#long story short.. i kept picking at my skin on my face AND my neck :(

[dfortrafalgar]

I'm Losing You... (But We're Filling The Cracks)

Having a family isn't always as easy as fairy tales make it seem.

Warnings: Read chapter 1 for warnings.

Taglist: @phsycochan | @mirillua | @augustanna | @chaixsherlock | @whore-of-many-hot-men

Chapter 19

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28 hours.

Those were Law’s least favorite shifts.  Where his bedroom was a temporary call room with a stiff twin-size mattress and a single flat pillow, and where his companion was his hospital pager and not the warmth of your body next to his.  Not like he got much sleep to begin with, not with his pager going off in the ungodly hours of the morning due to the sheer spontaneity of cardiac events.

After 28 long, grueling hours, the warmth of the summer sun finally graced the skin of his exhausted face as he stepped through the hospital’s entrance doors and walked through the parking lot to his car, placing his work bag in the passenger seat.  Normally, he’d head straight home to hold you in his arms and bury his face in the flesh of your belly where you were the most soft and warm, but today he had a different plan.  From the inside of his bag, he procured a small box, placing it securely in the empty cup holder below the center console before putting his car into gear and driving to his destination.

It didn’t take him too long to get across the city where he miraculously found street parking in front of his destination.  He placed the box safely inside the pocket of his slacks, reaching into his car’s ashtray to procure a few coins for the parking meter.  Stepping out of his car and onto the sidewalk, he gazed at the sign of the building in front of him.

SABAODY’S JEWELERS

A longtime, family owned business known for their exceptional craftsmanship of handmade jewelry, Law was very familiar with the owners.  After all, it was where he had your engagement ring made.  He palmed the box in his pocket as he took a deep breath and walked through the entrance.

A black-haired older woman sat behind the front counter, casually flipping through a newspaper as she moved an unlit cigarette around her lips.  Her sharp, analytical eyes darted upward at the sound of the bell on the door signaling Law’s entrance.  She smiled upon seeing the man, folding the newspaper and uncrossing her legs to stand from the stool she was perched on.

“Trafalgar Law, it’s been a minute!  How’ve you been?”  She excitedly leaned over the counter, her v-neck tank top revealing a bit more cleavage than Law was comfortable with, but he smiled fondly at her enthusiasm.

“I’ve been well, Shakky, thanks.  How’s Rayleigh?”  The man kept his hands in his pockets, fidgeting with the box.

“Oh you know, can’t get him to sit down.  Not even for a moment,” Shakky joked, removing the unlit cigarette from her lips and placing it on a small napkin behind the checkout register.  “How’s the wife?”

Law’s smile grew a bit wider at the mention of you.  “We could be better, that’s kind of what I came in here for.”

The older woman’s eyebrows quirked upward in confusion as she watched Law pull the small box from his pocket, opening it and placing it on the counter.  Inside was a tiny plastic bag filled about halfway with a dusty, gray powder.

“Are those…” she started.

“Ashes,” Law replied, finishing her sentence for her.  “We’ve… uhm… we’ve been having some fertility issues, to keep the story short.”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” her voice was quiet and apologetic as she stared down at the tiny bag.  It seemed she picked up on what the ashes were from almost immediately, making Law relieved that he wouldn’t have to explain any further, not thrilled about reliving the sight of his dead baby in a bedpan.

“I was wondering if you would be able to make these into two pieces, I’m thinking of a ring and a necklace.  I don’t really know how jewelry works, but I figured you’d be able to come up with some ideas,” he offered, keeping his hand on the box as if to protect it.

Shakky’s eyes lit up at the prospect.  “Of course I could, I’ve done many cremation pieces before.  Do you mind if I take a look at them?”  She made a small motion towards the box, catching on to the way Law’s fingers remained positioned around the tiny bag to snatch it away for safekeeping.

He pushed it forward, wordlessly giving her permission.  Shakky’s long fingers gently picked up the bag from inside of the box.  It was astronomically tiny, the small amount of ashes barely being more than a teaspoon in size.  Her heart clenched at the sight.  She was always so fond of you and Law, owing the heart surgeon a great deal for assisting with treating her own husband’s atrial fibrillation.  To think that such a sweet couple have had to go through something so traumatic, it made her soul weep at the thought.

“I have a fantastic idea,” she piped up, looking at Law.  “Come with me to the back, I’ll show you what I’ve got.”

Law followed her as she rounded the counter and trekked through her small storefront, past display tables full of handmade bracelets, earrings, and necklaces.  She pushed open a metal door in the far back of the shop, entering what Law presumed to be her workshop, or at least a small part of it.  He watched as she placed the box with the ashes down onto the countertop before she approached a small plastic storage container and procured a tiny fabric drawstring bag.  She emptied it into the palm of her hand, revealing a small, simple gold ring band with a flat, circular pendant in the middle.

“This was an experiment I was doing with plant ashes, so it’s not for sale, but I’d be able to do something like this.  I melted down glass, mixed the ashes into the glass, and cooled and shaped it to fit into the face of this ring, similar to a gemstone.  I’m able to change the color of the glass depending on what you might want,” she explained, moving the ring around under the light so Law could get a good look at the details.  “Considering how there’s… well… not many ashes, I think this might be the best choice.”

The tiny piece of jewelry was indeed quite beautiful, even if it was just an artistic test.  The way the ashes were embedded into the colorful glass gave it a quartz-like appearance that glittered under the fluorescent lights of Shakky’s work room.

“What kind of colors can you do?” he asked, officially intrigued.

“All kinds, but I typically do white and blue for glass pieces,” she offered.  “The blue is a light, sky blue color, similar to an aquamarine.”

Law nodded, contemplating.  “Are you able to do one that’s more plain?”

“I’m able to do whatever your little heart wants,” she teased.

The black-haired man grinned.  “Can you do blue glass for the ring and white for the necklace?  The necklace is for me,” he asked, tracing his collarbone with the pads of his fingers.

Shakky smiled from ear to ear, clutching her test ring in her palm as she excitedly nodded.  “Law, dear, I’d be honored to do this for you and your wife.  If you want to hang around, I can have them done in about two hours.”

“That quick?” he asked, exasperated.  “I don’t want you to have to drop your current work just for me.”

“Boy, did you see me doing work when you walked in?  If you call doing the daily crossword ‘work’ then I’m concerned about what you do on your breaks!”  She tossed a joking smile at the man as she slipped her test ring back into its fabric bag, placing it back into the storage container it came from.

“I’ll meet you by the front to pay–” Law began before Shakky cut him off.

“Nope, on the house.”

“Shakky, this is work,” he argued.

“It might be, but this is special for you and your wife.  Consider this part of a gift from me for all you’ve done for myself and my family,” she said, her words laced with tenderness.  “If you really want to repay me so badly, bring me a six pack later tonight before I close.”

Law smirked.  “You got yourself a deal.”

Shakky sealed their arrangement with a hearty, friendly smack to his shoulder, making him wince slightly.  She was far stronger than her outward appearance let on.  “See you in two hours, kid.”

Law exited her back room, making his way past her various display tables and shelves to the front of the store before exiting out the front.  He pulled his phone from his pocket, navigating to your contact and calling your cell phone.

It rang about three times before the receiver clicked and your voice spoke through the speaker.

[Hi, baby!  Are you on your way home?]

Law thought you must have had some form of supernatural ability, the way your voice was able to consistently brighten his day every time he heard you.  “I’m actually downtown, are you free right now?”

Small shuffling sounds could be heard in the background.  [Once I’m done cleaning out the cabinets I will be!  Do you wanna meet somewhere?]

The man chuckled.  “Why are you cleaning out the cabinets?”

[I was bored and didn’t want to be alone with my own thoughts.]  You had a point.

“Well stop cleaning, meet me at Cafe Brook.  I want to see you,” he chided through the phone, his voice giving away the smile on his face as he spoke to you.

[Aye aye, captain!  I’ll see you in a bit, I love you!]

“Love you, too, baby,” he replied before the call was cut off.  He shoved his phone into his pocket and began the short walk to the agreed upon location.

—

Law was waiting outside the restaurant for you and grinned as you approached, a sundress adorning your body and your bag slung over your shoulder as you walked with a slight skip in your step.  While your husband wasn’t much for PDA, that didn’t stop you from taking his hands in yours and pressing a tender kiss to the corner of his lips.

“Hi,” you said with a small giggle.

“Hi,” he replied, wrapping his arm around your waist to guide you into the small cafe.

It was late in the morning nearing the end of the brunch hour, so many of the tables were empty leaving you and Law with a wonderful table in the corner by the sunlit window.  You hung your bag on the back of your chair before you took your seat, adjusting your dress under your legs while Law immediately took a sip of the complimentary tap water on the table.

“This was such a nice surprise!” you said, jovially.  “Why were you downtown?”

Your husband shrugged, keeping his smile content, trying to hold in what he was scheming.  “Just had to run some errands, that’s all.”

You rested your head in the palm of your hand on the table, your eyes gazing at him knowingly.  “You’re not trying to surprise me, are you?”

“I would never.  You don’t need surprises,” he replied, tossing a mischievous smirk at you.

You laughed, poking your tongue out at him.  “Well, whatever you were doing, I’m always happy to get brunch with you.  Especially after such a long shift… how was it, by the way?”  Your own hand clutched your cup of water, your fingers releasing some of the condensation and causing droplets of water to flow down the outside of the glass.

Law groaned as a response to your question, making you smile sympathetically.  “28 hours of pain,” he griped.  “Everyone always waits until three in the morning to have urgent health issues.”

You reached your hand across the table to pat his forearm.  He responded by adjusting his arm so his hand could hold yours.  “Well, now you have two days off!”

A waiter came by and passed out some small paper menus, but the two of you almost immediately decided on what to order.  A plate of curly fries to split, a hearty breakfast sampler for Law after having eaten very little in the last 28 hours, and a toasted blueberry muffin for you.  A comfortable silence fell over the two of you as you gazed around the interior of the restaurant.  The entire joint was trying to be old-school rock and roll themed, but it harshly clashed with the rustic wooden entryway and wall sidings.  The entire establishment was a strange cacophony of design choices, made even more humorous with the multiple posters and framed platinum records of the famed jazz musician Soul King Brook, who’s name was the inspiration for the establishment.  (No one actually knew if Brook had anything to do with the place, though.)

“Hey, remember how my friends came over last week and left that basket of stuff?” you asked, alerting Law’s worried attention from the frightening poster of the almost skeletonized pop star.

“Yeah, what about?” he asked, giving you his full regard.

“So I was actually texting Vivi again yesterday,” you stated.  “She gave me the names of a few counselors in the area who specialize with women’s health and pregnancy issues… and I think I’m going to try one of them out just to see what’s up.”

Law straightened his shoulders.  “That… sounds like a fantastic idea.”

“You think?” you asked, slightly nervous about his opinion.

“Of course, I think that’d be really good for you to help you adjust to everything that’s happened,” he clarified.

You smiled, feeling your chest flutter with his support.  “If my first appointment goes well, would you want to maybe come with me?” you asked.  “I mean… you know… you deserve support, too.”

Law felt his own chest clench at your words.  You were right, he was just as damaged as you were over the whole situation.  His mind flashed back to Shakky’s jewelry store, where the woman was most likely hunched over her work table shaping hot glass as they spoke.  He nodded slowly, albeit enthusiastically.  “I think that would help me a lot, if I went with you.”

“Even just to talk everything out with a professional,” you added, hoping to solidify his decision.

Your husband nodded once again.  “Exactly.”

The smile you gave to the man made his face flush with heat.  Your beaming grin, a sight he seemed to have missed more often since your second miscarriage, the smile that bore the heat of one thousand suns and yet filled his entire soul with the fuzzy comfort that only you could provide.  He fell in love with you more and more each time he saw that brilliant smile.

Your food came out from the kitchen and was passed toward you, Law’s mouth instantly beginning to salivate at the sight of the greasy bacon and eggs spread out on the porcelain, next to a generous helping of homefries and whole wheat toast.  He watched with a small smile as you took a delighted bite out of your blueberry muffin that was cut in half down the middle and slathered with a smear of butter on each side.

—

“Law, why are we at Sabaody’s?” you asked, your voice riddled with skepticism as your husband led you by your hand the few blocks it took to get from the restaurant to the jeweler’s.  Law had received a text during your meal that made him appear jumpy, and he remained that way until you had finished eating and paid the bill.

“No reason,” he replied, the weakest excuse known to man as he pushed open the door to the storefront, beckoning you inside.

Shakky rounded the corner out of her work room, smiling upon seeing you.  She held two boxes in her hands, but quickly placed them safely in a small brown paper bag which she promptly handed to Law.  

“Oh, dear, it’s so good to see you!” she called, making you smile as she dipped down for a friendly hug.

“You too, Shakky!  How’s your husband?” you asked, figuring the same question must have been asked by your own man.

“Constantly running at 100% capacity,” she responded with a sarcastic eye roll.  She turned her attention back to Law and tossed him a wink.  “All set!”

“Thank you so much, Shakky, I really appreciate it,” he answered, reaching over the checkout counter to shake her hand.  

You watched their interaction with profound confusion.  “What are you two scheming without me?”

“Nothing,” the older woman responded, a coy grin on her face as she waved the two of you out of the storefront.  

Law kept the bag clenched in his hand as he walked, his opposite hand holding you as he led you back to his car.

“Law, I parked down the road,” you indicated, but he quickly opened his passenger side door and ushered you inside.

“I know, but this is important,” he uttered.  His words sounded rushed, almost panicky, making worry begin to sprout in your mind.  What in the world had he done?

You watched as he rounded the front of his car and plopped himself into his driver's seat, closing and locking the doors around you with the switch below the handle.  He nervously fumbled with the bag, pulling out the two boxes that had been handed to him by the older woman.

“So… I… uhm…” he was frantically tripping over his words, a far cry from the man you had met for brunch almost three hours prior.  “I might have gone behind your back and done something.”

You stared at him with concern.  “... Okay…?”

Law’s hands were slightly trembling as he opened the smaller box, revealing a brilliant silver banded ring with a small blue glass pendant in the middle.  It glittered in the sunlight, the tiny but stunning faux gem casting blue hues reflected from the sun on the top lid of the box.  He passed it over to you, watching as you gently took it in your hands and gazed with wide eyes at the subtle piece of jewelry.

“Law…?”  You looked over at him as he opened the second box, revealing a similar small pendant necklace on a thick, sturdy silver chain.  The stone on the necklace was a simple white stone that looked similar to an opal.

“At the hospital, after you fell asleep and before we went home that night, I tracked down the nurse that took our baby and asked her to bring me to the mortuary to have someone cremate him,” he explained.  “His ashes are in the jewelry.”

Your eyes were wide as you took in his words, gazing back at the bright blue glass pendant on the ring.  Your voice was trembling as you struggled for words.  “You… it…”

Law reached his shaking hands over to you, pulling the ring out of the box and taking your right hand in his.  He slipped the ring over your right-hand ring finger, feeling inwardly satisfied as it fit perfectly on your digit.  He laced his hand with yours, your eyes never tearing away from the pendant on the ring.

“I got the ring for you, and the necklace for me,” he whispered, leaning closer to you over the center console.

Your eyes darted upward to meet his own, tears brimming in the corners as you bit your wobbling lip.  With a blubbery laugh, you gave him a small, playful shove on his shoulder.  “You need to stop making me cry!”

Law chuckled himself, pulling you in for an uncomfortable hug over the center compartment in his car.  You eagerly wrapped your arms around his shoulders, burying your head into the junction of his neck.  He could feel your smile on his skin as you sniffled into his shirt.

“Law…” you mumbled, pulling away from him to gaze at the ring.  “I can’t… I can’t believe it…”

Your husband was smiling, a content grin that held the same amount of sadness that you still felt in your heart after losing your unborn 12-week-old.  His attention was torn from your soft face as you reached over for the other box in his lap, pulling out the necklace and unlatching the clasp.  Your hands trailed around his neck to link the chain around him, watching with fondness as the white pendant sat perfectly in between his collarbones.

“Looks good on you…” you sighed, your hands tracing the tan skin around the pendant, the feeling making goosebumps rise on Law’s skin.  “Our baby…”

“Now he’ll still be with us wherever we go,” he whispered.

You wiped away your tears with the collar of your dress.  “When did you get so sappy?” you asked, jokingly.

Law grinned.  “Well, admittedly, one of my nurses gave me the idea.  She told me her sister lost a pregnancy, and they had the remains cremated and made into little rocks that they spread through their favorite hiking trail.”

“That’s so beautiful,” you cooed, your tears slowing down.  The new ring on your finger brought you a strange sense of comfort you had yet to feel, something almost akin to closure.  It was a small patch in the cracks that made up your broken heart, cracks that your husband was slowly learning to rebuild, and that you were doing to his own.

“God,” you sighed, leaning back in your seat.  “What did I do to deserve you?”

Law’s hand brushed over your cheek.  “I should be asking the same thing.”

You stared blankly out the front windshield before asking, “Can we just have Shachi or Penguin pick up my car?  I don’t want to leave you.”

Your sudden question made Law snort out a laugh as he pulled out his phone.  “I’d be more than happy to ask, my love.”

[edosianorchids901]

Thy Soft Response

While AO3 is down, I'll be sharing a short daily fic here in the interests of both keeping my mental health stable and providing stories to tide everyone over ❤️

T, 832 words

Sometimes, nightmares still fucked up Crowley’s sleep. Flashes of cruelty, of torture. Of humans doing terrible things to each other. Of humans, other demons, or angels doing horrible things to him.

This had been one of those nights. He’d barely managed any sleep, the terror invading every time he dropped off.

But when he startled awake again, drenched in sweat, it was to gentle murmuring. Words of love whispered into kisses against his brow, his temple, his cheek. Plump fingers skating across the bare skin of his arm, tracing little hearts.

Although the screams of the nightmares still clung to him, echoing in the past, Crowley smiled into the well-padded softness of Aziraphale’s chest. “Angel.”

“It’s me, my dear, right here. You’re perfectly safe.” The warm fingers slid down, brushing against the back of his hand in a familiar question. Crowley turned his hand over into the reassuring, calming hold. “Goodness, this has been a difficult night for you. More bad dreams?”

“Yeah, s’ not ideal. But you know me, love a good dose of adrenaline first thing in the morning.” Crowley managed to put a sardonic note in his voice. It kept out the quavering fear that still lurked nearby.

“I think there are better ways of cultivating adrenaline, dear boy.” Aziraphale tickled his side, very gently. Just enough to make him grin and wriggle in protest, not enough to make him panic. “We could indulge in some of those overdramatic car chases, if you like. Or something with spaceships.”

“Hn.” Normally, Crowley was always onboard with Bond, sci-fi, or any fun action film. But he still felt a little fragile right now. And after a decade of marriage to Aziraphale, it was getting easier to admit to his moments of vulnerability and let his angel take care of him.

Although he wasn’t sure what sounded better than a film. There were loads of options, tons of things that would probably make him feel calmer. The trouble was picking from those countless options.

But Aziraphale just held him as he thought about it, fingers twining with Crowley’s. Another sweet, tender kiss against his brow turned into a whispered, barely audible, “I love you.”

Smiling, Crowley snuggled closer. He tugged his hand free in favor of wrapping his arms around Aziraphale’s softness and holding onto him. He was so warm, so real.

The strong arms gathered Crowley closer, and he shut his eyes with a long breath. Aziraphale was tracing hearts with one finger again, this time in the small of his back. It almost tickled, but not quite.

The best thing about thing, about these quiet moments, was that Crowley could feel Aziraphale’s love at full strength. He always felt it, a field of devotion and affection that blanketed the whole of the cottage and its grounds. But here, in the stillness with nothing to distract them, it was strong enough to chase away any troubles, any fears.

Even the nightmares seemed far away now, far in the past. Lingering fear evaporated in the face of Aziraphale’s steadfast love. There was nothing for Crowley to be scared of now, not when he was in his husband’s arms.

“Not sure what I wanna do,” he finally said as he tried to think through some options.

Could go out in the garden together, pick flowers for each other and laugh at the antics of their ducks and chickens. Or they could take the Bentley for a drive, maybe go to the beach and collect seashells. Or they could head out on the walking trails that adjoined the property, vanish into the gorgeous hills of the South Downs, and walk hand in hand all damn day.

Aziraphale hummed contentedly as Crowley snuggled closer. “Well, it is rather obvious to me what you’d like to do, if I may make a suggestion?”

“Mm,” Crowley agreed.

Aziraphale brushed light, careful kisses to his head, his neck. One hand slid up, curling protectively around the back of Crowley’s neck and holding him close. “I think you wish to stay right here for the time being. There’s no need for you to try sleeping again, with how badly that’s been going, but you are welcome to as many snuggles as you can bear.”

“Hhhngh. I can bear a lot of snuggles.” Cheeks warming with faint embarrassment, Crowley buried his face in the softness of Aziraphale’s neck. “I don’t really feel like talking. Is that okay?”

“Of course it’s okay, my dearest,” Aziraphale said with an earnestness that banished any lingering doubts or insecurities. “You must never feel as though you’re obligated to chatter away, or to do anything that you don’t want to do.”

Crowley didn’t feel obligated at all, and he demonstrated that by kissing Aziraphale’s shoulder in thanks rather than answering. He curled up in the reassuring embrace, closing his eyes. The screams of the nightmares still echoed, far off in the distance, but in time they would fade away and be replaced by peaceful quiet.

[estsmutxx]

here’s some smut from one of my wattpad stories:)

-can’t take it-

tags /warnings:dacryphilia,overstimulation,blood,degrading,choking,praising,male dom

"Are you okay?" I asked Colson who slammed the door after walking into my house. He shook his head and went straight to my room.

"What's wrong?" I asked,following him then shutting my bedroom door. He sat on the bed and buried his face in his hands. "Bad fucking day. The record company wants me to release the album two weeks early and i'm scared I won't have enough time to finish it." He explained with a sigh.

I frowned. "I'm sorry C. Is there anything I can do to help you?" I asked as I rubbed his shoulders.

He lifted his head up then rested his head on my chest. I rubbed his back and kept him close to me. "It's okay,you'll finish it." I whispered to him as I kissed the top of his forehead. He's been strangely emotional lately,but I liked comforting him.

Recently he hasn't been coming over as much because he's been working on his album,but when he did come home he was almost always understandably upset.

I wrapped my arms around his torso and pulled him closer. He attacked my lips,holding my face in his hands.I knew what he wanted me to do to make him feel better.

He traced his fingers up my neck and bit my lip,making a slight moan leave my lips. He pulled me into his lap and I immediately felt his clothed dick press against me.

He pulled away,giving us both a chance to catch our breath. "Can I?" He asked.

"Of course." He pulled down his shorts and boxers then got rid of all of my clothes. Once we were both completely naked he used both hands to hold my waist and I slowly started riding him.

We had barely started when his phone started to ring. "Fuck,it's the record company. Just keep going,try to stay quiet." He said.

I didn't know if I could stay quiet,but I nodded anyways. He picked up his phone with one hand,the other hand holding my thigh as I rode him.

He let out one last low moan before answering the phone. "What's up?" He spoke into the phone. He used one hand to push my thighs down,causing him to push all the way into me.

A small moan left my lips. He used his free hand to tightly grip my neck,tracing his fingers around it.

He continued to talk on the phone and I continued to speed up. I felt myself clench around him,I was getting close already.

I know he felt it too because he mouthed the words "hold it." to me.

I couldn't help but let out a whimper,the pleasure was too overwhelming.  "fuck." He whispered. "I gotta go,i'll call you back." He spoke into the phone before hanging up.

He grabbed my hips to stop me from grinding on him. "I told you to be quiet,didn't I?" He asked. I nodded, "yes,i'm sorry." I replied.

"Can you do that for me? Or are you too much of a slut to keep your moans in? You just want them to hear me fuck you,huh? For them to hear all the pleasure i'm giving you?"He spoke,his voice raspy and intimidating. He dug his nails into the skin on my neck,leaving a small mark. I winced at the painful but pleasurable feeling.

"It was getting too much,I promise i'll be quiet. You can call them back." I said. A smirk grew across his face. "You can't cum until I get done with that call,and you have to be quiet." He replied.

I nodded, "yes sir."I teased. He moved his hands off my hips. I forgot he never pulled out,he's been inside me this whole time even when he wasn't letting me move.

He brought his hand back to his phone,calling the record label back. I started to ride him again,trying my best to hold in my moans.

I felt my orgasm start to come closer again. Colson squeezed my thigh with the hand that wasn't holding the phone.

The pleasure was starting to get overwhelming again and I didn't know how long I could hold it in. "Colson." I whispered as I tapped him on the shoulder,trying to get his attention.

He shook his head and continued to talk to the person on the phone. I clenched,trying hard to not release. Tears of pleasure and overstimulation filled my eyes.

I let another moan out,I couldn't help it. "Okay,talk to you tomorrow." Colson spoke into the phone before hanging up again and placing his phone on my nightstand.

"What did I say about being quiet?" He said. "I'm sorry,I need to cum." I told him. He shook his head in disapproval.

"No,I told you if you made noise you can't cum. You didn't listen,now,did you?" He questioned. I shook my head, "N-No I didn't. I'm sorry but I really need to. Can I cum please,Colson?" I asked.The tears showed up again. He only smirked.

He pulled out of me,pushing me down on the bed. He was now on top of me. "No you can't. We had a deal." He said. He used his middle finger to wipe the tears from my eyes.

"It's okay,you don't need it." He said. He slowly entered me again,not giving me time to adjust before he started to thrust.

"Oh my god." I moaned out. He bit into my neck,sending a stinging pain throughout my body. He started to nibble down my neck to my chest,leaving marks. "Colson." I moaned,jerking my head back.

"You like how I fuck you,huh? It's so good you couldn't even stay quiet for five minutes." He said with a chuckle. He pushed himself all the way into me. I moaned out,my breath getting heavier and heavier.

He used both of his hands to lift my head up,forcing me to look at him. He started to kiss me as his thrusts intensified.

He bit my bottom lip,drawing a little blood. He was quick to lick it up. He finally pulled away and I tried to catch my breath.

"I'm really close Colson. I can't hold it." I said as more moans escaped my lips. "Fine. Cum on me since you can't take it anymore." He said with a scoff.

"Fuck!" I yelled as I came around him. He didn't stop,even after I finished. I felt my clit get more sensitive with every thrust.

He pushed on my neck with one hand,scratching it with his nails. I whimpered at the pain and pleasure.

"Fuck,you feel so good,Iris." He said,followed by a raspy moan. "Can I cum in you?" He asked. I could only nod.

"Fuck,Fuck,Fuck." He moaned as I felt his cum start to fill me.His dick twitched inside of me.

He pulled out slowly and carefully.

"You did so good,baby." He praised,kissing my cheek. He grabbed my thigh and moved me to the edge of the bed as he got on his knees. "Can I?" He asked. "Yes,please." I answered with a nod.

He started to lick at my clit,letting my cum fall unto his tongue. I clenched,my thighs trying to close. He held them open with both his hands and pulled away. "It's okay,just relax. I got you." He said before starting to lick again.

"Colson." I said,trying my hardest to catch my breath. He licked my clit one more time,sending me over the edge.

I felt even more cum come out of me. He immediately licked it up. He sat back on the bed,giving me a small kiss. "You took me so good." He said with a smile.

[bugs1nmybrain]

Give Your Heart a Break - Chapter 3: Tomura Shigaraki x fem!reader series

Notes: This series is going to be released slowly due to my workload from school and jobs. That said, it may be sloppy and inconsistent. I will try my best to make it all mesh together! I reread Chapter 2 and will admit it was weak, but I was kind of just trying to gear up for them to meet in person.

ALSO! I am going to try to include songs that inspire my fics at the top of them! I hope it helps convey the mood of my stories.

Summary: Tomura and the reader finally meet in person after their discord call from last chapter.

Warnings: 18+ content (minors don't interact), shigaraki has a psychotic disorder and his voices act up violently when he's stressed, substance use (weed), POV swings, repressed Tenko Shimura themes, Dabi shows up but doesn't do much, long chapter, reader and Tomura are moving fast tbh, not fully proofread

Word Count: 4568

Notes About Y/N?:

anything from ch 1 and 2 applies here

she's a stoner

reader is actually hella shy

autistic coded

she has an interesting quirk<3

reader is the child of people who use substances, but she herself doesn't use anything past the holy trinity of "okay" substances: alcohol, weed, and nicotine

she's a virgin

Shigaraki was about to jump out of his skin. He could see your silhouette through your window as he stood outside your house. Even through the window, he could see how curvy you were. It made his mouth water. Fuck, you aren't even out the door and he's already being a pervert.

