#like come on guys where else are you gonna find a girl with green hair whos been admitted to the psych ward and likes eating liver

[asapeveryday]

Breath Me In

Pairing: Paige Bueckers x Reader

Warnings: Smut (Fingering), weed, alcohol

Summary: Uconn’s end of summer party brings you all sorts of highs.

A/n: can you tell I like party settings??? Anyways. We need more fics of Paige receiving instead of always giving pls!! Someone please this girl!

Summer is coming to a close. Long August days turn to colder September nights, and the students of Uconn have mostly moved in for the new semester. A new year of college calls for a party.

Uconns annual end-of-summer party was an absolute staple to attend for seniors, richer students who lived in housing nearby often responsible for hosting. Summery rap and pop blasting, coolers and twisted tea by the gallons, string lights in big green backyards, patio furniture overrun by couples making out or slowly sobering up. It was a sight to behold, and you relished in the feeling of this, the beginning of the end of school.

When you make your way throughout the house, various people stop to talk to you, including the hostess herself.

Stella DeSantos is a trust fund girl who’s in her senior year for sports marketing, and this years lucky party organizer. She has the means, obviously, because the house is massive.

“So… gonna start the year off with some dick or what?” She laughs, already tipsy.

You just smile and shake your head. “I’m chill right now.” Is your reply. Honestly you just didn’t want to pull the ‘id rather have pussy’ card on her.

The girl swings an arm around you. “I could set you up with some really athletic guys if that’s your thing.” She hiccups. “Want a drink?”

She thrusts a mango white claw into your hand and you take it reluctantly. As much as you loved getting wasted the party was a bit too rowdy to feel comfortable. You were desperately searching for someone you knew well enough to hang out with that wasn’t already drunk, with no luck.

You stick by Stella for a while, standing by as she greets people and gets drunker by the minute. You’re still holding the same White-claw, though it’s mostly empty.

You’re scoping out the scene yourself, the house is filled with kids you’ve been in school with for the past years. Your gaze stops in the kitchen, where two girls reside. One tall with dark skin, hair slicked back and clothes baggy. You’d had classes with Aubrey Griffin before, she was intimidating but attractive.

The other girl was paler and slightly shorter, blonde hair tied back into a bun and glasses on her face.

“Paige!” Stella calls out, as if sensing your thoughts. She makes her way over to the two girls and you awkwardly follow behind. Everyone knows Paige Bueckers. She’s one of those students, everyone mostly likes her and she’s friends with all the right people. It puzzled you how someone so gay still attracted so many guys.

Stella talks to Aubrey and Paige, and they politely engage despite obviously being thrown off by how drunk she is. Their shared looks almost make you laugh. You take this as a chance to get a good look at Paige. She mostly stayed out of trouble or tough rumours, and kept to her main group of friends, so aside from her talent on the court you knew almost nothing.

You let yourself stare at her, noting her blue eyes, long lashes and wide smile. She carried herself confidently, but looked uncomfortable.

Finally she turns to meet your eye, and when her tongue flashes out to wet her lips you physically feel something in your stomach drop.

“You her babysitter or something?” She smirks.

“You’d think she knows how much she can handle by now.” You scoff. Stella barely notices, fully talking to Aubrey.

Paige’s eyes dart to the drink in your hand. “Good luck finding a ride home tonight.”

Before you can respond, maybe by telling her your name or sparking better conversation, Stella’s attention is drawn somewhere else and she starts to drag you away.

You turn to get one last look at Paige, and internally celebrate when your eyes meet.

-

As the summer sun finally began to set, it got a little too cold for everyone to be outside. The inside of the house was absolutely packed, the music was louder and the air was thicker. The smell of smoke and sound of people was starting to irritate you, but for whatever reason you didn’t want to leave just yet.

Stella was nowhere to be found and you were sitting on the kitchen counter next to some other girls, quietly sipping some drink while listening in to conversations. The original plan of staying mostly sober was ruined by your boredom, and though you weren’t drunk you felt significantly warmer and a little more confident.

“Oh, it’s you again.” A voice says. You turn to see it’s Paige and your heart skips a beat.

“I have a name.” You reply, not caring if you come off rude. She doesn’t seem to care either, just raising her eyebrows at you. “And it is?”

You tell her your name and she repeats it to herself with a smile. “I’m Paige.”

“I figured.” You laugh. The alcohol was making everything seem like less of a deal, had you talked to her more before you probably wouldn’t have been so casual.

“You drunk?” She asks, leaning against the counter across from you. At this angle you’re pretty much looking down at her, she looks cuter with her eyes wide and head tilted slightly upwards. You almost let your imagination get ahead of you.

“Getting there. You?”

Paige shakes her head no. “You don’t seem like much of a drinker.”

With a shrug, you say “This party is less fun than I thought it would be.”

“I’m gonna head outside if you’re tryna come.” She shrugs back.

You hop off of the counter and are reminded of the fact that Paige isn’t short. She seems happy that she’s not looking up at you anymore.

“Sure, why not.” You smile.

She leads you to the backyard and the sudden quiet is surprising. The music is muffled and the air is fresher, it’s a beautiful night and the yard is empty for the two of you. Paige heads straight for the pool, sitting down by the edge of the deep end and taking off her shoes, letting her legs dangle in the water. You join her and do the same.

“So you came to a party and you’re not drinking or getting high?” You ask her.

“Ah ah,” she smirks. “I’m getting high for sure, jus had to be a little sneaky. You can keep a secret, right?” Paige tilts her head at you, and you almost melt right there and then.

“I’m great at keeping secrets.” You eye her, tilting your head like she does. “But can all those people?” You gesture to the kids inside the house.

“Everyone in there is gonna be too drunk to remember me sneaking out for a blunt with a girl.” She finally breaks eye contact, reaching into her pocket for a tin of pre-rolled blunts.

She said ‘with a girl’ like her being with you could be a topic of conversation. The thought makes your mind race.

When Paige lights up and gets the first hit, her whole composure loosens.

The blue from the pool water reflecting onto her face, the slight glow of the blunt against her lips, the way she blows the smoke afterwards. It’s driving you insane.

You stare at your legs in the water, her pale ones next to yours. The night is beautiful. She’s beautiful. You wonder if she’ll remember anything tomorrow.

“Want sum?” Paige interrupts your thoughts, holding out the blunt. You know you shouldn’t mix weed with alcohol, but your heart is buzzing and her lips had already been on it, so you can’t say no.

Taking it from her nimble fingers (which you cursed yourself for even noticing) you inhale, letting the smoke fill you up before letting out a long breath, trying to ignore her sharp eyes on you.

“I’m surprised I haven’t noticed you around before.” She says, taking back the blunt. You let the statement linger in the air. For every hit you take, she takes three. Her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are already slightly pink.

“Are you not the noticing type?” You ask.

Paige’s eyes meet yours. “Are you?”

You laugh and take the blunt from her, holding the smoke in before tilting your head back and blowing it into the night sky.

“I notice a lot of things.” you say, glancing at her lips before meeting her eyes again.

“Oh yeah?” She says quietly, analyzing your features. If it weren’t for the drinks and the weed, you would’ve felt like prey under her watch.

“Yeah.” You match her tone.

She’s closer than you remember her being. The air smells like weed and chlorine, but she smells like summer.

Nobody says anything, you just keep passing the blunt.

“What was your first time getting high like?” You ask her.

“Freshman year, me and some other girls on my team decided we were gonna do it together.” She chuckles and shakes her head. “Don’t know why we started with edibles, but we were still high the next morning.”

“Oh shit.” You laugh.

“Yeah,” she huffs “and we had practice that afternoon, must’ve gone through like 3 bottles of eye drops each. What about you?”

“Senior year of high school.” You cringe and she smiles at your expression. “My girlfriend- at the time, was kind of addicted. Didn’t seem like a big deal then, but she begged me to smoke and I did. It was whatever.”

“Girlfriend?” She asks.

“You’re surprised?” You chuckle. “Shit, you really don’t notice anything.”

“Shut up.” She flicks your shoulder. “Any girlfriend now?”

“Fuck no.”

“I feel that.” She blows smoke into the crisp air. There’s a moment of comfortable silence, you looking into the water and her looking at you, before she finally says “Can I try something?”

“Like what?” You ask.

You can tell her thinking is slightly hazy, she’s moving slower and her eyes are tired, it’s attractive.

“Lemme jus show you…don’t freak.”

Paige takes a hit, then leans into you. In an instance her lips are on yours, prying you open and exhaling smoke into your mouth, then she pulls away. You resist the urge to choke, but manage to exhale smoothly. Your lips tingle where she made contact with you, and you feel your face get red at her expression. Paige is practically entranced.

“Little warning would’ve been better next time.” You cough.

“We can try again if you want.” She smirks, and you roll your eyes.

Once again Paige takes a hit then leans into you, this time placing her hand on your face. She huffs the smoke inside your mouth and you gladly take it, now knowing what to expect. When she pulls away you don’t turn your head, you just blow out the smoke, letting it cloud both your vision and hers. When it clears she’s staring dead at your lips.

Her lips meet yours again, this time without any weed. She’s taking her time with you, tongue exploring your mouth attentively, one hand still on your face while the other finds your thigh.

Her hands are calloused and controlled against your skin, her glasses bump your face as you kiss her. Her lips are soft.

You let your hands wander too, dancing under her black t-shirt and gripping her waist. You can feel her abs, toned from her athletic lifestyle. You can only imagine the things you could do with her abs alone.

Her hand leaves your thigh and meets yours under her shirt, gripping your wrist she guides you to her sports bra, letting you get under it and feel her breasts.

She sighs into your mouth when you lightly pinch her nipples, her usually confident voice now almost needy.

Paige’s kisses trail down to your neck, licking and biting into your soft skin. You let your fingers ghost against her until they reach the waistband of her sweatshorts.

“Can I?” You whisper, eager to feel her.

“Fuck, yes.” She murmurs against you, sucking beautifully painted hickeys from your neck to your collarbone.

When your fingers rub her through her boxers you can hear her breathing change, and it’s doing things to you. Rubbing slow circles on her clit, you feel yourself getting wet.

“You let every girl down your pants, Paige?” You mumble. She stares up at you, eyes wide and bloodshot.

You relish in the way she bites her lip when your pace quickens, you can feel her slick through the boxer briefs and you can’t help but tease her. “So wet already…”

Finally you let your hand slip into her briefs, finding her entrance and teasing around her hole. Her hips jerk upwards, giving you room to move, offering herself to you. “Stop talking.” She grumbles, cheeks pink with embarrassment.

You connect with her lips again as your fingers finally dip inside of her, causing her to let a soft moan out. You realize suddenly that anyone inside the house could come outside and see you two, but with all the weed and alcohol you couldn’t care less, you couldn’t stop now, not when Paige was grinding against your fingers and letting out sweet whimpers into your mouth, her hands feeling you all over.

Breaking the kiss is the best decision you make, because you can actually see her. Her face is perfect, hair falling out of her bun, glasses sliding down her nose, her expression a sexy, needy pout, her tongue darting out to lick her lips.

You pick up the pace, pumping your fingers in and out of her and grinning as her whimpers get a little louder. The noise of her slick, her voice, the crickets outside and the muffled music is almost magical to you. Her blue eyes shining and glossy from the weed and the reflection of the water.

“Fuck.” She murmurs, covering her mouth. “Oh, fuck.”

Her hips are violently bucking now as you curl your fingers inside of her and use your thumb to apply pressure to her clit. Her eyes are screwed shut now, and you can tell she’s close.

“Gonna cum for me Paige? Cmon baby, let it out.”

She calls out your name, legs open and pussy throbbing against your fingers. Finally she loosens around you, reaching her orgasm.

She’s still clinging to your body and catching her breath when you pull your hand out from her shorts, licking your fingers like you’ve just finished a meal. Paige’s eyes are trained on your lips wrapped around the same digits that were just inside of her.

You just smile at her staring. “You good?” You ask her. She just chuckles and takes off her shirt. “I’m good. Might needa cool down though.” Paige eyes you as she slips into the pool.

You laugh and take your shirt off too, slipping into the cold water with her.

It’s a good night, filling your lungs with her, breathing Paige in.

[lucky-clover-gazette]

so i know the amandafiles sneasler rant went pretty viral on here, but the real highlights of her pokemon legends arceus playthrough were her unhinged volo-related rants. this one is probably my favorite but there were many and i will absolutely clip and transcribe (not by hand i'm not that insane) more of them if asked

transcript under the cut:

Yeah. So, um, I'm just kind of leaving the scene of the crime now. And hopefully Adaman is still interested. That's all I have to say. Yeah, that's my statement at this time. Thank you. Thank you! Yeah, mhm. Bye.

Like, what. Is Volo gonna fucking pop out at me from the shadows over here? Is anybody around to talk to me? Like, about what just happened?

(Sees Melli.) Not what I meant, but um, you know what? Fuck it, Melli, guess what just happened. So, you know that guy Volo? Basically, like, we were talking, right? It was actually going pretty well. You know, just like this nerd, and he was like, so cute and so, like, excited about history and stuff, and, like, I was really feeling that, you know, and I dunno, he was, like, my champion. He was there for me when no one else was. He, like, picked me up off the ground at my lowest point. He was always cheering me on. He was always, like, hyping me up to other people. Wouldn't that be awesome, Mellie, if like someone ever did that for you? Not that that would ever happen, of course, but, like, can you imagine, like, someone being out there being like, "yes, like, that's the one, like, that's my girl. She's been doing it like, she's working so hard." That was Volo for me.

Melli, imagine my surprise when I go up to the mountain there because—we did this whole thing. Basically, I'm an important person. You wouldn't really understand. I, like, collected all these artifacts. I thought we were going to, like, do this thing that was important to, like, the history of the world.

But turns out Volo was fucking insane. And, like, no, I truly mean that, like crazy and saying he was like, a totally different person. He had been cosplaying as a normie the entire time. He's really a serial killer, I think. He's like a lunatic, right? Like, a cringey one. He did his hair. So he, like, is obsessed with Arceus. Right. The god pokémon. And Arceus, like—have you ever seen a picture of him? I'll pull it up on my Arc Phone real quick. He's got these, like, horns that come back and stuff. Bitch, he did his HAIR like this. AHH! I know. I got, like, a little picture of it. Look at him! An entire bottle of American Crew.

He, like, totally thought he ate that, but, like, he didn't. It looked so bad, but, like, that was the least of it. He was—his eyes got crazy. He was wearing, like, bright green capris and gladiator sandals. AHH! Melli, I know. it was fucked up. You know, it's like how quickly they change when you find out, like, what they really were after and what they really want. It was stunning. Startling, Melli, it's really like—have you ever had, like, an experience like that before with a guy? Probably not, since you're so insufferable and, like, you probably have never had anyone show interest in you before, platonically or otherwise, but maybe, like, read a book or something where that happened. That happened to me. That happened to me today.

I really had a huge crush on this guy. Like, to the point where I thought he was the one, Melli, I really did. I was like, ready to leave this whole place with him. Travel the world, and I won't lie to you, um… if he had been like, "Hey, you want to be crazy together? You want to be crazy with me?" I might have done it. I might have also tried that lifestyle out for a minute. I would have tried, like, the villain arc thing out… but lucky for you, it didn't work out. Otherwise, you would have been right on the top of my list. But anyway, yeah, I ended up, like, totally embarrassing him. We did a pokémon battle and he just fucking violently lost.

And then he teamed up with, like, the satan pokémon? It was weird. And they tried their little thing. It was cute. It was very cute. You know, I have to give it—it was camp, It was cute, it was like rehearsed. There was some choreography. It was cute, but obviously they lost horribly. But anyway, yeah, that's, uh. That's how my Tuesday's going. And I'm going to stop you there, Melli, because I really don't care. This wasn't an open invitation for you to talk. I just wanted to let someone know what had just happened.

[trippinsorrows]

looking through your eyes + thirteen

authors note: welp. the gala is finally here, friends! i hope you enjoy. well, the enjoyable parts.

ya'll remember that promo where kevin and sami tried to jump roman and he was furious, throwing shit out the ring, yelling at solo to position sami for the spear? that's how angry our collective favorite grump gets in this one...

if any cw/tw’s are missed, please let me know, and i will add them!

cw/tw: violence against women, scene of torture, fighting violence, language, angst, fluff, livid roman, and discussion regarding family loss.

song inspo: ‘looking through your eyes’ by leann rimes

masterlist

words: 11k

“Guys, is this really necessary?”

Truth be told, Solana already knows how both of her friends are going to respond. Bayley, however, is the one who briefly rips her focus from finding an x-large size in the top to the matching bottoms she’s picked out for Solana.

“It absolutely is necessary.” She takes a second to gesture to Solana’s outfit for the day. “You’ve come so far in so many ways, including not hiding your body as much, so we have to keep that going.”

“Exactly,” Naomi chimes as she reaches yet another dress to Solana, adding it to the pile of clothes she already has stacked on her arm. “Besides, who doesn’t love shopping with other people’s money?”

Other people would be Roman. Despite her horror at the totals every time Bayley and Naomi sucker her into these outrageous shopping trips, her husband never seems to bat an eye. It’s not unsurprising. She knows he’s filthy rich. But still, just the thought of spending so much money on clothes is a struggle.

And as Bayley adds the two piece suit to her arm, Solana starts to notice there’s a theme in the items they’re picking for her. A lot of bathing suits. Sun dresses. Shorts and thin sleeved tops. All appropriate for summer, of course. But, something else. 

Like a trip.

Curious, Solana suddenly asks, “why are we getting so many vacation type outfits?”

Naomi looks at her with the perfect confused expression. “What?” She laughs, picking up a bright orange top with a low neckline. “Girl, it’s summer. These are summer clothes.”

“But all these bathing suits—”

“Because we finally got you to embrace a two-piece, so now we need to make sure you have plenty of em’ whenever you and Roman decide to go for a swim.” Her wink makes Solana look away to hide her blush. She doesn’t regret opening up about trying to eventually consummate her marriage, but the way Naomi and Bayley never waste a chance to crack an innuendo can be….a lot at times.

“I’m gonna go bring these up front.” Solana gestures to the heavy stack of clothes that she’s holding. The second, or maybe third, stack they’ve accumulated for her. There’s always a check-in regarding if Solana likes it or not, which she appreciates. Even if they’ve become exceptionally good at distinguishing whether she doesn’t like something because it’s just not her style or whether she doesn’t like it because of insecurity. And when it’s the second one, they never hesitate to invoke their veto powers, instructing the cashier to ring it up.

Solana finds the sales girl from earlier up at the register, messing around on her phone as the line is non-existent. Her emerald green eyes dart up from the screen and an almost crooked smile falls on her young looking face. Solana would guess she’s either in her late teens or early twenties. 

“Got more for me?”

Solana giggles. “Just a little.” 

The girl also laughs, accepting the new pile and adding it with the others. She turns back around with a bit of skeptical look. “Hey, uh, can I ask you something?”

Curious, Solana nods. “Sure.”

She leans over the counter, red hair sprinkling past her freckled shoulders. “How did you meet your husband?” Eyes widening a bit, Solana’s surprise at the question must show. “I’ve seen you come in here a couple times now over the past few months, and every time you spend more than what my parents probably make in a month combined. And your ring is so beautiful. I guess I’m just kind of wondering how I can get lucky too. Cause your husband clearly loves you a lot to spoil you so much.”

Love…..

Not until this very moment has Solana ever thought about Roman and the word love in the same sentence. Hell, in the same universe. 

He’s….he’s done so much for her. Changed her life, for the better, in almost every way. And she’s gathered that he must care for her to some extent. Why else would he do the things he’s done? But love….that’s such a strong word.

Too strong.

Not to mention, he’d made clear to her the first time he came to visit her at her job that he could never love her. He was very honest about that, and in a weird way, she appreciated it.

But…..but he also said that she was a business arrangement, and nothing about the way he treats her feels like a business obligation.

So…..

It’s such a big thing, a big thing she’s not sure she wants to tackle in public, let alone while standing in front of a complete stranger. 

“He’s really great.” That’s the answer nonanswer that she settles on. “I just….I got really lucky with him.” Because she did. God knows she did.

“Fair,” the girl laughs. “Well, if he has any younger brothers who are kind and generous like him, I’m single.”

Solana smiles a bit when her attention lands on the word brothers. Siblings. Family. 

It takes her back to a few months earlier, the night he rushed off because of conflict with this Cody Rhodes person. The night he shared with her he also lost his mother at the age of ten.

But…..but there was more.

Brief glimpses, flashbacks almost of a different night. Her body pressed against his. His strong arms around her. Comforting her almost.

“....all of my siblings….”

“.....only one…..”

“....alone….”

And though she can’t make out everything, can’t remember verbatim what he’d shared with her that evening. there’s enough bits and pieces that she’s able to string together a coherent, heartbreaking realization. 

It wasn’t just Roman’s mom he lost that night.

He lost his entire family.

He was the only one who made it out alive. 

There’s a crushing, cumbersome weight Solana feels in the back of her throat as well as the pit of her stomach. She knows better than most how devastating the loss of family can be, but to lose your entire immediate family in one night. As a child?

That’s a pain she can’t even imagine.

Roman makes a lot more sense now, his coldness, the constant aloof disposition. The way he always has his guard up. Beyond just his title as Tribal Chief. How can one not lose trust in most and all things with a loss like that?

How can one love after a loss like that?

Realizing her epiphany is unfolding behind the sales girl, Solana manages to murmur out a, “I’ll keep that in mind” before excusing herself. She just needs some space. Needs some—

“Solana?”

The woman in question is close to the entrance of the story when a voice, both new and familiar, calls her name, forcing her to turn around. And it’s when she does so that Solana realizes why it’s familiar.

“Dom?”

