went. This particular individual would have come all the same, had you been here or not. Do not take this guilt when it’s not yours to carry. Me and mine will be fine.”

He sounds so certain. But you’re not sure who he’s trying to convince.

You glance down and find one of his hands is now on your waist. You don’t know what else to do, so you simply let yourself fall into him, reaching your arms around the space where his torso meets the abdomen, your face leaning against his chest.

Dren envelops you at once. “Sweetness-” he sighs.

You share a moment of calm, listening to his gentle chittering, feeling his arms around you, breathing in his reassuring earthy scent. Then, you feel him take a deep breath before he reaches down, grabs onto your legs with his pedipalps and promptly lifts you off the ground.

“Woah, hey!” you laugh, shifting your grip and adjust your arms around his shoulders instead, when suddenly he starts walking. “Where are we going?”

“We’re going for a walk,” Dren mutters. His voice is warm on your neck, and he gently squeezes you. “Or, well. I’ll be walking. You’ll just - be here.”

“My favorite place to be,” you joke. He hums in response.

Dren brings you to the blue cave once again, the twinkling lights on the side of the cave shining like small stars.

“Hold on,” he warns, before he grabs hold of the side of the wall and starts climbing.

You let out a startled noise at the sudden movement, and hang onto Dren a little tighter.

“Almost there,” Dren reassures you with a chuckle. You get the feeling he’s enjoying this.

He doesn't stop there, bringing you up the far wall and stretches again, reaching for the roof. There’s a sudden pull in your body as your world’s is turned around. You’re upside down.

“Dren,” you protest, feeling the blood rush to you head. “Hey-!”

He turns you around and settles you over his chest, him hanging upside down, using the strings around him like a makeshift hammock. You’re lying flat against his chest, your legs dangling freely over the space where his torso and abdomen meet.

“Is this alright?” Dren teases once you’ve settled a little better. His hands are on your thighs, a reminder he’s not going to let you fall.

“A little warning might’ve been appreciated,” you grunt, eyeing the very hard rock of the cave floor below. Then you stare at the annoying arachnid looking up at you with bemused wonder in his eyes, and you unfortunately can’t find it in yourself to be mad at him. Just like he probably planned.

You give in easily, and lean down to rest against him again, and his hands travel up over your back, securing you there.

“But yeah. This is very much okay,” you sigh, feeling his warmth once again.

“I’ve always wanted to do this,” Dren admits quietly, almost embarrassed. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“No, no,” you placate quickly. You reach your arms up to reach the back of his head, running your fingers through the unruly mess that is his hair. “No. It’s nice.”

He hums in delight at the attention.

You don’t know how long you lie there in the silence, just enjoying the quiet moment. A lot has happened, hasn't it? You've been her for a little over a week, and barely graced the surface of everything in this world. If anyone is looking for you back home, what will you tell them when you get back?

How could you ever explain what's brought you here? But if Darkness got you here in the first place, who's to say it won't get you back again someday?

Maybe you'd want it to. Then there's a churning inside you, and it turns to 'maybe not'.

“Hey, Dren?” you call out softly after a while.

His response is a chitter and a very deep breath. It would seem he’s fast asleep.

You suppress a laugh, leaving him to his rest. Your brainstorming can wait. “Sleep tight.”

You close your eyes to give in to the moment you’re sharing with him. But you don’t sleep right away. Partially, maybe, it’s because you want to remain here, awake to experience this fully. Another part, unwelcome and annoyingly clawing at the back of your mind, says it wouldn’t be wise to drift off just yet.

And why not? It’s late, you probably should get some sleep. Stubbornly, you lean your face into the crook of Dren’s neck. Still, try as you might to cling to the comforting heat radiating off of him, it’s not quite enough. Something demands your attention, and you once again find your peace broken.

Maybe it’s the disturbance from earlier that’s been amplifying the pain in your heart. Maybe it’s the way you’ve been trying to ignore it. Maybe it’s just getting stronger.

Or maybe it just knows you're going away soon. You can almost smell them.

"I'm going," you whisper to no one through gritted teeth, taking refuge in the warmth of the body you’re resting on. "And you can't stop me."

Don't, something inside you says. Don't. Please don't.

From the arms around your back to the chest rising and falling under your chin and to the faint pull on your heart, you can't tell who's asking this of you.

There’s a disturbance in your body, and you try to focus on shutting it down, anything to alleviate the maddening pressure inside of you. You feel clammy and cold, like a fever is coming on, anxious and restless. Like your body is anticipating something will go terribly wrong, despite you being tucked away in Dren’s arms, as safe as you can possibly get.

You look at the face next to you, sleeping peacefully, and lean in, pressing your forehead against his and enjoying the low purr that escapes him as you do so.

Fuck, tomorrow is going to be the roughest day of your life, isn't it? The fact that you wouldn't wake up to hearing his voice or being able to indulge in his warmth anymore? The thought makes your heart ache, the dull pull of your parasite alongside the pain of losing someone who’s grown so close to you. You brush a strand of his unruly black hair out of his face, staring at the four closed eyelids. Almost like you want him to wake up so you can talk for a little more, just bask in his presence while you still can.

How selfish. He’s nearing hibernation and needs his rest. He’s going to miss you as much as you’ll miss him, and you shouldn’t make it harder than it needs to be.

You carefully unravel yourself from his arms, silently apologizing as he stirs slightly.

Move, you think. I need to move. Get a clear head again before you’ll be able to fully rest.

“Dren?” you say, leaning back to look at his sleeping face. “Could you let me down?”

He doesn’t respond, so you gently cup his face, watching his mandibles click together as you do.

“Could you let me down?” you ask again, nudging him.

One of his eyes finally cracks open to take you in. Then, the three others follow. He blinks in succession, bleary. “Hmm?”

“I’m getting a little restless. I think I’ll go get some water,” you elaborate. “But you’ll need to let me down.”

Dren closes his eyes again and, with a groan, grips around your stomach with his front legs. He gingerly lifts you off of him, rolls over, stretches toward the ground, and places you on the floor.

He retreats back under the ceiling. “Let me know when you’re done,” he yawns.

A second later, his breathing evens out.

Slowing down, huh? The guy is close to a full stop. Good thing he’s still able to recognize you.

You get going. If anything, a brisk walk should help clear your head.

You reach the lake shortly after, letting the sights of the glinting lanterns sparkling in the dark water, the sounds of gentle droplets and flow wash over you. You sigh, and lean down to wash up a bit.

The cool water brings some clarity. The gnawing anxiety seems a little lesser now that you’ve given your flight-response something to work with, but it’s still there. Why didn’t Dren’s presence calm it this time? You were literally right on top of him.

Something’s wrong.

“Yeah, no shit,” you grumble, splashing some more water on your face.

It’s not enough. I need to move.

And go where? It’s in the middle of the night.

Still, walking feels right, right now. Perhaps you should take the last opportunity you have to do some exploration. You've somewhat learned the back and forth between the places you mostly frequent, but this system is huge - you're honestly curious to see what else Dren hides in these walls.

You huff, picking back up a lantern to continue. Yeah, that’s better. Just gotta keep moving.

[suuuupernovaaa]

txopu si

txopu si [ˈt’o.pu ˈs·i] vin. be afraid

Anonymous Request: Could you pls do Neteyam x fem reader with anxiety please? Like she's been off all day and Neteyam had noticed but then she has an attack at some point and then he helps her through it and afterwards she just clings onto him? Bonus points if Jake is in it. Thank you!

You have a panic attack after a long day, and Neteyam helps you through it.

1,000 words

When everyone leave in the morning, Neteyam notices something is different. Y/N is always very observant and confident, but something is quite off today.

Instead of being observant, she seems neurotic. Instead of confident, she lags behind, as if cowering. She stays close to him, or his father, most of the day, as if afraid something is going to attack at any moment.

It's very unlike her, and he sticks by her most of the day, exchanging glances with his father, who also seems to have notice.

When the successful hunt is over, she leads the way back, and Jake and Neteyam walk a few steps behind her, out of ear shot.

"What's going on with Y/N today?" Jake asks his elder son. "She seems sort of nervous."

Neteyam shrugs, and both men watch her walk. Though he and Y/N are intended for each other, they haven't had much time to spend alone - he doesn't know her as well as he wishes he did, but he does know her behavior today is out of character.

Jake pats his son on the back. "Talk to her. Women like that."

Neteyam rolls his eyes, but jogs ahead as they return to home tree. The rest of the hunting party splits off, under the tree itself where they gather, but Y/N lingers outside.

"Y/N," Neteyam says, approaching her, and she must not have noticed him approaching, because she jumps at the sound of his voice, turning around quickly.

She sighs in relief when she sees him. "Oh, it's you," she says.

He reaches out, grabbing her arm, stopping her from pacing back and forth. "Tell me what's wrong," he says.

Suddenly, her nervous demeanor explodes. Her chest heaves up and down with heavy, quick breaths, and her eyes become wide and full of tears. She clutches at the beads hanging over her chest, pulling until they snap, falling to the ground in dozens of pieces.

Neteyam reaches out, gently grabbing her arms. He isn't sure what to do, so he lets instinct guide him.

"Y/N, please, breathe," he says in a tender voice that he used for Tuk when she was younger. Y/N looks at him, her eyes still as wide as they can be, her cheeks turning a deep blue. "In and out," Neteyam says, mimicking the pattern for her.

Inch by inch, he pulls her down until they are sitting on the ground. Neteyam crosses his legs, and pulls Y/N into his lap, so that she is practically cradled.

He can feel her heart beating erratically.

"Breathe with me. In and out. It's just you and me here," Neteyeam says, holding her tightly to him but not too tightly, afraid to make it worse. "You are safe with me, Y/N. You'll always be safe with me."

He repeats this, over and over, until her breathing begins to slow and her heart returns to a normal pace, and then the tears slow and come to a stop.

She looks up at him with tired eyes, and he smiles reassuringly.

--

All day, something felt wrong.

I couldn't put my finger on it. It just felt like... a warning. It started the moment I woke up, and continued all through the hunt. I was fixated on Neteyam and his father, worried something was going to happen to one of them, and the relief I felt as we approached Home Tree was palpable.

I have days like this sometimes, where I just know something terrible is going to happen, and even though it usually doesn't, I can't shake the feeling of terror and dread.

When we return to home tree, safe, something snaps within me. I get overwhelmed with returning safely, with being wrong again, and I spiral.

I can't breathe, or hear, or see, and my chest hurts with the pace my heart is trying to keep.

Encircling me, I feel Neteyam's strong arms, and he pulls me carefully down to the ground and into his lap. He whispers in my ear, telling me to breathe with him, telling me I'm safe.

It takes a very long time, but eventually, I believe him, and my body snaps out of the panic it's in.

These attacks exhaust me, and I lay in Neteyam's arms. Finally, I muster up the courage to look up at him.

I expect him to be repulsed, or ashamed, but he looks down at me with a smile, and the overwhelming feeling of gratefulness is enough to make me cry again.

He holds me tightly to his chest for a while longer.

"Thank you," I finally whisper. I crawl gracelessly out of his lap, and he helps me to stand.

"Are you okay?" Neteyam asks, reaching out once again to hold my hand, seeming reluctant to break physical contact.

I shake my head. "I'm tired now. I... that happens, sometimes, and I wish you hadn't seen it. I become sort of, overwhelmed with fear."

"Fear of what?"

I shrug, my lip quivering. "Of nothing, or everything. It's not rational. I'm sorry you had to see it."

He pulls me close to him, and in a swift movement, sweeps me up into his arms. "I am to be your mate. It's my job to take care of you. If you're tired, I will bring you home, and lay with you until you are safe and asleep."

The anxiety in my chest is replaced by a blooming, comfortable warmth as I wrap my arms around his neck and he begins walking to Home Tree. I press my face into the crook of his neck, and smile.

As he walks steadily, carrying me effortlessly in his strong arms, Neteyam presses a kiss to my forehead.

"I will stay with you every night, if you need," he says.

I hug him even tighter. I think I'm going to take him up on his offer.

[chaosduckies]

Person getting lost in the woods, borrower person appears (reluctantly) and shows them the way back...

Use whoever, possibly even the two from my last ask...

I have no idea why I kept getting so distracted with this one, but I had lots of fun writing! I love these characters so much, but I don’t really know how I felt about the writing, but it’s okay! We post it like there’s no tomorrow! Hope you enjoy :3 (Probably a lot of mistakes cause I didn’t edit but we post anyways!)

Word Count: 3k

CW: very, very minor blood warning

Lost In The Woods

———Hayven———

The fog around me grew thicker, and all of a sudden I could barely see my own two hands out in front of me. My skin was burning from the cold, making it harder to get through the many bushes and occasional boulder. I pressed my hands against, my mouth, trying to warm them up. If I had realized that this stupid bonfire wasn’t actually real then I might not be lost right now. But here I was, cold, late, tired, a little hungry, but of course I was lost. My phone didn’t have any service, and they farther I walked the thicker the fog grew, showing no signs of people. 

“Hello? C-can anyone h-help me!” I screamed for help, thinking of my parents and how they think I’m out having such a great time with my nonexistent friends. Why couldn’t I see that they were lying straight to my face? This would have never happened! I’d be at home, under my blankets and watching tv in my room with some popcorn. Why was I so gullible. 

I walked further, in hopes of finding a road, or even something to give me a hint at where I’m at. There has to be something to help me… But it’s like my luck just became worse and worse the longer I stayed here. There was absolutely nothing. No sounds of a river, not the sound of distant cars traveling through the highway, no light except for the small amount emitting from my phone. Absolutely nothing. 

My legs were tired from walking around for the past two hours. I sat up against a tree, crunched up to stay warm, though that barely even helped. All I could think about right now is getting under all the blankets at home and falling asleep. Instead the cold air pricked at my skin like icicles, barely keeping me awake. I sighed, resting my head on my knees and wrapping my arms around. Come on there has to be something… 

I looked around for what seemed like the thousandth time, still not finding anything. I sighed in defeat, already knowing that I’ll just hav to make it through the night unless some strange miracle appeared. It’d be better to travel through the day anyways, the fog would be gone, less of a chance to get eaten by wolves- I gasped at the thought, now listening closely for the sound of hungry wolves. Do they even attack people? Or do they just attack when they’re provoked? Either way, it’s a new fear unlocked now that I was thinking about it. 