He was so anxious yet very excited. He was confident that you somewhat liked him, too. You wouldn't have agreed to come out with him at almost midnight if you didn't. His mission tonight was to be as not-scary as he could be, which he didn't think he'd ever want to do.

The sound of your front door opening made his heart pound viciously, and he stood where he was across the road with a shit-eating grin on his face and a fruit punch rockstar (pinky up!). You looked at him with a blushy smile and began stepping close to him, stomping heavily in your platform-heeled black boots. When you got up close to him, he couldn't help but laugh softly when he realized that you were still so short even with the shoes, though you didn't seem to pick up on his laughter.

"Hey," Tomura said with a crack in his voice, as if his voice couldn't get any more raspy.

"Heyy," you replied nervously, but forcing a smile.

"Howyadoing?"

"I had a long day at work before we started talking."

"Sounds like shit. I got you this," he looked at you like an excited puppy and held you the energy drink. "This is the kind you like, right?"

"Yeah," you smile kindly, taking the can. "Thank you for getting this."

"Of course, hehe. Have you been dressed like that all day?"

"No, I only got dressed like, 20 minutes ago?"

"You look pretty," Tomura smiled, looking visibly turned on by your fitting clothes, though he tried very hard to keep eye contact. He noticed you look down at yourself briefly whenever he snuck a look and you were clearly uncomfortable. Fuck, that's the last thing he wanted. Has he already fucked this up?

You fucking monster

Take her

Tomura began itching his neck in frustration, though he took a deep inhale through his nose and tried to pay attention to you instead.

"Whatcha wanna do?" He asked, huffing out his words anxiously.

"I don't know. To be honest, I don't hang out with people often," she shared.

"That's good, it means you realize how shitty most people are, right?" he laughs.

"Yea, that's true. I'm also new around here."

"It's my pleasure to be your new best friend, then," Shigaraki chuckled. "Or no?"

"You move fast."

"What's moving, exactly?" He retorted with a cocky face.

damn,,

Your laughter was like bubbles popping to him when he heard you giggle in response. He's got you, he knows it. You kept holding your head down at your feet, a habit Tomura noticed while you were talking. It frustrated him because he wanted to see your pretty face and the spooky makeup you put on it.

On the other hand, he understood what it was like to not want to flaunt your face. If you didn't happen to be a normal civilian he would've shown up with father on his face and maybe some of the others. Instead, he wore a hoodie, though his hood was up. He hardly ever left it down in public.

Now that he thought of it, he remembered you saying you liked his hair. Tomura let his hoodie down, falling to his shoulders and exposing his dry, tangled blue hair. Your face froze as you admired his baby-blue pigment. You also began to take in his ruby-red eyes and dehydrated appearance, with scars on his neck and face. He looked like a beaten-up kitten and a strange part of you instantly wanted to take care of him.

Shigaraki took your appearance in as well because now he could properly see your face. You looked at him with curious eyes, perky and alert. At the top of your shoulder, though, he saw what looked like an animated red heart beside you. Then it faded away.

Was he hallucinating again?

He shook the thought off and started noticing your face, instead. Your black eyeliner smudged your eyes, making them look intimidating, though to him you were no threat whatsoever. He admired your lips, as well. They looked softer than his, and he wondered how they'd feel. Even at 20, he had never kissed anyone. He had gotten one blowjob, but it was a hooker that he had paid for, and he couldn't shake the thought that the one sucking his cock was only doing it for money. Not that there was anything wrong with that at all, Tomura was just more romantic than he thought. They never kissed, and it felt empty for him.

"We could just take a walk," y/n suggested. He noticed your face back down facing your feet.

"Do you want to come to my place?" Tomura suggested back. Though bringing you around his roommates might be a challenge. You're cute.

He saw your hesitant face, a little offended by your quick distrust, at least from what he could tell. "I promise, I don't bite." Oh, the irony. The only thing roaming around in your head was what his intentions were. Tomura didn't exactly know himself.

"Where's your place? I'm not sure if I can stay the night."

"When did I say you could?" He retorted sarcastically.

"Oh, sorry."

"I'm teasing. I live about a 15 minute walk from here, is that okay?"

"Yea."

On your way to his place, you took in the fresh air and calming night scenery. There was a strange nostalgic feeling, though for no particular reason that you could think of. There were moments between you two when you wouldn't talk at all, but when you did, you came to notice that Tenko was a geeky, yet feisty guy. He had an interest in games, and had admitted to playing League of Legends, DOOM, some shit on the Switch, and occasionally GTA but he said that "the fun stopped years ago."

The two of you fumbled a bit, more you than him. Your socially awkward composure made it hard for you to not be jittery, but he seemed like a harmless guy thus far (haha, you had no idea). He was awkward, too, but had more guts to speak up.

Tomura would discover how truly shy you were. Your body shook when you talked, and your voice cracked in sheepish fear (he knew well what that looked like). He could tell you were socially anxious and that it probably wasn't just because he was scary, but he had a deep feeling that you thought he was. However, when he managed to get you to talk, you were quite funny and unique. It was cute to him, freakily enough, turning him on a little. He's had a semi for a bit, but the hoodie covered his crotch, thankfully.

His libido got the best of him sometimes, because the ass on you was a distraction. You were walking a little in front of him, so he could get a look without feeling like too much of a pervert. You looked cozy and huggable.

"fuck," Shigaraki thought abruptly.

He thankfully had a pair of gloves from Dr. Ujiko, ones that combated his quirk. He only really used them when he was sleeping or when he couldn't possibly avoid disintegrating something. He'd been careless, not even realizing how his quirk could easily fuck this up until now. Maybe he was being a bit entitled to already think that you'll automatically let him get close enough to touch you.

Still, explaining his quirk to you was going to be interesting. It would probably break his heart if you didn't want him, fuck, even want to be friends with him because of his quirk.

grab her, she is yours

Tomura ignored his aggravating voices and you and him continued to walk, laugh together, and drink your energy drinks like punkass kids. You finally came up on an apartment complex. It looked run down from the outside, most of the nearby apartments did, too.

His place was a few floors up. As soon as Tenko opened the doors, there was a whiff of a musky, dusty smell. A linger of cigarette smoke, maybe a little weed. For you, there was some level of familiarity with the smell because of your upbringing. The time was about 12:11am, so the apartment wasn't loud, although there was a faint sound of rap music playing in someone's room, and they were clearly smoking, based on how fresh the odor was.

"So, let me address this now," Tenko began. "Are you comfortable being in my room?"

You cocked an eyebrow.

"I mean, like, I know it's awkward being in a guy's room. We can hang out in the living room, if ya want," he pressed his lips together, sort of wishing you said yes to his room.

"Can we hang out-out here?"

"Nooo," Tomura thought internally.

"Aight," he said aloud.

Tomura plopped down on the couch, looking in your direction to indicate that you could sit there too. You sat some space away from him, making him a bit sad.

Shigaraki had never had a girl in his place before, not one that wasn't Toga or Magne. Not one he wanted. He was kind of nervous, but excited! He saw this as a good opportunity to try to get to know you, and maybe rizz you up a lil. Though, he'd never done that to anyone who wasn't a person on Discord, so he wasn't sure how to establish a bond.

Honestly, he was taking a bit of a chance with you. You didn't really do much to impress him yet, but your warmness to him made him feel important. In a different way than being his master's successor.

"Do you want to play video games? That's kind of the only thing we have to do here. And smoke weed, but I don't know if you do drugs."

"That's kind of an intense way to refer to weed," you comment.

"Then you smoke?"

"Yea."

"Awesome. Let me grab some shit and we can smoke. Maybe game at the same time??"

You laugh softly, "sure, sounds fun."

He could see a restless tremor in you, though, he felt that you liked him. That you enjoyed him, thus far. You were probably just shy because you had a crush on him :)

You had taken note at his neck when Tenko took off his hoodie, noticing how slender he was under it. You only saw him with his sweatshirt on so far. He was kind of...sexy? Your body radiated a few small hearts, dark red in color. Tenko was already out of the room before he could see, you thanked.

Little did Tenko know, you were also an inexperienced person when it came to girl and guy interaction. You were attracted to him, definitely. You were a virgin, though, and were worried to get too close to the "wrong person." You didn't know much about him yet. You sat patiently in the living room, tired from the day behind you. Thanks to Tenko, you now had caffeine, helping you fight the eepy.

It didn't take Tenko long before he reemerged with a pipe and a bag of pot. You got an instant waff of the flower when he opened the bag and took some out. He sat down, close beside you. You were a little nervous and startled, but you now got to smell his scent. He was a little smelly, but in a way that you hadn't known before. It was masculine and acted as pheromones for you right now.

Your hearts started popping out, this time colored a tangerine orange shade.

Tenko swung his head in your direction, instantly seeing them. He squinted at you and looked confused. You recalled that he heard voices, so maybe he thought that he was seeing things. You averted eye contact very quick and started mumbling.

"Uh..I'm sorry.."

"Huh?"

"Oh..um..tch..."

"Huh? I can't hear you."

"My quirk."

Tenko began picking out the stems in the weed, and you noticed he was wearing black gloves, but they were only covering he ring finger, pinky, and thumbs. You hadn't seen them on him before. Did he have a germ phobia? He didn't smell like he did.

He turned to face you every now and then, "I'm listening."

"I..uh.."

"You sure stutter a lot."

"Yea, I do."

"Are..the hearts your quirk? Or am I seeing things. In that case, this must be confusing as fuck to hear. Sorry."

"No! It's okay. No, you're not seeing things."

"Huh..What does it mea-."

Separate foot steps came up to the living room. You and Tenko looked up to see an average height man with black hair and burn marks all over him, staples keeping himself in place. He had piercings on his ears and his nose, and he had a cocky demeanor to him. You recognized this guy, you thought, but were having trouble thinking where from.

"You smoking?" He drawn out in a tired yawn.

"Uh..yea," Tomura replied.

"Who's this?" Dabi said, eyeing you down. Tomura had a millisecond instinct of possession. If Dabi swooned you, which wouldn't be a surprise, he'd be very pissed. Furious, even. He shot Dabi a look of "don't try anything," and Dabi knew full well what his face was telling him.

"I'm y/n," you said.

"Ah. I've never seen you. Are you and Shigaraki together?"

Tomura froze.

Not this quick, he thought. He thought he could pull some Aladdin shit and roll with a fake identity for a bit.

DABI YOU FUCKING IDIOT he thought, starting to panic internally.

K-kill he-

"Jesuss..." Tomura groaned, trying to drown out his voices. He held his hands at the back of his neck and leaned back.

Fuck

Fuck

Destroy her, destroy, kill

You furrowed your brows and now it was coming together on your end.

The League of Villains were infamous, of course you knew the name "Shigaraki." The most wanted criminal around and notorious for rather..inhumane crimes. You tried telling yourself that he could be a different Shigaraki, but you now figured out the guy with patches on himself. Dabi, who stood out like a sore thumb in the photos that were taken of their gang. Shigaraki did, too. But he had a dead hand on his face whenever you saw pictures, so you didn't recognize him.

Tomura could sense your own panic from planets away. He saw you trembling, and he was trying to come up with a quick lie in his head, but you were already speaking.

"Are you Dabi?" you said in a neutral tone.

"Yeuh. How'd you know?"

"Uh.Ten...Tomura?" you said his name as if you were asking him a question, but continued. "He's talked about you."

He was confused now. Were you playing along? The fuck? Or did you feel like you had to? You could've felt in danger, he considered.

"Good things, I hope," Dabi slurred.

Tomura wanted to question you, but didn't want to cause tension about the fact that you now both knew he was manipulating you into thinking he was some ordinary guy. He also didn't want to have this conversation around Dabi. You didn't say anything else.

Dabi crouched on the floor. "Give me some."

"Invite Spinner, too, I don't want to look at only your ugly face."

"He's sleeping. Don't you have eye candy next to you?"

Oh right. He thinks you and Tomura are dating. And he called you "eye candy." So many angry thoughts were racing through Tomura's head. You were probably terrified right now, and he knew this whole situation was fucked. He had no idea what to say.

But he tried, turning to you shamefully and mumbled out, "do you still wanna smoke?"

You paused, unsure what the answer should be. You should be trying to find a way to leave and soon. These guys are...well. The League of Villains. Though, you found yourself agreeing with their mission, even if murder, abducting a high schooler, and assaulting people weren't anything you necessarily felt comfortable with.

Tenko- or Tomura, had made you feel seen up to this point. You didn't feel that way, ever. He took interest in you while also wanting to listen to you. You shared interests, and personality traits even if yours were more sheltered away. When you knew someone closely, you were talkative and feisty, too. You felt understood, somehow. And maybe that shouldn't excuse him being a horrible person, but your need for validation and attention took over you.

"Light that shit up," you declared.

You saw a smile crack on his face, which was admittedly very cute. He was scary looking, but not to you. He looked run down and scrunkly, with his pale skin and tinted sharp teeth. Itch marks all over him and dry wrinkles at his forehead and eyes. He also had a beauty mark below the edge of his dry lips.

But he looked adorable, and you had a desire to just have him hold you. You knew of his quirk, of course. But you were guessing that his gloves were because of his quirk. He was protecting you.

Your hearts fluttered rapidly, and Dabi raised an eyebrow. He didn't care to ask anything, figuring it was your quirk. He could tell it was in response to Shigaraki, which was easy to deduce. Tomura started to get it, too.

Tomura, you and Dabi all passed around the bowl, not saying much. You'd cough viciously, trying to hold it back. Shigaraki saw your eyeliner mess up from the tears you made from coughing. He wanted to snatch you up, absolutely infatuated with your girlish charm.

"You alive?" He asked.

"What strain is this??" You asked with slurred speech and dozed off red eyes.

"Uh, weed. I don't know. Dabi, what's this shit?" He asked, as Dabi usually was the one who acquired the League's stash of pot.

"Probably GMO."

"Probably? If you lace my company I'll knock you out."

You giggled out. Tomura's sense of humor was one of your favorite things about him so far. And maybe you should be scared, but you felt comfortable around him whenever he cracked jokes and smiled at you.

"Jesus, it's not laced. If I wanted to do coke or something, I'd do the actual thing," Dabi joked.

"It's okay. I'm just really stoned," you laughed.

"A lightweight, huh?" Tomura snickered. "It's cuz you're so little."

"Am not."

"You're like, 5 foot nothing."

"I'm (your height)!" You retaliated.

"Uh-huh. I could put you in my pocket, if I wanted. Do you wanna game?"

"Yeaa."

Tomura turned on his console, giving you the option to pick a game. You chose your favorite video game, as it was already owned by Shigaraki. He and Dabi watched you play badly, with Dabi chuckling and Tomura groaning at the sight.

"Let me try," he said.

"You'll just steal it from me," you assumed.

"Well, you've tried this mission like 6 times," he pointed out.

"Three."

"Oooo okay smart ass," Tomura said in a flirty tone. "Let me show you then, hm?"

Tomura scooched closer to you, holding his controller with his hands perched on against the top of your thigh. He was trying to show you what moves to play, telling you all his strategies. He was also testing you and paid close attention to how you responded to his close proximity. You had to now know what his quirk was. You didn't pull back from him to his satisfaction, but he was still confused.

"Here, you see how I'm doing this? Now you try."

Every time he talked to you, he had a sort of softness to his voice. A raspy yet nurturing tone, even when you messed up your game repeatedly. And you'd respond with a blushy and embarrassed tone, but obviously swooned by Tomura's charisma.

Dabi could sense the horny from Tomura and got up, not wanting to see this shit. "You two have fun."

Shiggy felt like he could breathe with Dabi leaving. Now he had you all to himself, which might work in his favor. You still seemed uneasy, but at the same time he saw that your body had relaxed more. He was a little shocked, and wondered what the ulterior meaning was for it.

"So.."y/n started. "You're..not Tenko? Or is that a nickname?"

"Uh..jesus," He sighed, cupping his forehead anxiously. "No. No, I'm not. You know who I am, right? I'm sorry."

"I, um. Yea, I think so. I knew who he was, too. You're Tomura Shigaraki?"

"That's meee. Are you gonna leave? Tell someone?" He sad in a worried and sharp voice.

What? No. I won't, it's just, I guess I'm taken aback."

"I couldn't just tell you who I was that quick, d'ya get it? Especially online."

"Yea, I know."

You and him turned and faced each other, both of you breathing hard. Your hearts turned blue, but appeared in slow succession. Tomura cocked a brow, and finally was able to inquire about your quirk now that Dabi was gone.

"What are those hearts about? I have a guess, but.."

"mmmnNN," you grunted in embarrassment. "It's nothing.."

"Liar," he chuckled. "Is it cuz you like me?"

He was taking a bold risk to ask that, but so much was already on the table. Asking you if you wanted him wasn't much more intimidating, unless it added to the mess. His eyes were lidded and he smirked when he questioned you. You could tell he liked you, himself. There was a hint of desire and arousal that you could sense from him, as well.

You blushed a deep rose color and looked away from him. "K-kind of..."

"Mm, and is the Shigaraki thing a dealbreaker?"

"I..I don't want it to be," you smiled, and he saw your eyes shine at him.

"I promise I'll be nice to you," he joked, leaning closer to you.

"I...okay. I trust that, and honestly, I kind of don't care? That you're Shigaraki, that is. Well! Of course I care. But I like you, and you've made me feel like my company is wanted. People see me as weird, and offputting. You don't, at least I don't think. Why me, though? I mean, why do you like me?"

"Uh, cuz you're cute?" wow Tomura. "Shit, that was creepy. Uh, you're nice. Nicer to me than most people, and you like my hair and stuff. You also seem to find me quite funny, yea? You're also unique, and you dress spooky. You're a funny girl, and you play games with me!! I can tell you're an anxious mess, but you seem to want to be around me, and even when you found out about me being who I am, you didn't try to leave or treat me differently. I don't know, I just think you and I would be good together. And what's not to like? You're kind of my dream girl."

You laugh, flustered and feeling undeserving of all the praise. "You don't know me much."

"Can I get to know you, then?"

"I mean..yes..can I get to know you too? I don't know if what I hear on the news is all that you are,"you smiled widely while looking away from him. It pissed him off a little when you'd avoid him. He brought his gloved fingers to hold your jaw, and gently turned you to look at him.

"I can see you better when you look at me," he said in a seductive tone. He stroked the side of your jaw with his thumb while he ran his tongue along the roof of his mouth. The risk of decay scared you, but you trusted the gloves would be okay, and if your quirk did the right thing, you two may not need them soon...The hearts you produced had many colors now, all red, dark red, and white.

He snickered. "Do the different colors mean different things?" Tomura asked.

"Y-yea..The standard color is red, but different colors mean different emotions."

"So," Tomura rang his hand to pet your hair for a brief moment before setting it at your side. Rapid dark red, white, and red hearts continued to flutter out of you. "What do those ones mean?"

You tensed up, knowing full well the meanings, but admitting to two of them was embarrassing. Vulnerable, even. Was this all going too quick? Frankly, the adrenaline and attraction were entirely operating you at the moment.

"Spit it out," he jabbed.

"The red ones..they're standard hearts that say, "I think you're attractive.""

"Thanks. I think I'm ugly as shit, but-"

"You aren't. I think you're very cute, hehehe!!"

"Oh really?" He teased. "Ehah..what do the burgandy colors mean? And..the white ones?"

"Mrnrnjdsn..."

"What?" He laughed, getting the feeling that they had a not-so-innocent meaning to them.

"They, uh..they mean that-that I'm..that I'm turned on."

Satisfaction grew in Shiggy's eyes, his eyes the color of a scorching fire. He clenched his grin into an excited and relieved expression.

"So I turn you on?"

You nodded your head bashfully.

"And the white ones?" Shigaraki pestered.

"urrrnnnnn, I can't say it!!"

"Come on! Out! I wanna know..."he said with a yearn in his voice.

"They, they mean my body is responding. You know..that I'm wet, and that my horny-ness is spiking."

"Cum colored, haha. That's not surprising."

You and Tomura sat in a quiet tension for a bit, and he looked like he was hungry and trying to hunt his prey silently. His lips parted a little, and you saw his tongue run against his teeth as he leaned his face closer to you discreetly. You pressed your lips together tight and tilted your head up slowly, your eyes darting all across Tomura's handsome face and instinctively moved closer, as well. Your body knew exactly what it wanted and what was natural. Tomura became daring, and pressed his lips on yours without much warning, wrapping his lips in between yours.

You instantly hummed, unsure what to do. You moved your lips to dance with his as well as you could, and you started with passionate and sweet kisses. The whole act was uncoordinated, and you both weren't sure how to keep going. He kissed you for a long time, holding your neck while he leaned closer than you thought possible. His smell clouded your thinking, and built your arousal little by little.

He finally pulled away, taking a deep breathe and looked at you with a seduced flushed face. "Do you wanna go to my room now?" He scoffed, knowing his intentions, and you did too. He wanted you. It was fast, but he didn't really care. He just wanted to claim you, and make you his.

"Mhmm," you mumbled in approval.

Taking your hand in his protected ones, he guided you off the couch.

"Lets do that then, yea? I want to get to know you, like we talked about. I gotta know all about you."

[ice-cap-k]

*I Always Had Been Partial to the Color Blue (Part 1)

Hey! Got a new story for part of the 2024 MCYT Horror Gift exchange ( @mcythorrorgiftexchange ). This is for the amazing @spicypotstickerbliss. I hope I did your request justice. I went a little wild with the prompt...

It's longer than my old whumptober stuff, so feel free to read it on AO3 here: I Always Had Been Partial to the Color Blue

CH 2

__________________________________________

“Keep running, Tommy!”

“But Wil-” “Don’t talk! Just Run!”

I shoved Tommy’s shoulder. I had meant to give him a boost, but he teetered mid-step and I panicked, digging my fingers into his shirt to keep him from falling forward. I didn’t let go. Couldn’t let go. It almost felt like I was dragging him forward, but his feet kept moving and he stayed in front of me. We were running as fast as our legs could carry us, even if my lungs burned and my feet were numb with cold. 

The cold. It seeped through my coat and fought against the heat wafting off my skin, the uncomfortable difference between hot and cold practically stinging me. Ultimately, though, it felt good. Like it was the only thing keeping me from passing out.

Tommy was only in his T-shirt and trousers. The petulant child had refused to put on something warmer when we first left the house to go see Tubbo. Then again, neither of us had imagined we would have gotten chased off the main path through the woods.

This was only meant to be a short trip. 

Awoooooooooooooo!!

That sounded like a wolf. 

It wasn’t a wolf. 

The howl was coming from right behind us. The baying of beasts calling for both of our blood had picked up in tempo. They knew that the two of us would have to tire soon. We couldn’t outrun them forever. How long had we even been running? Minutes? It felt like an eternity. 

Our only saving grace was the snow. As much as it weighed on my feet and made it more difficult to put one foot in front of the other, it seemed to be even more troublesome for our pursuers. 

When I dared to look back, just for a second, I caught sight of burning pink eyes and steam emanating off of brimstone tentacles. Something hissed and growled like an angry cat when one of Tommy’s steps kicked up a spray of slush and hit one of the figures following us square in the face. Claws flashed, and red pulsed purple-black, it fell behind another few steps, and I looked away, trying not to gag. There wasn’t time to stop and worry about losing the contents of my stomach.

“What the fuck?!! Wil! There, look! ” Tommy grabbed my wrist where I was still gripping his shoulder and pointed. I didn’t have time to see what he was referring to when he wrenched my arm to the side. Now he was the one pulling me. 

I stumbled over the snow, nearly running face-first into a low-hanging branch. “Tommy, I-” I cut myself off this time. Despite being fully aware of the things breathing down the back of my neck and swiping at my heels, it dawned on me that there was light up ahead. Tommy was still pointing, though the action was pretty shaky considering the fact that we were running. He wasn’t the best at holding steady, even on a good day, but throw in the need to dodge around trees and uneven footing down a hill in the woods meant Tommy was actually kind of all over the place. I followed the line of his finger as best as I could to the center of the blue light flickering and flaring down the slope ahead of us. 

“Is that a castle?” I asked between heavy breaths. 

That was the only thing I could think to call the massive building tucked away at the bottom of the valley. It was a crooked thing, made up of stone bricks stacked up on top of each other. The blocky center build took up most of the space with steeped roofs and swooping arches, while turrets that looked more tacked on than anything rounded out the corners. Long, tunnel-like wings swept off the sides and followed a frozen river that cut through the trees. The slate and copper-lined roof was sunken in places and completely collapsed in others. Vines and moss threatened to overtake the lower walls as if the forest was reclaiming it. 

Still, there was light. Torchlight. Lamp lights. Fires. Blue lights glowing behind windows that could have still had glass, or been covered over with paper for all that I could make out. Bright blue lanterns marked a small path of inlaid wood steps leading up to a front door where the snow had fully melted away. Someone had to be around to light those fires. Someone had to live there.

“Change of plans, Tommy. We go there and we call for help.”

“Already ahead of you, big man.”

We half slid, half stumbled our way down the rest of the hill. It was only by some miracle that we hadn’t slammed into a tree trunk on the way down. Some of our pursuers weren’t so lucky. Snapping tree branches and howls of pain and frustration assaulted my ears as we bottomed out at the end of the slope. 

“They’re stupid, Tommy. They’re giving us an opportunity. Don’t let it go to waste.” 

We both took off towards the first light along the muddy path. The trees were thinner here. Almost non-existent, and it didn’t take long for the creatures behind us to right themselves after the slip down the slope. Some of them were still hot on our trail. I could hear the panting of their breathing, and the sound of the snow sloshing beneath their feet as they struggled to stay on our tail.

A shape loomed out of the white ahead of us. There! On the trail further along. Someone riding horseback.  I was too focused on running to get a good look at them. Besides, it was too dark to make out their features. When they turned their horse around on the path to see me and Tommy barreling towards them with several terrifying creatures after us, their horse half-reared.

“Heh?!?!”

“Please help us,” Tommy screamed.

The stranger turned their horse around. I caught sight of a glint of moonlight on steel by their waist as they pulled on their reigns. “Phil,” came a deep-throated shout. For as loud as it was, they didn’t sound particularly concerned. “We’ve got a bit of an issue.”

‘A bit of an issue,’ sounded like an absurd understatement to me, even in the moment. I probably pulled a frown, not that I could see my own face, or that Tommy was looking at me to tell me what sort of expression I wore. I just remember thinking about how strange the horseman’s words were considering the situation. I had never seen anything like what was chasing us before tonight. Not in any scary campfire story or wild nature documentary on TV. And here Tommy and I were, accidentally leading their reaching claws and snarling fangs right to this guy.

Of course, I didn’t have time to dwell on those thoughts when my luck ran out.

Something tightened around my ankle.

I went down hard. All the air rushed out of my lungs as I fell belly-first against the first few stairs in the path. Deep, heavy, throbbing pain bloomed to life on my right side. It felt like someone took a sledgehammer to the bottom rib. Instinctively, I went to curl up to cover the spot, but when I did my fingers slipped from the snow-slicked edge of the stair and the thing on my ankle YANKED.

I screamed. I screamed Tommy’s name over and over as if he could help me. A voice in the back of my head worried it had gotten him to, but that was impossible. I could see him come to a stop alongside the horseman, who had drawn something razer thin and gleaming out from his side. Tommy’s blue eyes flew wide, mouth gaping open as our gazes locked for a millisecond. Then the grip shifted and I ended up on my back. From this angle, I couldn’t see Tommy anymore, but I could see what had gotten ahold of me.

I vaguely recognized one of the creatures that I had seen chasing us from amidst the pack. A dark-skinned creature, so black it was near impossible to make out most of its features. I could still see its eyes and mouth, though. Those were bleached completely white. They practically glowed compared to the rest of its complexion, and when it opened its mouth to snarl, I could make out long fangs where they left dark gaps in the stark white. Its clawed hand was wrapped around my ankle, and its grip was reinforced with a red vine or tentacle wrapping from its wrist onto my leg. 