It’s been years since she’s seen him, and he looks both the same yet different. Facial hair that seems uneven and unconnected with a hairstyle to match, bangs almost entirely obscuring his bushy eyebrows. He’s dressed in all black, clothes draped over his still slim build. Once upon a time, she would grow nervous around him, insecure of herself in comparison to someone she thought was so much more attractive than he actually was. Now though, she just wants to pretend this unexpected encounter never happened.

“What are you—”

“Did you get bigger?”

And there it goes. One simple question asked with almost a hint of a mocking smile, Solana is briefly reverted back to those days of deep rooted insecurity. Where she’d hold her stomach in around him and always only order salad the few times he took her out.

For a second, she’s tempted to cross her arms, suddenly regretting the top that doesn’t entirely connect with her high waisted shorts, exposing a strip of skin. 

“Damn. I really thought you would have gotten yourself together by now.” He scoffs, crossing his arms as he tilts his head. “You still not putting out? Cause your tits are actually not that—”

“Shut up.”

Solana isn’t sure who’s more surprised by her interruption. Him or her. Perhaps him, because his smile is dropped, replaced with an almost scowl.

“What the hell did you say to me, mami?”

But instead of cowering, instead of her anxiety growing at him, a man, moving closer to her. Trying to intimidate her. Solana doesn’t back down.

She doesn’t back down because she’s not scared. 

Chin lifted, she keeps her voice firm and unwavering. “You don’t get to talk about me anymore. Not my weight. Not my body. None of it.” Seeing the shock in his eyes at her actually standing up for herself, not allowing him to talk down on her like he always would, makes Solana’s assertiveness that much more fulfilling. “Now leave me alone.”

She turns to walk away when she hears footsteps behind her. “Where do you think—”

Call it the result of her training or the fact that she’s still very much in her feelings and head about her heartbreaking realization regarding Roman, Solana hasn’t a clue just what leads her to spin around and connect her fist directly with Dom’s nose. However, as soon as she does it, sees him stumbling back into a rack, she slaps her hands over her mouth.

“Oh my….” But instead of apologizing, instead of feeling terrible for hitting another human being, she finds herself almost laughing. A shocked, amused smile hidden underneath her palms. Her first is hurting a bit, but that sting is dulled by the satisfaction of his dumbfounded facial expression.

It’s a bit short lived though as he straightens up and starts to stalk toward her. “What the hell? You crazy puta—”

“What the fuck did you just call her?”

Solana turns to see Bayley and Naomi. It’s hard to distinguish who looks more pissed. Who looks more ready to commit murder.

Naomi steps forward. “I know you did not just call her a bitch.” She turns to Bayley. “That’s what puta means in Spanish, right?”

“It sure does.” Bayley answers, coming to stand beside Solana. Protectively. “He called her a crazy bitch at that.” She scoffs, dressing him up and down. “Everyone knows you’re an idiot, Dom, but I didn’t think you were that stupid. Who the hell do you think you are talking to her like that?”

“He’s my ex.” Solana answers, partially unsure why she would let slip a piece of information that could only make the situation worse.

Naomi’s mouth drops open, one thumb gesturing to him. “Dirty Dumbass Dom is your ex?” Her eyes widen even more. “The one who said—oh hell no, Solana. We’re kicking his ass.”

Bayley lifts her hand, effectively stopping Naomi as she moves forward, no doubt ready to lay into him. Head tilted to the side, she smiles. “No….I have a much better idea.” Solana is understandably confused as Bayley tells Naomi, “I still have my stuff in my trunk.” 

Naomi’s eyes light up. “Oh, this just got so much better.” She turns towards the sales associate who’s been watching everything unfold from a distance like it was a TikTok storytime. “Hold the items, please. We’ll be back in a little bit.” 

Solana turns around to see the girl just give a thumbs up and shrug. “Do what you gotta do.”

Dom groaning in pain is what makes Solana turn her attention back to him, only to see him doubled over, holding his crotch as Naomi hits him in his back and starts guiding him out the store. “Get walking. Now.”

“I’m not going any—-” He cries out once again when Bayley kicks him in his face. 

“Shut your bitch ass up!” She curses in Spanish, motioning for Solana to follow them. “Come on, girl.”

Confused but following suit, Solana asks, “what are we doing?”

Naomi answers with intentional vagueness. “Having a lil’ fun.”

Something tells Solana they have different definitions of fun. 

But she remains silent as her two friends quite literally drag Dom out of the store, through the rest of the stores until they reach the parking lot. She’s again surprised when they take him over to Bayley’s car. She unlocks it and opens the trunk, pulling out a black bag that she hands to Solana. Solana starts to peek inside when something else catches her attention. 

Bats. 

Metal bats. 

She has two. One of which she reaches to Solana.

“I—just what are we doing?”

Bayley’s smile is nothing but mischievous. “Having some fun.”

Naomi suddenly pulls out a knife and presses it to his throat. “Take us to your car. Now.” 

Dom is quieter than she’s ever known him to be as he follows Naomi’s directive, leading them to his fancy pickup truck that Solana, even with her limited knowledge about cars, can tell is worth a pretty penny. 

They make him unlock it to ensure it's actually his truck before Bayley starts to circle it. She nods, as if impressed. “Nice. Can tell you’ve put a bunch of upgrades in.” Solana’s mouth drops open as Bayley takes her key and slides it along the truck as she walks. “Might need a paint job though.”

“What the hell! You—” He’s silenced by Naomi kicking him in his back, forcing him to the ground, knife still pressed against his throat. “You’re all fucking crazy!”

That only makes Bayley smile as she directs Solana to lay the bag on the ground, bending over and pulling out a portable bluetooth speaker. It’s only when seeing the glitter, paint, and glue that Solana starts to put two and two together.

“Are we—”

“Uh huh.”

She gasps. “But, we can’t—-we…..” And suddenly, she’s trailing off, thoughts of all of the cruel, unkind things Dom would say to her, the way he would put her down, fat shame her, bringing her to tears. The memories help her tune to change a bit. “C—can we?” 

Bayley stands up and places a hand on her shoulder. “Solana…..you are Solana fucking Reigns. Wife of Roman Reigns, the Tribal Chief, the Head of the Table.” Out of the corner of her eye, Solana can see Dom’s eyes go wide as saucers. He clearly wasn’t aware of this. Of her marriage. Of just who she calls husband these days. “You can do whatever the fuck you want.”

Bayley’s hype is effective as she pulls out her phone, connecting it to the Bluetooth speaker. A small smile falls on Solana’s face as she hears the familiar and oh-so fitting song. 

Right now,

He's probably slow dancing with a bleach blonde tramp

And she's probably getting frisky

Right now,

He's probably buying her some fruity little drink

'Cause she can't shoot whiskey

Bayley gestures for Solana to move closer to the truck. “Your ex. First hit is yours.”

“Solana, wait, please. I—I didn’t know you were with him.” Dom’s pleading and begging is desperate and embarrassing. He looks like he’s on the verge of tears. “I’m—I’m sorry.”

Sorry.

For some reason, that word has never made her feel so irritated. 

“No, you’re not.” And without a second of hesitation, she takes the bat and swings it against his passenger window, effectively shattering it. On the side, Bayley and Naomi cheer her on, Solana not even needing encouragement as she moves around to the other side, doing the same to the driver’s window.

Bayley howls out, “let’s fuckin’go!” She takes the bat and brings it against the rest of the truck, creating dents, scratches, and anything else that can desecrate what she’s sure makes up for other deficits. 

Solana just took out the mirror on the passenger side when she hears Naomi aggressively yell at him not to ‘fucking move.” And Dom doesn’t, just watches helplessly as she moves over to the bag, pulling out the glue and glitter. She smirks in his direction, lifting the materials of destruction. “Time to glow, bitch.”

Solana laughs as Naomi rips open the door and starts pouring the deadly combination of glue and glitter all over the interior. 

I dug my key into the side of his pretty

little suped up four wheel drive

Carved my name into his leather seats

Took a Louisville slugger to both headlights

Slashed a hole in all four tires

Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats

The ironic and iconic lyrics serve as a manual and guiding force for Solana as she catches the tossed keys from Bayley who’s on the hood of the truck going HAM on the roof with the metal bat. Solana finds herself feeling almost giddy as she effectively slashes all four of his tires.

This is the last thing she ever saw herself doing: completely destroying her ex’s car without a care in the world, but it’s also exactly what’s happening.

And she can’t even say that she feels any regret about it.

Doesn’t feel bad about it.

Why should she? He never felt bad about any of the shit he did to her. 

And she especially doesn’t feel bad as she finds herself carving her name not only in his leather seats but the outside of the truck as well.

Naomi looks over at Dom who is now actually crying and laughs. “Look at it this way, Dom. We’re only doing this to your truck. Imagine what he’s going to do to you once he finds out what you did to his wife.” It brings her a great sense of satisfaction to see the terror in his eyes. 

It also makes her send out the brief video she recorded of Bayley and Solana beating the shit out of the truck with bats to her group chat with the men.

Naomi: Just doing hot girl shit. 💅🏿

Their replies start coming in only minutes later. 

Jimmy: Idk what’s going on, but I’m turned tf on. 

Jey: Why ya’ll females always go after our cars and shit? 

Roman: Why the fuck is it everytime you two take my wife out, it’s always some shit?

Roman: What the fuck is going on?

Naomi: Because you all asked so nicely 😐, turns out Solana used to date Dom back in the day.

Jimmy: Rey’s boy? The fuck? She too damn fine for that weasel. He could never handle all that ass.

Roman: One more time, Jimmy. Just one more time.

Jey: Naomi, please give us the rest of the story before Roman make your ass a widow.

Naomi: 🥴 Anyway, she told us some of the stuff he used to say to and about her, and honestly….even more trash than we thought.

Roman: Like?

Naomi: We promised Solana we wouldn’t say anything. Just know he was mean to her. So I guess she ran into him and he said some out of pocket shit, she got upset and PUNCHED him!!!!!!!

Jimmy: Soso HIT someone?!? 

Naomi: Sure did!

Jey: Damn! Our Soso growing up on us!

Roman: I wanna know what the fuck he said to her.

Naomi: Ask her when you get home. 🙄

Naomi: So we’re fucking up his truck while he watches helplessly. 😊

Roman: The dead don’t need cars anyway.

Roman’s chilly response is both given and, in her opinion, well overdue. She’s never heard anything nice or good about Mysterio’s boy, so she can only imagine the full extent of what he put Solana through. 

It’s why she’s mostly pleased by how Solana allows herself to let loose, to get her receipt. She deserves it.

As Solana and Bayley pour glitter in his gas tank, Naomi casually calls out, “what should we get to eat after this?”

________

“I committed assault and vandalism in one day. One.”

Roman smiles as he adjusts his tie, partially thankful his clearly distressed wife is unable to see his humored response to her frantic worrying. 

“That bitch got what he deserved, Solana.” Part of it. But, Solana doesn’t need to know Roman absolutely plans on making sure she never has to run into that alelo ever again. No one will. “You shouldn’t feel bad.”

She really shouldn’t, because he can only imagine what was said to her, the treatment she received from that piece of shit. None of which she deserved. All of which makes him want to say fuck the gala and get straight to torturing the fucker.

Through the mirror attached to his dresser, he watches the bathroom door open, Solana stepping out, a robe only partially covering the length of her red dress. Leaning against the door, she crosses her arms, clearly in her head over what he partially wishes he could have been present for.

He would have taken the metal bats to Dom himself versus the truck.

But, he’s also him, and she is her. 

Two very different people. 

Roman moves across the room, pulling her against him as her hands lay on his chest. “You really mean to tell me you didn’t feel the least bit good at fucking his shit up?”

And he sees it, the way she’s fighting back the agreement. He reminds, hands moving to undo her robe. “You’re not ever required to be nice to people who are cruel to you, Solana. You owe them nothing.” She seems to be mulling over his words as he pushes her robe off her shoulders, watching it fall to the floor. “Fuck….” She always looks good, but there’s something about seeing her in the red, the way the dress hugs her curves, taunting him, testing his resolve, that has them wanting to ditch the gala for an entirely different reason. “God, you’re beautiful.”

Her smile is bashful, but he’s pleased to see her not look away, to maintain eye contact as she murmurs a quiet ‘thank you’. She gasps a bit, informing, “Oh, I noticed earlier you were running low on your medicine, so I called it in and picked it up for you.”

That takes him off guard. It was on his to-do list. Somewhere on there, he’s certain. But for her to go out of her way to take care of it for him, it makes him feel something he can’t really explain. 

Solana’s smile dims a bit as she gently reminds, “you’ve gotta stay on top of that. It’s—it’s important, Roman.”

“Yeah…” It’s a response to her, but he’s still very much in his head over whatever this strange ass, yet somehow comforting feeling is. Fucking confusing ass shit. Clearing his throat, Roman forces himself to get his head back in the game. “Solana….” His tone is something different, something that makes her a bit nervous, that weighs down her previous smile even more.

She does her best not to reveal the alteration in her happiness level. But, she can just tell the mood is about to shift a bit. “Yes?”

To his credit, his hand moving in circles on the small of her back gives her a bit of comfort. Eases the weight of whatever he’s about to share. “Tonight..tonight I need to be on. Focused. The fucking annoying part about these things is that everyone’s there to see if they can seek out some type of soft point. Some kind of weakness.” 

This confuses her. Soft point? That’s not an issue for Roman, and she points out as such. “But, but you have no weaknesses.” 

Something flashes in his eyes and before she can say anything, not that she necessarily would, he’s back to explaining himself. “I don’t want you to think that I’m being cold with you. I’m not upset or avoiding you. I just—”

“You need to show them why you’re the Head of the Table.” His latter explanation provides the previously missing clarification. Reaching for his hand, she offers a gentle smile. “I understand.” 

“Do you?” For a second, it almost sounds like there’s a sense of urgency to his tone. Like he needs to know that she knows it’s nothing personal against her.

And it’s not really until this moment that Solana realizes there are two sides to Roman Reigns. The side that she sees, the almost gentle, caring side. The man who always goes out of his way to ensure her comfort and safety at all times. The man who’s changed her life in ways he’ll probably never be able to fully understand.

Then there’s the other side. The side that makes his name alone strikes fear in even the strongest of men. The most violent. The most diabolical. A god among men. 

Two completely different sides of the coin, but still a single coin.

This other side though, the side only she gets to see because it’s reserved for her. The side that might even be considered a form of vulnerability…..he only shows that with her, only shows it to her.

A….safe space, of sorts.

She is his safe space. 

This second, or maybe third, major realization of the day only makes that love aspect so much more confusing. Though it makes her heart swell to know she can provide that for him. That she can be that for him.

Pulling from floating thoughts, Solana brings herself back to the conversation at hand. “I do.” She offers an explanation of her own. “I know I asked if you’ll stay with me the whole night, but—but, I don’t think I need that.” And before he can protest, she gives the valid reasons why. “I didn’t know Bayley and Naomi would be there. I’m fine with them. I just—I didn’t want to be alone in a room full of people I don’t know.”

“I would never leave you alone.” He brings his hand to the back of her neck, informing in a low voice. “I might not interact with you much, but that doesn’t mean I’m not watching. 

“I know.” She cuts him off, again working to reassure him that he doesn’t need to be so focused on her. It’s clear there’s a task for the evening, a box that needs to be checked. And she doesn’t want to interfere in any sort of way. “I’ll be fine.” With a half smile, she reminds, “especially if there’s a bat nearby.”

A genuine smile grows on Roman’s face as he pulls her into him, Solana resting in his safe embrace. Being in his arms is starting to become one of her favorite things. “My fine ass, bat swinging wife.” She giggles against him as Roman drops his hand to her ass, giving a slap. 

“Let’s go.”

________

The minute the SUV door opens and Roman climbs out first only to offer his hand as Solana steps out behind him, her gaze taking in the beautiful mansion that looks like something out of a movie premiere, her anxiety starts to rise. Taking in the scene around her, she’s met with an actual red carpet leading up the steps to the mansion that has large, glass, double doors with swirled marble intricate designs that match the stone of the building. There’s a line of cars both behind and in front of their SUV, indicating guests are still arriving.

That makes her feel at least a little bit better.

She didn’t want to make Roman late. Even if something tells her he wouldn’t care one way or the other.

It’s not missed upon her how he gives her hand an almost gentle squeeze and rubs his thumb over her knuckles all the while keeping his gaze up and focused. She sees how his light eyes subtly survey the perimeter as he leads them up the steps. She stills when two large men dressed in black suits wearing earpieces, guards clearly, stop them with a raised hand.

“Please walk through—-”

“Do I look fucking stupid?” Roman’s question needs no answer as he motions for Solana to walk ahead of him through the metal detectors that separate attendees from entering. Slowly, with a bit of anxiety at somehow setting them off even though there’s no way for her to, she does so without incident. Roman does the same looking every bit annoyed as he feels, but it makes her feel a bit better when he takes hand in his again.

“No weapons allowed.” Is all he says. Calmly. Simply. Without anything else. She nods, figuring as such, but a brief sideways glance at her husband, and she wonders how beneficial that actually is when he, himself, is a walking weapon.

She’s more than certain he’s killed before with his bare hands. Not a weapon needed.

Solana takes in the setting before her. Circular tables litter the first and second levels of the beautiful building, intricate, opulent centerpieces decorating each table. A live band plays some unfamiliar song as guests mingle about, many of which are admiring the various art pieces that occupy almost all of the walls. The lights are dimmed and the smell of lavender and honey penetrates, creating an almost calming atmosphere that starkly contrasts the fact that almost everyone in eyesight is a part of the crime underworld. Trained, brutal killers. 

Including the man who continues to soothe his thumb across her knuckles. 

“Come on.”

Solana stays close besides Roman as he leads them through the sea of people. Many of which, men primarily, seem to settle their gaze on her, her chest, only to travel up to see the man beside her and smartly redirect their attention literally anywhere else.

In some sort of strange way, that brings a sense of comfort to her. To know that just his presence wards off any and all unwanted attention. Makes her feel safer.

Then again, she’s not sure if any environment exists where Roman doesn’t make her feel safe. 

She feels even better when she realizes where he’s led them. A table full of familiar, equally welcomed faces. 

Bayley is the first to greet her. She stands up from the table, and Solana is in awe of her teal dress that hugs every curve beautifully. “You look fuckin amazing.” She reaches over, pulling Solana away from Roman and into a hug. “Aren’t you glad you went with this one?” She gestures down to the dress.

Solana laughs and nods. “Yes. I am.”

Naomi and Jimmy are also standing now, forming an almost line to hug Solana. Naomi pulls her in even tighter. “How's the fist?”

Solana gasps as Naomi laughs only for Jimmy to crack his little joke. “I made sure ain’t no bats around just in case you get upset again, sis.” 

Allowing him to hug her, Solana rolls her eyes and murmurs, “that’s not happening ever again.”

“You might wanna watch your shit, Big Dog. Soso believe in breaking shit when she gets angry.”

Feeling a bit defenseless, she grasps at straws. “It was—it wasn’t like that.”

Jey scoffs, pointing out after downing some of his wine, “girl, we saw you on that video. You was swangin the hell out of that thing.”

Cheeks flushed, Solana sits down in the seat Roman has pulled out for her. Right next to him. Bayley on her other side. She looks over at Naomi. “I can’t believe you sent it to them.”

“Are you kidding? Our sweet little Solana beating the shit out of her ex’s car with a bat? That’s Kodak worthy.”

She rolls her eyes, eager to take the attention off herself as she notices Jey’s seat beside him is empty. “Is Nicki not coming?”

Naomi answers with a chuckle. “Girl, Nicki got banned years ago after she—”

Jey quickly jumps in, depriving Solana of a story she’s certain involved some type of altercation between him and his wife. Their marriage truly does not make any sense to her whatsoever. “Aye, we don’t need to rehash the past.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Naomi leans over and whispers, “I’ll tell you some other time.”

Solana hopes she follows through on that. Roman asks the twins something in Samona, the three of them starting a dialogue in a language only they can understand. And judging by the serious expressions on all of their faces, she surmises that it’s business related. 

Especially when Solo and Paul join the table. It’s almost like the ladies don’t exist after that, but it doesn’t bother Solana. It can’t when Roman already made it clear what tonight would be like.

It’s nothing personal. 

Just business. 

Bored and kind of eager to explore what seems like one of a kind masterpieces, she turns to Bayley and asks, “can we go look at the art?”

Bayley scoffs. “Hell yeah.” Standing up and adjusting her dress, she remarks, “it’s better than sitting here doing nothing.” Glancing at Naomi, she asks, “you wanna come with us?”

Naomi sucks her teeth. “Girl, you don’t even have to ask.” 

Solana smiles, grateful for their attendance and companionship. 

Roman’s deep voice cuts through with a simple two word command. “Watch her.”

She looks back at him, offering a small smile she hopes will settle any concern he may have about her. He doesn’t need to worry about that. Just needs to focus on himself. 

Linking arms with the other ladies, they move through the crowd, starting with the art near the entrance and making their way around. Solana seems to be the most intrigued by the pieces selected, trying to detect a theme in each one. Naomi and Bayley, however, seem to settle for a combination of roasting and admiring. More of the first than the latter. 

“Oh fuck, I was hoping they didn’t show up.” Solana is in the midst of deciphering a piece of abstract art when Bayley’s almost steel exclamation pulls her from her focus. 

Confused, she asks, “who?”

Naomi answers, subtly gesturing across the room. “Don’t stare. It’ll draw attention to us.”

Solana does her best, but it’s hard not to when she sees a set of new arrivals, most of which are absolute strangers, faces unseen prior to this very moment.

But one is not.

One is a face she saw, a person she spoke to, just days prior.

Brandi. 

