#maple talks too much out of the tags

[maplesugarcookie]

Howdy and Hello!

Welcome to my blog, I'm your host, MapleSugarCookie! However, please feel free to call me Maple.

In this blog I mostly just reblog things I think are super cool! Like concepts, angsty headcanons, or just things I relate to! Mostly correlated with the fandoms I'm interested in, the top three being Welcome Home, Lego Monkie Kid, and the Amazing Digital Circus.

Sometimes I'll share my art, but that's rare.

Thank you so much for choosing to check out my posts and I hope you find something that interests you!

[maplesugarcookie]

Who is Vash? Actually, it doesn't matter. The Daycare Attendant, more commonly known as Sun and/or Moon, is such a charming character in modern indie and is incredibly endearing. They are so silly and my personal favorite character in all of FNaF! You should absolutely vote for Daycare Attendant!

Round 6 Wave 1

[fgumi]

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ LOSER IN A HOT MAN'S BODY

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 { PAIRING; non-idol!heeseung x reader, GENRE; fluff, school!au, headcanon, WC; 2.8k, A/N; i love losers that love that girlfriends entirely too much but, at the same time, not enough. TAGS; @en-dream @heeheesang @httpenhoon @r1kification @seungheartyou, @starfallia @sugarikiz @hoondolls @bamguetismee @jnysaln @cixrosie @wensurr @heartheejake @m1kkso }

(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) .ᐟ.ᐟ part two is up!

loser!heeseung was never the first one to get chosen for anything. well, he did get chosen first for musicals and solos! he had a beautiful voice and there was no denying that. but, for anything else? nope. it wasn't until you transferred over to his high school that he got picked willingly (and not because you guys were the only two left). you approached him in gym class after your teacher said to partner up for conditioning. "hey! i'm y/n. do you think we could be partners today?"

heeseung just blinked at you and then turned to see if someone was behind him. when he verified you were talking to him, he turned back to see you with a bemused look, a slight crease forming right between your brows. "you are talking to me, right?" he asked nervously.

a wry smile formed on your lips as you nodded. "there’s no one else around."

heeseung couldn't believe it. someone who wasn't a part of the theatre department was talking to him! so, he agreed with only a moment's hesitation. by the time sit-ups came around, heeseung knew about your basic interests and one secret: you were big on anime. you explained to him, during his sad attempts at pushups, that you loved anime but remained closeted because the boys at your last school made it weird. heeseung was careful not to let his excitement show; he didn't wanna scare you off before he really got to know you. eventually, after all the hellish exercises your teacher put you through, heeseung shyly asked you why you wanted to be partners.

"you looked like the type that doesn't judge people for struggling," you replied after drinking your water. you wiped the droplets of water that trickled down your neck and then offered heeseung some. "i don't have cooties. promise."

he gave you a faint, unsure smile, his hand reaching out slowly, half expecting you to pull it back and say psych! but you didn’t. you just patiently waited for him to take it. honestly, he just looked like a spooked deer to you, and you couldn’t help but find it endearing. after class was over and it was time for lunch, heeseung deflated. it was nice talking to you while it lasted.

“heeseung! wait up!”

he turned to you with round eyes, watching you rush over, a backpack draped over your right shoulder. you were freshly showered, water still dripping off the ends of your hair. you looked... happy? you slowed to a stop right in front of him.

“do you mind if we eat together?”

you wanted to eat with him? a cool girl like you wants to eat with a certified loser like him?

“it’s okay if you already have plans! i think i can find somewhere else to sit.”

no! you jumped a little. heeseung retracted into himself, rubbing the back of his neck. he’s never had someone ask to eat with him. he just sort of sat with his theatre classmates—not even friends. they all thought he was weird. you gave him a puzzled look.

“are you sure? you don’t have to pity me just because i’m new,” you pouted. gosh, was it just him or did everyone find you adorable?

“i’m sure. i was just hesitant since i’m not known for being, you know, popular.”

rolling your eyes, you clapped a hand on his shoulder. “as if that actually matters.” you tugged him along, linking your arm with his. thank goodness you were busy looking for the cafeteria because heeseung was struggling to keep the blush off of his face. as much as heeseung didn’t want to get his hopes up, he hoped that you guys would become real friends.

loser!heeseung loved his hobbies. he could talk about them for hours; they were his passion. he loved playing maple story, league of legends, team fight tactics, going to the renaissance fair, studying the metrics of trot (this one was a little too niche to really talk about though). none of these passions were greater than his passion for you. this man was dedicated to learning everything there was to know about you now that you were friends. you teased him about how stalkerish he sounded. almost immediately, he apologized.

the way his shoulders shrunk and eyes drooped down, you were definitely the asshole. when he stopped talking, you panicked. so, you didn’t think. you kissed his cheek. you blinked. he blinked. you blinked at each other. you know that ouran high school host club scene where tamaki realized haruhi is a girl and she complimented him? you’d bet your whole house that’s how red you were because you could feel the heat radiating off your face.

heeseung’s mind was still white noise. any sounds that were supposed to reach his ears were muffled, like he was underwater. was he underwater? was he dragged down into the depths of the styx river only to be lost forever? was he dreaming to cope with the harsh reality of his death? was he—

“heeseung?” you meekly called. “i’m sorry. i shouldn’t have done that without your consent. that was—”

he must’ve called upon achilles’s guidance and invincibility because he didn’t know where he got this courage otherwise. what courage you may ask? well, the courage that planted heeseung’s lips on yours.

your lips were so soft. they tasted like strawberries. he wondered if strawberries were your favorite fruit. he could kiss you forever. oh crap, he was kissing you.

anxiety crept up his spine, invading his every nerve; it was telling him he had to pull away or else you’d leave him forever. except, when he started moving away, he noticed you followed, reluctant to end the kiss. your eyes were closed too. he could’ve sworn they were open from shock.

heeseung could feel his back creaking in protest at the odd angle; he would’ve fallen over if it weren’t for you clutching the front of his shirt. huh? oh! maybe, you liked the kiss! you liked the kiss, like he did! oh, but now he couldn’t breathe. what should he do? he didn’t want the kiss to end.

he pressed back, holding out until the last possible moment. but you pulled away first, gasping for air. a blush dusted your cheeks and heeseung could guess that he was red too—probably not as pretty of a shade as yours though.

“s-sorry,” he stammered as you caught your breath. “i don’t know why i—”

you shut him up with another kiss (but this one was too short for heeseung’s newfound thirst for kissing you). when you pulled away, his big eyes tugged at your heart. they looked so sad that you moved away. it made you giggle—this whole situation. for someone that was trying to learn everything about you, he sure did miss your huge crush on him.

loser!heeseung didn’t know how he got so fortunate. was he a luck domain cleric in real life? he felt like he was rolling nat 20s continuously. he managed to ask you out (though, he was stuttering the whole time and nearly tripped on top of you—it was a whole affair that he’d rather forget) and be dating you 3 years later? he was one lucky man. and, some might say even luckier as time went on.

you got more confident once you guys got to college and, thus, you got hotter. you found your sense of self and your fashion reflected it. heeseung wasn’t doing so bad either. he found people that he got along with and could proudly (read: shyly) call friends. he found beomgyu in the league discord server that the university had and jeongin in d&d club! he’d meet up with them every once in awhile whenever they all felt like they needed to touch grass. of course, his friends knew you came first. you were heeseung’s everything. what they couldn’t wrap around their heads was how heeseung was your everything.

“you’ve been dating for 3 years!? no way, man.” “are you secretly rich? the son of some big conglomerate?” “all offense, she’s hot and you’re… not.”

heeseung didn’t let that bother him. his friends were idiots that had never felt the touch of a woman. plus, you trained him better (you told him to stop talking about himself like he was your pet, but he refused). you loved him so much without any strings attached. you were patient with him and listened to him ramble about how league kept nerfing his favorite character with every update. you never tried to change him and you told him it’s because you fell in love with him for how he was. but, there came a day when he wished you did. he happened to overhear a conversation between you and your friends.

“girl, there’s no way you’ve been with heeseung for 3 years and he hasn’t picked up a single thing about fashion from you.” “the face cards are mismatched, ma. you’re up here and he’s not even on this plane.” “don’t you ever get embarrassed whenever you guys go out? i mean, he dresses like he’s stuck in his mom’s basement.” “i hope he compensates in other ways because he’s not doing it where i can see.” “how are you okay with someone that much skinnier than you? doesn’t your body dysmorphia get triggered?”

you stopped talking to those girls after that. however, it didn’t stop heeseung from getting hurt by it. it was true, in heeseung’s eyes. you deserved much better than what he was giving you. how is it that you loved him even though he looked the exact same as he did 3 years ago? there were so many hot guys around and you never so much as turned your head to glance. there was nothing to support his insecurity about being hot enough or being enough in general. nonetheless, that horrid conversation sparked something in heeseung.

“baby, i’m heading to the gym. i’ll be back later to cook us dinner, okay?” if your brows raised any further, they’d merge into your hairline. “the gym?” heeseung nodded firmly. “gotta start working out to combat all the ramen i eat.”

“hee, you haven’t gained weight since we started dating, despite you eating my leftovers and your food. you don’t need to combat anything,” you laughed. when you saw heeseung was still tying the laces on his shoes, you let it go, thinking nothing of it. you kissed him and reminded him to stay hydrated.

thus began heeseung’s gym journey. it was difficult. muscle barely stuck even though he was eating well over 3000 calories. but, he could see his body getting toned, more cut, so he was happy. maybe people would stop looking at the two of you like you were wrong.

his wishful thinking remained at that. despite getting noticeably more fit, people still talked. they talked about his fashion, his haircut, and his hygiene (he thought this one was unfair considering he always did skincare with you and loved doing your nightly routines).

so, on the day you told him you were going thrifting, he asked to tag along. you were taken aback. heeseung never came with you; he didn’t see the point when he had perfectly good clothes at home. but you let him come along. you thought he’d just peruse with you or be there to make sure you paid with the card he gave you (he made a lot of money from his internship and begged you to use it for anything you wanted), but he didn’t. he asked a lot of questions.

“do you think this would look good on me?” “do these go together?” “are these good quality?”

you were excited. going thrifting was one of your favorite hobbies and to see heeseung taking such an interest in it was thrilling. you gave your opinions, always with a disclaimer that fashion is up to preference. he nodded along, processing your words. by the end of your thrifting trip, heeseung went home with a bundle of clothes to wear. the next day, he’d wake up earlier than normal to try and piece his new clothes together. he knew he wasn’t good at it. his friends let him know without reservations. hell, your friends let him know with their skeptical looks. it wasn’t until he talked to sunghoon in the gym that he got some actual constructive criticism.

“you’re taking an interest in fashion?”

“nothing crazy,” heeseung muttered, kicking the dust on the floor. “i just hate the comments y/n gets whenever her friends think i’m not listening.”

sunghoon looked at his gym buddy in pity. “look, man. if everything you’ve told me about your relationship is true, i don’t think y/n cares what you wear. she hasn’t in 3 years. what makes you think it’ll change all of a sudden?”

nothing. he didn’t doubt you. he just got sick at the thought of you having to listen to all those criticisms. so, sunghoon helped him. he showed him his pinterest moodboard and made heeseung swear to never tell anyone that’s how he chooses what to wear. after that informative session, heeseung got to work. he used your instagram feed as a reference, wanting to match your aesthetic, and created a moodboard inspired by it. using his pinterest board, he went thrifting by himself. he recalled the countless videos he watched while sorting through the clothes. cotton, not polyester. depending on the stain, you can get it out. tailoring is always an option when you find something that is a little too big!

he was very serious about his transformation. he even digitally scrapbooked the pictures of him in different clothes so he could be like cher in clueless. since then, his fashion started improving. your morning routines together changed ever so slightly with you telling him to spin for you. his heart warmed with every compliment you gave him.

“who is this diva?” “i feel very underdressed. i’m changing.” “are you getting dressed by law roach?” “you’ve been taking dress to impress a little seriously these days.”

heeseung’s confidence soared. now, he wasn’t ashamed to go out with you. your friends weren’t ashamed to be seen with him either. they even went as far as to compliment him! score! he’d gotten brownie points with your friends.

“finally, he’s dressing like a boyfriend fit to be with you, y/n.”

oh, that made you pull the brakes real fast. it completely escaped your mind how much your friends dissed your boyfriend (because you brushed them off as stupid comments). come to think of it, heeseung always did manage to miss the moments where they talked about him, but only by a minute or two. what if… what if he did hear those comments?

curious and worried, you asked him during your nightly routines. “hee, did… did you start dressing up for any particular reason?”

uh oh. heeseung hated lying to you; it physically pained him. so, he confessed. “i heard what your friends think of me and i didn’t want you to have to keep hearing them say things like that.”

“oh, baby, i’m so sorry you heard that,” you cooed. “i didn’t tell you because not even an atom of me agrees with them. i love you as you are, uni tees, basketball shorts and all.”

heeseung put down the moisturizer and looked down. “i know… i just wanted people to stop thinking we’re wrong for each other.”

you frowned and pulled him into a hug. “well, we know we’re perfect for each other. i’ve known it from the moment you started talking about the metrics of trot. i remember just nodding along and thinking how beautiful you were.”

heeseung blushed at your words. you always knew how to make him feel better.

“you don’t have to dress up for anyone but yourself, okay?”

he shook his head with a small smile. “i like matching with you. it’s fun.”

“well, i guess we really gotta dress to impress then,” you grinned, kissing his cheek.

with that, heeseung was reassured. no more pressure. he could just dress however he wanted (which was however you were dressing). but, his glow up didn’t stop there. no, he thought about a haircut. he wanted something that would shut your friends up forever. so, after scrolling forever on tiktok, he found that he liked a mullet with some face-framing pieces. he went and got it done at sunghoon’s trusted barbershop and came out a new man. he immediately sent you a picture, to which you responded, “don’t go anywhere. no errands. no grabbing food. come home. now.”

safe to say, you loved his new haircut. he loved his new haircut. he loved it even more when his friends and your friends couldn’t manage words. good. stay that way.

loser!heeseung was still a loser but, at least, he was in a hot man’s body with his very very attractive girlfriend. he still played league. he still larped. he still took the renaissance fair very seriously. he still loved you more than anything in the world. he was still your loser.

disclaimer: this, in no way, reflects the idol. this is purely fiction. ✧ comments and reblogs are appreciated! ✧ give my other works a read too!

[poppyflower-22]

Nothing To Worry About?

Summary: Benjicot confronts you on your past relationship with Aegon.

Warnings: Incest (as usual) This is a modern au. Small talk of virginity. Mention of still birth.

Side note: Spelling and grammar mistakes. This could be a part 2 to lifetime if you like.

To love someone is to love all of them. No matter there flaws. No matter what they do.

You had seen you mother love your father's. She had loved your step father Harwin Strong. And she had loved your father Daemon.

While the rest of your family was complicated you had always known and seen what love was and how it should be received and given.

While Harwin wasn't your father, he treated you like his daughter. He showed loved to you like a father should do.

It was how you had known that what you felt for Benjicot Blackwood was love. You had known because your mother had spoken of how that's what she felt for your fathers.

It had made you feel like you had butterfly's in in your stomach. And you had never felt like this, you could feel like this forever.

“Is he good to you?” Jace asked his sister. You turned to your brother and smiled.

“Yeah.” You looked back over at Benjicot, who was playing with Aegon, your younger brother.

You felt a hand on your arm. “I’m happy for you, sister.” Jace whispered, kissing the side of your forehead.

Jace was happy that his friend was good to you. He was always going to look out for you but more so after the whole Aegon thing.

You sighed and walked over to Ben. Benji smiled up at you as you bent down on your knees.

“Hey buddy.” You greeted your younger brother. Your brother smiled at you before going back to playing with his toy dragons.

“Aegon!” Rhaenyra called, making young Aegon run over to his mother.

“Come on.” You said as you took Benji’s hand and walked up to your bedroom.

Benji squeezed your hand as you both walked past the living room where your uncles were. Aegon, your uncle smirked at Benji, knowing it would get on his nerves.

“I bloody hate him.” Benji mumbled. As he lay on her bed. He lay on his side. He had his hand on his chin as he watched you.

Your orange cat, Maple, jumped on the bed and snuggled up to Benji. He pat her making her purr.

You sat at your vanity and took off your earrings and jewellery, but your promise ring Benji had given you.

“Just ignore him.” You mumbled back, not wanting to talk about Aegon.

“Well it’s hard to when he’s here all the time.” He shot back.

You signed. “You know mother and Alicent are being friendly again, and Aegon just tags along.”

Ben groaned and dropped his head onto her soft fluffy pillows, Maple not moving as she was a deep sleeper. You smiled at your boyfriend before walking over to join him on the bed. Maple purred as you moved her softly so you could cuddle your boyfriend.

Benji smiled, letting you cuddle closer to him. He put his hand around your waist. You kissed his neck as you were put to sleep by your boyfriend.

Even him just there made you fall asleep.

Benji was cresting your back as he heard you breathing get steady, meaning you were asleep. He carefully got out of your arms and put the stuffed weighted dragon toy in your arms.

He stepped out to your balcony that was connected to your room and lit his cigarette.

