#my notif box is FLOODED with these follows

[willowsnook]

Act my age

ham, steak, salami + veggies with white bread pleasee thank you 💞

Lewis Hamilton x gf!reader

The age gap between you and Lewis was a topic that the F1 media couldn’t seem to get over, even though you’d been together for two years. The 15-year difference was all they talked about, but you tried to brush off the chatter.

As an associate attorney practicing corporate law in Monaco, you felt you had the "maturity" box checked for dating Lewis by media standards. Still, recently the constant expectation to act “older” started to weigh on you. You were 25, and sometimes you just wanted to be you—without the shadow of “younger girlfriend” following your every move.

Feeling stressed, you called your friends and planned a night out. Lewis kissed you goodbye with a smile, promising to pick you up if needed and reminding you to stay out of trouble. A few hours and several drinks later, you found yourself on the dance floor, lost in the music. Taking a break, you stared at yourself in the restroom mirror for a little too long, realizing it was probably time to call Lewis.

“Lewis!” you chimed when he answered.

“Hi, sweetheart. Ready to come home?” he asked, amused.

“Yes, please,” you slurred. “Can we get Taco Bell?”

“That’s terrible for you.”

“Oh, live a little!” you teased, sensing his playful eyeroll over the phone. True to his word, he arrived in minutes. As you slid into the car, you leaned over to give him a soft kiss.

“Hi,” you whispered, and he gently brushed his thumb over your cheek.

“Hi, I missed you,” he murmured, making you giggle.

“It was only a couple of hours,” you reminded him.

“Still too long,” he replied with a smile.

“Yeah, it was good to relieve some stress.” 

The look Lewis gave you after you said that made you smirk, knowing he had another way to relax once you got home.

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

The Friday before the Mexico GP, you were in the McLaren garage with Lando while Pato took the wheel for FP1. Lando was one of your closest friends in the paddock, and with you both living in Monaco and being around the same age, you bonded quickly. Caught up in a playful 1v1 soccer match, you giggled as you nutmegged Lando, who tackled you in a dramatic attempt to stop you.

You landed awkwardly, wincing as you hit the ground, and Lando immediately looked worried.

“Shit, Y/N, are you okay?” he asked, glancing around nervously. “Lewis is going to kill me.”

Crossing your arms, you raised an eyebrow. “Are you more worried about Lewis than me?”

“Uh, yes,” he admitted without hesitation, making you laugh.

Later, back in the Mercedes garage, you waited for Lewis to finish his interviews. As notifications began flooding your phone, you noticed you’d been tagged in a video from one of Lewis’s interviews:

Reporter: “So, Lewis, nice to see Y/N out here supporting you this weekend. Interesting video of her and Lando Norris playing football.”

Lewis: “Yeah,” he chuckled, “it’s like I’m babysitting a kid sometimes.”

Embarrassment hit you like a wave, and before you knew it, you had quietly excused yourself and called for a ride back to the hotel.

Back in the hotel room, you tried to calm yourself down in the shower, but when you stepped out, you found Lewis waiting, worried as he noticed your puffy eyes.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” he asked gently.

“Just thought you could use a break from babysitting,” you replied sharply.

He flinched, realizing the hurt his words had caused. “I didn’t mean it that way, Y/N,” he tried, but you shook your head.

“How else could you have meant it?” you asked, folding your arms defensively.

He sighed. “I just see Lando as... still a kid. And when you’re with him, it makes you look that way too.”

“You do know Lando and I are the same age, right?” you countered. “If you didn’t want to ‘babysit,’ maybe you should’ve dated someone your own age.”

“Don’t say that,” he said, pulling you into his arms. Tears slid down your cheeks as he held you tightly. “You’re the only one I want to come home to. Always.”

Exhausted, you nodded, letting the conversation drop as you both went to bed.

The next day, you still felt out of sorts but kept quiet to avoid distracting Lewis before qualifying. As he was stopped for a quick Sky Sports interview, you hung back with Lando, who shot you a sympathetic look.

“Rough night?” he asked gently, and you nodded.

“This isn’t your fault, Lando,” you assured him. “He shouldn’t have said it.”

Lando’s expression shifted, and following his gaze, you saw Lewis speaking with the interviewer, his hand resting on her lower back as he laughed at something she said. A wave of anger and hurt rushed over you.

“Y/N…” Lando started, but you brushed him off.

“I’m leaving.”

Storming out of the paddock you were pissed. You knew Lewis would think nothing of it and expect you not to either and to “take the high road.” But you were so fucking over that. Mixed with yesterday’s emotions you were feeling slightly crazy and you weren’t going to contain it. 

Calling Lewis’s assistant, you made her book you a flight home immediately and went to the hotel to get your stuff. By the time you reached there, you had seen countless pictures of Lewis and the reporter cozy together, so naturally, why not print them off for him to frame? You were a woman on a mission in the hotel business room printing these pictures. Spreading them out on your bed, you snapped a pic to send to your sister, who called you insane and then left.

Instead of Monaco, you took a shorter flight to New York, where Lewis kept a penthouse. You settled in, ordered takeout, and watched the race on Sunday from the penthouse, glad to see him finish P4 but still seething.

You weren’t expecting to see Lewis until tomorrow, so you went to bed around 11, only to be jolted awake at 1am by someone pounding on the door.

"Just let me in," you heard Lewis call out.

Groggy, you opened it to find him standing there, exhausted, dressed in a Mercedes hoodie and sweats.

He dropped his bags on the living room couch and crossed his arms, facing you. “Nice touch with the photos,” he said, his voice steady.

“I thought they were fitting,” you shot back, arms crossed.

Lewis sighed. “You know that wasn’t anything. She isn’t you.”

“Who cares that I know that?” You yelled. “You are mine! Not hers! And you know what I wanted to do? I wanted to march over there and rip her off you by her hair.” 

Lewis’ eyes widened but you kept going. 

“I’m done pretending that I’m too secure with myself to care about this shit because, guess what? I do fucking care! I do care when girls throw themselves at you all the time. So yeah, I printed off those pictures for you, and yeah, I knew that was crazy, but if that’s what I have to do to get an emotional reaction out of you, then I’ll do it every time.” 

After your outburst, the room felt charged with a heavy, vulnerable silence. Lewis looked at you, his face softened by something between understanding and regret. He took a deep breath, then stepped forward, gently wrapping his arms around you. You could feel the warmth of his embrace as he held you close, grounding you.

“Y/N,” he murmured into your hair, his voice low and tender, “I’m so sorry. I never, ever want you to feel like you can’t be yourself with me. I love you—exactly as you are. I didn’t realize how much pressure you’ve felt to fit into… some idea of what everyone else thinks you should be. I don’t want that for us.”

You looked up at him, eyes still glassy but softening as his words sank in. “Sometimes I feel like I have to prove I’m ‘mature enough’ to be with you,” you admitted quietly. “Like I have to be some version of me that fits everyone else’s expectations.”

He sighed, holding you even tighter. “Y/N, you’re perfect just as you are. I love you, not some ‘ideal’ of you. I love the person who’s goofy, carefree, strong… the person who prints off photos just to make a point,” he chuckled, squeezing your hand. “You don’t have to change or hold anything back for me.”

A small, relieved smile crept onto your face, and you let yourself melt into his embrace. “Thank you,” you whispered. “I just needed to hear that.”

He nodded, brushing a tear from your cheek with his thumb. “I want you to feel free to be yourself with me. I’m here because I want all of you, Y/N—all the real, unfiltered parts of you.”

You closed your eyes, taking in his words, letting them wrap around you like a promise. Finally, you looked up at him with a new lightness, feeling the tension in your chest ease.

“Alright,” you said softly, a hint of playfulness returning to your tone. “Then get ready, because the real me definitely wants Taco Bell at 2 a.m.”

Lewis chuckled, shaking his head with a fond smile. “Fine. But we’re getting fries, too.”

With your hand in his, you both headed out the door, leaving behind the weight of everyone else’s expectations. It was just you and Lewis—real, imperfect, and perfect for each other.

[moonlight-tmd]

Please if any REAL follower of mine reads this, write a note, just say hello or whatever. I just wish to see one real person following my trash-notes qwq

so those porn bots huh

[makuzume]

Toge Accidentally Uses His Cursed Speech on You (Part 4)

🔅content: Light angst/light comfort; gn!reader; no pronoun mentions

🔅synopsis: It's been 2 days since you last seen Toge... How do you go about this? What are you supposed to do? You wonder how to address the situation at hand...

🔅a/n: "What happened to posting part 4 soon" I ended up scraping the entire part 4 draft and remade it because I didn't like it :'D Thank you everyone for being so patient and putting up w my bs aaa Let me know if you want to be in the tags list and enable ur tagging :3

[JJK Masterlist] [Part 1 & 2] [Part 3]

🔅Word Count: 2.2K

"...Should I... open it...?" You asked yourself quietly, looking down on your phone as you stared at the multiple notifications you received from Toge.