She’s holding hands with a tall man, striking blue eyes Solana can see from nearly across the room, bleached blonde hair that somehow compliments his tanned skin. There’s a boyish look about him that Solana would guess is a facade, something that deceives people, cleverly hiding the fact that he’s just as much a killer as the guests around them. 

Before she can ask who he is though, Bayley offers introductions. “That is Cody Rhodes. And the pretty lady on his arm is his wife, Brandi.”

And just like that, Solana’s stomach drops. Her mouth feels dry. “Wife?” Solana looks back and forth between the couple. “Brandi is Cody’s wife?”

This just got a lot more confusing and complicated. The kind woman whose young daughter Solana ‘rescued’ is married to Roman’s greatest enemy? The man he hates most?

And suddenly Solana is thinking about her interaction with Solo after she mentioned Brandi’s name. 

He knew.

So, why didn’t he say anything to her?

Why didn’t he say anything to Roman?

________

Roman ignoring Solana for the majority of the night ends up being a lot easier than she anticipated. 

It’s quelled by the fact that she’s had one hell of a day, several major revelations clogging up her mental space. 

Remembering what Roman told her about his family.

Trying to figure out if she’s in love with Roman.

Trying to figure out if Roman could ever love her.

Accidentally helping out his sworn enemy’s wife.

Her personal guard being aware of this last piece of information yet saying nothing to her or her husband. 

Even though she’s sworn off alcohol after the last drunken disaster, there’s a burning temptation to walk over to the open bar and request something that can at least take the edge off. 

Something to help her clear her head.

It’s after dinner, and Roman, Paul, and the twins are moving around, briefly speaking with various guests. Roman and Paul, in particular, seem to keep the conversations perfunctory before moving onto the next one. Clearly checking off certain, necessary boxes.

Solana again is viewing artwork, doing whatever she can to distract herself when someone unexpected comes up to her.

“Hey.” She looks to her side to see no one other than Solo. He looks almost….nervous. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Does she want to talk to him at this current moment in time? Not really. But, something tells her she needs to. 

“Yes.”

Solo guides them to a corner that’s as close to secluded as they’re gonna get at the crowded event.

“Listen, I…..I wanted to apologize to you.”

Solana’s eyes widen. The surprises just keep coming. “Wh–what?”

“I know….I know I’ve been ass.” She wouldn’t necessarily use that word to describe his behavior and disposition, but it’s not exactly an inaccurate usage either. “It’s just….before you came around, I was just getting my chance to show Roman I deserve a seat at the table with him and my brothers. Then he assigns me to you, and I just feel like I’m not proving myself no more.”

Solana started to figure as such. Guessed that maybe he resented her to a certain extent because he’d essentially been assigned as her adult babysitter. That would probably annoy anyone.

“But, at the end of the day, Roman is the Tribal Chief. His word is final. I have to respect that.” He sighs, shrugging. “And as his wife, I gotta respect you too, which I ain’t been doing, so I apologize.”

Solana has never really been one to be on the receiving end of apologies from people. It’s still an uncomfortable experience as she murmurs an ‘it’s okay’ followed up with her question about his omission. “Why didn’t you tell me who Brandi was? Or tell Roman?”

He sighs loudly, voice lowering a bit as he explains his actions. “You’re new to the family, so you don’t know the history between Cody and Roman. Telling him would only kick off some shit. I figured if she came around again, then that I would tell you.” His explanation makes sense, Solana nodding slowly. He too doesn’t seem to want to upset Roman if possible. “I’m sorry for that too.”

She shakes her head. “No. I—I get it, and—I’m sorry, too, that you got stuck with me.” 

Solo smiles a bit. The first time she’s ever seen him do so. It feels…..odd. “You ain’t so bad.” He then asks, brow lifted a bit. “So, we cool?”

Solana swallows. What reason does she have for them not to be at this point? Everything he’s said makes perfect sense. “Of course.” Offering a small smile, she says sincerely, “thank you, Solo.” 

He nods, not saying anything else as he walks off.

Left alone, blowing out a big breath, she looks around. Solana spots the hall that leads to the ladies room. Making her way through the crowd, she walks in and goes into the first open stall. Relieving her bladder is an unexpected, small but significant enough type of relief. It feels similar to the peace she now has with the whole Solo situation. 

Solana walks over to the sink, pumping some soap into her hands, activating the motion sensor to shut on the water as she rinses, watching the suds empty down the drain. 

“Hey, sis.” 

Solana’s head snaps up the second she’s met with the voice she hasn’t heard in months. Her brown eyes, through the mirror, locking with an almost identical set of brown. The only difference being the glimpse of emotion that’s always been unfamiliar to her but a resident friend of his.

Hate.

Solana moves as quickly as she can, but it’s not fast enough, because he’s got a fist full of her hair. Wes yanks her head back and shoves her away, providing him the access he needs to bring his hand across her face, backhanding her so hard that it makes her double over in pain. 

Feeling an unfamiliar wetness, she feels her cheek, only to see blood on her fingertips. A glance at Wes' hand shows that the rings on his fingers must have cut her. 

But she can’t focus on that too long because his hand is wrapped around her neck as he thrusts her against the adjacent wall, searing pain shooting across her back at the violent impact.

She claws at his iron grip, his dark eyes narrowing against her. So much hate. “You dumb slut, did you really think you could hide forever?” Her eyes shut, her mind screaming Roman’s name in a way her mouth cannot. “Were you stupid enough to believe he could protect you from me?” Solana winces as he tightens his grip. “You’re a weak, stupid bitch and you always will be.”

Weak

Slut

Stupid

Dumb

Bitch

All words that she’s heard before. Cruel names she’s been called over the years in conjunction with beatings. Beatings like this that have left her bloody and broken. Feeling empty. Feeling like every hurtful thing she’s ever been called. Feeling that weak adjective that he’s always made her defining trait.

Solana closes her eyes and starts to retreat to that mental place of superficial security, bracing for what’s sure to be a beating like no other. She tries to return to that spot in her brain that’s accepted that this is her reality, and there’s nothing she can do about it.

The only problem is that that place doesn’t exist anymore.

She can’t find it.

She doesn’t feel weak or dumb or stupid. Doesn’t feel helpless and victim to his sadism.

Not even in this moment with his hand wrapped tightly around her throat. 

No….

She feels something else. 

Something much stronger, powerful, fueling.

Anger.

She’s pissed the fuck off.

It’s when she sees his other hand pull out a knife, that for a second, a brief moment, she hesitates. She hesitates, momentarily paralyzed by the fear and trauma that single item has brought her over the past twenty years. But, she closes her eyes and centers herself, tapping back into months of training, of sparring, of fighting.

Snarling almost, her rage and determination growing synchronously, Solana lifts up her leg with all the force she can muster, her knee coming into direct impact with Wes’s crotch area. Instantly, he releases her, dubbed over, groaning and cursing. Solana’s a bit lightheaded, but she powers through it, quickly grabbing the vase of flowers on the counter and swinging it with all her might over his head.

“Fuck!” He grunts, falling to the ground, his knife tumbling across the intricately designed tile flooring. 

Rushing to grab it, he does the same, but she manages to outpace him. Her speed gives her the upperhand. And with a cry of her own, she slams it down directly into the palm of his outreaching hand.

Wes howls in pain as she rips it out and kicks him in his side, watching as he tumbles onto his back. Solana slams her heel down on his other arm, pinning it and forcing the knife through his right hand this time. 

He cries out again and she backs away for a second, tempted to drive it through another part of him when he growls with all the rage and pain, “I’m gonna fucking kill you, you bitch!”

His threat, unlike countless times before, doesn’t frighten her, doesn’t make her tremble and cower in fear. 

It just pisses her off even more.

“Come on.” Solana motions for him to come at her, for him to climb off the ground and fight her. “Come on!” Using the bloody knife, she takes and slices it across her dress, allowing her more freedom and fluidity with her movements. Kicking the material to the side, she crouches down, egging him on. “Hit me, you son of a bitch!”

Finally to his feet, Solana sees him ready to charge at her. Her eyes never leave him, studying every single movement of his bleeding body. And just when he’s about to slam into her, she jumps to the side, watching him slam into the wall. Solana doesn’t waste a single second as she rushes behind him, lifts her leg and kicks him in the head, intentionally trying to drive her heel into his neck. His shouts of pain further her drive as she drops her leg, snatches him by his hair and slams the knife down into his shoulder. 

She jumps back as his body plops to the ground again, Wes rolling over and writhing in pain, profusely bleeding from several parts of his body, black suit staining dark, bloody red. Solana moves toward him, utilizing every bit of strength coursing through her body as she lands brutal kick after kick into his side, intentionally aiming for his chest. A kick for every broken bone, every bruise, every cut, every burn, every time he waterboarded her to the point where she was unconscious. Every fucking thing. She only stops when she hears the satisfying crack of one or several of his ribs. 

But, it’s not enough. It’s not enough because all she can think about now is all the times he made her bleed, made her scream, made her flail with fear and terror. It’s his turn now. 

Kicking off her heels, she grabs him by the collar of his suit jacket. “Come here, you bastard.” He’s heavy, and it’s a strain to drag him, but she does just that, pulling him into one of the stalls. Solana shoves the back of his head into the toilet and holds him down face first into the water.

Wes flails against her, but her grip is just like her spirit. Strong and unrelenting.

“How does that feel?” She taunts, tears streaming down her face because as vindicating as this moment is, it still doesn’t strip away the pain of years of abuse and torture. Yanking his head back, pleased by the way he coughs violently, gasping for air, she continues to mock him with the same taunts he always threw her way. “Say something, bitch!” Solana slams his head back down into the water. Repeating the same act of torture he utilized on her for years. 

She does it until she feels her strength starting to wane, eventually releasing his clumped body down as she backs away, leaning against the counter. 

Chest moving up and down from her heavy breathing, exhaust settling in as adrenaline fades out, it’s only then she turns to look at her reflection in the mirror. Face reddened, hair disheveled, red dress stained with his blood splatter, a mixture of her blood from the cut that probably wont need anything more than a liquid bandaid, and tears running down her cheek, yet she’s never felt fucking better.

This….this is liberation.

It’s freedom from shackles of fear. 

Fear of the one person she never thought she wouldn’t be terrified of. And yet, that same source of so much heartache lies before her: bloody, bruised, broken. 

All because of her.

Commotion outside the door and banging against it alerts her to the fact that somebody has clearly caught onto her absence. Roman, most likely. 

Body suddenly very heavy, she moves over to the door, leaning back against it, eyes landing on Wes who’s coughing up blood. For a brief second, she feels a sliver of sadness, if guilt. But just as quickly as it’s there, it’s knocked out the way, replaced with pride. Roman’s words from earlier in the night returning and cementing her satisfaction.

“You’re not ever required to be nice to people who are cruel to you, Solana. You owe them nothing.”

And fewer have been crueler than the man before her.

Voice and body trembling from the weight of it all, Solana affirms with all the emotion and sincerity through her body. “I am not scared of you anymore.” She turns the lock, stepping out of the way to avoid the avalanche of bodies about to enter. “And I never will be again.”

Sure enough, it sounds like a stampede. Solana closes her eyes, stealing a moment to rest and relish in her inner peace.

“Solana.”

His voice is urgent and pressured, and seconds later, he has her in his arms, holding her against him. She breathes in his scent, comforted by his arms around her.

“I’m fine.” She knows he needs to hear it, needs to hear the words come from her mouth. Even if she knows she probably looks anything but, clothes and body splashed with her brother’s blood. 

“Solo!” Roman’s voice is filled with unbridled rage that, any other time, she’d probably tremble at. But, in this moment, it’s valid as hell. And beyond that, she knows without a doubt now that he would never make her the object of his anger. “Pick him up!”

Solana sets her gaze on a barely conscious Wes as Solo drags him out of the stall. 

Jimmy and Jey being present, Roman’s fury, and Solo holding him in position are all the things that  alert her to what’s about to happen. 

Jimmy whistles, taking in Wes' battered appearance. “Damn, she beat the hell out of you!”

“No.” Solana says it too quietly, too softly. She has to place her hand on Roman’s chest to get his eyes back on her. “No.”

“I don’t want you to kill him.” And before Roman can protest, ask her if she’s lost her fucking mind, she steps toward Wes, explaining to all parties but directing her wishes to him. “I want him to live in fear….to know what that’s like.” Eyes burning with a fresh set of tears, she emphasizes. “It’s his turn to be scared.” Head tilted, scoffing a bit at how pathetic he looks, she mocks him one last time, “who’s the bitch now?”

Without even thinking about it, Solana lifts her hand and connects her fist directly with the side of his jaw, knocking him out cold. 

“Goddamn!” Jey shouts with all the amusement in the world as Roman pulls her back into him, lips pressed against her temple.

“I’m okay,” she reiterates, holding onto his sleeve. “I promise.” She is. Maybe better than she’s been in some time. 

Better than she’s ever been.

Roman steps back for a second and slides his jacket off, placing it around her. 

Solana reaches for his hand and gestures for the door. “Let’s go.” He still looks so angry, so furious, but she knows it’s not toward her. Nevertheless, he doesn’t need to stay in this headspace. Not with his high blood pressure. Not with his health at stake.

Roman says something to Solo in Samoan and begins to guide her out of the bathroom that’s been completely destroyed in the fight. A crowd of most of the guests has gathered around, clearly curious and wanting to know just what the hell happened. It’s fair and almost expected. 

But, despite looking like everything she’s just been through, Solana doesn’t shy away from the stares and whispers. Doesn’t necessarily care. Because as ironic as it is, this might be the most confident she’s ever felt in her life. 

But, it’s when she sees Cody and Brandi that Solana just knows something is about to go wrong.

Cody smirks, calling out loud enough for all to hear, Roman especially. “I guess women and children aren’t off limits after all.” 

There’s more to it. There has to be more to it, because the second Roman rips his hand away from Solana and charges at Rhodes seems to take even the instigator off guard. Instantly, Jimmy and Jey are rushing toward their cousin as he lands a blow against Rhodes that sends him flat on his ass. 

“Roman!” She calls out after him, moving in his direction, only to feel herself being restrained. She looks back and catches Bayley and Naomi looking with worried expressions. 

“We need to get out of here!” Naomi urges, but Solana can’t seem to look away from what’s turned into an all out brawl. Jimmy and Jey struggle to hold back their irate cousin as he spits venom against Rhodes who looks just as pissed off now, blood running from his nose.

“I’m the head of the table!” 

“I’ll whoop everybody’s ass around here!”

“This is my kingdom, you little bitch!”

“I can’t just leave him!” Solana pleads, trying to pull away from Bayley who clearly has no intentions on letting her go.

“He’ll be fine, Solana. But, he’s pissed the fuck off, and now Rhodes is pissed, and it’s about to be a shitshow that if he was thinking straight, he would never want you around.” Naomi explains and adds on, “the twins won’t let anything happen. I promise you that. Now let’s go.”

And despite everything in her screaming not to, to stay with him, to somehow find a way to help him calm down, there’s a logical part of her that knows the girls are right.

Even with him clearfly only seeing red as she continues to shout at Cody, the other man also being held back, barely, by his men. 

“There ain’t a man alive who can touch my button. If I had one, you wouldn’t be able to locate it. Can’t no man knock me out! I’m tired of being humble! I’m tired of letting people think they got a chance! The Tribal Chief is heads and shoulders above everybody! I run this all!”

Roman is almost a different person, so consumed by his rage, no doubt most of it because of Wes, Cody just being on the receiving end but not just taking it without responding with threats of his own.

“Time and place, you narcissistic son of a bitch!”

“Not everyone is fucking scared of you, Reigns!”

“I’ll fight you any fucking day!”

Solana’s eyes briefly lock with Brandi who’s also being rushed away, and she swears, she sees what looks like an almost sympathetic expression. Like if she could, she’d apologize.

It makes Solana frown.

Naomi pulls on her again. “Let’s go, Solana.” 

Security for the gala is now rushing over as some of Roman and Cody’s men are now throwing fists as well. Solana hates this. Hates how this has all played out. But, she also knows that she does nothing to help the situation by hanging around and risking getting hurt.

That’ll only upset Roman more. 

So even with a tremendous amount of apprehension, she allows them to guide her out, never once not thinking about the man she’s almost certain she more than cares about at this point. 

________

Solana is up and alert the minute she hears him enter their front door. In the living room, lying on the sofa, her go-to spot when waiting for his arrival, she partially expects him to walk in and meet her. The way he has several times before now, but this time is different.

Heavy footsteps don’t bring him to meet her. They instead carry him past the living room, through the kitchen, and outside the backdoor. 

Instantly, she’s sitting up. 

She goes to follow him when Jimmy and Jey enter the house looking every bit the night that they’ve all had. 

It’s a stupid question, and she knows as such, but she can’t help but ask. “How is he?”

Jimmy is the one to answer, blowing out a breath. “Honestly? Still pretty pissed but calm enough to come back home.” He then shares, “I tried to get him to sleep it off at my place, but he wanted to come back here.

Good. Solana doesn’t say it, but she sure is thinking it. Not even from the perspective of her being uncomfortable being in this big house all by herself with just Dulce. That’s maybe a part of it, sure. But, the biggest thing is that this is their home. And if he needs something, she wants to be there to help him with whatever that is.

“It’s okay. I can watch him.”

“Solana….” Jey cuts in, stuffing his hands in his suit pocket. “You know he would never hurt you, right? I know he was definitely on one tonight, but—”

Seeing where this is going, she cuts in, calm but firm. “I’m not scared of him. I—I know he would never hurt me.”

They seem to be pleased by her answer but still a bit hesitant, Jimmy offering, “if you want, I can stay over tonight. Make sure—”

“He’s my husband.” She swallows, nothing unwavering about her reiteration. “I’ve got him.”

Jimmy and Jey still look unsure but follow her wishes. Each giving her a hug before reiterating to call them if she needs anything. She’s thankful for their support but mostly their making sure Roman made it back home safely. 

Solana carries Dulce up to her shared room with Roman and closes the door to avoid any unnecessary interruptions. It’s only then she finally makes her way back downstairs, venturing through the living room and kitchen to the backdoor. Hand on the knob, Solana doesn’t hesitate to turn it, bringing her to the man she’s had on her mind nonstop the past few hours.

Roman’s hulking figure is plopped down on the edge of the patio chaise lounge. His button down shirt is discarded, his muscles stretching against the cotton of his white undershirt. Playing with the sides of one of his shirts she threw on after her shower, Solana sees there’s no need to announce her presence.

He’s already aware. 

With calmness that contrasts his demeanor just hours earlier, he advises, “you should be asleep.”

His voice is hoarse, heavy, weighed down with something he seems keen on internalizing. No matter how much it wrecks him on the inside. It brings a frown to her face and a pain to her chest. 

Swallowing, Solana moves closer to him, calmly countering, “you know I won’t sleep until I know you’re okay.”

“Okay….” Roman chuckles, and it’s almost bitter. An almost ironic tone as he repeats her chosen word. “Solana, nothing about tonight was okay.”

Her heart grows even heavier than it’s been following tonight’s events.

It tears Solana up to see him in this state. To see and almost feel his turmoil and not be able to do anything about it. Because he doesn’t want help. Because he’s so used to handling everything on his own, as he’s stated to her multiple times before.

But, that’s the thing. He’s not alone.

She just needs to get him to see and understand that. 

Setting aside any reservations and trepidation about her next steps, she closes the distance between them, kneeling down on the patio stone directly in front of him. Naturally, his eyes lock with hers, and for a second, she sees a tremble of his nearly impenetrable wall. “Roman….” One hand on his knee, the other reaching to grab his hand. “Please….please talk to me.” His eyes briefly dart away, a sign of her words doing something to his resolve. “Whatever….whatever happened tonight, let me help you work through it.”

He sets his focus back on her, the hand under hers lifting to cup her face, thumb ghosting over the cut she cleaned, tended, and sealed with a liquid band-aid. “You got hurt tonight….”

“I don’t care about that.” Her dismissal is aggressive but slides into something soothing almost as she reiterates. “I—I care about you.”

His jaw clenches. “I lost my temper tonight.”

“I don’t care about that either.” Again, she’s dismissive, pushing aside anything that could prevent him from hearing her right now. Really hearing her. “I wasn’t scared of you. I’m—I’m never scared of you, Roman.” Swallowing, she stands up and moves herself on his lap, relieved when he wraps his arms around her. “But…I was scared for you.” She pushes back some of his hair that came out of his always neat bun during the brawl. “I just….I wish you would talk to me.”

But, she also knows that she can’t force it. Can’t make him. Even though it physically aches her to know he’s dealing with so much and won’t let her help.

Won’t let her be there for him the same way he’s been there for her.

“Cody and I grew up together. We were….good friends.” Solana isn’t sure she’s still breathing as Roman begins to explain in a low voice, his hand moving soft circles against her side. She says and does nothing, not wanting to do anything to risk deterring him from this rare occurrence of vulnerability. “We…we bonded over being groomed to take over our families legacies. His…his father was good friends with mine.” 

Friends….

It feels almost impossible to imagine Roman and Cody as ever being anything more than sworn enemies. She’s not sure she’s even seen a deeper level of hatred than what she saw in their eyes tonight.

“It was my 10th birthday. We were gathered at the house to celebrate, and it was fine, until it wasn’t.” Roman grows quiet, as he clearly hesitates. She starts to tell him that he doesn’t have to, that she doesn’t want to trigger him. But, he continues. “I don’t remember everything. Just the sound of bullets, screams, and then heat from the fire that someone set.” Fire… Solana’s eyes naturally drop to his tatted arm, tribal ink covering burns he clearly received that night of pure hell. Eyes watering, she continues to listen to him relive what sounds like a night of horror. “I was the only one who survived. My parents, my aunt, uncle, and my seven brothers and sisters were all killed.”

