#its so fucking loud on here holy shit shut the fuck up

[asclexe]

can everyone on this bus Shut Up

[hoshifighting]

Okay, bear with me cause this might be a strange one, but, how do you think seventeen would react if their s/o wanted to like ‘play’ with their dick.. but like not in the way of ‘here’s a handjob’ but sorta ‘so what happens if I rub your balls like this ?’ Like they just want to poke and prod and maybe lick it

More from like a ‘I don’t have a dick and I wanna know what happens’ kind of perspective. I guess? Sexual scientist s/o vs seventeen lol

sexual scientist s/o x seventeen

warnings: smut, cock/balls play(?)

seungcheol’d try to act all strong and everything, like it’s no big deal, but the second your fingers graze his balls? yeah, he’s groaning like a whoooore. “b-baby, what are you doing?” he’d ask, voice shaking, but honestly, he’s not telling you to stop—he’s curious to see what you’ll do next.

jeonghan smug idiot omg hes a menace stoooooop. he’s laughing at first, all “you really wanna know what happens?” then you start rubbing, and his eyes go wide, mouth falling open as his cock twitches. “oh fuck, okay, maybe— maybe you’re—oh!”

joshua would be a blushing mess. he’s trying to act polite about it, like, “uh, baby, what are you—ohh…,” but the second your hand gets anywhere near his tip (or perineum cof cof), he’s gasping, hips jerking up into your touch. “oh, wow, okay, that feels… good? actually, too good, if you keep going—” he’d definitely let you experiment more, though, no questions asked.

junhui’s all for it. he’s watching you, a little too excited. when you start touching him, he’s moaning loud, throwing his head back. “fuck, you really don’t know what you’re doing to me.”

hoshi would be confused but... why not? “uh, is this like… a game or something?” he’d ask, until you start rubbing, and then he’s losing it. his breath hitches, and he’s trying not to make a sound, but it’s not working. “holy shit—okay, NO DONT SQUEEZE IT.”

wonwoo’d be a little shy about it at first, wondering what you’re up to, but he’s not stopping you. “what are you trying to figure out?” he’d ask, half-laughing, until you hit the right spot, and then he’s gasping, eyes fluttering shut. “shit… yeah, keep doing that.”

woozi’d act like he’s too cool for it, smirking down at you, saying something like, “you’ trying to conduct an experiment? there's nothing special about it” but the second your fingers slide down, his breath catches, and he’s shifting his hips, trying to play it cool. “ah, ah, fuck, okay, yeah, I get it now.”

minghao’s laughing softly at first, kinda enjoying watching you be all curious about his body or male body. “you wanna know what happens if you touch there?” he’d tease, but then you do it, and he’s biting his lip, trying so hard not to moan. “oh… okay, okay is enough.”

mingyu, poor baby would be so confused at first, blinking down at you like, “baby, is not even a pretty thing like, balls? really?.” the second you touch him, his body reacts on instinct, hips bucking up into your hand, and he’s gasping, eyes wide. “oh my god, you better be quick…”

seokmin would be giggling at first, thinking you’re messing with him. “are you serious right now?” he’d ask, when you start rubbing, his laugh dies, and he’s groaning, voice all shaky. “babe… do that again.”

seungkwan’s so embarrassed, blushing bright red, trying to make a joke out of it. “oh, you’re really gonna…?” and when u touch him, he fucking whimpers eyes fluttering shut as he grabs at the sheets. “yeah yeah, you can do it again…”

vernon = blank stare. he’s so confused at first, like, “why would do something like that? oh, a research?” but once your hand moves lower, he’s gone. his voice catches in his throat, and he’s gripping your wrist. “wait—what the fuck, that feels… so good.”

chan “you’re really gonna try that?” he’s all talk until you actually do it, and then his mouth falls open, a shaky moan slipping out. “oh shit, that’s—its sensitive! what the fuck did you do? b-but don't stop…” he’s 100% into letting you experiment all you want.

[evie-sturns]

𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 - 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰

(enemies to lovers)

summary: you and matt have always hated each other, but you see him a lot due to the fact nicks your best friend. one night you stumble into their house drunk, matts the only one home.

warnings: smut, rough sex, mentions of being drunk, swearing, mentions of throwing up?

---------------------....::::**•°✾°•**::::....-----------------

i don't know how much i've had to drink, definitely more than i should've because of the fact im outside the sturniolos house.

my ears ring as i approach their front door, swinging it open and walking inside. the house is dark and empty, the floorboards creak slightly as i walk around slowly, trying to stay on two feet.

"what the fuck are you doing in here" matt says from behind me, a loud scream exits my mouth as i swing my body around to look at him. "nick?" i say in a slurred tone as i approach and grab the arm of the person standing in the doorway.

"im not nick, get off of me" matt says pushing me away "i need nick.." i mumble as i loose my balance. "are you aware of the fact its one in the morning and you've just let yourself into my house?" matt says turning on the light, i squint my eyes, it feels like ive been flash-banged.

i groan, still slightly confused on whats happening "you're drunk." matt sighs, "like always."

"i am a sober woman christopher!" i say, folding my arms.

"im fucking matt, not nick or chris." matt says, clearly pissed off.

"oh."

after a few seconds of silence i start - "so wheres nick?" i say walking towards nick's bedroom, matt grabs my arm. "stop. nick and chris are away for the weekend, and your getting on my nerves from how clueless you are."

i nod silently as i stand awkwardly, looking at my feet. matt just stares at me for about a minute before taking a step over to me and grabbing my forearm

"hey what the fuck dudee!" i whine as he pulls me towards his bedroom.

"im not leaving you to rot in my hallway." matt huffs as we walk into his room. "holy shit matt im gonna throw up" i whisper as i slam a hand over my mouth. his eyes widen before running over to me and throwing me over his shoulder, running into the bathroom.

as soon as he puts me down, every drop of what i had to drink ends up on his bathroom floor and on me. "for fucks sake!" matt yells, throwing his face into his hands, the next second ive erupted into tears. matt insantly removes his head from his hands and looks at me, his eyebrows furrowing.

"don't cry." he mumbles, walking over to me and picking me up by my armpits and placing me in the shower. he looks at me for a few seconds as tears flow down my cheeks "i think your gonna have to have a shower." he whispers and i nod "okay.." i say shakily rising my arms.

matt grabs the bottom of my mini-dress, his cheeks instantly flush.

he squeezes his eyes shut as he peels my dress off of me, leaving me in my bra and panties. he clears his throat, his eyes still sealed "just stay still." he mumbles as he reaches behind me and attempts to unclasp my bra.

after a few attempts, it falls to the shower floor. im still not sure how hes doing all this with his eyes shut. he sighs before yanking off my panties to my ankles "step out." he demands and i comply, stepping out of them as my tears slow.

matt reaches for the shower handle and turns it on, before yanking shut the shower curtain and letting out a sigh of relief.

as i rinse myself off i hear matts occasional grunts, i feel my eyelids grow heavy and guilt flow over me, hes cleaning up the floor.

i know i'm still not sober, but i'm well aware of whats happening now. "are you fucking done." matt groans, "yeah." i mumble quietly and he passes a towel through the curtain, i wrap it around my body as i attempt to step out of the shower, stumbling over in the process

"oh my god why is it so hard for you to walk." matt says, picking me up for the 3rd time tonight and walking me back into his bedroom, he yanks back his covers and places me down on his matress. he yanks up the covers before reaching a hand under, grabbing the towel thats on my body and pulling it off of me, leaving me undressed under his sheets. i let out a yawn before shutting my eyes, instantly falling asleep.

(the next day)

the blinding light blares through the window as i open my eyes slowly, i look around. this has got to be the most confused i've been in my life. i look over at the bedside table, the small clock reads 5:34pm.

suddenly a wave of realisation hits me, i am in matthew sturniolos bed.

naked.

i spring out of bed, the room is empty and a towel lays across the floor, i pick it up wrapping it around myself as i walk out of the room into the bathroom. my bra and panties are in the shower.

how the fuck did i get from the club, to here?

suddenly i hear footsteps coming into the bathroom behind me, its matt. my heartrate picks up as silence grows "tell me you remember what happened last night." matt says, cutting through the silence.

i shake my head frantically "did we fuck." i say panicked and matt instantly takes a step back "no no! the opposite honestly!" matt says defensively. he takes a deep breath before starting -

"look, you came into my house at one in the morning, you were the drunkest ive ever seen ya, i asked why you were in my house, you thought i was nick and chris. i was gonna take you into my room to call you an uber but then you threw up all over yourself and the bathroom floor. you started crying so i placed you in the shower, i took your dress off with my eyes sealed, and then the rest with my eyes shut. you showered then i gave you a towel and put you in bed. you slept for fucking 17 hours."

"you're lying matt."

he shakes his head "nope."

a silence grows behind us again "i swear i didn't see shit!' he clarifys and a soft smile spreads across my face "you didnt have to do all of that.." i say quietly.

"no i did, although i kinda hate you, i didnt want to leave you in a state like that." matt says, looking into my eyes.

"you don't hate me matt." i say blankly.

"yes i do-" his words are cut off by my lips colliding with his.

im expecting to be pushed off or something, but he kisses me back. his hand snakes round and grabs my ass, only covered by a towel. the towel falls to the floor, leaving me revealed for him.

i moan lightly into the kiss which it enough for matt to pick me up, take me into the bedroom and throw me down onto the mattress, the kiss is broken for a small amount of time as he takes in my naked body. "fuck.." he groans before yanking off his shirt.

"please matt.." i whine and he shushes me "patience." he says while pulling down his jeans and boxers in one swift motion.

his erection springs out and my jaw goes slack, before i have the opportunity to speak, matts slamming into me giving me no time to adjust to his size. he stares into my eyes as his thrusts become more frantic, "good girl." he mumbles as my half-screams, half-moans fill the room. i arch my back off the bed as white spots fill my vision. "taking me so well mhm" he whispers in my ear as i grip anything i can get my hands on. his tip repeatedly bruises my cervix.

"close" matt warns as his hair flops on his forehead with every angry thrust. without warning i clench around him, orgasming. he quickly follows, pulling out of me and painting my stomach with white streaks. he collapses on the bed beside me, pulling me onto his chest.

we lay there for a few minutes, both catching our breath as matt rubs my back.

"i hate you." i mumble, wiping my stomach.

"no you don't." matt smiles.

---------------------....::::**•°✾°•**::::....-----------------

ugh creaming i love this

[blushweddinggowns]

Eddie was wide awake for the fourth night in a row while Steve’s voice streamed through the walls. Every passing second had his pathetic crush on the man dissolving more and more. The last bastion between Steve and Eddie telling him to fuck off. 

It took one last laugh for him to finally snap. He couldn’t take it for another second. He threw the covers back, marching out of his room to start pounding at Steve’s door.

He didn’t have to wait long. He could hear Steve scramble to open the door, tripping over himself before finally getting it open.

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked immediately, clearly concerned, “Are you okay?”

The reaction took Eddie aback. He didn’t- how did he not know what he was here for? 

Eddie barrelled right past it, his anger winning over his confusion, “Dude, you gotta shut the fuck up at night.”

Steve frowned at him, “What?”

“You gotta shut the fuck up at night,” Eddie repeated, crossing his arms over his chest. If he wanted to fight with him on this, Eddie was more than ready to play ball, “I can hear every goddamn word and I’m sick of it.”

Steve’s eyes widened, a blush crawling up his neck as he tried to stutter, “I-I-I didn’t-”

Whatever reaction Eddie had been expecting, it wasn’t this. But now that he started, he couldn’t stop. His brain refusing to catch up with the expression on Steve’s face, “And the showers at thee something? That’s gotta stop too. Can you not hear yourself? What’s your problem?”

“I-I didn’t think you could hear me!” Steve stuttered out, “I didn’t- oh god, you could hear everything?”

“Everything,” Eddie confirmed, his anger slowing down at Steve’s panic, “It’s not like I can recite your conversations but it’s enough to make sure I can’t fucking sleep.”

He could see Steve visibly relax at his words. Which was… suspicious. Maybe he should have been listening in at night instead of seething from exhaustion. 

Steve ran a hand through his hair, “I didn’t- I could never hear you! So I thought that you wouldn’t be able to hear me. I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, so am I,” Eddie sighed, “What? You’ve never had shitty walls before?”

“Not for this price,” Steve shrugged, cringing at the look Eddie gave him, “Not that I’m complaining! You didn’t design the building.”

He looked sincere but Eddie’s lack of sleep had his filter evaporating. He pinched the bridge of his nose, hating that he was about to go full RA. But this wasn’t going to happen for another night, “So who keeps you up all night anyway?”

“It’s my job!” Steve rushed out to say, “And my best friend. She’s studying in France and we’re obsessed with each other. It’s the only time our schedules line up to talk. I didn’t even realize how loud I was being.” 

Great. Now Eddie was starting to feel bad. But he wasn’t ready to admit it yet, “You really didn’t know how loud the shower is? Don’t you hear that shit in the morning?”

Steve shrugged, “I’m a heavy sleeper.”

“Is your job like, sweat-inducing?” Eddie tried, “Or can a shower wait until before work?”

“The former,” Steve said quietly, shifting foot to foot, “It’s… a lot of movement.”

Eddie squinted at him, confused at what that could mean. Until it hit him. The cash, the late hours, his stupidly pretty face. The question spilled out of Eddie’s mouth before he could stop it, “You’re a stripper?”

Steve cringed at the wording, crossing his arms over his chest, “I’m a dancer.”

“At a strip club?”

“At a gay club,” Steve mumbled, clearly getting more uncomfortable by the second. 

Eddie didn’t notice. Too shocked at what he’d heard. He felt like his world had just been flipped on its head. Steve wasn’t supposed to- he wasn’t an option. Right?

“I didn’t think you were the gay for pay type,” Eddie said dumbly, cringing at the glare that earned him. Holy fuck he needed some sleep. Or a muzzle.

Steve stood a little straighter, his embarrassment replaced with an anger Eddie wasn’t prepared for, “First of all, I don’t fuck for money. Secondly, I’m not straight. I didn’t think that was something you’d have a problem with.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Eddie was fucking this up something fierce, gaping at Steve like a fish. He hadn’t been ready for him to turn the tables like this. He was supposed to be the dick here, not the other way around. 

Steve stared at him, clearly unimpressed with his lack of response, “Is that it? Because I’d like this conversation to be over now. Good night.”

from the first chapter of this fic (my holiday exchange fic! To be completed by the 14th deadline but I wanted to start posting whilst in the editing phase!)

also tag list for the official fic link! @faery-god @the-fatal-lozenge @nyeddleblog @my-love-of-books

(btw I only tagged who specifically asked for it because I don't wanna be annoying. But if you implied it and I missed you my bad! I'm just paranoid! Thank you everyone who has had an interest <3)

[vamp0rivm]

𝙱𝙴𝚈𝙾𝙽𝙳 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴 𝟶𝟹

summary: ellie and dina finally get to talk, you see her again at julia’s party

warnings: mentions of drug abuse and mental health issues, some description of injury, ellies jealous again, angst with comfort in later chapters

a/n: there’s a lana reference hidden in here if you can find it. this took so incredibly fucking long and i don’t even have an excuse (other than that this one is really long), i’m just really lazy 😬, see you next year. i hate this, not even fucking around, it feels so rushed even tho it took a month and a half to post 😶‍🌫️ it’s so long and barely any of it is about the two of them together but I SWEAR it’s so necessary for the next chapter cuz they’re literally gonna be together for the entirety of it… DONT STOP TALKING ABOUT PALESTINE

tag list: @diddiqueen, @amberputh, @fatbootymuncher (dude.), @sapphointhe21stcenturyposts, @jadelovesyou00, @ravyaryn.

series masterlist

Ellie is back in that room.

She never left.

Fluorescent lights overhead are blurred by an influx of tears as she sits by the hospital bed, scratching at and clinging to his cold and still body, sobbing like a bedlamite with blood drenching her clothes fresh carmine.

It was pouring out of him like it was desperate to escape and would not stop no matter how desperately she tried to bar the floodgate, seal the supermassive black hole with blockade of her pitiable palms.

She's felt this fear before, this helplessness, over and over. That pain is familiar.

And that glaring screech never quiets, always tormenting her, getting louder and louder as she watches Joel slip away, kicking, begging and screaming. She feels like one of those motes of dust that hover in mid-air with no limbs, no sway. It gets so loud, waves crashing against the walls of her skull like a tsunami, flushing her brain out of the night terror and jolting her heaving body upright.

She clutches her chest, grappling at the reddened skin, feeling that pain as raw and real as the day she had actually been in that fucking hospital. With a heavy head and a body scrawled with beads of sweat, she stumbles to her feet and strains to focus her mind on getting away, anywhere else, in spite of the crushing throb of blood rushing through her.

She cannot fill her lungs, each sharp and desperate intake of air feeling like gritty sand scratching her throat, and she needs to get out right now or else… or else- fuck!

She doesn’t know! But she can feel it, and it's bad- real bad. She can feel it deep in the knotted-up pit of her stomach, and it’s making her retch from nausea.

Her vision’s already blurring and the rest of the world melts away into a distorted sway of formless shapes and colors, overwhelmed by a pounding sense of terror. Holy shit, she can’t feel her face. She can’t feel her face. She needs to get out. Why are her legs suddenly so weak? She’s telling them to move but they won’t. Get out of here. She need to get to the door to outside. Fresh air. Right now.

Before she knows it, she’s stumbling out the wooden door and slumping onto the cold wooden planks of the veranda, hit with a wave of cool night air, prickling her clammy skin with goosebumps. She squeezes her eyes shut tight and never loosens the hold she has on her thumping chest, all focus placed on calming its assault, and then she feels it.

The gentle nudge of a wet snout against her hand, pulling her out of her mind. Ellie’s eyes meet the culprit sat beside her with his tongue hanging out as he pants excitedly.

She buries her hands in his matted fur. The sensation of it running through her fingers is like an anchor. It was one of the techniques they taught her at rehab, and she wheezed out a tired laugh in pride at her studiousness. Like a tidal wave, the panic ebbed, receding into the expanse of water beyond.

The scruffy shepherd dog nudged his head into her leg this time and Ellie groaned in disgust, still whispering a strained and quiet,

“Thank you, buddy.”

Head up to the sky, she counts each star her eye can capture to bring herself down, each constellation so much clearer back here than in the city, so much brighter now. Even the night air is a little crisper, filling her to the brim in a deep, stuttered sigh. As she sits there, her phone buzzes in her pocket and she pulls it out, halting when she reads the sender’s name.

Ellie stares at the screen for a while, keeping her fingers deep within the tufts of fur beside her but her frayed nerves don't spark. She shoves the phone into the front pocket of her hoodie, not bothering to type out a response. Dina knows she’s seen it.

When she finally retreats to that haunted bedroom, she doesn’t bother trying to sleep. Those motes and flecks of decayed memories still linger in your and Ellie’s old apartment days after her eventual return from the godforsaken motel. Every couple of minutes she lifts a stiff arm out to let them flutter between her calloused fingers, glowing in the honeyed light of her bedside lamp.

Sometimes, the fact that your shift ends at 4,

“This is absolutely unacceptable!”

brings you an unimaginable flurry of joy,

“And I won’t be coming here again!”

because dealing with this for an entire day would probably make you catatonic.

You do your best to keep your facial muscles flexed into an expression that comes across as even mildly concerned, because you couldn’t give a fuck less if you tried, and now you’re just counting down the seconds till this boomer asshole turns around and leaves.

God, why is he still standing here?

Eventually, he walks out with all the cadence of a nine year old, and Nathan is patting your shoulder all reassuringly as he laughs at his own joke which you completely tuned out, and now you have to force yet another fake-laugh, and holy shit, this is the worst.

You spend the rest of your shift sort-of hovering around the espresso machines, pretending to be present. When the digits on your phone hit 16:00, you huff as you undo the finicky knot at the back of your apron and hurl it onto the counter before hurrying out.

You’d deal with the mildly irritating consequences of that dramatic exit tomorrow. For now, you just needed to get home and get into bed ASAP.

The front door slams shut, shaking the walls. You’re bounding up the stairs to your bedroom, flinging the door open when you get to it, before stopping in your frenetic movements at the sight of Alexis perched on the edge of your bed, scrolling on her phone.

You forgot she didn’t work on a Saturday.

You open your mouth to speak and, before the sound escapes your windpipe, she’s enveloping you in comfort, throwing her arms around you in an attempt to rid your face of that glum countenance.

Quickly, you clamber to cling onto her too, eyes wide as they flicker around the room from over her shoulder.

But… this feels stiff – claustrophobic. Too hot, too constrictive.

Like a giant wall enclosing you, moving in closer and closer. All she's doing is making an empty room smaller.

And maybe it’s just a bad reaction because you've had a bad day, but tears are pooling in your eyes rapidly as that dull ache that accompanies your perpetual loneliness suddenly grows louder and louder.

Constantly in the back of your mind, since your family turned their backs on you, with a friend group so small that you can still barely hold onto, with Dina so close but never close enough to trust completely, and the day the love of your life left you alone.

Just can’t ignore the feeling that there’s something so intrinsically different and disagreeable about you that you’ll never beat that isolation.

Endless love to give without an outlet.

You squeeze your eyes shut over tears you refuse to cry anymore.

You never intended for this thing with Alexis to get too far. You know nothing’s going to come of it. That’s just the way it’s been since Ellie.

Ellie’s foot’s got groove, tapping against the spongy grass surrounding the park bench with a ferocity transcendent to that of Ellie’s body.

She hasn’t been to this park in a while. Almost two years, to be exact.

Fuck, she thinks she might vomit.

She can’t stop whipping her head around the place erratically, trying to evaluate the people strolling aimlessly along the path. She thinks she must look suspicious as fuck. She’s probably drawing even more attention to herself, craning her neck like that. That thought stills her.

With her hood up and the drawstrings keeping the thick fabric taut to her freckled skin, she’s desperately trying to avoid recognition. She doesn’t think she can handle conversation with a friend, let alone a jittery fan. Also, she isn’t often vain, but she’d rather not be caught looking like shit.

Especially not after all the things people said about her online during her recuperation at rehab.

“Boo.”

Ellie yelps indignantly, lunging her body away from the source of the mutter behind her. When she turns around, she’s face to face with Dina’s head thrown back into a laugh, something she hasn’t come face to face with in an ashamedly long time.

To be frank, Ellie was not prepared for anything short of quiet resentment and awkward stretches of silence between the two of them, as was Dina.

However, Dina doesn’t think she can handle that. In fact, she doesn’t think either of them can handle that.

She doesn’t think she can handle hearing Ellie’s hushed voice and seeing that coy smile after so long of being worried sick about her, while keeping the well-guarded distance they’ve built over the past months.

Ellie has suffered a lot, Dina knows that too well. And she’s going to suffer more, going to get enough of that dreaded brooding silence from others (you). So, Dina decides to lighten the weight.

Ellie huffs out a sigh, face shifting into a small hesitant smile as she gauges the strange unfolding of this whole situation, before looking away and muttering,

“What the fuck, D? You scared the shit outta me.”

Because she was ready for something different, yes, but if this is what she’s going to get, she’ll take as much of it as she can. God, she craves normalcy more than those drugs she had to go to rehab for.

But then Dina takes a seat beside her, and the wind is knocked out of Ellie, suddenly so close to everything she left behind, amalgamated in the form of the woman who was, at some point in time, one of her best friends. She takes in a sharp breath of air, looks down at her hands, and feels awful.

“I… I’m sorry for… you know, showing up out of nowhere, but I-“

She takes a deep breath and looks up, cleverly utilizing gravity to discreetly send tears back down. While she takes a moment to gather her words, she appreciates the thin, cotton whirls, curving into the azure sky, and blinks.

Ellie didn’t used to cry. She thought, for the longest time, that something was wrong with her. And something was. She's been through a lot. She drifted through life like a ghost, pushing it down and down, and further down. But a few months ago, it was like the dam burst, and now tears are ready to flow no matter when or where.

