#it’s freezing where i live and all i can think about is snuggling under the covers naked with him in bed

[wildsaltair]

you can’t show me this picture at 10:39 in the morning and expect me to act normal in any way, shape, or form

[koolades-world]

Demons and Humans not understanding each other

Inspired by several other posts I read about this same thing <3 honestly even if the brothers insisted it was safe, I would consult Satan, Lucifer or Barbatos

this is mostly mammon freaking out

Humans think the deadliest things are like, adorable, like Cerberus. Mammon especially does not understand why Mc wants to run towards the very dangerous, very mad three headed dog. A few times he has had to throw Mc over his shoulder to keep them from staying behind

“MC CERBERUS BEING THE BEST BOY DOES NOT JUSTIFY HIS ACTIONS HE WANTS TO KILL US”

“But he’s so cute! He just needs a snuggle buddy”

Humans can also be very stubborn if they’re too hot or cold but refuse to admit it. It’s fine with Lucifer does it because he’s one of the most powerful and therefore resilient demons in Hell, but not so much when Mc does it. Beel and Mammon love playing in the Devildom snow, but given that it’s the Devildom, it’s definitely a lot colder than it is in the human realm. Even after ten layers, Mc is still freezing but refuses to admit it.

“Mc, are ya shivering? I thought ya would be too warm under all that”

“I’m sweating with this one jacket”

“I’ll live! Let’s go back to the snowman”

“no I don’t think you will”

On the same note, sometimes demons forget humans can’t withstand crazy temperatures. Asmo will invite Mc to a popular bathhouse, sauna or hot springs, forgetting that the temperature would literally boil Mc alive

“Hey Asmo this is the place you wanted to go, right?”

“Yes! Isn’t is cute?”

“Everything except the part where I boil alive”

“what!”

Some foods can kill humans just by being near them so imagine how the brother would feel when they learned this, it’s giving that lunatic pudding incident with Diavolo from that one card

“Mc! You’ll love this. Open wide!”

“Asmo I feel funny”

“DO NOT FEED MC THE TAKEOUT LUCIFER SAID ITS DEADLY FOR HUMANS IN LARGE AMOUNTS”

“FUCK NOT AGAIN”

In retrospect, humans probably sleep a lot compared to demons. Some demons probably don’t sleep at all, except Sloth demons. Setting aside about eight to nine hours of the day just to sit idly might not make sense to them until they learn they will shut down without it

“How are you feeling about the exam we just took? Exam week is finally over.”

“Mc? Mc, Satan is talking to you. Why are you on the floor”

“MY HUMAN IS DEAD”

“No, I think they’re just asleep idiot”

“oh. wait, THEYRE ASLEEP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HALL lucifer is gonna kill me”

I’d say both demons and humans are social creatures, but humans will go insane without social interaction. Yeah a demon would probably be upset if they didn’t talk to someone for thousands of years but I don’t think a human could last more than ten without losing grip on reality. Humans tend to copy each other, which is probably bizarre to demons. Humans don’t even understand yawning so demons definitely won’t

Going back to the food thing, demons can probably go ages without eating, besides Gluttony demons. Humans need to eat so frequently compared to them

“So you’re tellin’ me that if Mc doesn’t eat for a whole week, their insides start to eat themselves?!”

“Yes. But, Mc ate a few hours ago.”

(Mammon was already gone when Satan turned back around)

Demons probably also play game that would definitely kill humans. My brother and I used to play crazy games when we were little (our favorite game didn’t have a name but we would put Barbies in the toy train tracks and see what would happen when different Thomas and friends character would hit her. The train tracks would glow in the dark! I did not let him put my favorite doll in the train track and he had to listen since I was the older one, she was not a barbie and had bendy feet? that’s not for now) but we never seriously got at each other throats. I cannot imagine what games demons and demon children must play. Satan was born fully grown but imagine if he was born little and the brothers had to play his favorite games with him. I feel like they would find the Barbie game I played a little weird too. Like, they would probably tell me that I should’ve done it in real life since that would be better experience or something batshit like that

“Aww, Satan, do you remember all the times we played “Five minute eye stab” with Lucifer? You were so cute. Sometimes I think Luci let you win.”

“Do not talk to me Asmodeus.”

“I’m sorry, you played what?”

“One time we gave him an actual knife by accident and since he was good, he ended up stabbing Lucifer’s eye.”

“You’ll be next if you don’t shut up and let me read”

“HE WHAT”

“Oh he’s fine now, clearly. Only took him a few hundred years to regain normal eye functions”

“Can we not talk about this anymore?”

Babe it is a miracle Mc is still alive

[gay-dorito-dust]

:33 can you imagine Ford reading his book trying so hard to focus on the paragraph but like- He’s so distracted by Reader’s kisses and snuggles like like they’re acting like a cat and Ford just kalskskdjskdk

Ford was trying his hardest to get through the paragraph, he really was, but when you were sleepy ford found that you tended to become more affectionate. As was the case when he felt you snuggle up into his side as closely as you physically could while pressing tender kisses to his jaw and side of his neck.

‘Beloved.’ Ford said softly.

‘Yes my dearest?’ You purred, nuzzling your head into his chest, pressing a kiss there because you felt like it, that and you didn’t think you give Ford as much affection as he deserved…also the little hitches in his breathing were delicious.

‘I’m- im trying to read and you’re being quite-‘

‘Distracting?’ You asked and you could see the blush spreading across his face as his fingers toyed with the corners of the pages belonging to the book he was reading. For someone as smart and eloquent as him, you lived for the days where you got to see him be flustered and unsure of himself when it can to displaying affection, especially seeing as he had went without such for a good majority of his life.

‘I’m afraid so my dear, you know how easily affected I am by your preferred form of affection.’ Ford replied, feeling his mind falter and freeze upon feeling your lips once again kindly greet the skin of his jawline, little kisses scattered across it that it almost felt ticklish. He knew you were smiling and feeling proud of yourself because he could feel it pressed up against the pulse point of his neck.

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about my sweetheart,’ you spoke against his skin, closing your eyes as you felt his skin grow warmer under your lips as his pulse pulsed against them as though eagerly reciprocating your kisses with his quick it was going, ‘I thought a man like you could keep his composure.’ You added with a chuckle, knowing from firsthand experience that wasn’t the case at all.

‘I’m afraid that does not count when in the presence of a true beauty of a person such as you may love.’ Ford felt you stiffen as he smiled to himself, yes he could be poetic as they come, he had to read Jane Austen’s books for a class once in college and could recite anything from that book off by heart from how often he annotated the poor book front to back, and in incredible depth too.

‘Who knew you’d be a man of such flattering words Stanford.’ You teased as you were now practically half sat on his lap that Ford had to lay a hand against the small of your back to keep you pressed against. Ford chuckles as he hurries his face into your head, hiding his sweet smile, ‘only for you my dear, only for you.’ He chants softly and you couldn’t help but thank whom ever for bringing Ford to you, for he was the best thing to have ever happened in your life, and you would gladly dedicate yourself to showing him just how much you adore him; it was the least you could do for the man you loved to death.

‘You deserve to be caressed by words, not showered in them. kissed, not smothered. Praised with words whispered in your ears rather than out loud in public as though it was a spectacle. I want to love you in moments like these, soft, slow, forgettable to most but memorable to others who don’t live life in the fast lane and forget to cherish the quieter parts in life.’ You tell Ford sincerely as you positioned your head back to rest against his shoulder, while his hand absentmindedly stroked your side softly, slowly; his book long forgotten as you both decided to enjoy each others company without making a freaks spectacle out of it.

[midnight-mourning]

Winter's Chill

❄️❄️Midnight's DCA December Day 15❄️❄️

Never written a mer fic before, it was a lot of fun! I see why people enjoy the concept so much ^_^ anywho, hope you enjoy!

Prompt: How exciting! I think it would be fun to have mer snuggles to stave off the cold. Maybe yn is a handler in a aquarium and the dca's favorite human, or maybe yn's a mer, or maybe yn lives by the seaside and yn's they're favorite human. Maybe yn and dca can exchange cold weather traditions/favorite things to do. Being coiled in either of their tails just sounds very warm and snuggly : D

Word Count: 1881

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The breeze blows heavily around you, cutting against the skin of your cheeks with the salt it holds. The sand is cold between your toes as you walk across the shore. It's not cold enough for the water to freeze, but it does send a shiver down your spine as it tickles your toes. It wets the bottom of your pants, but you're too distracted to care right this moment, you'll worry about it after you go back inside. 

Staring out into the surf, you don't see any sign of them, but you don't let that worry you. You imagine with the cold weather they're probably holed up in their caves, staying warm. Like you should be doing yourself, but given the sudden turn in the temps you'd thought you'd at least get eyes on them yourself. 

Additionally, you'd been talking excitedly the past few weeks about each other's cultures and traditions when it came to the winter months. 

The very idea of mers was new to you, but that didn't make them any less fascinating to you. Rather, you were incredibly curious both of the two that had stumbled into your life all those months and of their culture. Much like how they were intrigued by you and the human world. 

Recently you'd been comparing how mers celebrated the change in the seasons versus humans. While you gave gifts and spent time with others, mers apparently had large feasts and parties, followed by periods of long hibernation all together. Waking up every so often to do it all over again. 

The idea of not seeing either of the pair for weeks at a time did disappoint you, despite their assurances that they wouldn't be participating like they usually did this year. You weren't going to keep them from their traditions, just like how they wouldn't ask that of you. 

Still, you'd been hoping to see them at least one more time before they're first hibernation. You shift the gifts in your hands, and adjust the basket on your arm as you scan the horizon one last time. Nothing but brown-grey sea and sky stares back at you. 

With a sigh, you turn around and head back to shore, the wood of your dock damp and cold under your feet. 

About halfway back, you hear a whistle off to your right. 

Twisting, you see a yellow, finned head poking out of the water, around where the shore turns. It peeks out further, revealing a grin of sharp teeth. You return the smile in earnest

Sun chirps, waving at you quickly. 

You shift your presents to one hand and raise your now free one to wave back. 

He makes a beckoning motion and you send back a thumbs up, understanding. He tilts his head a moment, then does the same. 

Doing your best to not slip, you hurry back down the dock and across the beach, rounding the edge where the cliffs start to grow large and rocky. A bit more traveling and you make it down to the stretch where the cave your mer friends call home is. And after a bit more maneuvering and the likes, you head inside. 

When you get there, you see Moon lazily resting on a rock that's partly in the water. He waves a clawed hand to you before resting it back on his stomach, eyes closing. Soon enough, Sun bursts up in the middle of the water, sending waves throughout the pool and disturbing the other mer. 

"Hello friend!" Sun exclaims swimming over to the edge where you stand. "It's so good to see you!"

"You too, Sunny. I was worried I missed you guys."

Moon tsks. "We told you we won't be hibernating this year. Just,"—he yawns—"'Sleeping in' later, as you call it."

"And I told you, that you don't need to change your routine for me. Which is why we're going to have some fun now, and then you’re free to sleep contently for as long as you like." You start setting things down on a rock, scanning for a good location to set up. 