Try as I might to kick and scream, I knew that there was no getting out of that grip. All I managed to do was knock the hood off of its horned head as the others from its pack began to draw closer. 

There was no consistency to them. The one on my leg might as well have been a demon. That one over there,  a giant cat, and the one with red eyes looked almost like it could be human. It certainly moved more like one than the others, glaring at me past blond bangs as if I was a particularly interesting bug.

In a desperate attempt to do something, anything, I swept my arm out and up, tossing an arc of snow up onto the thing gripping my leg. 

“Let go of me!”

The snow hissed and sizzled where it came in contact with pitch-black skin. The thing squawked in pain. The grip on my ankle loosened slightly, Clawed fingers loosened when it tried to shake the snow off so that only the red tendril remained. 

I kicked out against it. Pulled at the ground with my nails. Even tried sitting up to unwrap it from my ankle with my hands, but I couldn’t stay upright long enough to manage. There was a dull throbbing running up the length of my leg since the thing let go of me, and that pain was starting to drown out the waves of aches washing over my side. I blinked against it, surprised to see a dark shape pass across my vision. Was I seeing dark spots already?

SHING!

The pressure on my ankle disappeared. 

It still throbbed, but when I pulled my foot back towards the rest of my body there was no resistance. Part of the red tendril lay squirming in the snow. The other part was probably still attached to whatever had grabbed me, but I couldn’t make it out past the broad silhouette that now stood between me and the monster. 

And what an intimidating figure it was. From the back, I could make out a heavy cloak billowing in the late winter breeze, white diamond patterns appearing and disappearing in the shifting folds like whirling snowflakes. When the wind moved the cloak just right, I could make out heavy black boots and pale blue fabric that almost blended into the snowy landscape. Even further beyond that, I could make out the terrified gaze of the creature that had been chasing me as it backed away. Fur trim lined the top of the cloak where the black fabric shifted to red. And at the very top, a blue and white striped bucket hat sat atop a mop of loose blond hair. 

Their arm was positioned at their side. A steel blade hung from their hand, the very end dripping bright red dots into the white snow. 

Their shoulders shifted and the tip of their sword bobbed as they spoke up in a voice so cold it rivaled the winter air. “Looks like someone’s trespassing in our domain.”

I crawled backward, attempting to put some more distance between us. “I’m sorry,” I found the words tumbling out of my lips. 

The person in front of me turned to look over their shoulder. It was a man, old enough to be my father with stubble on his chin and eyes that first glinted like ice but warmed like the summer sky when they fell on me. 

“Oh, don’t worry. Wasn’t talkin’ about you. As for the rest of you lot, though…” His words lowered into a hiss as he turned back to face the pack of creatures that were backing away. All of them. Not just the one that had grabbed me. They all stared at the tip of his sword as he raised it, and flinched when another red drop fell from its edge. “I’d suggest running back to your own domain before the issue can become…” He spared another side-eyed glance at me. “Complicated.”

The creatures froze. They didn’t back up further, but they showed no signs that they were interested in approaching, either. They shared a few torn looks between themselves. 

“Oh, so you intended to trespass?” The man took a step forward and brought the blade out in front of him.

Their eyes flew wide. Any hint of doubt in their expressions vanished. They turned tail and fled back up the slope, clawing and leaping over each other to get away faster. Taking up the rear was the dark-skinned monster that had grabbed me. It ran with its wrist cradled in its opposite arm and its wiry tail tucked between its legs. 

“You alright mate?”

The man slid his stained sword into a loop at his waist as he turned to look at me. From the front, he looked warm and friendly. He wore a lopsided grin, and the brim of his hat was a little lopsided over his forehead. The warm clothes he wore looked fine enough to be meant for royalty, but yet still retained an almost militaristic air that did not match the casual slouch to his shoulders. He held out a hand.

I blinked at it, so stunned my brain needed a moment to catch up to what had just happened. I shot a glance down at the tendril that now lay still in the snow, then at the hill where the last of the monsters disappeared over the crest, before realizing he was offering to help me up. 

“Thank you. Thank you so much,” I croaked, taking his hand. He pulled me up easily. Surprisingly so, considering that once I was up on my feet it became clear that I was considerably taller than him. Even Tommy would have towered over this man. 

His eyes screwed shut as a wide smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “No problem. Those guys can be such a pest sometimes. Far less friendly than us. I’d recommend steering clear of them if you can help it.”

“Sounds like sound advice,” I said with a laugh that was one part nerves and two parts relief. “The name’s Wilbur. To whom do I owe a thank you to?”

“I’m Phil.”

Phil? Like the name the gentleman on the horse had shouted? The guy that Tommy ran to? 

Wait… Tommy? Oh God, Tommy!

I pivoted on a heel to look behind me, but as I did so, I moved my leg and the throbbing pain came rushing back up my leg like bolts of electricity. The ankle gave out and the whole world tilted as I went down again. “Agh!”

“Careful there!” Phil’s arm managed to wrap underneath mine just in time to catch me before I could hit the ground. 

“Tommy,” I hissed through gritted teeth. “Where’s Tommy?”

“Wilbur! Wilbur are you alright?!”

Relief washed over me, even as I struggled to blink back tears. Snow crunched as Tommy came running. He gripped a bright red cloak, similar to Phil’s, over his shoulders. It covered his exposed arms. A hulking shadow of another man walked behind him at a much more laid-back pace. The horse stood back at the side of the path, tied by the reins to a wayward fence post. 

“I take it this is Tommy?” Phil asked with a chuckle.

I nodded. “I’ll be fine, Tommy,” I said. The pain made my voice come off strained. It wasn’t doing much to assure him, but my words were true. The worst of the danger seemed to have passed. “I think I’ve got a sprain, but that’s the worst of it.”

“That thing did have you by the ankle, didn’t it,” Phil asked, but didn’t seem like he was expecting much of an answer. His eyes narrowed as he looked down at the tendril lying in the snow.

The reassurance seemed to be enough for Tommy, who launched himself at me and wrapped his arms around my torso in a tight hug. There was a twinge as his arms brushed my ribs, but nothing worse than that. It would probably have a bruise there by morning. “Don’t ever do that shit again. You hear me?” he demanded. “I won’t have it. Next time I might not step up to protect you and what are ya going to do then, huh?”

Phil raised an eyebrow. “Protect him?”

“Pretty sure it was Phil who scared them off, kid.” At that point, the man who had been following behind Tommy came to a full stop an arm’s length away. He was dressed similarly to Phil with fancy pale blue winter attire. There was no fur-trimmed cloak, though Wilbur assumed that was where Tommy had gotten his warm new cover. Unlike Phil, though, this man’s expression and demeanor seemed a better match to his outfit. He held his head high and his shoulders stiff, pink hair pulled back in a perfect braid. Not a single hair was out of place, even around the gold circlet that sat above his brow. He was tall. A couple of centimeters taller than me, even. He looked down at me and Phil through wire-framed glasses. 

His expression was blank and stony. When I looked a little longer, though, I could have sworn I saw a spark of amusement in his eyes. 

“Well I was the one who thought to come here and called for help,” Tommy huffed. “I saw the castle, and I saw you, and you called for this guy.” He pointed a shaky finger at Phil. “If I wasn’t as big and strong and smart as I am, that wouldn’t have happened. So really, it’s because of me that Wilbur’s alright.”

Phil and the other man shared a glance. I rolled my eyes and reached out with the arm that wasn’t being supported by the sword-wielding, bucket hat-wearing man at my side so I could ruffle Tommy’s hair. The teen pulled away from the touch, but I just smiled. “You did good, Toms.”

“Of course I did.”

The man with the braid shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat. Where did you guys even come from?”

“Over the ridge,” I said, jutting my chin back in that direction. “There’s a path leading through the woods back to the town over there. Those things chased us here from the other side of the forest.”

“There’s a town over there now?”

Phil shot the pink-haired man a glare. “Sorry, about my friend,” he huffed. “This is Technoblade,” he said, bobbing his elbow in the other’s direction. “It’s been a while since we’ve been that way. You guys must have made it pretty far.”

“I’ll say,” Tommy whined. He pulled the cloak tighter over his shoulders and leaned away from me, kicking at a clump of snow. “My feet HURT.”

“Welp. That’s a shame.” Technoblade crossed his arms in front of his chest.

He was an intimidating man at first glance, but the change in posture broadened his shoulders and made me want to shrink out from under the shadow he cast. 

“The sooner you get out of here, the better. After that scare Phil gave them, our uninvited guests,” he said, monotonous voice dipping ever so slightly in what must have been disgust, “won’t risk coming back around for a while.”

“Hate to break it to you, but I’m not sure I can walk all that way back,” I admitted, and I hated the words as I said them. There was nothing I wanted more in that moment than to get me and Tommy back home, safe and sound. 

“Tommy, do you think I can lean on your shoulder?”

“No way,” Tommy snapped. I turned to look at him, surprised, and he stuttered. Backtracking. “I mean, of course, Wil. I would, but walking right now sounds like bullshit. Can’t we just go bunker down in that castle until morning?”

“I don’t-”

“No.” Technoblade didn’t give me a chance to consider it.

“Bitch!”

He looked down at Tommy with an expression that was impossible to read. “Me and Phil aren’t prepared to take visitors right now. Besides, if you plan on going home to whichever town you came from tonight, the best time is now.”

“Or tomorrow afternoon when the sun’s at its peak,” Phil said brightly.

Technoblade blinked and gave a good hard look at the man who was still supporting me. “Phil,” he hissed, and it had the barest hint of a whine at the end. Almost like he was pleading with his companion.

A hint of that steel returned to Phil’s eyes as he kicked at the severed tendril with the toe of his boot. “Wilbur here got his ankle wrapped up before I cut him free,” he said smoothly. “I think they might have got him good. Don’t you think it would be better if we were to take a good look at it? Make sure it’s nothing more serious?”

“You’re kidding?” Technoblade said, deadpan, although I had a sneaking suspicion that it was probably his default tone. 

Phil didn’t say anything. The two men stared each other down, some unheard conversation passing between them that I couldn’t make heads or tails of. Finally, Technoblade looked away first and his eyes bore into mine. 

“I… I promise we’ll be on our best behavior,” I offered. What could I say? The idea of trekking through the woods on my tender ankle didn’t sound like fun. And if we had to, I knew Tommy would help me walk. He would whine and complain the entire way there, but he would help. If it meant I didn’t have to put up with a long night like that, then I’d gladly stay in a literal castle with people who were clearly capable of keeping me and him safe from those things. 

Even if I had only just met the inhabitants. “Tommy, promise you’ll behave.” “But why should I?” “Because I am asking you to.”

“Need another reason than that, Wil.”

“Please, Tommy?”

Tommy threw back his head. Blond hair rustled in the winter breeze, catching passing snowflakes as he groaned. “Ughhhhhhh. Fine. I promise I will try to behave. Odds of me not breaking your shit goes up if you throw in dinner, too. I’m starved.”

Technoblade shifted from foot to foot. His eyes narrowed behind his glasses as he considered. Eventually, he let out a sigh. “Alright. But just one night. Let me go get Carl.” 

“Oh, good idea!” Phil tilted his head back and let out a high-pitched whistle. A high keen split the winter air almost immediately in reply. “I’ll take Wilbur on Dave and you take Tommy on Carl.” A second later, a large chestnut horse appeared. It crested over a hill and trotted up until it could press its head to Phil’s back. 

“Sure. Come on, kid. Have you ever ridden a horse before?”

Tommy screwed up his face into an open-mouthed scowl. “Ew. Of course not. They’re smelly and stupid.”

Technoblade arched one eyebrow. “Would you rather walk?”

“...Oh my! What an amazing horse! How wonderful and nice!”

The next few minutes were a mess. It took a lot of effort for me to get situated on Phil’s horse behind him. The process of climbing up sent pricks through my bad leg like hot knives tearing into me over and over again. More than once I had to stop just to catch my breath and wait for the pain to pass. It wasn’t so bad when I held my ankle still. Just a dull throb. Stretching and flexing it, though, made everything worse. 

Tommy wasn’t doing much better, but for reasons that were pretty typical for him. Mainly the arguing. The puffed-out chest and insistence that he knew what he was doing, even as his foot slipped out of the stirrup and he fell so hard against the saddle that it spooked the horse. 

I had to admire the man’s patience. 

Once we both were secure on the backs of the saddles, though, Phil and Technoblade kicked off and started down the path towards the castle. Technoblade and Tommy led the way, while me and Phil rode to the rear. 

“Does that place really belong to you?” I asked as I admired the crumbling walls. 

“It does,” Phil answered brightly. “We’ve been trying to fix it up for a while now, but things tend to get away from you, ya know?”

“And do those freaks from the woods come around often,” Tommy asked. He had a white-knuckled grip on the back of Technoblade’s belt that only got tighter with every other sway of the horse. 

“Eh.” Technoblade shrugged. “Not really. Put a sword through a few of them or threaten them a handful of times and they learn to leave you alone. It’s all about power. Showing them who’s the boss when and where.”

“I’m a total boss,” Tommy perked up. His grip loosened enough that it didn’t look like his nails were cutting into the leather belt anymore. “Any chance you could show me how to chase them off?”

Phil laughed.

Technoblade paused. He turned just enough to give Tommy a curious look over his shoulder before turning to face the path once more. “Maybe if you were older.”

Phil broke down laughing again. 

“So, what, you would show Wilbur but not me?”

“I’d rather just not run into those things ever again,” I said, shutting down that line of thought entirely. “The pen’s mightier than the sword for me. My skills are much better off put to use in politics.”

“Geez, Wil. Can you be less boring?”

“But debates are fun, Tommy.”

“No, they are fuckin’ not. Technoblade. If you won’t show me how to chase off monsters, then can you at least give me some pointers?”

“Yeah. Run.” 

Tommy scoffed. “You’re looking down on me. I don’t appreciate this treatment.”

Phil spoke up. “Techno’s right, though. Best thing you could do in those situations is to trust your gut. Both of you knew to run, and you ran. Everything turned out just fine.”

“Yeah, because you pulled out a wicked cool sword and fought them off. Not because we ran.”

“Well, that's what my gut told me to do. Something I didn’t want around was crossing over where it had no business being, so I acted as I saw best. See! Me following my better judgment and you following yours led to some pretty good results.”

Technoblade nodded. “It boils down to observation. You look. You listen. You make a judgment call.”

“Look and listen for what,” Tommy asked petulantly. “I’d much rather fight.”

At this point, the front door of the castle was well within sight. Phil pulled his horse up closer behind Technoblades. From this vantage point, I could no longer see Tommy up ahead. I could still hear the fabric of Technoblade’s outfit shift, see the barest hint of his pink hair over the tops of Phil’s hat and the horse’s ears as the man straightened. He spoke once more, that deep voice of his took on a hint of some emotion that I couldn’t identify but sent a shudder down my spine. 

“If the blood pounding in your ears could warn you of the danger at your back, would you listen then?”

“Well, yeah,” Tommy said, utterly oblivious to the change in Technoblade’s demeanor. “I’m not stupid. That literally just happened.”

______________________________________________________________

By the time Phil and Technoblade led me and Tommy into the lavishly decorated sitting room situated near the entrance to their castle, Technoblade had clearly become much more dismissive of Tommy’s big mouth. Which was good, because Tommy was making it pretty clear that the thing he wanted most out of life right now was to get under the man’s skin. He helped me limp through the front door while Phil rushed ahead to light a fire and warm the drafty old building. The entire time we walked, Tommy pestered our remaining guide with questions.

“Do you fight, or is it just Phil?”

“Is that sword just a fancy toy or something? I bet I could take you, easy.”

“What’s a couple of weirdos like you doing so far out here, anyway?”

He asked the last one as he helped lower me into an overstuffed velvet armchair. It was also the only question Technoblade bothered to address. 

“Me and Phil have always preferred to stick to ourselves. Last time I bothered to throw my lot in with other people, it didn’t go so well.”

“You got into a fight?” Tommy asked pointedly.

The barest hint of a smile pulled at the corner of Technoblade’s mouth. “Something like that.”

“Aha! So the sword isn’t just for show!”

“Tommy, I don’t think-”

“It is not.” Technoblade clicked his tongue. “And no, I am not showing you how to use it.” Tommy deflated a little at that. Technoblade continued. “Look. This is basically the place where I chose to retire. A place to call my own. It’s peaceful and out of the way, and normally I don’t have to worry about other people showing up.” His eyes flicked from Tommy to me. “So I apologize if I sound a bit rude, but I can’t help but feel a little- just a little concerned when two strangers come running up to me on my evening ride, screaming at the top of their lungs.”

“You didn’t seem very concerned about the monsters,” Tommy said with a frown. 

“Because I knew how they would react,” he said without missing a beat. “Me and Phil have dealt with them plenty. They’re easy to predict. I don’t know what to expect from the two of you.” His gaze fell on my throbbing ankle.

I sat up a little straighter in my chair. “Technoblade, if I may… We appreciate that you and Phil are willing to let us stay the night.” Even if Phil had to talk the other man into it. “I also understand that we are complete strangers in your home. I respect that. I really do. It can be scary letting someone brand new into your personal space, especially one as grand as this.” I motioned to the room surrounding us.

It was rather nice, as well, in a homely sense. Bookshelves and plush furniture with well-worn fabric from years of use filled the space. There were scraped wooden tables and worn spots on the floor. The hearth burned bright. Blankets and furs were strewn across the floors and furniture, helping keep the heat in the room. It looked like it could have been made to suit expensive tastes if everything didn’t look so old and well-worn. 

What little I saw of the castle on the way in didn’t fall too far from the mark either. Sure there were finely sewn tapestries along the walls, but most had looked pretty sun-faded. Sure the parquet floors were shiny and detailed, but the rails of stairwells were wound with brightly colored ribbons and there were scuff marks everywhere. Weapons lined glass cabinets, but some swords and spears were left resting out in the open, leaning against the wall or a banister where someone had left them and forgotten to put them away. 

It was a lived-in home, even if it was a castle. “But,” I continued. “I’m gonna admit that it’s pretty scary for us too. Frankly, I might still be in shock from that chase. We don’t know much about you two, either. So if it helps, I don’t plan on risking upsetting you.”

“Me either.”  To my surprise, Tommy chimed in an agreement. One that wasn’t laced with sarcasm or immediately followed up by an insult. I shoved down the pride I felt rising in my chest and smiled instead of vocalizing my approval. 

“You know the saying, never look a gift horse in the mouth.”

Some of the tension uncoiled from Technoblade’s shoulders. The crackle of the fire filled the air in place of words as he looked between the two of us. His eyebrow twitched. I caught sight of that amused twinkle in his eye once more. “Gift horse, huh?” 

What was I supposed to say to that? I tried opening my mouth but decided to let Technoblade’s question hang in the open air. I didn’t have anything that I was confident would sway him, so I decided to wait and see.

“Cool.” With two long steps, Technoblade crossed the room and sunk into the chair next to mine. “Good to have that all cleared up.”

“Have what cleared up?”

I startled at the sound of Phil’s voice. The other man swept into the room carrying a small box in one hand and a wooden crutch in the other. 

Technoblade waved him off. “Eh. These two just assured me they wouldn’t cause any trouble. That’s all.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good.” Phil dropped down onto one knee next to me and let the crutch rest on the floor. He flipped the lid off the box in his hands. Inside were rolls of gauze and bandages. Small, marked vials of liquid rattled as he began pulling out supplies. 

“Go ahead and make yourself feel right at home, boys. I brought the first aid kit and something to help you get around a little easier.”

“You couldn’t find anything better than that hunk of junk?” Tommy muttered.

I shot him a disapproving glare and tried to keep the embarrassed flush burning at the tips of my ears from becoming noticeable. “It’s fine. Honestly. We’re just happy for the help.”

“Of course, mate,” Phil said easily. “Hey, Techno. Could you take Tommy and show him around the rest of the castle? I’d like a little space while I take care of Wilbur’s ankle.”

“He means peace and quiet, Tommy.” 

“Shut up, Wilbur. I’m an absolute angel.”

Technoblade snorted. “Sure.” He pressed his hands against the arms of his chair and pushed himself back up to his feet. “Come on, Tommy. You feel up for a lesson or two on sparring?”

“For real? Like, with real weapons.”

“Of course.”

“Then hell yeah!” Tommy threw up his arms like he had just won something.

Tommy? Sparring. I gulped. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea…”

“Don’t listen to Wilbur,” Tommy shouted. “He’s just jealous because he can’t compete with these guns.” He held up both of his arms to flex his biceps. 

“I’m really not.”

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Phil said dismissively. “Techno knows his way around the sparring field better than anyone. Tommy may even learn a thing or two.”

It sounded more reassuring than it probably should have. 

“If you say so…” I conceded. It’s not like there was much I could do to stop Tommy. His eyes were already shining at the prospect. Knowing him, he’d probably get too tired to bother for very long.

The teen shot up from his seat and rushed to the taller man’s side. “I thought you said you wouldn’t teach me how to fight off those freaks from the woods?” Technoblade shook his head until the braid running down his back bobbed. “Oh, this won’t help with those guys. Trust me. But a little time to figure out how to defend yourself from the average thug would benefit anyone, and I want to blow off some steam. You up to the challenge?” “Boy am I!” Tommy followed Technoblade as the man made for the door. He had to slow down to keep up with Technoblade’s more leisurely pace. With all that excess energy, though, he might as well have been vibrating between each step.

“So what are we using, big man? Swords? Guns?”

“You said you wouldn’t show him how to use a sword,” I said quickly. “And no guns. Absolutely not.”

Technoblade rolled his eyes. “Didn’t plan on either of those, actually. You ever swing an ax, Tommy?”

“Like, a battle ax? Or do you mean for chopping wood?”

“Either?” “Nope,” Tommy crowed, popping the ‘p.’

Technoblade let out a weary sigh that made me laugh. Not many people were equipped to handle Tommy. This man was probably another of the long line of people whose patience wasn’t built to stand against the challenge, but I had hope. 

As I watched them retreat, I blinked and had to do a double-take. For a moment there, I could have sworn Technoblade’s blue clothes with white trim looked different. Shifted. More cream-white with red running down the sides like droplets soaking through the fabric. When I blinked again, the image righted itself and his clothes were clearly a pristine pale blue.

Tommy continued to badger poor Techno with questions about whether or not it would be a ‘real’ fight when they shut the door behind them. 

“Maybe sending them to blow off some steam was a good call,” I said with the smallest of chuckles. I pulled my eyes away from the shut door to where Phil was taking the catch off a roll of gauze. “Tommy’s great and all, but the kid doesn’t know how to contain himself.” 

“He seems like a handful. Here. Hold onto this if you would,” He passed me the loose roll of gauze and reached for a bottle of antiseptic. “Let’s get a better look at that ankle.” Gently, he pulled back the fabric of the bottom of my trousers.

The motion didn’t hurt, but I let out a hiss at the sight of the angry mark wrapped around my ankle. The skin was already bruising a dark purple where the creature had its fingers wrapped around me. Four shallow scratches, barely big enough to bead blood, ran from the top of my shin down to my foot where its claws had dragged the moment I kicked loose. In the gap where my skin had been exposed between the bottom of the trousers leg and my sock was a fiery red rash. The veins running beneath it were clear through the damaged skin. They leached out from the bruise, breaking up into smaller and smaller capillaries. I could feel the throbbing sensation pulsing from that point through the rest of my leg and foot. No wonder it hurt so much.

Phil let out a small gasp as soon as he saw it. His head flinched back. “Looks like they got you good.”

I gritted my teeth and looked away. Anything else in this room had to look more appealing than my leg right now. 

“Good lord! I didn’t realize it was that bad. They just grabbed me… I knew I would have a bruise or a sprain but not something like this. No wonder it feels like shit.”

Phil’s hands hovered over the worst of the rash as he considered how to approach cleaning it. “I was hoping for just a sprain, but it looks like ya got unlucky,” he said without looking up. “They’ve got something like a poison up their sleeves. Don’t always use it, but this time it looks like they did.”

“What, like a snake bite?” I scoffed.

He shook his head. “Nothing nearly so… deadly. But it’s not pleasant either. Gonna feel like shit.”

“I take it you and Technoblade had to live through that unpleasantness at some point?”

He shook his head again. “Nah. Not us, but I’ve seen what it does. Here.” With that, he flipped over the bottle and dumped its contents all over my leg.

The antiseptic STUNG. Almost as bad as the rash. The smell didn’t help to keep the tears out of my eyes either. I gritted my teeth to bear it while the rash practically sizzled. 

“Oi, watch it! You nearly kicked me.” “Sorry,” I sputtered. Some sort of fabric brushed against my ankle. Phil must have finished cleaning the wound and started wrapping it. When I turned back to look, Phil’s cloak moved. My eyes locked onto the folds of his black cloak. That. I could focus on that instead of my leg. The fabric was shifting as he moved. It rustled and twitched, and for a moment I could have sworn I saw feathers poking out from between the diamond patterns.

“Does that feel better?” “Huh?” My eyes snapped back to Phil’s blue eyes.

“How does that feel?” he asked with a smile. “Not too tight?”

When my eyes trailed down his back again, all I could make out was fabric. I must have imagined the feathers.

“Y-yeah. It feels fine. Not too tight.”

“Good.” He flipped the lid of the first aid kit closed. “That should take care of it for a while now. I’m no doctor, but it would be smart to avoid putting weight on it. That’s what the crutch is for. Give it the night, see how you’re feeling in the morning, and I’ll take another look at it then.”

He scooped the crutch off the ground and held it out for me. I slid to the edge of the chair and took it. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“No, really,” I insisted, pushing off from the chair. It took some effort to balance. I teetered as I figured out how to leverage the crutch, but Phil was right there with an arm hovering, waiting to reach out if I needed it. After a few seconds, I got a feel for how to best adjust my weight without havint to use my bum ankle. “I appreciate the help,” I admitted. I was now confident enough with my balance to tap the crutch against the floor. “You and Techno didn’t have to put up with us for the night, and you certainly didn’t have to go to this length.” 

His blue eyes flashed, and for a moment they looked far too deep and far too vast. Like an ocean in an iris, or the dome of the sky. “Pffft, as if I was just goin’ to leave ya out there. As if. As much as Techno might have put up a good front, he’s not all that bent out of shape about it.  If he minded that much, he wouldn’t have rushed off to go play with Tommy.”

I paused, blinking wide-eyed at him. “Play?!”

Phil’s smile grew a little wider. “You heard what I said. Trust me, I’m sure those two are having fun. I can also say with one hundred percent certainty that it’s no skin off our back. You’re welcome here.” 

I opened my mouth to thank him once more, but he wrapped his arm under mine in a show of support and cut me off before I could even start. “Now, I don’t know about you, but it’s getting late and I’m starved,” he said. “Any chance I can talk you into helping out in the kitchen?”

______________________________________________________________

Helping out in the kitchen mostly consisted of sitting on a stool and chopping vegetables while Phil did most of the work. It was a big kitchen for two people, but Phil had an odd way of filling the space. He easily fluttered back and forth between burners and the icebox, counters and the cupboards. Sometimes he swung the hinged doors open and shut as he went. Sometimes he left drawers and cupboards open well after he pulled out what he needed.  In no time at all, he had multiple pots boiling and a roast in the oven. 

As he worked and I chopped, we talked about life. He politely asked about the basics of my life. Where Tommy and I were from, what I liked, what kind of career I was pursuing. He never pushed for details if I didn’t outright give them to him. And in turn, he told me a few stories about his life before coming to this castle. 

It made me a little jealous, hearing about how he had flown all over the world when he was younger. Literally. He had even gone so far as to spend some time in the Antarctic. That would explain why he didn’t mind the winter chill here. I can only imagine the types of people he met. The things he saw. I hung on to every word.

Not all of it sounded like a walk in the park. He didn’t push for details in my life, so I tried to extend the same courtesy, but my curiosity was in full swing as he talked about dog fights over the ocean and the civil wars that he and Techno had fled. 

I guess that was some of what Technoblade was hinting at when he mentioned that the last time he mingled with people, it didn’t turn out so well. 

By the time the roast came out of the oven, Technoblade popped his head in to check on the time. He and Tommy had called it quits on their little sparring session. They set the table while Phil transferred potatoes and vegetables onto platters for serving. Everything got moved to a cozy dining room with a small table looking out of place in the regal space. It was big enough to seat six at maximum but perfect for the four of us. I didn’t do any of the prep work. I hobbled out of the kitchen and took a seat at the table where Phil pulled out a chair for me. 

