#my mother ''didn't like [the idea of going to a shelter] :////'' and I'm about to foam at the mouth

[edgeray]

Hi ray

Could write dragon! Arlecchino x hunter! Reader who hunts dragon because she was tasked to even tho she didn't wish to do so but little did the reader know that arlecchino is very strong

So when the reader was tasked she was warned by the villagers but what could the reader do but to only obey the orders when the reader met arlecchino trying to hunt her down she failed to do so

Dragon Hunter Mother

(Arlecchino x Fem! Reader)

A/N - Like always, if you want to request something from me again anon, give yourself a name/emoji ☺️ Also, I love this idea. I don't plan out my requests, plot just kinda comes as I write, so let's see what I do with this. I'm assuming you also want reader to be afab as well. Since you didn't say about arlecchino having a human form, I'm just not going to write it. Don't ask me how this turned to be over the limit I said these requests were gonna be. I got carried away with world building and plot. Sorry 😬 . Hopefully this was okay? Honestly, didn't know how I would make it romantic, but I guess I'll put it under romantic? I tried by best anon, feel free to request again if you want me to write it in a different way 🫶. Sorry for taking so long, but here it is!  Content warnings / info - author doesn't know how to write dragons, semi-graphic violence, if it wasn't obvious, Freminet, Lyney, and Lynette make an appearance, 2.6k words 

Stemming from a long line of dragon hunters, it was no surprise that like the rest of your siblings, you would take up the mantle of also being a dragon hunter. Dragon hunting is a service to the kingdom exclusive to only a few noble families like yours, hence why its hunters are practically revered by the kingdom's citizens. Protecting the kingdom, receiving glory after every slaughter, earning a large chunk of the kingdom's money, it's no doubt that many aggrandize and covet to be in the same position. 

You've never wanted to be a dragon hunter. It's an arduous job in a kingdom known for its dragon outbreaks. The Majesty is prompt in requesting dragon hunters, sending them from one corner of the kingdom to the other unhesitatingly, and frequently underestimate the duration that these kill orders take. When the process of dragon hunting involves tracking the dragon, finding the dragon's sanctum, preparing to combat against a dragon, and finally, killing it, it takes at least a week if it's one of the older dragons. The Majesty has high expectations, and it's a struggle to keep up with them. Kill orders were often piled on top of one another, which means immediately after you complete one, it is off to finishing the next one.

It is a job of ruin. When was the last time you've gotten more than a few hours of sleep? The last time you've had a full meal? The last time you were able to have a relaxing bath? 

Killing dragons is not how you would like to waste away your life, slaving away under a duty that everyone idolizes. As you carry on your role, you begin to learn more and more about these flying reptiles; dragons are fascinating, intelligent creatures. It is a shame that many villagers are so terrified of them, dragons actively avoid humans; though for one reason or another, dragons occasionally seek the nearest human civilization, eating farm animals and destroying any shelter or barricade that stands in their way. Perhaps you're just foolish, but you believe that there is a real reason for this behavior, and that there could be a solution to this. 

Until then, you could do little more but heed each order, slaughtering dragon by dragon. Their dying cries plague your dreams every night, leaving you empty and restless. 

You arrive at a village, the emblem on your chest plate that indicates your occupation glints as you step out of the carriage. The village head greets you quickly, settling you down in front of a cup of tea and some snacks, before cutting straight to the details.

“This dragon… I'd be careful. I've heard of you, a genius among geniuses in terms of dragon hunting, but I warn you right now. This dragon is different. Smarter, more powerful than your typical one, I bet. Its fire… even among other dragons, isn't comparable. It can torch the whole village, and it got damn near close to. Cunning bastard as well, it can pinpoint where our sheeps are and it can evade our traps. It disappeared from our village a few decades… we assumed it died naturally, but then it returned again earlier this season.”

“When was the last time it attacked? Do you know what kind of dragon it is?”

“No. We’ve never seen a dragon like it before. I'm not sure if it follows under the kingdom's classifications. It's black and white with three pairs of wings! And its tail… sharp like, like…like a scythe, can slice houses in half! Its claws are just as dangerous too. Can breathe fire, of course.”

Three pairs of wings… that means this dragon is considerably old. Dragons gain pairs of wings after their first set through molting, which only occurs every fifty or sixty months following reaching maturity, meaning this dragon was at least a century old. You grimace. Older dragons are always harder to get rid of. Most of the dragons that you encounter only have one pair, on the rare occasion, two. This is the first time you've been assigned a three-paired dragon.

Its colorings are also strange; you've never heard of a black and white dragon specifically. The tail description, however, isn't very uncommon; it could be a signifier that this is an incredibly rare hybrid among dragon species. If it's as powerful as it's said, and if you consider its age, then perhaps they come from one of the Dynasty species… but a descendent of that species hasn't been seen in many years. If this is true, then of course it wouldn't follow under the kingdom's ordinary classifications of dragons. Still, a hybrid? Mating between different species almost never happens. This really was a special case. And its disappearance? You couldn't even fathom why.

“Do you know at least where it lives?”

The village head turns to his right, pointing in that direction. “If you continue that direction, you'll come across a forest. That's where it goes. We don't know where it lives, we've been too scared to try and find out ourselves.”

You sigh. Well, this wasn't much to work with. “Is there anywhere I can stay?” 

“Yes, yes. There's a room above the bar that's just for you. Free of charge, of course. The food as well. Just please… eradicate this beast.” 

“I'll do my best.” 

—

No matter how many forests you go to, you never become fonder of them. Traversing them was always annoying. Too much greenery to walk through, too many streams and rivers to cross, and just too many damn trees. This terrain is especially difficult to find traces of dragons in. It'd be better to make your own traces then scour through the forest to search for them, hence why you're at a stream, catching as much fish as you can with a net. Fish makes for good dragon bait, though you don't intend to use it to trap the dragon. You doubt any trap you could make in the little time you have could kill or harm the dragon, but it will lure the dragon to you.

You pause to take a break, glancing at the pile of fish you've collected. The smell is starting to assault your nostrils. Ugh. 

You hear a crunch behind you, and you turn. Your eyes widen and you pick up your sword, raising them towards the three dragons that surround you. Adrenaline pumps through you as you stand up, observing the creatures. 

All of them only have one-pair of wings, with similar features and size; they’re as large as bear cubs, if you subtract their tail length, and you realize that they're baby dragons, yet to reach maturity. They have, notably, distinct colorings, but they all share the same black and gray coloring. Perhaps they come from the same hatch? The one to your right has red, almost maroon, splotches over their scales. This one is wide eyed, but its features are relaxed as if playful and curious. The one in the middle seems to be the smallest, fearful as if it’s cowering with its dipped head and the tail wrapping around itself protectively; this one has almost a marigold accent to it. The one to the right is teal, and passive, like it doesn't see you in the slightest. 

Baby dragons are hardly as aggressive or destructive as their adult counterparts, but that doesn't mean they can't pose a danger. Still, you don't want to harm them, not when they haven't done anything that would warrant you to.

The red one approaches, deliberately, sniffing towards your direction. You brace your sword, and it trudges up to you, nostrils grazing against your armor before it nudges against your hand. It then walks past you, its focus deadset on the pile of fish behind you. The two other dragons follow in the red one's lead, and you sigh in relief, placing your sword back in its sheathes.

Baby dragons, three of them especially, are a rare sight, as they're often sheltered in their father's den, and they don't venture out until they've fully matured. This being because they're quite vulnerable despite the threat they hold once they've matured. Eliminating them is a part of your duty, however, you never feel right killing creatures that have just hatched. They couldn't be more than ten years old; they still had a few more decades before they could pose a danger. If they're out like this, it's likely they've been abandoned. Mother dragons often leave their young after childbirth, and the fathers are left to take care of them; it could be that the father died recently. 

Whatever the case, you think that they deserve to live a little longer. Plus, they're kind of cute… 

Although, the more you observe them, the more you feel you should prevent the fish supply you spent all day getting from declining. They seem less cute now. You groan as they eat until there's no more fish, and they turn back to you, croaking as if requesting more. 

What are you, their mother? Your eye twitches in vexation. 

You spend your evening fishing for baby dragons at the river. Un-fucking-believable. Weren't you wonderful at your job? 

You decide to leave the dragons at the river bank as you search for wood to make a campfire. To your slight annoyance and amusement, the young dragons trail behind you. You get random twigs and branches that scatter the forest floor. One of the dragons, the yellow one, picks up a branch in their mouth, before offering it to you. 

Damn it, why did you have to be a dragon hunter? You take the stick in your hand, hesitantly petting the top of its head. This is something you’ve never done before, but you wouldn't mind doing it again. It leans into your hand. You don't deserve this treatment, you hunt their kind. Oh, how you wish you could tell them what you'd have to do once they grow up. Why did you have to be a dragon hunter? You're holding back tears as you continue the petting action. 

Its other siblings, unbeknownst to your existential crisis, follow its behavior, and you've turned the baby dragons into your personal campfire wood carriers. You think dragon trainor fits you better than a dragon hunter at this point, but that profession doesn't grant an affordable life. 

Seating yourself on a tree stump, you build your campfire and light it. You use it to cook a fish over, while you try to fend off said trout from being eaten by the dragons. By the time it's done cooking, the little creatures are exhausated, curling against you as the three fall asleep against your legs and back. You don't want to admit it, but it's a comfortable weight against you. You didn't even know that dragons snore until now.

Peace at last, you think, finally able to eat your fish alone. 

Too soon, too soon. You hear it before you see it, the whipping of winds that you can only associate with the beating of dragon wings as it flies. The sound grows louder, meaning it's heading straight towards you. You stand up, unsheathing your sword and bracing yourself for an assault. Shit, shit, shit, you're not prepared to fight in this territory whatsoever. What was it attracted to? The campfire? The smell of your fish? Or perhaps… you glance at the still sleeping creatures. 

You don't have much time to ponder as the ground shakes when the beast lands in front of you, right on top of the river, its gargantuan form making you tremble. An earth shattering roar escapes its throat, nearly making you tumble back from the sheer force, and your ears ring painfully. 

You've never seen a larger dragon before. You count the pair of wings through squinted eyes. One, two, three. This is the dragon you've been hired to hunt? 

The hand holding your sword doesn't stop shaking, no matter how much you try to control your muscles. The adult dragon nears, and your heart rate pounds louder and louder with each footstep. Black and white colorings? Check. Sharp tail? Check. You know you have to fight it, but how could you possibly? It dwarfs you in every single way possible. 

It swipes its tail at you, and you duck as fast as possible, just barely missing being sliced in half like the trees behind you. Its tail retracts to lunge at you again, and you block the sharp end with your sword, though it just swats you away easily, throwing you across the bank of the river. You land on the gravel with a pained groan, and you scramble to get up, facing the dragon. 

Piercing red-crossed eyes gaze back at you, and you no longer feel like the hunter. Instead, you feel like the prey, and every fiber of your being is telling you to run. You wield your sword again resolutely. If you die, then you die, but you'll die knowing you tried. The dragon tilts its head back, preparing its fiery breath, and you ready your wrist shield. 

Suddenly, a familiar croak comes from behind the adult dragon, and you see the baby dragons rush into the adult dragon, headbutting its feet. The dragon snaps its head back into its normal position, gazing down at the small dragons at its feet. You're afraid that the larger dragon will crush them, but instead it growls. The young ones chirp back, communicating with it. 

You stand there, bewildered, the pieces coming together in your mind quickly. Is the black and white dragon their father? Are they trying to save you? The tension in your shoulders relaxes the slightest bit. The father dragon whips its head back to you, and you freeze, paralyzed under its predatory gaze. Too swiftly does its tail shoot towards you, but instead of impaling you as you prepared, it merely wraps around your midsection, lifting you effortlessly. You drop your sword out of pure shock from being in mid air, and it brings you face to face with the dragon. 

The dragon snarls, baring its teeth, and you think it's the end once you see its pearly whites. Instead, however, it sniffs you, before pausing, observing you more. You're holding your breath, wondering when you will meet your fate. It opens its mouth wide, displaying a row of teeth in its oral cavern. You squeeze your eyes shut but all you feel is something warm, wet, and slimey. A tongue drags across your face, and you cringe, immediately bringing your hands to wipe away the thick saliva. The tail around you loosens, and you fall on your back, grunting from the impact of hitting the floor. 

Okay. Well, you're alive at least, you think, once you get the liquid out of your eyes but it is unfortunately in your hair. If it hasn't killed you yet, then it must mean that it likes you? 

You open your eyes, and see that the dragon lays in front of you, its snout just a feet away from you. Each huff from the dragon blows your hair back with hot air, but you don't mind it. The smaller dragons prance by your side, chirping and croaking with a high-pitched tone. Bemused but just grateful that you've yet met your end, you pet their heads. By the growl from the father, they approve of your action, and your heart melts. You reach out to pet the snout of the larger dragon, and it closes its eyes, further nudging against you before a grumbly purr escapes its throat.

Seems like you've just been forcibly adopted by a family of dragons. You don't think you'll complain that much. 

[anotherandomcollection]

[prologue] Dear Diary...

──────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────────── ≻─ ⋆✩ pairings: arlecchino x gn!reader ≻─ ⋆✩ warnings: some angst?, childhood friends to strangers to lovers, canon typical violence, mentions of death, slowburn - not beta read ≻─ ⋆✩ spoilers?: 4.6 (Arlecchino's story quest) ≻─ ⋆✩ synopsis: this is a series I'm writing - its in the form of dairy entries written from the reader's POV through the years.

this is just the prologue of how it all begins and provides insight on the background (on the reader) I made up :) There's no date for the diary entries but they progress forward.

≻─ ⋆✩ author's note: this was an idea that came to me in a dream (shower thoughts) /j I'm not too sure if this is a format that would be enjoyed, but I hope it is <3

≻─ ⋆✩ word count: 1.4K

[prologue]

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Dear Diary,

I'm leaving. I'm leaving this godforsaken house - I'm probably going to sneak off during my next mission. It's a solo mission, though I think it's just a ploy from "Mother" to get rid of me. My left leg is still injured and the Doctor says I may never fully recover, I have a barely noticeable limp, but anything short of perfection is frowned upon in the House of the Hearth (of course it is; the "Marelle" games should be enough of an indicator).

I don't know why either, I've been good - though perhaps she doesn't approve of the friendship Clervie and I have forged (not that she has any motherly rights to decide that). Or perhaps with Peruere - she is probably the next "King", with the highest potential or whatnot.

I'm scared to leave as well, just the idea of leaving is heavily frowned upon and is punishable with death. Even if I don't die on the mission, if I am caught, I will die. I'm not sure if even Archon's can tell me what happened to the other's who tried to leave. "Mother" keeps a strict tab on everyone and who knows what in the house. Any secrets being spilled… I pray for them. I pray for mercy, because I know the Doctor has none.

I'm scared to leave, scared about the future too. I don't know how to leave when this house is almost all that I remember. "Mother" clothed me, fed me and has given me a roof over my head. No matter how hard I had to work for it, I was given a shelter. It scares me that I don't hate this place as much as you would expect me to… It scares me to leave everything I know and all the people I cherish for this.

The battle for "King" starts soon, I probably won't be around for it. I'll either be long gone or dead, if the mission from mother goes according to my plan, I'll be on my way to Sumeru. If it doesn't… then I suppose mother's plan to get rid of me would have succeeded (archon's know I am not in mission ready condition).

I know its selfish to leave Clervie and Peruere but I cannot stay. I will die. Perhaps I could have stayed in another time or another universe where this "orphanage" didn't exist.

I'm leaving them a letter, but I have planned to make it look like I have died, or imply it, at least then I won't be the villain in their eyes for abandoning them here to suffer at the hands of "Mother". Painfully Hopefully, we will never cross paths and I will never have to explain myself. I'm not sure if they would understand.

I don't know how to live with myself anymore, not with the things the house has made us do. We are children and… I miss my family. I see glimpses of them in my dreams and memories - it was so warm. It had actually felt like a home. I think I had an older sister and a younger brother but I cannot clearly remember. I wonder what happened to them (if they even exist). I hope that I could have had that in another universe, but alas, I cannot in this one.

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[there is a letter left to Clervie and Peruere, hidden in a spot only the three of you know about]

Hi Clervie and Peruere,

It's me, I'm sure you know my writing by now and I'm sorry that I cannot see both of you one last time. I'm leaving on my mission and I will likely not return. "Mother" plans for me to die - I know it so because I am not currently mission ready and she's been sending me on so many. I'm barely pulling through as it is and I don't think I will make it back from this one.

I will miss both of you and I'm sorry it will end this way.

I will miss watching the sunrise with you, Clervie, and I hope that you see the aurora you so wish to see one day. I'm… sorry that it has come to this and I hope you continue going to watch the sun bleed orange-red in the sky and turn the horizon into a mix of orange and purple and pink (like your hair!).

Peruere… I will miss our shared love for insects. I left you some sketches I made of Bambi. I will miss our walks in the garden trying to insect-watch and then having to hide when our caretakers come looking for us. I really did enjoy them.

[in the same envelope, there are some old sketches of the spider - several sheets of the insect in several positions and all carefully drawn and the pages carefully preserved]

I'm sorry. [next to it is a scribbled out line, too scribbled to even make out what the words mean]

[the letter is only read by one of the people its addressed to before it is thrown into the fireplace and turns to ash]

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[the writing in this entry is shaky, tear drops are splattered on the page]

Dear Diary,

I heard Clervie died through the grapevine. I don't know what happened and I hope Peruere is doing alright. I only know she died in the battle for "King".

I don't know how to unpack this yet.

I'm scared

I thought I could maybe see them in the future. I don't know how to live knowing one of us will never get to grow up. It hurts so much. It hurts so much more than I thought this would...

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Dear Diary,

I got into the Sumeru Akademiya - under the Darshan Amurta and it specialises in biology. Particularly, I'm going to study insects! Which is probably more accurately called Entomology.

