#i wrote like 90% of this while my eyes were screaming for sleep

[folkookie97]

❝ at least for tonight ❞ — KTH

— SUMMARY: ❝ You're the new Victor of the Hunger Games. You survived, you're still alive. But at what cost? Your boyfriend – and also your Mentor – broke the one promise he shouldn't have to. ❞

— PAIRING: mentor!Taehyung x female tribute!reader

— TYPE: angst | hunger games!au, dystopia!au

— WORD COUNT: 720

— WARNINGS/TAGS: Hunger Games Setting, ambiguous/open ending, established relationship, implied/referenced character death, POV Second Person, survivor guilt, slightly PTSD, Sad!Taehyung, i wrote this while listening to Come in With the Rain (Taylor Swift)

— NOTES¹: Tributes receive Mentors who can contribute (or may not) to their win. And their Mentors are generally Victors from previous Hunger Games editions. You and Taehyung are the same age. You were dating even before his name was drawn in another Reaping, when he became a Victor. And a few years later he was your Mentor too.

— NOTES²: I wrote this inspired by one of my own old Everlark oneshots, but I changed 90% of the plot loool. Anyway, if you like it, maybe I can write more Hunger Games AU or at least develop more on this one (and make it a series in the future...)

— RELEASE DATE: March 05, 2024

— CROSSPOSTING: ao3

You never liked storms. However, the situation had been getting worse in recent months, when rainy days like that brought lots of thunder with them. Noisy thunder. Noises that resembled explosions.

And a premeditated explosion in the Arena was what killed your younger brother in the last Games. Wasn't it? At least that's what you had the displeasure of seeing several times during that stupid Victory Tour. Rewatching the same death over and over again.

Rewatching your little brother's death.

The clock struck 4:56 A.M, but the storm prevented you from closing your eyes or even thinking about trying to sleep. Fear ached in your body. Fear of falling asleep and having more nightmares about your brother. Or about Taehyung too. Just like almost every night since you and him returned to Victors' Village.

You tossed and turned on the bed, trying hard to withstand your torment. Searching for efforts to stop the screams from leaving your throat.

And it was then that your heard the first knock on the entrance door.

At first, you thought it was a hallucination, some consequence after so many nightmares. So when you noticed that everything around you remained the same, you imagined that it could be just a bird hurt by the rain.

However, the second knock came. Stronger than the previous one and more hopeless too.

Maybe the wisest thing to do would be to curl up in your blankets again. But your impulsiveness managed to overcome all your logical and rational thoughts. Wisdom and emotional intelligence wasn't something you had in a long time since since you became the winner of the Hunger Games' recent edition.

When the third knock sounded, you was already standing in front of the door. Heart racing, your eyes squinting and your eyebrows furrowed.

"Darling?" The sight in front of you also seemed like a hallucination. A much more striking hallucination than that knock door. "You okay?"

"Taehyung?" His name fell from your lips without any effort, even though your hadn't said it in a few weeks. "Why are you here?"

God! You mentally cursed yourself for saying such words, the sentence coming out harsher than you expected. So, not knowing how to apologize and being tormented by the boy's sad look in your direction, you opened the door a little wider and allowed him to enter.

Taehyung thanked you quietly as he entered your living room, his clothes soaked and his squeaky boots getting messy all the way.

"What happened? Why you get rained on just to come here? It's dangerous! You could get sick!"

You felt your hands start sweating while Taehyung bit his lip and looked at the floor.

"I wanted to know if you were okay. The storm is very heavy today and I know it brings you more nightmares." The boy had some tears in his eyes when he looked at you, sneezing once at the end of the sentence and bringing a flash of pain to your heart. "Darling, I'm so sorry."

Feeling sorry was something very all-encompassing. What was he sorry for? Your brother's death? Your nightmares? Being the mentor to the "siblings tributes" and choosing attract more sponsors for you, his girlfriend, than your brother? Even though you had begged Taehyung after the Reaping to focus on letting you die.

You never wanted to be a Victor. It was your little brother who deserved it and who he should be. And maybe he would have been, if you hadn't fallen in love with Taehyung before his own Games' victory.

Yeah, you two had a lot to talk about. And Taehyung really had a lot to apologize for. But deep down you knew you couldn't kick him out of your house in the rain.

You sighed, approaching Taehyung with slow steps, touching his arm and giving him a light caress. "Go take a shower to warm up. I still have some of your clothes in my new closet."

Taehyung's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed. "You want me to spend the night here? Are you sure?"

"Not really. I still hate you for not keeping your promises. Maybe I'll hate you forever. But we both need each other at least for tonight..."

A sad smile emerged on his lips after he sighed. "Yeah... At least for tonight."

[jhorend]

9,13,14,15,21,23 HAH

damn, aight let’s do this

9. Describe their personality in a paragraph.

(I always feel like I’m a bit off with these but w/e. They’re kinda short and I’m too tired to create a well constructed, concise summary for both but the additional responses should give some more insight)

Teokkin - Exceedingly loyal to the cause, pugnacious, and with an active strive for displays of wit, Teokkin fits many of the stereotypes associated with Inquest. He’s determined to earn the respect of his peers, preferably through trust but will resort to fear, particularly those that would not align themselves with Inquest. Of course, it can be a challenge to impose threats on someone when they go crying to the Peacemakers immediately, and so he often must opt to linger on the side of passive aggressiveness and careful wording. When a threat presents itself, he’s seldom the one that throws the first blow, but returns fire with swift retribution.

Nizktt - Reclusive, and a bit eccentric in a way different from most Asura, Nizktt is often more at home in the jungle, without any artificial structure over his head. It’s not quite a return to the race’s roots as tunnel diggers, favoring the above ground more, but caves are nonetheless his favorite dwellings. Even moreso when surrounded by his personal moa flock, to which he has named and carefully bonded with each and every one, having had as many as 18 of them. Some asura would go so far as to call him a savage, or a primate, but he has brushed such namesakes off and they do little to faze him now, regarding those that still call him such to be ignorant and myopic. Even if he spends his time far from laboratories and halls of study, his mind is as capably developed as any typical asura, having undergone the rigors of their education all the way through college before his life centered around the wilds.

13. What’s their favorite place in Tyria, and why?

Teokkin - Like any self respecting bookah-antagonizer, Rata Sum is Teokkin’s home and soul. Though some of his early years were spent beyond the cube, in Metrica, Sum is where he matured into the rat-bat he is now. It’s where he can be comforted by the familiarity, the congregation of great minds (but some are more great than others), a wealth of machines and magical artifice, and the distinctly infrequent presence of non-asuran beings.

Nizktt - Why, his moa cave of course. Most of its occupants have been recovered since Nizktt’s unfortunate imprisonment at the hands of the Magistracy and subsequent freedom granted to him by an opposition group, with credit to his great diligence towards finding the lost moa.

14. What’s their least favorite place, and why?

Teokkin - Any of the major cities of the other races. They are permeated with their smells, voices, and filth, and in far greater concentration than any town or outpost. It’s hard to say which one he hates the most, really. Divinity’s Reach is full of pompous, airheaded lunatics (he, of course, does not hate them because of their conceit, as that would be contradictory, but because they are horribly undeserving of wielding any pretense of superiority). The Black Citadel, or rather, Charr as a whole, in his eyes, embraces brawn over brains in many scenarios, which is just repulsive to him. He has somewhat of a guilty curiosity for their machinations however, outwardly claiming he sees them as horribly rudimentary and primitive like many asura, but knows that is an unsagacious lie after learning of the raw, brutal, and pants-soilingly intimidating destructive capability some of their more inspired creations possess. Hoelbrak on the other hand does not even make an attempt at such creations, and beyond that, essentially takes everything Teokkin dislikes about Charr and magnifies it to a greater scale. Finally, The Grove is a spectacle of both natural and magical biology, but tainted by the utterly obnoxious personality of the many Sylvari inhabiting it. And since Teokkin never was much of a florist, the Grove just isn’t anywhere near appealing enough to overlook the constant pestering and infuriatingly curious nature of the natives.

Nizktt - Speaking of the imprisonment, it’s fairly easy to imagine why Nizktt very quickly developed a terrible dread for that facility. It’s not only the severe trauma it inflicted, which he thankfully was resilient enough to keep forced out of his thoughts after some recovery time but nevertheless seethes with emotion at the memory. It helps that he has an… unusual connection with a species of flightless birds that give him something to ventilate unpleasant feelings to (In a positive way! he’d never hurt precious birbs). The loss of Rizzi though, his longest time traveling and hunting companion, had felt like part of himself perished with her.

15. Describe a high point in their story, and then a low point.

Teokkin - Probably the time he saved Kezza while Gerik was off flirting with Oola, if I’m remembering the name correctly. Teokkin felt a bit of pride in that moment, knowing he’d earned some of Kezza’s favor and elevated her respect of him over Gerik. I still need that RP log tbh… But as I look back on it, Teokkin doesn’t really have any very significant high points; there are lesser ones but Teokkin’s life is more often permeated with misfortune. So, moving onto that:

Let’s look at his more distant past instead of reviewing what happened in RP, cus why not. After Teokkin completely alienated his birth family, being on a tenuous enough relationship as it was, by spontaneously razing their laboratory (the materials within igniting the facility into a veritable inferno at a rate unprecedented even by the krewe utilizing them) through a combination of intentional mischief and innocent negligence which nearly caused the death of them (it DID spell an unfortunate end for some of the other lab technicians on site), he was cast into foster care. It was devastating to him; he didn’t know what he was expecting as punitive action for what he did, especially since he was already lectured on multiple occasions not to play with fire, but to be displaced from the family entirely by his own parents was an outcome not even hinted in his thoughts. It manifested an intense feeling of loneliness that he was quite vividly reminded of in recent times after claiming the position of Magistrate at the expense and subordination of former Magistrix Kezza and Disaggregator Gerik, brought on by their responses.

21. What are their biggest strengths? Biggest weaknesses?

Teokkin - He’d like to say it’s his intellect, but that’s any asura. Loyalty stands out in him, a product of the shame he feels from his rebellious, hoodlum upbringing. Perhaps it’s also intimidation, but that’s a tool he uses surprisingly sparingly, and too many things bigger than him do not take his threats seriously, making bluffs a difficult proposition when the scenario does not allow for violence but still requires a subdued target. Neutralization by electrocution has made a suitable substitute in many scenarios. As an elementalist he’s grown quite proficient in most fields however, and features some martial capability with his convertible, mechanized staff-spear; it’s a shame so much of his prowess goes unused within the constraints the Magistracy places on utilizing violence, as it’s seldom the primary option, but he draws from that ability as a source of confidence all the same. So yes, for an asura that claims to prefer intellectuality and discretion, he’s quite fond of simply projecting near-lethal quantities of electric current upon a victim, or impaling them on a fiery spearhead.

That can just as much be a weakness, and misdirection from the likes of a Mesmer or skilled rogue can easily catch him off guard. Both best be careful to avoid an outburst that would spare little in the vicinity, however. Expounding further, Teokkin’s young, pyromaniacal tendencies were not the product of themselves, but symptoms of a more subtle desire for power, and the respect gained through it; this occasionally manifests in borderline maniacal conniptions that can be a short term boon in combat scenarios but typically ends with prolonged exhaustion and several moments of confusion and self-loathing. These fits are not, however, restricted to direct confrontations, and he simply isn’t in enough battles for him to feel that the results outweigh the negatives of the outbursts. Because of them, Teokkin accepts the Magistracy’s reduced tolerance for violent action as a blessing, and frequently expresses a great deal of self restraint on both starting fights and then elevating them to destructive levels, which can be a limiter for him in attack.

Nizktt- He prides himself on his ability to adapt. He, naturally, was a Statics alumni, finding solutions through re-purposing already existing materials. All it takes to recognize this sort of resourcefulness is for one to notice his handmade bow: crude only in appearance, it is expandable from a shortbow into a longbow, and equipped with blades that are just as suitable for cutting through thick underbrush as it is for slicing and dicing flesh.

He is deeply connected to his moa however, and while they are certainly capable of hiding or defending themselves as well as coming to the aid of one another, they are still animals with limited coordination and intelligence, and instinct that can override rationality. Rizzi was his closest and one of the first he befriended, and he is reminded of that loss constantly when around his moa. Indeed, if something were to inexplicably happen to his flock, it would scar him deeply. Fortunately for him, while it’s usually immediately obvious he has a connection with moa as he almost always has one following him, very few know about the flock and who it belongs to.

23. Give them an AU, any AU.

Teokkin - For funsies sake, it’s exciting to imagine a near-godmode Teo that annihilates everything in his path, the Inquest having acquired him from when he was but toddler-aged, having removed him from his family by force, and amplified his capabilities to essentially use him as a living weapon. Something like the biotics from Mass Effect; like Jack, even. It’s not the most original trope but it’s fun to think of.

Nizktt - Tarzan edition, raised-in-the-wild-by-moa, of course. As if they didn’t have enough of an influence on him. With a hint more seriousness but not really much, Disaggregator Nizktt is an occasional, funny thought.

[collecting-stories]

Naps - Luke Patterson

Request: Hey!! Could you do “You’re so cute when you’re half asleep like this.” with Luke?? 🥰🥰

A/N: I wrote this and then I wrote a second version 😭😭 so I answered this ask twice technically. 

Julie and the Phantoms Masterlist

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

Good girlfriend status dictated that you should’ve been sitting at the bar or standing right in the front watching your boyfriend and his band rehearse for the show they were playing at the hole-in-the-wall venue they had booked for the first show of their California tour. It wasn’t that you weren’t proud of them or that you didn’t scream all the lyrics to their songs until your throat went hoarse every time you saw them perform live. It was really just that you were running late. Really, really late. But Stanford wasn’t going to let you out of an interview with the Dean of Admissions because your boyfriend was playing a show two hours away and you didn’t want to drive in the dark.  

So you were forced to show up late to soundcheck, flashing the backstage pass that Luke had given you the day before, and walking backstage to where their stuff was set-up. Or more accurately, where they had dumped their backpacks when they first came in. You could hear them rehearsing, the opening chords of Late Last Night, their closer, echoing in the back hall as you dropped your bag next to Luke’s and dropped onto the couch. It was probably weird to say that the sounds of 90’s rock music lulled you to sleep but it was true. Maybe it was just Luke’s voice but there was nothing like listening to your boyfriend’s music after a stressful day to help you calm down.  

It helped you calm down so much, it seemed that you were almost totally asleep when the music died down to nothing, footsteps carrying down the hall as Luke came into the small backstage area with Reggie, Alex, and Bobby.  

“Man, that was so awesome,” Luke said, lifting the hem of his shirt to wipe away the sweat on his forehead, pushing his hair back in the process, “wait till it’s packed tonight!”  

“We totally killed it,” Reggie agreed.  

As Luke fixed his shirt back into place he smiled, taking in the sight of you laying on the couch, back to them. “Thank god that was only rehearsal, considering somebody missed it.” He said, loud enough that even in your nearly-asleep state you could hear him. Luke grabbed the back of the couch as he slowly lowered himself to sit down on you, forcing you onto your back as he sat halfway on your stomach, keeping some of his weight off you.

You groaned, refusing to open your eyes as you tried to swat at Luke and missed, by a longshot. “Luke, get off.” You hissed. He dropped a little more of his weight, shifting around and wiggling his butt on your lap. “Luke!” You groaned.  

Luke laughed, grabbing one of your hands before you could hit him again. “You’re so cute when you’re half asleep like this,” he teased.

“You’re so cute when you’re being an asshole,” you grumbled, trying to pull your arm away.  

“Alright, alright,” the weight lifted off of you and suddenly Luke was grabbing your other hand, pulling you into a sitting position before flopping back down on the couch, letting you lean against him. “How was the interview?”  

“I don’t wanna go to college,” you bemoaned, though it was really an empty statement. “How about I just like...become a roadie for you guys?”  

“Alright but, we can’t pay you.” Luke replied, brushing your hair away from your face and kissing the top of your head. You were halfway to falling asleep again, unbothered by Luke’s post-rehearsal sweatiness and more so just happy to be with him. The day had been stressful and, while school was super important to you, the thought of being away from Luke was a little unbearable. “Hey,” he kissed you again, seemingly aware that you were upset. “It’s okay, we’ve got all summer, touring around California.”

“I know,” you muttered, tucking yourself further into his side, trying to chase those last fleeting feelings of sleep, “I just really hate the thought of being away when September comes around.”

“I’m sure a few hundred miles won’t change the amount of time you see Luke,” Alex piped up, finally reminding the two of you that you weren’t alone backstage.  

Reggie and Bobby laughed as you perked up, moving away from your boyfriend to hug them and Alex, telling them all that you were sorry for missing the rehearsal but how excited you were for the actual show tonight. “I saw the marquee, you guys sold out?”

“It’s not a huge venue,” Bobby stressed, ever the realist of the group. If only because your boyfriend always had such lofty dreams and Alex and Reggie were always pulled into them with him. Someone had to keep a level head and it wasn’t you.  

“It’s still amazing that you sold out.” You insisted, “I mean, it’s a huge step.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying.” Luke piped up, drawing your attention back to him. “It’s gonna be awesome, this tour. Just think of all the possibilities that’ll follow.”  

“Let’s get through tonight.” Alex replied.  

“Well, I can’t wait to watch you guys perform tonight.” You mentioned, looking back at Luke.  

“If you stay awake,” he teased, laughing when you glared at him.  

“It was a long drive!”  

“We’re trying to make rock music here and my girlfriend is in the back snoozing.” He looked at the guys as he spoke, trying not to give you any attention as you swatted at him again.  

“I already apologized!”  

Luke wrapped his arm around you, pulling you back into his side so that he could kiss the side of your head again. When you turned your head to look at him, he stole a quick kiss before the guys could complain about you being too “gross” in front of them. You could still feel that heaviness that came with being tired but you knew there was no way you were getting a nap before the show. You’d push through the exhaustion of the day until you were alone with Luke tonight. For now, you would just enjoy being with your friends and your boyfriend. 

[viastro]

to your heart’s content | kwon soonyoung

ミ★ synopsis: in which you end up meeting soonyoung up on the rooftop after a rough day.

