#maybe they'll stop being so damn dry

[ttulipwritezz]

This Is Our Place.~ S.Black

Ootp! Sirius Black x gn! Reader

Synopsis: After azkaban, Sirius falls for his best friend's colleague, who just so happens to return his feelings. They find their place within the confines of a war. Perhaps they'll leave the Christmas lights up till January.

Wc: 2k

Warnings: lots of italics, probably grammatical mistakes, inconsistency, mentions of presents, Christmas, bad family (s.b), kiss(es), might be ooc idk.

The clouds began to form in delicate shapes, and the roar of thunder echoed through the gloomy room. The light from a candle illuminated the kitchen, in which you sat, your mind preoccupied with the thought of the incoming rain.

Preoccupied with the thought of having to take the clothes off the drying rack anytime soon or bringing all your potted plants indoors to avoid them drowning.

It was not an odd thing—rain—being that it was the end of August.

"Knock, knock."

You looked up from where a blank piece of parchment lay in front of you, curious to know the source of the words.

"You could just, you know, knock? Like a normal person,  Sirius."

You found yourself speaking before you could collect your thoughts. The said man glanced at the parchment once and looked back at your face, his lips curving up the tiniest bit at your attempt to lighten the mood.

"Who am I, if normal, love?" He chuckles with a crooked smile.

You let your eyes roam around his face, his hollowed-out cheeks, and his half-lidded eyes. He looks tired. You conclude.

"Do you want some tea? I was just about to make some.."

You weren't really, about to make tea, that is. Still, you found yourself speaking, wanting to comfort the man, even if just a little.

Sirius was, by no means, your friend. He was just a friend of your colleague, Remus. You'd joined Hogwarts the same year Remus did; being new, the two of you hit it off immediately.

It always amazed you how well of a grasp Remus had on DADA. And he returned the favor by complimenting your herbology. You were a couple years younger than Remus, at best, and had known of him and the infamous marauders during your time at Hogwarts. Sirius Black did intrigue you the most.

You knew he came from a wealthy family, a bad one—of course, by no means did you want to intrude on his family life, but the heart does what the heart wants—and that he found solace in the friends he called brothers.

When Remus introduced you to his falsely convicted friend, Sirius Black, You damn near fainted on the spot, not because of his (undeniable) handsomeness but because of the sheer fear of standing in front of a possible murderer.

Now, years later (two to be exact), you find yourself enamored by the faded gray of his eyes and the curved bridge of his nose, which, you reckon, has been broken at least once during his time at Hogwarts, noting the sudden halt in the curve that then sharply turns to the other side and resumes its path.

Maybe it is a little peculiar to be noting such details of his appearance that you can paint a picture of his past. Strange, they'd call it. But it's routine for you. A routine you find comfort in.

"Thank you, Love," he replies.

A mumbled "'course" leaves your lips as you put the kettle to boil on the stove.

Sure, you could use magic, but these mundane tasks that don't require it seem to bring a sort of normalcy to your life. Even if just for a moment, it stops feeling like you're in the midst of a war and that people aren't dying left and right.

You were only nineteen when the first wizarding war came to an end, when your friends lost their lives, and when the dark lord seemingly disappeared forever.

He hadn't; that much was evident from the current situation.

The tea was set in front of Sirius almost unknowingly. You had been a little into your head and had been going about the task with practiced ease.

"Thanks again, Love. When do you reckon the others will return?"

Remus, along with the other order members, had gone on yet another mission. They left Sirius, concluding he was too weak to fight right now, and you, as you'd offered to stay back.

"Any time now, and really, it's no problem,"

you replied, sort of bashful at both his gratitude and the endearment.

As if on cue, the door opened with a jingle of the keys, and numerous voices rang through the empty corridors of Grimmauld Place.

Remus stalked into the kitchen and put his left hand up, leaning against the doorway with his right for some sort of support, revealing a gash running from his middle finger to his wrist and a sheepish smile on his face as he looked at you. Immediately, wordlessly, you walked forward with your wand and began healing the wound.

Removing a tin of herbal paste from the drawer beside and handing it to Remus.

"How'd that happen? I thought this was a 'harmless' mission," you asked, quoting his reassuring words from earlier.

"I nicked myself on a broken shelf." As confident as he sounded, his lie didn't escape you.

All it needed was a 'really?' look on your face to get the truth out.

"Death eaters," he stated, defeated.

"You really ought to be more careful, Rem. It worries me."

You said that and guided him out of the kitchen to assess his other wounds, which included one on his arm and a twisted ankle.

Unaware that a certain raven head was watching you from the table, envious and defeated at failing at his attempts to talk to you. The rain began pouring down, and the clothes and plants still outside ran through your mind.

The rain mirrored the heart of the black, sitting at the table, gloomy as ever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You'd last seen Sirius when Harry and the kids stumbled through the door of Grimmauld Place, bringing an unconscious, but thankfully alive, Sirius with them.

Harry had told you that he was leaving to retrieve his godfather from the ministry, mentioning something about a dream, but you weren't paying much attention after you'd heard the news. With Dumbledore's permission and assistance, you'd returned to Grimmauld's place to help in case they ever needed it. Praying that Sirius made it back alive.

The kids, along with Remus and a few other order members, laid the unconscious Sirius on the couch and went to clean themselves up as you offered to take care of Sirius in the meantime.

Once conscious, you dragged Sirius to the bathroom on the ground floor of the house, squeezing through the thin hallways and sitting him on the counter as you retrieved a first-aid kit from the cupboard.

"Couldn't you use magic to fix my wounds?" came his distraught voice, cutting your thoughts short.

"Do you want me to inflict pain on them? Just sit still. Besides, it's not like I'm a healer."

As you cleaned each wound with precision, one thought roamed your head.

It's not like they don't have wands—the death eaters, that is—they injured him in a way that seems almost muggle.

"If you're wondering how, it was Bellatrix," Sirius said, trying to suppress a hiss at the particularly deep wound on his arm, as if reading your mind.

"Your cousin?" you answered, or rather, asked, continuing and moving onto the smaller cuts that littered his face.

Humming, he let you get the rest of the wound cleaned.

You glanced up at his face when opening the packet of cotton, only then realizing how close you had been. His breath was fanning your nose as he stared deep into your eyes, no trace of guilt or shame in them, as if he trusted you wholeheartedly.

You could have sworn you saw him glance at your lips in anticipation. The thought alone swarmed your stomach with butterflies.

Only now had you realized how intimate your shared moments were and how he had always tried to enlighten your mood with his jokes. You thought it was his defense, his coping mechanism.

Though now it seemed amidst the war, all he tried to do was hear you laugh. By pausing your movements as if in a trance, you maintained eye contact with him. He looked so stern and so soft all at once.

In his mind swam thoughts of the previous night, when you cradled Remus's hand with such grace and concern.

His lips parted, and you wanted to kiss him. You don't know why, but you did. All you had to do was move your face half an inch forward, and his lips would crash into yours. You wanted to do it so badly.

And so you did.

His eyes fluttered close, and the arm that wasn't injured came up to grip your neck, light as a feather.

His hands caressed the tiny hairs on your neck and sent a tingle down your spine. The kiss was phenomenal.

You didn't sleep that night; the thoughts were fluttering in your mind even hours later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I kissed him."

As soon as those words left your mouth, Remus choked on his tea and had to take a moment to steady himself.

"You kissed whom exactly!?" came his exasperated voice.

"Sirius," you said sheepishly, suddenly feeling small under his wide gaze.

"I didn't even know you liked him," Lupin said as he went to dry his clothes from the tea.

"It just…sort of happened..you know-"

"no, I don't know y/n..what were you thinking!?" Remus was confused, and a part of him felt betrayed.

You liked his best friend, but he had no clue.

The patter of the rain outside added to the deafening silence that you left. The sound brought you back to the first night in the house, the night when you shared tea with Sirius.

Your eyes flitted to the scar running along the Lycanthropes hand, and you grimaced at the angry red surrounding it as it healed.

"Did you put the balm on it today? your hand, I mean " Your words cut through the silence like a knife, and you moved your hand toward one of the many drawers housing your herbal balms.

"You're deflecting, love... If it's any help, Sirius would much rather pretend nothing happened than act on his own; you're best off confronting him first."

Remus's words were assuring, but the tone in which he said them made you scrunch up your brows and tilt your lip downward.

"Umm, I'll see what I can do." Your hesitance was evident in your voice.

You walked back to your room after handing Remus the green and silver tin, silently reminding him of his wound.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the other side of the house, Sirius lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about the kiss.

His mind wandered to the feeling of your lips, his hands on on nape, and your gaze before it all.

Your lips. My lips.

"A Rubber Duck!" A shout came from the room beside him. Harry's room. They were playing a round of charades, he remembered.

Harry! Yes!

He should ask Harry. So he made his way towards their room.

"Harry, could I talk to you for a moment?" Just as Harry was getting up and ready to join his godfather,

"actually hold that-"

He turns to Hermione

"-Hermione!! You're a muggle. You'd know! of course" The hopeful tone of his voice sends Ron into a laughing fit, and Harry's mouth twitches into a grin as Hermione sits confused with a frown.

After discussing the matter with the kids, Sirius decides he's done with his stupid old ways. He wants to say something; make the first move.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It happened on christmas eve.

Everyone had taken to opening presents under the large tree at the living room.

After watching Ron fawn over his new wizard chess set, you decided it was time for a much needed break.

"I think i'm going to go make some hot chocolate...anyone want some?" You asked, already getting up to yout feet.

Most of them nodded no and you only just realised all their mugs were rather full.

Making your way into the rather small kitchen of grimmauld place, you got out your wand to help make your hot chocolate.

"Knock knock" a familiar raspy voice came from the doorway.

An odd sense of deja vu enveloped you and you turned around to look at the source.

"you could just knock. Like a normal person" you repeated your words from the previous day.

The relationship between you and sirius had strained quite a bit after that shared kiss.

"sorry love, how's your day going so far?" He asked, seemingly trying to dissipate the awkwardness from the air.

"Alright...i suppose, what about you?" You replied with just as much hesitation.

"Good." And it stopped at that, the conversation.

Only now did you realise just how close he had gotten. You backed yourself away slightly, only to find your leg hitting the back of the counter.

The world seemed to be silent as the sound of your breaths mingled with one another, accompanied by the ticking clock.

The noises in the living room had become nothing but a blur and muffled by your thoughts.

"I really like you y/n. I truly do" Sirius spoke first, drawing your attention from the planes of his face

"Huh?" Your reply came meek and unsure.

You weren't even sure you'd heard it right.

"i like you." He reiterated.

You did hear it right.

Your knees felt weak but at the same time you were on cloud nine.

Before getting the chance to gather your thoughts you found yourself speaking..

"I really like you too sirius"

your voice came out just louder than a whisper, you're sure he wouldn't even have heard it.

His next words sent a flurry of butterfiles to your stomach.

"May i..?" You noticed him glancing down at your lips and back at your eyes.

You couldn't stop the smile that bloomed on your face as you nodded yes.

The kiss was diferent than the last, less desperate yet more passionate. It was slow, steady and loving.

You could feel his smile against your lips before you pulled apart.

"I've waited so long to do that" his voice came a mere whisper

Your eyes followed the movement of his lips, which were on yours moments ago.

" I...umm got you a gift" he continued, his hesitation surprising you.

Forcing your eyes to look back at the grey irises you managed to let out a breathless

"what?"

Sirius pulled out a box, a small one of velvet, the kind that would normally house a ring, now held a singular locket that was shaped as a star.

"A star...for my star" he said

You couldn't stop the heat from spreading to your cheeks, eyes widening a touch and lips quirking up the slightest.

Two voices giggling could be heard from the kitchen that night.

The whole night.

A/n: I spent WAYY too long on this- and the ending is super rushed lmao i hope you enjoyed it and all reblogs help me reach more ppl! I had sm fun writing this. i'm v proud of this ❤️❤️

[soapssuds]

toji x fem!reader

Imagine being born before Satoru, but being born a girl. The Gojo clan was beyond disappointed as they wanted their firstborn to be a boy. So, with no news of another child being on the way, you were immediately dressed and raised as a boy.

10 years later however, your baby brother, Satoru was born and you were immediately cast aside.

For various reasons.

Two of those reasons being that Satoru had the six eyes and, well, you *are* a girl after all.

The Gojo clan didn't care what you did from then onward, so you left. Sure, you could of stayed and be there for your baby brother, but honestly. You were tired. And you knew that the family wouldn't let you anywhere near him anyway, so there wasn't any point.

Which was how you found yourself packing and moving away. You took odd jobs here and there while using the Gojo name with the Jujutsu world to get by. You took down curses and even made a few friends a long the way.

Though, there was one person who was your age and who seemed to never leave your mind as you both would cross paths with each other.

"Ah, Toji. Fancy meeting you here."

You plopped down onto the bench that the man was lingering on. Your eyes glancing at him as he made a small grunt to acknowledge your presence.

You were a Jujutsu Sorcerer who never stayed in one place for too long.

And Toji... well, you're sad to say that he was a Sorcerer Killer.

Hanging around him was bad news, but you did anyway.

"You should really stop stalking me."

You gave him a pointed glare and elbowed him, "I'm not a stalker, you ass! I had a job over here is all."

"Tch, you damn sorcerers. Bet you get tons of jobs."

"Damn right I do."

"Why? Because of your family name and how strong you are?"

Toji absolutely loathed you. You were basically everything he wasn't.

You gave him a tiny smirk in response, "please. Being strong isn't the reason, but I will give you the first part you said."

"What? Your name?"

"Yep, I never did tell you my last name did I? Well, whatever, not like it matters."

You turned more towards him on the bench, "it's Gojo."

His eyes seemed to widen at that as he finally looked over at you, "Gojo? The hell? Why are you taking so many damn odd jobs then if you're part of that family?"

"Cause I'm not a boy, I'm the firstborn disgrace, I wasn't born with the six eyes, my newborn brother however has them, and, well, ...do I need to list anymore? Hahhh, anyway, guess what I'm trying to say is. They're having me take so many jobs and missions because they hope that one day I'll just up and die."

You leaned back into the bench and let your head fall backwards. Your eyes staring up at the sky.

"But who knows? Maybe they'll hire you to kill me someday when it becomes obvious that I won't die by a curse anytime soon."

Toji snorted, "the day that happens, I'll be sure to run their bank dry."

You let out a laugh, "that would be great! I die and they go bankrupt! Genius!"

Ok, so maybe Toji doesn't actually loathe you.

He's just tired seeing you tired.

"Hey Toji?"

"What is it now?"

You grinned, "if you do have to kill me one day, be sure not to kill my brother too, ok?"

"...no promises."

[lovelylichabee]

Good morning I have some headcanons for yall about the archives crew (mostly Martin bc I love him) in no particular order. Be warned there are some spoilers for throughout the series.

- Martin has ADHD so things like audio processing and object permanence are a challenge, and Jon being unaware of this is one of the reasons he thinks Martin is incompetent in the beginning. Because what else do you think of someone who takes twice as long to type out transcripts than his peers, or who can't focus on the follow up research assigned to him sometimes, yet other times focuses so much on it he forgets to take his lunch? Plus the man "loses" files on his desk (because to Martin he just sees a stack of uniform files and getting used to Gertrude's weird looking date-based labels as an organization system compared to the Dewey Decimal System they had in the library is damn difficult!) Upon learning he has ADHD though Jon finds that with some accommodations, Martin is actually decent at doing what he needs to for his job and feels a bit guilty for being such an ass.

