#i'm hoping as they get more used to me and my routine they'll figure out the connection

[corvid-language-library]

God I don't wanna go to work today, all my classes are 🫠🫠 and the weather is 🫠🫠 and my brain is 🫠🫠

[randomperson99sworld]

Hope

~Prologue~

Summary: Dean and Sam Winchester save a young woman —Natalie Johnson, from a coven of witches who are after her deceased grandmother’s spell book. At first Dean doesn’t trust her, he’s not too fond of the idea of having to babysit either. Natalie is just simply a woman who gets roped up in the supernatural world against her will from a mistake her grandmother made.

Pairing: Dean x OC

Warnings: Age gap, slow burn, smut (in the later chapters) language, gore.

Word Count: 1,171

A/N: Hey guys, I’m back with a new story! Please keep in mind that the themes and dialogue may not be accurate to the show, like the policewoman’s name. I don’t remember it and tbh I try not to remember this episode that much lol but Dean doesn’t die in my story so nothing will be accurate really lol. This story is based in season 15 after the show ends! Happy Reading! ♥️

Dean Winchester was supposed to die.

Hell, he was ready for it at this point. He'd always figured it would happen with blood on his hands and his brother by his side. What he hadn't expected was for fate to delay its hand—yet again.

The air was sharp with the smell of blood and decay as Dean and Sam arrived at the crime scene, posing as FBI agents. It was their usual cover, a routine they could pull off in their sleep. But there was something about this case that felt off—something dark and familiar.

The policewoman on the scene, Officer Mitchell, stood grimly by as she filled them in on the gruesome details. "The man's body was drained of blood, the mother had her tongue cut out, and the children... well, they're missing. No sign of them."

Dean exchanged a glance with Sam. "What about witnesses?"

"One," Officer Mitchell replied, her voice tight. "The mother survived long enough to sketch this." She handed Sam a drawing, a crude yet chilling image of a masked face. Sam's brows furrowed as he examined it.

Dean leaned in for a closer look, a pit forming in his stomach. The mask was unmistakable—he'd seen it before.

"We've dealt with this," Sam muttered, his voice low enough only Dean could hear.

They quickly checked their father's journal back at the Impala. Flipping through the pages, Dean found what he was looking for: A string of killings following the same MO. John Winchester had hunted something like this before. His gut twisted as he read on.

Dean sighed, tapping the page. "Vamps. It's gotta be them. Dad even noted the missing kids. Same pattern."

Sam, more meticulous, studied the notes carefully. "If it's the same nest, we can predict where they'll strike next. They're following a trail of isolated houses on the outskirts."

Dean's jaw tightened, his mind already in hunting mode. "Then we've got work to do."

Under the cover of darkness, Dean and Sam pulled up to an old house on the edge of town. The moonlight barely illuminated the place, but the brothers could sense something sinister lurking within.

"Let's make this quick," Dean grunted, pulling his machete from the trunk. "I'm not in the mood for a long fight tonight."

Sam gave a half-smile, loading his shotgun with silver rounds. "When are you ever?"

They moved quietly, splitting up to flank the house. Dean came up behind one of the masked killers and, in one swift motion, decapitated him. The body crumpled soundlessly to the ground. Across the yard, Sam incapacitated the other, pinning the vampire to the ground.

Dean approached, eyes cold as steel, gripping his blade. "Where are the kids?"

The vampire, blood smeared on its lips, only sneered in response. Dean squatted down, pressing the tip of his machete to the creature's throat. "Let me be clear. You don't tell us, and this is gonna be a slow, painful death."

The vampire's bravado faltered, eyes flickering with fear. "Alright... alright. They're growing them as food," it spat. "At the nest. North side of the woods. But you're too late. The rest of them are waiting."

Dean exchanged a glance with Sam. "Then we'll take the fight to them."

The brothers arrived at the rundown farmhouse deep in the woods, arming themselves with machetes and stakes, ready for the confrontation ahead. Through the shattered windows, Dean could see shadows moving inside—masked vampires watching their every move.

"Let's go get those kids," Sam whispered, tightening his grip on his weapon.

They stormed in, finding the missing children huddled in a filthy corner of the basement. Dean's heart clenched as he saw their scared, wide eyes. He knelt down, his voice surprisingly gentle. "We're getting you out of here, okay?"

But their escape wasn't going to be easy. As they led the kids out, vampires blocked the exits, their fangs gleaming in the dim light. Dean and Sam moved in unison, cutting down two vampires each. Sam evacuated the kids while Dean held off the remaining vampires, slashing and hacking with a brutal efficiency.

Then, just as they thought they had the upper hand, one vampire knocked Sam to the ground, and another tackled Dean, pinning him down. A familiar face stepped out of the shadows, a cruel smile playing on her lips.

"Jenny," Dean spat, recognizing the female vampire from an old hunt. She'd escaped once before.

Jenny knelt beside him, her fingers tracing the wound on his arm with a sickening intimacy. "It's been a long time, Dean."

Before she could sink her teeth into him, Sam came up from behind, decapitating her with a sharp swing of his machete. Dean scrambled to his feet, but the last vampire blindsided him, shoving him into a metal spike. Pain exploded through his body as the spike impaled him from the back.

Sam finished off the vampire but froze when he saw Dean, blood pouring from the wound. "Dean!"

Dean grimaced, breathing heavily, the pain unbearable. "I'm not going anywhere, Sammy," he wheezed. "Not this time."

Sam's hands shook as he tried to inspect the wound. "Hold on, man. I'll get the first aid kit."

But Dean grabbed his arm, pulling him close. "No. Just... just stay with me, okay? It was always supposed to end like this."

Tears welled up in Sam's eyes, but he nodded, helpless as he cradled his brother.

"Get the kids somewhere safe, Sam," Dean muttered, his voice growing weaker. "Do it... without me."

"We'll do it together," Sam choked out. "We always do it together."

Dean's breath hitched, his body growing cold. "Not this time."

Just as Dean's eyes began to flutter closed, a warm light filled the room. Jack appeared, his expression calm but sorrowful.

"Jack..." Sam gasped, confused. "What—why?"

Jack knelt beside Dean, placing a hand over the wound. A bright, golden light flared, and Dean's breathing evened out, the wound sealing up as if it had never been there. Dean blinked, staring in disbelief as the pain vanished.

"You said you weren't interfering anymore," Sam said, stunned. "Why save him?"

Jack stood, his gaze soft but firm. "Because Cas asked me to. He's alive. I brought him back. He begged me... not to let Dean die. Not like this."

Dean swallowed hard, his mind reeling. "Cas is... alive?"

Jack nodded. "Yes."

Dean shook his head, but a faint smile tugged at his lips. "Damn... I'm glad that feathered son of a bitch is back."

Sam was still dazed but grateful, tears brimming as he looked at his brother, whole and alive. "Thank you, Jack."

Jack gave a small, sad smile. "You're not done yet. There's more ahead. But for now... you're together."

And with that, Jack vanished, leaving the brothers alone in the quiet aftermath of the battle—alive, for another day.

Dean turned to Sam, a wry grin forming. "Guess the dying thing's gonna have to wait."

Sam chuckled through his tears, relief washing over him. "Yeah. Guess so."

[amelias-zelda-calamity-quintet]

More Writing Advice - MoaH Edition

I got an message (thank you @doubtfulloser) asking for more writing advice, and I figured I'd try to get some more thoughts on the page. Right now I'm not entirely sure what else to add to my current list as more tangible advice, so I'm going to try instead to summarize the energy I try to get with Mark of a Hero, my current ongoing writing project. This is honestly going to be a little funky to word, so bear with me as I try to capture a vibe. This is also mostly about fanfic, but I've applied similar processes to my original works as well. Again, this is what works for me, but I hope it helps.

MoaH is very roughly outlined for the whole series. I know where the books need to go on three different levels: act arc, book arc, and series arc. Some of these are like. Three bullet points long, but it helps give me a trajectory. It helps too that in writing this specific type of fic (Legend of Zelda original legend/AU/there's no fandom name for this yet), I can benchmark the books by dungeons. Each book of MoaH has an introduction arc, at least three "shrine" arcs, a bonus dungeon arc, and a full dungeon arc. Those can be moved around, mostly, into the order they need to be to keep the books a little more varied. That's also a very pulled back way to look at it, but it definitely can help imagine a five act structure that way.

Also, don't worry as much about stories seeming formulaic. If someone knows there's a formula in storytelling, they'll find it. And in telling a story, you're going to see behind the curtains the most. Of course you will see a formula. But if MoaH is an example of anything, it's that playing with that formula can be part of the story itself too. The story sets up very clearly that Link in MoaH is in fact the Hero. But to everyone in the story, they don't know that. And MoaH plays a lot with expectation. Because the reader has expectations from the series, the characters have expectations from living in the world, and there's still the story being told because the premise of the characters being adults at the start of the story already skews expectation (this is why outfits have a huge role narratively as much as mechanically too).

And, if my other major fic, Goddess of Secrecy, taught me anything, it's that as long as the formula is fun (there were 14 dungeons in that one and people stuck through it), who cares? Sometimes a routine can be comfortable. And there's plenty of storytelling out there. You can be the comfort part of it and let other people write the mindblowing formula breaking stuff. (This will also get me into a tangent on accessibility in fantasy but we need more base expectation media too, particularly for adults to get them back into reading.)

But that was a lot more actual writing advice than I thought I'd get so I need to get back to what I said I'd actually talk about and that's vibes. Generally in writing MoaH, I'm trying to capture the energy of Zelda as close to Nintendo as I can. It's the biggest compliments I've gotten that have told me I've managed that in my stories. It's also the hardest to describe, so I'll try to outline the thought process my story beats go through to make sure they reach that vibe:

First, would Nintendo do it? In general, in any of their franchises, would they tell this kind of story? Usually this forces curbing the level of "maturity" of the story (Nintendo has never gone passed rated M), but it means relying on environmental storytelling and implication in exchange. This is the biggest cutoff of them all, but it also means figuring out ways to be more original with the ideas, and usually leads to better stories. To that point, Nintendo has also been a company that has used ever last bit of their tech to make good games, despite limitations. This moderation strives to do the same.

Second, is it fun? If we want to capture the energy of Zelda, even if it's going to include timeline junk, the core of Nintendo's philosophy has always been "make good game first, good story second." Writing an original Zelda novel then needs to have a similar approach. Is the plot focused on the spirit of exploration first and the enjoyment from exploring that world that the games have or on the larger narrative stuff I'm trying to do? How do we balance that better?

Third, how would it play out in a game? This is harder for MoaH because I don't think it could be a game ever. Not because the mechanics aren't there but because of scale (there are 9 countries). Still, in general application, how would the mechanics of MoaH play out. Using RPGs (western and Japanese) as well as TTRPGs like D&D to track power scaling helps a lot with this. The abilities should never be one to one, but as a reference point, this can help. It can also double back into the previous point, would this be a fun section of a game to play? If not, how do I fix that? It's also important on this point to remember how game plots and book plots are differently driven. Game plots can be paced by the player, book plots have to be paced by the author.

Fourth, honestly, can I picture this happening in an anime? Not to be an absolute massive weeb, but genuinely. Having not read Journey to the West (yet), capturing the energy of Zelda storytelling requires looking at Japanese storytelling. And my closest point of entry on that is anime. On what those stories focus on. And the basis of storytelling in Japan, like the Odyssey is in the west, is Journey to the West. From the Sparksnotes version of that I have, that's a higher emphasis on character(s) and interpersonal growth over the journey itself. There are still obstacles (dungeons) that will result in a journey, but the interactions on your three-to-five-man-band are way more central. This is, again, where RPGs can be good reference points. And it's why MoaH always has multiple named characters in the scene as often as it can.

Finally, maybe surprisingly to be last, does it fit Zelda? I mean lorewise generally with this, mostly because, Nintendo does not care about the lore connections between their games. While the timeline is fun to mess with, it should always be secondary to the narrative being built so that the games can be standalone. MoaH can be standalone, even though it has lore connecting it to my other big fic, GoS, and the timeline. The legends have always been loosely strung together. If it can incorporate the lore of another game, fantastic. But it is always the last concern because lore connections have never been the goal between Zelda games. And it's not the goal with MoaH. And to that point, as a narrative element within MoaH, there is reason to believe that in canon, that lore loss is due to time. How stories change over it, how they get recorded, how they get retold, how they become legends over history.