ミ★ genre: trainee!soonyoung, trainee!reader, first meetings!au, fluff, brief angst

ミ★ warnings: there’s like two stinky people but i think it’s fine

ミ★ word count: 1,711

ミ★ pairings: soonyoung x gender neutral reader

ミ★ notes: hi guys ! long time no oneshot. i just wrote this short little thing in a few hours because i felt bad for not having written a oneshot on here in a while. however, i have been writing some oneshots for my lucky 7 collab over on @haokyeom​... mmm. wait i’m getting off track HAHAHA i hope you guys like this short little oneshot! make sure to give soonie lots of love <33

“We’ll call you back if we’re interested.” You let out a smile in their direction and do a full 90 degree bow, before turning and walking out of the room. Your heart thumps within your chest as you head towards the stairs, needing a breath of fresh air before you leave and wait on your results.

You walk up the stairs quickly, heart thumping against your chest as you push open the doors, the brightness of the blue sky hitting your face. You let out a breath, preparing to walk over to the ledge, only to stop when you realize that you’re not alone. 

You see the back of his head, black curly hair sitting atop of it. His hands are on the ledge of the rooftop, staring out at the city as the sun shines brightly onto the two of you. You purse your lips, deciding to turn around and leave the man alone, only to stop when you hear his voice call out, 

“You can stay. I was planning to leave soon.” You glance back at him, only to feel your breath get taken away once the two of you lock eyes. His black curly hair is settled softly over his forehead, his deep brown eyes radiating nothing but kindness as he stares at you. You look away when you realize you’ve just been gawking at him, feeling heat rushing up to your cheeks as you try to redirect your line of sight. The man lets out a small chuckle at you, reaching his hand out in your direction. You look back up at him when your eyes land on his hand outstretched towards you, feeling the wind get knocked out of you a second time at the sight of his smile. “Hi, I’m Soonyoung.” 

You bite the inside of your cheek, before reaching out and grasping his hand, giving it a firm shake, “Hi, I’m yn.” 

You both let your hands fall to your sides, before looking back out towards the city. Soonyoung smiles softly, walking back over towards the ledge and resting his arms onto it. You follow after him, settling beside him as you look out at the busy streets filled with people. 

“Did you audition?” Soonyoung asks, and you nod your head, letting out a breath when you remember what they said. You glance at him, finding him staring at you with interest in his eyes, and you shrug your shoulders with a smile. “They said they’ll call me if they’re interested. Not sure if that’s a good sign.” 

Soonyoung shakes his head, grinning back at you, “Nah, I think that’s a good sign.” 

You purse your lips in doubt, and he chuckles at your expression. You find yourself smiling again, some weight being lifted off your shoulders each time you hear Soonyoung’s laugh. You run a hand through your hair, letting out a sigh. 

“It’ll all work itself out, yn.” Soonyoung tells you, and you stare into his eyes for a moment. You hardly know this guy, and he hardly knows you. All the two of you know is that the other is incredibly pretty. However, you can’t help but believe him.

So you smile again, nodding your head with more hope in your heart this time around, “Yeah, I think it will, Soonyoung.”

“You danced like ass, yn.” You wipe the sweat off your forehead with the towel you brought, choosing to ignore what your fellow trainee members are saying to you. 

“Have you even been practicing? It was like you never danced a day in your life, yet you’re supposed to be the main dancer.” You bite the inside of your cheek as you pack up your bag, refusing to listen to anything they’re saying. You hear another trainee begin to say something and you throw your bag over your shoulder, walking out of the practice room and towards the roof. 

It’s been a rough day for you. You barely got any sleep the night before because you were up practicing, yet at the actual practice you danced like hot ass. You know that you danced horribly, you didn’t have to hear it from all the other trainees in the room. 

You push open the door leading to the roof, the bright lights from the city shining back at you as the moon gleams in the sky. You walk over to the edge, tears finally falling down your face as you throw your bag to the side. You rest your hands onto the ledge, crying your heart out from all the frustrations.

What you’ve failed to notice is that Soonyoung is standing right beside you as he’s unsure of whether to walk away or stay here and comfort you. He internally panics as you continue to cry, a serious debate with himself on if he should just bolt over to the doors. You let out a breath, looking back up at the city, only to pause when you notice a presence to your right hand side. 

“Soonyoung?” You ask as you turn your head, hands immediately rushing up to your face to wipe away the tears streaming down your face. Soonyoung shakes his head, reaching out and resting a hand on your wrist. 

“It’s okay yn, you don’t have to act like you’re not crying. It’s okay to cry, ya know?” You bite your lip, turning away and looking back out towards the city. Soonyoung just stands beside you quietly, knowing you’ll open up if you want to. 

“I had a horrible day at dance practice.” You mumble, and the pretty boy nods his head, understanding what you mean. 

He’s had those days too.

“It gets the best of us. We can’t always be the perfect idol they want us to be.” Soonyoung tells you, and you nod your head. You let out a wet laugh, reaching up and covering your face with your hands as more tears stream down your face.

Who would’ve thought you’d be up on the rooftop with Soonyoung again, except this time you’re both trainees instead of just two people who auditioned for a company. Some would say this being a trainee is a step closer to your goal, but is it? 

“I just, I don’t know what to do. I’m so tired.” You ramble, hands falling back down to the ledge as you breathe in the cold air. Soonyoung just stares at you, before letting out a small smile.

“Scream.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Soonyoung turns back towards the city, before reaching up and cupping his hands over his mouth. Your eyes widen when he lets out the loudest, most guttural screech he can muster. He sucks in a breath once he finishes, glancing back at you with a satisfied grin on his face. 

“What… the hell…” Soonyoung laughs at your reaction, nudging you with his shoulder before gesturing out towards the city. You shake your head immediately, protests bubbling out of your mouth as Soonyoung persists. “I promise that you’ll feel 100x better if you just scream. Sometimes crying isn’t enough, just gotta scream to your heart’s content.” 

You purse your lips, and the black haired beauty smiles at you. Letting out a sigh of defeat, you turn towards the city, seeing the lights of the buildings reflect back at you. You wonder what’s a good phrase to even scream, should you even say something as you screech? 

Sucking in a deep breath after a moment of contemplation you finally scream out, 

“I’M FUCKING TIRED!!” 

The two of you stay silent for a moment, with your chest rising and falling as Soonyoung watches. He’s about to ask you how it felt only to pause when you suddenly begin to screech out a bunch of random shit. It ranges from you being tired and hungry, to you just letting out incredibly guttural screams. 

“I-” You suck in a breath, tears falling past your eyes as the last thought comes to you. “I don’t even know if this is my dream anymore!” 

Soonyoung bites the inside of his cheek once you finally stop, seeing you doubled over as you try to catch your breath. You rest your hand over your heart, standing up straight and turning to look at Soonyoung. You catch the brief concern in his eyes from the last thing you shouted, and you smile, looking away. 

“Yeah, I don’t know. It just came to me in the moment.” You mutter, wiping away the tears from under your eyes. You open your mouth to mutter out more excuses, only to pause when you feel Soonyoung patting your head softly. You glance up at him, just to see that small smile on his face that always seems to offer you reassurance.

“It’s okay, yn. You don’t have to explain yourself to me.” Soonyoung mumbles as he pats your head, his hand lowering back down to his side after a second. You stare at him for a moment, before cursing to yourself when you feel tears building up in your eyes again. 

“God. You-you always say what I need to hear.” You complain with a wet laugh, and Soonyoung shrugs his shoulders. 

“You do the same for me.” Rolling your eyes, the two of you turn back towards the city, arms resting on the ledge as you just bask in the cold night air. The rooftop is like your guys’ spot you suppose. Each time you run up here for a break, you find Soonyoung there without fail. You pause at that thought, turning your head to look at the pretty boy.

“Hey Soonie?”

“Yeah, yn?” 

“Why were you out here before I came?” You ask, and Soonyoung purses his lips. He lets out a sigh, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. 

“I just like looking at the city at night.” Soonyoung answers softly, and you nod your head, understanding what he means as you turn back towards the view. After a moment, Soonyoung glances over at you, watching as the lights from the buildings and cars down below illuminate your features softly. He smiles, letting out a breath of content. 

if only you knew that he goes up to the rooftop every night in hopes that he’ll be able to see your smile.

[officialwittek]

pt. 5

*texts are fake, but these are mine* 

word count: 1,966

I have to be dreaming right? There’s no way on god’s green earth that he knows. I can’t believe he heard our conversation. I want to die in a hole. I look at the time and it’s nearly 3:00am. so I can’t call my friends since they’re all asleep. I toss and turn for what feels like years before slowly drifting to sleep

--

*the next day*

The rest of the girls decided to join us for lunch as well, I quickly get dressed and knock on Carly’s door to let her know that I’m ready. She comes out almost immediately and we both head to the restaurant in my car. I can tell she knows something is wrong, but she doesn’t ask the entire ride. We spot our other friends in a corner booth in the back and make our way over. We make small talk and lay out our schedules for the day.

“So... Sage, what happened last night?” Natalie asks, a concerned look on her face, our friends look at her in confusion

“Todd got a call from Jeff at like three in the morning. Is everything ok?” she repeats, I make a face and that’s all they need to know

“Oh my god, he knows doesn’t he..” Erin asks, I nod and feel tears welling in my eyes

“Yea.. it fucking sucks man. He basically told me that he only sees me as a friend and that he’s not over his fucking ex-girlfriend who only used him.. And it’s not like we were dating but I was so.. so in love with him” I reply, letting the tears fall as Corinna rubbed my shoulders and my other friends grabbed my hands

“And now I’m afraid things are going to be awkward when we all hang out together. I never ever wanted that, I don’t want anyone to feel like they need to chose between us like children during their parents divorce” I cry, letting all my emotions out, I’ve never been more thankful that we chose a small, quiet restaurant where we’re the only people here

“No, come on. I’m sure if you explain the situation to everyone they would totally understand” Carly explained, the other girls nodding in agreement

“I can’t.. I can’t explain to them. I don’t know how to put it into words and I don’t want them to be mad at Jeff. He’s their friend too and I know how protective everyone can be at times” I rant, they all nod along, their eyebrows furrowed as they think of something else

“Well, to be honest none of us had anything to do today. Why don’t we go back to your apartment and have another girl’s day? Get your mind off things and we’ll get all the takeout and listen to sad music” Erin suggests, I nod and ask Nat to text Mariah

After lunch we head back to the apartment. I feel like 1:00 pm. is an appropriate time to have some vodka right? I mean it’s 5:00 somewhere. I grab the bottle of Titos from my cabinet and pour it into a cup with some sprite and a lime. I made some for the girls and they all took a glass. We browse through Netflix and choose some Disney movies to watch. We started with the Princess and the Frog.

Four movies later and my phone started buzzing. Matt and Zane were asking where we all were because they were bored and David was busy editing and doing other work. I decided to let them come because they were like one of the girls. They showed up with Mariah and more alcohol.

“So baby what happened?” Mariah asks, I told her I wanted to wait until I could tell her in person

I explained the situation to the three of them, Mariah was incredibly irritated at Jeff, Matt and Zane were also pretty upset as well. I also explained how I didn’t want to make things awkward for everyone in the group and they shouldn’t have to feel like they have to choose between the two of us.

We ordered food for everyone and made more drinks. Out of no where Heath came by with Jason and Toddy. I hoped and prayed Jeff wouldn’t show up, not only because I’m heartbroken but because of the embarrassment I would have to feel.

An hour later everyone was pretty drunk except for Jason, Carly, and Erin who decided to stay sober for everyone who will probably need a ride home later. We were all laughing and having a great time, David hauled ass over here when he heard Zane and I were drunk.

“Oh fuck I forgot Ilya is landing in like an hour, who wants to come with me to pick him up?” David asks, Natalie and I raise our hands while everyone decides to stay back and just wait for us

The car ride over was us loudly singing along to David’s music. I brought some alcohol with me since I needed to escape and I know Ilya wants to turn the fuck up.

“Daddy Ilya” I yell, trying to catch his attention, David and Natalie groan from behind me at the horrible nickname

Ilya quickly runs to the Tesla and hops into the passenger seat. We drove back to my apartment while David filmed Ilya in the front drinking the rest of my vodka. Natalie grabs my arm and points the familiar truck in the garage...

... Who the fuck invited Jeff...

“What’s wrong princess peach?” Ilya asks, noticing that I was still in the Tesla

Natalie pulled the two guys away and explained as best as she could and as fast as she could. David and Ilya nodded their heads and walked over to me. I had shaken off my rush of anxiety while they were talking. To be honest, I don’t know if I’m upset with him for rejecting me or if I’m upset that he shows up to my apartment and will either pretend I don’t exist or pretend like nothing happened.

“Fuck it. Ilya, it’s your job to make me drunk as hell. Gimme” I said, taking the bottle from him and chugging the rest and using some leftover Red Bull

I unlock the door and step inside. Todd, Jeff, and Zane are in the living room talking... well Zane isn’t really talking and to be fair I don’t really know if he’s in this realm right now. The girls and Matt are all standing in the kitchen, giving Jeff side glares and talking in hushed voices. I close the door loudly to get everyone’s attention. They all turn to me and burst into smiles when the notice Ilya. They all greet him and I walk over to the side, grabbing a cup and making myself another drink.

“Shots for the boy” Todd yells, we all gather in the kitchen and I make sure to stand as far away from Jeff as possible, 90% out of embarrassment and 10% out of annoyance and anxiety

The ones who were drinking take shots and we all start catching up with Ilya. He’s telling us stories about work, and things he’s done with Deema. After a few minutes of catching up, the boys went to the parking lot to film some bits in David’s car. The girls gave me THE look and we went to my room and locked the door. Suzy listened while also keeping an ear out for them so there isn’t a repeat of the other night.

“I love Jeff, he’s one of my good friends.. but what the fuck was his thought process before coming here?” Carly asked, annoyed that not even 24 hours after he rejects me he shows up to my place

“Guys, it’s ok. I know this was supposed to be girls night but it turned into a hangout with everyone. And I’ll get over this eventually, I’ll be fine” I say, the room goes silent, even Suzy knows I’m definitely bullshitting

“I know you’re trying to make yourself feel better and trying to comfort us so we don’t worry about you. But babe... before lunch we didn’t know you were in LOVE love with him. Sure he didn’t know about your feelings, but at the same time I think a part of him had to know that the flirtationship between the two of you would’ve ended with someone catching feelings. It sucks that it has to be you. Please just allow yourself to be honest about how you feel. It sucks, but the sooner you confront your emotions the sooner you can start healing” Natalie said, I stare at her with my mouth ajar

“That’s a whole bible verse baby” I reply, feeling a lot better with this girl time but Suzy gives us a signal that the boys are back

We go to the living room and joke around for a few more minutes. After that everyone packs their things, and right when I’m about to go back in my room to get ready for bed I noticed Jeff lingering around a little bit. I shrug it off and enter my room.

“Hey..” a voice says, I freeze and immediately feel all kinds of emotions rise up, just one word and I’m already sobering up

“What do you want Jeff?” I ask, turning around and seeing him slumped over in my doorway

“I just wanted to check in” he replies, I sigh and sit on my bed

“Listen, I know we’re still friends and I know we don’t want to make things awkward for everyone, but for the sake of me and what I need, I would please like some time away from you. I’m really sorry, but I need to heal, I didn’t just have some middle school crush on you man.” “You don’t need to explain anything to me Sage” Jeff cuts me off but I shake my head and pat the space next to me so he can sit

“I’m in love with you. I wrote songs about you, I started craving your touch, your attention. I still loved you at your worse. Believe me, I wanted to make a move but I had no guarantee that you were going to love me back. And now I know, at the end of the day I’ll never be her” I reply, Jeff immediately knew who I was talking about, Ava

Ava and Jeff were together for a few short months, but believe me when I say this was like walking through a dumpster fire on a unicycle that was also on fire. It was clear to everyone from the start that Ava was with him s imply because he was slowly gaining popularity and well... his looks. Long story short apparently they got into a huge fight one night and she admitted that she was only using him for her own gain. It was a touchy time for all of us and Jeff, we told him what we thought and eventually found out (through our fans on insta who are little detectives) and he didn’t want to hear it.

“I should go. I’ll give you your time..” he says quietly, I nod and walk him to the door

After he leaves I slide my back down the door and pull my knees to my chest. I just lost my best friend because I couldn’t keep my dumbass mouth shut. Emotions come rushing through me and I can’t help but cry. I want nothing more than to scream and just crawl into a hole right now. After letting myself accept the sadness I got up and went back to my room. It’s time for me to start moving on.. or at least trying to.

[91percentpynch]

kevin day as a singer/ songwriter

IT‘S KEVIN DAY BITCHES YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS - originally this was supposed to be a kevin day writing songs, soft wholesome au thingy, it ended up in kevaaron angst with a happy ending. but i put conan gray songs out of kevin‘s point of view as a bonus??? so it‘s still singer/ songwriter kevin??

kevin day has always loved music. he loved it when his mother sang him lullabies when he couldn‘t sleep, when they danced around the kitchen screaming the words to the song from the radio on the top of their lungs, loved it when she taught him how to play the piano and the guitar.

but like every other good thing evermore took this from him, once they snatched him and burried him alive. riko hated music, so naturally it was forbidden for all of them. no happiness, no light. only ever exy, exy, exy.

don‘t get it wrong, kevin loved exy. he was the son of exy. kayleigh found exy, kayleigh gave it to him, it was in his blood. it was in his soul. and it brought him closer to his beloved mother, to the woman who made his life good, who gave him light and happiness and left him back alone. gave him to them.

however just as exy was in his blood, so was music. so whenever he was alone with his partner he would quietly hum or sing a song his mother used to sing him.

when jean moreau arrived at the nest hell broke out. riko was jealous because kevin would spend more time with the new kid than him. kevin wouldn‘t give the king enough attention so all of his subjects had to suffer.

it got worse with every passing day, with every look that lasted just a second too long, with every conversation whispered softly in french, with every lullaby kevin would sing for jean when he was scared, with every embrace and late night talk. with every stolen kiss, they had to pay. well, jean had to pay. kevin had to remain untouched, no scar was allowed to be visible on his perfect face, on his hands or any body part visible. jean however? jean was never allowed to leave the nest, he was riko‘s, he belonged to riko like some doll he could stab or kick or do whatever he felt like to.

the day kevin told riko to stop, was the day riko lost his patience. kevin day got better in exy, he took his favourite toy away from him, he had the audacity to talk against his king.

kevin always knew riko was unpredictable when he was angry, that the world was just black and red when he was mad with anger, but he never in a million years thought that this anger would ever be against him. that he would have to feel what jean felt every single day.

but he did this day, when riko broke his hand. it was also the day when kevin decided that it was time for them to leave. for both of them, jean and him.

