#ive never been good at explaining things but hope this helped!

[galaxysugarr]

can I have a quick explanation on the plex au? It seems very interesting to me :D

Daycares in multiple locations hosted by fazbear have recently had a decline in visitors and subscriptions! Leading to the final decision to shut down all Daycare locations permanently.

Leading to the animatronics working in the areas to be sent out to other major locations to be re-used for parts/scraps or reprogrammed for new jobs!

The Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex, doing new renovations; takes in a few of the daycare animatronics. Giving each a new paint job, personality and design for their new attraction and home! While the Glamrocks sing and dance, the new attendants play and work while they are away.

With the addition of 5 quirky celestials, each getting to know eachother, get through past trauma, perhaps even fall in love. As they bond and try to figure out one another along with the secrets and mysteries of their new home.

[islandofsages]

HEYY!! I love your writing from what i've read and i was wondering if i could ask for a gn reader (yuu) teaching the housewardens about like classic fandom lore- like imagine them turning into matpat to explain fnaf and undertale!! 😭😭 feel free to not do this and have a good day!! Thanks :D

characters: housewardens x gn!yuu

tags: platonic, fluff, crack kinda, imagines format

warnings: swearing

author's notes: SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG also all the fandoms mentioned here are all fandoms ive been in at some point :D fun times mhm

Riddle Rosehearts

He knows you’re very passionate about fandom culture but you never really had the chance to infodump about it to him

Until one day, you drop by Heartslabyul for a leisurely visit, when you see a not-so-clearly distressed Riddle sitting in the lounge

Not-so-clearly meaning he’s holding a teacup in his hand yet not drinking it, eyes closed as if he’s holding in all his emotions

You grow worried at this sight and slide next to him on the couch where he is seated, hoping you can help alleviate some of that stress

He sees you and he allows himself a sigh, then musters up a smile for you. He greets you and you cut straight to the point - can you help him with anything?

He releases a second sigh and shakes his head, telling you he only needs some sort of distraction. He just had a long day and needs to take his mind off things

You take a second to think of things that you can distract him with – that’s when a lightbulb goes off in your head. This is a prime opportunity for you

“Okay, I’m guessing you haven’t heard of Five Nights at Freddy’s since it’s a franchise from my world and all but the lore is crazy. So it starts like this…”

He wasn’t expecting to be paying much attention to the contents of what you’re saying but sooner or later, he ends up leaning towards you with his hand cupping his chin, mouth slightly agape at the story you’re telling

This inspires you to dump even more information about the media somehow at the rate that you’re going

By the end of it, he’s completely forgotten what he was so worried about. His head is full of creepy pizzerias for kids and haunted animatronics

He ends up having some trouble sleeping that night though. He’ll get you for that later.

Leona Kingscholar

He won’t lie, your interest in fandoms is too reminiscent of Idia for him – he doesn’t admit this to you obviously, since he hasn’t had the chance to

But on one particularly boring day, you decide to skip class with him and he lets you tag along for the hell of it

In the span of three seconds, he’s already off in dreamland. Sometimes you wish you had such a skill

Since you have nothing better to do and he’s way too deep in his sleep to even care anyway, you start rambling to yourself and a slumbering Leona

“Well, I’ve been thinking a lot about Undertale lately so I need to dump it all somewhere. So basically you play as this kid…”

Little do you know halfway through his nap, he wakes up from how much you’re talking. At first, he’s annoyed by your yapping but then he grows interest in what you’re saying

He’s almost tempted to try that game for himself and almost disappointed that it’s not available in Twisted Wonderland. Emphasis on almost.

When you’re done rambling, that’s when he stretches his arms over his head and yawn, commenting how noisy you were

You shrug it off. You're used to him complaining about you yapping instead of napping alongside him

…But then he asks you to tell him more about Undertale, if there's any more information you’re keeping from him out of the kindness of your heart

You smile smugly at this and his expression seems to say “don't make me regret asking” but oh, you definitely will make him regret even being friends with you in the first place

Needless to say, regrets were not the only thing he held at the end of that day.

Azul Ashengrotto

Similar to Leona, your fixation on fandom culture reminds him too much of Idia. not that that’s necessarily a bad thing - it’s more of an observation

And he gets more than an observation when you get the chance to show him what you’re made of: useless fandom culture and gaming knowledge

Speaking of Idia, he goes to you as a last resort to ask you to help him understand whatever the hell Idia’s talking about

You don’t know too much about Twisted Wonderland’s fandom culture just yet but when Azul explains the premise of a certain game and its fandom, it gives you an idea

“Sounds pretty similar to Yandere Simulator. Ooh, that one has a lot of history. Let me tell you about it…”

Unfortunately for him, he ended up unlocking your geekiness instead of having you address the things he was confused with

But at least your story makes it a bit easier to understand? He’s yet to decide that really but at least it sounds like you’re taking his lack of slang knowledge into consideration

Your infodump really gripped his attention though - it’s interesting to know another side of human culture, even if it’s not the humans of Twisted Wonderland

He would nod understandingly (or at least, politely) and thank you and your geekiness

He relays your story to Idia and finds it intriguing how similar fandom culture is in both Twisted Wonderland and your world

He would invite you to Board Game Club meetings so that you can rave and find out more about Twisted Wonderland’s fandom culture with Idia

He’d realize that was a big mistake and he may or may not have created the nerdiest pair in the world - but you guys are his nerdiest pair in the world.

Kalim Al-Asim

He’s very curious about fandom culture - he doesn’t know too much about it nor anyone who knows a lot about it so almost all the fandom information in his head are from you

He really wants to know more!!! So of course that warrants a hangout session fabricated as a study session to get Jamil’s stamp of approval

So there you are in his room, books laid out in front of the two of you but most importantly, a laptop

You two watch about a dozen videos on Twisted Wonderland’s fandom culture and as you absorb all the very-much-useful information, you sneak in tidbits from the culture of your world

“This one in particular is reminiscent of Danganronpa. Man, that one was a wild ride…”

It’s exciting to be able to talk about it with someone you trust wholeheartedly, especially Kalim, whom you know wouldn’t be so judging

He only nods in understanding at every point you made, his eyes sparkling with all the curiosity in his body

You were on your thirteenth video when you two are interrupted by a rap on the door and an unfortunately-familiar voice

So obviously you and your bestie hurriedly rush to close all the tabs on your laptop and open up something more academically-inclined

Which is obviously a…dictionary site

Jamil blinks twice at this, says nothing (but probably noting how it makes sense for you guys since you two are bumbling idiots) and walks away

If there’s any dictionary being read that day, it’d be a dictionary of fandom terminology, that’s for sure.

Vil Schoenheit

He doesn’t know too much about it - and doesn’t bother to learn much about it since he has better things to do - but since it’s you, he tries his best to be a good listener

The two of you sit down in the courtyard one day, the chirping of birds and rustling of leaves music to your ears; beauty truly is everywhere around you when you’re next to him

He’s talking about something. You’re not sure what because you’re entranced by the way his hair hangs above his eyes so elegantly. He notices this and calls you out for it

You shrug and excuse how you can’t help it - he’s like a dating simulator love interest in the real. He asks you what you mean by this. Now’s your chance to shine!

“Hmm, you know, something like Mystic Messenger? Hehe, let me tell you a bit about it…”

Unluckily for him, your “a bit” turns out to be a four-hour long ramble about the aforementioned dating simulator a little too reminiscent of Rook for his liking too

Despite his reservations, he really did enjoy hearing you talk so passionately about your interest; it’s a bonus that the topic itself is interesting

He tells you he wouldn’t mind trying out the game or at least finding out more about it though unfortunately it’s not available in Twisted Wonderland

You share his shame - until he says he’ll pitch the concept of the game to some authorities he know and perhaps make it a reality

Sorry, he’s going to what now?

You’re a little shaken. Sometimes you forget he’s a world-class model, despite his looks and mannerisms. You save your nerves for if a Twisted Wonderland version of Mystic Messenger actually ends up happening

He thanks you for enlightening him about fandom and video gaming culture. You use this as a cue to add another four hours of ranting about V’s route in the game.

Idia Shroud

You’re another victim for him to taint… or so he thought. You’re more of an ally than a victim at this point, considering how nerdy you are

He’d dump fandom lore on you and you’d reciprocate it right back. He’s genuinely so impressed with your knowledge, even if they differ by some degree due to being from different worlds

He gets more impressed when you pull up with knowledge about Twisted Wonderland’s fandom culture like damn, you really brushed up on your talking points already

Friendly rivalry aside, he really does enjoy talking about fandom culture with you and hearing about the things from your world - every story you tell adds a little color into his world

One day, the two of you are leaning on each other, on your phones because of course you are, even if you two are friends, talking still isn’t Idia’s strong suit

That’s when you blurt it out–

“Hey, wanna hear about this game called Persona? It’s a turn-based RPG and…”

Regardless of his response to your question, you ended up babbling away either way. It’s how conversations start between the two of you

You’re speaking so fast, he would have mistaken you for a rapper - or a doppelganger of himself even

Consider him entertained - he finds himself smiling by the end of your yapping and intrigued by your story

He then obviously starts to relate it to something from Twisted Wonderland, passing the listener baton to you

You don’t mind – you can stay there for hours and hours, just going back and forth with your fellow nerdy-ass friend.

Malleus Draconia

This man barely knows how to use a smartphone so you had to be a little patient with him when guiding him through the fandom culture trenches

He’s happy that you trust and cherish him enough to talk about your interests with no reservations or shame – and the feeling is mutual

On a certain weekend, the two of you are hanging out as usual. Chatting as friends would do

You don’t know why but the conversation reminded you of a certain fandom

“It’s kinda like Genshin’s community, I guess. They’re a riot, let me tell you that.”

Oh? What’s a Genshin and why is its community a riot?

You’re glad he asked – because you’ve prepared a 100-slide presentation on the history of the game and its fans

He asks you why and how did you find the time to make that. You tell him to shut up and that it doesn’t matter, he just needs to listen to you

You start and it feels like you’ll never stop – there’s just so much to say and Malleus has so much time in the world

Seeing his reactions to certain events makes you crack up and at times, you’d laugh at his shocked expressions (or sigh exhaustively, depending on the event you’re explaining)

When you finally stop, he gives you a one-man standing ovation. You blush a little at the attention and unexpected reaction but you appreciate his sentiment nonetheless. He tells you that your presentation has been very informative for him

You’re relieved to have been able to get that off your chest… and Malleus is more than ecstatic to relay the information to everyone he’s ever known. You obviously pretend that you had no involvement in his sudden investment of a game from another world.

[navillee]

Zayne's subtle sub behavior pt. IV

The voices in my head keep tempting me to address this specific headcanon.

Zayne has some degree of foot fetish.

It's not his fault though, it all started innocently, back to the summer when you and him were just kids having fun outside. The whole thing started when one of the airplane toys that could glide (very popular among the kids back then) over the park that you, Zayne and Caleb were hanging out together, got tangled in a young tree's branches.

Since none of you were tall enough to reach out for the toy, Caleb gave the idea of you standing on top of Zayne's shoulder to catch back the toy. He didn't get it why he should get involved in the situation since the stuck airplane wasn't his, but Caleb's, however you convinced him to help with the "you're taller than Caleb" point, letting a frowned Caleb behind.

He remembers when you took your snickers of, explaining that keeping them on would ruin his shirt. You stepped on his shoulders as he did grab your legs to keep your equilibrium, when you stretched out on your tips to finally, after being afraid of you falling off, get to catch the toy again.

In the meantime, Caleb decided to be the usual provocative brat as he's always had been. He stole your pair of snickers, running away and teasing you for walking barefoot outise. A couple of minutes running after him, Zayne helped you out.

Before he could give your snickers back, he guided you to sit on the board of the park's fountain. You were confused until the moment he knelt and started brushing off the grass of your toes, grabbing your skin sofly as he putted back your shoes. And it was such a core moment in his life!

The droplets of water from the park's fountain behind you reflecting the light of a summer day and the soft, delicate skin of your feet brushing against his hands. How can it be that pretty and small and cute? Could feet actually catch his attention so much? It never happened before, so why now? He was flabbergasted and confused.

He just felt so right at that position, helping you to put back your shoes, tying up your snickers. He felt happiness seeing you happy with his help, but he brush it off at the time.

Weeks later, Zayne caught himself sketching what remembered from the day at the park. The models of your shoes, the arch beautifully curved of your toe, the airplane toys, and everything else.

He started to pay attention to see what models of shoes you would use. Crossing paths at school hallways or seeing you at weekends, he was always with his eyes lingering on you. Many people praise him at med school for being good with drawing anatomical representations, but the credits should be directed to you since he learned how to do it by his almost weekly sketches of your cute toes.

That memory slowly faded away as the nightmares with dawnbraker started. The distance between you and him grew larger, following different paths in life. However, if you paid enough attention to zayne's med school notes, you would notice some random out of context sketches of you or things related to you that he could remember.

When your paths crossed again, he was on cloud nine. Now he could see with other lenses the meaning behind his demeanor, the same way he felt good tying your snickers when both of you were kids he felt now by pulling you aside on the side walk, kneeling on front of you and fixing your combat boots shoelaces, putting your toes on his laps to tie it properly, brushing of the dust from the fabric of his pants after it, feeling utterly joy by being able to do it now, hoping you would see him as a man, not just only a friend this time.

However, it went on several months and casual dates after to see you in a high heel. Oh, he was going insane with how outwardly gorgeous you are as a woman now. You could step on him, and he would be thanking the gods for that.

You already noticed his eyes towards you. That's why you're went to a date with Zayne using blood red high heels, you wanted to get the truth out of him. You wanted him to say it, to ask for it. To do it.

He looked so pleased by just looking from afar, but you wanted to know what was going through his mind if you gave him the space and safety to do what he wanted to.

That's why you started to tease him. Brushing your heels on the lower part of his fibula. You watched him instantly tense up on the chair, ears going a shade of red just some tones lighter than the heels on your toes.

That day, he invited you to his house, and of course you would accept. You're a greedy woman. You wanted more than just him blushing on the other side of the table.

So you kinda of "oh no, those heels are killing me..." up all the way to his living room, waiting for him to do his part. And of course he did, you didn't even need to wait any second to hear a "does your feet hurt? Can I check it? I may be able to help."

He kneeled in front of you again, grabbed with one hand the back of your ankle, and removed one of the deep red heels off your feet. He wandered two fingers under your sole, from the heel to the toe, drawing the curve of your arch with a slight pressure, landing the base of his other hand on your instep. You hummed, placing the other toe, with the high heels on still on his opposite shoulder. It was natural and got him out of his trance, at least partially.

"May I ask you something, miss?" He asked, watching a smirk appear on your face. "What it is, Zayne?" You asked back, locking eye contact with his darkened hazel eyes. "May I give you a massage? To help you relax your discomfort. Please?" He plead, you could feel his body heat up, his temperature rise on his hands and face. "Is that what you want, Zayne?" You requested, seeking his confirmation. "Always wanted to." He replied almost in a whisper. "Let me be good for you. Please."

As you gave him permission, it was a matter of time until that man and you turned into a total mess. He brought of essential oil, the massage turned into kisses that in which turn, brought up praises and adoration.

At some point, you grabbed Zayne by the hair on his nape, making look at you. "Oh, I didn't know you were such a sucker for feet, Zayne." You teased, pressing your toe on his still covered bulge. "F-for you. Just for you. Please...let me keep adoring you, please miss? I promise I'll always be so so good to you." Zayne's breath was heavy, and his face was red. How could you deny such a request? Even more when his eyes were almost tearing up from pent-up desire.

That day on, Zayne lost his apprehension of sharing about this side of his. Of course, he always asked about your boundaries as you did the same.

Watch how this man went to buy a new dress shirt for him and came back home sending you pictures of a new shoe he bought for you. According to him, "it would look beautiful in you."

The best thing for Zayne on stressful days is just to get on his knees, really. Every time he lay his head on your thighs, receiving your scratches on his scalps and your praise, his brain will totally shut down. Nothing else matters, just his mistress's praise.

Don't need to mention that zayne loves footjob. He got so much pent-up energy and desire that he can get off just by humping you toes. Of course, he's a good boy. He would never get his pleasure before he gave you yours.

He's also likes to grab one of your feet to slightly massage while he's working on his laptop. If you don't wanna him reaching out to grab you, don't sit on the sofa.

Extra tip: Go to a romantic date with Zayne. Tease him under the table with your feet. Watch him guiding your toe to his half-hard cock. Rub it there, watching him trying not to break.

[gatorbites-imagines]

Um... uh... um... would you willing to do a threesome with logan, steve rogers and X-men? reader. I think they will have an interesting dynamic or you could just add this to your kinktober list. (Btw i love your fics they made me happy and also i hope you have a nice day)

Steve Rogers x mutant male reader x Logan Howlett

Headcanons

Im guessing you mean the mutant reader from the two different things ive written with steve? Hes who Im going with at least. As a reminder to anybody who hasn’t read the other two things, the readers hero name is Titan. Not crazy detailed, but I hope its still good anyways.

You can read the other parts here and here

As mentioned in the other parts. You are, were? An X-man. X-men? You were part of their team, on and off for the years between your loss of Steve and you getting him back.

You still helped them out on the regular, going on missions where they needed a guy who couldn’t be knocked down. And yes, you did tell them everything you figure out about SHIELD and the government. You aren’t loyal to the government at all, especially since they wan to use or get rid of mutants like yourself.

You used to have a thing with Logan, but honestly, who in the x-men hasn’t had a thing with Logan at this point? You’ve joked once or twice that he’s like a bowl of mashed potatoes at thanksgiving, or a blunt at a party. Somehow his gruffness charms a lot of people.

If you weren’t so sure in your relationship, you might have been jealous when his gruffness charmed Steve too. But you knew Steve was yours and no one else, but it didn’t stop you from letting him prove it to you every now and then.

You still flirted with Logan when you went on missions together. As the only guys older than everyone else and with insane healing factors like you did, you two bonded.

It also quickly caught your eye how your boy would glance at you two. It really shouldn’t have surprised you to see Steve floundering a bit when it came to Logan. You two were so damn alike sometimes you could see Steve accidentally saying “yes sir” when Logan told him to do something.

Logan noticed it too pretty damn quickly. But for him it was more the fact that he could smell Steves interest and arousal with his heightened senses.

Logan might be an asshole most days, and he had his whole thing with Scott and Jean, but he did ask you how you felt about it, what you wanted to do and whatnot.

Like mentioned earlier, you were sure and secure in your relationship. You knew you wouldn’t lose Steve no matter what you did, and yeah, it did entertain you to watch your pretty boy stumble every now and then.

In the end you and Logan agreed to just keep it up to see where it all went. And it wasn’t like Steve saw Logan a whole lot, at least before. But now you found yourself inviting the x-men to the tower for drinks or whatever else you two got up too.

Steve tried to stay polite and leave you two to hang out together as the old friends you were, but you quickly pulled him into it. mainly because you and Logan liked to watch him blush as you both borderline purred at him.

The flirting kept up over time, and you and Logan had thought it was going in the right direction as Steve became somewhat receptive. That was until Steve one night burst into tears, burying his face into your chest as he apologized.

He was so ashamed of finding another man attractive and flirting with somebody else, he was so so sorry, he would never do it again, please forgive him. He loves you so much, it doesn’t mean anything.

It leads to you having to comfort and kiss him, rocking your lover as you explain what you and Logan had been up too, because you thought Steve would enjoy it. turns out Steve hadn’t picked up all the pieces like you thought, and had felt so bad, imagining that you’d leave him for being disloyal.

Of course, you quickly fix up that misconception, and explain everything to him. And you also had to tease him a little when his face reddened, and his pupils blew when you mentioned your past with Logan.

Youd save those stories for another day, when you needed to get him hot and bothered.

In the end you have to explain Steves reaction to Logan, since none of you wanna make anybody uncomfortable or step on anybodies toes. You both feel pretty bad about it, which is why you also agree to pamper Steve from then on.

Steve is obviously your partner and lover and has been since the 40s, meaning he’s most affectionate with you. He also wont kiss Logan on the lips, wanting it to only be with you.

Logan isn’t offended by this, he knows he’s just a third wheel in your bed, and he’s sure of himself enough to not mind. Logan is happy to get down between Steves thighs instead and lick him out as you kiss him, putting his best into it so you both can listen to Steve keen and whimper.

You two had had a few threesomes before, and yeah, it had been with Bucky every time, so this was new. But there’s a reason Logan is the x-mens shared bicycle. Dude knows what he’s doing, and boy is he skilled.

Any other time, you might have been a little jealous of somebody making your lover moan like that, but knowing it’s just Logan helps. Plus, getting Steves mouth all to yourself is pretty damn good too.

It takes a lot of work to open Steve up, his healing factor making him tighten up over time. His healing factor is nothing compared to the powers you and Logan share, but its close enough that you both know what to do.

Which means the first hour is spent on just pampering, touching and kissing on Steve as Logan works him open and pushes his way inside.

At this point Steve is a teary-eyed shivering mess as he whimpers and moans, his body quivering as Logan pulls him into his lap so you can slot up behind Steve. You and Logan aren’t small in the compartment that matters, so it takes a while to fit yourself inside Steve too, your lover throwing his head back and arching his back beautifully at the new experience.

You and Logan pretty much just sit back as Steve slowly rides you, his hands gripping Logans shoulders hard enough to bruise, even if the bruises fade almost immediately.

Steves hair a mess sticking to his forehead with sweat, his lips bitten red as his strong thighs shudder as he slowly lifts and lowers himself. When he gets too embarrassed, the blonde turns his head around to kiss you again, not wanting the two of you to hear his noises.

It being his first time doing something like this, means neither you nor Logan feel annoyed or sad that Steve spills so easily. The hour or more of prep also left him already teetering on the edge, his voice cracking as he sobs through the orgasm, thank yous spilling from his lips as he couldn’t help but thank you both for doing this with him.

Neither of you x-men got to cum, but in a situation like this it didn’t really matter, you got enough satisfaction out of getting Steve like that.

You end up on cuddle duty, lifting Steve into your arms as Logan expertly changes the sheets and blankets, letting you lay down with Steve before going off to find whatever else your lover might need.

Steve gasps a few times as Logan wipes him clean and makes him drink some water, praise falling from both your and Logans lips, telling Steve how good he did, how beautiful he is, and so on and so forth.

In the end you kinda have to bully Logan into bed with you two. He isn’t just a bootycall expected to leave the moment you guys have had your fun. Plus, Steve wants to lay squeezed between you two more than anything.

Steve ends up dozing off pretty damn quickly, exhausted but oh so satisfied. Logan and you just end up talking about whatever, before you put on some movie from the 70s you both like, the comforting rumble of your voices only putting Steve deeper to sleep.

[keerysfreckles]

ok, so I saw your Newsies smau and I was thinking...

Reader plays Eurydice on Hadestown and a while back she broke up with her toxic ex. But then she meets one of the drivers (u can choose which one) at a show one day and yk they fall in love. Inspired by the song All I've Ever Known from Hadestown.

This is hyper specific and u can ignore this, I'm just rambling here

all i've ever known — LN4

pairing: lando norris x bway!reader

warnings: slight smut, allusions to smut, not proofread

a/n: sorry not sorry but ive never listened to the hadestown soundtrack SO going off the vibes of the show and what i know of it from tiktok 🤞🤞

masterlist !

⋆ ˚ ｡ ⋆ ୨୧ ˚

for the past three months oscar has been begging lando to go to a broadway show with him. every time the brit is asked, he argues that lily should go with oscar. which he denies, explaining lily's hate towards musicals.

yes, maybe oscar was trying to set up one of his closest friends with his teammate. what could be so bad about him trying to be a good wing man?

after asking non stop during the weekend, lando finally agreed to fly to new york with oscar.

on the plane, oscar tried his best to explain the musical to lando. lando however only got more confused as oscar kept talking, so he opted to look it up on google instead.

