#i`ve been singing this song all day

[withahappyrefrain]

I constantly think about friends to lovers (quite literally lovers) w/ Bob. Like imagine being childhood friends who totally like each inter but don’t say anything until the reader visits Bob in Miramar and hangman or rooster goes up to her and hits on her and Bob finally snaps. That night he makes sure that the next day that the reader is off limits

"What the hell is your problem Floyd?"

One minute you were trying to politely (but also firmly) turn down Jake Seresin's advances and the next minute your best friend of two decades was leading you out of the bar.

It was another thing to add on the list of weird shit Bob had done since you arrived in Miramar.

First was the way his welcoming hug had lingered, how he buried his face into your hair. Then it was how he licked his lips whenever he saw you in your sleepwear. Prior to five minutes ago, the most recent action was how he was rendered speechless when you showed him your outfit for tonight. When asked if something was wrong with the sundress, he quickly sputtered a response while his face turned bright red.

Something was going on.

"Are you going to talk to me or do I have to sing your least favorite song?" Though unusual, it was a tried and true method. Bob had nothing against Justin Bieber personally, but having three younger sisters meant he had to hear 'Baby' every hour of the day for two years straight.

That very threat was what made Bob finally turn around. He looked out of sorts; his usually perfectly straightened glasses were crooked, there was a slight flush of red blooming across his cheeks, his usually perfectly coiffed hair had been run through by one of his large hands. A sandy brown curl brushed against his forehead.

Bob had no right to look so hot when he was being annoying.

"Do not go out with him," He grunted, voice uncharacteristically low. You would need to unpack what it did to you later.

"Who said I was?"

"I know he looks like he should be on the cover of Men's Health, but that's the only compliment I'll give him. He doesn't deserve you, you deserve better. And I'm not saying I'm better- wait, yes I am. But what I mean is-"

"I know you're better. You're the best man I know and I've been having to act like I don't want you like that for the last ten fucking years. So don't play that humble act with me Floyd."

Wait, shit. That's not what you meant to say.

His eyes widened like saucers, "T-ten years? I could have had you for ten years now?"

Wait, what?

Timidly, you nodded, "Yeah. Ten years. What a waste, right?"

Bob shook his head before stepping forward. Whether it was you or him who initiated the kiss didn't matter. His lips were so soft, no doubt due to the chapstick you'd watch him apply. The scent of sage and mint flooded your nostrils. How did he smell so good all the damn time? Speaking of time, y'all had a decade to make up for, which is why you didn't feel bad about swiping your tongue across his bottom lip. You especially didn't feel bad when it got a groan out of Bob. The sound was low and gutteral, so unlike that pristine church boy act he put up for everyone but you.

Perhaps there were a lot of signs you had missed. Probably.

Wait, when the fuck did he lift you up? Fuck, he was that strong? You weren't light by any means, but Bob was deceptively muscular.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled before pressing your back against the wall, "Should take you out on a date but I can't wait, 've waited so long-"

"Robby," your groaned as his teeth sunk into your neck, "If we don't get into your car, I'm going to let you fuck me against this wall."

Bob could feel his cock twitch against his jeans, "What about inside the car?"

"I knew you were fucking dirty Floyd."

[bellesdreamyprofile]

My Best Friend - Austin Butler

summary: both you and austin are in love with each other, yet you both hesitate to admit it - 1.9k words

Callum wrapped an arm around your shoulder and laughed in your ear. He gripped the microphone tighter and moved it in front of your face, your laughter echoing in the room.

“No fucking way!”, laughter fell from your lips as you desperately gripped onto your glass, your other hand pushing the mic away. Your thumb wiped away a tear that fell from the corner of your eye. 

All whilst Austin was watching the two of you. No alcoholic beverage as his drink of choice and a small grin on his lips. He loved watching you have fun — drinking and laughing with your friends was a must on one of those rare, free weekends you had. Your hair was wild from all the touch-ups you had done tonight, your lips were painted a bright color — lips that told stories like nobody else, and your eyes. Oh, how he loved your eyes. A deep, rich color that made his heart beat just a little bit faster.

Your hand reached out to Austin, your eyes glistening with something he couldn’t put his finger on, and without thinking about it more than once, he put his hand in yours. You pulled him up as protests fell from his lips.

“I´m not really good at singing—“, he said and before he could finish his sentence, Callum laughed pushing his shoulder.

“Mate, we´ve all seen Elvis.”, a rosy blush covered Austin´s face and he was grateful for the dim lights in the room. You took the microphone from Callum and moved to stand between the two of them, the piano keys filling the room.

“Can… Anybody find me somebody to love?”, your hand curled around Austin´s waist, his breath immediately hitched in his throat. His eyes found yours with ease as you sang to him, visibly encouraging him to sing along too. He wanted to make you happy, he wanted to see that smile and that light in your eyes.

Austin leaned down and sang in the mic. “I work hard every day of my life.”, a laugh fell from your lips, your hand tightening around his waist. A sudden surge of confidence engulfed him and he too wrapped his arms around you, his eyes closing. “I work ´till I ache in my bones.”, your head fell on his shoulder as Callum sang the other verse, but you were absolutely and totally in love with the sound of his voice.

The blonde looked down, his heartbeat embarrassingly quickened, taking your peaceful state in. That was when he loved you the most, when you let yourself live. You were trapped in your own head by your own thoughts and beliefs, but when you were out with him — or them both — you weren’t caught in a trap anymore. 

You were free from your mental cage and Austin was soaking that up. He gently shut his eyes as you took Austin´s hand to bring the mic closer to your mouth. He let his mind wander for a split second, imagining a life where a kiss on the cheek was a kiss on the lips, a life where you didn’t have to be drunk to wrap your arms around him. But he couldn’t possibly ruin what you two had built so far. It had always been the three of you. There couldn’t just be the two of you.

“Anybody, anywhere, anybody find me somebody to love.”

The tingling feeling hadn’t vanished from when you gripped his hand earlier. But the song had now ended and your touch left his as you took another sip of your drink. A round of applause followed before you walked off the small stage, a drunken giggle leaving your lips.

The night was over and you were all headed outside for some fresh air.

“That reminds me, Austin—“, he turned to look at Callum who was already searching for his cigarettes. You sighed and leaned against the railing, your head on your forearms.

“There’s this girl, Clarissa, that is interested in you.”, Austin´s eyes narrowed a little, fighting the urge to look at you. But you were already secretly holding your breath in anticipation.

“I didn´t tell her anything yet, figured I’d talk to you first.”, he offered Austin a cigarette who shook his head with an absentminded look. “So?”

Austin blinked quickly. “Well, what’s she like?”, Callum hummed, thinking quickly of an answer. You pressed your nails to your skin, keeping up the facade of the girl who was too drunk to keep her head up — the conversation was killing your head more than the alcohol.

“She´s a model—“, a quiet sigh left your lips, you couldn’t compare. “Relatively pretty—“

A laugh tumbled out of Austin´s chest. “Relatively?”, his tone was laced with playfulness.

“Well, I mean, if you’re into blondes.”, Callum said, bringing the cigarette to his lips. “Then yes, she’s pretty.”, a moment of silence engulfed the three of you. You held your breath once more, forcing your eyes shut.

“I don´t know… I’m more into brunettes.”

Callum hummed, exhaling. “Well, she’s real fun, though. Wouldn’t kill ya to go out with her once.”

Your head rose as you blinked quickly, adjusting to the moonlight. “You know what, Cal? You know that guy you tried to set me up with once and I refused?”

The brunette nodded in confusion. “Uh, Matt, yes. Why?”

“Just…”, you hesitated for a moment. “Tell him I’m available.”, and your gaze lowered again, shoes too busy tapping on pebbles.

Austin wanted to look at you so badly, see what was tormenting those eyes tonight. Was it Callum´s suggestion of him going out with another woman? But his blues were fixated on the ground instead, feeling the chill air on his exposed chest.

He cleared his throat, pushing a pebble to the side with the front of his boot. “Yeah, tell Melissa I´ll go out with her.”

“It´s Clarissa.”, Callum corrected him, a small smirk curling at his lips, going unnoticed by the two of you. None of you seemed to realize what was truly going on. He decided he was going to enjoy the little theatre he had just orchestrated for himself. “But sure, I’ll tell Clarissa and Matt that you’re both available.”

The evening was over as you all walked over to Austin’s car. No further words were spoken between the three of you as palpable tension engulfed your group. You couldn’t believe he had agreed to go out with that girl, yet he also was in disbelief of your sudden interest in that guy, Matt. Your purse was in your lap as Austin drove Callum home first, light conversation sparking from the brunette’s side.

“Anyways, thanks mate.”, he waved a hand at his friends. Austin lowered the car windows, his eyes following his friend´s movements.

“Cal!”, he turned around, stumbling a little. “Don’t forget about my date!”, Calum saluted, a drunken smile on his face and walked off. You on the other hand didn’t feel so smiley and happy about the situation — especially since now it was just you and Austin in the car.

He wordlessly turned on the engine again and pressed the foot on the gas pedal.

“Do you even know anything about Clarissa?”, your question made him blink in surprise. He turned to look at you for a moment.

“Who?”

You rolled your eyes. “Clarissa, your date.”

His heartbeat picked up for the hundredth time tonight. “Oh yeah, right.”, he cleared his throat. “But no, not really. Sure she’s nice though.”

His plain response drove you crazy.

“Nice? That’s what you’re settling for? Just nice?”, the disbelief and irritation in your tone were easily detectable. Was that you showing your jealousy? Or was that your reaction as a friend?

“Well, it’s a first date so yeah, being nice is enough for a first date. Then we’ll see.”, he paused for a moment, his eyes briefly looking at you. “What do you know about Matt?”

“I talked to Matt once.”, you breathed through your nose, your gaze wandering outside.

“Once? And you know you want to go on a date with him?”

Your eyes flickered to his side profile, casually staring for a moment. 

Austin noticed, biting his smirk away. “Y/N?”

“Oh, well, yes. He seemed nice enough.”

“There it is. Nice.”, he threw your own words back at you. “You also seem to settle for nice.”

“Guess we have that in common.”, you huffed, crossing your arms against your chest. Another moment of silence fell over the two of you, your eyes casually gazing outside, taking notice that you were in front of your building.

Austin clicked the button on the side, signaling that the doors were unlocked. But he needed to say something — the words that were buzzing since the beginning of your evening. Words he had been thinking since you two met. 

“I think… I think you shouldn’t go out with Matt.”, the words fell from his lips, leaving something unprecedented in his mouth. But he wouldn’t have said anything if you hadn´t said something about his supposed date — he hoped his gut feeling was right.

You froze in your seat, your breath blocked in your throat.

“I think you deserve more than nice.”, Austin continued, his face finally turning towards you. You felt his piercing gaze on the side of your face, his blues burning like fire, almost begging for attention.

You sighed. “I, uh… I think that…��Clarissa… I’ve met her once and...”, you shook your head a little. With some hesitation you still managed to turn your gaze to his, immediately engulfed by his familiarity and warmth.

A minuscule smile formed on his lips at your hesitant words. “What I’m trying to say is that… She’s not the nice you deserve.”, Austin raised an eyebrow, your gaze shifted on your lap again.

“Yeah?”, you wordlessly nodded, your fingers finding your rings with ease to fiddle with them. “What do I deserve, Y/N?”

You pressed your lips into a thin line. “You deserve someone funny, caring, loving… Someone like you.”

Austin remained quiet, hanging onto your every word. His eyes looked down, catching you fiddle with your rings. His heartbeat picked up as his hand moved forward, briefly hovering over yours and then he finally let go. He let go of the barriers that had been separating the two of you for too long. His hand was finally pressed on yours, your fingers twitching at his warmth. You held hands before, it wasn’t a big deal — but not like this, never like this.

“I think I have that person right here.”

Your eyes lifted to look at him and you remained speechless at his honesty. His blue eyes were clearer under the moonlight, maybe that played a part too.

“That is, if you’ll have me for who I am.”, he said slowly. “A man who’s been in love with the funniest, most caring and loving person since the day he met her.”

A thin sheet of tears glazed your eyes at his words.

“God, you´re so cheesy.”, you laughed through your tears, wiping one of them away.

You looked at Austin and a breathy laugh tumbled out of his chest.

“So?”, a small, easy smile played on his lips.

You nodded, laughing. “I’ve been waiting for you to say this. For so long.”

Austin didn´t let you finish that he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours, his hands cradling your cheeks in a manner that made you forget all about your past conversations.

You felt dizzy, woozy, lost and wrapped up in a dream all at once. And you intended to keep it this way.

A/N: I loved this!!! and I love bff Austin 😩💋 let me know what you thought and I'll see you in the next one ✨

MASTERLIST austin masterlist

next is ... our biker benny 🎞️🤍

[daddyhausen]

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「 MASTERLISTS 」 | 「 MUSICIAN/BAND MASTERLIST 」 | 「 VESSEL MASTERLIST 」

「 COMMISION INFO 」 | 「 LIKE MY WORK? BUY ME A COFFEE — KOFI — DXDDYHXUSEN 」

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「 SUMMARY 」 — giving vessel some motivation to keep singing

「 WARNINGS 」 — smut, 18 +, [ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT ] , oral sex [ male receiving ], throatpie, cumshot, cum swallowing

「 WORD COUNT 」 — 823

「 PAIRING 」 — fem!reader x vessel

「 GENRE 」 — smut

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「 TAGLIST 」 — @thewrestlingbitch @omg-im-such-a-masochist @mjfass @sammiejane22 @im-just-a-mississippi-girl @omegasluvbot @melissahausen @writtingrose @drummergrl1310 @unoficialy-married-to-ace-austin @janetreader @bonehead-playz @legit9thlunaticwarrior @crowleysqueenofhell @romanreigns-supreme @thenerdybaker523 @sunshinevirus @nicoleveno14 @rubyred1980 @harmshake @igncrxntripley @ripleyswhore @embermdk @thepalaceofmelanie @seeingstarks @kennysbadkitten @darkangelchronicles @selena-tyler-564 @alyyaanna @nightmare-freakin-viper @nev-danielgarciawife @teenagedramaqueenlisa @them4lice

「 COMMENT IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDED TO THE TAGLIST 」

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he’s been locked inside the basement for the better part of the day. his frustration was evident as he could not lay down the correct vocal track for the song. his intention was breathy, moans and whispers as he sings, but his voice came out croaky and hoarse. a scowl evident behind his mask softened slightly as you stepped into view.

“everything okay, ves?”.

your voice was soft like an angel’s whisper in his ears. his anger and frustration subsided momentarily. your gaze gentle as you stared at him with a mixture of worry and understanding. he’d been recording all day, you could tell, even with the subtle hum in his response you could tell just how exasperated his voice was. 

“no, my darling”, he allowed himself to embrace you, as he stepped out of the booth in order to hold you fully. his lanky arms wrapped around your shoulders, fingers traced shapes between your shoulder blades, his chin rested atop your head. 

he felt content for a moment as he basked in the silence, the only sound was the mingled hums of your breaths within the twilight hours. vessel remained quiet, in a simple silence as he held you, he felt the frustration melt from his tired body with the warmth of your skin against his. 

“why don’t you come relax. you’ve been in here all day”, it was more of a plea than a suggestion on your part. vessel gave a small smile, his lips pursed into a thin line, small dimples indented behind the tips of his mask.