They both watch you intently, seeming incredibly curious as to what you're up to. 

Sun catches on quick. "Oh! Is this that holiday you told us about? Chr-Chrislist?"

"I think it's pronounced 'Christmouse'." Moon quips. 

You laugh, pulling out your picnic blanket and setting it down on the relatively decently sized flat spot near the backside of the cave but still on the water's edge. "Christmas, guys. And yes, that's exactly what we're doing."

Among the things in your basket is a large thermos of hot chocolate, several large raw fish, a few sandwiches and a bag of chips for you—though if they get their hands on it they may fight over it—and a multitude of blankets. 

While again, you knew worrying about them was unnecessary, you figured that any extra help they could have would be good.

Once you're all set up, you turn around, clapping your hands excitedly. "Alright, let's get started—hey!"

Both mers look up from picking at their presents. Then, before you can protest, break out in feral grins hands slinking forward to snatch the gifts up entirely. 

"Don't you dare." You warn. "We're eating, then we'll open presents."

The two share a look, and before you know it, your feet are flying across the smooth rock to try and stop them. Right as they snatch up the gifts and swim back is when you reach the water's edge. But, you'd miscalculated the distance and realize you're running straight into the water. You try to course correct and stop, but it's too late. You slip and fall into the water. 

It's not as cold as the ocean outside. In fact, it's significantly warmer. But still, it's quite a shock to you. You're pulled to the surface by two pairs of strong arms. You gasp when you do, taking a few deep breaths. Taking a moment you realize the air is filled with worried chirps and clips and you have to fight a moment to get them to let you go and strop fretting. 

"I'm okay, I'm okay. It just shocked me is all." You say, laughing slightly. 

They're both pouting as you shoo them away, taking a moment to bob in the water and collect your thoughts. 

After another moment or so, you move back to the shore, pulling yourself out and sitting on the edge, feet still in the water. 

You shake your head, water going everywhere. With a sigh, you start wringing out your clothes. At least they were excited about their presents. 

"We're sorry, Sunshine..." Sun's head is hung low, fiddling with his hands as he just barely peeks out of the water. 

Moon's gone over to his corner to sulk himself. They're downturned attitudes make you chuckle, which perks them up slightly. 

Water pours from your jacket as you twist it tight. "It's okay. Not your fault I'm a klutz. Completely on me."

You're lucky you didn't have anything valuable in your pockets, this would be much worse if that was the case. You make the call to remove your shirt, not able to stand the half damp feeling more than you have to. 

You don't notice the wide eyed stares they both have as you stand up and walk over to fling your clothes over a rock, hoping they'll dry quick but doubtful of such. You remove your pants as well and turn back around again. 

"Well, you guys can go ahead and open them I guess..." You trail off, noticing how they're both just staring at you. "What—oh come on! It's the same as a swimsuit, don't make this weird for me." You skin burns and now you're avoiding direct eye contact. 

You go over and snatch up one of your blankets wrapping it around you. 

"There! Is that better?" You shiver then, the cold finally starting to seep in after the initial surprise and embarrassment have worn off. 

At this, they go high alert. You sit down on the blanket, grabbing one of your sandwiches and taking a bite. "Unbelievable, acting like I'm a Victorian woman showing ankle, nothing you haven't seen before."

There's a splash and you look up, seeing them both hovering above you now. Sometimes you forget how big they are since you're usually looking down at them, instead. 

"Go on, I caught that fresh yesterday morning." You nod to the pile of fish. 

They don't move, and you frown, slowly taking another bite of your sandwich. Another chill runs through you and you use your free hand to bring the blanket closer to your body. 

"You're cold." Moon states. 

You reach for your chips. "A little, I'll live."

Sun's hand wraps around your wrist. "You're freezing, Starlight. You land folk have terrible heat regulation." A cheeky smile appears on his face, eyes narrow. "And that simply won't do."

You make a grabby hand for your chips. You open your mouth to say something, but you're suddenly picked up in a flurry of blue and yellow. 

The first thing you notice is that you go from feeling mildly cold too much, much warmer. The second you notice is a, slightly intense, feeling of being squeezed. 

"Too tight." You managed to get out. 

There's a slight shift and you can breathe again. You find that both Sun and Moon have wrapped themselves around you, resulting in essentially a cuddle puddle of their tails and arms around you. And you will admit, it's actually quite cozy.

The parts of your skin not covered by your blanket or underwear are met with smooth scales that generate a rather large amount of heat. And if you weren't still very hungry, you'd probably have fallen asleep. 

"This is lovely, but can I have use of my arms please?" You ask after a minute or two. 

Sun's shakes his head against your neck, where it's buried. For good measure, he kisses the spot once, twice and snuggles closer. 

Moon's words vibrate against the top of your head, where his chin rests. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait."

"But I'm hungry." You whine. "Arguably, I'm more hungry than I am cold. Besides, there's a big herring in that pile of fish that'll surely go to waste if you don’t—"

"Mine!" Sun hisses, quickly shifting to snatch it up. 

You laugh as Moon growls at his actions, starting to argue over it with the sunny mer. You take the opportunity to reach back and grab your abandoned food, sitting contently as they fight over their food. You think that's fair pay back after your little mishap earlier. 

No matter what though, they keep their tails tangled around you, keeping you cozy and warm as they dig in to their own meals. Almost like a fishy weighted blanket. An odd concept, but a welcome one.

This certainly wasn't how you were expecting this day to go, but you'll have no complaints if this is how you stay for the next several hours. 

Given how wet your clothes were, and how intent your two mers are at keeping you close, you think it'll be at least that long before you go anywhere. 

And that's just fine.

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Thank you for the lovely request @rosescarletful!! This was super fun to write and I agree, it DOES sound super warm and snuggly, hope I captured the feeling properly :)

Masterpost link

Tag list (if you would like added, see this post for more info):

@scarletcowboy @beemyhuneybee @fishm0ther @deviouscrackers @elsajoyagent8

@luckyyyduckyyy @zenkaiankoku @jogimote @local-shrub @amarynthian-chronicles

@robinette-green @everlightreader @sinister-sincerely @starredeclipse @dangerva

@juukai @crystalmagpie447 @mothgutz236 @lizyxml

[mads-weasley]

hi! can i make a request for a Johnny Martin fic, if u write for him, of him and reader snuggled in a foxhole in Bastogne??

Follow You Anywhere

Johnny Martin x Reader

Masterlist

A/N: Hi anon! Thanks for requesting! I've never written for Johnny, so sorry if this isn't the best! this is also a really short blurb! hbo owns the rights, and this is about the fictional portrayal of easy company on the show. nothing but love and respect for veterans on this blog! Enjoy!

Summary: After a long day in Bastogne, everyone takes advantage of the little downtime they have, including the stoic Johnny Martin.

It had been a long day for Johnny when he plopped into his foxhole. They'd lost Hoobler to a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and he didn't know how much more he could take. As a sergeant, he was tasked with keeping up with his platoon, and in the Ardennes, it was harder than before.

"Hey," (y/n) whispered, stuffing her hands under her armpits. "How are the rest of the guys?"

Johnny sighed, rubbing his hand down his face. "After Hoob, they're not doing good."

She looked over at him and saw utter exhaustion. They all felt the same, but Johnny felt more than everyone thought. The stern and sharp-tongued officer cared for his men more than they would ever know, and every time he lost one, it devastated him.

Reaching over, she gently cupped his cheek, turning him towards her. "And how are you doing, Johnny?"

He silently stared at her for a while, almost like he was trying to find the words to accurately describe his pain. Johnny ended up shaking his head with slightly red-rimmed eyes.

"I'm managing."

(Y/n) pulled him closer and wrapped her arms around him as he nuzzled his face into her neck. She had to suppress a shiver from the touch of his frigid nose. "You know I'm always here, right?"

"Yeah, I know," he murmured into her neck. "I just don't want to talk about it yet."

Nodding, she leaned her head atop his and looked up at the sky above them. There wasn't much to see because of all the bad weather, but she imagined the stars shining on them brightly.

"Who would've thought you could take the stars for granted?" She asked quietly.

Johnny scoffed lightly, looking up as well. "Yeah, I'd do freaking anything just to feel the sun again. Or see the stars. It might make this a little more bearable."

An icy wind gust blew through the forest, sending snow swirling around them. In their already freezing foxhole, Johnny tucked (y/n) under his arm and covered them with the thin blanket he'd found.

"You know," she started. "When we get home, I don't know if I could live somewhere cold again after being in this place."

Johnny looked down at the shaking figure in his arms and took in the redness of her nose and cheeks, but also the beauty that radiated through. "Me too, sweetheart. I'll follow you anywhere you want to go."

"But what about Columbus?" (Y/n) asked, wide-eyed. "You can't just leave. That's where your whole life is, Johnny."

A soft smile formed on his lips at her confused expression. "Doll, as long as I'm with you, I'll be alright."

“Well then, Sergeant Martin, what do you think about Arizona?”

Tag List: @softguarnere @mrsgeorgeluz @flowers-and-fichte @inglourious-imagines @peggyvan @rebeccapearson

Let me know if you want to be added!!

[cowgurrrl]

Eight

Pairing: Joel Miller x fem!reader (except this is all backstory)

Author’s note: The end of the beginning. Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to continue this story or took the time to read and support this weird idea.

Summary: “Everything I’ve ever let go of has claw marks on it.” - David Foster Wallace [2.2k]

Warnings: if you’ve read this far, you know what to expect

You bury Jane outside the walls on a hill overlooking the QZ. The same hill where you hid with her when the Outbreak happened. You can see everything from up here. The sky stretches infinitely beyond the horizon, and you can see where nature has reclaimed what used to be your hometown. This hill reminds you of the one near your old apartment building where she used to roll down the grassy knoll until her clothes were stained and muddy. She would've liked finally being outside of the QZ, you think as your hand rests on the freshly dug earth, protecting her better than you ever could. 

"Y'know, I named you after one of the kindest people I've ever known," you say into the air, looking at the sunset. "I don't think I ever told you about her, but you would've liked her. She was tough and consistent. She's one of the only people who was nice to me when I was a kid. It seemed like the right thing to do, naming you after her. I still stand by it. Jane's my favorite name now." You catch yourself waiting for questions or thoughts that never come. You listen for her voice in the rustling of leaves or the distant sounds of the QZ. You've never felt more alone than you do right now. 

"I was gonna get you out of here. I was gonna take you somewhere far away and let you run around and be loud without worrying about anything. You were gonna get to be a kid. I was gonna make things better for you," you sniffle. "And I'm so sorry I couldn't do that for you, sweet girl. I tried so fucking hard, and it wasn't enough, and I," your voice catches in your throat. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." 

You tell her stories from when she was a baby, like how she couldn't fall asleep unless she was snuggling on your chest and how you still can't believe she was ever small enough to fit her entire body in your two hands. You tell her the good stories from your childhood, the ones you were too scared to even look at, let alone say aloud. You tell her the truth about her dad, how you wish he could've been better for her, and how you tried your best not to make his absence a hole in her life. You tell her everything.

