#it used to look farther away but gotten closer recently

[sparklev0id]

i can feel the sickening cluster of high contrast static ive sometimes seen in my minds eye (esp as a kid) now physically in my body

[radiance1]

GIW scientist: "What was the one thing we specifically told you to do."

GIW Guard: "Not get attached..."

GIW scientist: "What was the one thing we specifically told you not to do."

GIW Guard: "Get attached..."

GIW scientist: "And what did you do?"

GIW Guard: "Get attach-"

GIW scientist: "YOU GOT A-FUCKING-TTACHED!"

===

The GIW finally managed to get their hands on the Phantom menace, thankfully helped by the recent changes in the ghost in a Moth-like direction, and with the recent explosion giving it an orphan status, it was all too easy to get the ghost into their hands.

Of course, there was the ghost's godfather, but a few government tricks and he was erased from having any to all connection with the thing.

But due to it being the Phantom menace, it was quite difficult to control. So that lead to one scientist having the brilliant (sarcasm) idea to run a test that made it more... manageable.

That somehow involved it becoming a child, with the added and original plus with its powers no longer being easily controlled by it. But that, paired with a child-like mind didn't become well.

At the very least, it was easier to physically subdue when it wasn't throwing a tantrum. But they encountered another problem that came as an unintentional side-effect.

It was cute.

Like a stuff toy you would sleep with as a child, or a show with a cutesy art style and anything that just made one go "Awww" and that? That was a problem.

The guards just didn't have to become attached, and everything shouldn't been fine. But one of them did and that somehow lead to the thing escaping and that was highly annoying.

Oh well, it shouldn't have gotten too far, all things considered. Various injuries aside, its powers do not come as easily as it did to it before, and there were not many times to practice ones such as flight.

It will come back to their hands, either forcefully, or willingly.

===

Danny, fully pumped on adrenaline and fear, has been pushing himself to fly for he doesn't even know how long. But he's becoming very tired, and can feel his power slipping from his fingertips.

Or maybe that was the blood, he couldn't tell.

He kept going, pushing himself farther past his limit to just, escape. But he couldn't do so forever, he had to drop sometime, and that time seemed to be coming closer with each and every passing second.

Eventually, he dropped, and he quickly tried to do that gliding thing he was kinda good at. It helped, though he did hit into a few trees, here and there, but he got down to the forest floor, fell, got up, and forced himself to walk.

His vision was really fuzzy, everything he touched felt like static beneath his fluffy hands and feet, and he could hear everything so clearly yet nothing at all.

He just had to keep walking, and he would be okay.

Just persevere, and everything would turn out okay.

Everything would be, okay.

He just had to keep moving.

Even if his legs felt like static, his chest burning and his wings dragging behind him as he found it harder and harder to breath as black started to eat away at his vision.

Everything would be okay.

He just had to persevere.

Eventually, he couldn't, falling to the forest floor as his eyes slowly dropped as black consumed his vision.

He couldn't persevere.

===

So, Killer Moth was just in a forest, as one would, looking for quite the rare specimen of Moth larvae that he could use in his plot to take over Jump City.

Why this forest?

It was pretty far away from Jump City, that's why. No pesky Titans to interrupt his search here, which happened once, wasn't fun might he add.

During said collection, he found what looked to be a child passed out on the forest floor.

Now, any reasonable person would question why there was a child on the forest floor, which he was tempted to do, before realizing that said child is perhaps an escaped experiment, based on the precise wounds upon his body.

Said child was a moth humanoid.

He didn't like that, someone tried to take his theme!

Oh well, their loss, his gain. Another moth to add to his ever-growing army, and his another he could use in his attempt to take over Jump City.

Also, finder's keepers.

[milkywaydrabbles]

I am so glad you have anons turned on... ahem. You don't have to do this if you don't want to, though!

Kinktober 29 + Alucard! (Castlevania)

A/N: I don't know what you did to me but I've been possessed once again for this ask holy shit. Tentacle anon lemme kiss u on the mouth ;; hope you enjoy MWUAH (also a firm believer he'll always be a lover boy no matter what) AU TIME

Tentacles x Alucard

“Adrian! I can’t believe you’re the little thief!” You gasped, scandalized that your sea-friend would be the one who’s been stealing all the balls that kept magically ‘floating away’ in the ocean. He shrugged with a sly grin, his tentacles sprawled around him keeping him afloat. You’d met the mystical half sea creature months ago by this point, you’d been paddling out to sea for fun, realizing that you’d gotten entirely too far from shore. Before you were able to panic, you saw the tiniest little cove a bit farther out, deciding to rest inside of it before making a plan to go back to shore, back home. Instead what you got was the scare of your life, a tentacle gripping at your ankle and with a shriek you fell back into the side. The playful little fiend crept out with wide eyes, not expecting to ever have a human here in his home. You mirrored the look, thinking you’d finally gone insane seeing something with the top half of a man and bottom half of an...octopus? Lots of screaming, and explaining later, your fears were quelled, and after hours of talking, you felt you made a friend.

And you did! Visiting him as often as you could out here, bringing him food that you’ve made from your home, and him giving you small trinkets he’s found lost at sea. (Most recently he’d given you a pearl necklace he said he made himself. You would have seen the scarlet bloom across his neck and chest, should you not turn away trying to calm your own beating heart.) You learned he’s the rumored ‘Alucard’, the sea monster that eats the sailors off at sea. (‘Why the fuck would I do that?” he reasoned) You also learned there’s more of his kind, he has friends he sees every so often, even has loving parents deeper in the ocean bed. But he likes to spend alone time here, closer to humans. He likes listening to the different sounds above the water. Sometimes you’d even see him out in the ocean, closer to the shores if there wasn’t anyone around. You started going to the shores late in the night, if only to see him twice a day. (You think he stays coming back to the cove because of you, but neither of you will speak it out loud.)

“I’m not stealing them. They really do get lost out here! What am I supposed to do, bring them back? Someone’s going to see me.” He couldn’t help but grin like the cheshire cat, using a tentacle to grab at one of the ‘lost’ beach balls, bouncing it over to you and you rolled your eyes with a laugh. “You’re terrible” Of course you’d never want him to actually go back and give them back--someone finding out about his existence could have very well been the end of his life, him trusting you enough to let you go was a huge feat for the merman. “I actually have something else for you.” 

“Ooh, another beach ball?”

“Quiet you, come here.”

You huffed, crawling over to where he lounged and sitting in front of him, waiting. For the first time since the pearl necklace, you saw Alucard looking nervous. You gave him time, raising a brow and cocking your head urging him to continue. From behind his back, he pulled out a clamshell, “I promise the clam wasn’t alive when I found it.” He mumbled, pushing it towards you. You blinked, confused. This wasn’t the first shell he’s given you, but it was quite...lackluster, in comparison to the rest he’d given you. Plus, he looked entirely too nervous for a shell! “Thank you, Alucard.” You teased, laughing when you heard him groan. “Hush, ridiculous fucking name...the shell isn’t your gift.” He paused. “Open it.” the top flipped up and you nearly dropped it out of pure shock. What lay inside was the most gorgeous ring you’d ever seen. A beautiful moss agate stone set in the middle, smaller pieces of diamonds dotted around the band. It was an intricate piece, one that you’d be devastated to lose if you were the original owner of this ring. “Adrian, I...what...oh my god” You couldn’t even form sentences, in too much shock a ring like this existed floating in the ocean. You looked at him, mouth agape. “How did you find this? Where did you find this? It’s in perfect condition!” you were scared to even touch the thing.

He stayed quiet for a moment, shuffling over to you. “I didn’t find it.” He admitted. “I ah...I had it made.” 

....

What?

“You said your favorite color was green. And you love the forest. So I thought this made the most sense for you. I know you’d rather live in the woods, but the ocean is beautiful too. I think you’d really like it here.” His voice was barely above a whisper, shaky hand bringing a strand of your hair behind your ear. “Adrian, I don’t understand...”

You did. You just couldn’t believe it until he said it out loud. It all felt like a dream.

“I love you.”

Your breath hitched.

“And I would like to marry you. And have you move with me, into the ocean. With the rest of my kind.”

Your head was spinning, tears forming in the corners of your eyes. Adrian panicked, hands frantically wiping away at your tears, unknowing that they were happy tears. “Please, please don’t cry. We don’t have to talk about this now, or at all, if you’re not comfortable it’s okay--” You cut him off with a kiss, your first shared kiss, hands smoothing his beautiful blonde locks. “Adrian, I love you.” Your admission knocked the wind out his lungs, head reeling that someone like him could have someone like you fall in love with him. “But how can this work? I mean, really, I’m not like you, I don’t...” He hushed you, placing another chaste kiss on your lips. “There’s more about my world that you don’t know, but I promise we can get you there. It’ll be our world soon, angel” 

You had no idea what he meant, or how it’d work, but in the meantime, you carefully took the ring out of the shell and gingerly placed it on your ring finger on your left hand. Your vision tunneled on the ring, holding your hand up to see it glimmering in the sunlight that shone through the cove. “It’s gorgeous, Adrian...” You could cry right now, and almost started to too if you didn’t try as hard as you were from keeping it together. “Be with me, please..” He connected his lips to you again, tentacles wrapping themselves around your middle as your hands carded through his hair. Adrian bit at your lower lip, slipping his tongue into your mouth when you permitted and deepening the kiss. What was once slow and sweet became a flurry of moans, tongue and teeth, anticipation and lust. He kissed and nipped at your jawline, your throat, your shoulders. “Will you let me touch you?” Adrian whispered, hands hovering over your body. You nodded, lifting your bathing top  off your body and pushing his hands onto your chest. His breathing stuttered, kneading and pinching at your body. “So beautiful, angel.” He murmured, dipping a tentacle at the hem of your bottoms, another joining by the edge of your pussy. You gasped, feeling yourself clench around nothing.  

You���d never thought yourself to be prude you just...never thought about being fucked by tentacles. Or a merman. But, fuck, if you weren’t turned on thinking about Adrian doing what he wanted with you before whisking you away to the deepest parts of the ocean. You pressed yourself closer to him, letting the tentacles pull away your bottoms. A hand came down to tease at your entrance, feeling the slick dripping on his fingers. “So wet..all for me?” He cooed, smiling when he felt you nodding against the crook of his neck. He wouldn’t tease you much, not this time--feeling much too impatient. His fingers slid into your pretty cunt with ease, so turned on you could have been ready for him right then and there. “Fuck, look at you.” He murmured, scissoring his fingers inside of you. He knows this wouldn’t be your first sexual encounter. He’s (unfortunately) heard of previous partners of your life, but none of them had the physiology that he had, he needed to prep you. “Darling, I need you to trust me, okay?” You furrowed your brows, humping at his fingers barely able to pay attention to what he was saying. “‘Kay, anything Adrian.” you murmured, before feeling the fingers replaced with something else. Something long, a bit slimy, definitely thicker. You cried out, hearing you gush and squelch around the intrusion. “Adrian!” You gasped, looking down at the juncture of your hips and seeing his tentacle pumping deep into your sloppy pussy. 

You couldn’t believe how hot and bothered you were, seeing him fucking you with the intrusive appendage. Your hips rolled towards him, the tentacle slowly pumping in and out of you. It poked and prodded at your walls, the suctions ribbing at your hole and making your eyes roll to the back of your head. Your mouth fell open with a moan, head leaning back. “Gotta loosen you up like this, sweetheart, gotta get you ready..” You heard the merman speak, but the ringing in your ear didn’t help. His lips wrapped around a nipple, hand playing with the other. Simultaneously more of his tentacles wrapped themselves around your legs and arms, rubbing and squeezing at your appendages as the one still in your pussy pushed further in, kissing what felt like the entrance to your womb. You shrieked, clenching down hard on the tentacle with the immense amount of pleasure and  hint of pain you were feeling. “Fuckfuckfuck, Adrian,” You mumbled, hands holding onto his shoulders, “feels good in my pussy, a-aah fuck!” You cried, humping at the appendage. He kept his mouth busy with your chest, a tentacle letting go on an arm to kiss your clit with the small suction on the tip, rubbing at the nub and leaving it slimy. He’d suction to it and let go, imitating sucking on the quickly swelling bundle of nerves. “Want you like this forever, darling girl” he mused,  laving a tongue over your skin and leaving bites and love marks around your tits. His hands gripped at your hips, lips pressing against yours with a new fire lit. The tentacles working on your cunt were driving you to your climax, tentacle wrapped around your thigh pushing your leg farther apart. Alucard looked down at his added appendage fucking into you, and how juicy and wet you were. It was intoxicating, and he realized quickly he could have you like this more than he’d like to admit.

“Wanna feel you on me, darling.” He cooed, pushing the tentacle deeper in you and curling, acting almost like a large tongue licking inside your sloppy little cunt, smile curling on his face when he heard the squeal he was looking for, feeling you gush around him. The suction cups held the stickiness of your pussy, Alucard swiping at a few to taste your cum on his tongue. He moaned lowly, nearly angry at himself for not having your first orgasm be on his tongue. But there’d be so many after this time anyways, he didn’t have to worry, you’d be his forever. “Would you like a taste?” You nodded dumbly, limbs feeling like jello. You thought he’d kiss you, instead you had his tentacle shoved into you mouth, squirming around to taste your own mess in your mouth. Another immediate, albeit small shockwave hit your pussy, dripping down your legs with how turned on having his appendage in your mouth made you feel. Adrian swiped at your pussy, sucking up and licking as much of your cum as you’d give him, “Can’t believe you came again just by that.” Big words honestly for someone that was about ready to cum untouched with how hot you were. Most of his cock fit inside his body, length too long for his kind to have it floating out. He kept the first tentacle in your mouth, loving the way you sucked on it and didn’t let go. “Relax for me, darling girl.” He whispered, feeding his huge cock into your tight wet hole. You squealed around him, the head of his cock so big it already felt like you were being split apart. But it felt so fucking good having him filling you up like this, pushing and pushing at your walls until you were filled to the brim with his engorged cock. You mumbled around him, swiveling and bucking your hips on him, squirming. “Let’s keep you still so I don’t hurt you,” More of his tentacles held your limbs enough for you to not be able to move freely, one still suckling and teasing at your clit with another dipping in teasingly next to his cock, almost as if taunting you--as if you could ever have two of these things inside you at the same time.

Your eyes rolled back, cheeks bulging with the size of his tentacle, tears staining your face whenever the tip hit the back of your throat, Adrian wanted this to be romantic, he swears, but the way you sucked him in--the way you got excited with his tentacles touching you, it was so difficult to keep going like that. His primal instincts were kicking in hard, wanting to claim you fully in every way. His upper body leaned back to take in the sight of you being impaled over and over on his cock, seeing your creamy cunt swallow him up. Your pussy was so juicy, squelches reverberating off the walls of the cove. It was nearly as loud as your muffle moans, drool spilling from the corners of your mouth as your jaw stayed pried open. “Fuck, darling, nor gonna last like this.” He murmured, holding onto your hips once more to slam you down as deep as you could take him, fucking into you over and over until his tentacled cock spurted deep inside you. You swore you could feel his cum filling your stomach, your womb, filling all of you as the excess spilled around the edges no matter how plugged he had you. Adrian panted, slowly retracting his cock from your abused pussy, seeing how his cum dripped out of you in globs onto the floor. He removed his remaining tentacles, smoothing his hands over you and rubbing at your face, nuzzling his nose into yours and your cheek, kissing at you. “I’m sorry honey, I couldn’t help it, you looked so good.” He begged for forgiveness, weaving his fingers with yours.

You smiled, kissing him back with the strength you had, “honey, we can take it slow next time. We have all the time in the world.”

[pyreofsunflowers]

Craving Intamacy in a world of bloodshed. Must be hard. Pt 1 of. something. more to come soon. I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about this relationship.

I wrote a lil short to go along with this, under the cut, I recomend reading it for the full expirence. ( Discussions of sex, but nothing fully explicit yet.)

She toyed with the hem of the silky white nightgown. Her gaze fluttered between him and the floor — she was so nervous. He could feel it palpitating through their link, warm and shaky, matching the thumping of her heart. 

“Master…” the words fell from her lips like a feather floating gracefully to the ground. 

“What occasion merits such a beautiful little dress, police girl?” He asked, shamelessly dragging his gaze across her body. The sight of her — kneeling on his bed like a young, virginal bride — lit a hungry fire deep inside his belly, and spoke to the very male parts of him he kept locked away. 

“Well… I… I've just been thinking about, you know, the last time we were together like this,” a faint blush graced her cheeks. It seemed paradoxical, how she was here, presenting herself to him, and at the same time so shy about it. 

Alucard smiled as he remembered that day. Seras had made a home for herself in his room. Seeking him out for companionship, talking to him about her struggles and her feelings. Alucard didn't speak much during these sessions, he just sat across from her and listened to her open herself up and spill out each memory and thought out into open view. 

That was until recently. When she had crawled into his lap and rested her head on his shoulder, and snakes her little arms around his chest. Alucard, despite his mind screaming at him to not engage, couldn't help himself. Gently, he had cupped her small face in his spindly hand, tilting her head up to meet his gaze — and then he had kissed her. It was her first kiss, and oh how he savored it. She had enjoyed herself too, as quickly their hands tangled within locks of hair and slid under fabric, mouths opened to allow curious tongues and the scrape of teeth. Alucard quickly found himself on top of her, her curves wiggling and grinding against him. He intertwined his fingers with hers, and pulled away as their gazes met.

“Fuck me master.” She had breathed through kiss bruised lips, her face red and hot, her maroon eyes wide and glowing with lust.

But he didn't. For once in his life, Alucard had done the right thing. He sat back on his haunches and told her no. It had confused her, and he remembered the glimmer of hurt in her eyes as she had gone back to her quarters.

She had done a similar stunt the next day, and the next, each time she had managed to get him to go a little farther. Touching her naked breasts, letting her paw at his erection through his pants, but each time Alucard had found the will to tell her no. To stop before he did something stupid. Before he did something to hurt her.

But it seems Seras had had enough of his caution — and was dipping her toes into waters far, far too deep for her.  Alucard sighed, and sat on the bed next to her. He hovered a gloved hand over hers, before retracting the limb and looking away from her. This only served to confuse the girl, as he felt her staring emptily at him, and shift closer to his body.

“Master…” She said, “are… Are you not attracted to me?” 

The question took Alucard off guard. Part of him couldn't believe how she could think such a thing. She was so beautiful, and that's what made it so dangerous for her to do this. He gnawed at his lower lip.

“I find you very attractive, Seras.”

He felt her aura flare with warmth as he used her real name. 

“Then why haven't you. Well. You know. Taken my virginity?”

Alucard had gotten himself into a place he very much didn't want to be in. His heart thumped in his chest and he felt his mouth dry up — was he nervous? He felt an overwhelming desire to leave, but he couldn't. It was his duty, after all, to tell her the truth about this — lest he ruin it forever and drive away the only woman he's ever loved. 

He turned his head back to meet her expectant gaze, “There are a lot of things you aren't ready for, police girl. There are many things about me that you don't know.”

Seras reaches her hands out to clasp his wrists, nervously, he allowed her to pull his large hands towards her chest. She said nothing, simply holding his hands in hers

He took that as a cue to explain further. “I am attracted to you, Seras. More than you realize. I want…. I desperately want to give you what you ask for. But I can't. You aren't ready. “

“What do you mean I'm not ready? Master… master, I'm a virgin, not a little girl.” She blushed, and her shoulders hunched inwards. “I… I can handle having sex.” she muttered, so afraid to speak.

“It's not that simple, police girl.”

She went quiet, her grip around his hands softening. He peered into her mind, and was met with an overwhelming crash of swirling, conflicting emotions and anxieties. Alucard gnawed on the inside of his cheek. Desperately trying to think of any way to make this better.

“I'm not human, my dear.” He finally settled on after what felt like hours of deliberation, “I'm nothing like a mortal man. You haven't seen the entirety of who I am, you aren't ready to. If…” he paused, and found his gaze dropped straight to the thin layer of white lace that held her large breasts. She had inched closer to him, to where he could feel each rapid exhale as her chest fell. Electricity jolted through his dead bones, the proximity was tantalizing — the cherry-almond smell of her body wash threatened to choke him, the way her skin shimmered called out for him to kiss and worship every part of her. To bite and drink her dry, to hold until dark bruises blossomed under his touch, to watch her bleed, to break her slow- 

“If what, master?”

Her voice pulled him from his fantasies, and he swallowed dryly. “If… if I have sex with you. I will hurt you.”

“Master… I don't believe you. I trust you, master. You've… you've taken such good care of me. You've been so kind to me. I mean. Just the fact that you're so worried about hurting me…. Doesn't that kinda show you won't?”

Alucard paused, wrestling with himself in his mind. He wanted to tell her she was right, to crash his lips against her throat and to pin her perfect body beneath him. He wanted to take her, to brutalize her in every way imaginable — her openness, her willingness, it all fueled this dark fire. But he couldn’t — he knew he would fuck it up, go too far, push her too much. He would leave her broken, leave her sore — and she would hate him for it. He said nothing, and moved to turn away from her gaze. But in a shocking moment of bravery — Seras kissed him before he could. It was a slow, gentle kiss — one full of trust, of something beyond lust. How foolish she was.

Alucard melted into the kiss, and placed a shaking grasp on her shoulders. Seras slid into his lap,   cupping his face with her small hands. She pulled away, and smiled as crimson blush flowered on her cheeks, gaze dropping to the floor.

“Master… I… I want to please you. I always do. I want to please you in every way. A-and…. Well. You're a man, you… You have your needs. And since y-you're attracted to me and all I… I want to… I wanna help you with that, I want to make you happy and… I want to be a good fledging a…. A good girl. Please… Master… Use my body…”

“Seras…” Was all he was able to choke out through the burning, throbbing urge in his mind to let loose all the fantasies, all the urges he had built up and bottled up since he had lost her a hundred years ago. 

