#like ma'am you can say whatever you want but be wary of when

[catierambles]

The hostess of the restaurant was still talking to the uniformed officers as Walter walked into the dining area. He saw the body right away, a young man, maybe mid-twenties, laying amidst overturned tables and shattered glasses. The slash marks in his chest were readily apparent, but even from his vantage point, he could tell they looked charred around the edges. The body was twisted unnaturally, limbs obviously broken.

Another Lieutenant came up to him and Walter looked at him.

"We have an ID?" He asked and he nodded.

"Already ran it. Came back with an outstanding warrant for petty theft."

"Who found the body?" Walter asked.

"The hostess." He said, "She called 911."

"Anyone else here?"

"The owner of the restaurant." He said, "He's in his office and is refusing to speak to anyone."

"I've heard of him and this place. Reservation only, and they're booked out months in advance." Walter said, "He never does any interviews in any food magazines. Bit of a recluse."

"My wife and I managed to get a reservation for our anniversary, and I had to book it almost a year in advance." The Lieutenant said, "The food is fantastic. A damn religious experience. Portions were generous but not overwhelming, and it didn't break the bank."

"Probably why this place is so popular." Walter said, "Let's talk with the hostess, see what she can tell us." They walked over to her, and Walter dismissed the uniforms. "Ma'am, how're you doing?"

"Still shaken up." She admitted, rubbing her arms as is she were cold. "I've never seen a dead body before and he's..."

"I understand." Walter said sympathetically. "He was already dead when you got here?"

"I had to come back for something, and I found him. Mr. Tia locked himself in his office and told me to call 911." She said.

"Was he the only one here?" The other Lieutenant asked, and she nodded.

"It's not uncommon for him to stay late after we've closed for the night, and everyone has left." She said.

"Ma'am we need to talk to him, get his version of events." The Lieutenant said.

"I can ask him--"

"We need to hear it from him." He said, starting to sound annoyed, "I understand he doesn't like talking to people, but there's a man dead on his dining room floor. His privacy doesn't matter right now."

"Let me talk to him first." She said, "He's wary around strangers."

"Take too long, and we'll drag him into the station." The Lieutenant said and she walked away towards the back of the restaurant.

"Bit heavy handed, don't you think?" Walter asked.

"He was the only one here, Marshall. Chances are he killed the guy."

"I'm not saying it doesn't look good for him, but maybe get his side first before jumping to conclusions?" Marshall suggested, and the hostess came back out.

"He's agreed to meet with you." She said, "But only one of you. Him." She pointed at Walter briefly. "He was watching on the security cameras and didn't like your aggressive body language towards me."

"It doesn't matter what he--"

"If that's what he wants, I have no problem with it." Walter said, "Stay here and wait for the medical examiner."

"Whatever." The Lieutenant scoffed, and Walter gestured for the hostess to go first, letting her lead him through to the back of the restaurant. They stopped at an office door and she knocked on it gently.

"Mr. Tia, it's Evelyn again. I have the police officer who wanted to talk to you."

"Mr. Tia, I'm Lieutenant Marshall. Can I ask you some questions about what happened tonight?" There was a pause.

"Come in." Said the deep, masculine voice, and she pushed open the door. He was sitting at his desk, and Walter stopped in the doorway, looking at him with wide eyes. He was slight of frame, probably shorter than him when standing, but what stood out most was the feline ears poking through his dark hair at the top of his head, and when he looked at him, Walter could see how his vivid purple eyes were vertically slitted, faint markings around them with stripes curving down his tan cheeks.

The ears drooped a little and tilted back at Walter's reaction to him and he sighed.

"Now, do you see why I seclude myself, Lieutenant?" He asked.

"What are you?"

"Not of your world." He said, "Please, come in. You said you had questions, and I would answer them sooner rather than later."

[starlahuskyz]

"Ask me about Jordan"

YES MA'AM

How does she get along with each of the boys? Does she get along with Star and or Laddie? What's her reaction to the Emersons + Frog Bros? If she were canon, would she die in the movie like the boys? (Also the thought of her going into a blind blood boiling rage after Marko’s death has a GRIP on me)

So sorry if it's too much no need to answer em all! Just pick oje to your liking if you want! ^^ 💜💜💜💜

>:D

Starting with David, he's able to tolerate her but she has an attitude like Marko so she can be a bit of a smartass sometimes. Whenever she pulls that shit with him he might snap at her but she could give less of a shit. She doesn't hate him but she really pushes her luck with him a lot just to see what his limits are like. But overall, David treats her the best he can because Marko won't tolerate David being mean to her.

Moving onto Dwayne, he's pretty impassive at first but he soon grows to like her more. While she tends to have a wild side to her compared to most other girls he's met, she's also fairly grounded and isn't completely dense which is a nice change for him. He also admires how well she gets along with Laddie. Also bonus points cuz he has a skating buddy now :)

Paul and Jordan are two halves of a whole moron, Paul loves getting absolutely zonked with her and having really stupid conversations that soon turn existential really fast. And if they aren't doing that they are blasting music on the rock box being an absolute nuisance to everyone else. Sometimes he'll ask her to draw shit on his arms just for the funsies.

Do I even need to say anything about how Marko feels? He was fairly enamored by her at first glance, but after having a few convos with her, he became head over heels for her. He would do anything for her, he would kill anyone who even looks at her wrong. They both have fiery attitudes and can get into very and I mean VERY stupid arguments that end in the occasional fight but it always ends with them making up in the end and then usually laughing about it. She ends up loving him more than she thought she would after he proves that he can be trusted and that he means no harm (poor girl has trust issues after her previous relationship). Basically they are the crazy ass couple you don't fuck with.

Star didn't know what to think of her when she first met her. She was a little wary of her because she almost seemed like bad news going off of first impressions. But she ended up warming up to her as she proved to be a lot nicer than she initially thought. As for Jordan, she was kinda nervous to talk to her because she could tell she wasn't a fan of her being in the cave. (also she was flustered by how pretty she was) They both could bond together having girl talk which soon led to how Jordan ended up getting her ear pierced with the lil rubber ducky.

Laddie sees Jordan as the crazy asf older sister like how Paul is the crazy asf older brother. Whenever Laddie is feeling down, Jordan will do whatever it takes to make him feel better. Jordan sometimes babysits him and they end up watching MTV in her room at her house. Although she gets reckless with him sometimes, like skateboarding through Santa Carla with him holding onto her back for dear life as she weaved through traffic and almost sent hem off a cliff. Dwayne wasn't too happy but by the end, Laddie told Jordan that it was better than any ride he's ever been on at the boardwalk.

(At this point my usual headcanon is that the emersons and frogs had went through the whole incident but it ended in a truce between humans and vamps, so I will be going off of of that for now.)

Jordan met the frogs even before she was a vamp so they had prior interaction, it was mostly just them having stupid back and forths about nonsense, and even when she became a vamp...that didn't really change anything. The frogs are mostly just wary of her and don't completely trust her, especially after hearing she was hanging with the Lost Boys. Jordan will sometimes enter their shop to ask them occasional questions about vampires cuz she knows jack shit about them. And when they aren't in the shop, they are hanging with Sam. This ends in Jordan opening Sam's window unannounced as they are doing god knows what which scares the shit out of all of them.

Speaking of which Sam is fine with her, but hates how unpredictable she can be sometimes. Entering his home unannounced is one example, sometimes she may need to talk to one of the emersons about something so what does she do? Enter through Sam's window... Every. Single. Time. Even with that though, they still are cool with each other. Jordan sometimes brings him a comic he was be looking for just for compensation.

Michael and Jordan are apart of the "Manipulated into drinking blood by an attractive guy" club. So they tend to talk about their frustrations and they seem to relate to each other quite a bit more than they ever thought they would. They are both just losers, but they are losers who have each other.

Lucy reminds Jordan of her own mother a whole lot, so she tries to be nice to her as much as possible. Sometimes for days when she shows up unannounced, she'll talk to Lucy if she senses something wrong with her. Sometimes her kids get distant so it's nice to have Jordan to talk to and vent to.

Grandpa scares the shit out of Jordan, he will say something that comes off as a threat to her, but ends up laughing about it saying he's just messing with her. Jordan doesn't know if he really is though...

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

Now if she was a canon character, she would die trying to avenge Marko. As for how she would die, it would probably be after she does something impulsive out of blind rage. Like she's goes after Sam but ends up getting caught up in a bunch up wires and cable which she tries to escape from by biting them. Sam tries to warn her not to do that but it's too late and she suffers a similar fate to Dwayne. Sam almost feels bad because she was only trying to avenge her lover who they took away from her, and her own death wasn't even his own doing.

Hope that answers ur questions :3

[pearbearwrites]

School sucks.

Julien knows that it's not some new or extraordinary revelation, but still, being nine years old and forced to spend eight hours a day crammed into a classroom with twenty other stupid stinky nine-year-olds sucks.

He could be reading about dinosaurs. Or watching Jurassic Park. Or drawing dinosaurs. Or finishing that dinosaur sculpture for his dad, who is awesome and also loves dinosaurs. But no, school is "important" or whatever.

Julien really thinks school should have more dinosaurs.

"Honey, school is important," Mom reminds him while he eats his oatmeal and makes dinosaur shapes with his blueberries, "you can't get a job if you don't go to school."

"But I wanna play with dinosaurs," Julien reminds her. Sometimes Mom can be really dumb.

"Playing with dinosaurs isn't a job, sweetie. Now eat your food before it gets cold."

Julien pouts, but eats his food. He hopes they talk about dinosaurs in science class today. That would show Mom.

Julien hates the bus. It's loud and smelly and sometimes the other kids throw things at him. He has to keep the dinosaur Mom lets him bring in his bag because then Tucker might steal it and make fun of him for it and call him weird.

Tucker's a big bully. Julien thinks he'd be more fun to be around if he liked dinosaurs.

Tucker ends up stealing his dinosaur during lunch and throwing it into the trash can and laughing when Julien gets upset. Tucker doesn't even get in trouble.

"But he threw it away and it was mine!" Julien says to Miss Buck, trying very hard not to cry.

"Well, I guess that'll teach you not to bring your toys to school anymore. And you get a time out for the rest of the class for yelling at me."

"But I wasn't-"

"Do you want to make it no recess and a call home?"

Julien wipes the tears from his face. Stupid Miss Buck. No wonder mean Tucker calls her Miss Butt. "No, ma'am."

"That's what I thought. Now come on, we've got lots of stuff to learn."

To make matters worse, they don't talk about dinosaurs in science class, just stupid stinky flowers and stupid stinky pollen. Julien doesn't pay attention from his time-out spot, just draws dinosaurs on the paper he's supposed to take notes on. When Miss Buck sees, she yells at him and tells him that he won't get recess and it won't just be a phone call home, it'll be a note that he has to get signed.

Stupid stinky Miss Butt. Julien hopes the pollen she talks about makes her sneeze.

Julien has to sit at the picnic table while the other kids get to run and play. He doesn't even get a pencil and a piece of paper to draw with, he just has to sit and watch. He does manage to find a stick and starts to draw a t-rex in the sandy dirt, but Miss Buck blows her whistle at him and tells him to stop. Stupid stinky Miss Butt and her stupid stinky whistle.

"That's a cool dino." Someone says from behind him, startling Julien. It's a boy from the other fourth-grade class, Mr. Applegate. "Did you draw it?"

"Yeah," Julien says, defensive. This boy might be a bully. "So?"

"It's awesome. I love dinos."

Julien doesn't say anything.

"They're so cool. I really wish I could see one in real life." The boy plops down next to Julien on the bench. "Could you teach me how to draw one?"

"I dunno," Julien answers, still upset that Miss Buck won't let him draw and still wary of the new boy.

"I'm Patrick, by the way. Your name's Julien, right?"

"Yeah."

Patrick doesn't seem to be dissuaded by Julien's lack of interest. Instead, he reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out...Julien's dinosaur!

Julien snatches it from Patrick's hand, suddenly angry. "Where did you get this?"

"I saw Tucker put it in the trash at lunch. I knew it belonged to you, and it was just on top, so I grabbed it before the lunch ladies threw it away. I even washed it off in the bathroom."

Julien examines the dinosaur. It seems to be fine, a little damp from being washed, but nothing too bad. He cradles it to his chest, then stuffs the dinosaur back into his pocket.

"Why did you get it? It was in the garbage and you don't know me."

"Well, Tucker's a big bully," Patrick says, as if it's the simplest thing in the world, "and maybe I wanted to be friends with the strange kid from the other class who draws awesome dinos."

Julien shrinks away from Patrick. "You think I'm strange?"

"Well, yeah. It's okay, though. I'm strange too." Patrick gives a big smile, showing off a missing tooth close to the back of his mouth. "We can be strange together."

Julien looks at the dinosaur in his hands, then back at Patrick. "I can teach you how to draw dinosaurs."

Patrick's grin gets even bigger. "Really?"

Julien nods his head, but before he can answer, Miss Buck blows her whistle and yells at Patrick to stop talking to him. Patrick sticks his tongue out at her, but stands up anyway. "I gotta go. I'll talk to you after school in the bus line, okay?"

"Yeah," Julien says as Patrick runs back to the playground, "okay."

Maybe being strange isn't such a bad thing after all.

“You think I’m strange?”

“Yeah? It’s ok, though. I’m strange too.” He smiled over at them. “We can be strange together!”

[thecherrygod]

my grandma thought she was going to sound like the nicest and most hardworking grandma bc she tried to make mashed potatoes for herself and one of my brothers and instead she ended up looking worse bc my other brother heard her and is complaining she didnt cook for him when hes clearly the “superior brother”

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Crisis Redo Pt 12

Kara arrives at Lena's house at five til six. When she knocks, Elizabeth voice calls out that it's open. When Kara enters, she finds Elizabeth pulling a casserole out of the oven.

She kicks the over door closed with one foot, and shoots Kara a sour glance. "She's out back," she says briefly. "Brooding. Again."

Kara nods, hesitant and nervous.

Elizabeth sets the casserole on the stove and turns, planting her hands on her hips. "I don't like it when my daughter doesn't talk to me, Miss Danvers. So whatever happened between the two of you this afternoon..." An oven mitt comes up to jab forcefully into Kara's chest. "Work it out."

"Yes, ma'am," Kara returns quietly.

Elizabeth nods, then waves her on. "You all have ten minutes while this cools."

So dismissed, Kara sneaks out the back door. Lena is seated in one of the rockers, and Kara drags the other until they're roughly facing each other. Then she sits, and rests her elbows on her knees.

"You kissed me," Kara delivers softly.

"I did," Lena returns plainly.

Kara blinks. She didn't think it would be so easy to begin this conversation. "Why?"

"Why do you think?"

From anyone else, it might have sounded combative, but Lena's voice remains soft and even, peaceful. As though the answer should be as plain as day.

Which, to be fair, it is.

"Why now?" Kara pushes.

At that, Lena pauses. She takes a deep breath, and releases it slowly. She continues to gently rock in her chair, the wood creaking steadily beneath her.

"Once upon a time, I was a very unhappy woman. My entire life was one of denial. From others, and from myself. Good things came so rarely I couldn't trust that they would last, and when one good thing came and stubbornly refused to leave, I knew I couldn't do anything to risk losing her."

Lena shrugs. "But that's not my life anymore. I don't trim parts of myself away to be more palatable for others. I don't deny myself what I want. I love who I love-- unapologetically."

Kara looks at her, and sees the truth of her words. Lena isn't nervous, isn't wary. She simply is-- in her entirety. All of a sudden, Kara feels envious.