As a last half point to the previous but that paragraph was massive already, is this relying on a Zelda trope as a crutch or does it add to the story? It's very easy to namedrop a character. It's another thing to make them feel like that character in game. I can call my main duo Link and Zelda all I want. Do they feel like them? How are they still original to their plots? I think with MoaH a lot of folks will get thrown off on this one because it starts rivals to lovers. Zelda hates Link (he did also break into a temple and she currently sees him as a criminal). That's kinda antithetical to their whole eternal love story though. So why? Spoilers, mostly. But a huge part of Zelda's personality is following through with how Nintendo characterized her and how I see her growing up as an adult. Personally, I don't know a spirited, politically conscious, highly empathic femme who didn't grow up to be an angry (justified), politically active, still highly empathic adult. Of course she would be mad at Link for a flagrant disregard for the law and disrespect to a holy cultural site for self-imposed vigilantism. There are laws that need to be fixed, but there are systems to fix them (this is also a chaotic good x lawful good relationship).

There is probably a lot more I could break down on MoaH and its structure but it would inevitably give away the entire books and all the major themes. For now, I think that's all I can say (and this is already a lot), but I'll try to circle back on these points after one of the books is all the way out.

I guess, if anything else, read everything. Genres you like, genres you don't, traditional publications, self publications, fanfic, the gambit. If the goal of art studies is to improve your art, then reading is the closest comparison we have for writing. And also, it's ok to be kinda bad at something. That's where we all start. It's ok to be pop fiction, there's a reason it's popular. The more hoops you add to yourself about how original or stylized a story should be or the kind of reputation it's going to have, the more you're going to get in your own head about whether or not you can tell the story. Someone will always find a way to be judgemental. Don't let that someone be you.

[coriander-candlesticks]

I've been trying to figure out how to incorporate religious practice into my life & trying to get over the fear of being...annoying? If that's the right word? It feels a little like tugging on the gods' sleeves when I make more than one offering a day to them even though I know I'm not, like, being rude by *checks notes* giving them things or dedicating time/activities to them. Today I made a dessert in preparation for tomorrow's Pathfinder game and dedicated that time spent baking to Hestia and Aphrodite, and it was really nice! I feel like I'm starting to find my footing despite my worries. I'm also trying to make sure I take time where I'm not thinking about religion at all so that I don't start to ruminate/spiral. It's happened a few times already to varying degrees and it's! Not fun!

It's possible it's hindsight/confirmation bias, but I do think the vibes of my tarot deck changed when I started reaching out to the Greek deities. It makes sense: I was using my deck to reach out to a completely different deity/deities before I started exploring Hellenic polytheism. And it's definitely not in a bad way, just more energetic and...light? When before it was heavier (in a comforting way). I've gotten consistently coherent pulls, too, which is nice.

I've been trying to remember to pour a libation to Hermes at certain street corners when I'm out & about, but I have to make a game plan for when other people are also in the area, even if it's just psyching myself up so I don't look awkward while I do it. I have a pendant that I keep in front of his altar/shrine jar that I try to remember to take with me when I travel, and it's been cool having something in my pocket that's consistently reminding me of him because I check so often to make sure it's still there. There were some...issues with my commute on Monday (a true comedy of errors on the city's part) but the change in routine was a *lot* easier to handle in the morning. Of course, the unusually cool temperature helped, but I do accredit the smooth transition to Hermes because I wasn't stressed at *all* for the vast majority of my commute when I usually would have been wiped from the mental/sensory strain of having to pivot & kinda just hope I guessed right on what to do next. The commute home was a nightmare but I didn't have a whole-ass work day ahead of me after that so the stress didn't matter as much (and I was able to get through the last bus ride & walk from the stop which I wasn't sure I'd have the mental fortitude for).

I'm almost done with the statue of Hermes I've been working on, and I finished a set of alphabet oracle "stones" (squares made from air dry clay...would that technically be closer to potsherds?) tonight. I'll share a picture of them once I finish their bag- I have some leftover green cotton yarn from a recent project that I think will go well with them. We'll see how well they hold up, though I'm not planning on doing the "shake them until one falls out" method so hopefully they'll last a while. I worked on them in the living room this evening, instead of in my room. I'm getting more comfortable showing little elements of what I've been exploring to my housemates; it was nice to be able to sit & paint & listen to the iliad while my friend did his own thing next to me on the couch.

I'm still trying to figure out how to gauge each housemates' potential reactions. It'll probably be fine: friend 1 actively has an altar-esque space and uses tarot cards and a pendulum and friend 2 is friend 1's wife. I'm a bit worried about friend 3 being weird about it, at least at first, but considering he was experimenting with witchcraft-esque things a few years ago (I distinctly remember charms & him discussing which of the wheel of the year days he wanted to observe) I think I'm overthinking things. He's an atheist & his view of witchcraft was, at the very least, *similar* to the psych model, which I think is where the hesitation has been coming from on my end. I have therapy this weekend so I think I'll start bringing things up then. The office my therapist is in openly advertises all sorts of alt/witchcraft things so I think I'll be safe there lol

[madamscream]

My typical way of experiencing... well, everything, if we're honest... is to avoid having any expectations. It's something I learned how to do, and I stick to it pretty well. While it was originally mostly a bulwark against a chaotic childhood making my lil autistic ass have to figure out how to do without any sort of routine, the most profound effect it has these days is drastically increasing my enjoyment of media.

The only time I find myself disappointed with something, in that sense, is when they do something that it literally would have been better to have done nothing at all. Solmare has managed to do this a few times.

And YET. Here I am. I think so much about Obey Me that I can't help but speculate, and I've gone and got my hopes up because I've realized that there are some really fucking cool things they could do. I'm feverish, so this might get long... gunna put it under a cut.

So. I started playing the OG Obey Me about a year and a half ago. The fourth season either came out right as I started, or was already out. I never was really effected by the wait time for the next season drop, and the limbo that left fans in, so I get that my perspective is different than most.

But my perspective is this: they had a cool story with some neat concepts, both story-wise meta game stuff, but the game play was so ass it could barely be called game play, the balancing is insane (I've scraped through the main story using countless glow sticks but most of the extra lessons are still beyond me will full teams of lvl 100+ cards), and they'd written themselves into several corners they didn't know how to get out of.

Then they released Nightbringer. It has it's issues, sure, but as a game? I enjoy it about 1000% more than OG. The story is one of being thrown back in time and trying to find your way home, which we managed last chapter. On April 13th, the game will have been out one year. I think that's when they'll drop the next season but...

It would be so wildly cool if they also merged the games. The MC's just returned to the timeline from OG, supposedly, though hadn't Solomon suggested that... y'know, everyone had noticed you disappearing? OG is at it's end of life. It's pretty clear they're going to shut it down at some point. I want, so so so badly, for 4/13 to hit, a massive update to be available, and the entirety of OG's story line to have been ported to NB. I want the accounts to merge together. I want to have all my cards and I want there to be a new Nightmare chapter with all the old cards from OG and I want the plot moving forward to be a mess of scrambled timeline shit, trying to figure out who NB is, and stress. From a game dev perspective, they have the chance to do something so so wildly awesome and I KNOW they won't. I KNOW I'm going to be disappointed. But FUCK it'd be cool...

I have so many ideas on how it could be done... and I'm well aware it'd probably piss a lot of people off still, but people are pissed off anyways. I think it'd make more people happy than it did angry.

And I know some people don't like Ruri-tunes but like... at least it's a game. I'm no huge fan of rhythm games tbh. I honestly hated them before Ruri-tunes, but I disliked the dance battles so much that I've started liking rhythm games more just because it was suck an upgrade imo

Anyways. That's the end of my rant. I want them to do meta shit that ties into their story basically. Thank you for coming to Mal's fever talk.

[rakuya-nikki]

A New Routine - Entry #1

I don't expect anyone to really see these, and that's not the purpose of doing this anyways. I just want a place to be able to jot down my thoughts or share my experiences, as a way to remember them all. Keeping it all locked in my head does nothing but guarantee they'll be forgotten eventually, after all

If anyone is actually reading along somehow, I hope you can find joy in whatever it is that this ends up turning into. As I imagine it right now, this'll be a mix of my ideas, my photos of certain foods/drinks I've tried, my progress on whatever thing it is I'm working on, or me sharing a certain piece of media I consumed and how I felt about it.

Honestly, it's in that sense that I feel overwhelmed right now. There's so many things I have that I'd like to talk about, but if I tried to cover all of my bases, this would quickly stop being a "journal" and just be a mess. Not to mention that would take so much time that it would essentially become a job in and of itself LOL I've honestly been struggling with the feeling of "being overwhelmed" quite a few times, and I think what I need to do in those cases is just take a moment to breathe, and just let things happen. So, in that spirit, this first journal is just going to be this — me going over my thoughts that led to me starting this up in the first place. I've been wanting to do something like this for a while now. A handful of months ago, I even started an actual, physical journal system to get some really heavy thoughts jotted down. It's like a form of venting, and I think it helped me get through those times well enough, but it's been over a month since I last touched that. To be honest, even though doing it by hand makes the process more intimate, it also makes it a pain in the ass to write more than a handful of paragraphs. I don't think I want this page to get as deep and serious as those journals were, but if it does at some points, so be it. Mostly, I just think it would be nice for me to get into the habit of taking the time to write down and save my thoughts on things. That way, sometime in the far future, I'll be able to look back to this and remember all of what I've been through, and all of the things I've thought, felt, and learned.

Not to mention, the current dilemma surrounding Twitter made this decision a lot easier to make. I've been meaning to move away from that site for a long time now, and I think this place will be better for me. Even if I don't hear good things about it. Though, I guess that's true no matter where you go. At the very least, I can write more than 240 characters per post on somewhere like here.

Plus, I'm going into this without a care in the world about viewership or likes or popularity or anything like that. I think I've had my full of that type of thing. So maybe this'll be a relaxing counterpart. Worst case scenario, I just don't use this site to browse other media, and it stays exclusively a place for me to blog.

I've still got things to figure out, but I'll just keep things one step at a time.

[ayosu-itsuki]

Entry #52

I can't sleep tonight.

When I came to this world, I honestly thought I would be able to see it as an escape from reality. And, i mean, that is partially true. It's not like I've been hit by a truck (lol) but I can definitely feel that this new life is separate from the one I used to have.

The weird thing is, eventually I will have to go back to my real routine. I will be home, living with my mom, walking among humans like me, and... not having a job. I won't be able to carry my money with me, most likely. And even if I do, I don't think bomis exist on Earth. Is there an ATM for exchanging bomis for yen? Yeah... thought so.

It got me to think of that question, again. What do I want to do with my life? The same force that brought me here will spirit me away back to Earth when we're done with this... adventure? And, when I wake up from this very real dream... if I'm alive and well, then... what next?

Should I apply for a job as a cashier at a konbini? We have those by the dozen where I live. I remember one time I asked my Tokyo relatives. They told me to learn how to make takoyaki. Because naturally they only come here as tourists... Ah, that's a little cruel. But it's true...

I can't believe I'm even remotely considering the possibility of going back to high school. Is that even a thing? I feel like I'm tainted. I already chose my fate... I dropped out. I wouldn't exactly say I'm a failure, but I know to some people I might be. I'll be the oldest in my classroom by two years.

I barely even got to know Bruno tonight. And yet, I feel so moved by his story. Panuk is also absolutely thrilled to start his middle school. I would argue middle school was the best time of my life, since I managed to make friends for once. But I feel like Panuk's determination will survive all the way through high school. That kid is so hardworking, so earnest and yet so kind.

I feel like part of the process of becoming an adult involves understanding that you can learn new lessons even from people who are younger than you. And... I want to stay around Lydia, Briana, Panuk... I want to learn from them, get inspired by their energy. It's a good influence for me.

Ah, high school is still so intimidating... I could study other types of things, something more specific instead of drowning in subjects I don't even care about. But again, what do I even want to do? Being a cashier is so boring, and I don't think I'll ever adapt to the constant exposure to so many people every day...

It's so ironic. Tonight, I saw my own plight reflected not only on the gloomling we were trying to save, but in Greta. It's embarrassing, but she really got me. And I feel like she resents structures education even more than I do. But... I just never thought I'd find myself relating to her. We're almost opposites in every way. It was also the first time she's ever yelled at me. She seemed very mad. Although I feel like she was actually yelling at Panuk.

It's easy to say "they're just kids, they'll figure it out, I shouldn't intervene" but, is that really the right thing?

...

Arguments that end in silence are the worst, because it means they're unresolved. They usually foreshadow another argument unless one reaches out to the other and yields.

Should I tell Lydia about the diary? I don't want my father's memories to be shared so easily... what would he want? I wish could ask him.

...

I wonder what she's... No, I shouldn't think about that. But... I hope she's okay.

Good night, both worlds...

[queen-feisty-pants]

While the InuKagMor reunion posts flooding my dashboard actually give me joy, I have quite a few criticisms about how the scene was written and quite a few concerns, frankly, about the content that I'll see on this site starting next week.

I honestly hate writing posts like this. HnY isn't canon. I haven't been following it for ages. But, alas, the new content involving my OTP of OTPs has dragged me down a rabbit hole once again.

