#i'm so scared to go back to sleep tonight... it would be just my luck that this happens again but this time i don't wake up

[xviruserrorx]

There's no wake up call like a medical problem that calls for the ER happening at 4am...

[queenimmadolla]

𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐍𝐄'𝐒 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃

(dad!eddie x mom/pregnant!reader)

*NOT Mature, SFW — incorrectly flagged

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟏 ─ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟐 ─ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟑 • more of the pennyverse here.

Summary: . . . After almost losing you in a scare related to your preterm labor, Eddie is reluctant to meet his newborn son, whose life still remains on the line, until some convincing from you. warnings: angst, a whole lot of angst, near death experience, difficult pregnancy, early labor, preterm birth, talk of loss of infants, birth defects, happy ending.

a/n: congrats on making it to part two! we still have quite a bit of angst to get through but we're almost through the storm! this part (even though i wrote Wayne's World as a whole) was my favorite to write, and i'm sure you'll be able to guess why. word count is 6k. good luck and happy reading! and for the people mad about the long post, sorry, had the 'keep reading' tab on but it kept fucking with the format and eating chunks of it. you're gonna have to scroll. let me know what you think? ◡̈

Hours passed by, Penny had fallen asleep in his lap again and so had most of his friends with the exceptions of Jonathan who looked like he could really use the sleep, Eden and Wayne. Steve would snap awake every once and a while, careful not to jostle his sleeping girlfriend. Nancy was asleep on Jonathan’s shoulder while Argyle used Eden’s lap for a pillow. Barb and Robin were hanging off chairs in the most uncomfortable looking positions, Robin’s snores almost painful sounding. The ‘kids’ (teenagers) had been picked up by their parents, only agreeing to go home if they could come back to wait with him first thing in the morning. 

  Eddie didn’t rest for a single second, mind torturing him with horrible, horrible thoughts. One played in his mind on loop; he was holding Penny as he walked out of the hospital. They were on their own.

  It held him captive, he hadn’t even noticed your doctor approaching him until she gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “Mr. Munson?”

  Wayne and Eddie traded quick glances and he handed Penny over, trying not to disturb her too much in his rush but she just curled up to Wayne.

  Eddie stood up, already feeling lightheaded. That voice in his head that had been torturing him whispered something cruel to him, enough to make him want to cease existing: maybe you, somewhere in this hospital, already gone and he didn’t know it. Was she about to confirm his worst fears?

  “I apologize for the fright we gave you. Your wife started hemorrhaging and she lost a lot of blood.”

  Yeah. Eddie’s world was ending. It was over.

  “But we were able to stop the bleeding and get her a transfusion. She’s stable and she’s going to be just fine.”

  The relief was almost crippling, the heaviest weight he’d ever felt on him was lifted. Eddie wanted to cry, he squeezed his eyes shut again, trying to compose himself before he broke down in front of another doctor.

  “We have her in a room, probably hold her for a couple of nights, depending on her recovery. Would you like to go see her?”

  “Yeah, yes, please.” He nodded rapidly, wiping furiously at his eyes. 

  Dr. Eisenberg nodded and began walking down the hall, “If you’ll follow me.”

  Eddie turned, ready to ask Wayne to look after Penny when Wayne cut him off, “Go. I'll let ‘em all know she’s okay and send ‘em home. They probably won’t be able to see her tonight or in the mornin’, but I’ll stick around. Let me know when I can come on up.”

  Eddie wanted to hug him, but he really needed to see you. 

  “Thank you, Wayne. For everything.” Then he was scrambling after Dr. Eisenberg, who had stopped to wait for him.

  The walk to your hospital room had Eddie ready to tear his hair out, he’d wanted to just ask your doctor for your room number so he could sprint the rest of the way because her pace was much too slow. He was desperate to get to you, to make sure you were really still alive.

  “Here we are,” she stated, pushing your room door open. “Hello, again, Mrs. Munson. I brought someone who’s been waiting for you.”

  Eddie’s breath hitched as Dr. Eisenberg stepped to the side and he finally saw you, eyelids heavy from whatever sedation you were still trying to pull yourself from, and a smile on your face that only widened when you locked eyes. 

  “Hi, baby,” you slurred, sleepy little smile not going anywhere. And neither were you. 

  The rush of emotions he was experiencing was too much, he burst into tears where he stood as Dr. Eisenberg closed the door behind her on her way out. 

  “Eddie…” you mumbled out, reaching the hand lacking an IV out to him. 

  Of course you were trying to comfort him, you were the one confined to a hospital bed, having just barely survived a traumatic birth and you were still trying to comfort him because you were perfect. 

  He slowly approached your bed, hot tears—he was surprised his body could even still produce more tears given how much he’d cried in the last few hours alone—streaming down his cheek. Eddie really did collapse when he reached you, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck.

  You wrapped your arms around him, holding him to your chest as best as you could, though you had no idea why he was crying, brain too hazy.

  Eddie didn’t sob, just silently shook as he wet your neck, inhaled your scent, felt your warm skin and pulse beating beneath his lips. He hadn’t lost you, you were still here.

  Ideally, he’d be holding you and squeezing you hard enough to ensure you’d never leave his arms again, but even in his emotional hysteria, he was mindful of your condition.

  Eddie pulled away, large hands framing your face as he pressed desperate kisses all over your face, making sure every inch was caressed with his love before he focused on your lips, mouth meshing messily against yours.

  You could taste the salt of his tears, feel a couple of stray ones catching where your lips met. While he may have been feeling a mixture of emotions, all you could feel right then was content and still a bit sleepy from the anesthesia.

  When Eddie felt he’d conveyed his love for you sufficiently, he pulled away, a wet and hoarse chuckle escaping him when he realized you could barely keep your eyes open.

  “You sleepy, baby?”

  “Mhmm.”

  “Get some rest, sweetheart,” Eddie’s thumb stroked over your bottom lip before resting over the center of it, “just, please wake up.”

  “Okay,” you mumbled, eyes already shut. Still, you managed to press a kiss to his thumb before you slipped into a blissful slumber.

  While you slept, Eddie had one of the nurses phone up the waiting room and sent Wayne. The poor man looked exhausted, but the relief on his face was evident when he saw you sleeping peacefully. 

   He looked like he wanted to cry, too. Instead, he just cleared his throat, blinked to keep the tears away and spoke low so as to not disturb you or the sleeping toddler in his arms.

  “Everythin’ alright?”

  “With her?” Eddie’s red rimmed gaze drifted back to you, focused on the rise and fall of your chest. Still breathing, “Yeah.”

  Wayne nodded once and they both stood there in silence for a few minutes as the world began to turn again. Something still wasn’t right, felt wrong. He could tell by the tension his boy still had, arms crossed as he crouched in the seat next to your bed. 

  “And the baby?”

  Eddie flinched as if Wayne had shot a gun off in the air rather than mention his son.

  “I don’t know.”

  Wayne watched him with a careful eye, Eddie looked almost like he was vibrating from the force at which his leg was shaking, even your hospital bed appeared to be affected by it, though not nearly enough to disturb you.

  As much as he wanted to comfort him, for once, Wayne didn’t know what to do. Didn’t know what to say and he had an inkling that anything that came out of his mouth wouldn’t be heard by Eddie. He was lost in the dark crevices of his own mind. 

  The most he could do was offer to give him some alone time, he was sure his boy wasn’t keen on others sticking around right now, even him. 

  “I’ll take Penny home, me and Maude’ll watch her.” 

  Eddie shook his head, a look of panic flashing over his face, “No, that’s alright. She can stay with me.”

  Wayne was reluctant, mouth set in a frown. Penny was a good girl, usually, but he didn’t know if Eddie could really handle her along with processing everything going on around him.

  “Really, we wouldn’t mind─”

  “I need her.” 

  That shut Wayne right up, he and Eddie shuffled to exchange Penny from his arms to her dad’s without waking her. She stirred momentarily then shoved her face into Eddie’s neck, her little body falling slack once more.

  Wayne gave his shoulder a good squeeze, ran his hand gently over Penny’s back before he leaned down—and in a rare show of affection—pressed a brief kiss to your forehead.

  As he was walking out of the room, Eddie felt the panic crawling down his throat again. He croaked out a broken, “Wayne─”

  Wayne paused in the doorway, turning to acknowledge Eddie but his nephew didn’t continue, just looked scared. For a moment, Wayne was caught off guard, sucking in a breath as his boy looked young for the first time in a couple of years. 

  Now, he knew you and Eddie were young. He’d been aware of it when you got together, aware of it when you told him you were pregnant with Penny but sometime after that, he stopped seeing your age, stopped seeing Eddie’s as the two of you grew up for her. Now, right then, he remembered with startling clarity that Eddie wasn’t even twenty-five. He looked so young because he was.

  Eddie didn’t have to say anything else because Wayne knew exactly what he wanted him to say.

  Wayne nodded slowly, mouth pressing into a firm line of determination, “Everything’s gonna be alright, kid.”

  Eddie choked up, held Penny a little tighter and Wayne went on his way.

  He found himself settling back into the seat he’d dragged near your bed, cradling Penny as she remained blissfully unaware and drooling on his scrub top.

  Wayne wasn’t wrong, she’d probably be a little too much for him but she was his kid, it wasn't like he could just hand her off to people when life came at him like this and he really did need her right now. Again.

  You were here and whole, but somewhere else in this hospital, a member of his little family was still slipping through his fingers. He couldn’t let the other one out of his sight, couldn’t lose her, too.

  Once more, Eddie remained restless as the hours passed. He sat in mostly silence. He’d turned on the tv near your bed, the volume high enough to drown out the sounds of the hospital outside of the room but much too low to wake you. Rain trilled against the windows, much more gentle than it had been earlier. The storm had also passed, and if there was even an ounce of humor in him, he would have been amused with how this storm seemed to fester like a black cloud looming over him. 

  It’d been a normal day up until he’d gone to Lucas’ birthday party, but he’d been skeptical about leaving you, worried something would happen. The metaphorical little black cloud formed over him, as a result, and so did the actual black clouds, quickly calling for wind and rain at high speeds. 

  And when Eddie had found out you were okay, you were alive, his black cloud disappeared, though it left behind damage and a cold atmosphere. The real storm had also run its course, leaving behind weather that reflected exactly how Eddie felt.

  Penny squirmed in his grasp, and he realized he’d tensed up so he quickly relaxed, shifting her into a more comfortable position in his hold. 

  “Why don’t you give her to me?”

  Eddie’s head snapped over to you, surprised to find you awake, somewhat lucid and watching him with a small smile on your face.

  “Because you just had your insides removed and put back in,” He smirked, another wave of relief washing over him. You’d woken up, you really were okay. You weren’t going to leave him.

  You rolled your eyes, making a vague hand gesture to brush the subject off, clearly the surgeons hadn’t removed your sass.

  “She’s tiny and there’s more than enough room on here for both of us.” You hissed as you slowly shimmied your way to the side of the bed and Eddie frowned.

  “Okay, how about you don’t move so we can limit the amount of heart attacks you give me today, yeah?” You knew Eddie must have been worried so you didn’t take the lack of humor behind his words and the tension on his face personally. 

  A quick glance at the clock confirmed your suspicions, “It’s three in the morning, Eddie. New day, but I’ll keep my antics to a minimum.”

  Insistently, you patted the spot next to you, perfectly Penny sized and high enough to guarantee she wouldn’t accidentally move against your incision.

  With a sigh, Eddie complied, gathering his daughter up. Tensing up disturbed her but full on moving her didn’t, most likely used to being carried into your home after she’d fallen asleep in her car seat or on the couch.

  She didn’t stir when he laid her down, either. You both had to rearrange her limbs into a more comfortable position, one that didn’t make it look like she was possessed. Once Eddie tucked her in, he let out another sigh and cast you an apologetic look, big brown eyes wide, glassy and full of sorrow.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you.” It was the last thing you deserved after what you’d gone through.

  The sincerity in his voice almost hurt you, it was heavy, as though it carried more weight than just a simple apology for his tone. 

  You held out your hand and Eddie immediately slipped his over it, locking his fingers with yours, squeezing as his breath hitched. 

  Your hand was so warm and soft. At one point in the last twenty-four hours, he’d thought he’d never get to feel it again, never get to hold your hand or see your pretty face. Never get to say…

  “I love you,” he blurted out, the panic he’d felt earlier when he couldn’t remember the last time he’d said those three words to you climbed right out of his belly, trying to claw its way out of his chest. Eddie took in a shuddering breath, head shaking as a hot tear escaped its confinement, trailing down his cheek. He moved to the other side of the hospital bed, so he wouldn’t crush Penny, and took your face in his hands, pressing a passionate kiss to your lips, hoping he was able to convey just how much he loved you.

  He needed you to know.

  “Eddie,” you mumbled as he pulled away, only to hide himself in the crook of your neck again. You could feel his tears against your skin and it alarmed you. “I love you, too, baby. What’s wrong?”

  “I thought I was going to lose you,” he confessed and you felt your heart seize up, “I thought I was gonna lose you twice in the same damn day. I was so fucking scared, sweetheart.” 

  When he’d been driving to the hospital, there had been a moment when he wondered if you’d still be breathing when he got there. It made him want to throw up so he quickly squashed it and forced it to the back of his head. It hadn’t been ideal when he’d entered the operation room, he didn’t like seeing you get cut open but it was comforting to see he’d overreacted. You were getting a c-section, you weren’t on your deathbed.

  Until you had been. 

  And for the second time that day, he thought you were going to die, thought he’d somehow cruelly manifested this for you and himself.

  “I’m alright, Eddie.” You freed your hand, grabbing his to cradle your cheek with. 

  “See? I’m okay. You didn’t lose me, you’re not going to.” Eddie pulls away from his hiding spot to stare down at you, the wounded puppy look still firmly in place so you add a little humor, hoping to get a smile out of him, “There’s no way I’m checking out this early, I can’t risk you moving on when you look this good.”

  Eddie’s hand was so big his fingers were tucked into your hair, his palm alone took up most of your cheek. His fingertips lightly massaged the area of your scalp available to him as the hurt on his face morphed into an earnest look, somehow more vulnerable.

  “There’s no moving on from you, you’re taking my soul, my heart, all of it with you when you go. You’re the love of my life, my everything. And that—fuck, it terrifies me because I’d still have Penny to take care of and I wouldn’t know what to do. I wouldn’t know how to pull myself out of it, if it’d even be possible and quite frankly, I don’t ever want to fucking find out.”

  Eddie was more than happy to have those types of questions remain unanswered for the rest of his life.

  “You’d be able to do it, I know you would. You would be able to take care of Penny and the baby.” You knew he would, your husband would pull himself out of his depression to make sure your children were okay because of how much he loved them, despite his grief.

  Eddie flinched, something you were quick to clock. You didn’t need to ask, he could see the question reflecting in those beautiful eyes of yours. 

  He had to break the news. You were already in a frail condition and he had to tell you the baby you’d almost died to have, your son, might still die.

  “Honey, the baby—he—fuck, he’s uh…there’s something wrong with his heart.”

  The way your face plummeted shattered something inside of him. 

  “What?”

  “He’s got a hole in his heart, the doctor said it was pretty common amongst heart defects but since he was born so early, it’d be difficult to medicate him or perform an operation. All they can do is keep him under observation, he still might not make it because of how young he is.”

  You squeezed your eyes shut, head dropping back to meet your pillow as you tried, and failed, not to cry. Why was this happening? You blamed yourself, why hadn’t you been able to keep him in your belly? Why had your own body betrayed you? Why had you failed your baby?

  “This is all my fault,” you declared, eyes and cheeks growing wet with your tears.

  “No, no, sweetheart.” Eddie was not about to let you take the blame for something out of your control or even allow you to believe any of this was your fault. “You can’t possibly believe this is on you. These things happen, it obviously isn’t ideal, but it’s just circumstance. It’s not your fault and it’s not the baby’s fault. You did everything you could and more. Okay?”

  He leaned in, finger stroking gently across your cheekbone as he caught a tear. You sniffled, nodding once as he pulled you back together.

  “What does he look like?” You asked, snuggling back into the pillow as Eddie coddled you.

