#it only took one time and fanfic authors RAN with it

[venusxblue]

I like how Valenwind nation collectively agreed that Vincent calling Cid "Chief" is hot and canon

[1800-fight-me]

Safety in Your Arms

Logan Howlett x Female!Reader Rating: M (Mature but as always-MINORS DO NOT INTERACT) Warnings: Cursing, threats of violence, stranger danger i.e. stalking but don't worry Logan saves the day Word count: A bit over 2k Synopsis: Logan protects you from the unwanted advances of another man and shows protectiveness and care you didn't know he had for you. Author’s note: I'm thinking this might need a part two, let me know what y'all think- I hope you enjoy! P.S. I do not have a taglist! Instead if you would like to be notified when I post new fics follow my side blog @jo-writes-fanfic and turn your post notifications on! Comments and reblogs make my day! Logan Howlett Masterlist Main Masterlist

There was a cold panic that shot down your spine. Fight or flight, you’d learned the technical term, but now experienced it for yourself. 

The five minute walk between your work and your apartment had never felt so long. It all started with a creepy customer- which was a regular occurrence at your job- but this customer took it far beyond creepy. 

He tried to make too much small talk, stared too much, made a few too many over the line comments, and was entirely too pushy when asking for your phone number. Your one male coworker escorted him out and you thought that was the end of it. 

Hours went by, you assured your coworkers multiple times that you were fine and you were safe, and eventually you were the last one left to close and lock up. 

But only one block away from your workplace, you had the feeling of being watched- of being followed. And it was just your luck that your phone was dead and you’d forgotten your charger at home.

You changed your route, taking one that was a bit longer but also more well lit and populated. With a glance back you confirmed your worry, that it was in fact the same creepy guy from hours before. 

Your heart pounded with terror as you contemplated every option for safety. Your apartment building required a code to enter, so you sped your walk, hoping if you slipped into the building and shut the door behind you that it would be enough. 

“Hey,” the man’s voice called out, but you refused to look back. 

Your apartment building was within sight, but the man’s catcalls and jeers were also getting louder and closer. 

“Hey, c’mere pretty lady! I’ve got somethin’ for ya!” 

Your whole body shuddered in fear. Your next door neighbor stepped outside of the front door of the apartment building and you nearly sobbed in relief. 

“Logan!” you called out. 

He looked up in surprise, but his expression quickly turned to concern as he saw the stress in your entire demeanor. 

You practically ran to him and threw your arms around his torso in a hug he clearly did not expect. He hugged you back, but you felt him stiffen as he looked behind you. 

That was one thing about Logan, he was extremely perceptive and quick to notice any form of danger. 

“Hey bub, what can I do for you?” he said to the man behind you in a gruff tone that was not at all welcoming as he gently maneuvered you so that you stood safely behind him. 

You gripped Logan’s strong bicep as you peered around his shoulder at the stalker. 

“I was just-” 

“Just nothin’. You better leave her alone,” Logan interrupted. 

“C’mon, I was just inviting the pretty lady to have a good time. Does he speak for you?” the creep asked as he made eye contact with you. The malice in his eyes made your heartbeat spike again. 

“Yeah, he’s my boyfriend,” you said nervously. 

He glanced between you and Logan as if uncertain. 

“She just told you, she’s mine- so fuck off,” Logan growled. A different kind of shiver went down your spine. 

“You live here?” the man asked. 

“No,” Logan growled before you could even open your mouth. “But I do, and if I see you around here again it’ll be a problem.” 

The man looked at Logan and finally seemed to take in the gravity of the situation, the danger that the large muscled man protecting you could pose. 

He gulped and nodded, yielded a step back as Logan took a step forward- muscles tense and fist clenched. 

The man turned and scurried away. You took your first full deep breath in several long minutes. 

Logan watched the man until he was completely out of view before he turned to you. He placed a large comforting hand on your shoulder and you looked up at him with tears in your eyes. 

“Princess,” he said in a gentle voice. 

He pulled you into a hug as a tear fell from your eye and made its way down your cheek. You were enveloped in his warmth and woodsy masculine scent and finally felt safe. 

“Thanks for pretending to be my boyfriend,” you said as you pulled back and wiped the tears from your eyes. 

“Anytime,” he said with a smirk. Your breath caught and you bit your lip as you looked up at him and saw such care and concern on his handsome face. 

“Who was that guy?” he asked. 

You shrugged, “Some crazy customer from earlier today, my coworker made him leave, but I guess he came back and waited until I was leaving alone….” 

Logan’s brow furrowed and he gritted his teeth. “That motherfucker,” he growled, “I’m walking you to and from work tomorrow.” 

“You don’t have to-” 

“No, I do. And I’ll do it until I’m sure he isn’t gonna bother you anymore. And if he shows up again…” he trailed off as his claws extended from his fist in an action that seemed involuntary due to his rage. 

A shiver ran down your spine. You had no idea Logan felt so protective over you. 

“Thank you,” you said in a soft voice, “I appreciate it.” 

This was not helping your ridiculous crush on your neighbor. From the minute he moved in with your friend Wade, you had heart eyes for him. 

The Wolverine, he took your breath away without even trying. With his large stature, huge muscles, and handsome face- you were a goner. It didn’t matter that he was older, way out of your league, and generally altogether grumpy. You were head over heels for him, and you were certain he had never noticed you before, that he merely thought you were Wade’s annoying friend. 

But you adored him, you adored the gentle heart you knew he buried under that gruff exterior, and displays of protectiveness such as this only proved what an amazing person you already knew he was. 

“I’m headed to meet Wade at the bar, d’you wanna come?” he offered. 

You nodded eagerly, not wanting to be alone after the stress of the day. 

“Lead the way,” you said with a smile. 

—--------

“Look who I brought,” Logan said as you walked behind him into the bar and approached a booth in the back corner. 

He stepped to the side so your friends could see you. Wade, Vanessa, and Dopinder sat at the table, already laughing and drinking beer. 

Wade gasped dramatically and exclaimed, “Princess Cupcake!” 

You rolled your eyes, but the smile on your lips betrayed you and showed your amusement. 

“Hey Wade,” you replied then greeted the others. 

“What? No comeback? I’m hurt! What’s wrong?” he asked, speaking in that way too fast pattern that was his norm. 

Logan placed a hand on your back and leaned down closer to your ear as he asked quietly, “You wanna sit down? I can get you a drink- what do you want?” 

You smiled and sat down as you were told and told him your drink order. 

Wade wiggled his non-existent eyebrows at you in a rather suggestive manner. 

“What’s up between you and peanut? Did you finally fu-” 

“No,” you interjected quickly. 

“Wade, she’s clearly upset and Logan is helping her,” Vanessa said as she elbowed her boyfriend. 

You sighed and explained the events of your afternoon. During your explanation Logan came back to the table with two drinks and sat next to you. His large form crowded you into the corner of the booth, but you didn’t mind. 

“That motherfucker,” Wade said in anger at the end of your story. Vanessa gave you a look of solidarity, you knew she had experienced plenty of creepy men in her life. 

“That’s what I said,” Logan replied, clearly somewhat amused. 

“We should kill him,” Dopinder said.

“Calm down wannabe-vigilante,” you muttered which caused everyone to chuckle. 

“Don’t worry cupcake, ole honey badger and I will make sure you’re safe,” Wade reassured. 

You nodded and said, “I appreciate it, but I don’t think he’ll return. Logan can be pretty intimidating, it was amazing - I’m sure he scared him off.”

Logan grunted in agreement, although when you looked at him you could’ve sworn there was a tint of pink on his cheeks and the tops of his ears. 

As the evening stretched on, you were thoroughly distracted from your troubles and amused by Wade’s antics and Dopinder’s stories. 

“So, Princess Cupcake, any luck on the dating front?” Wade asked. 

You tugged at the sleeves of your shirt- a nervous habit, and without looking up from the table said, “Nope.” 

Logan let out a soft sigh of what your aching heart could only hope was relief. 

“I’ve never asked, what’s with the nickname?” Dopinder asked. 

You shrugged and gestured to Wade. 

“When Blind Al and I moved into our apartment this sweetie pie here brought us cupcakes!” Wade explained. 

“Good thing it was cupcakes instead of a pie because being constantly called sweetie pie would make me want to die,” you muttered and everyone laughed. 

“What about the princess part though?” Dopinder asked. 

“Just look at her,” Logan mumbled and you and everyone at the table looked over at him in surprise. 

“She’s got that innocent sort of pretty you only see in big bright eyed animated Disney princesses,” Wade said. 

Embarrassed at the attention you changed the subject immediately. Your constant filthy thoughts about Logan proved you were anything but innocent. 

“But why is Logan’s nickname peanut?” you asked quickly. 

Wade shrugged, “Just fits.” 

Logan rolled his eyes. 

You smirked and said, “I bet we could come up with a hundred nicknames for him that would fit better.” 

“Like what?” Wade challenged. 

You glanced over at the large handsome man sitting next to you as your face warmed. 

Daddy was the first word that came to mind. Wade chuckled in a way that made you momentarily worried that mind reading was one of his mutant abilities. 

The silence at the table stretched on, becoming a tad awkward, before you said, “Nevermind I’m not very good with nicknames anyways.” 

“Yeah, it’s probably best to leave choosing nicknames to the professional,” Vanessa said in a joking tone to ease the tension. You shot her a look of gratitude and she winked at you before she effectively changed the subject all together. 

Eventually, after enough drinks and conversation, you declared that it was time for you to go home. 

“C’mon!” Wade protested. “The night has just begun!” 

“I wish I could stay but I’ve got work in the morning.” 

“I’ll walk you home,” Logan said in a soft but firm tone that left no room for argument as he stood and took a step back to give you room to get out of the booth. 

You nodded in agreement and smiled in pleasant surprise as he offered you his arm. You wrapped your arm around his large bicep and linked your elbows as you followed him out into the cold winter air. 

The city glowed in warm orange light that reflected on the wet pavement. Your breath was visible in frostbitten wind, and you shivered slightly which caused you to burrow further into your coat and move closer to Logan and the heat his body provided. 

He then pulled his arm from yours, causing you to momentarily panic, but just as swiftly he wrapped his arm around your shoulder. 

You smiled and filled the short walk with endless chatter, you used to worry that your yapping irritated him, but the small uptick of his lips- the ghost of a smile- showed fond amusement and filled you with warmth enough to make you forget about the cold. 

“What time do you leave for work in the morning?” Logan asked as you reached the door of your apartment- his apartment door only a few steps away. 

“Eight o’clock,” you replied as you unlocked the door.

“But really, you don’t have to-”

“I’ll see you then,” he interrupted in a tone that indicated you would not win this argument. 

Then he did something you didn’t expect at all, he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to your forehead. 

You grinned, your smile wider than probably ever before as you said, “Goodnight Logan, see you bright and bleary eyed tomorrow.” 

He chuckled as he bid you goodnight and you walked into your apartment and shut the door only after he smiled at you again before disappearing behind his own door. 

You shut your door and locked it before leaning against it. You muffled your squeal of excitement with your hand- all too aware how thin the walls are. The stressful events of the day completely forgotten. 

[meowhara]

Mafia!Miguel O'Hara x Fem Bunny Hybrid!Reader

tw : abuse, mistreatment, usage of bad languages, death, kidnapping

synopsis : In a world where hybrids are becoming a common thing. Scientists sells their experiments for a very high price in auctions, making it possible for anyone with such kind of money to own a hybrid or even more

author's note : OMG! this will be my very first fanfic ever. I hope y'all enjoy this little fanfic I made in such a very short time. I'm so so sorry if there's anything wrong with my grammars or maybe you got confused by how I write things in general. English isn't my first language :)

𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓸𝓷𝓮, 𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓽𝔀𝓸, 𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮

Experimenting with human beings are normal by now all around the world, making hybrids one of the most expensive and valuable assets. They're usually sold with a very high price in auctions, anyone who's able to lay a hand on those hybrids must be some very crazy rich and lucky people.

You're those kind of fine breed, sold for an unbelievably high price. But sadly luck wasn't on your side due to how irresponsible your new owner is. He never took care of you like how people should took care of hybrids. He abandoned you, feeding you poorly, using you only for your small and fragile body. Treating you like an animal and make you do his daily chores such as cooking, cleaning, and even doing his laundry. But you never complain, there's nothing you can do and nowhere to escape.

You don't even know how the hell he was able to purchase you from the auction since he doesn't even look like a wealthy man at all. Who's job is only to sell and purchase drugs from here and there then spend shit ton of money for women and other useless things. He woke up late at the day just to hurt you then leave and came back late at night. Sometimes he didn't even bother to come back home, leaving you hungry and lonely inside his small and packed house in the middle of nowhere.

For the past moths he has been stealing drugs from Mafia!Miguel. Miguel tried to track him down for months without any avail and lost him every single time. After learning your owner's pattern for months, he's finally able to caught him off guard.

But the bastard ran back home and hide just before Miguel catch him. Your owner ran back home and locked the doors, telling you to shut the fuck up if anyone come over to look for him and to not tell his whereabouts.

Miguel is one step ahead this time and he's able to track your owner's house. He then banged on the door which made you jumped in surprise. "Open the damn door, you bastard! I know you're inside." He shouted as he kept banging on the door with his men following and standing by behind him, guns in their hands.

Innocently, you walk over the door and open the door slightly ajar and peeked outside just to met his eyes. Miguel was shocked when his eyes met with your big vulnerable eyes and fluffy bunny ears, looking almost as if you're pleading with a small pout on your face. "Yes?" You said shyly with shaky voice. Miguel looks back at his men in confusion then look back at you. "Hello, little one. Is there anyone inside?" He asked, trying to be less intimidating and as friendly as possible in order not to scare you. You hesitated to answer but you shook your head anyway, since it's seems like the only safe answer to give. He examines your beautiful and small figure from head to toe just to find bruises everywhere then to your dirty clothes that you're wearing. You look up at him with tired eyes and flat expression, making you look like a broken doll.

Miguel is not buying your obvious lie. "Are you sure? You look... Tired. Are you okay?" He asked again. You just nod and rush to close the door but Miguel stopped you from doing so. He grabbed on the door and push it back open, making you stumbling back from the force. "Look, I don't want to hurt you. But I need to take a look inside, okay?" He gave signals to his men to search the house for your owner.

He didn't expect you to panic and starts shouting at him "No! Please! Master will get mad." You said as your eyes starts to well in tears, "He'll hit me and lock me up in the basement again..." You said while sobbing and pulling on his sleeve. Miguel can feel his heart breaking into pieces from how adorably you cried in front of him. As he wanted to hug you and calm you down, his men came back and drags your owner with them. He got a black eye on his right eye due to a hard blow given by Miguel's men right on his face when he tried to run away. They throw him on the floor to force him to get on his knees in front of Miguel.

When your eyes met his you ran towards your master in worry. "Master! Are you okay?" You got on your knees to check on him, even if he's a very cruel and irresponsible master you can't help but feel worried of him getting hurt. But instead of getting any answer back from him, he gave you a very hard and strong punch on the face. You stumbled back in shock and whimpers in pain as you cover your face with your palms from the fear and pain. "You useless bitch! I told you not to let them in!" As he's about to hit you again, Miguel stepped forward to protect you and kick that bastard's stomach with full force in anger. He still couldn't believe that a little angle like you would care so much about a devil like him.

He groans in pain from Miguel's kick and Miguel turned to look at you as you bleed from your nose and cry on the floor. Your owner look up at Miguel then at you "Oh I see what this is all about now. You like her don't you? Fine then, take her away as a compensation. She is a very fine and expensive hybrid." He said with a low chuckle as he gave you a dirty look. "Use her as a cock sleeve or just do anything you like at her, let all of your anger out at her as if she's a punching bag. You won't ever hear a peep out of her mouth, she's well trained for that." Miguel can feel himself boiling in anger but his eyes won't leave your figure, no matter how hard he tried. The idea of a pretty thing like you used and abused by someone like him are just too much for him to even imagine.

Yes, he is indeed a cruel mafia leader. He killed and will kill anyone who got in his way without any remorse or hesitation and punish those who got on his nerves. But seeing how a pure little thing like you getting such a horrible treatment without you deserving any of it, made him feel sick to the pit of his stomach. He got too deep into his thought as he pull a gun out from his pocket without realizing and thinking it through then shot your owner right at his face as you watch the scene in front of you in horror.

The bastard died instantly, his body made a loud thud noise when it hit the floor and blood starts to stain the carpet underneath. Your eyes widened as tears streams down your cheek. Miguel then turned and walks towards you slowly but you stood up and ran away as fast as you can towards your master's bedroom and lock yourself while crying. His men look at Miguel, waiting for his next order. "I'll talk to her." He said with a loud sigh.

He starts knocking at the door, "Little one, please open the door. I won't hurt you I promise." You starts to panic "No go away! Leave me alone! You just killed my master!" You shouted back. Deep down you know that you should be glad that Miguel had killed your master but that makes you feel powerless, knowing that Miguel is capable of hurting anyone let alone killing them.

"I have to okay? He got on my nerves and worse, he hurt you." He spoke again from the other side of the door. "You know nothing about me!" Tears starts to fall even faster from your eyes as the image of your master's dead body kept playing in your head. "Just open this door so I don't need to force it open myself." He said, starting to get frustrated by your behavior.

You ignores him and sat down in the corner of the room, hoping that he'll just go away and leave you alone. He kept knocking at the door but you refused to open it for him. "Fine you won't open this door? I'll have to force it open then." He said before he starts banging harder and harder on the door, cracking it with each of his forcefull movements against the door.

You know very well from how massive he looks that he'll break down the door easily if he wants to. You starts glancing around the room to look for something to protect yourself just incase if Miguel is trying to hurt you. You've been in this room a thousand time when your master forced you to sleep with him but you're never allowed to open his closet or drawers even when you're told to clean his room for him.

Opening the nearest drawer, you starts rummaging to find something sharp to protect yourself. To your surprise you can feel your hand brushing against a hard and cold metal. You never knew your master hid a small gun in his bedroom this whole time but now you're glad he did. Just as you get your hand on the gun the door bursts open and you yelped in surprise. You then points the gun at Miguel "Don't come any closer! Or I'll— I'll shoot you." You said hesitantly.

Miguel look at the gun in your hand with a expressionless face then walks towards you. "I— I said go away!" A step closer from Miguel means a step back from you. But he kept walking closer and ignoring the fact that you have a gun in your hands. Your back hit the wall, making it impossible for you to take another step back from him. He grabbed your hands and points the gun directly at his chest to challenge you. "Go on. Shoot me." He said menacingly. A shiver went down your spine as your hands clenches around the gun and hesitation floods your mind. You never hurt anyone before, how on earth are you going to shoot him?

Your eyes look up at him still with tears on display and your bunny ears tensed then pinned flat back behind you head in fear. Hands trembling badly as you pressed the gun deeper into his chest, not knowing what to do. "That's what I thought." He said before quickly ripped the gun from your hand easily then threw it away to the other side of the room.

You tried to run but he grabbed you wrist and threw you on the floor. "Stop making this harder on yourself." He said before crouching down to meet your eyes. "Please don't hurt me..." You begged while sobbing, hoping that he'll pity you. He just look at your face while caressing your cheek with his massive thumb. Making your face seems so much smaller compared to his hand. "To have such a pretty thing in front of me for free. How lucky of me." He continues to caress your face and admiring your beauty with the feeling of wanting to own you all to himself. Having you safe by his side in his mansion and to have you sleep by his side at night.

But his fantasy must be interrupted by his duty as a mafia leader. "Boss, it's Lyla." One of his men interrupted. "Tell her I'll be there in 10 minutes." He said with so much authority in his voice. "What about her?" His other man looked over at your vulnerable state. Your eyes are focused on Miguel, anticipating his next move. He cussed to himself and took out a syringe from his pocket. "W— what's that for?" You asked nervously. "This? Oh I bring these all the time incase if I need to take a pretty thing like you home." Miguel then cupped you face with one of his free hand and move your face to the side so he could inject your neck easier.

Your hand grabbed his hand, the one that's cupping your cheek. "I don't want this. Please just let me go." He ignores your plea and kissed your cheek softly. "Don't worry little thing, this will only hurt a little okay? Just obey and you'll be just fine." You shook your head but he injected you right away with the syringe. "Good girl." Your body starts to feel numb right away as tears continue to stream down your face. You rest your head against his chest for support. "Shhh that's it, just fall asleep for me like a good girl you are." He pulls you into a hug and starts caressing your hair this time. Your vision starts to blur as darkness starts to invade. Soon you're limp against his chest, breathing softly and peacefully.

He smiled and kissed your forehead before carrying you in his arms in a bridal style. "Let's get going, we don't want the cops to be here anytime soon." He said as he rushed towards his car with you in his arms and his men following behind him. He looked down at your unconscious form in his arms, "Sleep tight, little one."

[iiovserii]

Daddy’s Home — Miguel O’Hara x Fem!Reader

summary: Miguel didn’t get to be picky when it came to choosing his new, forever home, as long as he was in Gabriella’s arms again. Even if it meant sharing her with you. (3.1k Words) Based on this prompt

warnings: angst, slight smut, violence (including the disposal of a body), emotional manipulation, toxic relationship

authors note: this was inspired by one of my prompts from around a week ago and i’ve been holding onto this bad boy for about a week considering it’s my first ever fanfic i’ve ever wrote..i just wanted it to be perfect 😭 in my prompt i said something about the reader being sweet but she’s a lot more firey in this because the real miguel was an asshole who was never home..but i hope you all enjoy anyways! i was hoping to create this into series so if you want to be added to the taglist let me know 💖 i’ve also added the translation at the end just because 🤷‍♀️

Link to the Ao3 ver instead!

Miguel didn’t get to be picky when it came to choosing his new, forever home, as long as he was in Gabriella’s arms again, even if it meant sharing her with you. You were littered through Gabriella’s file, a pretty hard person to miss considering the fact that you were there for every single moment of her life—the sweet cooing voice in each video of her as a baby, the delicate hands that held the small, chubby fingers as she took her first steps, and the laughter that arose from behind the camera as Gabriella pulled a funny face.

