#man has no clue he just knows that vampires exist

[thegoatsongs]

The cultural perception is that Van Helsing has a secret backstory full of vampires, meanwhile what he has been doing is the 1890s equivalent of frantically googling "wikihow stop bloodsuckers from window"

[shushmal]

Stranger to Myself (I think of Home)

For @steddie-week Day 5! Rated T — Check the tags and content warnings!

Eddie is a monster.

Eddie started watching Steve because it didn’t hurt so bad. Didn’t hurt like it does with every glimpse he catches of Wayne, of Dustin. The people who had loved Eddie when he was Eddie. But Steve—Steve was safe. Steve was a boy Eddie knew in passing glances and high school gossip, a guy who was laughing with his friends in another room at every party, a man who planted his feet and fought monsters and helped save the world. Steve who told Eddie to be safe, because Steve was kind when he didn't have to be, when he wasn't expected to—so Eddie finds himself watching Steve instead.

Because Eddie is a monster, and Steve knows exactly what to do with monsters. Eddie knows this.

To Steve, it wouldn't matter that Eddie is the last little bit of the apocalypse still kicking around Hawkins. Eddie who had been chewed up and spat out of hell at the last second, just before the final dungeon slammed shut, sneaking through the shadows unseen, past the unsuspecting heroes wrapped up in their victory. Past his friends, the people who had tried to keep Eddie safe. Past Dustin, who’s face had already been changed by grief.

Past Steve, as well. Steve, who told Eddie to be safe, and Eddie hadn’t.

Eddie wonders sometimes, what Vecna really had in mind for him. 

But Eddie is just an unfinished experiment, not quite who he used to be, but not yet the thing Vecna had been trying to twist him into, before the wrinkly ballsack bastard bit it and disintegrated into dust like some b-grade horror movie villain written by some unimaginative hack that shouldn’t have even been in the writer’s room.

He’s the last piece of the Upside Down, Vecna’s last monster, but Eddie’s worst crime post-resurrection is a bit of misdemeanor stalking, simple battery, and animal cruelty. A guy’s gotta eat, afterall. It had taken a while to figure out his own exact brand of vampirism, but Eddie’s gone a few years now without killing anything or anyone. He would be proud of it, but instead he watches Steve make dinner and feels sick on the aftertaste of iron and salt still coating his tongue.

Eddie had started watching Steve because it didn’t hurt, because Steve would take care of it, if Eddie ever needed to be put down. Eddie knows this.

So, it didn’t hurt so bad to watch Steve—until it did. 

By then, Eddie was too far gone and couldn’t stop.

His Steve who came back to his lonely castle, days and days after that final battle, after the climax of the story, the end of a legend, still bloody and scorched, none the wiser to the monster peering through his windows, watching. And that was Eddie’s first clue, that was how Eddie first learned that he wasn’t really Eddie anymore—that nervous energy he used to have in life had died with him. Now he sits motionless in the tall pines behind Steve’s house for hours and days, unmoving, as he watches Steve live. 

Sometimes, Steve looks out his window, eyes scanning the treetops like he knows Eddie’s there. Everytime, Eddie sits up a little straighter, like a dog eager for attention. But everytime, Steve’s eyes drift past him, unseeing, searching.

It leaves Eddie—already out of step with life, with humanity—a little unsettled, a little too hopeful. Eddie is a thing that shouldn’t be seen ever again, a dead man without a heartbeat, without breath in his lungs, without a reason to exist and yet still here. He wishes he were still dead. He wishes even more that Steve knew he was there, that Steve was looking for him. But Eddie knows better. Eddie can’t go to Steve, because Eddie is a monster and Steve has fought enough monsters. Eddie doesn’t want to get added to the list. He doesn’t want to do that to Steve.

Eddie sits in the trees instead, unmoving and watching for days and weeks. Sometimes he leaves, to feed. Sometimes he stands in the middle of Steve’s empty house when he’s gone, breathing in the lonely silence. Sometimes, he closes his eyes and dreams.

But they’re never his own dreams.

And he never, ever visits anyone else in their sleep, in their dreams and nightmares. No one, except for Steve. His Steve, who’s dreaming of a summer day, sun high in the sky, sitting on the top of skull rock with a six pack and a cigarette. It’s such a simple, beautiful dream. All of Steve’s dreams are like that. Eddie watches the line of Steve’s neck as he tilts his head back in the sunlight, face catching the July warmth.

Steve doesn’t startle when Eddie sits beside him. Just leans in until his head rests on Eddie’s shoulder. It’s beautiful, he’s so beautiful, Eddie wants to cry.

“I miss you,” Steve whispers, like it’s a secret. He presses a smile into Eddie’s jacket. “Isn’t that silly? I barely even knew you.”

Eddie has to swallow back the emotion filling his throat. “Yeah, that’s pretty silly,” he croaks.

“I wanted to though,” Steve sighs. He leans even closer, hands grasping at Eddie’s sleeve, the back of his shirt, and Eddie wishes they could melt into each other, become one thing, become Steve with just Eddie hiding between Steve’s ribs, in his blood, sitting in the center of his chest right next to his heart. “I wanted to know you. I wanted to kiss you so bad.”

If this were real, if they were really sitting on skull rock in the sunlight right now, if Eddie was human, he would be crying. But here, in Steve’s dream, he doesn’t, can’t. Maybe Steve doesn’t want him to be sad.

“Really?” he breathes instead. “Me?”

Steve hums, his hand sliding down into Eddie’s, fingers warm, soft. “Robin calls you my Great Bisexual Awakening.”

Eddie barks a laugh, throwing his head back. He wants to be sobbing, but he laughs instead and when he stops, Steve is looking up at him, painted dream soft and sweet. They watch each other, Eddie cataloging the specks of gold and green in Steve’s eyes. He’s beautiful. 

But then Steve blinks, and the corner of his mouth turns down, smile falling away. Eddie feels his skin prickle. He feels watched.

“I miss you,” Steve says again, urgent. And then, just like that, he smiles again, and the feeling’s gone, and Steve presses his face once more into Eddie’s shoulder. “Tell me something.”

Eddie tries to shake off the feeling of disquiet, to relax back into the tenderness of Steve’s dream. “Like what?”’

“Something I don’t know.” He’s beautiful, so beautiful, and Eddie adores him, loves him so much.

“I wanted to kiss you, too.”

Eddie opens his eyes, his breath sharp in the silent forest, and watches as Steve sits up in his bed, gripping the blankets tight in his fists. Even from here, in his haven in the trees, he can see the tears on Steve’s face. He never wants Steve to cry.

When morning comes, he steals into Steve’s home, buries himself in the lingering warmth of his sheets after Steve leaves for work. The fading smell of him is intoxicating, even the salty sting of Steve’s tears, and Eddie wants so desperately. Wants him from the pain in his throat, the hitch in his breath, the way he’s been hollowed from the inside out. Everything has been taken out of Eddie, scooped from between his ribs and scraped smooth, an empty jack o’lantern waiting to rot on the front step. 

The wanting is worse than the starving, the thirst. Eddie can’t cry anymore, he isn’t human enough to, but he wishes he could.

Instead, he lays in Steve’s bed, breathes him in, and disappears into the woods behind Steve’s home when he hears the rumble of Steve’s car turn onto the street. He watches as Steve falls into the bed, long gone cold since Eddie has soaked up all the warmth from the blankets in the long hours of Steve's absence. He watches, a monster, as Steve’s eyes glance through the window, eyes on the trees. Straightens up, hoping and wanting, and slumps as that gaze slides past him. He watches Steve’s evening with longing building in his chest, and when Steve slips beneath his covers, Eddie closes his eyes.

“What are you waiting for?” he asks.

Steve is sitting on the edge of his roof in this dream, watching the forest intently. He doesn’t turn his head towards Eddie, caught on a particular spot in the woods.

“You, I think. At least, I think it’s you. I hope it’s you.”

Eddie leans in close, hoping that Steve will turn his eyes, to look at Eddie, to give him that sweet, dreamy smile. “You shouldn’t bother waiting for something like me,” he tells Steve, desperate for those pretty eyes to look at him. “You should be happy.”

“I am happy,” Steve murmurs. He doesn’t look happy. He doesn’t look at Eddie. He watches the distant trees, standing guard. “I’m happy waiting. I think I can wait forever.”

Eddie doesn’t dare touch him, doesn’t dare turn Steve’s head. Even though it hurts. It hurts so bad, so Eddie opens his eyes. In the distance, Steve turns in his bed, chest expanding with a sleepy sigh, and doesn’t leave his dreams.

Morning comes again, and the night falls again, morning and night and morning. Eddie rises from his perch, glides closer to the empty house to steal through the unlocked door. He lays in Steve’s bed, in the shadow of Steve’s warmth left on the sheets. Breathes him in, even though Eddie needs no air. He leaves when he hears the rumble of a familiar engine. Night falls. He closes his eyes.

Eddie watches the way Steve sits on the edge of his roof again, feet dangling, eyes scanning the treeline at the back of his house, quiet and sentry. Like he’s waiting for another monster to appear between the tree trunks. Eddie sits beside him, and doesn’t speak, not even when Steve whispers, only once.

“I miss you.”

Morning comes again, and then night. Sun and moon, wax and wane. The summer heat does not bother Eddie, nor does the winter snow. He imagines building a family of snowmen in Steve’s yard, company for a lonely house. No one visits Steve here. Like they’d forgotten Steve altogether, and Eddie’s the only one left to bear witness to Steve Harrington. Steve who is lonely, who sleeps and dreams and waits for the monster in the woods. Or maybe…

Maybe Steve told them not to come here. Because here is only for Steve, and only for Eddie.

Night falls, and then the morning breaks. Steve doesn’t rise from the bed.

Uneasily, Eddie shifts. Snow slides from his shoulders, landing in heavy thumps on the forest floor below him. He watches as Steve rolls onto his back, arm over his eyes, mouth twisted in pain. Even from here, he can see the tears on Steve’s face. He watches Steve lay in bed the entire day, until night falls. Eddie closes his eyes.

Steve’s dream isn’t a dream this time—a vast darkness instead, stretching long and far. Eddie takes a hesitant step. Water splashes beneath his bare foot. He turns.

And suddenly, it’s like he can hear Steve in his ear, whispering, “I’m happy waiting. I think I can wait forever.”

Eddie turns again, and Steve is there, watching, waiting. Eddie feels the instinct of it, the prickling awareness of being seen. It settles over his skin, sharp and biting like ants. Eddie is the monster, and Steve has found him. His gaze roots Eddie where he stands, water lapping against his toes. The ripples roll away from him, stretching the unreachable distance between Eddie and Steve, distant stars, until they crash against Steve’s feet, and the water settles again, falls calm.

“I miss you though,” Steve whispers, right into Eddie’s ear. “I can wait forever, but I miss you.”

“Really?” Eddie asks. It echoes through the dark. He can see the way Steve smiles, even from so far away.

“Of course,” Steve whispers. “I’m waiting for—”

Dawn breaks through the trees, and Eddie opens his eyes with a gasp. The sound is sharp through the silent forest. Morning mist rises from the pine strewn ground. Steve isn’t in his bed anymore, and Eddie feels himself almost panic, gaze searching.

Searching, until he finds Steve, not even three feet up, sitting above his window on the roof. He stares out into the trees, stares right at Eddie, finally sees the monster in the woods. That gaze raises the hair on Eddie’s arm, animal instinct tightening his muscles, his bones. Steve watches him from his perch on the roof, watches Eddie watch him back. 

He’s the most beautiful thing Eddie’s ever seen.

Because Steve’s not standing guard. He’s waiting. Waiting for the thing in the woods, for Eddie to finally come home.

Eddie shouldn’t, shouldn’t go to him, but now that he knows, how can he make Steve wait a moment longer? 

Steve gasps when he appears, but it’s not fear in his eyes when he looks at Eddie. Eddie feels it again, feels watched, feels seen. Steve looks up at him and his smile is the most beautiful thing Eddie’s ever seen.

“There you are,” he whispers. “I missed you."

[yeonzzzn]

🕯️let it go: niki

a vampires bleeding series: six / seven

pairing: niki x afab!reader word count: 8.2k

synopsis: with the surrounding area of dorian's location being exposed, the seven boys continue to search where the missing pack members are while niki continues his normal school life, befriending you. the closer you and niki get, the more secrets that get revealed.

genre: friends to lovers/enemies, vampire!niki, vampire!reader, angst, some fluff.

warnings: mentions of blood, swearing, betrayal, cutie pie niki ♡

☾ jungwon(1) | jay(2) | jake(3) | sunghoon(4) | sunoo(5) | niki(6) | heeseung(7) ☽

Niki knelt down, his fingertips brushing against the grass. The wind blew his blonde hair across his face, his eyes narrowing down at the open water below him. Searching for any clue. 

Jake suddenly appeared beside him, his arm resting on Niki’s shoulder. 

“Find anything yet?” His Aussie accent rushed out. 

Niki nodded, “Yeah, a whole lot of nothing still.” 

Jake sighed, “Keep searching, the entrance has to be here somewhere.” 

Niki stared at his hyung, seeing the desperation on his face to find his mate. 

“I need to find her…” Jake whispered. 

Niki rubbed Jake’s back, “I know hyung, I know.” 

Niki understood how Jake was feeling, obviously not to the same degree, but still understood. 

That hole of having __ and __ being gone hit all of them. The only difference is Niki and the others don’t feel the pain that Jake and Sunghoon feel. There’s a pinch of something, but it doesn’t affect anything else. 

The worst part of all this was Niki couldn’t help but feel disconnected from everything that was happening. 

He wanted to get the girls back just as much as everyone else, but he also felt like this was major bullshit. 

Maybe it was because Niki didn’t believe in soulmates. 

Not like there were a lot of seventeen-year-old forever vampires anyway. 

A girl is the whole reason Niki ended up as this undead being in the first place. 

It was the day before Niki’s birthday. Snow was falling from the sky, it was the perfect day to confess his feelings. It was his first-ever crush. Walked her home from school that day and was attacked in broad daylight. 

Niki survived, she didn’t. 

The vampire venom spread through Niki’s body way too quickly, turning him into a monster. 

The first thirty years were hell. Niki couldn’t control his blood thirst and killed multiple people in the process. 

It wasn’t until another thirty years before Heeseung and Jay found him. He was on the hunt for human blood, the previous human blood stained on his clothes, face, and down his neck. Niki ran into the two of them on his way into the town. 

Heeseung could feel the bloodlust and Niki felt like he was in danger. The only vampires Niki ever encountered were the ones that almost killed him, and the ones he’s had to fight just to get a bite in. Heeseung could sense Niki was terrified, mostly because of how he looked. 

Vampires usually don’t like being exposed, and Niki was terrified his time was up. Heeseung and Jay would kill him, tear him to pieces, and burn his body.  

“It’s okay…” Heeseung whispered, “I can see what you’re thinking, it’s all over your face.” 

Niki backed away, holding a hand up, “Nah, don’t you fucking come near me.” 

And man did it take Heeseung and Jay a lot of time to talk Niki into calming down. Eventually, they adopted him into their pack. 

Niki remembers walking into the safe house for the first time, seeing four other faces stare at him, but welcoming him nonetheless. 

It was the first time Niki felt at home since he was turned. 

And hundreds of years later here he is. Fighting to protect an even bigger family. Even if he doesn’t believe in a lot that’s going on. 

Again, there aren’t many other vampires stuck in their teens anyway. The possibility of Niki even finding a soulmate (if they even exist), is very slim. 

“We need to go,” Jake sighed and snapped Niki out of the past memories.

Niki nodded, standing tall beside his hyung. 

Jake was holding back his emotions, Niki could feel it. That bond tugged hard. 

“Hyung, we will get __ back.” Niki reassured him, “Once we find where his entrance is and when __ can produce a stronger masking of our scent with her elf magic, the easier it’ll be to get in.” 

Jake nodded, rolling his eyes, “Aren’t I the one that should be comforting you? I’m the older one.” Jake chuckled, draping his arm around the younger’s neck, “Come on, let’s go.” 

—

Niki spun the soccer ball on his fingertips, tossing it up to the ceiling, spinning, tossing it again, and spinning. 

He was sprawled out on the couch, mind in a faraway place. 

The front door opened, and the sound of bags dropping to the floor and shoes being kicked off echoed in the apartment. 

Niki leaned his head over the armrest of the couch, “Welcome home hyung.” 

Heeseung glances down at the maknae, “Don’t you have your own home?” 

Niki sat up, spinning the soccer ball in his hands, “I mean, yeah.” 

Heeseung sat at the kitchen table, sliding out of his doctor's coat, “Don’t you have school tomorrow? I’ll have Sunoo come pick you up.” 

“Hyung no!” Niki pouted. 

Heeseung raised a brow, noticing a duffle bag sitting in the corner by the couch. 

“Niki..” 

“Heeseung, they annoy me.” 

Heeseung let out a small chuckle, “Yeah?” 

“It was fine when it was just me and Sunoo, but after __ moved in…” 

Heeseung sighed, he knew why Niki wanted to be here. Heeseung knew of Niki’s history and how it all took place, being around a cute cuddly couple probably isn’t his favorite thing in the world right now. 

There’s enough on his plate with unfortunately attending high school again, dealing with the major loss the pack has taken, on top of his roommate's mate moving in. The kid has a lot going on. 

“Plus, you’re here alone, so I am here to keep you company.” Niki smiled, trying to win his hyung over by acting cute. 

Heeseung wasn’t buying it. 

“Hyung, you’re my legal guardian anyways. This would just make it easier.” 

Heeseung knew Niki had a point. The only problem Heeseung worried about was Niki being alone. 

