#it’s the shift from awful guy to pathetic old man

[charmac]

x

[midnightlazule]

{NSFW} Stripping [Ace x AFAB!reader] (Modern AU / 2023 KT)

Summary | Ace, Marco, and Thatch all are going on their weekend outing to one of the local Strip Clubs. The one they choose just so happens to be the one you work at. The problem? They don't know you work as a stripper

CW | AFAB reader / she/her pronouns / reader is a stripper / oral (reader giving and receiving) / mutual pining

"So you coming tonight or not?" Thatch playfully hit Ace on his shoulder, smirking. "And see you fail with the ladies? Sure man, I'll go" Ace laughed, giving Thatch a shit eating grin.

"Really? That's harsh, Ace, I know I'm good with the ladies... I just gotta.. loosen up first! Y'know..?" Thatch pathetically tried to save his ass, not wanting to be known as the #1 guy who's never able to get lucky on their weekend outings to the strip club.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that!" Marco called from the living room, and as much as Thatch wanted to come over and slap him atop his almost bald head, he refrained. "Are you gunna drag your little lady friend along?" Thatch asked, "you mean ___? No, why would I?" Ace asked, a strange look on his face. Thatch shrugged, "Well, y'know she's always making jokes about women and shit, figured taking her would be a good idea, let her see a few nice sets of tits, yeah?" Thatch lightly elbowed Ace, giving him a perverted look.

"You're just saying this so you can try and get into her pants, she's like.. half your age" Thatch feigned an offended gasp. "Stop trying to make me look weird, she's twenty-five, not some eighteen year old!" He huffed, rolling his eyes, "and she's not half my age, I'm only thirty-six."

"The fact that you know her age right off the top of your head is weird" Marco yelled, Ace snickered while Thatch took off one of shoes and proceeded to throw it at Marco's head. "You two have fun with your bullshit fight, I'm going to my room" he waved a quick goodbye. "Let ___ know I said hi- Ow! Hey man! Not the face-"

Ace just rolled his eyes, making his way to his room he pulled out his phone, tapping on the messages app. His eyes immediately landed on your contact, which he had nicknamed '❤️‍🔥'. Of course that's not something he'd show you, he was awful with nicknames, but having your contact labeled with just your name seemed... boring.

Not that your name was boring, he just... oh never mind, he dismissed the voice in his head.

Me > hey, r u busy?

❤️‍🔥> A little bit, yeah, why?

Me> oh well i was wondering if u wanted to come with me thatch and marco to the clbub

Me> club*

❤️‍🔥> I have work later, so I can't, sorry.

Me > all good! probably a good idea ur not going anyways thatch is being a weirdo like usual

❤️‍🔥 > No surprise there, anyways, I gotta go, see ya!

Me > by

Me > bye*

Ace sighed, setting down his phone, he always did wonder what you did for work, clearly it was something involving night shift, you were always tired during the day. He'd have to ask you about it at some point, though he vaguely remembers asking a while ago, and got a quick 'gas station a little out of town' which he thought was weird, but didn't press on.

"ACE! START GETTING READY!" Marco called, "IS ___ COMING?" He yelled out, "NO, SHE HAS WORK" Ace yelled back, he could faintly hear Thatch's 'well damn, that sucks'.

Sighing and rolling his eyes he got ready, tonight was going to be interesting.

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

You had slept in by thirty minutes, it was 7:33 PM, you had to be to work by 8:30 PM.

Grabbing everything you'd need, you shoved it into your bag, the poor worn thing was going to be needing replaced soon. "Alright.. back-up outfits.. check, makeup check.. cleansing wipes and deodorant.. check, everything else check" you zipped up your bag, setting it on your bed.

"Alright, I can still fit in a quick shover..." you were mentally calculating just how long each thing would take, snapping your fingers you got to work.

....

You were brushing your teeth when you got a text, grabbing your phone, you checked who it was.

Fireball > hey, r u busy?

You > A little bit, yeah, why?

You tried to type quickly, still having to multitask getting your teeth brushed, you looked at the clock. You still had thirty minutes.

Fireball > oh well i was wondering if u wanted to come with me thatch and marco to the clbub

Fireball > club*

Upon reading the text message, you nearly inhaled the saliva mixed with toothpaste that was sitting in your mouth. They were going to a club tonight?! You had to set down your phone, spitting out the toothpaste and washing your mouth out, you hurriedly sent back a reply.

you > I have work later, so I can't, sorry.

Fireball > all good! probably a good idea ur not going anyways thatch is being a weirdo like usual

You > No surprise there, anyways, I gotta go, see ya!

Fireball > by

Fireball > bye*

A small chuckle sounded in your throat, god was his spelling and grammar ass.

Though you felt incredibly worried. You usually didn't work Sundays, and you had no idea which club Ace and the others were going to. Though, them showing up to the club you worked at was slim, especially since there were larger, better known clubs in the surrounding area.

Deciding not to worry about it, you got back to work. Styling your hair, putting on your outfit, and double checking everything in your bag, you got ready to head out. The heels you wore clacked loudly against the wood floor, making sure to grab your coat, you slipped it on before leaving the comforts of your home.

..........

You had made it just on time, practically bursting through the back doors. The other dancers greeted you with warm faces, "glad to see you're still up and kicking, Cinnamon" Candy, one of the more popular dancers winked at you, the two of you were good friends inside of work, always hyping each other up and lending anything the other might need.

Everyone here cared for each other despite the job everyone did. Everyone knew and respected the hustle, and were always willing to help a girl out. They were your.. strange family of sorts. Though that was a weird way of putting it.

"Come on girl, you'll be up next after Foxx and Hunny" Candy ushered you inside. She smelt of her usual perfume, it was sweet but not too sweet, and it had a weird warmth to it. "Has there been any requests for me?" you asked, setting down your bag and pulling off your jacket. "No, not yet, but with that new outfit of yours.. girl!" Candy almost squealed, "you look so good! Red and orange are your colors!" she winks at you, "I'll leave ya to your makeup, good luck~!" she waved, walking off.

You did your makeup quickly, it was a simple look, it brought out your eyes at the very least.

-------

"I dunno man, we never usually hit up this spot, are you sure?" Ace looked at Marco with a questioning gaze. "For the tenth time, yes I'm sure, I had seen the place driving by and it looked nice, plus we've never been in here before, so maybe Thatch'll get lucky for once" he snickered, earning a not so light slap to the shoulder.

"You guys are assholes" Thatch pouted, casting Ace a glare for laughing right along with Marco. "Sorry, sorry" Marco snorted, putting his hand on Thatch's back, he pushed him forwards. "Get your ID's out fellas, It's time we head inside.

.....

"Come on, lets go find a table and eat before we go get front row seats" Marco winked, leading the way towards a nice booth table. It was in a darker corner of the club, the deep crimson and fuchsia lights barely touched it. "So, see anyone ya like yet?" Thatch winked, nudging Ace's shoulder.

He shook his head, looking around the place with an almost bored expression, none of the ladies here caught his eye. Sure they were all beautiful, but none really were his type. "Hey" Marco snapped his fingers in front of Ace's face, "what did you want for food? I'm sure the have the usual shit you get at the other place" he had to raise his voice a bit, as the loud, thumping music made it hard to hear.

"Just my usual if they have it, if they don't then just surprise me" Ace replied, offering a quick thanks to the blonde as he walked off. Pulling out his phone, he scrolled through his social media apps mindlessly.

He could hear a voice over the loud speaker announcing a new dancer coming onto stage, but paid no mind, whoever it was, they likely wouldn't catch his eye either. The sound of the audience whooped and hollered their admirations, it was loud enough to completely drown out the music.

"Holy shit..." Thatch breathed out from next to him, "Ace, you gotta look at this" he felt Thatch nudge him, "I'm not interested in whoever caught your eye, Thatch" he grumbled, "No man- just- Look!" Ace rolled his eyes and looked over, feeling his heart stop.

Ace could already hear the hurried steps of someone drawing closer, it was Marco, and he looked just as surprised to see you up on the stage. "Did you guys-" he cut himself off upon seeing Ace's wide eyes and gaping mouth.

"When the fuck did she start working here?!" Ace said rather loudly, earning a few looks from the various security that stood around the club. "She's got moves though" Thatch chuckled, already accepting of the situation. Ace however, was seething, he was angry that he was lied to, why was this something you hid from him?

"Ace, hey, buddy.. lets not do anything irrational okay? I don't want any of us getting kicked out of here tonight" Marco said, already sensing Ace's rising anger. "What'd they say her stage name was?" he asked, turning to look at Thatch. "Uhh.. Like.. I think it was Cinnamon?" he said, not entirely sure.

Pulling out his wallet, he checked the few hundreds he had, "I'll be right back" he growled, getting up from his position at the table, he ignored the shout from Marco to come back. Making his way up to the bartender, "If you're getting a drink then I'll need ID kiddo" the middle aged man said, wiping clean a glass bottle. "The lady that's up dancing, she goes by Cinnamon right?" he asked, causing the bartender to stop what he was doing.

"Yeah? Why? Ya lookin for a private show with her?" he asked, "how much are they?" Ace already started to pull out a few $100 bills. "How long are you wanting? It's a hundred every thirty minutes" Ace sighed, he'll likely be spending his whole paycheck just to get answers. "Alright, yeah, two hours, please" he said, pulling out and placing the four hundred on the bar table. "I'll let her know you requested her" he nodded, taking the money.

Making his way back to Marco and Thatch, he kept his eyes on you, watching as you swayed and danced around the pole, he was too angry to admit that you looked good. Plopping himself back down on his seat, he was met with silence from Marco and Thatch.

"Paid for a private room, I'm not going to wait until she's done" he grumbled. "Yeesh, you're really upset about this aren't you?" Thatch looked down at him, "listen man, ___ is her own being, you can't get angry with her for making money" he sighed, "besides, strippers make bank" he chuckled.

"I-I'm not even upset about the money she makes, or the fact that this is her job!" he stuttered, his anger growing by the second, "I'm upset with the fact that she's up there dancing for all these other men, did you see the way they were ogling her? Like she was some kind of.. I don't know, prize?" he groaned, frustrated. "Ace, buddy, are you jealous?" Thatch asked, "No, I just don't appreciate the way they look at her" he denied, casting another glance towards her. "You really gotta quit with all the denial stuff, Ace, it's clear that you're jealous" Marco sighed, he wasn't expecting this night to be filled with so many surprises and headaches.

Ace was horrible with handling these kinds of things, and he feared for your safety when it came to Ace blowing a fuse. He knew Ace wouldn't lay a hand on you, but that didn't stop him from saying something he didn't mean. "Ace" Marco called, "you need to calm down before you get into the private room with her, because if you don't, then you're going going to say something you'll regret, you always do when you're angry."

"No I do not-" he was cut off by the sound of heels clacking, the noise growing closer and closer. Marco could practically feel his blood run cold. Ace was on the verge of blowing up, and you'd likely be dealing with all of it as soon as you walked into that private room with him. Marco gave Thatch a glance, one he knew all too well.

If Ace hurt you, they'd both be dealing with him.

"So you're the boy who requested me-" your voice was cut off, the look of absolute horror on your face just made this situation all the worse. "What the fuck are you guys doing here?!" you whisper yelled, not at all missing the angry glare Ace was giving you right now. "We should be asking you the same thing" Ace, growled, "come on, I'm not waiting any longer" he got up from his table, and motioned for you to lead the way.

You casted Marco and Thatch a glance, you could see the apologetic look in their eyes, they never meant for this to happen. Your heart was pounding, and you felt like throwing up. Leading Ace towards one of the back private rooms, you thanked one of the security guards as they opened and closed the door behind you and Ace.

"Look Ace I can explai-"

"No, I don't need your explanations, ___" Ace sneered, "I wanna know why you hid this from me for so long, I'm your best fucking friend ___, you've trusted me with everything, so why hide this?!" he struggled to keep his voice low, not wanting to get thrown out. You looked ready to cry.

"I didn't think you needed to know what I did for work Ace! I can't just outright say 'oh yeah! I'm a stripper, I dance in front of horny men for money!' you would've reacted badly, if not worse than you are now!" you looked up at him, annoyance evident in your voice. "I would've taken it a lot better than having to figure it out like this!" his frustration was growing. "Why can't you just accept that this is what I do, Ace?" you asked, glaring up at him.

"Because I don't like the fact that other men are staring at your body!" he raised his voice, breathing heavily, "I don't like it that they get to look at your body, and not.." he sighed, "and not appreciate it" he looked away, his anger simmering down. A knock sounded at the door, "Everything's fine!" you called out hurriedly, looking back at Ace, you wiped at your face, trying to be as careful as you could as to not smear your makeup.

"Jesus fuck Ace, really? You're upset that my body is up on display?!" you whisper-yelled. "No! no, it's not that, for fucks sake, ___, are you that dense?!" he growled, turning to the side, he placed a hand over his mouth, the other on his hip.

It was your turn to get angry.

"Really?" you said, a slight offended laugh leaving your lips, "you're going to come in here and get angry with me over what I do, then call me dense for not understanding why you're angry?" you scoffed, "you know what, I'll get the bartender to give you your money back, I'm leaving"

You just about made your way to the door before Ace grabbed your arm, roughly pushing you against the large red sofa that had been left unused. Placing a hand over your mouth, he grabbed your two arms, holding them down against your thighs. "Will you listen!? I'm not angry with what you do, I'm not angry with how much fucking money you make, I'm angry with the fact that multiple other men get to look at and touch your body" he said lowly, trying to not catch the attention of the security guard standing outside the private room.

"I should be the one doing that, I should be the one seeing your body and showing it the appreciate it deserves, not doing what those assholes out there do" he watched as your face slowly changed from anger to shock, to embarrassed. "I hate the way they look at you, as if you're some object to be played with then cast aside" he sighed, "you deserve so much more than that."

Letting your hands go, he removed his hand from your face and took a few steps back. "Ace?" you called, your voice taking on a softer tone, "why didn't you tell me you felt that way?" you asked, standing up from the sofa. He didn't answer, instead, he bit the inside of his cheek and looked away. You sighed, "Ace, look at me.. please?" you raised a hand to his face, and gently turned him to face you.

He looked dejected, almost as if you had rejected him right then and there, "I wish you would've told me sooner" you smiled, a small blush coating your cheeks, "I like you too silly.." you chuckled. He blinked, taking a minute to fully realize what you had said. He finally looked you in the eyes, opening his mouth, then closing it, it was clear he was lost for words.

"Gosh.. all this fuss over hidden feelings" you sighed, "come on, lighten up, you still have an hour and a half left with me" you giggled. "Wait.." he took a step back, shaking his head. It was as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. "You.. How long have you-?" you looked at him, wondering why your words were so confusing to him. Rolling your eyes, you took his face into your hands and stood on your toes, placing your lips against his.

It was like the gears started to turn in his brain, finally snapping out of his stupor, he ran one of his hands through your hair, tangling his fingers between the fine strands, he pulled you back. A small whine left your lips, and he felt heat travel down to his groin. "Do that again" he breathed, looking down at you with lidded eyes, he tugged on your hair again, this time a little harsher. The second whine that left your lips cause a rumble to sound in his throat, "you know fucking a stripper in the private rooms is against the rules right?" you snickered, enjoying the stinging pain Ace was giving you by tugging on your hair.

"You think I care? I've been waiting years for this" he growled, "besides, I'm not going to give you the pleasure of fucking you right now" he released your hair, "sit down." You obeyed him, feeling that rush of excitement run through your veins, of course you knew this wasn't the best idea, but did you care? Not really. You and Ace could talk about it later, right now you just wanted him.

You watched with a lidded gaze as he un-did his belt, "you're going to be a good girl and suck me off, quietly" he emphasized 'quietly'. You couldn't help but smirk, the only person who would have to be quiet was him. Watching as fully removed his pants, he pulled off his boxers, allowing his cock to spring out. You couldn't help but feel a little nervous, he looked insanely good, but he was girthy. Enough to the point your throat would likely be sore.

He was a good six inches in length, with a wider base and a strong vein along the underside of his shaft. Licking your lips, you watched him with unblinking eyes as you grabbed his hips and forced him forwards. Wrapping your lips around his tip, you felt his hips stutter forwards from the sudden warmth, smirking, you ran your tongue over his slit. "F-fuck" he groaned quietly, placing a hand on the back of your head.

Pushing him further down your throat, you must've surprised him by the way you took him all the way up to his base, noise nestling against his pubic hairs. It was hard trying not to choke, you could feel tears building up, your makeup will likely be ruined by the end of this. "That's it" he breathed, quickly removing his shirt, he could now watch you without that pesky thing in the way.

You felt one of his hands rub the side of your head, fingers running through your strands of hair before tangling themselves once again. You removed your hands from his hips, setting them down onto your lap. With his cock still in your throat, Ace wasted no time at all as he began to face fuck you, thrusting in and out rather harshly. You hoped the wet sounds and the nearly too loud noises of Ace groaning weren't enough to alert the security guard outside.

Tears started to stream down your face, smudging and messing up your makeup, you'd no doubt look absolutely wrecked after he was done. "Look at you.." he groaned, placing his free hand against the wall for support. "Fuck, I should've opened up about my feelings to you sooner" he tilted his head back, eyebrows furrowed, "best fucking view I've ever gotten" he shuddered.

His thrusts were beginning to lose their rhythm, gagging as he forced himself a bit deeper, your nose was hitting his base with each and every buck of his hips. "C-come on.. almost there" he panted, his body was covered in a sheen of sweat.

Another deep groan left his lips, hunching over he pressed himself into you as he came down your throat, his body giving one last shudder before he nearly collapsed on top of you. You struggled to swallow everything, trying to catch your breath as he pulled out of your throat.

"God you look horrible" he couldn't help but chuckle, giving him a firm slap on this thigh, you laid back on the sofa. "How much time do I have left?" he asked, looking down at you. "Like.. forty-five minutes?" your voice sounded strained. "Why..?" you asked.

Getting down on his knees, he placed himself in between your legs, "it's only fair I return the favor right?" he placed a kiss on your inner thigh, "we're not going to have enough time- Ace!" you squealed, feeling his hand press against your clothed cunt. "Oh come on, it's not fair of me to use your mouth to get off then give nothing in return... besides, I wanna know how you taste" he winked, trailing his hands up your thighs, he made his way up towards the straps of your thong.

"If we get caught then you'll be banned and I'll be fired" you whisper-yelled, he rolled his eyes. "You weren't afraid of getting caught earlier when I had my cock down your throat" he tapped your hips, wanting you to lift them so he could remove your thong. "That- That's besides the point!" you hissed.

Despite the fact that you were against this, solely because of the fear of getting caught, you raised your hips anyways. "You better find me a damn good job if I get fired" you growled, "yeah yeah don't worry, there's a bigger likely better paying strip club on the other side of town, I'm sure they'd hire you" he groaned, seeing how wet you were.

"Thought you didn't like me working as a stripper" you muttered, he gave you a look, "that place is a whole lot better than this shit-hole, besides, I know that the women are kept completely safe, plus... I'd be able to watch you every weekend" he winked, you were about to say something before he dove in, tongue pressing against your soaking lips before dragging it up in a firm line.

You had to cover your mouth, eyes fluttering closed from the feeling of his tongue on you, your legs closed around his head. As much as he loved being crushed by your thighs, he wanted to be able to hear your sweet sweet noises, wrapping his arms around your thighs, he held them open. Another long, drawn out whine sounded from you, hands trailing down, you tangled your fingers into his soft, black hair, tugging at it as he ate you out.

"God, you taste so good... y'know that?" he breathed against you, tongue licking at your juices that coated his chin. Releasing one of your thighs, he brought his hand down, running two fingers over your cunt, before pushing them into your hole. "Be a good girl and keep quiet, yeah?" he smirked.

You could feel your abdomen tightening as the coil in your core got closer and closer to snapping, the feeling of his fingers curling inside of you, right against that spongey spot had you seeing stars. You however, weren't prepared for the feeling of his mouth against your clit, tongue pressing and twirling over it. You nearly screamed, having to bite down on your arm in order to keep quiet, you heaved, body shaking with the promise of an orgasm.

"That's it" Ace spoke against you, watching you while he ran his tongue over your clit and fingered you. With one perfect flick of his tongue against you, your vision went white. Ace watched as you arched against the sofa, feeling the way you clamped around his fingers and shuddered against him. The way you completely came undone was indescribably hot to him, he wanted to see the way you'd look cumming around his cock, god he really did wish the both of you were in his room.

You came down from your high, breathing heavily and shaking. Removing his fingers from you, he licked them clean and groaned, you really did taste good. Standing up, he wobbled a little from being on his knees for so long, grabbing and putting on his pants, he watched you with a grin. "Need some help?" he asked, kneeling down to grab your thong off the floor.