- Tim was the first friend Jon made upon being hired into research which to Jon is weird because he's always had a hard time making friends (partially because he's autistic and partially because he hasn't had the routine environment to try to make friends since college). Tim is also a pretty opposite personality to him, so to Jon it felt sort of like when you meet a dog and the dog likes you *way* before you like the dog, but then he grows on you so you kinda sigh and go "Yeah yeah, we're friends"

- Sasha and Tim's hookup never grew to anything more because Sasha didn't know how to tell Tim she was aromantic without possibly hurting his feelings (meanwhile if she had just told him, he would've been fine with it and happy to be in whatever kind of relationship with her, qpp or otherwise). She never gets to tell him, so that's another reason why Tim never caught the differences between Sasha and Not!Sasha when Not!Sasha suddenly had a boyfriend (besides you know the reason that Stranger Rules that says only one person usually notices the difference).

- Jon doesn't like coffee black coffee but drinks it anyways mostly because he has always been told "if you add sugar and/or creamer to your coffee then you don't like coffee you like sugar and creamer" so to keep appearances and insisting he does like coffee, he never adds anything unless he's sure no one will see. Really, he likes black coffee with a bit of sugar because the sweetness gives the flavors something to travel on so he can appreciate them more because otherwise they're overpowered by bitterness. He doesn't like tea because drinking it feels like he's just rubbed tea leaves all over the inside of his mouth and it leaves behind a dry feeling that he hates.

- Martin's pure lonely domain wouldve been a rainy, foggy moorsland kind of environment where its very pretty but you feel like you're walking over the same hills and you feel like you see houses in the distance but you never get any closer to the chimney smoke you see peeking above the fog. You're also always damp and the air feels heavy, and you don't have an umbrella. But for just those moments when youre standing on tops of the hills, looking out to the rest of the environment though, you wonder why you'd ever want to leave somewhere so pretty, even if it is rather lonely, and far too quiet. It's a reminiscent kind of quiet, where you reflect on why you're walking alone here in the first place and not inside one of those houses in the distance with the chimney smoke... and then you keep walking because maybe if you make it there, they'll be kind and let you inside, and you can shake off all of this chilly dampness by their fireplace and company.

- Danny is Tim's best kept secret after he dies. Tim stops talking about his family after that, gets really quiet when the topic is brought up in conversation, but he's still careful not to look upset even if his shoulders tense a bit when he smiles and says something along the lines of "Nah, I don't have much family anymore" when he's asked. Their parents passed away some time after Danny was gone (by natural causes), and Tim never forgave himself for not being able to get back at whatever killed him before they passed, so he doesn't feel it's right to be allowed to talk about them until he does, like some kind of mission he has to finish before he can let himself grieve properly.

- Peter and Elias either are or were married, but with the way they act its very hard to tell if they are actually divorced or just on the brink of it because of how they interact with one another, leading to the rumor that they keep divorcing and getting remarried frequently spreading around the office. Elias knows it frustrates Peter to have attention on them like that so he doesn't stop the rumors, and sometimes actively encourages them when they're in another one of their "divorced" periods. Peter doesn't actually ever fully leave though because he considers the relationship more transactional and useful, than anything nearing "love". They have their soft moments together though, brief little moments of understanding, very privately, and never discussed again after they happen. Elias misses him after he dies, even if Peter was trying to get him killed.

- Tim could've gone Desolation if the idea of serving an entity didn't disgust him. Choosing to serve an entity is a choice that you have to make, and Tim could see in Jon what doing that does to a person, and what people serving the Stranger did to his brother (even if he didnt know exactly what it was). Even if Jon didn't really start accepting being The Archivist until after his coma, Tim was alive before then and knew that it had changed him. Plus experiencing some of the other entities (being attacked by "worms", being in the tunnels, being in Michael's hallways, dealing with Jon's paranoia and stalking, being in the unknowing and seeing what happened to Danny), he has seen what kinds of effects these entities have on people. The Desolation likely did call out to him in that moment of the explosion, and he spat in its face because he'd literally rather die than ever give himself to something like that.

- Personally, I like big but short Martin who is a bit stronger than he looks because of hefting around file boxes in the archives. I imagine "the stacks" being a bunch of shelves sort of like a library but instead of books, there are boxes that fit in, with the files inside of them, but they're left a bit open and uncovered because air flow and climate controlled environment. I don't know if that's how it works bit that's how I imagine it. And then there's a lot of file boxes sort of stacked on top of one another on the ground and stacks of files also on the ground because that archive is an unrealistic mess and sort of ridiculous. But yeah. Big but short Martin who has some hidden muscle.

- Honestly if I imagine them all standing next to each other, Tim is the tallest, Sasha is only an inch or 2 inches shorter, Jon is a bit shorter than Sasha, like up to her shoulder, and Martin is the shortest and needs help getting things off the top shelves from the other three because he wobbles too much on the step ladder and it makes him nervous (another reason Jon likely finds him a bit irritating in the beginning).

- Jon's hair starts off short and very proper but grows out a bit in season 2 because he's too busy being paranoid to take care of himself. He gets a haircut when staying with Georgie in S3, and then his hair grows out a bit again while he's kidnapped, and he doesn't cut it again before The Unknowning. It grows to his shoulders during his coma. He doesn't take that good of care of it leaves it long until the Buried, where he has to cut it all off. He doesn't cut it again and he takes à bit better care of it after being rejected by Martin. It grows abnormally quickly leading to it being past his shoulders and with some natural curl by the time he and Martin do actually run away to the safe house. He wears it up most of the time during S5.

- Martin's hair is loosely curly and a ginger orange or strawberry blonde but fades to white as he gets pulled further into the Lonely by Peter Lukas. When hes working in the office under Peter and Jon asks him to run away together, its very washed out but not fully white, and when Jon rescues him from Peter's Lonely, it is pure white, and slowly fades back to its natural color once they are together and they get to the safe house, though a patch of it remains pure white up in the front of his hair, as if he had Poliosis. In his s5 domain when he's talking to himself, Lonely!Martin continues to have fully white hair.

- I have more but this is already pretty long so I'll stop here and if people care about this I'll answer asks or do another one.

[estevesia-whump]

hell's right hand (1.1): the beginning of the beginning

CW/TW: SA (not graphic but it's implied), torture (also not very graphic), abuse, blood, killing (implied), captivity, nausea/dry heaving (brief)

note: the mcs are 18-19 in this and nothing bad happens to the younger kids

-

He can tell from the slight changes in light filtering through the sliver of a window that it's been 10 days, at least, though it's only a rough estimate since he stopped counting at 5. He does know for sure that he needs to leave, somehow, but the second he was dumped in this concrete room, he knew there was no way out. No matter how hard he fought at the start, it only managed to drain out the remainder of his energy.

Something stings, or maybe everything stings, or maybe nothing at all. He's been checking himself for broken bones each time he wakes up and before he falls asleep, but all he can see are the bruises, scrapes and hickeys littered all over his arms, legs and chest. There's dried blood down his inner thighs, and probably on his back as well but he can't be sure. It's okay. They'll clean him soon.

It hurts to sit, so he curls up on the cold floor, back against the wall. Not the most comfortable, but it's better this than to have consistent throbs shooting through his pelvis and up his lower spine.

A few days ago, they stopped bothering to tie him down because he was too tired to do much, so it's just the ankle cuffs now. At least he won't have rope burns.

They clean him up every day (he thinks it's every day, but it might be twice a day -- either way, there's a pattern), blindfold him and bring him to a different room, one where he's cuffed to a bed. The softness doesn't feel good, though, because he's quickly thrust into until he's sticky and sweaty all over and he's sobbing and shaking and begging for it all to stop. It burns from the inside, a searing pain that leaves him feeling raw all over.

He then gets washed and dragged back to the concrete room afterwards. He's hit if he's still crying, so he usually tries to quell the tears, leaving him with a lump in his throat and nausea building in his gut. A plate is pushed in front of him, and he's instructed to eat. Usually it's bread or congee, still lukewarm.

The food itself isn't bad, but he's lucky if he can stomach it especially after the ordeal just minutes prior. If he doesn't eat it in an allotted time, it's taken away. If he throws up, he gets cleaned up and beaten again, but never enough to cause serious damage, unfortunately. He wishes they would deal some actual injuries, though, and then maybe they would just leave him alone.

There's an order to it that he gets used to eventually. He's allowed water every few hours. Food is allowed after he's been on that bed with a stranger (it seems to be a different person each time, judging from the different voices). He sleeps when he can, but it's never for a long time because he's woken up either by a throbbing pain or by one of his handlers shaking him awake.

This is his fault, though. He should've been more careful, should've listened to his parents. Where are his parents? He wonders if they're alright, if they miss him -- the mere thought makes him chuckle weakly. Of course they don't. They're probably celebrating that he's gone.

The door bangs open with a clang, and he's being manhandled, scrubbed down with soap and water, blindfolded and brought to that damned bedroom.

It doesn't hurt as much anymore. Maybe he's just gotten used to it, or maybe everything else just hurts so much that he can't pinpoint the pain. Whoever's with him this time finishes more quickly than the other ones, and Kyre gasps for air when he's done.

It's time for the other men to come in and clean him up now, but nothing happens.

A few seconds of just panting, then the man inside of Kyre falls to the side and the room goes quiet.

Someone, a girl, judging by the sound of the voice, swears. The man is pulled off of him, landing on the ground with a thunk and the cuffs and blindfold are removed, but he doesn't open his eyes, too exhausted to move.

"What's your name?" the voice asks.

What is his name? He hasn't heard it in a while... "K-Ky? ...Kyre."

"Can you open your eyes for me?"

"'M ti...tired," he mumbles, turning his face to the side.

"I can see that. Just open your eyes, please."

Whoever it is sounds urgent, so he forces himself to open his eyes and is met with the face of a girl wearing a helmet. Her face relaxes a little, and he closes his eyes again.

She's trying to help him sit up now, but the movement makes him dizzy and before he knows it, he's dry heaving and he's not sure which way is up so she turns him on his side and pats his back.

"Were you drugged?" she asks once the retching dies down a little.

He shakes his head.

"You sure?"

What do you mean, am I sure?

She sighs. "Let me find you some clothes and then we'll get out of here."

There's rustling, and then she's trying to put pants on him.

A weak moan escapes his lips when she pulls the pants up, scraping the wounds on his legs, and in the stinging pain and buzzing in his ears, for once, he can't feel a thing.

-

So the kid's name is Kyre, apparently. Why does it sound so familiar?

Liexia fumbles around the room, underneath the bed for any clothes she can put on the boy, and finally resorts to the clothes of the man she just killed. There's blood all over his shirt, so she takes the pants that are thrown off to the side. She'll get Kyre a shirt later.

She hoists him up, making sure to keep his head stabilized as he groans, blinking slowly.

"Wh-wha?"

"You passed out for a second there," she tells him. "Don't lean back, 'kay?"

For the amount of muscle he's got on him, he's a lot lighter than she expects, but not light enough to comfortably throw over one shoulder. She resorts to a pack strap carry, and from there, it's not too difficult to get him out of the room and past the bodies in the hallway.

Evander's waiting for her outside with the rest of the kids, who are playing with him and all seem to be fine, shaken at most, thankfully. For some reason, Kyre's the only one that's visibly hurt at all.

The moment he spots her, Evander jogs over to help carry Kyre to the group.

"You got everyone in there?" he asks, intentionally keeping his voice quiet.

"Yup. Made sure they were all dead before I went further in."

"I meant the victims, Liexia."

"He's the only one."

Evander frowns. "What?"

"Yeah. It was just him -- his name's Kyre, by the way -- and the little kids. Did you get their names and ages?"

"Aurelie did."

"Where is she right now?" Liexia asks, looking around.

"She's getting the car."

"We don't have enough seats, though," she replies. "I assume she's driving, and even if both of us don't get in the car, we'll only have 7 seats left. And how many kids are there? Ten?"

"Nine, not including Kyre. It's fine. We could have all the kids squeeze in the back, and one of us can call the authorities and get Kyre some medical care while everyone else drives to the motel. I can take the fall for this if--"

"No, I dragged you two into this, so it's my responsibility." Liexia sighs. "And nothing's gonna happen. We're not in the wrong, for the record, they are, so we're not calling the authorities. They'll find the bodies themselves and deal with it accordingly."

"You do realize the authorities are still going to find you either way, right? You killed a pretty high profile guy in there."

"So? I've done that multiple times even before you and Aurelie joined me. The authorities haven't gotten me once. We'll bring Kyre to the motel with us and I'll have my mom treat him."

"Can he wait that long?"

"He doesn't seem to be drugged, Ev. It's fine."

"Just because he doesn't seem to be drugged doesn't mean he isn't!"

Aurelie pulls up to the curb with the car at that moment, headlights on. "Get in."

Evander has the kids file in first, managing to fit the five older ones in the back row. Three smaller kids sit next to Evander in the middle row with the smallest boy on his lap, while Liexia helps Kyre into the passenger seat and clips the seatbelt.

The car doors close and Liexia climbs up to the car roof, clipping herself onto the top bars.

Aurelie rolls down her window. "Ready, Liexia?"

"Yup."

The car begins moving down the gravel road, away from the now abandoned building tainted of blood.

-

interested in reading more?

Synopsis of 1st arc of series: Liexia, the 18 year-old daughter of a renowned gang boss, goes on missions for what she views as justice: cleansing the world of criminals that are above the law. But when she leaves a trace for the first time in years, a private military corporation tracks her down and will use whatever means necessary to turn her into a full-fledged mercenary.

[bunbeeplays]

Ophelia's a bit nervous for her next shift. She tries to regain passion for her job, maybe a little too hard.

Ophelia: You are confident, you are talented, and you are going to keep working to get the recognition you deserve, EVEN IF IT WOOHOOCKING KILLS YOU.

Right before she gets ready for her shift at the Blue Velvet, her phone starts blowing up with texts and calls from Travis, Summer and Libby! Something about her showing up in some paparazzi photos from yesterday... There's no time to chat, guys, she's going to be late for work!

Work goes great! People are paying attention to her performance! She even hears people whispering about her in between sets.

Townie: That's the girl in those Brytani Cho pictures! In our own little nightclub!

The tips, the applause! Is Ophelia becoming a local celebrity?

With her new-found status as an up-and-comer, the local coffee shop invites Ophelia to perform a couple gigs for their patrons. She can't say no to more tips, plus maybe she'll get a free coffee.

Of course, because celebrities cannot mind their own damn business in this game, who else would show up but Brytani Fucking Cho

Brytani: My maid keeps getting gigs, good for her

Forget Brytani Cho, and apparently Judith Ward who is also in the background somewhere. They pale in comparison to who would happen to walk in next: The larger than life and insanely fabulous Penny Pizzazz. She leaves a hefty tip and requests to talk to Ophelia during her break.

Penny: Hey, hun, thanks for chatting with me.

Ophelia: Are you kidding? I love Penny For Your Thoughts! It's my favorite blog!