 “Oh my god….” Her heart literally breaks in that moment, hearing him confirm what she’d remembered just earlier in the day but didn’t want to actually believe. It’s just too devastating. To lose his entire family in that manner, all while celebrating his birthday of all days….it seems inconceivable.

Solana isn’t sure she’s ever felt this much sympathy towards another human being. 

Roman’s voice, however, never wavers. She can see he’s doing his best to simply recall and not feel. “And it wasn’t until I was 14 that a mutual friend of ours at the time, Seth, let it slip while he was in one of his manic states, that I should talk to Cody about what really happened that night.” His voice takes on a darker, angrier tone, and she can feel him shift underneath her. “So, I did, and I found out….that his father was responsible for the hit. That he betrayed my father. And that Cody knew the whole fucking time.”

There’s understandable anger in his words. Anger at such cruel betrayal. “For four fucking years, he pretended to be my friend. Pretended like he didn’t fucking know that his father was the reason my family was all dead.” His voice dips into something low, something much darker. “I can’t tell you…much after that, because I was so angry that all I saw was my rage.”

Solana brings her hand to his chest, a comforting placement, though she’s not certain anything could comfort this level of trauma. 

His expression is blank as he shares coldly. “I killed them all. His parents. His siblings. Everyone. I left him the same way his father left me: alone.” He swallows thickly, still not looking at her. “I told you before, Solana. I’m not a good man.”

“That’s not true.” She finally speaks, voice hoarse,  eyes watering at the truth of it all. She had no idea he’d been through so much. Lost so much more. “I don’t think I’ve met a man better than you, Roman.”

She’s never met any man like Roman.

Moving her hands to cup his face, it settles her a bit that he’s finally looking at her again. Closed off and back to being unreadable, it’s still eye contact. And she’ll take it. She’ll take whatever she can get from him. “No one….no one can know what it’s like to lose like we’ve lost. I….I get you. And….and I think you get me too.” Sniffling, she shakes her head, never wanting to invalidate his experience. “And no, I know….I know it’s not the same, but what I do know is that I haven’t felt alone since…since being with you.” She hasn’t felt a lot of things since being with him. Hasn’t felt the same amount of depression and emptiness. Just happiness and joy. “And I don’t want you to feel alone either, because….because you have me, and….and I’m not going anywhere.” Her tone drops into a soft whisper. “Haría cualquier cosa por ti.”

Because I love you.

But, that can’t be stated. Not aloud. Not right now. Maybe not ever. It’s not what he needs. Because it’s for selfish reasons. Because it would make her feel better to verbalize what she’s finally realized what she’s been feeling towards him. What she feels for him.

Love

“Besides….” She offers a small smile, messing with his beard, knowing the weight of this conversation might be too much for him, offering him a bit of a detour. “Who else is gonna bail me out the next time I fuck up someone’s truck?”

He cracks a small smile, and it makes her heart swell. It’s the best thing she’s seen all day. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you cuss.”

Relieved to hear a growing lightness in his voice, she buries her head in the crook of his neck, murmuring, “guess you’re rubbing off on me….”

Roman brings his hand to her hip, tugging her closer, kissing her temple. Lips pressed against her forehead, he murmurs. “I’m proud of you.” That means so much to her. His approval. “Cause while I hate to agree with my dumbass cousin, Jimmy was right. You whooped his ass.”

Solana can’t help it. She laughs into his chest, looking up while biting down on her bottom lip. Voice quiet, she expresses both a question and agreement. “I did, didn’t I?”

He rolls his eyes but nods, bringing his hand to her cheek, thumb and index finger lightly cupping her chin. “Sure did, baby…“ He doesn’t say anything after that. He doesn’t need to. Neither does she. She just nestles closer to him as he stands up, still holding her, grip protective and firm. 

Like he has no intentions of letting go.

Solana prays he never does. 

Because while Roman Reigns is the last person she ever expected to end up with, to care for, to love…..that’s exactly what’s happened.  

That’s exactly who she’s with.

Exactly who she cares for.

And exactly who she loves.

________

Xavier stands in front of the hospital bed, a hospital bed he was still in days prior, where his son stood before him as they schemed together to create what he thought was a foolproof plan. It’s a plan, however, that didn’t go the way he intended.

Far from it.

Wesley was always supposed to attack Solana in the bathroom, was supposed to rough her up a bit to see if Reigns would come to her rescue, the prediction being he’d move to kill Wes but Solana would interfere, would stop him.

Because his stupid second born has always been a victim to her love mentality. Would be blinded by whatever fruitless hope she still has that some part of him or his son loves her. Because they’re family.

But, that didn’t happen.

His son attacked her, yes, but the bitch fought back.

And now he watches helplessly as a brutally beaten, stabbed Wesley is laid up in the ICU yet again, but this time in a coma. Limited brain activity. 

Prognosis….not well.

And it’s all because of her.

Xavier is a prideful man, but even he can admit he never saw this coming. Never anticipated Reigns would have the girl trained, never thought his weak ass daughter could be capable of something like this.

Capable of almost taking away his son. His heir. 

Xavier is seething and would shoot her dead right now if he could, but he has to be smart. Especially after tonight, which wasn’t an entire loss.

He snatches his phone, sending out a text. 

Xavier: I want that bitch DEAD.

Xavier: We’ll proceed with the plan.

Because while most will see Roman’s outburst as expected given Cody Rhodes was present and almost everyone knows the history there, Xavier knows better.

Xavier knows that Roman’s rage was primarily at the fact that Solana had been attacked, confirming what he suspected.

And he’ll give the bastard credit. From what he heard, Reigns did a great job masking his feelings for her, practically ignoring Solana the entire night. 

Never showing his hand.

But, he did.

He does care for her.

And just that thought brings a wicked smile to Xavier’s aged face. 

After all these years, the impossible has happened. 

Roman Reigns finally has a weakness.

________

translation: "i'd do anything for you."

[slutt4ellie]

Sacred Hearts Entwined

(Bare with me this is the first story i’ve ever written!)

Ellie Williams X Reader

masterslist

Part 2 -> ✞

Part 3 -> ✞

What do you do when you’re falling hopelessly in love with your childhood best friend?

Summery: You’ve been friends since 2nd grade first meeting in school. Growing up in a religious background you’ve always been taught the “right” way to think. So why are you falling in love with her..?

Warnings -> Mentions of the “d slur” / Parents are controlling / homophobia / Both extremely confused of their feelings / cheating / (lmk if I missed anything else!)

WC: 2.3k

(Did not proofread!!)

The girl who caught your eye since you were kids, Ellie Williams.

Age 6 (grade 2) -

You didn’t have much friends, after all it was only grade 2 and being popular was probably the least of your concerns, at least that’s what your mom constantly told you.

Growing up as a naturally shy kid, meant going outside of the box to talk to people wasn’t precisely your idea of “fun”! That’s why you often dissociated, it seemed easier that way? So, as soon as the bell rang for recess you would go to the back of the playground where no one else sat watching the different animals the would scale the trees while the birds would flow through the sky.

But today was a different day, as you did that normal routine a girl sat beside you, freckles that trailed all around her face and light green eyes that shined in the sun with auburn hair which ended up being almost bright red in the sun.

“Do you like watching the animals too?” She asked fairly quietly looking at her hands, you sorta look at her and nod, to nervous to talk..

Age- 7 (grade 3) -

You shortly did learn her name after that moment, Ellie Williams. To be fair you actually started learning almost everything about her. She’s an only child, loves spending most of her time doing art or playing outdoors, she’s way more extroverted then you ever could be, and she has a pet dog named Max.

You and Ellie almost spent all your time together if not at her house playing outside then you guys would be cooped up in your basement finding new board games while your mother cooked dinner for you guys upstairs. Coming out of your shell with her seemed easier then other people, she made it easy. After all she didn’t get easily bored of my shyness through the beginning.

Age 10 (grade 6) -

“Okay push!!” Ellie groans pushing a trash bin closer to the convenience store ladder which leads to the roof. “Ellie this is dumb” You say on the opposite side using your back to help her push it. “Just relax! Once we get up there, then we can practically see the whole town!” She smiles continuing to push it “But if we get caug-“ You can’t even finish your sentence before she talks “We won’t get caught!” She says as the trash bin finally reaches the end of the brick wall.

“K boost me!” Ellie smiles walking up beside you as you slowly crouch resting your back on the cold metal trash bin, you put your hands in a cuff which Ellie’s foot rest in as you lift her up. She’s not even standing on the trash bin for more then 10 seconds before the bottom gives out and she falls feet first in the bagged trash “Ag fuck! Help!” Ellie groans trying to lift herself out.

You burst out laughing not even grabbing her hands to help her up and out, but now she yells “Help me!!” You’re still cackling as she practically falls out “Eww now you smell weird!” You laugh getting away from her “Oh yeah you want a hug?” Ellie says chasing after you as you run away into the distance.

Age 14 (Freshman year) -

“It’s bullshit!” Ellie says annoyed “They didn’t care about signing us up for a catholic school for the last 10 years” Ellie says kicking in her new shoes she got for her uniform “Maybe just a change of heart” You shrug almost accepting it “You barley even care” Ellie says looking at you “Us pouting isn’t gonna change our parents mind, the decision is final now?”

“I don’t wanna even go, I look really dumb in a skirt.” Ellie holds it up disappointed “Ellie you look fine in a skirt” You sorta smile looking at her “I don’t, I rather just wear the pants.” Ellie groans sliding her hands down her face dramatically “Well I think you look good?” You say partially because you want her to stop whining about it but mainly because you mean it.

Age 15 (grade 10) -

“So you’re going with Alex then?” Ellie ask looking at you as you read a book “I mean yeah he asked it would be weird not to go?” You sorta shrug “K..? I- We just always made fun of people who went to the dances, I just didn’t except you to suddenly change?” Ellie says, she wants it to seem like she doesn’t care but she’s genuinely doing a horrible job covering it. “I guess I didn’t get the impression you cared so much?” An annoyed tone leaking through your voice.

“I don’t.” Ellie says almost coldly adding on a few seconds later. “I’m probably gonna dip, my parents want me home soon anyway.” Ellie says standing up. You sorta just wave also not in the mood it’s been a long day and you don’t wanna fight with Ellie over a stupid thing like going to the dance with someone.

16 (grade 11) -

The moment where the story starts to go downhill, well this is it. You got together with Alex a few weeks after the dance and you’ve been together all summer. Leaving little time for Ellie, and don’t get me wrong! It’s not like it’s purposefully happening, it’s just the fact that you’re both at 2 different points and spending all your time with the person you’ve previously been doing that with for 10 years isn’t exactly on your top priority list. Ellie’s also just been weird around you, she doesn’t like it when Alex is brought up occasionally sighing every time he’s even mentioned or going on about how she can’t see you guys going beyond high school. And at this point you finally talk “You say it like you’re fucking jealous?” You say a bit pissed off.

“Why the fuck would I be jealous?” Ellie claps back. “I don’t know Ellie! Please you tell me, every time I bring him up it’s like the idea of me dating someone repeals you, I don’t get why you’re not happy for me!”

“Who ever said I wasn’t happy for you” Ellie says now no longer walking so she can actually look at you in the face. “You just imply it constantly, like am I missing something, did he do something??” You say actually wanting to hear her opinion, why she hates him. Ellie chokes up though, wanting nothing to do with the real reason she doesn’t like Alex.

“Because I-“ She stops, and switches what she was going to say. “Because me and you barley hang out anymore, last summer all we did was go to each others houses and now you have 0 time for me!” She sorta yells. “Because Ellie I have a boyfriend? Did you not except us to grow up?” You now yell back, this whole argument is picking up fast. “I expected you to have the fucking decency to hang out with me once in awhile, you think i’m some girl who’s just obsessed with you and it’s getting old” Ellie says hurt that becoming evident when her voice cracks. “Ellie I didn’t say-“ You can’t finish your sentence because she talks. “It’s fine we can hang out later.” She says turning around and walking away.

To be fair half of you wants to chase after her, talk to her like you used to before you guys even started high school, but you don’t. This isn’t a movie after all.

(Present: Saturday)

You and Ellie haven’t talked in about 4 days since the little fight, the annoying part of it is the fight wasn’t even that serious, it’s just neither of you know where to start.

Throughout your friendship there’s only been a few fights, none of them being at all important, dumb stuff like you never gave each others clothes back or broke a toy. Never something like this, something that actually had meaning.

You don’t even understand why it bothers Ellie so much that you’re dating Alex, she’s your best friend, if anything she should support it, you would support her? As of now though you’re trying to do everything in your power to completely ignore the fact you guys even had a fight, as long as she doesn’t talk to you and you don’t talk to her it’s fine! Right…?

That’s at least how you thought about it, avoiding it seemed like the best situation at the end of the day because you never had to confront the problem, you did that a lot. When you were 7 and broke a glass cup, the way you solved it was hiding it in between the tiny opening between your counter and oven. Which actually ending up working..till your brother found it and immediately snitched.

Tonight though there was a perfect distraction, there was a party and half the school was going to be there, I mean it was a safe assumption saying Ellie wasn’t going to be. She hated parties, she said “It’s like a bunch of toddlers in a room, not really anything fun about that?” Which wasn’t completely false but she rarely let loose and actually drank.

Tonight’s plan was to get blackout drunk, forget Ellie, forget school, just forget everything as of now, and just hang out with the guy you loved..?

Because you love Alex how could you not?? He plays football, is popular, has a bunch of friends, treats you nice! You would be insane not to like him!! So why does everything with him feel so stale and forced? Shit now you’re thinking to much about this, Ellie is just getting in your head.

So when it was 11pm and your boyfriend Alex picked you up you made sure to make him the only thing on your mind, hanging around him, being touchy, anything to convince you that you love him. “Baby can you get me a drink” He ask smiling kissing your cheek “Yeah of course” You smile walking over to the kitchen grabbing a red solo cup filling it up with punch when as you look up, there she in. Ellie..

“Real gentleman you picked out.” Ellie says sarcastically drinking out of her red solo cup clearly tipsy if not drunk. “What..” You sigh looking up at her.. “I said real gentlemen. I mean because he’s grabbing your drinks and all!” She smiles looking at you right in the eyes.

“Why the fuck do you suddenly care so much Ellie.” You say annoyed looking at her. “I don’t care I just know you could do better..” She shrugs looking at her red solo cup the confidence disappearing after that sentence. “Who’s the magical person who’s better for me then Ellie?” You look up at her

Ellie sorta shrugs. She wants to say her but she rather skip on border school because her stupid crush on you, if her parents found out Ellie would be kicked out in a matter of seconds. “I don’t know, just someone better” you just slowly nod as Ellie finishes her sentence “Thanks for that great speech Ellie.” Ellie grabs you arm as you try and leave. “When did you start settling for low?” Ellie ask looking at you “Fuck you” You push her.

Ellie pushes you back “You’ve changed” You quickly shoot back “You act like you fucking like me!” you say probably to loud “You seem like a dyke Ellie.” You don’t even know why you said that!..well you sorta do. It was to cover your own ass, it was better to say that then “I think i’m in love with you Ellie”. Ellie almost immediately steps back and walks out which prompted you to follow “Ellie I didn’t fucking- fuck.” You can’t even finish your sentence before she’s gone, at this point you’re almost sure you just fully screwed up your whole friendship.

(Sunday 3:47am)

You can’t fall asleep knowing you called Ellie that, it was a heat of the moment and you didn’t even fucking mean it, it felt so much easier then admitting you think you love her? What if she didn’t feel the same when, then the whole school knows you like girls and next thing you know your parents find out and you’re getting sent to a border school to be “corrected”! Fuck, fuck, fuck. You get out of your bed throwing on a t shirt and sweatpants, what are you even doing??

You quickly sneak out your window and start running to Ellie’s house which is about a 7 minute normal walk. As you run up you notice that Ellie’s bedroom light is on, so sneakily climb up onto the roof, you used to do that a lot during summer after your mom would say no to a sleepover but once you climb up Ellie’s window you lightly knock on it.

After about a minute and a half she opens the window and sees it’s you almost immediately shutting it. Before Ellie can shut it though she puts her palm on the window. “Ellie can we talk” You ask genuinely nervous she might say no.. “No, i’m studying?” Ellie completely lies but she just needs a shitty excuse “Ellie it’s Sunday can I just come in. Please.” At this point it’s like your begging and Ellie eventually opens the window fully. You step in looking at her “I’m so sorry” you say almost immediately “Mhm” Ellie replies, she doesn’t wanna here stupid ass sorry’s

“Ellie” You say looking at her.

And as soon as Ellie looks up you lean forward and kiss her. Ellie moves her hands on your face and you do the same..

But that moment is cut almost immediately right after when Ellie’s father walks in..

A/N -> I hope this is okay for my first post!! I’ve been reading on tumblr for about a month now and I thought making something could be interesting. I might make a part 2 depending on if I feel like it considering this story ends on a cliff hanger 😭

[t3ag3rs]

g e n s o - 0 1.

↪element is translated to genso in japanese, therefore y/n's nickname/future hero name is "element"

"wait up you guys..!"

the h/c haired girl yelled out of breath. "you're running too fast!" you stopped and put your hands on your knees steadying your breath. those two boys are so fast..! i cant even keep up!

"genso! hurry up! we have to be first in line for the new all might action figure!" exclaimed the ash blonde boy, katsuki bakugou, otherwise known as kacchan. "im coming!" you exclaimed picking up your pace to be beside him and the other green haired boy, izuku midoriya, otherwise known as deku.

"im so excited to get the new figurine!" deku exclaims happily, you laugh in agreement. the trio slow to a stop as they go inside the shop and find the display. "mommy! lets get it! pleaseee? i wont ask for anything else!" you begged, pointing at the shelf as deku and bakugou walked to the register with their moms following close by, getting ready to purchase the toy.

m/n grabbed the toy, "i dont see why you shouldnt get it" you smiled widely and gave her a hug repeatedly thanking her as she bought the toy. you and the two boys were smiling out of happiness, "hey kiddos lets take a picture!" exclaimed mitsuki holding up her camera. you got in between deku and bakugou and let out a big smile as the two hugged you.

well... more like just bakugou. he wouldnt even let poor deku wrap his hands around you. to him you were all his and no one else could be with you.

whats bakugous, will always be bakugous.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

"genso!" you turned and looked at bakugou, "my mom said to invite you and your mom for dinner tonight" you smiled enthusiastically, "really?? i'll tell my mommy!" you ran over to your mom and told her what bakugou told you. she smiled and agreed, so you ran over and told him you would be coming. "well.. we best head home now kacchan so I can shower and come over, i'll see you in a bit. byebye!" you wave and grab on to your moms hand walking away.

bakugou smiled triumphantly, "hey old hag! genso's coming over for dinner with her mom tonight!" he yelled, "KATSUKI BAKUGOU IF YOU DON'T STOP CALLING ME THAT I'LL PERSONALLY GO RETURN THAT FIGURINE" she screamed, unfazed at how he had invited you without her permission.

it wasn't the first time anyway.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

you rang the doorbell and waited eagerly for bakugou to open the door. "oh hi there y/n and m/n! please come in!" mitsuki stepped aside and you walked in. you took off your shoes and placed it neatly in the corner, "wheres kacchan?" you ask looking around. "the brat should be around here somewh-" "GENSO!!" bakugou came running up to you and hugged you, taking both you and both parents by suprise.

you blush slightly, " h-hi kacchan..! " you hug him back, he pulls away and grabs your arm dragging you to his room. "lets go watch some all might footage!" you smile as he drags you away.

"looks like my little brat has a crush on your daughter m/n.." mitsuki chuckled, m/n just sighed and added "young love.." which caused both parents to laugh to themselves.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

you sat with bakugou on his bed watching the footage and making comments about how awesome all might is. "im gonna grow up and become a no. 1 hero just like him!" bakugou commented while punching his hand up in the air. you giggled at his action, "me too!"

bakugou turns to look at you, "your so lucky you got your quirk early! i can't wait for when i finally get mine!" you grin, "well whatever it is, i'm sure it'll be great!" bakugou jumps out of the bed, "wait here, i have something to give you!" he opens his drawer and pulls out a bracelet he made with the colors from all mights costume. you gasp, "you made that for me?" he nods as he puts it on you.

"theres the letter of your first name, a heart, and a 'k' for my name to show that i made it for you!" he exclaims, you blush and give him a hug. "thank you kacchan!" he blushes and stutters, "y-yeah, yeah.. whatever idiot..!" he pulls away and grabs another bracelet and puts it on himself. "now we can match!" he smiles and you giggle.

soon after a bunch of all might footage, mitsuki and m/n walk into bakugous room to find you laying on bakugou as he hugs you. both your parents look at the adorable sight and take photos to show you two later. "look at their wrists!" pointed m/n, "so thats why the brat was making bracelets!" smirked mitsuki, she prepared to tease him about it whenever he woke up.

m/n gently picked you up and grabbed your shoes. "we'll be going now.. thanks for the food mitsuki.. tell bakugou we both said bye!" mitsuki walked your mom to the door and waved bye as you two walked away.

her brat had a crush on you!

"oh that brat wont ever stop hearing about this!" she chuckled.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

a couple years later.. (12 yrs old)

you stand there shocked holding your acceptance letter from icaru private junior high academy. i actually got in..!

your mom and your dad congratulated you, and started texting all your relatives to tell them the good news. you were happy.. of course you were. you had just gotten into the academy you've wanted to go to for years! but that meant you wouldnt be able to go to school with bakugou and deku anymore. the amount of stress on the academics would also leave you with no time for hang outs with them.

you sighed as you facetimed both of them, mentally readying yourself to deliver the news. "why am i in a call with pathetic deku, genso?" snarled bakugou, you kept your mouth shut. it bothered you how much he had changed just because deku didn't have a quirk. "i need to tell you two something.." you paused.