Heeseung always had to be at the hospital, and when he wasn’t, he was searching with the others to find the entrance to where Dorian was hiding. Niki didn’t always attend the search parties, so if he wasn’t at soccer practice, he would be at home by himself. 

Niki continued to pout until Heeseung gave in. 

“Fine, but nothing changes, you’re still attending school.” 

Niki didn’t like the school idea but was happy to stay with Heeseung either way. 

—

Niki dropped his head into his palm, staring off out the window. 

His classmates all talked amongst themselves about the latest trends and the soccer games coming up. 

Niki tuned out the noise, ready to just get the hell out of here. 

Niki knew his classmates gossiped about him, about how he always kept to himself unless spoken to. how he is really good at soccer and thinks he’s “the king” or something. They even make fun of his brothers, and that’s one thing Niki has to bite his tongue on. 

Niki didn’t see the point in trying to make friends at these schools. Niki will continue living an immortal life and losing friends along the way, so it’s best to not make any. 

Get in and get out as Jay would put it. 

There wasn’t any point to any of it no matter what, he’d just change schools again once he graduated or if his family moved again. 

“Okay class, settle down!” The homeroom teacher yells, the room of teenagers quieting down. “We have a new student joining us today.” 

Niki slightly glanced over to the entrance to the classroom, curious to see the new student just as much as the next person. 

Niki slowly lifted his head from his palm, lips parted and eyes slightly widened. 

You stood at the front of the class, glancing around at your new peers, eyes connecting with Niki’s. 

You were a vampire. Niki couldn’t believe it. Another vampire that was his age and just so happened to be in the same class as him? 

What are the odds? 

You introduced yourself to the class and then waited for the teacher to assign you to an open seat. 

You kept eye contact with the blonde vampire in the back of the class as you walked to your seat. 

Your new classmates already seemed to take notice, their whispers being “Do they know each other?”, “she’s the first girl that has gotten Nishimura’s attention”, “They have to know each other, there is no way.” 

You finally broke eye contact once you sat in your seat, looking amongst the teenagers around you, wondering how mortals can care so much about things that shouldn’t matter. 

Niki looked back out the window, once again dropping his head into his palm. 

Niki could feel your gaze on him throughout the school day. He couldn’t help but wonder if you too have struggled to find other vampires the same age. 

During lunch, Niki made it a mission to find you. 

You sat on the floor in between two bookcases in the library, eyes closed and earbuds blasting music into your eardrums.

A slight tap came to your shoulder, you opened your eyes and looked up, seeing Niki standing beside you. 

You pulled your earbuds out, raising an eyebrow at him, “Yes?” 

“Uhh…” Niki didn’t think this far. He pushed his hair back, looking at the other bookshelf in front of you, “Mind if I sit?” Damn, he was so cheesy. 

You nodded, “Go ahead fellow blood drinker,” you teased, a smile formed on his face as he sat across from you. 

Niki tried to read you, thinking if he stared at you long and hard enough he could figure out every answer to his question without actually having to ask. 

You looked him up and down, “Nishimura, if you have something to say just say it, I’m not going to bite.” 

Niki glared at you, “That’s the best vampire joke you could come up with?” 

You shrugged, “I saw the chance and I took it.” 

He took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. 

“Sorry,” was all he could say, “I have never met another vampire that was well…”

“Stuck in a seventeen-year-old's body for eternity?” 

Niki nodded, “Yeah…exactly.” He was in awe at how you understood. 

“Makes it harder for us to find mates, that’s for sure.” 

And you lost him. 

Niki slumped back against the bookcase, gently laughing.

You didn’t understand what was so funny, “What are you laughing about?” 

Niki shrugged, leaning his head against the bookcase, making eye contact with you, “I don’t believe in soulmates.” 

You furrow your brows, “You don’t?”

“Nope.” He looked away, reading the titles of the books.

“Do you not believe as a whole, or just don’t believe in a soulmate for yourself?” 

Niki lifted his head, seeing how serious you were about that question. 

He didn’t know how to answer it. All he could do was stare at you. 

“You’re in a pack,” you said, “And those in your pack have soulmates, that’s why you can answer my question.” 

It wasn’t hard to tell that Niki was in a pack. Pack hunters have a totally different energy. 

Niki decided to dodge the question, slowly leaning back against the bookcase, “What about you? In a pack? You kinda give off that solo vibe.” 

You tuck your bottom lip between your teeth, deciding how to answer the question, “I am indeed solo. Just do my own thing.”

“I was solo once, and it wasn’t fun.” It surprised Niki how easily he was able to talk to you to even bring up his old past.

You smiled at the embarrassment on his face, he was too cute. 

“Anyways, I am Nishimura Riki, but I go by Niki.” he held out his hand, “We didn’t properly introduce each other yet.” 

You stare down at his hand, then back up at his face, “What time period are you from, Niki? A handshake?” 

Niki rests his hand down, softly scoffing, “I’m two hundred and ten.”

You snorted a small laugh, “Damn you’re old.” 

Niki smiled, clicking his tongue, “Yeah? and you?” 

“I’m only a hundred and fifteen.” you gave him a silly smile. 

“Wow, a whole ninety-five years younger than me.” 

You both laughed, “Unfortunately we are still seventeen.”  you said. 

Niki nodded, “Yeah, well this is the first time I have been okay with being stuck at seventeen.” 

Your heart skipped a beat. Staring into his eyes. 

Niki quickly shot up, startling you. 

“Well, lunch is almost over, head back to class?”

Before you could answer, your phone buzzed in your skirt pocket, “Uhh I am actually going to skip the rest of the day, I have some moving things to do.” 

Niki clicked his tongue, “Damn girl first day and you’re already skipping the rest of the day?” 

You shook his head at him teasing you, “Shut up and get back to class Nishimura.” 

Niki smiled wide as he walked away.

“Oh! Niki!” 

He stopped and turned to face you, waiting for you.

“I am Y/N,” you softly waved a hand at your side, “I didn’t tell you my name earlier.” 

“Well, Y/N,” Niki said, “I’ll see you around then.” 

He disappeared, only to poke his head back around the bookcase.

“Actually, want to hang out? Like after my soccer practice today? Or even tomorrow? Or whenever you prefer.”

You nodded, “Yeah I would actually love to hang out. It would be nice to make some friends. But I can’t tonight, so tomorrow?”

Niki nodded in agreement, “Tomorrow then.” 

And he officially disappeared this time. 

You pulled your phone from your pocket and read the messages. 

dni: have time for a chat? you: oops can’t sorry! school work…bummer.  dni: Y/N you: ? dni: now

you sigh, dropping your phone in your lap. 

—

Heeseung stood by the table, Sunoo and __ were at his left, Jake and Sunghoon on the right. 

A notepad with directions and any hints to lead to Dorian was written on it along with a map of the surrounding area. 

Heeseung covered his mouth with his hands, staring down at the map. 

“What about here?” Sunghoon asked, pointing at a specific point on the map. 

“No, Niki and I already checked there,” Jake answered. 

Heeseung’s eyes searched every inch of the map, trying to piece together where to find Dorian. 

Sunoo groaned, “We’ve been doing circles. There’s nothing but open water. We’ve gone diving multiple times as well to see if it’s under but it’s clearly not.” 

Sunoo’s mate sighs as well, rubbing his back, “I wish I could help find a more specific area…”

“No, __ it’s okay,” Jake said, “You’ve already done so much to help.” 

Sunghoon dropped his face in his hands, frustration isn’t even close to describing how he was feeling. 

“Where are the others right now?” Sunghoon asked. 

Heeseung sighed, “Jungwon and Jay are searching the area right now. The girls are at Jay’s apartment and Niki…I don’t know.” 

“I am right here,” Niki says, overhearing as he was walking inside the apartment, “What’s going on?” 

“Just still trying to find where Dorian could be hiding.” __ said. 

Niki walked to the table, his eyes scanning the map, shaking his head, “I feel like we’ve looked everywhere.” 

Everyone nodded in agreement. 

Niki slumped down into a chair, his brain wracking the memories of running through the area, trying to pinpoint anything. But nothing ever came up. 

“Let’s call it a night,” Heeseung finally said, “We’ll change searching shifts for tomorrow and just keep looking.” 

“It’s unfortunately all we can do…” Sunoo softly whispered, looking over at his hyungs, seeing their heads hung low, just wanting their mates back. 

Sunghoon pulled his phone from his jacket pocket, staring down at the lockscreen photo of himself and his witch mate. He silently begged for any hint so he could find you. 

There was a small tapping sound just then. Everyone’s heads perked up, their ears on high alert. Eyes quickly roaming. 

The apartment fell silent and the six of them listened as the tapping continued. 

Niki slowly turned his head towards the window, his brows furrowing at what he was looking at, “A raven?” 

Everyone turned to look at the window, a large raven sat at the windowsill, with a paper rolled and tied to its neck with a red string. 

Sunghoon quickly shot up from the chair, “It’s from __.”

Sunghoon rushed to the window, opening it and letting the raven hop inside. 

The raven stood still while Sunghoon untied the paper from its neck and once it was free, it flew back out the window. 

Sunghoon watched as the raven flew away, his heart breaking. 

“What’s in the note, hoon?” Jake asked, appearing beside his best friend. 

Niki followed behind, hovering over his hyungs shoulders. 

Sunghoon unrolled the paper, a smile forming on his face. 

“It’s coordinates.”

“What?” Heeseung rushed over, taking the paper from Sunghoon’s hands, and reading the coordinates written.

Everyone rushed back to the map. 

Heeseung grabbed a marker, lining up where the coordinates led, and landed in the middle of the forest. 

“We found it,” Heeseung whispered. 

Jake fell to the floor, face covered by his hands, “We finally fucking did it.” 

Sunghoon grabbed his chest, clinging to his white tee shirt, “My hex girl risked sending a raven…god, I love her…” 

“Sunoo, call Jay and Jungwon, and let them know what we found.” Heeseung asked, Sunoo immediately jumped from the table and dialed one of their numbers, “And __, can you use the paper that __ wrote on to find exactly where the coordinates lead? To get a picture of what we are looking for.” 

The elf took the paper in her hands, rubbing her thumbs over the ink written on it, and nodded, “I can, but it might not be enough, I might get only a small enough vision, nothing we haven’t already gotten.”

Heeseung gripped the marker in his hands, feeling like their two steps forward were also a step back. 

“What if we also used this?” Sunghoon lifted a black feather up into the air, “Something told me to take a feather from the raven…that it would somehow help. Since it’s __’s raven, and the bird clearly had to have been in that area for her to call it and then send it to find me.” 

Sunoo’s mate rushed to Sunghoon, taking the weather and feeling it with her hands, she smiled wide, “This is plenty, it has __’s magic all over it. It will work.” 

Sunoo returned, “Jay and Jungwon are on the way here. I told them everything.” 

Heeseung nodded, “__, start the process of the searching magic, so once the other two show up we can fully start.”

Niki felt a rush of adrenaline, they had waited for so long to find Dorian and put him down. They still didn’t fully know what he was planning, or why he wanted the pack dead, but Niki couldn’t help but finally feel relieved that it would be over soon. 

Heeseung noticed a difference in Niki, that he was more upbeat and not as quiet as normal. 

“What’s with you?” Heeseung asked, causing Niki to stutter in his seat.

“Huh?” 

Heeseung studied the maknae’s eyes, “You met someone.” 

The others' attention looked at Niki, his face turning a soft shade of pink.

“I met another vampire today…she’s my age.” 

Sunghoon let out a whistle, “Well look at that.” 

Niki shook his head, “It’s not like that, she’s super cool.”

Heeseung could already tell what it was from Niki’s reactions, but he knew the maknae had to discover everything himself. 

The topic dropped once Jungwon and Jay showed up, their mates following right behind them. 

“Get us updated,” Jungwon said, leaning his body against the table, “Have we started the searching process?” 

“Not yet, we waited for you,” Sunoo answered. 

Jungwon nodded, “Let’s get started. Once we have a clear vision of where this place is at, we will scope it out tomorrow and then will make an infiltration plan and get that son of a bitch the following day.” 

Everyone was in agreement, and the hunt for Dorian officially started. 

—

You stood in the alleyway, blood dripping from your fangs as you licked your lips, wiping the remaining blood from your face on the back of your hand. 

You looked down at the sacrifice of your meal, feeling the small inch of pain of what you’ve just done, but had to do. You needed to eat to survive, after all. 

You tilted your head to the side, “It’s about time you showed up.” 

Dorian walked from behind you, looking down at the body on the ground, “Awe, you didn’t leave any for me?”

You rolled your eyes, “Again, you kept me waiting. Wasn’t going to continue playing with my food until you showed up.” 

“Watch your mouth, Y/N.” Dorian stepped over the body, leaning against the wall, his eyes shooting daggers into you, “get me updated.” 

You sigh, standing in front of him, “Nothing has changed. They still have no idea where to find you.”

Dorian clicked his tongue, “Not yet. Our pretty little witch prisoner sent out a raven earlier. That’s what I was dealing with and why I was late.” 

You crossed your arms, not caring about this war Dorian started with himself and one of the most powerful vampire packs. 

“Why go this far? I thought you said the falling out between you and them was ancient history.” 

“Oh it is, but that doesn’t mean I am over it.” Dorian walked closer to you, “I need their power, their mates. The moment I kill their mates in front of them and then kill them and take in every ounce of power they have…I will be unstoppable.”

You looked away from him, “All this just to be the Vampire King.”

“Exactly!” He said, taking your jaw between his fingers and forcing you to look at him, “That’s why you’re going to lure them in with their little one.” 

You shoved him off you, “I told you I don’t give a shit, fight this on your own.” 

Dorian was quick on his feet as he was now standing behind you and a knife was pressed to your cheek, “Did you forget your place? Hmm?”

You took a deep breath in, letting a soft “no,” leave your lips. 

“Good.” Dorian released the knife and his grip on you, “Win the youngest one over, I don’t care how you do it as long as you don’t mate with him.” 

You shook your head, “It won’t happen, he doesn’t believe in soulmates.” 

Laughter erupted from Dorian, “What a shame.”

You couldn’t get Niki’s soft smile out of your mind, how much hurt that was held in that smile from his past trauma, but also the happiness he held in it as well because of the ones who saved him. 

It felt wrong to hand over Niki and his pack to Dorian. You already knew he was going to use the mates as his wild card to bend them to his will. 

But you knew you also couldn’t defy Dorian. 

Dorian starts to walk away from you, his voice echoing down the alley, “Do your job and lure the youngest in. Their power will be mine.”

—

Niki nervously tapped his foot against the floor, his eyes darting to the clock every five minutes. 

The school day couldn’t go any slower. 

His heart raced every time he would catch you staring at him. The way you would smile at him and push your hair behind your ears. It was driving him insane. 

The school bell rang, and Niki was the first out of the classroom, you followed right behind him. 

“So blondie, what is the plan for today?” You asked, keeping up with his pace. 

“I have soccer practice first, so I figured we could hang out once I’m finished?” 

You nodded, “I’ll even watch the practice.” 

Hearing those words was enough to pull at Niki’s heartstrings, quickly shook his head and shoved that feeling down. 

Niki also noticed how everyone was staring at the two of them. You also noticed. 

The whispers filled his ears. One by one making comments on how he finally wasn’t a loner, that they wondered how much he paid you to hang around them. Pointless bullshit after another.

“Niki,” your voice tuning him back to reality, pushing the whispers away, “Just ignore them, they aren’t worth the time.” 

He knew you were right. Niki smirked to himself, remembering they are just mortals wasting their lives with pointless bullshit. They had a short time. Niki had eternity. 

You sat in the bleachers, watching as Niki and his teammates did their stretches and warmups. 

There was another crowd of girls gushing over how cute all the boys were. Niki’s name came up, catching your attention. 

“Nishimura is so cute in his practice uniform~” one giggled. 

“I know! Gosh, I wish I was brave enough to ask him out, think he would say yes if I did?” 

You groaned in disgust, feeling a small hint of jealousy. The girls were pretty, and you couldn’t help but think how nice they would look standing next to Niki. 

His arm wrapped around them, his bite mark sitting beautifully on her neck. 

You snapped yourself out of your thoughts but still passed a glare at the girls. 

Little did you know Niki watched the whole interaction. 

He smiled warmly at seeing you getting worked up over some mortal girls. 

The coach called the players over, telling them a neighboring school came for a practice match. 

Niki couldn’t focus. His brain was in a million different places. Mostly back with you. How you’re sitting in the bleachers watching him and how bad he was sucking right now. 

The other team was winning. Niki couldn’t stay focused long enough. His teammates were even giving him hell for not being on his “a game”. 

You could sense he wasn’t feeling okay. Your heart pulled to him and you wanted to run across the field and give him the biggest hug. 

But you knew you couldn’t. So you settled for the next best thing. 

“NIKI!!!!”

Niki turned to you when hearing his name fall from your lips. 

All it took was making eye contact with you, for that little stupid string of fate to wrap around you both from across this field. 

Niki stood in place just looking at you and how big your smile was. 

You felt it too. The pull of that knot of fate. 

Before the knot could fully be tied, Niki’s coach called to him, gaining his attention back. 

You let out a breath, slowly sitting back down in the bleachers. 

You stared down at your black Converse, and a thought crossed your brain.

“Dorian will kill me too.” 

—

You and Niki walked side by side, the cool night breeze blowing your hair into your face. 

Niki took the opportunity to pull your hair behind your ears, slowly rubbing his thumbs against your cheeks. 

You tried to not look at him, wanting to push whatever fate had in store for you away. You couldn’t do this. It would get you both killed. 

Niki noticed your difference in mood. You wouldn’t look at him. Talk to him. Barely agreed to walk with him. 

“Y/N.” he called for you, “Look at me, please.” 