“my love, as much as i want to, i’ve have to finish this tonight”. 

he pulled away from you, as much as he hated doing so. he wanted to revel in your embrace until the end of time, to simply bask in the sensation and warmth of your skin. he began to explain how he wanted the vocals to sound, an attempt to try and to recreate the breathy wisps and sensual shudders he’d envisioned in his mind, although his replications were stark in comparison. 

you noticed the frustration begin to grow across the tall crypid’s features, how his maw would tense and contract with a soft growl, his fists clenched around the microphone stand, he was surely to burn himself out at this rate. 

“i think i may have a solution,” you remarked, a subtle smirk across your lips as you entered the booth with him. vessel cocked his head to the side as two two of you stood cramped inside the small recording booth. 

“just relax for me”.

vessel nodded, confused at your comment. his eyes widened as you slowly sunk to your knees before him, your hand palmed his semi-hard cock through his shrouds. 

“l-love..?” 

“shh ves. just relax” 

you freed his engorged cock from behind his shrouds, the appendage hung heavy in your palm, it softly throbbed and twitch with arousal against your skin. you placed gentle kisses to the tip, you circled the cock-head with your tongue, you adored the way he began to whimper and shudder. 

“start singing, love” 

he gave a small nod in response to your instructions, a choked moan escaped his lips as you wrapped your lips around his swollen cockhead, languid in your movements as you began to suck him off. he stared down as you for a moment, the lyrics beginning to flow from his lips in mutters and whines. 

you took him deeper, feeling his cock stiffen down your throat. vessel had to grip the microphone stand for stability, not wanting to tug at your hair for the moment, he would not be able to control himself otherwise. the words flowed from his lips exactly how he envisioned them, a sense of satisfaction washed over him as he completed the song taking your head in his hands, sinking his cock deeper down your throat.

“fuck…thank you, my love” 

his grunts and groan became more frantic the longer you progressed, taking him deeper, inch by inch until he was nestled comfortable in the back of your throat. he adored the way you’d occasionally gag around his length, the subtle constriction of your throat provided him with nothing but pleasure, ebbing him closer to release. 

“oh darling…please…i’m so close” 

vessel became restless his orgasm nearing and fast. his cock slamming into the back of your throat with reckless abandon, not caring how loud he was being, the booth was soundproof anyways. he came down your throat, his hot cum seeping from the corners of your mouth, down your chin and neck before he eventually pulled out, letting his cock throb against your tongue for a moment, slapping the swollen cock-head against your bottom lip. he brought you to your feet carefully, placing a chaste kiss to your lips, tasting his cum on those petal shaped buds.

he only hopes to keep the last five minutes of the track in the final version. 

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[etaindelaserna]

So I went to the Munich ritual (1st ritual ever) and to the one in Prague because I`m hopelessly obsessed with Ghost and needed to see them again after the album dropped. Here are some of the things I noticed:

Prague Ritual

(I had a seat right next to the stage, maybe around 10 meters away and high enough to be able to watch what was going on)

Papa V isn´t as scary as the Lachryma video made him out be. I´ve seen a lot of discussions in the fandom whether he is shy/awkwardish (and if so if it’s because he is new) or the greatest horny slut ever and tbh I can´t say he is either with certainty. At least neither in Prague nor in Munich we were gifted with overly explicit movements (Berlin, you lucky bastards). The only thing he did was sliding down his hand over his body once (both in Munich and Prague). Idk Papa´s scary, kind of sexy-goth-romance vibe from Lachryma is not present in the live performance and it didn´t feel as if that was even his intention.

If anything Papa V has a lot of orange cat energy, meaning: strolling around and vibing and causing just enough mischief to be an annoyance but never with ill intent (e.g. playing around with Mountain’s cymbals during a song, walking up to the Ghouls and watching them play and nodding along approvingly. One time it even looked like as if he tried to reach for the guitar strings but then didn’t)

He´s also being silly, almost flamboyant, a lot of the times. During the start of Umbra, when he was lifted on the stage, he looked around and seemed to have forgotten what he was supposed to do with the cow bell until the ghoulette gestured him towards her. V seemed a little bit embarrassed by that

After Future is a Foreign Land Papa just dropped a random "Jepp" after the song had ended

the Ghouls still sometimes hush him away from the center stage and Papa then walks off sulkily (Year Zero)

Papa V is also still encouraging the crowd to make noise for the Ghouls during their solos but also seems to act kind of jealous when they get all the attention (he does a lot of "Yeah, of course, they are cool but what about me?" gestures)

Phantom jumped down from one of the platforms during Square Hammer

I am not sure if it was Phantom or Dewdrop (forgot to pay attention) but one of them often threw his hand up in a challenge at the crowd and idk what I was supposed to do but I felt chastised -.-

Dewdrop´s leg is a lot better now. He is just as active around the stage as the rest. A fan threw a plushy at him and he watched it collide with him and drop to the ground as if he had never seen one before. Later he thanked the fan with a hand over his heart.

Phantom danced with one of the ghoulettes (Cirrus?) after she finished her battle part in Umbra (I hope I`m not mixing it up with the part in Mummy Dust, sry it´s been a long day)

Papa is cowering down during the Latin parts in Satanized

ghoulettes on my side of the stage threw a lot of kisses at the crowd during the last 3 sings. They also tried to get us to dance a lot.

during Dance Macabre Phantom (I think) walked up to the ghoulettes and they danced.

No explicit hip thrusts during Mummy Dust. Papa V implied it faintly (like, he raised his hands for a few seconds as if was going to do it and then didnt -.-)

Papa made a comment to Dewdrop about his leg which sounded a lot like "that´s what you get with a broken bonER" (please, stop, omg)

During Umbra Papa was running from one edge of the stage to the other and still didn´t sound breathless

He crouched down in Cirice and stretched his hand towards a fan but blew no kiss afterwards. Cirice slaps so hard live, oh my God.

during He is people took their lighters out and honestly, it was such an 80s/90s vibe. I don`t miss phones during a concert AT ALL.

it was great to see that the crowd now is loudly singing along to Peacefield, Lachryma, Satanized and Umbra -- totally different vibes than in Munich

I caught one of the 666 Dollars^^ and almost one of the guitar plecs

Munich vs Prague Ritual

the sound mix was better in Prague. In Munich during the first 4 songs I had a hard time hearing Tobias´ voice over the instruments. Totally different in Prague and I´m glad because his vocal work and placement during the concert is amazing. Very tight and clear.

since I hadn´t listened to any of the pre-released songs before the album dropped, I went into the Munich ritual blank. Still, after just one chorus I was able to sing along to Peacefield and Lachryma because Tobias is a god damn genius when it comes down to a catchy chorus BUT those songs did hit harder the second time around

the crowd in Munich was much more reserved. The crowd in Prague sang so loud that Papa let them sing longer sections of the songs multiple times. In Munich he even commented something a long the lines of "Aw, don´t worry. Let´s try again". Prague was just a different energy compared to Munich and not only because I had far better seats.

In conclusion:

if you have the chance to see Ghost live, do it. It`s SUCH A BLAST. I drove 3 hours to Prague to see them a second time and I'm glad I did. If you have the means, going a 2nd time might even give you a slightly different experience. Totally worth it! (I´ve heard that people are complaining that the tickets have gotten so expensive and while it´s not cheap, I think it´s still reasonable: ticket in Munich was 95€ and in Prague, with the better seats, 85€). And if you like some interactions with the ghouls or Papa , a seat next to the stage is a good alternative to fighting over a place in front of the stage. They definitely hang around the edges of the stage a lot and engage with you.

[writingwarden]

Hiiiiiii!! Logan's been taking over my brain alot lately.

I was thinking what if reader is the one to save him from Rorke?

[A/N]- YEP. Took this one and R A N across the field with it. Enjoy!

Logan Walker x Reader

Cracks in the Glass

TW- being stabbed, torture, physically fighting to blow off steam, blood, minor and Major character death (not Reader or Walker brothers), Canon typical violence, revenge, verbal fighting, let me know if I missed anything!

Word Count- 6.5k

Callsign-COBRA

Sand and blood cake onto any uncovered skin it can reach. A series of explosions rouses you from your sleep, pain blooming from your lower abdomen. From the ground where you lay flat on your stomach, gear digging uncomfortably into your skin, you raise your head enough to see through blurred eyes three figures. Two sitting against a rock and one walking towards where they sat.

Where were you?

Oh fuck right, Rorke. Checkmate. Hesh and Logan!

Slowly and painfully you force your limbs to move, crawling to the figures who were sitting down. A coughing fit wrecks through your body, blood splattering the sand beneath you. What the fuck? Dragging your body up onto its knees, arms barely holding the weight. A slow glance down reveals a deep stab wound, the knife still embedded in your body, right above the hip bone. Muscle and skin shredded from the serrated blade Rorke had plunged into you in the struggle that had occurred after he shot Hesh and tried to go after Logan.

Blood congealed with the sand, hardening into a crude sludge around the blade, at least you wouldn’t bleed out as fast. Another yell rings out from in front of you.

“Cobra!” Hesh’s voice reaches your ears. Looking up, Hesh was trying to sit up further against the rock, the gunshot wound preventing him from running to you or Logan. The third figure was getting closer. The closer they got, the more pronounced their limp was. Was that… fuck!

Pointing past Hesh to where Logan lay sprawled on the sand, “Hesh look!” you call out. Hesh looks over just in time to see Rorke knock the knife out of Logan’s hand, his boot pinning the other man’s arm into the sand. Hesh makes a frantic scurry to get Rorke off of Logan, but Rorke kicks him away.

More explosions shake the ground. You can see Rorke’s mouth moving, see him getting in Logan’s face. Another surge of adrenaline courses through your veins. With the last of your energy, you pull the knife from your stomach. Arms shaking and vision blurring once again, you throw the knife, Logan's name escaping your mouth. There was just enough force in the throw to graze Rorke’s arm, he stops talking and whips his head around to stare directly into your eyes. You swear there was amusement written across his features as he stands and begins shuffling towards you.

“Well would you look at that! The snake still has fangs!” He stands over you, “You may be as promising one day as Logan.” The sing-song tone when he says Logan's name makes your blood run cold. You wish you had a gun or anything to wound the monster in front of you. But you wouldn’t get the chance, a heavy kick to your stomach has you falling back down, screams ripping from your throat. Laughter from above you as your vision clouds with black spots. You knew you were going to pass out.

Words were being spoken to you but they were hard to make out over the pounding in your head. “...ever again, Cobra.” Another kick and your consciousness fades away, the sounds of Hesh screaming for his brother the last thing you hear.

– — —-

You were met with a screaming match as you entered the war room.

It has been a week since Logan was taken and you and Hesh had been rescued from the beach. This was the first time out of the medical wing since then. They had been forced to lock both of you in a private hospital room with guards posted outside of the door. You had fought the nurses as they tried to help you, your mind having not been in the right state. All you knew was that your Logan had been taken by the very man that was supposed to have died on that train. They had been forced to sedate you before they could help fix the various injuries you had acquired in your adrenaline fueled revenge.

The nurse told you the extent of your injuries after you had calmed down. The grand total was two broken ribs, the stab wound, and a concussion. She had said how lucky you were to have only gotten those injuries multiple times, but you sure as hell didn’t feel lucky.

Coming back into the land of the living you had been surprised to see Hesh in the same room. What was even more of a surprise was that you had both been handcuffed to your beds! Soon you learned they had to do almost the same thing to contain him. Except this time Merrick had to tackle him back onto the stretcher, while you only required being held down.

Man, had Merrick and Keegan ripped you both a new one. For your reckless actions to your fighting the nurses. Every conversation since had everyone either walking on eggshells or ready to tear each other apart.

He had tried to leave right after that but had been stopped by the two soldiers that had been tasked with being your “guards”. All they did was stand in front of the door and occasionally helped the nurses.

Hesh was the more defiant of you two. He wouldn’t settle, the only thought on his mind was once again Rorke and rescuing his brother. Finding Rorke, Killing Rorke, Burning Rorke’s body after dumping an entire magazine into the body, never letting Logan out of either of your sights. He was restless. They eventually had to cuff him again to the bed to stop him from aggravating his gunshot wound further, you were behaving enough that they didn’t feel you needed to join him in his “imprisonment”.

“It’s bullshit, Cobra.” He kept saying. Loathing the fact they weren’t letting either of you out, “We should be out there looking for him!” or “We’ll get him back.” Words spit with venom and promise. The terms bull-headed and impulsive were thrown back at him several times.

Your own anger had been barely contained. You shoved it into a glass box, not hiding it or burying it, but putting it on display. Crystal clear glass revealing the hatred inside of it like an art museum would display a delicate artefact. You knew that one of you had to appear level headed or they would never let you out to search for him. They would deem you both unstable and unfit for any further duty. And you couldn’t have that; Not yet. After you had rescued Logan and ensured his safety, they could all go to hell for any matter. But only after you healed and Logan was safe with you and Hesh.

And reality was that neither of you were in any shape to fight. While medical technology had improved drastically, there was only so much they could do for a stab wound and gunshot. And Merrick had told you they were doing their best to find him with the extremely limited information they had. The federation had been scattered in the wind after the last attack. Information had become even less reliable than before.

Hesh had picked the locks on his handcuffs if the bent paper clip and missing man were anything to go off of when you woke up from your nap.

Which was what brought you limping to the doorway of the war room.

“We need to be out there and looking for him!” Hesh was standing, a crutch supporting him, in front of Merrick, who looked ready to explode.

Merrick clenched his fist where it sat against the table full of maps and files. The radio in the middle of the table, quiet but full of chatter. Location markers and notes had been scribbled all over. Keegan sat at the table, typing furiously at the tablet in his hands. They both looked like you felt.

Looking around the rest of the room you saw that Kick was nowhere to be found. But that was not uncommon, he really liked his solitude. He was probably on the other side of the base.

Looking back over at Keegan, you found him staring at you. Shooting a questioning look at him, hoping to get some answer out of him. His response is an exasperated look and a shrug of the shoulders. Well, that’s always a good sign, You thought frustratedly.

The arguing continued as you walked further into the room, finally standing opposite of the two who remained going back and forth and had yet to notice you. Keegan clears his throat pointedly and they look over, meeting your gaze. Taking advantage of the moment you began, “Care to explain?” You already knew what Hesh was trying to accomplish and you knew exactly what Merrick was trying to reason. You know that both sides had their points, guess it's time to be the mediator. But you knew Hesh was always stubborn, usually to the point that it always ended with a punch being thrown. Which it might. From where you stand, that is what it looks like.

Hesh has a pleading look in his eye as he turns to you, “Cobra you gotta help, we need to be out there! Looking for him!”

Looking from him to Merrick, you motion for him to say his part, “What do you got?”

Merrick sighs loudly; clearly annoyed, “We have a possible lead on one of the Federation colonels who might know where Rorke is hiding. But we don’t know for sure and we can’t just rush in half-cocked!” He shoots a glaring look at Hesh. “We need more time.”

Hesh throws his free hand up, “We don’t have more time to waste!” He opens his mouth to say more when Merrick holds in hand up in a way that told you there would be no room for arguing anymore.