"No.. no I got it" you breathed, slowly getting up. There was a noticeable wet spot on the sofa, but it didn't matter, these things got covered in various fluids all the time, if they asked, you'll just tell them a lie.

Taking your thong from Ace, you put it on, having to hold onto him for a bit of support, since your legs were still shaking. A knock sounded on the door, "ten minutes left" a voice called, "alright" you said, trying to keep your voice from sounding too shaky.

Fixing up your hair, you motioned for Ace to pull out his phone, "I need to check my makeup" you motioned for him to hurry, he just stood there and smiled at you like a dumbass. "It's completely ruined, I don't think it's really capable of being saved" he chuckled, pulling out his phone anyways to show you.

A few curses left your lips, how would you explain this to the girls and management? Oh well, you'd just have to make up something on the spot and hope that they'd believe you.

Which they likely wont.

Hasta la vista Pink Nights Strip Club.

At least you wouldn't miss the man who ran this place, probably the one downside of working here. He was creepy, always had a large smile on his face, along with wearing strangely shaped pink sunglasses.. Who wears sunglasses indoors?

You used spit and some conveniently placed tissues to wipe some of the makeup away, most of it smudged, making it look like sweat was the main reason why it was so ruined.

The door unlocked and opened, you waved a quick goodbye to Ace and left, heading back to the dressing rooms.

.....

Ace watched you leave, the security guard gave him nothing but a deep frown as he escorted him out of the room and back out to the main area of the club. He spotted Marco and Thatch still sitting at the table, they looked like they had loosened up a little.

Taking a seat, the two men looked at him "what's with the grin?" Marco asked, squinting at him. "What do you mean?" Ace questioned, "what do you mean 'what do you mean' you come back to the table smiling like an idiot.. what happened?" Thatch said, "did you and ___ work it all out?"

"I suppose you could say that" Ace grinned, "did you fuck her?!" Thatch said rather loudly, covering his mouth quickly, he accepted the harsh nudge Ace gave him. "No you dimwit! Well- sort of.. not really, we just.." he trailed off, thinking back to all the faces you were making, "it's none of your guys' business" he scoffed, rolling his eyes and looking away.

"Oh they definitely did something" Marco snickered, though his smile faded when he saw at least three security guards approach the table. They grabbed Ace and hauled him to the door.

"Oh that fucking idiot" Marco sighed, "I'm sure we'll be seeing ___ soon enough as well" Thatch got up from the table, throwing a tip on the table. "Come on, better give him a ride home" the two left, seeing Ace standing outside with a smile on his face, "are you... proud of yourself? Really?" Marco scoffed, "you're lucky this isn't the usual joint we go to" he walked past Ace, pulling out his keys.

"Speaking of that joint, aren't you on good terms with the owner?" Ace asked Marco, "Shanks? Yeah, we're on good terms, why?" Marco gave a questioning look as he unlocked the car, "just asking incase ___ gets fired."

Marco gave Ace a look, one of pure disappointment. "You got her fired?" he frowned, "well, I mean, I don't know, maybe?" he shrugged, "she'd do better at the usual place we go to anyways..." he muttered.

Shaking his head, Marco said nothing as he started the car.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw you leaving the building, jacket on and belongings all stuffed into a large pink duffel bag.

"For fucks sake" Thatch laughed, "you really are an asshole Ace" he watched as you approached the car, a smile on your face. 

[ofpineapplesanddawns]

Here's the Martin/Peter idea I kept thinking about at work but couldn't write cause write fics on my phone sucks.

Warning: weird vampire anatomy

On with the fic!

--

"Where did you get that doctor's bag?" Peter asked as he sat on his dining room table, a cool gothic looking piece he barely ate at and mainly just used for putting his stuff on and sometimes... seeing how sturdy it was (which is very much is a sturdy piece of antique Victorian furniture).

"Never you mind." Martin smiled as he slipped on his gloves and opened the bag, pulling out an assortment of tools and instruments. "Now, make with the face. And remove your shirt as well, please, it makes it so much easier to study when there are less obstacles in the way."

Peter stuck out his tongue and removed his tank top, throwing it somewhere off to the side before he rubbed at his face, not really wanting to do this. Martin had been bugging him for weeks to study his vampire face, and Peter thought it was stupid and invasive on his personal space, but he finally caved when Martin agreed to something Peter had been asking him to do in the bedroom for weeks.

He removed his hands and Martin was staring. Peter could feel the differences in his face, his hands, all over his body where his vampire nature made itself more well known. He absolutely hated it, but it was part of him now, and he had no choice in the matter.

"Alright, probe me." Peter said, spreading his arms.

Martin grunted, rolling his eyes, as he picked up a tool and started to tug at Peter's now-pointed ears, looking inside. "How well is your hearing? Is echolocation a thing for your species?"

"It's better than ever, which is great, considering I think I was starting to get that ringing issue from all the shit I do on stage. And going clubbing." Peter said, wincing when Martin pulled on his ear. "And echolocation is a thing, it's weird, but kinda cool. Works better when I'm adorable and furry."

"Do you make noises in your current form to do it?"

"You mean making weird chirps and screams? Yeah."

"Fascinating." Martin mumbled before writing something down on a notepad he clearly took from Peter, since it had fake blood splatter on the pages. The things you drunkenly buy online.

He looked at Peter's eyes, his mouth, even touching at his fangs. He asked questions and Peter asked them to the best of his ability. Martin even looked at his finger and toe nails, which were longer, pointed, and very sharp. They still had nail polish on them, but Peter would have to touch them up when he looked human again.

Martin pulled out a stethoscope and listened to Peter's heart, frowning. "It's weird, there's a heart beat, but it's so slow and weak, yet you seem perfectly healthy for a man your age."

"Oi, I'm not that old! I'm not a graying dilf like you!"

"I meant that as a compliment, and I hope you meant what you said as one as well." Martin grinned at him and Peter hissed, hoping he got spit on the guy's face.

"Alright, time to check your lungs." Martin said. "Turn around, it's easier to check from the ba- oh!"

Peter had shifted around, having dreaded this part of the exam but knew it would happen eventually. "Yeah, yeah, don't make a big deal about 'em."

"But... but you have wings!"

"Tiny, pathetic wings that don't do shit!"

Peter felt the wings on his back twitch and flap against his skin twice. They were fully functional bat wings, but the problem with them was that they were exactly the size they'd be if he were in his bat form!

They were so tiny and weak that they couldn't do anything except move and flap without making him airborne. "They're not really impressive, but some fur and leather and extra bones."

Martin gently took one in his hands, studying it in awe. "But this is amazing! You have wings that are moving and working! Can you fly?"

"Do you honestly believe tiny ass wings like that can carry my sorry ass?" Peter snorted. "I mean, I'm a skinny guy, but even I'm not light enough for these pathetic things to do that!"

"Ah, I see." Martin ran a finger over the small patch of light brown fur between the wings and Peter shivered. "Still, that's amazing! I didn't know you had these!"

Peter shifted, his face feeling a bit warmer since Martin kept petting that tiny fur patch. "Y-yeah, well, they only show up when I look like a B-movie monster."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. You're much more handsome than those silly prosthetic features."

"Gee, thanks." Peter sniffed and squeaked, actually squeaked, when he felt Martin scratch the spot like he would a cat's ear. "S-stop that..!"

Martin sounded like he was grinning when he said "Oh! That's an interesting reaction!"

"Oh my God."

"Is this one of those erogenous zones people have?"

"Don't fuckin' say that about my bat wings!"

"How cute! I wonder if any other bat features of yours are as sensitive."

"God, you are a horrible doctor! No wonder you lost your license!"

"I think that was the murders, actually."

"Shut up!" Peter squeaked again. "Stop touchin' it!"

Martin laughed. "Ah, but progress requires more touching!"

"No, it does not!"

--

Peter is just really sensitive back there, I don't think it's an erogenous zone, haha.

(And yes, this sort of thing is true for Hardy in my Vardy au, he does have tiny wings on his back as well, but no one ever sees them because he's always in baggy suits)

[moonxbat98]

Before The Dawn

Gregory/OC

Three months before the Thompson family move to Scotland sixteen year old Alice Ellington is the new kid in town and no one has ever seen her out with her parents, or knows where she lives; except for Gregory. He knows her parents are dead and she’s a street kid, living like a squatter in an old house on a hill. What he doesn’t know is that she isn’t as fragile as she looks, or that she’s not human. But that’s a secret Alice intends on keeping for as long as she can.

A/N: Will contain graphic depictions of blood, gore, violence, and death. Will notify readers of any changes within the ratings of nudity, sexual themes, and strong coarse language.

F Is For Friend or Foe

Song for the chapter: Never Know by Bad Omens

—

Alice’s POV

A sharp, brief gale of wind blew dark–colorful curls into her glowering face, followed by a spray of dirt kicked up by the tires of the Kawasaki motorcycle careening to a stop in front of her. The driver’s headlamp blinded her momentarily before the light and engine cut off completely.

It was the man who spoke first in a rough voice, a toothy smile stretching across his rugged shadowed–face, “Hello there darlin’. Haven’t seen you in so long and you gonna greet me like this? Holding that pathetic thing in my face?”

She held the sawed–off steady in one hand, it’s barrel aimed between the eyes of the haughty newcomer. A muscle in her jaw twitched. “The bullets may not be real asshole, but they’ll still hurt like a son of a bitch. How did you find me anyway?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk! You should know better by now, love. I can find you anywhere on this earth, remember? There’s nowhere in this realm or the next I won’t be able to track you down.”

He rose from his bike, towering over Alice by a foot and a half. His shaggy, shoulder–length wet hair fell over his face in clumps as he bent over to gleam at her – completely and utterly ignoring the shotgun barrel staring him down.

“You must be looking to get your ass whooped, huh Azriel? I told you last time before we went our separate ways that if you came after me I was going to find a way to end your sorry ass.”

“Aw, is that how you really feel? I’m hurt. Honestly. I helped create you and you don’t want anything to do with me?”

Alice snorted, “Hell no. Not behind the pearly gates of Heaven, even if you was allowed back in there, or the deepest depths of the underworld.” She shifted her stance, putting her feet shoulder–length apart, and Azriel laughed.

His eyebrows shot up, hopping quickly from the space he was standing in front of her to her left. “If you were going to shoot me, dear, you would’ve done so already.” A hop to her right, grinning like a mad hatter. “So why don’t you go ahead and get it out of your mouth? Ask me the question that’s on your mind right now.”

The barrel followed his movements with ease, her finger moving to lay over the trigger. “What question would that be? How much of a pain in my ass you’ve become? I ran from the States for a reason, you shithead. It’s been rather peaceful here without you and don’t you think for one second I’ve forgotten about what happened in California.”

Azriel scoffed and rolled his eyes, shoulders sagging as he retorted, “I didn’t think you would. But the question I was hoping for was ‘why have you been here in Scotland for two weeks and haven’t popped in to see me until now?’ You know, a guy just can’t catch a break with you.”

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “You’ve been here for two weeks?”

“Uh, duh! You seem so surprised. Did you not sense I was around? You know, that’s very sloppy of you and I’m disappointed to say I did not expect you to be slipping up.”

Alice snarled in annoyance, flipping the shotgun around in her hand so that she was holding the barrel and wielding it as if it were a baseball bat. “I sensed something was wrong, but I was holding out on the hope I wouldn’t have to look at your stupid face again.”

The man chuckled, leaning in close and puckering his lips playfully, “You weren’t complaining about my stupid face when we were together so many years ago. In fact, I quite remember you used to enjoy my stupid face when it was between your legs.”

She released an enraged scream, swinging the sawed–off at Azriel, but missed as he blurred to his motorcycle. His movements were fast enough that human eyes would’ve only seen a quick glimpse of shiny leather and black. Azriel sat on the bike again, chortling with glee as she flipped forward into a roll to stop from making a complete fool of herself.

The shotgun was twice her size, just as heavy as it looked, and the awkwardness threatened to drag her to the ground as she missed her intended target. But she had caught herself and was left on her knees, clutching the sawed–off to her chest as she stared daggers up at Azriel.

“What the hell else do you want from me?”

“Oh, honey, I didn’t come to Scotland for you. I came to visit an old friend of mine, actually. You just happened to be in the neighborhood too and I finally decided to see what you was up to. Still playing human, I see.”

Alice huffed and rose to her feet just as languidly as she had been leaning against the store counter, with the elegance and grace of a queen. “I didn’t even know you had friends.”

“Says the woman who has no friends. But anyhoo, as much fun as this little reunion has been, I gotta run.”

She spun on her heel to stomp off, grunting. “As long as you don’t hang around me we’re cool.”

“Don’t walk away too fast, love, I got a great view from the back I don’t wanna miss.” Azriel waved after her as he turn the key in his motorcycle, smiling like the cat that got the canary. “I’ll be seeing you around!”

Alice burst through the door of the smoke shop and slammed it shut behind her with an irritated growl, leaning quickly against it’s cool glass as the sound of the bike engine sat there for a minute with a steady thrum.

She didn’t want to look back over her shoulder though she could see the angry glare of the motorcycle’s headlamp through the dimly lit store. Instead she focused on a nearby lava lamp, watching the purple ooze inside as it drifted up and down it’s glittery bottle.

Then, just as fast as he’d shown up, the Kawasaki sped off and took it’s looming beam of light with it.

Gregory’s POV

What.

Just.

Happened.

Gregory slunk low through the aisles in the oddly decorated shop, watching the youthful–looking woman as she raised her foot and slammed her boot against the glass door.

His floor–length trench coat grazed along the checkered tile as he crept closer, hidden behind statues of various deities and dream catchers. There were lava lamps of all colors spread throughout the little store, neon signs and posters colliding with each other on the walls.

Being in much closer proximity to her the girl appeared to be close to his age rather than the twenty–something he had assumed, although that man who was harassing her had acted as if she were much older than even that. The way he spoke to her was rather vulgar though, like they had once been something to each other.

It seemed as if they had years of history between them.

Gregory inhaled slowly as he came to a stop at the end of the shelves, crouching down to his knees. He smelled rosemary and peony.

“Hey! Who’s there?”

He startled, eyes widening as he jumped back a few feet. There was no way she heard him, as feather light as his footsteps had been and as careful as he was not to knock over anything.

And of course, his lack of heartbeat.

Then the young female appeared in front of him, brandishing the sawed–off in her hands aimed right for his face, and if looks could kill Gregory would’ve died on the spot. His hands automatically flew to protect his chest, shouting, “Put that thing down! Whatever it is I don’t want to be licking any wounds later.”

He doubted the weapon would kill him, it didn’t appear as if it held stakes, but Gregory didn’t want to find out.

“How the hell did you get in here?”

“The door was open, miss. This shop is open right?”

“Oh… right.” Alice lowered the weapon to her side slowly, while sizing him up, and offered her hand; raising a curious eyebrow. “Did you drop something on the floor or do you want some help up?”

He gaped at her for a moment, then collected himself and scoffed, “No I did not drop anything and I most certainly do not need your help.” With one swift, languid move Gregory was on his feet again standing over her by a good three feet.

She didn’t even flinch, her expression changing from curious to annoyed. “Look, dude, either pick something and pay for it or get the hell out.” Alice spun on her heel and began stomping towards the glass box, still talking as she walked away from him.

“At this particular moment I am not in a good mood, I’m wielding a shotgun, and I am seriously tired of dealing with male ego.”

Gregory sped past her, moving fast although not as fast as Azriel had been, and was blocking her path as her hand reached out for the knob of the door that lead into the protective room with the glass windows. He bared his fangs, snarling, “I’m not a customer. I have no money to give you nor would I want anything out of this business!”

She skid to a halt in her tracks before she could collide with the strange boy, but still was unfazed. Alice threw the shotgun aside as Gregory’s hands clamped onto her upper arms and with both hands she grabbed a hold on the edges of his trench coat, lifted him off the floor with ease and made to toss him aside.

He let out a startled gasp, but dug his fingernails into her skin and as she swung him he pulled him down with her. Both of them rolled across the floor until they hit a shelf, halfway across the room. Hookahs and bongs rattled, a few grinders hit the ground, but the shelf wobbled until it became still.

Alice on top, glaring daggers as her hair hung around her face. Her legs trapped his legs together and his face, he was sure, would be red had he fed earlier tonight. Gregory, on bottom, heaved an irritated breath and snarled again. His hands moved from her upper arms to wrap around her throat, “What are you woman?!”

She drew back one of her hands from his coat, fingers already curled into a fist, “None of your business!” Her knuckles made contact with his nose and in anger, he bucked his hips rolling the two of them around so he was on top.

He felt the bone in his nose had broken, but no blood poured out, and Alice gaped in surprise. Only a little drop of thick, blue–black liquid leaked from his nostrils. “I have not the energy to fight with you, lady, so can we please call a truce? We are obviously evenly matched..”

“Get your hands away from my throat and you got yourself a truce, bloodsucker.”

Gregory scowled down at Alice, reluctantly pulling away and getting back to his feet. “How do you know what I am?” His head tilted as she bent her knees, bucked her hips, and flipped onto her feet like a ninja. “You aren’t human.”

“What gave it away? The fact I picked your ass up like you weighed no more than a newborn baby? Or the fact I sensed you before you knew I was even aware of you lurking between the shelves?”

He grinned slowly, toothily, and let out a laugh. “And here I had thought my hunting skills were starting to get rusty. You felt I was here before I saw you?”

“Yeah. And I also smelled death.”

[zephyrusislost]

All the lonely people

Chapter 1. Snowfall

In his first life, Regulus Black had died alone.

And now, seventeen years into his second life, he has almost everything that he'd ever wished for last time.

In the small town of New Roselle, Adrastor Snow was the keeper for an ancient graveyard standing beside the even more ancient church. Since the ripe age of ten, Regulus Snow had been learning the trade from his father, in bite sized pieces. Newly graduated from high school now, he can take over, and Adrastor can finally rest.

Objectively, Regulus liked his second life better than his first. His parents, Lysandra and Adrastor Snow, were kind and doting. He could see his whole life planned out ahead, with people that knew and had no problems with him. All in all, very pleasant, very tame.

On the first day of his father's retirement, Regulus trekked the whole five minutes from his home to the graveyard, and unlocked the heavy ornate gates seven minutes before nine o'clock. He checked off his morning tasks at a pace comparable to a sloth: unlock the office, check the mail, water the bushes, clean up any rubbish and dead flowers, then finally, sit in his little swinging chair and stare off at nothing. Just fine and dandy.

The first few people dribble in just as he'd settled down. They don't ever talk to him, and don't usually even look at him. Regulus respects that. They're here to grieve, and sometimes, Regulus feels like he is too.

Despite passing these same people in the streets, in the shops, the church, for numerous years, he doesn't know most of their names. Doesn't feel the flash of familiarity when he sees their faces.

Niki from the bakery came by at noon. She was lovely to Regulus - his parents had even tried to set them up on a date once - but he was a shadow of a human being who was unable to form connections with anyone anymore. Niki laid pastel yellow flowers by her grandmothers grave, then came to sit next to Regulus, procuring a sourdough loaf that fit perfectly into her cupped hands.

"For you, darling. I was trying some new scoring patterns and this one didn't turn out too well. Still tastes good though." Niki was so kind, so good.

"Thank you, Niki. I'm sure mother and father would like it."

"And what about you?" Niki smiled shyly.

"Of course."

In his second life, Regulus doesn't feel as deeply, doesn't care as much.

~~

Every shift is a graveyard shift when you're in an actual graveyard. That's awful and also poetic for Regulus, because he has been missing his sun. And just about every single little fucking thing that he once had. It's become a little pathetic.

His life now is good. Picture perfect, and happy. Like something out of a novel that Regulus had randomly picked up in the muggle studies section of the Hogwarts library, and secretly enjoyed thoroughly. Maybe living in it would be perfect, if he didn't remember his life as Regulus Black. If mentally, he wasn't still back there, wishing for this mundane life as an escape.

Regulus Black had been quiet, but someone had listened to every word that he said. He was cold and untouchable, but surrounded by people who cared, who tried.

Under the fading blue sky and setting sun, Regulus Snow could speak all he wanted to an empty graveyard, and only the deceased would pretend to listen.

~~

Father Mackenzie's Sunday church services were not very popular. The old man still does his thing as usual, what else can he do anyway? By far, the most exciting things that the church ever sees are weddings, followed by funerals. But in a small town, those are few and far in between.

Regulus attends every Sunday, only for his parents. He doesn't think they'll mind much if he stops going, but doesn't really have enough resolve to break the routine. After the service, some will visit their loved ones in the graveyard. Some won't. Either way, it's usually empty when Regulus returns. This time, it's not.

Two guys, not much older than Regulus, are in his swinging couch as he arrives. They're talking, laughing, and eating baguettes. That's fine, it's a public place. Regulus heads back to his little office. Now would be a good time to write the order for some new flower seeds anyways, his father was a practical man, but this sad little corner of the world was now his pride and life's work, so it should be at least somewhat nice.