"i got accepted into that academy i've been ranting about" deku smiled, "thats great y/n! congrats!" you smiled, "thank you izu..!" you looked down sadly, "but that's not what i called about.. you see, i won't be able to go to school with you guys and hang out as much now..."

bakugous eyes widened, "what?! are you kidding me genso!?" you shook your head sadly, "oh no.. y/n.." muttered deku. "i just felt like i should've told you two before i left.." you fiddled with your nails. "my last hang out will probably be this saturday, if you guys arent busy please come, okay..?" you let out a sad smile.

"of course y/n..! anything for you!" you smiled and deku left the call, leaving you with just bakugou. "and you..?" you asked. he had been concerningly quiet during the entire conversation. "i'll come but it'll be after fucking deku leaves." he ends the call, and you sigh out, blinking back your tears.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

deku came by with his mom and gave you a all might plushie to remember him by. he stayed for an hour and left after giving you a hug and wishing you luck at your new school. you sighed out, one friend down... one more to go.

bakugou came by shortly after that with his mom. you opened the door and was immediately brought into a bear hug by mitsuki. "good luck at your new school hun'. i know you'll do just fine, you're a sweet girl, anyone will like you." you smiled and pulled away looking at bakugou.

you waited for mitsuki to walk away and took bakugou up to your room. he sat down on your bed and stared at you. you sat there in quiet until he finally broke it, "do you really have to go..?" he asked quietly. you sat next to him, looking at your hands, " my parents want me to go.. i need to make them happy bakugou.. "

he handed you a printed photo. you grabbed it and your eyes started watering.

it was the photo of younger you and bakugou sleeping on each other with the matching bracelets on your wrists. "i thought you should have somewhat of a reminder of us before you go.." he mumbled.

you turned and hugged him, crying into his shirt. "i don't wanna leave you guys here and be at a new school by myself..!" he just hugged you back, trying not to show how upset he actually was. "i don't want you to go either genso.. but this is what's better for you and that's all i want."

"HEY BRAT WE GOTTA GO!" screamed mitsuki from below. you wiped your tears and stood up. "genso" he called, "promise me you'll get into UA so we can be friends again." you looked at him, "i promise i will" you repeated.

you both walked downstairs and bakugou and mitsuki left, leaving just you and your parents there. "i'm gonna go back to my room.." you mutter, heading upstairs. you sit on your bed and look at the picture of you and bakugou.

right there and then you swore to yourself you would work yourself tirelessly until you got into UA.

and that's exactly what you did.

previous part(s): pt. 00 next part(s): pt. 02 / pt. 03 / pt. 04 / pt. 05 / pt. 06 / pt. 07 / pt. 08 / pt. 09 / pt. 10 / pt. 11 / pt. 12 / pt. 13 / pt. 14 / pt. 15 / pt. 16

[snoreyua]

₊˚ෆ ⁀➷　come back to me // ep. 1

synopsis : you and riki were childhood best friends doing everything together. when you entered middle school, you overheard him talking shit about you to his so-called friends. out of frustration, you moved schools and cut all contact with him. now starting a new year in high school, what will you do when riki unexpectedly transfers to your school? can you rebuild your friendship or will something much deeper will bloom?

word count : 1.4k

warnings : shit talking, lowercase intended, lmk if i should add anything else

yua's notes : this is my first fic so i apologise if it's not v good hope you still enjoy tho! :D

previous masterlist next

story written under the cut

"catch me if you can!" you taunted the black hair boy who was slowly gaining behind you. "i'm gonna get you!" he yelled back before tackling you in a tight hug. you both giggled as you felt the warmth of the sun on your faces. he let go of you and sat down on the dewy grass, his breathing growing louder by the second. "since when- could you- run so- fast…" he said huffing after each word before letting his body fall back onto the green field. you sat down next to him, smiling from his red face. "you're too slow riki, even with your 'special' sneakers" you said while pointing at his lightning mcqueen sneakers. he rolled his eyes before sitting up again.

you gave him a bright grin as you signalled him to come closer. the black-haired boy edged closer to you, curiously staring at you digging through your pockets, sticking out your tongue while trying to find something. you smiled when your fingers met the braided bracelet, pulling out from your pocket. it was a cream colour, with a blue charm that read "riki". he looked at you as you gently pulled his arm closer to you, putting on the bracelet on his wrist. you put down his arm, looking at him with sparkly eyes. "well? do you like it? i made matching ones with the bracelet kit you gave me for my birthday!" you showed him an identical bracelet, instead of a blue charm was a pink charm which had your name. riki smiled, his eyes barely visible from how happy he was. "thank you y/n i love them!" he said before tackling you in a hug into the grass.

you and riki were inseparable. if you were at school, he would be sitting next to you, using your crayons to draw a portrait of you and him. if you were at the playground, he was copying all your tricks on the monkey bars. if you were at home, he would be in your room, groaning about how your room was too girly. it was like he was permanently stuck on you but you didn't mind. he was your best friend, and as your best friend, he should stay with you until the end. at least that's what you thought.

as you and riki entered middle school, things started to change. for starters, you weren't the best at making friends. seeing that most of your elementary friends were gone, you were often forced to sit by yourself in classes if riki wasn't there. luckily for him, he easily made friends with lots of people and found a group where he hung out with. you often went with him but his group were different. they relentlessly picked on you, saying that you were a freak and that riki had poor choices in friends. he stood up for you most of the time, saying that you were his best friend and they shouldn't be saying those things about you. but one day something changed.

you were waiting for riki beside his locker because you usually walked to class with him. despite for waiting for him for almost half an hour, he never came to his locker. defeated, you walked to class by yourself. you were about to arrive to your classroom when you saw riki with his other friends. rolling your eyes, you were about to approach him when you overheard their conversation. "riki that y/n girl you like," one of the guys said, a tone of disgust in his voice. "she's so weird… like how are you even friends with her," he looked at riki, almost snickering at his own words. "look here, I don't like y/n ok? she's not even my friend she just follows me everywhere, like a lost puppy," riki hissed at the other guy. "i just don't wanna be mean to her and tell her to piss off," he shoved his hands into his pockets before entering the classroom with his friends.

your grip on your books tightened as you felt a wash of emotions crash onto you. before you knew it, your legs directed you to the bathroom, locking yourself inside one of the stalls. your body slumped against the door, still in shock of what your best friend had said about you. his words repeated in your head, like a broken record player. you felt your face was wet with tears, your nose runny with snot. you felt your chest closing up as you buried your face in your knees. did you really just hear that? you slammed your fist against the door, a couple of people mumbling to each other about your bizarre behaviour but you didn't care.

"y/nie~" you heard riki's voice behind you. out of habit, you turned around, your face meeting with a smiling riki. great. he's pretending like he didn't do anything you thought to yourself. "what do you want?" you said coldly, not returning his smile as your gaze pierced his eyes. he tilted his head to the side, observing your face. "is there something wrong? oh my god, did you cry? your eyes are puffy and your eyes are red…" riki trailed off as his hand inched closer to your face before you quickly slapped it away. "you think there's something wrong? stop acting like you're clueless nishimura," you spat before walking away from him, bumping into his shoulder on the way.

since then, you ignored him. as soon as you saw him in the crowd of people in the hallway, you turned the other direction. riki kept trying to approach you, but you always seemed to disappear before he could reach you. he even visited your house, but you told your mother to tell him that you didn't feel well. eventually, he managed to catch you walking back home. "Y/N!" you recognised the voice and started running. the calls grew louder, as well as the footsteps trailing behind you. a hand grabbed your arm before forcing your body to face him. his soft brown eyes bore into yours, an unfamiliar emptiness obvious in his eyes. you tried to pull your arm away but his grip was firm.

"please y/n, tell me what's wrong. you've been like this all week and you're avoiding me." his hand loosened on your arm, desperation in his voice. his eyebags are more noticeable and he looks pale. for a second, you forgot why you were mad at him and felt sorry for him. "isn't it obvious? you're talking shit about me to your amazing new friends," you said coldly while taking his hand off your arm. "don't you understand how it feels when your own best friend backstabs you? do you think i'd avoid you like this for no reason? maybe you do think that. that's what you're telling your friends." before riki could talk, you ran away, ignoring his pleas for you to listen to him.

after a while, you finally convinced your parents to let you move schools. riki would finally be the least of your worries. although it was a rough start, you made friends at some point and your pain from him was healing steadily. you love your new friends but you can't help but feel they can only patch the missing piece of you. the riki part.

"y/n! y/n!" eunchae skipped happily towards you with grin on her face. you looked up from your book, pulling out one of your earplugs. "hey eun! how are y-" before you could finish your sentence, she put a finger on your mouth. "uh uh! I have some big news," she sat down in front of you, leaning on the backside of the chair. "there's a new transfer here! apparently he went to your old school and i've heard he's super hot," eunchae giggles, hitting you playfully. you smiled, wonder filling your mind. "huh? is that so? well i'll go see if he's really 'super hot' for myself," you chuckled before returning her a playful hit on her shoulder.

after your first class, you walked with eunchae, listening her ramble about school gossip. "and you believe what jihyun did to her after it was-" you looked at her, slightly confused at her sudden pause. her eyes widened at something in the crowd. you tried to see at what she was. maybe it was more of a who was she looking at. there stood a tall boy, his hair bleached with dark ends, with his hands stuffed in his pockets. your eyes were glued to a familiar bracelet, disbelief washing over your body. his eyes were locked onto you, shock obvious throughout his body. you opened your mouth, your words barely audible.

"r-riki?"

[hellaverseapocalypse]

And The Whirlwind is in the Tree

Striker's Story - A Helluva AU

Pairing: Striker and OC Amelda(adoptive father/daughter relationship) Warnings: angst, whump, hurt-comfort, injury, blood, harsh language, death, gore, killing in self-defense, graphic depictions of violence. Summary: Striker is once again tested by fate, and with it, comes a terrible loss. Who is ready for Striker's Joel scene? This bit was a blast to write and I hope you enjoy it. Also, TW for character death.

Read on ao3 - 1.5k words

Striker has no idea how long he's been in Wrath, time seemed to be a blur.

All he could think about was to get Amelda back.

The information Blitz gave him was vast.

The cult is surprisingly bigger than he thought; he grinds his teeth, wishing Blitz didn't keep the whole spy thing a secret. 

After two hours of travel, he finally made camp and rested with Bombproof, his eyes watching the flames.

How the hell did this happen?

How did Amelda worm her way into his heart?

Is it because she's a hybrid like him?

Even though Imps and Hellhounds are at the bottom of the caste system, hybrids were even lower.

Hell, they aren't even considered living things or even servants like imps. 

They were just dirt. 

He couldn't even imagine what they would do to a Goetia half-ling. 

Was it something else? Some other instinct?

He hasn't felt that since...

Striker shook his head.

No, not getting into that.

It's best to let sleeping ghosts lie. 

He sighed as he turned over to get some sleep. 

He did not have good dreams. 

666

It was another day to travel when he saw another camp. He stopped several feet away, walking nearby to listen.

“You think this one will work?” he heard someone say.

“Pfft who cares.” a nasally voice said, “Those idiots think that doing this stupid shit will save them. News flash, it wont!”

Striker then hears the man snort.

“Besides, I think Gareth is gonna keep this one.” he said, “You know he likes them young.”

That.Was.It.

With a roar, Striker attacked them, striking one imp with blessed knuckles, making him scream in pain. The other was about to reach for his gun, but Striker stopped him with a precisely thrown knife to the throat. The Imp gurgled on his own blood while the other howled in pain. 

Striker snarled as he grabbed the howling Imp and made him sit up. The part where he slugged him looked awful, it was as though his skin was melting.

“Where is Gareth?” Striker yelled, “Where did he take the kid?”

“Fuck you!”

The imp howled as Striker drove his other knife into his knee. He grabbed the imps hair and pulled it, making them face each other. 

“Look here, partner.” Striker said, “I got nothing but patience right now, and I know every way to make you scream.”

He pulls his knife from his prisoner's knee, making him keen in pain. He holds it to his face, grinning maniacally at the other Imps' terrified look. 

“So, where should we start, fingers or toes?”

666

The guy lasted 3 minutes of torture, but he spilled everything to Striker.

The location, how many were on guard duty and information about Gareth himself. 

He cringed when he said that Gareth likes young girls, but he never went near the farm community because he knows they will find him quickly. 

Amelda was also his type.

He urged Bombproof to go faster. There was no way in Hell that he was going to let that fuck touch her.

He stopped when he smelled burning smoke and looked up.

It was the cult encampment and it was covered in green flames. He could see other demons screaming and running around, trying to put out the fire. 

He then remembers teaching Amelda that sometimes a good distraction is needed to get the upper hand and fire is usually a sure one. 

Did she do this?

He snorts.

Attagirl. 

He dismounts from Bombproof and sneaks in quietly, trying to figure out where the owlet is. He passed by a few sinners and imps that were running trying to douse the flames. It's a good thing they were running away, it keeps him from being detected. 

He was thinking of going to a direction when he head a terrified screech, 

A familiar screech. 

He took off running in that direction, desperate to get there in time. 

“Sweet Satan, please let me get there in time!” he thought desperately.

He finally ran into the scene. 

Amelda was holding out a bloody knife while some other imp was holding a shotgun at her.

The hell he will!

Striker roared and tackled the Imp, fists flying before he could react. His mind whited out as he kept punching and punching; by the time he recovered his senses, the other Imp's face looked like ground meat. 

He looked up at Amelda who stared at him with wide eyes.

“Half-pint, listen, I-”

He then gets an armful of the terrified child, who started to sob into his neck. He holds her closely, nuzzling her feathers with a purr. 

He pulls back and gets a good look at her. 

She was covered in gore and splatter, like she was hacking at something.

“Sweetheart, what happened?”

“G-Gareth took me to a room and h-he...”

She bursts into sobs and holds him tighter.

“I hid and I-I grabbed his knife and I stabbed him.” she said, starting to hyperventilate, “I just wanted him to go away!”

Striker let out a deep breath and held Amelda close. Gareth is lucky he's dead cause he would have ripped his heart out with his teeth.

He was brought back to the present when he heard voices nearby. He picked up Amelda and quickly went to where he had left Bombproof. He got to his horse just when he heard someone yell.

“Intruders!”

Striker cursed under his breath as he hopped onto Bombproof and set off at top speed. The other demons started shooting at him and he noticed they were using blessed weapons.

“Gareth, you traitorous motherfucker.” he thought as he shot back. Amelda whimpered under him, terrified at the whizzing bullets. 

He then heard Bombproof whinny in pain, realizing they shot his horse. Hot rage burned in him as she kept shooting at the perpetrators. 

“Boy.” he said, clutching his reins, “I know it hurts, but you gotta go faster.”

The hell horse must have understood because he ran even faster, far away from their pursuers. 

666

It's been an hour since they outran their pursuers, Bombproof was walking slowly.

It was a few more feet when the horse finally collapsed.

Striker looked over his mount, noticing he was shot two more times.

There was nothing he could do. 

He sees Amelda sobbing as she petted the horse's head sadly. Striker swallowed his own tears as he hugged his horse's neck.

“You did good boy, you did so good.” he whispered, grateful that his beloved mount held out so long, that he got them both safe. 

They held onto Bombproof till his last breath.

666

They gave Bombproof a quick burial, just putting stones on top of him.

Striker took Amelda’s hand in his as they walked away, not wanting to see the buzzards tear him apart.

Amelda swayed a little, looking unsteady. He took her in his arms and carried her, hearing her soft cooing as she fell asleep. 

It was then he realized it. 

Amelda was his.

His kid.

His daughter.

His child.

Something he didn't think he would ever have again. 

He sighed as he saw the checkpoint for the portal to Lust. 

Yeah, she was his and he's never going to let anything happen to her again.

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

Notes: First, I'm sorry, the horse had to go.

When i wrote this, which was last year, i knew i had to kill off Bombproof, which hurt like hell and made my co-writer Candy cry. Buts it's in every video game we have played, the horse dies. We really wanted to have a super SUPER emotional moment with Striker and losing his beloved horse will do that.

Again, I'm sorry.

Next chapter update will be on January 18.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

[bunnyboowrites]

𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓶𝓼 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓻𝓾𝓮

This is gonna either be a 2 or 3 parts. There will eventually be smut but for now it is just establishing the basics here. I will try to get the second part done by tomorrow night, thank you for reading!!!

Warnings: None Roronoa Zoro x Black!femreader

Part Two

Muffled voices were followed by a blurred picture, like she had just woken up. She could see the outline of 10 blurry figures standing above her. She could hear a bright, cheerful laugh cut through. “Look what I caught, guys!” the figure exclaimed. They seemed to be wearing something on their head. A grunt was heard before a gruff voice cut in, “She could be a bounty hunter; this is dumb. Tie her up now." "Wow, you have zero manners. You meathead, get her into the examination room; she needs a doctor,” a feminine voice chimed. As a pair of arms hoisted her body in the air, she felt her eyes growing heavy and the voices were fading away. 

When she woke up again, there was a green-haired man in the corner of the room facing the cot she was on. His eyes were closed, and she just assumed he was sleeping. As she tried to sit up. “Chopper said you need to rest, and he left me in charge, so stay where you are,” he said in a cold and uninterested tone. She slowly laid back down, and she could finally feel her body aching from her accident. “Where am I?” she asked, a quiet, scared whisper, like he would hurt her just for speaking. “You're on a pirate ship, Straw hat Pirates,” he muttered. He watched for a reaction, and when he got nothing in return, he kept going. “Our captain is the one who saw you drifting on some piece of broken wood, Monkey D. Luffy.” He sighed and sat up, crossing his arms. “I'm-” “You’re R-”

Jerked awake, the girl sat up in her bed and sighed. Another day locked away in this tower. Her father decided that a world filled with pirates was too unsafe for her and sent her away after a notorious pirate killed her mother. The only thing that kept her sane were the small chats she could have with the guards when they brought her food. They would tell her stories and bring her gifts, but never once did her father visit her; he only sent short letters saying that it wasn't safe and she couldn't come out yet. She pulled the lavish blankets off of herself, walking over to all of her toys. She had gotten used to the quiet, and even though she could speak with the guards, she preferred her own company. There was a knock at the door; her food was being delivered. Jacob said, “Princess Y/N, your father has a surprise today.” He sat down on a tray with a box and her food. She gave an annoyed look. “He couldn't come today either?” Jacob just gave an apologetic shrug and closed the door.

Grabbing the box, she opened it, and there sat a strange-looking fruit. She just rolled her eyes. She had enough food already. The best surprise he could give her was setting her free from this prison. She picked it up and bit into it. Her taste buds had never tasted anything so unpleasant, but she kept eating, as if she were being compelled to keep going until it was all gone. She shivered in disgust and washed it down with the juice they brought for her. 

She would come to find out that the strange fruit was a devil fruit; it let her make alternate realities where she had friends, where she could touch the dirt, and where she never knew of this stuffy tower. She could move objects and create illusions. She tested it on her least favorite guard, Edward; he was a weird man. She had been training her powers to distract them long enough to make her escape tonight. She couldn't stay here anymore. She was 21, and she hasn't met anyone else since she was 6. The plan was going smoothly: pretend to be asleep after dinner, leave Jacob a note, and create some illusion to keep them busy while she slipped out the window. They would think that pirates were attacking, and she would quietly scale down the side and find the little boat they used to make it to the mainland.

She said a quick prayer while tugging on the rope before she leaned out of the window. She began her scale down the wall. The sound of muffled yelling and one-sided fighting filled her ears. She finally made it to the ground, and she laughed triumphantly. She made her way to the shore, spotting the dingy and pushing off. She could see the guards running down to the beach, assuming her hold on them had let up; she could see Jacob yelling and pleading for her to come back. She yelled, “I'm sorry, Jacob; I can't spend my entire life in that room.” She felt tears burn her eyes. “Thank you for being the only one to care about me; I'm just sorry it had to end this way.”

She grabbed a paddle and got to work, rowing farther out; she couldn't let her head start to go to waste. After a while, she couldn't see the tiny island of her kingdom anymore, and she sighed. Now she could finally breathe. She sighed and pulled out a map; her best bet was skipping the next island and going straight to the one after, just in case they decided to follow. So she set the course to the second island and sat under the little shelter that the dingy provided. Soon after, she could see the sun rising and, in the distance, another ship. She ignored it, though; there were plenty of people on the sea, and she wasn't looking for any more trouble. She reached for her water, taking a sip.

She heard a boom before her ship rocked with the disrupted waves. She stood up to see the ship had gotten closer—a pirate ship—just her luck. A second cannon ball flew through the air. She caught it with her powers, and then there was a third and a fourth. She couldn't keep her attention on the cannons, though, because the fifth one made contact. Her ship was sinking; splintered pieces were floating around her as she tried to hold on; her strength was being sapped from her. 

She didn't know how long she had been drifting; suddenly, a hand grabbed her by the arm and she was being pulled onto a ship. The grass was a surprise, and she felt a sudden feeling of deja vu. The figures from her dream were clearer now; a straw hat was the closest to her face, laughing about his catch. Confused and scared, she passed out again. Now she was facing the green-haired man. “I'm-” “Your Roronoa Zoro,” she muttered. “My father talked about you in his letters, how you were doing good by killing pirates.” She smiled. “Imagine his rage when he found out you're a pirate yourself,” he scoffed and got up out of his chair. A reindeer walked into the room with food and water, and he looked happy that she was awake. 

“Thank you, Zoro; I think I’ve got it from here.” She looked curiously at the little guy as he introduced himself. “I'm Chopper, and I'm a doctor. You had some minor bruising, but it was mostly just dehydration, so have this and take these." He dropped two pills into her hands. “And then the best course of action is resting.” She grabbed the cup and swallowed the medicine.