It’s getting slightly inconvenient.

“I couldn’t bring myself to text you… a- after so long. I jus-“

Dina holds a hand up, and shakes her head,

“You’re good,”

before a heavy silence blankets the park bench again.

Further up, a little kid runs across the field and trips over air and eats shit on the ground. Ellie presses her lips together. Dina presses her lips together. They both look away.

“How… How have you been?”

“…Good. Different, but good. A lot’s changed around here since you…”

Ellie winces, eyebrows knitting into grievance as the words land heavy on her mind. She knew it was coming, Dina has every right to feel what she feels but, holy shit, it still cuts through her like a blade. Ellie can’t bring herself to look at her as she stutters through another apology, her voice cracking through her scramble for the right words,

"Dina, I’m… I’m so sorry. I should never have just… left like that. I didn’t mean for it to-"

"Ellie," her voice is firm,

"you don’t have to explain yourself. What happened… yes, it hurt really fucking bad at the time, but you weren’t well... You’ve been through a lot... too much, and I’m sure you’re gonna have more than enough shit on your plate here too, but I forgave you a long time ago."

Ellie’s words catch in her throat. There is so much to say, and no way to say it, but the look on Dina’s face makes her feel comfortable just leaving it behind. It’s so difficult to muster the energy to speak, and there are no easy answers or simple explanations. They both know that.

"Anyway, enough about me. How’ve you been?"

“I… I’ve been doing a lot better – emotionally. Rehab was good. It… helped me a lot. But… I don’t know. Leaving LA was a given, it’s just… I don’t think I can face a lot of the people here. I want to try, I want to make things right, I wanna be better, but the people… they just… look at me like they hate me…

I don’t know if coming back here was the right thing to do…”

Dina stays quiet for a moment. Her heart is full, and her waterlines are flooding for the first time since she sat down.

“Fuck ‘em all. They don’t know a thing, Els. They don’t even know you.”

Her voice is small and her eyes are wide; she watches the ripple of movement through the trees lining the sidewalk at the other side of the park as wind rushes by them, before turning to Ellie with a small smile tugging at her lips and continuing, louder,

"You know, there’s a small party tonight at Julia’s place. You should come. I think it’d be good for you to get out for once, ya hobbit."

Ellie looks up at Dina from the absolutely captivating spot she’s been scratching and staring at on her jeans for the past few minutes, expression like a deer caught in headlights,

"I don’t know… There’ll be too many people there, and… you know."

Dina nods.

"I do. But it’ll be a small thing - just some friends, hanging out, talking. No pressure. You’re gonna have to face those people eventually. It’s a small town. But, who knows, you might even enjoy yourself."

Ellie tugs her bottom lip into her mouth, mulling over the suggestion.

There are a lot of reasons why she should turn in down, a lot of people she doesn’t want to run into, pushing her to retreat to her casket-like abode. And then there’s the nagging question she finds herself wanting to ask again. Will she be there? But she already knows the answer to that, and she wasn’t lying when she said she wants to make things right.

"Okay," Ellie rubs her neck, "I’ll see if I can make it."

She figures that’s a start.

Dina closes the door gently in her wake, her outward listlessness a screen concealing the frantic liveliness of her mind as she plays through her conversation with Ellie.

She hovers to the living room and tosses her cap onto the table, letting her loud hair breathe. She runs a tired hand through the loose knots intertwining its dark curls and leans against the back of the couch, where she finds you and Lexi embracing each other.

Or, Alexis is embracing you at least. Dina thinks the way you’re positioned on the couch sort of resembles an archaic painting, with her clinging onto your waist and you stretching away from her grasp. Anyway, Alexis is snoring softly, and you're lying awake, arms crossed behind your head, as you stare up at Dina, giving her a tight-lipped smile.

When Dina walked in, her head was bursting with morsels of things she needed to tell you immediately, but they fade to static in her mind with Lexi’s presence, especially after she stirs awake and rubs the sleep from her eyes.

Dina isn’t fond of Alexis, in case it wasn’t already obvious.

After an awkward exchange of reserved ‘hey’s, she movesto the kitchen to heat up some food in pensive silence, watching it rotate in the yellow, whirring glow of the microwave.

Eventually, the outsider takes her leave, and Dina flumps onto the couch beside your now sat-up form, holding two plates of food and handing you the one in her right.

“Here. Because I know for a fact your dumb ass has not eaten.”

You snicker as you scarf down a particularly large spoonful.

“Yeah, I was being held down, dude.”

She watches you in awe and bursts into laughter at the sight of you absolutely wolfing down your pasta.

“Damn, bitch.”

Once your plate is hammered down to a scattering of crumbs, the two of you ease into petty conversation. Dina tells you she’s going on a date soon, and it isn’t so petty anymore, as you sit up and lean in.

“So, you were serious about ending things with Jesse, huh?”

“I’m done with him. For good. I just… What we had was nice but it fucking felt like we were on autopilot at that point, ya know?”

You nod; she sips her beer as the conversation wanes. Then, you notice the stiffness of her expression – the wistful twitch of her lip. You know what that means.

“What?”

“What?”

“What is it? You look like you’re dying to tell me something, so go on. What is it?”

Dina sighs and looks away and your stomach sinks, because you also know what that means. Your suspicions are only confirmed when she tells you she met up with Ellie today.

“How is she?” you ask. Your chest hurts with how hard your heart thumps.

“She’s doing better, I really think she’s going to be okay…”

You nod. There’s nothing else you want from her. Being clear with yourself, your mind never quite left the last conversation, did it?

Fucking Ellie, coming back and taking over your mind so easily.

A sick part of you hopes she thinks of you even more than you think of her.

You don’t know it, but you’re right. Painfully so.

Dina’s conflicted. She hesitates, because she's not sure if you’ll react badly but she can’t help letting it slip past her lips.

“I really think you should give her-”

“What, Dina? Give her what?”

Your eyes are wide and trained on her.

She sighs. Never mind.

“Look, I invited her to Julia’s party tonight.”

And now your eyes are narrowed at her, harsh and interrogative.

“Well, she can’t stay hidden away forever! She’s gotta get out eventually, and you’re gonna have to face her again, whether you like it or not…

I know it’s hard to trust her after what she did to you, and I’m not asking you to… I’m just saying… I know that you know the state she was in when she left… But she’s not there anymore… She was our best friend at one point and, when I spoke to her today, I really felt like she was serious about what she said… I just think, for old times’ sake, maybe… just, as friends, acquaintances even… give it a chance…”

It's getting really hard to keep up the pretense of disinterest – keep pretending this doesn't go as deep as it does.

You still love Ellie. You would never deny that, even in spite of the bullshit idea that you’re over her. And you do want to see her happy, to see her smile, to see that smile again. So, if there is even a slight chance of putting things right and moving forward, you’re willing to be friends with her, with the person who broke your heart. Just friends.

“…Okay.”

Ellie shows up to the party on a wing and a prayer a little while after it gets dark out.

She’s still on the fence about whether or not she regrets it.

Julia’s moved since she last visited. Granted, it’s been a fuck of a long time, but she likes the new place. It’s charming, or whatever. Or maybe it’s just open-plan. Ellie feels like an old fart for thinking about the room being open-plan; Ellie feels like Joel.

Then she remembers that that feeling alone would have sent her into a spiral just a year ago.

Regardless, the place is glowing gold, with soft lights, and a rhythmic, drunken buzz of chatter among the cliques of people. A lot less than she'd expected. It’s also slightly reminiscent of the get-togethers Maria used to set up, drawing Ellie’s mind back to the fact that she needs to go over to Maria and Tommy’s soon.

She feels like an alien again, standing outside of it all, like the twang of a snapped guitar string during a melody.

Also, Dina was right: things are different. Very different.

In fact, with a quick scan of the room alone, Ellie can’t make out any familiar faces, save for a few, which she often sees looking at her distastefully throughout the course of the evening.

It makes her visibly retract into the table, hunching her back slightly, but she is used to the whispers.

She’s gotten a lot of them in her time.

And now she’s sure she regrets coming, because it isn’t even a little fun if you’re the only one who isn’t the least bit drunk.

She notices a buzz in the pocket of her jeans and pats the space for her phone, pulling it out to see that it’s yet another missed call from Max.

It leads her to a lookthrough of masses of texts left on delivered and blocks of unanswered calls from him in her phone history.

With a sigh, she returns it to its place in her pocket. She might as well block him at this point. He’s not gonna be hearing from her for a long time.

“Ellie!”

She flinches upright and doesn’t scour the scene for long before her eyes land on the tall Asian asshole that has seemingly appeared out of thin air beside her. She’s secretly a lot more relieved than she should be at the sight of a friend.

“I swear to God, both of you love to fuckin’ torture me.”

He guffaws while she waits for him to calm down, unimpressed.

“Wait, both of us? Who’s both of us?”

“Who d’ya think?”

“Oh, right. You finally spoke to Dina then, huh?”

Ellie nods, taking a sip of the drink sitting in her Styrofoam cup.

“I swear to God, you two are perfect for each other.”

He raises his eyebrows,

“Actually…”

“What? Again?”

That’s one thing that has remained a constant no matter how much time has passed.

“I give it, like, two weeks. You’ll be back together.”

Jesse takes a deep breath,

“I don’t know, man, I think we’re done for good this time. Already been two weeks… Why? Did she say anything?”

Ellie shakes her head and Jesse leans back against the table defeatedly before peering into her cup.

“Whatcha got there?”

That should probably rub her the wrong way, but it doesn’t.

“Water.”

They’ve drifted apart, and it’s blatant. Of course it would be. Ellie’s had a lot of time to think, a lot of time to prepare, and she’s expected this, but the conversation drifts back into that same easy flow like it used to all those months back, speckled with laughter, even some of Ellie’s own. She can’t help but feel slightly more hopeful, slightly more human.

He asks about Max and songwriting, having caught a glimpse of a text, and she considers it.

She hasn’t considered music in an almost saddening amount of time but her notebook is scrawled with half-finished poetry, so she knows it’s begging to be let out of her, and the thought elicits serenity in her. Making songs without intent to release. No purpose, no pressure. Just for herself and whoever she chooses to make privy.

She thinks she just might start.

An hour or so later, Ellie, having floated around the place, aimlessly entering conversations with Dina and Jesse, leans against a counter top beside a stumpy drink cooler.

She’s been mulling over the option of leaving for a while since Dina somehow disappeared on her trek to the restroom and Jesse took off early. She eyes the factions spotting the empty space across the floor. Somewhere near the dining table, Ellie catches sight of you, and she tenses up almost instantly.

You look good. You look beautiful. You always look beautiful, like the first time she saw you all those years ago, and she couldn’t get her eyes off you from up on the stage. No matter how warped things became towards the end, those memories will always be paradisaical.

The only difference, she considers, with a tight feeling in her chest, is the glaringly large new factor lingering around you, Alexis.

If Ellie and you were still together, if Joel was still here, if she hadn’t lost her mind, if she had gotten better sooner, or if she had never left at all, that would be her.

But it’s not.

It’s like a physical reminder, standing across the room, of the cruel consequence. Of everything she lost, what she left behind.  A reminder that the two of you were never a given, that you weren’t just going to find your way back to each other, and that maybe it’s for the best, because Ellie hadn’t seen a smile so genuine on your face for the entire month leading up to her departure as the one you’re wearing now. It stirs something within her, and it makes her take a deep breath - decide to get a refill on her water.

With her head tilted down, brows knitted like a kicked dog, she walks over to the sink, before she crosses paths with a woman. She looks to be a few years younger than Ellie, a few inches smaller too, with frizzy hair like strands of hay, grinning at her.

"Excuse me," her voice quivers with hesitant excitement and Ellie dreads what’s yet to come.

"You're Ellie Williams, right? I’m such a big fan, I saw you perform in Radio City back in New York last year! You were, like, genuinely fucking amazing! Man, I can’t believe I’m actually seeing you in the flesh!"

Ellie tries to make her smile look less like nervous, eyes briefly meeting the woman's before darting away. Her capacity for fan interactions has significantly decreased since she came back from LA, which is not good since it was already pretty fucking awful. Especially now that her mood has flat lined. Her jaw tightens as she mutters curtly,

"Yeah, that's me.”

“Oh my god, okay, um, would you mind if we took a quick photo together?"

With a hardened expression, Ellie takes a sip from her cup before responding.

"Actually, I'm just here to chill. Not really up for photos."

She immediately feels a tinge of regret as she watches the woman’s shoulders slump and her eyes dim,

"Oh, right. Of course. Sorry to bother you."

As you meander through the course of people and furniture, Ellie doesn’t bother watching the woman retreat to her place among the others. She releases a shaky exhale, drumming her fingers against the rim of her cup, her gaze fixed on a distant point before you yank the stack drink cooler open beside her.

"Ever the charmer, I see."

Her lips part to respond, but you’re so near, and she wasn’t expecting you to even come close to approaching her, so she stumbles through her words like a dumbass, mentally punching herself in the face.

“Uh- Hey… Didn’t know you were coming…”

“Well, I’m here. In the flesh.”

Ellie blushes, her voice low,

“You heard all that?”

“Yep.”

“How bad was it?”

You chuckle,

“Yeah, pretty fucking bad, dude.”

She sighs, running a hand over her face,

“I swear I didn’t mean to be an asshole, it's just… I haven’t spoken to any fans in, like, three months, and I have lost all ability to.”

“Pfft, okay, Justin Bieber. You and your hoards of fangirls.”

Ellie chuckles lightly, the dimple in her cheek deepening as she huffs out a quiet,

“Shut up…

Look… I-uh… I’m sorry for showing up like that at your place, I didn’t know you were living there… and… and, I’m sorry for how the conversation went, I just- had a lot to say, and it came out weird, and I understand if you don’t wanna see me anymore. I understand if you want me to keep my distance… If that’s what you want, I’ll do it, but what I said, I meant it… And I know it isn't really not possible to go back to how things were, but if you’re willing to give me a chance, I really would like to make things right.”

“Ellie… I’m gonna be honest with you. When you left, it was… “

You take a deep breath, shaking your head,

“I felt like my life was over. And then I kept hearing about overdoses and rehab and-

I don’t know…

I’m not gonna pretend I stopped caring about you. I never stopped… but… I don’t know… I just… I don’t fucking know if anything can go back to the way it was…

I used to feel like I’d never be able to forgive you.”

When you look back at Ellie, she takes in a sharp breath of air and her expression shifts as she looks away from you with glassy eyes.

“But… I’d like to try.”

She releases the air slowly, nodding her head as the tears pool, swiped away by steadfast hands before they cascade down her freckled cheeks. It reminds you wipe away your own.

“We have to take it slow, just try to be friends again, okay?”

She’s nodding,

“Yeah, okay…”

For the first time in way too fucking long, you feel oddly liberated. It’s like a weight has been lifted off your soul, released in the form of a heavy sigh, deep and visceral.

When you lock eyes with Ellie, you feel overrun with the desire to hug her - beyond just a hug. It’s been too long.

Perhaps it’s the nostalgia laced through the air in the moment, all the memories of late nights at the bar under dim lights, with the world shrunk to just big enough for the two of you and your honest laughter and the song changing to something you remember, and you watch a few couples start swaying in their drunken leisure.

"Hey," you look over and speak softly, your voice almost drowned out by the music.

"Hey,"

"I used to love this song."

Ellie nods, her gaze flickering towards the center of the room, where a few couples had started swaying to the slow beat and an ember of recognition glows in her dilated pupils before she chuckles softly.

"Yeah, I remember."

"Wanna dance?"

You blindside her completely, but she only lets the shock stunt her into hesitation for a brief moment before nodding,

"Yeah… I’d like that."

But, like clockwork, Alexis jogs over, weaving through people with a drunken flush across her cheeks, eyes lighting up when she spots you. You know it shouldn't disappoint you, but it does, because you can already feel Ellie tensing beside you and it takes everything in you not to groan.

"Hey, there you are!"

Her arm finds its way around your waist but the touch feels more suffocating than anything. Again.

"I've been looking for you everywhere, babe," her eyes dart between you and Ellie.

"Oh, hey, Ellie," Alexis adds,

"It's good to see you."

Ellie forces a gulp down her constricted throat with a stiffened posture. Her fingers curl into her palm before she takes hold of her left ring and pinkie in her right hand, squeezing them gently to feel something.

The easy smile she’d been wearing moments ago discreetly faded, deforming into something more guarded, uncertain, and when she speaks, her voice is quieter now. You think it's almost too quiet.

"Yeah. You too."

There's a strained silence, and it makes the air thick, too thick to breathe in comfortably, as the three of you stand awkwardly, the music a distant thrum in the background. You can feel Ellie retreating into herself. An old, familiar insecurity is creeping back into her eyes.

Clueless, Alexis leans into you,

"Wanna dance, babe?"

What if you said no? You would really, really love to say no. You already asked Ellie, after all. You look over at her.

But, before you can respond, her voice cuts in, soft but laced with something you placed a long time ago. Her smile was tight and forced.

"I’m good. You two have fun. I was planning on leaving soon anyway.”

And even through the polite wording, you can feel a pin-prick edge, a subtle distance that hadn’t been there previously. Her eyes land on you for a split second and then back at Alexis, but it was hard to miss the look in them.

"Really? Why? You should stick around for a bit longer."

“No, really, I’d rather not. I don't wanna impose.”

You clench your jaw, placed on the outskirts of the conversation again. Deja vu washes over you as you think back to the abrupt cut-off of the last one.

She turns to you,

"I'll see you soon?"

You nod.

You aren’t blind. You've lived with Ellie, spent every waking moment with her for years and years worth of time; you can tell when she's jealous.

But she knows she doesn't have the right to feel hurt..

What really plagues you is the fact that it shouldn’t make you feel this way.

When she leaves, you say nothing.

Ellie drags her feet up the wooden staircase leading to the veranda, mind clouded with thoughts, good and bad, with nothing but the shrill cry cicadas and of the oak beneath the weight of her shoes to punctuate the night.

When she reaches the top step, a familiar shepherd dog leaps at her torso, barking enthusiastically with his tail wagging and his tongue out. It knocks the wind out of her, and she grabs onto the rail.

“Woah. Hey, Buddy!”

She chuckles down at him.

The name just stuck. And, she supposes that, since she named him, she’s stuck with him for good too. It’s not like anyone will be looking for him anyway; he’s a stray she’s been feeding since she got back, with matted fur speckled in dirt and a slightly more skeletal structure than most. Ellie doesn’t like to acknowledge fact that he sometimes reminds her of herself.

When he barks up at her, she scratches him behind the ear and watches him contort into her touch like it’s crack or something.

And then, he somehow manages to get inside when she opens the door, paws smacking against the laminate floors as he scuttles across them. Ellie appreciates company a lot more these days.

She collapses onto that fucking king-sized bed as soon as she reaches it and runs a hand through her scruffy auburn hair.

Her fingers run through a lot longer than they used to. She needs a haircut.

You used to cut her hair for her. She’d sit in her underwear, shivering on a stool in the bathroom with a towel over shoulders that she’d hold tight like a cap, and you’d laugh at her as you sifted through her locks for ones that looked too long, blowing the cuttings from her bangs off the bridge of her freckled nose,

The last time she was due for a cut, she did it herself. Craned her neck over a bin and swiped the cut hair off her shoulders before looking at the choppy shit-show sitting on her head in the mirror.

Maybe she’ll just go to a hairdresser this time around.

She sighs and looks around the room. This was the only one in the house still full of things, because you’d left all of her possessions neatly arranged around it. Leaned against the foot of the bed is a painting she’d started a little after Joel passed, unfinished. A thin layer of dust sits upon the cotton and acrylic surface of the canvas, blurring the image of your face.

There are a few of that sort scattered around the room. Ellie turns onto her side and lets the tears run quietly. No pounding heart or hyperventilating. Just crying.

It’s bittersweet but, after tonight, she feels a flicker of hope, a dangerous thing for someone with her past.

She’s grateful for the door you opened to her, grateful for anything you give her at all, because she’ll take it gladly, and make things right, piece by piece, slowly, regardless of how long it takes.

It’s the only way she can keep going, because she’s tired of the way things have been. She’s tired of running.

At this point, you’re about ten minutes away from Julia’s place. You left, still not uttering a word. You left, without telling Alexis, and trailed down the sidewalk, paved with streetlights ushering you on, with a hazy mind but a set goal.

When your journey ends, you’re at the pebble beach that you and Ellie used to come to together.

Because you want to remember what it felt like.

Because you want to feel Ellie.

Smooth stones roll off each other as you walk to the shore, causing a series of mini avalanches with each step you take.

You stand before the shoreline, watching the foam blockade rush up to your feet and then back again. Down the center of the water, there’s a ribbon of moonlight, luminescent ripples glinting in the water, a thousand diamonds.

You sigh, and pull out your phone, tapping Alexis’ number.

It’s probably time.

[parkerluvsu]

Artitck x fem reader comfort? reader on her period and usually they're so bad she gets sick and out of commission for the whole week. she just cries into patricks chest while Art plays nurse :(

love me more (artrick x fem! reader)

you were being punished for something. you had to be. you woke up this morning with cramps that made you curl up in pain, only allowing you to hobble to the bathroom before getting back in bed. you send a hasty email to your professors before shutting your computer and getting cozy in bed again, the fetal position you're currently in is the only way to feel some small relief. you're passed out before you can alert your boyfriends about staying home, a mistake that will soon start knocking at your door.. literally.

*. : ｡✿ * ﾟ * .: ｡ ✿ * ﾟ * . : ｡ ✿ **. : ｡✿ * ﾟ

if you were awake, you would currently hear muffled voices outside your door, ones that are easily recognizable to anyone on the same floor of your dorm since they are almost always cracking jokes and laughing loudly. these voices belong to your boyfriends, art and patrick, who, at the moment, are arguing about who should've brought the extra key to your dorm. "dude she gave the key to you, why don't you have it?" the hushed voice of patrick zweig echoes through the hallway, looking pointedly at art. "i gave it to you remember? i had that match and you wanted to come over here.." art argues back, pointing at patrick. patrick rolls his eyes, rattling the doorknob. "fuck.. what if she's hurt in there or something?? she's not answering my texts" patrick all but bangs on the door, as art sees if you've texted either of them.

waking up with a groan, the loud bangs on your door make you sit up, heart racing. you immediately reach for your phone, wanting to call art or patrick but you're met with missed calls and unanswered frantic messages. you hop out of bed, despite feeling weak from the current cramps wracking your body. you unlock the door, pulling it open and being met with art and patrick, looking at you like they've seen a ghost. "what the fuck!" patrick sighs out, obviously relived to see you. art immediately rushes forward, hugging you tightly. "you scared the shit out of us you know that?" he pulls away, hands on your shoulders, "you don't show up to any of your classes or our practice and then you don't answer any of our texts or calls?" art is clearly happy to see you, but the adrenaline of being concerned about you hasn't worn off. "you scared the shit out of us babe" patrick says, shaking his head. "im really really sorry it's just-" you try to continue your sentence but you're interrupted by a particularly bad cramp, causing you to hunch over and groan in pain. both patrick and art move toward you, making sure you don't fall. "holy shit babe are you okay?" patrick is completely overtaken by concern for you, finding it hard to see you in pain.

"im sorry.. ive just been sick in bed all day you guys.." you explain, letting them guide you back into your room. you sit back in bed, art taking a seat in your desk chair, while patrick makes himself at home in your bed. "ive been sleeping all day.. it's like the only thing that makes me feel better.." you describe the current situation, curling into a ball holding your lower stomach. art and patrick exchange a sympathetic look, with art reaching out to hold your hand. "you've been stuck in here all day?" art frowns at you, his extreme sense of empathy kicking into high gear. you lean into the soft pressure of patrick sitting behind you as you nod. "yeah.. usually i can make it through the week but none of my pain meds are working" patrick nods and brushes a hand through your hair. art, forever the worrier, sits on the chair next to your bed, frantically looking up "how to stop period cramps" and "are period cramps dangerous" you see arts phone screen, smiling at his obvious want for you to be okay.