„we‘re going“, he whispered in french when he came back to their shared dorm room. „we‘re leaving. you and me. my father, wymack, he has an exy team on his own. the foxes. we‘re going to join them. because i will not leave you here, understood?“

„we can‘t go, he will find me and while he cannot kill you, he certainly can kill me. no one really cares about me, anyways“, jean replied.

„oh is that so? well i for that matter care about you, you beautiful french bastard and now take your five things and we‘re going“

„kevin, we can‘t. not both of us. that‘s way too suspicious“, jean tried to reason.

„darling, it‘s more suspicous when i go alone, now come. we don‘t have much time. riko will look for you soon, if he doesn‘t already. i know the way out, maybe, if we‘re fast we can go to a more growded place before he catches up on us, maybe we can even reach the bus or a taxi before he comes. we have to try, we cannot stay here. i for once must go to the hospital, the bastard broke my playing hand“

„i‘ll make sure he won‘t come after you, you go. go and forget me. go and leave me alone. it‘s only a few more months before i go, only a few more months before it‘s all over. you don‘t have to watch that. just, go“, jean said, his voice tired and filled with emotion.

„i will get you out of here and you will give live a chance. i promis you will see the sun again“, kevin replied, tears running down his cheeks as he leaned in for one last kiss. „i love you“, he whispered into the darkness as he turned to go. kevin never heard the reply, he wasn‘t sure he wanted to.

so kevin tiptoed to the backdoor and left. just like that. until this day he didn‘t know what jean had to go through for him to be able to leave like that but he was thankful for it nonetheless.

somehow he made his way to psu and found his place in the team. well, not exactly found a place. more like got adopted by a scary 5“0 tall, stabby boy, who promised to keep him safe, his twin brother and their cousin who scared the living crap out of him.

„what is our routine? do we have 16 hour days as well here? when is practice? and do we choose our majors ourselves or does the master choose them for us?“, kevin asked the others when they were alone in their dorm.

„do we have WHAT now?“, nicky asked. „dude, no we do not have 16 hour days, we, you know, want to like surive?“

„oh, are we allowed to listen to music or does the king not approve that?“, kevin asked instead.

„dude i don‘t know what fucked up shit they did in evermore but you‘re allowed to do whatever the fuck you want here. and dan would more be a queen, but we just call her dan or captain?“

„oh, okay“, kevin said before turning around and leaving the room. his chest tightened, his arm hurt, he just wanted back on the court. but he wasn‘t allowed on there until his left arm was doing alright, and as long as he wasn‘t on the court he couldn‘t train his right hand to play.

the only other thing that could calm him right now was music. the sound of a piano, the strings of a guitar against his fingers, the scratching of a pen against paper as the notes are written down on it.

kevin wandered through the fox tower, more lost than ever, and somehow found himself in a music room. a dusty piano stood under a bright window, an old guitar was in the corner next to an alomst ancient drum set.

almost automatically his feet brought him to the piano and he began playing. he played and played, as if his life depended on it and kevin felt calmer and lighter than he did in years. the voice of his mother was in his head, singing lullabies and placing a kiss on his forhead.

his right hand was playing the old lullabies he remebered while the left hand rested on his tigh

„that was good“, a voice said, bored and unimpressed. he turned around to see one of the twins watching him. it was the one who couldn‘t hide all of his emotions like the one with the knives.

„aaron, right?“, kevin asked, voice hoarse from crying.

„how do you tell us apart? not even nicky can tell us apart like 90% of the time and he‘s basically our mom“, aaron replied.

„well, it‘s a 50/50 chance, isn‘t it? i was just lucky“, kevin replied.

the music room became his place of safetey and calmness after that day. he would return whenever he felt lost or sad or upset. be it 2 am or the middle of the day.

and aaron would join him more and more often, may it to study because „your music helps me concentrate“ or just to watch kevin play while the sunbeams chased over his pretty face.

and if kevin slowly fell in love with aaron in those shared hours it was nobody‘s business

however it didn‘t look like aaron was into him anyways, as the joining kevin in the music room got less and less, and the time spent with kateyln from the vixens got more and more. and suddenly all of the songs kevin wrote were about aaron. all kevin thought about was aaron. he joined him in his dreams. the nightmares from evermore were replaced by kevin dying alone in a dark void while aaron laughed at him with katelyn by his side.

it was one of those late nights, one of the 2 am sessions where emotions took over and the truth was just easier to take. it was one of those nights that aaron decided to go into the music room, he didn‘t konw why. maybe it was katelyn telling him she wasn‘t into him anymore. it‘s not even been a month. or was it two? aaron never was good with telling weeks apart from days or hours. it was all the same blur of colors and voices and the ever so present need to be perfect. nothing less was acceptable.

„why would you ever kiss me? i‘m not even half as pretty. you gave her your sweater, it‘s just polyester, but you like her better, wish i were heather“, it was kevin‘s voice, like an angle, filled with pain and sadness. aaron sat down on the floor, just listening, wondering who the fuck heather was. and who the fuck would ever break his heart.

„watch as she stands with her holding your hand, put your arm ’round her shoulder, now i‘m getting colder. but how could i hate her, she‘s such an angle. but then again kinda wish she was dead, as she walks by, what a sight for sore eyes. brighter than a blue sky. she‘s got you mesmerized while i die. why would you ever kiss me? i‘m not even half as pretty. you gave her your sweater. it‘s just polyester, but you like her better. wish i were heather. wish i were heather. wish i were heather. why would you ever kiss me? i‘m not even half as pretty. you gave her your sweater it‘s just polyester, but you like her better. wish i were katelyn“, the last word was barely audible and aaron would have missed it if he wouldn‘t have moved closer to kevin while listening to his song.

„why would you want to be katelyn?“, he asked kevin as before he could stop himself.

as kevin turned around the moon let shadwos dance around his beautiful face. aaron could see that he was batteling with himself. that he was about to say something he wouldn‘t normally allow himself to say. show weakness and vulnerability when strenght was all he knew.

„because you like her better. because i want to be the one you kiss“, kevin whispered, looking at the ground. his hair falling into his face, hiding his expression.

aaron moved closer and closer. there were only a few inches between them now. softly he took kevin‘s chin in his hand and lifted it, forced him to meet his eyes. „well, what if you were heather?“, aaron asked, a small smile dancing around his lips.

„but- but katelyn is heather“, kevin whispered.

„well, kately found herself a girl. thea. she dumped me. and i‘m actually glad she did, i wanted you anyways. i just couldn‘t admit it. i thought it was wrong, unnatural. but if something this beautiful is sinful, i understand how adam was able to make the sin. if a fallen angle is wrong in god‘s eyes i have no answer what is right“

he closed the distance between them and placed a soft kiss on kevin‘s lips.

kevin, confused and drunk on the smell and taste of aaron, kissed him back. hungrier. needier.

the taller boy softly put his arms around the waist of the smaller one and pulled him closer. „you do not understand how long i‘ve been waiting to do this“, he whispered against aaron‘s lips.

„believe me, i do“.

the next day kevin took a guitar and a blanket after exy training, took aaron‘s hand and told him to come. together they went to the roof (where andrew and neil were making out, as usual) but they didn‘t mind they went to the other side, andrew‘s death glare on them but what‘s new, and filmed an accoustic version of heather kevin would then later on youtube. heather became their song (weird choice i know but it‘s the song where they kissed for the first time) and so so kevin‘s music career started.

kevin kept writing songs - mostly about aaron - throughout his exy career and published them. his fans loved his songs. his fans loved making conspiracy theories about who the songs are for. they‘re losing their shit when they found out it was aaron. after kevin retires he becomes a fulltime musician and eventually even goes on tour.

BONUS - CONAN GRAY SONGS OUT OF KEVIN‘S POV

grow - years, after evermore. after he starts therapy (and takes it seriously) and he feels like his life slowly but steadily becomes better. aaron and him have been dating for a year or two. he is ready to grow, to become his own person. to be himself and do whatever he wants. he is ready to go into the world. he is ready to show them that he queen of exy is not afraid anymore. that he is worthy and he knows it.

comfort crowd - aaron comforting kevin. aaron knowing when he needed to be with the foxes and when he needed some alone time. or some aaron-kevin-time. i do believe that the foxes becomes his comfort crowd, because they‘ve all been through shit and i refuse to believe that they wouldn‘t care about kevin as they did with neil once they learned what that poor boy had to bo through.

the story - kevin wrote that song about him and jean and the nest. the boy and the boy are him and jean. it‘s the story of their time there and the second verse is kevin‘s story of fleeing from evermore. and the refrain is a metaphor for life, because his life wasn‘t funny. or sweet. or pretty. and the „it could work for you and me. it‘s not the end of the story“ is about him and aaron. the last song verse is about jean and that he hopes that he finds his happy end with jeremy.

maniac - kevin wrote that one when katelyn came back to aaron and asked him to take her back cause the girl she thought she was madly in love with broke her heart. but aaron refused to take her back, told her to go back to her ratback and leave him alone. he‘s with kevin now and he doesn‘t need her anymore. she can‘t get him back.

affluenza - kevin wrote that for allison. i don‘t know the deep story behind that, the song just gives me allison vibes.

wish you were sober - kevin wrote that after the first party he went to with the foxes after he joined him and it‘s obviously about aaron. drunk aaron to be exactly. drunk aaron has a special place in kevin‘s heart.

the cut that always bleeds - that one was when aaron dated katelyn and told kevin about it and kevin just died a little bit inside whenever he did.

fight or flight - he wrote that before aaron told him how he felt about him. he just didn‘t know how to put his feelings into words so he just wrote that song.

lookalike - kevin wrote that before aaron and him started dating, but when jean and jeremy started to become closer. he didn‘t take that well at that time as he had a massive crush on both jean (who refused to talk to him) and jeremy (who never looked at him twice but still). and he just daydreamed about dating jeremy so much it almost felt like a betrayal when he started dating jean.

the king - honestly? aaron dating katelyn but nonetheless always coming back to kevin. kevin knows that. that‘s why he wrote the song.

(can we be friends?) - this is about jean/ jeremy when kevin didn‘t really have friends. jean/ jeremy at the time of the nest probably.

(online love) - this one‘s about jeremy. cause let‘s be honest, at least one of those songs is about jeremy.

crush culture - that one is the result of an angry 4 am song writing session when aaron dated katelyn and jj was just starting to date.

generation why - this one‘s for the millenials. his generation in this au.

heather - heather is aaron, basically he‘s talking about having a massive crush on aaron but aaron would never feel the same cuz he‘s obviously straight and madly in love with katelyn (= heather) who is just stunning and gorgeous and beautiful and so much better than kevin

overdrive - this one was written after the first time the twins and nicky took him to eden‘s. the time when kevin started to catch feelings for aaron.

[greylunar]

Hat Trick by Casper Grey Transcription under the cut

Hat Trick I am writing you a poem because it is the only thing I know how to write. I am writing you a poem because I worry if I wrote you a letter I would sound like a deranged lunatic, or at least concerning, manic like the time I thought Allen Ginsberg’s ghost had possessed me and you had to google whether or not he was dead. I am writing you a letter because it is my secret trick to remind myself I am alive or perhaps I am writing it because whenever I feel alive I have to write you a poem because it is the only thing I know how to and at this point, the Pavlov between living and writing is so intertwined I am either a ghost or a poet and rarely ever a self. I tried to give myself a new name today. I tried to look him/her/them in the eye but they looked away, I am uncomfortable with strangers and we had never met before. I dug the self I buried in the yard last week up and asked him to play nice, he wanted to know if he forgave me yet and I told him forgiveness and I are kind of in an awkward place with our relationship now, we are seeing other people. I am irrationally worried I will snap and murder my cat so I am writing you a poem. I have not yet killed my house plants and I have not yet killed myself, only the daisies in the garden which I cut back and the boys and girls I used to be who I gently pat more dirt over so we can pretend we all live happily in the apartment complex of my body, I am not what I look like when I picture a happy home. I am writing a poem for you to apologize for being 80 years old and still having daddy issues I am 14 years old and waiting for a train to come, talking to god, 22 and admitting I am the messiah only in the sense that god is a fuzzy object with less than 20/20 vision and I am made in their image and therefore I am writing you a poem because there is nothing else to do. There is nowhere else to go. I have return addressed this letter to your house so either way you have to get it. I do this because I have always chickened out of saying what happens if one day I am not in love with you, not because it will ever be true, but because I do not like naming the fear. I worry that if I poke a single hole in my hope it will drop like a lead balloon or a star producing iron which is to say I still recite my father’s metaphors and I am worried that I love like him, something I could not forgive myself for any less than him. I worry I will drown myself and the cat in the bath at different times this is all I know how to do. I woke up fine this morning, moved to another room, woke up trying to scream, moved to the couch, woke up uncertain I had woken, woke up certain I had been screaming, woke up too alone to prove it how often do you worry your mother resents you? I am a man with a broken finger pointing at different parts of himself asking “is this normal?” I am a girl in the back of a subaru certain the man outside the window is going to kill her, I am the angel driving the taxi cab asking if I would like to know how good I am Yes. How good do you think? I don’t know, not like, I mean, not like 90% material but I think I’m more than 50/50 you know? 96 percent. Oh shit, well, awesome. How good are you? 50/50. I thought you were an angel God wants to make sure we know how to use both. I am writing you a letter that is also a taxicab that I am using as a murder accessory in a hit and run to kill my cat and then my father. I know I only truly love one of these two things but I am still too scared to ask. I heard there’s going to be a parade. I am writing you a poem to ask why they are called floats. I am 30 and I am laughing because I have always liked puns and I once drowned myself in the bathtub I am writing a poem because you are the one who googles things in the relationship because I never learned to write simple fucking questions or ask them and I once was a boy who ate omelets for eight years straight because he couldn’t ask himself to stop and now I am a girl with tits and a shovel in her hand thinking about dismembering herself to make the burying a little easier. I am writing a poem to ask for help I am writing a poem to avoid sleeping I am writing you a poem because I love you and I am scared that will not be enough. If I have to bury you you will not get up. Fuck what if I did get possessed and that’s how this body thing works? I am getting feedback from the microphone so I go back to the paper. My mother pats me on the shoulder, knees uncomfortable and cold on the linoleum, holds my hair back over the toilet “you just gotta get it all out, baby.” Have you seen the magician’s trick with the hat and the scarves? Of course you have. I am writing you a poem in the hopes that it will end, if it doesn’t I’m really fucked aren’t I? Sun helps the garden grow. I wish I was a farmer, instead. Or at least, if I have to be me, that I was crazy enough to kill the cat. I let her out in the dead of night so she can talk to her ghosts while I talk to mine. I am writing you a poem because I am scared no one is out there, that I am the only “I” I will ever be. I love you, not forgiveness, who slept with resignation behind my back. I am tired. It is too cold to sleep outside. What if the cat doesn’t come back? Will I just have to write out here all night?

[fluffymcu]

Bleachers (Bucky x reader)

Highschool AU

warnings: mentions of making out? Nothing graphic though.

This is my first time writing something like this, I surprised myself with this one, hope y’all enjoy! This is a highschool AU that takes place around the early 90’s so it has a little bit of 40’s Bucky vibes. I really enjoyed writing this :)

Fun fact: I kinda dreampt this up in my head while trying to go to sleep but it kept on going so I decided this was too good of an opportunity to pass up so I got up and risked a good nights sleep and wrote this and now here I am :) no regrets tho.

—-

You pulled out your math and reading books out of your locker and put them in your backpack before taking a look in the small mirror you ínstaled in the door of your locker and fixing a few stray hairs. A few seconds later, the air around you was filled with a very familiar scent of cologne.

“Hey pretty girl, where are you headed?” You blushed at the pet name your boyfriend had for you as you turned around to face him.

“Calculus. You?” You greet, draping your backpack over your shoulders.

“Gym.” Bucky nods. You pause to look at him with narrowed eyes.

“You don’t have gym this period.” You say, a slight smile playing at your lips.

“No? Then what do I got, doll face?” He smirks.

“I don’t know exactly what class you have but It ain’t gym!” You scoffed.

“I thought I’d skip science today” he shrugs.

“Bucky!” You scold, a hand on your hip.

“What? It’s one class! It ain’t gonna hurt.” He brushes it off, leaning against one of the lockers. You roll your eyes. “Why don’t ya skip with me? It’d be a lot more fun if you were there with me.”

“No thanks.” You say quickly, as you begin to walk to class. You may have been dating a “bad boy” but it didn’t mean you were itching to do the things he did.

“Aww come on doll, why not? Just one class!” He started.

“No Bucky.” You sighed. You weren’t giving in that easily.

“Pleaseee?” He begged. With a sigh, you stop and look at him. He increases his puppy eyes as you look. “Please.”

“Don’t look at me like that Buck, you know it makes me give in.” You chuckle as you continue walking, silently waving at some of your friends in the hall.

“That’s why I’m doin’ it doll face. Just one class.” He chuckled, still on the subject.

“No Bucky. I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because.” You sigh.

“Because why?” He insists, stepping in front of you, stopping you from moving.

“Bucky-“ You start.

“Please, dolly just one class. Just stick with me, you won’t get caught. I promise.” You look into his pleading blue eyes.

“I don’t like the idea of this Bucky...” you whined.

“Come on, I’ll show you my hideouts and my shortcuts. It’ll be fun! Doll, I know you want to.” He sang, poking a few times at your belly, making you flinch and bat his hands away.

“Don’t, buck.”

“Then skip with me.” He asked again. After a few moments of thinking you finally give in with a sigh.

“Just one class, Buck. I mean it.”

With a blinding smile, Bucky cheers and wraps his arm around your shoulder, guiding you. “I knew you’d come around, doll face. Come on, we’ll take a shortcut.”