"why are you so insistent with me going with you anyway? there's 18 other drivers to pick from," lando asks as he and oscar walk through the streets of new york, on their way to the theater. oscar kept looking down at his phone at google maps, displaying the directions to the address.

"first off, you're the closest friend i have on the grid. and second, there's someone i want you to meet."

lando chuckles, "so this was just to set me up?" oscar simply nods. "does my love life seem that depressing to you?"

oscar doesn't answer as they arrive at the theater, already having a large line queued. the mclaren drivers wait in line, signing things and taking pictures here and there as the line continues moving.

both men are handed a playbill at the entrance, to which lando immediately flips through as oscar leads them to their seats.

oscar points out to lando his friend, y/n, in the small booklet. her black and white picture is at the top of the second page, along with a male, who lando could only guess was the other lead in the show.

"your friend is the lead?" lando asks in shock.

oscar laughs, "yeah, she's actually going to school for musical theater at nyu."

lando whistles and looks through the cast again, now noticing a certain celebrity who's playing the male lead.

"jordan fisher?"

oscar only laughs again at his over enthusiastic friend. "you know, for someone who kept saying no, you seem pretty excited to be here."

before lando could come up with a proper comeback, the lights started dimming in the theater, hushing the crowd.

oscar kept stealing glances towards lando throughout the whole show. he couldn't help but smile as his face lit up as y/n first stepped out on stage.

lando looked like a kid in a candy store. his cheeks flushed and eyes wide, with a smile adorning his features.

at intermission lando immediately started praising y/n towards oscar, telling him how she was made for the stage.

"why don't you tell her that?"

lando only furrowed his eyebrows in response.

"at the end of the show people wait by the stage door to hopefully meet the cast. y/n promised she'd meet us out there."

the two continued talking. oscar answering any questions lando had about the show so far.

the second act of the show went the same as the first, lando being in awe of y/n and oscar smiling at his friend because of his actions.

intentional or not, oscar could tell lando already thought highly of y/n. now the australian could only hope they'd get along once they met.

as soon as the lights dimmed on stage, the audience roared in applause and cheers.

oscar and lando cheered louder when y/n stepped forward, there was no surprise there.

now the duo was waiting outside the theater, their arms wrapped around themselves to try and keep them warm in the chilly new york wind.

"you alright? you seem kind of nervous," oscar states, noticing lando swaying more then usual. a nervous habit he's picked up on over the past year or so.

lando simply shrugs. he was not about to share with oscar how he might've just fallen in love with girl on stage. he never believed in love at first sight before, but now his mind has been changed.

the stage doors opened, revealing y/n and her costar jordan fisher. both were eager to meet the fans who waited, and signed pictures and other items, as well as take pictures with the fans and answer any questions they had.

as y/n was finishing signing a picture for a fan, oscar called her over.

"oscar!" y/n giggled as she jogged towards him and lando.

oscar hugged and congratulated her, lando doing the same.

"so you're the famous lando he keeps talking about," y/n smiles up at him, taking in his features for the first time.

lando laughed before looking at oscar, "what on earth have you told her about me?"

"nothing bad don't worry," oscar pats his shoulder, as y/n simply chuckles.

⋆ ˚ ｡ ⋆ ୨୧ ˚

three weeks have passed since y/n and lando met. they were lucky enough to get each other's phone numbers before departing on the night they met. the two haven't stopped talking since.

lando told y/n he'd be back in new york with his close friend max.

y/n couldn't help but grow excited at the news, counting down the few days until lando would be back in the states.

to add to the surprise of lando showing up, he was currently waiting outside the stage door, just like last time when he was here.

he made sure to keep the secret of being in the audience tonight, knowing how happy it would make y/n once she saw him there.

just like every other night, y/n was talking with the fans, simply going down the line taking pictures and signing items.

it was when she turned, "lando!" she laughed, finally noticing the brit standing off to the side.

she ran towards him, jumping against him to tackle him in a hug. he held his arms out, prepared for impact as he spun her around once.

"i thought you were getting here tomorrow," y/n holds onto his biceps as he sets her down, his hands never leaving her waist.

"i convinced my friend to leave a day early. mainly 'cause you had a show tonight."

"lan, that is so sweet," the nickname fell right off her tongue. lando couldn't help but feel his cheeks warm as she said it.

"only issue is he's still getting here tomorrow," lando frowns slightly, "he was busy filming a video for quadrant."

y/n nods in understanding, then an idea hits her. "well if you don't have a hotel already, you could stay at my apartment?"

lando chooses to ignore the feeling in his chest as she asked, simply nodding.

"great! my cars just parked in the garage behind the theater," y/n boldly grabs a hold of his hand, not that he'd complain for one second about it.

"sorry it's not as fancy as your many mclarens," y/n laughs as the two get in the small car.

"it suits you," lando smiles, sending a shiver down y/n's spine.

the continue continue talking on the way to y/n's apartment. the conversation flowing from lando's hobbies, to y/n's least favorite food, and to what they like to do on their free time.

"it might be a bit messy," y/n states as she unlocks the door.

lando looks around after stepping inside. the walls of the living room are decorated just as he imagined, colorful yet collected. everything went together.

"are you hungry? or just tired?" y/n asks.

"i'm insanely jet lagged, but was worth it staying up to see you perform again," he smiled, watching as a blush made it ways to y/n's cheeks.

"are you okay with the couch?"

lando nods, watching the girl get two blankets and a pillow from somewhere in a room down the hallway. lando guessed it was from her own room.

y/n now noticed lando was still wearing jeans, knowing their not the most comfortable item to sleep in.

after finding a pair of extra large sweatpants and a larger shirt for lando, the two exchanged goodnight. y/n closed her door as she heard the netflix app loading on her living room tv.

what both y/n and lando weren't aware of, is how they couldn't get the other out of their heads.

lando thought about how close he and y/n have gotten in the past month. he only wanted to know more about her.

y/n was in the same boat in her room, as she kept tossing and turning, messing up her sheets more and more. of course she would admit she likes lando, just never to his face.

she loved when he was around, and only wished he was around whenever the two were apart.

five minutes pass as y/n's done contemplating about the ordeal. 'now or never' she tells herself while getting out of her bed. she takes a deep breath before opening her bedroom door.

"lan?"

lando was stood in front of her, equally as startled. she notices his hand raised slightly, she could only guess he was going to knock on her door.

lando's gaze flickers between y/n's eyes, before silently pulling her face towards his. her hands immediately fall to his waist while their lips collide.

he simply pushes forward, guiding them into her room as the kiss only grows more heated.

y/n moans into lando's mouth as his teeth graze her bottom lip. the two's lips stay connected as y/n's legs hit her bed.

their heavy panted breaths mix as y/n brings lando's shirt over his head. she can't help but stare at his toned body, blushing as he catches her in the act.

lando helps her lean back onto her bed, kissing down her exposed neck, his pants growing tighter at the feeling of her fingers gripping onto his curls.

"lan," y/n mumbles, "lando," she calls again.

he looks down at her, his pupils wide and breathing jagged. "yeah?"

"do you want this? like really want this?" y/n asks, not wanting to force anything on him.

lando quickly nods, "y/n i've never been more sure of anything."

he leans down to kiss her, this one being slower than before. a silent agreement between the two, both knowing how they needed this.

[padfootagain]

Only an Almost (IV)

Chapter 4: First Time

Hello!! Here is a new chapter! This is one includes sexual themes, even if no explicit descriptions, so no minors here, please!

I hope you’ll like this chapter! Please, tell me what you think!

*************************************

Pairing: Hozier x fem!reader, friends with benefits AU

Warning: No explicit smut or nsfw content, but there are sexual themes and heavy make-out sessions (it’s a friends with benefits AU, I can’t really escape it), so 18+ only!

Summary: Andrew has been in love with you for years, and yet he has never confessed his feelings. But a night out celebrating the engagement of his best friend changes everything. However, you don't seem ready to be with him just yet. You make him an offer that he can't refuse... but will certainly regret.

Word Count : 2435

Masterlist for the series – Hozier’s Masterlist – Main Masterlist

Andrew and you didn’t see each other for a few days. You were both busy with work, and an impending fear seemed to hang above the two of you. You were both happy to pretend that you didn’t have time to see each other, it was easier to tiptoe around the line of friendship rather than to cross it for good.

But then Saturday arrived, and with it Andrew’s promise to help you move furniture around your house. You were buying a new bookshelf, and needed to move a couple of things to accommodate the larger shelves.

It was raining, for a change. When Andrew knocked on your door, his hair was curlier than ever, and on its way to get properly drenched. Luckily, you hurried to let him inside the warmth of your house.

“Alright, muscles! Let’s get you dry and warm, and then you can show all that manly strength of yours!” you joked, making Andrew laugh before you had even closed the door behind him.

“Yes, ma’am. I am but your humble servant today.”

It was your turn to laugh. You walked to your kitchen to start a kettle, while Andrew was ridding himself of his wet shoes and coat.

“So, how many muscles will be pulled today?” he asked, walking into your living room to assess the work to be done for the afternoon.

You appeared soon after, carrying two cups of tea; you handed him the one containing two teabags.

“We need to move the sofa, the coffee table, and all the furniture set against this wall,” you explained. “Once that is done, we need to pick up my bookshelf at the shop, and bring it home. We can set up everything now, it shouldn’t take too long.”

“Last time we’ve tried to build a piece of furniture together was at Jon’s, and it took us three hours… I expect to be free at nightfall,” Andrew pointed out, but you shook your head.

“No, don’t worry about that. I can assemble the bookshelf on my own.”

Andrew raised a surprised eyebrow.

“You don’t want any help?”

“I can do it.”

“I know you can… I’m asking if you want help.”

“I don’t want to bother you…”

But he merely let out a laugh.

“When did you decide to stop being insufferable?” he joked, making you roll your eyes. “Y/N… I’m here to help, so let me help.”

You grew a little shy, and Andrew tried to ignore the way it made his heart inflate, warmth spreading in his chest at the sight.

“You’re sure?”

“Of course!”

He drank a little bit of tea, before rolling up his sleeves.

“Alright, tell me where we’re putting all these.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!”

“Pivot! Pivot!”

“I can’t believe you’ve made that joke… Andy!”

“Put it down. Y/N, just put it down, we’ll pick it up again.”

You heaved a relieved sigh as you put down the large cardboard box in your hallway. You took a couple of deep breaths, trying to slow down your heart.

You caught Andrew rubbing his back as you turned to him.

“Okay, next time I need help with something like this, I’ll ask someone my height. Are you okay, Andy?”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re sure?”

“Of course. You should close your door, and then we’ll lift this up again and get it safely to your living room.”

You managed to get the box in the right room on your second attempt, even if your arms and hands were sore by now.

Building the bookshelf was quicker than expected, thanks to Andrew’s help. He heaved a content sigh once you were finally done.

“Not too bad!” you nodded, an excited smile on your lips.

He leaned back on his hands, admiring your work. You were both sitting on the ground, in the mess of cardboard and spared screws that came with building furniture.

“So… that means…”

“I can buy so many more books…”

He let out a bright laugh, shaking his head at you with a fondness that made you look away.

“Why am I not surprised?”

“Hey! How many books did you buy last time we went to the bookstore together?” you asked back, making him roll his eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ll have you know my purchases were perfectly legitimate.”

“The first two, maybe. Not the six that came next…”

Andrew laughed again, he couldn’t help it. And it made you break your act, the most beautiful sound in the world…

“Alright, alright. I might have a bit of an addiction.”

“Want some tea before you go?”

“You don’t want help organizing your brand-new shelves?”

“I reckon I’ve bothered you enough for one day.”

“God, stop saying that,” he mumbled, a tinge of annoyance in his voice. “You’re never bothering me, Y/N.”

You gave him a smile, the kind that made his heart melt, that illuminated his entire world…

… Christ, he was such a desperate case.

“Even when I steal all your chips?”

It made him laugh again, of course, even if it was silly. Perhaps because it was silly. You were adorable like this, sitting on the ground with pieces of cardboard all around, your hair a mess and wearing your most comfortable clothes. Domestic. That’s how the scene looked. It could have been a moment held in a shared home…

He wanted to make a snarky remark, but his heart was too soft, too warm, a little too painful as well.

“Even when you steal my chips.”

Your smile grew more mischievous, and Andrew’s gaze lingered on your lips.

“Now that you’ve admitted that, you’ll never get the chance to eat chips ever again.”

You both chuckled at that, and Andrew leaned closer to you without noticing, sitting straighter again. He didn’t pay attention to the way you leaned closer as well.

“Alright, that is too much. I like you enough to concede… 1% of my chips. Not one more.”

“One?! And you say you like me?” you huffed. “I deserve at least 25% of your chips.”

“You’re never getting one-fourth of my chips. Have I never mentioned that chips are my passion in life? You’ll get 5%.”

“20%.”

“I won’t go above 7%.”

“Come on, 10%...”

You leaned even closer, so close your shoulder was brushing his arm. So close, he could feel the warmth of your breath on his chin as he bent down a little.

He struggled to swallow. The thought crossed his mind that you were barely a breath away, that all he had to do to kiss you was to slightly tilt his head and lean down some more…

When did the temperature of the room rise so much?

When did the playful atmosphere turn into this longing?

“Alright, 10%.”

“Deal.”

You offered him your hand, and he looked down at your open palm. He shook your hand, his so much larger than yours. When he looked up, you were blinking, lips slightly parted. He didn’t have the strength to pull away, decided to let you break your hold on him. But you didn’t. Instead, your gaze dropped to his lips, and you tightened you tightened your hold on his hand. Andrew’s heart skipped several beats, he glanced at your mouth as well. When your gazes met once more, you let go of him, and Andrew blushed furiously, ready to pull away, to pretend that nothing had happened.

But then your fingers were lifted to his cheek, your thumb softly stroking his beard. He blinked at you, holding his breath.

When you leaned up, he could barely believe it.

“Andy?” you whispered, your lips almost touching his.

“Yes?” he struggled to swallow, voice low and deepened by want.

“Are you still okay with… what we discussed the other day? About… our arrangement?”

Andrew tried to speak, but he merely nodded instead.

“Can I kiss you, then?”

But instead of answering, Andrew merely closed the gap between your mouths.

It was as wonderful as he remembered, just as overwhelming, as perfect… a feeling he never wanted to end. A sensation he knew he would never stop seeking if he lost you…

The kiss, this time, quickly got heated though. Andrew’s lips had soon found the sweet spot over your pulse, and he busied himself gently biting on the skin of your neck, before kissing it to sooth the tickling flesh. You were breathless in his arms, hands lost in his hair, gently pulling now and then.

When you started to unbutton his shirt, shivers ran through his entire frame.

“Can we take this to the bedroom?” he asked, voice raw and deeper than you had ever heard, deep enough to make your soul tremble, lust audible in his tone.

His pupils were as dilated as yours when you looked at each other.

You quickly nodded, staggering to your feet.

You offered him a hand, one he knew he couldn’t refuse.

“Just sex, though. We still agree on this?” you asked.

Andrew’s chest tightened, and yet as he looked up at you, your lips reddened with kisses, a mark left by his mouth over the curve of your neck, a lustful look in your eyes… he could never have said no. He would have accepted anything to have you, no matter the consequences for him.

“Yes. Yes, we agree.”

You helped him up, keeping your hand in his as you guided him to your bed.

You were still holding his hand.

There was no sound in the room but your two breaths, heaving across silence, scattering over empty space and furniture and the perspiration across your brow.

Andrew couldn’t look at you yet. His mind was just coming down from its height, from reaching for the heavens and gently landing back into your bed, across the soft cotton sheets that smelled of lilac and you. His thoughts were still a little foggy, a little distant even, hanging above him just out of reach. The dizziness that came with utter pleasure and release was dissipating, leaving some room for the return of realisation and consciousness.

He had sex with you. Andrew had just had sex with you. You had slept with him. And God, what love-making that was…

Your hand tightened slightly around his, and he finally gathered his courage to turn his head on the pillow, blinking and then looking at you.

You were dishevelled, struggling for breath still, your eyes closed. Your bare chest was heaving; he couldn’t help but let his gaze trace your shape, the lines of your skin, the perfect curves of your body, for now still uncovered by the sheets. You looked messy and perfectly content. Glowing in some way only pleasure could bring.

He wished for this to be the only sight he would ever see from now on.

“Wow… that was amazing, Andy…”

His lips curved into a cocky grin.

“So… not as disappointing as expected?”

You chuckled at that, finally turning your head to look at him.

“Barely.”

You exchanged a tender smile, while he raised his hand to brush a strand of hair behind your ear. His hand lingered to cup your cheek, touch gentle, loving even.

“It was amazing for me too, by the way,” he whispered, moving closer, his tone as quiet as a confession.

You leaned closer to kiss him, and you tasted like heaven, something sweet and impossibly you, a taste he would never forget and always crave for…

“Hold me… please,” you asked in a whisper, and he didn’t hesitate as he wrapped his arms around you, holding you against him. You rested your ear right against his heart, listening to the steady beat of the organ.

You nuzzled into his chest, one of your hands still holding his, the other resting across his stomach where you drew mindless patterns that lulled him into a peaceful state, one he had not reached in years. He bent his head to kiss your hair.

This could work, he thought. None of what had just happened felt like a mere fling, like some meaningless sex. There had been a connection the second your lips met. It wasn’t fucking, it was making love. And now, you were craving for his embrace as much as he was longing for yours. This could work. For now, your life was complicated and stressful. It was okay, Andrew would wait for you to be available again, for you to be ready to give him a proper chance. It would be alright, all he had to do was to be patient. You couldn’t properly date him at the moment, but nothing that had occurred in this bedroom was mere physical attraction. It was more than just sex. You pretending that it was nothing more than a friends with benefits situation… it was temporary. Andrew was not fooled. You were still holding his hand. It would be fine, it was more than just sex… so much more…

He pressed his lips to your hairline.

“God, you’re so beautiful, Y/N,” he whispered, and he felt your smile against his skin.

His hold on your waist tightened slightly, before he would move his hand across your back, long fingers splayed across the base of your spine. Feeling your bare skin against his was driving him absolutely insane…

“Let’s take ten minutes like this, and then I’ll clean the mess we’ve made in the living room.”

“An hour.”

You chuckled, pinching playfully his side.

“Quit having such a terrible influence on me, would you? I’ll give us fifteen…”

“Why the rush?” he argued, his eyes closing while his lips were still resting against your skin and he breathed in the blooming scent of your shampoo. “This is nice… let’s enjoy the moment, okay?”

You didn’t say anything, remained quiet, went back to tracing patterns against his skin.

It lasted a few blissful minutes, before you were sitting up.

You let go of his hand.

“I’m gonna go clean up everything in the living room, and reorder my bookshelves. Do you want some tea?”

You weren’t looking at him, as if you were avoiding his stare. Andrew wondered why.

“No, thanks. I’m fine.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks, though.”

You hurried back into your clothes, and Andrew grew self-conscious, now that he was the only one still naked. He reached for his underwear as well, then his undershirt.

“You’re alright, baby?”

You finally turned to him.

“Let’s make a new rule. No pet names. Okay?”

He blinked up at you from the bed, taken aback, too much so to stop you from leaving the room.

[twstfanblog]

*~Period Drama~* Tuesday

A/N: SCREAMS. I am...SO SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG. We had to do double time to move out of our house since our landlords decided to fucking sell the property so we had to LEAVE. But it's done and I'm very happy with it and I hope you like it too. Enjoy~! Word Count: 6.7K Warnings: She/They Pronouns OC, Lilia does look and poke at Yuu's genitals Pairings: YuuxJamilxAzulxMalleus (Poly), (Sebek/Silver in the corner) ~Taglist (At this point I'm just adding everyone I've found who was interested in the fic XD) @twistedcece @deltrea @krenenbaker @koebishrimpuwu @cat100200 @emyluwinter @obsessionswithfandoms @ady-hilborn @lucid-stories @girl-nahh-two @itz-hydrodeptus-foxy7 @chyluna @riddlesimps @death-the-jo @a-twistedheartslonging @qixlin @chaosistheonlyway @welcome-to-my-horde @abell2029cluster @kirans-wonderland @coffee-or-hot-cocoa @the-ace-reader @iamsoconfusedallofthetime @chroniccorvus @marvelous-maxi @prolonged-eyecontact @lozplayer @jabberwocky-warrior @thateldribitch @bun-lapin @mel1rose @ladyraeka @ladyzsgolla Start, Part 2 (Octavinelle), Part 3 (Heartslabyul), Part 4 (Savanaclaw), Part 4.5 (Diasomnia pt1), Part 5 (Here), Part 6 (Pomefiore), Part 7 (Scarabia)

Malleus almost always forgot he even owned a phone, meaning he basically never texted Yuu. So when his personalized text tone played Yuu was quick to stop their sobbing and open his message.

‘May I see you tomorrow?’

Short, simple, sweet, and weirdly formal. Yuu smiled, typing back quickly before the horned fae forgot he owned a phone again.

‘Sure babes. Sorry ive been mia the past few days. Not feeling well. Ill explain when i see you tomorrow.’

‘I should hope so.’

Okay, vaguely rude.

When Malleus had said tomorrow, Yuu assumed he meant during lunch or after classes. Instead, he showed up on their doorstep with his whole family unit and a grumbling Grim in tow at 8am in the goddamn morning. None of them were in uniform, clad in casual comfortable clothing. They clearly planned to spend the whole day with her instead of a simple visit.

She blinks, almost overwhelmed at the sheer…something of the current event, “Hi…It's…really early.”

Lilia smiles, tilting his head as he holds up a large and slightly weathered first aid bag, “We brought gauze!”

Silver holds out his arms, the dire beast scowling but unmoving in his grip, “And Grim.”

“Oh, what beautiful treasures…”

“Enough beating around the unwanted bush.” Malleus steps forward, hands reaching to clasp around Yuu's. Looking into their surprised eyes with determination, “What is this illness and how can I help ease you of it?”

Yuu snorted, closing her eyes in an effort to not start laughing at how seriously Malleus was taking their ‘ailment’, “It'll…It'll pass with time, Malleus. But, luckily, I'm actually feeling a lot better than yesterday.” They step to the side, managing to pull a hand free from Malleus's grip to gesture for the Diasomnia family to enter.

Silver nods his head in thanks, walking into the hall to place Grim down. The cat quickly running further in the house, remarking Yuu still smelled weird, “That's good to hear. Did you use a form of medicine to ease your symptoms?”

Yuu closes the door behind them, Malleus already firmly attached to their side. No doubt the smell of their blood making him hyper-aware of their every movement, “Yeah. Crewel gave me a lecture and a pain potion when he brought me dinner last night. Plus the guttural sobbing I've been doing. But, I think it was mainly because I finally took that body cleansing shit…”

The beat of silence almost makes Yuu burst into laughter again, the four males all looking a level of stunned before Silver shakingly spoke.

“A-ah…That's...good?”

“Yeah, it really realigned my chakras or something.”

“Okay?”

“Yuu, could you tell us exactly what is going on?” Lilia's smile was strained. He had spent most of last night racking his memory of various illnesses. Any that he knew of that dealt with bleeding were things that would have killed Yuu within the hour if they had reached that stage. But to know they'd been bleeding for days? Whatever they had managed to catch was cause for concern. But now knowing it was causing other ailments…it was either a truly deadly disease or it was evolving into one…

“Oh, it's nothing serious. Just the muscles that are causing all this-” Yuu makes a vague gesture to their lower anatomy, “- are the same muscles that handle pooping. So…it was expected to happen…”

There was another beat of silence, each male looking at Yuu's stomach, placing the pieces together slowly as they realized she gestured below her stomach.