13 missed calls

31 new messegaes

All unopened, all unanswered.

Slowly, you hover your finger over to his chat box, however, you hesitate- quickly shutting off your phone and plopping down on the soft mattress where you sat.

While the rest of the Okkotsu family went out to watch the movies, you decided to stay in the house by yourself. "You should come...! I'm sure it will help lift your spirits." Mrs. Okkotsu offered, to which you kindly declined her offer.

You figured you needed some time to be alone for now, but the lack of presence in the house ended up cauing a deafening silence to fill the halls, creating more opportunities for you to overthink the recent events between you and Toge.

'...I wonder... what did he say...'

'...why am I so scared to read it...?'

Over the past two days, you've been comfortably staying over Yuta's family home in the city. But since Yuta wasn't there at the moment, his parents and sister have been kindly accomodating you the entire time.

You were incredibly embarassed and reluctant to stay over, afraid of becoming only a nuisance to the Okkotsu family, especially since current situation between you and Toge was not at all very dire, just an arguement between two lovers.

Fortunately, Yuta and his mother were understanding and very insistent that you were welcome for as long as you'd like. Afterall, you were also one of Yuta's closest friends.

Trying your best to not cause them too much trouble, you help out with minor chores like the dishes, setting up the table, throwing out the trash- but each time you do so, you were met with gentle scolding.

"We told you to rest! You're still very hurt!"

"No no no, you're a guest, put that down!"

"We are not letting you wash the plates. Go back to bed and lie down for a nap! We'll bring you some snacks later."

"Nonsense! You are not a burden! You are a good friend of Yuta, and he asked us to take care of you, so sit down and don't worry about us."

Though that did seem to reduce the amount of guilt you felt, you were still rather embarassed for staying over someone else's family home just to hide from an ongoing dispute with Toge. So, you figured you shouldn't overstay your welcome, at least.

You look at your phone once again, staring at Toge's contact name as you remember your last encounter with him.

Staring at the ceiling above, you allow the memories from the incident flood your mind once more- remembering the sorrow, the pain, the sadness....

The entire time you knew Toge, he had always felt like the safest person to be around with, and you trusted him more than anyone- be it about your safety or your feelings. Naturally, the shock from accidentally getting cursed would shaken you up quite a lot.

You were badly hurt, both physically and emotionally.

And even for a short moment, you even felt afraid of him for the first time.

A feeling you knew would devastate him if he knew.

As shy as you were to admit it, all you did the entire day after the incident was quiety cry inside the guest bedroom in Yuta's home.

You can say that you rather had mixed feelings about the whole thing. Not a moment has passed in which you weren't thinking about it.

At first, it was shock, then fear, followed by pain before sadness, eventually leading to worry- the feeling you were experiencing right now.

Why 'worry'? You think to yourself, curious as to why there was this sense of longing to see him despite the accident.

It was a strange feeling in your chest. Most certainly, you were still very much upset and hurt about what he had done to you, but still-

"...I wonder how he must feel right now..." You hug the pillow nearest to you closer to your chest, unable to stray away the concern you felt for him.

Perhaps it was the way he looked at you the moment he misused his speech on you. The way Toge's eyes expressed so much shock, the way his voice was filled with so much guilt and fear... You have never seen him act in such a way before, especially considering the fact that he was always the more calm and composed one between the two of you.

You couldn't get the desperate tone of his voice out of your head, and you frequently find yourself vividly remembering the panicked expression he displayed on his face.

"...He must be worried..." You whisper to the pillow you held tightly, your eyelids closing as you replay the events of the accident.

More than anyone, you understood him the most, and you knew that this must be really messing up his mind right now.

It was one of his deepest fears, hurting someome he loves unintentionally with his speech, and you knew how deep this sort of wound would cut him on the inside.

More so, there was also the fact that Toge had personally witnessed the tragic events that happened to his allies in Shibuya... not to mention the fact that he had also been heavily pinning the blame on himself for the death of innocent civilians' lives.... lives which he felt responsible of protecting, all because he led them to take shelter to the same area Sukuna had unleashed his Malevolent Shrine.

'Truly...' you thought.

'this must be really messing up his mind right now....'

You turn over to your side, eyes staring blankly into the empty air in front of you.

"...He was distant and acting different from what happened in Shibuya afterall... I know he didn't mean to hurt me..." you whispered quietly, trying to think of how to address the situation.

You sat up, your hand firmly grasping your phone, a hesitant but concerned tone evident in your voice "I... don't want to make him feel any worse than he already does..."

Without a doubt, Toge was always so good to you. So protective, so understanding, so kind, so loving...

He was always there for you at your lowest points... and you never even had the chance to return such comfort to him before, so you think to yourself:

'...it's my turn.'

Your previous attempt to aid his sorrow didn't end up so well, but that's why you were willing to try again; To try again for him.

He probably hasn't been consoled ever since the incindent in Shibuya either. You, Panda, Yuta, or even Maki hadn't heard from him the entire time, and that's considering that all of you are his closest friends.

You ponder about it, and then you realize he probably wouldn't have ended up hurting you by accident or behaving so distant towards everyone if he had just allowed himself to be comforted- to be held and be told 'it's okay.'

...And you couldn't help but want to be that person who does that for him.

The more you thought about this, the more you wanted to see him.

You already released all the shock, hurt, and sadness for the past few days through a few weeping sessions in the small guest room before, and you think it's about time to come out of hiding.

You try to gain back your composure.

"...I wonder where he is... I hope... he's not pushing himself." You glance at your wallpaper, looking at a picture of Toge holding up a silly little peace sign while he sat next to a cute little dog you randomly met on the street.

You couldn't help but chuckle softly for a moment, then, your smile slowly fades back to form a serious expression on your face.

You miss the smile in his eyes like in the photo.

The idea of him in such sadness, worry, and pain ended up hurting you just as much as well.

"...I should talk to him."

So, you unlock your phone, open messages, and look for his contact name once again.

His contact nickname and his silly little photo appear.

'Bonito Flakes'

"...There."

Just when you were about to tap his name, you paused.

"Uh... wait... what should I say...?"

You pull back your thumb from the screen, suddenly having a bit of a panic on how to address the situation.

"..How do I reach out to him...? What... did he text me..? Is he upset with me? Is he looking for me...?"

His last text was from yesterday night, so you weren't sure what should be the best mood to approach him at this moment.

Just then, as if fate had timed this moment perfectly, a notification suddenly pops up on the top of your screen.

1 new message from Bonito Flakes

You gasped, completely taken aback from seeing his name.

'Wait... I'm not ready...!!'

You panicked slightly, causing you to drop your phone on the hard wood floor by accident, a loud thump echoing throughout the room. Fortunately, the Okkotsu family still hasn't returned from their outing yet, otherwise, you'd give them another reason to be worried about you.

You sigh, picking it back up as you lightly shook your head to gain back your composure.

As you check your sceen, you see another text from Toge come in.

Then another.

And another.

It made you slightly nervous but curious as to what his multiple texts were saying right now, and it sort of made you even more worried to know what he sent.

Is he sad? Does he need you? Is he just reaching out? Is he leaving the school? Does he want to distance himself from you?

"I'll... wait a little..."

Ultimately, you decided to let him finish sending his messages before you view it.

He sent quite a handful of texts, and it took a while before the messages stopped coming in. But just to be sure, you waited for a few minutes in case he had any late follow ups.

"I'll.... wait a little more..." You whisper to yourself as you stare at the phone in front of you, hoping to view his messages during a time when he's offline- You just wanted to make sure there was enough time for you to process and react to his texts without the pressure of him waiting for your response.

But the green dot next to his profile picture was still lit up, meaning, that he would be able to immediately see your replies the moment you send it.

But you would prefer he only sees it AFTER you're done sending your responses.

Sighing heavily, you whisper once more '...I guess I'll wait again...'

You check again after a few minutes, it was still green. So you wait again.

More time had passed but still- the green dot remained.

You wait again.

It was all you could think about for the past few hours as you move back and forth from checking your phone to lying down, staring into nothing...

Untul finally, at hour three, the green dot turns dim.

And with that, you were left with no excuse to delay opening your inbox any longer. "...alright... here we go.... I guess..."

With a hefty sigh and a single tap of your finger, you open his inbox.

Your eyes widened suddenly, immediate shock at the realization.

With a quickened pace, you hurridly limped towards the nearest window, the cast on your leg creating a slight scratching sound as you drag it across the floor.

Pulling away the curtains, you scan the street below in search for the white haired boy.

You squint your eyes slightly, trying to adjust your eyes to the darkness of the night.

Then, you see him.

"He... he's still there...?"

On the opposite side of the street, there sat Toge on the small pavement across from Yuta's house.