“We have people on the ground, searching,” he says slowly but firmly, like he is trying to drive to point in with a hammer (and you two are the nails), “You two are in no condition to be back in the field.” Hesh moves like he is about to interrupt but Merrick fixes him with a stare. You can see a decision being made behind his eyes. “With your injuries, if we do find him before you are healed you could pose a hindrance to the operation and very well get Logan killed and let Rorke get away. Again.”

Silence overtakes the room. A deathly silence, one only used when mourning the dead or for prayer before the final strike. The radio had faded into nothing behind the previously reigned in rage that was suffocating you. Cracks were forming in the glass, that feral and primal anger rearing its ugly head, bashing it into the material holding it captive.

You know he’s right, this is the rational and secure way to do things. But if you were any more of a suicidal person, you’d be bashing his skull into the edge of the table. Small tremors shake your body where you stand and your fists clench. He was right and you were still acting irrationally. So why did you itch to bury one of your knives into his throat?

In the corner of your eye you see Keegan moving slowly, the tablet on the table and his hand ready to grab the gun from his hip. You needed to defuse this before Hesh gets you both thrown into jail, if the way his shoulders were tensing and his fist was clenching were anything to go off of.

“Hesh… Merrick’s right.” The look Hesh shot in your direction, you could have sworn you had just personally stabbed him. Ignoring the look of betrayal you take a shaky breath in, “We need to be fully functional for any of this to go right. Rorke will get his, but do you think Logan would want us to be killed trying to find him because we wouldn’t listen to orders?” A low blow to bring up Logan in that way again, but hey, when they go low, you grab a shovel and dig a hole in hell.

A moment passes, Hesh now looks like he wants to hit you instead. Let him feel angry at me. You think to yourself, you two could deal with this later. Hell, maybe even brawl to settle it out like old times. The air remains tense but Keegan sits back down, just as carefully as he had stood.

You stare ahead at Merrick as Hesh shoulders forcefully past you and out of the room. You take the shove with grace, not bothering to look back or follow him. You knew exactly where he would be going anyways. Let him have time to cool down before you approach him again.

You stand there staring ahead as Merrick sits down in the chair next to him. He rubs both hands over his face before addressing you, “Need something, Cobra?”

You hesitate before speaking, trying to find the right questions. “What do we have so far?” is what you settle on. Keegan slides the tablet over to you. The screen shows a list of names and locations. Federation higher ups and high value targets that should be in disarray now. You place the tablet on the table and begin to look over the maps. A talent of yours that made you a great interrogator was your empathy. “If I was a homicidal, revenge led Ghost killer, where would I brainwash the youngest kid of my ex brother-in-arms?” You wonder out loud, missing the weird glance the two men shared. “Somewhere remote,” you think about the habits and patterns Rorke showed, “Somewhere sedimental. I’d want it to bring back memories of betrayal.”

– — —-

The knife split the man's throat open like a hot knife through butter. He had finally given you Rorke's exact location and a pure feral feeling was coursing through your blood. Finally after two months of your Logan being gone, did you have a location.

After being cleared for light work (aka being back in the killing field) after the fight, you had set your heart and soul on gathering information and taking out several high ranking Federation soldiers. Each had crack eventually under your carefully sharpened knives. Interrogation had been a skill that had come naturally to you. It was an art, one that you had perfected quickly.

It was the skill that had landed you a spot on Ghost Team. Elias had chosen you along with the brothers. He cited your skills and bond you had from a childhood growing up with the brothers as his reason for bringing you along. He claimed you kept them levelled and that the damn near telepathic bond you had with Logan made you valuable on Ops. Which was true; your parents had been close friends of Elias, which made you best friends with the Walker boys by default.

Hesh was the most outgoing of the trio. Always talking to new people and preferring to hang out at the more crowded skate parks. He’d drag you and Logan everywhere and who were you two to deny him? He was a guardian to you until you had physically outgrown him by becoming a full two inches taller than him. Something he still had yet to “forgive” you for.

But it was Logan that you had really clicked with. The boy was of very few words; a selective mute. But that did not hinder your ability to communicate, a mix of sign language and your own secret nonverbal language. Which mainly consisted of micro expressions and body language. You two could hold an entire conversation with just your eyes. It had always confused the hell out of the rest of your squads.

And so what if you had come to have feelings for the youngest Walker? It feels as natural as an ocean wave crashing onto a sandy beach. You had planned on never telling him, or hell, maybe you would have in due time. But now that he had been taken before you could confess, you were damned sure that the moment he was safe and healing was the moment you’d tell him. You would get to tell him, damn it all, even if you had to drag his ass back into the land of the living with your bare hands.

A hand on your shoulder pulled you back into the present. “Cobra, we need to get going.” Hesh said quietly. Suddenly aware that you had been staring holes into the dead body you shrug his hand off your shoulder and turn on your heel. You two still haven’t talked, instead opting to push yourselves further into training, into becoming stronger. He threw himself and sometimes Riley into working out. Often you would find him running the track in the middle of the night. Some nights you’d join him. Others you’d slink off into the range. Forcing yourself to become better with both gun and knife. The conversation had yet to be had and it was eroding at the years of being a perfect pair- trio. There were three of you and you’d be dead before you’d let that change.

Shaking those thoughts from your head, you look up to see the rest of the team waiting for you by the doors of the old house you had dragged the Federation soldier into.

Looking to where Merrick stood, his stance told you he expected you to say something. “So I was right. You know for such a violent brainwashed bastard he sure is sedimental.”

You had been right in your guess. He would hold Logan at the old jungle compound where the Federation had broken Rorke and twisted him into their own personal ghost hunter. But that place had been raided and every one of the enemy personnel had either been killed or thrown into prison. As far as anyone knew, it was abandoned. It was too little of a possible reward to venture that far into the jungle. Oh what fools you were to hope otherwise.

A groan and nod were Merrick’s answer. I was really hoping you weren't.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, “I mean, they torched the place after. I can’t imagine much of it still stands. Son of a bitch.”

“Yeah…” You let the implications of everything you had just learned sink in. Eyes meet with Hesh’s, no words are spoken but an agreement is made. That barely closed glass box of rage continues to crack. Just got to hold it together, just a little while longer. One foot in front of the other, Cobra.

– — —

The foliage is thick as you creep closer to your designated position. The sounds of the forest and chatter of Federation soldiers deafened by the leafy canopies above your heads. Keegan leads the way, revenge and relief are now so close at hand. But you have to start the plan before anything else can happen. Two months of searching, you can Not fuck this up, Logan’s life depends on it. Depends on You and Hesh to keep your cool long enough to complete your tasks and locate the pit he would no doubt be in.

Keegan holds his hand up, telling you to halt. Flexing your fingers where they lay on your rifle, ready to fire at a moment's notice. The moment passes before he’s motioning to keep moving.

As you resume your walk, Hesh slides up next to you, footsteps falling in time with your own. “We still in agreement on what happens when we find him?” His voice is low, still as tense as it had been since the beach.

You glance up at Keegan, who you know is listening, before you respond just as quietly. “I get first blows while you secure Logan. Then you get the killing blow while Keegan keeps overwatch. I haven't forgotten, David.” The words come out harsher than they were meant to but again, that's how most of the words from your mouth had sounded recently.

Hesh doesn't respond, usually his first name gets a rise out of him. A true testament to how he's feeling right now. Silence takes over again as your group keeps marching on.

The next few minutes are a blur as Ghost team and Marines descend on the compound. Body after body falls as you push in. Sinking into your mind further and further as bullets zip past you. One even grazing your ear but it only serves to piss you off more. That glass box has burst open, red rage flowing out, drowning anything in its path.

You'd imagine Hesh is feeling the same, watching him sink a knife into a federation soldier as your group rounds a corner.

Finally you come to it, the courtyard with a single hole dug in the earth. Logan was in it. Your shoulder aches from the recoil of your rifle, fingers numb. But it doesn't matter.

Your team makes quick work of the enemies that attempt to stop you. Clearing the surrounding areas, your Marines holding position in each entrance. Looking up to the exposed second floor you see Keegan’s team.

Your radio crackles as Keegan’s voice comes through, “Eyes on Logan, proceed with caution. Rorke's got a gun to his head.”

Your eyes lock with Hesh's. Then you're moving, rushing forward to the hole, fingers on the trigger. Skidding to a stop above it, the sight inside damn near breaks you right there.

Logan on his back, caked in blood, dirt, and who knows what else as Rorke stands with his foot planted on his chest, pistol pointing at Logan's head. The sick motherfucker has a smile on his face, his eyes trained on you and Hesh.

A low growl comes from the man next to you. “It's over Rorke! No escape from here, you son of a bitch.” Hesh calls down. Part of you thinks he's about to abandon the entire plan for dumping all of his ammunition into Rorke. But he doesn't.

“You know,” the monster below you begins to drawl, like this was a normal conversation, “I didn't expect you to make it; the snake, sure. But you,” He points a finger at Hesh, “I expected you to die just like your da-”

A shot rings out, then another as Rorke's hands cease to be connected to his body; Keegan and his partner’s bullets hitting their marks. That was the cue for you two to get on with it.

Jumping into the pit you plant your feet firmly into Rorke's chest, rolling forward off of him as he hits the ground. Turning around you lunge forward on top of Rorke. Rearing your fist back then bringing it down onto his face. Over and over; blow after blow lands on the man who made your life hell. The monster who killed the man that saved you after ODIN, the monster that took and tortured your Logan.

His attempts to fight back are futile, the full front of your rage holding him there. His face becomes unrecognisable by the time Hesh grabs your shoulder. The signal to switch with him. One last punch and you're standing up, swaying on your feet.

Hesh takes your place as you rush over to Logan. Your hands frantically search over his body, cataloguing the visible injuries. Bruises mottle the skin not covered in blood or dirt. His name and promises to help him fall like prayers from your lips.

Finally you place your hands on either side of his face, willing him to look at you. His eyes are swollen and cloudy, no doubt from whatever they drugged him with. It was strange, the way his face was almost completely untouched. But you don't get much time to dwell on it as sharp movements in your peripheral.

Logan’s blood covered hands shoot quickly to your face. Panic in his suddenly clear eyes, the word “Go!” and “Run.” were being silently screamed at you. His mouth moves but only raspy gibberish comes out. You grab his hands as they hold your head, fingers tangling in your hair forcing you to stay looking at him. “Logan! Logan it’s us! We’ve got you, he’s dead. He’s dead!” You are sure that he couldn’t hear you as hysteria begins to creep in.

But the recognition was undeniable, just for a split second before they're rolling back into his head. His body begins convulsing violently as his hands slip from yours. Screams for a medic, for somebody, rip from your throat. One of the medics lands on their knees next to you but you can't move your limbs. All you can do is stare as the seizure happens.

Then hands are pulling you away from him. You fight against them before another pair is wrapping under your arms and pulling more. Someone is screaming your name but it sounds miles away. The only input reaching your mind is the sight of Logan, being surrounded by medics as you are taken further away from where he lies.

The glass box was gone, only shards and small puddles remain. Your mind clears enough to realise that it’s Hesh whose arms are wrapped around your torso, holding you back. Turning around in his grip you shove your entire being to his in a constrictor like hug.

Blood spatters cover every bit of armour and skin he has, the Ghost paint smeared with red. His eyes are wide, feral as he watches the scene now behind you.

Rorke's battered corpse lying behind, riddled with bullet holes from Hesh dumping his entire mag into him was all you could focus on.

Keegan stands over it, looking at his ex brother in arms, eyes blank. Merrick jumps down next to him and delivers a swift kick to the corpse.

– — —

Life continues as normal on base. The only shifts in the routine now were four Ghosts, taking their turns watching over their youngest in the hospital bed he lays.

In the beginning, it was you and Hesh refusing to leave Logan's bedside. Only leaving in shifts to deal with the bare minimum of your duties and body's needs. Eating and sleeping next to him. The hospital staff had dragged in another chair when it was clear neither of you would be leaving.

It was once again Merrick that forced you both away to deal with yourselves. The other three Ghosts had made a deal that there would always be one of them watching over him if you or Hesh couldn't.

And they stayed true to that promise. A knock drags you out of your thoughts. Keegan stands in the doorway, “Come on, it's my turn.” He enters further into the room, a knowing look in his eyes as he takes in your hand holding onto Logan's.

“You did good, kid. He's here and he's not going anywhere till he's better.” His words were meant to sooth but tears sting your eyes. It seems like since you've gotten back that you just can't stop crying.

Reluctantly you let go of Logan's hand and stand up, but your feet don't move. Not until Keegan places his hand on your arm with a promise to get you if anything happens. Then you're walking out the door and down the hallway.

It’s late, nearing midnight as you approach the smaller gym rooms knowing exactly who’s in there at this hour. Ignoring the Private Session sign on the door you enter quietly. Hesh is on the other side, fists slamming into the sandbag. The only greeting you get is a falter in his punches before he's back at it.

Looking over to the benches you see Riley curled up underneath. The dog huffs a greeting as you walk over and sit down. Hands sliding across his fur.

This has been both of your normal nights since Logan was taken and you just couldn't let it go even though he was home safe. The routine is comforting though your body aches from pushing past your limits.

It started with Hesh showing up at your door during the night, dressed in his gym clothes with Riley at his heels. No words were spoken as you invited him in and changed into your own gym attire. The cold air countering the heated anger as you ran around the city.

Then it was that someone had pissed you off enough that you had dragged your body to the gym, intent to hit and throw things until you felt better. But that plan had been ruined by Hesh, who was already there, doing just that.

That's when the first screaming match had happened. And the screaming led to blows being exchanged. The feeling of beating on each other was cathartic.

So it became the routine, if one couldn't sleep then they were to drag the other (who likely wasn't sleeping) from their rooms then either run or spar. No one has stopped this so far, only looked at you with a knowing (disappointed?) look and move on.

The thudding stops and a loud sigh comes from across the room. Looking up just as he crosses the room and slumps on the bench next to you. Exhaustion visibly pulls at him the same way it does on you.

“Feel up for it.” He motions to the mats in the middle of the room. You take note that his hands are bare and bleeding as you shake your head. Instead opting to slide down on the floor and lay flat looking up at the ceiling. “Yeah that's fair. We can do floor time.”

He slides down onto the ground and lays his head next to yours, body laying the other way. Such as most nights, no words are shared. At least for the first hour.

Then he's speaking, “Did I tell you the time he managed to steal one of the neighbours dogs and no one noticed for hours?” You did this often, recounting stories of Logan. Funny, sad, plain boring; it didn't matter. He loved to tell the more calm ones while you opted to spill the hijinks the pair of you committed.

“I don't think I remember that one.” You did but you liked to humour him. He launches into the story, talking with his hands in the air, you laugh and make comments.

“You should have seen the proud look dad had while Logan apologised. I swear the lady's head was gonna explode, she was so red!” he laughs through the words.

You look up at him, “Yeah, that tracks. You and your dad were always enabling our bullshit.”

He lets out a slow sigh and lets the buzz of the overhead lights and occasional footsteps fill the space. You were content to let them do so but there was eating at your thoughts.

“I love him.” You had told him before in a fit. He had barely understood you the first time you said it, had been borderline hysterical, expecting him to hate you. “I know” he had said. Called you right stupid for not saying it sooner.

His hand appears in the air above your face and you're too tired to care as he brings it down and palms your entire face, like something straight out of Alien. He shakes your head back and forth before he lets go. “I know, you know you're going to have to tell him eventually, right?”