Penny: Perfect, so you already know who I am.

Ophelia: Of course! Anyone who's been on the internet ever has heard of Penny Pizzazz!

Penny: I appreciate the flattery, darling, but I actually wanted to talk about you. I'm assuming you saw my blog post where I announced I recently got engaged.

Ophelia: Yeah! Congratulations to you and Miko!

Penny: Thank you. We're beyond excited. We were actually just looking into a place to have the wedding at in Tartosa. The couple that runs the wedding venue we were touring mentioned your name. Hector and Hilary Laurent?

Ophelia: The Laurents? Oh yeah, they've seen me perform at my night job at the Blue Velvet a couple of times. They said they might be interested in having me join their in-house wedding band but they don't have any openings.

Penny: Well they might just have to make one.

Penny: We listened to their current singers. They're perfectly fine. Very professional, polished. Now, clearly, you can tell I like things that stand out a little more. That's where you come in. We told the Laurents we weren't feeling the music and might shop around for other options. That's when they told us about you. You're making quite the name for yourself, aren't you, Miss Notable Newcomer?

Ophelia: Wait, you want ME to sing at your wedding? I'm sorry, I don't understand. Not that I don't appreciate being considered, but couldn't you have like... a real celebrity sing for you?

Penny: You're damn right I could but that's not how Penny Pizzazz rolls. When I was a measly media intern, getting coffee and picking up dry cleaning, I begged for people to see my potential but no one did. There's something about you, I can tell you're a go-getter like me. I'm always looking for something fresh, fun, and baby, that's you.

Ophelia: Wow, I don't know what to say. Thank you would be a good place to start.

Penny: Don't thank me, girl. This isn't a charity case. You've got some raw talent. Who knows? Maybe someday I'll get to tell people the world-famous Ophelia Lemon sang at my wedding. Now, this isn't a done deal. My fiancée's shift ends soon. She wanted to listen to you as well, but trust me, I'm a much harder nut to crack than her. If she agrees, I'll let the Laurents know we want you at our wedding. Trust me, they'll find a way to make it happen.

Penny was right, Miko stopped by not long after Ophelia got back on stage to sing a few more songs. She seems pleased with what she's hearing!

After finishing the next set, the girls sit down to chat.

Miko: It's such a funny story, actually. I was in charge of setting up the yearly fashion show fundraiser for No Sim Left Behind, but my boss has coordinated everything with the celebrity emcee so I had no idea who it was.

Penny: It was me. When I showed up, she thought I was a volunteer and put me to work setting up chairs!

Ophelia: OMW!

Miko: Sorry I'm not chronically online! You didn't even tell me. You just started setting up chairs. My boss had a fit when she saw me giving you orders!

Penny: You looked like you needed help and I had two perfectly good hands! Besides, I liked that you didn't step on eggshells with me. Even after you found out who I was, you were embarrassed, but you didn't treat me like Penny Pizzazz. You treated me like Penny.

Miko: Aww

Penny: What did you think of her, sweetie? You have the final say.

Miko: You have a lovely voice, Ophelia. You're just what we're looking for. We'd love to have you sing at our wedding.

Ophelia: Thank you both so much, this is such an honor! I won't let you down!

[thegeminisage]

back at it in zelda. i complain about the western half of the map but one region i do really like is tabantha, esp around the canyon. everything is very tall and pretty. im grabbing a few korok seeds here while i do shrines as a treat before i move on to satori mountain

flame gleeok where the "stop following me" memory was!! at least i'm equipped to fight them now

i figured out why flame armor doesn't work. you need hot weather armor ie gerudo clothes. wtf

TUNIC OF AWAKENING!!! gr8 reward

SHOOTING STAR!!!!! i didnt see it fall but i can see the light tower from here. it landed directly on the peak of satori mountain and i have no way to fast travel there. it's almost 3am, even with the bike there's no way i can make it. ugh!!! :(

geez i forgot how good the foraging was here. so many mushrooms......

wah. the ruins at the little horse shoe shaped area with the statue. there was a memory here too iirc!

wait...there's water flowing here! wasn't it dry in the last game?? wtf zelda has been at work restoring things AAAAAA

satori mountain cave is cool as hell. all these little guys running around and every time i think i've got to the end there's more of it. i keep going the wrong way on purpose so i can see everything lol

okay! i did some math and if i wanted to get every shrine and still have time to beat the game before pikmin 4, i'd need bare minimum to get 3 shrines per day. but i want FOUR shrines per day so i also have a bit of time to fuck around. today i've gotten the two on satori mountain and it is OFFICIALLY cleaned out. i didn't plan to get all the korok seeds, but they were RIGHT THERE, so.

not sure what shrines im getting next...maybe the horrible hand one by the tower just to get it out of the way lol. i can't believe i walked past those hands 3000 times w/o knowing they were close by. augh

break for now for Stuff tho.

break over. going to the scary shrine before i can chicken out :(

lindors brow cave, for the curious

im so scared im so scared Im So Scared

ok. the good news is. i think if i fly over this Big Pit That Looks Like An Arena i'll miss them. the bad news is. i don't get my frog if i do that. so i gotta spawn them and THEN run. i don't get out of this without spawning them.

AAAAAAAAAGH I DONT WANNA. ok. here we go.

spawned them by ACCIDENT while flying over. good fucking god. im waiting for them to despawn now but its taking forever. idw fight them bc then they'll just spawn phantom ganon

well. they are not leaving.

i'm not going down there. fuck that. i'm shooting them from up here til phantom ganon shows up to kick my ass

SOLO'D THAT MOTHERFUCKER WITH A LYNEL BOW AND BOMB ARROWS!!!!! BUDDY YOU AIN'T SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my hands are shaking. that was horrible. oh my god

ok. wheres that damn frog.

at least its a raurus blessing shrine. imagine having to do all that and THEN they hit u with puzzles

you know though i feel really lucky in some respects though bc. there are places on this map that indicate hand presence. and i remember being in those places and not running into hands there. a brush with fucking death and i didn't even know it

like i swear i walked RIGHT over their spawnpoint in maritta exchange ruins and...nope. nothing.

the biggest chunk of ground shrines i havent gotten yet are in hebra or gerudo desert, both areas i HATE bc of the walking speed debuff. might as well swipe a few more hebra ones and make it easier for future me

oops, i did this shrine quest out of order, i killed a talus which had a crystal on it and now i have to take it to a shrine which means dragging it behind me while i explore this whole cave. smh. at least i can cheat with my map to tell me where the shrine was tho lol

wtf how am i supposed to get it up this big tunnel...dont say hot air balloon.......

(im using a hot air balloon)

THE AIR CURRENT FUCKS WITH MY BALLOON

this is so harrowing. this is the worst cave, oh my god

ANOTHER vertical air column? for the love of god

i guess i have to make another balloon. i only have 1 floating platform and im saving it for worse emergencies than this :/

wait. i think i just went in a big circle?? IS THE SHRINE NOT IN THE CAVE?

oh my god it LITERALLY wasnt in the cave i dragged it around that whole time and made those annoying wonky hot air balloons for NOTHING!!! the beam didnt show up until i tried to pick it up with my hands (which didnt happen until near the end of the cave exploration), so i just assumed...

jesus goddamn christ. fucking bullshit lmao i'm an idiot

OKAY. shrine get.

another shrine which was some eventide bullshit. i wish you could keep the items from those i want arrows :(

ANOTHER BREAK.

ok. im back. gonna see whats in that big fuckoff hole (my map says a shrine)

i always feel so bad for addison when i find him in rough climates. he's shivering!! go home, buddy!!!

this froggy armor fucking sucks. i've got the whole set and i still slip on the ice >:(

ok, i got...5?? 6?? shrines today so well ahead of schedule lol. tomorrow i'm doing ANYTHING but hebra

[a-livingcorpse]

Everyone's replaceable, aren't they? (My Darling Boy)

Chapter 3- Nik's POV- (Soap x OC)

TW: Talks of suicide and overdosing, S//H, self-hatred, hyper-sexualization of oneself, and being a target of a criminal organization

Where am I? Is this Med Bay?

I look around the white room with dim lights, a couple nurses checking on me.

Definitely Med Bay. Damn.

"Hey Nikolaus, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

I recognize that voice anywhere, Layla, the nurse who always takes care of me when I'm in. Never know why she does. I probably just managed to get injured while she's on duty.

"Hey Layla, just tiered," I state, my voice gravely and dry.

"I bet......you gave us quite the scare ya' know."

"Yeah......sorry 'bout that..."

"Nik, if you need to talk at all-"

"I'm alright, just a rough patch is all."

"A rough patch? Nik, you tried to fucking kill yourself. Price and Soap were in tears. Gaz had to help the ever-stoic Ghost through a panic attack."

"Layla-"

"Don't fucking 'Layla' me, you were almost dead. You're lucky we got your ass back. You would be dead if Gaz didn't wake up for early training. You should be thanking him."

"Why would I thank him for saving me? Maybe I didn't want to be saved."

Layla looks at me with a dumbfounded and hurt expression.

Shit, that came out harsher than I wanted it to...

"Look, Layla, I'm glad he saved me, don't get me wrong, but you have to understand... my family... I would be saving them-"

"Saving them? You would be saving your family by killing yourself?"

"Yes-"

"That's a load of horseshit, and you know it."

"Layla-"

"Cut the shit Valentine, why-"

"Layla, my family and I are in witness protection, and at this point, I have to at least fake my death and make it seem real, so they'll stop looking for us. So, to everyone else yes, I am dead."

She looks at me confused "W-who......who is 'they', Nik?"

"I......I'm sorry Layla, but I can't say.......all I can say is that it's a criminal organization from Las Almas..."

I swallow my pride before speaking again, eyes starting to well with tears as I talk to Layla.

"And, as far as Price and everyone else is concerned, I am dead... the attempt did work."

[sinceileftyoublog]

The Church Live Show Review: 11/1, Evanston SPACE

BY JORDAN MAINZER

I'll admit it: Thought I admire both their underrated back catalog and new concept album The Hypnogogue (Communicating Vessels), having never seen The Church, I was wary of Steve Kilbey's ability to weave AI-inspired futuristic concepts into the shimmery wistfulness of the band's old songs. Maybe this was the result of having spent so much time recently trying to place myself in the mind of another overly ambitious rock icon. And perhaps my thoughts were unfair considering The Hypnogogue is a cohesive-sounding front-to-back album, stellar independent of its story. But a part of me was nonetheless skeptical of the juxtaposition of heady slow burns with dream pop classics.

Well, immediately after finishing the building "Ascendence", Ian Haug and Ashley Naylor's siren-like guitars leading the way, Kilbey declared that the Australian band was "playing better than ever before," 26 gigs in a row be damned. Indeed, they were so fine-tuned--his perfectly yearning vocals on "Destination", touring drummer Nicholas Meredith's disco beat breakdown on "Metropolis"--that by the time he introduced the concept of The Hypnogogue on ballad "No Other You", you were too, well, hypnotized, by the stadium sounds emanating from a small stage, to take in the plot. Kilbey contextualized The Hypnagogue's songs within the album's universe whenever he introduced them, but he did so non-linearly, as if each song was its own vignette. "Flickering Lights" sees the narrator hearing a nostalgic song in a cab, represented live by Jeffrey Cain's washy synths and Haug and Naylor's chiming guitars. "Antarctica", meanwhile, is named after the motherland of the main character, and the band's Pink Floyd-like, deliberate, effects-heavy prog funk conjured the feeling of being so cold you can't think straight. "Albert Ross"'s namesake in the fictional world is a disappeared guitar tech, and what better way to pay tribute to the lost soul than for Kilbey to thank the band's road crew, especially because they had to bring a mandolin just for that song?

Of course, The Church's hits were highlights, from "Hotel Womb" and "Fly", both enveloped by voluminous synths, to a lounge-like version of "Under the Milky Way" and stomping "Grind". But I was blown away by many of their deep cuts. During a mid-concert mini acoustic set, they nailed "Old Coast Road", a gorgeously jangly highlight from 2014's Further/Deeper. Meredith's motorik drumming both propelled and offered a welcome contrast to the otherwise beatific "C'est La Vie". Kilbey's dry, spoken delivery on "Second Bridge" recalled the depth of Jarvis Cocker. And "Tantalized", sans the theatrical horns of its studio version, was a tried and true monochromatic banger, clattering drums and scratchy, early 80's-The Edge-like guitars splitting eardrums in a venue over four times smaller than the theaters The Church were playing earlier in the year.

Ask any casual music fan about The Church, and they'll think of the band who made "Under the Milky Way". It is a great song; the moment the synthetic guitar solo meant to sound like bagpipes comes in, is one of the greatest in 80's rock. I posit, though, that their best song is "Reptile", whose revolving Marty Willson-Piper riff is the earworm of all earworms. This lineup, along with appropriate green and orange strobe lighting, stuck the landing, the dual guitar interplay shining in a matchup of stop-start stabs behind Kilbey's whispered sneer of a vocal turn. It was the emotional climax of the show, prepping you for the all-out closing cacophony jam of "You Took", and one that reminded you that a band in their fifth decade sounds like they could share a stage with some of today's best post-punk bands, even if their sound is meant to evoke noises of the past.

[casspurrjoybell-26]

The Contract - Chapter 1

*Warning Adult Content*

"BECKETT." 

The bangs grew louder. 

"Open up. I know you're in there." 

They're not going to give up unless they break my door down or I answer it and that's never going to happen, either way, they won't be satisfied...

Not until they beat the hell out of me or I give them their money, either way, I don't have their money and I never will, not when I'm like this and can't get a decent-paying job.

Money.

It's the root of all evil and my main problem right now.

The men at the door go quiet, so maybe I have some good luck, after all, now I just need to find another place to crash.

A brown envelope appears from under my door and is shoved into my room, I quietly stop forward and grab it.

"We'll be back next week and if you don't have our money by then Beckett, I'm breaking every bone in your body."

I take the paper from the envelope with shaking hands and read what's on it.

"See you next week."

The man says as the sound of his footsteps grows distant.

My stomach drops.

"THREE MILLION DOLLARS?"

There's no way I can pay that back.

I only had a loan of 10k, how the hell did it rise to 3 million?

I know loaning from anyone other than the bank was a risk but I didn't know just how much... until now.

Fuck... fuck.

I don't have enough to buy a God-damn slice of bread, there's no way I can pay this back and the rest I borrowed from different places and people.

I'm really going to die, like this... because of money.

I head into my bedroom and grab my phone from the bed and start phoning the only person I trust.

"Hello? Evan?"

I sigh in relief once I hear his voice.

"Robbie, they now say I owe them three million. What am I going to do?" I grip the piece of paper in my hands. "One of the guys I loaned money from was just here and if I don't get 3 million by next week... I'm dead, they're going to kick the door down next time and kill me, this time I know they will..."

"Woah Evan, slow down, three million?" he loudly asked. Tears fall from my eyes and I let them. "You need to go to the police, it's gotten way out of hand Evan, you need to tell them you're being scammed and now threatened."

Tears fall from my eyes and I let them.

"I already did, they won't help me.'

I rub my eyes.

"Banks have blacklisted me and now work is drying up... I've screwed up Robbie, I never should've borrowed in the first place but I was desperate."

Really...

