#listen i am so genuinely in love with that man it is Almost Concerning

[sleepy-crypt1d]

i cannot be listening to hozier and thinking about handsome jack it is barely 10am

[anaconamor]

moscow mule - jude bellingham x reader.

quick sum: a boat day in the beautiful city of miami ends handsy with your boyfriend who can’t get enough of you and your red bikini as you stroll around slowly to take in the city night…

masterlist | jude’s masterlist

psa 🗣️: ik i said tiny blurb but this had been on my mind after an anon requested!! who doesn’t love bf! jude?? 😛 tiny mature content, not in-depth smut though!! so small 18+ warning!! small insta au at the end 🤍

you smile widely sitting up and put your book away as you saw your boyfriend approach you. “you enjoyed yourself today?” he asked, hunching over you and kissed your knee, spreading your legs and came between them. “i certainly did. nothing could beat a nice day boat day full of drinks, food and swimming,” you said meeting jude in a small kiss midway.

“even if you almost drowned?” he joked making you laugh and cover your face embarrassed.

“hey! to be fair, i had no idea it would be that deep? one second we were in shallow water then boom, i couldn’t reach my tiptoes on the sand? it’s a good thing i had my night and shining armor there with me,” you said sarcastically remembering how jude jumped in and saved you while laughing hysterically.

“i literally warned you to be careful, then all i could see is you treading the water!” jude replied, pulling you up and sitting you on his lap, his hand slowly trailing your back and playing with the strings from your red bikini. “i panicked, hello! i was genuinely not prepared for that,” you giggled, stroking his cheek with your thumb and giving a tiny peck on his nose.

“i love when you do that,” jude admits with a shy smile. “good because im not gonna stop doing it,” you stick your tongue wanting to get up to retrieve some of the fruit you bought in the morning at the small market. “what are you doing? where you going?” jude asked you concerned pulling you back down with a tight grip.

“to get some mangos and pineapple for us,” you laugh but jude is quick to get up and retrieve it, bringing some water along as well. “drink some, you’ve been in the sun all day and i don’t want you to get dehydrated,” he says opening the top and handing it gently while he went to get some napkins. “here pretty girl.”

“thank you!”

now it was no surprise but all you could feel is his intense eyes roam as you stood up to remove the white coverup you had on. jude gulping heavily, almost choking on the piece of mango as you tied your hair back and adjusted your bikini. the dark red set that had him stressing and putting images in his head he didn’t need.

he was lost for words when you stepped out the restroom in the morning, wearing just that. watching how you applied sunscreen, your jewelry and fixed your hair. miami had gave you a different glow that radiated your essence so much. jude was starstruck every time he stared at you. in the morning when you slept, when you people watched, when you talked to him. he knew that he was the luckiest man alive.

“i can feel you staring…” you whisper, jude letting out a small smile. “can’t help it, you under this sun light? this bikini? you’re killing me here,” he chuckles nervously, slightly going back and resting his forearms on the couch bed, his eyes lowering as you toppled him. “am i now? who knew this would be making you feel like that…”

“you always do, i can’t ever deny that. but this miami glow is hitting different… especially this tiny bikini,” he tugged the middle part of the bra top, seeing how your breasts pushed in. you gasp, feeling your ears heat up as you gently slap his hand away, jude letting out a smirk. “jude! we’re in public!” you say with clenched teeth, looking around to see if anyone would be watching.

“so?”

“so that means we have to be careful. who knows who could be watching or listening, maybe even filming,” you express, situating yourself on his lap, as he offers you a piece of fruit. “no matter where we go we’re being watched, and it’s something we can’t do unless we play undercover and dress up,” jude shrugs his shoulders.

“i remember we did that back in madrid when i visited you during christmas. your fans were so confused,” your laughter gets loud thinking how the little kids were twisting their heads trying to see and recognize if it was jude or not. you had been dating for a year yet were still scared to go public, especially with jude growing rapidly at his current club. now you were at peace with terms and not scared of public. yet you were careful because one never knew.

“you don’t know how bad i needed this,” jude confessed, his hands running up and down your soft thighs, nails grazing softly as he did different motions. “everything happened so fast after the semifinal. i was off for a week and then shit went crazy. but i’m so grateful to be where i am today, especially with you,” his fingers tugged and played with the knot from your bottoms.

“jude…” you warn, a faint smile on your lips giving him a knowing look.

“seriously i feel like you wore this on purpose just to rile me up,” he squeezed your thighs, watching as you adverted your gaze to the water where you guys now roamed close the city. more open to the public eye. “you did didn’t you!” jude exclaimed, hopping up as he pulled you close and tickled your neck. “okay maybe! maybe! ok yes, yes i did!” you struggled to say as you kept laughing and squinting.

“i love seeing you in red,” jude said, noticing how those words affected you, your eyes boring into his as your wrapped your arms around his shoulders. “every color looks beautiful on you, but this certain red definitely is one of my favorites,” jude’s hands trailed down to your bum where he gently squeezed it. you sigh with a playful gaze, “why do i even try with you?”

“because you love me? and i’m hot.”

“whatever.”

you stayed like this for the rest of the city stroll, often getting side tracked and just watched the sun set till it became dark. the only lights on were from the piers and buildings. the whole scenery looking aesthetic and relaxing. jude and you played kid games like “i spy” “would you rather” “name the top” getting competitive especially when the uno cards came out.

you would take this over any day. the private and intimate moments with him. appreciating and showing each other the undeniable love you had together. knowing it could be hard because of the high maintenance jobs you had, but you always made it work. willing to put in the sacrifice and effort to ensure your relationship was healthy. it was never ever the bare minimum.

jude told and reminded you always. even before you dated he wanted to let you know he was there no matter what. that being with you was the luckiest and most important aspects of his life. he never failed to show the gratitude or shy away the love he has and created. “you’re my world y/n. i’d do anything for you…”

“oh my god i love this song!” you squeal tuning up the volume as you heard the introduction of moscow mule. “isn’t this by bad bunny?” asked jude, remembering how his teammates played him back during training and gym sessions. “what do you know about bad bunny?” you teased, earning a tiny scoff from jude. “more than you know.”

your back laid on jude’s chest, giving his bicep a tiny peck in appreciation, his arms holding your waist, rubbing small circles on your hips. “this song is perfect for todays evening,” the small comment has jude cocking his head to the side, you go on to explain how the song means living life and in the moment with the person you love.

“yo no se tu, pero yo quisiera amanecer 'esnu', en una playa por balí, si no, cancún, pide otro moscow mule…” (my fav part ever of this song 😣)

jude’s lips place faint kisses on your ear lobe, leaving a wet trail as he gently ran his tongue on your pulse point, making you shiver and close your eyes anticipating his next move when he blew air. “i need you so bad you don’t understand y/n…” jude whined, pressing you down on his cock, as you panted. “i can feel that, can hear it in you,” you say gently turning around where jude made a mental picture of you like this.

you made sure no one was around, including the driver even if he was on the top deck of the yacht. you grind on him, a tiny groan escaping his mouth as you kissed his jaw bone. “we have to be quiet okay,” jude placed you down with one hand on him, his kisses urgent and showing how much he needed you. “can i take this off?” he asked tugging the red string from your top, your noses together as you calmed your breaths.

you nod biting your bottom lip, jude watching your eyes dilate as he gently undid the bow from the back. his eyes roamed your now bare breast, running his hands from your sides and giving both a small squeeze, hearing your shaky inhale, not resisting the urge and placing kisses on the flesh of them, tracing all the way up to your lips, where he hummed. “so sweet… so mine.”

“jude please…” you whimpered. “i know, i know, i got you, i got you baby,” jude reassured. sealing his promise by showing you what he meant and desired all day. your small and quiet moans driving him insane since all he wanted was to hear you. hear how good you were taking him, how amazing you felt wrapped around his cock. he felt it all, the cloud nine feeling as your warm walls squeezed him tight, your nails raking down his back leaving a burn and red trails, your lips struggling to kiss him as you came undone.

“i love you darling,” he kissed you deeply, feeling as you smiled into the kiss knowing you were about to say it back.

“i. love. you.”

——— j. b. ———

judebellingham

liked by: ynusername, yourbestie, vinijr, brahmin, badbunny, jobebellingham, fedevalverde, declanrice, trentalexanderarnold, vogue, spottedcelebrity, camavinga, and 2,348,699 others.

judebellingham: moscow mule feeling

comments:

ynusername: hi bf 😛

ynusername: still not okay after first pic… anyways VEN Y CHOCA

↪️ judebellingham: conmigo que se joda 🫣🫡

username90: miami y/n and jude?? okay then

user12: she is actually so stunning i can’t. jude move.

username23: OMGGG BAD BUNNY SONG?? he knows what he’s doing.

brahmin: hermanoooo, disfruten ❤️

trentalexanderarnold: 🫡🫡

liked by judebellingham

username65: oh- well we know they had a good time ☺️

user33: miami was not ready for them…

[mysticgalsworld]

a timeless encounter

a/n: this is my first Leopold Mountbatten fic you guys !! i’m rlly excited but disappointed bc i haven’t seen a lot of fics under this tag :( im sad cause he’s my dream man and i NEED more of him (that’s why i made this 😋) anyways lovelies, as always i take requests but lemme know what you think💕

summary: as the owner of a small cafe in New York that you hate, you don’t expect anybody to change your mind. But the strange-dressed man who wonders into the cafe one day may change your mind…

warnings: Leopold Mountbatten x f! reader, southern! reader, not spellchecked

The line in the cafe is piled up. When you hear the bell ding tediously, announcing another customer, you almost groan. You keep your head positioned on the lady in front of you, half listening as she drones on about what she got last time.

You continue conversing, almost forgetting about the person who just walked in, when an accented voice pulls you out of your thoughts.

“Good day. I am Sir Leopold Mountbatten. How do you do?”

Your head turns to the side as you look to him. Surprised that he has walked to the front of the line, skipping about 10 waiting people, you almost scoff.

When you glance at him more closely and notice the strange clothes he’s wearing, your eyebrows crease. When he introduces himself and asks you, how do you do?, confusion rises to your face.

Keeping a calm, but confused face, you go to respond. “I’m sorry sir, there is a very long line of people waiting. Do you mind going to the back and waiting your turn?”

Leopold looks around, realizing the error he made. He turns back towards you with a sheepish expression on his face. "I apologize, I was not paying due attention."

He glances around, noticing the queue of people waiting. "It appears there are quite a few individuals waiting in line. I shall take my place at the end of the line. Do forgive my oversight."

You nod your head in confusion, agreeing to whatever he’s saying so he listens to you. You watch as he retreats to the back of the line. Shall? Do forgive? You think in your head as you question his strange choice of language. It’s nothing like the people in New York. You were lucky if you even got a thank you, which is nothing like the south, where you were raised.

Meanwhile you continue helping the female customer who’s still gabbing on about what drink she got from the menu last time. Still your mind wonders to the strange man who walked through the cafe doors.

Leopold patiently waits in line, studying the establishment with a mixture of curiosity and wonder, taking in the scents of hot drinks, the lone woman behind the counter.

As he waits, he can’t help but wonder what you think of him, your confusion evident in your expression. He glances at you every now and then, waiting for his turn to approach the counter.

Nodding as the woman finally decides what she wants, you move to take the next customer’s order. You continue this until the line dwindles down, the next person in line being the strange man.

Putting a small smile on your face, you’re sure he can read that it’s not entirely genuine due to your stressed and frazzled appearance.

“Hey sir, what can I get for you today?”

The strange man—Leopold was his name, right?—glances at you with a kind smile. “Good day. I shall have a cup of your finest black tea please, if you would be so kind.”

He glances across the counter to you, taking in your stressed appearance, his expression betraying a hint of concern.

You nod and jot down the order on your frayed notebook before telling him the total. He reaches into his pocket, retrieving a few coins to pay for the tea.

Looking up to him, your mind is baffled with curiosity and wonder. He notices your confusion and gives you a small questioning smile. Your mouth moves before your brain can tell it to stop.

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

His eyebrows furrow in surprise before he clears his throat gently. “Indeed, I travel from afar. I hail from the city of Albany originally... Why do you ask?"

Your eyebrows raise in surprise as you turn around to prepare the tea on the counter behind you. Glancing over your shoulder absentmindedly but still curious, you respond.

“The clothes. Oh and the accent. But you do know Albany’s the capital of New York? So that wouldn’t make you a traveler from ‘afar’… Or British.”

Leopold chuckles at your abruptness, amused by your observation. You zone in on his face, the small crinkle of crows feet in the corners of his eyes as he smiles widely. "Ah yes, my attire. I am quite well aware of Albany's status as the capital of New York. I was referring to the era I originate from. I hail from the year...”

He pauses, a little uncomfortable as the next words come out of his mouth. You urge him on silently, turning from preparing the tea to instead lean against the counter.

He continues with a slight gulp, “—1876. That is what I meant by saying I am not from around here."

Your body pauses as you lean against the counter. Hoping to not show a reaction, you go back to the forgotten tea, starting to pour it. Your mind is reeling, wondering if he’s being truthful or if he’s just a strange crackhead that managed to wander in.

Blinking a couple times, you place the pot down once you are finished pouring and turn to him incredulously. “1876. You’re from 1876.”

Leopold stands straighter at this, wanting to see your reaction and more importantly wanting to see if you’ll believe him. He tries to put on an easy smile, boarderline smirk to suppress his nerves. “Indeed, I am. I assume you do not believe me, my lady?”

Blinking rapidly, you turn back around to grab the ceramic teacup from the other counter. Grabbing it and placing it in front of him, your voice almost wobbles as you place your hands on your hips.

“You’re not goin’ through some sort of psychosis or somethin’, right? Or you’re not like a really good street performer in character?”

Leopold takes the mug daintily from the counter, lifting it to his lips and taking a sip as he nods. He hums as he takes his first sip of the tea, almost distracted by how good it is. “No, my lady. I assure you I am neither a person dealing with mental illness nor a skillful street performer. I am very much real, and am not pretending in the slightest. I can provide you with further proof if you require it.”

A teasing scoff comes out of your mouth before you can stop it. A small smile appears on your face as you cross your arms. “I don’t need your whole life story, hon. I just met you.”

Leopold nods a little, the tips of ears ears almost reddening as he almost doesn’t catch your teasing tone. When it registers, he can almost scoff at your comment, but can’t help himself from smiling at your wit.

You glance down at the glass counter, an idea popping in your head before you can stop it. Before your brain can tell your body to stop, you bend down and grab a blueberry muffin. Placing it on a small plate, you hand it to him with a soft smile. “Well I’ve always wanted a man from the 19th century to try my desserts. On the house.”

He accepts the blueberry muffin with a gracious nod. “I appreciate your generosity, my lady. However, I must insist you allow me to pay for it. It doesn’t seem right, accepting something ‘on the house.’”

You shake your head, biting your lip to hold back a giggle. Smiling widely at him, you lean back on the counter. “Please just take the muffin and sit down…”

Leopold takes his muffin, tea, and your instruction to sit down, and finds an empty table in a quiet corner of the cafe. He sits down, taking a moment to examine the surroundings, his eyes landing on you, busy at work at the counter.

Looking down at the muffin, Leopold’s stomach grumbles in response to the delicious scent wafting up to him. He takes a small bite, the sweetness of the blueberry muffin filling his mouth. He lets out a satisfied hum, savoring the taste.

Now wiping down the counters, you watch the customers eat peacefully as the full cafe comes to a lull. You turn to restock inventory and leisurely take customer orders, almost forgetting the strange man supposedly from 1876.

Glancing down at the wall clock that’s nudged in the cozy wall of the cafe, you sigh knowing that you need to clean this entire place before you can go home. While you know working at the cafe may be a dream for some people, you are too busy with the hope for something better.

Owning this cafe was just a enclosed way for your late father to trap you. After he passed, he left it to you instead of your mother. Since they had been divorced for a while it made sense, but it was his last wish to spite her. Now this place is just a constant reminder of the crippling debt, unpaid loans, and quitting employees he left.

Taking out your troubles on the counters as you go back to wiping, you barely notice a pair of eyes on you. Leopold watched you as you work, observing your routine in the cafe. The slight tick of his pocket watch indicates that it's getting late. He takes another sip of his tea, watching as the last few customers start to trickle out of the cafe. Once they're gone, he steps back up to the counter.

"Excuse me, my lady. You'll be closed soon, yes?"

Emerging from around the counter, you pass him and walk to the space filled with tables. You move gracefully, picking up empty dishes and cups that people have left. Leopold walks behind you, watching as you gather the dishes.

His mind urges him to take the dishes from your hands, anything to help make it easier for you. He stills, patiently waiting for his answer while holding his hands out to assist you. Absentmindedly you nod, not noticing his outstretched hands.

“Yep, in about 20 minutes.”