You don't leave her even after the sun dips below the horizon. You can't go back to that empty apartment with the three fucking chairs and bedroom reserved for her. You can't keep living in a stale memorial for people you should've died for. You were too late, too slow, too stupid to save Adam and Jane. Why should you get to live there when neither of them does? You've been trying to gather information from different people on what happened that day, who set the bomb off, who killed your daughter, and a handful of others, including Mrs. Carmichael, as a form of repentance. You can't bring them back, but you can kill the people who took them from you. 

You don't know how long you've been sitting there when a twig snaps next to you, and you point your gun toward the sound. "It's just me," Owen says, stepping out from the shadows with raised hands. You sigh and lower your weapon, your body slumping against the tree as he gets closer. He's unarmed and out of uniform, a gray shirt stretching across his shoulders. You let him settle on the ground a few feet away, his boots crushing wildflowers under the soles. 

"D'you have information for me?" You ask, not even looking at him. He freezes, and it's enough of an answer. "Whose bomb was it?"

"Fireflies." He mumbles, his voice gravelly. You lift your head to find him staring out at the QZ. People have been on edge since the bomb exploded, as they should be. The fighting between FEDRA and the Fireflies has been ramping up. Nobody's been sleeping with gunshots firing and people barking orders all night. Still, if FEDRA could hold onto any idea of normalcy, that they are the good guys, they would. 

"If I find out you're lying to me-"

"Jesus, who else do you think it was? You really think FEDRA is dropping bombs on schools?" 

"You guys certainly aren't known for your empathy," you snap and immediately regret it. He let you go to her when you found her despite the earth still rattling under your feet. He helped you get Jane out of the QZ. He offered to help you bury her. You know he's not heartless, but he's still one of them. You clear your throat and take a shaky breath. "I'm going after the Fireflies."

"They'll kill you."

"Then I'll take as many as I can down with me." You say, and he says your name, shaking his head.

"We're already doing an investigation. Just let us handle it."

"Like you handled the bombings? Or the daily shootouts? Or the fucking Infected?" You ask. "I'm not burying anyone else, so you can tell me what you know about where the Fireflies are holed up or stay out of my way." 

"Or what?" He asks. You pull your gun and level it at his head, cocking it in half a second. His Adam's apple bobs, and you catch the slight tremble of his hands, but he doesn't move. Your hands, however, are steady as you grip the metal.  

"Wanna keep asking stupid ass questions?" You ask, and he shakes his head. "If you don't know anything, that's fine. I'll get what I need. But don't come here and act like you don't know exactly what I can do. Remember your weapons dealer?"

"He was a security risk." He swallows thickly, and you laugh.

"One you were too chicken shit to take care of yourself, right? Couldn't even tell Lee the truth about why you wanted him gone." 

"You're right. Okay? Is that what you wanna hear? You're right," he says. "Just... please put the gun down."

"I'm going after the Fireflies, and if you or any of your buddies try to stop me, I'll put a bullet in your head so fucking fast, it'll give you whiplash. Do you understand me?"

"Y... yes," he manages. You adjust your grip on your gun and lower it, but don't flip the safety. You're not a threat, you're saying. But I am. He gets the silent message and stands, showing you his empty hands once he's at his full height. His eyes jump from yours to the mound of dirt next to you, tears shining against the steel gray after a few seconds. "For what it's worth, I really am sorry for what happened. I wish I could've done something to save her." 

His words take you right back to the rubble outside her school when people were screaming with pain or grief. You swear you can smell the smoke and ash hanging in the air. You can see the caved-in front door, the blown-out windows, and how the broken glass twinkled in the street. You can feel her weight in your arms. Your face stings and you reach for Jane but only feel the cool soil. He's still staring at you, but you don't meet his eyes. 

"If you're really sorry, you'll stay the fuck out of my way," you say, the words cutting your tongue as you speak them. "I'd hate for you to become collateral, too."

2010

Your knuckles are bloody and bruised, and you can feel the bones in your hand creaking under the weight of your punches, but you can't stop. Not when you're this close. The man under you is shaking, and tears streak over the blood on his cheeks. The tape around his wrists has come undone, but he doesn't move to stand or defend himself. Not when his shoulder is dislocated. You crouch in front of him where he's spitting blood, and he slumps against the wall with a defeated look.

"Where is she?" You ask.

"Why should I tell you? You're gonna kill me either way."

"Oh, I'm not that nice," you say. "If you don't tell me, I'll just tie you up and leave you here. The next Firefly I find will get to hear all about how you cracked and told me about their safe houses. We both know how they feel about traitors." One of the few good things to come out of you tracking the Fireflies for so long is that you know how they operate. Not only that, you know how they punish those who step out of line. For all their righteous talk, they're no better than FEDRA. "And once I tell them exactly where I left you, they'll come here and make you wish I had wasted a bullet on you. Then, I get to start all over with another one of your stupid fucking recruits. Might even grab one of the ones you brainwashed." 

He mumbles something like, "Please, don't," and shakes his head. He drops his chin to his chest and cries for a few seconds, making you roll your eyes, but you don't rush him. They all do this.

"And if I tell you?" He asks, lifting his gaze to you, and you pull your gun from your backpack. You pull the slide, clicking the bullet into place, and shrug despite his whimpering.

"I make it quick for you. Won't even feel it." 

"Please, just let me go," he begs, and you suck your teeth. "I won't t... tell anyone I saw your face. Please."

"I'm losing patience here, Danny boy." You say, reaching for the knife you threw to the side about an hour ago. 

"No, please! I have a daughter!" He yells suddenly, and you hesitate, the knife's bloodied handle slicking your palm. He seems to realize the effect of his words because he keeps going. "She's… she's three. Her name is Harley. She needs me." Strangely, you smile and slide your knife into your backpack as you stare at him. 

"I have a kid, too," you say, and his eyes brighten just enough to tell you he thinks he has a sliver of a chance. "She's ten, but she acts like she's sixteen, and she really loves music. I mean, she could just dance to it all day long. Or, at least, she would," You bite the inside of your cheek. "She would if you hadn't thrown a bomb into her fucking school building and killed her. June 2nd, 2008, does that sound familiar to you? Hm?" You ask, pressing the gun to his forehead. 

"It-it was an accident. Someone misread orders and," he sobs. "Please."

"Where's Marlene?" You ask, but all he does is cry. You give him ten seconds before you shoot his shoulder. "Where's Marlene, Daniel?" You ask again as he claws at the bullet wound, trying to stave off the bleeding. Twenty seconds. Another bullet, this time through his knee. "Where is Marlene?!" 

"B…Boston! Boston! She's in Boston!" He finally relents, and you sit back on your heels. "She has... a system of people there. If you find one of them, you can find her." You've let yourself believe a lot of lies, but this is not one of them. She's in Boston. The woman who gave the orders to detonate a bomb inside her school is in Boston. You can get there. You can do that. You have to. There's no other choice. You give Daniel one last look before shooting him. 

Suddenly, the building is silent, and the only thing you can focus on are the plans overflowing in your mind. If you leave tonight, you can make it to Boston in a month. Maybe three if you get caught up in raids or with Infected. Whatever. It doesn't matter. You can make it. You leave Daniel and the blood and gore to pack your things. The next few hours are a blur. You're clearing out your caches and stuffing bands and bands of cards into your backpack. You don't say goodbye to Lee or your neighbors or anyone. 

The only person you tell your plan to is buried under a big tree on a hill overlooking the QZ. She's the only one you say goodbye to. She's the only one you still care about. She's the last shred of your life before the world ended, and you're leaving her behind. 

One last time, you pick her wildflowers and leave them at her grave with a strained, "I love you." One last time, you kiss your hand and press it into the earth like it'll penetrate the ground and land on her forehead. One last time, you stand over her, and you walk away, hoping that the view from here is enough to absolve you of everything you've done wrong. Hoping you did at least one thing right by her. Hoping love is a good enough excuse for all the horror.

[waltwhitmansbeard]

“i don’t care if it’s red weather warning outside, if you try and warm your icy little feet on me one more time i’m kicking you out.” author's choice!

“i don’t care if it’s red weather warning outside, if you try and warm your icy little feet on me one more time i’m kicking you out.” changing the quote a bit bc apparently 'red weather warning' is a british thing and i think it sounds clunky in this sentence

One of the perks of being small is that it's much easier to stay warm. The blood doesn't have to travel so far to get to all of his extremities, so Orym doesn't feel the effects of these Zephran nights nearly as much as his gangly husband does. This time of year, Will is always wrapped up in socks and scarves and sweaters, grumbling under his breath about living halfway up a mountain. Orym just kisses the frozen tip of his nose and calls him a baby.

But Will's poor circulation becomes Orym's problem when they're snuggled beneath the blankets in their bed, a fire crackling but not doing nearly enough to stave off the chill in the air. As usual, Orym is curled into Will's chest, somewhere between asleep and awake, and he feels cozy and snug. The blankets shift, and Orym wonders if Will's going to get up to go somewhere—until a shock of ice presses into his ankle. He yelps, shoving back. "What the hell?"

Will pouts. "It's cold!"

Orym peeks beneath the covers to see Will's legs contorted at a truly comical angle in an attempt to wriggle his toes between Orym's calves. Unimpressed, Orym threatens, "I don't care if it's freezing outside, if you try and warm your icy little feet on me one more time, I'm kicking you out."

Will's eyebrows raise. "I know you aren't calling my feet little."

"I know you aren't insulting me when you're trying to freeze me to death in my own bed."

"But you're so warm!"

With a roll of his eyes, Orym reaches down to clamp onto his husband's foot. He druidcrafts some heat between his fingers, and Will sighs happily. "You're the best."

"I'm not sleeping like this."

Will's eyes drift shut. "Mmhm."

"I'm serious. Where are your socks?"

Will gives a noncommittal shrug and buries his face into his pillow. Well, two can play at that game. The heat drains from Orym's fingers as he chooses to druidcraft some intense cold instead. Will yanks his foot away with a shriek. "Jerk!"

Orym wrap himself in the duvet, cocooning himself completely away from his affronted husband. "Better go get some socks." Then he burrows down, fully encased in the covers. He grins at Will's annoyed grumbling as he clambers out of bed to dig socks out of his drawer. A minute later, an arm drapes over Orym, pulling him in close. "Come out?"

Orym's never been able to resist his pleading tone. He pokes his head out and cranes to look back. "No more cold feet?"

"Double-socked. I promise."

"Good." Orym settles his head back down on his pillow and lets Will curl around behind him.

He's just about to fall asleep when a frozen nose pressed into the nape of his neck. His whole body jerks. "That's it, we're getting a divorce!"

[mama-qwerty]

You should know that I blame you for my sudden obsession with Eclipse 😂 Seriously though, this poor boy just deserves so much good! If it's okay to ask, how does he react to snow?

Then you should blame @stillafanofsonic too. She's the one who got ME obsessed with Eclipse in the first place!

