#its-a-me thornie mix

[theglassesguyart]

"IT'S-A-HER" TEASER

A gift for my sister.

Music made by: Lunar (AKA DragonTamerFNF)

[strawchocoberry]

TOO LATE

ᯓ★ featuring. michael kaiser x fem reader 

ᯓ★ trigger warning. obsessive stalker ex || content warning. enemies to lovers, angst, smut, nipple play, oral sex, fingering, multiple orgasms, hate fuck, choking, spanking, handjob, orgasm denial, rough sex, dumbification, degradation kink

ᯓ★ synopsis. Fate is cruel. It can bring people together or tear them apart. But the ending is theirs to make.

❝Had your girlfriend at my house for two days

Should be obvious, the reason she stayed with me❞

ᯓ★ word count. 8.3k

⤷ note. originally posted on ao3 on April 20, 2024.

She ran and ran in the middle of this downpour, without any specific destination in mind. The moment she noticed him among the crowd, she turned around and started sprinting towards the opposite direction, wishing that he hadn’t noticed her as well. Her body trembled, not because it was soaked, but because it remembered that night. She couldn’t process for how long she’d been running. She was short on breath and her legs were about to give up, her speed decreasing, until her paces came to a halt. 

He was stressed and exhausted from a long day. All he wanted at the moment was something to help him take his mind off of his concerns and relax. He was driving around aimlessly through the night, the rain droplets splatting on the windscreen and mixing with the music soothed him. But it still wasn’t enough to calm every part of his turbulent mind. He needed something more — something that would allow him to shut his mind off and just give in to the moment. 

And as if the universe had heard both of them, they found themselves in the same club. They were alone and in desperate need of some company. Their eyes met amongst the sea of people separating them. It was a fervent inner desire that brought them together at that moment. When he walked up to her, he didn’t need too much time to convince her to leave with him. It was stupid of her to go along with him, she knew that very well. But something in him pulled her towards him, making it impossible to deny him. 

Entering the hotel room, he kissed her lips, taking his jacket off, then removing hers, before he cupped her cheeks and guided her towards the bed. He lay her down and hovered above her. He removed her shirt and bra, his hands immediately fondling her breasts and picking on her nipples, as he left his marks all over her neck. Grabbing the collar of his shirt, she pulled him back to her lips, whilst turning them over, her now being on top of him. He was surprised, but didn’t really mind; he found it electrifying. 

Ridding him of his shirt, she took a moment to admire the tattoo on his left side. Blue rose tattoos adorned his neck, which turned into intertwined thorny stems that resembled a chain through the entirety of his arm and culminated in a crown with a keyhole on his hand. She ran her fingers along it, mesmerised by its beauty. His eyes were locked on her, noticing how she couldn’t take her eyes off of it. Pushing himself off the mattress, he crushed her lips, averting her attention back to him. 

She pushed him back down and decorated the right side of his neck with her marks. She kissed her way down, taking his pants and boxers off, his hard cock springing free. She stroked him a few times, leaving kitten licks all over and lolling the tip, making him moan. Her lips were sinful, the way they wrapped perfectly around his shaft had him groaning in pleasure. Her tongue swirled around his cock, teasing that one vein in particular, making him reach his orgasm. He pulled himself out of that wicked mouth and stroked himself, ultimately cumming on her exposed titties. 

Grabbing her chin, he brought her lips to his, as he removed her remaining clothes. He rubbed two fingers in her folds, smirking at how wet she already was. Her cunt eagerly welcomed them inside, her throwing her head back, her body arching at his thrusts, as he took his sweet time nibbling on her breasts. She was holding tightly onto his shoulders, as moan after moan escaped her mouth. He smirked at how she creamed around his fingers, when he started stimulating her clit with his thumb. And oh, he loved how she clenched down at him, body shivering, the moment she reached her orgasm. 

As she was on her knees, her legs on either side of his, he took a condom from the pocket of his jeans, opened it with his teeth and slid it down his shaft. Aligning his cock with her hole, he placed his hands on her waist, then slowly pushed her down on him. The stretch of his thick cock made tears well up in her eyes, her breath suddenly caught on her throat. He kissed the tears away, as he slowly rocked her hips against his, his fingers running soothingly through her hair. Before long, craving more of him, she picked up the pace, bouncing now faster, moaning in ecstasy. And when her speed started dropping, he slammed her down on him, driving her to her release, him following a while after. 

It was around 3 am when they both fell back on the bed, their bodies dripping sweat and covered in marks. She told him to take a shower first, as she wanted to rest for a few minutes, not quite feeling her legs. When she walked out of the bathroom, while drying her hair with a towel, he was nowhere to be found. But he had left her a note, saying that she could stay till morning, as he had already taken care of the bill. She lay on the bed, still wearing her bathrobe and felt all the fatigue washing over her, as she fell asleep a few minutes later. 

“This is Y/N Y/L/N, our new assistant manager,” Noel Noa introduced her to his teammates. 

She smiled as each of them greeted her with a handshake. But her smile vanished momentarily as the last player extended his hand to her. 

“I’m Michael Kaiser, Bastard München’s U-20 forward.” 

“Nice to meet you.” She shook his hand smiling. 

He didn’t say anything, only flushed her a smile, which made her gulp, picking up a strange feeling of anger lurking behind it. She could think of why, but they didn’t have the time to discuss anything else, as Noa gathered all the players and informed them of today’s training schedule.

And so, her first day started. Since the team’s affairs were mostly handled by the manager, she as the assistant manager was reduced to minor labour, such as helping the players during their training. During the time she didn’t have anything to do, Y/N went through each player’s individual file, trying to learn more about them in order to better accommodate their needs. 

“What a small world we live in.” 

Y/N jolted surprised, hearing his voice amidst the dead silence. Turning around, she noticed Kaiser leaning against the doorframe of the locker room. He had just come out of the shower, hair dripping water down his abs, wearing only a pair of shorts, arms folded to his chest and blue eyes locked on hers. Curving his lips into a sinister smile, he walked slowly towards her, feasting on the pleasure of seeing her take steps back, until she hit the locker behind her. Kaiser took that chance and trapped her in the corner, catching her chin and forcing her to look at him. 

“You knew who I was, didn’t you?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Bullshit!” he yelled, punching the locker room, inches away from her head.

“I didn’t!” she yelled back, defending herself. “I hadn’t realised until I saw you in the training grounds this morning.”

He sneered at how this woman took him for a fool. 

“You really are something else, aren’t you?” 

Her eyes wandered to his neck, looking at the hickeys she had left the previous night. 

“What do you want?” Y/N asked him. 

“Just admit already that last night was something you had planned.”

“I hadn’t. And quite frankly, I don’t understand the cause of your anger.”

“You used me,” Kaiser stated, voice laced with poison and madness. 

“And so did you,” Y/N countered. “We both consented to this mutual exploitation of each other.”

Irritated that he couldn’t deny her claims, he shut the open locker next to her and left. 

A few months had passed since then. Y/N got along well with all the players, except for Kaiser. Ness would occasionally give her the cold shoulder treatment, but she paid no mind, as she had quickly realised that it was Kaiser’s impact. Throughout the duration of these past few months, Kaiser kept treating her like a third-rate character. He seemed uninterested in her, always talking to her with few words, mostly giving her orders, such as “water” or “towel”. 

“Is Kaiser giving you a hard time?” Noa asked her. 

He took a seat next to her on the pitch, his eyes wandered towards the ongoing match between the rest of the players. Noa had noticed from the beginning that Kaiser wasn’t particularly polite towards her, as if he didn’t want Y/N anywhere near him for some unknown reason. He is well-aware of his nature and so he thought that in time he’d mellow down. But that didn’t seem to be the case. 

“It appears that we’re of different mindsets, that’s all,” Y/N answered, laughing nervously. 

“Would you like me to talk to him?”

“No, it’s fine. Besides, I don’t think he’ll listen to you, at least not on this one,” she replied, biting her bottom lip. “Don’t worry, I will not let my personal feelings interfere with my work.”

Noa sighed, then stood up and she did the same.

The training was reaching its end. Mere seconds before the match was over, Kaiser scored a goal, leading his team to the win. Apparently, the players had made a bet between them and the losing team was going to buy dinner. The winners rushed to the showers happily, while the frustrated losers dragged themselves in. 

“I’ll see you all tomorrow then.” Y/N waved at them. 

“Won’t you come with us?” Erik asked. “Or do you have plans for tonight?”

“I don’t, but would it really be alright if I tagged along?”

“Of course!” Benedict smiled. 

Y/N didn’t have time to raise any possible objections, as Benedict softly pushed her out of the door. The other players followed behind them.

Kaiser, however, paused for a minute, an irritated expression painting his face. Ultimately, he regretted going with them, feeling agitated as he was made to sit next to that stupid woman. He didn’t say much, sitting silently next to her, mostly apathetic, nibbling on his food, looking forward to this farce’s finale.

The others seemed quite interested in Y/N, as they willingly brought her with them and included her in their conversations. 

“So, Y/N, do you have a partner at the moment?” Birkenstock inquired, taking a sip of his drink. 

Suddenly, all eyes were on her, eagerly awaiting for an answer. Kaiser sneakily looked at her from the corner of his narrowed eyes, surprisingly interested as well. For the first time that night, he seemed curious about what she had to say, contrary to how he would roll his eyes indifferently every time he heard her cursed voice. 

“I don’t.” 

“Eh?!” the players exclaimed in shock. 

“Quiet down, you’re bothering the other customers,” Noa scolded them. 

“Is it really that big of a surprise?” she asked. 

“It’s just… Unexpected?” Theo explained. 

“What’s so unexpected about it?” Kaiser questioned, leaning on his hand, elbow on the table, his eyes locking with hers. “Not everyone likes the commitment that comes with a relationship. Some prefer to fool around instead.” 

“You sound like you’d know all about it,” Y/N snarked. 

“I do,” he shamelessly agreed. “It’s quite fun, you know. One moment you just need someone to help you relieve the stress of a long day and the next thing you know is that you have someone in your arms to fuck till you’re satisfied.”

He noticed her gaze narrowing, agitated at his words. And Kaiser loved that gaze more than any other expression he had managed to draw out of her during these past few months. “And you know what the best part is? More often than not, all they need is a little attention from you and they’re practically yours to do as you please.” 

She tried, she really did try her best. She knew he was provoking her on purpose, that he only wanted to irritate her for his own amusement. But Y/N couldn’t stop herself from pouring his drink on him, bathing him slowly, as she looked down on him.

His eyes burnt with fierce fury, looking at her in a threatening manner. Everyone on the table, even in the nearby ones, was frozen, watching this scene unfold. Leaving the empty now glass on the table, she picked up her stuff and left without a word. 

“What the fuck is wrong with her?” Ness cursed at the audacity of that woman, who had dared humiliate the emperor in public. 

“We’ll talk about this later,” Noa warned Kaiser, before rushing after her. 

Y/N was standing outside the restaurant, ready to call for a taxi, when she noticed him coming out. 

“I’m sorry. I screwed up. I know I promised that—”

“Don’t think about that,” he interrupted her. “Are you going home?”

“Yeah, I was going to get a taxi.” 

“Come, I’ll give you a ride. It’s not safe taking a taxi this late on your own.” 

“Thank you.” 

The ride was dipped in silence. Noa was focused on the road, while Y/N had her eyes stuck outside the window. She didn’t know what to say, how to excuse her inexcusable behaviour. And Noa didn’t ask her about it; instead he offered to take her home.

With everything that Kaiser had said back there, she wouldn’t find it surprising if they had all realised the reason behind their constant cold attitude towards each other. She felt stupid for giving in to his provocations and the only thing on her mind was the next day. 

Kaiser walked into his house, dumping the training bag in the living room and making a beeline to the bathroom. He discarded the soaked clothes and looked at himself in the mirror. He hadn’t calmed down at all, still enraged from what happened earlier. Diving into the bathtub, he let the warm water engulf him and relax his exhausted muscles. In his mind, that haughty look in her eyes kept torturing him. He had to do something to put her in her place for that. 

As he walked out of the bathroom, while drying his hair, he heard his phone ringing. He went to check who was calling, only for him to throw it back on the couch, ignoring Noa’s call. Kaiser went to his room and lay on his back on the bed, looking at the ceiling. He was restless and his blood burnt hot like lava. Cursing at himself, he stood up and went through his wardrobe searching for a pair of fresh clothes to wear. 

He could hardly recognise himself. He was acting irrationally. He realised that. And yet there was nothing he could do about it. Kaiser reached her front door and rang the doorbell, impatiently waiting for her to answer. Don’t tell me she’s sleeping, he grimaced. The door opened the next minute. The shocked taken aback look in her eyes fed his bruised ego, as he greeted her smirking. 