“The girls are letting you stay in their room for the time being, so I'll take you there, and you just sleep for the rest of the day.” Chopper led her to the girl's quarters and tucked her in before promptly leaving her to think about how different her life was already. It was her first time sleeping in a bed that wasn't the one they kept in the tower. Even though the cot they rolled out for her was not the same giant plush mattress, it felt good to have a different experience, and she fell asleep smiling, knowing that there would be so many more to come. 

Hoped you enjoyed please make sure reblog and comment!!!

[paulinawoodpecker]

Tiffany Mordon is a mean girl

@jycjakkiyoutubechannels

Tad bumped into kanji

Kanji: excuse me.

Tad: oh my. I’m so sorry.

Miracle: gross…it’s that weirdo who’s chills with old men in toilet paper

Tad: hey. Im sick okay?

Nala: wait. You’re sick?

Tad: uh…yeah…since two days ago?

Nala: what are you waiting for? Head to the nurse!

Tad: but wait wait!

Tad: I’m lost, an-and I don’t know where I am. I’m trying to head to the library.

Kanji: don’t worry. The school building isn’t so big.

Kanji: we’ll take you.

Miracle: are you kidding me kanji? How are we gonna do that?

Tad: *noticed a girl with blonde hair*

Tad: who is she?

Nala: *gasp* don’t look at her!

Tad: why not? 🤩 She’s so beautiful!

Miracle: she’s is beautiful but she is evil

Tad: evil?

Kanji: you see, that girl is named…Tiffany. Tiffany mordon. Leader of the mean queen bees.

Tad: mean queen bees?

Kanji: She can hurt anyone’s feelings in seconds…

Kanji: she also has her sidekicks with her: Blair, a brown hair girl with green eyes, she can make you be under a spell to their secret lair.

Tad: where is this “secret lair”?

Miracle: no one knows.

Miracle: there’s a blond hair girl with teal eyes named Andrea. She’s the cutest of the team but can kill you.

Tad: 😰 like really?

Miracle: no.

Miracle: not for killing you to death, I meant by killing you for revenge.

Nala: she also has a genius samurai who can read minds. Her name is ying. Don’t ever annoy her. If you do, she can slice you in half with a samurai sword!

Tad: come on. She would never do that-

Kanji: she did it to my fish once… I loved that fish…

Tad: listen. None of that is true.

Kanji: except for the fish part. That’s true.

Nala: yeah.

Miracle: mmhm that was real.

Tad: would you guys listen?!

Tad: get my point.

Tad: the bad guys are just tryna scare you.

Nala: listen, you do not wanna mess with her.

Tad: why? She’s so pretty-

Miracle: woah! You think you’re just gonna go out there and meet her? Talking to her isn’t a good idea. She may look like a angel but she’s a devil.

~Apex predator playing~

Miracle: watch, and you’ll find out why we don’t mention her…

Nala: we don’t look at her…

Kanji: and we don’t…

Kanji: don’t ever, ever talk about her…

Tiffany: *walks*

Flora: *singing* Don't be fooled by the pink, she is not playing dolls. She is stalking the halls for the thrill of the kill

Flora: *singing* Every person in school is aware of her stare. When she tosses her hair, they go perfectly still

All: 😧😧😧

Christopher: *singing* All their eyes say, "Don't attack me" Watch them sweat and pant and shake…

All: 😰

Minnie: *singing* Every food chain has its acme. Tiffany mordon eats steak

Snowy: *singing* She's the queen of the beasts, she can smell your fear. In this biosphere, she's the apex predator

Jessie: *singing* Like a lioness only with less fur. Do not mess with her.

Chai: *singing* she's the apex predator…

Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

Andrea: Tiffany! Someone is using another girl to replace me to do my hair!

Tiffany: absolutely not!

Nagham: *singing* At the watering hole, see the girls who weren't nice. Have to scatter like mice from a jungle cat.

Tiffany: *scares the girls away*

Kelsey: *singing* And though max is so great, he does not have this power. People literally cower, max can not do that.

Roger: *singing* See her mark her territory,

Tiffany: *hisses at the girl*

Girl 1: *runs away*

Roger: *singing* As they follow in her train…

Flora: *singing* But they were victims in their stories.

Roger and flora: *singing* Now they shake their manes!

Blair and ying: *sways their hairs*

All: *singing* She's the queen of beasts, And you're in her pride. You have hitched a ride. With the apex predator.

Snowy: *singing* And it's kinda fun, When she bares her claws.

All: *singing* You think you're safe because You're with the apex predator.

Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

Blair: how do I look?

Ying: no wrinkles, no zits, no nothing else. Perfect…

Blair: oh thank you.

Kenny: *singing* Do not think you'll be protected

Kevin: *singing* By your new exotic pet

Jeremy: *singing* Not a chance if she suspected

Minnie: *singing* she suspected

Jeremy: *singing* You were any kind of reproductive threat

All males: *singing* But she doesn't know yet…

All: *singing* she doesn't know yet

All: *singing* She's the queen of beasts at this beastly school. Gotta keep things cool with the apex predator!

Tad: *hides*

Tiffany: huh?

Tad: I’m dead…

Tiffany: what was that?

Tad: I’m dead dead!

Tad: *runs away from the mean queen bees*

All: *singing* will she braid your hair, will she eat your heart, how can you outsmart…

Tad: *noticed the Library*

All males: *singing* the apex predator.

All females: *singing* the apex predator!

All: THE APEX PREDATOR!!

Tad: *shuts the library door*

Tad: *breathes*

Tad: oh man…no wonder everyone hates her…

[chaggie-supporter]

Sunday special:

○|PT.8: DREAMT SOULS|○

I'm running through a forest. A luscious, green forest. I can immediately tell this isn't a place in hell. Its far too nice, but, it also seems familiar, like somewhere I used to know. It feels like I'm running from something. Moving past the trees and shrubbery quite fast, with the sun setting overhead.

I'm not running alone either. There's a girl, around my age, running with me. She seems quite familiar aswell, with a black hat, blond hair, and a pair of blue dungarees, a grey t-shirt under it.

She's beautiful.

Stunning, actually. Though I don't get an awful lot of time to admire this girl, as we just keep running. This is when I notice that I can't control my body. I just keep running no matter what I try to do, until eventually we stop at a cliff, beside a river, and some brilliant views of a mountain with the sun setting behind it. It's amazing. I almost recognise this place too.

After a moment of admiring the view, I realise why it's so recognisable. It's the woods I lived near on earth.

Before I can think about it much more, I look down to see the girl's arms around my chest, though, I can't feel the touch. She's.. crying? Why? She was fine just a minute ago. Is she hurt? Was it me? I try to tell her not to cry, that she's okay, but my mouth won't open, like it's glued shut. Another person, an older, middle aged looking man, emerges from the treeline, and he does not look happy. He looks furious, actually. What is going on? The girl is suddenly crying more, and before I can think about it, a knife lands, piercing my neck. I can't move or pull it out, and the last thing I see is the weeping girl.

I know why I recognise her.

I suddenly wake up back in my room in the Hazbin Hotel. It was a dream. I'm thrown back into my own harsh reality.

I'll never truly see that girl again.

I sigh, getting up and heading down the stairs, to be greeted with a certain red haired cyclops, playing with bugs.

Niffty.

"Oh, hi niffty." I call to her as I approach.

"Oh hi there! Have you come to see my show? heheheheh" she says back with a manic laugh. What?

"Uhm.. no.. no I haven't." I answer. Is she here just to play with bugs?

"Hey, niffty? Why are you here? At the hotel I mean." I ask her curiously, crouching down to her height.

"Oh! Mr. Alastor brought me and Husk here. He needs me to clean." She responds back, nonchalantly. Alastor brought them here? And they agreed?

"Well how come if you guys agreed to work here, Husk is always so miserable at his bar?" I inquire.

"Well we didn't agree- well I did, but it doesn't matter, he owns our souls!" She says, a bit too casually, as if we were talking about the weather.

"He what- he- how?" I ask, slightly dumbfounded. How does he simply own their souls?

"We each made a deal with him! Duh!" She replies, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"So you can just.. give away your soul down here? Really? Just like that?" I ask, still shocked.

"Well yeah! That's just how it is down here, hehe" she says with another cackle.

"And he can just.. make you do whatever he wants? All the time?" I ask, to which she smiles happily and nod.

"Yup! And usually, he's really nice!" She says. Why do I not believe that? She then looked around for a moment, and said, " Oh my goodness! It's still so icky in here! You should help me clean the whole place!" And before I fan protest, she whisks me away to the fireplace, where she jumps up on it to clean something above, knocking over a vase and a picture of charlie and her parents, which I both catch, just on time.

"Jeez- be careful, niffty." I scold.

"Oops! Sorry! She says back.

She starts climbing on different chairs, couches, tables, and anything else she can find that supports her weight. Everytime, knocking something over, which I managed to catch most times. I missed a small gadget, it looked like something pentious made, so I don't really care for it. After a while she stopped.

"I'm gonna go kill some bugs now. But.. you are invited to my roach puppet show later on!" She hands me a peice of paper, which has a crudely drawn drawing of a bug on it, before scurrying off. Huh. Weird. I put the peice in my pocket, before heading to my next destination: the bar.

"Husk." I, deciding to get straight to the point. "Does Alastor own your soul?"

"Yup. Don't gamble, kid." He says. That's it? No explanation, not even looking up from the bottle he was cleaning. "He owns millions. That's why he's an overlord, dumbass." Oh. Well now I feel stupid.

"That's alot." I state, not really knowing what else to say. The silence is awkward, after I heard from Charlie that I allegedly passed out after something less than a dozen drinks.

As the silence grows, I decide to get up and leave, going to my room, where I can think: why? No, how does Alastor own Husk's soul? Niffty too, but no one seems to know the first thing about her. But Husk seems smart enough. How did he let Alastor get his hands on his soul?

After a while of sitting there, maybe 10 minutes, maybe a few hours, I don't know, I get up, and head to Niffty's roach puppet show.

[lyranova]

Children of the Future: Shadows of the Past

Chapter 6: Missing

Hiya guys! So here’s chapter 6 and so far I think it’s my favorite I’ve written so far, we get a little bit of a few ships and family relationships. I’m gonna try and include as many moments as I can, and I apologize if I take a bit to answer comments, I’ve been a little busy lately the past few days. But I hope you all enjoy~!

Word Count: 4,873

Warnings: Language, Drinking, Missing Child

Asta’s eyes widened as Ciel finished explaining what had happened and why Yuno wasn’t there. Kya was missing? That wasn’t like the young girl to run off without telling someone where she was going. And from what Asta had heard, there was about to be another very bad snowstorm in the region that evening, which meant, if they didn’t find Kya soon, she would end up being caught in it. He quickly jumped up and had a determined look on his face.

“ I’m coming up there to help look for her,” Asta said, but Ciel quickly shook her head.

“ You don’t have to do that, we have all of our Mage Defense Force members out searching for her, as are Neva and Yuno. We’ll find her soon,” Ciel trailed off, she tried to sound positive, but he could hear the worry and unsureness in her voice.

“ But she’s my niece, I need to help look for her…” Asta trailed off. He knew if it was one of his daughters that was missing, Yuno and Neva would immediately fly to Clover to come and help him look for them. Ciel smiled in understanding.

“ I know, but you’re the Wizard King now, you can’t just suddenly drop everything to come to Spade. And besides, if you were to leave now, you would end up getting caught in the snowstorm. So just…wait, and if for some reason we don’t find her by the morning, then you can come and help. Does that sound fair?”

Asta hesitated, he knew what Ciel was saying was right. He couldn’t just take off with only a moment's notice anymore, well he could, but he would end up getting into a lot of trouble with Marx. And the last thing he wanted to do was stress Marx out on his last day of work. But at the same time, he didn’t want to wait until morning to go to Spade.

But really…what else could he do?

“ Okay. I’ll wait until morning, but if I don’t hear from you or Yuno by the time the sun begins coming up, I’m coming to Spade.” Asta said seriously, and Ciel nodded in agreement before the two ended the call. Asta sighed heavily before he leaned back in his chair.

“ I’m surprised,” He suddenly heard from the doorway, and he saw his wife Noelle standing there with her arms crossed. “ I figured you would already be looking for Finral, so he could take you to Spade.”

“ I thought about it…but I don’t think Finral couldn’t make the complete trip, and Queen Ciel made a good point, I can’t just up and leave. Not anymore.” Noelle nodded as she listened to her husband speak, she silently walked over to him and sat down at the edge of the desk.

“ I mean, you could, but Marx and William would have a cow when they discovered you were gone,” Noelle said, and Asta suddenly laughed.

“ That’s what I was thinking earlier, too!” Noelle gave a small laugh before tossing her hair over her shoulder.

“ Well, I am your wife, so, of course, I would know how you think,” Noelle said with a fake air of arrogance. “ Which is why I’m surprised you’re actually listening to Queen Ciel instead of just going to Spade.” Asta sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.

“ I know, and I’ll admit I’m kind of surprised too. Every fiber of my being is screaming at me just to drop everything and go, but something’s stopping me, something besides Finral’s well-being.” Asta admitted softly as he slowly opened his green eyes and looked at Noelle.

“ Responsibility?” Noelle asked and Asta shrugged.

“ I don’t know, but that sounds like what it is.”

“ Why don’t you send the Black Bulls up there to help? That way, you can still be here while also helping Spade with the search?’ Noelle suggested, and Asta tilted his head.

“ I thought about that, but they just got back from a mission and the kids just got promotions, so I want them to just focus on relaxing and celebrating tonight,” Asta said with a small, but proud, smile. Noelle put a thoughtful hand under her chin.

“ Why not just send me, then? I’m not a Black Bull or the Wizard King, so it should be fine if I go.” Noelle said, and Asta looked up at her, she had a point. And just as he was about to say so,  he suddenly remembered that Ciel had said there was going to be a bad snowstorm.

“ You can’t, not yet anyway.”

“ Why not?”

“ Because if you go right now and get caught in that snowstorm you could get hurt or worse, and I…I don’t know what I would do if you got hurt because of me.” Asta trailed off softly, and Noelle reached out to place a hand on his cheek.

“ Nothing’s going to happen to me, I can get there before the storm hits,” Noelle argued. She could see where Asta’s worry and hesitation were coming from, but she was a grown woman and was more than capable of taking care of herself.

“ I know, and I don’t doubt that you could beat that storm, but accidents still happen,” Asta said softly.

After the couple fell silent for a few moments, Noelle heard her husband push his chair back and slam his hands against the desk in determination.

“ Alright, here’s what we’re gonna do,” Asta said as he turned to look at Noelle. “ You and I are gonna leave the girls with the Black Bulls tonight, and then we’re gonna go to Hage and stay there until the storm in Spade clears!”

“ And what about Marx and William?”

“ I’ll just tell them that you weren’t feeling well, and so I have to take care of you for a few days,” Asta said with a shrug, and Noelle snorted.

“ You’re going to use me as an excuse?”

“ Yep!” Noelle suddenly laughed and shook her head.

“ And you wonder where Brielle gets her ideas from,” Noelle said before standing up beside her husband. “ I’ll contact Charlotte and let her know while you inform William and Marx.” She added before she kissed Asta on the cheek and walked out of his office.

As Asta grabbed his things and began to walk out of his office, he silently hoped that they would find Kya before the snowstorm came in.

—--

In The Spade Kingdom

Shouts rang out all throughout the woods that surrounded the Spade Kingdom’s Castle. Mage Defense Force members, the Royal Guards, and even some servants were out in full force searching for the 8-year-old girl. They knew they only had a limited time to find her before she developed hypothermia, and before the impending snowstorm that they knew would grind their search to a halt.

Standing in a small circle in the first were Yuno, Neva, Ralph the current Royal Guard Captain, and the Commander in Chief of the Mage Defense Force, Freya Ravenna. They were currently using one of Freya’s tracking spells to try to find Kya but were having no luck.

“ It’s like she’s just disappeared,” Freya said in confusion as she placed a hand under her chin. “ My tracking spell can usually find anyone and everyone.”

Yuno glanced over at Neva and saw that, while on the outside she appeared calm, on the inside she was a complete mess. This was one of her biggest fears, that she would either lose him or their children. He reached out and placed a comforting hand on the small of her back, she turned to look at him.

“ It’ll be alright,”  His amber eyes told her amethyst ones. “ We’ll find her and bring her back safely.”

“ I know, I know we’ll find her,”  Her eyes told his. “ But I’m still so afraid…” They admitted before she turned away, and Yuno pulled her close to his side and held her tightly against him.

“ Could someone have used a mana-suppressing device and that’s why your spell isn’t working?” Ralph asked and Freya shrugged.

“ It’s possible. If the Princess was kidnapped, they could easily be using a cloaking device or mana-suppressing handcuffs, and if that’s the case,” Freya looked over at Neva and Yuno. “ Then it’ll be almost impossible to find her.”

The couple felt their hearts sink to the pit of their stomachs at her words, but the two held determined gazes in their eyes. They were going to find their daughter, even if it seemed impossible, they would find her. And if it was true that she had been kidnapped? Oh, there would certainly be hell to pay.

Soon, the four dispersed and began searching with the others. Freya, still using her tracking spell, made sure to stay within earshot of the others in case it pinged. Yuno used his wind magic to fly in the air in order to get an aerial view, but he also began to feel suffocated.

He was trying to keep it together, not only for Neva’s sake but for his own as well. He couldn’t allow himself to fall apart, at least not until they found Kya, once their youngest daughter was home safe and sound then he would allow himself to break. But right now he needed to keep a calm and level head. Which was why he took to the sky, his comfort place.

But soon the afternoon turned to evening, it was growing colder, and it was just beginning to snow. Yuno lowered himself to the ground and walked over to Ralph.

“ How much longer do you think we have?” He asked, and Ralph shrugged.

“ At least another hour before it gets dark, and then another two hours before the snowstorm rolls in,” Ralph said softly, so Neva couldn’t hear.

“ Alright, in an hour I want you and Freya to call everyone back to the Castle,” Yuno said quietly and Ralph’s eyes widened.

“ But sir-!”

“ Neva and I will continue the search on our own,” Yuno quickly interrupted. “ We don’t need any of you to get sick or hurt, because of our child.”

“ Your Majesty,” Ralph started seriously. “ Everyone here loves Princess Kya just like she was one of our own, so while I appreciate your concern for our well-being, we’ll continue to help you search until we find her. Even if that means we have to risk developing a cold.”

Yuno stared at the older man, he knew Ralph was very loyal to House Grinberryall, but to see that loyalty, love, and concern extended to Yuno and his family…it warmed his heart a little. And made him feel very lucky to have him as a friend and Royal Guard Captain.

“ Fine. But don’t complain to me when you still have to work while you’re sick.” Yuno said seriously as he began to walk away, but Ralph chuckled a bit before he saluted his King.

Yuno and Ralph walked a bit of ways, the sun had just dropped over the horizon and the woods began to grow dark, and the snow grew heavy along with it. They were running out of time.

Suddenly Yuno saw something out of the corner of his eye, Neva, who had been walking beside him for some time, had disappeared!

“ Neva…?” Yuno called out in confusion, he took a few steps to where she had just been standing. “ Neva!” He shouted again, a bit more panic in his voice as he began to look around.

“ Ne…va?” Yuno trailed off as he suddenly looked down towards a small embankment. He saw his wife, on her knees, shoulders shaking, and something in her arms.

No…nonono…please…

Neva slowly turned to look at her husband over her shoulder, her purple eyes full of tears.

“ H…Help me.”

Yuno immediately rushed down the embankment, with Ralph following behind him. He rushed to his wife’s side and his eyes widened, in Neva’s arms was Kya. Her little face was pale, her eyes were closed, and she had a bit of snow on her. But otherwise, she appeared to be perfectly fine.

“ She’s…She’s…”

“ Neva…” Yuno’s voice became quiet as it trailed off, please don’t let her say what he thought she was going to say…

“ She’s warm.’’ Neva finished softly, and Yuno frowned. He knelt down beside her, and she was right, Kya was warm, almost feverish.

“ Get a Healer now!” The couple heard Ralph shout loudly behind them, but Yuno quickly took his cloak off and wrapped it around his daughter while he wrapped his arms around his wife.

Neva was shaking like a leaf, and Yuno knew it wasn’t just because she was cold. The way she gripped Kya tightly against her chest as though she would fly away, the way Neva’s eyes were wide and fearful, the way her lips trembled as she tried to utter a single word, it all reminded him of that day…the day Zenon had attacked the Golden Dawn base all those years ago.

“ Neva, Neva, look at me, please look at me.” Yuno started softly as he placed his hands on her cheeks to get her to look at him. “ She’s okay, she’s alive, you found her,” Yuno added, trying desperately to get her mind out of that dark place he knew it was in.

“ But it’s my fault…I should’ve known where she was…because of me she nearly died.” Neva softly as tears fell from her eyes onto her cheeks. “ I should’ve known where she was…”

“ No, it isn’t your fault, it isn’t anyone's fault,” Yuno said as he wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

Before anything else could be said, a Healer arrived, and they took the princess back to the Castle. But Yuno paused as he noticed something strange.

Around the small embankment where Kya was found, there was a circle of trees, a perfect circle of trees. He frowned and committed the area to memory, so he could investigate it later.

—--

Back in Clover

The Black Bulls cheered, laughed, ate, and drank merrily as they celebrated their Children’s promotions, their newly gained stars, and their much-deserved break. Lovely and Charmy were cooking and making sure everyone was fed, Vanessa handed everyone glasses of wine and champagne, while Finral went behind her and took the glasses from the underage kids. Rill and Vincent were painting a portrait in order to commemorate the day’s events, while everyone else just talked and mingled.

 All except Gauche and his son Aloys.