He's such a fun little gremlin to play with.

Snow? He's not a fan.

~~~~~

Eclipse sat bundled under three blankets as Silver bounced on his toes at the glass kitchen door. A smile spread on the hedgehog's lips, and he held his hands to his chest, the fingers curled into tight fists.

"Snow!!" he exclaimed, his quills bristling in his excitement. "Look, Eclipse! It's snowing!"

The darkling gave a little grunt, snuggling deeper in the blanket mountain he'd made himself. "So?"

"So we should go out! We can play in it and build forts and make snowmen and have a snowball fight and--"

"Silver, there's barely a dusting right now," Callie called as she walked into the living room. She spread another blanket over Eclipse. "And I don't think your brother's as excited about the snow as you are."

A look of pure shock spread across Silver's face at that, and he turned with a gaping expression. "WHY?? It's so pretty!"

"Too cold," Eclipse grunted, pulling the blankets tighter around him. He flicked his gold-on-black eyes up to Callie. "Why do you live where the air makes your face freeze?"

"Honestly, I ask myself the same thing every December," she said, moving to stand behind Silver. The boy turned back to look out the door, and the two stood there for a moment, watching the snow come down. "Storm system's movin' in. Supposed to get about six inches by Monday."

Silver gave a little squeal of excitement. Eclipse's was more like a groan of despair.

"I'm not moving from this spot until spring," the darkling muttered, ducking down so he was completely engulfed by this blanket mound. "Just chuck in a hot dog every couple of hours."

Callie turned to cock an eyebrow in his direction. "What about bathroom breaks?"

"I'll hold it."

"Until spring."

"Mmmf."

Silver shrugged. "You could just wear the nice warm clothes Mom bought us. Sweaters and hoodies and socks--"

"T's weird. Wearing clothes is weird. Humans should just live in places where it's not so cold. Then they wouldn't need clothes."

Callie smirked. "So a bunch of humans running around naked is better than you putting on a sweater?"

Eclipse peeked out of the blanket nest. "Yes."

She uttered a little laugh. "Oh, that would not be a pleasant sight, I don't think. We humans aren't really, shall we say, designed to run around without clothes like you guys are."

Silver looked up at her, his brow furrowed. "Why not?"

"Because without clothes, all of our, ahem, private bits are on display."

"Human's don't have fur? Like, none? Not even . . . you know . . ."

Callie's face went bright red. "You know what, we're not talking about this anymore."

"But--"

"NOPE," she said, hurrying away. "This is a talk I am thoroughly not prepared for, in the slightest, right now. Silver, you can probably go out to play in the snow in a few hours. Eclipse . . . I'm gonna get you a sweater and socks. Wear them for at least a little while. I promise you'll feel warmer."

Eclipse grunted, a soft growl in the back of his throat. All his mom had to do was move to somewhere it didn't snow. How hard was that? Now he'd have to wear human clothes.

It was so unfair.

~~~

Like this? Check out my other shorties. Reblogs are appreciated!

[m-feline]

To adapt, to survive, to live- Ch 22

Silco x Freader

Tags; dirty talk, nudity, mention of smut (non-explicit), fluff, end of Act I.

Previous ->

“Did I tell you that you’re evil?” I asked, lying naked on the bed my eyes closed.

“Many times, my dear,” Silco said as he kissed my neck from behind and moved slowly yet surely down to my shoulder blade. “That’s the second time today.” He kissed every joint of my spine from the neck to the level of shoulder blades.

“Did I call you a beast?” I asked and hummed as he moved more down.

“Yes.” He went even lower.

“Savage?”

“Yes.” He paused and moved the cover from me so he could have more access to my back.

“Animal?”

“Once, dear.” He kept kissing my back and moved the cover again to reach my tailbone and leaving my ass bare.

“Silco, you better not start it again. I'm tired,” I warned him. Blasted him, was that all he could think of? We've been fucking almost every day, several times a day. Good thing he at least let me eat and sleep. “Seriously, honeymoon isn't only for fucking.”

“It is for us to have quality time together without anyone or anything disturbing us,” Silco said and came back up to plant a kiss on my cheek. “It's not like we have something better to do than this. I know you have been enjoying it.”

“Silco, you don't want me to become angry and annoyed. Now put the cover over my ass, I'm freezing,” I ordered him.

“As you wish, dear,” Silco said and did as I asked. But he did add cuddles to that. Now it was only a matter of time before his hands wandered somewhere else and began to turn me on. Again.

To my luck, a message tube arrived. There was a receiving end near the entrance to the room. The question was who would send a message to us and why? Silco got out of bed without a word and walked to the receiver. I opened my eye to see what he was going to do but my eyes landed on his bare ass. Beast. He could at least put the robe on. I rolled my eyes and tried to rest more. But I was interested in the message. Hopefully, Silco would tell me. I heard him open the tube and pull out the content. He made no sound as he read the message nor did he give any signs if the message was good news or bad. I thought for a moment that it was a long message but sooner than I expected, I felt the mattress dib behind me as Silco settled back into the bed and under the covers.

“What was it?” I asked.

“A message from work,” Silco sighed. “But it's nothing that can't wait till the day after tomorrow.”

“Day after tomorrow?” I asked.

“We return then to the Last Drop,” Silco said.

“You better not behave there as you have during these few days,” I said snuggling to the pillow. “We better set rules for that.”

“Don’t worry, I will be too busy to tire you out,” Silco chuckled as he moved to hug me from behind. Since we were both naked and under the cover his hands had no trouble making my skin tingle where he touched. “But on special occasions, I can make you sing like you did yesterday.” Dammit, he is hopeless. And he turned me into a hopeless mess too easily. I don't want others to know that.

“I mean it, Silco,” I said with seriousness in my voice. “Rules. Absolutely not when Jinx is present. And don't even think about doing it in the kitchen. It will be unhealthy in more ways than one.”

“Agreed,” Silco chuckled and I could feel the vibrations of his chest on my back. “And I better add restriction to my office too. It's one thing to imagine it, but to remember you bent over the desk… I will never get the work done.” He had to add emphasis to his words by moving his hands to the right places and making me whine to his ministrations. Dammit, he is hopeless.

“Beast,” I grumbled.

“You are running out of names, dear,” Silco said continuing what he was doing to me.

“Silco, let. me. rest,” I said and pulled my pillow to smack him with it. But since I was tired and I didn't see well behind me, my aim was everything except accurate. I know I missed because I could hear him laugh behind me.

“Then let me propose something, love,” Silco said making me face him. “You could have your rest for the today but tomorrow you'll have the fucking of your life.”

“What?”

“We still have one last runner for tomorrow,” Silco said grinning. Who was left? Hayden was arrested and sent to Stillwater the moment he crossed the bridge. That Seagull fellow was sent to the hospital since he couldn't even cross the bridge. But according to the papers, he will be facing the same fate as Hayden. Who else was left?

“Zain, remember?” Silco reminded me. Oh, him. I forgot him completely. But to be fair he wasn't as bad as the other three. He was just the pathetic guy who was with the wrong company.

“What about him?” I asked.

“He will be set free tomorrow,” Silco said. “And when he runs under our eyes...”Silco leaned closer to me just close enough to kiss me. “…I will fuck you right against the window.” Damn this man. How could… how can… how can he make me so wet with just words? But just thinking about staying up that long made me grimace, I was too tired now.

“Tomorrow will be our last day here, and I plan on making the worth of it,” Silco said setting himself just a top of me. “If you wish to rest today, know that I will keep you up all day tomorrow.” His grin might as well be of the devil.

“You are terrible,” I growled.

“Third time you say that,” He smiled. Considering how busy we will be once we go back. Both of us. I get why he is so desperate but my body has limits. I do not wish for another round now but I certainly won't be able to stand or walk right when we get back if he will knock me up tomorrow the way he said he would.

“Fine, you monster. Once more before dinner and after, then we are done for today,” I sighed and gave up.

“Ten.”

“No way in hell,” I shouted. “Two rounds.”

“Five before dinner and five after it,” Silco said with a smirk.

“That’s still ten.”

“Is it?” Silco asked feigning innocence.

“How can you… How high is your sex drive?” I asked feeling so shocked.

“Oh, you didn't know?” Silco asked smiling.

“Know what?” I asked.

“About the wedding gift Signed sent, I understood he sent one set for you too,” Silco said. Wait, that was a wedding gift? But all I got from Signed was safety pills. What did he send to Silco? Oh no… Oh Janna, give strength with this man. He got that sort of pills.

“You animal,” I growled.

“Only for you, and only for us,” Silco said before he kissed me passionately. “He didn't send me too many, but I suppose you realized now that I have taken one each day.”

“You are an ass,” I said blaming him.

“Worry not, dear. I saved one for tomorrow,” Silco purred and kissed me again. “So I have stamina left in me. Tonight and tomorrow.”

“Three and three today and that's it. I will punch you if you try more,” I warned him.

“Alright,” Silco said kissing me to my forehead. “But tomorrow I will have you against the window.” He kissed me on the lips once more, before he got up to sit on his heels and pulled me to his lap. “And now, my dear. We better get this over before dinner.”

I was happy to be back home. More ways than one. But Jinx had to be the happiest. We barely got into the lounge when she jumped to hug me and warped her legs around me.

“ImissedyouImissedyouImissedyou soooo much,” Jinx said so fast while I tried to stay up. First Silco breaks me and now her. These two will be the death of me one day.

“I missed you too, sweety,” I said patting her back. After a while, I got her off of me. “But weren't you busy with the tasks I left with you?”

“Ummm,” Jinx hummed awkwardly.

“You did do the tasks, right?” I asked.

“Some… of them,” Jinx said.

“Did you even start them?” I asked.

“I… did,” Jinx said.

“Jinx?” I probed her.

“Okay, I didn't even start one of them, okay,” Jinx caved. “But I did finish the other two. Okay. One isn't finished, but one is and I wanted to show it to you.”

“Alright, my little rascal, show me what you got done,” I said and followed her to her room. The tasks I had given her were both to come up with a name and a sign for my housing for children. But I asked her to make it look separate from Silco's properties and different from all the Chem Barons. That should have kept her on her toes for a while. And if it didn’t, I also asked her to build me a little something to hold my mother's journal and possible new products. And if that still didn’t keep her occupied, I asked her to repair my music box. Apparently, she started with that, hadn't even started with the name or sign for my housing project, and she only got plans for my safekeeping devices.

“And here comes your mixture stuff, whatever you plan on making,” Jinx said as she showed her plans for the devices. It looked like a purse that some pilty ladies had around to carry their makeup. But the lock design and the inside of it looked good to me.

“As for the book, we just get a new chest, I just need to set up a new lock and make it look cool,” Jinx said showing her plans for the chest.

“Just don't make it too cool,” I said teasingly. “I don't want others to see or steal it.”

“Okay,” Jinx said happily. “So what did you two do all week?” Wow, she actually asked that? But now, I won't say anything, not till she is past puberty at the earliest.