With all of that having been said, if you still enjoy HnY, I advise that you skip this post. While I genuinely don't intend to insult anyone involved in its production and its fans, I acknowledge that it's still not fun to come across criticism of something you enjoy. I am not open for debate, and any disrespectful behavior in response to this post will immediately earn a block and report. Consider yourselves warned.

Rant & musings under the cut

Kagome's glare and tone of voice when confirming whether the girl standing before her was Moroha made me uncomfortable. I can’t help but feel like they could’ve directed that part differently. On top of that, adding the cliche comedy routine of one person nervously backing away and stuttering in response to someone else seeming angry just seemed out of place. It totally belied the gravity that is expected of a scene like this.

I just know that they'll be relying on running gags from the OG series, and the very notion of it is already making me tired. While I don't mind Inuyasha and Moroha butting heads - Actually, I think it'd be kind of cute, if done properly. - I have a sinking feeling that it'll be overdone, and I wouldn't be surprised if we get some tasteless slapstick comedy out of it. As much as it disgusts me to type this, I wouldn't be surprised if they show their bickering escalating to the point where Inuyasha bonks Moroha in the head for overstepping boundaries - all for the sake of comic effect. And, naturally, it'd be followed by a good old-fashioned osuwari command to tie everything in a neat, little bow. (Before anyone gets on my case for this, I'm well aware that there is no guarantee that this will happen, but the fourth film, which was also a creation of the team behind this series, unfortunately provides precedent for this type of behavior. Also, see my next point.)

While the reunion is heartwarming overall, Inuyasha's behavior thus far strikes me as OOC. His reaction to Moroha's arrival seems to be more similar to the kind of nonchalance, for lack of a better word, he'd display in the OG series. Similarly, the screenshots of him awkwardly blushing because he doesn't know what to say to his own daughter just don't sit right with me. While these kinds of interactions are admittedly more up Kagome's alley, he'd matured significantly by the end of the OG series. When you consider that many years have passed since this point of growth, it doesn't seem consistent with his character arc. I can allow some awkwardness, but it just doesn't make sense for it to manifest in this manner and to this extent.

I still don't see how Inuyasha and Kagome couldn't find a way out of the black pearl for 14 years. It's a horribly contrived disservice to their characters. That's all I have to say and can say about this mess.

Other random thoughts:

If Kagome uses the osuwari command, especially in front of Moroha, I'll fucking riot. It doesn't even have to be in the kind of situation that I mentioned above. No matter what the reason, if they resort to this gag, it'd be tired and inappropriate.

I truly hope we'll get a scene of Inuyasha and Kagome completely obliterating Jyūbei in retaliation for everything he put their daughter through. After this point, my only investment in this series is whether we get a moment like this.

If I'm correct in assuming that Kagome is watching something on a smartphone in the screenshots from next week's episode, then she'd better start asking enough questions to figure out how her family fit into all of this and inquire into their healths. Similarly, it'd only be natural for her to bring up her own adventures as a teenager and begin some sort of discussion about time travel. I'm not expecting much, given the show's track record, but it's the bare minimum. Also, lbr, it'd totally be a missed opportunity for pure comedy gold if they don't find a way to reveal that Moroha maxed out Souta's credit card.

This is kind of an abrupt end, but there's nothing else that comes to mind right now. See you guys later when the next set of spoilers whip me up into another verbal frenzy, I guess? ^^;

[readingandsiamese]

Chase's turn for the kiss prompt! What can I say, this one spoke to me.

Shepherds of Haven belongs to Lena Nguyen, @shepherds-of-haven .

Warnings: kissing, nsfw references, Mageism, a real jerk OC, authority figure abusing it, some spoilers for ShoH, another skeezy alley

***

Chase would enthusiastically dip the MC in a grandiose gesture and make out with them in front of everybody–and if the Inquisitors were to clear their throat, he’d hold up a finger and prolong the kiss just to rub it in.

-Lena Nguyen

***

Alley Encounter

Kienne Rosen replaced the brick in the wall of the alley, hiding the tome she'd placed in the hidden niche. It was one of a few secret stashes that Chase had shown her, and she figured he wouldn't mind. Frankly, she was lucky she'd known of one in this part of Haven.

There was someone behind her--she whirled, hand on her gun.

"I come with peaceful intentions, Sunshine," Chase Trinaeste said, smirking.

Kienne let out a breath. "Chase, you shouldn't be here."

"I shouldn't be near my own cache?" Chase asked.

The red haired Mage glanced at the mouth of the alley. "There's a pair of Inquisitors tailing me-"

Chase's smile widened. "You started date night without me?!"

She shook her head, red ringlets bouncing. "Chase, this is my mess."

"But getting out of a mess caused by thievery is my thing. Did you steal from an Inquisitor's raid? If you did, we're going back to one of our rooms right now."

She bit her lip to stop a smile. "Try to be serious for a second. I'm not stealing, the owner gave it to me right before she got inspected. It's a spellbook."

Had there been a flash of worry in his green eyes? If so, he'd covered it quickly. "You really intervened in an Inquisitor matter?"

"Not exactly," the Mage replied. "I was already in the clinic when the Inquisitors showed for a random inspection. The owner gave me a spell book since it was the only thing she had that was questionable and it wouldn't burn in time."

"Putting yourself in danger and risking Spike's ire. A woman after my own heart. So you said they're following you?" Despite the flippant, playful tone in Chase's voice, Kienne picked up on the edge under the surface.

Kienne scowled. "I'm helping a licensed healer, but the book isn't about healing. Now I hope they'll leave her alone, but they heard me go out the back and a few followed. Stupid hinges."

"Count me in," Chase said.

The Inquisitors in question were coming, based on the stomping of boots.

"We need a reason we went into the alley!"

"Alleys are known for mugging and killing and pissing and desperate liaisons," Chase suggested helpfully. "Hopefully not in that order."

Key sighed. "I'm not going to mug or kill you or squat."

Chase grinned and pulled her to him. Make love it is, his expression said. He gave her an enthusiastic, bend-her-over-backwards, kiss.

The Inquisitors headed for them.

"Excuse me," one of them said.

The Prince of Thieves held up a finger, indicating they should wait. Despite herself, Kienne was smiling through the kiss. Slowly he let her up.

"You there. Bright eyes. What are you doing in this alley?" the more aggressive of the Inquisitors asked.

Kienne didn't react to what he called her, but she saw Chase's eyes glitter. The thief was looking over the man as if memorizing his features for a later date.

"I'm sure you can figure out what we were doing," the leader of the Thieves Guild finally said, putting his arm around Kienne.

Key made sure to blush; it wasn't difficult. "We're heading home now, sir."

"Did you flee a scene we were investigating a few minutes ago?" the man, square jawed and balding with bushy blonde muttonchops, asked.

"No, that wasn't us," she said. "There was a crime?"

"It's possible," the quieter of the Inquisitors said, not sounding convinced. She was thin and looked perpetually tired, possibly due to dealing with her partner. "We were doing a routine inspection and someone left, not responding to our hail. You wouldn't know anything about that?"

That one was more polite, more cautious.

"Not us," Chase said.

"You look flushed and are breathing a little hard like you might have been running," Muttonchops said, looking over Kienne.

"My kisses do that to her every time," Chase replied with a charming smile.

"My partner thought the person who left might have taken something illegal with them," the female Inquisitor continued. "A Mage weapon or a text."

"I can't even read," Chase said.

Always so flippant. But not entirely accurate; he could read now, a little, and improved every day.

"It wasn't us," Kienne added.

"I'm sure you wouldn't mind proving it," Muttonchops snapped. "I'll search the hedgewitch."

He moved towards Kienne who refused to react to the slur.

Chase stepped in his way. "Books are big. I'm sure you can spot them easily enough."

He spread out his arms and turned.

The Inquisitor looked like he wanted to slam Chase against the wall, but his partner said, "Now you."

Kienne took off her cloak, shook it, then spread her arms and turned slowly.

"Doesn't mean you weren't there. You lot stick together," the man spat. "We're searching the alley. If I find that book, you'll regret it."

"If you don't find anything? Who regrets it then?" Chase asked in a genuinely curious voice. Kienne elbowed him.

"You got a problem, boy? You shouldn't even be with that-"

"Careful how you finish that sentence," Chase said in a sing-song tone.

Muttonchops squared up to Chase. The Inquisitor outweighed the thief and was taller, but the thief looked unconcerned.

"Help me look, Reyse," the female Inquisitor said. "I don't want to be out all night."

Finally, Muttonchops pulled away. The Inquisitors searched the alley with Kienne and Chase leaning against a wall the whole time, but nothing was found.

"Let's go," the tired woman said.

"You're off the hook now," Muttonchops --Reyse--said. "But I never forget a face."

"Funny, neither do I," Chase replied. He said it so innocently, so blandly, that the man allowed his partner to pull him away.

Kienne let out a sigh of relief and put her arm around Chase. He slung an arm around her, too, but he was still looking in the direction the Inquisitors had left.

"Chase. Leave it. He's not important."

Chase turned to her. "You're right. Get your book--you're welcome for me showing you such a good hiding place--and we can finish what we started."

"What did we start?" she asked and then he was bending her backward, kissing her again.

A Week Later

Kienne had grabbed her breakfast tray, ready to head to a table.

She glanced up as she saw her squad rushing toward her. Well, Cybele Minte was hurrying towards her with Justyn Hattoc at her side. Daren Corby was close behind them, scowling, followed by a seemingly reluctant Ysa Ull.

"Did you hear?" Cybele Minte said in a rush. Apparently gossiping gave the elf the ability to move quickly.

"What?" They were off duty, so Kienne wouldn't chide her for gossipping.

"One of the Inquisitors was arrested! He got taken to the Chrysalis for questioning. All sorts of magical stuff was found in his rooms, like he'd been hoarding it!"

Chase walked in and waved at her from across the room. She held up a hand to indicate she'd join him in a minute.

"Please try to have some sense of decorum, Cybele," Daren said. "I doubt Captain Rosen is interested-"

"What was his name?" Kienne asked, thinking about how her green eyed thief hadn't stopped by much in the last week.

Cybele shrugged. "I dunno, good riddance I say."

"It was Alistair Reyse," Justyn said.

"Oh. Make sure you eat up, recruits, we're training later," Kienne replied before she headed for Chase and put her tray down at his table.

"Hello stranger," she said, sea-colored eyes locking onto green. "It's been awhile."

He smirked. "Have you been pining, Sunshine?"

"Did you hear about Inquisitor Reyse?" Kienne asked directly. "Arrested for harboring magical artifacts?"

"Sounds like poetic justice," Chase said.

"Uh huh," she said. "Did he have any artifacts?"

"He must have when they searched his place," Chase replied. "Or they wouldn't have arrested him."

"Chase?"

"Hmm?"

"Remind me to thank you again, later," the red head said.

"For what?"

"For everything."

"I'll never let anyone get away with threatening you, Key."

It was as close to an admission as she'd get.

"Where did you get magical artifacts?"

Chase just grinned, smug like a cat. "Who said I did? But to answer you, it's funny how easy it is to find forbidden things if you try really hard and are around a bunch of Mages. Don't worry. I'm sure that if someone did plant things, they would've had a Mage check them first. No need for the Inquisitors to get hold of anything dangerous."

"If not weapons or books, what would it be?"

"I have it on good authority that the Inquisitor had a floor full of quack cures for impotence, fake love potions, and premature baldness charms."

Kienne started to laugh.

[byulsgrease]

duly noted

you've never been one to obsess about your soulmate, assuming you'll figure it out when the time is right. but seriously, what kind of nonsense has yours been writing about recently?

(eventual moonbyul / wheein x gender neutral reader, soulmate!au, trainee/idol!au, ~1.2k words)

a/n: wheein bias wrecker anon! I might've had too much fun with your req and so this is gonna be my first soulmate au 🤠 while byul and wheein don't actually appear in this part (does that make this a prologue? idk), I promise they'll make their appearance soon enough :)

cw: struggles of being a trainee (weight + food talk)

The claps from your dance instructor ring out in the mirrored studio, calling everyone to attention before they send you off for the day. Everyone stands around listening to whatever niceties they're talking about, asking the rhetorical questions of whether all of you want this, how everyone needs to work harder, etc. How many years has it been now, almost three? Evaluations went pretty well recently and you've certainly demonstrated signs of growth since you started, but debut? Who knows. Does anyone, really?

But right now it's late and you're hungry, hoping that your growling stomach isn't loud enough to pierce through the lecture. You're respectfully tuned out anyway, since it's all old news. Nothing you haven't heard before. They clap again once their spiel ends and everyone disperses. Your eyes catch Hyejin's on your way out of the studio, sharing a funny face and an eyeroll before disappearing into the herd of trainees shuffling to the lockers.