There's a new harbinger, Arlecchino. I don't know who that is, but I hear they are the new head of the House. "Mother" is dead. I hear the house has been taken over by a new "Father". I pray for the children each night. I hope the "Father" is nicer but the archon's know that is a stretch too far past reality. "Mother"… The Doctor… All the harbingers do is hurt and hurt.

I know first hand what both "Mother" and the Doctor does. Sometimes I wonder how they live with themselves. Perhaps both of them are crazy.

Perhaps it should satisfy me, that the person who tormented me and all the children is gone but there is none. It feels hollow and as terrible as it sounds, I… miss the house. It wasn't home, no, but there was some semblance of family, forged through sheer fear and understanding. I suppose it stops no one in the battle for King, it stops no one for the battle of recognition and the sheer desperation to survive.

But we all know why we do it.

I suppose we all understand. Understand enough to die without hatred. I wonder if Clervie felt the same. I hope her death was swift and as painless as possible. Archon's have mercy on her soul.

I've changed since the last time, I've changed my hairstyle and hopefully no one will recognise me. My injuries have been progressing well as well and my limp is almost gone. There's still the stress that weighs on me that someone will recognise me. I fear that someone from the Fatui recognises me - especially when they have their claws in every nation.

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[years later...]

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Dear Diary,

I'm going back to Fontaine. There has been an exchange in between both the Akademiya and the Fontaine Research Institute so I'll be going to study the Subdetection Units. They are these small units created by the Institute that monitors all sorts of environment data. It is extremely interesting and I wonder exactly what the units can record. Not only that but they are in the shape of insects!

I think these units are interesting and with some tweaking, it could be possible to track even more data from them. Particularly, underwater. These could also possibly monitor the area by the Fortress Meropide for escapees- The possibilities feel rather endless and I am probably being too ambitious, especially with little knowledge in the engineering behind these specific units.

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Dear Diary,

I think I saw her again today.

[the writing is shaky on the page and this entry is startlingly short.]

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[romanoffsbish]

Shelter me From the Storm

Actress!Natasha Romanoff x F!R

Stripped Bare (Part 1) / Two people asked for this and I already had the ideas so boom. 😂

Warnings: Loss of Parent / Grief. Post-Partum Depression (Not mentioned, but heavily implied—hygiene/eating struggles, struggle to bond/help). Media (Implied lack of respect for Sex Work).

Smut: Soft | Daddy (N) | Nat has a penis | Oral (Both) | Fingering | Overstimulation | Squirting | Unprotected / Breeding | Cockwarming (Plugging)

18+ | Minors DNI | Please Don’t Report, it’s labeled properly.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Natasha's raspy voice startled you, but it also soothed your aching soul. It'd been exactly two months since the two of you moved to Oregon to officially start your life together. "My mom, us, them."

The redhead nodded solemnly, worried eyes casted down onto your fidgeting hands. She settled down beside you on the porch swing, and took your freezing hands between hers. Gently as ever she kissed, and breathed onto them until she deemed them warm enough.

"You couldn't have worn mittens?" She teased, then her strong arms wrapped around your body so she could pull you into her lap. Her forehead leaned against yours as she tried her best to comfort you. It was you who broke the distance and pressed your lips to hers for a kiss that reminded you that you were really there.

——

You were still alive, even if your mom wasn't. The thought broke you, this idea that Apollo and Luna would grow up without her love.

"I miss her," you sniffled, and the redhead sighed empathetically, "Me too moya lyubov'."

A smile graced your face at the memories of Nat with your mom. They'd only known one another for a little over a year, but your wife stole your mother's heart instantly. The sick woman never missed a chance to talk to her, even if it involved interrupting your convos.

They had a pure love of you in common, so it was easy for them to spend hours talking. It warmed your heart, but also infuriated you to no end when your mom shared your secrets.

Natasha never needed to know about your failed prom, or about how you believed in Santa and his friends until sophomore year.

The redhead loved to tease you about it, even now, "Who else will tell me all your secrets?"

"Thank fuck that's over," you sadly joked, because embarrassing as it was, you'd let your mother release all of your most embarrassing moments in life if it meant she was still here.

"Ooh, What about Cole?"

You snorted, "Not if he wants to stay alive."

"You're no fun."

Silence soon fell over the both of you as you watched the rain harshly pelting down. The pavement, and dirt saturated in no time as mother nature wept, you weren't sure of her reason, but you liked to think it was for your mom. She loved the rain, it never presented as an inconvenience to her like it did for others, you remember chasing the rainbows with her.

Losing her was polarizing really. It was always coming, but you were never prepared for it.

All that really brought you comfort since she passed, was that she met your daughter first.

Luna Romanoff, the little girl with your wife's cheeky smile, and your mothers love for music.

At only ten months old she was a little rockstar. The xylophone was her go to instrument, it made you feel like your mom's name as her middle prophesied their clear connection. They had met, then five hours later your mom died.

Natasha took care of everything after, she still does some days when you can't manage. You usually feel bad, but every time she senses it, and reminds you that there's nothing else she'd rather be doing than caring for her family.

"I'm going to miss you too," you finally broke it, voice cracking as your emotions got the best of you. "I wish you didn't have to leave at all."

"Me neither," Nat replied in the same tone, a tear slipped down her face as she stewed over her departure this evening. Leaving you in such a vulnerable state wasn't easy, but she hadn't a choice as she had to do a slurry of interviews for her upcoming film, as well as clear the air on her sudden disappearance from Hollywood.

It was the only way the execs would let her off the hook for the premiere. The buzz from her interviews will give them enough scandalous PR. Especially when she announces this will be her last film for a long while. The seats will fill.

She'd pleaded for zoom interviews, but even being as big as she was, they wouldn't budge.

"I wouldn't go if I had a choice," she reminded you for the umpteenth time. "I know Natty."

"It just sucks," she voiced your thoughts.

You chuckled humorlessly, "Majorly."

The sudden sound of a cry through the baby monitor brought you and your wife out of your bubble of intermixed grievances, and right into the house where you found a shocked Apollo hovering over Luna's traveling bassinet.

Five minutes ago they were peacefully napping, one in a heap of blankets and toys, while the other was cozy in her bed. It was safest not to move your son, he'd have woken up lively.

Where he lays, he stays—a household motto.

The scene was clear as day, he'd climbed up onto the couch with a devious curiosity, and now it appears the young boy had slapped her.

Natasha swiftly moved to the side of the couch, stopping your son from repeating the offense with a gentle catch of his hand. With ease she scooped the boy onto her hip, then she lovingly reached down to smooth a hand over your daughters face. Her cries stopped instantly.

After your daughter was soothed you watched quietly as Natasha handled your son. Her look was stern, but her eyes were still adoringly soft. There was no true harm done, it was clear Luna was mostly just shocked, not genuinely hurt.

Plus, he's only two, this was like a canon event.

"Apo," she called his attention to her with the nickname derived from his inability to say his. "You have to be gentle," she softly reminded him, using her hand to mimic proper touch as she continued to brush her hand over your daughters face until she was sleeping again.

Apollo butchered the word as he repeated it, but he mimicked her perfectly. Tiny hands covered in god knows what reached out to cup her face, something he'd seen done before. Both of your hearts beamed at the boy for his slow, but steady understanding. This would probably happen again, from both ends, but you knew that it would be an easy resolution.

Natasha's gentle approach to the kids was a surprising discovery you'd made. Not that you expected her to be downright cruel, but you just expected more sternness from your former experiences. But then you remember the Natty that you'd loved was always there back then too, and then it all makes sense. The first time you witnessed it was when your infant son was playing with an extension cord. You wanted to run over and rip it from his hands, but she'd stopped you with a hand on your shoulder.

Instead she walked over to him, created some static electricity with her hands then tapped his. It seemed almost cruel, but then she picked him up as he wailed, then that soon faded into hiccups and it all became clearer to you.

He'd wanted her attention all along, and she taught him a valuable lesson in the process.

The gentleness came right after, when she held him close while she hummed a Russian lullaby to soothe him. All the while pointing to the enticing cord and saying a simple, firm no-no.

You remember watching them fondly, with a smile on your face, a hand on your bump, and a subtle sense of relief that'd washed over you.

No matter what came, you knew you'd all be safe with Natasha. Parenting was a learning curve, without your mom to guide you you've lost it, but you felt like she'd had it mastered.

That's why after the night slowly crept in you anticipated the arrival of your little brother. He's flying in from New York, and should be to your house by 8:30pm, and Nat has to be gone by 9pm, or she knows she'll never make it.

Apollo had already gone down for the night, but Luna Bear was still a live wire. Bouncing on her mama's hip while haphazardly shaking her head side to side in a tiring game of 'no-no'

"Wow, you've gotten so big Lunar Eclipse," your brother greeted the giggling baby, who turned to him with a wide, curious smile. Natasha sent him one as well at the relief she felt since she no longer had to shake her head.

"Luna," you corrected with a fixed glare. "I've been meaning to ask you about that sis."

"Cole," you warned through gritted teeth, and for the first time Natasha had realized the help she planned might actually be the bother.

"Why would you name your kids like animals?"

Natasha glared at your brother just the same, coddling the baby into her chest with a hand over her ear to shield her from hearing him

"You're the most annoying person on Earth," you deadpanned, he gasped in offense. "Give me the cat, and say your sappy goodbyes."

Natasha's arms around your waist stopped you from chasing your cackling brother down as he took your giggling daughter into the house.

"Don't leave me with him," you pleaded. "I won't look good in an orange jumpsuit Nat."

Natasha snorted softly, "You're so dramatic." Then she leaned in to kiss you slowly, a bunch of unspoken words being exchanged: 'I'm only a call away,' 'Don't kill your brother, please,' and 'Seriously, call me if you need me,' but the most important of messages came tumbling from your very own parted lips, "I love you."

Natasha smiled against you, she instantly repeated the sentiment, "I love you too Y/N. With all of me. You'll be okay detka. Promise."

The driver honked impatiently, and you fought off the urge to flip them off. Natasha rolled her eyes as she saw the petty conflict behind yours. "I'll be back in three sleeps sweetheart, you take care of yourself while I'm gone please."

Natasha sighed as she saw you bite your lip, a nervous habit of yours she'd become familiar with. You never wanted to disappoint Natasha, but you felt like you always were when you couldn't even manage the mundane tasks.

"It's hard, I know it is," she sympathized with your newfound wave of inability. "But eat, drink water, and sleep whenever possible."

"I'll try," you whisper against her chest as she hugs you close for a final moment. "That's all I ask moya lyubov, you deserve to be nourished."

"Three days," you whispered, your eyes shut tight as you reeled in your emotions. You could break down when she made it onto the road.

"Then there'll be no more leaving, we got this."

"Safe travels Natty." You kissed her cheek, then made the move to slip from her grasp, knowing all too well that she wouldn't willingly let go.

As you entered the house she watched, making her driver more irritated but she didn't care. His paycheck was signed by her, therefore his patience was paid for. She watched closely and nearly broke down when she saw a little Luna crying as her hands slammed into the window.

It was strange, how the ten month old could understand the implications of her mother in the car, and it hurt the woman's aching soul.

Once you locked the door, and scooped your daughter up she told released a breath and told the driver he could take off as she sent off a worried text to Cole, begging him to keep an eye on you like he promised her he would.

Then she sat back and began to count down the milliseconds until she could return to you.

—

The following morning came with a wake up Facetime call, your wife waited until it was 9am your time, then spent hours virtually cuddling. Around 12pm she bid you farewell, as it was 3pm in New York, her interview was for 6pm, but with makeup and wardrobe it was time.

It was live, so at 3pm you'd ensured the babies were already down for a nap, and settled onto the couch in some clean pajamas with your emotional support water bottle, and chips.

Natasha looked beautiful as she crossed the stage, with practiced elegance she flashed her award winning smile, and you swooned. It felt like it was directed at you, and with it being your Natasha you realized it probably was.

They discussed the movie, it was a smooth interview, until the hot topic, you, came up.

"So, tell me Natasha, who's the mystery girl?"

Natasha instantly grimaced, but quickly shook the expression for one of happiness. "My wife."

"Wife, huh?" He chuckled nervously, you both saw a question on his mind designed to send you spiraling. "Fans across the globe really thought you'd end up with Wanda Maximoff."

Natasha breathed harshly through her nose, it took all of her patience to remain composed.

"Wanda is nothing more than a lifelong friend." Natasha cooly replied. "Who's happily engaged, need I remind you, to The Vision Stark."

"Hindsight is 20/20," he jested awkwardly.

"Mhm," Natasha hummed, not even humoring the man with a response as she watched him fumble through his note cards for more. She smiled, it was perceivably smug, and made you feel something you'd yet to in almost a year.

He took a steadying breath before his face relaxed, then he continued his futile attack.

"I have it on good authority that your wife, Y/N Y/L/N." Natasha cut him off, "Romanoff."

"Sorry," he replied annoyedly, "We've been informed that Y/N Romanoff was a stripper."

Natasha nods thoughtfully. "Is there a question there, or are we just stating useless facts. If so, I'd like to inform you your tie is on wrong."

Your eyes widened, in all your years of knowing of Natasha, you'd never seen her so snarky. It was really hot, and you truly couldn't deny it.

"I guess, if it wasn't obvious," he starts shakily, as if he feared the 5'3 redheaded woman. "The world is wondering if that's how you met."

"Well, the honest answer is yes." The audience gasped, she rolled her eyes behind her lids knowing they were likely prompted to do that for shock value alone. "I know right? How shocking that rich people still go to strip clubs."

Her eyes then narrowed onto the nervous host. "As if you yourself aren't a regular Johnny."

"Jimmy," he timidly corrected and she laughed. Boy did she laugh, it was mocking, and had the man sweating through his shirt. "My apologies, so tell me Jimbo, does your wife know what happens during the actual late nights? We both know this show is mislabeled. It ends by 7pm, but your life is only just beginning then right?"

The raven haired man gulped, it was clear Nat was prepared for his intrusive questioning. You caught sight of Natasha's sideways smirk just as the show cut to a commercial, and when it returned your wife was no longer there. Cole snickered from beside you, "Mom would have loved to see this, God, I adore your wife Y/N."

You hummed your agreement, then left him to tend to the crying babies while you answered your wife's phone call. She was panicking, but you reassured her that it'll be okay. That her die hard fans wouldn't leave, and that with the progressive nature of Hollywood that she'd likely receive accolades for her honesty, and her overall support of the sex work industry.

Even if you both knew it wasn't a guarantee, Natasha couldn't help but to believe you. In the end, if this is where her career ended she didn't mind. She had more than enough money to retire, and she still would have her business.

Natasha ended the call after you'd calmed her as she had more interviews to prepare for.

It felt fulfilling being there for her, helping her through a freak out for once instead of it being the other way around. You knew it wasn't a competition, but it's hard to think otherwise when it's always you on the visibly weaker end.

There was a renewed confidence in your step now, and it showed when you fixed lunch for the whole house instead of letting Cole. You'd ushered him off to play with the kids, and got comfy with the concepts of cooking again.

—

When the next day came you got to hear from Nat sporadically. She told you all about her day, the highlight apparently came when she got to answer fan's questions while playing with cats. You rolled your eyes, knowing now that she'd be insufferable until you finally said yes to her taking in the stray kittens that lived amongst Wanda's garden. The brunette wanted to take them to a shelter a week ago, but Nat told her she'd win you over soon enough.

She begged again before she got off the call, and she was right, because that evening you sent her a picture before she went to sleep of a relieved Wanda on your doorstep with a box.

Natasha called you on the verge of tears, she'd only hung up the phone an hour ago so she could take a shower and get ready for bed. It was only 4pm for you, and 7pm for her, but she had an early morning interview before she was then meant to catch an afternoon flight home.

So, after she thanked you profusely, she settled down in her bed, and you on the couch as you pulled up her most recent interview done with Clint Barton. An actor turned talk show host.

He was also her very best friend, so of course she gave him the tell all story others wanted.

"So Natasha," Clint started with a teasing smirk. "Mhm?" She hummed playfully, her eyes softly rolled as a smirk overtook her face.

"When do I get to meet my niece and nephew?"

"Whenever you catch a flight out to Oregon."

"That's right," he bounces off her seamlessly, "You made the bold move to the Beaver state, what is in Oregon that's not in LA or NYC?"

"Peace," she answered simply. "It's gorgeous, and it's where my love wanted to end up."

Clint smiled, it was incredibly genuine as he admired the lovesick one your wife wore. The man has yet to meet you, but he plans to hug you tightly in silent thanks for changing her life for the better and making her this happy. He's watched her through every phase, the partying, all the meaningless hooking up, to the present.

Where she is outwardly softer, but as expected she is still guarded where she needed to be.

"Your love," he acknowledges, a slight tease to his tone as he met her eyes again. "Why don't you tell me all about who's taking you from us."

Natasha glared at him, but it was a playful way, that she agreed to, to ease her into her purpose for this interview. "You know Clint, I've been acting ever since I was a kid," she thoughtfully began, "It's all I've ever known honestly. It's been my greatest passion for three decades."

She took in a steadying breath, then sighed while wearing a shy smile, "It wasn't until I met her that I envisioned more for myself," her cheeks reddened at the thought of exposing herself in such a vulnerable way to the world.

Acting, telling others stories, was what she did best, but it felt foreign to tell her own like this.

With her eyes closed she imagined your smile, then she heard the memory of your kids giggles and suddenly it was the easiest decision. "Y/N is my light at the end of the tunnel, truthfully."

Clint nodded proudly, leaning back in his seat to metaphorically open the floor up to her.

"I know the world is already freaking out, some angry that I'm off the market, others mad that she's a former stripper, but I don't know why any of that matters to them." Natasha frowned as she tried not to cry. "People are saying my career will end with this, and to those people I say good fucking riddance. I've given almost every last piece of me to this industry, and if me finally choosing my happiness is a problem then I'll let it be for only them. I'm happier than I've ever been, and that is my truth."