“Some adult stuff,” I said. I wish I could say something else but Silco didn’t give us another choice.

“Just that?” Jinx asked in disappointment.

“Just that,” I said. I will make him pay for this later, I swear.

“Boring,” Jinx sighed. “I thought you go… like a date or… you know, see a play or something interesting.”

“No we didn’t,” I said but inside my head, I was sighing in relief. She didn't get what I meant. “We didn’t do any of that.” Should I explain to her that we were past dates now? Nah, I'll use this later against Silco. “We only did adult stuff and stayed in our room.”

“Super boring,” Jinx said. “I will tell Silco not to be mean to you like that. You should get to have fun too.” Oh, I would love to see her do that. And I would love to see Silco's face when she says that. I bet he will be shocked as he mistakes the innuendo of her words. And here I thought I was going to mess with his food for a couple of days. No, this was good enough.

A couple of days later we had the re-opening of the Last Drop. And it was so different from before. Now it was so loud as the music went on and the lights were different. It was a club now, and a fancy one at that. The tables, the chairs everything was now finer than before. I didn’t need to go to the lounge anymore. Technically, I didn’t work there anymore. Now as the boss's wife, I didn’t need to do any job at the club unless I wanted to. But that didn’t mean I would be like that.

Of course, I still cooked for everyone, but now they had to earn it by doing the job Silco asked them to do. Meaning, that on the worst days, only Sevika came to get any food. And she rarely did. On best days, I had to ask Lock to bring the pot or whatever vessel I used for serving downstairs after the club went quiet. Of course, I cooked less for others. I still cooked daily for Jinx and Silco but there were days that others had to go out to get their food. One reason was that I was busy with my own business. But I still made time for my “new” daughter and husband. Mostly for my daughter. Sometimes I had to join Silco in his office and do my work on the couch while he did his work on the desk. He did offer me my own desk but I refused. Though the gesture was sweet I didn’t want to find myself on a desk job.

“You should hire some assistance,” Silco said one day while he wrote something on his paper at the desk. I sat on the couch with my own small pile of papers.

“What?” I asked. I wasn't sure what he meant by assistance.

“The way you are doing things now, the nation of Zaun will be free from Piltover before you get anything done,” Silco said. He was right. There was too much work. I had to go through properties for the housing complex, for my import business, and not to mention to make my own products and start selling them. I needed help, and I needed Silco's help in that regard but there was a rule I needed to set first.

“I need my own people,” I said. “People who aren't related to you or your operations,” I said as I set down the paper on the coffee table and took off the glasses. Having a snake signia didn't improve my eyesight enough to read the fine print.

“I know, dear,” Silco said softly. “But you need the help now. I can recommend you some people.”

“Thank you, but so far I need people who can for now help me get properties for the import business,” I said.

“I know what you need, I get them here tomorrow,” Silco said and turned back to his papers. I was about to do the same when Jinx opened the door and marched at me.

“I need help with this,” She said holding a hair brush and two hair bands in one hand and the tips of her hair in the other. Jinx's hair had grown so much just like the girl and was almost as unruly as her.

“Come here, sweety,” I said to her and moved the coffee table away to make room for her. Jinx plopped herself between my legs facing away while I began to brush her hair. “How do you want it?”

“Braids,” Jinx said happily since she didn't have to do her hair herself anymore.

“One braid or two?” I asked as I brushed her hair.

“Make two, I like how it feels,” Jinx said. She has gotten used to braids these days. She liked it because then her hair wasn't in her way and it was easy to push back. I made it a couple of times a single braid but for some reason, she still preferred two braids. Anyway you put it, she simply wanted her hair out of the way and for her to handle.

“What are you doing?” Jinx asked as she picked one of my papers.

“Before your hair, I was working. I need to look for places for the children and my import business,“ I said.

“Why do you need to look house for kids,” Jinx asked.

“You weren't expecting me to let them live here, were you?” I asked teasingly.

“No,” Jinx said loudly. “I meant, why do you have to look after them at all?”

“Because no one else will,” I said as I braided her hair. “You were lucky that Vander got me to look after you. But who looks after them? Besides if no one looks after them they will get into trouble. Or worse they start to pick up fights and steal stuff and get killed.”

“Okay, I get it,” Jinx said reluctantly.

“Don’t worry, I'm not looking after them myself. I hire other people to do it. I just need to make sure they are the right ones,” I said and braided the remaining hair.

“So you will stay here?” Jinx asked hopefully. “And I won't have to get a brother or sister?”

“I will stay here with you,” I said to her and kissed her head. “As for another sibling, I have to talk about it with someone.” I glanced at the desk where Silco sat and pretended he didn't listen to our conversation. He did a good job in the pretending part, but that smirk he had to my last comment was a sign that he had heard us. I finished braiding Jinx's hair and soon the girl was up from the floor and twirled with her new hairdo.

“I'm hungry, when do we eat?” She asked.

“I won’t start the stove for a while now, but I can make you a drink and make you a sandwich,” I said.

“Yes,” Jinx said happily. I needed a distraction from work anyway. I made some snacks for Jinx and I also wiped something for Silco.

When I returned to the office, Silco had stopped working for a while and sat down on the couch where I had sat as he watched my papers.

“You should eat too,” I said and cleaned the coffee table before setting the plate with his sandwich and a glass of juice for him.

“Why do you need property from the topside?” Silco asked.

“It's still this side of the river,” I said and sat down next to him to pluck the paper out of his hand. “And it is for the import business. As much as I dislike them I need to use the Hexgates to take my products to the outside world. Having my place a bit closer to them is necessary.”

“Why not focus on selling only here first and then take it outside?” Silco asked.

“Because I want certain bastards to hear about their clan secrets being sold as everyday junk around the Runeterra,” I said.

“Patience, my dear,” Silco said and leaned closer to me. “We will get there. And they will hear about everyone wearing a signia and you wearing the signia.” Silco kissed me softly on the lips and took the paper away from me to set it on the table.

“But I have to ask, is it true that you don't want a child with me?” Silco asked.

“You want another child besides Jinx?” I asked raising a brow.

“Not now, but perhaps later,” Silco said leaning to the backrest of the couch.

“I have enough with Jinx,” I said and leaned my head to rest on his shoulder. “And I have enough with you. Let's just get this nation up and running. Once Jinx leaves the nest and wants her own life then we will discuss this topic again.”

“Deal,” Silco said and leaned to kiss me again. We kissed and made out to each other for a moment before we were interrupted.

“Eeeeeew!” Jinx shouted. I couldn't help laughing at the kiss and turned to look at the girl who stood at the door. “Get a room you two.”

“We had the room,” Silco said not bothered by the girl's dramatics.

“I meant your own room for doing that,” Jinx protested. I laughed more. Silco seemed like he was about to say something but he dropped it as he realized it wouldn't do any good.

“Right, sorry to disturb you with our… antics,” Silco wasn’t sure how to phrase it but he got the point across. Jinx seemed to accept the apology as she quickly plopped on the couch right between us and showed us her new plans for a new bomb. Something told me our future days would be like this for a long while.

Next ->

[myalchod]

Howdy (づ ᴗ _ᴗ)づ♡

It’s me, hi, I’m your hex buddy, it’s me! *giggles*

Loved your thoughts on Farah and Saul, align with my own perfectly!

Good news: today my questions are not cruel.

What are your favorite colors? What do you prefer: silrah as teens, few years after Aster Dell or post show’s events? Do you have favorite winter’s shenanigans?

(Hope your Friday is great💙)

Hello, my darling! 😘 My Friday was overall fairly pleasant -- I hope yours was too, and that your weekend is going well! I am, once again, excited by these new questions; I can see why people say the inbox shenanigans are some of the best bits of HEX. 🥰 So let's see about answering these ...

My favourite colours tend to be cooler and darker tones; I am The Worst (tm) at picking favourite anythings, as you may have noticed, but I like the colours you see in peacock feather eyes -- teals, blue, green (and gold does go wonderfully with them) -- but also deep wine-red.

And the rest of this is getting long so I'm gonna drop a cut lol.

Timeframe is a tough one, because each one has their own attractions! I love the promise and the possibility of Silrah as teens, with so much ahead of them and before their ideals were shattered; I love them after Aster Dell, trying to pick up the pieces and figuring out how to move on, salvaging the fragments of idealism to try to make a better world for the children whose futures they now hold and struggling with all that they dare not speak of, the ghosts and the guilt and the emotional morass; I love them after the show, whether that's Saul with only his memories or Farah returning and them having a chance to be more in a way I feel they never could before or any one of another hundred permutations. There are so, so many options, and there's a part of me that desperately wants to tug on every thread and chase every possible universe and see what could happen. (I realise this is almost certainly unhelpful, my dearest HEXer, and for that I am deeply sorry.)

As to the last: I adore winter as a season. I know there are a lot of people who don't like the cold and the dark, but honestly, the cold in particular is something I love. I turn into a puddle once it gets warm, and my ideal storage conditions top out at about 15C, so the weather cooling off means I'm in my element. I love getting to wear warmer clothes, snuggling into blankets or putting on the fireplace if it's particularly chilly, nursing a cup of something warm (I'm a tea drinker first and foremost, but a mug of cocoa is nice too). I lived most of my life somewhere without snow, and there's a part of me that turns into a small child when I get it nowadays -- especially if it's the soft fluffy kind where you can catch snowflakes on your palms and look at the shapes. I love the way the world looks blanketed in white, all of the rough edges softened, and the way things sparkle when the light hits them on a frosty morning. I love walking outside in winter, the crispness of air almost freezing and seeing your breath make clouds and the crunch of fresh snow being tamped down under your boots. (I realise there are absolutely places where it's much more bitterly cold, or the weight of snow and ice can damage everything and become oppressive, and that if I lived there it might change my tune, but right now I consider myself lucky enough to be able to enjoy it without worry.) Winter isn't my holiday season, primarily, and so I don't have the association so many do, but the holiday I do celebrate then involves candles, and one thing I've always loved in association with the darkening of the year is how illumination -- whatever the form -- plays a part in the winter season, and the imagery of lights in the darkness. It's a small thing, but it also has stuck with me my entire life and as a thread through many things and states of mind, and I think that's one of those things I'll always associate with winter, beyond just the cold itself.

Anyway! That's a wall of text for sure, and so I'm pretty sure I owe you a cookie in recompense for reading it all! 🍪 I'm excited to see whatever you do with all of this information, though I can safely say right now that I have no idea -- but I'm sure it'll be wonderful. 💙

[lilja-the-alchemist]

21st Day of the Fifth Passive Moon, Draconic Cycle

It felt like I had been falling for a full minute. I braced for the hard, painful landing, but instead, I was welcomed by a shock of freezing cold water at the bottom. The sudden plunge knocked the air out of my lungs, and I thought I was going to drown. I didn't know which way was up; it was totally dark underwater, and I knew I was probably sinking fast. I started to panic until I saw a quick serpentine blur moving towards me, scooping me by the torso, and dragging me to shore.