“What do you want?” Y/N sternly asked, hiding half her body behind the door. 

“You had some nerve back there, humiliating me like that in front of everyone.” 

“You deserved it.” 

“Is that what you think?”

“Are you here to scold me, because your ego took a hit?”

“I’m here to return the favour.” 

“By vexing me?”

“Correct,” he replied, leaning his face dangerously closer to hers. 

They wanted to hit each other, crash each other’s skulls, fucking kill one another. And yet, those cursed mad gleaming locked gazes of theirs drove them insane. Kaiser couldn’t stop himself as his lips pecked hers, before pulling back, their eyes locking instantly. Y/N came out from behind the door, as she initiated another kiss, this time more intense, more cynical, more aggressive. His arms wrapped around her, him chuckling at her wince as he bit her lower lip, whilst walking into her house, shutting the door behind him. 

“If you don’t push me away now, I’m not going to stop,” Kaiser threatened. “And this time, I won’t be as gentle as last time.”

He was waiting for her response, his lips inches away from hers, curved into a smirk. She kissed him and she hated it; she hated that she wanted him. She was just proving to him that his scornful words were true. And she hated it. Without realising, she was biting down on his lower lip so hard that he had to practically grab her hair and yank her head back. She was panting hard with a satisfied smile on her lips, noticing blood oozing from his lip. 

Kaiser had an enraged expression on his face, behind which his fervour struggled to stay under control. He attacked her neck, leaving bloody bite marks all over, delighted to listen to her whimpers. Y/N managed to push him towards the direction of her bedroom, him harshly throwing her on her bed. He removed his shirt, throwing it on the floor, then hovered above her, his tattooed hand wrapping tightly around her throat, choking her, as he kissed her lips, forcing his tongue in her mouth. 

He tore her clothes apart, slapping her tits, before biting onto one of her nipples, while pinching hard the other. She grabbed a handful of his hair, pulling it roughly, as she held onto his arm, digging her nails on his flesh, scratching him. He thrusted two of his fingers in her drenched cunt, making her arch her back. Her hand grasped his clothed cock, quickly setting it free. She squeezed him painfully in her grip, earning a few groans from him, as she kept stroking him. 

Neither let the other cum, leaving each other frustrated from their pent-up releases. Wearing a condom, he violently penetrated her wet folds, drawing one whiny moan from her. He slammed his hips on hers forcefully and aggressively, taking pleasure in how her face contorted from the painful stretch. She grasped his neck and forced his lips on hers, biting down on his wound, tasting his blood. She then moved to his shoulder, sucking on his skin and leaving bite marks, all while she clawed on his back. 

And when he had enough of that, he manhandled her onto her stomach, pulling her ass up in the air and thrusting himself right back in. His hands were on her waist, holding tightly onto it, slamming her body on his. She was holding tightly onto the bed sheets, her face buried into her pillow to prevent him from seeing her tears. He would slap her ass from time to time and sadistically feast on her muffled whimpers and moans. And when he felt her close to release, he would abruptly decrease the speed of his thrusts, only to vex her even more, even if it meant torturing himself at the same time. 

When everything was over, Kaiser dressed up and left, without so much as taking a peak of her. Leaning back on his seat behind the steering wheel, he cursed at the throbbing pain of her scratches on his back, before driving away. Y/N was just lying there, her heart beating like crazy in her chest. She was drained of energy and without realising it she drifted to sleep with puffy eyes and his marks all over her body, as if a curse mark. 

The next morning, neither Kaiser nor Y/N talked about what had occurred the previous night. They spent their day each minding their business and not interfering with one another.

A few weeks passed since then and the situation hadn’t improved. During training sessions, they continued giving each other the cold treatment, although at a somewhat milder level than before. They usually avoided interacting with one another. It was awkward to say the least.

The rest of the players refrained from bringing up what had happened at the restaurant, but that didn’t make it any less unbearable of a tense atmosphere. Listening to her, Noa didn’t try talking to Kaiser about the situation, he did, however, advised him to keep his head in the game, as the team was currently preparing for an upcoming match. 

“Good morning, everyone!” Y/N greeted them, coming into the field. 

Kaiser only looked at her for mere seconds, but that was enough for him to notice her slightly red, swollen eyes. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, pondering over the reason for her crying. However, that was only for a minute. It had nothing to do with him, so there was no reason for him to mull over it. And yet, he couldn’t help but sneak glances at her all day, especially during break time. Y/N seemed fine while handing over water bottles to the players, but when she was left with nothing to do, her gaze wandered off somewhere, a hint of sadness washing over her face. 

Kaiser thought that he was the last one in the building, apart from the cleaning staff. He was surprised to hear her voice talking on the phone, as he passed by the staff’s locker room, heading to the players’ to change and call it a night. Y/N sounded quite upset, but he couldn’t make up what she was saying, as she spoke in a low voice. Hanging up, Y/N leant against the lockers, clenching her heart on her chest.

Picking up her stuff, she walked out and was shocked to stumble upon Kaiser, who was leaning against the wall outside, his arms folded to his chest. She didn’t say anything, simply turned around and started walking away. His eyes were stuck on her form until she disappeared from his sight of vision. 

The following day, though, Y/N went back to her usual self, as if nothing had happened. Kaiser cursed at himself for that slight moment she had managed to occupy his mind. The irritation at his own self was evident during practice, as his shoots appeared particularly violent, even for him. With their upcoming match right around the corner, the rest of the team regarded that as just the emperor getting fired up and nothing more, throwing themselves in practice and matching his energy. 

“Watch out!” 

Y/N didn’t quite realise what happened. Opening her eyes, she found herself lying on the grass with Kaiser hovering on top of her. As Ness sent a killer pass over to the forward from the defence line, the pass was slightly off, going out of the side lines and was about to crush on Y/N who was passing by, not quite having noticed it. Kaiser noticed the ball’s trajectory before anyone else and pushed her out of the way, resulting in their current position.

It was only for mere seconds, before the rest of the team circled them. Their eyes locked for the first time in days. Y/N could only look at him panting hard from the training. Kaiser couldn’t help but lose himself in her eyes, being reminded of that very first night they met. 

“Are you two okay?” Noa asked, concerned. 

“Yeah,” Kaiser replied, pushing himself off the field. “Let’s continue.” 

The players looked over at Y/N, who smiley reassured them that she was alright. Ness apologised with a remorseful smile, before heading back. Noa offered her his hand, helping her back on her feet. He checked just in case that she wasn’t hurt by the fall, sighing in relief. The game proceeded without any other problems after that. 

“Ness,” Kaiser called for him, as they were changing clothes. 

“Hmm?” he responded, turning over to him, while closing his locker. 

The two were currently the only ones in the locker room. 

“What is it?” Ness asked him, tilting his head to the side. 

It had been stuck in his mind for a while now, eating him away. It was no state secret that Ness was obsessively fond of him within the team. The midfielder had engaged in multiple arguments with the other players solely for the smallest things concerning him. Kaiser didn’t usually mind. From his perspective, Ness was a loyal pawn who would go to any lengths to support his emperor’s goals. And he quite liked that. 

“That pass earlier, it was meant to land on her, wasn’t it?” he questioned, looking him dead in the eyes. 

“It was an accident.” 

“Don’t fuck with me, Ness!” Kaiser yelled, slamming him against the locker. “Listen carefully. Don’t ever do something like that again. Your sole purpose is to help me score goals,” he spat, venom slipping off his tongue. “Nothing more, nothing less.”

Kaiser let go of him and picked up his training bag, heading towards the exit. 

“She’s messing with you!” Ness tried to excuse himself. “And she still hasn’t apologised for the way she treated you that night. Ever since, she scorns you and—”

“Enough!” he cut him off. “Leave her be, Ness. I won’t be asking again.” 

Looking at Kaiser leaving without so much as sparing a look at him, Ness clenched his hands in fists, rage starting building up deep within him. And despite all the horrendous thoughts that flooded his mind, he wasn’t going to do anything. He was hurt, feeling as if he had disappointed Kaiser — and he had. Even if he didn’t agree with him, he was still willing to follow his order, from fear of being discarded. Not to mention that if that woman’s behaviour didn’t affect Kaiser, Ness might as well follow his lead and not let her get on his nerves either. 

Kaiser was heading to his car, when he heard some people arguing a few metres away from him. He paid them no mind and continued on his way.

“I said let go! You’re hurting me!” he heard a female voice screaming.

Turning around, his body reacted before his brain could process the situation. Forcefully separating the two, he pushed the man away, as he placed Y/N behind him. 

“She said stop, arsehole! Didn’t you hear her?”

The man clicked his tongue in annoyance and walked away without a word. Kaiser turned towards Y/N, his eyes widening in shock, seeing her terrified like that, her body trembling uncontrollably and tears falling from her eyes. 

“Hey, look at me,” he spoke softly. “You’re safe now, that bastard is gone. It’s alright now.” 

“K-Kaiser?”

“Yeah, it’s me. It’s okay now.” He gently caressed her cheek. “Do you know who that was?”

“N-No…” 

“Did he do anything to you?”

“He grabbed my arm… And tried to take me away…” 

“Alright.” Picking up her bag that had fallen to her feet, he took her hand in his and looked at her. “Come, I’ll give you a ride.”

Y/N nodded and followed him to his car. The time they spent in the car was peaceful, each of them immersed in their own thoughts. She would occasionally steal a few glances of Kaiser whilst he was driving, still quite shocked that he of all people had bothered to help her. As the car came to a stop outside her house, he turned towards her, their gazes locking. 

“Thank you for helping me.” 

“Mmm…” he nodded. 

“Goodnight.”

“Mmm…” 

She watched him driving away and disappearing from her view, then dragged herself inside her house. Closing the door, she leant against it, letting herself slip down on the floor. Pulling up her sleeves, she looked at the bruised handprints of that man, her eyes tearing up. Y/N took a long bath, scrubbing as best as she could the marks, wanting to erase their existence from her body. Exhausted, she fell asleep, occasionally waking up through the night from dark memories buried deep within her. 

The following day of the incident with the creepy man, Kaiser had checked up on Y/N, asking if she were okay. She wasn’t, her puffy eyes told him everything he needed to know, but he still went along with her obvious lie of everything being fine.

Subtle changes had occurred in their relationship, as they were now less cold towards each other. Interactions were kept to a minimum, yet the atmosphere around them was more relaxed than ever before.

The players were glad by this sudden turn of events, thanking whatever happened to make them calmer. Ness was still looking down on Y/N from time to time, not quite understanding Kaiser’s thinking, however he didn’t pull any similar stunt again. 

And at last, the match was about to happen. The day before, the players headed home immediately after morning practice was over to prepare themselves for tomorrow night’s game.

Kaiser was taking a bath, relaxing both his body and mind, while visualising the outcome of the game. When he was done, he wore his bathrobe and sat on his bed, scrolling through the contacts on his phone. Nobody really piqued his interest.

Except for her.

Without realising, he was already calling her number. It didn’t take her long to reply. She sounded surprised to receive a call for him, late in the evening. 

“What do you want, Kaiser?”

“Come to my house.” 

“Why?”

“I need your help, Ms. Assistant Manager,” he said in a mischievous tone.  

Y/N wasn’t sure why she obliged to his request — more like his order. As the doors of the lift opened, she sighed before stepping out and ringing his doorbell. Kaiser opened the door for her, greeting her inside with one of his usual service smiles. 

“So, what do you want?”

“You.” 

“W-What do you mean?” she asked him, flustered by his stern reply. 

“I mean…” Kaiser wrapped his arm around her, his face leant to her ear, as he whispered, “You.” He pulled back, eyes looking deep in hers, as he caressed her cheek. “To be more precise, I want to have sex with you. It’s more like a charm, it helps me relax the day before a game,” he explained. “Of course, you can refuse. I won’t force you to stay. But if you do decide to stay, I must warn you that we’ll be at it for a while.” 

Kaiser observed her, deep in thought as she was. Her eyes locked with his, her body was set aflame by his soft grip on it. She wished to refuse and walk away. And yet, for some reason, she was drawn to him. It was like that night they met at the club. There was something in him that held a tight grasp on her, like a chain around her neck, like the thorny briars of his tattoo had engulfed her body.

“Alright…” she whispered to his lips, before giving in to her desires. Kaiser smirked, pleased that she had obliged. 

They shared slow-paced, open mouthed kisses, feeling their bodies melt under one another’s touch. He lifted her up in his arms, wrapping her legs around his torso, as he relocated them to his bedroom. He threw her on the bed and hovered above her, attacking her lips, as he started undressing her. He held her as a delicate doll, yet he marked her as a whore. His cock hardened by those little whimpers of hers that escaped her lips every time he bit her.