Your locker opens with a routine spin of the dial, taking care to slow down and line up the numbers properly so you're not stuck having to do it over again. The inside's pretty cute for a metallic rectangle— it's really the only space of your own besides your notebook. Pictures of your family, old school friends, and fellow trainee friends line the sides beneath a tiny string of battery-powered fairy lights. It's not much, but always a humbling reminder of why you're here.

Unzipping your bag, you take out a pair of slides and drop them on the floor while stepping out of your sneakers. There's not much else in your bag, just a change of clothes and your notebook, of course. Everyone has one. Anything inside could be drawn, written, scribbled, painted. It’s your personal creative space and no one else's, but with two conditions:

You can't write your name in it, not even your initials. Of course everyone tried to as kids against their parents commands, but letters simply sink into the page, disappearing as if they'd never been written at all.

You can only mark up one side. Pages on the right side are for you, and the left side pages fill themselves. Fill themselves with what? you asked your parents. They gave you a non-answer, saying you'd figure it out someday. Great. Only other thing they bothered to tell you was that your right-hand pages were someone's left-hand ones. So someone can see what I put here? Their confirmation sounded rather casual, which you found weird. Someone out there was watching what you put in? But you got used to it, especially since every person owns one. It's a novelty for children anyway. Mark up a page however you want, knowing that someone out in the would will see, and sit back to watch whatever randomness shows up on the left side.

Your left side pages were actually empty for quite a while, save for the occasional "UGGHHH" followed by a typical childish annoyance scrawled messily across the entirety of the page in marker. Not that notebook use was mandatory, but parents usually encouraged it because it kept their kids occupied. There wasn't much you could do about empty pages, nor did you care most of the time, but it did leave you a little jealous of other kids at school who'd sometimes open theirs and be greeted with cute watercolor paintings, mini murals, or skillfully written poetry.

For you, the notebook's served many uses. As a kid it was random doodles and poorly-drawn fantasy scenarios— escapism, perhaps. In middle school it was angsty poems and random journal entries about the random happenings of your life. For the first half of high school it became your to-do list, keeping track of school assignments. And on the rarest occasion, song lyrics. Visual art was never your medium of choice, music came more easily. But drawing staff lines for music notation in the notebook usually ended up being too tedious, so your original stuff was mostly relegated to voice memos on your phone. And now? Who knows. Trainee life may as well be a blur. Sing, dance, talk, eat if you can afford to, sleep, repeat. It's hard to find the energy to write anything most days. Whenever you feel like checking, the left side has random jottings, nearly illegible most of the time.

It wasn't until you got older that you realized that whoever read your entries on the was the same person generating content on the left. And supposedly the person you're supposed to be with for the rest of time? What kind of system is that? I'm just supposed to trust blindly? having asked your parents in exasperation after figuring it out. Again with more non-answers— it had worked for them, didn't it? There's also the obvious question of why people don't just write directly to each other, but whatever. You're still young, no need to obsess over "the one" unlike some of your classmates. If it's meant to be, it'll happen, you figure. And it obviously is, you've got a notebook with (semi-)filled left side pages. What more could you ask for?

The cacophony of clanging lockers opening and closing starts to die down as people leave. Hyejin's head pops out from behind the locker door, laughing in your face when you flinch.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah, one sec. Man, I'm starving,” you remark while slipping the bag straps on your back and closing the locker door. You don't even want to know how strapped for cash you are, probably in for another night of boiled eggs and canned kimchi.

“Wanna go out for food?” she immediately asks, eyes alight at the prospect of getting to eat something besides convenience store food.