As he looked out the mountains that were literally in your back, he thought of you.

The first time he ever saw you was in that book shop. He knew who you were. How could he not? You were the most beautiful person he had ever seen. And you were a Targaryen.

You had giggled at him when he stumbled over his words. He was nervous to talk to you, but he got over that as you both started seeing each other.

His first had been you, his first kiss, the person that took it. He was even more drawn to you after that. He tried his best to love and cherish you with his whole heart.

He loved you too much to ever let you go. He thinks if you ever got away that he would simply die. Sounds dramatic, but his soul was yours.

And it was a plus your family approved of him.

Daemon had been harder to get the approval of. You were his little girl. And any boy wasn’t going to be good enough for you. But he liked Benji, he could protect you.

Jace was already sort of friends with him. They played football together. But they came closer after Benji started dating you. Jace was like Daemon, protective, but Jace knew you were safe with him.

Rhaenyra was the one person Benji had been he most nervous about meeting. You loved your mother with all your heart. You were her only girl. After your little sister Visneya died a still birth, your mother had been even more protective of you.

But the moment you told her about Benji, she knew that without even meeting the boy, he was the one for you. That he treated you like you were the only girl on the earth. And for that, Rhaenyra had treated Benji like another one of her sons.

Your door being open pulled him away from his thoughts of you. He turned his head to see who it was, he thought it would be your mother or brother but it was Aegon.

Benji sat up more on the rail at the sight of your uncle. He didn't like him. From just the way he used to treat girls in school and college. And also that you and Aegon use to have a close relationship.

You always hesitated in telling him anything about your time with Aegon when you were younger, but Benji had guessed what could have happened.

"What are you doing?" Benji snapped at the boy making Aegon snap his head over to him.

Aegon smirked and walked his way to the doorway of the balcony. "Just checking up on my niece."

"Well, she's fine." Benji grumbled and put his cigarette out on the rail before jumping off the rail to put it in the ashtray that sat on the small table.

Aegon shugged and crossed his arms, "She's my niece. We are close." He smirked at the black haired boy. Aegon watched as he clenched his jaw in anger. "We are so close. I would say closer than people think." He taunted the boy.

Benji clenched his fist before he took a step and got right in Aegons face, making him gulp at the glint in Beni's eyes. "You were close. Were. You're not close anymore. She has me. She doesn't need you. She comes to me with her problems, not you." Benji spat.

He walked over to you and sat down on the edge and moved some of your white hair out of your face.

Aegon’s smirk drooped. Yes, you and him were close. More close than anyone in the family. But after a while, when he had left for his first year in community college, you had distanced yourself from him. And before he knew it, you were bringing your new boyfriend home.

He glanced at the way Benjicot moved your hair softly away from your face. He used to do that with you. He taught you everything you knew.

Aegon walked angrily towards your bedroom door before he left he turned to Benji and said something that would hopefully make him angry, "Hey Benji, did she take you to her favourite place in Rome Did you take the nighttime walk where the violin players always play?" Aegon asked with a smirk before he left the room.

He left a confused and hurt Benji and a sleeping unaware girl.

The dinner was uncomfortable. You had tried to talk to Benji, but all he had done was tell you dinner was ready.

You don't know what had happened since you had fallen asleep. You had tried to hold his hand, but he shook that of as well.

He was sat between your brother and you. Helena sat next to you. Aegon sat across from him,

You had decided that if your boyfriend was going to be a dick to you for no reason, then you would talk to your sweet aunt.

Benji had tried to listen to Jace talk about his trip to Paris with his girlfriend Sarah Snow. But all he could think about was you.

When you had asked him if he wanted to go to Rome for a few days, he had jumped at the opportunity. You had been on many small trips together, but Rome was a place you loved.

And knowing that Aegon had been there and done exactly what you two did didn't sit right with him. Maybe it was jealously. But he just didn't like it.

"They had this amazing butterfly room there. You would love it Hel, we have to go, one day." You gushed to your aunt.

"Of course. Butterflies are just so beautiful. Anymore insects there?" Helena asked, interested in the other bugs you could have seen.

Aegon, laughing quietly and looking at you, made Benji snap.

"If you excuse us." Benji said to Jace, who nodded and watched as he stood up and took your hand. "We need to talk." He simply said.

You let him pull you away. Confused. "What's going on? Ever since I woke up, you have been acting weird." You huffed as he closed the sliding doors to the back yard.

Benji scoffed at you. "That fucking craven cunt." He spat making your eye widened in surprise.

"Wow, wow, wow." You rushed out in order for him to stop before he said anything else. "You need to actually tell me what's wrong. Not curse words. Words." You advised him.

Now, that's what he loved about you. You could stop him, calm him down before he went on and on, and worked himself up. But he was already worked up.

"Aegon!" He yelled at her, making her step back in surprise. "He basically told me that you both went to Rome together and that doesn't make me upset, no what makes me upset is that not only did we do what you and him did, you lied to me about it. All I want is honesty from you." He explained to you.

You sighed. You closed your eyes and pinched your nose. "Fucking Aegon." You cursed. He could always ruin something. "Look." You began taking his hand in yours. "What me and Aegon had was a long time ago. Yes we went to Rome together and did what we did. But did you ever stop and think why?" She asked him with a head tilt.

When he shook his head softly, you smiled sweetly at him. "It was because I wanted to replace that memory that I have with him with you. You are the one that I love. Not him."

You took a breath for the next words may be hard for him to hear. "I wish all my firsts had been with you."

Benji narrowed his eyes and, with a clenched jaw, looked away. He didn't pull away. Seeing this, you grabbed his face in your hands and brought his face back towards you.

"But I know I have many other first with you." You smiled up at him. You dragged your hands down his arms again. "Our first home, our first pet together, our first child..." You trailed off with a nervous smile. He smiled lightly at you, knowing you were right.

He had a bunch of first with you yet to come.

Benji sighned and leaned his forehead on yours. They stood there for a few monets. Just in the silence.

"I'm such an idiot." He whispered you with a small laugh.

You shook your head with a giggle. You put your hands on his cheeks, making him look at you in your unique purple blue eyes. "It's normal for you to feel thease things. I'm sorry for not telling you what really happened between us. And I will, but maybe when we go back to yours." You told him with a smile. You crest his cheek.

Benji leaned in and placed a soft kiss on your lips. You melted into the kiss. Benji wrapped his arms around your waist as yours went into his hair and pulled it, making his groan.

You parted and smiled at eachother.

"You were jealous. " You giggled at the blush of embarrassment on his face. He hated being jealous.

"I was not." He grumbled into your neck, making you giggle more. Benji smiled at your giggles. "I love you so much." He sighed in your neck.

You smiled, racking your hands over his hair. "I love you as well, Benji. So much." You whispered into his ear and placed a soft kiss there.

Even if Aegon was always going to be in your life, at least Benji had the resurgence of knowing he was yours and you were his.

You were from a complicated family. A family that was broken from the death of your grandmother. But you had each other to hold.

I am thinking of making this a little small series. I was bored and listening to music.

[bigassmoonchild]

The Aftermath

Pairing: Simon 'Ghost' Riley x Reader

Word Count: 2k

The first part does give context, but isn’t required for this read.

Summary: You knew the difficulty the process of being a mated Omega in the military. You understood how much you would lose, but you never thought about the difficulty in your normal life. Never thought about the panic you would have, or how much it would effect you and Ghost's personal relationship.

Content Tags: Hospitals, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, No use of Y/N, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha! Ghost

A/N: I was not expecting such a good response to Maple Syrup, and since y'all seemed to like it so much here's basically the next part. Let me know if you want anything specific, my asks should be open. <3 I'm adding a 'keep reading' link to make sure you can scroll on if you want.

Previous, Next | Headcannons, Masterlist

Everything felt wrong. Ghost wasn't injured, but he was being held overnight in the medbay. The Maple Syrup had run its course through him, but he could hear chatter echoing in the room. He could smell you, you weren't too far from him but he wasn't allowed to see you. Price had come in not too long after the doctors had checked him over and cleared him, arms crossed as he sat in the chair next to the bed Ghost was in.

"We'll need to talk, you know," was the only thing Price had said, leaning back and relaxing in the chair.

"Is the Doc okay?" Ghost asked, looking in the direction your scent was coming from. The sickly sweet smell of heat was becoming stale, but you were on lock and key just in case any Alpha soldiers tried to come in. Price looked in the same direction, giving a faint shrug.

"I'm going to be updated once she's steady enough for the doctors to leave her alone," Price said. "Gaz is on watch outside her room," Ghost nodded. Gaz was a Beta, so it would be fine for him to be that close. Ghost still didn't like it, he didn't know how his pack was, where everyone was, if everyone was safe.

It took a few hours, it was well past midnight before any movement came from the direction of your room. The curtains surrounding Ghosts bed was moved, the Doctor gesturing for Price to follow him. Ghost had tried to listen in, but it wasn't worth it. He was still in mild pain from the mission, the place where the tranq had stabbed him still throbbed every so often.

Price walked back in some time later, looking at Ghost with a sigh. That didn't make him feel good, panic started to flow through him, thoughts of you dying flashed in his mind for a few moments.

"She's gonna be fine," Price started. "They got her heat back under control, they're just waiting for it to finish cycling through her. Outside of that, she's fine," Price sat next to Ghost. "I can't ask you about what happened. I can only tell you what will happen," he looked away.

You woke up, head foggy and throbbing with a headache. You could see a form moving next to you, checking your vitals. You gave a soft groan, your neck throbbing alongside your core. Everything hurt, but you weren't able to tell if it was everything.

"You finally waking up?" The voice asked, and you could recognize it. "You've been out for a few days, you've even had Ghost trying to get in," she giggled a little. Amanda. That was her name, she was one of the nurses you'd been working with prior to the mission that went south.

At the mention of Ghost, you sat upright, vision spinning before righting itself.

"It was a really bad heat you were sent into, y'know. Took us a few hours to stabilize you, but you're doing good for yourself," she smiled, trying to lay you back down but you pushed her off of you.

"I need to talk to him," god even your throat hurt. She nodded slowly, sticking her head out of the door. You rubbed your head, headache now making you feel sick. It took a few moments, but you heard footsteps come in the room, a figure standing next to you. When you looked up, it was Price.

"There are some procedures we need to go through. I've already got some officers in, but we still need to talk about what happened," Price started, moving to sit in the chair near you. "Ghost has already spoken with them, so it'll be you, me and the officers. I think Laswell has flown in as well," you stared at Price.

With a few blinks, you looked down to think. Ghost had already spoken with the officers? You knew what the rules were like, and you knew that your career was now in his hands. It pissed you off, if you could really focus on feeling much outside of pain.

"The officers are trying to get him to make a decision on your career. I can't let you two talk about anything yet, the Adjutant Officers still need to figure things out before you'll be allowed near each other," Price looked away, your jaw tensing. You really had no rights anymore, did you?

It took another few days before you were released. The second you had clothes of your own to wear, you were gone off into your room.

Someone had been here. You could smell a stale scent, but you weren't able to place it. It was too distant to be able to decipher, but your room was exactly the same as it had been left before you were hospitalized. You didn't feel comfortable in your room, knowing someone had been here.

A knock on the door made you spin, nerves set tight. As you opened the door, a large figure came into view.

"Doc," Ghost started, before being yanked into your room and having the door slammed behind him. You turned on him, staring at him sharply. You pointed, opening your mouth before shutting it and groaning, running hands through your hair.

You kept trying to start talking before you stopped yourself, eventually kicking at the wall in irritation.

"What did you say to them?" You hissed, back still turned and facing the wall. You could hear him shift behind you, boots scuffing against the ground. You turned, storming up to him, chest to chest. "What the hell did you tell them? You gonna dismantle my career? Make me some fucking house-omega?" You were growling now, you could feel your muscles tensing.

When he didn't respond, you groaned, tossing your hands up in defeat and walking away from him. You turned, hand on your hip, waiting for a response.

"I don't want to take your career away," he whispered, finally. You barked a laugh, rubbing your wrist against your bitten gland. His hand reached out to grab you, but you moved away from him. "I don't want to make decisions for you," he added, voice growing more desperate.

You shook your head, pulling your hand away from your gland and shaking them out. Ghost reached out to you again, hand catching your shoulder before you shrugged him off.

"I don't know what to do," you whispered. "I'm terrified, because now I'm outed to so many people, and there's quite literally nothing I can do to save myself," you turned to look at Ghost.

He scoffed. "You think I'm going to ruin things for you? I've already told you, I don't want that kind of control over you," he looked away, crossing his arms. You could smell the distress on him.

"You have done shit to make me trust you!" Your voice raised before dropping, a hand running down your face. "I have zero control left, you know how many rights I have as a mated Omega?" He shook his head. "None," you glared at him.

Ghost glanced at you before looking away again. He shook his head, moving to leave before you blocked the door from him.

"You don't get to walk out when we're talking," you growled at him and he growled back.

"This isn't a conversation, this is you getting all pissy on me," he loomed over you, forcing you to take a step back. "I didn't want this to happen, I would have chosen any other way to save us, but we didn't get a choice, did we?" You looked away.

"Get out,"

He could smell the distress on you the second he spoke. Your scent left him spiraling, he was panicking. His Omega was distressed, and he was the cause. He wanted to fix it, correct the problem and make you happy again.

Ghost could do nothing when you repeated yourself.

"Get the hell out," you glared at him. Ghost opened his mouth to give you a retort, but you had turned away. He bit his tongue, turning to stare at the door.

"You know that's not what I meant," he whispered, opening the door and leaving.

Even after walking aimlessly for ten minutes, he could still smell your distress on your scent, the sour taste stuck on the back of his throat. This wasn't how he had intended to talk to you, he wanted to make a plan for when they asked him more questions regarding your career.

Ghost was pissed off, more so with himself than you, but he wanted to comfort you. Fix what he had said, take it back.

But he had a meeting to attend, and he needed to make sure he didn't say anything wrong.

You sat in the conference room, Price, Laswell and an Adjutant officer sitting across from you. This was the third time you'd gone over what had happened.

"So you say this 'Maple Syrup' is what caused Ghost to go into a feral rut?"

"Yes," you deadpanned, glaring through the Adjutant. "We've already been through all of this, there is literally nothing else that I haven't told you," the Adjutant hummed.

"We need to make sure everything is covered," he told you, looking at the paper he had been writing on for the past hour and a half.

You looked at Price, hoping he would help you in any way. He looked away, leaning further back into his seat.

"What about my career?" The room went silent, the Adjutant stopped reading, glancing over at Price who had finally looked at you. "I want to know what's happening," you whispered. The last few days had left you unsure of yourself. You wanted to confront Ghost, you wanted to apologize for snapping at him, you wanted to fix what you'd said.

None of them spoke, Laswell had opened her mouth to speak before closing it, taking a deep breath. Her fingers tapped on the table, looking at Price and the Adjutant.

She looked back at you. "You aren't allowed to make any decisions regarding that, you know," your head dropped back with a groan, wrist rubbing against your bitten gland roughly. You were terrified, you didn't know what the future was going to hold.

You had so little control and it was getting worse. You stood abruptly, going to walk out the door before Price spoke.

"Would you like to speak with Ghost?" You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. With people around, you wouldn't snap on him, but you also didn't want to see him since his last remarks. You really needed to know if you still worked here, or if he was going to force you to become a house-omega.

You nodded, turning around and sitting back down while staring Price down as he made a phone-call. A few moments later, Ghost walked in and sat beside you, but you still couldn't look at him. It was silent for a few minutes, everyone looking at each other, waiting for the first to speak.

"You still have a job here," Ghost spoke up. "I didn't let them remove you, but they won't allow you on missions anymore," he added the last part quietly. You nodded.

You could hear Price and Laswell ushering the Adjutant Officer out of the room, the door closing with a click behind them. Neither you nor Ghost talked for a few minutes, you could smell a certain level of stress on him.

"Thank you," you whispered, glancing quickly at him. He was staring at you, eyes watching your every twitch and shudder. "I'm... sorry, for the other day," you fiddled with your fingers. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

Ghost shook his head, hesitating before grabbing your hand, pulling it close to him and in turn tugging you towards him. You finally turned to look at him, and his eyes visibly softened.

He looked down, then back up to you. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said what I did. Not in the way I did," he tugged you even closer to him, nuzzling into your gland. "I don't regret having you as my mate now, but if I could've changed what I did, you wouldn't be stuck with me making decisions for you now," you leaned in to him, pressing your face into his chest.

It relaxed you, his scent, and allowed you to think much clearer.

"I'm just so scared,"

Next

[maplesugarcookie]

warning: spoilers for season four!

I agree with the mischaracterization but,- and please correct me if I'm wrong- in defense of the series, the storytelling is so crazy and complex because it's all about perspective. I mean, they basically make that clear right off the bat in the first movie, A Hero Is Born, by having Tang's version of the Monkey King appear while he relays his story, his version of the events. Monkey King was portrayed as this smug heroic hero who was completely in the right, silently doing his job of serving justice, when we see in the same movie that that's just not who he is! The king is playful and impulsive and somewhat of an antihero, who we later see is willing to kill a child for the greater good instead of being patient and finding another way.