“So, how was the sparring session?” I asked as I poured gravy over my cut of roast. I still had my doubts that Tommy had bothered with strenuous physical activity for as long as he was gone. 

Tommy speared a carrot so hard his fork clattered against the plate. “Fuckin’ boring. Techno kept trying to show me ways to hold the ax and swing it. Everyone knows how to swing an ax.” He mimed the motion with his fork, swinging it over his head to the point where I was afraid the carrot might fall off. 

“Always start with the basics,” the pink-haired man said evenly. “You seemed pretty excited when it finally clicked that moving your shoulders with the motion did more damage to the target.”

“That was just me unlocking my big, powerful muscles.”

“Uh-huh.”

Phil folded his hands in front of him, propping his elbows on top of the table so he could rest his chin against his knuckles. “So I take it you wouldn’t be interested in another lesson tomorrow morning?”

Tommy brought his fork back down to his plate and straightened up in his chair. His eyes flew wide with giddy excitement. “Wait, is that an option?”

Both me and Phil laughed at the same time over that. “So I guess it wasn’t that boring after all?”

“...Maybe.”

“You’re not fooling anyone, Tommy,” I teased. Tommy sputtered a handful of unintelligible syllables as he tried to think of a comeback while I turned to Technoblade. “He didn’t give you too much trouble, did he?”

“Excuse me, I was an absolute angel!”

Techno finished chewing his bite of the roast before setting his knife and fork down on the napkins folded on either side of his plate. This guy had been the perfect image of prim and proper as he ate, as opposed to Phil who was comfortably slumped in his chair as he shoveled a few bites of roast beets into his mouth. 

Techno shrugged. “The kid picked up a few things pretty quickly. I wouldn’t mind going over a few more forms tomorrow morning.”

Phil shot me a lopsided smile from across the table and wiggled his eyebrows as if to say ‘see? I told you so.’ 

Tommy didn’t seem to be sporting any fresh bruises or cuts, so I chalked it up to a good thing.

“What about you two,” Techno asked. 

“I’d say our evening was pleasant,” I said as I cut into my portion of roast. “Phil had a lot of very interesting stories to tell. It sounds like you two have had quite the adventure.”

“Really?” Techno shot Phil a look. “What kind of adventure did you discuss?”

“Just the Antarctic and a few of our side excursions.” Phil popped a chunk of potato into his mouth and twirled his fork through the air as he chewed. 

Technoblade relaxed a little deeper into his chair. “Ha! Yeah, those were great times. I’m sure Phil gave you the rundown on how we ticked off our neighbors.”

“Of course I did.”

“It’s given me a lot of my own ideas. You should hear all about it, Tommy. It’s a really good story.”

“Sounds boring.”

“You might learn something new.”

“Don’t care. Hard pass.”

I snorted. “I’ll just tell you about it on the way back home.”

He pulled a disgusted face, but I ignored it. 

With a bit of insistence on my part, Phil hit the highlights of what he told me. This time, Techno was nearby to provide his input. It wasn’t much, but the pink-haired man would offer a “humph” of agreement here and there, or offer a few extra details of what he worked on while the two of them were working apart. Tommy perked up at the talk of business and air battles and rolled his eyes when it came to the political impact of it all. I found it just as interesting to listen to the second time around as it was on the first.

The topic began to drift as time went on and we cleaned our plates. We talked about our day, about me and Tommy’s hometown, and what we were studying. Phil and Techno talked about how they filled their days with hunting, horse riding, and dog-breeding… apparently. 

To be honest, I was enjoying myself. Whatever tense feelings from earlier were gone. The atmosphere was warm and cozy. We were just a couple of people getting to know each other and sharing a few laughs. 

But as I polished off the last of my food, something caught my eye.

It was such a little thing. I’m not even sure what made me notice it.

It’s just that, wasn’t Technoblade drinking a glass of water a moment ago?

The glass in his hand was stained red. Red like wine, but when his arm moved the liquid inside looked thicker than alcohol. 

I looked over to see if there was a bottle of wine on the table I hadn’t spotted before, but when I did, the unnatural movement of something along Phil’s shoulder pulled my attention.

Had Phil swapped out his cloak? 

There were feathers along the trim instead of fur. 

I found myself looking back and forth between the two. Their laughter and Tommy’s wild shouting faded into the background. I could still hear them, but the words were muffled in my ears. The longer I looked at our two hosts, the sharper their outlines appeare. 

That was when I noticed that there was something else there. 

It was like someone had superimposed an image on top of what I was seeing. On one hand, I could clearly make out Phil and Technoblade. They looked just how I expected them to look. Phil’s near-endless sky-blue eyes, blond hair, and always-present smile. Technoblade’s long braid, mouth set into a thin line, and subtle amusement crinkling at the corners of his eyes. That was there. That was them. But there was also something else where they sat. Something hazy around the edges. Something that gave me the impression of long tusks and hunched wings.

I squinted my eyes, trying to make out what I could possibly be seeing.

Then Technoblade noticed me staring and turned to face me.

As soon as our eyes met, the hazy image flared like a sunburst. Colors and shapes solidified and then washed out like an overexposed photo. Dark eyes glinted red and violent. 

“Wh-” 

I dropped my fork, and the other image vanished entirely.

Phil’s eyes locked on me, sky blue sharpening to pale steel. “Is something wrong, Wilbur?” I dragged my attention back to him, sucking in a breath. He was looking at me with a curious tilt to his head. 

I dared to steal another glance at Technoblade. His eyes were thrown wide open, shoulders held stiff. It was the most emotion I had yet to see the man show.

He put down his glass. It was filled with water. Regular, clear water.

Phil leaned forward in his seat, shoulders stooping as his elbows rested against the tabletop. The trim at the top of his cloak was lined with fur.

“I…. I’m fine.”

“You sure, mate? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Ghost? More like a monster. I shook my head as if that could knock the image of what I thought I just saw right out of my thoughts. “It’s nothing,” I insisted. “I think the stress of the day is starting to get to me.”

Phil and Technoblade exchanged a glance. “And what makes you say that?”

“I think I might be starting to see shit. Call it PTSD or whatever the fuck you like, but I feel like I’m starting to imagine monsters.”

“Like the ones that chased us?” Tommy asked.

“Kind of.” A shudder ran down my spine and goosebumps ran up my arms. A sympathetic twinge pulled at my ankle, and I adjusted it beneath my seat. My imagination must have been running wild. What I saw had been just as unnatural as the creature that had grabbed me, but it made my heart rate spike in a way that not even the run through the trees had managed to do.

“Please excuse me.”

Technoblade abruptly pushed back his seat, grabbed his cutlery, and in a few brisk steps he was out the door.

Tommy frowned and turned to Phil for answers. “Where’s Techno going?”

His bright blue eyes narrowed. The creases around his eyes grew for a moment as something akin to worry passed over his expression. I could have imagined that too, though, because in the blink of an eye that easy breezy smile was back on his face. He waved off Tommy’s question with one hand. “Off to his room, probably. He’s a creature of habit. He’s got his own set of nightly rituals like anyone else.”

“Will he come back out?”

Phil hummed. “Probably not. He’ll be up bright and early tomorrow, though.” 

“Well, alright I guess.” Tommy made no effort to hide his pouting. He slumped deeper into his seat.

“We got a late start on dinner as it was,” Phil mused, drumming his fingers against the table. “Maybe it would be a good day to follow his lead. Hit the hay. What do you two think?”

“Yes, please,” I groaned, carding a hand through my hair. “Before I start having any more waking nightmares like a crazy person.”

Phil flinched. I know for a fact I didn’t imagine that one. 

“I am perfectly fine.” Tommy stuck his nose in the air. “But if you were to show us where we’ll be sleeping then I demand the biggest luxury suite you’ve got.”

Phil pushed back his chair and stood up. “Right. We’ve got a couple of spare rooms in the east wing. I’ll show you where to go. Leave your plates. I’ll come back for them later.”

________________________________________________________________

“Did you actually have fun today, Tommy?”

“I’m not sure if fun is the right word, Wilbur. We were chased through the woods by ugly beasts.”

“Fine. Let me rephrase. Did you actually have fun learning how to swing an ax? Not too sore, are you?”

“It was alright.”

Tommy pulled his legs up onto the bed he would be using for the night. His words were nonchalant, but his eyes were shining. 

“So if we were to leave without you doing another sparring session with Technoblade, you wouldn’t be disappointed?”

“Whoa whoa whoa, hold up there, bub.” Tommy’s voice shot up a couple hundred decibels. “I never said that.” 

I chuckled. 

Me and Tommy finally had some time alone. Phil had been kind enough to show us to our rooms and leave us be. Breakfast was in the morning, and he made it clear we were welcome to stay after that for a bit. Noon would be the best time to travel safely, according to him. Considering he was the one who knew how to swing a sword and scare off monsters, I trusted his better judgment. 

Tommy let himself flop backward against a row of pillows. “This place is cool. So are Technoblade and Phil. It’s crazy we’ve never realized they were out here this whole time.”

“We’ve never had much reason to leave the path.” 

“Ugh, don’t remind me of that. I can just imagine what Tubbo’s doing right now. He’s so obsessed with me. He probably can’t sleep.”

As hyperbolic as Tommy tended to be, I couldn’t help the seed of guilt that had rooted itself in my gut. The truth was, Tommy might be right about that. “We’ll clear it up when we get back. Eventually, we’ll look back at this and laugh.” “Maybe I can make it up to him by showing him this place. Go when it’s nice and bright out and freaky shit isn’t happening.”

“Techno didn’t seem all that interested in us stopping by unprompted. Might want to warn him if you plan on bringing Tubbo.” The castle might not survive the two of them together.

Tommy snorted. “Sure I will,” he said. It was an utter lie, with all the sarcasm he could possibly inject into his voice. Oh well.

“Hey Tomm, you uh… You didn’t notice anything strange at dinner, did you?” 

“Other than the fact that you ate something as disgusting and shitty as vegetables, no. Why?”

“No reason.”

He tilted his head to get a better look at where I was seated at the end of the bed. The crutch leaned precariously against one of the bedposts. I noticed him looking, how his eyes trailed down to my ankle even as I tried to keep my gaze on the moon hovering just outside the window.

“How you feeling, Wilbur?” “I’m fine, Tommy.”

“And the, uh… the ankle?” 

“I barely notice it.”

That wasn’t entirely true. It still throbbed on occasion, and though Phil had wrapped it tight and cleaned it well, the rash was starting to smart beneath the gauze. The stinging wasn’t unbearable, though. If anything, I took that as a sign that it was starting to heal. This had to be the itch before it began scabbing over. As long as I didn’t jostle the sprain too much, it was manageable. 

“You sure?”

I threw a pillow at his face. “What? You don’t believe me?”

“Hey!”

Tommy wasted no time flinging another couple of pillows directly at my face. The downy surface packed a surprising punch. I battered them away as best as I could with an elbow until Tommy grew tired and slumped back against the mattress.

“Seriously, Wil. If you don’t feel up to it tomorrow, just say something. I’d hate it if a weak, fragile thing like you are now went and hurt yourself further. Protecting you all through the woods would be a tall order, even for me.”

The smile dropped off my face because for all Tommy’s bluster, I knew what he really meant. 

He’s worried about me. 

Wasn’t that a scary thought? It was supposed to be the other way around, what with me being so much older than him. 

I tried to play it off with a bit of humor. “I think we might drive Phil and Techno up the wall if we stuck around longer than necessary.”

“They’d let us stay,” Tommy said without an ounce of doubt. He propped himself up on an elbow as he lay on his side to get a better look at me. “They seem cool like that. And it’s not like staying another night would be awful. I mean, it’s a fuckin’ castle.” He waved his hand out above him, letting his fingers wave at the ancient walls and ceiling. 

He wants to stay longer.

My ankle twinged with a pinprick of pain.

“I’ll tell you what. Let’s see how I feel in the morning. Okay?”

“Alright.”

“Good.” I patted my palm against the side of the mattress and reached for the crutch. “Now get some sleep. It’s late. We’re both exhausted, and I don’t think I can stand spending any more time around you right now,” I teased.

“I’m not exhausted,” he huffed, only to immediately let out a yawn.

“Sure you’re not.”

With a heave, I was propped back up on the crutch and my one good foot. My crutch tap tap tapped against the tile floor as I made my way across the room.

“I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night, Wilbur.” 

“Night, Tommy.”

I left the candle flickering on the nightstand for the teen to put out whenever he was ready. The door clicked shut behind me and I began my clumsy trek back to the room next door. It was late, and now that Tommy was all squared away I was allowing my worries to settle. Exhaustion really was finally dawning on me. 

I was going to sleep hard tonight, as long as I could find a way to get comfortable and not jostle my foot too much.

____________________________________________________________________________

The sun filtered through the gap in the heavy curtains. I could feel its warm rays against my back. It felt good to lie in bed a little longer than necessary, basking in the heat of the sun like a cat. 

It was morning. 

It had been a blissful, dreamless night. 

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It even looked pleasantly warm out, if the dwindling snow on the ground was anything to go by. Tommy and I should be safe to go back home now. 

Phil and Techno had been pleasant last night. I wasn’t necessarily in a rush, but I was also very aware of the fact that we hadn’t had the chance to tell anyone where we were. Tubbo had been expecting us to show up last night. He would have panicked when we never did. That would take some apologies and smoothing over once we got back. 

With a deep breath, I pulled myself out from under the covers and began to get ready for the day.

It wasn’t hard. I only had the clothes on my back, and Phil and Techno hadn’t pointed out a shower last night. Just the nearest, bare-bones bathroom they had set up. It was probably somewhere on the other side of the castle. I’d have to ask them about it. For now, though, I settled for passing a comb over my hair and straightening my clothes as best as I could. 

A quick glance outside gave me a beautiful view of the rising sun glistening across the frozen river. Red streaks worked their way across the shallow hills in long lines, highlighted by tha shadow of tall grass and snow. They wavered in the rising sun as if they were moving, the landscape practically breathing.

Like the day outside, it felt like things were looking bright. My leg was no longer stinging. The throbbing had gone down, but not quite stopped. There was a pep in my step as I tried to make the room look as tidy as it had been before I showed up. It seemed rude to leave the bed a mess, so I straightened the sheets a little before hobbling out the door.

Tommy’s room was right next to mine. I stopped at the door and rapped my knuckles against it. “Morning, Tommy!”

“Wh-wha…”

He was never much of an early riser.

“Wake up, sleepy head.”

“Go away, Wil. Let me sleep in peace.”

“Aw, and I thought you would be excited to wake up in a castle and head down to breakfast.”

“Phil or Techno can come to wake us up when they're ready for that shit. They never gave us a time. Now go away and let me sleep.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine. If you miss breakfast, that’s all on you.”

A few grumbled curse words filtered through the door. That was all I was going to get out of him until he was ready to come out on his own time. 

That was fine. There was an entire castle for me to explore. I wasn’t sure where Phil or Technoblade would be, but I wasn’t Tommy. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind me looking around the place as long as I didn’t touch anything that looked important. It wouldn’t hurt to check out a few side corridors while on my way down to the dining room. And if Phil and Technoblade weren't there, then I was sure there were a few rooms nearby I could check out. They both seemed like learned men. Perhaps they had a library around here somewhere?

I lowered myself down a staircase with some difficulty and found myself in a particularly fancy hall. There were glass cases with all sorts of odds and ends on pedestals. Pieces of pottery, old maps, measuring equipment, and a handful of decorative weapons were displayed prominently, as were beautiful hangings made from quilted fabrics; tapestries, pendants, and flags. They depicted old civilizations and glorious battles. I took it all in excitedly as I walked.

It also looked like someone had already been this way. 

Fires were lit down the length of the hall. Torches were placed in sconces to light up the darker corners while braziers and lamps took care of the bulk of the lighting. That was a good sign that someone had come through recently to light them all.

I was so busy taking everything in, it was surprising to hear something other than the crackle of the torches.

Babump!

What was that?

I whirled around, taking in the fine masonry with all its cracks and chipped paint. Scanned the faded banners and tarnished braziers hanging from the ceiling by fine linked chains. Nothing seemed to have fallen. No rats were scurrying through the shadows in the corners from what I could see. I strained my ears, listening.

Babump!

There it was again. I know I heard something, but nothing moved. Nothing outside of the snap and crackle of the fire lighting the hall. I narrowed my eyes, trying to see if there was something else I could be missing. Anything else.

Babump!

The slightest bit of movement caught my eye. It wasn’t by the ground where a rodent might be trying to hide, or at eye level where any of the ancient decor stood, but up by the ceiling. There, in the corner where the light of the torches didn’t hit, something was sliding down the wall. It was so small and fast, that I was surprised I noticed it at all.

Gingerly, I made my way over until I stood beneath that same spot on the wall and craned my head back. Whatever it was it dripped down the stone. Something liquid, but thick and slow and dark. I couldn’t tell what it was in this light. I reached up.

Babump!

It dripped. A warm droplet hit the center of my ring finger and pooled down in the space where it met my pinky. 

My lip curled up at the feel of it. Gross. It felt sticky. It stank of iron and looked ruddy like it had picked up some rust from wherever it seeped out of. I flicked my hand away, knocking as much of it off as I could. Dark flecks speckled the cobbled floor, but my hand was still stained and sticky. 

When I looked back up at the wall, rivulets of the strange liquid started streaming down the cracks in the mortar. The first stream was already trickling past eye level down to the floor.

Babump!

Something dripped on my nose. With the forefinger of my already messy hand, I reached up and wiped at it. Sure enough, there was more of that dark liquid. The smell of iron was growing worse now. It was practically scathing against my nostrils. I did my best to wipe it off of my nose and clear away the smell. My skin wasn’t even dry yet when more droplets fell right in front of me. They splattered the floor in front of my toes. I looked up to see a large wet spot pooling in the ceiling. The droplets running down the wall were growing more numerous now. The seams between the stone bricks were starting to look more like little streams. A steady trickle of the dark liquid was running along the mortar paths. A small puddle was pooling at its base. 

“Hey, uh, guys?” I called down the hall, hoping one of our hosts could hear. They couldn’t have gone far. Not yet. Someone had to have lit the fires. Surely if I shouted loud enough, they would notice. “I think you might have sprung a leak or something.”

Babump!

I felt more droplets splashing off the shoulders of my coat. I backed away. Hopefully that wouldn’t leave a stain. Whatever leak they had must have come on suddenly and quickly, because the dark water was now practically running down the walls. Had a pipe blown? Did this place even have running water? 

“Hello! There’s a mess starting over here. Can you hear me? Phil? Techno?” There was no answer. 

The puddle was growing bigger. About to reach my shoes. I backed further away. I shouted louder. “HEY! SOMETHING’S WRONG.”

Babump!

When I looked around, It dawned on me that this spot on the wall wasn’t the only one leaking. The opposite wall had streams of murky liquid running down it. The firelight danced across its slick, undulating surface. It roiled and flickered like angry red sunlight over deep dark rivers. It was getting harder and harder to make out the wall beneath it all.

Splotches were seeping through the brightly colored tapestries of knights marching, staining their bright white armor and horses into an ugly red.  

Puddles were spreading out from the entire length of the hall as far as I could see. Even far off where the furthest brazier burned and the rest of the space fell into shadow, I could see the light flickering off wet walls. 

And the smell! The smell!! It was so strong I could almost taste the metallic tang now. The sickly sweet notes now underlying the overwhelming smell of iron only made it worse. 

This… this couldn’t be a burst pipe. Could it?

Babump!

The puddles were closing in. The ruddy liquid was pressing in from all sides. I looked behind me and there was more lapping at the heels of my shoes. I took a step, more to test the floor than go anywhere. The liquid felt oddly thick. Droplets splashed up onto my ankles. 

I panicked.

“Help! Phil! Techno! Somebody! Can anybody hear me? Something’s wrong! Something’s wrong! Something’s wrong!” 

I shouted it at the top of my lungs and took off as fast as my bum leg could handle. Having to use a crutch was horribly slow, and every time instinct tried to kick in and have me put my weight on it, horrible throbbing rocked that side of me.

“Something’s leaking! The hall is filling! What’s happening?!?”

Babump!

And yet it kept dripping down. Tapered streams of red poured off the ceiling and dripped off sconces and braziers so that their flames sputtered and threatened to go out. It was getting harder to slosh my crutch through the heavy liquid. It already pressed uncomfortably against both ankles, leaking into my shoes, and threatening to climb higher. 

I spotted a light at the end of the tunnel, both figuratively and literally. There were shafts of light stretching out from a crack in a door. I zeroed in on that light and threw my all into getting there. Someone had to be inside.

I slammed my fists against the wood. “Who’s in there?! The hallway’s flooding!?! Please!”

Babump!

The door flung outwards and I shrieked. 

Something was towering over me in the doorway. A beast that put to shame each and every one of the monsters that chased me through the woods. It had a bristly hide and cloven hooves. Eyes flashed an angry, fiery red, and beneath those were long tusks that dripped blood red. 

Another scream dried up in my throat. I had half the thought to back away when my crutch slipped. It fell out from underneath me and I found myself tumbling backwards. My backside hit the growing pool of red liquid and sent foul-smelling blood seeping through my clothes.

Because that’s what this was. I knew it deep within my bones now. I was sitting in a massive hall flooded with blood. Blood that ran down the walls and threatened to fill the entire castle. Blood like the gore that dripped from the tusks of the monster that leaned closer and closer and closer…

I threw my arm up over my eyes.

Babump!

“Wilbur?”

Huh? 

With some effort, I forced my eyes open and lowered the arm in front of my face. 

There before me, standing in the doorway and looking over me with a surprising amount of concern was Technoblade. I took a shaky breath and flicked my gaze back and forth to look at my surroundings. The hall was pristine. Well, not pristine. It was still dusty and a little scuffed from years of boots passing over the threadbare carpets, but it was dry. Nothing was dripping from the ceiling or running down the walls. The floor was clear. My clothes weren’t actually soaked with red. I took a long, slow breath in through my nose and my heart soared as I realized there wasn’t a metallic tang in the air. It smelled a little musty, and that was all.

A hand waved in front of my eyes and pulled my attention back to the man in front of me. “Wilbur,” Technoblade said again, this time a little sharper. “Are you okay?”

“I… I-I… I…”

“Geez, man. Please don’t tell me you’re going into shock or something. I’m not equipped to handle that sort of thing.”

I didn’t trust my voice enough to form a coherent sentence, so I shook my head.  

“Not shock?” Techno leaned further past me and looked up and down the corridor with wide eyes. “Phil is much better at this sort of thing than me,” he admitted, worrying at his bottom lip with his teeth. If he was looking for Phil, he was out of luck. Nobody else was nearby. I was surprised Techno was here in the first place. 

“Let’s get you up off the floor. It’s gotta be cold down there.” 

He stooped down to wrap his arms under mine. I braced myself to help push myself to my feet, but in the blink of an eye Techno had me back up on my feet. The motion was fluid and fast. As effortless as picking up a doll and plopping it back down.

“I-I just…” I swallowed a lump in my throat and tried pulling myself together. “I just heard something. I… I heard something and I don’t- I didn’t know what it was.” A nervous laugh bubbled up in my chest.  “God, I must still be half asleep. You really scared me there for a second.”

Some of the tension in his shoulders uncoiled. The concern on his face began to fade. He let out a grunt. “Heard something? Mind describing it to me?”

I wasn’t about to tell him about a wall that bled faster than a heart could beat. I wasn’t.

“Rhythmic,” I started, and wanted to kick myself when my voice pitched high. “Booming, maybe? Just a couple loud thumps. Probably nothing worth concerning yourself about, I’m sure. Could have just been footsteps. There’s a second floor above here, right?” Better. My voice was closer to its normal register, but now my words were picking up speed. That was more believable, right?

To my surprise, Technoblade perked up. “Rhythmic, you say? I think I know what you heard.” He nodded his head towards the room he just emerged from and went back inside. “Here. I want to show you something.”

I took a moment to stop and process. Probably too long. I doubted that he knew exactly what I was talking about, but if there was some sort of reasonable explanation past that door, I was in desperate need of something to cling to that could prove I wasn’t going crazy.

Color me surprised when I followed him inside. 

“Drums?”

The corner of Technoblade’s mouth turned up in the barest hint of a smile as he looked at the strung-up instruments. There were two padded mallets left on the mantle of a fireplace at the front of the room. The leather stretched across the drumheads was scuffed from plenty of use. When Techno looked back at me, he tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. 

“Everyone’s gotta have a hobby,” he droned in that monotonous voice of his. 

I laughed again, utterly relieved. That explained half of my hallucination, which was more than I could have hoped for. 

I wiped at the corner of my eye. “Forgive me, Technoblade. I didn’t take you to be much of a musician.”

“Well, I’ve always been pretty good at dishing out hits. Phil likes to think that this allows me to put that energy towards a more creative option.”

That sounded a little more in line with what I knew about Technoblade so far. 

He picked up one of the mallets and let it twirl across the back of his hand. The handle wobbled over the catch of his knuckles before falling neatly back into his palm. Then he pointed the fabric-wrapped tip at my chest. “You play?”

“Not the drums. I’m more of a guitar man myself. Had this dream of starting up a band one day and figured the guitar made the most sense. But now that I’ve said that, you wouldn’t happen to know how to work a full drumset, would you?” The massive bass and snare drums in front of me gave me hope.

Which was immediately snuffed out when he shook his head. “Sorry. I’m not that kind of drummer.”

“Then what kind are you?” “The war drum kind.”

I rolled my eyes. “Technoblade, I’m sensing a running theme with you.” 

“Then that means I’m staying on brand.”

It was hard to argue with that.

“You know,” he continued, drawing the words out. With one hand, he reached out to run his fingers across the edge of the nearest drum head. He placed the drumstick back on the mantle with the other. “I do enjoy it. Outside of techniques and terminology, or even staying on brand, it gives me something else to focus on. It feels good. 

“For instance, there’s nothing quite like the beat of a drum. It’s more than sound. The best bass drums can be felt deep in your bones.” He placed a hand on his chest over his heart. “Have you ever stood next to one as it’s being played?”

I had. 

“You can feel every stroke in your chest. It resonates. Like a heartbeat. Thud. Thud. Thud.” With each spoken ‘thud,’ he pounded his fist against his chest. The fingers resting against the drumhead tapped in time, making tiny, hollow sounds in the instrument.”

I could imagine the thrum in my own chest, as clear as if I were standing next to the drumset on stage again.

“The sound goes for miles. And like a heartbeat, it’s good for keeping time. That’s why drummers played over the sounds of battle while men marched in time. They relaid orders by playing codified beats that the others had memorized. It kept the tempo while men bled for their country.”

His phrasing nearly made me shiver.

“If you look into the history of it, what you find might pique your interest,” Technoblade finished, pulling both hands back so he could clasp them behind his back.

“Huh. Interesting. I was under the impression Phil was the history buff.

Techno smirked. “He’s seen his fair share, but I’m fairly well-read.”

“So I take it that those antiques on display in the corridor are yours?” 

He grunted. “Eh. Most of them. Comes with the territory. We are in a castle, after all. There’s a lot of history here as well.”

I turned my back on him so I could peer out the door. It perfectly framed a small glass case shoved against the opposite wall with a gold totem inside. “I can only imagine the stories they’d tell.”

“If the walls could bleed, would you listen to the kind of stories they would tell?”

A shiver crawled down my spine and whipped back around to face Technoblade. There was that odd tone of his again. The same one he used during the horse ride up to the front gates. It practically echoed with a thousand other voices, years and years of experience and expectation packed into an odd question. Experience and expectation that Techno didn’t appear old enough to have. He looked like he could have been a year or two older than me at the most, though, that odd sense of maturity did seem to ooze out of every aspect of his personality. 

And what a question to ask. One that hit a still-fresh nerve.

My heart raced once more as crystal-clear images of red dripping down walls and soaking through tapestries ran across my mind. 

I shook my head. “I don’t think I would, honestly.”

Something sparked in the back of Techno’s eye. That barest glint of amusement. He tilted his head at an angle and let a huff of air out of his nose. “Yeah. You don’t seem the type.”

What did that mean? I narrowed my eyes at him. “That’s a weirdly specific question-”

SLAM!