“Why…why did you…gesture…down there?” Silver spoke slowly, eyes making quick glances between Yuu's crotch, then to Malleus's blank face, then to Sebek's tearfully bewildered expression. Is…are they…?

Malleus says what all of them were fearfully thinking, “Is the blood coming out of you from your nethers!?”

“Ye.”

Lilia stood still, eyes wide as he openly stared at Yuu's crotch. This was…he had never heard of such a thing…

Malleus's hands quickly grabbed at Yuu's hips, magic flowing from his fingers in his panicked attempts to heal what he could only fear was internal ripping, “Why did no one tell me!?”

“I don't think you should be bleeding from there, Yuu?”

“Silver. Words can not describe how badly I wish I wasn't. But, sadly, yeah, this is completely natural for me to do. I wish I wasn't. I am so full of fucking hatred right now, I am a literal danger to my and everyone else's safety.”

Lilia made quiet work of prying Malleus off of Yuu, though he was clearly still concerned himself, “It's natural to bleed out of your nethers?”

“Where I'm from? Unfortunately yes.” Yuu shrugs, holding Malleus's hand as the horned fae tried to reattach himself to their side, “The pussy is a curse and the price must be paid in blood sadly.” They say it with a level of nonchalance that only has the Diasomnia crew looking at them in worry.

Malleus grips tighter to Yuu's hand, raising it to press a gentle kiss to their knuckles, “Please, there has to be something that can be done to ease this curse…”

“...” Yuu pulled Malleus to the living room, showing the plethora of blankets and pillows on the floor. Empty bottle and snack wrappers pushed to a corner of the rug in an effort to keep the cozy area of the floor clear. Yuu gestures to the darkened room, heavy curtains closed to enhance the perfect sleep environment, “You guys can do whatever around the house. But, if you wanna join me, I was about to lay down in the dark listening to sad music and take a nap.”

Sebek sneers, eyes squinted as he mumbled out, “It's 8am…?”

Yuu whips around, ignoring Malleus's worried fretting for their neck, “Hey, Sebek? You don't need to fucking be here.”

Sebek's sneer turned into a deep frown, his expression clearly showing how badly he wanted to yell back. But with their ‘illness’, plus Malleus's protective stance, he knew he'd quicker be scolded than actually get a sentence out.

“Wow, you are more full of hate. You normally let Sebek get at least four sentences out before telling him to be quiet.” Silver moves to sit on the couch, only to realize that Yuu had removed all of the larger cushions and used them as padding for the floor.

Malleus looked over the sad state of his lover's nest, frowning before he pulled Yuu closer to ask them quietly, “Would you mind if I fixed your nest? This looks…barely functional.”

Yuu smiles, bringing a hand up to pat Malleus's face gently, “Do as you please, Peligroso.” 

Malleus kisses their palm before moving toward the mash-up of cushions, blankets, and - to his distaste - bloody towels. He first deconstructed the mess, organizing the materials he had before coming to the conclusion he needed more.

No one tried to stop Malleus as he walked out of the room, his pupils dilated as he busied himself in nest-making.

“Beastie, are you really well? Mundane for you aside, losing that much blood at a steady pace can't be good for you…” The scent of blood was off at that. Fresh blood was concerning enough, but the smell of old blood was not good if one was actively bleeding.

Yuu waves their hand, sneaking a towel from Malleus's separated piles to sit on, “No need to worry Lils; Crewel’s made sure I've been taking iron supplement potions, plus I'm still taking the multivitamin Riddle demanded I start at the beginning of the year once our beef ended.”

Malleus returns, bulks of blankets and pillows floating behind him into the room. He quickly turns a sharp eye toward Yuu, seeing one of the cleaner towels had been taken from his nest piles. But at seeing their smile, he could only sigh and begin building.

Lilia clicks his tongue, holding the old medical bag in his hands, “Well, I'm not sure how useful this gauze is going to be then if it coming out from such an area…I'm not sure you're open to the idea of it…being inserted.”

“I'm not.”

“Fair.” Lilia removed the bag from his shoulder, allowing it to drop to the ground. Walking closer to Malleus, yet still a few feet away, he started to teasingly offer his unwanted opinion of how his ‘mate’ would like the nest to look.

Silver and Sebek took seats on the ground closer to Yuu, the second year pulling the medical bag into his lap as he started to look through it, “While the gauze may be useless, I think there's some pain ointment still in here. Possibly a potion but it's long bitter by now…Oh.”

From inside the bag, Silver pulled out a simple arm cuff attached to a hand pump and dial. It looked old, but the metal holding it together still shined, “Lend me your arm, I want to check your blood pressure.”

“My blood pressure? Why?” Yuu still held their arm out, letting Silver gently clasp the cuff to their lower bicep, “I haven't felt light headed.”

“You might not have noticed if you've been bleeding as long as you have…” he starts to pump the bulb, the cuff growing tighter, “Just see it as a way for me to get peace of mind…”

Silver and Sebek watch the needle, their expressions slowly turning concerned at the reading.

Sebek whispered under his breath, one of his eyes twitching in annoyance as he reread the result, “Why is it high?”

Yuu blinked, looking at the dial before turning to Silver, “Yeah, that's…normal.”

“...Really?”

“I don't know, man. I'm 15, I've never had to know what my normal blood pressure is.”

Silver sighed, deflating the cuff and removing it, “Did you never take notice of it when you went to the doctor for check ups?”

“Silver, baby boy, I haven't been to the doctor since I was in elementary school. Do you not know how expensive a doctor appointment is?”

“I really hate when you say things like that…” Silver still didn't understand how a simple doctor's visit cost money. It was a universal service, all they'd have to do was walk into the nearest office and simply wait.

Yuu hummed, nodding her head, “I forget that you guys have free healthcare here…I kinda just conditioned myself to be ok with dying since the doctor was so expensive where I'm from.”

Silver sighed, fingers pressing against his temple, “Please, curb that habit. For all of our sakes…”

“You got a will to live in there then?”

“...” Silver looks through the bag, managing to pull out an antique-looking locket that held a graying, grainy photo of a confused-looking Malleus on one side and a more vivid photo of a sleeping infant Silver on the other, “I think this is what father uses?”

“Oh my god?” Yuu couldn't stop the bubbling laughter that started when they spoke. They cover their mouth and gently bring the locket closer to look at the photos. Only now do they realize Malleus in the photo has a small circlet of a crown on his forehead. There was no telling how old the photo was, possibly in a time the first camera was even made and Lilia got his hands on one.

They snort, letting the locket swing from their hand and allow Silver to place it back in the bag, “Ok…that works. I now have the strength to carry on.” From the corner of their eye, they can see Sebek's stern gaze staring into the side of their face, “Yes, Sebek? Can you be helped?”

The half-faes's face pinches together harder, lip curling up into a scowl as he looks away briefly. His mild avoidance was short-lived, turning back to Yuu with an expression of concern, “You're…You're okay now, correct?”

At Yuu and Silver's stunned expressions, Sebek grows more timid, thumbs twiddling together as he clasped his hands, “Ace’s texts didn't give much info. But even knowing that…that didn’t transpire, this is still a worrying state of affairs.” Sebek looks up from his hands, staring into Yuu's eyes with steady resolve, “We have our differences more than anything. But I count you as my comrade in ensuring Waka-Sama’s happiness. Your continued good health would be in the best interest of all!”

It was no secret that Yuu and Sebek did not get along. Their first official meeting was a brawl that neither walked away from unscathed (and Sebek left the fight with a secret he'd be taking to his grave under Lilia's instructions). They bickered, fought, and openly slandered each other every chance they got. Truely, the only things keeping them from killing each other were the facts they shared the same friend group and that Yuu was romantically involved with Malleus. Yuu was sure without those factors, Sebek would have actually declared them an enemy of Briar Valley itself.

So to see and hear the other first-year state that he was concerned was jarring at best. 

Yuu stared at Sebek, the half-fae looking at them with an open and vulnerable expression as he waited for their truth. Honestly, were they ok? It'd been only a few days but this felt like the worst period Yuu had ever had. And seeing how their flow wasn't easing as it normally would, they were sure it was going to be longer than normal too. They were in pain, everyone was treating them as though they would shatter at the slightest inconvenience. They were free bleeding of all things…but, their friends cared and were each trying to make things better. 

Azul and the Tweels had basically tried to cater their every meal, though they kept their distance; mer noses were so sensitive to blood after all. Crewel would come in the evenings with medication and conversation. Riddle was compiling a list of some kind with Jade, but he was using info from their “interview” to figure out ways to ease their symptoms. Ace and Deuce had both swore to actually take notes for once so that they wouldn't fall behind in their classes. Trey had texted a number of times, sneakily trying to gauge their temperament so he could ambush them with baked goods. Cater had sent several photos of wet, angry, disheveled-looking cats with the caption ‘this u?’ whenever they were in a bad mood.

Even just yesterday, Jack had basically appointed himself as their bodyguard, not allowing anyone closer than 2 feet from their person. Ruggie had gone into nursemaid mode and Yuu was mildly terrified at how prepared and willing he was to help them deliver a baby. Even Leona's lazy ass had helped. Held them while they cried all the way to their dorm, calling them at midnight just to check if they were sleeping and not up alone with their thoughts.

And now, the Diasomnia family unit had brought them a first aid kit. Not the correct move, but a show of concern either way. Looking into Sebek's face only cemented how cared for they were by their forged family. Yuu opened their mouth slightly as though to speak, waiting as Sebek perked up, leaning closer to fully hear what they were about to say.

Instead of words, all that escaped Yuu's mouth was a burp that traveled directly into Sebek's face.

The half-fae sputters, annoyance growing at Silver's near silent ‘Excuse you’ to the other human. He wiped at his face as though he could remove the air, growling before he pointed a finger at Yuu's smug little grin, “You should have been killed when your mother birthed you!”

“Sebek.”

Sebek quickly placed his hand in his lap, frowning hard as he looked down in an odd mixture of shame and anger. Malleus had turned around and scolded him almost instantly. The dragon fae was frowning, eyes filled with a disappointment only an older sibling could give. He stared long enough until Sebek finally relented and spoke through gritted teeth at Yuu.

“My deepest apologies. You are injured and I have no reason to…antagonize you. Please, forgive me…”

“Did that hurt to say, Sebek?”

Silver placed a hand on Yuu's shoulder, trying to not sigh or laugh their antics, “Yuu…”

Yuu smiled, tilting their head and nodding, “Apology accepted, Sebek. Just don't be mean to me, okay~?”

Translation; I'm going to milk this for your whole visit.

Sebek's frown curled so tight it could only be called a pout. But seeing how he didn't speak further, Yuu turned to speak directly to the 3rd years only to choke mildly at the new impressive structure taking up space adjacent to the fireplace.

What was once their sad faux floor bed set up was a large blanket nest. Pillows tastefully lining the sides for support and comfort, blankets laid together to cover the couch cushions while some were still free to wrap in. A large throw blanket suspended in the air by magic cloaks the whole structure like an open tent. It looked cozy, it looked inviting. Yuu almost hated how proud Malleus looked of his work.

“...” Yuu rolled their eyes, trying to hide their blush as they turned away from Malleus's increasingly smug face, “Ok, your nest is very impressive. Are you proud of yourself?”

“Not until you are in it.”

Lilia spoke quietly, eyes giving Malleus a playful warning look as he chuckled, “Remember you two, we're here with you…”

Yuu laughs, standing from their towel and stretching, “Alright, nap time.” They take care to place down the towel, climbing into the nest and making themselves comfortable in the structure. They had no actual animal-based DNA, but they felt the need to curl up and sleep for DAYS from their new cozy spot. Malleus had built the nest well.

Opening their eyes, they could barely stop the snort that tried to escape them. Malleus was pressed against the side of the nest, eyes wide and focused on them. Yuu tilted their head, smiling widening as Malleus tilted his head in response, “You wanna join me?”

The question makes Malleus lean back, eyes almost bulging out of his head before he manages to school his features, “So bold…As always.” He laughs from behind his hand, “I’m happy to see you are in better spirits compared to yesterday.”

Yuu casts him a confused glance, wondering just when the dragon fae had seen them yesterday. While Malleus made himself comfortable beside them, they looked at the remaining Diasomnia unit standing at attention around the nest, “You guys coming in?”

Lilia snorts, ignoring Mallues’s glare demanding they refuse Yuu’s invitation, “Are you sure, Beastie? We wouldn’t want to intrude…” His eyes lock on Malleus’s, communicating silently that if Yuu invited them into their nest, it’d be rude to deny their request.

“I mean I invited you in the first place.” They gesture to the empty space beside them and Malleus, “Plus, this thing has room for like four more people…”

Malleus mumbles under his breath, an arm wrapping around Yuu’s middle and bringing them closer to his body to nuzzle into their hair, “Or eight children…”

“What?”

“Hm?” Malleus pulls from their hair, smiling at their confused face before making himself comfortable against them again.

Lilia actually laughs this time, “Well, if you insist.”

Everyone climbs into the nest; Lilia pressed against Malleus’s side with Silver beside him already half asleep. Sebek had begrudgingly made his place beside Yuu, huffing as the human offered their hand to hold. Neither of them speaking when Sebek does grip their hand gently. Once everyone had seemed cozy, Yuu retrieved their phone from their pajama pants pockets, opening their ‘sad times’ playlist to start playing music. But the sound of a thud rings out from the kitchen, everyone turning to the noise in mild suspense. Soon, Grim enters the room with a bag of cookies clutched in his mouth.

Yuu raises an eyebrow but helps Grim climb his way into the nest, the cat curling up against their side squished between them and Sebek, “Was that you? Did you fall off of something-hold on.” They grab the bag of cookies from Grim, frowning once they realize what they were holding, “Are these the good cookies? You little shit, you said you ate the last of them!”

Grim grumbled, curling up tighter to Yuu’s side and swatting at their hand tugging on his ear, “I lied! You always hog them so when you left one day I hid them to snack on myself…But…” He huffed, looking at them from the corner of his eyes, “I think you need them more than I do…”

“...” Yuu sniffled, fanning their face as tears started to build in their eyes, “Grim…Grim…” They take a shuddering breath, ignoring the others watching them in worry, “I already threw up like twice yesterday from crying so hard, I’m not doing it again.”

“Parden?” Malleus’s brows creased. When did they throw up!? Just how severe was this illness?

Yuu waves his concerns off, tapping onto their ‘Sad Vibes’ playlist, setting it to shuffle before they connect to the lounge speakers, “It's not important, Malleus. I'm not gonna cry. We're gonna lay down in the dark and listen to sad songs and sleep.”

Sebek mumbles from beside Yuu, his free hand petting a softly purring Grim, “That seems to be the perfect setting to cry in…?”

Lilia gives Yuu a worried glance but doesn't agree nor disagree. He instead places a hand on Malleus’s shoulder, a silent effort to calm the dragon's fussing, “Well, if we're going to listen to music, just none of that Mitsuki woman please…”

Silver blinks his eyes open, tiredly looking to Lilia, “But I like the dog song.”

“...” Lilia sighs, his arm moving to wrap around Silver's shoulders and bringing him closer, “I…I know…”

Yuu tearfully laughed, laying their head onto a softly fretting Malleus. Their weak laughter breaks from teary into genuine amusement as the first song starts.

My baby, my baby…

Leaning over Malleus, snickering as the dragon fae gently presses her head back down to his chest as a silent command to sleep, Yuu whispers to Lilia, “I’m sorry…”

Lilia’s smile is strained, his grip on a sleeping Silver slowly increasing as he fought against his own emotions, “No you're not…”

The nap lasted far too long, Malleus thought to himself. The dragon fae didn't actually sleep, but he kept watch of his family as they did. Silver of course slept, curled up in Lilia's intense embrace before the bat general eased into a light sleep. Though Sebek had been the most against the nap, he had dozed off not long after Silver. One hand still gripping onto Yuu’s while the other resting on a snoring Grim's back.

Yuu was out almost immediately after Sebek, a content smile on their face as they curled up to Malleus's chest. A smile he watched slowly fade through the hours. A common occurrence as one slept, something he's learned from years of watching Silver. What concerned him were the twitches and grimaces of pain that started to increase the longer they stayed asleep. He didn't want to wake Lilia to ask for advice, the older fae having spent most of his night in worry over Yuu's condition and it didn't help he wasn't a morning person normally.

But if the discomfort was enough to affect Yuu's sleep, it was no wonder they felt the need to nap so early in the morning. They possibly hadn't slept the night before from pain alone. He had spent a few moments thinking how he could help, an arm around their waist and a hand pressed to their lower stomach to ease magic from his fingertips. His healing magic wasn't nearly as refined as he wanted. No matter how much magic he poured in, there were no wounds to be closed on the surface. But he could feel how Yuu would curl into his palm, almost trying to trap the heat close to them.

So for the past two hours he laid in a nest with his fiancé, his father, his brother, his brother's ‘friend’, and a cat; palm pressed just above his lover's mysteriously bleeding anatomy to act as a glorified hot water bottle.

Though he had no true method of knowing, he felt as though his grandmother was laughing at his predicament.

And while he did find the lyrics and vocals of Miss Amy Lee to be rather enchanting, he felt relieved to hear the music stop playing abruptly and a shrill beeping take its place. He couldn't help but smile, listening to everyone minus Silver groan at the sound of the alarm. Lilia huffed, snuggling his nose into Silver's hair while the human knight remained perfectly asleep. Sebek had pouted but still sat up, blinking in mild confusion as to where he was. Yuu had tried to bury their head in the space between his arm and chest, a hand reaching out blindly to no doubt silence the alarm.

As much as Malleus enjoyed his loved ones sleeping peacefully around him, he didn't think letting them sleep anymore was the correct choice. He smiled, easily catching Yuu's hand to gently kiss their knuckles, “My dear. I do believe your nap is over now.”

Yuu groans, but doesn't try to pull away, “At least turn the alarm off…”

Lilia clicks his tongue, finally pulling away from Silver to sleepily reach for Yuu's still blaring phone, “I got it…”

“Thanks-ack!” They were batted in the face by Grim's increasingly annoyed tail, the dire beast fighting to stay asleep from the rising noise. A move that had Yuu sneezing after a few moments.

The fae and Grim instantly snapped to attention. Yuu's sneeze was quickly followed by an overwhelming scent of blood. The sudden change in the atmosphere instantly waking Silver. Sebek had tightened his grip on Yuu's hand, almost as though he were helping them to brace against pain. Grim scrambled away from their side, moving to frown and shake from the other side of Sebek.

Malleus brought both his arms to wrap around Yuu's body. How could he let his guard down in such a way? They were sick. Why did he assume a nap was the correct choice to make? They should be in the care of a professional. Now they had clearly torn something, or something had hemorrhaged and they were bleeding out internally-

Lilia turned the alarm off, quickly kneeling and placing his hands on Yuu's knees, “Yuu, I know you said this was natural. But this is concerning. As your future midwife, I implore you allow me to check there isn't actual damage to yourself.”

“I- Lilia, I'm fine. I just sneezed.” Sneezing on one’s period was never nice, sure. Yuu fully felt as though they just forced out half their bladder even though they knew that wasn't the case. “It happens sometimes. The clenching just makes blood come out.”

Malleus growls, his arms tightening around Yuu's body. Lilia was right. No matter how much Yuu claimed it was normal and routine, they shouldn't be bleeding like this, “My love, please. Let him check. Lilia has more medical training than possibly anyone on campus. Just allow him to check.”

“Malleus-”

“Please…” Malleus pleads, concern clear on his and the other's face.

“...” Yuu rolls their eyes but starts to shimmy their pajama pants down, “Fine. If it'll calm you down.”

Sebek and Silver instantly look away, though both shuffle closer in an act to box Yuu in so that no one else could see the human’s privates.

Lilia was quiet, eyes looking unblinkingly at what he could only describe a mess. He was careful, only touching Yuu's anatomy for brief moments to send pings of magic through the flesh to search for opened wounds. But other than the blood he couldn't find anything that would call for concern. Leaning back he sighed, bringing the back of his hand to rub at his eyes, “By the Seven, this is a mess…”

“Wow, Lilia. I'm so happy you're here to stare into my abyss and call it a fucking mess.” Yuu glared, hoping their voice carried just how annoyed they were, “Really, I'm so glad.”

“My apologies, Beastie. I just haven't seen a vagina in this bloody a state since Sebek was born…”

Sebek half turned around, expression vaguely disgusted and horrified, “What?”

Yuu snorts, shaking Sebek’s hand still holding theirs in a way of gaining his attention, “Wow, Sebek, way to wreck your mom’s pussy.”

Sebek retaliated, using their still joined hands to twist and force Yuu’s arm into a painful bend. Yuu had quickly tried to escape his hold, both by wiggling their trapped arm and also using their free hand to slap at Sebek’s face while making repeated yelps of pain. Sebek had managed to dodge only a few hits until a bolt of lightning hit just outside, the flash sending the room into a blinding state before the light faded. Malleus glared down at Sebek, silently demanding the half-fae release his fiance.

Once freed, Yuu instantly pointed toward Sebek while looking at Lilia with wide eyes. Their tone coming out vaguely whining and childish, “He twisted my arm!”

Sputtering, Sebek looked between Yuu and Lilia. Pointing back at her while he looked at Lila pleading that he hears him out, “She talked about my mother’s vagina!”

“...” Lilia sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before speaking, “Sebek, don’t twist Yuu’s arm; she’s already in pain. Yuu, don’t talk about Sebek’s mother’s vagina; you know he doesn’t like that.”

“Did that hurt to say?” Silver looked at his father, half joking but delivered in such a painfully serious way that Lilia could only sigh harder.

Malleus’s expression only grew more concerned, arms wrapping tighter around Yuu and allowing his palms to heat a bit more. He only relaxed as Yuu themselves eased a bit more in his hold, “Yuu, please. Tell me what is causing this, If not for your own sake, but my own, I need to know. I have never been more distressed and on edge than these past few days. It isn't helpful either that you continue to be nonchalant, I dare say you've hurt my feelings with how you've been handling this…

“...” Yuu takes their time to pull their pajama pants back up, moving to sit up fully to look at Malleus directly, “Malleus, you're completely valid for feeling upset with me about all of this. In hindsight, I really should have just told you guys instead of disregarding Crewel’s attempts to keep this on the downlow for the sake of campus sanity. I fucked up, I will take that L. But I want you to know and consider that I have been in pain, tired, sad, and enraged both consistently and erratically for days. Do you really think the correct choice right now is to complain to me…about how my period…is making you feel?”

…

Malleus blinked, eyes darting to Lilia who only shook his head at Malleus's silent question. He looked down, then back to Yuu who was staring at him silently, almost waiting for him to answer incorrectly, “...I would still like to discuss this at a later date…when you are well again.”

“I'll make sure to set a meeting up with Azul, so that we both remember. Thank you for understanding…” Yuu's mood does a 180, now smiling and trying to stand from Malleus's arms, “Anyway, it's like noon now right? I know I have a bunch of stale tortillas and shredded cheese in the kitchen so we can make quesadillas-”

Malleus refused to remove his arms from around Yuu, basically pulling the human back into his lap, “I would like to speak about why you're dodging my question though.”

Yuu hummed, looking up to Malleus's face as they slowly twisted a strand of their hair, “...What are you talking about?”

“You are…well aware of what I've been asking you.”

“I'm really not.”

“Yuu-”

“You're sounding crazy right now.”

Malleus scoffs, rolling his eyes playfully, “Don't attempt to gaslight me. I keep asking you what caused this ailment or how I can ease this plague and you…don't answer me.” Malleus narrows his eyes, arms wrapping tighter against Yuu's body when they subtly tried to move away from him again, “Do you simply wish to…not tell me?”

“...” Yuu sighed, resting their head against Malleus’s shoulder. They smile, looking up into his eyes with a soft affection, “You know I love you right?”