It was your turn to sigh, “I know, dude. I know.”

– — —

It’s one of those nights where you and Hesh are on watch at the same time. It was rare but it does happen. Logan has been in a medically induced coma for a month now. It's Hesh's turn to go get you both dinner, so you get to take up watch over Logan.

(The eldest brother opted to leave Riley with you. The dog takes up his usual post at the door, ever the guardian.)

Grabbing his hand, something that had become a habit. You start recounting the day's events, another thing you both had taken up. Talking to the sleeping man, telling him the base gossip and telling him how the day went, how Riley and the team are, everything you could think of you talked about.

“Then he made them run laps. He's shaping up nicely for that Captain role he's heading for.” You laugh, explaining how Hesh oversaw today's training. “He gets that promotion and we're set to get away with so much shit, Lo.”

He made no movements, the only sound to respond was the steady beat of the vitals monitor. You let loose a breath and place your head down on the bed next to his hand. “Wake up soon, please.” You plead into dead air, “He needs you. I need you.”

Time passes slowly, Hesh taking his sweet time getting that food. Must be Chilli Night in the mess. That always caused the place to be packed. Your mind wanders all over the place, what was it that one sergeant had said? When was Merrick going to send you back into the field, you were already on borrowed time. A thousand things plague your thoughts; it was beginning to give you a migraine.

The hand in yours twitches. You sit up so fast your back twinges. Ignoring that you stare down at your hand, did you imagine that? “Logan?” You murmur, looking up at his sleeping form and you gasp. His eyes were fluttering open. Standing up you lean over him hopefully, “Logan? You with me?”

Your heart starts racing as those same eyes open and land on you. Reaching up to hold his face but you're interrupted by a harsh grip on your arm. “Lo?” You ask shakily, staring at the place he has in his grasp.

“R-run!” The word was urgent, the beeping of the heart monitor became louder, quicker. Fear shines brightly through his eyes as they dart around the room, underlined with confusion.

You grip over his hand, “No no no, Logan you're safe! We're home!” His fingers dig into your skin as he starts shaking. With fear that he is going to start having another seizure you turn your head around to call for help. But you're met with the frozen forms of Hesh and Merrick standing in the doorway.

Quickly you call to him, “Get help!” Your voice was high, panic beginning to creep in. The trays fall out of his hands as he steps back out and starts shouting for help. Merrick starts for the bedside but you wave him off, not wanting to overwhelm the already panicking man.

Directing your attention back to Logan you can almost see the dots beginning to connect as he stares past you, to where Hesh just stood. You should for Hesh, yelling his voice as loud as you can.

The tall man comes running full tilt back to the room, almost skidding past the door. “Logan!” He shouts and you have to stop yourself because it was the same scared scream from the beach. He sprints over to the bed, grabbing Logan's other hand, trying to soothe the man into the present.

Logan's mouth is moving, repeating “Not real” as he flickers his eyes from you to Hesh.

You both start speaking at the same time, trying to tell him it is real, that this is real. Someone else enters the room. But you don't look away from Logan as his grip on your arm begins to loosen. Slowly and suspiciously (?) he starts to lay back into the bed.

It's only when he's retracted his arm away fully and is now sitting reclined in the bed that you breathe a full breath. Nurses flutter around you checking his vitals and tweaking his pain meds. Your eyes never leave his except to look over at Hesh, who sits there determined to not leave unless absolutely necessary.

Eventually the buzz dies down, Merrick having stepped out to make a few calls. Either way, you were glad for the privacy. Neither of you had let go of his hands, afraid that it would be a dream.

His fingers entwined with yours had those emotions stirring violently in your chest.

Hesh had been catching him up to speed on everything, thankfully omitting the violent way the two of you coped. You had just been nodding along and speaking up occasionally to add in if Hesh forgot something.

Logan, he just sat there, taking everything in. He had been quiet since the nurses left, not asking questions or only speaking in clipped words. Your eyes flit down to his throat, a ring of rope burn now healed.

His eyes catch yours, a small smile pulls at the corners of his mouth. Oh, how you missed that smile.

Hesh clears his throat, catching your attention. He waits for you both to look at him before speaking, “I dropped our dinner. I'm going to run to the corner store and grab us something.” He stands from his chair and walks over, placing a hand on your shoulder and squeezes. A whisper of “Tell him.” and then Hesh is gone, Riley at his heels.

Turning back to Logan, you place your head against your hands. You needed to tell him, the confession trapped behind your teeth. You look back up at him and let go of his hands reluctantly, doubt tugging at the forefront of your mind. You had just gotten him back, what if you lose him now? There would be no way to cope with that, but he would be alive to hate you and you were fine with that.

“I-” You start, “I love you, Logan.” The words themselves are not strangers to you. They were said so regularly throughout your life, so the look you got from him was no surprise.

He drums his fingers against the hospital bed and hums, “Love you too.”

A stressed sigh leaves your mouth and you find yourself staring into his eyes again. “No Lo, I love you.” The words emphasised, “I'm sorry for not telling you before and I'm sorry if you don't feel the same but I was going to be damned before I let you leave before telling you.” The confession is quick as you look away from him.

An amused huff answers you and then a hand was grabbing your face again. This time is so much more gentle. Nothing like the harsh grip that had come to plague your dreams. Letting him pull you to look at his face. There's fondness in place of the rejection you had feared.

He pulls you closer and you let him. Your face now hovering over his. And then his lips are on yours. And then you're melting against him, careful not to put weight on his injuries.

In that moment there's nothing else in the world. No war, no cold hospital room, just two scar riddled childhood friends who were becoming something more.

[nina-ya]

May I please request a super angsty femReaderxzoro fic where reader dies trying to save zoro but in a really specific way as in she has devil fruit similar to uta but with healing abilities instead and she trades her life to save zoro which makes her have a death similar to rikas from jjk but the song she sing when she’s leaving is long live by Taylor Swift specifically “long live all the mountains we moved I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you” ect.If it’s too detailed, you don’t have to do it but I would really enjoy if you could do this

Long Live

A/N: Italics is a flashback and purple are the song lyrics I had so much fun writing this! well as much fun as you can have writing something sad, but thank you for giving me an excuse to write about more Taylor i hope you enjoy! <3 Pairing: Zoro x fem!reader CW: Reader dies, blood, vague alluding to sex WC: 2.1k Your voice had been a source of joy and happiness for as long as you could remember, and your devil fruit ability only heightened that joy, granting you the power to heal through your melodies. It felt like a gift straight out of a fairy tale. Cradling injured individuals in your arms, you would serenade them, witnessing their wounds miraculously vanish as they sprang up with newfound energy.

In your pursuit of understanding and enhancing your abilities, you dove into the histories of past users who once possessed this ability before you. While you didn't find much in terms of strengthening your powers, you stumbled upon something intriguing: the most recent user of your ability met their demise by sacrificing their life for a marine soldier. The event was well-documented—the tale of their final song and fading away into the unknown, all to save a critically wounded soldier. At the time, you found such sacrifice baffling and perhaps even foolish. The idea of willingly giving up one's life for another was a concept that had always left you questioning whether you could ever do such a thing.

You first encountered Zoro when he casually slid into the seat next to yours at a random, somewhat sketchy tavern on an island whose name had already slipped your memory. Ordering a beer, as expected, neither of you paid much attention to the other until you initiated a conversation, asking about the swords he carried with him. Drink after drink, the banter flowed effortlessly, and as the night progressed, so did the subtle hints of flirtation. Before you knew it, you found yourselves in the confines of the bathroom, Zoro pinning you against the wall, lips locked, hands exploring, clothes quickly discarded—an intense moment that seemed to mark the conclusion of your unexpected encounter. Or so you thought.

The next day, as you went about your business, you stumbled upon a wanted poster that featured none other than Roronoa Zoro, one of the most formidable and dangerous men in the world. The revelation left you torn between celebrating or worrying over the fact that you had just slept with one of the most deadliest men in the world right now. You had chosen the former.

Your lingering questions about whether you'd see him again were answered when, to your surprise, you spotted Zoro rounding a corner, seemingly lost and running in your direction. The unexpected reunion left you wondering about the twists and turns fate had in store for the two of you. He screeched to a halt in front of you, muttering something about being in the wrong place. You were on the verge of teasing him for looking like a lost fool when the unmistakable sounds of approaching marine footsteps and shouts pierced the air from behind. Without a moment's hesitation, Zoro swiftly unsheathed his swords, leaving you momentarily confused when he shoved one into his mouth. Your confusion gave way to surprise as marines in front of you began dropping like flies.

In the chaos, Zoro reached for your hand, grabbed it, and started running with you. Urgently, he asked you to lead him to the docks. Though an underlying sense of fear lingered, the idea of potential injury or worse, you couldn't help but go along with the green-haired man, guiding him through the streets towards the docks. The urgency of the situation fueled your pace, and as you turned a final corner, a grand pirate ship came into view. To your amazement, some very enthusiastic individuals, recognizable from the wanted posters plastered everywhere, were waving at Zoro and urging him to run onto the ship. 

You might have assumed that Zoro would have let you go and abandoned you at some point, but to your surprise, he had you stick around. Soon enough, you found yourself on the deck of the pirate ship, met with perplexed and cautious stares from the crew. This wasn't the life you had envisioned, yet the appeal of friendship and adventures proved too compelling for you to resist.

As it turned out, your unique ability to heal with the simple power of song quickly earned you the role of healer on the ship. You often teamed up with Chopper, working together to mend the wounded, a category that frequently included Zoro. It seemed like he would intentionally find himself in dangerous situations just to give you an excuse to heal him. It became almost routine  for Zoro to pull you aside for healing sessions. He would claim it was because "you're the faster healer" or "Chopper is busy with the others," but the way he stared at you with complete and utter infatuation as you sang hinted that there might be an underlying reason why he always sought you out.

Your relationship with Zoro had flourished during your time on the ship. While the two of you hadn't explicitly labeled it, an unspoken bond had formed, making you inseparable. It was clear to everyone around you that you and Zoro were meant to be. Your connection was so strong that it felt as if you were bound together for life. You, the enchanting songbird, had managed to melt the heart of the swordsman. It was a relationship that seemed almost too perfect to be true.

-

-

-

The shaky rhythm of Zoro's breath sliced through the air, the only accompaniment being the unsettling drip, drip, drip of crimson liquid splattering onto the floor from each painful gash on his body. His eyes threatened to give in to the darkness, the grip tampanoding his profusely bleeding wound weakening with every passing second, allowing more of the red tide to seep out. "She's close by," he reassured himself in a desperate whisper. "She will come and heal me, and everything will be okay." His vision blurred, the edges of consciousness fading, yet the approaching footsteps redirected his waning focus. Your silhouette emerged into view, and a feeble smile of relief played on his weakened lips.

You stood there, your body pulsating with the ache of injuries you had sustained from the battle. Exhaustion weighed heavily on your chest, each labored breath revealing your weariness. As you took in Zoro's dire state, a chill ran down your spine, and your hands trembled uncontrollably. The blood painted the wall against which he leaned, the pool he lay in enough to have claimed the life of an ordinary person by now.

In that moment, a wave of realization crashed over you, akin to what the previous user of your devil fruit must have experienced when confronted with the imminent death of that soldier. The only conceivable explanation for willingly sacrificing one's life in such a manner was love. Only someone who is deeply in love could find themselves doing what you were prepared to do.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump—thump... thump... thump...

Your heart beats in your ears, slow and steady, a sharp contrast to the urgency that surrounds you. Crouching down next to him, your knees bathe in the blood beneath you. You reach out and stroke his face, your voice cutting through the tense air as a sweet melody falls from your lips, “Long live the walls we crashed through, I had the time of my life with you…”

Your vision blurs slightly as you start to sing, and your voice wavers, but determination fuels your every word. Zoro's consciousness begins to steady, and his gaze focuses on you. He listens to the lyrics you sing, his smile quickly fading as he senses your growing unsteadiness. His own heartbeat starts to quicken, mirroring the vivid recollection of the last time he was this severely injured.

Your fingers gently comb through the emerald strands of the injured marimo, the sound of your singing soothing his pain, mending the cuts and bruises that adorned him. As his eyes gradually flutter open from the haze of injury, he gazes up at you, a soft smile spreading across his lips upon hearing the sound of your voice. This time felt different from his previous injuries; there was an abundance of blood, and the worry etched across your face reflected the urgency to reach him in time.

You knew you couldn't stop singing. You needed to heal him, but you also needed to talk to him, so your song took on a more serious shift in meaning as you sang. "Will you take a moment? Promise me this: that you’ll stand by me forever," you begin, your voice carrying a weight that matches the importance of this moment. His larger hand envelops yours, nodding in silent agreement. You continue, "but if, God forbid, fate should step in and force us into a goodbye," confusion knits Zoro's eyebrows, wondering the reason behind the unexpected shift in your melody.

You persist, “if you have children someday, when they point to the pictures, please tell them my name.” Your voice grew shaky as you continued, “Tell them how I hope they shine." Teardrops fall onto his concerned face, and he instinctively reaches up to wipe them away. The inevitability of this conversation weighed heavily on both your hearts, each word spoken a painful acknowledgment of the uncertainties life may hold.

In response, Zoro reassures you with a resolute voice, "I promise to stay with you forever, but you know fate won't dare step in and tear us apart. I won't allow it. You’re too important to me, and I swear that we will live out the rest of our lives together, and *you* will get to tell our kids all of these things, okay?" His words, a promise fueled by determination, aim to chase away the uncertainty of what lies ahead, providing comfort in the tomorrow that they both look forward to.

It's happening. Fate weaves its cruel design, guiding you toward that goodbye—a scenario Zoro strongly vowed would never come to pass. “Long live the walls we crashed through, how the kingdom lights shined just for me and you,” you continue, your voice quivering with an emotional strain that mirrors the tension in the air. The aura that your powers provide seem to shimmer with an magical quality as Zoro's wounds gradually fade, mirroring the slow, inescapable dimming of your own presence.

Your body slumps over, a proof of the draining strength within you. Stronger hands, Zoro's calloused and desperate, grasp your arms, pulling you close in a desperate attempt to defy the approaching reality. A gasp escapes you, the sound of your body's instinctive cling towards life.

“Stop… Stop this… I—I’m fine now, see? Chopper can just fix us up; you can stop now,” Zoro pleads, his voice quivering, the tremor reverberating through the air. His lip wobbles, tears teetering on the edge of escape. He knows the words he's uttering form a desperate attempt to go against the harsh reality. In this wretched moment, he attempts to make you hold onto your own life, to discourage you from the selfless act of sacrificing yourself to mend his wounds. Yet, the heavy truth hangs in the air—a truth that your fading form seems to convey with every passing moment.

Your breath is shaky, and a sudden weariness envelops you. Yet, his pleas, laced with unspoken desperation, don't deter you. ”Long live the walls we crashed through, how the kingdom lights shined just for me and you,” you sing softly, leaning onto him, a somber smile gracing your lips despite the impending farewell.

“Please stop…I love you, please don’t do this…” Zoro's whisper is almost a plea, his voice breaking as tears fall freely. He grasps your hand, squeezing it with a desperation that clings to the diminishing hope that both of you can somehow emerge unscathed from this ordeal.