The more I think about it, maybe it's about time I just let them inside and beat the shit out of me, beg them for my life, maybe they'll even let me live if I work for them?

There's nothing I can offer them but my life, to work off my debt.

"I have an idea... but it's a long shot."

"What? I'm desperate, at this point I'll do anything," I sigh. "A long as it's not anything sketchy."

"It's not anything like that," Robbie insists. "I knew a guy who knew this singer who was in a situation, she went to this guy and he gave her money, all she had to do was one simple thing, whatever he asked, and she did it."

"That girl was Carmen Deed the lead singer in Girls 101, she took the deal and in return, she got her dream, stardom and the money to pay off her debts"

Carmen... I've heard of her, I thought it was crazy how one day nobody heard of her, then the next she's top of the charts and in makeup adverts.

"What did she do?" I tap my foot nervously. "To get all that, it can't be that simple, nothing is."

"Don't know, the guy didn't say, something about an NDA."

Robbie's voice gets happier. 

"Evan, you need this, just think, you could be getting movie parts, you could pay off your debts, you need this Evan."

"What left have you got to lose?"

He's right, I know he is, I have nothing left but a bed and an empty fridge with ketchup inside and the clothes on my back.

But something about this seems too good to be true, no one in their right mind would give you money for a single ask in return.

"Okay." I breathe out, shaking. "Who... what was the person's name?"

Let's just get those over with, there's no harm in going and asking.

My pride is already on the floor, I have no other options left anymore.

"Donovan Steele," he says.

I try to think but I've never heard of them.

"Is it legit? Would they see me for an appointment?"

Robbie leaves me in a long silent pause.

"I mean... there's no harm in trying right?" he says sheepishly. "I'll text you the number and address, it's a shot in the dark, after all, they say this guy is the devil but he gets shit done."

"Thanks, Robbie, shit I don't know what I would do without you, seriously, you're my guardian angel."

"Just stay out of trouble until then, I'm not burying my best friend because of this, you got that Evan?" he says, before hanging up.

Robbie sent me the address and number, my stomach churns for some reason with anxiety once I read the man's name again.

Going onto Google on my phone, I type in the guy's name and wait.

'Donovan Steele' pops up so I then click on the first link, his Wikipedia page.

The first thing that attracts me, is his face, I was expecting some old grey fat guy who liked younger women but Donovan was anything but what I had expected.

Donovan was handsome and young, with a net worth more than anything I would ever see or touch in my entire life and for someone so young, he had risen to the top all by himself, in such a short time.

It said he was one of America's wealthiest and youngest bachelors and I believe it.

In the first photo I see, he was standing in front of his desk with a view of New York in the background from his large glass window, he was leaning against his desk with his arms crossed, with a passive expression.

The whole image of this guy screamed 'money'.

I scroll down and I see his net worth and what he owns and my eyes almost pop out of my head upon realizing just who he is.

He's a billionaire who owns Steele, a business company and it also says he's the CEO of Desire... one of the best talent agencies in America and in my option, the world, anyone who is part of Desire has automatically reached the peak of their career in my line of work.

It would be a dream to have an agent from Desire, only the top actors and models with deep pockets ever get the chance to step foot inside the building, never mind actually getting signed on as a talent with them.

If I became a talent here, I could be in TV shows and movies... fuck I'd no longer be scraping by with commercials that only aired when everyone else was sleeping, adverts not even I would blink twice at.

Fuck it, I'm calling them, I'm at a crossroads with dead ends, there's no other option left for me, it's this or I run back home like a loser, without accomplishing anything.

I'm not ready to leave my dream behind... I still have one last move, and that is Donovan Steele.

[shamelesshussythoughts]

I am so tired.

I'm so tired of trying.

I asked CD when to know when it's time to just throw your hands up and quit. His well thought out and intentioned advice was when you've tried everything and nothing has worked. Problem is, I am SO FUCKING TIRED of trying. I also, don't ever know when to quit.

I'm just so exhausted from it all.

Is it too much to ask to be loved or cared for by someone?

I'm watching all my friends who have been through the shits and they're getting married, dating, having kids with their new partners, they're all SO FUCKING HAPPY. They all are finally coming out the other side and I'm still lost in the middle without a flashlight.

I'm happy for everyone. JL is having a spooky little Halloween baby with her boyfriend, CD met someone, other people on my feeds are getting married and engaged, they're going places and taking pictures with these genuinely happy faces, arms linked, kissing, laughing, having the time of their lives with someone who cares. I know what I see isn't the whole story. But what I see is what I want, even if there are squabbles and obstacles behind the scenes, at least they all like each other.

I am just so tired of trying.

Twice in less than a month I have ended up with migraines so bad I've been nauseous. The first was a week or two ago. I had to leave work early and it was the most terrifying drive of my life. Every time I moved my eyes I wanted to vomit, every time I blinked I was afraid my body would decide it was time to nap and I'd doze off. I didn't know what was wrong at first, I've never had a migraine that bad. I picked up headache medicine and tums on my break and they didn't help. I was dry heaving off and on the rest of the afternoon until I finally was able to leave.

Yesterday I felt the tension headache coming on but I made it through the day somehow. By the time I got home I was nauseous, feverish, and in so much pain. Some time after 5:00 when I had dry heaved as much as I could I was able to finally drift off until about 7:00 when I finally felt a little more human.

The stress of this marriage is affecting my physical health now. I cannot and will not live like that. I have to protect myself and my health. I still have a tight neck and lingering head pain. It felt like I was being kicked in the forehead yesterday. Today it's more an occasional rap on the top of my skull.

I'm so tired of the half assed, apologetic lies I get. All the bullshit that is supposed to be said gets said. I mention his drinking is out of control, he says he'll stop next week. Of course, my bitter self scoffed at that. How many weeks ago did he first say next week? It's always next week and never today. I'm tired of waiting for next week, whenever that happens to be. I'm tired of the fighting, I'm tired of the bullshit, I'm tired of the meaningless truce that gets made each time. I'm tired of pretending I've not just been through an emotional paper shredder that is starting to leave more and more frayed nerves behind. I'm tired of crying.

I'm tired of feeling like the only way to make it stop is to hurt myself. I did it a couple weeks ago, I did it again yesterday. If, by some strange chance, anyone sees it, I guess I'll give whatever answer fits best. It hurt so much I had to hurt myself to make what I felt inside quiet down. I kept having these terrible thoughts of slashing my arms to ribbons but I'm not trying to die. I just want the pain to stop. No one knows about this. I can't tell anyone, they'll ask too many questions and maybe attempt to intervene in some way. I don't need a damn intervention. I need someone to hold me while I cry and tell me it's going to be okay until I stop. I need a fucking sincere hug from someone who actually cares.

My hand hurts from punching the wall last night. I think I jammed my middle finger.

What the hell am I going to do tonight?

[starvette]

T 11-13/90 51.8

I got paid and suddenly I have so much to do there's time only for brief stenographies of my days.

11 I weighed 51.6. Mom got me sweet cherries and a piece of smoked cod. Both were excellent. But not excellent enough for me to stop freaking out and tweeting at him. Mom checked how my hair removal has been going on the back of my thighs and said it was much better. Then she proceeded to make gnarly comments about how I am perfect the way I am. I did my arm weight workout for the first time in a long time and read a great many KP posts. I've been really enjoying sunbathing and took some decent selfies after today's session. Acne is starting to come back without any sweeteners.

12 The tweet worked! Sort of. I'm still depressed and blasting Married in Mount Airy. Right when things had started to get peaceful again, mom comes crying in my room - dad is being mean again. I force myself to put it out of my mind because if they're two old fucking adults who have always been so much smarter than me, well then why the hell can't they figure it out between themselves. I obviously have enough to worry about that nobody else ever EVER worries about. For example, my neighbor granny's imprisoned cat. While making gas safety rounds at noon I notice she has put up a sort of mosquito net in front of her window. It's obviously for her cat. Is that how he escaped last time? I read a giant article about the lab leak theory. Probably took me way too long. Then I read in the news that a girl has been beat up in the face by a gang of teenagers in town center late at night. Makes me queasy about running. I stayed in, ate two bags of frozen bean pods and watched the idol. Tomorrow is planned binge day which I'm disgustingly excited for, but I couldn't wait, I had to see it right away so I had only those beans for a movie snack.

13 The most amazing thing happens. I get paid! I tell him I love him. Depression lifts right away. I actually worked out and then went out to get those damn pastries. I got three almond croissants, two vegan cinnabuns, one nutella danish, and one regular croissant. ...aaand... They're kind of dry. They're not that great. I get full fast and don't even want the rest. What I want is to throw all this crap up. I tried doing that but I just got a few wet crumbs out. Maybe they'd already digested?! Anyway. It's clear that I truly cannot purge. I swear off any more binges ever again. Like, I really fucking regret this one. I have two leftover pastries. Don't even want them at all. Gonna gift to mom. In the afternoon I hear a terrible bellowing outside. She must have opened her window and her cat is pleading to get outside? It honestly breaks my heart. Well, then I tell myself I have to save myself before I can save anyone else, sunbathe, and I. finally. fucking. get. finasteride. I was extremely pleasantly surprised by the price. That made me feel a lot more hopeful and positive about this whole fin ordeal looming ahead. When I got home, mom was finishing up bathing and told me that dad has mellowed out and is sweet again. We decided to give him my leftover pastries as reward. And just maybe they'll kill him a bit sooner. I've started wearing skirts around the house for the KP. After all, pants, especially those made of plastic, aren't natural at all. Nor is sitting. When I don't feel like wearing a skirt I'll just imagine I'm living with a sexual deviant dominant daddy who's ordered me to wear skirts at all times. But it's been pretty easy now since it's 25 degrees inside.

[esoterium]

laurie was buried nose deep in a book. some candles burning bright among the dimly lit lamps in her living room. she'd lost track of time. dug into the novel when the sun was still pretty high in the sky. but now she was flipping pages closer towards the middle and food got away from her. not the idea of a few empty beer bottles and a glass of water that's been dry for a while now, though. least she was hydrated? sorta. sorta not. but who's keeping track? her mind's deep into the pages of her book and that's where she's quite happy leaving it.

so much that the first knock doesn't do a damn thing to stir her. it's the second and third ones that have her eyes rising over the rims of her glasses towards the door. the book lowers. she has half-a-mind to sit there and wait for them to stop. for whoever is behind that door to get tired of her not answering. in spite of her car being in the short driveway. maybe they'll get sick of being ignored, think she isn't home? or simply--whatever reason they come up with--go away.

but.. no. she's trying to be better. trying to put herself in a better frame of being. not just mind. she's not sure if better frame of mind is ever a term that's gonna fit right on her. better frame of being though? sounds like a fucking self help book line but she'll use it. uncurling from her position and setting the book on the endtable, she grabs the empty bottles and tosses them in the recycling on the way to the door. she knows who it is via the top of his head through the window. suddenly. she knows she woulda felt like an asshole if it was him she let disappear. she likes opening the door to that face--so she does. and she smiles. a real one. cause it's frank. and he brings that out in her. and a warmth fills her chest. one she allows. for the first time in a very long time. at least this sort've warmth.

blinking out of the smiling greeting, she springs into action a couple seconds later. realizing what he was balancing. "what in--you brought dinner?" her stomach instantly reminds her it's been since the morning since she had anything to eat. "and beer.." lips part, her head cocks to the side and she squints (playfully) at him. "this isn't the precursor to bad news is it? cause if so? i'll take both these and close the door right now. don't think i won't.."

Better In Time || Frank & Laurie || @esoterium

Frank hoped that Michael Myers finally being dead would open doors for him and Laurie. Sitting on her front steps talking about Cherry Blossoms and travel felt like a step in the right direction. He knew it would take time to convince her to take those steps with him. He'd waited this long for her, and he was content to keep righting on waiting if that's what she needed. It pained him to know that the boogeyman had done so much damage to her and had taken much more than terrifying her one night when she was seventeen.

He'd talked himself into bringing Chinese takeout and a six pack for to share to her front door, and then damn near talked himself out of it half way to picking up the food. Then once he had it in his hands, he talked himself right back into carrying on with his plans. He stopped at the convenient mart a couple blocks from her neighborhood to pick up her favorite brand of beer. It wasn't his favorite, but he'd suffer through it. He'd do anything for her.

Moving up onto her porch, he knocked quickly as he tried to juggle the brown bag of Chinese food with the bottled six-pack of beers so that his hand would be free when she opened the door. He should have called, but he was afraid she would tell him no. This way, she would have to look him in the face in order to turn him down. A big part of him hoped that it would be harder for her to do so. His heart skipped a beat when he heard movement from inside her home. It was too late to run for the car now.

[traumxrei-archive]

【 a day i can't forget 】

author's note: BACK WITH AN OCTATRIYUU FIC !! long time no them <33 this'll be kinda weird to explain, but in the octatriyuu universe, this comes after my two previous octatriyuu fics + the unwritten sequel to "three's a crowd". so if they seem closer, that's why ! it's bc they spent a lotta time around each other. nonetheless, i hope you enjoy !!

characters: gn! yuu, azul ashengrotto, floyd leech, jade leech, jamil viper, kalim al asim, grim

warning: book 4 ending spoilers + vague descriptions of being dragged into water

word count: 4.8k words (we love ~5k of octatriyuu content)

tags: octatriyuu woo, oasis retreat !!, octa gets yuu to swim without manipulation (NOT CLICKBAIT), a pinch of jealousy, jamil knows, lifeguard azul >:D, eelform tweels aka pool noodle bois, pranks (affectionate), it's literally them messing around jsdkjs

[ or read it on ao3 ]

This was not where Yuu was expecting to be after that grueling fight. After Jamil's overblot was over and done with, Kalim had the sudden idea to host a party, which— thinking about it now— was a very Kalim-like decision.

He had Oasis Maker-ed the small oasis into a full-blown lake and now, everyone was enjoying a little bit of time out in the sun. It was a welcome change from their strict schedule under the hypnotized Kalim's tyranny. Jamil had calmed down from his, ahem, outburst and he was now cooking various meats on a grill. And Grim had seated himself in the vicinity of where the food was placed.

With that, Yuu thought that this would be the time for them to relax too. Keyword thought in the past tense. Because as soon as they tried to sit down in one of the lounge chairs Kalim had so nicely pulled out, they were being picked up by the arms.

"Wh–"

"Shrimpy! Don't tell me you're gonna be boring like Azul and just sit~" Floyd was grinning brightly, his hands wrapped around their right arm. "Let's take a swim!"

Shit. They had almost forgotten that the trouble trio was here. That meant that to their left was...

"Floyd is correct, Yuu-san," Jade, who gave them his most innocent eye smile— one that no one should ever trust— "It would be wise to take advantage of this situation. Besides, when else will we have the opportunity to indulge in swimming in an oasis?"

"You really are horrible senpais," Yuu grumbled as they swung their legs in vain. Damn the both of them for being so tall. "I want to rest. My legs feel like they'll fall off any second, and- Wait a second, why are you carrying me closer to the edge of the oasis-!"

Yuu started to struggle as soon as the Leeches were calf-deep in water, "Pause! Wait!! I don't- I didn't bring a change of clothes with me-"

There was a chorus of laughter from the both of them before Jade spoke, "My, it's amusing to think that wet clothes would stop us."