"I wish. Actually, you wish," you smirk with longing in your eyes. The "no" doesn't even have to be said, weigh-ins are way too soon to risk it. She hangs her head, jokingly dejected as you swing an arm around her shoulder to walk out of the company building together.

~~~~

After scrounging up whatever food you call dinner, taking a shower, and flopping into bed, you open up your notebook and grab the random pen laying on your dresser, unsure of what you'll write about tonight. There's chicken scratch on the left page already, ballpoint pen. It's actually legible today, though: In my room every day I see your smile.

What the hell does that mean? Whose smile, yours? You haven't even met yet.

Call me everyday every night, hug me everywhere every time

Utter nonsense. Maybe meeting soulmates is just a huge game of catch-up once everything's finally revealed, surely yours will be. There’s just so many questions. Moving to the right side, you jot down a list of cheat meal ideas along with some assorted notes and pointers from practice that you want to work on tomorrow, drawing little characters next to each list item for fun. After accidentally drawing a random squiggle from jolting yourself awake and feeling the heaviness in your eyelids, you cap your pen and shut your notebook, placing it back in your bag. With the lights out, the last thought you have before sleep consumes you is why haven't you ever tried writing directly to each other after all this time?

[next]

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #995: The Past We Hardly Knew.....(King of Fighters)

11:23 at K and Kula's Apartment.......

TV: (Woman Transforms into a Another Woman With Whitish Pink Hair on Screen)

K': (Louges Around on the Sofa) So Rose was that Pink Diamond lady the whole time, huh?

Whip: (Lowers the Book She Was Reading From her Face While Seating Next to K' on the Sofa) You know, I've always figured those two would have some sort of connection to one another. (Starts Frowning a Little) But to live a double lift for thousands of years and have her own retainer kept it a secret on top of that?....('Sigh') I mean, The dedication is sort of commendable, but I feel sorry everyone else who been in the dark about all of this....

K': (Shrugs) It was bound to happen one way or another. And it ain't gonna be too long before one of them snap-

TV Screen: SHE LIED TO US!

K': (Points at the Screen in Front of Him) See? Like that.

Whip: I'd be upset too if that were to ever happen to be. (Starts Frowning Again) But then again, I...really shouldn't be the one talking right now....

K': Still thinking you know who?

Whip: Sometimes. I know I shouldn't, but Krizalid was like a brother to me.....At least until i told him we weren't related. (Looks Up at the Ceiling) Well, wherever he is, I hope he's doing okay out there at least.

K': Hey, as long as he doesn't try coming out for our necks, then I don't care where he goes.

Whip: ('Sigh') I'm sure we'll be able to deal with him when that time ever comes.....I won't like it.

K': (Shrugs Again) Neither do I. But at least I get to chance to pummel his pompous face again.

Whip rolls her eyes before continuing reading her book. As the silence begins to grow larger in the atmosphere, the lieutenant of the Ikari Warriors couldn't help but have this feeling of uncertainty before lowering her book down turning back to her little brother.

Whip: Hey, K'? Can I.....ask you something?

K': (Turns Back to Whip) Uh....yeah. (Mutes the TV With the Remote in his Hand) What's the question?

Whip: Well, it's......related to our past. Do you.....ever think about it sometimes.

K': Yeah. Not as much as I used to, but....(Looks Up at the Ceiling) I do wonder what our parents been doing nowadays and....if they've ever bothered to look for us. But even that in it of itself feels like wishful thinking at this point.

Whip: Yeah, but.....(Smiles a Little) It would be nice to see them again one day. (Turns to K') You think they'll take a liking to Kula and Max?

K': I don't see why wouldn't. Tin man's one of the biggest softies out there and the twerp's too much of a headache to ignore altogether.

Whip: (Gives K' the Big Sister Glare) K'.

K': What? She's annoying. I still love her though.

Whip: (Crosses her Arms) ('Hmph') You better or I'll might have to convince Ralf to give you a few extra hours on your training routines.

K': (Groans While Facepalming Himself) Don't remind me.....He's even more of a drill sergent than your own colonel.

Whip: (Starts Snickering) Seriously? He's your colonel too, ya know?

K': Unofficially. I never said I wanted to join your little army club in the first place. ('Sigh') Buuut I guess I would be lying if I said I didn't tolerate any of your company.

Whip: (Clasps her Hands Together Right Beside the Side of her Face With a Playful Smile) Awwwww~ Has my grumpy little brother finally gotten soft himself?~

K': (Rolls his Eyes in Annoyance) Yeah and I've been choking on it ever since, no thanks to you assholes. Which reminds me.....(Hands Whip a Teal Colored Card) Here.

Whip: (Opens the Card K' Gives him and Sees the Words "Love and Appericate you" From the Inside) K', what's this?

K': A Mother's Day card I got from the store yesterday. (Rubs the Back of his Head Back and Forth While Looking Away) You're not my mom, but....I do appericate everything you've done for me as of late.

Whip: (Heart Begins to Melt in Pure Happiness as She Pulls K' into a Loving Hug) Oh, K'!~ You really have become a sweetheart!~

K': (Already Has a Deadpinned Look on his Face) Again. No thanks to any of you assholes. Your love and kindness has ruined my image.

Whip: (Snickers Again) What image? Of being lazy gremlin?

K': Of being cool and not taking shit from anyone.

Whip: (Shrugs) Eh. I'd say you're average at best.

K': I hate you already.

Whip: (Kiss the Top of her Little Brother's Head) Love you too, bro.

K' grumbles while blushing some more.

@illyrilex

@tampire

@keyenuta

@cyber-wildcat

@theweebmaster31

@ma-lemons

@caleb13frede

[ana-benn]

Chubbs

Warnings: Jamie Benn, male insecurities manifesting as possessiveness, self-body shaming, it'll probably be a bit smutty....

A companion piece to Insecure.

----------------------------------------------------------

There was something amiss with your husband. You didn't know exactly what that was, but you only had a few more weeks until training camp so you hoped it would be a brief thing. That had been a vain hope after two weeks if him sulking through the house. Always grabbing a kid and finding an excuse to be elsewhere. If you had to identify it you could guess maybe he felt a little neglected this summer.

First you'd had family around, celebrating birthdays and what not, then you'd had to deal with a fussy teething baby and a jealous toddler, now Tyler had moved in temporarily because he was having his floors replaced. Something about a burst water heater. It was a far cry from a few years ago when you and Jamie would've gone traveling, and hanging out with friends. He was finally dealing with the family-man lifestyle and you could only figure he wasn't loving where it left him sometimes.

To be honest you didn't always love it either. You missed just picking up and going to watch him play in the middle of a long road trip, but pouting about not getting quality time was a bit much. It was just where you were with two little kids, and responsibilities to friends and family. Not to mention it had killed your sex life the last few weeks.

You decided naptime would be the perfect time to talk to Jamie, so after putting the boys down for their nap, and making sure Tyler had gone home to check in on the progress, you slipped into a bikini and went to meet Jamie poolside. You knew that's where he would be, since that's where you'd left him after Wyatt's swim lesson. He'd stayed outside reading when you'd taken the boys upstairs for nap time. It was a routine when he was home that he handled sleep schedules, but he'd let you sleep in this morning managing breakfast solo so you took the nap shift.

"Hey mister, can I join you?" You joked sitting next to him on a lounger.

"Huh, yeah of course," he mumbled not really looking up from his phone.

You began applying sun tan lotion, hoping the movement would get him to look at you, but when it didn't you nudged him with the bottle, "Babe, help me with my back?"

He looked almost wary as he took the bottle, and helped put lotion on your back. You let out a soft moan at the feel of the cool lotion, mixed with his rough hands. You felt him falter, before he quickly finished and went back to his phone.

You rolled your eyes at that, "What are you doing, Jame?"

"Just reading some stuff the trainers sent over," he said. "Wanna get ready for training camp."

About that time Tyler showed up, pulling his shirt off and plopped down on the other side of Jamie, "Mom, Dad I'm home!"

You laughed, but didn't miss the slight eye roll from your husband. You filed that information away, as Tyler started going into a dialogue about how his repairs were going. Somewhere in that Jamie just stood up and walked inside.

"Sorry Tyler, he's usually a much better host," you apologized watching your husband's retreating back.

"Eh, I get it I'm probably overstaying my welcome. I can get a hotel, so long as your good with watching the dogs. I don't think they'll be allowed," he mused.

"Nonsense, I'm going to go talk to him. You're not going anywhere, we said you could stay until your house was livable and we meant it," you scolded. "Just...maybe, if you hear the baby could you grab him?" You waited for his nod before leaving the baby monitor with him and going in search of Jamie.

You found him in your bedroom, laying back on the bed with his arm over his eyes. You took him in for a moment before shutting the door quietly behind you. When Jamie didn't move you decided to just dive right in.

You moved next to him and sat on the edge of the bed, "What's going on Jamie?" You asked softly.

"Nothing, just.... Nevermind it's nothing," he sighed out.

"You just walked away from your best friend mid-conversation, I don't think that's nothing," you pressed gently.

"If his feelings matter so damn much why don't you go out there with him. You're not usually his type, but he's been known to make exceptions," Jamie spit out bitterly.

"Okay, what the fuck Jamie!"

The silence that followed had you going to your dresser, pulling on a pair of shorts and a tank top, "You wanna sit here and sulk, fine! But don't accuse me of that, we both know that's not the kind of girl I am." Before you could reach the door he was on you, pulling your small frame into his body.

"No, then what kind of girl are you?" He mumbled into your neck before move up to kiss you roughly. You denied him entrance for a moment, but a rough nip caused you to gasp allowing him in.

"I asked you a question baby," he growled out as he let you up for air. Pushing you back onto the bed with softer hands than his tone should've allowed.

"I....I'm," you're response was cut off by Jamie pushing your shirt off to reveal your stomach, finally back to it's pre-baby flatness, peppering you with tender kissed mixed with sharp nips along your skin. You whimpered as he used the time to push the shorts off your body as well, pushing your bikini bottoms to the side and running a finger up your slit.

"Come on sweetheart, you can do it," he mocked lightly.

"Jamie, please," you cried out. The absence of his body over yours for weeks mixed with his teasing touches leaving you overwhelmed.

"Tell me what kind of girl you are, and I'll get you what you want," he compromised.

"I'm your girl," you spit out, as he plunged a finger in your core.

"You are, you're my girl baby, don't forget that," he praised. "Now you're going to cum for me, just like this and then I'm going to fuck you right here."

He kept thrusting his fingers into you, adding in a thumb rubbing against you clit, "Eyes on me." He commanded as you fell apart against his fingers.

You barely had time to gather yourself before he had his cock inside of you. You groaned at the feeling of him sliding home, as he leaned into you neck releasing a small groan of his own. After a couple of testing thrusts into you he resurfaced.

"That's my girl," he grunted out. "Feel how well you fit around my cock? This pussy was made for me."

You moaned out at his words, only able to lift your hips to meet his thrusts. "Say it," he commanded with a sharp thrust.

"M...my pussy was made for you," you whimpered out.

"Whose girl are you?" His voice was demanding and rough.

"Your's!" You were rewarded with a rough thrust of his hips, encouraging you.

"I'm all yours Jamie," you whispered in his ear. "No one else gets to touch me like this. No one else gets to fuck me."

His hips never stopped after that as he shoved you over the edge, crying out as you came around him. He pounded you through your orgasm and buried his rough, bearded face into your neck. His nips and sucking would mean a dark hickey, but you couldn't care in that moment. His fingers found your nub again as he worked you up to bring you over the edge one more time before he painted your walls with thick ropes of cum.

You stayed like that for a little while. Just stroking his hair as he kissed and nipped at your skin, "You ready to talk about it?" You asked.

Jamie sighed readjusting so you were next to him, his arm around your waist, "You know how I didn't really start working out until I got drafted? I made it to the stars and a few of this guy's would chirp me about being a little chubby. Whatever it was just guy stuff, I started working out and I got a nickname. I never really felt insecure about it, until Tyler started walking around my damn house shirtless. All I could think about was that every girl seems to prefer that and I don't compare. Isn't that just pathetic? I'm jealous like a thirteen year old girl," he confessed.

"I don't prefer that," you replied. "I prefer the guy who is home to help with the kids, and always down for mexican food," You moved to straddle him. "I like that you don't spend hours a day at the gym, so you can come home and read to the boys. I like that you give the best warm hugs, and you always know when I need to cuddle. I love you Jamie Benn, not some hyper-sexualized professional athlete."

He kissed you at that, and grinned, "Didn't you make me fuck you in full gear once?"

"Shhhh," you pressed your fingers to his lips. "We're not going to talk about that."

"Fine then we're going swimming, it's hot as hell," he laughed pulling you downstairs, insecurities forgotten. You grinned at him as you just enjoyed his energy.

It was good to have your husband back.

[ask-professor-laurel]

Hi Professor! I was hoping you'd be able to help me. My Riolu is outdoorsy and adores flowers and plants so much that they pick every flower and plant they see. They then take the plants to their "room" (originally a guest room I think they've claimed for themself? I'm fine with it, though they still won't sleep unless I'm in the room, but they're a kid so it's fine) and put them everywhere. The problem: Flowers and plants die. And little Gold gets upset that they die. What's worse is that when I try to clean it, they get even more upset and start to cry. My biggest worry is that they'll come across a Roselia and then suddenly my house will be full of grass types. Other than that they're a hyper little angel. Is there anything I can do to keep this from getting out of hand?

Aw, poor thing. Riolus are incredibly intelligent Pokemon- people tend to overlook their intelligence in favour of Lucario, who are a lot more obviously intelligent and human-like, for lack of a better term. As a result of this intelligence, Riolus often explore the world like young humans do! And this often leads to them needing to learn what we adults would consider the simple lessons, such as your example right here, with how plants and flowers die.

My advice here is to study up on your plants and flowers with little Gold! This way, Gold can learn which plants and flowers are safe for them to interact with, and which ones to stay away from. This will also be a good opportunity to caution them about wild Grass Types, you can keep the lesson as simple as "don't bring home a plant that moves" or go into depth with it and explain the different wild Grass Types in your area and teach Gold what to avoid. I recommend the latter, for safety's sake. I don't know what sorts you have around you, but a Riolu would have trouble with a wild Victreebel, for example.

If you have the space for it, I highly recommend gardening! You could teach Gold to plant what they find and how to care for them, make it into a routine! Riolus enjoy routines, something fairly typical of Fighting Types who often express this want in work outs and meditations, so with some help and some practice they ought to take to a gardening routine fairly well. It will help them understand a bit more about the way the world works, and help them develop some different skills. Plus, a garden can always be a good source of fruits and vegetables if desired!

Now, if you don't have the outdoor space for a garden, I recommend bringing in pots and windowsill gardens to hold as many plants as you can fit, and going about it that way! Maybe let Gold come with you and help pick out different pots and vases- if you can get your hands on any you can paint yourselves, I highly recommend that as well. It's just a fun bonding activity that will give you both a lasting memory.

It's also important to teach Gold that no matter what they do, sometimes plants do just die. And that isn't their fault! There will be trial and error as they get used to this, as they learn, and if some plants die, that's ok. It takes practice and patience to figure all of this out, and they'll have you to help them every step of the way! It's hard for kids to learn these lessons, even Pokemon kids, so there'll probably be tears and frustrations for them, but with you there to hold their hand and remind them that everything will be ok, it'll be a little bit easier.

[sweetestlamb]

Wake Me Up Inside(Chapter 2)

Summary: Hope is a flickering light, coming and going as it sees fit. 