“And I was screaming, ‘Long live all the magic we made’ and bring on all the pretenders…” Another wave of weakness washes over you, and your head falls limp onto his shoulder, “I'm not afraid.” you murmur, hoping the reassurance in your words might alleviate some of the weight on his shoulders among the unfolding tragedy. ”Long live all the mountains we moved…I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you.” With that final line, your voice softens, the melody fading into a whisper as your breaths grow shallower. The grip of Zoro's hand on yours tightens, desperately clinging to the waning connection. With each passing moment, your form dissolves into an ethereal glow. In desperation, Zoro reaches into the empty space that you once occupied, his trembling fingers grasping at nothingness, a denial of the harsh reality that you are gone. The ringing of your song linger in the hollow space, a haunting reminder of a love transcended beyond the boundaries of existence. Zoro, left with an aching emptiness, is now entangled in the flickers and fragments of a love that slipped away.

[enola6]

Germany, My Husband (Germany/reader) ✩｡:*•.───── ❁ ❁ ─────.•*:｡✩

It was cold and that was all she remembered.

Perhaps it was the overwhelming dress that was sewn onto her , or maybe it was the giant veil that dragged behind her feet when she walked. Though she had remarked to the old (C/N) Empire that the dress was beautiful and deserved to be worn by someone greater than her. Oh the white jewels , they glicened in the sunlight that had crept through the church’s stained glass.

It was a dress approved by her husband, so she had been told. But she didn’t believe that men cared about such trivial things- especially since he had never seen her before .

She sealed her letter at her vanity with the words :

“Bye ,Grandmother, for this is my last letter as (Y/N)(L/N). I am now Lady Ludwig Beilschmidt”..

With nimble and graceful hands, the young country handed the letter to the older brunette who watched her from the corner of her eye. She had once been forced to marry too, now it was her duty to welcome the young (C/N) into her home. Though she remained happily married to the Austrian, she still feared for the awkward youthfulness that overcame the young country’s shaking hands. A crystal was forming in her eyes, but she did not look up at Mrs Hungry.

“He vill treat jou vell,” The older country interrupted the pregnant silence with her slight lisp. “He vill not mistreat you. I knov’ vhat jou feazr. If anything, his brother vill be more ov a chore than he”.

“Are you his sister?”

“His cousin’s vife.” she smiled at the maiden bride’s trembling voice. For once, she seemed real through the transparent veil that clung to her face. “Ve live together. All of us.Even that balfácánt he calls ‘bruder’”.

A white smile formed upon the maiden’s face. A maid stepped back from fixing her veil and she stood up from the pink chair that had been sat in front of the vanity. “Not even my Grandmother could make it.” (C/N) remarked “She refused to see me marry him. Such a historic day in my country’s history and she doesn't even seem to care.”

The wooden door was burst open and (Y/N)’s boss burst in with all his glory plastered on his chest. Medals made of silver and gold that had been mined in the deep (C/N) caves that they now only have half control over. The flashes of silver and gold almost seemed to mock the girl who was only there considering that he had lost the (C/N)-German war due to his lack of leadership. That was her opinion. The opinion of many.

He was half-German himself. The people had been reluctant to coronate him for they believed that a certain bias would be present when dealing with the Europeans . They were right , of course. There is no other explanation for being so oblivious in a time of war. His sharp glare watched her slowly ascend and take the cornflower bouquet that rested in the case of water. Her gloves wet and she watched as they slowly became a deep red when she took the hands of her boss. Hungry took the train of the dress and straightened it, earning a grumble from the royal.

He rushed her forward , but the bride turned to look at her newly found companion , “Thank you, Ms Hungry.”

“Sok szerencsét, lánytestvér”.

✩｡:*•.───── ❁ ❁ ─────.•*:｡✩

The immaculate door intimidated her as light seeped through its delicate cracks. Two guards stood at either side , awaiting for the grand piano to sing its awaited song. She wiped her gloves on her white dress in an attempt to rid of the red liquid that stained the pure witness of her gloves. Then the people started talking and the door slightly cracked open and she worried that the sweat forming on her forehead would mess up her hair.

Her boss squeezed her hand, annoyed at her trembling and crying. Her eyes found his cold dark pools of blue and wondered if her bridegroom would be as cold and distant as he. What if he hit her? What if he made her a territory ? What if he decided that (C/N) should no longer be a country and simply just use her for the resources she has, slowly killing her. The piano began to play, but (C/N)’s feet did not move. Chains grew in place of the satin shoes that were a few sizes too small for her feet. Her boss pushed her forward, the guards opened the door, and she was free no more. The aisle was long and tedious, but when she appeared everyone stood from their pews to sneak a look at the freshly matured country. It did not please her to look at the people around her, so she looked forward. But when she looked forward, a blurry silhouette of a country that was to be her husband awaited . Maybe he was as reluctant as she and would divorce her as soon as he got his fair share of gold and weapons.

No, a respectable man would not do such things.

The whispers of others taunted her. They all turned and commented about how meek and young the country was. Some of them wished that they had known that she was so young , for they would’ve attacked her, but after knowing who her bridegroom was , they did not fancy the idea.

She walked up the altar steps , her shoes slightly taping on the cool marble.

“Mister Germany, please take the hand of your wife.” The minister spoke.

Her boss gave her hand to Germany, letting him touch her for the first time. He seemed clueless as to what to do with her hand. He fumbled her hand before squeezing it tightly so as to not let her go, as if a harsh breeze would sneak into the church and knock her over.

She glanced down at her hand, feeling the sudden pain of his strength before glancing at his face. He was made of stone , a statue imported from Rome. The thin line that was held by his lips told her that he was as reluctant as she, and though he gained more from the marriage than she ever will, he still did not fancy the idea of being married to some random country.

The piano stopped playing and all attention was diverted to the couple. Lingering murmurs were silenced by the minister’s soporific voice and speech as he opened his book and side eyed the albino man who stood near the altar. She had never seen a man so white , but Hungry was sure to warn her of the ‘devil spawn’ that was Prussia, the brother of her husband.

A speech so long and boring would make anyone tired and (C/N) was no exception. She decided to look up and examine her bridegroom for the man he was , and though her vail did make it hard to see, she was still able to see the pools of blue that resembled the sternness of her boss. ‘They really are the same’ she thought to herself, ‘at least he’s not bad looking.’ However, her daze was cut short when he glanced at her swiftly.

“Vilt‘ thou have zhis voman to thy vedded vife, to live together ufter god's ordinance in zhe holy estate ov matrimony?” The minister began as his attention grew on Germany. She noticed his grip growing tight and his eyes becoming slightly constricted. The couple looked at each other in the eyes, for a moment he doubted his decision. He only agreed to the marriage as a consequence of the pressure that Austria and Prussia had bestowed upon him. The truth was that his economy was unsteady and he had grown sick from the peril known as inflation. He had stood in on a meeting, her boss and grandmother sat at the end of the table in grand thrones while Prussia and his own boss had sat at the opposite end.

“Vhy don’t jou just get married? Un eazy vey tu solve jour probvlem.”

Prussia whipped his head back and let out a howling laugh. “Are jou kidding me? To zhat uld hag?”

“I have a daughter,” The old (C/N) empire spoke out, her hands moving to remove her spectacles “But if you had any honour you would not take her”.

“Und vhy is zhat?”

“She is far too young to leave her land and move onto another. After all , she is (C/N)’s personification .”

Prussia leaned back in his chair and looked back at his younger brother “how doez she look like. Is she hot vith voluptuous-”

“That is her right there.” The king of (C/N) pointed to the large portrait on the wall with a girl in ceremonial (C/N) dress. Her hair was pinned in the traditional fashion and her hands were fashioned chastily on her lap.

Germany had first noticed the gentle simper that had been painted with the painter’s red. She seemed pure, amiable, and unknowing. Her posture had indicated that she had never seen war, something he was so accustomed to seeing.

“So vest, jou vant ‘er ?”

Being lost in the colours of the painting, Germany looked back down at his brother. His cheeks were a crimson and he was at a loss of words . How could he be offered a wife without meeting her first ? Prussia grumbled something about being too awesome to marry anyway and that this woman would be a birthday gift to him, Germany ignored him.

“Ja, if it vhat i must do”.

And now here he was , as powerful as could be. His uniform dripped with medals and gold that had reflected from the sunlight into her eyes to make them burn. One of the golden pendants was a gift from her. It was golden of course, and in the shape of a star which symbolized something in her culture but he couldn’t remember.

“Vilt thou love er‘, comfort ’er, ‘onor, und kepe ’er in sickenesse ubd health? And forsaking all uther kepe thee only to ‘er, so long as jou both shall ‘live?”

Germany slipped the ring onto her finger before glancing into her eyes. He could barely see her through the veil that had been so heavily draped across her face . But he knew one thing, she was trembling.

“Ja”

The minister gruffed . Looking at the veiled country, he began to read the words from his book.

“Vilt thou have zis man to zy vedded husband, to live in zhe ’oly estate of matrimony? Vilt thou obey him, und serve him, love, honor, and keep him in sickness und in health? Und forsaking al other keep thee onely to him, so long as jou both shall live?” His voice trailed off as the prolonged stare between the couple continued for a lifetime. Her shod feet twitched as her toes moved in a way so that they were facing together; it became hard to stand.

“I will”, she responded in her language , unable to translate the words in his. Then she put the golden band on his finger

It didn’t matter if she said ‘I will’ or ‘I don’t’ , as long as she was married and away. The minister didn’t understand her language, nor did he make an attempt to read her body language. He hurryingly closed his bible and sighed in almost a mocking way as if this marriage was not significant or valid. “Jou many kiss jour bride”.

The bride and groom grew flustered, it would be the first time either of them kissed. Germany’s hands reached to pull her veil from her head but he halted as if he were frightened to view his wife bare from her veil.

“Hurry up, vest” Prussia nudged his brother “I bet jou she’s cute under zhat veil und under zhat dress too.” He whispered the last part expecting her not to hear him. But she did and her cheeks turned redder.

Other countries began whispering amongst each other, eager to leave the church and attend the reception. If only he would kiss her and leave, this whole ordeal would be over. She would not be standing there, absorbing all the lingering stares that were concentrated on her body. They whispered false ideologies about her , how they believed her to be the weakened version of her grandmother and the empires that came before her.

Then he pulled the veil back, viewing her genuine features for the first time. He nearly stepped back, her portrait did not deceive him. He awkwardly pulled her in, his hands firm against her shoulders as if to keep her from escaping. Slowly she closed her eyes, allowing him to kiss her.

Cold and hard lips met her luscious and soft ones. soft ones as they kissed in front of the marble altar. It was an awkward kiss, his teeth fortuitously grazing her lips as she nearly jolted back. But just as the kiss began, the kiss ended with him pulling away.

✩｡:*•.───── ❁ ❁ ─────.•*:｡✩

The reception bored her. Nor was she pleased with the food that she was served.

He sat beside her , ignoring the dancing and music as much as she did.

The colors of fair maidens' dresses blurred in her vision as she rested her eyes on the hectic ballroom. ‘If only I were so fair that my husband would look at me longingly’.

“So…” she looked at him and waited for his gaze to turn to hers “What is your favorite color?”

It was a sad attempt but an attempt nonetheless to get him to talk to her. He didn’t seem annoyed at the question until he bluntly answered “orange” and went back to eating his food.

She sighed and played with the foreign food on her plate.

“Und Jours?” he asked.

“(F/C), it’s the color of my country.”

He looked upon her smile before going back to finishing his meal. Germany, while at the head of the table , sat next to his older brother who whispered dirty jokes into his ear. His face turned a deep crimson red, but (C/N) acted oblivious. She wrapped her hands around her waist tightly in fear that all her organs would spill onto the table and she would make a fool out of herself. She heard her boss’ voice in her head scold her, telling her to sit up straight and act as an (C/N) lady would. She didn’t want to be a lady.

“Gentlemen ,” A man placed a hand on the trembling girl’s shoulder and looked over at her new husband “May I steal your bride for a dance?”

The young country only nodded, not knowing the sharp grip that pressured the girl’s shoulder would leave a lasting bruise. Though an ‘acquaintance’ and only having just met his wife, the weary expression she held was enough to alarm him. He turned in his chair, watching the uncoordinated couple trip onto the marble floor. Something didn’t seem right about him, nor the little woman he arrived with.

Germany looked back at his brother who tried to cover his laughter with his gloved hand.

“Vhat are jou laughing at?” He cut a link from his plate.

“He’s a little rough with her , no?” Spain sat at her empty seat, drinking her nearly untouched goblet of wine. “The señora doesn't drink?”

Belligerently, (C/N) found herself being pushed into one of the many rooms of the estate. It was of a similar fashion to all the other rooms that she had seen, but the walls seemed to close in on the country and her king as music and laughter still managed to overpower the room. She whimpered, her face confused and her dress stained with tears , she did not look as a bride would on her wedding day.

“You know what you must do.”

“You are putting all this pressure on me . I can’t-”

Slap

The sound was clear as day. If only the door was slightly ajar then it wouldn’t have blended in with the music. Just like the slap, her bruise blended in with her already red face. “In order to successfully unit the two countries you must consummate. It will be watched by a priest and two diplomates to make sure it is done correctly-”

Then the door cracked open and the king took his hands off (C/N) when he saw Germany standing in the doorframe. Unbeknownst to them, he had been standing there the whole time, listening to every little word that was said. He had had the same talk with his own boss, though the talk was a little less violent and emotional.

“It’z time to retire.”

“Yes, I believe so too.” her boss acknowledged , “It’s after midnight, what is a bride doing away from her husband on her wedding night.” he joked though the new couple did not seem to find the jest amusing.He took her hand and stepped from the room with her, making sure to not step on the train of the never ending dress. The sea of arachnids grew silent as they parted to make way for Lady and Lord Beilschmidt.

And in that moment , innocence was lost and she was made a woman. Their dance was awkward at first, with him being stiff and her being unknowing, but the marriage was final, and her lily and loyalty was given to him. That was all that mattered , to her boss at least.

✩｡:*•.───── ❁ ❁ ─────.•*:｡✩

“That iz my piano. Do not touch my piano”

“That iz zhe first thing jou say to jour new cousin , Austria ?”

Light cracked through the windows as she stood there awkwardly , hitting her dress slightly to outline the golden and yellow seams. It matched her wedding band which locked so heavily on her ring finger. If only it didn’t bother her so much then maybe she would have acknowledged the thick band’s beauty.

“I am tired of zese ‘children’ moving into my home. First Prussia and now zese girl.”

The oak doors burst open, revealing Hungry holding a white envelope with the seal of (C/N).

“(C/N)!” she had a distressed look on her face and she closed in on the girl “It comes from jour boss.”

“My boss has passed. We haven't crowned a monarch yet.”

Overtime , Hungry had noticed a slight change in the country’s attitude. After the death of her boss, the people of (C/N) began a revolution, killing those with the emblem of Germany etched into their hearts.

The young woman seemed panicked, clenching her satin covered heart and helping herself to the velvet seats made for Austria.

“(C/N),” Hungry placed her hand on the shoulder of the younger girl, thankful that she was not in her place “Jou must asx jour husband for council.”

“No, I am a country. I must deal with this on my own.”

v“No. Jou are a joung gurl, jou must ask for help when needed. Germany vill know what to do.”