"He's right, he's right~" Floyd giggled. "We learned to dry clothes off in land boot camp, so why'd it be a problem?"

They screeched when they felt the water licking at their ankles, "Stop, wait, okay, I'll swim with you guys! Just get me a swimming suit, please!" They desperately wrapped their legs around Jade's waist, narrowly missing the water by a hairsbreadth.

"It's a deal," They said in unison before smiling at them.

"Honestly, you three," They felt a surge of magic envelop them before they were floating through the air; back over to the shore where Azul was standing. "I told you two to wait while I fetch a swimming suit for them. And don't tell me you fell for their tricks again."

"Try getting picked up like a cat by them, senpai," Yuu sighed deeply, grabbing the swimsuit. "I'm not tall enough, nor do I have the magic to get away."

"Maybe if you didn't show them such an, mm, amusing reaction, let's say, they wouldn't tease you so openly," Azul was definitely hiding a smirk behind his carefully placed hand. The bastard. "Now go ahead and change. Or would you like me to give you some more incentive?"

"Seven's above, you three are annoying," Yuu muttered to themself.

They looked down at the swimsuit before looking up at the trio's expectant gazes. They wanted them to swim? Okay. Fine. As long as no one made them do laps, they could still laze around in the water. (Or so they hoped.)

As they were walking to the changing tent, they spotted Jamil watching them from where he was still manning the grill. There was this bluntly amused look on his face as they came over.

"Jamil-senpai, were you watching me the whole time?"

"I mean after you yelled out like that?" Jamil shrugged. "Who wasn't watching?"

"And you did nothing to save me?" Yuu gasped; mock-scanadalized. "Seriously though, I could've used the help."

"Look," Jamil said as he expertly flipped the patties into their buns. "Why would I help the very person who single-handedly ruined all my plans?" He held out a burger for them to take– and they had to admit, it looked better than any restaurant burger that they had ever had.

Yuu paused for a moment before accepting the burger, "Y'know I said this before, but you really are evil on the inside."

"Shrim~py!"

The taller eel suddenly draped himself over them, knocking them right into the table, "You're takin' too long!"

"Floyd," Yuu said after straightening themself out. Thank the Seven the burger didn't fly out of their hands. It would've been trouble if any of it hit Jamil.

Jamil hissed, "Floyd. I want you nowhere near the grill."

"I know, I know," Floyd's tone was light but there was something in his eyes that made Yuu think twice about pushing him off. "What were you talking 'bout to Sea Snake, Shrimpy? Somethin' fun?"

"Nothing much," Yuu brandished the burger half-heartedly. "He was just giving me one of these."

"Eh? Was it specially made for Shrimpy?" The pressure Floyd put on their shoulders increased slightly, to their annoyance.

"Well, no, he was making them for everyone, but–"

"Just to clarify," Jamil interrupted, holding up his spatula. "I have no intention on being friends with you from now on, Prefect. In fact, I find you annoying."

"Gee, thanks, no one asked," They said sarcastically at the out-of-nowhere comment. Yet there was no returning jab from either party. Instead, when they glanced up, Floyd seemed to be having an intense stare-off with Jamil.

He must've seen something that he agreed with because he beamed after breaking the eye contact, "Alright~ I believe you, Sea Snake."

Floyd then bent down, grabbing their wrist and taking the biggest bite Yuu had seen a human— or, well, an eelmer, in Floyd's case— ever take. Nonetheless, almost all of it was gone; fallen victim to the sharpness of Floyd's teeth.

"Just...just have the rest," Yuu said dejectedly, holding the burger up to Floyd's awaiting mouth. "Yeah, I wasn't hungry at all."

They felt a few stares being directed at them so they looked over to see Jade and Azul looking in their direction too. There was something steely in their gaze but as soon as they caught them, they both smiled brightly, having the audacity to even wave at them.

"Great Seven, I almost feel sorry for you," Jamil muttered, before turning back to prepare more food.

"What's that supposed to mean?" As soon as the question was out of their mouth, Floyd seized them by the shoulders. "I was still talking to him, Floy-"

"Nah, nah," Floyd's laughter echoed closely in their ears. "Sea Snake's just bein' funny. Don't worry your pretty little head over it, Shrimpy!" They were very eagerly led towards the changing tents, which Floyd kicked open before they stepped in. "C'mon~ I'll be waiting for you right outside."

"You better not peek," Yuu stared warily at him as they secured the tent flap.

"Mmm, I won't," Floyd's tone shifted to a serious one. "Respecting people's privacy's something Azul told me to do. Unless, they don't respect ours, ehe~"

Yuu sighed before changing into the suit. It looked more like a wet suit, which was probably for the best considering how much...sand there was. They were still deep within a desert after all.

"I'm done," Yuu announced before opening the tent flap. What surprised them was the absence of Floyd— and the presence of Jade, instead.

"My, that was very prompt," Jade held out a shirt in his hands. "I prepared this for you."

"A shirt?" Yuu took the shirt. It was a simple black shirt a few sizes too big for them.

"Mm, yes," Jade held a hand to his chest. "I noticed your, ah, preference for looser clothing. So I took the liberty to prepare this shirt for you. It's plain black because Floyd often disagrees with my fashion choices, so I thought the simpler the better."

Yuu blinked for a moment, clutching the shirt closer to their chest, "Thanks Jade-senpai. That's...really thoughtful of you." It was. They meant it.

They almost forgot that throughout the few months that they've been acquainted, they did take care of them when it mattered. Despite the dubious methods that they employed, there was still a modicum of attentiveness they held towards them. Like they knew that they couldn't treat them quite as roughly as they treated each other. As they slipped on the shirt over their wetsuit, they made a mental note to make a gift to thank them when they got back to Ramshackle.

Jade's eyes widened slightly, before those mismatched eyes curved once more, "With pleasure. Now let's not keep them waiting for too long, lest Floyd decides on a more explosive entrance into the water."

"Right," Yuu walked alongside him to the edge of the water. Floyd waved from inside the lake, already comfortably milling around in his eel form.

"Then excuse me for a moment," Jade said before walking off towards the bushes; no doubt getting ready to slip into the water.

A sharp whistling sound managed to make them flinch. They looked up to see Azul sitting on what looked like a lifeguard's chair. He had certainly dressed the part, with the hat and sunglasses perched on his head.

"No diving by the shallow end of the pool– er, lakeside!" Azul shouted into a megaphone, his voice carrying over the sound of Kalim's lively music.

"Are you supposed to be the lifeguard?" Yuu asked as they made their way over to the chair.

"Ahem," Azul cleared his throat, dropping the megaphone beside him. "Actually, it was–"

"I asked him to do it!" Kalim appeared out of nowhere, wrapping an arm around their shoulder. "I asked Azul 'cause, y'know, he's the best mage here. So I figured he could save anyone from drowning in a jiffy." They shuffled a bit in Kalim's hold, still not accustomed to his overly-friendly behavior.

"Are you going for a swim too?" Kalim said, finally taking note of their appearance. "That's great! I hope you have a great time."

"Kalim-san," Azul called out, pushing up his glasses. "I'm sure the Prefect would appreciate it if you'd take a step back." Always the perceptive one, Azul was. They shot him a quick glance before sending a tentative smile toward Kalim.

"Oh. Whoops! My bad," Kalim wheeled himself backward. "I'm still...working on that part, haha..."

"It's okay," They gave the Scarabia Housewarden a pat on the arm. "As you said, you're working on it. I'm gonna take a dip now."

"If you're drowning give a shout," Azul let slip a soft laugh. "Maybe saving your life will let me bind you into a more...lasting contract, fufufu~"

"Senpai, that is the worst thing I've heard come out of your mouth in a while," They sighed. "As long as you don't purposefully cause an accident, then do your worst."

Yuu stepped into the water then. The water was cool, lapping at their ankles from the furious movements of the other Scarabia student's activities. They saw everything, from beach— or should it be called desert— volleyball, to people outright just splashing each other with water.

Then they felt something yank at their ankle. Yuu slipped, dragged through the water to who-knows-where, all while sputtering in an attempt to breathe.

Fear flared inside their chest for a moment before clarity hit them. There were only two people that would do this. Surely this was the work of one of the tweels. They clamped their mouth shut, blinking their eyes to adjust their vision to being underwater.

Yuu was met with Floyd's saccharine grin, his claw-like hand firmly wrapped around their ankle. Of course it was him. A well-placed kick to his shoulder and Floyd finally relented, bringing them back to the surface.

"Ahaha~!" They could barely hear the ringing of Floyd's laughter through their water-clogged ears. "You shoulda seen the look on your face, Shrimpy! You looked real scared!"

They felt another set of hands grasp their shoulders, half-turning to see Jade there, "Floyd, that was dangerous." Yuu would've seconded the statement if they weren't so busy hacking up leftover water from their lungs.

"Eh~" Floyd scratched at his earfins. "But I made sure the Little Shrimp didn't drown, right?"

"Still," Yuu said when they finally managed to catch their breath. "That was a zero out of ten experience. Please don't do it again." They tried to calm down their heart as they searched Floyd's expression for any signs of remorse. There was a slight frown on his face. Clearly, he was thinking about his actions; or so they hoped.

There was a clawed hand on their cheek, patting lightly to soothe them, "Since Shrimpy asked so nicely, I won't. And 'm sorry. Besides, scaring's only fun one time anyway. Imma go over there now, be right back!" And with a twist of his tail, Floyd speeded off towards where some Scarabia students were tussling in the water.

A sigh tickled their ear and, oh yeah. Jade was still there. "I apologize for his behavior," Jade said, letting their back meet his slippery chest. "Here, why don't I assist you in relaxing?"

Yuu snorted, "No offense, Jade-senpai, but it's not like you can brew me tea out here."

There was a slight chuckle before Jade slowly drifted further to the middle of the lake, "Don't worry. I will be right here next to you, so please do not be so tense." They nodded slightly, leaning back against his front.

It was nice. They could hear Jade's faint humming, and the sound of what they assumed was his teeth or vocal cords clicking lightly. They noticed that their voices sounded slightly distorted, their vocal cords different in their eel forms. The water, and the way Jade gently guided them around...it was all a nice reprieve from all the noise and excitement Scarabia brought about.

One that came to an abrupt end as soon as Yuu heard an all-too-familiar scream, "HENCHMAAAAN!!" Their head snapped up immediately, following Grim's shouting to where he was struggling inside of a net. How he got there was a mystery but they couldn’t help but gape at the sight.

"He is fine," Jade said before adding. "In fact, it seems Azul has saved him." They looked closely at the scene and found that, yes that was Azul Ashengrotto holding on to the net's pole.

"Sevens, I can never catch a break, can I?" Yuu muttered before patting Jade's shoulders. "Could you take me there, senpai?"

"I can't refuse such a polite request from my suffering kouhai," Jade said with an edge of teasing in his voice. They held on tight to Jade's shoulders as they felt his tail flexing, pushing them closer to where Grim was causing a scene.

They arrived just in time to see Azul dumping Grim unceremoniously onto a beach towel. Azul unsuccessfully shielded himself from the water as Grim shook himself off. They murmured a small thanks to Jade before walking over to their troublesome little monster.

"Henchman!" Grim wailed, launching himself at them. "They told me I couldn't eat anymore! They were chasing me out of the food table." His little ears drooped, the fire in them out because he was so thoroughly drenched. He really did look like a wet cat.

"Well...how much did you eat?" Yuu asked, stroking the top of his head.

"Kalim said I could have as much as I wanted so..." Grim pouted. "I had five ribs, three burgers, two chicken breasts, six chicken wings, and-"

"And?" Yuu interrupted, raising a brow. "There's more?"

Grim's ears seemed to droop even more, "The Great Grim wants to grow, y'know!"

"But I told you to eat in moderation," Yuu reminded, ruffling the monster's head. "Now what did we agree on?"

"...After I finish one dish I wait for five minutes before getting another dish to eat," Grim said miserably. He was dry enough now that his ears were able to fire up again, but it still didn't make him any less hilarious to look at.

As Grim meandered back to the food tables, Yuu turned to the other person that was patiently waiting for them with an amicable smile on his face.

"I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me," He said, fluttering his lashes and putting on a show. "And after I worked so hard to save Grim-san."

"I assume you want compensation?" Yuu glanced over at the unabashed gleam in his eyes. "Okay. Follow me." For once, they had a plan. They saw the tweels watching them curiously from the corner of their eye; looking like a pair of crocodiles stalking their prey.

They got as close to the water as they dared, and seeing the relaxed way Azul held himself, they knew he wasn't expecting anything. Yuu positioned him so his back was to the water.

"So?" Azul placed a hand on his chest. "What kind of compensation are you going to–"

Yuu chose that moment to tackle him, sending both of them tumbling right into the shallows. They made sure to roll slightly, to lessen the impact on Azul. But he still struggled under them, and they had to grab at his lapels to make sure he wasn't drowning.

Blinking the water out of their eyes, they were met with Azul's face centimeters away from theirs. His mouth was agape, silvery hair hanging in drenched strands. They could vaguely hear the sound of Jade and Floyd's laughter mingling and mixing with the sound of Azul's harsh breaths.

"I...hate you." And his glasses chose that moment to fully slip off his nose, landing in the water with a soft splash. They threw their head back then, a loud cackle leaving their lips. Azul was still mumbling complaints as they felt something wrap around their ankle and tug.

"Shrimpy~ Man, that was great!" Floyd appeared, giggles still leaving his lips. "Azul's always so on guard, how'd you do it? Teach me, teach me!"

"I think you've been spending a little too much time with Floyd," Azul muttered venomously. "He's starting to rub off on you."

Yuu just patted his shoulder, "If they got me to swim it's only fair that I get you to join me too."

"Fufufu~ It was an equal exchange of sorts," Jade said slyly. "Those are the kind of deals you claim favor, right Azul?"

"Sevens, that is not what this is and— would you get off me already?" Azul said, his voice strung high from the...stress? Or was it the fact that he realized they were practically sprawled on his torso? Azul always reacted unpredictably to physical contact, so they took that as their cue to roll over.

"Don't be too angry," Yuu said, feeling Floyd's tail tugging them yet again. "You're an exemplary mage, right? You know exactly what spell to use to dry yourself off."

"...Just because you compliment me and your words have some merit to them doesn't mean I'll forgive you so easily," Azul tilted his glasses, finding no dry surfaces to wipe them on before giving up and folding them.

"Let's just enjoy it before you do go and dry off," Yuu suggested, wading deeper into the water. "How about a race? Two against two?"

"Oooh! I wanna be with Little Shrimp this time!" Floyd cheered, raising his hand. "Since, y'know, you got to play with them before, Jade."

"Don't go thinking me and Azul will go easy on you both, fufufu~" There was a predatory glint in Jade's eyes; begetting a flash of sharp teeth.

"I still have plenty of magic in me," Azul said, fake saccharine dripping from his mouth. "I hope that your ducking skills are as good as your tackling skills, Prefect."

Yuu shot him a small smile at that, patting Floyd's shoulders, "Let's go kick their asses, my trusty steed."

And when Floyd responded with a little "yeehaw" Yuu thought that maybe this wasn't so bad. Being dragged into relaxing this way wasn't the most horrible thing they've experienced. Sure, future-Yuu was going to have to deal with the added muscle pain of trying to avoid Azul's well-aimed water spells, but hey. That was for future them to worry about.