  He hesitated for a moment before he answered, “I—I don’t know.”

  That elicited a small frown from you, “You haven’t seen him yet?”

  Eddie swallowed hard, gaze moving away from you, “No.”

  You waited, watching a series of emotions pass over his features. Eddie often tried to keep his internal struggles to himself, a habit you noticed once you became friends with him (ironically, through some trauma bonding) and even into your relationship. You hadn’t expected him to confide everything in you right away, though you had let him know should he ever need someone to talk to, you’d be there.

  Now, it wasn’t a matter of if he would, it was when. It didn’t take him long. 

  “I don’t know—I guess,” he pursed his lips, eyes squeezing shut as he felt the all too familiar burn of fresh tears. How many times had he cried in the last twenty-four hours? He felt ridiculous to be so emotional, then again, he’d never thought he’d find himself in this tragic situation, so he was due for a couple of breakdowns, “I know if I go down there and I—I look at him, I’m gonna fall in love with him and then what? He dies. I can’t do that, not if I’m gonna lose him forever. I can’t.”

  Eddie was leaking tears, not yet sobbing but well on his way as he made his confession. He couldn’t stomach seeing his baby boy if he was going to be taken away from him, if the two of you would have to put a tiny little coffin—a size that should never have to exist—six feet into the ground. He’d been put through the fucking ringer but Eddie couldn’t do that. It would break him.

  Eddie’s confession had you crying as well, you shared his pain. You didn’t want to lose your baby, either. You couldn’t remember what he looked like through the haze of your fatigue when you’d given birth to him, but if you tried to think hard enough, you could remember how it felt to have him in your arms in the passenger seat of Wayne’s truck. The first time you’d held him and you hoped it wouldn’t be the last. 

  Even if it was, you were grateful you’d had the chance to and you knew Eddie would never forgive himself if he didn’t get to see him, didn’t get to meet him.

  “I know you’re terrified, Eds. It scares me, too.” You grabbed his hand just as it slipped away from your face, encouraging him to look at you. “I don’t want to lose him, either. I want to take him home. I want to cuddle with him, nurse him, take tons of pictures of him with Penny and with you, but most of all, I want to make sure he knows I love him.”

  It killed you to imagine your baby in an incubator, small, helpless and with no one but the nurses, who could make the time to check on him in between all their other patients, offering him comfort. Human contact. And if he did end up passing, he could do so alone in there, not knowing how loved he was. 

  “I know you love him, Eddie, and you don’t want to lose him. But you can’t lose him if you don’t have him, baby. I hate that this is even a possibility for us, but I’d rather have held him and lost him than to never have picked him up at all. I’ll be okay with whatever you decide, but do you really want him to die without having gotten to meet his dad?”

  Eddie let out a choked sob as he shook his head. He didn’t want his baby to die at all but you were right, if he did lose his kid, he’d spend the rest of his life agonizing over the same thing Eddie had been upset with himself for when he thought he’d lose you. He’d been unable to recall the last time he told you he loved you. Only, he’d know he never told his son. 

  “I’ll be right back,” he swore and you nodded just as he leaned down to give you a kiss. He wiped away his tears, inhaled a particularly violent sniffle and you watched as he left your room to finally meet his baby.

  Eddie felt almost disorientated as he navigated his way to the NICU. He’d been there once, briefly, to check on Penny when she’d been there for a few hours, but that was a couple of years ago and he’d needed the assistance of several nurses and staff to direct him, but he finally made it.

  The entrance room, where the viewing window was located, was nearly empty. There was a woman further down, gazing through the large window.

  Eddie approached it with caution and his heart racing a mile a minute. It wasn’t too difficult to find his baby. His son was in an incubator, close to the window and labeled ‘MUNSON’. For the first time, Eddie got to take his son in. He had been right, he fell in love with him at first sight.

  He was smaller than some of the other babies, bigger than others as well and surprisingly well developed. Kind of calmed Eddie’s nerves, just a little. He had a couple of monitor pads attached to his tummy with an additional one wrapped around his tiny foot. Other than the nasal cannula, baby Munson didn’t have a whole lot of tubes attached to him like Eddie had imagined and he could see a smattering of hair on his head, somewhat light in shade but he had a feeling it would darken soon to resemble his own. 

  It was hard to tell if Wayne and Penny were right in their description of him, Eddie couldn’t tell if he was still pale since the baby was cloaked in blue light, but he assumed his son had gained some color by then. Eddie also couldn’t make out his eyes, those were covered by some sort of eye cloth, most likely for protection. He looked a little odd, obviously resembled a baby and while his features were almost indistinguishable, appearing a little generic, as his face still needed to develop a little more, Eddie could see hints of familiar features. 

  He looked like newborn Penny, well, so far. Her features had obviously changed since then, and still were, but he was promising to look almost exactly like she had when she was born. And Eddie thought Penny looked a lot like you, so it got a smile out of him, regardless of the fact his son was bound to resemble his family.

  Eddie watched the rapid rise and fall of his chest with concern. Was he supposed to be breathing that fast? Was he okay? 

  “Which one is yours?”

  Eddie turned to peer over at the woman who’d asked him the question, “Munson.”

  Eddie watched as her gaze moved over all the incubators until they found the correct one.

  “Oh, he’s a cute one. And his breathing looks incredible.”

  “Really? It’s not too fast?” He asked, the worry in his voice obvious.

  “Considering it’s his first time pumping those lungs, I don’t think so, no. Looks like he’s breathing real good to me. Mine needs a little help.” She pointed through the glass to an incubator that housed a baby with a tube in its mouth as well as individual ones in each nostril unlike his son’s nasal cannula. Eddie felt horrible.

  “I’m sorry,” he tried to apologize but she waved him off, a smile still on her face. 

  “Don’t be, that’s all mine is here for. As soon as she figures out how to keep doing it on her own, she’ll be back with me and my wife.”

  Right on, Eddie thought. Before he could continue their conversation, a nurse knocked on the window.

  She gestured down to the baby, “Is he yours?”

  Wow, this glass must have been thin, he could hear her pretty good.

  For some reason, Eddie still assumed she couldn’t hear him and only nodded. She disappeared for a minute and emerged into the room through a large pair of doors. 

  “Would you like to hold him?”

  Eddie glanced at the other occupant and she gave him a nod of encouragement. 

  “Yeah,” he rasped out, turning to look at his son through the window once more, “Yeah, I would.”

  Eddie was nervous the entire time as she prepped him with instructions. While they were concerned about the hole in his son’s heart, he was well developed, had strong vitals, good reactions, even for thirty weeks. He was so good that had it not been for his heart, he probably would have been sent home at the same time as you, given your longer than average stay due to your c-section and preeclampsia.

  And when she placed him in his arms, the love he had for his son almost overwhelmed him. He couldn’t believe he almost denied himself this. 

  “Can I touch him?” He asked, after he’d stopped marveling at the small face—eyes still hidden—in his arms. 

  “Mhm, we’d encourage it. Babies, even born preterm, are still very much so human. He craves the contact, it might even encourage him.” 

  Eddie didn’t hesitate, fingers gently stroking over the soft fluff of hair on his son’s head. This close, he could see it all pushed towards the middle of his head, like a mohawk. His baby was already metal straight out of your womb, it made him chuckle. 

  The nurse stepped away to tend to another baby, giving him a little privacy. Eddie maneuvered his son so he was resting on his chest, little head pressed against the spot just over his heart.

  “Hi,” he whispered down to the baby in his arms, “I’m your dad.”

  Much to Eddie’s awe, the baby nuzzled his head against his chest, making him still. He didn’t know why, but he’d believed his son wouldn’t be able to move for some reason. It was nice to know he was wrong.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you, too,” he laughed, the sound soft, “I’ve been looking forward to it, you must have, too. You sure know how to make an entrance, huh? Couldn’t wait in your mom any longer?”

  Eddie ducked down to kiss his little head, lips remaining there as he moved to sit in one of the few chairs of the NICU. 

  “It’s okay, though. I’ve got you, daddy’s got you.” Even if the outcome wasn’t okay, right at that moment with his son in his arms, everything felt like it would be. And if his son needed encouragement, Eddie would give it to him. 

  “I’m sorry it took me so long to come find you, your mom had to talk some sense into me. She loves you a lot, you know? Probably jealous I’m down here and she isn’t, but only because she physically can’t just yet.”

  Eddie’s hand went to support the back of his head as he moved the baby down to hold in his hands, staring down at his little face. 

  “I’ll bring her down to see you again as soon as I can, though. So you gotta keep fighting, okay? I know things are hard for you right now, not as easy as the other babies in the hospital, but I know you can do it. I love you so much, your mom and I just want to take you home, so you gotta beat this, okay?”

  Eddie rocked his baby, gentle swaying motions as he pressed kiss after kiss to his head. 

  “I see you’ve made it down for a visit,”

  Eddie glanced up at the face of Dr. Houseman, she didn’t look as intimidating as she had when she’d first approached him in the waiting room.

  “Sorry to disturb you, but I’m very glad I caught you. I heard your wife is doing well.”

  “She is,” he confirmed, with a relieved grin. 

  “Good, I’m glad. Have you been given an update on your little guy?”

  Eddie recounted what the nurse had told him and Dr. Houseman looked pleased.

  “Well, I have more news for you. He’s proving to be much stronger than we’d initially anticipated, and while his vitals were already good on intake, they’ve improved tremendously in the last few hours and so have his responses. I think he’s figuring out what he’s capable of doing; how to breathe, how to move, how to eat—we introduced him to a rubber nipple to check his latch response and it’s good, not quite there yet, we’ll have to get creative with his feedings but I think he’ll be able to latch onto his mom soon.”

  She must have caught the way Eddie perked up at her use of the word soon. That meant his baby had a fighting chance.

  “These first few hours after a birth such as his and with his condition are crucial. While he’s still significantly weaker than an average full term newborn, your baby seems to be a fighter.  Should he survive this next night, I believe he’ll make it. He’d just need some time in here while the hole closes up, but it just might not be too much for him.”

  She left him with that news and a parting smile.

  Eddie held his son for a few more minutes before a nurse returned to put him back in his incubator. He hadn’t wanted to leave him, but he’d promised him he’d be back.

  When Eddie got back to the room, his heart was a little lighter and he was able to smile when he saw you giving Penny, who was now wide awake, kisses. He pressed his back up against the door and watched for a few moments as you leaned in and gave her a loud kiss. She’d go into a fit of giggles before demanding another with an again!

  “Daddy!” Penny beamed the moment she saw him and Eddie grinned as he made his way over, lifting her into his arms when she held hers up to him.

  “Hi, pretty one. You sleep good?” 

  “Uh-huh,” it was clear she was distracted and didn’t care about his questions, no, she had some of her own. “You see my baby?”

  Eddie raised an eyebrow, trading an amused look with you.

  “Oh, he’s your baby now?”

  “Ya, he’s—he’s my baby.” She nodded with a grin as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he leaned down to press his forehead to hers.

  “Well, then yes. I saw your baby,” he chuckled, pressing a kiss to her nose.

  “Wha’helooklike?” Penny blurted out, eyes wide as she waited for his reply. 

  “He looked a lot like you.” 

  “Nooooooo,” Penny laughed, shaking her head against her dad’s, “He is my potatoes, not anoda Penny.”

  “It’s true!” Eddie laughed with her as he put her back down by your side and leaned in to give you yet another—he’d never stop giving them to you—kiss.

  “He looks like her?” You asked, after you’d returned his kiss.

  “Mhm,” Eddie fell back into the seat he’d occupied hours earlier. “Looks like she did when she was a newborn. He’s not pale—like a potato,” he directed that part to Penny who just laughed into her little hands, “anymore, at least. I don’t know whose eyes he has, they were covered.”

  Eddie was right about you being jealous, you were practically green with it. 

  “I wish I could see him,” you stated sadly, frown on your lips. You knew, realistically, if he started to decline, they’d most likely let you out of bed to see him or bring him up to you, but still. You’d rather it not come to that.

  “Ran into his doctor while I was there, she said he’s got a better chance.”

  Your eyes lit up, “Really?”

  “I was just about ready to kiss her.” He nodded and you made a face, nose doing that adorable scrunch he loved so much.

  “Okay, well, don’t do that.”

  Eddie snickered, “It was a figure of speech, baby.”

  “I know, I’m just saying it on her behalf,”

  “On her behalf?” Eddie pouted, eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

  “Yeah, I want to kiss her, too, but—uhm, Eds, you might need some sleep ‘cause—you’re hot, you really are, but you also look insane right now.”

  Eddie got up to make his way to the bathroom so he could see himself in the mirror, nearly jumping once he’d turned on the lights.

  His eyes were beyond bloodshot, his eye bags were dark and very apparent, his skin had an interesting almost gray like tinge to it and his hair was a wreck. Eddie looked like he belonged in a psych ward.

  “Jesus,” he shouted loud enough to be heard by you.

  “It’s okay, Eds. You’re still beautiful to me!”

  Eddie did end up sleeping. Turns out the chair he’d been sitting on was also a pull out bed. You insisted that he get some rest, and while he did, you changed Penny’s diaper and got some hospital room service for the two of you, you’d even picked something out on the menu for Eddie to eat once he woke up. 

[mamirhodessxox]

hello, i hope ur having a good day/evening/night when you get this!❤️

so i was hoping to request something for dashing or undashing Cody where he keeps hanging out with other female wrestlers in hopes of getting fem reader jealous or something, but reader has never had people like Cody be interested in them in any kind of way, so she doesnt realize what hes doing until Cody drags them into a closet or something and is basically like ‘why arent you paying attention to me?🥺’ and reader is basically shocked and surprised that Cody likes her back.

anyway, i hope this wasnt too long🥺 and i loved the cody one you just posted based off of him calling out the rock; absolute perfection 👌

Dummies In Love

Dashing!Cody Rhodes x Innocent Fem!Reader

Desc: Y/N had been close friends with Cody since his very debut in the wwe, She always thought they had a super close bond because of how good of friends they were until she realized she likes him & becomes distant and jealous when she sees him around another woman.

Contents: Cussing, Fluff, Angst, Smut, Innocence kink, very light size kink, P in V (wrap it before you tap it), Cockwarming, Jealousy, Daddy kink, Tummy Buldge.

🏷️ list: @alyyaanna @ginswife @coolpastelartshoe @greatkoalawizard @cokolin044 @kotoriarlert @alicerosejensen @bunnybot55 @agent-dessis-posts @adollonyourshelf @mini-rhodes @southerngirl41 @harmshake @femdisa @kabloswrld

{~I'm very serious with you guys interacting with my writing!!!! it would make me so happy & excited, the more comments & reposts the more inspiration i have to write :) likes and comments are strongly appreciated so please COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMEENNTTT the more comments the more content <3!!!~}

Cody & Y/N always had a close bond especially since the two of them met, they clicked almost instantly, at the time Y/N was working at a little Cafe down the street of Cody’s apartment so he would visit almost everyday and each day they always talked while she worked.

Eventually she started going to his events to be the supportive bestfriend she loved being & then they got even closer, Holding hands, hugging on each other while standing making multiple girls interested in him think she was his girlfriend, he would kiss the top of her head often, even sleepover at Y/N’s apartment or ..

Y/N sleeping over at his, either way the duo was inseparable, and then things got confusing for Y/N…She started feeling a certain way towards Cody especially because how he would give her special treatment that the average bestfriend wouldn’t receive, Just like the character he had played as in the ring he was just as Dashing, his aurora leaked of charisma, She was so scared of these feelings but things got worse, Cody was known for “messing around” with some girls so he definitely hooked up many times to keep himself entertained for awhile and also distract him from his own feelings. Y/N would be fuming every single time another woman was with Cody. But then it turned into a game for Cody, he knew she was jealous and wanted her to be jealous.

Y/N stood aside in backstage with her arms crossed a glare on her face as she watched Cody flirt with yet another girl laughing way to hard at his jokes that were never THAT funny, eventually the girl walked off with a smile on her face while Cody grinned to himself before turning towards Y/N and smiled approaching her for a hug but she held up a hand to stop him & coming up with an excuse “I feel a little under the weather Codes’ good luck on your promo, I don’t wanna get you sick or something.” She smiled meekly while fiddling with the skirt she just put on just for him an hour ago before going over to the stadium they were hosting raw at.