And so, later that night when she had had her dinner and dismissed her handmaiden , she dressed again and did her hair in the fashion in which she knew he liked. He once gifted her perfume from France which she had never worn. Though she had doubted that he himself had picked out the perfume for he rarely thought of her (or so she thought) , she decided to adorn herself in it in order to appeal more desirable to him.

She needed money.

She was going to ask for money.

After all, he had owed it to her.

The crown his queen wore was crafted from her blood. The ring his king wore came from the teeth of her grandmother . The child she would hopefully never birth would be carried by her.

She did the sign of the cross.

She ascended into the hallway , sweeping her skirt along the tile.

Laces that sinched her waist and held her body constricted her , making her smaller and smaller as she stood beneath the immaculate doors . Those doors , the doors that separated her and him. In those days during that time, women were not allowed in the studios of men. It was respected as his space , a space in which she was not allowed.

Tonight, she was not a woman.

Tonight, she was (C/N).

The air that flooded the hallway became heavier and heavier until she stopped breathing. A tear began to form and she did not know why. Was she afraid to talk to her own husband ?

Suddenly, the door swung open and hit (C/N) on the nose . Causing her to stumble back and hit her head on the tiled floor. There was no carpet to break her fall, only the stone which nearly caused her to bleed.

“(C/N)?” Germany looked down at her, startled . He offered his hand to hers , hoisted her to her feet. “I did not expect jou to be up so late”

She was too startled. Her heart raced and suddenly she forgot to speak her own language. The world around her spun and she worried that he would kill her then and there. No, he wouldn’t do that , would he ? She didn’t know. What she did know was that he had the money that she needed.

“Germany,” she kissed him on the cheek gently, regaining her composure “I must speak to you, it’s urgent.”

“Vhat could be so urgent at this hour sigh … jou knov vhat, come inside. Jou are my vife after all.”

He opened the door for her, allowing her to step into the room for the first time .

Everything was tidy. The curtains were perfectly ironed , the books were arranged by author and colour, and his medals were nicely seated next to each other in the order in which he received them. There was not a speck or a crumb on the floor, as if he had just swept the floors.

“(C/N), Jou bleed.” He states , coming close to her body.

The mirror she looked into showcased her bleeding nose. She was perfect in every way but that. She wanted to cry, she had put so much effort into her makeup and just a simple mistake had ruined everything.

“Here let me help.”

He sat her down and came upon her with his handkerchief. Somehow it disappeared, and her face was cleaned from his magic hand. Even the red stains that had sunken into her pores were gone, as if he were a painter painting a clean, pure woman.

“Thank you.”

“Ja” he turned around and placed his handkerchief carefully on his desk. “Knov vhat is it jou vant?”

“I need help!” She blurted out . “I am ashamed to ask you for it, but I need you to help me. Your people have mined hard and deep into my soil. Women are raped by your occupiers and boys are taken to become soldiers. All I ask is that you police your men and compensate me for my precious medals.”

He placed a finger on his chin, as if he were thinking.

“Vhou is jour debt to?”

“England.”

“Then the matterz iz finished.”

“But I need you to send at least half of your men away.”

“Done.”

“Just like that.”

“Und just like that.”

She straightened her neck and wondered why she had even stressed in the first place. Still, he stood in front of her tall and strong , intimidating her immensely . She felt small and weak still, even though she had just gotten her way.

“Alvright, if zhat iz it then let me valk jou to jour room.”

“That would bring me much joy, yes.”

He offered her his arm to latch herself onto, to which she gladly accepted . She wanted to leave that room as quickly as possible . So once they stepped from the overly clean room, she let out a sigh of relief and a small prayer to her god.

The amount of steps it took them to reach her room was 392, which was only one or two off from the amount it took her to reach the office. She probably miscounted , or got distracted by the sound of her heels hitting the tile.

“Alvright,” he kissed her on her cheek, ”gute nacht.”

“Gute nacht.” She responded and watched him turn her back on her , making his way in the direction of his room.

Their arranged marriage had been a union of convenience, a merger of two powerful countries, but the emotional distance between them was palpable. Tonight, however, C/N was determined to bridge that gap.

“Wait!” She called out to him, figuring it was either now or never. “Would you like to come in?”

She no longer wanted to feel lonely, she wanted the feel of his skin and the kiss that came from his lips. She wanted him to love her , like a husband loves a wife . In her books she had read of this love, when a man whispers sweet prayers into a woman’s ear, and begs that she do the same. She had experienced love from him physically, but wanted him emotionally. She wanted his heart to join with hers , she hoped he could see that.

His nod was all she needed .

She invited him into her room, making room for his tall and bulky frame.

“May I speak freely?”

He nodded again.

“We spend our nights alone though we are husband and wife. Why is it such?”

A crimson blush crept upon his cheeks and he shuffled uncomfortably, searching for an answer in the pure white tile.

“Vell-“

She abruptly cut him off.

“I want to know you as a wife knows her husband.”

“Ve have already come to knov eachother in zhat vhey.”

"No, we have not.”

"Then lets us."

The air was thick in their unspoken tension. His blue eyes bore into hers , making her feel small but not inferior to him. It was an odd feeling.

In the dimness of the room, she noticed his blush and his fumbling hands. She reckoned that he was shy. Even with all his military regalia and medals, he did not know how to come with a woman. Slowly but desperately , he closed in on their small gap, wetting her lips with his own.

His kiss was warm and his body hot against hers.

As their kisses grew more fervent, C/N stepped back slightly, her hands moving to the ties of her gown. With a slow, deliberate motion, she loosened them, the fabric falling away to reveal her bare skin. Germany's blue eyes widened, his gaze roaming over her body with a mixture of awe and desire. It was a feeling he had not felt in awhile. Even on their wedding night, he did not lust for her. It was a duty, a chore . But now, she was a goddess, her curves soft yet seductive , her nipples tight against the coldness of the room.

He removed his clothing and picked her slim body from the floor to throw her on her bed. He had chosen that bed for her, that much was true. It was purchased before their wedding in (C/N) of hopes that she would come to feel at home in her bedroom.

His touch ignited her body, creating a flame that warmed her body. She lusted for him, and he for her.

She grabbed his manhood, slowly pleasuring him until he felt it was right to insert himself. Her walls closed on him, creating a warm , wet embrace over his manhood. He thrust himself into her, over and over again.

It didn’t take long for him to release, with his seed pouring into her. As countries, it was highly unlikely that a child would conceive , but if one did , then it would become the land in which it was conceived.

(C/N) moved to the left of the bed, allowing Germany to sleep on the right.

"Gute Nacht," he whispered to her with a short kiss.

Germany would not return to his bed that night.

[oddent]

SNATCH ME UP | b.chan x latina!reader

implied angst + spanish words + idol!au + making up + cat owner reader + fluff

the air is chilly and your racing heart only makes you acknowledge how nervous you are. which means you feel colder than usual because of the nerves. you can hear the crowd, muffled by your heart beat but you only dwell on it more than usual.

“n/n,” the maknae of your group whispers behind you, the nickname she specifically gave you brings you back to reality.

“hm?” you hum, not trusting your voice.

“are you ready?”

“no,” you whisper, but it sounds more like a whimper.

she hugs you from behind, reassuring you that you got this. “-and chan-sunbaenim will be very proud!”

you relax for a moment but that is exactly why you’re nervous. chan is somewhere in the crowd, definitely waiting for your amazing performance alongside your group but what he doesn’t know is that you and emi have a duo opening act and more importantly you will be singing in spanish (or whatever latin american language you speak). your native tongue.

“we got this, you’re not alone.” emi assures quickly before the backtrack starts to play in your in-ear monitors.

you take a quick deep breath before taking your first stride down the stage. the instrumental is slow, darker than what the original song is but it’s perfect. you’ll sing it just as slow and full of pain, acting has always been your forte. you’ll just have to pretend like always, making your heart calm down sooner than later.

“VE~N,” you scream-sing into the mic, looking darkly at the crowd, you know everyone must be startled at the foreign language. “Y CUENTAME LA VERDAD.”

“TEN PIEDAD,” you takes a shuddering breath, “Y DIME. POR QUE~!? NO. NO, NO~!”

and emi goes in, translating the verse that comes afterwards in korean as you move to back her up in the dance. you manage to get a glimpse of a screen, seeing chan and minho stare intensely at the performance. you make yourself believe that there wasn’t any pain in chan’s face. you didn’t even want to see him, really. what a coincidence that was.

and just when the trumpet’s instrumental dies down, the transition to your group’s latest comeback plays. you and emi move in sync, her voice filling up your in-ear again and soon, your other members join in.

your composure lasts all evening. you feel relieved when you finally get off the stage. emi and the others exclaim how happy they were, that you did amazing. that everything will be alright.

you weren’t sure but hopefully everything did go well. whether chan and you make up or not, whether the two of you break up, you knew you had other things to focus on. you were fine before him, you could be fine aft-

“y/n.”

you freeze, last in line as your group files out to leave the backstage and head to the seats outside.

“y/n we need to talk,” chan whispers loud enough for you to hear.

you peer over your shoulder, “now is not the time, chris.”

he can hear the underlying venom in your voice. he takes a deep breath.

“well look at my messages and you’ll deem what day is fit.” is all he says before walking away, preparing for the stage.

you swallow, rushing your steps to catch up to the girls. you get some praise from idols you pass by, a lot of soft claps and “loved it!” whisper-shouted. your back hurt from all the bowing.

by the time you sit, stray kids’ performance already started. you can only hold back tears as you see your possible ex-boyfriend shine.

“we can leave and let him come here to talk,” your leader says.

“i don’t know…” you say softly, sullen.

“i think it’s best, our dorms aren’t known by the public yet, unlike theirs, and the dorms are safer than a cafe or whatever you two originally had in mind.”

you stare at her, sighing in defeat. “okay, i’ll text him then.”

she pats your shoulder, smiling warmly.

“thank marie,” you say to her, jokingly adding a french accent.

“yah,” she says while ruffling your hair as she exits the kitchen.

you go to chan’s chat, staring at all the messages and all the registered missed calls. your hands tremble and sweat, your mind races. what if he changes his mind and immediately just says the 3 words? what if he gets aggressive when he gets here? what if-

“stop overthinking,” emi’s voice startles you, causing your thumb to send the message you had mindlessly typed.

“ai- mierda!” you groan, whining as you slump over the table.

“if this is about chan you shouldn’t be like this!” she scolds, “you act like he’d hurt you.”

“he already has-“

“on purpose.” she strains, “and physically. he would never hurt you in that way! plus. he wouldn’t have any reason or right to, he’s the one at fault.”

“i know,” you groan as you hear your phone ding.

chan’s reply was a simple “alright”. you weren’t sure how to feel about that. but it didn’t matter, emi made sure you were in decent spirits by the time she and the girls left. all of them gave you words of encouragement and you relaxed just a tiny bit but the nerves returned while meet up time got closer.

you shut yourself in your room, playing with you cat to try to relax once more. yet, you couldn’t. everything frustrated you, everything made you want to cry. especially how cute your cat looked in the white vest chan gave him a few weeks ago.

when the doorbell rings, you jump. your cat scurries away, surprised at how jittery you are. you close the door behind you, locking your baby inside your room.

your heart is racing, you already want to cry.

but you have to be strong. you have to face reality. nothing has been easy up until now, foreigners as trainees never do.

a break up is nothing.

chan us standing on the other side of the door frame, looking charming in his grey sweats and black hoodie. he doesn’t have his beany on, but he looks dashing as ever.

“hi,” he tries a smile, you reflect it as well.

“hi, come in,” you step aside, allowing him to do so.

both of you are quiet and tense as you head to the kitchen. he sets his bag on the table, and quickly strikes conversation.

“i want to apologize.” he starts, you silently sit down on the stool. “for constantly putting you aside, for diminishing you, for taking out my problems on you and treating you like that’s all i have you for. y/n,” you manage to make eye contact and you see the tears brimming in his eyes.

it makes you reflect that same expression.

“i love you. i truly mean it. i know me having problems these past few months aren’t an excuse, i know better than to treat you like that and still did it and i hurt you and that makes me feel horrible. because the moment i let you in my life, i’ve never been happier. you’ve been nothing but supportive and loving and i’ve tried my best to return it but i’ve failed you so horribly these last few months. i’m really sorry, for doing that. for making you cry.”

you wipe your tears, realizing that you indeed were crying at that very moment. you sniffle, looking down at the ends of chan’s bag’s straps that you’ve been messing with these past few minutes.

“i’m tired, chan,” you say.

his shoulders sag, “i know, and i know i caused that. you’re so patient… i actually hit your limit.”

you swallows thickly, “but even so, i still want to give it another try,” you look at him again, “because i love you too. we’ve been together for a year and a half, chan. i don’t want to throw that away. and if we ever do then i don’t want to end on bad terms. that would hurt me more.”

“i know,” he says softly, “i know. baby.” he leans over the table, reaching out and placing his hands over yours. “will you forgive me?”

you nod.

“and will you give me another chance?”

“yeah,” you sniffle.

“good, because i brought this.” chan grins, sniffling a bit as well. he removes his hands from yours and pulls out a box from his bag.

“and what’s this for?” you question as you take the box.

“a present,” he simply says, biting his bottom lip as he watches you set it on the table to open it.

you gasp as you see the custom made cat collar that you had made a few days ago. you didn’t really have money for it, most of your check went into the trainee debt you’ve earned and are close to paying off. you found a beautiful site with expensive but pretty customizable options. with every collar purchase, the seller would send a matching ring or bracelet (to obviously match with the kitty).

you couldn’t help but grin as chan put the bracelet on. especially when he said he purchased the ring so the three of you have family jewelry.

“cosita linda mia,” you squeal, swooping up the fluffy orange cat that comfortably laid on your bed in a loaf position. “look what daddy brought you!”

chan grins, adoring how you cradle and kiss your cat. he hugs you from behind, resting his chin on your shoulder.

“i’m serious,” he says softly. “i love you, i always want to see you happy.”

you sigh softly, melting into his arms as your cat jumps out of your arms. the two of you watch the feline walk away to the bed, to resume its previous position.

“always?”

he nods, “always,” he kisses your neck, “and i’ll make sure to achieve that. i don’t want to lose a talented, beautiful person because of my stupidity.”

“yeah,” you grin, “cus like lilly says, i don’t like stupid people.”

hearing his laugh in your ears makes you feel warm and fuzzy again. and thats how you know, you’re back in his hold for sure.

[thesymphonytrue]

Ten Questions

Instructions: prev asks ten questions and you answer them, then ask ten new ones and tag ten people to keep the chain going!

Thanks for the tag @aragarna!! <3

Favorite movie/tv show of 2024?

Favorite Movie was definitely Wicked. (lol if you can't tell by my blog recently LOL) It is probably my favorite movie I've seen in the past ten years to be honest! Maybe my favorite movie ever. 👀

2. Favorite movie/tv show of all times?

I mean, if I'm being honest, it might end up being Wicked. I loved the musical, but I didn't obsess over it as a teen (besides learning all the songs lol), but the movie is just something special. It has a magic to it and every single ingredient I need for a favorite movie: fantastic singing AND acting (they got singers who could act and that is SO important for a musical), morally gray characters, beautiful set, diverse cast, excellent plot, and PLATONIC SOULMATES (my weakness) (and yes, I kno in canon and in the book they could be more than platonic and I'm fine with that too, but their relationship in the musical is so beautiful).