He stays in there until five twenty, and closes the gates almost half an hour late, because he lost track of time researching the meanings of different flowers, the conditions they need to grow, and what time of year they would bloom.

As sad as it sounds, Regulus doesn't think he would mind dying alone in his second life too.

[i-just-like-goats]

Dazai x Fem Reader x slight Chuuya

Summary: does he regret leaving you?

Warnings: none that I can think of

WC: 0.8k

Previous Next

Main Masterlist

“Crying doesn’t suit you,”

“I’m not crying. It’s the rain,”

“Well forgive me for making any assumptions then. You can’t blame me, the circumstances all point to you crying,”

“And what circumstances are those?”

“Your wonderful ex Dazai is using his trench coat in a pathetic attempt to shield his new lover from the rain. A successful romantic gesture that you wanted to do with him,”

You swallowed as Chuuya held his umbrella over the both of you.

“I’m not crying,” You stubbornly said. 

“Yes and I’m not part of the Port Mafia,”

“You don’t know anything Chuuya,”

“Correct, but I do know you. And I do know Dazai,”

“Whatever. What are you doing here anyway?”

“I was just passing by but I saw my dear subordinate walking in the rain already drenched, so out of the kindness of this heart of mine, I decided to check on her. My effort was clearly wasted, since she’s just so thrilled to see me,”

You scoffed, but it did brighten your mood slightly. With a roll of your eyes at what you’re about to do, you pushed Chuuya’s arm to hold the umbrella over himself then stood next to him under the umbrella. Chuuya’s eyes widened at the close proximity.

“Let’s go, you’ve been in the rain for too long,�� you muttered.

“I should be saying that to you,”

With that, Chuuya accompanied you back to the Port Mafia base, as Dazai stood there paused watching the two of you talking and walking away from him. His heart squeezed slightly, but it was gone from his mind when his girlfriend sneezed adorably. He smiled at her.

The next day you were slumped over your desk, mentally exhausted for the scene you weren’t prepared for. Chuuya burst into your room with a smile.

“Say, Chuuya. Dazai’s much different from when he was with us, isn’t he? He seems much happier,” you stated glumly.

“Stop thinking about him. He left our lives, didn’t he? So just focus on the present.” He glared at your slumped body.

Sighing, you shifted to turn your head to face Chuuya but dropped it back onto your desk, much to Chuuya’s dismay. His frown made you chuckle.

“I don’t find this amusing Y/N. I can’t just watch you act so glumly because of some stupid guy. I care about you too much to allow you to continue like this,”

“Aw, does Chuuya have a heart? How sweet of him to care about little old me,” you teased.

Your eyes widened as Chuuya picked you up from your seat and carried you outside.

"I don't normally do this-"

"So don't "

"Do you want to go get sweets or not?"

You scrambled out of Chuuta's arms to walk ahead of him.

"Should've started with that,"

Chuuya shook his head but followed you to a café where you liked to visit after completing a job as a reward. You sat at a table near the window, waiting for Chuuya to catch up.

"I'm going to say that you're paying," you announced, "since you brought me out here."

"Yes, fine. Anything,"

"Well, I want a slice of red velvet cheesecake. Order something for yourself,"

He got up to order. Unknown to the both of you, Dazai noticed your figure happily making its way into the café. His eyes softened after seeing you happy even though he broke up with you.

Dazai knew that he was a changed man. Ever since he left the Port Mafia, he has been a much better person, so much so that he confidently entered a relationship, finally ready for the commitments it would bring.

He never regretted leaving you. He had rationalised that it was the best decision at the time to lessen the hurt and to allow the both of you to grow as people.

With a smile, Dazai thought of you smiling up at him. He was certain he felt no love for you, but he was fond of you and definitely respected you. He finally knew what love was when he met her.

But that didn't mean he no longer cared for you, so with a cheery face, he started walking to the café to just chat and catch up with you. He completely halted.

"Here's your cake." Chuuya sat down across from you.

You smiled gratefully at Chuuya.

Dazai's smile dropped. He hadn't noticed that you were with Chuuya. He had been ready to go up to you and talk to you in spite of any company you may have had with you. He was even ready to walk up to you with Chuuya there. 

But, you smiled at Chuuya the way that you used to smile at him. You looked so happy to be around Chuuya. Dazai's jaw clenched. He wasn't sure what this feeling was, but he hated it. It felt as though you were clenching his heart in your hands. He was so distraught that he didn't notice when his girlfriend hugged his arm.

"Dazai. What's wrong?" She asked with a concerned face.

When Dazai, saw her taken aback face at his glare, he dropped his head. So this is how he treated you. This is how you felt when you saw him with her.

He laughed.

"I'm sorry Y/N,"

[fruitcoops]

I absolutely love your fics!!! Thank you for sharing your talent with the world. If you're interested, do you think you could write a fic where Finn gets injured in a game against Tampa? O'Hara brothers ftw ♥️♥️♥️

Ohohohoho yes. It's 'missing your big brother so you write siblings' hours, and all of you are trapped in here with me. Combined with prompts for cubs hurt comfort/ poly love (@hi-im-phoenix) and distraction hurt/ comfort for AJ. Sorry about your manager <3 SW credit goes to @lumosinlove!

TW for bone inJuries

The crowd was roaring. Finn couldn’t catch his breath. His arm was on fire.

Something like a sob broke free in his chest, but he could do little more than hiccup in pain and fear from his place laying flat on his back atop the unforgiving ice. He couldn’t move his fingers. His elbow throbbed. Everything in between just hurt.

“—fuck is wrong with you?” an angry voice shouted, followed by a flash of blue and white shoving at the man whose late hit had left him suspended in shock. Finn didn’t know if it had been on purpose, but he didn’t really care anymore as a tear tracked down to his ear. He couldn’t pull his eyes away from the bright lights overhead.

A hand cradled one side of his jaw, warm and clammy on his cold skin. “Talk to me, mon amour, what’s wrong?”

“Lo,” he croaked, swallowing hard. “I’m okay. ‘m okay, promise. I’m okay.”

“Out of my way!” The blue and white blob pushed closer before kneeling next to him. A helmet hit the ice, followed by a glove; heavy hands settled on his shoulders, and the one on his face disappeared. “Finn? Finn, look at me.”

Finn’s chest hitched once, twice, hard. His head was pounding, and everything hurt. He may have been able to reassure Logan, but he had never been able to hide from his brother. “Alex.”

“Hey, buddy,” he soothed as Finn finally regained enough breath to gasp around his tears. “No, no, shhh. You’re gonna be just fine, yeah? Can you tell me what happened?”

“Hurts,” he choked out, squeezing his eyes shut. The pain had reached his shoulder and every movement was agony. “It hurts, it hurts—Alex, it hurts.”

“What hurts?”

He could hear people calling for medics. His friends, his family. But Alex stayed right there next to him, holding his good hand and brushing his tears away. “My arm,” Finn said, feeling as pathetic as he ever had. “Alex, it hurts so bad.”

“Can you wiggle your fingers for me?” Finn sobbed again as he shook his head and saw the encouraging smile slide of Alex’s face. “That’s alright, buddy, just take some deep breaths.”

“I don’t wanna be out,” Finn blubbered. “I gotta play.”

Alex gave his hand a light squeeze. “It’s not that bad, Fish. Deep breaths.”

He managed a handful—and admittedly felt a little better—but the alarms in his head were still blaring when Remus arrived with the medic, all but carrying him across the ice to get to Finn. He had a smudge of a bruise beneath his eye, but the worry creasing his brow overtook anything else. “I’m good, Loops,” Finn panted as the medic sat next to him. “Totally cool.”

“28, I’m going to need you to make some room,” the medic ordered. Fear spiked in Finn’s heart when he met Alex’s gaze, but he found only determination looking back.

“I’m not leaving,” Alex said simply.

The medic glanced down. “Can you stand?”

“I think so?” Finn said hesitantly, trying to get cool air back into his lungs. “It’s—I think I broke my arm. Everything else is okay.”

“What’s your pain level?”

“Eight. And a half,” he added. Alex frowned.

“Let’s get you off this ice, yeah?” The medic patted him gently on the shoulder. “O’Hara, can you get him up?”

“Keep that one close,” Alex murmured, sliding his arm under Finn’s shoulders. He clenched his teeth around a cry of pain as his bad arm was jostled, but Alex was strong and steady, and within a few seconds he was on his feet. “Easy does it, bud. I’ve got you.”

“Fucking shit,” Finn wheezed as he tried to close his hand. The fear and adrenaline had faded, but involuntary tears sprang to his eyes anyway. Alex held him upright without faltering despite his wobbly legs; they made it to the bench in a blur of movement that made Finn dizzy.

“We can take him from here,” the medic said to Alex.

“I’ll be fine,” Finn said, cutting him off just as he opened his mouth. “Go play. Your boys need you.”

Alex pressed his lips together in obvious frustration, but tapped their helmets together and skated back to his own bench. Finn let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes for a moment. “O’Hara?”

“I’m good,” he assured the medic.

“If you feel like you need to throw up, let me know.”

“No. No, I’m good. Just hurts.”

He caught a glimpse of the clock as they headed down the tunnel—ten minutes left in the period. Finn steeled himself for a long stretch of being alone in a medical room and tried to focus on something over than the unbearable heat and throbbing in his arm.

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

Leo traced the edge of the splint with a deep-set frown, but said nothing. His other thumb ran in gentle lines up and down Finn’s waist, kept there by Logan’s side pressing close. “You’re sure you’re alright?” Logan asked softly as he placed a kiss on the corner of Finn’s mouth.

“I promise.” They had barely traded ten words—both had shown up the second the game ended, stripping off their pads and skates in the entrance to the medical room before sandwiching Finn between them. Leo had been unusually quiet. They had won the game; from what Finn saw on the television in the corner of the room, Alex had reamed out the guy that hit Finn with a vengeance. Tampa had been disjointed, and the Lions swept in as a cohesive pack, out for blood.

“I was worried about you,” Leo said at last, resting his temple on Finn’s shoulder. He sighed, then shifted impossibly closer. “Couldn’t get through the crowd.”

“I thought Talker and Loops were gonna kill that guy after he hit you,” Logan said with a shake of his head. “Looks like Alex did it for him.”

“What, you didn’t get into your shining armor for me?” Finn teased, nuzzling his nose against Logan’s cheek to draw even a slight smile from him.

“Maybe next time.”

“No,” Leo mumbled, linking his fingers with Finn’s purple ones and lifting them to his lips for a brief kiss. It was a clean break, but would still take weeks to heal. Big blue eyes landed on him, melting his heart like they always did. “No ‘next times’, okay?”

“Aw, Knutty,” Finn said, barely above a whisper. He wrapped one arm around each of them and held them tight, soaking in the feeling of having both crushed against him. “I’m sorry I worried you.”

Logan tucked his face into Finn’s neck. “Nothing to be sorry for, mon rouge. We’re just glad you’re alright.”

“Sorry to interrupt,” a voice said from the door. Alex shifted his weight back and forth, twisting his baseball cap in his hands like he always did when he was nervous. Finn didn’t hesitate before extracting himself from the cuddle pile and crossing the room; Alex met him halfway and engulfed him in a hug. A shudder ran through him under Finn’s palms. “Jesus, Finn, you scared the hell out of me.”

“Sorry,” Finn mumbled into his hoodie, letting himself be cocooned by distilled safety. Even out of his skates, Alex had a good two inches on him, and he had always been the broader of the two—Finn suddenly felt about six years old, as if he had just skinned his knee on the sidewalk.

“What’s the diagnosis?”

“Closed break, clean fracture. I’ll be out for a month or two.” He stepped back and swiped a hand under his nose, then tilted his head toward Leo and Logan with a wry smile. “But I’ve got these two to look after me.”

Alex scanned his face for a moment; his mouth dipped on one side. “I called mom and dad, told ‘em you’re okay. You should tell them yourself, though. They were freaking out.”

“I will,” Finn promised.

The worry creasing his brow didn’t diminish as he wrapped Finn in his arms again, holding him tight. “Keep me updated, yeah? If I don’t hear from you, I’ll get the captain on your ass, and he won’t be as nice about it as I will.”

“Deal.”

“Knutty, Lo, drive safe. If he tries to pull some stupid shit, I’m counting on your survival skills to stop it.”

“Survival skills?” Leo half-laughed.

Alex pulled away and raised his eyebrows. “They don’t call me Hurricane O’Hara for nothing.”

His eyes flickered back to Finn, who was horrified to see slight redness around the rims despite the teasing in his voice. “Alex,” he said softly. “I’m okay, I swear.”

“I know.” His voice was gruff, but it poorly hid a sniffle as he bumped their foreheads together. “But I’m your brother. It’s my job to worry about you. I hate that one of my guys was at fault here.”

Finn tried for a smile, socking him on the arm. “Six weeks, and I’ll be good as new.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” With a final survey of his face and a kiss to the top of his head, Alex headed back out into the hall with his shoulders up near his ears. Finn sighed; he hated it when Alex was upset, and even more when there was nothing he could do to fix it except wait. He didn’t know what he’d do if one of his teammates broke his brother.

“Fish?” Leo was smiling when he turned around. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

“What kind?”

“The kind where I pull out all the sob story pity points on Cap’s soft heart and get us babysitting privileges for his incredibly fluffy dog after three months of constant begging.”

Finn’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding.”

“Make sure you look extra sad when we leave,” Logan advised. “We can’t lose this opportunity because you were too perky about a broken arm.”

“Quick, someone make me cry.”

Leo’s grin turned to horror. “What?”

“No!” Logan said at the same time.

“You guys are killing me here,” Finn groaned. “Just, like, hit me in the arm or something.”

“No!” they shouted in unison.

“You said I need to look sad!”

“I meant pout and sigh!” Logan pulled him over by the hem of his shirt in clear distress. “You’ve already cried too much tonight. No more.”

“Alright,” Finn agreed, already wracking his brain for any smidgen of drama skills he might have acquired over the years. Younger siblings were always the best actors, of course—he had given some Oscar-worthy performances to his mom when Alex got on his nerves as a kid—but Sirius was tough to fool. Maybe if he stayed quiet and didn’t risk opening his mouth they would get away with it.

Leo let out a slow exhale against his chest and snuggled closer before standing. “Come on, darlin,” he said with a kiss to Finn’s forehead. “Let’s get you settled. We’ll take a shower, have some dinner, and then we can put a movie on.”

“Mighty Ducks?” Finn asked hopefully.

Logan rolled his eyes. “Of course.”

[joaquinwhorres]

Blank Out (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

SUMMARY ››››› Bucky Barnes has a list of names–amends he needs to make. When he gets to yours, he finds the amends process a bit more…difficult than it should be.

WORD COUNT ››››› 1,700-ish

WARNINGS ››››› language

A/N ››››› Oh hey, look at me jumping on that Falcon and the Winter Soldier trend. This is the Y/N version of my OC fic. Exactly the same but for people who prefer Y/N. Lemme know if you want to join the tag list!

Bucky stood outside of the door, staring at the wreath of brightly colored fabric leaves, a small wooden sign hanging in the center with the words Give Thanks looping across it. 

He doubted there was going to be much thankfulness for him on the other side of the door. 

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

This was supposed to be getting easier. Dr. Raynor told him it would get easier. 

But for someone who hated bullshit so much, she really spent far too much time talking out of her ass. Because this wasn't easy. 

Easy would be surreptitiously wiring a million dollars into each of their bank accounts from the HYDRA accounts he still had access to.

Easy would be taking out anyone who had been involved in the decision to give him the order. 

Easy would be breaking the damn rules. 

The rules aren't meant to make your life easy, James. They're meant to disconnect you from the Winter Soldier. That's the whole point of making amends, isn't it? 

He'd give anything to get her damn voice out of his head. 

Bucky propelled himself up the front porch steps before he could change his mind. Like he had last yesterday. 

He rapped on the front door, accidentally knocking the wreath sideways as he went to pull his hand away. Instinctively, he reached out to right it, centering the sign and taking his hands away slowly to avoid a repeat of the situation. Bucky checked over his shoulder, half expecting Sam's stupid little robot to Zoom into view with Sam cackling and making some dumb quip about metal butterfingers. But Redwing wasn't there. The only other person outside was an old man mowing his lawn in a dingy white undershirt and grey sweatshorts. Bucky's lip curled in disgust before turning back to the door--the sound of locks clicking out of place putting him on alert. 

"Hello?" 

Bucky blinked, his eyes meeting those of the woman before him. Her eyes were striking, pinning him to the spot and pushing all semblance of thought out of his head. 

"Can I help you?"

Bucky blinked, nodding at her. Right. He was here for a reason. Not to stand like some teenage boy who'd just seen the girl next door for the first time. 

"I'm looking for Y/N Y/L/N."

"You found her." 

He blanched. "You're Y/N Y/L/N?" 

The look of vague curiosity that had been gracing features markedly shifted into a look of annoyance. "Believe it or not, Y/N’s come in all shapes, sizes, and colors." 

Fuck this. He needed to get out of here. There was no way he could have this conversation now. 

"Still want to talk to me?" She asked, eyebrows arched and arms folded across her chest. 

No. 

Sam's laughter echoed in his head, as if he'd been here to witness the exchange. And that's why he stayed. Out of spite. 

He nodded. "My name is James "Bucky" Barnes and--"

"Wait a second," she held out a hand and raised an eyebrow on him. He did as she asked, stopping mid-sentence with a sinking feeling in his gut. "You're the Bucky Barnes?"

He nodded, resigned to the fact that this was going to be his worst attempt at amends yet. "Yeah." 

"Well," she breathed, dropping her arms. "If I'd known I was meeting an Avenger at my door, I might have put on some pants." 

His eyes ran down from her face, noticing for the first time that she wore a dressing robe that barely swept the tops of her knees. Her bare knees.

His mouth opened as if he had even the faintest clue how to respond to this and then his jaw moved up and down for a new second as if the motion of talking would bring words. While it didn't muster an apology or some other decent thing to say, he did manage to utter a single word: "Shit."

She snorted at the reaction before smiling for the first time and shaking her head. "If you want to come in and wait, I'll go get changed."

He shook his head. "I can wait out here."

She was still smiling. Probably because she realized he was far more pathetic up close. "Suit yourself, but there's eggs inside."

"I'm good," he said, forcing himself to give a tight smile that didn't reach his eyes. She nodded, leaving the door open behind her as she disappeared inside the house--as if he'd change his mind.

He should leave right now. Turn around and come back a different day when he could at least function like a mostly human being. Bucky ran a hand through his hair, scratching the back of his head. 

The quick, sharp sound of pattering bare feet broke his stream of thought, as another girl came to the door, standing before him with her hands on her hips. "We were having breakfast, you know," the girl announced, her voice dripping with sass. "Now we have to wait until she's done talking to you. And I'm starving." 

Bucky raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be….not talking to strangers?"

"Shouldn't you be eating breakfast?" she countered.

"It's ten in the morning; I ate already."

"We were supposed to have breakfast an hour ago. But Ravi--"

"Rocio, leave Bucky Barnes alone," Y/N's voice called from elsewhere. 

Before he could fully process how odd it was for him to use his name, the little girl's hands dropped from her hips and she stared up at him, mouth agape and eyes comically wide. 

"You're Bucky Barnes?" she asked, her small voice awed. 

He nodded with a deep sigh and another forced smile. 

"What happened to your hair?"

"Got a haircut," he shrugged.

She furrowed her brow at him, her little eyes peering intently at his face. He wasn't sure the last time someone had looked him in the eyes this long. Nobody except Steve had looked him in the eyes since he made it out. The corner of his mouth twitched up. She nodded at him, having composed herself so her little face was serious once more. "I like this better."

"Thanks." He couldn't keep the amusement from his voice. He didn't even really try. 

A thought seemed to hit her, lighting up her whole face with excitement. "Wait right here. Don't move. Promise."  He nodded again and she raised her eyebrows at him, giving him a stern look. 

"I promise," he said, clearly stating each word.

She nodded at him. "Ok. Good." And then she turned and ran into the house, her feet making far more sound than they should for someone of her size.

Y/N reappeared shortly thereafter with a faint smile on her lips, dressed in a copper colored sweater and jeans. "Sorry. You're her favorite."

"She's cute." 

What an idiotic thing to say. 

"Wish I could take credit," Y/N said, shaking her head. "She's my sister's. I'm just the babysitter on duty."

There were some more sounds of scampering and Rocio was back at the door wearing a long black satin glove, reaching about halfway up her bicep. There were lines streaked across it in gold marker to make it look like it was made of metal plates. 

"I made an arm like yours!" she announced, almost whacking Y/N in the stomach as she extended her arm out for him to see. 