Her body jolted at the fat stride he licked on her drenched folds. His lips sucked her clit, whilst he simultaneously thrusted two fingers in her wet cunt, curling them up, only to feast his eyes in her head falling back on the pillow, her back arching to his touch, her moans blessing his ears, as her body trembled, reaching her release. 

She pulled his hair, making him hiss, as she brought him to her, then kissed his lips. She gasped, as his tattooed hand choked her throat, him finding the chance to bite her bottom lip. He picked her up, as he sat on the edge of the bed, placing her down in-between his spread legs. Untying his robe, she stroked his cock, as she worshipped it with her lips. His breath hitched, letting out a breathless moan, grabbing a handful of her hair, whilst feeling her lips sending waves of pleasure throughout his body, ultimately leading to his climax. 

He grabbed her chin, bringing her to him and crushing his lips on hers, as she rolled down a condom on his cock. She slowly went down, feeling him stretching her oh so perfectly as ever. She was holding onto his shoulders, as she bounced on his cock, clenching around him, making him lose his grip on reality. His tattooed hand choked her neck, as he sucked on the soft skin of her breasts, his other hand slamming her hips down on his. He slapped her ass, smirking at how she threw her head back, moaning his name in pleasure. 

Lying her down on her stomach, he ridded himself of his robe, then slightly lifted her hips, as he positioned himself in-between her spread legs, thrusting hard and deep inside her cunt, forcing the air out of her lungs.

“Kaiser… More… Please…” she begged him.

He leant down, kissing her shoulder, his tattooed hand wrapping around her neck, turning her face towards his. His thrusts were violent and forceful, penetrating her and hitting all the perfect spots, making her mind go blank. 

“Is this what you want? For me to treat you like a whore?” he mocked her, voice dripping with menace. “Look at you, creaming on my cock, moaning my name.” He thrusted with each point he made. “I bet that’s what you have been dreaming since the last time I fucked you, hmm?” he taunted, kissing some of her tears. 

She couldn’t answer him, as she held tightly onto the bed sheets, feeling herself cum all over his cock. He couldn’t help but get riled up, thrusting aggressively in her, barely holding himself back from his own orgasm. He fucked her through her orgasm, then rolled her on her back, caressing her tear-stained cheek, whispering “Beautiful…” He ravaged her poor little cunt time after time, until he was satisfied. 

Waking up in the morning, a soft smile was curved on his lips, looking at her sleeping peacefully in his embrace, her head on top of his chest. Kaiser took a moment to take in her relaxed features as she was asleep, running his fingers through her hair. Kissing her forehead, he silently left the bed and went on with his morning routine of conversing with himself naked before his mirror, then he wore some clothes, before grabbing his phone to go for a light jog. When he returned, he found Y/N still sleeping. Kaiser had a shower, before settling himself next to her, kissing her bare neck and shoulder, urging her to wake up. 

“You sure like to sleep a lot, don’t you?”

“I-I was just exhausted, that’s all.” 

“Mmm…” he murmured, kissing her forehead. 

“Whose fault do you think that is?” she questioned, hitting his shoulder. 

Kaiser laughed, as he handed her over her clothes.

Y/N rolled her eyes, dressed up, then stood up to get to the kitchen, since her stomach was rumbling in complaint. Her legs hurt quite a bit from last night’s vigorous events, resulting in her partially losing her balance, before he picked her up in his arms and moved the two of them to the kitchen.

They had breakfast in peace, talking about minor stuff, acting like lovers. It feels nice, they both thought, but refrained from sharing with one another. If she were honest, this was the first time in days that Y/N had felt this serene. 

“If we win the match, will you spend the night with me again?” Kaiser asked, wrapping his arms around her body, pulling her closer. 

“Only if you win,” Y/N promised. 

He kissed her lips for good luck and ran after the other players on the field.

The match was intense, as both teams were strong. Currently, the score was 2 - 2, only a few seconds remained till the end of the game. All the spectators were sitting on the edge of their seats, anxiously watching the outcome.

Her eyes were stuck on him, following him as he evaded the strong defence line of his opponents. Two of the enemy defenders ganged up on him in an attempt to intercept his goal. Kaiser avoided them and shot the ball above his head, resulting in Bastard München’s win. 

And as she had promised, she let him have his reward for his win. It was maddening. The way he touched her, setting her body aflame, had her standing on the edge of insanity; one step and she was gone. He devoured her like a hungry beast, taking pleasure in breaking her into million pieces like a porcelain doll, only to put all her pieces back together and ruin her all over again and again. He listened to every moan of his name coming out of her parted lips, looked into those teary eyes and oh fuck felt her velvet walls tightening around him, driving him to his orgasm. 

“Are you writing again?” Kaiser asked, leaning down to kiss her neck. 

“Yeah,” Y/N responded, smashing the keyboard, as she was in her writer’s flow. “Hey!” she yelled, as he picked her up. 

He laughed, sitting down on the chair and placing her on his lap, wrapping his arms around her. “Hmm, let me see. I’m really curious about what happens next.” Kaiser was intrigued to read the text on the laptop’s screen. He had accidentally stumbled upon her writing her novel and read it at first out of curiosity. The way she wrote captivated him, leaving him hungry for more. That’s how they spent most of their days for the next two months. 

“Y/N’s late,” Benedict pointed. “Do you think something happened to her?”

“Kaiser, did she tell you anything about it?” Theo asked him. 

“No,” he replied.

Recalling the previous night, Kaiser couldn’t remember her telling him anything about not coming to work today. They spent their time tangled up in-between her bed sheets, until he got called and had to leave. He texted her late at night and she replied to him, yet she still didn’t mention anything. 

“Y/N won’t be coming to work for a while,” Noa, who had just entered the training field, informed them. “The manager just informed me.” 

Everyone was confused at this sudden announcement, most of all Kaiser. He called her a couple times during breaks, but Y/N never picked up or called him back. He was getting worried about her disappearance. He even stopped by her house on his way back to his, but she wasn’t there. 

Kaiser: Just tell me you’re okay, that’s all I’m asking.

His face lit up when Kaiser noticed her text next morning.

Y/N: I’m fine. I have a few things to take care of and I’ll be right back.

He sighed relieved and went about his day, worrying less now that he knew she was alright. 

Nonetheless, Y/N remained out of sight for at least a month. She didn’t contact him after that one text message and no matter what time he passed by, she was never at her house. Kaiser thought that he might have done something that displeased her. But then again, she would have confronted him already or they would have gone back to their hostile days. This time, she was even taking time off work as well, which complicated things. 

Kaiser was near her house, taking some strolls around in hopes of bumping into her. Spotting her amidst the chaos of people, he went after her, calling her name. Seeing him running towards her, Y/N dropped the bags from the supermarket and ran away as fast as she could, hoping that he didn’t manage to catch up to her.

Kaiser was left looking at her running off, then averted his gaze towards the bags on the ground. It was only for a split second, but he swore she was terrified to see him there. Picking up the bags, he took them to her doorstep and rang the bell. 

“If you don’t want to see me, just fucking say it and I’ll leave you alone!” he cursed. 

From inside the house, Y/N heard his footsteps getting further and further away, tears running down her eyes, muffled cries escaping her lips. The man holding her against the door started laughing like a maniac, her body trembled at its horrifying sound. His body pressured hers against the door, disgusting her, making her feel sick. He kissed her neck, taking pleasure in how she squirmed to his touch. 

“He’s loyal, I’ll give you that.” He laughed. “Good job coming back to me. You could have run with him, but you didn’t. I’m really proud of you.” He kissed her cheek. 

“M-Mark, can you handle lunch today?” she asked him. “I want to rest a little.” 

“Yes, everything for you, my dear. Do you need me to bring you anything?”

“No, I’m fine, thanks.” 

Shutting the door of her bedroom, she lay on her bed, burying her head on the pillow and crying. Mark Veidt is her ex-boyfriend, with whom she broke up about a year ago. Mark was obsessed with her, to the point he needed to control every aspect of her everyday life. He separated her from her loved ones, locking her up in his house and keeping her to himself, as nobody else was “worthy” of being in her presence. Y/N managed to take his phone from him, as he had taken hers away, immediately calling the police who arrived at the scene of Mark beating her up and took him away. She never saw him again. 

Everything changed the night he was lying in wait for her to come out of the team’s training building. He attacked her, trying to take her by force with him, but Kaiser interfered. He didn’t know it, but that was the second time he had saved her from him, the first being the night they met.

Mark stayed quiet for a while, stalking her and collecting information on her new lover. He was inside her house, going through her worn clothes, engulfing himself in her scent that he had so dearly missed. Hearing the front door opening and people chatting, Mark hid himself inside her wardrobe, leaving it slightly open to peek outside. 

“K-Kaiser, wait—” 

“No, can’t do.” He crushed his lips on hers, his hands roaming her body. “I need you.” 

Kaiser threw her on the bed, hovering above her. Her moans filled his ears, as Mark watched her getting railed by another man. He couldn’t comprehend it. That filthy man was defiling her body, treating her as a mere fuck toy, making her cry and scream.

And yet she was looking at him with lustful eyes, begging him for more of his cruelty. This was a side of hers that he had never seen before. When Y/N was in his arms, he treated her body with utmost respect, for she was his goddess whom he worshipped wholeheartedly. Even so, she had never looked at him the way she looked at that man. 

As he was cutting vegetables for the salad, Mark accidentally cut his finger. He couldn’t believe that the man he loathed would go as far as to come all the way to her house. He had passed quite a few times, but Mark thought that he was simply pissed that his little bitch was ignoring him. He would get over it; or that’s what he wanted to believe. After today he was sure that man would never approach his beloved again.

He and Y/N had lunch together, then put on a movie to watch, while cuddling on the couch. She was trembling in his embrace and Mark thought that it was because of the horror movie he had picked. He hadn’t realised that he was the real reason she was feeling scared. 

From that day, Kaiser didn’t try to reach out to her again. He was angry, angry at her, angry at himself for letting her toy with him. He loathed those feelings he had for her from the beginning. The only reason he gave in was to stop the bleeding in his heart. He never imagined falling this hard, but he had.

And now that she was constantly on his mind, he was in a foul mood almost all the time. Whenever the rest of his teammates asked him about her, he would reply with “don’t know, don’t care” and immediately throw himself at practice. He always kept his mind occupied so as not to think of her. 

“I didn’t know where else to go…” 

Kaiser tried to turn her down, but that heartbreaking state she was in didn’t allow him. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her inside his house harshly. Throwing her on the floor, he looked down at her, his gaze burning with fierce fury. The woman before him was the one who had arbitrarily stolen his heart and broke it one day for a reason unknown to him. And yet that heart of his bled, seeing her breaking down in front of him. But he knew he had to stand strong and not let her affect him. 

“If you came here to cry, do me a favour and leave,” he spat venomously. “I don’t have time for your bullshit anymore.” 

“I know…” she cried. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Kaiser…”

He clicked his tongue, irritated by her cries and slammed her on the wall. His eyes shot daggers at her, daggers dipped in poison, hoping to kill her and with her have his feelings die as well. 

“Haven’t you had enough fun toying with me? What else do you need?” he yelled, his hold on her shoulders tightening. 

A sorrowful cry escaped her lips, as Y/N slipped through his hands down to the floor. She was trembling, she was terrified. Kaiser had never seen her like that. No, he had, that one time. Kneeling before her, he noticed a bruise faintly popping out of her shirt. Taking her shirt off, his eyes widened, looking at the numerous bruises on her body. 

“Who did this to you?” Kaiser asked, barely able to keep his rage in check. 

Y/N explained to him what had happened and he listened to her words carefully, his face derived from all emotions. He couldn’t possibly control the situation, but he wished he could. Her crying her heart out in his chest broke him. He kissed her lips softly, tasting her salty tears and pain.

She begged him to make her forget, if only for a minute and he obliged to her request without a second thought. He touched her body as lightly as a feather, for fear that he might hurt her more. Two days; Kaiser spent the next two days indulging in her every desire, no matter how small or stupid it might have been. 

“Are you sure you want to come as well?” Kaiser asked her, his hand giving a small squeeze to her thigh. 

“Yeah… It’s my problem to begin with.” 

“Stay next to me at all times.” 

The two exited his car and walked to the door of her house. Y/N took a deep breath before opening the door and walking inside. Mark practically ran to the front door from her bedroom, tears running down his cheeks. His face lit up when he saw her, but only for a moment, as he became alert due to Kaiser’s presence that separated the two. 

“If you wanted to go see him, you didn’t have to run away. You could have simply asked.”