His head rested on his arm and his head hung low, perhaps taking a bit of a nap as he waited for your reply.

A wave of guilt suddenly washes over you as you realize how long you've made him wait out in the cold for a single reply.

You text him.

Toge???? Why did you wait for me?

You look drenched, what happened???

How long have you been there???

But your messages didn't seem to get through, not showing a mark of it being delivered.

"His phone battery must've died...."

Instictively, you hurried out the room with a more detemined expression, carefully treading the stairs with your injured leg, and rushed out the door.

Unintentionally, the noise of opening the door a little too quickly echoed across the dead silent street, casuing Toge to immediately jolt himself awake.

He made eye contact with you while he remained seated across the street, shocked at your sudden appearance.

Embarassed for startling him, you slightly lose your confidence and shy away from his gaze, a small lump in your throat preventing you from voicing out any words.

Toge stood up slowly, his eyes widen but his chest beated out of nervousness.

He doesn't expect anything positve, but still, he remained hopeful, as much as he felt like he didn't deserve you.

"...um...." you started, hoping to break the akward silence that filled the air.

"...I-...."

"....."

"....p-...please, come in...."

....

[Back to JJK Masterlist] [Part 1 & 2] [Part 3] [Part 5]

a/n: So happy I finally finished this :')))))))) Shoutout to anon that poked me abt this that genuinely helped me lolol I just really needed a little push to finish this

NOTE classes are back ^^ and I'm doing some part-time comms sooo I'll be a lil busy but ofc I won't abandon this I luv this series <3

Credits to @makuzume on Tumblr || Do not steal, translate, modify, reupload my works on any platform.

tags list: @zhenyuuu @cowcreamers @mushroommorgue @yunho-leeknow @lemonnotade @exodiam @an-ever-angry-bi @cirieria @chifuyufirstwife @strxbxrrylover @sturns55

[missmonsters2]

Mirror, Mirror | Five

Please do not copy, repost, or translate my work anywhere else.

PART FOUR

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader

Summary: Deleting the video evidence of Wanda's embarrassing confession only goes slightly awry, and in the end, she can't tell if she's relieved or disappointed with herself. Perhaps she can get advice from someone who was once in her position.

Warnings: best friends to lovers. shenanigans. jealousy, jealousy. sexual tension. pining. yearning. sexual thoughts. spicy (tumblr's version). stupid steve. neurotic nat. brat & stinky. bug as in shutterbug.

*explicit version will only be available on Ao3 & will be posted there after series is completed*

Note: There's still an epilogue after this!! But after that, it's done </3

Reminder there's no taglist but you can follow my library blog for notifications 💘

Series Masterlist || Library Blog || AO3

Count: ~4,6k

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⋆⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷

Wanda jiggles her key through the door with a renewed rush. Her hands are shaky, and she should really just take her time. This wasn't making it go any faster.

Darcy had just dropped her off after they ate their McDonald's meal in the parking lot and was on her way back to get access to her laptop to help Wanda. 

Finally unlocking the door, Wanda took her shoes off haphazardly and took off towards your room. Your laptop sits innocently at your desk, unaware of all the havoc Wanda will reap upon it if it doesn't give her access to your email. 

She pulls out the chair and sits down before she opens it up. The first thing that greets her is the password page. Wanda pulls out the USB that Darcy gave her and plugs it in. All she can do now is wait since Darcy said she'd text Wanda once she made it home. 

The next 15 minutes feel like a bottomless pit of hell. Wanda checks her watch every couple of minutes, tapping her foot impatiently. 

"Come on, come on, come on," Wanda huffs quietly. She's extremely paranoid about what you might be doing. It's unlikely you'd be returning home tonight, and even if you were, it'd be a couple of hours from now.

Yet, the unhinged part of Wanda wants to pull out her phone and text you, "Hey, what's up? You're still busy sexing up Raye, right? Definitely not ideal, but you're not checking your emails or on your way home, right?

Wanda wishes she made Natasha go stakeout Raye's house to alert her when you were leaving the place. Before she can think more insane thoughts, her phone vibrates in her hand, and Wanda checks it with speed. It was from Darcy confirming she'd made it home and it'd be any minute now. 

Wanda looks up at your laptop screen, pushing her finger against the mousepad to ensure the screen doesn't time out. The USB must give Darcy some kind of access because, true to her word, something does start happening. 

Wanda watches the screen with mild interest as a separate window pops up. The background is black, but it's clearly some kind of coding as random words begin running. It takes a few minutes, but then asterisks fill your password box. It only takes 3 times before the right password is entered and Wanda's gained access.

"Yes!" She celebrates before she sends Darcy a quick text. 

Wanda pulls up your email and finds the latest one sent to you is a link to a Google Drive. There are many videos and some photos, but Wanda recognizes herself in one of the thumbnails and clicks on it.

"I don't see what's so great about Raye—"

Wanda immediately stops playing it, unable to bear the embarrassment of hearing herself. She quickly deletes the clip, also going to the trash bin to make sure it's permanently deleted. Wanda checks everything several times to ensure there are no other clips and any trace of her confession is gone. 

Mission completed. 

Relief floods her system, knowing that the clip has been deleted. 

Wanda closed everything she opened, making sure she changed the status of the email to unread. Once everything is as it was, Wanda closes your laptop and unplugs the USB.  

Stuffing the USB into her pocket, she's about to send another text to Darcy when Wanda hears the front door open, and you call out her name. You must've seen her shoes at the door, but Wanda still doesn't answer. She hears you walking back down the hallway toward your room and panics. 

Oh, god, she couldn't walk back out that door without bumping into you, and she couldn't jump out the window either with them living on the 10th floor. 

Oh, fuck, what does she do? Wanda's panicking as she shakes her hands in hysteria and looks around frantically. 

Shit, shit, shit, shit!

Wanda carefully makes her way to your closet, but it's filled wall to wall with your clothes, and the floor is filled with your shoes and other boxes. There was no room to hide in there.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!

Wanda's walking around your room and has no idea where to hide. She looks at your bed and internally groans. Dropping to her knees, she scoots herself until she's fully underneath, flat on her stomach, but her head is kept off the floor. She quickly opens her phone and turns it from vibration mode to silence—Wanda refuses to be caught. She would rather die than even try and explain all of this.

The door opens, and Wanda only gets a few of your slippers as you make your way back to your desk. She hears a soft clank on the desk, and Wanda can only assume it's the mug of tea you have every night. 

Wanda hears you sigh quietly as you seem to settle in for the night. This is not good. This is fucking terrible. 

Wanda can't tell how long she's been stuck under your bed. She's too worried about moving and accidentally making a noise. All she hears is the soft music playing and your mouse and keyboard clicking. 

Suddenly, her phone lights up with a notification. It's a text from you.

Wanda bites her lip, trying to decide if she should answer. Ultimately, she decides she should because it's possible you might try to call her if she doesn't, and she definitely can't answer it if you do. Wanda would also feel bad about not answering you if you're worried. 

But, god fucking dammit, she's going to have to lie. Again. 

Wanda hears a breathy chuckle from you and tries not to smile. 

Fuck. 

Wanda doesn't know if she should say yes or no. If she says yes, will you wait until she gets home? Wanda can only dread how long she might be stuck under your bed.

The chair you're sitting scrapes against the floor a little. A reply doesn't come for a few minutes, and Wanda wishes she could see what you were doing. 

Wanda stares at the text, trying to see if she can decipher your tone from just the words alone. It's something you've told her countless times when she told you she'd be staying at Vision's place. Yet, somehow, this feels different. 

You stop replying to her after that. It's both a relief that Wanda could stop digging herself into another hole and a torture she's left without much to do again. 

Wanda checks some of her other texts and replies to them, but her battery life is getting exceedingly low, and she doesn't want it to die on her accidentally if you do decide to text her again. 

The last time she opened the phone to check the time, an hour and a half had passed. There's almost a desperation to give herself up and come clean to relinquish herself from the sheer boredom, but Wanda holds strong since she reasons she'd already made it this far. 

"Hmm," Wanda hears you let out a deep hum. The mouse clicks a few times, and Wanda wishes she could see what you were staring at. 

Definitely not her confession video; that much comforts Wanda. 

God, she's bored. She's so bored that the fear has long left her body. 

It's a miracle when Wanda hears you get up and stretch, a few cricks released from your back. You leave the room, and Wanda hears the bathroom door shut. 

Wanda scrambles to get out from under the bed, nearly hitting her head 5 times. She quickly tiptoes out of your room, heading for the front door and opening it. Just as you're coming out of the bathroom, Wanda shuts the door as if she's just gotten in. 

"Wanda, is that you?" You call from the hallway.

"Yep! You're still up?" Wanda calls back, laughing nervously to herself about how stupid this all was, but relief she was clearly getting away with it. 