"So, you're leaving Hollywood behind?" He asked for clarity, and she shook her head in a partial negation. "I have decided to take a step back, this upcoming film is going to be my final for an indefinite amount of time. I want to focus on my family, and I deserve a break."

"That you do Natasha," Clint acknowledged, behind him on a screen a slideshow of all of her hit movies began to appear. Emphasizing the focus of conversation. "If you retired today I'd say that you've left your mark on the world, even more so with those beautiful babies."

"They are my entire world." Natasha clarified, they were her legacy, sure, but they were so much more than that too. They were a perfect mixture of you both. Apollo with her distinctive eyes, and your sweet smile. Then Luna with her smile, and dimples and your huffy temper.

Both with their own blooming personalities.

The redhead smiled brightly when a photo then flickered on the screen of your little family. The four of you were sat on a park bench, Apollo stood on her lap with his hand pointing to something behind her, she had smiled at the camera, but her eyes focus was torn between him and the phone. Then sat beside her was you, with a blanket over your chest, shielding the hungry baby from the harsh Fall winds.

It was meant to be a cute family photo, and it still was, but far more dysfunctional than intended. Natasha had tried to get Apollo to turn around, but he wouldn't take his eyes off of the firetruck in the back. Then Luna cried, and it was clearly hunger so you let her latch on, and even then it could've been cute, but then she grunted angrily so you covered her.

"You guys look happy," Clint acknowledged, and the woman smiled fondly. "We are."

"Well, I hope that in a few years time we'll be able to see you back on the screen," Clint moves to wrap up the segment. "But if we don't, then I'd like to dedicate a moment of silence to the greatest loss in the industry."

"Oh stop it," she joked tearily, leaning forward to playfully shove his shoulder. Clint winked at the emotional redhead, then he yanked her up and into a bear hug. "Tell Y/N I look forward to meeting her," he whispered, then he planted a kiss on her cheek, and she left the stage with a chorus of loud applause following her.

You turned the TV off, then wiped at the few tears that she'd elicited from you. Seeing her so vulnerable on TV, all in an attempt to make the media go easier on you, was overwhelming. It made your heart swell with more love than before and you couldn't quiet grasp how you could even love her more than you already did.

It also made you want her more than you did yesterday. No longer was it a feeling you could ignore, but instead a deep seeded need you'd had every intention of satiating upon your wife's return. Which is why you rebooked your brothers flight home, and reminded him about that one time you covered for him when he rear ended your evil neighbor Mildred's parked car.

—

The last thing Natasha expected to find as she entered your house late at night was you. But on the couch you sat, with a glass of red wine, and in a matter of seconds you were on her.

"Moya lyubov' I said drink water," she groaned, but it was a humored one. You looked up at her with wide eyes, then you smiled innocently. "Would you believe me if I said that Jesus showed up and magicked it himself?"

"Oh, is that so?" She cackled in a hushed way, you nodded vehemently. "Scouts honor Natty!"

"Mhm?" She teasingly hummed, the vibrato felt as she pressed her lips to yours, and you gasped affectedly. Natasha tried to pull back, feeling guilty for looking like she was trying to initiate anything, but then she felt guilty for feeling guilty because of course she wants you.

"No," you whimpered and clung to her biceps. "Daddy please, I-I'm ready." You were wet, desperation was controlling your mind now.

"You're drunk detka," she pointed out, but you showed her the bottle, proving that you'd only poured the one glass and hadn't had more than two sips. Which was only for liquid courage.

"What's changed for you?" Natasha pulled you down into her lap, you whined in frustration, but then you saw the glossy viridescent orbs full of concern waiting for your reply.

"Seeing you lose your cool on TV over me was hot," you admitted shamelessly, stroking her big ego in the hopes that it'd soon be her cock.

The redhead blushed, but quickly regained her cool as she leaned back into the cushion of the couch and firmly gripped your thighs apart.

"Can I see how hot it made you detka?" Her raspy voice made you dizzy, you nodded and moaned a soft please so she eagerly padded at the wetness seeping through your panties. "Oh look at you detka, you're just so needy, huh?"

She cursed in Russian when you answered with a buck of your hips. With a swift hand she laid you down and said, "You have to be quiet."

You shook your head. "I reminded Cole of a secret I kept, so he collected the kids and all they'd need and went to the guest suite."

"I knew I married a genius," she teased, her heart nearly exploded as you laughed. It'd been so rare to hear nowadays, so it was cherished.

"What do you want moya lyubov'?" Natasha looked deep in your eyes, wearing a smile that said only your pleasure was enough for her.

Instead of answering you pulled her down with a hand wrapped behind the nape of her neck. The kiss was soft, almost exploratory as it'd been so long since you'd had a spike in libido. But when Natasha still remained timid you took the initiative, your hand cupped her bulge, and you slid your tongue over her bottom lip.

She gasped and your tongue pushed beyond her lips, but hers expertly swirled around yours then darted down your throat. As you gagged she couldn't fight off the aching need so she pushed down into your hand and moaned.

The redhead pulled away, panting heavily as she tried to reel her neediness in. You drove her body wild, but she didn't want to get too lost in the lust if you weren't ready yet.

"You've been so patient with me," you purred, "Let me take care of you daddy, please?"

Natasha suddenly stilled, her sorrowful eyes set on  yours. "Hey no, detka, you deserve endless patience without expectations."

"Yeah, I know," you breathed. "But we went from having sex every few days to not at all."

Natasha smiled tenderly, her hand cupped your cheek. "That's fine, I don't need sex to be happy with you Y/N. You alone are enough."

"Well, that sentiment is returned, but I'm absolutely serious, so let me give you head."

Natasha was shocked by your bold words, it was a quick recovery though as she snorted, "If I ever say no, please do have me committed."

Natasha smiled triumphantly as you giggled, it always made her heart warm to hear your joy.

The mood swiftly returned to one of lust when after she leaned back you slid out and onto the ground on your knees. The woman was tired, jet lagged to be more precise, but that didn't stop her from helping you take her sweats off.

Natasha was undeniably aroused, her cock stood tall as soon as you slid her boxers off.

"You gonna stare all night detka?" Natasha teased, then her eyes softened. "If you're not ready, just say the word lyubov', it'll be okay."

You shook your head free of worry, and smiled at her for being so sweet. It was comically endearing. Here she sat with an erection that had to be hurting her at this point and she only cared about your comfort. Which actually only made you even more excited to suck her off.

Natasha groaned, the sound raspier than ever before as you traced your tongue over the veins of her cock. Her hands gripped the cushions of the couch as your lips wrapped around her tip, and she nearly came on the spot as your hands steadily pumped up from the base of her cock as your other hand lazily played with her balls.

Her breathing became increasingly labored as you bobbed your head up and down her length, you could feel yourself dripping down your thighs as you'd gone commando beneath her sleep shirt. Hearing just how much she was enjoying this had immeasurably turned you on.

Natasha's hips involuntarily jerked. "Oh fuck." You giggled around her shaft, the vibrations making her do it again, and this time you'd choked. Universal instant karma you suppose.

Natasha stilled, fearful eyes looking down into yours. "I'm okay," you immediately said after gasping for air upon releasing her cock, you didn't move far though, you instead hovered her tip with a goofy smile for hopeful clarity.

"Are you close?" You asked, but with how her shaft continued to twitch beneath your fingertips you'd figured you had your answer. Natasha nodded, it was uncharacteristically shy and you found yourself wanting more soft sensual moments just like this one with her. 

"Good." You mused. "Now how about you take over and cum down my throat as a reward."

The way you winked made the pit within her begin to unravel, Natasha's tip instantly coated in pebbles of white as you took over half of her length into your mouth, and proceeded to let her fuck your throat until it was raw. Your nails dug into the skin of her thighs that you were gripping for stability as she thrusted wildly, and glorious tears ran down your warm cheeks.

When she released down your throat the pleasure was blinding, her eyes slammed shut and she moaned for a prolonged moment as the hot spurts didn't stop. Strands of her cum slid down your chin along with your drool as she continuously thrusted until that wave of pleasure she was riding came to an end. 

While you both caught your breath you began to get handsy, impatiently pulling at the hem of her shirt until she removed it with a huff of amusement. You then kissed up her body until her cock was trapped against her abdomen by your slippery cunt, and your lips met hers.

Natasha's hands fell to your hips instinctually, and she guided you as you slowly ground into her, letting her tongue explore your mouth. When you whimpered with need she pulled back and you were met with dark, lusty eyes.

"I know you want me inside detka," she teased as she ran a thumb over your swollen lip that was still somewhat coated in her essence. "But daddy's missed your pussy in more ways than one, and I can't help but to need to taste you."

"Please," you whispered affectedly, and she pulled you back in for a deep, heartfelt kiss. "Thank you detka, lay down for daddy now."

Natasha removed your shirt seamlessly as you laid down, the fabric had barely left your skin before you felt her hands all over your body. One second they were gripping you by the hips to keep you from bucking into her face, then they no longer cared as they sought out your breasts. Natasha's tongue flicked over your bundle of nerves just as her thumbs pinched your nubs, and your body writhed as you came.

The orgasm you experienced was intense as the aftershocks continued rolling through you, and in retrospect it was also embarrassingly quick. But it'd been so long and Natasha was just that good, she never struggled to get you to let go.

Every muscle in your body relaxed for all of two seconds, but then the redhead continued to lavish away at your cunt. Cleaning up your arousal, but then delving even deeper to pull another, somehow more intense orgasm from the depths of your soul. Stars bloomed behind the lids of your eyes as you screamed her title.

Over and over again too. Natasha was like a woman starved as she refused to leave her place between your thighs. When you tried to shimmy away she growled, it was terrifying, but in the best way as you involuntarily gushed.

You knew that if you really needed her to stop you could say your safe word, but as much as you felt overstimulated you felt just as good.

"Fuck I missed this," Natasha moaned as she continued to lick at your glistening, puffy cunt. "If I could, I'd never leave this sacred spot."

You were cognitively incapable of a verbalized response besides the occasional, pitiful whine.

Natasha admired your fucked out face briefly before turning your whimpers into loud moans as she wrapped her lips around your clit, and sucked harshly as she suddenly filled you with three of her skilled fingers, that now curled delicately into your g-spot with every thrust.

Tears streamed down your temples, matting your hair to your face, and seeping into the cushions of your couch. You came with a yelp this time, cum absolutely drenching the couch and leaving Natasha in awe. You however were hardly able to breathe, or see as the tears made your sight bleary. This was when your hands flew into her hair, tangling up in the locks as you used all your remaining strength to pull her up to your lips in a redirecting manner.

Natasha kissed you sloppily, her fingers now coming to a stop as she understood your silent pleas. Slowly, after distracting you with a swirl of her tongue around yours, she pulled out. You whined lowly at the loss, but your body appreciatively deflated into the cushions, and while you worked to calm down she began to kiss all over your skin in a calm, soothing way.

"We should go get you cleaned up lyubov'," she murmured against the skin of your neck that she'd been nibbling, your breathing had finally returned to an evened rhythm. "No, please."

Natasha pulled back to look you over, she was shocked to see your eyes desperate for more.

"Are you sure detka?" You frantically nodded, "Yes, fuck, I want you to fill me so bad daddy."

Natasha pressed her lips to yours, and slid her throbbing member into your slick cunt without a hitch. Neither of you were going to last long, and truthfully neither of you needed to. There was already stars where the ceiling once was as your lover pounded into your sloshing cunt.

"Gonna fill you to the brim detka," she moaned against the shell of your ear. "Can't wait to see your beautiful belly grow with my baby again."

Her breaths were hot as they fanned across your twice as hot skin. Every grunt she released brought with it a reactive clench of your walls, and it drove the woman atop of you insane.

Natasha came with a silent scream, her load unleashing havoc on your abused walls, you were a moaning mess as she slammed into your g-spot repeatedly as she chased this glorious high, milking it for all it's worth and herself as well in the process. When she came to a stop, and pulled out of you she gasped.

The amount of cum that oozed out of you was jarring at first inspection. Natasha had never released this much in her life, she's almost certain it's impossible for that much to exist inside a person at once but she just rationalized it as a delayed release for the year without sex.

There was no way you wouldn't get pregnant.

Especially not after Natasha thrusted back inside of you, mumbling something about preserving the chance that made you chuckle.

"Are you prepared for a third baby?" You teased your wife, with a hand mindlessly running through her hair as she laid with her face pressed against your chest. "I once told you detka, I'd make you my breeding bitch."

You cackled, chest shaking beneath her head to the point that she had to lift up and narrow her eyes at you. "I'm not sure why that's funny, but yes, I'm prepared for whatever life brings. With you by my side I'd willingly raise a dozen kids."

Natasha smirked when your humor died away, eyes wide with fear until she finally took over laughing for you. "God, you looked so scared."

You scoffed, "I was. That's a lot of c-sections." Natasha pursed her lips in thought, then she shrugged her shoulders. "Not if we have twins."

"We'll leave the twins to Maximoff," you soon decided over a yawn. "I think two more is fine."

Natasha leaned down to kiss your lips. "Two more sounds perfect. A simple family of six."

"There's nothing simple about you Natasha."

"Yet you love me anyways." You could hear the insecurity in her tease, and it hurt your heart to think someone ever made her feel unlovable. "That I do." You gently guided her lips to yours, kissing her slowly before you guided her face back to the crook of your neck. "Very much."

Neither of you spoke another word, you just laid there soaking in the warmth of your love before slipping off into a restful nights sleep.

The first in a long time actually, and the last genuine one before Raven and Leo arrived. 

——

6,389 Words

Nat's former job: Acting / Y/N's: Stripping

Nat's current job: Breeder / Y/N's: To be Bred

❤️ Kaitlyn. 🤭

[seramilla]

Sera stepped over to Emily and pulled her into a tight hug and Emily wondered why she had never felt before just how desperate her sis-her mother's hugs were? As if she were scared that each would be her last...

"I love you Emily. I love you so so much more than you will ever know. And you have no idea...just how much I wanted to tell you before. To have you calling me mom this whole time and being able to proudly claim that you're my baby...but it...it's dangerous and I can't..." Sera choked and she held Emily closer, her wings wrapping around the smaller Seraphim.

"I can't lose you. It nearly killed me to lose Carmilla...if I hadn't learned that I was pregnant with you when I did it might have killed me. If I lost you..." Sera didn't finish the sentence but Emily knew.

Emily hugs Sera tighter. The familiar feeling of the High Seraphim's wings around her -- encircling her, encasing her smaller form like a protective cocoon, like when she was a child -- communicates all the love and maternal need Sera hasn't been able to show her until now. Sera has always protected her, sheltered her, and loved her. She didn't realize exactly how much until this moment.

"It's okay," Emily says, tears beginning to fall liberally down her cheeks. "I understand now. I'm sorry, too...for how ridiculous I've been. Making demands of you, when I could see how much you were hurting. I didn't mean to bring back all these memories."

Sera bends down to Emily's height, cupping each of her cheeks in her palms, and kissing each one. She rubs a stray tear from under her daughter's eye, and looks at her. Really looks at her, like she hasn't in a long time.

"You remind me so much of her," Sera says, smiling warmly. "We used to fight sometimes like this. She always had a way of making me be honest with myself. Like I should have been with you, from the very beginning."

"It's all right, Se--Mom," Emily says, correcting herself mid-way. "I know why you did. I understand. I wouldn't have trusted little me with that kind of secret, either."

Sera laughs. An honest, guttural laugh, that brings out a snicker from Emily's own mouth, as well. Sera pushes her forehead into Emily's, until their noses practically touch. Emily can smell the comforting, heavenly scents of oils that the older angel uses every day. The ones that are so familiar from her childhood, and remind her of Sera's hugs, and her protectiveness. Sera's always been her source of safety.

"I should have told you when you were ready. I should have trusted you sooner."

"Well, I know now," Emily says. "All I ever wanted was a mom. And today, you're telling me I have two? I'm so lucky!"

Sera smiles. But then, the smile diminishes somewhat, and she pulls away again. Sera looks off into the middle distance, staring longingly at something, somewhere, that Emily cannot see. She can tell Sera is thinking about Carmilla at that moment. She also realizes that every other time Sera has made this particular expression...she'd probably been thinking about Carmilla then, too.

How awful it must have been, Emily thinks, to see the person you love go through something like that.

Emily hugs Sera again, tightly around the waist. She cannot change what happened in the past, but maybe she can help her mother forget it for a while, if only for a moment.

"I love you, Mom," Emily says, saying that word like she's said it a million times. She probably has, she thinks, inside her own head.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," Sera says, crying again, and rubbing Emily's soft hair. "I love you so much."