Author's note: Y'all like this? Color me surprised I thought everyone had cast Sujin aside based on tumblr post honestly, expected maybe 3 people to read this. I'm happy so many are enjoying, thanks for coming along for the ride. If any talented individuals want to make me a header that would be great, anyway enjoy the teen angst. More awful parenting, beware. it hurts me to write this but random immediate romance doesn’t make sense to me so here we goooo. 

The world seems larger, everyone towers over her as they squeeze by jostling her tiny body, she twists and turns desperately searching for a familiar face and faltering when there is none. Just blurred faces with stretched out smiles that are horrifying grotesque, almost as if they were painted on by a deranged circus clown. She begins to run frantically racing away from the figures, who are now reaching out for her grabbing her arm and tugging at her pigtails. She opens her mouth but nothing comes out, bringing a trembling hand to her lips she finds them sewn shut, silencing her petrified screams.

Then a hand clutches at her elbow and she's spun around, suddenly staring into the face of evil.

"Where have you been you brat? Everyone was waiting for you."

She tries to tug free of his punishing grip but his fingers tighten on her tender flesh, marking the delicate skin. Ignoring her evident trepidation he forcefully pushes her towards a table, with a large looming birthday cake.

"Hurry up and blow out these candles, you're almost old enough to be useful to me."

Screaming no in her mind, she breaks free of his hold running as fast as her compact legs will take her but she miscalculates and trips over a stray toy, tumbling over the edge of a pool she hadn't noticed there earlier. The cold splash of the chlorine scented water on her skin shocks her in a panicked daze and when she pries her eyes open the menacing face of her father greets her looking nonplussed by her hectic drowning.

"Good riddance." He smirks sipping from his cup as he stalks away, no longer bothered with her. 

Water constructs her airway and she continues to sink to the bottom. Forgotten and discarded.

With a flash she bursts from her nightmare silent scream on her tongue, it's his presence that silences her cry. Wide feline eyes regard her from his crouched position, it takes a moment to realize that the rapid puffs of air filling the room are coming from her lips. She grips at the mattress beneath her, hopelessly pleading with her heart and lungs as her body quivers from the intensity of her dream.

"Are you okay? You looked like you were having a bad dream, I called your name a few times."

She's decidedly not any semblance of okay and has no concept of what that would entail for her but she finds herself nodding, lying as easily as she always does.

"I'm fine." Clipped and brisk despite the cold sweat on her skin, she's probably soaked through his shirt the collar almost plastered to red collar bones.

He doesn't reply further than pursing his lips and walking over to a dresser she'd hadn't noticed earlier.

"That lie would probably be more believable if you didn't look as if you were going to pass out at any second." She can hear his eyes rolling at her and it raises her heckles, she doesn't need anyone looking after her, she is fine on her own.

"I should go." She says curtly, forcing herself out of the dangerously warm bed to walk across the room and test her previously soaked pajamas. Damp, but they'll do.

"I thought you had nowhere to go." He challenges finally standing to his full height, subconsciously she flinches at the sudden movement and immediately he takes a step back pressing himself almost flush with the wall. Lowering his head until they are almost eye level. Shame washes over her do strongly she has to turn away, so pathetic.

Speaking to his bedpost she answers, "That was last night. I can go home now."

Her father will be at work until late into the evening, she just needs to lock herself in her room and she should be safe until school tomorrow.

He hums at her sounding closer than he did earlier, "You don't have to go. I'll find an excuse to give my mom, you can stay here."

No she can't. She knows what's going through his mind, probably the same thing that went through Suho's when he saw the blood on her lip for the first time, you poor little thing. Pity was always the first reaction but it never lasted, eventually pity shifted to annoyance nobody wanted to be friends with someone getting beaten. It was depressing, and uncomfortable to discuss and there was nothing anyone could do to help her. It was her penance for being born a girl and not being the best at least to make up for that disappointment.

"I'm not a stray puppy, you can't just pick me up off the street and expect me to stay. I told you, I'm fine." This time she says it harder, sharper with a bite that screams don't push me.

Unsurprisingly enough Han Seojun doesn't seem intimidated by her.

This time she gets to witness the eye roll as he approaches her but still keeps his head lowered as if deferring to her. "I already told you that I don't pity you, you need help stop pretending you don't."

But she's not pretending, that would imply that she wants others to help secretly. That just isn't accurate, she wants nothing- expects nothing. Her father pound any inkling of hope she had out a long time ago.

Stepping into his space, her eyes narrow as she bites out, "I don't need anything certainly not help from you. You're not a nice person, what am I your one good deed? Just mind your business."

She pointedly glances away at the flash of hurt that scatters across his expressive face.

She expects him to lash out, stretch to his full form and berate her, reprimand her ungrateful behavior and an even darker side of her almost expects him to slap her. I see why your father does that, you deserve it.

"Suit yourself."

That's all he says solemnly with a shrug before tossing more dry clothes at the bed and silently exiting the room.

She feels worse than she did before. Guilt gnawing at her, she ignores the offered clothes she doesn't deserve his hospitality or warmth. She disrobes and puts back on the damp chilled pajamas, that matches her better.

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

That's what he gets for trying to help someone, his act of kindness thrown back in his face. Angrily he pours the boiling water into the waiting cup, starting his mother's mandatory morning tea. He's so lost in the routine that he doesn't notice her presence until she clears her throat. His pride stops him from turning around, her words were as painful as a dagger.

"Your clothes are on the bed. I called a cab."

He nods without looking back, "Get home saf--" He cuts himself off, maybe he's overstepping again. So he just hums and stirs the now perfect cup of tea with a splash of milk. His sister's will get three sugars, she has such a sweet tooth.

The soft snap of the front door closing is loud in the silence of the morning, the sun has barely risen. His mother will be out in an hour, he was worried for nothing. Nobody will even know she was here. He can pretend this was all a fever dream and listen to her advice, he's never minded anyone else's business why did he decide to start now?

Lesson learned.

He spends the remainder of his weekend not thinking about the bruises on her face and instead plays video games, bullying Suho into playing Call of Duty with him online until the stupid genius starts to win too often and it's no longer stress reducing.

"Sore loser." He scoffs at the staticky insult through his headphones, draining the can of soda he took from the fridge. He should start dinner soon, his mom and sister will be back from shopping any minute.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did." He can't help but roll his eyes at the lame response but he pushes on ignoring his brain shouting at him that this is the opposite of minding his business. He hardly listens to his brain, his gut is much stronger.

"Does Sujin have any siblings? Or does she like to box or anything like that? " He tries to make sense of the night, maybe it wasn't what he thought initially. From his memory Sujin comes from a very affluent respectable family, there's no way right?

"What? What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer me." He quips impatiently, ready to let go of this unwarranted worry that's been weighing on his heart.

After a long pause where he checks if his Wi-Fi disconnected he finally hears a response, "No. She lives with her mother and father, she's an only child. And I’ve never known her to do anything physical like that."

His chest tightens, not what he wanted to hear. Her flinch this morning flashes brightly in his memory. He wasn't mistaken. He's sure of it, she'd been scared. 

"Why?"

He can barely hear through the ringing in his ear, "Nothing. I have to go."

He signs off before the other boy can reply, walking autopilot to the kitchen to get started on dinner. Chopping vegetables does nothing to stop the nausea bubbling in his stomach.

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

Taking the bus the next day is out of the question, he has spent the entire weekend wishing he had the nerve to get the girl's number but anyone he asked would misunderstand why and he didn't need anymore rumors circulating, he would just have to get it from her himself. If she wanted him to mind his business she shouldn't have collapsed where he could see.

The engine rumbles between his legs as he brings his motorcycle to a stop, swinging off effortlessly before tugging the helmet off and shaking his hair free. He doesn't notice the various lecherous female and male eyes watching his very moment, too focused on walking into the school and finding her.

Turning a corner he sees her instantly, sandwiched between her two best friends, they look like a high school brochure giggling as they walk down the hallway garnering the attention of most of the male population. The purple bruise on her cheek is missing, nothing but smooth blemish free skin. He almost does a double take. As all three of them pass him, he locks eyes with Sujin for a moment, the mask slides off for a second but the moment he blinks the façade snaps back into place, nothing left but a pretty empty smile.

He follows them into class, sliding into his seat and promptly going to sleep. He has to catch her alone.

Doing so proves to be a near impossible feat, she's always surrounded by her two bestie shadows and Chorong and the gang are never far from him either. He sighs forlornly even time he sees her only for someone to interrupt before he can approach her. All too frustrated.

He's sitting dejected on the staircase when he hears the bustle of students in the hallway, their voices carrying down the long space and he rolls his eyes imagining what ridiculous situation they've deemed as drama now. Last time it was Ju-Kyung having pimples, a topic that was completely groundbreaking and worthy of weeks of discussion. So it's with the smallest shred of curiosity that he stands up wandering over to the commotion.

"What's going on?" He directs to the closest person, some mousy looking girl who stutters out an indecipherable answer. He looks at her confused before stalking away to find someone who has a better grasp of communication. He poses the question again, to a boy this time.

"I heard one of the girls started freaking out in the bathroom. Screaming not to be touched."

He stands frozen before the words register in his brain and his feet are moving without his brain's permission. Shoving past gossiping bystanders, he easily gets to the front only to see Ju-Kyung covering someone with her sweater as they walk down the hallway. Immediately the crowd comes alive and they surge forward like a wave all calling questions out at once, "What's wrong with you?", "Why did you freak out?", "Who do you think you are? Are you too rich to be touched or something?"

He twists his head around ferociously at the last question, everyone in front of him gulps while taking a step back. The hallway is a cacophony of voices and shouts and he can feel his anger boiling, slamming his fist into the nearest surface-a wall- he gets everyone's attention.

"Go back to your classes. Now."

Some of the male students look as if they are going to challenge his authority but another step forward is all it takes to get the student body scampering to their classrooms.

Inhaling deeply he stomps off to find the source of his unease.

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

It had been hard to disregard, how lacking of warmth her house was. Seojun's apartment had been brimming with warmth and love, the fridge bursting with papers and drawings documenting that someone cared enough to show them off. Her home was a large empty prison in comparison.

But she'd been right, it was dark and quiet proof that her parents were not home. With her heart in her throat she ran to her room, locking the door behind her. Sleep captured her before she knew she was in its grasps, waking up groggy hours later and forgetting where she was. Fierce pounds on her door reminded her instantly.

"Open this door now."

His voice is a low growl, even more terrifying than when he's screaming his lungs out. She grabs her vanity chair pressing it under the door knob for more protection.

She jumps when the door bulges, the loud crashing making it clear that he's slamming bodily into the door now determined to get to her.

"Please....stop." She pleads, tears already cascading down her bruised cheeks.

"Open this fucking door!!"

She's sobbing now, body folded as she cries her eyes out shaking viciously as her father continues to ran into the door, dread filling her stomach as he's never fought this hard before.

Then everything is quiet.

The pounding is gone as suddenly as it arrived. She doesn't let go her panic just yet, still too raw. Butt seconds crawl to minutes and she hears nothing so she finally exhales, sliding to the floor in relief.

She weakly crawls to her bathroom, turning the dial to the hottest temperature possible wanting to burn off his brand on her skin. After her shower she brushes her wet hair, staring at the bruise, it's turning yellow now with tinges of purple. Good thing she let Su-ah and Ju-Kyung convince her to buy foundation the last time they were in the beauty store. She will have to layer it on tomorrow.

She's starving but the thought of leaving her room with him in the house is enough to eliminate her appetite. Instead she puts on a warm sweater and sweat pants and wraps herself in a thick blanket, still too cold ice running through her veins.

She had never felt as warm as she did at his house.

A quiet knock thankfully pulls her away from such unnecessary thoughts. She simply listens.

"Su-jin, it's mom. I brought you food."

She sits up, crawling out of bed to stand in front of the bed. Her mother has never brought her food, even when she was nine and hadn't gotten a perfect score on her spelling test and her father locked her in the closet for two days with only a dictionary. She'd contemplated eating the pages before she was finally set free. Her mother had simply looked away, avoiding eye contact until she was safely back in her room.

But her stomach grumbles at the mention of sustenance and despite her best judgement she opens the door.

It's a mistake.

Immediately she notes that her mother has nothing in her hands, trembling herself and before she can slam the door shut a foot blocks her escape.

He uses the belt that time whipping her in places that others will never see, her back, thighs, and shoulders. Her mother's weakly calls out, "Don't hit her face she has to meet that boy you wanted this week."

It goes on for what seems like hours, he leaves her crumpled on the ground her body stinging as she refused to cry, blinking her tears away not wanting to give him what he wants. When her mother meekly walks over and extends a hand to her, she looks at her with listless eyes. Her mother has a fresh bruise on her cheek, her father hardly hits her anymore using Sujin has his punching bag instead but at times of high frustration he would regress.

She wonders if her mother knew that one day this would be her faith. If this was the purpose of her birth.

She doesn't take the hand. It seems there was still some hope left, it is extinguished now.

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

The school day had been easy she's been hiding her abuse for years, no teacher had ever suspected a thing and she didn't even blame them. It would just be bothersome, her father was a powerful man there wouldn't be much they could do.

She slaps on a smile, allowing herself to be dragged around by Su-ah and Ju-Kyung, listening as they giggle about their boyfriends chiming in the appropriate moments to not seem disinterested or jealous. She is jealous though, of their freedom and innocent problems, she'd lost her innocence a long time ago.

She knows Seojun is trying to talk to her but she can't handle seeing him right now, having to face someone who knows what she's going through sounds worst than being beat right now. So she jolts at every sight of the tall lanky figure, thankful for his fan club who seems to announce his every arrival. She's on her way to having a successful day when everything goes to hell.

She's in the bathroom drying her hands when a classmate comes in, responding to the small talk she answers the girl's question before nodding her head in goodbye.

"Oh your tag is sticking out."

That's all she hears before a hand is brushing across her sore beaten neck and her reaction is instantaneous, she turns around catching the offending hand and twisting it.

Her throat wheezes out, "Don't touch me."

The girl stares at her wide-eyed before tugging her hand away, then other girls begin to come of the stalls to see what's happening and before she knows it she's hyperventilating on the ground, nonsensical words dripping off her tongue. Everything is too loud and her head is splitting in half just when her vision is graying out, she smells a familiar perfume.

"Su-jin ah, you're going to be okay. Just breathe with me, follow me."

Ju-Kyung's voice is calming and sure, not touching her but covering them both in her sweater as she models how to breathe, she follows until her lungs are no longer burning.