"You don't have to feel the same," Lena continues. "I can mourn my feelings and move on. That can be that."

Kara cracks a small grin. "That easy, huh?"

"That easy. Well," Lena hedges, "my mom my hex you for a bit, but it'll pass."

Unable to fight the giggle the rises in her throat, Kara laughs, ducking her head. When she looks up again, Lena is watching her with a gentle smile.

"What if I do?" Kara asks, the words sticking in her throat. "What if I do feel the same?"

Lena's head tilts. "What then indeed."

It's an invitation for Kara to set the pace. She has no doubt that Lena will correct her if necessary, but the prospect of moving so quickly gives Kara enough whiplash that she balks of her own volition.

"I think..." Kara says carefully, "that we should work to be better friends... before we try to be something else. Even though I do look forward to see what that something else looks like."

Lena nods. Then she waits, as if sensing that Kara has more on her mind. She does.

"And I want us to talk. About what happened. Things feel... better, between us, but... I don't think we'll really move forward until we actually talk about it."

For a long moment, Lena regards her without a word. Then, her chin tilts up, and she nods. "Your terms are agreeable."

Kara jolts, then laughs. "It's not a business transaction, Lena!"

A dark eyebrow quirks upwards, a smile teasing on Lena's lips. "Isn't it? You're bargaining with a witch, after all."

Rolling her eyes, Kara stands, extending her hand down to Lena. "Only for my own heart," she says softly. "No biggie."

Lena accepts the hand up, unfolding her legs and rising to join Kara on two feet. There they pause for a moment, as Kara searches for any hint of distress or mistrust in Lena. Though she finds none, she still has to ask.

"Are we okay?"

Lena gives their joined hands a squeeze.

"For now."

---

Dinner passes quietly. Elizabeth studies the both of them, but says nothing about anything she might sense between them. Kara volunteers to wash up after, only to be shooed away.

"Elizabeth, come on, let me help," Kara insists. "It's the least I can do for all the food you've been letting me eat."

"Nonsense," Elizabeth returns. "And please, call me Lizzie. Now, you two girls go have a walk outside."

Kara shoots Lena a look, and sees Lena frown. "It's too cold."

"Oh, no!" Elizabeth feigns distress, "whatever shall a witch do?"

Kara snorts. Lena groans.

"Fine," she capitulates. "Kara, get your coat."

Kara obeys, and waits while Lena fishes her keys from the bowl.

"Bye!" Lena bellows as she heads out.

Kara waves back towards the kitchen. "Bye, Lizzie!"

"Bye Kara, don't let my daughter bully you!"

Lena slams the door shut before clomping her way off the porch. Kara follows, still delighted by the way the two women playfully tease each other. Lillian Luthor would never.

As they walk towards the main road that leads into town, Kara watches Lena rub her hands together, then cup them over her mouth as she whispers a quiet spell into her palms.

When she pulls her hands away, a ball of flame ignites in her cupped palms. Lena closes her eyes and inhales slowly. As she does, the flames slowly melt into the flesh of her palms the magic visibly spreading through the rest of her body. When it's finished, Lena hums contentedly, before clasping Kara's hand amiably.

Her skin is warm to the touch, as unbothered by the cold as Kara's.

"So... you like being a Walsh, huh," Kara comments. Lena hums. "What's your favorite part?"

Lena shrugs, her breath misting in the night air. "Well, my mom has never once forgotten my birthday, and it only goes up from there."

A familiar pang of sadness stabs through Kara's heart of the reminder of Lena's old life. How little Lillian and the rest of her family seemed to care for the amazing person Lena was.

"I don't know," Lena continues, her voice soft. "I never really cared for the priviledge being a Luthor afforded me, and now that I've seen who I am without it, I know I never needed it. And I'll admit things between my mom and I haven't always been perfect, but... my worst days as a Walsh have always been better than my best as a Luthor."

Kara bumps her with a shoulder. "She really loves you. She worries about you."

Lena nods. "Yeah. I know she's noticed that something is different since I went to National City, but... I don't want to tell her the truth."

"Why not?"

"What would it do but make her sad? Sad that she died, sad that I was miserable with the man who abandoned me the moment he knew I was going to exist? Sad that I know what it's like lose everyone I've ever cared about? Why would I want to put that on her?"

Kara shrugs slowly. "Maybe so that you don't have to carry it alone."

Lena doesn't respond except to walk a little closer, their shoulders brushing on every step. They spend the rest of their walk in silence, with nothing but the stars as their witness.

[harveywritings92]

BNHA vampire soulmate scenario: you see them again/ they introduce themselves.

 They find you and don't leave you alone.

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

Dabi: It had been almost a month since the 7/11 incident, Dabi kept his distance watching and protecting you from the shadows, That all change today, he was watching your house from the old abandoned grocery store-across the road from your bar (your house is on top of the bar). He noticed you haven't step outside for almost two days, Dabi frowned as he step out of his hideout and as soon as he got close enough to your home his nose scrunched up as he was hit by a fowl stench: he made a disgusted noise... it was like mix of rotten milk and cantaloupe...

You were sick! but that wouldn't explain your lack of activity...unless- Dabi felt his stomach drop into his feet he checked the gargoyle you keep by the door for your spare key, he unlocked the door and walked inside your house and found you passed out on the floor at the bottom of your stairs! he rush over crouched down to check on you... he put his hand on your neck, Fuck your skin was like a furnace. "What the fuck do I do?" he hissed picking you up of the floor and putting you on the couch in your living room.

You wheezed in protest feeling your body being lifted away from the nice cold floor, your eyes opened straining to see who had moved you? but all you could see was a black and purple blob looking down at you; before moving away from sight as your overheated mind tried to comprehend what was happening, Who was that? How did they get in... but soon you drifted back into unconsciousness, and felt something cold on the back of your head...

You woke up disoriented and very confuse you looked around and you were still in your Livingroom... with half melted bag of frozen carrots resting behind your neck and another bag of frozen corn shoved down your shirt, which bewildered you the last thing you remembered was trying to crawl upstairs and go to your room, than nothing. You heard someone clear their throat and looked next to you to find a man who looked like a ragdoll was sitting in your recliner watching you...

"Who the fuc-" you croaked only for the guy to thrust a yellow pill and a glass of water towards you. "Take this first.." he muttered as you eyed the pill suspiciously "patchy" rolled his eyes at your wariness. "It's just Tylenol." he put the glass on the coffee table and showed you the box, "If I wanted to hurt you, wouldn't I have done it already?" he stated as you hesitantly took the pill and the water from him and swallowed it trying not to gag as it went down your throat. "Who are you?" you hissed voice still hoarse trying not to show fear, which was in vain as Patchy's cerulean eyes lit up in amusement seeing through your bluff. "I have several names, but these days I go by Dabi." he said waiting for your reaction but, to his utter astonishment you clearly had no idea who he was... "ok..."Dabi" How did you get into my house?" you huffed as Dabi gave you this unimpressed look. 

"Y'know the whole reason for hiding a key, is to not make it obvious."

"What are you talking about? What key?"

"Yeah, good one...the key under the gargoyle."

"...I don't keep a key under my gargoyle."

You say watching Dabi's expression shift to confusion as the scarred man pulled the the duplicate key from his pocket, he showed it to you and your stomach felt like it was full of rocks... that was definitely your house key!... But, it looked newer, shinier then the one in your purse. "You don't recognize this?" Dabi asked feeling your fear which caused his instincts go haywire wanting to remove whatever caused the distress, as you shook your head insisting you've never owned a spare key!

Dabi took a sharp breath through his nose, taking it in all the scents around the house before picking up faint traces of a another male... Dabi let out a low inhuman growl as he relaxed against into the recliner. "Good news doll, you gotta a new roommate." Your mouth opened to protest, but something in the deep crevices of your soul was telling you to trust the scarred man as he played around with the duplicate key. with a feral glint in his eye. "Bad news is... It's gonna suck for whoever the hell pissed me off." his purred flashing his fangs at you.  

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

Hawks: You were at work it had been to weeks since Hawks showed up on your doorstep, let's just it didn't go so well... It was like in the movies you opened the door saw the blond vampire standing there, you gasped, screamed and fainted scaring the crap out of the poor guy! At the moment he was currently loitering outside the gym you were teaching at, he could hear some of your students parents talking about you.

"It's waste I tell you, someone with her Quirk should've gone pro!" A woman said in a snarky tone the man next to her nodded. " I agree. if I had a Quirk like L/n-san I would be saving lives and kicking ass, instead of teaching kids how to dog paddle!" Keigo growled looking up from his phone and spoke up. 

"Yeah...She could've gone pro, but instead she's here teaching your kids not to drown..." 

Both adults froze and saw the number 2 hero glowering at them his wings slightly puffed and raised making him look bigger, They sheepishly apologized and scurried off, Just as you walked out, with an unreadable expression it was obvious you had heard everything just now, but were relucted to say anything as the two of you started the routine of walking home together, you were still on the ropes about Hawks. 

When he first showed up (after you woke up) you freaked out thinking he was there to to silence you and keep his secret, however after calming you down, he started going on about soulmates, blood-bonds and you being his other half, you were very reluctant to believe him after all... the first time you saw him, he was covered in blood feeding off a woman who looked half dead! Hawks seemed genuinely remorseful about you seeing that, it wasn't his intention to scare you, he explained how the woman was fine. 

She wasn't dead like Y/n had thought! he just used his venom to put her into a state of ecstasy... she likely has no idea the winged blond had been drinking her blood, She was at home most likely believing she had a wild night with the number 2 hero. He even showed you the girl's social media account to prove it; There she was doing a bathroom selfie bragging about the wicked "hickey" Hawks had given her...

Now here you are a month later and the vampire hasn't left your side since! Well... Except for when he has to go on patrol, then he has one of his feathers following you, and you have this sinking suspicion that Hawks has been sleeping on your roof at night...though you're never sure, you could hear something rolling around up there but whatever it is, is usually gone by the time you go check it out, later that night Hawks texted you inviting you to dinner, you read the restaurant's name... Dang that's pretty swanky place, you didn't even know if you had a dress or whatever to wear! luckily in the far reaches of your closet you found an old black dress that seemed suitable enough for the job... and sighed. " I only wore this once, to a funeral..." you muttered before getting ready.

You wished you had taken a shot of whiskey before you left the house, you were a ball of shaking anxiety as you entered the restaurant, the hostess eyed you with a unpleasant sneer. "Can I help you?" she said in fake sweet tone. "Y-Y/n L/n, I-I'm here to meet a Mr. T.K.?" you stammered the hostess scrunched her nose as she gave you a once over snorted. 

"I don't know how you found out about his reservation... but I can assure you the number 2 hero doesn't associate with your type." she with sneer your face would would've been flushed with anger if you weren't holding back every fiber in your body to slap that smug smile off that bitch's face. "Well can you go check?" you snapped standing up to your full height which threw the hostess off, she curt nod and walked off into the back...

(Hawks knew you were here he could smell you the second you walked in, his eyes briefly skimmed over the menu as he herd hostess approach, without you... "Sorry about that Hawks." the redhead cooed as the blonde looked at her bemused she snorted. "Some fake (h/c) slut tried to say you were waiting on her-" she continued talking as Keigo talked over her. " I am waiting for Y/n." he stated firmly as the hostess finished what she was saying. "Just let me ask my boss to let me off and we ca..." she trailed off and blinked not believing what she just heard.

"w-What?" she chortled thinking this was a joke as Hawks deadpanned repeating what he said. "I am waiting for Y/n, go get her." it wasn't request the hostess looked like a fish as she stared at the No. 2 slack-jawed. "Bu...You.. I- what about me?!" she sputtered lip quivering like a child who'd been denied candy, the winged man just eyed her incredulously making it clear he doesn't know her. "What are you talking about?" Hostess didn't answer she just stomped away to go get you.)    

A few minutes later she came back all red in the face. "Please follow me ma'am." she huffed now it was your turn to be smug. "Oh?... But I thought the No. 2 hero didn’t associate with my type?" you hissed as she snapped her head up to look at you eyes her brown eyes filled with jealous rage and you realized....It was her. The girl from the park. "My apologies ma'am." she said with a forced cheery tone as she led you to a private booth where Hawks was waiting his wings stood up at full attention as you sat down.

"Hey did you have any trouble?" he asked nodded towards the front desk where the hostess was giving both of of you the stink-eye. "You don't recognize her?" you whispered as Keigo's brow furrowed as he tried to piece it together.... had.. they slept together?...Hmm no, signed her tits? that was a possibility, He hummed scratching his beard You could tell he was drawing blanks. "She's the woman from the night...when we met?" His gold eyes widened.

 "Oh... the blood that tasted like charcoal and moldy bread." he grimaced in disgusted as he finally pieced it together you tilted your head as him bemused. "That’s what smoker's blood taste like...to me anyways, other Vamps have told me it varies." he stated you hummed nodding your head both intrigue and worried that you were getting use to this odd situation.

While you two were going over the menu, Keigo couldn't help but notice how off you were acting, you were fidgeting and looking around almost like you were...scared. why would you scared? all the other girls he'd brough.... Then it hit Keigo like ton of bricks. 

He was treating you like one of his fans! and not his...hopefully soon to be lover, Dammit! He didn't even think about your comfort zones or asked if you wanted to go out and where did you want to go, he just assumed you would jump at the chance, because what girl doesn't want to go on a date with the number two hero?

After a few moments Keigo put the menu down. "Hey...wanna get out of here?" You were about to protest but the blond put his hand up. "Let me rephrase that; Do you want go somewhere else?" you shyly nodded Keigo called the waiter paid for the drink he had earlier and the two of you went on a very simple and impromptu park date involving pizza and an outdoor movie theater that Keigo had no idea existed; all in all he actually had fun! 

And so did you given the joy and admiration he was sensing coming off you in waves. as opposed the fear and defensiveness you usually gave off around him, which made Hawks hopeful for the future... but for now he'll just settle on being friends, He smiled staring at the spare key you gave him, the blond let out a tiny churr feeling giddy as he fell asleep on your couch, as you caught him outside earlier.  

…..Yes, he was totally sleeping on your roof.

[writeforfandoms]

Merry Go Round of Life 7

Find my masterlist

Here we are. Chapter 7. Stuff is happening, we’re getting to see more of plotty stuff. We’re still nowhere near the end, I have Plans still, but! 

This will be Din Djarin x f!reader eventually. Don’t hold your breath folks, this one’s a slow burn. Sort of.

Warnings: Some mild violence. Some magic. 

Taglist: @tibbietibbs​ @fandom-blackhole​ @pedrocentric​ @shoopidly​ @sarahjkl82-blog​ @cannedsoupsucks​ @zinzinina​ @beskarprincessjenny 

In which there is some adventuring

“Now?” you asked, surprised. It wasn’t late, there was still sunlight out, but it wasn’t going to be light for much longer.

“Now,” Djarin confirmed, sweeping over to his work area and starting to gather things up.

A bit perplexed, you picked up the kid and shrugged at Peli. Well, if the wizard said so, it looked like you were going with him. He wouldn’t take the kid anywhere dangerous, which likely meant that, by extension, you’d be fine. 

Djarin nodded when you walked back over to him, and he opened the door again and ushered you out first. You stepped down into the sand, taking a moment to adjust. It was slippery under your feet, softer than you were used to feeling. It was a very curious feeling, but not altogether unpleasant. 

“I’m Cobb Vanth,” the silver-haired man said, holding out a hand to you. You took it after a moment of juggling the child to your other side, giving him your name in turn. 