“Your feminine wiles aren't getting you out of this. Answer my question.”

Silver speaks up, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, “Malleus, they may not have an answer as to what caused it…”

Sebek grunts from Yuu's side, eyes casting a worried look back to the other freshman's covered anatomy, “If they don't know what caused it then that's even more concerning. This could be a serious medical emergency and we're all twiddling our thumbs because the one who's ill says they're fine.”

“I am fine. I just…don't wanna say why this happens…”

Lilia perks up, raising an eyebrow as he rests his chin on Yuu's now pressed together knees, “So this illness is triggered?”

“Yes? No?” Yuu huffs, raising their hands in a form of defeat, “It just happens man. But like…for a reason.”

Malleus frowned, almost pouting as he gently moved Yuu's chin to make them look directly into his eyes, “Yuu. My dear. I'm deeply concerned. Please, just tell me what causes this so we may prevent it…”

“...” Yuu sighs, closing their eyes before opening them, “...This happens when I don't get pregnant.”

…

Silver fully turns to Yuu, eyes focusing on the other human as though he could physically see through what he begged was a lie, “Are…Are you serious?”

“Like the fucking heart attack that will take Sebek out one day.”

“Hey-”

“Oh!” Malleus smiles, his eyes shining to the point Yuu was certain they were glowing, “This is easily fixed then.”

Yuu continued to smile, shaking their head knowing what the dragonfae was going to suggest, “...Malleus…”

“I simply need to impregnate you. Then you won't be affected by this plague again.”

“...” Yuu sighed, “No…”

“...” Malleus's expression falls back into an angered pout, “Why not?”

“It doesn't work that way…”

“...” His expression deepens, “How does it not ‘work that way’ exactly?”

Lilia patted Yuu's leg, flicking his head toward the entryway of the lounge as a silent command to Sebek and Silver, “We're gonna go…”

Yuu turned away from Malleus, blinking at Lilia in astonishment as the fae and other Diasomnia pair stand up, “Now why the fuck would you do that?”

Silver was kind enough to scoop Grim into his arms, the dire beast still shivering from the sudden scent of blood, “We’ve come to an agreement that we’d leave the room when you two start fighting.”

“We aren’t even fighting…” Yuu muttered under their breath, making a point to not look toward Malleus’s upset face. They’re pretty sure they’d start giggling at how frustrated he’s being about this.

Sebek shakes his head, already walking out of the room, “You become incredibly uncivil to everyone when you and Waka-Sama have disagreements. Lilia-Sama is right in having us leave the area before you two really start…”

“We aren’t fighting?”

“We’re fighting a little…” Malleus mutters under his breath, glaring off to the side.

Yuu glares over their shoulder, “No, we aren’t.”

Lilia walked behind Silver, holding his hands up as they left the room, “We’re gonna go. We'll make you two those quesadillas!” He ignored Yuu’s wide eyed stare, closing the doors of the lounge behind him and leaving Yuu and Malleus alone in the room.

The silence was loud, the two of them sitting comfortably in the nest. After a few more moments of quiet, Yuu sighs loudly, tucking their head to Malleus's chest and nuzzling into him gently.

Malleus sighs himself, leaning down to press a kiss to the crown of Yuu's head, “My love…please. You're hurting and I don't understand why you won't let me help in the best way I can…”

“Because it wouldn't actually help, Malleus.” They felt bad. It hadn't really hit them just how out of the realm of reality their period was to everyone. Sure the event itself could be scary in their old world, the amount of first period horror stories only grew as the years went on. But to have no frame of reference… the concept of a period sounded downright terrifying.

“How?” Malleus huffed, an air of frustration growing. Were they joking around? Deliberately speaking in circles to annoy him as a tease? “You said this happens if you don't get pregnant. If you get pregnant, then you will not have to deal with this ailment.”

At Yuu's own frustrated sigh, Malleus's eyes widen, “Is…is it too late?” A feeling of guilt starts to grow in him. Were they meant to be impregnated at a specific time? Had a window of opportunity been missed? Was this the rest of Yuu's life now; bleeding out of their intimates and crying so hard they were forced to purge?

Yuu couldn't help but chuckle at Malleus's face, reaching up to bring the worried fae closer for a gentle kiss. They speak as they pull away, “Calm down. This isn't going to last forever and I'll be back to normal by the end of the week at worst.”

Malleus curls around them, his hand still a gentle heat on their lower stomach, “But why wouldn't we simply skip this and just…start our agreement now? If the trigger for this ailment is that you weren't impregnated, why can't we have our child now so that you won't have to suffer this way.”

“I'll be honest with you, Malleus. It's literally because I don't wanna be a teen mom; that's the main reason. But also…there's no guarantee my period would stop during a pregnancy. Plus it'll still come back like a few months after having the baby…”

“...” Malleus pulls away from Yuu, staring at them in a silent state of confusion but his eyes were screaming, “Why…would you get the period…if you're pregnant? Isn't that…you stated you get your period if you don't get pregnant?”

“That is correct, yes.”

“...But…you could also…get your period…if you are pregnant?”

“Ye…”

“...”

Another long stretch of silence passed in the room and Yuu felt as though they could physically see the gears turning in Malleus's head. Double checking the math one would say.

“...Then what's the point of it?”

Yuu snickers under their breath, “Well, I don't think I'm knowledgeable enough to really give you the TED talk about the Tree of Knowledge and the original sin…”

“...” Malleus placed a hand on their forehead, “Are you…have you gained a fever? Is delirium a symptom of your period?”

“I'm not crazy, shut up.” Yuu pushes Malleus's hand off of their face with a grin. Cozying back into his embrace, one of their hands resting on his pressed to their lower stomach, “Periods are weird and horrible and I do not have the answers you're seeking sadly.”

Malleus could only sigh, feeling a pit growing in his mind and heart as he felt his uselessness to his love in this situation, “Is there anything you'll allow me to do? I only wish to help you during this…”

Yuu hums, reaching up to gently cupping Malleus's cheek, “This is plenty. Just…hold me and tell me you love me…”

“I love you, dear.” Malleus smiles, soft and kind as he nuzzled into Yuu's palm, “Though I'm loathed and disconcerted, I'm delighted to know I can at least help in this way…”

“I am too. You surprisingly make a great heating pad.”

Malleus moves to remove his hand, “Oh, is my hand too warm-”

Yuu quickly grips at Malleus's hand, face still calm and content but their fingernails bite into the fae's skin, “If you take this hand off of my body I will rip your spine out of you through your asshole.”

“Ah…”

They sat in comfortable silence, Malleus only mildly terrified at the visual of his spine being removed from his body by force. Their serene atmosphere half ended by Lilia happily bursting into the room with a plate of slightly charred quesadillas.

“Lunch time~!” Lilia walked to the nest, kneeling down and holding out the least burnt tortilla to Yuu's face, “Pspspspspspsps.”

Yuu's eyes snap open, a wild smile on their face as Malleus chuckled and kept them locked in his arms, “Lilia Vanrouge, I will break the fucking bones in your ears. Did Cater tell you to do this!?”

[twipsai]

ive been wanting to do something like this for a while, so here we go

Silver's straightforward attitude and anxieties: a poorly formatted analysis

Silver's anxiety is something i havent seen talked about a lot, and im really just barely going beneath the surface here -- i hope i did it justice in anyway sfdkSKHJFDSKFH i think about his obvious anxiety disorder a lot

transcript of all the text i added under the cut incase its hard to read for some ppl ^_^

image 1 (source: IDW #8): "isnt really used to banter, got worried he actually offended Sonic"

"he worries a lot about not being useful, because thats pretty much his entire purpose in life. if hes not doing something, he will find something to do (badly) or panic. he gets nervous at the slightest insinuation that he mightve messed up because the last thing he ever wants to do is get in anyones way."

"for how powerful he is and how much shit he talks, Silver doesnt really think very good about himself or his own worth."

image 2 (source: Sonic Universe #82): "its hard to say anything here that i havent already said, its just another example os Silver having issues with his self wroth, and also a lot of his motivation coming from protecting the people he loves (and, more generally, protecting the world), considering a page after this he gets up and completely wrecks the Second Devourer"

image 3 (source: IDW #8): "Silver will take pretty much anything literally. he lacks the social skills to identify when someones being serious bc he grew up completely alone"

image 4 (source: IDW #14): "he cant lie (is both bad at it, and it really just doesnt cross his mind to do so), but he can change the subject"

"he also really doesnt like it when people are worried about him -- almost every time people show concern for him, he tries (and fails) to lie or change the subject"

image 5 (source: IDW #14): "he didnt see anything suspicious about [Starline giving the "vault code"] because he doesnt usually assume people lie directly to him, its just not something that usually crosses his mind"

image 6 (source: IDW #60, TSR interview): "Silver's rudeness, his naivete, misunderstanding of jokes/quips/banter, inability to lie, it all stems from his straightforwardness. its simple, but but oftentimes effective (yes i chose a bad page to showcase when it works, ignore that)"

"Silver doesnt like to beat around the bush or show off too often. go in, defeat the bad guys, get out. it ties in with his anxiety of the future -- time is always of the essence"

"Q: What are some of your favorite items to use during the race?

Silver: [...]but the Jade Wisps' "Ghost" is the only one I like. I can disappear and focus on the race."

"it does make him forget to stratagize and cooperate with his friends sometimes, though, when his first instinct is "hit it until it stops moving""

image 7 (source: Sonic Rivals 2): "im not really going over his bluntness in this, but literally the entirety of Rivals 2 covers that. he doesnt think to hide what hes doing because he knows hes in the right, so he just expects everyone else to know that. he expects people to believe him just because hes telling the truth. he doesnt see why he would have a reason to lie, so he never thinks to justify his actions."

"a lot of this bluntness is also shown in IDW #64 -- Silver cant be stealthy and observe someone from afar to save his life when he knows hes right about them. he really takes no time to explain that Duo is Mimic before Whisper steps in and attacks Mimic, even though if he took the time to talk through what happened, he probably couldve convinced Lanolin of Duo's true nature"

image 8 (source: IDW annual 2022): "Silver has pretty much zero idea how to navigate the world outside of helping other people and saving the world. he is almost constantly in "survival mode" and doesnt know how to handle low-stakes"

"(he sometimes takes casual conversation too seriously because of this)"

"he is constantly worried about the future. to an almost unhealthy degree sometimes, its often all he thinks about. when he knows exactly what to do, he comes off as confident and powerful, but when he doesnt know what to do..."

"...he completely spirals. to him, an uncertain future is worse than a doomed one. not knowing how to fix things is one of the most terrifying thoughts to him."

"if Espio hadn't been here to calm him down, i think its super likely he'd have had an anxiety attack."

image 9 (source: Sonic Generations, IDW #64, Team Sonic Racing, Sonic Universe #79): "like, i truly cannot emphasize enough how he cannot relax. anything can be a threat, and if he doesnt see an immediate one, he will find something that is one. "

"he can rarely calm down, because every second hes in the past is another second he should be saving the future"

"i cant properly showcase it here, but if you run past him in Gens, he'll immediately be on-guard."

"he has to always be looking for the next world-destroying foe, it's pretty much his default setting."

"there are tons more examples of his overt anxiety, but these are some of the more prominant examples."

image 9 (source: Archie Sonic #235): "we even see in the traitor arc in archie how Silver is constantly paranoid. the idea never crosses his mind that there is no traitor, because something is always wrong. hes like a machine built to find a problem with no off switch"

"almost anything can set him off and make him untrusting of anyone, because thats the only way he knows how to live. anything can be a threat in his eyes, and when there is no threat, he will either find one or panic that he cant find one."

"because when you spend your entire life fighting,"

"how else are you supposed to live?"

[ashcal99]

Collarbones : Jasper Whitlock Hale IV

Chapter Four

"I can see your collarbones and baby I'm scared, Never thought I'd be so unprepared"

Summary: Camila Johnson was only 16 when she was diagnosed with leukemia. By the time she had turned 17, the doctors had tried everything to save her. Her family is close to giving up hope when they hear of a doctor who may be able to help her. The only problem is, he lives on the opposite side of the country. The small family soon decides to move to the small town in Washington, in efforts to prolong her life. In doing so, her life changes forever.

Warnings: Eventual smut (18+ only), mentions of death, depression, violence, descriptions of disease and weight loss, general angst, slow burn

Words: 7.4k

A/N: Please lmk if you'd like to be added to the tag list. Hope you enjoy. Made this chapter extra long for the wait x

Soundtrack

Previous Chapter

Series Masterlist

——————

January 29th, 2005

Camila sat there, frozen in time, for what seemed like an eternity trying to process what Jasper had just admitted. So, Jasper sat there, unmoving as well as not breathing. He wasn’t sure how she was taking the new information and suddenly found himself wishing that he held Edward’s power in that moment, willing to give everything just to know the thoughts that were going through her mind. Second best, he knew that she, remarkably, held no fright towards the admission, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she lacked the simple instinct that humans should be born with. The instinct to run away screaming when someone tells you that they’re a monster and could easily kill you. 

At the end of the day, he knew that was what he was. A monster. He may have changed his diet and tried to appear human, but he was far from it. He had killed people. Innocent people. He couldn’t even make the argument that his family had done the same, because their body counts were minuscule compared to his. He had fed off of human blood for nearly eighty-five years before Alice had found him. Even with his new found vegetarianism considered, he still slipped up. More than anybody else, and even though he knew that Camila was safe around him, he also knew that she had every reason in the world to fear him, and it confused the hell out of him that she didn’t.

He couldn’t help himself as he spoke, the silence eating away at his resolve. “Can you please tell me what’s going through your mind?” He asked, nervousness gripping his throat as he croaked the words out. 

Camila’s eyes flashed over to him, eyebrows creased in… confusion maybe? “I don’t know… I feel like I know I shouldn’t believe you, but for some reason, I do?” She said, eyes tracing his serious expression. “Can you prove it? N-not the vampire thing, I guess, but something to prove any of it is true?” She asked. 

Jasper’s mind reeled for a moment trying to think of something quickly, when an idea popped into his head. “Remember how you said I’m really good at reading emotions? Like an empath?” He asked, waiting for her nod before continuing. “It’s a little more than that. Some of us, when we turn, we get… gifts. When I was changed I could not only feel people’s emotions like they were my own, but manipulate them too.” He explained slowly, trying to find the right words.

Given the situation, he figured this was his best bet in not freaking her out any further. Eyes scanning her face to make sure that she was okay with what he was about to do, he pushed a wave of happiness towards her. He watched as the corners of her lips curved upwards, the crease between her eyebrows smoothing as her heart filled with overwhelming joy. 

She didn’t know nor care why she had become so  suddenly happy, but as soon as the emotion was ripped back from her, the pieces clicked together. The smile slowly dropped from her face as her mind returned to where had been just moments before. “Holy shit.” She huffed out. He was telling the truth. As soon as the feeling of joy had hit her, it was gone. 

Her eyes widened suddenly. Maybe this was the explanation as to why she felt so strongly towards him. Maybe it was him all along, manipulating her feelings. “Y-you don’t do that to me often do you?” She asked nervously. 

Jasper shook his head quickly, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. “No. I’ve never with you before.” He rushed out, hoping to whatever god that she would believe him.

Letting out a sigh, Camila let her shoulders drop as she let herself relax back into her seat. She had no reason to think he was lying. From what she could tell, all of her feelings and emotions involving him were genuine, no matter how much she wished that they weren’t there to begin with.

“So, is the whole thing about garlic true?” She asked trying to lighten the mood. Everything had suddenly gotten much too daunting.

Throwing his head back with a bark of laughter, Jasper ran his long thin fingers through his golden curls. How in the world was she taking all of this so well? The ball had to drop at some point, right? There’s no way that everything would go this smoothly. Surely after she learned about his past and how much of a monster he really was, surely then, she would run away screaming. But that admission would have to wait for another day, because in that moment, he would give anything keep Camila as far away from that part of him as possible.

——————

January 31st, 2005

The rest of her day with Jasper had flown by, and before Camila knew it, it was the start to her second week at Forks High School. After the exhaustion of her first week, and hanging out with Jasper on Saturday, the rest of her weekend consisted of sleep and cramming in the remainder of her homework. When Monday finally came around, she was well rested, at lest as well rested as she could be. 

Camila had just joined the end of the line in the cafeteria, Eric talking her ear off behind her once again, when her eyes finally met Jasper’s across the crowded room. She hadn’t seen him since he had dropped her back off at home Saturday night. Like a perfect gentleman, he had waited, car pulled against the curb and watched her figure until she had successfully made it fully inside her home, before he drove away. 

Now that her eyes had met his for the first time since she had been given the opportunity to fully, well mostly maybe, process his confession, she felt a weight leave her shoulders that she wasn’t even aware was there in the first place. The rest of their night on Saturday had consisted mostly of more light hearted conversation, so now that she had been given the time to think of more questions to ask him, she had began to grow anxious of waiting. 

She knew the questions would have to wait, however, but seeing his face, that alone, eased that stress and anxiety from her. Everything had happened so quickly that her mind didn’t know how to calculate what his confession actually meant, and over the remainder of the weekend her mind had time to wander. He was dangerous, that much was apparent, but somehow, she also knew that he wouldn’t hurt her. That she was safe with him. 

It felt almost like a fever dream, everything happening so quickly. They had only just met, but suddenly, she couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so comfortable with another person. So comfortable with being vulnerable, and content with sharing with him what she had been so keen on keeping from everyone else. Clearly he felt the same, that much she could gather herself, given his blatant honesty with her. 

Eric’s voice broke her from her thoughts as he continued his ramble on about how their trip to La Push Beach had gone and how she ‘had to join them next time’. She had to stop herself from cringing, not looking forward to coming up with another excuse in the future. She turned to him, attempting to give a reassuring smile. She didn’t want to come off rude, especially with the wide grin that was stretched across his face. He was just trying to be friendly, and that’s what she wanted. So, even if his persistence slightly annoyed her, she was still happy to have him around. 

Chills ran up her spine as icy fingertips brushed lightly across her lower back, bringing goosebumps quickly to the surface of her skin. She knew who it was, of course, before she looked up, having already gotten used to the feel of his touch, but that didn’t stop the flutter of her heart as her eyes met Jasper’s once more. He had sensed her unease from across the room and had decided to come to her rescue. 

“Will you sit with us for lunch today?” He asked, giving her a quirked eyebrow as well as a small smile. Alice had been pestering him since his return on Saturday to spend more time with the girl. As usual, she would get what she wanted, she already knew that of course, but that didn’t stop her from reminding him at every chance she got. 

Jasper watched as the gears in her head began to turn, slowly processing his invitation, her heart sputtering at his touch. He couldn’t help his smile from growing bigger across his face, enjoying hearing the reaction he had on her heart. “S-sure.” She stuttered out, turning back to the lunch lady to pay for her tray of food. She sent a small wave and smile to the boy, Eric, and fell in stride by Jasper’s side, his hand ghosting the small of her back as he lead her to the table that held the remainder of his family. 

Eric stood for a moment, mouth agape as he stared at their retreating figures. What was it with the new girls and the Cullens? Why was that family suddenly so sociable after a year of barely speaking to anybody? From across the cafeteria, the two were beginning to attract the stares from the rest of her friend group, and when she finally made it to the table, Jasper pulling her chair out for her to take a seat, the majority of the overcrowded room was practically ogling them. A fact, in which was doing nothing to ease the anxiety that had settled in the pit of her stomach.

Setting her tray down, she slowly dropped into the hard plastic seat, shoulders tensing as she took in the perfect faces sat in front of her. Camila had of course met Alice the week previous, but she had yet to meet Jasper’s other siblings. She wasn’t sure if she should feel more or less comfortable meeting the pale strangers now that she knew their secret, but the fact was, she knew and nothing would change that now. 

Feeling waves of anxiety and stress radiate from Camila, he decided now would be a time to use his powers, one that he hoped she wouldn’t be mad at him for later. He hated seeing the worry in her eyes and knew that her stress was unnecessary, so he did what he could and pushed feelings of calmness and comfortability towards her as he settled into the seat next to her. 

As the anxiety lifted from her shoulders, a polite smile formed on Camila’s lips. Jasper cleared his throat from beside her, gaining the attention of his siblings. “Camila this is my family.” He gestured towards the group. “Alice you met already.” He said pointing to the pixie haired girl on the other side of Camila.

The whole family already knew of his admission, and given the circumstances he was more that content with their reactions. He hadn’t exactly known what to expect from the situation, never having dealt with anything like it before. Carlisle and Esme had been happy for him, and though this slightly unnerved him, he knew it came with good intentions. He knew what coming clean to Camila could mean for her future, for their future, but he still refused to get his hopes up. Her knowing and having the choice to ‘live’ on had no guarantee that she would make that decision, and as much as it pained him, he knew that he would never be able to make that choice for her. 

Alice’s teeth shown brightly as she smiled at the girl, squealing lightly as she pulled her into a tight hug. Camila’s eyes widened, the immortal girl’s antics still surprising her despite already being on the receiving end previously. Before she was given the time to process and reciprocate the hug, Alice had pulled away and had returned to her comfortable position in her seat. 

Alice was of course ecstatic, even though she had seen the whole thing happen already, because now she was free to develop their friendship. She had seen the whole thing play out and knew just how close she would grow to Camila, and like a child on Christmas morning, was practically bouncing with anticipation when he had arrived home Saturday night. 

Jasper continued, stopping to roll his eyes at his sister. “This is Emmet and Rosalie.” He said, gesturing to the couple sitting at the opposite side of the table. Emmet gave a ginormous half smile half smirk to the girl, while Rosalie attempted the give a polite smile as well.

Emmet was of course laid back about the whole thing, only giving him a little bit of shit for finally finding his mate. Rosalie was surprisingly at ease with the situation, unlike her feelings towards Bella. Of course, Jasper knew why. She had always resented her immortality, having her humanity ripped away from her the way that it had been, and she wouldn’t wish that on anybody else. He knew her calm demeanor had to do with the fact that, unlike her human life, Camila had no chance of growing old. No chance of starting a family.

His heart ached at this knowledge, knowing that he would give anything he could to see Camila age into her beauty. To see her grow and start her adult life. To see her get married and have children, even if he wasn’t the one to give her that future. Unfortunately, maybe because God or whatever higher power was cruel or had a sick twisted sense of humor, she had no hope for that life. 

It had been an unexpected punch to the gut to meet her mother. She was such a perfect reflection of her daughter that it was almost like he was glimpsing into that impossible future. He knew that this would be how Camila would look, given the chance. But she didn’t have that chance, and that was his best guess as to why Rosalie had refrained from giving him the same shit she had been giving Edward. 

“And this is Edward.” Jasper said finally, turning to look at displeased expression of his adopted brother.

Edward had seemed slightly bitter about the situation. He obviously knew the differences between the two girls, but couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous at which the ease Jasper came by with telling Camila the truth. He himself would never wish the future of immortality onto Bella, but only wished that he didn’t have to suppress his want for the girl. He knew it was best to stay as far away from Bella as possible, hence why he had been avoiding her to the best of his abilities, but his resolve was beginning to waver. 

Jasper didn’t have to deal with any of this, despite having his own struggles. Camila already knew the truth about them, and soon she would be making that decision on her own. Hell, he didn’t even have to worry about his thirst around the girl, a fact that he couldn’t help but be bitter about. Edward had always had what he considered decent self control with human blood, something that he couldn’t say the same for with Jasper, and the one person that it truly mattered for, he was at his lowest point with self control. It was cruel irony. 