“Can someone please help me…” I muttered, tears threatening to fall down my face as I tried my best to blink them back. This was by far one of the worse pranks ever. I mean the teasing is fine, but… this? I could actually die here like this. I shuddered at the thought, hoping that I’ll make it through till the morning. 

———Atlas———

As much as I disliked seeing humans in the forest… this one seemed like they were genuinely freaking out. What for? I didn’t know. They had been asking for help from someone who wasn’t even real. The only person who heard it was me, but I didn’t want to show myself. That would just create more problems for me and I did not feel like finding a new place to live. 

The forest pretty much gave me everything I could ever need. Food, a place away from humans, peace. It was nice for someone who was three inches tall and didn’t exactly need everything your average person does. Perks of being a vampire I guess. I didn’t have to worry about gathering fruit or anything, mostly because I could just find any animal and… well I guess you can take a wild guess. It was fine though. Only a few humans have ever seen me, and when they did I just ran. What were they going to do anyways? Tell someone that a three inch person was just running around by himself trying to find a place to call home? Hah- unlikely. 

I watched as the human curled in on himself, trying to warm themselves up. Did I feel bad? Absolutely. But he shouldn’t have come here in the first place if he knew it was going to be cold. So technically it’s on him that he’s here now. I couldn’t help, otherwise he might come again looking for me if I did… and I’d rather stay by myself where no one could hurt me. I cringed at the thought of being in another humans hand. I know they were strong, but I think I could match their strength with my own if I tried hard enough. I bit the bottom of my lip, still watching the boy tremble as the air grew colder. Should I help them?

The thought never left my mind as I continued to watch carefully. The human shivered, whispering unintelligible words that even I couldn’t hear. Partially because of the strong winds that made the cold air hit my face even harder. I sighed, unaffected and merely found it annoying in the least. I knew it was wrong of me to just leave the human there, possibly lost and probably thinking that some kind of animal would attack him if he stayed for too long. I just couldn’t bring myself to help him. I knew what would happen. The horrors. As soon as I helped him get out of the woods, he’d turn on me and I’d just be some pet. Of course I would fight back, but I knew there was only a sliver of a chance that I would ever be able to escape. Vampire or not, I was still tiny. There was also just… something keeping me from doing such an unpredictable thing. 

Even though I decided that I wasn’t going to help them, I still stayed. A part of me just wanted to believe I could help this human out without getting hurt in the process. Not just physically. But what if a did help him and he leaves? That would be a good thing. That way we would both get what we wanted. He could go home and be in the warmth of his home, while I stayed here. Alone. My temporary hut I made out of sticks and some missing items I find when humans are nearby. I groaned quietly to myself. Why couldn’t have been turned into a vampire get rid of my feelings? 

Slowly, I made my way towards them, cautious not to make a sound even though I was a hundred percent sure that they wouldn’t be able to even if I wasn’t trying. Still, I treaded carefully. If I was even the slightest bit wrong about this it was running away and finding another home for me. I held my breath, not noticing how shaky my arms were until I had hid near the small bag strapped around their shoulders. I observed before stepping out, my steps slow, taking deep breaths to calm myself as I circled around to directly in front of them. Was I scared? That seemed… out of character for me. There was no way I was scared. Just because my last interaction with a human didn’t end so well didn’t mean I was scared now. I’m wayyy over that- Right? 

I crossed my arms, pushing away those thoughts and opened my mouth to speak, “Do you need help?” I had to yell over the harsh wind for them to be able to hear me, my voice slightly strained but nothing I couldn’t handle. They slowly brought their head up, not noticing me and turning their heads frantically in all directions, blinking a few times before his eyes trailed down in defeat, landing right on me. My body nearly jumped, but I kept my composure, eyes unsurprised and arms still crossed. 

Their eyes widened, cheeks red from being stained by the piercing cold. We held a silent staring contest, their mouth opening and closing as if they had wanted to speak, but couldn’t think of anything to say. I let out a sigh, speaking for him, “I can help you get out of here.” 

He stared at me blankly, his finger pointing to me, a confused expression showing on his face while he struggled to keep his eyes open as a gust of wind blew through, pushing the stinging cold onto his face. He held his hands up to his face to shield himself. I struggled to keep upright, given my height, but I managed. 

“H-help me? You know the way?” He excitedly announced, slightly making my ears ring, but I just ignored that for the time being. Why wasn’t he questioning what I was? Humans are naturally curious creatures, shouldn’t he be poking prodding at me like some science experiment? Instead he skipped the entire “what in the actual heck are you.” Maybe all he really wanted was to be tout of here? I mean he didn’t exactly look like the type to hurt anyone… Can I really trust that though? 

“I do. I’ll show you.” I shrugged my shoulders like nothing was going on in my head. Everything was going on. Everything that could go wrong, what happens after this interaction. Would he tell people about me? Would I have to find a new home anyways? What if I help him and nothing happens? Just stay lonely with nothing but animals to be my “companions” and sustenance for the rest of my immortal life? It was sad to think about really. 

“O-okay. D-d-do you want m-me to h-h-hold you?” He motioned to his hands, cupping them in front of my as he squinted one eye because of the cold. I felt all color drain from my face as I screamed, “No!” Not realizing I jumped backwards, slightly hissing like some animal. We both stared at each other before I fake coughed, recomposing myself, “I’ll just… walk.” I started walking in the direction, hoping that he wouldn’t step on me. I shuddered, hoping nothing like that was going to happen. But the thought crept in and wasn’t planning on leaving anytime soon. 

They stood up and followed me, as I lead the way they kept at least two steps behind me at all times, no matter how slowly the intervals were between them. No words were said between us. Mostly because even if I bothered to talk he wouldn’t hear me. I was too quiet. A good and bad thing. 

Over time, the wind gradually gave up, enough to where I could hear leaves crunch every time they took a slow step. I had no idea how they came to be so far from here, but I guess there was always a way. There was still some part of me that didn’t trust any part of this, but another part of me that kept saying that this would end differently. That I wouldn’t get hurt or anything bad would happen to me. I found it hard to choose between the two, and kept moving, ignoring the voice in the back of my head. 

———Hayven———

I don’t think I really cared that a three inch-tall person was guiding me out of the forest. I just wanted to go home, wrap myself in a blanket and fall asleep being warm. It was still freakishly cold outside, but not as much as before. The wind was dying down as I noticed that it was easier for the tiny person to walk now. I had offered to carry them, but considering their reaction that was entirely out of the question. 

Of course I had plenty of questions for them. Like how they’re not bothered by the frigid air surrounding us, or what they ever were. Where they came from. How they know the way out of here. I kept them to myself. They didn’t seem like they even wanted to be asked anything. They just wanted to me to get out so they can live their life in the forest unbothered. There was no way I would be telling anyone about this though. Not like anyone would believe me in the first place. 

After a while, they had looked like they kept looking back at me, like they were afraid I would do something. I guess I would think that too if I were as small as he was, but I don’t think I could ever hurt someone. Including him. Even if we had just met. Plus, hurting someone smaller than you just doesn’t seem fair at all. He probably has a life too, why not leave him alone? He’s already helping me plenty, it’s the least I could do. Maybe he would let me come back and give him something to eat? I wouldn’t think there would be a lot of things for him in the forest. That or something easy for him to get. 

“Um, are y-you sure you don’t w-want me to help you?” I laughed nervously, the cold still stinging but not as much. So much for some great party they were inviting me too. How did I not realize that it was a trick? Who would even invite me to anything? I sighed to myself, looking back at where we’ve been. We have to be close by now… right? At least to a road? 

“No, I’m okay.” He responded, never wavering. I took a small step, watching him look back and cringe away slightly. He was scared of me. That was something I never thought I’d see on a persons face towards me. I didn’t like it. At all. 

“Are you sure? I’m pretty sure you’re cold and I can at least try to help with that.” I looked down at my hands, pausing as he stopped moving. Was he actually thinking about it? I was expecting him to say no, but I guess this was good too. Except for the fact that I’ve never held an entire living person in my hand before! What if I drop him? What if I move wrong? Would it even be comfortable for him? 

He looked up at me, debating his decision before groaning loudly, “Okay. But I swear if you drop me I’m not helping you anymore, got it?” He threatened. I nodded my head, crouching down on the forest floor and laying my hand palm-up. I figured this would be better than just grabbing him. Given his earlier reaction. 

It felt weird to be carrying someone in your hands. They felt full, but then you realize that there’s an entire person trusting you with their lives. I gulped and kept walking straight, moving a lot faster but made sure almost ever second to make sure that the being in my hands wasn’t bothered. He sat, his arms draped over the barrier I had made with my thumb just in case. I was a little nervous, but there was no way he’d do something without knowing what could happen to him. 

“So uhh, what’s your name?” I asked, laughing nervously as I kept my eyes forward, afraid that I would trip over a loose stick or a rock. It usually happens to me. Just my luck. 

He stayed quiet for a second before answering, “Atlas, and you?” He turned his head to face me, for a brief moment showing fear. I bit the side of my cheek, hoping it wasn’t noticeable, “Hayven. Th-thank you for helping me, Atlas.” 

Atlas looked at me, surprised before he scoffed like he didn’t believe me, “No need to thank me. I’m doing both of us a favor.” He harshly stated, turning his head back down to the large drop below him. At least to him it must be. I stopped moving at the sound of a car, seeing the headlights in the distance. I shook my head and walked towards it, “So what exactly are you?” I asked, not expecting an answer. 

“Vampire.” Was all he responded with, but it left me extremely confused. Vampire? Was he messing around, or did he really mean it? I laughed playfully, “You’re messing around with me ri-“ I winced at the sharp pain that came from the side of my hand, seeing a tiny bite mark. I stared at Atlas, who shrugged his shoulders, though I felt him tremble like he thought I would hurt him for it. So, did he just have really sharp teeth or… Vampire? I probably shouldn’t dwell too much on it. 

“My turn. Why were you all the way out here?” He never turned around. 

“Um. There was supposed to be a party here. But… I guess they lied to me.” I sighed sadly, hearing even more cars now. 

“This is close enough. I’ll get off from here.” He announced, pushing himself up and peering down over the edge of my hands. I crouched down, letting him off easily as he looked up at me. I couldn’t read his expression, but I could almost tell that he wanted to ask me something, but never did. 

“H-hey uh. I know you probably just want to go home and… do whatever it is you do, but how about I give you a nice place to stay at for the night? It’s the least I offer after helping me so much.” 

Atlas stared wide-eyed at me, staring up at me like I had said something that offended him. He looked back down. I noticed the trembling, but I couldn’t tell if that was from fear or the cold. Most likely the first option. He didn’t know me. He probably thinks I would keep him as a pet or something. I was disgusted just thinking about it. 

“No tricks?” He asked. I shook my head, “I know you probably have your own thoughts about me, but I genuinely just want to repay the favor.” I didn’t want to force him, but the guilt would eat at me later. 

He debated for what seemed like hours before taking a deep breath, “Alright. But I want to be back here before night tomorrow.” He demanded. I laughed, nodding my head and agreeing to his demands. He climbed back onto my hand effortlessly, but I still felt him tremble. Even if he was scared, something about Atlas screamed at me to keep him company. Maybe we could both keep each other company?  

——————

They’re just both very lonely, but it’s okay because they’ll keep each other company! :D

Again, I wasn’t entirely sure how this came out, and I do realize that I rushed the ending, but it’s fine TwT (No it’s not) But thank you for the ask because I absolutely love writing these two! I might even turn them into an official little fic. Just some silly little one-shots :D

Hope you liked it!

[startrekfangirl2233-writes]

Love Has No Limits

Part 2 of You Play Stupid Games, You Win Stupid Prizes

Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x Reader, Past! Bradley 'Rooster’ Bradshaw x Reader

Description: It's been two months since you broke up with Bradley Bradshaw, two months since you've been on an aircraft carrier. Things with Jake are great; they're better than ever. But you're still terrified to hand him your heart. What will you do when a tense situation on board nearly has you lose him too?

Disclaimer: Female!Reader

Warnings: Cheating, Cursing, Sex, Sexual Themes, Minor mention of non-consensual rough sex, Panic Attack

The content presented in this story is for audiences age 18 and over only. MINORS DNI. I will not be accepting taglist requests from Blank or Ageless Blogs for this story.I do my best to portray adult relationships in this fic. Please do not interact with this story if you feel you are not ready to read about these themes.

Word Count: 6418

A/N: Without further ado, here is the second installment of the You Play Stupid Games, You Win Stupid Prizes Universe. Remember when I said it was going to be short? I lied. We're looking at around 5 or 6 installments right now! All the thanks I have go to @desert-fern who was kind enough to beta read this chapter for me and teach me how to angst!

AO3: Cross-posted here!

My Masterlist

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Aircraft carriers are both bigger and smaller than civilians think. They’re longer than three football fields and can hold four squadrons of planes, their flight and operations crews, their pilots, and all other personnel necessary for carrier function. That’s the big part. The small part is how maze-like the hallways are inside. Some are so narrow that two people can barely walk side by side with an inch of space between them. There are so many decks and ways to reach the same destination. 

You still remember your first time on a carrier. It had turned you around so badly that you needed to draw maps to get around. The disorientation had taken three months to get over, and you’d only been on the ship at that time for four months while running an analysis on the ship’s radar software. 

Your current time onboard has been completely different. For one, you’d gotten your sea legs much sooner and had easily found your way around the carrier. The second was your team on the carrier. Mara was still a godsend. You loved working closely with her. When the two of you put your heads together, it felt like nothing could stand in your way. 

And then there were the pilots testing your work. Mickey was as badass as you'd always been told he was. Immensely smart and a genuine sweetheart to boot. The one person who you couldn't place was Jake Seresin. He was the same as always up in the air - cocky, arrogant, and confident.