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He'd seen Halloween costumes for sale and shirts with one of the sleeves modeled after his arm, and pictures of guys with an arm wrapped in tinfoil. All of them had been with his old arm--his silver one with the red star. The arm that belonged to Him. An arm made to invoke fear. 

This was the arm of a protector. 

She deserved more of a reaction than a small, breathy, "Wow." 

"Will you sign it?" Her eyes got even bigger if possible, and Y/N started to shake her head, bending over to talk to the little girl,  but Bucky stopped her. 

"You got a marker?"

"I'll go find one!" Rocio disappeared again, leaving him and Y/N alone on the doorstep. She was closer this time, and he could hear her talking to herself and rustling through different drawers. 

Y/N turned her attention from her niece back onto Bucky. "So, why is Bucky Barnes on my doorstep?"

"I uh--when does your sister get home?" he asked, eyes focused in the direction of Rocio's sounds. He swallowed, tearing his eyes away and back up to hers. "I should probably tell both of you...together."

The playful amusement that had been on her face disappeared as she stared at him, as if trying to see inside his head. Like she would want to see what was inside of his head. 

"She'll be here around three." 

He nodded, saved from a response by Rocio's re-appearance, waving a silver sharpie in the air. She offered it to him, and he plucked it out of her hand, taking hold of her toothpick of an arm in one hand and signing his name on the inside of her bicep. Where she could hide the signature if she wanted to.

Bucky handed the marker back to her as Rocio held her arm out, trying to catch sight of his name. 

"Rocio," Y/N prodded, gently. 

"Thank you!"  she chirped, before turning and literally skipping back inside. "Ravi--look!"

He liked her.

"That was really kind of you," Y/N said, warmly. "I think you just made her year." 

He shrugged. 

"Although, I have a feeling that this is all she's going to talk about for the next week," Y/N sighed, shaking her head. "Anyway, Lilly will be back around three if you want to come back then and share whatever secret serious news is it that you need to tell us together." Her voice was teasing, and Bucky's mouth lifted into a smirk.

"I'll be back then." 

"Great," she smiled politely. "See you then." 

He nodded, wishing her goodbye before turning down the stairs.

So much for getting easier.

[deeisace]

Okay, 1. I forgot what a good film School of Rock is, and 2. Who the fuck made Wednesdays a day I have to get up at 5am, oh god

Also the ASM is gonna be a dick about me taking today off cs I'm sick, I just fuckin know it

Every time someone's been off sick he goes on rants about how they're lying to get a day off (or smth like, oh, isn't it a coincidence that today's really busy in store and the student who has mental deadlines took a day off - like, fuck, idk, maybe, but you don't have to be a twat every second of your life, do you? Maybe he does, idk. Seems like it), and his mother never took a day off from the post office in 40 years and the store should come first and we've been left in the lurch and blah blah blah

Maybe we have been "left in the lurch", but it's one day out of literally a thousand, but y'know we aren't all your mother, and people are fucking entitled to call in sick?! People shouldn't have to work when they're sick! Idk laws, but there's definitely laws

For how much longer, idk, but there's definitely laws

Also, people are allowed to have an actual life, y'know - just cs you are somehow proud of working 50 hours a week - which you also shouldn't have to do, by the way, working yourself to death isn't something to be proud of - dun mean that everyone else has to go by your impossible fuckin "million pound store" standards

Also I hate his stupid slogans

I do not care how much money the store makes, it goes to whoever the fucking CEO is since the last guy got kicked out for embezzling, not me - I'm not going to "smash it", either, I'm going to stand here security bugging t-shirts until I am allowed to go home, and don't fucking get on at me about how I'm yawning too much, I get enough of that from the horrid fucking old men customers

Also he calls us "staff" all the time, there's like five of us (there's not, but still), there's no fucking need

Also whenever some customer says like, oh you're not Scouse, he always replies in the exact same way, "I'm a London boy, me" - which like, I'm autistic, I know a script, but fuck me I just hate everything about this petty little man, I'm sorry. How can you be that proud of being a Millwall supporter? Oh, "we're not all the same", nah, you mightn't be a violent thug, that I know of, but you're sure as fuck a sanctimonious little cunt tryna lord your horrid self over everyone else - mightn't be violence, but it's not fuckin nice either

Anyway. Fuck.

Oh thank fuck I don't have to open with him tomorrow

Just the wet-noodle muppet of a manager who's somehow really fucking good at making me do extra days and stay late

He knows I have no backbone in person so he just waits until it's an hour before my shift ends and goes "really sorry, it's really busy, can you stay til close? Please it would really help"

The one time I said no, literally the one time in over 4 years, he asked again like half an hour later with an extra-pathetic noodle-y pleeease we haven't got anyone else

Like that's your fucking fault, dipshit, you fucking hired everyone. Hire someone who's not a fucking student, please, I swear it won't kill you. Y'know what else won't fucking kill you, having enough people on staff that it's not the end of the fucking world somehow if someone calls in sick. Lean staffing or whatever it's called is the worst, what fuckwit came up with all this awful shit and how can we stop it, please

But of course I said yes, because I always say yes

Tomorrow I'm rota'd til 4 and I'm leaving at 4, I swear to god

[magalidragon]

Okay drabble #2 for @lalacristina18 ‘s ask! Hope you like this one! It’s a little silly and kind of Fixer Upper Fanfiction ( @nlights37 is that a thing? I’m doing it) meets my drabble “wet paint.”

Enjoy!

haunted house | 30. “You better watch yourself”

It was the dumbest thing she had ever done.

Except she felt like she had to do it.

How else was she going to get the cute handyman to ask her out?

"Just ask him out!" her best friend shouted, as she took a crowbar to the siding on her house, prying up the nails. Missandei was used to most of her antics, but she knew this was going too far. She watched, amazed, slightly terrified, and in awe, muttering, "You have gone mental Daenerys."

Maybe she had gone mental, but she was also put off by how attractive the handyman was. He was incredibly sweet. A little goofy; he apologized one day when he showed up in thick black glasses, saying he'd forgotten to put his contacts in before he left the house. She had wondered why someone would apologize for that, but she soon learned that Jon Snow, Handyman Extraordinaire, apologized for quite a few things that were in no way his fault or under his control.

Like when he couldn't get a part in time to fix her hot water tank, because it was a weekend and the store was closed. "No problem, guess I'll see you Monday," she had simply said with a smile and a cheerful glee, because she knew they were closed on the weekend and he'd have to come back Monday.

Or when she had purposefully yanked out some sort of fuse in her car so it wouldn't start and he had apologized that it had gone missing. "Not your fault at all!" Because it's totally my fault and then she'd pretended to find the fuse on the ground. "Will this fix it?"

He frowned at the tiny piece of place and wire. "Um, aye, that's so weird..."

Today she was going to claim there was something wrong with her siding and it needed to be replaced. She dropped the crowbar, wiping sweat off her forehead, and placed her hands on her hips, glancing at Missandei, who was shaking her head side-to-side. "What?"

"Just bloody ask him out! I'll do it for you. You're destroying your house just to get him to come over." She smirked. "He has to know what you're doing. He's just taking your money and knowing you're using him which is wrong, or he's really bloody stupid and that's not great either."

"You haven't met him yet."

"What guy could be so attractive and cute and sweet and all that for you to resort to this!?" Missandei waved her hands at the splintered wood at her feet. She sighed, closing her eyes. "Dany, love, you are my best friend but..."

"Good morning!"

Dany threw the crowbar into the bushes, spinning on her heels and beaming at the man who had poked his head around the open fence to her back garden. She waved. "Hello Jon! Good morning to you!" She rounded on Missandei, who stared at him and smirked knowingly. "You're a little early."

He turned pink, coming around the corner holding onto his toolbox. "Aye, sorry about that, I thought I might get you a coffee..." he trailed off and politely smiled at Missandei. "Oh I am sorry, I would have gotten another....here, you can have mine if you want."

To her best friend's stunned silence, he removed one of the two takeout coffee cups from the tray in his other hand and passed it to her. Missandei swallowed hard, clearing her throat. "Thank you, that's...so nice of you."

He smiled again in his shy, half-smile way that Dany absolutely bloody adored, and turned his face to her. "You called last night and said that your bathroom pipes were leaking again? I don't know what is going on, I mean..." He scratched his hair, brow furrowing, and gazed up at the old-as-shit house she had purchased with intent to completely renovate. "I swear I just fixed those..."

"Oh you did, I'm sure this place is cursed."

"By a Valyrian dragon," Missandei mumbled under her breath.

Dany stepped on her foot and crossed her arms, grinning. "And would you look at this? This siding is rotten, I think we'll need to replace it."

"Um, yes of course." He knelt and picked up some of the wood, shaking his head. "You must have an angry ghost Dany, this looks like someone took a crowbar to it." He was immediately concerned, jumping to his feet. "You should file a police report, someone could be vandalizing your property!"

Missandei sipped her free coffee and mumbled again, not so quietly, "Hmm, someone with silver hair I think."

"What?" Jon asked.

"Ignore her, she's mad." She forced another smile. "It's fine. I...thank you Jon, perhaps look at those pipes first and then we can look at the siding."

"I have wood," he blurted out.

Missandei choked. Dany flushed bright red. "Oh?"

"Hmm, in the truck. Be right back." He turned on his heel and walked away. Dany elbowed her best friend, who stared now at his retreating back.

"Oh my."

"It's beautiful. I just like to look at it."

Missandei patted her arm. "Daenerys you are my best friend, but if you don't ask him out by the end of the day, I'm going to tell him everything you've been doing and only because I'm scared you might set your house on fire just to watch him come running in with the fire hose."

Dany hummed. The idea was appealing, but arson was certainly not an option.

Yet.

---

It was the end of the day; she'd tried her damndest to get him to ask her out. Missandei had left, becaus she claimed she couldn't watch it any longer, proclaiming them both "stupid idiots" and Dany had to agree. She was a stupid idiot, trying to get him to look at her as something other than the crazy lady in the haunted house. She'd worn her bikini top while gardening, she'd broken her siding, and stuffed leaves in her gutters.

And Jon Snow still didn't bloody get it.

Maybe he was stupid, she thought, and watched him bent over some exposed pipes in the hallway leading to the master bedroom. A himbo or something. Except she knew he wasn't, because she'd seen that he had a stack of books in his truck to return to the library, one of which happened to be her brother's boring ass tome on Targaryen History, and he'd eagerly chatted with her about it.

"So why are you a contractor?" she asked. She kept referring to him as a handyman, but reminded herself he was more than that. He ran his own business and lumber yard up in Winterfell. "Do you just like fixing things?"

He shrugged, reaching his arm down into the pipes. "I do like fixing things, but when I got out of the military, nothing really appealed to me. Didn't want a boss again and I like building things. Working on my own terms."

"I like that too." It was why she moved up North, a freelance journalist, and needing a safe quiet space to recharge and focus between assignments. She got up and cleared her throat. "I'll be downstairs if you need me." She was halfway down the stairs when she heard a strange sound. It was a yowl.

It sounded like Drogon, she thought, turning towards the wall. "Drogon?" she called.

He meowed again, pitiful. She moved closer towards the wall and knocked. Her voice trembled, calling once more. "Drogon?"

A light scratching and more yowling.

She screamed, realizing with horror that Drogon was inside the bloody wall. "DROGON!" She banged on the wall, running up the stairs, crying out. "Jon! Drogon's in the wall!"

"What?"

"I think he must have crawled in when we were talking and not looking, oh my gods, Drogon!"

Jon frowned at her, still not moving. He narrowed his eyes. "Drogon's in the wall, huh?"

"I think so."

He cocked his head and got to his feet, sighing hard. "Dany, I...I think I know what's going on and..." He turned bright pink. "I really have to confess something..." He shifted on his feet and blurted out, really fast, his Northern burr thick. "I...I know that not everything here is breaking and...and I'm fixing it and stuff, but...well...the store was open and I didn't get hte part because I wanted to come see you and...and I may not have cleaned the gutters all the way so I could come back and...oh gods, I haven't charged you at all because I'm just...I like you!"

Her eyes widened, too terrified for her cat to process what he'd just admitted to her. "But...I...I'm sorry, but he's really in the wall! Listen!"

They both were quiet and after a second, heard the pathetic howling of a trapped cat.

Jon moaned, mortified, shoving his face into his palms. "Oh my gods! I'm so sorry! I thought...oh fuck, forget what I said!"

"No I can't forget it because I like you too!" They could have this conversation after they saved her damn cat.

It took awhile, of her trying to coax the damn cat out from the opening in the floor, to Jon carefully searching and finding a space in the wall to knock through with a sledgehammer so he wouldn't hit Drogon or anything unsafe. Bits of drywall and debris scattered, "You better watch yourself," she warned him, when Drogon began to hiss and pant, terrified as they drew closer to him. "He might attack!"

"He's just scared, he'll be alright."

A couple hours later, her entire hallway and stairwell covered in broken bits of drywall, plaster, wood, and insulation, her very dirty and ashy cat enveloped in a blanket in her arms, Dany finally looked up at JOn. He hadn't said a word to her about his confession of not really fixing anything because he liked her and wanted ot keep seeing her.

She ducked her head, whispering, "I know it was wrong of me too, to keep breaking things...I just really liked you too."

"I'm not good with women," he admitted.

"Clearly, I was walking around in my bikini and you didnt say a word."

"I was trying to be professional!"

She giggled. Drogon whined in her arms. She scowled. "Hey! You didn't think I was serious that my cat got stuck in the wall!"

"I thought it was another thing like when you called me to say that your pipes were clogged at ten at night." He arched his brows. "Come on Dany."

"Alright, that was a ruse...but he really did get stuck!" She let go of Drogon, who raced into her bedroom to hide under the bed and lick his wounds-- more like his pride at having to be rescued by humans of all things. She looked up at Jon, sitting on the step just above her and grinned. "Can we agree to just...kind of start over?"

he nodded and licked his lips; she shivered. "Start over at dinner tonight?"

"Yes, dinner is perfect."

"And I'll be the first thing in the morning to start working on..." he gazed around at the chaos surrounding them, sighing. "This."

"Sounds good."

Turned out he didn't have to show up early at all the next morning, because he was already there, fast asleep in her bed, both of them exhausted. Dinner had been merely an afterthought.

[aarons-main-blog]

I changed my mind, and decided to que this up immediately after posting the first one. I won't be home when you see this because I'm attending a funeral, but tell me what you think of it and I will see you when I get home!

Note: this was made on Google docs mobile, so when I get a chance I will actually use tab instead of just paragraphs.

"Wars, you said you knew the area!"

"I thought I did, but this is sure as hell not the same way I remember! Those ruins we passed back there? Those are completely new to me! This forest? I don't even recognize half of these plants! We should have reached a town hours ago!"

"Hey, stop fighting, you two, or-"

The group Link had been following for the last few hours came to a halt as the one with pink-tipped hair argued with the one with a blue scarf. He couldn't tell if they were a threat yet, they just seemed like lost travelers. Then again, that was the main way the Yiga clan tried to trick him. 

Pinky and Wars kept arguing, until finally the smallest one in rainbow colors seemed to snap. "How about we admit it. We are lost, and just happened to find something that reminded Wars of home. It was NOONE's fault, because we ignored the obvious signs something was wrong. Now, we are lost in the middle of a forest, and unless you have an idea of what we should do, then SHUT UP!"

The group all seemed shocked by his outburst, Link and the rainbow included, and once they all seemed to get over it, the kid apologized. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell."

The oldest one, probably the leader, said, "No, it's ok. Today has been a long day, and everyone seems on edge. Perhaps we should set up camp early, does that sound good to everyone?"

The group nodded collectively, and started to set up in the clearing that could barely fit all of them. The one in a green tunic and no pants volunteered for the night's first watch, and while it wouldn't be for a while, they seemed relaxed a bit more by the fact someone was willing to do it. 

Link, who had been hiding a good distance away from them, stood up. He got a stealth potion that would last him a few hours at least ready, then decided he would investigate that night.

As the sun set, an awful smell enveloped the forest. "Legend, what did you do?!"

"I don't know! It was fine a minute ago!"

"It's smoking! How did you burn SOUP of all things?!"

"I didn't burn it, it just got too hot!"

"Because you ****ed up, Legend! That's literally how things burn up!"

"Wind, watch your mouth."

Link had just come back from following the path the group of strangers had taken, looking to see if they dropped anything interesting, when he heard the commotion. It smelled like burning hair or that one shrine he had found with the awful cook. Maybe they were cousins? 

As Link got closer to get a better look, he saw four people standing around a large cooking pot with a brown/green liquid with chunks in it. Pathetic. Are all of them as bad cooks as that one? Link was amazed they had survived however long they had been traveling. 

Pinkey poked the 'soup' with a wooden ladle. "It's still edible, look, the vegetables seem cooked enough."

 "With all due respect, I don't know if I would want to eat that," the kid in a blue shirt said with a grimace. "I don't know if anyone else would either."

The old one took the ladle and used it to try a small sip of what they were calling a soup, and his face scrunched up immediately. 

"Uh, Time?" The blue kid tapped the man's shoulder. 

The man swallowed the drink, coughed, then said, "It is… certainly better than last time."

A few of the others gave their opinions, from encouraging to neutral, before deciding it was better than nothing. 

None of them looked that happy about it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After what theoretically could have been called dinner, the one in the green tunic, which Link had identified as being named "Hyrule," started circling around the camp, gradually making them larger and larger before returning close and starting again. Near the middle of the third round, Link drank his stealth potion and snuck into the campsite. 

There was a young adult in tan with a tall belt, there was a boy in blue(wind), there was a kid in rainbow, there was a young adult with a wolf pelt on his shoulders, still on in his sleep for some reason, there was one in red with pink hair tips(legend), and then there was the leader. Link got a good look at him. He had a fancy set of armour, a big sword, a bad eye, but the strangest thing was he had familiar markings covering his face. They were almost the same… 

As the ones Link saw in nearly every mirror, looking right back at himself. 

"Time?"

Link turned towards the voice to see the one called Hyrule looking at him. He had to play this right. "Yes?"

"Oh, thank the goddess. What are you up to?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I was going to see if you wanted off early." This was dangerous. If he realized the real Time was sleeping soundly next to him, he would wake up all the others, and then he'd have eight grumpy travelers armed to the teeth on his trail in seconds. 

"You sure that's ok with you?"

"Yes, get some rest."

"Thanks, Time," the boy said with a smile. "I will."

Link somewhat directed Hyrule towards the opposite side of where Time was. He was extremely lucky the fire was ruining the boy's night vision. 

"Time?"

Link stopped and turned his head a bit. "Yeah?"

There was a pause. "Thank you for being here for us."

Link smiled. "You don't have to mention it," mimicking the somewhat fancy way he had heard Time use words. "Goodnight."

Hyrule mumbled it back, seemingly exhausted from the travel. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Hyrule woke up feeling well rested. The birds were singing a song only they knew, the trees provided shade from the early morning sun, the wind rustled leaves and bushes softly, and a nice smell emanated from the cooking pot. 

Wait, did someone cook something edible? Hyrule shot up, feeling excited to see what had made someone unlock their inner cook. 

"Hey, mornin, Hyrule!" 

"Goodmorning, Wind! What's cooking?"

Wind was grinning like an idiot. "No idea, but none of us made it, that's for sure! Four woke up and saw it cooking, then woke up the rest of us, except for you and sky. Time says you didn't wake him up for his shift, so we thought you could use some re-"

Hyrule was confused. "Wait, what? Run that by me one more time." 

Wind's grin fell just a little bit, before coming back up. "Four woke up first, saw something was cooking, and woke everyone but you and sky because we thought you must have kept watch the whole night. Is that not what happened?"

"Yeah, Time said he couldn't sleep last night, so he took over the watch early for me."

Time, who had been listening in, said "I think I would know my sleep schedule better than you would. You didn't wake me up last night, and I didn't wake myself up, that's for certain."

"Then who-"

Four hit the pot a few times. "Breakfast is ready, guys!"

The questions could wait. Nobody had had a good meal for at least a week or two, so they were excited to try the mysterious meal.

It. Was. Delicious!

After discussion, it was determined to be a mushroom, meat and rice based meal. The meat used was probably venison, and a high quality type at that. It was served with some mushrooms nobody recognized but everybody loved, and a strange rice they couldn't find an exact comparison of.

Idle conversation was of generally positive things and how beautiful the world was. All of their problems seemed far away, and the day promised to be a great one. As the last of the food was eaten up, and the bowl was starting to be wiped as clean as it would get, Twilight brought up the question on everyone's mind. 

"I wonder who made this for us."

"Maybe it was a ghost!" Wind exclaimed.

"Maybe it was a passing traveler?" Four said at the same time.

Legend laughed. "It was not a ghost, you idiot!"