Despite not being able to read Edward’s mind like he could his, Jasper could feel his emotions, and he could fill in the rest himself. He didn’t want any animosity between him and his brother, but he knew that whatever Edward was feeling wouldn’t stop him from growing closer to Camila, and definitely wouldn’t stop Alice from begging him to let her spend more time with her. So that was why he had decided it was time to introduce her. What better time and place to break the ice between Camila and the rest of his family than the controlled environment of a school cafeteria? He had thought, and now, seeing the slight glare on Edward’s face, he couldn’t decide whether or not that had been a bad decision on his part.

As thoughts of anger rushed through Jasper’s mind, Edwards eyes flickered over to his. Edward’s glare softened as he processed Jasper’s internal dialog. He knew that it wasn’t his fault and he knew that it wasn’t Camila’s, but he couldn’t help how he felt. He was jealous and he was finding it difficult to hide his emotions. His eyes flitted across Jasper’s face, neck, and arms. The scars littered across his skin were a reminder to not push things with him. The crescents, nearly invisible to the human eye, were a gigantic red flag to any vampire. Neon lights that flashed bright as a warning to everyone around him to stay back or else. Although he knew that his brother would never hurt him, he also knew not to start a fight, because it would most definitely be one he would lose.

Huffing in irritation, Edward pulled out his chair, rushing to leave the cafeteria. He could try all he wanted to be civil and not start a fight, but he wasn’t about to sit there and take this torture. Over time it would get easier for him to cope, but in that moment, the wound was fresh and he needed to be far from the reminder. 

Jasper sighed in annoyance, rolling his eyes once again as he let his defenses fall back down to their normal level. “Ignore him.” He muttered to the girl beside him, slinging his arm protectively around the back of her chair.

——————

“So what’s with you and Cullen?” Tyler blurted out suddenly. Camila’s head fell to look at her boots that thudded along the hallway towards their last class of the day. She could feel the blood rushing up to her cheeks and knew that it would do little to help her case if he saw the growing blush. 

“What do you mean?” She asked, feigning confusion. It was a matter of time before someone started the inevitable conversation given Jasper’s display in the cafeteria that day, but she had hoped she would have a bit more time to prepare herself. 

Tyler stuffed his hands into his pockets awkwardly. “Yeah, you two seemed… cozy today at lunch.” He muttered.

Camila raised her head, quirking an eyebrow at the dark skinned boy in stride beside her. “Cozy?” She asked, a hint of humor tinting her voice. Tyler was clearly bothered by this whole situation, a fact that she found humorous given the circumstance. From the fact that Tyler had asked her to prom just a few days previous, she could gather herself that he was most likely jealous of Jasper. Not that he had any reason to be. Camila had every intention to stick to her plan of staying single and as much as she was beginning to care for Jasper, she didn’t see that changing.

A scoff sounded from the boy by her side as he rolled his eyes at her teasing. “Yeah. Cozy. You sat with his family at lunch instead of us, and he was practically all over you.” He argued. 

Camila laughed lightly at his words. “He was not all over me.” She argued. In fact, like usual, she had been hyper aware of every touch from the pale immortal. As usual, he had shown to be very hesitant in touching her, only giving the slight graze of his fingertips along her covered back as he lead her to the table. She of course was also extremely aware of the arm that he had slung protectively around the back of her seat after Edward’s whole display, but he had been very precise in not letting his cold skin actually touch her in any way.

Tyler groaned frustratedly. “Whatever it was, I don’t like it.” He complained.

Camila’s eyebrows knitted together. What was it with people at this school being assholes to them? The Cullen’s kept to themselves, sure, but they were never anything but polite to anyone they came into contact with. At this point, all these little comments that everybody kept making were beginning to piss her off. “And why should you not liking it mean anything to me?” She asked incredulously. Sure, she wanted to make friends, and be nice, but she was starting to become defensive over Jasper and she wasn’t just going to stand there and take everybody’s bullshit. Because that’s what it was. Complete and utter bullshit.

Tyler’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. He hadn’t expected her to respond in that way, never seeing her angry before. “I mean, he’s kind of creepy isn’t he? I’m just trying to look out for you. He doesn’t seem… good.” He said trailing off towards the end as he took in the expression of anger growing more and more prevalent on her face.

She had to bite back a snide remark as she tried to process how she could respond without sounding like a total bitch. An awkward silence rung between the two teens before she decided that she didn’t really care anymore. If he was going to give unsolicited advice to her when he barely knew her then she would respond accordingly. “No offense Tyler, but I didn’t ask for your shitty advice. I’m a big girl, I can look out for myself, thanks.” She said finitely.

Pushing her aching legs to move her forward at a faster pace, she let out an internal sigh of relief as the door to her calculous class came into view. Lunch had gone well, all things considered. Despite Edward’s little display, the rest of Jasper’s family had welcomed her with open arms. While the conversation mostly consisted of small talk and them asking her questions about herself, she could tell that they were all genuinely nice people. 

Alice had invited her over for the following weekend, in which Camila had immediately agreed to without thinking. Now that she had been given the time to think about the implications of the invite, she realized that she would be meeting their adoptive mother and seeing Carlisle. While she knew Carlisle fairly well, given meeting him the week prior, she realized how nervous she was to meet Esme. Jasper had talked the woman up so highly, but she couldn’t help but feel her nerves eating away at her. She would be meeting his mother soon, ‘adopted’ or not and it was only natural to have that kind of reaction. 

Jasper, as usual, was already seated at their assigned table by the time she had arrived to the classroom. Camila flitted to the back of the room to her seat, letting her body drop into the confines of the cool plastic, as she let out a heavy sigh. 

“Are you okay?” Jasper asked, concern lacing his voice. It was normal for her be exhausted by the end of the school day, but he could also feel her anger and frustration. The feelings set off warning bells in his mind and he was immediately on alert to what had upset her. 

Camila rolled her eyes, raking her slim fingers through the long dark strands of her hair. “Tyler Crowley is an asshole.” She said simply, annoyance still evident on her face as she recalled their conversation that had just taken place moments ago. 

His eyes flickered over to where said boy had just entered the classroom, narrowing as he took in the sight. “What did he say?” He asked, immediately defensive over the girl. 

“He apparently has an issue with you and ‘just wants to look out for me’.” She said, yanking her workbook and and pencil case from her backpack and slamming them down on the desk.

Jasper’s shoulder’s drooped at her words as he hummed in reply. He couldn’t even be mad. What Tyler said was clearly justified, whether or not Camila had realized. She should be warned about him. Just because he didn’t thirst for her blood didn’t mean that he wasn’t a danger towards her. Didn’t mean that he couldn’t hurt her, even if it wasn’t intensional. Didn’t mean that he wasn’t a monster at the end of the day.

Hearing his near silent response, Camila turned her head to see him looking down slightly defeated, eyes refusing to meet her own. “Jasper.” She said, trying and failing to get him to look at her. “Jasper.” She repeated, grasping at his hand  that laid in a tight fist at his thigh. 

Electricity shot through her fingers as they brushed the marble skin of his clenched knuckles, but she pushed on. “Can you look at me, please?” She asked, her soft voice contrasting the anger that had filled it just moments ago. 

His amber eyes flickered up to meet hers. As much as he wanted to sulk in that moment, he wanted more to give her what she wanted. Her eyes softened as she saw the pain that filled his. They were always filled with pain, but this was different. More of an inner torment and seeing it made her chest ache. 

She turned his fist over in her palm, nudging the fingers apart so she could intertwine them with her own. “He’s full of shit, Jazz. I know you would never hurt me.” She said, voice softly ringing in his ears. 

The pain in his heart grew at her words. He didn’t deserve her. She was too perfect for his damned self and he knew it, but that didn’t stop him from being grateful that she was there. It didn’t stop him from selfishly wanting her. He pulled their intertwined fingers up to his lips were he laid a soft kiss on the back of her palm, thanking her for her kindness. Thanking her for her comfort. 

The touch of his chilled lips on her skin sent her heart into overdrive, and knowing that he could he hear his effect on her didn’t help the blush that was creeping onto her cheeks. She had expected him to drop her hold after that, but instead, their hands remained, bound together and laying gently in his lap. 

Class continued, the two working together on finishing the next page in their worksheet. Jasper of course could finish the work in less than a minute, but anything that gave him the excuse to talk to Camila he would gladly do. She sat there, eyebrows furrowed as she worked over a particularly difficult problem on the sheet. Normally, she would have no problem solving the equations, but today her mind was wandering too much. She sighed, giving up as she let her pencil clatter onto the chipped veneer of the desk.

“Do you want to come over to my house today?” She asked suddenly. Clearly seeing that she had caught him off guard, she continued. “I have more questions.” She clarified. 

Jasper groaned internally. As much as he would love to avoid the inevitable conversation, he also knew that it had to happen at some point. At least he would get to spend more time with her, a definite plus. “Sure, I can just drive us after class if you’d like.” He offered. Alice had told him to drive separately to school that day, and now it was clear why. He would have to thank her later. 

Camila nodded, pulling her flip phone from her bag and trying to discreetly type a quick text to her mother letting her know that Jasper would drive her home. Doing so was a bit difficult to do one handed, but she wasn’t about to take her other hand out of his grasp. 

The remainder of the class trudged on slowly to Camila’s dismay. Now that she knew that she would be able to ask all of the questions that had been racing through her mind, she couldn’t seem to clear her head of them. Finally, a bell rang shrilly throughout the class, signaling the end of the school day. An unspoken agreement stood between her and Jasper as they both proceeded to pack away their belongings without undoing the grip on each other’s hands. 

She wasn’t sure what the hand holding meant to him or even herself, but she didn’t exactly care. She already had to constantly remind herself of her promise to keep any romance at bay, but hand holding didn’t necessarily have to mean that. It was comforting, having his cold palm pressed against hers, and despite her internal screaming at herself that it was a bad idea, she didn’t want to pull away. So there they were, walking down the hallway, hand in hand, attracting even more stares than usual. 

Camila let out a sigh as they reached the parking lot, the cool air feeling nice on her feverish skin. Puffs of vapor swirled in front of her mouth as steady breaths of hot air left her parted lips. Jasper had to rip his eyes away from the sight to make sure that he was walking in the right direction. He needed to pull his shit together. Kissing her hand had been bad enough, but he had to stop himself from thinking too much about her lips. Her soft warm plump lips. Jesus Christ, STOP. 

He wished so badly in that moment that he could’ve kissed her. Regardless of the numerous bystanders. However, he knew that it wasn’t safe. He didn’t trust himself enough not to end up accidentally hurting her. He didn’t even know if she would’ve kissed him back for fuck’s sake. And here he was feeling like an absolute creep again. 

Pulling himself from his thoughts, he pulled the passenger door of his car open for her. Reluctantly, she let loose of his grasp, immediately feeling an emptiness without it’s presence. She settled into the plush bucket seat, pulling her bag into her lap as he shut the door softly behind her. 

Flitting quickly, or as quick as seemed human, to the driver’s side, Jasper slid in and turned the key in the ignition. Shifting the car into reverse, he backed out of the parking spot and shifted back into drive as he sped out onto the street. He internally thanked his past self for buying a manual transmission before reaching over to grasp Camila’s hand once more. 

Camila let her hair fall in front of her face, hoping that the curtain of dark strands hid the smile that she couldn’t wipe away. For someone who was so adamant on not dating, she kept finding herself being giddy whenever he touched her. What was she a twelve year-old? He was just holding her hand, she shouldn’t feel like a swarm of butterflies was flying around in her stomach. 

The drive to Camila’s home hadn’t taken long, and by the time they arrived at the small house, he mother’s mini van was still absent from the driveway. She had replied earlier letting her know that she was going to go grocery shopping since she had time before she had to go to work, and Camila was happy to see that she hadn’t returned yet. One less awkward interaction with Jasper and her parents would always be a good thing. 

As they stepped through the threshold of the home, she found herself wishing she had cleaned her room. She hadn’t thought of the mess she had left behind before she had invited him over, albeit a small mess. Either way, she couldn’t help herself but try and hurriedly pick up the few pieces of clothing scattered around the room once they made it through the doorway. 

Once she was content with her ‘cleaning’ she shut the door softly behind her and plopped down on her mattress, the springs squeaking slightly in protest. Scooting backwards until her back met the wall, she patted the empty space beside her, gesturing for Jasper to join her. On one hand, she almost wanted to sit out on the couch in the living room, as it would probably seem less intimate that way, but she also didn’t want to be interrupted by her mother when she inevitably returned home from the store. So there they were sitting side by side awkwardly on her worn out used mattress and now she didn’t know how to start the conversation. 

Sensing her hesitation, Jasper spoke up. “So, you have questions.” He said, wanting to end the torture of waiting any longer. If she was going to run away screaming, he would rather it be sooner than later, because the anticipation was slowly eating away at him. 

Camila sucked in a breath. “How old are you?” She blurted out. Jasper groaned, rubbing his hands down his face. He should’ve expected her to jump right to the point, but, somehow, he hadn’t. “You said it was a conversation for another day. It’s another day now.” She reasoned.

“I know. I know.” He said with a sigh. “I’m just really old, Darlin’.” He said, hoping the nickname would distract her. It didn’t.

She scoffed. “That’s not an answer.” She said bluntly. 

Jasper closed his eyes, sucking in a breath as he braced for the impact of her reaction. “I’m a hundred and sixty-one.” He muttered lowly. Utter silence followed. 

Camila didn’t know what she expected, if the age he had given was younger or older than she had thought it would be, but hearing him say such a precise age made everything seem way more real. She couldn’t find the words to say in response, so instead, she reached over to grasp his hand once more, letting him know that she wasn’t disgusted like he had thought. 

“Will you tell me your story?” She asked, not being able to help her intrigue.

His bright gold eyes met her emerald irises. “It’s kind of gruesome.” He warned, trying his best to prolong the inevitable admission of his past, but knowing that it was just that. Inevitable.

“I want to know.” She said simply. “If you’re willing to tell me.” She clarified. 

Jasper was fucked and he knew it. Anything that she wanted, he would give her in a heartbeat, but she would hate him after this. “I didn't have quite the same upbringing as my adopted siblings.” He said, reaching his free hand over reluctantly, to roll up the sleeve on the arm that she held. 

She wasn’t sure how she hadn’t noticed them before, but there they were. Hundreds of crescent shaped scars shimmering lightly in the dim lighting emitted from her ceiling fan. Now that she knew what to look for, she could see the scars were scattered across every piece of visible skin. Down his arms, onto the hand that was holding hers, a few up his neck to his handsome face. “Are those… bites?” She asked incredulously.

“Battle scars.” He responded, a small smirk gracing his lips. “I was seventeen when I joined the Confederate Army.” He said, pausing when he saw her grimace. “I know. I wish I could say that I didn’t know what I was fighting for, or against, but I knew enough. I’m not proud of it.” He said hanging is head in shame. 

“I was the youngest major in the Texas cavalry. All without having seen any real battle.” He continued.

Camila perked up. “I knew that was a Texas accent.” She said smirking at him, gaining a small smile in repose. Leave it to her to try and lighten the mood as soon as it gets dark.

Still, he pushed on, knowing that it was about to become a much darker conversation. “I was riding back to Galveston...after evacuating a column of women and children. When I saw her.” He said dauntingly. “I immediately offered her my aid.” He continued.

“Maria was creating an army. A newborn vampire army.” He clarified. “Our kind are at their strongest in their first year after changing. Their human blood still lingers in their veins and gives them more speed and strength.” He explained.

“Newborn armies were very common in the South, and cost a brutal battles for territory.” He continued, losing himself in the story. “Maria won them all. She was smart, careful. And she had me. I was the second in command. My abilities to control emotions served her well.” He said, looking down to the warm hand he still had clutched in his own, trying to find comfort in her touch. 

“I trained her newborns. An endless occupation since she never let them live beyond their first year.” He said, cringing from the memory. “It was my job to dispose of them.” He said, voice thick with emotion. It pained him to remember what he had done. To remember their pain. “I could feel everything they felt.”

The crease between Camila’s brows deepened. It clearly hurt for him to recall these memories, and she found herself wishing that she could take that pain away. 

“I thought what Maria and I had was love. But I was her puppet. She pulled the strings. I didn't know there was another way. Until I found Alice in 1948. Now she'd seen me coming, of course.” He paused, remembering that this would wouldn’t make much sense to Camila. 

He gathered his thoughts quickly, trying explain the best he could. “She has visions, of possible futures. They change when decisions are made, but she knew when and where to find me.” He smiled slightly. “She saw you, even though she conveniently didn’t warn me.” He explained.

“I don't know what I'd have become without her. I’d done horrible, unspeakable things, and she helped me get past that. My family choses to feed off of animal blood rather than human blood, but it wasn’t always like that for me. I’ve killed innocent people. I’m not a… good person.” He ended his story with a sigh, unsure of how she was feeling. 

Her mind was filled with conflicting emotions that he couldn’t quite place all together. “I completely understand if you want me to leave.” He said, moving to pull his hand away from hers. 

Her grip tightened as her eyes shot up to his. “No, stay. Please.” She muttered. She knew how her reaction must seem. In truth, she had almost expected worse. As bad as his story was, at least he didn’t actively kill people. It was a horrible argument, she knew, but after being given the rest of the weekend to let her mind wander, she had tried to prepare herself for the worst. 

Her silence was agony and he couldn’t help himself when he asked. “Can you please tell me what you’re thinking?”

Camila sighed, bringing her eyes back to his. “I’m not going to sit here and act like what you did wasn’t wrong, because it was. But I’m also not going to actively try and make you feel any worse for it. You’ve had over fifty years to regret what you did, and you clearly do. I’m not going to judge you for something that you wish you could’ve changed, not when I know you’re a good person now.” She said. 

Jasper shook his head in disbelief. How was she this forgiving? It seemed impossible. He was sure she would be disgusted with him, but here she was forgiving him for something he couldn’t even forgive himself for. “How are you not terrified of me?” He asked.

She looked deep into his eyes as she answered. “I’m not scared because I know you won’t do anything to hurt me.” She said simply.

“I could hurt you on accident. Very easily.” He argued, looking ashamed. “I could crush you just by hugging you too tightly. I know you don’t understand fully, but it would be so easy that I actively have to try and not hurt you.” He said, a deep frown on his face.

Camila’s eyebrows furrowed as she brought her free hand down to trace the crescent shaped scars that littered his arm. “I don’t know what to tell you. I trust you, that’s the best answer I can give you, Jasper. You need to try and have trust in yourself.” She answered.

Jasper shook his head, baffled that she had so much trust in him to begin with. He didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve her. Seeing the sadness still in his eyes, she rushed, trying to find a change of topic to lighten the mood from the darkness that it had reached. “So, if you can manipulate emotions and Alice sees visions of the future, does anyone else in your family have a ‘gift’.” She asked, curiosity peaking once again. 

Jasper was thankful for the change of topic, already feeling himself beginning to spiral from the continuous self hatred. “Yeah, Edward is the only other one in our family. He can, um, read minds… I know it sounds ridiculous.” He said, slightly humiliated at how fictional everything sounded. 

“Oh god. That’s… embarrassing.” She muttered, her mind beginning to wander. Edward had no doubt read her mind and heard her thoughts of Jasper. Those were thoughts she didn’t even want to admit to herself and now he definitely had knew all about them. 

Suddenly her mind went to his exit at lunch. Was that why he had left? Was it something she had thought that had set him off? “What happened with him at lunch today?” She asked.

Rolling his eyes at the memory, Jasper tried to form the most comprehensible explanation. “He’s jealous that I can tell you the truth and he can’t tell Bella.” He said simply. 

“Bella Swan?” Camila asked.

Jasper nodded. “He… has a particular interest in her. He’s been trying to avoid her because he knows that it won’t end well, and he’s jealous that I don’t have to do the same with you.” He explained. 

“Why is it different with me?” She asked, trying to ignore the implication that Jasper had an interest in her.

His eyes trailed across the bare walls of her bedroom, looking anywhere but at her as he continued. “He has a really hard time with the scent of her blood, while yours is different for me.” He said.

“Because of the leukemia?” She asked.

Jasper nodded again. “It’s more dangerous for her than it is for you because of that. It’s hard for him to even be in the same room as her. Either way it would end badly.” He explained.

“End badly how? Surely it could end in more ways than just him killing her right?” She asked. She knew the subject had to be touchy and sensitive, but she couldn’t keep herself from asking.

Here it was. The scariest topic of them all. If he didn’t handle this just right, if he didn’t use the right words, then there went his chance of a future with her. He gulped, mustering the courage to speak. “He could kill her or he could change her. Both which he doesn’t want to do.” 

Camila’s eyed widened. She hadn’t even thought of that. Changing into a vampire. She wasn’t sure why her mind hadn’t gone there, but she hadn’t even considered that a possibility. She couldn’t help it when her mind wandered to what this could mean for her. He had said it like he was trying to imply something else entirely. He had to know the possible endings. Surely Alice had seen. 

“Are there more possible endings for me? Futures where I don’t die from the leukemia?” She asked. She had to know. She had spent a year coming to terms with the fact that her life would be cut short, but now she wasn’t sure. She knew that her illness would in no doubt end up taking her human life, but what if she turned. What if she changed into something else where the cancer didn’t effect her anymore? What if she wasn’t human anymore? She had to know, because suddenly, after a year of withering away, she might have another option. She might have hope.

Jasper turned his eyes back to hers. This was the make it or break it moment. He sucked in a breath, feeling a tightness in his chest regardless of the fact that he didn’t need the oxygen. 

And he spoke. “Yes… Alice has seen it."

Next Chapter

Tag List:

@jasper-the-beloved @parkchaeyoung1997 @bobaopal @izzyisstuff @itsmytimetoodream @soyeonrai @just-browsing101 @demirunner @dkbj14 @iloveramensm @imyelenasexual @bella7866 @ropickle @may-and-lay @breezybeesposts @emily-a13 @mamajaxx2511 @meyrryme @bertholdtswife @swagcopangeloop @idonotcareaboutyouropinion @honey132 @sakurayuki8655-blog @braveangel777 @illogic-ally @obsessed-with-pychopaths @natsvenom @iamveryholyiswear @too-many-fandoms-tbh @loser-syrus

[mieanme]

Merman x Siren au

Hualian - (part IV)

Previous part: PART III

First part: PART I

We finally reached the part I've been thinking about for ages 😭 I hope you like the siren, guys ^•^

ALSO, if you wanna know how Hua Cheng looks like, I drew him: here

***

"Well, well, well..." the deep, unfamiliar clicks echo down the trench, causing unpleasant chills to run up Xie Lian's spine. "What do we have here?"

With a racing heart, Xie Lian slowly turns his head upwards, finally facing the creature blocking the daylight.

The first thing that pulls Xie Lian's gaze is the longest tail he has ever seen in his life. If not for the sharp, bloody red scales, he would say it resembles an eel more than any other creature he's ever come across. Other merpeople said that sirens take after reptiles such as crocodiles the most, but those don't usually live in salt waters, so Xie Lian never had a chance to check if their words were true. Not like it matters now anyway - following up the tail, Xie Lian sees the huge back fin, a few smaller ones on the sides, pale yet tough looking body and, the most terrifying for him, arms geared with shining claws.

"I,I... I—," Xie Lian clicks a few times, trying to maybe bargain with the siren, but all that comes out is rather incoherent.

"Hmm?" the creature respondes, arcing its left eyebrow.

When Xie Lian steals a short glance at its face, not daring to stare, he only catches eye contact with the creature's left eye, the right one being covered with long, black hair. From that one look, Xie Lian figures out the siren is probably a male, with a sharp jawline and more or less masculine features.

"Are you inaudible, little merman?" the siren mocks, swimming closer to Xie Lian, as if he wanted to catch his prey this instant.

In seconds Xie Lian in his mind sees the image of the siren getting closer and holding him by his throat to cover his gills. The vision of himself dying slowly and painfully in the creature's hold finally untangles his own tongue.