"Yeah, just thought I'd get a start on the editing stuff for Tony," you say as Wanda walks towards you. 

"Oh, cool," Wanda doesn't inquire further but says, "I thought you were staying at Raye's tonight?"

"Oh, uh," you seem surprised that Wanda asks. "I was having a hard time falling asleep on her bed. The mattress is too soft and gives me the worst cricks."

"Oh," Wanda nods, knowing that your mattress is memory foam but on the firmer side. 

"What about you?" You ask back. "Didn't go home with Darcy?"

"Uh, no," Wanda fumbles slightly. "Uh, it was good, but I, uh, was getting a slight stomachache from the McDonald's so I decided to go home."

You frown. "Do you want some tea? Maybe some Tums?"

"Maybe some ginger and honey tea?"

You nod. "Alright, I'll get some ready for you. Why don't you go take your makeup off and whatnot? We could watch some TV before we sleep."

"Oo," Wanda grins. "I think I saw some things come out on Disney+, let's see what they have!"

The rollercoaster of the night comes to a satisfying end for Wanda. 

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⋆⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷

The next three weeks are odd for Wanda. During the first and second weeks, she was so busy with her clients and a whole PR mess that she barely had time to see you. 

She spends more time collaborating with her team about how they will dig one of their clients out of the mess they'd made or if they should just drop the client. She's barely been able to think about her feelings for you and what to do about it. 

By the time the third week arrives, everything at work finally slows down, and she has time to herself like a regular person again. Wanda reflects back on her position and the entire video-deleting debacle. 

With the fear and adrenaline long gone, Wanda can't actually tell if she's disappointed that you haven't discovered her feelings. Would things have just been easier if you had watched the video?

At the very least, it might be better in the sense Wanda wouldn't be stuck in the same place. 

Wanda's sitting on the couch, lazily trying to focus on her book but can't with her mind continuously drifting. You haven't been home as of late—Wanda only realized you've been out a lot for a week and a half now. 

Sighing, Wanda closes her book. She was getting bored again. You wouldn't be home until later, and she already spent an hour on the phone with Natasha earlier. 

Just as Wanda was about to text you to ask if there was any possibility you'd be home earlier, the front doorknob jiggled, signaling someone was putting in their key.

Wanda smiles, hoping she'll see you walk through the door, but smiles even wider when she sees who walks through it. 

Getting up from the couch, Wanda runs and jumps, latching onto the person. 

"Oof," the voice was gruff.

"Bucky!" Wanda yells excitedly as Bucky catches her, wrapping his arm around her to ensure she doesn't fall, even though her legs are around him. 

"Hi, nutball," Bucky says, but his mouth is muffled by Wanda's shoulder and some of her hair. 

Wanda slowly slides back down onto the floor, taking a good look at Bucky. Of all the people she adores besides you, Bucky is at the top of her list, along with Natasha, which is why they both have key fobs to the apartment. 

Bucky kind of reminds her of Pietro in certain ways, if Pietro would ever grow up and get a little serious. Bucky seems to know that and has cared for Wanda in Pietro's stead now that the guy has left for Europe since they turned 18. 

"When did you get back?" Wanda asks. "Why didn't you call? I would've arranged to pick you up from the airport."

"It's fine. Steve picked me up from the airport and we relaxed a little bit before he had to leave to the station to do some kind of sketch for a case," Bucky says as he takes off his shoes.

They wander back into the living room space and take a seat. Bucky had brought her some coffee and pastries that Wanda delighted over.

"So," Wanda says after a sip of her coffee. "How was California?"

"Hot," Bucky smiles. 

"You said you were going to train an upcoming actor in a movie, right?"

Bucky nods, sipping his own coffee. "Yeah, some new superhero movie. Pretty young; I think he just turned 18. Definitely now super ripped for an 18 year old," Bucky laughs.

"Does he need a PR agent?" Wanda grins. 

Bucky rolls his eyes with mirth. "Probably not since he has his manager handling everything, but I did pass your card along."

"You're good people."

Bucky snorts, and they spend another half hour catching up before he finally comes to the topic he's been waiting to discuss. "You know, Steve brought up something interesting."

"Oh, yeah?" Wanda raises her brow.

"Steve was bringing up how Bug seems to be seeing someone," Bucky says slowly. "And she looks a lot like you...like everyone else Bug has dated."

Wanda lets out a huge groan. "Steve should eat rocks and jump into the ocean."

Bucky laughs, leaning back onto the couch, and smiles. "So? What do you think?" 

"About what?"

Bucky gives her a side-eye, and she groans quietly this time.

"Fine," she grumbles. "It was strange to realize, but like, a good strange. I don't know. I want...I want her to look at me."

Wanda's blushing at the admittance to Bucky. It makes her feel shy, but also good that someone else close to her knows and will be on her side. 

"Have you confessed?"

"Not exactly."

"Ah, so you haven't done shit except probably rope people into your weird schemes that turn out poorly."

Wanda's jaw drops. "I have not—okay, well, I mean, I wouldn't say they turned out poorly." She would never tell Bucky about the videotaping incident. She was taking that to her grave. 

Bucky eyes Wanda, taking in the small expressions on her face and the muted longing in her eyes as she picks at her nails. "You're so much like me, sometimes I'm convinced that you're actually my little sister," Bucky grins, and Wanda mirrors him. "Don't tell Pietro that, though. He's gets so jealous."

Wanda just gives him an, 'obviously,' look.

"When I started realizing my feelings for Steve, I didn't say anything for a long, long time, and I've known I've liked Steve since we were boys making mudpies," Bucky leans his head back against the couch, the coffee resting between his hands on his stomach. "I kept thinking about what if Steve didn't feel the same? And then there was the whole Peggy situation, and I didn't want to break that up."

"You're better than me," Wanda sighs. "I would break them up in a heartbeat if I knew how she felt about me."

Bucky can't hold his laugh in for that but continues on. "I think a lot of those fears I had paralyzed me. I kept thinking I'd have more time and there was a right moment, or if I did certain things, Steve would feel the same. I just had to wait it out."

"So, what happened?"

Bucky gave her a wan smile. "Steve and Peggy, even though they'd be on and off, were getting more serious. One night, Steve told me he was thinking about proposing."

"What?" Wanda's jaw drops. She's never heard of this. "But obviously he didn't because you guys are together now."

"Yeah," Bucky laughs, "because I totally freaked out. I started saying he couldn't and then kissed him, and then started crying. It was a mess."

"Oh, god," Wanda rests her hand against her mouth. She could totally see herself doing that to you if you said the same thing. Now, she's starting to freak out if you're getting serious with Raye. 

"I think you know what I'm getting at," Bucky says, turning his head to look over at Wanda, and she feels vaguely uncomfortable. "You need to say something—now. There's no perfect timing. There's nothing extra you can do to magically know, and you're not gonna always have more time."

Wanda lets her head fall back against the couch, closing her eyes. They start to sting with tears, and she feels that same fear creep into her belly. Yet, Bucky's words resonate with her, and she suppresses that fear until it settles into a muted nervousness. 

"Fuck, I swear you and Steve planned this."

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⋆⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷

Despite Wanda's talk with Bucky, she says absolutely nothing to you when you arrive home late in the evening. Wanda's eyes are glued to the TV, watching How I Met Your Mother absently. 

You seemed to have a long day yourself as you carefully sat next to her on the couch. 

The air feels weird, and there's a tension in your shoulders. It starts to make Wanda tense until you suddenly relax with a deep breath. You shuffle in your seat before scooting until you're pressed against Wanda's side, resting your head against her shoulder. 

The smell of clean laundry and leaves fills Wanda's nose, and she relaxes against you. 

"Wanna order in?" You say.

"Yeah," Wanda replies, pulling out her phone to see what she was in the mood for. The two of you quickly place an order and continue to sit in silence, watching the TV.

You seem deep in thought, but you grab Wanda's hand at some point, holding it with keen interest.

Wanda doesn't say anything. Her cheeks and the tips of her ears are warm as you stroke the back of her hand with your thumb. Her heart doesn't speed up, but it begins to thud noticeably harder in her chest. 

It continues like that until the food arrives, and it's also eaten in silence with the background noise of the TV. Yet, whenever Wanda looks up, she finds you staring at her, and you don't break eye contact. 

It's strange, and it's making Wanda feel somewhat nauseous. 

When the food is done and put away, the two of you settle back onto the couch, but Wanda doesn't think she can handle the silence anymore. 

"How was your day?"

You turn your head, staring at Wanda, and reply softly. "Okay...how was yours? Bucky told me he stopped by to see you."

Wanda tenses. "Yeah," she mumbles. "It was good seeing him again."

"It's nice that he's home," you nod. "I'm sure Steve is happy."

Steve doesn't deserve to be happy, Wanda pettily thinks. It was his fault that Wanda felt so nervous that she felt like she would puke. 