For now, their priorities were to enjoy the day to the fullest. For now, it was enough to wash away their worries with petty jabs and the sound of laughter. After all, this day was shaping up into a day they would never forget.

[ omake : a prolonged fascination ]

It was a slow day at Mostro Lounge. And a slow day at the lounge meant that there were three usually-busy people idling around. Azul has resigned himself to his desk, a stack of documents that need his signature to the side as he rhythmically tapped his pen on the table. It wasn't the most exciting work since it had nothing to do with amassing wealth, but it was necessary for the lounge.

Meanwhile, Jade had a stack of nature magazines next to him. They were no doubt filled to the brim with knowledge of land plants that he could potentially stuff into their dinners for the next few weeks. He was boasting about a trip to the mountains again in a couple of days.

And Floyd? Floyd was in a bad mood. Usually that would entail chaos for the other two, but he wasn't in an irritated bad mood, he was just...in a lethargic bad mood. Bored without any idea of what could potentially cheer him up. Thus there he laid, looking like a puddle of melted eel on the couch.

So the three looked up almost immediately when the door to the VIP room opened sans knocking. The head of one Ramshackle Prefect popped into the room, "Hey. Can I come in, or is this a bad time?"

Floyd was the first to react, groaning and melding even further with the couch, "Go away, Shrimpy. 'M not feeling like eating shrimp right now." Then Floyd threw one of the pillows in Azul's general direction, "'N the pen tapping's gotta stop before I bite you, Azul."

"I didn't- I wasn't offering in the first place," Yuu walked into the room, and already the lackadaisical mood was beginning to shift. "Anyway, I can't stay for long so let's make this quick." They sat down next to Jade, pulling out a paper bag, and consequently piquing Azul's interest. And he was kind of distracted after dodging that pillow Floyd threw, so he made his way over to the couch.

"What may that be?" Jade asked, putting down his magazine.

"Oh, it's just something," They shook the bag, letting the insides clink around. "C'mon, Floyd. Sit up for a second." Floyd let out a long whine before shifting so his face was turned towards where they were, cheek squished against the leather.

"I...wanted to thank you for saving me from the...incident over winter break," Yuu said carefully, and the three merpeople couldn't help but note the slight fidget of their fingers as they spoke. "You really didn't have to care, but, well you did, and you guys put yourself in danger too back there so..."

"Well if you'd like to compensate," Azul's silky tone made them flinch slightly. "I can think of numerous different contracts that could have your name on them."

There was an instant shift in their demeanor, and Azul noted the way their shoulders relaxed slightly when they spoke again, "Sevens, I knew this was a bad idea." Jade looked knowingly over at Azul, who was smiling lightly at his successful effort to relax them.

"Hey. Just get on with it already," Floyd griped, making grabby hands at the bag. "Wanna see what's in the bag." And that was the Schodinger's cat wasn't it? The little unassuming paper bag that supposedly held something inside that was for the three of them.

"Okay, geez, here," Yuu relinquished their grip on the bag, handing it to Floyd. "I made it myself, so don't you dare laugh."

Jade and Azul, though curious, simply kept watch over Floyd's reactions. And when Floyd's eyes widened, a smile suffusing his previously unsatisfied expression, it only enticed their fascination with what was in the bag.

"Little Shrimp this is like, hella dope," Floyd cheered, rummaging in the bag and pulling out a mug that had an eel painted on it. "Lookit. It's handsome like me."

The Prefect groaned as Floyd held it up towards the light, "Don't do that, ugh- Okay, I'm leaving."

They tried to stand up, but Jade had a firm grasp on their shoulder, "And where will you be running off to?"

"Jade's right, wouldn't you like to see our reactions to such a heartfelt gift?" Azul challenged and the frown that they pulled only served to make Jade chuckle.

"It's none of your business where I have to go," Yuu stood— successfully this time. "You guys...have fun with that. No refunds, no compensations, okay?" They were out of the door in seconds, with a "see you later" on the tip of their tongue.

"What else is there in the bag?" Jade asked, as Floyd was very thoroughly inspecting the painted eel with a wide grin on his face. He pulled out two more identical mugs, one with another eel and the other an octopus.

"Look, look~" Floyd cheered, falling onto the couch next to Jade. "Mine has a lil basketball and it has my sick shoes too!"

"It appears that mine has a terrarium accompanying the eel," Jade noted, gloved fingers gliding over the ceramic. "Oh, and of course there are some fungi."

"How quaint," Azul couldn't resist the soft smile that tugged on his lips. "It seems my octopus is holding on to a golden contract. And there seems to be coins all around them."

"Mmm?" Floyd tilted his head, hand still stuck into the bag. "Oh, there's sumn else."

It was a note, hastily scribbled in now-familiar handwriting that read:

To the three it may concern,

You guys aren't half bad to have on my side, and it's been nice working with you minus all the teasing and pranks. I'm looking forward to what trouble and fun you will bring along with you for the rest of the year.

So thank you. I mean it.

Yuu

The three looked amongst themselves, a feeling of acute warmth settling over them like a blanket. Floyd immediately stood up— but not before gently settling his mug onto the table.

"Where are you going, Floyd?" Jade called out as Floyd swung open the door.

"Gotta go squeeze Shrimpy now~" Floyd said resolutely. "You comin' with?"

Jade made an affirmative noise, "Sure, I'll accompany you to see Yuu-san. I have a few choice words I'd like to say to them."

"Let's make a field trip out of it. After all, the Lounge seems to be having a slow day," Azul said, his smile slipping from soft to sly in a matter of seconds. "It would be best if we brought a housewarming gift if we were to visit the Ramshackle dorms."

"Then," Jade brought a hand to his chest. "I shall go grab-"

"No," Floyd and Azul said simultaneously.

"No way 'm letting you poison Shrimpy with mushrooms," Floyd stuck out his tongue. "Imma get them some of that seaweed jerky we made."

"Oh, and do grab the tester desserts we made a few days ago," Azul called out after the taller. "Now then, let me lock up the vaults and put away the papers."

"I shall inform the staff that we will be leaving," Jade said before picking up the bag. "What should we do with the mugs..?"

Azul paused as he was straightening his papers, "Well...get those to our kitchens. Put them in the hidden shelves I had installed. It would be troublesome if our staff got their hands on it."

"Right away."

As they set off on their own devices they all couldn't help but smile slightly. It would always be amusing how they never seemed to stop surprising them. Well now it was their turn to show them how much they meant to them. A show of gratitude for a show of gratitude. That was definitely a good enough excuse to go bother them, right? 

A lull in the day may just turn as eventful as this one did. And they had one little Prefect to thank for that.

helloooo thank you for enjoying the oasis swimming mischief-making :D !!

if you'd like to see more octatriyuu, check out his own brand of comfort or three's a crowd ! and check out my masterlists for more writing <33

[rottingformerfirstmate]

Confessed with Lucius and Izzy

Spiritual successor to (this), but is mostly stand-alone. All you need to know is that Jim fell overboard in a storm, Izzy rescued them, and both had to be pulled back onto the boat. //

After the sunrise comes, chasing away the evening's storm with clear rays of light through puffy white clouds scattered across the sky, everyone goes for a rest. Edward offers to take the first watch, too wound up to rest, and remains on deck with his leg propped up on a barrel and his red silk robe open over his chest. Lucius leaves him to it almost immediately, returning to his bed below deck and trying to figure out how to strip off his wet clothes without aggravating his poor rope-burned hands, the palms of which are raw, swollen, and bleeding on top of being waterlogged from the rain and spray. Blisters have already formed, some of them already popped, and without the adrenaline rush to carry him through the danger, it really hurts.

He's about to go get Pete from the Galley, where he's stopped for a quick breakfast, when a soft knock gets his attention. "Come in," Lucius says, not bothering to turn to look. Whoever it is, maybe they'll help. The door opens slowly and shuts softly. Before he can look, Izzy speaks.

"You shouldn't have dropped the fucking sails for me. Blackbeard could've gotten me close enough to leg up the ship."

Lucius thinks about the strain in Edward and the Swede's muscles, especially after they'd needed Olu's help to pull up Jim first from the tempesting sea. If he hadn't helped, hopefully someone would have, but maybe it would have been too late, then.

"Didn't you scream at Stede once about how the perfect ship isn't worth shit without a good crew to run it??" Lucius counters.

Izzy doesn't say anything in response. Instead, he rounds the room to stand in front of Lucius, revealing a small sack in his hands. "I'm helping you with your burns, even if they serve you fucking right. Do you need help getting dry, first?"

Even with such sour words, there's softness in Izzy's tone, and so Lucius nods. With an almost painfully gentle touch, Izzy peels away soaked layers of cloth, letting them plop to the floor in a sad, sopping heap. His small clothes are soaked too, but Izzy doesn't acknowledge the ways it's different, to strip away this. He simply helps Lucius step out of them the way he did his trousers, and grabs the towel Roach brought from the corner of the bed to help him dry off. It's vigorous and efficient, but careful, and when he's satisfied that Lucius is dry, Izzy nudges him toward the bed and wraps a sheet around him.

"Now give me your hands."

"No foreplay with you, is there?" Lucius deadpans.

A ghost of a smile flits across Izzy's face before vanishing. "Don't be an idiot. This is serious."

He attends the task of caring for Lucius with every ounce of levity that his words implied. Izzy is tender but firm where he touches him, mindful of the pain of too much pressure on his damaged palms when he rubs a soothing balm that smells like menthol into the angry flesh.

"It's supposed to be for burns," Izzy says. It doesn't shatter the silence, merely envelopes it and only lets it out in the spaces between syllables. "But it's really damn good for them, and it works on a lot of things. At the very least, it'll help with the pain."

"Feels better already."

And it does, but the cooling pain is only half-responsible for how much more relaxed and at ease Lucius feels. He realized a long time ago that Izzy doesn't genuinely hate them anymore, but it's a different beast entirely to see him risk his life to save Jim and now come here to play nursemaid.

"Why are you here?"

Izzy picks up a roll of gauze, too white for the grungy ship, and begins to wind it around one of Lucius' hands. "Practicality, Mr. Spriggs. You're one of three people on this ship who can read and write, and you proved a little storm won't break you last night. It'd be fucking stupid not to at least make sure you look after your wounds properly."

"But you didn't just come here to make sure I was doing it right," Lucius argues. "You came here to do it yourself. To offer me this really fucking great goop that takes away the pain. Izzy-"

"It's just my duty," Izzy interrupts.

He looks away, and Lucius studies him. Izzy is still a little shaky himself, and while his lips are no longer that frightening blue color, he's still pale beneath a weather-beaten tan.

"Okay."

It's easier not to argue. But Lucius scoots back against the wall, making space in his bed for a second body, and looks at Izzy.

"Stay? I've been to your cabin, and it's really drafty in there. You should really get a carpet or something."

"Piss off."

But Izzy still joins Lucius in bed and makes sure his sheet is secure around him before drawing the wool blanket over them both.

[starlessea]

Here Comes the Sun: XX. More Than A Feeling (Daryl Dixon/Reader)

Series Masterlist: Here Comes the Sun

Summary: Daryl Dixon scares the hell out of you climbing out of that damn creek. It takes hauling his ass halfway across Georgia and taking a bullet for him to realise that you're not half bad. He slowly starts to come around, despite grumbling about how much he doesn't like your singing, or that you can't use a gun for shit - and don't get him started on that ugly yellow tent of yours. It takes him a while before he starts to see for himself that he's found a best friend for life, and that he doesn't actually mind the colour yellow that much, after all.

Words: 6480

Chapter Warnings: Language, Violence, Injury.

Your head pounded like an alarm clock you couldn't shut off. The explosions hadn't done any favours for your tinnitus, either. The high-pitched ringing noise was constant, and only intensified the more you tried not to focus on it. Even now that everything had settled down, it still seemed like you could hear walls crashing around you, or feel the vibrations as the stone crumbled and settled at your feet.

Except, it wasn't brick walls that were sending shock waves over the ground; it was Daryl's footsteps as he paced. You could feel them through your own boots, and sent him a look to try and coax him to sit down. 

"It's a sprained ankle, Daryl. I didn't lose my leg." You said gently, before someone cleared their throat.

You looked down at Hershel, who was in the process of wrapping the bandages, and winced as he raised an eyebrow at you.

"Sorry." You muttered, awkwardly.

Everything had gone mostly to plan. The governor and his men had been driven away, and the others had returned from Woodberry with even more survivors. You hadn't gotten the chance to see them yet, but the ruckus drifted up the stairs and you could feel the marching of the stampede as though they had been part of the army themselves.

The prison remained standing, albeit missing a watchtower and seeming a bit dilapidated in a few places - but your home was once again yours. You'd sacrificed so much for it. Lori, T-Dogg, Axel, Oscar, and Merle had all lost their lives just so that you could sit here now, complaining of flesh-wounds and mild injuries like they were the most perilous problems you could face.

Daryl didn't seem to agree, however, and narrowed his eyes at you - or more specifically, at the bandage wrapped around your head. You'd taken a bit of a fall, but it wasn't like you'd cracked it open. Though, that didn't stop the man from treating you like Humpty Dumpty - trying to fix all of your pieces despite them not actually being broken.

"I don' care!" Daryl yelled, and you felt Hershel flinch as he made another pass with the bandages.

The man slung his crossbow onto the mattress, and you felt the bed dip beside you from the weight of it. His face was all scrunched up into a scowl, and you wanted nothing more than to hold it in your hands and bring his cheek to yours.

"What the hell d'ya try an' pull tha' for?" He asked, but this time his voice had lost its fight. "You could've gotten yerself killed." Daryl said quietly, like it almost killed him to say, too.

The older man stayed silent as he continued to do his job, and you felt guilty for having let him get caught up in this. 

"But I didn't." You reminded Daryl, before shooting a light-hearted smile his way. "Certain victory, remember?"

Your eyes glanced down to his hand, and at the shoddily drawn rune you'd given him with a sharpie earlier in the day. He didn't say anything back, but his pacing had stopped - and he looked straight at you as you spoke.

"And although the governor got away, don't you think he'll be easier to find with a bullet in his shoulder?"

If you had anything to show for your injuries, at least it was that. You offered a teasing smirk to the man - one that probably made him wonder if you had a concussion.

"I think I know a pretty good tracker, too." You joked, nodding in his direction.

Daryl didn't smile back. You watched as the man took a seat next to you on the mattress, and noticed the way his eyes rested on Hershel as he tended to your injuries better than he could have. 

"Ya should've followed the plan." He mumbled, so quietly that you barely caught it.

You let out a sigh, unable to hide your guilt. Daryl had an expression you'd only seen him wear once before, and you didn't like it in the slightest.

"I had a clear shot." You reasoned timidly, like you were trying to convince yourself of your words.

You had done; it was true. Except, you should have taken a moment to consider your actions. You thought that you were in fact the hypocrite - since when the time came, you'd been the one to shoot first, and ask questions later.

"If my aim was a little better we wouldn't even be having this conversation." You told him, and offered a sheepish smile alongside it. "I'm sorry I missed."