“Which way?” Djarin asked before you and Vanth could talk further. 

“It’s not too far,” Vanth said, jerking his head and starting to walk. You kept pace with the two men, although you had the feeling they were taking pity on you and walking slower than they otherwise would. Well, that suited you fine. You could only hobble so fast.

“You say you found this crystal near your town?” Djarin asked as he walked.

“‘S right,” Vanth agreed. “There’s a deposit of ‘em. Too close to the creature, now. Can’t get close without getting trampled. Once the creature’s gone, you’re welcome to as many of ‘em as you want.”

Djarin hummed quietly at that and then fell silent. Vanth looked at you, and you shrugged and continued walking. It was a bit harder to walk in the sand than you were used to, and before long Djarin reached over and took the kid from you. You rather wished you’d grabbed your trusty walking stick before you’d left. Vanth offered you his arm, which you took with a grateful murmur.

“Not much farther,” Vanth told both of you as the sun slid towards the horizon. “We’ll be there before full dark.”

Well, that wasn’t as reassuring as he thought it was. You huffed but soldiered on, grateful for the assistance. 

Finally, the village wavered on the edge of your vision, slipping in and out of sight for a while. It was quite curious, but you didn’t quite dare to ask Djarin or Vanth about the illusion effect. It also occurred to you that your eyes were possibly just acting their current age. (Another thing to wallop the Witch for.) 

And then all at once you were just outside the village. Only a few people were still out and about, but you could see lights flickering in the huts. 

“C’mon,” Vanth murmured to the two of you. “My place is this way. You can stay the night and start out first thing.”

Djarin started to protest but Vanth still had you firmly in his grasp, and he led you away. You heard Djarin sigh behind you and then start after you, and you smiled a little.

“It’s very kind of you to let us stay,” you murmured to Vanth.

“Oh it’s no trouble, ma’am,” he replied with a grin. “I like havin’ visitors over.” He shot you a wink, and you half-hid your chuckle behind a hand. “How’d you end up working for the wizard, anyway?”

“It’s a long story,” you deflected, waving a hand airily. “I’m sure a youngster like yourself wouldn’t be interested in anything so dull.” 

"Indulge me?" Vanth asked, giving you his undivided attention. 

You hesitated and then started crafting a somewhat vaguely truthful account. "I'm from Kalevala," you said, starting out speaking slowly. "I decided that I wanted to see more of the world, so I left home. I found the castle as I was walking and let myself in."

Vanth choked briefly on air as he opened the front door for you. "You let yourself in? Ma'am, you are far braver than I."

You waved off his compliment. "That's when I met the child. And, well, I have experience with my niece, you know. So I offered my services to the wizard."

"Offered?" Djarin drawled from behind you, very nearly giving you a heart attack. 

You made a face at the wizard. He wasn't exactly wrong. 

"Well, that's quite a story," Vanth said, looking between the two of you like he wasn't sure he'd gotten the whole story. Good instincts on this one. "Have y'all eaten? I can whip somethin' up for you."

"No, thank you," Djarin answered. He handed the kid back to you, and you cradled the little one easily. 

Vanth nodded after a moment. "Make yourselves at home," he offered, waving at the space. He kicked his boots off and padded further inside. 

You exchanged looks with Djarin, shrugged, and carefully toed your own shoes off. You were going to poke around (just a little), but Djarin expertly herded you to the couch. 

"Let the kid sleep," was all the explanation he offered. You huffed but gave in, settling there for the moment.

Honestly, it wasn't as awkward as you would have feared. Not to mention the walk had worn you out more than you'd anticipated. By the time it was fully dark, you'd fallen asleep on the couch. You roused only briefly when Djarin encouraged you to lay down flat, the kid sprawled across your torso, and then you were out again. 

Gentle nudges roused you in the morning, and you blinked your eyes open, bleary and a bit irritated.

"We're going now," Djarin murmured to you. He was crouched next to the couch, in his usual armor. 

"Hmm?" You blinked at him, lifting one hand to rub crust out of your eyes. 

"Vanth is showing me where the creature lives," Djarin reminded you patiently. 

You grumbled something unintelligible at him. Djarin chuckled and stood. 

"Go back to sleep," he told you. "I'll be back soon." 

You lifted your head to watch him leave. Vanth nodded to you and shut the door after the two of them. Your head hit the pillow again and you were out. 

You woke again later to little hands patting your cheeks, and you smiled without opening your eyes. 

"Good morning," you murmured to the kid, who burbled happily at you. You cleared your eyes carefully and looked at the kid. "Hungry?"

The kid cooed, and you got up carefully. You weren't as sore or stiff as you thought you would be, which was nice. It didn't take long to find a little something for the kid to eat, but you both grew bored quickly. 

"Shall we take a look around?" You asked the kid. He blinked up at you, and you carried him outside. You didn't plan to go far, you just wanted to look around. Stave off some boredom waiting for Djarin to return. 

The village was small. You might even use quaint, if asked. It was a handful of huts and other buildings, with one general store and a few other odds and ends. Sand stretched out in all directions from the village, but you could see some greenery. Likely the crops Vanth had mentioned before. 

You wandered over closer to look. In the clear light of day, the footprints you could see looked… large. Just a little worrisome.

"Well, whatever did this clearly wasn't happy," you murmured to the child, crouching down to get a better look at the crops and the footprints. "Look at the size of these! Why, I would certainly like to flee from anything with feet so large." 

The kid cooed his agreement of that, looking around with big eyes. He wiggled to be put down, and you set him on his feet. He promptly stuck one of his feet in the massive footprint with a quiet noise of awe. Then he stuck his other foot in. And then jumped up and down a few times for good measure before he turned to you with a toothy grin. 

"Ah, I see. You vanquished the footprint. Well done, my little friend." You chuckled. "Let's see how the remaining crops fare, hmm?" 

The answer to that was not well. They looked traumatized - smaller than they should be and not at all healthy looking.

"Well, this won't do," you tutted. "Straighten up there, plants! Yes, you've had a fright, but you can do better than this! People depend on you, you know. You'd better get in shape soon." 

A villager passing nearby gave you a look that was equal parts scared and wary and hurried away. 

"How's that for gratitude?" You grumbled as you stood up straight. You looked down, expecting to see the child agreeing with you, and found no child. It took you a few moments to locate him, during which you had a minor heart attack. He was busy toddling away from you as fast as his little legs could carry him, heading further into the desert. "Kid?"

He made a noise somewhere between distressed and angry, and you caught up to him quickly.

"Show me," you told the kid, picking him up. There was a sense of urgency about him that you couldn't ignore. 

The kid pointed off towards the desert, and you took off at a brisk walk. You could still see evidence of the creature as you walked - half-erased footprints in the sand, a few dung heaps, a tuft of dark, matted fur. You could also see occasional footprints from Djarin and Vanth. Worry started to gnaw at your insides. 

The ground started to slope downwards, and rocks started to accumulate. It wasn't long before you were looking at… not quite a mountain. A hill, certainly. With a lot of mud. Sandy mud. You could feel it squishing under your shoes. 

You found Vanth first, crouched down behind some boulders. He hissed at you both, waving you over.

"What are you doin'?" He demanded. "It's not safe out here! The wizard said to stay out of it and stay here!" 

You set your jaw stubbornly. "I'm going to check on him," you said, shaking your head. "I'll be careful." 

"At least gimme the kid," Vanth tried. 

"Where I go, he goes." You stepped around the boulders and started towards the muddy depression. You could see a cave opening yawning in front of you. It took you a moment to spot the creature, but only a moment. It was well away from you, head lowered, gigantic horn aimed at the wizard. Who was sprawled inelegantly on his back on the ground, covered in mud and muck. 

The kid let out a cry, and you found yourself mirroring him. The great head swung towards you and the kid, and Vanth yelled a warning. The creature snorted and then charged.

The kid raised a hand, eyes closing in concentration, and you felt the air around the two of you humming and vibrating with energy. So you focused on the kid, well aware that whatever was happening, he was doing it. 

“Good, kid,” you murmured encouragingly. “You can do it. I know you can. I can feel how much strength you have - you’re quite impressive, actually.” 

The creature stopped advancing towards the two of you and slowly lifted up into the air, its feet still going. It bellowed, clearly confused. 

“Good, very good. Hold it there,” you instructed the kid. “You’re doing an excellent job. Just hold it a little longer.” 

Djarin had jumped to his feet at all the yelling, and stood staring (so far as you could tell) at the scene until Vanth yelled something. You couldn’t quite hear, honestly, too focused on the child in your arms and the scene unfolding in front of you. But Djarin pulled a knife from… somewhere, you honestly weren’t sure where, and ran up to the creature. One quick plunge and twist of the knife, and it was over. The creature dropped to the ground. The kid slumped in your arms.

And you abruptly found yourself sitting in the mud, dizzy and euphoric and so scared, staring up at the wizard before you.

[ladyanaconda]

Helluva Dad Vol. 4: Spring Broken

Bombproof just had to get a cold; it was nothing serious, but he'd need to rest for a few days, meaning that Striker and Jake would have to ride the I.M.P. van to get to work. It might have been a more-or-less intriguing experience if not for the radio music playing at full volume and Blitzo's careless driving. Striker spent most of the ride covering his ears while Jake was peering through the window alongside Millie.

This is why he'd rather ride Bombproof to work.

"Daaad! Can we ride the van with uncle Blitzo more often?!"

"Over my corpse!" Striker shouted over the noise. "Get away from the window, boy! The last thing I want is you losing your head!"

"But it's so fresh out here, dad!"

"Now!"

Jake groaned and went to sit next to his father with an unhappy scowl on his face. "Killjoy."

"Is this your first time riding a van?" Millie asked curiously.

"No, it's my first time riding a van with a crazy driver!" Striker banged on the wall separating the back with the driver's seat. "Hey, Blitz, can't you go any faster?!" he snapped sarcastically.

Jake's face had gained a somewhat greenish hue and his arms were clutching his stomach. "Dad, I think I'm gonna hurl!" he groaned.

"Kiddo, whatever you do, don't hurl on the carpet or Blitzo will deduct it from this month's paycheck! If anything, hurl on Moxxie's fanny pouch!"

"Hey!"

The van making an abrupt turn to get into the parking lot was the last straw for Jake. As he rushed towards the window, the vehicle came to a sudden stop and skidded. Jake would have flown out of the window if Striker hadn't grabbed him by the tail, but the vomit went up to Jake's stomach, all the way to his throat, and flew out of his mouth.

"Are you okay, my boy?" Striker asked, concerned, as he cradled the impling in his arms.

"I hate vans," Jake grumbled, earning a hair ruffling from his father.

"Listen up, you unoriginal pink cum dump! You have three goddamn seconds to get your tampon race car out of my parking spot…!"

Blitzo's voice brought the stunned group out of their daze. Striker stomped out of the van, intending to pummel Blitzo for the awful experience, but stopped in his tracks as he saw the cause of the problem. A pink car had parked on I.M.P.'s only parking spot. And the owner of the car was none other than…

"Oh shit! Verosika!"

The succubus didn't seem to hear him or didn't care. She was seething with rage, her face dripping with vomit. Jake flinched when her eyes fixed on him.

"I should have known you'd be here. I could smell fish for miles, which is odd because I believe the nearest ocean is…" Blitzo fell off the van's cabin, faceplanting on the ground. "Three rings down!"

Verosika outright ignored Blitzo this time and stomped her way towards the van. Jake hid behind his father.

"You little brat-!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold your horses, miss!" Striker stood to his full height. The succubus was taller than him, but he never faltered. "My boy didn't to… Well, throw up in your face."

"You should be grateful! You got a facial treatment for free!" Blitzo sneered. Verosika looked like she'd snap at any moment, but she merely huffed and wiped the vomit from her face with a napkin, which she then threw at Blitzo's face.

"I suppose you're the fella who spawned that brat, am I right?" She asked, uninterested.

"I'm the boy's father, that's right." Striker nodded. Is it just him or is the succubus eyeing him eye to toe behind her sunglasses?

"You ought to teach that little spawn of yours some manners, cowboy." Verosika purred the last word in a seductive manner, running her hand down Striker's chest, leaning a bit too close for his liking.

Thankfully, Blitzo got in between them. "I'm surprised they let your fat ass out of rehab," he growled. "I can see you're still a drunken whore, clutching unto that beelze juice bottle like it's the last cock in Hell!"

"They let me out because I'm still famous, and rehab is for sad, loser wash-ups." Verosika took a sip from her flash, sneering as she wiped some drops left on her lips. "So, your sister says hi." Jake made a 'burned' hiss. Striker gave him a stern frown.

"Why are you parking here?! This is the only parking spot my company has, so take your tampon race car somewhere else!"

"Um, Blitz…" Jake pointed at the ground. I.M.P.'s name was crossed out in purple spray paint while Verosika's was written in cursive letters.

The succubus smirked. "I'm doing a bit of freelance for one of the infinitely more successful companies in the building…"

"Dad, who's that nasty woman?" Jake asked.

Loona gasped as if the impling has just spoken blasphemy. "Wait, you don't know about Verosika Mayday?"

"Not exactly. I mean, I've seen her in dad's porno magazines, but-" Jake quickly covered his mouth, but it was too late. He laughed nervously when his father stared at him in shock. "Just to clarify, dad, I didn't read. I skipped!"

"I'll talk with you about this later." Striker hissed.

Thankfully, an angry yell from Blitzo distracted them from the argument. "I wasted so much time with a bag of holes like that."

"You know Verosika Mayday?!" Loona asked, incredulously.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, her. Yeah, we dated."

"That explains a lot of things." Striker murmured as Millie and Moxxie stepped out of the van.

"Was it before or after she became a pop star?"

"You dated a pop star?!"

Blitzo frowned. "Okay, why are you all acting like that's such a shock?"

"Hello, it's Verosika Mayday?" Loona pointed out.

"It's you?" Jake added dryly.

"I just… Is she blind? Suffering some form of brain damage? I mean, it'd make sense if she had dated Striker."

The cowboy rolled his eyes. "Gee, thank you, Moxxie, but she's not my type."

"Okay, look, you are all making this into a way bigger deal than it needs to be." Blitzo crossed his arms. "I don't pry into your stupid personal lives."

"You do that all the time, sir!"

"Come on, you kinda do that."

"You totally do that."

"Do I have to remind you all the times I've nearly shot you for sneaking into my house at two in the morning?!" Striker snapped.

"So…" Jake grinned mischievously. "What was sex with her like?" He yelped in pain when his father gave him a smack in the back of the head.

*HB*

Jake didn't quite understand what the fuss was about. From what Millie and Loona said, Verosika Mayday was a musical pop star, but dad wouldn't let him listen to her music; when questioned as to why he couldn't, all dad said was that it was for 'adults'.

In the end, Striker managed to distract his son via target practice. Millie would place an apple on her head so Jake could shoot it with the crossbow; Striker was quite surprised that she wasn't frightened in the least.

"Hey, Blitz, what did you do to Verosika Mayday for her to hate your guts like that?" Striker questioned casually.

"It was nothing, really! I merely borrowed her credit card when she was still sleeping and went to Wrath to take horse riding lessons!"

"Well, no wonder she's so mad."

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side."

Striker shrugged. "Sorry, but you're on your own when it comes to relationships."

The door slammed open, startling Jake into shooting the arrow a few inches down, but Millie caught it with a hand. Moxxie looked disheveled, and his face was covered in lipstick marks. All he said was that he needed to lay down as he dropped to the floor. Millie went to check on him.