“Master… Alucard… Please, I… I feel so useless, not being ready to drink blood… Not being effective in battle… I don’t wanna be a failure to you… At least, at least use my body. It’s… It’s all I can give to you. I… I can learn to take you, I want to do this… Please.”

Alucard gulped, damn her stubborn soul. She knew exactly what to say to get him going, which wasn’t helped by the fact that she was sitting on his lap — pressing those perfect breasts up against his chest; filling his senses with her sweet scent of cherry blossoms and almond oil; hovering the wet heart of her bare core above his hardening manhood. It was too much for him, her begging had caused the final crack to split in his common sense. Damn the chance of hurting her, damn the punishment he’d face from Integra, damn it all. He had waited too long for this, he needed her — just as she needed him.

[your-enby-antihero]

It's Okay to feel Betrayed Sometime (Even as a Punk Rock)

Look, look, look I might have hoped for FCG to be more concerned about Ashton when they were separated. I love Love Letters, it is simply adorable but I'm an Ashton Greymoore kinnie and I have abandonment issues so :p. Anyway, I also think Deanna and Ashton should get to be drinking buddies. 

Also on ao3

Ashton is a little bitter about how they reunited with FCG, and Deanna tries to comfort. They mostly yell.

——————————————————————————

Ashton was bitter, okay maybe bitter was the wrong word. Angry was more like it, maybe a little defeated, maybe a little scorned, possibly a bit sad. It isn’t like they haven’t been left behind before, fucking hell he has the hole in their head to prove it. Ashton just expected a little more excitement when he reunited with Fresh Cut Grass. When you spend multiple months being teammates and protecting someone and making sure that they don’t go fucking murderous rage bot on the populace of Jrusar you’d think they’d be more worried about you when you get separated at a fucking world-ending event. But unlike the fucking romance novel that was Imogen and Laudna running to each other with the shimmery shojo manga filter overlaying it. Ashton and FCG didn’t even speak a word to each other until FCG started talking about the Changebringer. Maybe Ashton was jealous, not of Imogen and Laudna that was a whole different bag, maybe closer to how Fearne and Orym had reunited. The way that Ashton saw Orym’s eyes light up when he saw the small animal that had scurried back to the table filled with the Hells. Orym who hadn’t really been sleeping, Orym who really hadn’t sighed a sad smile in the past few days, Orym who Ashton had been keeping on “going off the deep end” watch. Even Chetney had been more excited to see Ashton. Ashton had been glancing over to the yellow and cyan aeormaton, but their glowing eyes seemed more focused on the new rose gold and emerald frame in the room. It was fine, they weren’t jealous, Ashton didn’t feel like they had lost a close friend. It wasn’t like Ashton hadn’t noticed that FCG had continuously drifted farther and farther from Ashton and that they’d once again be left behind. Ashton wasn’t deflecting by pretending to be offended by Prism calling Orym her “new best friend” no that was truly his actual literal offence for sure (he was lying).

Just as the groups had gotten ready to part ways Ashton felt a tug on the back of their jacket. Turning around, at a frankly very frightening speed, with fist ready to deck a motherfucker (look it's been very stressful and there had been a lot of bad shit recently can anyone fault Ashton for being fucking paranoid?) Ashton saw the small armoured gnomish woman who had introduced herself as Deanna.

“Hey buddy you doing okay,” she questioned.

Ashton was not one to be comforted, he was always the comfort, a literal rock in the lives of his people. He simply couldn’t just crack and let this total stranger worm her way into his very carefully guarded heart. They had always used anger as a defense, keeping even the closest people like an arm away.

“Fuck off,” they spat, throwing Deanna a bit backward as he was trying to move back down to the bar area.

Who was the Dawnfather chucklefuck to try and interrogate him about how he was feeling? But as he walked he felt a hard grip on their arm.

“Now listen here, I know what you might think of me but I can see you feel like Fresh Cut Grass is leaving you for FRIDA.”

“Fuck off I’m not talking to a priest of the fucking Dawnfather about my fucking business.”

“Listen to me for one fucking second. Look I know how that feels, how do you think it feels for me?! FRIDA is my best friend.”

“Great, glad for you! Fuck off.”

“Hey don’t- listen finally I get someone who genuinely cares about me after being fucking dead and suddenly they’re more concerned about a fucking stranger! Do you know how it feels to just lose everything?”

“No shit,” they huffed, hitting the glassy crystal on his head.

“Then get the stick out of your ass and stop bottling it up. It looks like you and your friends have been through a lot, didn’t the spooky ladies kill a man? You can’t be strong for everyone if you aren’t taking care of yourself!”

“Have you seen Orym? Or Laudna? Imogen? Fucking hell even Chetney. Fearne? Do you know who is after her? Hell, even Letters. They all have so much shit going on, I can deal with my shit on my own. Now. Fuck. Off.”

Deanna sighed sitting down at an empty table off in the corner and deconded Ashton over.

“Least I can do is offer you some company, even if you don’t talk about it right now.”

Ashton begrudgingly sat, arms crossed on the opposite side of the table.

“You drink,” Deanna asked, producing a large bottle of a certainly fucked up type of alcohol.

Ashton let out an exhausted laugh and took the offered bottle. They pulled out the most jank ass Taste of Tal'Dorei shot glass and poured some of the murky liquid into the glass and quickly shot it back.

They sat in amicable silence for a few minutes before finally, Ashton said, “So what the fuck is up with you and Chetney?”

[thistledown-au-warriors]

fire and ice - chapter 16

< Chapter 15 || Index || Chapter 17 >

“What are we doing today?” Blazing Cinder's voice sounded outside the den. Fire Heart blinked his eyes open and yawned. One of the downsides of being a young warrior - he and Gray Stripe slept right by the walls of the den.

“We're going on a tour around the territory with Black Leopard and Bright Flame.” He heard Sand Storm reply.

“Will we see the Thunderpath?” asked Blazing Cinder eagerly. By the constant sound of small steps, she must have been circling around. "Momma said it's full of scary fiery monsters that can fit whole Twolegs inside their bellies!"

“Uh, sure." Sand Storm replied, sounding caught off-guard. Fire Heart couldn’t help thinking the small molly would be disappointed when she saw what a dirty, stinking place it was. 

"What about a Twoleg ?" she asked.

"No Clan cat should want to see a Twoleg." Sand Storm replied with her voice strained, as if she spoke through gritted teeth. Fire Heart got to his paws and arched his back in a stretch. Two sets of steps padded closer. "Young apprentices are curious, Sand Storm." Black Leopard's voice sounded. "You better get used to it. Shall we go?"

Sand Storm had barely meowed a reply before a whirlwind of pawsteps sounded away. " Blazing Cinder ! Wait for me!" Sand Storm hissed, and Fire Heart heard her race after her apprentice. I'll be surprised if Sand Storm doesn't turn her into nest lining by the end of the day , he though.

The ginger tom stepped out of the den just in time to see Black Leopard and Bright Flame disappear into the fog. It wasn't as thick as it had been recently, but he still struggled to see them as more than shadowy blurs as the two mollies padded towards the gorse tunnel.

“What was that?” Gray Stripe’s voice wheezed behind him. He sat down beside Fire Heart, sneezed, and yawned.

“Just the new apprentices leaving for training.” Fire Heart looked at his friend. “You should be asleep." His friend should have gotten better by now. “Did you rest up yesterday?” he asked carefully.

“As much as I could between coughing and sneezing.” complained Gray Stripe.

“Then why weren’t you in your nest when I got back from hunting?”

“Do you think I get any peace and quiet in there?” Gray Stripe flicked his head back at the den. “Warriors trooping in and out all day! I found somewhere quieter, that’s all.” Fire Heart was about to ask where, but Gray Stripe spoke first. "I missed the ceremony last night. Who are the mentors?" 

Right . By the time the tom returned, the crowd must have been completely blocking the view. "Black Leopard, Mouse Fur, Mossy Patch and Sand Storm."

" Sand Storm ? Really?" Gray Stripe exclaimed. "She's barely a warrior!"

Fire Heart shrugged. "I guess it's because our training was more accelerated. She knows what it's like to get ready for a war."

"Well, it's not like we're going to war, with Broken Tail gone." Gray Stripe pointed out, sneezing.

Fire Heart shuffled farther away from his friend's breath. "Well, Blue Fur might be thinking there will be, with the way ShadowClan and and RiverClan are encroaching on our borders."

"What?" Gray Stripe had turned to lick his back, and now his tongue stuck out. "Since when?"

"What do you mean?" Fire Heart asked, baffled. "Everycat is talking about it. ShadowClan scent was found on our border, and same goes for RiverClan."

His friend frowned. "That's hardly an invasion, is it?" The tom meowed after some hesitation. "There's no reason to worry about RiverClan."

"There always is. You know how they want Sunningrocks."

Gray Stripe shrugged, seeming uncomfortable. He coughed, then meowed. "Well, anyway. I'm just glad there's new apprentices so we don't have to be stuck with apprentice duties anymore."

"Not like you did any." Dusty Earth growled behind them as he exited the warriors den. The brown tom glared at Gray Stripe. "You went swimming and now get to laze around all day. Misty Step coughed for a day and was all better, but you just sneeze and have us do all the work. Even Fire Heart acts less like a kittypet than you lately."

He got sick! What did you want him to do? , Fire Heart wanted to exclaim, but the brown tom was already trotting away with heavy steps. He sighed in frustration, and shot Gray Stripe a sympathetic glance. His friend stared after Dusty Earth, something steely glowing in his yellow eyes. 

The gray tom got to his his paws. "I have a headache. I'll see if Violet Fang has something for it. See you later." He murmured, then stalked away swiftly into the fog, not waiting for Fire Heart to reply.

Dismayed, he watched his friend disappear into the gloom. He hadn't seen Gray Stripe be so closed off since the night he returned from WindClan. Did he still resent him, after all? Or was he… lonely? Fire Heart lashed his tail. That was a mouse-brained reason to let himself stay sick! He hoped that Gray Stripe was indeed finding enough peace and quiet out of camp, and the length of his sickness was just leaf-bare bad luck. Sighing, he imagined that whatever lecture Violet Fang must be giving him about using up her herbs at that moment would help him realize he needed to work on getting better.

As pale sunlight began to slowly burn out the fog, Fire Heart made his way to the Twolegplace. After all that, he had to see Princess.

  ***

  Fire Heart yawned until his eyes watered as he padded across the clearing, stretching his muscles as he walked. He had been told he had a shift on night guard duty as soon as he got back from visiting Princess the previous day, as Mouse Fur had a cough and couldn't do it, and the chill of the night still sent exhaustion deep into his bones even after sleeping through the morning.

"Fire Heart?" A meow made him stop. When he turned around, he was surprised to see Sand Storm. Despite her confident stance, he could see from her eyes that she was tired. The four new apprentices had been training for a couple days now, and it seemed like not even Sand Storm was immune to the kind of hard work being a new mentor must be. Although, no one would really have an easy time training Blazing Cinder.

After some hesitation, he gave her a polite nod. She returned it, then went on. "Tiger's Claw asked me to take Blazing Cinder and another warrior on a hunting patrol to Tallpines. Do you want to come?"

"Me?" Fire Heart asked, eyes widening in surprise. He wouldn't imagine that Sand Storm would ever pick him specifically to go anywhere with her, especially with the way she'd been avoiding him since the gorge.

The ginger molly tipped her head to the side. "Unless you're busy?"

"Uh, no." He replied awkwardly. Suspicion then seeped into his mind. What if Tiger's Claw suspected of his visits to Twolegplace and was putting her up to this? "Why Tallpines? It's cold and foggy in there right now." This felt too similar to when the deputy sent him there on purpose as a test.

Her thin tailtip flicked. "Honestly, I'd rather have Sunningrocks, but Tiger's Claw isn't sending apprentices there now. You know, the RiverClan scents? The full moon is soon, seems like Blue Fur wants to wait and confront River Crooked Jaw about it next Gathering, unless we actually catch them hunting."

That made enough sense. With leaf-bare, Blue Fur probably wanted to avoid battle as much as possible, and the apprentices were definitely too young for a real fight right now. 

With thundering pawsteps, Blazing Cinder came running to Sand Storm's side, eyes shining and tail pointed up like a twig. "Aren't we going, Sand Storm?"

The warrior took a deep breath and exhaled through her teeth. "Yes, in a moment." She told her apprentice, then turned to Fire Heart. "So?" There was an air of pleading to her. The molly clearly needed someone else with her that day to help match Blazing Cinder's energy. He didn't really have a good reason not to go hunting with Sand Storm, if she wanted him to come.

Well, I guess it might as well be me , he decided. 

  Sand Storm and Fire Heart padded silently through the misty Tallpines, both feeling the instinctive ThunderClan warrior's discomfort at being in a place with no undergrowth to hide in anywhere. The springy layer of pine needles underpaw felt strangely soft after the frozen ground in the rest of the territory.

They stopped by one of the Treecut Place's monster's track marks, deep and frozen into the soil. It would be the only reminder of the large monster until greenleaf, when Treecut place would start up again. 

"Ugh, so prickly!" Blazing Cinder complained, shaking her feet as she walked.

"Hush!" Sand Storm turned around and hissed to her. "It's too open here, anything could hear you!"

The small gray molly scrunched up her nose defiantly. "I've been quiet the whole way here!"

"That's not really true, is it?" Sand Storm hissed back, green eyes narrowed.

Blazing Cinder gasped. "I don't lie!"

Fire Heart looked between the two of them, shifting uncomfortably. Had these two been butting heads like this the whole time? No wonder Sand Storm looked exhausted. Still, this whole thing seemed highly unproductive.

"So, uhm…" He began awkwardly, trying to change their focus somehow. "How's Blazing Cinder's hunting form?"

After glancing at him, Sand Storm sat down and looked at Blazing Cinder. "Show us your hunting crouch."

Immediately, the small cat dropped low to the ground. Fire Heart padded closer and sat beside Sand Storm as Blazing Cinder slowly made her way forward, brows furrowed with too much focus. He could see that her form was off - her paws were rustling on the dry pine needles, and her weight was poorly divided. He kept his mouth shut, however, and glanced at Sand Storm. The molly kept watching for a few heartbeats, then leaned closer to her apprentice.

"Your paws are making too much noise, tuck them closer to your body as you walk forward." She swatted a leaf that was stuck to Blazing Cinder's fluffy tail, then poked her haunches with her tail. "Focus your weight here - don't raise your tail!" The apprentice somehow scrunched up her face even more as she corrected her stance, making Fire Heart's whiskers twitch in amusement. Is she trying to look like Violet Fang?

After a few moments, Sand Storm finally seemed satisfied with Blazing Cinder's much quieter stalking. "Okay, go see if you can catch me a mouse. Remember, they sense you before they smell you." She meowed as the apprentice bounced away excitedly, although much more quietly this time.

Once Blazing Cinder was out of sight, Sand Storm sat down heavily. "I'll be kit-sitting this whole hunting trip, won't I." She mumbled.

He felt a flash of sympathy. "I'll keep an ear out for her too." Fire Heart promised.

Sand Storm sighed and closed her eyes. "Thanks." She murmured. Fire Heart got to his paws and considered going off to hunt, but hesitated.

"Aren't you being too harsh with her?" He ventured.

"I have to be firm with her." She replied, opening her eyes. "Blazing Cinder needs explicit direction, or she just- The other day she ran headfirst into Snakerocks! If I wasn't fast, an adder could've bit her!"

Fire Heart sat down again, trying to keep the horror away from his face at the thought. An adder bite could easily spell death for a small cat such as Blazing Cinder faster too quickly for any cat to try rescuing her. "She seems very…" He hesitated, searching anxiously for the right word. "... eager ."

"I think you mean reckless ." Sand Storm meowed, a growl edging her voice. "I wonder if Blue Fur was trying to humble me or something. I mean, did you see Bracken Leaf? That apprentice will be a breeze to train." 

Fire Heart quickly looked around to make sure the small gray molly hadn't returned. "That… wouldn't be fair, though. To either of you. Blue Fur believes you two to be a good match, she wouldn't have made this choice otherwise." He meowed. Although he couldn't understand how she trusted Tiger's Claw so fiercely, he still respected his leader's choices, and he knew that Sand Storm was indeed a great warrior.

The pale ginger warrior seemed like she would say something, but stopped, and cast her eyes to the ground in front of her paws. "Fire Heart… I'm sorry." She said suddenly.

His ears went up. "What for?"

"You know what for." She meowed sharply, then sighed. She raised her head to meet his eyes, her face serious. "I've never been nice to you. That was unfair of me. You're my clanmate, and… a decent cat. I'm sorry."

He stared at her, speechless. Fire Heart would never have expected to hear any type of apology from Sand Storm. First asking him to come hunt with him, and now this? He couldn't help but feel warmth spreading from his chest. "Thanks, Sand Storm. That means a lot." He managed to say after a while. She nodded in return, face still serious.

They stayed in silence for a moment, still looking at each other, when a scuttling in the pine needles sounded coming their direction. Blazing Cinder was marching towards them, head raised proudly as a small mouse hung from her jaws. She stomped happily as she placed her fresh-kill by Sand Storm's paws. "I caught the mouse!" Blazing Cinder announced, eyes shining.

"Good catch." Fire Heart told her. The mouse was small and scrawny, and wouldn't do much to feed an adult cat, but she had still managed to track and catch a mouse despite the still misty air among the pine trees with a couple days of training. The gray molly cheerfully thanked him, but clearly was waiting for her mentor to praise her. He side eyed the sand-colored molly, also wondering how she would react. A strict mentor willing to scare their apprentice into obedience, like Tiger's Claw, would be highly disappointed with such a catch. 

Sand Storm bent down and sniffed the fresh-kill. "Indeed. We can make a fine hunter out of you yet." She meowed, making Blazing Cinder beam. "Come, I'll show you how to save that for later, and we can catch more prey." The warrior beckoned the other molly, reminding her to keep her steps light as the apprentice followed.

Fire Heart followed them, keeping his senses open to prey. As the mollies hid the mouse under some pine needles, he smiled. Sand Storm would find a way to get along with Blazing Cinder, and perhaps, he could get along with her as well.

[aphroditesacolyte]

Meryl and Diosia P22

Ch 22. // When We Were Young (P2) // Read on AO3

Masterpost

Summary: Terrible are the accidents of the past.

Content warnings: character death/murder, not just themes of fear and anxiety/horror just downright terror, please read at your own discretion, thank you!

~Approx word count: 1,621 words

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Seven years ago

It felt as if the world might’ve congealed around him, thick and slow to trudge through despite how vigorously Bondi moved, unable to keep up with the distant crowd of merfolk. Luckily, however, the one that he was after trailed much further behind, much closer in reach. He could tell that Meryl was getting tired with each stroke that brought them closer to Naigale’s cave. If all went well, Meryl would stay at the back of the group, and he could easily tug him out of harm’s way.

What Bondi knew now, however, was that nothing went well that day.

The sky and waves were unobjectionable to their hunt, a starkly casual presence looming over the depths of the water. It was an unnatural tone when contrasted to the day’s events—off-putting. To compliment this off-putting tone, everyone at once stopped, beginning to swirl around. Here the party swarmed, and he watched as they turned to sharks—Meryl a meek figure curled in amongst the group’s edge. As much as he loved his friend, it was a slightly humorous talent that he could make even the metallic spear he held look friendly, holding it akin to how someone would shyly hold a bouquet of flowers.

Bondi crawled across the ocean’s floor and peered amongst the stray jagged rocks and kelp, gauging his opportunity to tear his friend away from the crowd. Whatever they were saying, he couldn’t hear, and nor did he need to hear it to understand. From an odd blur of recent memory and what he saw before him, he realized exactly where they were. They were at the entrance of Naigale’s cave.

The group pushed back, moving around the entrance. From their movement, Meryl was pushed even farther away from him, and they all formed a wide circle around the hole sunken into the floor.

His body became tense as a familiar merman pushed out from the crowd, hovering over the cave. Conleth’s stance was composed—confident—and Bondi could barely register what that composed mer had done just a second later. All at once Conleth’s head dipped down and his tail pointed to the surface, and the next moment he was gone. No one gestured to rescue him.

It was a part of the plan.

They had set their hooks, their butchering knives, and casted out their lines; and, to his horror, Bondi now realized his very own kind was to be used as bait.

Some power froze him there, turning him to nothing more than witness to everything as a pit opened up in his stomach, a sinkhole to all his bravery. He couldn’t move. The hole became greater and greater, until his body trembled and his fingers twitched in a wretched bile of anticipation, waiting—hoping—for Conleth to reappear.

A mer peered over the edge, an impatience that suggested questioning. Everyone looked as if they were questioning, as if they weren’t so sure Conleth still breathed. He flinched as kelp brushed up against him, and still they sat in wait.

It was so sudden—a moment before the world could’ve almost been called peaceful.

Conleth bursted up from the cave, and instantly the water held a red tint. Adrenaline sapped all else from his body, and so all he could do was watch as a blurry figure burst up after him. They grappled, filling the water with violent crimson splotches as Conleth tried to scramble away. The group curved up like a wave and crashed down on Naigale, and in the new frenzy all Bondi could do was stare.

His mind begged him to move—move even just one muscle towards Meryl, but he couldn’t.

He was trapped.

In the mess he saw that Conleth had gotten away, only partially. While he was no longer Naigale’s focus, the brief time they had shared together showed all over Conleth’s body. He might’ve been missing an eye, for his face was so horrifyingly torn apart, and his body was similar. Marks as abundant as the wrinkling of skin covered Conleth all over, and his fins had been shredded apart.

Bondi surged forward by some force of instinct—maybe pushed by how appalled or frightened he was—headed right for Meryl. “MERYL!”

He realized his mistake far too late as a dozen eyes set upon him, although no pairs lingered on him—save for one, slitted and predatory. He froze, staring back at Naigale for a moment, his heartbeat suddenly untraceable. Then, to his relief, someone made a strike for Naigale’s face, and quickly Bondi wriggled out of their gaze.