It was when he was out of the air and off duty that he was completely different. Jake had been incredibly sweet to you over the past six weeks the four of you had been on the carrier. You would have never expected it of Hangman. You knew he could be nice but sweet? It still amazes you how easy it is to get along with him. A small part of your psyche is still mortified by how you cried in his arms, but the larger part of you really liked how it felt. He felt safe. He felt like you were home.

It's past midnight as you toss and turn in your bunk. Your mind is running around in circles; all you can think of is Jake, Jake, Jake. In actuality, it has only been two months since you broke up with Bradley Bradshaw. While his betrayal still stings, like salt in a wound, in truth, the wound has been healing slowly. Initially, that wound was all you could feel, all your love turning to ash instantly. You’d felt like the aftermath of a forest fire with the gnarled ashy husks of trees stretching into the sky as embers still burned on the ground below. Then you’d finally let yourself cry that night. You’d felt all the embers flicker out under that warm spring rain and felt something new take root.

It’s the something new that’s been consuming you recently. Your heart stutters in its steady cadence when Jake looks at you nowadays. You get lost gazing into his green eyes, your normally quick brain grinding to a halt when faced with the power of his gaze. You’d thought falling in love with Bradley Bradshaw and its aftermath were the most intense emotions you’d ever felt. You’re starting to think you were wrong. You’re not shy. 90% of the time, you’d argue that you’re the opposite. But occasionally, Jake will sit down next to you, say something witty, flash that megawatt grin, and take your breath away. Every time that happens, you feel like a recalcitrant computer, needing to force-reboot your brain before it gets stuck on his dimples, eyes, or the toothpick in his mouth.

The worst part is how you used to pride yourself on your professionalism. With Jake Seresin, that professionalism had been stripped away as you poured out your heart and soul, showing him your weakness. And you’re constantly feeling wrong-footed. It’s an undercurrent to each interaction you’ve had with him, and you’re unsure if you want more with him. Can you take things slow? Your bruised heart might be screaming, “NO!”, at the top of its lungs, but your head is chanting, “YES!”, back just as adamantly.

It’s as quiet as it can be on an aircraft carrier. The creaking of your bunk, the steadfast rocking of the boat, and the snuffling sounds of people asleep around you are all you can hear. And then you hear the wheezing groan of the bunk above you as Mara climbs down. Her voice is sleep mussed as she leans over and slips on her shoes.

“Y’can’t sleep, can you? I’m gonna go switch out with one of the boys. Your tossing and turning are keeping me awake.”

“‘M sorry for keeping you awake, Mar. I haven’t been sleeping well. I hope the boys don’t get too angry at you for disturbing them.”

“Mickey might. But Jake? I don’t think he’ll object if I tell him it’s for you.”

And as the metal door clangs shut softly behind her, you’re left alone with your thoughts again. Obviously, you're not great at hiding how your thoughts turn to static in his presence. But despite what Mara has been telling you for months and Mickey for the past couple of weeks, you still can’t believe that Jake Seresin could ever harbor a soft spot for you. You’re rapidly eclipsing a singular soft spot for him, yourself. You can feel your resolve waver and become a pool of goop nearly daily. You’re not sure it’s safe to expose your heart again. Not really. But god, do you want to try.

You’re startled out of your reverie as the door opens. In the half-light spilling in from the hallway, you see a silhouette you’ve become intimately acquainted with over the past months.

“Hey, Bitsie. Mar told me you were having trouble sleeping. Mind if I join you?”

“J-Jake. Yeah, of course. I don’t mind.”

There’s a rustle of fabric, and you’re expecting to hear the creak of the bunk above you as he climbs up and settles in. But that’s not what you get. Instead, you get pushed to one side of the bunk and there is suddenly an interloper in your sheets. You can feel his naked skin pressing into yours as he drags the blankets over your shoulders and his hands sliding soothingly up and down your back as you lie stiff against him.

“C’mon, Bitsie. Relax. I’ve got you.” 

The sweetness in his tone has you reeling. It takes a few moments before you finally let yourself go limp, surrendering to the thrall of his sleep-warm skin. He still smells like his cologne, something warm and musky with a slight hint of floral tones. And his body feels like a furnace. He's so warm. His arm wraps around your waist, drawing you in until you can feel the heat of his breath against your face. 

“There. Isn’t that more comfortable?” He sounds so smug as he settles in with his big hand resting flush against your back. 

Your answering hum is weak, nearly too quiet. Your heart is pounding, and you can already feel your thoughts race.

"Y'know, Jake, I didn't think you'd do this. I thought you'd take Mara's bunk."

"Mm. I gathered by how you went as stiff as a board as I pulled you close." 

You can feel the rise and fall of his chest from where you are. Each breath is hypnotically steady.

"I was going to suggest an orgasm or two to help you unwind, but I didn't think you'd appreciate that suggestion."

You smack his arm, keeping your hand there as you grin into his chest. You’re grumbling under your breath as he tugs you even closer. Your feet are trapped between his calves as he rests his hands against your hips. You can feel the heat and roughness of his grip as he trails his fingers over the sliver of skin exposed from where your t-shirt had ridden up over the past hours you had been tossing and turning. 

A chill slinks down your spine at the gentle touch, sending shocks of unease through you. It reminds you of another set of fingers gripping too tight at your hip in the heat of a fun night at the Hard Deck. Bradley had been drinking quite heavily that night, and he’d pawed at you, his normally gentle hands rough and harsh as they traced your skin. Jake had pulled him away that day and helped him sober slightly. But when he’d come back, Bradley had possessively clutched at you. He’d called you a slut that night, for the first time, as he fucked you until your eyes welled with tears and your cunt stung from the constant abuse he was wringing on your system. 

The constant gentle press of Jake’s hands on your skin had you nearly hyperventilating. You push them away, and you’re sure Jake can tell how uncomfortable you are as he withdraws his hands immediately. He leaves as much space as possible in the tiny bunk between you, and you’re comforted at least a little by how seriously he takes your need for personal space. It takes several long moments before your breathing slows, and that irrational panic begins to fade. You’re reminding yourself repeatedly that Jake isn’t Bradley as you carefully ease yourself into his embrace. His hands are hesitant as he curls his arm around your upper back. Your voice isn’t steady and a little wet as you finally respond to his joking remark from earlier.

"Mmm… but you'd love it, wouldn't you? Another feather in your cap? Another notch in your bedpost?" 

You can't help the sardonic lilt in your voice as your mood flags. You're not sure you could handle it if sex were all he wanted from you. 

"What cap, darlin'? As far as I'm concerned, I don't have one. Not anymore. I haven't even thought about another girl in months. It's only been you. But from the beginning, you made it explicitly clear that Bradshaw was the only man you'd ever want to be with. You also made it equally clear that you didn't want anything to do with me. So I stopped flirting with you and stopped making you smile. I couldn't handle seeing you with him. And then, when the mission started, I couldn't let you hurt alone."

He sounds so different from the Jake, the Hangman you're used to hearing. His voice is gentle and soft as he pulls you close again.

"That's why I guess I've been different since this mission started. I just wanted to make you smile again. I wanted to heal your heart."

"Jake." You can't hide your shock. How do you respond? Did he just confess his feelings for you? You can't resist wrapping your arms around his waist and nuzzling close to his skin.

"M'sorry. M'sorry if I led you on."

"I know, baby. It wasn't your intention. And I know this isn't the right time. You've had a hard few months. I'm not going to pressure you into moving too fast. But you can lean on me, baby. I've got your back. I promise."

You curl in closer to his chest until you can feel the beat of his heart. His shoulders are tense as you press a feather-soft kiss against his skin. 

"Jake. Thank you. I wish I'd never picked Bradley over you. We would've been so happy together. And you would've never hurt me as he did."

Jake presses a feather-soft kiss against your forehead as your words peter out.

“I wouldn’t have, baby. I would’ve made you so happy. You wouldn’t have wanted for a single thing. I’d spend every day making sure you were incandescently happy. But it wasn’t meant to be — you picked Bradshaw. I thought you made the right choice, too. When you smiled that gorgeous grin at him that day, I knew I couldn’t love you how you deserve to be loved. And we can’t go back in time to change that. All we can control is where we go from here. I pick you, darlin’. All you need to do is pick me too. Not now, but when you’re ready.” 

The emotion in his words makes something warm glow in your chest. His chest heaves against your skin as he breathes deeply. You trace your fingers across his face, feeling the prickle of his stubble against the pads as you cup his jaw. His breathing picks up as you press your index finger against his mouth. His lips are soft and moist, slightly chapped against your fingertips as you press lightly against the supple skin.

“What’re you doing, baby?” You grin at the amusement in his tone, withdrawing your finger and pressing a kiss against it before tapping it against his mouth. You’re not expecting him to kiss your fingers back. The warmth in your chest ignites like a bonfire at the gentle caress. Your throat is tight as you press a kiss against the corner of his mouth. 

"Jake, as much as the past months hurt, I also learned a lot from the experience. I learned a lot about myself. What I do and don't like in a partner. And what I deserve as a part of a relationship. I won't ever let anything like that happen again. I promise I’ll choose wisely this time, sweetheart."

Your words are slurring with your exhaustion. The warmth of Jake's skin sends drowsiness coursing through you. 

“I have all the faith in you, sweetheart. And we’re going to talk about what happened to make you nearly have a panic attack later, too. Okay?”

"Okay. G'night, Jake." You can feel his smile as your eyes flutter closed.

"G'night, Bitsie."

Waking up is hard the next morning. There's a heavy limb draped across your back, and you're pressed tight against warm skin. Your legs are intertwined, and it's the most comfortable you've been in a long time. Even in a bunk made for one, it doesn't feel crowded. You feel at home, more than the last time you’d shared a bed with a man. 

Or at least, you would if you didn't hear chattering from two people who don't belong in your quarters before the call to muster even rings in the early morning. They’re not trying to moderate their volume, either. You nuzzle into Jake closer, praying his bicep will block the noise from disturbing your sleep. His arms tighten around you, and you can feel his lips against your hair. If you hide long enough, would they just disappear? Apparently not. The longer you stay curled up in Jake’s arms, the louder the chatter grows, now interspersed with calls of his name, and the bigger his smile grows against the top of your head. He presses one final kiss against your forehead before releasing you and slipping out of the bunk.

“What’s the hurry, Fanboy?” His sleep-mussed voice is going to take you out. It’s rough and rich and deep. You want nothing more than to hear that voice call you “darlin’” again and cuddle up in his arms. But he’s awake and talking to Fanboy about something you can barely hear. His hair is fluffy atop his head, and he still hasn’t put on his shirt. You can just see the shadow of him through the soft sweatpants covering his legs, and the sight has your thighs clenching as he whirls around, grabs his worn Navy tee, and shrugs it on. All the levity has drained from his face as he takes two steps and crouches in front of you. You’re sitting in the bunk now, and your new position has brought you level with his face. 

“What’s going on?” Your voice is soft as you cup his jaw. His eyes close at the press of your fingers against his lower lip. Like the night before, he presses a kiss against your fingertips before pulling you in close enough to whisper in your ear.

"G'Morning, Baby. I wish we could've stayed in bed longer, but something big is happenin’. The Captain wants us suited up and on deck to run flight patrols. The situation is rapidly developing. I have to go. I just wanted to tell you that I love you. I need you to know that in case something bad goes down."

An unpleasant knot tightens in your chest as you tug him in closer by wrapping your hand around the base of his neck. You press a feather-soft kiss against his lips before hugging him tight. His arms wrap tight around your waist, and you can feel his shoulders tense as the adrenaline begins to course through his blood.

“Take care of yourself, and please take care of Mickey. Fly safe, fly true. Don’t do anything life-threatening. And above all, come home. Please.” You can’t keep the catch in your voice as you run your fingers through the short hairs at the base of his neck. “I just found you. Come home to me. So I can tell you I love you for the first time.”

That’s when you hear his breath hitch, and you’re being properly kissed. Everything else melts away except for Jake. It’s a painfully sweet kiss that has your heart racing even as dread slides its cold hooks into you. And it’s over far too soon as he pulls away before following Fanboy to get suited up. It’s a sober mood in your quarters as you and Mara get ready for the day and head to the flight operations center.

The entire ship is a hive of activity. You both have to flatten against the walls multiple times on the way, dodging sailors, flight personnel, and whoever else felt the need to run around in a ship bracing for an attack. You and Mara reach the Captain just as the jets take off. From the Flight Ops Center, you have a near perfect line of sight to see the planes rise like a flock of metallic birds into the sky. You can barely make out Jake and Mickey waiting on deck for their signal to launch and your heart feels tight as you fight the urge to steal a headset and tell him you love him. But you can’t, so all you do is clutch at the railing in front of you with all your strength and pray that they, that he will, come back safe.

“Captain Mills. What’s happening?” The Captain had already begun to sweat through his uniform as he beckons you and Mara closer. 

You can hear the emotion in his voice as he downs the cold coffee in his mug before speaking in clipped tones, “At 10 past 0100, we received reports of patrols in our airspace. Naturally, the first thing we did was contact the COMPACFLT. But the admiral had no notice of flight operations happening in our airspace.” 

The Captain pauses, seeming to try and find the necessary thread in what you assumed was a tangled web of information that would take hours to unwind. “The only reasonable assumption we can make is that it is the enemy. I’m afraid, ladies, that we are now standing by and evaluating the threat. This has the potential to evolve into a serious situation. We are requiring  all non-essential personnel to remain confined to quarters. Consider this an order.”

With nothing better to do, and your heart having taken up permanent residence in your throat, you both head back to your quarters. Your heart aches as you fall into your bunk, which you had made roughly before you rushed out earlier, desperate for any news on the situation Jake was flying into. The pillows still smell like Jake, and if you screw your eyes shut tightly enough, you can still feel the tight press of his arms around you. You want nothing more than to rewind time, to go back to those few precious hours in the middle of the night when you’d had him in your arms - when you could’ve kissed him and when you could’ve told him you loved him. The what-ifs crowd your brain like a feral swarm of bees, sending your thoughts buzzing angrily. The more thoughts crowd your brain, the worse you feel. 