“I can’t…Niki.” 

Niki sighed and looked off into the distance, “Is it because I told you I don’t believe in soulmates?” 

You start to say something, to tell him the full truth. But you stopped.

Niki looked back at your face, watching you struggle to look anywhere but him hurt. He wanted your eyes on him, and only one way popped into his mind. 

Niki quickly leaned down, placing his lips gently on yours. 

You backed away quickly, making eye contact with him, “What the fuck, Niki?!” 

Niki smirked at your reaction, getting what he wanted, “It got you to look at me.” 

You groaned, throwing daggers at him with your eyes, “So you think kissing me was the way to go!?”

Niki just kept smiling at you, “I think I am ready to believe in soulmates.”

You relaxed your body, looking at him with such care, “What?”

He nodded, “I am ready to believe in soulmates.” he walked back to you, closing the gap. One hand rests on your waist while the other holds your face, “It took meeting you for me to realize it. I thought long and hard after you asked me if I didn’t believe in soulmates for myself, and you were right. The night I was turned, I was going to confess to the first girl I ever loved. But I watched her get murdered in front of me, thinking I was next but well..here we are. I stopped believing in love and the only love I accepted was from my pack. But one by one I watched as they each found a mate. Maybe I was just jealous because I am two hundred and ten stuck in a seventeen-year-old body for eternity and there aren’t many others stuck in the same situation.”

You tried to hold back the tears after hearing Niki’s past story and what he went through. 

“So finding a soulmate felt useless to me, that was until you walked into the classroom yesterday…Y/N, I know you felt that knot too. That pull of those stupid ass strings of fate…”

You slowly nodded, forcing yourself right now to not give in to it. 

Niki brushed your hair out of your face and wiped the small tear that came from your eye, “be my mate, Y/N. We have eternity to figure everything else out.” 

The pull was stronger and harder to fight. 

You wanted to be with him. Wanted to show him love and care. To spend that eternity to figure life out with him. 

Niki leaned his forehead against yours, “I already stopped fighting it…let it go.” 

You closed your eyes, stood on your tiptoes, and connected your lips to his. The string of fate sealing its knot. 

Niki smiled into the kiss before giggling and breaking the kiss. 

You looked up at your soulmate, his cute face bringing every ounce of joy into your own soul. 

Niki’s phone started vibrating in his pocket. 

He quickly glanced down, seeing a spam of messages from Heeseung. 

heeseung: We found it. Sunoo and Jay just returned. Come home ASAP!! Like right now. 

“Everything okay?” You asked, quickly glancing down at Niki’s phone, seeing the messages. 

“Yeah, I just have to go home, my brothers are looking for me.” 

Niki planted a soft kiss on your forehead, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

And then he vanished. 

Dread filled you. They did it. They found where Dorian was hiding, where YOU were hiding. 

“Didn’t I tell you to not mate with the young one?” 

Your heart stopped, panic settling in. 

“No no, Y/N. Better calm down before he senses something is wrong.” 

You knew he was right. and The last thing you needed was Niki to find out everything. 

Dorian appeared in front of you, the biggest smirk on his face. 

“This is a very big turn of events, who knew this whole time you were falling for the younger one? Hmm?”

Dorian’s words angered you, “You’re the one that’s had me stalking them for who knows how long now! This is your fault!” 

“Oh no, sweet Y/N,” he softly snapped, pinching your face, “This is fate's fault. I had no control over it. Don’t you know you don’t pick your soulmates? Fate does.” 

You shoved him away, trying to keep yourself as calm as possible so Niki doesn’t sense anything. Or even worse, his whole pack sensing something wrong. 

“Now what to do, what to do.” Dorian circled around you. 

“I won’t do it. Whatever it is, I won’t do it.” 

Dorian stopped walking, “Excuse me?” 

You took a step back, but Dorian was way too quick. 

His hand met your throat, and your back to the pavement. 

“You really needed to be reminded, huh little one? Did you forget who created you?!? I DID!” Dorian’s voice growled. The memory of the night he nearly killed you but decided at the last minute that you’d be a perfect puzzle piece to his game.

You gripped both hands around his wrist, trying with all your strength to push him off you. But nothing worked. 

“Hahahahaaaa! See, Y/N? The power that I have obtained just from that dhampir and witch alone. Imagine the power I’d behold once that damn pack is gone!”

Your eyes widened, shaking your head, “No please.” 

“It’s too late, your little mate will be killed with the rest of them. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure to keep you alive until the world ends to suffer for the pain you just caused.”

Tears swelled your eyes. You just got your soulmate, and you’ll soon lose him too. 

“Now that I also know they have found where we live, I think it's time to lure them in, ya?” Dorian balled up his other fist, “You’ll go find your mate, show them what I have done to you, and lead them to our home. That damn elf of theirs has masked their scents, but since you’re connected to them.”

You blacked out after that sentence. Doing everything you could to hide the pain so Niki wouldn’t come running. 

—

Everyone ran around Heeseung’s apartment gathering all the supplies and weapons needed. 

Niki helped Sunghoon and Jake pile the supplies into backpacks. 

“It’s almost time,” Jungwon announced, “The earlier we hit his compound, the better.” 

Niki wondered if you could feel the stress he was feeling. The pain of being away from you. He wondered if his brothers had noticed. 

He wanted to tell them. To at least let them know. 

He shoved a few blood bags into the backpack, his brain on the fence about what to do. 

“Hey,” Heeseung tapped his shoulder, “Everything okay?” 

Before Niki could answer, he sensed you. 

Niki dropped the backpack and ran to the front door, swinging it open. 

You looked up at your soulmate and watched how his face shattered at how you looked. 

Niki pulled you inside, slamming the door behind you. 

He embraced you in his arms and all you could do was cry. Not just because of how badly you were physically in pain, but because of the fate that awaited you both. 

“Hey hey, Y/N, what happened?!” Niki tried to calm you down, running his hands through your hair. 

Jay and Heeseung were at Niki’s side in a second, removing you from his arms. 

“STOP!” Niki yelled, using all his strength to get his brothers away from you. 

They took a step back and they watched Niki drop to the floor with you back in his arms. 

And that’s when the others felt it. 

Heeseung sighed, “This is Niki’s mate.” 

Niki was able to calm you down and sat you on the couch while he knelt in front of you. 

This was the first time you’d been up and close with the rest of his pack. 

Now that you were connected to them, you could feel just how powerful these vampires were. 

Heeseung knew something felt off. If Niki and you were bonded together, why didn’t the rest know? Heeseung remembers feeling the exact moment when each member connected with their mates. Why was Niki’s story so different? 

Niki brushed your hair away from your face, his heart broke at seeing how you looked, how bruised and cut up you were. 

“Who did this to you?” Niki whispered, fighting back his own tears. 

You did as Dorian told you, “It was Dorian.” 

The room fell even more silent, and all eyes were on you.  

“He was stalking Niki and me tonight. He told me as he attacked me that he wanted Niki. He wanted the rest of your mates. I don’t know why or what for, I was just so confused. He let me go and I only felt safe finding Niki.” 

Heeseung clocked your story. Putting it to the side for now. 

Jay examined you, making sure your healing function was working and the elf mate offered to help speed up the process. 

Heeseung pulled Niki to the side, “When did this happen?” 

Niki raised a brow, “I told you all that I met another vampire.” 

“Not that.” Heeseung softly snapped. 

Niki knew what he was talking about, “It just happened, like right before you spammed my phone. There were other important matters and I didn’t want to distract anyone. We need the girls back and to destroy Dorian, mostly now that he was targeting me to get to you guys and now hurt my mate. I’m done playing games.” 

Niki walked back over to you, and all Heeseung could do was analyze. 

After you were healed up, the leader of your new pack was ready to move out. 

“We need to leave. Now.” Jungwon said, then turning to his soulmate and planting a soft kiss on her lips. 

Jay did the same, telling the girls to behave and not leave the apartment. 

Sunoo and his elf mate dangled their fingers together and were the first two out of the apartment. 

Niki watched Jungwon and Jay and say the final goodbyes to their mates, telling them they would be back soon. 

Niki knelt back down to you, “You need to stay here with them.” 

You shook your head, “No! I want to fight as well!” 

Niki kissed your forehead, “I can’t lose you.” 

You gripped his forearms, hands shaking. You need to be there to stop Dorian if he tries to hurt Niki. You can’t allow it. 

Niki released you from him, following his brothers out the door. 

You cursed to yourself, standing up and leaving the apartment. 

—

Finding the entrance to the compound was easy thanks to __ magic. 

Niki followed behind his brothers and they snuck their way inside. 

Jake and Sunghoon were on the lookout for where they could be keeping their mates. 

The compound was a lot bigger than they expected. Heeseung figured Dorian made it like this purposely to keep anyone from finding him. 

They eventually came to a throne room. The room was painted red and was barely lit. 

“Keep your guard up,” Jungwon said, “I have a bad feeling  about this place.” 

“As you should, Won.”

All the vampires hissed, seeing Dorian walk into the room. 

Niki’s fist tightened, seeing the man who was responsible for hurting you. 

Dorian looked at each of them, a small tsk releasing from his mouth, “I am so disappointed, where are the humans?”

Jungwon stepped in front of everyone, his fangs retracted and hands pulling out his weapon, “Don’t speak about our humans!” He hissed. 

Jay followed right up behind Jungwon, his jaw locked in place. 

Dorian laughed, “The only one who brought their mate was Sunoo, never thought you’d be into elves.” 

Sunoo gritted his teeth, pushing __ behind him. 

“Give me back my witch!” Sunghoon screamed, “Give her back to me!”

Dorian raised a brow, seeing Jake step beside Sunghoon, “I want my dhampir back as well.”!

“Hmm, well of course.” Dorian snapped his fingers, two portals opening. Two vampire women stepped through, holding the witch and dhampir at knifepoint. 

Sunghoon and Jake tried to rush to their mates, Jungwon and Jay grabbing a hold of them.

Heeseung analyzed everything. Something was off. Dorian wouldn’t just hand them over that easily. 

The women threw the witch and dhampir across the room, Sunghoon and Jake being at their side in seconds. 

Sunghoon embraced her, “Oh my beautiful hex girl.” He cried out, holding her weak body tightly against him. 

“You saw my raven?” she spoke, touching her hands to his face. 

Sunghoon nodded, “I did. We received the raven.” 

Jake pulled the dhampir up to her feet, her strength barely there to even stand. 

“Baby, my Luna Nova,” Jake pulled her to him, tears staining his face, “I won’t ever let you go again.” 

Jay and Jungwon pulled Sunghoon, Jake, and their mates behind them. 

That’s when Heeseung noticed it. 

“This is a trap.” 

Everyone looked at him. Dorian’s smirk gets wider. 

“Hyung!” Niki called out, “What do you mean this was a trap?!” 

Heeseung studied the room more. This wasn’t just some normal room. 

“He put a magic barrier in this room that only amplifies his power and weakens ours.” 

Jungwon gritted his teeth, “That's why you gave us the girls back so easily!”

“Oh, how correct you are!” Dorian snapped his fingers again, and a small flame appeared at his fingertips, “Your pack is the strongest out of all the vampire packs. Not to mention you now have a dhampir, witch, and elf in your ranks as well. You guys are a powerhouse!” 

Jay rolled his eyes, “Get to the fucking point!” 

“With you all out of the way, no one can stand in my way of becoming the Vampire King.” 

Heeseung furrowed his eyes, “You’re afraid one of us will take the throne?” he hissed.

Dorian shrugged, “Of course. The last thing we need is your pack in charge.”

“And what makes you think you’re so fit to be king?!” Sunghoon snapped, finally getting his witch back to her feet. 

“Because I achieved what no one else has. I killed an entire coven and stole all their secrets. Got the blood of humans to use and even stole some magic from your witch and strength from your dhampir. I inherited it all. I will kill each and every one of you then challenge the vampire king for his throne. The world will know no peace.” 

Niki clenched his fist, “No one will follow you!” 

The ladies at Dorian’s side giggled, clearly showing where their loyalty was. 

“Don’t worry, Nishimura. I have plenty of other people in this compound already devoted to me…ain’t that right, Y/N.” 

Niki’s heart dropped seeing you appear from behind Dorian. 

Your eyes were swollen from crying. You couldn’t even look at Niki. You already could feel the bond between you two shaking. 

Dorian pulled you to him, hand gripping your chin. 

Niki ran forward, Jay and Jungwon having to hold him back. He hissed as his fangs sharpened to a point. 

Heeseung knew the moment you stepped foot inside the apartment that something was off. You have the power to mask yourself from not just everyone but also your pack. 

“Let her go!!” Niki yelled, fighting against his brothers to get free. 

Heeseung quickly turned around, receiving a nod from the elf. 

She secretly was tearing the barrier down. It was time to fight. 

Dorian noticed right away, the feeling of his power fading. 

Everyone pulled their weapons out, ready to rush Dorian. 

“Wait STOP!” Jungwon screamed, seeing Dorian’s dagger connected to your throat, “He’ll kill her if we move.” 

Niki fought to stay in place. 

“Drop all your weapons. NOW!” Dorian yelled. 

One by one everyone got rid of their weapons, the women collecting them quickly. 

Niki kept his eyes on you, but the more he looked, the more he realized how he was played. 

His soulmate was his enemy. 

Dorian noticed Niki’s reaction, “Hmm you finally pieced the puzzles together huh? Your soulmate betrayed you. Not just right now either. She’s been stalking and following you guys around.”

Heeseung clenched his jaw tighter, “That's how our locations kept getting leaked.” 

Dorian nodded, “You even called it too, saying a mole was watching from a distance. Bravo.”

Niki took a step forward, but the dagger against your neck broke the skin, your blood collecting on the dagger. 

“Don’t move, I’ll kill her right here in front of you.”

Niki shook his head, the old memories returning. Seeing his first love being drained and killed in front of him. He couldn’t go through it again. He can’t. 

Heeseung’s eyes were roaming all over the room, noticing the women who were once at Dorian’s side were gone. 

That’s when Heeseung sensed it. 

Heeseung ducked down, pulling his hidden blade from his boot, grabbing the woman, and holding her to his chest. He stabbed the blade into her shoulder, and blood slightly painted his face, as her screams filled the room.  

Sunghoon and Jungwon were able to catch the other woman, tearing her apart. 

Dorian furrowed his eyes, anger filled him as he watched one of his followers get murdered. Eyes flooded back to Heeseung. 

“Release the girl!” Heeseung yelled, “And I’ll return your follower.”

Niki kept his eyes on you, waiting for the right second to grab you from Dorian. 

Everyone slowly moved forward. The witches and dhampir's strength slowly return. The witch set her hand a blaze, while the elf built a barrier around her pack. 

Dorian was back into a corner(literally). 

He snapped his fingers, and a portal appeared. 

Heeseung slowly shoved the blade further into the woman’s shoulder, her screams getting louder.

Dorian needed a better plan, mostly since his strongest vampire was being held against Heeseung’s chest. 

“Give me my follower back first, then I’ll let go of the little one.” 

Niki whipped around to his hyung, begging with his eyes to let go of the woman.

Heeseung knew the game Dorian was playing and took a step forward, his brothers following. 

Dorian released a laugh, “Oh well this was fun, but I have things cooking in another place. I was expecting the barrier to hold. Oh well.”

He put one foot in the portal but stopped at Niki’s cries.

“GIVE HER BACK!” 

Dorian laughed some more, releasing you from his grip. 

“Silly teenager, I created her. I turned her into what she is now. I gave her eternal life. Her loyalties are to me!” 

Niki moved forward, his arms stretched in front of him, “Y/N, please. We’re soulmates…choose me again. Please choose me again.” 

You wiped the blood from your neck, refusing to look at Niki. You knew Dorian wouldn’t stop until you all were dead. And the only way to keep Niki safe was to betray him. 

You didn’t move from Dorian’s side. 

“Y/N…” 

Dorian’s laugh filled the room, “I told you. Maybe your bond doesn’t run as deep as you thought.”

Dorian stepped through the portal, you following right behind him. 

“Y/N!!!” Niki screamed, causing your heart to break. 

You looked at him one last time, “Just let me go, Niki…you have to let it go.” 

Niki fell to his knees watching you disappear with Dorian. 

“Fuck.” Heeseung mumbled. 

Everyone stood in place, not knowing what to say or do. They could just watch their maknae stare off into the distance. 

“If you’re going to kill me, go ahead and get it over with!” the woman hissed, squirming in Heeseung’s arms. 

“Hmm…” Heeseung hummed, pushing the blade further in, “I have other uses for you.” 

They placed a bag over her head and tied it tightly. 

“Where to now?” Sunghoon asked, pulling his witch closer to him. 

Jungwon looked at Heeseung for confirmation, only speaking after he nodded, “The new safe house.” 

—

The woman was thrown into a chair and tied down, the bag being removed from her head. 

She blinked a couple of times to refocus her vision, seeing Heeseung standing in front of her. 

She squirmed in the chair, quickly looking around the empty room. 

“Where the fuck am I?” 

Heeseung let out a laugh, “That’s a fucking funny joke.” 

She gritted her teeth, the pain in her shoulder returning. 

Her blood was still attached to Heeseung’s face and clothes, and it completely covered her entire clothes. 

Heeseung placed his right boot between her legs on the chair, leaning on his right leg, “Tell us where to find Dorian.” 

“Go fuck yourself.” 

Heeseung pulled out the same blade from earlier out his back pocket, placing the cold silver against her jawline, it burned her skin. 

“This blade was made special for me. Made with the same type of silver that’s used to kill us.” He pressed the blade closer, watching as she gritted her teeth. Heeseung removed the blade, asking her one more time, “Where is Dorian.” 