As he stroked towards Meryl, their eyes burned themselves into his skull, an image repeating again and again. Danger tingled along his spine. Much like Meryl, his gaze shifted between the siren and his friend, until both seemed to blur into one. Just before he was in reach, however, someone slammed against him.

He cried out in agony as the pain split his body in half, the kind of pain that would’ve crushed him if he hadn’t tried to swim away. From the merfolk that has been thrown into him, a gap had opened in the formation, a catalyst to the tragedy that was to occur.

He swam up, away from the merman he had collided with, and Meryl swam towards him, wielding his spear to the side so that it wouldn’t pierce Bondi. At this same time, Naigale seized their opportunity to escape, slinging themself towards the surface. What not one of the three of them had expected, however, was for Meryl’s father to plunge after the siren, yanking Naigale downwards.

The water turned purely, truly crimson red around his friend, and he cried out again in panic and fear that he had lost Meryl. Meryl cried out, too, albeit for a much different reason. He watched as Meryl struggled and writhed, and quickly rushed over to help, pulling him away from what he thought was an assailant. His body jolted in disgust as even he felt the spear slide out of something—something that wasn’t him, and something wasn’t Meryl, either.

In the clouded water he saw Meryl’s father pull away, almost unscathed, and the truth of the situation hit him. Naigale no longer swam. Their being floated in the water, the very last of their tension siphoned from their body as the spear’s head made its way out of their chest. Their limbs had gone limp, and life had drained from their face.

The world became silent as they sunk along with the spear Meryl had dropped. They sunk further and further, and all anyone could do was watch. Meryl jolted in his grasp, trying to follow after Naigale, but somehow, Bondi was strong enough to forbade it.

He watched, terrified, as Naigale only sunk and sunk, their wings drifting after them in a graceful, bidding poise. A feeling of dread lingered inside of him as he stared at those wings, now laminated with the strangest of blues, until finally Naigale hit the ocean floor. The sand parted for them and seemed to swallow them up, until finally the siren was well and truly gone.

“Good job,” Poseider spoke, pulling everyone back from their disarrayed trance. “I wasn’t expecting you to get the killing blow, Meryl, but I’m proud.”

Meryl curled into him, influencing Bondi to hug him back tightly.

“Bondi,” Conleth spoke, suddenly. He looked over to the mer—perhaps one of the worst looking beings still here and alive—and his heart skipped a beat in an ongoing rhythm of dread. “I’m not sure why you came, but I’d like for you to come back with me. Sirens often come in pairs—we were lucky this one wasn’t with its partner. It’d be safer for you in case the other shows up.”

Conleth looked over to Meryl, gently. “Meryl, you may also come with me, unless Poseider wishes otherwise.”

Meryl’s father questioned, gruffly, “You don’t want to celebrate, Meryl?”

How could you rejoice for death? Bondi allowed a venomous disdain to flow in through the glare in his eyes.

“I-I-I’ll celebrate with Bondi first.” Meryl murmured, somehow concealing most of his emotion. Luckily the triton he abhorred so greatly came to settle for this just fine, and they trailed back to safety with Conleth.

Looking over what had happened that day, Bondi understood very well how it felt for Meryl. However, despite its terribleness, it only solidified something in Bondi. He understood what he knew of sirens to be true—they enchanted merfolk based on their sexuality, they were violent, powerful creatures made to kill, and if from hell they came, then it was to hell that they naturally returned.

They sunk and were taken by the ground because that’s where they belonged; however, sometimes he recalled Naigale’s sympathetic eyes and pondered what was so true about sirens, and what was such a myth. Were sirens demons?

And then, seven years later, someone was able to prove much more to be true. Yes, sirens were vicious hunters—killers that played by no rules but their own, and all he had to be thankful for was that Naigale’s rules—unlike Diosia’s—had been a much more ethical way of going about things.

Yes, Diosia confirmed all the rest of his suspicions. They were creatures of the night by heart, they were clever and obsessive, they were hell-bound on culling whatever life they could, and yes, they certainly came in pairs, for whenever Bondi saw Diosia he knew so very well that there it was—something so clear to him, a simple and yet vivid connection.

When he looked at Diosia he saw it—the other half of Naigale’s severed pair.

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[bokutoslittlebird]

一徹

Oikawa x reader x Iwaizumi

Author’s Note : 一徹 means “dauntless” and “obstinate,” which is what you get by combining Hajime and Tōru. ; this is supposed to be a fic but it’s more like a drabble honestly ; this is the spreader bar I used as reference

Warnings : noncon, somnophilia, sex toys [spreader bar, cuffs, mentions of a collar], mentions of pregnancy, breeding, drugs/drugging, yandere themes, implied cum eating, dacryphilia, choking, asphyxiation

Your unconscious body happens to be heavier than Oikawa expected, yet still manageable as he places you on the mattress. It’s below his house, in the cold basement, but it’s the only place you can go without suspicions arising. Most of the basement floor was empty, save for the mattress and the spreader bar that would keep you nice and spread. Leaning back and admiring you had his adrenaline levels lowering, the thrill of dragging you here slowly seeping from him.

Watching you, Oikawa focused on the rise and fall of your chest, the steady rhythm calming himself down. It was an effort to get you unguarded, your instincts telling to avoid him. Ever since his eyes locked with yours the first day of his high school days, something told him things would be different. When you became the manager of the volleyball club, you got to learn about the real side of him, never acting like his other fangirls. This made his heart twitch, his longing for you fester into something dark and sinister the day you rejected his advances.

Yet, his less than innocent desire for you was joined by a dear friend of his. Iwaizumi also had a small crush on you, but he could never confess to you. How could he? When you turn away Oikawa, it put a damper on Iwaizumi’s own longing for you. Oikawa knew his best friend better than anyone and Iwaizumi knew Oikawa better than anyone else. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with; their goal was obstinate, nothing could come and stop the gears from the motion they’ve begun.

A groan from your form had Oikawa almost jumping out of his skin, too lost in his own memories and thoughts. The memory of his talk with Iwaizumi is fresh in his mind, the thought of finally fulfilling his dark desire and getting something even more out of it having his restraint withering away. Iwaizumi wouldn’t be able to join you two for quite some time, his own university classes already have begun. Oikawa would take the semester off, focusing on honing his volleyball skills until his trip to Argentina was due.

With you unconscious, Oikawa took it upon himself to strip you out of your clothes. He wasn’t a fiend, he wouldn’t leave you bare in the shivering cold basement. No, he has a recently bought dress, baby blue and silky, specifically tailored to your size. The dress is a halter top, easy to slide on you and it gives easy access to your chest and the goods between your legs. Having the dress situated on your body, he gets to work with putting your wrists and ankles in the spreader bar. He thought about getting a collar for you, but he decided he’d have another way of claiming ownership over you.

Looking at you, completely knocked out thanks to the drug and vulnerable, your puffy cunt exposed to his darkened eyes, it finally shred the last bit of his restraint. He’s sure Iwaizumi wouldn’t be too mean, he should be able to understand the overwhelming desire that Oikawa holds for you. Moving himself between your legs, he notices how dry you are. Despite taking advantage of you and drugging you without consent, he isn’t as mean as to stick it in dry. He wants your cunt absolutely drooling over his cock by the time he sinks into you.

Putting two fingers into his mouth, he coats them in his saliva before pushing them past your folds. You’re so tight around him, even in your sleep, he momentarily wonders if you’ll take him in. Soft moans come from your lips, whines following them as he continues to pump two fingers into you. Once he finds your juices coating his fingers, he pushes in a third one. The stretch is almost too much, his fingers spreading and pumping into you as you fight the effects of the drug. He’s not stupid, he’s well aware that you’ll probably be waking up soon. He doesn’t plan on having some bullshit excuse, he will be completely honest with you.

Removing his fingers from your heat, he laps at the juices coating them. It’s not as much as he was expecting to get from you, but he just shrugs it off. That’s not the focus, it’s just to help ease the pain. His eyes watch your face, the scrunch of your nose as your eyes flutter open, most likely blurry and hazy as he frees his cock from his pants. The exercise pants don’t hold his erection back very well, it is quite obvious. Watching confusion run across your face and then horror and fear replace it as your eyes land on him... he finds himself enjoying it much more than he should.

“Oikawa, what’re you-”

“You should get used to calling me Tōru, dear,” he cuts you off, a sickening grin stretching across his face. “After tonight, we’ll be much closer than before,”

“No, stop!”

“You don’t get to decide that. I’ve waited three long years for this, I’m not going to stop now. I’ve listened and respected your boundaries, but now,” he rubs his cock against your folds, a shivering going up his spine once he does, “you’re all mine. You’ll be all mine, forever. Iwa-chan will be joining us soon, so let’s have some fun together, hm?”

Pushing into you is easier said than done. Even with the added slick that his fingers created, you’re squeezing him so tightly. A whispered ‘fuck’ escapes him, groans following as he rocks his hips into you. Your screams echo off the walls of the basement, but they do little to stop him. It’s painful for now, but he knows you’ll find pleasure in it soon enough. He stops halfway in, letting your walls spread to accompany the rest of him as he runs his hands over the skin of your thighs. Tears stream down your face, whimpers telling him to stop, but he just finds you even more beautiful than before. His momentary stillness has you relaxing a bit, possibly because you think he’s listening to you. Another sinister smile and he shoves the rest of him into you, eyes rolling back as he bottoms out.

More screams come out, tears steady as a stream sliding down your face, but the momentary pleasure and adrenaline from hearing and seeing them has passed. A small growl comes from his throat as his hand latches onto your throat. The sudden movement has you gasping, the pressure too much as you find your oxygen limited. “Shut up, why don’t you? Nobody’s gonna save your ass.” He gets more tears in return, but he doesn’t care.

Rocking his hips, he finds your walls easing up around his cock until your juices have coated it. Another grin paints across his handsome face as he rears his hips back and slams them into you, you gasping from the force and intensity of the thrust. It’s only the beginning, however, as he continues to move his hips back and forth and slam his hips into yours. The skin slapping sounds join in with his grunts and your moans, gargled as well as your screams from his hand. More pressure is put on your throat as he picks up his pace.

The rocking and rolling of his hips against you has your toes curling, your body losing itself in the pleasure. His grunts fill your ears and mind, only focusing on those two things as he chases his own end. The scruff of shoes against the concrete floor doesn’t even register, your eyes rolling as Oikawa comes to his end with a moan. A small whine comes from his throat, a warm liquid filling your insides and a haze filling your mind. The afterglow only lasts a moment, your senses returning to earth once the sound of clapping echoes around the room.

“A great show, Oikawa, but I could do better,” Iwaizumi says, his signature frown in place. His words quickly shatter the hope you had of him helping you, finding that your old friends are darker than you ever thought possible.

“Well, then show me, Iwa-chan,” his voice pitches in tone, almost mocking like, as he uses Iwaizumi’s nickname. A quick flick of his head has Oikawa removing himself from you, a soft whine as he leaves you. His seed oozes out, plopping onto the mattress below. Iwaizumi takes his place, but he keeps his eyes on yours as he does. Sticking his tongue out, he slides it along his thumb and fingers, keeping his gaze locked with yours, making it more sensual than it should.

“You should focus on the pleasure of her, not yourself,” he says to Oikawa, even though his focus is still on you. You find yourself unable to break the trance, only able to do so as your eyes roll back. The orgasm that was never gotten starts again, the buildup as Iwaizumi’s fingers thrust into you. Oikawa’s sopping mess of his cum makes it easy to slip three fingers in, his thumb pressing into your clit and rubbing the sensitive bundle of nerves. A scream is ripped from your throat, but it’s not one of fear nor pain — it’s of pleasure. It’s not long until you’re gushing around Iwaizumi’s fingers, Oikawa’s seed gushing out as you do. His gasp sounds so far away, your high of release finally letting your walls relax. Iwaizumi smiles at that, fingers rubbing against your walls.

“See, look at that. She’s more at ease now because of the orgasm. You should take this as a learning experience, Oikawa,”

“Oh, Iwa-chan. For a virgin, you do know a lot about sex,” Oikawa giggles, hand over his mouth as Iwaizumi’s face blares red. He pushes down the embarrassment, turning back to you laid out before him.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t want my first time to suck,” his murmur is so low, you barely hear it over the pounding heartbeat in your ears. The sensation of something once more nudging your entrance has your toes curling, knowing it’s Iwaizumi’s cock this time. Pushing his head in, the flared mushroom tip stretches you farther than Oikawa’s did. The pain has you screaming once more, tears screwed shut as tears slip out. “Watch closely,”

“Yes, sir!” Oikawa practically bounces over to the two of you, leaning over to watch Iwaizumi sinking into you. Oikawa’s cum gushes around Iwaizumi’s cock, the girth of the appendage being too much for you. But he doesn’t solely focus on that, instead he pushes his thumb against your clit once more, rubbing it in circles and flicking it. The rattling of metal fills both their senses, Oikawa’s hands moving up to stop you from accidentally hurting one of them.

It’s almost a miracle, watching your eyes roll back and tongue loll out with a brief roll of Iwaizumi’s hips against you. You’re so sensitive now, Iwaizumi shows Oikawa, before he begins to thrust into you. While Oikawa holds onto the bar and your leg, Iwaizumi’s free hand moves to your other leg. The position has him able to freely see your face while also being able to see your body. Each jolt of pleasure has you shivering, your breasts and body bouncing with each thrust. Although he can’t pin you down and drill himself into you, he finds himself picking up the pace as grunts and groans slip from his mouth.

The way Oikawa practically humps your leg has you wondering if he’s unable to have patience for his turn or if he wishes he was you. Unable to think properly for long, your mind soon focuses on how well Iwaizumi fills you up and the feeling of his heavy balls slapping against your ass, slick with cum and your own fluid. A much more ferocious growl from Iwaizumi has you mewling, legs tensing and a shiver running through you as you squeeze around him, another orgasm ripped from you. The feeling of being full fills your walls once again, Iwaizumi’s groan accompanying it as his seed fills you up. It’s just as heavy and hot as Oikawa’s, sputtering out around the sides of his cock and out of your hole.

A groan, softer this time, comes from him as he pulls out. His limp cock is still as impressive as it was when it was hard, thick and long. Oikawa smiles at him, his own milky fluid splattering across your leg and stomach seconds later as he finishes with a moan. Heavy breathing fills the room, the only thing in the room, until Iwaizumi breaks it.

“Eat it out of her. Then, you can try again,”

[writertitan]

Grandfather Clock (III)

pairing: levi x f!reader

word count: 7068 (oops)

themes:  adult f!reader, arranged marriage, multi-part fic, levi is a stubborn asshole at first, no love at first sight here folks

a/n: the final part!! enjoy!!!

Read Part 1 Here

Read Part 2 Here

On the 20th day of Levi’s engagement to you, he found himself tense, frowning, and sitting across a less than pleased Erwin, right in the commander’s office. 

Erwin sat at his desk, deep discontent written all over his face, with his arms folded tightly across his broad chest. 

Levi knew the scolding was coming and cursed himself in his head for being so careless. He hadn’t really meant too much by it. Mike had just been asking him how things were going as they walked down the hall together and the words had just tumbled out. Levi didn’t like talking about his personal life in general, mostly because he had hardly had one prior to getting engaged, but now he was extra wary. 

“Not much to tell. Just thankful she agreed not to have an actual wedding and to prolong it as long as possible.” 

That was all he’d said and he’d said it with a tone of finality that Mike understood well. It was the tone that warned not to push it any farther. 

It was just Levi’s luck that Erwin had rounded the corner as the words left him. The commander had bristled as he processed what Levi had said and then blurted out that he needed to see the shorter man immediately, in his office. 

Levi had never seen Mike hurry off so quickly before. 

And now here he was, tense and waiting for Erwin to lash out at him. 

The words came moments later, but Levi didn’t get yelled at, which made him feel worse. Erwin was quiet, stern, and very open with his disappointment. 

“Is it true? You really asked that of her?” 

“Yes,” Levi sighed, running a hand over his tired face. “I did.” 

“You didn’t even consult me about it. Levi, I hope you know I’m trying to grant you as much freedom as I can in this situation, but this was out of line. I’m sorry, but you don’t have that kind of say.” 

Erwin’s words made Levi wince a little, but he tried to keep a stoic face. He could see that the commander was waiting for him to say something, but Levi didn’t quite know what to say. 

He thought of you for a moment, and thought about how confused he’d been lately, and then looked at Erwin with a hint of a frown. 

“You’ve hardly given us any freedom,” he blurted out, and then cursed himself yet again. He’d used the word “us” instead of “me” and he knew that Erwin would catch wind of that. 

He did, and he even seemed to soften up a bit, raising a brow curiously. 

And then Erwin used you as ammunition. 

“You’ve stripped away any semblance of choice left for her by making her agree to your terms. She has even less freedom than you. Is that what you wanted?” Erwin asked, but the question was more rhetorical than anything. 

Levi’s frown grew deeper. His mind went back to you, how broken you’d looked when he’d said he didn’t want a wedding day, and how he wanted to wait as long as possible to actually be married. And then his mind took him to that day you were feeling unwell, and how that same broken expression appeared when he’d gotten upset with you. 

His chest grew heavy when he realized he had helped in breaking you. 

And even worse, he hadn’t gone back to visit you after that day, when you had fainted. It had spurred too many mixed emotions in him and he had wanted the space to clear his head. And you had confirmed you were still unwell in your most recent letter to him from yesterday. 

But maybe you were lying. Maybe Levi had broken you so much that you wanted to start keeping your distance from him. 

That’s what he wanted, right? 

Is that what you wanted?

Erwin’s unanswered question echoed in his mind. 

If that was what he’d wanted, why did he feel this way, so horrible, after being called out by Erwin? 

“I just don’t know what to do,” Levi finally said, unable to meet Erwin’s gaze. 

Erwin hummed and sat back in his chair, arms now unfolded as he looked at Levi. The conversation had gone way beyond Levi’s little mistake. As much as he wanted to help his friend, there was a reason Erwin had been wandering the halls. He had, in fact, been searching for Levi. And he had, in fact, been wanting to discuss the topic of you. It had been mere coincidence that Erwin had caught Levi’s confession. 

“Talk to her,” Erwin said, eyes on Levi, who was still looking anywhere but at him. “And I’d suggest going today. There was a reason I’ve been looking for you.” 

At that, Levi flickered his eyes to Erwin, a hint of curiosity in them. And, dare Erwin say, even a little bit of worry hid behind the silver. 

“Well, spit it out,” Levi said, already making to stand up. “What happened? Is something wrong?” 

Erwin also stood up, slowly and deliberately, and didn’t know how to answer that. 

“There’s been some...civil unrest recently. Some of the working class citizens have been getting riled up because of some recent unfortunate events with the upper class,” Erwin explained, watching carefully for Levi’s reaction. “Some of my intel has told me there’s talk of a few riots being planned.” 

“What kind of ‘unfortunate events’ are you talking about?” Levi pressed, arms at his side with hands clenched into fists. This didn’t sound good. 

“Seems like your fiancee’s father has been in some bad business deals that affected a lot of his workforce. And he’s got quite the workforce, if you remember,” Erwin murmured, looking a little thoughtful as he tried to gage Levi’s reaction. “I was looking for you to tell you that I’d like for you to go and check on things. I’m not sure how extreme the situation is.” 

Levi was already halfway out of the office and didn’t bother to answer. He was, without a doubt, upset. 

Upset that Erwin didn’t let him know about this immediately. 

Upset that it would take a while to get to you. 

And, curiously, he was upset that he was upset. What the hell was going on with him? 

-

In your parlor room, you were curled up on the sofa and reading your favorite book. It took all your willpower to try not to think about how, just a few days ago, Levi had touched those very same pages. 

He’d kept his distance since then, though you had certainly had some part in that by sending him a note to say you were still sick. It wasn’t true at all and you’d felt almost back to normal the next day, but you couldn’t really face Levi yet. Despite forgiving him and allowing yourself to have a little bit of hope that things would turn out okay for the two of you, it was obvious that Levi was still on the fence with you, and had a very specific opinion about who you were despite not getting to know you. 

You were using this time away from him to think of ways to show him that you weren’t that way at all, and that his impression of you was, truthfully, completely off the mark. 

As the grandfather clock sounded off at noon, it brought you back to reality. You set your book down, not that you’d actually been reading much of it, and sighed when your stomach grumbled. Definitely lunchtime. 

You stood up and stretched, about to walk to the kitchen and bother Chef Erlo when you realized something seemed...off. 

The clock struck noon for a final time and you realized that that was the only sound you could really hear from all over the house. Silence engulfed you when the grandfather clock stopped, and you peered out into the hallway, baffled when you saw absolutely nobody in sight. 

Feeling like you couldn’t break the silence, you stayed quiet as a mouse as you made your way to the kitchen, hoping to hear the usual bustle of noise there for lunch. Maybe that’s where everyone was. It was lunchtime, after all. Had you forgotten it was somebody’s birthday? Sometimes you’d sneak the staff into the servant’s quarters for a bit of a break and have a little birthday celebration during lunch, but you were sure nobody’s big day was today.

But you didn’t make it to the kitchen. As you got closer to the foyer, you could hear the commotion outside, interrupting the eerie silence in your home. Instead of going to check on things, curiosity got the best of you and you ended up peering out the window to see what was going on. A little gasp left your lips when you saw what was outside. 

Hoards of people were at the gates of your home, screaming and shouting profanities as they tried to make their way inside. Your heart sped up at the sight, absolutely terrified at the pure hatred they all wore on their faces. You couldn’t really make out what they were all saying, but you heard the profanities, and you heard your father’s name enough times to know that this was personal. 

The guards situated outside at the gate were pushing back as much as they could, and you even see that some of the Garrison soldiers had come to help out, but the crowd seemed to be growing bigger and bigger by the second. At any moment, it would bubble over and spill past the gates of your home. 