"art it's okay.. it'll pass.. its bad but it's normal" you reassure him, smiling through the pain. patrick laughs, smoothing his hand through your hair. "cmon art don't be stupid, don't you know anything about women?" he jokes, obviously trying to distract you from the waves of pain. "shut up patrick you hardly even knew what a period was until college!" art fights back, face slightly pink with embarrassment. you let the two of them battle it out, feeling yourself sinking further into the mattress with the feeling of arts hand in yours and patricks fingers weaving through your hair. they don't even notice you've passed out again until patrick needs you to help him fact-check art and you don't respond. their petty argument is forgotten as they get you more comfortable in bed, turning off your light and pulling soft blankets over you. you toss and turn in your sleep, unable to feel actually relaxed enough to fall into a true sleep.

a particularly bad cramp causes your eyes to snap open, a groan of pain escaping your lips as you open your eyes, seeing art and patrick sitting on your floor together. they both rush towards you when they see you're awake again, your pain stricken groan pulling on both of their heartstrings. patrick moves to lay beside on on the bed, guiding your head to lay against his warm chest. "where does it hurt sweetheart?" art asks, sliding himself between your legs to lay his head on your stomach. weirdly, the pressure of his head relieves the pain for a moment, allowing you to answer. "just all of my lower stomach.. the cramps just won't stop.." you feel tears well on your eyes, trying to blink them away to no avail. patrick takes quick notice of this, brushing his thumb under your eyes to wipe your tears. art almost looks like a kicked puppy, gazing up at you with his baby blue eyes, unable to help. art lets patrick continue to comfort you while he pulls out his phone again, researching ways to help relieve your cramps.

"okay.. pat here it says that we should get something warm for her.. that'll like relax her muscles or something" art jumps up and grabs his bag, rooting around in it frantically. finally, he pulls out a little blanket looking thing with a cord coming out of it. "it's a heating pad" he explains, "my coah gave it to me for my muscle spasms but i think it could really help.." you nod and he plugs it in, helping you press it against your lower stomach and hold it there. yet again, art rests his head on your stomach like a puppy, while patrick continues to cradle your head against his chest. the relief from the heating pad starts quickly, and the warmth send you to sleep once again, along with patrick and art.

for the rest of your absolutely miserable week, art and patrick stay by your side, giving you massages and chocolate and everything you could ask for.. anything to make you feel better again. art and patrick could be annoying at times.. but you're positive that you've never felt so loved <3

[kissesonmyknlfe]

“Tent!” — Part Two !

roomate au

katsuki bakugou x female! reader

( y/n is called yinn ) smut ! short ! part one !

✦ ~ You close the door behind you as you bring in the take out that just delivered to your door. You haven’t talked to Katsuki at all nor seen him after what happened this morning. You were debating over telling him dinner was here or saving some to the side for him. It was so embarrassing. You saw his cock through his pants. His facial expression’s when he noticed it keeps replaying in your head. Now you are thinking about all the other times you guys have hung out and now you are thinking about him.. differently. sexually.. But why?! You guys have been roommates for a few years now and you’ve never really felt anything towards him. Of course, he was hot and when you would playfully flirt with him they weren’t too far from the truth. But he was way out of your league.

✦ ~ ‘Why did he even get hard in the first place?!’ ‘Did I grind on him?! that is so embarrassing!!’ ‘Did he get hard thinking of me?’ These questions have been repeating over and over in your mind. You didn’t even hear Katsuki come up behind you. “Thanks for telling me dinner was here.” You jolt and quickly turn your head to look at him. “I-I was going too! I was jus thinkin bout somethin..” You look away and cross your arms as you lean back on the counter. His eyebrows furrow at you. “Look. Yinn. I’m—“ He pauses and looks at the floor. “I’m.. sorry.” His voice goes low at the end but you still heard him. An apology? Thats so not Katsuki. “Oh!” You didn’t mean to say that out loud. “Oh?! What do you mean ‘Oh’?!” He yells. Your eyes widen. “Sorry I didn’t mean to say that out loud!” You chuckle. “I just wasn’t expecting an apology. Shit, I was expecting an explanation but I guess my expectations are too high for you!” He smacks his teeth. “Oh shut up! And—“ its like his vocal cords force him to abruptly stop talking.

✦ ~ “Sometimes.. these thoughts come to mind. And they aren’t easy to stop..” He looks away. You sit up straight, showing him he has your full undivided attention. “When you jokingly flirt with me, when you— wear revealing clothes around me..” He grumbles and your eyes widen at that part. ‘Is this a confession?! “It makes me feel something I haven’t felt with anyone else before. And shit. I fucking hate it! I can’t even look at you right now!” And with that last sentence you run up to him, grab him by the jaw, and pulls his face into yours. The kiss was long. When your lips departed from his you hear him curse under his breath. “holy shit..” Holy shit indeed.. You both look down and see that he’s hard again. You giggle and you put your hand on his chest, slowly moving down. “How about this time I help you out with that?” You look up at him innocently. His lips tremble and his eyes widen.

✦ ~ He looks away as he covers his flushed face with his hand. You laugh. “So? My room or yours?” He looks at you with his crimson eyes and dilated pupils. “Y-yours..” He looks away again. “My room it is then— woah! Katsu!!” He pick you up and puts you over his shoulder. “This ass is mine tonight.” He slaps your butt make you jump. “K-Kastuki~”

★ more roommate bakugou soon because babes you have NO IDEA how much I love himmmmmskakahahshz

# miyuu july 2024

[strnilolo]

oops

summary: the blind, deaf, and mute baking challenge is put on pause when you accidentally injure yourself.

word count: 883

warnings: cursing, mentions of blood, mentions of injury, mentions of knives, mentions of hospital visit, use of y/n, she/her pronouns, only proofread twice, lowercase intentional.

an; thank you guys so much for the love on my last two posts! please send in requests, i would love to hear what ideas you guys have.

||navigation||

driving to the emergency room instead of filming a vlog with the triplets was not how you imagined your night going. everything was perfectly fine when you started filming, you and nick weren’t allowed to hear, matt wasn’t allowed to see, and chris wasn’t allowed to speak. all was well, until you needed to cut open the bag of cake mix for the boys to use.

before the chaos..

“okay we need to get a bowl” you loudly explain the first step to the boys, unaware of your volume. chris grabs your shoulders and ushers you to lower your voice, to which you attempt.

“matt don’t move, i’ll get it” you hastily run over to matt before he can get to the cabinet containing the glass bowls.

“n/n hush, we can hear you” matt laughs standing back as you get the bowl yourself.

“what??” again, as loud as you can be without physically yelling.

“he means shut the fuck up” nick shouts grabbing your head, forcing you to look at him. you laugh, almost falling over in the process. chris grabs the box, reading the instructions to hopefully get the actual baking started, when you grab the knife needed to cut open the bag of cake mix.

“here let me cut it open” you grab the bag from chris, taking it and the knife to the trashcan so you don’t make a mess. holding the bag in one hand, you bring the knife to the side you were holding, your first mistake. slicing the plastic open, you immediately are hit with a stinging pain in your finger.

“oh fuck” you drop the bag onto the counter, taking your headphones off.

“guys i cut my finger open, holy shit” you begin to panic, holding the wound on your finger as blood drips at a rapid pace down your hands, onto the floor.

“what?” matt rips off the blindfold that was once over his eyes. chris and matt rush to you, leaving a confused nick, still jamming out to his music.

“what happened” nick shouts, now also rushing over to your aid.

“ i was trying to cut open the bag for chris and i cut my finger” you try to explain as calmly as possible, failing as a tear makes its way down your face.

“let me see it” matt grabs your hand, but you jerk back instinctively.

“y/n i have to see how bad it is, i need to know if you need to go to the hospital” anxiety on high, matt snaps at you, grabbing your hand once more. nick places a hand on your shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze.

“okay, this is going to need stitches, let’s go. chris turn off the camera, and get in the car” matt rushes you all to the car, grabbing paper towels on the way out to stop the bleeding.

now all three of you sit in the car, you in the passenger seat so that matt can see you, while chris and nick are in the back seat, leaning forward to make sure you’re alright.

“did i ever tell you guys i hate blood” you laugh tearfully, squeezing the napkins over your finger.

“y/n you worked at a hospital when you were younger, how do you hate blood?” chris leans over your shoulder, watching your bleeding hand cautiously.

“an ANIMAL hospital, chris, it’s completely different” you correct him, closing your eyes to stop yourself from thinking about your injury.

“we’re almost there, as long as i don’t get pulled over you’ll be fine” matt grabs a few paper towels from his lap, urging you to change out the ones that are around your finger.

“matt do not get pulled over for this, im fine. stop speeding” you hand the paper towels to nick and shove your hand into his lap.

“i don’t want to do it, i’ll throw up”

rolling his eyes, nick begins to unwrap the paper towels from your index finger, revealing the severity of your injury, or lack there of.

“it’s not too terrible, it’s deep but not long. you should only need a few stitches” nick finishes wrapping your finger, and rubs your arm to comfort you.

arriving at the emergency room, you are immediately seen, as you’re actively bleeding, and the doctor tells you and the boys that you got lucky. the cut will only need to be glued shut, and bandaged.

finishing your wound, the doctor tells you to stay away from knives and to be more careful.

“how did you cut yourself, you weren’t even blindfolded?” matt laces his fingers with yours, the hand that you didn’t cut, of course, and leads you to the car.

“very carefully”

“well now we know, don’t trust y/n with knives, or sharpe objects, or around blood, even though she worked at an ‘ANIMAL’ hospital” chris mocks your emphasis on the word animal, lightly shoving you towards the car.

“HEY! she’s clumsy she could have tripped over that branch and DIED” nick dramatically places an arm out to stop you from ‘falling’.

“i’ll never live this down will i?” you roll your eyes, stepping aside so matt can open your car door.

“nope” matt smiles, making sure you’re fully in the car before shutting the door.

|| likes, comments, and reblogs are always appreciated :)

🏷️ @bananabread-nana ||

[whispereons]

Oracle!Reader Part 8

Masterlist - Part 1, Part 7, Part 9

Gonna be honest, Y/N is not nice in this chapter. Not like abusive but just wanted to warn ya'll. My au is supposed to be dark and cruel in a way. This is yandere imposter sagau after all.

A storm brewed above the ship as the two hydra heads roared toward the sky. Shielding your face with your arms you tried to gaze up at the towering dark blue bodies. The teal markings on its armor-like heads let you know who exactly was attacking you.

Beisht, Avenger of the Vortex. AKA Osial's wife who not only has a grudge against Liyue but Beidou specifically due to her warning Ningguang about Beisht's attack.

The Crux has probably gone hundreds of times to Inazuma peacefully but the one time you go is when they get attacked by a sea monster.

Just

Your

Fucking

Luck

Beidou's laugh rings out as the ship sways from the currents and the crewmembers start running to their weapons and positions. Not missing a beat Xinyan ends her song as she uses her vision to blast fire at Beisht.

Holy fuck, this wasn't an accident. This was planned. Beidou planned this shit and went through with it even though you, a guest, are on this crazy ship.

Anger swells up in you like a tornado and you ignore the blasts of water that try to hit the jumping form of Beidou. You look around in blind anger for one of the ballistae on the ship.

The thought of shooting either Beidou or Beisht with it was making your blood pump faster. And even if you did hit Beidou, you could always lie that you were aiming at Beisht.

You spot the closest one and start running towards it. Firm hands wrap around your waist and lift you off the ground.

"I apologize for the urgency, but this isn't a safe spot for you."

Kazuha's calm voice in your ear has a soothing effect on your temperament. Forcibly relaxing your body, you let Kazuha carry you down the stairs and he sets you down quickly in a room.

"Stay here while we take care of the sea monster. I don't want you getting hurt, it will not have mercy on you."

You clench your hands as your body trembles in anger. It's Kazuha's worried and sad eyes that make you unclench your fists.

"I know it's scary so please heed my words."

Burying your head into your knees a muffled sound of confirmation slips out. If he wants to think you're scared, let him. Some time alone might even be good for you.

Kazuha leaves and it's then that you can hear the sound of the fighting as the boat rocks. Xiangling and Xinyan's pyro make the air sticky as Kazuha swirling the water makes it humid too.

The crackling of thunder no doubt from Beidou makes you grind your teeth. You were right to be afraid of going with the Crux, she may be popular but she's far too dangerous.

That was definitely Beisht, you think back to her boss fight and remember her attacks. Shooting water, slamming her head and neck, water missiles, and wait wasn't there a third head?-

A loud bang echoes as the ship starts tilting dangerously. Yelping you shield your head from the items that start falling onto you. Another deafening thud and you're being thrown onto the opposite wall.

As more heavier items crash onto you, the wall makes a cracking sound. You couldn't be sure that it was the boat breaking but you couldn't risk it.

If you stayed here, you'll either be crushed to death or drown if that wall breaks. The Alcor keeps rocking left to right as you struggle to stand and leave the room. Closing the door shut, you know you have a few more bruises than you came in with.

The hallway is even worse than the room. Harpoons and other weapons are dangerously close to falling and you rush up the stairs to avoid that disaster.

The main deck is a chaotic mess of crewmembers running back and forth. Xiangling is continually setting wooden spears and stakes aflame before different crewmembers shoot it.

Xinyan, Kazuha, and Beidou all work together to attack Beisht's heads whenever she gets close to attack. Keeping a death grip on the railing you watch the incredible yet infuriating display of power.

Finally remembering that you'll need to defend yourself too, you go back down the stairs. Swiftly you dodge the dropping objects and get to your room. Shoving your hand into your bag and selecting the sickle, you pull it out.

The fear of dying is remedied by the weight of the weapon. Sprinting with more confidence you get back to the main deck. Both sides of the deck have one of her heads low and close ready to shoot the powerful jet of water.

Something about the way she looks is... off. Your mind wanders back to the game cutscenes and automatically compares it to what you see now.

What were once toothless jaws were now filled with layers of sharp teeth. The underbelly of her bodies looked less watery and sleeker. The fins on her back looked firmer and seemed to be in a more organized row.

Beisht shoots the water from her mouths, and you can feel how hot the water is. Xinyan is quick to dodge by climbing the stairs while Kazuha leaps using the wind. Beidou uses her skill to defend herself and rack up energy.

As the scalding water gets closer you hold the sickle to your chest and try to back away. You may be crazy but not stupid enough to try what Beidou is doing.

Surprisingly she stops only inches away from you, lifting her heads she shoots the brunt of the attack toward the sky. Hot droplets rain down on the ship as the attack dies down.

Her heads regroup and her third one appears behind the first two. All her heads roar and they slam onto the deck. Instead of slamming onto you as you expected, she boxes you in the middle of the deck instead.

As two heads serve as the walls, her third head opens its mouth. The sight of the teal muscles with holes in them makes you shudder. Would dying to a sea monster be better or worse than dying accused as an imposter?

Probably better, at least this way you would be remembered fondly and missed. Even if it's only for a short while.

"Glorious creator, it is my greatest honor to have lived long enough to meet you."

What the fuck.

The sounds of everyone else attacking Beisht's other heads are drowned out as you look up at her in shock.

"Although my husband could not meet you, he was a devoted believer. These puny mortals are having you travel in such conditions with such little glory. Do these pirates not know your greatness?!"

Her tone gets louder as she speaks about the Crux. How could she recognize you as the creator? Were you right in guessing that the creatures of Teyvat could recognize you? But she's more on the god side so how could she realize but not Ei?

"Beisht, how have you heard of me?" If sea monsters gods could smile then that's exactly what Beisht was doing.

"Your blood, your grace. They bleached your gold blood. They hurt you with violent intentions. Just as the scriptures said, the offenders will pay for hurting you. Teyvat is calling upon your true worshippers to deliver justice."

This doesn't make complete sense. Beishts own arrogance and hatred for Liyue is having an impact on her words. What does seem to be true is that Teyvat was alerted when you got hurt and is drawing strong creatures that it can connect with to you.

"Then this is something we should be talking with less distractions." Choosing your words carefully, you note how everyone has been listening to your conversation with Beisht.

It's a good thing they can't understand her. Whether she's intentionally not letting them understand her or not isn't important.

You motion Beisht to back away with a flick of your wrist. Beisht is expecting you to act like the creator, you need to play your part. This whole situation is a golden opportunity.

Beisht obeys your silent command and moves her heads off the boat. Beidou is the first to run up to you with how close she is. The battle comes to a silent pause as everyone watches your seemingly unharmed form with relief.

"Are you okay?!" The urge to scoff and give a snarky response is strong but you push it down. With a solemn expression, you speak clearly.

"I've been granted a rare opportunity to talk with Beisht according to the creator's will. I have messages to relay to her but I cannot do so with everyone here."

A rare confused expression crosses Beidou's face at your words as you step away from her and move closer to Beisht. With a tight grip on your sickle, you speak calmly to Beisht.

"Come closer so we can speak somewhere with more privacy. The matter of the divine isn't one to always be so open about."

Beisht seems to pick up on the identity you have in the eyes of the Crux and lowers her main head onto the boat. With confident strides, you walk to her head and climb on.

Fear and worry rise within you as you grip the middle feeler on her head and look at the Crux with a smile.

"I'll be back soon, so don't stop sailing. I'll catch up before you know it."

Your grip on the feeler becomes tight as Beisht's head suddenly drops into the water. A scream instinctively leaves your throat from the sudden gesture.

The last thing you saw before the ocean engulfed you was the various expressions of horror and fear on everyones faces. A small part of you smirks at the guilt that paints Beidou's face.

You shut your mouth and eyes expecting the salty water to drown you. Yet not even a drop of water touches you and the sight of the vast ocean surrounds you.

In awe you watch the air bubble around you supplying you with oxygen and shielding you from the water. Fish swim past as Beisht continues to descend into the depths.

Soon enough the only light around is the teal markings on her body. It reminds you of just how frightening the ocean can be. That at any moment Beisht could think that you're an imposter too and let you drown here...

Tightening your grip on her, you push those thoughts away. They will only hinder you, being nervous will make everything worse. You've made it this far, haven't you?

As a distraction, you think about how exactly this air bubble is being made. Was it Beisht, Teyvat, or did you unconsciously do it? Considering that you can only control elements that you accessed from the Statue of the Sevens then it can't be you.

Beisht was connected to the vortex and water. This air bubble wasn't just reusing your oxygen, it was supplying fresh oxygen. She can't control oxygen so that only leaves Teyvat. Then how could Teyvat protect you from drowning but let the electro from Ei hurt you?

Beisht finally stops and you can vaguely see the outline of her main body due to the glowing teal marks. It keeps reminding you of a certain god masquerading as a bard.

"Your grace, I see the false identity you hold in front of them. Yet I do not hold the same wisdom you hold, please enlighten me on why you hide yourself."

Her vocabulary is naturally arrogant but the tone she says it all in, sounds like she's imploring. It's good, you can utilize this and her natural dislike for humans.

"Coming back from that other world has left me very weak. I have little memories of when I was the creator and this body is weak. They see my unmasked face and assume I'm an imposter. Ei was the main culprit. Just a mask would solve that but my mere presence shows my divinity. Quite a few of my acolytes barely believe my words as an oracle, I would be a fool to publically reveal myself as the creator."

Your words are spoken with a sense of coldness as if you're completely detached from the situation. The water around you seems to raise a few degrees. Taking a risk you speak lowly with a mix of sadness and condescension.

"Humans and Archons are not that different. They cannot accept the truth if it's different than what they expect or desire. Greed and pride have always been the downfall of humans."

"Your grace, they do not deserve your attention or words. The Electro Archon will pay for harming you. They will all pay for hurting you. Thank you for teaching me, I will do your bidding. I will make sure that you'll never need to worry about me acting as foolish as those Archons."

Perfect, it's exactly what you wanted.

"We will take over and subdue Teyvat for harming you. We'll lay the Archons, humans, and anything else that dares defy you at your feet. We will make them atone for their sins. That pirate crew will be the first to pay! Not only have I lost my husband and child to them, they even harmed you!"

What child? They had a kid??? Wait that can come later, Beisht going out of control would harm the reputation you've built up, this has to stop!

"Silence." Your command is swift and your gaze is cold as you stare down Beisht. The quiet that comes makes you smile inwardly. Playing hot and cold towards someone who idolizes you tends to make them more attached. More desperate to keep your wavering love and affection.

"Now, now don't get too worked up. Going off and doing whatever you wish in my name is contradictory to what you said earlier."

"I beg for your forgiveness, your grace." Beisht lowers her heads in shame. A kind smile crosses your face and you reach through the bubble to pet her heads.

"I forgive you Beisht, mistakes are part of the learning process. You've already done so well in recognizing me. Why don't you start by answering my questions first? What happened to your child?"

Beisht closes her eyes and bubbles float up as her heads sigh in content over your touch.

"My child, born from Osial and I, fought for days against that pirate ship. In the end, they killed my child and his murderer gained a vision from it. Celestia truly mocks the defeated from the Archon War."

Sea monster, 'that' pirate ship, and a vision from his death.

Haishan is her child.

No wonder she hates Beidou so much. She basically killed her whole family!

"Haishan has lived in my name and with his death, he returned to me too. I can tell your anger is as great as your sorrow. Take comfort in my words and let your anger fuel your devotion to me."

Loneliness is a manipulator's best friend. Beisht is terribly lonely and will cling to you and your words as her only lifeline. And in your situation, a dog like this will be needed.

"I will your grace, someday I too will return to your loving embrace through death."

Gently she nuzzles your hands with her heads. Tracing the glowing marks that adorn her head you ask in a soothing voice.

"Tell me how you came to find me."

"After the battle with Liyue and the human-adepti I retreated to the depths of the ocean to heal myself. I was dormant when Teyvat called us. It spoke about harm coming to you, at how your gold blood had been bleached."

"Who is 'us'? You also referred to yourself as 'we' earlier too."

"I was not the only one stirred by Teyvat. The water has become more lively with strong elemental currents. I do not doubt that there are even more beings awakening on land. We are all being called to defend you and pay back your liquid gold blood. After so long without you, we are regaining our reason for living."

So if many other elemental monsters are being 'stirred' then that means you could get more allies. Guoba didn't even know he used to be a god until he was told so was it in character or not that he knew you were the creator? You'll need to find more evidence on land but this was leading to a favorable situation.

But Beisht's fixation on your blood being gold was not good. You'll have to address that now. If you wait too long and it reveals outside of your control she'll believe that you were lying to her. God knows what she would do to you then.

"On the topic of my blood, there is something I must clear up. My blood is not gold, it is red."

An eery stillness takes over the atmosphere and you seemingly look down at the 3-headed hydra. The feeling of her scales seems to heat up a little, gritting your teeth you continue.

"I sincerely hope that you are not doubting me. The scriptures never said that my blood itself was gold. The true meaning of that text is that my blood is as precious as gold."

Your blank expression and sharp eyes don't leave her. In one hand you hold your sickle above and electro-coats it with a dangerous crackle.

The looming threat of death washes over you as the sickle crackles with more ferocity. Teyvat heeds your silent wishes and hydro starts rapidly spinning around you. Swiftly you thrust it into the water and it hits Beisht as she thrashes from the pain.

"Forgive me! Forgive me! Forgive this arrogant and foolish follower!"

She roars and begs, your heart is as tight as your grip on her but the sickle still crackles in the water. She's a sea monster and that's the only reason she hasn't died yet.

It's only the sight of toasted pieces of sleek flesh on her that you pull the sickle out of the water and back into the air bubble. The electro fizzles out and Beisht's sad wails echo around you.

She's whimpering and begging with near-silent pleas for forgiveness. Your hand is gentle and warm on the head that she is carrying you on.