[lillymakesart]

more episode 5 discussion

tl;dr a continuation of my video dissertation on lilly.makes.tiktoks: (summary) mikio fell in love with mizu, they had their first argument, mama convinced mikio to turn mizu in, mikio did go turn her in. "love poisoned by betrayal" where mikio is the love, mama is the betrayal

i feel like mama's betrayal needs some more reading into in order to truly understand her motivations, because that pipeline going from caretaker to ultimate betrayal is so insane

mikio's petty actions (picking at mizu's insecurities by calling her a monster and taking away the horse he gifted to her) are all in line with a hurt, petty, toxic lover that just wanted to hurt mizu back in the way the she hurt him

what about mama? she has cared for Mizu all these years, had been her mother figure, and even reaped some benefits off of Mizu's arranged marriage. isn't turning her adoptive daughter into the very men she fought all her life to keep her safe from a bit too intense?

to wish such foul ill on someone must have taken years and years of built up resentment and vitriol. maybe if we look at the timeline from mama's perspective the motivation behind her betrayal would reveal itself

Fowler said that mama was Mizu's maid. not sure if this has any significance, but he didn't say nanny or wetnurse. maybe she was simply a maid that worked around the house and only tangentially caring for the baby. life in the estate must have been pretty cushy for her as she was generally sheltered and protected under her lord's care

but then assassins come for the baby, she is caught up in the mess, and she can only stand by and watch as Mizu's life hangs in balance before her. fate decides that Mizu should live, and she is shoved into mama's arms and the man tells her to take the devil child and run, and so she does. she leaves the cushy protected life of being a maid in the estate and becomes a homeless woman on the streets, now burdened with a crying baby and no idea what to do

at some point she turns towards a life of prostitution, which at this I'm guessing is her only option. this life must be terrible compared to her work at her lord's estate. perhaps the stress turns her towards opioids, and she becomes an addict

maybe a messenger keeps in contact with her and makes regular deliveries of money to continue caring for the baby. the money amount could have even been generous, enough to keep them off the streets in a respectable town, but with mama's addiction we all know where the money truly went.

one day the money stops, and mama can't get her opioids anymore. theoretically she could have continued caring for Mizu, but she'd rather work full-time as a prostitute and continue acquiring drugs than care for a child that she never wanted, was never even trained to care for. in fact, this child has brought her life lower than ever before, so of course she'd leave her

the resentment has already built up when Mizu was a child, but it really ramps into full force when she finds Mizu again as an adult

we can see some first signs of jealousy when Mizu tells mama that she "should never do that again, I earn money, more than enough" and mama replies "how honorable you turned out to be." the implication here is that mama thinks Mizu is accusing prostitution of not being honorable. Mizu does not have to suffer woman's work in the way that mama has because Mizu has lived as a man, and was permitted to learn an artisanal trade to earn money with. this is a luxury that mama will never know, and builds on the resentment.

when mama finds Mizu a husband, to the audience it seems like Mizu is the one doing the favor for mama, but for mama, this is the least Mizu could do for her in return for all those years of debased service caring for her. at least with Mikio things could somewhat start looking like mama's old life again, protected in a household, not having to worry about when the next meal would come in, and most importantly, a steady stream of income for drugs

but then Mizu blocks mama's drug money, forcing mama to go out and work for her drugs again (more discussion on this part in the tiktok video tl;dr my theory is that mama never stopped smoking and was secretly going out to work for her drugs and just keeping it a secret). this return to a debasement that mama thought she was finished with really drives home the hatred she has developed for Mizu at this point

from mama's point of view, Mizu is an ungrateful brat that ruined her life, stole her best years from her, forced her into prostitution, and now just when she was starting to get some return for all those years of turmoil, Mizu snubs her again by forcing her back into prostitution

when Mikio comes home that day after the duel, clearly angry with Mizu and looking for ways to hit her back, this must have been a point of weakness for mama where she just couldn't help but divulge the secret of Mizu's bounty. all those years she has held back her resentment and hatred, with no thanks or appreciation for what she has given up for Mizu's wellbeing, must have come crashing down on her as she let the bitterness and resentment win at this exact moment

it's not right, but it does make sense. mama betrayed Mizu in the ultimate way, but she too was once a victim send post

[allthelittlecreepycrawlies]

Free Day: NHS is the elder brother from the Nie clan and thus is the person who appointed MY as his deputy

Set in this verse with requester permission.

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

He had thought that introductions were going well, but as soon as he mentioned why he was there and who had sent him, Nie-zongzhu's welcoming smile vanished.

He didn't look annoyed or anything of that sort, instead he seemed... embarrassed.

"Oh! That's- ah... Well..." he mumbled, awkwardly scratching his neck-

-Meng Yao politely pretended not to notice that there were already a great many scratches there-

-then he sighed. "I'm sorry. Whatever promotion you were told this would be was a lie."

A creeping-crawling feeling started to form in Meng Yao's stomach, similar to the one he used to get as a child whenever one of the adults would promise him something and then pretend not to have done so later. "What do you- I-I mean, could Zongzhu clarify for this one, please?"

"I do need an assistant, but as far as the disciples and soldiers are concerned, the position is a joke. Or a punishment. Nobody wants to work with the sect leader in-name-only when they could potentially gain a position of actual importance."

The creeping feeling gathered together into a stone. He felt dizzy all of a sudden.

He was further surprised when Nie-zongzhu quickly gave up his own chair and even helped him to sit. "Why are you telling me this?"

"We may have only talked a little while, but from your descriptions of your time helping our side, you seem hardworking and trustworthy. I like you enough to be honest with you," Nie-zongzhu said simply.

Honest with him. Which was more than he could say for the men who'd promised him a better rank in return for his effort. And much kinder, too.

"If... I were to stay, what would be required of me?" he asked cautiously.

"Are you good with sums? Recording counts? Names and faces? Taking notes? Reading maps?" Nie-zongzhu listed off, and he nodded an affirmative to each one.

And finally- "Do you get ill around severe injuries? Blood and broken bones and all that? I know you said you were on battlefield cleanup before, but it's, ah, different when you're looking at someone still squirming and screaming."

"I've seen enough," Meng Yao said. "And I have some training in battlefield triage."

"Oh, excellent!" Nie-zongzhu said, clapping his hands together with a smile that seemed to lighten up everything about him in a way that... was actually very endearing. "Those soldiers really had no idea what they were throwing away, did they? But their loss is my gain!"

Despite himself, Meng Yao felt his face grow warm under the praise.

"Alright, then, let's get you set up with a place to sleep and your scribe kit, and then we'll get started with the kitchen and infirmary supply lists for today, okay?"

"Yes, Zongzhu."

---

By the time he made it back to his new cot and tent, Meng Yao was exhausted.

But he also felt... accomplished.

Tailing his new sect leader as he bustled about the support camps for the front line, he had found that despite the lack of respect the combat cultivators and soldiers gave him and his quiet meekness, Nie-zo- Huaisang, the man had insisted- actually had a very keen and complicated mind when it came to strategy and logistics.

Every worker, from medic to cook to farrier to message runner, that they met with had been introduced to Meng Yao by name, and it was clear they appreciated the recognition, along with Huaisang's string pulling to keep their supplies filled and their tools in good condition.

He was also quick -and genuine- with praise, both for them and for Meng Yao, who couldn't remember the last time anyone but his mother had ever spoken of him so highly.

It was... addicting, in a way. The sweeter Huaisang was to him, the more of that he wanted.

He couldn't lose sight of his goal. He was still aiming for his father's sect.

But... having found himself a shelter of sorts from the storm of public ridicule... maybe he could let himself enjoy it.

Just for a little while longer.

[captainimfangirling]

Finally got to watch the entire movie and not just clips and I enjoyed it. I'm not judging anyone who ships Noa and Mae but I just don't see it. I mean I do think Noa and Mae are very fascinated with each other (especially Noa because he's never seen a human like her) and felt the need to protect her (like Elliot protecting ET) and learned to care for her but that's the only thing I see between them. I also didn't see any chemistry between Noa and Soona either so I feel like if Noa didn't feel responsible for his clan he would be out exploring with Raka and Mae instead of marrying Soona becoming leaders of the clan.

Raka was my favorite and I'm sad he died (hopefully not really) halfway through the movie. I wanted to see his reaction of Mae saying how humans were the dominant species and the apes were silent dumb ones but at the same time I'm glad he didn't learn the truth because he'll be very disappointed about how apes were kept in cages. It's possible he would be ok with it if he knew about the humans who fought for animal rights. By the way if Raka comes back in the second movie I really hope a human sings him a song. He deserves it.

Mae was my second favorite. I don't get why she's so hated. I mean yeah she had the gun hidden in her hand at the end when she confronted Noa but I don't blame her. At least she went to say goodbye to Noa instead of just leaving. I also don't think she was lying to Noa intentionally when she said something about a book helping humans speak again. That's probably what she thought the satellite key was and also it's how to describe it to apes who know nothing about technology. I have a theory her mother and the group of humans she was with were originally from the bunker and they left (knowing they're immune to the virus of course) to save humanity. That's how she knew how to work the gun and how to open the vault. I also think she's not very trusting of Noa and Raka because that's what she was taught. Never trust the apes and everything belong to the humans. At the end she learned that she can trust them. Like Noa, her elders didn't tell her everything.

Proximus was my third favorite. I honestly think he's just a scared ape who doesn't want to go back to the silent. He also obsessed with the Roman Empire probably thinking it's the best time in human history. His elders probably taught him that he shouldn't trust humans like Mae's elders told her not to trust apes.

Noa is my fourth favorite. Please don't hate my for my opinion. I did like him a lot and he was funny but I don't really see anything deep about him besides him and his clan being sheltered from the outside world and being fascinated by Mae.

I personally think the apes in Cesar's clan split up and started forming their own beliefs and ideas. I think humans would naturally do that like in the video game Horizon Zero Dawn (look it up it's a fun interesting game).

I do hope there's second movie with Mae, Noa, and Raka because I loved seeing the trio explore and interact. I also hope Proximus isn't dead because I would love to see him and Raka interact because they both follow Caesar.

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 12 (Life As a Landgraab?)

After Eva and Johnny returned to his rent-free luxury suite at the Landgraab-owned apartment complex across the plaza, Heather stayed the night with Malcolm.

She woke in the night to pee and found Malcolm’s father, Geoffrey, up late reading in the kitchen. He straightened his glasses when he noticed her. "Can't sleep? Sometimes these big windows let in too many city lights for me, but reading helps."

"I am a little hungry," she admitted. "Dinner was nice, it was just...I felt like Nancy was watching me eat, and she only ate, like, three bites of her own food."

Geoffrey nodded. "She was counting your calories," he admitted. "She only lets herself have so many a day, and once she's counted all her own she can't help but count everyone else's, too."

"Don't you hate that?"

"I've just learned she sleeps like the dead, and if I eat when she's not around, she can't count a thing." His belly moved as he laughed. "Now that you mention food, I could go for First Breakfast. Malcolm says you're a great cook, and I think we've got enough bread for French toast!"

Heather laughed. Geoffrey was kind and sincere - the total opposite of his wife. "Is that like second breakfast? Are we hobbits?"

"We wouldn't need to be if my wife just let people live. But she's got very specific ideas about success that she learned long before she met me. I know my wife and I know she knows better, but I can't lie and say I don't love her strength of will - when I'm not hungry, of course! You'll get used to her."

Heather shuddered. She couldn't imagine getting used to Nancy Landgraab. "I don't want to sell the clinic," she breathed as egg-dipped brioche fried over the stove. "And I really like Brindleton Bay. All those strays help keep me and the animal shelter in business."

Geoffrey smiled. "You fit in well there. I've read some of the online reviews since you took over, and it's nothing but praise for you and your skills. You should be proud."

"How could I walk away from that? Would you?"

"I walked away from plenty for love, including my own last name," he said. Heather plated his toast, and he took a bite and swallowed before he continued. "It's too soon for anyone to talk about marriage, even though all my wife ever thinks about is lineage, but you make great French toast, you're a great vet, and you'll make a wonderful daughter-in-law to anyone someday. If you want it."

With her plate of food, and Malcolm and his parents asleep upstairs, Heather took in the stunning midnight lights. Floor-to-ceiling windows wrapped around the entire penthouse suite, giving incredible views across San Myshuno Bay in every direction.

A far cry from her childhood in Henford-on-Bagley, she considered a potential life in the big city. Her uncle lived here, and Dylan, and soon Holly and Kris would live here, too. This could be her life. Life as a Landgraab, with Nancy for a mother-in-law.

(She did this brooding stare out the window autonomously. After she made the French toast she decided instead of eating, despite the fact she was starving, she wanted to play the piano. I cancelled that and told her to eat her food. But then she picked up the food and headed back toward the piano and I thought she was going to try to play piano with a fork in her hand, but she did this instead.

She didn't even know I planned to make her do this for the plot/screenshot, anyway, and she served up exactly what I wanted her to do with a bonus side of French toast. I just adore her.)

Heather tidied the kitchen and snuggled back in bed with Malcolm, dozing off until they were ripped awake by sunlight streaming through the massive windows.

"Good morning," she said, cuddling into his shoulder. They'd always parted before sunrise, but his king-sized bed with memory foam - and that view! - was a pretty spectacular way to wake up.

"Mmrrnph," he grumbled, turning away and pulling the covers. "I need coffee."

"Never mind," she muttered under her breath, throwing back the covers as she stood so he could freeze.

With the blanket on the floor, he stumbled groggily out of bed. "Sorry," he said, squinting into the sunlight. "It's so damn bright! Don't be like that. I hate mornings."

"It's fine," she said, fighting her disappointment with a plastered smile as they both got dressed. "I have to get back to Brindleton to open the clinic, anyway."

He leaned in for an awkward embrace, but he pulled back when his phone pinged with an incoming email. "I'll text you later," he said.

Making her way downstairs, Heather tried not to overthink his pre-coffee demeanor, but before she returned to the Simmerloop Superhighway, she detoured to her uncle's penthouse in the Arts Quarter. ->

<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 1 Summary | Gen 1 Start

[idontknowwhatimdoinglol]

hey so here my request!!

I was hoping for Maleficent and daughter-like-figure reader.

R is like the happy, soft, sunshine daughter figure, and Maleficent is like the cold, stotic, 'evil' but very caring mother mothing figure.

R is going to the moors to spend the day with mal, when she gets caught in the rain. R runs under a nearby tree for shelter, and maleficent finds her, and takes her back to her lair. R keeps insisting that she's fine, but mal knows that R is sick form the rain, and if she was out there much longer, she would have gotten hypothermia. Eventually, R does admit she is sick and apologizes, but mal assures her she doesn't need to apologize for being sick. The rest of the fic can be just mal taking care of sick R with lots of fluff pls :)) TY!!

(this takes place in the time of Maleficent's curse era)

Maleficent x daughter figure! reader (sick)

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

today hadnt really been going as you had planned, the original idea you had for today was to visit maleficent in the moores but mother nature had other plans, instead of a nice visit in the sun, you were huddled under a tree, your clothes soaked from the down-pour that rained down on you. you planned on waiting out the rain for a few mintues then continueing but it felt never ending. "whatever are you doing out here in this weather" maleficent asked walking towards the tree you huddled under "i was p-planning to see you but-t the weather stopped me" you said shivering from the cold air "well dont just stand there, come" she says ushering you under her cape.

by the time you two made it to Maleficent's tree you were sniffling and sneezing "this may be a guess but I'm going to say you've caught something" maleficent says, putting a hand to your head "nonsense i feel fine" you say, shivering from your wet clothes "you know how i feel about liars y/n" maleficent says, she uses her magic to dry your clothing "it was truly stupid of you to come here, in this weather, you could've gotten something much worse than a simple cold" maleficent scolds "I'm not sic-" you cut yourself off with a cough, maleficent looks at you with a stern look "you are, and you are staying here until your better" maleficent orders "nooo I dont wanna, I'm not-" you sneeze "ok maybe I'm a little sick" you say laying fully down on the nest in the tree "as i said, now I'm going to make you something to eat dont move" maleficent says, running a hand through your hair, Diaval perches himself on a small branch in arms reach from you, "hello Diaval" you say petting his head, maleficent gives a small smile, and then walks away, leaving you to rest.

(i felt the oneshots was to short so here's some extra headcanons)

mal doesn't show it but the second you got sick, she was panicking.

she knew it wasn't anything serious but she just didn't like seeing you like that.

Diaval perches himself over you while your sick, only leaving when mal needs him or he has to eat

mal forgets all about her revenge when your sick, she just focuses on you getting better, the few times she does leave to check on the fairy's and make sure aurora is still alive, Diaval watches over you.

when your better she is happy, though she keeps you in the moores for a few days 'just to be sure' but really its cause she likes having you around.

- - - - - . o 0 O 0 o .- - - - -

sorry for the wait I've been busy, hope you enjoy!

[bteezxyewriter12]

Daddy/ 1

Pairing- Namjoon x Named Reader

Word count- 1.5k

Includes- Stepdad Namjoon, "Dumb/naive" reader, reader name not used- instead called "baby", all are of consenting age, corruption, fingering, oral, pussy eating, cum eating, first orgasm, multiple orgasms

Tag List- @mingtina @jaxxmine @yeosayang @delightfulmoonbanana @tannie13 @y00nzin0 @marsstarxhwa

@borntowalkaway @soulseobi05 @kpop-bambi @seokwoosmole @meowmeowminnie @nctzennikki09 @mrcarrots @yoonallthetime @namjooningera @quinsly @kendranicole1996 @jacobhey @wolfgurl2600-blog @mrskimjoon

Masterlists- check out for more fics

📝Daddy Masterlist 📝Masterlists

📝BTS Masterlist

📝Namjoon Masterlist

Namjoon POV

I walk down the hallway of my house, passing by my step daughter's room

Soft moans stop me in my tracks, right in front of her door

I listen harder, hearing her moans

Sex sounding moans

I shouldn't open the door

I should just keep on walking

But maybe if I catch her in a compromising position, I can use it to my advantage

Grabbing the doorknob, I twist it and push the door open

The sight I walk into makes my cock twitch

She's naked from the waist down, humping a pillow

She doesn't notice I'm here, her hips moving fast and an idea forms in my head

"What are you doing?", I ask, scaring her

She jumps, her head snapping to me, eyes wide with fear and she immediately gets off the pillow

"Daddy", she whispers

Another twitch of my cock, hearing her call me daddy

That's what she's always called me even though she's twenty three

She's so fucking sheltered and honestly a complete airhead

Dumb as rocks

Her mom, my wife, has kept her in a bubble after catching her with a guy in her room when she was eighteenth

The guy was fucking her and her mom freaked out

From then on her mom told her shit to keep her from having sex and staying away from guys

Ridiculous shit, making her totally naive

She didn't even know what was happening to her with the guy, she just knew it felt good

The first time I met her, when she was twenty, I immediately knew she was dumb as a post

It's her mother's fault

She thinks she's keeping her safe but she's just making her gullible

"What are you doing?", I repeat

"Nnnn...nothing", she answers, cheeks red

"Are you lying to daddy? I saw what you were doing"

Walking to her bed, I look down at her pillow that has a huge wet spot on it

"Were you humping your pillow?"