Right to you. 

Once again, after a lifetime of avoiding your father and his business to try and escape it, you were being dragged right into the middle of it instead. 

You had to run. The anger outside was something that was almost tangible; you could feel it weighing heavily in the air even from where you stood inside your home. No doubt that someone would try to hurt you just in the belief that it would hurt your father to know they’d gotten to you. 

For a brief moment, Levi flashed through your mind, and you sincerely regretted lying to him about still feeling unwell when his face popped to the front of your head. Maybe he would have helped you. Maybe not. The anger you could feel from the crowd outside was unfortunately similar to the anger Levi had bestowed upon you just a few days ago. 

As you backed away from the window, you thought of all the different places you could go to hide. So lost in your thoughts, you didn’t register the footsteps sneaking up behind you and gasped when a hand clamped against your mouth to keep you quiet. 

Before you could try and scream, a familiar voice whispered in your ear, “Shh, it’s only me. Let’s go.” 

You whirled around, tears of relief springing to your eyes as you hugged Greta tightly. 

“Greta,” you breathed out shakily, pulling away to look at her with wide eyes. “What’s going on?” 

“Let’s not talk here, come on,” she whispered, tugging you towards the servant’s quarters, where you knew the wine cellar was situated. As soon as the door was closed and locked behind the two of you, Greta practically dragged you down the stairs. It was cooler down there and you shivered involuntarily. 

There was dim candlelight at the end of the steps that lit up a narrow hallway, one that led towards a heavy wooden door. Chef Erlo was there holding a candelabra with one hand, a silver key in the other. 

Your tears of relief spilled over at the sight of him. 

“Erlo,” you whimpered, moving to hug him as well. He was just as quick about it as Greta was, gently stepping away from you with a small and sympathetic smile. 

“We’ll get you out of here safely, miss,” he promised you. 

A pang of fear hit you and you looked between Erlo and Greta, hand at your chest as you thought of the worst. 

“And everyone else? Is everyone okay?” you asked them.

From above, you heard glass shattering and heavy thumps. Your heart pounded so hard against your chest that you worried your ribs would crack from the force. The fear you felt in that moment was unparalleled, unmatched by any other situation in your life. You’d never been this scared in your entire life. 

“Everyone is safe. Except for you,” Greta said, and she nodded for Erlo to open the door. He unlocked it and hurried you both inside, but you stopped in your tracks when you saw Erlo wasn’t following. 

“I’m going to lock the door behind me and slip the key under the crack. That should buy you some time,” he said to Greta, avoiding your gaze. 

“What are you talking about? You’re coming with us, it’s not safe here! Something’s happening outside, people are angry and I don’t know why,” you rambled, tearing up again. Greta reached over to squeeze your hand, but everything about it was rushed, too hurried to really be a comfort to you. 

Erlo flashed you another small smile, and then gave you a wink, his crow’s feet prominent as he finally flashed his goofy smile. 

“I’ll be fine, miss. Don’t worry about me. It’s not me they’re after,” he assured you, but it didn’t make you feel any better. 

Chef Erlo was like the father you’d never had. It was impossible to allow him to do this, but Greta held you back as he shut the door and locked it once again, with the key slipping underneath moments later. 

Greta let go of you to swipe it off the ground, and then began to push you forward, nearly in the dark save for cracks of light at the door opposite the room. 

The faint smell of wine permeated the air and you found yourself wishing for a glass to calm your nerves. Greta led you to the door in just a few moments flat, using the same key to unlock it and hurry through with you in tow. 

It was the bulkhead entrance to the wine cellar, where the merchants would come deliver or take some wine. Part of your father’s business. It was where a lot of things were delivered. On the few steps there beneath the wooden doors, there was a maid’s dress and some worn shoes. One look at Greta told you that the new outfit was for you, so you wasted no time in nearly tearing off your dress and kicking off your shoes to put on the much simpler garments and better blend in outside without striking too much attention to yourself. Your current outfit would have been a dead giveaway to your status. 

Greta lifted one of the doors up just enough to peer out cautiously as you changed, making sure it was safe to leave. Once she was sure it was, she nodded to you and lifted the door up quietly, keeping it lifted for you to hop up the short steps and out into the spring afternoon. 

It was cloudy outside, threatening to rain. As if on cue, a crack of thunder sounded and you felt it was remarkably similar to a cliche in your favorite novel; it always rained whenever your favorite character was feeling upset. 

You didn’t have much time to dwell on that. Greta gripped you by the elbow and tugged you away from the house in a pace that was rushed but not too much that it looked suspicious. Now that you were wearing new clothes, you looked like everyone else outside. There was no real need to rush and risk getting caught. 

Nobody paid the two of you any mind. The real focus was on your house that was currently getting ransacked. 

The sight made your heart sink to your stomach, but your tears had already dried. 

It was true that these people were destroying the only home you’d ever known. It was true that in that moment, you were sure you’d never go back to it. But you just couldn’t find it in you to cry about this. Your tears were reserved for your staff and worrying about their wellbeing. 

Whatever your father had done, it probably deserved this level of outrage. 

Although you were filled to the brim with fear and adrenaline, above all, you felt a peculiar sense of freedom as more and more people pushed their way past the gates of your home to run inside. 

Greta gave you a moment to watch the scene before steering you away with promises to explain everything as soon as she got you to safety. 

The only time tears actually did threaten your eyes again was when Captain Levi’s face pushed its way into your mind once more. 

Maybe you would never see him again. And maybe he’d like that. 

-

Levi was all too familiar with feeling dread settle in his stomach and harden like a rock. He’d experienced it all his life, countless times as he watched comrades die, often such a big part of his nightmares and the reason for his insomnia. 

He didn’t expect to feel that rock in his stomach as he approached your home. Rather, what was left of it. 

But he felt it settle in his stomach, a dread so heavy that he almost had to hunch over, and he looked on in horror as people continued to run in and out of your home. Many people were running out with valuables in their arms. Others were running inside just to destroy everything in sight. 

He was far too late, by the look of things. 

His eyes darted around, a futile attempt to locate you, but of course he didn’t see you anywhere. 

Soldiers and guards were doing what they could, and Levi could see reinforcements marching in, but it was too late. 

It was too late. 

Levi hopped off his horse and pushed past people and soldiers alike as he ran into your home, taking in the sight of broken glass and ruined furniture and banged up walls. 

It was disgusting. 

He went to your room first and only found it ravaged and empty with no signs of life. 

Levi knew he was being crazy. Of course he wasn’t going to just find you there. In fact, the thought of seeing you in the middle of all this would have actually been worse. But not knowing where you were had his stomach in knots. 

As a last resort, he checked the parlor room, where you’d shared an afternoon that had left Levi questioning himself and questioning you. Mostly himself. 

He got there as the grandfather clock chimed at the top of the hour. It was just as ravaged as your room, but curiously enough, he noticed your favorite novel on the ground by where the side table used to be. 

He picked it up and clutched it tightly, and then made a promise. 

He would find you and he would get your book back to you. It was the only possession you had left in the world, he realized, looking around. 

He’d find you. 

He wouldn’t rest until he’d found you. 

-

A cup of tea warmed your hands as silence filled the room of Greta’s mother’s kitchen. 

The two women stared at you with so much sympathy, and so much worry, that it made you feel loved and yet also a little small at the same time. 

Greta had just finished explaining everything to you. 

Your father had been atrocious, and had taken advantage of his employees. He was in protective custody because he’d anticipated this riot to happen. Nobody knew where your mother was. It was a miracle that Greta and Erlo had managed to help you and everyone else out before you’d gotten hurt. Or killed. 

And now you didn’t know what would happen next. 

Your spirits, already low, dimmed even more at the thought of Chef Erlo. You desperately hoped he was okay, and hopefully he was. After all, he’d been correct: nobody was trying to hurt him. Only you and your family. 

“Are you sure everybody made it out safely?” you whispered to Greta, who immediately nodded. 

“Everyone’s been aware of some of the...tensions around town,” she explained. “We all had an exit plan in the works, just didn’t realize we’d have to implement it so soon.” 

You flashed a brief and sad smile, nodding once as you took a sip of your tea. 

“Thank you for getting everyone out safely first. It means the world to me.” 

In your mind, you were just as responsible for your father’s sins as he was. To think you didn’t even have a clue of what was going on. It was embarrassing. 

As if reading your mind, Greta’s mother, May, reached forward to squeeze your arm reassuringly. 

“It’s not your fault, darling,” she murmured. “It wasn’t your place to know.” 

You sighed softly and kept your eyes on your tea, frowning to yourself. It was true that you had basically been forced to be cooped up in the house, and now you were thinking there was a clear reason behind it now. You hardly had much say in your day to day schedule, especially after getting engaged to Captain Levi. Still, it didn’t feel good to be so in the dark. 

And the thought of Captain Levi sent your heart aflutter. Did he know? Had he been aware of this the whole time? Was this part of the reason for your arrangement? 

Slowly, you picked up your gaze from your tea to settle on Greta, biting the inside of your cheek before asking the question you were dreading to ask. 

“What happens now?” 

She didn’t look too sure either as she pondered your question, finally settling for shrugging her shoulders. 

“I don’t know, miss,” she answered honestly. “I hate to say it, but it depends on your father. He and your mother will start looking for you once they realize you’re missing.” 

The thought made you nauseous. Despite such a horrible outcome of your day, that peculiar feeling of freedom had been what kept you going. There was some sort of thrill attached to it. 

You realized it was achingly similar to the hope you felt for your arrangement for Levi. The chance of things looking up, turning around. 

All this hope and nothing to show for it. 

Now you were hopeless. 

-

News had gotten to Erwin quickly. Levi saw the commander ride in with other squad leaders as he helped beat down and arrest some of the rowdier citizens at your home. He hated to be there and wanted to go off and find you more than anything, but someone there had to have seen you, or seen what happened to you. 

So far, nobody seemed to remember seeing you. In fact, some people had sworn to him that the house had been empty of people the entire time. Not a soul in the home at all. 

When Erwin stepped past the gates, Levi had never wanted to pummel him so badly. Instead, he shoved a badly beaten merchant towards his commander with a growl, eyes nearly feral as he found the calm blue ones that he hated more than anything at the moment. 

“You said there was civil unrest. You didn’t say there was an entire fucking mob,” he snapped. 

Erwin remained calm, casually stepping over the merchant to get closer to Levi. 

“Seems I was deceived,” he admitted, looking around. “Her father kept me in the dark. I had no idea about any of this. But I suppose you’ll be pleased to hear that I’m calling off the deal. We can’t tarnish the Scouts’ reputation even more by doing business with this family.” 

Levi’s body went cold at the news. 

Just a couple of weeks ago, he would have felt nothing but pure relief. Now, he felt nothing but pure dread. 

“What about…?” 

Levi couldn’t even say your name. It caught at the back of his throat and he struggled to breathe. He tried his best to remain as stoic as always, but Erwin knew him so well, and could see the concern at the edges of Levi’s gaze. 

“There’s not much protection we can offer her, being her father’s daughter. She’s under his control,” Erwin reminded him. “Do you know where she is? I heard she’s declared missing.” 

Levi nodded once to confirm, his worry amplifying at Erwin’s words. 

He couldn’t protect you. Not while you were still affiliated with your father. 

“People are saying that nobody was in the house,” Levi said, giving the commander a rundown of events. “I did a quick search, didn’t find any of the staff. No one was around.” 

Erwin hummed a little, hands behind his back as he took in the sight of the damaged house in front of him. 

“No surprise there. Our man of the hour is already in protective custody, having predicted this well before anyone else, and his wife was visiting with a friend, and now they’re all in protective custody as well. It’s just your ex-fiancee that we’re having trouble locating. Perhaps she’s with her staff.” 

How stupid of him. Levi hadn’t really thought of that possibility yet. He’d been so focused on finding you, assuming the worst, that he hadn't taken the time to really think it through enough to realize that you were missing along with the staff. 

Erwin was already five steps ahead of them. 

“Some of the scouts are off to find the staff members that don’t live here in-house. One of them is bound to know where she is.” 

Levi couldn’t help the small sigh of relief that left him, but he still felt useless if he wasn’t doing more to help. Without another word to Erwin, he marched off to do another quick search around the entire perimeter. 

Some medics had come onto the scene as well and he was surprised to see a couple of them towards the back of the house, dragging someone out of the cellar. Levi had admittedly not really looked down there, knowing all there was, was food storage and wine cellar that someone had told him was all cleared out by now. 

A familiar old man was getting dragged out and treated. He was badly beaten, bruised from head to toe, and his breathing was raspy and uneven. 

Levi knew him to be a staff member and his heart skipped a beat. 

Before he knew what he was doing, he was kneeling beside the old man, shaking him to get his attention despite the angry protests of a medic. 

The old man opened his eyes and grimaced, but his face grew soft at the sight of Levi. 

“Captain Levi,” he greeted him in a hoarse voice. “You’re a little late, don’t you think?” 

“Where is she?” Levi asked, voice soft. “Do you know?” 

“I know,” the man confirmed, nodding slowly as his eyes closed. “Greta...Greta took her. She’s...with Greta’s mother. But don’t know where...she lives.” 

Greta. Levi knew that name. It was the name of one of the maids. You looked to be friends with her. 

“Thank you,” he said, very sincere, before standing back up. More determined than ever, he made a beeline for his horse, a plan of action already formulating in his mind. He could make do with the information given to him. It was all he needed. 

He was going to find you. 

-

The sun hung low in the sky as May and Greta made up Greta’s old bed for you. 

You had insisted on sleeping anywhere else, even the floor, but Greta had already set her mind on sharing a bed with her mother. 

“I shared a bed with one of the other maids all the time, whenever we felt like it,” she told you. “I actually like it. It’s nice having another person there with you.” 

You still felt a little guilty but stayed silent, and opted instead to watch the sun lower through the window of Greta’s childhood bedroom after being shooed off. 

Greta and her mother chattered amongst themselves and you didn’t have the heart to join in just yet. You felt so drained after the day’s events that you couldn’t muster up the energy they had. 

What kept you so anxious was also the thought of having to stay under your father’s thumb. 

It was maddening to know that after everything, he still had your life in his hands. To be a highborn lady was to be in shackles. 

A plan was starting to formulate in your mind, one where you could fake your death and run away and find work as a maid or maybe even a governess. Greta could help and confirm that you’d been taken, never to be seen again. You could grab your clothes that you’d discarded, if they were still around, and maybe douse them in animal blood or something, to really sell it. 

But your plan was cut short with a pounding at the front door downstairs. The knocking was so intense that all three of you froze and looked between each other, fear prickling your spines. 

When the door clearly sounded like it was trying to be opened, May sprang into action and ran downstairs, which kickstarted your adrenaline. You ran after her, afraid for her possibly getting hurt, reaching out for her to try and stop her from going any farther. 

“May, no!” you hissed, eyes on the front door that was now in view. Someone was slamming into it, the lock jiggling unsteadily, until it finally gave in. 

You were paralyzed in fear as the door flew open, but fear gave way to shock at the sight of Captain Levi at the entrance, looking frazzled. You would have never predicted you’d ever see him as anything other than composed or angry. 

As soon as your eyes locked, you ran to him. 

“Captain Levi!” 

He stopped you before you could throw your arms around him and, at first, you felt embarrassed by it, taking it as a rejection. 

It wasn’t until he started examining you, hands lifting and twisting your arms and turning your face this way and that, that you felt your heart warm up. 

“Are you hurt?” he asked. He was cupping your face, holding your jaw familiar as his eyes scanned your face for any signs of injury, and that frazzled look he held only softened when his eyes finally met yours. 

You shook your head slowly, keeping his gaze, hands shyly reaching up to cover his over your jaw. 

“I’m not hurt,” you whispered. “Just scared.” 

Levi frowned and reluctantly let go of your face, but his hands didn’t travel far. He rested them on your shoulders while your hands gently gripped his forearms, the two of you in your own little bubble. 

“You don’t have to be scared anymore,” he promised you, sounding so earnest. “Nobody can hurt you while I’m here.” 

Your bottom lip quivered, emotional at the thought of him willingly protecting you, but also emotional at the more sinister situation at hand. 

“My father can,” you told him, squeezing his forearms as the words left your mouth. “Greta says he’ll be looking for me soon. I can’t escape him.” 

Levi’s eyes hardened at that, grip also tightening on your shoulders, before he groaned and stepped away from you to run a hand over his face. 

“Erwin said the same thing to me,” he admitted, pacing back and forth. He briefly looked towards Greta and her mother, then to the now broken front door, and blankly stared at them before muttering, “I’ll fix that.” 

He turned back to you, arms crossed, as he took on a look of deep concentration. It was only there for a few moments before he snapped out of it, holding your gaze as he seemed to come to a conclusion. 

“You can’t be under your father’s control once you’re married,” he pointed out. 

At first, you didn’t understand. You raised a brow, a little peeved he was bringing it up, and nodded once. 

“I suppose so…,” you agreed, a hint of a frown on your face. “But I’m assuming we won’t be getting married after this, so I’m kind of shit out of luck.” It was the first time you’d really sworn like that in front of Levi. In front of anyone. It was nice. 

Levi tensed up a little and broke his eye contact with you to look away, and you could have sworn he looked a little flustered. There was a hint of pink at the tips of his ears, which shocked you.

“What?” you pressed, also feeling a bit of heat creep into your face. 

This wasn’t happening. No way this was happening. 

Levi hadn’t wanted to marry you even when it was basically required of him. 

Your hopeless romantic little heart was just playing tricks on you. He wasn’t possibly going to suggest… 

“I gave my word and I don’t intend on going back on it,” he said, still not looking at you, ears still pink. “Got any better ideas?” 

“Captain Levi…,” you began, but then trailed off, not knowing what to say, until finally you managed out, “You don’t have to do this.” 

He scoffed a little, eyes finally flickering back to you. Tentatively, he stepped forward until he was right in front of you again. You stayed perfectly still as he lifted a hand to place it on top of your head, giving you a small pat before ruffling up your hair. 

“I have something for you,” he said suddenly, taking his hand away to reach into the pocket of his coat. 

And then your favorite novel was in your hands, a little more crumpled up than usual but basically intact. 

Tears sprang to your eyes and you hugged the book to your chest gratefully, looking to Levi with nothing but adoration. 

At that moment, it was all you owned in the world. You didn’t even own the clothes on your back. 

“That was really nice,” you choked out, gazing down at the book again with a small smile. 

Levi stepped forward again, closing the distance between you as he rested a hand on your shoulder again. 

“Let me protect you,” he said, tone filled with an air of finality that you couldn’t argue with. “I know I don’t have to.” 

He didn’t have to say the actual words; you understood what he meant. 

I want to. 

-

Marriage was all about compromise. 

In the end, Levi didn’t get to prolong his nuptials, since marrying you had to be done quickly. However, it also had to be done in secret. So, at the very least, you figured he at least got half of his wishes respected. 

The moment the ink was dry on the certificate, you felt a weight lift off your shoulders. You shed your maiden name to gain a new surname, fully protected from your father now and fully backed by the Survey Corps. It was your 30th day of knowing Levi. Your 1st day of being married. 

You took in a deep breath as Erwin took the document from you to sign as a witness, and you turned to Levi with a small and timid smile, which he actually tried to return. It was brief, but it was appreciated. And when he lifted his hand to pat your head affectionately, you melted a little.

“I’m sorry you didn’t have a big wedding like you wanted,” he murmured, eyes staring at you with a hint of remorse. “I should have never made you agree to that before.” 

A half-smile tugged at one corner of your mouth and you shook your head, nudging your shoulder to his playfully. 

“I never really wanted to have a big wedding,” you admitted to him. “I just wanted to have a special day for myself. And for my husband, of course. Didn’t have to be a big thing. It just needed to be special.” 

Levi seemed to lighten up at that, giving another brief smile before murmuring, “That’s a relief.” 

“What do you mean?” you asked, but he didn’t respond, choosing instead to stand up and offer a hand to help you on your feet as well. 

You smoothed down the cream dress Greta had so kindly let you borrow and followed Levi out the door, head held a little higher now that you were an official Ackerman and nothing else. Instead of going to Commander Erwin’s office to go over a few next steps like originally planned, you found yourself following Levi outside. 

“Where are we going?” you asked, puzzled, but Levi scoffed a little and turned to look at you from over his shoulder. 

“If you could just be a little patient, I promise you’ll find out soon enough,” he said. 

It was a beautiful day, you had to admit. The spring temperature was perfect and you basked in the sunlight, feeling freer than you’d ever felt before. 

You stepped onto the grass in the courtyard, eyes towards the sky, and it wasn’t until you heard several people clear their throat that you tilted your head down to take a look. 

Your heart nearly stopped as you saw Erlo, Greta, May, and Charlie, and some of Levi’s friends, sitting on the grass, a spread of what looked like a marvelous lunch in front of them. 

Shouts of congratulations were passed around and you lit up at the sight, heart feeling full as you stumbled over while dragging Levi along. 

You turned to him, eyes bright and excited, still not quite understanding. 

“What is this?” you asked, looking between your bubble of friends and your brand new spouse. 

Levi looked a little uncomfortable, but in that cute way, and Greta beat him to the punch with the answer. 

“It’s your wedding day, so we’re celebrating, of course!” she laughed, then nodded towards Levi with a cunning grin. “It was your husband’s idea.” 

Levi’s entire face flushed at the term but he also looked murderous at being found out. 

You grinned at him, feeling warmed at his gesture, and you made a mental note to pull him aside later for a real thank you. 

At that moment, you made do by sneaking a kiss to his cheek, fully appreciating the way he got flustered. 

-

Erwin had made up a new room for you at base and, after a full day’s worth of celebrating your wedding day, you were ready to fall into bed. 

The room was right next to Levi’s, which you appreciated. It seemed funny, almost, since of course spouses typically shared a room, but under these circumstances, that wasn’t very likely. 