“Would you have let me go if I had?”

“No,” Mark replied, his hands turning into fists. “I’ve seen how he treats you. He’s a beast! He doesn’t care about you! He treats you like a common slut! But you’re not. You’re a goddess! The most beautiful goddess that has descended on earth!” 

“Mark, leave.” 

“Do you really wish to stay with him instead of me? Why? What does he have that I don’t?” he yelled frustrated.

“He makes me feel safe. And he never hit me or did anything that I didn’t want.” 

“Can’t you see that he’s using you?” Mark desperately yelled. “He wants to separate us!” 

“Shut up, already!” Y/N yelled. “He has nothing to do with it. I broke up with you a year ago, because of how you treated me. You cannot make me happy. You cannot love me.” 

“Lies! I—”

The door of her house burst open and policemen rushed inside. They immobilised Mark and handcuffed him, as he tried to break free, cursing at them, cursing at the man who stole his lover, cursing at his “goddess”. Kaiser approached him and looked down on him with his cold eyes, watching him gritting his teeth at him, trying in vain to release himself from the handcuffs and attack him. Who’s the real beast between us? he wondered. 

“She spent the past two days at my house. It should be obvious why,” Kaiser taunted him. 

The policemen took Mark away, as he threw insults at Kaiser, who went by Y/N’s side, wrapping his arm around her, kissing the top of her head. The nightmare was finally over. She had never thought that she’d ever be free of him. She didn’t even believe that she’d be able to love anyone again. But she was glad that Kaiser proved her wrong.

© strawchocoberry — do not copy, repost, translate or reuse my work

[bright-side20]

Little Things

This soft scene between Elain and Azriel (before the BC) is inspired by a poem called Little Things by Nizar Qabbani.

Azriel had been avoiding Elain for days now, keeping his distance to avoid the tension growing between them whenever they were near each other. He had convinced himself that it was for the best, that maintaining that space would help him keep control over his feelings towards her.

But when she invited him to tour the garden she had built at the townhouse, he couldn’t bring himself to say no. Maybe it was the softness in her voice when she asked, or the way her eyes lit up when she talked about the flowers she had cultivated with such care. Or maybe it was simply because being near her was something he could never truly resist.

They walked side by side, close enough that her hand occasionally brushed against his. Every touch sent a jolt through him, and he had to fight the urge to take her hand in his, to give in to the pull that had been growing stronger with each passing day. He remembered all the times she had taken his hand before, how natural it had felt, how right. But now, he forced himself to keep his distance, even though every part of him ached to be closer.

Elain led him down a winding path lined with fragrant flowers and lush greenery, her golden-brown hair gleaming under the sunlight. Her voice was light and cheerful as she pointed out different plants, sharing little stories about how she had nurtured each one. The rose bushes, stubborn and thorny, the ivy that kept climbing even when she cut it off. Azriel tried to focus on her words, but his mind kept drifting back to the feel of her hand brushing against his, to the memory of his hand wrapping hers.

He kept glancing at her, the soft curves of her body tempting him more than they should. Her dress clung to her in all the right places, her hair curls gently caressing her waist whenever she moves and when she bent down to touch a flower, he caught a glimpse of her neckline, the smooth skin there, and it nearly undid him,thinking of how it would feel to touch her, to pull her against him and press his lips to her throat, to feel her melt into him.

As they rounded a corner, he noticed them... the moonflowers. Their pale buds were tightly closed, waiting for nightfall to bloom. The sight of them brought back the memory of the last Solstice when Elain had brought him a gift, when he spent the rest of the night listening to her gardening plans, when he became sure that whatever had been growing between them wasn’t just friendship anymore.

He pointed to the flowers, his voice a bit softer as he said, “The moonflowers… You said they’d make the garden beautiful, even at night.”

Elain looked up at him, surprise flickering in her eyes. “You remember that?”

Azriel nodded, his gaze softening as he studied her. “I do. You talked about planting them during Solstice.”

She looked at him, her brows knitting together in thought. “I talked so much about the garden that night, I’m surprised you didn’t fall asleep.”

A soft chuckle escaped him. “I couldn’t. You described it so vividly, I could almost see it, the moonflowers glowing under the stars, the garden alive even when the rest of the world is quiet. It stuck with me.”

She blinked, caught off guard by his recollection. “I didn’t think you would remember such detail . It was just an idea… a way to make the garden special, no matter the time of day.”

“It’s more than an idea,” Azriel said. “It’s a reflection of you. How you see the world… even in the darkness, you find beauty.”

Elain’s cheeks flushed, and she glanced down at the flowers around them, her fingers brushing against a delicate bloom. “You should come and see the garden at night. It really looks so beautiful with the little jasmines spreading their aroma through the garden. I love its scent.”

Azriel nodded, wondering if she knows that she literally smells like jasmine, mixed with a hint of something sweet and intoxicating, something that made his blood thrum in his veins. He swallowed hard, keeping himself from telling her that he loved how her scent filled his lungs, how he wished he could bury his face in her neck, inhaling her, his tongue slowly tracing her throat, tasting her... His gaze trailed down her throat, the soft column of skin there, and he realized he had been staring too long. Elain noticed too, the blush that crept up her cheeks was now also coloring the delicate skin of her chest, and it made his restraint waver.

For a moment, they just looked at each other. Elain’s brown eyes held his, deep and warm like the velvety earth after a fresh rain. Then, she reached out and took his arm. The touch was gentle, but it sent a shockwave through him, his pulse quickening as her fingers curled around his forearm. Even through his Illyrian leathers, he could feel her warmth, a heat that seemed to sink into his skin and spread through his body. How such a simple touch could affect him so deeply, he wondered.

It felt like she was asking for more, like she wanted him closer. He wanted to slide his hands down her back, feel the curve of her waist beneath his palms, press her against him until there was no space left between them. But he fought it, fought the overwhelming urge to give in to the hunger that had been simmering for so long. He couldn’t... shouldn’t, but she made it so hard to remember why.

As they continued walking, Azriel’s mind was a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts, each one more dangerous than the last, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull away from her touch. Not when it felt so right, so necessary.

As they neared the end of the garden path, Elain finally broke the silence. “Will you come to the family dinner tonight?” she asked, her voice hesitant. “It’s been a while since we’ve all been together.”

Azriel opened his mouth to say yes, the word almost slipping out before he remembered. Lucien. Her mate. He would be there. The thought hit him like a punch to the gut, reminding him of all the reasons he had been keeping his distance in the first place.

He hesitated, searching for an excuse. " I have some work I need to finish,” he said, his voice a little too stiff. “Reports to go over, a mission to plan. I don’t think I’ll make it.”

Elain’s face fell slightly, she knew exactly why he was avoiding her, why he made excuses, but she quickly masked it with a small smile. “Of course, I understand."

They stood in silence for a moment. Elain’s hand still rested on his arm, her touch warm and comforting, and for a brief moment, he allowed himself to savor it. To imagine what it would be like if things were different, if he could be with her the way he wanted to. How he craved these soft moments with her. Maybe she could rest her head on his shoulder, and he could wrap his arms around her, pulling her close, letting his hand play with her curls while they waited for dusk to watch from her garden. Maybe they could share some secret moments here…

But then reality tugged him back, reminding him of the boundaries he had set. He couldn't let himself be swept away by these desires, not now, not with everything at stake. He gently pulled his arm away, though he lingered a moment longer, letting his fingers brush against hers.

“Thank you for the tour,” he said quietly. “The garden turned out exactly as you had planned, it’s so beautiful.”

She nodded, her smile bittersweet. “Thank you. I’m glad you could see it.”

With that, he spread his wings before her. “Would you like me to fly you to the River House?” Her large brown eyes were staring at his wings, her mouth slightly open. He liked how she always seemed mesmerized by them, somehow, it sent a sense of pride through him. She swallowed, finally glancing back at his eyes. “I still have to visit a Fae garden nearby, thank you for the offer,” she said, smiling at him.

He smiled back at her, then launched himself into the sky, his wings cutting through the air as his heart twisted painfully. Leaving her behind always felt like losing something precious, like parting with a piece of his soul. Yet, amidst the ache, there was solace, he had created another memory with her, a fleeting moment to treasure. These small fragments of time, delicate as they were, would sustain him through the long, empty nights. He would hold on to them, these little details, nourishing himself on the echoes of her presence for months, perhaps even years...

[noctxj]

the reaper | part i

as far back as human memory can recall, the origin of flower marks remains unknown. if perhaps they came during or after the birth of humanity, or are benevolent gifts from the gods to aid ones navigation in life— milestones to remember and learn from, a north point on a compass lest you stray from your path. regardless, they have always been. and while flower marks remain an important aspect of ones journey, there is none other more significant than the soul flower mark. wherein the moment someone is born, this mark blooms above ones heart, as it is considered a pure reflection of who that person is and will be

˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚. ˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚. ˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚. ˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.

so it was no wonder that during a gloomy winter evening, stricken screams of hysteria and the shrill wailings of a newborn baby echoed off the walls of the cold estate in a coalescing manner. the head midwife having no choice but to hurriedly pass the tiny squirming bundle to a reluctant nurse and focus on trying to placate the madam’s delirium— 

"that is no child of mine! keep that accursed child away from me! nurse--!" 

flower marks are a language all on its own, one that humans do not need to learn. rather, it is an inbuilt knowledge and understanding. and in the case for this newborn child, their soul flower mark had already predetermined their fate as forsaken.

as amidst the turbulent mess of bloodied towels and blankets, death had just been born. 

⋆.✧̣̇˚.

initially mesmerising in its opulent visage, its only when the mind catches up and registers its meaning that its beauty is quickly replaced with fear and alarm. 

a blooming grandiflora rose of black petals mixed with subtle hues of reds and haunting purples rests above the girls heart, with bramble-like stems arching up across her frail collarbones to ensure it is there to stay.

a black rose, promising the bearer as the omen of death.

⋆.✧̣̇˚.

even at such a young age, the cruelty of fate had already determined that little flora would not be given mercy or reprieve from the reality that is her cursed existence. a forsaken trail of purple anemones had lightly entangled itself amongst the thorny stems of her soul flower, almost as if to placate its loneliness. 

a swath of lilies of the valley sprawl from her left shoulder over and down her shoulder blade, the burning trail of pain and suffering almost numb to her senses. 

and then upon the delicate skin of her left wrist lay a singular bloom— a moonflower, reflecting little flora’s most earnest thoughts, dreaming of love from her own mother.

all these marks permanently etching themselves into little flora’s skin before her third birthday.

⋆.✧̣̇˚.

despite living under the same roof as her mother, rarely did little flora see her; instead following in her late grandfathers footsteps as a ruthless businesswoman, silver spoon in her mouth and all. instead she herself was always surrounded by staff always heeding to her mother’s orders, to "always have that child within your sights", with an ever rotating door of tutors and nannies.

“madam, miss flora is an intellectually gifted child, it is quite remarkable! she has just—", 

"… so?" her mother had sharply interrupted, “a high level of intelligence is a common trait within this family. i expect you to provide the girl with more difficult material to not only accomplish but also excel in; anything less than perfect and dare i say failure to meet my— this family's standards, will not be tolerated. or are you stating that you are not competent enough to fulfil your tutor roles' duties and responsibilities?"

"i— no— my apologies madam, of course there is no problem. if you would allow me, i have colleagues who would be thrilled to assist in miss flora’s academic—"

"do as you please. now, i have an important meeting with a gentlemen flying in from st. petersburg. a mr. z it appears… the estate staff will assist with your queries about the girl. so do refrain from contacting me any further-"

so as determined as a young child her age could be, she promised she'd keep being good to strive for her mothers praise, be an obedient and perfect daughter that her mother would realise is worthy to be loved— despite her soul flower.

“a curse that should never be shown to anyone lest she receive punishment,” her mother would often remind her.

a punishment that envelopes the expanse of her back as raised scars. milestones just as permanent as her flower marks. more lilies of the valley creeping down her back. 

⋆.✧̣̇˚.

little flora never knew who her father was, had asked her mother once and received a harsh slap across her cheek, her small body whipping to the carpeted floor from the force. 

the silent burning of nightshade on her right pointer finger ironically mocking the hush motion.

she never cared to ask again. 

⋆.✧̣̇˚.

little flora remembers the day she believed her mother had finally saw value in loving her. barely eight years old and still holding onto that naive hope— and she foolishly believed she finally did.

waking up early in the morning as per her routine, only to see her mother sitting in the chair beside her bed, happiness written across her usually severe expression, looking at little flora herself. blinking once— twice— then rubbing her hands across her eyes to make sure what she is seeing is real and not a dream.