In Season Four, Azure Lion talks to MK and villianizes Monkey King and the other pilgrims because, from his point of view, they were the villains trying to stop them. From the point of view of someone who's watching a strong spirit, his sworn brother who's had such an impact on his life, have such big character growth and a change in his moral compass makes it seems like the pilgrims were manipulative toward Monkey King. Not to mention hearing about the hoop tightening spell used to tame Monkey King must seem like an even bigger indication of manipulation.

However, in the same season, we get Macaque's take on it now that he has a clear head. Macaque tell MK about how corrupted Monkey King's morals were before he met Tripitaka. He even goes on the talk about how Tripitaka saved Monkey King from "becoming a villain" and redeemed him! From the point of view of the Six Eared Macaque, who is said to have full comprehension of the past, present, and future, who basically spent his life watching Monkey King grow up, I think his point of view is far more trustworthy than Azure Lion's perspective, who's judgement is clouded by vengeance. Macaque even throws in the MK should read the book, crediting it as a reliable source of what really went down in Monkey King's past and his relationship with Tripitaka in particular.

But I'm not completely disagreeing with you. Tripitaka is very different from the original but that's also ok, given this is inspired by Journey to the West and not directly from Journey to the West. Familiar tale, new adventures, my friends!

writer's note: i wrote this around 2am so i hope this holds up in the morning...

Great Tang Rant (LMK)

Alright I need to get this off of my chest

I love LMK so much but they way they mischaracterize Tripitaka is atrocious. Literally his reincarnation (Mr.Tang) acts more like him then their representation of the tang monk. 

Tripitaka has like three main character traits, being humble, reacting like a human being, and being to kind for his own good and LMK pulled a complete 180 on us and said “That’s Tripitaka for you, self righteous, eternally calm, and antisocial”

The only thing they got right about him is that he studied a lot, grew up in a monastery, and is a monk. 

They didn’t even get his clothes right. he doesn’t wear the fancy robes because he finds them to ostentatious and bhudists have that whole thing about vanity. That is until he goes to the Thunder cloud monastery to collect the scrolls, which was the exact occasion it was given to him for. The only exception to that is the time he was asked to put it on by the leader of a small monastery and that ended with monks trying to burn him to death to steal his clothes so obviously he never did it again. 

The worst part it that their representation of Tripitaka has lead to people genuinely believing that the character is abusive which is the farthest thing from the truth. Like yeah he used the tight hoop spell on Sun Wukong but only when he literally murdered someone. Also it wasn’t even his idea, Guanyin told him to do it and who was he to disregard the advice of a Bodhisattva. Seriously though, what punishment would you give a murder monkey who feels no remorse and would kill again? A slap on the wrist? Tripitaka is just doing his best to make sure that the journey ends with as little casualties as possible

Tangent aside, please if you like LMK then do your research on the actual pilgrims, they are all very cool and very different then they are depicted in the show 

[minimomoe]

Love Bites

Baker Fem Reader x Toji Fushiguro (mafia/yakuza au)

word ct: 15.1k, 11 Chapters

tags: Fluff, grumpy x sunshine, found family, a little angsty but nothing too bad, marriage proposal, established relationship, (last chapter only: kitchen sex, creampie, oral- fem receiving, other sexxy funtime stuff)

A/N: Keeping my promise and slowly trying to bring my longer fics from ao3 over here. This was a short story that I wrote over the holidays. It's v fluffy and sweet, please enjoy!

Chapter One: Apple Cinnamon Spice

“Thanks for stopping by. Tell your mom I said hey, okay?” You watch the young man leave with a box of cookies and wipe your hand clean. You turn away to tend to the oven beeping in the kitchen, placing the hot racks of muffins on the top of the cooling tray to drag out in the front, then grabbing the bottom trays to put in the out on display. Your glasses constantly slip down your nose and you make a mental note to get them tightened.

You move diligently in and out of the kitchen, the door constantly swinging from your movements, and you don't even notice the brooding man who has been watching you on the other side of the counter for at least a minute now. It isn’t until he moves and blocks the sunlight that is pouring in that you notice his presence and jump. 

“Oh my goodness I didn't even hear you come in! Welcome to our bakery! I don’t think I’ve seen you before,” you start, putting on your friendliest smile you can muster up. You push your glasses up again and get a better look at the man. He doesn’t speak, but you notice his sharp features and  the side of his lip that has a scar running through it twitches ever so slightly. 

“I could start you off with our classic double fudge brownies?”

He stares passively at you, making you falter. “Okay, how about our seasonal treats? We have caramel pumpkin cookies! Or how about our maple pecan mini pies?” 

“‘We… Our’,” he says, finally speaking up as you nervously grip the counter. “It’s just you.”

“Is that a question?”

“An observation.”

“Oh.” You take a closer look at the man and see that his hands have scars on them as well. He was dressed in a suit, no tie and had his jacket on, but that didn’t help your imagination to stay rational. Is he a gangster? you think. My god, Ezra, what did you do?

“How about a drink? We have normal coffees, but right now our apple cinnamon spice is the talk of the town!” 

“I’ll take one of each,” he grunts. 

“What?”

“Make it two of each,” his finger points at the display rack and the display at his knees. “Give me everything.” 

“Oh. O-okay. Do you want a drink with that?”

“The one that you mentioned.”

“The apple cinnamon spice latte?” You ask incredulously. 

He grunts again and that’s all the confirmation you were going to get. “Can I have a name for this order?”

“…Toji.”

“Thank you Mr. Toji,” you beam at him and his lip twitches again. “I’ll get your order out soon enough.” 

You quickly gather all his food, making sure to pick the best cookies and sweets you can find but still feel like it wasn’t good enough. You had filled up three boxes with treats before you finally completed his order, and then rushed over to make his drink. 

“Make it real hot for me,” he grumbles behind you. You look over her shoulder and nod, but it doesn’t get another response out of him. You ring up his order, absently pushing up your glasses, waiting patiently for him to pay. He hands you a roll of cash and your eyes widen in surprise. 

“That’s way too much, sir. You only owe me 61.75.”

“Share it between you and whoever is supposed to be here with you.”

“It’s just me,” you grimace. “I can’t accept this. However, I can take $61.75.”

Toji stares you down and you can feel your resolve crumbling beneath his gaze. Despite having green eyes, Toji’s were dark and unwavering. You weren’t sure how long you were stuck in his staring contest but he finally relents and hands you a single one hundred dollar bill from the roll. 

“Can you break this then?”

“Yes! Yes, I can do that,” you grin and hand Toji back his change, your fingers slightly brushing over his own. 

“So cold,” he murmurs and his eyes flicks to yours. Toji takes in the roundness of your face, your big brown eyes that seemed even bigger through the lenses, your full dusty pink lips. Your hair was held in a low bun under a hair net, but he would see a few curls springing through the holes, vying for escape. 

“Hmm?”

“My order?” He juts his chin out to the boxes and you scramble to get them for him. 

“Right. Sorry! Please, come back soon!” You wave him goodbye as he leaves, watching his broad frame disappear into the street. When you can no longer see him you release a deep breath, deflating behind the counter, all the stress from the interaction leaking out of you. 

“I really hope he doesn’t come back again,” you whisper to yourself, but you only have a moment before somebody else walks into the store and your smile stitches itself back on your face. 

Down the street Toji finally gets in his car and closes himself off from the nipping cold. He glances at the boxes of treats in the passenger seat and wonders what he would do with them. He doubts that Megumi would like them when they meet later today, so he would have to drop them off to the white haired freak he works with. He sighs and looks down at the scalding cup in his hand. He takes a sip and grimaces from the taste. 

“This is liquid fucking sugar,” he grumbles, but he doesn’t stop drinking it slowly through his drive. Toji figures he can continue to go to the bakery until he finally gets something that he likes.

Chapters: I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI.

M.list || Ao3 || Twitter || Ko-fi

[sunnie-angel]

Movie Magic

jason todd x gn!reader

summary: a cozy movie marathon date with jason todd

tags: fluff, kissing, minor reference to canonical character death

rated teen | wc: 1k

a/n: inspired by an ask from the lovely @orchidsangel

It’s a Saturday morning, and the weekend is stretching wide in front of you. It’s been a long week, so you and Jason have decided to do a movie marathon together instead of going out. The morning starts with breakfast, fresh fruit and real maple syrup drizzled over French toast. Dishes done side by side in the sink, winter sun coming in pale through the window. A few days earlier, when you’d done the grocery shopping, you’d picked up snacks specifically for this day. There’s popcorn and chips, pretzels and M&Ms, licorice and skittles. Each gets put out in their own bowls, ready to be eaten. Then would come building the blanket fort. Moving cushions and the duvet from the bed out into the living room, pulling bedsheets out of the linen closet. While Jason rolls an empty clothing rack out to hold up the blankets, you get the idea to take down some of your fairy lights and put them up in the fort, little pinpricks of light to stop Jason’s fear of small dark spaces from creeping in. It takes all of your decorative throw pillows you had insisted on and Jason had affectionately rolled his eyes at for you both to get comfortable. But it is comfortable, tucked up under Jason’s arm and swaddled in blankets, snack bowls tucked between your hip and the side of the couch.

Jason puts on the first movie, something you both loved as children. You laugh at the same moments, point out your favourite characters and scenes. His ribs knock into yours when he snorts, warm and solid beside you. Jason puts on the sequel, which you both agree is nowhere near as good as the first. Offhandedly you mention that at least the third was better since they brought back the scriptwriter from the first movie and Jason has to press pause. Turns to you jaw slightly open and asks if you’re serious, that there’s a third one, that they made more. The thing is, there was a third movie, only Jason wouldn’t have known. Resurrection and revenge doesn’t really leave a lot of time for catching up on pop culture. You wrap your arms around him tighter, navigate to the next movie and press play. For this one, the two of you are silent. Jason’s eyes are wide and attentive, lips parted in awe. You watch him as much as the movie, drink in his reactions eagerly and the way his arm tightens around your shoulder at the tense moments. The credits start to roll, and still Jason doesn’t say anything.

“So… what did you think?” You ask. He runs his fingers through his hair, looks you in the eye, and goes on one of the most impassioned rants you’ve ever heard him give, and you’ve heard him rant about everything they got wrong in the newest Sense and Sensibility adaptation. He barely stops to breathe between discussing the casting and how surprisingly good the stunts were. He talks himself hoarse until you pass him your soda. That manages to interrupt his flow of thought, and he apologizes sheepishly for getting too caught up in the movie. “S’okay, I like hearing you be passionate. What did you think of the cinematography?” and he’s off again, hands flying through the air as he tries to describe just what parts excited him the most.

It’s his stomach rumbling that interrupts him a second time, causing the two of you to laugh. Lunch gets eaten on the couch, plates carefully balanced on laps. You convince Jason to watch Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and the look on his face when he gets torn between getting a version of his favourite book with added death jokes and wanting to point out how inaccurate a Regency society faced with the zombie apocalypse is, makes you have to constantly stifle giggles. You take turns after that, introducing each other to different movies as the pale sun slowly moves across the sky. Jason chooses a movie Damian made him watch, which despite the scary moments that have you burying your head in his shoulder, has some of the most beautifully shot scenes you’ve seen in a while. You get into a heated debate over Howl’s Moving Castle, eventually having to agree that book Sophie is more interesting but movie Howl is more dreamy. Jason has to dive for the popcorn bowl when you start yelling at the tv screen for the characters in the next movie to just talk to each other goddamn it! He indulges you when you rant about how most of the time the miscommunication trope is just lazy writing, that if the scriptwriters wanted to get the audience actually invested in the characters then they needed to stop making the climax something so easily fixable. You get so excited when something happens onscreen that you know a behind-the-scenes story about. Poking Jason in the side to make sure he’s listening before launching into an anecdote about how they’re actually only filming on horseback for the long shots, all of the closeups done on fake platforms to make filming easier. Or how the censorship rules of the time meant the director had to find a way for the characters to metaphorically kiss, and that’s why they’re always sharing cigarettes.

It’s beyond time for dinner, but full on snacks and treats, neither of you are feeling hungry yet. You’d introduced Jason to the magic of peanut M&Ms mixed into butter popcorn and you can tell that he’s going to be obsessed for the next while. The credits on the latest movie are rolling, there’s dishes to do and a couch to put back together, but all those things can wait. You look up from where you’re curled up beside him, cozy under the blanket and the weight of his arm, and he’s smiling down at you fondly. It doesn’t take much to stretch up and press your lips to his. He tastes like chocolate and salt and a long lazy afternoon. You can feel the edges of his lips turning up into a smile against yours.

“What was that for?” He murmurs.

“For listening to me ramble. And for introducing me to your favourite things.”

[highlordofkrypton]

This is the story of Lucien Vanserra, as told in his own words, of his journey through his immortal life. Lucien recounts how he, a vampire, fell in love with the radiant and innocent Tamlin and how he destroyed both of their lives.

Finally, the time has come for your main gift @yaralulu for this year's @acotargiftexchange. This is the first of five chapters, so I hope you are seated and ready for bloody and toxic yaoi! Special shoutout to @olenvasynyt in this chapter, hope you like it and thank you for the inspiration!

TAGS: Explicit (oh yes, there will be smut), Lucien Vanserra/Tamlin, Alternate Universe - Vampire. More tags to be added along with new chapters.

READ ON AO3 OR UNDER THE CUT.

Vampires aren’t real.

If they were, surely the world would know about them by now? Science has advanced far too much, along with surveillance and weaponry. There’s no way that a vampire could get away—

No, they could.

The nights are more active with workers and party goers alike keeping the streets alive. People go missing all the time, and the understanding of disease and unique conditions could easily explain away the symptoms of vampirism. Fear of the sun? No, an allergy—skin sensitivity. Sunglasses? It’s nothing more than the consequences of a hangover. Nesta has seen it all, and she unravelled every single thread with plausible explanation and proof. If this one doesn’t work out, then she’ll know: vampires aren’t real.

Her manicured fingers trace the winding banister, up to a plain apartment. She would have imagined something much more wondrous and lavish for someone with the means to live forever, thus accumulating limitless wealth. Instead, he lives among the people, blending in with what would be his next meal. I could be next, she remarks, made of flesh and blood just like his neighbours. Is this worth it?

Curiosity is an insatiable hunger, and poverty deepens it. This could be the discovery of the century, and it would have her name on it. Nesta Archeron would carry her surname out of disgrace and finish her father’s work—the work that had him branded as a madman. People are much kinder to her, likening her interest as esoteric. It works in her favour that witchcraft and astrology are becoming more and more on trend. But she doesn’t want to be a trend. Her hunger lies in the truth, no matter how painful and terrifying. Her work is Putlizer worthy, she just needs the right subject.

Her knuckles rap at the door, just below the metal plaque written ‘406’.

Nesta had met the breathtaking stranger at the bar, drinking her woes away. Another opportunity slipped through her fingers in favour of lesser, more amenable male colleagues. Her mouth is too sharp, and her brain too smart. Maybe journalism isn’t for me, she’d lamented into a glass of whiskey, and at that very moment, he’d slid into the stool beside her. Her lips parted to reject him, but they hung there in muted surprise as she stared. He was beautiful, except beautiful didn’t cut it. He was breathtaking, so much that she could not find the words to express the depth of his handsomeness. Not quite pale, his pristine skin carried an olive undertone which she was sure would ripen nicely under the kiss of the sun, if he cared to venture out into it. His eyes—one amber, and the other pure gold—glinted in the darkness, as if stealing the light in the very room. There wasn’t enough light to make them glow like that, but that made him all the more entrancing. His long auburn hair was tied into a loose bun, strands artfully placed around his face to frame his high cheekbones and sharp jaw. He was so beautiful that she could not doubt that he was something more.

They got to talking, and he made her laugh in ways that were not obnoxious or at her expense. His flirtations were smooth and subtle, but not so much that she did not notice. His words were like the undertones of sweet maple in her drink—present, but not overwhelming and yet, it marks the difference between a good whiskey and everything else.

“I have your story,” he said so easily, as if changing lives were something he simply did at the drop of a hat. “Do you believe in vampires, Nesta?” He slipped a card into her pocket, and she had run her fingers over the gold printed address over and over again before finding herself here. 

The door swings open, and there he stands, nearly a foot above her in all his ethereal glory. His red hair had been let loose to fall across his shoulders like soft silk. She yearns to reach out and touch, her curiosity running wild in his presence. Instead, she tightens her grip on her purse and tips her chin up in defiance of the nerves bubbling inside her.

“You’re here.” The velvet of his voice sends shivers down her spine, and the delicate smile makes her weak. Does he know its power? He has to. His confidence is unmistakable. “Come in, Nesta.”

The apartment is modest, to say the least. It is the antithesis of its inhabitant who naturally commands a crowded room. Here, in the plainness of the room, he is the only thing that matters and it makes her painfully aware of him and his every movement.

He takes her coat, but she keeps her purse, and guides her to the small living room. He sweeps his slender hand towards the single seat while he takes the couch across from her. His arm rests along its back, extended and possessive, and he crosses his long legs. Although he’s the one being interviewed, his gaze weighs on her. It dissects her, and his thoughts are unreadable. He is nothing more than pleasant, patient and willing.