You cared for Levi and you could see that he at least cared for you in some ways, but those feelings would need to be nurtured with time. 

The two of you were in front of your bedroom door, with you yawning up a storm, and Levi grumbling about getting you to bed. 

You burst into your room and made a beeline for your bed, not bothering to really look around at your new room or even change out of your clothes. As soon as you were on the bed, you felt your drowsiness start to overtake you. 

Before you passed out, you peeked over at Levi, who was getting situated at a desk. 

“Aren’t you gonna sleep?” you asked, yawning again, and Levi turned to look at you briefly. 

“Not for a while,” he answered finally. 

You frowned at that but didn’t argue with him, your heart bubbling over with so many questions and feelings that you just couldn’t hold in anymore. 

“Do you still dislike me?” you blurted out, face heating up at your lack of filter. 

Levi raised a brow, pointedly looking towards the new ring on your finger. Then, his gaze softened, and he leaned back in the chair he sat in. 

“No,” he answered. “And I was wrong for judging you before. I’m sorry I didn’t give you a chance sooner.” 

You stayed quiet for a moment, but kept your eyes on Levi, no matter how hard it was. 

“Do you think you’ll fall in love with me one day, now that we’re married?” 

You couldn't stop that question from tumbling out either, but you were too curious to feel embarrassed. 

Levi’s ears flushed pink, a cute new trait you were catching onto. He looked away from you briefly, clearly trying to find the right words, and he took so long to respond that you felt your heart start to sink. 

But then he stood from his seat and moved to kneel beside the bed, a hand reaching up to smooth some hair out of your face.

“Let me focus on protecting you first,” he said. 

His eyes were the softest they’d ever been. They gave you another answer. 

“I’m going to love you,” you promised him. You still couldn’t admit that you were actively falling in love. Not to him, not right now. But another time. 

“I don’t deserve that, after how I acted,” he whispered. 

“I’ll always forgive you,” you whispered back. “And I’m going to love you.” 

Levi moved his hand from your head to tuck you into the sheets a little better, avoiding your gaze. Neither one of you said anything for a minute, a comfortable silence falling between you like that afternoon in the parlor room. 

As you began to drift off, Levi’s soft voice filled your ears with one final promise. One that was meant more for him than for you. 

“I’ll figure out how to love.” 

You were too tired to notice how the sheets smelled like Levi. You were too tired to realize that the room was clearly already lived in and had typical possessions of a squad captain, from ODM gear to a desk clearly stacked up with documents. 

You’d been too tired to remember that your bedroom door was the right one and not the left one. You’d been too tired to notice that you’d opened the left door. 

Levi was too besotted by you to correct your mistake. 

Somewhere, a grandfather clock chimed as midnight struck. 

[just--another--daydreamer]

Cotton Candy

» Katsuki Bakugo x gn!reader (no pronouns used)

» Fandom: My Hero Academia » Genre: Fluff » Requested (by anon): Hi there. Your writing is amazing, I love it! Could I suggest Bakugou knowing how to get he wants and how to make you weak at the knees. Sorry if it doesn’t make sense » Warnings: swearing, mentions of death » Words: 1.8k

You can find a link to my Masterlist in my bio

Please check my bio for the status of requests before sending something in

A mild breeze brushed over your face as you inhaled the familiar scent of the funfair that was popcorn and cotton candy mixing with the smell of the warm spring day. The many booths spread across the field provided shadow, keeping you cool as you strolled around the fair midst the many people who had been drawn to the same spot by the inviting smells and sounds. The crowd’s chatting was drowned by joyful screams and laughter whenever you passed by one of the rides, adults and children alike seemingly having the time of their lives.

Bakugo and you blended into the crowd perfectly. You had cotton candy in one hand, the other held onto your boyfriend’s right one as you passed by the booths. 

It was your first date in a while. The new boarding school system at UA put many restrictions on your free time, as well as on how you were allowed to spend it. You had gotten the permission to go to the funfair by All Might, who had given in after a few days of you begging him nicely and Bakugo threatening to blow stuff up if he didn’t let you two go on this date. Any other teacher would have probably said no after the recent events of Bakugo and Midoriya sneaking out, but after all that, your boyfriend still managed to convince All Might. He knew how to get what he wanted at all times.

Most of the time, that was achieved by excessive yelling and him trying to intimidate the other person, sometimes even setting off small explosions and threatening to kill them – which was more terrifying to anyone than only intimidating – but it always worked. Though, there were some rare exceptions. And you were one of those. 

Before you had started dating, and before you even became close friends, Bakugo used to try to get his way by yelling at you too, only to be met by a blank expression and you immediately brushing off his demands. It frustrated Bakugo to no end, to the point where he just gave up on that tactic. Asking nicely was what had worked out with you in the end, and it was what Bakugo had stuck with ever since, even though it felt humiliating - Bakugo could have walked around UA naked and he would feel the same. But if it was a way to get what he wanted, he would do it.

You got Bakugo’s attention by tugging at his shirt lightly. “Look!” Bakugo’s eyes followed the direction you pointed with your cotton candy and landed on a booth with a simple game – though what had caught your attention was not the game, but the prizes, specifically the stuffed animals. 

“Huh?” Bakugo looked back and forth between you and the booth. “You want one?” You smiled and nodded silently. A frown formed on your boyfriend’s face as he continued looking at you. “Seriously?!” “Come oooon, Katsuki!” you whined. “Please? This is a date after all!” He seemed to consider your words for a moment before he sighed. “Ugh, okay, fine.” Letting go of your hand, he approached the booth and you followed him close behind.

The game was simple: you had to throw a ball at a target to win a prize. Bakugo dug his hand into his pocket and slammed some money onto the counter. “One throw.” The man behind the counter exchanged the money with a tennis ball. Without looking at you, Bakugo yelled over his shoulder, “you want this one, right?” he pointed at a huge teddy bear dangling over the counter. “Yeah!” 

“Young man,” the guy behind the counter started, “I’m afraid you’ll need more than one thro-” “Shut the hell up!” Bakugo began cracking his knuckles while eyeing all the targets in front of him.

“I’m assuming this is the main prize and that I’d have to hit more than one target for it?” “Correc-” “Are there any other rules?” “No, there are n-”

A wide grin appeared on Bakugo’s face. “Then step back, old man.” The man looked confused but did as he was told. You took a step back as well, already covering your ears. Bakugo let his knuckles crack one more time before he winded his arm, aiming at one of the targets. Even though you were protecting your ears, the explosion that came simultaneously to Bakugo throwing the ball made you flinch a little. It was not a huge explosion, just enough to blow away every single one of the targets and to make everyone else who was around turn to face you, which might also be because Bakugo had shouted “die” while throwing.

The back of the booth had been blown away by the explosion, particles of dust and smoke as well as pieces of wood flew through the air. The older man behind the counter fell into a state of shock and was only able to nod when Bakugo pointed at the big teddy bear once again, asking if he could have it now.

“There you go.” “Thank you so much, Katsuki!” You landed a kiss on his cheek before welcoming the stuffed animal with open arms, earning a huff from Bakugo. “You jealous?” You teased with a raised eyebrow. “Tse, dream on.”

You took one last look at the hole that your boyfriend had blown into the booth before you took Bakugo’s hand once again and continued walking, the teddy bear in your arm.

You came across some more booths, bought some sweets for your friends and went on almost all of the rides together.

“There is only one ride left,” Bakugo pointed out. “Yeah.” You slowly approached the Ferris wheel that was towering over the funfair, cabins slightly shaking every once in a while, whenever an evening breeze caught them. 

“Come on, let’s go!” Bakugo started walking but was held back by you. You remained right where you were standing. “Hey! Why aren’t you coming?” Your boyfriend looked at you a little confused. “I-” you started, avoiding his eyes. “I’m not sure about this, Katsuki.” “Huh? The Ferris wheel?” You shook your head. “It’s getting late, y’know?”

Bakugo took a quick look at his phone and groaned. “Who cares if we come back a little too late, this is my date and I make the rules.” This came as a little surprise to you. Bakugo was usually the first to go to bed, at eight in the evening, and never a second too late. If someone tried to stop him, he blew them up. “Mister Aizawa might get mad at us,” you argued. “Who cares?!” Bakugo repeated, louder this time. “Let’s go, Y/N!” He made another attempt at pulling you towards the ride, but you did not budge. Your boyfriend let out another annoyed groan before he turned back to you.

He tilted his head to the side, a frown on his face. Before you knew how to interpret his expression, it changed again. This time, into a sly smirk. Bakugo knew how to win. He always knew. 

One of his hands grabbed your wrist, pulling you closer until you were only a few inches away from him. His breath fanned over your cheek as he let out a short chuckle. With his other hand, he lifted your chin, made you look into his eyes. Your heart skipped a few beats as you stood there, stunned, and surprised by your boyfriend’s sudden change in behaviour. The places where Bakugo’s fingers were touching your skin – light and gentle, like feathers – tingled pleasantly and sent signals through your veins. Your legs – no – your whole body felt like putty in this exact moment while your brain was filled with nothing but cotton candy.

“You know,” he started, voice low and quiet, “If anyone says anything about us being too late, I’ll kill them. Let’s enjoy this moment. Together. Just you and me. Come with me, Y/N. We have all the time in the world.” Heat started rising to your cheeks and you wanted to turn away in embarrassment, but all you could do was stare at him. “Take my hand,” Bakugo continued in the same tone as he took your hand in his, that had been holding your wrist just a second ago. He intertwined your fingers and took a step back, though his other hand lingered beneath your chin for one more moment before he let go.

When he started to walk again you followed him closely, legs barely working yet carrying you by themselves. Your mind was still clouded, and the state only began to fade when you sat down in one of the open cabins.

The wheel started to move not soon after and you pressed the teddy to your chest as you started to rise off the ground and into the sky. It took a while, but soon you were able to overlook the whole funfair. The farther away from the ground you rose the quieter it got, and soon the laughter and the screams were nothing more than faint sounds barely reaching you. You came to a stop exactly at the top.

“Look over there.” Bakugo nudged your side. You tore your eyes away from the ground and instead looked at what your boyfriend wanted to show you. Your eyes widened at the scene in front of you. The sky was painted in bright orange and golden colours, the clouds shone in a soft yellow. The cities and fields in the distance were bathing in the warm colours of the evening sun, like a sea purely consisting of light. 

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Bakugo put an arm around you without looking away from the sunset. “Yeah,” you whispered. The light was dancing on Bakugo’s face as well, making his hair appear in a rich gold. You leaned against him and rested your head on his shoulder. A kiss was pressed to your forehead and you turned your head to receive one to your lips as well. It was a sweet one that faintly tasted like cotton candy. Bakugo lingered there for a while before pulling back with a smile on his face.

The whole spectacle only lasted a few minutes before the orange was replaced by a crimson red that faded into deep blue. Slowly, the Ferris wheel began turning again.

Once you had landed back on the ground, the lights of the fair turned on one by one, blinking and flashing in the rhythms of the music that was playing.

You shivered and walked a little closer to Bakugo when you made your way across the field, past the booths, and back to UA. “You cold?” Without even waiting for a response, Bakugo put his arm around your shoulders again. It was not a lot of protection against the cold, but warmth spread through your body anyway.

“I had an amazing day,” you told him after a while. “I’m glad.” “Do you think we’ll get yelled at?” “If someone tries to, I’ll kill them.” You only chuckled and leaned in for another kiss.

[thewidowsghost]

The Daughter of the Sea - Chapter 8

(Y/n)'s POV

I know someone at camp resents Percy and me because one night, I come into the cabin alone and find a mortal newspaper dropped inside the doorway, a copy of the New York Daily News, opened to the Metro page. The article takes me almost an hour to read, because the angrier I get, the more the words float around on the page.

GIRL, BOY, AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER FREAK CAR ACCIDENT

By Eileen Smythe

Sally Jackson, son Percy, and daughter (Y/n) are still missing one week after their mysterious disappearance. The family's badly burned '78 Camaro was discovered last Saturday on a north Long Island road with the roof ripped off and the front axle broken. The car had flipped and skidded for several hundred feet before exploding.

Mother, daughter, and son had gone for a weekend vacation to Montauk, but left hastily, under mysterious circumstances. Small traces of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there were no other signs of the missing Jacksons. Residents in the rural area reported seeing nothing unusual around the time of the accident.

Ms. Jackson's husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepson, Percy Jackson, is a troubled child who has been kicked out of numerous boarding schools and has expressed violent tendencies in the past.

Police would not say whether son Percy is a suspect in his sister's and his mother's disappearance, but they have not ruled out foul play. Below are recent pictures of Sally Jackson, (Y/n), Percy. Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll-free Crimestoppers hotline.

The phone number is circled in black marker.

I wad up the paper and throw it away, flopping down on my bunk on the far edge of the cabin under the window facing the sea.

I remain silent as Percy walks into the cabin, flopping down onto his bunk as well.

That night, I have the worst dream yet.

I was running along the beach in a storm. This time, there was a city behind me. Not New York. The sprawl was different: buildings spread farther apart, palm trees and low hills in the distance.

About a hundred yards down the surf, two men were fighting. They looked like TV wrestlers, muscular, with beards and long hair. Both wore flowing Greek tunics, one trimmed in blue, the other in green. They grappled with each other, wrestled, kicked, and head-butted, and every time they connected, lightning flashed, the sky grew darker, and the wind rose.

I had to stop them. I didn't know why. But the harder I ran, the more the wind blew me back until I was running in place, my heels digging uselessly in the sand.

Over the roar of the storm, I could hear the blue-robed one yelling at the green-robed one, Give it back! Give it back! Like a kindergartner fighting over a toy.

The waves got bigger, crashing into the beach, spraying me with salt.

I yelled, Stop it! Stop fighting!

The ground shook. Laughter came from somewhere under the earth, and a voice so deep and evil it turned my blood to ice.

Come down, little hero, the voice crooned. Come down!

The sand split beneath me, opening up a crevice straight down to the center of the earth. My feet slipped, and darkness swallowed me.

I wake up, sure I'm falling.

I am still in bed in Cabin Three. My body tells me it's morning, but it's dark outside, and thunder rolls over the hills.

A storm is brewing.

I hadn't dreamed that . . .

I hear a clopping sound at the door, a hoof knocking on the threshold.

"Come in?" Percy asks, sounding uncertain.

Grover trots inside, looking worried. "Mr. D wants to see the two of you."

"Why?" I ask, peeking through the curtain separating mine and Percy's side of the cabin.

'He wants to kill . . . I mean, I'd better let him tell you."

Nervously, Percy and I get dressed and follow, sure we were in huge trouble.

For days, Percy and I'd been half expecting a summons to the Big House. Now that we were declared children of Poseidon, one of the Big Three gods who weren't supposed to have kids, I figure it's just a crime for us to be alive. The other gods had probably been debating on the best way to punish us for existing, and now Mr. D is ready to deliver their verdict.

Over Long Island Sound, the sky looks like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy curtain of rain is coming in our direction. I ask Grover if we'd need an umbrella.

"No," Grover says. "It never rains here unless we want it to."

Percy points at the storm, 'What the heck is that, then?"

Grover glances uneasily at the sky. "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does."

I realize that he's right. In the week I'd been here, it had never even been overcast. The few rain clouds I'd seen had skirted right around the edges of the valley.

But this storm . . .

This one's huge.

At the volleyball pit, the kids from Apollo's cabin are playing a morning game against the satyrs. Dionysius's twins - Castor and Pollux - are walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow. Everyone is going about their normal business, but they look tense; they keep their eyes on the storm.

Grover, Percy, and I walk up the front porch of the Big House. Dionysus sits at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on my first day. Chiron sits across the table in his fake wheelchair. They are playing against invisible opponents - two sets of cards hovering in the air.

"Well, well," Mr. D says without looking up. "Our little celebrities."

I wait.

"Come closer," Mr. D says. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortals, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father."

A net of lightning flashes across the clouds; thunder shakes the windows of the house.

"Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus grumbles.

Chiron faints interest in his pinochle cards and Grover cowers by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth.

"If I had my way," Dionysus says, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron puts in.

"Nonsense," Dionysus says. "Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."

"Mr. D - " Chiron warns.

"Oh, all right," Dionysus relents. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus rises, and the invisible players' cards drop onto the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you two must do."

Dionysus picks up a playing card, twists it, and it becomes a plastic rectangle. A security pass. He snaps his fingers. The air seems to fold and bend around him. He becomes a hologram, a wind, then he is gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.

Chiron smiles at me and Percy, but he looks tired and strained. "Sit, Percy,(Y/n), please. And Grover."

We do.

Chiron lays his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use.

"Tell me, (Y/n)," he says. "What did you make of the hellhound?"

Just hearing the name makes me shudder.

Chiron probably wants me to say, Heck, it was nothing. I eat hellhounds for breakfast. But I don't feel like lying.

"It scared me," I admit. "If you hadn't shot it, I'd be dead."

"You two will meet worse. Far worse, before you're done."

"Done?" Percy asks. "With what?"

"You're quest, of course," Chiron says. "Will you accept it?"

I glance at Grover, who is crossing his fingers.

"Sir," I say, "you haven't told us what it is yet."

Chiron grimaces. "Well, that's the hard part, the details."

Thunder rumbles across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as I can see, the sky and the sea were boiling together.

"Poseidon and Zeus," I guess. "They're fighting over something valuable . . . something that was stolen, aren't they?"

Chiron and Grover exchange looks.

Chiron shoots forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"

"The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And...I've also been having these dreams."

"I knew it," Grover says, his eyes bright.

"Hush, satyr," Chiron orders.

"But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes sparkle with excitement. "It must be!"

"Only the Oracle can determine," Chiron strokes his bristly beard. "Nevertheless, (Y/n), you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

Percy laughs, looking nervous, "A what?"

"Do not take this lightly," Chiron warns. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."

"Oh."

"Zeus's master bolt," Chiron says, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

"And it's missing?" I guess.

"Stolen," Chiron corrects.

"By whom?" I ask though I guessed what he was going to say.

"By you two," Chiron says and Percy's jaw drops.

"At least"—Chiron holds up a hand—"that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon argued. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best,' 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly—that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."

"But I didn't - We didn't -" Percy goes to say.

"Patience and listen, child," Chiron says. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you two as his children. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief.

"But we've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!"

Chiron and Grover glance nervously at the sky. The clouds don't seem to be parting around us, as Grover had promised. They are rolling straight over the valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid.

"Er, Percy . . . ?" Grover says. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."

"Perhaps paranoid," Chiron suggests. "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam...." He looked at Percy.

"The Golden Net?" I guess again. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods trapped Zeus in it and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler?"

"Correct," Chiron says. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you two have come along—the proverbial last straw."

"But we're just kids!" Percy protests.

"Percy," Grover cuts in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, and that he's father, not one, but two mortal heroes who might be used as a weapon against you . . . Wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?"

"But I - we didn't do anything, Poseidon - our dad - he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?" Percy asks, and I remain silent in thought.

Chiron sighs. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a fullfledged war would look like, Percy? (Y/n)?"

"Bad?" Percy guesses.

"I'd guess that it would be like nature at war with itself," I say and Chiron nods.

"Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight," Chiron adds to (Y/n)'s statement.

"Bad," Percy repeats.

"And you, Percy and (Y/n) Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath."

And then, it starts to rain. Volleyball players stop their game and start in stunned silence at the sky.

We had brought this storm to Half-Blood Hill. Zeus was punishing the whole camp because of us.

"So we have to find that bolt," I say. "And return it to Zeus."

"What better peace offering," Chiron says, "than to have the son and daughter of Poseidon return Zeus's property.

"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?" Percy asks.

"I believe I know." Chiron's expression is grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago...well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."

"Why can't you tell us where the bolt is beforehand?" Percy asks.

"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."

I swallow thickly. "Good reason."

"You agree then?" Chiron asks.

I exchange a glance with Percy, then Grover, who nods encouragingly.

Easy for him, I think. We're the ones Zeus wants to kill.

"All right," Percy says. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin."

"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," Chiron says. "Go upstairs, Percy and (Y/n) Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."

. . .

"Well?" Chiron asks us.

We slump into our chairs at the pinochle table. "She said we would retrieve what was stolen.

Grover sits forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!

"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron presses. "This is important."

My ears are still tingling from the reptilian voice. "She said we would go west and face a god who had turned. We would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."

"I knew it," Grover says.

Chiron doesn't look satisfied. "Anything else?"

"No," Percy says. "That's about it."

He studies Percy's face, then meets my green gaze. "Very well. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."

I get the feeling he knows we're holding something back, and he's trying to make us feel better.

"Okay," Percy says, looking anxious to change topics. "So where do we go? Who's this god in the west?"

"Ah, think, Percy," Chiron says."if Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain."

"Someone else who wants to take over?" I guess.

"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."

"Hades," I say, raising an eyebrow.

Chiron nods. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."

A scrap of aluminum dribbles out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh - what?"

"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminds him. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."

"Yes, but - but Hades hates all heroes," Grover protests. "Especially if he has found out Percy and (Y/n) are children of Poseidon . . ."

"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continues. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy and (Y/n) to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill these young half-bloods before he can take on the quest."

"Great," I mutter. "That's two major gods who want to kill us."

"But a quest to . . ." Grover swallows. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in someplace like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year."

"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy and (Y/n) must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."

A strange fire burns in my stomach. The weirdest thing is, it isn't fear. It's anticipation. The desire for revenger. Hades had tried to kill me two times so far with the Minotaur, and the hellhound. It is his fault my mother had disappeared in a flash of light. Now he is trying to frame me, my dad, and my brother for a theft we hadn't committed.

Grover is trembling now; he'd started eating pinochle cards like potato chips.

The poor guy had to complete a quest with me and Percy so he could get his searcher's license, whatever that is, but how can I ask him to do this quest, especially when the Oracle said we were destined to fail?" This is a suicide mission.

"Look, if we know it's Hades," Percy tells Chiron, "why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus and Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads."