Wanda needs to say something.

She knows she needs to say something now like Bucky told her to. 

All those same fears and anxiety creep up, but frustration has also lingered in her since the day she realized her feelings for you. 

Wanda's tired, she realizes. She's also sick of saying nothing and watching you be with someone else. She's scared but would rather say something and be put out of her misery than continue saying nothing. 

Just as Wanda is about to say something else, you say something first. 

"I broke up with Raye."

Just like that, the wind is blown out of her sails, and Wanda's brain stalls. "What?"

"I," you clear your throat, "broke up with Raye."

"When?"

"A week and a half ago."

"And you're just telling me now?"

Your brow scrunches, and you turn in your seat to fully face Wanda as you cross your legs on the couch. You're fidgeting with your fingers in your lap. "Yes...I needed to think."

"Think about what?"

You wet your lips. "If...if it was worth it potentially ruining our friendship for something more."

Wanda's heart drops like an amusement park ride. Her stomach feels the same way it does when an airplane is ascending. 

She had all these things she was going to say to you just a minute ago, and now her head was empty, and all she could think about was what you were trying to say.

"I think it is...if you feel the same, which I know you do unless something's changed in the last three weeks."

"How do you know?" Wanda frowns. Then again, she wasn't trying to be sly about it the last few months. Maybe you've finally caught on. 

Wait, Wanda pauses. Three weeks? That was when—

You pull out an SD card from your pocket. Wanda's around you enough to know what that is, and her stomach sinks. 

"You know," you give her a small smile. "I was trying to edit the video together for Tony the night after the party, but as I was going through the footage, a third of the photos or videos were corrupted."

Wanda thinks back to the USB she returned to Darcy. Dammit, Darcy! That lying, sneaking, betraying—

"I didn't think much of it, but I had to meet up with the videographer to get the original files. You'd never guess what was on there," you smile wryly. "Or maybe you do since you've somehow deleted it from my Google Drive...and corrupted the other files, so I'd have to get the originals. Very conflicting motives I was getting."

"I didn't mean to corrupt the other files," Wanda mumbles. "But you should probably get your laptop professionally cleaned..."

You give her a weird look but chuckle with a shake of your head. "You're super kooky, you know."

"I do know," Wanda rolls her eyes. "I think you know as well."

"I thought I might've seen you on my first date with Raye. That rock that hit that car wouldn't happen to be something you know about, do you?"

"Not at all," Wanda replies quickly. "But if I did, I'm sure the person would want to say she wasn't aiming for the car or your head."

"So, just Raye's head?"

"Once again, not a clue what the intention was as it wasn't me."

You laugh, and Wanda joins in until it fades, and you bite your bottom lip. "I don't know how any of this works, Wanda. I've never dated anyone I consider my best friend."

"I would hope not," Wanda raises her brow at you. "That means someone else was your best friend and you've committed the ultimate betrayal."

You roll your eyes with a mirth and a smile. 

"I haven't either," Wanda says softly, slowly turning fully toward you, grabbing your hand, and lacing your fingers together. "But I want to. And no matter what happens, we're gonna be okay. I don't think I'll ever love anyone the way I love you. I think I've loved you for a really, really long time."

"Me too," you mumble, squeezing Wanda's hand, feeling shy. "I don't think I ever really thought about it. I just love you. You're my best friend and I love you."

"Now I'm your girlfriend," Wanda grins, leaning closer and closing her eyes.

"Whoa, okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves now. What if we're not even sexually compatible?" 

Wanda pulls back and looks at your face, shocked. It's stony and serious until your lip twitches and Wanda smacks you.

"Ugh, you're such a brat!"

"No, that's you. I'm stinky."

"Stinky."

"Brat."

"Bug."

"Witch."

"Oh, we're bringing back middle school nicknames, are we?" Wanda narrows her eyes at you. You're about to say something else, but Wanda's had enough.

Didn't she think something earlier about being sick of saying nothing? What was she thinking? Saying nothing sounds ideal.

Wanda launches herself across the seat into you, hearing you grunt as she topples you over onto the couch and presses her lips against yours. 

It's not a dream this time, Wanda's very sure. 

This was much, much better than any dream could give her. It feels better. 

Your lips are soft, and you taste faintly like the cookie you split with her earlier. 

Oh god, oh god, oh god, Wanda's mind is racing. She's finally kissing you.

Oh my god, she was kissing you!

You were kissing her back!

Wanda kisses you, pressing her lips over yours over and over as your fingers trail over the outside of her thighs and stroke up to her back. You're bolder than her as your fingers dip under her shirt, pressing her against bare skin. 

It's thrilling; Wanda almost can't lie still on top of you. Goosebumps are forming, and it's forming everywhere. 

You break the kiss, lips caressing her jaw, and scatter light kisses as they trail down her throat. 

Your hand moves higher up Wanda's back and pauses. 

"No bra?" You raise an eyebrow at her. 

"I didn't leave the house today," Wanda mumbles, pressing a chaste kiss to your temple. 

You hum. "No complaints here," you resume your caresses of her bare skin but pause again. "Wanna move to the bedroom?"

No, Wanda thinks. She doesn't want to detach herself from this position. She doesn't want your touch or your kisses to stop. 

You can tell that Wanda's debating the pros and cons, and you try to persuade her. "A bed will give us more room to do things...and I want to do a lot of things..." You nibble on her collarbone. 

Wanda lets out a soft moan, and her toes curl. 

"Okay, fine," Wanda acquiesces, getting up and pulling you along with her. "Move quickly, though. No dallying."

"Dallying? I would never," you smile as Wanda pulls you down the hall. "I'll mirror you perfectly."

"I think you always have," Wanda says softly, turning to look at you. "That's why it's taken us so long to get here. We're stupid."

You laugh. "Seems like one of us deviated from our mirror, mirror dance."

The two of you enter Wanda's bedroom, and she falls back onto it, pulling you on top of her. 

Your body heat spreads across hers, and Wanda thinks she's dizzy again. 

"Good," Wanda mumbles, cupping your face, her thumb stroking your cheek. "I'm tired of us being chickens."

You press a kiss to her, smiling against her lips. One arm wraps around Wanda while the other trails under the front of Wanda's shirt. 

"Speak for yourself," your fingers trail higher and higher. "Maybe I'm just stupid." You press another kiss, lingering a moment longer, and then pull away. "Chicken."

"Stupid," Wanda smiles, her lips grazing yours when she does. 

"Witch."

"Bug."

"Brat."

"Stinky."

"I love you."

"I love you more."

Wanda feels something so peaceful settle over her. The butterflies in her stomach flutter around from your touch, but she's so happy. She thinks she might cry if she thinks about it too much because this was all she ever wanted. 

Wanda focuses on the feel of your hands on her skin instead and how you're making her feel hot. She focuses on the feel of your lips against her skin, the sound of her breaths, and your soft moans. 

There's no way the two of you aren't sexually compatible, but Wanda's eager to find out exactly how compatible they are...over and over. 

As your lips trail lower and more clothes are removed, Wanda idly thinks that maybe Steve doesn't need to eat rocks and jump into the ocean. 

EPILOGUE

[shattersstar]

bound

pairing: vampire x reader

summary: He supposed this was his true home, not the house he had kept himself locked in, but the wooden box with your picture in it. Dutifully kept under his pillow, bringing you to the land of dreams with him—if he could dream. It was a bitter punishment for the life he lived, the transgression—sin—he supposed would be held against the two of you. For how he wanted you more than anything, how he would tear whole cities to shreds at your behest and let the hunters who lurked in your town meet his fangs if you so desired. It was gluttony, to take eternal life and still want more.

warning: horror-ish elements, blood mention., religious undertones (aka general vampire themes/concepts)

a/n: i have so much to say about this lil piece of writing omg okay, i wrote this back in May i believe around the time i was reading we have always lived in the castle and it Shows. its lowkey fantasy which is not like anything i write but the horror-ish vibes r pretty consistent with my original stuff. it is heavily inspired by a lot of the vampire media ive consumed too though even if its not based on one particular character. i have been thinking about it since i wrote it and while im a bit ehhh about posting something original i quite literally have nothing else to share and as i said before y’all keeping i’d still eat the fruit in my notifs is so :)))) so this is a thank you to y’all and a Step back into writing for me hopefully. ramble aside enjoy ! feedback and comments r always appreciated

—

It had rained, no—poured, stormed, hailed, cried, screamed. It had swept in during the day, white noise to him as he slept, while it greeted you during breakfast. The clouds wept over the lands in what felt like divine punishment. It was as if nature or something higher than that was against him, accosting or trying to stop him. As he stood at the edge of the great forest, rain pelting the top of his head he assumed there was nothing greater than nature. Not even him. There was nothing higher nor more humbling. God could spite someone, but nature enacted it. It flooded your sleepy town and even sleepier forest and he was on the other side. Confined to his home until the storm cleared and the sun rose.