He nods, clearing his throat gently. His eyebrow raises curiously before answering. “I see. And you’ll be closing up and cleaning by yourself? Where is your waitstaff?” You sigh, your chest rising and falling with exhaustion before answering with a teasing lift.

“No waitstaff, I own it. Currently taking applications though if your friends from the 19th century wanna help out…”

A small smile played on Leopold’s lips at your comment as he let out a small chuckle. Your eyes lift to his, listening to the deep rumble of his chuckle. Through his small laugh he responds, “I doubt any of my acquaintances from the 19th century would be able to assist even if they wanted to. Their knowledge certainly won't be up to standard here."

You nod with a small smile on your own lips, noticing as the plates start to get heavier in your arms. You adjust them, wanting to continue your easy conversation with Leopold, but he easily notices your discomfort. He steps closer, his arms outstretched.

"Might I offer my assistance, my lady?"

Your arms, filled to the brim with dishes, quake. Before you even nod your head, he moves to take the dishes from your hands. The huge pile of dishes seem almost small in his huge hands. You have to stop yourself from gawking down at them, instead moving to a small closed door that leads to the kitchen.

Turning slightly to the man with a smile, you try to open the small doorway wide so he can get in easily. The door sticks, giving you a hard time as you try to open it. You speak over your shoulder to him, half embarrassed and half frustrated.

“Thank you so much—I’m sorry, this ole thing gets stuck all the time and it’s annoying when you carrying a load’a dishes.”

Leopold just nods, a patient smile on his face as he waits. You open the door with a harsh pull as you open it enough for him to pass. He looks to you with a question and you guide him to the sink where the dishes go. After he sets down the dishes, his eyes remain on you, an earnest and determined expression on his face.

"Is there anything else I can assist with? I am at your disposal, my lady."

You almost flush at his words, used to honey, ma’am, and even sugar from your hometown, but my lady seeming completely different. Wiping your hands on your worn apron, you shake your head with a smile.

“My lady, huh? You sure do know how to make a lady feel special… But no, I got it. You should be focusin’ on how to get back to the 19th century. Seems a more pressin’ situation to get back to where you’re from..”

Leopold grins at your response, standing with his hands clasped behind his back as he listens to you. He question softly, his eyes fixed on you.

“Perhaps it is a pressing matter to get back to one’s home, but what about yourself? Earlier this evening, you asked about my own accent, but now I am wondering about yours.”

Turning away from him, you go to the large sink. You turn on the water, starting to wash the dishes, not noticing Leopold coming beside you. You stare down at the dishes as you respond, “I’m from Georgia.”

He nods, humming with sincerity. He goes to open his mouth to ask another question, but you turn to him, holding up a soapy hand to stop him. “Y’know you don’t have to stay here, I can’t pay you. You should be goin’ on your way.”

He shakes his head with a neutral smile on his face. He stands with his hands clasped behind his back as he leans forward towards you. “Perhaps. However, I simply cannot leave you to close and clean the cafe by yourself. It wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me.”

You wipe your hands on your apron and they find their way to your hips. Your southern accent slips out heavily, frustration evident. “I assure you, I’m fine. You should be goin’ on your way Mr...” You pause, hoping for him to repeat his name.

“—Sir Leopold Mountbatten.” Leopold raises an eyebrow at your stubborn insistence, amused by your southern character. He continues, his voice lifting with a smile.

“And I have no doubt you can handle closing up on your own, my lady. But that does not mean you should have to.” He pushes off the doorframe, taking a step closer to you.

"Please, allow me to help. I cannot leave knowing you'll be here for the next few hours, finishing up all by yourself."

You almost smile at his insistence, but push it down. You walk past him towards the heavy, brown door which leads to the main entrance. You open the door with a grunt and hold it open for him. With a small smile, you place your hands on your hips. The twang comes out of your voice when you speak softly to him.

“Well, yes you can and you will. Thanks for the offer, hon…” Leopold looks at you with a mixture of disappointment and acceptance in his eyes. He nods, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips.

"Very well, my lady. If you're certain you don't need any aid, I shall take my leave then."

He takes an unnecessary large step in your direction before pausing in front of you, his eyes lingering on your face for a moment. Without a word, he lowers himself into a deep bow, his eyes never leaving your face.

"Farewell, my lady."

Your eyes narrow with confusion as he bows, but you nod and laugh softly in response. “Bye-bye Leopold…”

You watch as he hesitantly walks through the door to the main entrance. He turns back to you with doe eyes, giving you another opportunity for you to accept his offer, then leaves when you shake your head with a smile.

Leopold gives a final wave before stepping outside, the heavy cafe door closing slowly behind him. He pauses for a moment outside, gazing at your silhouette through the glass, a hint of reluctance in his eyes.

With a resigned sigh, he forces himself to turn away from the cafe, his footsteps heavy as he starts walking down the sidewalk. He mentally scolds himself for his impulsiveness and foolishness.

While you clean, you think of the strange man. You wish you accepted his offer. Or his telegram number.. you laugh to yourself at your stupid joke as you continue to scrub the counters.

Hours later, you finally finish. Grabbing your purse, you go to your house, and fall into a deep sleep. Filled with dreams of the 19th century and a man who is almost 150 + years older than you, you sleep more peacefully than you ever had before.

For Leopold, as the evening descends on the city, he finds himself unable to sleep. His mind is consumed with thoughts of the lady from the cafe. He tosses and turns in his bed, the events of the day replaying in his mind over and over again.

He wonders what she is doing at the moment. Is she asleep in her bed? Is she also lying awake, thinking about him? The questions plague his mind as he continues to lie in bed, struggling to find rest.

With a frustrated sigh, Leopold finally sits up in his bed. He throws the covers off and gets up, pacing restlessly in his room. The clock ticks loudly in the background, mocking his insomnia. He runs a hand through his hair, trying to ignore the thoughts of the lady that seem to be etched in his mind.

As the next day approaches, you continue your routine. You get out of bed, your feet cold against the unwelcoming tile of your small apartment. As you walk towards the kitchen, you continue your morning routine; making breakfast, showering, changing, and leaving.

When you finally make your way to the cafe, your anxious and somewhat excited. Secretly, you hope the mysterious man from the past comes back.

As the sun slowly rises, Leopold has still not gotten any sleep. He spent the rest of the night pacing in his room, his thoughts consumed by you. Eventually, he gave up on sleep, seeing as he wouldn't be able to get any.

While he goes about his day, his thoughts still drift back to you. He finds himself missing the warmth and homeliness of the cafe. He knows that he shouldn't, but he can't help it. He decides to pay the cafe another visit, hoping to see you again.

a/n: hey you guys, lemme know what you think pls !! i love Leopold so much so i am so excited to write more (he is my Mr. Darcy) also don’t forget i take requests.. anyways lemme know if u want a pt. 2 💕

[rae-and-mezo]

The legacy characters reacting to mc/you kissing them?

A/n: I assumed you meant the first kiss...if I am wrong please let me know! I really liked this one, fluff is my forte. If you guys would like a girls version, let me know! This just got waaay too long lol.

Sebastian Sallow:

Alright. To go in order, he is surprised, flustered, and then overjoyed.

I imagine you're trampling through the woods in search of some potion ingredients. After all, Sebastian despises paying for things he can easily grab from the wild.

So the two of you are searching for a white flower with a blue and pink center. It's harder than it looks but you're having the time of your life being so far away from anyone but each other.

Sebastian thought that maybe this would become a patronus memory. He wasn't wrong!

"There it is!" You exclaim out of nowhere. He turns to see your outstretched hand reaching for a clearing in the cliffs. A cave. The flower is in a small, narrow cave.

Magic is forbidden outside of Hogwarts grounds, and somewhere long ago you had passed the border. So a summoning charm is out of question.

Sebastian hoists you on his shoulders so you can wriggle into the small space. And, of course, you do. There is a small moment of panick where you thought that you might be stuck, but he helped you out smoothly.

Of course, you have to thank him with a kiss. So yeah, you stand on your toes and plant a small kiss on his lips. The two of you had been dating for less than two weeks and you were tired of him not making a move to kiss you.

Unbeknownst to you, he was going to kiss you as a little reward to himself for saving you.

His arms wrapped around your waist and he pulled you closer to him. He wouldn't let you off with ONE kiss!

On the outside he is calm and collected but on the inside, he is so giddy it's almost contagious. The most amazing person at Hogwarts just kissed him? And he's kissing them again? Yeah, he smiles into the kiss and has to bite down a happy giggle.

Ominis gets SUCH an earful that night!!

Ominis Gaunt:

Mans is the definition of "Pining."

Everything you do has him absolutely enamored, willing for more. And when I mean everything, I mean he's listening you tend to a flobberworm with a HUGE grin. But, he never makes a move because, well, you're the hero of hogwarts! Surely you could do better than a blind, cold, Gaunt.

He agreed to spend the afternoon with you in your Vivarium. After all, he loves animals! Maybe not as much as Poppy, but he definitely is in his happy place. Warm grass, sunshine, a Mooncalf laying it's head on his stomach, and most of all, you!

His smile grows impossibly larger once he hears you laugh. "Ominis, he just rolled over! The worm!" There wasn't much incredible about worms in his opinion, but you were excited and that made it worth it.

"That's incredible! Maybe you can train them like dogs!" You flopped down on the grass beside him and smiled at his comment. "I bet I could learn to make leashes for them. Considering they don't have necks, it would be a challenge."

You were close. So close. Was that new perfume? Ominis went into overdrive, subtly scooting away from you. He couldn't stomach the thought of you hearing his heart beat out of his chest after all.

"Ominis?" He craned his head in your direction. Was he blushing? Oh merlin, he hoped not.

"I was just talking about Hogsmeade, are you alright? Usually you jump to go to Honeydukes." Genuine concern laced your voice and he smiled. You always were just too kind.

"Fine, sorry. Go on."

But you were silent. It wasn't until he felt a weight against his arm that he realized you had moved closer.

"Ominis, has anyone told you that you're gorgeous?" You laughed at his guffaw. "No...?"

"You are. Beautiful, even. Handsome if I do say so myself."

Your breath tickled his ear. How fast does a heart have to beat in order to explode? He dreaded to find out.

"MC..." He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Can I kiss you?" You offered instead.

His mind was screaming at him to decline, screaming that he would somehow hurt you, but his heart took charge and he found himself nodding.

If he thought you smelled sweet, you tasted sweeter. And he sighed at a gentle kiss. His heart calmed down, everything seemed to calm when you were touching him.

Carefully he placed a hand on the back of your head and pulled you in for another kiss.

As he felt you smile into the kiss, all his worries about not being good enough went away.

You were here, with him, and that's all that matters.

Garreth Weasley

Golden retriever boyfriend!!

Technically (and I use technically very loosely here,) You guys aren't dating.

But he calls you pet names and you kiss his cheek, one of you is always sneaking the other into your dorm for cuddles, and hand holding is almost a second reflex.

So yeah. Other than not being labeled as partners, you guys are dating.

And it's after quidditch that you guys...make it official.

It was the house cup and you both were playing. Whether it be both for Gryffindor or Gryffindor versus your house, the two of you are up in the air.

After not having Quidditch fifth year, it's a warm welcome to be up and fighting for your house!

The game was intense, and you could hear your friends screaming for your victory in the stands.

A large number of people had gathered outside of the pitch as well. The house cup always drew former students back to watch their old house win.

All the attention must have gone to your ego, because you were playing amazing!! Even your rivals were gawking at you. Of course you were good at quidditch before, but the extra attention makes you a superstar!

And so when the snitch is caught and the crowd goes wild, the pure Euphoria washes over you in a wild wave.

You had won, and you had won in a landslide.

Garreth is spotted and you don't think twice before jumping from your broom to his, laughing at his confused expression.

"We won!!" You exclaimed, grabbing onto his shoulders and smiling so wide it hurt. "We won the house cup!"

"I kno-" Garreth is cut off by you grabbing his face by the cheeks and kissing him hard. His face goes almost as red as his hair!

The broom stutters underneath you and he quickly calms it down, grabbing onto your waist and kissing you back just as passionately.

Well, Natty catches you guys, noticing you aren't on the ground celebrating and her laugh is what makes you break apart. With embarrassed glances, the two of you follow Natty back down to the pitch.

Leander Prewitt:

Boy is too confident in his mistakes.

By that, I mean, he asked you on a date to the three broomsticks. It went well and you were feeling all fuzzy...until he tried to kiss you.

Of course you didn't mind being kissed by him but he goes in with all his confidence and smashes his forehead against your nose, causing it to bleed. So he goes to grab a napkin but knocks his chair over and it lands on your foot. Then, picking it up, he bumped into the table and spilled your butterbeer. The hot liquid went right into the woman at the adjacent table's lap.

So, naturally, he helped you stop the bleeding and then he ran. He's been avoiding you since then and your feeble attempts at finding him don't work.

He's...a mess.

Garreth comes and finds you a couple days later and he can't even keep the irritation out of his tone while he tells you that Leander would like to speak to you. Meet him at the DADA tower tonight.

He walks away before you can ask him what time.

You waited for three hours and your annoyance grew by every moment. Of course you didn't blame Leander, Garreth didn't tell you what time! To your knowledge anyway. No, Leander CHOSE not to give a time because he heard Sebastian talking about how feelings intensify after a waiting period.

Welp. Not exactly what he meant, Leander, but okay.

When Leander peeks around the corner, he thinks you don't notice him, but oh boy, you do.

"Can you BELIEVE Garreth didn't give me a time? I have been waiting for three bloody hours! Gah!" You slammed your book shut and stood to face him. "It's okay. What would you like to talk to me about?"

He's too busy mentally beating himself up to answer you immediately. "Oh, uh," He stutters after a few seconds. "I just wanted to say that I am so, so very sorry for how our date went."

"It's not your fault, Leander, don't worry! And Nurse Blainey fixed my nose. No worries."

He still didn't look convinced. Even though you had to stand on your toes, you stood and kissed him lightly on the lips. "It's all alright, Lee."

Okay he malfunctioned. Mans just stopped working.

Slowly his face goes pink and his smile grows. He might be a loser sometimes, but hey. He's your loser.

Amit Thakkar.

So, so Awkward.

Yes, he likes you. Alot. But you don't like him that way, and that's fine! He values your friendship anyway. Well, he thought you didn't like him that way.

Truth be told, you were absolutely smitten with him!

Who doesn't love a handsome and smart, not to mention sweet boy?

The only person who knows this is your best friend, Poppy.

And of course, she is determined to get the two of you together. Because if she heard you ramble on about liking him but knowing he doesn't feel the same one more time, she might just lose it.

So in History of Magic one day, she notices Amit isn't glued to the board. He's scribbling in his notebook, but- wait. He's blushing.

She takes the seat next to him, leaving both you and Amit confused. He's quick to turn the page. This doesn't discourage your friend whatsoever. Instead, she just smiles to herself. When Amit isn't looking, she switches their notebooks and comes back to her normal seat next to you.

"I have something for you."

You can only blink at her. After all, she was acting very strange. "O-okay?"

And she hands you his notebook, flips a page, and wow you are face to face with a page of love poems. Mostly original ones too. Written in your house colors, describing someone who could only be you.

"I told you!!" Poppy hisses at you with a triumphant smirk on her face.

After class, Amit stayed behind to look for his notebook. You stayed behind to give it to him.

"Poppy had this." You can't meet his eyes.

Oh no. He knows what you read.

"Mc! It's not- I didn't mean to- Oh merlin MC, I'm sorry you had to read that."

His face is PALE because he is convinced you think he's weird and want nothing to do with him now.

"No, no, Amit don't apologize! I thought they were incredibly sweet."

Oh great, now they're trying to make him feel better.

"Really, I did." You continued. "I- I have my own Poems actually. I mean I didn't write them myself but I like Poetry. Alot. I guess what I want to say-am trying to say I mean- is that I feel the same way about you."

Amit went from pale to flushed in record time. "You do? I-wow, okay-wow."

An awkward silence filled the room before your enchanted watch dinged, letting you know that you were late to Charms. "I have to go...will you meet me at the Astronomy tower tonight? After dinner?"

He is still blushing as you lean in to kiss his cheek. With a shy half smile you leave the classroom, smiling to yourself. He is left standing in place, a hand over where you kissed his cheek and a shy but ecstatic grin on his face.

[soireegurl]

i have this idea for a fic but i cant write, lol so im dropping it in your ask box cause youre like the best yandere writer i know on here so here it is:

you running away from yandere!heeseung when you had the chance, then you encountered a nice guy (i imagine to probably be sunghoon) and then you tell him all bout you running away, heeseung, all that stuff. butttt here's the twist.. hoon has been stalking you for a looong time so yeah kind of like reader got away from a yandere just to end up with another yandere 💥

Omggg thank you for writing in! I'm so glad to hear that from you 😊 here it is sorry for the long wait! Hope you like it!

You’d been running for days, constantly looking over your shoulder, heart pounding. Heeseung, with his unsettling gaze and obsessive demeanor, was always one step behind. It was terrifying, knowing that someone so fixated was out to find you.