"Suspecting and knowing are not the same," Chiron says. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades—and I imagine Poseidon does—they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"

"You're saying I'm being used," Percy says.

"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon had claimed you and (Y/n) now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs the two of you."

My dad needs us.

Emotions roll around inside me like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. I don't know whether to feel resentful or grateful or happy or angry. Poseidon had ignored me for twelve years. Now suddenly he needed me.

3rd Person POV

Percy looks at Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?"

"I had my suspicions. As I said . . . I've spoken to the Oracle, too."

(Y/n) gets the feeling that there is a lot he wasn't telling them about the prophecy, but she decides that she couldn't worry about that at the moment. After all, she and Percy were hiding back information too."

"So let me get this straight," Percy says. "We're supposed to go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."

"Check," Chiron says.

"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."

"Check."

"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."

"That's about right."

(Y/n) looks over at Grover, who gulps down the ace of hearts.

"But I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" he asks weakly.

"You don't have to go," Percy tells him. "I can't ask that of you."

"Oh . . ." He shifts his hooves. "No . . . it's just that satyrs and underground places . . . well . . ." He takes a deep breath, then stands, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his t-shirts. "You saved my life, (Y/n), Percy. If . . . if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let the two of you down."

Percy feels so relieved that he wanted to cry, though he didn't think that would be very heroic. Grover is the only friend she'd ever had for longer than a few months. Percy isn't sure what a satyr can do against the forces of the dead but he feels better knowing he'd be with them.

"All the way, G-man," Percy turns to Chiron. "The Oracle just said to go west."

"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America."

"Where?"

Chiron looks surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."

Percy's POV

"Oh," I said. "Naturally. So we just get on a plane -"

"No!" Grover shrieks. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?"

I shake my head, feeling embarrassed. My mom had never taken me and (Y/n) anywhere by plane. She'd always said we didn't have the money. Besides, her parents had died in a plane crash.

"Percy, think," Chiron says. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."

Overhead, lightning crackles and thunder booms.

"Okay," (Y/n) says, not looking up at the storm. "So, we'll travel overland."

"That's right," Chiron says. "Two companions may accompany you. Grover is one. The other has already volunteered if you will accept her help."

(Y/n)'s POV

"Gee," I say, feigning surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a suicide quest like this?"

The air shimmers behind Chiron.

Annabeth Chase becomes visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.

"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, Seaweed Brain," she says. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up."

"If you do say so yourself," I say. "I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?"

Her cheeks flush. "Do you want my help or not?"

The truth is, I do. I need all the help I can get.

"A quartet," I say. "That'll work."

"Excellent," Chiron says. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."

Lightning flashes. Rain pours down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather.

"No time to waste," Chiron says. "I think you should all get packing."

Word Count: 4018 words

[faby-montana]

me & u

“i’ve been waiting. think i’m gonna make that move, now.”

paring: haechan x reader

summary: a collection of memories that happened between us.

warnings: 18+ for smut— (they only go to 3rd base tbh) handjobs, cumming, awkward kids (that are of legal age!)

a/n: this was supposed to be part of a series, not sure yet if I’ll make it one. let me know how you guys enjoy! (i also don’t really write smut so uh let’s see how this goes—)

recommended song: me & u

You bit your lip, your phone clasped in your hand beside you. You haven’t spoken to Donghyuck in almost a week. It was only about noon, maybe it’s too early to text him. Rolling to your side, you turn on your phone and go on snapchat, seeing if he had even been active recently. Not much to your surprise he was.

Your computer sat at the foot of your bed, a classroom tab open as you sat on your phone to pass the time. Your mother walks in, telling you that your principal was on the phone.

Shifting to sit up, you could only wonder what he wanted. After all, you haven’t been in school since the 15th and your athletic season is long over.

“Happy birthday!”

Wow. Even he remembered. You have yet to receive a happy birthday from him just yet. Once another hour passed, you wondered if now was the perfect time to send a text.

hey, are we still on for today?

Shutting off your phone instantly, you place it down as you pick up your laptop. You were scared to know the response, if he would even respond. You weren’t in the mood to get rejected on your birthday. You glance over your assignments, slowly starting to work on one to distract your hyperactive mind. Has he seen it yet? Did he ignore it? Maybe he’s busy.

The buzz of your phone makes your heart smile, focusing on your assignment you try to finish the sentence before going to see his response.

where are we going again

this ice cream place, it’s only like 10 minutes away i can meet you at your house if it’s easier

Smiling extra hard you hop out of your bed and walk over to your closet, trying to figure out the perfect outfit to wear. The two of you had confirmed plans to go after his mom goes to work around six, so you two had settled for seven. You showered, spent hours on your hair, deciding against makeup so your mom wouldn’t be too suspicious.

After eating dinner with her, you told her you’d be visiting two of your friends. You left out the part of going to see him too, but he lived down the street so if she tracked you she wouldn’t know the difference.

You hopped in your car, nervous about what might happen. You knew something might happen tonight, how far would the two of you go? You hadn’t necessarily shaved off your entire bush, god you flushed hard wondering if he’d mind. Your thoughts had you so distracted, you hadn’t even noticed you’ve been sitting outside his house for three minutes. Taking a deep breath you grabbed your purse, spraying yourself in the perfume he had bought you months ago and took a step out the car. You locked the door and took notice to the sun starting the set. You knocked on the front door, stunned to see his mom standing in front of you. She was very fond of you, so she greeted you kindly as she always did and told you she was on her way out. She wishes you a happy birthday and apologized for not getting you anything.

He jogs down the steps in a sweatshirt and his grey joggers, slipping on his black sneakers. You stood quietly by the door as he asked his mom for the keys, her telling him to be careful as he only nods in compliance. You knew he wasn’t really listening, probably already hearing that from her more than once. She says goodbye to the two of you as you walk out the door, him unlocking the door to take a seat.

You’ve never actually been inside of it before, it was a bit surreal considering you’ve stood outside of it for a very long time. You run your hand over the passenger seat that you sit on, putting on your seatbelt and laying back. It smelled good, just like him.

He tells you his mom had actually been off that day, him not knowing about it to which you only shrug. You reach for his phone, asking him if you could play a song. He unlocks his phone for you, and you clown him for using Spotify. It’s a routine almost, the two of have to tease each other.

Me & U by Cassie begins to play, him asking what was playing as you loudly sing along. The rest of the songs are ones you both enjoyed, but the first one was just to indulge you.

Once you get there, you both go inside to order and the biggest smile graces your face. You’ve been meaning to come here since October when it opened, and you finally got the chance. You already knew what you were ordering, and funny enough he orders the same. The two of you go back inside the car once the order is prepared, both of you sitting while soft music is playing. There’s not much talking, just the two of you being in each other’s presence as you watch the end of the sunset. He’s playing a game on his phone, and from time to time you glance over to annoy him.

“Hey so,” placing down the spoon in the jar, you look at him. It was now or never you figured, if you didn’t make this move now it just might never happen. “You actually like me?”

His head immediately looks up at you, raising an eyebrow. “what kind of question is that?”

You giggle, “a valid one.” You tear your gaze away, “I’m really sorry about not sending you anything..” You slightly shift towards him, “but I thought yours were cute.”

“uh huh.” He was embarrassed, you could tell that much. He also didn’t take you seriously, so you placed a hand on his knee to grab his attention. His gaze focused on it for a split second before looking at you once you started talking.

“I’ll let you take pictures of me if you want.”

He scoffs, “your lying.” Why is he acting so awkward? Was he just as scared as you were?

You leaned in a bit closer, telling him you were wearing that black bralette he liked. You could see him swallow, and before he could open his mouth again you opened the car door and went into the back seat. Taking off your top you told him to come join you.

Still flustered, he does as told and gets into the backseat. Sitting beside you, your knees touching he seems a bit clueless. You slid back a bit, “do you really want this?” You were giving him a chance to back out now. If he really wanted this he would have to make the first move.

“Yeah.” He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Part of the insecurity you had of him not wanting to be with you left instantly. “Do you?”

You let out a huff, “I literally have my shirt off.” His eyes cascaded downwards briefly, not wanting to stare too hard. You sat back, wanting for him to make the first move, it was silent between the two of you before he slid closer, gaining the courage to finally kiss you.

It was short, as if he was testing the waters with you. His lips were soft and sweet, damn near addictive. You were glad he was at least a good kisser, knowing his experiences probably haven’t gotten him farther than that.

Climbing onto his lap you wanted nothing more than to continue, you even wrapped your arms around the back of his neck to bring him closer. Noticing his hands hadn’t really moved, you reached down and placed one on your waist. His other hand followed suit as you put your hands back on his neck.

This. This is everything you dreamed of. You’ve never felt closer to him, happier to be with him. You hoped you conveyed that when you grinded down against his lap.

You heard him moan lowly, which only made you smile. Gliding your hand down his front, you felt him shiver under your touch and shift a bit under you. Did he expect for you to grind down again?

Giving into him immediately, he whined against your mouth. Did he have any idea of what he was doing to you?

His hands gripped your waist a little tighter, pulling his lips from yours. “S-stop.” You immediately halted your actions, leaning away from him as you watched him catch his breath.

Was he about to bust in his joggers? You couldn’t help but feel a little proud as you saw just how hard he was.

You were going to get up to sit back next to him, in case you were heavy on his legs but his arms wrapped around you. He stared into your eyes a bit, causing you to mutter a small “what..” to cover up how nervous you felt. He kissed down your neck, making you blush darkly as a moan escaped your lips. Your straps, which had been previously falling, had been tugged on. You pull them down, his warm hand cupping your breast. It was different to feel someone else’s hand groupe you, you glanced down to see how it filled his huge hand. He massaged it slowly between his fingers, you leaning back to give him more access. Another moan left you as you felt his warm mouth on your left. You couldn’t help but rub against him again, wondering what he was thinking of.

Pushing him back a bit you run your hand down his front, a soft groan leaving him. You untie the top of his joggers, sticking your hand down his pants as he gasped. He shifts a bit again, tugging down part of his pants to make it easier. You go back to kissing him, wanting to feel him moan against your mouth as you brought him closer to his edge.

“Baby..” He moaned, a small whine towards the end of his words. He was close and you had no intent on stopping. You only hummed, kissing down his neck as he got even louder after cummming. You didn’t stop, right away wanting to see his face. Taking your hand away you felt proud, and you knew you’d remember this for a long time. He looked at you while you glanced at your cum covered hand, deciding that you wanted to try it. You sucked on your fingers and glanced up to still see him staring. You blushed, turning away as he only chuckled. He asked you how it tasted, to which you could only shrug.

You got off his lap so you could turn, sticking your ass in the air as you reached for the napkins. You wiped off your hand first, grabbing a few more before turning back around. He took them from you cleaning himself off and pulling up his pants as you pulled back on your straps. He grabbed your waist, pulling you towards him as you leaned on his chest. The two of you stayed like that for a while, sitting in each other’s presence. You heard the sound of his heart beat, closing your eyes to the rhythmic sound. “We should get going soon.” As much as you wanted to fall asleep in his arms, you knew you shouldn’t. You couldn’t spend all night out here, and you shouldn’t give yourself the chance to get attached.

He sighs, saying okay as you separate to move into the front seats. He turns the car back on as you grabbed his phone, going back to being dj. You smiled to yourself, singing along as he drove through the night.

When he parks back in front of his house, you lean over and kiss his cheek, thanking him for such a great night. You would leave right after, going back into your own car and about the rest of your day.

You wondered, if you had sent that text- would that have happened?

i’ve always wanted to play this song on what would’ve been our first date. or hang out. or whatever it was gonna be. i had so many hopes for us back then. so many hypotheticals about what we could’ve been.

[bbugyu]

good in bed + yoon jeonghan

between your long hours at the law firm and jeonghan's comeback coming up, time alone was hard to come by.

wc.3836 | smut, fluff, canon compliant, filthy language, too much laughing, gender neutral reader (but they do have a vagina), accidental domestication, an insane amount of praising and loving, the most vanilla smut i've ever written

i had every intention of writing a fic for every member before i started repeating and then jeonghan has been really mean to me this era and i was listening to dua lipa and wrote this entire thing in one go at like 2am a couple nights ago and now i have to post it

*

as someone who was lucky enough to have exclusive fucking rights to yoon jeonghan, you had learned that spontanaity was an absolute must. you were both extremely busy people, and sometimes making time to see each other was more difficult than you thought it should be. it didn't help that you couldn't meet in public - what with jeonghan's career - so days spent alone together were fewer and farther between, especially with his team gearing up for comeback promotions. recently, the most time you had spent with your boyfriend was the short while you spent video chatting when he got home from practice, usually around when you were waking up to head to work. 

so when you got a kakao message from jeonghan saying he was downstairs, you were quick to buzz him up to your floor, even if he knew the code to let himself in.

you had already settled in for the night, wearing a white tee with printing on the back - one of the many shirts he had abandoned at your home - and a pair of sleep shorts. you grabbed the pint of ice cream you had been snacking on and tossed it in the freezer before you went to the front door where your boyfriend has already punched in your door code.

his smile was immediate, an arm wrapping around your waist and pulling you into a quick peck on your cheek. "hi, baby."

you giggled when he pulled away. "hello, darling. to what do i owe the pleasure?"

"got out of practice early" jeonghan said, shuffling off his shoes and stepping into his designated slippers, tossing the duffel bag with his practice clothes to the side. "i convinced younghwan that i can get to the company on my own tomorrow."

"you have practice tomorrow? it's saturday."

jeonghan sighed, a smile dancing on his lips, running his fingers through your hair briefly. "fitting. 2pm. how was work?"

"fine," you said as you led him into your living area, thinking about how long it had been since the two of you had gotten to spend a whole evening and morning together. you meandered into the kitchen as you spoke about the intern you had taken on as a favor to a friend of yours. "have you eaten? do you want something?"

"i ate," he said, reaching an arm out to pull you towards him. he backed himself against a counter, smiling at you as you leaned into his chest. "you look particularly lovely today."

you huffed, batting at his chest. "shut up."

"you do!" he laughed, eyes big as he tried to convince you that his favorite version of you was the one that had already washed your face and was lounging in his clothes. you rolled your eyes and told him he just hadn't seen you much recently, but he countered by saying he looked at pictures of you every day, sighing at his phone, annoying all the members by saying how pretty you were and how much he missed you. you laughed at his tale of yearning, fully ready to call him a lying idiot.

then he kissed you, and you no longer remembered what you had talked about or if it was important, because jeonghan's lips were on yours and they demanded your full attention.

"mm, sweet," he teased, wrapping his arms tighter around you.

you giggled. "strawberry ice cream."

"good choice," he muttered, lips pressing against yours again. and much like the ice cream, you melted against him, heat rising in your chest when his hands worked their way down your hips and squeezed at your ass. your arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer as you nipped at his lower lip, sparking a low groan.

"okay, we're going now." you giggled at jeonghan's announcement as he squeezed a palm against your butt once more before grabbing your hand and leading you to your own bedroom. you were still giggling when he put his hands on your hips, standing at the edge of your bed. you placed your arms around his neck, excitedly kissing him again, savoring the taste of his tongue on yours. somehow, he was sweeter than ice cream.

he held you like that longer than he intended, but jeonghan had a habit of getting distracted by you. his hands kneaded at your ass, only covered by the thin fabric of your criminally short house pants, and he quickly shoved his hands under the waistband to grip at you fully. you gasped into his lips, wanting nothing more than to grind against his lap.

with his vantage point, jeonghan slid your shorts and underwear down your thighs easily, letting them pool at your slippers as he returned his attention to your rear end. you shuddered at the feeling of the cool air against your core, biting at his lip. impatient, you fought with his belted jeans and shoved them down his hips when they were loose enough, earning a sly grin. "need something?"

you stared at his cock as it sprung out of its confines, hard and angry. "dunno, do you?"

jeonghan didn't respond outside of sitting back on your bed, kicking off his jeans as you fumbled with your bedside table, finding a condom. it had been too long. you both needed something. and neither of you were in much of a position to tease the other.

you crawled over to where he had backed up, sitting with his dick on high alert, and straddled his lap. he took only a second to whip off his shirt, then ran his hands up under yours to run a thumb over your hardened nipple. you whimpered, rutting your bare pussy against his shaft, which pulled a groan from his chest. you were wet and hot against the underside of jeonghan's velvety cock, and his hips bucked involuntarily into yours at the feeling. his fingers gripped your hips, dragging your pussy across his length. you moaned when the head of his cock brushed up against your clit, making your thighs shake already.

"fuck, baby, i need you now."

you bit your lip and nodded, wishing you didn't have to remove yourself from him just so he could slide on a rubber. he bunched up the hem of your shirt, gripping it against your waist to watch as his cock disappeared into your warmth.

your head fell to his shoulder as you lowered, whining at the way your walls stretched around him. he exhaled slowly, putting one hand on the back of your neck, the touch relaxing some tension in your shoulders. "you opened right up, sweetheart. have you been touching yourself?"

you threw your head back, still feeling slightly visually impaired from how full he made you, and twisted your hips slightly, earning a muffled grunt from your overly confident partner. "what i do in my spare time is no business of yours."

"mmmm," jeonghan pulled your shirt up more, capturing a nipple between his lips and sucking. "but imagining you fucking yourself while i'm not around is incredibly hot."

you moaned, rolling your hips into his and wrapping your arms around his neck. "fuck, jeonghan-"

"do you use that vibrator i got you?" he asked, hands on your hips, guiding you up off his cock and pulling you down harshly. you yelped, clutching at the hair at his nape as your mouth fell open. he captured you in a messy kiss at the opportunity, a string of saliva connecting your tongues when you pulled away to continue bouncing on him. "do you stretch yourself out with it and wish it was me? you're so easy to fuck right now."

his cock slid in and out of you too smoothly for how little foreplay had occurred, and your cheeks burned at the realization that jeonghan had perhaps too strong of an effect on you. you tried not to think about how good the vibrator had felt when you tweaked your nipples the way jeonghan did, when you imagined his voice egging you on towards an orgasm, when you pretended it was his hand pumping the device into you instead of your own. 

his grip on your waist tightened as he felt your walls clench around him. "god, you feel fucking incredible. you feel like heaven. you feel like a dream."

"you go from so filthy to so cheesy" you whined, feeling him hit spots in you that made your vision blur momentarily. "make up your mind."

you barely registered the dreamy grin on his face as he wrapped his arms around you, holding you against his chest while he rolled his hips up into yours. "you're the most beautiful person i've ever met."

"no, you."

"i'm serious," he said, finding your eyes. "i'm so lucky to have you."

you blinked as you tried to think of a worthy response, only to have your thoughts interrupted by jeonghan rutting up into you again.

"i love that you pretend to be asleep when i wake up so that i can keep cuddling you," he said, catching your lips between words and thrusts. "i love the way you drink beer like it's the most satisfying thing in the world."

"j-jeongh-"

"shh," he said, smiling against your lips, continuing his steady hip rolling, pushing himself into all the spots that made you whine. you moaned, and he ate it up, his tongue gliding across your lips. "i'm not done."

your vision was starting to get fuzzy around the edges as you felt the tension coil in your gut. "i'm about to be," you said, dropping your face into his neck. "you're hitting me too deep."

"yeah, baby? you're gonna cum?" he leaned back against a hand and let you take the control you desperately wanted, rolling your hips against him in a way that hit your g-spot and stimulated your clit, and you gasped when he pinched at your nipple. "you look so good like this. fucking yourself on me."

your nails dug into his shoulders as you moaned out his name, riding out your orgasm on his lap. jeonghan watched you intently, like you were his favorite movie. the movie he could put on no matter what mood he was in. the movie he had memorized but never wanted to stop watching. he kissed you as you came down, rubbing your back under the oversized shirt. your hips stuttered on his, and he bit back a groan. his cock felt so hard in you he thought it might shatter if it went on like this for much longer.

you were still trying to catch your breath when you felt him twitch in you. you pressed your forehead against his. "mm, go ahead, baby."

"are you sure?" he asked, looking at you. "you're ready?'

you nodded, a hand on the back of his neck. he kissed you quickly and helped his shirt off your frame before falling back and bringing you with him, pulling a giggle from your lips as he rolled you over onto your back and hiked your thighs up around his hips. despite the fact that he never fully pulled out, you still sighed when he pushed back into you, overstimulated stretch morphing into continued pleasure far too quickly. 

jeonghan stayed like that a moment, parked with his hips between your thighs, hilt deep in your pussy, his elbows hooked under your knees, one hand on your waist and the other keeping him from putting all his weight on you. he loved the way you stared up at him, eyebrows ruffled slightly at your full cunt. he pushed into you a few more times like that before unhooking your legs, wrapping one arm around your waist and the other hand finding your jaw. your arms went to his neck again, pulling him into a kiss as he pumped himself into you.

"fuck," he groaned, biting at your lip. "god, your pussy is out of this world."

he kept burying himself in you completely, and even then tried to push his hips further into yours. he bit at your shoulder, hair sticking to the sweat accumulating on his forehead.

"you fit me so perfectly," jeonghan said, lifting his head to look at you. his thumb drifted across your jawline to your lips, and you instinctively parted them let your tongue roll out and wet the pad of his thumb. he groaned again, one eye squinting slightly as he focused on your tongue, remembering the way it felt along his cock. "we were made for each other, i think."

"you're so-" you started, but your post orgasm haze made it hard to form coherent sentences, especially when you were still getting fucked. "you're being so-"

"sweet?" jeonghan asked, kissing against your jawline. "romantic?"

"annoying," you said facetiously, earning a laugh against your neck. "i miss the days when you would call me a slut and leave while i was sleeping."

the kisses trailed back up your neck, and you whined as he began to pick up his pace. "sorry, i'm just so full of love these days."