"N-no, that's not the case!" he exclaims, trying to back out of this situation, but soon enough his shoulders bump into the wall of the trench behind him. Ruoye managed to move onto the merman's stomach, so luckily it didn't suffer the collision. "I-I can explain! I just need one thing, I promise!"

"Interesting," the siren speaks up again, still approaching Xie Lian in a painfully slow and very mocking manner.

The siren knows the merman cannot escape and so does Xie Lian. He's just toying with his meal at this point and Xie Lian doesn't like that thought one bit.

"So you not only ventured into my territory uninvited, but you were also planning to take something without my permission nor knowledge. It's called stealing, little merman. But please, explain away."

Xie Lian grins to himself, noticing that the siren does have every single right to execute the merman here and now. However, he doesn't want to give up just yet. He hopes that the siren will understand him and cooperate.

"I know how it sounds, but I have a good reason, I promise I had no malicious intent coming here," Xie Lian starts, not daring to look up at the siren. "Some of the members of our pod have suddenly fallen ill to a highly dangerous and infectious disease. They are innocent merpeople, gatherers and nursery guardians. They were unable to swim since then and whatever they eat, they vomit out a few minutes later. If they're not granted the medicine for this illness, they are going to die suffering. But there's only one cure to this illness, at least that's what our oldest medic said - it's an algae that grows in almost full darkness, practically only in the ocean trenches. And the only trench we know of is this one! I-it's also not that we all agreed to come here, our leader even forbade us from coming into your territory, so, please, don't hold it against our pod, I came on my own! But I really want to help them, so please, let me take the algae!"

Xie Lian rapidly spits out the last sentence, begging the siren to have some mercy. However, after he finishes his speech, only silence follows. If not for the shadow still remaining casted at him, Xie Lian would think the siren left, since he no longer could sense his presence nor water movement around. Just then, siren finally reacts to his words, but it's not a reaction Xie Lian was waiting for.

The siren bursts laughing, making Xie Lian lift his gaze at him. The creature is way closer to him than Xie Lian thought - now he's able to see every single scale on his body and even some strange marks resembling veins on his torso and neck, travelling down his left arm and even up his face. Only then Xie Lian realises the siren doesn't have the second eye; where it should be, there's an ugly scar covered in the same strange marks that the merman noticed on his body.

Xie Lian doesn't have any more time to think about it though, because when the laughter dies down, the siren keeps staring at him with a mocking smile, as if he never saw anything as stupid and amusing as this very merman in front of him.

"Why... why are you laughing?" Xie Lian finally says, almost clinging to the wall when the siren comes even closer to him. The siren's black hair brush over Xie Lian's shoulders and tangle with his own, painting a beautiful yet terrifying picture.

"Foolish, little merman," the siren sums up, reaching out one of his hands to Xie Lian's face. Ruoye jumps up to attack him, but Xie Lian manages to catch the octopus with both hands and hug it to his chest, not wanting to anger the siren even more. "You won't pick that algae, no matter how much you want to."

"Please, let me go there! I really need it, we will repay you for your kindness if you let me go look for it! I promise! Please!"

However Xie Lian shuts up the second the siren's cold, clawed fingers touch his face. The siren catches his chin in two fingers, the rest slowly brushing over the merman's skin. It's terrifying, but also... it feels quite pleasant. Xie Lian doesn't understand it, but his heart starts beating even faster, but not only out of fear. What's the other emotion - he cannot tell.

"I am not stopping you from diving down the trench. I'm simply stating the fact, little merman. You are unable to pick that algae."

Xie Lian is dumbfounded. He blinks a few times, this time looking straight into the siren's eye.

"What... What do you mean? You're not stopping me? So... Why wouldn't I be able to pick the algae?"

"It's very simple," the siren states. "It grows too deep for any mer to pick it. That's why that disease that has fallen over your pod is called the 'black desolation'. It brings only two things over merpeople - annihilation from the illness and darkness from the places they try to find the medicine and fail. Your elder didn't mention it, did they?"

Xie Lian is speechless once again. What the siren says is even more terrifying than his presence itself.

'It... It can't be,' he thinks to himself. 'So there's no cure at all?'

"I see, you actually didn't know," the siren continues. "That's a pity—"

"But!" Xie Lian cuts him short, suddenly feeling a rush of courage wash over him. "I won't give up until I try! I want to see for myself if I can pick it or not! Please, let me go, I can endure whatever the depth has there for me!"

The siren's eyebrow flies up yet again, visibly not believing in Xie Lian's success.

"So you still really want to start bleeding from all your flesh, lose all your senses and die a painful death, crushed by the conditions down there?"

Xie Lian hesitates, but then he nods. He knows he probably looks like the most pitiful creature in the siren's eye right now, but it doesn't matter.

"I will pick the algae, or I will die tryin—"

"No need," the siren chimes in, letting go of Xie Lian's face. "I will pick the algae for you."

The siren backs away, leaving Xie Lian so surprised that he even lets go of Ruoye. The octopus, still angry with the siren's attitude, charges right at him, but even when it wraps itself around it's arm and bites down, the siren doesn't look amused at all.

"Ruoye, no!" Xie Lian exclaims, but he knows it's already too late.

"Don't worry, it's venom can do nothing to me. It's not the first blue-ring octopus I pissed off," is the only thing the siren says before Xie Lian manages to reach him and gently takes Ruoye in his hands, trying his best in convincing the animal to let go. When the octopus finally admits defeat, it wraps itself around Xie Lian's back again, obviously glaring at the siren.

Only now Xie Lian realises that as soon as Ruoye disappeared from his hold, his hands chose to rest on something else - that happened to be the siren's forearm, right in the place a small bite mark is now visible. Xie Lian blinks, unsure of what to do. Then he feels his cheek being touched by the siren's cold fingers yet again, making him look up at his handsome face.

"I will be back shortly. Stay here," the siren assures, but is taken aback when Xie Lian grips his arm even tighter instead of letting go.

"But... aren't you going to get hurt? I don't want you to risk your own life just because I probably cannot reach the algae. I... I want to do it on my own without putting any more lives on the line."

Xie Lian doesn't expect the siren to chuckle, but it actually happens. The siren only shakes its head, smiling leniently at the merman.

"My body is very different from the one of a mer. I can dive way deeper and endure extreme conditions. I am what your kin calls a 'monster', after all. Only a pitiful monster wouldn't be able to do such things. I'd rather live up to my titles."

With those words, siren suddenly dives down, not letting Xie Lian even think of a response. Within seconds he's totally gone in the pitch darkness, leaving the merman and the octopus alone.

***

Hello~! I feel like this part is a little longer than the previous ones, I hope you enjoyed it!! Lemme know what do you think in the comments ^•^ See you soon!!

PART V

[nishipostitz]

megumi is your tutor drabble

megumi x gn!reader

tw! mentions of a snack 💀

you needed help in your english class, and megumi was drafted to help you. you were quite embarrassed to get help from megumi bc hes intimidating and you didnt wanna seem stupid in his eyes (you did). but in reality, he wasnt that bad. you were expecting to get hit at least once, but it never happened. megumi was patient with you in sounding words out and explaining the grammar. it was unexpected bc he wasnt as patient with yuuji (poor soul 💀🙏). with megumi’s help, your grades on your assignments started getting better and you had hope. megumi wouldnt say it out loud, but he was proud of you too. right before your tutor/study session, he was actually strolling around in the stationary isle of a store trying to find something for you as a good job gift. he settled on a cute mechanical pencil that would hopefully motivate you to keep working hard and study so hard the mechanical pencil breaks down (its the thought that matters). but he was also unaware, that in the same store, you just purchased some items for him as well as a thank you gift for his kindness and patience in helping you. so when you both showed up to the designated cafe to study, you were both surprised to see that the other had a gift bag in hand. “oh? isnt it too early for christmas?” “say what you want you cant speak” megumi replied. megumi was happy internally, and so were you. you exchanged gifts before studying “im gonna use this right away and show you how good at english i am!” megumi tried to keep a poker face. somewhat worked? but now his face is a little.. distorted. you found it cute and funny though. he was reluctant on saying the snacks you got him were good. they were in fact so delicious. he offered some to you but you declined. but you both know that youll be sneaking some pieces for yourself during the study session. and whilst you tried to be sneaky, megumi couldnt hold back his smile while sneaking glances at you either.

note: i dont think anyone really noticed tbh, but i was gone for almost a whole year 💀 (11 months) idrk how rhat happened and how i didnt notice. for some reason i was delulu enough to think that i was still uploading new writings bc i kept receiving notifications 😭😭😭 common L for me. but ive just been trying to find myself again and going theough some odd things. im back now for another month and a half before my fall term 😔😔 ive missed writing, but the writers block is lowkey brutal. my apologies if this drabble wasnt very entertaining, i tried 🙏

[day-drawn-blog]

Jealous over Astarion's affections

Pairing: Astarion x Reader -- This is set in Act I

I got triggered by some flirtations banter between him and Shadowheart and I realized, my tav, if anything like me, would probably feel extremely jealous too. We are not together yet, so do I even have a claim on him? I needed to write down this scenario.

Tags: angst, fluff, sadness, angst, fluff, then maybe eventually smut because I do love that

Part I. Crowned light moon of mine - I found you too soon

Part II : Lace your heart with mine Let your sleeping soul take flight

Part III : maybe tonight I'll rest in peace

Part IV: There is much to do and I still want to live

Part V: Our futures bound, our bodies known

Part VI : These ain't my sins, I broke my chains

Part VII: You are not mine and am I truly yours?

Part VIII : your blood like wine, invite me in

Part IX: I'll welcome my sentence and give you my penance

Part X : I can't go yet...don't let me die

--------

What a day. As you all were sitting down next to the campfire, your eyes couldn't help but wander at Astarion. While you all were fairly new to each other, you noticed, Shadowheart was quite comfortable around Astarion. and Astarion was acting quite familiar around her too. You wished you didn't see that. So you quickly averted your eyes. Every one else seemed to be busy being merry, laughing, drinking and having a good time. So why couldn't you relax?

You stood up, intending to clear your head. Why do you feel such a sharp pang. You don't love him. You barely know him, he may not even be a good person for all you know. What had you hoped? That he would favor you over everyone? But why... is it because, you yearn...

You yearn for him.

Your heart lit up. And then, you remembered, he didn't, yearn for you. He likes Shadowheart. The beautiful Shadowheart. And she is powerful. Of course he would. She was like a dangerous flower. But a flower all the same. And you? Just a nobody, with no past, and a future you cannot envision. Nothing to your name. Except for a sword, bound to you by a pact. Power. To dispel enemies. To fight your way in this madness that has engulfed your world. But they weren't enough. Not enough for him to yearn for you...

You ran.

Through the woods, far away from your friends, and the warm fire. Through the darkness, like your racing mind. Till you were out of breath in a field bathed in silver moonlight. And the world was quiet. And you felt welcome by Nature. And loved. By the world around. There was not a soul around, and you broke down, in tears. As you felt sorry for the state your heart was in. And how brutally it was crushed. You blamed yourself for even getting your hopes up.

You wailed.

Your cries could not be heard by anyone here. You felt grateful for the serenity. You lay on the grass, hugging yourself. Before long, you closed your eyes, and were drifting off due to exhaustion. The day was hard. The night even more so.

Your light sleep was interrupted by the sound of twigs cracking under approaching light footsteps. You jolted up and were shocked at the shadowy figure looming over you. Instantly your hand reached for your Pact Weapon, but the other party - just as shocked initially - cried out in self defense. "Its' me! Astarion! Please, I did not mean to scare you. Please."

You lowered your weapon. But he had some explaining to do.

"I am sorry, I - I didn't realize it was you. I - I thought you were someone else. A bandit. And I, I was going to well... I was hungry."

He took a deep breath. Resolved to his fate. "I would never hurt you. Or any of my friends. I want you to trust me."

"Alright, let's say that is true, what did you want with this.. bandit? You wanted to loot him I suppose." You put your weapon away.

"That's the other thing. I am not sure, if I should be telling you this, but, I am so hungry, and .. and I have been very unlucky tonight, you see."

"Did Karlach not leave you any food? Or were you so distracted, talking to Sha- other people, that you forgot to eat?"

"I, I need blood to survive."

Silence followed. Deafening silence. He looked down. As if he was ashamed. Then looked up at your with pleading yes.

Your eyes widened in disbelief. Incredulous, you couldn't believe you had missed the signs that were there all along. Everything pointed to him being a Vampire. So that boar..... But now what? There is a Vampire in your midst! OMG. Had you just put your entire party in danger?! You and your stupid trusting heart. What now? Should you kill him?

"I never, please believe me, I never hurt people I know. Those who are my friends. But please, I am very hungry, I just need... a little bit.. it will help me fight better, and make me feel like myself, again".

He knelt down. On his knees... "If it isn't too much, I only need a little bit - or you are free to stake me".

You looked down at the sorry state he was in. This man who you were yearning for, on his knees, pleading you. He was pleading for your blood. That was the only problem. You didn't want him to, but wanted him to not be in such a state either. You wanted to help him. There went your stupid kind heart again. You never learn.

"Will it hurt?"

Astarion looked up - incredulous that you even entertained the idea. "What? Oh! No, only a little prick. And I can be extra careful too -"

"Does it have to be the neck? Because I don't want-" "And you don't have to - if you don't want to" He had stood up. He lifted your right hand, and lifted it to his lips - placing a light kiss. "I am more than happy, with your hand. May I?" He looked up. A darkness in his eyes. Hunger? Greed? Deception? Maybe all of it. You nod slightly.

He caressed your hand with both of his, dragging his lips over your wrist sending sparks through your body. This felt so wrong, yet your body liked his touch. You could smell his hair, bergamot. He was taller than you. Lit up in the moon, this man was gorgeous. And dangerous, as he was just about to prove himself to be. You looked away as he bared his fangs. You hated anything piecing your skin. Hoping you don't feel a lot, you closed your eyes, and you did not. It was barely a prick like he promised. You were grateful.

After a while, you decided this was more than enough of a favor. You tried withdrawing your hand. He got the hint. He let your hand go and stepped back, and looked at your with a grateful smile. "Would you like me to...escort you back, to camp?"

Should you let him? Weren't you running away from how he was making you feel. Wouldn't Shadowheart notice? What would she think? But, how could you refuse him. After all, you may never get another chance...to walk with him. Through the woods. Just the two of you. Even as friends. Or strangers. You grasped at what you could get.

You two walked back in silence. Him next to you. Every now and again you would look at him. He seemed lost in thought, smiling. You figured he must be thinking of her. Your heart sank, and the gratitude you were feeling at being able to walk next to him, quickly dissipated to pangs of sharp pain again. What started as a romantic moonlit walk quickly turned into an unbearable awkwardness for you, and you wished you were back already. So you quickened your pace.

Very soon, you could see the warm glow of the fire. What a relief. You just need a hug. From Karlach. Or Halsin. And you could forget about the unceremonious way you let your heart pine for a man out of your reach. And upon reaching camp - you did just that. You forsook Astarion immediately and without another glance at him, ran to Karlach and buried your face in her, lest you start crying again. You didn't care what he did, whether he went back to Shadowheart, you did not want to witness that.

Afterwards when the whole camp had quietened down. You hung around with Karlach, Gale and Wyll. You assumed, Shadowheart was in Astarion's tent. And you dare not look that way. You asked those lingering - what their reason to live was. Did everyone have something to live for? What would they do, after all this was over?

An interesting discussion followed. You felt you got to know your comrades a bit better. It made you feel warm. The cold that was left due to the lack on one was filled by the warmth of many, and you smiled. You liked it. And you liked your new found friends.

Later that night, you lay in your tent, and tried to drive away all the thoughts about how no one would miss you. If you were not there, or how you were not as interesting as some of the others. And as you fought hard, with yourself, you realized, that there must be others like you out there who needed someone to know them, to look at them, and value them. And you realized you had a purpose. You could be needed. You could carve out a meaning for your existence in this crazy world. You wanted to be there for those that needed you. You will be the hero. And that would be the reason to exist, you would love yourself, so you can love those who needed to be loved.

And with that comforting thought you drifted away.

Part II : Lace your heart with mine Let your sleeping soul take flight

[tsuki--sora]

helloo i was wondering if u have any tips on how to start learning how to draw?? i’m gonna try it for the nth time and force myself to not give up and since i absolutely LOVE ur art i was hoping you could help me?? thank you in advance and have a happy new year 🥰

omggg i just saw this :O!! i havent been around here so i didnt see :C but anyway!!! im not sure what advice or tips to give tbh so ill just share some things that helped me 🙇

knowing what im drawing (basically...using reference lol ) u might've seen this tip a lot but its true 😆 think of it as like... training wheels on a bike AHSAHSAHHA u use training wheels for some time until u can be good enough to ride a bike without them or something like that.... its the same with using reference. u have to know and get familiar with what an object looks like first before you're able to draw without it and with confidence. tbh i dont always do this bcos sometimes i just wanna mindlessly draw ykno 😔 and thats okay as well!!! just remember that reference is very helpful when u hit a dead end with ur artwork :D also learn from real life!! look around u! sometimes id stare at something and nod in understanding. ----------------------------------

draw what u love <33 honestly, i only got back into drawing when i went down the vtuber hole a few years ago LMAO i would draw vox akuma eveyday 🙂‍↕️ and then my love for one piece got revived so now i draw my favorite characters every chance i can get bcos its all i can think abt!!! its honestly a good motivator. ----------------------------------

accepting and learning from mistakes ive always struggled with perfectionism and that really took my enjoyment and love for creating🥹 and that also stopped me from experimenting and exploring coz id always think that it wont come out as i hoped it would. SOOOO for the past 2-3 years i think?? i make it a habit to STOP ✋ being super critical when i see or make a mistake. the perspective is wrong? noted. the anatomy looks wonky? okay!! i let them exist in my artworks bcos how would i even know where to improve in if i dont know what it is 😅 i also make sure to keep those errors in mind so i know what areas i should be working on. u can always correct them on ur next work!! and the next!! again and again!!! its never-ending! ure always improving, always learning. ---------------------------------

i also have a board of artworks and styles that i really really like and i look at them when i need inspiration hahaha sometimes u just have to scroll thru pinterest for hours and draw nothing lol

personally, i think one doesnt have to draw everyday to be good. i mean, you can if u want to! but u might burn out fast if u force urself to draw everyday. just.. pace yourself. remember to rest and be good to yourself as well :))

thats all i can think of right now. i feel like i could share more but im just not good with words or explaining things. forgive me 😔🙇 our experiences may differ and what helped me may not be of use to u,,, but i hope this can help u even juuuuust a bit :"D be proud of every piece u make. u worked hard on it after all <33

(also sharing my art throughout the years!)

[wonwoosthetic]

hey could you maybe do a minnie imagine where she gets in a minor car accident (only if you want to) and how the members would react? btw i love your minnie series sm 😭

Hii, thank you for requesting this and thanks a lot for enjyoing this series ˙ᵕ˙ I hope this was somewhat of what you imagined! <3 I hope you and everyone else enjoys it 🤗

series masterlist

kpop masterlist

word count – 7.1k

warnings – car accident, mentions of slight injuries, mentions of blood, stitches, bruises, broken bones (no major mention), cursing, mad s.coups (bc that deserves its own warning)

Hello Kitty Band-Aids 🌷 Minnie

Minnie had her eyes closed while she was still resting on the hospital bed, waiting for someone to tell her what was next to come. She almost wanted to groan at the flashes of memory that sped through her head. Never had she ever been in a car accident before - for 25 years of her life, the girl had always been safe on the street, she could've gone for another 25, she quietly said to herself in her head.

The accident happened too quickly for her to remember every detail, so she told the police. The only thing she could recall was the impact from the left side that had thrown her against the door to her right and the rush of fear and adrenaline rushing through her body. Everything after that felt more like a dream than reality. Minnie remembered hearing her manager's voice immediately asking if she was okay and to not move. Not long after that, an ambulance arrived and brought her to where she now was. Doctors quickly attached her to an IV after noticing the moans of pain coming from her and brought the dancer to a private room, separating her from the only other person that had been in the car with her, one of Seventeen's managers. After getting a few stitches under her eye, they left her to rest for a bit, notifying her that another doctor will be back soon. Too bad she couldn't recall any of this happening.

A knock echoing through the room brought her back to the present as she jolted slightly, her head immediately turning towards the door that was opening, revealing a female doctor.

"Hello Miss Kim, I'm Doctor Kang," she greeted the younger woman kindly, who did the same, a kind smile decorating her face. "How are you feeling?" She put the clipboard she brought with her down on one of the side tables next to the bed Minnie was resting in.

"Okay," the idol nodded, "My head feels like it's gonna explode, but that's it."

Oh yes, that could be the cold light," the doctor rushed back over to the door, "let me switch it to a warmer tone."

Immediately, Minnie could feel her eyes adjusting better to the room and the full feeling leaving her head slightly.

"Thank you," the told the woman, who sent her a kind smile in return.

"Can you sit up for me for a second?" She reached a hand out for the girl to take, helping her to come up and straighten her back, careful to let the IV cord not get caught up under her arm, making the dancer look down. "You're on some mild pain medication," the doctor explained, "You have a bruise on your right rib that's only going to get bigger and most definitely is going to hurt more, but it's not broken, so that's good. You also hit your head pretty badly against the window." She took out a small lamp from her lab coat, making the girl open her eyes wide. "And you have a small cut under your eyes that we had to stitch up, as you know."

Minnie nodded along slowly, the fluid from the IV making her obviously slightly drowsier than she would normally be. The older woman noticed the furrowed eyebrows on the idol in front of her.

"Can you tell me your full name?" Her hands pushed Minnie's head to look down, checking for other injuries she might have gotten on her head.

The dancer swallowed harshly before answering with a sigh, "Kim Minnie."

"Mh," the woman straightened her hair again and started massaging the thin arms of the girl. "And your birthday is when?"

"December 22nd... 1997?" Suddenly, the female member seemed more hesitant than before, her eyes analysing the doctor when she looked the idol in the eyes.

"Why so unsure?"

Minnie shook her head, quickly noticing that makes her dizzier than she already was. "No," she cleared her throat, "I just don't know why you're asking me this..."

The woman brought a chair closer to the bed before sitting down, her hands in her lap as she smiled at the younger one. "Just checking that your memory is still intact." She reached over to get the clipboard back in her grasp, along with a pen. "Do you remember what the paramedics in the ambulance told you?"

The paramedics... in the ambulance... what-... as much as Minnie tried to remember, there was nothing. Just... nothing. She shook her head.

"Or the doctors that brought you in here?"

Another shake of her head.

Doctor Kang nodded, scribbling notes on the pieces of paper on the clipboard.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

The idol closed her eyes for a second, gathering her thoughts and memories before taking a deep breath, "... I think... right after... just... my manager asking me if I was okay. Everything after that is... I don't remember."

"Okay," the woman grasped the clipboard tightly against her chest as she stood back up again. "The last thirty minutes have been really stressful and shocking to your body, so it's normal for your brain to push those memories to the side thanks to the adrenaline. It doesn't sound alarming to me, but I checked earlier, and we could get you an MRT scan in a bit if you're okay with that?" She explained, before adding, "Again, nothing sounds abnormal, and the other doctors didn't sign you up for a scan, but I still think it would be a good idea."

Minnie nodded along, "Yeah... yeah sure."

"Good," she smiled at the younger girl.

"H-How's my manager?" The performer wondered catching the doctor off-guard.

"He's doing fine. A broken arm, but nothing too severe. He's talking to the police right now."

"Okay, good. Thanks." Minnie smiled.

Doctor Kang unhooked her from the IV before escorting her out of the room, bringing her towards the MRT scan, where the girl was ushered into a changing room, along with a gown to put on and a bag for her clothes. Right as she exited again, she was met with the woman who brought her closer to the appliance, explaining everything that was going to happen and asking her a few last-minute questions.