"What happened to Moxxie?" Jake asked. Striker shifted uncomfortably.

"Let's say that he received too much love," he murmured.

"But it wasn't from Millie, she's right here."

"Oh, Strikeeer!" Blitzo sang as he leaned in closer to the cowboy with a wide, exaggerated smile. "Do you know what's the best part of being the employee of the month?"

"Let me guess: to do you personal favors so you won't have to face your shitty issues yourself?"

"Bingo! I was wondering if you could use your… natural charm," Blitzo quirked his eyebrows coyly. "To have that bitch give back our parking spot."

Striker dropped Moxxie's cup of coffee. "What?"

"You know, a little bit of sweet-talking, flirting. Maybe some oral sex-"

"I know what you mean, Blitz! What I mean is why me."

"Well, you're a ladies' magnet. I don't think you'd have trouble convincing a drunken slut to give you all of her assets."

Striker wasn't sure of how Blitzo always, always, manages to convince him to do that kind of stuff, but in the end, he agreed to try 'without' having to recur to sex. He didn't need to go far, as the band of succubus had taken the vacant offices right in front of I.M.P. Well, no wonder Blitzo was so mad! Meeting up with your ex and finding out you'd have to be in the same building for a bloody week wasn't pleasant.

Striker took a deep breath and stepped into the room. Apparently, the succubus band was still making fun of Moxxie's probably tiny dick. They went silent as soon as he came in.

"Well, look who it is."

"Greetings, miss Mayday." Striker tipped his hat for the sake of courtesy. "I suppose I don't need to explain why I'm here."

"Want a kiss, cowboy?" one of the incubi got a little too close to his liking, prompting Striker to point the barrel of his pistol right at the demon's face.

"Put a hand on me and I'll put a bullet in-between your eyes." the imp hissed, tail rattling.

"Oh, look! His tail is like a baby rattle!"

"Hey, did that cute little impling come with you? I want to eat him with kisses!"

This time, Striker pulled out his angelic pistol. "Leave the boy out of this," he growled, expression dark. The sight of the weapon scared the succubi into silence, all but one.

"Well, well, you certainly have more balls than the little guy with the bowtie." Verosika purred, hips swaying as she approached him. "Too bad I already got a bodyguard, 'cause you look like you'd be good at that." she gently pushed the barrel of the pistol aside with a finger, leaning dangerously close to Striker's face. "I suppose Blitzo is still throwing a tantrum over the parking spot, right?"

"That's right, ma'am." Striker stepped back warily, putting his pistol away. "Perhaps we could reach an agreement, considering that…"

He's dealt with succubi before, but never in such a personal manner. Not ever since… Striker knew what was happening when he realized he had been cornered against the wall. Verosika's hands lay on his chest as she leaned in close to his face. His tail rattled uncontrollably. His bottom tightened at the she-devil's enticing aura.

"An agreement, you say?"

"Y-Yes…" Striker cursed himself for stuttering.

Verosika pulled him closer by the waist, licking her lips. "You have such alluring eyes, cowboy. Reminds me of an anaconda hypnotizing her prey…" Striker grabbed her wrist before she could reach for the zipper of his pants. Verosika laughed, running her other hand down the line of his neck. "Let me kiss you…"

Her lips were inches away from Striker's when she heard a click and something pressing against her stomach: the blessed pistol, firmly held in the imp's hand.

"Nice try, sugar, but my heart already belongs to someone else." Striker sneered. Impressed, Verosika stepped back, smirking.

"Not bad, cowboy. Not everyone can resist my charms. Just for that, I'm offering you a deal."

"A deal?"

"A demon duel. I bet you and Vlitzo's sorry company can't off as many people as we can fuck by the end of the day. If you win, I'll return your parking spot. If I win," Verosika whispered into Striker's ear. Whatever she told him sent shivers down his spine.

Reluctantly, Striker looked up at the succubus, fists clenched. "Game on, bitch."

*HB*

"Alright, shut your assholes, here's how we're going to do this shit. First, we find a fuck ton of clients, we portal up, we have our fun murder time as per usual, we pill all the bodies into a big fucking canoe…" Striker didn't pay attention to the rest of Blitzo's ranting, instead distracting himself by polishing his angelic rifle. "Do you have any questions?"

Jake raised a hand. "What does orgy mean?"

Striker spat his mouthful of coffee right into Moxxie's face while the others exchanged nervous glances. Blitzo cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Let's say it's something you aren't supposed to know about for at least ten years. Now-"

"Where did you learn that word?!" Striker all but yelled, grabbing the impling by the shoulders.

"One of Verosika Mayday's songs is called 'Orgy' and I got curious."

"And where did you hear the song?"

"Loona was listening to it." Striker glared at the hellhound, but she merely shrugged.

"What? It's just a song. By the way, think I can come with you guys this time?"

"Absolutely not," Blitzo said, crossing his arms disapprovingly. "I forbid it. Not gonna happen. Sorry, sweetie. Spring break is no place for vulnerable goth girls. You know the kind of freaks yup there who'd drool all over you!"

"Well, I can blend in with humans easily enough. Just let me tag along."

Blitzo blinked. "Wait, say that again?"

"I can blend in…?"

"Do you have a human disguise?" Millie inquired.

"Yeah. Don't you?" Loona widened her eyes in realization. "Wait, you five have been screwing around on Earth this whole fucking time without human disguises?!"

"What if we did?" Jake asked.

"Let's say it's against the rules to be seen by humans in our real forms."

"Okay, new plan!" Blitzo made a new, crudely-made scribble. "Loonie can help lure the humans to us and we'll take care of the rest. Okay, how about that?"

"Flawless logic."

"There's one little detail. We need enough client killing demands to win this bet so I won't have to-" Striker trailed off as he recalled that Jake was listening. He cleared his throat. "How will we get so many clients in such little time?"

Blitzo grinned. "I got that covered, Strike."

*HB*

Basically, Loona just lured the people on the list to a secluded spot so they could kill them without anyone noticing. Jake still couldn't believe how hot Loona looked in human form.

Jake was sure that something was bothering his father. Ever since he returned from talking with Miss Mayday, Dad acted a bit… edgier than usual. He didn't tease Moxxie as often and focused more on killing the targets. But what gave him away was the fact that he was using the blessing-tipped rifle rather than the regular one. He only uses it when there's something on his mind.

By evening, they had killed twelve people, two offed by Jake with a broken bottle.

"That's twelve kills in the back!" Blitzo laughed as they continued to put the bodies into bags. "I'd like to see that waily snatch orgasm that many…"

"All right, spring breakers! Ya'll ready to get fucked up and make some bitchin' bad choices?!"

The group glanced in the direction of the nearby stage adorned in black and pink just as Verosika stepped out of the smoke in her own human disguise. All the humans on the beach roared in excitement as the concert began. Jake noticed something odd in their behavior. Once Verosika started to sing, they-

Something covered his eyes. "Hey!"

"You're not supposed to watch this, Jakey!" Millie cried out hurriedly. Striker gave her a thankful look.

"Goddammit! That bitch started her goadish mating call! Now she's gonna win all those sex maniacs! We gotta pick things up, guys! He's on the list, Loonie?"

"Huh? Y-Yeah… I-I think so." Striker realized that Loona hadn't even looked at the supposed target. Her attention was focused on Verosika's own hellhound.

"Blitz, I don't think-" Too late. Blitzo had already sliced through the human's skull.

"All right, next one, Loonie, come on." No reply. "Loonie? Wait, where-" Blitzo panicked once he realized Loona was nowhere to be seen. "Where's my baby?!" Striker merely pointed towards Verosika's hellhound. There she was.

"And… We've lost him." Moxxie sighed as Blitzo stomped his way towards the hellhounds.

"Can't blame him. I wouldn't like any guys sniffing 'round my daughter either." Striker murmured. "Anyhow, looks like we'll have to handle the rest of the list."

Millie laughed in excitement. "Hell yeah! Team MMSJ getting shit down!"

Jake wanted to help with the killing spree, but his father put him on a table behind some beer barrels, blindfolded him with his red scarf, and firmly told him to wait for him there. So the impling sat there with a big pout on his face, arms crossed. What's up with dad today?!

"Yeah, party!"

The table was knocked over without warning. Jake fell face flat onto the ground. "Ow! What the…?!"

"Eeww! Oh my god! Fucking possums!"

"Wait, what?" Jake lifted the blindfold and realized the humans had seen him. Before he could try to escape, he was grabbed by the tail and shoved into a barrel of beer.

"Ow! Jake?!"

"Moxxie?! What's going on?!"

"I don't know, I think the humans mistook us for opossums!"

The two imps were thrown about within that confined space, sometimes getting submerged under the beer. They accidentally ended up taking big gulps of the alcoholic beverage.

*HB*

"That boy is in so much trouble!"

He gives him one simple instruction: wait at the table. Then he returns ten minutes later to find Jake and the table gone.

"Hey, Mildred! Have you seen Jake 'round here?" Striker asked Millie as soon as he saw per peering into a barrel.

"He and Moxxie are inside one of these barrels!"

"What? What the fuck are they doing in there?!"

One of the nearby barrels wobbled. Striker tipped it over with a kick, spilling out the remaining beer as well as two familiar imps.

"Moxxie!"

"Jake!"

"Millieee!" Moxxie blurted out in a drunken state. "Hey, when did you get four heads? I wanna kiss 'em!"

"Jake? Are you okay, kiddo? Striker grabbed his son by the shoulders. "Answer me, boy!"

"Hey, daddy! The impling said in-between hiccups." "This water's soo tasty! Can I have more?"

Striker rubbed his temple. "Wonderful. My kiddo's drunk and he's only nine."

"Chill out, cowboy! Just don't tell Striker 'cause he'll make a fuss!" Moxxie giggled.

Striker would have made a fuss if not for the massive sea monster that emerged from the ocean. A loud roar sent most of the humans running away from the beach, but Moxie and Jake were completely unfazed.

"Oooh, fishy! Can I keep it, daddy?"

A long, slippery tongue wrapped around Moxxie and Jake as they were pulled into the monster's mouth.

Striker and Milli exchanged determined nods. The former shot a nearby human to take his bottle and make a molotov cocktail, which he threw at the monster. The explosion was enough to make the creature fall. The imps swam towards the mutant fish, digging their respective knives into its hide just as it got back on its feet. They managed to climb towards the mouth and pry the jaws open; Moxxie and Jake, still in the tongue's grasp, were clumsily punching the monster's uvula. Millie reached out for their hands, but instead of clasping it, the drunken imps merely gave her a high-five.

"Oh, for the love of…!" Losing his patience, Striker went into the mouth and sliced the tongue off. The fish shrieked in pain and spat out the severed organ, and its two captives, with it.

However, the abrupt movement slipped the angelic rifle off Striker's shoulder and sent it down the beast's throat. "Oh, no, you don't! Mildred, think you could keep this thing busy?!"

"Striker, what are you doing?!"

The cowboy took out his knife. "I'm gonna retrieve my weapon."

*HB*

Millie and Striker swam back to the beach, both panting heavily. The latter was covered in the creature's blood after slicing open its entrails, his rifle held tightly in one hand and the bloodied knife in the other. They reunited with Blitzo, Moxxie, and Jake on the shore.

"Oh, yeah, way to show off, guys!· Blitzo cheered.

"Are Mox and Jakey okay?" Millie asked.

"Oh, yeah. They're fine." Blitzo looked down at the still-drunken imps in his arms and dropped only Moxxie to the ground.

Thankfully, Jake had fallen asleep; his young age made him less tolerant of the heavy alcoholized state. Striker carefully took the boy in his arms.

"Aww, they grow up so fast!" Blitzo chirped, teary-eyed, as he watched Jake snuggle in his father's embrace.

Sadly, the relief didn't last long as Verosika and her crew approached.

"That was handled rather… Obvious, don't you think?" Verosika sneered.

"You know, I found this," Striker held up a black and silver flask decorated with hearts. "While slicing through that creature's entrails," he smirked. "And I know for certain that it doesn't belong to any of us." That said, he tossed the flask back to its owner.

"Would be a shame if anyone found out you guys were behind a giant monster fish in the human world." Millie sneered.

"Oh satan! You all be so… fucked! Haha…!" Moxxie laughed in his drunken stupor.

Verosika was taken aback by the realization that they were right. "Yeah, well, you five nasty ass gremlins will be in shit for not being in disguises." she countered.

"A human called me a possum. I'm not a possum!" Moxxie collapsed face-first into the ground.

"And given that the humans who saw us were in a deep alcoholic intoxication state, they'll probably think it was a product of their imagination." Striker added with a sneer of his own.

Blitzo chuckled. "You know, we could keep this little Bee movie scene on the down-low if you agree to let us use that parking space." Striker nearly laughed at the sour, almost childish scowl on the succubus's face. She was against the ropes and she knew it.

·...Fine."

While the others cheered at their victory, Striker merely sighed in deep relief.

"Hey, Strike, now that we're on it, what did that bitch say you'd have to do if we lost?" Blitzo asked later that day.

Striker's only response was a loud slurping sound with a straw as he enjoyed a well-deserved meatshake.

[alittlewhump]

Unbidden - Act 1, chapter 2

Masterlist | Previous | Next

Content warnings: None, still pretty light here.

It wasn't long before they reached a small encampment where another woman called out to the one who had been guiding Morgan. "Fiona, I swear you're the worst scout we have. There's something following you, you know."

The rogue - Fiona - put her hands on her hips.

"I'll have you know, Akara, that this is an adventurer. He's going to combat our evil."

"And why didn't you send him to the den?"

"I just wanted your blessing, ma'am."

"More like you didn't want to go out of your way." The woman, evidently a superior of some sort, looked Morgan over with a cool gaze. "There's a monster den about half an hour's walk to the west of here. They've been giving us some trouble. If you can exterminate them, we'll talk."

Talking was very low on the list of things Morgan wanted to do. But eliminating a nest of evil creatures - that was a good task, easily defined with no messy human contact. And, of course, it would also contribute in a small way toward restoring the Balance, to fulfilling the request that had sent him out here in the first place. Surely it was more than just one den causing problems, but they likely wanted to test his ability. He nodded to show he'd understood, then turned to go. The two women continued to talk as he left.

"Is he mute, or what?"

"Nah, he talks. But listen, you'll never believe this -"

He stopped listening. There were more important things to think about, like whether or not it would be worth the effort to concentrate on making clay golems instead of using skeletons. He debated as he walked, keeping an ear out for sounds of danger. Skeletons were plentiful in these parts, he'd discovered. So that was convenient. He paused to raise two out of a boggy patch of ground. Two was a good number, enough to draw enemy attention away without draining his energy too much. He could only manage one earth golem at a time, but if other risen skeletons were attacking the Sisterhood... yes, the extra effort was probably worth it to ease future interactions. He could always reserve the skeletons for use away from the encampment, lay them back down into the earth outside their view.

Morgan stopped, crouching down to touch the ground. He sent out a tendril of magical energy, spreading it thin to form a humanoid shape. The earth lifted, obedient but slow, a form rising up ponderously. It took almost a minute to fully form, and Morgan was breathing hard by the end of it. It was a small golem, only a little taller than him but considerably sturdier. It would do for now. He was admittedly a little out of practice, but he resolved to keep working at it. Later, after this den was taken care of.

It was early the next morning by the time Morgan returned to the rogue encampment. The nest of imp demons had presented a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. He'd had to rest afterwards, taking a few hours to meditate. It wasn't quite sleeping, but it was close enough. He'd also remembered to put his skeletons back into the ground outside the view of the little town. A clay golem plodded along by his side; he was just more comfortable with at least one construct to protect him.