This Gabriella was the perfect fit, however perfect came with a mother that was alive and well. It was a package deal in this universe, a love intertwined with filial devotion that Miguel would just have to deal with.

But he couldn’t help the twinge of jealousy that was buried deep in his chest, even as he watched a memory of Gabriella’s first goal (a favorite of his), which was originally only celebrated by him, now being replaced by Gabriella shrieking excitedly as she ran up to her mother, throwing her arms around you in triumph.

Moments like these, so special for his little girl, fueled his deep hatred towards you. It was watching these memories where Miguel genuinely wondered if he was even present in this universe. Nevertheless, staring down at his own lifeless body made him realize just how right he was.

What was he doing outside alone, in a dark alleyway on a Friday night anyway? Why wasn’t he home with his daughter, with his wife?

Those were the thoughts that ran through his mind as he began disposing of the body—a man too selfish and weak to even protect his precious daughter. In the end, he got what was coming to him, or so he told himself to keep from feeling guilty.

He didn’t care for details, knowing he was here now to pick up the pieces of a broken family and restore it to something he could finally have a second chance with. He snapped out of his thoughts as he heard the jingle of a ringtone coming from his new phone. Swiping the phone from his pocket, he didn’t even stop to waver whether or not he should answer as he saw your name flash on the screen, rolling his eyes as he pressed accept. He pulled the device up to his ear, resting it on his shoulder and cheek as he listened to the sound of your voice.

The first thing he noticed was how tired you sounded—were you waiting for him to return home? He could imagine you laid on the sofa, eyes nervously glancing up at the clock at any given moment, a silly housewife awaiting her husband. He almost felt bad for you; it was pathetic that you would really allow yourself and Gabriella to live like that, always waiting.

He ended the call swiftly, making up some stupid excuse about how he caught up with work and would be arriving shortly. Pretty much in character for the man he just suffocated with his own hands, not raising any suspicion for you as he heard the sleepy yawn telling him that you’d be asleep by the time he got back.

However, despite the dark act he had just committed, he was willing to go to great lengths to win Gabriella's heart again. If putting this ring on his finger and pretending that the woman on the other end of the phone was his wife would grant him another chance with her, then so be it.

He wouldn’t mind playing house with you, as long as he was able to hold his daughter in his arms once more.

He felt disgusted even calling you 'wife', but for Gabriella's sake, he knew he needed to play along. It wasn't like it mattered anyway since your daughter worshipped you so much more than him.

He didn’t need you, he knew that.

However the thought of Gabriella’s eyes as they lit up when you walk in the room seemed to tell him otherwise. She needed you.

He hated the way the house was never quiet, there was always something happening.

You were making dinner? There had to be music in the background as you traveled around the kitchen, humming and singing along to whatever tune was playing on the speaker. That soft velvety voice seemed to flow through the house, and it killed him inside that he wanted to hear more of you.

Gabriella was playing outside? Well you were playing outside as well, it wasn’t like you had a choice, having being pulled away from whatever you were doing to entertain the small girl.

You had everything running like clockwork—cooking dinner while managing homework and playing with Gabriella at the same time—all without seemingly breaking any sweat or becoming frustrated.

Miguel couldn't help but admire you for being able to handle everything so seamlessly. But deep down, he still felt resentment towards you for taking over what should have been his role as the sole parent of their child.

He’d notice small things, like the way your hands flew to your face when you were shocked, it was sweet at first, until he realised Gabriella also did the same, she never did that before. He had noticed it one morning when he stood in the doorway of Gabie’s room, not trying to make his presence known as he watched the two of you play, and the scowl on his face didn’t go unnoticed as you furrowed your eyebrows at him, wondering what he looking at so intensely.

It took him the first couple of weeks to get used to your laugh, you were always laughing. It seemed to rub off on Gabriella as well, he didn’t think he’d ever seen her laugh this much, even before.

Miguel tried his best to ignore the feelings that arose in him at the sight of you playing with Gabriella, and sometimes even joined the two of you whilst you played your games. He couldn't help but feel envious of how happy the two of you looked together, reminding him of moments he could have had if only things had gone differently.

Despite these feelings, it wasn't long before Miguel began to see a different side of you. A side that made him realise why Gabriella adored you so much.

One day while cooking dinner, he noticed your eyes lighting up as Gabriella told a story about her day at school. You were so invested in her words that for once he felt like an outsider looking into your world.

He also witnessed moments when Gabriella fell ill and how tirelessly you took care of her; staying up all night by her bedside until she fell asleep or gently rubbing Vicks on her chest when she was coughing painfully.

It was moments like these when Miguel started to question his assumptions about you and wondered whether maybe—just maybe—he'd been too quick to judge.

But as much as Miguel tried to ignore it, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had buried something deep inside him. He couldn't let go of the resentment he felt towards you for replacing his role.

He started focusing on every little mistake you made, criticising your cooking and getting angry when things didn't go his way. Every time you laughed or smiled at Gabriella, it sent a pang of jealousy straight through him.

"She's too attached to you," he huffed, standing beside the bathroom counter as you both prepared for bed, "you can't even leave the room, and she's already wondering when you'll be back again."

"Well, maybe if you were around more often, she wouldn't be so reliant on me," you retorted, the soft glow of the bathroom lights casting shadows on your face, your voice laced with frustration.

His eyes narrowed as he leaned in, reaching for his toothbrush, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, of course, it's all my fault. Because you're just the perfect parent, aren't you? Always there, always available."

"You know what, maybe if you actually made an effort instead of criticizing me all the time, you'd see the bond we have is because I've been there for her when you weren't!" you retorted, your voice rising, the sound echoing against the tiled walls.

His tone grew more defensive. "I never said I was perfect, but at least I'm trying now. You could at least acknowledge that."

A mirthless smile crossed your face as you leaned against the bathroom counter, facing each other in the confined space.

"Acknowledging your half-hearted attempts doesn't erase the damage done, Miguel. It takes more than just physical presence to be a real parent."

The tension hung heavy in the air, the scent of toothpaste mingling with their argument, as the bickering between husband and wife intensified. The wounds of the past were reopened, and neither was willing to back down or see the other's perspective.

As the heated exchange reached its peak, you turned on your heels, ready to storm off, your frustration boiling over. But just as you took a step away, Miguel's hand shot out, firmly gripping your arm. The air tightened between you, the coolness of the bathroom tiles beneath your feet.

The grip on your arm only tightened, his expression a mixture of frustration and a confused longing. "You don't speak to me like that," Miguel growled, his voice firm. "You are my wife, act like it."

“You are my husband, I expect the same from you,” you snapped back, your voice dripping with defiance, refusing to back down as you swatted away his hand. “And—I will speak to you however I want.” The sound of running water from the faucet filled the silence.

A flicker of amusement crossed Miguel's face, his eyes tracing your determined form. He had underestimated your strength, your fiery spirit. Despite the frustration that lingered between them, a newfound admiration stirred within him.

"Si supiera que eras tan molesto, te habría dejado hace mucho tiempo, Muñeca," he mused, his tone tinged with a mix of fascination and curiosity, the steam from the shower filling the bathroom. “Las cosas que haría para callar esa boca tan bonita tuya.”

The intensity of the moment had rendered you momentarily speechless, steam rising in the bathroom as the warm air surrounded you both. But you managed to find your voice, albeit in a whisper, the sound barely audible over the running water.

"Now that's not fair," you murmured, the dampness of the bathroom clinging to your skin, your voice filled with a mixture of frustration and longing. "You know I don't understand what you're saying..”

A slow, mischievous smile curled at the corners of Miguel's lips, his eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief as he leaned in closer, the scent of shampoo and desire filling the air. And as your lips lingered so close, the unspoken desires between you both grew stronger.

“Good.”

The man currently asleep beside you, was not, to absolute certainty, your husband.

His features held a resemblance to the man you once knew, but there was a striking difference—an unfamiliar intensity in his eyes, he looked at you like he didn’t know you.

His hair fell differently, it looked more clean compared to the tousled mess due to work. You would've sworn he had a small crease in the corner of his eyebrow, but then it disappeared along with the mole on the side of his neck.

He smelled of citrus and leather before, a smell that made you turn when he walked into the room—you knew that smell more than you knew yourself.

Instead now, all you could smell was warm spice and amber. It almost made you smile when you smelt it on him as he walked past you that morning, a couple of weeks ago, until you realised that was the fragrance you got him last Christmas, the fragrance he said he hated and never wore.

The bed, too, felt subtly different beneath your weight, as if it dipped just slightly more than it used to.

It made you feel like your heart was tearing apart. On one hand, he was paying more attention to Gabriella, and she was thriving because of it. He took her to all the soccer practices, played with her and held her so tight that you’d think she’d pop.

You’ve never seen her so happy.

On the other hand, he was hardly in your presence. He hadn’t touched you for weeks, not even a kiss. The most he had done was argue with you, mostly about how close you and Gabriella was.

However, one thing that you couldn’t help but notice was the dark look in his eyes every-time Gabriella’s attention shifted toward you.

He was hardly around before, always at work, the gym or drinking with his co-workers at the bar across from town.

Nowadays it was hard for him to leave you and Gabriella alone.

Not to mention, it was like he grew twice in size. His shoulder looked broader, the veins in his arms popped, more defined. He could basically pick up your seven year old like a feather. Had he been working out more?

You shift on your pillow, eyes glancing down at his heaving chest as he slept. The only time he didn’t look so tense recently was when he was asleep. So peaceful.

You couldn’t help but reach out and dance one of your fingers on the side of his torso, quietly humming some annoying tune that wouldn’t leave your mind that morning.

"What are you doing, Gatita?" he quipped, unable to suppress a soft chuckle that escaped his lips, snapping you out of your thoughts and making you squeak.

As you tried to pull your hand away, Miguel quickly caught it in mid-air, his touch exerting a gentle but firm hold. His finger lightly pressed into your palm, a subtle reminder of his presence and it was almost like he was showing his desire to keep you near.

“What, don't you like touching your husband?" he playfully remarked, mischief dancing in his eyes. His gaze deliberately traveled down your body, as if savoring the sight before him.

Rolling your eyes and pouting, you couldn't resist the urge to make a bratty remark. "Well, it's not exactly enjoyable when the husband is such a pain in the ass." you huffed, your tone laced with a hint of childish defiance.

Feeling his firm hold on your hand, you let out a whine at the tightness. It was as if he was purposely trying to keep you close, unwilling to let you slip away. The intensity of his grip only fueled your frustration.

That’s an air between the two of you. You just couldn’t put your finger on it. The way you desperately try to search in his eyes for something, anything, that would tell you that the man you’re looking at, is, really your husband. The man you’ve spent nearly eight years with.

It’s almost like he’s trying to breathe you in, the way he looks like he’s trying to piece together your features, it makes you wonder if he even knows a thing about you.

The weight of the impending moment made you fidget, your fingers nervously playing with the edge of the bedsheet. You were acutely aware of the lingering tension between you and Miguel, and you attempt to find a way to wiggle your way out of his grasp.

A timid sigh escaped your lips, as a sense of unease settled upon your shoulders. "Gabriella will be waking up soon," you whispered, your voice tinged with a flicker of concern.

A cruel smirk played at the corner of his lips as he leaned in closer, invading your personal space. "Is my little wife hiding from me?" he sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm and mockery. “You know she’s not getting up for at least another hour.”

Your eyes darted nervously between him and the door, your mind already jumping to potential escape routes. You couldn't help but wonder if he was purposefully trying to push your buttons with his words.

"I just don't want her to-," you began to stutter, but were cut short as Miguel's grip tightened further on your hand. "Don't worry about Gabriella," he whispered into your ear, his breath hot against the nape of your neck. “She’ll be fine.”

A shiver ran down your spine at the sensation; it stirred something within you that you couldn’t quite explain. Within the eight years of your marriage, he had never made the room feel so..heated.

You gasped at the sensation of his lips pressing into your neck, sending shivers down your spine in a wave of desire and guilt. All logic told you that this was wrong, yet there was a part of you that wanted nothing more than to give in to the heat that bubbled within.

As Miguel's kisses grew bolder and more insistent against your skin, you couldn't help but writhe beneath him.

His groan reverberated through your body, stirring something deep within as he whispered against your ear "I know I've been a bad husband," punctuating each with another kiss along the length of your jaw.

"Miguel-" Your voice trailed off into a soft whimper as he shifted so that he was hovering over you, one hand moving to fondle at the curve of your hip while the other tangled itself in your hair.

"But I'm here now," he murmured between kisses before ducking back down to press his lips onto yours once again. The taste of him flooded through you even as he reached up under-shirt slowly caressing and teasing you, making sure not too much display signs of pleasure.

As the heat continued to build between you and Miguel, he began to part your legs, eliciting a soft gasp from deep within as his intent became clear. You felt his lips curl into a knowing smile at your reaction as he watched your mean facade fall away.

"Mmm," he hummed in appreciation as his eyes roamed over every inch of exposed skin. "Looks like my little wife isn't all mouth after all." He teasingly remarked before lowering himself once again so that his tongue could trace patterns along the sensitive skin of your inner thighs.

The sensation left you moaning softly in pleasure at the skilled touch, completely lost in the moment. It wasn't until Miguel's fingers found their way back up to her hips that you realized just how much control he had over this situation.

"You know what?" He said with a smirk pulling back to look at her face before diving down for another heated kiss "I think maybe have to put you in line more often."

You wouldn’t mind that in the slightest.

eng translation:

1. “Si supiera que eras tan molesto, te habría dejado hace mucho tiempo, Muñeca,” — "If I knew you were so annoying, I would have left you a long time ago, doll."

2. “Las cosas que haría para callar esa boca tan bonita tuya.” — "The things I would do to silence that beautiful mouth of yours."

3. “Gatita” — Kitten

[4ln-stay8]

Saving the day

> summary: Lando gets fussy when his hair doesn’t look the way he wants to

> author note: apparently my last fanfic wasn’t as bad as I thought so I tried to make another one

> warnings: fluff, Lando being a sassy diva

Everyone knows that Lando Norris is very serious about his style. He likes to always be on point and honestly he never disappoints. You out of all the people who love and support him know better.

It was Friday morning, usually Lando would be getting ready to go to the track and get ready for practice, but today was different. Today was one of Lando’s days off that weren’t really off. It was a race free weekend, but being the only time he was available he scheduled a photo shoot for his company’s new merch collection.

The morning sun bathed the studio in a soft, golden light as you sat on a fold-out chair, observing the hustle and bustle of the photo shoot for the new Quadrant merchandise. Lando, your boyfriend, alongside Max Fewtrell, his very best friend, were getting ready for the shoot, but something seemed to be bothering Lando.

Lando squirmed in his chair, a look of frustration on his face as a hairstylist carefully styled his hair. "This just doesn't feel right," he muttered to Max, who was sitting nearby.

Max chuckled. "You're a bit picky today, mate. It looks fine to me."

The hairstylist tried again and again to please her employer but Lando just wasn't convinced. He caught your eyes staring at him in the mirror and motioned for you to come over. "Y/N, can you come here for a second?"

You walked over to him, a curious expression on your face. You weren’t very sure of the reason why he called you. Did he wanted your opinion? Did he just wanted a kiss? You had no clue.

Lando was a pretty clingy boyfriend but was he to blame? He was mostly away from you, even when you accompanied him to the track. He didn’t always had the time or he just couldn’t afford to kiss you or cuddle you the way he wanted to. That’s why whenever he got the chance, mostly behind the closed doors of your apartment or in the few private moments he actually had, he swore to show you how much he actually loved you.

When you got next to his chair, you put your hand on his shoulder and said softly “What's up, Lando?"

Lando ran a hand through his hair and frowned. "Something's off with this hairstyle, and it's driving me crazy. You're the only one who gets it right. Can you fix it for me?"

You laughed softly. "Of course, I can. You're lucky I'm here." You took the hairstylist's place and started working on Lando's hair.

It was very safe to say that Lando loved the way you styled his hair. You weren’t a professional or anything but he just liked the way you did it. Was it the feeling of your fingers brushing through his hair? Was it the way you actually did his hair? You didn’t really know but neither did he. You always did his hair the way you liked how it looked and he just loved it.

Max raised an eyebrow. "You know how to do hair, Y/N?"

You shrugged. "Not really but I've had plenty of practice with Lando. He's quite particular."

And it was true. Lando was quite particular. From the clothes he was wearing, to the shoes he wore, to the way his hair looked all the way to the accessories he picked. Everything was calculated. He didn’t stressed that much about it, it just came naturally. His brain did all the work before he could even think about it.

As you worked your magic on Lando's hair, he sighed in relief. "Ah, that's so much better. Thanks, babe."

You really didn’t changed much from the way the hairstylist did it. You just moved some strands of hair into their place and fluffed the curls up a little.

You smiled, brushing a strand of hair into place. "You're welcome my love. Now, go out there and rock that photo shoot." you said giving him a small kiss for good luck

Lando grinned and stood up, striking a pose. "I always look my best when you're in charge of my hair."

You giggled blushing of his smooth flirty comments. He always did this. He always made sure to make you feel like he just couldn’t live without you, like he was hopeless without you, like you were the most important thing in his life. Because at this point all of them were true.

It might be a little over the top but he just couldn’t get his brain to imagine a future that doesn’t have you in it. He was so madly in love with you, he just adored you. And you adored him just as much.

Max chuckled. "It's true. Y/N's got the magic touch."

Max always tried to get along with you. It wasn’t really hard as your vibes were matching. He always tried to make you feel welcomed and like you belong there, because in his opinion you were. Lando had many girlfriends over the years they knew each other. He loved many of them and many loved him back, but he never seen his best friend like this. He never saw Lando love this hard, you had him wrapped around your finger. He would do anything you asked him to do in a heartbeat. He also never saw someone to love his best friend as hard as you do either. You and Lando were just made for each other and everyone could see that.

As Lando and Max headed to the set, you watched with pride. You knew how important this photoshoot was for them and were happy to help in any way you could.

Throughout the day, you continued to work your hairstyling magic on Lando adjusting his hair often, earning praise from the rest of the crew for your skills. You couldn't help but enjoy the banter and camaraderie between Lando, Max, and the Quadrant team. It was clear that they were not only teammates but also close friends. And now you were a part of that too.

During a break, Lando leaned in to kiss you. "Thanks for saving the day, love." said Lando looking at you with heart eyes.

You grinned. "Anytime, baby. I'm your personal hairstylist, after all." you said giggling and kissed his lips one more time.

Max chimed in, "And the best one at that!" he said laughing. “You know how hard it is to work with him when things don’t go his way” said Max again, teasing his best friend

“Its not my fault that other people just don’t see my vision” said Lando dramatically making everyone laugh.

With your help, the photo shoot went off without a hitch, and the Quadrant merch looked fantastic. As the day came to an end, Lando and Max couldn't have been happier with the results, and you were incredibly proud to have been a part of their successful day.

[lyraoftheevergreens]

The Realms Enchantress

Chapter 1

nsfw: minors do not engage!

Pairing: Daemon x Fem!Targaryen Reader, Daemon x Niece!OFC

Summary: For years Daemon never had a care in the world just, sex, wine and a good battle. With the exception of his favorite niece. His little dragon he called her. He swore to be there for her and he got himself exiled when she needed him the most. Now, he returns from war at the step stones and is determined to get her back. No matter the cost.

Warnings: the usual, Targaryen incest

Authors note: I hope you all love chapter one of this fanfic idea I had in my head. I was having a hard time getting started but I hope you all enjoy it. Other than the characters being Targaryen and having Targaryen features I’m gonna try as hard as I can to get descriptive of her features.

Word count: 1,545

Tag List: open 🖤

Y/n Targaryen, on her second name day was declared the realms enchantress. To see her was to love her. Her gorgeous purple eyes could put you in a trance of awe at her beauty. She was the most treasured girl to her family, her mother and father loved her so deeply. Nobody would ever fathom Daemon capable of such affection but he loved his niece deeply. Then 3 years later came the birth of her sister Rhaenyra the realms delight. The realm had two Targaryen princess to marvel over. The king and queen had two princess to cherish. For Daemon, he was wrapped around their fingers. He greatly enjoyed teaching y/n valerian and taking her for rides on Caraxes. He would brush and braid her hair when he would walk past her chambers hear her cries and catch her fighting the handmaidens upon entering her room. “Ñuhon byka zaldrīzes, what seems to be the problem.” He says entering the door to your chambers from hearing your screams with the handmaidens. “Kepus.” You ran to your uncle tears streamed down your face and weld in your eyes as you leaped into his arms, he crouched down to catch you and held on to you tight. “I- don’t - want- my - hair- in - braids - in - the -tight - ball - on top- my head.” You choked out in between sobs that have now turned into hiccups in your uncles shoulder. That was all it took and you were sat between his legs as he brushed your hair back and he loosely braided it. Nobody had ever thought Daemon would be braiding hair, but yet here he was, braiding yours. He loved to give his two nieces gifts when he returned from his travels. Often times presenting both you and Rhaenyra necklaces made by the locals or rings and earrings. Fruit from where he had been, or clothing made from the locals. As you got older it was always Jewelry.

After riding your dragon Dirrax, you retreated to your chambers for a bath. In preparation for your 16th name day feast that would begin tonight. It was to be a 5 day celebration for the kings first born turning 16 years of age. When entering your chambers ready to instruct your maids to prepare the bath your met with a man laid in your bed. Not any man, your uncle who has been away for 2 years.

“Nyke’ve missed ao ñuhon byka zaldrīzes, Emagon ao missed aōha kepus?” (I’ve missed you my little dragon, have you missed your uncle?)