Nesta quickly takes out her things, as if not to waste his time—as if he didn’t have plenty of it. Her recorder is placed between them on a cheap ikea coffee table of pressed wood; she prefers it over using her phone, too easily distracted by the pop of notifications if she were to leave it out within view. In her lap, she keeps a notebook and a pen to jot down any questions that float to mind so as to avoid interrupting him.

“Are you ready?” He asks her. “Do you have enough battery on that?” His eyes flicker down to the recorder.

“I have my phone if ever,” Nesta explains. A small part of her thinks this is some kind of prank, and that she came all this way for nothing. It wouldn’t be the first time I went home with a man and ended up disappointed. What do I have to lose?

She sits back into the chair. “You were saying vampires were real?”

“I’m not just saying. They are real.”

Nesta smiles, and chuckles softly. “You’ll have to excuse me if I seem… incredulous. In my line of work, people make bold claims all the time and they rarely have the proof to back it up.”

If her resistance bothers him, he doesn’t show it. He is nothing more but comfortable. He watches her for a long moment, smiling again. His lips spread to bare his teeth, and the smile widens and widens to reveal two pointed fangs in place of his canine teeth. Before Nesta can argue about the use of false teeth, his eyes light up, and he speaks a single command: “Undress.”

Oh, yes, she would like that. She would like nothing more than to please the man before her. Nesta looks down, fingers darting to the buttons down the centre of her shirt. She frees the topmost one, then moves to the second one.

“Enough.”

Nesta blinks, her attention still pointed downwards to her blouse. A small gasp escapes her as she looks to Lucien in horror, and though his display had been innocuous, the realization that she is not safe prevails. He could hurt her, and she would be willing.

“I won’t harm you, Nesta. I just needed to show you that the things I can do… they are beyond human ability.” He keeps that pleasant smile on his face.

“Why me?”

“Because I want to tell my story. I have lived a long life, and to think that one day, it could fade to nothing,” he turns his head, glancing out the window, thoughtful. “It was not a good life, and I thought to confess to a priest, but I do not care for God’s forgiveness. Perhaps by helping you, I can atone for what I have done.”

Fear simmers beneath her curiosity, but Nesta won’t leave. She wants to know, she needs to know what could haunt someone like him? The terror he brings makes him even more attractive, and Nesta loathes herself for that thought. She nods. “Go on.”

“My name is Lucien Vanserra and I am a vampire, like my brothers and my father before me. I can no longer remember when I was born, or how I became the way I am, but what I remember is the first time I felt alive.” As he speaks, he looks beyond her, to a distant past she will soon be privy to. “And the day I died.”

Vampires don’t die… do they? Nesta isn’t sure what he means, whether he’s hinting at the way he was turned, or something metaphorical. Regardless, she knows exactly what her hook is going to be.

“My early life is nothing more than a haze, walking through this world as something more than human, but less than…” His pink lips purse, looking for the words. “Less than,” he simply decides, and Nesta simply understands. Sometimes, there are no words for that feeling, but only someone who has experienced it will understand. 

“You see, my father is very old and controls most of the world’s… interests. He has worked very hard to build an empire. My six brothers and I were his tools to achieve that.”

Were? These brothers, are they biological?

Nesta knows better than to interrupt a story. She jots her question down, and leaves it for later in case it’s answered later in their evening together. He pauses to give her time to write, and when she lifts her gaze, her breath catches yet again. The weight of his full attention is something. It brings heat to her cheeks, and she glances away, as if to wordlessly ask him to do the same.

Lucien glances away, lightly resting his chin on his knuckles. “His will was all that mattered. He would starve us, make us fight each other for scraps.” He looks back at Nesta before she queues another question. “Of human meat. We’d have to try and draw blood out of it.” Again, he turns his head and finds that distant point to stare at. “It was more of the same. Pain. Hunger. Hate. It all blends together after a couple of centuries. I can’t imagine what it is like for my father. Thousands of years,” he says breathlessly, shaking his head. “And so stagnant.”

“He’s still alive?” The surprise draws the question out of her before she can help it, but Nesta is rarely apologetic, even for the most honest of mishaps.

A purse of the lips is all his father is worth it seems. So little emotions have poured from this man before her; perhaps that’s her responsibility then. Not only to tell his story, but to feel it on his behalf. His life is more than words on a page; she’ll make sure to do it justice, to give it the second chance he so clearly yearns for.

“I would say so. My father has a way of… surviving even the worst odds. Or perhaps my eldest brother has finally dealt with him.” The corner of Lucien’s lips twitch, mild annoyance rearing its head. “I find it strange how humans are the one who show more grace than any of the gods you all worship so.”

“She was my first, a peasant woman in some distant countryside. The details of the place have long faded, but I remember her face, clear as day. The most beautiful human I had ever seen.” Lucien looks at Nesta when he speaks the next words. “At the time.”

“My father had tired of me and my weak heart. You see, out of my six brothers, I fancied his methods the least. Humans are… not cattle to me. They’re small, and weak, yes, but what they excel at is beyond the physical.” He lifts his index finger, tapping over his heart. “It’s here. With every beat. Jesminda embodied that with her every breath. She was better than all of us put together.”

“But that… comes later. I tend to digress when it comes to her.”

The corners of his lips twitch again, and this time, Nesta thinks it's the ghost of a smile come to haunt his melancholy.

“I was starving, and for my kind, hunger is madness. I lunged at her. I was going to drink her dry. I didn’t want to, but there is nothing that can stop us when we are… like that. Or perhaps I am simply a weaker creature. I don’t know how she knew, and she only ever told me that I looked desperate, not evil. She offered me her wrist to drink. I don’t remember letting go, but we both survived the encounter.”

Lucien leans forward, holding his hands out for Nesta’s notebook and pen. She hands them to him without complaint. He begins to draw.

“I loved her, and it was my first time experiencing such a feeling. You cannot truly understand love until you have been truly devoid of it. Anything else is fascination. Affection. Complacency. It was like seeing the sun for the first time and realizing that it does not burn me. It was a drink that could sustain me for the rest of eternity, even in the smallest doses. She was my heart, and every memory of her is a beat in our song.”

He finishes the sketch, handing the notebook back to her. Jesminda is beautiful —a match to his ethereal beauty. Nesta traces her fingers over the lines drawn, etching clearly defining her darker skin tone and long dark hair. Her irises are left clear, likely a pale colour. Are they as sharp as Lucien’s? No, Nesta doubts it. Jesminda has a warmth to her, even in a simple quick portrait drawn by the only soul left to remember her. Was she a vampire, too? Did she choose to stay by his side as long as she could?

“I didn’t have a chance to turn her,” Lucien supplies, and that leaves Nesta even more in awe. 

A human as beautiful as a vampire. A human who’s kindness cleared the haze of Lucien’s meaningless existence. Nesta is careful not to smudge the ink, still tracing her outline as if she could learn more from Jesminda herself. She wants to know what she saw in Lucien, but that is a mystery lost in time, isn’t it?

“I wanted to, believe me, but my father rather enjoys inflicting pain. I do not think he found greater joy than tearing my heart right out of my chest and making me watch.”

Lucien goes quiet for a long, long moment. When he goes still, it’s unsettling. There is nothing natural to it. He might very well be made of marble. 

“I’m so—”

“Save your breath. You’ll see, I’m not worth your pity. Looking back, I think he did us a favour.” He shifts again, peppering in the smallest mannerism tied to humanity. “The story isn’t about her because I don’t think Jesminda would want anything to do with the thing I’ve become. No,” he says to himself. “She’d grieve, I would think. Hm. Yes. She saw something in me that was worth believing in, and my father killed it along with her.”

“I promised a story about a vampire, and you will soon see that the only thing we share in common with you is this mortal plane, and our features. The rest…” Lucien huffs, amused. “Is a fantasy you’ve all made up to cope with the existence of the devils walking among you.”

“I have an amendment to make,” Lucien says, suddenly.

“Oh?” Nesta asks softly, invested in where this is going.

“This more than the story of how I lived, and how I died. This is the story of how I became my father, and it all begins with him. Tamlin. My love, my mate and my greatest sin.”

[dozing-marshmallow]

OKAY OKAY, hello again!! loved the nibling reader you wrote and just had to write it again!!! (if you couldn't tell im a sucker for platonic family hcs <3)

this time, this request is quite angsty?? ig nibling!reader getting their feelings hurt (either by duncan, heather, or whoever you decide to choose!) you can decide if they either run to chris to cry to, or if they run away to a more.. deserted(??) area of the island. (bonus points if after reader feels better, leshawna comforts them <:]) thank yeww!!

HIYAAA!! Lovely seeing you again with another appreciated request, and to hear that you are happy with how I interpret a Chris nibling reader! It means a lot ! <3 

As always, have an enjoyable reading experience! 😊

ANGSTY! CHRIS MCLEAN’S NIBLING! READER HEADCANONS

Heather was on the chopping block.

She needed to do something urgently. The day wasn’t getting any earlier. Everyone was itching to cast her name out of the competition.

Immunity wasn’t in her favour this time.

She needs to find a reason asap to not be kicked out tonight. That there was actually someone around that was a much bigger threat to everyon-

...Everyone?

...

Jackpot.

“You know that...toy Chris’ nibling has? I need you to get it for me.” Heather beseeched bluntly to Lindsay, hours before the elimination ceremony, in the whistling privacy of the forest.

“Um, sure?” The blonde’s voice high pitched from stupidity agreed,“But why can’t you go ask yourself? (Y/N) doesn’t bite! Not people!”

“Because Lindsay...I...gotta make sure I’m presentable! My hands need to be in perfect condition.” It was a strange excuse, but Lindsay was narrow.

“Ohh, right! Gotcha.” If anything, she found relatability in such empty words.

Too easy,“When you get it, come straight back here. You can remember that, can’t you?”

“Ohh, totally! In geography, I-“

“Go get the teddy.” Heather interrupts dismissively.

“Okay...” she watches moody Lindsay’s height get smaller and smaller as she disappears more and more to carry out one last request.

You were sitting on the sand with your legs spread out when you saw the pretty blonde girl approach you,“Hi Lindsay!”

“Hii (Y/N)! Is that Mrs Maple?” She pointed at the stuffed bear, dressed in a shirt of the Canada flag.

You nod,“She’s having a suntan!”

“Oooo, she’s a lot like me! We both love being trendy!” Ask to get the teddy, ask to get the teddy,“Could I hold her? I...wanna see if we’re really on the same wavelength!” She zealously asks.

You hesitate. You never really let that happen.

You hold Mrs Maple by her underarms and stare far into her black eyes, before you nod and hand her over.

“Thanks! Aww... It’s such a cute bear!...Oh...wait...” She remembers her objection,  and gawks back at you,“I think I hear her talking! She said she wants me to uh, get some syrup for her! Gotta go!”

Before you could protest, she races away. 

That’s weird... Mrs Maple is shy when she meets new people...

Oh! It must be a coverup for a game of tag.

Thus, you got to your feet and ran the same way she did, following her footprints in the sand, smiling. Challenge accepted!

“Hey...! Heather!” She wheezes, holding the teddy to her,“I got it!”

“Good.” She hears a distant “Wait up!” which melts a glare on her face to Lindsay,“You let them follow you?”

“Ohh... I didn’t know they would. But they sound like they’re having fun!” Lindsay found much virtue in it.

“Yeah... A lot of fun.” The wicked glimmer of Heather’s smile shifts to the blades of a pair of scissors she sharpened out, offering them to Lindsay,“Cut the head off.”

...

Lindsay is mortified.

“Wh-What?!” She stutters, clearly having the full ugly picture confidential to her up until now,“I don’t understand, I-I thought you wanted it to see it!”

“Yeah, and to mutilate it.” She snaps the scissors together,“Take.”

“I can’t! I won’t!” She yelled, holding Mrs Maple to the other side,“This teddy is (Y/N)’s whole astronomy, and she didn’t do anything to deserve decapitation! Besides, I-I was the one that took it so, it’d make it look like it was my idea!”

“Right on.” Heather snarled, Lindsay’s out of nowhere refusal not being part of the plan- she could threaten her position in the alliance, but eh, not much of a point if... Oh well. She did do the difficult part so there was nothing hard about snatching the teddy right from Lindsay’s hands and rapidly tearing the head off faster than she could blink.

“Heather! What are you doing?!” She screeched.

The sick image of stuffed cotton overflowing from both ends of the teddy to the ground.

Mrs Maple’s head was now a teddy of its own.

“There.” She pushes the two pieces back into Lindsay’s shaking hands,“Now you can give this back. Or should I say, these.” A malicious smile raises on her pale lips.

“Oh my God... You’re gonna be in so much trouble!” 

“No. You’re gonna be in so much trouble.” Heather reiterated victoriously,“Later!”

She sprints away.

“Hey! Come back, this is your doing!” official that Heather wasn’t going to come back, Lindsay bites down on her bottom lip as she desperately tried useless methods of fixing it such as seeing if the head could stay on the neck by itself or licking her finger to try stick the separated body parts together.

Nothing worked.

I...I didn’t know bears bleed white fluff!

“Lindsay...?”

The one voice she wished she didn’t hear then.

She swiftly hides her hands behind her back and faces the small child, whose shoes and hands were dirty from running and falling, twitching on a nervous smile,“(Y/N)! Y-You’re here! That’s so...great!”

“Could I have Mrs Maple back now please? Her social battery must be so dead by now...” you asked, coming towards her wobbly from running so much.

“Oh um, well, see uh...” her falling on her words didn’t help her case. Hey! She can’t do these things under pressure!

Your face drops,“You...lost her?”

“No! She’s...” she sighs, divulging her heavy hands,“Here. I-I can explain-!”

Immediately, your eyes stung deeper than a wasp’s.

She was showing you your worst nightmare.

Someone you trusted.

“What...?” It was rather unsightly. It... This couldn’t be happening...

“I promise I didn’t do it! It was Heather! It was Heather’s idea, I swear! I didn’t know she wanted to do that!” Lindsay broke down to plead her innocence, guilt stronger than her mascara.

Pulse bellowed in your ears,“Heather...did this?”

A sweet baby returning lifeless by the neglect of the babysitter. Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry,“I...It’s okay...It’s...okay.”

Proving wrong after five seconds of eerie silence, by the destructive wave of your cries. Before Lindsay could try consoling you (try being very needed), you ran away.

How could you do that? Trust Lindsay of all people? You’ve never had a greater ocean of self hatred flood your insides.

Oh man it did not feel nice.

Chris didn’t predict his nibling to run to him bawling, so he was very caught by surprise. It took him time to properly ask what was wrong given that he had to fully acknowledge that you were hurt, tremendously.

You’re so overwhelmed, you can barely speak. Your wails hold you by the throat and your face never more pinched. All Chris could do is hold you and wait for you to calm down enough to vocalise the root of your distress; whoever was responsible for that was done for.

You hiccuped,“M-My ted...ted... H-Hea...Heath...Heath...”

“Yeah, I can’t understand you,“ he nods at Chef to get a cup of water. Once obtained, he gently urged you to take your head off his body so you could drink it.

Already, your breathing was restoring back to normal and your mouth was empty.

“Better? Alright.” He pats a tissue to your face,“Tell Uncle Chris what’s gotten you all choked up.”

The evocation of it was enough to get you bawling again, and you felt that you had already burdened your uncle enough by disrupting his chat with Chef. So you decide to put the first line of context into words,“I gave Mrs Maple to Lindsay and...” then deciding to show him the pieces. He could figure it out, he’s smart.

“Oh sweet child.” he takes them in his hands, wrinkles forming under his dilated eyes in pure perturbation from what he was seeing. No wonder you were so devastated! He’ll admit, he kinda expected something like this, but not by the intention of other people,“Lindsay did this?”

“I... I don’t know...” your head is light,“She kept saying it’s Heather’s fault, but... I’m still upset I gave it to her in the first place...”

“We’ll check the camera footage, but either way, somebody isn’t going to go through just elimination tonight.” He’ll make sure of that. He takes his sight off you to place the parts of your beloved teddy down on the table, being very gravely mistaken for something else.

“Don’t throw her away!” You shriek, pulling onto his shirt of dark turquoise to prevent him from such,“Please, I’ve had her for a long time! Don’t make me get rid of her!”

He’s once again dismayed, but his tone grew resistance this time,“We won’t be doing that. It’s just the head that came off, soo we’ll sew it back on and maybe clean her. She’ll be as good as new.”

You wipe your nose,“Really?” Thank God.

He nods, stroking the top of your head,“I’ll have Chef work on it right away. As for me, I have other business to attend to. It’s all gonna be solved, I promise.”

Your tears were no more,“Thanks, Chris...” you’re serious. You don’t know what you would’ve done if he wasn’t there,“Do you think we could...play board games tonight?”

“Totally!” Best uncle ever,“We’ll do all your favourite games and we can stay up allll night. How’s that sound?” 

See? Chris wasn’t exactly the best at people comforting, but when it came to the very few people he held dear, that’s when he’s serious.

Knowing how teenagers were, especially of Heather’s textbook, he couldn’t expect a lecture to turn her heart.

But he did enforce a warning to them that harassment was off limits on those who weren’t participating.

How?