I nearly leaped out of my skin as Phil rounded the doorframe and smacked his hand against the already-open door. “Hey, Techno, are you still practicing your… Oh! Wilbur! You’re up. And here. Good. I was planning on stopping by you and Tommy’s room next.”

Techno crossed the room to snatch up a few blankets resting on a chair. “What do you need, Phil?”

“I wanted to talk breakfast. I wasn’t going to make our guests help in the kitchen.” Phil’s eyes flicked to me. “At least, not this time.”

“I’ll help.” Technoblade spread the blankets out over the top of the drums with an apathetic look. Any hint of concern or amusement over what we were just discussing was gone. 

I wanted to prod him further, but Phil was looking at me again with those vast blue eyes. “Is Tommy up too?”

I shook my head. “No. He chose to take full advantage of the opportunity to sleep in this morning.” ‘Well, it shouldn’t take more than a half hour for me and Techno to throw something together. I’ve already started some of the prep work. Could you go wake him up and have him get ready?”

“Of course. That should be no problem at all.”

“You remember where the dining room is, right?”

I nodded. 

“Then I’ll see you both down there soon. We’ll have ourselves a nice breakfast.”

“That sounds nice,” I admitted. “It was nice hearing about your hobbies, Techno,” I said, turning back to him.

“I appreciate that. Maybe next time I could listen to you play guitar.”

Phil gave me a curious look. “You play guitar?”

“I do. Maybe I’ll play you both a sample of my music some other time.”

Phil flashed a brilliant smile. “Sounds like fun.”

On that note, I slipped past him and out into the hall. Phil waited until I had hobbled a few paces away before gently shutting the door behind them.

That had been a lot to take in all at once. I needed a moment. It took some effort, but I managed to maneuver the crutch so that I could sidle up against the wall. To my relief, it wasn’t slick. The stone was still perfectly dry. Not a spot of red in sight. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I just needed a moment to take a deep breath and remember how to get back to the guest rooms. 

That’s what I told myself, until Phil and Technoblade’s voices began to drift through the shut door.

“Thanks Phil.”

“Of course. It seemed like you two were getting along there.”

“Perhaps.”

“How are you feeling?”

There was a pause and a shuffle of fabric. “...better. But I also feel like I owe him an apology. Last night… It was an accident. I didn’t mean to let myself get out of hand like that.”

Huh. Curiosity kept me in place. I perked my ears up to listen.  ‘Out of hand’ was the last thing I would use to describe Technoblade.

“I know.”

“I think it happened again. Just now, when he knocked on my door-”

“I know.” Phil’s voice sounded tired. “You’re not used to having to hide like this. I’m not either, mate. If things were different, it wouldn’t have mattered and he wouldn’t have seen anything and I wouldn’t have had to step in just now. You wouldn’t have had to walk out last night.

“The kid’s fine, at least,” he continued. “But this… I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. With that mark on his ankle, it’s only going to get more difficult. We’ll have to be careful.”

I looked down at my leg. It was still throbbing, and the angry purple bruise was clear in the dim firelight. Do what on purpose? And were they talking about me? They had to be. Who else would have a mark on their ankle?  I couldn’t imagine what that would have to do with anything. 

“They should have left as soon as you chased off those eggheads.”

“I don’t think that would have helped this time, Techno. Getting them out of here might have slowed down the process, but I saw the mark. This isn’t a case of our rowdy neighbors playing with their food. They were going to pull him into their domain. There’s no going back from that, and we stopped it before it could go any further. He’s floating adrift.”

I latched onto every word they spoke, no matter how little sense it made. They spoke as gravely as one might discuss a funeral. Even Technoblade, who up until now seemed barely capable of much when it came to inflection, spoke with words so heavy it sounded out of place in his voice.

They were talking about me. They had to be. I was somehow adrift, whatever that meant, and it was because of my ankle. I shifted it, pulling it ever so slightly closer to my other leg, and for a moment I could have sworn I saw blood dripping down the walls once more. When I blinked, though, everything looked fine.

Perfectly normal, even.

“Is he going to be able to go back?”

Phil didn’t answer for a moment, and my breath caught in my throat. 

“I don’t know,” he finally answered, and the breath I was holding came out sharply. “If not, then I have a contingency-”

“Phil.”

“It’s fine, Techno.”

“Are you sure that’s even an option?”

“What, you wanna try?”

Another pause.

“He’s the one who said the pen is mightier than the sword. He sounded more like a politician, Phil. Not to mention he just failed one of my inquiries. It would never work if it were me.”

“Then let’s not argue over this. We’ll both just have to reign it in. I’ll try to convince them to stay another night. By then we’ll know for sure. If we have to take care of him, then we will.”

“What about the kid? Tommy?”

“I don’t know. We’ll figure that part out once we’ve sorted out Wilbur.”

“I suppose I could make use of him in my domain if I absolutely had to. Seems bloodthirsty enough.”

“Let’s not talk like that. Keep your chin up, mate. A couple of old souls like us finally have some company out here. Maybe we can ask them about what the world’s been like for the past couple of decades.” 

“Alright. I’m done with the drums for today. How about the two of us make breakfast first, then we check in on those two?”

“Good, ‘cause I’m starving.”

They were coming. I couldn’t hear the footsteps behind the door but they sounded like the conversation was over. I was still eavesdropping right next to the door that they would be walking out of any second. My heart leaped in my chest and I bolted as fast as my injured leg would allow. The crutch tap tap tapped down the hall.

[crystalsnow95z]

Could you do Joon with a high fever and stomach bug during a comeback stage? Caretaker ot6...how they help him

It feels like I'm writing a lot of sick joonie lately.. my two part flu, my collab story and another story where he's sick at a concert..

I'm sorry it took so long halfway through writing. I hated it and started a new idea..

It's staying as long as it is..I'm done editing it >.< I have no idea why I obsessed over this so long, and hate it or not this is how it's staying

Tw: fever, vomit

Namjoon adds one more layer of foundation to try to cover up his pale skin without making it too obvious that he put on makeup carefully, adding it around his face moles so they don't get covered.

I'm doing much better this morning.. I don't need the others worrying about me..

Namjoon checks himself out once more in the mirror before taking a seat at the table, picking up a pair of chopsticks to eat with the others.

"I can't believe this is the last practice before the concert.." Jimin pushes the rice around with his chop sticks, struggling to calm the nerves that knotted his stomach.

"Don't worry, Jiminie. I know you'll do great. We've been practicing for a couple of months and we did it perfectly yesterday." Taehyung tries to quell Jimin's anxiety, rubbing his hand across his knee.

"But for the past week, we've been a member short.." Jimin glances at Namjoon, who just sat next to him. Their leader has been fighting with some sort of stomach bug, unable to eat anything without it coming back up again.

"Don't worry about me. Yoongi-hyung has been sending the practice recordings to watch, and I already learned the choreography before I got sick. I'm fine." Namjoon takes a mouthful of rice to try to prove his point.

"Are you sure you're well enough to perform? You were able to hold dinner down last night, but you still shouldn't push yourself. " Seokjin worries about the youngest rapper, reaching to check if his fever really was gone.

"I'm fine, Hyung. I was cleared to perform tonight. I'll just take it easy." Namjoon allows Seokjin to place his hands on the back of his neck to help ease his mind, the older relieved when he doesn't feel the heat that's been radiating off it for several days.

What Namjoon wasn't telling him is that he was still taking medicine to keep his fever under control, and last night, even though he never threw up, his stomach still cramped up keeping him up most of the night.

We worked on perfecting this album for over a year, I can't let our hard work be in vain just because of a stomach ache.. I have to perform tonight..

Namjoon ate even with his stomach still feeling bloated, knowing if he refused to eat, the others would suspect something was wrong. He kept his bites small, washing them down with sips of water.

"It's really good, we should order it again when the show is over." Jungkook says through a mouthful of food, changing the subject to a lighter one.

"Don't eat too much, though Koo. You don't want to be too full before practice." Jin warns.

"Joon-ah you shouldn't eat too much either, I know you're probably hungry from hardly eating but you need to slowly start eating again.." J-hope frets over Namjoon.

"Don't worry Hobi, I only had some of the kimchi fried rice.. I don't want to push my luck.." Namjoon reassures his fellow 94liner with a gentle smile. "I feel much better today, really. You guys worry too much."

"Seriously, don't overdo it, and if you start to feel unwell, tell me right away, okay?" J-hope places his hand on Namjoon's shoulder, biting his lip when he notices that he could see more of Namjoon's collar bone. "Joon, you lost weight.."

"I wanted to lose a bit of weight anyway." Namjoon brushes off J-hope's grip. "Eat Hoba. You hardly ate anything. You need to keep your energy up. You got a tough slot tonight." He tries to turn the tables, but J-hope refuses.

"Yeah, but the way you lost it isn't healthy. I'll be fine..."J-hope watches Namjoon for a moment before taking another bite. Namjoon has pain hidden behind those eyes, and it looks like he hasn't slept.

"I told you, I'm fine." Namjoon says looking away from J-hope's eyes, jumping when he sees Taehyung standing next to him. "Sh*t! You scared me.."

"Sorry Hyung, I made some ginger tea for you." Taehyung places a cup in front of Namjoon, giving a shy smile.

"Thanks, Tae.." Namjoon takes it gratefully, hoping it would help settle his stomach. But since he made it, he also doesn't believe I'm better..

"No problem. Even if you do feel better. Better safe than sorry, right?" Taehyung gives a warm smile before sitting back down next to Jungkook.

"Right.." Namjoon sips on the tea, relaxing when the warm liquid soothes his aching stomach. "It's really good."

"Shoot, we have to leave in ten minutes." J-hope says after noticing the time, shoving one more bite into his mouth before starting to clean up the table.

Jungkook jumps to help J-hope clean up the table, taking care of Namjoon's mess for him. "I got it, hyung."

"I put the extra tea from the pot in here for you Namjoon-ah." Taehyung hands him his BT21 thermos.

"I said I'm feeling better. Don't worry so much." Namjoon places his hand on Taehyungs head, ruffling his hair.

Namjoon normally didn't feel car sick, yet the moment the car started moving, his stomach felt painfully tight, the seat belt pressing against it making it worse. He tucks his arm around it, using it to stop the strap from touching his aching middle.

"Hyung are you okay?" Jimin asks when he sees Namjoon wrap his arm around his stomach.

"Yeah, I just started feeling sick when we got in the car.. I'll be fine when we reach the stadium." Namjoon felt his stomach flip when the driver made a turn, a small groan escaping.

"Poor Hyungie. Try looking out the window and focusing on the horizon. It might help." Jimin says sympathically, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. Usually, it was him or J-hope who got motion sick, but on rarer occasions, the others suffered too.

Namjoon stares out the window, keeping his eyes on the setting sun, but it doesn't do much to help settle his aching stomach, though not throwing up was enough to please him. "It helped..thanks Jimin-ah.."

Jimin smiles. "No problem. I'm happy to help."

Namjoon focuses on the voices of his teammates chatting, their excitement helping him be distracted from the pain.

"Army will be so surprised with the new choreography! Especially the hook part! I can't wait to show them!" Jungkook speaks with excitement.

"That's because you plan to flash your belly." Jimin teases him, remembering the move he added to practice yesterday.

"Not my belly.. my.." Jungkook stops in mid sentence to check if his abs were still there after his meal, peeking down his shirt. "My abs!" He confirmed, making the others laugh.

Namjoon smiled, knowing what happened even without looking at Jungkook. He presses his cheek against the window, the cold glass feeling nice on his hot skin. I'll have to take another dose of medicine when we get there...

"You should flash yours with me! Jiminie-hyung and Taehyungie-Hyungie. In the part where it's just us three!"

"Unlike you, I don't quite have abs.." Jimin says with a tinge of pink. "I don't work out as much as I used to back in our debut days."

"Yes, you do.. i saw them a few days ago, and even if you don't, that doesn't matter. Army will still love it." Jungkook reaches over to Jimin to lift up his shirt, but the older vocalist holds it down.

"Jungkook-ah! Stop that! Go bother Tae about his. He's been working out with Namjoonie-hyung." Jimin fights off Jungkook's hands, grabbing his wrists, trying to sound serious, but a smile gives away he's not actually upset.

"He's not the one who says he doesn't have any, you did." Jungkook points out, now trying to peer down his neck line, Jimin using one hand tp hold down his bottom and one near his neck.

"Namjoonie-Hyung got sick like a week after we started. I dont think my body is that great either." Taehyung states, getting the attention off his soulmate, smiling with amusement.

"It was pretty close when you started." Jungkook moves to his next target,trying to lift Taehyung’s shirt to check. "I bet you got at least a little toned!"

"Stop that tickles..." Taehyung giggles, trying to fight off the mankae. "Jungkook-Ah..!" He laughs when Jungkooks fingers brush against his side.

"I feel them!" Jungkook smiles.

Namjoon was thankful for all the noise the youngers were making. It covered up the gurgling of his stomach, discreetly rubbing his hand across it. But not discreetly enough.

"You okay Namjoon-ah?" Yoongi asks, looking over Namjoon with a worried expression. "You're not gonna be sick are you?" He looks around the van, trying to look for a bag.

"Oh, no. I'm fine, I was just thinking about my own body. I probably lost mine while i was sick.." Namjoon wasn't lying to him, just not telling him the real reason. He looks at his reflection in the window. "

"You planning to join the maknae’s stage antics to make army scream?" Yoongi smiles with amusement, raising an eyebrow, dropping the subject.

"Nah, I'll let them have the fun. I hope they don't waste all their energy before the show even started." Namjoon smiles, taking a sip of his tea.

Namjoon's stomach didn't settle when he got out like he hoped. Maybe it wasn't carsickness... Every jump, every turn, every quick position change. It made him feel worse. He was happy they didn't go all out for stage practice. His stomach gurgled angrily at the movements, but he didn't dare touch it to try to ease the pain. He knew the others were keeping a close eye on him.

"That was great, everyone!" J-hope tells his team with a warm smile. "That's enough practice for today. Namjoon-ah, you're sweating more than usual. Are you sure you're okay to perform tomorrow?"

"I lost some of my stamina, but I'll be fine. With a crowd cheering, it'll be much easier. I'll get to bed early tonight." Namjoon walks away from J-hope to get water, but when he goes to bend down to get it, another wave of pain washes over him, making him stumble forward.

"Woah, i got you." Jimin grabs him by the shoulders to steady him."Here, hyung, you can have mine.." Jimin offers his water bottle, helping him to the floor. "You should rest a bit.. You haven't fully recovered yet.."

"Thanks, Jimin.." Namjoon smiles forcing his voice to sound normal despite the cramping that made him feel dizzy.

"Jimin-sii! We figured out the part where all three of us can flash our abs! Come here!" Jungkook calls to him.

"Aiish, that kid.." Jimin smiles fondly.

"Go on. I'm fine." Namjoon shoos him away before Jimin realizes he wasn't just tired. He only allows himself a minute to rest, taking small sips of water before getting up to join the olders.Yoongi and J-hope were fussing over the minor details. "No, I think we should do more center stage.."

Namjoon went to ask what they were discussing, but a stomach cramp made nothing come out but a breathy groan, taking a few steps back before they noticed he approached.

Why now...? I need to get better not worse..

"I think we should do two songs on the left stage, three center and two on the right.." Yoongi countered.

"Namjoon-ah what do you think?"

J-hope was trying to ask him for advice, but he was too focused on keeping his stomach under control, walking a bit ahead of them to keep them from looking at him. "I trust your judgment.Do whatever you think is good Hoba."

"You don't trust mine?" Yoongi tries to tease him playfully, but Namjoon's eyes widen when he feels like he just disrespected his hyung.

"No, no its not like that Yoongi..I'm sorry." Namjoon does a slight bow, not wanting to bend.

"You don't have to be sorry.. Since we got that settled, let’s go back to the hotel." Yoongi gently pushed him towards the stairs.

He must be exhausted from practice. I think he came back too soon.

"I'll round up the kids." J-hope goes to the mankae line to tell them it was time to go, having the exact same thought as Yoongi.

The next day came, but instead of feeling better, Namjoon found himself three steps back. He woke up at six in the morning, dry heaving on the bathroom floor, already empty from the salad he had for dinner that night.

He was tempted to call Jin or Yoongi to come to his room, but then the concert popped in his mind, only making him feel worse..

It must just be stress and nerves.. I was cleared.. I can't still be sick..

Namjoon continued to lie to himself as he shakily rose to his feet getting himself a cup of hot water to try to sooth his raw throat.

"I don't have time for this...the concert is tonight.." Namjoon sighs, looking at his reflection in the mirror, seeing the dark circles and red cheeks. "I look awful.."

Namjoon quickly showers, putting on another layer of make up and taking another round of medicine to try to fight off the sickness that wouldn't leave.

"Good morning Hyung, did you sleep well?"

Jimin greets him with a worried expression when they meet up together to go back to the stadium. "Me and Junggukkie went out this morning to get you vitamins to try to help your energy for tonight."

"Thanks Jiminie..i probably slept a good five hours. It's hard to sleep on the first day of a concert.. especially when we're performing a song for the first time live." Namjoon replies, trying to keep the conversation off of him.

"I'm nervous but excited." Jungkook says bouncing his leg, clearly feeling more nervous than he's letting on.

"We practiced hard. We'll do fine." J-hope reassures him, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze.

Namjoon listened quietly to the others as they drove to the stadium, the others telling stories about past concerts, going over lyrics and practicing the native language. All the different conversations made his head spin.

"Are you okay Joon-ah?" J-hope asks when he sees Namjoon press his forehead into his palm.

"I'm just a little stressed, so it's giving me a headache. I'm worried about being able to keep up tonight." Namjoon couldn't say nothing was wrong.. not with J-hope. He was lucky his friend didn't catch on yesterday.

"If you want to sit on stage and just sing, you can Joon. You don't have to push yourself if you dont have the energy. I don’t want you fainting.." J-hope reassures Namjoon, squeezing his knee softly.

"Yeah joon. You shouldn't do more than you can.." Jin joins in the conversation, abandoning his conversation with Yoongi. Namjoon was more important than making sure he got the lyrics right..

"I'll see how I feel after the first few songs.. I know I'll feel stronger with army cheering. Don't worry about it. I'm just overthinking.." Namjoon tries to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal.

"Alright, but if I tell you you have to rest then you have to listen. Okay?" Jin speaks in a serious tone, not dropping it until he sees Namjoon nod.

I have to try...

Namjoon bit the inside of his cheek when he feels another cramp in his stomach. "Can we go over Just one day one more time?"

Namjoon took the cocktail of vitamins to try to fight off the fatigue that made him feel dizzy.

"Here hyung.." Taehyung gives him a thermos. "To help wash it down."

"Thanks Tete.." Namjoon guessed correctly when he let the warm liquid touch his tongue. It was tea, mixed with ginseng and honey.

"No problem.. ah..hyungie, are you sure you're okay?" Taehyung asks voice thick with worry.

"I can do this. Don't worry. Just focus on the concert.." Namjoon ruffles Taehyung's hair.

"Hyung! She just did my hair.." Taehyung pouts, swatting his hand away.

"Oh, sorry.. I didn't think of that." Namjoon lies. He knew exactly what he was doing. Getting rid of Taehyung before he got a closer look at him.

"It's okay. I'll get it redone." Taehyung returns to the stylist, bowing in apology.

Namjoon goes to his makeup stylist. "I'm sorry..I tried helping by doing a basic layer.." he was safe as long as staff was working on getting him ready. He just needed to do his best to not stick out before sound check.

Soundcheck came, all seven boys going on stage together, starting with just singing spring day then dancing to Fire. Spring day went smoothly, but when it came to the next song, he found himself out of sync, when he dropped low he couldn't jump back up as quickly as the others and no matter what he did go try to fix it, all the jumps made his stomach hate him even more.

Namjoon knew the choreography perfectly. They've done it multiple times at many concerts, award shows, even just as a warm-up during practices, but he just couldn't concentrate. He picked up his mistake right away, guilt churning in his stomach as he tries to correct himself, but he couldn't get himself back on track. He lost the beat.

Sh*t..fu*k..!

He tried to follow the movements of the others, nearly missing his part to rap when he notices everyone move back.

Namjoon closed his eyes, focusing on only the music, ignoring everything else. The pain in his stomach, the throbbing headache, the chills that kept making him shiver. No..no..I can do this..

His mind and his body weren't in agreement. He ran into Jin when he was trying to switch positions, but both boys pretended nothing happened.

Namjoon felt tears swelling up, each wrong step weighing heavier than the last, making him feel worse. I can't do this...

Namjoon had to get off the stage, but in his feverish state he ends up going the wrong way, nearly stepping off the stage, army squealing to see him so close, some trying to grab him.

"No Namjoon-ah!" J-hope is the one to grab hold of him, pulling him by the back of his jacket.

"Hoseok-Ah, what's wrong?" Namjoon jumps when he feels J-hope grab the back of his jacket, noticing the end of the stage quickly backing up two steps. "Oh sh*t!"

"Namjoon-ah.." J-hope moves in front of Namjoon to look into his eyes, noticing they don't focus on him, looking glassy. "Joon, are you okay?"

Namjoon quickly looks away when he sees J-hope's panicked expression, but it is too late, he's already checking him over placing the back of his hand across his forehead.

"Namjoonie, your fevers returned.." J-hope states, sucking his breath through his teeth. "You're burning up with fever. "

"I'm fine." Namjoon pushes his hand away. "It's just the stage lights. It's hot here."

"Then why didn't you take off your jacket if it's so hot?" Yoongi was done with his excuses. Hw takes Namjoon's hand, pulling him backstage. "Hoba, please handle things up here.."

J-hope nods, going by Seokjin. "We aren't doing the small talk with army.

"Why? What's wrong?" Seokjin asks as soon as J-hope approaches when he notices Yoongi and Namjoon leaving the stage.

"Namjoon is still sick..Yoongi went to take care of him.." J-hope answers, bowing to army when he passes them.

Jin wanted to follow Yoongi but knew they couldn't just abruptly leave. They had to be professional. He gathers the remaining members to quickly say goodbye to the army, trying his best to hide the concern.

"Stay here for a bit, we'll handle things backstage.." j-hope orders the younger members.

"Love you army!" Jimin yells into the mic, giving a thumbs up to j-hope.

"Sorry..." Jungkook apologize into his.

Seokjin goes backstage to find Yoongi striping Namjoon out of the jean jacket he was wearing. "Yoongi, how is he?"

"Namjoonie is running a high fever.." Yoongi explains, taking a towel to wipe the sweat from Namjoon’s face. "I can't believe I didn't notice until now."

"It's not a big deal.." Namjoon says softly, not having the energy to fight off Yoongi removing his shoes and socks.

"Be quiet Namjoon-ah.. let me take care of you." Yoongi gently orders him. "Joon, did you bring any medicine with you?"

Namjoon nods, Seokjin quickly going to find where the young rapper put it. He finds the liquid medicine Namjoon shoved in his bag pouring some out for him to drink.

"Hyungie is still sick?" Jungkook runs towards them.

"Did you explain things to army?"

"I did my best without trying to worry them.."

"I tried too, but they see right through my lies."Taehyung bows his head in apology. "I'm sorry hyung.."

"It's fine Hyung. They'd find out sooner or later." Yoongi takes the medicine from Seokjin, tipping the cup to Namjoon's lips.

Namjoon tries to swallow, but it doesn't make it past his throat before his breakfast from this morning makes a reappearance, heaving loudly as the half digested rice sprays across the floor before anyone has time to react.

"Sh*t..Sh*t Joon.." Yoongi looks around with widened eyes for something for him to get sick in before the next retching comes.

J-hope feels nauseous when he hears it, backing up slowly. Namjoon feels his stomach knot up even more with guilt when he sees him fleeing, along with seeing the mess he's made, some of the white mush hitting Yoongi's shoes. "I..i..so..rrp-" He burps up more sick puffing up his cheeks, refusing to let more hit the already soiled floor.

Seokjin provides him with one placing it in front of Namjoon, gently rubbing his back. "It's okay baby, it's okay.. it's not your fault.."

Namjoon allows the sick to fill the bin, gripping the small bin, his knuckles turning white. His stomach churns again, pushing up watery liquid. "Hyung...it h..hurts.." he says in a breathy whimper as his body continues, heaving not allowing him any breaks to breathe.

"I know, Joonah, I know.. it'll be over soon.. just try to take deep breaths.. you're hyperventilating, sweetie.."

"I..i..I ca..." Namjoon coughs, gagging up nothing but foamy salvia.

"You need to try.." Yoongi gently urges him.

Namjoon takes a deep breath, whimpering when he feels the pain burning his sides.

"That's it, good, good..." Seokjin let's go of the breath didn't even realize he was holding when he hears Namjoon's retching dying down, leaving the rapper trembling and fighting to catch his breath.

Seokjin gently peels Namjoons fingers from the waste bin, gently pulling him back away from the mess. "Here Joon-ah..lay down baby.. it's okay.."

Seokjin places Namjoon's head in his lap, gently moving his plastered bangs from his forehead, gently rubbing his thumb across Namjoon’s temple"There is that any better?"

"I..I'm dizzy..an..and the f..floor is c.cold..Hyung.." Namjoon murmurs, clinging to Seokjin's waist. The oldest vocalist gets startled by his sudden affection.

"Oh Joon-ah, you're really not doing well.." Yoongi takes the towel to wipe the sweat off of Namjoon's skin.

"We need to get him to a hospital.." Seokjin motions for the staff who's been watching the scene, but Namjoon grabs his wrist.

"I'll..I'll be okay in a few minutes..no..no hospital..i have to perform.." Namjoon coughs, his throat still burning.

"Hyungie.. you can't.. you're sick.." Jungkook kneels down in front of him. "I know how hard it is to sit out, but you can't perform .."

"I won't m.mmess up th..this time.." Namjoon whimpers out the words.

"No one cares you messed up, baby. You just can't perform in this condition.." Seokjin tries to stroke his hair but Namjoon pushes his hand away.

Namjoon sits up, swaying into Seokjin. "I..I have to! We've all been practicing for months, we've been getting army ex..exci..ted.. I..I can't d..disappoi.." His voice breaks off in a sob when his stomach turns into a ball of anxiety, clutching his stomach.

Jungkook hugs onto his ailing hyung. "Don't cry it's okay..it's..we understand, and so does army. You can't help it if you're sick.." he strokes Namjoon's back, feeling the heat radiating off of him. "You're gonna make yourself worse..pleaSe..?" The last word cracks as he breaks into a sob.

"Kook-ah don't.." Namjoon whispers.

Don't cry because of me..I've already ruined enough.. you still have to sing tonight..

"Hyungie I'm..I'm sorry.." Jungkook lip quivers, voice coming out as a shaky whimper when he feels Namjoon growing heavier in his arms the shivering worsening. "Namjoon-ah!"

"I..I'm..I'm okay..ju..jus..dizty..." Namjoon's words come out slurred, pressing his forehead into his shoulder.

"We need to cool him down.. could I have an ice pack?" Seokjin asks staff, already having some on hand. "Thank you.." he bows his head as he take one, placing it on the nape of Namjoon's neck after wrapping it in a towel.

"That's cold..!" Namjoon whines, clinging closer to the warm mankae.

"It's okay Hyung...I got you.." Jungkook rubs Namjoon’s shoulders, trying to ease some of the tension out wanting to do something to help. "You gotta rel..relax a little okay..?" His voice trembled with the tears that could not control.

Namjoon takes a few deep breaths, enduring the cold. I gotta..or I can't perform..

Jungkook sniffles, wiping his nose, feeling his heart and getting lighter when Namjoon stops leaning on him so heavily, the shivers becoming less violent. "I..I think it's working..'

"Sorry Jungkook-ah.." Namjoon murmurs an apology. "I..I'm good now.."

"Don't be sorry Hyungie.. it's okay. Lean on me as much as you want.."

Namjoon shakes his head. "No.. no..I'm being..a big baby..not your hyung.. You guys are right..I can't do this.."

Jungkook feels the tension in his body loosen when he hears Namjoon sounding more like himself. "It's okay.."

"Hyung...hyung listen!" Taehyung blurts out everyone getting quiet to listen.

"Kim Namjoon..It's okay!" The stadium were all cheering over and over.

Namjoon smiles softly. "Seems you're right Koo.."