It was Verena, I soon realized. She laid me down on dry ground, looked around, and walked off. She soon came back with a large bundle of cloth and what looked like broken pieces of wood. “Wrap yourself up in this” she said, “I’ll see if I can start a fire to dry us off”. I nodded, shivering from the cold and coughing up water.

“You don’t seem to be cold yourself?” I asked as I unfurled the makeshift blanket and attempted to make myself into a warm bundle. “I am, very much so.” she answered. “The cold affects us differently. It doesn’t make us shiver, but it slows us down physically and mentally”. I took a mental note of that, in case I needed to treat her or other Dragonfolk in the future.

“You seemed to react quickly enough when I was drowning back there. I didn’t know you could swim so well” I said, a bit amazed. She started striking her flint and steel to set some tinder on fire. “I grew up in the mountains of Riftwatch without much opportunity to swim, but previous employment forced me to learn really quickly” she replied.

We rested there for a long while, snuggling close to share body heat in the warmth of the fire. I started looking around the cavern we had fallen into and realized it was man-made. Crumbling bricks lined the wall, and barrels and crates were strewn everywhere. We had found the abandoned village we were looking for. Once I had my strength back, I got up and checked the crates and barrels to give us a clue about where we were or if the garden we sought was anywhere nearby.

The crates were filled with glass bottles with some liquid that I couldn’t recognize at a glance. I checked the barrels, and some of them still had similar looking liquid at the bottom. I gently shook one of the bottles and decided it didn’t look volatile, but I opened it at arm’s length and near the water, just in case. The cork popped off, and nothing happened. I gave the now opened bottle a cautious sniff.

“Mead?” I said, confused.

Verena, watching me the entire time, asked “Mead? How are they making it here? The weather isn’t exactly suited for beekeeping.”

“I don’t know” I replied. “Let’s look around and get a better grasp of where we are”

There was a large wooden double-door on one side of the cavern, and Verena didn’t even break a sweat pushing it open. It creaked loudly all the way through, and the noise felt like it reverberated through the whole mountain. We spent the day exploring the place, finding communal kitchens and living quarters dug into the cave walls, as well as houses and small buildings built in the caverns much larger than the one we fell into. This abandoned village under Mt. Fleurwyn was huge.

Eventually, we found ourselves in a large grotto. Waterways, both natural and artificial, snaked around the whole place, giving it a very picturesque look. I gasped when I realized that this area had thriving flora. “I think we’re here! We found the garden” I declared while looking around in awe.

Verena stretched a little bit and said “Why does it feel warm here? A lot warmer than the other rooms. I’m feeling more limber.”

I hadn’t noticed, I’m glad Verena was here to point that out. “I don’t know, but that’s very strange. The elder said the garden was key to their survival out here in the mountain. So maybe they had a way to warm up the cave system in here? Let’s look around some more”

In the distance, I spotted a row of crates that were arranged neatly, equidistant from one another. As we approached, we both realized they weren’t crates. “It’s beehives!” Verena pointed out. “So they did manage to produce honey here to make mead”. As we got closer, we noticed a sudden rise in temperature. Verena and I looked at each other, curious and confused. I put my hand on top of one of the beehives and could feel the heat through my gloves. I also felt the buzzing.

“The hives are still active? They’ve been left here for generations without a keeper” I said, puzzled.

“They must have a steady food source somewhere in this garden.” Verena replied, looking around. She pointed up at some trees. “Looks like they’ve been expanding out of these beehives too. They’re thriving.” I looked up and saw that a lot of the trees and parts of the cave wall were covered in natural beehives.

I opened the lid on the hive I was touching and studied the bees inside. “I’m not an expert on small insects, but from what I know, these seem to be regular honey bees native to the area below the mountain. They shouldn’t be emanating this much heat. Whatever flower they're thriving on must be what’s causing it, and what’s helped the villagers live here for so long before abandoning the place.”

I pulled out the bottle of mead I had taken from the cavern we fell from and uncorked it. “I have a theory, but I’ll have to drink this really old brew. It should be safe, but just in case…”

“I’ll carry you to safety” Verena assured me, finishing my sentence.

I took a swig of mead from the bottle. Instantly, heat radiated from the liquid and coursed through my throat, spreading around my chest and then through my whole body. It almost felt like I was on fire, but without the pain, just an intense warmth.

“Frostbane” I said, figuring out the magics in the brew. “They’ve managed to make Frostbane Mead up here in the mountains! That’s how they survived”

I handed the bottle to Verena and asked her to drink it too, both to confirm my theory and to warm her up. She took a few gulps of the mead. “I’ve had Frostbane potion before” she looked at me. “It was never this strong. Those felt more like an ember just to keep you going, feels more like a roaring fire”

She was right. Whatever imbued the honey with Frostbane magic was really strong. “It must be whatever they were growing and guarding here. It was apparently a well kept secret. The bees must be taking pollen from that flower, and the resulting honey and mead have kept that flower's magical properties."

“We need to find it.” I declared. “This sounds like such a potent ingredient! I want to study and cultivate it.”

“Yeah, let’s look around. It must be nearby if they kept the bees here” Verena said, and we continued to explore the garden. “It’s just too bad they didn’t bring the plants with them when they abandoned the place.”

That stopped me in my tracks. Oh yeah. Why didn’t they bring the plant down with them? Were they leaving in such a hurry that they couldn’t bring their precious life-saving miracle plant?

“Why did they abandon this village anyway?” I asked aloud. And as if on cue, Verena drew her shield and sword and jumped protectively in front of me. A loud screech, accompanied by a buzzing sound, came from a distance. I believe we got our answer.

[articskele]

EHEHEHEEEE :D!!!!!!

Here's a closeup of my pfp!! And one without the background ouo. The design is a little outdated but I'm so proud of this drawing :D

Also here's one of my favorite doodles of her ouo

—

There's this one scene where Artic freezes up and then it cuts to someone thawing her out with a hairdryer-

I could totally see her getting caught in a loop where she freezes -> thaws out -> "Wait what was I so worried about?" -> suddenly Remembers -> somebody has to step in so she doesn't freeze up again-

Honestly I never considered how her other emotions would play into it! Though there are little things like when she sneezes it's just a puff of snow ouo

Or how her bones are always cold, so during the summer everybody's hugging her or asking her to cool their drinks, and Ink has to bundle up before snuggling with her- And sometimes flowers just naturally grow in Artic's hair ouo

—

I imagine the Essence of Winter itself is this light blue liquid that shimmers in the light, it's about the same consistency as blood, and it's probably the reason why Artic has ice powers and why they're contact-based!

Essences can be of pretty much anything! You're basically harvesting the sheer vibes, so I imagine different ones would affect you in different ways!

Like the essence of wood would probably turn all your organs into wood if you drank it, meanwhile essence of zonked would make you higher than a darn kite and sitting in the floor of your bathroom inventing new shapes aksjfhds-

—

It's not at all normal for essences to be naturally occurring, much less for them to just be in someone's system- And a big part of Artic in general is that nobody quite knows What She Is

While the bones have a similar look and feel and density to regular bones, the outside can be cut through like you can with skin. And her cheeks are squishy bc it's cute ouo

And they look similar to regular bones under a microscope, but something's inexplicably off. The bones themselves aren't quite bone, but they're not just made of ice, it's some kinda strange inbetween.

I don't think she has a circulatory system per se, the stuff is just chillin out in the bones ouo. She does have a heartbeat, though nobody knows how or why. Something something love and friendship ouo

ALSO the mental image of Artic being stopped by TSA bc "miss you literally have an illegal substance throughout your entire body" is really funny to me-

—

But there is one other creature that just naturally has essences in it: the Alatreon.

Basically its whole deal is that it can use every element in Monster Hunter (fire, ice, electricity, etc), making it super unstable and overall a calamity-level threat to any ecosystem it happens upon.

And I headcanon it's Like That bc it has multiple elemental essences in its blood, which is just too much for any one creature to handle, so it's just overcharged all the time-

I have yet to fight the thing since it's basically the endgame monster of MH3U, but it makes for some neat similarities to Artic, and I can only imagine how cool the fight would be :D

—

AAAA YES it's so fun imagining Artic's fighting style and sneaking around and!!!!

Wait did I mention she has a big ol journal full of notes and sketches and stuff of various monsters and everything she's learned about them- She just feels at home out in the wilds studying creatures!!

Lately I've been thinking about her washing dragons and other various monsters, like those pet grooming videos- Inspired by this!!!

There's a scene where she's washing a Zinogre, which is basically a giant wolf that can fight with electricity bc it has a symbiotic relationship with the Fulgurbugs living in its fur!!

So Artic finds the queen Fulgurbug and puts her in a clip, so the rest of the bugs follow just like bees do, so they're safety out of the way for her to wash and brush through the Zinogre's thick fur ouo

—

And the funny thing is that while she's all graceful and dancelike in combat, she struggles to dance normally bc "aaa people are here and what if I mess up-"

There's this REALLY pretty scene where it's got this song playing, and Ink and Artic are at some kind of town festival.

Colorful pennant flags strewn about, really good street food, people dancing in the town square. At some point they get lost in the crowds and get pushed into the center of where everyone is dancing

Artic's lowkey panicking bc now they're being Watched, but Ink gets an idea and does like an easy-to-dodge jab at her. She dodges, and there's that moment of realization like "ohh just treat like a fight!" and they're so in sync and OUGHHHH IT'S SO GOOD

AND it was inspired by this scene from Avatar: The Last Airbender!!!! The episode is titled The Headband btw, it's great ouo

—

MONSTER HUNTER MY BELOVED-

Basically the story of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is that the seaside Moga Village is experiencing earthquakes. And it's assumed that Lagiacrus, dubbed Lord of the Seas, is the cause.

(Btw I just ADORE Lagiacrus, it's one of my favorite monsters of all time!! The design is PEAK, the fight is incredible, it generates electricity using the spikes on its back, I love it so so much-)

(THERE'S AN EARLY-GAME QUEST WHERE IT JUST APPEARS OUT OF NOWHERE SO YOU HAVE TO RUN FOR YOUR LIFE AND IT JUST PERFECTLY ESTABLISHES THIS THING AS A THREAT AND. OUGHHHHH)

But once you do fight it, the earthquakes don't go away. If anything, they get worse.

It turns out that the cause is this giant whale-like creature called Ceadeus. One of its horns has grown so big that it's covering one of its eyes and causing pain, so it tries to relieve that by scraping its horns against the seafloor.

Or in this case, the bottom of the island that the village was built on.

But once you notify the Hunter's Guild, they say that you're not qualified enough to fight this thing, so you and the rest of the village are told to wait as the Guild sends in higher ranking hunters.

But time is running out. Who's to say that the village will still be around by the time help arrives?

I can't find a clip of it for the life of me, but at one point Aisha has this little speech saying that we can't just wait around like sitting ducks, hyping you up to save the day! And I think she says something along the lines of "If they fire you for this then I'm quitting in solidarity" akjsfkdsf-

So you go down into the depths, and once the Ceadeus's horn is broken off, it's no longer hurting and leaves.