His words and actions are no doubt trauma for you.

It started all nice and romantic, Heeseung was the sweetest guy you've ever met and no doubt, you have fallen in love with this beautiful man. But things started to get handy.

Ever since you guys officially got together, he has been possessive. Like to an extreme amount.

To the point where you felt suffocated and scared. You tried to talk to him about it but he always turned to the same behaviour.

You couldn't take it anymore and decided to break up with him... Which obviously didn't turn out well.

"Heeseung... I... I'm sorry. I... Let's break up."

You said not looking at him. You didn't want to see any of that madness in his eyes.

"Baby... Was that a joke? Or..."

His tone wasn't warm.... It was cold. As if, if you said "no" the next second, he would tear you into pieces.

But you can't let fear over take you.

"No. I'm serious Heeseung. I want to break up with you."

And there... Boom!

You ended up in his basement for 3 weeks.

For 3 weeks, you have been trying to run. Of course failing almost every time.

But that day... You finally got out of his grip.

Then, amidst your frantic escape, you stumbled upon someone who seemed like a beacon of calm.

Sunghoon, with his warm smile and kind eyes, offered you a moment of respite.

You poured your heart out, telling him everything: how you’d been fleeing from Heeseung, how his intense obsession made your life a nightmare.

Sunghoon listened patiently, offering comforting words and seeming genuinely concerned. You felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe you’d finally found safety.

"I'm sorry to hear that Y/n... I'm here now... I will take care of you..."

But as the days went on, you began to notice little things. Sunghoon was always there, just when you needed him. It seemed like he had an uncanny ability to show up at the right place and time.

"Oh? Sunghoon? What are you doing in my house?"

"Here! I bought you some chocolate. I thought you might need this right now."

"Oh my god that's so sweet of you... How did you know that I am in desperate need of this right now?"

You smiled and took the chocolate from his hand.

"Every time you fail a test, you always get chocolates to cheer yourself up, don't you?"

He said with a proud smile.

But... You have never told him that... And you never told him that you failed your most recent test...

So... How does he know?

But at that time, you were too innocent to even notice this was odd.

Eventually, a year later, you and Sunghoon got into a relationship.

One evening, as you were looking through Sunghoon's phone, as your phone ran out of battery and you desperately needed a phone to do some research.

Curiousity got into you and somehow, you decided to open up Sunghoon's gallery.

you came across something unsettling. A series of photos you didn’t remember taking.

They showed you in various locations, from moments of vulnerability to everyday scenes.

Your heart sank as you realized these were taken by Sunghoon.

Confronting him, you saw a shift in his demeanor. His warm smile faded, replaced by a more intense, calculating gaze.

You sensed danger. Your body is telling you to run, and of course, you followed what your body told you to do.

You ran for your life.

Why have you never noticed anything?

“You didn’t think you’d escape that easily, did you?” he whispered next to your ears and he caught up to you.

"I didn't plan all this just to let you escape..."

He said and smirked.

"What... What do you mean?"

"You know... I could have just given you a backup phone... I'm not that stupid Y/n.."

"I want you to know how much I love you... And you should love me as much too..."

The realization hit hard. You had run from one yandere, only to fall into the grasp of another.

Sunghoon’s obsession, hidden behind a facade of kindness, was just as consuming.

The cycle of escape and obsession seemed never-ending, leaving you to confront the stark reality of your situation.

[blackenedsnow]

HII!! CAN YOU WRITE A HANZO SHIMADA X A SUPER ENERGETIC READER?

The reader the complete opposite of him. But he still really cares and even comes to love them? Even though at first he found them pretty annoying?

a storm in stillness

WARNING: None

PAIRING: Hanzo Shimada x Reader

NOTE: He is so dear to me.

SUMMARY: Though Hanzo initially finds your boundless enthusiasm grating, he begins to appreciate the warmth and light you bring into his life. Slowly, he realizes that beneath all the noise, there is something precious growing between you both.

Hanzo Shimada was a man of precision and discipline, each movement calculated, each breath intentional. His life had always been about control��of himself, his environment, and his emotions. There was no place in his world for chaos or unpredictability. So when you came crashing into his life like a whirlwind of energy, he wasn’t sure what to make of it.

He first met you through Genji. His brother had always surrounded himself with people who were as vibrant and full of life as he was, so when Genji introduced you, Hanzo wasn’t particularly surprised at your loud, cheerful nature. What did surprise him was how quickly you took to him, despite his clear discomfort with your enthusiasm.

"Hey, Hanzo!" you had said, bounding up to him with a wide smile and a wave. "I’ve heard so much about you! It’s so cool to finally meet you in person!"

Hanzo gave you a polite nod, his face expressionless. "Likewise," he muttered, though in truth, he wasn’t particularly thrilled about the prospect of getting to know you. Your energy was overwhelming, almost suffocating, and he found himself instinctively withdrawing.

But it didn’t seem to deter you. If anything, his stoicism only seemed to fuel your desire to break through his walls.

Every time you saw him, you greeted him with the same unrelenting enthusiasm. You asked him questions—so many questions—about his training, his bow, his time with Overwatch. You filled every moment with your bubbly chatter, never seeming to notice or care that Hanzo responded in short, clipped sentences.

"Hey, Hanzo, want to train with me? I bet I could totally learn some of your cool arrow tricks!"

"No, thank you."

"Oh! Okay! Maybe next time!"

At first, he found it annoying—your constant presence, your endless chatter, the way you never seemed to sit still. He couldn’t understand how someone could live with so much energy, so much… joy. It was foreign to him, like trying to make sense of a language he didn’t speak. But as time passed, something curious began to happen. He found himself growing used to you.

You were like a storm—unpredictable and wild—but storms had their purpose. They cleared the air, brought new life. And slowly, Hanzo realized that, though you disrupted his stillness, you also brought something into his life that he hadn’t even realized was missing: warmth.

It started with the little things.

One day, you brought him a cup of tea, having noticed that he always drank the same blend after training. "I figured you could use a break!" you said, handing it to him with a grin. Hanzo stared at you for a moment, surprised that you’d taken the time to notice something so small. He accepted the cup with a quiet "Thank you."

Another day, after a particularly grueling mission, you sat with him in the common area, rattling on about something he wasn’t really listening to. But then you asked, “You doing okay, Hanzo? I know that last mission was kinda rough…”

There was no humor in your voice this time, no playful teasing. Just genuine concern. Hanzo hesitated, caught off guard by the sincerity in your eyes. He wasn’t used to people checking in on him like that—at least, not people outside of his immediate circle. But you had been relentless in your care, showing up every day without fail, and now… it didn’t feel like an intrusion anymore.

“I am fine,” he said quietly, but this time, he met your gaze, offering a small nod of gratitude. “Thank you for asking.”

That was the turning point.

From that moment on, Hanzo found himself looking forward to your company in ways he never would have admitted out loud. Though he would never match your level of energy or enthusiasm, he began to appreciate how your presence lightened the air around him. Where once there had been silence, there was now laughter. Where once there had been tension, there was ease.

You’d pull him into conversations with the others, dragging him into games or casual sparring matches, laughing when he inevitably bested you in a fight. “You’re too good at this!” you’d exclaim, your eyes sparkling with admiration. “I’m gonna figure out how to beat you one of these days, just watch!”

Hanzo would allow a rare smile to tug at the corners of his lips. “I look forward to it,” he’d reply, and though his tone was dry, there was no mistaking the fondness that had crept into his voice.

Still, there were times when your energy clashed with his desire for solitude. When those moments came, you were surprisingly understanding. You’d notice when he grew quiet, when his responses became shorter, and you’d dial back your exuberance without him even needing to say a word.

"Hey, if you need some space, that’s cool," you’d say casually, giving him a thumbs-up. "I’ll catch you later, yeah?"

And though Hanzo would nod in agreement, he often found that he didn’t want you to leave. It was odd—unnerving, even—how much he had come to rely on your presence. You balanced him in a way he hadn’t expected. Where he was rigid and controlled, you were fluid and spontaneous. Where he brooded, you brightened. You were, in every way, his opposite. And yet…

He cared for you. More than that—he was beginning to fall for you.

It was a slow realization, one that crept up on him over time. He noticed it in the way his eyes sought you out in a room, how his chest would feel lighter when you appeared with your usual grin. He noticed it in the way he’d find himself unconsciously mirroring your smile, despite his best efforts to remain stoic.

The day he realized it fully, he had been watching you train. You were as focused as ever, practicing some new technique with a determination that, frankly, surprised him. You wiped sweat from your brow, laughing at your own mistakes, and the sound was so genuine, so full of life, that it sent a pang of warmth through Hanzo’s chest.

Without thinking, he approached you.

"You’ve improved," he said, his voice low but sincere.

You looked up at him, eyes wide in surprise. "Really? You think so?"

Hanzo nodded. "You are dedicated. It shows."

Your smile grew, but there was something different in it now—a softness, a quietness that hadn’t been there before. You stepped closer, your usual energy tempered by something more vulnerable, more tender.

"Thanks, Hanzo," you said, your voice quieter than usual. "I know I can be… a lot sometimes. But I’m glad you put up with me."

Hanzo looked at you for a long moment, taking in the way your usual brightness had softened into something more intimate. He didn’t often speak about his feelings, but in this moment, he felt compelled to let you know the truth.

"You are not a burden," he said quietly. "I care for you. More than I realized."

Your eyes widened in surprise, and for the first time, you seemed at a loss for words. But then, slowly, your smile returned—this time, softer, warmer.

"I care about you too, Hanzo," you said, and though your voice was quiet, the sincerity in it was undeniable.

In that moment, Hanzo realized that the storm you had brought into his life wasn’t something to fear. It was something to cherish.

[mypearlsareclutched]

Loving You Is Hard

High By The Beach | Chapter One

Modern!Aemond x Original Female Character

To be loved, is to be known. Time passes so quickly when you are happy, and for the first time, Mila Stark seems to know true happiness. But when you fall in love with someone, and your walls come crashing down, your weak points are bared for all to see. Be careful who you trust your heart to...

Chapter one, babygirls. What seems like a blissful relationship in front of the cameras, is actually a leaning tower readying to fall. The heart is a fickle thing, once broken, can it be mended? This chapter is VERY Back to Black (Amy Winehouse) coded, I am warning you.

Song inspiration | High By The Beach, Lana Del Rey

CW//TW: Sexual Content (MDNI, 18+), SERIOUS drug use, alcohol consumption, Targaryen daddy issues, smoking, romantical shagging, brief allusions to grooming, mentions of parent death, ANGST, infidelity, overdosing and almost dying.

Word Count | 5.3k

previous chapter // next chapter

Isn't it crazy how a year can pass in the blink of an eye?

For Mila, It feels like only yesterday she met Aemond Targaryen, the straight-backed second son of a business mogul. Only yesterday when he gave her his lighter, then she fucked him in the bathroom, subsequently offering him her number with a smirk.

But a year has passed since that night. He called her the next morning, talking to her in his deep, soft-spoken way, inviting her somewhere nice. Their first date was perfect, they sat together and spoke easily, his attention never wavering from her. They walked hand in hand back to her flat. Then he broke her bed.

Many months had passed with this being a regular occurance. Once Otto Hightower found out that Aemond and Mila were seeing one another, he was eager for their relationship to be public. All of sudden, Mila traded her candid shots of her walking out of a club shitfaced and bleary eyed, for staged shots of her walking hand in hand with the second heir to the Targaryen fortune.

Cregan had been shocked. He was uncomfortable with such an imposing and threatening looking man dating his sister, coming from such a formidable family no less. Aemond listened to Cregan's thinly veiled complaints, merely shrugging off his concerns. Even a year after their first meeting, Cregan remained uncertain about Aemond and his intentions.

Their surrogate family was even less happy. Rhaenyra and Aemond are half-siblings, sharing a father in Viserys Targaryen. Eighteen years difference between them, sure, but the fact that Mina is dating one of the sons from the family that replaced Rhaenyra stung. But Rhaenyra's hostility was not aimed at Mila. She, Jace, Luke, Laenor, even Qarl were against the relationship. An intervention was held at one point, but the eery familiarity to that night in her past made Mila run, falling into the arms of Aemond as she panicked.

Aemond's family had welcomed her. The first time Mila walked into the Targaryen mansion as Aemond's girlfriend, she had been celebrated as if she were royalty. Alicent had hugged her upon arrival, and she seemed genuinely ecstatic to get to know her. Halaena introduced her to Dreamfyre, and all of her critters. Daeron, Aemond's younger brother, talked her head off and showed her his footy skills. He went feral when she did a rainbow flick in heels, courtesy of having Cregan Stark as her brother. She did not meet Viserys that day, he was too sick to welcome visitors. As Mila was welcomed into the family, Otto watched with a small smile, his eyes sharp like a snakes.

The night she met his family, he showed her his hidden eye. An accident in his youth left him scarred, his one eye lost and replaced by a sapphire. He leans into her touch as she kisses his scar, telling him he is beautiful.

A year of public appearances, a year of hostility between family members, a year of sharing meals and moments with the illustrious Targaryens. A year of falling in love with Aemond Targaryen.

How was she to know this was the calm before the storm?

She and Aemond lay in her bed, his head resting on her chest. A vicious family argument had sent him into her arms, wound tight and on the verge of breaking something. He had fucked her hard and rough, making her scream loud enough to wake her neighbors, her headboard creating an intent in her wall. After making her cum four times, he laid down beside her, his own pleasure forgotten as he accepted her loving embrace.

"What happened, baby?" Mila finally asks, running her fingers through his soft hair. He hesitates, before releasing a sigh.

"My father brought our family together to talk about his will." Aemond murmurs, staring at the wall, "He still wants Rhaenyra as his heir, despite her insistence that she has to focus on her own career. Father wants Rhaenyra. He won't allow her to give up her inheritance... because of Aegon."

Aegon. Aemond's older brother was a difficult topic of conversation for them. The first born son of Viserys Targaryen was currently in rehab, some fancy facility. Aemond never spoke about his brother in a good light, though Mila heard plenty of kinder words from Halaena and Daeron, sometimes Alicent if she had had a few glasses of wine.

Halaena had said he had a kind heart, Daeron had said that he was funny, Alicent had said that he was trying to be better. Otto refused to speak about him, Rhaenyra said he was troubled, Jace said he was a bully. Viserys' forgot his name once.

The closest Mila had gotten to interacting with him was when he escaped from rehab. Aemond had received a call in the middle of the night. He spoke in a hushed voice to Criston Cole, the Targaryen head of security, and then rushed off into the night. When he did not return, Mila went to the mansion, and found a clusterfuck of chaos. The entire security team was trying to get Aeon out from the pool, but he was as high as a kite and refusing. Mila had watched as Aemond dragged him out by his collar, throwing him in Cole's car to be sent back to the facility. As it drove past, a pair of big blue eyes looked out at her, and Mila felt the urge to wave at him. When she did, he waved back.

"He won't even consider you?" Mila asks Aemond, feeling him tense against her.

"No." He bites, voice hard, "Otto has tried to make him see reason; Rhaenyra has had no involvement in the company since she married and left to start her own business. All my life I have worked for this. And yet the old man is still blinded."

"I'm so sorry, my love." Mila murmurs, unsure of what to say, "I'm sure your father will see sense soon-"

"Enough. I don't want to talk about it." Aemond sits up, shoulders hunched. His hair surrounds him like a curtain, shielding his face from her, "You don't know what it's like to feel like you're not enough."

Mila shudders, closing her eyes. Memories fill her mind, taking her to a dark place.

While the media only knew about her recreational drug use and partying ways, they never knew about her vicious affair with the needle. Heroin had been her escape when her parents passed away, and it was all on her brothers shoulders to get her help. When he was at his breaking point, Rhaenyra and Laenor took her back in, letting her detox and keeping her warm, fed, safe and loved. Even when she screamed, thrashed, and spat cruel words, they never lost hope in her.

Her brother and her surrogate family never thought less of her, but she thought less of herself. When she remembers who she was, how deep she was in her addiction, she hates herself. More than she has ever hated anything.

"Mila?" A warm hand presses to her shoulder, and Mila snaps back to reality, Aemond watches her with a worried eye, his sapphire gleaming in the low light, "What happened? You look pale."

Aemond cups her face, stroking a thumb over her cheekbone. Smiling weakly, she rests her hand over his own, leaning in to his touch.

"I... I know what it feels like to feel like a disappointment, to feel like you aren't capable." She whispers, "You're amazing, Aemond. But it's never enough for your family. My family believes in me, but I don't know if I deserve it."

He listens as she breaks down, confessing her sins through tears, recounting her addiction, her grief, her self hatred. By the end of her rant, Aemond holds her close, lay side by side as he soothes her.

"None of that is your fault." He murmurs, kissing her knuckles, "Your family know you are worth more than you think, and I know that to."