—

You both arrive at the gym doors and Bucky quickly glimpses through the small glass window to see the gym coach’s back towards you. With a nod, he opens the door and rushes you in, pulling you in a space behind the bleachers.

“Are you sure no one will see us?” You asked nervously, looking cautiously at all the kids playing volleyball and practimg running drills.

“Positive. We’re safe here.” Bucky said with a reassuring smile. You nod and start to take out some papers from your backpack, a moment of silence between the two with just the sounds of whistles and shoes squeaking in the gym floor. Bucky furrows his brows. “Whoa, what are you doin’?”

You look at him innocently. “Homework.”

Bucky laughed, raising his eyebrows and taking the papers off your lap. “Darlin’ I think you’re missin the point of skipping class. The idea is to not do schoolwork.”

“Well, there’s not much else to do now that we’re just stuck here behind the bleachers.” You shrugged. Bucky smirked and leaned closer.

“I can think of a few things...” he said before capturing your lips in a kiss. It didn’t take long for it to evolve into a full on make out session though, Bucky always makes sure of that. As his hands stroked your sides, holding you from falling, one of his hands gripped a bit too tight, making it have more of a tickly feeling.

With a squeak, you flinch and break away from the kiss, your cheeks flushed and lips a bit swollen. Bucky chuckled when he realized what triggered your reaction. A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes.

“Are you really that ticklish?” He teased.

“Yes- I mean, no. I’m- not really..” you waved your arm, trying to brush it off, still panting from the kissing session you had. But Bucky wasn’t taking any of it.

“I think you are,” he sang, poking and squeezing at your sides.

You squealed and fell with your back on the bench. “Bucky! Stohop! You’ll get us cahaught!” You struggled to keep your laughter under control, panicking inside, afraid one of the students would call attention to you and your boyfriend skipping class.

However, Bucky didn’t listen and instead was too entertained by how ticklish you were. He moved from scratching at your sides and ribs to digging his fingers into your hips.

You squirmed and bucked your hips, failing miserably at containing your laughter. You tried your best to slap at his hands but it didn’t seem to faze him. “Buhuhuhucky stahahahahap!” You squealed, looking around to make sure no one saw you. The gym was already very loud but that didn’t mean you could let your guard down.

Bucky chuckled at your giggly state and reached behind to pinch behind your thighs. You couldn’t hold back as you let out a scream of surprise and kick your legs out, immediately covering your mouth after. “Alright, alright I’ll stop.” He laughed. Thankfully no one had payed attention to your scream.

Bucky helped you sit up after you had caught your breath and you playfully hit him in the chest. “Bucky, you idiot! You could have gotten us in trouble!” You scolded him.

Bucky only laughed and pulled you to his side. “Relax, pretty girl. I told you, as long as you stick with me, you ain’t gettin caught. I promised you that didn’t I? Now. How bout we go hang for a bit at the stairwell next to Mrs. Benning’s classroom, then we can get a head start at the line for lunch, eh?” You smiled, blushing a bit before nodding and following Bucky out the gym.

⭐️should I do more of these tickle related AUs?⭐️

[well-shit-im-a-morosexual-now]

Hey, it's me again! The Anon that constantly comes back because I'm too lazy to play the new lessons myself.

Anyway, Lesson 30-something, what happened in it? I've just seen screenshots and most of them are Solomon blushing (which, well, can't really say I'm complaining).

Hope you answer, and I'll probably ask you about the lessons after this.

-Anon that's still somehow stuck on Lesson 31. Seriously, I should really start playing the game again soon.

I'm screaming I literally wrote this whole thing and it got deleted because tumblr refused to send it and just banished the reply into the void i want to fight someone. I'm so sorry I'm gonna bang my head against something now.

It's okay if you ask cause I need someone to rant to after lessons!

So two days before the ritual to break the pacts. Solomon is researching how to use the night dagger.

Lucifer & Satan are arguing on the staircase (cause 50% of all important conversations happen on staircases - and I mean this sincerely). Lucifer promised mammon he'd come play cards with him and Satan doesn't want him to go cause he thinks it'll be a scam (he's worried about his dad big brother❤). MC asks Satan if he's worried about Lucifer and that makes his affection go up. He asks MC to promise him to go with Lucifer and keep an eye on him. He ruffles MC's hair and gives them the same we'll still be friends talk that the others do

They go to play cards and place bets, if Mammon wins he gets Lucifer's credit card for a day and if Lucifer wins he gets mc alone for a day. You can choose whether you want mc to either play along or cheer for Lucifer. (And look my MC's performing Olympic grade gymnastics to avoid Lucifer's advances & this lesson has a lot of options to romance Lucifer that I didn't pick so...)

Lucifer gets distracted by Mammon's car before they start playing.

WE GET THE BACKSTORY ABOUT THE CAR!!!!!! AND LOOK IT'S BEING THERE FOR SO LONG WITHOUT BEING ACKNOWLEDGED THAT I WAS ALMOST CERTAIN IVE BEEN HALLUCINATING IT. the backstory was actually really cute.

Mammon really really wanted this limited edition car (it had a rare colour) so he worked his ass off and earned money to buy it (I think it's mentioned that this is the first thing he bought from his own money). But by the time he'd earned enough it had been sold out. As far as Mammon knows Lucifer spoke to the dealer and was able to find one last car (can you do that? Can you just ask them to look in the back and they'll just pop out with a car they accidentally overlooked?). BUT Lucifer recalls that he actually spoke to diavolo and called in a special favour to get the car for mammon. Lucifer tells mammon he was impressed by him and I no longer possess a physical form I'm now a bowl of goop with thumbs to type

Lucifer wins (duh) and mammon asks to speak to mc alone. He tells them that even if their pact is severed he'll always be their first man. MC says 'I won't forget.' Mammon does that stuttery thing and says something like 'don't forget.' He hugs them tight. I added a screenshot of this (& other important moments) to my first answer but I don't wanna risk it cause if I lose this again I will realistically commit homicide. But anyway this line killed me 'suddenly I feel like the invisible bond between us is even stronger than it was before'. If I wasn't a puddle before I would be now

The next day mc & Lucifer meet up to go out, Asmo and mammon complain, I'm a total dick so I don't let MC hold Lucifer's hand and it makes him sad (I cry). They meet Solomon at the gate and he says he needs to talk with MC but can wait till after. He suggests going to the carnival (from the beginning of the season) cause it's the last day at the devildom and Simeon was planning on taking Luke but had to bail to go to the celestial realm. (Also the devildom is only one city/district right? I always saw it as the capital of The Devildom as a whole)

Lucifer laments not being able to remeber their first time at the carnival, mc gets to reassure him that it's okay. They get popcorn and go on the ferris wheel.

He asks them what they spoke about last time on the ferris wheel. The answers are 'Lucifer' or 'diavolo' . if you choose diavolo he throws shade at past Lucifer for being an idiot and talking about another man when with MC (*SNORT*) .

LUCIFER CONFESSES!!!? HE SAYS "MC I LOVE YOU"?!? HE'S THE FIRST BROTHER TO DIRECTLY CONFESS AND HAVE MC DIRECTLY CONFESS BACK.HE BASICALLY SAYS 'ANYWAY PAST LUCIFER WAS A FUCKING IDIOT BUT I LOVE YOU'. my mc goes 'lol as a friend'

Yes yes ik mammon technically confessed first and did so twice (thrice?) but neither were direct. The first was him agreeing with mc about them being in love in front of someone else and the second was under the influence of the truth bracelet. Asmo confessed too but in a 'never thought I'd find someone I love more than me. That's wild' way.

After mc shoots him down he goes 'that sucks guess I'll have to try harder to make you fall for me'

@like-nxrthernstxrs if you say you love him back, you get to kiss and mammon who followed you sees and goes quiet which yeah no, no thanks

I didn't unlock the locked lessons but screenshots show that all the brothers follow them I think (imagine the nightmare of dating one of them for real tho? Like you, me and your friend Steve except Steve is your 6 brothers who want to sleep with me)

The most notable exchange during them is when Levi asks whether Lucifer seems happier without his memories (he actually is more carefree) but mammon says he wouldn't be happier because he loves all his little brothers and he wouldn't be happy if he couldnt remember them. Levi tells mammon it's gross whenever he starts acting like an actual older brother (so we've seen mammon step up to the role of a older brother every once in a while - specially when Lucifer isnt able to - and he's actually really good at it? And that's just💞💞)

When they go home, solomon's in MC's room. He goes 'so do you want the good news or bad news first? Actually they're both bad news and you're fucked lol'

The dagger is so old that it doesn't have enough power to break the bonds and even when charged with Solomon's power it isn't enough.

The only way to restore the power is to use it to stab a powerful demon in the chest and have it absorb the demon's power.

Then he gives mc the dagger and is like 'anyway go stab Lucifer in the chest or we're all gonna die'

MC's like 'what the fuck'

Solomon goes 'lol just kidding i wouldn't ask you to do that'

Solomon tells them that he spent his whole life protecting humanity and that he is willing to do anything to save it. He tells them that choosing between all of the three realms and one demon should be easy. But he can't because he knows that'll make MC sad and he doesn't want to hurt them (honestly some of the dialogue from Solomon, Simeon and even diavolo makes me wonder if they'll ever become LIs down the road)

Lucifer has been eavesdropping the whole time (obviously) and kicks Solomon out.

Mc tells time not to worry and that they'll figure something else out. He tells them that he cares about his brothers and them (he puts a bit of emphasis on MC) and that he wants them to stab him. MC keeps on protesting. He grabs their hand and makes them point the dagger to his chest. You get a choice. You can either stab Lucifer, MC or command him to 'stay'. If you choose to command him, he freezes for a sec and then tells MC they are too distraught to be able to put any actual power behind the command. He moves their hand to stab himself. The screen goes white. If you decide to stab MC he screams their name. The screen goes white

A '???' voice tells them to stop and that it's not needed. Simeon (the only person with even a single braincell in this entire game) stops their hand and tells them they've been brave. He slips an old ring on to their finger. The screen goes white.

The screen's still white but now it's white in a way that makes it look like it's sunlight blinding the screen.

Another '???' voice apologises to MC for not being able to meet them before. It asks mc why they refused to stab Lucifer. They can say it's because they love him, because they didn't want anyone to get hurt or because they wanted to find another way. And look even if you aren't romancing Lucifer you have to admit at this point of the game MC does love him and all his brothers as well.If you pick the first option the voice says that it's a good thing and that they should cherish that love and let it grow. If you choose the second it tells them they are kind. The voice then tells them that after seeing how much the brothers adore them it expected them to be wicked and that it's happy they aren't. It tells them that they don't have to worry and that the ring of light will keep their powers in check and that they should go back because the others are worried. MC wakes up to Lucifer calling their name.

I'm 90% certain the voice in Michael, 10% of me is terrified it'll turn out to be God. And look I'm not religious, I don't really believe in anything and either way I was raised in a Buddhist household so God has never been anything I believed in BUT God talking to me through an otome game is definitely not something I need rn or ever really

Mc, Solomon, Simeon and Luke are by the lake at the palace. Solomon says he can finally relate to Mammon cause Lucifer had punished him. Simeon reveals that Lucifer had punished diavolo as well and would be coming after the rest of them that kept this whole thing secret from him (And this kills me! This man loves his family so much he was not only willing to go against God and his army when his family was in danger but he was also willing to lash out at DIAVOLO who he has so much respect & loyalty towards when he accidentally put Lucifer's family in danger!??? Anyway any chance I had of solidifying into a physical state has been completely swept away)

It's revealed that Simeon may or may not have stolen the ring from Michael who still loves Lucifer and keeps a shrine to Lucifer all of Lucifer's things from the celestial realm with him. And honestly I want whatever superpower Lucifer has that allows him to act like a dick with major issues but still makes ppl just absolutely love him. (I absolutely adore how easily om! throws around the word 'love' or actions of love. And I don't mean regarding MC. I mean between the brothers, undateables, Luke and side characters. Like at this point there's no doubt that despite all their differences everyone loves each other.)

Simeon (or Luke) note that now with the ring MC is as powerful a sorcerer as Solomon and may someday surpass him. Solomon is asked of he's jealous and he says he's not and he's glad to finally have someone like him.

Solomon pulls MC aside and asks them for a favour. They can either ask what it is or say 'anything for you'. If you choose the second option he blushes. He tells them he has spent his whole life looking out for humanity (thousands of years) and that he would like to work side by side with them to protect the humans. In his own words they'd be 'partners'. You can either agree or tell him it sounds like a pain in the ass. If you agree he says that a part of him knew they'd agree. (I can't remember if this is said outloud or implied but I'm assuming this means Solomon will teach them to use actual magic thus making 3 out of 4 of my main game MCs magical apprentices. Nice.)

*Solomon refers to himself as 'the witty sorcerer' confirming that all their aliases in the cards have actual canon meaning...so Mammon's 'fallen warrior' and 'punishment party' is basically just confirming he was probably the only one classed as a fighter from all his brothers back in the celestial realm and that he's a masochist right? That's what that means?*

Barbatos arrives to welcome them and ask them to follow him.

The lesson ends.

The pre stabbing scene with Solomon and mc doesn't really follow the exact dialogue of the first scene in S2 and the backgrounds don't match either (the human world vs MC's bedroom). Now this could mean the devs fucked up or it could mean there's more BS waiting to be stirred up. Personally I believe it's the first one BUT with how determined the devs seem with turning all of Lucifer's hair white i wouldn't be surprised if it was the second either

Hope that helps 31!❤ sorry it took some time I had to take constant breaks to scream cause the app sucks :)))

[kmomof4]

Of Darkness, Vampires, and Soulmates Ch. 2 Emma

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! Y’all’s reaction to the last chapter was everything that this writer’s heart could have asked for!! HUGE INTERNET HUGS FOR YOU ALL!!!

TREMENDOUS love and thanks and all the good things I can possibly give to @profdanglaisstuff​ for her beta services, @hollyethecurious​ for her encouragement and listening to me whine, the CSSNS and CSMM discord ladies for their encouragement and help with the title, and to @spartanguard​ for her PERFECT artwork!!!

Chapter Summary: Today we meet Emma for the first time, in 1650 London.

Rating: M (Violence and smut)

Words: 4.4K of 41K total

Tags: Vampires, Soulmates, Reincarnation, Prophecy, Black Death, French Revolution, Magic, True Love’s Kiss

Prologue | Ch1 | Ao3 chapter link | Ao3 fic link

Tag list: @hollyethecurious​ @winterbaby89​ @snowbellewells​ @stahlop​ @resident-of-storybrooke​ @jennjenn615​ @kingofmyheart14​ @profdanglaisstuff​ @branlovestowrite​ @thisonesatellite​ @ultraluckycatnd​ @flslp87​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​ @let-it-raines​ @shireness-says​ @kymbersmith-90​ @darkcolinodonorgasm​ @bethacaciakay​ @searchingwardrobes​ @ilovemesomekillianjones​ @teamhook​ @aprilqueen84​ @qualitycoffeethings​ @superchocovian​ @artistic-writer​ @donteattheappleshook​ @doodlelolly0910​ @seriouslyhooked​ @tiganasummertree​ @lfh1226-linda​ @nikkiemms​ @xsajx​ @klynn-stormz​

Please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed.

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

1650 London

With a final agonized scream, the raven haired woman collapsed against the pillows piled at the head of the bed as the cries of a newborn filled the room. Granny smiled down at the scrunched up face she held in her hands. The rest of the child’s body followed. “It’s a girl, Mary Margaret.”

The young woman laughed weakly as Granny held her daughter up for her to see. “You were right, Granny,” she breathed.

“Well of course, I was right,” she replied, indignant. With quick, efficient movements Granny cleaned the baby up and wrapped her in a soft blanket that she had just finished crocheting a few days before. “That charm has been handed down in my family for generations and it’s never been wrong.”

The strong blonde man who had been waiting outside came running into the room just as the old midwife handed a small bundle wrapped in the white blanket to the exhausted but smiling woman reclined against the pillows. Making his way over to the bed, he placed a tender kiss on her temple. He reached around her shoulders to draw her into his side and looked down into the cloudy gray eyes that stared back at him. “It’s a girl, David,” his wife whispered, smiling up at him.

Granny’s normally no nonsense exterior melted at the sight of the young family as she took in the tender moment. Mary Margaret sat reclined on the bed with her husband’s arm around her as he stroked the crown of the nursing baby.

“Oh look,” whispered David in surprise, “Look at the birthmark. On her neck.”

“It looks like a swan in flight,” Granny said, nodding. “Can’t say I’ve ever seen a birthmark with as clear a shape as that.”

Mary Margaret raised herself slightly from the pillow to look down at her daughter before flopping back again, her eyes glazing over with weariness. “Wow,” she said on a breathy exhale as she lost her battle with fatigue.

“Certainly appropriate, with our name.” David chuckled then leaned in and again kissed his wife’s temple. “Thank you for everything Granny. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”

Granny scoffed, waving aside his sentiment. “You would have been fine, David,” she asserted, “You’ve got yourself a fine, strong woman there and a good, level head on your shoulders. You would have figured out something.” She came closer and watched fondly as the baby continued to suckle, oblivious to her worn out mother. “Now, the room is yours for as long as you need it.” She waved away his objection just as he was opening his mouth. “David, I have work for you that will more than adequately compensate me for your room and board. Mary Margaret needs to rest. It’s no easy feat to bring a child into this world.” She turned her attention to the dozing woman. “See?” she questioned him. “She’ll need to stay right there taking care of this little one for several days, at least. Once she’s up and around, I can use her too. I’m getting too old for this, and Ruby isn’t old enough to take over for me.”

David closed his mouth, stunned, as he realized exactly what Granny was offering him and his family. “Are you saying that we can stay here? Permanently?” he asked, incredulous.

“Of course, I am,” the matronly woman acknowledged with a smile. “Harold, God rest his soul, would never forgive me if I put your family out on the streets. Especially this little one.” She bent down and pressed a kiss to the baby’s forehead.

David’s shoulders slumped in relief and acceptance. “Thank you, Granny,” his voice caught with emotion, “I can’t tell you how much that means.”

“You just take care of your family,” the old woman gruffed, “That is payment enough.”

Granny looked fondly at the sleeping mother and baby before slipping out of the room.