You don’t want to know.

“Hey sweetie.” Leshawna came and sat next to you during your wait for your uncle to tell you he’s free to begin board game night,“How are ya? Feeling a little bit better?” By this time, Mrs Maple was one piece again. 

You’re way too disturbed to treat her the slightest of play,“Yeah... I just... I never felt so sad in my life. I practically watched someone close to me die. When...I saw that...she was torn in two, so did my heart.”

“Aww.” she curves her hand around you and rests her head on yours,“Sorry you went through that, some people can be so miserable. You ain’t meant to be feeling all this sad, gloomy things we teens do. You just a kid!”

“I’m never giving Mrs Maple to anyone again.” Your decision thrived of bitterness.

“And that’s completely fine. She’s your toy, no one should force you to do anything you don’t wanna with her. It’s alright to be hurt, but you gotta make sure that the way you handle it is the best way to let you move on sooner.”

“Is...Is Heather going home tonight?” you needed to know. It may have been there, but you needed to hear it.

“Oh, totally. Girl dug her own grave and now, she may need to retake her passport photo.” Leshawna chuckles at the thought,“I mean, to go after a kid who did nothing and still be too much of a chicken to own up? Way out of line.”

“Will I always have to meet someone as nasty as her...?” Your puffy eyes set back to the newly placed stitches on Mrs Maple’s neck.

Leshawna sighs, rubbing your shoulder,“Unfortunately in this world we live in, there’s all kinds of sick freaks and Heather is just one of them. But you shouldn’t waste your life worryin’ about them, because there’s also really great people in your life that will always wanna look out for you, and it’s them you really wanna spend time on, ain’t it?”

“Like you?”

She smiled,“Come here, sugar.”

You felt safe enough to let Mrs Maple join in. Leshawna...she’s amazing. And would make a great big sister, if she wasn’t one already.❤️🩹

[queerofcups]

a July rec list

I read a truly absurd amount of fanfic in July, and since I’m tracking my fic reading anyway these days, I figured, why not pull up some faves. I’ll do my best to tag authors when and where I can! I’ll throw some commentary in there to talk about why I like some of them, but rest assure this is a rec list and I think every one of them has something to love. 

Hockey RPF

In the scrawl of the ringside choir E, 37k, Hockey RPF | @goodnightpuckbunny Sid/Geno

“Geno, this is Sid Crosby,” Kris says, sitting back down. The kid towers over both of them, but seems small in the office. “You need a coach, so he’s gonna help you out.” He looks Sid over, eyes scanning like he’s looking for weaknesses, faults in his form. Sid has plenty, but he’s not fighting anymore. He doesn’t bother mirroring the gesture. He can guess without looking. “He old,” Geno eventually decrees. 

Interview with the Vampire

The Vampire Eric

E | 4k | falsescience (@theburialofstrawberries) Eric Bogosian/Jam Reiderson, Jam Reiderson

Oh ho, Eric thinks to himself, and then, aloud, because it’s just too delicious, and wouldn’t Rolin be ashamed, and a little pissed: “Oh ho!” He feels zapped alive: young, powerful, god-like. Jacob starts giggling immediately. “Did you just say ‘oh ho’?” “Or maybe aspen. What do you think, Eric?” “Not a damn clue,” says Eric, with a broad grin. “You look very satisfied. He looks very satisfied, doesn’t he?” Jacob smiles at Sam over his hitched shoulder. “Hm,” says Sam. “I think we play it safe, and go with red maple.” Yeah, Eric is certain: Jacob and Sam aren’t fucking. But they’d like to be.

First of all, I am RPF’ing these people real hard in some private chats. But largely, I like the characterization happening here, and the little turn of understanding that happens in the last third of the fic. 

reformation

E | 44k | verseau (@downstairsbar) Lestat/Louis

we're gonna heal. we're gonna start again. you've brought the orchestra, synchronized swimmers. // It makes him speechless sometimes, how much he loves Lestat. He thought for years, a decade, that it was sickness. It’s not. It’s not. Even when Louis hated Lestat, nothing was more certain than that he loved him.

There’s some great, great plotting and characterization here but/also I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve read a fic and known immediately that the author is Black. That’s obviously not a requirement of the fic I write but it's nice to have Southern Black characters really sound like people I’ve known/grown up around etc. 

let’s keep this off the record

E | 1.4k | anonymous

Louis/Santiago (sort of)

There would be no second chances for the Englishman, no opportunity for him to crawl out of some dump and seek revenge. Louis would make sure of that.

Honestly, I think it's great that fandom has a long and storied history of skullfucking. I think it's fun that weird shit like that still happens around here.

Maman

T | 2k | anonymous Claudia/Madeline, Louis/Lestat

Madeleine meets in the in-laws. Particularly one of them.

transpires

M-E | 5.8k total | familiar (@bigvampo or @camilliar? sekrit you've got so many blogs) Louis/Lestat

I mean, sekrit is just a fucking stellar writer. sekrit’s got a way of telling so much —  about a character, their mental state, the world their in —  in just a few razor sharp details. also these fics are so funny and the characterizations of Louis and Lestat feel like natural progressions from what we’ve seen in canon both in how much they love each other and how terrible they are (to each other and in general)

Harry Potter

Right. I think I’ve always been pretty upfront about my continued reading of Harry Potter fanfiction, but in case it's somehow necessary to say, please do not come to my inbox talking about JK Rowling. I don’t think about that woman and I’m very clear about what she thinks about me. 

Those Three Curses

E | 6k total | @dodgerkedavra Draco/Harry

Obviously I had a bit of a fucking dodgerkedavra moment here, but these blew me away. So much story telling in such little space. 

Former Things Come to Mind

E | 64k | dodgerkedavra

Harry Potter has had a headache for seven and a half years.

In the Presence of My Enemy E | 41k | dodgerkedavra Draco/Harry

All Harry knows is that Sectumsempra is for enemies. He doesn’t know that it will bind him to Draco Malfoy, for better or worse, ‘til death do them part.

Tiny Home

E | 30k | @wolfpants Draco/Harry/Ron

Harry and Ron left the Aurors years ago to travel the world and make up for lost time. When they finally decide to settle roots back in England, together, building a tiny home in the Lake District by hand seems like the perfect plan. What they don't realise is that Draco Malfoy already lives on the plot of land that they choose to build on. A story about years of feelings, about weaving lives in and around each other, and about finding a place safe enough to call home.

I really feel like there’s been an explosion of excellent Draco/Harry/Ron all of a sudden. One of my qualms with a lot of polyship fics is that it's very uhhh “we must do everything together” and I really love that this fic breaks that down and allows everyone to have histories and experiences together as dyads and all together. 

In Our Blood

E | 37k | secretsalex Draco/Harry

Draco is an accomplished pure-blood curse breaker, and Harry is tasked with accompanying him on his latest job—cleaning up the Van Boer mansion, which has been under a devastating fertility curse for seven generations.

I’m not even going to bullshit y’all. This fic reminded me why I love mpreg. Excellent use of body horror, body dread, suspense, all these things. Also, an mpreg fic that remembers abortion is a thing. Amazing!

Probationary Action

E | 63k | @toomuchplor Draco/Harry

As part of the terms of the probationary contract, DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY shall submit for inspection his WAND on the last day of every month, such inspection to be carried out by a duly registered and fully qualified AUROR in the employ of the MINISTRY OF MAGIC, and such inspection to include a PRIORI INCANTATEM spell to ensure that no PROHIBITED MAGICS as heretofore described have been practised by the aforementioned probationer.

I’ve been obsessed with toomuchplor since Inception and this fic reminded me why. I don’t love Auror!Harry fic (truly, just so much unchecked, delighted writing about police brutality) but I do like any fic where Harry starts to wake up to the fact that maybe just because they’re “the good guys”, not every choice made by the Aurors/Wizarding Gov’t in general is right. Also, I appreciate the expansion on the idea of sex charms!

Embers

E | 41k | @shiftylinguini Draco/Harry

Werewolf Alphas aren't meant to be alone, or to suppress their ruts indefinitely like Draco has been since he was bitten eight years ago. He needs company, companionship, to knot ― he needs an Omega Heat Companion. At least, that’s what the Healers say, and even Draco can admit contacting the person they’ve referred him to might be nice. Of course it turns out to be bloody Potter.

idk man, I like a fic that treats sex work like it's just a job. Worthy of respect, full of technical expertise, etc. 

--

Both of these next fics came from @hd-wireless which has been, pound for pound, one of the best fests I've ever witness and is a testament to how important having multiple fic fests in a fandom can be! so much good shit to read!

The most he’s ever said

E | 16k | anonymous Draco/Harry

It takes them twenty years.

Two Houses

E | 11k | anonymous Draco/Harry

Two households, both alike in... meddling Floo connections, apparently? Draco Malfoy is a highly professional and well-respected Ministry official, with a demanding schedule, a loving son, and—through no fault of his own—a faulty Floo connection that keeps regurgitating the Minister for Magic through his fireplace.

I really enjoy that there's been more of a trend of writing about these two as older people and fleshing out the characterization of their kids.

[maplesugarcookie]

Link is my childhood hero and I have to say that nostalgia far outweighs any love for modern culture. Link is my favorite video game character, whether from Ocarina of Time, Link to the Past, or Tears of the Kingdom (etc)! You should vote for Link!

Round 6 Wave 3

[thehypnone]

Brilliant Mind

WC: 1,2K

Pairing: Rain/Swiss

Tags: Implied autistic Rain, non-binary they/them Rain, anal sex

Rain goes on a ramble about basses while Swiss fucks them. That's the plot.

Read under the cut or on AO3.

“Where’s your head at?” Swiss asked, seeing the absent look in Rain’s eyes, a different one than the one he knows means the water ghoul is far gone in pleasure. They blink at Swiss’ words, shaking themself out of it.

“Just thinking ‘bout something,” they shrugged, way too casual for being impaled on the multi ghoul’s cock.

“About what, Rainbow?” Swiss asked, grinning and resuming his thrusts. That was his mistake.

“I talked with my tech about- ah, basses for the next tour earlier,” Rain started, only a quiet moan interrupting their words for a second.

“You are thinking about basses while I’m fucking you?” the multi ghoul asked, a bit in disbelief, but also with a nauseating amount of affection for his extremely adorable mate.

“Well, yeah,” Rain shrugged, again, “I won’t use the same ones I used now, you know, the white Jazz, black Jazz and black and white Jaguar.”

Swiss just stared down at his partner with wide eyes, absolutely not believing that Rain will go on a rant about basses with a cock up their ass. They didn’t tell him to stop, though, and he did love hearing them talk, so the multi ghoul continued to slowly thrust into them.

“Leaving Jazz, I think, I don't like Precision too much and Jaguar is just… meh. About the colours, I think I’ll stay with the black Jazz for the songs we’ve got in drop C, you know, because it’s fine and it’s a signature by now. But for the rest, I don’t know, the white one was a good balance, because Aether has black Fantomen and Dew black and white. But now Dew will have a whole white Stratocaster, so maybe if I had a black and white bass it would be better? What do you think?”

“I- uh, I think so too, every guitar slash bass in different colours, yeah,” Swiss breathed, not expecting Rain would ask him about anything. “By the way, can we switch positions, wanna ride me, Rainbow?”

“Sure,” the water ghoul agreed, again, way too casually considering the circumstances, and Swiss got to move them. When Rain was settled on the top, they started moving. 

And talking.

“I’m wondering about the fretboards too, what would look the best. Maple is great, but I feel like it’s too light, but there’s something with rosewood that makes me hate it, so I think I’d want ebony. But I don’t know if ebony would fit the black ad white bass, so maybe maple after all? But not the yellowish lacquered one, the softer one. I’ll probably have to try to put all the options together and choose, you know?”

“Y- yeah,” Swiss managed out, barely holding himself together at the display of Rain riding his cock in earnest while still rambling. It was hot, actually, their brain amazed the multi ghoul.

“I was thinking if still tucking my picks behind the pickguard is a good idea, or if taping them to the side like Dew does isn’t better, but that’ll work out later, I guess.” Rain threw their head back then, finally showing some signs of being affected by the cock in their ass. The water ghoul leaned back on their hands, switching their bouncing to a precise grind. “There’s also the strings, I was testing out some flat wounds and half round wounds the last few weeks, and I do like the half ones, the flat’s are too, hm, slippery, but I think I should use the same type of strings they did for the recording, right? So it sounds the same. But they also used Precision, and I won’t do that, so will the strings make such an awful difference if it's a different bass? I mean, the pickups are the same, so the bass itself doesn't make that much difference, plus I can switch the necks, I just don't like the Precision’s body, or more like the pickguard shape, so I still can get really close with the sound.”

Swiss was out of his mind, the drag of Rain’s walls over his cock maddening, his mate’s brain even more. He was so close he was sure if they said one more smart word he totally didn’t understand he’d burst.

“Maybe a higher gauge of the half round wound strings would make up for the lower gauge or fully round wound? I use 45’s to 100’s now, but I could go up to 50’s or even 55’s. I’ll have to test it, do you think Dew would help me? I like my tech but he just doesn’t keep up with what I’m saying.”

“Yeah, I- I wonder why, Rainbow. You’re so smart, it’s so hot, fuck,” Swiss moaned, squeezing his eyes shut.

“But do you think Dew would help me?” Rain asked, seemingly oblivious to the delicious agony their mate was currently enduring.

“S- sure, he would.”

“Great, I’ll ask him later,” they leaned forward again then, bracing their arms on Swiss’ chest, returning to urgent bounces, making the multi ghoul nearly pass out. 

“Hngh,” was all he could muster.

“You close?” Rain asked, so casually it hurt. Swiss nodded, whining. Loud.

“P- please, Rainbow,” he pleaded, shaky hands holding onto the water ghoul’s hips.

“What do you need, love?”

“Talk,” he moaned, “a- and move, l- like that.”

Rain giggled, but obliged, “I could use thicker picks too, they’d give me a rougher sound, more concrete. Combining all that, mixing the elements, I could get so many different tones, there’s just so many possibilities. Add effect pedals to it, and they’re basically unlimited. If I could play fingerstyle, too, that’d make a difference. Maybe I could convince Papa to let me play the new songs like that, or some of the softer basslines of the older ones, like Absolution or Deus. It depends on what stays on the setlist too, but you know how good I am with my fingers.”

Oh, and that made Swiss break. He moaned, long and high pitched, whole body spasming as he came, filling Rain with his cum. 

He did know, very well, how good they were with their fingers, thank you very much.

The water ghoul finally let themself go too, though Swiss doubted they did hold themself back from anything, as their mouth dropped in a silent moan, clenching on Swiss’ cock and painting his belly white. They panted, arms giving out as they plopped down onto the multi ghoul’s chest, nuzzling their face into the crook of his neck.

“Your brain is so hot, Rainbow,” Swiss breathed, slowly coming back into his own body. Rain only purred in response, curling themself tighter around their mate, not caring about the mess.

They both did get up, though, to clean up, getting back to cuddle after. Rain fell asleep before Swiss even fully settled. He took out his phone and was met with a message from Mountain, cringing at it.

M: Had fun?

S: I wasn’t that loud, come on.

M: You absolutely were. Plus we share a wall, so… What did Rain do to you this time?

S: They started rambling about basses [*]

M: Ha, they didn’t stop, tho, did they?

S: Nope, and it was fucking hot.

M: Be grateful they chose basses and not weird deep sea tentacle creatures.

S: U speaking from experience?

M: Yes. Don’t ask more questions.

That’s where their conversation cut off, leaving Swiss grinning, absolutely planning how to find out about Mountain’s own experience. For now, though, he dropped the phone and curled tighter around Rain, kissing their forehead. He’d kiss their brilliant mind too, if he could.

[seidenbros]

Can we have a Steve falling head over heels for Robin's college roommate? I'm pretty sure Steve would love a super nerdy bookworm girl. Literature student, maybe? I picture her as a hopeless romantic who's super into the most tooth aching clichès and he definitely finds that cute. But she totally matches Robin's energy, so she is funny + adorable + cute.

He visits Robin on a regular basis and as she is super close with reader, they become friends too but then he realizes that she's everything he ever wanted 🥺

I'm totally vibing with that. Sorry 🤣

Hello love and thank you so much for this request. I decided to mix it with an idea that I couldn't get out of my head, so we have Baker!Steve in this one. I kinda wrote my heart out and just realised that I completely forgot to weave in the hopeless romantic/clichès thing and I'm sorry D: I hope you'll still enjoy it 💚 and if you were wondering what a puddin pretzel is, click here

prompt lists for inspiration | Stranger Things Masterlist Pairing: Baker!Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader Word Count: 6743 Warnings/Tags: mutual pining, use of petnames (doll), broken hearts in the past, fluff, domestic Steve, I mean he bakes come on!, making out, sexual tension Read on AO3

If someone had told Steve Harrington years ago that he would one day earn his money with baking, he would have probably called them crazy. But here he was, still learning this and that, but he was already doing a damn good job. It was work that fulfilled him, baking things that made other people smile, that helped them start their days off right, and he’d even made his first wedding cake. The old man that had taught him, was leaving him more and more in charge of everything, while his granddaughter worked behind the counter to sell everything.