For TV show, of course, WHITE COLLAR!

3. Favorite book?

oh I have so many! This is very hard so I will go with the favorite one I read in 2024 and that would be The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue--the combination of exploring art throughout the years and also how one makes a "mark" in the world was so well done and VE Schwab is just such an excellent writer---love all her books.

4. Do you read or watch non-fictions?

I do! I try to read 4-5 nonfiction books per year. This year I read "Nuclear War" by Annie Jacobson (it was terrifying) and a few self-help books (lol) and some parenting books (I'm trying my best, it's so hard).

5. DVD, streams or downloads?

I do like the old fashioned DVD, but we stream everything these days and I will say not having to store DVDs is great.

6. What is the weirdest thing you’ve eaten?

I am such a plain eater---I am not adventurous at all so this is probably super dull, but Caviar LOL and it was delicious! *muah!*

7. If you were rich enough not to have to work, what would you do?

I would totally sing in broadway shows. 😭

8. Dream place to visit one day?

I have always wanted to explore France outside of Paris, as Paris is the only place I have ever been in France! Perhaps somewhere by the coast? Nice maybe? Like I said, I know very little outside of Paris and would love to explore!

9. Someone (dead or alive) you'd love to spend a one-on-one hour with?

Oh my. There are few people I know that I would spend one-on-one for an hour without feeling socially nervous LOL 😂 HOWEVER---I would love to spend an hour with Julie Andrews teaching me how to sing, dance, act, etc. Now, that, I could do. 😉 Or an hour singing duets WITH Josh Groban hahah I'd love that too. 🤣 No talking required.

10. Aspirations, resolutions for 2025?

hmmm! Well, a big aspiration is just to accept myself more I guess? I've always struggled with a negative self-image and self-hatred and I'm really tire of it. I'd love to love myself a little bit this year.

On a lighter note, I'd love to figure out a way to sing more. I just don't know how.

NEW QUESTIONS:

Favorite song you listened to this year?

What's something you are really good at?

What is something that makes you smile?

Favorite place to relax?

Best book you read this year?

Favorite hot drink?

Comfort item?

Favorite way to be creative?

Mountains or Beach and why?

Favorite thing about yourself? <3

Okay, no pressure tagging:

@twisted-tales-told @ssk374 @bluebellsinburbank @babydollbucky @idkimoutofideas and whoever would like to participate!!

[support-local-bands]

Live sleep token reaction pt.1 (this will be long)

Look to Windward

- god I love them using new sounds

- "losing this war of attrition" 😭

- what a fucking opener

- we're setting such a tone

- this is mixed and mastered so well

- the layering, the building strings, the haunting vocals

- WE LOVE A DROP

- ii always has such crisp drums, which is cause he's such a talented player but like also I NEED to know who mixes his tracks because it's so fucking good, the panning and levels are perfect

- 808 token my beloved

- the like 8bit melody is so good

- hauntingly beautiful vocals as always

- my producer brain got turned on by doing this, I'll probably have to go back and rawdog listening to the album and just pay attention to lyrics later

Emergence

- god I love emergence

- been listening to this every day since it came out

- "canines of the savior" lives rent free in my mind

- actually all of this song does

- god I love how much texture ii adds to his beats

- so glad I put on headphones, the crash cymbal being so far in my right ear is really scratching my brain right

- love that fukin sax solo, gonna cry if they cut it live

Past Self

- oooohhhhh what is that, a harpsichord? celesta? I need to know

- "some things have to change" 😭

- apologizing for shit I stopped thinking about is so real

- THE HARMONIES

- this has awakened something in me

- the bassssss, my only "gripe" with sleep tokens mixes is that I wish they'd turn up the bass just a little

- I love when they melt his vocals into the track with all that reverb

Dangerous

- oh fuck I love the way this opens

- the building bass

- that drop?!

- I fucking love how experimental they got with this album

- fuck generas and label confines, make whatever new and exciting shit that you want

- the guitar is really grabbing me by the heart here for some reason

- "SHOW ME HOW TO DANCE FOREVER" we found it

Caramel

- this song haunts me in the best way

- another one I've been listening to nonstop

- this song is such a fuckinh bop and also so heartbreaking

- which I'm sure is intentional in a very Hey Ya way

- I'm glad ves is doubling down on his boundaries though

- the instrumental to this is so good its rediculous

- the bridge fucks me up every time

- that scream is so visceral

- everything in this track is so well placed to have exactly the most impact, the way everything drops out at the end like you're falling over the edge just to be caught by vessels sweet voice singing bittersweet words

- you can always tell how intentional and well thought out their transitions are and it gets me every time

- goddamn I love this band

[abbysleftbicepp]

What Did I Ever Do To You

A post outbreak day abby x fem reader.

Warnings: angst, mentions of death, fluff, swearing, I can’t think of anymore so lmk if I missed them!

Part 2! Read part 1 here.

When you arrived to your room, Nora was nowhere to be seen. She was probably out on another night shift. You kicked your slippers off and climbed into bed, hoping you could sleep away any thoughts that would come to you. Unfortunately, you were restless. More and more memories of Boston filled your brain, making it hard for you to sleep.

~flashback~

What do you mean they're dead?!" You yelled at Marlene, top firefly in Boston QZ.

She had found you in the hideout after she found Ellie and Riley in the mall.

Riley was with us. She wasn't dead while she was gone. She must have payed Ellie a visit and then took her to the abandoned mall. I found them both infected, I had no choice but to shoot them." She explained with a somber tone.

Your heart shattered into tiny pieces. Riley and Ellie were the only people you had after your parents were killed by fedra.

"I don't fucking believe you. They can't be..dead." Tears fell from your eyes as Marlene wrapped her arms around you. "It's okay. You can come with us, we're going to the Salt Lake City outpost. There are other kids your age, I'm sure you'll settle in just fine." She announced, soothing you by rubbing your back. You felt weak. Nothing made sense anymore, why would they go to the mall without you? Why would that just leave you out? At least you would have died with them if they only took you.

el°ve already sent one of my people to grab your belongings, we're leaving tomorrow night. You can either stay the night here in your hideout or you can come with me to our safe zone." She explained softly.

"I think I'll stay here tonight. Are you going to pick me up tomorrow?" You ask, wiping your tears.

"Yeah I'll send a group to collect you a few hours before we head out." She finished before walking out the door.

~end of flashback~

It had been an hour since you'd returned to your safe place, but you were restless. The thoughts of Ellie and Riley couldn't leave your head, you hated them for not including you, but you couldn't hold it against them.

You dragged yourself out of bed, deciding you were gonna go on a short walk around the settlement to clear your mind. Putting on your shoes, and grabbing your Walkman, you headed out the door.

A few minutes passed when your head collided with someone's back, knocking you to the floor and breaking your Walkman.

"Ow-..shit!" You yelled, scurrying to your now smashed Walkman.

"No no no no no!" You said, trying to hold yourself together. You still didn't know who knocked you over. You picked up the pieces of the beloved Walkman and stood up, facing the girl who you bumped into.

Calm down it's just a Walkman, can get you another." Abby spoke.

"Just a Walkman.?! Abby this has sentimental value. Nothing can replace it to me." You whisper yelled, trying not to wake up the whole WLF. Your voice was wobbling as you tried to keep your cool in front of Abby.

"I don't understand what your fucking problem is. You spat, walking back towards your room.

Before you knew it, you heard footsteps behind you.

For fuck sake Abby can you not take a hint?" You spat again, stopping in your tracks.

“Y/n just wait please..” Abby spoke, sincerity laced in her voice.

"What do you want?" You asked, clearly pissed off.

“I’m sorry." She started. You're joking, right?

“Just leave me alone..” you demanded, your voice wobbling as you ran back to your room and cried yourself to sleep.

~flashback~

“Y/n!! Hey. Riley is waiting for us at the hideout. We have a surprise for you!” Ellie announced in a sing-song voice, dragging you by the hand. “Cmon! We don’t have all day.” She said impatiently.

“I’m comin’, I’m comin’.” You giggled, following Ellie. When you arrived, all the lights were off and Ellie was navigating you around with your eyes closed.

“What’s going on els?” You asked, clearly confused.

“Shhh just trust me okay.” Ellie replied.

When you finally arrived to the main room of the hideout, you saw a birthday cake on the table, lit up with candles.

You covered your mouth as you gasp, you couldn’t believe they did this for you.

“Happy birthday!! We’re not gonna sing because we know how awkward that would be. Hurry up and make a wish so we can give you your gifts!” Riley said confidently.

“Gifts?” You asked, surprised.

“Hurry!!” Ellie yelled with excitement.

Once you blew out the candles, Riley turned the lights back on and they both handed you a present each, both wrapped up in old Christmas paper.

“I cant believe you both. You’re too kind.” You said, trying to not get emotional. You opened Riley’s first, revealing an old, but working, Walkman. You started jumping around happily, before hugging Riley and thanking her.

“Open mine now!” Ellie hurried you.

“Okay okay okay.” you giggled.

You opened her present to reveal a cassette, which you could play on the Walkman.

“No way! Is this queen?!” You gasped. You hugged Ellie, thanking her and Riley took the cassette and Walkman, connecting it to a speaker.

“How about we have some more fun?” She smiled before playing the first song; Bohemian Rhapsody. You all sang along, dancing. You had no care in the world in that moment, for you were the happiest you’d been in a long time.

~end of flashback~

There was a light tap at your door, shaking you from your sleep. Groaning, you dragged yourself out of bed and opened the door, immediately rolling your eyes.

“What do you not understand about the words ‘leave me alone’ abby?” You asked frustratedly.

“I just need to apologise and explain myself. I’ve been a really shitty person to you for no reason and i am not okay with myself because of it. It’s not fair for you, or anyone around us who has to listen. Just please, hear me out.” She begged, sincerity laced in her voice.

You sighed, interested in what she had to say before letting her in.

“Whatever you have to say, you better make it quick. I’ve gotta help out at the nursery in an hour.” You explained, sitting down and signalling for her to sit too.

“So why have you been such a dick to me since I got to Salt Lake City?” You asked.

“I was intimidated by you.” She said, not looking you in the eyes.

“Intimidated? Elaborate.” You demanded.

“You had lost so much in such a short amount of time, yet you had such high spirits. When you arrived to the outpost, Marlene explained your situation and asked me to befriend you. But when I met you, I felt intimidated by how strong you were mentally. I envied your cope, I envied your way with knowledge and i guess to make it go away, I had to push you away.” She explained slowly, to try and leave room for you to understand.

“When my dad died, I was in bits. I didn’t understand how you could move on so fast from your friends back in Boston, I’m still not over my dad and I’ve already gotten my revenge.” She spoke, finally looking you in the eye.

“I put on a mask Infront of everyone. It was a fresh start, I didn’t need my emotions to get in the way. Behind the scenes I was drowning in my own tears every night. It’s not so bad anymore but I still miss them a lot, and I still can’t allow myself to forgive them for leaving me.” You spoke. Abby’s face softened into a sympathetic, worried one.

“I am so sorry for how I’ve treated you. It probably didn’t help your grief, and it definitely didn’t help your mind. Me being a dick was the last thing you needed. I am truly sorry.” She spoke.

This was a side of Abby you had never seen before, she spoke with so much care and adoration in her voice, and there weren’t any snarky comments or sarcasm. It was all true to her mind.

“I can’t erase what I have caused and I don’t expect you to forgive me now, or ever. I just hope that one day we can maybe be friends? And start over?” She asked softly, looking in your eyes with care and concern.

“I’d like that.” You replied.

——————————————————

Tysm for reading part 2! This was mainly flashback based, but I feel like it was necessary for your backstory. Part 3 will hopefully be out before the end of the week. Lmk if you wanna be tagged! 🫶

Also, they have gotten rid of the gif I used :{

Tag list:

@lia-winther @paqerings @littlegingerperson2 @gaptoothedlesbo

[burnt-outtransgender]

The Fable SMP images in my mind when listenening to Arkansas Daughter

Take a swim in the water

Take a swim in the water

> lil’ Percy and Rae/Theo

Dear Arkansas daughter

> cue S1 Cas and Rae

You with the dark curls, you with the watercolor eyes

> Rae talking about Caspian and Aax

You who bares all your teeth in every smile

> Rae talking about Fenris

He says, "I can always hear you sing, I wanna hear you speak to me"

> Rae talking about Caspian and him

While a stranger braids my hair back out on the street

> Fenris helping with Rae’s hair and vise versa

And in your dreams, we are shooting at snakes

> Everyone trying to make jokes about their memories coming back in dreams

And while you were asleep, I was surely awake

> Rae admitting he perpetuated his coffee addiction- much to everyone’s disappointment

I was talking at a cigarette, there's nothing left to say

> Rae seemingly deflating after going on a tangent

But he should have been there anyway

For I didn't sing a single song all day

> S2 Caspian and Aax being depressed because Rae left

As my love for you dies

As my love for you dies

As my love for you is steadily dying

As sharp and serious as a pistol in the eye

> Rae having a nightmare of Fable’s assholery from when he was a kid

My heart is full of swords

Full of, full of swords

> Fenris being sad

Your love, it knows the Lord

> Fenris/Centross having a quiet moment on a double date with Ghaae and Centross being sappy

Tie my hands, and I knock my knees as I kneel down

I kneel down in the sea

To the ocean floor, I will sink

Like a steel chest full of weapons

> Aax being depressed about Ulysses and hiw she treated him before

And on the spine of the tide

You will rise like a red ripe, red ripe apple

Take a swim in the dirty water

> Cas and Rae being warned by Ulysses to ve good to Aax

Dear Arkansas daughter

Take a swim in the dirty water

Darling child, true love of mine

> them at their wedding

As my love for you dies

As my love for you dies

As my love for you is steadily dying

> Rae finally deletes Fable’s number from his comm

Darling child, true love of mine

Darling child, true love of mine

True love of mine

True love of mine

> Rae with his partners and kids :)

[mccoys-killer-queen]

Seeing Styx for the 3rth time (plus John Waite and Foreigner for the 1st times)

I drove 2.5 hours to Holmdel, New Jersey for this show bc Styx hates Pennsylvania this year ig and this is the highest amount of money i have ever paid for a concert ticket and it was FUCKING. WORTH EVERY PENNY.