“Hen rhinka nyke emagon. Ao geptot syt 2 jēdri” (Of course I have, you left for 2 years)

“Nyke geptot naejot ensure allies hen aōha kepa.” (I left to ensure allies of your fathers remain allies)

“Syt skoro syt?” (For why?)

“Naejot ensure pōnta don’t forget skoriot pōja loyalties pirtir.” (To ensure they don’t forget where their loyalties lie.)

“I hear father has named you commander of the city watch.”

“He has.” Daemon answered with that smug smirk on his face.

“I give it a year till you are exiled once more.”

“Why must you lack faith in me, dōnus bykus talus.” (sweet little niece)

“It’s what happens is it not?”

“I brought you gift from my travels but I don’t think you’re deserving of it now. I think I shall gift it to Rhaenyra.”

“Kepus! It was only a jest. Don’t tell me you’ve lost your humor.”

“You’re lucky I haven’t, now turn around before your luck runs out.” With that you turn around and you feel him begin to lift your hair you take over and hold your hair up for him it is then that you feel the cold metal lay on your skin. His finger tips on your skin as he closes the clasp of the necklace send shivers through your body. You look down at the necklace, Valyrian steel with purple gems. “A lady in pentos was selling the stones, purple garnet I believe she called them. All I remember is that they reminded me of your eyes. So I had the necklace made from them.”

“Valyrian steel, like dark sister.”

“Yes. Now you and I both own a small piece of our ancestry.” You turn to face him so he can see it on you.

“Gevie.” He says, almost in a whisper. With that you swung your arms around his neck and hugged him tight. It didn’t take a lot to reach him now that you are 10 in 6 years of age. He wraps his arms tightly around your waist, not letting you go.

“Thank you kepus, I love it. Avy jorrāelan, kirimvose.” (I love you, thank you)

“Happy 16th name day my sweet girl.”

“I am a woman grown uncle.”

“You’re the little girl that sits between my legs and has me braid her hair, Avy jorrāelan.” With that he puts you down and kisses your forehead and heads off.

“What’s wrong dear sister.” Rhaenyra enters as she sees you pouting at the door of your chambers.

“I can’t find my maids and I would like a bath.”

“So search for them.” She rolled her eyes and walked away. Leaving you stood there playing with your new necklace. A gift from your favorite uncle whom you were determined to show you are a woman grown. After having bathed and had your hair done you opted for your purple gown to match your new piece of jewelry. It accentuated your newly developed curves and breast. Daemon was surely to see you in a new light now.

You made your way to throne room turned dining hall to eat with your family and all who gathered from the realm to celebrate your 16th name day celebrations.

“Princess Y/n Targaryen!” Shouted the announcer, everyone stood as you made your way to the royal table. Sat between your mother and father. Your parents stood and greeted you, told you how beautiful you looked, your father hugged you and planted a kiss above your head. Your sister Rhaenyra of course was in her own world with Alicent. Your Uncle who was sat next to your father bowed his head to you,” you truly are a sight to behold dear niece.” With that you took your seat as many approached the table to wish you a happy name day. Everything was going well until Jason Lannister approached you, “your beauty is spoken of across the realm for great reason I see my princess. Words would never compare to the beauty sat before me.”

“What, you thought it a lie. An ill jest amongst the realm of my niece is beauty?” Began your uncle, clenching his goblet of wine. He is clenching so hard you would think it would bend in his grasp. “No my prince, not at all.”

“Perhaps you shall return to your seat.” With that said and a bow of the Lannister lads head he retreated to where he sits. Next was one of the Baratheon lads, so many of them who is whom? You never took the time to learn them. “Your graces, princess,” he bowed,” it is an honor to be here to celebrate you. You are clearly a gorgeous woman grown and when the time comes for you to begin your tour for a husband, please keep in mind house Baratheon on your travels.”

“That is very kind of you lord Rogar.” Your father thanked him.

“You are older than her father do you truly think that appropriate words for a maiden of her stature.” There goes your uncle once more.

“Daemon I think that’s enough.” Your father chimes in. Daemon just huffs and sits back in his chair glaring at the Baratheon lord.

After everyone is done eating the dancing has began, you were now on your 3rd cup of wine and were understanding why your uncle loved this stuff so much. Rhaenyra and Alicent were off dancing while you, your mother, father and uncle were sat watching the festivities before you.

“Kepus, I wish to dance.”

“Go dance than.” He said gesturing to the crowd before you.

“Please uncle. It is my name day.”

“Only because it is shall I join you.” He took your hand and you both made your way to floor to dance. Daemon had a hard time letting you go so you can switch partners like your supposed to.

“Perhaps I don’t want to share you, bykus talus.”

“The dance calls for it Kepus.”

“Im a prince, who is to go against what I say goes.”

“Perhaps me, the princess.”

“Aōha being quba issa dōna hāedar. “ (your being bad my sweet girl)

“Kostilus nyke don’t va moriot jaelagon naejot sagon dōna. “ (perhaps I don’t always want to be sweet, maybe I want to be bad every now and again)

“Kostilus ñuhon riñītsos iksos drējī grown.” (perhaps my little girl is truly grown)

“ Kostilus nyke“ (perhaps I am) with this he grabs ahold of your face. Hands gripped tightly on both sides of your face as if he is about to kiss you, you close your eyes instinctively to prepare for the kiss when you feel his hand let go of you and he walks off. Leaving you on the dance floor alone on a crowded floor.

~

Chapter 2

[artistinquestion]

The Empress of Rome

Part one

Emperor Geta x OC

Warnings: pregnancy, slight verbal abuse? Mention of past abuse

Word Count: 1.4k

Summary: Emperor Geta's wife, the heavily pregnant empress Cassia, is haunted by dreams of their unborn child and seeks comfort in the gardens of palatine hill, only to return to her chambers where her husband is cross she is not resting.

Author's Note: baby's first fanfic!!! been very nervous about finally posting my work online, but with the support of my friends I decided to go through with it! I did do my research before hand but there may be some historical inaccuracies, that and the film hasn't even come out yet lol. Please be kind!

Sitting in the cool night air of Rome, Cassia, the empress of Rome sat out in the gardens of palatine hill alone. Aside from her two guards. The heavily pregnant empress had awoken in the middle of the night from another dream, a dream where she saw the faces of her children.

The closer the empress had gotten to the end of her pregnancy, the more frequent her dreams became. That worried the young empress. That was what had lead her to wander from her bed that night, sneaking out of her chambers and bidding her guards to accompany her to the gardens.

Glancing over at the two armed men, whose sole purpose was to protect her and her unborn child, stood vigilantly only a mere feet away. Their eyes watching the shadows of the garden, keeping an eye out for any dangers or threats that may come to their empress.

Cassia sighed, knowing the men were only doing their job, but they brought little comfort to her as she sat in silence. At least not the comfort she sought in the moment. Comfort that she sought out in the cool air of the night.

Gods know that her husband wasn't much of a comfort.

Her husband, the emperor Geta, was not a man of many emotions, nor did he express any feelings aside from rage. Cruelty was what her husband was known for, he would not be seen as weak, therefore he denied any and all affections that would make him appear so.

He had shown Cassia little affection at all their entire marriage, but as soon as she had become with child, carrying his future heir, he had become somewhat softer towards her in the privacy of palatine hill.

The empress let out another long sigh as she leant back on her palms behind her on the bench made of marble. Her eyes closing as the breath left her lips.

Unfortunately, the cool night air had done little to settle the unease that the empress had felt. She had been haunted by dreams since the beginning of her pregnancy, before she had even discovered she was pregnant. The intensity of which seemed to grow with each passing day.

She worried for what their children would become, how they would turn out. If they would be like their father, born with cruelty in their veins. Or would they be gifted some sense of peace and calm, with no temper to be seen?

As the empress ran a hand over her swollen belly she tried to picture the child she carried in her mind again. Trying to remember their face from her dream. Some nights it was a boy, some nights a girl, sometimes both. This caused her great confusion as to just what she was having, and what the gods were trying to show her in these dreams.

Releasing another heavy sigh, the empress went to stand up. Struggling to push herself up from her seated position, one of her guards came to her side and offered their arm to her, to which she gladly accepted.

“Thank you,” Cassia said gratefully as she took the arm of her guard. With a bit of effort she managed to stand, maintaining her balance as she shifted with the weight of her pregnant belly.

“I believe it is time I returned to my chambers,” she stated, looking to her guards to escort her leading the way.

The night seemed to cool down even more as they walked back into the palace, the sound of their heavy footsteps echoing through the hallways. The guards lead Cassia to her chambers, where she would be able to rest and hopefully get some much-needed sleep.

Walking through the halls of Palatine, the empress’s guards remained ever vigilant. Both on the look out for any signs of danger as they escorted the empress back to her room.

Cassia, however, was lost in thought. Her hands rubbing the expanse of her swollen belly as she thought on the events of the day. Each day that passed she drew closer and closer to giving birth, the whole of Rome waiting for an heir. The weight of such knowledge grew heavy on Cassia’s shoulders, as she carried the hopes of Rome within her womb.

She feared that their child would be born a girl, for a girl was not an heir. If it were to be a girl she could not guarantee it’s safety, nor it’s life. Her child's life inevitably would be in the hands of her husband, his decision to whether their child lives or dies. That thought scared the empress to her core.

As they finally reached the doors to the empress’s chambers, the guards obediently opening the doors for Cassia as she entered; the empress entering, only to be met by her husband standing in the center of her room with an irritated look on his face.

Many nights since the news of the empress's pregnancy was announced the emperor would sometimes chose to sleep beside his wife inside her chambers, seeking to be close to his coming heir. He had not been there when she was sleeping previously. He must have come from his own private chambers to join her, but found her absent.

Cassia sighed, not wanting to argue with her husband over why she was awake at this hour and why she wasn't in bed. "I just needed some fresh air," she reasoned, going to walk past her cross husband to her bed, but he instantly grasped her arm. Geta’s grip was tight, a clear sign that he was not pleased with his wife. The emperor stared down at Cassia, anger flashing in his dark eyes.

“You are meant to be resting, not wandering the gardens in the middle of the night” he hissed, his voice harsh.

"I'm aware. But I grow restless being confined to a bed day and night. I just needed a moment outside that is all" Cassia again tried to reason with her husband. She knew his concerns were valid. She was the wife of an emperor unloved by the public, the risks for her safety were real.

"But I have returned unharmed. Let us sleep now, and if you insist on lecturing me you can do so in the morning" she offered trying to pry her arm from Geta's firm grasp.

Reluctantly, the emperor released his wife’s arm, but his eyes still burned with anger.

“Fine.” He growled. “But remember, you are the empress of Rome, and you are carrying my heir. You should not be wandering around at night without protection. You are lucky no harm has come to you”

"I understand my position, that is why I had my guards. I was not without protection. Now please, let us sleep" Cassia pleaded with her husband as she moved to settle into her bed, sleep already beginning to take over her as soon as her body met the mattress.

The emperor’s scowl deepened, but he did not argue further. With a huff, he turned away from his wife, moving to join her in her bed. Leaving just enough space between them to indicate his displeasure.

Cassia was used to his rage, to Geta's short temper. She had been held by her throat, grabbed, even struck before by his hand. He had been kind to her only when in the uttermost privacy, and even then he would be a good few cups of wine in to dote on her as a loving husband. She did not expect love from him, but he could be cordial with her when his guard was down, a rare occurrence.

Ever since she became pregnant with his child he had refrained from striking her, even though that was something he didn't do often anyways, he tried his best to avoid her when his temper was raised given her condition. She carried his heir and he took that seriously, doting on her more than ever before due to their unborn child.

As Cassia lay in bed beside her emotionally distant husband, she closed her eyes and tried to settle her mind. The cool night air of the gardens had brought some relief and peace to her mind and body, but the weight put on her as empress and mother to Geta’s heir lingered. She worried she'd dream of having a girl again, worried that would come true and she would disappoint the whole of Rome. She would love a daughter the same as she would a son, but the country and her husband would not, that much she knew.

As sleep finally overtook the empress, she was once again haunted by the familiar dreams of her unborn child. Her mind stirring with a worrisome mix of hope and fear. Soon she would give birth to Rome’s heir, only then would the fate of her child be decided.

[trekkiehood]

I Wore The Mask Up High (MotA Fanfic)

Ao3 link

Rating: T Words: 3.7k TW: Canon typical violence, Panic attacks, threats of assault (very mild)

Summary:

“Buck!” The shaking brought just enough clarity for him to hear his name. “Gale!” This time shouted directly in his ear. He flinched away and only then realized how accelerated his breathing had become. “Breathe Gale. Come on.” --- Gale's mask finally starts to crack after a run in with some guards. Bucky is there to help paste it back together.

Authors Notes on Ao3

"I wore the mask up high on a daylight run That held my face in its clammy hand" - The War Was in Color by Carbon Leaf

Buck felt the tension before he saw the crowd. As he wormed his way through the uneasy prisoners he heard the murmurs and eventually the angry shouts be lobbed at one of the guards. 

He had no idea what this lieutenant was upset about but he was about to get himself shot. The German sergeant took a step forward and Gale knew they were already working with borrowed time. 

“Lieutenant!” He barked, making it to the front of the crowd. “Stand down!” It didn’t matter what the argument was about. It didn’t matter who was right. What mattered was keeping the guards from using their guns or fists on one of his men. 

The man, a boy really, they seemed to get younger with every shipment of prisoners, didn’t listen, rearing his fist back. 

Gale didn’t have time to think, he grabbed the boy’s wrist, yanking him away from the guard. The lieutenant fell back and was caught by a few of the guys who had gathered around “Get him to his barrack, now.” he ordered the first man who dared to make eye contact with him. 

They nodded, pulling the stunned man back through the crowd. Buck had only managed to take a single step before he felt a hand grasp his left arm. He fought the initial urge to fight back, freezing instead. A gasp ran through the men at the same moment he felt the cool barrel of a rifle level against his right temple. A second guard had joined and apparently wanted an example. 

Gale didn’t move. He barely breathed. But he saw the men before him and knew he couldn’t risk showing fear right now. He had to focus on keeping the men calm and not getting shot. A few men broke away from the group and he could only imagine they were running to grab the Colonel. Hopefully he could get here before things escalated even further. 

Finally, he slowly held his free arm out, palm forward and clear. His left arm was still tightly grasped by the initial guard and he didn’t want to risk being accused of an act of aggression. He wasn’t sure what to do. There seemed nothing to do except to wait and see the outcome of his fate. The Germans were speaking to each other and maybe he could have picked up some of the words if he wasn’t so focused on keeping his breathing even. 

A commotion had broken out and Gale wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. Then he saw the cause. Bucky had pushed his way to the front of the crowd, followed closely by Benny. His eyes blazed with anger but that wasn’t what Buck saw. Gale saw the fear. The panic. The grief.

Buck watched him, begging with his eyes for him to not do something stupid. He should have known better. With a growl, Bucky lunged forward. DeMarco grabbed him around the waist, yanking him back and frantically whispering something in his ear. He wasn’t sure what Benny was saying but after a final shake, Bucky stopped fighting to get free and was released.

All his attention had come to rest on Bucky. He should have known better. Gale couldn’t hold back the surprised grunt when his left arm was twisted backwards and pressed against his back. The guard was going to break his arm. It may not even be intentional. Gale hated how weak he had become. How fragile, brittle, his time in the stalag had made him. He could feel the bones wanting to give under pressure.

The anger sparked in John’s eyes, he grit his teeth and seemed to be using every ounce of control he had left to not lunge forward. Benny’s hand snaked up, grasping hold of Bucky just in case that self control broke.  

Another hand gripped his upper arm in a bruising hold, bringing his attention away from his friend and back to his current predicament. “You are very pretty, ja?” The words whispered accompanied by the hot breath on his neck caused Gale’s mask to slip, if only for a second. His breath caught, eyes seeking out Bucky. “We could have so much fun with you.” A small pause, the crushing grip on his wrist tightening. “But shooting you now would also be fun. Such difficult decisions.” 

Something in John’s face shifted and Gale knew he had to reel in his panic, control himself. Bucky couldn’t come in guns blazing to save him. Not this time. But he would try. If Gale couldn’t manage to tamper the panicked glint in his eyes… 

He couldn't show weakness. He had to bring his breathing back under control. The guard behind him laughed at his obvious distress. 

Slow breaths. 

In through the nose for four. 

Out through the mouth for four. 

Don’t look at Bucky. 

In through the nose for four. 

Out through the mouth for four. 

Look anywhere else but at Bucky. 

“Entscheidungen.” The man with the gun said with a chuckle. He may have brought his breathing under control, but he couldn’t hide his pounding heart. Not from the man who pressed up against him. Holding him in a way that made every fiber of his being want to lash out. 

Buck wasn’t an idiot. He knew how some of the guards looked at him a little too long. It made him cautious to walk alone in less populated areas. To avoid one-on-one interactions with any of the guards, just in case. 

But now there was no avoiding it. The thought lingered in the back of his mind that this whole ordeal had been planned, strategized. They knew he would stand up for his men. Goad any kid into a fight and Gale would be there ready to play peacemaker. Ready to take the fall and whatever punishment they deemed fit. 

Against his will his eyes returned to Bucky. He didn't know what his own eyes said, felt too disconnected from himself to control anything except the steady breaths he had to force, but he saw Bucky's jaw tighten. 

He tried to beg with his eyes. Plead with him to not do anything stupid. To not let Gale’s fate dictate his own. But he knew Buck wouldn’t listen.

John’s eyes only blazed with fury and a desperation that scared Gale. It would spill over soon. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen soon. 

“What is going on here?!” 

Buck’s eyes flicked away to where Colonel Alkire was marching towards them with authoritative steps. A few men followed behind, clearly out of breath, but not stopping until they personally saw that Major Cleven was still alive. 

Nails dug into the flesh in his arm, but the Germans remained silent. 

“Well?!” The Colonel demanded again, now standing only a few feet to their right. “I assume you have a good reason for treating one of my officers like that?!” The Colonel tried not to throw his weight around unless it was unavoidable, trying to save it for when it was really necessary. Buck was thankful that he was deemed necessary. 

“He should learn to watch his tongue.” The sergeant behind him hissed, but released his arm. 

Gale’s breath caught at the sudden change in position, but he steadied himself, slowly bringing his left arm up to match the right. In doing so, his weight shifted, causing the barrel of the gun to be pressed more firmly against his temple. 

Fine.

 If they were going to kill him, better for them to do it quickly. With one bullet. He had no interest in living out the war in some Kraut hospital or having to be put down like a dog. 

All eyes were on the Colonel, but when Buck’s eyes flitted away he saw that John was only looking at him. Their eyes met and Gale knew with sudden certainty that the second the gun went off, Bucky would be dead too. DeMarco’s hand wrapped around his arm wouldn’t be able to hold him back. Nothing would be. 

A riot would break out. Chaos. More men would die.

The Colonel knew that too. 

He stepped forward until he was at Buck’s right shoulder, inches from the man with the rifle.His voice was low, but held no room for disagreement. “If you pull that trigger I won’t be able to control them. Neither will you.” 

“Lass ihn gehen.” The sergeant behind him did not sound happy as he ordered his friend to let Gale go. 

“Nein, das ist unsere Veränderung. Er gehört uns!” 

Buck’s German wasn’t perfect. Far from it. But he understood enough. It wasn’t the “no” that had his eyes breaking from Bucky’s to watch the Colonel’s response. It was the, “He’s ours.”

“Then you can explain to the Commandant and the Red Cross why there was a riot that took out half your prisoners. If you survive it. Because you’ll be the first one they go for.” It was not the normal imposing voice of the Colonel, but one that commanded the same respect. He wasn’t bluffing. They all knew it was true.

The only answer was the same voice from behind him, “Gehen!” 

A harsh pressure on his back had him stumbling forward. The sharp stinging on the side of his head flashed and then went numb with the intense ringing that seemed to come from inside of him. His knees failed and his outstretched arms were the only thing that kept his face from losing the war with gravity.  

For a moment it was like living in the space between a heartbeat. The world, still around him. The only sound, blood rushing in his ears and his own labored breathing. He blinked, hearing muffled voices grow louder. He should know what they were saying. The pisces felt meant for him. But he couldn’t comprehend any of it. A warm sticky substance was dripping down the side of his face, gathering in the corner of his right eye, but he didn’t think his shaking arms would be able to reach up and wipe it away. Or if they would be able to hold him up for much longer. 

Then the world came screeching into a painful clarity. A hand was on his back, words all around him. So much light and color and sound. It was like he was trying to focus a camera while the radio played at full volume.

He was surrounded, his men having pressed themselves between their fallen major and the Germans. The claustrophobia warred with a deep gratitude and love for them. 

“Buck!” The shaking brought just enough clarity for him to hear his name. “Gale!” This time shouted directly in his ear. He flinched away and only then realized how accelerated his breathing had become. “Breathe Gale. Come on.” He thought it might be nice to just lay his forehead against the ground. Yeah. That might be nice.

No. 

Right. 

Breathing first. 

Gale closed his eyes, letting his head drop slightly. 

The grip on his shirt tightened, but he ignored it, focusing on slow breaths. He couldn’t break down. He couldn’t let his men see him like that. He couldn’t let the Nazis win. Not today. Not ever.

“Alright,” He said quietly, shaking his head. His voice was calm if not as strong as it normally was. His breathing was under control now and the ringing in his ears had died down. “Alright. I’m okay. I’m okay, John.” Gale began to push himself up, Bucky quickly moving to help him. Someone else was there too, on his other side. Normally he would push away the help but he wasn’t sure he would have been able to get back on his feet without it. As soon as he was standing, he shook away his friends. The first step almost caused him to stumble. “I’m alright.” He assured them, stepping out of their reach. Needing to prove to himself and the others that he could stand on his own. The adrenaline was wearing off. He needed to get to the barracks now or he wasn’t going to make it. 

But the crowd around him was getting louder. Angry shouts mixed with conspiratorial whispers. He couldn’t let this happen. Couldn’t let his men die for him without cause. 