"Hush now Beisht, this punishment was something you brought onto yourself. Never doubt my words, my teaching is law. Do you see how futile suspecting and denying me of my divinity is? Crimson or gold, my blood is not what matters most, it is I that exist above you."

Beisht's body seems to curl around the air bubble you stand in as you continue petting and soothing her. Your pleasant humming is a sharp contrast to your rapid heartbeat.

You were either going to die to Beisht or die to your electro. But this turned out better than you originally thought. Even though it hurt you to cause the one powerful ally you have pain, it was necessary. You can never let her entertain the idea of betraying you.

If you must play the role of oracle in front of the others then you must play the role of creator in front of the rest. Y/N was the oracle, the creator, and most importantly a liar.

"The fact that you could sense my presence on that boat intrigues me. How could you sense me while Ei could not? The same goes for the other Archons, surely they would have felt Teyvat's call too."

"The Archons accepted Celestia's power which drew them away from you. They worship you the mortal or human method more often than the way elemental beings do. Changing their style of worship may have connected them to other mortals better but it also muddled their sense of hearing Teyvat"

Her voice is hoarse and low, humbled after her punishment. Your smile was kind and your touch tender, but the sly part of your heart reveled in it.

"Tell me the difference between the two."

"Elemental beings worship by sacrificing parts of themselves to you. Some offer up energy, blood, lifeforce, and others give limbs. Only their own, offering up anyone else's would be sacrilegious. As elemental beings, we will always heal and reform. Celestia has possibly blinded them to the consequences of forsaking our worship to keep them away from you."

Now that was one of the most useful pieces of information you've gained thus far. What would happen if you convinced one of the Archons, not counting Ei, to try this style of worship? Would it enhance your position as the oracle, make you more suspicious, or give them the idea that you might be the creator?

Your thoughtfulness seems to make Beisht anxious, that's understandable seeing as you've proven to be volatile in her eyes. With a nearly patronizing pat on her head, you speak with a happy tone.

"As the creator, I require both elemental and human worship. I have many plans and it includes you Beisht. With each nation I visit and interactions with the Statues of the Seven, I gain more power. I will need you to spread the truth of my arrival to those who Teyvat awoke. Can I trust you with that?"

"It is a privilege to serve you, beloved creator. I will travel through the ocean and fulfill your command." She's clearly enthusiastic and grateful. You have her right where you want her.

"Stay quiet and careful, avoid fighting in general. I have much of the world to explore on my own and see to tell who deserves my forgiveness when everything is revealed. No rushing, I have a long life to live. The other elemental creatures will have the information I need too."

"I understand your grace. At this point and time, your main attention is to investigate the mortal's faith. I will stay unnoticed after this point so that I do not hinder your plan."

You had no plan on revealing your status as the creator. These words were only said to keep Beisht calm and peaceful. Beisht has such a terrible reputation as a villain that if she told the truth, it would only make them all think worse of you.

The little pieces of evidence you have acquired, proving your title might be enough if you were in regular Genshin Impact. But in this world with obsession, death, and violence, you could not claim that so easily. Beisht better be prepared to wait a long time, if not your whole life span which might not be long considering your luck.

"Can I really trust your words Beisht? You think lowly of the mortals for harming me but you have hurt me as well. And it's not when you doubted me, I'm talking about how you hurt me physically."

Your words are like a bucket of cold water. The suspicious gaze she receives from you makes her stutter.

"W-What do you mean your grace? The moment I spotted you, I drew away."

'Pathetic' that's what your expression told her. That's exactly what you thought of her. Her lie specifically.

"Never try to lie to me. This is your only warning. When you rose from the water, you spotted me first but you let yourself be distracted by the sight of Beidou. So caught up in the fight, it wasn't until I got banged up by everything that you finally spotted me and remembered your original task."

The words seem to hit the nail on the head as Beisht lowers herself to you. With an ominous air, you swing the sickle back and forth.

"I will not deny my sins. I lied to you and tried to hide it. Whatever punishment you choose is one I will accept wholeheartedly." Her voice wavers and cracks. She's scared and your smile makes her tremble beneath you.

But it seems to wash away as you rest your upper body on her head closest to you. Ignoring the lingering water droplets you pet her softly.

"It's okay Beisht, I know you were emotional after seeing Beidou. The pain and wrath were hard to fight wasn't it?" The forgiving voice you used was almost like a mask as you traced her scales using the sickle at the same time.

Unnerved, confused, grateful, and scared Beisht sounds like she's near tears.

"Thank y-you, your grace. The mercy you have on your creations is not something we deserve yet you give it anyway."

"I've been hurt so many times Beisht. So you'll prove yourself worthy of my trust right?" The sickle gets stuck at the brightest teal scale on her main head's forehead.

"Take this scale off and give it to me. This will be proof of your devotion to me." You whisper the command disguised as a request.

Without hesitation, Beisht's second head comes closer and you move away just in time to see her tug the scale off with her mouth. It's placed at your feet and it glimmers as you pick it up.

"It's beautiful Beisht. I will accept this as proof of your faith in me. It's time for me to be returned to the ship, do not forget what I have told you."

"Yes, your holiness." The attitude she has is much more subdued than the one she held when you first went down with her. You can now safely trust that in a worst-case scenario, you'll go to the ocean and have her bring you somewhere safe.

Fish and other sea creatures swim past you as Beisht brings you back to the boat. It's a lot further than when you left but that's no problem for the leviathan.

The Alcor is above you and Beisht only raises her head that has you on her above water. The air bubble dissolves and the sun shines down on you. The heat of it is welcomed after staying in the freezing deep for so long.

Yet it's the bright flash of electro that you are greeted with as Beidou jumps toward Beisht.

Thoughts bombard your mind on what to do, what to say. Electro, hydro, claymore, Beidou, Beisht, sickle, and defend!

With adrenaline and fear coursing through your veins, you bring your sickle up as a defense. Electro meets electro as the force of the blow keeps you both locked in place.

Planting your feet steady on Beisht's head, you grit your teeth and push harder against Beidou. In mere seconds your electro overpowers hers and Beidou is struck back to the boat with a pained yell.

The crew, Xinyan, and Xiangling rush to where Beidou was thrown. A sense of deja vu fills you as Kazuha jumps to you and quickly carries you away from Beisht.

After smoothly landing and setting you behind him, Kazuha brandishes his sword in Beisht's direction. The multiple cuts and bruises on his body show just how injured he got in the earlier battle.

A small part of you can't help but feel touched by his protection. Even though it's entirely unnecessary. Why didn't he immediately go check on Beidou? They are very close after all...

Letting that thought fade away, you place your hand on Kazuha's shoulder and smile reassuringly at him. Beidou grunts as she's helped out of the mess of broken wood.

A brief sense of vindication enters you at the sight of the multiple wounds on her, mostly likely from the previous battle. Splinters and new scrapes cover her exposed skin and a particularly big one went through her left palm.

The blood mixes with the wood chips as it drips off her palm. She's grabbing her weapon again and tries to head toward Beisht. Quickly you move to stand in front of her.

"It's alright Beidou, Beisht isn't going to attack anymore." Beidou's eyes widen as she takes in the sight of you. Not a single scrap or drop of blood is on you.

Turning back to Beisht, you motion her to leave with a hand gesture. Obediantly Beisht dives back into the water and disappears.

The waves start to calm and the clouds slowly disperse. You think of the electro you used against Beisht and Beidou. The control you have over it has been growing, despite how dangerous it is, you'll need more power.

Eyes widening in surprise you're spun around by Beidou as she checks your body throughly.

"I was so sure you died, I never meant to hit you with my claymore. I'm beyond grateful that the creator protected you." Your earlier spiteful joy at her injuries melts into guilt at the caring way she was handling you.

Smiling sheepishly you pat her uninjured shoulder.

"If the creator wanted me to die by Beisht then I would accept that wholeheartedly. I'm sorry for worrying you and everyone else."

That small petty part of you wanted to bring up how this all could have been avoided by just not provoking Beisht since they didn't know she was looking for you. But maybe you'll do that when everyone isn't injured.

"I'm not sure whether to applaud you or scold you for doing something so reckless but I think that would be counterproductive at this point."

Beidou shakes her head as she speaks before sighing. Turning back to her crew and friends her voice rises above the murmur of everyone else's conversation.

"Listen up everyone! Beisht has fled this area, but we can always be attacked at a later date. Get inside, rest up, and prepare to arrive at Liyue tomorrow morning!"

Multiple "Yes, Captain!" can be heard directly after her words before they scatter to various activities. You still need to talk to Beidou but she beats you to it.

"Y/N, I need to speak to you about the situation with Beisht. I'll get cleaned up in the medical bay and meet you at the head of the ship."

You nod and head to where she was pointing. Kazuha, Xiangling, and Xinyan follow Beidou to the medical bay. Would they be a part of whatever conversation Beidou wants to have with you?

Swinging your legs as you sit on the edge of the boat, the calm waves draw your gaze. What will Beidou tell you? What lies will you spin to protect yourself?

It's the thumps of footsteps behind you that alert you to Beidou's arrival. With a friendly smile directed at her, you suppress the urge to laugh at the feeling of eyes on you.

Xiangling is most likely in the kitchen as Guoba is nowhere to be seen. Kazuha and Xinyan on the other hand may have been instructed to watch or listen while hiding.

You already knew your stunt may have bad consequences if you aren't careful but you didn't think Beidou would make your job so easy. After all, the more people that hear this conversation, the farther your reputation will spread.

"Hope you didn't wait too long Y/N," Beidou speaks amiably as she strolls over to sit next to you. Her mood is hard to read with the way she smiles but you can still guess accurately.

"I'm all good, I would even say that the break was appreciated with how tired I was."

"Then let's not waste any more time. I'm not here to interrogate you as much as I'm here to explain myself. I put the Crux and you into a life-threatening situation and although everyone else knows exactly what can happen, you did not. I'm sorry about that."

Your feet hit the boat at a slow pace as you think about her words. Now that the anger and chaos of that situation has calmed down, you aren't nearly as annoyed. Not up to talking just yet, you simply nod.

Taking it in stride Beidou starts explaining.

"For the past few days, monsters and leylines have been unusual. The leylines are spawning in new areas with stronger enemies than usual. The behavior of the monsters is strange too. They wander around as if looking for something and the boss monsters have become less violent. It's worrying and on our way to Inazuma, I saw the ocean change. That's why I had Xinyan perform to draw attention."

Seems Beisht was right to guess that other monsters were becoming aware. Hilichurls may respawn but you aren't sure if another monster species that canonically don't regenerate will still be alive. You need to speak with the enemies most likely to recognize you.

"Seeing Beisht listen to you was shocking. I mean she has always been hostile towards people. I don't wanna push you to speak but I would like to know what happened."

"When I was forced onto the main deck to avoid being crushed by the boxes I saw a part of the battle. That's when I realized that I could understand Beisht and the creator ordered me to speak with her privately. Who am I to disobey? The conversation was enlightening, to say the least, and what you just told me has confirmed it."

Your dramatic and cryptic words confuse your listeners. Standing up and balancing on the edge of the boat you continue speaking.

"I have been granted a prophecy! Well more like a revelation of the current and future events. The creatures of Teyvat are exhibiting new behaviors due to the creator's will. Of course that doesn't mean we'll stop defeating them, just don't take it as some grand evil rising."

The nearly childlike joy you speak with only confuses Beidou further. She stands up and tries to hold your shoulder but you twirl away from the edge.

"When was the last time we saw sudden differences in behavior?" Your words are spoken with a carefree smile as you continue dancing away.

"That would be when the traveler arrived on Teyvat and leading to the awakening of acolytes of course!"

You playfully tug the white ahoge that sticks out from Kazuha's hiding spot. He doesn't even seem glum at being found so quickly.

"And why did that all start happening?"

The feeling of eyes watching you faded as Beidou moves closer to the spot you stood with spread arms. Xinyan wasn't here but that's fine, the story you've spun will be spread either way.

"Because the creator's return was starting to approach! It may be worrisome because the creatures may harm people more than they did before but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate that the creator is a step closer to coming back."

In reality, you just wanted more allies. Paraphrasing everything to fit the narrative that you desire was easy in this situation. Very few people could tell if you were lying or not after all. In fact, some would even-

"Agreed. At the same time this all has been happening, the wind had gotten stronger. It's crisp and clear, it has become more active in communication too."

Between your celebratory smile and Kazuha's serene expression, Beidou had nothing to refute with. Instead, a wide grin crosses her face and you stumble as she drags you and Kazuha down to the main deck.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Everyone's eyes are drawn to Beidou as she yells. "The creator is a step closer to coming back to Teyvat and we all witnessed it! So let's celebrate like we mean it!"

It's impressive how nearly all of them already grabbed a glass of beer and raised it at her words. Cheers were heard all around as they raised the glasses and drank cheerfully.

Beidou had already released you and Kazuha to grab her drinks. Your eyes linger on the bloodied bandage wrapped around her palm. It was still bleeding heavily.

A familiar tug on your clothes brings your attention down to Guoba.

"Lala? Lalala!"

You don't fight the caramel-colored panda as he drags you toward the kitchen. It also doesn't let you notice how Kazuha was reaching out to you before being dragged into a conversation.

Xiangling runs around the kitchen with a tired but bright smile as you are pulled in.

"Thank you Guoba for bringing Y/N here! You can have this spicy cornbread as a treat."

She's quick to place a plate of food on the table and return to cooking. The sight of Guoba's food reminds you of your last conversation with Xiangling.

Yeah, you aren't forgetting that for a long time.

"Sorry for calling you here after so much went on, I just had another favor to ask you. I was curious if you can bless food the same way the creator can."

Wasn't she the one who fought a leviathan, is still somewhat injured, and went straight to cooking??

"I've never tried to bless food before but I would be happy to try! What food exactly do you want me to bless?"

Blessing food the same way the creator does sounds a lot like how you would feed the characters in the game. The most likely method would be cooking the food yourself and seeing if it had any effects.

The only other way you could think of blessing food would be by putting some part of your body into it. Which would be disgusting and a pain to do so, so hopefully you just need to cook it.

"I want it for Beidou to heal her hand. It's bleeding pretty heavily and she needs it to use her weapon. I was thinking something easy like sticky honey roast."

"Then just leave it to me Xiangling, do you have the recipe?"

"Yep! Right here." She hands you a slightly charred paper before scurrying over to a pot that's almost boiling over. Would you need to cook this manually or just use a pot like in the game?

The recipe consisted of 3 meat, 2 carrots, and 2 sugar. Nothing else was written on it... How were you supposed to cook with only this?!

Sighing you take the ingrains as the young chef runs around the kitchen. With a lingering sense of unease, you drop the ingredients into the pot and light the fire.

You turn around to grab something to stir it and look back to see it cooked.

Standing there stunned, you look at the perfect sticky honey roast sitting innocently in the pot. Deciding to count your blessings, you serve it on a plate and confidently call it blessed food as you hand it to Beidou.

It works surprisingly well, the bandage is unwrapped to see the skin sewn back together and most likely repaired. Beidou whistles as she examines her hand.

"Gotta hand it to you kid, this is pretty impressive. I usually have to wait for the creater to come and heal me up or wait ages for it to get healed properly."

"This was all Xianglings idea, she deserves the praise. I'll be sure to tell her the good news." You leave as Beidou begins drinking faster with her healed hand.

So you basically never need to cook again, what luck! Would giving someone a fried egg, bring someone back to life? Or would it wake someone up from a concussion or coma? That would all depend on whether characters are dead or just passed out when their HP reaches 0.

Walking into the kitchen, Xiangling is busy putting the final touches on the feast she prepared.

"Got good news for you Xiangling. The blessed food worked and Beidou's hand doesn't even have a scar."

"That's great to hear! I was pretty worried she would have permanent damage or something. She always brushes her wounds off if they aren't life-threatening."

Xiangling pouts at the memory of Beidou's recklessness as you take the initiative to help her. The silence is nice but your thoughts keep wandering back to the human remains.

"Hey Xiangling, I've got a question for you but this might be the wrong time to ask." The look she sends you is one full of curiosity.

"What happened to the families of those you killed and made into food? Did they not get a burial, casket, or at least an urn?"

The expression she wears is a mixture of guilt and disgust.

"Blasphemous people like them do not deserve a funeral. They die and everyone will scorn them for betraying the creator. Most families disown that person or act like they were never part of their family."

She stays kneeling by the cart of food and Guoba trods over to her with his usual carefree attitude. She holds him close and speaks sadly.

"They do deserve punishment for what they did but I want to believe the creator would want them to perish with some good blooming from it. At least by cooking them, that person can help another life grow, and my cooking skill improve."

Each time you ask something like this whether it's Inazuma or Liyue, the situations are always so much worse than you thought. To think what you thought Xiangling did from some sick sense of worship, which isn't entirely false, was mostly born from her signature kindness.

Do you condemn her, comfort her, or encourage her?

"We may never know exactly what the creator thinks, all we can do is keep moving forward. For what it's worth, I don't think you're in the wrong. Your intentions are pure and it's not like your actions can make the situation any worse than it already is."

You bend down and place your hands on her shoulders. She looks up at you and smiles happier at your caring expression.

"Enough about that. Let's go bring these dishes out so we and everyone else can enjoy them. We should be celebrating after all!"

The prep she usually has comes back and she's pushing the cart as you follow behind her. Everyone cheers as Xiangling hands out food and people sit down.

Picking a plate of F/F, you sit on a crate next to Xinyan and Kazuha. Beidou seemed to disappear somewhere with Xiangling again.

The taste and texture are like nothing you've tasted before. Whatever she did to make your favorite food taste even better needed to be shared with you.

"Real happy with that dish aren't ya?" Xinyan comments as you basically inhaled everything but the plate.

"If this dish was meant to be savored then she shouldn't have made it taste this good."

Xinyan laughs at your words before continuing to eat the spicy food she has on her plate. By the overload of spices you can smell, it must be one of Xiangling's creations that Xinyan is so happy to try.

"Now that things have calmed down, I wanted to tell you that I loved your music! It was a bit worrisome with all the fire but I understand that you needed it for the battle."

"Aw, that's real nice to hear! Most of my performances tend to burn down the stage but rock 'n' roll is all about that kind of fire."

"Must have taken you a long time to learn how to use your instrument and vision without burning down everything."

Your comment is casual as you start eating one of the desserts Xiangling brought out. Alcohol is starting to be passed around, you aren't sure if you should drink or not.

"I practiced loads with people as the 'audience'. They all died during the test runs but it's fine since they were already known for being sacrilegious. Burning them to death as a sacrifice was the best thing they could hope for."

The dessert gets stuck in your throat at her words. Coughing a little, you keep your head down to avoid showing your face. Kazuha rubs your back trying to help you.

Was it a trend for pyro-vision women to tell you horrible things with complete ease?! First Xiangling with the cannabilism to Xinyan sacrificing people...

"That was legal, right? Do you still sacrifice people like that?" You struggle not to stutter and Kazuha is still watching you with that same worried expression.

"It is legal in Liyue with the right certifications. Not long ago you had that private concert with the burning of a few treasure hoarders if I remember correctly."

Xinyan nods in agreement at Kazuha's words.

Maybe you should stop being surprised and just expect everyone to have committed crimes like this. What's next? Brainwashing?

Kazuha and Xinyan continue to chat about whatever burning they may or may not have participated in as Xiangling comes over with some alcohol.

"Sorry to interrupt but I was wondering if any of you guys wanted some beer, rum, or grog. Grog is the lightest since it's just water and alcohol. I might just drink that since I just became old enough to drink."

"I'll just have a glass of beer, I have another concert tomorrow and the last thing I want is a hangover." Xinyan is quick to take a swing of the beer.

"I'll pass on the alcohol today, I drank enough yesterday." Kazuha glances at you as he speaks with a slightly nervous tone, no doubt remembering his behavior when he first met you.

"Could I have some rum? I wanna celebrate a lot after completing the first major mission from the creator." Discarding your previous thought of avoiding alcohol, you decided to drink to congratulate yourself for surviving this long.

Definitely not because you wanted a distraction from what you just heard from Xinyan. Nor of the idea that Liyue may be even harder to live in due to their dependency on Rex Lapis. That may or may not have also pushed them to be even more fanatic for the 'creator'.

The rum was sweet but it burned as it traveled down your throat. The strong liquor made your head spin for a split second. You're quickly coming to regret it.

"Hey, Kazuha? Can you watch over me as I drink? This rum is stronger than the drinks I'm used to."

You ask Kazuha with a flushed face as you rest on his shoulder. The lights shine down on you as everyone else is up enjoying themselves. As sweet as always, Kazuha smiles down at you and nods.

"I promise to watch over you. No harm will come to you especially as I don't plan on drinking a single drop."

Feeling reassured you thank him and continue drinking. The party is getting louder and messier with each drink given around.

Xinyan is singing and strumming her guitar as a good chunk of the crew sings along with her. Xiangling was passed out on a crate as her tolerance for it was still low. Beidou was the only one you couldn't see from your spot on Kazuha's shoulder.

"You're the work hard, play hard type huh?"

You sway a little as you jump in surprise at the voice so close to your ear. Kazuha peers around you at Beidou who was standing firmly despite the amount of liquor she already drank.

A feeling nags you that Beidou is still as sharp as ever. Someone who drinks as much as she does must have a high tolerance. The smell of alcohol is strong as she speaks.

"You didn't strike me like the type to drink rum, I would have thought you would go for a beer or just a single glass."

You follow her gaze to the multiple glasses next to you. It seems you drank a lot more than you initially planned.

"Don't look so disappointed Y/N! It's normal to want to relax with a good drink after such a long day. This is a celebration too. Let all your worries melt away."

She speaks with a cheer and your hazy mind makes you smile up at her. Your worries, anxiety, and general distrust of everything are the farthest thing in your mind.

The sharp smile Beidou sends Kazuha as he tightens his grip around your waist goes unnoticed. The weird tension that occurs is gone just as fast as it came and the liquor seems to hit you full force.

"I think I need to sleep, it's really hitting me now." Your head keeps falling onto his shoulder as you struggle to keep your eyes open.

"I'll escort you to your room Y/N-" "And I'll join you two with Xiangling, poor girl couldn't even handle the grog."

Kazuha's face is frozen in a smile as you drunkenly nod at Beidou. Xinyan who is still pretty sober waves at you all and you wave enthusiastically back.

Giggling as the room spins you let your body rest on Kazuha as he helps you down the stairs. Xiangling is thrown over Beidous shoulder as she follows you both down the stairs.

"If I ever let myself drink after this, I wanna drink with you next time Kazuha. Wouldn't it be fun?"

"That does sound nice, I'm sure the wind will have us meet again after this trip." Kazuha's voice can be barely heard through the fog in your mind. A crooked smile is on your face as you nod sleepily.

Fears of the future seem far away at this moment. The fear of coming across a statue of the seven and Zhongli appearing is like a distant memory. The mental image of saying the wrong thing, getting caught with the wrong group, and getting a torturous death is comparable to a dream.

As the urge to close your eyes gets stronger and harder to resist, you instinctively adjust your mask.

Your fragile and most important defense against a repeat of the Ei situation. Terror squeezes your heart as you realize just how dangerous this situation is.

All it takes is for Kazuha to remove the mask during your drunkenness. Whether it be out of curiosity of your face or kindness thinking it would be uncomfortable to sleep with it on.

Nothing you think, worry, fear, or do will matter after that. Despite the dismay, your eyes close as the urge to sleep overtakes you. With your consciousness drifting away and your body in the ronin's mercy.