“good morning flora,” what is going on— “you and i have an agenda for today, so please come downstairs for breakfast once you’re ready.”

is today the day? did she finally do it? is her mother finally learning to love her—

“as it is a special occasion, i’ve taken the liberty of selecting your attire. now, off you go to wash up.”

little flora had been ecstatic, her heart thrumming like a hummingbird out of excitement to prove that her mother would not regret placing value on her. 

⋆.✧̣̇˚.

little flora’s only ever seen her mother’s soul flower once, only by chance of course. her evening robe slightly loose across her shoulders, her motions lax from the glass of wine she was nursing— a far cry from her usually sharp and elegant appearance. 

a beautifully victorious gladiolus cradled upon her chest. she envied it, a blessing to be born with. unlike herself. however, it wasn’t until later that she understood why her mother despised her existence so much.

as victory and death are eternal enemies— always on opposing sides. 

⋆.✧̣̇˚.

“it is the perfect place for you to grow in flora, a place for you to finally thrive in,” her mother’s words had echoed in flora’s ears.

she doesn’t know how long ago that was.

she didn’t even feel alive.

flora’s small body strapped down to a cold metal table, no longer wearing the attire her mother had especially picked out for her. instead wearing a customised medical gown, allowing an unobstructed view of her accursed soul flower mark to the blurry shapes her dull gaze had tried to focus on.

the harsh clinical smell of the room burning her nose, and the glaring overhead lights further disorienting her senses. flora couldn’t move her head if she tried, a strap also tightly bound across her forehead attached to the metal table. 

what is this place? why would mother send me here? this is wrong, they must of got it wrong, i shouldn’t be here, i—

flora could feel the burning of a new mark directly below her soul flower. almost the same in size she guesses, if only she could move her head.

the agonising pain of a broken heart flourishing as a vibrant yellow rose.

˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚. ˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚. ˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚. ˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.✦ . ˳

tric’s notes

this highkey spawned from my hanahaki disease fic. flower meanings/symbolism was a bit difficult to grasp (ie. countries, cultures, time periods), so don't take this too seriously lol. 

i was hoping to make this a oneshot but it just kept going ugh. this is unedited. part ii may be more backstory, part iii the boys will appear (no promises though, just a rough idea).

i recommend listening to “my flower” by ladies code. it’s a korean song but i think it matches the mood of this piece - so i encourage listening to it.

thanks for stopping by!! ♡︎

crossposted on ao3 (same username)

[just-some-random-blogger]

Ceilings

Joel Miller x Reader

Summary: There's a variant of the virus that no one talks about. It's more contagious and vicious, yet its symptoms only express in a few. They say everyone is affected by it already, it's just that others aren't stupid enough to wait for it to spread before speaking about it, and others aren't so weak-willed and feeble.

Word Count: 3k+

Warnings: Fem!reader, hanahaki disease, angst, typos, etc.

A/N: LISTEN UP SIMPS YOU HAVE TO READ THIS WHILE LISTENING TO CEILINGS BY LIZZY MCALPINE ON REPEAT OR ELSE Tagging: @multifandom-fangirl4 @pinksirensong @aralezinspace @sloanexx

He sighs and scrunches his face up. He rolls atop of me and nuzzles his face into my neck. I look down at him and coil my fingers into his dark hair as he throws his leg over me. His stubble brushes against my skin. His hot breath burns my collar bone. I smile at Joel and how he pulls me in close.

His fingers dig into my sides as I turn to the book in my other hand. My eyes scan the man in my arms before I read the words on the paper.

"You're so far away," Joel mutters.

I knit my brows. I turn back to him and brush his hair back.

He rubs his nose against me.

I mutter, "I'm right here."

He kisses my skin, "not close enough."

I feel my lips press into a soft smile as I bring the hand holding my book down to my belly, by Joel's arm.

Those were the words in my story.

I lift my head up and press a kiss on his hair, "this is the closest I can get, bud."

Upon hearing this, Joel brings his heavy eyes open then cranes his face up to me. A line forms between his brows. His mustache twitches. I hold back a chuckle.

"Nah," he breathes out, shifting on his knees, bringing his legs between mine. His hand takes my book and drops it by the side of the bed we were laid on. He grabs at he waistband of my pants, "I can fix that."

I sigh.

I shut my eyes.

Except he doesn't fix it. I open my eyes, look up at the ceiling, and stare at the mold and fungus in the corner of the room. Then I rub my hands on my thigh, remembering I'm alone and he's not here.

I chew on my lip as my other hand dangles on the edge of the bed.

I could fix it.

I push myself up and look around the empty room.

But it wouldn't be the same.

And I'd be even lonelier by the end of that session.

I grunt as I get off the bed. I suck in a breath. I was meant to exhale deeply, but it comes out as a violent cough.

I try to hold it back. I can't. It had taken me too off-guard. I bark out my lungs and clutch my chest. My air gives out. My throat becomes hoarse and my head begins to pound.

I cover my mouth with the back of my hand. I feel phlegm sputter onto my skin.

When I finally have a chance to catch my breath, I pull my hand away and feel my hand shake at the blot of red facing me.

"Fuck," I mutter, "please no."

It's getting worse.

It's been getting worse.

I wipe the liquid on my jeans and stand, heading for the door.

I should've told Joel. Fuck, I should have told Joel before he left.

I grit my teeth and place my hands on my hips.

I'll tell him a few days after he's come back.

Yeah.

That sounds like a good idea.

Well, I tell you it wasn't, wasn't a good idea.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and well, being apart from him, merely imagining him being around me was shoving me into obscene delusion. Not only that, but my chest was tighter and my coughs were less intermittent and more frequent.

I could feel this blasted disease in my lungs rip up at me with thorny vines.

Dear fuck, Joel would hate me after I tell him. He'd hate me so much.

But at least it was pretty.

Fuck, that's macabre.

I suck in a breath. No, yeah, at least I coughed up flowers and not fucking fungus.

I licked my lips as I looked out of the window.

The morning sunshine was cascading on Joel's skin. The spring breeze, mixed still with some snips of winter, caressed his body in a way I could only dream of doing.

I suck in a breath and bite my lip tightly as I look down at my diary, feeling a cough threaten to spill out of me.

I even my breathing as I grab my silver pen; it was one of those really expensive ones that cost a lot of money to buy. Whoever bought it way back when must have got their money's worth, cause even after years of the outbreak, it was still writing.

I tense and look out of the window when I hear my name get called out. It was Ellie, beaming ear to ear, waving at me. Joel beside her turned as well, halting his shoveling. I raised my hand, smiled, and waved back.

Ellie turns to Joel and mutters something. Joel turns to her, then shakes his head before continuing to dig up the ground.

I gulp arduously as I feel another cough rise up my throat, begging to be released. I shudder and turn to my dairy, clutching my pen tightly as my other hand covers my lips.

Then it escapes me. It comes out violently, wholly against my will. I am unable to contain the racking of my ribs as I break out into a loud splutter. I am not quick enough to cover my mouth fully, so it splats out onto my diary. I muffle myself with the bend of my elbow and look down to my page.

Today's entry was now vandalized by spit, blood, and a blush pink petal.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," I heave.

They said the darker the petals, the harder it'd be to get rid of it. I suck in a breath. It's fine... I have... I have time.

I wonder if I should just inhale a can of bug spray.

Tch, where'd I even find one?

When I pull my arm away from me, I look at the moist red mark I left on my skin and wipe it off. I clench my jaw and grab my things and leave the diner.

The remnants of winter manifested as sleet on the ground. It made for a slippery path, which would render me flat on the dirt on my way back to my home.

Splat n crash.

Sometimes I wish Ellie wasn't so thoughtful. I wish she'd let me grab my diary and push myself off the ground in peace while I basked in my embarrassment. She screamed out my name and ran over to me. Her dad came following.

"Dude!" Ellie calls as she comes over to me in a rush. She picks me up and I shove off the dirt on my shoulder. She speaks, "you fucking faceplanted."

"Ellie," Joel scolds as he helps me get up as well.

I turn to her, "yeah, thanks a l-" I rack up another cough that hinders my next words. I clutch my diary to my chest and grip it tightly.

I feel the both of them look out with worry. I immediately get defensive and wave my hands up, "allergies."

Ellie makes a face.

I continue to cough into my shoulder and think of how badly I just want to die in this moment. I feel a bunch of petals come into my mouth. I cover my face with my hands, pressing my diary between my arm.

"Hey- uh- I'll go get water!" Ellie says in a panic and begins to run off.

Before I could even stop her, she's already on her way.

When I finally stop, I catch Joel as he tilts his head and places his hands on his hips, "allergies?"

I lick my lips and chew at the petals in my mouth. I steal a look on my shoulder, sighing relief when I don't see any visible red on it.

I turn to Joel as he looks at me in concern. I swallow the rinds of petals then sigh, "actually, Joel, uh... there's been something I've been meaning to tell you."

Joel perks. He straightens up at that then nods his head.

I rub my lips with my knuckles then take a deep breath.

When I hesitate too long, Joel urges me, "you can tell me anything."

I turn to my feet then up at him, offering a smile. No, I can't. I lick my lips and suck in a breath. I fidget with the object in my hand, "I think about you a lot Joel."

A breeze passes us.

Joel looks at me blankly.

I release a shudder. I feel a shiver run down my spine. I look off to nowhere, "I think about being with you and brushing your hair back and holding you close."

He doesn't respond. I look back at him.

Dread bites at me as I watch him clench his jaw.

"I know it's... stupid of me," I mutter, shaking my head, "but-" I gulp as I feel another cough rip at me. I do everything in my power to suppress it and I let out a sigh of relief when I manage it, "I had to get it out of my system."

Joel crosses his arms as he looks out to the side. He nods.

I feel a tightening in my chest. I feel a pit in my stomach.

"Listen," he turns back, "you're a sweet girl, but it's better that we don't," his arms bulge behind his flannel, "I'm not the cuddly teddy bear you think I am. I'm..."

I watch him for a moment. I want to be swallowed by the ground as he dwells on the words to say, "I get it. You're not... emotionally available."

Joel sighs and shakes his head, "truth is--"

He doesn't get to finish as Ellie runs back with a cup of water for me.

I turn to her and take the cup gratefully and down it in one go. I sigh and turn back to Ellie, giving the cup back to her. I rub her cheek and smile, "thanks kid."

She smiles back and nods, "better?"

I nod too, "way better." I turn to Joel and smile, "I'm gonna go take a nap now."

Joel nods and watches me as I walk away.

Ellie turns to Joel and grins, "so... you ask her out?"

He looks to here with serious side eye.

"Dude," she sighs, "I literally took my time so you could do that."

Joel rolls his eyes and walks back to his shovel and dirt.

Ellie makes a face at him, "you're going to regret that, old man! One day you're not even going to have a chance to get her."

I don't get to take a nap when I come home.

I instead burn time by coughing my heart out.

I clutch my chest as I get into my house. I lock the door behind me and muffle my dropped jaw with my shirt.

I groan as I head to my bedroom and fall on the cushion.

On one particular cough, a bunch of flowers shoot out of my mouth. I feel a stabbing sensation on my side and I feel my head hammer. I catch my breath during a brief moment of repose, feeling my eyes widen at the sight of the deeper color of the petals.

"Fuck," I open the diary in my hand, looking at the petal pressed between my pages and the ones on my bed.

I hiss, finding the shade was immensely different and much darker, "fuck off," I chuck my diary to the wall, "it's over! I'm supposed to get better now!"

I crumble onto my bed as my body seemingly responds to my words in harsh disagreement. I feel a something heavy in my chest. I feel like there is something so badly that wants to get out through my throat.

I chase that feeling. I will it out. I ride through my coughs as painful and as grueling as they are.

Nothing comes out though, nothing but spit and frustration this time and it makes me feel miserable.

Again, I find a moment of peace and lie chest down on the bed, catching my breath, feeling my pulse in my temples. I heave heavily and tell myself it'll be okay. I trick myself into thinking the worst is over.

And out of spite I feel my body react again.

I attempt to silence it as I push myself off my bed and head for the bathroom, convincing myself a warm bath would help.

Meanwhile Ellie tilts her head at Tommy as his older brother rolls his eyes at him. Suddenly she looses her appetite as she looks at the two men sat across her at the diner.

"Wait, what's Hanahaki disease?" she asks the younger Miller.

Tommy turns from Joel to Ellie. He releases a breath, "it's another strain of the virus. They say its airborne and everyone's already affected by it because you don't have to get bit to get it."

Ellie visibly panics as he turns to Joel.

"Calm down," Joel raises a hand to Ellie, "it's a type of broken heart syndrome. You can only get it if you're badly affected by that person and if your immune system is compromised. It's really rare."