Aloys had ducked out of the party a while ago and Gauche had debated on following him, as he wasn’t one for big parties either, but Maelie had asked him to stay, and so he did. But now the young girl was asleep and Gauche had a good excuse to leave.

“ I’m gonna go put her to bed,” Gauche quietly told Grey, who nodded before going back to talk with Gordon.

Gauche quietly picked his daughter up, carried her to her room, and carefully tucked her into bed. He softly told her goodnight, kissed the top of her head, and walked out of the room. He quietly closed the door behind him and was about to go to his and Grey’s room when he suddenly paused and looked to the side. Aloys’s bedroom door was open slightly, and so Gauche decided to peer inside.

Aloys was sitting at his desk, with a dimly lit candle at the corner, and appeared to be working on something.

“ Can I help you, old man?” Aloys asked without turning around, Gauche glared at him for a moment but didn’t say anything.

Gauche walked over and stood beside his desk, he leaned against it before looking it down.

“ What’re you doing?” Gauche asked curiously. “ Are you…repairing a book?” Aloys immediately glared before moving the book out of view.

“ So what if I am? Is that illegal?” Aloys asked as he finished adding glue to the binding.

“ No, I was just wondering, was all,” Gauche said as he crossed his arms.

The two fell into an awkward, and tense silence. Aloys continued repairing the book as Gauche tried to think of a way to talk to him, just as Grey suggested. The last thing he wanted was for his son to have to transfer to a different squad just because the two couldn’t get along.

“ Is that…Alice’s book?” Gauche suddenly asked as he noticed handwritten notes on the side of the pages, Aloys quickly moved the book.

“ Yeah,”

“ And you’re fixing it for her?” Gauche asked with a tilt of his head. “ Do…you have a crush on her?”

“ No, I’m just fixing it for her,” Aloys said quickly and icily before he finally turned to look at his father. “ Cut the small talk and get to the point, old man.” He snapped, and he watched as one of Gauche’s eyebrows twitched in annoyance.

“ I hate it when you call me that, you punk,” Gauche muttered through gritted teeth. “ But that’s beside the point, your mom…wanted me to talk to you about what happened the other day.” He watched Aloys scoff.

“ Ah, I see, so it’s Mom who convinced you to talk to me, not because you felt sorry and wanted to talk it out or anything,” Aloys said as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

“ Why should I feel sorry?” Gauche asked with a frown, and Aloys laughed humorlessly.

“ Gee, I dunno, maybe because you scolded me in front of our squad and the Crimson Lions but praised everyone else?!” Aloys said loudly as he stood up from his seat, and Gauche stood up straight as well.

“ Watch your tone, kid,” Gauche growled in warning. “ And I didn’t scold you-.”

“ Yes, you did!” Aloys shouted. “ You told me that I was being reckless and that a ‘Good Magic Knight doesn’t freeze up in front of an enemy!’, how do you think that made me feel?!” Aloys asked, and Gauche winced.

“ I didn’t mean-.”

“ Yes, you did! You always push me harder than anyone else, you always scold me for even the smallest of things, and then when I think I’ve done something good you don’t even say you’re proud of me!” Aloys continued to shout, and Gauche just stood there silently.

“ You praise Maelie as though she is the best thing since sliced bread, you’re always telling her that you’re proud of her, that you love her, why can’t you treat me the same freaking way, huh?!” He finished, tears of anger welling up in his blue eyes. Gauche suddenly felt his heart tighten in his chest.

“ Aloys-.”

“ Get out. Now!” Aloys said before sitting back down at his desk and going back to working on repairing Alice’s book. Gauche reached a hand out to pat his son comfortingly on the head but stopped, and lowered his hand back to his side. The older man then walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

He let out a heavy sigh as he leaned against the door. He suddenly saw something move out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to see his wife, Grey, standing there with a nervous and sad look on her face.

“ Well, that went well.”

—---

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Black Bull's Hideout

Yami took a deep breath of the crisp, warm air as a gust of wind swept by him. He could hear his brats partying it up downstairs and smiled, they had all earned it. The past few weeks, everyone had been working their hardest to try and beat the Golden Dawn, and so far, it seemed to be paying off very well.

He turned slightly as he felt a familiar Ki walk up behind him.

“ What are you thinking about so intently?” Charlotte asked curiously as she walked over to her husband and stood beside him outside on their balcony. Yami gave her a half-shrug.

“ Nothing much, just thinking about how proud I am of the kids,” He answered honestly, and Charlotte nodded in agreement.

“ I’m proud of all of them as well, especially considering what happened on their last mission,” Charlotte said softly. “ I can only imagine how traumatizing that was for them.”

“ They’re gonna see a lot worse stuff the longer they’re a Magic Knight,” Yami said softly as he turned to look at his wife. “ They’re gonna see a lot of stuff that’ll make them sick, angry, depressed, it doesn’t make it right, but…they knew what they were getting into when joining the Knights.”

“ I know, I just wish they hadn’t seen it so soon,” Charlotte said with a sigh and shake of her head. She suddenly rested her head on her husband's shoulder as the two stared out into the clear evening sky.

“ I’m surprised you aren’t asking where Hikari is since I know you felt her Ki leaving the Hideout,” Charlotte said curiously after a few minutes of silence, and she suddenly heard her husband snort.

“ There’s only one place she could go, and that’s the Golden Dawn,” Yami said in a matter-of-fact tone, and Charlotte suddenly raised her head to look at him.

“ And you’re fine with that?”

“ Nope, when she gets back I plan on grounding her for a while…at least 5–10 years,” Yami said, and Charlotte rolled her eyes.

“ Geez you act like Hikari’s still a child and not a young woman,” Charlotte said with a shake of her head. “ What are you going to do when she starts dating?” Yami scoffed.

“ I don’t see her dating for a long time, she’s too busy working on obtaining her dream,” Yami said, and Charlotte suddenly raised a brow at her husband.

“ And if she starts dating before then?”

“ Then…I gotta make sure they’re good enough for her,” Yami said with a shrug, of course, he wasn’t going to let just anyone date his eldest daughter, and Charlotte knew that all too well.

“ Has William told Alistar about his illness yet?” She asked suddenly, changing the subject. Yami let out a sigh and shook his head. “ Seriously? I understand not telling him today, but, he needs to tell him soon.”

“ He does, especially before the shit hits the fan,” Yami said as he looked back at his wife. “ I feel like a storm’s coming, Charlotte, and there isn’t anything we can do to stop it.” He admitted softly.

“ Well, it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve dealt with a storm,” Charlotte reminded him. “ But then again, we were a lot younger than we are now.”

“ Ain’t that the truth.”

“ But y’know what? Even though we’re older, we’ll still be able to handle it. Because we’re Magic Knights, and we all have each other, there isn’t anything in this world that can defeat us.” Charlotte told her husband proudly as she turned to look at him. Yami suddenly leaned forward and captured her lips in a sweet and passionate kiss, causing her to blush as he pulled away.

“ Damn, I love you.”

—----

At the Golden Dawn Base

Alistar flopped on his bed with a tired sigh, it was as though all the stress of the day just melted away into his warm and comforting sheets. He looked over in the corner of his room where his Golden Dawn uniform hung on the back of his wardrobe with a Captain’s robe hanging right beside it. For some reason, he still couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that he was the Captain of the Golden Dawn now, and not his father. It just…didn’t feel right.

It felt like he was in some alternate or parallel universe.

He suddenly turned as he heard a loud ‘tink, tink’ outside his balcony door. He sat up in bed and saw Hikari standing outside on the balcony, throwing small pebbles against it with a grin on her face. Alistar smiled and shook his head before he stood up and walked towards it.

“ What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be celebrating with your squad?” Alistar asked in confusion as he opened the door and moved to the side to allow her to walk in.

“ I did celebrate with them, but now it’s my turn to celebrate with you,” Hikari said as she held up a tall glass bottle and a pair of glasses.

“ Is that alcohol?” Alistar asked, his tone already getting ready to scold her, but she quickly shook her head before turning around to face him.

“ No, it isn’t alcohol, Goldie Guts Jr., it’s sparkling water. Even though we’ve both drank before.” Hikari muttered as she set the bottle down on a small table he had in his room. Alistar shook his head at the memory.

“ I wouldn’t consider accidentally eating fermented fruit as drinking, but,” Alistar said with a grin before he walked over to her.

This wasn’t the first time Hikari had snuck into the Golden Dawn and up to Alistar’s room. The first time she had done so was when they were 12, and she wanted to check on him after the ‘incident’. She got into a lot of trouble with Yami and Charlotte for that, but it didn’t stop her. She did it many more times and even stayed the night once or twice. Much to Yami’s anger.

“ It still counts since we got drunk!” Hikari argued as she opened the bottle with a loud ‘pop’ and then began to pour it into the champagne flutes.

“ Do your parents know you’re here?” Alistar asked curiously as he took the offered glass with a small ‘thank you’ before Hikari scoffed and shook her head.

“ I’m sure they do even though I didn’t tell them,” Hikari said, and she could easily sense Alistar’s disapproving glare. “ What? I know for a fact my dad sensed my Ki leave the Hideout.’’

“ I’m sure he did, and I have a feeling he’s gonna be glaring at me all day at tomorrow’s Captain's meeting.” Alistar pointed out, and Hikari held out her glass to him.

“ A toast, to the newly appointed Golden Dawn Captain, Alistar Vangeance. May he lead his squad valiantly, graciously, and compassionately, just as he has led himself and his life!” Hikari said softly as she smiled brightly at him. Alistar felt his heart skip a beat for a moment and a tinge of pink graced his cheeks, but he smiled warmly at her and raised his glass.

“ Thank you, Hikari, I’ll do my best not to let anyone down.”

The two laughed, drank, and talked for a few hours before they fell silent. Hikari had silently wondered if Alistar just naturally relaxed because he was around her, or if Vanessa had accidentally spiked the sparkling water.

“ Have you talked to your dad yet about why he retired?” Hikari asked, and she watched her friend pout.

“ I’m sick of everyone asking me that. No, I haven’t asked him about it yet, but if he took a job with the Wizard King, surely it can’t be that bad.” Alistar said with a tinge of hope in his voice, and Hikari nodded in agreement.

“ I’m sorry about Virgil calling you a foreigner,” Alistar said softly as he took another drink. “ Tomorrow, I’m going to make sure he and everyone else knows that I won’t tolerate it.”

“ You’re still apologizing over that? Geez, I already told you that it’s him that needs to apologize, not you. And he isn’t completely wrong, I am half Hinoian-Half Cloverian, but I’m not ashamed of it. I’m very proud of my Hino heritage, and I’m very proud of my Clover heritage.” Hikari said proudly as she took a drink.

“ That still doesn’t make what he said right, and you’re still allowed to get pissed off when people say terrible things like that to you.” Alistar pointed out as he laid back on his bed, and Hikari followed suit.

“ Oh my,” Hikari gasped dramatically. “ The Alistar Vangeance said ‘pissed off’, someone call a Healer, I think he’s sick.” She continued, causing the white-haired man to snort.

“ I’ve used worse language than that before,” Alistar said with a chuckle and a roll of his eyes, and Hikari chuckled with him.

“ I know you have, but what would your fan club say if they heard you talk that way.”

“ They’d probably think it’s hot,” Alistar said bluntly, causing Hikari to laugh loudly.

The two fell silent again, and Alistar felt his eyes begin to grow heavy as he lay next to his friend. Today had been a very eventful one, and it seemed that it was finally catching up to him.

“ Get some sleep, Pretty Boy,” He heard Hikari’s voice say faintly from beside him.

“ Will you stay until I fall asleep?” He asked tiredly as he reached a hand out towards her, he felt something soft in his hand and realized that it was the sleeve of Hikari’s shirt.

“ Don’t I always?” She asked as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. Alistar nodded and muttered a soft ‘goodnight’ as he felt Hikari run her fingers through his hair, she had learned fairly quickly that was the quickest way to get him to go to sleep.

The next morning, Alistar woke up with a disappointed feeling in his heart as he saw that Hikari was no longer beside him.

-----

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all have a good day~!

[lrfanfics]

Poly Cupid (Cupido Poly)

Ladies, gentleman and fellow enbys, we present to y’all the Prologue of our dear fic “Poly Cupid”.

PROLOGUE

POV Castiel 

The last school day, which is also prom day, has finally arrived. During these last 2 years, in this Hell of a place called school, I've been suppressing my romantic feelings about a certain green eyed, long brown haired girl. Her name is Lili and today it'll be the day I finally declare myself to her. 

Because I'm already mentally prepared? 

Not much. 

Because I heard the son of a bitch that is my worst enemy, telling someone that he would be doing the same thing as me today? 

Yes, obviously!

Of course I would never let Nathaniel win. Besides, I'm sure Lili will accept me! Like, has any of you read a fanfic, or seen a show, where the shy nerd wins against the sexy bad boy? No! Of course not! 

* 

"Ahm… I'm… sorry, but I… already like someone else." I opened my eyes, not being able to believe what I had just heard. 

And there I was, with this shitty leash (a tie) that that blonde asshole is always wearing; next to the school's entrance in front of my crush that was oh so pretty, wearing a beautiful dark green dress that reached her knees; under a fantastic night sky, typical of those super cliché romantic films… being rejected. 

 I! 

 WAS! 

 REJECTED!

Me!!! The hot bad boy! 

This shit never happens in fanfics! Usually the bad boys are very lucky in this sort of stuff, especially the music ones like me! 

"Who do you like, then? Ah, I know… Kentin, right?" The typical Childhood Friends into Lovers trope." I gotta find out who's the motherfucker that stole my girl. 

Lili simply looked at me and denied my question with her head, sheepishly.

"Lysander?" Mysterious dudes are also a big thing with girls. 

"No." She said while nodding with her head side-to-side again. 

"Don't tell me you have a crush on the surfer dude?" 

"Ewww… of course not!" Lili said, rolling her eyes and making a disgusted expression.

"What? Let me guess, you like Nathaniel, is it?" 

Pfff! What am I even saying? Like something like that could ever happen! Hahaha! Who the fuck likes nerdy, nice guys? 

Lili visibly tensed up. She then started to move her hands in the air, nervously.

"N—No! O—Of course not! Me liking Nath? What are you even saying! Hahaha!"

Shit! Fuck me and this stupid fucking luck of mine! I would prefer it if she said she liked Lysandre, then it wouldn't be as humiliating as this! And who knows… we could've formed a trio. 

"Lili?" The voice of that blonde dipshit interrupted this humiliating moment. 

I saw her look at him, embarrassed, I think she was scared that he'd heard our previous conversation. 

There was a long silence. They're gazes were completely fixated on one another so much that it almost looked like they were fucking each other just through their vision. This is too much of a humiliation! God, do you really hate me this much?!

"I just wanted to know if you'd like to come dance with me for a little bit… as friends, of course!" He stretched his hand towards her and she placed her hand in his. 

"I would. A—As friends, obviously!" She added, a very noticeable nervous smile plastered on her face. 

Hello!? Don't these bitches see me here or something?! 

"Bye, Castiel! I hope I'll never have to see your face again!" Nathaniel said, grinning, while he took Lili, who was waving me goodbye, as they entered the gym where the party was occurring in.

And I just stood there. 

Alone. 

Rejected. 

Humiliated by that fucking son of bitch, Nathaniel! 

I think my life can't get worse than this. 

I decided to just walk back home, at least Dragon is gonna be there waiting for me. The streets were completely empty and silent, but there was this one sound that caught my attention and was only getting louder and louder, until it… 

AH! BITCH, THAT SHIT LEGIT SCARED THE FUCK OUT OF ME! 

I almost had a fucking heart attack! Fuck! How are these people able to pass their drivers test!? Can't you see the fucking crosswalk on the ground! They must have bribed the fucking instructor, damn. 

"ARE YOU FUCKING BLIND!? CAN'T YOU SEE I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FUCKING CROSSWALK, HUH!?" If my reflexes weren't so good I would've been ran over by this retard. Unbelievable! 

The same car that had almost ran me over abruptly stopped, it's already a little late for that, but ok. When the driver's side door opened, a woman with brown hair and blue eyes— NO… not her, please… anything but this whore!

"I should've guessed! This could've only be your doing, you whore!" I barked in the direction of Debrah. Why is this bitch so obsessed with me!? I mean, what idiot wouldn't be obsessed with me, ain't that right?

 . 

 .

 .

Oh, right.

When I noticed, the bitch was already a few centimetres away from my face while her gaze was fixated on my crouch.

"Hey! I don't know about you, but when I'm talking with someone I like them to be looking at my face while I do it!" I spit.

 … 

Who does this chick think she is to be ignoring me right after almost killing me with her car!? 

I bring my hand up to her head and start poking her with my index finger. 

"Hey stu—" What—!? 

WHAT THE FUCK, MY FUCKING FINGER JUST PASSED THROUGH HER HEAD—!!!? But— The fuck just happened?! I feel like I'm trippin' right now… I knew that I shouldn't have asked that shady looking guy, wearing a leather jacket, for a cigarette!

Suddenly, the world seemed to be spinning around me, making my head hurt, and the beating of my heart accelerate at each breath that I took. Sweat falling down my face. 

I look at Debrah, a disgusting smile plastered on those hoe lips of hers. "Heh. One less cuck… huhm, I better get going before the cops get here." She says, turning her back to me and running away. 

 This hoe really thinks she's that bitch, huh!? 

Huff. I let out a sigh. This is some bullshit… 

While she walked back to her stupid ass car, her last words didn't seem to leave my mind: I better get going before the cops get here. 

Yes, it's true that she almost sent me to a better place, but… I don't feel in pain, or don't seem to have anything broken. She almost aborted my life, ALMOST, but she didn't. So why would she be afraid of the police — besides the fact that they're extremely intimidating — without having committed any sort of crime? Well, none besides being a slut, right?

 . . . 

 Wait

… . . .

A few minutes ago, when my hand passed through her face, that normally only happens when— No… NO!

I gulp and take a deep breath. If this is really happening right now, it could only mean one thing… I turn my head around, slowly, and it looks like my fears have been confirmed… fuck me. There it was, my beautiful sexy body laid on the ground like dog shit. 

It's so depressing that it's enough to make a manly man, like me, cry. I can't look, I don't want to look… but I do— 

Ah! Wait—! 

T—This can't be real, this has to be some sort of very shitty lucid dream! That would also explain why Lili picked that fucking blonde dumbass over me! Because it's impossible for a bad boy, especially ME, to be rejected! HA! 

Ok… enough is enough! Now is time to wake the fuck up, Castiel— 

"Shut the fuck up and take your ass to the tunnel, already." Said a low and raspy voice. 

Excuse me—!? 

I quickly turn my body in the direction of the voice and find myself face-to-face with a dark skinned… and short… man, with dark brown hair and eyes. Hey, wasn't that the man that gave me tha—

TO BE CONTINUED

[silver-ace-of-spades]

My Cat got Isekai'd and now She's a Hero

Prologue: New Horizons

Jimi finds herself in a strange land.

TW: body horror, swearing

♤◇♧♡

It was a rainy August day in who-knows-where. A white human with brown hair played Miitopia on its Nintendo Switch, and its cat, a gray and white shorthair, sat next to it.

"Look over here, Jimi, I wanna show you this Mii of you I'm making," the human said.

Jimi didn't understand, but she meowed happily. She headbutted her human and it petted her.

As soon as the human finished Jimi's Mii, its Switch began to glow bright purple, and it sucked the two of them into the world of Miitopia.

Jimi woke up in the town of Greenhorne with a strange feeling. She felt... taller, and she could understand what the people were saying. The world had more vivid colors. She stood up on her back two legs and looked down. She was wearing a light green dress.

"What happened to me?" she asked. She flexed her front paws and noticed that she had opposable thumbs. Her ears turned back nervously as she looked at all the people.

"Oh, you're okay!" a worried looking woman exclaimed. "I'm Helen, and, well, Greenhorne's not looking too good."

"Greenhorne?"

"Oh, right, the town we're in."

"What happened?" Jimi asked.

Helen gestured towards her young son, whose facial features were missing. No mouth, no eyes, and no eyebrows. He didn't have a mouth-hole or eye sockets, either, just flesh over where his features once were.

"Jesus Christ..." Jimi muttered. "I... I'm not very strong, and I'm terrified, but I want to help!"

"Take this lucky amulet. It's saved me multiple times." Helen told Jimi.

Jimi remembered an anime that her human had watched recently. "Like Liko!" She took the pendant and put it on.

"I... I feel a strange power in it." Jimi told Helen. "Like Liko..."

Jimi noticed a large shadowy figure down south and went to investigate.

"If that's Amethio's Corviknight I'm gonna piss myself."

When she arrived, she found a human-ish looking floating devil guy with a dad-like face. He snapped his fingers and a young kid's face appeared.

"I heard your conversation with the mother of this kid. So you wanna be a hero?"

"G-g-give their face back!" Jimi shouted. She was terrified, but what else was there to do?

The demon put the kid's face on a slime monster and cackled. "Come and take it from me then!"

Jimi's amulet began to glow and she underwent a magical girl transformation into a cute looking cat-based furry pop-star. When the transformation completed, she looked down and nearly fainted.

"This is just like that video game Silver was playing... I know what to do!"

Jimi had materialized a microphone and used it to attack the slime. It died, and the kid's face popped off. She followed it back to Greenhorne and found Helen hugging her son.

"Thank you, miss! Please, help the rest of our town!"

"Of course!" Jimi told her as she went east to truly begin her adventure.

[bubbalove9610]

Ok so I used to work at a theme park called Scandia awhile back, as Freddy Krueger. And an idea popped into my head for a story. Now I won’t spoil anything, I’ll just jump right in the story. I hope you guys like it. This is gonna be in parts/chapters so let me know in the comments if you want more.