“Alright!” He shouted as best he could above the crowd. The ones closest to him turned but the rest didn’t seem to notice him. “Alright, fellas, listen up!” A few more looked at him, but it wasn’t until Bucky let out a shrill whistle that all eyes turned. He gave his friend a small nod of appreciation before addressing the crowd. “Everything's fine. I’m okay. Nothing happened. Go to your barracks and cool off.”

“You’re bleeding!” Came a shout from the crowd. 

Gale's hand came up to where he was only just starting to feel the sting of the cut near his hairline. ���Just a scratch.” He said confidently, even though he had no idea what had happened or how it had gotten there. “Don’t worry about it. I’m fine, and you are too. Now cool off before something does happen.” 

This time the murmurs seemed discontented, but not on the verge of a riot. Good enough. 

Buck decided to set the example, turning towards his barrack. A handkerchief was shoved in his hand by someone, probably Benny, and he held it up to his face. Bucky was close on his left side and Gale was glad as he felt the last dredges of adrenaline start to fade. Not wanting to appear weak in front of his still frustrated men, he carefully reached out and hooked two fingers into Bucky’s belt loop. It steadied him enough without giving away his current state to the rest of the men. It was also about all he could manage, his arm screaming at him with every small jostle and movement. His fingers felt clumsy and stiff. 

John stepped closer, hand coming up to grip the back of Gale’s shirt. He should push him away, reassure his friend that he was fine and didn’t need the help. But he did need the help. His hand was trembling too much to make the handkerchief of any use, so he dropped his hand, tightening the grip on the cloth as it rested by his side. 

The last several feet from the yard to their own room faded in and out. The only thing he seemed to be aware of was his inner monologue.

In through the nose for four. 

Out through the mouth for four. 

In through the nose for four. 

Out through the mouth for four. 

It was the same rhythmic pattern he would follow before a flight. Or after a bad one.

He blinked and found himself sitting on the bench seat next to their table.

“What can I do?” He heard Hambone say but it sounded like it was from a long ways away. Like he wasn’t even in the room. 

“Keep the rest of the guys out. Send them to the rec hall or something, just don’t let them in here.” That was Bucky. He sounded intense. Buck should probably snap out of it and get him to calm down. “Benny, get some water.”

Gale blinked and found Bucky in front of his face. “Buck? Hey Gale, you with me?” 

He wanted to say yes. He knew that it was technically the correct answer. But he couldn’t get his tongue to move. He also suddenly found that he couldn’t breathe. 

It wasn’t until now, in the relative quiet and privacy of the barracks that he realized that he had been scared. Freaking terrified. And his body was just now giving him permission to fully react. 

He’d been scared before. He’d had bad flights. Lost men. Gotten shot down. Captured. Then the rest of Bucky’s crew had arrived but as the days trudged on, no word on his best friend.  He’d been scared before. 

But nothing like this.

He didn’t know what had happened. What had clicked. Felt different. But it was. 

And he couldn’t breathe. 

“Gale, come on, look at me. Look at me!” 

He obeyed, finding Bucky’s worried eyes boring into him. 

“Hey,” His right hand was taken, the handkerchief falling to the floor, and pressed against Bucky’s chest. “Hey you need to breathe for me. Come on, in for four, you know this.” 

Buck blinked, but he could feel the pulsing of Bucky’s heart and the controlled rise and fall of his chest. 

Right. 

In for four. 

Out for four. 

His forehead found Bucky’s shoulder, finding comfort and stability,

In for four. 

Out for four. 

It was like a rhythm. 

Like flying. 

In for four. 

Out for four. 

“Here.” 

Gale flinched back, head jerking up to find Benny holding out a cup of water. 

Feeling steadier than before, Gale untangled his hand from Bucky's, taking the cup in a shaky hand. 

“I got it.” Bucky said softly, retrieving the water. “Go get the doc.” 

“Bucky-” Gale began to protest, but Benny was already half out the door. “I’m okay.”

“Sure you are.” 

“It’s just going to make them worry.” 

“Well maybe they should.” 

Gale’s eyes met Bucky’s and the concern he saw there opened something in his chest. 

“Here.” 

Buck reached out, grabbing the cup, but John didn’t release it, helping to guide it to Gale’s mouth. 

“I’m sorry.” He said after pushing the water away. 

“Don’t. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

A small quirk to his lips. “You weren’t even there when it started.”

“No but it doesn’t matter. It was a power play. They wanted to intimidate us.” He reached down and grabbed the handkerchief, dipping it in the water. Then looking directly into Gale’s eyes. “It didn’t work.” He wasn’t sure if that was an observation or an order. 

The cloth came up and began to wipe away the blood. 

“When did I hit my head?” He cringed at his own words, knowing that it further reinforced the fact that he was far from okay. 

“The Kraut with the gun.” The pressure used to wipe away the blood increased, but Gale didn’t react. “He wouldn’t let you go. Even when the other one told him to. The gun was so tight to your head it left a dang circle imprint.” 

“It scraped me when I fell.” 

He grunted affirmatively. “Most of the bleeding has stopped now. It don’t think it needs stitches but it’ll probably scar.” 

What was one more souvenir from paradise? 

They sat in silence after that. Buck slowly felt more like himself, Bucky slowly swiping away the blood. It wasn’t necessary. Gale could do it himself. And the medic was on his way. But it really wasn’t for him. John didn’t do well without something to do. 

“What did they say to you?” 

“Hm?” Gale hadn’t even realized he’d closed his eyes until he was opening them again.  

“The guard. He said something to you. What was it?” 

A whooshing sound came from somewhere and he could feel his heart rate pick up. 

He let out a breath, hoping it was disguised as an amused laugh. “Nothin’ important.” 

“Come on Buck, you need-” whatever he was going to say was cut off by the door opening. 

The camp medic wasn’t a trained doctor. If something was really bad they could go to one. But it was easier to keep things in house. To avoid the aid station and keep things off the official records. 

“Let me see.” He said without preamble. Bucky moved to sit beside Gale on the bench, the doc taking his place. After examining his head, he nodded. “Shouldn’t need stitches. If it opens up or you start having head trouble let me know.” 

“Check his wrist.” Bucky chimed in and Gale had almost forgotten about it. It had remained unmoving since arriving back in the bunkroom. 

The doc frowned, taking the swollen hand in his own. 

“It’s not broken.” Gale was quick to note. He’d had broken bones and he knew this wasn’t one. A sprain maybe. But more than likely just a straining of the ligaments. 

“It’s hard to tell with all the swelling. Hopefully it’s just bruised. Can you move your fingers?” Gale found himself relieved when the honest answer to that question was yes. 

The medic sighed. “I can wrap it but I don’t have anything to give you for the pain right now. Hopefully the Red Cross packages will be here soon.”

“That’s all right.” He hardly felt the pain right now he was so tired. “I’ve had worse.” 

Bucky made a noise beside him, but Gale was too focused on not falling asleep to decipher it. 

It was a struggle, but he made it through the doc’s ministering. 

“Try not to use it too much. Get me if it worsens.” The last part was directed towards Bucky. 

“Benny, see the doc out.” Was Bucky’s answer. 

Gale’s lips twitched at the eyeroll given in response. 

As soon as the door closed, John was on his feet. “Alright, here we go. To bed.” 

“I’m fine.” But he didn’t even believe himself. Come to think of it, he wasn't completely sure the words came out of his mouth.  

He was moved to his feet and was glad that someone else was doing all of the work. Gale was flying all engines feathered. 

“Sleep. We'll talk about this tomorrow.”

Gale grunted. There was nothing to talk about. It was over now he was fine. 

But sleep. Sleep sounded good. 

His head hit the pillow and he was already halfway gone. 

“You're not allowed to die.” 

The words were spoken quietly while a think blanket was suddenly covering him. 

“Just… just don't die.” 

He wanted to answer the words. Respond to the words they weren't supposed to say out loud. 

He wanted to tell Bucky that they'd be fine. That they'd both make it out. 

He wanted to make him promise that if Gale did ever die he wouldn't follow. 

But his mouth wouldn't move and wrist was starting to hurt and there was still a strange ringing in his ears. Maybe all of that could wait for the morning. 

Notes:

I rambled about fic ideas here if you're interested :) Please let me know what you think!

[reallypleasanttree]

Birthday fanfic for Obanai Iguro where Mitsuri bakes him a cake. Canon universe. Enjoy!

Iguro-San,

I can’t believe you fought a tiger demon! They’re so majestic and regal. I’d love to hear you tell me how you fought it in person. If you’re not busy I’d love for you to visit my estate when you get back! I’ll be at my estate until the 16th! 

Best Wishes,

Kanroji Mitsuri 

The rest of the letters were small caricatures of him, Kaburamaru, and a tiger fighting. Beneath the bandages, Obanai smiled. It did not take much of her words or drawings to cheer him up. He folded the letter and put it in his haori’s pocket. His hand raised to stroke Kaburamaru’s head. Given the timing he’d have to visit her on September 15th. 

Leaves rustled as they threatened to fall from the tree. A shiver ran over his body remembering the date. It was the same day he met the snake demon nine years ago. His hand paused over the snake’s scales. 

It’s just another day. Obanai reminded himself. It was the same day his mother, cousins, and aunts pinned him down and cut open his face. 

“It’s just another day,” he whispered. 

———-

Kanroji-San, 

I’ll see you on the 15th at noon. 

Iguro Obanai

His letters were concise and confirmed their plans. Mitsuri set the letter on her table. He’d be here any minute. She prepared a strawberry cake for the occasion. White cream coated the outside with whole strawberries in the middle of carefully piped cream. 

Rengoku-San mentioned it was the Snake Hashira’s birthday on September 15. It also just so happened to be the only day they would both be available to meet before her next mission. The Flame Hashira said Iguro didn’t like his birthday and didn’t celebrate it. Her family held a small birthday party for every family member with cakes, candles, and sugary treats. She adored it even if she didn’t necessarily like being the center of attraction. That’s probably why Iguro didn’t celebrate. He preferred to stay in the background. Maybe that’s why they got along.

Mitsuri rose when she saw the clock hit 11:55 A.M. she skipped down the hall and opened the front door to wait for him. As she stepped through the door, the Snake Hashira was walking down the gravel walk way and her heart threatened to burst. She waved a hand over her head and Iguro smiled with his eyes. 

“I’m so glad to see you!” She said, her voice rising. “It’s been forever!”

“It’s been a month,” Obanai said matter of factly. Kaburamaru flicked his tongue out. 

“Then it feels like it’s been forever,” Mitsuri laughed and grasped his hand. She ushered him through the front door to her parlor room. “Please sit, I made us a strawberry cake!” She led him to one of the chairs. Obanai glanced at the cake before taking a seat. 

“Do you want a slice? This is a recipe I got from one of my western cookbooks. The author swears by it. I’m so excited to share it with you,” Mitsuri said and took the cutting knife and pulled the confection towards her and two plates. 

——

He stared at the cake, unsure of what to do. He didn’t care for sweets or fatty foods. Did she know it was his birthday? The only people who knew were Rengoku, Shinazuagawa, and the Master. Rengoku was the most likely candidate if she did. Though she didn’t wish him a birthday.

His stomach churned looking at the white cream coating the cake. However, Mitsuri genuinely wanted to share it with him. Her brows raised expectantly as she waited for his reply. Obanai nodded despite the nausea. He couldn’t disappoint her. 

Mitsuri beamed, dazzling him with her radiance. He wondered when he would stop being amazed by her mannerisms and kindness. Honestly, he hoped he never grew tired or disenchanted with the Love Hashira. Mitsuri lifted the knife and hummed as she cut two slices and set them on plates. She pushed ome towards him, her excitement almost tangible. 

Obanai picked up the fork and pierced the spongy cake. “Could you turn around? I don’t,” he paused, “like eating in front of people.” It was the best excuse he had. His scars scared people. The first time Senjuro saw them he cried. Fear clearly visible on the little boy’s face. He never forgot it and he never wanted to repeat it. 

“Oh, right,” Mitsuri said. She grabbed her plate and turned around. Her shoulders straightened and her body stiffened, but she kept her cheerful tone. “I used to cook and bake with my mom and siblings. My mom was actually the one to introduce me to western style food,” Mitsuri went on to talk about her love of something called pancakes and other foods. 

Whenever he watched her eat, he felt compelled to eat something with her. It was normal to eat meals with people you cared for. Obanai pulled down his bandages and took a small bite. The cake was vanilla with a smooth texture. Inside there were layers laced with whipped cream and thinly sliced strawberries. The berries were tart which balanced out the sweetness of the cream and spongy cake. He took another bite without hesitation. 

“Do you like it?” Mitsuri asked, still facing away. He looked down at the plate. Half of the slice was gone and his stomach was not protesting. 

“Yes. Normally, I don’t eat sweets, but this is different,” Obamai commented. 

“I was worried you wouldn’t like it because of the cream and cake being too sugary, but I remembered you liked strawberries,” she explained. Of course, she’d take the time to remember his preference towards them. She noted everyone’s likes and dislikes. She even made the kakushi sakura mochi during her downtime. Kindness poured from her soul and he admired her for it.

“Though, I thought maybe you’d like to try something new on your birthday,” Mitsuri explained. She paused and dropped her fork with a gasp. So she knew. He swallowed and started pulling his bandages over his face in a hurry.

“Sorry, Rengoku-San said it was your birthday, but you don’t like to make a big deal about it. I wasn’t going to bring it up, but I wanted to-“ She shook her head. His hands stopped moving. “I thought it’d be nice to bake you a cake even if you don’t celebrate. Even if it wasn't, I'd still want to share a meal and talk. I like spending time with you and we don’t see each other often. We might as well make the most of it with the time we have together,” she continued. 

He pulled his hands away from the wrappings. Inside he was melting like the whipped cream off the side of the cake. Mitsuri said nothing profound, but her words instilled a sense of belonging. She liked to spend time with him in person. The corners of his mouth turned up. Again, Mitsuri proved why she was called the Love Hashira. Loving her was as easy as breathing. 

“It’s true. I don’t like celebrating my birthday, but it’s nice to share a meal,” he said before she rambled further. He ate another piece until his plate was clean. Obanai retied his wraps. “I’m done. You can turn around now.”

Mitsuri bobbed her head and turned to face him. Her cheeks tinted pink. “Even if you don’t like celebrating. I hope we can spend more days like this. Trying new food and talking about missions or anything really,” she admitted. 

“Me too,” Obanai replied, which earned him a smile. Her face lit up as she wished him one happy birthday. He accepted her well wishes and they shifted topics to the tiger demon he fought. Two hours later he said his goodbyes and started his long walk home. If this was his 21st birthday, he hoped his 22nd would be spent eating another slice of cake with Mitsuri. If the universe offered him one small favor that would be it. 

[angie-words]

Writers Guild Presents: Write A Way, Chapters 4 & 5

Now featuring art by @ines2925 💜

My next update will be a little later than usual next week, so you get Chapter 4 AND Chapter 5 today as a bonus!

CW/tags: self-doubt/esteem issues, past trauma due to being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world, light angst, smut, explicit sex (eventually), slow burn, human AU

Summary:

Azira Fell and AJ Crowley are both successful authors in their own right, invited to speak at the same national book festival. Despite a falling out a couple of years ago, they've never actually met in person - so this event is going to be excruciatingly awkward for both of them.

Right?

As it happens, and unbeknownst to them, it seems they share a love of a certain TV show... and being very active parts of its fandom (yep, it's Fanfic Writer Crowley and Fanfic Reader Aziraphale time!)

Excerpt:

Gabriel’s gaze had wandered over the crowd and he was staring intently at someone in the distance. Not taking his eyes off the focus of his attention, he mumbled, “Yeah, authors, engaged, sure, is that AJ Crowley over there?”

Azira blinked and swivelled to find the source of Gabriel’s exclamation. Looming over a small, bespectacled child was indeed AJ Crowley, his arms waving around frantically as he seemingly tried and completely failed to get the pen in one hand to sign the book held in his other before launching into another wide-grinned declaration. Judging by the enraptured expression on the small child’s face, he seemed to be enjoying the performance.

A smirk danced over Azira’s lips as he took in Crowley’s outfit, at the way it almost seemed like a costume - tightly-fitted black suit and loosely-buttoned shirt, the only splash of colour being his hair and that ridiculous silver scarf hanging around his throat, barely covering what Azira couldn’t help but notice was a rather generous display of Crowley’s chest.

“Yes,” Azira replied, unable to quite shake his attention from that tantalising V of skin, “I do believe it is.”

Crowley finally managed to sign the book and hand it to the child, who held it tightly to his chest as he ran towards his parents. Azira watched the smile that lingered on Crowley's face before the man scanned the people around him, seemingly to check that no one had noticed his uncharacteristic joy, and slinked away into the crowd.

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Thank you to @sakascal @playdohangel @rofell @azeutreciathewicked and @ines2925 for being my wonderful beta readers over this and forthcoming chapters!

@whickberstreetwriters @goodomensafterdark

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Snowstorm truce; Eddie Munson x reader

*Author's note*

Like I said in my John Wick oneshot, I've got some more goodie fanfics for you guys that I want to start posting up. This came after watching one of the GREATEST movies of this year, The Wild Robot. And this also can serve as a sequel oneshot to this oneshot.

But for those who see this first, this is my superhero AU where Eddie Munson is a master waterbender and you the reader are the adopted daughter of Daredevil himself, Matt Murdock.

Warnings: some fluff, bit of angst, snowstorm graphic level injuries, swearing.

Taglist:

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels

@queen-paladin

@waddles03

@remussl0vers

@plethora-of-things

@psychosupernatural

__________________________________________________________

It was unlike anything that Hawkins had ever seen.  Now we have had some pretty rough snowstorms in the past but this one that we’re suffering from this year is unlike any others in the past.  People have been calling this our infamous Snowmageddon and honestly I believe it.  I’ve heard about them happening everywhere else in the country but never did I think we’d get it ourselves.

But with this Snowmageddon, that’s when the heroes really had to step up and help out everyone in the town.  Providing services like extra clothing and blankets, snow plowing, backup generators and heating, and bringing in extra food and water.

I was currently with my girl crew of Robin, Vickie, Max, Jane and Nancy helping bring the civilians with extra blankets and clothes.  We were going around the neighborhood going from apartment to apartment in downtown Hawkins when we took notice of the waterbenders that were currently bending the snow out of the roads.

“Hey (Y/n), no offense to you but why haven’t I seen Eddie helping out around here? I know he doesn’t normally like to get involved in big time superhero stuff but this storm affects him too.” Robin said to me.

“When I went to visit him yesterday I had seen how he was the only waterbender to truly help out at the trailer park. Also he told me that the mayor himself had sent a letter of concern of how the town didn’t feel comfortable about the Son of the Puppet master helping out the community.”

“Are you serious? It’s been nearly eight months since he helped throw his father back in prison and they’re still giving him heat about it?!” exclaimed Vickie.

“Trust me Vic, if it were up to me I’d paralyze those corrupt politicians downtown until they came to their senses. My dad’s even tried to speak on Eddie’s behalf but the city council refuses to listen.”

“The corruption and prejudice in Hawkins is nothing but bullshit.” Max sneered lowly.

“Yeah bullshit.” Parroted Jane with a firm nod.

“I agree girls it’s complete bullshit but what else can be done? We’ve tried everything and Eddie’s just come to accept it.” I sighed heavily.  Nancy placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

“Once I’m out of school, you know how I’m trying to apply for city council. I’ll make sure and get those old laws extinguished and those old bastards out of office.”

“Please Nance with your powers you could do that right now. Send them off a cliff for all we care.” Robin said.

“I prefer to gain my seat in a fair trial and election. We already live in a corrupt, misogynistic world already.”

“Amen to that sister.” Preached Max. 

“That’s why my dad, uncle Foggy and aunt Karen prefer the freelance independent law firm. Mostly going pro-bono until the bills start piling up. But of course uncle Foggy still likes to go on about how his mom wanted him to be a butcher.”

“Oh my god not that story again!” whined Max.

“Seriously (N/n) now you’re starting to go on repeat with that story.” Complained Vickie.

“Hey if I had to suffer with it, I’m taking you all with me.” I said as we continued down the street passing out our supplies until we had ran out.

After doing my bit of community service, I finally arrived home and was greeted with the warmth of our fireplace roaring nearby.

“Take a seat by the fire sweetheart.” I heard my dad call out from his room.

“Don’t have to tell me twice. Heck I bet you heard my teeth chattering from a block away, right?”

“Yes but I mainly say that because I want you to get warmed up. I can’t have my daughter become a human ice sculpture now can I?” he came over in his old college hoodie and sweatpants on, his red glasses taken off his face and for the first time I could see him without any signs of bruises or blood stained skin.

“Must be a relief to get more than 4 hours of sleep these past couple of weeks.”

“In a way. But it also riddles me with anxiety. For as long as I can remember I’ve always kept myself busy. But with both sides of myself not doing much of anything, I’ve gotten a major case of cabin fever and I hate it.”

“Welcome to the world of normalcy. It sucks but you can manage it.” I mocked as I came up to him and embraced him while he rocked me from side to side.

“God you feel so cold to the touch and your heart’s barely beating.”

“My heart’s just fine dad, though my legs feel like they’re on fire.” I said as I leaned down and began scratching at my legs from the sudden itchiness I was feeling.

“That’s your blood trying to pump as much blood back into them. C’mon sit by the fire like I told you.” He guided me over to our small fireplace and set me down on the couch before grabbing my snuggie and placed it over me.  I put my arms through the sleeve and briefly shivered.

“So no one’s been coming into the firm from what you had said earlier?”

“Mostly we’re getting phone calls since no one is daring to brave this weather. But just recently the phone lines went dead in our area of the city so we decided to just call it a day for a while. If anyone needs us, they’ve got our email.” Dad said as he cuddled close to me bringing me into his lap.

“Do you think—this is more than just a storm dad? Like could this be like a mutant gone rouge or some sort of monster?”