I was really excited to post this chapter. Everyone's reaction to Xiangling's cooking was super funny. (Fixed it up on mobile so forgive the mistakes.) On the topic of Beisht, I have to say that my original plan was to have it be a oc. Haishan's ancestor from the Archon War. But after everyone was guessing Beisht, I started thinking if it could work. And surprisingly it did! All the main points I had with the oc worked with Beisht. Plus Haishan was still able to stay as a kid cause a visionless Beidou defeating a whole sea monster god just doesn't make a lot of sense unless he wasn't full-grown. And I honestly don't want to create an oc if I don't have to. I don't trust myself that much. Xiangling's cannibalism was supposed to be just a one-time thing. But a certain person mentioned Hu Tao and I realized I forgot to incorporate the rest of the world into it. So that's what inspired me to think deeper on it. I'm quite happy with how it turned out! It confirms Xianglings kindness, and the cruelty of the cult, and can help excuse any future plot holes I may accidentally create. So thank you certain person that I will not name in case that's uncomfy. I also wanted to ask ya'll a question. Do you guys expect certain sagau tropes from this series? Like I incorporated popular stuff like healing foods, mentions of gold blood, etc. But the only thing that I've really made set in stone in my sagau is the cult au and imposter au (without a true imposter masquerading as Y/N). I'm asking since I don't want people expecting something like a character to recognize us (like Fatui or acolytes from Khanriah -kaeya for example). Then get disappointed when I don't ever do that. Not saying I won't have interactions with those characters! I just don't want to lead anyone on. If you read this far then thank you <3. I really appreciate ya'll support. Just seeing a notification that I got a heart, comment, reblog or message makes my day. Taglist: @vvyeislazzy, @nikqi, @the-dumber-scaramouche, @etherisy, @yourlocalstranger123, @ra404, @iruiji, @goldenglow149, @haru-tofuu, @lsleepysimpl, @bebobeboben, @yuyuzi-ling, @amidst-the-tempest, @resident-cryptid, @mxd1zzy, @mochicurls21, @nervouseaglelover, @thedevioussmirk, @yumuramma, @kwqsla, @undecidingfate, @ehjane, @game-savvy, @akiramirae, @sielt, @fluffy-koalala, @formacoon, @sxftiebee, @khxii-i, @ursinaw, @chuuya-brainrot, @sweetbills, @kazuchaos, @snowfoxnix, @bluebelony, @conspicuous-mayonnaise, @pencil-of-ashes, @ghostlyintervention, @taiformaifoe, @sielt, @goaudduck, @carminerin, @maddysflowers, @zenith-of-all-zeniths, @crazydreamcat, @leafanonsforest, @grimreapersscythe, @leylanx, @undecidingfate, @sapphireknown, @help-whatdoimakemyusername, @zhonglisfruityass, @fluffy-koalala, @mer0n37, @victoria1676

[sunkiss3dlily]

to you, i'm just a man (to me, you're all i am) part four | joel miller x reader

Joel Miller x Fem!Reader Word Count: 5916

Summary: Time is running out for you in the fight against David. Joel comes to your rescue.

Note(s): Okay, so now it's become five parts. I should just never set a goal for how many chapters I'm writing because I always exceed it hahahaha but at least Joel and reader are reunited!! I'm not gonna lie this took so long to write because I hated writing for David. He is so creepy and I felt so gross. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed, and I promise this time, the next chapter will be the last haha! Thank you for all the love I'm so grateful! And as always feedback is appreciated, but please be respectful! Please give me any (detailed, please!) requests in my inbox or comments if you have any, I would love to hear them! Thank you so much for reading! ♡

Taglist: @wonwoosthetic @paleidiot @orcasoul @slut4mascss @paqerings @missladym1981 @oscarisaac2099 @stilllivindue2spite @aspecialgreenie @amyispxnk @caitlynsixxx

✮˚. ᵎᵎ 𖦹彡⋆｡˚,

The bitter cold stole your every sense of direction in the relentless blizzard, pushing you to stumble aimlessly through the thick snow, much like you had the day before, only this time you were no longer the hunter but the prey.

All around, the storm howled, and your every step was one of desperation in the search for any sign of David and James' group.

"Stay alert, everybody; if this man's not already dead, he's dangerous." David's voice calling out from the other end of the street had you bolting to hide behind a fence, your rifle clutched steadily in your hand. "And the woman too; she can’t be fully trusted, either."

Clutching your rifle, you took a shaky breath, straining your hearing to catch the next set of orders.

“What about the little girl?” James' voice cut through the harsh wind, and a surge of protectiveness swelled within you at the mention of Ellie. You silently vowed not to let any of them get near her—not one step.

“We bring her back with us." David responds. "Her, and the woman.”

"Try it, motherfucker," you muttered, biding your time as they started advancing down your end of the street, where you remained safely hidden, at least for the moment. There was no need to risk wasting bullets and missing a shot; you had to be smart about this.

A loud scoff cuts through the air, and a voice that you haven't heard before rings out: "That woman will kill us all in our goddamn sleep if we let her stay with us."

"Yeah, I agree," James cuts in soon after. "I don't mean to question your sense of mercy, David, but we can kill the man and the woman and just let the little girl go. If we bring that little girl back with us, she's just another mouth to feed."

You peek out, taking your aim and squeezing one eye shut.

"If we leave either of them out here, they'll die," David chastises, still seemingly set on having you and Ellie come back with him.

As if you'd let that happen.

James scoffed, and as the group approached, you could now count their numbers.

Five.

You watched as James bitterly shook his head, and almost instinctively, you raised your rifle, focusing on the moving target. "Maybe that's God's will."

David's head snapped to look at his taller friend, but before he could speak, your first shot rang out.

James practically folded in on himself, the bullet finding its mark right between his eyes. Genuine shock registered on David's face before a darker expression replaced it just as swiftly. The other four members of the group looked around in utter bewilderment, raising their weapons and expressing a mix of fear, anger, and shock.

"Holy shit!"

"What the fuck do we do, David?!"

"They killed James!"

Too preoccupied reloading your rifle, you didn't notice David's eyes settling on the neck of your gun, which was slightly peeking out from behind the fence.

"Split up. Find the house they're staying in and get that little girl back to me alive. I'll take care of the woman."

As the three scatter in different directions, you finally look up, and that's when you notice David approaching the fence, his own gun at the ready, aimed and dangerous.

You feel it before you hear it—the burning sensation as the bullet rips through your coat and shirt, sinking into the skin of your shoulder. The sickening whoosh of the bullet through the air is only heard after. Had your senses been more in tune, perhaps you would have dodged it. Instead, a muffled cry of pain escapes your lips as you slam them together, forcing yourself into a standing yet crouched position. Running along the back of the fence, you do your best to ignore both the pain and the sensation of your blood coating your fingers, compressing the wound as you move, the rifle held limply in the hand of your injured arm.

"Get back here!"

Your legs turn to jelly as you sprint through the snow, heading straight for one of the houses. Despite the intensifying pain in your shoulder, you strive to keep your cool. Bullets whiz dangerously close to your tattered boots, narrowly missing as you move just a fraction too quickly for David's shooting ability.

“It doesn’t have to be this hard!”

Gasping for breath, you reach cover at the side of a nearby house, pressing your back against the cold exterior. The bitter wind bites at your exposed skin as you take a moment to assess the wound on your shoulder, your fingers coming away stained with blood. You reach back, whimpering to yourself as you feel the unmistakable hole in your shirt and coat, realising that, for one small mercy, the bullet has gone straight through.

"I didn't want to hurt you." David's voice echoes chillingly close, urging you to retreat to the back of the house. As you hastily assess for an entry point, he adds with a sinister tone, "You forced my hand."

Despite the searing pain in your shoulder and the fear gnawing at your senses, a twisted sense of relief settles in as you reach the back of the house. The knowledge that it's you who David is pursuing, and not Joel or Ellie, somehow grants you a twisted comfort.

“There’s no need to keep fighting me like this. It’s pointless.”

With trembling hands, you fumble to open the door, your mind racing faster than your jittery heartbeat.

The wooden door creaks open, revealing the dim interior of the house. Staggering under the weight of pain and panic, you stumble inside, the world spinning as you navigate the all-too-familiar surroundings from when you were desperately searching for any first aid for Joel the day prior, so you already know there is nothing here that is going to help you. The urgency of your situation intensifies, and you quickly slam the door behind you closed.

The house offers a brief respite from the relentless blizzard and the immediate threat of David's pursuit. As you move deeper into the residence, your unsteady footsteps echo against the worn floorboards. The muted sounds of the storm outside contrast with the thunderous beating of your heart.

A narrow staircase comes into view, and with each step, your legs feel heavier, like lead. The ascent is a gruelling task, with your battered body protesting with every movement. As you reach the top, you catch your breath, realising the vulnerability of your situation. You're wounded and isolated, and you're at the mercy of your surroundings and David.

Summoning the last reserves of your strength, you push forward, weaving through the upper floor. The pain in your shoulder becomes an unbearable companion, gnawing at your resolve, and your vision blurs. A distant bedroom beckons, and you stumble towards it, guided more by instinct than conscious thought.

With each step, the world becomes more of a blurry haze. You push the bedroom door open with a light swing, revealing your final refuge from the chaos. Collapsing against the far wall, behind a double bed, you sink to the floor, your breaths ragged and laboured. The room spins around you as you succumb to the exhaustion, your body finally finding a momentary sanctuary amid the turmoil.

✮˚. ᵎᵎ 𖦹彡⋆｡˚,

The unmistakable echo of a gunshot reached Joel's ears, shattering the relative silence of the basement and snapping him out of the uneasy rest he had slipped into.

It felt like just moments ago that he had watched you leave, resolute in facing danger to protect him and Ellie. The mental image of you willingly sacrificing yourself for their safety wound around his heart like barbed wire, each beat accentuating his feelings of pain and helplessness. Staring at the closed door, he had been consumed by profound desperation, silently yearning for you to turn around and come back to them, to him. But, as the seconds ticked away, it became clear you weren't coming back.

Ellie's eyes had met his, her dark pools of pleading tears watching him as the weight of sleep threatened to pull him under.

"Joel! Wake the fuck up! We have to go!"

Suddenly, Ellie was gripping his shirt, the surge of adrenaline from the shock of it all combatting the heaviness of his slumber. The gunshot's resonance wasn't just a haunting echo of his nightmares about Sarah; it was the stark reality now centred around you. Whether you were the shooter or the one being shot at, Joel couldn't allow himself to stand, or rather lay, by while you faced danger, even in his weakened state.

"Joel!" Ellie repeated, shaking him just as furiously as before. "Fuck, wait a second."

She disappeared from his sight for a moment, peripherals included, and for some twisted reason inside of him, the thought of her leaving too made him even more scared. He couldn't lose both of you.

"Ellie," he called hoarsely.

She was back within a few moments, seemingly fueled by the sound of his voice as she kneeled beside him, syringe and medicine bottle in hand. "Yeah, I'm here. Just give me a minute. I've never done this before."

He held still, barely breathing as the needle pricked his wound once more, not wanting to freak the kid out any more than she already was.

"Ellie," he repeated. Her eyes fell to his as she continued to plunge the syringe slowly, just as she had watched you do so many times. Her dark eyes were still watery and held so much fear that she attempted to hide with her otherwise stoic expression, barring the slight trembling of her lips. "It's...it's gonna be okay."

"Yeah," she nodded, though her gaze fell away from him as if she didn't believe him. "I know."

Silence settled between them, a void that you typically filled. As Ellie withdrew the syringe, returning it along with the medicine to her bag, the echo of a second gunshot pierced the air, prompting them to exchange uneasy glances.

The heavy footsteps from above spurred Joel into action, breaking the inertia that had held him for days. He staggered to his feet, his unsteady legs protesting disuse, and gently guided Ellie into the corner beneath the stairs. Pressing his rifle into her hands, he saw the horror in her eyes. A shake of his head preceded his retrieval of her knife from the bag.

"If anything goes wrong, you shoot and run, alright?" Her mouth opened, but he silenced any objections, his tone unwavering. "No. No questions, no smart remarks. You run."

Joel's voice carried a resolute authority, his eyes revealing a blend of concern and determination. Ellie nodded, her grip tightening on the rifle as she comprehended the gravity of the situation.

The clamour above intensified, muffled voices now accompanied by the crash of furniture in front of the basement door. 

Time seemed to stretch as they waited, breaths suspended in anticipation. As the footsteps finally seemed to reach the top of the stairs and the door opened, Joel whispered one final directive, his voice barely audible. 

"Face the wall."

✮˚. ᵎᵎ 𖦹彡⋆｡˚,

A tender touch, brushing hair away from your forehead, coaxes you back to awareness. Initially feeling numb, the haze lifts as you blink away blurriness, and the searing pain in your wound snaps into focus. A cry escapes your lips, and instinctively, you reach to cover the injury, as if the pressure could quell the pain. Surprisingly, a make-shift bandage is wrapped around the bare skin of your shoulder, and as you withdraw your hand, you find no fresh blood, only the remnants of dried staining from before.

A fleeting sense of relief washes over you when you suddenly realise someone is taking care of you; you've been saved.

"You were lucky; I'll give you that."

Anticipating Joel's deep, somewhat soothing tone, the sudden and chilling sound of David's higher voice jolted you. Startled, you looked up and blinked rapidly, only to find the devil himself kneeling in front of you, his hand resting on your cheek.

"Getting the jump on us like that. It was smart." He chuckled slightly, unsettling you further, prompting an instinctive flex of your fingers to search for your rifle. It must have been moved, and you think you can see the handle just behind him on the bed. The sheet on top of the mattress appears to be torn, evidently being what was used to conceal your wound. "I won't say it'll earn you many brownie points with the folks back home, but I understand. I understand why you did it."

You draw in a shaky breath, attempting to breathe through the pain and panic, while desperately searching your mind for any semblance of a plan.

David withdraws his hand from your cheek, replacing it with two fingers on your neck's pulse point, holding them there for a moment. "You know, I was worried you weren't going to wake up at all."

You make your best attempt to shrug him off, disliking the sensation of his cold fingertips on your skin. Despite your weakness, you glare up at him and retort, "You should be more worried than I was."

He smiles with a glint of amusement in his eyes, and you despise the gut-wrenching feeling of vulnerability blooming in your chest at the notion of being stuck in this man's presence. A chuckle escapes him, and he sucks his teeth before raising his hand, causing your head to snap to the side as the back of his hand connects with your cheek, a ring on his finger slashing your cheek upon impact.

Stunned to silence, you manage only a few heavy breaths as blood dribbles down your cheek. Eventually, you compose yourself enough to meet his gaze once more.

David releases a heavy sigh, observing you with a gaze that combines pity and satisfaction as he sits back on his knees.

“I like you. I do."

You glare back at him, biting back a snide comment.

He smiles, releasing a soft chuckle. “You’re so much different from the women back in my village. They’re so docile, complacent, and scared of their own shadows. You, on the other hand, are feral. Violent. A murderer.”

You swallow uncomfortably, unsettled by the excited glint in his eyes as he gazes at you.

“I like that. It’s realistic. A woman who does what she has to do to get what she wants. It’s the only way to survive, right?” David smiles, reaching out to clasp your limp hand that sits on your lap. “We’re very similar in that way. We do what we have to do to provide for the people who rely on us. No matter what, right?”

You fight the urge to snap his fingers in your palm, feeling his thumb stroking roughly over your skin, a poor imitation of Joel's comforting touch from only hours ago.

“You see, I’m not your enemy here.” He whispers in an attempt at a soothing tone. “I never have been. In fact, I am your equal, and in being that, I believe you would make the perfect addition to stand by my side in leading our people through the darkness that this winter has brought.”

You shake your head, but he raises a hand and emits a shushing noise.

“I know. It’s a hard concept to grasp when you’re in this fight-or-flight headspace. I’m sure you feel you won’t be accepted by them for all your sins and for all the heartache you’ve brought to our community, but they, as well as you, will come to understand, in good time, that reformation is indeed possible.” He squeezes your hand tight—so tight that it becomes uncomfortable very quickly. You breathe your way through the pain. “And if you can’t, then you can provide for our community in another way.” He lifts his other hand to lift your chin, forcing you to meet his eyes. “My people are hungry, you see. I wouldn’t be a good leader if I didn't do what I needed to provide for them, despite sacrificing what would be the closest thing I have to my equal. You understand the necessity of that, right?”

A sickening feeling churns in your stomach. Whatever he has in mind for you is likely nothing you want to endure. You bite your tongue, resolved to maintain composure and conceal your fear.

“And then, I suppose, your daughter will be the one to take your place beside me.”

Your entire body tenses, and he seems to notice the fire blazing in your eyes at the mention of Ellie, a light smirk settling on his lips.

Quick to wipe it off, you wrap your palm around his middle finger and tug it back with all the strength you can muster, causing a sickening crack as it breaks, ricocheting around you. He lets out an anguished cry of pain, filling you with relentless satisfaction. As he releases your hand entirely, you shove him backward and use the wall to guide you to your feet.

Rushing for your rifle, your movements are short-lived as you feel his hand wrap around your ankle, grabbing hold of you. Swinging your arm around to hit him, he tugs you forcefully via your arm, causing you to flop face down on the floor beside him.

Releasing angry pants, he flips you over onto your back and uses his free hand to press down on your wound, keeping you down and eliciting a cry of unbearable pain from your lips.

“There it is. There’s that fight in you I like so much.”

You spit at him, aiming directly for his face, and raise your knee to strike him in the crotch. He releases your wound, and you take a sharp intake of breath, readying your hand to deliver a strike to his face. But he's too quick, grabbing your wrist and yanking it hard, exerting so much force that you feel your arm being ripped out of its socket.

A blinding wave of pain overwhelms you, bringing all your struggles to an instant halt. Your pain threshold has been entirely depleted. You're done fighting. It's all too much.

He clears his throat as he shifts to hold himself above you, his gaze a mix of satisfaction and disappointment as he looks down at you.

“Is that all you’ve got in you?” He laughed breathlessly. “I’m disappointed. Underneath all that strong facade, you’re just the same as every other woman. Weak. I should’ve known you’d end up just the same: under my mercy."

Your strength waned, unable to conceal the overwhelming fear as his weight bore down on you, and instead, you opened your mouth, releasing a gut-wrenching scream.

✮˚. ᵎᵎ 𖦹彡⋆｡˚,

It was guttural—the scream that tore through the streets—and it sent a shiver down Joel's spine. Ellie was huddled at his side, his arm protectively encircling her, marking the first substantial contact between them. The moment he tensed, he felt her reaction mirror his own.

Joel held tight to Callus' reins in his other hand. Although logic dictated that he and Ellie should be riding towards your safety, the events in the basement lingered in Joel's mind. Forcing two out of three men to reveal your whereabouts, even with Ellie upstairs and out of direct earshot, it had been a traumatic ordeal for the both of them. Joel couldn't deny Ellie the comfort of being close to him after such a harrowing experience. Contrary to his initial fears, it became evident that Ellie wasn't terrified of him; in fact, the very opposite seemed true.

'"That's her," Ellie said through chattering teeth as the biting winds whipped around them. "We have to help her."

Joel nodded, his gaze firm and determined, tugging Callus along once more. "We will. We'll get to her."

Once again, your scream, fraught with fear and desperation, reverberated through the desolate streets. The chilling sound momentarily froze time, leaving Joel feeling utterly helpless about where to go or how to reach you. The haunting silence that followed became almost unbearable, casting an oppressive weight on Joel's chest, which he tried to ignore with every stride he took, Ellie in tow.

Abruptly, just as it had ceased, your screaming resumed, and Joel couldn't summon the strength to look down, yet he could feel Ellie's tears soaking his shirt. Each agonising note sliced through the air, and this time, it seemed to pierce Joel even more deeply than before. The raw, visceral sound of your distress clawed at his heart, dismantling any remaining walls that held back his emotions towards you. He despised that sound—the sound of you in pain, the sound of you scared, the sound of you broken—and silently vowed to do whatever it took to never hear it again.

However, amidst the torment, there existed a perverse sense of gratitude. Your screams served as a guiding force, leading Joel, Ellie, and Callus through the relentless blizzard in pursuit of you. A steely resolve tightened Joel's jaw, determination etched across his weathered face as you fell silent once more, only to start screaming again seconds later. The idea of you enduring suffering was unbearable, and an urgency to reach you surged through Joel's veins, propelling their movements forward through the biting cold.

Reaching the front of the house from which your screams echoed, Joel gently pulled away from Ellie's trembling frame. He tried to ignore the way she instinctively sought to move closer, holding her by the shoulders. "I need you to listen to me, Ellie."

Her face was pale, tear-stricken, and concerned, lacking the strength to argue. She nodded in response.

"I need you to ride Callus to the furthest house away, to the very last one in this neighbourhood, okay? Not one sooner. The very last one."

Her lips parted, wobbling, but your scream from above tore every word from the tip of her tongue. She made her way to Callus, placing one foot in the stirrup before Joel helped launch her onto the horse completely. He held back a wince as his wound ached with every movement, and raised his rifle for her to take.

"I'll come and find you as soon as we're out. You don't leave for anything. You stay right there, hidden, until we come back. Got it?"

Ellie took the rifle, slugging it onto shoulder, before gripping Callus' reins and nodding. "Got it."

"Good." He hummed, stroking Callus' side before meeting Ellie's eyes. "Go on."

She simply sniffled, murmuring, "Let's go," to the horse before she and Callus thundered off down the street.

Joel watched as Ellie rode away, his rifle slung over her shoulder, and as he turned back towards the house, it took him about a second to realise you were no longer making any noise, and it only took half of that time to send him into utter panic.

✮˚. ᵎᵎ 𖦹彡⋆���˚,

The carpet beneath your fingernails was the only sensation you registered as David's hand coiled around your throat, tightening its grip and stifling any more attempts at screaming.

You weren't fighting back anymore. You couldn't. You'd lost it all the moment David had you pinned down and injured. The likelihood of Joel succumbing to the brutality of David's men gnawed at your conscience. Imagining Ellie, now alone and convinced you were lost too, fighting desperately to escape their clutches added another layer of anguish to your already shattered resolve. You didn't want to risk that becoming a truth, and so you just lay there.

Time seemed to stretch with each agonising blink, your eyes lingering shut for longer intervals. As David's suffocating grip on your throat gradually released, you struggled to focus through the haze. His lips moved, likely weaving a twisted soliloquy, but the only sound that reached you was the persistent thud of blood coursing through your veins. Each breath you managed to draw felt like a desperate attempt to refill your lungs, your chest heaving with the effort.

His vice-like grip on your neck finally released, and as you dared to steal a glance downward, all you saw was his hand moving towards his zipper.

You clutched at the carpet, fingers digging in, and drew in a wheezy breath, steeling yourself for whatever might come next.

David's face and body loomed over you, paralysing you with fear. Just as you thought it was all over, the sudden impact of your rifle against the side of his head sent his looming figure crashing to the floor beside you. Through the haze of your vision, you could vaguely make out a blurry figure in a brown coat gripping your rifle and ruthlessly slamming it down repeatedly onto what appeared to be David's body.

Unable to discern many words, you could only catch snippets of angry and pained sounds. Fear gripped you, but in a moment of reprieve, you managed to turn on your side. For perhaps the first time since you woke up, you felt a semblance of relief, as if you could finally afford to breathe again.

Your body ached, and your lungs burned with each precious breath of fresh air, reminiscent of a dog lapping up water on a scorching day. Curled into a foetal position, the only sounds that reached your ears were the haunting echoes of sniffles and whimpering. It didn't take long for you to grasp the painful realisation that those anguished sounds were escaping your own lips.

A hand gripping your ankle jolts you into immediate action, fearing the worst. A distressed wail escapes your lips as you kick out, refusing to glance at the person who has a hold of you. Slowly crawling away, you use your uninjured arm to support yourself, doing your best to fight the searing pain flowing through you.

The hand lets up, and then it moves to land delicately on your back. Gentle and light, it hovers, assuring you of his presence.

Everything seems to move once more in slow motion as you continue to kick out, eventually flipping onto your side and meeting your would-be assailant's eyes once more.

Except it's not David.

It's Joel.