You don’t think you can stand losing Jake. You just found him. That small seed of something between you has only just sprouted. You want to see it grow and flourish into an oak tree; tall and sturdy enough to withstand earthquakes, forest fires, lightning strikes, and flash floods. A tree strong enough to support a treehouse filled with tiny feet, hands, love, and laughter. But you’re not sure that you’ll ever be able to see that nascent sprout grow. Not when half of your heart is in a jet potentially flying into enemy crosshairs. Not when you last told him, “Come home so I can tell you I love you for the first time” instead of the “I love you” he deserved. The “I love you” that you had seen he had so desperately wanted to hear.  Why had you said that? What if your words, your ardent pleas, weren’t enough?  You aren’t omnipotent. You can’t change the trajectory of missiles or bullets. You have no control over anything, not even your racing thoughts as you realize that you might never see him again. Are you going to be cursed to spend the rest of your life imagining the what-ifs of an entire life that could have been?

It’s been hours since you and Mara have been confined to your quarters. Periodically you’ve heard the roar and whine of aircraft engines as they touch down and take off again. Every time you hear the engines’ roar, your traitorous heart skips a beat. You wait, staring at the door, hoping that Jake will bound through, Mickey behind him, still in his flight suit with his hair sweat streaked and sticking to his forehead. And each time, your heart drops to the bottom of your stomach as the minutes pass and you hear the engines tick up again.

"Hey, you doing okay, Bitsie?" Mara’s voice shatters through the daydream you had crafted and it hurts. All you want is Jake in your arms once more, feeling his strong body against yours, hearing his heartbeat in your ear as he holds you close. 

"As okay as can be expected, Mar." Your voice is thin in the silence of your quarters. Mara’s sitting on the sole desk chair while you’re curled up in your sheets. They don’t smell like Jake anymore. It’s driving you crazy, not knowing. You’ve cried what feels like an ocean’s worth of tears and your eyes are swollen and puffy, your voice thick and hoarse from your muffled sobs.

“Do you want to talk about what happened between you and Jake last night? He kissed you this morning. You can’t tell me he’s just a friend. Not after that.” 

Her voice is gentle, her eyes and hands beseeching as you try and fail to find the words. You drag your hand down your face before facing her, letting your legs dangle off the bed as you rest your elbows on your thighs. 

“He’s not just a friend, Mar. He might be everything, and I was too stupid to admit it before now. Once bitten, twice shy, and all that, you know?” There is lingering bitterness in your tone, frustration at yourself for the mistakes you knew you had made in not choosing Jake in the first place.

Your breathing is ragged as you push away the hot feeling in the back of your throat. “I don’t know when it happened. Honest. I didn’t even know I had him, you know? He told me last night that he was interested in me from the moment he met me. But when I picked Bradley, he backed off because he knew that Bradley would treat me as I deserved. That Bradley would love me in a way that he couldn’t. He was wrong. And I was, too, Mar. How do I make the right choice when that choice might not even be here after today?” You are crying again. Somehow you still have tears left to cry, staring at the wall in front of you, these last tears dripping down your chin, marking your pants with the remnants of your despair. 

“I - I don’t know.” Her position mirrors yours as the two of you stare at each other in silence. “But you can’t give up hope. You know they’re good pilots. They’re the best of the best, Bits. If anyone can pull through, it’ll be Jake and Micks. They have to.”

You clasp your hands tightly until all you can feel is the aching stretch of over-taxed muscles. Mara’s right. You can’t do anything but hope. Hope that the boys are alright and hope that your updates to the targeting and radar systems are enough to protect them. 

It’s a runner from the Captain banging on your door who finally brings you news. The poor man is sweat-drenched, panting as he pauses to catch his breath before delivering his message. “The Captain wants you both in the Flight Ops Center. Something’s up with the radar system on Lieutenants Seresin and Garcia’s plane. We need you to help debug and resolve the situation. The improvements you’ve made while working on laser targeting are beyond us.”

“Understood.”

It’s your turn to run through the hallways and have people jump out of your way, Mara right behind you. This time when you enter the Flight Ops Center, it’s pin-drop silent. All eyes are on a singular, all too familiar display. The radar output shows an awfully familiar F-18/A. And you can see exactly why the Captain had called for you and Mara. The display is flickering erratically, jets blinking in and out of sight at random. 

With your heart in your throat, you march right up to the tech on the computer system. "Give me your headset and your seat." Your tone leaves no room for argument, but he still protests, turning away from his fiddling with the system, to look at you in both frustration and disbelief.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I can't do that without the Captain's orders."

"I know. And right now, I don't care. I programmed that radar system. Captain Mills!" You are barking out an order right now, your voice quivering with authority. "Either you get your man out of this seat or I take it from him."

"Let her have the seat, Ensign George. And the headset. I called her here. She's one of the civilian consultants out of the Pentagon who built the damned thing."

You accept the headset and start examining the display in front of you. Pressing a button on the side of the headset you connect to Jake and Mickey's comms. "Auxiliary Patrol. This is Flight Ops Control. How read?"

"Audio clear, Flight Ops Control. How do you read me?" Your heart jumps when you hear Mickey’s voice emanate clearly through the headset.  

Your relief washes over you, settling your racing thoughts and grounding you as you confirm their audio signals before responding, "Loud and clear, Auxiliary Patrol." 

This time, when you hear from Jake and Mickey, it’s Jake’s voice on comms. "Auxiliary Patrol, we’re seeing multiple bogeys on the radar, but they’re ghosting in and out. Can you confirm?”

“Confirming loud and clear. We’re seeing the same thing here.” Your frustration colors your tone as the radar display glitches in front of your eyes."Do visuals confirm what the radar is saying?"

"Flight Ops, negative. Visual showing clear skies." Mickey’s voice is slightly cheeky as he responds. You sigh, knowing that you’re going to have to do something drastic to resolve this issue. 

“Auxiliary Patrol. Can you turn on the external cameras? Flight Ops will act as your eyes while we reboot the radar.”

“Copy, ops. Cameras are live.” You can hear the slightest flick of the switch as Mickey enables the cameras that you and Mara had been using to help monitor the laser targeting system.

“Captain?”

The man nods, silently giving his permission for the order he knew would come next. “The floor is yours.”

“Right. Teams of five, report to one of the monitors. Keep your eyes peeled. We’ve got aviators flying blind and I’ll be damned if we’re taking home coffins after today.” Your voice leaves no room for protests as you address the room. 

The men explode into activity around you and Mara. The two of you, in the meanwhile, keep silent, all your energy on the radar system, scanning the code flying across the screen with eagle-eyes. There aren’t any defects, so you decide to turn the radar back on. “Auxiliary Patrol, this is Flight Ops. We’re rebooting the radar and targeting systems now.”

“Copy, Flight Ops.”

There’s a tense silence blanketing the Flight Ops Center as you hit ‘Enter’ and watch the radar display in front of you blink back to life. It flickers and your breath catches when it stays dark for several long moments before illuminating. It’s finally, blessedly stable. There aren’t ghost bogeys on the screen anymore. Just one very clearly labeled F/A-18A and one very real SU-57.

“Are you seeing what we are, Flight Ops?”

“Copy, Auxiliary Patrol. One bogey, north, northwest bound, approaching your position at 400 knots.”

“Copy, Ops. What are your orders?” Jake’s voice is tense as he spits the words down the microphone.

That’s when Captain Mills finally weighs in again. “Do a flyby, son. Do not engage unless they do. I’ll get on the horn with the COMPACFLT and keep him apprised of the situation.” You relinquish the headset and station back to the radar tech you’d bullied them from and retreat to the peripherals of the room.

The gnawing desperate ache in your chest, the one that had been partially alleviated hearing Jake’s voice, is back again. It’s clawing at you as you clutch at a railing and plant yourself in a corner of the Ops Center. Captain Mills is talking furiously into a satellite phone, you presume to the COMPACFLT. But your eyes are on Jake and Mickey’s jet and their radar display. You can feel each swooping maneuver in the pit of your stomach as their jet approaches the SU-57.

It’s incredibly quiet in the Flight Ops Center as the two jets fly side by side for several long moments. You’re praying with everything you have that this doesn’t escalate, And then, like an answer to all of your prayers, the SU-57 breaks away, heading back in the direction it came.

“Ops, bogey one, now 400 yards away. Distance growing. Permission to return to carrier?”

“Permission granted.”

Captain Mills stalks towards where you and Mara stand. “Thanks for your assistance, ladies. We’re resuming normal operations per order of the COMPACFLT. Your mission will resume bright and early in the morning. I expect to see the both of you and Lieutenants Seresin and Garcia in the Flight Ops Center at 0800. Am I clear?”

“Yessir!” You’re quick to respond with a snappy salute. You’ve trespassed on Captain Mill’s authority one time too many already today with your show of power to the radar tech and for the sake of this operation, you’d rather not step on his toes any more than necessary 

Your heart is light as you walk back to your quarters. There’s a sense of urgency dogging your steps, your lips curling unbidden into a giddy grin. By tacit agreement, Mara leaves you at the door before heading to Jake and Mickey’s quarters two doors down. He’s safe! He’s safe! He’s safe! You can’t quell the trembling of your hands as you wait. You reach for a book to read but you barely get a few words in before you’re dropping it again. It’s only been minutes since you left Flight Ops but your heart is doing acrobatics in your chest at the knowledge that Jake is returning soon. You bite your lip, maybe work will quell these jitters.

Of course, right as you pull up the radar system blueprints, the door to your quarters opens and Jake staggers in. He’s stinking of jet fuel, and coated in sweat, but you’ve never seen a better sight. He’s whole and safe and here with you. It’s all that you’ve been wishing for since he left you early this morning. You want to touch him, make sure he's not a figment of your imagination or a cruel dream from the depths of your subconscious. But no matter how you try to get your legs to move, you're frozen before him. That's when he moves, carefully cupping your jaw and drawing your eyes to his.

"I'm back, baby. Safe and sound, just as promised." Jake’s voice is quiet, like he’s afraid that speaking too loudly will shatter the bubble you two have created around yourselves. His eyes are filled with a softness unlike anything you’ve ever seen in man’s eyes before, let alone his. The sight makes your heart speed up, overjoyed to be in the calm his presence brings you. 

You return his tender caress before wrapping your arms around his neck, pulling yourself impossibly closer. Jake’s hands are gentle as they bracket your waist before he finally lowers his mouth to yours. His mouth tastes like salt, and he stinks, but you can't begrudge the man you adore this kiss. He's more than deserving of it. 

When you part for air, you can feel the imperceptible shudder wracking his muscles as the adrenaline drains away. "Go shower, Jake. You stink." There is a light humor in your tone as you grin up at him, pressing a soft kiss to his jaw, reveling in the minute hitch in his breath as you meet his eyes once more. 

His pout is sweet, and you can't resist pecking his lips once more as he turns and walks back out the door. It's only twenty short minutes later when he walks back in and collapses into your bunk. His hair is still damp, the longer hairs at the top of his head curling slightly as you pull on your own pajamas and crawl into the bunk next to him. 

He mirrors your positions from the night before, tugging you in until his head rests against your breasts and you can feel his warmth across your whole body. You card your fingers through his hair, content to sit in the silence as long as he needs you to.

"Talk to me, baby." His voice is hushed and muffled against your breasts as he breathes deeply. "Tell me how you're doing."

"I feel like I should be asking you that, Jake. I was a wreck when you were up there, but I'm better now. I'm always better in your arms." You hope he knows that you mean every syllable, and you do. A selfish part of you wants to stay in his arms forever; just the two of you in your own little bubble for as long as you can. 

Your throat is tight with the same tears you'd shed all day as you trace over the curve of his ear. "I love you. I should've told you before you left," you whisper, scared to say the words any louder lest they be ripped from you both. 

Jake gasps before kissing you again, hard. He pours all his love and affection into the kiss and you return the ardor as best you can. The two of you kiss for several long moments before he rests his forehead against yours. You lie curled into each other for a while longer before you nuzzle at his cheek.

"Why d'you call me Bitsie, Jake? I've been wondering for a while."

He chuckles before pecking your lips and dragging you in until your lips are pressed to his collarbone. "I started calling you Bitsie because of the first demonstration of the radar you ever gave us. You were talking about manipulating bits. Gosh, it was probably only a couple of weeks since you'd come to Miramar. I was so gone for you already, baby. You're gorgeous, sweet, and smart as a whip. I wanted to show you I was listening to what you said."

"But I didn't take it that way. I was so rude to you the first time you called me that. I thought you were making fun of me." Your voice is soft as you trace a light pattern across his ribs. Your thoughts race as you catalog every interaction you remember having with Jake over your months in Miramar. Had Bradley Bradshaw really brainwashed your perception of him so terribly? Your mind races as you try and fail to find an explanation for your actions. They’ve been petty and rude and you don’t recognize the girl you are in them.

“Why didn’t you say anything? Why did I assume what I did? Jake, how can you ever forgive me?” You hate how small your voice is, the regret at your actions over the past months coloring your tone.

“I can forgive you, sweetheart, because I love you. I have for a really long time,” Jake soothes, one hand cupping your jaw. “And you had a Chicken on your shoulder telling you who was right and who was wrong. Him and I? We have always been on the opposite ends of that scale. And I’ll give you one guess as to which of us is where.”

“He’s wrong, Jake. He’s wrong about you, he was wrong about me. We’ll show him. I’m not hiding this. You’re mine, now. And I want it all with you. Dates, kissing because you feel like it, dancing to the Jukebox in the Hard Deck, everything.”

“We’ll write this story with more than words, darling. I promise. And I love you.” You can feel your eyes close as you curl closer into his embrace, all the tension in your body finally draining away as you fall asleep.

In the morning, you’ll be back to working on the laser targeting systems, back to normalcy. But there’ll be something new to scope the limits of, as well. The butterflies in your stomach this time feel like flower petals kissing your skin. It’s a good portent for the days to come.

Taglist

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[phr0gg13]

A Manticore Crashed My 14th Birthday Party.