“No news has come from the Heroes council about anything like this. But we have seen reports that this storm has happened in different parts around the world. So it’s not just us.”

“I’m all about winter fun but I’m starting to get scared dad. What if this never ends? What’ll we do? Where would we go?”

“Hey,” he cupped the side of my face and brought me to look into his eyes.  His unfocused gaze stared deeply in my general direction and he told me, “We’ve been through worse predicaments and world ending disasters than this. As long as we got each other, we’ll be okay. Okay?”

“Okay.” He pressed his forehead against mine and I softly smiled feeling his confidence and strength flow within me.  “Listen, I got word from the Mayor about our evacuation tomorrow. We’ll be assigned to the Hawkin’s Global theater. So make sure you pack a bag tonight cause we’ll be leaving as soon as we can. Landlord said they’re only having this generated power go on till tomorrow afternoon once the evacuations start.”

“Got it. Think I’ll have time to go see Eddie before then?”

“I’ll give you one hour. Then I need you back here so we can leave, okay?”

“Thanks dad.” The two of us spent the rest of the day cuddled up by the fire playing trivia games or doing some training to help keep our bodies warm.

The next morning I had my bag packed and ready to go and I got bundled up to go over to see Eddie and Wayne before I’d be heading over to the Global theater to seek shelter.  Thankfully this morning there wasn’t any snow falling so it made the walk there slightly better.

With another foot or so added, the waterbenders were once again piling up the snow on top of their work from yesterday.  Now would be the day they’d get to work dissolving the snow back to water and deposit it wherever they’ve been told to take it to.

I soon arrived at Forest trailer park and was greeted by the large shelter in the shape of a large dome shape.  Made completely from ice and snow but made to withhold the cold as well as the fire I could see from the smoke coming up from the open part of the roof.

“Was beginning to think I’d never get to see you again!” Eddie’s voice proclaimed as I saw him come out from his storm shelter.  I jogged over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck while his arms rested at my waist.

“You saw me two days ago.”

“Far too long for me my love.” He kissed my lips which sent warm shivers down my spine and goosebumps on my arm.

“Unfortunately I can only stay for an hour. Evacuation and all that, my dad and I will be at the Hawkin’s global theater along with uncle Foggy and Aunt Karen.”

“I’ll take what I can get. But you know Wayne and I are more than willing to offer you our shelter here. I built it for that reason.”

“You know all you’d want to do is make out and we could never get away with that with my dad just a few feet away from us.”

“Yeah and Wayne probably would keep telling me to only strip out of my clothes if I had fallen into the lake and was desperately freezing.” I playfully slapped his chest which made him chuckle and kiss me again.  “Come on in and I’ll give you some of Wayne’s infamous hot chocolate.”

“With extra marshmallows?”

“What am I a savage? Of course with extra marshmallows.” He then guided me into his storm shelter and there I saw Wayne pouring two cups of his hot chocolate over the large firepit that stood at the center of the shelter.

“I swear I have never seen such dedicated lovebirds like you two to brave these blizzards just to see each other.” Wayne said to us.

“Nothing’s too good for this girl right here.” Eddie said as he brought me in closer to which I chuckled softly and tried to wriggle out of his grasp.

“Actually when I heard you were making your famous hot chocolate I just had to come and get a cup for myself.”

“Oh I see how it is. Just using me to get a hot beverage, I see you Murdock.” Eddie gasped before turning away with his arms crossed over his chest turning away from me.  I rolled my eyes and went over and Wayne gave me a cup of his hot chocolate while I added my seven marshmallows and let out a loving hum.

“Still don’t know how you do it Wayne. You gotta give me the recipe I just know my dad would flip once he took a sip of this.”

“Sorry doll, old family secret recipe. If you stick around that knucklehead for a little while longer I might be tempted to share the recipe.”

“Using me as a way to get a recipe, that’s cold-hearted sweetheart. And I thought you cared about me.”

“Aww Eddie-bear.” I cooed. “I do care about yah puddin.”

“Don’t seem like it to me.” I set my cup down by the firepit and walked over to him.  I once again wrapped my arms around Eddie’s neck stroking my fingers through his locks the way I knew he’d like it and gave him my best bunny eyes to him.

“How bout now?” Eddie hummed as he looked down at me before smiling softly.

“Now how can I resist those cute eyes?” I smiled then just before we could kiss for the third time that day, Dustin’s voice proclaimed.

“Eddie! Open up it’s me Dustin!”

“I’m gonna kill that little shit.” Grumbled Eddie for ruining our moment.

“Hold on, something doesn’t sound right.” I quickly raced over bringing Eddie with me and we raced out to see Dustin, his mother, Steve, Robin, Vickie, Nancy, Mike and their family all racing over toward the shelter.

“What is it Henderson?” Eddie proclaimed.

“It’s Lucas. Their entire house suddenly got caved in by snow and ice and their all trapped inside!” Dustin exclaimed.

“Why not get some of the waterbenders that are closer by to help out?” Eddie asked.

“You might wanna take a look up at the sky first.” We all then looked up and unlike before, the clouds were starting to spin almost as if there was going to be a tornado or a typhoon about to touchdown.  The winds suddenly started to pick up.

“The city is on a sudden shutdown. The evacuation plans have been cancelled and sudden ice winds have suddenly trapped hundreds of people in their homes.” Nancy explained.

Oh no dad! Uncle Foggy and Aunt Karen they’ll…..they’ll die if I can’t get to them.  Just before I could run ahead, Eddie grabbed my arm and said.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

“My family’s out there Eddie! I have to help them!”

“No babe if what Nancy said is true you won’t be able to get through the ice. And with a sudden snow typhoon coming you won’t survive a second out here!”

“But….”

“I promise, once I help get the Sinclair’s out, I’ll head over and get your dad as well as Foggy and Karen. I promise.” I cupped his face and gave him a kiss.

“Promise me you’ll bring them to me safely. And that you’ll come back as well unharmed.”

“I promise sweetheart.” He said crossing his heart.  I embraced him and he whispered to me.  “I leave you and Wayne to take care of everyone here.” I nodded then Eddie took off with Steve, Robin and Nancy while Vickie, Mike, Dustin and I got the parents and younger siblings inside Eddie’s shelter and began to prep for all the families we’d be bringing into the shelter.

*Eddie’s POV*

After getting the Sinclair’s out of their house and racing across the rooftops, I finally made it to (Y/n)’s apartment and water bended the snow off of the fire escape of her bedroom and snuck inside.  I shut the window before calling out.

“Mr. Murdock!? Mr. Murdock can you hear me?”

“E-Eddie?” a female voice soon spoke up.  I came around the room to see not only Mr. Murdock but also Foggy Nelson and Karen Page also in the apartment.

“Well less work for me.” I muttered first before asking them out loud, “Dumb question but are you guys okay?” I asked.

“Oh you know. Could be better but at least we’ve got proper attire this time around. Not like that one time our dorm’s heater shut off that one year, right Matt?” Foggy said.

“Yeah. Cheap blankets and overworn college hoodies.” Mr. Murdock chuckled sarcastically.

“Well luckily for you guys I’m here to get out of here. The guys and I have been gathering people to my snow shelter. It’s not much but it’s big enough to hold as many as we can fit.”

“Well then lead the way waterbending Master Munson.” Foggy said as he got up huddling himself deeper into his thick winter coat.  I lead them to (Y/n)’s room and opened up her window.

“I’ve managed to keep the fire escape waterproof for now. Should be enough time for us to get to the ground safely before the storm freezes up the metal again.” I explained.

“Wow. Since wh-when were you able to do that?” asked Karen shivering from the winds that were starting back up again.

“Just now actually. When we got Sinclair’s family out I had accidentally managed to keep their sidewalk from freezing back over after clearing it. But of course that only lasted just long enough for his dad to get off the driveway.”

“We’ll take what we can get. Go ahead Karen you first I’m right behind you.” Karen first went down the stairs with Foggy right behind her.  Just as I went to head down I felt a tight grip on my arm, I turned to see that it was Mr. Murdock who had his iron grip on my arm and I knew it wasn’t because he needed any assistance.

“I’m only gonna say this once Munson. Are (Y/n) and your friends gathering everyone who couldn’t make it to the school?”

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! No wonder why (Y/n) can never lie to her father.  Not only is he human lie detector but when he puts on the ‘Devil’s tone’ I knew he wasn’t messing around.

“Hmm? Uhh…hmmm…..” I hummed lightly as I could almost feel the intense stare behind his red shades, his frown deepening.  “Yeah.” Just before I could water whip his hand off my arm, he grabbed my other wrist tightly and I let out a groan.

“Foggy! Get Karen to Eddie’s shelter. We’ll meet you all there!” Matt called down to them.

“Matt you’re seriously not thinking what I think you’re thinking!” Foggy called up to me.

“Just get her there! Her temperature’s dropping faster by the second. Before long she’ll get hypothermia.”

“Matt! Be c-c-c-c-careful.” Karen shivered out.  I sighed heavily and told Foggy.

“The shelter is right at the entrance of the trailer park. My uncle will be there to help you guys out along with the rest of the parents from Hellfire. Just follow the pathway I made coming over here.” He nodded then he held Ms. Page close to him before walking down the open access path I had made while hopping over the roofs to get here.

Mr. Murdock finally released me from his iron grip before taking my scarf and wrapping it over the upper half of his face.

“What no suit?”

“There’s no time. Now c’mon, there’s a family that lives around the corner that’s been chattering their teeth since this morning.” He leapt off the fire escape and I followed behind him.  I snow bended a path to the apartment complex as I said to him.

“Are you sure you wanna do this? Besides isn’t that the apartment of the Prosecutor that doesn’t like you?”

“She still has a family that needs help. Eddie why are you insistent on letting everyone else in this city die?” I turned to him and said.

“Do you really need me to answer that question? Surely (Y/n) told you what the Mayor himself said to me.” I crossed my arms over my chest huffed annoyingly.

Sure even though I don’t care whether I end up being a villain or hero in the eyes of the public because of my dad, I still wanted to at least help my girl and her dad out.  Waterbending the snow from my entire trailer park since no waterbender dared to come into my neck of the woods.  Building the shelter for everyone there but nope.

All anyone in this city will see me is the son of the infamous Puppet master.

I felt Mr. Murdock’s hand on my shoulder this time he had a more empathetic touch and I looked up at him as he told me.

“I know. But right now you’re their only chance. I can’t do this without you Eddie.” Damn you Daredevil and your clear conscious.

“Okay.” I groaned as I first made a clear path beneath the whole apartment complex.  I then gathered the snow together and formed it into a giant staircase then with my ice breath, the staircase hardened and Mr. Murdock was able to walk to whatever level he needed me to get him do as I would either raise or lower the icy staircase.

“Get me to the 9th floor 12th window to the right.” I moved the staircase to where he needed and while he went up, I walked over towards the building, took a deep breath and by placing both hands on the foundation, I absorbed all of the ice that collected from the bricks to the windows.

I looked up to see how Mr. Murdock was now able to get into the Prosecutor’s apartment and after a few minutes I saw her and her three kids coming down the stairs.  When she caught sight of me, she first picked her youngest son in her arms trying to keep him warm before giving me a grateful nod and said.

“Thank you.” I nodded.

“Where to next Daredevil?” I called up.

“7th floor, 5th window to the left.” Mr. Murdock called down to me.  I guided and adjusted the staircase to the 7th floor, 5th window to the left.  We continued to gather any person who wasn’t able to get to Hawkin’s high and after gathering almost 30 people, Mr. Murdock and I lead them through the storm toward my shelter.

Blocking the harsh winds and continuously making a clear pathway towards the trailer park we finally got the people to my shelter where (Y/n) and the others were all gathered.  The large fireplace was roaring with life, people were huddled up together with blankets and drinking Wayne’s famous hot chocolate or being given medical treatment thanks to Jane’s abilities.

“Eddie! Daredevil!” (Y/n)’s voice called out as she came up and embraced the two of us.  “What took you both so long I was—” that’s when she noticed all the people behind us at the entrance.

“Some of these people need immediate medical care. Think your friend Jane can handle more?” her dad said.

“Yeah, yeah she’s almost done with Karen.” We allowed the 30 people to come inside.  As they walked past us, (Y/n) cupped her father’s face and said. “Your lips are almost blue. You better let Jane have a look at you too.”

“I’ll be fine. There’s still more people out there. Where were Steve and Robin gathering people at?” Mr. Murdock asked me.

“They had gathered the people around downtown. Steve’s parents have some civilian coworkers that needed help getting out of the storm.”

“Then downtown’s where we’re going next.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, wait, wait, wait. You guys aren’t thinking about going back out there are you?” (Y/n) came in front of us blocking the entry way.

“(Y/n) there are people still out there who need help. We can’t just limit this shelter to those we only care about. This city needs us now more than ever.” Her dad said to her.

“But the storm’s getting worse by the second. And if you guys stay out there after nightfall…..”

“C’mon babe. You’re talking to the number one ranking waterbender in Hawkin’s High. Not to mention the Man without fear. We’ll be okay. And he’s right, we’re their only chance of getting out of the storm.” I came up and cupped her face stroking her chilled cheeks.  She placed her hands over mine and said.

“Just be careful.”

“We will.” I leaned down and kissed her cold lips.  “Look after things for us while we bring more people here.” Mr. Murdock and I headed back out into the storm and I had us sledding on a mountain of snow all the way towards downtown.

As we arrived in downtown it was worse than anywhere else in Hawkins.  The snow had piled up almost half the height of some of these skyscrapers and office buildings while others were practically buried within the snow.  Together Mr. Murdock and I worked on getting various of people out from their office buildings, when we got to the same orphanage where (Y/n) had been sent when she lost her parents as a kid, I saw about 12 kids all cuddled around both Robin and Steve for warmth.

“Harrington? Buckley?”

“To-took you long enough M-Munson.” Chattered Robin with a weak smile.

“Are we safe now, Steve?” asked one of the orphan boys.

“Yeah Timmy, we’re gonna be okay now.” Steve comforted the young boy.  I never knew him to do this but Mr. Murdock revealed his face to the kids and he told them.

“We’re gonna do everything we can to get you kids to safety. But in order for us to do our job, we need you to do one thing. Be strong. It’s gonna be cold and merciless out there but I believe you kids can make it. Like Steve told you all at the graduation class parade, anyone can be a hero.”

The kids nodded and Mr. Murdock and I helped them stand up.  I helped Harrington up and asked him.

“Storm too much weight to burst through the walls Harrington?”

“Even if I could, we would’ve flooded the building with snow. Plus I—didn’t want to scare any of the little ones more than they already were. Caretakers were found frozen in the basement probably trying to find more blankets when the doors began to freeze over trapping them down there.” I looked down solemnly.

“Luckily they had you. This place will be lucky to have you once we graduate.”

“Let’s hope we live to see that day happen.”

“Hey I’m supposed to be the cynical one here.” I shoved him playfully as I picked up a young girl who wanted me to carry her while Steve picked up Timmy.

The people we managed to save helped pick up the orphans so that they wouldn’t have to track through the snow and I lead them towards my shelter.  After ensuring the orphans and people of downtown including Robin and Steve were taken care of, Mr. Murdock and I continued on our search for more people trapped in the storm.  Civilians, heroes and even some criminals were all trapped within the storm but they still needed our help.

I opened up a balcony to a very big manor that I knew all too well but really wish I didn’t have to come here.

“Wha-what are you doing here, f-f-f-fr-freak?” the voice chattered.

“Bummer Daredevil, this guy’s dead!” I slammed the balcony door shut then before I could snow bend the snow back over the window, Mr. Murdock stopped me spoke my name in the Devil’s tone gripping my wrist tightly.

 Groaning exasperatedly and throwing back my head I opened the balcony window again and gestured.

“You can either come with us if you want to live Carver or you can sit here and become a human ice sculpture, your choice.”

“I can’t move.” He said with a shiver of fear in his voice.  Something I never knew Carver to actually admit. “My le-legs…..I can’t….feel them any—more.” We came up to him and Mr. Murdock gently hovered his fingers over the covers where Jason had his legs covered.

“No blood is circulating into them. Could be stage 2 possible close to stage 3 hypothermia. He needs to get to Jane and fast. She might be able to reverse this.” Together Mr. Murdock and I hoisted Jason’s arms over our shoulders and carried him across his room.

“I-I’ve been reduced….being saved by the fr-freak.”

“Hey!” Daredevil snapped. “Consider yourself lucky he didn’t turn you aside once he saw your manor Mr. Carver. So either you swallow your pride and let him help you or you can just wait here and lose your legs as well as any chance of becoming the hotshot hero you claim yourself to be. Your choice.” Damn go Mr. Murdock!

Without another word, Carver allowed us to take him to our shelter and we went back out to search for more people.  It was starting to get dark and the storm was really starting to pick up.  The harsh winds felt like knives on our faces and we were both starting to lose feeling in our limbs but we kept pressing on.

Mose people we managed to save but like what Steve had told me with the caretakers at the orphanage, there were families who didn’t make it and were found dead huddled together trying to keep warm.  It broke my heart knowing that we had let these people die, especially the elderly folks who had been left behind.

But Mr. Murdock told me to not give up and I had used that to push myself to fight off the storm.  By the time it grew pitch black and we came back to my shelter with the rest of the people we managed to save, both Mr. Murdock and I collapsed to the ground.

“Okay that’s it. You both have done enough. I’ve counted over 298 people here. You guys can rest now.” (Y/n) said as she came up and held me in her arms while Foggy came up and helped Mr. Murdock up.

“She’s right. You both are exhausted, bleeding and turning black at this point. We’ve got enough people.”

“Not……all…..” panted Mr. Murdock.

“You can’t seriously be thinking about bringing him in here.” Foggy demanded in a hushed tone.

“Wait does he mean…..” (Y/n)’s muffled voice came in and out of my ear.  Mr. Murdock stood up and I saw him stagger around till he leaned up against the entry way.

“He dies……no true justice…..will be served.” He then went back out into the storm but just as he started to fall, I came and helped him up.

“You’re not going without me.”

“Not….this time…..not with—him.”

“No offense Daredevil but you can barely stand now. We’re going together whether you like it or not.” He turned toward me panting heavily.

“You’re…..made……for…..each other. Stubbornness……”

“She gets it from you too.” I helped him through the storm as we headed toward our last and final destination.

The High rise of the ruthless crime boss next to my father.  Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin.

*My POV*

 It was shortly after Eddie and dad left to go get Fisk that things suddenly started to get bad in here.  Villains who were now recovering soon spotted their nemesis and fighting soon began to spring out.  Civilians were blaming and arguing with some of the heroes for not evacuating them sooner and fights and brawls started between them.

Screaming, shouting, laser eyes, fireballs, any type of powers were being fired across the entire shelter.  I tried to keep the peace as did Foggy and a few other people but that caused some of us to get the repercussions of a punch to the face or a type of power thrown at us in the crossfire.

Children crying in fear, every curse word under the sun was being screamed out as everyone was trying to rip each other apart.  And it only got worse as some people began to panic once Dad and Eddie brought Wilson Fisk in along with his wife Vanessa.

“What the fuck is he doing here?!” asked a petty thief that was under house arrest exclaimed as he and a few other people ran away from the Kingpin’s unconscious body.

“Oh great, this’ll help immensely. Hey! No! No! No! That belongs to Eddie’s mom! Put that down!” I snapped as some of the kids trying to take Eddie’s mom’s staff.  I shooed them away before I felt a literal knife nearly stab me through my hand.  I recognized the pattern and exclaimed.  “Really Tommy!?”

��(Y/n)….what is happening?” I could faintly hear my dad from all the commotion.  I saw as Jane was now trying to heal both him and Eddie at the same time.  I walked over to him and said sarcastically.

“Gee I don’t know. Hmm you put a bunch of angry, starving humans together in one room. Half of them with super powers to use either for good or evil, mix them together with normal civilians and oh yeah you get this! But who’d knew this would happen?” 

 “(Y/n) I get your angry but now’s not the time for any sarcastic remark.” Uncle Foggy tried to reason with me.

“Babe.” Eddie called out to me.

“What!?” I snapped.

“Help them.” I let out a groan as I stood on top of the large firepit that was now roaring and being our only source of warmth in this shelter.  I took a deep breath and with my own She-Devil scream I cried out as loud as I could through the clamoring crowd.

“SHUT IT!!!!” but even as my voice echoed through the shelter, it did nothing to deter the fighting.  That was until Nancy came up and stood beside me and as her eyes glowed red and with a wave of her hand as it glowed red, the fighting soon stopped and everyone turned towards us.

“The She devil wants to speak.” She then released everyone from her mind control and got off of the firepit. I glared at her briefly at the nickname but turned my attention back to the crowd.

“Some of you hate me and I’m really starting to hate most of you. Everyone in here hates someone else right now.” Everyone nodded at my statement and I heard a few people verbalize their agreement.  “Yet here we are. And here’s the deal, first person to walk out those doors is dead. And if we can’t keep our shit together, everyone’s dead. We all got one chance to survive this storm because of them.” I said circling around the firepit before stopping and pointing at my dad and Eddie.

Jane, now having healed them of their frostbite and stages of hypothermia, stood up and her father Chief Hopper and Joyce were now putting heating blankets over them.

“The Man without fear and freak. The son of the vicious Puppet master! Well their names are Daredevil and Eddie Munson. And while everyone in this room as either ran from them, cheated them, or insulted them. All they’ve been trying to do is make this city a better place. To be two of the greatest men that this city should be lucky to have even though no one would give them a chance!”

I hopped off the firepit and walked over to them and continued to say as I sat between them.

“They’re the ones who got you out of the storm. Eddie Munson himself built this place, and despite wanting to let you all freeze, he and Daredevil risked everything to bring you here.” As I spoke, I could see heroes, criminals and civilians all starting to feel bad about what I was saying and take it to heart that Eddie Munson and Daredevil weren’t the bad guys here.