She refused to answer, instead, laughter filled her lungs. 

“You won’t find him. He succeeded in his experiments to become the strongest vampire. And once he kills the vampire king, he will be stronger than you pack and kill you all.”

Heeseung chuckled, “What makes you so sure that he could kill the vampire king?” 

“Look at what he has achieved,” she tilted her head, “He’ll kill the vampire king, kill you all and save me.” 

Heeseung laughed more, “That’s pretty fucking hilarious actually.”

She furrowed her eyes in confusion. Staring up at Heeseung. The facial expression he was making scared her.

“How is this so funny?” she asked. 

“Because,” Heeseung tilted his head up, his fangs slowly came to a point, his tongue licking his right fang as his eyes turned a different color. It wasn’t the shade of crimson that normal vampires have, but it was bright gold. And the only vampire that has bright golden eyes was…“I am the vampire king.” 

She gasped, seeing how bright golden his eyes were. Seeing six pairs of crimson eyes glowing behind him. 

Heeseung smirked down at her, as the fear settled in.

[hunterevie]

Story - Mouse Hunt

Pairing - Castiel/Dean Winchester

Rating - Teen

Word Count - 1247

Summary - When Cas wakes up Dean late in the night, he is shocked to find it is because he thinks his angel husband has seen a mouse. Annoyed, he tells Cas to go back to sleep but knows he won’t until the mouse is found. Resulting in them having a mini hunt in the middle of their bedroom.

“Dean, Dean? DEAN?” The high pitch shrill squeak of Cas’s voice bought Dean out of his slumber. Instantly alert, worried that something major had happened to his husband. Groaning, he shifted to turn on the light. Being greeted with the beautiful blue eyes he had grown to love, wide with fear. It sobered him up instantly.

“What’s wrong sweetheart? Are you hurt?” It was a stupid question to ask an angel of the lord, one who could take his own pain away with the wave of his hand. He shook his head, grabbing onto his arm, shoulders touching as he searched around the room. This was starting to really concern Dean. Had something managed to get in? A demon? No the bunker was warded for anything that extreme. Vampires? Ghosts? Zombies…? Maybe just human intruders.

Concerned at the lack of response he grabbed his husband, pulling him closer to his side and carding his hands through his hair and placing a soft kiss on the temple. Wanting to sooth him as much as possible.

“Cas sweetheart, tell me what’s wrong?”

“I thought I saw a mouse.” The response was so tiny he wasn’t sure he heard correctly. But looking back down at those eyes, he knew Cas was being deadly serious.

For the love of god.

“A mouse? Are you kidding me?” Instantly he regretted the anger in his voice, grabbing Cas’s cheek and pulling him in for a tender kiss. An apology for being an ass when clearly Cas was upset. His husband melted into those lips, calming down with every soft tug.

“I’m sorry sweetheart. Where did you see this mouse?” Cas looked a little embarrassed. He searched his eyes around the room, trying to figure out exactly where he saw the movement.

“In the corner. I saw it around there.” He looked over to see nothing, turning to his husband in frustration.

“Can’t you just you know…use your grace on it? To get rid of it?”

“Dean that’s not how my grace works. You know that.” Actually he didn’t know that. He had no clue how Castiel’s grace worked. He did spend one day sitting down with him, giving a full detailed explanation. But Dean struggled to keep up. He never saw himself as a stupid man, proficient in the world of lore and self-taught in so many life skills. But everything Cas had told him felt too technical. He wanted to understand but gave up pretty quickly, feeling bad he knew nothing about a pretty big piece of Cas’s life. Cas didn’t pay it much mind though.

“Yeah, sorry angel. Well it’s not there now. Maybe just head to sleep and we will find it in the morning.” The look Cas pinned him was enough to tell Dean that was not happening. Rolling his eyes he slid out from under the covers, pulling some boxers out from his drawers so he at least wasn’t naked during this mouse hunt. Cas was also standing now, dressed in some nice lounge pants that fit snuggly around his hips after waving his hand. Dean couldn’t help but get distracted by how he looked, naked from the waist up with his perpetual sex hair untamed.

Show off.

“Should we get some cheese for it?” He asked, Dean did his best not to laugh. Knowing it wasn’t helpful in this situation.

“Cas this isn’t Tom and Jerry that won’t work.” The cute little look of incomprehension made Dean snort. He loved this clueless little man. “They’re mainly nut and seed eaters so some peanut butter will work better. I’ll also need a cardboard tube from some paper towels and a bucket.” Cas stared at his husband like he had gone mad, wondering why he would want any of those items. Without questioning it though he waved his hand and bought all three into existence. Dean just thanked him and got to work.

A few minutes later he had completed the home made mouse trap. The cardboard tube resting over the side of his the chest of drawers, a little dollop of peanut better in the end, with the bucket below. Cas didn’t say anything, just staring at his husband like he had lost it when he turned around with a big grin on his face, making Dean roll his eyes.

“The mouse will be attracted to the peanut butter. Because it’s heavier than the tube, it will fall into the bucket when it gets to the end, in effect trapping it.” Cas still didn’t seem on board with the explanation, but just went with it.

“So what do we do whilst we’re waiting?”

“I don’t know. Make out?” That seemed to cheer Cas up, he grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into the bed. Crashing their lips together whilst his hand slowly caressed his back and neck. It was slow, gentle, the intention just to be connected in the most loving way possible. Neither had any intentions on taking it further.

It took all of 10 minutes before they heard a plop into the bucket. Dean was the first to pull away, running his hands through Cas’s sex hair and smiling softly at him.

“Bingo.” He whispered against his lips, before giving him a quick peck. Throwing himself out of the bed to go see his prize.

Gently he lifted the cardboard tube from the bucket, a big grin on his face as he found the little rodent.

“Oh Cas sweetheart, it’s adorable.” Dean said as he put his hand in, pulling out a tiny mouse and holding it gently. “It’s not a wild mouse, it seems to be somebodies pet”. Cas baulked and shifted further back on the bed as Dean walked over with the little guy, clutching it in his hand like a cage until Cas felt okay enough to look. When he was a little calmer and nodded his head, Dean opened his hand.

On his palm was a tiny white mouse with gorgeous little red eyes. It sat contently on Deans palm, focused on washing its face with its paws and twitching its little whiskers. Cas’s eyes went impossibly soft, he had to admit it was extremely cute to look at.

“Do you want to hold it?” Unconsciously, Cas felt himself nodding his head. A warmth went through his heart as Dean handed the tiny creature to him. The little mouse continued to wash itself, more than happy with its surroundings. Softly Cas touched it on the head, enjoying the feeling of the soft fur.

“She’s gorgeous.” He whispered. Dean thought to ask how Cas knew it was a she but the question died in his throat. He was an angel, of course he would know stuff like this. His heart soared staring at his ‘scary’ angel husband hold such a tiny creature in his hand so delicately.

“I knew you’d love her Cas. We should get her a little home and keep her.” There was shock in Deans eyes when Cas nodded his head. On board with keeping a little pet in their home. “What are you going to call her?”

“Bob, I’ll call her Bob.” Deans heart melted at how quickly Cas had gone from scared of the little guy to almost being in love with her. He wasn’t going to question how they ended up with a little pet mouse in their bunker, but he was happy they did. Loving their new addition to their odd little family

[ishouldbedoinghw]

You Can't Erase Me

One Piece fanfic, part 11: Marriage of Inconvenience

Previous parts are in my pinned masterlist.

A woman enslaved by the celestial dragons is found by a man with red hair. Angst and comedy ensues.

A/N: Y'all know the drill. I was going to get some other writing done before picking this one back up, but yknow I watched Beetlejuice Beetlejuice the other day and it inspired me to go ahead and start this chapter.

TW: More thirsting over a vampire, alcohol consumption, allusions to SA, descriptions of drunkenness, bad decision-making, Shanks, suggestiveness but not nsfw, possibly ooc Mihawk, I'm still learning how to accurately write stoic characters

---

"You mean to tell me you didn't have a clue who the fuck that was?" Zutsu was demanding, shaking me a little.

"Um-"

"Please tell me you at least know what a warlord is."

"Yes, I'm not that dumb," I snapped, my gaze repeatedly lingering over to where Mihawk was trying his best to ignore a very drunk Shanks, while Benn looked even more tired than usual.

"I wasn't implying you were dumb, I just-" he sighed, his hand leaving my shoulder. "I'm just shocked, is all. Anyone who knows anything about the relationship between pirates and the World Government on the Grand Line are very familiar with the warlords. Hell, my sister is 13 and I think she has a Sir Crocodile poster on her wall from an issue of Hot Pirates Weekly."

I didn't want to know anything about what pirates were hot after my discussions of Shanks with Maria, so I didn't ask what Hot Pirates - Whatever was.

"Listen, I know who the damn warlords are, I just don't- didn't know what this one looked like 'til now, alright?" The only pictures the Red Force had was the wanted posters of Straw Hat Luffy, and some blue-haired chick with bad makeup the crew said to never, ever bring up to Shanks. Some ex of his he wasn't over, I reasoned. Hongo had some of the crew when they were younger, but he pretended they didn't exist for fear of acknowledging he actually likes the guys he's spent years on a ship with.

In other words, even though I knew Shanks was old friends and rivals with the warlord, I'd never actually seen the guy.

Zutsu seemed satisfied enough with my answer. Instead of prying further, he just asked if he could meet Shanks. I begrudgingly said yes, although I could tell his motives for speaking with the ginger were just as nefarious as Maria's.

Benn was shooting me a now-familiar I am about to strangle this bastard look as we approached. Shanks was still yammering off to Mihawk, whose eyes I refused to meet as I introduced Zutsu to Benn and Yasopp, Roux having disappeared somewhere to find a bite to eat.

While Zutsu blushed plenty when Benn shook his hand, I could tell I wouldn't get any peace if I didn't at least try to get the captain's attention.

"Shanks-"

"Spooky! I'm a bit hurt you didn't wanna dance with me, but Hawkeyes seemed to have plenty of fun- I didn't know you had it in you, I guess that's what I get for thinking you couldn't pull-"

This jackass never shuts up, does he? It could be white noise to me by now if he wasn't so damn loud.

"Shanks, as much as I appreciate your undying confidence in me, please-"

He interrupted me again, having spotted Zutsu next to me. "You're such a lovely dancer, you could teach me a thing or two if you wanted-" He stooped slightly to land a wet kiss on the back of Zutsu's hand.

"Oh, ew." I muttered aloud, and if Shanks heard me, he didn't give any indication.

"I'm surprised you aren't used to his- hunting games by now." The smooth voice made me jump. Mihawk had replaced Zutsu's place next to me, and I willed the sweat gathering on my hands to disappear. Thankfully, he wasn't looking at me, just watching Shanks with mild disinterest.

"She hasn't had the misfortune of witnessing it in person since she joined us, and I must say I'm envious." Benn, you absolute saint. I'd had no clue what to say, as I was too focused on steadying my breathing and hoping the blush on my cheeks only made me look drunk.

This is pathetic. He's only a man, and kind of a rude one at that. Then the words Warlord and World Government came to mind, and I was left wondering if openly trying to insult him during our dance was the best idea.

Mihawk started to slip away while Shanks was occupied, trying to make his way back to his massive sword at the still-empty table.

Shanks, however, wasn't having it.

"Hawkeyes! You never want to stay and chat, I thought you loved me!" Shanks did his best pouty-face, though it looked odd on the face of a 40-something-year-old.

Mihawk looked as if staying around Shanks was the last thing he wanted to do, but he hesitated in leaving nonetheless.

"You can grab the farm plow you call a sword later, we're having more drinks!" Shanks said it matter-of-factly, and I was left wondering just how often he succeeded in harassing Mihawk into partying with him.

Judging by the slightly annoyed yet surrendered look Mihawk was giving him, it was quite often. I had little doubt he ever successfully refused Shanks. To be fair, not many people successfully refused Shanks anything.

Mihawk seemed to procure a wine glass out of thin air as he sat down, remaining completely silent. Benn nodded in curt greeting, while Yasopp tried his best to merrily clink his mug with the wine glass.

The only reaction he got was a withering glare.

---

Two Hours Later

---

After enough alcohol to sterilize a hospital, Shanks had loudly announced everyone should go back to the ship to bring the party to the rest of the crew.

We were now all crowded around a large bonfire, the majority of the crew having joined us on a small beach. There were a few locals and tavern dancers that had joined us, but most of them had been too intimidated to party with pirates.

Maria had joined us, at first trying her hand at flirting with Benn, then ultimately deciding 50 was older than she could do. She proclaimed this quite loudly to the entire group, although I was sure she only meant to whisper it to me. Afterwards, she'd also tried to get Shank's attention, but waved the white flag of surrender when the pirate pulled Zutsu onto the makeshift dance floor.

"Such a tragedy to lose such a man," she sighed, "But Z won him fair and square."

I still wasn't fully comfortable with how openly she talked about wanting to sleep with my captain, but it seemed I was the only prude present. She'd thankfully changed the subject when she saw my grimace, although what she brought up next was not much better.

"I get he's scary and all, but you can't tell me Hawkeyes isn't hot as hell." Hawkeyes was also a mere 7 feet away from our conversation, but the rum we'd had diminished our embarrassment, Maria moreso than me.

"I'm not gonna gush about a guy like I'm twelve, Maria," I took another swig from the bottle we shared, grimacing as the bitter taste caught up to me. "But, yeah, he isn't bad."

Maria rolled her eyes mockingly, giggling. "Hypocrite, you're looking at his ass right now."

"Shut up, I have enough decency to not oogle at someone's ass-"

"Maybe not his ass, per se, but you're definitely looking-"

"I'm looking at you, 'cause that's who I'm talking to," I huffed, licking my dry lips.

I had, in fact, been looking directly at his ass unabashedly, but I wasn't about to admit it out loud.

"Well, regardless of who's ass you're looking at-"

"No one's."

"Regardless-" she spoke over me, "He's, like, super dangerous and all, and he may or may not actually drink blood, but it makes him cool and sexy-"

"Cool-and-sexy is standing right there, and can definitely hear everything you're saying," Zutsu sat down with a huff, sweaty and breathless.

"Like you can say anything, you've been Red-Hair's arm candy all night, shameless bastard," Maria snapped, though her voice held no venom.

Zutsu at least had the decency to blush, staring down at his feet.

"Where'd Shanks go, anyway?" I asked, craning my neck to look for him, and definitely not using it as an excuse to ogle at Mihawk.

"He went to- to piss, I think," he muttered.

As if on cue, Shanks returned to the party with a shout, and planted himself directly in Zutsu's lap, and landing a wet smooch directly on his neck.

"Oh, gross." I scrambled to get up, the sand making it a bit difficult.

"Oh, I take it back, Red-Hair looks like he kisses like a teenager," Maria huffed, wiping a bit of sand from her skirt.

I let out an extremely unflattering laugh, playfully shoving Maria, and receiving a shove back. Given her intoxicated state, she shoved me harder than intended, and I ended up stumbling directly into the back of Dracule Mihawk.

He didn't stumble even slightly, and didn't say a word as I caught myself on his coat without even thinking.

"Trying to dance again?" he asked, sipping on the rum he'd replaced his wine with.

My face burned, and I backed a few strides away, trying not to think about how solid his back had felt. I was also slightly peeved he had once again commented on my dancing, something I'd actually been decently proud of that night.

"You wish," I muttered, the irritation winning out with the rum in my system.

He didn't say anything, buyout he didn't turn away either.

His massive sword was now leaned on a barrel nearby, and he hadn't strayed far from it. Likely in anticipation of an attack, I reasoned.

We stood in silence for a moment, Maria having disappeared somewhere else. It was almost comfortable at first, before I grew anxious that he might think I was strange for not saying something.

Before my brain could catch up, my mouth had blurted, "What's your sword's name?"

Oh my fucking- how stupid could you sound. Who the fuck asks the name of an inanimate object, why are you so dumb-

"Yoru," he said simply, in a way that suggested I should already know the answer.

Oh. Was it common for weapons to have names? I'd never heard any, but I suppose I had never asked, either.

A small distance from the bonfire, some odd group of crew members and part of the band I recognized from the tavern had started to play. I focused, trying to figure out what song they were playing, hoping it would jog some memory.

No such luck, but the melody was fast-paced and energetic, and I had to force myself to keep my hands from tapping along to the song.

"How did a dancer join Red-Hair?" Mihawk asked, almost shocking me. Until this point, he seemed entirely uninterested in everything around him.

"I-" I wasn't entirely sure where the warlord stood in the field of trustworthy. I knew he was an old friend of Shanks's, and I knew that while it seemed the crew was aware of the power he held, they all seemed completely comfortable around him.

Maybe it was the rum that had loosened my inhibitions, but more than anything, I wanted the chance to tell someone about myself without having to make up a lie.

"I- They found me out at sea, they said a mermaid dumped me and ran."

Mihawk quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"I don't have any memory from- well, from before-" I wasn't sure how to explain it. I didn't want to bore him, or seem like I was trying to garner any type of sympathy.

"Before-?" The tone of his voice was haughty and a little impatient, but not unkind.

I took a deep breath and started again. "I was- I belonged- to the Celestial Dragons. I don't remember the mermaid, but the man who got me out was the one who brought my food to me."

It all became a rush after that.

"I was kept in this- cage or something, hanging in the air. My job was to sing lullabies to their little boy." I focused on the grains of sand at my feet, my brow furrowed. "But they gave me something, it made me forget everything, even who I was, before then. I didn't even remember seeing the little boy grow up."

I heard him taking a swig of rum, the rustling of his coat the only indication he moved. I wonder how he managed to be so quiet.