~*~*~

Pirate captain Killian Jones entered his cabin, weariness hanging about him like a cloak. It was the first time in three days that he had seen the inside of his quarters. Ever since a storm the likes of which he had never seen came upon the ship that he had called home ever since Rumplestiltskin had murdered his brother and turned him into the cursed creature he was now. He had little doubt that the monster was behind the storm. The suddenness with which it blew up and the ferocity he and his men had battled for days all spoke to the magical, dark magical, attributes of the storm. Ever since Rumplestiltskin left him alone on the floor of this very cabin over 60 years before, he had delighted in returning every so often, taunting and tormenting him. The only reason Killian could come up with is that the monster just wanted to remind him of their connection and that, so far, he had failed in his vow to destroy him.

They had now, finally, left the storm behind them. Killian stripped down to just his leather pants, hanging his coat, waistcoat, and shirt on various furnishings in the cabin to dry. Sitting down at his desk, he pulled off his boots and socks. Once he sufficiently dried himself, he pulled down his logbook to record the battle with the storm. As he flipped to the next empty page, his eyes and thoughts skimmed over previous entries covering many years.

The attempt, at first, to hide his new nature from his crew, until the overwhelming bloodlust took over and he attacked and killed one of his men.

The mutiny that was spawned because of his lack of control. When faced with the anger, and yes, fear, of his once loyal crew, Killian’s rage at his helplessness against his fate and their perceived audacity completely filled him until he attacked them, leaving the entire crew dead at his feet.

Killian sneered as the next entry and memory paraded itself across his mind’s eye. Watching from afar as his parents frantically searched for not only their beloved sons, but also the Blue Fairy. He would assume, given her magic, that she was aware of what had happened to him and his brother. She apparently couldn’t reveal to the king and queen just how utterly and completely she had failed in her duty to protect the family from Rumpelstiltskin. So when she left their presence and saw what had happened to Liam and Killian, she disappeared as well.

Finally gaining enough control over the bloodlust that he was able to take on a new crew.

The ensuing decades that were his darkest, both as a pirate and as a vampire. He refused to feed on his crew, that could get expensive quickly, but his own self-loathing and impotence in the face of his nature were enough to unleash the, literally, bloodthirsty pirate that was always just under the surface, the bloodlust licking at his veins. When they captured merchant ships, Killian led his crew in wholesale slaughter, gorging himself on the still warm blood of their adversaries, as his men transferred the loot to the Jolly. Once he was sated, he used his powers of compulsion and persuasion to make his crew believe that when they were dumping the drained corpses overboard, they were simply disposing of rotted food.

Watching as his parents grew old with no heir until they passed and the throne went to the son of Brennan’s younger brother.

Finally turning to the last entry, his eyes drifted over lines that he knew he didn’t write.

The Dark’s minion’s downfall is foretold

When True Love’s Kiss doth unfold

Between soulmates unbound by time

The blue eyed prince and his golden haired Swan

Their True Love will break the hold

And Dark magic will be no more.

Killian’s brows furrowed as he read the lines again. Dark’s minion? Dark magic no more? Is it talking about Rumplestiltskin? The blue eyed prince and his golden haired Swan? Soulmates? What does all this mean? The confusion he felt as he pored over the words yet again continued to grow. Who wrote this? How did it get here? Would one of my crew dare to enter my cabin without my knowledge and permission, much less write in my logbook?

His last entry was from three days before. So someone had made this entry at some point during the storm. But no matter how many times he read the words or tried to figure out answers to his questions, he couldn’t make any sense of the entry in his journal. Shaking his head, he determined to put it out of his mind and concentrate on the recording of the storm.

Many hours later, while Captain Killian Jones slept, the Blue Fairy materialized in the cabin and waved her wand over the sleeping man. With the white magic that settled on him, she knew that when he woke, he would have no memory of the prophecy recorded in his journal. Not until the proper time. Not until the blue eyed prince met his golden haired Swan.

~*~*~

Killian Jones entered the inn and stamped his nearly frozen feet on the threshold as he shivered under his traveling cloak. Anger licked his veins as he made his way over to the blazing fire in the hearth to warm himself after his trek from the London Pool where his ship was docked. He was chasing down a lead that was supposed to give him information on a possible way to destroy Rumplestiltskin. Whispers and rumors had reached him about an instrument that might be capable of killing the monster and freeing him from the Darkness that coursed through him. Unfortunately, that lead had proved fruitless.

A young woman with sunshine in her hair hurried over to him at the hearth with a pint of ale. “May I take your cloak, sir,” she asked.

“Aye, lass,” he replied. “Thank you.” Too distracted to take real notice of the young woman, he handed her his cloak and sat down at a nearby table. She returned moments later with a bowl of hot stew that smelled divine. The months at a time being out to sea made fresh, hot food all the more welcome when making port.

He looked up into the girl’s face and was captivated by the green eyes that skittered away from his once he caught them. As she turned away from him and headed back towards the kitchen, something came over him. Something that he hadn’t experienced in decades. The bloodlust that he had under control for over 70 years completely took him by surprise. He felt his fangs snap into place and a red haze descended over his sight, telling him that his pupils were red as blood. He bowed his head toward his meal until he had himself under control again, eyes blue as the summer sky and fangs retracted.

He looked up again and scanned the room he found himself in. Just like every other tavern he’d ever frequented, he found a large and cheerful hearth keeping the frigid cold of the freak London snowstorm at bay. Over to his left, he saw stairs leading up to the rooms for rent for weary travelers. The door opened again with more pushing their way through, seeking the warmth the inn offered. To the right of the door, the counter with the kitchen behind was bustling with the girl going back and forth between the counter and the blonde man behind it and the tables that the newcomers settled at.

Unfortunately, they had settled only a single table away from him and every time the girl came to attend to them, the bloodlust washed over him again. He concentrated even harder on the meal set before him, wrestling himself back under control when she approached him again.

“Is everything alright, sir,” she asked, “Would you like some fresh bread to go with the stew? Granny is just taking some out of the oven…” she trailed away as his eyes met hers again. He was gratified to see that there was nothing but curiosity and openness in her gaze. He had obviously been successful in keeping his true nature hidden from her.

“Aye, lass,” he answered her, “that would be lovely.” She turned away from him and as she did, he noticed the swan birthmark on her neck. A swan in flight.

The blue eyed prince and his golden haired Swan

A completely forgotten line from a completely forgotten journal entry he had found many years ago. Could this girl be the golden haired Swan? And he could only conclude that he must be the blue eyed prince. He sat, completely gobsmacked as he watched the girl approach his table again with several hunks of freshly baked bread on the tray she carried. She stopped at the other occupied tables, lightening her load every time, before she carried on toward him. Arriving, he couldn’t help but take a deep inhale, noting the aroma of the bread as well as the scent of her, just to make sure that the bloodlust was firmly back under his control.

“Thank you again, lass,” he drawled. “Please conduct my sincere compliments to the cook of this delicious meal. Whom should I speak to about procuring lodging for the night? I’m not inclined to go back out into that until it clears up a bit.”

Her eyes shot toward the door as it swung open yet again, letting in the largest crowd yet, along with the blustery wind and snow. “That is very true, sir,” she acknowledged. “The weather is fit for neither man nor beast. My father is behind the counter. He’s the one you should speak to.”

“Thank you. I shall do that as soon as I finish my meal,” he declared, tucking into the food before him yet again.

He used the last bite of bread to soak up the last of the broth from the stew before rising from his table and making his way toward the counter with the blonde man behind it. “Good evening, sir,” Killian called as he approached.

“Good evening,” the man replied. “I hope you enjoyed my wife’s stew and Granny’s bread.”

“Undoubtedly, sir,” he rejoined, “It’s been many a month since I’ve partaken of a meal as satisfying as the one I just enjoyed.” He leaned across the counter with his hand extended toward the man. “Captain Killian Jones.”

“Ah,” the man exclaimed, taking Killian’s outstretched hand. “I wondered if perhaps you were a seafaring man. David Swan. How else may I help you?”

It was all he could do to keep his face from showing his complete and utter surprise at the confirmation of his earlier thoughts. “A pleasure to meet you, David,” he answered, pointing back toward the door of the inn. “I’d rather prefer to not have to leave until the weather clears up. Might you have a room available until it does?”

“We do indeed,” he affirmed. “Emma?”

“Yes, Papa,” the girl answered, approaching the counter again.

“Would you please see that room 2 is ready for Captain Jones here,” he asked his daughter.

Killian reached out toward Emma, palm up, in a gesture of invitation. She lay her own hand in his own before he lifted it to place a small kiss to her knuckles. “Thank you for the excellent service and meal tonight, Miss Emma. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Yours as well, Captain,” she replied, with a slight curtsey, “I’ll just go see to your room. I’ll return shortly.”

Killian watched her walk away, his thoughts in complete turmoil. Shaking his head and returning his attention to her father, he scratched behind his ear as he took in David’s broad smile. “She’s nearly sixteen and would make a fine wife for a sea captain before too much longer.” David answered his unasked question.

Scratching furiously in nervousness, Killian repeated, “So, she’s 15, hmm?” He swallowed around the sizable lump in his throat as a petite black haired woman whose temples were just dusted with frost joined them at the counter.

She turned her eyes upon David with a slight reprimand in them before turning her gaze upon Killian. Green, just like Emma’s. Must be her mother. Killian extended his hand toward the woman, just as he had moments before with the young woman. Brushing his lips across her knuckles, he introduced himself again. “Captain Killian Jones, milady, at your service.”

“My wife, and Emma’s mother, Mary Margaret Swan,” David introduced them.

“It’s my honor,” Killian murmured, sincerely. “If I’m not mistaken, I have you to thank for the stew I partook of this evening?”

Mary Margaret’s cheeks tinged a light pink. “Oh, it was nothing, Captain,” she deflected, “I’m so pleased you enjoyed it.”

“I truly did,” he affirmed. “I was just telling your husband that after many months at sea, a hot, fresh meal is greatly appreciated.”

Emma approached the counter again. “Your room is ready, Captain Jones. If you’ll follow me please.”

With a slight bow to David and Mary Margaret and wishes from both sides for a pleasant evening, Killian followed Emma to his room.

~*~*~

It was nearly a fortnight later before the snow had melted enough for Killian to leave the inn. During the time he had spent with them, he had become quite good friends with the Swan family. He was careful to keep the rapidity with which he was losing his head over Emma hidden as he became her constant companion in her leisure time. Which admittedly, wasn’t much. David and Mary Margaret didn’t have any objection to his obvious affinity for their daughter, and he had even managed to win over the matriarch of the family, Granny. Being in such close quarters with Emma was an exercise in self control such that he had never had to endure before. But, in the end, he had been successful in keeping his true nature from the happy family. The puzzling questions concerning the journal entry still plagued him, but he thought that perhaps, with his new certainty of who Emma was, he might be able to figure out what the rest of it meant.

Entering his cabin, Killian immediately pulled down his logbook and flipped to the page containing the riddle. He hadn’t thought of it since the evening after the storm, fifteen years before. Right about the time Emma would have been born, he thought. But upon seeing her birthmark and introducing himself to David, it had never been far from his mind. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to recall most of the words, so as soon as the snow was melted sufficiently, he rushed to the Jolly to look at the journal again.

The Dark’s minion’s downfall is foretold

When True Love’s Kiss doth unfold

Between soulmates unbound by time

The blue eyed prince and his golden haired Swan

Their True Love will break the hold

And Dark magic will be no more.

Killian stared at the words before him, wrestling with them in his mind, trying to make sense out of them.

The Dark’s minion’s downfall is foretold

Foretold, that means prophecy. The Dark. The Darkness? The Darkness that makes him, makes me, what I am? The Dark’s minion? If the Darkness is what makes us, then Rumplestiltskin must be its minion. Downfall is foretold. He will fall when True Love’s Kiss occurs between soulmates, the blue eyed prince and his golden haired Swan. Me and Emma. Unbound by time. What does that mean? Killian shook his head. He hadn’t a clue. Their True Love will break the hold and Dark magic will be no more. That sounds like True Love’s Kiss between me and Emma will destroy the Darkness. Then Rumplestiltskin can be destroyed. A sinister smile broke across his face. At last our tales will again intertwine. Revenge will be mine.

He could feel the anger and hatred rising within him, nearly triggering a blood frenzy within him. There was no way he could return to the inn with the bloodlust this close to the surface. He closed his eyes and willed himself back under control. He needed to get word to his crew and get as far away from here as he could. If Emma was his True Love, and the two of them were needed to destroy the Darkness and Rumplestiltskin, he had to get as far away from Emma as possible if he wanted to keep her and her family safe. If Rumplestiltskin were to find out about her, find out about her family, he wouldn’t hesitate to destroy them. He had to keep her safe. Safe from him. And safe from him. He’d come back for brief visits in the future, until she was a little bit older and ready for him to court and marry her.  A sudden certainty came over him that if he wanted to court her, if he wanted to be worthy of her, his days of slaughter on the high seas and persuasion and compulsion on his crew were at an end. He couldn’t continue to take their free will from them as his sire had taken his. Satisfied with his plans, he pulled out a sheet of parchment and began penning a missive to Emma and her family.

~*~*~

Six months later

Killian made his way through the streets of London with an arm raised to his face, trying to block the putrid smell that came from the devastating effects of the Black Death that was ravaging the continent and had made its way to England’s shores. He could only hope and pray that Emma and her family had not suffered any loss due to the epidemic. The heat mingled with the stench of death made for a rancid bouquet that was causing his last meal to roll within him, wanting to revolt. He finally reached the inn and made his way inside. Getting out of the blazing heat of the sun overhead and the stink from the rampant disease was such a relief, that he wanted to weep. But before he could collapse, his eyes caught the gaze of his friend behind the counter. A gaze that held unspeakable despair and immense pain. Killian’s greeting and smile died on his lips before he could utter a word.

He knew his Swan’s family had not been spared.

Emma’s birthday had come and gone while he’d been at sea, and he now felt that the time was right to formally court her and make her his bride.

That hope for the future was shattered, however when David’s head slowly shook from side to side. He knew who Killian would be most anxious to see upon his arrival, but it was plain to see that he couldn’t bring himself to utter the words. David came around the counter to embrace his friend. A wail of misery that came from the depths of his being threatened to consume him, but he clenched his jaw against it.

“When?” he gritted out.

“Nine days.” David’s voice broke on a whisper. Drawing away from him, Killian tried to curl himself into a ball as the wail continued to try and break free.

David reached around his shoulders and drew him upright again as he led him toward the back of the inn. Pushing through the door back into the heat, dizziness overtook him as he looked at the three graves just a few feet from the door.

“Granny went first. She died in April,” David choked out. “We thought that we’d been spared, since no one else came down with it right away.” Killian could feel the blood tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. He kept his focus on the ground before him as David continued to speak. “Mary Margaret became ill seventeen days ago, and almost the same hour that I lost her, Emma was stricken. I couldn’t bear to leave my beautiful Mary Margaret to decay, so I dug her grave next to Granny. Granny was the only mother my Mary Margaret ever knew.”

Killian chanced a brief glance at the grieving man beside him. The anguish painted there, left his skin with a grey pallor.

“Did I ever tell you our story?” David pressed on, without waiting for his answer. “I came from a family of shepherds. My mother passed when my youngest sister was born. I was seven. Mary Margaret lived in the nearby village and had always been kind to me when I came into town. But the man she called Father, was the most despicable of men. He was a slave to drink. Never satisfied with the work she did to maintain their household, constantly harassing her, beating her for no reason. She had finally worked up the courage to leave his house when he collapsed with wracking coughs. He was dead within days. She was sixteen. For some reason, she came to me. I could never understand why. She said it was because I made her feel safe. That when he would beat her, she’d picture my face and she’d be able to endure it.” He paused, shaking his head. “But, why me? Wouldn’t anyone else have helped her? I didn’t do anything anybody else wouldn’t have done…” He shook himself from his rambling memories and continued their story. “After knowing each other most of our lives, it didn’t take us long to fall in love. When we couldn’t hide Mary Margaret’s pregnancy anymore, my father kicked us out. We came to London to try to find a better life and Granny took us in. Only three weeks before Emma was born. Granny delivered her. It seemed only fitting that they should all be together in death.”

David fell silent. Killian could no longer hold back his tears. He collapsed to the ground, desperate to hide his face and the blood pouring down his cheeks from his friend, gasping sobs breaking free. David stood beside him, silent tears coursing down his own cheeks, letting Killian’s grief find a safe outlet that wouldn’t be contained or interrupted. When the barking sobs subsided to quiet weeping, David patted his friend on the shoulder.

“I’ll go prepare your room. Stay out here as long as you need.” He turned toward the door and disappeared inside.

Finally alone, Killian raised his blood streaked face to look at the graves before him. His golden haired Swan was gone. The woman he loved, his soulmate, was gone. What am I going to do now?

[absoluteindulgence]

Whoa

A/N: As I write this, I have 666 followers. Thank you all so much 😭😭😭. I originally wrote this for the valentine’s day server collab but came up with another idea. It’s loosely a continuation of Illuminate. I hope you guys like it~

Pairing: Mirio Togata X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2.8K

The world shines brighter after becoming the fiance of the hero known as Lemillion. You smiled more and saw the world through rose-colored lenses. Even solving problems at work with love as the answer, making creative stories and resolutions. There was so much that had changed within you. You never saw yourself as worthy of spending the rest of your life with someone, but looking into Mirio's eyes caused your light of hope to burst into an incurable flame.

Your friends lost their minds when finding out and wanted to celebrate your union. That night of the party ended with Nejire and Toru becoming karaoke queens, only taking Mina's crown because she was in the middle of making out with Kirishima. Bakugou argued with Izuku over the music selection while Tamaki silenced everyone with a grand gift to Mirio and yourself. An eternity clock that glistened in the dark while emitting golden light. He was so hesitant to show you, but when you started crying, he knew it was perfect.

A couple of months after your engagement, the month where everyone goes, lovey-dovey was among you. Your thoughts changed on the holiday that most cared for; it was just another day for you. Mirio liked to enjoy any holiday with you, of course. Still, holidays like Christmas, New Year's Eve, or Valentine's day meant nothing without you by his side. His love knew no bounds, nor never neglected you where the holiday said more than how you felt 365.