She looks down, not saying anything

"You know you're not supposed to do that"

She nods, "I'm sorry Daddy. Don't tell mom"

I make a decision, one that I've been fantasizing about since I laid eyes on her

"I won't baby. But why did you do it?"

"I just...I had a feeling...down there. It was achy. I wanted it to stop. I...I laid down with the pillow between my legs, trying to make it go away. But I moved and it felt...."

"Good?", I prompt

She nods, "Yeah. I... I kept going and I felt like I was going to explode but...but"

"You couldn't?"

She shakes her head, "Mom told me not to"

I resist the urge to roll my eyes

"I'm sorry Daddy. Don't...don't punish me"

I raise my eyebrow, "I'm not going to punish you baby"

"Oh?", she says, confused

"Daddy's gonna help you"

Her eyes widen, "You...you are?"

I nod, "Yeah baby, but before I do, you have to promise not to tell anyone that daddy's helping you. No friends and absolutely not your mom"

"Don't tell mom?", she asks, hesitating

"If you want daddy's help, you can't tell mom. No one"

She thinks for a minute then nods, "Ok"

"Promise me"

"I promise daddy"

"Good girl", I give her a reassuring smile, "Come closer to the edge of the bed"

I watch her scoot closer

"Lay down"

She complies

"Good. Now open your legs wide for daddy"

"I uh..."

"C'mon baby girl, I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm gonna make you feel good ok? Open your pretty legs for daddy"

She nods, slowly spreading her legs

I suck in a breath seeing her perfect, pink pretty pussy

Completely shaved, swollen lips, swollen clit that's throbbing fast, hole clenching around nothing

And she's so fucking wet, creamy juice leaking down her thighs

Such a pretty sight

Bringing my hand to her cunt, I softly run my fingers on her

"Ddd..daddy", she shudders

"Yeah baby. Daddy will make you feel good"

Touching her clit, I move my fingers, rubbing circles into her

"Daddy", she gasps, making me laugh at how easy it is to turn her on

She's so sex deprived and I'll be the one to give it to her

She'll see me as someone who is safe to have sex with and I'll make her into my perfect obedient sex slave

I watch her hole leak so much juice just from a few clit rubs

Turning my hand, I slide two fingers inside her, feeling her automatically clench on me

"Good girl", I praise her

"Daddy what...are you ...doing?", she stammers

"Fingering your cunt baby girl", I tell her

"It feels so good daddy"

I know

I feel her drenching my hand, her cunt so tight already

Poor baby edged herself for who knows how long

"Have you ever orgasmed baby?"

"Uh....what?", she pants

"Have you ever orgasmed? Pleasure running through your whole body? It feels like you're exploding but in an amazing way"

She shakes her head, "No daddy"

"Well daddy's gonna give you one", I answer, slamming my fingers inside her, playing with her clit, "Right now"

I watch as pleasure seizes her body, her thighs shaking, her face so fucked out

"Daddy!", she cries, her fingers squeezing the sheets so hard, "It feel so good daddy!"

"I know baby girl. I know"

I let her ride it out, her body calming when she's done

But I'm not done with her

Kneeling down, I suck her clit into my mouth, tugging hard, moving my fingers again

"Daddy-"

"Shh baby. Daddy wants to suck your clit. Make you feel good again"

"Again?"

"Yes baby. So lay down and enjoy", I demand

She lays down and I go back to sucking her clit hard

Moving my fingers, I rub in a spot and she cries loudly, juice gushing from her

Got her spot

I keep moving and sucking, watching her writhe on the bed and I smirk

I don't mind eating her cunt or fingering her

Her cunt is pretty, her clit is cute, spasming in my mouth

It's what has to be done to get her to rely on me for sex

She also tastes good too

So much better than her mom

"Daddy...I...I'm gonna...I feel"

"Go ahead baby", I tell her, slamming her spot

She yells loudly, coming again and yeah I'll admit that she's pretty when she cums

She's actually really beautiful with a hot body

Someone I could actually date of she wasn't so dumb and naive

Pulling away from her clit, I move my fingers out of her and ask, "Want another one?"

"Yes. Please. Daddy please", she cries

"Ok baby", I answer, "Daddy is gonna eat your cunt so well baby"

Spreading her puffy lips open, I lay my tongue on her and rapidly move it up and down, with her yelling loudly

Thank god her mom isn't home yet

Sliding my tongue down, I slip it inside her clenching hole, feeling her cunt spasm around my tongue, sending pleasure straight to my cock

"Daddy...what's....what's that?"

"Daddy's tongue", I answer

"Iiii....inside?", she asks lifting her head, her eyes widening when she see me between her legs

"Yeah baby. Daddy's tongue is having sex with your pretty pussy", I tell her, "Does it feel good?"

"So good daddy. So good"

"Good baby"

I keep tongue fucking her, over and over,

"Baby, you taste good"

"Wwww...what?"

"Your cream baby, you're pussy juice, tastes good"

"Is is...that good daddy?"

"Perfect baby. Daddy likes the way you taste and it means I'll eat your cunt more often"

"Ccc..cunt?"

"Yeah baby", I answer, licking along her pussy, "This is your cunt"

"Oh", she says, her voice so fucked out

I pump my tongue in and out of her tiny hole, as she clenches around it, dripping juice in my mouth

She moans wordlessly and when I look up at her, she's staring at the ceiling completely fucked out

I smirk

I got her right where I want her

Slipping my tongue out of her slit, I circle her clit with the tip, bringing her closer

Closing my mouth on her clit, I suck hard sending her over the edge, her screams so loud

Quickly slipping my tongue back inside her, I let her ride her orgasm out, her cream coating my tongue

It's really good and I swallow over and over, getting all of it

Might as well enjoy it

When she finishes, I give her cunt a kiss, then stand up, looking down at her spent body

"Good baby?", I ask

She nods, "Yes daddy"

"Good girl", I answer, "If you need daddy to eat you out again you can just ask me ok? I'll make you feel good"

She nods, "Ok"

"Baby", I call

Her glazed eyes look over at me

"Remember you can't tell anyone what daddy does for you, especially your mom. It's our secret or daddy won't make you feel good anymore"

"No daddy. I won't tell anyone. I promise"

"That's my good girl", I tell her, "Are you sleepy?"

She nods, "Yeah daddy"

"Ok baby. Take a nap ok? I'll wake you up for dinner later"

"Mm ok daddy", she murmurs, her eyes already closed

Taking her blanket, I pull it over her then gleefully leave her room

Step one done

I'll make her my slut in no time

[dreamingkitsunewrites]

Letter to somebody I left behind,

It's been more than a year…a year since you entered my life…and now that I've ripped myself away from you I'm slowly coming back to my old self… 

But I remember the hailstorm and us talking under the shelter of a balcony, the smell of your smoke on my skin, the intricate patterns of your tattoos

 I still remember Escher, Goya and the starless sky, the way we both hoped the rain wouldn't ever end…

 I remember the late night calls, when you couldn't even breathe on the other side of the line,but we still talked about the ultimate essence of happiness and Geworfenheit;

I know everything about you and I wish I didn't let you so close to me: I was never there, but in my mind I held your inner child out of the wreckage of your household…I never met Jo, but I feel like I was there beside you when you tried to bring him around in that car…I wasn't there with you that night, but I took all of your pain on my shoulders…

 I still remember the fights, the way you used to yell at me I was nothing without you… just to text me to know if I came home safe when I turned my back to you…

 I remember Budapest, your sore knuckles when life became too much, the way you finally fell asleep to the tale of my routine…

Even if I don't want to, I will always know the words of the songs you wrote to me, and I will always keep the notes you wrote in the books we exchanged.

I've tried… God knows I've tried…I've tried loving you even when u shattered me to pieces…not once but twice. And still then, I loved you from afar, without anyone else noticing. 

Sacrificing myself and my dreams on a far away horizon, I decided not to leave. Not yet -I said to myself. People asked me why I decided not to leave all of a sudden…and I wanted to play it down, blaming my lack of bravery, while the only reason was you…

But all you wanted was keeping me close just to see me shatter again…just for you to put me together and tear me to pieces over and over again… 

I gave you my time, my thoughts, my energy, my prayers… every fiber of my being begged for your Salvation as I held my own breath at night.

Yet, the cruel game you played with me was not enough: you kept on damaging yourself on purpose just because you knew it was the simplest way to get under my skin, to make sure in the end I would come back to you begging for more. 

Until one day I found the bravery to let go.

I want to leave you behind but I won't ever let you go completely, because deep,down I know I failed… I'll always be reminded how I couldn't get you out of your misery… I couldn't win over the Demons in your mind… 

You told me I reminded you of your mother…and I want nothing more than being someone else…

Good luck on your next turn, I wish someone will finally be able to stitch what the others had ripped apart…

Sorry if I moved on,

           Yours, the one who got away.

What a strange thing life is... Barely nights ago I was writing this letter in my drafts after getting a 3am text by a person I never thought I would hear from again...I layed awake feeling miserable, not wanting to feel a thing... and yet, today I grab lunch with friends I haven't seen in a while and I fall for the idea of falling in love again... The news of young (maybe too young) wedding after an almost breakup, and a new start after grieving the one you loved hit me like a train...it all happened in matter if minutes... And then I understood: Love knows a lot of hiding places...but when the time is right it will always find its way back to you...and I'm willing to wait, no matter how much long it will take...

Needed to get this off my chest so bad...

[marshmallowprotection]

Thank you Kait for the previous post! Honestly it baffled me a lot as well when I come across that kind of people. Saeran/MC will never be codependent in my eyes when this phone call literally exists on day 10 of his route. We're not even going through the AE yet. That's right people. He actually knows and learning how to make decision for himself/what he feels right instead of following other people's choices 😩😩

People want to believe what they want to believe, and at the end of the day, I don't want to waste my time or energy trying to convince other people that Saeran/MC isn't what they think it is.

If they don't see the way Ray Route and the RAE is setting up the clear narrative foils between V/Rika and Saeran/MC to show the differences between an unhealthy relationship where two people are obsessed with the idea of the other and run with that and a healthy one between troubled people who're trying their best to make sense of the world together and by themselves, I don't know if they will.

I'm not saying Mystic Messenger does the very best job at explaining many of these themes narratively, but I am saying if you read what's in front of you and think about it, the answers are there and it doesn't hide itself from you. If you're looking, you can see it.

However, I know a lot of people don't understand the complexities that exist between V and Rika, either. I get it, I know why people are fast to hate them for justifiable reasons, but if you don't understand the dynamics of their relationship, you gloss over a huge part of the story when it comes to what the game is exploring with Saeran and MC. I'm not telling people to care about V or Rika when I say that, I am saying that if you want to talk about toxic codependency, then your answer is V/Rika.

Maybe I have an easier time understanding the dynamic between V/Rika because there have been times where I've been like Jihyun, and that uncomfortable mirror has helped me become a better person. I am grateful to Jihyun for that. Someone wrote in my tags yesterday that V and Rika aren't about who is the perfect victim or the perfect abuser, they're two unhealthy people who are trying to cling to each other to cope in the most toxic way imaginable.

Neither of them will ever be wholly innocent as their actions hurt each other other and many of the people around them. Could we argue semantics on who did something "worse?" Yeah, you could argue that up and down because there's layers to the things both Rika and V have done. But the core of their relationship is built on unhealthy codependency. They cling to each other and as long as they do that, they'll continue to burn like a wildfire.

It's not healthy.

Jihyun even acknowledged how unhealthy it was in the RAE for him to shelter Rika. It's that awareness he has that makes me upset with him, because he'll destroy himself to keep his promise, and in doing so, destroys everyone around him because of it. Sometimes, you've got to understand that your dependency on another person isn't the healthiest thing. You have to make boundaries and start working on getting away from that dynamic, or you need to go and straight up leave.

Saeran and MC do not act and react to situations in the Good Ending the same way that Rika and V react and act to situations that they're thrust into. Saeran and MC are partners, they work together, confide in each other and make decisions based on trust. But, what they do is not based on what the other wants.

Your image shows that.

MC: Would you stop working with them if I asked you to stop? Saeran: To tell you the truth, no, I'll continue on. If it was before, I would've done what you told me to do, but, I want to persuade you now.

V and Rika don't communicate like that. V "shelters" Rika from what she has to face even though he knows it's wrong because he feels like that is the only way to prove he is giving 1000% of his life to ensure his mother didn't die for "nothing". Rika leans into the obsession she holds for Jihyun, continuing to view him as a God who will save her from her devil, even though she knows, deep down, he can't save her from her nightmares.

God. They drive me up a wall all the time but they are the ones we need to look at if we're going to talk about characters who have an unhealthy attachment to each other.

[cosmiclion]

An egg in the process of cracking 🥚

A design of younger Grell from my AU (she's about 20 here). I changed almost everything from her backstory since I first came up with this AU, notes (that I've been working on for months lol) under the cut.

(Also yes, I hid the hands behind the body because I didn't wanna draw them, don't mention it ☠️).

-Born in February 17th, 1863 in England, in this universe she's not a reaper but she's still not human.

-She's a werecat (I explored the concept for the first time in this post and I liked it so much that I ended up using it for my main AU). While werebeasts have a human form they are 100% nonhuman as the curse that turns someone into one fully alters their DNA. Adults are immune to the curse, which means if an adult gets bitten and survives they won't turn. However, cases of teenagers and younger surviving an attack aren't enough to properly determine up until which age a person can be affected. A child can also be born a werebeast as the curse can be passed to a fetus if a pregnant person gets bitten. The latter is Grell's case, as her mother got attacked during pregnancy.

-While she didn’t actually transform until her early teens, she did show feline traits from the beginning, such as a desire to hunt and chase small animals and moving objects, climbing trees or other structures, hiding in narrow spaces, etc.

-A homeschooled and pretty sheltered only child, with dead maternal grandparents, a dead father, an emotionally distant mother who eventually bailed on her and paternal grandparents who loved and spoiled her but didn’t really understand her on a deep level, Grell grew up angry and frustrated. She had always felt that something wasn't quite right with her, and when she slowly started to experiment to try to figure herself out she had no one to turn to. As a teenager she decided to just run away from home and leave everything behind. She knew she was leaving her grandparents to die alone but she didn’t care, she had never genuinely loved them anyway.

-She chose her own name AND surname, the first after a nickname her German grandparents often called her and the latter after a character from a book she liked.

-Struggles a lot with internalized misogyny thanks to a mix of her mother’s neglect and eventual abandonment and her grandparents only talking shit about said mother whenever they mentioned her, which greatly contributed to shape her views on motherhood and womanhood in general. Would love to have a child of her own but deep down that’s just because of her dysphoria, in reality she has very little patience for kids and is probably not the best parent material.

-Went through a phase of compulsive heterosexuality both when she thought she was a man and also after she realized she was a woman. Figuring out her orientation wasn’t any easier than figuring out her gender but she’s probably bi with a slight preference for men and masculinity in general.

-I still haven't come up with a story for what she does after leaving her home and before the main events, I only have some ideas. Like she's young when she goes out into the world, she's passionate and adventurous but also full of pent up anger. Also there's the small issue of her being a beast with a huge prey drive, being a trans girl in the middle of self discovery is harder when you're also learning about and trying to gain control of (or at least cope with) your literal wild side ☠️ I know that werebeasts' main driving force is hunger, and the longer they go without eating the more they revert back to a feral state. I'm tempted to make her go the serial killer route but in this case she doesn't have much control of her actions 🫢

-Her werecat form is based on a maine coon. When she first starts showing signs of therianthropy she doesn’t have much control of it, and transforming and becoming that big and rough looking makes her more dysphoric (even more so because “male” maine coons are bigger). Over time she starts accepting it and, as she discovers how powerful it makes her and all the things she can do with it and gains control of it, she fully embraces it as an important part of her.

-The only part of her feline form she cannot hide in human form are the teeth, no matter the form she takes she always has sharp fangs. This is a common trait of all werebeasts, some of them are self conscious about it and avoid smiling or opening their mouth at all while others are proud of it and will take any opportunity to flash their teeth at anyone (guess which one is Grell’s case lmao).

[monstrsball]

single dad iwaizumi au

this au has lived in my brain for nine months, and i've been talking about it a lot in discord lately so... have my thoughts and headcanons. enjoy!!

note: you may have already guessed this but this is also an iwasuga au. i'm not going to go into it here but suga is mentioned once or twice!

his son's name is mikio, he was born (in 2014) while iwaizumi was still in california!

appearance wise, i think he looks a lot like iwa! except without the resting grumpy face. his hair is a little curlier too. and he ends up needing glasses around the time he starts second grade.

mikio's birth mother is not in the picture, it's been just iwaizumi and mikio since he was little. do not ask more questions about this because i do not have answers at the moment lol.

when he found out that he was going to be a dad, iwa freaked out a little. like "oh my god i don't know if i can do this" but also he really wanted to? he really wanted to be a dad but he was also scared. he called his moms (who answered even though it was the middle of the night for them) and they talked for hours. it really helped him calm down and warm up to the idea.

and then he called them again (at a more reasonable time) to ask them about baby names because he was completely lost. they helped him pick out mikio!

they lived in california for a few years since iwaizumi was still in college + doing his internship with utsui. utsui ended up being a massive help to iwaizumi too!

this is how ushijima became one of his mikio's uncles!!