"You don't know that," Wind huffed. "I met a ghost once, she was nice!"

"You did NOT meet a ghost!"

"Yeah I did!"

"Cut it out you two," Time said with his signature 'stop' look. "Whoever did it, they must have been a nice person. Don't argue about things this good, ok?"

"Ok!" Wind said. Legend just scoffed. 

Nobody noticed the person sitting on top of a tree, fiddling a strange ocarina.

I hope this was ok! I will be the first to admit my writing style isn't the best, but I think this is one of my better works at the moment. Comments and criticism is appreciated, and I may edit this if I find stupid things I want to change/fix. I should be home Friday, probably Thursday afternoon. Anyway, see you next time!

[j-ungkooky]

Temptation (Taehyung)

Ceo Au! Suggestive smut (he’s crouched under ur desk and :)) (smut will be in future chapters) Angst (later) 3181 Words Chapter 1. 

“Good morning.” Taehyung simply greeted before disappearing into his office. 

It was enough to get all the women in the lobby immediately shooting each other knowing glances because not only was Taehyung the company’s CEO, but he was a very handsome one at that too. His polite demeanour and respectful nature only contributed to his desirability. Due to everyone’s unanimous acknowledgement of Taehyung’s appeal, there seemed to always be some sort of competition for his attention. Whether it was to drop something off for him in his office or offer him leftover donuts, his deep voice thanking you followed by his infectious smile was all worth it. Taehyung being new to the company only made the competition over him more fierce. He had taken over the position from a now old and retired gentleman and because he had no idea what the personality of each individual in the office was truly like, it was all fair game. 

She definitely would’ve been lying if she said she didn’t have some sort of crush on Taehyung but it was all physical and surface level. He was her boss after all and she only saw him for a few minutes each day. They’ve barely exchanged more than a handful of words to each other in the month of his takeover.  

“Jesus...did you see his arms? They’re suffocating in that button up.” Jisoo, her colleague commented. 

“You’re drooling,” she teased, “besides, you should be worrying about your meeting today and not about whether or not blood is circulating through his arms.” 

Jisoo scoffed and pushed herself off of the reception desk. 

“Don’t remind me,” Jisoo groaned, “it doesn’t help that Taehyung’s going to be sitting in for that meeting too. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get through anything without puking.” 

The two of them continued to talk and catch each other up on what they did over the weekend before Jisoo eventually had to go back to her desk. She watched as her colleague walked away and felt a twinge of jealousy within herself. For someone like Jisoo to get nervous despite being pretty, charismatic and the office favourite was a slap to her self esteem. Jisoo also held a high position within the HR department while she was just a measly receptionist. She definitely wasn’t going to stay in this position forever but the job paid well and would suffice for now. 

As the clock inched closer to everyone’s starting time, the lobby began clearing up as people went to their respected department. After a few minutes, she was left alone to man the front all by herself. She stared at the closed office doors surrounding her and felt another pang of envy in her heart knowing that people behind those doors were doing far more important work than her. Her days consisted of sorting through mail, sending emails, transferring calls and light house duties. She tried to convince herself that it wasn’t all bad because at least she could surf the internet whenever she wanted without anyone monitoring her. Her eyes traveled towards Taehyung’s door and she wondered how he was adjusting to everything before an email notification needed her attention. 

With it being Monday and the meeting Jisoo was talking about earlier being held today, it was quite busy. She usually had an hour of free time before her lunch break but the emails had been nonstop. People kept revising their forms and asking her to print out multiple copies of the revised papers to the point where the printer just stopped working altogether for a scary moment. With it being so busy, she decided to stay at her desk for lunch today. She was buried so deep in her computer work that Taehyung’s presence had gone unnoticed. He needed a break from staring at his screen all day and decided to go explore the office. In the month that Taehyung transferred over, he had no time to go around introducing himself or making himself familiar with the space. His decision to finally become accustomed to his environment brought him in front of her desk. The unusually loud crinkling from the untouched candy jar she left out for everyone broke her focus. She looked up to see her boss struggling with how small the jar was. 

“Do...do you need help?” she finally asked.

Up close, Taehyung’s visuals had her feeling shy and flustered like a high school girl sitting next to their crush. Taehyung seemed just as surprised to hear her voice as his movements came to a halt and he pulled his hand out of the candy jar sheepishly. 

“Sorry,” he apologized while rubbing the back of his neck, “I realized I must’ve looked really stupid.” 

She waved his doubts away and took the jar from him. She tried her very best to seem unfazed and collected but the red tint in her cheeks and her inability to stop smiling so wide probably gave her away.

“The um...” Taehyung cleared his throat before continuing, “the watermelon flavour please.” 

After a few seconds of sifting through the numerous options, she found the one he wanted. Taehyung opened his hand and she almost laughed at how tiny the candy looked in his gigantic palm. Her amusement didn’t stop at his physicality but shifted towards his entire personality. When she first met Taehyung, she was beyond intimidated. She couldn’t look at him for too long without feeling like he was looking right through her. Taehyung carried himself with an air of confidence and always had an answer for everyone, as expected of a competent CEO. She wasn’t nervous around him because he was scary but because his presence was so large and full while she was so small compared to him. But having him stand before her enjoying a piece of watermelon flavoured candy with an innocent smile on his face was just so...unexpected. 

“Is this your lunch break?” Taehyung asked noticing her untouched sandwich sitting beside her keyboard. 

She looked where he was and let out a forced laugh at her pathetic set up.

“Yeah I didn’t have time to properly take a break today.” she explained. 

The reason she was eating at her desk suddenly occurred to her and her eyes traveled over to her inbox which was now at double digits. With only an hour before the big meeting today, she was already behind despite only talking to Taehyung for five minutes. 

“Sorry Taehyung I have to get back to work,” she sighed running a hand through her hair, “is there anything else I can do for you?” she asked looking at him for a quick second before going back to her monitor. 

Taehyung watched as she worked and wondered if this was the kind of work culture he wanted to uphold. He didn’t like that she didn’t take a break and was going unnoticed for her extra work. Perhaps he’d talk to HR and accounting later to avoid situations like this from happening again. Taehyung drummed his fingers against his her desk and sucked his teeth. 

“Nope, nothing else you can do for me!” he smiled, “Thank you for your hard work but please make sure to take a proper break next time. I’m going to the coffee room to take a breather myself.” 

She looked up to thank him out of courtesy and he surprised her by thanking her once more and using her name. He grabbed a few more pieces of candy before going on his way. 

“Hey Taehyung!” she called, leaning over her desk. 

He turned his head with a raised brow. 

“If you’re still going to the break room, it’s the other way.” she informed him. 

Taehyung turned around on his heel and began walking hastily in the correct direction with bashful smile on his face. 

“What an interesting guy.” she thought while laughing to herself. 

________________________________________________

The hour leading up to the big meeting didn’t get any easier as her inbox continued to flood with people requesting numerous things from her. She was finally able to breathe when the meeting started and people stopped demanding her assistance. Jisoo had come up earlier asking for words of encouragement before Taehyung emerged from his office. She watched in awe at how effortless Jisoo made it look cracking jokes with Taehyung and drawing out deep belly laughs from him. She cringed at how awkward she must’ve been with Taehyung earlier and refused to look at him when he walked by; not that he would’ve noticed anyway as Jisoo had his full attention. She made an early new years resolution to be more like her follow coworker in the coming year. 

Despite the craziness earlier, she was already bored browsing through the same pages for the past 40 minutes. The meeting seemed to be going well as no one left the boardroom to ask her to do anything. With her sanity hanging onto Pinterest boards, she welcomed the delivery man with a gigantic smile and lively greeting. 

“Big one today.” the delivery man commented while slapping the stacks of boxes on his trolley. 

She took a look around her desk to see if there was any available space to put the packages but to no avail. 

“You can just leave them there.” she said and began rolling up her sleeves. 

“You sure?” the man asked, “these are quite heavy.” 

She reassured him by telling him that she deals with deliveries every Monday and that this was no different to prior ones. She bid the delivery man farewell as he disappeared through the elevator doors with the same concerned face that never left during their entire interaction. 

"Finally something to do.” she thought and with that, began working on the boxes. 

Taehyung struggled to keep his eyes open during the meeting. He opted to rest his chin on his hand and pretend to take notes when in reality, his eyes were closed and he was drawing random shapes in his notepad. From the moment he received emails outlining what the meeting entailed, he knew it meant absolutely nothing to him. He didn’t actually know why he agreed to be a part of it but he was definitely regretting his decision to do so. Taehyung had a long list of tasks to fulfill especially since he was only a month onboard this company and this meeting was wasting his time. Wanting to make a good impression on his employees, Taehyung tried really hard to pay attention but he simply could not trick himself into caring as the minutes ticked by. He racked his brain on ways to escape and took a deep breath before pursuing his liberation. Taehyung looked at his apple watch and feigned surprise at a non-existent message on it. 

“Everyone, I apologize for leaving so suddenly but there is an issue I have to attend.” he announced while getting up from his seat. 

He uttered a few more apologies before leaving the boardroom and closing the door. It wasn’t until he was out in the hallway by himself that he suddenly felt incredibly foolish over how easy it was to leave. He sat in that godforsaken room for almost an hour thinking of ways to flee and that was all it took. Pinching the bridge of his nose and inhaling a sharp breath, Taehyung made his way back to his office. 

“Holy shit! What is in here?!” she groaned struggling to lift more boxes from within the delivery boxes.  

In the span of an hour, she was still working on one of the four boxes delivered. Perhaps she should’ve listened to the delivery man earlier but her pride got in the way. It didn’t help that the skirt she was wearing today was a lot shorter than her usual choices but all her work clothes were currently in the wash as she simply could not be bothered to do laundry over the weekend. Every time she lifted something up, she had to immediately place the item somewhere so she could pull her skirt down or she’d accidentally flash the office. 

She attempted to set one box down on her desk and winced when it slipped from her fingers and landed on the floor with a heavy thud. She waited a few seconds to see if anyone came out to figure out what the noise was and breathed a sigh of relief when the office remained undisturbed.

“Better than aimlessly scrolling through Instagram.” she thought before bending over to pick up anything that fell out. 

“Do you need help?” a familiar voice called out. 

She jumped in her shoes and proceeded to drop everything from her arms. She snapped her body up to see who it was and surprising her again for the second time today, Taehyung was standing in front of her desk with a curious look on his face. 

“I’m so sorry I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that,” he apologized profusely as he made his way behind her desk, “please let me help you!” 

It took her a beat to register her appearance and she quickly pulled down her skirt that was riding up way too close to her crotch. She smoothed her hair before attempting to stop Taehyung from doing anything. 

“No, no don’t worry!” she laughed as he held up the items out of her reach. 

“If you want it then you have to grow a whole foot taller.” he teased. 

“You have a meeting to go back to.” she reminded him to which he scrunched his face in disapproval. 

Just as she was slowly convincing Taehyung to go back, his face turned from playfulness to dread when the boardroom door opened. 

“Let me ask Taehyung to join the meeting again.” a colleague’s voice could be heard before their footsteps approached the lobby.  

She was about to tell Taehyung that he was needed when he ducked under her already cramped desk and put a finger to his lips as his eyes pleaded for her to keep quiet. Before she could process what was happening, Jin, her coworker appeared. 

“Hey! Is Taehyung around?” Jin asked as he marvelled at all the boxes spread out in the lobby. 

She stood still trying to calm her nerves. On one hand, she was fighting against the biggest laughing fit of her life and on the other, Taehyung her boss, expected her to cover for him as he cowered under her desk. 

“He is...” she glanced down at Taehyung who was now shaking his head and making a cutting motion with his hand, “I-I haven’t seen him actually! Is he not in the meeting?” 

Jin cocked a brow and leaned over her desk trying to see what she was looking at. 

“Is everything okay? You look like you just saw a ghost.” he laughed. 

She forced a smile and shook her head, “Oh yeah I’m fine! My computer’s been acting up all day and it’s getting a little worrisome with everything going on.” 

Taehyung was impressed by how quick she was on her feet and slowly breathed a sigh of relief until he heard Jin offer to come around and take a look at her computer for her. This whole situation was already absolutely ridiculous and humiliating until she sat down on her chair to click a few keys and feign relief that her computer was magically working again. The issue was no longer the fact that Taehyung was hiding from his employees but that he was contorted under her desk that was way too small for his large frame, now with her cunt inches away from his face. 

“Well now that you’re here anyways, I was hoping you could help me with some paper work and scheduling.” Jin said. 

“S-sure.” she managed to answer despite her throat drying up and the adrenaline slowly making its way through her veins. 

She could feel every time Taehyung breathed because his exhales would land right against her inner thigh and when he sighed, she could feel it right against her sex. Her thong provided little to no protection against any sensation caused by him. She tried to clamp her thighs together but her knees would hit Taehyung’s face in the process causing her to open her legs again as a reflex and there was no more room for Taehyung to back up against.

“Are you okay?” Jin asked. 

She could only nod as a response; she did not trust her voice to come out stable and natural. The battle she was fighting up there was mutually shared by Taehyung underneath. His brain was going a million miles a minute as he tried to figure out how to talk to her after this. How was he going to make this all alright and normal? He could offer her a raise and an extra week of paid vacation? Maybe he could fire her but he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if he did that. Taehyung was beating himself up for putting her in a situation like this and began to mentally prep for a lawsuit. While trying to figure out a solution, Taehyung forgot that he was just a man with a simple brain and another mental battle was underway as he tried very hard to avoid gazing somewhere he really shouldn’t. As she kept squirming, her skirt kept rising and Taehyung couldn’t help but steal a glance at the growing wetness appearing on her undergarment. The growing arousal within Taehyung’s pants made him feel more cramped and with his legs were beginning to fall asleep, he began to pray to any god out there for some sort of divine intervention. 

“Fuck fuck fuck...oh my fucking god,” he chanted in his head, “Jin shut the fuck up already.”

A gasp escaping from her lips followed by her suddenly jolting startled Jin and he gave her an odd look. Taehyung had completely lost feeling in both of his feet and he fell over grabbing onto her thighs for support. His hands felt so warm against her skin and their sheer size grabbed a lot more area than anticipated. Taehyung fought back a groan when the bottom of her skirt had flipped over and her entire lower region was in full view. 

“Hey Jin, is it okay if we do this over email? I’m suddenly not feeling so well.” she was able to muster out. 

It didn’t take a doctor to know something was wrong from her complexion turning completely pale. 

“Yeah I think you should go home for the rest of the day. You really don’t look well,” Jin acknowledged with furrowed brows, “I’ll just catch Taehyung up with the meeting myself.” 

The minute she heard the boardroom doors close, she pushed her chair back so forcefully that it crashed into the wall behind her. She got up and immediately pulled her skirt down and made a beeline towards the washroom without saying a single word to Taehyung. Taehyung on the other hand stayed fixed under her desk with his eyes bulged and his mouth ajar. There was absolutely no positive outcome for what he had caused. 

[vanillacaramelhoney]

Different (2)

Pairing(s): Five Hargreeves x Reader

Summary: "We can always tell them."

Warnings: Fightingg, violence, death, y’know the usual

A/N: The fight scene at Griddy’s is my absolute favorite aside from the board massacre lmao

Fair warning- I’m shit at writing fight scenes!!!

Masterlist

Previous | Next

YN stayed in the house for the funeral, not wanting to intrude.

She didn't know Reginald aside from the stories Five told her in the apocalypse. They were enough for her to know that there was a lot of baggage that their father left them to carry.

She felt that she'd be intruding, despite what Five told her.

"You're a part of this family, y'know," Five pointed out as they had changed. "You're allowed to be out there."

"Yeah, but I didn't even know the man," YN reasoned. "Besides, they don't know that."

"We can always tell them."

YN looked back at Five, a playful smirk spreading across her face. "What happened to wanting to keep your love life private?" she teased.

Five scoffed, but there was only mock annoyance behind.

"Besides, I think Diego would try to kill you if we told him we're married."

"How do you two know each other?" Five asked, turning to her. He wore his old uniform. YN wore one of his as well but didn't wear the full set. She was glad that she was the right size for them.

"He knows my mom," she shrugged.

Five gave her a look of confusion but didn't comment on it.

From what Five told her, the funeral didn't go well- not that she expected it to go any better than it did. Diego's behaviour didn't exactly surprise her, and what she knew of him and his siblings, the fight wasn't a surprise either.

That didn't mean she wasn't upset with him.

Now, though, she watched as Five dug through the kitchen. She sat on the edge of the table, her feet resting on a chair.

Klaus sat at the head of the table across from her. He held onto a guitar, his shoes discarded on the table.

Allison joined the three. "Where's Vanya?"

"Oh," Klaus spoke, "she's gone."

"That's unfortunate." YN glanced back at Five.

"Yeah," Allison agreed, giving him an odd look.

"An entire square block," Five said. "Forty-two bedrooms, nineteen bathrooms, but not a single drop of coffee." He looked up at his sister.

YN rolled her eyes at the reminder of his caffeine addiction.

"Dad hated caffeine," Allison reminded him.

"Well, he hated children, too, and he had plenty of us," Klaus laughed pathetically at his joke, stopping abruptly.

Allison and Five stared at him a moment.

"I'm taking the car," Five said.

Klaus sat up in his seat, moving the guitar. "Where are you going?"

"To get a decent cup of coffee," Five told him. He looked to YN. "You coming?" With a nod, she dropped off the table.

"Do either of you even know how to drive?" Allison asked.

"We know how to do everything."

"It was great meeting you all," YN smiled before Five grabbed her hand, and they jumped out of the kitchen.

Klaus stood from his seat. "I feel like we should try and stop them, but then again, I also just kinda want to see what happens."

They could hear the engine start, followed by the stifled sound of the car leaving.

Diego walked in, already speaking. "I guess I'll see you guys in, what, ten years? When Pogo dies?"

"Not if you die first," Allison said, stepping away from him.

"Yeah, love you, too, sis," Diego fired back. He glanced around the kitchen. "YN leave?"

"The girl?" Klaus asked.

"Yeah."

"Her and Five ran off to get coffee, apparently."

Diego let out an annoyed sigh, stepping away and moving to leave.

The shifting neon lights above Griddy's was a welcomed sight for YN. She seldom visited with Diego, and on occasion, her mother joined when she was free. After a while, though, she started coming on her own and became acquainted with Agnes, who always served her.

The two climbed out of the car, and Five led the way to the diner.

A man held the door open for them as he left, earning a quick thank you from YN.

They settled next to each other at the counter. YN reached over and rang a short tune with the bell.

Five gave her a confused look as she settled back.

She looked back at him innocently.

"What?" she asked.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I haven't seen Agnus in a long time, and I always did that when I would come in," she pouted. "Leave me alone."

Five let out a chuckle and shook his head in amusement.

Behind them, the door opened, and footsteps came up to the counter. A man sat down in a chair close to Five.

Agnus came from the back room, and YN beamed at the sight of her.

"Sorry," the waitress apologized. "The sink was clogged." With a smile, she pulled out her pad of paper and pen.

"What'll it be?" she asked, looking at the man.

"Uh, give me a chocolate eclair." Agnus wrote down the order. She glanced up at Five.

"Can I get the kid a glass of milk or something?"

YN stifled back a laugh as Five scoffed. "The kid wants coffee. Black."

Agnus glanced at the man, uncertain of what to do. "Cute kid," she laughed. Looking back at Five, he gave her an uncomfortable smile.

She quickly moved on to YN.

"Nice to see you again, dear," she said, trying not to look back at Five. "Want your usual?"

"Yes, please," YN spoke softly.

Agnus gave her a nod before stepping back to the coffee pot.

Five let out a soft sigh. 

"Don't remember this place being such a shithole," he said, earning a gentle push from YN. "I used to come here as a kid. Used to sneak out with my brothers and sisters- eat donuts 'till we puked. Simpler times, huh?"

The man next to them seemed confused- understandably so, YN thought.

"I suppose," he responded.

Angus returned to the counter, balancing four items in her hands. She placed two coffees down- one for Five and the other for YN- and gave the man his eclair and YN her favorite pastry.

The man had pulled out his wallet, holding out money to Agnus.

"I got theirs," he said.

"Thanks." The two spoke in unison.

It was quiet for a moment as YN dug into her food. It had been almost a full day now since she'd last eaten anything, so she wasn't going to let it go to waste.

"You must know your way around the city."

YN looked up at Five, who stared at the man.

"I hope so," the man said. "I've been driving it for twenty years."

"Good," Five said. "We need an address."

YN raised a brow at him, unsure of where this was going.

She watched as the man wrote the address down on a napkin and slid it over to Five.

With a curt smile- one more pleasant than what he offered Agnus- Five took it and looked the address over.

YN looked at it over his shoulder, glancing back as the man left the restaurant.

"What's that for?" she questioned as he folded and pocketed the napkin.