“I know this storm has tested us all in more ways than anything else in the past. But sometimes we must come together in order to survive and come out stronger.” My dad spoke exhaustedly.

“I’m not one for motivational speeches cause hell I’m too cynical for that type of stuff.” Eddie chuckled softly before letting out a hacking cough.  I rubbed his back before he continued, “But if there’s one thing Daredevil taught me tonight, it’s that there is hope for community. So just while we are in here, can we not come together in a truce?” Everyone stared at Eddie in silence until the most unlikely voice spoke up.

“The boy….is right.” We all turned to see that it was Wilson Fisk himself that spoke.  “Daredevil is right as well. I promise, I will not harm anyone. Not while we’re in here.” Wilson Fisk brought his wife close to him and what surprised everyone was seeing one of the orphans that came with Steve and Robin walk up to Fisk.

The Kingpin looked at the young boy then removed his coat and gave it to the young boy.  He then allowed the child to sit on his lap for warmth while Vanessa also cuddled up to the boy to keep him warm.  With a scene like that, it proposed everyone to gather around and help one another out to keep warm.

This was truly a sight that I’ll never be able to see again.  Civilians, criminals and heroes all huddled together and helping aiding anyone who still needed medical treatment or extra warmth.  I turned to see Frank Castle walking over to my dad holding a heating blanket.  He and my dad had always butted heads when it came to ‘doing what was right’ but he soon said to me dad.

“Gotta hand it to yah Red. You proved me wrong tonight.” He then covered my dad up with the extra heating blanket and my dad gave him a nod in gratitude.  I then saw Wayne sit close to Eddie and bring him close as he said.

“What’s going through your head son?”

“W-would……she be proud of me?” Eddie said exhaustedly.

“She’d be damned proud of what you did tonight. She’d probably say she’d be lucky to have a son like you, I know I am.” I walked over to them and put myself between my dad and Eddie.  I took both of their hands in mine rubbing my thumbs over their chilled skin.

“You both may say you don’t like the term heroes being associated with your names, but you both proved to be the greatest heroes Hawkins is lucky to have. And I’m proud to call those heroes my dad and boyfriend.” I felt Eddie cuddle himself closer to me on my right side while dad took the extra heating blanket he got from Castle and wrapped it around both me and Eddie.

Throughout the night, we all kept warm throughout the worst of the storm and not once did a single fight break out within our sanctuary.

When the storm finally blew over and passed us the waterbenders, now including Eddie in their ranks, cleaned up the last remnants of the snow.  The mayor of Hawkins also appointed to honor the brave heroes who helped save the people of Hawkins but it was my dad and Eddie that received a special type of reward.

The Mayor personally called it the ‘Hawkins Medal of Truce’.  Eddie occasionally jokes that he was only given the Medal cause the Mayor didn’t want to lose his position in office but he can’t deny that after what he did alongside my dad, the town of Hawkins really came to see him in a new light.

No longer did anyone call him ‘The Freak of Hawkins’ or the Prodigal son of the Puppet master.  And surprising even, Jason Carver would snap at anyone who dared to try and give Eddie a hard time at school.  Now not saying their friends or anything but there seems to be a gleam of gratitude for what Eddie did and that he was able to save Jason from losing both his legs when his own parents just left him to die in the storm.

Eddie and I were currently doing some stargazing after finally being able to see the night sky after all this Snowmageddon BS.

“So you’re not going to get a big-head now that the town’s calling you a hero?” I asked him.

“Me a big head? I am deeply offended that you’d suggest such a thing.” Eddie gasped exasperatedly while holding his hand over his heart in mock offense.  I raised my brow at him and he brought me close into his lap and said, “To be honest it feels a bit weird. I mean one second I’m the town’s pariah and the next I’m treated like I’m a Harrington or something.”

“You and my dad saved 300 people Eddie. From your average Joe’s to high ranking political personals. From the slum down criminals to the fucking Kingpin himself. Orphans, heroes, and everyone else inbetween. I’d be shocked if even one of those people forgot about what you did for them.”

“Still, it’s weird to see Carver suddenly tone down his bullying against us especially since he’s had an axe to grind with me since we were in kindergarten.”

“Yeah but be thankful that your actions at least humbled his ass. Just promise me that when you do finally become the Hero I know you can be, you don’t forget the people who really matter.” I cupped the side of his face and tucked the wild strands of his hair behind his ear.

“Me? Forget about you and Wayne? Never.” He leaned in and we kissed each other lovingly.  “You guys are the ones that truly matter the most to me.”

“Don’t forget about the others.”

“Yeah but those guys are not as important as you and Wayne are. In my life I just want to make both you and Wayne proud.”

“You already have babe.” I cupped the side of his face and he turned his face toward my palm before giving it a loving kiss at the center of it.  “I love you, Eddie Munson.”

“I love you (Y/n) Murdock.” He leaned in again for a more passionate kiss and that’s what we did for the rest of the night under the full moon.   

[elucienweekofficial]

Elucien Fanfic Crossword Answer Key- Smut Day One

How did you do? It's our hope through this week of puzzles that folks are able to find an existing fanfiction that speaks to them! Consider these a small masterlist filled with recommendations from the community itself. Below you'll find every fanfiction recommended attached to the author who created it, added in the order they were submitted! Fics were also categorized to their best of our ability. Check them out below!

[Please check all tags before engaging!]

You Look Like Bad News by @the-lonelybarricade

I gotta have you, I gotta have you - Elain hated living next to Lucien Vanserra. Almost as much as she hated the girl he was fucking.

When You Move, I'm Moved by @ataraxiasflame

When Elain Archeron flees Nesta and Cassian's Mating Ceremony for a moment alone after an emotional experience, her mate follows her out of concern for what he feels through their bond, resulting in an evening neither had planned, but both had been wanting for ages.

I've been lost to you, sunlight (flew like a moth to you, sunlight) by @whatishowedyouinthedark

In all of her dreams, there is sunlight. That is the one constant in every single one Elain remembers after waking. And if there is no sunlight, she can still feel it beating against her skin in time with the heartbeat that has become a steady, comforting song in her mind. Sometimes it feels as if, when she dreams, she has woken from the sadness that is her reality into what should be her life.

-

or, the elucien breeding kink one :)

What We Wanted by @valamerys

Lucien’s first Fire Night as High Lord of the Spring Court puts he and Elain’s fledgling relationship in an awkward position.

The Fires Of Eventide by @animezinglife

A quiet evening. A secluded cottage in Spring.

Beasts Inside Us by @crazy-ache

“If you so much as spill a drop of her blood, I will gladly show you just what kind of beast I am. And you will find, once I’ve ripped your throat out with my bare hands, and burnt this manor and everyone inside to ash and bone, that I am something far, far worse than just a beast.”

While staying in the mortal lands with the Band of Exiles, Elain Archeron stumbles across a familiar face from her past. Only Graysen wants revenge. Her only hope is that her mate, Lucien Vanserra, can save her—in more ways than one.

About Damn Time by @strawbrerian-writes

Elain planned to have a quiet, cool day off. The universe took one look at her plans and said "bet."

They Say I Did Something Bad by @separatist-apologist

Then why's it feel so good?

Elain Archeron's fiance is a total stranger to her, though his family's reputation for cruelty and avarice is not. Dreading a lifetime with a cruel, cold man, Elain decides to have one last night of freedom. Attending an infamous masquerade ball, Elain meets a stranger who offers to show her pleasure beyond her wildest dreams. It's just one night of debauchery. What could possibly go wrong?

Oh, Lord Save Me by @separatist-apologist

“How come I never see you at confession?” he pressed. Elain almost screamed.

Lucien never saw her at confession because the phrase "forgive me father, for I have sinned," was the start of every filthy fantasy she’d ever had about him.

I'm Going Out Tonight by @separatist-apologist

He rolled his neck and Elain paused, drinking him in. Even with his red hair plastered to his face, sweat soaking through his thin band t-shirt, Lucien Vanserra was the hottest man she’d ever seen.

And bass players were so her type.

“What did you say?”

He grinned, resting a broad hand over his muscular chest. “I asked if you had a man.”

Her mind flashed an image of Graysen. Too busy with work and the woman he was sleeping with on the side. She was there to pretend she didn’t know about that, wasn’t she? Did Graysen ever answer that question honestly, besides?

Holding up her drink, Elain ran her tongue suggestively over the straw. Lucien’s smile sharpened, those russet eyes darkening with obvious want.

“I don’t remember.”

Sharp as Glass and Twice as Bright by @valamerys

When he speaks again, it’s a low rumble in his chest. “If you keep doing that, dove, neither of us is going to get any sleep.”

Heat coils in Elain’s stomach. “I’m not tired.”

[Elucien + classic THERE IS ONLY ONE BED WHAT DO.] [yes i just did one for each of my ships dont look at me im a monster]

End Game by @separatist-apologist

Lucien Vanserra has been in love with Elain Archeron for as long as he's known her. With time ticking down before her inevitable engagement to Graysen, Lucien only has one goal: convince her to be his

But Only If You Dare by @kingofsummer93

It all started innocently enough. A silly game, a drunken dare.

Except now Elain can't sleep.

And it's all because of him.

I'm Damned If I Do by @separatist-apologist

“Get it off your chest,” he told her dismissively, returning to his work.

Let her scream and yell. It would change nothing given Rhysand and Feyre were doing this purposefully to push them together. Had Elain guessed that, too? Had she decided he was the safer person to vent her rage into?

She strode into his office and, like a petulant brat, swept everything off his desk. Lucien glared, irritated with the mess she’d made—she’d inadvertently shattered a rather nice crystal vase he’d gotten from Dawn, wrecking the little blue plant within in her recklessness.

“By all means, get it off my desk as well,” he told her dryly. Her chest heaved in the pretty silver dress she wore, pressing her breasts up against the neckline. Lucien had to look at his hands to stop looking at her body, though she was closer than she'd ever been

Our Hearts Still Beat The Same by @zenkindoflove

"She stood on the bridge for a few minutes, hoping that the rain might wash away the seething anger and bottomless anguish that crackled under her skin. More, more, more, repeated again and again to a steady beat. His heart beat."

Elucien, Two-shot, Post-ACOSF. Part One is Cozy Tension. Part Two is all smut.

Can read this fic independent of the series. They are separate stories but connected by song inspirations.

Both Forever and Rather Die by @foundress0fnothing

Elain runs a sex cult. She’s looking for something new. Lucien is new.

save the date by @thelovelymadone

Elain Archeron has had a perfect life.

Prettiest girl in her grade, first sibling to be engaged and living thousands of miles away from home. But then, her then fiancé cheats on her at their engagement party after she cajoled her entire family to come thousand of miles for her engagement.

Now, after four years, she’s going to be brave. She’s going to go to her eldest sister’s wedding as the maid of honor and bring … a paid actor to be her boyfriend.

Despite the lingering trauma of her ex-boyfriend posting her phone number on Internet forums and refusal to share how her childhood crush broke her confidence at her engagement party—what could possibly go wrong?

Call Me Selfish, Call Me Wrecked by @crazy-ache

Like countless times before, they’re dangling Elain in front of him without a mention of her name. And for once, Lucien decides to selfishly take it. “I’ll marry her,” he pretends to investigate his nails, even if his heart is about to burst from his chest. “But only if she agrees to it as well. That’s my only condition.”

Elain agrees. Lucien learns the consequences of not shutting up.

A Dance In Winter by @animezinglife

While visiting the Winter Court leading up to Solstice, Elain and Lucien find some time alone.

talk refined by @temperedink

Newly mated Elain has pretty much adjusted to being fae after all this time. What she’s still hung up on? Being able to express things in the bedroom. Luckily, Lucien is totally willing to let her try that out on him.

[likeabulldigidigibombombombom]

hi friend pls complete my request huehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehue

so you're alpha bangchan's mate and u are happily married with 2 kids but he accidentally hurts u when he's out hunting :D

I wish I never showed you my account

Previous asks, I am working on your stuff in a Google doc and I'm trying to make it good. This is just a joke because I think 8coupsstar is gonna kill me if I don't try and do this.

For future reference, I don't do omegaverse stuff.

Paring: Husband!Bangchan x Afab!fem!reader

Warnings: Minors DNI as there is smut, this is meant to be shitty please don't bully me😭 Unprotected sex, breeding kink, No hate to people that enjoy the omegaverse! It's just not for me personally

Words: 544

Summary: Weird omegaverse shit with smut and fluff.

Your husband Bangchan, whom you've been married to for many years and with whom you've borne children, has been missing you recently. Unlike other alphas, he doesn't just date you for sex or to get you through your heats, he has self-control.

Since he's been wanting to spend more time with you, he asked if you wanted to go hunting with him. Leaving your kids under the guidance of your friend at their house, you went out with him to hunt for food (I'm going to hunt for you). As he was stalking around trying to find something to kill, you wandered off looking around the forest that he took you to.

Suddenly you felt something pounce on you, pinning you to the floor. You felt a twinge of pain as you fell back and saw something on top of you. You screamed and scrambled to your feet as you backed away slowly. You were cornered. Tears began to fall. Just as it was about to bite you, the strange creature stopped and stepped back. 

It was Bangchan. As you dried your eyes with your sleeve, he cupped your face. “Baby I’m so sorry. I thought you were an animal.” “I’m sorry” “No, you aren’t sorry, you did nothing wrong.” “I was scared that you were gonna kill me.” “I know honey, I’m so sorry. I genuinely didn’t know.” “I know Chan.”

You could feel yourself getting faint and you realised only one thing could be happening. You were in heat. ‘Perfect timing’ you thought. As Bang Chan sniffed the air and you could see a bulge forming in his pants, he grabbed your hand and pulled you back to the car. “We’re going home,” he said. “It’s not safe.” “But I thought you wanted to go hunting?” “You’re more important.” 

When you got home, he ran you a bath and made you a snack. “Has your heat gone away?” You looked up at him while sweating, curled up on the couch. “Isn’t it obvious?” “Mhm.” He sat next to you and held your hand. “I’m so sorry baby, I just wanted to spend time with you and it went badly. I’m sorry for scaring you. I love you so much.” “I love you too.” You could see his boner reforming. “Can I make it up to you?” “How?” “I guess I can help you with your heat?” “Yes please.”

His dick was thrusting in and out of your aching cunt as you screamed his name. “Do you want me to fill you up baby?” “Yes Chan” You moaned in pleasure as his thrusts became sloppier and faster. “Cum for me.” You could feel your walls getting tighter as you reached your climax. “Are you going to cum in me Channie? Please?” “Of course baby girl.” He thrusted into you one final time and he shot his load deep inside of you. He groaned and carefully pulled out of you. 

“Was that good enough honey?” “It was perfect, I’m sorry about crying before and making you worry.” “It wasn’t your fault, it was mine.” “You shouldn’t feel bad, I really don’t care that much.” He hugged you tightly.

 “What did I do to deserve you?” “Everything.” “I love you.” “I love you too.”

Author note: I am so sorry that was the worst thing I have ever written I hate that so much It’s gonna haunt me for eternity. Like always, constructive criticism is wanted! If you liked this, please follow me for more fanfics that aren't like this one because I promise not all of my writing is like this. Also please send me some requests! <3 Thank you!

Masterlist

[king-bumis-armpit]

The Promise of Dessert

Written for Maiko Week 2024 – Parents

Summary: Zuko and Mai talk about having kids for the first time. Such a serious conversation can only be had with a plate of fruit tarts. Guest starring: chef Tom-Tom.

Author’s Note: This is very contradictory to the fic I posted yesterday, lol! They exist in separate timelines. Maybe OOC. Mai and Zuko have a very open and honest conversation. In my head this takes place before the Promise comics and very near the end of the show, but Tom-Tom is slightly aged up. But it could also take place after they get back together. Dealer’s choice ;) 

Also, thank you to everyone who commented on any of my posts! I had never really written fanfic and published it before this week and you have all been so nice and encouraging. I’m out of pre-written posts and this might be the last thing I put up this week <3

TW: Very brief mention of infertility and a difficult pregnancy. It’s mostly fluff.

WC: 2,177

Mai shivered in the evening air. Where was your fire bending boyfriend when you needed him? She was walking home after spending the day with Ty Lee, and she felt completely drained.

It was fun and all, but truthfully Mai had been ready to leave much earlier than Ty Lee allowed. She loved her friend, but the acrobat was a bit much sometimes. They were hanging out with the other Kyoshi Warriors– many of whom Mai had also come to like– but they were not a quiet bunch. Mai had stayed up late last night visiting Zuko at the palace and she desperately needed a rest. 

She had tried to leave at dinner time, but Suki guilted her into eating with them. And afterwards, Ty Lee insisted that Mai test her Pai Sho skills against Misaki, who was the best on Kyoshi Island apparently. Then, for some very important reason unfathomable to Mai, Kaori, another one of the girls, urgently needed to learn how to put her hair into symmetrical buns. That lesson took quite a long time, so when they finished Mai was sure that she was free. But alas! Hiro– or maybe Hina (Mai was still learning everyone’s name)– wanted knife throwing tips. By the time Mai was able to go, the sun was going down. 

She yawned and stretched before entering her home. On the floor was a piece of paper. Mai thought it was odd, but she had half a mind to ignore it before she realized it bore her name. Raising an eyebrow, she picked it up, but all it said was, “Go to kitchen.” The handwriting looked like Zuko’s. She pursed her lips. That man and his notes.

Still, she was slightly more awake than before and she complied with the request. She pushed open the door and, sure enough, there he was. Zuko stood in his casual robes and apron of all things. He didn’t notice her at first because he was talking to Tom-Tom, who sat on the counter, also in an apron and covered in flour. Tom-Tom laughed at whatever Zuko was saying, and Zuko ruffled his hair affectionately. 

Mai felt her heart do an odd sort of somersault. The scene was so domestic… She could almost imagine their future. There was no banishment anymore, or war, or pain. Just the people she loved.

Tom-Tom spotted her first. “Mai!” He jumped down and ran to hug her. She patted his head affectionately, as he gazed up at her. “Zuko and I made fruit tarts for you! Just don’t look in the trash. We messed up a lot of times. But this batch is perfect!” 

Her little brother took her hand, and guided her to the kitchen table. It was much smaller than the one in their formal dining room, but it felt more intimate. Mai cast her eyes to Zuko, who was watching her with a sappy grin. “Welcome home,” he said, and she felt her cheeks flush.

“Thank you,” she replied, before turning her attention to the tarts. Some of them were burnt on the outside, and a few were a bit lacking in the titular fruit. Mai suspected that the boys had been overconfident on their first go and wasted supplies. But, to her, they were the most exquisite desserts she had ever received. “These look delicious! I didn’t know you two had it in you.” She gave Tom-Tom a peck on the forehead. “Thank you so much, I can’t wait to try one.”

Tom-Tom beamed up at her proudly. “You should try…” he furrowed his brow in concentration and examined the fruits of his labor intently. “This one.” He pointed to the one that had the most fruit and the least charring. 

Mai picked it up gratefully and took a bite. “It’s so good! You could be quite the chef one day.”

Zuko had been watching her affectionately, but he pouted at that. “Hey! What about me?”

She laughed and walked over to kiss his cheek. “You too, of course. But I would rather you keep our Nation running.” He smirked and wrapped her in a quick embrace.

Then, he pulled out a chair from the table for her, and the three of them sat. Zuko and Tom-Tom also ate a fruit tart each, but Mai could tell that they had been sampling their wares before her arrival. 

Michi appeared to take Tom-Tom to bed, and she gave Mai a cheerful look on her way out. Mai didn’t know how to feel about it. She assumed her mother wouldn’t be so at ease with her daughter’s boyfriend being over so late if he wasn’t royalty. 

Zuko seemed to sense he was losing her to her thoughts, and he cleared his throat. “Your little brother’s a good kid. At first I was worried about spending so much time with him… I’m not really used to children. I thought maybe he would cry or need your mom or something.”

Mai chuckled. “He’s five now, Zuko. He still gets upset sometimes, but he’s not in diapers. What even inspired your joint mission?”

Pink dusted Zuko’s cheeks and he gazed very intently at the table before them. “I was thinking about all of the things that I knew made you happy. Both Tom-Tom and fruit tarts were on the list.” 

“Were you making this list for a particular reason?” she asked.

The smile left his eyes, and he turned his gaze back to her. He grasped her hands tightly in his own. “I was thinking about all of the things you do for me. I couldn’t stop thinking about… when we were at the Boiling Rock…” he swallowed hard. “You risked your life for me, and I left you there.” His voice was heavy with regret.

“Oh Zuko,” Mai brought her hand to his cheek. “You don’t always have to be the hero. Let me save you sometimes. It’s my honor,” she teased.

Zuko smiled again, but it was smaller than before. He always carried too much guilt. “Either way, I wanted to thank you. You are– in the most literal sense– my hero. I wanted to make you your favorite foods, but I decided to start with fruit tarts. And I figured that if I enlisted Tom-Tom’s help, we could bond a little. I intend on being in your lives for a very long time.”

The thought filled Mai with a pleasant sort of warmth. She was getting drowsy again, but she didn’t want to go to sleep anymore. “When I saw you two together, I have to admit it made me really happy. Three of us sitting here together might be my best memory in this house.”

Zuko nodded in agreement. “It felt like we were a family.”

Mai wasn’t sure she was ready for this conversation. She deflected, “We already are a family.”

His brow furrowed. “Yes, but I meant… it almost felt like we were parents.”

Mai hummed noncommittally, but it was too late. Zuko latched onto the notion.

After a few minutes of silence, he added in a small voice. “Would you ever want to have kids? With me?”

Mai thought that she did, but should she say it? What if she changed her mind later? “Well, we’ll have to. Won’t we? For the sake of the bloodline?”

Zuko flinched. “I was actually thinking about this– oh! Uh. Not in a weird way.” He turned as red as the strawberries on the table before them. “I mean… my advisors may have mentioned it. They don’t like that Azula is my only other young relative. But I was thinking, if you don’t want kids, we could choose a different royal family. Or maybe form a new type of government all together.”