(Part 2)

Luke Castellan x Daughter of Hecate! Reader

(Series Masterlist)

Heres part two of the first chapter! (Part One)

Eventually, he started to slow down. I saw a small shack in the distance that we were approaching. “I knew I should have brought you here sooner; they all warned me I should have,” he was muttering to himself, and I could barely make out what he was saying. We reached the shack as he parked the car and turned it off. I saw near the doorway an older-looking woman with goat legs?! My dad got out of the truck and swiftly came to open my door; he helped me get out of the truck. He led me to the shack and started to talk to the goat woman. “I know I should have brought her here years ago, but I just couldn't,” the woman shook her head and ushered us inside. “Mr. Cain, it is okay; luckily, this location is not far from camp, and we should be able to get there safely,” the woman smiled at me. She was beautiful; her horns were curled by her ears, and she had a nice long braid going down her shoulder; there were even flowers scattered here and there in it. “Hello (Y/N), I am Hazel. I know you don't know much about your heritage, but once we get to camp, there will be plenty of time to ask questions.” I nodded my head and looked down at my feet.

My father handed me a backpack, and I put it on my shoulders. “Here's some of your things from home, along with your present. I'm sorry this happened so soon.” He seemed like he was almost crying; I had never seen my dad like this before. I grabbed his hand and hugged him; I couldn’t speak; this was all too much for me to process. During our hug, I could hear some more lightning and a deafening roar. It was back; my dad let go of me and looked at Hazel. She nodded and started to gather a flashlight and some other things.

My dad grabbed my hand, and we started to make our way out of the shack. We quickly walked into the forest. The rain had picked up quite a bit, and it was very muddy. My shoes were going to be extremely dirty after this. Eventually, we heard a tree fall behind us; there was the lion. I looked behind and felt fear coursing through me. I froze, and my dad had to continue to drag me. “Kiddo, we have to go! Don't look back!” He shouted to me, trying to overpower the sound of the storm. As we started to run, I tripped over a branch. I was on the muddy ground with a scratch on my arm now. I heard my dad yell my name, and he had come to get me. I was propped up, and soon I felt a warm hand grip me. I looked up to see Hazel holding onto me. My father and her were talking, but I couldn't hear; my ears were ringing, and I felt myself shaking. I felt myself get pulled away by Hazel; she continued to go in the direction that we were headed.

Yet when I looked around, I didn't see my dad; I quickly whipped my head around to see him waving his arms at the Lion. Hazel continued to pull me and tried to make me look forward, but before she could, I caught a glimpse of the scorpion tail hitting my dad. I felt the world stop as he fell to the ground. I looked forward and saw a giant hill coming into the distance; there was a big tree there. Faintly I heard Hazel say “Don't worry (Y/N) we are almost safe at camp.” Her ears twitched, and she looked behind her; she pushed me forward and yelled something at me. I caught a glimpse of the Lion again; I felt my body move before I could even think. I was running up the hill; I didn't see anyone around. Were we in the right place? Was I going to die?

I made it to the tree and looked back for Hazel; she was under the Lion. I could make out what happened, but I saw red pooling around her. I was utterly alone. I felt everything change in me; I was no longer this shy teen girl. I felt something coursing through my veins as the images of my dad getting attacked went through my head. This stupid lion, it ruined everything… It made me alone and scared; I would make it pay. Make it feel the pain I felt. I let out an ear-shattering scream as I felt energy flow through my arms. I threw them out towards the lion, and a beam of green energy flew towards it. I was immediately exhausted and drained after this. I felt myself fall to the ground, unconscious…

[sourpatchys]

Chapter three: Blood

Time: Quarry

Rating: nothing explicit. Mentions of walkers and death.

Word count: 1.3k

Summary: a magnetic pull, and a nights rest. The two survivors are growing closer by the day.

A/n: this took much longer than I had hoped for! I’m going to try my hardest to get the next chapter out much faster haha, hopefully the wait was worth it!

Guidelines masterlist Daryl!Masiterlist

The camp was in utter ruins when Daryl had returned.

Walkers were clawing their way into rib cages, ripping away the flesh and bone— screams echoed throughout the hills and trees, begging— pleading for help.

Any negativity Daryl had, from Merle, the weird fucking nursing home or the pieces of shit he had to live with— it all fell away in an instant. He was firing, shaking, even screaming— his body moved on pure instinct shuddering in a way he had never experienced before.

He was fighting for his life— for the life of others. Ripping arrows through the air, his eyes frantically searching for an end.

The way here was calm and quiet. He was pissed— angry and upset. His brother was gone and all he had to show for it were the people who left him to die. Walking home on an uneven trail, kicking the rocks under his shoes, cursing any god that would listen for ruining any life he had left.

The closer they got— the more Daryl started to pick up his speed. His muscles began to tense, a hot swarm of fire ants lighting up under his rugged skin. Something in his mind— in his body— started screaming, yelling at him, telling him to move faster. It felt as though he had lost all control, his legs were moving before he could even wonder why.

The sun had set by the time the small misfit group had returned, its burning rays hidden under the horizon, leaving terror in its wake.

He wasn't sure exactly what he was trying to accomplish— smashing in the heads of the dead with anything he could get his blood crusted hands on. At points he used nothing but the soles of his boots, caving in the skulls of the monsters he'd come to despise over the passing few months.

The blood was warm, washing over his burning skin like a safety blanket. Each pass of his fists, his axe or his bow, lightening the load of horror little by little.

It felt as though it had lasted hours, the adrenaline making every move he took feel slow— as if he were a movie on rewind— unable to reach the end.

Daryl's skin was sticky, his face was hot and his heart felt as though it was going to rip out of his chest. He was looking for something— static electricity was shooting through his brain like lightning, unwilling to stop, forcing his body to move— refusing to let him rest for even a moment.

His vision was blurry, fading lines together— the overwhelming darkness of the night only worsening his disheveled state. It felt as though he were having a panic attack, unable to catch his breath, chest caving and screaming for the release of pressure.

The moment he saw the group, huddled together and checking for injuries— something in him stilled.

He wasn't sure what did it, be it the proof that there were survivors, or the overwhelming pull of knowing everything was finally over— but the static left, replacing itself with cotton.

—

The attack on the camp alerted everyone to the dangers of staying still— something had to change and it had to change fast.

You weren't sure if you had ever felt that level of panic in your life— the overwhelming feel of being alone— forgotten.

It didn't make sense— nothing about your mind or your body's reaction to the chaos made any fucking sense. You understood the fear— the urgency of safety and the pull of death.

But why— why did you feel so utterly alone? You weren't alone— not even slightly. The entire group was with you, witnessing the carnage and bloodshed. They all saw Amy being ripped apart, her curdled screams for help. They all saw the ripped muscles and pointless deaths. Hell— they protected you! Killing any of those vile things that got near you.

Your mind was in a haze— unable to focus or understand. You felt like a child lost in a grocery store. The yelling of those who had left, running into camp from their mission and joining you in your fight for survival— it was the only thing that threw you out of your mangled state of mind.

Sleep did not come easy that night. The corpses of your newfound friends still littered the outside, rotting into the ground and killing the grass below.

Your pillow felt as if it were filled with rocks, your blanket cut into your skin like needles— and the ground felt twice as hard.

Part of you wondered how Daryl was doing.

Perhaps it was a way for you to distance yourself from the carnage, but you still couldn't help but wonder if he was okay. Merle hadn't come back that night, his presence erased entirely, never to be spoken of again.

Sighing in defeat, you sat up, ripping your needle pointed blanket away from your clammy skin and making your way towards the outside world. You didn't allow yourself a gander. Your eyes focused solely on your slippered feet, making a slow crawl towards the bright blue tent in the other side of camp.

The smell that plagued your nostrils was almost enough for you to call it quits— the undeniable rot and decay rising from the soil. Even without the visuals, it was impossible to ignore.

But the sight of that closed up tent door kept you right on track. It was like a pull— a magnetic connection that you couldn't ignore.

"Daryl?" You whispered, your index finger bent, tapping lightly on the closed up mesh. "Are you up?"

There was shifting behind the blue door before the zipper eased its way down, the small sound echoing through the hills, daring you to make another.

“What do you want?” His voice was gruff, his southern lull deeper than you had ever heard it before.

“I wanted to see how you were doing?”

His milky blue eyes looked you up and down, casting a spell of unease, unsure of what to make out of your nightly visit.

“Why?” He asked, finally removing his eyes from you and looking around at your surroundings. Unzipping the door all the way and stepping back. “Get in here, you don’t need to be out there.”

Thankful for the separation, you stepped inside, plopping yourself down on the hard floor and crossing your legs— unsure what to do with yourself in the new environment.

Daryl sat himself across from you— mimicking your own actions from the day before, as he turned on his bedside lantern, placing it between the two of you.

“I couldn’t sleep— I got to thinking about you.”

“Oh yeah?”

His eyes were unreadable, staring right through you.

“You never answered me.”

Grunting, the archer leaned back in his hands, pulling his eyes away from you once more, choosing instead to look up at the makeshift ceiling.

“M’fine. Couldn’t sleep either.”

It was silent after that, though it wasn’t unpleasant. You found yourself calmer than you could ever recall being before, sitting tight in a broken down bright blue tent.

Feeling more comfortable, you allowed yourself to stretch, pulling your legs out from underneath you as you adjusted.

“Tomorrow— whatever we end up doing, and wherever we end up— can I leave with you?”

He stared at you, unsettled— confused by the request. Though, he couldn’t find it in himself to deny you.

“Whatever.”

A warmth unlike any you had ever felt seeped into your skin, glowing and trailing along through your veins. A smile— small yet true— made its way onto your face, a gleam of hope finding itself inside you once more.

“Thank you Daryl.” You beamed, placing your hand on his knee.

Soon enough you found yourself drifting, your eyelids growing heavy as your face began to tingle. It didn’t take long before your once restless night became something else entirely.

Next chapter

[i-hate-people-1]

It touched me!

You and the gang spend Labor Day at lovers lake things don’t go as expected.

Lowkey fixit Eddie is very much alive and they kicked Vecnas ass!

Warnings~anxiety attack

Words~2k

Not my gif

It was Labor Weekend, and you and the gang had decided to spend the day at Lover's Lake, much to Eddie's chagrin.

 

"I don’t know if you guys know this, but I’m not really made to go to the lake," Eddie whined as you guys were unloading his van and Steve’s car of your supplies. "It’s hot and the water is icky!” He exclaimed

 

"If you’re hot, just take your shirt off," Dustin told the boy, shrugging.

 

"Are you messing with me, Henderson? Eddie questioned, pausing to motion to his body, "Have you seen me? My skin is not equipped to handle the sun. I look like a ghost and a vampire had a baby."

 

"Sunscreen dumbass," Steve said, rolling his eyes.

 

“Yeah, I put sunscreen on you before we left. I can reapply some if you want," you told him, rubbing his back soothingly and trying to calm him down.

 

"That’s very sweet, baby, and I appreciate it so much, but we could always just pack up and go home. I’ll let you rub whatever you want on me as soon as we’re back safe inside." Eddie pleaded with you as you laughed at his antics.

 

“Ew, shut up, Munson," Robin told him, filling his arms with stuff to carry to your spot. He grumbled, still complaining to himself as he walked away.

 

"Any chance he actually shuts up?” Robin asked you, shaking her head as you two grabbed the last of your stuff.

 

"Eddie? Never," you answered the girl laughing as you walked to the spot the kids had picked out, all already in the water splashing around. Dustin and Steve were the closest to the shoreline, trying to talk a stubborn Eddie into getting in the water.

 

“Nuh uh nope no way," your boyfriend said, shaking his head, arms crossed over his chest. "That water is icky, and there’s like a ton of fish in there, and where there’s fish, there’s fish pee, not to mention the dead bodies that could be in there, and do you guys remember when we found that creepy ass gate at the bottom that led into the upside-down? Eddie finished flailing his arms around as he shouted.

 

“Look, dude, if we stopped going to every place we saw something related to the upside down, we’d literally never go anywhere in Hawkins ever," Steve said, laughing at the boy.

 

"Eddie I promise you everything is okay. Just come in, please." Dustin begged

 

“Eddie, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I’m going, and I’m sure if you do, you’ll have fun," you told him, coming up to stand beside him as Robin ran past you both jumping and tackling Steve into the water.

 

"My hair!!!" The boy shouted as he popped his head back up from under the water to find Robin and Dustin laughing hysterically. "You’re both dead!" he shouted, running after his friends.

 

“See, it’s fun," you told him, moving in front of him, arms wrapping around his neck. His hands rested on your waist as you leaned in to kiss him gently.

 

“Ugh, this is so not fair; you know how hard it is to say no to you," he said as you pulled away, "especially when you’re in that skimpy little bathing suit."

 

"Tell you what you get in the water and have fun with us, and I promise I’ll make it worth your while later." You raised your eyebrows and smirked at him.

 

Clearly, your proposition worked, as the boy's face lit up like a Christmas tree: "Come on, baby, what are you doing? Let's get in this filthy cesspool!” He told you to run into the lake, slapping your ass as he passed you.

 

You just laughed, joining him and your friends in the water.

 

Eddie had only been in the water for maybe twenty minutes, clinging to you like a monkey for most of it as he got freaked out anytime a fish swam past him or grazed his leg. He had just let go of you when another fish swam by.

 

"It touched me, it touched me, ew ew ew ew!” Eddie shouted panicking as he wrapped his arms and legs around you. Once more, his eyes squeezed shut as he clung to you tightly.

 

“Eddie, sweetheart, it’s just a fish," you told him, gently squeezing his hand to offer him any assurance you could.

 

“Yeah, Munson, calm down." Steve laughed as you glared at him. "Shut it, Harrington," you told him sternly. He just put his hands up, backing away to join the kids.

 

"Do you want to get out? You asked him

 

“No, I mean yes, but I don’t want to make you get out," he whispered, eyes still shut tightly, head resting on your shoulder from behind.

 

"Don’t worry about it, I’ve gotta make lunch. Come on, you can help me," you told him. He just nodded, letting you go as he started out of the water towards the stuff. You followed after him, stopping when you got to the shore. You turned around, asking everyone if they were hungry. They all nodded.