“You sure? I can get you something to ea-“. “Nonono I’m fine just need rest, Good luck tonight Cody, I’ll be watching from home.” She smiled while Cody stared at her in suspicion & decided once he was done with his work of entertaining tens of thousands of fans for the night that he would give Y/N a visit because he does not fall for that shit whatso ever.

Y/N sat in her car as she waited in traffic with her two fingers pressed against the left temple of her head as her mind betrayed her on thoughts she didn’t particularly want to think about. The reminder that her chances of being with Cody are low, extremely low. At least that’s what she made herself think, once she finally fought through the traffic & made her way to her apartment she locked her front door after snagging her extra key from under her “welcome home” rug that laid in-front of the door. She slammed the key on her table & sighed as she put on her most comfy pajamas before lying down on her bed & sulking over s man who feels things for her just as much as she does for him without even realizing it.

After a few hours she was already asleep & Cody just made his way up the stairs in her apartment complex & stood by her doorstep as he tried to grab the spare key from under her rug only to see that it’s vanished. He tried knocking but go no response.

The next day Y/N stood behind the counter training a new barista & felt nervous as Cody walked into the cafe waiting for her to give him his undivided attention, but instead she had the trainee handle his order & she just stood back observing her new fellow employee & helping her work the register while Cody stared at her in confusion as to why she wasn’t paying attention to him. If this meant staying until she closes up the shop then so be it. He had the free time today.

So he sat there, for hours watching and observing her while he waited for her to clock out and go home. She saw him in the corner of her eyes the entire day and felt his stare burn right past her skin. Y/N began closing down the cafe & hang up her apron before going outside which had Cody follow along while she locked the doors & begin speed walking off “I know your not sick Y/N.” He called out to her as he followed from behind but she still gave no response to him. “Doll I really hope you don’t take me for a fucking dumbass because I know what game you’re trying to play & I don’t like it.” He shouted out once more but she shook her head as she walked even faster and so did he. She forgets he has the energy to chase after him no matter where she was going.

They soon ended up at her apartment building and he still followed her up the stairs and eventually pressed her up against the door she was about to unlock “Why aren’t you paying attention to me sweetheart? You know I don’t like it so why are you doing this to me?” She frowned and attempted to respond but she didn’t have the words to reply “I know you’re not sick either, you were perfectly fine last night and today.” She nervously shrugged “I— well you seemed busy with a few girls so I’m assuming I was interrupting something.” He sighed with a smile spreading across his face “I get it now, you’re jealous aren’t you baby?” She widened her eyes and shook her head “What?! Me?! Noo! I- well- you-“ Cody interrupted her defensive blabbering and pressed his lips against hers very gently before entangling his fingers into her hair. Her eyelids fluttered down and began kissing him back after letting the shock take over her body for just a split second.

Cody slipped his tongue right past her swollen lips & eventually pulled away wiping off her mouth while she whined softly “You talk to much baby.” He chuckled out before taking her keys & unlocking her door and immediately shoving his mouth back against hers as they stumbled into Y/N’s humble abode. He pressed her against the couch & bit slightly down against her bottom lip while she whimpered into his mouth as he wrapped her legs around his hips as he started grinding into her, she let out a low moan the moment his clothed hard on pressed against her. “Feel that sweet girl? You make me so fucking hard baby.” He groaned into her ear while she rolled her eyes back once he started grinding into her even more which made her feel a sudden wetness in her panties that left her a little alarmed since she was so unfamiliar with sex due to her having a shitty hookup once a blue moon “C-Cody ‘m all w-wet down there..” she sighed out while he grinned & started pulling down her leggings marveling over her laced panties. He pressed his thumb against her clothed clit and smirked to himself once he saw her squirm and lift her hips up forth even more.

“Oh i know angel, your not used to having someone who actually knows what he’s doing with your pretty pussy huh?” He grinned as she meekly nodded & gasped when she heard a loud tear & looked down seeing him quite literally rip off her panties “C-Cody! I just boug- ffuckk..” she moaned once she felt him slowly push his fingers inside her cunt while he sat up while pumping them in and out of her leaving the room to echo the noises of him finger fucking her. Y/N cried softly while he nipped at the shell of her ear “Feels good? Yeah? Of course you to baby, y’just needed daddy to touch your pretty cunt properly huh baby?” She nodded vigorously while she clenched around his finger the moment his started curling his finger inside of her & teasing her clit with his thumb. “O-Oh my god Cody!!” She squealed kicking her legs a little bit but he didn’t budge on whatever she was trying to do, his fingers fucked into her faster while she clenched around them like a vice & started cumming & making a mess of herself making the brunette male chuckle and kiss her temple before pulling his fingers out tapping then against her already fucked out cunt before licking off her juices from his fingers.

He immediately started taking of his pants & pulling his cock out from his boxers giving himself a few strokes smearing his pre cum around the head of his cock & pulled her onto his lap while grabbing her jaw gently and making her hover over his lap forcing Y/N to look at him in the eye “You’re gonna sit on my fuckin’ dick, take it all like a good girl & not move a fucking muscle until I tell you understand?” She nodded quickly and wrapped her arms around him before kissing him in an impatient manner before moaning against his mouth when he started seething himself inside of her. She felt him leave a slight bulge in her stomach as her cunt tightened around his cock immediately feeling him throbbing inside of her “gonna take my dick like a big girl? Hm?” He almost felt guilty for being slightly rough with a girl who was so innocent & needy but then again he was going to prove her he can fuck her 10x better than her past hookups.

He enjoyed the fact she would let him man handle her & hold her small figure against him while his cock was sunken inside of her, Y/N moaned softly when his dick started twitching, her face was all covered up in the crook of his neck while his large hands ran down her entire body, groping her breasts & rubbing against her tummy before he started slowly thrusting up into her “Fuck..” he groaned into her ear while she leaned her head back and started bouncing on his dick in the same rhythm he was in making her gasp & scratch his chest a little bit “Yeah? You feel good don’t you baby? Taking daddy’s cock like the good girl you are.” He grunted and scratched her hips the more he thrusted himself into her swollen pussy while she nodded continuously before flopping her head onto his shoulder as he started letting out moans himself and wrapping his arm around her even tighter “c’mon s-sweet girl cum for me, cum for daddy.” She cried out in pleasure against his skin before lifting her head and kissing him the moment he made her cum “i-i’m cumming!” She cried out as his thrusts got sloppier while the apartment was surrounded with skin slapping, heavy breathing & the two mumbling to eachother. “Daddy ‘m cumming!!” She moaned into her ears as she came around his dick & eventually him quickly pulling out & cumming against his & Y/N’s stomach.

He held her as close to him as possible breathing heavily while she giggled in his ear followed him his chuckling & grabbing her face to get another kiss out of her before getting off of the couch & carrying her into the bathroom setting up a bubble bath. While they waited her stood in-between her legs & hugged onto her “I think it’s safe to say you’re my girlfriend now right?” Y/N laughed with him and nodded her head tiredly before he finally set her in the tub & washed off her body. “I promise next week I’ll give you a proper date.” He joked but he was also serious. Y/N smiled in exhaustion “I’m sure y’will Codes.” He grinned and kissed her cheek.

he continued catering to her for the night & giving her the aftercare she deserved and spending the night after realizing she’s loved him for as long as he’s loved her.

xtripleiiix’s Masterlist

[kimingyuslover]

Photographs

synopsis : wonwoo's heartbreaks.

word count : 1,123

pairing : wonwoo x fem!reader.

genre : angst.

warnings : TEARS, TEARS & TEARS hehehe, wonwoo's kind of an asshole(???), mingyu makes appearances, Seojun & Junseo are twins (your sons), mom!reader.

a.n : ik the poll says fluff, but i can't ignore this idea t__t

“If you don't want this, you can just tell me, but i'm not going to give up on them” said you as you hold your tears from falling to your lap, you know there's consequence for your doing and you're okay with that, you're ready to handle the responsibility.

Although you're still at fault for this, so does wonwoo. this wouldn't happen if both of you were in your right state of mind that night.

You're willing to give anything for this, whereas wonwoo not. Having kids, especially before the marriage, was never on his luck calendar, so you announcing this to him was such a surprise.

“I think,” there's a pregnant pause in his words, but you already promised yourself that what happens today will determine your future.

“I think we should break things up” he finally finishes his line.

You felt like there's a sharp knife running through your chest, your breath felt heavy, and your eyes started to get more wet.

“Okay then, i'll be gone in the morning”

You got up from the couch, heading towards your shared bedroom to take your personal belongings. You packed half of your things yesterday, just in case your nightmare comes true, and tonight, it does.

[ఇ ◝‿◜ ఇ]

Wonwoo woke up from his deep slumber, unaware of anything. The only difference he felt was he's not sleeping in your bedroom, he's sleeping on the couch, which caused his back to be in pain.

His heart dropped to his stomach when he saw the bedroom empty.

The only thing he saw on your bed was the little note, a note that you wrote days prior.

To my dearest, wonwoo

hi, wonwoo

you'll probably see this when i'm gone. I wrote this long before you knew about them. I don't mind if you don't want them, but I want to keep the babies.

I've already imagined your rejection in my head, and every time it comes, my heart hurts.

I really thought we're endgame, but that's only in my mind, isn't it? When I first saw them, I almost didn't believe it.

Me, too, am scared to be a parent, but we have to pay the price for our happiness, right?

I love you, Jeon wonwoo.

When this note passes to you (i'm hoping it's not) i'll just hope you'll find someone better, who fits into your categories of women, and is not dumb enough to be pregnant with your babies.

sincerely & with love,

your (ex?)girlfriend, y/n

A single tear drops from his right eyes, and the argument from the night before comes to his mind.

His sharp intonation, sarcasm, hurtful words that we swear he would never throw at you, and the b word that he never wants to say to you.

Suddenly, everything became as clear as the sky yesterday.

[ఇ ◝‿◜ ఇ]

“Junseo, Seojun! Next time, wait for Mommy if you want to cross, okay? I'm so worried for both of you!” you said to your sons as they looked at the ground beneath their feet.

Guilty start building up their body, and tears start gathering on their eyes.

“Mommy sorry, I'm sorry, let's go walking again, okay?” you said to them as you put your hand on Seojun's left cheek and the other on Junseo's right cheek.

They nod at you before telling you that they're sorry and won't let it happen again, which caused you to hug them tightly.

The three of you want to go to a museum near your hotel.

There's a new museum that will be opened for the first time for the public to see, and it's a photography museum, there'll be the owner of the museum there too, considering that this is their grand opening.

You circled around the photos with a glass of champagne being served by the waiter there with junseo on your left and seojun on your right.

You feel your knees are stuck on the floor below you. There's a photograph of your last vacation photo with wonwoo, before the announcement, before the night gets messy.

You read the description.

Kim

my greatest, painful love, first and last love

06-06-26 There were 11 days left until my birthday, but I made my greatest mistake and regret.

“Mommy? Why are you looking so sad?” One of the five years old asks you. He can see the way your eyes start to widen in disbelief.

Him and his twins are concerned about you, so Junseo decided to ask you.

Realising you're still with your sons, you wipe your tears that threaten to spill anytime soon.

You smile at them and give them a peck on each forehead, then tell them that you're okay.

Your eyes dart to the next photograph, a silhouette of a woman.

Seojun and Junseo make a silent discussion. You're taken aback when Seojun said

“Isn't this you, Mommy?”

You read the description again.

Kim II

I've found the love of my life in you, my greatest desire.

It's the same.

You remember it, this has been wonwoo's homepage wallpaper on his computer since he took it a month before the incident.

Your breaths are now shallow, and when you start to feel dizzy, someone catches you, just on time.

“my love! Are you okay? Do you want to go home?” You heard a familiar voice behind you.

Mingyu's voice sounds so concerned. This does not happen often to you. Mingyu's now asking about a doctor who maybe could help you.

A middle-aged woman came forward and started to help you breathe.

Wonwoo gets confused when he sees a lot of people surrounding a spot in his museum, so he wants to check it.

Wonwoo halts his action when he sees you, well and alive, with a man beside you, and there's two little boys around you.

He feels his eyes getting soaked. You really didn't give up on them 5 years ago. They're here, on his exhibit.

His heart breaks when he sees you and them. The guilt is still there even after all these years.

Wonwoo knows what's behind you. It's a photograph of memory of you before the breakdown.

This whole exhibit was presented to you, his muse.

Wonwoo didn't even get to tell his messages that he kept for you to hear because when you get back up on your feet, you start to walk out.

“Honey, do you want to go to the hospital nearby?” The man beside you asks, a little bit loud because wonwoo still can hear it.

“No need, love, let's just go back to our hotel room, come on babies” you ushered Mingyu, Junseo, and Seojun.

Yes, wonwoo breaks his heart again.

All those heartbreaks were all his fault.

[crappy-writings]

Daylight (Song Fic)

Based on “Daylight” by Maroon 5

WandaxReader // Angst

Summary: As morning closes in on Westview, you spend your last moments with her.

Trigger Warnings: Death

*There’s a throwaway line that could potentially be interpreted as the reader being latinx or having latinx roots. 

Word Count: 2,696

A/N: I found this mostly finished draft and finished it. Nothing special but still thought I'd post it.

Main Masterlist | MCU Masterlist | Recced Fics Masterlist

Let me know if anything needs to be fixed!

Here I am waiting, I'll have to leave soon

Why am I holding on?

We knew this day would come, we knew it all along

How did it come so fast?

You stood by the bottom of the staircase, hand trailing down the railing. Your eyes flit over to the top of the stairs, thoughts of your boys who now lay asleep run through your mind. The events of the last week played over and over in your head; even though it had only been a short time, it felt like a lifetime. 

So many questions ran through your head, the inability to focus on a single one and the struggle to even muster up an answer left an uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach. You do not know where you came from nor what you were, and that scares you. According to everyone, you have been gone for a long time now. 

Your thought process is interrupted as the red hue of the retreating barrier that gave you this reality catches your eyes through the window. It got closer and closer with every passing second; your time was running out faster than you were prepared for. 

This is our last night but it's late

And I'm trying not to sleep

'Cause I know, when I wake

I will have to slip away

Your attention is brought over to Wanda when you hear the click of a lamp being turned off in the living room, another one still lighting up the space. Dread fills your body; You did not want to be in the dark. You want to be able to see her, to hold her close to you and feel her heart beat against yours, to be able to gaze into her eyes and say “I love you” one last time. You want to say goodbye.

With that thought running through your mind, you walk towards the lamp she just turned off and light it back up, just as she turns off the other. She tilts her head to the side in an inquisitive manner, a soft smile shaping her lips. You take a few moments before answering as you try to commit every small detail of her to memory. 

“I, um… My grandma once told me that it’s bad luck to say goodbye in the dark,” you finally answer. The excuse was lame, but you can not bring yourself to care. All you cared about was this moment, here and now. All you cared about was her. 

“No she didn’t,” she says softly with a gentle shake of her head. A quiet, amused sigh escapes your lips. 

“Yeah, no. No, she didn’t,” you walk closer to her, standing a few feet away from her, “I just… I wanted to see you clearly.”

“And?” she closes the gap between you as she reaches out for your hands.

“And…”  you look down as you hold her hands in your own, “Here you are.”

A buzzing sound fills the room and both you and Wanda stare out to the approaching energy field. Your grip tightens up around her hands, fearing that you yourself would suddenly disappear without a warning. The sinking feeling in your chest was back stronger than before, the realization that time was fleeting crashing back again. You tear your gaze away from the window and look at your wife, the woman you loved, and say, “Dance with me.”

Her eyes, which were previously holding worry, soften as she settles her sights on you once more. “Please?” you add softly.