After a long shift of heroism, the night before, you laid in bed, not realizing it was finally your day off. You didn't have to scramble to reach for your uniform or try to shuffle out the bed, and yet as you shifted, you were pulled back and brought into a snuggle.

"Don't move, Sunshine," A needy groan escapes his lips.

Mirio's muscular body overpowers you to stay in his grasp, no resistance to letting go. He faintly yawns, and his breath tickles the back of your neck, leaving goosebumps to form on your arms. Your smile is hidden in the covers as the heat from his body radiates onto yours. You're not sure of the time, but it's still too early for the two of you as you drift off back to sleep in his warm embrace.

Hours later, Mirio wakes you up with a tickling match. His method of getting you out of bed, "We can't sleep the whole day away, Beautiful." His smiles are contagious, even with him playing with your sensitive sides.

You give up and try to turn out of bed, miscalculating how far you would go. You roll off the bed, but before you can hit the ground, Mirio catches you through the floorboard. Permeating to catch you in time, and carrying your tiny but toned frame, bridal style.

"Woah there, that would have been a bad tumble, don't you think." He pops up on the floor with you still in his arms. He's precise and lets you down, placing you in front of him. Your smile is goofy as he calls you clumsy.

"Nice to know that anytime I fall, you'll catch me."

"Well, of course, Sunshine! I'm your hero, aren't I?"

"Well, yeah, until you wake me up with tickles." You playfully poke his side, "Then you're my enemy."

A playful gasp leaves his mouth as he pretends to be hurt, "But sunshine, I do it to see your smile!" He pulls you close, smothering you in kisses. Your laughter vibrates through the bedroom, making him more persistent. Times like this, you were happy that both of you were home to enjoy each other's company, and not have to expect any call from the agencies.

"Okay, I get it." You say, catching your breath. Your teddy bear of a man looked at you with a sincere, loving stare, cupping your face and pecking an intimate kiss on your lips, turning less into pecks and more of a lip lock session. He couldn't control himself wanting to hold you at your waist and gripped you tightly as if holding you meant you would never be alone. You were astounded by his passion, meeting him with the same intensity, while on your tiptoes.

He pulled away, flustered with a radiant grin. Mirio had an overzealous passion for you. Remembering when you two were just friends, he wished for days like this—hoping to get close to you and show you what you meant to him. There were too many times that he thought he would lose you to another until that time you confessed your attraction. He always told himself he would cherish you forever, and as the cliche of many, today would be that day.

"Alright, my sunflower, I want you to get yourself ready. I have some surprises that you toogotta see."

With his witty wink, you crack up, never able to resist his pure but corny charm.

Gathering yourself for Mirio's surprise was no hassle, staying within a comfy and cute attire and keeping your hair down to put under a slouchy beanie the same color as your sweater. Ready for the surprise, you meet with Mirio, and as he's finished tying his casual shoes. He stands to stretch and pulls you into a bear hug. The impact of the pull thuds you into his chest, the air almost leaving your body. Pulling out of the embrace, he looked at your flustered face with a smile and placed a tender kiss onto your forehead. You resisted melting in his burly arms.

He smiles kindly, looking back into your shiny eyes. Finally, caving into the hold and glance, you cup his face with a beam too bright, he chuckles. Letting you go, you finish getting ready for the cold air beyond the wooden door of your home. The way he walks over to the coat rack you share brings a silly smile to your face as the walk is goofy in a sense that he pretends your smile has incapacitated him. His playful demeanor lasts until he's finally wearing his coat while you fit yours onto your body, keeping snuggly warm. Mirio walks over to you, lightly cupping your cheek. With a breathtaking kiss, he mumbles, "Let's go."

Roaming the streets made for interesting sights: women screaming whose significant other was better, couples doing more PDA than necessary, and the heart-shaped balloons and flower carts littering the streets. Hadn't reached your final destination and yet there was already so much commotion. Mirio had the habit of taking you to areas of Tokyo usually quiet and reserved for your alone-time to feel more private. But you knew the privacy you sought out for the day would remain at home.

"Rowdy day, huh?" Mirio spoke out loud while holding your hand tighter. Sure enough, he didn't expect there to be crowds of crazed lovers, but it wouldn't deter him from getting closer to the surprise he had for you two. Although subtle, his determination burned brightly into his eyes, the anticipation of seeing your smile driving him. "Nothing we can't handle."

Mushing through the crowds in the chilly weather sought out to be an easy feat with Mirio holding you close as he glided through people as if he could almost walk through them. Amazingly enough, no one noticed top-ranked heroes among them. He was dodging everyone while still able to grip your hand through it all, turning down a cold, dark alley. He hadn't looked at his phone for some time to make sure the map was correct, but he read the reviews and knew what to expect.

You look at him in horror as you two pace down the alley, from the boorish and amorous energy on the streets to the silent dead-of-night atmosphere. Huffs of air escaped your lips as you reached the door of what seemed to be a restaurant. The door lacked any color resembling warmth, taking pride in its icy grey tone.

You looked up at Mirio with skepticism as he looked back at you with a captivating grin, "This is it, Sunflower."

He knocks on the door with a light tune in mind, within seconds the door opens and before either of you could step forward, warm, inviting lights and a delightful savory aroma bombarded your senses. Mirio jokingly escorts you in a true gentleman fashion, "M'lady."

Playfully, you curtsy back then enter the two-faced establishment. Walking in, you're more subject to the beauty of the cozy lights littering the high ceilings. At the same time, the posters and plaques on the walls neatly decorate the homey vibe. You see that the tables were placed at corners of the room to cater to the patrons coming in. Either they were always stationed there or done up for the beautiful holiday. From top to bottom, it was hard to believe that it was a Ramen restaurant.

A woman came from the kitchen area with a warm smile on her face, heart-shaped apron on, and a wooden ladle in her hand—the embodiment of a young housewife in love. Without any further ogling eyes, she expresses her welcomes with a pleasant, soft voice.

"Hello, newcomers! Welcome to 90% Love!"

Holding Mirio's hand tighter, you reply in unison, "Hi!" 

"Please, take your seats anywhere you'd like."

She raised her hand to show off all the empty tables around the cozy, compact eatery. Mirio hastily leads your hand to one of the square tables closest to the wall. Pulling your chair out for you after you sit down, he pushes your chair to be close to the table. Mirio pulls out his to rest his legs and doesn't bother to drag his back in due to his legs fitting awkwardly. You giggle as he shuffles in his seat, trying his best to get comfortable. He looks at you while you attempt to hide your face; of course, he saw, and now he's laughing with you.

"That's okay that I don't fit." He shuffles after finding a comfortable compromise between his thick legs and the low table, "I just want to make the day special for you."

The touch of his hand caressing yours felt lovely, thanks to the environment. You reply with a bright grin, and his face turns a vibrant hue of pink, and his heart stops a beat. "Gee, Sunshine, the way you're looking at me, reminds me of the exact reason why I'm going to marry you. I want to see that smile for the rest of my life." 

Your face retaliates with the same color on his face, with your free hand, you cup your cheek, "Stop, you flatter me too much!"

His laughs booms through the room, "If I don't tell you, who will, Sunshine?"

Soon after, a man lays a friendly pat onto Mirio's shoulders. There wasn't much noise to their steps, nor did either of you see him pop up behind your fiance. There was a pause, but before you could respond, he spoke with a wide grin plastered onto his astonishingly young-looking skin.

"Hello Heroes, what would you like to eat? We have ramen of the day, Spicy ramen of the day, and the love bowl for this day!"

He spoke so critically that you didn't ask for a menu, as you thought over your options, you chose the love bowl while Mirio chose the spicy dish. The man taking your order bowed with gratitude and walked to the kitchen. Your focus back on your buff hero, his right knee became jittery thinking about the spices he would encounter.

"This restaurant is so cool; I'm glad I found it and get to spend my first time here with you!"

You nodded as your fingers trace over the golden oak wood onto the lovely, soft, and cream-colored cloths to cover most of the table like a placemat. You were more than happy to be there and couldn't wait to eat, all the walking you did to get there truly worked up an appetite. "I agree, my love."

Moments passed, and both the man and woman running the shop held your bowls of ramen. The lady placed yours first, wishing you to enjoy the meal. The man next put Mirio's down in front of him and the same, but with different energy tells him to enjoy as well. You look at the two workers and thank them. As you dive into the broth and take a sip, your eyes immediately turn into stars. The flavor matched how brilliant the bowl of noodles looked. Finally, indulging the noodles, they were just as delicious if not more than the broth. With no more thinking of your hunger, you dived into the meal.

After you two demolished your food, you sat in silence, enjoying your full stomachs with light sighs of satisfaction escaping. You sat in disbelief, wondering how you've gone your whole life not coming to this quiet yet amorous ramen shop. Looking at your now-empty bowl, you paid attention to the beautifully assorted shades of pink in the shape of a heart. Your fingers trailed, admiring the art.

"How was the food?" The sweetly soft voice of the woman rang in your ears as you looked up to see her smiling face.

"That was amazing, I've never had ramen like that!"

"I'm so glad that you liked it. It seems like your beau enjoyed it too."

Looking at Mirio, he was sniffling, smiling from the spices of the broth. His smile was bright and could only nod in satisfaction as a response. Both you and the woman giggled together as he gathered himself, to ask for the check. With a nod, she left to tally up the order only to come back with the man who made an appearance earlier. A puzzled stare ensued from you two as they walked closer to your table.

"Hello, again heroes, nice to formally meet you. We are the owners of this establishment." As they stopped in front of the table, you did your best to bow back while still sitting.

"No need to be formal with us little lady, we know you heroes work hard!" The man grinned while placing his hands on his hips in pride.

"We just wanted to formally congratulate you on your engagement and wish you many years of light and love."

The woman smiled with her hands clasped close to her chest; it was too sweet encountering this lovely couple. They politely went on to tell you of their marital status and how they met. They enclosed that they've been married for 50 years, and your jaw dropped. They still looked like a young couple in love; the husband laughed and shared their secret with you.

After paying, Mirio left a huge tip, thanking the couple for their business and promising to come back. Warmhearted and yet serene as you two left the shop, the air outside was still brisk. The breeze automatically pinching Mirio's nose red, he held your hand as you looked up at him. A grin appeared before kissing your forehead and trotting to the main street.

Arriving back to your home, you shed your outerwear into something comfortable, relaxing in the living room. Spending the day with your fiance was more than enough to keep you content. He did the same with his coat, hanging it up and plopping himself next to you, wrapping you within a bear hug. His burly arms wrapped tightly around your waist, and he exhaled, showing how cozy he felt holding you. You placed your hands on top of his, closing your eyes in the midst of it.

"You know Sunshine, seeing that couple back at the shop, makes me think about how our future will turn out." He shifted himself to pull you in closer to his broad chest, "Young, happy and in love. Even if we're 100 years old, we'll still be young at heart; I see all that with you."

"Do you also see us having a ramen shop too?"

"Well, that's if you want to, I wouldn't mind at all! Having your cooking is already one of my favorite past times, we can make ramen together!"

You laugh at his excitement, "Well, maybe we could just learn from that couple? I don't think they would be against it."

He gasped, "Babe, you're right! They already like us, we should go back!"

The vibration of his chest as he spoke comforted you, and hearing his voice made you nuzzle into him as you drifted off to sleep. Mirio was mid-sentence until he listened to your light snores. He rested his head close to yours and enclosed you to his chest with a light yawn, joining you for an "itis" nap.

[dearfandomdiary]

Returning Home

Request: Hi hi Can I get Zelda Spellman x reader where it's angst turned into fluff

Author note: I hope this is what you had in mind, Anon. ♡

Gif is from @hb-spellman​

You had been traveling for the better part of 90 years, from country to country, never going to a city twice if you could avoid it and you were happy.

You earned your money by singing in pubs, VIP clubs, and restaurants if needed. You were provided with everything a witch would ever need and hadn't felt homesick in a long time but you couldn't shake off the feeling that you were running towards something and that feeling proved itself correct rather quickly.

You ended up in Greendale. You had heard of Greendale; the place where the dark lord fell from heaven and with that is the closest to hell. Of course, that aroused your interest and you decided to stay and figure out how much truth lay with that statement.

4 weeks had passed since you settled in Greendale and the magic radiating from the woods was immense. So you decided to take a walk through them, see where they led you.

You found your way through the woods to a clearing with a graveyard and a big house. It was getting dark and you were getting cold so you quickly made up your mind and walked over to the house. As you were walking to the porch you were greeted with a sign that read Spellman Mortuary. The name Spellman seemed familiar.

It was probably in one of the books about Greendale, you thought and knocked loudly, before stepping back.

As the door opened, you were greeted by a small blonde woman who smiled at you. "Hello dear! Can I help you?" she asked you with a British accent and you smiled kindly.

"Hello, my name is (Y/N) (Y/L/N). I was walking through the woods when I came upon your graveyard. It seemed like the woods led me here." you explained and looked back to the pathway and frowned just slightly.

The woman stepped aside. "Please do come in. You must be freezing. My name is Hilda. I'm gonna make a nice cup of tea and as soon as you are all warmed up again you can call a cab, how does that sound?" she asked and led you inside and walked with you towards another door.

You smiled. "That sounds lovely. Thank you, Hil-" you spoke and as you entered what seemed like the living room you froze.

Green eyes caught yours and whatever you wanted to say was caught in your throat. "Zelda..." you whispered and your eyes widened.

"(Y/N)..what are you- what are you doing here?" Zelda asked and looked you up and down before she stepped towards you.

A smile started forming on your lips. "Now I know why I was led here." you stated bluntly and chuckled.

Zelda raised an eyebrow but before she could respond someone cleared his throat. "Who is that?" a blonde, no white-haired girl asked and rose from her chair.

Zelda huffed a little and turned towards the girl. "That Sabrina is (Y/N). She is...an old friend." she explained and went back to sit down. You almost automatically followed her and stood beside her armchair, watching everyone carefully. "Sabrina is our niece and that is Ambrose, our nephew." she introduced her family quickly before downing the rest of whiskey.

You nodded with a smile. "It's very nice to meet you all. I didn't want to disturb a nice family evening. I was wandering through the woods and ended up here. Now I wanted to warm myself a little and then head home again." you said and crossed your arms, now and then watching what Zelda did.

You hadn't seen each other for so very long. It must have been 70 years and she still looked as beautiful as she did back then. You had met in one of the clubs you had worked at the time and it wasn't meant to be more than a one time thing but that quickly grew and you felt yourself falling in love. Not ready for such commitment, you wrote her a letter, saying you would not be coming back and that it was nice, before leaving. But you had never forgotten those green eyes scanning your every move and those red curls bouncing on her shoulders.

Zelda huffed at your answer. "Home? Do you even know what that is?" she asked with a bitter undertone and your eyes immediately laid on her.

Just when you wanted to respond, Hilda came into the room with the promised tea and handed it to you. "Thank you, Hilda." you smiled and were led to the armchair opposite of Zelda where you took a seat.

You felt all eyes on you as you drank your tea and it was Sabrina to speak first. "What did you mean when you said you knew why you were led here?"

A smile graced your lips as you took a sip. "Well, I was traveling for a long time, people have called it running away-" as you said that your eyes landed on Zelda who rose an eyebrow stubbornly "- and for a while, I felt like I was running towards something and then I arrived here in Greendale and as I was taking a walk, I left like the woods were leading me and then somehow I ended up here. Like magic." the last word you said with an undertone of mystery and grinned into your cup.

Zelda was the first to speak. "Why did you come here? Why didn't you just turn around and leave again?" her voice sounded almost hurt and you had to swallow hard.

You stared at your cup and stirred the spoon before looking up again. "Because I felt drawn to this place? If it is the magic this town is radiating or something else, I don't know but it can't be a coincidence that I ended up at this house of all places." you said and the both of you were staring at each other, both of you too scared to blink because if you would blink the contact would break.

It took another throat clearing to bring back your attention. Your head snapped towards Ambrose who was smirking as he spoke: "Well, I don't know about you but I will head upstairs. I feel so tired all of a sudden." It took a moment before both Hilda and Sabrina caught on and agreed and soon Zelda and you were alone.

The silence was uncomfortable but neither of you dared to speak, silently drinking your tea and whiskey. After a while, Zelda spoke quietly: "Why did you leave, (Y/N)?"

You stared at your cup again and uncrossed and crossed your legs. "Because I- Because you-" you took a deep breath before starting again: "Because I was stupid. I was scared and ran away." Your eyes never left your cup and you were sure, if it wasn't for your tight grip on the cup and the saucer, the other witch could see you shaking.

A scoff sounded across from you and made you look up. "You did. I read the letter. How very noble it was to at least leave a letter." she spoke and crossed her arms. "You do that with all the ladies you fuck and then abandon? Leave a letter calling it 'nice'?" she asked and you winced slightly.

You put your teacup down and crossed your arms as well, both of you pulling up the defenses. "Normally I don't see them more than once. Normally they don't come back into the club for more." you said stiff and saw Zelda clench her jaw. Two could play that game, you thought.

"You could have at least said properly goodbye, you know? It wouldn't have hurt you." she stated, brushing a red strand out of her face.

A quick smile flickered over your face and you nodded. "Well, I had to go. I had no choice." you replied which earned you a scoff. "But I don't want to keep you awake for too long. I know you need your beauty sleep." you added and rose from your seat, quickly emptying your cup before turning to the door.

Zelda stood as well, ready to stop you but kept quiet. "It was nice seeing you again" you remarked with a smile over your shoulder and walked towards the door even though your body was screaming to stay, to hug her and never leave again.

That thought shocked you. You hadn't felt the need to settle ever since you left Zelda the first time, the reason why you left in the first place and it scared you, made you turn around and walk towards the door quicker than anticipated.

But the other witch felt the same and followed quickly, grabbing your wrist to keep you there. "Wait (Y/N)! Please wait." she called and almost collided with your chest. "From what are you running?" she whispered and if you weren't standing so close to her you probably wouldn't have heard her.

The feeling of her hand around your wrist made you smile which faltered quickly at her question. "I am not...I am not running from anything Zelda." you stated rather unconvincingly which made Zelda frown so you just sighed as you looked down, taking her hand. "You're gonna call me ridiculous if I tell you." you added quietly which caused the frown to deepen.