A familiar voice raised a call as he approached the town gate. "Hey, ghoul boy's back!" The encroaching forces of darkness must have taken a toll on their numbers, Morgan surmised. Why else would a scout have two watch shifts so close to one another? The sooner he could get to the root of the problem, the better - for all of them.

The gate rolled open and a new woman approached. Judging by her more impressive-looking armour, Morgan guessed her to be some sort of commander. When she spoke, she certainly had the tone of a leader.

"I didn't think we'd see you back here, outlander. Did you clear the den of monsters?"

"They were demons, not monsters." He hung back by the gates, reluctant to enter without an explicit invitation.

"Demons. Monsters. I don't care what they are other than dead. Are they dead?"

"Yes."

"Good. Welcome to the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye - what's left of it, anyway. Fiona says you're here to cleanse the evil from this place. She also says you came out of the woods alongside some skeletons, so I'm not sure what to believe. Tell me about yourself, stranger."

A few more women clad in light armour had appeared, hanging back behind their leader. Not so different from the imps he'd just finished with, Morgan thought - skittish, wary. He decided to keep that comparison to himself. No sense in actively antagonizing them. They were already poised to dislike him based on his school of magic, based on his experience so far. It was possible that whoever had sent the request to his Order had done so in secret. It was also possible that they had passed on already, given the sorry state of things. He tried to skirt the issue delicately.

"I am a follower of Rathma. We are charged with maintaining the Balance between light and darkness. We received word of a source of evil nearby that threatens to disrupt that Balance. I seek to destroy it. If you can direct me-"

"The priests of Rathma are necromancers, are they not?" This was the woman from before, Akara. He hadn't noticed her standing behind the rest of them. He recognized the disdain in her face, her voice. He'd been hoping to avoid this type of interaction, but he'd never been able to figure out a good way to dodge the question without lying outright. And while he could technically lie - there wasn't anything physically or magically preventing it - he had never developed the barest shred of skill in the art of deceit, and it was impossibly difficult to guess what people would or wouldn't believe in any given situation. In cases where the truth would be unwelcome, the best option was usually to try to deflect.

"I don't intend to do you any harm," he tried.

"Answer the question, then. Yes or no."

Well, it had been worth trying. It seemed like Akara knew the answer anyway, and just wanted to hear it from him, for some reason.

"Yes."

Most of the women took a horrified step back, grimacing in disgust or fear. He didn't let it bother him on a personal level - it was easiest to work from the assumption that everyone would have these sorts of feelings toward him, based on either his appearance or his affiliation - but it rarely bade well for situations like this in which he needed information. The commander didn't flinch, which was heartening. She turned to face Akara.

"We can't afford to be choosy right now, Priestess. Whatever his methods, this is the best chance we've had in a while. I'm not going to waste it." She turned back to Morgan. "You'd do best to start by finding Deckard Cain. Word is, he knows just about everything there is to know. If he still lives, he should be able to tell you more about the evil that blights our land here."

He listened carefully as she described this scholar and his last known whereabouts. It was a good plan, to gather as much information as possible before properly facing down whatever evil had rooted there. It would likely take a few days to reach Tristram, which would give him time to work on his golems. He was pleased with these developments until the commander turned to address the women huddled behind her.

"Blaise, you'll go with him."

What? No, this wouldn't do at all. Other people just complicated things. What Morgan needed was the simplicity of solitude with his golems. He raised his hands in protest. "Madam, I really don't-"

"What the fuck, Kashya?" That was presumably Blaise, voicing a much louder objection. "Are you still mad about that thing last week? I said I was sorry, I don't deserve-"

"That wasn't a request," Kashya said calmly. "I think you're the best one for the job, and I won't hear any arguments. Now get your things together for the journey." The assembled rogues huddled in a group, chattering quietly amongst themselves as Blaise turned on her heel and stalked away. Morgan took a few steps toward their commander.

"Please, madam Kashya, I ask you to reconsider-"

"When I said no arguments, I meant it. Two heads are better than one. Now you can wait outside; you're making my girls nervous."

Morgan waited outside. It was clear that the matter was not open for discussion. He guessed that pushing it further would only serve to alienate the single person who seemed at all willing to work with him. One was better than none, so he would try to stay on her good side.

[mai-the-crow]

TW: CHILD ABUSE AND F-SLUR USED

song this is based off: Luka, by Suzanne Vega.

this is in second person, but it's not a self-insert. narrator is a woman around susan's age that lives in a small apartment building with thin walls.

dedicated to all the people that heard my parents, my brother, and i screaming while we lived in an apartment building

read on ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32560975

My name is Luka I live on the second floor I live upstairs from you Yes I think you've seen me before

You know the Mayfields. They live directly above you. The Hargroves moved in with Susan about a month ago. From a trailer park, if gossips are to be believed.

Susan is a lovely lady, if a bit paranoid. You've had her around for lunch occasionally. She's tall in stature but small in personality. Her daughter, Max, is a budding skateboarder and is snappy but sweet, like the bubblegum she loves to chew.

You don't know the Hargroves as well, yet. Billy seems to be a very polite young man, despite his rebellious looks. He's a bit flirty though, which concerns you. He's only in middle school. Neil is a veteran, from 'Nam, and looks stern. He's always ordering Billy around, but is kind to Max.

If you hear something late at night Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight Just don't ask me what it was Just don't ask me what it was Just don't ask me what it was

You're starting to hear odd thumps and yelling coming from upstairs. At first, you chalk the thumps up to Susan and Neil being newlyweds and doing... the thing. And the yelling is probably just from a normal fight. You think you heard a man yelling "faggot," but you're not sure. After all, when you were a teenager, you fought with your parents often.

Then you see Billy the next day, and he's got a black eye and is moving stiffly. What Neil's doing isn't right, you know that, but it's none of your business how a man disciplines his son. So you don't ask, you don't tell.

I think it's because I'm clumsy I try not to talk too loud Maybe it's because I'm crazy I try not to act too proud

Neil catches you looking at a split on Billy's lip one afternoon, and nudges Billy. He walks up to you with a charming smile. "How are you, ma'am?"

"I-I'm fine, thank you. How are you?" you say, still focused on the bloody split.

"Fine, fine. Walked into a locker today at school, though. Lip's still a bit sore." It's hard to tell that he's lying. He must have practice. The thought sickens you.

"That's unfortunate, Billy. Hope you recover soon. It was nice seeing you and your dad today, but I've got to go."

He's already turning around, and tosses a "See ya" over his shoulder.

They only hit until you cry And after that you don't ask why You just don't argue anymore You just don't argue anymore You just don't argue anymore

You've made a new recipe for a pie, and decide to share it with Susan. She's been down a little, recently, and you remember that she always enjoyed making sweets with Max. As you near the door of their apartment, you start hearing something. A voice.

"Sorry, sir- I'm sorry, dad! Please-"

You walk back downstairs. It doesn't seem like the best time, right now.

Maybe you'll come back later, and Neil will open the door, and you'll see his split knuckles. You'll see the belt draped over the couch, speckles of blood glittering on the metallic buckle, and maybe you'll decide that this is bad. Very bad. The evidence will be right there. And maybe you'll find the courage to tell the police.

But you don't come back later. So you don't see, you don't tell.

Yes I think I'm okay I walked into the door again If you ask that's what I'll say And it's not your business anyway

You keep seeing him with more and more odd bruises and cuts. You could swear you saw welts curling across his back once when his shirt rode up. You try asking about it a couple times, thinking that it's not going to get you too involved with... whatever is going on, but all his answers are some variant of "Got into a fight" or "Walked into the door again. I'm just clumsy, it's nothing" with a sheepish smile.

I guess I'd like to be alone With nothing broken, nothing thrown Just don't ask me how I am Just don't ask me how I am Just don't ask me how I am

You hear something shatter one night, and the next day, Billy shows up with four shallow, straight cuts on his calf that crisscross over each other. Another night, there's the sound of aluminium--like cans of beer--bouncing off something solid, and the next day, Billy shows up with a lump on his forehead.

You console yourself by thinking that Billy must've gotten into trouble at school. Billy must've talked back to his father. Billy must've gotten bad grades. Billy must've pulled Max's hair. Billy must've...

My name is Luka I live on the second floor I live upstairs from you Yes I think you've seen me before

It's been half a year, now. Max is still sweet and still skateboarding. Susan is still nervous and still fills her day with magazines. Billy is still polite and still covered in injuries. And Neil... you really don't know what to think about him, now.

Noises still come from upstairs. The TV blaring news, the clash of pots and pans while one cooks, pained yells, Max indistinctly chattering, the cry of faggot!, the opening tunes of The Smurfs, that new cartoon that all the kids like, and the peculiar thumps.

You keep up the chorus of Billy must've, Billy must've.

If you hear something late at night Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight Just don't ask me what it was Just don't ask me what it was Just don't ask me what it was

Every night, just like clockwork, the thumps start. Thump. A cry. Thump. A plea. Thump. Thump. Thump.

But you don't ask, you don't tell. What use would it do anyways? And you really don't want to get involved in some long, complex investigation. Neither does anyone else, it seems.

It's not your problem, anyways.

They only hit until you cry And after that you don't ask why You just don't argue anymore You just don't argue anymore You just don't argue anymore

It's been four years since the Hargroves moved in with the Mayfields.

Something happens in Apartment 204, the one right above Apartment 104. No one knows what, but the screams were louder and went on for longer than usual. And the roar of faggot! is clearly heard. Then sirens sound, and take the battered boy away in an ambulance. The gossips talk about how the father spun a tale about how he had found his son crumpled in the doorway, bloodied and bruised. It's a weak lie, and everyone knows it.

But it's none of their business how a man disciplines his son. Never has been.

The family moves away--to Indiana, the gossips squeal--two weeks later, as soon as their son is discharged from the hospital.

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

The longtime residents of the apartment building are gathered together in your kitchen, playing cards. The radio's on, and a song that feels oddly familiar to them starts playing. "My name is Luka. I live on the second floor."

You know that everyone is thinking of Billy, sauntering up to the ladies, wary around the men, but shaking their hand all the same, saying "My name is Billy. I live on the second floor."

[cybertronian-cupid]

Gregoria frags TFA Sentinel (what it says on the package)

............................. ....................... ............................

"You could go easier on me."

"Oh come now, you were screaming for me to go harder. You clearly enjoyed it."

Sentinel sputters, caught between his want to get up and storm off and remain in the organics arms. His neck cabling was still tender from her bites, which felt more like failed attempts at maiming him. Not that he didn't fancy the idea-

"I was... Clearly under some sort of influence! One of those bombs you throw around so carelessly must be at fault!"

Gregoria snorts this time, running one sharp nail from top to bottom of his finials.

Her love bombs were not in play, and both of them have to get some work done, so no drinks were spiked either. No stasis cuffs were used this time, nor anything that would stun or constrict either of them. No toys either.

All in all, this was the least eventful frag the both of them had in a while.

"Whatever you say-"

She leans down, pressing her teeth to the top of his helm.

Just because it wasn't as eventful as usual, doesn't mean it wasn't fun.

"-you needy SLUT."

Her tongue darts from between sharp teeth, licking a line of saliva from the bottom of his famous chin, to the top of his helm.

Sentinels reaction is almost predictable at this point, all energon rushing from his faceplate straight to his panels, finials twitching in a mix of disgust and arousal.

He attempts to scramble off her, his angry sputtering breaking into furious binary at some point.

The cupid cackles, her tail wrapping tightly around his slim waist, claws digging into his back plating as she smooshes the Prime in a hug.

He is just too much fun to tease~

"This is THE LAST TIME I INDULGE YOU!" he screeches, his voice cracking when the end of her tail smacks his interface panels, hot and slick from his previous overloads, his spike already half pressurized.

"I mean it!" he yells, defiance making way to wary embarrassment when the playful cackling becomes giggles and the Cupid drunkenly nuzzles his helm. Her tail starts tapping away at his panels, a slow, steady rhythm, reminiscent of what these fleshy menaces refer to as a metronome.

Her claws scratch at a panel hiding his main fuel pump, and she can feel his systems straining to hold still.

She opens one eye lazily, her grin content when she grips his chin in her hand.

"Is that so?"

Her tail stills.

He stays quiet, averting his gaze.

There should be something like disgust or ridicule in her gaze, how could there not be? The things he was saying, what he encouraged tis organic to do, let her do to him, what he wanted to do with some other organic filth-

He is a PRIME! An esteemed member of the Elite Guard and soon to be the next-

"Cadet?"

The pressure of her tail around his waist loosens a smidge.

He glares back at her from the corner of his optic, searches those strange, heart shaped pupils for any trace of judgement.

He puts on his most indifferent expression when he finds nothing but the same playful mischief present in all of their sessions.

"No," and, with less struggle than he'd like to admit, he lets his glossa flick the tip of the cupids nose, "I am still Magnus... you whore."

The grin on cupids face darkens, eyes opening fully, the mismatched hearts flashing. She slams her lips to his, tongue pushing in and playing with his glossa, her hands pulling at his finials roughly. It's almost too soon when she flings him back with a growl, the mech gasping when the air is knocked out of his systems.

"Well then, Acting Magnus," she snaps her teeth at him, enjoying how his valve panel snaps back when she grinds a knee against it, folds plump and quivering, small node dimmed until she smacks it, drawing a yelp from him.

She tightens her tail around his waist once more, enjoying his struggling before she handcuffs his servos to the end of the berth.

"It's time for you to get reacquainted with your responsibilities to your fellow organics."

"Hey, hey hey hey easy on the-ooOoh" his optics reboot when she forces his spike cover open, pumping him to its full size with rough and fast strokes.

"Such a big soldier we have here," she grazes her teeth over his head, tongue lapping at the rich lubricant. If she hadn't warned him during their first time, he would love to shut her up with a mouthfull of said soldier.

As it is, he would much rather keep his spike functional and attached to his frame.

She nibbles at the mesh, clenching his lenght almost to the point of denting the decorative plating, enjoying his groans of pain mixed with pleasure with each firm stroke.

Something seems to catch her attention, and she smiles sweetly. Her tail plunges into Sentinels valve, and sets a ruthless pace that has him gasp and shout, servos gripping at the berth covers.

"EASE UP WILL YOU?"

"Are you a Cadet?" Another go at the safe word. Fragging scrap, why did he even agree to these.

"NO, what the frag is wrong with you I AM THE ACTING MAGHHH-" he is cut off when her tail yanks out of him fully, her clawed hand rubbing at his pulsing node, his calipers clenching tightly around nothing. He actually whimpers, his optics pinpricks when the Cupid presses the tip of her claws between his thigh seams.

"Then you better start acting like one," she warns with a growl, her fangs bared.

Her eyes flick to the doorway again. Her features relax, right back to that playful look she wore just moments prior.

"Anon darling~" she croons, beckoning the grey figure in the doorway with one finger.

"About time you joined us! Tell me, what shall we do with this big, bad autobot, hm?"

She plunges her fist into his valve and he cries out, vision flickering. By the time cupid wrings an overload from him, he barely registers the Anon standing by his helm, glasses obscuring their identity.

"What are you staring at?" he spits at them through static. Gregorias tail, still warm from his lubricant, slaps him across the face.

"Is this how a Magnus leads a welcoming party?"

He flounders for a moment, his finials dropping low when he mumbles "no."

"No what? " she positions her fist against his valve again, pressing teasingly.

"No ma'am," he rushes to correct himself, when her claws start pressing into the slit on his spike.