And when the daylight comes I'll have to go

But tonight I'm gonna hold you so close

'Cause in the daylight we'll be on our own

But tonight I need to hold you so close

Ooh whoa, ooh whoa, ooh whoa

Ooh whoa, ooh whoa, ooh whoa

“Please?” you draw out the word, your hand outstretched for her to grab if she accepted. F.R.I.D.A.Y. had been blasting music throughout the compound speakers all day for no known reason and no one had been able to make the AI stop. Additionally, no one knew why the AI was playing music; You choose to believe that one of the ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that was now working for Stark Industries had successfully tampered with the AI’s systems as a prank.

You were helping Wanda in the kitchen with lunch when your favorite song from when you were a child came on. A wide smile spreads across your cheeks when you hear its first notes, a wave of nostalgia and happy memories washing over you. Letting go of the kitchen knife you were holding, you start dancing along to the music, not caring if your moves matched with the rhythm. 

Wanda stops stirring the pot and looks at you with a confused albeit amused expression. You catch her stare and, somehow, your smile widens. You were completely captured by her eyes, the way that she smiles, the shape of her lips. You couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to kiss her. 

“Come on Maximoff, join me,” you say while doing the silliest dance move you could think of. This brings out a laugh from her, and you make it your mission to hear that sound again. “No, no, no, I don’t dance,” she shakes her head in amusement. 

“Come on, dance with me,” you drag just about every word in that sentence while extending out your arm towards her, “just one song, one song and we can get back to cooking.

“Please?”

She rolls her eyes playfully at your antics; even though she has not known you for a very long time, she finds you to be quite endearing, perhaps even charming. She can’t help but think that Pietro would have liked you if he were still here. 

She reaches out for your arm, “Fine, just one dance.” An excited grin breaks out on your face and you pull her close to you just as a bachata song begins to play. A smile breaks out on your face as you look up at the ceiling, a different set of images of family gatherings and parties flashing through your mind.  

Here I am staring at your perfection

In my arms, so beautiful

The sky is getting bright, the stars are burning out

Somebody slow it down

You hold both her hands in yours, “have you ever danced bachata before?” 

“I have never heard this type of music before,” she answers honestly, a soft blush coating her cheeks. You give her a soft smile before saying, “that’s okay, just follow me, you’re in for a treat.

You explain the simple dance moves while showcasing the steps, your hands swinging along to your movements. “And you just repeat those steps. Oh, and you have to move your hips as you step.” 

Wanda watches you intently and tries her best to follow in suit. You watch as she stares down at her feet, trying her best to match your movements and rhythm. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed in concentration, her mouth curving in a way indicative of her biting the inside of her lip. She looked cute when she was concentrating.

“You know you’re allowed to mess up the rhythm a little bit and enjoy yourself, right?” you ask teasingly.

Her eyes lift up from the ground and focus on you, giving you a playful glare while the corners of her lips tick up in amusement. “Shut up,” she says softly, though her tone indicated no annoyance. Regardless, your comment managed to do the trick, as you notice her body becoming less stiff and fully giving into the music.

This is way too hard

'Cause I know, when the sun comes up

I will leave, this is my last glance

That will soon be memory

Soon enough, the both of you fell into rhythm and Wanda had mastered the basic steps. “I’m gonna give you a little spin now, okay?” you ask with a small giggle. 

Wanda looked up at you, and you could sense a bit of anxiety from her. She took a quick breath, relaxing once more before saying, “okay.”

You can’t hold back the smile that comes to your lips. You could feel a flutter in your chest. “Okay, in three, two, one.”

You let go of her waist and you spin her around and she laughs her wonderful laugh. “See? It’s easy,” you smile at her. “You were right,” she admits, her shining eyes met yours. Your heart could not help but melt. “Let’s do it again,” you say as a similar beat is about to come up again. “Okay,” she breathes out. 

You begin to spin her once more, but this time, she lost her balance and knocked into you.

The slight misstep somehow had you both tumbling to the ground with you falling on top of her. 

A fit of giggles erupt from the both of you as you move off from on top of her. “Are you okay?” you ask, still giggling, as you stand up and stretch your hand out to her. She gives you a soft “yes” and a nod as she graciously accepts it and you help her up off the ground. As you do, you accidentally pulled her right into your arms. The air seems to electrify around the both of you, the light teasing air suddenly dissipating into a more serious atmosphere.

Goosebumps cover your skin as time seemingly stills around you. All you can do is stare into the lovely green hues of her eyes. Thoughts of how much you’d like to kiss her ran through your mind. Neither of you realized how close your faces were to one another until Tony’s voice cut through the tension that penetrated the room, “Want me to set off the sprinklers? Make it a scene from Singing in the Rain?”

You both immediately break away from each other, putting a few feet of distance between the two of you. 

“Wh-what do you want, Tony?” you ask as you feel your face burning with the embarrassment of being caught. “Don’t mind me, Casablanca, I’m looking for my coffee mug,” he says as he crosses his arms over his chest, his signature cocky smile on his face. You quickly grab his Iron-Man-helmet-shaped coffee mug from the counter and hand it to him. “Here you go, see you later,” you avoid his eyes and all but push him out of the kitchen. 

“Let me know for next time, I’d love to watch Grease live,” he says ironically. You let out a fake laugh while holding out your middle finger at him as he leaves the kitchen. You hear him singing both parts of “Summer Nights” as he walks away down the corridor.

Silence then settles over the room and part of you is hesitant to look at her. You played with your thumbs as anxiety twinged in your heart. You couldn’t have been the only one who felt that, right? 

And when the daylight comes I'll have to go

But tonight I'm gonna hold you so close

'Cause in the daylight we'll be on our own

But tonight I need to hold you so close

Ooh whoa, ooh whoa, ooh whoa

Ooh whoa, ooh whoa, ooh whoa

A shaky intake of breath makes you snap your head at her. She was still staring out to where Tony had just disappeared through before her eyes landed on you. An electric surge suddenly filled your body and, before you could think about it, you began to speak, “Wanda, I--”

“Would you like to go out with me?” she suddenly blurted out before you could finish your sentence. A stunned silence overtakes you as Wanda herself seems to begin to understand what exactly she just said out loud. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-- I did not--,” she begins to stumble through an apology, but it was your turn to interrupt. 

“I would love to go out with you,” you say, a smile quickly growing on your lips, “I would absolutely love to go out with you.”

Relief floods her expression as you see the tension roll off her shoulders. As realization sets in, she also breaks out into a radiant smile that makes your heart melt. “I hear there’s a nice coffee shop that opened recently not far from here. Maybe we can go there tonight?” you ask tentatively as you bite the inside of your cheek.

“That sounds nice,” she says as she looks down and begins to play with her fingers. You caught the light blush covering her cheeks and you feel your own begin to warm up. “Perfect,” you clear your voice, “it’s-it’s a date then.”

She looks up into your eyes, the smile never leaving her face, “it’s a date.”

I never wanted to stop

Because I don't wanna start all over, start all over

I was afraid of the dark

But now it's all that I want, all that I want, all that I want

Memories of your first date flood your mind. You remember the coffee shop that you went to, where you did not leave until closing time and then walking to Central Park. It started to rain and there was nowhere to take shelter, so you both played in the rain, despite shivering by the end of it. You remember the museum date you went on and imitating the T-Rex in the dinosaur exhibit. The younger kids that hung around laughed and started to imitate you. You remember dancing on the Compound’s rooftop under the stars while everyone slept. You told her you loved for the first time in the moonlight. 

Memories of a life before magic stones and genocidal maniacs became clear after having been fuzzy in your mind for so long. 

“Yes,” she finally says, “I’ll dance with you.”

You smile a grateful smile. You place one of your hands on the small of her back; she, in turn, wrapped an arm around your shoulder. Your other hands joined together in the air as you looked into each other's eyes for a few brief moments. You both sway gently around the room, falling into a rhythm that is all too familiar to you both. As many times before, no music played to accompany your movements; you did not need any.

You give her a slow spin, and she giggled. “Careful not to trip,” you say gently with a smile. She playfully hits your chest as she gracefully lands in your arms once more. You begin to hum a tune as you continue to dance. She lays her head against you and sighs softly.

You stare down at her lovingly. ‘I wish we could stay like this forever,’ you think to yourself.

And when the daylight comes I'll have to go

But tonight I'm gonna hold you so close

'Cause in the daylight we'll be on our own

But tonight I need to hold you so close

Another buzzing sound interrupts the moment, and you both instinctively look out the window. You look on as the force barrier continues to approach quickly and a feeling of dread bubbles up at the bottom of your stomach. 

“It seems like we’re out of time, darling,” you say quietly, as if speaking too loudly would make the barrier close faster. You realized you were still holding on to each other as you felt her grip tighten around your arms. Neither one of you was ready to let go. 

You tear your gaze away from the widow, your eyes falling on her. You find yourself taking in every detail of her again.

“Wanda, I--” you begin to say, “this may not be the best time for this, but I feel like I need to know. What am I?” 

Her gaze softens as she stares into your eyes. For a moment, you were transported to the day you taught her to dance in the kitchen while you cooked together.

“You, my love, are the combination of everything we’ve been through. Every memory, every fight, every dance… You are the embodiment of our love. But most importantly, you are who you have always been.” 

She gave you the softest of smiles. And you gave her one back. You tighten your hold on her briefly, wanting to tell her how much you loved her in any which way possible.

Another electrical sound reverberated throughout the house. Time was up; the barrier finally hit. 

And when the daylight comes I'll have to go

But tonight I'm gonna hold you so close

'Cause in the daylight we'll be on our own

But tonight I need to hold you so close

Ooh whoa, ooh whoa, ooh whoa

Ooh whoa, ooh whoa, ooh whoa

Ooh whoa (yeah), ooh whoa (yeah), ooh whoa (yeah)

Ooh whoa (yeah), ooh whoa (yeah), ooh whoa

Everything around you began to decompose, the layers of the past peeling off the walls as time flew backwards. You caught a look at your own skin, how it seems to glow a brilliant gold as you slowly start to fade away along with everything that surrounds you. You felt no pain, not even a tingle. Your eyes fall back on hers.Tears stained her cheeks, but her eyes only held love and adoration. 

You place your hand on her cheek and wipe her tears away. You give her a soft, sad smile. You will meet again. Somewhere, somehow, you will be together again, along with your boys and a dog named Lucky.

She smiled back at you, the warm touch of her hand falling on top of yours. It was at that moment that you knew she would be okay, and that is all the reassurance you needed. 

You pressed your forehead against hers and wrapped your arms around her waist, sinking into the fading feeling of her warm touch. “I love you,” you whisper to her while hugging her close to you.

“I love you, too.”

You closed your eyes and squeezed her hand for the last time, and you welcomed the surrounding darkness that enveloped you in a familiar, loving warmth.

[kipscorner]

Monsters! Feel free to change pronouns, relationship mentions and anything else to match your writing preferences! Part of the list has been put under Read More due to it being a long list!

“Uh... my friends call me Phlegm.”

“Mr.(Mrs/Miss/etc) [Name], can you tell me what you did wrong?” “There is nothing more toxic or deadly than a human child. A single touch could kill you!”

“You can't make me!”

“Yes, it's dangerous work and that's why I need you to be at your best.”

“it's going to be a perfect day to maybe, hey, just lie in bed, sleep in or simply... work out that flab that's hanging over the bed!”

“I don't believe I ordered a wake-up call, [Name].”

“Did you see me? I'm a natural!”

“Hey, wasn't I great? Did the whole family see it?”

“You've been jealous of my good looks since the fourth grade, pal.”

“Big deal. Guy takes five steps and he's there.”

“I told you, call me [Name].”

“We just wanted to wish you good luck today.”

“Quiet! You'II make him lose his focus.”

“Oh, Googley-woogley, you remembered!”

“So, uh... are we going anywhere special tonight?”

“But it's impossible to get a reservation there!”

(singing) “You and me! Me and you! Both of us together!”

“You know, pal, she's the one. That's it. She is the one!”

“Oh, and, uh, thanks for hooking me up with those reservations.”

“Oh, no problem. They're under the name Googley Bear.”

“I wasn't scared. I have... allergies.”

“Do you hear that?It's the winds of change.”

( mocking voice ): ''You hear it? You hear the winds of ch...? –Oh, what a creep. One of these days, I am really... going to let you teach that guy a lesson.”

“[Name], you didn't file your paperwork last night.”

“I'm watching you, [Name]. Always watching.”

“You're the boss! You're the boss! You're the big, hairy boss!”

“She wasn't scared of you?”

“I could've been dead! I could've died!”

“I will personally put you through the shredder!”

“I love working with that big guy.”

“[Name] and I are like brothers.(sisters//siblings/etc)”

“We're just going through a rough time, sir.(ma’am/name/etc) Everyone knows you're going to get us through it.”

“Now, that's my boy(girl,etc)!”

“I've never seen anything like you today. You were on a roll, my man.(girl/etc)”

“So get this-- as if dinner wasn't enough I'm taking her(her/them/etc) to a monster truck rally afterwards.”

“You know, I am so romantic sometimes I think I should just marry myself.”

“'Cause I got to tell you, buddy that face of hers, it just makes my heart go...Yikes!”

“Your stunned silence is very reassuring.”

“Kitty!”

“No, no-- stay back!”

“Oh, [Name], I've had a lot of birthday... well, not a lot of birthdays but this is the best birthday ever.”

“I was just thinking about the first time I laid eye(eyes) on you-- how pretty you looked.”

“What a coincidence, running into you here! Uh, I'm just going to order something to go.”

“Get out of here. You're ruining everything.”

“Please remain calm. This is not a drill.”

“Well, I don't think that date could have gone any worse.”

“Well, a kid flew right over me and blasted a car with its laser vision!”

“I tried to run from it, but it picked me up with its mind powers and shook me like a doll!”

“It is my professional opinion that now is the time to... panic!”

“No, don't touch those, you little...! Oh, now those were alphabetized.”

“It's okay, it's all right. As long as it doesn't come near us we're going to be okay.”

“I have no idea but it would be really great if it didn't do it again.”

“How could I do this? How could I be so stupid?”

“That thing is a killing machine!”

“I bet it's just waiting for us to fall asleep and then wham! Oh, we're easy prey, my friend-- easy prey. We're sitting targets.”

“Using mainly spoons, we dig a tunnel under the city and release it into the wild.”

“That's it, I'm out of ideas. We're closed. Hot air balloon? Too expensive. Giant slingshot? Too conspicuous. Enormous wooden horse? Too Greek!”

“Are you sleepy? You want to sleep? ls that what you want? Huh?” 

“No. Hey, hey, that's my bed! You're going to get your germs all over it. ( sighing ) Fine. My chair is more comfortable anyway.”

“Will you go to sleep?”

“Oh, boy, how do I explain this?”

“How about I sit here, until you fall asleep? Go ahead. Go to sleep. Now. Now... go. Uh, you... go... to... sleep. ( imitating snoring )”

“Really? Well, in that case, let's keep it. I always wanted a pet that could kill me!”

“Is that a joke? Tell me you're joking.”

“[Name], I'd like to think that, given the circumstances I have been extremely forgiving up to now but that is a horrible idea!”

“Don't panic-- we can do this.”

“Actually, that's my, uh, cousin's sister's daughter…”

“That is the weirdest thing you have ever said.”

“That's a cute little dance you've got. It almost looks like you've got to…”

“Where did she go? Oh, did she disappear? Did she turn invisible?”

“[Name], my tender, oozing blossom you're looking fabulous today.Is that a new haircut? Come on, tell me. It's a new haircut, isn't it? That's got to be a new haircut. New makeup? You've had a lift. You've had a tuck. You've had something. Something has been inserted in your skin that makes you look like...”

“Ready or not, here I come! I'm getting warmer! Any second now! Fee fi fo…”

“Don't you think I'm aware of the situation? I was up all night!”

“Yeah, well, until we know for sure we're going to act like nothing happened, understand?”

“You're right, you're right. We're just two regular joes on our way to work. We will blend right in!”

“Very good. Now bon voyage!”

“That's what I decided to call her(him/them). Is there a problem?”

“[Name], you're not supposed to name it. Once you name it, you start getting attached to it!”

“ow put that thing back where it came from, or so help me…!”

“But if it was an inside job I'd put my money on [Third party].”

“( whimpers ) last night was one of the worst nights of my entire life, bar none!”