Zelda looked down as well and squeezed softly. "I would never." she responded and caressed the back of your hand as you took a deep breath.

This was it, you thought and swallowed, a lump forming in your throat. "W-Well I..." you started and looked up, meeting Zelda's soft gaze and you felt yourself leaning close and before you knew it your lips collided.

Zelda gasped into the kiss, her fingers coming to rest against your cheeks and your hands placed on her waist.

The kiss was soft and when you separated, desperate for air, you leaned your forehead against hers, following suit as Zelda closed her eyes. "I hope this means what I think it means because otherwise I will be very disappointed." she whispered and you laughed slightly, stealing another kiss.

"I am hoping the same. Zelda, I..I have loved you ever since New York and the reason why I left was because I couldn't handle the truth, that I fell in love with you and I thought, if I left I would just forget you but I couldn't. I still love you." you spoke and watched her every move, scared that she would pull away, push you away.

But the contrary happened, her eyes lit up and she grabbed your cheeks to pull you into another kiss. You responded and pushed her against a wall, quickly catching the frame that was about to fall which made Zelda giggle.

You seperated for a second and your worry seemed to be visible because without missing a beat she kissed you again and mumbled against your lips: "I love you too, silly. I always have."

[twdeadlysins]

Stay

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader

Word Count: 1,497

Summary: The reader has been having recurring nightmares and goes out for a walk to clear her head, but her plans change when she sees Daryl at his spot on the perch. She joins him only to accidentally slip that she has feelings for the man. 

Requested by: @leej2468

Prompt Request:  90. “I can’t sleep, can I stay here?” - The reader (M/F) had another nightmare and walks out of their cell and saw Daryl sitting at his spot on the perch. They say #90 and they sit there with him. They confess that they have feelings for him. Possible fluff ending. 

Warnings: mention of death, fluff, the usual walking dead violence, language and such with possible typos.  Author’s Note: Another request done! I’m trying to get them done, but I have the tendency to either focus on one and not work on another OR I’ll do a couple at a time and then neglect one and do the other IDK. Anyways, I also have school work that is setting me back along with life stuff in general, so I apologize to those who are waiting for their long-awaited request to be posted or a series of mine to start up again. I know it’s probably been months, but I’m trying and failing OOF. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy! 

The gifs I use aren’t mine, so all credit goes to their respective owners.

Masterlist in bio

Gasping for air, you jolted upwards in your bed, trying desperately to collect air into your lungs. Your vision was blurred and your cheeks were wet. Why were they wet? Wiping your flushed cheeks with the back of hand, you came to the realization that you had cried in your sleep. The not so peaceful slumber you were in left you dazed and confused in the bunk that you shared with no one. Having a cell alone didn’t bother you at all; you had your own living space and privacy, somewhere to go for peace and quiet. In this case, you didn’t have to worry about waking up your bunk mate with the sound of your whimpering from all the nightmares you had been experiencing as of late. So that’s a plus. 

Once you removed the thin blanket from your frame, you picked up your boots that were placed by your bedpost and slipped them on. Usually you would be against wearing socks to bed, but living in a prison that wasn’t so pristine deserved an exception. Plus anything could happen and you needed to be prepared, which is also why you didn’t need to change out of your clothes. The tight-fitting army green crew neck shirt and brown camo joggers were what you wore to sleep, so you tossed on your bomber jacket and armed yourself before heading out of your cell to get some much needed fresh air. 

Pushing aside the white sheet that substituted for the cell bars, you squinted, trying to adjust your puffy eyes to the dark. The moon peeked through the small barred windows that were high on the cinder block walls, slightly illuminating the place, which prevented you from tripping over your own feet and running into the walls. An oil lamp sat on the ledge of the perch where the hunter slept, also helping you guide your way through the prison hall with a subtle yellow glow. 

The way you met the group wasn’t the most pleasant memory. 

You were driving down the interstate in a black four door car you had hot-wired, going to no particular destination. The incoming herd of the dead made you slam on your brakes and crawl to the backseat floor. Covering yourself with a blanket, you tightly gripped your knife… you weren’t taking any chances. When the walkers had passed, you climbed back into the driver's seat and proceeded to drive until you couldn’t anymore due to the hundreds of cars that blocked the lanes. 

You had gotten out of the car and decided to search the vehicles for any supplies because you were running low on food and could use a set of clean clothes since the ones you wore were covered in blood and guts. A car stood out among all the rest, making you quirk a brow. Water and food were neatly displayed on the hood while the words ‘SOPHIA STAY HERE. WE WILL COME EVERYDAY’ were written on the windshield. Who was Sophia? What happened to her? And who wrote the message?

Based on the message and the supplies that were left, you concluded that the people cared about that person (obviously) and wouldn’t harm you (hopefully), so you decided to stay and wait for them to show up. They came there everyday and you were all alone with no plan on where to go next, so why not try your chances? You just hoped that you wouldn’t regret your decision. 

Shane, Andrea, and Carol had showed up the next day and pointed guns at you, demanding to know who you were and what you wanted. After much deliberation that you weren’t a threat, just someone who wanted to survive like the rest of them, they ultimately- well Shane ultimately decided to bring you back to the farm. Andrea and Carol were not big fans of letting you join their group and you understood that, you wouldn’t trust a complete stranger either.  

After you met the rest of their people, everyone including Andrea and Carol started warming up to you. They started engaging in a conversation with you, asking about your old life and not prying when you were uncomfortable sharing some information. The one person you did confide in was Daryl. Meeting the archer wasn’t the most ideal moment either considering he was covered in mud and blood, had an arrow in his side, and was grazed with a bullet on the side of his head. When he didn’t look like a full on walker, you were instantly attracted to him and found yourself trying to talk to him. At first he wouldn’t budge, which you didn’t take to heart since you were new and all. Over time though, you caught him staring and you would smile, getting a half-smile in return before he walked off, making yours fall quickly. 

The night that Rick, Glenn and Hershel came back with a dude named Randall was when Daryl took you by surprise. He had trekked down the farm house’s steps that you occupied and told you that if you ever needed to talk to someone, he would be there. “You’re apart of the group now.” He had said with a shy smile before joining Rick and Shane in whatever they were going to do with the hostage you guys had. Ever since then, you and Daryl had been close and your feelings for him grew more each day. 

Speaking of your feelings for the man, he sat on the stairs leading up to his spot on the perch, causing you to discard the plan of going outside. “Whatcha doin’ up?” His voice was gravelly, sending shivers down your spine and you were grateful that it was still dark out.

“I can’t sleep. Can I stay here?” He nodded and slid over while chewing on his bottom lip, causing you to grin as you quietly padded up the steps to join his side. “I was gonna get some fresh air, but this is much better,” you absentmindedly brought up, getting yourself situated. The space you had was nonexistent, leaving you very close to the redneck, but you didn’t mind… not unless he did. Daryl wasn’t too keen on contact, so him tensing up at your touch never offended you. He explained what his childhood was like and you didn’t think any less of him, you understood. “This okay?”

Daryl nodded once more before silence swallowed the room, making you stare outside the distant window at the moon. Normally the quietness would drive you insane, but with him by your side, it did the complete opposite.

“Wanna talk ‘bout it?” Daryl softly questioned, breaking your thoughts. You shrugged and brought your head down, picking your fingers as you contemplated on whether or not to burden him. Before you could back out, you remembered something he once said to you. 

“I had a nightmare. I have been having them for quite a while actually,” you solemnly chuckled, earning him to ask why you never told him. You shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I just thought they would go away, ya know? Everything’s kinda better now,” you motioned your hands around, referring to the shelter you now had. 

“That don’ mean ya can’t have ‘em.” 

“Well, yeah. I just wished they would go away since we’re good right now, but after tonight, it doesn’t seem like that’s the case,” you sadly sighed. “It’s always about me being alone again, me dying alone, or watching you die. And yeah it sucks- it totally sucks for me to be alone and even worse to die alone, but you- I can’t lose you. What you said to me, back at the farm? About how I was apart of the group really meant a lot to me- you mean a lot to me. Well, you mean everything to me and I love you, so I really need these nightmares to stop ‘cause the thought of never seeing you again is driving me insane and-” You stopped rambling, eyes growing wide at what you had just confessed and even though your heart screamed at you not to break it, your mind desperately wanted to know what his face morphed into. 

Daryl seemed stunned which is what you’d expect, the other would be running away and ignoring you. His mouth was slightly parted and his eyes were staring back at you in bewilderment, and you couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or a bad one. 

“Daryl, I’m so… I’m so sorry I dumped that all on you. I didn’t mean- I wasn’t thinking,” you apologized, abruptly standing up and wiping your sweaty palms on your pants. “Oh my god. Uh- I’m just gonna go on that walk now,” you pointed ahead with your index finger, not wanting to stay and hear his rejection. 

Before you could make your way down the steps, a calloused hand wrapped around your wrist and a soft broken whisper followed. 

“Stay.”

Taglist: @jodiereedus22 @sourwolf-sterek32 @haleypearce @gruffle1 @lonewolf471 @dashesoflipstick @aristocracy-y​ @oncemorewithfeelingg​ @maydayfigment​

[a-second-hand-sorrow]

Hey Romeo (Richie Tozier X Reader)

WC: 2181

Warnings: language, kinda sexual thoughts/comments, alcohol

Summary: Every time Richie went to tell Y/N how he felt he just couldn’t do it, but maybe things might change.

A/N: I hope y’all like this one, bc it is Cute. Also sorry if it’s a bit shit in parts, I wrote it on an airplane while being Very sleep deprived.

“Richard you are meant to be on in fifteen minutes, what are you doing?” Y/N asked, clutching a clipboard in one hand with the other on her hip. Y/N and Richie had been friends since college, and she now worked very closely with him, essentially acting as his manager.

“I’m just feeling a little out of it right now, Y/N. Got some stuff on my mind, you know.” Richie said, and Y/N sighed, briefly checking her watch before sitting down next to Richie, giving him a sincere smile.

“Rich, I’ve known you for like fifteen years. You know you can tell me anything, right?” Y/N said, and Richie nodded, taking in a deep breath.

“So what’s on your mind, and please don’t bullshit me. You know I can see through you like glass.” Y/N said, gently resting a hand on his knee as a means of reassuring and calming him. Unfortunately for Richie, it had the opposite effect.

See, the thing that was on Richie’s mind was the intense feelings he had for the woman sitting next to him. His best friend of fifteen years, roommate of ten and the woman who currently had her very soft, very warm hand on his knee. He wished he would stop feeling like a fucking schoolboy who got flustered if his crush so much as looked at him, but the feeling of Y/N’a hand on his knee was really speeding up his heart rate.

“It’s uh, it’s nothing much. Just nerves and stuff.” Richie said, and Y/N gave him a look that screamed ‘I call bullshit’ but she simply sighed, rubbing her thumb along his jean-clad knee.

“You’re going to knock them dead, Richie. Trust me.” Y/N said kindly, her warm eyes almost turning Richie’s insides to mush.

“You know I do, Y/N/N. Thank you.” He said, trying to keep his voice as even as he could manage. Y/N stood up, and Richie nearly let out an audible whine at the loss of warmth and contact.

“Any time Tozier, now go get em, tiger.” Y/N said, patting his back as he walked past her to the door. As soon as his hand touched the doorknob, he felt a wave of courage and he turned around, taking in another deep breath.

“Hey Y/N?” He said, and the girl let out a hum of acknowledgement as she turned to face him. Every bone in Richie’s body was screaming ‘JUST TELL HER!’ and he was about to, his mouth open to tell her how he felt but he was cut off by Y/N swearing loudly, looking at her watch before moving like a whirlwind, shoving Richie out of the dressing room towards the stage.

“Whatever it is you wanted to tell me, it can wait until after the show Rich. Go out there and kill it, ok?” Y/N said, smiling as Richie nodded eagerly, adjusting his glasses slightly.

“Break a leg Richie.” Y/N said before turning and walking away, and Richie couldn’t help but curse himself for making his last thought before going on stage be how good Y/N’s ass looked in that skirt she was wearing.

—————————

“Fuck Richie, can you help me with the groceries? My arms are just about to fall off.” Y/N called, bumping the front door open with her hip because of how full her arms were with bags of groceries.

Richie jumped up from his spot on the couch, immediately rushing past Y/N and out to her car. He grabbed as many bags as he could muster and barrelled back into the apartment, nearly spilling everything when he put the bags down.

“Ok, I think that’s everything. Hell yeah! Well done team.” Y/N said, high fiving Richie who spontaneously burst into laughter.

“Why are you laughing? What the fuck did I do?” Y/N said, pulling an iced tea out of the fridge and taking a sip as Richie pulled himself together.

“Well done team? You sound like a soccer mom after her stupid kid’s soccer game. You don’t say ‘well done team’ in response to anything unless you’re a soccer mom or a middle-aged white dad.” Richie said, wiping tears away from his eyes as Y/N huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I do not sound like a soccer mom, you asshole! That was very rude and very mean of you.” Y/N said indignantly, like an annoyed toddler on the verge of throwing a tantrum.

“Now you sound like a pissed off little kid. This is just too good.” Richie said, and his heart felt a little bit fuller at the sight of an annoyed Y/N. She always got pouty when she was annoyed, and he thought it was adorable.

“I’m gonna strangle you.” Y/N muttered, causing Richie to let out another laugh as he straightened up slightly.

“I’d like to see you and your itty bitty legs try, Y/L/N. I doubt you could reach even on your tip toes.” Richie taunted, crossing his arms as he watched Y/N’s eyes narrow.

“Oh it’s on, Tozier.” Y/N said under her breath before suddenly running at Richie and jumping. Richie panicked, his hands instantly going to her waist as her legs wrapped around his waist.

“How’s this for not being able to reach, tall ass?” Y/N said, laughing maniacally at the incredibly confused look on Richie’s face.

In truth, the look on Richie’s face was part confusion, part panic at the fact that Y/N was so close to him and god did her legs feel good wrapped around his waist. He had to stop his thoughts from wandering too much due to their close proximity. He couldn’t make it any more awkward than it needed to be.

“Why?” Richie said, his eyes wide and his voice higher than usual, and Y/N just giggled.

“Firstly, I wanted to prove to you that I could, in fact, reach your neck and secondly, I wanted to see the look on your face when I threw myself at you. So it was a victory for me on both fronts.” Y/N said, a smug grin on her face.

They both took in a deep breath, and suddenly the playful energy of before had melted into something a little more tense. Richie swallowed, trying not to stare too much at Y/N’s face that was so very close to his own.

“Look Y/N, there’s something I need to tell you.” Richie said, and he could feel his heart start to beat ridiculously quickly. He really hoped that Y/N couldn’t hear or feel it.

“Fire away Richie.” Y/N said, and it seemed that by looking so deeply into Y/N’s eyes Richie was suddenly filled with panic and anxiety.

“Oh um, it’s just that I need to start writing stuff for the new tour so would you be able to put the groceries away?” Richie said, hating himself as soon as those words left his mouth.

Y/N looked confused but she nodded, dropping away from Richie’s body and out of his hold. “Sure, Rich.” She said, furrowing her eyebrows slightly but obliging his request.

Richie walked away feeling incredibly stupid, having wasted another opportunity to tell Y/N about how he felt.

That’s nil to Tozier, two to all consuming anxiety and panic. Great.

——————————

“I really think we need to celebrate! The end of your very successful tour is a momentous occasion.” Y/N said, kicking off her heels as her and Richie entered the apartment.

“Sure. One glass of champagne couldn’t hurt. Pour up, my dear.” Richie said, causing a cheer to erupt from Y/N’s lips as she pulled out two glasses and opened the champagne, much to Richie’s delight.

The promised one glass of champagne turned into closer to four or five, and soon Y/N and Richie were dancing around the kitchen like maniacs, shouting the lyrics to Another One Bites The Dust with no style or class.

“We should really get drunk together more often. It’s so fun!” Y/N said, giggling at Richie’s enthusiastic nod.

“I love it! I haven’t felt this loose in forever. I don’t think I’ve listened to Queen in ages but here we are.” He said, throwing his arms up in the air in a gesture that showed how relaxed he was, apparently.

The giggle subsided slightly as the song changed from the upbeat Queen song to a slower Elton John number. Richie was pretty sure it was Your Song, one of Y/N’s favourites. He looked over to see Y/N smiling widely, swaying to herself and mumbling the lyrics under her breath.

Richie took a seat on the stool near the breakfast bar, trying his hardest to ignore the butterflies that were filling his stomach. He had since given up on trying to tell Y/N how he felt, because not only did he chicken out every time, he was 90 per cent sure she didn’t feel the same way.

However, all of his heart strings were being tugged by the sight of Y/N dancing in their shared kitchen, and suddenly Richie was pulled from his thoughts by Y/N calling his name.

“Richie, dance with me. Please?” She said, making grabby hands towards him with puppy dog eyes and Richie groaned, carefully getting off the stool and walking over to Y/N, who now looked very pleased with herself.

She gave him a dopey smile which Richie mirrored as his hands slowly made their way around her waist. Y/N rested her head against his chest, placing her hand on his upper back around his shoulders. She grasped at the fabric of his shirt, balling it up in her firsts as they swayed.

Y/N murmured something into Richie’s chest, and he pulled a confused face, knowing that she said something but not what she said. “What was that Y/N?” He asked, and she pulled away from his chest to look up at him with an emotion on her face that could only be described as adoration.

“I love you Richie. I know I’m drunk and you’re drunk but I don’t give a shit. I love you so much and I just really wanted to tell you so, yeah. There it is.” Y/N said, gaining more confidence as she spoke.

Richie’s eyes widened at Y/N’s words, looking at her dumbfounded once she had stopped speaking. He would struggle to process this sober, let alone drunk, but slowly things fell into place and Richie’s face lit up in an electric smile.

“Wait, so you’re saying you love me? Like romantically, like you’d want to be my girlfriend?” Richie said excitedly, smiling like a madman as Y/N nodded.

“Yeah idiot, that’s what it means when someone says they love you. I wanna date you and kiss you and shit.” Y/N said, causing Richie to let out an almost girlish giggle.

“You wanna kiss me?” Richie said and Y/N nodded enthusiastically, burying her head in the crook of Richie’s neck bashfully.