It has such a folklore feel to it that's just magical to me, and it fits Artic's character really well methinks!!

Also this is what Aisha looks like! And a really old doodle of Ink and Artic that's just so soft and sweet and awbawbabwba <3

—

YESSSSSJHFJKSFHSF I LOVE LOVE LOVE putting in little references to other stories and iterations of Artic it's so fun!!!!!!

And the title of IDPS refers to Kat, which is my friend's character!

Long story short, Kat's the princess of this sci-fi kingdom of shadow people. As one of the few remaining people with the ability to travel between dimentions, she's tasked with taking care of them and making sure they don't get corrupted.

But between the rising expectations of her family, her kingdom, disability, etc, she needs an outlet. A way to get away from it all.

So, she sells pizzas out of her van and works as a mercenary! If Artic's thing is swords and strategy, then Kat's bread and butter is guns and being as flashy and reckless as possible-

I was told to use this image as a way of summing her up akjfskdjf

Ok so the aforementioned OC universe is known as IDPS, short for Interdimentional Pizza Shop (and Mercenary Work)! There is literal YEARS worth of lore and ideas put into this thing I love it so much :D

This version of Artic is the one in my pfp, and who the oc: artic tag refers to lol- Basically she's embodiment of the season of winter, a huge dragon enthusiast, and the much-needed voice of reason!!

She's not a "true" skeleton per se, like she's not undead, she's just kinda in the shape of one- Though she can disconnect and reattach her bones like a cartoon ouo

She has ice powers, but not in a "shooting ice beams out of your hands" kinda way, it's very contact based!

She can freeze things by touching them, she can make a layer of ice under her feet to sliiide around super fast, and sometimes she physically freezes up under stress so you have to wait for her to thaw out akjfds

She can pick up your drink and little ice cubes form in it, in whatever shape she wants! And when she cries the tears freeze up so there's just little bits of ice on her face you gotta wipe off

In IDPS there are these things called essences, which are the super concentrated (and super illegal) form of a concept, usually in liquid form like a potion. Like if you poured a drop of Essence of Princess onto an apple, it would turn all sparkly and have a big bow on it!

Artic just naturally has the Essence of Winter in her bones instead of blood or marrow! So she doesn't have to worry about vampires bc they'd just get a really bad brainfreeze lol

She mainly fights with dual blades made of ice, inspired by Monster Hunter's dual blades! She's a very strategic and speedy fighter, her movements almost dancelike in combat, and she likes to use the terrain to her advantage!

And since this is a multiverse story, she actually goes through the story mode of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, saving a village from a giant sea monster! The gal who gives out quests in that game, Aisha, is like an older sister to her hehe ouo

So Artic is a licensed monster hunter, and she is absolutely FASCINATED with these creatures and how they work. And after some shenanigans in her childhood town in the mountains, she even starts her own sanctuary to educate people and care for dragons that wouldn't make it in the wild!

Here she's shipped with Ink Sans, and they live together with her dragon pet / companion Blizzard ouo!

It's this really sweet little story about Ink showing this really anxious and sheltered girl the world, seeing all the potential and life in her eyes and wanting to see her blossom.

And there's a scene where Ink is trying to hide his condition (basically he's undead and needs to drink magic paints in order to feel and regulate emotions), bc so many people have left him after finding out. But Artic doesn't mind at all, after all it's still him and she likes him for who he is ouo

The two are basically opposites, but they work well together and they're just silly little guys in love ouo

Artic's main arc is about identity and archetypes. Like how winter is often portrayed as this harbinger of death that needs to be driven away, but Artic is really soft and sweet-

She wants so desperately to be a hero, but the archetypal hero is confident and charming and brave and super strong; everything she thinks she isn't. But in reality, she's the most heroic of her peers because of her kindness!

There's a whole theme of knights and dragons and legends, realizing that those notions of what she should or shouldn't be don't define her, because people are more complex and nuanced than that ouo

THIS IS SO COOL OUGHHHH I LOVE IT I LOVE IT

My FAVORITE part is that there's literal years of lore built into this thing. Clearly it has been crafted with nothing but love and care in mind and I think that's beautiful.

I didn't even realize that was Artic in your pfp?? That's so cute I love it so so much :DD (Is there a high definition version I can look at? I wanna see her clearer!)

ARTIC'S POWERS ARE SO NEAT IN THIS!!!! I want heart shaped ice cubes that's actually so cute. And the way her abilities affect the way she experiences stress and cries? Chef's kiss. Do her ice powers affect her whenever she experiences other intense emotions? And also can the thawing out process be helped by blankets and stuff or does she just stay frozen? Oooh or does she just continuously keep refreezing bc of the stress? Like trying to thaw her out helps a little but not for long and not much? SORRY I'M JUST SO CURIOUS I REALLY LIKE THE CONCEPT OF HER POWERS AFFECT HER BASED ON EMOTIONS THAT'S SO FREAKING COOL-

And essences!!!!!! Oughhh I really like the concept (pun intended)!!!!! Is there an essence for every concept or just certain ones? And vampires getting brainfreeze LMFAO. Can you drink an essence or does that turn your organs into the concept? And is Artic the only person with an essence in her bones or do other people have it?

THE COMBAT YES OMFG I CAN SEE IT SO CLEARLY,,, STRATEGIC AND SPEEDY AND DANCELIKE I LOVE IT!!! She's so intelligent using the terrain!!! I can see her in my head looking around, eyes darting quickly to survey the area as she narrowly avoids an attack before making her next move!! Effortlessly she slashes her opponent when they're not looking due to her adaptability and quick thinking.

And I'm so sorry I don't know anything about Monster Hunter whatsoever </3 BUT I DID SOME RESEARCH FOR YOU OFC AND IT LOOKS LIKE SM FUN???? I didn't get much of the story aspect of it but it seems great omg. Anyways Artic's curiosity is always something I love seeing!! I can see her killing this giant sea monster (Lagiacrus, I presume?) and then being like "wait a moment- I know this thing was terrorizing you all but I want a closer look at it-" AND FOUND FAMILY MY BELOVED OUGHHH ARTIC AND AISHA <333 THAT'S SO CUTE,,, and the sanctuary <33. Artic is so caring it's so sweet!! It's completely refected in her character and everything she does, I think. Not just in IDPS but across the board! Like. She saves this village from a sea monster and she wants dragons to be taken care of because she's just like that natrually. And even in like Buttermilk Daydreams she just wants to take care of The Onceler as best as she can!!!! And in the Biggering AU even though she's MAD at this man she's STILL telling him that they'll figure something out (they always do). Sorry I'm literally IN LOVE with the threads that stitch your AUs together I got so sidetracked LMFAO-

But anyways Artic and Ink Sans being opposites is SO GOOD AAAAAA- Artic feels so deeply and Ink doesn't feel at all without the paints. Artic has been sheltered and Ink has seen too much. And there's Artic's sweet and caring side coming out again!! Ink is afraid to tell Artic about his condition, but Artic could care less.

ARTIC SELF DISCOVERY YES YES YES YES YES!!!! SHE DOESN'T NEED TO GIVE INTO THE STEREOTYPES!!!!!! She's not winter even though she has its essence flowing within her. She's a hero even though she doesn't look like it. And her kindness being the thing that makes her most heroic?? I'M IN LOVE. This is what I was talking about earlier!!!! She's just so caring and sweet!!! It's something she uses to her advantage!!!!

[ask-80s-rinandlen]

Like or reblog for an ask

I wanna see who is still alive here. ( vocaloid and utauloids blogs only plz)

[komotionlessqueenmm]

Imagine # 1,039

Gif NOT mine.

If this gif is yours (or you know who's it is) please let me, so I can give you/them credit.

Gif credit goes to - @shrivinglust (Unless told otherwise.)

Year posted - 2023

The nights had been particularly cold the past few days, snow falling from the sky lazily, and covering the city in an icy blanket. To add on top of it all the furnace within (Y/n)'s home was admittedly weak, only just barely keeping the home warm enough to prevent anyone from seeing their breath.

The guys had all come over either in the day to have a few beers, and just bullshit. Something they always did when they needed a good break from their work. But as the snow progressed throughout the day, everyone decided it would be safest to just stay at (Y/n)'s house until morning at least.

Everyone was gathered in the spacious living room, chatting away while some cheesy horror film played on the TV. Josh and Kenny sat beside eachother on the loveseat, while Johnny and Peter sat on the couch. (Y/n) on the other hand lay stretched out on the futon, three of her largest blankets encasing her to the point where you could only see her face, a sight that made each of the guys smile in endearment.

"Comfortable?" Peter asked with an amused grin, the sight making (Y/n) smile. "Very." She hummed as she snuggled deeper into the blankets. "I don't know how you're not being crushed under all that weight." Josh teased with a chuckle. "Hey I'm freezing I'd let an elephant lay on me right now if it meant I'd be warm." (Y/n) sassed playfully.

"Well we don't have an elephant, but we do have one Peter Steele." Kenny joked, prodding at Pete subtlety for his "secret" crush on (Y/n). "You'd crush me Petey?" She asked with great big puppy dog eyes. "Eh I wouldn't wanna hurt you." He responded casually, trying to ignore his racing heart. "But I'll let you lay on me so you can warm up." He added after sipping his drink, his hands shaking a tiny bit from his sudden nervousness.

"Please!" She flung her arms out from beneath the blankets, reaching out with grabby hands. The sight made the guys chuckle, and making it impossible for Peter to ever think about denying her. "Alright." He muttered before rising from his spot by Johnny.

(Y/n) peered up at him with almost bashful eyes, a blush dusting her cheeks when he hoisted her up into his arms, blankets and all. Quickly he made himself comfortable on the futon and pulled (Y/n) to lay against his chest.

"Thanks Pete." She mumbled shyly as he tugged at the sides of her blankets, smoothing them out so she would remain warm. "You're welcome sweetheart." He whispered as he bumped his nose against the side of her head, the sight of the two making the guys all grin.

"What the hell happened to your furnace anyways?" Kenny asked, breaking the endearing moment. "It's always sucked." (Y/n) shrugged casually, finding herself relaxing against Peter, his body heat warming her better than her blankets. "We'll take a look at it tomorrow, maybe we can fix it." Peter offered, the guys all nodding in agreement. "Thanks guys." (Y/n) beamed at her friend's, beyond grateful of them.

*Short and sweet.

[cevansbrat0007]

The Key

Summary: A broken furnace and a slip of the tongue lead to a special gift from your very stubborn boyfriend. Andy Barber x Black Reader

Warnings: Fluff, Angst, Protective Andy Barber, Insecure Reader, Pet Names, Light Smut, Implied Oral (fem receiving), Cursing, Minors DNI.

A/N: I don't know where this came from, but it's almost 3AM and I need to sleep. Anyway, I'm halfway done with like eight different fics, most of them requests. But then my writer's block kicked in. Please enjoy this installment while I try to get my life together. Part of my Growing Pains Series. All mistakes are my own.