Hershel tightened the knot as he finished wrapping your foot. You lifted your leg and outstretched it to examine his work. Tentatively, you wiggled your toes, and thanked the man when you felt no pain in doing so. Daryl sent a nod in his direction too, before turning back.

"I don' give a damn if ya missed." He told you, barely above a whisper.

Hershel ushered himself out of the room as quietly as he could manage, trying not to intrude any longer. As soon as he'd left, Daryl let his head drop onto your shoulder, and you could feel his warm breath over the crook of your neck.

"I only care tha' yer alive." He admitted, mumbling against the skin there. "I can't lose you, too."

You leant back against the man. He seemed so downtrodden, but for the first time since the farm, you felt safe. You remembered that first night after you'd cleared the prison, sitting out in that field around the campfire. You'd asked him then if he thought this could be your home. Now, you decided, it was.

"Have more faith in me, Dixon." You told him, and stroked his hair - letting your nails run along his scalp gently. "I think I must be pretty hard to kill."

Despite the head injury, the events of that morning were as clear as day to you - as clear as the cloudless sky had been when you all took your positions. The strategy had been to ambush them when they came, and you had been the one to dissuade Rick from utilising the watchtowers.

"They'll be their first target." You'd said, and luckily he had listened.

You and Daryl had been checking the guns, before deciding to take one last walk around the perimeter. You'd scouted their vehicles en route to the prison, so you knew it was only a matter of time before all hell would break loose. The day was otherwise serene, and you hoped that once all of this was over you'd get the chance to revel in the sunshine and celebrate your certain victory.

You smiled over at the man, remembering what you'd wanted to tell him. The two of you were checking for breaches in the fences, making sure that the governor's men couldn't infiltrate from anywhere you wouldn't expect. You watched as Daryl pulled on the lattice wire to make sure it was secure, and you slipped your hand into his other, free one. 

He gave you a subtle glance, but didn't make any sarcastic remarks in return. The two of you walked hand-in-hand alongside the fences, as though you were going on a mundane, morning stroll in the sun. It was silent, and you both seemed to just bask in the peace whilst it still lasted. Though, once you had gone full-circle, and had ended up back where you'd started, you stopped in place.

You fished around in your pocket and pulled out the sharpie you'd scavenged from Glenn earlier in the day. Daryl looked at it suspiciously, but let you do as you pleased - just like always. Carol had noted how much of a soft spot the man had for you, and you couldn't even deny it at this point. The two of you had woken up entangled in each other this morning, and it had taken you the better part of half an hour to coax him to let you get up. You could tell he was scared of what the day would bring. Despite claiming to be a man 'not scared of nothing,' you knew that Daryl Dixon was afraid of one thing above all else - and that was losing you. 

"Give me your hand." You instructed, and pulled the cap off the top of the pen with your teeth.

The man eyed the permanent marker, before looking down at your interlocked hands.

"Yer holdin' it." He grumbled, and you rolled his eyes at his dry humour.

"The other one." You clarified, pointing in the direction. "It needs to be on the same side."

You took his hand in yours before he had time to question you further, and pressed the sharpie to it. You drew the simple pattern, watching as the ink bled out slightly over the cracks in his skin.

It was the same rune of Týr that you had tattooed on your hip - the one Daryl claimed 'looked like an arrow.' He stared at it once you'd finished, stretching out his fingers before balling his hand into a fist. Maybe it was a little childish to want to wish him luck in this way, and you thought that Daryl was a man quite capable of victory by himself, but you'd wanted to do it nonetheless.

"Look, we match." You exclaimed with a smile, but the words felt familiar on your tongue.

Daryl must have thought so, too, as you saw some kind of recognition flash behind his eyes. Then, you remembered it. The memory washed over you like a wave coming onto shore. It had been back on the farm, where you lay next to each other on that springy, double bed. He'd had an arrow wound in his side, and your bullet hole matched it nicely. You'd pointed it out to him with a grin, too doped up on medication for your own good. It felt so long ago - back when you'd been more young and naive to the world, and he'd been more angry at it.

"I guess some things never change." You admitted, and you could tell that he understood.

You felt him squeeze your hand, and looked back down at the semi-tattoo you'd drawn haphazardly. 

"An' other things do." He replied.

When the first explosion rang out, your mind immediately thought back to that moment. The front left watchtower had been decimated, just as you had predicted, and the tanks began to roll in through the field. Whilst some of the group were hidden away in the prison interior, waiting to ambush those who came in, you stayed outside with Maggie and Glenn - ready to catch any stragglers who made it back out.

Daryl hadn't wanted you to be in the thick of it, and you could tell why. From the looks of it, the governor's army was partially made of toy soldiers. From your position, you could make out young boys and girls barely through their teenage years, and adults who looked like they had never held a weapon before. You would have found it hard to kill them - even if you needed to.

From your hiding place, however, you couldn't see the governor. The group was too dense, and he was probably lurking somewhere in the middle - just like the coward he was. You stared down the scope of your rifle, trying to get a better view. All around you, you could hear the sounds of crumbling stone, and the flicker of flames as they burned the tower to the ground. There had only been a couple of warning rounds shot at the building, but they'd done more damage than you were comfortable with. You just hoped that Daryl and the others were alright inside. 

The whole thing seemed to last a couple of minutes at most. As quickly as the group had entered the cellblock, they were forced back out in a shroud of smoke and gunfire. Maggie and Glenn had their guns aimed, but it looked to be a clean retreat. The govenor's makeshift suicide army had all turned back, and were fleeing into the forest - so you didn't shoot at them.

That had been the plan anyway, until you caught sight of a familiar eyepatch and the man who wore it. You jumped up from behind the bushes like someone had set them alight, and ran over to the wall for cover. Maggie and Glenn shouted at you, but you continued until you reached it. It was part of the fence you'd reinforced with steel, and you ducked behind it to peer through the gunhole. 

The man was returning back to the tank, mowing down anyone who got in his way. You stared through your rifle scope, finger hovering the trigger. You would have pulled it, but a civilian got in your line of sight at the last second. 

"Shit." You whispered, below your breath, and slung the rifle back over your shoulder.

You hopped the fence and started running, making your way to the blazing watchtower that was set alight like a torch. The base was still steady, and it provided good cover whilst allowing you to move in closer. The calm summer's day had been transformed into a warzone in a matter of minutes. Shouts and gunfire rang out around you as you dashed to the burning building. When you reached it, you quickly ducked down and pressed your back to the stone as you set up your rifle. 

It hasn't been part of the plan; you knew that. Though, you didn't just want to let the man walk free, either. If you weren't the one to do it, it would be someone else - perhaps Rick, or Michonne, or even Daryl. You wanted to pull your weight, especially if it meant that their shoulders wouldn't have to bear the burden of it.

The tower creaked and groaned above your head, and your eyes quickly glanced upwards to catch sight of the flames that licked the sky - creating an amber haze that resembled sunset. You ignored the sound, and locked onto the governor once again. This time, he was clambering into the vehicle, and you knew that it would be your last chance. Your line of sight was clear, and so you let your finger squeeze the trigger - and felt the jolt of the gun as it hit back against your shoulder.

The bullet connected, and you watched the man stagger backwards. He turned to face your direction, and your gazes caught for a split second - like you could see it all unfold in slow motion. Then, you heard a crash, and time resumed as normal.

Glass shattered above your head and fell onto you like jagged raindrops, and the stone debrid came following like lightning after it. The tower shifted, and you watched it crumble for a brief moment before the adrenaline kicked in. You abandoned your rifle and jumped up, starting to run in the opposite direction. Rubble came pouring down and bounced over the concrete at your feet. You felt small pieces nick your legs, but continued to sprint as you heard Maggie and Glenn call your name in the distance. You couldn't outrun the collapse, but you'd managed to dive behind one of the fences just in time to shield yourself.

You'd squeezed your eyes closed as the tower fell, and huddled your knees to your chest to protect yourself. The stone structure made the most almighty crash as it caved to the ground, and suddenly the courtyard was completely shrouded in dust. It wasn't until the smoke cloud had settled and you recognised figures emerging from the fog that you realised you'd made it. 

Your head stung, and you pressed your fingers to your temple only to notice that something had drawn blood there. You must've been struck by some stray piece of rubble, you thought. You were a bit dazed, but you could make out voices clearly as they shouted your name. You recognised one in particular, and your heart sped up in response.

"C'mon, Teach!" Daryl yelled, but you couldn't pin-point where from. 

You tried to call back, but your throat was dry and your voice barely made its way out of your lips.

"Can ya hear me?" He shouted again. "Call out to me if ya can hear me!"

Clearing your throat, you tried again.

"Daryl!" You screamed, and this time it resonated. "I'm here!" 

You noticed a shift in the fog, and figures got clearer as they made their way through it.

"I'm over here!" You yelled again, your voice breaking over the words.

The man came running over to you as soon as he could tell where you were. You'd been hidden behind the sheet of metal, sat amongst a pile of debrid, but he still found you. You could feel the fresh blood trickling down your forehead, but you wiped it away with the back of your hand and sent him a watery smile of pure relief. Daryl took in the sight, and the way your foot seemed to be turned in an awkward angle beneath you - and his eyes widened.

"What did you do?" He asked, rushing over to your side in an instant.

You looked back at him with an equally dumbfounded expression.

"I shot him." You admitted. "I shot the governor." 

After Hershel had left your cell, you and Daryl stayed sitting on the mattress together for a little while. You let him rest his head over your shoulder, which soon turned into lying on your chest as you both slumped back into the pillows. It was a little different from what you were used to, but you held his head and stroked his hair gently. You thought that he needed the comfort, and you were fine with being able to return it for once.

Maggie and Glenn had informed you that they'd seen everything go down - and that you'd actually hit the governor in the shoulder, rather than his chest. It was a bitter disappointment, but they'd reassured you that you'd still done a good job - after they'd given you a scolding, that is. You weren't entirely sure what had possessed you to do it - to abandon the plan. Maybe it was the images of a beaten Glenn and an inconsolable Maggie that you weren't able to rid yourself of, or perhaps it was the nightmares you had of cowering beneath Axel's body. More likely, it was the recent death of Merle, and what it had done to Daryl as a result. Whatever it was, you didn't regret it. The governor had deserved everything that was coming for him, and you'd just happened to be the one to pass the sentence.

Daryl's eyelids seemed heavy, and his breathing had evened out. You knew that if you didn't rouse him now, he'd probably fall asleep within a matter of minutes. It was selfish, but you didn't want that. You wanted to celebrate your victory - no matter how certain it had been.

"I'm sorry, Daryl." You whispered, and gently moved his hair back from his face.

The man inhaled sharply, and you watched his eyes flicker as they adjusted to the light. You let out a soft chuckle, which you were sure he could feel resonate through your chest.

"Can you help me down the stairs?" You asked sweetly, hoping to coax him awake. "I want to meet everyone."

He'd already carried you out of the rubble once today, but you hoped he'd be generous enough to lend you an arm as you hobbled down the metal steps. Daryl sat up and stretched his neck side to side before glancing over at you, his eyes immediately resting over your bandaged forehead to check it was still alright. You offered a smile to reassure him, and eventually the man nodded in return.

"It's gonna get a lot nosier 'round 'ere." He grumbled, but it didn't sound like he really minded.

Daryl had your arm slung over his shoulder as you both attempted the stairs. His other hand was on your waist for support, and he waited patiently as you took each step - going along with your pace. You'd heard the commotion from your cell, but nothing could have prepared you for the sheer amount of people that had been brought back from Woodberry. 

As your foot hit the final step you were greeted by an unexpected round of applause, interspersed with the occasional cheers. You almost stumbled back in shock, but Daryl caught your arm before you could trip.

"There she is!" Glenn yelled over the crowd. "Our suicidal sniper."

You shot Daryl a side-eye glance, but the man just shrugged in response. Your gaze ran over the unfamiliar faces as they smiled, or looked at you curiously, and you suddenly felt inadequate in comparison. You stood leaning against Daryl in your dusty clothes and bandages, and sheepishly lowered your head as they stared. Eventually, Daryl shooed them all away, warning them to 'get out of your face.' 

It made you laugh, and you aimed some teasing remarks in his direction - pestering him if he'd like to become your bodyguard. The chatter buzzed around you like nothing you'd ever heard before. Even in the old world, the atmosphere couldn't compare. You didn't know how long it had been since you'd even laid eyes on so many people at once. You knew that you'd have to clear out some other cell blocks just to make room for them all. This was the start of something; you just knew it.

Someone called your name from amongst the fray, but Daryl didn't stop ushering you over to a nearby seat. You whipped your head around in confusion, but continued to shuffle along until you had the opportunity to sit down. He leant against the table next to you, resembling a diligent guard dog. Daryl was the most loyal man you'd ever met, and everyday he reminded you not to settle for anything less. You wondered how anyone could ever come close to him - past or present. Your ex had been a mere speck of poorly-chosen dust in comparison to Daryl Dixon. 

The man seemed to be able to read your thoughts, as he glanced in your direction with perfect timing - causing you to look away. You heard your name through the thick of the crowd again, and this time tried harder to locate the source. Only a few seconds later, someone emerged from the centre of the room, pushing past everyone so that she could get to you. 

The woman had neat brown hair to her shoulders, and was wearing a sundress that looked like it had been recently pressed. All of the former Woodberry inhabitants looked clean, but she definitely stood out due to how beautiful she was. Her eyes were a warm coffee colour, and her smile was bright as she looked over at you.

You choked on your words, immediately standing up only to stumble into Daryl's shoulder. He quickly got a hand under your arm to steady you, but had a disapproving expression on his face as he did so.

"Vanessa?" You spluttered out, and she gave you an excited nod in return.

Daryl barely had time to step aside before the woman bounded up to you and flung her arms around your neck. She squeezed you so tightly that you forgot how to breathe, but you hugged her back with the same force - clasping your arms around her back.

You were utterly speechless. The last time you'd seen the woman, the two of you were witnessing the complete horror of your camp being destroyed. You'd looked for her in the days following, but she'd seemed to simply disappear into the night. You hadn't even thought she'd made it out alive. She'd been your colleague before all this, and then your campmate. But, most importantly, she'd been your friend.

You stared at her as she pulled away, and she giggled at your dumbfounded expression. Her smile was as pretty as you remembered, and you suddenly felt pale in comparison to her rosy cheeks and honey complexion. She was as quick-witted as ever, and wasted no time in regaining her composure to tease you like you'd never even spent any time apart.

Daryl watched in silence, not wanting to interrupt, but you could tell that he was starting to put the pieces together.

"You were the one who shot him?" She asked, as though in utter shock.

She had her hands on either of your shoulders, and looked you up and down before settling over your one foot that you kept hovering above ground.

"Yeah." You replied sheepishly, and glanced off to the side.

The woman slapped your arm in disbelief, and Daryl shot her a warning look that made you snort. She looked over at the man, too, and raised an eyebrow.

"What on earth happened to you?" She questioned, meeting your eyes this time.

You stared at the floral pattern of her sundress, secretly wishing you had something equally as pretty, and shrugged.

"Well, I hit my forehead and sprained my ankle-" you started, but the woman cut you off.

"I don't mean that." She remarked, with a disapproving tone.

She sounded the same as she did on those days you'd spend your lunch breaks together, or go and get coffee at the local shop - trading gossip and work secrets. She grinned at you mischievously, and it didn't go unnoticed by Daryl.