“Then what are you waiting for Y/L/N? Kiss me.” Richie said, placing a finger under Y/N’s chin and lifting her head so they were making direct eye contact. Y/N gave Richie a loving smile before leaning up and closing the gap between them.

Maybe it was the alcohol and maybe it was just how long they’d both waited for it, but the kiss was incredible. Y/N noted that Richie tasted like champagne and something else that she couldn’t quite place, and neither of them wanted to pull away. Richie was almost in heaven, and he was convinced that Y/N was made for him, because her body fit perfectly against his and so did her lips.

When they did pull away Richie’s eyes were still closed, and Y/N giggled as she looked at his blissed-out face. “Hey Romeo, you can open your eyes now.” Y/N said, and Richie instantly opened his eyes, sending Y/N an apologetic smile.

“Can we go to bed? I’m so tired and I just wanna sleep. I did, after all, conclude a very successful stand up tour tonight.” Richie said, an almost whiny quality to his voice as he spoke, running his hands up and down Y/N’a arms.

“On one condition: I get the left side of the bed.” Y/N said and Richie chuckled, nodding his head as he took Y/N’a hand and walked to his bedroom. Y/N shed her dress and immediately moved to Richie’s wardrobe, pulling out an old t-shirt that was huge on her. Richie simply took off his shirt and jeans, leaving him in his boxers.

“Hey.” Y/N said once she was in bed, facing Richie.

“Hi.” He replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Y/N rolled over onto her side, and Richie followed suit by wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing his chest into her back.

“I love you Richie, can’t say it enough.” Y/N said, and Richie pressed a soft kiss to her neck in response.

“I love you too Y/N. Goodnight.” Richie whispered, his breath raising the hairs on Y/N’s neck in the best way.

As they drifted off to sleep, Y/N felt more comfortable than she ever had, and she decided that maybe she belonged in Richie’s arms.

[jackjots]

#1 Podcast

Wayward Guide for the Untrained Eye 30 Day Prompt

Day #1 “Podcast”: 

(I do not own any other characters or place names outside of Shelby St. Ranger, this is just for fun)

There’s a driveway about one mile long that cuts into a foothill that surrounds Connor Creek. At the end of the driveway, is a small cabin with a garden that is as simple and as boring as a garden can be. 

When I, Shelby St. Ranger, moved there it had been an overgrown mess of something that had once been someones complex and colorful paradise. I’d left it for a little while, but eventually it depressed me to walk by the dead plants so I bought some gloves and gardening tools and tore everything up. It took up a weekend, which was good, since there wasn’t a lot to do in Connor Creek. This in itself was supposed to be a good thing, so I could work on my novel. Although my characters would often be battling each other and drinking mead in great viking halls, my own life was simple and plodded along. I’d moved from the city once I could afford to, and it was fairly cheap to live in Connor Creek so it actually had been a smart choice in many ways. But I hadn’t expected to be so deeply, deeply bored. I’d discovered the walk to town was pleasant, as not many cars went on the main road, and it helped when I hit writing blocks or just pure FOMO (fear of missing out) that was unfounded as the town inched along as much as I did. This was especially needed at night.

The only place open after 5pm was the Dead Canary. Despite my boredom, I’ve always been an introvert, so I kept to myself. Unfortunately, everyone already knew who I was before I had even moved in. It only took two visits before the bartender would greet me with my usual order and give me a quick “How’s it goin’ Shelby?” It became a habit for me to sit in the least visible place in the corner of a booth and write down little ideas that would pop into my head.

One night, a man with the energy of a rabbit came in and spotted me. “You’re the new one in town, Shelby right?” 

“Yes?” I had pushed my notebook aside, a very detailed doodle of a hexagon that had eyeballs betraying the fact that I couldn’t think of anything to write at the time. 

“My name is Ryan Reynolds. I’m running for town council, I was wondering if you’d heard about the race?”

I nodded. “I’ve seen the posters.” 

“Good. Can I count on your vote?” 

“I’ll have to do research first, I can’t just vote for you because you introduced yourself to me.”

His eyebrows almost hit his hairline. “Fair. Fair, very fair. Just do your research...how do you plan to do that?”

“Do what?”

“Your research.” 

“I imagine on the internet?”

“It’s so spotty. And believe me, if you google my name, it can be very confusing.”

“Right.”

“So you’re better off asking me questions directly.”

“Can I do it some other time? I’m working.” I sipped on my beer. 

“Of course! Anytime. You know, there’s people coming to record a podcast about what’s going on here at Connor Creek.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’ll tell you all about it, tomorrow night?”

“Sure.” He went back to the bar and his voice became white noise as I started back to my notebook and slowly the characters in my head came back to me and I wrote a few paragraphs. 

Unfortunately, I never had that second talk with Ryan Reynolds. 

I had struggled back and forth with myself if I should go into town that next night. I didn’t usually go two days in a row, but I’d already written 20 pages that day and felt like a drink was well deserved. However, the idea of talking about local town politics did not appeal to me. I thought if I went early, I’d probably miss him. Which was true, but not for the reasons I thought.

I was almost done with my beer, and had taken to drawing those S things I’d mastered in elementary school when I heard the door and the voice of Sheriff Madison. I peeked around the corner and saw two people with their backs to me. I didn’t recognize them, and realized I was acting like a nosey local, so I went back to my doodles. 

That was when I heard they were working on a podcast. Intrigued, I jotted down their names and the company they worked for. I’d have to wait until I was back home to try to connect to the internet to look them up. It would probably be a frustrating endeavor, but my interest was piqued for the first time outside my novel in the months I’d lived in Connor Creek. Why would anyone from the city cover the election in such a small town? There had to be more going on. Or maybe I was just creating something to get excited about. I sighed and tore the page, crumpled it up, and put it in my pocket. It was an old habit to put trash in my pocket, from years of don’t litter training pounded in my head. 

I tried to sneak out, but as soon as I got through the door, I heard someone scream.  I didn’t meet with Ryan again, because he was dead outside. I saw the podcast people come out and I watched as the town started to spill out around the scene. I walked home, feeling a bit numb. I had been avoiding him, and now he was dead. I don’t know why I felt guilty, but I did. 

On my way home, there was a crumpled paper white against the grass, dimly lit by the moon. Above the paper was a bush of white roses that made the paper stand out even more. I picked it up out of habit, but before I stuck it in my pocket I noticed print on it and opened it up. Ryan Reynolds’ face stared up at me from his campaign poster. I folded it and put it in my pocket. 

I logged online and started looking up information about the election, but as Ryan had suggested, it was impossible to find anything about him. And the town was hardly on the net. I’d have to go to the library, I decided, like it was the 90s again. I sighed and slumped back in my chair. Something in my pocket poked me and I took out the crumped piece of paper that said “Artemis and Paul” and “APN”. I typed the names into the search engine and drummed my thumbs as the search went through. It took a while to load them, but I started to listen to Artemis and Paul’s old podcasts, and found four hours had passed. I learned they were twins, and that Artemis was always digging into even the smallest stories for some meat, while Paul seemed happy with making puns and observations that always gave the stories a lively feel I enjoyed. 

Finally turning it off, I saw how late it was and almost got up from the computer when I thought more about Ryan Reynolds. I didn’t know much about the town and had become expert at avoiding hearing gossip, which was also easy as they were still weary of me - except for the Miner Mole owner Titus Makin. He’d been very welcoming, but he kind of reminded me of a snake. He mostly wanted to talk about city life since he knew that’s where I was from, but was very disappointed that I didn’t share his views that the town needed to grow more. I’d been at the bar (a mistake I stopped making soon after and started hiding in the shadows of the booths) when Titus had sat next to me and waxed on about progress. I said I moved to Connor Creek for a reason, and that reason was peace, quiet, and trees. That’s all I had wanted. Now that I thought about it, that was the night Desmond, the bartender, started to treat me like a regular. That suggested something that started to put other pieces into place. I looked up Miner Mole, and found some talk online about them changing the face of Connor Creek through the silver mines. The idea of the town changing rapidly didn’t appeal to me, as I’d left all of the behind for a reason, and I found a new appreciation for boredom at the worry that I would soon find myself in a bustling budding city. But what did this have to do with Ryan Reynolds' death? And why was there investigative podcasters here before he was even dead? 

I set my alarm for a trip to the library the next day, and found some sleep deep in my bed covers. 

[masjestickingdom]

Parallel Lives

Pairing: NCT x reader

Genre: Lighthearted, slight fluff, one shot 

Summary: You’re a studious university who’s on summer break, spending your spare moments with your best friend. After a random statement is thrown into the conversation, you and your friend wonder what it’s like to be in NCT’s position. Little do you know that your idols are simultaneously pondering about your position as a normal college student.

Note: Here’s a simple, sweet scenario that I wrote! Even though it’s simple, I really wanted to post this because it’s a nice, exciting thought to have a crossover conversation... Imagine if you were thinking about the same thing at the same time of your favorite idol! Anyway, I also thought it was important to post this to point towards the life experiences everyone has. While this story doesn’t cover every one of those experiences, I think it covers the bigger topics (youth, hate, missing out on experiences, dreams, etc) that I personally think about a lot, so I hope you enjoy! 

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   As a university student, you have worked your butt off to get good grades and make connections with your professors, upperclassmen, and peers. When you were a high school student, you didn’t care about any of that. In fact, you were the shy one and you got away with it because, hey, it was high school. Fast forward a few years ahead and here you are in the present day, socializing with every human being you could possibly get in touch with. What for, though?

   “For what are we grinding this hard?” you wonder out loud, grabbing your nth piece of chicken.

   Your friend sighs in agreement, spreads out her long legs over the table you both paid for, and rests them adjacent to the boxes of chicken and coke you ordered over half an hour ago.

   Exams are finally over, and you decide to spend the night on the balcony with your roommate, who’s also your best friend, before your two-month internship, which you earned in part to your networking skills. It’s a nice, breezy summer night. It’s one of those nights you want to enjoy in peace and quiet, staring off into the limitless expanse of the dark, but shimmery sky.

   You reach out for another piece of chicken when your friend chuckles at something on her phone.

   “What?” you ask with your mouth nearly full.

   “Nothing, it’s just this really funny meme about NCT,” your friend says with glee. “Very relatable, by the way.”

   NCT, one of the hottest international sensations taking the world by storm alongside living legends, BTS and BlackPink, according to news outlets, is a name you haven’t heard in a while. Personally, you used to be an avid fan since the SMRookies days. You kept up with the appearances they made as trainees in EXO’s EXO 90:2014 series, the cameos in music videos (including the ones in EXO 90:2014), the variety show Mickey Mouse Club, and the videos SM Entertainment would randomly post. As time went on, sadly, the determination to be informed of the latest news withered as your priorities changed upon entering your sophomore year of high school. Sure, you heard news here and there and occasionally checked out their social media accounts, but when you entered college, that was a territory you failed to explore. Other than awards and comebacks, you hadn’t heard much of NCT once you had indulged yourself in your studies, and everyone else around you were doing the same thing.

   It has been quite some time since you were curious about the idols. Your friend’s sudden comment on them resurfaced old fangirl feelings, luring you into an interesting discussion of NCT, idols, and life in general.

   “Another exam to go until graduation, another test to assess loyalty, another test closer to our deathbeds,” you mumble grumpily.

   At the abrupt foul tone that consumed your voice, your friend raised her eyebrows questioningly.

   “And an internship to be a prospect of a permanent employee for some company to work for others--exciting, right?” you said sarcastically before you took a long sip of ice-cold, refreshing coke, which did nothing to restore your mood.

   Understanding what you were getting at, your best friend calmly nodded.

   “They’re living their best lives,” she says, referring to NCT.

   You let a bitter smile form on your lips as memories about mistreatment and mismanagement whiz past your mind. “Or behind the curtains..."

   “They could be just like us,” your friend finishes off. “Tired, overworked, maybe even frustrated.”

   A soft smile overtakes your bitter one. “But probably in a different way.”

   “What would it be like to be an idol?” your friend sighs dreamingly.

   “What would it be like to be a college student?” a silver haired boy ponders aloud.

   His purple haired younger friend, Haechan, who’s grilling meat, replies ambiguously, “Stressful, Yuta. Pretty stressful.”

   “Probably fun too,” green haired Jaehyun chimes in. “Engaging with lots of people the first few weeks of school, trying out different clubs, and finding a way to fit in--that all sounds fun to me.”

   The optimistic boy joins Haechan in the adventure of grilling meat, switching with Taeyong’s position as a meat griller. While the rest of the boys prepare the dining table, placing the setting with kitchen utensils and side dishes being prepared by Taeyong, Doyoung, and Johnny, Yuta admires the busy streets of the city, listening for the distant sounds of cars honking and pedestrians screaming, with the cool night air breezing past his newly dyed hair. It certainly is one of the best ways he and the members could possibly enjoy the rare moments of freedom.

   At the sound of a whistle, Yuta is pulled from his cloud of thoughts, and he looks over his shoulder, nodding to his not-so-secret favorite member of the group at the simple gesture of a hand that urged him to go inside and help bring out the dishes.

   “We’ll never experience the glamor of getting dolled up almost everyday,” you state solemnly.

   “Or have fans,” your friend pitches in.

   “Or see famous celebrities literally every day.”

   “Or experience the trainee days, everyone trying to bring everyone down, or haters trying to drag you out once you gain fame.”

   You throw a strange glance at your friend for that last statement.

   “What?” she says, shrugging nonchalantly. “We need drama in our lives, or else life’s boring.”

   Shaking your head, you chuckle at her unique take on an abstract concept.

   A moment of silence engulfs the two of you as both of you fall deep in your thoughts.

   There was never a quiet moment under the roof of NCT, and tonight is no exception.

   “Hey, isn’t the beef really good?” Yuta’s favorite member, Mark, speaks, delighted at the flavors bursting in his mouth.

   “Haechan, don’t you dare pull a prank on us with coke and vinegar ever again,” Taeyong scolds the youngest member, recovering from his gagging session, while Johnny and Taeil are still chugging down glasses of water to get rid of the aftertaste. “Is it really necessary to do any of this?”

   “Sorry, mom, my hand itched,” the prankster smiles innocently.

   “Didn’t Haechan grow a lot?” you bring up, breaking the quietness.

   Your friend gulps down her coke before pointing out, “Isn’t he the same age as us?”

   Your crane your neck, your head now tilting sideways. “He is?”

   “Crazy, isn’t it?” your friend responds. “The majority of the Dreamies are the same age as us.”

   “Yuta, didn’t you say something about college?” Mark asks, chowing down pieces of watermelon.

   The older boy nods. “Wouldn’t it be fun to experience it? None of us went to college.”

   Taeyong uncomfortably shifts on the bench at the mention of college. 

    Like Yuta mentioned, none of the members of NCT went to college and probably won’t go because it’s not a likely option, considering their packed schedules. He knows that the mere mention of it can bring down the mood because for them, college represents the definition of normalcy, the life of a normal person, and with them not going to college or graduating high school, he doesn’t want them to have a chance to regret or have second thoughts.

   “Imagine if they visited our college for one day,” your friend mused.

   Extending your short arm to pour yourself another cup of coke, you wheeze between your breaths, “Hey, I bet that the professors would ask for autographs.”

   “Yeah, I think we wouldn’t stand a chance in the classes,” Johnny laughs, adding ice to his coke. “They would be too advanced for us to understand anything.”

   Yes, Taeyong let the conversation flow. He even joined in on the conversation a few times. He didn’t want to ruin the mood by switching the topic in a way that could be nothing short of a very obvious attempt, and if he didn’t say something, his group members, his family, would notice.

  “It would be nice to make new friends, right?” Yuta expresses. “New people to dance with, sing with, do sports with..."

   “I think Yuta’s tired of our awful soccer skills,” Jaehyun replies humorously.

   “I feel like they would say that they would want to make new friends, but it all depends on your personality,” you say, tucking your hands behind your head. “I only have you.”

   Your friend laughs, replicating your movements. “Loser, I’m on the same boat as you.”

   “Wouldn’t it be nice to go to game rooms or comic book stores?” Mark carries on as he stretches his arms out to the sky.

   “Wouldn’t it be nice to be your own karaoke room or be able to dance the trends?” you fancy.

   “Or be the trend,” your friend adds.

   “I just want to sleep,” Johnny murmurs, lazily dragging his feet across the floor to the cushioned bench placed against the white walls. Turning his large body so that his body faces the wall, he hugs an available pillow with his legs and remarks, “Idol or student, you don’t get to sleep that much.”

   “It would be nice to work hard for something that you know you want to do,” you dream. “We have no clue what to do in the future. Most of us blindly study and get internships.”

   Just then, a bright stream of light passes your eyes, and your eyes widen.

   “Did you see that? That was a shooting star!” Jungwoo exclaims, his eyes mirroring the sparkling trail.

   Everyone looks up at the sky even though the moment has well passed.

   “We’re living under the same sky as them, so how are our worlds so different?” you say without much energy, staring at the now dark sky. “I bet they were pitted against each other at some point in their trainee lives, but here they are in this world. Years of friendship, what would that be like?”

   Slightly offended, your friend sits up from her resting position. “Hey, we’ve been friends since middle school.”

   “Do you remember the time when you were young and saw your favorite artists on tv?” Doyoung reminisces.

   “They’re the reasons why I became one,” Haechan concurs.

   Taeyong thoughtfully fixates his eyes on where the shooting star once was, his arms acting accordingly.

   “They were so young when they were casted,” you whisper. “It’s kind of sad when you think about it.”

   Another wave of silence overwhelms you. Your friend spares another look at you and watches you stretch your hands to the sky, hands shaped as if you are taking a snapshot of your view.

   She responds with a quiet voice of her own, “Some of them didn’t even plan on being an idol.”

   Taeyong’s hands retract to his sides. “I remember when I first met you guys. I’m really glad that we have each other.”

   The sappy moment comes to an abrupt end when Johnny’s snores take over.

   You turn your head over to your friend who is fast asleep.

   Eyes averting to the inky sky once again, you contemplate quietly, “I wonder what they’re doing now.”

   Meanwhile, the boys are trying to stuff a sock in Johnny’s mouth to muffle his snores. Taeyong, not participating, stays in the background and enjoys the last bit of their night of freedom.