I need to listen to more of The Babys

JOHN SOUNDS SO GOOD WHAT IN THE FUCKKKK

I'm seeing him again in October and I can't wait now

the official L*ve N*tion press portal said that Styx was the headliner for this show and they FUCKING LIED

After John went offstage they UNVEILED LARRY'S PIANO AND I GENUINELY WASNT EXPECTING THEM TO BE NEXT SO I SCREAMED SFNGOESIRNGER IT WAS A LARRY JUMPSCARE

I should also mention there IS NO PIT at this place and the stage is LOW to the ground like 4-5 feet off the ground and the stage is SMALL too ?????? So i was like AAAAAAAAAA??? I'M GONNA BE SO CLOSE TO THEM (I was 3rd row) like I was literally 10 feet from the stage maybe a little less even

I did text Larry earlier in the day, saying like "see you tonight! I'll be the one in the Gowan shirt!" like I did last year in Allentown, but I checked really close to them coming on and he hadn't seen it

HOWEVER

WHEN THEY CAME OUT ONSTAGE

LARRY CAME RIGHT TO THE FOOT OF THE STAGE

AND POINTED AT ME

and just seemed to genuinely happy to see me and was motioning at me and nodding like he FUCKING REMEMBERED ME, GUYS

immediately after that I got Terry's attention and pointed at my shirt and his face went from joy to surprise and he mouthed "oh, wow !"

sometime before the first song was over, Tommy was standing behind JY and we made eye contact and he gave me a :O ! face he's so precious

tommy's so fucking beautiful i got to see him up close for the first time and gawwwwdddddddd pleaseeee i could see every fucking curl and detail of his face and his tattoo and hhhghghghrhhghhhhh i wanted to cry he's just so breathtaking

he's also sO TINY LIKE I KNOW WE SAY IT ALL THE TIME BUT SEEING HIM UP CLOSE I WAS LIKE HOLY FUCK HE'S SKIN AND BONES AND COMPACT AND TONED AND PETITE AS ALL HELL ANYWAY-

Too Much Time On My Hands- Tommy does his "is it any wonder I'm not a criminal?" then points at Larry and goes "A CRIMINAL MIND!!!!!!!!!!" and i guarantee you i'm the only one in the crowd who knew what he meant so he acted all bashful like "who, me?" and then POINTED AT ME AND HELD IT AND WAS BOPPIN WHILE POINTING RIGHT AT ME BC OF THE THE GOWAN MENTION

When Larry went into Lady, Terry fucking pointed at me and mouthed "LADAYYY" he wants me so fucking bad you guys

Larry did not sing Lady to me this time but Terry did so that's an even bigger win

during Lady when Larry does his "take me gently into your arms" and hugs JY, when Larry was coming over to him to do that, JY kept scooching away and i fucking died nfgonsfoginsg but JY leaned into the hug they're so cute i love these old men

god seeing JY up close was ethereal as well he's just such a softie

I don't remember what point he did this but JY also made eye contact with me and gave me the same :O !! face tommy gave me pls i love him sm I'm so elated I got his attention

Larry didn't play Khedive and I'm SO SALTY ABOUT IT GUH WHEN DID THEY DECIDE TO CUT THAT

Tommy and JY doing their twiddly fingers at the end of the one song

saw the Tommy tiddies with my own two eyes and at one point he realized he was showing too much of his chest and tugged at his shirt so there wasn't that big of a gap whehehehh

Chuck wasn't there :(

AND THEY CUT LOST AT SEA TOO GUH

WHY COULDN'T THEY HAVE BEEN HEADLINING LIKE L*VE N*TION SAID THEY WERE

anyway anyway it just felt so intimate this time and i had a blast and they're so funny and i would die for them

when Larry introduced the band he did Tommy first and said "this man right here gave you some of the best songs of the 20th century :')" and Tommy just looked at the crowd and mouthed "sorry" and i can't stop laughing at that fgndsofignregnae

just random moments of Larry pointing at me and dancing at each other

god hearing The Best Of Times live for the first time ever was ethereal as well they had tommy doin his little distorted "with you toniiiiight, with you toniiiiiiight" and seeing his solo from that it was just ughhhhh i'm so glad i got to see it

tommy also moved around a LOT more than he did last august thank god I got to be 10 feet away from him

Larry's crazy eyes during Mr. Roboto PLEEEEEASE

went nuts when he stood up on the piano IT'S HIS THAAAAANG

I'm still so salty they weren't headlining but i can say this was absolutely my favorite styx show I've been to

I did hold up my print of Tommy's portrait at the end again and Larry definitely saw me and bid me farewell pretty much when I blew him a kiss but Tommy didn't see the print tho he was SO CLOSE TO MEEEEEEE GRAHHHHH

Tommy being like "a lot of people in the crowd look our age and that's so nice to see you guys still comin out and supporting us"

THEY'RE ALL JUMPIN TOMMY'S KICKIN HIS LEGGY AND JY DID A JUMP AND LARRY AND TOMMY SHUFFLIN AND AAAAAAAA

anyway after Styx i chugged a boozy slushie and water and scarfed down a pretzel in the grass and then it was time for Foreigner

I went down after their first 2 songs and in the middle of their 3rd song (Dirty White Boy) I opened up my phone and saw Larry had texted me 3 minutes prior

I saw the notification and I literally started screaming at the top of my lungs and jumping up and down because HE GOT OFFSTAGE LIKE 40 MINUTES AGO AND HE'S TEXTING ME ALREADY ????????

he said "it was so nice to see you (and that shirt) right from the start of the show!" and when I tell you I started crying I was SOBBING bc the last thing he said to me in Ottawa before we parted ways was "we'll see you somewhere on the road!"

He makes me feel so special and I felt like I was back in Ottawa that night again because I just felt so elated and appreciated by one of my favorite people ever like here i was 3rd row at a foreigner concert sobbing to myself because I was getting texts from the frontman for Styx not long after their set

Larry knows who I am it's official and I love him so much you guys

Anyway after that I was getting super into Foreigner and Kelly is a slut

he literally let a lady spank him from the crowd like he WANTED HER TO IT WAS ALL HIS IDEA he bent over and patted his butt, urging her to smack him and she did a few times and fucking died fgbndfkjgnsfogs

he also put his ass right over where fog was coming out of the floor so it looked like it was shooting into his ass like Kelly stoppppp

I also love Bruce i never knew who he was until last night but he's my fav

I KNEW KELLY WENT ON A PLATFORM FOR JUKEBOX HERO BUT I DIDNT KNOW IT WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CROWD ??????? that was a religious experience

so was I Want To Know What Love Is, and they had a high school choir singing with them

it was impossible to find the busses afterwards bc the way this place was set up had the busses on a dead end street behind the venue that was blocked off with No Trespassing signs and a security guard so- and it was impossible to get around the OTHER side bc it was just a hill

anyway Larry even texted me again before I got back to the parking lot and I screamed again but he just shared my story and sent me his memoji as always lol (plus he liked my message where I told him to say hi to Terry for me)

I need them again already

[ultraericthered]

Relating to these recent posts on Magnifico.

I decided to give the Deluxe Junior Novel of Wish a purchase to see how the story of the film fared in written form in a book based on what seems to have been the final script for the film, meaning the text of the book would even include stuff that got left on the cutting room floor for the theatrical cut of the film we got. While some stuff didn't really change (Sabino is still an epic waste of a character), some stuff was for the better (a lot of Valentino's dumber lines aren't present, and in general there are less forced callbacks to Disney movies that weren't the old princess fairy tale movies), and some stuff is just lost due to the change in medium (we can't hear any songs, yet the climax of the story still describes everyone in Rosas united in singing a song!), it overall gives validity to my idea that even the Wish that Disney and the filmmakers ultimately settled on, even if mostly shallow and not Fully Fulfilled, was meant to be more than the hacked up form it ended up being delivered to us in. Like, there had to be under 20-something minutes of film that didn't make it in, which threw the pacing of the story and sequences out of whack.

And in particular, King Magnifico reads like a more solid and well realized character on the page when compared to in the movie.

- Because we have no animation and voice acting to go by, his early interactions with Asha don't really paint him as a super nice guy save for when he tries to relate to her regarding her father's passing, bringing up how he lost his entire family and home when he was young, and that it's why he founded Rosas to not simply give safety and comfort to the people who come to live there, but to keep their wishes safe from any outside forces, disasters or tragedies that might harm or break them, something we later learn he's readily willing to compromise on. Otherwise, it's easier to read into the douchier, more condescending and dismissive things he says to Asha, and to catch on that he keeps a whole bunch of wishes locked away for his own happiness even before the other shoe drops.

- While I thought it was pretty clear in the movie what he was doing wrong, the novel stresses that him choosing to not grant certain potentially high risk wishes with his magic is itself not wrong so much as is the petty excuse-making his comes up with to rationalize classifying as high risk and not granting perfectly decent and likely harmless wishes, but the focus is laid on the fact that he doesn't return the wishes he won't grant back to their owners, will not ever let them so much as see their own wishes for themselves so that they can remember them again, keeping them living and dying with the false hope that their turn may yet one day come all while the memory of their wish, that lost part of their very selves, remains forgotten. Asha's full line to him that sets him off, already cut short by the king himself, was cut short in the film. It's "They deserve more than just false hope. And no matter how hard the journey might be, they deserve a chance---". Makes it clear what Magnifico was ruling out.

- The part where he first goes for the tome of forbidden magic plays out a little different. He doesn't say "Everything I do is to make sure that THAT never happens again!", he's cast as a hypocrite because Amaya has her line about how he himself has said in the past "forbidden magic is not the way" yet when he feels that his place of power and the management of his system that dictates Rosas' way of life has fallen under threat, he's willing to go back on this. To give him comfort and talk him down, Amaya says "You are not that powerless boy you were. You are a mighty sorcerer who commands great magic", suggesting that Magnifico's perceived weakness and lack of control is the big sticking point for him regarding his past trauma, following that with "but this book...with it, you know you risk magic controlling you", a more clarifying version of the line she said in the film. The book itself would not brainwash or curse or possess him - the magic from it that he'd intake into himself would intoxicate his mind, in essence commanding him to cast it for whatever uses he'd have for it. Which works to accelerate the corruption of the sorcerer's heart, but doesn't instigate it. The sorcerer has to choose that for himself.

- While I love "This Is The Thanks I Get", its absence means there's no drastic shift to Magnifico being comedically vain and cartoonish, thus his psychotic break is described in words and the sequence with Asha having to hide from him and flee the castle without his notice is given actual suspense. In text form, Magnifico's manic episode that leads him to unsealing the forbidden spellbook is actually kind of chilling: he does everything that'd normally soothe his mood - filling up the model of Rosas with magical mini people, making suits of armor grovel before him, looking at his reflection in the mirror and even having the reflections sing his praises, and of course, playing around with the wishes in the observatory - and this time, none of it is enough to make his fury subside. So the forbidden magic is left as the only thing that could make him feel any better, more powerful and in control, and in this version he doesn't choose to unseal it only after it's caught his eye in that very moment: his mind turns back to it on its own because it's what he believes to be his best recourse for getting himself, and things in his kingdom and with his people, back under control after all else is seeming to fail him. Not exactly the total of motivation I'd have preferred, but I'll take what I can get here.

Incidentally, one sentence during this part is "He let them live in the kingdom for free - he didn't even charge them rent!". Erin Falligant had to have just known how meme-worthy that particular lyric was!

- When Magnifico is at Asha's house, the threat he poses is less undercut than in the film, as instead of Asha knocking the bookshelf on top of him, she simply knocks it down in front of him to block his way as he's moving towards Star, which gives Star the opportunity to flee along with Asha, Sakina, and Sabino. And the number of soldiers posted outside isn't given, leading us to assume he brought more.

- The escelation of Magnifico's self-corruption and the evil he commits with his green magic is well detailed, including the way he essentially kills sentient soul pieces by crushing the magic bubbles they're encased in and absorbing their energy into himself to feed the power within him and keep himself invigorated. Still not a fan of the useless "look for a way to break the magic's hold on Magnifico" quest that Amaya and Dahlia do later, but I like the way what the spellbook says about the magic is phrased - "Embrace that which is forbidden but once, and you surrender to it for eternity." It's like becoming the Dark One and being tethered to the dagger for the power it grants, and to emphasize that this was Magnifico's own choice and fault, the novel tells us that "it was too late to rescue the king from himself."

- But the best part is at the climax, and it's the version of it that was also included in the Graphic Novel and in Recipe For Adventure yet got editted out of the film. There's a nice dark joke about Magnifico amplifying his voice with magic so that he can be heard by the masses of Rosas, then after he blasts Amaya there's the part where Star successfully frees a wish from the evil magic forcefield only for Magnifico to grab it back and crush it in front of everyone and expose to them all that he's the one who'd been threatening, breaking and eating the wishes. Then as he's pulling Asha towards the tower, he has the "Where were you when I needed you back when I was young? Why did it take HER for us to meet?" bit with Star, and after sucking Star into the finial of his staff and making his reflection dominate every mirrored surface in the kingdom, mocks Asha's pain with "It hurts, doesn't it? It really, really hurts! But I feel great, and that's all that matters!", which leads to him creating the vines that run down the castle and abusing the defunct wishes for his pleasure. From that we get the thing that actually bridges Magnifico's current villainy with his debut, with Asha pleading with him to stop because he promised to protect those wishes at all costs. "I did say that, didn't I?" Magnifico responds as he gazes down at the wishes and sighs, almost seeming about to show regret, only to then say "I should thank you, Asha. If you hadn't challenged me, I would still think I needed everyone's trust, and the closest I could get to happiness was being near their wishes. I never would've realized I could just TAKE what I wanted for myself!", and announce to everyone in Rosas "You hear that? I DON'T NEED ANY OF YOU ANYMORE!" Immediately following this is Magnifico blocking out the stars and having thorns grow out from the vines to put his people in bondage, as well as doing some nasty victim blaming of Asha while she's sobbing. "It's because of HER that you've all lost everything!" In general this part is more dramatic and gives an even stronger showing of Magnifico's cruelty while also tying it all back to the start and laying bare what the king's true nature was all along - he'd never wanted to hoard all those wishes to protect them and to ensure the happiness, security, and well-being of the people he ruled over. He'd been doing that to protect himself, always placing his own happiness and security above everyone else's. "What's best for Rosas" was always "What's best for ME", and he always conflated the two. So even before unsealing the forbidden magic and going fully evil, he was a selfish narcissist to the core, and used these circumstances he was faced with as an excuse to indulge in the worst of his nature that he'd been keeping checked and repressed for so long. This makes his comeuppance and imprisonment feel that much more earned.

So overall, Literary King Magnifico is the best King Magnifico, though animated Chris Pine voiced Magnifico is still the most fun.

[sleepanonymous]

hi hello so idk who to ask or where to ask so i ask here but feel free to ignore this, but do you know any other bands that does scream similar to IV's (not older project of his, just any other band)? bc idk where to look for that or what to search for so yeah

thank you thank you have a good day!! <3

Hi Anon 🖤🎵 TY for the ask. I am the self-proclaimed worst at genres and anything with music in a technical sense, but I do have some music recs for you. I ended up making a Spotify Playlist (Dylon and Tyson are not affiliated with Sleep Token in any way).

Its a little tricky because the band of IV's that I mentioned in that one post is deathcore as well, but literally any two deathcore bands are going to sound fairly different (to me at least). If I try to stay similar to the same genre/sound and vocals then one band (that baby Ves may agree) with is Structures. Not all of their music is screaming only, but I added three songs that are (mostly) to the playlist. Another one (that baby Ves may not agree with) is Born of Osiris. Both bands are more on the progressive side of the deathcore genre, but IMO IV is about right between the two vocalists in range (or at least he was in 2021, I'm willing to bet he's expanded his range since). Because both bands are from North America, the accents are going to vary slightly from IV's (as with nearly every other band I suggest).

Structures and BoO have been around for a while, but a newer band that has a similar sound and vocal style is Allt. The vocalist has a similar style as IV (to me at least). If you're willing to switch the genre up a bit but keep a similar sounding vocal then maybe give a band like Thrown or Alpha Wolf a try.

If some clean vocals (regular singing, not screaming) are alright then I'd also recommend a few more bands, like I Prevail, Currents, Architects, and Opal In Sky. And because I can, I'm also gonna recommend Polaris and Silent Planet 😉