"Where is the timid girl who sang 'Yellow Submarine' to us from her tent every night?"

The man beside you was the one to laugh this time, and you jabbed him with your elbow in response. 

"I really do miss that tent." You mumbled under your breath, and thought you could hear Daryl weakly protest below his.

Vanessa eyed the two of you, and her mouth upturned into a grin you recognised all too well. It was the one she wore when whispering to you about cute baristas, or when sliding her number across the bar. 

"And who's this?" She said, in a tone that was equally as familiar.

She turned to face Daryl, and gave him a quick once-over like she was checking for any visible flaws. You couldn't contain your laugh; she always did lack subtlety.

"This is Daryl." You told her, and slipped your hand into his. "My-" you paused, furrowing your eyebrows as you did, "boyfriend?"

It came out like a question, and Daryl snorted uncharacteristically from beside you.

"'M too old for tha' word." He grumbled, but it was still light-hearted.

You took the opportunity to have some fun, and pressed your chest against his arm as you got closer to his ear.

"What do you want me to say, then?" You asked teasingly. "My partner? Sweetheart?" 

The man seemed completely taken aback to hear you call him anything besides 'Dixon.' 

"My other half? The old ball 'n chain-" you continued, but were abruptly interrupted as he shrugged you off in embarrassment.

"D'you wan' another head injury?" He asked - a little too quickly and a lot too loudly.

Vanessa laughed her usual dainty laugh, and you'd almost forgotten that she was even there. Daryl's cheeks were dusted a light pink, and you knew he would remind you of this later when you were alone.

"You two are good together." The woman spoke, causing you to look over in her direction. "I'm glad you found someone in all of this." 

You gave her a shy smile, before looking down at your feet. You'd never been good with compliments, but she always seemed to have an abundance of them to give.

"After everything you've been through," she went on, this time glancing over at Daryl with a look that could only be described as approval. "You really deserve someone who can make you happy."

Happy. That is what this feeling was. You'd almost forgotten what the word meant, but you were suddenly reminded. Daryl had made you feel a lot of things since you'd met him - first a lot of nerves and sometimes even frustration, but eventually it became comfort and security. However, you realised that all along there were moments of happiness. Even back at the farm, the man never did fail to make you laugh - intentionally or unintentionally. Whether it was his dry sense of humour, or the wise-cracks he'd make in those days where he seemed younger, and more willing to fight the world. 

You looked over at the man like you'd only just come to the most obvious of realisations. Daryl Dixon made you happy - like nothing else had before.

As the night started to settle down, the atmosphere fizzled away along with it. Everyone had taken to their temporary sleeping arrangements, and you could tell that Daryl was holding back his yawns as he helped you clamber over the people left chatting on the floor. The day felt like it had gone on for a week, and you couldn't wait to just sink into bed and let your bandaged head meet the pillows.

Across the block, you spotted Rick talking to some of the new residents, and urged Daryl to return to the cell ahead of you. The man glanced down at your foot and then back up to your eyes, as though needing to state the obvious. You shook your head, telling him that you'd get Rick to help you up the stairs once you were done. You just wanted to talk to the officer briefly, and didn't want to keep Daryl up any longer than he needed to be.

He didn't seem entirely convinced, but he left you propped up against the wall where you instructed him to. His stubbornness had definitely rubbed off on you, you'd realised, and he could hardly attempt to fight against it.

"Deputy Grimes!" You called, once Daryl was out of ear-shot. "Get over here for a second."

The man looked up from his conversation, and you watched him excuse himself before making his way over. He looked equally as exhausted as the rest of you, and stepped heavily over the stone floor. Still, he gave you a small smile as he approached, and squeezed your shoulder.

"You did good today." He drawled, praising you for the second time tonight.

You rolled your eyes and slapped his chest with the back of your hand. 

"Don't let Daryl hear you say that." You warned, with a teasing look. "I could have died, remember?"

You'd said the words in Daryl's Southern accent, impersonating the man the best you could. Rick laughed in response, and you quickly glanced over your shoulder just to double-check that the archer wasn't still looming there.

"Never knew him to be so uptight." The officer replied, and you shrugged.

"He just needs a good night’s sleep." You explained, glancing over at the staircase leading to the second floor. "I think we all do."

Rick especially seemed like he was dead on his feet, but he held it together well. You couldn't imagine the pressure he felt having to keep everyone safe during times like these. You wanted to ease that burden a little, or even just throw some distractions in the mix to make him forget about it.

"Anyway, I heard that Glenn found a camera at Woodberry." You started, watching as he raised an eyebrow at you.

A few hours ago you'd hijacked it, and briefly kidnapped the Grimes children for that photoshoot you'd been threatening. The polaroid had turned out even better than you'd hoped - and you had almost been tempted to keep it for yourself.

You pulled the picture from your pocket, careful not to bend it, and passed it to the man. His eyes squinted as he looked at it, flat atop his palm. Both Carl and Judy were sporting their sheriff's hats, and the older Grimes had his sister perched on his lap.

"Thank you for everything you've done for us, Rick." You told him, and watched as he brought the picture closer to his face. "I'll never forget how you were always there for me."

It was rare that you ever saw the man speechless, but in that moment you were sure you saw a glimpse of the same Rick Grimes you'd first encountered back at the farm - that officer friendly who would give anything for his family.

He shook his head wordlessly, before tucking the picture into the inside pocket of his jacket.

"You don't give yourself enough credit." He said quietly, before slinging one of your arms around his neck. "And I don't think you ever will."

You returned to your cell soon after that, bidding the officer goodnight at the door. He gave you a quick kiss on the cheek before reminding you to change your bandages in the morning. You laughed in response, wondering why all the men around you treated you like glass.

The room was quiet as you ducked under the sheet hanging at the doorway, and you shuffled inside. Daryl had lit the small lamp on the table, and it cast a warm, golden glow over him where he lay. He had his eyes closed, but you noticed he had your headphones on - connected to the walkman that was left at the edge of the mattress.

You could hear the faint din of the music as some sound escaped, and slowly made your way over to the bed - not wanting to startle the man. He was still fully dressed, and had his arms tucked under his head as he lay on his back. You didn't think he was asleep; rather, he seemed to be waiting for you.

You knelt down onto the mattress, feeling it dip beneath your weight as you crawled up beside him. He didn't react, so you pulled one side of the headphones from his ear, and brought your lips close to it.

"Boo." You whispered, and blew hot air there to make him shiver.

This time he cracked an eye open, and pulled you down beside him gently. He continued to be mindful of your head, and plumped a pillow up for you to lay on. He then removed the headphones, and twisted the ends of them so that the speaker parts were facing outwards. 

You chuckled at the action, suddenly thinking back on your childhood where you'd share a pair with your friends. Daryl placed them in the space between the two of you, so that you could both listen to the songs together. You heard something by The Beatles play muffled, and closed your eyes to take in the melody.

The two of you talked briefly, and sleepily, for a bit. Daryl grumbled about you using him as a makeshift crutch for the majority of the night, and you just hummed in response. You caught him glancing over at you every now and then, but he made no attempt to pull you closer like he usually would have. You knew it was because of your head; he didn't even have to tell you.

"Hershel said it might leave a small scar." You told him, like it was a secret you felt needed to be disclosed.

You didn't really mind all that much, but you knew Daryl had a tendency to look at you guilt-stricken whenever he saw you injured. You just wanted to warn him - just in case.

"Like Harry Potter or some shit?" The man mumbled, and you rolled your eyes.

"Maybe." You replied.

The chatter downstairs had settled, and all that remained was the tinny sound of the music that quietly played near your ear. You swallowed thickly, staring up at the ceiling to see the uneven cracks that marred it.

"Will you still love me if I have a gawdy scar over my forehead?" You asked teasingly - but a part of you felt nervous to hear the response.

Then, your eyes widened as you realised your choice of words. You sat up, immediately feeling the blood rush to your head as you did so.

"Wait-" you stuttered, noticing the man's expression. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

He cut you off before you could finish.

"I will."

You blinked, but he pulled you back down to him - this time letting you lay your head gently over his chest.

"Know I ain't said it before, but-" he paused, "I love ya." 

His heartbeat pounded quickly against your cheek, as though proving his words.

"I love ya so goddamn much, so don't ever pull that shit on me again."

You felt tears start to well up in your eyes, and hoped he couldn't feel them dampen his shirt.

"I love ya - you crazy woman who shot the governor an' took a bullet for me."

You swallowed thickly, trying to hide the wateriness of your voice as you responded.

"I love you too, Dixon." You admitted, wondering why you hadn't done so before.

You'd loved the man almost as long as you could remember; but it was one thing to love, and another thing to be loved in return.

"I won't let anything on this earth take me away from you." You mumbled against him. "You don't have to worry about that."

Daryl breathed in deeply, and you moved along with the rise and fall of his chest. This is what happiness felt like, you decided. Happiness wasn't as perfect as you had once thought it to be - back in the old world. It wasn't that amazing job, or the hard-earned paycheck, nor was it the men who called you pretty whilst giving you an ugly stare. Happiness for you was now walking around the perimeter of a dingy prison, hand-in-hand, as you stared up at the morning sun preparing for a fight. Happiness was those nights you'd stay awake, listening to the laughs down the hall of Maggie and Glenn as they whispered about their future together, and noticing that Daryl was eavesdropping, too. Most importantly, happiness was the man who you woke up next to, and the sound of his voice as he told you 'good morning.'

You looked down at his hand, resting on his chest, and saw the ink there that had smudged throughout the day. The walkman finished its tune, and there was a brief, few-second silence before it skipped to the next one. A familiar melody rang out, and Daryl placed a careful kiss over your hair.

"I like this song." He whispered against you, and you nodded in return.

"Yeah, me too."

A/N It took 20 chapters, 120k words, but they finally exchanged their ‘I love you’s.’ I think it was obvious that they already loved each other before this, but hearing them say it out loud just- 

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[smoothbraintime]

I heard someone is calling for car wife~

——————

△ THE COITOUS CAR INCIDENT △

CHARACTERS: DR GERALD, A CAR

WRITERS: VVV, SOAP AND ALEPH

iT WAS A DARK AND LONELY NIGHT AND dR. gERALD WAS OUT DRIVIFUCK CAPS……………… Dr. Gerald was out driving, minding his own goddamn business, when a deer jumped out in front of his car and he hit it at full speed. He didn’t bother to move out of the way, he knew he’d survive, he always did. When he woke up, the sun was rising and he could hear a voice speak to him, “Gerald, wake up! You idiot, that shit hurt!" 

Dr. Gerald opened his eyes, but saw no one there. He had thought he’d see the deer talking to him but it was very much not alive. The voice spoke again, "get up! Get out of me! This is the last time I let you drive me! I’m sick of getting into accidents!”

“Huh? Honey? Why are you mad?” He spoke to the car. 

“You didn’t even try to avoid the deer! You might survive accidents, but at some point I won’t survive either. What about our children? They’ll be left to grow up without me!”

“I’m sorry, honey… I’ve just been so tired recently…”

“That doesn’t give you the right to throw us into a dangerous situation.”

“I know… Why don’t we get back to the home?”

“I guess… are you gunna call that tow truck driver thot?”

“She’s not a thot, honey.”

“I see how she looks at you… damn tow trucksd trying to take 

You into getting into bed with her.” His car huffed, by this point, Dr. Gerald and feel himself being shakening inside of the back seat.

“Hey, hey hey! Okay, I’m getting out.” Dr. Gerald yelps, opening the door and jumping out as the seat that he had sad only a few seconds earlier on slammed down. If he was a second too late, he’ll probably get another visit from 4999.

It’s not like Gerald didn’t want to see 4999. But it’ll be embarrassing explaining what nearly killed him this time around.

Dr. Gerald heard his car closed the doors, pushing himself on his elbows. Struggling since it felt like the sun was shining directly onto his eyes and he didn’t have his sunglasses on but he get up!

He watched helplessly as his car drove off, and promptly hit another deer from nowhere and got flipped over and fell down the cliff edge WHAT HOLD ON WHERE WAS HE???

Gerald sighed, muttering to himself as he opened up his phones GPS.

He promptly groaned, as his GPS showed him his location.

where was he? Utah? Ohio? Indiana? was he in Canada? was he in Mexico?

worse. Gerald thought to himself.

he was in Texas.

When Gerald kicked the dry dirt of the countryside his issue became rather apparent. He remembered the interesting albeit misleading story of Clef, Yoric, and Strelnikov. He did NOT want a repeat of that. 

He began to walk. If Gerald got lucky and wasn’t kidnapped by the GOC, he should make it to the next Foundation Base for extraction. Of course, this would probably prompt another “Appropriate Use of Foundation Resources” seminar from Gears, what with Kondraki’s Inappropriate Usage of Class B Containment Vessels, and the other doctor’s “Appropriate Use of Foundation Resources When Scared Dropping a Deuce”

He wondered what his title would be, while walking…

“What to do when your girlfriend drives off a cliff?” no. 

It had to be more chaotic than that. Yet, his title would still have some energy or some level of professional to it. Gears’ speeches always did. Even in Kondraki’s Bottle Dick incident, there was still a level of composure to him. 

Gerald had felt lucky, the sun had been going down at the time and when he checked his navigation system again, he realized that he was about halfway to the house. Gerald was lucky to not even get sunburnt in this situation. 

the sun vanished from the horizon as Gerald found himself walking to base in the dark. He was exhausted and couldn’t afford to stop yet. Maybe, worst case scenario, He could see 4999 again. There was something about him that brought happiness around Gerald. even in such a horrible time. 

His thoughts were interrupted when part of the road caved, the dirt and rocks rustling before he quickly fell. Gerald would have survived the issue with no problem, no injuries.

But this IS Dr. Gerald we are talking about.

He felt a puncture in his leg, looking down and hearing the telltale shaking of a rattlesnake. 

“Damnit” he sighed. Gerald would have had more luck being in Car when she drove off the cliff. 

he aggressively grabbed the Snake, plucking it off of his leg and holding it by its head, as it angrily whipped asking to be freed. 

“YOU aren’t going anywhere until I am in custody” he muttered, gripping onto it. 

Gerald walk seemed longer, and more exhausting at this point. He didn’t know how long he would make it but was thankful when a vehicle popped up to him, offering a ride.

Gerald accepted, and they offered up a glass case to hold the snake in. When offered a hospital, he refused. Gerald knew his best chances were with the Foundation.

He ended up making it, thankfully, with the snake in tow. 

Gerald, as always, managed to get his antivenom and treatment.

It was here, that Gerald considered if he survived or not, as Gears waddled up to the stage, he slouced in his seat, begging not to be noticed

“What to do when the anomalous car you had coitous with drives off a cliff in texas”

——-

i've been too busy to frequently check this blog for months, what's happening wtf is pornbot wife. car wife. huh????

Yeah-car wife and pornbot wife 3

I guess to give a long story short lore, pornbot wife was just a thing we made cause on tumblr alot of pornbots like to use Dr. Gears on their posts to promote themselves and we just said that Gears is a pornbot magnet that is married to one

Car wife is....car wife....Gerald has a car wife that is sentient. There is a fic that was made on frantic fanfic with some of us (it is somewhere)