His lips are parted, and he is speaking to you softly. His face is taut with concern, distress, and fear.

"..'s me; it's just me. It's me."

The sound of relief escaping you doesn't come close to the immense relief flooding your insides.

As Joel senses the realisation dawning in your eyes, his expression eases slightly, a fraction of his concern dissipating.

You can't help but avert your gaze, your eyes falling upon David's battered body lying a short distance away. The butt of your rifle, stained with his blood, rests by his side. It's evident that Joel has discarded it and hurried to your aid.

His touch on your cheek is gentle, coaxing you to meet his gaze once more.

"Look at me," he urges, his voice a comforting murmur. "You're okay. You're with me. Just keep your eyes on me. Keep focusing on me."

Your lip trembles. "J-Joel...he…he…”

"I know," he murmurs softly, his face etched with pain as he gently covers your hand with his own on the floor. The gesture makes you flinch involuntarily, and memories of David flood your mind. "I know, honey. I know."

Honey.

The term is uttered with such tenderness, so delicately, that it catches you off guard. His eyes glisten with unshed tears as he regards you with the utmost care, as if he can hardly believe he's reached you in time.

Tears stream down your cheeks, unnoticed, until you feel his arms enveloping you. It's surprising the sheer gentleness emanating from a man hardened by years of violence, his fists having shed blood from countless adversaries. Yet here he is, cradling you as though you're the most precious gift, as if it's the most natural thing for him to do, as though he was born to love and protect you, no matter the time it took for him to realise it.

His hand finds solace in your matted hair, anchoring you to him as you weep against his chest. For a long while, he remains silent, allowing your sorrow to seep into him as if, by some miracle, it might alleviate your pain. You feel a shift in his posture, and then his chapped lips brush gently against your forehead.

Drawing back slightly from the comfort of his embrace, you meet his gaze.

"You're... you're alive," you breathe out softly.

The corners of his lips twitch up a little, and he nods gently down at you. "Your stubborn ass saved me, remember?"

"I... I had to. I couldn't... couldn't lose you," you respond, still teary-eyed. Your gaze darts around frantically for a moment. "E—Ellie? Where's Ellie? Did they get Ellie?"

Joel shakes his head quickly. "We... I got 'em, I swear. They didn't touch her. She's safe."

"They... they were really bad people, Joel," you whisper, a slight desperation in your voice, as if you need him to believe you, though you have no idea why you feel the need to justify it. "Really bad. They... they... the things he wanted to do."

Your gaze starts to drift back to David's body, but Joel gently redirects your focus to him with a tender touch on your cheek, his thumb wiping away the blood from where David's ring had cut your skin. "No, no. Don't look at him, alright? Just keep looking at me and listening, okay? Focus right here on me and me only."

You nod, your attention fixed on him.

“You did good, sweetheart. You did so good. You saved me and Ellie, and…and you’re still here with us. It was always going to be your life over any of theirs. You did what you had to do.”

Weakly, you nod and rest your trembling hand on his arm.

He glances down at your hand, resting his own atop it, and takes a breath. Using the next few moments to assess your condition, he notices the blood-soaked sheet wrapped around your shoulder, his face paling considerably. Then, his gaze falls on the swollen part of your arm where David has torn it from its socket.

He releases your hand and rises to his feet, prompting a soft cry of his name from you, as if he might leave you in that state.

"I'm right here. You're okay," he assures you, reaching down to cup your cheek. "I just need to... I need to help you. You're hurt, sweetheart. Just keep your eyes on me. I'm not going anywhere; I just need to..."

Glancing over to the bed, where the ripped sheet lies, he reluctantly lets go of you and strides over to retrieve it. Returning to your side, he offers reassurance. "See? I'm still here."

You watch him carefully as he tears the fabric apart with his bare hands, studying his every move.

"Joel," you say softly at first, catching his attention only when you repeat his name with a bit more urgency.

"Yeah, what's up?" He responds, turning to you.

"I'm... I'm glad you're here."

His worried expression softens, though concern still lingers in his gentle brown eyes. After a moment's pause, he replies, "Me too, honey." Taking a breath, he continues, "Now, I'm gonna ask you to do something for me, okay?"

You weakly nod your agreement.

"Just stay still while I see what I can do about your arm, alright?" he instructs.

He shakily reaches over to lightly press your swollen, deformed-looking arm, retracting his hand almost immediately when you cry out in pain. The anguish in his eyes mirrors your own hurt, and once the wave of pain has passed, you grasp his coat with your uninjured hand, murmuring your apologies.

"It's okay, it's okay," he reassures you softly, cupping your cheek and meeting your gaze with his intense one. "I need you to trust me for a second, okay? This is going to hurt, but you are going to be just fine, I promise. Everything's going to be okay."

Tears brim in your eyes, but you nod. "I trust you, Joel."

He smiles softly at you, leaning forward to press a kiss on your head before he reaches out and takes your injured arm's hand in his own. With a shaky breath, he asks, "Can you feel that?"

You nod with a sniffle.

"Good. That's good." He squeezes your hand gently. "And you feel that?"

Again, you nod.

He squeezes once more, meeting your eyes. "Still with me?"

Another nod.

Taking a breath, he squeezes for the third time, a nervous expression clouding his face.

It takes you a moment to process his confession as pain overwhelms you. But when you realise what he has said, everything stops hurting for a moment, and a relieved tear slips down your cheek.

He smiles weakly back at you.

And then he tugs.

✮˚. ᵎᵎ 𖦹彡⋆｡˚,

"Almost there, sweetheart," Joel murmurs, his hand light on your back as he guides you through the blizzard, mindful of your delicate state. "I've got you."

Your injured arm is cradled in a makeshift sling, and a fresh bandage, fashioned from the same sheet, is carefully tied over your bullet wound. Despite the lingering pain, being with Joel feels like a balm to your soul, as if you're walking on air. The thought of being reunited with Ellie soon fills you with hope, giving you the strength to keep moving forward, despite the weariness weighing down your legs.

Every little noise puts you on edge, whether it's the howl of the wind or the thud of snow against a roof. But Joel is there, a reassuring presence, whispering words of comfort each time you tense up, trying to reach for a weapon and inadvertently causing yourself more pain.

"Hey, hey, it’s okay," Joel assures as you come to reach the last few houses on the road, the sight of horse prints visible in the snow-covered ground. "Look behind us; look around. There is no one here but us. No one is going to hurt you, I promise."

You look around nervously, seeing that he is right. You are simply overwhelmed by paranoia right now.

“No one is going to hurt you,” Joel repeats gently, a change from his usual tone but a welcome one. You've never felt safer.

You nod, scooting closer to him all the same.

The horse tracks lead up to the final house on the road, and Joel is grateful that Ellie followed his instructions this time.

He shuffles as slowly as you need up the short distance of the porch steps, and when you both reach the top and you begin to lose your ability to keep moving forward, he wraps your uninjured arm around his neck and keeps you moving. “I’ve got you. You’re okay, sweetheart. You’re just tired, that’s all. You’re going to rest as soon as we get inside, alright? Talk to me; let me know you’re still in there.”

“Still here..." you assure quietly, though your vision is beginning to blur and darkness is beginning to form in your peripherals.

“Atta girl, stay with me.” He presses a gentle hand over your ear and pushes the other to rest against his chest. He raises his voice, though muffled to you, as he kicks the front door as he has no hands free. “Ellie! Open up! It’s us!”

By the time the door opens, you are halfway through succumbing to the darkness.

©️sunkiss3dlily, 2024.

[jiyansthesis]

ESTOY ENLOQUECIDO POR TI

GEKKO (MATEO) x reader pt.2

pt.1

summary — you and gekko have been officially dating for five months, and you've been. . . thinking about things. from what was once, "he's so strong" when he's carrying something developed into "could he throw me on the bed?". of course, you never knew how to initiate it. do you just ask him? does it just escalate? do you have to plan it all out? those questions have been bothering you for so long that you straight up decided, fuck it, and searched it up on the internet. well, that was one way to get it started.

note — this is my first time writing smut LMAO. this might be extremely mid or decent, but i hope i don't disappoint with this!! i couldn't stop thinking about mateo yesterday so i decided i would start making this today. I ALSO CAN'T LEAVE THE MATEO SMUT TAG HAVE ONLY ONE FIC, on that note go check it out its so fucking good i love it.

w/c — 2.5k

warnings — (bad) smut, oral (f receiving), rough (ish), praise, tones of dumbification, kitchen sex, undertones of dom reader but mostly d. gekko and s. reader

not proofread + i am not responsible for any minors interacting w this post

you were done with it.

you were done waiting for your own confidence to go up just so you could. . . have sex with mateo.

just thinking about it had you red.

now that the two of you had finally moved in together, there was even less of a time that you could just do things yourself without him noticing. before you could masturbate whenever you wanted, as loud as you wanted. now you couldn't risk him hearing out of embarrassment.

it's been five months since the two of you had got together, and not once had either of you escalated past a few brief touches under shirts while kissing. mateo hadn't even seen you naked, or even with just a bra and underwear.

you knew that it would be this way until you did something about it. but the thing is, you don't know how.

and that led you here, legs crossed on your shared bed. you took a deep breath and began typing into the laptop on your lap.

"what the fuck do i even type?" you muttered under your breath.

"how to start sex? no, that sounds weird as fuck. how to get in the mood for sex?" you typed that, and instantly glanced towards the door, feeling as if mateo would walk in at any moment.

you were really picky about what websites you went on. you didn't need a whole porn video, but you also didn't need tips on how to get yourself horny.

researching harder than you do for homework, you didn't realize that the door creaked open.

"hey, chica. are you okay with a sandwich for lunch?" he said, alerting you of his presence.

without thinking, you quickly slammed the lid of the computer shut.

he gazed at you questionably, raising his eyebrow. "what was that?"

"it's nothing," you lied terribly.

his eyes narrowed. he could usually tell when you were lying, and it was obvious.

"but i'd love a sandwich," you tried changing the subject, hoping that he'd take the hint you wouldn't tell him.

"whatever you say, hermosa," he gave you a two-finger salute as he walked out the room.

you sighed in relief and opened the laptop again. so far, you had no luck. you did find some tips, but there was no way you were asking him, "hey, wanna fuck?"

you rubbed your hands against your face and let out a long groan. all this trouble just to ask him to destroy you? you flushed thinking about it.

deciding that you needed a break, you set the laptop down, angling the screen so that it wasn't wide open, but it wasn't quite closed.

you made your way downstairs, walking in the kitchen to see mateo with a big red stain on his shirt.

"holy shit, are you okay?" you ran over to him.

"i'm fine princesa. it's just ketchup. did you think it was blood?" he laughed.

you scowled and grabbed the sandwich on the counter, taking a big bite.

"hey, you're the one who thought it was blood, not me." he put his hands up in defense when you glared at him. "thanks for worrying about me though."

you rolled your eyes, but the smile on your face contradicted your irritated behavior.

"yeah, yeah. but if you're ever covered in blood don't expect me to come running."

"my heart," he pouted as he held his hand to his heart.

"don't you have to go get changed?" you questioned, trying to wipe the puppy-eyed look off his face.

"i probably should. look at you with the big ideas," he left the kitchen after giving you a peck on the cheek.

by the time he'd come back, you were busy washing the plate that you had used. he was silent, so when he wrapped his arms around your waist, you jumped and yelped in surprise.

"holy shit mateo, don't scare me like that!" you splashed him with some water, earning a chuckle.

"my bad chica," he apologized.

he stayed still for a few seconds, before he buried his head in the crook of your neck and start giving you little kisses.

"teo?"you questioned him while your face turned hot.

he hummed in response, continuing to trail open mouthed kisses along your neck. you tried your hardest not to gasp and tilt your neck.

"c'mon mateo, at least let me put this on the drying rack." you didn't trust yourself not to drop the plate and immediately go wild on this man.

that got him to stop, and you quickly put the plate on the rack and dried your hands.

"okay, hermoso. what are you doing?" you faced him, and he immediately caged you in against the counter.

your back hit the curved ledge, and his arms were on either side of you.

"what were you doing?" he asked instead of answering, inching closer.

"what do you mean me?" you were trying to convince yourself that he didn't know what you were doing upstairs, and that instead he was tricking you into saying it.

he didn't reply, but used one of his hands to pull you in, your arms automatically wrapping around his neck.

you'd never get used to how soft his lips were, the routine bite he always does to your lips whenever you make out. but this time was different. there wasn't more passion, but there was another emotion in how he pulls you closer to him

you could feel his smile, and when you pulled away, he had the goofiest grin on his face. his hand trailed up your thigh, stopping right before it got where you wanted it.

"teo," you frowned at him.

"what? is there something you want?" he teased you, inching closer to your core.

you averted your eyes, finding sudden interest in the ceiling. a sudden force tilts your chin back to face him.

"i asked you a question," he cooed.

you looked up at him through hooded eyes, and decided what's the worst that can happen?

you leaned your hips forward and grinded against his waist, letting out one long moan. he quickly stopped you with a harsh grip on your hips.

"does that say enough?" you said cockily.

"you have to use your words, hermosa. maybe i'll reward you."

you were tired of waiting, squirming at how uncomfortable it was in your shorts. from what you could see, he was too with the tent in his pants.

"i need you. i want you so bad." you whimpered, locking eyes with him.

he thought about it.

"what do you want?" he asked, his fingers making their way to your waistband and slowly inching it down your thighs. it left shivers coursing throughout your entire body, even though you felt on fire.

"i just want you. i want you to fuck me until i can't think anymore." you started rambling before you felt a pressure at your entrance.

he slipped a finger inside and curled it, and you slumped forward and found purchase on his shoulders.

"holy fuck mateo," you breathily said. "a little warning?"

"not my fault you weren't paying attention," he chuckled as he inserted another finger.

you've never bothered to use more than two fingers, but when mateo does it, it feels. . . different. you knew that you would never be able to replicate the same feeling that he makes you feel.

you could hear the noises as he went faster, along with the noises steadily pouring out your mouth.

"wait, fuck. . . mateo," you started speaking only to be interrupted by him sliding his fingers out and holding them up.

"damn chica, you're wet as fuck."

you almost died of embarrassment right then and there, but before you knew it, mateo dived between your legs.

you whimpered at his warm breath making contact with your folds, and just how you dreamed of, mateo went straight to work.

"fuck! teo, it feels so good," he hummed in response to your praise, pulling your legs over his shoulders while keeping your legs spread.

you threw your head back, letting out the most pornographic moan you've ever heard as your hand shot to his hair.

little whimpers and moans filled the room as you began to grind against his mouth. usually you'd last a lot longer than this, but either because you had been waiting months for this moment or the fact that mateo was eating you out, you felt something in your stomach tighten.

"mateo, stop, please." you slurred out, trying to use your hand to push him away. but he wouldn't move. he wanted to feel you cum around his tongue, and he stood by that.

he made a little motion with his head, shaking it side to side, still eagerly lapping away at you.

"i wanna cum with you, please i want it so bad." you blurted out, and that caused him to stop. you whined at the sudden cold air. well, he couldn't exactly pass up that offer, huh? especially when you begged so nicely and deperately.

"you always know what to say, chica," he grinned as he began unbuckling his pants.

"well, i didn't know what to say for it to come to this." you didn't know a single word that could've cause this to happen. not that you were complaining, but you might need that word for future reference.

"me about to fuck you stupid? i wouldn't know what to say either," you heard his pants fall to the floor and he angled you on the counter for you to be comfortable.

"this alright babe?" he asked, looking into your eyes for a clear answer. you stared back, impatient.

"just hurry up and fuck me," you nodded.

"i could stop right now."

"you wouldn't dare," you narrowed your eyes and before he could respond, you slammed yourself onto his cock.

he let out a groan his hands making their way to the bottom of your thighs to lift you up. although the beginning was rough, he started off slow.

"you know how long i've wanted to do this to you?" he said while picking up speed. your hands instinctively went up to cover your mouth to muffle your moans, but he pulled them away and pinned your wrists behind your back.

you shook your head. he watched as you didn't know where to look, eyes darting everywhere. from his chest, to his eyes, all the way down to where he was currently destroying you. then you'd get embarrassed and look away to start the cycle all over again.

"hey princesa. eyes on me," he loved seeing you not know what to do. as obedient as you are, you immediately locked eyes with him. "good girl. always so good for me, hmm?"

you nearly came as soon as he said that, tightening around his thick cock.

"oh, you like that?" you knew he'd use this against you forever. but now wasn't the time for you to be worrying about that. in fact, you couldn't think at all. you were understanding what he was saying but couldn't form a single response.

"i asked you a question." he began slowing down as if you didn't answer, he'd stop entirely. and you didn't want that.

quickly you answered, "i- mm, i love it," you slurred out.

"what was that?" he went back to his ungodly pace, and it took you even longer to piece a sentence together, letting out a moan every single time he hit your g-spot. you could swear you saw a little bump in your stomach every time he was fully in.

"i fucking love it, teo," you whimpered out, every word emphasized by the slapping of his hips against the apex of your thighs.

he would've blushed at this, but considering that he had in fact, been waiting so long for this, he attempted to go even faster and harder.

you were borderline drooling, if it wasn't for mateo holding you, you'd be lying back as far as you could. you went to grab for his back, before you realized that your wrists were still in his grasp.

"need to touch you," you whined.

he contemplated for a moment before releasing his constraint on you, and while you went straight for his back, his hands went up your shirt. the cold feel against your burning skin made you jump.

he had been letting out little moans and whimpers, but you could tell he was getting close with how they increased in volume and he began rutting into you like his life depended on it.

your moans were quieted but his lips on yours, and you began to feel that telltale knot in your stomach. it was as if he noticed this, as he broke the kiss and asked, "are you gonna cum?"

if you weren't in this position getting fucked until you couldn't think, you would've said, "isn't it obvious, dumbass?" but considering the fact he had you drooling on his dick that probably wouldn't be the best response.

you hurriedly nodded, and you could see the beginning of a smirk on his face.

"c'mon hermosa, you can do it. come for me," he trailed off into a long moan as you creamed around him, feeling as mateo did one last hard thrust and buried his head in the crook of your neck to mask his sounds.

the two of you stayed still in silence, only hearing each other's heavy breaths.

"did you mess up my hair?" you asked, blowing away strands of hair from your face.

"i think if your hair was fine, it wouldn't be much of a good time," you closed your legs as soon as he slid out, feeling something hot drip out of you.

"well, i think that i need to take a nice long shower." you attempted to get off the counter as mateo put his pants back on, but he stopped you.

"let me carry you, mi princesa. don't need you tripping." he gestured to you slightly trembling thighs.

you closed your thighs tighter together in embarrassment, as if didn't just cum in you a few minutes ago. he laughed at this and went to pick you up bridal style.

"y'know, this was what i was talking about when we first met. how we could be doing something else instead of dancing."

"why the fuck did it take you so long then, hm?" you jokingly punched his chest.

"well, why did you have to search up how to ask?" he shot back.

you totally forgot you left your laptop on the bed. it was open enough for anyone that goes by to glance at it and see at least half of what was on the screen.

and he went into the room to change his clothes.

"oh, fuck you teo," you hmphed and crossed your arms.

"you just did," he winked.

I HAD TO REWRITE THIS THREE FUCKING TIMES BECAUSE TUMBLR DIDN'T SAVE. THREE. I ACTUALLY LOST IT.

also how tf do u talk about pussy. like do you say pussy? vagina? entrance? core? heat? THIS IS SO HARD. btw i was so embarrassed making this that some parts might not make sense or be repetitive. im sorry

like comment and subscribe

[celestial-encounters]

Psyche moves through the crowd of mortals going about their daily lives. Despite their stature—you can only compact divinity so much—the people don't pay them much mind. It wonders if they can somehow sense the emptiness inside, like a cheaply made statue crumbling apart.

{Oh, shut up.} {You're so depressing.} {So mean.} {You shut up too.}

It digs its nails into its palms as it continues down the sidewalk, trying their best to ignore the dissonant whispers inside of them. Like the name suggests, the restless souls are hardly ever still. Some of them quiet when seeing the world they remember, comforted by the scenery, but others only get angrier. Her head pounds—

And then it pounds again, this time onto the concrete below.

"Fuck—Holy shit, I'm so sorry—"

Another voice—one outside of itself, it realizes—rings out over the others. In front of Psyche, sitting on the pavement too, is a mortal. Her hair is frizzy, her jeans are tattered, and there's a name tag on her jacket—Harmonia.

"It, um..." Psyche fumbles {in a very undignified way for a god}. "It's alright, really. I wasn't paying attention."

Harmonia frowns and runs a hand through his hair, freckled nose scrunching up when he hits a snag.

"No, I—it's my fault, I'm late for work and totally rushing. Here, uh..." He stands up and extends a hand out to Psyche. "Are you hurt? I have a first aid kit if you need it—I trip a lot, hah, always have one on me—Oh, but no pressure! I mean, we just met after all, and—Wait, what am I saying? I'm just offering bandages. Um, still but no pressure, y'know?"

As the mortal stumbles through her offer of help—something thoroughly unnecessary, considering its godhood—Psyche can't help but stare. Harmonia doesn't have to take the time to help them. Human lives are short and precious. Why waste them like that? And besides, it would just make her more late for work. There's no reason to be so kind, and every reason to not be, and yet...

And yet he is. Offering out a hand, still anxiously stuttering apologies. Choosing to help. The gift of choice that it gave her. What a beautiful thing.

{Her or humanity?} {You're staring.} {Holy shit, yeah, you haven't said anything.} {Why are we even helping?} {...Good point.}

The souls come back in full force as blush rises to its cheeks {embarassed or flattered?}. It should really say something. A thank you, an apology, anything—but it's all so loud, and she's so kind, and their chest aches from the joy and the stress. It has to go. Now.

-

And that's how Psyche found itself sitting at the edge of the sea of souls, knees to its chest, watching the waves.

"Damn, you look miserable." A hoof kicks the sand beside them. "Well, more miserable than you usually look."

Psyche grits its teeth. "Thank you, Charon."

It can't see him, but it knows he raises his hands in mock surrender.

"Alright, alright, I get the memo. You want time alone?"

It's a stupid question, and they both know it. Psyche never has any time alone. Still, the company of others is better than the company of the dead.

"...No."

Charon plops themselves down on the sand beside her. "Gotcha, I'll just be quiet then—and you know how hard that is for me! So be grateful, yeah?"

Psyche can't help but snort, earning a grin from its ferryman.

"Yeah. Of course."

[whoreforsplatasha]

Jealousy (Jinx x Female r)

Part 6

series contains- *smut, violence, obscene language*

"wake your lazy ass up" I could hear the aggravating noises coming from an annoyed sevika.

damn who the fuck ticked her off

"today's the day you fulfil that promise you made to miss pyscho" if it was even possible, my mood quickly shifted from annoyed to livid. "WHAT?, you said that was next week!" I huffed in annoyance. "well someone's gotta watch her, i have an errand to run for silco today and jinx somehow persuaded him to let you spend the day with her, surprised i'm not fired yet at the rate she's going" sevika scoffed. "fan-fucking-tastic" I muttered rolling my eyes. "great to see that you're so enthusiastic" her smirk widening as she caught the sarcasm dripping from my voice.

2 hours later

I walked down the dim, oppressive hallway that led to silco’s office. I silently cursed sevika wishing I was with her instead of dealing with the ticking time bomb waiting on the other side of the door.

I'm telling you she's missing a few screws. the way she acts and everything, she's gotta be on the spectrum.