After laying down and making sure Minnie was as comfortable as she could be, laying on a hospital machine, the doctor gave her one last notice, "Oh, and I was just informed that your emergency contact has been called. They're on their way." Before leaving the room to stand behind the glass and starting the scan.

Emergency contact... Minnie put that into her phone so long ago, she almost forgot she even had an emergency contact. But she definitely remembered who it was since it was the same person that had pushed her to even create one.

-

The girl was asked to wait outside in the hall while the doctors analysed the pictures of the scan they had gotten, promising her it wouldn't take much longer.

Minnie got changed in the small room again, put on her clothes from before and left the hospital gown on one of the stools, just like Doctor Kang had told her. She left, ready to sit down on one of the chairs in the hall, not expecting the person that was called through her emergency contact to already be sitting there. His perfume reached her before her eyes found him.

Seungcheol's head shot up at the sound of the door opening, his glare immediately softening as soon as they found the female member, who gazed at him in surprise. He jumped up from his seat and rushed over to her, not wasting another second before engulfing her in a tight hug.

"What are you doing here already?" The girl wondered, her arms wrapping around the torso of the leader, her cheek squished up against his shoulder. A slight hiss left her lips as he hugged her just a bit too tightly and her pain medicine had already started to wear off, only the band-aid on her arm was left of the IV she was attached to before.

Coups released her at the sound of pain coming from her. "What, you thought that I'd stop for a coffee after getting a call from the hospital?!"

"No, that-"

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? What did the doctors say?" With his hands on her shoulders as he raked his eyes up and down her body, looking for any signs of injuries.

Minnie nodded with a tight smile, her hands finding him, giving them two comforting pats. "I'm okay. Not hurt badly."

"What does 'not hurt badly' mean?" His thumb came up to her cheek, close to the band-aid right under her eye, but not close enough to touch it. "What's that?"

The female member grabbed his hand and pushed it down. "I had to get stitches.-"

"Stitches?!"

She sighed, "But only there! Everything else is fine." He gave her a knowing look that made her gaze to the side. "And a bruise on my rib, but other than that, I'm fine." 

After another hesitant glare, Cheol took a step back, his hands brushing over his face as he took a few deep breaths in and out. "Jesus..." he muttered under his breath, shaking his head and keeping it down to look at the floor. Minnie's eyes never left his form while she stood still, nervously playing with her fingers. The words that kept on tumbling from his lips were almost impossible for her to understand, but she could make out a few of them, and all of them confirmed what she was thinking. Seungcheol had gotten the shock of a lifetime when his phone rang. Understandably so.

Even though her injuries weren't major, the shock of what had happened, or more so, what could've happened was still haunting. She started to fully grasp the other possible outcomes of the accident while she was laying in the MRT machine. What if she had been in a different car? What if the other car had hit them at a different angle? Or harder? Would she still be able to just walk it off and pretend nothing had happened, aside from a small cut under her eye and a purple bruise on her right side?

Once S.Coups came to a stop from walking and cursing around, Minnie walked up to him, opening her arms and wrapping them around his body once again. The '95 Liner reacted right away, pulling her closer as his arms went around her shoulders. A few seconds of silence were shared as the two enjoyed each other's embrace, Minnie feeling an instant sense of comfort breathing in Cheol's perfume she had come to love.

"Thank you," she mumbled into his shoulder, hoping he had understood her.

His hand was brushing down her hair, making sure to keep her as close as possible while also taking note of not touching the bruise on her side. "For what?"

The girl shrugged. "Coming here. Worrying about me." An immediate smile struck her face when she felt a soft peck on the side of her head.

"Of course. You don't have to thank me for that." 

S.Coups guided them towards the seats lined up against the wall, where they sat down next to each other. He took her hand into the comfort of his.

"All the guys got really worried too," he started to tell her.

Her head shot up, "You told them?"

"W- Of course, I told them! On the phone, they didn't tell me how you are. They just said you're in the hospital and that they called me because I was your emergency contact. Which, we should also discuss, by the way."

Minnie scrunched her eyebrows, "What's there to discuss?"

"Why am I your emergency contact?" Seungcheol looked right into her eyes, letting her know this was about to be a serious conversation, and she was not in the mood for it.

"Why shouldn't you be?"

"No, I mean, why not Wonwoo or Mingyu," he explained, making her shrug.

"You made me create an emergency contact, and to be honest, I kinda forgot that I even had one-" she noticed his mouth opening, to which she quickly added, "Because I've never used it!"

"You forgot you have an emergency contact?!"

"Is this really the time to lecture me about that?"

He squinted his eyes at her, making her copy his facial expression in a teasing manner to which he shook his head with a sigh.

"You know, if you hadn't just been in a car crash, I would hit you on the head."

Minnie grinned, "I know." Having known the '95 Liner long enough to know about his little acts of showing his love and care for others. 

With a heavy breath, she let her head rest against his shoulder while keeping their interlocked hands in her lap that Coups kept on moving up and down out of boredom.

"The doctor said it won't take much longer to wait for the results of the scan."

Seungcheol nodded, "It's okay. I'll wait with you." Making her smile. "Plus, Mingyu and Wonwoo are already on their way here."

"Huh?" She sat back up straight, looking at the side profile of the leader as he glanced down at his phone, typing something, probably messaging the other members. He looked up at her.

"You didn't seriously think they'd just let you lie around in a hospital."

"No," she pouted, "But I would've hoped that I could talk to them at home. In peace. Without them making a scene in the middle of the hospital."

"Well," the leader grinned, "Get ready for a lecture from them about why they aren't your emergency contacts, but I am."

Minnie groaned, her head falling softly onto Coups' shoulder again. "This is just adding to my headache."

"You have a headache?" He immediately turned back into the concerned leader.

"A little bit," the female member nodded.

"Do you want me to find you some pain medicine?"

But she shook her head. "I'll just wait for what the doctor prescribes me. I hope it's something strong." 

"You sound like an addict," he commented, still typing away on his phone.

Minnie sheepishly smiled, "Maybe I'll become one."

Seungcheol looked down at her and let his stern voice take over. "Don't joke about that."

"Sorry," she pressed her lips together, wrapping her arms around his, cuddling into his side.

A few seconds went by in silence before he took the word again.

"Eomma, Appa, and Seungmin also wanted to come."

"Who didn't you tell about this? Like seriously..." She gazed up at him, meeting his eye.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you're right. Next time you're in the hospital all of a sudden, I'll just keep it a secret from everyone that cares about you."

Minnie let go of his arm and crossed hers in front of her chest, side-eyeing the leader. "You're annoying."

"Mh," he nodded. "But I told them you're okay. They're still probably gonna come over to check on you for themselves, just giving you a heads up."

"Thanks."

"And I tried to call your mum, but she didn't pick up."

"Yeah, she puts her phone on silent during the night," Minnie explained, to which Coups shook his head,

"That's not smart."

"I know."

"But you do the same thing."

"I know," she nodded along, looking down at her fingernails. "Can you just let her know that I'm fine?"

"Already did."

Looking to her right, where he was still glued to the screen of his phone, the girl came to a sudden realisation.

"Where's my stuff? Like my bad, and... all that."

Cheol looked up and nodded forward into the hallway in front of them, "At the information desk over there."

Suddenly, she was very up close to her favourite leader, batting her eyelashes right at him. "Could you go get them for me?"

He looked to his left, down at the girl with a raised eyebrow. "You said you were fine and you have two healthy legs. Go get your stuff yourself."

"But my side hurts. And my head hurts," she whined, exaggerating her current state as yes, they were starting to hurt again slightly, but she was definitely still capable of moving around.

"Well, but your legs don't hurt, so up up," he nudged his head forward, a teasing grin on his lips

She glared her eyes at the older member. "You're mean. I'm telling Eomma."

"With what phone?" His comment made her huff and him chuckle to himself.

With a deep last breath, the female idol let her head fall back against the wall, her hands in her lap, as she closed her eyes, praying the time would pass just a bit quicker so she could finally get back home.

-

Unknowingly, Minnie had dozed off into a light sleep, therefore, didn't even notice when the two other rappers arrived with heavy breaths that calmed down once they found her sleeping form resting against their leader's side.

"Hey," he greeted them with a smile.

Wonwoo and Mingyu nudged their heads in his direction.

"How is she?" The '97 Liner wondered as the older one of the two got closer to her form, crouching down to get a better look at the girl's face that was covered by her hair. With a soft touch, he brushed it out of the way, placing it behind her ear and sighing at the sight of the band-aid under her eye.

Coups put his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. "She said she's okay. She has a bruise on her ribs and had to get stitches underneath her eye, but she's fine apparently. Oh, and a headache, but I guess that's what you get when you bash your head against a car window."

"Is that what happened?" Wonwoo looked up at the '95 Liner, who could only shrug.

"I don't know. There hasn't been a doctor yet I could talk to. They said it won't be long," he looked down at the watch on his wrist, "But we've been waiting for thirty minutes."

"And no one has checked on her?" Mingyu sat down across from the seats Minnie and S.Coups were occupying, right on the other side of the hallway.

"They did earlier before I arrived. Then she had an MRT scan, and we're waiting for the results now," the leader explained. His eyes fell down to the '96 Liner whose hand was on his girlfriend's knee, patting it comfortably.

"Wonwoo," he called out quietly to gain the other's attention, "can we switch places real quick?"

"Yeah sure," he got up from the floor and carefully got into the place of the '95 Liner, both cradling Minnie's head, so it wouldn't move much. "Where are you going?"

Seungcheol nodded behind him, "Getting her stuff from the info desk. Be right back." And with that, he left the three dormmates.

At the feeling of a new, much sharper shoulder against the side of her head, the female member started squirming, waking up slowly as she squinted her eyes, adjusting to the bright light. She lifted her gaze to find her fellow '97 Liner sitting right opposite of her. The female member sent him a tired smile.

"Hi."

"Hey, how're you feeling?" Mingyu copied her expression, tilting his head along with it, making her chuckle.

"Alright, I guess," she cuddled closer into the side of the man next to her, smiling to herself at the familiar feeling of the arms she has found so much love for and the scent she could write a thousand songs about. "Hi, to you too." She looked up, finding Wonwoo already looking down at her with a soft gaze.

"Hi." He brushed over her hair once again. "You sure you're okay?"

Minnie nodded. "The painkillers are wearing off, but it's okay so far."

"What did the doctor say?"

She raked herself up, her partner's hand still on her thigh as she yawned, covering her mouth with her hand.

"She asked me a few questions to test my memory. That seemed fine. The bruise on my rib is gonna get bigger, she said, but it's nothing severe. And... I did an MRT scan."

"Yeah, Coups-hyung mentioned that."

The girl looked around confused, suddenly realising something. "Where is he?"

"Getting your stuff," the voice of the leader made her look ahead, watching him come back to the small group, her bag and jacket in his grip. She grinned up as he dropped everything on the empty seat to her left before joining Mingyu.

"You're not mean after all," she jokingly commented, earning her a roll of the eyes from him.

"Yeah yeah," he mumbled, "But you have to sign a document before leaving." To which she nodded.

A sudden groan from Mingyu caught the attention of the other members.

"Can you please send a message to the group chat to let them know you're okay?

Minnie glanced at him in slight confusion but nodded, raking herself up to get her phone from the bag next to her. With one quick look, she knew what her fellow '97 Liner was talking about. Her lock screen was filled with notifications from said group chat, plus other messages from friends that have heard the news. Only looking at it made her already want to put the phone back down and get back to it at another time and day, but she understood the worry.

She unlocked it and tapped on the app's icon, opening the group's chat right at the top.

09:08 pm

Kkuma Appa: she's okay, I got her, we're waiting for her scan results

Horangi: Tell her we miss her!

Producer-nim: you wouldn't even have seen her today

Producer-nim: but yeah, tell her we miss her

Yoon Jeonghan: What happened to her phone?

Kkuma Appa: They took all her stuff

Kkuma Appa: She's getting it back when they let us leave

Dokyeomie: Why don't they let her keep her phone?

Dokyeomie: Why did they have to take everything off her?

Dokyeomie: Isn't she bored?

Dokyeomie: Can we come see her?

Dokyeomie: How long will you be in the hospital for?

Kkuma Appa: We're waiting in the hall, she's not even in a room

Kkuma Appa: You'll see her tomorrow

Hao Hao: Will she be able to practice with us?

Kkuma Appa: I'll let you know what the doctor says

Horangi: I wouldn't let her dance :/ it wouldn't be smart, right?

Moonie Junnie: If she feels good, maybe she can, but she shouldn't push herself

Yoon Jeonghan: Are you sure she's okay, or is she just saying that?

Kkuma Appa: She got some pain meds, those are probably helping her right now, but she doesn't seem to have major injuries

Kkuma Appa: But I think the doctor will tell me more

Kkuma Appa: She does have a cut under her eye

Little Maknae: A cut?!

Kkuma Appa: She had to get stitches

Seungkwanie: Oh no

HanSolo: ew

Little Maknae: That must've hurt so much

Moonie Junnie: Are you sure you'll be able to leave today?

Kkuma Appa: I think so

Dokyeomie: Can no one else come to see you guys?

Gyu🤍: Wonwoo and I are on our way

Dokyeomie: You can go visit her, but we can't?!

Moonie Junnie: This is a bit unfair

Moonie Junnie: We want to see her too

Kkuma Appa: Guys, please, she's doing okay

Kkuma Appa: We'll keep you updated

09:31 pm

Horangi: Are you still with Minnie??? How long do the results take??

Hao Hao: Is she still doing okay?

Gyu🤍: We've just arrived, she seems okay. Tired, but all good

Seungkwanie: How can you tell how she's feeling? Maybe she isn't doing fine, maybe she's in pain

Gyu🤍: She's literally sitting with us in the hall, she's fine

Little Maknae: I believe it when I see it

Gyu🤍: *sent a picture of Minnie he sneakily took*

HanSolo: could be an edit

Little Maknae: I believe it when I hear it from her personally

Woo🖤: I'm okay - Minnie

Seungkwanie: You're funny

Moonie Junnie: Minnie uses emojis, but nice try

*liked by 4 members*

Yoon Jeonghan: Jesus, can someone just bring her her phone

Josh: What's going on here?

Minnie chuckled at some of the messages before smacking the arm she was leaning on to her right.

"Ah, what?" Wonwoo looked down at the girl, confusion written all over his face, his hand on the place she had just hit. She pointed her finger at the message sent from his phone, turning the screen so he could look at it more clearly.

"Seriously?" She giggled at him. The rapper shrugged, the corners of his lips curved up.

"That group chat kept interrupting my game," he showed her his phone screen.

Minnie gawked, "I'm in the hospital, and you're playing a freaking game?" A scoff tumbled from her lips.

"I didn't start playing it until I knew that you were okay," he kinda reassured her with a proud smirk, his left hand now on top of her thigh.

The female member mocked his grin, "Mh, how romantic."

"I know, right?" Earning him a gentle shove with her elbow.

She directed her eyes straight ahead again, where Mingyu was keeping his head down, the floor seemingly interesting to him.

"Look, Mingyu's not even on his phone."

His head shot up, "Yeah, I'm not even on my phone."

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, "You were earlier."

"Yeah," the '97 Liner talked back to him, "To let the guys know how she's doing."

"And I was doing the same," the older one of the two fought back, making the girl chuckle and shake her head. Wonwoo looked back at her.

"What are you laughing at? You're the reason for this."

"What did I do now?" She couldn't hold back another laugh falling from her lips.

"You got into a car accident." After being in a relationship with him for almost three years, Minnie understood Wonwoo's humour better than anyone else and knew he was just trying to mess around with her.

She scoffed, "Oh, I'm sorry-"

"You should be."

"Stop!" The rapper flinched away and snatched her hand into his as soon as she raised hers to smack him again. They fell into a round of giggles when Mingyu suddenly spoke up again.

"I told you I would drive you around."

"Mingyu-"

"I always tell you, if you need to go somewhere, tell me-"

"It could've happened to anyone."

"Still, it would've-"

Minnie raised a finger to stop him from continuing, "We're not having a discussion about this now."

Mingyu sulked back into the chair, crossing his arms in defence as he shrugged, "Alright, then at home." The girl just rolled her eyes slightly before directing her attention back to her phone.

Minnie: I'm actually really okay 😊 I hope we'll get out of here soon, I just want to go to sleep 😖

Dokyeomie: MINNIE🥰

Jun: yeyyyyyy, hiii Minnie ❤️

HanSolo: Hope you're actually doing well 👍🏼

Seungkwanie: We already have a hurt member, we can't have another, so you better be okay, Minnie!

Hao Hao: Yeah, don't steal my spot

Little Maknae: Could still be someone else typing from her phone

*Minnie sent a selfie, laying on Wonwoo's shoulder, Wonwoo can be seen in the corner*

Little Maknae: Okay, I'm starting to believe you

Little Maknae: Happy to know you're doing fine 🩷

Minnie: Thank you <3

Horangi: You're gonna get the biggest hug tomorrow

Hao Hao: Don't hug her if she's hurt!

Woozi: I'm pretty sure he'll break her bones with that hug tomorrow

Minnie: Pls not

Horangi: I'll hug you very very gently

Minnie: 🧡🧡🧡

Yoon Jeonghan: Keep us updated about the results!

Minnie: Will do :)

She went on to open the other private chats she shared with friends, each one of them telling her that they heard about what happened and were just looking for closure on her well-being. She assured them all and quickly texted her mum, knowing she'll read it as soon as she wakes up.

Just as the female member went to put her phone back down again, S.Coups, who she assumed had fallen asleep with his head leaning back against the wall, spoke up.

"Did you text Eomma and Appa?"

"Oh, right," she got the device back into her grip and sent a quick message into their family group chat, so she wouldn't have to notify each one of them separately.

Only a second after she tapped on the *send* button, the door to the room she exited a good forty minutes ago opened, letting Doctor Kang step into the hallway. She was greeted with kind smiles from each member, who immediately stood up politely.

The female doctor chuckled, "I already expected the entire group to come together here."

"We didn't know if all of us would be allowed here, so only we came," Cheol explained with a smile on his face.

"I see, I see," the woman nodded, "It's probably smarter to not drag too much attention to you guys." Her gaze switched down to the clipboard in her hand. "So... all in all, you're doing fine," she looked at the girl, who let out a deep breath. "As I told you before, the bruise on your rib is going to get a bit bigger over the next few days, but I prescribed you something that should help with the pain. If it doesn't, you should come back here so we can take a look," she explained, flipping over a page. "You don't have any head injuries, which is almost a miracle because I was expecting something minor at least, but... nothing, which is very good." The comment made Minnie look at the four men next to her, a proud smile on her lips.

"What about the cut under her eye?" Seungcheol wondered.

Doctor Kang looked back at her notes. "That... I mean, as it is right now, all good. It was deep, so a doctor did have to stitch it together, but in a few days with just a quick visit, we'll be able to take them out and it'll be all good. It will probably leave a slight scar of course, but nothing to worry about too much."

"See," Minnie glanced at the leader, "I told you."

"But," the doctor interrupted her, eyeing the two bickering members, "I wouldn't play it down too much." Earning her awaiting stares from the four in front of her. "The cut as it is now is okay, but if that little piece of glass had cut you just a few millimetres higher up, it would've hit your eye and... well... most probably blinded you on one side."

"Oh." Was all the female idol dared to say. Her eyes drifted to her right, where she was met with the warning glare and raised eyebrows of the '95 Liner who had his arms crossed.

"You must've had a little angel on your shoulder to get out of this car accident so well. A cut and a bruised rib are not the usual I get here," the woman smiled at Minnie, who copied her facial expression, but her lips were tightly closed together as she nodded.

"And what about like moving around and... practising and performing?" Wonwoo's voice echoed through the empty hall.

Doctor Kang nodded, "I know that that's very important to you guys, and we already sent an official document with all the information on the pills that we prescribed Miss Kim and just general advice to your company. But I think that as long as she feels well enough to do it, nothing and no one is holding her back from it. Within the next couple of days, you might have a recurring headache. If that's too much, then don't push your body," she directed her statement towards the girl, "Listen to it. If the bruise starts to hurt too much, don't move around. Lie down. Rest. Don't stuff yourself with painkillers or other things like that. Okay?" She got a nod in return. "Just take it easy. No matter how good you think you might be feeling, remember that you had just been in a car accident, so it's okay if you want to rest for a bit."

Everyone nodded and started thanking the older woman as she passed the prescription over to Minnie who repeatedly bowed to her, letting her know just how thankful she was, forgetting about the fact that they had to wait for almost an hour.

Once they were alone again, the group turned around, ready to finally leave the building. When Minnie went to pick up her bag, Wonwoo beat her to it and was walking ahead, stopping once he noticed she hadn't caught up with him yet. Mingyu was walking along with them on her left side, making her able to link arms with him as she often did whenever they walked side by side. S.Coups was strolling around behind them, eyes glued to the screen in his hand as he updated the other members, shouting out to the girl at the same time,

"Don't forget to sign that document, Minnie!" Making her ears perk up.

"Oh, yeah," shaking her head at the fact that she had already forgotten about it.

After signing it, smiling to the nurse behind the desk and wishing her a good evening, they were actually able to exit the hospital, leaving behind all their worries they had for a possible much worse outcome of the accident. No words were spoken on their way out until they finally reached the outside, breathing in fresh air again.

"You got a car?" The leader asked his two hip-hop-unit members, who nodded.

"Yeah, we came in mine," Wonwoo assured him, "Where's yours?"

S.Coups nudged his head towards the direction behind him, "Over there. Yours?"

Mingyu pointed in the exact opposite direction, "We found a free spot around the corner."

"Alright, then," Cheol opened his arms as soon as he saw Minnie already walking towards him, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks again," the girl whispered into his shoulder.

Coups kissed the top of her head. "You don't have to thank me for anything. Be careful, okay?" He released her from his embrace, looking her straight into the eye, making sure that he got a nod from her in return, before strutting over to the other members. With a quick bro-hug, they said their goodbyes, but the leader didn't leave with one last call out,

"Take care of her!"

"We will!" Mingyu shouted back, putting his arm around Minnie's shoulder carefully, scared to maybe find a bruise she didn't know she had or forgot to tell them about.

A comfortable silence fell between the three, but of course, it had to be broken when a sudden thought popped into the younger rapper's head.

"So... about that emergency contact-"

Minnie could only groan.

-

She knew the following day wasn't going to be exciting. She knew she'd have to take the painkillers she had been given. She knew she would have to go talk to another manager about what happened. She knew she then would be in the practice room, making the best of the situation, praying that she could move as normally as possible. And that's exactly what was happening.

After getting almost babied by the two rappers in their apartment, Minnie was happy to be with the other members again, that would be more focused on the practice session rather than her well-being when everything was fine with her and Wonwoo, and Mingyu just didn't know when to stop caring about her.

She and the two guys entered the room together, them first with her being last. Immediately, the girl had all of the attention in the room.

"MINNIE!" Dokyeom shouted into the room, running over to her, and engulfing her in one of his hugs she loved so much.

"Hey," she started giggling. Seungkwan, Hoshi, Jun, and Dino followed with loud cheers, welcoming the female member as they ran over to join. Jeonghan and Joshua were still sitting against a wall, eyeing the group carefully to know when they'd be able to walk over and greet her. Woozi, Vernon, and Minghao chuckled at the other guys but also decided to give them some space before they would check on the girl. All happened while S.Coups was still on his way to the practice room, along with their choreographer.

Not even able to wrap her arms around his middle, DK jumped back again.

"OH, does it hurt?" He glanced at her in alert, scared of unknowingly hurting her, to which she shook her head, a smile spreading on her lips.

"No, don't worry, I only have a bruise here on the side." She pointed to her side, making him only grin wider and engulf her again. 