Mai’s jaw nearly dropped. “Wouldn’t it be easier to find another woman?”

“Another woman?” Zuko sounded painfully confused. 

“You know, women. About half of the population?”

Zuko rolled his eyes. “I get the picture, but why should I find another one?”

Mai crossed her arms. In truth, he was being very sweet, but he was on the verge of promising something too big. “It would be a whole lot easier to marry someone else than construct a new government. Are you stupid?”

“That is not an option.” Uh oh, Zuko was using his grouchy voice. In particular, the voice he typically reserved for people who insulted her. Ironic. He seemed to realize how intense his tone was. “I mean unless you don’t want to marry me! Or be with me… Um… But if you do, want to be with me, like at all, I would strongly prefer that option.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, clearly frustrated by his inability to speak his mind.

Mai looked at him incredulously. “Of course I want to be with you. We were just talking about how I almost died for you.”

Zuko’s eye twitched. “Then why doesn’t that settle it?! I don’t care how many advisors or Ozai loyalists or reactionaries I have to knock down. If you don’t want kids, then we won’t have kids. Look at my family’s history! It’s probably time we put someone else in charge. My lineage or bloodline or whatever means nothing to me! I want a family with you, even that means just the two of us.”

Mai knew she was just being obstinate now, but wanted to poke him one last time. “And why am I so special? You can’t make a promise like this without really thinking it through.” she deadpanned. 

Zuko was practically smoking at this point. “Mai, I have thought about it! It’s because I love you! Because you understand me like no one else in the world. Because I’m pretty sure I need you to survive. During my banishment, I would think about you and sometimes I would worry that we would reunite, but it would all be wrong. You wouldn’t like me anymore, or we wouldn’t have that same innate understanding of each other from when we were kids. But, we did.” He was looking at her like she was a miracle. “We both changed so much, but you still get me. You listen to my stupid outbursts and you manage to make sense of them. You keep me in line when I’m being unreasonable. I only feel this safe with you and Uncle. I need you.” 

He was starting to tear up, and Mai realized that she felt safe with him too. He was her safe harbor in the world around them. She actually had thought about having kids with Zuko. She always vaguely wanted to. Now that he had given her the option, she knew for sure. This man would do anything for her comfort, including put his own desires aside. She could trust him with her future.

“I want one. Or maybe two,” she blurted out.

“What? Fruit tarts?” Zuko asked, caught completely unawares. 

“No– I mean maybe– but that’s obviously not what I meant, you big idiot.”

“Oh!” A grin split Zuko’s face from ear-to-ear. “Hold on, why did you make me say all that stuff about our other options? I thought you were about to dump me. That was terrifying.”

“Well, I wasn’t entirely sure. I liked the idea of having kids, but Mom had a really rough go of it with Tom-Tom. It took her years to get pregnant again and it was not an easy time. And, if I changed my mind or we couldn’t, I didn’t want to give you that hope and take it away.” 

Zuko wrapped an arm around her. “You are always free to change your mind. I will never take that choice away. And if you can’t get pregnant, then we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. But no new women, please.”

Mai laughed. “Deal. Honestly, hearing you say all that sappy stuff…” Zuko frowned, wondering how she would finish that thought. “It made me feel safe too. I think… I feel safe enough to see our future.” And then a thought occurred to her, “Our distant future. Right?”

Zuko laughed and nodded fervently. “Yes, let’s try to reach a more manageable level of assassination attempts before we start planning in earnest.”

Mai tried to reply, but a yawn escaped instead. Zuko looked at her sympathetically. “I’m sorry to keep you up so late. I thought Tom-Tom and I would learn faster. I told Ty Lee to keep you busy until I sent her a message.” That explains a lot, Mai thought. They stored the extra tarts for the next day, and Zuko walked Mai to her room. They shared an almost uncharacteristically chaste kiss before parting ways. They had been very vulnerable with each other, and they needed some time apart to recover. 

But the promise of such a bright future, however distant, buoyed Zuko’s step on his short walk home. One day, they might be parents. And their family would be full of love, hope, and fruit tarts.

[harknessxo]

Chapter I ✧ Acknowledge Me

Pairing: Rhea Ripley x Roman Reigns, Rhea Ripley x Dominik Mysterio

Summary: Rhea has a one night stand with the tribal chief or was it just one?

Warnings; Cussing, hate sex, blowjob, angst

Word Count: 2.3k

Masterlist

A/n: This is my first ever chapter fanfic. I am not doing this alone, me and my friend @tonuitekan are collaborating for this. Hope you enjoy. 😋

“Paul, acknowledge me,” Rhea smirked at the wiseman’s reaction. He looked appalled at her boldness to say the Tribal Chief’s phrase in his own locker room.

“Ms. Ripley, I think you’re in the wrong locker room to say something like that.”

“Am I? Ever since your boy Jey Uso ran away from home, the ‘bloodline’ has fallen and the judgment day has risen. You and your ‘Tribal chief’ are going to acknowledge me. You know you need my help more than I need yours. Now you’re authorized to make your little phone call,” Rhea smiled sarcastically before leaving the bloodline locker room. As soon as she was out the door the wiseman called Roman.

“My tribal chief-”

“It’s authorized. And I will make my return next week.” Roman hung up right after.

Roman slammed his phone on his coffee table and clenched his fist. Who did Rhea Ripley think she is? Roman thought. He couldn't believe Rhea's audacity to imply that he, the Tribal chief, the backbone of the bloodline, needed her help. He only agreed because the deal could come in handy but he didn’t actually need their help, right?

Smackdown had begun. Roman sat backstage watching John Cena run his mouth until he decided it was enough and finally made his entrance. He slowly made his way into the ring, taking his time, getting used to the crowd after being out for a month and a half. He stands in front of John Cena, staring him down and establishing his dominance before taking the mic from the wiseman.

“John, I think you forgot whose ring you’re in. You go around calling yourself ‘the greatest of all time’ when the greatest of all time is standing right in front of you. Now you can leave this ring on your own or we’ll make you leave,” Roman spoke with a cocky smirk.

“Roman, I am not here to challenge you for your title because I don't deserve it, but he does.” On queue LA Knight’s music hit and he made his way into the ring while John stepped back into a corner of the ring to watch. LA stood in front of Roman and introduced himself as the fastest rising superstar in smackdown history and stated he wanted a title match but before he could finish his speech, Jimmy attacked him from behind. Roman was not surprised, what did surprise him was how quickly LA was able to recover and threw Jimmy out of the ring. LA got all up in Roman’s face demanding a title match but once again he was interrupted this time by the judgment day taking both him and John out of the ring.

By Roman’s demand, Solo also joined the brawl, helping Dom beat down LA. Of course, Cody came out to help. He came to John’s aid first, helping him fight off Damian and Finn. Roman just stood in the ring watching all the chaos unfold. Roman being distracted gave Jey an opportunity to come out and try to sneak up on him but before he could touch a hair out of Roman’s head, he was pulled back by someone and slammed onto the mat. The movement of the ring made Roman turn around. Once he turned, he frowned at the scene displayed in front of him, little Jey on the floor wincing in pain while a certain woman stood above him.

Rhea ‘Bloody’ Ripley.

She slowly looked up at Roman with a smirk on her face, doing her little wave while walking closer to him standing face-to-face with the tribal chief.

“You’re welcome,” she said with a mocking smile and a wink before walking backstage with the rest of the judgment day.

Shortly after, the bloodline retreated backstage as well. As soon as Roman got backstage he took off his belt, shoved it into the wiseman’s chest, and began his search for the Women’s World Champion to have a little chat. His sudden outburst left the wiseman and Jimmy looking at each other confused.

“Yo uce, where are you going?” Jimmy asked but Roman just ignored him and kept walking.

Roman had been looking all over the place and there was no trace of the champion. He was about to turn around a corner when he heard a voice.

“I’ll meet you guys at the hotel, I’ve got some unfinished business with Pearce…Yes Dom Dom I’ll drive safely, I promise. Alright bye.” It was Rhea Ripley once again, just the person he was looking for. He quickly turned the corner and called out her name, determined to confront Rhea Ripley and finally settle the score.

“Ripley, we need to talk.” Rhea turned around with a smirk on her face.

“Roman, what a nice surprise, but I can’t talk right now I have things to do-”

“I said we need to talk,” Roman said sternly, firmly grabbing her arm before she could walk past him. Rhea roughly pulled her arm from his hold and gave him a death glare.

“Don’t ever grab me like that again or you will regret it. Now, what is so important that you need to talk to me about that can't wait?"

“I didn’t ask for your or the rest of the judgment day’s help out there. I had it under control.”

“Did you? Your boy Jimmy got taken out in seconds and if it wasn’t for me, little Jey would have taken you out. You made yourself an easy target when you sent Solo to help my boys. You got distracted, Jey knew that and he took advantage. So if anything, you should be thanking me for saving your tribal ass.”

“Listen closely, you are to acknowledge me. I'm the tribal chief around here. I call the shots,” he said while backing her into a wall, trapping her by placing his hands on the wall on each side of her head.

“That’s where you’re wrong. You see, you are the tribal chief of the bloodline not the judgment day, therefore I don’t have to listen or ‘acknowledge’ you. Is that all you wanted to talk about or is there something else you want to complain about-” Roman roughly pulled her into a heated kiss. Rhea kissed him back for a few seconds before pushing him away and slapping him across the face. Roman was stunned but didn’t say anything; he just stared back at her deeply.

At that moment, the tension between them was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Suddenly it was Rhea who pulled Roman into a rough kiss. Rhea then pulled his head back by his bun to make him look at her.

“Take me to your locker room.”

Rhea pushed Roman onto his couch and straddled him. Rhea started to take her shirt off, Roman was not far behind. When she was done, he took the opportunity and flipped them over with Roman now on top and held her wrist down above her head. He softly grabbed her jaw with his free hand to make her look at him.

“You are going to acknowledge me, understand?”

“In your dreams, Reigns,” Rhea chuckled. He just smiled at her before he leaned down leaving kisses down her jaw and neck.

“Be careful, don’t leave any marks or I promise I will kill you.”

“Why? You don’t want your little boy toy to find out?” he said, mocking her.

“Reigns,” she said in a warning tone.

“Relax, he will never know.” With that he continued his way down her perfect body, admiring every inch of it. Roman took off her jeans along with her underwear and tossed them somewhere in the locker room. He brought one of her legs to his shoulder and began to kiss down to her thighs.

“Roman stop with the teasing or i’ll- hmm,” Rhea was cut off mid sentence when Roman finally licked a stripe up her glistening folds. He buried his face in between her thighs, determined to make her scream. Rhea brought her hand to his hair and untied his bun to have a better grip. With her other hand she covered her mouth when her moans started to get too loud.

“Where’s all the back talk now, huh Rhea?” Roman mocked once again.

“Shut up and put your mouth to good use.” Rhea pushed Roman’s head deeper into her core to shut him up. Soon her legs started to shake around Roman’s head letting him know that she was close.

“Acknowledge me,” he stated.

“No,” she refused.

“Do it Ripley or I'll stop.”

“Fine! I acknowledge you my tribal chief,” Rhea said through her gritted teeth. Roman, now satisfied, sucked harder on her clit and used his fingers to get her over the edge. Rhea bit her fist to hold back the scream she let out and she rode her high. Roman stopped and was about to make a smart remark but was cut off by Rhea flipping them over once again.

“Now you are going to acknowledge me, is that clear?” Roman didn’t have time to answer before Rhea was already working on his belt. She slid his jeans and boxers off, discarding them somewhere before she started to stroke his already rock hard member. She took it in her mouth and started to suck him off. She then lifted her hips and aligned her entrance with his cock and lowered herself down, slowly being filled inch by inch. Roman put his hand on her waist to help her move up and down with ease. Her movements got faster and rougher and she once again gripped into his hair.

“Acknowledge me my tribal chief,” Rhea said into his ear.

“I acknowledge you,” Roman groaned.

“Good boy,” Rhea smiled and sped up her movements. She felt him twitch inside her and knew he was close. For the last time of night Roman flipped them over.

“Where do you want me?”

“On my stomach.” Roman pulled out and stroked his cock until he came all over her stomach. After some heavy panting and recovering, Roman went to the bathroom and got a clean cloth for Rhea. Once she was done they both started to put their clothes back on. Rhea had her bra and shirt on but she couldn’t find her panties.

“Are you looking for these?” Roman asked, smirking with the pair of panties in his hand. Rhea rolled her eyes and reached for them but Roman pulled them back before she could.

“Roman, give me my damn underwear,” Rhea said, running out of patience.

“I mean I could just stay with these but I’m sure you wouldn’t like that idea now would you?” Roman chuckled mischievously, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

“You know what, you can keep 'em as a souvenir because this is the last time this will ever happen.” Rhea finished putting her jeans on while Roman shoved her panties into his pocket.

Rhea left the locker room without another word but not before making sure nobody was around to witness her leaving the tribal chief’s locker room. What Rhea didn’t know was that Charlotte Flair witnessed the whole thing and snapped a quick picture.

It was smackdown once again and TJD had a promo with the bloodline where Dom had made his return after being out for 3 weeks due to an injury. After the promo was said and done, Dom went backstage to get some water when he heard someone call his name.

“Hey Dom Dom, can I talk to you really quick?” It was Charlotte Flair. What was she up to? Dom wondered. He went up to her confused yet intrigued by what he had to say to him.

“What do you want, Flair?”

“Well I just wanted to know if you and Rhea are over?”

“What? No. Why would we be over?”

“Really? Because I saw her sneaking out of Roman’s locker room last Friday. Look,” Charlotte pulled out her phone and showed Dom the picture.

“That doesn’t mean anything, she could have been having a conversation about the deal we made with the bloodline.”

“Wouldn’t she have told you? I mean by the looks of it you had no idea about this encounter.”

Dom didn’t say anything and just left to look for Rhea and ask her what happened. On his way down the hall he heard hushed voices and low moans. When he turned the corner he froze at the sight in front of him.

Rhea sitting on a chest with Roman in between her legs making out. He stood there for a few seconds before he found his voice to say something.

“Rhea?”

Rhea’s head shot towards the direction of the voice. Her eyes widened when she realized who it was.

“Dom?” Dom’s eyes started to water and he ran away before Rhea could see the tears spill.

“Dom! Dom, wait please! Let me explain!” Rhea tried to catch up to him but it was too late. Rhea looked back at Roman with anger in her eyes.

“See what you did?!”

“Me? All of this is on you Ripley. You know damn well if you didn’t want anything to actually happen, you could have stopped it.” Rhea just scoffed and ran after Dom. She reached the parking lot and looked around for any signs of Dom when she saw him leaning against the judgment day’s rental car.

“Dom! Thank god, please let me explain,” she said while jogging towards him.

“I don’t want to hear it Rhea, I can’t believe you would do this to me. Were you just using me this whole time?” Rhea felt a pang in her heart when he called her by her actual name and not ‘mami’ like he usually does.

While Dom and Rhea were arguing, the rest of the judgment day and Jimmy were heading out and noticed all the commotion.

“Que carajo esta pasando?” Damian said to himself.

[maraariana01]

[ ITP: Happy Ending AU ]

The Encounter

• Author's note: After about a month of writing (with breaks and A LOT of procrastinating) the fic is finally done!! I believe this is now my longest fanfic so far :] which I'm pretty proud of! Anyway, for those who are new, this fic is for my Into The Pit AU, where basically Spring Bonnie (NOT WILLY AFTON) finally gets to be a dad like he wanted and everyone is alive and happy <3 (things are a bit more complicated than that but shh). But enough talk. Hope you enjoy!

Oswald decides to hang out with his new friend, but things go awry when an uninvited guest shows up to crash the party.

CW: descriptions of blood, dead bodies and implied gore and/or body horror.

Drip...Drip...Drip...

The last droplets of rain made their way onto the cold pavement as the weather finally seemed to settle. The afternoon sky was still cloudy, and the air was still chilly, but the smell of freshly poured autumn rain was very inviting.

Oswald made his way outside, careful not to step into any puddles— which were in abundance.

"I'll be back by five, I promise!" he announced, turning back towards the house.

On the other side of the door stood a lone, yellow bunny in a trench coat. Standing slightly stooped and with lowered ears, Spring Bonnie slowly nodded and waved goodbye to the boy.

He looked worried. Oswald took notice of this and gave the bunny a reassuring smile.

"Nothing ever happens in this town, anyway." he pointed out. "We'll be fine! You worry too much."

Hand on the door, Spring Bonnie watched as the boy ran across the concrete path, once again wary of the many puddles formed on the ground, until he disappeared around the corner.

"You worry too much." Oswald's words echoed through his mind. The boy was only going to meet up with a friend at the library. Why was he so worried?

He stood and thought. Gabrielle. That was her name. Oswald mentioned her before. Apparently, they didn't talk much, but they got along quite well.

He'd like to meet her someday.

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

After a bit of rummaging through the old library, the two children each managed to find a book to enjoy. They didn't want to stay inside and read them, though. Gabrielle mentioned that she usually likes to read outside. Oswald, too, admitted that he would prefer the fresh air rather than the musty, stifling smell of the old library. Eventually, they settled on going to the nearby park.

The cold weather didn't show any signs of changing, appropriate for the last remaining weeks of November. The sidewalk was decorated with a diverse color palette of fallen leaves. Unlike the puddles, Oswald sought to purposely step on those as he roamed the streets, only to be mildly disappointed that none of them were audibly crinkling under his feet. They were just wet. Despite that, he kept trying until they finally reached the park.

Oswald looked behind him. Gabrielle held her book open, already engrossed in whatever story she was reading.

"I'll go find a good spot for us to sit and read, okay?" he decided.

Without looking up from the book, she nodded in agreement.

The boy wandered around the park, his new friend following behind him at a slower pace, careful not to trip over something as she continued to read. All the benches were still wet from the rain, so he didn't have much of a choice. He picked one, deeper in the park, and started wiping it with a few napkins he had in his backpack. He took out his phone and checked the time. 2:37 PM. They still had plenty of time until five.

Waiting for his friend to catch up with him, he sat on the bench and placed his book aside. Adjusting his cap, he listened. Listened to the sound of the wind gently brushing against the treetops. The sound of the remaining leaves slowly falling onto the ground. The sound of rustling and... whirring?

A shriek escaped him as a pair of giant, animatronic arms suddenly wrapped around him and swiftly pulled him back. Not the ones he was familiar with, though. They weren't yellow or fuzzy. Realization quickly set in.

It wasn't Spring Bonnie.

Not very far behind, Gabrielle heard the commotion and immediately closed her book and ran towards where the noise was coming from.

"Oswald?!" she called out.

But instead of getting a response from the boy, a completely different voice rang out, accompanied by laughter. Stuttering, glitching, robotic laughter.

"Finally got you, little ocelot!"

Gabrielle froze in her tracks. The sight she was greeted by terrified her.

A tall, white, broken down animatronic bear held tightly onto Oswald with glowing, bright blue eyes and a deranged grin on his face. His right hand seemed to be missing, only wires sticking out from what remained of his arm. He didn't seem to notice her. She could only watch as the boy desperately squirmed around in the bear's grasp, but to no avail. It only served to make the bear laugh even more. He tried to cry out, but, once again, to no avail. The bear had already plastered his hand over the boy's mouth.

"You're not going anywhere! We're going to play a little game!" he proudly announced as he turned away, disappearing behind the numerous trees in the park.

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

Gabrielle shook her head and finally got herself to move again. Her eyes darted all over the place erratically, trying to figure out what to do. Soon enough, her gaze landed on something small on the ground.

Oswald's phone.

She immediately made a run for it and, with trembling hands, she picked it up. Opening the contacts list, she desperately began to search. His parents' phone numbers had to be in there somewhere. Thankfully, he didn't have that many contacts. Through shaky button presses, she managed to find the phone number of Oswald's dad. She quickly selected it and waited.

"Please...Please pick up..."

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

An eerie silence engulfed the house. Not a single movement could be heard. Spring Bonnie sat on the couch in the living room, lost in thought. He had just finished vacuuming all around the house as a way to distract himself from the feeling of uneasiness that refused to leave his body.

The distraction worked. At least, for a while. But now that he found himself having free time again, the feeling returned, even stronger than before.

"You worry too much." he remembered Oswald's words once more in an attempt to calm himself down. The children were fine, surely.

He reached for the remote. Maybe he could watch some TV to get his mind off of his worries, but his train of thought was soon interrupted. Before he got the chance to turn on the TV, his ears perked up at a distant sound that unexpectedly broke the silence. He recognized the sound. It was a song. An old, country song, accompanied by a quiet buzzing. It came from somewhere down the corridor.

Abandoning the remote, Spring Bonnie stood up and went to investigate, his heavy footsteps echoing through the hallway. The song was coming from one of the rooms, where a phone sat forlornly on one of the nightstands. The phone in question belonged to Oswald's father. His human one, that is.

"He forgot his phone..." he thought.

Leaning towards the device, he glanced at the screen and saw a name displayed. "Oswald". Oswald was calling.

He stood there for a moment, unsure if he should pick up or not. The phone wasn't his, after all, and he wouldn't be able to talk anyway. But he didn't want to just leave it like that either.

He might as well try.

He fumbled a bit while trying to answer, his big robot hands being a little too big for the small phone. But, eventually, he succeeded.

"H...Hello? Is this Oswald's dad?" the shaky voice of a child stammered through the phone's speaker. It wasn't Oswald. He didn't recognize the voice, either.

Spring Bonnie wished he could answer. But even if he could, the voice didn't wait for a response.

"Please, if anyone can hear me I...This is Gabrielle...I..."

The poor child sounded frightened, struggling to find the right words.

"It's Oswald...He was...Something took him away, I-I don't know what to do...Please...I'm at the park right now, they went...I-I know where they went...You need to come here...I'll call the police too...But please, hurry..."