"hello?" I called out, stepping cautiously into the room but was met with silence. as I scanned silco’s office, taking in its dark eery atmosphere a sudden loud thud startled me. I swiftly spun around seeing jinx now perched up on the once body less table. "heya toots" she shot a toothy grin, "where did you-" i trailed off looking at the ledge space in the ceiling. "uh huh" "so what do you wanna do first? blow some stuff up? orrrr we can throw knives at the enforcer dummy i made? OO OO WAIT HOW ABOUT WE DO BOTH?!" I stood in awe of the amount of energy she possessed.

didn't she want to kill me like 2 days ago... she's probably just waiting until she burns me out to attack

I hadn't realized the length of time I had been staring at the floor until I noticed jinx furrowing her eyebrows and scanning my face, carefully attempting to pick up any signs of dissatisfaction. I quickly snapped back into reality and agreed, "yeah, we can blow shit up" that seemed to satisfy her and within a second I felt a pair of strong but gentle arms grab my hands, pulling me like a dog on a leash.

oh boy here we go

"WE'RE HERREEE" jinx beamed. "wow" I exclaimed in pure awe of her room. the walls were adorned in neon spray painted symbols and scattered on the floor, pieces of metal, tools, pigment powder and a pair of goggles. My eyes darted towards a dummy that claimed male features, carves of wood for eyes and a square+circular like mismatched body made of metal. "what or who is that?" I inquired, her mood immediately changed and her aura darkened.

jinx's pov

"no one, he's nobody he's.." I paused, no no she doesn't know she'll never know.. i can't let her find out. ‘i'm nobody? tell her the truth jinx, tell her the reason why i'm no longer alive' i can't! leave me alone! it's your fault. no...NO IT WAS AN ACCIDENT. liar, no i'm not SHUT UP. i screamed, clutching my head as the voices spiral led out of control.

your pov

the piercing scream snapped me out of my thoughts. i turned to see jinx crumpled on the floor, hitting her head with her fists and sobbing uncontrollably.

holy shit. this isn’t an act. shes actually messed up

“JINX?” I rushed to her side, panic flooding my chest. “hey, calm down, okay? i’m here. just breathe. deep breaths” to my relief, she followed my instructions, though her body trembled with each exhale. after a few minutes, she was silent. I grabbed a nearby cloth and gently wiped her tear streaked face. she flinched at first but eventually let me continue, her head hung low, shame clouding her features. “jinx?” i whispered softly, she didn’t respond but her eyes were locked on mine. they were the most beautiful shade of violet pink i’d ever seen, though they were clouded with pain. her lips, slightly parted into a light frown looked so soft and tempting.

no. snap out of it y/n. you’re not supposed to- but she’s just so gorgeous

i eyed her figured and without thinking I leaned in and pressed a determined kiss to her lips.

(hey guys sorry for the long break i really have no excuses 😬 also remember this fic was written by me in 2021-2022 and is based from season 1 events 🩷)

[ghosts-and-demons]

this is the smuttiest excerpt from the first chapter of a story i'm writing, so some details don't have context but also, let's not pretend we're not here for the porn lol

contains: male werewolf on female vampire smut, blood play, piss, knotting, dubcon, violence, dirty talk, size difference

Tash’s heart thudded in her chest. It was hours past the time the scent masking potion would have worn off, and if she could smell a werewolf, it could certainly smell her. She knew there was a pack outside the city limits, but she hadn’t known how close they’d apparently gotten. It was unlike werewolves to venture so close to cities—unlike witches, they were not motivated by power. In fact, most werewolf packs wanted one thing above all else: to be left alone. Cities, with the bustling nightlife, crowded streets, and loud everything, were not their usual stomping grounds. They preferred wide open, sparsely populated spaces. National parks, forests, the plains… so why was this one so close to the city?

It was only one, she was sure now. Close enough that she could distinguish his scent. She closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe calmly. She could outrun a werewolf, but he had her scent, just as she had his. No werewolf pack would allow a vampire to know where they denned. She would be hunted down and slaughtered, or else exposed to the Brakefield coven when the pack demanded her memory of him be erased. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all. She would have to kill him, and she hated killing, even if it was to ensure her own survival. It was a waste, plain and simple.

“Who’s there?” came a masculine voice.

Tash frowned, for multiple reasons. One, the werewolf was the only other being around. So, two, why was he pretending like he didn’t know she was there? And three, she recognized that voice. She wracked her brain, trying to put a face to the voice. Who was that?

“If you’re thinking of mugging me, I wouldn’t,” he said.

“Holy shit,” she whispered. The voice belonged to a man she hadn’t seen in years. She was certain he hadn’t been a werewolf when they’d known each other. He’d broken a collarbone playing softball in a local league, and it had taken a human amount of time to heal. Had he been a werewolf, the injury would have taken care of itself in a matter of days. And besides, she’d been turned almost a year before they lost touch, and they’d spent time together in person once during that period. It had taken all of her willpower not to hypnotize, drain, and fuck him, but she’d managed it. That was how she’d known she was ready to truly enter the world as a fledgling vampire. “Gabriel?”

He heard her. “What—who is that?” He headed in the direction of her voice. She stepped out from her hiding spot behind a massive oak tree, and his gaze fell on her harshly. “Tash?” he asked, incredulous. It was a fair reaction. The last time they’d spoken was shortly after he married a woman who forbade him from seeing her—the woman had seen the way Gabriel looked at Tash, and rightfully objected.

“Yeah, hi,” she said awkwardly. “So.”

He blinked. “I thought you moved.”

“I—what? I mean, I did, but…” She shook her head, confused. There was a new scent wafting off of him, something that made her brain feel like its sharp edges were being worn down. “Is that really the most important question right now?”

He shifted on his feet. “You mean besides ‘what are you doing here?’”

“No. What? I mean, I’m…” She held her hands out in a ‘stop’ gesture. Her mind was clouded. She felt like she couldn’t take her eyes off of Gabriel’s body. Had he always been so… “Okay, hold on. We’re gonna start from the top.”

“What are you freaking out about?” he interrupted.

“No, shut up,” she said, glaring at him, trying desperately not to think about how good he looked. “Why are you being weird?”

“How am I being weird?” he asked, laughing at the ridiculousness of the suggestion.

“Acting like neither of us know what—wait.” Suddenly, she remembered the illness that had hospitalized him about a year before their falling out. He’d lost his sense of smell. “Oh my god,” she said. “You can’t smell me, can you?”

His nose wrinkled. “What?”

She sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Oh, this is bad. Oh, this is so bad.” It was still bad for her, of course, but now it was bad for him, too. His pack would be able to smell her on him, just like they’d be able to smell the lie if he tried to say he’d taken care of it. He’d be punished for letting her go, and they’d still hunt her down. “Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath. That was a mistake. She realized, as she inhaled a lungful, that the scent coming from Gabriel was pheromones—one of the many weapons in a werewolf’s arsenal. Too much more of this, and she’d be putty in his hands. Popular theory was that vampires would be immune to the chemical secretions, since werewolves were disgusted by vampires’ stench of death, and most vampires agreed werewolves smelled like dog in the worst way. Well, Tash would be happy to prove that theory wrong. His pheromones were definitely working, and only her willpower stopped her from falling to her knees and taking his cock into her mouth then and there.

“Are you okay?” he asked, taking a step forward.

She almost hissed at him. She was being an idiot; vampires didn’t even need to breathe. She stopped, and her head cleared slightly, but the damage was done. Her clit throbbed. She couldn’t remember a time in her life she’d ever been so wet. Thank god he can’t smell, she thought. “I’m fine,” she half-snarled. “Sorry. It’s… there’s a lot going on that you don’t know.”

“Such as?” he asked drolly.

She glared at him. “I’m a vampire. Have been since a couple years before we… before you got married.”

His eyes went wide and he took a staggering step backward. “You—?”

“Yeah. So you’re going to have to do some kind of deep clean on yourself before you can go back to your pack, unless you feel like murdering me.” He opened his mouth to respond, but she continued, “Which I wouldn’t recommend. I’m part of the Pollux clan. You don’t want that retribution coming down on you, I can assure you.”

He clenched his jaw. “Something tells me a tomato juice bath isn’t going to cut it.”

She laughed darkly. “I think you’re right. I know an alchemist I trust, though. I’m sure he has something up his sleeve.” She pulled out her phone and sent Clyde a quick text, hoping he got back to her quickly. “In the meantime, I have more bad news for you. You’re obviously new to lycanthropy—”

“Hey,” he objected.

“—because you don’t even know you’re pumping out pheromones faster than I can absorb them,” she continued dryly.

“I what?”

“Yeah,” she said. “You can’t control it because you can’t smell, I’d bet. You need to get somebody in your pack to teach you how to keep that under wraps.”

He was frowning. “I thought the pheromones were… strong,” he said, obviously not using the word he wanted to use.

She licked her lips. “They are.”

“You don’t seem very affected.”

“I am.”

He blinked. “Oh.”

“Yeah. It’s a goddamn miracle your cock isn’t in my mouth right now,” she said. Later she would say she couldn’t help herself, but the truth was, she could. She just didn’t want to.

He tensed, hunching his shoulders slightly and clenching his fists. “You shouldn’t say things like that,” he said, looking her up and down.

She smirked and sauntered closer. “Turnabout’s fair play,” she said. “I’m just evening the playing field.” She raked him with her gaze. “And it’s not like we don’t know where you stand on the subject.”

He took a step forward. “I’ll hurt you.”

This time, she laughed outright. “Sweetheart, I’m a vampire, and I fed an hour ago. You could run me over with an eighteen wheeler with blenders for tires and it wouldn’t put a dent in me.” She cocked her head as she realized the implications of his words. “You haven’t had sex since you turned, have you?”

“Not with a—only with other werewolves,” he admitted. He had to bend his head down to look at her now, they were so close.

“Not your wife?”

He growled low in his throat. “We’re not together anymore.”

Tash closed the short distance between them, reaching for the button of his jeans and undoing it swiftly. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, inhaling his scent once more. She enjoyed the lightheaded feeling it gave her, loved the throbbing need it sent racing through her veins like lightning. “Mm, you smell like a thunderstorm.” She reached into his pants, freeing his semi-hard cock and stroking it with her palm.

“Don’t go brainless on me,” he teased, and a fresh wave of pheromones spilled from him like rain.

Tash’s pupils went wide as she gulped them in, her mouth hanging open in pleasure. It was like a warm bath for all her senses, and his hands on her body kicked her libido into overdrive. She sank to her knees, the soft grass cushioning her as she licked Gabriel’s cock and took it into her mouth, sucking gently as he hardened on her tongue. His fingers combed through her hair, gripping it firmly at the back to give himself a proper handle. She leaned away from his cock for long enough to say, “Be as rough as you want. You won’t hurt me.” Immediately, she took him into her throat, gagging slightly.

Gabriel groaned and let his head fall back as he basked in the pleasure of a warm throat swallowing the entire length of his cock. “Jesus Christ,” he sighed, using his grip on her hair to bob her head down onto his cock faster. “Fuck, you’re such a good cocksucker.” She moaned at his feet, the vibration of it in her throat surrounding his cock and making him shiver. “Oh, you like that, baby?” he said, looking down at her. She met his eyes with his cock in her throat. “You like being a good little cocksucker for me?” With his cock still stuffing her throat, she did her best to let out an affirmative. He chuckled. “Let’s see how good you can be.” He started fucking her throat in earnest, thrusting for all he was worth.

She could feel bruises and tears forming in her throat before immediately healing. Even if she weren’t buzzed from his pheromones, the endorphin rush of a fast heal always made her a little bit giddy. The combination of Gabriel’s scent and her own endorphins was a powerful rush that went straight between her legs. Her pussy was gushing, and she reached down to pull her skirt up, rubbing her clit furiously as an orgasm overtook her.

Gabriel slowed his thrusts to look down at her in shock. “Did you just cum?”

She did her best to nod, blinking up at him.

“What a good fucking slut you are,” he cooed, petting her jaw and pulling her hair back again, into his fist. “Do it again.”

Her eyes rolled back in her head as he fucked her throat once more. She lifted her free hand to squeeze her tits—ever since becoming a vampire, she’d stopped wearing bras. Her nipples were hard as diamond through the soft fabric of her shirt, and she moaned again, pinching and rolling one between her fingers. She shuddered as another orgasm hit her in waves, her hips bucking against her hand. Fuck, she’d never felt so good in her entire life. No wonder vampires hated werewolves—if they didn’t, they’d be mindless fuckslaves, and they’d love every second of it. Vampiric superiority wouldn’t survive a single second against werewolf pheromones.

Gabriel growled and pulled her head off of his cock, then helped her stand. Her mouth hung open and he could hear her jaw snapping back into place—he’d dislocated it with his thrusts. The thought made his cock twitch. “You were so good, cumming for me with my cock in your mouth,” he told her, bending down to kiss her softly. “Good girls get a reward.” He trailed kisses down to her neck while his hands roamed over her body, squeezing her tits, ass, and thighs. When he wanted to feel her tits in his palms, he just barely resisted the urge to rip her shirt from her body. Instead, he lifted it from the hem, and she raised her arms, allowing him to pull it free from her. He squeezed one breast in one hand while the other groped her ass, spreading her cheeks and making her even wetter.

She whimpered pathetically at the touch, wanting his hands all over her, his cock inside her, his tongue on her skin. She wanted all of him, right now. “Fuck me,” she whispered.

“Or what,” he said. She could hear the smirk in his voice.

Instead of answering, she pushed her skirt down, over her voluptuous hips. She was now completely naked, and he had not taken off a single piece of clothing.

“You keep looking that good,” he said, staring at her body with a hunger in his eyes so profound she was shocked he didn’t open his mouth to swallow her whole, “and I might have to make you mine.”

“Do it,” she said, adding just a trickle of her mind control into her words. It only seemed fair. “Please.” Her hands went to his chest, reaching under his shirt to feel the heat of his skin against her palms. “I need it, please!” With each plea, she added more glamor to her words.

“Please what?” he demanded.

“Please, sir,” she whimpered.

Fuck, he thought. Fuck, how did she know exactly what I wanted? He growled and threw her to the ground, stripping with the speed of an accomplished shapeshifter. He stepped out of his shoes and pinned her to the ground, face down. “Good girl,” he growled in her ear as he lined his cock up against her dripping pussy. He slid himself inside her slowly, inch by inch, allowing her to adjust to his size out of habit, before remembering that she was a vampire who would heal immediately. Her words earlier returned to him—be as rough as you want—and he snarled, slamming his cock inside her even as his teeth extended and he sank them into her neck, tasting her blood. She cried out, whether in pain or ecstasy, he wasn’t sure, but the sound drove him wild. He fucked her harder than he’d fucked anything in his entire life. He lifted himself up, licking her blood from his lips, and gathered her hair in his fist again, yanking her head back even as he fucked into her. She cursed and came instantly, shuddering as her pussy clenched around his cock. “That’s my baby girl,” he whispered in her ear. “Cum for me, baby.”

“Fuck,” she whined. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” She reached to rub her clit once more, and felt another orgasm rise to the surface. “I’m gonna cum, daddy!”

Gabriel growled and smacked her ass hard enough to bruise. The soft flesh turned red, purple, black, green, yellow, and then returned to its original ivory over the course of a few seconds. He did it again, and again, until she was screaming and shaking. He yanked her head back so he could see the look on her face as she came. Tears streamed from her eyes even as she cried out for him.

He leaned back and picked her up, turning them so that her back rested against the oak tree she’d hidden behind earlier. He continued fucking her like that, the bark digging into her skin painfully, until he realized a moment later that her blood running through his veins was doing something strange—he could feel what she felt. He could feel his hands on her ass as though he inhabited her body, his cock sliding into her. “Oh, fuck,” he said as he grew lightheaded, and his lust increased tenfold. He couldn’t stand it anymore. He lost control.

Rapidly, his body grew. While his human form was six feet tall, his werewolf body was nearly seven. Humanoid, but covered in long, thick hair, with inch-long claws, fangs, and a snout, he was monstrous as he transformed. His cock, thick and long while human, was enormous now, and it was still inside Tash. He looked down, expecting fear on her face, and saw only unbridled lust. He released a long howl, and thrust up into her again. They both felt the pleasure of it, the pleasant stretching of her walls as his cock filled her to capacity and beyond. When he went so deep it injured her, the fuzzy pleasure of vampiric healing sent a thrill down their spines, and from then on, he held nothing back. His thick cock spread her wide, and he unleashed himself as he fucked her. She came within seconds, her hips grinding and slamming down onto him. He felt her orgasm in his own body, and his jaw hung open. He panted, taking a moment to recover. If this was what orgasms felt like as a woman… he was suddenly incredibly envious of Tash’s ability to cum this hard this often.

“Don’t stop,” she breathed.

He wrapped one monstrous, clawed hand around her throat, began fucking her again, and squeezed until he felt something break. Her choked, mangled cries of pleasure only made him go harder. His other hand moved to her tits, squeezing them, mindless of his claws. They sliced the tender flesh like butter, blood dripping crimson over porcelain skin. The more he hurt her, the harder she came. The slices in her flesh knit closed immediately, only to be opened again moments later, until he could no longer resist the urge to rip out her throat.

His teeth sank into the white flesh of her neck and clamped down. Her blood gushed into his mouth and his cock swelled inside her, his knot ballooning at her entrance to prevent his cum from escaping.

“G—fuck,” she managed to say with no throat. His knot was pressing on her bladder, and the bigger it swelled, the harder it became to resist, until her fingers were rubbing her clit furiously again. She pissed as she came, the warm liquid streaming out of her and onto Gabriel’s fur, making his cock twitch even as he came inside her. Her orgasm lasted a full minute, and Gabriel felt every second of it. He held still, but his cock was exploding inside her, shooting rope after rope of hot cum into her pussy. He knew that as soon as his knot receded, a veritable ocean of cum would spill out of her.

Reluctantly, he unclenched his jaw, feeling the rush of excitement as her throat healed. “I got a little carried away,” he admitted as he shifted back into his human form. His cock fell out of her pussy, followed almost immediately by a stream of cum. He lowered them both to the ground, and they laid on their backs to look at the stars.

Tash laughed tiredly. “We both did.”

“Did you know your blood would do that?”

“No idea,” she said. “It’s never happened before. Maybe it’s unique to werewolves?”

“That would explain why nobody knows about it,” he said with a thoughtful nod. He turned his head to look at her. “How much does your alchemist friend charge for… whatever can erase your scent from me?”

She shrugged. “It’s never come up before. But he’s always reasonable.” She looked over at him. “It’s not like we need to split the bill.”

He shook his head. “No, that’s not why I’m asking. I think we should make this a regular thing.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “You wanna be fuckbuddies? With a vampire?”

“Tash,” he said seriously. “That was THE best sex I’ve ever had. And I’ve had a lot of sex. You can’t tell me you don’t feel the same way.”

She sighed. “No. No I cannot. You’re right. God, that was good. Fuck. When you crushed my windpipe? I was never a masochist, but fuck.”

“You have no idea how good it feels to be able to use my claws,” he added. “Other werewolves can take a beating, but they don’t want blood to be shed. But with you, I don’t have to hold back at all. Every urge, every desire, I can just let it out.” He shook his head. “Next time, I want to slit your throat. I want to see your blood spill over your chest.”

“Okay.” She paused. “Sorry I peed on you. That wasn’t on purpose.”

“Oh, fuck, no, that was so hot,” he assured her. “Maybe it’s a werewolf thing, or maybe I always had a piss kink and just never realized it, but no. That was hot. Please do that every time.”

She laughed. “I think I can make that happen.”

[callmearcturus]

okay the Eye of the Duck for each of the MI films

Mission Impossible:

I promise I really thought about the Vault Scene and I could go on for ages about it and I maybe should since it's the marker of what separates MI from other action franchises.

But my heart lives in this scene as the emotional core of the movie, where Jim comes back from the dead and tries to spin a tale that Ethan is too smart to fall for but is still tempted by. The way Jim says one thing but Ethan's already pieced together what really happened-- and doesn't like the answer, rewrites it in his head to make it fit what he wants.

Ethan's emotions and how much he cares about people is his ultimate weakness and it remains so for the entire franchise, so to see him wrestling with that all the way from the start is crunchy.

Also Ethan soulgazing the camera for that long is very affecting.

Mission Impossible 2:

the point of the EOTD is to find the scene at the movie's center that reflects its core back at you. I think Woo's vision of MI is exemplified by that final fight scene between Ethan and the villain. I remember the first time I watched the movie, this scene made me go "NO" out loud several times.

I mean, mostly because absolutely not that handgun will not fire after being in the sand for that long, there is not enough gun oil in the world.

but since I have wisened up and realized MI2 is not the worst MI movie, I think I get it more. The over-the-top motorcycle jousting, the slow-motion, but especially the cuts to the roiling ocean-- everyone shut the fuck up and let your bodies tell the story, even if the 'story' here is as simple as "I'mma fuck you up." It doesn't have to be original, it just has to be a cohesive vision, and honestly I think people would like MI2 a lot more if they acknowledged Woo accomplished his specific vision here.

I don't love MI2, but I respect it. Way more than, uh.

Mission Impossible 3:

god i hate this fucking movie but the EOTD is really obvious.

The only scene in this movie that works 100% is after the stupid vapid villain is gone and when the movie returns to the two fucking actors who carried this horrible script on their fucking backs.

Ethan has a charge in his head that is about to detonate and kill him. He's asks Julia to kill him and then bring him back to life to defuse it.

I... My hatred of this movie is legendary but I love this scene. I love Ethan staggering around like a drunkard bc he's blinded by pain. I love the way he explains how to shoot a gun to Julia. I love his little "Don't point it at me" and the way he likens the reload of a magazine to the flashlight in their kitchen, something both of them understand. I love the absolute trust here--

Esp bc I think it's clear Ethan could die right now, but he'd rather go out trusting his wife to save his life than to worry about it too much.

And Julia actually fucking saves him, and it's good! It's the only good scene in the movie other than Benji's second scene. And if MI3's goal was to dig into the Emotions of the franchise, then fine, this is the scene that's best at it.

Still the worst movie. Someone stop JJ Abrams from ever writing scripts.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

holy shit i am stunned someone clipped this bit

I am straight up stealing Brendon Bigley's EOTD scene because he's right.

This moment, right after Ethan and Brandt have escaped the river, there's this incredible lull in the action where Brandt asks "Why would that work?" about Ethan's ridiculous flare trick to misdirect the KGB dudes with the rifles.

Ethan's confused about Brandt's question because... he didn't know it would work, he played a hunch.

Brandt's bitchy lil "'kaaaaay.... so what was your scenario" and the way Ethan actually smiles as Brandt tries analyzing the logic of what just happened and why.

This is the EOTD of GP because it's the film tipping its hat to everything its doing (and everything MI will become moving forward) in microcosm. MI is not about metriculous clockwork plots and spy intrigue, it's about heart and instinct and the fucking motto of the IMF: "I'll make it work." Tacitly, this convo between Brandt and Ethan is Brandt as audience surrogate and Ethan as filmmakers' surrogate.

Why did that work? Don't worry about it, just keep saying yes and we'll get through.

(Also the bit immediately after with the best Tom Cruise Is Short joke in the series, immaculate physical comedy, love it.)

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation:

fuck all y'all I'm going to pick a single joke and obsess over it

FIRST 15 SECONDS

THAT'S IT THAT'S THE EYE OF THE DUCK

I'm not even remotely kidding, but this is related to BTS info about the gag. The script apparently only said "ethan and benji get into the car" but when it came time to film, TC was like "I can't just get into the car, it's the waste of a moment. hang on, i got it" and for the next take just DID that stupid flail across the car. Pegg's stunned look is real because no one knew he would do that.

As a writer, I love this moment because yes, just climbing into the car would have been a waste. It would have been an opportunity to put in a character moment just forgotten.

This is related to that lovely lil moment in Fallout where the team are meeting up with Walker after catching Lane, and there's no dialogue, but as they come up the stairs, Benji spots Walker, and he immediately flattens himself to the wall to get out of Ethan's way and looks back at Ethan for guidance. Ethan gives Benji a nod to say we're good, don't worry and they continue up the stairs.