It had started out as a hobby, as a way to experiment at home, since he’d pretty much always been alone. Steve had always had a sweet tooth, so it was just more fun to try this out himself instead of just buying everything. Sure, he had the money, and he often did buy stuff, but he wanted to mix things up. He dreamed about mixing maple syrup with bacon in the form of a cupcake. So he did just that.

While Robin went to college, Steve started working at a shop called Sweet Temptations. Honestly, he’d been drawn in by the name, and then the cupcakes, the cakes and whatnot had made him stay and ask about a job. While Nino, the owner, had told him to bring him something homemade, his granddaughter had immediately said that he could start, because he would definitely draw the younger women in. Sure, they could use the additional customers, but Steve wouldn’t get the job without proving that he indeed had a talent when it came to baking.

And Steve delivered. He did make the Maple-Bacon-cupcakes he’d perfected by now and had wowed Nino with that. So, the old man had told Steve everything he knew, and was still teaching him, even though he only spent one day a week at the bakery, trying to do his best to enjoy his retirement. The shop was still his baby, so he had to drop by and bake with Steve once a week, pass on his secrets, the ones he hadn’t already passed onto him. His granddaughter, Mira, had been right at least, because they had an increase in female customers who even stayed in the shop to enjoy a piece of cake and a coffee, lingering to get a good look at the young baker everyone was talking about.

Meanwhile, Steve’s mind and heart were occupied with someone else: You. God, he had fallen head over heels for you, and he hadn’t seen it coming.

Of course, he’d heard about you from Robin again and again. She loved living with you, because you were so much like her. Sure, you liked different things, and you were someone who did read a lot - maybe natural as a literature student - but you also liked to go out with Robin, enjoyed movie nights, and listened to her ramble on and on. You two just worked so well together, and Robin had quickly become your best friend. While Steve had heard everything about you, you had heard everything about him from Robin.

Still, it had taken a lot of time until the two of you had finally met. Robin had invited Steve over for movie night, and had forgotten to ask you first, so when you’d opened the door for him, you’d been taken aback. You’d seen pictures of him, but seeing him there right in front of you had definitely made your heart skip a beat - and it had been the same for Steve. Robin had apologised again and again, saying that she should have asked you first, but you’d been overjoyed to finally meet that famous Steve Harrington. That alone had made him blush a little. Robin should have seen it right then and there, because she wasn’t used to that kind of reaction from Steve, but she’d been a bit blind in that moment, because she’d still kept apologising to you.

Ever since then, you’d made it a regular thing to rent some movies and watch them together. But it wasn’t just those days that Steve showed up. Sometimes, he stopped by after work and brought a couple of baked goods with him. Sometimes, he came over for pizza in the evening. You liked him, and you liked spending time with him, but never made any advances towards him, because he was Robin’s other best friend. They’d been through a lot, that much she’d told you, but she’d never said what exactly had happened. But you knew that Steve was plagued by nightmares, and that there were certain days that he couldn’t stand bright lights, because they gave him a headache. He’d told you once that he’s had more than one concussion, so the headaches, the light sensibility, those were things that came from that. Not every day, he had good and bad days of course, but when he’d told you about that, you’d hugged him without thinking too much about it. Steve had gone rigid in your arms for a moment, before he’d melted into your touch, had hugged you back and just stayed like this for some time. When you’d separated, none of you had been able to say anything, because Robin had burst back into the room again.

One day, Robin had asked you whether it was really okay that Steve wass dropping by so often. She’d told you that it was okay, if she went over to Steve’s so that you had your peace and quiet to read or study, but you’d quickly told her that it was more than okay. Maybe even a bit too quickly, because she’d smiled at you, leaning in to ask you whether you liked him. The way you’d stumbled over your words had told her everything she’d needed to know.

“I don’t have time for a guy in my life,” you’d told her, but Robin had just rolled her eyes at you, knowing that it was just a way to guard your heart, to not give anyone the chance to break your heart again. If you were honest with yourself, Steve had already managed to slip past the cracks in the wall you’d put up. With his warm smile, his infectious laughter, his caring personality and the love he put out into the world. That was why you had to be careful, watch out that you didn’t fall even more for him. The best would probably be to not spend that much time with him, but you enjoyed it way too much, missed the movie nights when you had something else to go to.

Tonight, though, when Steve knocked on the door to the apartment you shared with Robin, you immediately smiled when you saw him. Steve did the same, before he lifted the tray he was carrying.

“Brought you something new. Just tried it out today!” Steve walked in, taking off his shoes and jacket, while you brought the tray to the kitchen.

“So we’re your test subjects, huh?”

“Oh, you know, I really value your opinion, so…” Steve shrugged his shoulders, before he drew his brows together. Robin was in the bathroom, singing at the top of her lungs, but Steve couldn’t really make out the song.

“I swear, if you keep bringing this stuff, I won’t fit through the door anymore at one point. I already gained weight because of these things.”

“So, do you want me to stop bringing you stuff?” Steve tried to  stop himself from smiling, while his eyes wandered over your body. To him you were perfect, with a couple kilos more or less, he didn’t care as long as you were happy.

“Don't you dare stop!” you said with a laugh as you opened the lid of the tray. The air was immediately filled with the smell of vanilla, making your mouth water. “What is that?”

Your eyes, big and round and filled with wonder, looked up at Steve, ready to take one of these things and take a bite to see if they tasted as good as they looked.

“It’s called a pudding pretzel. See, it looks like a pretzel, but it’s sweet.” He leaned over, his shoulder touching yours as he showed you what he meant. “And the holes are filled with pudding. You just have to try it.”

When he turned his head to face you, your noses nearly brushed. For a moment, you both stayed like this, nobody saying a word, but you quickly straightened, when you heard the bathroom door open.

“Steve?” Robin said, scowling at him as she fluffed up her hair, looking ready to go out. Then, realisation hit her. “Shit, I completely forgot about movie night!”

“Got a hot date or something?” Steve’s eyes locked on her, scanning her outfit, before he started grinning from ear to ear. “Oh you do! And you haven’t said a word!”

“Well…” Now, it was Robin’s turn to blush, but she quickly brushed past the two of you to get to her shoes. “I didn’t wanna jinx it by telling you, and you probably would have talked me out of it.”

That made your ears perk up, and you followed her, because you had an idea who she might be going out with, and it was not a good idea. Still, if that was Robin’s choice, you would accept it and let her go. Once she got her mind set on something, nobody could really talk her out of it.

“I’m really sorry that I didn’t tell you two and postpone movie night. But you’re welcome to stay anyway, Steve. You can watch a movie without me, right?” Robin’s eyes settled on you when she straightened again, her shoes now on her feet. Oh that little minx! Right now, that almost felt like some kind of scheme from her to get you and Steve to spend some time alone.

“It’s alright, I can leave if you want to use the night to read the book you talked about!”

“Already finished that,” you quickly said, surprised that he’d remembered that.

“Should have expected that.” Steve let out a laugh that made your lips curl up into a smile. A laugh that was so genuine that it touched your heart and made the last bit of resolve vanish.

“You’re welcome to stay, Steve. Would love the company for a movie.”

The way you said his name, the way it rolled off your tongue, made Steve smile.

“Alright, then I’ll stay.”

“Good!” Robin clapped her hands, giving you a mischievous grin, before she reached for her bag. “Have fun you two. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” And with that, she was out the door.

“She’s really something, isn’t she?” Steve shook his head, slowly looking your way.

“Tell me about it!” You rolled your eyes with a laugh. “How about I get the movie started and you get these delicious things on a plate?”

Steve agreed without hesitating, but he still watched you leave for the living room. The moment you were gone, he took a deep breath, trying to calm his beating heart. Suddenly being alone with you made him nervous. With Robin there, it hadn’t been awkward at all, but he was scared that he would make it awkward now. He really didn’t want to screw this up with you, but he also didn’t want to make a move because… well, you were Robin’s roommate and her other best friend. If you didn’t like him the way he liked you, it would make things incredibly uncomfortable for all of you.

So, he took a deep breath and put the pudding pretzels on plates, before he walked over to you. He took a seat on the opposite site of the sofa and handed you one of the plates. With Robin not there, there was a huge gap between you.

“Oh my God!” 

Your sudden outburst nearly made Steve jump, because his eyes had been glued to the TV. With big eyes, he looked at you, but seeing the smile on your face made him relax. You wiggled around in your spot, your mouth filled with another bite of the baked goods he’d brought.

“Steve, this tastes absolutely amazing! You gonna sell it at the shop?”

“If Nino agrees, then yes.”

“He’d be an idiot not to sell them. These are better than sex!”

Steve nearly choked on the piece of pudding pretzel he had in his mouth when you said that. He needed a moment, to calm down, before he levelled his eyes at you, trying to figure out whether he’d heard you correctly.

“What?”

“I mean it.” You looked at him for a moment, before you quickly turned to look back at the TV, because the intensity of his stare made you squirm in your seat. Shit, you’d really put your foot in your mouth and had said something that probably wasn’t appropriate to talk about with Steve, especially not because you liked him and had thought about doing certain things with him. “At least better than the sex I’ve had.”

Yeah, you really should have kept quiet, so before you said anything else, you stuffed your mouth with the rest that was still on your plate.

“God, I’m sorry, doll, but then you probably just had the wrong kind of guy by your side.” Steve shook his head, kinda shocked to hear that from you, to know that apparently nobody had made you really enjoy it when you thought that his pudding pretzels were better than sex. It also made him aware that he’d thought about this with you way more often than was appropriate. And he should really not be thinking about it right now, but you’d planted that thought in his head. “Cause it can and should be good.”

“Yeah I know…” You sounded kind of defeated, not wanting to think about how much time you’d wasted with your ex, who’d cheated on you multiple times, and who’d treated you like one of his belongings. But you also didn’t want to think about Steve on the other side of the sofa. Steve, who looked good enough to eat, and who smelled the part as well, because he’d come by right after work, so he smelled just as delicious as the baked goods he’d brought with him.

Steve shifted his sitting position, reached for a pillow to lay it in his lap and balance the plate on top of it, which was more of an alibi move, so that you wouldn’t grow suspicious of him putting the pillow in his lap.

There was about half an hour of silence between the two of you, each one aware of the tension in the room, but staying quiet about it. When you reached for the blanket, though, because you were getting cold, Steve shifted in his seat, looking over at you. Suddenly, he felt a bit bolder. Maybe that was because of your previous topic, maybe it was the overall situation, but in the end, it didn’t matter.

“Come here,” he said, opening his arms for you, a smile on his lips. “I promise I won’t bite, but honestly, I’m like a furnace, so I’ll keep you warm.”

“I-” you started, biting your lip, but if he was offering, it was alright to do it, wasn’t it? “Okay.” You scooted over to him and snuggled up to his side, your heart racing in your chest when his smell filled your nose again.

Steve’s arm wrapped around your shoulders and he pulled you even closer. Your hand found its place on his chest, feeling the rapid beating of his heart through the shirt he was wearing. Was he maybe as nervous as you were? Or was that just your imagination? When you lifted your head to look up at him, you found him staring back, and you could swear that his eyes landed on your lips. Before anything could happen, before any of you could say a thing, the door to your apartment flung open and Robin kicked it shut again behind her.

You scrambled to get up from the sofa, heart beating even faster than before, because you felt like you had nearly been caught doing something you shouldn’t be doing. Which was ridiculous, since Steve and you were both adults and nothing had happened. Still, you didn’t really want Robin to find you like this.

Steve just looked at you with big eyes for a moment, before you left him sitting there alone to get to Robin. He reached for the remote to turn everything off before he followed you.

“Oh lord, what happened?” he asked when he found you and Robin sitting at the kitchen table. She looked a bit out of it, when you held out a glass of water to her. She’d had a couple of drinks, Steve could tell that already.

“She stood me up.” Robin looked up at him for a moment, before she dropped her forehead to the table again, heaving a sigh. “Waited and waited and was so nervous… Maaaaay have had a couple drinks. Then I left.”

“I’m so sorry, Robin. Want me to trip her the next time I see her?” you offered, laying a gentle hand on her back, slowly rubbing up and down to show her that you were there.

“No… Just.. God, I just wanna go to bed.” You could tell that she was on the verge of tears, because of the alcohol. It always made her either more outgoing or emotional, and after an evening like this, it was clear that she wasn’t dancing on tables right now.

“Come on, I’ll take you to bed,” you said, standing up with her, wrapping your arm around her waist. You looked up, your eyes meeting Steve’s

“Go, I’ll clean up here,” he said with a smile. So, while you went to the bathroom with Robin to get her into something more comfortable and wash her face, Steve cleaned the kitchen and put everything away that you’d used. He brought a bottle of water into Robin’s room and put it next to the bed.

“Thank you,” Robin mumbled, as you entered her room and she saw Steve just put the bottle down, but she meant both of you. “I should have just stayed home with you two.” She flopped down on her bed, taking a deep breath. “Did you at least enjoy your evening?”

“Yeah,” Steve said immediately, smiling to himself as he risked a look at you.

“It was a good movie, so yeah!” To be honest, you had no idea what the movie had been about, too preoccupied with the person standing next to you right now.

“Mhm… Good,” Robin mumbled, snuggling into her pillow. “Was hoping for more, though.”

She didn’t offer an explanation or say anything else, mainly because she fell asleep, but she left you curious about what she meant. Well, you had an idea, but you couldn’t be sure about that. It didn’t matter in the end, did it?

As quietly as possible, you left the room with Steve, leaving the door ajar when you brought him to the front door.

“I’ll come by tomorrow morning and take care of breakfast, alright? See how she’s doing.” Steve put on his shoes before he reached for his jacket.

“Sounds good. And thank you, Steve… It was a fun evening.” Maybe, that was not exactly the right word, considering how nervous he’d made you, but the brief moment you’d spent in his arms had made you relax, and it had made you feel so safe.

“It really was, so thank you.” Steve leaned forward to place a kiss on your cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Mhm… goodnight, Steve!” He turned around at the top of the stairs to give you a little wave, before he disappeared from view. The smile on your lips would probably have been able to light up the whole room when you closed the door behind you. The only question was, how you were supposed to find sleep after this.

As you’d expected, you hardly slept at all, tossing and turning, thinking about the previous evening, how close Steve and you had gotten. You hadn’t lied to Robin when you’d said that you didn’t have time for a man, though it was probably more a way to protect yourself than anything else. But Steve… Steve made you laugh, he filled you with happiness, and he always took care of Robin and you. That’s why he wanted to come by and make breakfast.

Shit. Yeah, you really weren’t ready to face him right now, not when you thought about him pretty much all night and were ready to jump his bones, to act on the tension that had been there between you hours later. 

You cast a quick glance into Robin’s room, but she was still asleep, so you left her alone again and put on your shoes. You needed to get out, go for a walk, clear your mind, whatever. But you were not ready to face Steve. But Steve it was, you collided with when you ripped the door open and stepped outside without looking around first.

“Woah, careful there, doll!” One of Steve’s hands wrapped around your upper arm, steadying you, while he was carrying a bag in the other hand. Your own hands landed in his chest, eyes closed for a moment, before you managed to pry them open and look at him.

“You running away from something?” he asked, smiling at you, before he carefully took his hand off your arm. 

God, he had no idea how correct he was. On the one hand, you were running from him, on the other from your own feelings, because you were already feeling your heart pick up its pace, and it wasn’t because of the surprise right now. It was because of Steve’s presence, because of the smell of him that filled your nose, because of the smile that made your knees weak.

“No!” Your answer came a bit too quickly for your own liking and you bit your bottom lip, taking a step back. “I’m just running late. Completely forgot I have a meeting. I’ll see you around!”

You gave him a curt smile and a wave before you were off and bounded down the stairs. Steve watched you leave, his heart sinking a little, because it felt like you were running away from him. Still, he was here to make breakfast, so he walked inside and headed to the kitchen to prepare some scrambled eggs and pancakes.

When Robin walked into the kitchen twenty minutes later, she was greeted with a set table and everything she could wish for. She only had a mild headache, but nothing a good breakfast couldn’t help with.

“Morning,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes, before she smiled at Steve. “Is Y/N not awake yet?”

“She is… but she pretty much fled your apartment.”

“Huh?” Now, that made Robin’s eyes widen, curiosity shining in them when she took a seat. “What do you mean? What happened?”

Robin reached for the coffee first to take a sip and let the hot liquid wake her spirits.

“She said she has a meeting, but-” Steve heaved a sigh, reaching for his own coffee cup to wrap his hands around it. He looked down, as if he was looking for the right words in the hot beverage. “Kinda felt like she didn’t wanna see me, you know? Maybe, I fucked it up, don’t know.”

“Wait a second!” Robin pinched the bridge of her nose, trying her best to focus. “I feel like I’m missing a vital piece of information here.”

“Nothing happened!” Steve said immediately, looking up again to reassure Robin and make her realise that he was telling the truth. “At least not really. I mean, we were watching the movie and she said that my pudding pretzels were better than sex, so… that topic came up briefly and then we were both quiet… a bit awkward.”

Steve leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table, clasping his hands together. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, while Robin started eating the pancakes, listening intently to what he was saying. But she didn’t stop him, let him talk until she had all the information she needed.