“Sushi? Sushi?!! You think this is about sushi?!”

“So I said, ''If you talk to me like that again, we're through!''

“Oh, well, hello, there. What's your name?”

“I got us a way out of this mess but we got to hurry.”

“Oh, you're all right! I was so worried! Don't you ever run away from me again, young lady(mnan/etc)! Oh, but I'm so glad you're safe.”

“We're going to get our lives back. The nightmare is over.”

“Okay, first of all, it's cree-tin. If you're going to threaten me do it properly.”

“Well somebody's certainly been a busy bee.”

“I'm sorry, [Name], but [Third party] said I'm not allowed to fraternize with victims of his(her/etc) evil plot.”

“We got to get out of here now! We can start a whole new life somewhere far away!”

“I was going for a snake ninja approach with a little hissing.”

“How many times do I have to tell you? It's all about presence!”

“[Name]? [Name], it's me…”

“[Name]? No, no, no, no. It's okay. I was just…No, no, no, no, no, don't be scared. That wasn't real. It's just a...I was just…”

“Does anyone else know about this?”

“All you had to do was listen to me-- just once! But you didn't, did you? You're still not listening!”

“Welcome to the Himalayas!”

“Snow cone? No, no, no. Don't worry-- it's lemon.”

“Did you see the way she(he/etc)... looked at me?”

“Take my buddy, Bigfoot. When he was banished he fashioned an enormous diaper out of poison ivy. Wore it on his head like a tiara. Called himself King Itchy.”

“Look at that big jerk. Ruined my life, and for what?”

“Wasteland? I think you mean wonderland! I mean, how about all this fabulous snow, huh?”

“Okay, rule number one out here. Always…No.Never go out in a blizzard.”

“None of it matter...Wa-wait a second. None of it matters?”

“So, now the truth comes out, doesn't it?”

“What about everything we ever worked for? Does that matter? Huh?”

“What about me? I'm your pal. I'm... I'm your best friend. Don't I matter?”

“I'm sorry, [Name]. I'm sorry we're stuck out here. I didn't mean for this to happen. But [Third Party]’s in trouble.”

“'Whoa, whoa, whoa. ''We''? No. There's no ''we'' this time, pal. I-if-if you want to go out there and freeze to death you be my guest... because you're on your own.”

“I never should have trusted you with this.”

“Let's get you home.”

“You don't know how long I've wanted to do that, [Name].”

“I was just mad, that's all. I needed some time to think.” “I'm being attacked!”

“No, I'm not attacking you. I'm trying to be honest. Just hear me out. You and I are a team. Nothing is more important than our friendship.”

“If you start crying, I'm going to cry and I'II never get through this. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you but I am now.”

“[Name], I am baring my soul here. The least you could do is pay attention!”

“Somebody's got take care of you, you big hairball!”

“[Name], if you don't tell me what's going on right now, we are through! You hear me? Through!”

“You expect me to believe that pack of lies, [Full name]!”

“Go get 'em, Googley Bear!”

“What a plan-- simple, yet insane!”

“How are we supposed to get to it now? Oh, it's a dead end, [Name]!”

“Hurry up, hurry up! Give me your hand.”

“Jump! I'm behind you!”

“Hurry up! Keep moving!”

“You stupid, pathetic waste!”

“You've been number one for too long, [Name]. Now your time is up!”

“Mama, another gator got in the house!”

“Give me that shovel! Come here!”

“All right, I got a move here. It'II bring down the house.”

“I think we stopped him, [Name]. You're safe now.”

“She's(he’s/etc) seen too much. You both have.”

“Well, I don't know about the rest of you guys but I spotted several big mistakes.”

“Two and a half years of undercover work were almost wasted.”

“What, you mean... you mean, I can't see her(him/etc) again?”

“I bet we get the rest of the day off.”

“Come on, pal, cheer up, we did it!”

“Oh, sure, we put the factory in the toilet, and... gee, hundreds of people will be out of work now. Not to mention the angry mob that'II come after us when there's no more power, but, hey... at least we had some laughs, right?”

“Oh, I love kindergarten. Best three years of my life.”

“[Name], you're such a charmer.”

[elisysd]

Gold Rush Masterlist

Sequel to Cruel Summer (Charles Leclerc x OC), can be read independently

Prologue

1.Guess my childhood is over

2.Tonight is gonna be the loneliest

3.We are invincible, we are unstoppable

4.Vultures spinning up above for what's left of me

5.They say it's bad karma being such a heartbreaker

6.If you fail to plan, you plan to fail

7.Maybe together we can get somewhere

8.I've got memories and travel like gypsies in the night

9.Personally, I think you'd be better with somebody like me

10.Way down we go

11.That's why I'm lying to my therapist

12.You could be my luck even if the sky is falling down

13.Lately you've been searching for a darker place to hide

14.I could be so sweet if only I were naive

15.Burn, crash, romance, I’ll take what I can get from you

16.And I wanna kiss you, make you feel alright

17.I’ve been thinking way too loud, I wish that I could block me out

18.And if the storm is hitting I'll try to keep you steady

19.Ask me what I earned from all those tears

20.All I know is this could either break my heat or bring it back to life

21.Sleeping's so tough you're burning up my mind

22.It's a love story baby just say yes

23.Cause space is just a word made up by someone who's araid to get too close

24.But there's a shining in the shadows

25.I'll be there till it all feels so big, till it all feels so small

26.I’ve been feeling everything from hate to love, from love to lust, from lust to truth

27.Take the moment and taste it, you’ve got no reason to be afraid.

28.You've got a friend in me

29.Why don't you let me down, I'll let you do it again

30.Can you make it feel like home if I tell you you’re mine?

31.I know heaven’s a thing, I go there when you touch me

32.Maybe there's nothing after midnight that could make you stay

33.You're scared of love, well, aren't we all?

34.Don't get too close, it's dark inside, it's where my demons hide

35.Fear or love, baby? Don't say the answer

36.And what hurts the most is people can go from people you know to people you don't

37.Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements?

38.What am I now? What if I'm someone I don't want around?

39.And I just wanna tell you it takes everything in me not to call you

40.You know I'm afraid of change, guess that's why we stay the same

41.How long can we be a sad son 'til we were too far gone to bring back to life?

42.If to change is what you need you can change right next to me

43.I tell myself I'm good, but I'm falling apart

44.Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

45.Lean on me when you're not strong and I'll be your friend

46.I'll be late, but I could make it all up to you

47.I wanna be better, I wanna be new but I can’t be those things next to you

48.Knew we would crash at the speed that we were going

49.You said that you needed space, go on then, astronaut

50.I trace the evidence, make it make some sense, why the wound is still bleedin'

51. Heaven knows I should let go, it’s nothing that I don’t already know

52. Where there is a flame, someone's bound to get burned

53. You’re blowing through my mind like the hurricane

54. Did some force take you because I didn't pray?

55. Take a heart and take a hand, like an ocean takes the dirty sand

56. I know you're scared and your pain is imperfect but don't you give up on yourself

57. Lately she's been dressing for revenge

58. Hold on and hope that we'll find our way back in the end

59. I don't ask for much, gimme love

60. But I promise you this I'll always look out for you

Epilogue

BONUS CHAPTERS

Our first christmas

A trip to Bali

My place is yours 

We want you to be their godparents

Double trouble

Marry me?

A bold move

My favorite enemy

It’s not you and I anymore

Not this fucking family

[fefe658]

Snakes and mice don't do well together [1]

Here it is! My first fic!

I'm finally writing my first piece of g/t literature, apart from my usual short posts/prompts. I hope you like it :]

'Cold, cold, cold. I must find shelter before it starts raining.'

Toby ventured trough the undergrowth of the forest, the dry leaves crunching under his feet. The frigid winter weather came sooner than he had expected, leaving him struggling to find shelter before he froze to death.

'Cold, cold, cold. Why couldn't winter wait another week?'

He shivered, the piercing winds being barely held back by his thin, ragged clothing. His tail wrapped around his leg to preserve as much body heat as possible, holding on so tightly that it almost cut off his circulation. He shoved aside the blades of grass that reached up to his chest, being an outside borrower certainly didn't make surviving the winter any easier.

He looked around, searching for anything sturdy enough to shield him from the elements. A tree stump, a hole in the ground, a-

A cave.

He stopped dead in his tracks, looking at the small entrance in the stone cliff in front of him. The cave seemed dark, but it was deep enough to protect him from the rain.

'God I hope there's nothing already in here. dealing with hypothermia is already enough.'

His numb feet slowly strode towards the entrance, a shiver running down his spine. If he was gonna stay here for a while, he had to find fresh water and a source of food. He could hear the faint sound of running water, so there should be a water source nearb-

His entire body goes still. He could've sworn he saw movement in his peripheral vision. He slowly turns his head towards the source, and his breathing goes silent.

A wall of scales, a tail as large as the biggest tree he's ever seen curled around itself.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid! Of course this cave wasn't empty! Why would anything pass up on a free place to sleep?'

The tail twitched, and the all the color drained from his face.

'I gotta get out of here, and quickly. I'm not gonna be snake food tonight. Better to risk dying in the cold than be eaten by some giant animal'

As he hurried himself towards the cave's entrance, he could hear the creature move.

'Shit Shit SHIT'-

The entrance was too far away, he knew he wouldn't make it in time. Instead, he opted for hiding behind a rock until the creature would go back to sleep or go away. Hopefully.

He couldn't see much from his hiding spot, so he tried to focus on the sounds as much as he could.

As expected, the creature didn't just fall back to sleep, instead deciding to around the cave, clearly looking for something. 'Great, just my luck.'

What he did NOT expect, was for a human-like voice to scare the shit out of him.

"Where are you?"

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

And there we go! My first fic, or at least, the first part of it. Will our teeny tiny friend be ok? Only time will tell!

This is the first literary piece I've ever written, so any feedback is more than welcome.

I hope you enjoyed and I also hope to get part 2 out before Christmas!

[xxcatzladyxx]