"Don't fucking lie to her, Joel," Tommy shakes his head

"I'm not lying to her," Joel snaps.

Tommy clenches his jaw and turns to Ellie, "I've seen it too much to agree it's rare--"

Joel glares at Tommy and huffs angrily.

"--but I will say that it normally only happens to people that are extremely isolated and lonely," he adds, giving Ellie a soft look, "and while I still think Joel should fess up about his feelings to her," he turns to Joel, "Hanahaki disease or not," Tommy purses his lips, "I wouldn't worry about him perishing over an unrequited love. He'd be too stubborn to die with you around."

Ellie blinks as Tommy smiles.

"Plus, he's gonna be an uncle soon," he adds shrugging, "he wouldn't do that to me."

Joel rolls his eyes.

Ellie finally releases a breath, "okay... that's... that's good."

Joel watches as Ellie fidgets. He presses his lips, "hey, don't be so disappointed that you're not getting rid of me."

Ellie turns to Joel then crosses her arms. She sighs, "I can be a little disappointed that I can't keep your gun."

Tommy laughs. Joel holds his back.

The next day, I don't get out of bed.

I think of doing so. I think so badly that I have to because I left the water in the tub and it wasn't clear at all. It would have been fine if it was mucky with dirt and dead skin, but it wasn't, it was hazy with red and was littered with petals.

It was an abhorring romantic crime scene.

I'm thinking about it now. They find my corpse, littered with petals, and it looks beautiful and it's so sad.

It's so sad and it's so pathetic.

Poor thing, I wonder who broke her heart.

I hate it.

I refuse.

I don't want them to know.

For what it's worth, it should look like I had a heart attack.

And I try. I really do try so hard to stand up from the bed, but I cant. Everything hurts and I can't even breathe without coughing a second later.

I realize I'm about to cough my heart out at some point. I realized this when I rolled on my chest and began to spit out dark red petals as I cried.

I groan, "just accept it and move on, you stupid fuck!" I hoarsely scream before falling into more coughs.

Joel doesn't want you. He rejected you! Get the fuck over it.

Accept it.

And move on.

Now!

... before it's too late.

I push myself up when I begin to choke.

I wheeze as I try to catch my breath. I can't, something is trapped in my airways.

I claw at my throat, desperate. I don't know why I think that would help but I can't stop. I feel everything in my guts rise up my neck.

This was it. This was the final stretch of my suffering.

I feel the need to gag, but then I feel it dissipate as I rack out the worst cough yet with an eruption of red. Petals explode out of me. It flutters down onto my bed. With a splat falls out a crimson flower bud, laced in fluid.

I catch my breath and feel relief.

It's done.

I lie on my bed and close my eyes.

This was it. I did it.

For the first time I don't feel the need to cough. I wipe my philtrum as I feel something trickles down my nose. I look at my finger and blink at the red on it.

I let out a deep breath.

It doesn't matter. I did it. It was done.

Joel grunts when Ellie shoves him roughly.

"Just go inside!" she urges, "you've been coming to her house for five days now and done nothing! Go. Inside!"

Joel eyes Ellie. His eye twitches.

A wind passes and there is a strong smell of flowers.

Ellie inhales deeply and sighs with a soft smile, "man, I love spring," she points and eyes Joel, "you're really killing it for me."

"I haven't seen her since..." Joel blurts.

She finishes for him, "since you blew your chance?"

He clenches his jaw.

She rolls her eyes.

"I think she's avoiding me," Joel mutters, "I usually see her everywhere. And the fact--"

"Oh- you know what- fuck it!" Ellie makes an incredulous face and marches up the front door. She calls out a name and turns the knob. She shakes it when she realizes it's locked.

"Ellie-"

Ellie screams out the name much louder.

"She could be asleep!" Joel mutters harshly as he walks over and grabs her.

Ellie turns to Joel, "well then she could sleep later!"

He curses under his breath then drags her away. She kicks and screams as that happens, "--PLEASE WAKE UP, JOEL IS IN LOVE WITH YOU!"

"Ellie," Joel growls.

Ellie punches him as she tries to break away, "what? It's true." She looks back at the house as she sees a butterfly come into the open window of the second floor. She turns to Joel, "you're so fucking lame."

[themaeve]

AHHHHH! Memoire 61.5 of the Case Study of Vanitas just dropped! I'm loving everything about where we are going with this dham arc!

We are finally getting more on the whole business with where dhampirs stand in this society. Feared by humans as being too close to vampires, looked down on and at one point hunted(!) by vampires. And wow are the Count's people prejudiced as fuck. The only reason Dhampirs have "the right to exist" is because they are under the eccentric Marquis Machina's protection.

Watching Johann and Riche broke my heart this chapter. The way they both reached for their glasses when it was mentioned how dhams are revealed by their eyes. Riche was visibly scared the entire time and Johann was trying his best to comfort her. It really characterizes Dante, the member of the Dham trio who doesn't wear glasses, and is also almost always the most loud and proud of the three. Dante doesn't give a single fuck to "hide" his eyes.

Bless Noe, calling bullshit on everyone with "Isn't it just less confusing to just call people by their name?" Love that man so much. Vanitas stifling his laughter at Noe's wholesome honesty. Perfect.

I also really appreciate Domi's bits this chapter. My girl thinks she is so progressive with her whole "Being prejudiced in this day and age? How unattractive." And then only minutes later getting somewhat called out by Noe for never even learning Dante's name. Domi learning that she ain't above being prejudiced and that she needs to do better. Not being outwardly hateful is the bare fucking minimum. I love that last panel of her, that mix of embarrassment, panic, and palpable shame she feels with herself. The way she got really quiet and shut down. It hurt to watch in a good way. I've been there Domi. You gotta collect yourself, learn from your mistakes, identify and overcome your personal biases. Don't fall back into more self-hatred, you can do it girl! God I love her so much.

Also, I love that last panel of pissed off Dante! Dude is so over this conversation. Staring daggers at Noe like "Is this some kind of fucking White Knight routine of yours or are you genuinely this naive and friendly?" Good sir I eagerly await your angry rant next chapter. Fucking go off my dude.

This chapter had so much emotion from everyone. Hate, anger, fear, shame, love. All of it on display. As much as I have really started to hate the "fantasy racism" cliche, I'll give this one credit for some realism in displays of prejudice and the subtle effects it has on its targets. While I don't have experience being the target of racist prejudice, I do have experience being the target of queerphobic prejudice. The dhams really hit with me, especially the lines calling them "half-formed things, neither fish nor fowl." Like, yep I'm trans and non-binary, I've heard and seen that type of shit said before.

The way Riche and Johann reached instinctively for their glasses when it was mentioned how the uncontrollable gold flashes of their eyes give them away to humans. I felt that, being "revealed" by features of your body and being instinctually self conscious about them. Trying to hide the things that "give you away". I still remember when Jeanne was trying to figure out if Johann was human or vampire, watching the anime, hearing the tired and thorny contempt in Johann's voice with the delivery of "Nope, I'm a dham." Shivers. Same fucking energy of delivering "I'm nonbinary" to random people for fuckteenth flippin time watching the fucking look in their eye change as they realize what I am. Then, Johann catches himself after saying it, realizing Jeanne didn't mean any offense, that his tone was too prickly. She just genuinely didn't know. You can feel how Johann is always on guard. Always having to be prepared for people who think he doesn't have "the right to exist." I felt that.

I'm optimistic for how the story handles this arc. I'm praying it's good and doesn't fall for the problematic elements of "fantasy racism" tropes. The way this chapter handled Domi makes me hopeful. That and anymore material we get on Dante, Johann, and Riche is a win in my book.

[izzysillyhandsy]

"Izzy isn't the main character" - no of course not, that's not why his death made me sad. It made me sad that I will never see my favourite character again - in a show that I would have loved without him, but that I loved even more with him. It's the lost potential of his character in relation to the main characters that bothers me the most.

For me it's all about Izzy's relationship with Ed in all its fucked up glory. Give me two codependent, obsessed, can't-live-without-you-but-someday-I'm-gonna kill-you (we'll probably die together), violent but extremely vulnerable people who have so much history - and love; although some of it turned bitter - you can feel it in every interaction.

And mix it up with Stede - fascinating on his own, and definitely a main character - who comes between this dark, weird, incomprehensible entanglement like the prince cutting his way through thorny brambles to reach Sleeping Beauty's castle (the original name "Thorn Rose" is even more fitting).

The drama! The conflict! The jealousy! The romance of it all!

I love that Izzy gives Ed/Stede a different spin, it makes Ed darker but also more complex, and it acts as a parallel love story that seems to be everything that Ed/Stede isn't. But then in S2 you realize: wait - they're not completely dissimilar ("He's a complicated man"). The strands are converging. It's all about love, and Izzy and Stede love Ed very deeply, while Ed loves them both in different, but equally important ways. It's almost as if they represent the two sides of him that need to be reconciled before he can truly be himself.

That's why, for me, removing Izzy from the equation was a mistake, and so much potential was lost. There still was a fascinating story to be told, and the loss of that story hurt me the most.

Yes, Ed and Stede are the main characters, and their love story is the main story. In many ways, Izzy is the past, and Stede is the future. But Izzy and Ed and their intense emotions towards each other (it's no secret how much I love the murder/suicide scene) made the story more complex - and with Izzy and Stede growing to accept, understand and even grudgingly respect each other I was hoping for something extraordinary in S3.

Izzy's death put all those potential story arcs to rest, and I would have loved to have seen them explored.

Also, Izzy was fuckin' hilarious.

[valy-gc]

They often say that NRC and RSA are the most prestigious school. We also know now there is NBC (Noble Bell College). But there is more others school, right? And until now, we only seen all-boy school... but we know women have magic too! So... I had some fun imagining some other school X) Tell me if you like them :)

Twisted Wonderland other schools

Sunset Seraph Academy (SSA) – Sunset Savanah - all-girls Sunset Seraph Academy is a prestigious all-girls magical institution nestled within Sunset Savannah. The emblem of the school is a crescent moon with a sparkling star nestled within.

Obsidian Citadel Academy (OCA) – Rose Kingdom - all-boy Nestled within the heart of the Rose Kingdom, Obsidian Citadel Academy is an all-boys school known for its elegance. The school is situated within a massive citadel, adorned with black marble and intricate rose motifs. The school emblem is a black obsidian rose, symbolizing strength and beauty.

Thornvale Academy (TA) – Valley of Thorns - all-girls Hidden within a treacherous and thorny labyrinth in the Valley of Thorns, is Thornvale Academy, an all-girls school. The school emblem is a blooming rose entwined with thorny vines, representing the beauty and strength found within nature.

Radiant Oasis College (ROC) – Scalding Sands – Mixed Rising like a mirage in the Scalding Sands, Radiant Oasis College is a mixed-gender school. The academy is centered around a lush oasis, with glistening pools and verdant palm trees. The school emblem is a sparkling droplet of water surrounded by vibrant palm leaves, representing the balance between life and the desert's harsh conditions.

Emberglow Academy (EA) – Pyroxene – All-girls Perched on the edge of a dormant volcano in the Land of Pyroxene, Emberglow Academy is an all-girls school. The academy is adorned with glowing ember-like decorations and elegant dance studios. The school emblem is a swirling flame intertwined with delicate ballet slippers, symbolizing the fusion of passion and artistry.

Siren's Song College (SSC) – Coral Sea – All-girls Nestled within a hidden cove, Siren's Song College is an all-girls school for mermaids. The academy is surrounded by shimmering underwater backgrounds and lush gardens filled with magical sea flora. The school emblem is a graceful mermaid holding a lyre, symbolizing the harmony and enchantment found within the students of Siren's Song Academy.

Coralfin Academy (CA) – Coral Sea – Mixed Located in a majestic underwater cave, Coralfin Academy is a mixed school exclusively for merfolk mages in the Coral Sea. The academy is adorned with shimmering coral formations and bioluminescent sea creatures. The school emblem is a swirling vortex of water surrounding a trident.