"Aemond..." I love you, is what she wants to say, "Thank you."

"No. sweet girl, thank you." Aemond leans forwards, kissing along her cheeks, soothing the skin that was stained with tears. His hands covered her body, warmth spreading through her, soothing her tremors. Familiar need coursed through her, and she leaned into him, kissing him deeply.

"Need you." Mila murmurs against his lips, and he smiles softly.

"I've got you." Aemond promises.

He pushes her back, climbing on top of her. Mila spreads her legs willingly, and Aemond fits snugly against her. He presses hungry kissing along her neck as his cock presses into her, hot and hard. She gasps as she spreads her legs further apart, accommodating his lean body.

As Aemond fills her, Mila whines, pleading for more as he sets a slow, passionate pace. Their hips clap together, their staggered breaths mingling as they kiss messily. The room is hot, sweaty. Aemond's pace increases, desire for release coursing through him, his intensity leaving Mila a whimpering mess beneath him, looking up at him with adoring eyes until he could bare it no more, pressing his face into the crook of her neck.

"I've got you, I've got you..." Aemond breathes against her, lost in his own pleasure as he thrusts inside her, fucking her harder and deeper as they both tried to wash away their pain...

Today is Viserys Targaryen's sixtieth birthday. Probably the last one he will ever have, and thus, the celebrations are spectacular.

The once feared and revered CEO of Targaryen LTD walks out into the foyer of his pristine mansion with a cane, face half hidden with a masquerade mask as to not showcase his deformities. Otto was the one to suggest the theme, a masquerade party to add a touch of class. Definitely not to have an excuse to hide the rotting side of Viserys' face, taken by the inoperable tumour in his head.

As Viserys was cheered and greeted by his friends and colleagues, Mila stood by Aemond's side, a red mask across her eyes, matching the read, satin dress she wore. Aemond wore a green mask, covering his patched eye, and a deep green suit. His hand held her waist softly, keeping her close by as he watched his father with distaste.

"Do you want a drink, Aem?" Mila asks, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. He does not answer, his eye trained on his father's hunched form, weaving his way through the crowd, "Aemond?"

"Yes?" He responds, looking down at her, his eye softening, "What did you say, love?"

"Do you want a drink?"

"No, thank you." Aemond presses a kiss to her forehead, and she beams up at him. The crowd around them mill about, the attention focused on Viserys and therefore letting the two of them idly talk and enjoy each other's company.

Mila raves on about a new song Rhaena was composing, eagerly spouting out facts and answering questions Aemond would occasionally ask. For the most part, he remained silent, content to listen to her and observe her with a soft look in his eyes.

A whirl of black hair catches the Targaryen's attention, and his eye flickers to look over Mila's shoulder. His face drops, eye widening as his grip on the Stark girl loosens, body going slack.

Mila stops talking, eyebrows furrowing as she takes in Aemond's harrowed look, "Baby, what's wrong?"

Aemond is unmoving, eye wide as he stares. Mila follows his line of sight, spotting a tall, slender woman watching the pair across the room. She is dressed in black, a veil over her mask. Her dark hair surrounds her like a blanket. Under the veil, Mila can clearly see a smirk. Ice grips her, as she huddles closer to her boyfriend.

A broad, bearded man walks over to Aemond, and he shakes out of his trance, offering the man his hand to shake, "Borros, thank you for coming."

"A wonderful event, Aemond." Borros nods, his eyes moving over to Mila, his eyebrow raising in judgment. Mila stiffens, feeling scrutinised and unsure.

Aemond clears his throat, extracting his arm from around her, "Mila, could you get me a drink, please?"

"...Sure." Mila says, clenching her jaw as she walks off. Behind her, she can hear Borros Baratheon mutter something about Aemond 'taming the She-Wolf', causing Aemond to chuckle softly and respond with quieter words. Suddenly, Mila feels sick.

Walking across the crowded hall, Mila finds herself at the bar, gripping onto the edge as she bites back tears threatening to spill.

"Woah, woah, that's expensive dark oak, kid." Daeron jokes as he joins her side, smile faltering as he sees her saddened eyes, "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing, Dare. I'm fine, just, uh, I need a drink."

"Okay... do you want me to get Hel?" He asks, clearly deeply concerned.

Mila manages a weak smile, "I'll go and talk to her if things get worse, thanks, kid."

"No worries, kid." Daeron elbows her gently, giving her another worried look before he joins his father's side. Mila shakes her head, catching her bearings as she orders Aemond two fingers of whiskey.

Grasping the drink in shaky hands, she weaves her way back around the crowd, saying the occasional greeting to people she knew. Walking past an alcove, she spots Otto Hightower's fuming form.

"What the hell is she doing here?!" Otto demands, as poor Criston Cole stands in front of him. Criston defends himself, saying that he had no idea how she managed to get in, it must have been the mask. When they notice her watching, they stop talking, Cold offering her a courteous nod. She reciprocates, but feels unwelcome at this event, suddenly.

Borros Baratheon bellows out a laugh, talking to three women instead of Aemond. With a furrowed brow, Mila searches around, palm warming the glass of whiskey she held.

She stops in her tracks, going cold as she lays eyes on Aemond and the person he is speaking to. The veiled woman from before rests a slender hand on his arm. Aemond stares down at her, making no move to remove her hand. The woman takes a step further, close enough to kiss him if she leant a breath closer.

Swallowing thickly, Mila abandons the drink, turning on her heel in search of Halaena.

It is often easy to find Halaena Targaryen. Just go wherever there will be bugs.

In the Targaryen gardens, a silvery head looks down in the bushes, the sleeves of her blue gown bunched up as she searches amongst the flowers.

"What have you found, lovely?" Mila calls, her rage dissipating as she joins the side of her friend. Halaena beams, her curls surrounding her face as she victoriously gasps, pulling out her closed fist.

Opening her hand, Mila smiles at the sight of a bright green caterpillar. It slinks across Halaena's pale palm, sniffing her out.

"Look at him." Mila murmurs.

"Her." Halaena corrects, "She's a girl."

"And a very gorgeous one at that." Mila follows Halaena as she brings the caterpillar over to one of her glass enclosures, putting him in it gently.

"Tessarion will eat him, I know he likes to play in these bushes." Halaena was right, Daeron's tabby cat Tessarion would definitely have the caterpillar as a snack.

"You're very kind, Hel."

Halaena smiles again, closing the enclosure and walking over to the open doors of the hall. The pair observe the celebrations, standing in calm silence before Mila realises Helaena is staring at her instead.

"Everything okay?" She asks, taking in the Targaryens suddenly grim face.

Without a word, Halaena takes her hands in her own, blinking rapidly as she tries to make sense of her own thoughts. "Love will make you sick." Halaena murmurs, looking somberly into Mila's eyes, "And love will heal you again."

"What do you mean, bug?" Mila asks softly, the blonde's strange way of speaking no longer startled her, only made her grow even fonder.

"The Stranger will try to take you too soon. But you can't go yet, you haven't met him."

With that, Halaena sighs, bringing Mila's hands up to lay a small peck on her knuckles, then wandering back out into the crowd. Mila took great pride in the fact that Halaena would only touch people she truly trusted, but something about that interaction made Mila worried.

The crowd was alive as people grew drunker. Mila watched as Viserys was lead back upstairs, presumably tired out by the evening. Waltzing in and out of conversation, the She-Wolf tried to find Aemond, wanting nothing more than to curl up into his side.

However, it seemed like that would not be in the cards.

Aemond stands beside Alys, the pair talking with a small group of partygoers. A laugh erupts at something Alys says, and she leans against Aemond with a smile.

Seeing red, Mila makes her way over. Aemond stiffens as she approaches, and the group quietens down. Alys remains smirking, looking the younger woman up and down. The Targaryen at her side makes no effort to move.

"Where've you been?" Mila asks, uncaring of those watching.

"What do you mean?" Aemond raises an eyebrow.

"I've been looking for you."

Aemond shrugs, looking around the surrounding area like it was obvious. A few guests chuckle, causing Mila's cheeks to heat up.

"With her?" Mila bites, nodding to Alys.

"My name's Alys." The woman says, unhelpful in her lulling voice.

"I don't remember asking."

"I thought you would want a name."

"Perhaps he would." Mila glares at Aemond, who looks to the floor, jaw tense.

"We've known each other a while." Alys purses her lips, a mischievous glint in her eye, "We're well introduced."

The mocking nature of her tone and words makes Mila feel small, her humiliation increasing with the beady eyes of the surrounding guests.

"What is going on here?"

Like meerkats, the groups heads turn collectively as Alicent appears. With Criston Cole at her side, the Targaryen matriarch's face contorts into a confused frown as she looks at Mila's downturned eyes.

With a look to Aemond and Alys, she turns to Cole.

"Remove her."

Mila looks up, eyes wide as she looks at Alicent. But when she does, she finds the red-haired woman looking at Alys, a sneer on her lips. Criston offers Mila a nod, stepping towards Alys, who holds up a dismissive hand.

"No need. I was just leaving." She purrs, turning her head to Aemond. Leaning towards him, she whispers something, before turning and leaving.

Aemond watches her go, until she is swallowed up by the crowd. Mila cannot break her gaze from him, her heart ripping itself apart by the longing look in her eyes.

"See she is truly off the premises, Criston." Alicent says, and Cole follows Alys. As he disappears, Aemond looks at his mother, who gives him a stern, icy glare. A silent conversation is had, which no one dares interrupt. As Aemond finally breaks eye contact, Alicent nods.

Taking Mila's hand, the Targaryen matriarch walks away.

Mila storms into Aemond's apartment, shucking off her coat as she seethes. Aemond follows wordlessly, face stony as he watches her outburst. Pacing, Mila gnaws on her lip, breath coming out in quick pants as she tries to reign in her rage.

The car trip back had been awkward. Mila had been silent, her knuckles white as she gripped her steering wheel, and Aemond was motionless beside her. After Alicent had taken Mila away, the two women had sat together outside, not speaking, merely sitting alone, together. It was peaceful, and Mila so grateful for Alicent, but the second she saw her son again, she grew enraged.

The only thing Alicent said to her was: "I know what it feels like, to live in another woman's shadow."

"Why are you so upset?" Aemond breaks the silence.

Halting, Mila slowly turns to her boyfriend, the air in his apartment alight with tension, "Why am I so upset?"

"Yes, that is what I asked."

"I am upset because you spent half the evening playing cat and mouse with your senior citizen ex-girlfriend, and then you humiliated me in front of your family and friends! Your mother had to come and defend me, Aemond. She had to save me from your embarrassment!"

"Please." Aemond scoffs, tutting as he walks over to his bar, grabbing a bottle of scotch from the counter to pour himself a drink, "You embarrassed yourself."

"By doing what?" Mila questioned, voice rising with her growing rage, "By trying to remind you that I am your girlfriend, not her? By trying to divert your fucking attention for five minutes?"

"You have nothing to worry about." Aemond says, his back still turned, "I didn't realise your insecurity would breed jealousy."

"Excuse me?" Mila demands, her voice taking an icy tone. Sensing her growing anger, Aemond turns to look at her.

"You're behaving irrationally." The silver-hair man insists, eyeing her with his singular eye.

"Oh, am I?" She laughs bitterly, astounded by the audacity.

"This is no way for you to be acting." Aemond sighs, looking disappointed, "Have you drank too much?"

Tensions were rising. They didn't often fight like this, but Mila was embarrassed now, as well as angry, "What? You think you're better than me? Huh?"

"I have a reputation to uphold, Mila." Aemond bit, shaking his head dismissively.

"Right. My apologies, oh great Aemond, for being a dumb, ditsy, drunken slag who you are forced to stand around with at events!"

"I don't think that-"

"Don't you?" Mila snaps, fists clenching, "I see how you look at me sometimes, when you think I'm not looking. When we're alone, you act like I hung the stars, but whenever you have to be in public with me, you sneer like I'm an embarrassment!"

"You behave like an embarrassment! Drinking, talking too loud, biting at the bit for the opportunity to get high again. Gods, my family don't need to be around that after everything with Aegon!"

"Why are you bringing him up again?" Mila groans, rubbing her hands over her face, "He's in rehab. He's been gone for months. He's trying, but you still see him as this big ,grey cloud over the family!"

"It's my responsibility to take care of the family." He insists.

"Because you're the second eldest son?" Mila scoffs, and Aemond's face turns stormy, his eyes dangerous.

"Because I will be taking this company over when my father passes."

"You think?" Mila laughs cruelly, the buzz of alcohol making her next words fall out of her lips before she thinks, "Even with your brother gone, they're never going to let you take over the company! You're always going to be the second son-"

Aemond slams his glass on the counter, storming over to her to point in her face. "And you will always be stupid junkie whore!" He yells, "Immune to responsibility, unwilling to grow up and move on from her pathetic vices! At least I have something I am working towards, something I want. You spend your days aching for the needle to make you feel something other than the emptiness inside of you!"

His words send a wave of ice through her, her mouth snapping shut and her anger dissipating and turning into a sharp stab in her chest, grief and anguish and betrayal flowing through her. Tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision. She turned her back on him, shaking.

Aemond regretted the words the second they came out.

He didn't mean them, not at all. Mila had told him about her past in confidence. The guilt at putting her through her addiction, the shame at feeling weak, the urge that still lingered in her soul... it was something she only told the people she trusted.

And Aemond knew it would hurt her.

His own shame filled him, and his stomach churned as he took a shuddering breath, running his hand through his hair.

"Baby... I'm so sorry. I- I didn't mean that." He whispers, swallowing as his mouth goes dry.

"Shut up." Mila sobbed, her hands shaking as she held them up to her mouth in an effort to stop herself screaming.

"Mila, please, I'm so sorry." Aemond pleaded, placing a hand on her arm, leaning into her to press his forehead to the crown of her head, "I swear, I don't think that. I have never thought that. My sweet girl, I am so sorry..."

Aemond clutched onto her, holding her close as she continued to cry, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. She turned and pushed him away, shuddering as if she were cold. Aemond felt sick, watching with his heart broken and tears filling his eye as she grabbed her coat and left, slamming the door in her wake.

In her haste to leave, all Mila had on her was her phone. Her purse was left at Aemond's, along with her house keys and her car key. Looking at her black Range Rover, she releases a sob, turning on her heel and stomping down the path, too eager to be away from Aemond to think things through.

She needs space, she needs air, she needs to think.

Aemond, the one man she allowed herself to trust, to fall in love with, hurt her worse than anyone ever has. The policewoman who told her that her parents were involved in a car wreck, the doctor who broke the news that they had both passed... they had destroyed her with their words. But they hadn't meant to.

Aemond Targaryen tried to hurt her.

Clearly, he succeeded. Now she wandered in the streets, too angry to go back and get her keys, too proud to call someone to come and get her, too lost to know what to do next.

Little did she know, Aemond was hurting as well.

He sat in his chair, head held in his hands as he cursed himself over and over again. Cursed himself for his cruel words, cursed himself for betraying Mila's trust, cursed himself for falling into Alys' clutches, cursed himself for being deformed, cursed himself for being a second son.

A tear fell down from his singular eye, another cruel reminder that everything he does will only be worth half. He couldn't even cry like a normal person.

A brisk knock on the door startles him, and he whipped his head up in a flurry of silver before rising and rushing to the door. Flinging it open, he expected to see Mila... but his shoulders slumped and his heart dropped when he met the ice toned eyes of his all too familiar visitor.

"Hello, my darling." Alys greets, smirking.

The Targaryen stands still, staring down at her with what he hopes is a venomous look. It does not deter her, however.

"Well? Are you going to let me in?" Alys asks, though she knows the answer.

Despite it all. He will let her in. He will kiss her, he will fuck her, he will hold her through the night, as he always has. As he probably always will. Not so long ago, he would have done this and felt nothing, as he always has.

But now, as he lies on rumpled sheets, bare skin covered in goosebumps and a layer of sweat, he feels guilt, and he feels shame, and he feels so, achingly alone. His heart is bleeding out inside him, the woman lying next to him, sated and asleep, is not the woman he loves.

He wants her. He wants Mila. And he's the reason why she's not here.

The devil works hard, but the paparazzi works harder.

Just an hour after Mila left, mindlessly walking around Flea Bottom as she caught her bearings, her phone buzzed. An unknown number sent her a message, and she foolishly opened it.

Trouble in paradise? -LS

Larys Strong. The Perez Hilton of Kings Landing. Mila rolled her eyes, about to turn her phone off and ignore his bait. But then she got another notification, a picture...

It was of Aemond's flat. The photo was pointed up, focusing on the living room window, the lights dimmed but two figures could be seen. Aemond was leant over a woman, her hair the colour of a midnight sky, and a tattoo of an owl was wrapped around her bare shoulder.

Alys. He was kissing down her neck, her hand had disappeared down his trousers.