One after one, the loud members hugged her, asking over and over again if she really was doing well, so Minnie just continued nodding her head the entire time.

"What's up with that?" Vernon pointed to his own eye once she was free from the other guys - it was his way of welcoming her and she appreciated that.

"I'm gonna be cool now," she commented, "I'll have a scar."

"What cut you?" Woozi wanted to know.

"A piece of glass." Her answer earned her a hiss from them, including Minghao, who got closer to her, gently putting his arms around her shoulders to pull her into a hug.

"We're glad you're okay," he said to her, his hand rubbing comfortably up and down her back.

Minnie nodded, "Yeah, me too." While he continued to ask questions about the day before, the two '95 Liners that were in the room, joined them. 

Once their conversation seemed to have died down, Joshua broke his silence.

"You know, you might be the only person that looks good with a band-aid under their eye," he jokingly said, getting mocking laughter from the girl in return.

"Thanks," she gave him a hug, which Joshua made tighter than she expected. Moving onto Jeonghan, he wrapped his arms around her as well.

"I'm really glad nothing else happened to you."

Minnie nodded once again.

"If the piece of glass would've moved even just a few millimetres up higher, she could've been blind," Mingyu suddenly budged in, earning him a shove from the female member.

"You don't have to constantly say that." Repeating it over five times the night before was enough.

"Yes I do, so you're more careful next time," he talked back to her.

Minnie rolled her eyes, "Yeah, next time I'll try to stop the car with my own two hands, alright?"

Dokyeom, who overheard the conversation, smacked his arm, "Leave her alone, she was in a car accident!"

"I'm trying to take care of her!" The other '97 Liner snapped at him. DK only scoffed at him in return before he left the group to warm up for the practice.

Minnie went to sit down next to Wonwoo on the couch as the small group broke apart again, everyone getting back to what they were doing before she had gotten here. The rapper eyed her side profile when she sighed.

"You okay?"

She turned her head towards him, nodding.

"Okay enough to practice?" He continued to ask her, making her nod again.

"I think so, yeah," she scootched up closer to him, "The painkillers are doing a pretty good job." Before Wonwoo could say anything else, somebody stole their attention.

"Oh!" Jeonghan jumped up, catching everyone off guard as he rushed out of the room, coming back only a second later, holding out his hand as he joined the couple by the couch. "I found this for you."

Confused, Minnie, took the little package from his stretched-out palm, turning it around, chuckling at the sight.

"Hello Kitty Band-Aids?"

The older member nodded proudly, "They'll fit you a lot better than the boring beige ones." He took it out of her hands and opened it, crouching down on the floor. With his hand, he motioned for her to come closer.

Minnie eyed him getting one band-aid from the box. "But put this one," she pointed at his hands, "over this one," and then at her eye. "Don't take this one off."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't think I'm supposed to take it off yet," she explained, making him nod understandingly.

Jeonghan unwrapped it properly before carefully placing it under her eye, taking off all the unnecessary pieces of paper to make it stick well.

"Look!" He called out, "So pretty!" Making her giggle. "So much prettier than before."

She turned towards the rapper on the couch, a grin plastered on her face. "Do I look so much prettier than before?"

Wonwoo shook his head with a chuckle. "You looked pretty already before. With or without the band-aid." He reached out to brush over the new sticker on her face gently.

Minnie scrunched her face, "That's cheesy." But he just continued grinning. She braced herself on his thigh and leaned over to place a quick peck on his lips. "But thank you." Getting another kiss from her boyfriend.

"Who's gonna take over Minnie's visual role?" Dino's voice rang through the ears of the Seventeen members.

"What?!" The girl shouted out.

"What?" The maknae glanced at the girl, "You said you're gonna have a scar under your eye. Do you think the Visual of the group should have that?"

"Are you calling me ugly?" 

He raised his hands in defence, "I'm just saying. Maybe that scar will change your entire appearance, who knows. We should think of someone that might be able to replace your role."

"Well, it's definitely not gonna be you," Minnie squinted her eyes at Dino, who scoffed.

"That's mean," he pointed at her, his tongue gliding over his teeth. The girl looked him in the eye in dead silence for a quick second, before standing up, causing the youngest to sprint to the other side of the room, getting a round of laughs from some of the members that were following the interaction - Wonwoo included.

The female member threw herself back into the couch with a pout.

"He called me ugly," she sulked. The '96 Liner chuckled, a hand brushing over the back of her head. She turned her head towards him. "You might have to remind me that I'm pretty more often now."

Wonwoo nodded, the smile still bright on his face, "Okay, I will."

poly!mimiwon?👀

Taglist: @shrynkk @chaebb @lunarxsun @hoe4wonwoo @kimhyejin3108 @soobzao @billboard-singer @cosmicwintr @zwiehe @alixnsuperstxr @angie-x3 @smooore @allthings-fandoms

[voidwritesstuff]

Distant Gunsmoke

Cw: grief,guilt, strife has complicated feelings towards Death.

Summary: Strife thought he would go about his night watch duty calmly,but it shows him just how much he needed a genuine act of kindness.

A/N1: my entry to strife september,hosted by the brilliant,talented @darkdemeter check her stuff out shes so cool yall. Also hi Dem this is Jer (in one of my many side blogs) I can finally show you one of the 2 (and soon to be 3) full fics i wrote. This one is ONE MONTH OLD. IVE WAITED SO LONG OH MY GOD.

A/N2: Hi new readers, I write character studies. X Readers are not really something im good at (for personal reasons i wont get into here),for X readers check out Dem and many other cool fic writers in this community (moodymisty,grandaughterogg,etc)

Beauty Is in the eye of the beholder ,or so humans say.

Well,Strife can't help but agree.

The gunslinger sits on one of the high branches of the Maker Tree,sunset casting golden light across the barren,sundered remains of The Kingdom of Man. He breathes in the crispy air of late afternoon and relaxes just a little as purple-ish blue shadows harshly blanket over the cityscape And his tall,imposing form.

He's well aware none of his siblings ever sat down and appreciated the Beauty within humanity's craftsmanship. From cozy,warm homes where bonds were formed and nurtured, to tall buildings reaching for the sky-Appropiately Named 'Sky Scrapers'-,Man could make things other beings would only dream of.

Not that all this surprises Him, he knew from day one that these frail beings were important and capable. He's seen it all in his travels across this wasteland and his stay as a 'refugee' here in Haven.

If only his siblings,specially Death,could see what he sees.

...If that were to be possible,he might get along better with his grump of an older sibling and the rest of his remaining bretheren.

The reaper would never admit it, but up until now hes seen humans as things. He May know that they are important,but the specifics are lost on his grief-addled mind. No matter how much the spirit of timeless unrest tried to explain, all his words are absorbed by the high walls of thick despair Death has built around him,his heart,his mind And,dare Strife say it, soul.

By now he doesn't bother,waste of breath and energy.

Yet a part of him still hopes the pale rider finally changes his view on things.

Family,though sometimes less than functioning,was still family. At least to Strife.

Sure,he had been raised alongside the old reaper,but when you're one of the four remaining nephilim....Well family acquires a whole new meaning. One the gunslinger still has to figure out.

He sighs loudly,wondering if any human within the trunk of the tree could advice him on how to get along better with his siblings. He doesn't doubt for a moment that one of those answers might just be "therapy"

Now he'd never admit it...But Creator,he'd like to go to therapy some day.

...Could human therapists even handle The ammount of trauma he's got?

Could he handle it if it ever came up?

Jokes and bravado was all fun and games until the chips are down and him opening up might just save him,his siblings, and mankind. He desperately wants Fury to shut up and listen to what he has to say,but he knows his sister well and she's not going to stop until she hits her head against the wall...repeatedly.

He just hoped she didn't have to go through all that pain to finally see things as they are.

But his sister's...his siblings actions are something he can't control,or make himself responsible for. And he's still yet to make his peace with it.

God,Why were bonds so...difficult?

Anxiously he taps on his helmet,now resting on his lap,as night falls. Here, under the starlet blackness above,is where danger begin to plot,scheme and -Creator forbid- strike.

The horseman rubs the exhaustion out of his yellow eyes. As he does so,he remembers young War couldn't discern Strife's yellow sclera from his actual ochre colored eyes.

It makes him chuckle with endearment, tiredness dissipating for a few seconds before returning with full force.

He's so tired...

He's tired of being lied to,he's tired of him and his siblings being in their head instead of focusing on the now.

Grief stuck to them all like Spiderwebs on corners,leaving them two options: face their past and move on,or wither away in bitterness. 

For now,he can guess that three out of the four that they are Will make it out of that web.

And still,he worries for the one less capable of doing so.

Upwards does his gaze go, noticing the smallest,dying star struggling to light up the darkness. No other of its bretheren help, so its left to agonize into an uncertain future.

The image makes his eyes burn,he feels his chest tighten and....

--You've spent a long time up there...--Comes the voice of Ulthane from a small balcony/platform underneath the branch he's sitting atop.

Strife leads his thumbs to wipe the corners of his eyes--Right...right...--he winces at how his voice breaks. He sniffs loudly and grabs his helm

--Y'alright?

Like he's done a thousand,million times,he puts on his helmet over his chiseled,handsome features,effectively shutting off his emotions--Jus' peachy-- He replied--Jus' peachy...

With a gesture of his hand,the disguise of Jones comes up,and he pushes away the memory of Death teaching him illusion magic. The tenderness of the moment is too much for him to bear right now,the smile of his child self all too bright against the monster he is now.

And the smoldering warmth in his oldest brothers eyes...

Heavy boots clatter on the balcony. Strife...Jones, looks up at the maker and he hates how in this form he's the small one.

--Y'dont seem right t'me...--Ulthane said with something akin to a fatherly concern.

But the rider shrugs and finds his bravado that he pulls over his face like curtains behind a Window.--Doesn' matter,the scenery really jus' stole my attention.

And he leaves for the entrance to Haven to begin his nightly watch as he usually volunteers to do.

Ulthane watches Strife go,eyes narrowing with a glint of pity. He still remembers the hard time he gave to the gunslinger when he first sneaked into the tree, posing as a human.

Old as he is,the Black Hammer could smell his nephilim nature a mile away. But after a brief-albeit agressive- chat,his antagonism of the rider lessened over time and quite quickly.

Tender heart Strife's got.

Well,his siblings do call him the 'delicate one'

Isn't it concerning how much his siblings haunt his mind?.

Behind his hood,feeling like a cheap imitation of his youngest of kin, Strife walks to the entrance with one of the makers that wait with him for this routine. She also knows who-what he is.

--Hey! Evening!--Comes the voice of the female maker,blonde hair and carrying a gigantic battle axe. He feels a little guilty he doesn't remember her name.

--Howdy!--He drawls, a big grin on his face.

--Took you a bit...--She pointed out,a bit concerned--Y'usually 'ere before nightfall..

With lips a little pursed,he shrugs and adds--I...fell asleep.

--But you dont need sleep?

--It's uh...pleseant --Which wasn't a complete lie,he liked to sleep...but he wasn't sleeping up in that branch.

More like....wallowing?

Thankfully the maker drops it, knowing all beings were quirky like that. Makers most of all,but Strife wouldn't be surprised if Nephilim won in that regard- They're a mix of Angel and Demon,surely something in their internal wiring has to be a little janky.

Like that one time he got stuck in his Anarchy form. He was a little too crazed with bloodlust, and then he thoroughly freaked out when he realized he couldn't get back to his normal self.

Fury and War were a little worried,if not amused.

But it was Death who sat down with him and actually helped him calm down and return to normal. Bitter,old and grumpy reaper sat infront of him and in his sardonic way guided him to a point where he was calm.

To this day,he wonders if the pale rider was talking from experience-He'd give anything to hear the story if that was the case.

Yet the sentiment is not lost on him,the implicit,crushing worry in the actions of the eldest nephilim. He really tries to hate him,he really does try...

His pondering takes up most of the night,he's silent and thumbing his guns reflectively. If the maker beside him noticed,she didn't say anything.

But he is taken out of it when he hears a set of slow,Tiny steps behind him. He turns with his brows furrowed,its a bit past midnight- all kids should be asleep by now,and adults too.

Yet he sighs in recognition at the child. Matted,messy and long light blonde hair,grey eyes and pale skin. He can see the lines of the sheets and pillows pressed into her features,curling around her eyebrows,forehead And the beggining of her nosebridge.

--Angie...--Chided Strife,slowly walking up to the kid and kneeling infront of her--Whats the matter,Kiddo? What're ya doin' up so late?

The girl leaned into his touch when his hand went to push away her thin and almost platinum hair. --Uhm...I...I couldn't sleep.

He held back a sigh,he hopes she doesn't wander off--D'you know why?

--I..i worry..--Angie whispered,looking at the ground--Mama says we'll be fine but..--She sighs and rubbs the exhaustion out of her eyes--When..when I worry I get nightmares, i don't...i don't want nightmares

--You can stay for a bit--He resolved, patting her shoulder gently--Calm down,and then back to bed, young Lady

The girl smiled a little and nodded,waddling over to the spot at the edge of the balcony/entrance of the tree had. Both sit and watch the barren world shadowed in darkness with little Glimmers of moonlight-Like how hope feels when it finally begins to peek through the black clouds.

Strife feels the kid lean on him,looking at the world that once was her home. His brown eyes look down at the messy head of hair and he sighs. With a gentleness thats so unbecoming for a horseman, he begins to untangle the strands that gleam with white highlights.

--You remind me of someone...--He murmured--His hair always gets messy,even as a full grown adult.

Angie giggled--Well,uhm..I Like playing in the mud, and Rolling around...mom says thats why Its always like that

He let out an amused scoff--Yep,that'll do it. --He grinned--Rowdy thing arentcha?.--The kid shrugged. --I can't say you'll grow out of it, my brother sure as hell didn't.--Heavenly are the giggles that the kid lets out, he wonders how the world can be so cruel to spoil such a pure thing. Fills him with rage.

Eventually he finished with his task of untangling her hair,now it curls and falls past her gentle face. Her eyelids begin to fall closed and her body rests against his, he sighs and Gently he begins to softly sing a lullaby.

Its old,older than mankind, older than him.

How old it is? Strife isn't sure. All he knows is that Death sung it to him,and the gunslinger sung it to war,and Now he sings it to this human. Who is unaware of the milenia old culture being imparted upon her right now.

But it does the trick,working like a charm as Angie falls asleep not soon after. He sighs in relief and returns to watch the cityscape for a little.

--Angela...!--Came the voice of the kid's mother,soft as to not wake anyone but loud enough for him to hear. She pushes back her own bed-head, messy blond hair and her green eyes narrow with motherly disdain.

He chuckled and said--Took care of it already,Gabriella.

The older human woman Gently picked up her sleeping kid and sighed--She scared me to the death just now,I woke up and couldn't find her...Thank you,Jones.

Strife shrugged--Jus' doin ma job.

Gabriella nodded with a tired,small smile--Do you want some tea? It's getting cold.

Really? He hasn't noticed.

Well...he does run naturally warm so...no surprise there.

--Sure--He answered,to Keep up appereances mostly but he did enjoy a good cup of tea. --Hey uh- there's probably more supplies now after our last run so...--His request dies on his tongue as shame creeps into his throat.

But the woman's eyes widen with recognition,which confuses him a little--Ah,yeah I'll Check that. First I'm putting this trouble maker to bed and I'll get to your tea

He nodded--Alright

Gabriella walks out,murmuring something about how she "Hopes the tea she makes tastes exactly how he described it". He pays it no mind,Specially as the female maker he had as a companion chuckled and joked--Your big brother instincts came out on that one...

The rider scoffed and rolled his eyes,dismissing her words with a hand gesture. But it's clear from his silence that he's giving her the reason.

And his silence lingers even after he hears the human woman walk into the main chamber of the Maker Tree, her soft steps barely echo even in the graveyard like silence of the world she finds herself in.

--Here...--She said softly,handing Him a mug of brick red,handmade. He can see the small handprints that denote that a human made it.

--Since when do we have mugs?

Gabriella chuckled--I made them

His brows raised with pleaseant surprise--That's really awesome! Where'd you find the clay though?

--Last supply run before the one you did the other day. Ulthane helped me Cook It and glaze it.--She laughed softly--Angie wanted to come with and...

--Let me guess,she toussled 'round in the dirt and mud?--he asked with a Snicker.

--Yup...--Smirked the human.

--Sound's a hell lot like my youngest sibling

He holds the warm cup between his hands,rough and a little scarred. This disguise only reflected his true self,this human visage was covered in scars from battles. And even if nobody could tell what he was in this magic ruse he's concocted, his story still told itself through the little things.

As humans say,the devil's in the details.

--You've never talked about your siblings--Gabrielle noted, a little worried--or you,for that matter. You only mentioned that one anecdote about the tea and--She stopped herself as if she had a spoiled a surprise-- Doesn't matter. Your siblings...Are they okay?

He nodded--Just peachy,trust me. They're hard to kill--He half joked,but then he made a brief and pensive pause. He can see the humans brows arch and her lips purse,so unlike Him to go quiet mid-sentence-- Maybe I'll tel you an' lil' Angie about them some other time,Gabi.

--Of course--the woman smiled with warmth,motherly warmth--I have no doubt they're as resilient,and good, as you are

Within his disguise,he winces.-- we...We aren't good.

--I'm sure you've done your fair share of bad things in these trying times..but your actions now show how far you've come.

He sighed--You know? My youngest brother had said something like that once. --He smirked as he remembered the wild goose chase him and War had been sent on back when they were still chasing Lucifer-- He sat me down at this beautiful, beautiful cliff. We...we had some bad memories attached but we couldnt really leave...

Strife had inherited Death's talent as a storyteller,and hes not surprised to see Gabrielle sit and listen attentively.

--We...we were on a job,we had done a thing there..something I'm not proud of. That we aren't proud of,no matter how much some of us lie to ourselves--He scratched the bridge of his nose anxiously. Unconciously including himself in the fact that he also lied to himself quite a lot-- I had said something bitter about how that place was a testament to our failures

Gabi put a hand on his wrist and squeezed it fondly--D'aw,Jones...

He shook his head--Dont worry,My lil' brother Wa--He stopped himself mid sentence,biting his tongue--Wah- William looked at me in the eye and said "Let this be a reminder of how far we've come, and how much we yet have to achieve" an' lemme tell ya,for a guy built like a brick shit house...well he can be quite insightful

The human woman scoffed--Often the youngest tend to see things in a way us old farts don't-- she half joked,throwing a conspiratorial wink his way as both begin to hear a set of small steps--And speaking of...

Both turn to see Angela run at Jones to give him a tight,loving hug--Goodnight Mr.Jones! Thank you for protecting Us--Then she faced her mother--I know you said I had to sleep but...I didn't want to go to bed without saying goodnight!! He stays up all night to watch over us and...

--Okay,Wee one,y'said yer goodnights,C'mon--The female maker picks up the kid and gestures to the older human woman--You too,Gabi.

Gabriella nodded at her "fellow" human and wished him a calm evening,then she follows the maker into the tree. He's rendered alone,with himself and his thoughts.

Strife scoffs out a chuckle,wind pushing the leaves to rustle Gently and making his ears twitch. Even now,he's alert.

Then he returns to face the sundered city and he tries to push down the wave of feelings that threatens to break on him and drown him in foam. To help combat this,he drinks from the tea that hasn't gone cold given his furnace temperature that he carried.

But it turns out that it only helps to finish forming the tide that was looming over him.

First comes the taste,earthy,spicy,a bit rudimentary. Then,the smell of manually grounded spices and herbs...

His mind flashes to happier times,how he traveled with Death,Back when they were both young and the masacre was ways away in time. It was cold, neither felt it but the gunslinger could see his breath fog in the air.

Death was a complete different person before the erradication,still sharp and deadly but with a soft side reserved to his siblings.

At that time,both took shelter within a cave. He made a little Fire and brewed a batch of tea for both of them, he taught his brother how to make it.

Tasted just like it does now,the flavor swirling in his tongue with pleaseant nostalgia. Didn't he make that same tea for Fury and War when they got back?

Didn't Death ruffle his hair and gave him one of his half-assed compliments?.

It's all so vivid. Those clawy fingers that messed with his locks,that raspy,endeared and endlessly, purely warm tone as he said "For a rascal like you,that's quite a good tea." His gaze was melted honey behind those firey eyes that look so much like the gunslinger's, the slight quirk in his lips back when his face wasn't always covered.

He misses seeing his brother's face,the face he always seeked when he had a bad dream,the face that offered comfort and safety and un-ending love for him and his siblings.

He misses his family.

And finally,the tide breaks to swallow him whole.

Strife,Spirit of timeless unrest,the white rider,horseman, cries. 

[yeahspider]

Disclaimer please don't write this if you are uncomfortable‼️‼️‼️

Ok so stray kids and reader are having a movie night and reader is sitting on Felix's lap with a small vibrator on inside her while she is cockwarming felix giving them both pleasure.

thank you and remember to drink lots of water and get a ton of sleep!!

Ve's note- i'd like to thank you for sending an ask anon!! Ive been lacking a lil inspo lately so this is perfect !! also you're so sweet anon remember to drink water and sleep as well . i hope this is what you wanted ! feel free to drop by again !! :) <3

Ve's note pt.2 - two felix posts back2back omg ? felix is just so fun to write for. anyways. felix x f.reader . nsfw minors dni . not proofread per usual . thinking about writing a jilix post with a similar plot ... maybe . enjoy <3

SQUIRM 🕸️

you wish this stupid movie would end already. if any of the seven other men asked you to explain the plot to them you wouldn't be able to, hell you wouldn't even be able to tell them the title. The only two things holding your attention was the vibrator and your boyfriend . Both happened to be inside you. time was never really your strong suit, it always had a way of escaping you. but not right now. now you were counting down the minutes until this movie was over so you could catch your breath. which you've been holding this whole time, not wanting to let any sounds you might make slip from your lips.

"you alright there darling?" felix questioned from below you. you had been so lost in thought that you almost forgot the predicament you had found yourself in. you and felix had always been a lil....adventurous with your sex life . trying any and everything together just because you could, but this...this was your hardest challenge to date. you could only hum a response to his inquiry as his cock filled you. the challenge had been your idea... see who could last the longest without coming. felix upping the stakes by adding the vibrator and you meeting him by proposing to do it today of all days. sacred movie night. you were determined to not lose . as sweet as your boyfriend could be he was a lil menace when it came to your challenges. he would not hesitate to tease if you came first.

so you decided to make it harder for him . all you had to do was get him to cum first . no problem considering how sensitive felix was to your devices normally . so you readjust yourself, in the disguise of making yourself more comfortable in his lap . just a slight shift of your hips and felix is biting your shoulder in attempts to conceal his groan . the vibrator pressing directly against his tip, stimulating him. you felt yourself gloat until you shifted a bit too much and the vibrator pressed directly against that gummy spot inside you. causing you to arch your back in surprise. your sudden movement caused jisung to spare you a glance of concern, which you thwarted with a smile that did not reach your eyes. this was good enough for jisung though as he smiled back at you and turned his attention back to the movie playing.

"stop moving kitten you're making it harder for the both of us." felix whispered quickly into your neck. planting a kiss right below your ear. you couldn't help but continue to squirm as the vibrator continued its constant assault on your sensitive areas. you weren't going to last much longer and you both knew it.

you felt felix move his hand from your hip to your clothed core. your eyes widened as he applied pressure to your clit. your will snapped along with the coil holding you together and you came with a scream barely held back. teeth clenching as you ride out the waves on top of him. slumping back once you finished. with a final pinch to your clit causing you to freeze and your walls clench on felix's cock he came inside you . using your shirt to muffle his own moan. once he had a chance to recover he picked up his phone and shut the vibrator off. causing you to let out a sigh of release . you could feel the pleasure ruminating off of felix as he smiled into your hair .

"looks like I won"