Five opened his mouth to speak but shut it when the door opened again. Through the reflection of the bell, they could see armed men dressed in black behind them. Two had their weapons raised to each of their heads.

YN sighed as she stared down at her unfinished pastry. Did it really need to be this hard to get some food?

"That was fast," Five hummed. "Thought we'd have more time before they found us."

"Okay," the man holding his gun to Five's head spoke. "Let's be professional about this, yeah? On your feet, and come with us. They want to talk."

With a sigh, YN propped her arm up and rested her chin in the palm of her hand.

"We've got nothing to say."

"It doesn't have to go this way. You think I wanna shoot some kids? Go home with that on my conscience?"

"Well, I wouldn't worry about that." Five and YN glanced at each other. YN looked forward again, and Five looked back at the man. "You won't be going home."

Letting Five take the lead, YN waiting until he disappeared from his chair to drop from her seat and duck down.

The man that was aiming at her followed her movement, ready to shoot.

She moved faster, using her weight and swiping the man off his feet. He stumbled to the ground, landing on a conveniently placed pile of ice shards that pierced through his body. They melted to water seconds later, leaving no evidence behind.

"Hey, assholes!" Five's voice rang out in the diner, attracting the attention of the men.

As the men shot wildly at where he used to be seconds ago, YN used the distraction.

Focusing, a sharp wave of her hand brought shards of ice flying through the floor at the men. Only two got hit, the others taking cover from them before turning their shots on the girl. She avoided as best as she could, all while being jealous of Five's ability to jump around and avoid everything.

The boy wrapped his tie around the neck of a man, while another tried to aim at him. YN kicked at the other, and he stumbled back.

Forming a flat but sharp piece of ice in her hand, she rushed him, swinging at his neck with the ice. He dropped to the ground, blood pouring out and pooling around him.

YN scrunched her nose at the sight, dropping the ice.

Turning, she caught sight of the last two men trying to corner Five. He disappeared as they shot, leaving them to shoot at each other. They sank to the ground, dead, and the fight was finally over.

YN let out a laugh as Five retrieved his tie from a man's corpse.

"What's so funny?" he asked, wrapping his tie back around his neck.

"They were a couple of idiots," she said.

"You know, for someone so sweet, you can be real awful sometimes," Five said. YN smiled at him, shrugging.

The sounds of grunts caught their attention, and YN's smile fell.

Five moved to stand over the last man, crouching down to snap his neck. There, he caught sight of the tracking device and picked it up.

He showed it to YN, who groaned.

"You wanna go first?" he asked.

"Not really."

They sat back at the counter.

YN watched in displeasure as Five took a knife to his arm, cutting into the skin. He dug into the wound with his fingers, grunting in pain.

He pulled out a small pill-shaped device that blinked green. He set it aside before handing the knife over to YN.

"Your hands are still black," he commented.

A side effect of solidifying liquids came in the form of frostbite on her hands. It would never hurt her, but her hands and fingers would ache and freeze for a certain amount of time as it faded.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Five asked, noticing the severe shake to her hands. "Are you alright?" He hadn't seen the side effects in so long that it was odd to see them again.

"I'm fine," YN assured him. "I didn't know I had powers at this age, so I never used them. I guess being back at this age and using them so much all of a sudden is taking a toll on my body."

"Here, give it to me," Five insisted.

With a sigh, she traded the knife back and held out her arm for him.

Her face scrunched in pain as he cut through, stopping when it was open enough. He did the same for her, reaching in and pulling out the tracking device.

"Can we go now?"

They left the shop hand-in-hand, Five ignoring the cold her hand gave off.

He dropped the devices by the sewer drain.

"Where to now, babe?" YN asked.

"Vanya's."

The click of a lock and creaking hinges filled the dark room where YN and Five sat, waiting.

YN could faintly see a figure's outline, who she assumed was Vanya. Hoped was more like it.

Five clicked on a light, revealing their presence.

Vanya looked at them, startled. "Jesus!" she breathed.

"You should have locks on your windows," Five told her.

"I live on the second floor."

"Rapists can climb."

Vanya paused. "You are so weird."

She turned and closed the door before removing her coat and draping it over the back of the couch.

She sat down on the couch.

She looked over the two, more focused on her brother than the girl who rested against the back of the chair he sat on.

"Is that blood?" she asked them. Her gaze stayed on their arms.

YN moved her arm out of sight, which was much more visible than Five's.

"It's nothing," Five said.

Vanya shifted, not liking his answer. "Why are you here?"

"I've decided you're the only one I can trust."

"Why me?"

"Because you're ordinary." YN discreetly flicked the back of his head. He sighed at her. "Because you'll listen."

With a soft 'okay,' she stood up and disappeared into a room. She returned shortly with medical supplies, to which Five rolled up the sleeve of the blazer.

The woman took a sharp breath at the sight of his wound.

"When I jumped forward and got stuck in the future, do you know what I found?" Five spoke.

"No."

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. For a while, I thought I was the last person alive. I found YN, who managed to survive by luck.

"I never figured out what killed the human race, but I did find something else. The date it happens. The world ends in eight days, and I have no idea how to stop it."

During Five's explanation, YN had been waved over to the couch by Vanya so she could take care of her arm as well.

Vanya stared at her brother in silence as she tried to register the bomb he had dropped on her.

"I'll put on a pot of coffee."

----Taglist

@fancytravelerbird​

[magniloquent-raven]

I love your trans-billy! I need more <3

AW OMG IM SO FLATTERED!! it was just a little vent fic tbh, but i have been wanting to write more trans billy because the fandom needs more of it, so here is a part two!

(read part one here)

(i do get into billy’s childhood a little bit in this part, so cw: child abuse mentions)

--

seems like billy's whole damn life is just a series of stupid choices and him dealing with the consequences of his own impulsiveness.

started young and never stopped. when he was six he chopped off all his hair in the school bathroom right before class photos. didn't even consider what would happen when he walked out of that room, he just felt wrong and wanted to fix it.

he had to walk around for months with a patchy hack-job because neil refused to pay to get it fixed. his mom said she'd try to make it better but billy wouldn't let her touch it. he was afraid she'd try to make him pretty again. undo all his hard work.

after that it was easier to sneak into groups of boys unnoticed, like the kids three streets down who were always playing basketball in the empty parking lot. they'd turned him away before, took one look at him and sneered that a girl couldn't keep up.

but after he put on a pair of too-big cargo shorts he stole off the neighbours clothes' line, and a t-shirt he'd hacked the sleeves off of, with his newly shorn hair all they did was make fun of him for looking poor. but they let him play.

months later, they hadn't caught on, even though his hair was growing out, and he wore the same clothes every time he saw them. he was starting to get nervous about being discovered.

what he didn't expect was neil discovering him first.

it was the first time his dad really hit him. more than just grabbing his arm, or shoving him a little. the first time he left scars.

he said if billy wanted to act like a boy, he'd get taught like one.

and life was a constant battle after that. even when he had his mother in his corner, it was usually a losing one. after she left there was barely any point in fighting at all, but he could never seem to stop entirely.

not when this was, according to his father's standards, what it takes to be a man.

but in trying to prove himself, he ended up in some fucked up places.

on the floor in his bedroom, his back torn open and the sharp crack of a belt ringing in his ears, still refusing to admit that tearing up the dress his nana made him wasn't an accident.

under the bleachers, blowing a guy who called him a dyke one too many times. then leaving him with his pants down and a broken nose 'cause he wouldn't stop trying for more than that.

waking up in a hospital bed, eighteen years old and wondering why he's still alive. being told it's a miracle. being told he was heroic. saved some little girl. got his name in the paper.

four months later taking a bus to chicago, picking out a new name on the way and never looking back.

and he might be living a whole new life here, but that doesn't mean he left all his stupid back in california.

it's been a week since he spent an afternoon half-conscious in steve's arms, and things have been disturbingly normal between them. steve hasn't asked any weird questions, or commented on billy being pathetic and needy, or acted like things have changed.

they haven't talked about any of it, and it's making billy nervous.

he's not sure what he thought would happen when he asked steve to hold him, to stay, he wasn't thinking at all, really, so now he's gotta deal with that.

problem is, he hasn't been dealing well. he's been dodging steve's calls. he's been jumpy, freezing up when steve comes anywhere near him.

which, he's come to notice, he does a lot. always sitting next to billy when they hang out in groups, always brushing past a little closer than necessary when he slips by him to leave the room.

and now. steve's insinuated himself into billy's evening, showing up unannounced with beer and a blindingly cheerful grin, sitting next thigh-to-thigh on the lumpy love-seat. and. billy's grinding his teeth. pretending to pay attention to the tv and not steve's warm leg pressed to his knee.

touching steve has always been a special kind of glorious agony, but now. now it's all that and week-old memories of soft lips brushing his forehead, remembering what it was like to wake up in his arms, feeling dizzy with warmth and want and...

steve's knee shifts, presses firmer against his, and billy can't take it anymore.

"alright, that's it!" he's on his feet, fists balled at his side, steve blinking up at him with his big dumb precious doe-eyes, and he trembles like an indignant cat. "the hell is up with you, harrington?" he snaps, pointing an accusing finger.

steve stares at him, mouth agape. "...um. nothing?" his cheeks are pink, and billy wants so badly to kiss him 'til he blushes everywhere.

he swallows hard, and crosses his arms. "c'mon, man, don't lie to me. it's been a week—" his voice falters, but he sets his jaw, tilts his chin like a challenge.

when he woke up that night, steve drooling on his shoulder, arm securely around his waist, he panicked. he shoved steve off of him, and they spent the next twenty minutes in tense, awkward silence while billy cleaned up and ignored steve. steve, who stayed, ordered a pizza, payed for it, and then left without eating a single slice.

and then.

nothing.

for a goddamn week. hanging out like nothing happened.

"i—" steve chokes on air, breaking eye-contact. "i mean. i didn't think you—" he's sinking in on himself, retreating into the couch, his gaze wandering the room listlessly. billy would feel bad if he wasn't so amped up on nervous energy, thrumming with adrenaline, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "i'm sorry."

billy blinks. "you're sorry."

"yeah?" steve glances at him, but only for a second before he ducks his head. he picks at his nails, frowning at his own hands in his lap. "i...i can go, i...sorry if i made things weird."

"if you...made things...weird," billy repeats, slowly. like it'll make any more sense coming from his own mouth.

it doesn't.

he deflates a little. steve looks up at him, expression pinched, bemused.

"are you just gonna repeat everything i say, or...?"

"harrington, i swear to god," billy grits out, "start making sense, or fuck off."

at least billy understands what's happening when guys sneer and leave after they find out the only dick they'll ever get from him is made of silicone. this clusterfuck is just...hurting his brain.

steve opens and closes his mouth soundlessly. "um..." he runs a restless hand through his hair. "i thought...you know...i got a little too, um. affectionate. last week. and you seemed so freaked out when you woke up, i...figured we could just, like, move on. act like nothing happened. 'cause it'd be easier?"

"what."

"but clearly that wasn't it—" he cuts himself off, and sags, groaning, head falling into his hands. "shit, i'm an idiot. billy, i'm so dumb, i'm so sorry. you were worried about how i'd react to. um." he pauses. gestures towards billy's crotch. "right?"

billy flushes. "i wasn't—can you stop pointing at it, jesus christ. i wasn't worried. i was just..." he trails off and bites his lip. shifts his weight around awkwardly. he's usually so much better at thinking on his feet, but fucking hell is he so off-balance right now. too thrown off to even come up with a little white lie.  

steve drops his hand, looking sheepish. "look, i...you never said anything, so i didn't mention it either. i'm not...it isn't any of my business if you don't want it to be."

"...do you want it to be?" billy's heart is in his mouth as he says it, pulse stuttering, tripping over itself.

"i—" steve's eyes widen. they stare at each other for a beat. the moment stretches, the drone of the tv in the background the only noise in the apartment. "are you asking what i think you're asking? because i don't want to assume and—" he trails off with a strangled noise when billy steps forward and climbs into his lap.

he's barely touching him, knees brushing his hips, sitting mid-thigh, keeping his hands to himself. but it still feels...intimate. steve's gaze heavy on him, inches away. knowing that if he put his hand on steve's chest he'd feel his heart racing.

"i'm asking," billy says quietly.

he sees this kiss coming and yet he still doesn't expect it. doesn't expect to be touched so softly, his face cradled like something precious. doesn't expect the way his stomach swoops, heart clenching, tense for a second before something warm blooms in his chest.

when he curls his fingers into the front of steve's shirt he does, in fact, feel his heart racing.

[little-mad]

The First Hunt: Chapter Two

A/N By popular demand, here's a sequel to The First Hunt! The original was meant to be a oneshot, but since people seemed to like it, and since I had more to say about the story, I figured a part two was in order. This one is a lot longer and more detailed than the first part cuz I wanted it to be more of a short story than a drabble. Hopefully you guys enjoy!

The warm glow of orange evening sunlight filtered through the canopy of leaves overhead. Thomas picked his way through the untamed forest, still wondering what exactly he was doing. The First Hunt had ended a couple hours ago, and Thomas’s peers were all back in town, enjoying the festivities that came with celebrating their passage into adulthood.

Thomas didn’t know exactly what had caused him to slip out of town and make his way back to the spot where he had last seen the human girl. The town elders would probably say hunting instinct. Thomas would be lying if he said he hadn’t been...intrigued by the human’s scent. He may have even followed through and eaten the tiny thing like he was supposed to, that is, if she hadn’t been squirming desperately in his fingers and begging for her life. As good as the little human had smelled, he knew he could never bring himself to eat something he could hold a conversation with.

So if it wasn’t hunger driving Thomas, then what was it? Perhaps just simple curiosity. He mostly doubted the human would have stuck around in the same place for so long, especially after having nearly been eaten, but he found himself itching to know whether she might still be there for some reason. After all, what were the chances he’d ever meet another human again? It was just so rare for them to stray out of the safety of their lands these days. If there was a possibility she might still be there, didn’t he have to be sure?

When he caught sight of a small, shaggy shrub, Thomas knew he had managed to navigate back to the spot where he’d first discovered the human. He heard a scampering nearby and had a brief flash of hope before he saw the sound had been made by a little orange fox that was now retreating further into the woods. Thomas continued to make his way closer to the bush. He could swear he could still detect traces of her sweet scent...unless…

As he walked forward, the distinct scent only got stronger. Thomas walked past the shrub and towards a thick but gnarled tree. At first he noticed nothing, and wondered if perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him, but then as he glanced down at the base of the tree, he caught sight of a small crevice.

Thomas dropped down to his knees and bent to peer inside the little nook. His eyes went wide when he saw what was inside. Pressed back as far as she could manage in the tight space, was a human, the very same human he had encountered a few hours ago.

Her wavy dark brown hair that didn’t quite reach her shoulders was a frazzled mess, bits of bark catching at some of the strands. Barely perceptible beads of sweat were forming on her light brown skin, creating a slight shine to her face. Chestnut colored eyes stared back at Thomas with fear and panic.

---

Tara had made sure to wait a long while after the group of giants had left before even considering leaving her hiding place. She wasn’t willing to risk the chance that they would double back, plus she was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she had just survived a hands on encounter with a giant.

After about fifteen minutes, Tara had finally deemed it safe enough to exit cover. She’d been just about to do so when she heard an unusual sound. The sound had unfortunately turned out to be that of a giant sized animal sniffing around. Could it have merely been a harmless squirrel? Sure. But given Tara’s luck, she had to assume it was some kind of predator that would gladly snatch up a human for a snack. And for that reason, she had remained concealed in her hidey hole, waiting for the creature to wander off someplace else.

Of course, the animal, whatever it was, had decided it was quite content to remain where it was. Tara had heard it finally give up on its sniffing after awhile and lay down on the opposite side of the tree. Hours passed, and in addition to a growing feeling of hunger in her belly, there was also a new ache developing in her body from being stuffed in such a cramped space for so long. She had just been considering making a mad dash for it and taking the chance that the animal was predatory, when she began to feel a sickeningly familiar rumbling shake the earth.

Tara’s blood went cold. Her window of escape had disappeared. The creature on the other side of the tree was now the least of her concerns. A much bigger predator was coming. If Tara’s last experience with a giant had been any indication, the giant would have no problem sniffing her out. It almost seemed like they had a nose made specifically for detecting humans.

The tremors in the ground increased in intensity as the giant came into view. Tara’s eyebrows shot up as she realized she recognized the massive being. It was the very same one who had captured her just hours earlier. Tara’s heart began to beat erratically in her chest. He had let her go...he’d told her he wouldn’t eat her. She swallowed hard. He must have changed his mind.

Tara could only watch as the young man advanced closer and closer towards her hiding spot. Then there was a rustling sound, from the animal that had been keeping her stuck. The giant’s gaze instantly snapped towards the source of the noise. Tara couldn’t see what he was looking at from where she was, but based on the disappointed look on the man’s face, she had to assume he hadn’t been impressed by whatever it was. This led Tara to a horrifying conclusion. The giant had reacted so quickly to the sound the animal had made, meaning he was looking for something, and Tara had a feeling she knew exactly what that something was.

The giant sniffed the air, an intrigued look forming on his face as he did. Tara had to bite her lip to prevent herself from releasing a whimper. He had caught her scent, it was only a matter of time before he tracked her down.

Sure enough, a few moments later, the towering being was directly in front of Tara’s now useless hiding place. His forest green eyes stared at her in surprise. Apparently he hadn’t been expecting to find her. Which was sensible. Tara should have been long gone by now. She had to mentally scoff at herself. She’d been given a miraculous second chance at life and she had somehow managed to screw it up and end up right back in the jaws of death.

It wasn’t long before the look of surprise on the giant’s face shifted into an excited smile that caused a tight feeling to form in Tara’s chest. She tried desperately to shove herself further back into the small crevice in the tree trunk, as if she’d end up magically getting absorbed into the bark.

Then, suddenly something huge came shooting towards her. Tara yelped as, for the second time that day, devastatingly massive fingers wrapped around her body. Her stomach churned as she was effortlessly pulled out of the nook and up into open air. The movement didn’t stop until she was being held directly in front of the giant’s still smiling face.

Tara wanted to yell, curse, and struggle, but she found herself momentarily frozen in place. She could see her own reflection in the shine of the giant eyes. God, did she look pathetic. The upper half of her body stuck out from the giant's fist, her arms hanging limply over the sides of his fingers. She could only imagine how pitiful she would appear to the immense creature.

After eying her for a couple agonizing moments, the giant made a sound of happy disbelief in the back of his throat before shifting his entire massive form. When the moving was finished, the young man was sitting with his back pressed against the tree and his knees bent. He held Tara slightly below eye level and a few inches away from his face.

“God, I still can’t get over how crazy small you are.” The giant spoke for the first time after finding Tara once again. His expression was filled with awe, not unlike a child that had just been presented a fascinating toy. Tara cringed at the sight of it.

“L-let me go!” She finally managed to spit out. She was still lacking the ferocity she’d possessed when she’d snapped at the giant during their last encounter, but she was hoping she would be able to build back up to it.

---

Thomas couldn’t believe his luck. He’d managed to get a hold of a human not once, but twice in the same day! He only wished he could brag about it to his friends. Of course, then he’d be forced to lie about not eating her. He supposed he could tell them the truth, but he had a feeling they wouldn’t be very receptive.

As he stared at her, wrapped up in his fist, he came to a new realization. Now that he had made himself stop viewing the human as food, he had to say, the little creature was honestly kind of adorable. She looked totally frazzled, but that almost added to the cuteness factor.

The feeling of tiny fingers lightly brushing against his skin sent shivers throughout Thomas’s body. It was insane, a creature that looked so similar to giants but was so damn tiny. “God, I still can’t get over how crazy small you are.” He remarked breathlessly, a grin on his face.

The little human, unfortunately, did not seem to share in his enthusiasm. “L-let me go!” She stuttered. A frown instantly took form on Thomas’s face. He supposed he should have expected this. He had almost eaten her the last time he held her. But he had told her he wasn’t going to do it and he’d released her afterwards. Shouldn’t she know he wasn’t going to hurt her?

“Wait...just wait, this could be a once in a lifetime chance for us to talk.” Thomas insisted. He knew so little about human culture, current human culture in particular. It was hard to learn about the species when his people ate them up if they ever ran into one. There were a few old textbooks back home, but the information was likely horribly outdated by now, not to mention potentially inaccurate considering they had been written by giants and not humans themselves. Thomas was itching to know what life was really like for the tiny creatures.

“I don’t want to talk, I want to go home.” The minuscule girl retorted, fidgeting uncomfortably in between his fingers. Taking note of this, Thomas repositioned the human so that, rather than being held in his fist, she stood in the center of his palm. His fingers were curled up behind her, creating a sort of barrier.