"The day I- got out, you know," I continued, "The boy, a man then, I guess, was angry about something. He took me out of the- the cage, and took off my-" I gestured to my neck, and with a pang remembered the very obvious scarring around my throat.

The next part I had only described in detail to Hongo and some to Shanks, but the words wouldn't stop when logic told my mouth to close.

"I- he- I'm not sure of everything that happened, but-"

"You don't have to explain everything if you don't want." He took another swig. "You have the choice to do anything now, and tell anyone anything you choose to about yourself."

It was... comforting, in an odd way. I had only ever been asked as some sort or ward or patient, like what had happened to me was something someone could fix. Hongo had needed to know as my doctor, and Shanks had- well, I wouldn't be surprised if he was just nosy, but he was the captain and responsible for everyone.

Choosing to share something myself felt much better.

"He gave me more of the- the drug, I think. I couldn't move, but the man who brought me my food, you know, he came in and grabbed me." I paused, wishing I had a little more rum.

"All I remember is glass breaking, popping, and screaming. I think he threw me into the water, and I woke up on the ship later."

Mihawk didn't say anything. I wasn't even sure if he was still there until I looked up and found his golden eyes studying me. The sight made me jump a little, and I giggled a little at myself.

"Would you like to dance again?"

The question surprised me. Was he fucking with me? I thought he'd hated the one dance we already had.

But he offered his hand to me, much like I had held out mine in Delilah's. After a moment of hesitation, I took it.

After downing the remains of his drink quickly, the warlord led me to the other dancers, and I caught him glancing every so often to Shanks- obviously checking to see if he was watching. There was no singer in the little impromptu band, but the music was all lively jigs, everyone drunkenly (and rather clumsily) dancing. Maria had pulled a very flustered Lime Juice into the swath, and was giggling at the way he tried to keep up with her.

I was giggling myself as Mihawk turned to face me, his large coat swishing with the movement. His hand met my waist, and my face burned at the contact. He started leading me in a slow sway, but my feet were itching to actually keep up with the music.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Warlord, but I am not doing that."

"What-"

Without thinking about what I was really doing, I reached behind his shoulder and pulled him closer to me. Much to his silent but obvious indignation, I lead him in a brisk two-step once again, actually rotating around the floor rather than sticking to the outskirts.

I felt a little braver this time as the familiar ache made its way back to my legs- he wasn't a complete stranger anymore, and I knew how to dance. Although he had been taken slightly by surprise, he matched my steps perfectly, never even stumbling.

This dance was what I'd somewhat hoped the first one would be. He seemed to enjoy himself this time, occasionally spinning or dipping me, making me laugh. He never smiled, though his face was considerably more relaxed than before. We danced to one song, then two, and we were on the fifth before either of us spoke.

"Do you believe you were a dancer before?" He asks, spinning me as the song ends.

"I think so," I say breathlessly, the pain in my limbs finally catching up with me. "I know my first few dances tonight were- less than professional, but..." I trailed off as his mouth quirked up in an almost-smile.

"You're beautiful," I blurt without thinking.

He brushed away a curl that had gotten stuck on my cheek.

"Marry me."

What... what the fuck? Had I heard that right? Was alcohol making me hear things? As attractive as I thought he was, and as well as we'd gotten along tonight, I wasn't thinking about proposing to the damn guy.

"What-"

"Oi, Hawkeyes, you asked her without me?" Shanks was clambering over, this time without Zutsu attached to him.

"What-"

Mihawk pointedly ignored Shanks, still looking at me. His expression was as stony as ever, and you would've thought he was telling me to shut up, not proposing.

"Since it seems he hasn't explained it to you, I shall," he said pointedly. "The Celestial Dragons do not take kindly to losing what they believe is rightfully theirs. They will hunt for you, and are not accustomed to taking 'no' for an answer." He folds his arms, now directing his gaze at Shanks.

"I would think your captain could have told you this, considering how much he likes to talk."

"I didn't want to worry her-"

"Wait," I interrupted, "You knew someone was hunting me, and didn't mention it?"

Shanks at least had the decency to look sheepish.

"And what the hell does that have to do with you proposing to me just now."

Mihawk didn't even try to look sheepish.

"I am a warlord," he said simply. "With that, I am given what is essentially political immunity, as long as I keep the Navy satisfied. If you were attached to me, and you did not reveal yourself as a former slave-"

I was sure my cringing was visible at the word.

"-the Marines who pose any threat would be smart enough not to dig up anything about you."

I hadn't thought about being in any danger from the government, though I'd had plenty of nightmares of returning to- wherever I'd come from. One good thing about sailing with Shanks was that, at least awake, I felt safe.

"Listen, Spooky, I can protect you, but we could get separated, or worse, you get stranded where I can't find you." Shanks said, looking infinitely more sober than before. "Being a Red-Hair pirate gives you some protection, but you aren't exactly known as a pirate. Being married to a warlord puts you in the public eye without anyone actually seeing you on a bounty poster."

"And anyone trying to cause you harm risks angering the world's strongest swordsman," Although he seemed to be bragging, Mihawk stated it as a fact, and didn't bother to look smug.

I, for one, was simultaneously far too drunk and far too sober for this conversation.

"So, I- I marry you, and then-?"

"You are free to do what you want," Mihawk said simply. "Choose to stay a pirate, although I don't recommend causing enough trouble to garner your own bounty, or stay with me."

Blunt, isn't he? "Stay-"

"On my home island," Mihawk said. "As long as you don't disturb the peace and quiet."

"Oh," was all I could muster at the moment. Too many questions threatened to spill out, like Would we be married forever? What would being married even be like? Could I go anywhere I wanted now? How convincing would we have to be?

"Do what you want," Mihawk interrupted my train of thought, having somehow gotten his hands on another glass of wine. "No one can force you into anything."

As many ways as I could see the entire arrangement going horribly wrong, I couldn't deny the allure of nearly-complete freedom. Life on the ship wasn't bad, but I hadn't known any different - hadn't felt like a real, breathing person - until tonight. I wasn't likely to leave the crew anytime soon, but if I could actually see every island we visited? The rush of hope was exhilarating.

It was my future, my choice. And who was I to deny myself a life of freedom by being married to the most handsome man I'd ever seen?

"Alright," I said quietly.

"Hm?" Shanks evidently hadn't been paying attention.

"Alright," I repeated, firmer this time. "I'll do it. I'll marry you."

Shanks let out a whoop, though I'm not entirely sure what had made him so happy. He hoisted me over his shoulder, causing me to shriek.

"To the church, lads, she said yes!"

[saltysunflowersugar]

sometimes I mix up MH (Monster High) with MHA (My Hero Academia) so I decided to make a crossover AU between them

Alrighg, so I’ll just start with some very basic info, all of the MHA kids go to Monster High, although I think the ghouls and monsters going to UA would also be cool and I guess that could be some other AU, also don't ask me if I'll be using the G1 or G3 Monster High lore, because not even I know. Also, as for the character designs, monster high doesn't have a uniform so I’ll put the characters in their casual clothes but add elements of their hero costumes to give it a more monster high energy

• it was a little hard to think of what kind of Monster Aoyama would be since I wanted to maintain some variation of their quirks, and there aren't really any monsters that shoot lasers out of their stomach, so I decided to make him a cyborg, plus I think it would be cool if the armour and giant shades of his hero costume were part of his body

• Mina is just a straight-up alien, I mean she originally wanted her hero name to be Alien Queen, so it makes sense.

• Tsuyu is a Loveland Frogperson, of you don't know what that is, it's an American cryptid that's basically just a human-sized frog that walks on it's hind legs, so it's perfect for Tsu

• I decided to make Uraraka a ghost because not only would gravity perpetually not apply to her, but she would also have telekinesis and so, she could make gravity not apply to other things/people, which fits with both uses of her quirk

• Ojiro would basically not change at all, but I haven't really decided what specific kind of monster he would be, considering his quirk is literally just that he has a tail, IDK I'll have to get back to him

• Iida would be a steam-powered robot like Robbecca Steam, I thought of this because of the engines on his calves lol

• Kirishima would be a rock elemental, that feels really obvious

• Kaminari would be a Frankenstein's Monster like Frankie, because electricity

• I'm not really sure what species Koda would be, but then I remembered Jane Boolittle who can also talk to animals and whose species is ALSO unknown, so I thought "Eh, it's fine if I don't know because neither does Koji"

• I have no clue what Sato's species would be lol, I might have to get back to him too

• Mezo Shouji is pretty obvious, anthro octopus, maybe also like, part shapeshifter to explain how he can grow extra eyes and mouths at the ends of his limbs, maybe he's even related to Tamaki in this AU

• Jirou is a vampire, but I'm specifically more focused on the bat part than the undead part or the blood drinking part, my reason being that bats have really great hearing and can use ecolocation, plus I just want her to have really big bat ears with dangly chain earrings to stand in for her earphone jacks

• Since Sero's tape power is already supposed to be based on Spiderman's web-slinging, I've decided to make him an anthropomorphic spider like Wydonna

• Tokoyami is a bird man, not much about that changes, but as for how Dark Shadow exists, he's actually Tokoyami's twin who he absorbed in the womb (egg?) And now is sort of a ghost but was also never really alive to begin with? IDK I've seen this premise used in some Danny Phantom AUs and I couldn’t really think of any other way for Dark Shadow to exist

• Todoroki will be an anthropomorphic salamander because not only are there myths of Salamanders being birthed from flames, but there is also a real world salamander species that can turn its own blood into an antifreeze substance so that it can safely hibernate in the winter, IT’S JUST TOO PERFECT!!!

•literally nothing changes about Hagakure

• Bakugou is an anthropomorphic dragon, I know that doesn't really relate to explosions specifically but I wasn’t sure what else to do and breathing fire seemed close enough

• for Deku I was originally gonna make him human, but I thought of something infinitely funnier; he's half merman half centaur and inherited the human half from both of his parents

• I had a hard time coming up with something for Momo, but my friend suggested to make her a Demon because demons can create stuff out of thin air sometimes (and NO, her creations will not be coming out of her boobs in this AU, I am well aware of how often both demons and Momo Yaoyorozu are sexualized and I don't want to do that here, she'll just use her horns to make stuff)

• Shinsou as a siren feels like the most natural creature for him to be, especially since not only is he using a power that comes from his voice to make people do things they normally wouldn't, but sirens are typically seen as the evil counterpart to mermaids, much like how everyone perceives Shinsou's quirk as inherently villainous, so it fits really perfectly

[zoguy1]

So, fun fact about me, I never actually watched Gravity Falls. I mean, I did. But I only watched it by proxy to my siblings, who were obsessed with it and watched it all the time. I'd also catch some reruns on TV from when the show was originally airing on Disney Channel or XD or something.

Anyway, now that the fandom is reignited with the release of the books, I've been seeing some things that dose kinda make me wanna rewatch the series. But I also kinda don't want to watch the whole series just for the few characters I'm interested in knowing more about. So instead I'm going to read fanfics of some of the ships that piqued my interest and *then* rewatch the show. Cuz I learned from doing the same thing with the Venom series was such a wild ride.

But first, I wanna document my memory of the show and what I've seen of fan content, cuz I kinda regret not doing that with the Venom movie before I watched it.

So, first starting with the main twins: Dipper and Maple. Two autistic siblings. Maple is all rainbows and sunshine and is so deep into escapism that she's drown in it while Dipper is a huge nerd. Maple has a few crushes here and there throughout the whole series, while Dipper has a crush on this high schooler. I thought they were in elementary when I first started watching the show and was surprised to find out they weren't and were starting their first year of high school by the end of the series. Idk if I remembered that correctly, though.

The next pair of twins is Stanley and Stanford. According to my friends, Ford is an absolute ass hat and Gruncle Stan is a single mom who works two jobs. Ford was the 'gifted child' autistic growing up and his special interest is the triangle man. Supposedly he had a bf, Fiddle, whom he accidentally traumatized and just left for Triangle Man. Meanwhile, Stan has an ex-wife, Edna the Owl Lady who misses him, but her aim is getting better. They are also soulmates who belong to each other and deserve each other. He's also dated Pickle Rick at some point. Possibly after Edna. But I refuse to believe that Stan and Rick were ever serious and that it was just a fling. Stan x Fiddle is also piquing my interest, I want to see Stan singing "You Only Want Me 'cause You Want My Sister" by Evelyn Evelyn.

Dipper and Maple's parents are never mentioned, despite the show being heavily family focused. So I imagine they had no fucking clue what the hell happened during their kid's summer trip to see their uncle and had one Hellova story when they came back.

Another notable characters is Wabbles the Pig, who's apparently better than Fat Nuggets. Guys, Wabbles, and Fat Nuggets came from the same litter. This show is all about not pitting siblings against each other, why are we putting Nuggest and Wabbles against each other? They're chill.

Zeus, who's just kinda there. He's the twins' autistic friend. Wendy, Dipper's crush and girl boss. Rodney, Wendy's emo bf. Maple's friends, and then that one bully character they tried to pair up with Dipper, but like, honestly no.

Oh yeah and Bill. Bill's whole ordeal is that he wants to take over the tri-state area, and absolutely fuck with everyone, including the audience, making them believe that there's old man Yaoi where there isn't. At least not in the way the fans think. Now I don't ship BillFord, but I am curious to know if there's any fanart of Ford and Bill's cannonical human design.

There's also the gay police that pulled a Bubbleen. Random ass Chomsky gnomes. Mermaids, vampires, and shenanigans. and the Mystery Shack, which kinda just exists.

I will now dive into fanfics and revisit this post to see how much my memory aligns with the fics.

[quinloki]

I am here to rescue you from whatever it is that has you down! As always, this runs long and the damn ask function will not allow me to do a keep reading cut so everyone else is just going to have to suffer.

Did I see something really cute today? Yes! Our local box turtle, a juvenile house wren, but most importantly the juvenile tufted titmouse. Why is this the important one? Well, the window bird feeder we have was running low on food and it was also raining today. Every time he landed, he'd hop into the feeder to eat the food.

Well, it's a wee bit slippery and he hasn't figured a lot of stuff out yet. Every time he landed int he feeder his legs splayed out in opposite directions. He kept hopping them back together only to end in the splits again. It was utterly hilarious. All those cartoons of characters having their legs go in different directions on ice were not inaccurate.

Is your pet adorable? Yes? I don't really have pets, I have plants. They are named: Lacey, Touchy McFeely, Jewels, Polydora, and Mapleine. Four out of five are succulents. Lacey has a crimped edge to her leaves. Touchy McFeely is a panda plant and all the leaves are fuzzy. Jewels is a jade tree. Polydora is a community of succulents in a single pot, and the name comes from Greek mythology. Polydora was an Amazon and as a tall lady myself, that was the Polydora I went with (there have been several people with the name in Greek myth).

And then we have Mapleine (pronounced maple-een, like Maybelline but with maple). Mom has informed me that mapleine is the chemical compound responsible for all artificial maple flavors. Why did I name the one plant I have that isn't a succulent this? I'm glad you asked. For some inexplicable reason, her leaves smell like maple syrup.

First time I smelled it I thought I was having a synesthetic moment. I was sitting at my desk (I keep her with me at my desk) and all of a sudden I was overwhelmed with maple syrup scents. I spent a good fifteen minutes trying to figure out what my trigger sense was. I gave up. I then sniffed my plant. It was her. MY PLANT SMELLS LIKE MAPLE SYRUP. No clue what kind of plant she is but damn is that fun. So Mom named her Mapleine. Whenever we smell maple now we say, "maybe it's mapleine."

If your blorbo was real, and appeared right besides you right now, how would you react? Well, I have more than one blorbo so let's tackle 'em one at a time, yeah?

Arlong—I'd probably scream and hit him with my baseball bat. In my defense, that would be terrifying but I'm in my PJs in bed and I have my dignity to preserve as a woman.

Benn "Fine Motherfucking Vintage" Beckman—drool.

Shanks—I'd probably just start poking him to see if he was really real and actually here.

Aramaki—I'd probably stare like a goof as I tried to figure out how he fit in the room.

Now for the non-One Piece blorbos:

Gildarts—I'd probably attack him first out of fright and then feel bad because the dude is missing half his limbs.

Laxus—same as Beckman's.

Skinny Might—probably introduce him to Tiny Might and inform him quite proudly that my Tiny Might can do something he can't: glow in the dark. I'd probably then explain why I have Tiny Might in the first place, tell him what he means to me, and offer him a place to sleep. I love Skinny Might. About as much as I love Beckman.

Aizawa—take pity on him and scooch over in bed so the man can finally sleep.

Hawks—probably going to touch the wings automatically and if he tries to leave tackle his ass to the ground. I guarantee I outweigh him and mark my words, I will be dragging him to bed one way or another.

Nanami—same as Beckman's.

Sorin Markov—I'd be deeply concerned honestly. The sudden appearance of a Planeswalker is not a good sign and he's the vampire planeswalker to boot. I also love him more than any other character in existence (besides Boromir but that's more of a platonic love), but I know he isn't fond of humans and he has a bad track record with women in particular. Knowing as much about him as I do, I'd probably inquire if he was okay and offer my assistance short of letting him feed on me (my period just ended but if it hadn't, I could technically feed him).

Tell me your three favorite things: These change because I don't know what favorite things is, it's too broad of a question. So, I'm giving you my three obsessions right now:

My professor and lest that sounds creepy, I greatly admire him as an academic and a person. I have a lot of respect for the guy and I enjoy looking into any of my professors' research because I like knowing what to expect and being able to learn from experts is awesome. I just bought two of his books too. I love my professor to pieces (platonically) but I disagree with him nearly across the board and I find it challenging to dissect things because we're in opposite camps (while in the same field), but at the same time I learn a lot even through disagreement and I get to learn how to disagree respectfully. Plus, Mom & I have decided that he isn't just one of the good professors, he's a fucking genius and I gotta make hay while the sun shines. I only have 13 or so weeks left to learn as much as I can because once this class concludes I will have taken all the classes he teaches at the Extension School. =( My time is extremely limited now.