[robotsafari]

bitsniper is so interesting to me as a pureblood heartless because the only time we see it is in ansem’s world of chaos phase, and it begs the question if whether or not this was a pureblood ansem created himself using his own darkness. or perhaps….

headcanon / theory time ????

its kinda all over the place but it is implied during the entire ansem final boss fights riku is still possessed. (or at least its just his body because final mix made it worse due to the new scene of him in the realm of darkness where he ??? has a body?? or maybe its his heart and soul?? wouldnt he technically get a nobody because of the separation?? is it implied riku is no longer possessed?? but ansem had his body a few minutes ago?? do you see the problem this creates.) in ansem’s speech he show ups initially as riku and then transforms into his own preferred form. let me add a little more onto this, even if it might not count, but there is an unused scrapped ansem phase where you wouldve fought riku-ansem AGAIN this time in a destroyed destiny islands. now even if it is scrapped it implies that ansem is still possessing him, but as i said earlier that is already proven by the fact that he shows up as riku first.

ok so with this in mind i need to establish something to prove my point even further.. SOUL EATER ISNT ANSEM’S. riku first uses soul eater after maleficent gives him dark powers. now her whole thing is thorny vines, dragons, spinning wheels that kill you on your 16th birthday, gothic castles, anthro animal goons, being an evil fairy and one of the coolest disney villains ever. but not bat wings. so this bat theming is implied to be riku’s own darkness, and his alone. (even DARK MODE is something riku gets pre-ansem possession) so why does ansem have a double edged soul eater in his final phase? its shrimple, hes taking that from riku. riku’s own darkness.

so anyone implying that “way to the dawn is a bad thing !! because!! look !! oh nooo !! the ANSEM SWORD is still on it!! thats the thing from his abuser !!” is fuckign wrong because soul eater never belonged to ansem, nor maleficent. that is a sword riku made with his own darkness, he is now just combining it with his own light. creating the keyblade that will carve his road to dawn. so get fucked, braveheart defenders.

ok . cool. but what is even the headcanon? well you might think im crazy but … i think bitsnipers are made from riku’s darkness. RIKU IS A BAT. WE KNOW THIS. look at the bitsnipers design, TEH BAT WINGS. like?? its gotta be from riku. like i said before. riku is still possessed and ansem is taking things from him like his cool sword that is part of his darkness so who says he can’t create heartless from it either. bingo checkmate whatever the fuck THE BITSNIPER IS RIKUS DARKNESS ACTUALLY. as much as i associated it with ansem . but like in the same way riku is ansems son by pure fact of just fucking trust me he was a father figure to riku in the worst way possible but it was admittedly fucking funny, the bitsnipers are also ansem’s children. riku has bitsniper siblings. oh how his family grows …

final verdict: just fucking trust me . kingdom hearts gets funnier if you think about it in deranged and unorthodox ways . like i do.

[shoujomangathoughts]

Character Corner - Oushi (A Sign of Affection)

Okay so here's a series I'm introducing (cheesy name and all) for when I'd like to talk about a specific character instead of a series on a whole.

For some background context, I'd seen hype around this manga and then again when the anime was announced and started airing, but at first wasn't in the mood for some saccharine romance. However, I was recently in the mood and gave it a shot, and I enjoyed it (enough to read all the way to the current chapter lol). Anyway, previous to this I knew a few things about the series, one of which was that a certain character (Oushi) had a quite an online hate-train. And now that I've consumed the series up to its current point... I can't say I fully understand.

Now Oushi is definitely a character who is designed to rub the audience the wrong way; he's brash and kind of an ass toward Yuki, but people make it seem like he does such terrible things to her that he's an irredeemable person.

One of the main reasons people dislike him is the fact that he comes off a bit ableist, and while I can't say I fully disagree, I also don't think he's intentionally doing this (later chapters especially make me believe this). Yes he's a bit misguided and the fact that Yuki isn't the fragile, helpless person he seems to believe she is at times is actually something that makes him insecure. In his mind, he's the person who reached out to her by learning sign language and by being relatively close to her throughout the years, which is why when Itsuomi so quickly commits to learning sign he feels threatened (especially true when he drunkenly mutters he doesn't want Itsuomi to come into "their world"). But honestly he never does anything that terrible to Yuki unless I'm forgetting something. When it comes to his view on trying to protect her, there's a more recent chapter that shows he was present when Yuki was humiliated and mocked for her voice sounding "weird" and he saw how hurt she was and noticed that she stopped using her voice after. He directly sees how someone with a disability is put down for it (mind you he says her voice was never strange to him and he seemed to admire her for earnestly trying), which I think is the root of him feeling like he wants to protect her. Throw that in the mix with his growing affection for her and his personality being that of someone who isn't aware of how to express their honest feelings, and you're on the track to get where he currently is.

I actually think because of this he's a good foil to Itsuomi. Itsuomi was raised abroad and has learned the beauty of communication and tasted the triumph of being understood despite language barriers, and between that and his love of language, he's a lot quicker to adapt and be both intrigued and inspired by someone like Yuki. Oushi on the other hand hasn't had this experience and has seen Yuki's disability be used by others as a means to hurt her, hence why they act so differently. Now I'm not saying Oushi's behavior is entirely correct, but to me it's pretty easy to see why he acts how he does. I also think it's worth mentioning that Oushi himself thinks about how he interacts with Yuki and realizes that he hasn't come across well. He's still growing as a person up to the latest chapter and gradually becoming more self aware.

I also think it's important to see how Yuki herself views Oushi. She labels him childish and thinks of him as being somewhat rude (she calls his signing 'thorny'), but she also talks about how nice she thinks he is. In a series that goes over the fact that expressions are vital to understanding someone, she hardly has a bad thing to say about Oushi. Yes she was a bit uncomfortable when he was near once, but at that point she'd suspected his feelings for her and she was in a happy relationship. She even tells him that she was grateful to have someone like him reach out to her because it helped her. She seems to think of him almost like an overbearing brother, he picks on her sure, but I can't think of him doing anything overly cruel or saying anything that really cut her deep.

I'm not sure I totally understand the hate I see for his character to be honest. The biggest reason is that he may be "ableist", but to be honest the way he treats Yuki is the way I think many people would treat someone with a disability because someone who doesn't have an impairment of a sense wouldn't entirely understand the experience of someone who does. He doesn't really make fun of her for it, more so he tries to limit her (and while he says things, he never really stops her or takes any action). As he's watched her make friends, get a boyfriend, and do things like any other college student, I think he's realized the point of view he was looking at her from was a bit misinformed. I don't know, maybe I missed something, but I think some may have missed the point of his character, especially with how heavily he contrasts Itsuomi, who is mostly perfectly adaptable and understanding. I don't know if it's the shipping of Oushi with Yuki that people don't like (for the record, it's not like I want Oushi and Yuki to date), but I think his character works well in the context of the series. Much of his behavior otherwise seems pretty standard of characters who are jealous (and honestly, like many second male leads).

I wrote this pretty quickly so feel free to disagree or let me know if I overlooked something that makes one of my points feel off, but I just wanted to give my thoughts since I saw some discourse about this character. I know it's more of a slice of life series but I really thought going into this series that he'd be quite the villain and I didn't see his character that way at all. Thanks for reading and hopefully the new format is okay! Sometimes I want to talk about a certain character despite not feeling like I have any real conversation to add about a series at large, hence why I made 'character corner'.

[thehistoriangirl]

Writing pattern game!

Rules: Share the first line of your last ten published works or as many as you are able and see if there are any patterns! (from most recent to least recent, starting from the top)

Thank you for tagging me, @thedreamlessnights! *huggie* <33

Heeere we go:

The Tides Have Veiled (Viktor x Fem!Reader/Gothic AU)

A storm broke over the sea, cold air hitting your cheeks with each step closer to the manor atop the cliff. Your companion wore a raincoat, each tap of the raindrops against it augmenting in frequency and volume. From time to time, accompanied by a muffled groan from the lighthouse keeper a couple of steps ahead of you. 

The Sweeter Trick (Viktor x Fem!Reader)

The clock had chimed midnight by now, its ticking the only company Viktor had while working on his new project.

The Delirium of Still-Lifes (Vampire!Viktor x Artist!Fem!Reader)

Ruins, fragments of a gilded past that had died with the house's owner.

Not Just a Summer Affair (Viktor x Fem!Reader/Beach AU)

Viktor wasn’t so sure it was a good idea to have come on this trip, but it was too late to back away, now surrounded by sand and waves and an unforgiving sun that was just as restless as his mind.

Where the Echoes Cry (Demon!Nikolai Lantsov x Fem!Reader/Gothic AU)

Contrary to the Grand Palace, this castle feels too quiet and still. Like a beast expecting Nikolai to lower his watch to swallow him whole.

The First to Fall [In Love] (Nikolai Lantsov x Fem!Reader)

You couldn't blame your advisor for pushing you overboard.

Who Came in With the Sea (Nikolai Lantsov/Sturmhond x Mermaid!Fem!Reader)

The deck ended up splattered with a rosy mix of blood and broken ice that crunched under Sturmhond’s boots as he descended into the ship's bowels, past the ripped bunks and the ashy gallows, down to the brig where the cargo was supposed to be. There were barely any oil lamps in the section, which made the landscape all the bleaker.

The Oblivious Game I Want to Lose (Viktor x Fem!Reader)

Viktor saw you four times before he was obliged to talk to you.

You, My Solace (Viktor x gn!Reader)

The living room was dark when Viktor entered the apartment you two shared. His footsteps echoed on the wooden floor, with no light in sight as he walked further in. With no sight of you either. Furrowing, Viktor considered the possibility of being home too early, that at any moment, you would be leaving your coat messily over the couch to plant yourself in front of him for a welcome home kiss.

Where the Woods Brought Us Together (Forest Guardian!MH!Viktor x Fem!Reader)

The forest was blocking the path as the sky grew darker. Thorny bushes extended branches that clung to your clothes, making your companion curse every other step forward. His axe was useless, falling into the humid ground with a muffled sound. You were running out of time, and the woods knew it, probably even relinquish in such fact.

Patterns: Man how much I LOVE to describe bleak atmospheres and to put Gothic AUS everywhere 🤡🤡 This year had also been the year of the long-ass multichapters. Soooo, idk, I'm still in my emo phase I guess

Tagging: @writingmysanity @itsjustbell @ihopeinevergetsoberr @zaunitearchives @cheeriecherrymain @blissfulip I'll tag u too bestie in case you want to do it with some wips or something (?) And as usual, no pressure!

[littlegrrl7]

I was born with a broken heart.

It jumps feebly in my chest as I evaluate my next move. My half sister, Vasilisa, was always destined to be a queen. With her gleaming golden hair and summer-sky blue eyes, it’s no surprise she attracted the czar’s attention. She’s the only one in my life I would drop everything for, and now I’m up to my knees in trouble, trying to rescue her. Because gods know she won’t rescue her damned self. 

Shoving a soaked, bedraggled lock of dark hair out of my eyes, I stare bleakly into the pouring rain. Mud sucks at my boots, pulling like corpse hands in this vile weather. I stumble as the wet earth claims my boot, and my foot tugs free. Rough stones scrape my palms. Blood mixes with the thick muck, and I bite back a swear that would make any mother blush. Spitting, I try to clear the bitter taste from my mouth.

My weak heart flutters. Damn this illness. Out of habit, I reach into my pouch and put some herbs in my mouth to chew, hoping the irregular beat will ease. This isn’t one of my better days. 

The view of the distant mountains I was heading toward blended with the dark storm, and night fell too quickly to find shelter. Rumor has it Koschei makes his home in those rocky peaks. That villainous wizard took Vasilisa—stole her right from under her oafish husband’s nose—leaving me to find her in this foul weather. She’s the czarina. As a witch, I’m the most likely to track her successfully. 

Why the old codger steals a woman every few years is beyond me, but it’s been going on forever. Some man, usually a husband or lover, slays the wizard and rescues the woman, and a few years later, Koschei is alive and at his mischief again. As ancient as he must be, his twig and berries are probably as shriveled and dry as he is. 

Lightning cracks above as I unsuccessfully attempt to locate my sacrificed boot. A low growl hums in my ears, and at least three sets of glowing red eyes float into view through the sheets of rain. No no no… not now. Soaked woolen skirts tangle around my legs as I try to stand.

The largest of the wolves prowls forward, its daggerlike teeth shining white in the next lightning strike. “Little witch as skinny as a fledgling bird, you’ll barely make a snack.” His low growl ripples along my skin. Eyes like chips of ruby stare me down. Ominously, the thunder rumbles again as the rain eases.

I scramble backward. “Then let me pass. We have no quarrel with each other. I’m certainly not worth your time or effort. As bony as I am, I’d likely just get stuck in your teeth.”

“My quarrel is with all of your ilk.” The beast crowds me. His hot breath pierces my soaked clothing as his snarled muzzle grinds against my chest. 

Fast and shallow, my heart continues its irregular beat. My breaths feel cold and useless, and the edges of my vision tunnel. The wolf sets one massive paw on my thigh, sinking me deeper into the muck.

I turn away from his fetid musk. “Please, leave me be.”

“Things are not always as they appear. I smell the power on you, little witch. I’ll relish it as I crunch your bones and suck out the marrow.”