[chocoshrooms]

Oh my lord I loveyour general hcs!! Can we get some for Liu?? Pls

:: LIU WOODS GENERAL HEADCANONS ::

• i do not own the image above •

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:; liu has shoulder length light brown hair. his hair is very well kept and soft to the touch! he doesn’t do anything special to his hair either, no buns or ponytails unless if necessary, he leaves it as it is. but when he does pull his hair back on some occasions (if it’s really hot or keeps getting in his way), it frames the sides of his face perfectly

:; liu has the cutest button nose! his nose is the perfect shape and fits his face

:; his eyes are a pretty mossy green, but can change to different shades of green depending on the environment. but when Sully is in control his eyes are way darker and are a more grassy color, or a darker brown

:; liu has stitches across his right cheek, over his nose, and onto his left cheek. he also has stitches in a “jeff the killer” style around his mouth. unlike his brother though, liu keeps his stitches neat and clean, hoping one day his face will heal up completely. when nervous he does tend to pick at the stitches though, and Sully prevents any healing from happening since he likes to recut the stitches when in control sometimes. while eyeless jack stitches liu back up, he doesn’t question why they’ve been reopened, he just gets to work while liu sits silently.

:; liu also has scars on his hands, arms, chest, and some around his neck. most are faded scars but some are stitched up from constant reopening by Sully. they are the reason why liu tends to only wear long sleeves and keeps his scarf on around his neck!

:; you rarely see liu in a short sleeve, really never honestly. he’s very insecure about his scars, they remind him of so much hate. he’s usually bundled up in a hoodie or a long sleeve like stated before. his iconic scarf means a lot to him! it’s kind of like when a baby carries around their favorite stuffy or blanket, he always has it on him

:; he uses bandages a lot to cover his scars, sometimes sally will put colorful bandaids over his hands and halfway up his arms (he pulls his sleeves up for her) and he keeps them on for a while

:; liu has a lot of trauma built up inside of him. honestly, he could be more insane than his brother jeff with how much hurt he carries around

:; liu is taller than jeff, much to jeff’s disappointment. liu finds it funny

:; liu’s “other side” sully is more similar to jeff. a troublemaker, mean, snarky, and very rude. he’s even rude to liu, always downing him and making fun of him.

:; “you’re such a crybaby. suck it up, everyone has a sappy story like you.” , “no one will love you looking like this.” , “you’re pathetic.” , “like the new scar i gave you? matches the rest of your ugly skin.”

:; it’s very easy to tell when sully has taken over and best to avoid liu for a period of time just so you don’t get your feelings hurt

:; liu has his ears pierced. on the right ear he has the lobe twice, orbital, industrial, and forward helix. on the left ear he has the lobe twice, double helix beside eachother, another orbital, and daith! he keeps hoop-like earrings in all piercings besides the lobes on both sides, they’re just simple black circular earrings.

:; liu also has a nose piercing and a side labret but constantly looses the jewelry so he’s mostly seen without them!

:; he definitely wants more piercings but hasn’t put much thought into getting more just yet

:; he also wears rings on his fingers! most are just black banded rings but some have little writings on them he carved himself

:; liu is typically really quiet and keeps to himself, he doesn’t speak unless spoken to unless he’s comfortable around someone. he (of course) still speaks to jeff though (forced to by jeff honestly) but he’s usually just mumbling a conversation back while jeff rambles away. sully on the other hand bumps heads with jeff, they have started plenty of fights with eachother

:; liu has put the past behind him and tried to forget everything jeff did to him. that’s what’s worked for him for now at least. he tries not to think about it and lets jeff know he forgives him, but deep down he does have a hatred for his brother for destroying his life. he spends so much time wishing everything went differently

:; other creeps liu tends to talk to are the more quiet like him. he usually hangs around helen, puppeteer and jane, but speaks to eyeless jack when he’s around too. he doesn’t have anything against other creeps, he’s just more kept to himself!

:; liu spends most his time outside in the garden or in his room reading books, doodling, or writing music.

:; liu is definitely more feminine than most. he’s not into most of the things other creeps are into. he reads a lot of romance novels and mostly doodles animals and plants. he likes butterflies, frogs and lilly pads a lot

:; i’m sure he has a pet frog somewhere in his room and breeds butterflies from his bedroom window!

:; he does not work out but is still pretty strong. he just uses his weight efficiently when getting into a tussle. sully on the other hand, thinks he’s the strongest of the mansion. which ends with a lot of bruises and stitches

:; liu can also bake very well and is the best at making different casseroles! but he does not cook for anyone besides himself. and when he does, he’s away from the mansion so he can be alone

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THANK YOU so much for the request! i’m glad you’re liking the hc’s! <3 i do not write for liu only because i don’t know his character very well, so i hope i didn’t change him too much! i will read up more on him so i’ll be able to add him to my list that i’m confident in writing for! if you have more requests, <anyone> be welcome to send them my way! :) thanks for reading!!

[mondscheinprinzessin]

Soulmate shorts pt. 2

Written for @another-sun christmas event <3

another short Aleksi/Joel/Joonas soulmate installment for the long waiting time you guys have to endure

the timeline doesn't matter here at all btw

Sprinkling in a little hurt/comfort because of course, it's me, and I hope you enjoy😊

It only needed one look towards Joel for Joonas to know something was up. They hadn’t seen each other for most of the day after Joel and Niko had gone off to the radio station for another interview and the rest of the band was left alone in the studio under Aleksi’s supervision.

But the first step Joel took into the studio made it clear he wasn’t alright, and it wasn’t only Joonas who noticed; Aleksi shot him a worried look, well adjusted to every sign by now that one of them needed a little more support.

Now wasn’t the right time though to do an intervention and they settled with keeping an eye on their partner for now.

And it wasn’t a coincidence that today they finished earlier, producing a small lie to the others, so they could head home a little earlier than usual. It wasn’t easy anyways to concentrate while aware their soulmate was struggling. Joonas could swear his soulmark was itching but did his best not to act upon it, not wanting to further worry Joel in return.

Instead they drove home, Joonas and Aleksi kept on their toes since they knew a direct approach has never worked with Joel. It felt more offensive for Joel to discover that his mood was troubling his partners, so much so that he would rather keep shut and pretend a little longer he was fine.

Joonas didn’t want to think about how similar Aleksi and Joel were in that matter. Different story, same ending. And it hurt none the less when Joonas experienced it second-hand.

But to their surprise Joel didn’t mind showing off his gloominess in fullness. Not even in the dramatic way that liked to come forward when it wasn’t much of a concern, and he was more annoyed than truly upset.

No, as soon as they entered their flat Joel strode towards the couch and lay down, a pillow under his head, and his long hair didn’t even attempt to hide his glistening eyes.

The picture did its best to break Joonas’ heart, and he and Aleksi quickly discarded their stuff so they could join. While Aleksi took a seat at the end of the couch, picking up Joel’s feet to put them on his lap, and running a soothing hand over his legs, Joonas cautiously sat down at Joel’s head.

Another hand ran a comforting path along Joel’s body, loosening knots in his hair, and warming the skin on his neck. His face was already hot and red and Joonas could hear the sniffles that Joel couldn’t suppress.

“’m sorry.”

“What should you be sorry for?” Aleksi asked first.

“Everything?”

So Joel didn’t even know if he had done anything wrong with them, apologizing first and gauging their reaction to see if any criticism was following.

“There’s nothing coming to my mind.” Joonas calmed him down. “We just want to know what’s up.”

Joel swallowed, obviously fighting with himself. But they gave him the time.

“I fucked up after the interview.” He finally said. “The guy was rude and I couldn’t help myself. What if we will never be invited by them again? I fucked up this chance for us and now we never get to play our songs there and no one will hear us.”

Evidently they were already deep in the spiralling phase, producing disaster scenario after disaster scenario, not being able to see the truth right in front of his face.

Joonas, the ever-logical mind among them said, “I’m sure that if you had been really disrespectful, they would have given management a call already, but we didn’t hear from them all day, so I’m sure it’s fine. They will air the interview, and they’re not the only two people deciding about the music on their channel. Regardless there’s more than one radio station out there. Don’t forget you’re visiting Rock Antenne next month!” He tried to cheer him up.

To his satisfaction he could hear Joel chuckle and giving a little acknowledgment in return.

“I will never be like Niko though.” The negativity outwon in his mind. “He always keeps so calm and professional.”

“Good.” Aleksi answered. “Because we don’t need another Niko. What do we need two rappers for?” He tried to break up the mood and smiled audibly.

“Exactly.” Joonas joined. “We love you because you’re you in case you haven’t noticed yet.” Joonas flicked a finger against Joel’s nose to get him out of his head. “If Niko was so special, he would have our soulmark, but he doesn’t, because you belong to us, and we love you, and you’re great. Yes, you can fuck up at times, but all of us do. You don’t need to be like somebody else.”

It took a little time for Joel to absorb all that and to answer.

“Yeah sorry.”

It wasn’t the answer Joonas had hoped for, it sounded more like surrendering to their approval than truly understanding what they had wanted to convey. Maybe they didn’t choose the right words. Especially the part about Joel being special.

It was clear that he had just wanted to fit in ever since he was circled out his whole life by school mates and coworkers and family that didn’t really understand at first. It wasn’t always comfortable being ‘unique’, and sometimes all you wanted was to be normal, to be like someone else, be under security of someone else’s personality and not show your own.

Joonas understood better than he would have liked, all of them did, but it nevertheless hurt that it was still such a big part in their lives.

“We love you Joel.” He repeated therefore and turned Joel’s face so he could lean down and drop a kiss to the tip of his nose.

The problem wouldn’t resolve itself today no matter what they said or did, it took time for Joel to embrace the kindness back, just like his tears needed to dry and a smile would build itself slowly up.

But they could cuddle on the couch, all three of them, watch a movie and wait till Joel has relaxed enough that they could go to bed. Maybe Joonas would start a tickle fight with Aleksi to distract Joel, that would end in a wrestling match and one of them falling down on the carpet, but it was what they needed, and Joonas would do everything for his soulmates.

Aleksi stilled in his movement when Joel suddenly appeared before him, blocking the bedroom door.

“We need to do something about Joonas, you in?”

It has been 5 minutes since Aleksi had stood up after a night with pleasant dreams, so excuse him if he was a little slow, but Joel’s sentence didn’t make any sense.

“You want to do what?”

Joel took away his arm from the door frame that had been obstructing Aleksi’s view to the hallway and the bathroom that called for a nice shower. But it was also a bit hot to see Joel looming over him, he couldn’t lie. Okay get back on track brain.

“You can’t tell me you haven’t been noticing how off Joonas’ has been lately? He needs to relax and we’re going to help him.”

Oh. Yes, this Aleksi indeed has noticed. But it wasn’t surprising for Joonas to be tense and stiff with his current workload. And in addition to that Aleksi had to admit that he and Joel didn’t have a great time lately either, and Joonas had always been there to comfort them, giving everything and apparently forgetting about himself.

Aleksi sighed. Yes, they needed to do something for him. “Alright, you’ve got something in mind already?”

Looking at Joel’s face he most likely had, and with the head start Joel had by being awake earlier he certainly had enough time to think about it.

“I’m going grocery shopping so you can cook something nice. Go take a shower my star.” Joel replied and gave him a kiss finally.

As soon as he had appeared as quickly did he vanish out of the door and Aleksi could only shake his head as he fetched his things for the bathroom. When Joel had set his mind on something he could be incredibly determined.

-

The jingle of keys indicated Joonas’ return, and Aleksi swirled in the sauce to make sure it’s ready. He had timed his cooking perfectly and the table was already set for three, just waiting for them to sit down and eat.

In the hallway he could hear Joel welcoming their boyfriend and soon he felt a pair of arms snaking around his middle and a kiss to his neck. He smiled happily down into the pot, the feeling of one of them pressed to his back, warm and comforting, never getting old and never something he could get used to, always making his heart speed up.

“Smells delicious baby.”

Oh what a compliment could do to Aleksi, he thought as he joyfully served everyone a plate.

Sitting opposite of Joonas gave him the perfect view to observe him and it was effortless to him to see behind his smile. The contentment was real, but the hard lines around his mouth and eyes didn’t vanish with a good meal. It has been too long that Joonas was letting himself torn apart to all sides, and another full day at the studio with Olli did its rest.

Making a good face was something they all learned to do, and especially in their line of work it had to be done, keeping up the face for the press and fans even when they were utterly exhausted. But here, around his loved ones, Joonas didn’t need to pretend.

After they were done eating it was time for round 2 of their plan and after Joel had disappeared for a minute and Aleksi had done his best to convince Joonas they could leave the dishes for a while, they only needed to get Joonas to the bathroom.

“Out of your clothes.” Joel demanded rather excited for that their goal was to help Joonas relax.

Joonas looked at him surprised. “Uhm, I’m sorry Joel, but not today. I’m tired.”

“No, no, no sexy time today, promised, but get out of your clothes.” Joel replied but before Joonas could even lift a finger he was already being shoved towards their bathroom.

Aleksi followed and laughed silently to himself as he watched Joel undress him while Joonas was still busy taking everything in.

Food wasn’t the only thing Joel had bought, a few candles had found their way into the shopping cart and were now lightning up the room to dim the harsh light from the lamp. It made for a seriously calming atmosphere, and the sweet and flowery smell from the bath foam only added to it.

The bathtub was almost full of water and Aleksi quickly turned off the tap before an accident could occur. Testing the temperature, he deemed it safe to enter the water and got rid of his pants and long shirt at least.

Meanwhile Joel and Joonas had gotten naked and while it was certainly a nice picture to see them so close together with their bodies on full display it also warmed his heart to see Joel so careful and attentive to Joonas.

Before anyone of them could get cold Joel helped Joonas get into the bathtub and Aleksi positioned himself outside at the head. There wasn’t enough room for all three of them anyways (nothing they could fix as easily as making more space on the couch and bed) and he had another job to do.

Carefully guiding Joonas’ head back, giving a loving smile before making him close his eyes, Aleksi put both of his hands to his head. He started out with his thumbs at the temple, rubbing the skin there in circles, then travelled to his forehead to card his fingers through his hair.

While he was tending to his curls and the scalp, eliciting the one and other mellow moan of satisfaction, Joel was running his hands over the rest of Joonas’ body.

Although at times it seemed like he was just trying to push the foam around to get a better look at his body.

“I love you both.” Joonas said after some time, his voice quiet and soft.

For Aleksi it turned out to be quite difficult to answer to this at times, and his eyes would cast downwards, feelings too many that they would definitely spill out of him incomprehensibly and with too much force. But while his mouth struggled to find the right words (he only needed three and they were right there but so hard to form around his tongue), his hands were extra careful to caress Joonas’ face.

And Joel was right there to reassure Joonas that they were feeling the same, leaning forwards to capture his wrist and kissing his way around the little soulmark, a shiver noticeable on Joonas’ body. Aleksi could almost feel Joel’s caress on himself, and although he was lacking the symbols that united them, their love for each other was strong enough that in this moment he didn’t need them for assurance. Joel’s loving gaze he got when he broke away from Joonas was all he needed to know.

[ofthecaravel]

Reminder that none of the scenarios are connected or exist within the same realities. (Also I kinda just threw some mythology to the wind and went with what I liked most- this one’s a little corny imo but j think it’s cute)

*mentions of blood btw*

Scenario 2:

Danny was balancing up on the rickety dock, the deep green of his tail catching the sunset just right. With his broad chest bared and shoulder length hair pulled back into a singular loose braid, he was truly a sight.

It was a fairly secluded location, largely abandoned after a storm splintered and tore away at the decking many years ago. Pretty much perfect for meeting up with Sam, the pretty sailor boy who’d cut him loose from the netting he’d gotten caught in just months ago. The lonely siren never expected to become friends with someone like Sam. Someone whose kind spent many years hunting those like Danny, until the stories of his people became but a mere legend. A mere human boy.

He’d repaid Sam in a small sack of pearls, which Sam was reluctant to except. He agreed to take them under one condition, they could meet again soon. So they made arrangements. And then many more after that.

Sam now approached the siren, sitting on his right side. “I’ve been thinking about you.” Danny’s noticed how much Sam likes to get right to the point.

It still took Danny by surprise. “Why??” Is all Danny could sputter.

Sam let out a laugh.

“No no no!” Danny was quick to correct. “I just meant… Really?”

Sam had a subtle smile on his face. “Yeah I mean, these last few months of getting to meet up with you have been the most fun I’ve had in ages. Plus you’re a fucking Siren, which is like the coolest thing ever.” He assured Danny, nervously picking at the hem of his oversized white blouse.

“Oh.” Danny replied sheepishly. He didn’t know someone could think highly of him, considering what he was. It was nice to hear.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, admiring the setting sun.

Then Danny catches Sam observing the singular, blackened, blade like nail on his right pointer finger. The rest of his nails were noticeably well kept.

He knows Sam’s been curious about it for a while now, despite never vocalizing it. So Danny takes the initiative.

“They naturally grow long and sharp like this but i prefer them short and dull. I keep one long for prying and tearing into things though, like shells… or flesh.”

Sam blinks at him dumbly. “Well that’s totally not gonna keep me up at night.”

Danny chuckles. “Well if it’ll make you feel better, we can pretend I didn’t mean it.” A quiet pause, and Danny thinks he’s about to ruin the moment. “I prefer fish anyway.”

Sam knows he’s trying. Another beat of silence, then he thinks of just the thing to take the edge off.

“I brought you something.” Sam told him before pulling out a necklace from his pants pocket.

Danny’s jaw goes slack. “Are those-“

“The pearls you gave me when I totally saved your ass? Yup. Wait do you even have an ass?”

Danny ignored that last part. “You made this for me?” He asked softly.

“Well I had one of my brothers string ‘em up but yeah. Thought they’d look nice on you. Had to tell them it was for myself though so they wouldn’t get suspicious.”

“Thank you.” Is all Danny could offer, eyes tearing just a little.

Sam now came around behind Danny. “Wanna test my theory? See if they suit you as well as I’d hoped?” Danny took the hint and lifted his braid, Sam wrapping the pearls around his neck and hooking the clasp. He crawled back to Danny’s side.

Danny looked straight into his eyes, and Sam felt his breath hitch ever so slightly. “You look really beautiful.” He managed, absolutely in awe of the boy before him, golden skin bathed in dimming sunlight. His hand creeps slowly against the wooden planks, inching towards Danny’s. He gives him a look before opening his palm toward the sky, inviting Danny to join him. Danny gladly obliges.

He doesn’t mean to, but as he slides his hand into Sam’s, his pointed nail pricks into the padding below Sam’s thumb. A sizable gash forms, blood slowly trickling out.

Sam hisses, reflexively pulling his own hand into himself.

“Shit, I’m so sorry” Danny’s quick to apologize.

“It’s okay-“ Sam starts

“Here let me see it.” Danny grabs Sam’s hand, bringing it up to his mouth.

Sam startles a little, not scared, just taken aback really. “What are you doing?”

“Just trust me.” Danny offers. And so Sam does.

Gently laying his lips to Sam’s hand, he starts by licking the wound. He looks up to make eye contact with Sam, pretending not to notice the blush that found its way onto his cheeks. Danny secretly savored that moment. The blood clotted surprisingly quick, stopping the flow. Then Danny drew his claw against his own arm, thick dark drops forming.

“Holy fuck Danny, r-really I’m okay! You don’t have to get even or anything.” Sam protested, eyes wide.

Danny just held up his right hand and told Sam that it was okay. With that he dragged his thumb against the fluid from his arm and grabbed Sam’s hand once again. Sam held his breath as Danny spread his own blood over the wound and gave it a quick kiss. The kiss wasn’t necessary but neither one of them dared comment on the fact.

“Our DNA holds healing properties. Don’t worry about my arm, it’ll scar over within a few minutes.”

Sam caught himself starring at Danny’s lips, stained from the mix of their blood. “You got a little something” and Sam reached out to wipe what he could manage from the boys mouth.

Now Danny was the one starring. Feeling the intensity of moment he decided to distract himself with whatever he could.

“Oh look, your hand’s all scarred over.” A desperate observation on Danny’s part. Jeez why was he so awkward.

He turned his body to face the setting sun and glued his eyes to his tail, too terrified to look in Sam’s direction. Which is odd considering most of his humanly interactions before meeting Sam involved literal murder.

“Danny..” Sam reached out to grab Danny’s hand and waited for the siren to meet his eyes. Without breaking eye contact, Sam lifted the hand up to his own mouth to give it a sweet kiss.

———————————————-

Giving myself brainrot over these two- think I might draw them

THIS IS MY FAVORITE THIS IS MY FAVORITE I AM LOSING MY SHIT I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM

@streamsofstardust BEHOLD

[bansept]

See Me As I Am

[Part 5]

Well, well, WELL

It's been more than a year since the last update, and I'm deeply sorry for this! We all know at this point I'm not the best at updating stories hahahaha

But, here you go! A chapter from a long lost story AND it's a NSFW warning! Although a small one, but still good eh?

Oh, btw, did you know there were specific models of androids in Detroit Become Human? No? Well, here's the proof.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Past choice: Go to the bedroom

Processing

Entering next phase

Her breath was short, mouth busy pouring kisses on his while he carried her all the way to her room, his strong arms sheltering her pliant body against his hard one. Ichigo felt her nails scrape the back of his neck, clenching the short hair with a tender grip, urging him to get them upstairs faster. He complied, rushing to the point he almost tripped in his run. Orihime stopped kissing him to giggle, the android grumbling an apology, straightening his back. His circuits felt loose, his skin overheating, his fake heart beating the same old rhythm, yet he never felt so good.

Ichigo carefully placed her down on her bed, a hand reaching for the light to turn it on, but was stopped by the young woman, her eyes shining with a mix of mischief and affection.

“Don’t turn it on.” Her voice was squeaky, much certainly due to the kissing session she had just gotten out of, her breath catching in her throat.

“Alright.” Ichigo smiled, returning his hands to her body, gently massaging her feet, calves, and knees.

Orihime’s body twitched in anticipation, her hips instinctively raising a few degrees up while she buried her face in her arm, laughing in the material of her sweater. The sound, Ichigo discovered, amplified his smile to the point of almost feeling pain. The android drove his hands further up, brushing her hips.

“Orihime..?”

“What’s wrong?” She answered, understanding the shift of tone as one of warning.

“I, well…” Ichigo lowered his mouth to kiss the tiny patch of belly skin showing from a gap in her clothing. “I am not equipped for sexual intercourse.”

Orihime stared at him questioningly for a moment, not understanding. Her brows were furrowed but her blush was still painting her cheeks red. Ichigo kept pecking her stomach, waiting for a reaction to blossom. After 32 seconds of silence, Orihime blushed a deep crimson, her mouth opening to stutter.

“O-oh, I, I didn’t know that…”

Her embarrassment was endearing, and Ichigo laid himself next to her on the freshly made bed, chuckling as her eyes looked around the room, everywhere, except him. Gently, he picked up her hand, placing it on his chest so she could feel his steady heartbeat.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you.” He whispered, tone more serious as his other hand caressed her sides, and thighs and slowly traveled to the zipper of her sweater. The fabric was thick enough for her not to feel the way his synthetic skin felt but every digit moving closer made her tremble in excitement.

“What… What about you?”

Slowly, carefully, lovingly, the fabric was opened, revealing her long-sleeved pajama top that was riding up her flat stomach, as well as her pajama bottom. Ichigo looked back at her, grinning.

“I’m going to make sure you’re satisfied. That will be my reward.” His voice was lower than usual, heavy with desire for her, but also desire to pleasure her. Orihime blushed even deeper, her face taking the color of a beetroot, yet she nodded, giving him her full consent. The hand still on his chest slid up to his face, caressing his cheek as the other was helping him lower her bottoms.

The information downloaded on the internet to please her was very helpful : where to go, how fast to turn his tongue, how deeply for her to feel filled in the best pleasant way, how to make her lose her grip on reality with a good technique. Her expressions, the way her eyes would shut and her mouth open, her hands gripping his hair with force, her legs wrapping around his shoulders as she moaned out his name.

-

Ichigo decided to let Orihime rest and sleep in when the morning came. With no outside obligations, such as work or heading back to town, and taking into account how exhausted she was rendered after their time together, it was only beneficial for her to stay in bed.

He did as he always did in the morning : cleaning out the kitchen and the bathroom, making sure the laundry was either washing or drying, ironing a few clothes, arranging the living room, tending to the fire, and of course, preparing the meals.

Dixie was sitting by Ichigo as he stirred the noodles the android had been cooking, her little eyes scanning with almost impeccable accuracy the spots where Ichigo had willingly dropped a few chicken slices. He chuckled, hearing the dog whimper in protest, as if begging him to give him all of the food.

A few knocks resonated against the wood of the entrance door. Dixie immediately barked, turning away from her spot by the stove to trot to the door, Ichigo following her after turning the fire off.

Mindful to not let Dixie out, he opened the door to meet a pair of bloodshot brown eyes staring at him in surprise, a young man with black hair tied up in a bun, not successfully hiding a bouquet of flowers behind his back, a 3 days-old beard covering his face in an unattractive and dirty way.

“You..? Who are you? Where’s Orihime?”

Ichigo looked at him, the courteous smile he had plastered on his face wavering slightly. The real question was who this man was, who clearly thought arriving uninvited on a Sunday morning with flowers would get him a passing grade. Especially to surprise a single woman who lived alone. Ichigo quickly blinked.

“I am sorry, Miss Inoue is not available right now. Might I know your identity?” He asked back, voice a happy neutral.

The man stared at him dumbly, his eyes widening as his pupils expanded unnaturally. Ichigo processed the change at lightning speed while the man seemed momentarily lost.

“I, uh, thought she was living alone? I mean, except for this pest of a dog she has.” He sputtered, sweaty hand rubbing his forearm, the sound of the flowers rubbing against the plastic interfering with the semblance of calm Ichigo was hoping to sell.

“As you can see, she does not. Might I know your identity?”

The man coughed openly, not even turning away from Ichigo, and held out the flowers threateningly.

“Jim Samuels. And you better remember that, ya trash can! Get it? Now where is she? I wanna talk to her.”

Dixie started to growl menacingly, for a dog of her size, Ichigo still kept her inside the house, fighting the urge to glare at the man with disgust. By an unlucky strike of fate, if it ever existed, Orihime’s calm life was incessantly interrupted by men trampling her tranquility, threatening her already fragile health with their stalking. Ichigo kept his hand on the door, not even staring at the bouquet Jim was holding out.

“For the last time, Mr. Samuels, Miss Inoue is not available right now. I am sorry, but you will have to wait for her to contact you, if she wants to accept your flowers.” The man coughed again, thicker this time, his eyebrows furrowing darkly. “My apologies, I must return to my work. Have a nice day, sir.”

The plastic smile was easy to stretch on his lips, his face morphing into the sympathetic mask his program automatically played after such a response. Jim stared at the closing door, looking almost pitiful. He turned around, mumbling curses, hurriedly closing his jacket to protect himself from the rain the weather reports had announced 4 hours and 18 minutes ago. From his pocket stumbled a transparent small zipper plastic bag, the size to fit in a palm, a red solid substance inside of it attracting the android’s gaze. Jim didn’t notice his loss, immediately running under the rain. Ichigo didn’t call him back.

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

Choices : 

1- Pick up the sachet

OR

2- Leave it there

[picklebunbun]

—— ꨄ Caleb x Azreal

**

I was only temporary

my head is empty ♥︎

⇄ ◁◁ 𝚰𝚰 ▷▷ ↻

⁰⁰'²⁵ ━━●━━───── ⁰²'⁰⁸

**

• Caleb x Azreal

M 4 M

• genre: fluff and crack

• fandom: FNF but it really doesn’t matter

• romantic

•cw: biting, pretty suggestive

summary: Azreal bites in his sleep and he accidentally bites Caleb

[angel’s note 👼🪽: I wanted to write this story before I move onto the other requests. Caleb and Azreal are both married and both gay SO NO FEM ALIGNED PEOPLE SHOULD SIMP FOR EITHER OF THEM, also Caleb is a vampire. Azreal is my OC and Caleb is my friend’s OC @typicalaxellies]

୧ ‧₊˚ 🍓 ⋅ ☆

♡︎ italics=thinking | bold=yelling

It was late at night, crickets were chirping while the couple was fast asleep on their lavish bed. Caleb softly snored with Azreal clinging onto him, it was a long day for Caleb, he worked as a professional {super} model and his boss was “some weird creep who got picked off the streets” or at least that’s what Azreal said. Anyways, it was the winter time which meant that Azreal and Caleb have been more cuddly than usual.