He gets an encouraging unfurling of fingers against his valve, rubbing slowly against his folds, the cupids other hand gripping and easing on his shaft.

"Good," she praises, looking at Anon expectantly.

They do have such wonderful ideas when it comes to pleasing and receiving pleasure~

[celestialflamesme]

| KITTENS, SQUIRRELS AND MY HOT NEIGHBOUR | A Rorin One-shot | Fairy Tail Next Generation |

Ship: Rosemary Fernandez x Rin Fullbuster

Rosemary was mortified to say she had seen it all.

And by that, she meant ALL.

She thought moving to Magnolia away from her strict family would benefit her, expand her views on the world.

Expand her views, oh dear Lord.

Moving day was uneventful at the beginning. She finished arranging most of the furniture by noon on her own, adamant to hire help. Now all that remained was additional decor, the dishes and fitting her clothes in the closet. The pretty red-head decided to eat out for lunch and had only stepped out her porch when she gazed upon the finest specimen mankind had to offer.

His windswept blue hair made her swoon internally as he appeared to have returned from a jog. And those pectorals.... her eyes glazed over as she checked him out.

He just pursed his lips, gahhhh!

Gosh, run your hand over your hair one more time and I might jump you.

Her internal tirade was interrupted by her stomach. It growled. And by growled she meant growled like a whale in heat. And by that she meant hot guy just heard her stomach growling. And by that-

Okay, we get the point.

She straightened her posture and tried to look intimidating as she took long strides toward him and stood on her tiptoes (so much for intimidating). She reached out a hand toward him in lieu of a greeting.

And he grimaced at her as if she was the piece gum stuck on the sole of his shoe.

Wow, great first impression dude! I almost want to be your neighbour. Not.

"And staring at your neighbour like a creepy stalker is? A great first impression, that is, since you seem to know all about those." He pointed.

She'd said it out loud then. She kicked herself and winced, making the hot jerk wary of her sanity.

Like he had reason to be! Ridiculous! She was only talking to herself! It wasn't as if- WHAT IN THE

"WHERE ARE YOUR PANTS?!!!!" She yelled, horrorstruck.

His eyes widened as he looked at his- well, lack of covering- and cursed under his breath.

"DON'T LOOK!"

But it was too late.

Too late.

The whole day she spent bemoaning the loss of her innocence. (Who was she kidding, she secretly enjoyed it. Just because she was a Bio major. Nothing more. And now she stopped making sense. Again. Ughhh.)

Needless to say, their blossoming friendship (or relationship??) had been nipped at the bud. He now avoided her like the plague (it wasn't like she'd flashed him!!) but she swore sometimes she'd catch him staring at her.

But the truth remained that she'd mucked up her chance at making new friends at the first try.

Hey, at least she had Ricardo, the extremely stupid squirrel living on the acacia tree in her backyard.

Well, on second thought, she thought as she saw him try to woo the woodpecker on her tree for the 978th time this month (take a hint, Ricardo!) maybe he wasn't the best choice of companionship.

I'm gonna end up a cat lady, aren't I? Her shoulders drooped as she stared at the tree vacantly. Maybe moving out wasn't one of her best ideas...

...................

Maybe it was the internal Erza in her berating her for wallowing in her self pity, or that she'd realised she and Ricardo had more in common than she thought. Either way, the next day she'd adopted a bunch of kittens.

Yes, you heard it right.

And she wondered why she hadn't done this sooner.

Mayonnaise, Guacamole and Nacho. The little balls of fur were adorkable, as was expected of cuddly little munchkins, and fawning over them did wonders to her self esteem.

The kicker however, happened a week after.

She groaned loudly as she struggled to get out of bed and stumble to the door, her fluffy slippers in hand. She put them on as she wobbled down the stairs and rubbed her eyes of any pending sleep. Who was the fucktard that dared disturb her sleep at bloody 8 in the morning on A WEEKEND?! She grabbed her baseball bat as she opened the door.

"WHAT?" She growled at- wait that's a chest... She glanced up and met the eyes of her very amused neighbour.

Now that she thought about it, she must've looked like quite the escaped convict with her neon orange pajamas-don't ask, a gift from her annoying friend Nashi- and bedhead. He must've finally noticed the fluffy bunny slippers because he suddenly doubled over, banging the doorframe with one hand as he let out one of the most adorable laughs she'd ever heard (he sounded like a dying llama actually, but sureee, whatever you say brain)

When he'd finally stopped laughing, (which was an embarrassingly long time later) he leaned against the doorframe-Oh good God -and shot her a gorgeous megawatt grin that had her squinting in suspicion.

"I heard you adopted kittens."

She blinked at him, "And you come here at frigging 8 on a weekend to state the obvious?"

"Well, not exactly," he chirped, the subtle quirk of his lips proving he knew how much he was irking her,"I want to meet 'em. Please?"

5 minutes later, Rosemary found herself making breakfast as her hot neighbour cooed (I kid you not, cooed) at her kittens as she also simultaneously managed to convince herself she allowed it only because he asked nicely. No doubt about that.

"What are their names?" He asked as he scratched Nacho behind his ear.

"Mayonnaise, Guacamole and Nacho."

"I'm sorry, what?" He spluttered, making Rosemary shuffle her feet partly out of embarrassment and partly out of defensiveness.

"What's wrong with those names?" She threatened with her red hot spatula pointed at his neck. He raised his hands and gulped.

"No complaints, ma'am!"

She turned to flip the pancakes. "That's better."

"Hey, I'm-uh Rin. Rin Fullbuster," he said as if he'd just remembered to introduce himself.

She smiled to herself as she flipped another pancake. "Rosemary Fernández."

"Hey, I LOVE ROSEMARY!" He cheered obliviously.

Rosemary choked as she whipped her head toward him so hard it cracked. She accidentally touched the hot pan and let out a yelp of pain. His eyes widened as he realised the implications of his statement.

"I meant the-Gah- the plant, I mean-Ah fuck, your hand!"

13 minutes and one burnt pancake later, Rosemary had learnt quite a bit about Rin.

For instance, he nonchalantly mentioned that he was studying medicine as he treated her hand without batting an eye. He also said that he lived with his twin sister Sylvia and had an elder brother.

His eyes flickered as he blurted, "Can I treat you to dinner? How does um-tonight sound? Yeah tonight," he looked her in the eyes with so much enthusiasm she might've melted if her palm hadn't been so severely burnt.

Her eyes crinkled as she nodded in agreement, "Sure, I'd love that!"

Bonus:

"So you're telling me that Ricardo should've be getting his hopes up over the woodpecker even when she lets him stay in her hole and even eats from the same tree as him?" Rin raised an eyebrow at the red-head who scrunched her forehead.

"That doesn't have to mean anything. Maybe she just wants to be friends!" She gestured unbelievingly.

"What? That doesn't make sense! Of course there's something else! You don't just share your food with friends! That's the equivalent of going out in the animal world!" Rin blinked at her as if she was the one sputtering nonsense.

"No it isn't! You can go out for dinner platonically too!"

He frowned. "I can prove it!"

Rosemary tilted her head to look at him, "How?"

"We've been going out to dinner for 2 months now. Does this mean that we're just friends?"

"Um yeah! We are? How is this proving the point?"

Rin stared at her like she'd grown two heads and yelped, "WAIT YOU'RE SERIOUS?!"

Rosemary flushed, "Well, yes. I didn't know you were interested in uh-You like me? That way?"

Rin looked like he'd been living a lie as he squeaked, "UH- YES! I DO! LIKE YOU! And here literally everyone was calling me whipped and telling me how obvious I was being, but haha!"

He suddenly whipped his head in her direction like a man possessed. " YOU LIKE ME TOO, RIGHT? SHIT, DO YOU? I MEAN I DON'T WANT TO FORCE YOU OR-"

"I DO! I DO! I mean I've never really thought you liked me Ughhh you know what? Fuck this."

She tugged on his shirt as her lips met his and all was forgotten.

Though, Rin never hesitated to tease her and her obliviousness at every given opportunity. She didn't mind.

She had her blue-haired squirrel of a neighbour in the end anyway.

............

[evabellasworld]

Death of Mandalore

Chapter 3

AO3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3

——————————————————————————————

Summary:  After murdering Chancellor Palpatine of the Galactic Republic, Vanya Doyvesky joined leagues with both Death Watch and Darth Maul, hoping to reclaim her Mandalorian warrior heritage. But with broken promises and betrayal against Death Watch and Maul’s crime syndicate, the former Mandalorian Jedi had to choose the right path not only for her but for Clan Doyvesky as well.

————————————————————————————

Walking inside the tent, Vanya approached her older sister, Vasilia, who was standing behind Pre Vizsla. The latter noticed her presence and gestured her to focus on the holo, which showed a visual of a large dome, where Mandalorians grew up. “Vas, we need to talk,” she whispered. “This is really important.”

“Not now, Vanya,”  Vasilia whispered back. “We’re in the middle of planning a crucial attack on Mandalore.”

Groaning to herself, she was left with no other choice but to listen to Maul and Vizsla. I guess family meetings can wait a little longer then.

The Zabrak placed his fingers beneath his chin as he glanced at the holotable, before shifting his focus at Vizsla. “Where are my targets?” Maul asked.

“We’ve identified them at these locations,” the bald man answered, marking them with red dots. “However, as I’ve said before, if we try to take Mandalore by force, our people will turn against us.”

“I will use my army of crime lords to attack different targets across Sundari and sow chaos to undermine the Duchess's rule,” he suggested. “Our gangsters will make her look too weak to maintain control. Then you and your Death Watch will capture and arrest us, bringing order where Satine's weak government could not.”

Vizsla’s lips curved upwards, realising where Maul was coming from. “We'll be saviors.”

“Exactly.”

“A good plan,” Vizsla praised him, before glancing at Bo-Katan, who was his second-in-command.

“Indeed,” Bo agreed. “I’ll prepare the troops.”

Vanya watched her leave the tent, with Vizsla following her from behind. Taking a deep breath, she excused herself for some fresh air when she noticed the both of them confiding with each other, while wary if there’s anyone listening to their conversation.

“It’s a risk to trust those monsters,” warned Bo. “How do we know they'll keep their end of the bargain?”

“We need those Sith and their thugs to cause some pain and show the Mandalorian people how weak Satine really is,” Vizsla argued. “After this is done, no one will doubt why we’re in power. Most will welcome us.”

“Then what?”

“Then we execute Maul and those thugs,” he said. “Those criminals will scatter, and Mandalore will be ours.”

Letting out a silent gasp, Vanya scurried away, assuming that she was spotted. So that’s where their partnership between them will end, she guessed, her heart palpitating. Now I really need to talk to Vas about this.

She stepped inside her family tent and found her older sister seated with both Katrina and Maria, peering at her, as if they were waiting for her. “Ladies, I need to talk to you,” she urged as she turned around, making sure she wasn’t being pursued by her fellow Death Watch member. “This is really important.”

“I know, which is why I gathered all of us here,” Vasilia raised her eyebrows, inviting her sister to sit down. “What is so urgent that you called for a family meeting in the first place?”

“It’s about the attack on Vizsla and Maul,” she revealed. “They’re both planning to turn against each other once we took over Mandalore.”

Vasilia nodded, crossing her arms. “Well, you’re not the only one who knows about this, vod’ika.”

“What do you mean I’m not the only one who knows about this?”

“I overheard Maul and his brother after the meeting ended,” she confided. “They figured that Vizsla will betray them and that they will find a new ruler of Mandalore once he takes the throne.”

“Of course he did,” Katrina scoffed. “Why am I not even surprised by this revelation?”

“Because it’s obvious,” Maria shrugged. “I mean, both these men wanted power so badly that when there’s an opportunity to betray each other, they won’t hesitate to do it. As Vas said, Vizsla dreamed to be Manda’lor while Maul wants to rule the underworld.”

“In short, they’re just plain greedy,” Vanya concluded. “But when that happens, then what about us? Which side do we serve?”

“Honestly Vanya, both are terrible,” Vasilia admitted. “Death Watch looks like they value Mandalorian culture, but only when it applies to war. I mean, they literally wiped out an entire village on Carlac and bragged about it. That’s not the Mandalorian way I learned from Mama and Papa.”

“Not to mention that they used a guy as a scapegoat for the bombing on Sundari,” Maria recalled. “Like, people almost died that day.”

“Yeah, my Jedi friend told me about that,” Vanya remembered. “The Duchess was scared to death because of the attack.”

“It was a terrible day for all of us Mandalorians,” Katrina sighed sadly, before turning to Vasilia. “Also, just wondering, but if you know what Death Watch did was wrong, then why did you join them in the first place?”

Vanya and Maria gave an uncertain stare, making her submit. “Okay, let me give you a rational explanation on why I joined Death Watch in the first place.”

“It’s not just you though,” Maria pointed out. “You persuaded the entire clan to join their cause, but do explain why you got them involved in the first place.”

Vasilia took a deep breath as she closed her eyes for a moment and began. “I only joined because they believed that they wanted to take back our warrior heritage that we’ve been denied for so long under the Duchess’s rules. Vanya, you weren’t there when Satine and the New Mandalorian took over the planet, but I can tell you that everything changed after that.”

She paused as she held back her tears, before continuing her words. “We were forced to give up our armour, our weapons, and whatever that reminds them of Old Mandalorian. Mama and Papa were reluctant, so they told us to hide everything in a secret compartment and only use them when we’re inside the house.”

“But one day, the authorities showed up at our house. They wanted to inspect the entire house for safety purposes, so Mama and Papa had no other choice but to go along with it while I was told to hide them in the usual place. Unfortunately, we got caught and the authorities ended up confiscating both our weapons and our armour. Papa wouldn't budge, so he pleaded with them to give them back, promising them that we won't use it at all.”

“But do you know what they did to him instead?”

Vanya shook her head, knowing that it'll get worse. “I don't like where this is going.”

“They pushed him on the coffee table right in front of us and left,” snarled Vasilia, clenching her fist. “Mama screamed when she saw blood in his forehead. He ended up with a few stitches after that.”

Rubbing her older sister's back, Vanya leaned closer and wrapped her arms around Vasilia as she wiped her tears. “I'm really sorry you had to see that, vod. It was horrible for those officers to hurt our own father, and took away whatever was left of our culture.”

“I thought I was doing the right thing for Death Watch, but I was wrong. They are just as rotten as Satine's New Mandalorian. The only difference is that one wanted peace while the other craved for violence.”

“But what about Maul?” Katrina wondered. “How atrocious is he compared to Vizsla?”

“He got his brother to behead the Black Sun High Council after they refused to join him, and also the Hutts Clans as well.”

“Okay, so we have to choose between a power-hungry maniac and a bloodthirsty warrior who's obsessed with revenge,” Maria deadpanned. “Pretty good choices, if you ask me.”

Vanya rolled her eyes. “Now it's not a good time for sarcasm. We need to think of a plan where we won't be affected by Maul and Vizsla betraying each other.”

“I have an idea,” Katrina raised her hands. “But you guys won't like it though.”

“What is it, Kat?” Vasilia asked, rubbing between her temples.

“How about we just go along with the plan that both Vizsla and Maul agreed on and from there, we'll see how it goes.”

“I say that it's a stupid plan,” Maria commented. “I mean seriously, you want to wait till the last minute before we decide which leader is better? Well, hell no!”

“I don't like it either, but we really don't have much of a choice,” grumbled Vanya. “If we don't go along with the plan, they'll have our heads, or worse.”