"Good. You're doing so good, is it okay if I touch you? I'm going to help you up."

She grabs at the bathroom wall yanking herself until she's upright, trying to show her friend that she's not that weak but a look of hurt is displayed on her face and Sujin doesn't comprehend why.

The other girl shakes it off though, now covering her fully with her cornflower yellow sweater.

She's suddenly reminded of her nightmare this morning as she has to pass all the students in the hallway, all pointing and laughing as she falls apart some of them even have their phone out recording her and she sways uneasily before catching herself, trembling the whole way she walks down the hallway until a loud bang and a voice she recognizes all too well silences the uproar.

Resisting the desire to look back she allows Ju-Kyung to pull her up the stairs until they're on the roof. Air pumps into her lungs as she's finally free of all the judgmental eyes.

She expects the other girl to start interrogating her the moment the door closes but it never comes, instead Ju-Kyung places her sweater around her trembling body.

"You're okay. Just keep breathing."

She does her best to follow the uncomplicated directions.

After a few minutes, Ju-Kyung's phone suddenly rings disturbing the quietude. She barely hears blood rushing in her ears like the waves at the beach.

"Okay we're on the roof."

She stills at that utterance, turning in alarm.

"Who was that? Who did you tell where we are?"

Ju-Kyung looks guilty, as if she wasn't meant to hear that conversation. She doesn't want to see anyone right now, can barely stand to be with herself.

"Call them back and tell them not to come. I want to be alone."

Ju-Kyung holds her phone in her hands gingerly staring at the screen, clearly contemplating what is the right decision. She almost lunges for the phone to see who is the most recent call, but it's not needed as the roof door slams open.

"Why are you here?" She shouts, walking away now furious that tears are already filling her eyes now just at the sight of him.

"Nice to see you too princess." He drawls back, following her further onto to roof.

"Will you two be okay? I have to go back to class."

She spins to glare at her friend, why would she leave her alone with Seojun? They have had any interaction at school that hasn't been antagonistic.

"Yes, we need to talk." He answers for them and that's enough to make Ju-Kyung nod before walking off with a smile in her direction. The door shuts loudly behind her retreating back, Sujin wants to chase after her. Instead she turns back to him spitting fire and poison. 

"I told you to mind your business."

"Are you okay?" He counters, eying her like a wild animal who can bolt at any minute, he isn’t wrong.

"That's none of your business!"

His expression remains the same, those beguiling feline eyes that scream at her.

"How hurt are you?"

Her emotions come crashing down again. He just keeps pushing and picking at her, no matter how much she shouts and shoves him away he just won’t go away like everyone else did. What is wrong with him? Couldn’t he see that she was more trouble than she was worth?

"What do you want to hear, huh? That everything hurts, that he used a belt this time! Do you want to hear about how he beat me until I bleed! Why do you care what happens me, why won't you leave me the fuck alone!"

Sobs ravage her body, she keeps brushing the fiery tears away fighting with her emotions but they won't stop and her palms are wet from covering her face, her breath is hitching until she starts hiccupping uncontrollably and she starts to feel light-headed.

"Hey! Su-jin! Breathe!"

But she can't, she doesn't remember how. Her body only knows how to hurt.

"Breathe, damnit!" Despite his shout, she hears the slight quiver in his voice but she can't discern why it's there but it desperately makes her want to obey.

When he cups her head, staring her head on she feels the vine wrapped around her lungs shrivel up and air starts gushing in until she feels dizzy, she sways back and forth gravity now also working against her and then she's being reeled in, her head placed on his chest. The thumping of his heart lulls her into a meditative state, she starts to count the beats and before she knows it the cobwebs in her head subside. Embarrassed by their sudden closeness, his arms are still by his side now almost immediately retracting from her head but she can feel his warmth radiating onto the skin of her thighs, she begins to draw back.

"Just stay. It's helping."

She blisters at his words, preparing to push him away.

"It's helping me, seeing you like that....it scared me. I helped you the other night, you should return the favor."

She puffs up before deflating, she'll never admit it but this is helping having something else to focus on, his scent, his heartbeat, the way his chest expands and constricts with every breath. The buzz of their skin nearly touching, his deep voice rumbling through his chest and into her ears, all placating and soothing her worries away. 

"Fine."

She's never known Seojun to stay still for this long after years of attending the same school, always bursting with kinetic energy so she's pleasantly surprised by how long he simply stands and lets her rest on his chest, neither of them saying a word.

She stiffens when he suddenly starts moving disturbing their stillness, she sees his hands balled into tight fists by his side and wonders what's going through his mind.

"You can't go back there."

This again, she starts to remind him that she has nowhere to g--

"Stay with me."

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

Californian Dream (Pt. 05 of 11)

Pairing: Billy Hargrove X Reader

Word count: 3 K

Summary: Being part of one of the richest families of California doesn't mean you're happy. Your life is boring, and you're surrounded by meaningless people and their meaningless talk. Even during Summer, with the break you have from college, there's nothing good going on. Nothing but the new pool guy, Billy, the most handsome man you ever saw. You were successfully avoiding him, not wanting to act like an idiot in front of the guy until Billy accepts to be your date for a fancy gala you're forced to attend. The night was going well, even better when he sneaked you out to go to the beach. But a gang of criminals breaks into the party, kidnapping the heirs to the wealthiest families, which includes you. So, for your safety, your parents want you to stay with Billy, living in his apartment until the criminals are caught. And that could take weeks, maybe even months.

Warnings: Light violence

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{Stranger Things Masterlist}

{Dacre Montgomery Masterlist}

×

Rebel

On the next morning, you're still feeling a little anxious, afraid of what he said last night was just to keep you from moving out. But, since you were sleeping on the couch, you woke up just when he was leaving for work, and you were so relieved when he didn't just say ‘good morning’ and left. He asked if you slept well, and said that you can try and sleep a little more on the bed now. It's just a little thing, but it's different from before. And you hope it lasts. You also got the chance to tell him not to bring anything for dinner. He has been spending too much money with that, so you told him you'd cook something yourself.

And that's what you doing now. The chicken breasts are in the oven, almost ready and you focus on finishing the potato salad, adding mayo, a drizzle of olive oil, and seasoning it, mixing everything together. You're happy with what you could come up with, and it did help you pass the time since there's nothing to do here other then watch the news, and that only makes you anxious. After checking the chicken once again, you sit on the table, pinning your hair up on a ponytail, and that's when Billy comes back, your eyes immediately finding him on the door as he closes it shut.

“Hey.” You mumble, running your fingers through the ponytail. For the first time, you notice the uniform he has to use. A nice, black polo shirt with the logo of the company on the left side. On all of those days, you were avoiding looking at him, since he seemed like he didn't want anything to do with you. “You look like such a good boy in this shirt.” You know he doesn't usually wear stuff like that. Billy doesn't know it, but you went through his wardrobe a couple of times, and there is nothing like that that shirt in it.

“That's company policy.” He sounds a little annoyed, and you can tell he doesn't like to wear it. “It smells nice in here. What are you doing?”

“Lemon roasted chicken with potato salad.” You gesture at the oven. “It's almost done.”

“You... Can cook?” Furrowing his eyebrows, Billy comes near the table, giving the oven a look. “Like, actually cook?”

You get what he means. The girls don't usually know how to cook since they'll always have someone to do that for them. “Well, in my house, my parents always choose what we'll have for the meals. So I figured out if I wanted something different, I'd have to cook it myself.” Shrugging your shoulders, you stand up to check the oven again. “So Amelia taught me everything I know.”

“You're a box full of surprises,” Billy mutters, so low it makes you wonder if he wanted you to hear it. “I'll shower. If you wait we can eat together.”

“If it's not in an uncomfortable silence, I'll accept the invitation.” Leaning on the countertop, you give him a look.

“Good.” He stands there for a few seconds before moving away, and you can't help but try to understand why he always does that. It feels like he wants to say something, but he never does.

You patiently wait, and when he comes back, hair still damp, you both serve yourselves and take the usual seats on the table, across from each other. Billy takes a look at his place and squints his eyes, right before staring at you. “(Y/N)?”

“Huh?”

“Where did you get these peas?”

You didn't think he'd notice. “Uhm... There's a nice grocery store just around the corner.” It sounds like a question, but before he can say anything you raise a hand. “I know, I know. But I do look different and I borrowed your sunglasses just to be sure. I didn't speak to anyone... Well, I did chat with this old lady, but that was it.”

“You gotta be careful. I know it's far from your neighborhood, but even so.”

“I was careful, I just... It sucks being in here all day doing absolutely nothing.” You didn't want to rant about it, but it just comes out. “And, inevitably, I will watch the news channel.” Then, you're not hungry anymore... Despite skipping lunch again.

“Did they find anything yet?” Silently, you just shake your head no, deciding to push the food in, even though the heavy sensation on your stomach. “Sorry.”

“Don't apologize, it's not your fault.”

Then the silence hits again, and it goes on for way too long for your taste, a leg bouncing nervously. “It's really good, by the way. Much better than what I can come up with.”

“Thanks,” you mutter with a smile.

“I've been meaning to tell you. I usually go to the gym with some friends a couple of times a week. I've been coming straight back because–”

“No, no. Please, go. I don't want to mess with your routine. More than I already did.” Reassuring him, you feel relieved when he nods. “Oh, you mentioned something about college. What do you study?”

“Marine Biology.”

“That's so cool.” You exclaim, imagining what Billy could work with. California has a lot of opportunities for marine biologists. “I bet it's amazing.”

“It is. What about you?”

“It's not that cool.” Warning him, you can't help but feel bored just to think about it. “Law. At Cali's Elite Academy, obviously.”

“It doesn't sound like you enjoy it very much.”

“I don't.”

“Then why do you do it?” As he speaks, Billy moves to the fridge, muttering something when he opens it. And you know why. “You also bought soda.”

“Yup.” Turning towards him, you take the can he offers you, cracking it open and taking a sip. “You know why I do it. Mom wanted me to, father is a lawyer already, so you get the picture.”

“I hope to be around on the day you decide you had enough of this shit and rebel against everyone who tells you what to do,” Billy says as he goes back to his chair, his eyes focused on you. Sometimes it feels his eyes can see right through you, even the parts you try to hide from yourself. The places you rather keep secret, locked deep inside. He also brings to life things you didn't even know existed. A true need to break free from everything you can't take anymore, everything that has been drowning you, suffocating you.

“Maybe it won't happen.” You burst out, pushing your plate away, still half full. “You said it yourself on the night I came here. I'll probably just slip into anything my mother wants me to do and be as frustrated as she is. With nothing in life but some millions in the bank.” There's a lump in your throat, a cry you're holding back. You don't want to be like your mother. Or like anyone else from her circle. But would you be able to shake this away? You're so used to doing this, avoiding conflicts and being the good, obedient daughter... Could you be more?

“Don't you remember what you said after?” Billy leans forward, elbows on the table, those ocean blue eyes burning through your skin. “That you'd leave California before she forced you into being another stupid girl pushed into a loveless marriage just to add up to the family's fortune.”

“I remember.” Whispering, you look down at your hands, hoping he can't see your teary eyes. “I get brave when I'm sleepy, that's why I say those things but... I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to just leave like that.”

“I came back here a year ago. My father forced me to move to Hawkins, Indiana, a dipshit small town that I hated more than anything.” His words and the weight behind them makes you raise your eyes again, meeting his stare. Billy never told you anything about his past, and you want to hear it. “I have no good memories of that place, and the moment I turned eighteen and got my High School diploma, I got into my car and left.” There's power in him, courage. You know there's more to the story, but you won't push him into sharing it if he doesn't want to. But you can picture it, Billy running away from somewhere he hated, hitting the road and leaving it all behind. You're mesmerized by it, you're not sure why. “And I came back here. I came back home.”

“California never felt like home to me.” That you remember saying. “I... I really wish I had a place where I could feel–”

“Free?” Billy finishes off for you, and you nod. “I don't think California is the problem. I think–”

“Me. I'm the problem.” Crossing your arms, you sigh. You have no idea why you're telling him all this, or how he so skillfully stormed through your walls, but you feel like Billy is the only person who can understand. Who won't think you're stupid or crazy. “I feel so... Lonely and desolated, even when I'm in my bedroom. I feel better when I'm at the beach, all alone than when I'm in the comfort of my bed. I know it's insane, but it just... It's just what it is. Of course I wish I could run away like you, but maybe I can't.”

“It's not from California you have to run away, it's from this person you pretend to be just to please everyone.” Billy stands up, taking both your plates and moving to the sink. But you stay there, motionless, thinking how you could do that.

“Tell me how and I'll do it.”

“Be the girl you were at the party.” He says, and you decide to stand up as well to help him with the dishes... But also because you want to be near him as if he's the only one who could help you do this. What exactly, you don't know. But Billy was brave enough to do something you wish you could. “The girl who doesn't care if her company is just the pool guy, who doesn't care if she almost hits a waiter, and doesn't mind having to suck some chocolate off her thumb.” Billy glances at you, and you start taking the dishes and drying them with a dishcloth. “The girl who ran from a very important beneficial gala and was very happy about it.”

“Yeah, but if you weren't there, I would never do that.”

“I might have given you a little push, but you made the decision.”

You'd never take Billy for the guy who would say these things. By what people told you about his behavior, you'd never think he'd be this... Kind. “Are you always this nice with girls?” Trying to light up the mood after the emotional conversation, you ask him, chuckling.

“No, I'm not.” He passes you the last fork, and you dry it and put it on the drawer. “Definitely not.”

“I get it.” Lying the dishcloth down, you shrug your shoulders. “Guess some girls like the bad boy.”

Billy giggles, taking the dishcloth to dry his hands. “What about you? Good boy or bad boy?”

“A guy like you would be nice.” Wait. What? It takes a couple of seconds for you to process what you just said, and what it means. “Uhm... I'll... I'll organize some of my stuff.” You quickly manage to say, turning your back at him and leaving the kitchen.

When you reach the bedroom, you shut the door behind your back, wondering what the hell just happened to you. It's completely out of question to start liking Billy. You're literally living with him for who knows how long, it would complicate things to such a high level that you would really have to move out. You're already too lucky he doesn't bring girls here, but out there... Suddenly, the names Gisele gave you start flashing through your mind, and you groan, throwing yourself on the bed.

“Don't be stupid.” You mutter, pulling the sheets over your head and expecting a calm, dreamless night.

• • •

Before, you were anxious. Worried. Now, you're just angry. Another week has passed, and nobody knows anything. A bunch of people were abducted, in huge black vans, and nobody knows where they went. It's plain stupid by now. You're already up when Billy opens the bedroom door to shower and change for the day, and you move to the living room, putting on the news channel again and letting yourself fall on the couch. The boredom won't help either. Besides going to the grocery store, you're locked in here, doing absolutely nothing other than housework.

You're by the window when Billy comes out, already in the company uniform. Turning around with your arms crossed, you stare at him. “We gotta talk because I'm losing my mind.”