The theme park was quiet. It had been shut down a long time ago. A group of kids wandered the park, admiring all the rides and old buildings. “So I have to ask, which horror icon would you wanna have a one night stand with?” A girl asks. She had blonde hair, and wore a crop top and shorts, she had icy blue eyes, and was about 5 feet tall. A boy walking next to her look at her surprised. “Katy! What kinda question is that?” He asks. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He wore gym shorts and a tank top, with sports sneakers. Katy giggled and replied, “Come on Chris, you’ve had to think about it at least once,” she says. Chris shuddered, and shook his head. “No thank you,” he said. Katy giggled and they kept walking, trying to find everyone else. “Where’s everyone go?” Katy asks, and Chris shrugged. “I don’t know, Alexis and Yazmine probably went to go fuck somewhere. You know how high their sex drive is,” he said. Katy looked at Chris and blushed, and he caught on to that. “You ok?” He asked her, and she nodded quickly, too quickly. Suddenly Alexis popped up, scaring the shit out of both of them. “My god girl, don’t do that!” Chris said, and Alexis laughed, out of breath. “Sorry, but you’re gonna wanna see this,” she said, she was tall, with half her head shaved and purple streaks in her hair, she had brown eyes and wore a leather vest with an AC/DC shirt and skinny jeans. She waved at them to follow. Chris and Katy ran after her into the old circus tent, excited and curious. Yazmine walked out from one of the rooms, buttoning her shirt, and Chris looked at Katy as if to say, “Told you so.” Katy had dark brown hair, with green eyes. She wore blue tshirt with a purple skirt, and green tennis shoes. They all walked into the back of the tent, and Chris saw a floor panel open. He looked in and saw a giant room, with pillars shaped like bats. “What is this place?” He asked, and looked at Alexis, who shrugged and smiled. “I don’t know, me and Yazmine were…cuddling, and we saw the carpet looked funny,” she said. Chris chuckled and went to the ladder, climbing down. “Be careful,” Katy said, and Chris smiled. Alexis went with him, climbing down, smiling to herself. She walked next to Chris and he broke the silence, saying, “You know I could hear you two moaning from outside,” he said, and Alexis blushed. “Sorry,” she said, “Yazmine’s wild when she’s in the mood, she rides hard-“. Chris put his hands over his ears, “Ok I don’t need to hear the details,” he said. Alexis cleared her throat, saying, “What about you and Katie? Have you guys done….that yet?” She said, and Chris shook his head. “No, she’s coming over tonight for the Conjuring marathon.” Alexis stopped, her mouth open. “She’s coming to our movie marathon? Dude if you don’t bang her tonight i will,” she said. Chris looked at Alexis, rolling his eyes, and said, “Maybe, we’ll see.” Alexis scoffed and they stopped before a giant vault. “What the hell is this?” She asked, and Chris shook his head. “I don’t know, but it’s definitely not locked,” he said, pointing to the lock that was melted off. They walked in and saw books of all kinds, but at the far end sat an old comic book, and it had a picture of some butcher, titled “The great theme park showdown of Halloween.” Chris scoffed, “What a weird name,” he said, opening it. As soon as the pages opened there was a giant burst of wind and maniacal laughter could be heard, but it died out slowly. All the books fell off the shelves and caught fire, spelling the words, “Thank you for freeing me, my pets.” Alexis grabbed it, slamming it shut, and put it down, saying, “I’ve seen enough horror movies to know, don’t touch the secret books or whatever shit they have.” Chris and Alexis both walked out and slammed the door, and climbed up the ladder, slamming the trap door. “What happened?” Yazmine asked, and Chris leaned against the wall, catching his breath. “You don’t wanna know,” Alexis said. They ran from the theme park, too scared and exhausted to do more, and drove home.

[elpida]

"Oh we're nothing alike, 'coz I'd have never done what you just did, of all things.. of all the things you could do, blaming her, after what she just had to go through? I hope she has the sense to hate you for it, I hope you have to live with knowing that you are the one that did the most damage and tore it all apart." He'd taken offence, he wasn't that man anymore, he wasn't angry all the time, he'd got better at controlling it. That didn't mean he was always perfect but god, how was Angelo not out for Sam's blood? Cade was itching to find the guy but first, they needed all that evidence gone. It inadvertently helped Angelo, but it helped Eden the most. She'd never be rid of the worry if that remained, it had to be deleted, demolished, whatever, it had to go.

"You're fucking wrong." Cade spoke up, after his outburst, after the abandonment. "She what, slipped trough your fingers? You think waking up to her not there is abandonment? Real abandonment is gonna come at the bottom of a bottle, when there's nobody left to help you get rid of it. That is where your abandonment is, 'coz when there'd liquid in that bottle you aren't alone, but when it's gone? When everyone went with each empty bottle hidden or thrown away? That's when it's gonna hit you that just 'coz you thought you were abandoned in one moment, you didn't know real loneliness. I'd fuckin' know, been there, and I 'aint got no sympathy for you. You make the choice to crack the lid open, you can make the same choice to keep it closed."

Sudden Cade huffed laughter. "Amends." he scoffed the wor.d Part of him wanted whatever it'd take to make Eden happy but another part, really hoped she'd never forgive him but... he was angry and bitter right now, he couldn't see anything beyond that anger in the moment. He loved her and Cade knew Eden, he knew that she'd loved Angelo a long time now but.. "Too little, too late." he gruffly comments. "We're sorting this shit with Sam. Today. The first thing we need is this evidence gone. The old guy wont be awake for a while, I'll stay here and watch over, Santino you need to sort yourself out, you look like shit." well, he was brutal with it. "Either way the evidence.. what do you think Ags?"he turned clicking his fingers. "When I get him, once it's green light to get him, we're gonna need that feisty girl, the uhhh.." he hummed, clicking his fingers. "Auburn hair, real curly, was great with dragging out someone's torture and this asshole is gonna pay, slowly."

Sam was panicking. He didn't know where that footage of him stabbing Lawrence had gone, it was all set up to go to her phone so why hadn't it? Where else had it gone or could it go? His mind jumped from person to person but he had to know who, to rid it. He was impatient, obsessive with things being eprfect and it was far from perfect right now. She'd see Angelo and he kept checking the location of her phone. The hospital. It just kept lingering at the hospital. It was Cade's call to leave it there, make it look like she was just being kept longer or that she was waiting, if Sam made any communication Cade would be the first to know but he didn't make any communication. He was racking his mind, trying to find a solution. "Make a mistake, Eden." he growled, swigging back another shot of whisky, pacing through his apartment. There were five laptops, open and set up across his coffee table, each one displaying the camera's in the bakery.. all except the one she'd sabotaged, the overlooked camera.

He ran his hands through his floppy waves of dark hair, squeezing his hands into the tufts. He was angry, it was building.. and he had to think straight. He needed Eden back in her cage, a thumping and panicking little rabbit. "You'll make a mistake." he as good as growling. "And I will be waiting." he left all the laptops open, disappearing into the bathroom, a cold shower should fix his mind however on his way he couldn't help but swipe a few ornaments from a surface side and let them smash. Thankfully Eden hadn't drawn blood when she smashed his head with a vase or this would be far worse, it'd only bruised his forehead.

Angelo was lost in the swirl of his own emotions—anger, pain, betrayal, and the ever-present haze of alcohol clouding his judgment. His focus was so narrow that he couldn’t see beyond his own suffering. Eden’s injuries, her terror, and the nightmare she had endured at the hands of Sam were all overshadowed by his own spiraling thoughts of how he had been wronged. It was as if he was trapped in a loop of self-pity and anger, unable to break free. Agatha, watching this unfold, felt a surge of frustration, even anger herself. How could Angelo be so blind? How could he not see the fear and pain etched on Eden’s face? Her protective instincts kicked in, and she fought the urge to physically shake some sense into him.

Instead, she channeled her anger into action. With a determined glare, she grabbed Eden’s phone, flipping through it with a practiced eye. It didn’t take long before she found what she was looking for—the phone was being tracked, every movement, every message siphoned off to another device. It was clear evidence that Sam had been manipulating and controlling Eden, more insidiously than Angelo could have imagined. Angelo’s rage and frustration were palpable, but Agatha’s calm, measured actions cut through the tension in the room. As she held up Eden’s phone, showing clear evidence that it was being tracked and leaking data to another device, his furious expression faltered for a moment. "It's being tracked, Angelo. If you don't believe her, then at least believe a detective's insight," Agatha said firmly, her tone leaving no room for denial. Angelo’s eyes locked onto the phone, his breath hitching as the reality of the situation started to pierce through his haze of anger and alcohol. The proof was undeniable, and the weight of his misplaced accusations began to sink in. His jaw clenched, his hand trembling slightly as he tried to process what Agatha had revealed.

Angelo stood there, his mind spinning not just from the alcohol, but from the gravity of Eden’s words. The mention of Sam’s threats about videos and images sent a chill down his spine. His reputation, his image—it all seemed so trivial now compared to the damage that had already been done. But it was her question, "Do you have any idea what he tried to do to me?" that cut through the haze. His eyes finally registered the physical evidence of her suffering—the scratches, the bruise, each mark a silent testament to the violence she had endured. He stayed silent, the weight of her words pressing down on him, each one hitting harder than the last. And then, when she said he didn’t love her, it was as if she had driven a knife into his heart. Those words echoed the pain he had felt on that night at the hotel, the night she left without a word, leaving him shattered and alone. He had replayed that moment over and over in his mind, the hurt festering into anger, into bitterness. But now, hearing those same words from her, it felt like that old wound was being torn open all over again.

His jaw clenched tightly as he fought to keep his emotions in check, but it was impossible. The alcohol that had clouded his judgment now served to amplify the storm of feelings swirling inside him. He could see her pain, feel it as if it were his own, but he didn’t know how to respond. He was a chaotic mess, torn between the urge to lash out in defense and the desperate need to reach out to her, to somehow make things right. But how could he? How could he possibly make amends for what he had allowed to happen? The realization that he had failed her—that his love had not been enough to protect her—was unbearable. He wanted to say something, anything to break the silence that stretched between them, but the words wouldn’t come. His gaze, once hardened with anger, now softened with regret, lingering on the bruises that marred her skin. The same bruises that he should have prevented, had he been there, had he not let his own pain consume him.

Agatha's frown deepened as she watched Eden leave the room, fully aware that Cade was barely holding his anger in check. She could sense the tension rising, like a storm about to break, and her heart ached for her friend. But she also knew that Cade had reached his limit, and when he finally exploded, shoving Angelo against the wall, she wasn’t surprised. She was only surprised it hadn't happened sooner. Angelo, despite his larger frame, was caught completely off guard. He hadn't expected Cade to lash out so suddenly, and the impact against the wall knocked the breath out of him. He grunted in pain, his reflexes dulled by the alcohol that had clouded his senses for weeks. He instinctively tried to push Cade away, his large fingers wrapping around Cade's wrist in an attempt to assert control, but that control slipped away the moment Cade revealed the truth: Eden was pregnant.

The words hit Angelo like a sledgehammer. His grip on Cade's wrist softened, and his entire body froze, the implications of those words sinking in. Pregnant. Eden was pregnant, and he had been too consumed by his own demons to even notice. His mind tried to process the revelation, but everything else Cade said became a blur—his focus locked on that single, life-altering fact. A child that could be brought into his world that could carry his own blood. When Cade jerked him, forcing him to pay attention, Angelo’s eyes widened. The barrage of accusations—about his drinking, about how Sam had laid a hand on Eden, about how she had become a wounded, defenseless version of herself—all began to register. Each word was like a dagger, cutting through the thick fog of anger and bitterness that had been clouding his judgment. Booze. Pregnant. Laid a hand. Wounded kitten without claws. Fuck. He hadn't realized until that moment that every single day of drinking litres of alcohol had messed him up.

When Cade demanded that Angelo clean up his act—get a shower, shave, and return to the man he once was—Angelo found himself unable to immediately respond. His gaze drifted away, focusing instead on Lawrence, who lay unconscious on the hospital bed. The rhythmic beeping of the monitor was the only sound punctuating the tense silence. For a brief moment, Angelo attempted to gather his scattered thoughts, searching for clarity in the midst of his inner turmoil. But when Cade pushed further, stating that Angelo didn’t deserve to be a father, something inside Angelo snapped. He whipped his head toward Cade, anger flaring in his eyes. Summoning what little strength he had left, Angelo shoved Cade back, his palms forceful against Cade’s chest. "Who the fuck are you to talk, Sabelle?" Angelo spat, his voice seething with rage. "Or have you forgotten that easily that you're just like me? That we can both kill and hurt that easily."

His words were sharp, cutting deep as Agatha stepped forward, determined to intervene. "Cade is nothing like you, Angelo. He's moved on from that life, and he knows how to be a father, the best father, and the best partner. What you said to Eden? That was completely hurtful, and you—" But Angelo interrupted her, his frustration boiling over. "You haven't been abandoned, Agatha!" His voice was loud, filled with irritation. "It all comes down to when you think that you've had the love of your life back, but the next morning you realize the world is the same shit it was before because she's not in it. Because she left. You don't fucking understand what I went through, so I suggest you both shut the fuck up."

The room was thick with tension as Angelo turned back to Cade, his voice lowering but still carrying the weight of his anger and regret. "I know I fucked up, Sabelle. That much I'm aware of by now, and I'm willing to make amends because, believe it or not, I love Eden." His confession was raw, unfiltered, and desperate—a plea for understanding, if not forgiveness. Angelo knew he had let his pain and anger consume him, driving a wedge between him and everyone he cared about. But beneath all the rage and bitterness, his love for Eden remained, a stubborn flicker in the darkness that he couldn’t extinguish, no matter how much he tried to bury it. His gaze widened upon realizing he'd openly said it. The words she needed to hear, but she wasn't in the room to hear them.

[messers-moony]

Accepted | F.H

Paring: Five Hargreeves X Wife!Reader

Summary: Five craves nothing more than to be accepted and loved by his siblings. That doesn’t appear to happen when he time travels back to 2019 after disappearing for seventeen years.

Five had never seen anyone so beautiful before. Even in the apocalypse, she was gorgeous. He knew it wasn’t because they were the only ones left either. She had his heart from the moment they accidentally ended up in the apocalypse together.

Y/n was a normal girl, an ordinary girl. She had no powers, completely powerless. It just so happens she was walking down the sidewalk and brushed shoulders with Five, which brought her with him.

He couldn’t be mad at her. It wasn’t her fault that they had brushed shoulders. He should’ve been more careful. Y/n was a shy and skittish girl. Not very talkative. It took her a week to use her voice after being thrown into the end of the world.

Despite Five’s commonly inpatient nature, he was extremely patient with her. She was all he had now, and he felt completely comfortable with her. It took a year for her to open up to him, to trust him finally.

She told him all about school and what it was like while Five listened intently. He loved listening to her talk about normal kid activities, things he never got to participate in. Y/n promised him once they got back to save the world, no matter how old, they’d do those things together.

The girl had a certain aura around her that just made him smile. After five years, they were inseparable. Five couldn’t imagine life without her. He couldn’t fathom how he lived without her. He could tell her anything and didn’t fear of being judged.

He had been strong for so long, but not he didn’t have to be anymore. He could let loose and be himself, whether it was being playful, cheerful, upset, or angry. He could be him, and that’s all that mattered to him.

At the age of twenty, they decided to date, knowing it’d be a risk but a risk well taken because Five proposed at the age of twenty-five. Obviously, getting married wasn’t really an option. Nevertheless, he always thought of her as Y/n Hargreeves. His pride and joy.

At the age of forty-one, they were both taken into the commission– a job they both loathed. However, in order to get back to their time, it had to be done. Every night after a mission or a long day, Five would snuggle up Y/n’s chest and sob.

It became a daily routine for the next four and a half years. Every night Five would cry. He missed everything and hated everything. He regretted not listening. He hated the killing. He missed his siblings. Y/n would sit and listen while rubbing his back.

She thought for sure that his siblings missed him. Oh, how wrong she was. She found that out when they returned back to their timeline. Both lovers had fallen to the ground back in their thirteen-year-old bodies.

“ Does anyone else see Little Number Five and a little girl, or is that just me? “ A male queried as five people peered at the two.

Y/n and Five both got up from the ground looking down at their attire. Their clothes were ten times too big for them now. Five appeared to look just as young as he did forty-five years ago, and so did Y/n. Five couldn’t help but smile at her gorgeous appearance that he hadn’t seen in years. She was beautiful at all ages, but he was particularly fond of her teenage form, as was she of him.

“ Shit. “ Five muttered as he walked past them, and Y/n followed.

Five led her into the Hargreeves manor. It was a huge house, one that consisted of too many bedrooms and bathrooms for one person. He held her hand tight, and he stood at the end of the table. At the same time, his siblings piled around the table.

“ What’s the date? The exact date. “ Five’s voice was stern as he began making food, “ The 24th. “ A brunette female responded.

“ Of what? “ Five asked, annoyed, “ March. “ She replied again.

“ Good. “ Five said, opening the loaf of bread.

“ Are you gonna introduce us to your lady friend? “ The male from earlier questioned, and Y/n took refuge behind Five.

Five sighed as he pulled her next to him, letting his arm rest upon her waist, “ This, is Y/n Hargreeves. “

“ Hargreeves? Is she dad’s biological child, or was there another child we didn’t know about? “ The big male quizzed, and Five smirked, looking up at his siblings, “ Or perhaps the most obvious conclusion, but you guys aren’t smart enough to see what’s right in front of you. “ Five insulted, which made Y/n lightly hit him.

“ She’s my wife. “ The boy summarized, kissing her cheek, “ Wife?! You guys are thirteen. “ A woman in a blue shirt interjected.

“ Ignore that. What just happened outside? “ A large male queried as Five continued to make his food, “ It’s been 17 years. “

Five scoffed, “ It’s been a lot longer than that. “

Gently Five removed his arm from Y/n’s waist, and spatial jumped behind Luther to grab something. Y/n was hesitant but took a seat on the counter as her husband's siblings stared her down

“ I haven’t missed that. “ The big male murmured, “ Where’d you go? “ Questioned a male in all black.

“ The future. It’s shit, by the way. “ Five replied as he spatial jumped from getting his marshmallows and back to the front of the table, “ Called it! “ The skinny male exclaimed

“ I should’ve listened to the old man. You know, jumping through space is one thing. “ The teen began as he looks through the fridge, “ Jumping through time is a toss of the dice. “

The boy looked up from what he was doing and took his sibling's appearances in, the ones he missed dearly but saw all dead. If you were Y/n, you could see his green eyes glass over. But if you were the Hargreeves siblings, you saw a heartless and cold teenage boy.

“ Nice dress. “ He complimented, “ Oh, well, danke! “ The skinny male exclaimed.

“ Wait, how did you get back? “ Asked the anxious brunette, “ In the end, I had to project our consciousnesses forward into a suspended quantum state version of ourselves that exists across every possible instance of time. “ Five answered.

“ That makes no sense. “ Blurted the black-wearing male, “ Well, it would if you were smarter. “ Five smirked.

“ Five, stop. They’re trying to understand. You probably sound insane. “ Y/n spoke up for the first time since coming back, “ Oh, I like her. “ The skinny male chuckled.

“ I’m Klaus. “ He introduced, “ Pleasure. “ Y/n greeted with a smile.

The strong male looked baffled, “ How long were you two there? “

Y/n sighed, “ Forty-Five years. Give or take. “ Five answered, “ So what are you saying? That you two are 58? “ He questioned again.

“ Our consciences are 58, apparently our bodies are 13 again. “ The teen boy answered, “ Wait, how does that even work? “ Questioned the brunette again.

“ He got the equations wrong. Meaning his math was off, bringing us back into the same bodies we left in. “ Y/n softly explained as Five ate his food.

“ Guess I missed the funeral. “ Five said as he picked up a newspaper on the table, “ How’d you even know about that? “ Asked the large male.

“ What part of the future do you not understand? “ Five barked, “ Heart failure, huh? “

“ Yeah/No. “ Contradicting answers.

“ Nice to see nothings changed. “ Five said, clicking his tongue, walking away.

“ Uh, that’s it? That’s all you have to say? “ Questioned the curly-haired woman asked the boy who was walking away.

“ What else is there to say? It’s the circle of life. “ Five said now out of the room and into the rest of the mansion.

“ Well, that was interesting. “ The big male concluded.

Y/n sighed, “ I’m sorry for him. The past few years for him haven’t been the greatest. Just know he cares about you guys. “

“ I’m Vanya. “ Smiled the anxious brunette, “ And that’s Allison, Luther, and Diego. Klaus interjected earlier. “ Vanya introduced, pointing at each member.

“ Nice to meet you all. I’m going to go find Five. “ Y/n smiled as she walked away.

It took a couple of minutes, but she eventually found what seemed to be like their bedrooms. Only one door was shut, so she knocked hesitantly on it. Sniffles were heard on the other side.

“ Five, it’s me. “ Her voice was serene and quiet, “ Come in. “ His voice was muffled through the door.

Her hand turned the door handle, and she walked inside. Gently she shut the bedroom door and locked it, knowing he hated people seeing him vulnerable. Y/n turned to see him sitting on his bed with his elbows resting on his knees, hands on his face crying.

She knelt in front of him, taking his hands into her own, “ They don’t care. “ Were the first words muttered from his mouth, “ They do care. They’re just confused. “ Y/n replied.

He shook his head and sat on the floor in her embrace, sobbing, “ It’s going to be okay, Five. I’m right here. I’ll always be right here. “ Y/n reassured as she ran her hands through his hair.

She felt a gentle kiss being laid on her shoulder, knowing it was his way of acknowledging what she said. After minutes passed, he had stopped crying and instead fell asleep, right in his lover's arms where he was always accepted.