___

"Ack, Andy Bear! What are you doing here?" You squeal as your man strides through your front door with you in his arms, your short legs wrapped around his trim waist. "Sh-shouldn't you be packing? Ope - don't forget the door!"

His booted heel kicks it closed. "Had to come check on you." Andy responds before brushing his warm lips over your own. "I'm your man, baby. It's what I do."

"But I'm fine..." You tell him, burying your face in the crook of his neck and inhaling his clean, masculine scent. "I don't need anything."

"No, you said you were cold. That makes you not fine." He tells you as his hand skims its way under your sweatshirt to lightly stroke your lower back. "I can't have you over here freezing while I'm out of town - I wouldn't be able to concentrate. I'd be too busy thinkin' about my baby girl home all alone just shivering."

"Oh, my goodness, Big Man. My landlord will be by to fix my furnace in a couple of days. Until then...I guess I'll just have to keep doubling up on sweatshirts." Wanting him to relax, you begin whispering sweet kisses along his bearded jaw, nuzzling at the soft scruff with your nose.

"A couple days is completely unacceptable." He growls, his tone letting you know that he was in no mood to argue. "It's November. And we live in fucking Massachusetts."

"Andy, sweetheart..." He shifts your smaller frame so that you're resting comfortably on his hip. Your boyfriend then carries you to your room and gently deposits you on your pink and periwinkle-colored duvet, all the while ignoring your feeble protests.

"You're staying at my place until that Ralph fucker decides to get off his ass and do his fucking job." Your man informs you as he begins rifling through your drawers, pulling out items and then haphazardly tossing them into your overnight bag.

God, how you adored every inch of your big, overbearingly ridiculous man.

"Honey, his name is Rodney. And I'll be fine. If it gets too bad, I can go stay with Melissa or something."

"Nope." Andy grunts, holding a pair of lacy pink panties up to the light. "The matter's already been settled. I want you in my home, snuggled in my bed, all tangled up in my of the sheets."

Shaking his head, he tosses the underwear back inside before muttering something about you "only needing the essentials".

Wait. Since when did those no longer fall under the category of essential?

"How many bras do you think you'll need? Eh, fuck it. You can bring 'em all if you want. It's the panties I have a problem with. Damned things always get in the way."

You scrub an exhausted hand over your face as your six-foot-something boyfriend remains hunkered in front of your dresser, quietly debating the usefulness, or lack-there-of, of your underthings.

"They get in the way of what?" Of course you just had to know.

"My fun." He grumbles, flashing you a petulant look. "So they stay here. Shit - I left my garment bag by the door. Go on and snag a few blouses and some pants, baby girl, and I'll help you get them all packed up before we freeze to death in here."

"Oh. My. God." You roll your eyes. It wasn't even that cold.

At least not yet.

"Andrew, darling, I never actually agreed to go with you. Plus, I don't even have a key to - oh." Your stubborn bull of a man silences you with a heated look before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a small white box tied with a black ribbon.

"I was planning to give this to you on your birthday, but this seems like a much better time. As of now, I want you to consider my home your home too."

Removing the key from the box, you stare down at the shiny piece of metal your man had made especially for you.

Why did the weight of it feel so good resting in your hand?

"Thank you." You whisper, tears burning the back of your throat.

"You're welcome, Y/N. I want you to use it whenever. Come stay for a night, or for a week..."

Or, for forever. He thinks, letting the unspoken words hang in the air between you.

"But as for your not agreeing to go with me, well, I'm afraid that just won't work." Andy tsks as he zips up your duffle before unceremoniously tossing it into the hall. "One way or another, we're getting you out of this ice box, little one."

"Okay," you try again. "But what about my car? I really don't think -"

"Why are you fighting me on this?" He asks, his sensual lips set in a thin, firm line. "I need you some place safe and warm while I'm busy shaking hands and negotiating deals in D.C."

Your eyes stray back to the key that is now nestled safely in its little box filled with pink tissue paper.

"Answer me, please." Oh, Andy was using his attorney voice, the one that commanded both respect and attention in the courtroom.

"I - I just don't want to be any trouble. I feel bad for even saying anything about my stupid heat in the first place." You admit with a resigned shrug. "You need to be getting ready for your trip, but instead you're - you're here."

"I'm here because you need me."

"But I - I don't." You wince as those two words come tumbling out of your mouth.

Because it was a lie. You did need him.

"That scares you a little bit, doesn't it? The idea of needing someone, of needing me."

"No." You feel your lower lip begin to tremble ever so slightly.

God, yes.

"Y/N, how many times do I have to remind you that we're in this together? I'm your man. And I'm old-school when it comes to that shit. I believe in taking care of my woman, in providing for her however I can."

"I get it, Andy." You do your best to look at everything and everywhere but him. This man had a knack for making you feel vulnerable, and you weren't always comfortable with that.

"No, you don't." Using two long fingers, he tips your chin so that his soulful blue eyes clash with your own. "Whether you realized you were doing it or not, you called because you needed me today. And it's my job to take care of you - all of you."

"But I don't want to be a job for you. A job runs the risk of becoming a burden real fuckin' quick. And then when it becomes too much, bam! You run the other way." You jerk away from him, preferring to stare at your fuzzy sock-clad feet, wishing you could simply melt into the floor.

And there it was. You were afraid that this man would drop you like a bad habit the moment you became a burden. And as dramatic as it might sound, there was a part of you that knew that your heart might never fully recover something like that. Not with him.

Things are quiet for a while. And then Andy settles on the bed next to you before pulling you flush against him. The two of you are so close that you're practically half sprawled on his big lap, your bottom resting atop his thickly muscled thighs.

"Then please allow me to rephrase. It's not just my job to take care of you, it's my privilege, baby girl."

A sniffle escapes you before you can catch it.

"You're a strong woman. Strong enough to reach out when you need me. The same way it takes a strong man to lean on his woman. Understand?"

You nod, closing your eyes as you do.

"Look at me and say the words, Y/N." Your Big Man implores you before kissing the top of your head and burying his face in your curls. "I need to hear 'em, please."

It takes you a couple of seconds, but eventually you muster up enough courage to do as he asks.

"Yes, I - I understand. It takes a strong woman to, um, to lean on her man."

"Good girl."

"And please believe me when I say that your trusting me with your problems doesn't make you a burden. Not now, not ever. We're partners, baby."

For now and forever. Andy thinks to himself. It's clear as day to me, I just need her to see it too.

"Yes, we are, my sweet Andy Bear. I'm sorry for being such a neurotic mess sometimes. I know you must think you're dating a lunatic but -"

"Yep, I am." He sweetly interrupts. "But you've also claimed a crazy, possessive bastard as your man. So, I'd say we're pretty even." You feel another brush of his lips against your skin, this time on your temple.

The two of you sit there for a while in silence, simply enjoying each other's warmth. Truthfully, it wasn't that cold in your apartment, but according to the forecast, that would change over night. You needed to be some place with working heat and a comfortable bed.

And your Andy Bear came with all of that, complete with sheets and pillows that smelled just like him. Of course you'd find a way to pay him back. Maybe you'd cook him a big dinner, or buy him season tickets to the Patriots, or --

Your thought stream is interrupted by the sound of Andy's gruff voice.

"I think we need to do something to quiet that beautiful mind of yours, don't we?" He purrs, before lavishing the column of your throat with a hot, open-mouthed kiss.

And then you feel one large, slightly calloused hand go to rest on your chest. Using just a fraction of his strength, he gently forces you onto your back. A shiver courses through you as he runs his palms down the length of your body in an act of raw, unbridled possession.

Lifting your ass, you allow him to remove your black leggings. He makes sure to take his time, dragging the thin material across your heated skin with agonizing slowness.

A breathy moan escapes your lips when he parts your thighs, baring your panty-covered pussy to his predatory gaze.

"I'd like to rephrase my earlier statement one more time if I could."

Without warning, Andy leans in and buries his face between your legs. He takes a moment to inhale your scent before nuzzling your swollen clit through the damp fabric.

"Oh-oh-kaaay." You whimper as he briefly sucks the sensitive bud into his warm, waiting mouth. "

"It's my job, my pleasure, and my privilege to keep my lady's sweet body warm and her greedy cunt stuffed full. And I'm a man who believes in honoring his fucking commitments."

You cry out when he rips the lace from your body, leaving you naked and vulnerable from the waist down.

"This is mine, baby. All mine. Now, lie back like a good girl and let me show you just how much I enjoy caring for my woman, starting with eating the fuck out of her pretty little pussy."

END

[theotherwesley]

OKAY YES okay. yes. The Bun/s. Now that this is a real thing I can actually talk about The Buns. The Buns have been a developing situation over the last few weeks.  HERE THEY ARE:

Now, what we have here are two whole Rex Rabbits left abandoned in a goddamn field.

What has happened is that: my mom’s friend’s neighbor’s neighbor apparently moved out, and pulled the ultimate shitbag maneuver of leaving their rabbits behind ~in nature~, amidst the predatory wildlife and below freezing Idaho winter.

Luckily once they were discovered people started putting food out and looking out for them-- they’d been sheltering in mom’s friend’s neighbor’s farmyard, where there are an abundance of places to get out of the cold and lots of grass to eat, at least there was in the summer. There’s also a small feral cat colony out there, but apparently they’ve been leaving the rabbits alone (and sometimes giving them headbumps and snuggles?? any port in a storm, I guess; it’s cold out here).

ANYWAY: mom’s friend knows me well enough in a peripheral way that she is aware of my long and woebegone pining for rabbit companionship. She let us know, that if I was interested in adopting two under-socialized feral bunnies, that she would pay for a hutch.

I am not technically allowed to have pets in my apartment, but sometimes DESTINY PUNCHES THROUGH YOUR WALL TO TELL YOU IT’S TIME. So fuck it, I got a spare room that I can bunny-proof, and a vet clinic directly down the block from me. I’ve lived in this place for 6+ years, in another 2 the foundation is going to finally finish cracking in half and fall into the waiting sinkhole to hell, that deposit ain’t coming back, let’s fucking go.

ASSUMING ALL GOES WELL. I don’t have any guarantees right now because we’ve only just caught one of them and we’re still checking the trap for the other one. And honestly, I was kind of holding back about screaming into the internet about the monumental news that is Potential Bunnies because I am trying to keep my expectations moderate. We don’t know anything about them yet, if they’re socialized at all, or if they’re healthy, and I don’t want to get my hopes up before everything’s settled.

Here’s One Bun, I don’t have a good picture of him (??? unclear. my best guess is that either One Bun is a boy and Two Bun is a girl, or they are both girls??) yet because he is still adjusting to his surroundings and wishes to be secret, and safe. I’ve put him up in the trailer with a heater and all the bun amenities he needs. He is eating a little bit, and explored the area briefly, but mostly he is being very small in a corner, and I respect that. He seems okay with being pet gently, but is still wary. I think he’s lonely and worried without his companion bun. I hope we catch her soon so they are reunited. :’U

Anyway. More news as this develops. Wish us and them, the buns, luck!