No fucking way... Mila clutched her phone, her stomach turning and her heart racing. It's got to be an old photo- But in the photo, she could clearly see her own car parked right outside the complex, where she had left it this evening.

Gods, it hurt. It hurt so fucking much, clawing at her throat and pressing down on her lungs. It felt so similar to how she did when she was told her parents were never coming back. They were gone, so far out of reach. Like how Aemond was. How he probably had always been. A sickening feeling was in her heart. A need, a deep desire to feel something else.

Mila had no desire to be sober anymore.

The night air nipped at her skin through her coat, biting and clawing at her as tears fell down her cheeks. A man wolf-whistled at her, but a sharp look his way shut him up.

That's right, bitch. I'm the motherfucking She-Wolf.

But she never felt weaker as she found herself in front of a familiar alleyway. Walking down it, deeper and deeper into the belly of the beast, her body hummed with the anticipation of what was to come. She makes her way to a rusty, metal door practically hanging off its hinges, and kicks it hard enough it shakes and groans like thunder.

A burly man opens the door, sneering down at her with blackened teeth, "What do you want, little thing?"

"Tell the Lion the She-Wolf needs a hit."

With a sigh, he turns and shuffles away, leaving Mila to shiver in the doorway. He does not reappear. Instead, a lanky, blonde-haired man saunters forwards.

"Mila?" Jason Lannister narrows his eyes, looking at her through thin blonde lashes surrounded by red. A smile erupts on his face as she steps closer, "Mila fucking Stark. Can't believe you're here."

"Enough of that, Jason." Mila sighs, wrapping her arms around herself, "Do you still sell dope?"

Jason's smile widens, patting his pockets before he finds what he's looking for, pulling out a small plastic bag, the white powder shimmering in the moonlight, "Free, for my favourite girl."

Mila eyes the baggie, chewing on her lower lip as she hesitates. But after Jason shakes it slightly, throwing her a wink. She takes it, stuffing it into her jacket before nodding.

"Thanks."

"Anytime, sweetness." Jason leers, looking her up and down, "Am I going to get an unpleasant call from an angry Targaryen?"

"Unlikely."

With a look over her shoulder, Mila disappears down the alley, heading to her flat. When she gets there, her vision is tunnelled, her mind only focused on getting high. Working on automatic, she uses her spare key to get in, finding it hidden under a flower pot. She doesn't even remove her coat as she storms to the bathroom. Underneath a bathroom tile, she finds her old stash of medical needles, her spoon, her cotton and her dad's belt.

Everything happened in a blur. Bag opening, lighter flickering, the tight belt around her arm, the needle... then she was lay back across the ceramic, euphoria taking over as she stared blearily at the ceiling-

But something was wrong.

Her vision flew in and out, her body unfeeling and her mind elsewhere. A voice could be heard shouting, doors were slamming, a distant siren... someone was lifting her up, someone else was holding her hand, telling her that everything would be alright.

Why wouldn't everything be alright? Was her last thought, as she succumbed to the fog within her mind.

AN// Well that was hella morbid, my apologies. I decided to write angst and so I wrote ANGST. Trust, things will get better, babygirl Mila is just going through it. See you soon!

Lula x

[bigtreefest]

Chapter 3: Save Me The Trouble

From: Bigger Houses Series

Pairing: Mountain Ranger! Ari x Reader

Summary: People need to be more careful and watch where they’re going. You could run into a handsome stranger and get asked on a date!

Word Count: 1,821

Content/Warnings: oblivious walking (once again), like one swear, internal self-doubting monologues that hopefully still indicate a healing process, female reader, it’s pretty much fluff

Author’s Note: I’m so grateful for all that have been reading. I hope you enjoy this new part, a cute little bridge. Likes, comments, reblogs, and asks are sooooo welcome and appreciated!!

Dividers by @animatedglittergraphics-n-more

Here is the song this is based off of loosely, good song, listen if you please.

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You were finally settling into your new job and your new life in town. Your schedule was all figured out, and to get to know the area a little better, each day, you had started going somewhere different over lunch, driving down the mountain and into the quaint little town.

After a hectic morning, coffee seemed like just the thing to lift your spirits, so you set up your navigation to a little mom and pop shop on Main Street, cruising there with the windows down to soak up the sun and the breeze. Town was beautiful and surprisingly empty today, so it caught you by surprise when you were pulling into the parking lot and saw a khaki smear coming out of your blind spot. You stood on the brakes as soon as the tall figure took a step in front of your vehicle. A man in…were those…ranger shorts and a hat?….slammed his hands down on the hood of your car. It was him again.

You leaned your head out through the window. “You trying to make a habit of me almost hitting you? I thought you were a bear….again. Seriously, you’d think I’m out here trying to take out the nation’s wildlife if it wasn’t you walking out in front of my car every time.”

He let out a sigh as he hung his head in relief, his heart still beating fast at the near-death experience, and made his way over to your window. As you pulled yourself back in the car, he rested his elbows at the bottom of your window and leaned forward.

“I really am sorry. I’m not sure why that keeps happening. My head was kinda in the clouds.” He grimaced slightly and let out an awkward laugh.

You wanted so badly to be angry with him, but his genuine response, paired with his eyes that reflected the sky had you melting. “I-I’m not sure if I accept your apology yet.” You said then bit your lip, caught up between your slight frustration with the stranger, yet your want to believe anything he said. “You’re gonna make a reputation for me around here as ‘that girl who almost flattened the mountain ranger…twice.’”

He let out a genuine laugh. “I promise your secret’s safe with me and it won’t happen again. And I’m sure I can think of a couple people who wouldn’t be too bothered by that.”

You let out a giggle at his joke, it wasn’t too often people who looked like that had a good sense of humor to pair. The two of you sat there awkwardly for a second before you spoke up. “Well I, uh, kinda need to park, I’m on my lunch hour and was planning on getting a bite to eat.”

“Oh yeah, of course.” He pulled away from your window, walking a few paces behind the vehicle as you pulled into a spot. “You know, there’s a nice little coffee shop around the corner. I’d love to make up that whole ‘not paying attention’ thing to you. Lunch on me?”

You pulled your keys out of the ignition, stepping out and looking up at his towering form. Maybe he really was a bear. “I suppose, as long as this isn’t your way of secretly trying to lure me as bait for the mountain lions as a revenge plan.”

“Ah, no, that’s only on Tuesdays.” He shrugged.

“Today…is Tuesday….” You looked at him with mild concern as he smirked at you.

“Well, I guess you’re just gonna have to trust me. I’m Ari.” He held out his hand and you introduced yourself. He nodded at you and his eyes sparkled when your hand met his. His hand was callused, but warm and comforting, almost embracing yours. “Alright, let’s get to it, you said you’ve only got an hour?”

You nodded as his hand made its way to the small of your back and he guided you along the sidewalk into the shop.

You laughed as you sat there stirring your second drink: the free refill the shop offered if you sat and stuck around. Ari had just finished telling you about the time his pants had snagged on a tree when he was miles away from any sort of refuge or spare clothing, leaving his cheeks in the breeze until he could run the two miles back to the cabin to change. Your face began to grow red, you could feel it. You knew you’d never be able to get the thought of his ass in those ranger shorts out of your head, or better yet, out of those ranger shorts.

He spoke through his own hearty laughter. “Yeah, learned that one the hard way. From then on, I vowed to always keep at least two sets of backup clothing in the truck, and in my duffel if I’ve got to respond to a call.”

You laughed and stirred your drink again before taking another sip, while something stirred deep in Ari’s core. He was staring at you so intently and hung onto every word you said. Part of you wished he’d keep those pretty blue eyes to himself, while another part of you wanted to lean closer and fall into them.

Over the period of your conversation, the two of you had somehow shifted closer to each other. Everything was just flowing so well.

“I can relate to that too easily. It was probably three months into me getting my SUV I’ve got parked out there and I was visiting my mom. On the drive over, it was sunny with clear skies, so I had the windows down and sunroof open when I parked it in her driveway.”

Ari giggled. The gruff tree of a man in front of you giggled and you couldn’t help your gaze that dropped to his pink lips. “I can already see where this is going.”

You snapped yourself back, laughing distractedly. “Oh yeah, as soon as I got in there and convinced myself I had definitely closed the sunroof, the sky opened up. When I left after dinner, I was greeted by soaked seats and full cup holders.”

Ari’s jaw dropped. “Yeah, yeah, that’s not even the best part. Besides the fact that I had to sit in a soaked seat on the way home, when I took the first big turn on the drive, water started leaking out of the overhead lights. You know the ones up by the rear view mirror? I don’t even know how it got in there!”

Ari was snorting at your story. Your genuine nature charmed him and he appreciated how you were able to laugh with him over silly mistakes. He noticed how long it had been since he’d taken this much joy in human interaction, heck, he realized it’s been so long since he’s really interacted with another person, period. The bartender and the other rangers didn’t count. Ari’s eyes continued to roam your features as you passionately told your story, a reminiscent smile on your face. A lace of humor that could retrospectively cover the embarrassing moment.

“Ever since then, I’ve carried at least three towels in the trunk. And also a change of clothes, just like you. It took all night for me to dry out the seats my garage. Had to open all the doors and run a box fan.”

Ari laughed and shook his head. “Well, cheers to learning from mistakes and always being prepared.”

You nodded, eyebrows raised in agreement, as you raised your coffee cup to meet his. “Amen to that. I knew you were a ranger for a reason. And I’ve been told I was a boy scout in another life.”

The two of you sipped your drinks and laughed together. You were surprised how a conversation as mundane as this could be so entertaining. Seriously, who took up twenty minutes just to note how prepared they were by keeping spares of everything possible on their person?

Wait. Twenty minutes on that one subject? And you’d discussed several before? What time was it!?

You checked your watch and your eyes got wide. You’d been sitting here with Ari for two hours. “Oh my gosh. I didn’t even realize how much time has passed! I really have to go and get back to my actual life. I should’ve been gone an hour ago!”

You frantically started gathering your things.

Ari stood from his chair, causing it to skid against the floor, watching you pack up and unsure what to do. “Wait, can I see you again sometime?”

“That’d be great but I don’t have time to exchange numbers.” You debated chugging the rest of your coffee, opting for the smarter decision of just carrying it back with you.

“There’s a bar two blocks down from here. Share a drink with me Friday night?”

“Perfect.” You threw over your shoulder as you rushed out the door and back down the sidewalk.

You didn’t have it in your to tell a guy like him ‘no’ to a request as simple as that. Ari looked like the kind of guy who would just love and leave, but his behavior said otherwise. Through your entire time together, he only ever indicated that he cared about you. His eyes never left yours, he asked you questions about the stories you told him. But was it too good to be true? Maybe you should just save yourself the trouble you thought as you got back into your car.

No. You’d played with fire like this before, but this time, for some reason, you didn’t fear you’d get burned.

Ari flopped back down in his chair after you left. He should probably get back to the ranger station soon, but he needed time to gather his thoughts.

He was finally relearning himself, and he had no plans on adding someone else back into the equation. Was it too soon?

He wanted to let you in, let you uproot his life from the inside. But he didn’t think it’d be wrecked. It would be rebuilt, regrown like the flower buds on the trees in spring. Everything about you seemed to shine so bright, like the rays from the sun he loved to watch filter through the leaves and hit the forest floor. Even through the clouds, his and your own that you both seemed to carry, something was glowing and warming up, he could feel them dissipating.

This feeling, the whole day and time with you, it felt like a movie he’s seen, but he didn’t believe it could be true. For a second, a tinge of doubt crept into Ari’s mind. What if it didn’t work out? What if this put him back where he started? Alone in that bar drinking doubles. He was quick to push it away, though. That heartache belonged to somebody else. Someone he never wanted to know again.

Next >

Series Taglist:

@patzammit

@hawkeyes-queen

[rodolfoparras]

angels I hope you do get better there !! sprinkling some of the smut here to help you feel better, AGAIN INSPIRED BY YOUR PERVERT PRICE DRABBLES CUZ BY LORD I'm boutta yeet myself across time and space (help me AAA)

You've been working in the Task Force 141 team for awhile now— having given a chance to unveil yourself at the field with skills you've honed over the years is such a wonderful feeling. You find yourself fortunate to be working with some of the most finest, open-minded people over there, and recently work, the missions have been rougher around the edges. It's nothing you can't handle of. Except for one: the captain himself, John Price.

Now, you find him fascinating— the man is THE brilliant man, having lead through the plans with precision and professionalism, his tactics and skills are handy by time. One of the many reason you've come to respect and admire the male. But little do you know that Price is.. rather infatuated with you. Do you even notice how he always sticks to you whenever you both training or practice shooting together? How your clothes always seems to disappear whenever Price had come by to drink whiskey with you? How he'd always crossed his legs together whenever you're with him?

You do notice Price started to wear a throat mic when the heli is taking the team towards the location, and how some of the wiring bits are all tangled up.

"Hey, Cap, need help with that?" You gestures towards the item, and he looked confused as he tries to check it with his hand. "Here let me help."

Did you know that he purposely fuck it up so he can get your hands around him? Once he saw Graves (he rather not mentioned that name) wore it when they worked together before, immediately the idea of it resembling a collar made him blush, and with how your big hands almsot wrapped around his throat, fuck does he wishes you can punish him for being a bad, horny dog.

Want to know something that's even more dangerous? He's wearing a cage of your favourite colour. Little cute one, pushing his big cock to the smallest size. Hey, it helps by covering his erection, and while before he didn't think he could get it up again, just the voice of you booming through the base and teaching the recruits, is enough to make him hard and fuck himself on his finger (How convenient that his office window has the direct view of the training ground) Did he take the cage off? No, the only time he did was to pissed and god, he's getting hard again at the thought of how your piss would taste like. Bitterness from the coffee or the sweetness of your desserts?

The only time you almost catch him is when you had to ask for the report of the recent mission, and before you could knock on his room door, (he's nowhere by the office or anywhere else at the base) you can hear some sort of noise— oh,you're not that daft to not know.

"F— Fuck Daddy! I can't, you're too big.." You fucking hate how that nickname earned a twitch from your cock, and how you shouldn't be listening in, whoever Price is with not of your concern. "Have no mercy one me.."

The sounds of skin slapping skin is enough for you to palm your hardening cock under your cargo pants, looking around to see if there's any soldiers passing by. That is until you heard a title, your title. With your name.

"Yes, yes, put me in my place! I'm your toy, AH! Use me, mark me.." God the filth of that mouth..

The moment he screamed daddy again, you had accidentally spilled all over your boxer and rushes towards your room.

He does noticed how you kept getting flustered around him the day after, clueless to your eardrops act, but he does love how his object of obsession keep crossing his legs as he does now. Oh the tension, Price rather love that and he thinks he's gonna play the pervert captain role for MUCH longer.

-🪂 anon

I AM GOING TO GO FUCKING INSSANE JESUS CHRIST HONEY BEE????:;!: I GENUINELY DONT KNOW WHAT TO SAY TO THIS EXCEPT FOR THE FSCT THAT OTS THE HOTTESR THINH IVE READ??? Let me reeead this a couple of times before I speak more in it there’s genuinely so many parts of this that I need to just soak up for a good moment

[hearts4golbach]

The Night Shift.

Chapter 7.

Johnnie Guilbert x Fem!Reader.

I sat at the counter with my notebook and pen, scribbling down ideas for new recipes or drinks. My mind frequently wandered to johnnie, and it worried me. I couldn't get what Jake asked me out of my brain. did I like johnnie? I couldn't tell if what I was feeling was just having a really good friend or something more. I cringed at myself. I doodled on the side of my page, drawing hearts and stars until someone walked in.

"Hello, miss." the man said with a heavy southern accent. I suppressed a laugh, thinking about Jake.

"Hi, what can i get for you?"

"Let me get the peanut butter mocha, please. That'll be all." he sighed. I nodded in response. "You got a boyfriend?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. I'm sure he didn't mean it the way it sounded. I immediately thought about johnnie. "No, sir."

"Well, don't worry. once you find someone, you'll know." he had a crooked tooth grin.

"Oh, thank you." I smiled. it confused me where this came from. "Why do you say?"

"You learn to read how people feel when you have a bipolar wife." he snorted.

"Well, you were spot on."

a woman walked in behind him on her phone. she looked up and smiled at me. she was beautiful, even if she had a messy bun and no makeup. she seemed sweet.

"Listen, you seem like a nice girl. you've got looks on your side, too. I say go for it. I know I don't know your situation, but when you look back, you'll regret it."

I was getting a little more concerned each second. this was almost creepy. how could he be so right? I passed his coffee over the counter. "Thank you." I said genuinely.

he nodded, not saying a word as he walked out of the cafe.

"What was that about?" the girl asked, walking up to the counter.

"Apparently, he could sense how I was feeling. I've been overthinking about this guy I met, and he was spot on." I shrugged.

"so, when's he going to tell my fortune?" she joked, pulling out her wallet. "tell me about this guy."