Despite Caleb being the vampire, Azreal bit a lot in his sleep. He really wasn’t sure how it started, maybe it was because when he was a teenager, he had sharp teeth but then filed it down so he couldn’t be reminded of his edgy teen rebel phase. Which always led the shorter man to nibble his husband’s neck so suddenly.

Unfortunately, Caleb only knew this when hey both spent their first night together which lead to him almost kicking Azreal out of the bed. After that, Caleb was cautious whenever he crawled into bed with his husband but eventually he didn’t care, that didn’t mean that it didn’t surprise him though.

Moving on, just as I said, it was late at night which meant it was time for Azreal’s subconscious to, for some reason, bite something. Azreal slightly nibbled on Caleb’s neck which made Caleb groan quietly, but it wasn’t enough to actually pull him away from his REM sleep. Then, Azreal fully bit him, it didn’t hurt that much since his teeth were dull and flat. Caleb’s eyes shot open, he flinched and inched his neck away from Azreal’s mouth but not before he let out this girly MANLY scream.

Azreal woke up from the MANLY scream, he lifted himself up with his hands. He saw Caleb with his hand on his neck from the bite

“what happened..?”

“you f^cking bit me like a dog”

“get over it, you bite me all the time”

Their voices were still hoarse just from waking up. Azreal’s expression seemed unfazed, just as sarcastic as ever, while Caleb looks a little frazzled from the fact that his husband bit him like an animal!

“if you bite me one more time you’re going to look like swiss cheese by the end of the night”

“yeah, ok”

Azreal rolled his eyes, not taking Caleb seriously. Caleb was telling the truth though, if he felt even a pinch on his skin then he’s going to use Azreal like a personal blood-bag, not like he isn’t but y’know. Caleb pulled the sheets and went back to sleep while holding Azreal. For the moment everything was peaceful, he was just ready to snooze off until he felt tiny gnawing on his neck.

“..alright that does it”

“mm.. what? ACK!”

Caleb pulled Azreal in so he could face his collarbone and his fangs sunk into the pale (now reddish) skin. This crimson red dropped all the way to the middle of Azreal’s chest staining it like wine, Caleb continued to do this but in other places of his body (not getting in to full detail). Just, long story short, Caleb kept his promise and it was now the next day. Instead of crickets it was now birds, instead of the dark sky deepening every shadow it was now a sunset giving everything a orange-purplish hue.

It was time for Azreal to get up, his schedule has been a bit hectic, despite his husband making way more than enough money for the both of them, Azreal still wanted to work at a little video game store. It honestly wasn’t that bad, sure, a lot of weird incels come in but it doesn’t mean he’d have to deal with them, it’s not like he was a girl at the register. Azrael slipped out of bed and out of Caleb's grip, he walked into the bathroom and..

“JESUS F^CK CALEB, I LOOK LIKE I’VE BEEN SHOT 100 TIMES”

worth it~

[brianamorganbooks]

Title: "Eleven"

Short Stories | Novels | Novellas | Plays | Other

Queer Horror

How far would you go to see a dead loved one again?

Kayla discovers a chilling Internet game that might let her see her dead girlfriend and give her one last kiss... as long as she follows the rules.

TW: Grief, death of a loved one, drug and suicide mentions, overdose mention, blood, vomit mention, religion mentions

Kayla opened her car door to the reek of gas fumes and the sounds of people arguing. For a moment, she hesitated right outside the car. As far as she could tell, no one was yelling at her. She hunched as she approached the gas pump, shoulders rising around her ears as she kept her head down.

The gas pump clicked as Kayla filled her Toyota Corolla up with gas. Her pulse raced as the numbers climbed, and her hand went to the wallet in her front pocket.

Annoyance pricked the back of Kayla’s neck. She shrugged it off. She would’ve had to get more gas; the game had just pushed her to do it now. Besides, she was better safe than sorry. That was a philosophy she wholeheartedly believed in.

It had taken her so long to go through with this. An entire season had passed since Alexis’s death, and she was only now facing it. Her mental block had lifted enough for Kayla to remember the empty pill bottles, Alexis lying facedown on the bed, a pool of vomit on the pillow—

The click of the gas pump jolted Kayla. The Corolla’s tank was full.

The commotion she’d heard when she arrived died down as the couple returned to their vehicle. Someone blasted Lynyrd Skynyrd as they turned out of the station and peeled off down the road. Kayla’s shoulders rolled back. She sighed.

As she hung the nozzle back up, her stomach growled. Her gaze turned to the convenience store, with its bright fluorescent lights and flashing OPEN sign, glass doors and windows plastered with cigarette ads and information about the lottery. Maybe she should get a snack. Maybe that would help her make it through the night.

But the rules had said nothing about eating.

Kayla swallowed and got in the car. She fastened her seatbelt and sat behind the wheel, staring straight ahead. Every muscle in her body tensed. Her eyes fell shut. Breathe, she thought. She could do this. She had to.

Keep your eyes on the road and drive, Kayla thought. That’s all I have to do. Keep my eyes on the road and remember Alexis.

Before she could second-guess herself any further, Kayla started the car and pulled out of the gas station. She turned onto the road and kept going, trusting her gut or whatever higher power hated her to tell her where to go. According to the rules, she had to look for a road leading into the forest. Also, the road leading in had to go through the forest too. For all Kayla knew, it also had to be at least eleven miles long, but the game would handle that one for her.

Kayla picked at the skin on her cracked lips. Without even music to distract her, the silence only heightened her anxiety. Fear sat in the pit of her stomach like a feral cat, clawing its way into her throat.

Maybe a little music wouldn’t hurt. The game hadn’t started yet.

Her hand leapt to the first radio preset button. “Uptown Girl” sprang from the Corolla’s speakers. Kayla’s mom loved eighties music, and Kayla turned to it whenever she felt lost. She didn’t think she’d ever been more lost than she felt right then. Maybe Billy Joel could soothe her.

Alexis had hated eighties music. Kayla had never learned why. Her favorite decade had been the nineties, which, as far as Kayla thought, sounded the same, albeit darker, grittier, grungier. Maybe that was what had drawn Alexis to it.

If only I’d noticed the signs, Kayla thought, but hadn’t she? Hadn’t she watched the light leave Alexis’s eyes and the spark drop from her body? Hadn’t she felt the fresh scars in places no one else got to see and wondered what more might appear?

And hadn’t she refused to acknowledge the truth for fear her life would unravel?

The wish, she reminded herself. Think about the wish. Hold it in your mind. Keep your eyes on the road and drive now. Don’t stop.

Trees rose on either side of the road. A side street beckoned her. She turned onto it, the turn signal clicking and blinking as she did. The road into the woods wound deep into the trees, which meant it would be perfect for the evening.

She could start the game now.

Instead, she parked and turned the car off. Kayla’s heart thudded against her ribcage. It wasn’t too late to turn back. The game hadn’t started. She still could go home.

But home was where her pillow still had blonde hairs on it, where Alexis’s jacket hung in her closet, still smelling like vanilla and soap. Home was where she could never escape the memory of Alexis, no matter how hard she tried. If she couldn’t go through with this, she couldn’t go home. She’d never be able to forgive herself for letting this opportunity pass.

One chance. One moment. One last kiss. That was what she wanted. She would go through hell or whatever horror lay ahead for the chance to see her girlfriend again.

Her gaze fell on the beaded necklace hanging from her rearview mirror. Alexis had made it for her. She’d done all she could to make Kayla feel special.

Kayla inhaled. She pulled up the mile counter app on her phone, set it to notify her at each mile, and hit “start.” She turned the car on. She exhaled.

Now or never.

The indicator ticked as she turned onto the road. From here on out, she had to keep driving, no matter what happened.

Mile one. She had to keep going for eleven miles, and she couldn’t turn the engine off or leave the car. Those were the rules. All the sources Kayla had considered before coming out here said so, even if they didn’t agree on much else.

The beaded pendant hanging from her rearview mirror swung as she drove. Kayla tried not to watch it.

Truth be told, she wasn't looking forward to what lay ahead. All the firsthand accounts she'd read online and all the speculation had made her more than a little nervous, and for good reason. Some people talked about how good it felt to get their wish, but on most of the forums, all she found was account after account of people who had failed to do the game the right way, or people whom the game had traumatized. 

What did they say about mile one? she asked herself. It’s the easiest mile, but something is off. Something should be off as proof that I’ve started the game.

She wanted to check her phone and review the rules again. The last webpage she’d visited had a thorough breakdown of each mile, advising the reader what to expect from the journey ahead. She needed it now.

But she couldn’t turn the engine off, couldn’t get out of the car, couldn’t park it. Not until mile eleven.

The first mile was the easiest. According to the rules, all she had to do was turn her heater on. Since it was November, it was already running. She didn’t have to do anything. Her heart fluttered, and she kept driving. The mile counter pinged.

Mile two. Harder than the first, but Kayla couldn’t see why. She already had her heater on, and as far as she could tell, nothing else was happening. Was something else supposed to happen? She wanted to look at the rules, but she couldn’t stop driving. She had to keep going.

The mile counter pinged again. Kayla took a deep breath and tightened her hold on the steering wheel. Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed movement in the trees. Shadows that looked like people. She ignored them.

Kayla took another deep breath. Her pulse steadied, and she relaxed her hands on the steering wheel. Maybe this game was going to be even easier than she thought.

The first four miles seemed like a walk in the park. Kayla felt some of her uneasiness ebb, replaced by fiery determination. She kept thinking about Alexis and how good it would feel to see her again, to touch her, to hold her, to kiss her. Her thoughts consumed her as she drove, and when her phone chimed to announce the end of another mile, she barely heard it.

Mile five. Although she tried not to look around too much, the trees had gone missing. The entire forest had vanished. Somehow, it had all gone without her noticing. Was that supposed to happen, or was it unique to her journey? Not for the first time, she wished she could check her phone, scan the resources she’d collected, but she couldn’t.

She’d read about what could happen if you didn’t follow the rules of the game, but she couldn’t remember the specifics. Anyway, the possibilities her mind dredged up were probably a thousand times worse than what the Internet proclaimed. She pictured herself stopping to check her phone, only for her car to burst into flames. Or maybe she’d slow down, spend too much time looking around, make eye contact with a shadow person. God only knew what could happen to her then. She didn’t want to dwell on it.

Kayla gripped the steering wheel tighter. She checked her surroundings. Light sparkled on the surface of a lake on the right, one that hadn’t been there before. A glance at the moon confirmed it too now glowed brighter. What did any of it mean?

“Kayla.”

The voice sliced through the silence of the car and jolted Kayla from her musings. Maybe she was hearing things.

“Kayla. We are here.”

The voice came again, low and gravelly, followed by a chuckle that raised goosebumps on her skin. She’d forgotten about the voices. How did they know her name?

“We know, we know, we know.”

“We know everything, Kayla,” a high-pitched voice chimed in. “We see you and we hear you. We even know your thoughts.”

A muscle jerked in Kayla’s jaw. She had to keep her hands on the wheel, had to keep driving, had to keep the car moving no matter what. She’d have to ignore the voices, along with whatever else the road threw at her.

“Kayla.”

“Kayla Kayla Kayla.”

“Alexis is here, Kayla. She wants to talk to you.”

“Foolish girl. You can’t win this game.”

“You can’t beat us, Kayla.”

More voices joined, saying crueler things she couldn’t block out. The volume rose to a fever pitch. Slurs, epithets, and curses drowned out everything, even her own thoughts. More than anything, she yearned to stop the car and stop the screaming, but she couldn’t do that. Instead, she gritted her teeth and kept driving.

Mile six. The chime of the phone sent the voices away. Relief washed through Kayla’s body. She’d never been so grateful to sit in silence before.

Out of the corner of her eye, the trees reappeared. She recognized the shapes of the pines and shadowed firs. Their branches dipped and lifted with the wind—a sight she only saw because she’d switched to fully looking at the forest once again. Her hands gripped the wheel, and the car kept moving, but her gaze riveted to the trees.

Kayla…

The gravelly voice returned, but it was just inside her head. She brushed it off like she’d walked through a spiderweb.

Outside the car loomed an impossible darkness, like all the stars had gone out. Maybe they had. Kayla didn’t risk looking up at the sky. If the moon was still there, its glow had diminished.

Headlights flashed and flickered, glaring off the dark asphalt and bright-white lines along the sides. Kayla reached up to adjust the headlights, but no matter how far she twisted or how much she pulled, nothing affected them. They acted like sentient creatures capable of setting their own destinies. The lights continued to go haywire as she drove what she hoped was the last part of the mile.

“… as the end of the world is closer than ever! Hell, damnation, fire for all eternity!”

The radio roared to life, spewing some evangelist’s fire-and-brimstone sermon. Shit, that was the last thing she needed right now. She ran her fingers over the dial and hesitated. Should she turn the radio off? Her gut told her no, so maybe she’d just have to grin and bear the onslaught. 

“The LAKE OF FIRE! I SAID, LAKE OF FIRE!”

Like the voices and the headlights, the radio was proof that the game was toying with her, doing all it could to make her break the rules and lose.

Kayla had never been a good loser. She refused to lose this time. So she kept driving.

She couldn’t stop the car. She couldn’t turn off the radio. She couldn’t forget Alexis.

No matter how terrified she was, she couldn’t forget Alexis.

Kayla swallowed her fear and the lump in her throat. Her hand fell from the volume dial and settled back on the wheel. She pushed down on the gas pedal a little and readjusted her posture. Mile seven waited.

“Let’s go,” she murmured.

Kayla dissociated. Mile seven didn’t differ from the others, so she let herself dwell on her wish again. Alexis. The heat of her mouth as it slanted over hers. The tug of her hand tangled in Kayla’s hair.

Her phone pinged. Mile eight. She let off the gas and let the car roll almost to a stop, tapping the pedal just to keep the car moving. She couldn’t stop. Ahead, her headlights flickered. They cast eerie shadows over the trees. She tried not to look at the shadows.

Cold crept into the car. It brushed the back of Kayla’s neck and draped itself over her shoulders. If she hadn’t turned on the heater before, she bet it wouldn’t have worked now. Somehow, that logic fit the game.

The chill stiffened her joints and burned her lungs. Her breath fogged up the windows. She used her sleeve to wipe off enough of the windshield to see. If she couldn’t see, she couldn’t keep going. She had to keep going no matter what happened.

Her teeth chattered. She shivered. Still, she kept driving.

Alexis appeared on the road.

Kayla kept herself from braking. She couldn’t stop the car. Still, she couldn’t fathom hitting Alexis or the image of Alexis, even though she was dead. Even though she’d hurt herself worse than Kayla ever could.

Right before she hit Alexis, Kayla squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them again, Alexis had vanished.

Her phone pinged again. She’d begun mile nine. Two more until she’d see Alexis for real.

The Corolla’s engine sputtered, and the vehicle stalled. Kayla swore.

Alexis appeared again. This time, blood dripped from her mouth and eyes. Kayla hesitated. She had to do something… was she supposed to close her eyes? If she closed her eyes, how would she know where she was going?

Maybe the game would get her car moving and guide it along the road again. Maybe she should close her eyes and trust the process.

Kayla closed her eyes. She let out a shuddering breath. It was still so damn cold in the car. She knew without opening her eyes her fingertips were blue.

Kayla latched onto her car keys. With all the strength she could muster, she turned the key in the ignition. The car grumbled and sputtered in protest. 

Shit. She tried again, this time muttering a prayer to whatever god was listening. The engine sprang to life, along with Alexis’s vocal cords.

“Don’t you want to see me, Kayla?”

The voice was just as she’d remembered, and pain knifed Kayla’s heart. Her eyes were still closed. She knew beyond a doubt that she couldn’t open them. Now that the car had started, it was time to hit the gas.

“Kayla,” said Alexis.

Kayla hit the gas. She kept her eyes squeezed shut as the car surged forward and the mile counter sounded off.

She’d survived mile nine. Only one more to go.

Her eyes burned as she opened them. Unshed tears threatened to spill. After Alexis died, she thought she’d used up all her tears. Maybe it was fitting she shed some for her again.

Something flashed in the rearview mirror. Teeth, or maybe scales? Kayla ignored it.

The counter went off. Mile eleven. The end was in sight. She swore she could do this.

The car whirred as it powered down again. Kayla remembered that was supposed to happen. Even if the engine stopped, the car would still move forward, propelled by unseen forces.

Kayla relaxed and tried to fix her eyes on the road again. A traffic light sprang into view, wrought iron, with a stoplight hanging from it. The stoplight glowed an eerie red.

Kayla closed her eyes and covered her ears. Flashing lights and colors shone through her closed eyelids, and terrifying screams and threats slipped between her fingers and into her ears. The radio started up again, blaring more of the preacher’s sermon. Alexis’s voice floated about the din, whispering Kayla’s name before dissolving into tears.

The dam holding back Kayla’s own tears finally broke. She kept her eyes shut and her hands over her ears. What if this never ended? What if she’d lost the game somehow, and this was her punishment?

Her heartbeat faltered. Her breathing went shallow, erratic, and quick. Panic rattled her nerves. She wanted to scream, but somehow, adding to the chaos felt like it might make it worse.

Then, she remembered: Mile eleven, she could stop. Kayla put her foot on the brake and pressed until she couldn’t press down anymore. The voices and the lights died down. She sat for a moment and breathed.

Success was so close she could taste it. It was the cherry-scented lip gloss Alexis had always worn. Kayla didn’t think she’d ever forget the sticky sweetness of Alexis’s mouth as they kissed, her vanilla perfume swirling around both of them, the snake tattoo that curled up the side of her neck—

The road ended abruptly. Kayla didn’t notice the yellow DEAD END sign until it was almost too late to stop the car. According to the rules, once she reached the dead end, she could stop the car and make her wish.

Kayla let out a shaky laugh in relief. She’d made it this far. Her journey was over. All she needed to do now was ask for what she wanted.

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. She closed her eyes. She thought again about kissing Alexis and telling her how much she meant to her.

Let me see her, she thought. Let me kiss her, please. One last time. That’s all I need.

In the quiet of the idling car, with her eyes still closed, Kayla could almost pretend she wasn’t taking part in a terrifying game in the middle of the night. She could almost pretend she’d done something logical, something to give her closure without risking her life.

Almost.

“Kayla.”

Kayla’s eyes flew open. There, standing in front of the sign, was Alexis. No longer dripping blood, she looked as she had the last time Kayla saw her alive, blonde pixie cut and bright brown eyes, snake tattoo, and a smile. Kayla’s heart leapt.

What was she supposed to do next? This was the end of the road. She’d won.

Kayla beamed and wrenched the driver’s side door open. It screamed in protest. Kayla climbed out of the car and stepped into the glow of the headlights. The air chilled her skin, still somehow warmer than inside the car, even with the heater on. Alexis was there. She was really there.

And Kayla was going to kiss her.

Her heart fluttered in a bittersweet way she recognized as she crept closer to Alexis, who was still smiling. Recognition flashed in her eyes. Kayla wiped tears from her eyes. Damn it, she wouldn’t ruin her wish by crying.

“You look beautiful,” Kayla said.

“Mile eleven,” Alexis replied. “What did you wish for?”

“You.”

“Was it worth it?”

“Of course.”

Kayla took another step closer to Alexis. She pulled her girlfriend into an embrace, marveling at how warm and solid she felt. Alexis leaned into the contact. As Kayla’s eyelids drooped, Alexis flashed seven rows of suddenly serrated teeth at her. Kayla screamed and looked into Alexis’s eyes. They were blood red and slitted and nothing she knew.

Right before the monster lunged, Kayla remembered the last rule:

Don’t get out of the car until you’re back home.

[poesbeforeprose]

Chapter 4:

Hours passed. The house was incredibly silent between the two of us, but eventually when Price returned I fulfilled my mission.

“What did you do to her?” He asked while putting out his cigar with his boot.

I was sitting on the back porch when they arrived. My fingers fumbled with the buckles on my med bag as I picked through the thoughts racing in my mind. I looked up with a smirk, “Just was my annoying self is all.”

“Copy.” He said with a chuckle. Soap and Ghost passed with a nod each and I was once again alone outside.

The sun was now setting over the mountains to the west and it cast long shadows like fingers across the land. I plucked the wooden step underneath me until I could feel the flakes shatter under my nail. There was a comfort in the rhythmic sensation and I sighed heavily. Who was I kidding? Why would I press her so much when I hardly even know her? I’ve spoken to her for a total of barely an hour so the crushing feeling I felt turn in my ribs made me feel foolish. I hung my head between my knees and groaned.

The thought of her alone was intoxicating. I could still envision her dark eyes on me, studying my face and watching my hands attentively. I closed my eyes and thought of a world where I could’ve stayed behind that night in the hospital room with her. I could’ve waited for her to wake and had a proper conversation with her. Maybe, somewhere in this world of make believe we would’ve had coffee. Maybe I could’ve convinced her how beautiful she is as well as being one of the most deadly women I had ever met. A slight tingle on the back of my neck danced across my skin. I let my mind wander for a little too long and when it came to a head, the door behind me shifted.

“Chow time.” Soap muttered. I kicked against the steps and marched inside to whatever came next.

Dinner passed without much of us saying a thing. Although the group themselves could be as chatty as they wanted, I felt like the awkwardness grew nevertheless. Nyx herself didn’t leave her room until Ghost got up and disappeared for a moment. When he returned she was behind him then sat silently a few chairs down from me. I had to get it together because as soon as that raven hair turned the corner my heart pounded against my ribs and I almost choked. I quickly focused all the strength I could to not die from embarrassment.

I managed to pry a few questions from them. Favorite songs, movie references, things we would prefer to do with our free time. It was like pulling teeth with them as I was the odd man out in their little cohort. I internally sighed at the frustration of it all. I couldn’t imagine a place where they could be a team with me along for the ride. I just didn’t fit in at all with them. The only thing I cared about, I realized, was that woman sitting less than eight feet from me. I didn’t care about titles or medals or stories of valor; it was her I wanted. I kept my eyes fixed on my plate before me thinking of all the things I wish I could say to her about this afternoon, but in the end it was not my place.

About two hours after we all left for our rooms, a small knock came from my door. I sat up in bed, my journal resting across my chest and saw the curve of light underneath the door. Another short, sharp knock came and I got up without a word. I cracked my door just a few inches and my heart fell to the floor again. Nyx, framed in the soft amber light of the living room behind her, was looking at the floor. My lips began to part but she spoke first.

“Sorry. For slapping you.”

I couldn’t mask my surprise as my lips parted further as I inhaled sharply. My heart rate thrusting forward within me. I tried to find the words but then she looked up at me with something in her eyes I didn’t expect; honesty. I was falling inside myself over and over. The soles of my feet seemed to melt into the floor as our eyes met. Time seemed to stand still and I tried to decipher her thoughts through facial expressions alone. I took the time to steal glances as her lips, her cheekbones, and her exquisite jawline. I never in a million years expected her to ask forgiveness yet here she was three feet away.

“I uh…it’s okay.” I stammered. “I shouldn’t have said anything to begin with.”

Her eyes narrowed a bit. I could tell she was studying as much as I was studying her in this moment. A mental chess match neither one of us wanted to play or be involved in. However, given the circumstance of us standing within breathing distance, her eyes danced across my face again and then back to my eyes.

“You were just expressing good bedside manner.” She finally said. Very clever Nyx. I couldn’t help but grin lightly.

“Well, I still don’t know why I’m here but I can at least be nice about it.”

Her eyes fell to the floor for a moment, “Sorry. I was impulsive. I made the demand for you specifically.”

Although it was already known without being said, I still could feel my brain rocket into the stratosphere. Her voice alone admitting the smallest of difficulties to me was more than enough. My breath hitched in my chest for a beat before I could respond.

“Is there any particular reason for that? There are plenty other medics out there.”

The silence between us was palpable. While she continued to stare at the floor willing the words to bubble up, I took this opportunity to bask in her beauty. She was smaller than me sure, but a tight coil of muscle ran beneath her skin. Her training and resilience showing through was tantalizing. Her lips curved delicately and I itched within to just hear her speak. I decided then that I just loved to hear her speak. Traveling south, I noticed a slight slump in her shoulders, mental weight she had either burdened herself with or been burdened with from her past. I would stand here forever until we were both nothing but piles of dust waiting for her to speak.

“I remembered waking up briefly in the hospital room. I remembered hearing your voice.”

Everything in me wished to curl up and die from embarrassment at that moment. Oh god it was not my finest moment.

“Oh? What did you hear?”

Nyx smiled shyly, “Your friend wasn’t impressed with your courage.”

I’m going to kill him. Whenever I get back to the states and back on base I will throttle him until he turns blue.

“Oh, oh that’s just, great.” I fought to admit. Her little smirk had crept up my spine and wormed its way into my brain. To see her smile although it was at my misfortune. She brush a small tuft of hair behind her left ear. Suddenly her scent of lavender and bourbon was on me again. My legs buckled for a moment as my thighs tightened.

“It wasn’t that bad. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She admitted.

I shook my head trying to right myself, “It’s okay. I just was worried. Not every day you see a cadaver come alive.”

Her eyes flashed up at me again and my throat closed up, “I guess you’re right. I’m so used to making them that I never expected myself to be one eventually.”

“It’s a great callsign though. I gotta admit. Could be worse.”

Nyx smirked again and cocked an eyebrow, “Like Odie?”

“Like Odie.” I agreed. We shared a small laugh and I felt the tension break. Silence again between the three feet space between us. I couldn’t help but feel a burning desire to just close the gap and make promises I would never keep.

I looked down her slender build again. Her feet were slightly inward as she stood there. She had arrived at my door with nothing but a tank top and shorts on and it was driving me wild to imagine what she shared with her mirror. And Simon, my mind echoed. I stiffened in my spot and the conversation between heart and brain became so cold I could barely breathe. I couldn’t even process the taper of her waist as her top hugged her ever so delicately. My eyes processed that she indeed didn’t have a bra on given the late hour.

“I asked the nurse about you the next day. I kept my intentions with me until I knew enough. I read your file. What made you stop pursuing special operations?” She finally said after a minute. It took me a little longer than I wanted because a wave of disappointment had hit me from the last mental hurdle. I shook my head and shrugged.

“Some people are cut out for it. I guess I wasn’t. It’s more my job to fix people and help them heal.”

Her face became sullen. “Unlike me. I leave people broken or buried.”

Silence again. I exhaled in a chuckle, “What a pair we are then. Life and death, the age old friendship.”

Her eyes met mine again and I felt heat rising from the soles of my feet. It was aggravating how this woman I barely knew could have so much emotional control over me. I didn’t want to admit or be dramatic, but I would go through Hell for her. Not because of some grand, sweeping gesture of love or desire, but because it just seemed like the right thing to do. The longer I looked into her eyes, the more internal strife I could sense. A secret she buried long ago and was the primary line of defense between her and everyone else.

“I don’t have many friends. Never really made time for them given the circumstance.”

“You have Simon.” I interjected. A flinch from her made me withdraw any additional comment.

Nyx shifted in her spot. Her eyes flicked behind her for a moment and my mind made the connection. The moan. The dinner. The silent guardian who went by the callsign that would strike fear in the hearts of millions. Oh God, I’ve fallen for forbidden fruit. Nyx pulled me from my living nightmare with a whisper.

“That’s true, but he has his own demons to face. We all do.”

I was torn between seeing this as an opportunity yet seeing it as a lost cause. “That’s true. We are human after all.” I muttered.

Nyx sighed, having an internal conversation of her own. “You’re insufferable.”

“Mom always said I was hopelessly optimistic. Part of the reason why I couldn’t hack it in spec ops.” I cast my gaze downward for a moment. She jolted through my senses as she took half a step forward.

“It’s admirable. That little glimmer of hope is what drives a lot of operators to see another day. We could use more of it on some missions.”

“Is that why I’m here? Hopeless optimism?” I said crossing my arms. Nyx rolled her eyes. The first sign that I was chipping away at that last bastion of her inner defenses.

“No. We have a mission for you. Well, specifically, I have a mission for you.”

My face went slack. I could feel my brow scrunch together in shock, “Excuse me?”

Her voice became silent, almost breathless and I strained to hear her, “I have a plan to smoke out a target. I’ve had a mission within a mission for some time now.”