(mikio called him uncle toshi at first but eventually started calling him uncle ushiwaka because of oikawa. yes, iwaizumi tried to dissuade this but was unsuccessful. ushijima says it's fine.)

oikawa is competing against ushijima for the best uncle title. ushijima is not aware of this.

oikawa is a really good uncle though! he has years of experience after all he loves mikio with his whole heart, he's always sending him little things in the mail. he does sometimes get really sad that he's missing so much.

mattsun and makki do not know how to talk to children but they think mikio is cool. they call him little dude/little man. he is their buddy!! their pal!!

kyoutani also does not know how to talk to children and was probbaly nervous when he heard iwaizumi had a kid lmao. like, what if he says the wrong thing and hurts the kid's feelings and iwaizumi never talks to him again. but i think mikio actually really likes kyoutani! he thinks his hair is cool and he likes hearing about the animals kyoutani works with (part-time animal shelter worker kyoutani is real and canon. to me.)

i think iwaizumi introduced mikio to a variety of sports as he was growing up because he didn't want to force volleyball onto him. mikio does still end up latching onto volleyball. he does like playing other sports sometimes but he LOVES volleyball! he watches a lot of games with his dad (mostly oikawa and ushijima's).

mikio's other interests include: rocks, legos, lizards, & reading (he likes reading books about rocks and legos and lizards). he has a rock collection that he will show off to anyone who lets him.

he is not a fan of bugs (they scare him) which breaks iwaizumi's heart a little but they are slowly working on getting him more comfortable with them.

he is a pretty sweet kid but he can be a little blunt like his dad is sometimes. has called oikawa weird on multiple occasions but he isn't even trying to be mean. (it is typically said when oikawa is being over dramatic about something)

iwa has a lot of moments where he's like "i cannot laugh at that. i need to tell him not to say that." but it's hard because mikio really will unintentionally say the funniest things.

he can be pretty shy and quiet when you first meet him but he opens up a little over time, you can expedite the process by asking him about the things he likes. he gets really excited to talk about them.

when mikio is around 6/7 years old, iwaizumi makes the decision to move back to japan permanently after he gets a job offer there. (tentatively saying this was his role on the national team...? don't quote me on that. either way, he does still work for the national team. i'm just not 100% sure if that's the one he moves for)

which is where this au diverges from canon (again lol). he moves back to japan permanently instead of working at a university in the US. he does this to be closer to his moms. he feels more comfortable knowing that they're closer and he can go to them if he needs help.

mikio loves his grandmas. i need to say this. every other weekend, sachiko or mayumi will come get him on the train so he can spend the weekend with them. he has a blast!!

mikio is really, really nervous for his first day at his new school! he doesn't really talk to anyone.

can you guess who his teacher is.

yeah, okay, so i think he does end up talking to suga on his very first day because he sees a volleyball in the classroom and is like O: so they talk a bit about volleyball. suga tells him that he played against his dad and uncle in high school. (he either knows iwaizumi is his dad bc well. the last name or he saw him before class started...? something like that.)

mikio thinks suga-sen is the coolest person in the whole wide world.

sometimes when mikio doesn't have school but iwa still has work, he'll take him to JNT practices. the team loves him. mikio loves the team.

after ushijima, mikio's favorite person on the team is probably bokuto. i think he's who he warmed up to the fastest.

he also thinks kageyama and hinata are super cool but not because they're both world famous volleyball player, it's because they were on the same team as suga-sen in high school.

kageyama and hinata are not even offended by this. they also think it's cool that they were on the same team as suga in high school.

he's friends with osamu's daughter, kanako (shout-out to @osamusbigtits and his single dad osamu au) since atsumu also brings her to practice sometimes.

i think... these are all of my hcs?? questions are always welcome :3

[barry-j-blupjeans]

@taznovembercelebration - Sweet

Look, it wasn't as if Taako liked Barry Bluejeans. That was a wild assumption to make straight off the back. This had layers. But if he needed evidence in like, a court situation, or something similar that totally wouldn't happen, where he needed to prove that Barry Bluejeans was awful and an absolute nerd and not good for Lup, he had three key points.

Number one: Lup had a bad taste in men. Granted, she said the same thing about him. But Lup had a very nasty history of choosing the guy whom Taako enjoyed being around the least. And that's not to say she needed to consult Taako every time she found someone new to date. Far from it! Actually, Taako was very glad she wasn't doing that. But from that guy who stole fifteen hundred dollars from them to the man who left the smell of cigars so deeply embedded in their sofa they had to get a new one, he was always very wary of whoever Lup was interested in next.

Number two: Barry was her colleague. From her job. Taako might not be an expert in the dating scene, but he was pretty sure that was a shitty idea. Sure, he seemed decent and nice at work, but who knew what this creep did in other places? Taako very much doubted that he volunteered at pet shelters or was working on curing cancer in his free time. The fact that he arrived in a large white van with zero windows besides the ones at the front seats definitely didn't help the vibe.

Taako didn't wish the man any harm. It was supposed to have been a quick drop-off- According to Lup, Barry hadn't been to work in the past few days due to his mother passing away. Understandable, normal. At least, probably normal, Taako wouldn't know. He was coming to give Lup the notes that he had for their project and then dip.

Platonically. Lup had very much stressed that this was platonic. Taako would have believed her if she hadn't stressed it so much that he started to doubt it.

Lup was still at work, of course, so Taako had to take them. Like a nice, kind brother would. She was making him chicken and dumplings later tonight so she wouldn't be in his debt. Again, totally normal sibling things.

So when Barry Bluejeans (Lup had to be fucking with him) knocked on their door, Taako answered.

Number three: Just like, look at the guy. He looked like a depressed oatmeal cookie. He looked like a grown-up Pillsbury Doughboy in jeans. He looked like if every Hallmark loser boyfriend was stuffed into one guy.

"Uhm, hey," Barry said. He sniffled a little. His eyes were red-rimmed. "This is for Lup."

He held out a thick, bright orange binder. Taako took it and almost, almost, faltered under the weight. Damn, scientists all must have some sick gains to be carrying around shit like this with them. But Taako took it and stood straight, trying not to look like he hadn't worked out since he barely passed his high school gym class.

"I'll get it to her," Taako said. Barry nodded, looking down at his feet instead of at Taako. Taako was strongly reminded of a kicked puppy.

"Thanks," Barry said, pathetically.

He didn't move. Neither did Taako. Barry looked up slightly, caught eye contact for half a second, and then looked down again.

"I'm, uh, I'm gonna get going," Barry said.

Thirty minutes later, Barry was sitting on Taako and Lup's new sofa and crying. Taako was patting his arm. There was a tub of ice cream in between them. Technically, Lup had told him not to eat it, because it was hers, but technically, this was an extenuating circumstance.

"I'm sorry," Barry said, wiping his eyes with one of the dozens of tissues Taako had given him. "I'll- I should get going-"

"You have said that three times in the last half hour, my man," Taako said. "Just accept that we're gonna eat all this ice cream and move on with it."

"Right," Barry said, with another sad sniffle. "I'm sorry, I'm not normally like this-"

"Uh-huh."

"It's just been really hard recently and I know I need to get back to work, but it's hard-"

"For sure."

"But I don't want Lup to have to do this project alone," he said. "That'd be super shitty of me. I just- I don't know what to do. Y'know?"

Taako did not, in fact, know. But he nodded anyway because the talking seemed to be helping.

"Listen," Taako said, slinging his arm around Barry's shoulders. "You're a tough little oatmeal cookie-"

"Th- thank you??"

"And I'm sure you'll get by just fine," Taako continued. "But you're right, leaving Lup to do all the work would be super shitty of you. No doubt. So maybe you can, uh, get out there and, uhm, make your mamma proud. Or whatever. Something like that. Not that she's already not proud of you. Or, uh, that she wasn't."

This was hard. Taako was bad at emotions. What about this guy made Taako want to comfort him instead of just shutting the door? Maybe Barry was an evil wizard using magic spells to lure both him and Lup into a false sense of security before he killed them or something.

"You think so?" Barry said, with such yearning and sweetness that Taako swore he was going to get a toothache. Lup liked this guy? This was the man Lup thought was funny and handsome, in a totally platonic and normal way, thank you very much Taako? This unseasoned piece of chicken eating all their ice cream and making his way through their issues?

He didn't sound like an evil wizard, that was for sure.

"Sure," Taako said easily. "I think that's how it works."

"Thank you," Barry said, his voice wobbly. "That'- that means a lot, Tah-ko."

"Taako," Taako corrected, patting him on the arm. "I'm gonna go get more ice cream. Gimme like, a hot sec and I'll be right back."

He got up from the couch and ducked into the kitchen before pulling his phone out. He shot Lup a text that said,

What are the chances that Barry Bluejeans is an evil sorcerer who runs off ice cream?

For someone who was at work, Lup replied very quickly with a,

Eight percent. He's too sweet to be a completely evil wizard. Maybe like, neutral evil, at most? Also, he's lactose intolerant.

"Goddamnit," Taako muttered.

[moonferry]

fsioy chapter 14? boy, you're gonna scream!

I CANT BELIEVE IT. i finally finished it. here it is - the "big one" i've been forewarning for days now. it's finally finished and possibly even more angsty than i anticipated. this may be the most gut-wrenching thing ive written for this fic. once again, nothing i say can accurately prepare you for what will happen. all i can say is that i'm truly sorry. also this would be a good time to mention that i have - unfortunately - began taking college classes so updates may be more sporadic but i will push through and keep going with this fic . trust. i've invested too much time and effort into this to just abandon it now. and - like i promised - i will be writing a short fluffy oneshot (and it will feature danny and lee !) as recompence. this one is going to be LONG and a doozy so strap in, folks!

warnings: CORPSE MENTION/BODY DECOMPOSITION, SPRAINED ANKLES, BROKEN BONES, AMBUSH ATTACKS, GUNSHOTS/ GUN FIRE, HAULICINATIONS, BLOOD, GRIEF, DEATH.

summary: kent leaves the medical tent in search of lee. lee is racked with guilt and convinces kent that the two of them need to bury the woman, just to ease his conscious. kent agrees and the two venture out into the town. the two manage to find the woman and begin the process of the burial, however, they are soon ambushed and run into a nearby building for shelter.

word count: 9283

other chapters: chapter master list

ao3 link: here

Kent nodded at Willy’s words and watched the older man leave the tent. Rest did seem like a good idea, but Kent had just woken up and felt particularly wired up. He glanced around, making sure the nurse was busy with another patient, before carefully standing. He winced as he used his arms to push himself up, but kept going anyway. Kent silently crept out of the tent. He wasn't sure where he was going or what he planned to do, but he needed to leave that tent. He needed to find Lee, anyway, so that was as good of a place as any. 

Kent squinted as his eyes adjusted to the darkness outside. He wasn't sure what time it was, but it appeared to be quite late. He continued walking in the direction that he saw the left figure exit towards earlier, hoping he was going in the right direction. 

Kent approached a small tree and was overcome with a small dizzy spell. He leaned against it and tried to avoid falling down. Now that he thought about it, leaving the medical tent when he had just been gravely injured probably wasn't the smartest idea, but it was too late to turn back now. He had to find Lee. 

However, it was Lee who found him. Lee opened the door of the nearby building - squinting at the nearby tree.

“Kent?” Lee asked, slightly confused. “Is that you?” He asked again. Lee didn't wait on an answer- instead, choosing to cautiously approach the tree. When he arrived underneath the branches and confirmed that it was, indeed, Kent, Lee let out a small sigh of relief before frowning. 

“What are you doing out here, man?” Lee asked, disapproval crossing his features. He crossed his arms and looked at Kent the same way a mother would look at their naughty child. “You're supposed to be in the med tent - you know, resting,” He scolded. Kent rolled his eyes.

 “You're acting like my mom, dude,” Kent joked, shaking his head with a small smile. Though, Lee didn't seem to react to Kent’s joke. His expression remained serious and Kent cleared his throat awkwardly. 

“Um.. anyway. I actually came to find you,” Kent explained. He watched Lee raise an eyebrow, his friend's eyes darting around and inspecting Kent’s condition skeptically. 

“I wanted to see if you were alright,” Kent continued. He looked up at Lee, his lips forming a small, sympathetic line before he added, “After, y’know, earlier. You seemed pretty shaken up back there..”

Lee sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “Do you want the truth, Kent?” He asked, looking up to meet Kent’s eyes. Kent nodded. 

“No. I'm not alright. I don't know if I will ever be - after what happened today,” Lee confessed, shaking his head. He paced around anxiously, fidgeting with his hands as he spoke again, “I keep thinking about that woman, Kent. About what I did to her.” 

Kent nodded once again. He didn't know how something like that felt personally, but he could assume it wasn't a good feeling. He tried to comfort Lee, “It's alright, man. You did what you had to. If.. if you hadn't been there, I don't even want to think about what would've happened to me.” 

“No, it's not ‘alright’,” Lee spoke, shaking his head. He buried his face in his palms and let out an upset groan before adding, “I.. I hurt someone. Actually, even worse, I killed someone, Kent. That goes against everything I believe in. And you're going to sit here and tell me it's ‘alright’?!” Emotion coated his voice as tears welled up in his eyes. 

“I'm sorry.. I was just trying to hel-” Kent spoke, though he was soon cut off by Lee. 

“To help? Kent, you can't help me. I don't care if it was ‘justified’ or ‘self defense', I went against everything I believe in. Everything my grandmother believed in,” Lee spoke, angry tears now pouring down his cheeks. His breathing hitched as he mentioned his grandmother. Oma would be more than disappointed in his actions. She'd be furious. 

Another sobbed racked his chest and Lee slumped down, his back scraping against the rough bark of the tree. “The sad thing is, I didn't even hesitate at the time. All I was thinking about was saving you,” Lee admitted sadly, wrapping his arms around his knees. He glanced down at his shoes.

Kent’s lips formed another thin line, though he gave an understanding nod. He looked at Lee and exhaled a small sigh before moving and sitting next to him. 

“I, for one, am grateful you saved me, Lee,” Kent offered. He looked at the slew of bandages that covered his arms, his brows knitting together as he thought about how much worse it could've been. He spoke once again, “I mean, sure I'm a complete wreck, but at least I'm alive. I wouldn't be if you hadn't arrived.”

“I know you feel guilty, and I completely understand, but you have to admit,” Kent spoke, turning to look at Lee. He slowly raised his arm - trying his best to avoid harming himself further - and placed his hand comfortingly on Lee’s shoulder. He continued, “the thing you did today? That took serious guts, man.” 

Lee looked up, meeting Kent’s eyes. He tilted his head slightly - letting his friend’s words soak into his brain. He looked at Kent’s bandaged arms and thought about his own actions. Had he not done anything, Lee probably wouldn't be having this conversation with Kent right now. On the other hand, he had to choose between two people - two lives. 

“I don't think anyone should have that sort of responsibility,” Lee started, a small frown forming across his lips. “Playing Yoba, I mean. No one should have to choose between who lives or dies. No one needs to have control over whether someone survives or not.” 

“I mean, that woman - she probably had a life before this damned war. And now? She’ll never get to experience something like it again,” Lee spoke as he continued mulling over his thoughts. He sighed once again and looked down at his hands. Lee swore he saw the palms stained with a dark crimson - reminding him of his actions. He closed his eyes and added, “And it's all my fault. As always.” 

Kent frowned as he listened to Lee’s words. He knew Lee felt guilty, but he didn't like Lee blaming himself, especially this much. 

“You're always so hard on yourself, Lee,” Kent said, his expression drooping, before adding, “I don't get it. Why do you blame yourself for everything?” 

Lee pursed his lips, rubbing the back of his neck and debating how to approach the question. He could easily lie, blame it on his bad luck, or he could tell Kent the truth, admit his childhood wasn't the best and that took a toll on him. Lee looked at Kent - noticed how judgment free his friend’s expression was, how open minded and accepting Kent was - and nodded to himself. 

“Have I ever told you why I hate my name?” 

Kent shook his head. He turned his body towards Lee and eagerly listened to his friend’s words. 

“It all started with my father,” Lee began. He spent the next few moments recalling times from his childhood - explaining why he hated his name, his father, and even why he hated violence or arguments.

 He recalled the moments where his mother would blame him for her life or his father's choices. He spoke about the relief he felt when his mother remarried, about the sadness and guilt he felt when she didn't take him with her, and about how he spent several nights wondering what he did wrong. 

 He talked about how grateful he was to Oma for taking care of him and teaching him everything he knows. About how those moments stuck with him and shaped who he was as a person. About how he was so quick to blame himself when something went wrong, because that's all he's ever known. He had been told countless times that something he has no control over was his fault. 

Lee talked about how he had acquired so much guilt, so much parental disappointment, so much misplaced anger. As he spoke, Lee’s chest began to feel lighter. He had been holding these feelings inside for years - afraid to seem ungrateful if he ever spoke about them. Afraid to be scolded for feeling these things. Afraid to be punished for everything wrong with the world. Afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing because, somehow, it would all be his fault. 

“Wow.. I didn't know that,” Kent spoke once Lee finished speaking. He looked his friend, wondering what he could possibly say to offer support. “I hope you know that none of that was your fault, Lee. You were just a kid, after all.” 

“I know, but I can't help feeling like I caused everything to turn out the way it did,” Lee spoke, a small sigh slipping past his lips. He continued, “my parents were only together because my Ma was pregnant with me. My father tried - for the most part - until I was five, then he realized he wasn't ready for a kid. He left and I was just a painful reminder to my mother, since I shared his name, y’know? It makes me wonder, if that never happened, would she have resented me so much? Would she have taken me with her that day?” 

“I don't know, man,” Kent admitted, shrugging before he reached over and wrapped his arm around Lee’s shoulders. He spoke once more, “But I do know that I would've, if I was your mom. You're an amazing person, Lee. I'm sorry you had to experience that.” 

“It's okay,” Lee replied as he leaned into Kent's arm, draping his own arm around Kent’s waist. “I don't blame either of them, I guess. I just wish things turned out differently sometimes,” he admitted. 

The two sat in silence for a moment, letting the previous points in the conversation sink in. Lee mulled over his thoughts and his guilt began to slowly creep back in, covering his consciousness with images of the poor woman’s body as it slumped over - the red splotch growing in her chest. Lee needed to do something or he’d be racked with guilt for the rest of his life. 

“Hey, Kent?” Lee asked, glancing up at his friend. 

“Yeah, man?” Kent replied. He tilted his head curiously, waiting for Lee’s next words. 

“Do you think I'm a bad person?” 