"well, I met him a few days ago. I think he's really cute and we've had our... moments, I guess. i think I might be gaslighting myself into thinking I don't like him like that. I've never had a boyfriend, let alone a genuine crush." I rambled. "I genuinely do not know why I'm opening up to strangers."

"I mean, who knows if we'll ever cross paths again."

"still, I feel stupid." I shake my head. "anyway, what can I get for you?"

"can I just get an iced caramel coffee?" she asked with a sweet smile on her face.

I hum, turning around to make it. What a weird night, I'll probably end up rephrasing to tell johnnie later. we talked little after she asked.

"I hope you have a good night." I smiled softly as I handed her coffee over the counter.

"you too." she smiled back before walking out.

I sat back down and continued to try and write, but my mind frequently wandered back to johnnie. was he even coming tonight?

about an hour and a half later, the door bell rang. "Hey, y/n." Johnnie's tired voice called. I looked up, he carried his computer under one arm.

"johnnie, how bad is your sleep schedule?" I teased, "this is the 3rd night in a row you've come to see me. you must love my face to come here at like 2 am every night."

"what can I say? I get really bad nightmares and your face does in fact make me feel better."

my gaze softened as I smiled.

"do you mind if I hang out in here and edit a video?"

"I'd love that." my heart fluttered at Johnnie's presence.

I turned around to clean the counters as he chose the table closest to where I was. he lazily opened his computer and pulled up the needed footage.

I hummed quietly to what was playing in my headphone as I finished wiping everything down. I fixed myself a coffee and went to sit across from him.

"I had the weirdest fucking encounter today." I mentioned.

he looked up. "what happened?"

"This guy came in and told me that I seemed stressed over a guy and that I'll know if he's the right person and I shouldn't fight my feelings off." I blurted, not bothering to rephrase it.

he made eye contact with me again, curiosity glistening in his eyes. "so, like, a connection you can't explain? thats really poetic."

"yeah, it's scary cause he's right." I mumbled.

"well, if you think you've found that person, then go for it. life's too short to not." he looks back down at his laptop.

"what if I'm not sure if he likes me back?"

a twinge of hurt flashed in his eyes. he seemed to be scrounging for ways to respond. "well, what if he's just as unsure as you?" he asked knowingly.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "so should I really think on it?"

"you might be wasting time, but you never know. maybe waiting is a good decision." he avoided eye contact with me.

"are you good?"

"yeah." he trailed off, rubbing his arm.

silence filled the room for a good minute, I zoned out, staring into my coffee once more.

"have you ever felt that way?"

"felt like what?"

"when you like someone but you're terrified it'll ruin something good?" I pondered.

he looked up, his gaze softening. "yeah, the fear of losing someone so special even though nothing has happened yet?"

"yeah, exactly."

"well, I guess we have to take risks. step out of our comfort zone, you know?" he paused. "at least we could say we tried, right?"

"right." I whispered, awkward tension filled the room.

he cleared his throat. "when you know, you know."

[sleepingdeath-light]

yandere hcs + s/o who is okay with his behaviour hcs ; emmet

requested by ; anonymous (17/07/23)

fandom(s) ; pokèmon

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; emmet

outline ; “I NEED YANDERE EMMET PLEASE RAAAAGH!!! 😭‼️ (and an s/o who’s ok with it because they take it as “awwww he loves me” but they don’t understand that this man is at “I’d kill Arceus for you” levels of love 😂)”

note ; this isn’t as overtly yandere as some of my other posts, but i can’t see emmet going the whole way and slaughtering people for his s/o so much as he just gets a bit obsessive over them (also i haven’t written for him in a while so apologies if this is a bit shaky lol)

warning(s) ; yandere!emmet, obsessive behaviour, possessive behaviour, unhealthy dynamic

emmet had always been a peculiar character in your eyes, even before the two of you became an item, so you never really thought to question some of his more outlandish behaviours when it came to your relationship

his possessive streak and obsession with you were, to you at least, as normal as his unwavering grin or his repetition of ‘i am emmet’ whenever he was speaking to someone — they were just another part of him that you accepted as any loving partner would

(it’s also not the most obvious to others unless they know him extremely well, such as his brother or their mutual best friend, and even then he typically just dismisses their concerns and goes back to being his energetic, ever-smiling set without ever really addressing how different he gets around you)

he still talks about you as his partner to anyone who will listen — and even to those who are very obviously not paying any attention to a word he’s saying — but his remarks take on a much darker and more possessive, even obsessive, tone that’s easy to miss if you don’t pay him much mind during battles

for example, he’s made a great many remarks to other trainers about how he’d do anything to keep you safe and by his side — remarks which include him being more than willing to battle, or even outright kill if it came down to that, any legendary (even arceus himself!) that came between the two of you

(a couple of trainers that managed to see the disturbing genuineness underpinning those statements have gone out of their way to find and warn you about your boyfriend’s obsession, but ended up being even more put-off by your response to their worries — that being anything ranging from neutrality, acceptance, or endearment at his ‘love’ for you)

although he’s still as passionate about trains and pokémon as ever, you’ll find him much less likely to talk about himself with you in favour of just sitting and listening to everything you have to say as if it’s the most interesting thing in the world (even if it’s something as objectively mundane as talking about what you almost had for lunch a few days ago) — he’ll interject every now and then with encouragement and questions that range from cute to concerning (e.g. ‘i am emmet. what did you do after that? i am emmet.’ or ‘i am emmet. that sounds very frustrating. would you like me to talk to them for you? i am emmet.’), but still it’s incredibly rare that you’ll get to hear about his day once his obsession with you has truly taken hold

he only ever addresses you by name or as his spouse (husband/wife/partner/whatever your label of choice is) even though you’re not actually married — legal distinctions don’t matter to him and he already knows that you’re the love of his life so he sees no point in waiting for some ceremony to show you off as ‘his’ to the world

before his obsession set in he was already very comfortable with public shows of affection and wasn’t ever embarrassed to do things like link arms with you, peck you on the cheek/lips, or anything else like that around others unless he was actively engaged in a pokémon battle — but now it’s like he’s gone from an eight to an eleven and you’ll never go long, when you’re around him at least, without him touching you in some way

an arm around your waist, pulling you against his side or chest, linking your arms, holding your hand so tightly you fear it may just break, peppering your face with kisses, etc. — all of those displays are common place for the two of you, and he’s even happier when you’re the one initiating and reciprocating (especially if you’re around others as it appeals to that possessive side of him that likes letting others know that you’re not just taken, but that you’re happily and eagerly taken by him, emmet, and nobody else)

he hasn’t yet been given a reason to kill someone for you, and in the moment he may not even go through with it, but he’s certainly offered to do so on multiple occasions whenever you mention someone annoying you, flirting with you, or otherwise making you uncomfortable — he’s also been known to go harsher on trainers that have shown interest in you in battle whenever you visit him at work (partly to show off to you and partly to put them in their place)

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Trimax Thoughts Vol. 5 Pt. 2

I want to talk about Knives for a sec. Up to where I've read in the manga so far, we really don't have much of an understanding of him yet. I think I may have a slight advantage in having watched one of the shows before starting (I've watched Tristamp) because otherwise I don't know if I would quite get what to make of him so far.

I won't say anything about Tristamp here since I'm not going to assume everyone in book club has seen it, but I did draw a conclusion from it that, after reading volume 5, I am almost positive applies to the manga version of Knives too.

Knives treats Vash as if he were an extension of himself.

[ID: A panel from Trigun Maximum volume 5. Knives stands casually, holding a cup and smiling as he greets his brother in Vash and Hoppered's shared flashback to July. Hoppered thinks "It's him..." as Knives says "Hey Vash." End ID.]

Ok so first off I need to establish something because it's important. Listen. I have no doubt that Knives loves his brother. I do not doubt that. But his behaviour towards Vash is actively and deeply cruel. Knives is friendly up until Vash disagrees with him, and then his mood suddenly changes for the worse - he has gone so far as to specifically target people Vash loves just to break the ideology he disagrees with, shifted culpability from himself to solely on Vash several times, violated his autonomy, and has on a few occasions physically restrained him. <- That's. Really bad. I would argue that these behaviours are in keeping with uh... pretty textbook manipulative/abusive behaviours.

However, here’s the thing: these kinds of behaviours are typically perpetrated because the person wants power over the victim. I think it's easy to read that into it, but I honestly don't think that's Knives' intention at all. He wants Vash with him. If anything his little "Watch it!" when Vash shoves him away just after the colony ships fall reads as genuine confusion. He's incredulous every time Vash points his gun at him. After all, as Knives puts it: they're brothers. They only have each other.

If Knives wants power over anything, I'd argue it's power over Rem, not Vash. He sees Vash's suffering and believes it was her who "made him like this", disregarding his own accountability in both Vash's continued pain... and her death. I do have to wonder if his attempts to break Vash's pacifism is also an attempt to make Rem's ghost leave them both for good, because there is no way Millions "I thought I'd spare her but now I see she was just as flawed" Knives felt no sadness or remorse over her death.

[ID: A screenshot from Trigun Volume 2. Knives sits in the escape ship with most of his face shadowed. He is hunched slightly, with a difficult to read, rather blank expression. End ID.]

^He is totally not bothered by this, definitely a-ok with her death. /j

But here's the thing: I really do think Knives believes that without Rem's influence, his brother will think and act exactly like him; that she has "corrupted" him somehow. This plays out in the way he's almost eager to show Vash their Plant abilities, apparently completely ignoring that Vash is confused and terrified - there's a serious dissonance to their interactions, where Knives seems less uncaring then oblivious to Vash's obvious distress. A good first indicator is directly before Fifth Moon, where Knives realizes that Vash has blocked out the memory of July, and is more intrigued than alarmed by this. Idk man if that was my brother I would be. Concerned.

See, if you read Knives as wanting power over Vash, then it's kind of reminiscent of the older sibling who thinks they know what's best for the younger. Indeed, that is the role Knives seems to take on at times.

But Knives is not actually older. They're twins.

Zazie also has an intriguing line after seeing the lengths Vash will go to in order to protect those he cares for: "It definitely isn't in Knives' nature to fight for anyone." <- This is an odd conclusion to come to for someone who is supposedly doing everything for a new world that's safe for all Plants, including Vash. I'm choosing to take Zazie at their word since I don't think they would have any real reason to lie or really see the point in lying.

So, what this implies is exactly what I stated earlier - Knives makes little, if any distinction between him and Vash. The world is divided into "same" and "different", "family" and "threat". It unfortunately allows Knives to continuously undermine Vash's autonomy - it's fine to forcibly activate Vash's angel arm because it's "our" power. It's fine for the doctor to poke and prod at Vash's arm to get readings because Knives is supervising it. Vash will stick with him because they're brothers, right? Of course he will. And if he doesn't... well that can't possibly be Vash. It's Rem's corrupting influence. And that makes him violently angry as he attempts to destroy any last trace of her that persists in his brother. Because surely, without her, Vash would be just like him, right?

One last note I'd like to make is the way Knives keeps obscuring Vash's face when he forcibly activates Vash's angel arm.

[ID: Two screenshots from Trigun and Trigun Maximum. The first image shows Knives grabbing Vash's face as he forces him to activate his angel arm during the Fifth Moon incident. The second image is of the same during the July flashback. End ID.]

The thing is, you can't argue this is necessary to activate the ability. In the July flashback, Knives actually has his hand placed rather gently on the side of Vash's head... up until Vash tries to resist. That's when Knives slams his hand down over his face instead and shoves him onto the floor.

In the context of Knives seeing Vash as an extension of himself, it could take on a few different meanings. If he muffles Vash's screaming and crying, perhaps he doesn't have to see the clear distress on his brother's face. Maybe it's representative of stripping Vash of his personal choice in these scenes. Maybe because this is the truth of the matter - Knives does not want to see the person Vash is if that person is so wildly different from himself, to ruin the illusion of twin as extension instead of a separate person.

Meanwhile, Vash is trying so hard to be everything Knives isn't. Knives' face is shadowed in flashbacks to create distance between them until July reveals the destruction they both caused and Vash can no longer deny the harm he too is capable of causing. The twins cause me emotional damage man.

[vesanal]

₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊The 8th Day of Writemas₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊

Hiya y’all!! Day 8 is here!! So here is the invite post and here is the day 8 prompts! I wanna say thanks so much for all of the support and thanks so much again @agirlandherquill for hosting this event for all of us!! I really like the prompts for today too. :D

Prompts used:

Feeling: The ache of the wind snatching air from lungs

Dialogue: "Can you forgive me?"

Setting: A graveyard

Today gave me strong Perci vibes and I love to write for him so here is more lol. My tragic boy I love him so yeah also this one is going to be much shorter because I’m extremely busy rn and should be studying instead of writing but here I am LOL Anyway,

Read about the WIP here!!

Please enjoy!

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

Snow covered the once freshly filled dirt hole in the ground. A snowstorm brewed around the Across the fenced in grounds, hundreds of stone graves covered the area that looked just like the one Perci stood before. Each one had a name, a family that they belong to. A family that was stripped from them long ago, fighting a seemingly endless battle. One that still cursed the land of gracious Pytharios. So, effectively, their deaths were all for naught.

Locking his eyes back to the headstone in front of him, Perci read back over the words engraved into it that he had seen thousands of times before. 

“Can you forgive me?” Perci began, hanging his mouth open trying to properly articulate himself as the wind whipped the right words out of him, “I wish I listened to you. You were right. And I was wrong. You wanted to protect me and I never listened.”

He stopped himself before he could unload all of his thoughts out to a simple stone sticking out of the ground. He panted frantically. The heavy winds wanted to knock him on his feet for voicing his silly concerns. This was war. All conflicts get solved through it. It was necessary to live. With life comes war that’ll take it from you, along with everything else. Perci, almost falling over, stumbled as a burst of wind crashed into him. The bleak, loveless winds knew better than a sentient being, of course.

“I shouldn’t have gone against your will. I just thought that—Well—I—I thought you would appreciate me following in your footsteps. I see now what you meant then. Why did I go? I just wanted to learn some magic and get a job to help out you and mom. And then I got good, too good for my own good! And then— the… mandate. I didn’t want any of this!” 

Perci half expected the grave to answer, fully knowing the man below would never answer anything ever again. He scoffed at himself for being so naive. 

“I suppose I would be following in your footsteps now. Graduated. Drafted. Then, finally dead. In a graveyard surrounded by thousands of other men who were given the same cruel fate as I have on this day.” Perci managed to wheeze a few gasping laughs of it all but laughing wouldn’t help him now and he knew it. He really was as good as dead out there, as far as he knew about the strange world beyond the familiar horizons that he would soon leave behind in the coming days.

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

(PLEASE tell me if you wanna get added to a tag list here because I genuinely don't know who to tag lol. I'll edit this and add you in!! <3 )

TAGLIST SO FAR: @sunflowerrosy @seastarblue

@thebookishkiwi @viridis-icithus @corinneglass

Our wonderful host <3 → @agirlandherquill Have a lovely day everyone!!

[ourfatherwhoartinhell]

Silent Hearts // [Part IV]

Pairing | Cowbell x reader

Word count | 5.3k

⚠️ Warnings | Canon divergence, f!reader, Y/N is used. Should be okay otherwise? Grumpy Cowbell?

Chapter Summary: You decide to ignore Mountain's warning and sneak off back to the cemetery to confront Felix. However, you end up finding answers in the most unlikely of places... [pt.1]

A/N: Ok, this was supposed to be one long chapter but I decided to split it in 2 cause I wrote way too damn much. So this is Part 1.

[Prev][Next]

You appreciated the talk with Mountain earlier this afternoon, you really did. However, you were almost certain you left with more questions than answers, and that wasn’t exactly what you had in mind. You paced through the halls, distracted with trying to process and absorb all this new information. Internally, you were battling with the biggest decision of your life: do you stay and heed Mountain’s warning? Or do you go back to confront the creature that had taken up residence in your mind, the creature that was haunting your every waking moment.

Mountain was a ghoul and Felix’s cousin after all. That means he clearly knows better than you about how serious this situation is, and how dangerous Felix can be. You had very little to go on besides what you had personally experienced, which was less than a day of getting to know him. Therefore taking Mountain's advice was obviously the smartest choice. He knew about his species better than you did, and he clearly knew more about Felix seeing as how the knowledge of Felix giving you his real name seemed to be suspiciously uncharacteristic.

So it was settled, ignoring Mountain's admonition to go find the ghoul would be absolutely insane. 

Yet that’s exactly what you planned to do. 

You knew the Siblings schedules pretty well by this point. You definitely knew the Sisters you roomed with weren’t going to notice if you were gone, you didn’t think a single one even knew your name. There was a brief moment just before midnight mass where everyone would be hurrying to the chapel, that would be your time to escape. The congregation would be too busy chatting and trying to make it there on time, that you could easily pretend like you forgot something in your quarters and sneak away.