I thrust one hand into the earth. Come, dormant seeds. My other hand presses flat against the beast’s chest to hold it back. Maybe I can entangle him enough to buy myself time to run. The wolf’s eyes widen into bloody pools as the thick, thorny vines swell from the ground to wrap around his massive body. His snarls turn into screams as the swordlike thorns slice through his flesh.

I clamber to my feet and run blindly into the darkness. A howl rips through the night behind me, echoed by two more. Claws tear across my back before twisting thorns shoot past me, and a wolf yelps in pain.

My heart flutters then stops before speeding up in uneven jerks. A thick, cold lump settles in my throat. I’m not sure where to run. Blindly, I push past low-hanging branches and stumble over the uneven rocky turf. This is madness. I’m in no shape to outrun wolves. A sharp pain stabs my chest, traveling up my shoulder and into my neck. Gasping, I go another couple of steps. At a few muttered words, green vines weave in a wall behind me, sprouting thorns that drip a poisonous ichor. It has to be enough to stop them—I have nothing left. Thickness fills my lungs, and breathing becomes impossible. I lurch into a smooth tree.

No, it’s a door. A lightning strike reveals a highly polished wooden door decorated with an intricate brass design. I pound on it, and thunder mimics the noise. There’s got to be…

My heart squeezes and stutters, bringing stinging tears to my eyes. I can’t fail here. This isn’t where my quest ends. My knees hit the cobbled entryway as I pound on the solid wood again. In the distance, wolf song mixes with the roll of thunder. Sobs fall from my lips, and a sucking darkness pulls on me. I knock again, but I’m too weak to make much noise.

“What is the meaning of this?”

The door flies open, spilling me forward to where a tall, slim man stands. There’s something incredibly familiar about him. His long white hair hangs in a thick braid over one shoulder, and his skin is ghostly pale against the darkness. Brilliant-green eyes widen as he looks down upon me then beyond my crumpled form into the night.

“I claim the right of sanctuary in exchange for a witch’s boon.” I reach out and grasp his hand. “Do you accept my bargain?” Blood roars in my ears as stars dance across my blackening vision.

His sharp features pinch as he scowls at me in surprise. I must be delirious, because it’s the most devastatingly handsome expression I’ve ever seen on a man. Sculpted cheekbones frame expressive eyes and a pointed, smooth-shaven jaw. My heart skips then flutters again. I reach for my herb pouch, but it tumbles from my numb fingers. His eyes dart to the spilled herbs then back to me.

“I accept. Sanctuary given.” His hand closes over mine. A shimmer of emerald flashes, limning us as my magic seals the pact. Before I can thank him, the darkness of death closes its icy fingers around me, and my sickly heart stops. One last wry thought follows me to my doom. Well, that was the shortest bargain ever struck.

Read the rest of Inessa's tale in This Hollow Heart

Illustration commissioned from @madbrake

[sybilius]

every other prime

2. Distant Stations covered by Andrew Bird - this one is honestly on there by mistake, though it's a good song. I swear I put it on one day and then took my headphones out and left it on repeat for hours and hours, because there is no conceivable way I listened to it enough for it to make top 5. If you feel cheated by that answer, true number 2 is You're on Your Own, Kid by Taylor Swift, which is a favourite choresbop for me. I have to hand it to madame Swift that a concept song about how being a pick-me girl for a mediocre small town boy didn't work out and then the singer ends up in some kind of nebulous blood-soaked mess is a fun concept.

5. Pyxis by Home which I got off a REALLY good wrestling music video and then became broadly obsessed with the entire album for coding bops. No lyrics, just chill electronic. Listening to this song really relaxes me, which is good for when I'm feeling out of my depth on a thorny problem.

11. THATS WHAT I WANT by Lil Nas X, another poppy choresbop. Many of the songs on my repeat list just help vacuuming feel like an adventure.

17. Travelers' Encore by Andrew Prahlow, one of the main themes from Outer Wilds. Augh ough emotions <333

23. Before the Night by Home, which happens to be the song after Pyxis on the album

31. Holy Roller by Thao, Thao & The Get Down Stay Down KAY REC ALERT!!!!!! I adored the personal playlist this ended up on which is a real delightful and honest mix of nostalgia picks, new loves, ship brainrot music, and "idk I'm coding to this shhhh" music.

41. The Fox, The Crow & The Cookie by mewithoutYou ough this one is just transcendent to me. Adaptation of a particular aesop's fable with a tone and instrumentation that just drives me wild. At one point I could name that chime-like instrument that carries the melody in background but it drives me wild

47. San Bernadino by The Mountain Goats I had a Heretic Pride moment earlier this year. This song is tender, if a little desperate. Something about the rose petal imagery gets me, like naive but true.

59. Cruel World by Phantogram which I nabbed from @eldesperadont's Jay White playlist and sits on my FinJay playlist as the narrative place where Jay comes back from excursion and is just a Total Asshole now. Great song too. 67. Tighten Up by The Black Keys which ended up on my Narita/Tsuji playlist because it reminded me of Tsuji :) 73. Make Me Wanna Die by The Pretty Reckless, both a Kuwana Jin song AND a coding bop for me. Do not ask me to psychoanalyze that one, it just feels right feels good. 83. I Ain't Worried by OneRepublic which surprises me! This is for sure an old chores bop, vivid and sweaty-handed memories of getting through my last move by pounding this one into my ears. I can't remember when this year I used this song to get through a Task but surely it did its job. 97. Stop a Bullet by Black Light Burns, also on the Finjay playlist, which I listened to quite a bit, being the main fic project of the year :)

I've sectioned out a handful that might be to your tastes here, thank you for playing fren <3

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Researchers driving innovative solutions to advance use of 'plastic' roads

Millions of roads across the United States are constructed with asphalt pavement that's deteriorating over time. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri are using recyclables, including plastic waste, as a sustainable solution to fix America's fracturing road system. In partnership with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), researchers from the Mizzou Asphalt Pavement and Innovation Lab (MAPIL) recently created a real-world test road using recycled materials like scrap tires and plastic waste along a portion of Interstate 155 in the Missouri Bootheel. By increasing the sustainability of asphalt mixes, this innovative method can help reduce the number of items going into landfills or leaking into the environment, said Bill Buttlar, director of MAPIL. "Missouri is the Show-Me State, so we take a very pragmatic view," Buttlar said. "The science can be thorny and difficult, but we are up to the task. We're excited that while our approach is complicated in the lab, its simple to execute in the field, so it makes it easily adaptable, scalable and cost-effective to incorporate into many types of road environments."

Read more.

[1legitconnor]

Seven Snippets, Seven People

Shout out to @late-to-the-fandom for the tag! I'm going to post a snippet of description from each of the first 7 chapters of my book. I'm fairly confident in my dialogue abilities, but physical descriptions usually have me second guessing myself a little more, so that's what I'm sharing here.

Tagging: @awordchemist, @aalinaaaaaa, @authoralexharvey, @leave-her-a-tome, @lockejhaven, @nikkywrites, and @ryns-ramblings

Chapter 1 Snippet:

The tailor shop that Timmy works in in the small hamlet of Willowdale is not particularly grand, but it is decorated with a very distinctive personal touch. The walls are painted in simple patterns, but with bold colors. The art pieces on the walls are that of a child, straightforward in construction and unyielding in their defiance of the artistic rules that their creator did not yet know existed.

Chapter 2 Snippet:

Talia’s hair, styled as a messy, asymmetrical undercut, is as black as the tattoos of intertwined weapons and thorny vines that decorate her shoulders, chest, and back. Her skin, which would be pale if it were not so heavily sun-tanned, is marked with a scattering of old scars and her eyes are as blue as the water she always claims to be drinking. Even without her height advantage, she wields a presence and reputation powerful enough to intimidate the trained fighters and hardened veterans around her.

Chapter 3 Snippet:

Figuring out the best way to navigate the depths of the Elkmire Forest is notoriously difficult. Firstly, it is dangerous. It is populated with all manner of creatures, both magical and mundane, that are as deadly as they are magnificent. The choice to pass under the shadow of the Elkmire Forest is a choice to forfeit any expectation of safety. The second thing that the Elkmire Forest is known for is that, despite all reasoning to the contrary, nobody knows exactly how big it is.

Chapter 4 Snippet:

The painter continues her portrait, large and impressive as it is, careful to not make a single mistake. She looks up at the subject of her art, down to the canvas, and back up again. The folds and ripples of the pristine white cloak that hangs down from Alifras’ shoulders that make it look as though a light breeze is flowing through the room, the teasing of just a hint of the inside layer of the garment, red as the scales of a fire-dragon, Alifras’ golden-yellow shoulder-length hair, his lightly tanned skin, the artist misses nothing. The bright blue of his eyes, his arms crossed lazily behind his back, the books and papers neatly scattered across a nearby writing desk - each detail is noted by the keen eye of the painter as she translates it to the canvas in front of her.

Chapter 5 Snippet:

The beast’s long, barbed, 15-foot tail twitches and snaps angrily behind it. Its form shimmers and blurs as what meager moonlight there is refracts off of its glossy, midnight-colored coat, making it difficult for Madison to get an exact bead on it. The beast’s form blends and mixes with its own shadow. Indeed, the very shadows of the forest seem to reach out and claim the creature as one of their own children as it stalks slowly around Madison on six legs, circling, waiting for its moment to strike.

Chapter 6 Snippet:

They are in an abandoned combat arena that has long ago fallen into disrepair and disuse. The sun is up and Piper is sweltering under the full weight of her armor and shield. Her sword is still fake, but her opponent is real.

Chapter 7 Snippet:

It’s too late for Madison to kick away from the raft now. There’s too much swirling and pounding and pressure from the water for her to be able to correctly orient herself and the silt and dirt coming up from the river floor makes opening her eyes an impossibility. The raft, or whatever remains of it, should eventually find the surface. Her ability to do so on her own is less certain.

[masonjarcollector]

The Deer

Feet propped up on the dashboard, I press my head against the side door and watch the thin black trees rush by. The ever churning street ahead of us, slick with water, reflects the moon and stars in tiny blurred pinpricks of light. The radio softly plays a discordant mix of a twenties radio show and fuzzed static. Cara absentmindedly drums her fingers against the steering wheel, humming a quiet, tuneless melody. I’m about to slip into a drowsy half-sleep, when a pained shriek tears through the air, followed by a cry for help, not too far ahead of us. My feet fall from the dashboard and I sit up quickly. Cara is already nodding to my unspoken question; the car ambles gently to the side of the road. 

I throw the door open and tread on the soft, plush grass, ready to plunge into the tall, vast forest in front of me, when something urges me to stop. Instantly, I can smell something rotting. It’s overwhelming, and makes my eyes wet slightly and my mouth go dry and bitter. I don’t know what it is or where it’s coming from, but to make matters worse, I notice a pair of green gleaming eyes staring up at me.

A deer. It could be a statue, for how still it is. I can somewhat make out its face, long and pale, with gleaming silvery antlers twisting into a thorny crown over its head. The rest of it was shrouded in darkness, like it was bathing in a pool of shadows. Its luminescent eyes bore into my soul.

“Keep clear of it,” Cara warns me.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a deer.” Any time I could step forward and it would probably dart off deeper into the forest.

She makes a small keening noise, something to suggest concern and hesitation. The deer continues looking at me. Its ear twitches once.

“Lilah–” Her voice all of a sudden grows quiet and dangerously urgent. “Get away from it.”

I start to turn to face her, when I’m made aware of, with a certain icy horror, an arm, reaching limply from the shadows, alabaster under the moonlight, lethargically grasping at a lifeline that would never appear. I think my ears are deceiving me when I hear a low moan. The deer tears its gaze away from me and fixates on the man, lying numbly on the ground.

All I can do is watch helplessly as the deer starts to open its mouth. The teeth are sharper, longer, and more numerous than any other deer I’ve ever seen before. Its jaw keeps stretching, further and further until it looks like its mouth splits open its face. First in two. Then in four. A tongue, thick and wet and hot slithers from the depths of its throat and wraps around the arm. With awful purpose, it slowly drags the man attached. Limbs twist and bones snap as the deer fits him into its mouth. I can hear it greedily slurping and crunching loudly.

The few minutes it took to eat dragged on until it felt like hours. Soon, the deer that was likely never a deer at all, resets its face and looks around the forest. It stretches its mouth open again to emit an earsplitting screech for help in a way that is awfully human sounding, and awfully similar to the cry we heard before. Its ears are upright and alert.

“Run," she whispers. I obey. Whether the creature was full, or didn’t care enough to chase us, it let us dash back into our car and drive away in terrified silence.

---

If you wanna read more where that came from, consider checkin' out my website? My webby?