"well," you interrupted yourself with a moan as your body began reacting more to his movement. "i'm full of dick."

jeonghan smiled again, but this one is covered almost completely by your lips on his, desperate and needy. an elbow kept him from laying completely on top of you, the same hand caressing your jaw gently as his lips worked against yours. you couldn't help the quiet squeak that escaped every time he bottomed out into you, and he wished he could have the image of you absolutely fucked out of your mind beneath him etched into his memory forever.

luckily, he saw it enough that it might as well be.

"i love it when you wear my clothes," he said. "i love the way you walk when you know i'm watching."

you gasped when his teeth dragged across your pulse. "not the neck, baby. i'm working on a really important case."

"mmm, so focused on your career." he smiled as he kissed further down and settled to leave a hickey on your collarbone, running a hand down your body. "god, everything about you is so sexy."

your back arched into his touch. "your dirty talk keeps getting weirder the longer we're together."

"what can i say? you turned me into someone that's horny for stability." that pulled a giggle from you, which quickly turned to a moan when he pushed his needy member into you again. "your body is so perfect against mine. i love every centimetre."

you couldn't help but think about all the times he had proven just that, fingers tracing over your sensitive skin while he lapped at your dripping folds. squeezing your thighs as he pushed his tongue into you. or when he had you on your stomach, caging you in with your tight cunt full of cock, a hand lifting your hip off the bed to get a better angle as he bit your shoulder. 

as your brain whirred with filthy thoughts of past fun, jeonghan groaned and sucked a nipple between his lips. you gripped his hair, knowing he felt every squeeze of your walls in reaction to his touch.

"you know what i love?" he said, releasing his mouth from your chest and kissing your lips instead. "i love when you greet me at the door. you know i'll get in just fine but you still come to the door."

you thought he was timing his thrusts to stop you from responding when your mouth opened just to let out a moan. "i missed you."

"i missed you, too, baby." your ankles hooked around each other behind his back. "i missed your perfect body and your smart mouth."

"jeonghan," you gasped slightly. "p-please don't stop."

he moaned, pulling you as closely against him as he could. "i love you when you laugh," he whispered, eyes screwing shut. "you're like an angel. so beautiful and sweet. but god, i love it when you're mean, too."

you wanted to say something about his words sounding familiar, but the thoughts disappeared before they could reach your mouth.

"remember when i visited your office," he said, recalling the saturday eons ago, one of the first times you had met up without the intention of blowing off some steam sexually. even with a mask and a bucket hat on, your assistant had recognized him immediately, making you threaten her with your law degree to make sure she didn't spread any rumors about the idol. "there was barely anyone around but you were still wearing slacks and a button up. i think i fell in love with you just by watching you work that day."

"oh, god, jeonghan," you whimpered. "fuck, i'm going to cum again."

"yeah you are, baby." jeonghan snaked a hand between you to press against your clit, the movement of his hips crashing into yours forcing his thumb to rub against the sensitive nub. you gripped his hair, nails digging into the back of his neck. "cum for me, sweetheart."

your want to please him won easily against your tired body, especially with how worked up he had managed to get you, and you practically rattled against him as he fucked into you. you grabbed the sides of his face and moaned into the kiss, and it only took seconds of your walls pulsing around his cock before he was stuttering his hips and unloading into the condom.

when his lips pulled away from yours, you were both breathing heavily with a light sheen of sweat making you sparkle in the dim lighting of your bedroom. he buried his face in your neck, wrapping his arms around your waist completely and settling into you. "ok goodnight."

you laughed, your hand running through jeonghan's hair as you cuddled. "goodnight," you said, knowing he would roll off you too soon to discard the condom and find some water. you twisted a bit of his hair around your fingers, sighing happily, enjoying the feeling of him in you while you could. 

"baby," he said, voice muffled from being pressed into the crook of your neck. "do you wanna order takeout?"

you laughed. "i thought you said you ate?"

jeonghan pulled away to grin at you. "i've been known to tell a white lie every once in a while." you laughed, letting out a small noise when he pulled out of you to discard the condom in your bathroom. "especially when i have really good motive."

you laid on your side, watching him flick the light on and off to find the garbage can. "i love you."

"yeah?" after discarding a tissue he used to quickly clean himself up a bit, he hurried himself back to your side, sliding into your bed next to you. "how much?"

you sat up, looking for where he had discarded the shirt you were wearing. "just enough to get you dinner. what do you want?"

"hmm," he traced your spine with his fingertips. "black bean noodles."

you rolled your eyes, crawling over him to get out of bed and grabbed the shirt he came in. "you always want black bean noodles," you said, pulling it over your head, tugging at the black fabric and showing it off to him.

jeonghan smiled as he watched you. "that one place you always order from. they don't deliver to the new dorms."

"ah," you said, finding your underwear and tossing jeonghan's towards him. "you're using me for my address."

he laughed and sat up to pull on the undergarment. "that and the mindblowing sex."

you laughed, brushing your fingers through your hair as you left the bedroom to retrieve your phone and place the order. "you're lucky you're pretty."

when you returned with your phone and leaned against the doorframe, jeonghan was pulling on a pair of his shorts that he had gotten from your closet. he grabbed the shirt you had been wearing from the bed, shoving his feet into his slippers and shuffling towards you. you smiled at him as you waited for the restaurants in your area to load in app, searching for the place he had talked about.

"do you want anything else?" you asked, letting him snake an arm around your waist and plant a kiss on your lips.

"mmmmmm, no, i don't think so. you're everything i need."

you squinted at him. "extra radish? soondae?"

he squinted back. "okay, just prove me wrong, then."

you giggled, poking at his bare chest before pulling away to continue the dinner order. "i wanted soondae."

"hey, i thought you were buying me dinner."

you tossed your phone on the couch after the order sent, jeonghan's arms around your hips encumbering you as you laughed and tried to walk away from him, the shirt he had intended to put on getting abandoned on the floor. "yeah, and i'm also letting you sleep in my bed tonight. and feeding you in the morning. and driving you to work tomorrow. start thanking me."

"thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou-"

you practically snorted, pushing on his chest as he made kissy faces at you. "god, you're so annoying!"

jeonghan laughed, pulling at your waist until he could secure his arms under your butt, lifting you off the floor. "i love you thank you i love you!"

"where's this energy coming from?" you split your knees to wrap around jeonghan's waist. he turned to sit on the couch with you on his lap, making you frantically grab your phone as he sat half on it. "haven't you been practicing all day?"

he smiled, hands running up and down your thighs and over your ass. "i was getting so burnt out without you around. i feel alive again."

you pouted. "you can't say stuff like that."

"why?" he kept smiling at you. "it's true. you are my energy."

something in your chest fluttered, making you blush. you thought about all the long days of work and all the long nights you had spent without him. how tired you always felt. how much your mood increased just by seeing the message from him earlier. "shut up. you're mine, too."

he grinned even wider. "do you wanna visit the new dorms? i'm almost done decorating my room."

"does it look exactly like your old room?"

he kept facing you, but his eyes darted to the left. "no."

you giggled, your hands finding his neck and placing a quick kiss on his lips. "i'd love to. when will you be home?"

"next weekend?" it would be the last free sunday he'd have for a while. "i can hide you. you could stay over."

you sighed. "your managers are gonna be so sick of us."

"it's fun though, right?" he laughed. "sneaking around like teenagers."

"at least we don't have to fuck in cars," you teased, checking the delivery time on your phone. "fifteen minutes."

"mmm, however shall we fill the time?"

you rolled your eyes, but smiled against his lips nonetheless.

[dragon-pups]

Clear Water

Uncle Crosshair teaches Omega how to swim.

Prompt: Omega doesn’t know how to swim and drowns

TW: Drowning, Death

@icedcoffee101 @brekkers-girl

Break because this is long.

After months of being on the run, constantly dodging imperial soldiers and their brother, they finally won. Well not really, but it feels like a victory of the highest caliber. They have him back. They finally freed Crosshair from the chip. Their family is now whole, and they’re safe.

They found a beautiful planet to hide out on. The whole surface is covered in lush rolling hills and great lakes full of the clearest water. Large forests full of game dot the landscape. Gentle breezes blow the sweet scents of recently bloomed flowers. 

The sense of peace that flows through them all is new. They’re free, they’re together, they’re home. No more war for the moment. No more constantly being on edge. They have room to breathe now.

ꭥꭥꭥ

It didn’t take them long to find the perfect spot for their bunker, but it took them weeks to make it. By the end they had a bunker roughly the size of their barracks back on Kamino, stuffed to the brim with weapons and rations. The bunker was located close enough to a forest for them to hunt game and close enough to a lake to take a day to swim and relax. 

The lake was interesting. Large and clear. You could see all the way to the bottom. There was never any aquatic life moving near the surface, but there was always something just out of view. Moving along the bottom. 

ꭥꭥꭥ

Wrecker, Echo and Hunter didn’t hesitate before they jumped in and raced to the middle. Tech sat on a rock with his legs in the water, messing with something on his datapad. Crosshair was more dignified, carefully hanging his top on a rock before approaching the water. His slow pace is why he saw Omega still at the crest of the hill looking over the lake. 

Crosshair sighed before he started his way back up the hill. By the time he had reached her she was flushed and wouldn’t meet his eye, even when he crouched in front of her. Crosshair raised an eyebrow and waited. Finally he gave up and sighed again.

“Brat-”

“I don’t know how to swim okay!”

Both of his brows shot up at the sudden shout. He quickly schooled his face back into a bored look. He grabbed her by the chin and made her look him in the eyes. “So what?”

“I-I”

“You’ll learn”, and with that Crosshair got up and headed back down the hill.

He stopped halfway and casted a glance over his shoulder. When he was satisfied that Omega was following he quickly made his way to the shore. He waited with his feet in the shallows for Omega to come to him. When she didn’t he marched back out of the water and grabbed her hand. 

They walked together until the water hit Omega's chest. By that point she wrapped her arms around his waist tightly and buried her face into his side. Holding herself as far out of the water as possible. He couldn’t help the way his brows furrowed together as he looked at her, taking comfort from him of all people. 

He gently shifted her up to his chest with one arm secure around her back and the other supporting her legs. He slowly shifts to his knees, so they’re both up to their chests in the water. He ran his hand up and down her back twice, before he gently pulled her arms from around his shoulders. 

He slowly pushed her away from him, never once letting go. He even more slowly encourages her to lean back into the water. One hand on her back helping her float, the other below her legs. He slowly floats her in a small circle, letting her get used to the water. 

He helps her float for an hour before he starts teaching her how to tread water. Slowly teaching her how to keep her head above water. They kept up the slow lessons before it was time to break for a late lunch, courtesy of Tech. 

When they got back in after lunch Crosshair was only able to teach her the basics of how to perform a breaststroke before a sudden storm rolled overhead. It was a quick scramble to gather their stuff and pull back to base before the downpour started.

ꭥꭥꭥ

The downpour lasted for days. They were stuck inside and all Omega wanted to do was get back to the lake. She enjoyed her lessons from Crosshair thus far, and she wants more time with him. As the rain starts to slow she starts asking them more and more to go back to the lake. They keep telling her to wait, that they will once the rain stops and the lake has time to warm back up. But she wants to go now.

She couldn’t sleep the night the rain finally stopped. She was too excited to get to swim with her family again. Maybe, maybe she could go check the lake. Make sure that the temperature is right, so they can swim tomorrow. Yes, that’s what she will do!

Omega quietly creeps from her bed. She grabs her boots and slowly makes her way to the door. She knew Hunter wouldn’t wake up, because Tech gave him a shot of painkillers and a sedative to help with his migraine. She was still careful to not wake the others. She carefully closed the door behind her and quickly threw on her boots. She scurries around the far side of the bunker, as far away from Hunter, Tech and Echo’s bunks as possible. They were the most likely ones to wake up from the sound of her footsteps.

She sprints as fast as possible to the lake. It's fuller than she remembers, the shore halfway up the hill instead of the bottom. Oh well, nothing she can’t handle. A quick dip couldn’t hurt. Crosshair has been teaching her how she should move the next time they go to the lake to swim. Yeah, and then they could get to some of the games Wrecker has been talking about tomorrow! 

She removes and tosses her boots to the side and jumps into the water. It’s colder than she remembers, far colder. Even the short distance from shore she jumped was too far for her to reach the bottom. She tries to paddle and kick like Crosshair taught her, but it’s so cold. She struggles to get closer to shore. Her head drops below the surface multiple times. Everytime she can force her head back up she's a bit farther from the hill.

She can feel her teeth start to chatter together. Her limbs become numb. It's harder and harder to keep her head above the water. She wants to scream, but can’t. There's not enough time to catch a breath let alone scream. 

She can’t move. She can’t get back to the surface. She needs to breathe. She can’t stop it. She continues to flail trying to get to the surface, even as the water consumes every inch of her being. Darkness engulfs her vision as she slowly sinks away from her family.

ꭥꭥꭥ

He hears her get up. A child as naive as her thinks that sneaking is as simple as just not stomping. He hears her leave, which in and of itself isn’t a concern. They hadn’t been able to make a working indoor ‘fresher yet. What was strange was that she didn’t tell one of them first. She normally woke up Hunter or Echo, but she left without telling anyone. 

It wasn’t until he heard her run along the wall of his and Wreckers bunk that he started to worry. Maybe she just saw an animal or something and went to check it out. The kid is always curious she’ll be fine, he reasons lying back down. When is she ever fine. That kid has gotten them all into trouble more times than Wrecker could count. 

Minutes pass as Crosshair debates with himself. When Omega doesn’t return to the bunker the sinking feeling in his gut increases tenfold. He drops from his bunk and runs out the door. Something’s wrong. Something has to be wrong. He looks around, but can’t see her.

The lake! She kept talking about the lake!

He runs as fast as his bare feet can carry him. When he crests the hill he can’t see her, but her boots are here. She must be close.

“Omega!”

Crosshairs shout echoes far into the distance, but nothing. She wouldn’t have gone into that lake; it's gotta be freez-

She wouldn’t know. She’s never swam before.

He quickly sprints for the edge of the lake and dives in deep. He swims for the bottom. Looking for any sign. Hoping she’s not here for him to find. Hopefully she's just a few hills over. Hopeful-

There. He catches a flash of blonde hair and dives for it. He grabs her and rushes to the surface. When he gets her to the shore she’s cold and not breathing. He tilts her head to the side allowing a stream of water to flow out of her airways. He then begins to give her CPR. Desperation in all his actions.

“Come on Omega. Please...”

Nothing.

Continues?

[whimperwoods]

Part 8 of Gozukk and Anna.

In this installment, many names? Family lore abounds. Anna is only mostly the center of attention, which is probably for the best. I am honestly only partially sure this chapter even counts as whump, but I just needed a nice breakfast and some nice new friends and for Anna to get some new Gozukk context before she has to do more scary things like go talk to a doctor.

The masterpost is here and includes a cheat sheet with all the new names/characters.

tw: slavery (past), tw: past rape/noncon (barely referenced), tw: past abuse,

Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!

Tag list: @redwingedwhump, @nine-tailed-whump, @thehurtsandthecomfurts @kixngiggles, @bluebadgerwhump, @dragonheart905, @carolinethedragon, @whumpzone, @newbornwhumperfly, @cupcakes-and-pain, @much-ado-about-whumping

****

Gozukk left a note for the half-elf, pinned to the inside of the tent flap, and let her sleep. He hoped she would wake for breakfast while others were still there for her to meet, but he also knew enough about her wounds, inside and out, to know she needed the sleep if she could get it.

He was talking to Azzor when her head poked tentatively out of the tent flap, glanced uneasily toward him and the others and the fire, and vanished back inside. His heart fell a little, though he couldn’t pretend he hadn’t expected the fear.

Azzor had noticed him watching something, and probably his face falling while he wasn’t thinking about keeping a front up. When he turned his gaze back to his best friend’s face, the general was already rolling his eyes. “Go on, it’s fine. You’ve gotten the key things from my report. I assume you’re staying around camp today?”

Gozukk nodded, looking back over at the tent, and trying to decide how offended he should be that Azzor wasn’t bothering to pretend he couldn’t read him like a book..

“This is that baby hawk all over again,” Azzor said, “Don’t be surprised when you find yourself bleeding even though you’re stronger than her.”

Gozukk’s face slid into a sideways grin. “Which baby hawk?”

“Exactly. It was like you liked having beak-sized gashes all up your arms.”

Something in Azzor’s eyes said he wasn’t upset, just wary, and Goz could live with that. “Anyway,” he answered, “This time, her wings are clipped. You have to acknowledge that’s different.”

“Fear is fear. You can’t expect something that scared and with that many reasons not to trust anther creature to decide you’re the safe thing.”

Gozukk scowled. “She’s not a something. She’s a someone.”

Az sighed. “I know, Gozukk. But elves can be dangerous, too. You know that.”

He did. He did. His face warmed over his cheekbones, and he found he couldn’t meet his best friend’s eyes. “I know, Az. It’s just -”

“You’ve never seen a broken wing you didn’t want to splint.”

Azzor sounded resigned more than he did disappointed, something hiding in his tone that told Gozukk they were still alright. A wave of calm washed through him. It was clear, then. It was clear what he was doing, even if all the rest - wasn’t.

As Gozukk stepped away, toward his tent, Azzor reached out and gripped his forearm. “You know I’m only paranoid because someone has to be, right, Goz?”

Gozukk gripped Azzor’s forearm in return. “And you know it’s why I made you General.”

Azzor squeezed his arm before letting go. “Go on, Mama Bird.”

“Papa Bird.”

“You’re never winning that one.”

Gozukk made a vague, dismissive noise and tried to hold onto the hope of the morning. There was breakfast. People were well-rested. The humans from yesterday were still a problem, but nothing new was looming over today. It was going to be a good day. It was.

Anna was still just inside the tent flap when he opened it, and she immediately flinched away from him, hard, one hand moving instinctively upward as if she might need to protect herself from being hit.

He wanted to reach for her shoulder, but he shouldn’t, and his body stiffened as he resisted the impulse. She took a half-step backward, bobbing her head into a series of quick half-bows. “Oh, umm... I’m sorry Sir - Mr. Gozukk - I’m - I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s alright,” he said softly, “I knew you were here, just didn’t realize you were still at the door.” He reached forward and brushed her hair behind her ear, never quite touching her head, and was pleased to find the little bobs stopping, even if she didn’t seem much calmer.

He pushed the tent flap open farther and stepped inside, moving around her with a few extra inches space to spare.

As soon as the flap closed, blocking out the morning sun, it was harder to hold onto the hope that today would be better. But then, it didn’t have to be, did it? It just needed to not be worse.

He dropped down into a comfortable squat, rather than making her look up, and her eyebrows raised in surprised as he peered at her face from below.

Her hands fluttered anxiously in front of her. “Oh - I -”

He held his hands out, hoping she’d give him hers and stay standing, rather than collapsing again. It was worth a try, anyway, and if she did fall down to her knees, at least he was already close enough to make eye contact.

“Oh!” she said again, softer this time. She placed her hands tentatively into his, her cheeks brightening into a blush.

Her hands were so small in his, immediately swallowed up even by his loosest, gentlest grasp. The bandages around her palms did a little bit to camouflage the narrow palms, but couldn’t disguise the delicacy of the slender, shaking fingers resting against his palm.

He held her hands as gently as he could manage. “Anna,” he began seriously, “I need you to listen to me, and I need you to tell me the truth. We have time, and there is no rush. Are you ready to meet people, or would you like me to bring breakfast in here?”

Her breathing shallowed, and her eyes started darting around, frightened, but she didn’t have much of anywhere else to look, not with him squatting down to look at her from under her hair, and not when she couldn’t twist away without pulling her hands out of his (admittedly loose) grip.

She blushed harder. “I can do it, Mas-” she flinched, her eyes blinking closed for a second and then meeting his fully as she corrected herself, big and pleading. “Gozukk. I can do it . . . Gozukk.” Her voice trailed away to near silence, and he decided she’d been stressed out enough. He gave her fingers a gentle, reassuring squeeze and then stood back up.

“Excellent. We’ll get you some breakfast over by where Djaana’s sitting, so you’ll have a familiar face nearby. I’ll tell the kids not to bother you.”

“Th-Thank you . . . Gozukk.”

She still seemed to be struggling with his name, but allowed him to usher her out of the tent, holding the flap open for her.

The adults in the camp made a point of not staring, in spite of the curiosity in their passing glances, but the children gawped openly, and Anna shrank closer to his side, pulling in on herself.

It felt good for her to cringe closer rather than farther away, as much as he didn’t like watching her stay so afraid. Fear is fear, Azzor had said, and backed into a corner, he was right, but Anna was a person and not a bird, and he had to hope for better.

Djaana smiled at both of them as they approached, her youngest, still just a toddler, ducking behind her calves and peering out at Gozukk and the stranger.

“How’s your back feeling this morning?” Djaana asked, her tone casual, as though this were a normal morning chat. “Mukzod is back in camp if you’d like a healer to take a look. You can go with Dumul, when he goes to train.”

Gozukk’s oldest nephew raised a hand, waving in Anna’s direction. “That’s me.”

Anna dropped into a curtsy. “Pleased to meet you.”

Dumul bowed back without rising from his feet, a deep polite nod. Gozukk’s heart warmed. Dumul and his cousin had both been a handful lately, insisting on taking new responsibilities and getting away from home, both of them only recently grown into their limbs, so that Gozukk still imagined them as lanky adolescents and was surprised when they came into view and weren’t.

Beside Dumul, Enzah rose to her feet, moving carefully and slowly toward him and Anna to avoid startling the girl, apparently having been briefed on the girl’s terror even though she’d been gone with the scouts yesterday. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, well-carved wooden comb.

“Hey, Anna,” she said gently, “My aunt told me about you. I went with some scouts yesterday to find the campsites the caravan used before, and I thought this might be yours.”

Anna backed up slightly, almost bumping against Gozukk’s side. “Oh! Um, n-no ma’am. I’m - that was - part of the cargo.”

Her face had paled a little, and Gozukk could feel her shaking just inches from him.