He would not be graced with your presence yet again and he tried to ignore the call to change you, to have his fangs pierce your skin and his blood run across your tongue. He gritted his teeth, reminding himself of the hurt it brought and he would never cause that for his love. His dearest who lived on the other side of the forest he was unable to cross. His icy glare moved along the border, not even noticing the rain drenching his billowing black cloak anymore. Somewhere in the forest a branch snapped and animals chattered.

He would live for eternity, he could wait for you. It was his resolution before heading back to his home in the woods and trying not to be angry, to let fury run through his long dead veins and restart his stilled heart. If anything—anyone—could, he knew it was you.

He followed the path compacted over the years of those travelling to stare at his home, humans daring each other to go near it, but never following through when the windows shuddered and a figure moved past one of them like a ghost. Times had changed, but people were as superstitious as ever. They saw his decayed and rotted home and prescribed evil to it. It was overrun with vines, leaves would not grow on them. Even in spring. They stayed black, and gnarled, tightening their hold in his house each season. Thorns protruding from some of the thicker vines, protecting him it seemed. You had noted that, staring at his wondrous home with bright eyes.

It was in a clearing in the forest, grey stone withered away and swallowed by nature. It still stood strong, the outside a grotesque picture that did not reflect the inside. Oil lamps and lighting fixtures alike lit the space from the inside out. It warmed the walls, revealing the deep brown wood panelling that made up the older parts of the house. The stairs were still the original wood, a grand staircase that greeted no one, but him and you these days.

Many of the rooms upstairs had been closed off, sheets gently placed over the old furniture and doors closed forever. He had no need for such space, other vampires stopped visiting when hunters started lingering in your town. You had told him of your many encounters, most were smart enough to stay out the forest, but they still killed many of his kind. Finding them in their carriages amongst the cars rolling down the freshly paved roads. Horses killed along with whoever dwelled inside. They saw themselves as vigilantes, but you had told him most of your town considered them a nuisance. Urban men thinking they can save the more rural lands that bordered their great cities. Cities that forgot the magic that once thrived in places like the forest.

“Their thinking of building a highway through it, connecting us to other towns or one of the bigger cities.” You had explained one day, sitting in his lap and letting him hold you. He hummed, long fingers curling into the fabric of your sweater. You placed your warm hand over his and leaned further into his chest. He asked you to let him hold you and you had obliged like always.

He kept those memories in mind, the soft questions he would extend your way and how you listened so dutifully. May I hold you? Will you lay with me? Come walk through the cellar? Can I drink your—

His fist slammed against his dinning room table, nearly snapping it in two as a crack ran jagged through the centre of the chestnut coloured wood. His fangs were out, nails morphed into claws dug into his skin and blood dripped into the crack. He stared at it, muscles in his face twitching as he waited for it to end. Waited for the creature in him to return to laying dormant and his own clear, sound mind to return. Though he supposed it was never very clear or sound anymore, not when you had burrowed inside of him and promised to never leave. And as if his thoughts beckoned you themselves, the old telephone in his study rang. It’s shrill scream echoed through the quiet house, though the ring was discordant, snapping in two halfway through its loop and screeching a pitch higher. The noise made his pointed ears twitch and with a swoop of his cloak he was in his study. He answered it on the normal ring, cutting it off right before it went off tone.

He held the phone to his ear, but waited to speak. “Hello?” You asked, your voice soft and worried. You’d never called him before—truthfully he had no idea this phone even worked.

“Hello my love.” He returned, and you breathed out a happy sigh.

“Oh my god, hi! I found this number in some old directory—phone book thing,” You explained with an airy giddiness that he wished to share, “I wasn’t sure if it was going to work, but…” You trailed off and he was smiling fondly into the receiver.

“I have missed you.”

“I miss you too, I hate this weather I can never get through the forest when its so rainy.”

“I know.”

“Maybe they should build a highway through it, I could hitchhike my way to see you.” You laughed, but he turned somber. Industrialization finally touching the sacred land of the forest didn’t sit right within him. It may be the great divider that kept him away from you, but it was his home. A highway felt like you were asking to be swept away, to a new town or bigger city that he could not adventure too. He could ask you to stay—he knew you’d oblige—but it was not his place to keep you here. “Is your phone one of those spin, dial ones?” You asked suddenly, breaking through the tension he hadn’t meant to create.

“A rotary phone?” He corrected with a ghost of a grin, “Yes it is.”

“I want to see it when I come over again.”

“And so you will.” It was quiet again and he hadn’t noticed the tears running down his face. He didn’t know he was able to cry anymore.

“I love you.” You whispered, holding your cellphone close, likely curled up in bed and staring out your window at the rain and the forest beyond it.

“I love you dearest.” His voice did not betray the sadness building in him. “Sleep beloved, I will see you soon.”

“Yes, I’m gonna come see you and your rotary phone.” You laughed, forced and watery.

“Soon.”

“Soon.” You repeated, and hung up. He kept the black phone, laced with intricate gold details, to his ear for a moment longer. He had heard your voice at least and could sleep. He moved through his home, snuffing out candles and flicking off switches before finding the one room without windows. A coffin laid on the floor, dark brown and glistening with the finish that had been applied centuries ago.

He supposed this was his true home, not the house he had kept himself locked in, but the wooden box with your picture in it. Dutifully kept under his pillow, bringing you to the land of dreams with him—if he could dream. It was a bitter punishment for the life he lived, the transgression—sin—he supposed would be held against the two of you. For how he wanted you more than anything, how he would tear whole cities to shreds at your behest and let the hunters who lurked in your town meet his fangs if you so desired.

It was gluttony, to take eternal life and still want more.

Though it was hard to think of such evil things when looking at your face, he had taken the photo while you were on the roof. Wind had wiped your clothes into a frenzy and you laughed as the night sky twinkled behind you. He had taken it and was surprised when you’d given it to him only a few days later. He had kept up with modern technology as well as he could, but there was always something so magical about photographs to him. He collected hundreds over his life time, faces he knew and others he didn’t. Organized neatly into a collection of books, which he’d let you look through on occasion. He showed you photos from the many lives he’s lived, something about them bringing warmth rushing to your face.

He was always so devastatingly beautiful, regal and hypnotic across all eras. Yet, he couldn’t focus on the kind words that bubbled from your lips as the rushing of the blood under your skin nearly shattered something inside of him. His fangs threatened to meet your skin, but with calculated focus he reigned in his hunger. It was hard at first—you were the only human he had been around in decades—but he did it for love.

Everything he did was for love, it was his reason for existence it seemed. You had other reasons for your claim to life, but to him? You were all he had, the only reason to not let the sun engulf him or let a hunter kill him. He could not break your heart until you broke his. He let that thought dwell in his mind as sleep overtook him just as the sun rose and the rain ended. Its incessant pitter patter had ceased and he somehow dreamt of you standing golden in the forest and beckoning him closer.

He woke up to your face—maybe it wasn’t a dream—as you crouched next to his coffin. Maybe he had finally died and you were welcoming him to where God decided to send him. If you were there it couldn’t be hell. Could it be?

“My love—“ Your hand pressed to his chest, keeping him still. “It’s still daytime, sleep okay?” You whispered, hand moving to his jaw and cradling his face in your palm for a moment. “I’ll be back in a sec okay, I just need to change.” He nodded against you, kissing your hand before you let him reside in darkness. He had caught a glimpse of your pants caked in mud and could smell the blood from your skinned palms. Despite the slick terrain it seemed you ventured through the forest to see him. It made his chest shudder and for a moment he thought you had actually restarted his heart.

It was only a few minutes later when you were carefully opening his coffin again, now dawning a loose fitting silk shirt that made his red eyes alight with something wild. You had cleaned your scrapes and mud off your skin, smelling faintly of rain water and the lavender soap you gifted him. You stepped over him, nestling against his side and letting him enclose the two of you. One of his arms wrapped around your shoulders as your head rested on his chest, knuckles grazing over your hair while you stretched an arm across his torso. Your legs intertwined with his long ones and you let out a breathy sigh.

“Are you hurt?” He asked, and while you likely couldn’t see as thing, he could see you perfectly. You shook your head no against his chest, yawning into the fabric of his shirt.

“I just wanted to see you.” You murmured, chin resting in his chest as you made hit best attempt at eye contact in the blackness. “I saw the dining room table, are you okay?” You asked, somehow staring through him in the darkness. He offered his hand instead of finding the words in his throat, slowly unravelling his fist to reveal a mark free palm. He wasn’t sure you understand what he meant or if your eyes adjusted enough yet, until you carefully closed it once again, kissing his knuckles and placed your hand over his. You both were silent for a moment, until you looked up at him again and breathed, “You’re all I want.”