 

You and Eddie made everyone sandwiches. You had spent so much time with these guys that you knew exactly how they liked them.

 

Eddie was quiet as you made them, which was unlike him, but you just chalked it up to him still being uncomfortable about being In the water, after you finished, you called everyone up to eat.

 

"What’s on the menu?” Robin asked, popping her head beside Eddie's.

 

"What Buckley, it’s obviously sandw-“ Eddie started, but was cut off when Steve popped his head on the other side of Eddie.

 

"Let’s hope it’s not fish. Munson might have a heart attack," Steve said. All the gang started laughing as Eddie rolled his eyes.

 

"Ha ha, very funny," he said sarcastically, pushing the pair away from him.

 

"Leave him alone," you scolded. They pouted, taking a seat and eating the lunch you had made them.

 

After y’all finished eating, you and Eddie cleaned up while your friends went and played in the water. After you finished, you took a seat next to the boy on the picnic table.

 

"You should go out there with them and have fun," Eddie told you, nodding towards the water and your friends.

 

"Are you sure I really don’t mind sitting up here with you?" you said.

 

“Yes, go, I’ll be fine," he answered.

 

“Okay, I’ll come to check on you in thirty minutes, thank you," you said, jumping up and kissing him on the cheek before running towards the water.

 

 

It wasn’t like he wanted to be like this; he wanted nothing more than to go out there and have fun with his friends, but every time something touched his foot, his heart would stop for a second, and he swears he was about to feel the sting of one of those bats ripping into his flesh or one of those creepy vines pulling him into that hole back to the upside-down, take his friends, take his life, or worse, take Y/N. It was crazy. He knew that they had stopped Vecna and El had closed the gate, but he couldn’t stop worrying about the what ifs.

 

He watched them out there laughing and having fun. He wanted to be a part of that so bad, but after everything that had happened at that lake, he hadn’t been doing this as long as you guys. It affected him. Damnit, it did. Every time he even looked at the lake, he had a mini anxiety attack, but being in it freaked him out.

 

He hadn’t realized how zoned out he was until he heard the sound of your laugh. It was an angelic sound. One of Eddie’s favorite things about you was your laugh. It made him smile until he looked up and saw the reason you were laughing. you Dustin Steve and Robin were playing a game of chicken. Robin on Dustin’s shoulders and you on Steve's, his hands wrapped around your thighs. He watched as you pushed Robin off the boys' shoulders. You and Steve cheered, sharing a victory hug after he let you off his shoulder.

 

And while Eddie knew that nothing would ever happen between you and Steve, he couldn’t help the jealousy that sunk into him. He should be the one out there; you were his girlfriend, for fucks sake!

 

So he made a decision he was going to suck it up and he was going to go out there and have fun with his girlfriend and he really thought he meant it but when his foot hit the water he swore he saw one of those bat swimming right at him and the water was so damn cold and he could feel his heart pounding and his breath quickening and he didn’t need to warn you guys because it wasn’t real it wasn’t fucking real and he knew that but it was still absolutely terrifying and he couldn’t do it no matter how much he wanted to, he just couldn’t do it.

 

He could feel the tears falling down his cheeks, and he walked away all the way to his van, where he collapsed against the back of it, pulling his knees to his chest just like he had when he was young. Every time this would happen, every time his dad would come back and then eventually leave again, every time Jason and his friends would corner him, he’d come home covered in bruises and just break down.

 

His thoughts were still running wild when he felt a gentle hand on his back. He didn’t have to look at who it was; he knew it was you. There was no doubt in his mind. He threw himself into your arms, hugging you tightly. You instantly hugged, running one hand up his back and the other through his hair. You had done this for each other many times. You had seen each other at your worst.

 

You hugged him tightly, whispering comforting words in his ear. You had seen him on the shoreline. You had even called to him when you saw the tears falling down his cheeks, but he just walked away. You quickly followed after him, finding him having a breakdown.

 

"Eddie?" You said softly as you felt his breaths slow. You could feel his body relax when you spoke, so you continued, "Do you want to talk about it?"

 

Eddie pulled away from you. Sitting back up, you kept your hand on his back for comfort as he told you what was wrong.

 

Needless to say, you felt like an ass; you had practically made him get in the water and just left him on the shore.

 

"Eddie I’m so sorry, baby. I had no idea you were feeling like this. I should have been there. I’m so sorry.”

 

“No, baby, it’s not your fault. I wanted you to have fun. I’m sorry I ruined your day." Eddie cut you off, avoiding your gaze.

 

“Eddie, you did not ruin my day; you never ruin my day. I love you more than anything, and I promise you that if I knew, I would’ve stayed home with you," you said to him as you grabbed his face with both hands, moving his gaze to your eyes.

 

"I don’t want you to do that, honey. I want to have fun with you. It’s just that every time I try, I feel like I’m about to die," he said, chuckling at how ridiculous he thought he sounded.

 

“Yeah, well, believe it or not, I don’t want you dead, so if that means I don’t get to swim in a lake, I’m more than okay with that," you said, smiling at him and kissing him gently. "Now come on, we can play cards; I have some in my bag." You offered him a hand as you stood up.

 

“Okay, but can we also talk about that whole you love me thing?” Eddie asked, "Because you’ve never said that before. I mean, I get why you’d love me. I mean, great, but what I mean is, do you?” Eddie finished

 

"Shut up, Munson," you said, rolling your eyes and walking away, smiling brightly as your cheeks burned.

 

"Do you?!" He shouted, throwing his arms up as you continued waking, "I’ll just take that as a yes," pausing again to wait for an answer, "I love you too!” He finished when you didn’t reply, running after you.

 

You stopped in your tracks, turning to him. "Really?" You asked, unable to keep the smile off your face.

 

“Yeah, of course, more than anything," he answered, pulling you in for a kiss. You happily kissed back, both of you grinning like idiots as you pulled away, looking into each other's eyes.

 

"I love you," you said at the same time, laughing when you realized this sharing one last kiss before heading back to the picnic table and your friends

[streamdotpng]

:)

"Enid, Enid please. Wake. Up." Wednesday shakes her by the biceps. She's still warm. She can hear sobbing behind her. "Please..." she trails off. Enid's gone.

She has the softest smile on her face. Wednesday's hands are covered in her blood. She feels a hand on her shoulder. She looks up.

Divina.

"Wh— what happened to our daughter? Why?" Her voice breaks. "Why would someone hurt her?"

"Outcast hunters." Yoko speaks up. Tears run down her cheeks, but her face is hauntingly blank. "They must found her at the river. We never should've left her alone."

Wednesday turns back to Enid. She looks so... relaxed. She always had this tightness to her shoulders, always hunching herself down.

Yoko walks past Wednesday and crouches down next to Enid. Gingerly, she hooks an arm under her legs and the other arm beneath her shoulders.

"Wait." Yoko turns and faces Wednesday. Wednesday brings her hands to Enid's stomach and almost touches her. "We haven't known each other very long, but Enid means much to me." Her hands start glowing softly. "Grant me the right to aid in burying her?"

Yoko takes a deep breath, her only daughter's limp body in her arms.

"I don't know you at all." She swallows. "But Enid cared so deeply for you. I couldn't deny her the right to have someone important to her help bury her."

Wednesday nods and her fingers start to glow. She places on them on Enid's abdomen.

"So she passes on easier. The spell makes sure any vile things are repelled by her. I would not have her accosted in the afterlife."

Yoko nods her head once in her direction.

"Thank you."

Wednesday turns to face Divina. "Do you have any idea who's responsible?"

Divina's face is heard-set. She lifts a shaky hand into the forest.

"That way. The village is own for housing outcast-hunters."

Wednesday nods and starts walking past her. Her rapier burns her hip with a need for blood.

Just before she can get past Divina, the siren places a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"Make them burn. Please."

This isn't Wednesday's first time staring into the eyes of a grieving mother, but this is the first time she's been in the throes of grief with her.

"I swear on my life that they will suffer."

She walks past Divina.

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

She finds the little village a good few minutes off where she'd found Enid and she hates it. She hides in the tree-line.

Everyone is so happy.

They act like Enid dying was something to cheer for, something to bring out food and drink over.

She walks into the tavern where it seems the entire damn town is enjoying themselves in, her wings out.

"Who was it that attacked Enid?" The entire bar goes quiet.

"What?" Rings in her ears.

She turns to the bartender who spoke.

"Who. Attacked. Enid."

"That werewo'f?" Comes a slurred voiced in the back. "Why, Lady Death, that'd be me." There's the raising of drinks and cheers. They're proud.

"My name is not Lady Death," she grips her rapier's handle, "it is Wednesday. And you," she drags it out of it's holster, "will have no home to return to once I'm done."

She swings.

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

When she leaves, she leaves covered in no more blood than she arrived with. She didn't want Enid's blood tainted by theirs.

She find Yoko and Divina easily. They're both waiting in front of their house. They have a hole dug already.

"Wednesday." Yoko greets solemnly. "We've been waiting."

"Sorry. I didn't want them to have a second of hope."

"Good."

Divina picks up Enid, and places her gently into the ground.

"Wait," Wednesday says before they can do anything. "Give me your hands."

Maybe if they weren't stuck in their mourning, if they weren't mourning their daughter, they'd have been more hesitant over offering a part of their body to Death. But what else do they have left to lose besides each other?

They offer their hands.

Wednesday takes a knife from her belt and cuts their palms. She takes her own hand and does the same.

"Why?" Divina asks.

"For this." She places her uncut hand on the blade's edge, and feels the blood's energy pulse. Slowly, she forms it into a crimson colored ring.

She bends down and takes Enid's hand, sliding the ring on her thumb. She reach over and uses her hand to clean the blood off Enid's side, forming more rings.

She stands back up, and takes Divina's hand first, slipping the ring on her thumb as well. She takes Yoko's hand and does the same.

"So we have something to hold onto as a memento. Of Enid."

Divina nods thoughtlessly, then faces Wednesday.

"Help us bury her."

"Right."

They start piling the fresh-dug dirt on top of Enid. Each toss, they all cry just a little harder than before. When they're done, Wednesday turns to take her leave.

Yoko grabs her arm.

"Don't go, we aren't done." She turns around and They both have a handful of something, clutching it. Divina has both hands full.

"Take some." Wednesday holds her hand out and Divina deposits whatever it is into her palm. She looks.

"Rose seeds?"

"Enid always said when she died, she wanted to be covered in roses." Divina swallows thickly. There's tears streaming down her face. "So people would know she was loved alive. And, because she believes that if she has a symbol of love, it'll be easier to find a lover in the afterlife."

Wednesday stares at the seeds. She doesn't want to plant them, selfishly. She doesn't want Enid to move from her in the underworld because she can't move on in this one.

She plants hers across where Enid's heart and arms are.

She won't deny Enid her love, even if Wednesday herself can't have Enid's.

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

Every year, there's cries from towns and cities alike.

"Don't cut any roses, and don't attack any wolves." One says to another. "Wednesday, She Whom Is Commander Of Death, will haunt and hunt you 'till you're mind is broken, and leave you a shell of your former self."

"Deceitful," the second says, "Death cares nothing for the living." They let loose the arrow in their bowstring, and grins when it pierces the wolf that's been stalking their chickens and sheep straight through its heart. The tip of the arrow slams through the stem of a rose, destroying it.

No one is surprised the next morning when there's a mangled body surrounded by crows and ravens.

-Writer Anon.

NO??? WRITER ANON WHY 😭NOT ENID DYING, I HOPE THEY GET TOGETHER

MAYBE ENID REINCARNATES??? MAN IDK, I JUST HOPE THEM WELL

honestly fuck them hunters, they deserve that death

[dominimoonbeam]

Bite to Bruise - Epilogue + Extra Scene

This work is mine and I do not give consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted without my permission. I am sharing chapters as I work on this story but it is copyrighted material that I plan to rework and publish when completed.

story tags: modern-fantasy mashup, werewolves, witches, monsters, romance, learning to trust, hurt/comfort, blood, violence, explicit sex, explicit language

The earlier parts can be found under the tag or over on patreon. <3

A huge thank you to everyone who read this and commented or reblogged or just sent good vibes. I'll be editing and adding a bit more to this one and then self publishing it soon. Thank you!

BITE TO BRUISE - CHAPTER EPILOGUE + EXTRA SCENE.

EPILOGUE

There were a lot of questions about what happened in his territory that day.

The other fenrir wanted to know if the shades had attacked, if it was a call to war.

The shades had their own questions but locked them behind their teeth.

Ever brought Wren back to the house and the pack watched Grendel and Hymn carry Baron’s body from the woods, the curse still wrapped around him.

Blackwell’s shades ripped the old god apart and dug her out of its guts. The pack allowed them to leave, carrying their undead back to their vehicles in a trail of blood that was everything but fenrir.

Later that night, they discovered the hole where Soren had been buried. Ever suspected Primrose had recovered his missing shade, just as he had set out to do from the start.

From what he heard months later, Baron’s court managed to get the curse off of him and the shade recovered—only he forgot the name Baron and went back to being Kish. The bounty on the witch was canceled.

Eventually winter gave way completely and the last of the snow and ice melted, taking the bloodspill with it into the earth. After they had cleared the fallen trees and the grass grew in the valley, it looked like none of it had ever happened. No human would guess at it, even if every fenrir could smell that hint of shade and monster in the soil for years to follow.

It smelled like violence and victory, and when he stepped through the back door of his home to see his witch sitting in that field, picking at long grass and watching the trees with a smile, he knew she smelled it too.

EXTRA SCENE

Before Ruby realized it, the streets had changed. Ceres had gone quiet and nearly abandoned within just a block. She kept walking, expecting to run into another stretch of brightly lit shop fronts and restaurants overflowing with guests.

A few more steps and she felt the skin on the back of her neck prickle, her hands twisting in the sleeves of her hoodie.

“Are you lost?”

Ruby turned toward the voice. Yellow eyes stared back at her. The man was fenrir big. She exhaled a little relief, smiling. “I didn’t think I was…”

“Where’s your mate?” another voice came from the side.