You believed it was Primo’s turn to preach tonight since Sunday’s were usually his days. He liked to have his session the same day as the Christians just to feel God's wrath as he delivered his unholy sermons. It made him feel like he was doing something right and was still able to be helpful. You thought it was kinda crazy when he first explained his love for preaching on the Lord’s day, but you’d have to admit, it did make you feel a little more unholy and sinful doing it. That was the whole point, right?

As you finalized your plan, you couldn’t help the slight pang of guilt that washed over you. It pained you to miss out on his teachings since it was the one you looked forward to every week. You were sure it was going to be as wonderful as all the rest, however there were more important things at hand, at least in your mind.

The day dragged on and on. It seemed actually endless. Your chores were as dull as Nihil’s facepaint and you lost count how many times you prayed to whoever was listening to hurry it the fuck up.

Once you had finally reached the end of your daily tasks, you walked quickly through the halls to change out of your normal habit and into some more casual and comfortable attire. As you rounded the corner, you were concerned with everything besides looking where you were going. Which unfortunately Primo found out first hand as you all but knocked over the elderly Papa in the rush back to your room.

“Oh, Papa! I am so sorry, I am not myself today.” You grasped the older man's arm to help him regain his balance, mentally cursing yourself for being so careless.

“Ah, Sorella. I thought you might have been a tornado,” he joked. You genuinely admired the way nothing ever seemed to bother this man. “In a rush to clean up before mass? I’m flattered.”

You quickly tried to hide your look of guilt, praying he didn’t see you immediately cover it up. Faking a smile that didn’t quite reach your eyes, you nodded.

“Of course! I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You know how much I love your sermons.”

Primo mirrored your nod slowly donning a comforting smile. “My turn to speak is nothing to be excited for. It happens but once a week. If you have others who need your attention, please do not feel you must attend.”

You smiled at his kind words before a flash of confusion crossed your face as he took a step to continue down the hall. He passed by with a gentle pat on your shoulder as he slowly walked towards the entrance to the chapel. How did–?

“Oh, and Sister?” He said, pausing before the doorway. “Perhaps the easiest way to find the answers you seek lies beneath, hm? Not beyond.”

With a slight wave, the eldest former Papa disappeared through the double doors, leaving you standing in the middle of the hallway utterly speechless. What on Earth was he talking about? Beneath not beyond? You knew what answers you wanted, but what answers was he talking about?

You stood in stunned silence for a moment before being engulfed by the growing crowd around you. Everyone had already started making their way towards the hall for Primo’s highly anticipated midnight mass.

With a shake of your head - like that was going to do anything other than give you a headache - you tried to refocus on the task at hand and decided not to overthink the words of a clearly senile old man.

Felix. Questions. Answers. 

Focus.

You continued your journey back to your room. You were right in thinking that no one would notice your odd behaviour. The entire walk up to your quarters you were barely even acknowledged. Normally it might’ve bothered you, but for tonight’s purposes it was perfect.

It took you all of 5 minutes to change out of your regular habit and into one of your self labelled, “cemetery approved” outfits. It wasn’t anything fancy, it was simply an outfit you threw together that was both comfy and warm, yet still stylish. You learnt the hard way during your first few trips that the wind tends to bite after the sun goes down.

I guess it’s not the only thing out there that bites.

The air tonight was no different. It nipped at your cheeks as soon as you opened the door. Perhaps it was because while you were excited to see Felix again, there was also this underlying sense of anxiety and fear that made the crisp wind feel like it cut straight down to your bones.

What if he didn’t show up? Maybe he already moved to some other area of the forest and you’d be left standing at the top of the hill, yelling his name like an idiot. Alternatively, what if as soon as you got far enough away from the Abbey, he was there? Would he track you down and kill you without a second thought? Like the trio from the other night? He did have your scent after all, what if this was all just some sick game he was playing and Mountain was right? What if he was too far gone?

As you walked further away from the safety of the Ministry, you weren’t sure whether the wind was actually freezing, or if your nerves were getting the best of you as your body shivered with every step. Your mind screamed, pleading for you to turn back and find Mountain before you got yourself killed. Yet something in your heart told you everything might just turn out alright? You knew this wasn’t going to be like the movies, and this sense of hope was childish and borderline dangerous. Nevertheless, a thought passed through your mind: 

He never tried to hurt me before, so what’s the likelihood he will now?

As you walked down the path that would eventually lead to the groundskeeper’s house, you stopped before you made it all the way down. The familiar steps on the left leading up the hill would take you where you needed to go, back to hopefully end the confusion where it all began. Before you ascended up the hill, you noticed the lights of the little cottage at the bottom of the hill weren’t on. It was getting pretty late after all so you figured the old man had either gone to mass, or more likely: he’s already asleep. 

Did he even follow our faith? In the few years you had known him, you never thought to ask. However, you couldn’t help but wonder if he knew about the dangerous ghoul living right outside his front door? Surely he would’ve at least seen Felix once or twice over the years, even by accident? 

Starting to get lost in your thoughts, your mind briefly slipped to a darker place. If it was true that Felix needed blood to survive, how come he’s left the groundskeeper alive all this time? He would have been a prime target; the older gentleman kept to the same routine every day, he was predictable and unlikely to cause much of a fight. The man lived alone and was far enough away from the Abbey that no one was likely to hear his screams either. It was a textbook case, the perfect victim.

Your brain churned with all the potential possibilities. At this point, you silently prayed that the lifeless house you saw in front of you was simply an indicator of the older man getting some much needed rest, and nothing more.

The walk up the steep, uneven concrete steps to where the dead rested never got easier. You still huffed and had to take a minute to catch your breath once you got up there. You were rarely here this late, especially during the fall months. Not only was it chilly, but the Ministry put on a lot of events this time of year knowing it was when you all felt closest to the olde one, so you were always kept busy. 

Most of the Siblings thought the stronger connection they claimed to notice during the fall was just because of the spooky atmosphere, but the Clergy knew the truth. The veil between the human world and the monsters below was thinnest during the month of October. It always caused the ghouls to get more rowdy, and some Siblings had even swore the Devil visited them in their dreams, personally guiding them to complete all of his unholy desires.

Personally, you thought it was a crock of horse shit. 

You definitely felt more activity in the cemetery during this time of year, you couldn’t deny that. The lowered barrier between worlds meant the spirits liked to come through and thank you for taking such good care of them. In their own way of course. They didn’t actually rise from the grave and shake your hand. 

Sometimes the spirits would rearrange the flowers you left them to spell out ‘hi’. They would help to keep them alive through the week until you returned, or even make sure they didn’t blow away during a storm. On the odd occasion if the autumn wind gave you a chill, you could even swear you felt the breeze warm a few degrees just for you.

The spirits, however, were definitely not here to do that for you today. The wind ripped through your clothes like they were made of tissue paper, almost like a warning that you shouldn’t be here. It was only the beginning of October after all, perhaps they were still gathering their strength to come visit? Yet, you could’ve sworn it felt colder than what the weather app said it was supposed to be.

Once you got to the top of the hill and caught your breath, you looked around the best you could. The bright half moon was the only source of light you had to illuminate the earth beneath your feet. It wasn’t that you forgot to bring a flashlight, you simply just enjoyed the darkness of the midnight hours. In hindsight though? It was probably a stupid idea to be searching for a literal killer without one. Especially someone like Felix, who had known darkness his entire life and learnt to adapt and use it in countless different advantageous ways. It was the only way to survive.

Speaking of Felix, the ghoul was nowhere to be found. At least from the limited selection of your surroundings you could actually make out. A small part of you might’ve hoped he would’ve been waiting there, leaning against the headstone like before with his signature cocky grin. Alas, that was all it was - a mere hope.

Your eyes had adjusted to the dark the best they were going to as you squinted to look towards the forest, not exactly sure what you were hoping to see. A ghoul shaped shadow perhaps? There was a rustling of leaves off to your right and you took a couple hesitant steps towards the sound.

“Felix?” You called out quietly, not completely convinced whether you wanted to hear a reply or not. More leaves swayed and branches crackled as something definitely moved through the dense thicket in front of you.

“It’s just me,” you tried, your voice a little more confident as it carried further towards the trees. “I was hoping we could talk?”

Two yellow glowing dots appeared about four feet off the forest floor, reflecting the faint light of the moon like a pair of eyes staring back at you. Surely that couldn’t have been him? He was much taller than that, unless he was crouching? Or hiding? What did he have to hide from? He was the apex predator around here. Wasn’t he?

You started walking closer to the edge of the trees so you didn’t have to yell and draw any unnecessary attention. Not that anyone but the groundskeeper would be able to hear you anyway, but you weren’t about to take any chances. You were already out here alone, after midnight, and without Mountain as an escort.

“Felix?” You called out before missing a branch that ended up under your foot as you took your next cautious step. The snap reverberated and echoed off the trunks of the trees and the creature immediately flinched, scattering further into the forest much faster than you knew you could follow. You tried yelling out for it to come back, but it was futile.

With a huff you turned around and decided this entire idea was stupid. Felix was probably long gone. Besides, if that was actually him in the bushes just now, he obviously had no intentions of wanting to see you again.

“If you came back just to scare off my dinner, I’d kindly ask that you didn’t.”

You stopped in your tracks. So he was here. Your head snapped around trying to see where he was, but still couldn’t find him.

“Where are you?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

It kind of did matter? You’d preferably not like to end up as his main course now you apparently scared off his appetizer.

“Can you please stop being so cryptic so we can speak face to face?”

In the few words he said, you noticed his tone lacked that confident snark that you grew to love in your short time together the night before. Tonight it carried more weight, it was still gravelly but it was too soft. Every word simply floating away like nothing he could say had any importance.

When you did manage to find him, Felix had been sitting a few feet down the backside of the hill - which in the daytime would have overlooked the large river at the bottom. You took up a seat beside him but made sure to give him plenty of space. Even the way he was sitting looked off, like he hadn’t slept in a week and someone just told him he had 2 days left to live. 

Simply put, he looked awful.

“Are… you okay?” You asked, making sure to keep your voice soft.

All you got in response was a low growl, this time not covered by the convenient timing of thunder. It reverberated through your chest like an amp at a concert, the vibrations rattling your ribcage. You had half a thought to move a bit further away before it stopped.

“No,” he grumbled. “I’m not okay. This is just some sick twisted game.” He hadn’t put up the veil over his eyes he normally had, since he was mostly cloaked by darkness. But in the little you could see, they were scarred and hardened, tailor made for violence. You were relieved to not be on the receiving end of his sharp glare, worried he was about to level the forest any second with a single blink. You noticed the light reflected off his long claws that were scraping against his folded arms.

“What game?”

He was the first to draw blood. 

“You.” He snapped, his claws sinking into his skin as his head turned towards you. “You’re the game. Except no matter what I do, no one fucking wins.”

You did shrink back this time, his little outburst starting to scare you. Perhaps you should’ve listened to the wind and turned back when you had the chance.

“I don’t understand…” you all but whispered. Your instincts were ready to jump up and run at any moment, even though it would be futile with how old and experienced Felix was. He would have you in seconds and dead within minutes. Not to mention you didn’t even know what his element was, besides Earth obviously. That in itself was terrifying. 

You saw how Mountain manipulated the small vines and roots in the greenhouse to help the plants grow better, helping them to untangle and settle back into the soil. You could only imagine that on a bigger scale, except it’s Felix using the same technique to trap his prey so he didn’t have to chase.

To trap you.

His voice suddenly snapped you out of your horrific visions. 

“Of course you don’t understand, this is so much more than your tiny human brain could even comprehend.” He sneered. “Just leave, you smell like Mountain and it’s pissing me off.”

What did Mountain have to do with it? Did he really smell that bad? You tried to find out for yourself, pulling your shirt and forearm to your nose but it just smelled like you, and maybe a bit of leftover body wash?

“You can’t smell it,” his voice was low but laced with annoyance.

You sat in silence for a moment, neither one of you even daring to look at each other. However, Felix knew you were keeping an eye on him out of the corner of your eye. 

He didn’t want to hurt you, but he knew if you stayed with him it was only going to bring you both a world of pain. There were rules put in place for a reason, and he knew first hand how much the Clergy loved their rules. Since his talk with Omega and Secondo, everything about his life had changed. His future had changed. Their words rang fresh in his mind, constantly repeating like a binding chant meant hellbent on tormenting him.

Mate. She was his mate.

Felix knew if he ever acted on it, or the Clergy found out, she would be killed without question. Those were the rules. His rules. At first he found it amusing, a mate was the least of his concerns when he first read through the long list of terms outlining his banishment. He was a runt, an outcast. After what he did, there was no way the Devil would grant him the luxury of having a mate, so it seemed silly to even mention it.

Yet… there she was. Sitting 3 feet away from him. 

That rule didn’t seem funny anymore. It terrified him.

He didn’t want to push you away, every fibre of his being wanted the exact opposite. All he wanted to do was pull you closer and never let go. He wanted to tell you everything. Like how he loved the way your eyes were sparkling in the moonlight and the dizzying effect you had over him. All he wanted was to bow at your feet and love you for eternity. He wanted to tell you about how important this whole thing was. Not just to ghouls in general, but to him specifically. 

You were the unholy blessing he was never supposed to have.

Yet, at the same time. It made him angry. He hated the fact that you were human. He couldn’t get over the fact that this was most likely the cruelest form of punishment a ghoul could have. Having to live with the knowledge that you would never be without him until the day you die. Yet he would be forced to live for the rest of eternity without you. 

Ghoul’s only got one true mate in their lifetime. Felix had made a big mistake in the past, a demon playing games with the devil, and this was the devil’s hand.

“Leave, Y/N. Don’t ever come looking for me again.” He growled. 

It brought him physical pain to have to pretend like he didn’t care, but it was for your own good. He refused to be the reason you ended up dead, and this was the only way he knew how to protect you from yourself.

You jumped slightly, not expecting his voice to be so aggressive. “Is this because of Mountain? Cause I swear there’s nothing–”

“Get out of here before I hunt you down and make you wish you were dead.” He snapped his fangs angrily as he snarled. “The catacombs are the only place you can hide, maybe then you can learn about why it’s not safe to pick fights with the devil.”

You didn’t have time to realize how odd that statement was before he chased you off, running as fast as you could back down the hill.

By the time you passed through the doors, you were completely out of breath. You had grass and dirt smeared on your pants from where you tripped in your horrified scramble to not die. You were sure there were more than a few cuts from the branches you slid over which were likely accompanied by a nice ol’ bruise to remember the most terrifying night of your life.

With your back leant against the adjacent wall, you took a few much needed moments to catch your breath. As soon as you didn’t feel like throwing up from the intense involuntary cardio, your brain started to process what he had said.

“The catacombs?”

When you turned to look at the very doors leading down there, you hissed at the stinging pain now radiating from your hip and upper thigh. Why was everyone being so cryptic today? 

Suddenly, you remembered your talk with Primo earlier that night.

Beneath not beyond.

That couldn’t have been a coincidence. There was clearly something down there they both wanted you to see.

You pushed off the wall, the lack of adrenaline now making you aware of your minor injuries, but you still continued to the ancient looking door which had suspiciously been left… unlocked? The Clergy would never have left it unlocked after they left, and they were the only ones who ever went down there.

During initiation we all got a stern warning to never venture beneath the Abbey if we valued our lives. Of course we all thought it was just them being spooky, yet enough curious souls disappeared after exploring to keep the rest of us from even considering it.

Today, perhaps, was your time to disappear.

You couldn’t think like that. You pushed through the warm ache spreading through your right side to open the door as quietly as you could. There were no lights when you got to the bottom, so you had to grab an old candle and some matches that were conveniently left at the bottom of the stairs.

You had no idea where you were going, but from what you could see it was just a normal room. There were a few open boxes full of binders, a couple baskets of Christmas decor (probably for Copia who still liked to celebrate it). For what they called the ‘catacombs’, everything here seemed awfully neat and tidy. There wasn’t even a cobweb laying– er, hanging around.

Walking further into the room, you looked through some of the empty drawers. Ultimately finding nothing that was of any help to your current situation, until you thought you heard a sound? A whistle of air rang in your ear from somewhere around the corner. You didn’t even notice there was another hallway further in until you ventured to find the source. What you found wasn’t anything special, a narrow concrete path with a few steps leading down to a door which was conveniently left ajar. 

Whoever was here last was shit at closing things behind them.

“This is when people die in horror movies because they’re stupid. Except now that’s going to be me…” You joked with yourself to try and calm your nerves. “Please don’t be a scary monster, please don’t be a scary monster.”

You peeked with one eye open as you opened the door the rest of the way. It creaked and groaned but nothing happened. You were still on high alert as you descended further into the secondary basement. This time there were faint yellow lights like flickering candles outlining the path down.