“Vanya is right,” Vasiliy supported. “The only thing we can do so far is to wait. We can't let Death Watch or Maul suspect us of betraying them. If we act now, it will be disastrous not only for us but for Clan Doyvesky as well.”

“I understand, vod,” Katrina nodded when she heard footsteps approaching their tent, making us shudder. “Quick, someone's coming.”

All four sisters panicked as they put on their helmets and walked out of the tent, facing Pre Vizsla and Bo-Katan. “My Lord,” Vasilia gave him a respectful bow. “Are we ready to depart right now?”

“Are your soldiers ready, Doyvesky?” he questioned, in an intimidating manner.

“They're ready as they can ever be, My Lord,” she stuttered, hiding her shaking hands behind her.

“Good,” Bo said, pointing at their ship. “Now hurry. We don't have much time left.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Vanya acknowledged, sensing their wariness harboured towards her and her sisters.

[mandareeboo]

Unfinished Work #34 (Untitled)

I had a flashback to this badboy while I was reading some SPOP fanfics on Ao3. I started writing it before I found out Angella got taken into the portal, and just never finished it- which is a damn shame, since I still think it has a strong beginning. But, yeah, basically a “Angella adopts Adora” story.

———————————————————————————————————–

Her Majesty likes tea. She likes inviting Glimmer to tea. Glimmer, in turn, invites Adora and Bow. Adora tries not to, like, make a big deal out of it, since Glimmer hates making anything related to her mom (the queen of the REBELLION, and therefore the biggest of the deals) into anything of note. But tea is a tiny little cup of leaf juice, and once that tiny little cup of leaf juice is done Adora finds herself sitting stiffly on her chair, hands clasped around her midsection, awaiting dismissal.

Glimmer prattles on about visiting a monument of some sort with Frosta while Angella listens with both ears and Adora listens with one, trying not to squirm too much. Squirming is a new habit, something Shadow Weaver would have quickly snuffed out, and even now she hears the whisper of her voice: stop wasting so much energy, Adora, that is no way for a soldier to be. If you don't stop, you'll tire, and then your troops will suffer. Is that what you want, Adora? Do you want that blood on your hands?

Bow leans over and flaps his hand around Adora's midsection. Flaps it again, just barely brushing the fabric of her jacket this time. Adora looks. He pantomimes throwing something in the air, mouth open, and Adora legitimately cannot deny that challenge. It'd be a crime against nature. She-Ra is supposed to protect nature.

Angella is nodding along while Adora carefully reaches out to take a cookie. They're tiny things, soft and made of chocolate- a beautiful flavor that can knock Adora's stomach out in one little nibble. Bow's smile is reaching full on grin territory now, as it always did when he got her to relax and do silly things. She kept an eye on the queen regardless as she took aim. It's another habit, just like the squirming. Catra always loved throwing games, which meant that Shadow Weaver loathed them.

Angella's eyes darted to her. In that second Adora's heart stopped. Instinctively, she let go, frisbeeing the cookie full-throttle at Bow. It hit him square in the chin. He let out a little grunt of disappointment and went to scoop the remains from his lap.

Her perfectly kept eyebrows rose. "Bored?"

"N-no, ma'am." Adora swallowed, wondering- not for the first time- what the queen might do for her indiscretion. Whatever it was, she hoped Bow would be spared from it. "Just, uh, not a lot to say."

"Not fond of sightseeing, I take it."

"Mom," Glimmer said, in that exasperated tone that always sent Adora on edge.

Angella's hands rose. The queen sheepishly smiled. "Just trying to make conversation, dear."

Freedom is weird. Her Majesty is weird. Adora honestly, truthfully, has no idea what to make of any of it. But she can sit up and keep her hands close and look nonthreatening under her gaze, so she continues to do that.

Glimmer, frowning, hands her another cookie. "Breathe, Adora. It's okay."

She exhales in a loud puff.

Angella has yet to look away, though something flits across her face at Adora's reaction and her daughter's subsequent (and entirely too off-the-cuff to have not been practiced) reassurance. "What do you like to do in your free time, Adora? I'd like to hear some stories of that."

The question feels like a test she hadn't prepared for. The soldier's eyes flit to Glimmer and Bow, but neither of their faces hold the answers. The truth was probably best. Shadow Weaver hated liars. (She hated everyone, really). "I, uh, train."

"Besides that." There was a long, awkward pause. "You do have hobbies outside of battle, don't you?"

"Uh," said Adora.

Glimmer sighed a long-suffering sigh and tapped her cookie on the edge of the plate to rid it of crumbs. "I've tried, mom. We haven't found anything yet."

"But we will!" Bow adds.

"I swim, sometimes?" she offered. Glimmer grunted and made a go-on gesture, knowing exactly where this was going. "It's good for the upper body muscles."

Angella set her chin on her hand, considering. "How you tried knitting? The pattern of it might-"

"She sharped the needles and used them as knives."

Adora felt an indignant twinge. "They fit perfectly into my boots! What else was I supposed to do?"

"Fair enough," she replied, looking a bit put out. "Well, training alone is rarely very fulfilling. Perhaps I ought to join you sometime?"

Oh, thought Adora's brain, so this is the punishment. Pretty vindictive, in its own right. Forcing her to take blow after blow in the name of 'training', scolding her for not putting her full effort in, whilst guards stood nearby, their sharp weapons just daring her to do so. It was very different from the methods Shadow Weaver had employed, but likewise was something Adora didn't doubt she'd come up with.

She can't stop herself from exclaiming; "I can't fight you, ma'am!" And the Shadow Weaver in her brain has narrowed its eyes in a disapproving manner. You think she doesn't know that, Adora? Stupid child.

Angella's eyes widen just slightly, surprised by the ferocity in her voice. "Well, no, I suppose not. But I could... coach?"

Adora forced herself to smile, wary of provoking her further. "That sounds great."

———————————————————————————————————–

"It sounds terrible, Bow."

"She's just trying to bond with you, you know."

"That's the terrible part!" Adora threw her hands up, collapsing onto the bed with a groan of agony. "She's just gonna be disappointed."

"How would she-"

"She'll find a way! She always finds a way." She scrubbed at her face. "She'll just keep upping the ante until I crack, and then it'll just be one big lecture about how I'm a failure and need to work on myself. Like I don't already know that!"

"Hey!" Bow's voice took on a warning tinge as he grabbed her hand supportively. "No bad-talking yourself. You're Adora and you're awesome, and I'm sure Glimmer's mom thinks so too. She likes getting to know Glimmer's friends, is all. At least, she really wanted to know me. And now you're her friend too! So you're someone new for her to know."

Adora shifted her face to look at him. "But you're Bow. Who wouldn't wanna know you?"

"You want me to go with you?"

"As moral support?"

"Well, yeah, obviously, but also to be your sparring partner." Bow gave her shoulder a gentle shove. "You can work on long-distance fighting, and I can work on not getting wrecked by a tank."

"There's gonna be a tank?" she asked, eyes wide.

[daybreak-academy-fanfic]

Daybreak Academy: Chapter 33

Side By Side

Summary: In which Ephemer and Anora reenact the finale of Kingdom Hearts 1. Word Count: 1,713 First | Previous | Next ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆

Even though Ms. April Tremaine had devoted over 20 years of her life in music theory, she had never, ever, gained an appreciation for theater.

Okay, that could have been a bit of an exaggeration. She might have had a general, well-rounded appreciation for showtunes. But other than that? She despised every aspect of acting. She was incredibly lucky that the students at Daybreak Academy knew how to act. As in, theatrically, and not in mild mannered conduct. Sitting through each of their skits was another battle though.

It didn't quite help that Annie had fallen asleep on her five minutes ago. Her arm was starting to go numb.

“Last call for auditions!” April called out. Annie stirred slightly but didn't wake up. “If you want it, move your butt on stage and start acting already!”

“Wait for me!” a voice shouted. April tried to turn around to see the silver haired headmasters' pet racing up the aisle.

“Well, hurry up then!” she said to him, gesturing at the stage. Ephemer gave a quick bow on his way past her before getting up on stage. He looked around the room, as if expecting to see someone, before turning his attention to the musical director. April gave him a bemused raise of her eyebrow.

“Alright Ephemer,” she said in a tone meant to humor him. “Hit me with your best 'Alas poor Yorick' and make it count- I've got a date this afternoon.”

A gleam in Ephemer's eye illustrated that he knew just who asked April out on that date. So, without any further instruction, the boy took a small breath out and started to recite a small portion of Hamlet. April had to admit that his cadence was incredibly certain- each word coming out purposefully and emotionally. He spoke clearly too- an impressive feat when he wasn't using a microphone to amplify his voice.

“Not bad.” April nodded. “Would you mind coming back for callbacks on Wednesday?”

The boy gave a wide grin as he gave a firm nod. “You bet!” he more than happily agreed.

“Whelp, I guess that's it then.” April announced, not that anyone else was really in the auditorium now. “See you on Wednesday.” And with that, Ms. April gently shook her daughter awake, collected their things, and soundly left the auditorium.

Ephemer remained up on stage for a few moments, scanning the rows of empty seats for a certain someone. He frowned when he didn't immediately see her. The boy got down from the stage and started to look through the rows himself. It took awhile, but he found Anora sitting in one of the back rows; her face unreadable as she looked down at the floor. If Ephemer had to guess, he would have assumed that she was resting.

The boy jogged over to the row and stood at the end.

“Hey Anora.” he smiled, but it didn't earn any reaction from her. A shot of worry coursed through Ephemer in her silence. So, without saying a word, he made his way over and took a seat next to her. He looked at Anora expectantly, but she still didn't seem to acknowledge him, so he also looked down at the ground.

After a few still moments, Anora finally told him, “You're late.”

“I know, I know.” he immediately apologized. “Did you audition?”

But Anora shook her head. Seeing it made Ephemer's heart leap into his throat.

“You waited for me?”

Shyly, Anora looked down at the floor and gave a small nod.

“Too many people...”

“And it's because it's something new, right?”

Anora gave another nod of agreement. Ephemer looked her over- lightly biting his lower lip as he thought something over.

Without warning, he took Anora by the hand and started to drag her onto the stage. He didn't let go until they were up on the stage itself. Anora gave Ephemer a wary glance before she looked out to the seating area. That was when she almost froze in place as she stared out to the rows and rows of empty seats. Never before had Anora felt so small. The lights above the seats were out, and the stage itself had only one buzzing light above them still on. Suddenly, the world outside felt far too big to handle. Anora was snapped out of her trance with Ephemer placing a soft hand on her shoulder.

“Pretty scary, isn't it?”

Anora looked to Ephemer, her eyes giving away her sudden fear well enough. Ephemer looked her over for a moment before removing his hand. Curious, Anora watched as he took a place at the center of the stage. He closed his eyes for a moment, clearing his thoughts, before he opened them up again.

In a clear, concise voice, he started to monologue; “I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like… is any of this for real, or not? I can feel- no, hear, my heart beat in my chest. When I open my eyes, I see nothing but a dark abyss. As I fall in this abyss, I slowly start to see water bubbles, floating all around me, until I realize that I'm submerged underwater. I continue to fall; falling close, closer, and close still to a white, almost blinding, light. This light… it's warm, as if it contains all of the world's hearts within. But there is also something wrong with this light. A darkness, maybe. As I reach out toward the light, I suddenly wake up, standing on the same beach I've known my entire life.”

Ephemer's shoulder's relaxed when he finished. He turned his attention back to Anora with a light grin. “Sound familiar?”

Anora gave a shy nod. It was the opening of a popular video game- she wasn't that big of a fan, but could recognize a few lines from it if someone happened to mention them. As she tried to remember the name of the game, Ephemer offered out his hand to her.

“Even if we're apart,” he said to her- reciting the game once more, but saying it far too casually for Anora to realize it right away, “We're not alone anymore. Right?”

The girl bit her lip in thought. She moved a bit closer to him. “I can't help?” she asked, her voice sounding a bit too hopeful. Ephemer smiled- either from acting the role or from genuine happiness that she was going along with him.

“You'd kinda be in my way.” he replied with a roll of his shoulder.

This time, Anora smiled as well, taking another step toward Ephemer. “Okay.” she mused. “You win.” And with that, she clapped her hand into his. The two then proceeded to reenact other scenes from the game that they could easily remember. It all culminated to the two holding hands, slowly walking away from each other as if something else were separating them.

“I'll come back to you!” Ephemer declared to Anora, his voice sounding hopeful but his face showing nothing but pure amusement. “I promise!”

Anora tried hard to hide her smile as she said back, “I know you will!” and with that, the two let go of their hands. The two playfully stared at each other in a mock longing, still slowly backing away from each other, before starting to dissolve into a flurry of giggles.

“There's a song that plays during this part.” Ephemer told her. “I don't know if you know it or not, but it goes like this,” (the boy cleared his throat a bit before carefully starting to sing) “You're giving me, too many things, lately.”

“You're all I need.” Anora sang along. “You smiled at me, and said...”

“Don't get me wrong I love you,” the both of them then sang in unison, “But does that mean I have to meet your father? When we are older you'll understand, what I meant, when I said no. I don't think life is quite that simple!”

The two grinned at each other, going on with the song, not quite caring if they actually harmonized with each other or not. For the moment, as long as they knew, it was just them and they were having the time of their lives.

“Hold me; what ever lies beyond this mo-orning, is a little later on.”

“Regardless of warnings...”

“The future doesn't scare me at a-a-all!”

“Nothing's like before!” they both belted out together. They then looked at each other and shared another round of happy laughter.

“And just what do you two think you're doing?”

The two kids jumped in surprise before turning their attention to the new voice. It had been Ms. Tremaine- she must have forgotten something and was coming back for it.

“Ephemer, I already told you that callbacks were on Wednesday.” Ms. Tremaine smirked. She then looked at Anora and gave small nod. “It might do you well to be there too, Anora.”

The grin on Ephemer's face could not be stopped. “Are you serious?” he questioned with a giddy voice.

“As a heart attack.” the older teacher affirmed. “Now, get off my stage and go get some lunch.”

Ephemer happily gave the musical director a two finger salute as he declared, “Yes ma'am!” He then took Anora's hand and quickly dragged the two of them offstage. April shook her head and gave a small laugh at the duo. She knew good chemistry when she saw it, and those kids were truly something else.

“Callbacks!” Ephemer happily declared. “Who do you think you'll be cast as?”

To be honest, Anora hadn't even thought that far yet. The growling in her stomach was mostly preoccupying her thoughts- along with the nagging feeling that Ephemer was trying really hard not to hug her.

“Well,” Ephemer then mused, “Whatever we get cast as, I hope we get to do it side by side!”

Anora gave him a quizzical expression as she tried to study his. He was just too excited at the callbacks to even truly notice her. Eventually, despite herself, Anora shook her head- a small grin forming on her lips. She didn't know why Ephemer kept insisting that they do things together; a part of her was just glad to be included in anything. Besides, Ephemer made for some very excellent company.

[fanficimagery]

Imagine that during your first year of Hogwarts, you ended up befriending the Weasley twins on the train. Then being sorted into Slytherin complicated things and throughout the years it was nothing but heartbreak as the twins refused to acknowledge you in public. Your friendship with them is hot and cold, and after taking a break from them you realize you'll do anything to make them realize you're all in no matter what anyone thinks.

Author's Note: This takes place as if Voldemort didn't exist. However, there are still blood and house prejudices.

GIF not mine. I tried to track down the source, but it was never found. If yours and you want and/or it removed, please let me know.