Her heartbeat sped up, pounding against her throat. There was something pointedly unfriendly about this interaction. Had she done something? “What?” the word came out thin and unsteady. What was their problem? Did they know Liang? He’d said Ceres belonged to his cousin and they were safe here.

She took a step back and the one to her right, still deep in shadow between buildings, growled.

The sound made her jump and jerk away from it, stumbling off the sidewalk and into the street. A wolf stepped out of those shadows, darkness rolling off of its massive body like it was made of it. Lips curled back to bare long teeth as it continued to snarl at her.

“Well?” the other asked, as if he hadn’t noticed. “Where is he?”

“Who?” Ruby played dumb. It felt easy when she had no idea what was happening.

The wolf at her side snapped and Ruby screamed, legs tangling and dropping her on her ass right there in the street.

“Why would a rogue send their mate in here alone?” the other wondered aloud, stepping closer. Somehow, he was more menacing than the one on all four.

But then he froze, his expression dropping and his head turning to the side like he’d heard something she couldn’t.

The fenrir on all four had stopped growling too, ears flicking before it backed away.

“Knock it off,” a third commanded, walking onto the scene and right past the one asking questions. He was just as tall but leaner, and yet the other man backed up, dropping his head. The third flashed Ruby a smile that actually looked genuine and offered her his hand. “Hi. I’m Sunny.”

Ruby took the hand and was hoisted to her feet. “Ruby,” she muttered, confused.

He smiled the way she’d become used to fenrir smiling when she gave her name, but he released her hand a took a step back, giving her just enough space to have the illusion of being out of his reach. “Are you lost?”

She exhaled hard. “Why does everyone keep asking that?”

The fenrir on four legs snorted and turned to walk back into the shadows.

Sunny stepped to the side, gesturing for her to join him back the way she’d come.

Ruby frowned but started walking. This was at least better than possibly getting mauled… “Did I do something wrong?” she asked when she could see the brighter lights of the familiar streets ahead.

Sunny had maintained a distance from her, a step ahead and to her side. “No. You just smell like a wolf that doesn’t belong to our pack. So, they got a little… defensive.”

“I thought Ceres belonged to Royal?”

Growls rumbled from the streets behind her but when she looked, she couldn’t spot any of the wolves in those shadows. The man beside her just smiled. “Half of it does. The half you were on. You couldn’t have known, and it wouldn’t have mattered if—”

“If I didn’t smell like a wolf.”

He nodded. “Speaking of…”

The growls in the dark got louder when she spotted Liang marching out of those bright streets and straight toward them. If he knew where the border was, he didn’t show any signs of caring.

Ruby felt a mix of relief and worry. She almost reached for him, but she was scared she’d led him into a conflict. “I managed to get lost,” she announced, hoping to break some of that tension she could see in the line of his shoulders and the curl of his lip flashing long pointed teeth. His eyes stayed fixed on her, moving over her from head to toe like he was looking for injury.

“I left you alone for twenty minutes,” he pointed out, his usual easy humor there but with a tension underneath she’d never heard. She really must have stepped in it this time… He pulled her gently behind him, away from Sunny.

Ruby blinked, surprised. Sunny was far from menacing, and she had seen Liang fight worse. But Liang took a step back, nudging her farther away. “She didn’t know,” he explained.

Sunny wasn’t smiling anymore, she realized. His eyes were on Liang now. “But you did.”

Liang took another step back, keeping her behind him, and she realized he might not be backing up at all if it weren’t for a need to get her away from the situation. “I wasn’t part of the pack that lived here before yours and I don’t belong to Royal.”

“But you are his blood.”

“And you are Ever’s blood but that doesn’t mean you belong to his pack anymore, does it?”

A series of snarls and growls echoed through the dark streets behind Sunny, and Ruby wondered how many there were out there.

Sunny kept his eyes on Liang, like he was trying to read something that wasn’t said or seeing something no one else could. “Welcome back to Dog Lands, Liang. Stick around long enough this time and you might even get rid of that Blood Country stink.”

Liang tensed. She felt it in his back where her hand was curled in his t-shirt against his spine.

Sunny smiled, more friendly than threatening. Why was everyone so scared of him? “What? You thought you would know about me, and I wouldn’t know about you? Tell your cousin hello from us.”

Liang nodded tightly and took a few more steps back before turning, his arm slung around her shoulders and walking them toward that invisible territory line in the city.

“And Ruby,” Sunny called. She looked back to see him sliding his hands into his pockets. “I’m sorry if they scared you. You’re welcome over whenever you want.” His smile became a grin, brilliant and true. “Even if you want to bring your mate with you.”

Liang didn’t stop walking or even look back, but she managed to watch just long enough to see half a dozen shadows move around Sunny.

When they were back on the busier streets, still walking deeper into the lights and crowds, Ruby looked up at Liang beside her. “Why do they keep calling you my mate?”

Liang snorted, his own smile back. “That’s your first question?”

“It seems like a good one…”

“Because you smell like me.”

“So?” she argued. She smelled like him? She tried to discreetly tuck her chin and sniff at her hoodie. It’s not like it could be a bad smell. Liang smelled amazing.

He tugged her tighter into his side and dropped his head to bury a kiss against her hair. “Because you smell a lot like me, Red. Even a tracker would be hard-pressed to tell us apart at this point.”

[polyhexian]

eventually au - Stupid idea that takes place somewhere in the finale timeskip:

Hunter and Jasper walking on the path home through the woods from the Bonesborough market with groceries having an utterly stupid argument over something that is easy to get heated about but also pretty inconsequential. I'm gonna say it's a specific fighting technique Hunter likes to use.

Hunter's like "oh my god, Dad, it's for the intimidation factor" and Jasper is like "every time you do that you're leaving yourself open to an attack from the side" and Hunter is like "I keep an eye on it, no one's ever managed it" and Jasper's like "I HAVE" and Hunter's like "you're kind of an insane fighter, Dad, you don't count!" and Jasper is like "you can't just use a stupid move and assume no one will ever take advantage of it" and Hunter is like "it's not stupid, it looks cool!"

And that's when they realize they're surrounded by a group of coven scouts in extremely tattered uniforms. Belos loyalists. Great.

The leader is saying something about vengeance and the will of the titan and blah blah blah but Hunter and Jasper are just exchanging tired, incredulous glances like "are they fucking serious? oh my god they are. ugh."

The ensuing fight is, of course, short, brutal, and absolutely not in the loyalists' favor, but also the entire time Jasper and Hunter are STILL arguing with each other because they were having a VERY SERIOUS CONVERSATION, DAMMIT.

Hunter uses the technique Jasper hates no fewer than 3 times and Jasper is like "WOULD YOU STOP THAT?" as he slams a scout into a tree and Hunter is like "NO ONE'S GETTING THROUGH, I TOLD YOU!" as he swipes another scout's legs from under them and Jasper is like "IT'S NEEDLESSLY FLASHY!" while he buries a scout up to their neck and Hunter stops with his fist balled in the front of a scout's shirt like "I'M SORRY, YOU'RE CALLING ME FLASHY, MR. KNIFE HALO?!?"

Jasper knocks out the second-to-last scout and whirls around like "The knife halo is functional and leaves no openings! You're just being overdramatic!"

"I'm sorry, are you saying you're not overdramatic?!"

"Of course not! I'm just dramatic!"

"Dad, you are more overdramatic than any fighting technique I would ever possibly use."

The scout Hunter is holding up by their collar weakly raises a finger. "For what it's worth, I served under both of you, and I can confirm that the two of you are equally and stupidly overdramatic."

"Ugh, shut up, Janethan," Hunter says, walloping them over the head with Flapjack's staff and letting them fall limply to the ground. He sighs as he surveys the unconscious bodies lying around, and then he pulls out his scroll to make a call. "Hey Steve. I'm in the woods west of Bonesborough and I've got, like, a dozen loyalists for you to arrest--Dad, what are you doing?"

Jasper is rifling through the scouts' pockets. "These assholes trampled our groceries," he says, confiscating wallets and dumping snails into his hand. "It's only fair that they pay for replacements. I'm teleporting back to the market and I will be right back. If any of these jerks wake up in the meantime, don't use that stupid move on them."

"Fine, but I'm not gonna stop using it when it works for me just fine, Dad."

Jasper teleports away with a huff.

(The next time Hunter spars with Willow, he uses that move and her vines swarm him from the side in seconds while she grins smugly. He is going to put salt in his father's eggs.)

JCJRHSBFNFKDIFNF GOD WILLOW AND JASPER TEAMING UP AGAINST HIM IS SOOOOOO FUULNNYYYYYY oh my god what do you do when your dad and your wife are BOTH giving you shit. Then you know they're going to tell Luz and vee and he's going to have SISTERS on his ass TOO. They're going to be posting memes in the group chat about Hunter getting kicked in the ribs trying to be cool on the daily

[nixieisaloserr]

Since the requests are taking such a long time, I decided to post my book (that I have been writing for several months) on here. I only have around 5 chapters out now.

Introducing,

Oneirataxia

A creepypasta x reader

Prologue

This book is intended for those 13 and over. If you are under the recommended age, whether you proceed or not is your choice. You will come across many disturbing things including: Violence, Gore, Various mental disorders including but not limited to BPD, depression, Anxiety, and ASPD, misogynistic characters, unhealthy relationships, visibly unhinged characters, descriptions of panic attacks, descriptions of dead/ decaying bodies, descriptions of the decomposition process, and mature language. 

This book is classified as psychological horror. It will contain disturbing things. 

Before I start this chapter - I trust that you have read the warnings. I will not be restating them. 

I will not write for Jeff the killer or Laughing Jack. Laughing Jacks creator is someone who I personally do not agree with and I think their actions were appalling. As for Jeff the killer, he is a character I do not want to create content for due to personal reason. If you want to ask, message me privately.

And lastly, updates will be slow. I'm a high-school student, and there is no shortage of work for me to do. I also have some things going on in my life that are affecting my motivation and mental health. 

Keep in mind this is a yandere x reader book. It will be disturbing, especially since these characters were already unhinged to begin with. 

Thank you for understanding. Enjoy <3

—

Public transport was something you didn't particularly enjoy. The suffocating atmosphere was too much for you, and being squished between people you didn't know wasn't something you looked forward to every day. But, not everyone had the money to buy a car, and not everyone could get a license. You would just have to put up with it for the time being. 

You let out a sigh of relief as your street name was declared over the intercom, the bus doors opening and letting the chilly afternoon air waft into the rather stuffy atmosphere of the bus. You huffed as you jumped off the bus and onto the concrete, a small jolt running up your legs from the landing. The bus doors slammed shut behind you, and the wheels of the bus screamed and pleaded; begging for a longer rest. You watched as the bus left you, all alone. With a small sigh, you started your walk. You looked at the tree-line while you did so. The trees looked so beautiful, especially at this time of year. There were many colours mixed within the trees, creating an outstanding colour palette. The trees always looked so pristine - untouched by humanity. For some reason, no one ever bothered to venture into the unknown depths of the forest. Everything was left unbothered; it was quite pleasant to look at. Maybe some day, you would take a look. You could walk through and take pictures with your mums old camera. There had to be a path, right? You shook your head, no, you needed to get home. 

You saw your house in the distance, and picked your pace. You didn’t want to be caught by your neighbours, they would just end up dragging you into a painfully long conversation. You loved your neighbours, you really did, but all you wanted was rest. Your neighbours were nice - an elderly couple who loved to strike up conversation every chance they got. You didn’t mind talking to them, but you wouldn’t go out of your way to initiate any interactions with them. Just as you were getting close to your driveway, your heard someone call out on the other side of the fence. “Would you be a dear and help us with something, darling?” Ugh. That nickname made you want to grind your teeth together and pop the bones of your knuckles out of your skin. For lack of a better word, it made you feel icky.

You turned around slowly, and smiled as best you could. "What is it, Mrs. Luvis?" 

"Oh! No need to be so formal, you can just call me Diane!"

"...Diane...what do you need?" 

“Could you help my son bring in some furniture for us? He can’t lift some of the stuff up on his own…”

Oh. That’s right. You saw the furniture on their front lawn, and wondered why it was there as you walked past. You were tired, but you didn’t have the heart to tell this poor old woman ‘no’…you would just have to endure. “Okay. I can do it.” You smiled, and begun to walk towards her. Your body gradually got heavier and heavier with each step you took - all you wanted to do was collapse on the ground and fade into nothingness. That definitely sounded better than busting your ass, anyway. Diane beckoned you over and adjusted her glasses, looking you up and down before frowning. “Are you alright, dear? You seem very tired. We all know how overworked you Uni students are…you don’t have to help if you don’t want to,” she cautioned, looking at you with a deep concern laced in those tired grey eyes of hers. A small pit set in the bottom of your stomach. You felt bad. Maybe it was the way she was looking at you? Maybe…you felt bad for thinking all those horrible things about her. It wasn’t her fault she was so frail, it came with old age. 

You didn’t want to be like her.

You didn’t want to grow old - to rely on other people. You couldn’t imagine yourself being in her shoes- did that mean you didn’t plan to die of old age? Did that mean..? No. No, it didn’t. You were just scared. Everyone was scared of growing up; of feeling everything fade away in what felt like seconds. It was a rational fear, you had no reason to panic over these feelings of yours. “Dear?” Dianne’s voice called out to you, ripping you out of your thoughts - your safe space - and out into the world. “Oh!- Um, I’m okay. Just got a little lost in thought there, sorry,” you assured, looking her in the eyes. Diane sighed, and turned away. "Whatever you say, hun," she muttered. You followed after her as she walked towards the stranded furniture on her front lawn. You felt awkward, like you had upset her. 

"Hey, Ma - who's this?" A mans voice rudely interrupted your thought process, but you didn't mind. Diane nudged your arm, as if she was telling you to introduce yourself. "Oh, um. Hello. I'm [Name]. I'm here to help you move in the furniture," you answered. The man nodded his head, and looked to Diane. "Thank you. Should we get started?" he asked. Diane nodded her head before heading inside. The man looked towards a rather large and heavy-looking dresser. "Lets start with this. Best to get the bad stuff out of the way first, right?" he declared. 