“Thank you, Enzah, that was kind,” he said, “Why don’t you keep it as spoils?”

She grinned, something in the expression reminding him painfully of his late brother as she did, but he needed to stay in the here and now.

“I’m not a very good medic yet,” Dumul said, “But if you’d like me to look at your hand before you eat, I can try a small healing spell. Elder Mazogga says I should focus more on slow medicine before I learn the fast way, but a little magic can’t hurt.”

Anna’s hand closed into a fist as she pulled her hand closer to her chest, almost as if on instinct.

Dumul held his hands up, palms toward her, “Or if you’re not ready, that’s fine, too. I know Uncle’s had enough battle wounds to dress them well.”

“Better than you,” Djaana commented affectionately, “You should have listened to Mazogga.”

Dumul nodded deeply, conceding the point, but they all knew they couldn’t really regret him choosing to do healer’s training first, before medicine. Enzah stretched, letting her shirt ride up to reveal the messy scar across her stomach where she’d nearly been disemboweled a few months ago, and Gozukk felt a familiar small spike of fear as he thought about the fact that she’d been allowed to go scouting again with the rest of her training cohort, even to a place as safe as an abandoned camp.

Mel had been peering out from behind her mother’s legs with more and more confidence as they all stood still, and finally tugged on Djaana’s hand, “I go Uncle Gokukk?” she asked in a whisper that wasn’t really a whisper.

“Why don’t you go see if Uncle Gozukk wants to see you?” Djaana answered back.

The girl’s eyes brightened and she took off running on her chubby little legs, closing the distance between them so fast Gozukk barely had time to squat down and open his arms to catch her. She shrieked with giggles as he scooped her up and tossed her into the air, only to catch her again and hold her steady this time, plenty aware that baby cuddles didn’t last forever.

Mel buried her face against his shoulder and peered sideways at Anna, who seemed to have calmed down a little, too.

“Anna, this is my niece Mel. Mel, can you say hi to Anna?”

The toddler looked up and waved at the half-elf, but then buried her face back in his shoulder, suddenly shy. He laughed. “Good job, Mel. Do you want to let Anna say hi, too?”

Mel turned her head to the side to look at Anna and the half-elf spoke quickly, still clearly on edge. “Oh! Hi, Mel. I’m - I’m Anna.”

He introduced her to everyone around the circle, explaining that Jak was off with a friend, but she’d seen him yesterday, and his brother-in-law was away on a long hunt, back in a few days.

Finally, he settled her down in a spot by the fire next to Enzah. Usually, he’d have said Dumul was the less intimidating of the two, but he knew Anna was wary of men. It was reassuring when Enz immediately started talking to her in a calmer, softer voice than usual, offering her food and fussing over her a little bit, more like Djaana than like her late father. He smiled softly and relaxed. She’d always been a good girl, and he knew he could trust her to try her best, even if assuaging people’s fears wasn’t exactly her strongest skill.

He moved around the camp, talking briefly with various groups of people, but with half an eye on Anna the whole time, never straying too far to get back to her quickly if he needed to.

By the time Mel was wiggling to be let down and he had to return to his sister, it was clear both that his family was happy to accept Anna, and that it was a little overwhelming for her. She’d eaten, though he couldn’t imagine Enzah hadn’t been a little harsh about forcing the issue if Anna had been as reluctant as yesterday. Her arms were back around her middle, and something in her eyes looked half-dazed, her body hunched small next to his niece’s casual lanky sprawl.

Sending Mel toddling back to her mother, he crouched down beside Anna, whose brown-green eyes met his immediately this time, half desperate. He brushed her hair behind her ear again, a quick gesture of reassurance. “One more stop, and then I think you probably need more rest. Djaana’s not wrong. A visit to the healer or the midwife wouldn’t go amiss, now that you’re settled in a little bit.”

Anna’s eyes teared up and she started shaking again, eliciting a glare from Enzah he could feel burning into the side of his face, as if there were anything he could do about this.

He patted his niece casually on the shoulder as he rose to his feet, then offered a hand to Anna to help her up.

She took it immediately, quick enough this time to surprise him, though not unwelcomely. He guided her to Mukzod’s tent without quite touching her elbow, aware even without making contact that she was trembling again, but this time as she walked close to him, she at least seemed to be staying close, rather than trying to disappear into his side entirely, which seemed like a good sign.

“Before we go in to the tent,” he said gently, “I need you to tell me if you’re uncomfortable. Mukzod heals with help from the gods, and I can promise you he won’t call down any kind of magic to hurt you. But if you’re afraid, you don’t have to be healed at all. I just also want to make sure there’s no kind of tracking magic or curse on you. And if that’s all he does, that’s alright.”

Anna nodded, but she wasn’t meeting his eyes, looking down at the ground instead, and he didn’t know whether to believe her. Either way, it was best to remove the bandage quickly. He nodded back to her and called into the tent for Mukzod’s permission to enter.

[grilledcheeseandguavajelly]

“It Was Hard To Breathe, And She Called To Me” -- Cordelia Goode x Reader

Long story short, I had a lot of feelings and anxieties about coronavirus when everything got bad back in March, and this was the product of that. I wasn’t going to post it (for multiple reasons), but after revisiting it I changed my mind. Hopefully it isn’t too rough!

Words: ~3,600

Warnings: Coronavirus, panic attacks, anxiety, hyperventilating, scratching (if anything about wearing masks or claustrophobia triggers you, I would skip this one!)

~Enjoy, my little peaches!~

It hadn’t hit you. The severity of it all, the effect all of this was having on the simplest things. Holed up in the academy, it hadn’t affected your day to day life, besides not being able to go out. Cordelia had strictly enforced the quarantine, but she didn’t let you girls go out during the week anyway, and your weekends were usually spent in her bed, the only real alone time the two of you got nowadays. 

It made the sneaking around more fun, though, having to dodge prying eyes all seven days of the week. Never getting a break from the questions and the constant knocking on Cordelia’s door. Only able to steal kisses in the fleeting moments before dinner or deep into the night. 

You had been so wrapped up in everything with Cordelia and so dead set on not watching the news, that you didn’t realize how bad it had gotten until you actually stepped foot in a grocery store. 

You were all on a rotating schedule for groceries and errands, but so many girls had joined recently and Cordelia always needed you for something else, so you hadn’t gone out for groceries for roughly two and a half months. Until today. 

It was Coco’s turn, but she had come down with a cough and Delia refused to let her leave her room. Nothing serious, she had said, but she wouldn’t let her leave if her immune system was even the slightest bit compromised. 

You had volunteered to go, and Cordelia had looked at you with frantic eyes, but when Mallory innocently offered to cover your chores, there was no arguing, and before you knew it you were masked and gloved and fighting the New Orleans heat to get to the store. 

The streets were empty, a few leaves blowing across the sidewalk in front of you the only sound. It made the hair at the back of your neck stand up, this once lively city now stark still and abandoned. But you brushed the uneasiness away, trudging along and relishing the air conditioning once you arrived. 

Everything had gone well at first. You dug out your list, scratching a few things off quickly as you pulled them from the shelves. But then you were tasked with getting meat, and when you walked down the aisle, everything was gone. There were two containers of wrapped salmon, and that was it. No chicken, no beef, no pork. And you couldn’t pick up the salmon because one of the new girls had a fish allergy. 

Twenty minutes later and you had found someone to help you, had had a garbled exchanged through your respective masks, and were waiting for them to pack you some new meat. Luckily, when you mentioned the school they recognized you and were willing to help. 

After that it was toilet paper and napkins, but that aisle was also practically empty. Signs were put up saying “one of each”, so you grabbed whatever you could find. No hand soap, no disinfecting wipes. 

What felt like hours later, you were snug in your place marker on the floor, waiting to check out. Tugging at your mask and cursing the stupid thing for exacerbating the heat and making the air entirely too thick. You swallowed down the thought that you couldn’t breathe, pushing a panic attack out of your mind. 

You can breathe. It’s just fabric. Doctors do this all the time. 

The woman at the register barely talked to you, only enough to tell you that you had to choose between the toilet paper and the napkins. When you referenced the sign, she clarified that it meant one of any, not one of each. 

You shook your head incredulously as you thought about how sad it was that the world had come to this, and inevitably took too long to make a decision between the two. 

Ultimately, the toilet paper won out. It should have been a no-brainer, given how many girls lived in that house, but somehow, with the panic attack ebbing and falling in your chest, you couldn’t think straight. 

Your heart was pounding by the time the cashier finished scanning and bagging your items, and you tugged at your mask as it slid down your nose with your soft panting. 

You remembered when Cordelia had given it to you, smiling as you tried it on for the first time. She had told you it suited you, and you grinned in the mirror because the blue pattern did look good against your skin. 

That had been almost nine weeks ago. It hadn’t seemed that long, hadn’t seemed that bad. All you had used it for were your weekly walks with your girlfriend, and even then, you were more focused on her hand in yours and how her eyes crinkled around her own mask to notice. 

But now, as you tapped your phone to the keypad and waited for it to process your payment, time started to stretch around you, the past lengthening as the cashier printed your receipt. 

By the time you had left the store, the stress of the world was making the air press in around you. 

And by the time you made it back to the iron gates of the academy, the panic had completely overtaken you. 

Your arms were scratched raw, bags dragging you down and making you feel trapped in your own body. Your gloves were gone, torn through and lost somewhere along the way. The heat amplified the pounding of your heart, sweat pricking your neck as your head churned around the thought that you couldn’t breathe, there was no air. 

Somehow you found your way to the kitchen, dropping the bags on the counter as the room spun around you. And when the girls started to trickle in and dig through the bags, you pushed past them. You needed to get out. You needed to be alone. You needed to breathe. 

They called after you, voices echoing against the high ceilings of the building, and you dug your fingers into your hair and pulled, desperate for the pain to distract you from your thoughts. 

But you didn’t even feel it, the room tilting and spinning and making you stumble against the walls. 

You found the door to your room on instinct, reaching for the knob and pushing against it desperately when it didn’t budge. You froze, choking on your breath, but then you registered that you had to turn the handle. Then you would be safe. It would be quiet and calm and no one would find you.

No one would find you.

You could choke and suffocate and have a heart attack, and no one would know. 

You twisted, pushed, and the door unstuck, hand slamming hard against wood as you desperately threw it open. 

The door banged against the wall and you flinched, pushing your hands against your ears as your eyes frantically searched the room for somewhere to sit. Somewhere to stay. Somewhere to hide. 

Quiet, quiet, quiet. 

You needed quiet. 

The only thing you could register was your breathing, hard and fast and out of control. It was out of control. You were out of control. 

The room was too hot and you couldn’t get enough air in and you thought you might suffocate, your chest tightening as you pulled and tugged and scratched at your ankles. 

You hadn’t realized you had curled in on yourself, pressed against the wall beside your dresser, but it felt better like this. Safer like this. If you could get down low and tuck yourself away, the world would melt down and nothing could hurt you. 

Don’t touch, don’t touch, don’t touch.

Footsteps broke through your racing thoughts, steady at first until something clattered to the floor. You flinched at the sound and suddenly heels were clicking roughly against the wood, closer and closer and louder and louder.

You whimpered, digging your face further down between your knees.

“Y/N?”

The voice was warm, panicked, and hands on your shoulders made you cry out, breath wheezing as you struggled to breathe faster, take in more air. 

There was no air in this room. There was no air on this earth. 

The harder you sucked air in, the tighter your chest constricted, pushing it back out of your body and leaving your mind spinning with a lack of oxygen. 

When the person spoke again they sounded farther away, muffled, their words barely seeping into your brain between the pounding of blood in your ears. 

“Look at…don’t…slow down….I’ve got…you can…why don’t…can you….”

You whined against the sound, fingers digging into your scalp. And you hadn’t registered your hands over your ears until they were being pulled down and away and the world was forced back into full stereo around you.

“Y/N, look at me, breathe, you’re alright.” 

“No no no no no,” you started, batting at their hands and digging your palms back over your ears as you rocked. 

“It’s okay. You’re okay. It’s just me. It’s me.” Cooing, shushing, pulling for your hands again. Gentler, calmer. Slowly peeling them off of your ears and smoothing them down onto your knees. 

“Stupid stupid stupid stupid,” you mumbled, tears pricking your eyes as warm hands enveloped yours, tracking small circles over the back of your wrists. 

“No, Y/N. You’re not stupid. Shhh. You’re not stupid.” 

Suddenly there were thumbs tracing your palms, rubbing lines and patterns firmly into them. And it grounded you enough that you registered the voice that was talking to you. 

You lifted your head from your knees and looked up with bleary eyes, the room swimming around you as tears streaked down your face. You blinked against them, the light refracting in them too much of a sensory overload. 

But then there were fingers there, wiping at your cheeks and clearing your vision, so soft and so tender.

And she was there. Right there. Close enough that she could reach every inch of you, but far enough to give you space to breathe. 

Something shiny glinted behind her and you glanced over, registering a tray and a shattered tea cup laying abandoned in the doorway. 

Your breathing quickened again at the thought that you had done that. She had dropped that tray because of you. Shattered the cup because of you. A mess. Everything was a mess. You were a mess, that was a mess, the world was a mess.

“Shhh shh shh,” she cooed, pressing her hands hesitantly to your cheeks, the warmth distorted by something rough. “It’s okay. None of that. I’m right here. Take a deep breath.”

Something inside of you shattered with her words, heart plummeting as your chest constricted again. You clawed at your shirt, heat pressing in on you again.

“I- I can’t,” you choked out, pulling and yanking at your collar to force space around you. “I c-can’t breathe, Delia.”

Her name was more of a plea than anything else. Desperation to fix everything, fix the thickness of the air, fix the panic coursing through your veins, fix—

She shushed you again, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. “Sweet girl, let’s take this off, alright?”

And you nodded, assuming she meant your shirt. Assuming she was trying to help you cool off.

But fingers behind your ears startled you, and your eyes flashed open, frantic as they searched her face. She only smiled, soft and delicate as her fingers dug under elastic and pulled, looping the bands of your mask from around your ears and pulling the fabric away. 

You sucked air in like you hadn’t breathed in a thousand years, hands flying out to her shirt and grounding yourself in the satin there. And then you blinked, heart rate slowing as she folded the mask in front of you and set it down. 

You hadn’t realized you had still been wearing it. 

You hadn’t even thought.

Her hand on your chin caught your attention and she tipped your face up so that you were looking her in the eye. 

“Better?” she murmured, eyes soft as she tried to gauge your reaction. 

And tears pooled in your eyes because it was. Infinitely. But not because your mask was gone. It was better because she was here. 

Your breaths stuttered and you sniffed, and then Cordelia was right there, hands cupping your face. 

“Shh, it’s okay.” Her brows pushed up as she searched your eyes, and then she pulled your head to her chest, pressing a soft kiss to your temple. “It’s okay. You’re safe.” 

You grounded yourself against the feel of her, her heartbeat quick against your cheek, and you could feel her heavy breathing as yours finally slowed. 

Her fingers tracked over your spine, tapping as they hit the bumps of your vertebrae, one by one. She cooed at you, she shushed you, she whispered sweet nothings in your ear, her other hand skimming through your hair. 

Suddenly the weight of the world lifted from your shoulders, and just like that, the world felt normal again. Everything aligning and righting and slowing down around you. 

And you broke. 

You cried for what could have been hours, gripping your fingers further into her shirt and twisting and folding and rubbing the fabric together against the pads of your fingers. And all the while she sat with you, rubbing your back and kissing your hair and rocking you softly, back and forth and back and forth. 

By the time your sobs subsided into sniffles you could hear the girls bustling downstairs, pots clattering somewhere in the distance and soft arguments drifting up the stairs. 

Cordelia didn’t pull away, though. Her grip on you stayed constant, wrapped tightly in her arms as her chest pushed into yours with every breath.

She let you break the embrace, sniffing as you pushed a kiss to her jaw and pulled away to look her in the eye. 

“I’m sorry,” you started, the only words you could comprehend after your brain had churned itself inside out. 

“No no,” she chided, finger coming up to shush you. “You have nothing to apologize for.” 

“But I—“ 

She cut you off again, leaning forward and brushing her lips over your nose. “No.”

You swallowed, nodding softly as she stared you down, a small smile on her lips as she almost dared you to try again. 

You cleared your throat, coughing lightly. “I didn’t know I would have such an issue going out.”

She nodded, brow creasing as her thumb came up to wipe a tear from your cheek. You hadn’t realized you were crying again. 

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” she tried, head tilting. 

You shook your head, unsure that you would be able to put your feelings into words. But somehow they fell out of your mouth anyway. 

“I didn’t realize how bad it was,” you started, fingers tapping against Cordelia’s arm as the empty aisles and numbered tiles flashed through your mind again. “I mean, I had heard you all talking about it, but I brushed it off as nothing. I didn’t— But being there, finding half of the grocery list out of stock… What is happening to this country?”

Your voice cracked as your breaths started to wheeze, eyes searching Cordelia’s face frantically as you shook your head. 

But she shushed you before you could work yourself up again, pressing her hand against your chest and splaying out her fingers. 

“Look at me,” she said gently, eyes soft. You did. “Put your hand on my heart, darling. Okay?”

You nodded, reaching up and mimicking her, spreading your fingers out and pressing in until you found her heartbeat. The feel of it grounded you, and you noted that it was pounding quickly beneath her ribcage.

“Are you alright?” you asked softly, eyes flicking up to hers. All she did was smile, pressing firmly against your chest.

“Breathe with me, darling. Can you do that? Breathe with me.” 

Her thumb tapped against your chest and you felt it reverberate through you, slowing your heart rate. 

“In for four,” Cordelia started, her thumb tapping four times, slowly. 

You complied, inhaling in time with her. 

“Hold for four,” she said, searching your face as her thumb tapped four more times. 

You held her gaze, your heart rate slowing as you held your breath. 

“And out for eight,” she sighed, releasing a long breath as her thumb tapped eight times. 

You watched her as you deflated, the way she was holding onto your eye contact like a lifeline. The way her brow was creased down the middle, just barely. The way color had risen into her cheeks, flushing them a dark pink. 

“There,” she tried, leaning into your hand on her chest. 

There was a long silence, you relishing the way her hand felt against you, relishing the steadiness of her breathing, the warmth seeping through her shirt. 

When you looked back up at her, you realized she hadn’t moved her gaze from your face the entire time. Guilt washed through you. 

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” you started, hand falling from her chest. But before you knew what was happening, she had scooped it up in both of hers and pushed it back into place. 

“You didn’t scare me,” she said softly, offering you a reassuring smile. 

You tilted your head, brow furrowing. 

“You worried the hell out of me, but you didn’t scare me.” 

You laughed then, something light expanding out through your chest. And then you were practically tackling her in a hug, wrapping your arms around her shoulders as you squeezed her to you and settled down in her lap. 

“How are you always so strong?” you asked softly, nuzzling your nose against her pulse point. Her hands found your hair on instinct, threading through your curls. 

“I’m not,” she answered quietly, and you hummed as she trailed off. A moment later she found her voice, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head. “You say that I’m strong, but I’m just as frightened as you.”

You pulled back, brow furrowed. “Delia…”

“What gets me through, though,” she continued, fingers trailing from your hair back down to your heart, “is this.” 

You blinked at her, nose twitching. “My heartbeat?”

She nodded, pulling your hand back to her chest. “Do you feel that?”

“Of course,” you replied, fingers twitching on her shirt. 

“That is all that matters right now. Alright?”

You shook your head, brow furrowing. “I don’t understand…”

She leaned forward then, pressing a soft kiss between your brows. “This heartbeat, your heartbeat,” she started, fingers fidgeting against your chest, “is the only thing that matters to me. We do the best we can, day by day. We count our blessings and help people who are suffering. And that’s it. That’s all that’s in our control.” 

She tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, pressing a soft kiss to your temple. You hummed, pushing your forehead against hers and melting into the feel of her. The comfort of her so close, so strong. 

Her nose brushed against yours as she spoke again, breaking the silence that had settled. 

“We are healthy, we are safe. And that is all that matters.” 

You nodded, fingers finding her shoulders and scratching lightly in acknowledgement. You felt her sigh, and you let out a long breath, the pressure and stress of the day finally deflating out of you and leaving you weak and pliable in her arms. 

Cordelia nudged her nose against yours, prompting your eye contact. She watched you, eyes lidded and questioning, and waited for your soft nod. And as she leaned in and kissed you, softly, gently, purposeful and delicate, you realized that she was absolutely correct. As long as you had her, nothing else mattered. 

She cupped your cheek as she deepened the kiss and you parted your lips, moaning at the comfort of her and the warmth that was pooling through you at her touch. The familiarity. The inevitable protection that came with it. 

Before you knew what was happening your hands were up under her shirt, sitting straighter in her lap so you could roll your hips down over hers. Her mouth was locked to your neck and your eyes were screwed shut. Until you heard a thump outside the door and a soft “Miss Cordelia?”

Your eyes flew open as Cordelia froze and you had time to register one of the newer girls standing wide-eyed in the doorway. And then there were fifteen more girls there, all piled around each other, mouths agape. 

You heard one of them whisper “I knew it!” and then you dissolved into laughter, burying your face into Cordelia’s shoulder as she chuckled in your ear. 

Madison’s heels came clacking down the hallway before either of you could say anything, and as you lifted your head from Cordelia’s shoulder, you met her eyes.

“Oh come on, you pervs,” Madison groaned, batting at the girls and reaching for the door. “Don’t you have better things to do than peep on a lame-ass make out sesh?” 

The giggling subsided and the door clicked, and you pulled back, looking at Cordelia.

Your brow popped. “Lame-ass?”

She shook her head, biting down on a smile. “Make out sesh.”

You cackled at her sarcasm, and the way she was looking at you — her smile growing yours, yours growing hers, her eyes entirely too hungry for your own good — you thought that maybe being quarantined wasn’t the worst thing, after all. 

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