“Does it has to be now? Because if I don't leave in five minutes I'll be late.”

Then, the best idea you ever had in days comes to your mind. “Take me with you.”

“What?” He bursts out, eyebrows furrowed.

“Take me with you. Where are you going today?”

“William's. The mansion by the cliff.”

“They don't know me very much, my parents hate them. Please, take me with you. I can't stand being in here all day.” Walking over him, you grab his hand. “C'mon, Billy. I can help with something.”

“I don't think it's a good idea.” He looks down at you, a thoughtful expression on his face. “If anyone recognizes you it could be dangerous. Everyone thinks you were taken too.”

“See? Nobody will hope to see me hanging around.”

“(Y/N)...”

“I swear to God if you don't take me I'll head to the beach and stay there until sunset.” It wasn't a plan, but now it is. Stepping back, with both your hands on your hips, you wait for Billy's reaction.

“Is it a threat?”

“I don't make threats, only promises.” Shrugging your shoulders, you cross your arms. “So?”

“You have three minutes to change out of these sweatpants.” He's still speaking when you're moving, quickly taking your pj's off and putting the first thing you find. Short jeans and a black T-shirt that's a little bit similar to Billy's. Not so much, but it's the best you can do.

When you're back in the living room, dramatically putting Billy's sunglasses on, you rush through the door when he opens it, more than eager to spend the day somewhere other than in the apartment.

And, as if on purpose, Billy takes one of the most beautiful roads of California. At least in your opinion. On your side, you can see the ocean, and since the waves here are more violent, the beach is empty, except for some surfers. Billy has the windows open, and the wind messes with your hair. But you like it. Closing your eyes, you stretch your arm out, feeling the wind brushing in between your fingers. Maybe it's the speed, or the daylight, or the fact that you're finally outside after weeks of confinement. Maybe it's the company... But this feels good. Almost overwhelming. There's a smile on your face that doesn't look like it's leaving anytime soon, and for the first time in... Since you can remember, you have no worries. You allowed the wind to carry them all away.

“I forgot how beautiful this place is.” You tell Billy, holding your hair out of your face so you can look at him.

“Beautiful.” He says, his eyes on you instead of on the ocean outside the window. You squint your eyes, just about to ask what he's looking at when he clears his throat, eyes on the road again. “But we're almost there. Look.”

Some miles away you see the William's house. Huge, way bigger than yours, built by the cliff, which gives them an amazing view of the ocean.

A few minutes later, you're being guided inside by one of their employees. There's nobody home, and by what the old man said, they'll only be back by nightfall, when you and Billy will be far away. So there's no danger. You're taken to the pool, and Billy starts moving around.

“What do I do?” You ask, taking a look at the enormous pool. It's so big it has an isle in the middle. The last time you came here, you were a kid, and you didn't remember it to be so big.

“I'll start with emptying the pool skimmer.” He looks around and then points at the skimmer net. “Think you can get rid of those leaves floating?”

“Yup.” Moving to get the skimmer, you start with your task.

As you move around the pool, catching the leaves and placing them on a plastic canvas Billy lied on the deck, you notice him giving you a few glances. But you only know that because you're also staring every now and then, as he comes and goes from the supply closet. Soon enough, you get so nervous about it that you can't help but giggle as you walk to the plastic canvas, dropping some more brown leaves on it. Since he's coming your way, you wait there, using the pole to sustain some of your weight, your free hand on your hip.

“Getting tired, princess?” Billy mutters in a mocking tone, and you roll your eyes. “Still half of the pool to clean.”

There's that pet name again, and at the very mention of it, you feel something on your stomach, like tickles. “I'm alright so far.” You mumble, hoping you're not blushing. As soon as he walks by, you resume your task.

The truth is that you're very tired already, and the skimmer is heavy. And the wind starts blowing the leaves all around, which makes you walk around the pool too many times. It's past 1 pm when Billy is over, and you decide not to get the four leaves left in the water.

“Let's go.” He says, and you get up from the wooden bench you've been seated for the last five minutes after he locked the supply closet, following him.

“I'm starving.” You mumble, letting your hair down from the ponytail as you get into the car again. “Where do you usually have lunch?”

“In a restaurant associated with the company. Which means employees don't pay.” He glances at you. “And I guess you didn't bring any money, so...”

“I would have if you told me that.” Pulling the door close, you take a deep breath. “Just buy me an ice cream and I'll be fine.”

“Absolutely not.”

“I'm fine. You did the hard work.” You buckle up when he speeds away, once again hitting the road. Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath when you feel the fresh wind on your face. “What are you doing next?”

“Got a fancy car to fix.”

“Uhm...” Opening your eyes again, you look at Billy's side, taking in the beach. It's completely empty now. But your eyes wander to Billy. In this perfect light, he looks amazing. Breathtaking. His grip on the wheel is loose, and he has a hand out the window, looking carefree. Billy loves this place, you can see it on his eyes, on his posture. He's home. “Do you think we have a few minutes to spare?”

“What for?”

“I just wanted to take a walk on the beach. But it's ok if you can't.” Looking away, you focus on the road ahead. But Billy is slowing down, pulling over to the side of the road. Biting your lip, you wait for him to stop before stepping out of the car. You're already crossing the road when you notice Billy is still in the car. So you stop, turning to look at him from the middle of the road. “Hey! Aren't you coming?”

“It sounded like you wanted some alone time.”

“I had plenty of alone time in the apartment.” Rolling your eyes, you gesture for him to come. “Let's go.” Reaching out your hand, you smile when he leaves the car, patiently waiting for him. You were just about to put your hand away when he takes it, rushing you to move since there was a car coming that you didn't see. It makes you giggle a little, your other hand coming to hold on to his forearm. “Seriously, you have to stop saving my life.”

“Then stop putting your life in danger.” It takes a little too long for him to let go of your hand, your fingers brushing against each other.

“I'll try.” When you get to the edge of the road, you don't see any steps leading to the sand. Only a rock that someone placed here to offer some help, but it's still a little too high for you. “Isn't it a buzz killer?”

“I'll help you.” Billy easily jumps to the sand, not even using the rock. “Come.”

“If I fall, I swear to God...” Sitting on the edge, you try calculating if you could just jump to the ground.

“You won't fall. C'mon.” Billy comes to stand right in front of you, both his arms raised to catch your fall.

Taking a deep breath, you push yourself forward, closing your eyes on the process, so you only feel when you collide with Billy. His hands are quick to hold your waist, sustaining your weight, and not allowing you to reach the ground. The sudden change makes you open your eyes, and you immediately take in how close you stand. His face is only three inches apart, and as he pulls you down, you hold tightly on his biceps. Billy's eyes are locked on yours, and even after you're safe on the ground, he doesn't move. His hands remain on your waist, his face still close enough to kiss, if only you were brave enough to stand on your toes. Your stomach feels funny, and your heart is trying to beat its way out of your chest.

But a car passing by snaps you out of it, and you both move at the same time, stepping back.

“Sorry.” You mutter, clearing your throat. “But thanks for not letting me fall.”

“I told you I wouldn't.”

×

@multific @dontxfearxthereaper @nope-thanks @nikkixostan @shinydixon @clockworkballerina @infinitelycharmed23

[l-egionaire]

Owl House Fanfiction: I love The Found Family Trope!

Posted on Ao3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29417493

Eda had gotten used to a lot of different ways of waking up after her getting her curse.

The first few times it happened, she'd unfortunately routinely woken up to find herself naked. (Titan, was she grateful when she'd finally found a spell that made her clothes change with her and didn't have to keep dumpster diving or "borrowing" clothes)

Once that was taken care of, her post transformation wake ups were slightly more comfortable, if predictable. She'd come too laying on the ground, her body's usual aches, pains, and stiffness seemingly doubled to the point where she could barely move. If she was in someone's house she'd likely be surrounded by overturned furniture and fixtures all covered in claw and bite marks. If she was lucky any people that might've been there would've already run and hid. If she wasn't….well, she knew a good amount of healing magic and potions.  No matter how much damage she might have caused, most people wouldn't turn down having their injuries taken care of.

And after that, things changed. Even if the person she was living with didn't kick her out, she could still see how they acted differently. They avoided eye contact with her, didn't stay in the same room with her for longer than two seconds, and she couldn't help but notice how they always seemed to lock their doors at night, nevermind whether she'd taken her elixir or not. Needless to say, when that happened she was gone before a week even passed. Someone being afraid of her or thinking she was a freak she could handle. But she preferred that to them tiptoeing around it and pretending to be okay with her when they were secretly scared. 

Considering all of that, waking up safely in her nest with a bottle of elixir in her mouth was a new experience.

She wasn't that shocked once she'd gotten the whole story. She'd never explained what her elixir did to King, and Luz thinking it was some special magic boosting potion sounded just like her. But what really surprised her were their reactions. 

After making sure Hooty was put back up and okay, they'd come by to check on her. Luz, having worried she might not be feeling well, had brought her a bowl of some strange human concoction called "chicken soup" that she'd gotten from a can in her junk collection. ("It's no magic potion but my mom. always made me chicken soup when I wasn't feeling well.) She'd also gotten her a person sized pillow that had the image of some male human character with spiky hair on it and with a little work slid it beneath Eda in her nest. The thing may have looked weird but it was comfy as heck and felt great for her sore back. Meanwhile King, still looking regretful about snatching her elixir, had fixed her a mug of apple blood as a peace offering.

While the mixture of alcohol and salty human bird water helped soothe some of her pain, Eda couldn't help but notice her apprentice and her housemate still standing off to the side of her nest. Both of them simply stood and watched as she ate and drank, staying oddly silent and staring at her as if she might disappear mid slurp.

It was almost a little unnerving. She hadn't expected either of them to be this quiet after discovering her curse. She figured Luz would've had her usual million questions about anything magical while King would be demanding to know why she hadn't told him before now. 

Then again, it wouldn't surprise her if they were still too in shock. After all, while she had never been able to witness it herself, she knew her cursed form could be pretty terrifying to see. One person she'd lived with had been so freaked out by it, he hadn't been able to make any noise except terrified squeaks for 3 days.

Plus, the way they found out was pretty sudden. Sure, King shouldn't have stolen her elixir but it wasn't like he knew what it was for or why she took it. In fact, a part of her hoped he'd never find out.

But the cat was off the staff now. She knew that the two of them must still be curious, otherwise they wouldn't still be there. So it was time to witch up and deal with it.

Eda drank the last few dregs of soup from her bowl and drained the rest of her apple blood for a little courage before turning to King and Luz.

"Alright you two. I know you probably want to know more about all this. So, let's have it."

Luz and King took a moment to look at each other, almost seeming to have a full conversation in two seconds before turning back to her.

"No thanks." Luz said.

"Yeah, we're good." King agreed.

Eda blinked in confusion. "What? What do you mean?"

"We don't need to know anymore." Luz explained. "This whole curse thing seems kind of personal and besides you already told us all the important parts. So we don't need to know anything else."

Eda stared at her in stunned silence. She looked to King and was even more surprised to see him nod in agreement.

To say this was not what she'd been expecting would be an understatement.  Where was the yelling at her for putting them in danger? The demanding answers? The blaming her for not telling them about her curse before all this? Heck, the two of them didn't even look that upset. They just still had those weirdly concerned looks on their faces. Maybe they just worried she'd still be mad about them stealing her elixir and were too scared to bring it up.

But that brought another issue to mind. And while she might have become pretty fond of those two, she knew it would only be a matter of time until it came up.

Ignoring the tight feeling in her chest, Eda said slowly. "Listen…..if you guys want to find somewhere else to stay, I understand."

They both became bug eyed.

"What?!" Luz cried.

"What are you talking about?!" King asked.

Eda looked away from them, doing everything she could to keep the wetness in her eyes from turning into full blown tears.

Suck it up. She thought. It's not like you haven't done this before.

"Luz, you could probably see if one of those Hexside kids might be willing to let you stay with them, and King I-."

"You're kicking us out?!" Luz yelled.

"No!" King scrambled into the nest, got onto his knees  and clasped his paws together. "Please Eda, don't!  I'll never be able to find anyone else willing to  let me live with them without paying! If this is about stealing the elixir, I'm sorry! I swear I won't steal anything you don't tell me to!" 

Eda frowned in confusion and turned back to them. "What? No. I mean, yes King, if you steal from me again I'll turn you into a tiny fur rug, but I just meant….you guys really don't want to move out?"

They both looked shocked at her question. "No." "Why would we?"

"Why would- how about  because I could have killed you two last night?" She felt bile begin to build in her throat and not the magical kind. "I could have eaten one of you like I did the snaggleback!"

"Oh come on Eda, it wasn't that-."

"Luz." Eda said, her voice hard. She didn't have it in her right now to deal with Luz sunshine attitude.

Luz must have noticed because she sighed and said. "Okay, look Eda. I'm not going to lie and say that today wasn't terrifying or that I wasn't afraid but….Eda, once I realized that the monster that was chasing after us was you? All I could think about was how I could help or what I could do to get you back. I didn't want to lose you."

Eda stared at her apprentice in complete shock. In her past talks with her living mates after they discovered her curse, they always talked about them . Their safety, their terror at her transformation, their discomfort at having Eda stay around after what happened. But Luz was thinking about her and whether she was okay.

It felt….weird. But in a good way. Kind of like a lot of things Luz did come to think of it.

Eda looked down to where King was still sitting in her nest. "And what about you King? You aren't freaked out by my little secret?"

King shrugged. "Eh, at first it was horrifying but after thinking about, its actually pretty cool. You're a demon just like me! Which technically makes you one of my subjects!"

Eda rolled her eyes. Typical King.

"And, since you are one of my subjects…."

"King, I swear to Titan, if you-."

".....than, that also means you fall under my protection." King finished. He walked over to Eda, climbed into her lap where he curled up into a ball. "If anyone wants to hurt you, they'll first have to go through me!"

Eda couldn't hide the amazement on her face as she gazed down at King. Then she felt something softly touch her shoulder. She looked over and saw Luz had placed a hand on her and was giving her a loving look.

"We're not going anywhere Eda. Us weirdos have to stick together, remember?"

Eda couldn't believe what she was hearing. Even after they both spent the night being terrorized by her and knew about her curse, they still insisted on sticking around.

They weren't going to leave her.

Luz suddenly frowned and looked at her worriedly. "Hey, what's wrong?"

It took Eda a moment to realize that there was a tear streaming down her face. She quickly wiped it away.

"Uh, no Luz, I just, uh, really loved that soup you brought me. There any chance there's some more?"

"I'll go dig through trash for another can!" Luz excitedly sprinted out the door.

Eda looked down at King. "Would my so-called "King" be willing to fix his new subject another apple blood?"

King stood up from her lap and stretched. "I suppose its what any humble ruler would do for his wounded subject." King took her mug and scrambled out of her nest and out the door.

Eda sighed fondly and layed back on her spiky hair human pillow, taking in the sight of the many light orbs that now dotted her ceiling thanks to her apprentice.

We're not going anywhere Eda.

If anyone wants to hurt you, they'll first have to go through me

Eda chuckled. "Thanks you two