Kent went silent for a moment, thinking over Lee’s question. Did he think he was a bad person? No, not really. In fact, quite the opposite. He thought Lee was the nicest and most thoughtful person he's ever met. If he was in Lee’s shoes, would he have reacted the same way? No doubt about it. Kent thought it was admirable that Lee felt the consequences of his actions - even if it was a “necessary action”. There were some people in this world who wouldn't have felt even a twinge of guilt or shame about taking a life, but Lee was not one of those people. Lee was amazing and forgiving - almost too forgiving at times - and Kent couldn't imagine having to make a choice as drastic as that. 

“No,” Kent replied. He turned and looked at Lee, giving his friend a compassionate look before adding, “I think you're a good person who was given bad circumstances. It's important to know the difference, Lee. You are more than whatever you think your actions mean. The fact that you feel guilty is proof of that.” 

“You really think so?” Lee asked.

Kent nodded before smiling at Lee and speaking, “Yeah, man. I've said this before, but you only did what you had to. I fully believe you wouldn't have done something like that under normal circumstances.” 

“Kent, I can't stop thinking about her. I feel awful thinking about how we just.. left her there, you know?” Lee mumbled, fidgeting with the sleeves of his uniform shirt. He frowned as the image of the woman filled his mind once again. “It doesn't sit right with me. I.. I think we need to go back. Just to give her a proper burial.” 

“Would that help ease your mind?” Kent asked as he thought over Lee’s proposal. He wasn't going to deny Lee, especially if this was something that might help him. Kent wasn't sure if it was a great idea - especially since it was quite dark and now late at night, but he was willing to go through with it for Lee. 

Lee nodded, “I think so.” 

“Okay, then let’s do it,” Kent agreed. He carefully stood up and motioned for Lee to follow him. Lee quickly stood and began walking behind Kent. 

“Uhmm, Lee, I know this is probably a bad time, but..” Kent started. He turned back towards his friend and nodded his head towards the weapons shack, “I think we should take one of those with us, just in case something goes wrong.” 

“I know.. you don't really like them or like using them, but it would make me feel safer. And.. since I can't exactly use my arms right now - especially with something like that, you.. might have to be the one to carry it.” 

Lee’s expression fell and he shook his head in protest as he spoke, “Kent, I.. I can't.” Kent looked at Lee, noticed how distraught the idea had made him, and sighed. 

“Okay,” Kent replied, giving a small curt nod, “If it makes you feel better, we won't bring one.” 

Against their better judgment, they decided to forego the weapon and the two boys headed towards the survey location from before. The only thing they took with them was a small, dimly lit lantern. It was amazing they could see where they were going - as the lantern looked like it would burn out at any moment. Along with this, neither of them were particularly great with directions.

As they walked off, a figure stepped out of the shadows - he had been anxiously listening to the boys’ conversation and disapproved of their lack of responsibility. 

“Those boys,” The person muttered, shaking his head with a small sigh. “I guess I better follow ‘em, just to make sure that nothin’ bad happens..” He added with a small grumble. 

Willy - being reasonable - managed to snag a weapon. He had experienced enough war to know that nothing good came from being unprepared. He grumbled to himself once again, mentally scolding the boys, and silently crept behind them as they walked. His pace was agonizingly slow, as he was trying his best to avoid crunching any stray leaf or snapping a twig so as to not alert Kent and Lee, and he kept a nice distance between himself and them. Willy squinted, searching the darkness for the faint light emitting from the lantern. 

Kent and Lee slowly approached the outskirts of the town and stopped. Lee turned to Kent, a curious expression crossing his features. 

“Hey, Kent,” Lee started, anxiously looking around at the array of similar looking buildings. They all had the exact same drab exterior - as if this was once a suburb or some sort of cul de sac. It was impossible to know which one was the “right” building. “You wouldn’t happen to remember where the building was, would you?” He asked with a small gulp. There appeared to be way more buildings than there were this morning. It would take them ages to find where they needed to go. 

Kent shook his head sadly. He barely remembered anything from this morning - let alone which of the buildings he entered. A small, frustrated frown formed on his lips - though the sagging motion of the skin caused a slight jolt of pain through his wound. 

“We could always pick one at random,” Kent suggested. He held up his hand and pointed towards a building in the middle of the row. “Like that one, for example...” 

“It’s worth a shot, I guess,” Lee replied, shrugging his shoulders. They cautiously approached the building. Lee held the lantern as Kent peered inside. 

“Nothing,” Kent said, removing his head from the doorway and turning back to Lee. “Let’s try some more. It has to be one of these.. This area feels too familiar for it not to.” 

The boys continued to look into the row of houses. Their frustration grew as they came upon yet another empty building. Eventually, however, Kent peered inside the correct building. He gagged as his nostrils filled with the putrid scent of decay. His eyes scanned the room before landing on the body in the middle. The scene was quite grotesque: the corpse had begun to bloat and sag with the summer heat, the flesh now swollen to the point it was barely recognizable as human. The pool beneath the woman had congealed into a jelly-like substance and its color had meshed into a deep, almost black, crimson. A large mass of flies swarmed around the formless blob of plump flesh, near what was once the woman’s face. The loud buzz of the insects was quite contrasting to the quiet stillness of the night that surrounded the scene. It made Kent feel uneasy - and like he was going to vomit. 

“This is the one, alright,” Kent called over his shoulder at Lee. His friend opened the door, reaching his free hand up to shield his eyes. Though, as the scent of death wafted towards him, Lee almost wished he’d covered his nose instead. 

“Yoba, that’s awful,” Lee exclaimed, his eyes watering as the scent threatened to fill his lungs. He grimaced, having to finally move his hand from his eyes to prevent more of the stench from latching onto him. Lee surveyed the room and his expression dropped further as he looked at the state of the woman’s corpse. He felt awful. The guilt began to creep in once again. He closed his eyes before exhaling a small sigh and speaking, “Let’s make this right. She deserves a proper burial.” 

Kent nodded before following Lee into the building - slightly reluctantly, but he wanted to be supportive of his friend. Kent grimaced as he thought about having to move the bloated corpse and looked around for something to wrap around it to avoid making direct contact. Luckily, there was a small tablecloth in the corner of the room. 

Unluckily, it was riddled with moth-eaten holes, making it threadbare, and was only big enough to cover one person's hands. He inspected it, thinking for a moment. He could easily give it to Lee, though that would mean he'd be the one left with that feeling forever burned into his finger tips. Or, he could keep it for himself and pass the suffering to Lee instead - but that would make him selfish. Neither option seemed like a good choice. He pursed his lips together, his finger resting on his chin thoughtfully. Eventually, he had an idea: they could place it beneath her and use it to drag her around.

Kent carefully unfolded the tablecloth, shaking it and accidentally stirring up a cloud of dust. He cough and used the tablecloth to fan away the dust cloud before gently placing it on the ground. 

“Lee,” He called out, motioning for his friend to approach. He pointed at the tablecloth and then the woman before explaining, “Help me roll her onto this. It'll make the body easier to move.” 

Lee looked skeptical, though he approached Kent and crouched down. The one thing Kent hadn't accounted for was exactly how they were going to get her onto the fabric. Guess we’re doing this after all, he thought to himself. So much for trying not to touch it. Kent cringed and extended his hand. He recoiled as his hand pressed into the squishiness of the fleshy mass. The feeling coated his fingers as the skin bulged and confirmed to his touch. He glanced over at Lee, who appeared to be having just as bad of an experience as he was, and nodded - signaling it was time. 

“Okay, on three,” Kent instructed. He took a deep breath, trying to get the awful feeling out of his mind before counting, “One, two.. three.” At three, the two boys gave a firm push and watched as the woman was turned onto her side - now laying directly on the fabric. Her head bounced as the impact jolted through her body before finally coming to a lull and hanging to the side. 

“Ew, ew, ew!” He protested, his face contorting into a distressed expression. Kent stood up and frantically wiped his hand against his uniform, making various noises of disgust as he flapped his hand violently. 

“That was so disgusting,” Kent whined, an uncomfortable look crossing his face, “It was all… squishy, and… and slimy.” 

“Ugh, don’t remind me, please,” Lee pleaded, his own face turning green at the thought. He added, “I already feel like I’m gonna barf..”  

He looked at their handiwork and moved to stand beside Kent before speaking again, “Well, I guess it’s time to bury her.” 

Kent gave a small nod before reaching down and gripping the bunch of fabric closest to him. He and Lee then exited the building - dragging the tablecloth behind them and silently hoping it didn’t hit a rock and send the poor woman rolling down the hill. That would not be a fun experience for anyone involved. They slowly - but surely - made their way towards the nearby cemetery and started digging a shallow hole. It was shoddy work, but it was the best they could do, given how dark it was and how little time they had left. Just as they began lowering the woman into the pitiful excuse of a hole, they were met with a distant sound of shuffling leaves. 

Kent glanced up, holding the lantern near his face to aid his vision, and tried to determine where the sound was coming from. Another sound rang through the quiet night: a thundering crack - as if someone had stepped on a twig and snapped it in half.

“Kent?” Lee called, peering up at his friend from inside the hole. Lee was currently removing the dirt, trying to ensure that it was semi-decent. A look of concern crossed his face. When he didn’t receive a response, he spoke again, “Is everything alright up there?”. 

   Kent held a finger towards his lips and gave a small “shh”. He strained his ears, desperately trying to find the source of the sound. He was greeted with the faint sound of more rustling, followed by the crunch of dead leaves. He turned to Lee, wide eyed. 

“Do you hear that?” Kent whispered, panicked. The sounds slowly grew in volume, as if whatever - or whoever - was out there seemed to be approaching their location. If Kent was uneasy before, he was anxious now. Something about their excursion thus far had seemed too easy and Kent was honestly quite worried. They hadn’t encountered another person - or even any animals, for that matter - and Kent wasn’t eager to get caught playing around in a cemetery, his friend standing in an open grave and a body two feet from them at most. He knew it seemed too good to be true. 

“Kent, you’re worrying me,” Lee replied, a small frown forming on his lips. From where he was standing, he hadn’t heard the slightest hint of noise - other than the sound of dirt plopping behind him. 

“Whatever you do,” Kent warned, his expression turning serious, “don’t move.” He watched Lee freeze in place. Kent peered out in the direction of the sound and held his breath, intently watching and listening for any sign of movement. He heard the same sounds as before, though they seemed much closer than they were previously. He glanced at the empty tree line, his pulse racing. A brief flash of moment occurred and Kent felt something whiz past his shoulder. He turned to look, only to find a small rock that had plopped into Lee’s dirt pile. Confused, he glanced back at the forest entrance. His eyes widened as he looked at the once empty - save for a few sparse trees and greenery - lot, which was now teeming with vicious, glinting eyes. 

“Oh, shit!” Kent exclaimed. He turned towards Lee and frantically approached his friend. “We gotta go man, come on!” He extended his hand outward and hastily tried to pull Lee over the wall of the hole. 

“But we didn’t even bury her yet!” Lee protested, motioning to what was once the woman.

“We can worry about that later,” Kent scolded, his voice rising in fear. He glanced back at the mass of eyes - which appeared to have grown in size - and gulped. “We have bigger problems. We need to go - now!” He urged, finally pulling Lee over the edge and onto the soft, squishy ground beneath his feet.

“I don’t see what you’re so worked up about,” Lee sulked, a protesting frown crossing his lips, “You heard some noises, so what?”

“That’s what,” Kent replied harshly, snapping his head in the direction of  the growing crowd. Lee’s expression soon changed from reluctant to afraid. He gulped as he glanced towards the edge of the forest, his face paling. 

“Good idea.. We should get out of here,” Lee suggested, turning back to Kent. The two nodded towards each other and sprinted away from the forest. As they ran, dozens of bullets whizzed past them and they had to strafe on their paths to avoid being nicked. They managed a few feet before Lee glanced over his shoulder - checking to see if they were still being followed. Unfortunately, they were and the followers appeared to be gaining ground. Even more unfortunate, however, was the fact that Lee’s glance caused him to take his eyes off the path. He tripped over a jagged, misplaced stone. He stumbled before hitting the ground with a loud thud. Pain rocketed through his entire body, but seemed to stem from his left ankle. 

“Lee!” Kent called out as he approached his friend. He looked around warily before squatting down and speaking once again, “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah,” Lee confirmed, pushing himself up with a groan, “I think so.” His nose was bleeding from the impact, but other than that he seemed relatively fine - excluding a few scuffs where stray pebbles dug into his skin. That was, until he attempted to stand, of course. As Lee attempted to put weight on his left foot, a fiery pain scorched his body and he let out a pained yelp. Kent frowned at the noise.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked, not believing Lee. He watched Lee cringe as the boy once again tried to put weight on his foot and failed. “You don’t look okay,” Kent said, concern layering itself in his voice. 

“I’m fine,” Lee said, gritting his teeth as he once again attempted to walk. Kent attempted to ask once more but Lee dismissed him, “We can’t worry about me right now. We have to get out of here - you said it yourself.” 

“Lee,” Kent pleaded, another frown forming on his lips. He glanced down at Lee’s ankle before adding, “At least let me look at it.”

“Fine,” Lee conceded. He rested against a nearby rock and allowed Kent to examine his ankle. Lee’s ankle was swollen and appeared to have some deep purple bruising from the impact. Kent sucked in a breath through his teeth and shook his head disapprovingly. 

“Yikes, it looks sprained,” Kent explained. He looked at Lee and pursed his lips together, preparing to deliver even more bad news, “I don’t think you can walk on that - at least for a while, and especially not for long periods of time.”

“Oh, Yoba,” Lee exclaimed under his breath, letting out a sigh of frustration. Of all the times to be clumsy and injure himself, it had to be now, didn’t it? Of course it did, he thought to himself with a shake of his head, after all, why wouldn’t it? 

Kent glanced around, exhaling a deep breath as he noted the position of the approaching crowd. They appeared much closer now - maybe a few feet away at most. He gulped and turned his attention back to his friend.

“We can’t stay here,” Kent began, tapping his finger against his chin in thought. He paced around, wondering what options they had. It would be too far to try and make it back to camp and going the way they came was out of the question. Kent surveyed their surroundings and noted they were quite close to the building where they had found the woman. That could work, Kent thought to himself. But how would he get Lee there safely? He turned back to Lee, wrapping his arm around his midsection and helping him stand before speaking, “We’re going to do something stupid, okay? We’re going into that house again. I need to get you off that ankle.” 

Lee gave a half-hearted chuckle, “Stupid is my middle name.” 

Kent carefully began walking - ensuring Lee’s bad ankle stayed elevated as long as possible. Lee slowly limped beside him, leaning into Kent and trying his best not to complain too much. They were now approaching the door, though the mass of people behind them seemed to be closing in. Kent looked around, slightly panicked. 

“We can make it, Lee,” Kent assured his friend, who was now slightly lagging behind - his limp becoming more evident the longer he walked. Kent had to frequently stop to avoid causing Lee to stumble. He looked at the distance they had to go and spoke once again, “We just need to do a slight sprint. Can you handle that?” 

Lee nodded. He waited for Kent’s signal before attempting to run, still leaning against his friend for support. Pain continued to shoot through him, but Lee simply gritted his teeth and kept going. They were so close - he could almost taste the comfort of safety.Only a few more feet to go and they would be fine, he assured himself. And then he suddenly stepped on another stray rock, sending himself tumbling forward once again. He instinctively pushed his arms forward to stop himself, though the weight of his body was enough to jolt his entire arm and push it to the side with an uncomfortable and sharp resounding snap. He let out a low groan of pain, tears welling up in his eyes. 

“Oh, Yoba,” Kent exclaims. HIs eyes widened as he looked at Lee, inspecting his friend for any more injuries. He grew nauseous as his eyes landed on Lee’s arm - which was now disfigured and pointed at a harsh angle, the faintest shard of bone peaking through the skin.

“Lee, your arm,” Kent spoke, horror filling his voice. 

“What?” Lee asked, he lifted his head from the dirt and glanced over at Kent - noting his distressed appearance. “What’s wrong with my arm?” Lee asked once again, fear washing over his face.

 Undoubtedly, Lee’s adrenaline had kicked in - overtaking the pain. Lee felt incredibly numb and only seemed to notice the distant throb of his ankle and a faint tingle in his arm. Kent pointed a shaky finger at Lee’s arm. Lee followed his gaze, his own eyes landing on his right arm. His eyes widened. 

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m left handed then, right?” Lee joked, a weak chuckle slipping past his lips. It was clear, though, that a layer of panic was hiding in his voice. He appeared to be in a state of shock, unable to register the pain that was likely coursing through his body at that very moment. 

Kent peeled his eyes away - desperately trying not to retch. He clamped a hand over his mouth and tightly closed his eyes. After taking a few seconds to compose himself, Kent opened his eyes and exhaled a shaky breath. 

“Okay,” He started, slowly looking back at Lee before continuing, “We need to get you inside. I don’t want anything to get worse.” Kent crouched down and carefully helped Lee up once more before walking at the fastest pace he possibly could while still supporting Lee. They managed to make it to the house - just in time, too. As soon as Kent slammed the door shut, several fists pounded against the door and attempted to gain entry. Kent yelped and pressed his back against the door, desperately trying to keep it closed as Lee looked for something to dress his wounds - maybe something they could use as a tourniquet. Kent heard several voices outside the door - all of which yelled out taunts and tried to urge the boys to leave the house. They were circling the building now, by the sound of it. It was still far too dark outside to see (and be able to accurately tell) but Kent listened to the shuffle of footsteps as they rounded the corner of the house - approaching the door once again. 

“This is for Misha!” A voice exclaimed from outside. Kent wasn’t sure who Misha was. He looked at Lee, confused. Before he could ask Lee his question, though, several rapid gunshots sounded. 

Kent yelped, ducking down and covering his head with his forearms. He silently hoped Lee had done the same. The piercing sound of the gunfire made Kent’s ears ring. He clamped his hands over his ears and tried his best to keep his breathing even. He couldn’t freeze up, not now. Not when Lee needed him to be strong enough for the both of them. Not when there were hoards of angry enemy soldiers surrounding this very building. Unfortunately, the sound was too much for him. His mind flashed images of a few days prior - to the distinct sound that still haunted his ears; the sound of the sharp bang that resulted in Danny’s death. Kent was crying now, rocking back and forth until the gunshots slowly dissipated. 