Gen Fic X Reader (w/ a hint of Fred X Reader | George X Reader)

Going into your Seventh year at Hogwarts, you are more than prepared to start talking to Fred and George again after having cooled off over the summer. The twins had been your first friends, but things were suddenly complicated when you were sorted into Slytherin and they into Gryffindor. And now that you're older you could look back and laugh at the antics of your behavior when you were children.

Fred and George pranked and hexed yourself and your house mates, but you gave as good as you got. Nothing was ever too cruel and if it ever toed the line you had no problem berating the two lions. The twins were also your first crushes, but as you got older the twins were careful about where you were seen together or if you were seen together at all. And while that should have hurt your feelings (it did, but you were good at masking it) you couldn't help but to continue seeking out their companionship.

George had been your first kiss, Fred your first date, and the twins were the ones to not-so-subtly drop hints about a triad relationship when you found yourself troubled over which twin you were fond of more. But the older you got, the more braver and nastier the other females of Gryffindor house got. Not one lioness wanted to see one of their own getting too friendly with a snake, and they had no problem insulting and hexing you to make their point.

The twins, after seeing what you were put through, finally decided to distance themselves. They were still friendly when on their own, but when surrounded by other Gryffindors you were just another snake who wasn't quite up to their standards.

And that- that hurt. But what really hurt the most was last year during the Triwizard tournament. When the Yule Ball was announced you had been so excited, only to find out that the twins has asked Angelina Johnson and Marietta Edgecomb to escort them. You tried to not let it get to you, but the girls were far too smug whenever in your presence and it hurt when the twins didn't bother to reign them in. Viktor Krum, however, had taken a fancy to you and asked for you to escort him. You accepted, but not before clarifying that it would be a strictly platonic date. He understood and happily twirled you around the dance floor. Fred and George didn't like it one bit, and had no problem voicing their anger in regards to your date.

It was highly unfair of them and you even told them so, but they wouldn't hear of it. So when they played a particularly nasty prank on the Durmstrang champion that not only humiliated him but you as well, you let the twins have it and told them to never speak to you again. For the rest of the school year they felt quite justified over their actions, but your absence from their lives started to wane on them. And if you were quite honest with yourself, you missed them terribly by the time it was time to go home for the summer.

"You know they're in love with you, right?" You startle at the voice which has knocked you from your thoughts, you then eyeing a too smug Ginny Weasley as she enters your empty compartment on the train. "They spent all summer moping about the Burrow and mum nearly went mental. When I told her it was a girl problem, she nearly sent you a howler."

Your eyes widen. "But-"

The redhead grins as she settles in the seat across from you. "Don't worry about it. I told her what was going on and what gits Fred and George had been. She was quite cross with them, to be honest. Said she raised her boys to be better than that and to not care about what house someone was sorted in to."

"I guess Ron didn't get that memo," you lamely joke as you slowly relax back in your seat.

"Ron's a prat."

You chuckle softly as you offer her a shrug, not wanting to further bad mouth her brother. Then turning rather somber very quickly, you sigh, "What am I going to do, little red?"

"Talk to them. They really miss you."

"And I miss them, but.." You trail off, gulping the sudden lump in your throat back down. "I liked them too, you know? Like.. really, really liked them. Both of them." Ginny's eyes widen at your honesty, her eyes almost sparkling. "But I was already a dirty half-blood to most of the school's population, I wasn't about to become their dirty little secret as well when they suggested a triad."

Ginny leans forward and grabs your hand, she squeezing it in comfort. "Whatever's meant to happen will happen. Don't give up on them."

She's so confident in her words that you can't help smile genuinely at her. "When'd you get so smart?"

"Around the same time I overheard you giving Hermione a similar talk when Ron became dense about girls."

"Ahh," you muse. Ginny chuckles and the rest of your time is interrupted when the Prefects start making their rounds to advise everyone to start putting on their robes. As Ginny gets up to leave, you call out one last time. "Same rules from First year still apply. You have any trouble with the Slytherins, come to me."

"Got it. Thanks, Y/N."

As school starts, the twins are apparently ready to start talking with you again. Their flirtation has been taken to a whole new level and you find yourself blushing more than usual. They've even become rather more bold with their touches and you can't help the feelings that reignite. But on the first Hogsmeade trip when you're out with some friends, you spot Fred and George out on dates and it adds yet another crack to your already splintered heart.

But your last year seems to have a bright light at the end of the tunnel when Headmaster Dumbledore informs the school that they're going to have what the muggles call a Talent Show. The snobby Purebloods are disgusted with the idea, but everyone else is quite excited to see what their fellow students are capable of, especially when it's also stated that families will be invited to the end of the year festivities.

You're more than prepared to sit back and watch the show at the end of the year, but the more your.. whatever you have going on with the twins becomes strained yet again, you recruit a muggleborn Hufflepuff to help you out with a song of your choosing. No one knows what you plan on doing and the friendly 'Puff helps keep it a secret.

Parents are allowed to start arriving at Hogwarts the day before the Talent Show as to not clog up the floo network, so you're not surprised to see more adults than usual walking about. The castle is rather busy, so it's also no surprise you find yourself bumping into a few individuals.

Glancing up you realize you've ran into adults and the apology is on the tip of your tongue. But there's a scoff of disgust, a mumbled comment about snakes being snakes, and you carefully bring your shield down. Then looking towards the redheaded woman, you bow your head in apology. "Apologies, ma'am. It seems my head is in the clouds this morning."

She seems surprised, but a smile quickly blooms. "It's quite alright. I was a bit busy myself scolding my husband and his best friend."

Glancing at the two men, you quickly catalog that the bespectacled man seems rather familiar but the other- the other dark haired, silver eyed individual can only be a Black.

"Oi! Y/L/N! You accosting my mum?"

You tense, the three individuals in front of you look suddenly wary, but when you look towards the speaker you grin. As the tension slowly leaves your shoulders, you shrug. "What can I say, HJ? You know I have a weakness for redheads." Then looking back at the apparent Mrs. Potter, you wink at her which sends Mr. Potter and Mr. Black into a fit of surprised laughter.

Harry Potter strolls up to you, rolling his eyes. "Yes, the whole school knows you have a weakness for redheads. Especially twin-"

"Not. Another. Word." You narrow your eyes, pointing a finger at him threateningly. "Unless you want dear 'ol mum to learn about the incident on the pitch from last year."

Harry suddenly clams up, he shifting nervously as his father chortles and Mr. Black muses about what exactly happened on the pitch. "You wouldn't."

"Uh hello. Slytherin," you grin while pointing at your face.

"Oh, sweetheart, I had you pegged all wrong." An arm falls around your shoulders and you glance up at the dark haired man that was with Harry's parents. "Sirius Black. Harry's godfather and ex-Gryffindor."

"Ah. So that's why you made those snake comments." He takes a moment to look a bit apologetic, especially when Harry groans, but you shrug it off. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Black. I'm Y/N. And don't worry about your earlier misstep. It's nothing I haven't heard before."

"Y/N is one of the few good ones," Harry tells his family. "Half-blood who has a majority of the purebloods terrified of her."

"As it should be," you smirk.

"Lily Potter," his mother then introduces herself with a faint chuckle. "And my husband James," she says. "It's nice to see a Slytherin and Gryffindor getting along for once."

"Only a few select Gryffindors. A majority of them still hate me," you kindly correct. Then giving your attention back to Harry, you ask, "So why are your parents here? You're not performing, are you HJ?"

"Merlin no," he chuckles. "This is just the first year Hogwarts has done something like this. It was open to all the parents whether or not their son or daughter were performing."

"Ahh.."

"What about you? Are you performing?"

You grin. "Actually, I am. Headmaster Dumbledore asked me to open the show with a song and then I'm singing a duet towards the end."

"Really? I've heard you sing a couple of times. You're really good."

"Thank you. Unfortunately for Dumbledore, I decided to use this as my platform to- how do the muggles say?- go big or go home?"

Sirius and Lily snort, and Harry groans. "Oh no. What are you doing?"

"I'm going to sing a sad song for two idiot boys. I won't single them out, but if people have been paying attention for the passed several years then they'll know who I'm speaking to. But my second song, oh you're going to love it. It's a lot more upbeat and I will single them out then."

"I feel like I should feel bad for Fred and George, but I'm highly intrigued. I can't wait for tomorrow."

"You and me both, HJ." Grinning, you then meet each individual adult's gaze before taking your leave. "It was nice to meet you all. Please don't laugh when I make a fool of myself tomorrow."

The evening of the talent show you're a little nervous. You had practiced the night before in the Come and Go Room with Ginny, Hermione, and Luna Lovegood as your audience, and actually made two of the three girls tear up. But now, as Headmaster Dumbledore addresses the Great Hall of what to expect throughout the night, it's very real.

Peeking into the Hall, you notice that the house tables have been divided and pushed two to each side. The Head's table and Headmaster's podium still sit where they always have, but straight down the middle of the hall is a raised platform that runs the length from the back of the hall to the front. And though you can't see it with the naked eye, you know there's a magical barrier to prevent any curses or hexes being cast at the performers.

"So without further ado, Y/N Y/L/N will start this evening off by serenading a gentlewizard.. or two."

"Bloody hell he is not subtle at all. How did he even know?" Those performing after you all snicker and you take a deep breath as you enter the Great Hall.

There's a decent amount of applause at your appearance and you take the offered hand from a fellow student as you ascend the steps onto the platform. Several wizards who had learned the music to every song being sung in the show take their place along the platform, instruments in hand or settling behind a set of drums or piano that have already been set up. The moment you set foot on the platform, a sonorous charm envelops you so there's no use of a muggle microphone.

You nod at the pianist and tuck your hands into the back pockets of your jeans as you saunter down the middle of the platform when a familiar melody fills the air.

"Mercy," you sing, eyes closing. "Why you gotta show up lookin' so good just to hurt me? Why you wanna stop this whole damn world from turning? Mercy. Why you hanging on so tight if this ain't working? Why you wanna stop this flame if it's still burning? 'Cause it's still burning."

Stopping in the middle of the platform, you face the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor side of the room, and look towards the twins. You know if you meet their gaze head on you'll only end up crying, so you keep your gaze above their heads and belt out the lyrics that broke your heart when you first heard them. "So if you're gonna break my heart, just break it. And if you're gonna take your shot, then take it. Take it. If you made up your mind, then make it. Make this fast. If you ever loved me.. have mercy."

As the melody plays on, you fall silent and chance a look at Fred and George. They're hunched over in their seats, expressions solemn and guilty-like. But before you can turn around to make your way to the other side of the platform, someone in Harry's group wolf whistles and there's a brief smattering of applause and muffled laughter which causes you to smile.

You sing the rest of the song while keeping your back to the twins and are pleasantly surprised at the amount of applause when you're done. Then bowing slightly to both sides of the room and to the Head's table, you subtly wipe your tears away and make your way off the platform to take a seat in the very back of the hall.

Other students show off their own singing abilities, as well as their dancing skills, transfiguration skills, and dueling abilities in which colorful explosions and sparkles happen around the target should they be hit. One brave soul even tried their hand at comedy and managed to have the hall in a fit of giggles over the incidents they brought up that had happened over the years.

The entire time everyone is performing, you can't help but let your gaze travel to two nearly identical faces. And the entire time you look at them, they're looking back and then talking quietly to one another.

You're so caught up in the latest performance that you actually startle when someone taps your shoulder. Turning around, you smile at Trevor- a Seventh year, muggleborn Hufflepuff who readily agreed to help you sing a song- who's crouched behind your seat. "You ready?" He asks. "We're up next."

"Oh. Yeah."

The two of you sneak back out of the hall to wait outside and soon enough Headmaster Dumbledore is speaking again as he introduces the next act. "Students, it pleases me greatly that this evening has been a smash with you." Several students whistle and cheer. "And I greatly appreciate the brave students who've decided to share their talents." More applause erupts. "But before our fun comes to an end, please give another round of applause for out last act- Trevor Langdon and friend."

You grin as only Trevor enters the hall and then smile widely as the melody of your chosen song starts and Trevor's voice resonates around the room. "Baby, lay on back and relax. Kick your pretty feet up on my dash.." His voice is far deeper when singing than it is when he speaks, so you chuckle as you see many starstruck, awed expressions in the crowd.

You hum along to his part of the song, laughing as he plays the crowd and singles out a few females and winks at them as he sings up and down the platform. With the spotlight on him, you take the chance to walk up to the platform where it's dark and ascend the stairs as your part comes up. Then when the spotlight shines on you, you grin as you sing and make your way towards where the twins are seated.

"I don't mean to be so uptight, but my heart's been hurt a couple times by a couple guys that didn't treat me right. I ain't gon' lie, ain't gonna lie." Stopping before the twins, you meet their gaze head on and raise an eyebrow at them. "'Cause I'm tired of the fake love. Show me what you're made of. Boys, make me believe.."

Trevor slides up from behind you, smirking. "But hold up, girl, don't you know you're beautiful? And it's easy to see."

Laughing, you manage to sing the next words with Trevor, shooting the twins one last look. "If it's meant to be, it'll be, it'll be. Baby, just let it be."

The entire talent show ends up being a success and more food had been offered after the hall was sorted back to it's original state. While half of the student population opted to head back to their common rooms, the rest lingered about with family and friends before curfew neared.

"Kitten, those performances were marvelous," Sirius muses, his arm slung around your shoulder. Somehow you found yourself adopted into the group that consisted of Harry's family when they found out your father hadn't shown because your mum was a muggle and he wouldn't show up without her. "If those boys of Molly don't get heads out of their arses-"

You laugh, elbowing him in the side lightly. "It's hard being a teenager, Mr. Black. I was as scared as they were, but we're graduating soon. I no longer care what anyone thinks and I'm not ashamed to be seen with them. Now it's time to see if they think I'm worth the risk as well."

"Well we're about to find out," Harry snickers. "Here they come."

Sirius only has enough time to nudge you forward before Fred- he was the more bolder twin after all- strides right up to you and catches your face between his hands before roughly pressing his lips to yours. Wolf whistles erupt around the hall and your eyes close as you return the kiss with fervor. But before you can really grab onto him, hands suddenly gripping your hips tug you from Fred and turn you around. George is sheepishly smiling down at you before he too presses his lips to yours, his kiss a little less rougher than his twin’s.

The hall goes eerily quiet, but the only thing you're focused on is George's tongue tracing the seam of your lips.

"Stupid bint." Though the words are muttered, they ring loud in the hushed hall.

George tenses before releasing you and your eyes flutter open. Your gaze then falls on the only two girls walking just as someone else says, "Trollop."

The group you're surrounded by seem to all puff up in righteous anger, but then the girls are both shrieking as miniature bats transformed out of their own snot starts to attack them. As they leave the hall screaming, you turn back towards your group and single out Ginny- the little witch who's standing there with her hip cocked to the side, arms crossed over her chest and wand sticking out by the crook of her elbow.

"What?" She feigns innocence. "They deserved it."

"Blimey," Sirius mumbles. "She definitely inherited her mum's temper."

Snorting, the rest of the group finally relax as they chuckle and you wrap your arms low around George's waist while snuggling into his chest. "So this is it, yeah?" You ask. "No more running away?"

"No more," George's answer rumbles through his chest as he settles his chin atop your head.

"This is us taking our shot," Fred muses. "You know, like you sang about us doing?"

"Not gonna break my heart, Weasley?"

"Definitely not. You're stuck with us, Y/L/N."

You roll your eyes as you release George, then snuggling up to Fred who's all too happy to accept your embrace. "'Bout bloody time."

Listen to these songs: Mercy by Brett Young and Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line.