“And you’re all I have.” He held you closer, watching a grin pull at the corner of your lips. He was sure it was that devotion, obsession even, with you that would bring about his downfall. Centuries old and all powerful, but reduced to nothing without you. His strength and knowledge meant nothing if he didn’t have you to share it with.

And you could not stand your stagnant life in a town full of people who wished his kind dead. You chose a trek through the forest during the twilight hours of the morning to see him, bringing him soft kisses and silk under his hands as you let your mouth meet his. You kissed him with all the exhaustion and lethargy wrapped up in the two of you, molasses slow kisses that were just as sweet. It was how you fell asleep, lips to his neck and head tucked under his chin before your warm breathed puffed across his pale skin. He fell asleep not long after, engulfing you in his embrace, his cloak draping over your frame as he decided home was where you asked him to be.

[toxic3mmy]

Star Struck

prompt: you get a message from alex on tumblr

hai lovely peeps <3

this is gonna be a short little book type thing with a few more chapters to come

i hope you guys enjoy!

ps- ill try my best to update this series at least once a week!!!

you mindlessly scrolled through tumblr. yes it wasn’t 2015 anymore but you still used the app religiously. you had a good number of followers, too.

you posted about all the emo and alternative music you were into and not to mention the youtubers who you loved.

your number one favorite youtuber was alexis quackity. you related to him in many different ways. he made you laugh on days you weren’t doing too well. he meant a lot to you, even if you didn’t know him personally and it was all most likely just an internet personality.

still, you found yourself talking about his latest let’s talk streams or even his random tweets. you loved having a community of online mutuals that felt the same way about quackity.

____

halfway across the country, alexis sat cross-legged on the floor of his cluttered apartment, surrounded by a sea of empty takeout boxes and energy drink cans. his eyes were glued to the computer screen, the glow from the monitor reflecting off his square-rimmed glasses. his mouse hand hovered over the keyboard, poised to respond to the endless stream of comments that flooded his youtube channel. his thumbs danced across his phone, scrolling through the notifications that seemed to never end.

it had been a wild ride for alexis since he started streaming games and posting videos under the moniker 'Quackity'. the fame had come quickly, and with it, the adoration of millions of fans around the globe.

sometimes alex would take the time and look through his community of devoted fans. he would use throwaway accounts to simply be unknown for once and just see what there was out there.

his fans were so unbelievably talented. many of them were amazing artists making portraits of him or even writing songs for him. some were even exceptional writers and the fanfiction stories he’d come across were actually pretty good.

amidst the digital chaos, one fan seemed to stand out from the rest. y/n, with her username 'Y/NIsNotHere', had caught his attention with her thoughtful comments and unyielding support. He clicked on her tumblr profile, and there it was: a fan account dedicated solely to him.

her profile was a shrine to his digital persona, filled with meticulously edited gifs, screenshots from his streams, and heartfelt notes about how his content had changed her life. Alexis felt a strange mix of flattery and curiosity. he hovered over the 'send message' button, his heart racing with excitement.

what did she look like? what was her voice like? would she be as amazing as she seemed? with a deep breath, he typed out a simple hello.

granted, he was using a secret throwaway tumblr account so he didn’t expect for an immediate response. and yet, the response still came rather quickly.

Y/Nisnothere: hi! whats up?

emoboy666_: nothing much, just surfin da web. so you’re a fan of quackity?

Y/Nisnothere: yeah im definitely a huge fan. there’s just something about him you know? he’s different, he makes me feel okay

alexis’ cheeks heated up after reading the compliment. he smiled softly as he continued to message you

emoboy666_: i totally get you! it’s nice to be distracted from things

Y/Nisnothere: for sure! so tell me about yourself

emoboy666_: well, im in my early 20s.. im mexican, i love video games and art….. oh and you can just call me A

Y/Nisnothere: well im 21, im also mexican, im also really into all things artsy and nerdy and well, emo lol, and you can just call me y/n :3

emoboy666_: i’m glad we have some things in common! your blog is really cool btw, it’s like a hidden gem amongst the cyber world

Y/Nisnothere: aw thanks! that’s really sweet of you to say <3

emoboy666_: no prob (: so, what are you doing right now?

Y/Nisnothere: oh not much, trying to do homework but getting distracted by tumblr and twitter lol. and u?

emoboy666_: oh same here, what do you study?

Y/Nisnothere: i’m studying art

emoboy666_: that’s awesome! maybe you should show me some of your work sometime

Y/Nisnothere: yeah! id love to (:

emoboy666: me too (:

Y/Nisnothere: (: <3

the two of you continued to message each other practically all night. you were happy to have made a new online friend and alexis was happy to get to know one of his fans.

neither of you truly knew who was on the other end of the phone but you still really enjoyed talking to one another. it was refreshing for the two of you.

you fell asleep with thoughts of your new friend, A

[notroosterbradshaw]

slow dancing in a burning room - prologue

about: it was so easy to fall in all-consuming love with Bradley Bradshaw... but it was another thing to stay in it. 

word count: >1k (we’re just easing it in, friends)

part of: The Boyfriend Experience universe

warnings: nsfw 18+, language, angst (I cannot stress this enough, this isn’t the usually fluffy goodness of this universe), smut, fluff.

masterlist.

six weeks earlier.

“Well, I guess I’m gonna take off,” Bradley raised himself to his feet and flexed to stretch his aching back. It had been such a long night, he couldn’t believe it ended like this. You didn’t stand… you didn’t have the strength in your legs and were trapped by the boxes that were supposed to be moving into Bradley’s tomorrow.

Today. Goddammit.

It was nearly 3am. The removals company was due at 9am. How the fuck were you going to cancel them now? You couldn’t wait to greet sweaty, stinky removalists and tell them you weren’t going anywhere. And duly pay them for the service. “I’m sorry, Bradley,” you told him again and he swore to himself if you told him again how sorry you were, he was going to detonate.

He muttered your name, his voice raspy with exhaustion. “Please stop saying that… It honestly means shit to me right now,” he went over to the bench and collected his keys and phone, pocketing them, ignoring the notifications. “Can you just put my stuff in a box, I’ll grab it when you’re at work or something?” he suggested, chewing the inside of his lip to blood, cutting it open – he reckoned he’d chewed the inside of his cheek to blisters hours ago.

“Sure,” you said quietly.

“All right,” he sighed, rubbing his tired, stinging eyes. “Just know... I never wanted to disappoint you, love.”

“I know. I didn’t want to disappoint you either,” you said softly. But you’d been pushed to a limit you couldn’t cope with. And you’d been explicit on it since the beginning. It was your dealbreaker. Moving to your feet and dancing around boxes to him, you stood close enough to clutch his shirt in your fists.

“Are you really sure this is what you want?” he asked sadly, holding your hips rough, in a desperate last-ditch effort to get you to change your mind. He couldn’t let you escape his grasp this time. He needed you to look into his eyes and tell him explicitly. Spell it out. “How can I make you change your mind? Please, I’ll give you space and anything else you need… just don’t end this,” he pleaded desperately. “You can’t just end this, this – we’re are too good.”

“I didn’t end it, Bradley,” you told him stoically.

His eyes searched yours, but he knew his heart of hearts that he didn’t either. “Can we just try and start again or something?” He was embarrassed at the straw he was clutching at to try and keep you, but he knew he’d lost. You’d checked out.

“It won’t change anything,” you said, reaching to grasp his bearded cheek, and a lone tear slipped from you again and you’d cried so much tonight. And he swore he was doing everything in his power not to break down, get on his knees and plead you didn’t ruin the best thing that ever happened to him. But he had to keep some pride. He’d lost so much in his life. His father, his mother, his only other family in Maverick. He almost lost his life. But you, his sweet girl, his love. You were his everything and now he was losing that too.

His thumb swept the tear away but couldn’t stop the flood that followed, and he held you as you wept into his shirt. He cooed soft nothings into your hair, telling you he loved you, that he wouldn’t know what to do without you until you slipped out of his arms and stood before him, your loneliness overwhelmed him. All the strength from earlier had dissipated and standing was about the only action you could see through while you told him that his job was too much of a risk for you and that simply couldn’t be together anymore. You thought you’d lost him and while you knew he was good at what he did, learning about his crash had changed everything and he had been willing to risk that.

“Well, I guess that’s that,” he sighed, letting you go. He pressed a kiss into your forehead and silently moved towards the door, aching for you. Heading towards the hallway, he didn’t mutter a goodbye as he left your apartment for good but his heart screamed for you to mutter his name, just one last grasp of hope.

When it didn’t come, he closed the door quietly after him.

You collapsed on the couch, just... done. Your eyes were like sandpaper and your skin was stinging, the tears that had freely flowed irritating your cheeks and down your throat and chest. You wouldn’t be able to look in the mirror tomorrow… you probably wouldn’t recognise whom you saw anyway. 