I raised my palms, “I feel like I shouldn’t be hearing this. This seems extremely dangerous.”

Nyx stepped closer to me, her voice low and breathy, “Trust me. You’re in good hands. I know this is going to work. I needed a medic who could help me. You’ve done that. Now, I’m just asking for one last thing.”

My heart rate was through the roof now. I knew my pulse was apparent in my neck because she glanced sharply at the throbbing vein there. She looked up and smiled, “You don’t have to be nervous or anything. I’m not asking you to kill anyone. That’s my job.”

“Nyx what are you doing. Does Price know about this?”

Her face turned into a small grin, “He knows as much as I need him too. This idea is a gamble more than anything.” At the thought alone, of her being in her element once again, she lightly bit her lip. My cock strained against my shorts at the gesture. Once again, I got the feeling that she was aware of the effect she had on me. I couldn’t tell however, if she loved having me trapped here or if she was enjoying the idea of being back in the field.

[canthelpbutimagine]

:(

[fivelakesinwriting]

hii!! id love it if youd make a rafe x reader enemies to lovers fic where the reader gets a nipple piercing and rafe sees the piercing thru their thin/tight top? reader tries to tease him but rafe tries to ignore it and shit gets FREAKKYYYY lollol

Author's Notes: Y'all are little freaks...and I love that about you. I named the girl in particular for this story, sometimes it's just easier! Please let me know what you think if you have a moment. If this was your request, I hope you love it! xoxo

Warnings: Talk of piercings (might make people uneasy), Swearing, Drinking, Sexual references - Sexual innuendos, Smut *(biting, rough sex, mentions of choking , unprotected sex - please be safe out there, your choice how! ) All Characters are 18+

Requested? YES! Requests for OBX are OPEN!

*My work is not to be transferred, copied, translated or reposted to any other sites without my permission. Please see my masterlist for all other works and warnings. Thank you! xoxo

To say that Rafe loathed his sister Sarah's friend - Evie - would be an understatement. He didn't know why he disliked the girl so much, she had never really done anything to him to make him dislike her so much. There was just something about her that rubbed him the wrong way.

Maybe it was the way she didn't move out of the way for him when they crossed paths in the hallway at Tannyhill, the way she called him by his full name - Rafe Cameron - or perhaps, because she looked like the kind of girl that wouldn't give him the time of day. And that bothered the shit out of him.

It was a lazy Summer afternoon and Rafe planned on doing nothing with his day. Topper and Kelce weren't available for golf, and Barry was out. So Rafe cut his losses and decided he would hang out at home by the pool and drink beers all day.

As he descended the stairs towards the kitchen to begin his afternoon he heard his sister's laugh and the distinct sound of Evie's laugh just after. Rafe exhaled heavily as he rolled his eyes, succumbing to the notion that his relaxing afternoon would have the background noise of a witch's cackle.

"Ladies." Rafe grumbled as he quickly made his way through the kitchen, a beeline towards the fridge to grab a beer.

"Rafe Cameron, nice to see you." Evie smiled over the top of her phone as she showed Sarah a photo.

"Evie, see they rescheduled your burning at the stake." Rafe glared as he popped the top of his beer, sipped, then made his way out the patio doors towards the pool.

"Rafe!" Sarah scolded as she picked out a piece of fruit from the bowl on the counter in front of her, and threw it at the door as he closed it behind him.

Just as Rafe started to get settled on the lounge chair by the pool, the sun hot on his chest and face, the patio door opened and the girls came outside still giggling.

"Do you need to be here? Can't you take the car and like, leave?" Rafe sighed as he turned his hat back around to shield his eyes from the sun to properly glare at his sister.

"Last I checked this wasn't your house, Rafe. So, we're staying. Deal with it, or go back inside." Sarah replied with a roll of her eyes as she stepped into the pool.

Rafe let out a long, dramatic sigh as he pulled his hat down over his eyes but kept it high enough that he was able to see the pool just under the brim. He crossed his arms over his chest and listened intently to the conversation the girls were having.

"So, you and Anthony are done?" Sarah asked as she waded further into the water.

"So done. Couldn't be more done." Evie stated firmly, and Rafe heard the sound of clothing drop to the deck of the pool.

"That's what you said the last time, and then I had to come pick you up from that party and your knees were all scratched up -" Sarah stated a smirk evident in her voice.

Rafe's ears perked up at the turn the conversation was taking. He knew his sister had a tendency to pick friends that were less than good influences on her. But this? Oh, he would stay and listen to this.

"And that's why I got these done. It's my gift to myself for kicking that loser to curb. And my constant reminder every time I see it." Evie replied with a laugh.

Rafe was beyond curious as to the gift she had given herself. His mind raced as he thought of all the possibilities. And he had not even known she was with someone until that moment. Rafe pulled his hat back up over his eyes, squinting against the sunlight, then stood up from the lounge chair as not to seem like he had been eavesdropping.

But he was.

"Oh, Rafe Cameron! Wait up." Evie called after him as he headed back into the house to grab another beer.

Rafe gave the door a push to keep it open for her as he continued his walk inside the house again, the air conditioning cool on his skin. He opened the fridge doors once more, but felt uncomfortable, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as he felt a pair of eyes on him.

"Stop staring at me." He ordered as he grabbed another beer and closed the door of the refrigerator harshly.

"Just waiting for you to move, Rafe Cameron." Evie smiled while she leaned against the island counter, her sunglasses pushed up on the top of her head as her eyes scanned his body.

"Can just ask." Rafe grumbled as he shifted out of the way, flicking the tab of his beer can. He felt uncomfortable under her gaze but also confident, and powerful. He didn't know which way to go.

Witch.

"Thank you." She nodded as she made her way passed him to open the doors of the fridge again and peered inside.

Rafe looked over at her through the corner of his eye as best he could, trying to figure out what she had been talking to Sarah about. What was the gift? He cursed his inquiring mind with a bite of his top lip and quickly turned on his heel to leave again.

"Oh, wait. Rafe? Can you help me? I can't reach the glasses up there." Evie asked with a strain in her voice.

Rafe turned around again with a sigh, placing his beer down on the counter then walked back over to the short girl trying to reach a glass in the high up cabinets. He easily reached above her head, grabbed a glass and placed it in front of her.

"There you go." Rafe mumbled as his fingertips trailed over the countertop as he backed up a little to give her some space.

"Thanks, Rafe Cameron." Evie nodded as she turned around to face him, leaning against the counter.

It was then as she was leaned up against the counter, arms holding her body up as Rafe noticed what Evie had been telling Sarah about all along. It had been under his nose, and under her tiny t-shirt the whole time.

"Who's Anthony?" Rafe asked with a clear of his throat he hoped wasn't too obvious before he pointed to her nipples, pierced, very visible through her white t-shirt.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Evie grinned as she got close to him, close enough that he could smell the chlorine from the pool on her and whatever perfume she used. She brushed by him, her nipples grazing his bare arm as she exited the kitchen and Rafe shivered.

Witch. Bitch....fuck, she's hot.

Rafe growled low in his chest as he turned around, grabbed his beer and took a big drink. He pushed the door open to the pool area again and stalked out to see Evie sitting on the pool deck, her feet in the water as Sarah floated on an obnoxious flotation device shaped like a swan.

"You didn't bring a suit, Evie?" Rafe muttered as he took another generous sip of his beer and placed it on the table beside his lounge chair.

"This is my suit." She replied as she kicked a leg out of the water.

"A white t-shirt and bikini bottoms?" Rafe inquired, attempting to keep his tone even.

She didn't reply, only tossed him a smile as she placed her leg back in the water while she leaned back on her hands. She extended her neck back, letting the sun hit her face as she let out a content sigh.

Rafe didn't like to be teased.

"Sarah, go pick up Wheezie." Rafe ordered as he finished off his beer and adjusted his hat on his head, turning the brim backwards.

"Why do I have to do it? You're the one with no friends and nothing to do." Sarah replied with a glare over the the neck of the swan.

"I'll get us all dinner if you go and pick her up. I don't like that Samuel kid she hangs out with." Rafe grumbled as he leaned back in the chair.

"Do you like anyone?" Sarah sighed as she pulled herself over to the edge of the pool and climbed out.

Sarah asked Evie if she wanted to come along, but Evie declined. She said she would stay here, dry off and make sure that Rafe didn't fuck up the dinner choice for them all.

"You want a beer, Evie?" Rafe asked once Sarah had left and it was just the two of them and the tension he wasn't sure how to label.

The two of them stood in the kitchen, looking through take out menus and avoided conversation. Rafe's eyes flickered over the top of the menu he was pretending to read and zeroed in on her nipples, still visible through her shirt and he was reeling.

"You should change your shirt before Wheezie gets back." Rafe mumbled as he quickly looked back at the menu in his hands so she didn't catch him staring.

"For whose benefit? Hers or yours, Rafe Cameron?" Evie smirked as she tossed the menu she was holding onto the counter, then leaned on her forearms and looked up at him.

"Listen. Maybe this Anthony character liked to be teased and have you shove your tits in his face, but I don't. So quit it." Rafe growled as he dropped his own menu to the floor and reached over the counter to take hold of her face, making her look right into his eyes.

"You don't like my tits?" She questioned, hands pressed to the counter as she started to climb onto it to get closer to him. The other shoe starting to drop.

"I love them." Rafe practically whined as Evie climbed onto the counter and crawled over to him. He tugged off her still wet t-shirt, dropping it to the floor before he reached for her breasts.

"Gentle!" She hissed with a yank of his hair as he tugged at either of the steel bars that pierced her nipples.

"Hurts?" Rafe breathed out as his nose brushed over hers, his palms kneading her breasts a little more gently as he let her pull on his hair.

"Not too much. You just look like you can get rough." She muttered as her other hand reached for his bicep and squeezed.

"Can be, yeah. Won't be this time if you don't want that." Rafe exhaled while his lips got closer to hers. She still smelled like chlorine, and her perfume was some sort of flower he couldn't name. He loved it.

Evie twisted her fingers into the hair at the back of his head and pulled his lips to hers, the other shoe finally dropping. Rafe groaned against her mouth as he released his hold on her chest in favour of wrapping his arms around her instead, pulling her close against him.

"Don't bite! Your sister will notice the marks." Evie gasped when Rafe removed his lips from his and kissed down to her collarbone, sinking his teeth into her skin still warm from the sun.

"Give you one of my shirts. Have to cover these anyways." Rafe mumbled into her clavicle as he reached up to palm at her breasts again.

"Because Sarah and Wheezie coming home to me in your clothes isn't more suspicious, Rafe." She scolded as she reached for his hair to tug his face up, making him look at her.

"Let me worry about them." Rafe growled as he grabbed her hips to lift her off the counter then placed her on the cool tiled floor in front of him. He spun her around and pulled her bikini bottoms down her legs, his breath in his throat at the naked woman in front of him.

"Here?!" She squealed as she tossed a frantic look over her shoulder at him, eyes wide as she waited for his next move. Rafe ran his hands from her shoulders down her back to her hips, simply admiring her form.

"Too much for you?" Rafe grinned, an eyebrow raised to challenge her.

"So, teasing is okay as long as you're the tease?" Evie shivered as her head dropped down, forehead pressed to the countertop as Rafe reached around to roll her nipples between his fingers again.

"Yes." Rafe stated simply, as if this were a fact she should have known upon walking into Tannyhill. He bent down to press a kiss to the back of her neck, a groan in the back of his throat as she pushed back into him.

"C'mon, Rafe." Evie whined as her right hand reached back to pull at his hair as he bit down on the creased of her neck while he untied his swim shorts, letting them fall to his feet.

"You're so whiny. So bratty. I fucking hate it." Rafe growled into her neck as he lined himself up with her entrance, choking out a breath at how wet she felt against him.

"Are you sure?" She exhaled and Rafe could hear the smile on her face.

Fucking witch. Beautiful, pierced, whiny, wet and warm fucking witch.

"If you wanna keep this gentle I suggest you keep your mouth shut, sweetheart." Rafe breathed in her ear as he pressed his tip inside of her, and he swore his heart stopped for a second as she clenched around him.

Her back arched and she let out a pathetic little whine that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he sunk inside of her completely. She reached a hand back to grab his wrist, her nails deep in his skin as he settled inside of her to let her adjust to his size.

"Damn." Rafe groaned as he pulled his hips back, fingertips pressed into the skin of her hips to keep her steady as he thrust back in. He sunk his teeth into her neck again, loving the way she bounced back into him when he did.

"More, Rafe. Please." Evie begged breathlessly, her neck extended to the side to let him mark her up. Rafe pulled his calloused fingers over her hips and up to her breasts again, kneading them before he rolled her nipples between his fingers.

"Hate how good you feel. Goddammit, Evie." Rafe growled while he wrapped one arm around her chest to pull her close while his other hand reached between her legs.

"Shit! Too much!" Evie gasped, her eyes wide when Rafe gave a firm thrust that sent her forward to the countertop once more. Her nails scratched over his forearm as he pressed his middle finger to her clit, finding it easily.

"Can't handle it?" Rafe grunted as a smile tugged at the corner of his lips, his middle finger circling her clit as he pounded into her from behind.

"Fuck you, Rafe Cameron." Evie sobbed out, back arched as she pulled one hand down his forearm and the other reached back to pull at his hair.

"You already are, and I can fucking feel you coming. You always this easy? Hmm?" Rafe panted as he unwrapped his arm from her chest to press his large palm to her collarbone, bringing her upright against him. He wanted to wrap his hand around that delicate little neck so badly, but he would wait. She had asked him to gentler with her, and he was trying so hard.

"You're a fuc - " She cursed but was cut off by Rafe reaching up and pushing two fingers in her mouth.

"Shut up, and just cum for me." Rafe growled as he pushed his middle and index finger further in her mouth, a shiver going down his spine as he felt her tongue swirl over the pads of his fingers.

As she came around him, whining around his fingers, Rafe was reconsidering his deep hatred for Evie. He chased his own release and kept an obnoxiously bruising grip on her hip with his free hand. Rafe groaned against the back of her neck, pressing his palm flat against her stomach to keep her flush against him as he finished inside of her.

"Shit." Rafe breathed out against the back of her neck, removing his fingers from her mouth. He gave her a soft kiss below her hairline as a thank you, and he hoped she didn't feel the way his breath shook on his exhale.

"I still don't like you very much." Evie whispered as she rested her head back on his shoulder, her eyes closed as she twisted his hair between her fingers.

"Don't like you all that much either." Rafe scoffed as he pressed a kiss to her forehead, although he had to admit in that moment just the two of them in the quiet house wrapped around one another - he didn't hate her all that much.

"I might let you do that again, though. If you give me a shirt, and order me food." Evie responded, her eyes opening just a little to watch as he kissed her forehead to the tip of her nose and then her chin.

"If you don't get burned at the stake first, be happy to do that again."

Hotties:

@anonymousobxfan @starkey-babie @barrysjumpsuit @sodasback

@fashion-fasting @vintageobx @babeyglo @rottenstyx @pogueslandia @soph0864 @whcclxr @beauvibaby @plutooryectors @rafecameronspolo

*tag list is open, please let me know if I forgot you or you would like to be added/removed from particular posts. I've removed the people that don't pre-populate :(

Please let me know what you think if you have a moment! Thank you so much xoxo

Requests for OBX ARE OPEN!

[randynova]

♡𝓜𝔂 𝓦𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷♡

𝓖𝓾𝓷 𝔁 𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓻

𝑆𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦: 𝐴𝑙𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒, 𝐺𝑢𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝐺𝑜𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑖𝑓 𝑖𝑡 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑠 ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒.

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𝑊𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔(𝑠):𝐹𝑒𝑚!𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟, 𝐹𝑙𝑢𝑓𝑓, 𝑠𝑜𝑓𝑡(𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝)! 𝐺𝑢𝑛

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“Why couldn’t this have waited until another day?” Gun muttered, unbuttoning his shirt, letting it slide off his taut frame, and neatly folding it, placing it onto the roof of his car. He was glad he hadn't put his jacket on, having left it in his passenger seat. “I can’t dirty my clothes again, [Name] will be mad if I get blood on it.” He rolled his broad shoulders until they released a satisfying crack, his thick muscles bulging as he stretched his arms across his scarred chest. Gun peered at a nearby store, the digital clock displaying in big white numbers, ‘7:45 PM’. He groaned, his lips curling into a scowl whilst his arms fell to his side. He didn’t have enough time to deal with this.

“Hmm, and it’s almost time for our date. Fuck.” Gun whispered to himself. He clenched his fists, narrowing his eyes at the man across from him. He removed his shades and revealed his dark gaze, placing his favorite accessory to his side as well. “I’ll make this quick, Goo. I have more important places to be.”

Goo laughed, grinning in his spot as he balanced a pole in his hands. He rolled his eyes, arching a brow at his partner. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, Gun, maybe if you didn’t spend all your time by [Name]’s side, we could have dealt with this matter much earlier. That girl has you wrapped around her pretty little finger, huh?”

“Shut it,” Gun said, already racing towards the blonde and thrusting his fist, knuckles colliding with metal. Upon the cold sensation meeting his skin, he wanted to absolutely kill Goo and rip him to shreds. This would take longer than he wanted, wasting his already precious, short time. He backed off, having a considerable distance between the two, stretching his fingers a few times before clenching them again. He growled, spitting venomously,  “You just like picking fights.” 

“You did too. Before you met her, y’know,” Goo tutted, waving his finger in the air. He scoffed, voice low, “Who would’ve thought? Gun going soft for a girl. Psh, pathetic. Never thought I’d live to see the day...” The blonde trailed off, his face becoming stoic, his mind wandering. You truly had to be someone exceptional if you managed to have a guy like Gun to fall for you. He always wondered who you were, how you looked like, what you did, but Gun had kept you a secret from the world of crime. He hid almost every known trace abou you and tied every loose end that implicated you existed. No one knew who you were and no one could find you — unless Gun allowed them to. 

Goo found it so irritating how he was unable to know the girl who made such a notorious gangster go soft. 

He only met you once and that was by pure sheer luck; dropping by unexpectedly at one of Gun's apartments, only to be met with the sight of you. Seeing how Gun reacted, he knew you were supposed to be kept hush-hush. But boy, did he have a field day the next time he saw the man.

Goo had to meet you again. Or at least, know you more.

Only when Gun’s fist connected with Goo’s face did the man snap out of his thoughts, the impact of such force throwing him a few feet backwards. He dug his feet into the floor, a high-pitched screech coming from his shoes as the rubber burned against the pavement. With his sleeve, Goo wiped his cheek, seeing a speck of blood staining his clothes. Goo chuckled, standing up straight with a grin, “If I can remember right, you told me you got Eli Jang in trouble for basically the same thing. What was her name again? Heather?”

Goo blocked the upcoming attack, his pole raised and crossed above his face. He pushed Gun back with an effortless swing of the pole. He tilted his head and scratched the back of his head with his free hand. “How is [Name] any different from Heather? What does she have on you?”

Gun twisted his neck gently until he heard a crack, looking back at Goo as he hissed with venom, “Nothing.”

“Let me think, let me think….” Goo hummed, racking his mind for any possibility that someone like Gun would stay with a woman longer than one night. His face lit up and he broke out into a wide grin, pointing a finger at Gun. “Aha! You got the poor girl knocked up, right?! See, I always tell you to wear protection! Just couldn’t keep it in your pants, hm? Shaaame.” 

“Ugh, fuck no. I don’t want kids and neither does she. We made that clear at the beginning," Gun said with a sneer, annoyed beyond comprehension at Goo's antics. 

“Awe, I really thought she held something over you. How about this: I’ll stop fighting you if you tell me why you’re still with such a pretty girl like [Name]? Deal?" Goo offered, slinging the pole onto his shoulder. His eyes darkened as he spat maliciously, knowing each word would wind and rile Gun's emotions. "She deserves better than a perverted gangster, you both know that.”

Gun stayed silent, the corners of his lips tugging down into a frown. Goo’s last words struck a chord in him, sending a pang through his heart upon hearing an insecurity he’ll never admit to. Of course. Everyone told you to stay away from a man like Gun. People kept telling you you will only get hurt in the end, that a better man will come along and sweep you off your feet if you just waited, or you could always do better than him. But you never listened. You stayed by his side, even when the whole world looked down on you two. Even for months, he tried convincing himself he felt nothing for you, but after a while, he finally accepted that someone managed to tear down his walls and enter his hollow, cold heart — you. 

You were just a different kind of girl - no- a different kind of woman. A special woman he had the pleasure of meeting. One he wouldn’t dare let go of now that he has the privilege of calling you ‘mine’. And by any god out there, he won’t be a stupid fool to lose you.

Gun sighed. “I tell you and you’ll put this stupid fight behind us, right?”

Goo placed a hand over his chest, replying shortly, “You have my word.~”

“[Name] is just that special person you meet once in your life. One you know you can’t let go of because there isn’t another like her. Simple as that.”

“What?! Ugh, don’t be boring! Tell me more!”

“You asked why I  stayed with her and I told you.”

“Yeah, but I expected a story, not some sad attempt at an old man’s wise words.”

A low guttural sound rumbled in Gun’s throat, his eye twitching. “Maybe when I’m in a better mood I’ll tell you, but if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with my woman.”

Goo groaned and tossed his pole to the side, rolling his eyes and grumbling, "Fiiine, but you owe me a story. "

"Whatever—damnit," Gun looked at the clock once again and his face contorted into one of pure irate. "I'm late."

'8:12 PM'

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Your head rested on your hand, balancing a glass of wine between your fingers, twirling the cup as the liquid swished around. Your eyes were looking down on the glory of Gangdong, the shimmering, blinding lights of the city mesmerizing you. The city always looked beautiful at this time of night. You just wished you could enjoy it with the person you cherished. A sigh leaves your lips and you look away, eyes trailing to the other tables over the balcony. 

The lingering eyes of many strange men didn't faze you anymore, the two burly boys surrounding your table always making them avert their gaze as fast as it landed. A courtesy of your boyfriend, who was at least thirteen minutes late, who insisted on you needing to be guarded at all times. You knew if he were here, no one would dare to even breathe in your direction, let alone glance. 

The cool air pricked your skin and a shiver passed through your body, reminding you of where you were. For a man as smart as him, Gun tended to neglect keeping the season in mind when planning your dates. Nonetheless, you were happy he went out of his way to take you out on such a busy schedule. 

You jumped in your seat, snapping out of your thoughts. A jacket was wrapped around your frame, warmth immediately enveloping you as the fabric made contact with your bare skin. You looked up and smiled. 

Gun stood behind you, towering over your sitting form as he made sure you were nice and covered. His coat basically swallowed you whole. A small stuffed animal was tucked under his arm, it’s fluffy fur peeking out. He walked over to take his seat, pulling the chair out, and wasting no time to slip in. He waved to the guards and they nodded, beginning to clear the scene of people.

“Sorry I’m late, [Name],” Gun started, taking the stuffie out from underneath his arm and presenting it to you. Oh, how adorable. "I brought you a gift as an apology."

A small brown otter sat in his palms, barely taking up Gun's hands. It’s beady, plastic eyes looked straight at you, a little smile stitched onto its snout. A snort left you. The sight of such a well-dressed, intimidating man carrying such an adorable toy was  amusing. "Really now? Just a cute toy, Gun?"

Gun sighed and sat up a bit from his chair, leaning over the table, and cupping your face as he planted a gentle kiss on your cheek. As quick as it started, Gun's lips left and he was seated once again. You pout. "Don't give me that look, [Name]. We can do more at home if you want but not here."

"It's not wrong to be disappointed in no kiss on the mouth after not seeing your boyfriend for such a long time. Don't you think I deserve it?"

Gun smirked, placing his shades on the table and taking your hand, intertwining your fingers together. He gave a light squeeze and you didn't miss a beat as you squeezed his coarse hand back. The way you pursed your lips and looked at him with such glossy, innocent eyes made his heart swell. With such a pretty, cute face, it was hard to say no to you. "Hmm, maybe. But Olly told me you crossed paths with Hostel A." Gun spoke, slipping his hands from yours and picking up his dinnerware, quickly cutting the savory meat into pieces. He didn't hesitate to put a piece up to your mouth, a hand underneath so as to not have the juice leak. "I was told you nearly broke the Uncles' bones and Big Daddy himself."

Your face scrunched up and you scoffed, shaking your head. You placed the stuffed animal to the side, petting it. "Figured those assholes wouldn’t tell you everything. The ‘uncles’ wouldn’t leave me alone and I thought Olly was another one of those bastards,” you snap, sitting back in your seat with a scowl. “How was I supposed to know he was trying to help when he dresses like that? I thought he was trying to assault me for God’s sake!”

Gun placed down his fork on his plate and his face twisted into one of fury, eyes turning cold and rigid as all the warmth disappeared whilst his lips curled back into a nasty frown. You almost thought his infamous scowl was directed towards you, but you knew better. You dear boyfriend wouldn't dare lay a single finger on you if it didn't bring you pleasure. "They what?" 

You smiled softly, placing your hand over his as it clenched into a fist. With your small attempt at trying to soothe him by rubbing small circles, you spoke with a bit of hesitation, "Ah, yeah. They kept trying to get my number and wouldn't let me leave the booth I was in. I had no other choice than to use the training you taught me. Since I never met Olly, I really thought he was just another one of them and I reacted before thinking, making me attack him too."

Gun scoffed, shaking his head as he listened to your explanation with disbelief, every word fueling his rage of someone daring to hit on his woman. Every fiber in Gun's body screamed, wanting to feel their skin underneath his fists as he pounded them into oblivion. But the only thing stopping him was his date with you. For now, he'll put his anger aside to be with you and keep you happy. Who knows how long he'll be gone and when he'll see you again. The man has to make every second count. 

Yet, he couldn’t let this go unpunished.

"Fuck." Gun leans closer to you and sits on the edge of his chair. Placing his hand over yours, he slips his fingers to grasp your palm, and lifts your hand to his lips, pressing tender kisses against your knuckles. His thumb grazing softly across your fingers and his eyes flutter shut. You couldn't help but stare in awe, never quite seeing him like this.

So careful with you, so gentle, you were surprised he wasn't seething in his seat and threatening to break their heads open. Gun opens his eyes and looks up at you, shaking in his seat. “I promise I’ll have those fuckers begging on their knees for your forgiveness. They should know better than to treat a woman with such rudeness and disrespect. Shit, I’ll go right now. I’ll beat them till-”

Your sweet laugh reaches his ears, cutting him off from his little speech. You lean in and pull in his hand to your lips, pressing a tender peck to his coarse knuckles. Gun felt his heart race and skip a beat at the sight, shock crossing his features. You look up, looking at your boyfriend with mirthful eyes. “As much fun as that sounds, I'd rather you stay here. Please? I want to spend as much time with you before you go back to work.”

The man stayed silent for a few seconds, taking in your words. He looked away, clicking his tongue before he broke out into a small smile, a blush blooming across his cheeks and the tip of his ears burning a bright red. “Of course, [Name]. Though, you could’ve just said you like spending time with me.”

Giggling, you lower your hands and shake your head. “Gun, of course I like spending time with you. You’re my favorite person and I love you after all.” Your voice said those three words with such fondness, it’s as if the man was in a dream. 

If your words from before didn’t send Gun over the edge, your proclamation of love surely did now. He looked down, grinning like an idiot, showing a soft, bashful side he’s never revealed to anyone before. He swore his heart would jump out of his throat from how fast it was pounding against his ribcage. Gun grasped your hand tightly and sighed blissfully, Gently, he spoke, gazing at you with loving eyes, “I love you too.”

You smiled.

The tension in the air grew to be too much and both of you found it unbearable, wanting to do what both of you have been waiting for for weeks.

Both of you sat up and leaned over the table, closing the gap between you two as your lips interlocked, slipping together like if you were made for eachother. The kiss sparked and fed the fire both of you held in your hearts, burning brighter with every moment you spent at one another’s side. Gun couldn’t help but smile against your mouth.

As much as he hated being apart from you for so long, moments like these made the long hours worth it. If working so much meant he could provide for you, then he wouldn't mind doing it for the rest of his life if you had a roof over your head and a nice, warm meal at night.

Afterall, you were his woman.

And he loved you.

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©𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚢𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚊 || 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚍 || 𝚗𝚘 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚜, 𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚎𝚝𝚌. 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚌𝚒𝚛𝚌𝚞𝚖𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 .

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