Dystopian literature & films. This has been ongoing for awhile now but it has gone beyond just reading/watching for fun. I'm trying to construct my own online class for the genre, as if I were going to teach it at the Extension School. I've been trying to create the reading/watch list, craft a syllabus, and of course come up with the lectures. It's a ton of work but I actually want to teach a course on this (I'm not qualified, I'm just an undergrad). Since I cannot teach it at my school, I could just create it online outside of school and that is always a possibility but for now I am very much in the crafting stage.

Stand-up comedy. I have been reliably informed that I am the funniest member of my family. I also greatly enjoy doing impressions and have mastered a few...odd ones. And I do them better than anybody alive. It's a weird flex but it's what I've got (the other flex is coming in 8th place at a 6 person tournament). Alas, I cannot tell you what these impressions are, I'm building up a repertoire and will eventually debut them at open mic nights. I have to work on myself internally and get nerves/anxiety/panic attacks under control first, but I already have about a 2.5 minute routine ready to go. So when I get stuck in school or work I just start practicing my impressions. However, once I do debut them live (and Mom records the performance), I will happily share them.

There, do you feel a little bit better now? Have I made you smile or laugh at all? I'm sending you a hug as well and if you need more just let me know.

Oh that poor bird 😅Well, providing some entertainment to the people helping him get a meal probably isn't a bad trade off ^_^

Okay, I love the plants and their names \o/ Polydora is a great name for a collection of succulents - and I really love that it's a name that shows up more than once in mythology.

And Mapleine... ah, I'd love a plant that smells like maple. I have a set of runes made from Maple Wood and the scent is so calming sometimes I just put my nose in the bag and breathe when I need to relax a little.

I love that Arlong gets the bat, and Beckman gets drool XD The Skinny Might interaction is just adorable, and man hard same with Aizawa and Hawks, frankly.

I hope you get everything out of your esteemed professor in the time you have. May you, by happenstance or will, find yourself befriending him and having an opportunity to speak beyond class.

I would love to see your syllabus on Dystopian literature and films when you get it sorted out - if you're comfortable sharing it. Fates willing I would happily be a test subject for you ^_^

I look forward to the video as well, and I'm already very curious about who you're good at impersonating, but I will wait patiently 🥰

You managed to distract me, delight me, and help me relax all in one go ❤️ Thank you, my friend. Ah - who are other Polydoras in mythology? Are they all humans? Do they do amazing feats, or are they supportive pillars for those we deem heroes?

[sugarsprink]

i typed up a bit of werewolf/vampire naegiri au so im posting it here why not

warnings for talks about eating meat/animals, animal death + general stuff you would expect when talking about werewolves and vampires

kyoko does not drink human blood and refuses to. she lives isolated in the woods in a tiny cabin for a multitude of reasons, mainly being that she doesn't have to run into people, its easier to stay safe during the day, and it gives her access to alternate food sources: woodland animals. she is a very skilled hunter because of this. she does not take human blood for moral reasons as well as it helps her hold on to a piece of humanity, the only part she believes she has left. Its also best not to start trouble, as in this au most people do not believe werewolves/vampires exist as most live in complete secret.

for makoto, he's just how werewolves work in my head. shifting and being a wolf takes a LOT of energy, and therefore it needs to be filled. it fills werewolves' heads with instincts to hunt, even if the person would never do that. he'll just see a rabbit or something and his head goes "i should totally eat that. wait, no i shouldn't eat that. but it looks so good. NO." just in a loop (he usually does not beat these thoughts and gives in. he needs the energy. and he very much regrets it the next day. (imagine him just sitting in his room like "oh man i totally killed like 7 squirrels last night") with the worst stomachache ever.

for how they met, its night and makoto is in the woods as a wolf. he smells blood and he wants to eat (no he doesnt. no wait, he does. ugh this sucks!) anyways he follows the scent and he spots kyoko holding a crossbow (her preferred weapon since its silent) and a dead rabbit. despite every rational thought, he approaches her because hes both curious and wants that rabbit. at first, kyoko does not trust the approaching wolf (because, you know. giant fucking wolf.) and tightens her grip on her crossbow but she realizes as he approaches he just wants the food. so she gives it up and he eats it. while hes distracted by that, she disappears. this leaves makoto curious, so the next night, as a human, he goes back with the sole intent of looking for her. she ends up finding him, and at first she questions why hes so deep in the forest at such a late hour, until she recognizes him due to the scar on his face. both of them clue in that one is a werewolf and the other is a vampire, and they continue to meet up at night to talk about their respective lives and how they work.

[destinyc1020]

Hey destiny,

I dont know if you want to respond to this ask because it's about Tom and post Romeo and Juliet. I write this cause there have been so many think pieces bout hisbchiuces and some fans catastrophize, and I value your perspective on these things.

I'm excited for SM4 and Uncharted 2, but after that, I don't want Tom to be a part of Avengers 5 or any crossover until he has success outside of the MCU.

He's too talented to be stuck in that franchise that rn doesn't sound secure and looks to be dependent on him. Shawn Levy gave him praise a few days ago, teasing a deadpool crossover and for me thats an alarm bell in my head because it's so obvious they are trying to make his SM the Iron Man of that universe. What is baffling with me with his career is that he's doing these films cause he wants to, but deep down, I don't think he just wants to do just this. I remember the q&a for TCR for sag-aftra and how he was scared to go outside of the MCU bubble before taking that role and how he was happy he was doing this.

I'm confused because it's not just for money to stay in that universe. Tom avoids fashion shows and campaigns that could pay more than a movie star salary. He could really milk his persona for money due to him being a walking meme. He actively avoids socialising in hollywood or going to parties or events, yet he's stuck doing sequels? Tom is still young, he can always come back to those films cause the demand is high and i dont mind those films but i want some more variety. I selfishly want to understand where his head is. I would understand if he was deeply pretentious, but he's not. I've yet to see him do an a24 film or projects filmtwittwr has a hard-on for, lol. I don't like film twitter, sorry. Very toxic imo.

I rewatched TCR, and it's honestly so much better than I remembered. Tom is displaying an arpeggios of emotional acuity that is so uniquely rare that I didn't even want it to finish. I wanted to know more about Danny and his treatment. I'm not against big ip movies, I'm concerned with the lack of vision, director, scripts, and lack of practical effects. I want style as well as a blue screen.

The winner rumours are giving me hope because it's a risk, and I know Tom can do this. I think my irritation for his existing ip as of rn is those toxic fanbases and biased critics that use it against Tom as a cautionary tale. Don't do Marvel, or you'll end up like him like he isn't in high demand and talented af. Like JE is considered a movie star yet tell me a film he's opened as a lead not supporting, that made profit for over 200 million? They always move the goalposts for Tom and also Z, but that's for another day, lol.

If there's on actor Tom should look for inspiration, it's Tom Cruise. Take away his personal life, an actor who didn't fit the mould for most male actors of that time,he's the only one career that has still stayed intact. I remember reading that after being cast for his role in the interview with a vampire, he was swarmed with hate against him doing the part. Even the author and brad pitt were against his casting, and he proved them wrong. He doesn't have an oscar, but he's still considered a movie star as opposed to his peers who faded out.

Tom is a movie start idc. He sold out his show with just his name alone and an old pic, without Spiderman with a cast that was yet to be announced. Every day after a show, crowds are swarming to see him and the cast, not SM.

He has the sauce, I just hope he uses it now and don't wait.

Whew! Anon....You wrote a LOT in this ask lol. I'm not sure I can get to everything you've addressed in here, but I'll pick out some main points. I'm not sure if you intended this to be a "confession" or not, but I'll just answer normally...

First off: I write this cause there have been so many think pieces bout hisbchiuces and some fans catastrophize, and I value your perspective on these things.

I'm sorry, but WHAT?? 😅

I have no clue what that word means.

I'm excited for SM4 and Uncharted 2, but after that, I don't want Tom to be a part of Avengers 5 or any crossover until he has success outside of the MCU.

Hmm...I mean, I guess I can sort of understand that sentiment. You just want him to not be typecast as a Superhero, or to be seen as someone who can only be successful in action films/popcorn flicks I'm assuming? I think that's pretty fair. With that said, I will say that even though some of Tom's projects outside of Spiderman haven't been as well-received as we as fans might want (i.e. "Cherry", CW, TCR, I personally thought TDATT did pretty well actually), I will say that he's been very fortunate that a LOT of these have been only STREAMING projects. It's not like they were put out in theaters, so even if they weren't that well-received by critics, who cares?? It's not like they had "box office numbers" to also worry about.

Plus, who knows if these films might have done well at the box office even in spite of negative film critics' reviews? 🤔 Did anyone ever consider that? Either way, to me, it hasn't been that big of a deal?

He's too talented to be stuck in that franchise that rn doesn't sound secure and looks to be dependent on him.

Tom is definitely very talented! But does TOM himself feel "stuck" in the franchise? He hasn't filmed a Spiderman movie since 2020/2021...that's almost 4 years ago. Is he really "stuck"?? 🤔

What is baffling with me with his career is that he's doing these films cause he wants to, but deep down, I don't think he just wants to do just this. I remember the q&a for TCR for sag-aftra and how he was scared to go outside of the MCU bubble before taking that role and how he was happy he was doing this.

I definitely don't think that Tom wants to be typecast or put in a box... He seems to want to do other things outside of MCU films (hence, his venturing and experimenting with other more challenging roles), but at the same time, I do think that he genuinely enjoys playing the Spider-Man character? I don't think two things can be true at the same time. 🤷🏾‍♀️

I'm confused because it's not just for money to stay in that universe. Tom avoids fashion shows and campaigns that could pay more than a movie star salary. He could really milk his persona for money due to him being a walking meme. He actively avoids socialising in hollywood or going to parties or events, yet he's stuck doing sequels?

Maybe those just aren't his thing? 🤷🏾‍♀️

With that said, I mean, I DO think it's good to go to Hollywood parties SOMETIMES, because those afford you a lot of ways to network and meet people you look up to, and maybe influential people who can possibly give you another acting job at some point. 👀 To me, it's just smart?? But not everyone likes to go to parties, and not everyone is really wanting to have a persona. In Tom's case, he's UBER famous, so he might actually be trying to TEMPER down his fame a bit, so that's why he prefers not to really be out there. Even his dad said that he worries at times about Tom's fame (not about the work), because his level of fame might not afford him the ability to just go out and do things like that, and still live a normal life w/out being hounded, ywkim?

I've yet to see him do an a24 film or projects filmtwittwr has a hard-on for, lol. I don't like film twitter, sorry. Very toxic imo.

I'm not really understanding what this has to do with anything. MOST actors take on roles that speak to them or ones that they find either challenging or interesting. MOST actors aren't taking roles because they think "Film Twitter" is going to like it. 🙄 Most actors don't even care about what their fans or people are going to think when choosing roles.

They choose to do a role because it's a great opportunity to maybe work with a great director or cast that they've always wanted to work with, or because the story/writing/plot is very compelling and it's a role that they can really sink their teeth into.

I rewatched TCR, and it's honestly so much better than I remembered. Tom is displaying an arpeggios of emotional acuity that is so uniquely rare that I didn't even want it to finish. I wanted to know more about Danny and his treatment. I'm not against big ip movies, I'm concerned with the lack of vision, director, scripts, and lack of practical effects. I want style as well as a blue screen.

Yea, Tom did an amazing job in TCR! 😃 I'm sorry the series was so heavy that it kind of made him go into a dark place while filming it 😔, but overall, I'm really glad that he went outside of the grain and did something very different from the norm! 😊

And the Critics Choice gave him a nomination, sooooo.... Obviously it must not have been hated THAT badly by the critics lol.

If there's on actor Tom should look for inspiration, it's Tom Cruise.

I've been saying this for a while now! 😃

Tom is a movie start idc.

Of COURSE he is!! Why do you have doubt anon?? 😅

He has the sauce, I just hope he uses it now and don't wait.

Tom definitely has the sauce, and I actually think he's already been using it?? 🤔 What are you looking for anon? Also, do you know that actors (male actors) are typically able to have a long-running career in Hollywood and be just fine?? It's female actresses that usually have a time limit on the types of roles they can play. But men can play just about anything for as long as they're still alive. It's unfair, but it's true.

Tom is a white, hetero, MALE actor in Hollywood. He will be just fine! He has DECADES to play a ton of roles Anon. Some actors out here are only JUST NOW getting their shine and they're past their 30's and 40s. Look at Coleman Domingo for example. He JUSt now got an Oscar nomination this year, and he's 54 years old. Idk where fans get this idea that Tom (or ANY actor for that matter) needs to be winning Oscars in their 20s, or doing such huge roles before they've even hit their 30's, as if their time is going to somehow run out and they don't have 30 MORE years to go in this industry lol. 😅🤣

Even Leo didn't win an Oscar until he was well into his 40s. He got his first nod at age 19, but didn't actually WIN one until his 40s'. Leo has been touted as some kind of acting prodigy, but even HE didn't get recognized with an Oscar until his 40's, and he's been acting since he was a kid! So, Idk where this sense of urgency comes from when it comes to Tom and his acting career, but the man isn't even in his 30's yet lol. He has PLENTY of time to do a wide range of roles! 😊

[thecovenwars]

The God Of Magic

Ársa was the very first sidhe, made from the root of an Elder Tree and born with a spark of creation, he was one of the few chosen creatures able to create life. He helped populate the world by creating powerful races that would one day be known as the sidhe, they lived reviered by human kind. Walking along side them, and giving their aid to those who gained their favor, Ársa believed he had done his maker proud. But even the best laid plans can go awry, Ársa didn’t know the pride and greed of human kind, and what they would do for power.

There was a faction of seven men and women who craved the power of their neighbors, to this end, they made a fatal error. Together they schemed to kill a shide and drink her blood, in hopes that from her blood her power would become theirs. Their wish was granted, but with it a curse was born, the men were given eternal life, but with it they were cursed with an insatiable thirst, as their power was born from the spilling of divine blood, to maintain their eteral life they had to spill the blood of their fellow man, and drink from their bodies. These would become the first vampires. Some of those cursed tried to resist the bloodlust only to find that ignoring the thirst ebbed away at their humanity, slowly tuning them into creatures of instinct, who only knew to kill, feed, and spread. Rabidly, the vampiric plague began to overwhelm humanity.

Horrified by what he had created, Ársa turned to the archangels for help, pleading with them and their maker to save mankind from his folly. Until the maker gave him a solution, he would sacrifice his spark of creation, distribute it across the world so that new creatures would be born with powers that could resist the curse that had been unleashed and save mankind. In exchange, Ársa would no longer have the gift of creation he had been given. Seeing no other alternative, he accepted this deal and his gift was distributed across the earth, giving rise to a race of humans with extrordenary powers, some to see the future, others could walk through fire and never burn. Together this new race could fight back the plague of vampires and restore a relative peace to the world. But once again humaity’s hubris destroyed that too.

The gift of magic caused fear and distrust among humanity, they began to call these gifted people witches, called them an affront to nature and sought to destroy them. At the same time the gifted had begun to separate into groups called covens and were fighting amongst themselves for dominion of magic, these wars decimated the world and the gifted population dwindled. Ársa was heartbroken, he considered destroying the gift entirely and all who carried it would cease to be, and yet he couldn’t, as to him they were his, his children. Instead of destroying them Ársa hid among them, in his many forms he helped to rebuild what was lost, and to give them a new name, practitioners. Today, nobody knows where Ársa is, some say he’s still among mankind, watching after his beloved creations, others say he no long exists, but to this day his gift lives on. The gift of magic.

Richard closed the old tome and looked up at the one toothed hermit, “So… it’s a curse then?  Can it be undone?”

“Who can say, little one.”

“Magic is creation… that means it should be able to do anything, right?!”

“Even creation has its limits, child, even the ancient one couldn’t cure vampirism.”

“I can’t just leave my brother like that, there’s got to be a way. Please, can I borrow this? Maybe there’s some sort of clue in here that can help me save my brother!”

“Take it, I hope you find what you’re looking for”

Richard smiled and bowed respectfully before running back into the tunnel, the one toothed man followed him to the edge of the darkness and smiled, “maybe, just maybe. He could be just what my children need.”

[pendinghope]

Bon Appetit- a cute romance story. An office worker and a chef are neighbors. (I haven’t finished this one yet).

Venus in the Sky. - Seems interesting. I stopped at a scene cause I was fairly positive it’d turn into a misunderstanding and I’m kinda sick of those plot lines at the moment. Will continue watching at a later date. An interior designer quits his job and returns to live with his brother. Now working in his brother’s shop he runs into a doctor he knew back in college. What caused the tension between them? Why does the doctor keep coming back?

The eighth sense - imma be honest, I’m a little bit lost with what’s happening in this show currently. I watched the first episode a bit ago but I can’t remember much. I think there’s a lot of family drama in this one, but I don’t remember for sure.

La Pluie - soulmates. The concept is interesting and I like the way they do soulmates. It’s not like a set in stone type deal, a possibility but not a necessity. I love the parents’ relationship and was rooting for the side couple the whole time. However, I got sick of the main couple real fast. They were fine at first and then just kept thinking the other one was cheating. It got old real fast and they mainly only stuck together because they were soulmates. So while I’m not a fan of the main relationship I highly enjoyed the side characters.

Love with flaws - Seems funny. A woman with three brothers learns to distrust handsome men after watching her brothers continuously break hearts. Quick to judge a book by its cover, will she ever be able to trust a handsome man? Will she ever get a date who isn’t interested in one of her brothers?