"You go on this side, I'll go on the other side," he ordered, already in position. You hurried over, rushing to grip the dresser and press your body against it as best you could. "Three, Two, One, Lift!" He grunted, and shakily hauled the dresser off the ground, your arms already beginning to hurt. The man started to walked backwards, and you stumbled in suite. Both of you struggled to stay coordinated, constantly tripping and making many, many close calls. The man was halfway up the concrete steps, you only on your first. He moved to make one step up, when he slipped.

And he let go of the dresser. 

You tumbled backwards, the dresser following close behind. You felt your body smack against the ground,  hitting your head roughly. You swore you could feel blood begin to seep out of your skull. A horrible pain burst through your entire body as the dresser crushed you under its weight, as if you were nothing but a measly ant. You felt a pulse everywhere in your body, and the pain became so unbearable you felt like you were going to throw up. Your eyes were bursting out of their sockets, and you felt like you were going to explode. You felt sick to your stomach, like you were a fruit on the ground, being squashed by all the shoes stomping on it. You couldn't breathe, not one bit. You could feel the warm, thick blood pouring out of you. You didn't care, though. All you wanted was for the pain to stop. 

And stop it did.

You could feel fabric underneath your hands, and everything around you was vibrating slightly. You opened your eyes, but everything was blurry and it was hard to keep them open. You tried to force them open, but all it did was made your head pound even harder. Where were you? Didn't you die? Your ears were ringing, your head was pounding, and you felt like you were about to vomit. Lord, you felt like shit.

Slowly, your ears stopped ringing and the pounding in your head dulled down to a small throb. You heard people talking, cars honking, and a very annoying rumbling noise akin to that of a motor. It dawned on you, you were back in the bus! Did you fall asleep? Maybe that was a bad dream? 

But if that was a bad dream, then why did you still feel some of the pain?

The horrible, horrible pain that made your eyes water and mouth run dry. You swore you could feel cracks and scars in your skin. You smoothed your hand over your abdomen, feeling around for any sort of injury. Your skin was hot to the touch - not warm, it was hot. It hurt when you touched it. You considered lifting your shirt up to see if there was anything worth going to the hospital for, but you decided against it due to the amount of people on the bus. You would hate for people to see that; especially if you really were hurt. What if your clothes were the only thing keeping you together? 

Nonsense. You were fine. You seriously needed to get your crap together. 

You perked up as the sound of your street name being called met your unsuspecting ears. Accompanying the unexpected wake-up call came a strong sense of déjà vu. You literally went through this less than fifteen minutes ago. 

What the hell was going on!? 

You stood up slowly, as if people were watching your every move and scrutinising you as you shuffled awkwardly down the isle. It really, really felt like they were. You swore could hear people giggling and whispering to their friends. Did you really look that disheveled? You rubbed at your face tiredly, feeling around for anything abnormal. Nope, you were fine. You had to be. Ignoring the embarrassment that came with public spaces, you stepped off the bus carefully and looked back at the driver, only to find that they were already looking at you with a rather concerned expression. 

“You know it’s unsafe for someone to be out here all alone at this time - right?” 

You tilted your head and hummed in response. “Pardon? I don’t remember this street being so dangerous. I’ll be fine, don’t worry! I’ve taken this path many times before,” you smiled. The bus driver sighed and shook their head before the bus doors closed and the bus took off. As the bus began its journey to a new destination; so did you. You found yourself walking down the familiar path with a bounce in your step as you listened to a random playlist you had forgot to turn on the last time you walked down here. As you looked over the the tree line, you slowed down and gaped at the trees. 

They looked so…

Unhealthy. 

You saw gashes in the trees, with sap oozing out of them similar to blood spilling out of a fresh wound. Your brows furrowed in confusion - the trees had never looked like that before. As you stalked closer, you could make out strange symbols, words and jumbled letters you couldn’t make out. It looked kind of like the result of really, really bad mental breakdown. But still - it had only been about twenty or so minutes since you had last seen those same trees, how could they have managed to change so drastically in such little time, especially with no traces of who did it? Some of the gashes looked old, too. Some looked like they had accompanied the trees for years. 

“Excuse me?” 

You jumped, and turned to face whoever had caught you in your very confused train of thought. You locked eyes with a middle-aged woman with frizzy hair and bright red lipstick. “You really shouldn’t be so close to the forest. Someone could hurt you, you know? It’s really dangerous around here. Haven’t you heard the rumours?” 

You looked at her like she was crazy. This town had always been a quiet and uneventful place to stay. You had no idea what she was talking about. 

“Erm, what? I’ve lived here for a very long time now and I’ve never heard of anything ill-natured involving this specific area. Uh, do you know where these gashes came from? I’ve never seen them before,”  you asked. The woman looked even more puzzled, you swore you could see math symbols floating around her head as she put together a fitting answer. 

“Those have been there for a really long time now…are you okay? Have you been getting enough sleep? Do you need any help getting home? You don’t seem to well,” she babbled on, making your brow twitch in slight anger. This woman was starting to piss you off. You didn’t know who she was, or even why she approached you, but you really didn’t want to stay and chat with her any longer.

“Look, I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m going to go home now, on my own. Have a good night,” you asserted, taking multiple steps towards the sidewalk before the woman grabbed your arm in retaliation. “I- wait! I really don’t think it’s a good idea to be-“ she began, before you spun around and yanked your arm out of her grasp with an unexpected force. 

“I really don’t know who you are, so that means you have no right to be fretting over my well-being. I’m sorry, but I don’t need you to accompany me. Please just let me leave,” you grunted, giving the woman a half-hearted glare. She stepped back and attempted to utter and apology with glossy eyes. You wanted to feel bad, you really did, but you were honestly to tired. You hustled away, whisking your hand through your hair and letting out the most stress-induced sigh you have ever heard. As the pressure left your chest with a final rumble, you thought harder about how you could’ve handled the situation differently. 

You were really rude to that woman. Guilt sprouted in your belly, ready to grow and eventually take over your thoughts until you had the chance to apologise. You probably should’ve been calm about it. Cool, and calculating. That way - she would be less likely to grab you like that. It gave the illusion that you knew what you were talking about. You sighed.

You would have to use that one next time.

With that thought fresh in your head, you took off. You started where you left off last time, picking up your pace as to not get interrupted by anyone else. A million ideas raced in your head, you entertained the thought of one of them winning first place when you walked through the front door of your home, but you guessed that would have to wait until you actually got there. You found yourself scanning your surroundings as you meandered around, following the path set in stone. For some reason, everything looked much sadder than what you remembered. You even noticed a few changes - there used to be a tire swing on a feijoa tree in a nice lady’s backyard for her daughter, but that was now gone and the tree was reduced to nothing but a stump. A man had a playhouse in his front-yard for his neighbours kids, but it looked like that had never existed. Everything looked so sad, it made you feel sort of depressed, really. 

As you walked passed Diane’s house, you noted that furniture was on the front-lawn, and the front door was opening. You quickly turned your head so that you were facing in-front of you. You kept your eyes locked onto your destination as Diane walked up to the fence and called out to you. “Would you be a dear and help us with something, darling?” she called out, waving you down. You froze in place as your blood ran cold. “N-no…I’m sorry, Mrs. Luvis…I’m busy at the moment. Maybe try asking someone else?” you stuttered out, shuffling your feet on the ground. 

"Oh! No need to be so formal, you can just ca-“ she began, with the same smile you saw the time she recited that to you the first time. 

“Diane. I know. Sorry, but I need to go,” you interrupted, waving her a quick goodbye before scurrying into the safety of your home. As your fingers curled around the cool metal doorknob you couldn’t help but push your whole weight against the door and stumble inside half-hazardly. You felt hot tears dig trenches into your skin as you closed the door behind you and leaned on a nearby chair for support. You sucked in a big breath as you desperately tried to hold yourself together. 

What the fuck. 

What the fuck?

WHAT THE FUCK!?

This couldn’t be happening - this was something only seen in movies and books. Maybe you really were going crazy? Maybe those people really did have a reason to be so concerned for you. Your body trembled as sobs racked your body. You clenched the back of the chair so hard it could’ve snapped, and you slowly lowered yourself to the ground as you realised how badly you screwed up. You had absolutely no idea what was going, what changed, and how you were going to play it off. You were practically living the life of another person, as far as you knew.

You covered your mouth as your tears burned your skin. You felt as if your lungs were collapsing in on themselves and your stomach was devouring itself oh so slowly, and your mind came up with horrible thoughts that made you gag and convulse - sometimes you hated your brain and it’s stupid ideas. 

Your crumpled body lay on the ground as you drowned yourself in tears and half-complete thoughts. You blinked the tears away and moved your hand away from your mouth, expecting to see snot covering your hand when you looked it over. Your breath caught in throat as you saw the unmistakable crimson liquid coating your palm that ran down your arm when you rolled over on your back and lifted your hand above you to get a better look. You looked to the side as you realised - your tears weren’t the only thing puddled on the floor. With shaky legs, you jumped off the ground ran to the nearest bathroom to look at the mess you made. As you looked yourself over, you wondered how you never noticed your nose was bleeding when it was this bad. 

After cleaning up the mess, you stumbled up the stairs and into your bedroom. Your limbs ached and head pounded, and you prayed that your nose wouldn’t start bleeding again while you were asleep. You grunted as you climbed into bed and got comfortable, and wondered if you would even be able to sleep. That thought soon left your head as you closed your eyes and lost any and all motivation to stay conscious.

[15depressedducks]

Flowers Can Grow in Concrete C10

V and Uzi walked toward the bunker, avoiding J’s watchful eyes.

“Why did you cut her tail?” Uzi asked in a soft, quiet tone.

“If I didn’t it would have gotten you.” V answered in a dull but also quiet voice. She scanned the area, the moon high above them. “But we get to explore like you wanted, right?” Is j going to just stand there until the sun rises? She's a fool to think that I would willingly stand out in the sun, there’s plenty of shelter around.

“Yeah, but we are going back, right? I don’t think N would be happy if i was gone too long… My papa never liked it when I was gone too long.” 

“Don’t worry, we’ll look around for a while then head back. Got that?” Uzi nodded.

As V and Uzi walked, They got closer to the bunker. V smelt oil. It’s… Fresh? Was this N’s kill? I’m somewhat low… And I can have Uzi run off for a bit.

“Hey buckaroo? Do you want to uh… play hide and seek?” V said as she was tracking where the smell was coming from.

“Sure! I’ll hide first!” And Uzi ran off. It’s coming from the ruble over there. Must have collapsed on them. V walked over to the concrete slab that laid atop her snack.

With some effort she got the slab off, but was then paralyzed. 

There was a body, one that looked like they accepted death. It looked like Uzi, lighter hair, Grey dress. Her head and a bit of her torso was chopped off at an angle. 

Th-That looks like Uzi…That’s probably her mom… N must have hidden the body, but why didn’t he feed from it? What's so wrong with it? Maybe respect? We shouldn't feed from it, there’s more at home, and beside you have a kid to care for. And you can go bother another drone. If  N doesn’t want it to be fed on, then fine! I can get food elsewhere! Now where’s Uzi?

Then something caught her eye. It was a necklace on the drone. One that said “02” under a triangle that had a skull inside it. Beside it were some trees? It was on a choker that had Flower jewels as the string. Well, I think she might want this, and I can ask N if he wants to give it to her. Who knows, maybe she would have wanted Uzi to have it, and she can’t really object now… V quickly grabbed it, careful to not break it though. She shoved it in her jacket's zipper pocket.

She moved the slab back over it and set off to find Uzi. She couldn’t have gone that far, could she? V looked around and found the track she left. Wait, there’s two tracks, both the same, and go in the same direction. Probably Uzi, N must have gone here too, I can see his tracks. V followed them. The moon is moving closer to the horizon. We’ll need to head home.

V walked into one of the “graveyards” they had made, it was beside a crumbling hotel, it had about 13 floors above the snow and ice ground. Piles of bodies surrounded V.

“I knew y0u w0uld use my b0-0o-t prints to tr4-ack-ack m33! I’m not that dumb! Best if you actually lo-0o-k instead of f01-10-10w1-1-1ng!” The voice Startled V, It was a glitchy mess, V swapped out her claws from impulse. She scanned the area, But it was dead drone after dead drone. 

V walked forward when something behind her made a noise. She whipped around Claws ready, Tail swaying side to side, ‘X’ on her visor, and maw open. Instead of being attacked, she was giving a hug. She immediately clenched up and froze. Her arms moved back into looking like T-rex arms, Her mouth shut, Hollowed optic came forth, and tail sticking up like a line.

“You looked like you needed a hug” The kid was hugging her legs right at the joint, V was stuck. A-Uh-Help!-What-do-I-do-?-kid!-Don’t-kick-her!-AHHHAGS. She was right! You did need a hug~  AND-YOUR-NOT-HELPING!!

V just stood there, petrified. She felt like her circuits were being fried. So much of her wanted to hug back, but so much of her wanted it to end. So much of her wanted to kill her, but so much of her wanted to cherish her. So she stayed still. She couldn't even speak, truly paralyzed. She felt whole, but also broken. She felt scared, but also happy. 

“You good?” V was brought back to reality, blinking several times. When did this kid let go? Ugh. Let's get home. Too much “Bonding time” for me.

“Yeah. Come here, we need to go home.” V replaced her claws with hands.

“Yay! Flying!”

—————

They landed at the spire, The moon gone, and the sun peaking over the horizon. J was already sleeping, and by the looks of it N hadn’t even woken up. Does he have a longer charge than us?

“Do you want to sleep now?” V asked as she lowered Uzi from her arms.

“Can I play for a bit? I can play nearby if you need sleep!”

“Fine, just wake me up if you need me.” V spoke indifferently but she happily accepted the offer. She. Was. Spent.

She walked a bit until she found where N was sleeping before. She laid down like a big cat, making a ‘(’ shape. Her tail flicked idly, as she put herself into a light sleep. Uzi started to draw nearby.