Then she hung up, letting the silence take over once again.

The grip he had on the phone tightened as he felt himself start to tremble. Black liquid began dripping— no, pouring from every socket and joint in his body. The feeling of uneasiness quickly turned into terror. Overwhelmed by emotions, he found himself unable to move. His mind flooded with thoughts. Horrible thoughts. Horrible possibilities.

"Oswald..."

He had to leave immediately.

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

Oswald kicked and twisted in the bear's grasp. He was able to free one hand and began to push the robotic arm away. Or, at least, tried to. But, to no one's surprise, it didn't budge a single inch. The bear was far more powerful than him.

"Quite a squirmy one, aren't you?" the animatronic loudly inquired. Oswald flinched at the sound of his earsplitting voice. He wished he had both of his hands free so he could cover his ears.

"If only I was able to put you inside..." the bear continued, giggling to himself. "That would have made things a heck of a lot easier! But, sadly, that seat is already occupied!"

Oswald stopped wriggling and stared up at the bear with wide, dread-filled eyes. What did he mean by that...?

"W-who are you?" he somehow managed to stammer.

The bear turned his head towards the boy with a somewhat surprised expression.

"Well then! Since you were so nice to ask..." his voice glitched halfway through the sentence. "They used to call me Funtime Freddy!"

Oswald certainly didn't feel like he was having a fun time right now... but he dared to ask one more question.

"What are you going to do with me?"

Funtime Freddy chuckled.

"Only what we were created to do."

That response only served to make the boy even more confused.

Why was this happening? What did this animatronic even want with him? Hundreds of questions were swirling around in his mind. He wasn't even paying attention to where he was being taken anymore. He lost track of time and couldn't remember for how long they've been walking. He couldn't focus. He couldn't think. He was panicking.

Click.

The sound of a door handle. Oswald didn't even notice when they arrived in front of an old, abandoned building. Was it a warehouse? It didn't matter. By the time he managed to gather his thoughts again, they were already deep inside the facility.

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

Spring Bonnie ran and ran. Ran through bushes and twigs, across puddles and leaves, below branches and trees. He frantically wiped at the dark liquid that was pouring out of his eyes like a waterfall, hindering his vision.

Gabrielle said they went north. That was his only lead. He prayed and begged that that would be enough to find them.

"Please be alright...Please...Please..."

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

Carried through the dark, decrepit corridors, Oswald sat helplessly in the clutches of the animatronic bear. He looked around in hopes of finding...something. Anything he might use to help identify where he was. Anything he might recognize. Pointless, as it turned out. He's never seen this place before. The whole building looked like it was falling apart at the seams. There were a few windows, but they were so dusty and dirty that he could barely see anything through them. Just a few trees, brushing their leafless branches against the glass.

"Here we are!" the bear eagerly declared.

The room they entered was bigger than the rest, from what he'd seen. Yet, still just as decaying as all the others. Cobwebs hanging all around them, tangled wires on the floor... A few metal shelves decorated the walls, standing almost as tall as the ceiling. They were mostly empty, save for a few dusty looking machines and toolboxes that sat there, forgotten by time.

Using one of his legs, the bear kicked the door, effectively closing it.

"The acoustics are pretty great in here, huh?" Funtime Freddy said jokingly, listening to the echo of his own distorted voice.

Oswald wanted to say something in response, but before he even had time to attempt to open his mouth, he found himself slammed against the wall.

With Oswald held firmly in his grasp, Funtime Freddy brought the boy to his eye level.

"It's been a while since I got someone as lively as you to play with!" he admitted. "I'm going to enjoy every second of this."

As the bear stared directly into his eyes, Oswald tried his hardest to avoid eye contact. But he couldn't look away. He was stuck like a deer caught in headlights. The boy tried to close his eyes, but even so, he still felt the piercing gaze of the animatronic's glowing, blue eyes. Summoning all his willpower, he somehow managed to tear his eyes away from the bear's face for just a second. Time enough to catch a glimpse of something. He didn't notice it up until then, but there was something reddish trickling down from the bear's abdomen. Was that...?

Oswald didn't want to know.

"Now..." the bear continued. "Shall we—"

Funtime Freddy suddenly went uncharacteristically quiet. His ear twitched as he waited and listened. Oswald listened carefully too. They both just stood there, in complete silence, for a couple of seconds.

"Strange. I could have sworn I heard—"

He didn't even have time to finish that sentence as a tall, dark figure rose up from behind him and, with their arm raised up in the air, aimed and swung directly at the bear's head, successfully and violently knocking him to the side and making him lose the grip he had on the child. The boy dropped to the ground, landing on his rear end.

Funtime Freddy stumbled back as his head spun around a few times from the force of impact, only stopping when his head clicked into position, facing the opposite way from where it was supposed to.

Oswald shook his head and looked around. What just happened?

That question was very soon answered when he looked up, where a familiar looking figure stood right before him, with long ears pointed upwards.

"Springs!" the boy couldn't help but smile and sigh in relief, even if the bunny did not look down at him. He was focused on something else. Or rather, someone else.

Spring Bonnie glared at the bear, who still stood there, twitching and glitching, with his torso forwards and his head backwards. But before long, through a cacophony of whirrs, clatters and clicks, he promptly spun his head back into its original position, staring directly at the uninvited guest. His grin widened.

"How cute..." he teased.

The bunny stared back at him with pitch-black eye sockets and glowing, blue pupils, but instead of displaying his usual grin, his jaw slowly unhinged to reveal multiple rows of razor-sharp fangs. He stepped in front of Oswald, acting as a shield between him and the bear. The dark liquid was still abundantly leaking. Meanwhile, a faint, but distinct sound could be heard. It was emanating from the bunny. Was he...growling? Oswald didn't remember hearing him make that sort of noise before.

"You came to play with us too?"

Funtime Freddy stepped forward, confidently. Spring Bonnie stood his ground. The growling only intensified.

"Let's have fun, then."

Without any warning, the bear charged directly at the yellow bunny. In response, the bunny also launched himself at the bear, somehow unhinging his jaw even further. They both managed to get a hold of each other, pushing and clawing at their respective opponent in hopes of immobilizing them. Spring Bonnie leaned forward and attempted to take a bite out of the bear's face, but was unsuccessful, as Funtime Freddy kept his head at a safe distance from the bunny's snapping mouth.

The scuffle continued and showed no signs of stopping. Oswald could only watch as the events unfolded before his eyes. Two giant robots going at each other's throats. It looked like they both had an equal chance of taking the other one out. The boy couldn't help but think this all looked like some kind of scene from a sci-fi movie. He would think it was kind of cool if he wasn't currently scared out of his mind. He kept his eyes on Spring Bonnie, cheering for him in his head, but unable to actually get a single word out. He watched in awe as the bunny somehow managed to get the upper hand, grasping the bear with all his strength and slowly pushing him back, step by step. That's when Oswald noticed something on the floor.

The wires. The many, tangled wires that slithered along the floor. A few of them even extended from where he was sitting, all the way to the opposite side of the room, going straight through the wall. He got an idea. He wasn't sure if it would work, but he had to at least try. He quickly got up to his feet, grabbed a few of them and, gathering all the strength in his body, he pulled. The wires straightened out, hovering over the ground. Just enough for the bear to step right into them.

Funtime Freddy inevitably lost his balance, causing him to fall on his back, violently clanging against the floor.

Before he even had the chance to process what happened, he felt his whole face being grabbed, yellow fingers making their way right into his eye sockets and keeping him in place. Spring Bonnie snarled as he loomed over the bear, tightening his grip while dark, viscous matter started dripping all over his hand and trickling down onto the bear's faceplates. Funtime Freddy attempted to lift his hand to push him back, but the bunny was quick to lift the bear's head off of the ground, before slamming him right back down against the cold, hard floor with all his might. He did so again, and again, and again, the thunderous sound of heavy metal clashing against concrete filling the room.

The bunny had no intention of stopping, but the bear has had enough. Between crashes, Funtime Freddy extended his arm and managed to grab the bunny by the neck— something that caught him completely off guard as he became way too focused on crushing the bear's head— throwing him to the side.

The two animatronics quickly got back up to their feet at the same time, both shaking and twitching. But there was something different about the bear. For a moment, his grin faded away and got replaced with a frown. His usual demeanor was a little different, too. He seemed mad.

A deafening screech emerged from the bear and reverberated through the room as his faceplates sprung wide open, revealing his rusty endoskeleton. When he closed them back up, one by one, his face was back to his regular, deranged expression. With his broken down arm swinging, he launched himself at the yellow bunny once more and aimed to strike him. Spring Bonnie was able to stop Freddy's attack with his own hand, grabbing onto the bear's handless arm before it could reach his face.

But that's when the bear stopped. His grin widened even more and he just stared him in the eyes.

Something wasn't right.

Click.

Spring Bonnie felt some kind of metallic object emerge from the bear's broken arm, poking him directly in the palm. He barely had a split second to think before sparks began to fly.

Oswald covered his ears at the sound of Spring Bonnie's earsplitting screech. A screech unlike anything he had ever heard before. He couldn't describe it. He's never heard Spring Bonnie make that sort of sound before, either.

The yellow bunny was writhing and shaking uncontrollably as electricity flowed through his entire body. By the time it stopped, he was unable to do anything. He could barely move. Weakened, he stumbled back and fell to his knees. To end things off, the bear kicked him down and watched as he twitched helplessly on the floor. Despite his pain, he only had one thing on his mind. "Oswald..." He had to get back up. He had to protect his son. He had to...

After glaring at the bunny for a few more moments, Funtime Freddy giggled and turned away, towards the boy.

Or, at least, where the boy was supposed to be. The grin on the bear's face started to disappear ever so slightly.

Where was he?

He stopped and scanned the room from top to bottom. Oswald was nowhere to be seen. He did notice, however, the entrance to the room. The door was wide open.

Funtime Freddy wasted no time and immediately went for the door, leaving behind the twitching bunny.

With shaky hands, Spring Bonnie struggled to roll over and tried to get up, just in time to watch the bear leave the room and slam the door behind him.

Clumsily getting up and trying his best to remain stable on his jittery feet, he rushed to the door and desperately rattled the handle.

It was locked. Either that or something was blocking it from the other side.

Panicking, he kept pushing and pulling at the door. He banged his fists on it, he kicked it, he slammed his whole body into it, but it did nothing.

The bunny turned around and frantically searched the room. There had to be another way out. And as his eyes darted around, he finally set his sight on a possible exit.

The window.

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

Oswald sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Exit...Exit...Where's the exit?!"

As he dashed through the dilapidated maze of hallways and corridors, he felt like every turn he took was useless. Everything looked the same. He could have sworn it wasn't like that before. Did the building somehow grow bigger? It didn't look that big from the outside. As he ran, he found numerous doors, but none leading to the outside. Some were locked. Some opened, only to reveal even more forgotten rooms with no escape.

Being faced with dead end after dead end, Oswald eventually stopped in the middle of the hallway he was currently traversing. He felt his vision start to blur as a feeling of dread began to creep its way throughout his body. He couldn't find the exit. He didn't even know where he was anymore. The building felt so massive, yet he felt so claustrophobic in these narrow, endless corridors.

But he didn't have time to ponder. A sudden noise made him snap out of his trance.

A voice. A distant, stuttering voice, calling his name. He knew this voice all too well by now. The voice grew nearer, now accompanied by heavy, metallic footsteps, rapidly approaching.

Oswald spun around, searching for a place to hide.

A small table stood behind him with its damp, moth-eaten tablecloth still mostly intact on top of it. Next to it, a single chair stood collecting dust, untouched for decades. Probably a small resting area for the people who used to work in this place, he guessed.

No time to waste.

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

Funtime Freddy turned the corner and glared down the hallway. Still no child in sight.

"Up for a game of hide and seek?" his voice box glitched again. "Oh, how fun!"

The white bear slowed down his pace, now scanning the corridor. His head whirred and clicked loudly as it turned around persistently.

"I have to warn you, though!" he continued in a strangely playful tone. "Whenever I'm seeker, I always win!"

Oswald sat trembling under the table, holding his breath when he heard the animatronic's footsteps approaching. He held both of his hands pressed against his mouth, trying to stop himself from making any noise. He barely managed to stifle a scream when he felt something crawling across his face. The underside of the table was filled with cobwebs, as expected. So spiders had to be present too, much to Oswald's despair. He shut his eyes tightly as he waited for the footsteps to fade down the corridor. He felt the floor beneath him vibrate as the animatronic passed by the table. If he opened his eyes, he would have definitely seen him stomping by through the holes in the tablecloth. He started to feel lightheaded, he lost track of how long he's been doing this. Just a little longer...

...

He couldn't hear any footsteps anymore.

Oswald finally let himself breathe again. He took a deep breath, but instead of air, it felt like only dust and spiderweb made their way down his throat. He tried his best not to cough too loudly.

But it seemed like his efforts were in vain.

Mere moments after that, mechanical whirrs rang out nearby and, shortly after, the table got lifted into the air. Not only that, but it was also effortlessly flipped over, revealing the one responsible for it.

"Found you!"

Funtime Freddy towered over the boy, grinning as ominously as ever.

Oswald stumbled to get back on his feet, just in time to avoid the metallic arm that plunged after him. He slithered his way right between the bear's legs and bolted through the hall in whatever direction he saw first. There was no time to think. And it's not like he knew where he was going, anyway. He just needed to get as far away from the bear as possible.

"Slippery little brat." the bear sounded slightly annoyed, but it didn't seem to bother him too much, as he was still grinning widely. "You'd rather play catch instead? Fine by me!"

Oswald heard the animatronic stomping behind him at an alarmingly fast pace. He didn't think that he was able to run this fast, especially after the tussle with the bunny.

As he felt the bear catching up with him, he spotted another door. It was already half open. He couldn't remember if it was him who opened it earlier in search of the exit or if it was always like that. It didn't matter. He got in and immediately searched the door for a way to lock it. It had a latch, thankfully, albeit a pretty flimsy one, but it was better than nothing. He reached for it and promptly locked the door.

The boy backed away slowly. He knew the latch wouldn't hold out for a long time, so he had to think of what to do next and fast. When he took one more step behind, he bumped into something. He couldn't help but shriek when he felt himself being grabbed by the shoulder. He spun around and yanked himself from the grasp of whatever just touched him.

But the fear soon vanished once he spotted who was actually behind him.

A familiar yellow bunny in a brown trench coat stood there, kneeled down, with his hands held out in front of him as if to gesture that he didn't mean to frighten the boy. He looked down at the child with lowered ears and unblinking eyes, yet there seemed to be a certain gentleness behind that gaze. Oswald never thought he'd feel so happy to see another animatronic in his life. Without a second thought, he wrapped his arms around the bunny and held him tight, burying his face in his coat. Not long after, he felt the arms of the animatronic slowly wrap around him, returning the hug.

Bang.

It seemed like the moment of tenderness had to wait until later.

Funtime Freddy began to bang on the door, each knock rattling the latch and loosening it. It looked like it was about to fall off.

Spring Bonnie rushed to the door in an attempt to keep it shut with his own body, but right as he got to it, one final knock sent the latch flying across the room. A white, handless arm slithered its way into the room. He recognized the limb. The exact same one that shocked him not too long ago.

The yellow bunny held the door against the flailing arm, not letting the rest of the bear get in. He tried to shut the door, but he knew that it would be impossible with the arm in the way. He slammed his whole body into the door, hoping it would do something.

Crack.

"...?"

The noise was coming from the metal arm.

He slammed himself into the door again.

Crack.

This was it.

Spring Bonnie continued to slam against the door, each hit causing the arm to make more cracking noises. He kept doing it until...

Clang.

The entire arm detached from the bear, crashing onto the floor and rolling away. He was finally able to shut the door all the way.

The disembodied arm rolled towards Oswald, who stepped away from it. He saw what that arm could do. He wasn't going to get anywhere near it.

As he stepped back he felt something on the floor. It made a small splashing sound. He looked behind him.

At the back of the room, there was a rather large puddle of water. Most likely rainwater that seeped its way through the decrepit ceiling over the years. It was quite deep.

He glanced down at it, then back at the arm standing in front of him. Then he looked back up at Spring Bonnie, who stood with his back against the door, trying his hardest to keep it shut as the bear continued to bang on it from the outside. The missing arm didn't seem to stop him.

The bunny also noticed the arm, as well as the puddle behind Oswald.

The gears were turning in their minds— perhaps quite literally in Spring Bonnie's case— as they both seemed to envision the exact same plan.

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

Funtime Freddy was starting to lose his patience and began slamming into the door with all his force.

To his surprise, it finally opened, revealing the boy standing alone in the middle of the room.

Using his leg, he shut the door behind him, maintaining eye contact with his target the whole time.

"Nowhere to run now, little ocelot!"

Oswald stared back at the bear with wide eyes, but he didn't move from his spot. He felt his heartbeat start to accelerate again.

The bear launched himself at the boy— hand extended and ready to grab— but the boy was quick to sidestep out of the way. Before he even had time to make his next move, the bear felt himself being pushed from behind by a force as equal as his, causing him to fall face-first into the puddle of water. For a split second, he noticed something else standing in the water right beside him: his own detached arm. In the next split second, it was already too late.

Spring Bonnie and Oswald watched as Funtime Freddy started twitching and writhing in the electrified water while sparks began to fly once again. To their dismay, the bear attempted to get back up, despite his pain.

The bunny quickly picked Oswald up and got out of the room, keeping the door shut. They could still hear the agonized screech of the animatronic bear behind the door, but only for a few more moments, followed by the sound of something powering down and crashing against the floor.

Spring Bonnie carefully placed his son down as far away from the room as possible. Then he slowly opened the door and peeked inside.

The bear was collapsed on the ground near the door, showing no more signs of movement.

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

An uncomfortable silence took over the entire building.

They both stared down at the motionless animatronic, still processing everything that happened.

"Is it over..?"

Spring Bonnie turned around to look at his son. He wasn't sure how to answer. He had a feeling this was far from over. They might have been able to decommission the bear, if only for a while, but surely that wasn't the end of it.

"Can't we...I don't know..." the boy continued. "Turn him off somehow? For good?"

He hoped that an animatronic would have more knowledge about this than him. There had to be a way to deactivate Funtime Freddy permanently, right?

From the look of the bunny, he wasn't quite sure himself. But they might as well try.

Spring Bonnie dragged the unmoving body of the bear out of the room and propped him up against the wall.

The two pairs of eyes scanned over the robot from top to bottom, wondering what to do. As they searched, Spring Bonnie's eyes landed on something that stuck out.

The bear's abdomen. It looked like it was some sort of door. He didn't notice it before since it was closed tight. But now it was ever so slightly open. It looked stuck, but it was sticking outward just a little bit. It must have come loose after all that happened.

Spring Bonnie kneeled down in front of the bear and grabbed the metallic door, attempting to open it. He struggled a bit but, at last, it swung open.

A foul, putrid odor quickly overtook the damp smell of the room and the silence was finally broken by Oswald's horrified scream.

Spring Bonnie also froze at the sight of what he just found.

A young girl sat crammed inside the bear's chest cavity, motionless. But she looked...wrong.

Her clothes were covered from head to toe in what they could only assume was dried blood. The same could also be said about the inside of the cavity. The walls were smeared with a similar color.

Her body was contorted in ways that shouldn't be possible, her skin rotting and decaying.

But most of all, her head...Her head wasn't where it was supposed to be...

Oswald turned away and gagged.

How long has she been in there...?

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

Red and blue lights danced between the branches of the trees.

The yellow bunny and the boy waited patiently outside the building. Many voices were coming from inside, but they couldn't make out what they were saying. They guessed it was probably about the dead body they found. Or about the freaky animatronic bear that housed the corpse.

Oswald was crouched next to Spring Bonnie, using a stick to draw in the mud. He wasn't drawing anything specific, he was just mindlessly dragging the twig through the mud and making lines, most likely attempting to distract himself from thinking about what just happened. Still, the bunny watched him intently and curiously, tilting his head to the side.

"Oswald!"

The bunny's ears twitched. The voice of a woman called out from the distance. Oswald looked up, instantly recognizing it.

Two figures were fast approaching. A woman with blonde hair, followed by a scruffy looking man.

"Mom! Dad!"

Oswald eagerly sprinted towards the two and greeted them with a hug. The woman kneeled down and quickly wrapped her arms around the boy, refusing to let go for the next couple of minutes. The man joined in from behind.

"We heard what happened, I..." she attempted to speak but began to stammer.

"We came as fast as we could." the man continued in her stead.

"Thank God you're okay..." she managed to get her voice to work again, squeezing the boy tighter. She sounded like she was holding back tears.

"Thank him." Oswald whispered.

The woman finally let go to look at where the boy was pointing.

Unsurprisingly, the tall, yellow bunny was not far behind him. He slowly waved at them.

"He protected me."

The woman glanced at her husband, who shrugged and smiled at her, then looked back at the bunny. She also gave him a gentle smile.

"Thank you."

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

Yellow police tape surrounded the area.

Even hours later, people in uniforms were still inside the building, gathered around the white animatronic that was sitting slumped against the wall. The inside of his storage tank was now empty.

"So what the hell even is that thing?" one of the men dared to ask, glaring at the bear.

"Hell if I know." another one answered.

Neither of them knew what he was or where he came from. But it didn't matter, they thought. What mattered was what they found inside of him.

"We've identified the victim, sir." a woman in uniform stepped in and joined the conversation. She carried a few documents in her hand. "Millicent Fitzsimmons, 14 years old. She went missing almost a year ago."

She held out a picture of a young girl with dyed, black hair. Her brown roots were beginning to show. She was wearing a purple hoodie with black sleeves.

"Poor thing. So young, too..."

While they were examining the picture, a small noise was heard nearby. The woman looked around, trying to identify where it came from. Her eyes widened.

"Did it...always look like that?"

The two men looked to where she was pointing.

The bear's eyes stared directly at them.