Demon Slayer Advent Calendar | Day 22 | Sanemi x Reader | Game Night

Written by me!

~~~

It was a peaceful evening. While the snow poured down dancing on the ground and covered everything in white, you sat inside with your fiancé and a few of his friends in the warmth of the Wind Pillar mansion. You had suggested having a game night. You were used to your family inviting friends and family over in the cold days of December and playing a few board games. So Sanemi invited 2 pillars, the trio and, with a heavy heart, his brother too. You had prepared small snacks, which the Flame Pillar almost single-handedly devoured. But you weren't angry about it. You didn't know Kyojuro any differently.

You were all sitting together at a big table. You thought the game 'Ludo' suited your fiancé Sanemi best. You weren't quite sure whether he understood the meaning of the game. There were eight of you and you split into four teams of two, as there were only four colors. Sanemi and you, Tengen and Kyojuro. Tanjiro and Genya. And Zenitsu and Inosuke.

Luck wasn't on your side today. Your players were thrown more than they came out of their shells. They didn't get much further than the first corner either. You put the blame on Sanemi. After all, he chose the cube. You couldn't see it, but a volcano was boiling inside you. You wrote a note to yourself that you would rip Sanemi's head off after the evening.

Sanemi naturally vented his anger. You had played countless rounds and you had always been the absolute losers. In all those rounds, you hadn't managed to get a single player to the finish line. You vowed to burn the game after that day and never touch one again in your life. Sanemi was furious. Your nerves were on edge.

You picked up the board and held it up to the face of the pillar of wind. His curses and insults fell silent. He looked back and forth between you and the board, confused.

"Can you read the name of the game...Sanemi?" you asked him, rather annoyed, and literally spat out his name.

"Don't get angry." was his curt reply.

"Aha, very nice that you can read...Then why are you doing the exact opposite?" You were on the verge of losing your nerve. "Sorry...", Sanemi said meekly.

A laugh rang out. Kyojuro couldn't help it. That drove Sanemi up the wall and your anger at Sanemi evaporated for the moment. "Yes, laugh as long as you can. Next time you'll be sick of it." That only made them laugh louder. You slammed the board down on the table and the pieces rolled off the tabletop and scattered to all corners of the room.

"Grrr." you growled, ruffling your hair. If there was one thing you hated, it was losing. You didn't want to tackle the others like that. But you were a bad loser. You just couldn't handle it. The others realized it was time to go and said goodbye to you until only Sanemi and you were left. You collected the pieces and angrily threw them back into the box where they belonged and banished the game to the back of a cupboard.

"I'm sorry. But it's just a game..." Sanemi began, but was interrupted by a death stare from you. He felt a chill run down his spine. He closed his mouth and thought it best to keep quiet before he regretted it. You were done with today and just wanted to go to bed. Like a dog, your fiancé followed you wherever you went. When he tried to set foot in the bedroom, you slapped his bedsheets at his feet.

"D- darling...?" You were visibly angry with him, but the fact that you wanted to ban him from the bedroom scared him a little.

"You're sleeping on the couch tonight, my friend!" You pushed him out of the room and slammed the door in his face. You open it again for a second. "Oh, there's no sex either."

That hit him hard. Poor guy. He needed the sex to calm down again. With his head bent, he went to the couch and threw himself down on it, staring up at the ceiling. He didn't know this violent reaction from you. He didn't know what to do. Should he leave you alone for the night? Or should he dare to enter the lion's den? Should he or shouldn't he? Yes or no? These questions ran through his head the whole time until he finally fell asleep. So were you, until midnight.

Suddenly you wake up and reach for the sheet next to you. You pat it down. Sanemi wasn't there. Then you remembered the game night. You let your face fall into the pillow and sighed. The anger at the pillar of wind had vanished into thin air and you felt quite lonely in the futon. You wanted to be in Sanemi's arms. To feel his warmth. You struggled out of the sheets and trudged to the living room. You melted when you saw Sanemi. The blanket was more on the floor than on him, but he looked so cute when he slept. You didn't hesitate and sat on his hips. You opened his top completely and traced his scars with your fingers. You found him so sexy with his scarred body.

"What's it going to be when it's finished?" Sanemi's dark, rough voice snapped you out of your reverie.

"Um...make-up sex?" You kept stroking his chest with one finger and looked at him shyly. His look at that moment was golden. He looked at you in bewilderment. He hadn't expected that. It would be stupid of him to refuse. He grabbed your hips and spun you around.

"Do you think you deserve this?" he breathed into your ear. Pleasant goose bumps spread across your skin.

"Y-yes...?"

"Do you want it the soft way or the hard way?" He kissed along your neck and his hot breath made you flinch briefly. The question was pretty superfluous. Both you and he liked it a little rougher during sex. But he could also be gentle and tender. If you wanted to be. But you weren't the type for cuddly sex. You both suited each other very well in that respect.

You two had sex even though you two aren't married yet. That was only because Sanemi doesn't want to marry you until all the demons have been destroyed and you can live in peace. Basically, you're as good as married already. After all, you were living together and sleeping together. Sex was used for Sanemi to relax. Just like that night. So you both got over your bad mood and everything was peace, joy and harmony again.

[chilly-me-softly]

Can you do something with Ben White, he is in Doha for the word Cup but the two of you have argued and you love him a lot. Y/n and Ben have a newborn son and he has a cold and you are worried.. thank you in advance 🤍 (sorry for my English)

Wrote this before he withdrew from the squad

-

Having a baby change everything from the way you think to your priorities; everything begins to be planned with them in mind in order to make them feel good. Or so you thought...

You were happy about Ben's call-up to the world cup, you still are. Yet there were days when bickering was not missing in your house, leading you to be nervous and consequently causing your barely one-month-old baby to be more nervous than usual. Exhausted didn't fully express how you felt.

"I don't understand" and yet Ben misses no opportunity to resume the same conversation that has been going on within those walls for days now.

"Again?" you sigh dejectedly, the only thing you want is to take advantage of the fact that the baby is finally resting so that you can do the same if only for a little while. But he doesn't understand that.

"Yes, again. And do you know why? Because it's not fucking fair"

"Ben I warn you, change that attitude or don't start at all"

"Everyone will be there, everyone. What am I supposed to say when they notice I'll be the only one alone?"

"The truth. That the baby is still too young to travel"

"Because you don't want to"

"You really think you have it all figured out? - your voice drops a tone, defeated and bitter at yet another failed communication between the two of you since the baby's birth - have you ever stopped to think about what it might mean for me, for us, to move with a newborn? I feel like I've just found some stability since he was born and just the thought of having to do it all over again alone in a place I don't know surrounded by strangers scares me... but you don't care anyway. You only think about yourself, about showing your family around five minutes after the game while I'm the one who has to take care of everything else!"

The baby's crying is the only thing in the background after your outburst while he looks at you without saying anything. So you take the opportunity to walk away, to put some space between the two of you as you go to quiet the baby.

-

The days before departure are the strangest. Some go by as if you were a normal family that has just had a baby, enjoying every moment ahead of his departure; others as if you were strangers under the same roof, shifty glances and unspoken thoughts.

And that is how he leaves, after a small party with friends and family to wish him luck, to join his teammates almost a week before the start of the world cup. Every evening or whenever he has free time he calls you to see you both; there is always a smile on his face, the focus on the boy, but still on facetime is always easier to hide things.

When he calls you on the third day he can sense that something is wrong just by seeing you. He had just finished dinner with some of the boys but had wandered off looking for a quiet place so you could talk freely.

"He didn't sleep at all last night. He's so fussy. And I think he has some sort of flu"

"Did you call my mum or yours?"

"Yeah, I spoke to them just now. I also called the paediatrician but he wasn't available" the desperation is clear in your voice as you huff trying to push back the tears that are trying to come out.

"Babe - Ben sighs, looking for the best way to infuse you with his closeness - breathe, you've got this under control..."

"He's so little, I don't know what to do"

"Okay now listen to me, ask your mother or sister to stay with you tonight. Just so you're calmer and you can try to get some rest too"

"Ugh I should have listened to you and taken him somewhere warmer" you sigh and really the distance right now doesn't help.

"That could have happened here too. And you're right, probably in a foreign place you would have gone even crazier"

"I'm not going crazy - you reply promptly snatching a laugh from him - I'm just worried about my baby"

"I know" a hysterical cry breaks free in the air just then and you step away for a moment only to go and retrieve the baby leaving Ben waiting. When you return he can actually notice the slightly flushed cheeks typical of a few lines of fever.

"How is he?"

"He doesn't seem any warmer than before" you murmur, resting your lips on his forehead for a moment. "Oh the paediatrician is calling me back. Talk later?"

"Yeah, let me know as soon as you're done" the call disconnects soon after leaving him bitter at what he meant to say, staring at your profile picture picturing you and the baby in one of the many photos he took of you during that period.

Part 2

[greatideas-badwriter]

Worth The Risk: Chapter 11

'Stop. Stop. Stop,' Sasuke told himself while kissing Sakura, but he didn't listen. 'For once in your fucked up life, do the right thing!'

It didn't matter how much the man hated himself for following his emotions rather than logic; there was no way in hell he'd turn away from that woman while she stood there crying because of him.

The moment he opened the door to shoo Karin out of his room and his eyes landed on the pink-haired girl, all alarms went off at full volume. He'd been trying to move on from his unhealthy obsession with her, but when he recognized the look of betrayal on her pale face, he wanted nothing other than to throw his fist through a wall.

Finally pulling away, ending their kiss, he searched her teary-eyed face again. 'She's always so pretty, even when she's crying.'

Rather lamely, he admitted, "You're right. I have no clue what I'm doing." Sakura's brow furrowed, as she likely assumed he was trying to take back what he'd just done, but Sasuke interrupted, "But I won't hurt you on purpose."

He meant it, too. When he became so enamored by her that he was willing to try something he swore off years ago, he didn't know, but that was the case. After Izumi, the man vowed never to look for or stumble upon love. He didn't deserve it.

'Itachi will be happy when he finds out, but he shouldn't be.'

Sasuke said, "Let's get some sleep. It's late."

"Okay, but, um, I-I don't want to do anything…."

He rolled his eyes, giving the woman a light shove toward the bed while he turned to click off the lights, "I'm not an idiot."

Sakura lay on her side with her back against the wall, facing him as he joined her under the covers.

'Why's she so far away?' Just when he was about to ask aloud, he remembered how rare it was for her to allow someone to touch her and decided against it, 'I've pushed my luck enough for one night.'

The pair remained silent as they fell asleep, though Sasuke took much longer.

If the angry, hurt expression on the woman's face earlier as she yelled at him was anything to go by, Sasuke was fortunate she didn't completely ice him out. Sure, she'd gotten angry at him in the past, but it wasn't fiery hot like tonight.

When he thought about why that was, a satisfied feeling washed over him, 'She was jealous. I didn't take her for the type.'

Yes, it was serious, not comical, because he hadn't simply flirted with someone. Sasuke slept with one of her only friends, knowing very well that it would affect her. That said, it stroked his ego a little to know Sakura felt that strongly.

'If I pull some shit like that again, she'll disappear. There's not a doubt in my mind.'

Even if Sasuke did want to find some random whore to sleep with, he couldn't because he'd only be able to picture Sakura's face, to remember her voice and scent. It was odd, realizing a man notorious for having a new partner each week only wanted one specific person. It was definitely a unique experience.

He turned onto his back, sliding his hand under the pillow with a sigh, only to open his eyes when his fingers wrapped around something cold and metal. It was a knife, and he knew it before pulling it out to stare at in the dark room. The weapon reminded him that next to nothing about Sakura's past was known. Obviously, It had darkness, or she wouldn't be spooked enough to sleep with a blade.

'Fuck, that's why she sleeps so little, isn't it? She's scared of something. Someone,' Sasuke turned onto his side again, looking at the woman's sleeping face with new eyes, 'Who is it? It has to be a guy because she doesn't like hanging around men. They make her uncomfortable.'

The weapon was returned to its spot under the pillow, and the Uchiha man reached under the blanket and searched until he found her hand, gently allowing her to unconsciously grasp it like she had last time.

'What did he do to her? Did he hit her? What if he-' Unbridled rage flooded his entire being before he could even finish the thought, so he shook his head and tried to think about something else.

Sasuke was remembering all sorts of things now that he'd come to the conclusion that she had, indeed, been hurt by someone. She squeezes her eyes closed and tries to make herself smaller whenever anyone speaks too loudly, even if they aren't talking to her. If the tiniest mistake is made, she apologizes like she'll be killed on the spot for not being perfect.

'And above all else, she hates being paid attention to.'

Unlike most women, Sakura tried to remain invisible rather than seek out compliments or talk endlessly. It took the Uchiha man only a few days of living together to conclude that he couldn't make assumptions about her just because she was a girl. He'd been waiting for her to say something to try and tempt him to flirt, but it never happened.

The warm, gentle feeling in his chest was becoming more and more normal. It appeared again as he looked at the woman, barely holding back the urge to pull her closer because he knew it'd scare her if she woke up.

Uncharacteristically, he whispered, "I wish you'd tell me what happened."

Though Sakura was fast asleep, and he knew that, a tiny bit of disappointment came over Sasuke when she didn't respond.

For the first time in a long time, Sakura slept well and didn't even dream. There was only the overwhelming relief that she and Sasuke were finally on the same page and the electric anxiety, borderline excitement, that he was sleeping so close when neither of them was drunk.

Emerald green eyes crept open in the morning to see the man's back. They traveled up to admire the adorable way his black hair had become a mess throughout the night, the tiniest hint of a smirk tugging at her lips. More than anything, the pink-haired girl was grateful that he hadn't disregarded her boundaries while she slept.

'He likes physical affection. I don't need to ask or even see it to know. He always barely stops himself from touching me.'

Blushing, Sakura decided to try meeting him halfway. She cautiously scooted closer, slipping an arm over his waist, pressing her forehead to his back, and closing her eyes with a calming breath.

Like a stove that'd just been turned on, the woman gradually became warmer and warmer until it felt like she'd begin to sweat. Just before she could pull away, Sasuke spoke in a raspy voice, deep from sleeping, "You don't have to panic all the time. Do you really think I'll get mad?"

"It's…not that," she replied, pulling her arm from over his side but snuggling into his back instead of scooting away now that she knew he was awake.

"I have a question," the man sounded half-asleep, still, which was a little cute, so Sakura made a sound encouraging him to ask it. He hesitated momentarily before saying, "Skip your classes today."

Sakura scoffed, "That didn't sound like a question."

He made an amused sound, "Do it. Stay in bed."

After pondering for a moment, the woman admitted sheepishly, "I think I have a fever anyway, so I guess it'll be alright. Just for today."

The man slowly rolled over to face her, dark eyes hazy with sleep as he pressed a hand to her forehead with a frown that just got deeper when he realized she was, indeed, quite warm.

He didn't say anything, but she could tell he felt terrible because she'd obviously gotten sick from walking around in the dead of winter at night while taking Karin home yesterday. Part of her wanted to say something to ease his guilt, but she didn't because he deserved to suffer at least a little. Just because they kissed doesn't mean the woman was entirely over being angry with him.

'We need to talk about things, but where do we even start?'

Are they just friends that were open about their physical attraction to one another? Are they more than friends? Sakura couldn't imagine Sasuke agreeing to date, even if they ended up doing everything a couple would.

As the woman stared at his stoic face, she felt her temperature rising again, 'Was he always this handsome?'

Having agreed to play hooky, the duo ended up moving to Sasuke's room after Sakura forced him to change the sheets. Then, they watched movies of all genres. It wasn't like they paid much attention to them anyway. Barely half an hour into the first one, Sakura couldn't help but ask, "How old are you?"

"What?"

"I know you're around my age, but I don't know the year you were born," she said a little softer, feeling embarrassed. They were lying side by side, just far apart enough that their arms were mere inches from touching.

"Guess," the attractive man teased, amusement thick in his tone.

Sakura glanced over to survey his features, looking back at the screen when he noticed, "Uh, twenty-four?"

The Uchiha scoffed, "Holy fuck! Do I really look that old? I'm twenty-two."

"That's only a two-year difference. It's not like I said you look thirty or something."

Sasuke hummed, not bothering to avert his stare, when she caught him looking, "I bet you're twenty-one. I'd guess younger if I didn't meet you in a bar."

"Should I be flattered or offended? Do I look like a teenager?"

"You're just…little," he said with a strange, unfamiliar warmth in his eyes.

She blushed, frowning as she faced the television again, "I can't help that. It's genetics. My mom and grandma had small chests, too."

'Figures he'd make a comment on that. Pervert.'

Since reaching puberty, Sakura'd been teased about being flat-chested. A lot of it came from her very own boyfriend and friends. She was too scared they'd get upset if she told them it made her uncomfortable, so she suffered in silence. That ignorant choice ended with her developing a stigma.

"I meant you're entire body, not your tits. Get your mind out of the gutter," he faced the TV, too, but reached over to wrap his fingers loosely around her wrist.

The pair was silent for about an hour, the movie ending and another one beginning, before Sasuke hesitantly asked, "Earlier, you said "had" when talking about your mom and grandma. Are they…?"

'Why does he suddenly want to know about me? He's never so much as asked my favorite color.'

Either way, the woman responded, "My grandma died when I was in middle school."

"And your mom?"

Sakura's eyes glazed over, so she wasn't actually seeing the screen, though it appeared that she was, 'I can't tell him everything. Not yet.' She decided to open up a bit, but not entirely, "Dead to me."