The feeling of the human’s tiny feet moving around on his hand was unbelievable! Thomas had known humans existed his entire life, but now that he was actually holding one, he found it mind boggling that such a petite species could even survive in the world. He knew things were more proportional for the humans on their side of the border, but still, that didn’t change the fact that they were so low on the food chain compared to so many other creatures. Even the prey animals in giant territory outclassed humans.

“Are you...not a little curious about giants?” Thomas questioned the girl, using his free hand to rub at the side of his neck.

The human gave an immediate scoff, complete with an eye roll. “What’s there to be curious about? You treat us like food, that’s all I need to know.” It seemed the spunk she’d possessed during their last meeting had returned. It was kind of impressive how someone in such a vulnerable position could respond with such moxie.

“H-hey, I didn’t eat you, did I?” Thomas shot back defensively. However, as his mind wandered back to the moment he’d held her dangling above his mouth, he couldn’t help but recall the tempting scent that had wafted off of the human. “Although...you--well you do smell pretty good…” The words leaked out almost involuntarily as he was lost in the memory.

Thomas was pulled out of his reverie by a furious gasp and the feeling of tentative steps retreating backwards on his palm. When his gaze refocused he could see the human wearing an expression of disgust mixed with fear, her little arms wrapped around her middle defensively. “Not that I’m going to eat you!” Thomas blurted out, realizing how thoughtless his words had been. “I can’t imagine eating something I can hold a conversation with.”

---

The moment the giant had mentioned how good she apparently smelled, Tara was struck with a renewed sense of fear. She hated it, being viewed as some sort of tasty meal. She couldn’t comprehend the concept. Humans ate the meat of animals, sure, but they couldn’t sniff out a cow, nor did they consider it to smell good prior to being cooked. Giants were different, more barbaric, more animalistic. And yet, they seemed as intelligent as humans. It didn’t make sense.

“Not that I’m going to eat you!” The giant insisted. She stared back at him with suspicion in her eyes. Had he really come all this way to just talk to her? “I can’t imagine eating something I can hold a conversation with.” He added. It almost gave Tara whiplash, the way the giant could go from commenting on how delicious she smelled, to noticeably cringing at the idea of eating a being with which he could verbally communicate with.

“I’m not a something, I’m a someone.” Tara corrected, folding her arms firmly over her chest.

“Right, sorry.” The giant replied sheepishly. Tara could swear she could actually see his face reddening slightly. “I guess I’m not used to this whole talking to a human thing.”

Tara gave a snort. “Understatement.” If she had to write a rulebook for giants on what not to say to humans, rule number one would be: ‘don’t talk about how delicious they may smell!’ But, if she was being honest with herself, this guy was a far cry better than what she had expected. She supposed she should count her lucky stars that she had been found by what was likely the only giant that showed any qualms about eating humans. Considering the fact that the First Hunt indeed was real, Tara could only assume the rest of the giants were totally on board with gobbling humans up.

“Ok, I deserve that.” The young giant admitted, a slight grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He was quiet for a moment as he looked over Tara, his lips pressed together thoughtfully. And then, “I didn’t expect humans to have such sharp tongues.”

It was true that Tara’s courage, and accompanying attitude, had come back full force after her initial terror at re-encountering the giant had ebbed slightly. Of course, the fear was still present, her instincts would never allow that to go away entirely. However, she was able to keep it as background noise. That being said, she didn’t very much like the giant’s insinuation. It almost seemed as though he had expected humans to be these tiny quivering wrecks.

“I doubt you giants know much of anything about what humans are like.” Tara snipped. She had a feeling most giants didn’t bother to ask for a human’s life story before devouring them.

“Well then why not educate me?” Came the giant’s quick response. God, he seemed eager. His eyes were almost sparkling with enthusiasm. Tara couldn’t understand why he was so interested in humans. It was his own damn species’ fault that the two peoples couldn’t get along.

“What if you could bridge the gap?” A small part of her mind argued. Tara was quick to shake that thought away. There was no way having a heart to heart with one single giant was going to stop all of giantkind from being obsessed with eating humans. Besides, she needed to convince this guy to let her go. The longer she was around a giant, the higher the chances of her getting hurt became.

“Because--because every second I’m around you, my life is in danger!” Tara exclaimed. She forced herself to walk towards the front of the giant’s hand, ignoring how utterly bizarre it felt to be standing on someone’s actual palm.

A frown appeared on the young man’s face. “Come on, I already said I wasn’t going to hurt you.” He said it almost in a whine. Tara was beginning to wonder if this guy was really like a gigantic puppy. Of course, even a puppy was dangerous if it was bigger than a house.

“And I’m just supposed to take your word for it?” Tara asked with a quirked brow. “Besides, you could hurt me without evening meaning to.” What may seem like a small, inconsequential movement for the giant could be potentially catastrophic for someone Tara’s size. Too much pressure from his fingers, a misstep, a sudden jolt; they could all spell disaster for her. The giant clearly didn’t understand that. For him, there was no danger in a simple conversation. Of course there wasn’t, not for him, the one with all the control.

The man remained silent for a moment, apparently digesting Tara’s words. It was a positive sign that he was actually taking her words into consideration. “I’ll...I’ll be careful, I promise.” He vowed, earning a frustrated groan from Tara.

Ever since she was little, Tara had been a headstrong child. Her mother had even taken to referring to her as a ‘stubborn little mule’ whenever she was especially pig headed about something. But now, it seemed the mule had met her match. This giant was relentless in his pursuit to satisfy his own curiosity.

A soft breath from the giant’s mouth ruffled Tara’s hair as it blew past her. He wore a difficult to read expression on his face. It almost seemed like he was conflicted. He kept his silence for a few moments, looking off into the distance and for once freeing Tara from his persistent staring. Before she could properly relish in the feeling of not being the center of a massive being’s attention, his deep green eyes were locked back on her. “Would you at least tell me your name? Mine is Thomas.”

Tara’s eyebrows lifted slightly. She hadn’t even considered that this giant had a name. Giants had always seemed like abstract otherworldly concepts to her. Therefore, the fact that this one had a name, not to mention a seemingly mundane name like Thomas, was a little bit unexpected. “Uh, I’m Tara…” She replied, feeling rather strange doing introductions with a giant.

A bright grin broke out on Thomas’s face. He was way too excited about this. “Pleasure to meet you, Tara.”

---

Thomas found himself unable to keep his hands to himself after he and the human named Tara exchanged introductions. Her awkward body language somehow made her look even cuter! With the tip of a single finger he reached out and ruffled Tara’s already unruly head of hair. He marveled at how soft the locks felt despite how untamed they currently appeared.

The indignant squeak the little human made in response to Thomas’s touch was way too endearing for him to bear, and he was about to go back in to tap Tara lightly on the head when a sudden look of sharp fear came across her face. “Someone’s coming.” She hissed urgently, brown eyes blown wide as she stared up at Thomas.

His eyebrows furrowed and he remained silent while he tried to hear what the human had apparently picked up on. At first he heard nothing. He was just beginning to think Tara had been yanking his chain when he finally caught the sound of approaching footsteps.

Panic was quick to take a grip on Thomas as he shot up to his feet. While he had vowed not to eat Tara, he doubted whoever was coming would share the same sentiment. If another giant knew of her existence, she would be placed in extreme danger. Not to mention the fact that Thomas would have to try to explain why he, a giant, had been holding a casual conversation with a human rather than consuming them.

The footsteps were quickly growing nearer, the new giant would soon be within eyesight. Thomas looked down at Tara to see a look of terror frozen on her face. She looked up at him with desperation in her eyes, as if begging him to do something. He swallowed thickly and gave the human a small nod.

Then, using the hand Tara wasn’t currently standing on, Thomas once again grabbed the human. Swiftly he moved the hand holding Tara around to his back and shifted so he stood as close to the tree trunk as possible without squishing the delicate human he had in his grasp. It was a pretty poor hiding place, that much he knew, but without any kind of pocket or bag to drop her into, Thomas’s options had been severely limited. Although, Thomas wondered if there was even a point in attempting to hide her, any giant with a functioning nose would be able to smell her from several yards away.

A moment later the oncoming giant finally came into view. Thomas’s eyes widened as he realized who it was. The young man’s skin was slightly more tanned than Thomas’s, and his complexion paired well with his medium blond hair. He had angular facial features and a set of icy blue eyes behind a pair of round glasses. He was only a couple months older than Thomas, something he knew because the approaching giant was none other than his best friend.

“Ah ha, I thought I might find you out here.” Lane called, a grin on his lips as he made his way closer to Thomas. “Hoping you’d get a second chance at catching a human, huh?”

Lane and Thomas had been friends ever since they were little kids. It had been their interest in learning that had ultimately solidified their friendship. Thomas was constantly itching for novel, unheard of information. He wanted to discover new and exciting things before anyone else. Lane, on the other hand, was more interested in culture and tradition. He was fascinated by giant history and wanted to analyze it to no end. Within the past few years, Lane had become especially interested in studying giantkind’s history with eating humans.

It was for this reason that Thomas considered Lane to be just about the worst person to come around while he was currently trying to conceal a human. The guy was obsessed with the idea of getting to eat a human. He considered it to be a tradition that connected giants with their ancestors. After the First Hunt had ended, Thomas had been subjected to extensive complaining about the fact that no humans had been found.

Abruptly halting his progress towards Thomas, a perplexed look formed on Lane’s face. He lifted his nose into the air and gave several small sniffs. “Do you smell that?” He asked, continuing to sniff at the air.

Perhaps a bit too quickly, Thomas shook his head. “N-no, I don’t smell anything.” He claimed.

Lane shot Thomas an unconvinced look. “Oh come on, it smells amazing! I haven’t ever smelled anything like it.” He proceeded making his way over to his friend, but didn’t stop sniffing all the way there.

Thomas could feel Tara squirming uncomfortably in his hand. He didn’t know whether it was because of the way he was holding or because of Lane. To be on the safe side, he loosened his grip on her ever so slightly.

“Hey, what do you have there?” Lane questioned, finally taking his focus off of the smell to eye Thomas’s unnaturally positioned arm.

“Is it really that obvious??” Thomas thought to himself miserably. “Nothing.” He told Lane, trying to school his expression into one of casual indifference. “This is just how I’m standing.” Thomas felt a tiny smack on his knuckle. If he had to guess, Tara wasn’t very impressed with his attempt at lying.

Lane quirked an eyebrow. “Alright, then show me your hand.” He prompted.

“I don’t see why--” Before Thomas could even finish his sentence, Lane had grabbed hold of his upper arm and yanked until the hand holding Tara popped out of cover.

For a moment, Lane just stared with eyes as wide as saucers. Then, after he seemed to process what he was looking at, a sly grin slowly spread across his face. Thomas didn’t like that look one bit, especially not when it was aimed at Tara. “You actually caught one!” The blond exclaimed.

Thomas released a low sigh as he moved his arm so that Tara was once again held in front of his body. Rather than return her to her previous position of standing freely on his palm, Thomas kept her gripped in a fist. With Lane now present, it just felt safer.

Although a couple inches shorter than Thomas, Lane still had to bend to get himself at level to where Tara was being held at chest height. He moved his face in close to the human, wearing an expression of exhilarated amazement. “The stories are right, they really are bite sized.” He commented. Thomas could see Tara cringe back at the words. The poor girl’s heartbeat was going crazy, he could feel it pounding against his fingers.

Both Thomas and Tara appeared relieved when Lane straightened and backed up slightly. “Hey, why were you hiding it?” Lane’s gaze flicked from Tara up to Thomas’s face. “What, were you afraid I was going to try and steal your catch?”

“No, I just--”

“It may have ended, but it’s still technically the day of the First Hunt.” Lane stated, apparently too excited about the fact that one of them had found a human to care too much about Thomas’s potential distrust in him.

“Lane, that--”

“You should eat it right here and now, as tradition dictates.” This time, Lane’s interruption sent a wave of alarm throughout Thomas’s body. This was all so overwhelming. He’d just wanted to have a civil discussion with Tara, and now Lane was here trying to get him to eat her!

“What?! No, I’m not doing that!” Thomas cried, loathing the images that were forcibly appearing in his mind of himself dropping Tara into his mouth. What he hated more, was that there was a part of him that actually almost wanted to do so.

Thomas had always found the way giants felt so compelled to devour humans to be strange. It wasn’t necessarily the fact that giants enjoyed eating the tiny creatures, but that they enjoyed eating them whole and raw. With every other kind of meat, giants cooked and seasoned it prior to indulging. It was the civilized thing to do. But with humans it was different. Eating them alive was basically the only way that was considered proper. It was a barbaric practice. Thomas just didn’t understand what it was about humans that turned otherwise civilized giants into hunger driven savages. He didn’t want to be like that, no matter how much his instincts may be urging him to.

“But if you wait till we get home, you can bet someone will try to take it from you.” Lane insisted, clearly misinterpreting Thomas’s opposition to immediately eating the human.

“Lane--” Thomas started, though he didn’t really know where he was going.

“I think Daren wants to eat a human just as much as me, but he’s not your friend so he won’t hesitate to steal your catch.” Lane commented casually. Yesterday this kind of conversation wouldn’t have bothered Thomas in the slightest. Discussing eating humans was fairly commonplace among giants, and he’d never been upset when Lane had brought up the topic in the past. But now, after meeting Tara, Thomas found himself disgusted with how easily his friend spoke about ending another living being’s life.

“I am not eating her, period!” The exclamation had come out louder and stronger than Thomas had perhaps intended, but the way he had felt Tara practically shaking in his hand had elicited an unexpected response.

A look of confusion instantly took shape on Lane’s face, staring at Thomas like he had three heads. “What are you talking about?”

Thomas took in a deep breath. He really hadn’t wanted to have this conversation with any of his friends, least of all Lane. The guy was so lost in giant tradition that he couldn’t seem to consider the possibility that maybe their ancestors hadn’t been such great and admirable people afterall. Thomas didn’t even know how to begin explaining to Lane how he felt, but he had no choice but to figure it out as he spoke. “Lane, humans...eating humans isn’t--it isn’t something I can do.” He started lamely.

Lane narrowed his eyes. “And why the hell not?”

“Because I can’t bring myself to eat something as sentient as you or I.” Thomas responded simply. He could feel Tara’s little eyes on him, but he forced himself to maintain eye contact with the other giant.

“Oh please, you sound like those human sympathizer nut jobs.” Lane scoffed.

Thomas remained silent, unsure of how to respond. He had been raised to view the small number of human sympathizing giants as loons. These days, there were only two left in their small town, and they were both treated as total outcasts. Thomas realized he suddenly had more in common with them than the rest of the townspeople. Now that Lane knew how he felt, would it only be a matter of time before he too was socially shunned?

A noise of incredulity came from Lane as he shook his head in disbelief. “Thomas, we are predators and they are our prey. Eating humans is in our DNA.” He was spouting the same rhetoric as the town elders, and pretty much every adult in town to be honest. Thomas could recall a time when he was eleven, after studying human-giant relations in school for the first time, he’d come home and asked his father why giants loved eating humans so much. His father’s response had been that giants were naturally made to want to hunt humans, that it was an intrinsic part of giant nature. At the time, Thomas had accepted it as fact and moved on. But now, he was beginning to question everything he’d been taught.

“We’re not mindless animals, we don’t have to succumb to base urges.” He argued, almost pleadingly. He wanted his friend to understand, wanted him to see things the way he had started to.

Lane responded with an exaggerated eye roll, clearly not convinced by Thomas’s words. “Ok, you know what? If you’re not going to eat it, I will.”

Realizing what Lane was doing just in time, Thomas dodged to the side just as the shorter man made a lunge for Tara. Thomas’s fingers automatically tightened around the human girl’s body, evoking a sharp gasp from her. He felt bad for causing such a reaction, but he knew it was better for her to be uncomfortable in his hands than ending up in Lane’s at all. Thomas brought the hand holding Tara in close to his body, practically squishing her against his chest. “You need to back off.” He warned Lane as he himself slowly stepped further away.

---

Tara was quite sure that this day would forever rank number one on her list of worst days of all time, that is, if she even lived to see another day. Not only had she been captured and nearly eaten by a giant and later recaptured by said giant, but now there was a whole other giant involved, and one who seemed a lot more interested in eating a human than Thomas had.

This new giant, apparently named Lane, was somehow even more terrifying than Thomas, despite the fact that he looked to be slightly shorter in height. Thomas had never really looked at Tara with outright hunger in his eyes, at least not that she had detected. The same could not be said for Lane. Every time his eyes landed on her, she felt as though she were a piece of meat hanging in the window of a butcher’s shop. She absolutely hated it.

If Lane having just tried to grab her hadn’t been bad enough, Tara was currently in the highly unpleasant position of being tightly clutched in Thomas’s hand. While the grip around her body wasn’t painful, it was certainly far from comfortable. Not to mention the fact that she was being pressed into the giant’s chest, her face barely an inch away from the soft material of the sweater he wore. In order to even see anything except the expanse that was Thomas’s torso, she had to crane her neck around to look over her shoulder.

“If you don’t want to eat humans, then fine, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do it.” Lane growled.

Tara was very quickly getting fed up with all this talk of eating her, and what was more, she was fed up with just sitting idly by while two giants bickered about her fate. Using her arms to leverage herself, Tara managed to twist herself around within Thomas’s fist. Now facing out towards Lane, she leveled a wrathful glare at the giant. “No one is fucking eating me!”

Terror quickly began to eat away at Tara’s fierce facade when Lane’s cold blue eyes zeroed in on her. For a moment, he looked slightly surprised to hear her speak. She supposed it was likely the first time he’d ever heard a human’s voice before. However, the surprise quickly wore off and was replaced with a look of haughty disdain. “Listen here, morsel.” The blond giant sneered, the words causing Tara to physically flinch. “You broke the treaty by coming onto our land.”

“I didn’t mean--”

“The reason doesn’t matter. So long as you’re in our territory, you’re fair game.” Lane stated simply.

Technically, legally, Lane was right. For all intents and purposes, Tara had broken the treaty and was subject to whatever laws governed giants. But she didn’t care, she didn’t care what the laws were or what the treaty said. “Crossing a border doesn’t make me deserving of being killed.” Tara spat back with a scowl. “You giants are so twisted in the head if you think that’s right.”

Tara could feel Thomas’s fingers twitch around her. She wondered what kind of expression he was wearing at the moment, but she didn’t want to disqualify herself from the glaring contest that was currently taking place between her and Lane. “It’s the way nature works.” He said with an unconcerned shrug. “The predator hunts the prey. Don’t be upset because you got stuck as the prey.”

“Lane, knock it off!” Tara’s heart skipped a beat at Thomas’s sudden roar. His voice vibrated throughout her body and caused a slight ache in her ears. Still, the outburst couldn’t distract her from dwelling on Lane’s words. Was that really how giants saw it? They thought it was natural for them to devour humans, and so never stopped to ponder the moral implications?

“What is wrong with you?” Lane demanded, removing his gaze from Tara to shoot an incredulous look up at Thomas. “You can’t tell me you’re not dying to get a taste, the smell alone--”

“I already told you, I’m not eating her, and neither are you.” Thomas interrupted sharply. Tara was glad he’d stopped Lane when he had, the words the giant had been saying had already begun to make her feel sick to her stomach. Hearing how apparently delicious she smelled was horrific, and even worse was the hungry look of longing that had been on his face.

Lost in her own dark thoughts, Tara didn’t even notice the giant hand coming at her until it was too late. A scream got caught in her throat as her shoulders were shoved into the crease between the assaulting hand’s thumb and index finger. There was a burst of pain as she was forcibly wrenched out of Thomas’s hand. Then there came a disorienting blur as Tara felt her body being carried through the air at nauseating speeds.

When she finally managed to somewhat gather her senses, she found she was horizontal to the ground, her legs dangling while her upper half was forcibly held straight by massive fingers. It was then that she lifted her gaze from the distant earth. The sight in front of her caused a horrified shriek to tear through her throat.

There Tara was, being held directly in front of a wide open giant mouth, and she was rapidly being moved towards it.

---

Lane’s grab for Tara had been so sudden that Thomas hadn’t had the chance to evade it. Before he knew it, Lane had snatched the human right out of his hand, and it seemed his friend wasn’t about to waste any time in eating her.

Thomas could feel his pulse pounding in his neck as he watched almost as if in slow motion as Lane lifted the defenseless Tara to his gaping mouth. “No, this isn’t happening, I won’t let it!” Thomas’s thoughts screamed at him. Just as Tara’s head was about to enter the abyss that was Lane’s mouth, Thomas dove forward and managed to snag hold of the other giant’s forearm. A loud smack echoed through the woods from the impact of his palm on Lane’s bare arm.

Now forcibly holding Lane’s arm back from continuing its mission to deposit Tara into his mouth, Thomas threw a dark glare at his friend. “Give her to me now.” He demanded.