These are little moments of characterization that are mostly built from actors who are just very comfortable with their characters, and this expediency of storytelling. Cut all the unneeded seconds, and make sure every second that remains in the movie is doing some kind of work.

so yeah that's the EOTD for RN.

Mission Impossible: Fallout

the EOTD for the entire MI franchise is the scene with the Parisian cop.

Ethan stopping everything to try to convince a bystander to leave and keep them from getting hurt. That's the soul of MI, the same emotional damage Ethan's carried since MI1.

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning

"I was hoping it'd be you."

shocker, I'm not picking the moment when Ethan literally Says The Fucking Theme Out Loud, nope. I'm picking the moment Ilsa decides she too will follow the new IMF's batshit "beat the trolley problem by pushing the trolley off the tracks" creed, and gives up everything for a woman she doesn't know who is in over her head.

History repeats, and Dead Reckoning's obsession with closing the loop and creating internal consistency out of a series that has had five directors and seven films works perfectly for me. Venice is a visual recreation of Prague in MI1, with Ethan racing down dimly lit streets to save someone but is just not fast enough.

I also have this personal read on the scene as a refutation of Gabriel and the Entity, who represent an almost Calvinistic philosophy of inevitability and fate. Gabriel tells a lot of fucking lies for a guy fashioning himself to be a prophet, and he taunts Ethan about having to choose between Grace and Ilsa.

But Ethan doesn't chose shit, he's busy getting almost suffocated by Paris in an alleyway. Ilsa is the one who makes a decision, and for a person like Ilsa who literally was the person to ask Ethan to run away with her because all this spy shit is useless and meaningless

Ilsa is the one who picks, and she decides to save Grace. Not Ethan and not the Entity and not Gabriel.

Ilsa died to save an innocent (well mostly) woman, and that's the entire point of MI. There is no such thing as acceptable losses and if you can prevent someone's death, you do it.

AND THEN ETHAN SAYS THAT OUT LOUD TO GRACE BECAUSE "YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME" "WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES THAT MAKE?" AND THAT'S MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

okay i'm done

[certifiedlovergirlsstuff]

E Pluribrus Unum

pairing: steve harrington x female byers!reader

WC: 4.3K

warnings: cursing, byers interrogation with fist and blood, the fucking russians abusing kids. you get it.

summary: grime reapers in town.

A/N: ALL PARTS UNDER THE TAG - The Byers Harrington Story-

smack cam. also want to make it clear, robin and steve still had their heart to heart when byers was out of the room.

@alecmores​ giving them a heart attack everyday.

series masterlist / steve harrington

previous chapter  next chapter

“They’re trying to open a new gate.” Words that you wished never had to leave your mouth.

You looked at Steve and Dustin and could tell they were thinking the same thing and knew the danger this would be bringing back to Hawkins.

“Guys, we gotta go.” Steve headed back to the door and with a winding arm urged everyone forward and down the stairs. Robin couldn’t stop the questions, “What is that?” “Why do you have that look on your face?” “Byers, are you gonna pass out?”

“I don’t understand. Have you seen this before?” Hurrying down the steps, Robin tried to get answers from the three of you. Dustin gave a vague, “Not exactly.”

“Then what, exactly?” She huffed. “All you need to know is that it's bad.”

“It’s really bad,” Steve added. He was in the back with you, once again holding your hands as it seemed your brain kept shutting down at the worst times. Your eyes just stared in front of you as your ear rang in its high-pitched frequency.

“Like, end-of-the-human-race-as-we-know-it kind of bad.” More dramatic flare from Dustin, but still on the nose. Robin turned to the tween, “And you know about this how?” Wanting to get answers.

No one was able to answer as Erica asked, “Um, Steve? Where’s your Russian friend?” And then a loud alarm went off. You felt like you were trapped on the Death Star about to be gunned down by poorly-aimed Stormtroopers.

“Shit.” Steve pulled the door open and you could see a bunch of people on the other side rushing to your enclosed space. Steve slammed it closed and then started to yell, “Go, go, go, go!” Making everyone go back up the stairs and through the room. “Move! Let’s move!”

All the scientists turned to the open door, but you didn’t have time to stop. “Go! Shit! Shit, shit, shit!”

Dustin went out a side door that led to stairs beside the glowing laser beam and you so badly wished to go back into the room. Dustin came to a stop where the edge cut off and the beam was right in his face. You could barely hear his repetitive cries of “Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!”

There was a tug on your shirt and you turned to see Steve and Erica rushing down a new set of lower stairs, you made sure Robin and Dustin were right behind as you pushed yourself to run forward. More guards came into the room so Steve pushed some barrels hoping to stall them, it was like they were coming from all directions and you were getting overwhelmed.

“Guys! This way!” And Robin took the lead and pushed open a new door. “Come on, quick!”

Steve was right behind you as he shut the door and leaned his weight against it. “Robin!” She rushed over and pushed her small frame onto the door. Erica and Dustin were looking for a way out and you… you just froze.

You fucking froze from fear and panic and dread. You froze when Steve and Robin could use your help or look for a way out with Erica and Dustin or just a weapon if worse comes to worst, but no. You fucking froze and tears were blurring your vision and your feet felt like two-hundred-pound weights, and your arms were buzzing with the sting of a thousand bees. Your breathing was coming in inconsistent rhythms, a sign you were having another panic attack and being a dead weight to everyone.

“(Y/n)! Snap out of it! Get out of here!” Words followed by harsh shakes of your body. You took gasping intakes of air as if you just rose out from the water you were drowning in. Dustin was a frantic mess in front of you, trying to pull you behind him.

“Go! Just get out of here!”

Steve and Robin’s voices made you stop and pull away from Dustin. “(Y/n)! We have to go!” The younger boy shouted. “Just- Just go! I’ll be right behind!” Not wanting him or Erica to wait for you.

“(Y/n), don’t you dare stay! Get the hell out of here!” Steve was shouting at you. “The kids need you!” Robin was also telling you to leave, but you couldn’t. You couldn’t decide between leaving them behind or keeping the kids safe, you know realistically you should be with the kids. You’re the adult for them, they need protection. But you can’t leave your boyfriend or best friend to the Russians, you just can’t.

“I’m- I’m staying. Now shut up.” 

The door burst open before they could shout at you some more. Steve’s body was knocked into you causing your body to hit the wall harder and bang your head. You groaned with your eyes closed, ears honing in on all the guns cocking in front of the three of you. All your hands were held in the air, showing you had no weapons and weren’t a threat, just idiot kids in stupid clothes.

The guards parted so an older man could be front and center. His face was wrinkled and twisted into a grimace, his hands were held behind his back as his shiny black boots stopped in front of your dirty sneakers. His soulless eyes traced each one of you, head tilting before straightening.

“Well… what do we have here?” His Russian accent is thick on his English words. He looked to a guard beside him and jerked his head. The soldier marched forward and wrapped a tight grip around your left bicep. He pulled you off the floor to stand in front of his boss, you squirmed and twisted, hoping to get his touch off your skin.

“Hey! Let go of her!” Steve yelled and you heard shuffling behind you. Barely a glance over your shoulder you saw Steve being held down by two guards. “Get your disgusting hands off her!” His usually soft and homey eyes were hardened and terrified, mouth in a firm line with his nostrils flaring.

The boss man stepped too close, practically chest to chest with each other. He leaned his face in close and then held your cheeks in a tight grip. “You are a pretty one. And I see you have… special someone.” He dropped his hand and his eyes stared Steve down, “Well… this will be fun. Da?”

-

“Let go of me asshole!” Your hands were cuffed behind your back and thrown over a bulky man’s shoulder as if you were a bag of flour. The same goes for Robin and Steve, though Steve was only cuffed and walking behind you and Robin, your eyes catching his white Nikes.

You twisted your neck, trying to look at Steve in the awkward position. You could see the red spot on his jaw where he got punched for trying to stop them from touching you or Robin. You tried to convey so many words and emotions through your eyes alone, hoping it would be enough for Steve.

You were thrown off the man’s shoulder and back on your feet, blood rushing from your head making you stumble just a bit. You almost wanted to thank the man when he undid the cuffs from your wrist, rubbing at the irritated skin. There was an open door in front of you and Robin and you could feel the press of a gun to your spin, it made you stiffen and hold your breath.

“Move.” One-word command. You took two measly steps forward with Robin at your side.

When you looked over your shoulder hoping to see Steve just behind you, you turned on your foot when you saw him getting dragged away further down the hall. You tried to follow but were stopped by a human blockade, their arms and guns pushing you to the door.

“Steve! Stevie!” He too was thrashing against his captures. Steve was shouting and trying to kick at shins and knees, yelling for you and Robin. “Don’t you dare touch them! Not one fucking hair on their head!”

They got tired of all the shouting so they shoved the butt of a gun against his head before dragging him away and out of sight. And they just shoved you in the back causing you to trip over your feet and hit the linoleum flooring, Robin falling just beside you.

“Hey! Hey, assholes!” Pushing from the floor and throwing your body into the metal door, looking through the tiny window. No one was outside. “Steve! Steve!” Yelling his name even if he couldn’t hear you.

You didn’t bother putting up more of a fight when it was clear no one was around to hear your pleas. A sneaker foot wacks the metal with a dull thud followed by a deep groan before you walk away. You were stuck in a sterile, empty room with Robin and Steve was somewhere dealing with who knows what from the Russians.

“Why’d they only take Steve?” A quiver to Robin’s voice. She stayed on the floor with her arms wrapped around your knees.

A hand pushed your messy front strands as you paced back and forth with a hand on your hip, “He’s the only guy. Saw how protective he was of us, I don’t know. All I know is they aren’t gonna play nice with us for long before it starts feeling like home.” Left hand rubbing over your cheeks, the older man’s face mixed with flashes of Lonnie.

“We just need to tell them the truth. That’s it, I mean, do we look like spies for the government? It looks like our parents dressed us as if we’re five-year-olds.” Robin went on a tangent.

You weren’t sure how long it was, could’ve been five minutes or thirty, your brain too occupied with Steve’s whereabouts. But when you and Robin stopped talking or kicking random objects in the space, you could hear something. Faint noises that grew closer by the second, squeaks and taps. You rushed to the door and stuck your face to the window opening, craning your head to get any inch of the hallway to see where it was coming from.

To your left, you saw two guards with Steve in the middle. He was slumped forward with his hands bound in cuffs, feet dragging behind him and his head bobbed with each step they took. You couldn’t see the state of his face with him tilted forward, but with him not being able to walk wasn’t a good sign. “Stevie…” Breath fogging the glass.

They stopped outside the door and banged their fist into the metal when they saw you. You flinched at the loud noise and backed away, just wanting them to bring your Steve into your arms. Two steps inside before they threw him down to the floor. You tried to catch most of his weight, not wanting him to hit his head, with his dead weight your knees buckled and brought the two of you down.

“Steve? Steve?” Robin grabbed him by the shoulder and helped roll him gently to the floor. He laid on his back with his legs sprawled out, cuffed hands sitting on his stomach. His breathing was shallow, but it was there, he still had a pulse.

“Stevie? Baby?” Hands hovering over his bruised and bloodied face. His left eye was swollen and puffy with dark blue and purple color ringing the whole area. There was so much dried blood from his nose and down his mouth that it dripped to his chest and the top of his shirt. His hair was wet with sweat, your right hand pushing the limp strands away from his forehead. Closed mouth quivering, trying to hold your tears back.

“What’d you do? What did you do to him?” Robin yelled at the commanding officer and he back-handed her in the cheek. “Robin!” The man doing the same action to you. Another flash of Lonnie crossed your mind.

He was speaking Russian and then his two lackeys grabbed two chairs from the room and sat them back to back. One took Robin and the other took Steve then tied a black belt over their biceps and stomach. “What are you doing? Huh? We’re just ice cream workers! We don’t know shit!” Spewing words as Robin grunted against the binding.

Once the two men tied Robin and Steve, they pulled you off the floor and rebuffed your wrist, and slid an arm through yours. “Let go of me assholes!” Stepping on their feet, they didn’t flinch.

The boss man stood in front of Steve and grabbed a fist of his hair to lean his head back. “Don’t you fucking touch him!” Thrashing in your hold. He just tutted his tongue and dropped Steve’s head. Robin called for him, trying to get him to respond, but he was out cold.

“I think your friend needs a doctor.” He spoke in his Russian heavy English. He walks in front of Robin and you have a clear view of his bulging eyes. “Good thing…” He leaned in close, “We have the very best.” He looked at you and the two guards then just… laughed. Like he just told an inside joke that only the three of them understood, and you guessed that was the case.

His eyes dropped down to Robin and you heard the wet sound of spit that she launched onto his face, hitting his mouth. You smirked at her attitude. He used a white cloth to clean his face, “You are going to regret that, little bitch.”

More orders were spoken and the door beeped open. His guards started to drag you away, you tried planting your feet firmly on the ground as if you were a child again not wanting to do something. “No! No, Robin!” Both of you called each other names before the door closed behind you. “Fucking bastards!” Yanking and tugging your arms, but their fingers were curled tight into your muscle.

“I wouldn’t bother.” The commander stated as he walked in front. “If you cooperate, we won’t hurt your friends.”

You couldn’t help the scoff, “Oh, like what you did to Steve? I’m sure he was cooperating, yet he’s bloody and can’t see out of one eye! So you’re lucky I’m tied up 'cause I’m just waiting for the moment where I can sink my thumbs into your eyes.” Venom dripping from your words, not fucking around anymore. The older man just laughed, head thrown back in pure glee at your words.

He looked over his shoulder and shook his head with an annoying smile, “You are funny. We’ll see how long that lasts.” Another door opened and you were brought inside. They threw you down onto a metal bench that was built into the bare walls. The space was the size of your bathroom at home, tiny four walls boxing you in.

Commander stood tall with his hands held behind his back, an ugly mug staring you down, a shadow from his hat shading his dark eyes. The goons, one on each side, kept their arms down and fingers curled into fists. You can already tell how you’re gonna look coming out of this.

“Who do you work for?” He sounded bored of asking the same question that you assumed he asked Steve multiple times.

“I work for Scoops Ahoy. The ice cream shop in the mall above us, guys, come on. Get some sunlight or you’ll-” Goon to your right stepped forward and threw a hard punch to your stomach making you lean over your thighs. You groaned as the air was pushed from your lungs while talking. “Fuck… you.”

He huffed a humorless laugh, “You are a feisty girl. Don’t worry, you’ll break quickly.” He nodded at thing two and he swung a fist into your jaw. Your head turned with the impact and it took a second for the white-hot pain to register in your brain. Wiggling the bone trying to asset the pain and possible damage, you heard a crack but nothing serious. “Who do you work for?” 

The eye-roll you sent was like you honed the spirit of Erica when she didn’t get her free raspberry swirl sample. “I work in an ice cream parlor dealing with grouchy moms and obnoxious middle schoolers. Do- Do you think I wear this for fun?” Pointing out your sailor costume.

His eyes drilled into your skull as he asked, “How did you get here?”

“Look, grandpa, our shipment was missing. So me and my friends checked where it was dropped off, the door was open so we went inside to check for it. Then it closed and dropped us to the pits of hell. And I’m still out of rocky road ice cream.” Head leaned against the cold wall as you sighed. So you were caught off guard by another punch to your face, aimed at your cheek from the right. Another hit to your ribs followed, then another, and another. You couldn’t even get a steady breath before it sputtered out of your mouth.

Boney fingers grip your chin, mouth pursed and brows angled at the front. His spit splattered your lower face as he harshly repeated, “Who do you work for and how did you get here?”  A low groan, “Do you need hearing aids?” Voice even and grated with his tight hold, “I sell ice cream and I was looking for a shipment.”

He dropped your chin. His back was turned and he flicked a hand at the guy to the left. He took five steps then punched you right in the nose, the crunch echoing in the four-by-four room. Your skull was pounding from all the hits it took in quick succession, the broken nose, and blood the cherry on top. Eyes closed with your head tilted back to slow the blood, trying to stop any tears from showing up, and just wishing to see your mom at this moment.

“Well, it seems you and your friend have worked well on this… cover story. But don’t worry, we have something to loosen the tongue. Why don’t we rejoin your friends?” He barked commands, the door beeped open and you were dragged back to your starting spot.

-

The man was chuckling when he entered the room and you didn’t know why until you were harshly shoved in the back and fell to the floor, knees and palms hurting. You coughed a few times as you looked to see Steve and Robin on the floor, still tied to their chairs. Steve was awake now and you just sighed, letting your head rest on the cool ground.

“Where were you two going?” Acting like he was doing a stand-up set. He tutted his teeth as they were picked up from the ground and then you were tied to the dentist-style chair. Their doctor was messing around with something.

“Baby?” Steve’s voice was rough, it made you sad thinking about all the screaming he must have done. You tilted your head towards him with a bloody grin, “Hi, Stevie.”

“What happened?” And he sounded so broken. All you could do was shrug, “I told the truth.”

“Yes, try to tell the truth. It will make your visit with Dr. Zharkov less painful.” Grime reapers hand was touching Steve’s face and hair, poking at his tender spots. “Get your filthy hands off my boy! You fucking corpse!” Bound feet hitting the vinyl of the seat.

He chuckles before stepping away and the doctor wanders toward Steve with a needle in hand and a mad scientist looks buzzing within his gaze. “Wait, wait. What- What is that?” Evil Russian scientist simply said, “It will help you talk.” He gripped Steve's hair and leaned his head to his shoulder and stuck the needle in. “Steve! Steve! What the fuck?!”

He grabbed a second needle and did the same thing to Robin. Then finally you were last, whimpering as the long scarp point pierced the skin of your neck and injected whatever it was. “Now we wait.” And they left the room.

You weren’t sure what the hell the crazy doctor poked you with, but you could already feel something flowing through your system. Your eyelids were getting heavy causing you to blink multiple times trying to keep them open and aware. Head felt fuzzy, almost like the room was spinning. “What the…Am I high?” What if they just injected thc into your bloodstream… is that even a thing?

“Honestly, I don’t feel anything,” Steve mumbled. “Do you?” Question pointed to Robin as they learned their heads together. “I mean, I… I feel fine. I feel normal.” “Yeah, I feel- I feel fine.”

They were quiet for a moment, eyes watching the wall. You felt a mix of wanting to sleep and wanting to throw up, your body giving up its fight against your restraints.

“I feel good,” Steve chuckled, which caused Robin to chuckle. With your eyes closed you could only hum at their joyish sounds.

“Wanna know a secret?” Robin’s voice is up an octave. “What?” A low mutter from you, but Steve asked louder. “I like it, too!” More laughter fills the room. “I missed being high,” Head lulling on your heavy neck as you talked lowly to yourself.

“Morons. They messed up the drug.” “They messed it up!”

“Morons.” “Hey, morons!” “Morons!” All three of you constantly calling them morons, voices yelling and only reaching your ears.

“Oh, no. There’s definitely something wrong with us.” Robin mussed. “Something’s wrong,” All Steve repeated.

The loud buzzing stopped all conversation and giggling. A guard with a gun, grime reaper, and doctor psycho waltz into the room. The doctor had a black bag that he sent on a table before pulling things out one by one, like Mary Poppins. The commander stood in front of Steve like earlier, hands behind his back and stone-faced.

“Am I- Am I getting a lobotomy? Dad always said- said it was a choice. Cause of my- my problem.” Humorless chuckles as that conversation bounced in your cranium. A sigh in defeat.

“Would now be a good time to tell you that I don’t like doctors?” And you can’t decipher if Robin is serious or just joking.

They didn’t play into either of your questions. Just cutting to the chase, “Let’s try this again, yes? Who do you work for?”

“Scoops,” Saying the word like a melody. Steve also restated, “Scoops Ahoy.” And you just laughed.

“How did you find us?” “Question two already?” Blurted from your mouth. “Totally by accident.” All Steve said.

A deep sigh followed by Russian. With hooded eyes, you watched as the doctor grabbed a silver tool and walked toward Steve and Robin. “What is that shiny little toy?” “Where you going with that, doc?” Babbling words.

He grabbed Steve’s hand, “Whoa, whoa, hey, hey. Wait! No! Wait! Wait!”

“There was a code! We heard a code!” Robin yelled over Steve’s panic. The Russians shared a look and the commander walked to Robin’s side. “Code? What code?” And Robin repeated the phrase she translated within a day. “You broadcast that stupid spy shit all over town, and we picked it up on our Cerebro, and we cracked it in a day. A day!”

“Well, really just you.” Babbled to boost Robin’s ego. She continued on her tangent, “You think you’re so smart, but a couple of kids who scoop ice cream for a living cracked your code in a day, and now, people know you’re here.”

“Who knows we are here, little bitch?” His temper was short.

“Uh, well Dustin knows.” Oh. Oh, yeah that’s not good. “Hey, Steve?” “Stevie, don’t-” Both you and Robin tried to get him to stop but he wasn’t picking up any hints. “Yeah, Dustin Henderson, he knows.” “Steve!” Robin yelled. He just laughed, not knowing he just threw a kid under the bus.

“Dustin Henderson.” The Russian repeated, “It is your small, curly-haired friend?”

“How do you know?” Wondering if he was safe was interrupted by Steve, “Oh, curly-haired. Great hair. Small. Kind of like a ‘fro. Yeah.”

“Where is he?” So that answered your question on his safety. He and Erica were safe or- “He’s long gone, you big asshole. And he’s probably calling Hopper, and Hopper’s calling the US cavalry.” Which you suggested should have been step two instead of…what is this? Step eight? “They’re gonna come in here, commando-style, guns a-blazin’, and kick your sorry asses back to Russia. You’re gonna be two pieces of toast.” Steve snickered after letting his tongue roll.

Your eyes tracked how the man crouched down and leaned close to Steve. “Is that so?” Not believing a word from Steve’s mouth. Steve, even drugged, was acting cocky. “Yeah.” The one word brought back the giggles of Robin and Steve as you lay motionless.

Everyone was laughing, two drugged people not fully aware of their surroundings and two dangerous people who don’t give a shit what happens to them. And you’re just watching from the sidelines, high off your ass and strapped down. And fearing for the worse, the sound of that loud blaring alarm went off, forcing all voices to stop and look towards the door.

The commander eyed all three of you before rushing out of the room only leaving the doctor behind. You hoped for backup and not a natural disaster ready to kill you. There were still snickers from Steve or Robin before the door slammed open and a yelling Dustin with a weapon came barreling in. He zapped the doctor in the chest before he fell to the floor unconscious. Three seconds of silence and then Steve cheered, “Hey! Henderson! That’s crazy, I was just talking about you.”

Dustin and Erica were busy untieing Steve and Robin and you were getting antsy. “Get ready to run,” Dustin informed them. “Hello? Help! Please!” Worried they might leave you behind. Erica came to your aid when Robin was freed and stumbling like a baby deer.

“Baby! Oh, baby!” Steve cried for you as he threw his arms over your shoulders. “Gross! Now come on!” Dustin pushed the both of you out of the room. He ran ahead while you held Steve’s hand and pulled him behind you.

-

taglist: @heartyhope / @preciousbabypeter / @dessxoxsworld / @piper3113 / @animiacorn / @burn1ngw00d / @drxwstxrkxy / @m-rae23 / @noisyeggsmoneystatesman / @yournan69 / @thats-s0-ravenn / @ameliabs-world / @mayonesavegana / @gracella0709 / @gengen64 / @alecmores / @choclate32 / @stvrdustalexx / @redheadedfangirl / @agustdeeyaa / @yappydoo / @liberhoe / @hehehehannahthings / @ladybug0095 / @sweeter-innocence-fics / @j-6o / @voteforevilthoughts / @harrysflowercrownrry / @ilovereadingfanfics / @sorrow-has-a-place-here​ / @80strashbag​ / @sunsumonner​ / @sweet1peach / @cierrajhill​ / @we-out- here-simping / @nix-rose-a / @x-theolivia​ / @stylesyourmine / @starkeylover /

*STRIKED MEANS TUMBLR CANT FIND YOU*