Even after the last shot was fired, Kent found himself unable to move. Unable to check if their attackers were truly gone. Unable to do anything. Except to sit there with tears streaming down his face, his hands still tightly clamped over his ears. 

“Kent, are you okay?” Lee called out. He cautiously approached his friend and crouched down to his eye level. 

“It’s all my fault,” Kent muttered, continuing to rock back and forth. “It’s all my fault,” He repeated. Lee noticed Kent was breathing much heavier than before. He pursed his lips together and debated what to do. 

“I don’t know what ‘it’ is, but it’s not your fault, man,” Lee spoke, attempting to cheer up his friend. Kent seemed unresponsive, as if he was trapped inside whatever was happening in his head. Lee racked his brain for anything that might help in this situation - had Oma mentioned what to do when your friend was in this state? She mentioned what to do if someone made something that tasted awful but you still wanted to be polite, however, that wouldn’t help much in this scenario. 

C’mon, Lee, he thought to himself, think. For once in your life, think. He let out a groan of frustration when his mind remained empty. He decided he would try and get Kent’s attention. He waved his hand in front of his friend’s face and even snapped a few times. Still, nothing. Not even a twitch or eyeroll.  He took a deep breath and slowly reached his hand towards Kent’s shoulder - silently hoping he wasn’t making a horrible mistake. He knew you were not supposed to touch someone who was experiencing panic - as you might make it worse - but he was running out of options. Lee carefully placed his hand on Kent’s shoulder and waited. The touch seemed to cause Kent to stir. He slowly snapped out of his daze and looked up at Lee, the panic still vivid in his eyes. 

“Kent?” Lee asked. He waited a bit, attempting to see if Kent would respond, before speaking once again, “Are you okay?” 

Lee’s words seemed to slowly seep into Kent’s mind and Kent gave a hesitant nod in response. Lee let out a sigh of relief, releasing a breath he wasn’t sure he was holding and gently squeezing Kent’s shoulder. 

“Okay, good,” Lee acknowledged. He glanced around - noting how suspiciously quiet it all seemed now. There’s no way they would have given up, just like that, was there? It didn’t sit right with Lee. He had a twisting feeling in his gut, as if it was all a trick. He turned back to Kent and explained what he intended to do, “I’m going to check if they’re really gone, okay? You stay here.” Kent replied with another shaky, slightly hesitant nod. 

Lee took a deep breath before pushing himself into a standing position. He gently scooted past Kent and slowly opened the door. He peered outside. To his dismay (and relief), the crowd seemed to have disappeared. Unfortunately, it was still rather dark and Lee no longer had a light source - the two had abandoned the lantern in their rush for safety and it lay discarded on the ground near the site of Lee’s latest fall. He grumbled as he looked at it. It would sure make things easier, as it was getting incredibly hard to see as the night progressed. However, leaving the safehouse seemed like a bad idea. 

Stricken with indecision, Lee pursed his lips together. If they had the lantern, they could properly tend to his wounds - both of which were starting to transition from a dull ache to a throb. He decided that the pros outweigh the cons and carefully stepped out of the building - wincing as he stepped onto his left ankle. He slowly hobbled towards the lantern - which looked closer than it actually was, Lee realized - and silently hoped it wasn’t another trick. He managed to approach the lantern and scoop it into his uninjured arm with ease and began his trek back to the safe house. 

However, a lone figure watched from the shadows. Their piercing eyes shining with rage as their gaze followed Lee - watching him as he slowly trekked towards the entrance of the building. Lee seemed to match the description Misha - the woman who attacked Kent - had described in her final moments. A barely contained rage bubbled beneath their skin, theri fingers twitching with anticipation - itching to avenge their fallen lover, but they waited. They sat patiently - noting the visible limp in Lee’s gait and the awkward angle at which his arm hung. As Lee edged closer to the entrance, they brought the scope of their rifle towards their eye - lining up the shot. 

He stepped one foot over into the entrance of the building and called out to Kent, “I think they’re gone.I even got our lantern back! Everything seemed o-” His words were abruptly cut off as one final bang resounded. The gun fired from somewhere behind Lee and the bullet traveled swiftly. It lodged itself into his side. “-Kay,” Lee continued with a gurgle, a small stream of blood trailing down the corner of his mouth. He swayed forward, collapsing with a distinct thud. As he was laying there, Lee couldn’t help but think about how if he could’ve ran a little faster or gripped the door with his right hand, he would have been able to safely close the door behind him. He would have been alright - for the most part. But there he lay, a fiery pain piercing through his side and coursing through his entire body. He let out a low groan, gritting his teeth. 

“Lee!” Kent called out, looking up upon hearing the sound of Lee falling against the floor. He snapped out of his stupor and rushed to his friend’s side. A small, surprised gasp slipped past his lips as he noted Lee’s state. His own adrenaline seemed to kick in and Kent used all his strength to pull Lee inside, promptly shutting the door behind him - likely ripping the stitches on his arms in the process. He let out a small grunt of pain but continued pulling Lee towards him - propping his friend up against the wall. 

“No, no, no,” Kent protested as he inspected Lee’s side, his stomach churning at the redness that was seeping into the fabric, staining Lee’s jacket. “Not again. Please, not again.” Kent desperately tried to keep himself calm, placing a hand on his chest and trying not to fall into another moment of panic-induced inaction. He paced around the room and tried to think of something to do. He couldn’t lose another friend. Kent was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of another resounding gunshot from outside, followed by a frantic pounding on the door. He yelped, his eyes widening - had they come back to finish the boys off? Kent hoped not. 

“Open the door,” A familiar voice called out, pounding on the outside once again before attempting to jostle the handle and speaking again, “It’s me, lads. I’m here to help ye.” 

“Willy?” Kent called out, skeptically. 

“Yes, lad!” Willy spoke, his frustration growing the longer the door remained closed. “Let me in an’ I’ll explain everythin’.” 

Kent cautiously approached the door, cracking it open the slightest amount to check if it was actually Willy. When he confirmed it was, he let out a small sigh of relief and opened the door - allowing Willy to enter before closing it once more. 

“Willy,” Kent started, gripping the older man by the sleeve of his shoulder, “I’m so glad to see you. Lee’s hurt.” He explained as he motioned to Lee, who was reaching across his body and clamping his uninjured arm over his side, his face slightly pale and nauseous as he tried to stifle the bleeding.

“Ah, I was worried somethin’ like this would happen. That’s why I followed ye, boys,” Willy replied, a small grumble present in his voice. He approached Lee, crouched down, and asked Lee to move his hand so he could inspect it. He grimaced, sucking air in through his teeth.

“Aye, that one’s quite nasty, lad,” Willy spoke, his voice sounding solemn. He fished around in his pocket before pulling out a small cotton pad and a general antiseptic. He turned back to Lee and sighed before adding, “This is going to sting.” 

Lee gave a small nod and gritted his teeth. Willy’s words, however, didn’t prepare him for the intense wave of pain he received as the antiseptic was placed against his side. He let out a loud, pained groan and attempted to jerk away from Willy’s grasp. It felt like his entire body was on fire. Lee had always been clumsy and managed to injure himself. He - more often than not - squirmed as his grandmother placed antiseptic on his cuts, but this was nothing like a small scrape on his knee. He let out another pained cry, tears causing his vision to blur. The pain seemed to overtake him. 

Lee tried to distract himself from the pain by glancing over at Kent. However, Lee noticed a faint silhouette behind him. He blinked, trying to focus his vision. Lee wasn’t sure if it was delirium or if what he was seeing was true, but he could’ve sworn that the silhouette resembled someone…familiar. He searched his brain, trying to place their name, but his mind wasn’t able to form a coherent thought. Instead, Lee watched the figure shift - the edges of their form seeming to wisp and reform every few seconds - and took in their appearance. Dark, shoulder length brown hair, a permanent frown and deep worry lines, and the faintest trace of stubble littering across their face. They wore a uniform similar to Lee’s own and had something gently clasped in their hands. A bouquet. Recognition washed over Lee and he let out a surprised gasp.

“Danny?” Lee whispered, extending his hand outwards in the direction of the figure. Danny smiled. Tears began streaming down Lee’s face once again - though this time they were tears of happiness. He waited for me, Lee thought to himself. He glanced over at Kent, noting the worried expression on his friend’s features. 

“Kent, look!” Lee called out, pointing in the direction where Danny was standing. “Danny’s back. He’s.. he’s alright.” 

Kent turned and looked, though all he saw was an empty corner of the room. There was a blank wall, the faded wallpaper peeling off at the edges, but no person. 

“Lee, what are you talking about?” Kent asked, his brows furrowing together in concern. He glanced back at Lee and shook his head, “There’s nothing there.” 

How can he not see him? Lee thought to himself, a frown spreading across his lips, he’s right there. He glanced back at the spot where Danny had been moments before and found it jarringly empty., He desperately scanned around - searching for where Danny might’ve wandered off too. He’s here, I know it, he thought to himself once again. Lee’s eyes landed on a spot closer to him and Danny came into focus once again - his smile comforting and inviting. Danny’s lips moved, but no sound came out. Lee narrowed his eyes, trying to determine what was being said. By the looks of it, it was his name. Danny tried once again, still mouthing the same word over and over. Lee. Lee. Lee. Lee. Lee. Lee. One after another, constantly. 

“Lee!” Kent called, waving his hand in front of Lee’s face and causing him to shake out of his stupor. Lee looked at Kent, confused. 

“Oh, thank Yoba,” Kent spoke, relieved. He let out an exasperated breath and added, “I’ve been calling your name over and over. It’s been like… five minutes, dude.” He paused and looked at Lee - noticing how he kept staring at a distant point just beyond his shoulder, “Are you alright? You seem…distracted.” 

“Yeah..” Lee mumbled, though he didn’t meet Kent’s gaze. He kept staring intently at the corner of the room, as if he was watching something. Kent turned to look once again and still found nothing. After some time, Lee spoke once again, “Yeah.. yeah.. I’m fine.” 

Danny smiled at him once again. Lee smiled back. Danny slowly approached and rested a hand against Lee’s cheek, his thumb brushing over the curve of Lee’s nose before landing on one of his dimples. His touch felt cool - too cool and almost alien. Lee felt the hairs on his arms stand up, a shiver traveling down his spine. A small part of Lee’s brain understood that it was highly unlikely, but that part was outvoted by the larger part that missed Danny more deeply than Lee knew. Lee wanted to believe it was real. He closed his eyes and leaned into Danny’s palm. However, when Lee opened his eyes, Danny was - once again - no longer present. 

Lee was brought back into the present by another wave of pain coursing through his body. He let out a low groan, gritting his teeth. Despite Willy’s best efforts, the wound continued gushing everytime Lee moved - and Lee was now thrashing, trying to pry himself out of Willy’s ironclad grip. 

“Son, you are not makin’ this easy!” Willy scolded, placing his hand on Lee’s shoulder to keep him in place. He glanced at Kent before motioning towards Lee’s legs, “Kent, help me out, lad. He’s goin’ to hurt himself worse with all that movin’ around!” Kent’s eyes widened, though he scooted closer and desperately tried not to get kicked in the face. He carefully clasped his hands around Lee’s ankles before trying to calm his friend down.

“Lee, I know it hurts,” He started, looking at Lee pleadingly before adding, “But you need to stay still, okay? Willy knows what he’s doing.” I hope, Kent thought, leaving that thought unsaid. He trusted Willy, and he knew the man had experienced things similar to this all the time, but there was a nagging suspicion that Willy was just flying blind and doing whatever he thought might work. He gulped and shook that thought from his mind. It’s better not to think like that, he decided. 

Lee groaned once again as his lifeforce soaked through the cotton pad, slowly seeping on the surrounding skin and fabric. Nothing seemed to be working and Kent was quite worried. He squeezed his eyes shut and mumbled a small prayer to Yoba - begging for everything to be okay - but he didn’t feel the familiar comfort of the deity. Kent once again remembered that this was outside of their domain, their control. He sniffled. When Kent opened his eyes, it appeared that Lee had calmed down and ceased his escape attempt, though he was once again staring at the corner of the room. Kent frowned. He couldn’t fathom what was possibly so interesting about it - it was just a boring corner, filled with dust and spiderwebs. Whatever Lee saw seemed to comfort him, somehow. 

Everything seemed calm for a moment - far too calm. Kent knew something was wrong. His gut twisted and nagged at him. Just then, Lee started violently coughing - more blood dribbling down his lips, staining the skin with a deep red pigment. 

“No, no, no,” He protested. Kent reached out and used his sleeve to wipe away the spillage, tears of protest threatening to pour down his face. As he touched Lee’s skin, Kent noticed it was burning - as if he had developed a fever. Kent bit his lower lip, sniffling as he looked at Lee once more. He couldn’t believe he had been so preoccupied with Lee’s behavior to notice how faint he looked or how feverishly warm his skin had gotten. He frowned, though panic began rising in his voice as he spoke again, “Not again. I can’t lose you, too.” 

“Kent, I’m fin-” Lee tried to reassure his friend, though he was interrupted by another coughing fit, the blood bubbling in his throat and spilling from his lips with a low gurgle. Kent shook his head in protest, wrapping his arms around Lee and hugging him tightly. Lee’s skin was on fire now - and it felt hot enough to burn Kent’s own skin - but he couldn’t bear to pull away. 

Lee allowed Kent to hug him, though he glanced towards Danny once again. The boy gave a small, solemn nod before extending his hand. Oh, how Lee wanted to reach out and grasp it - to feel Danny’s skin press against him once more. He missed Danny terribly. Lee glanced back at Kent, a small frown slipping onto his lips. Part of Lee knew that this would be it. If he reached out and took Danny’s hand, he wouldn’t come back. Would it matter though, he wondered. His time on this planet would always be limited, so why prolong it? At this very moment, Lee knew.  He was dying. Yet, he didn’t seem afraid. In fact, quite the opposite. Lee found himself comforted; comforted by the fact that everything would be alright - eventually -, comforted by the fact that he’d see Danny again, and even comforted by the fact that he knew - even if it hurt in the moment - Kent would eventually forget him entirely. 

“Hey, Kent?” Lee spoke as he continued looking at Kent, though Lee’s own frown seemed to disappear.

“Yeah, Lee?” Kent replied shakily, glancing up at his friend. 

“I’m not going to sugar coat this but,” Lee started, his expression turning solemn as Kent met his eyes. He took a deep breath before continuing, “I think I’m dying… and.. I want you to have these.” Lee used the last of his strength to remove the chain from around his neck - the one that contained the I.D. tags of Danny and himself - and gently shoved it in Kent’s direction, forcing his friend’s fingers to clasp around it.

“No!” Kent protested, shaking his head. His voice rose as raw emotion coated his next words, “You’re not dying, okay?” He gripped the necklace and tried to return it to Lee, however, he was met with a disapproving head shake. Lee pushed the necklace back towards Kent.

“Keep ‘em,” Lee instructed firmly. His voice softened as he spoke the next words, “I won’t be needing them anymore.” 

“You aren’t dying, Lee. Not on my watch,” Kent spoke once again, though his words came out shaky and uncertain. He gulped, trying not to believe what was right in front of him. He began rambling, mostly to try and convince himself, “You’re going to be okay. Willy and I.. we’ll carry you back to camp ourselves if we have to. You’re going to make it back. The nurses are going to patch you up - everything will be fine.” 

“Kent,” Lee spoke, interrupting Kent’s ramble, and shook his head sadly. He spoke once again, a small, knowing sigh slipping past his lips, “No, Kent. I’m dying, I know it.” 

“No,” Kent protested, though, deep down, he knew Lee was right. He shook his head, as if that would make the reality of the situation any less truthful. “I won’t let you. I need you to stay with me, Lee. Please.” 

Lee smiled at Kent’s words. He glanced over Kent’s shoulder once again and noticed Danny giving him another nod and a warm, inviting smile that read “Come with me, Lee.” He gave a small nod in response to Danny before turning back to Kent. 

“I’ll say hi to Danny for you,” Lee replied. As the words slipped past his lips, Lee relaxed into Kent’s arms. Kent watched his friend, tearing up as Lee’s eyes unfocused and the light behind them began to dim before extinguishing completely. 

Kent sobbed and pulled Lee close to his chest, cradling his friend's body as the warmth began to slowly disappear. Tears streamed down his face once again and he let out a low, guttural cry of deep rooted agony - as if all of Kent’s grief and sorrow that had been slowly bubbling beneath the surface since his father died combined and pushed itself out of his system in one swift motion. He gripped Lee tightly, his arms shaking as he desperately tried to hold on to what little life was left in his friend. It was a fruitless effort. 

Willy watched the scene, his own expression growing solemn. He turned to Kent, placing a gentle and caring hand on his shoulder before speaking, “He’s gone, lad. I’m sorry.” 

“I don’t believe that! Not for once second,” Kent protested. He gently sat Lee down and tried to perform CPR, more tears streaming down his face. “Come on, Lee. Don’t leave me. Not like this. Please,” Kent pleaded, pumping his hands against Lee’s chest harshly. Lee didn’t respond. 

“Come on, man,” Kent pleaded once again. He closed his eyes before speaking again, “When I open my eyes, you’re going to be fine. This will all be one of your stupid jokes and we’ll laugh about it.” Kent opened his eyes and glanced at Lee’s still figure. The stillness was the most jarring thing about this whole ordeal. Lee had never been still, always bouncing around and teeming with energy and life. Stillness didn’t suit him. Another sob racked Kent’s chest, causing his whole body to shake with emotion. 

“Kent,” Willy spoke, his voice full of compassion. He extended his arms. Kent crawled into them and buried his face in the crook of Willy’s neck. He gave a small sigh, wrapping his arms around Kent protectively, before speaking once again, “He’s not comin’ back, son.”