Lane looked back with a disbelieving look in his eyes. “Thomas, you need help. You’ve completely lost touch with your own instincts.” Here Lane was, about to end someone’s life without a second thought, and he had the gall to tell Thomas he needed help. It truly was twisted how giant society viewed things. Yet, was Thomas really one to talk? He’d played along with it all just yesterday. It had taken meeting a human, holding her in his hand, for Thomas to begin to truly question the ideas that had been drilled into his head for so long.

“My instincts don’t define me, I’m not a slave to primal urges.” The words were stated calmly and simply. Lane considered himself a scholar, and so Thomas would try to persuade him as such.

“Are you fucking serious?!” Lane exclaimed. Thomas could see his words were failing to give Lane pause, and instead were just offending the guy and pissing him off more. He was beginning to wonder if this was going to develop into a fight. Thomas may be tall and fairly fit, but he had no experience with physical altercations. But, neither did Lane. If both of them were equally inexperienced, Thomas hoped his greater size would put him at an advantage if it came down to it.

It was then that Thomas glanced down at Tara. Her body was being held in a precarious grip with four of Lane’s fingers on her back while the thumb was the only thing between her and the distant ground. This perhaps explained why she wasn’t struggling at all, she knew if she broke free, she’d be plummeting to what would likely be her own death.

Horrible waves of guilt rose up within Thomas. Tara was in this position because of him. She had wanted to leave the second he had found her, but he hadn’t let her. Now she was trapped in a life threatening scenario, and if a fight did break out between the two giants, the frail human could easily be damaged in the crossfire. Thomas would have to avoid that if at all possible.

“Lane, if you’re my friend, please just let her go.” He urged, allowing some vulnerability into his voice. Despite how it likely appeared to Tara, Thomas’s friend wasn’t heartless. The guy had been there for him at times when no one else had. He had to believe Lane was a good person at his core, that he had just been brainwashed to view humans as objects rather than people. Surely he could be reasoned with.

Lane opened his mouth as if to immediately refuse, but halted when he locked eyes with Thomas. After several moments of silence, he could see the resistance draining from his friend. With his free hand, Thomas positioned his palm just below Tara. Lane hesitated for a second before pulling his thumb out from under the human’s body, causing her to immediately drop down into the waiting hand.

As soon as Tara was safely back in his hands, Thomas brought her back against his chest. He was practically cradling the human, and chances were, Tara wasn’t exactly happy about it. However, he wasn’t about to stop, not when she’d be so nearly killed. And though he doubted Lane would make another grab for the human, Thomas didn’t plan on putting his guard down.

“This could be our only chance to eat a human, you know?” Lane said quietly. He stood back, arms folded over his chest. There was a somber look on his face.

Thomas gave his friend a sad smile. “I think we’re better off never doing it.”

Lane shook his head. “I can’t believe that.”

A glance down at Tara’s tiny form cupped in his hand was all the assurance Thomas needed to know that he was doing the right thing. Lane may not be able to see it yet, but maybe he could someday. He had put his friendship with Thomas over his desire to eat a human. That itself was a positive sign.

“I’m going to take her back to the border, we can talk after I get back to town.” Thomas stated, and with that he turned and left, Lane thankfully not attempting to pursue.

---

Tara was seated in the center of Thomas’s left palm, the giant’s other hand cupped in front of her to create a kind of barrier. As they had increased their distance from Lane, Thomas had transitioned from practically caging her in between his two hands, to at least now allowing her a little bit of breathing room.

So far, the journey to the border had been completely silent. Tara had no idea what to even say after everything that had happened, and Thomas apparently didn’t either. The silence hanging between them was beginning to become uncomfortable, and Tara was about to relent and just blurt out the first thing that came to mind, when Thomas finally spoke up. “Tara, I’m sorry.” The statement was simple, and yet caused her eyebrows to shoot up.

Turning around to face the giant, Tara tilted her head back to look at Thomas, only to be met with the underside of his jaw. He kept his eyes forward, but she could still make out a regretful frown on his face. His words had been genuine.

“My actions put you in danger.” The giant affirmed.

Tara gave a snort. “Yeah, they sure did.” She could see Thomas’s frown deepen as he gave a slight nod of understanding. “But,” Tara continued, “you did stand up to your friend for me, so I guess I can’t hate you completely.”

She was sure that if she ever recounted this story to any other humans, they’d never understand how she could not despise the giant that had caused her so many problems. And of course, Tara wasn’t about to join the Thomas fan club anytime soon. Yet, she couldn’t ignore the courage and kindness he had displayed when he protected her from Lane. Yesterday, she never would’ve imagined in a million years that a giant would not only refrain from eating her, but also willingly oppose their own friend for her sake.

These recent events were going to force Tara to reevaluate her views on giants. Thomas certainly seemed like an outlier, but surely he couldn’t be the only one. Lane had mentioned something about “human sympathizer nut jobs”, which seemed to suggest there were other giants who defied the norms. Perhaps giants were more human than she had thought?

The frown had faded slightly from Thomas’s face, though he still wore a serious expression. “Listen, I know that was a pretty bad first impression, but Lane really isn’t an evil person.” He insisted.

Tara held back a dry laugh. Lane was probably on the top of her list of least favorite people. Almost eating her proved worse than the former top spot holder’s offense of calling Tara a “vulgar swine.” Despite her clear dislike for the guy, she didn’t want to denigrate him directly to Thomas’s face. He clearly saw something redeemable in his friend, and while Tara couldn’t see it, she really did hope he was right. She knew that if it were her best friend, she would be giving him the benefit of the doubt.

“I’ll have to take your word for it,” was all she said.

A few moments later, Tara began to notice the trees beginning to loom over her less and less. Soon, Thomas was wading through trees that reached his stomach. The sight of normal sized trees was like a breath of fresh air. She was eager to stop feeling so miniscule.

“This is the closest I’ve ever been to the border.” Thomas muttered.

From the tales she’d heard from her town’s scouts, there were times when giants would stand at the very edge of the border. These giants would apparently stare into human territory, and if they caught sight of one of the scouts, they would attempt to lure them over the border. Tara was glad to hear Thomas had never been among them.

A chuckle escaped her at the nervous look on the giant’s face. “Don’t worry, you’re not about to start getting shot with arrows.” She assured him. So long as Thomas never stepped a toe over the border, no human could cause him any harm.

Thomas’s gaze flicked down to Tara, a slightly abashed smile on his face. She smirked. It was almost endearing, the way something so massive could manage to appear so awkward and innocent.

It wasn’t long after that that the pair finally reached the border which separated giant and human territory. The boundary was distinctly marked by an extensive creek. It was shallow enough to easily wade through if need be, but thankfully they had arrived at a section with a few well placed stones that could be used to hop across.

“So that’s human territory, huh?” Thomas remarked, staring out at the land across the creek.

Tara gave a shrug, it wasn’t anything special, especially not this part, which was just a stretch of woods. Really, it wasn’t much different from the giants’ forest. Size was really the only major disparity.

“Hey,” Tara could feel the giant’s eyes back on her, “you never said why you were past the border in the first place.”

A rush of heat instantly began to warm her cheeks. The tale of how she’d wound up lost in giant territory wasn’t exactly a flattering one. However, she had a feeling Thomas wouldn’t stand for no response. “Primrose only grows on the other side of the border.” She started. “I only planned on going a little ways, but then a giant wolf came after me and chased me further in.”

Rather than the amused expression she had been expecting, Thomas was looking down at her with wide eyes. “That sounds terrifying.” He breathed. “Wolves are scary enough at normal size.”

Tara chuckled. “Not as terrifying as a giant person.” She meant the words sincerely, but she said them in a joking tone.

Thomas gave a sideways nod. “Fair enough.” He said, a small smile on his lips. There was a brief pause, and then, “I supposed I should put you down now, huh?” His disappointment at this prospect was evident. For whatever reason, the guy really seemed to like holding Tara. She, on the other hand, would be lying if she said she wasn’t eager to get out of giant hands.

Tara gave Thomas a shrug that said ‘well yeah, duh.’ The giant’s response was an over dramatic sigh before he moved his hands back a few inches from his chest. He then abruptly dropped into a crouch at a jarring speed. Tara involuntarily took a hold of Thomas’s nearby thumb to prevent herself from toppling over. A perfect example of why she was more than ready to be back on solid ground.

When Thomas looked down to see Tara clutching his thumb, his face morphed into the embodiment of the word ‘awww.’ She scowled back up at him and was quick to release her hold on the huge appendage. Her mother still sometimes called her cute despite her being fully grown, something Tara greatly disliked, so she certainly wasn’t going to take it from this giant. Seeing Tara’s grumpy face, Thomas was quick to try and wipe the expression off his face, although the soft smile remained.

“Move a little more slowly, would you?” She griped, crossing her arms over her chest.

A low chuckle came from the giant, but he nodded in understanding anyways. “Sure thing.” He then began to carefully lower the hand holding Tara down to the grass below. When the back of his hand was flush with the ground, Tara got to her feet and quickly hopped off of the warm palm. She took in a deep breath and blew it out, relieved to be mobile of her own accord once again.

With a grin on her face, Tara turned around to face Thomas. “Sheesh, I forgot how much bigger he looks when I’m down here.” She thought to herself as she stared up at the giant’s enormous figure. Even when he was crouched down, he still absolutely towered over her.

“Hey.” Thomas started, preventing Tara from dwelling on her growing size related anxiety. “I--I was wondering if maybe you might want to see each other again sometime…I could even bring you some primrose.”

The immediate answer that sprung to Tara’s mind was a resounding “no.” But, before she voiced it aloud, she stopped herself. The day’s events had proven one thing very clearly to her: giants were incredibly dangerous. Though she’d managed to escape with her life, she hadn’t come out unscathed. Tara’s shoulders still ached from where Lane had grabbed her earlier. However, she couldn’t pretend Thomas’s unexpected behavior hadn’t intrigued her a little. Plus his offer of bringing primrose was tempting. And, she had just thought of a way the two could talk safely, without any risk on Tara’s end.

While on very rare occasions humans would cross over the border as Tara had done, giants never did the same. For whatever reason, even the most vile giants seemed to obey the treaty to a T. For that reason, Tara figured it was safe to assume that Thomas would do the same. Therefore, if each party remained on their respective side of the border, in theory they could still converse with one another. It was something Tara would need to spend some time considering.

“I’ll think about it.” She told Thomas. “Come back in a week and check under that rock,” she pointed to a large stone behind the giant, “I’ll leave a note there with my answer.”

Thomas beamed down at her, clearly pleased he hadn’t been outright shut down by the human. It was amazing really, he was giving her the power to decide whether or not their relationship continued. It was something someone as big and powerful as him didn’t need to do, but in doing so, he showed that he had at least some respect for Tara’s autonomy. Definitely a good sign.

Tara made her way over to the edge of the creek closest to the path of stones. Not in the mood to get soaked, she carefully picked her way across, trying to ignore the giant eyes on her back. The moment her feet touched down on the grass on the other side, Tara could feel the muscles in her body relaxing. No longer was she in giant territory. She was back, safe and sound on her own side of the border.

When she turned back around to face Thomas, she could see him looking back at her with a gentle smile on his lips. He brushed strands of light brown hair away from his face, and as Tara took in his appearance, she was reminded how scarily human-like giants were. It would be far easier for humans to dismiss them as monsters if they had huge horns, or razor-sharp fangs. Now that she had met Thomas, it was now even more difficult to do so.

Holding her arms in front of herself, Tara returned Thomas’s smile, though hers was much less easy going than his. “Well, thanks for not eating me, I guess.” She said with an awkward chuckle.

Thomas made an amused sound in his throat. “You’re welcome.”

Lifting her gaze up to the sky, Tara noticed the sun was nearly halfway hidden beyond the horizon. Night would fall soon and she still had the walk back to town ahead of her. Not to mention there were probably some people wondering why her herb gathering trip was taking so unusually long. She still wasn’t sure what exactly she was going to tell her friends and family about her experience. It was something she’d have to mull over on the way home.

“So long, Thomas.” Tara gave a short wave.

“See you soon.” Thomas replied, a playful edge to his tone.

With that, Tara turned around and began the trek back to town. She didn’t feel the vibrations of retreating giant footsteps until the border was completely out of sight.

A/N I don't necessarily plan on making another part to the First Hunt per say, but I am making Tara, Thomas, and Lane official OCs on the blog. I'm thinking of taking story requests and prompts in the future, so if anyone wanted more of the First Hunt universe, perhaps that could be arranged 😜

[joaquinwhorres]

Give Thanks (Bucky Barnes x OC)

SUMMARY ››››› Bucky Barnes has a list of names--amends he needs to make. When he gets to M. & L. Kaminski, he finds the amends process a bit more...difficult than it should be. 

WORD COUNT ››››› 1,700-ish

WARNINGS ››››› language

A/N ››››› Oh hey, look at me jumping on that Falcon and the Winter Soldier trend. 

Bucky stood outside of the door, staring at the wreath of brightly colored fabric leaves, a small wooden sign hanging in the center with the words Give Thanks looping across it. 

He doubted there was going to be much thankfulness for him on the other side of the door. 

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

This was supposed to be getting easier. Dr. Raynor told him it would get easier. 

But for someone who hated bullshit so much, she really spent far too much time talking out of her ass. Because this wasn't easy. 

Easy would be surreptitiously wiring a million dollars into each of their bank accounts from the HYDRA accounts he still had access to.

Easy would be taking out anyone who had been involved in the decision to give him the order. 

Easy would be breaking the damn rules. 

The rules aren't meant to make your life easy, James. They're meant to disconnect you from the Winter Soldier. That's the whole point of making amends, isn't it? 

He'd give anything to get her damn voice out of his head. 

Bucky propelled himself up the front porch steps before he could change his mind. Like he had last yesterday. 

He rapped on the front door, accidentally knocking the wreath sideways as he went to pull his hand away. Instinctively, he reached out to right it, centering the sign and taking his hands away slowly to avoid a repeat of the situation. Bucky checked over his shoulder, half expecting Sam's stupid little robot to Zoom into view with Sam cackling and making some dumb quip about metal butterfingers. But Redwing wasn't there. The only other person outside was an old man mowing his lawn in a dingy white undershirt and grey sweatshorts. Bucky's lip curled in disgust before turning back to the door--the sound of locks clicking out of place putting him on alert. 

"Hello?" 

Bucky blinked, his eyes meeting those of the woman before him. Her eyes were striking, pinning him to the spot and pushing all semblance of thought out of his head. They were a light brown--taupe almost, standing out brightly in contrast to her long, full eyelashes. 

"Can I help you?"

Bucky blinked, nodding at her. Right. He was here for a reason. Not to stand like some teenage boy who'd just seen the girl next door for the first time. 

"I'm looking for Mina Kaminski."

"You found her." 

He blanched. "You're Mina Kaminski?" 

The look of vague curiosity that had been gracing features markedly shifted into a look of annoyance. "Believe it or not, people who look like me aren't all named Singh or Patel" 

Fuck this. He needed to get out of here. There was no way he could have this conversation now. 

"Still want to talk to me?" She asked, eyebrows arched and arms folded across her chest. 

No. 

Sam's laughter echoed in his head, as if he'd been here to witness the exchange. And that's why he stayed. Out of spite. 

He nodded. "My name is James "Bucky" Barnes and--"

"Wait a second," she held out a hand and raised an eyebrow on him. He did as she asked, stopping mid-sentence with a sinking feeling in his gut. "Bucky Barnes as in Captain America and Bucky Barnes?"

He nodded, resigned to the fact that this was going to be his worst attempt at amends yet. "Yeah." 

"Well," she breathed, dropping her arms. "If I'd known I was meeting an Avenger at my door, I might have put on some pants." 

His eyes ran down from her face, noticing for the first time that she wore a dressing robe that barely swept the tops of her knees. Her bare knees.

His mouth opened as if he had even the faintest clue how to respond to this and then his jaw moved up and down for a new second as if the motion of talking would bring words. While it didn't muster an apology or some other decent thing to say, he did manage to utter a single word: "Shit."

She snorted at the reaction before smiling for the first time and shaking out her long dark hair, waves tousled together from having probably just woken up. "If you want to come in and wait, I'll go get changed."

He shook his head. "I can wait out here."

She was still smiling. Probably because she realized he was far more pathetic up close. "Suit yourself, but there's eggs inside."

"I'm good," he said, forcing himself to give a tight smile that didn't reach his eyes. She nodded, leaving the door open behind her as she disappeared inside the house--as if he'd change his mind.

He should leave right now. Turn around and come back a different day when he could at least function like a mostly human being. Bucky ran a hand through his hair, scratching the back of his head. 

The quick, sharp sound of pattering bare feet broke his stream of thought, as another girl came to the door, standing before him with her hands on her hips. "We were having breakfast, you know," the girl announced, her voice dripping with sass. "Now we have to wait until she's done talking to you. And I'm starving." 

Bucky raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be….not talking to strangers?"

"Shouldn't you be eating breakfast?" she countered.

"It's ten in the morning; I ate already."

"We were supposed to have breakfast an hour ago. But Ravi--"

"Rocio, leave Bucky Barnes alone," Mina's voice called from elsewhere. 

Before he could fully process how odd it was for him to use his name, the little girl's hands dropped from her hips and she stared up at him, mouth agape and eyes comically wide. 

"You're Bucky Barnes?" she asked, her small voice awed. 

He nodded with a deep sigh and another forced smile. 

"What happened to your hair?"

"Got a haircut," he shrugged.

She furrowed her brow at him, her little eyes peering intently at his face. He wasn't sure the last time someone had looked him in the eyes this long. Nobody except Steve had looked him in the eyes since he made it out. The corner of his mouth twitched up. She nodded at him, having composed herself so her little face was serious once more. "I like this better."

"Thanks." He couldn't keep the amusement from his voice. He didn't even really try. 

A thought seemed to hit her, lighting up her whole face with excitement. "Wait right here. Don't move. Promise."  He nodded again and she raised her eyebrows at him, giving him a stern look. 

"I promise," he said, clearly stating each word.

She nodded at him. "Ok. Good." And then she turned and ran into the house, her feet making far more sound than they should for someone of her size.

Mina reappeared shortly thereafter with a faint smile on her lips, dressed in a copper colored sweater and jeans. "Sorry. You're her favorite."

"She's cute." 

What an idiotic thing to say. 

"Wish I could take credit," Mina said, shaking her head. "She's my sister's. I'm just the babysitter on duty."

There were some more sounds of scampering and Rocio was back at the door wearing a long black satin glove, reaching about halfway up her bicep. There were lines streaked across it in gold marker to make it look like it was made of metal plates. 

"I made an arm like yours!" she announced, almost whacking Mina in the stomach as she extended her arm out for him to see. 

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He'd seen Halloween costumes for sale and shirts with one of the sleeves modeled after his arm, and pictures of guys with an arm wrapped in tinfoil. All of them had been with his old arm--his silver one with the red star. The arm that belonged to Him. An arm made to invoke fear. 

This was the arm of a protector. 

She deserved more of a reaction than a small, breathy, "Wow." 

"Will you sign it?" Her eyes got even bigger if possible, and Mina started to shake her head, bending over to talk to the little girl,  but Bucky stopped her. 

"You got a marker?"

"I'll go find one!" Rocio disappeared again, leaving him and Mina alone on the doorstep. She was closer this time, and he could hear her talking to herself and rustling through different drawers. 

Mina turned her attention from her niece back onto Bucky. "So, why is Bucky Barnes on my doorstep?"

"I uh--when does your sister get home?" he asked, eyes focused in the direction of Rocio's sounds. He swallowed, tearing his eyes away and back up to hers. "I should probably tell both of you...together."

The playful amusement that had been on her face disappeared as she stared at him, as if trying to see inside his head. Like she would want to see what was inside of his head. 

"She'll be here around three." 

He nodded, saved from a response by Rocio's re-appearance, waving a silver sharpie in the air. She offered it to him, and he plucked it out of her hand, taking hold of her toothpick of an arm in one hand and signing his name on the inside of her bicep. Where she could hide the signature if she wanted to.

Bucky handed the marker back to her as Rocio held her arm out, trying to catch sight of his name. 

"Rocio," Mina prodded, gently. 

"Thank you!"  she chirped, before turning and literally skipping back inside. "Ravi--look!"

He liked her.

"That was really kind of you," Mina said, warmly. "I think you just made her year." 

He shrugged. 

"Although, I have a feeling that this is all she's going to talk about for the next week," Mina sighed, shaking her head. "Anyway, Leela will be back around three if you want to come back then and share whatever secret serious news is it that you need to tell us together." Her voice was teasing, and Bucky's mouth lifted into a smirk.

"I'll be back then." 

"Great," she smiled politely. "See you then." 

He nodded, wishing her goodbye before turning down the stairs.

So much for getting easier.