“When she reached for the blanket, I offered her to come cuddle, ‘cause you know how much heat I radiate.”

“That’s a fact. You’re damn hot all the time.” Robin nodded her head, curious where this was going, as if she was reading a book, or rather having a book read to hear that was just about to get really interesting. “So what then?”

“She snuggled up to me.”

Oh, the smile that appeared on Steve’s lips made Robin really giddy. She’d seen that look before, but it had been a while since she’d last seen that. Sure, Steve had done a lot of dating, looking for the one person that he could call his partner, the one that would stay with him and really love him, but he hadn’t found that person. And now, you were the reason he had that dreamy smile on his lips.

“And then you got hom.”

“Ahh fuck,” Robin groaned, dropping her fork onto the table. “You were doing so well, and then I managed to fuck it up. So much for my plan.”

“Yeah…” Steve was still smiling, but then he realised what Robin had just said. “What do you mean your plan?”

“Forget it…” Robin quickly shook her head, but before she could say anything else, Steve insisted that she should tell him.

“Well… she likes you, Steve! I wasn’t sure how you were feeling, but seeing how much you smile, I don’t need you to spell it out. But Y/N is always like… she doesn’t have time for a boyfriend, she’s scared of getting her heart broken again…”

“Yeah, I know that feeling.” Steve rolled his eyes, tried his best not to get his hopes up at what Robin had just told him.

“Yeah, and that’s exactly why the two of you would never hurt each other like that. That’s why I didn’t tell you two about the date yesterday. So that you’d spend some time alone and maybe, finally take a step towards each other.” Robin leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. “And apparently you did. But why do you think she’d be running from you now?”

“I don’t know! I mean, maybe I was too bold yesterday?”

“Steve, you cuddled on the sofa for maybe a few moments, right? And she could have easily said no, but she didn’t.”

“I kissed her cheek when I left and told her I’d come by for breakfast.”

“Oh boy… Nothing of that was too bold, but I guess, she’s too much in her head again, so that’s why she ran.”

“Maybe.” Steve lifted his coffee cup and emptied the last drops into his mouth, before he got up. “You’ll be alright? ‘Cause I think I just need to clear my head a bit.”

“Steve…” Robin really didn’t want to let him go, not when he looked so defeated.

Sure, Robin had told him that you apparently had feelings for him, but right now, he was sure that you’d run away from him, so that was wearing him down. For months now, he hadn’t had eyes for anyone else, only for you, because you were the one person that made him happy beyond words by just existing in his close proximity. Yesterday, getting to hold you and kiss your cheek had made him unbelievably happy, but for you? It sure looked like he’d taken it too far. So he needed some time to himself, and when he needed to clear his head, he started baking.

“Robin…” Steve looked at her, a weary smile on his lips when he stepped up to her. “Will you be alright?”

“Sure,” she said with a huff, not wanting to let him go, but knowing that she couldn’t keep him here. “What about you, though?”

“I’ll be fine. I always manage, you know that.”

Yeah, she did… and that was what kind of scared her, because she knew that Steve wouldn’t bounce back that easily this time, not when you were the perfect match for him and ran out of the apartment as soon as he arrived.

After a long, long walk and some more coffee from the coffee shop around the corner, you came back home, hoping that Steve would already be gone. When you didn’t see his shoes when you entered, you sighed in relief. At least, you were thinking that it was relief, but it was mixed with a weird kind of longing because he wasn’t there.

“Good, you’re home,” Robin said, leaning in the door to the living room. She’d showered and looked way better than the night before, but the serious look on her face made you a little worried.

“Yeah, sorry, I had a-”

“Meeting, so I’ve heard. Now, tell me, why haven’t you mentioned that all week?”

“Well,” you started, eyes wide, because you hadn’t expected that question from her. And that attitude she was giving you, really threw you off.

“Because you didn’t have a meeting and just ran away so you didn’t have to face Steve, right?”

Busted.

“Look…” You ran both hands over your face and through your hair. Steve was Robin’s best friend, and you really didn’t want to make it awkward at all, but right now, you got the feeling that it already was awkward as fuck. 

“Hey, listen,” Robin said, stepping up to you and taking your hands into hers, her voice and her whole demeanour a lot softer than before. “I understand that, ‘cause you’re scared of getting hurt again, but believe me… Steve would never hurt you. God, he’s so in love with you, it’s painful to watch.”

“He… what?”

“Are you really that oblivious? He’s not just being nice to you. He’s completely and utterly in love with you. And he’s scared of getting his heart broken again as well.” Robin shook her head before she smiled at you. “You two really belong together, you just have to open your heart and allow yourself that.”

Robin tapped two fingers against your chest, letting go of your hands to do so.

“I’m just…” You broke off, shaking your head as you were trying to process what Robin had just told you. You had kind of hoped that Steve would feel the same way, but a tiny voice had told you all this time that he had just been nice to you.

“Scared, I know. So is Steve.” Robin placed a hand on your cheek, making you look at her again. “And now he thinks he did something wrong.” “What? No, no, no, he didn’t, I was just… I don’t know.”

“Maybe you should go and tell him that then. Make him stop worrying, because I know he’ll be baking all afternoon to clear his head.”

“You think so?”

“I know it. Because he keeps overthinking every little thing. Something else you have in common.”

Mira walked to the back where Steve was working and put a new cup of coffee in front of him.

“Thank you.”

“No problem. Anything else you need?” She leaned in the doorframe, watching him work. He’d come in, looking distracted, and it had shown in the first batch of cupcakes he’d made, because they’d landed in the trash.

“No thanks.” Steve gave her a smile that looked more forced than anything and went back to work. He knew that he needed to concentrate a little more, because that would help him clear his head of you, but it didn’t work. You were there, in his head and in his heart, and by now it hurt to think about you. 

Steve turned the music up a little louder and started putting the ingredients he needed into the mixer. While the mixer was busy, he put some flour on the work surface and made a mould in the middle, because he wanted to make bread as well as some more cupcakes.

He stopped the mixer once all the ingredients were blended together, and tasted it. It was good, no question, but it was definitely missing some more vanilla. Once he had the perfect mixture, he poured it into the baking pans and sent the cupcakes to the oven.

Now for the bread… he mixed the yeast with warm water before he poured the mixture into the mould in the flour. That was the moment you walked into the room, but Steve didn’t realise that he wasn’t alone anymore. He was finally able to clear his head a little, hum along to the music and concentrate on what he was doing. With a spoon, he started mixing a bit of the water mixture and the flour together, before he was finally able to use his hands to make some proper dough. His hands and arms were full of flour, so when he raised his arm to brush the sweat on his forehead away with his forearm, some of the flour stuck to his face and even his hair.

The sight warmed your heart, because he looked completely at ease, so in his element, that you didn’t want to disturb him. At the same time, your heart nearly burst out of your chest, because it was filled with so much love for this man. Now that you were allowing yourself these feelings, they were even bigger than you could ever have expected.

Your eyes travelled up slowly up from his hands, over his forearms, the muscles flexing in them, the veins that stood out, up over his chest, his chin, his lips, and to his eyes that were now looking back at you. You hadn’t realised that he’d stopped kneading the dough and was suddenly aware that you were there.

“What are you doing here?” Steve’s words weren’t harsh, they were extremely soft, surprise shining in his eyes as he wiped his hands on his apron.

“I… I wanted to see you,” you managed to say. “Think I’ve got some explaining to do.”

“You don’t have to explain anything.” Steve shook his head, still trying to smile. “I took it a step too far.”

“Steve, you really didn’t.” You gathered your courage and walked around the work surface to stop right in front of him. “I was just…”

“Scared.” Steve finished the sentence for you, keeping his eyes on you while his heart threatened to beat right out of his chest. “Are you still scared?”

“Yeah.” You swallowed hard, taking the last step to close the gap between you two. “But…”

“But…?” Steve’s voice was low, quiet, but he was so all consuming that you couldn’t think clearly anymore. Your head was filled with him, your body humming because of the proximity of his body, of feeling the heat radiating off him and seeping into your skin. His right hand came up to cup your cheek, tilting your head so that you had to look up at him.

“But…” You tried again, your skin feeling like it was on fire from where he touched you, a hint of flour lingering where his thumb brushed over your cheek.

You ran your fingertips up his stomach, over his chest and to his shoulders, pulling yourself up just slightly so that you could kiss his lips. You had nothing to lose, right? And sometimes, you just had to take that jump that you were so afraid of.

Steve was taken by surprise that you’d taken the initiative, but that surprise was quickly pushed away, and he kissed you back. His hand moved from your cheek to the back of your neck, pulling you even closer, while his free hand found its place on your hip. Your body was flush against his, your hands moving up to tangle in his hair, your breasts pressed against his chest while his tongue delved into your mouth, making you moan slightly into the kiss.

You’d had your experience in kissing, but this… this kind of kiss was definitely something else. You felt it to the tips of your toes, it made your whole body tingle and ache for more. Close wasn’t close enough, and you could have kept going for some time, not wanting to let go of him, but the loud beeping of the oven made both of you pull back.

“Shit… sorry,” Steve mumbled, lips puffy from kissing, glistening slightly, while dark eyes looked back at you. You probably looked just like him, hair a bit dishevelled but you didn’t care.

“‘S alright,” you managed to mumble, smiling to yourself as you stepped back. Steve made quick work of the cupcakes and pulled them out of the oven.

You bit your bottom lip, looking down at yourself. The flour showed where Steve’s hands had been, and it made you grin like an idiot. Yeah, you could really get used to it.

“What are you making there anyway?” Curiosity got the better of you, so you had to ask about the dough that Steve had abandoned due to you kissing him.

“I wanted to make some bread.”

“Bread? And here I thought, you only made sweet stuff here.”

“Ah, see that’s where you’re wrong, doll. Sweet and savoury. Remember the Maple-Bacon-Cupcakes?” You nodded vigorously, because they were among your favourites. “And bread is just something that has to be mastered. Here, let me show you.”

Steve stepped up behind you and manoeuvred you so that you were standing in front of the dough. His arms wrapped around you, his chest against your back, and his hands on top of yours, moving them to the dough so he could show you how to knead it.

“It’s really soft, isn’t it?” Steve’s voice was right next to your ear, distracting you even more than being trapped in his embrace.

“Mhm…” you mumbled, trying to focus on what you were doing, but Steve made it really hard for you. You didn’t even hear most of what he was talking about, too distracted by the feeling of his strong hands on yours, guiding your hands.

“And then we form a loaf,” he nearly whispered into your ear, his lips almost touching it. Steve moved your hands with his, doing what he just told you, and when the loaf was done, he still kept you right in front of himself to walk over to the sink and wash your hands.

“Steve…” you managed to breathe out and turn in his embrace, when his lips immediately came down on yours. His hands were on your hops, lifting you into the surface, sending flour into the air, a fine dust settling on your skin and in your hair, but you didn’t care. All you cared about were Steve’s lips on yours, his hands moving up and down your thighs, while his tongue invaded your mouth, tasting you and making you crave even more. This was definitely not the right place to be doing this, but you didn’t care. Someone else did, though.

“Steve I just - OH SHIT! Sorry!” Mira quickly turned around again and walked out, still apologising.

Steve lifted his head, looking after her, before he burst out laughing. You chimed in, leaning your head against his chest, hiding your face. His fingers slowly carded through your hair, before he kissed the top of your head.

“Maybe, we should continue this somewhere else.”

“Mhm… Maybe you could finally show me how you live, after you’ve been in our apartment most of the time.” Slowly you raised your head to look at him, feet dangling left and right of his legs.

“What do I get if I show you?” Steve wiggled his eyebrows at you, making you chuckle.

“How about… as many kisses as you want?” Feeling a little bolder, you leaned forward to kiss  over his jaw to his ear, taking your time. “Sound good?”

“Perfect.” His hands squeezed your thighs, before he stepped back and held out his hand for you. You really were everything he wanted, and he couldn’t believe that you were finally holding his hand and smiling just for and because of him. What more could he want?

[grandmother-goblin]

Burning Butterflies - Chapter 1

AO3

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel

Summary: Normally, Charlie would never wish violence on creatures as innocent as butterflies, but the ones that fluttered in her stomach when she saw Alastor’s stupid smile needed to fly directly into a furnace.

It's far too soon after Charlie's relationship with Vaggie ended for her to have a crush on anybody. Especially Alastor. Of all the people in Hell, it had to be the Radio Demon? Nothing good could ever come out of these new feelings, and Charlie is determined to make them go away as quickly as possible.

Relationship(s): Charlie x Alastor

Rating: Explicit (18+) for eventual smut.

Word Count: 2k

Chapter Tags: Pining, flirting, romantic tension, Charlie and Alastor sassing each other, banter, 3rd Person POV (Charlie).

Normally, Charlie would never wish violence on creatures as innocent as butterflies, but the ones that fluttered in her stomach when she saw Alastor’s stupid smile needed to fly directly into a furnace.

Yet, when she answered Alastor’s knock on her bedroom door, the butterflies stirred rebelliously. Even as she tried to swallow down the ridiculous, bubbly feeling inside of her, she couldn’t help but return his smile.

“Good morning, Charlie,” Alastor greeted, his eyes crinkling in a way that told her that he was truly happy to see her. “Ready to go?”

Every morning for the past four months, they had the same routine. Whoever woke up first would go and fetch the other, and then they would pick up breakfast for the hotel together. At first, they had tried to get catering directly to the hotel. But since they had so few guests, their options were few and far between, and Alastor was able to talk a friend of his into giving them a generous discount at her restaurant.

The only catch was that they had to pick up the food themselves. But Charlie didn’t mind. After her romantic relationship with Vaggie came to an amicable end, she needed ways to spend some of her new free time. She and Vaggie were still great friends and they saw each other often, but things simply unraveled after Vaggie’s past as an exorcist was revealed.

Part of the reason why Charlie felt comfortable spending more time with Alastor was because there was no chance, not in a million years, that he’d try to take advantage of her newly single status. It was absolutely absurd.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, just the thought of spending time with him began to give her warm, fuzzy feelings. Feelings that she definitely should not have for anyone so soon after her relationship with Vaggie ended. But especially not for Alastor.

Really? Out of all the people in Hell to get a teeny, tiny crush on, it had to be the Radio Demon.

“You know I am,” Charlie replied brightly as she nervously tucked her hair behind her ear, the scent of jasmine and cedarwood following the movement.

Shoot, had she put on too much perfume? She had been so caught up in trying to get ready that she hadn’t even noticed how strong the scent was. Typically, she never wore perfume except for special occasions, but some stupid, crush-addled part of her brain told her that getting coffee with Alastor qualified as such an occasion. Despite how they did so every single day.

Ugh, she was being ridiculous. What was she thinking, that she would suddenly impress Alastor by smelling nice?

Pushing her racing thoughts aside, Charlie closed the door to her bedroom behind her. As if she were trying to talk away her nerves, she said, “I think I want to try something new today. Maybe that maple pecan latte. Oh! Or maybe the butterscotch. Have you tried either of those? Or have you always ordered the same thing? Not that ordering the same thing is bad or anything, I just wondered if you ever branched out. But sticking with what you know you like is great too! But what do you think I should get?”

Alastor tilted his head as she rambled and, for the millionth time, she wished his face was just a bit easier to read. Was he annoyed, amused, angry, who knew? She certainly didn’t.

Alastor gave a thoughtful hum as he placed a gloved hand on her shoulder, sending a shiver up her spine. “I think you should get decaf.”

Charlie rolled her eyes with mock exasperation. Okay, maybe he had a point. She could admit she had a bit of nervous energy that morning. “Just for that, I’m getting an extra shot of espresso.”

“That’s the spirit,” he said with a laugh and started down the hallway. “Fortunately for me, I have a meeting in less than two hours and will most likely be downtown by the time your caffeine buzz hits.”

It wasn’t unusual for Alastor to have some business away from the hotel, be it personal or something to do with his status as an Overlord, but he typically informed her ahead of time when he had obligations away from the hotel. Charlie tried not to pry into his business too much, but she appreciated knowing his schedule in advance just so she could plan. Fortunately, she didn’t have anything planned for today that required his attendance, but she found herself wanting him around regardless.

Despite her own wants, she couldn’t help the concern that creased her brow. “Are you sure you’ve got time to get coffee with me this morning?” she asked. “I mean, you don’t have to come. I can handle picking up breakfast for everyone on my own if you’ve got other places to be.”

Maybe, the sane part of her mind chimed in, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea for her to get breakfast on her own. To get some time away from Alastor. Breaking their routine might help those new feelings toward him go away quicker, she rationalized. Sure, she would be disappointed to go alone, but she would get over it.

“It’s no trouble at all, my dear.” Alastor dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand. “I do enjoy these little coffee dates. I feel like the fresh air and the change of atmosphere have made our managerial meetings much more productive, wouldn’t you agree?”

She couldn’t argue with that.

Giving each other daily updates on their respective aspects of the hotel seemed to work out much better than their old bi-weekly meeting. The old meetings usually included Vaggie, and sometimes Niffty and Husk. The number of people with different concerns and conflicting personalities meant that they didn’t always accomplish much.