Once you made it all the way to the bottom floor, you could understand now why it was called the catacombs. That's literally what it was. You had to admit it was kind of beautiful in a bit of a macabre way. Large, pointed stone arches shaped the ceiling while the red waxed candles illuminated the tunnel just enough that you didn’t trip over the large stones in the dirt.

No… not stones. Bones.

In your admiration you hadn’t noticed that the “stone” you thought you kicked was in-fact a skull, until you looked down. You shrieked. Your hand clasped over your mouth instantly as you heard your own voice echoing loudly down the corridor, bouncing off the stone walls. If you weren’t terrified enough before, you definitely were now.

You tried to settle your breathing to continue. Your legs wobbled as your brain screamed at you to stop and turn back, but you had to keep going. You forced one foot in front of the other and faced forward, not daring to look down and find out what your foot had knocked into this time. 

Once you successfully willed your legs to carry you down and around the corner, the dimly lit hallway led into a decent sized opening. The candles that had been left burning only illuminated the front half of the room, so you couldn’t see how far back it went as the room faded into a dark shadow. When you looked to your left, you noticed an old desk equipped with a writing pad and quill, much like you would see in the medieval times. It had a candle sitting along the back to illuminate the paper, and a couple of more modern boxes covered in dust were placed on the ground at the side.

When you walked over to investigate, you found the writing pad was empty and the quill was dry. Clearly no one had been down here for a while, not to write anything by hand at least. You turned your attention to look over the stack of boxes on the floor, most were labelled as written records: Ritual records, records of Clergy members, records of old applications - for what exactly, it didn’t say. 

You were mostly interested in the box labelled ‘Summoning Records’. Pulling it out and sorting through the names. Except they weren’t names. They were just elements and numbers.

‘[Fire #1 - Success] [Water #7 - Success] [Earth #4 - Success]’

Alpha, Rain… and Mountain.

You groaned slightly, hating that they never updated the files as you continued to flip through the labels. “They have names…”

You had gotten through them all without any luck of finding Felix. As to not make the trip a complete waste of time, you couldn’t help your curiosity as you opened Mountain’s file and began to read. Nothing was really out of the ordinary from what you could see, until you flipped the page. Your face contorted as you read Terzo’s notes on the origin of Mountains summoning.

‘Feral’. ‘Unstable’. ‘Dangerous’.

Surely not? Mountain was so sweet. He was kind and gentle.

Needing to know more, you flipped the page to find the last handwritten report: 

‘ May 8th, 2017 - Ivy had great success in taming the feral ghoul now known as “Mountain”. Upon observation the ghoul may struggle with English for the time being, but is otherwise competent to swear the oath. It is my personal opinion he be allowed to reside within the Abbey with the current pack and poses no further threat to the Ministry. I will oversee his integration into the Ghost project as Ivy’s replacement and monitor for future concerns. - III ‘

You had no idea Mountain struggled adapting to the surface. He seemed so content and happy? You couldn’t imagine him acting anything like the ghoul Terzo had reported, like some feral animal. It must’ve been another Mountain, right?

As you put the page back, the air caught the next one causing it to flutter to the ground. You groaned as you leaned over to pick it up, your hip not enjoying the bend down but you noticed a box sat aside from the rest, hidden in the back corner. This one was labelled with just a date. No words or headings to indicate what was inside but you wondered if that was really bloody fingerprints smeared across the edge of the lid.

You shifted your seat over to grab the box, the movement of dust off the top making you sneeze as it tickled your nose. When you placed it upon the table, you could have sworn you heard the faint sound of chains clinking in the hidden corner of the room, but you brushed it off as simply hearing things and continued to open it. 

It was such a big box to hold one single report and a weird, ancient looking scroll. You took out the paper report and set the box back down on the ground, leaving the scroll inside. You weren’t worried about it, honestly you thought it got put in the wrong box with how out of place it seemed. The report itself also only had a date on the cover, except it had also been stamped with a red “DANGEROUS” label in the top right corner, complete with what you now can confirm, was a blood soaked thumbprint. It was most likely left there when they stamped the page, but it was old and starting to flake off as you manipulated the report in your hands.

“Maybe it’s about dangerous animals, like… bears or something?” You pondered as you flipped to the first page, more than a little concerned where the blood came from.

You didn’t get too far into the initial outline of the report before the chains clinked again, but this time much louder, causing you to jump in your seat and turn to glance into the unlit portion of the room.

“Hello? Who’s there?” You called out, your shaky voice doing a wonderful job of hiding how scared you were.

“I wondered when this would happen…” 

A deep voice echoed through the room, followed by a hint of laughter crackling off the walls. You shook in your seat, staring horrified into the darkness.

There was a monster down here…

[Next]

...

Taglist: @cyra-aa @plethora-of-imagines @pandasleepy07

[xeniwonderlands]

these burns i yield - hawks x reader

Summary: In your eyes, you know Keigo has already gone through so much. Even as a child, a fledgling barely out of the nest, was already so scarred and traumatized. Some may believe he can quickly brush those problems off his back, but perhaps this time he has finally let go. 

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

There he sat, atop a tall building, watching the clouds float above.

Knowing that he had cut all connections with his broken family, he still felt like he "yearned" for something.

He knew he was almost one step closer to freedom, but he couldn’t help but stay bothered over what had happened.

"I’m proud of you, Keigo."

He watched the skies quietly, pondering about the note his mother had left behind.

While being lost in thought, you followed him atop the building, calling, "Keigo." You called, causing him to turn around slightly and look up at you as he cleared his throat, put on his respiratory mask, and brought out his phone. "Hi, Y/n." He typed down a greeting for you.

He still sat on the ledge of the building, making sure he wouldn’t fall as he now knew how fragile he was, and asked, "You concerned about your good ol' bird man?" He smiled through the mask, but upon closer inspection, you could clearly tell he was nervous about something.

His amber eyes were warm and loving as they stared at yours, but you couldn’t help but notice the genuine worry in his eyes. 

You sat beside him, tilting your head as you looked at him in a caring way and asked, "Are you okay?" This question made him stop momentarily, thinking to himself.

"Of course I am, just catchin’ some fresh air to cool off my mind." He responds ever so casually, hearing him sigh quietly and continuing to gaze upon the sky above, wondering if he’ll ever reach them again.

You nudged closer to him, resting your head on his shoulder, and asked, "No, really, are you okay?" You repeated yourself again, eagerly listening to his response.

Keigo knew he wasn’t, in a way. After all, being the youngest hero on the chart may be an achievement, but to him, it was a hard, long process getting to where he is now.

    You awaited his response as he stared quietly, trying to think of a way to brush you off without seeing how vulnerable he already was. "I’m fine, babybird; don’t you worry." He said, turning to you and looking straight into your eyes,

You sighed; you read him so well, and you could clearly tell by the simple actions he took that he was already stressed and tired. Hell, this man is already so burned and bruised.

He just doesn’t want to worry you.

Despite the horrible, traumatic events in his past that have left him scarred, he refuses to make you worry about him.

"Come on, Keigo, I know you’re stressed; just look at you; you're already so bruised and hurt like this." You pointed it out, looking at all his bandages. 

He took off his mask and sighed, hearing how tired he already was from the huff of air that came out of his mouth. "You’ve always been good at figuring me out, haven’t you?" Keigo spoke weakly, taking another breath as his voice was all raspy and tired.

"What more can I expect from my most loyal fan?" He smiled, looking at you warmly yet so nervously. Keigo's heart skipped a beat when he saw you; how you were always showing him the affection he lacked and adoring the smallest details in you.

Knowing how he was treated, he was never given a drop of love or care, so it was like it was your job to provide him with the love and care he needs.

"A lot. You’ll have to expect a whole lot more in the future." You replied to his comment, gazing up at the sky with him. "You wanna talk about it?" You asked, making sure you wouldn’t make him uncomfortable with this request. 

He nods. "...Yeah." He was hesitant, though. It’s not like he has someone ask him about his past and then talk about it. But you did want to help him clear his mind.

    Keigo’s eyes softened as he looked at his palms. "If I’m honest, I dunno how to feel now that I’ve got my broken parents off my back." He spoke weakly, gulping as he tried to maintain his calm composure.

"I’m a free man now, but..." He tried to make up the words in his mind, watching him talk like a nervous child for a recital. You listened patiently, waiting for every word that came out of his mouth while comfortingly rubbing his back.

"It’s all still frustrating, you know. Consider both of your parents to be insane, yet both of them abandon you.His voice trembled, and he took a deep, shaky breath to maintain his cool. "I mean, yeah, I’m happy I’m all free and all; I’ve accomplished not ending up on the same path as they did, but now that I think about it, I’ll be alone." Keigo’s voice was already shaking at this point. His heart ached as he talked more about his personal life.

You got closer to him, almost as if hugging him, as he felt his heart race quickly, clenching his fists as he trembled nervously. "I was always despised by both of them for my wings, but now, look at ‘em. They’re burnt, fried, and I’m all over you, showing you how weak I am." He laughs, cursing at himself for being vulnerable like this.

  He knows it’s okay to be weak since he does trust you, but he’s still nervous.

You had always seen him as your idol, which is why you were so devoted to him, but at the same time it hurt him because here he was, the winged hero "Hawks," dumping all his problems out like water in a glass.

"Keigo..." Your heart ached too as you saw him like this; seeing him so sad just hurt you as well. "You know I’ll always be with you, right?" You ran your fingers through his ash blonde hair as he hugged you against him.

"I know you will, but I just can’t help but think—what if you leave me too?" He felt his heart sting as he said that, unable to stand the thought of you leaving him the same way his parents did. The thought struck you as well.

"You know I won't, Keigo," you said, shaking your head. Your voice was calm and soothing to his ears as you reassured him, like a lullaby to a baby’s ears. But even still, he couldn’t help but feel so hurt.

He sniffed as he hid his face in your chest even more, holding you tightly against him. "I ain’t looking forward to losing another innocent person." Keigo spoke sternly, feeling his eyes water as he got flashbacks to a certain person he had slain.

"You’re like my family, y/n. You’re always looking out for me, even if it isn’t necessary." He sniffed again, as tears began escaping his eyes, soaking your shirt. You watched him cry in your clothes, petting his head softly, "There, there..." You whispered comfortingly.

You buried your head in his unruly hair, inhaling the scent of flames and his own scent, and saying, "I know I sound desperate, but seriously, if you leave me, I might as well stop and retire from hero work or something..." He said it again, his voice cracking slightly, which hurt his throat, and he was crying even harder at the prospect of losing you.

At the moment, Keigo looked like a scared child in your eyes, as if you could almost see his young self cry and hold you closer to him. After all, as a child, he was never even given a drop of love or care.

You pulled him closer to you tightly, letting him sob in your arms. "Shhh, it’s okay, I won’t be leaving you. Not now, not ever." You whispered in his ear as he sobbed.

"Don’t you dare think about disappearing on me now, babybird," he sniffles, looking up at you with watery eyes, "okay?" He awaits your response, looking up at you eagerly.

You smiled warmly and leaned forward, kissing his forehead softly.

"I promise, Keigo."

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

a/n- HEYA HEY!!! sorry for not updating in awhile, but i’m back so HEYAAAA i just watched the new ep of mha nad my heart just SHATTERED after watching it. LIKE???? yes vigilante deku is here BUT.... KEIGOS PAST????? throw me in a river of my own tears atp.

my poor baby </3

i hate his parents so much, but with all honesty i just wanna know where his mom went; like after being interrogated by dabis men she jus???? mf dipped istg

ANYWAYS i hope u guys liked this small kei x reader llololo

this could be romantic or platonic!! idc, it could be you being an older sibling to keigo and ure always looking out for him, BUT HTHATS UP TO UU!!!! idc how u take this HAHHW

I JUST MADE THID FIC OVER ME AND MY FRIEND’S CONVO YESTERDAY

i hc that he would,, like,, someday just lose it yk?? poor dude’s probably so pressured over everything going on rn, like- the war, the commission, his broken family, and his job LIKW???? ouch give him a rest oh my god

so basically ur like his mini therapist in this(as u should cause holy fuck poor gy)

daily reminder to always hate on keigo’s dad mwamwa

NOW LET US WAIT FOR UNDERCUT HAWKS BEING ANIMATED CAUSE AUasdkjak?!”#”>$!”>

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Boom 2001 2001 Pop / Latin Pop / Adult Contemporary / Europop / Dance-Pop / R&B

Man, I feel like I haven't done one of these super ridiculous turn-of-the-millennium Now That's What I Call Music!-type Euro comps in a very long and hot minute. And I really do tend to love these things for a few different reasons: one, you get a nice nostalgia rush with a bunch of good and fun hits from yesteryear that were popular on a global scale; two, you get to learn what another part of the world was rocking to in addition to all those global hits; and three, because pop industries all across Europe can't seem to ever help themselves, you also get some of the most mindlessly schlocky and cringiest trash imaginable 🤩. And fortunately, for better or worse, this end-of-2001 dispatch from Spain's then-long-running Boom series manages to pack all of that in here.

So, ultimately, what we have with this release is a pair of discs. One consists of songs that are sung entirely in English—except for an inexplicably lacking, instrumental version of *NSYNC's "Pop"?!—and the other one is fully in Spanish.

And disc one, naturally, contains all the classic bops that were both popular in Spain and elsewhere. With a bunch of these, you basically have what amounts to some of the most essential items for a totally killer 2001 pop playlist. There's Kylie Minogue's brilliant "Can't Get You Out of My Head;" Gorillaz' idyllically summery Soulchild remix of "19-2000," which actually features none other than the Talking Heads' own Tina Weymouth on backing vocals; Janet Jackson's "All for You," which samples the Italo-disco, Luther Vandross-led classic, "The Glow of Love" by Change, that was also sampled around the same time by duo Phats & Small for their own house banger, "Turn Around;" and Daft Punk's never-going-out-of-style "One More Time." Just pure, lovely early aughts heat in every single one of those 🔥.

But then there's the rest of this thing, which happens to come with a couple of those very distinct and personally sought after "what in the fuck am I actually listening to right now?"-type moments. One of these is a contemporary Eurodisco tune from some entity named Fundación Tony Manero called "Super Sexy Girl." Just peep some of the elite and super nuanced songwriting that went into making this total masterpiece:

Yup! I mean, how terrific is that? Isn't it amazing that someone would take the time to record something like this and then have a big label push it out and then have it included on a comp like this too? Just phenomenal work all around by everyone involved as far as I'm concerned. If your hand touched this specimen in any way, I would just like to personally say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you 🙏🥹.

And then for another healthy dose of unbelievable crap, we have—yep, you totally guessed it!—a Spanish-language cover of Billy Ray Cyrus' mega-country hit, "Achy Breaky Heart," delivered by a Mexican singer named Coyote Dax. Now, if you thought the world had left "Achy Breaky" behind and in the dust all the way back in 1992, I just don't think you understand, because this beast went all the way to the motherfuckin' top in Spain almost a whole decade later. Can't say I was expecting to hear anything quite like this on this album in particular, so, once again, the only thing I can say is that I'm forever grateful for it 🙏.

But folks, not all of the rest of this thing is bad. There's a genuinely interesting song from some band called Shivaree who are one of those groups who never achieved any real success at home in the US, but still managed to chart on the other side of the Atlantic. And I don't know if "Goodnight Moon" is fully representative of their sound, but it *kinda* sounds like if a young Britney Spears had been given some made-for-Amy-Winehouse, retro country-gothic-type music to sing over; especially when frontwoman Ambrosia Parsley gets to morphing her voice into something distinctly sweeter. And if you've seen a specific pair of episodes of Dawson's Creek, then you've definitely heard this song before too.

And lastly, I guess I never actually knew that this existed in the first place, but there's a Spanish-language version of J. Lo's "Ain't It Funny" on here; not the much more popular remix with Ja Rule that sampled Craig Mack's "Flava in Ya Ear," but the much less remembered and completely different original version. If you like that one, then you'll probably enjoy it in a different tongue too as "Que ironía." Well-made, catchy Latin pop.

So, really glad that I got what I came for with this. A pretty excellent trip down memory lane, an education on some other stuff that hit big in Spain like that Shivaree song, and then some truly atrocious, can't-turn-it-off-like-I-can't-look-away-from-a-car-accident wonders 😍. Five outta five on the 'Boom Meter' indeed.

Highlights:

CD1:

Kylie Minogue - "Can't Get You Out of My Head" Gorillaz - "19/2000" Destiny's Child - "Independent Women, Part 1" Janet Jackson - "All for You" Atomic Kitten - "Eternal Flame" Dido - "Here With Me" Fundación Tony Manero - "Super Sexy Girl" Safri Duo - "Played-A-Live (The Bongo Song)" Depeche Mode - "I Feel Loved" Lenny Kravitz - "Again" Modjo - "Chillin" Daft Punk - "One More Time" Roxette - "The Centre of the Heart" Shivaree - "Goodnight Moon"

CD2:

Jennifer Lopez - "Que ironía" Coyote Dax - "No rompas mi corazón"