OMG! Vampires - it’s goofy and I love it. Plus vampires.

Love on Lo - cute short series. They were roomates.

Sing my crush - Appears to be a romance show. I haven’t watched it yet so I don’t know all that it’s about. I’ll watch it at a later date.

Golden blood - The son of a mafia boss and his bodyguard. I haven’t finished so I can’t say much about it.

Stand by me/Addicted - Two separate shows about the same story. Addicted shows more of the toxic character traits and has more intimate scenes. Stand by me does the Aunt (that’s just how I refer to her) and her kid really well. They are a bigger part of the story in this version. The romance is questionable so watch at your leisure.

Until we meet again - this show made me cry. From what I remember it was beautiful and tearjerking. I’m pretty sure there’s a second series showing more of the side couple, Between Us.

Happy ending - now I don’t know what this show is about but I pray it actually has a happy ending. Okay so I’m watching it as I’m writing this and I like it so far but I’m so scared. This show better not make me cry, please be happy. Noooo please don’t let this show be just a misunderstanding, please nooooo. Not another, please. Okay, ya know I liked it. If I’m correct it’s just 4 episodes. I enjoyed the formatting and execution. It was cute.

Happy Ending Romance - ? No clue what this one is or if that’s even the title. I’ll check it out later. Update: So this does exist I just can’t find it. Well if I am ever able to watch I will add a summary of it, until then you can look it up if you’re interested.

Happy Merry Ending - A singer with social anxiety (it’s what the subtitles said were one of the things his meds help with, ah the show just described it as a panic disorder) and the new pianist meet. How will their interactions go? Content warning: the main character experiences some anxiety attacks (I’m only on the first episode so I don’t know what else may occur during the series). Please be aware of what you can handle before watching. Please be careful that there is nothing triggering in this show before you watch. If you have any questions feel free to ask me and I’ll try to scan this show for anything you want to be aware of. I’m just rambling now. His anxiety is giving me anxiety. Reminds me of my anxiety attacks, ahhh. The scenes are fairly short but do be warned. Ah I’m on episode 5, I’ll continue this show later.

Advance bravely - A rich man and a bodyguard. The bodyguard’s sister wants him to help her court the rich man, who is entirely uninterested in her advances. Will the rich man be able to get the siblings to leave him alone? Will the bodyguard ever let anyone date his sister? Who knows, but their interactions are funny and interesting.

Bad and Crazy - I love this show. But my second hand embarrassment be ruining me. The characters are all so fun and the overall vibe is amazing. I feel like explaining my second hand embarrassment a bit. Okay so I get really bad secondhand embarrassment from shows. When I was younger I had to full on leave the room, now I can manage by just covering my face and plugging my ears for some scenes. It’s still incredibly difficult for me to watch some scenes so I tend to watch shows that have a bunch of those scenes with other people. That way I can just get a recap of what happened. Ah this leads me to another thing (by the way I’m just going off on a tangent so this part isn’t related to this specific show), a lot of the romance shows I watch have scenes where one character says another character is blushing. But there’s like no difference. Okay I find this funny because when I blush my entire face just goes bright red, like the entire thing. So when watching a show where they say a character is blushing I’m just like, come on please man can you put a little bit of blush on them or something cause when I blush it’s so freaking obvious. Not a complaint by the way, I just find it amusing. Ah also this show isn’t a romance show, I just went off on a tangent. Still love this show and all the awesome scenes! The fight scenes are so cool! And the characters’ interactions are all so fun! Love the main characters partner!

Beloved in House: I do - I don’t remember why I paused watching this series. But I do remember it was cute and a bit goofy. Ah now i remember, I stopped on an episode because I was afraid of a potential misunderstandings in the next episode. I really should continue it, it seemed so cute. I’ve done some metalworking before so I found the designs super interesting.

Yo fall guy, the movie is incredible. Hands down, I loved it. It was highly enjoyable for me. I loved the execution, formatting, jokes, and music. It was a highly enjoyable film for me.

Our dining table - super cute romance! I’m only on episode one but I am loving it so far. A tired office working going through the motions meets a child and his older brother on his lunch break. What will come of this interaction? Will the office worker continue living a monotonous life, simply surviving? Or will he find more?

Ah I’m a bit sleepy so I’ll stop here for now. Hope you guys find a show you like! Have fun!

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Coven of Ill Repute by S.L. Prater

Eternal Enemies #1

Excellent first book in a new Gothic Romance series that has two immortals battling a creepy castle filled with sinister creatures creeping and crawling about in rooms whose surfaces are being covered by malignant icky substances. Can this duo of young septuagenarian immortals find a way out of the locked castle while trying to figure out who killed the two bodies in the castle with them? It was finding out, that’s for sure!

What I liked:

* Quiet: witch in the local coven, good at solving puzzles, has forensic skills, magical abilities, insects are drawn to her and perhaps her familiars, author, rather taken with Rorick

* Rorick: vampire, detective, was Quiet’s partner solving cases, had a falling out with Quiet a year ago, rather taken with Quiet, learns quite a bit in this book

* The epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter that give perspective to the story and the fantasy world and its beliefs

* The world building and creativity of creatures populating it along with the myths that are shared

* The developing relationship between quiet and Rorick after a truce is called

* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing

* Meeting some of the members of Quiet’s coven

* The twists and turns and conclusion I wasn’t expecting

* That there isn’t a cliffhanger but a hook that has me wondering how  “the children” and “the circus” will play a part in book two of the series

What I didn’t like: * Who and what I was meant not to like

* Having to wait for the next book

Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to BookSirens and the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

Trapped in a haunted castle with my immortal enemy. The Duke of the Damned is dead. When my coven is blamed for his murder, I’m desperate to clear their name before my sisters are arrested and I lose the only family I’ve ever known. But I only have one week to find the culprit, and the new heir to the duchy is none other than Detective Liam Rorick, my enigmatic ex-partner and archenemy. It doesn’t matter if Rorick is a competent investigator. He’s the most cantankerous vampire I’ve ever had the displeasure of knowing. There’s a reason I swore I’d never work with him again. And yet that’s exactly what I have to do. Now we’re trapped together in the malevolent castle he’s just inherited, trading insults and fighting magical monsters to survive. I want nothing more than to go back to pretending he doesn’t exist . . . but Rorick protects me like I’m precious and keeps looking at me like he regrets our past. With each close call and each revealed clue, it becomes harder to fight our undeniable connection. But even the castle’s hungriest creatures aren't as frightening as opening my heart to the one man capable of devouring it whole.

[solo-blood-sucking]

He was dead. Mark had decided to walk directly into an arcane ward and disintegrate himself, in an apparent fit of madness brought on by confrontation with the eldritch terror of an ancient city of primordial age and alien origin.

This is what everyone who descended into the chantry of the Columbus Tremere witnessed. He was briefly mentioned as a hero by the prince, a few words were said on his behalf as a Ventrue, and his responsibilities were passed to some of Adrien’s trusted ghouls while the older vampire returned to his mansion and began to oversee his own affairs again.

A brief young vampire only four years into his requiem, burned out fast and hard like so many young kindred.

That was the story anyway.

Mark sat in a large, overstuffed arm chair in the cabin retreat of Michael St. Michael, a man who turned out to be Adrien’s only vampire confidant in Columbus other than Mark himself.

The older and by all accounts thoroughly terrifying Malkavian regarded Mark for a moment and drew, “it’s quite amazing of course. It took me the better part of 200 years to get ready for that, and you acquitted yourself well.”

“Cleaning up after messes was my first job with Adrien,” Mark said.

The older vampire gave the hint of an amused smile at the edge of his lips. “Yes, discretion is key for us. And now that there are not one but four arcane relics in our city it won’t be long before Columbus begins to attract unwanted attention. We can expect wizards, without a doubt another band of warlocks, probably some necromancers as well. The changelings are restless in particular. They think the fearies will smell the magic and hunt them down.”

Mark nodded soberly. “So where do I come in daddy Michael?”

The other’s eyes narrowed.

“Never call me that again.”

Mark nodded quickly, an apology in his eyes where his lips failed him. He wasn’t a coward but he knew that Michael could turn his mind inside out if he wished.

The older vampire continued, “your job for the immediate moment is to rebuild yourself. Your identity has been wiped from all records. You still have access to your bank accounts, and I have acquired some of your signature kit. The car could trace back to you however so it’s out.. Adrien was explicit in insisting that your old social circles, your old haven, your old power base outside of his network- all of it has to go.”

Mark pursed his lips but said nothing.

Michael continued after a pause. He seemed to be studying Mark’s face, looking for a clue to see just how compliant he would turn out to be.

“To make this work you must disappear. You have to stop existing the way you had done before. Your money and Adrien’s stipends are being moved to new account numbers for example, with a deceased kine as the account holder. The memories of anyone who you came in contact with that night have all been adjusted. Everyone who went into that church believes that you committed suicide in the city of Xo’Tah.”

“So where does that leave me, apart from dependent on Adrien for everything?”

Michael smiled. “For a start,” he said, “it leaves you in Cinicnatti for a few months. You will infiltrate the sabbat through my childe David. It’s abundantly clear that we don’t understand how they think right now.”

The older vampire stood up and walked across the cozy sitting room to a shelf next to his roaring fireplace. Returning with a folder, he handed it to Mark.

“A wardrobe is also here, and I have arranged a partner to look after you during daylight and provide you with rides to anywhere you need. He’s a Neighbor, and he’s here to help the freehold understand how dangerous the magic might really be. I agreed to clear out a favor. Help him in his investigations. We have a deal that he will start looking into the matter when you return from Cincinatti. He’s waiting outside for you.”

Mark stood up. “Rebuild my power base, make friends with the changeling, and find out what the sabbat know about our situation.”

“Correct.”

Mark thanked Michael and left, he was fuming, years spent building his club connections were gone just like that. He’s also need to work to beat his addiction if he was going to pass himself for the hick described in the dossier he’s been handed. All of this had to just be Adrien’s newest test of how adept Mark was at mastering his circumstances. He resolved not to disappoint.

[blurrymango]

Basically.

Crumpula is a reaper who's obsessed with the God of The Void Viscera.

By extension he's also obsessed with the children of that god. Blitz, Ty, and Charlie.

Blitz comes back to life. Crumpula finds out because well. He's obsessed.

Tries figuring out how the hell it's possible.

But since he knows it's possible now, he decides to bring to life a man a man from a time period where the Gods were still around.

But since he's a reaper and still doesn't have a single clue how Blitz was brought back, the man he brings back has no memories of his previous life and despite his body being brought back to something more fleshy and less full remains with the help of some magic, he starts the process of rotting yet again. Because he's technically a spirit possessing a body, even if it is his own body, the body itself is still dead.

Crumpula is enraged that it didn't work, but it makes sense it would be different. Since Blitz was brought back without a soul (or, his soul decomposed into his body thus merging with it and losing what makes it recognizable as a soul), and Crumpula just brought Ardell back by shoving his soul back into his (very modified) body, of course it's going to be different. He just didn't expect it to be that different. Ardell's spirit was supposed to be given a new life as someone else by now anyway, because reincarnation y'know, so it's not like Crumpula can return it to Heaven or Hell. Not that he could get into either of those places, reapers cannot enter those places. And he's not allowed in Limbo either, because he is not a neutral reaper, and thus is not allowed in because he is not allowed to judge souls. And he's too prideful to admit his mistake to any other reaper, going to Purgatory would basically be admitting defeat.

This is a whole mess lmao.

There's a lot about souls I need to flesh out in this story UGH. It is as essential to the plot as the world(the planet it takes place on and the landmasses and climates and regions and whatnot, and how I work in Wysteria properly because it can't just be a place on that planet or any other planet and it is distinctively not an afterlife, and also I wanna make a solar system because fun hehe) and society structure (Hearts- humans, specifically those without magic who live in a specific nation and aren't merchants or pirates. Spades- non-human natives(vampires, werewolves, stuff like that y'know) and criminals (both in the form of prisoners and assassins and drug dealers and whatnot. It's a corrupt system lol.) . Diamonds- travelers, magic users, merchants, pirates, anyone who lives in a city not under the jurisdiction of Hearts, basically. Clubs- those visiting from other realms basically, angels and demons and reapers and Wysterians and hell, aliens too if they exist in my story.)

There is. A lot of lorebuilding I need to do. Oh man. Hahaaa... And I doubt. That anyone cares as much as I do.

[black-dhalias]

hi ! i'd like to request a carlisle cullen imagine with an f!reader with she/her pronouns :) basically reader is carlisle's mate but he's already married to esme and it gets really complicated. preferably a happy ending but it really just depends on you! ! thank u and stay safe <33

Written in Stone

Carlisle Cullen X F!Reader

Warnings: none, fluffier than usual Note: Y/N/N (your nickname)

God forbid you knew where you were going, you think harshly to yourself—but not before glaring at Alistair who just follows his whims. Those urges to run, and others to stay put, but never what you’re currently doing. He simply shrugs his shoulder, which only infuriated you more—500 years with him as your best friend, and you still hated every second of it. The truth is, he’s always right and those whims have kept you alive all this time.

For him, you were simply his great great great niece, or something, who was descended from his only living nephew. Oddly enough, you were turned by the same vampire who turned him—and so began the painful journey together as the only friend and family the other has. Alistair understood your apprehension to run again, to find another desolate town to blend into, but it’s been too long.

So here you are, running to gods no where without a single clue where he’s taking you besides the grumbles under his breath. Barely making out— “last move.” You roll your eyes, practically jogging out in front of him.

“I’ll believe it when I see it, uncle.” Although a hundred years apart, he still sees a lot of his sisters in you—passed down through his nephew. The truth is, he’d do anything to protect you.

It’s a mountain town, where everyone wears thick jackets with thicker accents. The truth is, you barely understood a word the woman behind the counter said as she commented on your accent. Which is ridiculous. You may be in the States, but it’s not like the English are unique—in fact, you find yourself quite understandable.

So here you are, another grubby town in the middle of bloody nowhere—tossing an unnecessarily thick jacket to Alistair, across another grubby motel room. “You’re worse than me, although you knew that.” You raise a brow, eyes flickering between him and the obviously not natural staining on the bed.

“I’m not touching it.”

“Well then, it’s a good thing you don’t sleep.” He throws the newly acquired cell phone in your direction. You’ve caught it before you’ve even realized it’s been thrown and smile at him, before taking a seat on the chair designated the cleanest in the room. “There. Now leave me alone for a bit.” With that, he walks out of the room to do who knows what. Not that you care.

.

.

.

However, what started as you playing on the phone for hours—ended with you killing it three times over before setting it aside. Boredom finally getting the best as day turned into night, the curtains no longer casting shadows, but simply existing in the room.

But night does not bring peace, instead—halfway through your shower, a knock echoed through the motel room. With a groan, you tie the towel as tight as you can manage and move across the room in a blink. “For only having a hundred years on me, your memories getting spotty old man.”

Only when you open the door, it is not Alistair, but two vampires—strangers. Your body goes rigid, your back straight as you tighten your leg muscles, reading their body language. The woman is smiling, her eyes big and face heart shaped. She’s soft. While the man is tall with blonde hair, and those same gold eyes—only they look nicer on him.

Your eyes flicker between their faces, they’re smiling awkwardly as if you weren’t the person they expected to answer the door. And if they were human, their cheeks would be a vibrant red as they try to not look at your toweled form.

“You must be Y/N.” Arms crossed over your chest, tightening around the towel—you raise a brow, leaning on the door, prepared to shut it.

“Nope. So you must going.” As you go to shut the door, the woman’s hand outstretches and lands on the door. You move faster than her, your hand catching her wrist and you instantly twist it to turn her into your chest—your other arm braced against her neck with just enough pressure to scare her a bit.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Based on our current situation, I’d say I’m older than at least three centuries.” Your voice drops as you keep your eyes locked on the man, reading him as he has gone rigid. Now watching you more closely. “That makes me stronger.” Her hands clasp down on your arm, but you do not move or yield. His gaze is not as soft as it was, but there’s conflict as his thoughts sort themselves out.

“Y/N-” Your eyes snap to Alistair as he saunters up, smirking as he wipes away the smallest amount of blood from his lip. “These are friends.” He places a hand on Carlisle’s shoulder, before chuckling again and shuffling past you altogether. Once past, you drop your arm and shove her towards the male vampire. “Pardon my niece, she’s more—” He lingers on the thought, speaking with this hands. “More confrontational than I am.”

You roll your eyes, crossing into the bathroom quickly to change and then rushing back at to sit at the seat. Kicking your feet up on the half table, that shouldn’t even be called a table at all. More like a small square of wood. “I was fairly nice. They’re the ones who didn’t want to leave me alone.”

“Must get that from you, old friend.” The man points out with a smile as he shuts the motel room door. “Although I didn’t expect to find you in the states.”

“Up until last week, neither did I.” You assert, glaring at Alistair for moving you from Europe to this hell hole.

“You don't have a say, Y/N/N." You roll your eyes and turn your attention back to the pair, raising an eyebrow. Something has changed in their dynamic, he's created some distance between them, and everytime the female steps closer—he maintains that distance.

You hum, "So care to introduce yourself?" The woman goes to speak, but your glare shuts her up quick and your lip twitches. Having a great time messing with them. "I wasn't asking you. I was asking the pretty one." However, your comment must have set something right in his brain, because he steps up to place a hand on her waist which is laughable. So protective.

"This is my wife, Esme. And I'm Carlisle." Your expression brightens as you sit back up, resting your feet on the ground and cupping your cheeks in your palms.

"So you're the famous Carlisle Cullen, I heard nasty rumor the Volturi was after-" Alistair cuts in, and you shut your mouth quick.