Now they just had their coffee meeting. Sometimes the others tagged along, but it was usually just her and Alastor.

“But I don’t have a ton of hotel stuff to talk about today,” she replied truthfully, the part of her mind suggesting that she distanced herself from him gaining some traction. “And if you’ve got something else to do, I don’t want to keep you just for this.”

Alastor shrugged, undeterred. “You wouldn’t be keeping me.”

“But, I don’t want to make you late.”

“Why, it almost sounds like you don’t want me to come along at all,” he said with a teasing lilt to his voice, placing his hand to his chest with theatrical offense. ”To think, I believed you enjoyed my company. Silly me.”

Even if he was being facetious, the comment successfully swatted away the notion of distancing herself from him. For the time being, at least. She made a mental note to revisit the idea later when he couldn’t distract her.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Al,” she said as she playfully bumped his side with her arm. “You know I love spending time with you.”

A little too much, but he didn’t have to know that.

Alastor hummed in response, his face unreadable behind his smile as he pressed the down button for the elevator. “The feeling is mutual,” he said and looked down at her through his long eyelashes, the deep, wine-red color of his eyes warm in the morning light filtering through the window.

It wasn’t until recently that she began to notice how striking Alastor’s features were; the shape of his eyes, the slope of his nose, the smoothness of his skin, and the sharpness of his cheekbones. While there were plenty of people who wouldn’t consider him attractive in the traditional sense of the word, Charlie wasn’t one of them. In fact, she thought he was sort of handsome in his own way.

Or maybe it was just rose-tinted glasses courtesy of her silly crush. That was also a strong possibility.

Just as she felt herself drawn into his gaze, he turned his attention to the floor number display above the elevator. Folding his hands atop his cane, the warmth in his eyes dimmed. His face fell into a perfect, grinning mask, and her heart sank a little bit for reasons she didn’t want to examine too closely.

Alastor inhaled deeply, his eyes flickering back to her without turning his head. “By the way,” he began, his tone light and conversational, “do you happen to be wearing perfume? I keep catching a whiff of something.”

Heat rose to Charlie’s face and she quickly tried to swallow it down, mentally kicking herself again for bothering with the perfume in the first place.

“Oh, uh, yeah, I usually do,” she lied, not wanting him to think even for a second that he had something to do with it. “I just accidentally used a little too much this morning. I won’t be offended if you need to hold your breath in the elevator.”

Seemingly oblivious to her fib, Alastor chuckled and shook his head. “You’re perfectly fine, my dear. I actually quite like it.”

“Oh, thank you,” Charlie replied, a smile tugging at her lips at the little bit of approval. “I normally do sweeter scents and this one is new to me, so I’m glad someone else likes it too.”

“It suits you.”

Although he was just making polite conversation, the butterflies in her stomach were acting like there was more to his words.

But there wasn’t.

Couldn’t be.

It was just Alastor. And as far as she knew, Alastor wasn’t the type to flirt. At least, not with the intention that she would hope for.

Did she even want the feeling to be mutual? She wasn’t sure how to answer that. On one hand, it was always nice to have one’s feelings reciprocated. On the other hand, she had a feeling that starting anything more than a business partnership with him would just lead to trouble.

She definitely didn’t need any more of that.

But she couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if she decided to just tell him how she felt. To get all these bottled up feelings off of her chest and out in the open where Alastor could either accept them or eviscerate them. Then she would at least have an answer and wouldn’t waste more time daydreaming about ‘what-if’s’. Then she could move on rather than keep swatting at the butterflies that only seemed to be multiplying.

No. It would be better for everyone for the butterflies to live, and die, in her stomach without Alastor ever knowing.

If only they would die faster.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open, pulling her from her thoughts.

“After you, my dear.” Alastor held open the door with his staff and motioned for Charlie to step in first. It was such a small gesture, but Charlie appreciated it. Letting ladies go first might have been a little old fashioned, but it was also kind of sweet.

As the elevator doors closed, confining them together in that small space, Charlie couldn’t help but be uncomfortably aware of him. They had ridden the elevator together hundreds of times before, and she never thought much of it. Alastor pressed the button for the first floor and took his spot standing beside her. Close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating off of his body and hear the steadiness of his breaths. He held his staff in one hand, letting the other rest at his side inches away from her own. Maybe she could just brush her little finger against him, see how he reacted, and maybe…

Charlie stiffened and folded her hands in front of her lest they acted of their own accord. What the Hell was she thinking? She needed to get a grip before she did something truly embarrassing.

“Now that we’re here, I think I’ve changed my mind,” he said as the elevator began to move. “I might have to hold my breath after all.”

Just like that, the urge to hold Alastor’s hand was replaced by one to elbow him in the stomach. Instead, she gently punched his arm as she bit back a smile.

Jackass.

---

Note: Thank you for reading! I've been super nervous about posting this one to my tumblr, but it was a ton of fun to write!

[bigassmoonchild]

Lost and Found

Pairing: Simon 'Ghost' Riley

Word Count: 2.6k

Summary: The results came back, the pregnancy results. You fear losing Simon, even after your talk and he holds you close. Things slowly go back to normal, but by god was Simon starting to smell a little too good. And the scent was coming from his door.

Content Tags: Angst, Almost Pregnancy Loss, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Simon Communicating, DROPPING THE L WORD (leprosy), Simon likes compound drama, Mentions of Masturbation, Use of Pet-Names, Teasing, No Use of Y/N, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha! Ghost

A/N: I'm working one day a week because they only need me one day a week. I might quit, ngl. Anyways, I'm getting better! Not as sick! I'm going to figure out at better way for people to navigate the maple syrup series, but you know the drill. Content under the cut and asks are open!

Part 1 | Previous, Next | Headcannons, Masterlist

The next few days felt incredibly slow. You'd worked on a bit of paperwork before heading back to your rooms and sitting in your nest, going through the clothes you were intending to give back to Simon because the scent was growing stale. As you were folding one of the last hoodies, a knock on your door made you pause.

Opening it, you saw a soldier standing outside. He gave you a salute before looking down and reading off of the paper he was holding.

"Your presence is required in room 62B. Please be presentable and there within the half hour," he handed you the paper and marched away. Glancing at it, they were requesting you for more questioning based on the hearing you'd been part of.

Shit.

You stood and dug through the wardrobe you had, pulling out a few of your better shirts and pants. At this point, you didn't really care what you wore. So long as it wasn't dirty and didn't have any rips or holes.

Reading the door numbers down to 62B, you took a deep breath before entering, nodding at the few people who were sitting, glancing past Price. You sat, folding your hands on your lap as the people across the table looked at you. They shifted, glancing from the door to you for a few minutes.

"We're just waiting for Riley, you needn't be so stiff, Doctor," you looked away from them, finding Prices eye before looking the other way. You just wanted to get this over with, they hadn't even notified you about your test, so the fact that they only told them about it was weird.

The door opened, and all you could smell was Simon. Leather and tobacco, hints of the gunpowder used on base came through. It smelled muskier, though, and as much as you could smell it wasn't sweat. Not like normal.

He sat beside you, not looking in your direction. The people in front of you shifted the papers about on the table, looking between each other. They didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"The pregnancy test came back," you heard Simon scoff beside you, a quiet 'no shit' coming from him. You rolled your own eyes, glancing down to the carpet under you. It was old, probably older than you.

The man cleared his throat. "It came back positive, at least at first," you looked up, brows furrowing. "After a few minutes, though, it turned negative. We did a few more tests and they eventually came back negative. Conclusively," you closed your eyes, head tilting back.

Why were you feeling so disappointed? Were you actually somewhat excited about having a pup, even if Simon didn't want it?

"Although, they did find some hormones synchronous with what is called a 'false pregnancy'," they explained, reading off of the sheet they had.

You glanced up, watching as they tried to find a way to explain it. "My body had hormones, probably from a fertilized egg that never attached properly, and it left my hormones thinking I was pregnant. They never cleared my body, so my scent and body was changing to prep for the pup," you explained, playing with your fingers.

So close, and yet you were so far from having a pup. You could almost smell distress on Simons scent, but you didn't want to go into the specifics. You couldn't think of his normal scent, not with how deep in your head you'd become.

You could faintly hear them explaining the outcomes, faintly heard a few 'probable cause for the attack' and a few other 'nothing is being pressed,' and finally you came to.

"We're considering this almost exactly the same as if the Omega was actually pregnant," they explained. "So you're getting off on just about the same as a slap on the wrist, but don't think we won't add this to your file," and you stood, turning and walking out.

There was nothing you'd realized you wanted more. A family. A pup to care for and watch grow and eventually maybe, just maybe, add more to your little family.

But no, you didn't have the luxury of that. No, you weren't allowed to have your family, your Alpha had been so mad at you and possibly didn't want you sometimes.

Alpha doesn't want a broken Omega.

You had to fight the tears you could feel building, jaw locking in place as you found yourself moving to your room. A few more halls, one or two more turns and you'd be able to curl up in your nest and hope to God that your Alpha would still want you.

As you went to close your room door, something stopped it from closing. You turned to figure it out, slightly pissed off that it happened. Simon.

"I'm sorry," you could feel tears starting to run out of your eyes, felt him pulling you into his chest and sobs tearing out of your chest. "I'm so sorry," you were muffled by his chest, hands grasping at his shirt and holding tight. You could faintly hear the door close, your legs moving with him as he dropped you back into your nest.

Simon pulled you into his chest, hands running along your back. Your hands never left his chest and you could hear him murmuring into your hair.

"S'alright, lovie, s'alright," he whispered, arms wrapping around your back to pull you in as close as he could. It felt like everything was back to normal but nothing was. Everything was changed but nothing was at the same time.

For what felt like hours, you laid there, grasping at Simon to stay where you were. He rubbed at your back and chuffed into your ear, your tears slowing and sobs breaking into hiccups, breathing slowing as you laid there.

His hands stopped, albeit slowly, before pulling you back to look at him.

"Y'alright?" He asked this time, wiping your face dry. You nodded, then shook your head before dropping it back onto his chest.

"'m sorry, Simon," you whispered, his hand finding your back and resting there. "Failed you," you added finally. He hummed in confusing, head lifting to look down at you.

You swallowed, closing your eyes. "Lost the pup," he shook his head, squeezing you a little. He ran his hand down your arm, rubbing it slowly.

"Didn't lose anything, lovie," he whispered. "Your body was just confused, it's not your fault," you wanted to argue with him, wanted to tell him he was crazy. You lost the pup, and he should get rid of you.

He kept murmuring loving words into your ears, telling you how good of an Omega you were, how much he cared about you. How much he adored that you were his and didn't want to leave.

"Love you, y'know that?" He whispered, hours having passed since the two of you found yourselves inside your nest. He slid you into his hoodie within the first hour, let you lay there and inhale his scent.

You hummed, fighting sleep. It hadn't hit you what he'd said, not yet at least.

"Love y'too," you whispered into his neck, breathing slowing as you were falling asleep. He loved you, Alpha loves you, your head snapped up. "Huh?" Simon barked out a short laugh, pulling his mask from his face as he looked at you.

"Y'didn't hear me?" You blinked slowly at him, smile slowly spreading on your face. His voice grew softer, eyes drifting away from you. He seemed almost, nervous. "Y'forgive me?" He whispered, hands tightening on you.

You nodded, dropping your head on him. "Thought you would've thought of me as a bad Omega," you whispered. "Thought I'd lost you after I said I might be pregnant, then again when they told us I wasn't," he shook his head.

He gave a humorless laugh. "Never lost me," he said. "'m not good at emotions," he started, looking down at you briefly. "Never was, never will be. I want to try, though, try and make sure you never feel like that again," he spoke into the side of your head, pressing his lips against your head.

You swallowed thickly.

"Thought I lost everything," you whispered into his neck, closing your eyes.

You glanced at your new squad, looking them over.

"If you don't want to be led by an Omega, leave. Get out, I don't want to see your face," you said, glancing amongst them. "If you don't like that I'm leading you, get the hell out. I don't want to see you, if you're going to cause problems, get out," you said.

No one moved, looking down at their boots and away from you. Nobody said anything, it all remained quiet. You smiled, arms crossed as you watched them stand still.

You crossed your arms, glancing amongst them. "The only problem I've ever encountered is you guys not understanding what it means to be a soldier. Combat medic, combat comes first," you told them. "Which means you're a soldier first,"

You sighed deeply, rubbing the migraine out of your temples. They were the worst group you'd ever had. They seemed to not have any knowledge on anything medical, and even less knowledge about combat awareness.

"Bad day?" Simon asked, placing a tray of food in front of you and putting his own on the side of your desk closest to him. You groaned at him, dropping your head down.

You glanced up, watching him pull the mask off of his face and place it next to his food, scooping some of it into his mouth. You snorted softly, watching him.

His brows raised in questioning. "We went from me absolutely despising you just a few days ago to you eating in my office," you laughed softly. "Anyways, I have the worst squad ever," you groaned and he paused his eating.

"They saying things?" He said, moving to stand and you hushed him, hands gesturing for him to sit back down.

In the few days since you two had been cleared back to work, he had made it a habit to bring you at least two meals during your shift. Usually lunch and dinner, which he had at the same time as you, quite thankfully.

You'd grown to begin telling him tales of what happened, whatever drama you could find that happened throughout the day. Oh my god, Simon, apparently Amanda now has an Alpha? And he works on another force, I think something air, you told him the first night.

Surprisingly, he was really interested in what was happening around base. Today, though, he appeared a little more out of it. He seemed slightly off, watching you closer and staring down Alphas who walked by you when he just so happened to be near.

It was weird, but you hadn't put too much thought into it. You were finally back to a normal, something the two of you were putting together. Maybe it was just his new normal, but you weren't going to ask questions.

He stayed quiet, giving you a few murmurs of agreement or interest at all of the new things you'd discovered. Once the two of you finished, instead of sitting with you until you were finished to walk with you back to your room he grabbed your trays and walked out, giving you a short murmur about needing to workout or something.

It left you a little confused, but you weren't going to mention it. You knew this took up a lot of his own time, and you knew that he would want to spend some time on his own to relax.

You felt the same way, but something was off and you could tell. By the time you finished putting away the last paper into its file, it was nearing 10 at night. You walked to your room, bag in hand as you watched the door numbers slowly shrink to your room number.

As you entered it, you'd been expecting to see Simon there, but maybe tonight he just wanted to relax in his own room and take some time to chill out. You understood, and found yourself slowly going through the motions of your nightly routine, some part of you hoping he would walk in right before you finished this part. Then it became this part, then the next.

Eventually, you were curled in your bed, lights all out while listening for movements outside. You found yourself waking up the next morning, groaning as you turned off your alarm clock. Simon never came to your room, but that was okay you told yourself.

It was fine, because everyone needed a moment to themselves here and there. So you began your routine, getting something small to eat as you walked through the clinic, checking on people who had come in overnight to be treated for something.

You ran your training, having the squad work on taking care of those who were harmed and trying to tourniquet them.

"I'm bleeding out, help me! Aaah! It hurts so much, I'm writhing in pain!" Soap was all too pleased to help you with this. Gaz was helping as well, but had stopped his acting to roll on the ground laughing at him. It seemed to work just as well as Johnny's screaming and writhing.

Shutting your eyes tight, you had to hold yourself silent to keep from laughing too hard or distracting everyone. Even as your back was turned, you could hear little squeals coming from Johnny, but as you opened your eyes you saw Ghost watching from a distance.

Gesturing him over, he shook his head and turned back to his own training group, leaning over to shout at someone. You sighed, turning around to watch the group once more.

"Steph, no, that tourniquet is way too tight, I can see it from here. You're cutting the blood flow off, not his leg,"

At lunch you grew a little worried when Simon didn't show up. He had been making sure to bring you food (and letting you watch him eat) every lunch and dinner. Sometimes it was breakfast instead of lunch, but he hadn't come during breakfast.

It took you a few moments before you decided to try and find him, but everyone you spoke to had turned away from you, telling you that it was in your better interest to leave him alone. When you found Gaz again, you pulled him to the side.

"What's up with S- Ghost?" You asked and he looked away, grimacing a little. "Go on, tell me. I'm his mate, it's not like he's doing something that would kill me," you said, brows furrowing as he didn't say anything.

You gestured for him to tell you. "He's been really violent today. Look outside, there's more people running than usual, and his temper is getting the better of him," he whispered, looking around like Simon would jump out of nowhere.

At dinner, when Simon didn't show up you found yourself walking the compound to look for him. To find out where he'd gone, or what was wrong. He wasn't anywhere you'd expected him to be, not the gym or field.

Walking to his room, it was a few halls before when the scent hit you hard. Leather and tobacco, some hints of the gunpowder used on base. You walked a little closer, musky tangs of something just entirely Simon breaking through.

Standing outside of his door, you stared at it. Hearing long groans and whines, huffs of your name. Trying the door, it was locked and everything in the room paused.

A bang on the door made you jump back before leaning in. "Simon?" You whispered, trying the doorknob again. He whined at the sound of his name coming from you, and you could hear nails on the door.

"Please," he whispered back, voice muffled by the door. You could hear another bang on the door and you gave a little laugh.

"Y'gotta unlock the door first, Alpha," a growl came from behind the door.

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