The question of why that was hung in the air, but the pinkette quickly asked, "What about you? Do you have any family besides Itachi around here?"

"Tobi's a distant cousin by marriage, but other than that, no. All my blood relatives are dead."

'The terrified look on his face when he thought Itachi was dying makes sense now. That's his one weakness: his brother.' Empathetic sadness washed over her, and she turned her arm upright so he could interlace their fingers instead of holding her wrist, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I have family out there, and I've cut them out of my life when you probably-" "That's stupid as fuck. Don't think things like that."

Things became quiet briefly before he mumbled, "You're lying here with me after all I've done, so you must have a good reason for it."

"Can we change the subject?" Sakura asked bluntly. She didn't want the topic to remain so serious when they were only just now getting along.

"Oh, are we playing twenty questions? I'll go first," Sasuke said in a mock-gossipping tone, as though pretending to be one of her female friends, "Favorite food."

"You'll laugh," she blushed, continuing when he made a sound of denial, "Cheeseburgers."

The man chuckled, "I never would've guessed. Toppings?"

"Loaded!"

They looked at one another when he squeezed her hand, and her heart fluttered when he grinned playfully, "Let's order that tonight. I have to see it."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "You're paying."

"Naturally."

"Okay, my turn, right? Um, how old were you when you had your first kiss?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, his grin turning into a smirk, "Damn. Here I was, going easy on you to be nice, and you're going straight for the fucking dirty details." He made a show of pondering the question before saying, "Thirteen."

'So young! He'll never stop teasing me if he finds out I was sixteen for mine.'

It was comfortable between the pair as they continued asking one another questions. The casual vibe that the Uchiha man emitted worked wonders to relieve her unease, reminding the woman why she was initially drawn to him in the first place. No other man, not even her teachers, could come close or talk with her like this without Sakura being on edge.

'I wonder why that is….'

That evening, Sasuke left before returning with food; burgers as promised. Sakura often found herself too nervous to eat much, her stomach twisting into knots that refused to loosen. She'd just spent hours getting comfortable, so that wasn't the case this time.

'Cute….' Sasuke thought while watching the tiny woman before him in awe. Unlike he'd ever seen her before, Sakura ate casually. 'She wasn't lying. It really is her favorite.'

At this hour yesterday, he'd have never guessed that he'd be sitting there, sharing a meal with the pink-haired woman after spending the entire day together. When Itachi suggested getting to know her better, he was hesitant because he knew he'd feel this way afterward: even more enamored than before.

Sasuke clung to every little fact he was given.

She likes traditional "guy" foods like burgers, steak, and BBQ. Her favorite color is red, but she also really likes green. Winter is her favorite season, while Summer is her least. She gets cold more easily than anyone he's ever met, but the man didn't need her to tell him that. He'd picked it up on his own.

Something told him not to ask the deeper questions yet, so he stuck to superficial things.

'What will she do if she discovers how obsessed I've become? I need to hide it well, for both our sakes.' The concept of someone trying to get close scared each of them, but likely for different reasons.

His reason was that he didn't deserve to be happy, and he knew it. That's why he deluded himself to one-night stands, partying, and carrying on like a world-class douchebag. Sure, those things were cool when he was a teenager, but now he'd matured enough to see how much that lifestyle lacked substance.

'Nothing, and no one stays.' If they tried, Sasuke would make them hate his guts, so they wouldn't dare come crawling back.

He hated himself, and it was easier to remain unhappy and self-punishing when surrounded by boring or annoying things.

'But now Sakura's here, and I can't do that to her; I won't,' the man thought, eyeing her profile as she watched the action movie on TV and continued eating, 'This is the most selfish thing I've done other than getting Izumi killed.'

Sakura had no idea just how fucked up a person Sasuke was, but he held back just enough of that side of him that she didn't notice.

"Are you feeling okay? I didn't get you sick, did I? Why aren't you eating?" The object of his desires was looking at him with bright green eyes and a concerned frown. He shook his head, wordlessly taking a bite so she'd stop staring.

That night, after both had showered, separately, of course, Sasuke lay in bed in a suddenly not-so-happy mood because she'd gone to Zetsu's room to sleep, 'I thought after last night, and today, she'd just sleep here.'

That thought led him to realize he may have made a mistake in assuming she felt even a fraction of what he did. 'She let me kiss her, but that doesn't mean she's up for anything.' Groaning to himself, his eyes shot open, 'What if she just wants to be friends?'

Panic, anger, confusion, and a few unfamiliar low emotions swirled around the pit of Sasuke's stomach.

A soft knock on the door interrupted his stressing, and he rolled over to see Sakura enter, quietly closing the door behind her and crouching beside the bed, "Can I, um…Can I sleep in here, just for tonight?"

The man sat up, eyes narrowing when he recognized the expression on her face as something negative. She was scared for some reason. "What's wrong?" He nodded, though, and turned to face her when she climbed under the covers.

She lowered her eyes to his chest, voice soft and wavering, "It's freezing tonight, and you're warm, so I thought maybe I should take advantage of that."

'Fucking liar. You're not even good at it.'

Sasuke hesitated to say or do anything as he watched her eyes squeeze closed and her head lower to try (and fail) to hide that she was in tears. He was pissed at her for not being honest, but he kept in mind that even someone like her had pride. She didn't want to swallow it and admit to not wanting to be alone.

So, when the man got the urge to pull her closer into his chest, he didn't hold it back this time and prayed it wasn't a huge mistake. He did it. He wrapped an arm around her waist and maneuvered her so he could slip his other one beneath her.

The scent of her shampoo wafted over him as she tensed up, hands fisting his shirt, "...Sasuke?"

The Uchiha man pressed his lips to her forehead, not quite a kiss, and grumbled softly, "You said you were cold, didn't you?"

It was then that Sakura realized he knew she'd lied, and he could tell because she steadily relaxed her muscles until her face was buried in his shirt, and she was freely sniffling. The woman nodded moments later with a barely audible voice saying, "It was like ice in there."

'What she's really trying to say is that it was bad, whatever shook her. Maybe another nightmare? That's the most likely thing.' Always the selfish one, Sasuke tried to memorize the feeling of her petite body pressed against his as he drifted off to sleep.

[paralyze-fic]

Paralyze.

Chapter 11

"Time's up. The last one of each row, pick the tests and bring them."

"Finally," a deep sigh let my lungs as I finished writing the last answer to the last test, soon after, Yaoyorozu picked up my test and gave them all to Aizawa.

"Well, as you all know, past tomorrow (Friday) would be the practical test, don't fail it." My head rested on my desk when Aizawa got inside his sleeping bag.

"I'm so tired~" I whined to myself and I heard a 'tsk' behind me. "What?" I turned to look at Bakugou.

"Did you forget I was the one who got beat up six times yesterday?" He whispered harshly at me, and the memories of the pictures Mitsuki took made me blush and turn around quickly.

"You're right, sorry."

//////

At lunchtime, I heard the ginger-haired girl from 1B say something about fighting robots in the practical exam... that wasn't good for me, shit.

"Tsk... just my luck," I said to myself, and I noticed Bakugou looking at me from the corner of his eyes.

"Heh, good luck passing the exam, (L/n)." I scoffed at him and pushed him playfully.

"Shut up, asshole," I giggled and kept eating my lunch. My mind was racing, how could I pass the exam? I won't be going to the training camp!

Lunch was over, and it was time to go back to class.

//////

Once again, Bakugou dragged me to his house to fight. I was getting tired of this, but at the same time, I looked forward to it, and also my body started to get used to Bakugou's habits when he attacks, even if he changes them when I master how to defend myself or avoid it.

But this time was different, he changed his clothes, and gave me some too but sat down on his bed.

"Sit," at his words, my body moved on its own and sat down beside him. "I'm going to train you."

Blink... blink... blink blink.

"What?" That was the only thing I said. He groaned and turned on his tv.

"Turn it off." My (e/c) eyes were looking back and forth at him and the tv, I was about to stand up to just grab the control but he pushed me down to sit on his bed again. We made eye contact. "With your quirk, dumb fuck."

"But I can't stop machines... they don't have muscles, Bakugou!" I exclaimed at him while pointing at the tv. Spongebob was on it.

I wanna watch it.

"I don't care, you're gonna do it, you won't fail that fucking exam, you hear me? We all are going to go to that camp shit, now, turn it off." I sighed at his stubbornness, but I looked at the screen.

My mind tried to imagine the machine's metal components as a human body and thought of what would its "heart" be, but even if I attempted to, it just wouldn't turn off.

I sighed. "I can't." Bakugou stood up and extended his hand at me, "What?"

"Give me your phone," I was about to do so, but my mind flashed with a memory.

My wallpaper!

"Ah uh wait!" I stood up and ran to his bathroom, pressing my body against the door and frantically looked for a normal picture to set as wallpaper.

It ended up being a scenery of my favorite season, (summer/spring/autumn/winter). I released a relieved sigh... I've been sighing so much lately.

Slowly I opened the door and sneak a peek, "Shit!" Bakugou was right outside the door and scared the crap out of me. "Don't do that, Katsuki~" in my scared state I didn't realize I had called him by his name while I whined like a child. I walked out and handed him my phone.

"I-idiot..." Bakugou stuttered slightly... and didn't yell at me. I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at him, his entire face was red.

"Do you have a fever? Are you okay? You need to lay down?" Frantically, my hands touched his face and neck feeling his temperature, and the red color on his face only darkened. "Bakugou, you need to rest, I'm gonna call Mitsuki I'm sure she'll-"

"I'm fine, dumbass!" He pushed me and I, thankfully, fell on his bed. Stunned I stared at him and how he was typing something on my phone.

After some minutes, the text ringtone went off and he smirked.

"You're staying here tonight." He threw my phone at me, and I barely grabbed it before it would fall and break.

But wait... I'm gonna stay here...?

I went to the messages and read the conversation Bakugou had with my mother.

;Hi ma'am, I'm Bakugou, (M/n)'s friend, I wanted to ask if he could stay here for tonight?

Mom;

Oh yes dear, (M/n) had told us about you. He can stay over, I don't mind.

Oh mom, why did you have to tell him that~? Now he won't stop bugging me.

"So..." Bakugou sat beside me and poked my side. "You talk about me to your family~?" I sighed and placed my phone on his nightstand.

"I told them about how annoying and angry you are," he growled and pushed me off his bed, which made me laugh.

So cute...

//////

"Guys, dinner is ready." Mitsuki knocked on the door and I felt relief, I'll have a break!

I stood up from Bakugou's bed and walked to the door, open it, and stepped out and towards the stairs to go down and to the dining room.

"We aren't finished, idiot," Bakugou said following me and my body slouched, a depressing aura surrounding me.

"Why?" I asked nobody in particular, not waiting for an answer, and entered the dining. Immediately, my eyes shined. "Food~" I sat down and Bakugou sat on my left, Mitsuki and Masaru brought the drinks and sat across from us.

"Thanks for the food."

//////

"No~ leave me alone~" I whined as Bakugou was pulling my arm to make me sit on his bed.

"You won't sleep until you make it, turn it off, now." He held me up to slightly and repeatedly slap my cheek to prevent me from falling asleep.

"Katsuki, stop it, I want to sleep~" he growls and makes me face him.

"You'll sleep on the floor then," with that, he pushed me off his bed and I grunted while turning for a bit, then huffed and closed my eyes.

"Fine, I'll stay down here." I could hear Bakugou yelling some cursing words and some disrespectful nicknames, but my mind was so goddamn tired, that I processed his anger as a lullaby, and I fell asleep in mere seconds.

[elizabethblake]

That's for me to know, and for you to figure out - pt. 8

Panic Imagine -- Dodge Mason x OC (Reese Silvers) -- pt. 8

A girl from a wealthy family wants to get out of Carp just as much as everyone else. With the new guy in town, she seems to be a bit more distracted than she had hoped. And those who once were her friends just may be the ones who will throw her into the deep end. Will Panic be what she hopes, or will she fall into the depths of deceit and lies?

"Are you worried about the challenge tonight?" I asked Heather as I swiped on a swipe of lipgloss. But she didn't move.

"Hey, are you still upset about what happened with Bishop?" I asked and she sat up and huffed.

"If I tell you something, will you promise not to judge?" She asked.

"Sure." I said, nervous.

"I did something very stupid. And I am afraid that I'm gonna keep doing it." She said.

"I slept with Ray." She said, and my mouth dropped.

"Please don't be mad." She said.

"I I'm not. I just, Heather that's wow." I managed to say.

"I know you two have this weird flirty thing going on, and i'm pretty sure you've had sex with him but I didn't think you liked him and if you do, I will completely never speak to him ever again because you know I would never do anything to hurt you." She rambled.

"Heather. I don't like him, he and I have a past. That’s what all the flirty banter is chalked up to, nothing more. No residual feelings I swear. Plus I have my eye on someone else." I said.

"Yes. Let's talk about this. I can't help but notice the way you look at a certain boy who works at Dot's. Can it be?" She asked.

"Shut up." I said hitting her softly with a pillow.

"It's so complicated Heather." I said as I lay next to her on my bed.

"Complicated how? Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, girl and boy kiss." She said.

"It's not that simple. I mean sort of." I said.

"So you've kissed him?" She said in an excited tone.

"Yeah it happened after the party." I said.

"I knew you disappeared together." She said.

"It wasn't like that I was drunk he brought me home things may have happened but we didn't sleep together." I said.

"Not yet." She said.

"But you want to." She added.

"Yes. I want to." I said.

"Then what's stopping you?" She asked.

"I don't know, I feel like Nat has a thing for him, and I don't want her to go crazy on me about it." I said.

"Nat is crazy in general but don't let your concerns about her stop you from liking him that's crazy." She said.

"Reese?" My mother said from the door.

"Come in." I said as I sat up on my elbows.

"Heather honey are you staying for dinner?" She asked, I turned to heather and mouth 'please'

"Is that alright Mrs. Silvers?" She asked.

"Of course sweetie you're always welcome." My mom said before closing the door.

"I swear she likes you better than me." I said before falling back on the bed.

After Dinner Heather and I headed out to Graybill's place for the next challenge. When we pulled up most everyone was there already.

"Congratulations to all of you for completing the challenge at Spurlock's Ranch. Up until now you've been competitors, but tonight you become enemies." Diggins said.

"It is Panic tradition to screw each other at the Graybill house challenge." Summer said.

"And we all came for that reason." Ray chimed in.

"The rules are simple. You guys stay inside till we come and get you. Players' points will be deducted when you submit proof of them being scared shitless. For tonight and tonight only, keep those cameras on." Diggins added.

"Sabotage is highly encouraged." Summer said.

"As a reminder, Heather is still in the lead with 200 points. Dodge is closing the gap with 175 everyone else is holding up with 150. And last but not least there is a 50-point bonus for whoever can solve the riddles in the blood." Summer said.

"What do you mean "in the blood?" Drew asked.

"Blood always tells." She added.

"Good Luck Players." Diggins said as everyone walked towards the house.

"Let's get this over with." Nat said.

We all walked into the house, it was dark and dusty and the only light was from the flashlights. Shining down on the floor fake blood could be seen coating it and the walls where writing could be seen.

"There's the blood." Dodge said

"Anyone else creeped out by the random blood?" Drew asked.

"Part of the riddle?" Dodge asked, looking at the words.

"Must be." Shawna said.

"Yeah no shit sherlock." I said.

"Dorothy lost her ruby shoes, the wizard lost his head, the king was counting reasons for clues inside the dead." Shawna read what was written in blood on the wall.

"Wizard. "Jimmy Wizard" was Jim's nickname. When Abby started dating him some of us started calling her 'Dorothy'" She added.

"Guess we have to find the bodies." Dodge said.

"Maybe it's a warning." Heather said.

"Let's see what else we can find." Nat said.

"Why don't we go that way?" She added.

"We should stay together." She said.

Dodge, Nat, Heather, and I all walked together towards a room. As I looked through the room I turned and gasped when I ran into something hanging from the ceiling. It looked like a mannequin hanging from a noose.

"You all right?" Dodge asked.

"Yeah." I answered.

"I'm okay, just freaked me out a bit." I added.

"Stupid." Dodge muttered as he saw it hanging. He walked over and grabbed a chair and stood on it.

"What are you doing?" I asked. He then cut down the mannequin and slammed to the ground.

"Hey guys over here." Heather yelled from the other room.

"Check out the bloody riddle." She said, peeling the wallpaper from the wall.

"One flew over a rooftop, one flew into the moon. Track down the clue inside the who whose end ed mirrors soon." She read.

"That sounds like a nursery rhyme doesn't it?" Nat asked.

"Maybe we should be looking for books?" Shawna asked.

"Good luck y'all." She said as she walked away.

"The noose." Dodge said.

"If you look in a mirror, the words are backwards, soon spelled backward is noos." He said.

"That's the who, the noosed man." I said as I walked back towards the room with the mannequin. I searched around the noose and found a cloth.

"The cook and five to dinner make six to tally late; the final counts the winner, behind the hands that wait." I read.

"Cook is capitalized." Dodge said.

"Um, maybe the clue is in the kitchen?" I asked.

"Let's check it out." He said.

"You see any clues?" I asked.

"I don't see anything on the walls." He said as we both continued to look.

"Hey Reese?" He said.

"Yeah?" I asked as he jiggled on a door handle. I opened the lock on the door as I pushed it open to reveal a horrifically gross room.

"God." I muttered and the light began flickering.

"That's what I call mood lighting." I commented.

"Aren't you afraid of the curse?" Dodge asked.

"Only if you're secretly in love with me." I laughed before walking away as I saw Nat emerge from behind the door and shoot me a dirty look before I slid past Dodge and walked down the hall.

"Well look who it is. I didn't think little miss perfect would be up here in a haunted house." Ray said as I walked by him.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Too many ghosts I guess." He said.

"You'd know all about ghosts wouldn't you." I remarked, but saw Ray’s face at the mention of what happened.

"I'm sorry about your brother Reese. I didn't know he was there until he called you." He said.

"It's fine, what's done is done." I said.

"I would never let anything like that happen again. Rhett is my friend and so are you." He said.

"I'm your friend?" I asked.

"Does that mean Heather's your friend?" I asked and he gave me a look.

"Look I don't care that you're fucking her okay, just. She's my friend, my very very good friend please don't hurt her." I said.

"I don't intend on it." He said.

"Good." I said before I continued walking.

I found my way into a room, the floors were super creaking and the room was incredibly dark, I took a step and I feel through the floorboards. I hit my head, and then everything went black.