"Why're you like this?" He asks roughly, that's the thing about you and him. His gift is based on whims, a powerful tracker who knew danger so well—that he could avoid it entirely. Your gift is based on rumors, whispers that reach your ears—things you just know.

"Because its fun, and it's not like they don't know." The minute the words left your lips, you saw the guilty expression on Carlisle's face. The woman not so much, but she's not the one that has caught your interest—she's typical housewife, with dark hair and probably had brown eyes as a human. She was soft spoken and motherly, and she matches him, but he just doesn't seem to fit at her side. Not the way you would expect of mates.

Alistair goes to say something, but Carlisle interrupts him: "She's right. We're facing accusations from the Volturi, that are false." Your eyes widen as a whisper reaches your ear—one you did not expect to hear.

"Half-human, half-vampire." You laugh, sitting up with bright eyes—your interest piqued. "Oh I love a good twist."

"No." You hush Alistair and his denials, knowing he felt the danger creep up on you both, the minute you decided you wanted to help.

"Oh yes, I'd love to stick it to the Volturi."

Talking with the duo for the rest of the night, you find yourself intrigued by their family and their trifles. The intricacies of their life, and their die—none of it made sense, and yet they lived so happily. However, night turns to day and you find yourself sitting across from Alistair, in a battle of wits. Trying to convince him to go, or let you go for yourself. He breaks eye contact for a second at the sound of housekeeping going into the room next door, and you smile.

"C'mon, it's not like it won't be fun?" Alistair raises an eyebrow as if to ask if you really think that's a convincing argument. "Fine, how about this?" You lean forward, folding your arms on the tabletop. "I'm tired of running... What if we finally can stop hauling ass and just live a little?"

"And what if the Volturi wins? Then what?" You've met them once before, when they tried to forcefully make you join them. They almost had you, but your ability made a loophole in their little plan. You knew what they were up to from the start, and it gave you just enough time to disappear with your Uncle. "Aro's already made it clear, you're valuable and what're the odds we get away a second time?"

"Slim-" He makes sense, and that's what infuriates you further as you sigh. "But we need to take the risk. I want to take the risk." You and Alistair fall back into your staring contest, waiting for the other to give in, but he finally submits. Glaring at Carlisle from across the motel.

"We'll all be on Aro's list..." Alistair stands up and moves towards the door, looking back at you only briefly then back at Carlisle. "Some friend Carlisle."

However, when you look back at Carlisle and Esme—you are perplexed by a single thought. While Esme is looking at him, he is looking at you, as if trying to will you hear him. To understand what he wants to say, without him ever actually saying it.

"He'll get over it, sooner or later." Admittedly, Carlisle is intrigued by you and the guilt over those thoughts burn a little when he feels Esme's eyes on him. He glances down and then back at you, as you speak. "We'll leave right after I get a drink." And while Carlisle may hate your lifestyle, he thought someone would make him think he still had a heartbeat until he looked into those vibrant rubies.

.

.

.

The trip to Washington was silent, you hate long journey's like this, but enjoy the sights that come. The mountain ridges, and the long plains and lakeside views enough to remind you of what it means to live. Maybe that is the fantasy you sell yourself time to time, that it might be possible to feel human even now.

Standing at the edge of the lake, you fall in love with the way the sunsets over the ridge—with it just being bright enough to shimmer off the top of the water. Your smile is soft, so much so that Carlisle almost doesn't recognize you without the playful smirk you often wore. Your sense of humor and playful nature, a protective armor that both confuses and intrigues him. So much so, that despite his guilty conscience, he finds himself standing next to you in silence.

"Ya know, most of the time when we're on the run—the loneliness is the worst part. Not the running. Or the new place, but it gets lonely." You do not remove your eyes from the lake, just trying to memorize the outline so that maybe you'll remember it later when the loneliness begins again.

"That does sound lonely." You chuckle, but its the kind that gets caught in your throat and makes you sound sadder than you are. "It's the worst. And believe me, I love my uncle, but I always imagined the running would stop after a while. So here I am, five centuries later, and still trying to out run..." You finally gather enough courage to look him the eye, "I just want to live a little. My human life, its gone, it's been gone, but I wish I just a piece. A home. A lover. Friends. I'm not picky, but just something would be better than this."

Carlisle's features are softer than you initially thought, not as sharp, but still pronounced. His eyes glitter the color of amber stones, you had a pair of earrings with stones the color of his eyes. "I know what you mean. I travelled a lot before I found my family, and it took a while for it to all be worthwhile."

"How long?" Your voice has an edge as you try to imagine a world beyond this. "Because according to my uncle, he met you in the 17th century—I was turned in the 14th century, that's three centuries longer than you." Your voice is aggressive, but as soon as you feel his hand rest on your bicep, rubbing a small circle with his thumb—you go completely still.

Although you can't recall the last bit of affection you received, you always thought you would hate, but instead you find comfort in the gesture. So much so that your body softens, and you stop glaring at him for a few seconds.

"See..." He smiles softly, and for a second, you don't think about anything else. "Not so scary, Y/N/N." When he realizes his hand has drifted down to hold your hand, almost unconsciously, he drops it suddenly and smiles awkwardly. "But you're right. I don't know the extent, and I know you don't want to leave your Uncle, but it might be time."

You tuck your hands into the jacket pocket, and fidget with the bit of string that is tearing away from the pocket seam. "Actually, you're mistaken." When he drops your hand, you feel your soul tighten around your heart protectively. "I would sooner die, than part with my Uncle. And it's Y/N to you. Only Alistair calls me Y/N/N." You turn on your heel and walk back up to your Uncle, your mind reeling as you try to push away the thoughts of Carlisle Cullen and his inherent need to understand you. Its sick really, he has a whole wife and he's over there holding your hand and worried about you feeling lonely.

.

.

.

A whisper reaches your ear just as the Cullen's home comes into view, and your eyes widen as you realize the extent of the danger you are in. The Volturi are collecting witnesses of their own, many thought your gift was conditional, rumors, but that's just how you described them. Usually they were pretty accurate, and right now, you almost wish you had listened to Alistair's warnings.

You hardly even remember a time when you ever were in a car, they were pretty useless to vampires especially when the goal was to hide—not blend in as the Cullens seem to. Ever since your "talk" with Carlisle, the silence had become deafening and even more than that, Alistair had not stopped glaring at Carlisle.

"How many came?" You spot the pair of vampires, with the same gold eyes, as you get out of the driver's side rear—the home itself is beautiful, but you feel the presence of many vampires. More than you've ever been around at once.

"Eighteen." The new man responds, although his eyes are locked on you. Mind Reader, your gift shouts, actually it hasn't shut up since you got out of the car. He finally looks at Carlisle. "You have some good friends Carlisle."

"And Alice?" The psychic, it's never been this active before and the whispers are shorter than usual. More like thoughts, they could be, if you didn't know that you knew nothing about them. So it had to be your gift in action.

The unknown female shakes her head, and Esme embraces her tightly—hmm, must be family. Shield, interesting.Hmmm, so many gifts in one place, so many varied abilities. The male is back to looking at you with perplexion as Alistair asserts that he's going to the attic. Edward, now that was a first. It never really cared to tell you names, but hey, who are you to complain.

"Amazing." He mumbles, walking up to you as he pulls the female along. "Her gift, it's almost prophetic. I've never seen anything like it." You smile, oddly enough—unlike your Uncle, you're excited to meet all the new vampires. Curious to see what it's like to live in close proximity to each other. "Wait until I start hearing rumors from halfway around the world. I'm Y/N." You introduce, shaking hands with both of them. Their eyes follow your Uncle as he takes off, per usual. "Like I told them, don't mind him. He's just moody." You hear him scoff in the attic, and laugh a little with Bella.

"How does it work exactly?" Bella asks, as you take her outstretched arm to follow her inside the house. If you're honest, similar to Carlisle and Esme, you knew you could trust her.

"It's like a voice that spurts out information, like I know you're a shield. Although I don't know the extent. Or how I knew Edward's name, although that's never happened before either." You think about, tutting a little—"Actually. Now that I think about it, I don't really understand it much at all."

"Weird." You eye her for a second, and then at Edward before realization hits you.

"You're the human that carried the child? Except you're obviously not human anymore." You separate yourself, looking at the group of four. It makes sense, Carlisle turned Edward who fell in love with a human. They consider themselves to be family. "Can I meet her?"

There is hesitance as she calls out for Rosalie, who comes in with a six year old in tow—if you didn't hear her heartbeat, you would think it was an immortal child. Once she reaches the spot right in front of you, there's a second when you consider running away from the strange girl. But curiosity wins out as you kneel down.

"Hi. I'm Y/N." She doesn't say a word, but instead reaches out to place her palm against your cheek. It's different, you see the world through her eyes as she tells you her story—all with a touch. Your eyes widen as your hand folds over her's. "Remarkable." You murmur, before she pulls her hand away and you are left in stunned silence. A half-human miracle that you didn't even know was possible.

You do not look for anyone other than Carlisle, you are less angry with him than you were when you first arrived at the home. "I'll stay. Whether it ends in a fight, or not. For you, and the child." You stand, and walk off towards the rest of the vampires—some more familiar, actually quite a few are familiar. However, your mind keeps going back to Carlisle's expression—the way he seemed hesitant to do anything other than nod appreciatively.

Edward approaches his father figure once the other's have walked away and raises his eyebrow, "What was that about?" Carlisle is unable to stop watching you, as you walk up to the nomads with that stunning smile.

"I have no idea." It is like the entire world just stopped moving the moment he was in the same room as you, he just could not stop wondering. He was absolutely enamored every time you spoke, and if he was dependent on breath—you would have stolen it with every glance.

"Carlisle..." His eyes are understanding, he knows what it's like to meet his mate. However, Edward doesn't understand what this means for Carlisle because he's married to Esme and Edward knows Carlisle loves her, but mates mean something. That kind of bond is powerful and unforgiving if ignored. "Figure this out before you hurt someone."

.

.

.

"Y/N..." You stiffen as you realize that you are no longer alone, standing at the edge of the property line, just before the trees. "What're you doing out here?" However, when you look at him, he sees how dark your eyes have become—you hadn't fed in some time, "oh."

"Bella's dad is here..." He understands quickly, nodding as he folds his hands together. "I hate hunting alone, and Alistair—he's him." He just is able to go longer periods without hunting, but he also just hates it here so he's still pouting in the attic. The other's had all left on their hunt, and when Benjamin asked if you'd be joining them, you just didn't have an answer.

You laugh a little, "Honestly, I never felt guilty about drinking human blood. I never lost control. Nothing." You hesitate. "And now, seeing the alternative. I just feel so absolutely guilty." His eyes widen at the admission, realizing that this is about more than just a whim. "And I hate you for it."

You would be stupid to ignore the way you feel when you're near Carlisle, it is unlike anything you've felt for anyone, and that alone is enough to make you feel guilty. The weight of your fear only bubbling to the surface because he's married, and he's a better person than you've ever been. That is what makes you feel guilty, you wish you made different choice—wish you didn't like the way his smile warms your core. The way you don't feel so alone when he's near, even if he doesn't say a word to you.

"Well I can't take away the guilt, but I could help you try..." He hesitates, watching as your eyes begin to do the thing they do when you're trying to read someone. It is like you see right through him, every motivation on full display. "It's worth a shot, right?"

When he expects you to disagree, he is visibly shocked as you nod—Alistair will hate it, but maybe this is how you start to live. Thinking about having a life is becoming easier, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to not imagine Carlisle in that life. Everytime he speaks, you just melt into an entirely different person.

So when he holds out his hand to you, there is a moment you hesitate, but this time you do not pull away or feel worry. Instead, you take his hand gratefully, and follow his lead into the woods where an idea, might just give you something to hold onto.

Only the falling point of a house of vampires, is the fact that the wife watches from a distance as her husband falls in love with another. And there's nothing she can do to stop the ache. She saw it back in that motel room, Esme should have said something then, but she didn't and now look what's happening.

Carlisle rests his hands on your shoulders, fingers trailing down your arms in a vertical motion, as you shut your eyes. "Focus on your senses other than sight." He pauses, "What you hear..." His breathing, despite not needing to, you are well aware of the fact that he maintains breathing even away from the prying eyes of humans. "What you smell..." He smells of medical grade disinfectant, but under that, you are able to make out the sweet smell of cinnamon and what you can only describe as the woods. "What you feel..." His hands, you are well aware of where his hands are at every given moment—especially as they keep moving up and down your biceps.

You turn around roughly, to the point that you forgot how close he really was— eye to eye, close enough to touch if you just lean... His hands dropping to his sides. "You need to back off because right now, all I can think about is you." You swallow, clenching your hands into a fist—so aware. "And you're married." You add on the last bit as a reminder for yourself. He nods, folding his arms across his abdomen, his own guilt is becoming very familiar.

However, you catch the scent of something—a bear you think, and push yourself off in that direction. This doesn't feel as instinctual as hunting humans, this feels like a conscious choice, but you go through. Dragging the large brown bear to the ground, rolling for a second before coming out on top—pinning the beast down, you hope for the best and drink as you would from a human.

Immediately, you note the difference in taste, but it's manageable and not as bad as you imagined it would be. Standing upright, you push away the bear completely and look back at Carlisle who offers you a smile. "See not so bad."

"That was terrible, but-" He eggs you to continue. "But I think I could do it." He smiles brighter, and although he might not admit it to you—he knows what he feels is real.

.

.

.

You walk back to the house, talking the entire way and telling stories of things long ago. You tell him about your travels, how your gift works, and times when Alistair did some of the most ridiculous things.

Carlisle laughs at your jokes and makes you feel more alive, piece by piece, you feel yourself pulling together. It's like a jigsaw puzzle, but just as you walk through the treeline—you spot Esme and all the pieces come apart right there. You swallow, feeling her eyes burning into you as she walks towards you—you almost hope that she does something to make it all make sense.

Only she hugs him, and whispers something unintelligible in his ear before gesturing for you to follow her. Perplexed, you look at Carlisle who's eyes have widened considerably. You almost don't trust her smile, but you follow her out into the woods and hope she doesn't come for you. Gods you would hate that.

"I know you feel something for him..." You stare at the ground, as you realize she only spoke once you were out of earshot completely. "I don't blame you."

"Well that's kind, because I didn't mean for it to happen." Your words sputter out before you can even think of a reason not to say them. That's the bitter part about being stuck like this, sometimes your body gets ahead of your mind or vice versa.

Esme takes your hand, you fight the urge to pull away, knowing she is just trying to be kind. But you hate touch, except from him. Which is infuriating.

"I know." She bites the inside of her cheek, you can see the indentation form and you worry she would cry if she could. "So I'm not going to stand in the way. I love Carlisle, more than anything, but if my mate walked through the door and consumed me." She rubs a circle on the outer part of your hand. "And I'd be terrible to prevent him the same. When I know what choice I would make."

You can barely even form a thought, "What does that even mean?" She smiles sadly, and you see for a moment that she's being honest. Trust her, that's what the whispers tell you to do and they've always looked out for you before this.

"It means love him. Be happy with him, and make him happy." She is soft, and you feel yourself becoming antsy as you stand in front of her. You can't read her anymore, because you can't focus at all. "Fight for him. Because I know him well enough to know, he's going to fight for you."

.

.

.

You do not move from that spot, even when Esme leaves back to the house—you feel more guilty because all you did was make a wife leave her husband, and you don't even understand how you feel about said husband. The silence is deafening as you finally find yourself sitting on the ground, your chest heaving because you want to understand. To know what it means to love Carlisle.

"Y/N/N..." You do not look in his direction, gods you hadn't even thought about Alistair until you heard him speak and that just makes you feel worse. Loving Carlisle, means staying here and leaving Alistair because there's no way he would stay.

"Go away." You've never had anyone to care for you other than Alistair, and never had to worry about disappointing anyone other than him. So you never did, because you could always be there.

"Please, I'd never miss this. The moment the great Y/N, found her humanity." He tuts, sitting roughly on the ground beside you. "I think you'd even be crying." You laugh, but he's right—you really do think you would crying right now. This feels terrible. "Plus I figured you were tied to Carlisle, from the first time he met you." He chuckles. "Surprised it took this long."

"Well aren't you a great Uncle." You lean your head onto your knee, "I wish we'd never come here." He too follows suit and leans his own head onto his knees, forcing you to look him in the eye.

"Because you don't want to leave." You groan and finally lean onto his shoulder, he's right. God's you don't want to go anywhere, other than into that stupid blonde's arms. "So stay. I'll be fine."

"What abou-"

"What about nothing. You've followed me long enough—" He hates the idea of leaving you here, but he knows you'd be well protected. "Time to live a life of your own." He laughs, kissing the top of your head. "Besides, with your new diet. You stink of bear."

.

.

.

You stand at door frame of Carlisle's office, leaning on the pane as you watch him shuffle papers. "Can we take it slow?" His eyes snap to you, and you realize he'd been so lost in thought, he'd not even realized you were there.

You slowly walk into the office, his eyes following you the entire way in. "Are you sure?" He whispers, closing the distance in an instant—"because I know..."

"You know nothing, sweets." You rest your hand at the base of his neck, before resting his cheek in your palm. "But that's okay. We'll take this one day at a time."

.

.

.

It took a century, but you had forever together—so what was another hundred years of waiting. All it took was a single moment, where he kissed the inside of your wrist before looking up to you—where amber met amber. And you realized that your love story had been written in stone, and no matter how much time passed—it was forever.

So that's where you started.

With forever.

—

Not even going to lie right now, I looked at this request last night because I was struggling to fall asleep. And ended up writing this at 3:00 AM, driven only by insomnia and my innate love of Carlisle Cullen. So I hope you like it!