*like 30 min later*

"Reese. Reese wake up! Reese wake up!" Someone shouted and it echoed through my head like banging on a pot.

"Ow." I groaned.

"Reese? Are you okay?" Nat asked as I sat up, I looked over and noticed the the house was up in flames and everything came rushing back. I felt a sharp pain in my ribs and an intense pain through my shoulder and head.

"What happened." I asked.

“The house just went up in flames Heather got trapped but she's out now Dodge is unconscious, we need to get out of here and get them help." She said.

"Nat. I think im gonna pass out." I said as everything sort of rushed together.

I woke up in the hospital as my mom rushed to my side.

"Oh baby you're awake!" She said as she placed her hand on my head.

"Mom?" I asked as I blinked away the blurriness of my surroundings.

"George." My mom said to wake my dad up and he sprung to my side as well.

"You scared us there honey." He said.

"Where's Rhett?" I asked.

"I'm here Reese." He said as we walked to the foot of the bed.

"Reese what on earth were you doin' in a place like that." My mom asked me.

"A couple of us just wanted to party and we thought it would be fun. None of us intended for it to go up in flames." I said.

"Well you're lucky I'm not grounding you. You could have died. But instead you're gonna live with the consequences of your actions. Which is a couple of bruised ribs, a concussion, and you dislocated your shoulder. Now how did you possibly manage to do that?" She asked.

"I don't know I think I fell through the floor." I said and she gasped.

"Lord have mercy Reese." She said.

"I'm sorry mom." I said as I leaned back.

"Is Heather okay?" I asked.

"She is resting, she and another boy got banged up pretty good." She said.

"Dodge." I whispered.

"We're getting you discharged today, I hate hospitals." She said as my dad brought over a bag with fresh clothes from home.

"Nurse! Can you please come unplug my daughter from these machine's we are going home." My mom said.

I got sent home with pain meds, a sling on my arm and an extensive amount of pain radiating throughout my body. Once I made it home I went to my room and showered to get the smell of smoke off of me.

"Reese!" I heard my mom call from downstairs once I got out of the shower.

"Heather is here." She said.

"She can come up." I said, slipping on my bra.

Heather came in but I was only in underwear and a bra.

"Could've warned me." She said.

"Can you help please." I said as I tried to hook my bra.

"Of course she said as she hooked it for me, then helped me slip my shirt on then I put the sling back on.

"So what's the diagnoses." She asked.

"Bruised ribs, dislocated shoulder, and a concussion." I answered.

"How'd you manage to do all that?" She asked.

"I fell through the floor." I asked.

"Come to think of it, who found me?" I asked.

"I think Nat did." She answered.

"Hm." I hummed.

"When's the next task, do you know?" I asked.

"You're kidding. Look at yourself Reese you're crazy. Panic can wait." She said.

"No Heather, I can’t wait. Panic won't and I'm not missing it." I said.

"My shoulder should be feeling better in no time." I added.

"Have you seen Dodge?" She asked.

"Not since before the fire." I added.

"Maybe you should ask him to come over." She said.

"Maybe." I said.

"I'm so thirsty." I said as I made my way down to the kitchen. Once we were in there I heard my mom call out.

"Reese, there's someone at the door for you." She said and I made my way to the door.

"Dodge." I said.

"Heather texted and asked me to come over." He said.

"Of course she did. Come on in." I said as I made my way back to the kitchen and he followed me. I sent a look to Heather and she only smirked.

"I'm glad you're okay Reese." She said as she smiled.

"I have to get going but I will see you both later." She said before gathering her things and leaving.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you didn't know I was coming over." He said.

"No, I didn't." I said.

"But I'm glad you did." I added.

"I hope you're okay." I said.

"Me? You seem to be the one who took the harder hits." He said.

"Yeah I don't recommend falling through the floor ha." I said.

"I'm glad you're okay Reese." He said.

"Thanks Dodge. Can I get you anything?" I asked.

"Water is fine." He answered.

"Water it is." I said.

[urmomsspeciallady]

Chapter Two- we've been here before

sign of the times - harry styles

POV: Kenneth McCormick

It's always the same, always the fucking same. God has some shitty sense of creativity, that’s for sure, but I've gotten used to it by now.

I swing my legs off the side of my bed as I look into my subpar-mirror. I'm still in my parka, still in my jeans, and still in my boots. How the hell did I sleep with boots on? Then again, how the hell did I wake up?

I walk up to my mirror, checking for anything different. I tilt my head in a few different angles and to no avail I seem perfectly fine. Freckles and handsome features, if I do say so myself, all in tackt.

Atop the mirror, covering some cracked pieces, sat a brightly colored paper. I peel it off and feel my heart melt.

Today is going to be an amazing day! - Butters

( ＾◡＾)っ ♡

I’m glad I saved this, it's not often I get notes like this.  I caught a glimpse of my reflection as I placed the note back. It's been a while since I've seen myself smile.

---

My boots crunched on the iced-over grass. With another long day ahead of me, I really wish I could just.. Take a break sometimes. 

"Hey, Kenny." Kyle greeted me as I made my way to the bus stop.

"Hey, Kyle. Sup, Stan."

My friend Stan turned his head towards me faltering for a second, "Hey Kenny. You alright?"

What? The fuck? Does he remember even just a little? "Hmm, why?"

"The bags under your eyes are insane." Never mind. Screw my luck.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, that’s just part of my charm.” I give him a smile and Stan snickers at me.

“Yeah, charm’s the word you want to use here.” I elbow Stan and we exchange “fuck you”s.

“Go to bed earlier tonight,” Kyle makes a suggestion.

I pat a hand on his back. “If only it were that easy.”

Wind whistled by as we stood, it was now quiet. Even Cartman was quiet, which is surprisingly uncharacteristic for him.

"Goddamn asshole’s gonna make me miss the bus." And there it is.

Kyle, frown painted across his face, shot back "Yeah, out of anyone here you are the LEAST likely to wait for Butters."

"It’s not about waiting, it’s about what I need and what I need someone smart enough to do my math homework on the bus. See, I had asked you but you declined. You’d think Jews would be good with numbers."

"Fucking shut up, Cartman."

I think everyone grew out of those jokes but Cartman. Then, to be fair, I think we've all grown up since then but Cartman.

The silence returned. Soft flakes of morning snow began to drift. Light blows of wind brushed past sending small specks of snow to melt on my face.

I pull my phone out to check on the time. 3 more minutes. I scroll through my home screen, attempting to pass time. 

Eventually, I heard footsteps rushing towards the bus stop. Turning my head up, I see Leo.

"Hey, fellas!"

My phone goes back into my pocket before I pick my hand up to wave.

"You were almost late."

Why can't this fatass shut up? I mean, he managed it a few minutes ago.

"Oh yeah, I had a hard time sleeping. But I did make it, didn't I?" Leo's face was flushed, and he was slightly out of breath. He must've woken up late again.

Loud creaks of bus tires stop my train of thoughts and Stan starting to get on the bus helped my body catch up.

Passing the aisles, I find my seat and sit down. Cartman sat in the seat across from me. Is he really fucking pulling out his homework? He catches me looking and I send a glare his way. That seemed to scare him enough.

Leo made his way down the aisle and slid in next to me. The bus ride had started yet he sat still, staring out the front window.

"Good morning." I smiled at him, though he hadn't even turned my way. His eyes stuck following the line of trees out the window.

"'Mornin, Ken."

My eyebrows furrow. Something seems off but it's alright honestly. When is it not off in South Park, Colorado? (What kind of fuckass sentence is that?!)

The whole bus ride, no other words were spoken by Leopold Stotch. At one point he simply smiled and handed me one of his bagels. 

Part of me hopes and prays that the same reason we feel rough for the same reasons. I doubt it, though. I think he knows that something happened a couple days ago, well, yesterday and I think I'm worried about him.

Now, the bus finishes pulling into the school parking lot, I nudge my elbow gently into Leo’s side.

He just stands up and starts walking towards the front doors. My face twists quizzically. He’s never this distant. What is it?

"Hey Leo, you okay?"

No response. Fuck. 

I followed behind him and out in front of the bus. Getting ready to ask again, I saw him turn around and face me.

"Sorry I didn't hear ya; it's so loud on the bus."

Giving a shrug I tell him it's alright and repeat the question. I guess I jumped to conclusions, I tend to do that. He seems to ponder on this for a second then assures me he's okay. Taking note of the time, I poke fun at him and he tags along.

I really like how kind he is, he's easier to hang around with than.. Well.. My other friends. Sure Kyle and Stan had their moments, but they weren't my Super Best Friends. Though he'll never remember: Leo holds that title.

Jesus. Who made me such a poet today? Shakespeare my ass.  I guess that's what dying does to you over time. That or my messed up sleep schedule.

----- end of chapter

< previous ~ next >

[pwblogarchive]

February 2008

February 3, 2008

“Try lying for a change, it's the currency of the world.”

its oddly haunting the way that sometimes entries from a year ago can reflect perfectly how i feel today.

its like an echo sent out over the weeks and months and pages of the calendar.

not always but sometimes.

a few weeks ago i considered mentioning the fact that while i once wrote "every new years is worse than the last" i didnt feel that way anymore

oh eight had broken the january curse

now im glad i didnt

cuz i realized it might not have

it may have just pushed it back a month

or extended it, depending on how this all looks on play-back

i find it a bit odd to be waiting for retrospect

Posted by xoat 10:41 PM

February 12, 2008

“honestly, afraid. i cant ever sleep either.”

Put the the planets in swing

Make jupiter sing

The afternoon light

Ignites

The back of my head

Spend years trying to cloud our head and not feel a thing

Just to turn around and erase the clouds so we can remember everything

Throw handcuffs on that boy

When the check comes he never pays

His cheekbones carve my moods

He shakes like a leaf

He's clicking like an old answering machine

He howls at the moon

He's breathes wet thru insect eyes

Canyon lights at night chase away the boring days

And I don't worry about death because I've seen the date I'm gonna die and its so far away.

Posted by xoat 1:55 AM

February 16, 2008

“part two (i forget so much of what i write its beginning to scare me).”

hes a lonely planet

dont stir and wake

everythings ok

give or take

the cats got the canary spinning in its ribcage

did i mention i came dressed for the intervention

(and if you were dying soon would you try to find snow in the deep summer

the june bugs dancing in wonder

and i still wonder now

if my words will stil turn you inside out)

hes a honeyjar

with that pretty face, lets never lose the lid

and keep those rosey lips in

(he breathes wet through insect eyes)

in multiples of four, no less than sixteen

sandmans been showing his beam

when he walks into a room the walls lean in to listen

keep a calendar this way youll know the last time you came through

oh.

"i know what youre going through"

well i dont- its more of a "paper or plastic" grocery store choice to me

but ill sympathize with anything to get through to you

do you know what its like to watch reruns of yourself night after night

to offer nothing and expect everything in return

to cock your head just right to appear arrogantly humble

if we hurry well make the morning edition

cos everybody likes to read the bad news

theyve tapped the phone be very careful what you say

speak in code about singing birds and sleepy eyed women

his heads a junkyard for rusted midnight thoughts

hes criminally carefree

when the pills swallow the worry

hes digging like forty nine

hes making you press rewind

hes a thunderstorm so bright you shut your eyes

he is a hurricane

Posted by xoat 3:15 AM

February 18, 2008

“mc hammer and miss piggy bank”

i get bright ideas in dark rooms

red rooster combs on our head

we are galaxies

a catipillar that got stuck

mr moth come quick with any luck

long walk in a dark house

a roman candle heart

keep us far apart

tour is just thinking you have been in every hotel, club or truck stop before.

it is deja vu personified.

all full of love so much that my teeth are floating.

February 19, 2008

“the oxidation of Joan of Arc.”

the mind drinks less and less.

impatience.

highways full of crowds going somewhere, somewhere, somewhere, nowhere.

The gasoline refugee.

Towns turn into motels,

people in nomadic surges from place to place,

following the moon tides,

living tonight in the room where you slept this noon and I the night before.

Posted by xoat 12:31 AM

[casspurrjoybell-31]

The Consort - Chapter 37 - Part 2

*Warning Adult Content*

Finn

"Brayden, just because she's saying his name in her sleep doesn't mean... there's a chance it isn't true..."

Brayden carefully reaches into the breast pocket of his form-fitting jacket.

His slender fingers pull out a stack of tattered paper, most of them crinkled and frayed at the ends.

He holds them out, nodding for me to read.

I swallow hard and set aside my tea before grabbing them from his flawless hand.

My eyes skim over the letter and I recognize Fiona's handwriting instantly.

It's a feminine type of penmanship, slanted and formal just as the way she wrote her notes in class.

Mark.

Your plan worked. I thought it would take longer for them to save me, but after I sent that email to Bogdan, the pieces just fell into place. They believed I was being held captive, and they took the chance to save me. Just like you said they would. I can't say it's not nice to see Finn, though. He's very misguided, Mark, and it scares me. These vampires have him so brainwashed, it's painful to watch.

I'm going to offer him a chance to leave with me, at least to see how he reacts. Perhaps if he seems interested I can convince him to come back with me? I don't know. We'll see. Also, I can't give you an exact location of our whereabouts. We traveled so fast I couldn't get a good look. But based on the surrounding houses, I'd say we're on the outskirts of the Village. I'm not sure how to get these to you, but I'll find a way. I promise. Missing you,

Fiona.

My cheeks burn with betrayal.

A fresh batch of tears become lodged in my throat, fighting for an escape.

All this time I thought Fiona was on our side, broken and lost from her time in captivity.

Could it be possible that all along... she was playing us?

With quivering hands, I flip through a few letters to read another.

Dearest Mark,

We're in the north now. Finn confirmed it and I can tell from the maps we studied before I left as well. From what they're saying we might be here awhile. I think it's still too soon to attack, though. Brayden's strength is more than I've ever seen in a vampire but the more he falls in love with Finn, the weaker his mind becomes.

Just a little bit longer, darling... I miss you, you know. It's hard not to talk about you, to act as if everything is alright when deep down I want to cry. I'm living with monsters and a friend who is so lost in the clouds all he cares about is being bound to his demon.

Also, they figured out I'm pregnant. No one has said anything but I can tell they know. I hope they don't ask me about it, Mark. It's hard enough to pretend like I'm some weak-minded woman still caught up on her ex-boyfriend. If I have to lie and say our child was conceived out of anything but passion, I think I might lose my mind.

Now that we're stationed here, I'm going to find a way to get these to you. Don't worry, my love. We'll be together soon.

Fiona.

Tears spill down my cheeks.

My chest burns as I try to force a breath of air through my mouth.

When I exhale, it becomes choppy.

This can't be happening.

How is it possible?

The entire thing was a set-up. All of it.

Fiona was never captive.

She simply pretended to be in order for us to save her.

Now she's simply playing along until the opportunity is right to see us captured. Or worse.

The letters feel like they're burning against my fingertips, my friend's betrayal searing me soul deep. I hand the letters back to Brayden.

"Please...I c-can't read anymore."

Brayden stares down at me with a masked expression.

He responds with an even tone, glancing towards the house and studying every window.

"You need to read the last, human."

I don't want to. Really, I don't.

But my fingers seem to listen to him anyway, flipping to the last and bringing it to the top.

This letter is shorter than the others, the handwriting sloppy and frantic.

The tears in my eyes make it hard to read.

Mark,

We ran in to Vultures tonight. I couldn't believe my luck. They actually split took Finn and me in different directions, so by the time I was alone with them, I explained everything.

Unfortunately, a good number were lost thanks to the vampires. But there are still a few waiting in the headquarters who are willing to bring my letters to you. I'll sneak them into town as soon as I get a chance. I'll see you soon, love,

Fiona.

I wheeze out a breath of despair, closing my eyes and shoving the papers back to Brayden.

Tears slip down my cheeks,and I pull my arms around my chest, curling myself into a ball as best I can.

"She must have fallen asleep writing this one," Brayden explains.

"Because when I went in to check on her, they were all spread across the bed."

I wipe my nose with the sleeve of my sweater and a streak of snot spreads across the cotton material.

How is all of this possible?

I thought I knew Fiona better than this.

I thought Kelly knew Fiona better than this.

Then again, his memory of her was wiped clean.

He doesn't remember anything.

"Does Kelly know?" I whisper.

Brayden gives a single, clipped nod.

"How'd he take it?"

His nostrils flare and he stuffs the letters back into his breast pocket.

"Not as well as I would have hoped."

I frown and shake my head, not understanding.

"You asked what the plan was, human," Brayden says after a beat of silence.

"I had hoped to leave Fiona here, allowing her to deal with the Vultures on her own. But Kelly refuses to leave her side until he is assured of her safety."

My jaw slackens and anger swells within me.

"But he can't," I argue, my voice rising to a gentle shout.

"Fiona will turn on him... "

Brayden holds his hand up to silence me.

"He's aware of the risk. And I can't convince him otherwise. He will return Fiona to camp before finding us."

"But what if he needs help? What if someone gets to him first?"

Brayden folds his hands behind his back, straightening his posture and exuding nothing but masked indifference.

"Like I said, human, he knows the risk."

"And what about us?" I venture to ask, my head spinning with uncertainty.

"What will happen to us?"

At this Brayden glances down at me.

His red gaze manages to calm me with a single look, their potency and confidence sweeping me into their web of ease.

"Behind this weeping willow are the essentials I have collected for us to travel," he murmurs, his voice softening with understanding.

"It's too dangerous to go back into the house at this point. We do not have time to say goodbyes, human."

I swallow hard.

An ache of longing blooms inside me, already mourning the absence of Kelly by our sides.

"We will travel, picking up clues along the way to find the only population who might be able to protect you and keep you safe."

My eyes widen.

"The Secondaries...?"

Brayden nods a single time.

"This war isn't over yet, human. And I'm willing to plead to get them on our side before anyone else has the chance."

His thin lips relax into the semblance of a sad smile.

He reaches out his hand to me, his long fingers a silent invitation to continue my path forward with him.

Without hesitation my cold fingers slide into his palm.

It feels like a slim hope, the two of us against the world.

But as Brayden guides us around the tree to begin loading our limited supplies into his arms, I realize that there's nothing that would stop me from taking that chance with him.

We might only be at the beginning of our journey but I'm willing to give everything I have to make it work... for me, for him, for us.

He is, after all, my vampire and I, his consort.

I may have the blood of a Nirv but it was nothing more than an innocent kiss that was enough to bond us forever.

A kiss that sparked into a flame.

A kiss powerful enough to change the world.

THE END