How had something so good fallen apart so terribly?

Pulling a cushion to your chest, you couldn’t fathom answering any of the questions that swarmed your brain, the pounding was so loud that no painkillers could help you. You tossed the lone cushion across the room and pushed past taped-up boxes of your belongings to get a glass of water. Your whole body was dehydrated.

“Fuck,” you drawled, kitchen items (including glasses) packed by Bradley and you had no idea where he had put them. Sighing, you figured no time like the present to unpack your life again even as the adrenaline of the last 12 hours waned through you… sleep would not easily come any time soon and with tears in your eyes, you started to undo it all again.

It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

one.

A/N: the tag list no longer exists. To keep up to date, give @notroosterbradshaw-library a follow x

[sweetpascal]

˗ˏˋ A B O U T T H E A U T H O R ˎˊ˗

⤷ hhhiiii. my name is Ally. i'm 22 years old. she/they. INFJ coded. mental health advocate. and my current fandoms are literally anything related to Pedro Pascal. ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

⤷ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT. my account is strictly for adults only. all of my content contains adults using explicit language, doing explicit things. some of my works will contain dark content. i am not responsible for what you read and i will not care if you complain about it to me. i'm saying this from a place of love and safety as an adult, so please do not be offended. ᯓ ᡣ𐭩

⤷ please do not repost or translate my works on this and other platforms without my permission. ⭑.ᐟ

⤷ i'm always accepting asks, so my requests are open. if you have an idea that you'd wanna see written and i'm the girl you can come to, please flood my ask box. ౨ৎ

ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

˗ˏˋ T H E N A V I G A T I O N S T A T I O N ˎˊ˗

make sure to follow @sweetpascal-notifs and turn notifs on for updates on any fics i post in the future <3

PEDRO PASCAL MASTERLIST (characters so far — javier peña, frankie morales, joel miller, dave york, and general marcus acacius.)

COD MASTERLIST (characters only – simon 'ghost' riley and könig.)

⤷ READ ON AO3

⤷ fic recs ᝰ.ᐟ

⤷ fanfic inspo ᝰ.ᐟ

⤷ pedro pascal pinterest board ᝰ.ᐟ

⤷ NEW POST - 0 8 / 1 1 / 2 0 2 4

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ FWB!DIETER [ new series ]

[zombeebunnie]

Trembling Essence [Extended Demo]:💙Quality of life changes + Q&A.💙

Hello and welcome new followers! To show my appreciation for all the support I've received again, here's one of the Valentines Day concept drawings finished! A big thank you to everyone that has continued supporting this through a like, re-blog, fanart, comment, tip jar, share, etc. :,]

I wasn't expecting it to take as long as it did but I'm very happy with the result and how much I've been improving! I'm not too good at drawing angled faces so being able to get it to look just right made me very happy! :,]

I still have this one to go so hopefully at some point I'll have it done!

Quality of life changes:

*Please note that these changes aren't in the [Extended Demo] yet! It'll be something for me to work on adding and I'll let it be known in a update post!

Now that it's been two weeks of the [Extended Demo] being released, It's time to go over some changes to help the player out when going through the game!

I noticed from comments and playthrough's that certain Bad endings/Neutral story progressions were difficult to find, especially the full afternoon route. I don't want players to feel burnt out from trying to search for everything.

I want to add a check-list menu that shows all the Bad/Neutral endings you can get while playing so it's easier to navigate the game.

2. For those that are new or have been here for some time, entering the cabin with Noah starts Day 3 due to the player(Y/N) being lost in the terrain for 2 and a half days which Noah mentions. Sometimes this can get confusing since some consider it Day 1 while the game considers it Day 3.

It's still up in the air about how I'm going to go on about this but I'm thinking about adding a little notification tab in the upper left corner of the game to notify the player(Y/N) of what day it is in the game to resolve confusion.

3. I talked about this last week but I didn't know until recently that the tags I use for Trembling Essence were very unorganized and hard to search through.

I went through and tried my best to re-organize all of the lore and art about Noah/game posts. I also cleaned up the #Trembling Essence tag since it was flooded with game development posts and not much else. I'm also working on a master post and plan on creating some reference sheets of Noah which will be placed under a different tag! :]

#Get to know: Noah : This will be filled with answered asks and lore dump. Sometimes(?) there's random dev-logs that have lore attached to them too. #TE Updates : This only includes dev-logs/updates about the game and development progress. #Trembling Essence : This tag is mainly used to post fan art / art and anything else in general that might belong here which includes lore posts. I really want searching through the tag to be enjoyable and not filled with a bunch of dev-logs.

Q&A / Ask box is open:

If you have any questions about Trembling Essence/Noah feel free to ask here please. This makes it easier for me to see and answer accordingly! I would really like to hear from you guys!

I really wanted some of the lore to be found through playing versus me just answering everything. :]

If you've already sent in a ask, I did see it I just need time to answer since I like to respond with doodles/drawings and helps me practice. :]

That's all I have to share right now! Thank you for the continued support, I wholeheartedly appreciate it. :,]

[vibratingskull]

Love match

Part1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

Tags : brawl, much needed discussion 

FemaleReader x Thrawn

You made up your mind and decided to talk one last time to Thrawn. But what if he decided otherwise?

You yawn.

You slept like a rock, without any dream. You stretch deliciously under this heavy cover and on this soft mattress. Maker, you could stay here forever. You open your eyes slowly, looking at the ceiling.

Today is the day.

You’ll come to Thrawn and get things straight. Then you could go and happily marry Arzel. 

This is the good thing to do.

You sigh before rising in a seated position. You look up your comlink. No call from Konstantine, nor any notifications urging you to come back on the Relentless. You're officially still on vacation. You scroll through your contacts and select Vez.

“It’s been a while. Let’s catch up with a drink. It’s on me!”

You get out of bed with regrets and pass a fuzzy dressing gown over your babydoll. You walk to the dressed table on the patio yawning and shuffling your feet. You need caff. When you arrive you find nobody.

Odd.

You search the house, calling for Thrawn and Arzel, worries starting to rise. When you get closer to the gym you hear groans and muffled sounds like hits were exchanged. You pass your head through the door and discover them right in the middle of a boxing match. Surely the rematch from that time at the bathhouse. 

You come closer with crossed arms, observing them in effort, their flexed muscles and powerful blows. Azrel is a real battery of energy, jumping from one foot to the other, taunting Thrawn with feints, and delivering quick hits. Thrawn is more on his guard, keeping his energy with more grounded supports and powerful punches. 

They stop as you approach the ring.

“Hello, my pearl!” exclaims Arzel

“Good day, Lieutenant Commander (Y/l/n)” a more reserved greeting from Thrawn.

You sadly smile at this greeting, but you're not especially surprised. You didn’t go see him last night to check on him, instead you took an icy cold bath in the lake. You look at them exchanging some punches, Thrawn broadly has the upper hand but Arzel puts up a good fight, he even manages to slide behind Thrawn and sink his elbow in the right trapezius of Thraw, earning a painful groan. Thrawn loses his balance for a second but manages to spin and throw a punch in the ribs of Arzel. 

You wince at every hit, this fight is nasty. But Azrel seems in surprisingly good spirits, speaking to you at the same time.

“By the way, my pearl. I have found the perfect day!”

“The perfect day for what?” You ask yawning.

“For the wedding!”

At that second, Thrawn freezes imperceptibly and throws a devastating punch in the jaw of Azrel that flies into the cords. You scream of surprise and horror.

“Arzel! Arzel!” You scream.

Blood starts flooding off his mouth. He’s unresponsive. You start shaking him in a panic. Thrawn remains behind, panting. 

Azrel’s suddenly shaken by jolts, and jump like a devil out of his box. You hold him back, preventing him from moving too much. He coughs and spits blood.

“Ow… I thought it was a friendly match?” He ask with a painful chuckle

“And I thought you would evade.” Thrawn placidly says.

You look at them both, worried. How could this get out of control like that. You help Arzel rise up with difficulty, his hand covers his mouth that pours blood, the ring is soiled. Thrawn held the cords open for you both to pass and follow out of the ring in a heavy silence. A droid alerted by the noise comes to see his master. You go to follow them at the infirmary, but Azrel holds you back.

“No, it’s okay, my pearl. I can go with my droids.”

“But…” He shushes you with a finger on your mouth

“Rules of politeness demand we don’t let a guest alone. I will be alright, tend to our guest.” He leaves, a bit trembling.

You spin towards Thrawn, shaking with anger. He looks at you a bit contrite, trying to massage his painful shoulder.

“I am sorry.” He finally says.

“Are you?” You ask.

He remains silent, sitting down to get back his breath. You sigh and place yourself behind him.

“Let me do it.”

He takes off his black tank shirt and indicates to you where it hurts. You start massaging him, applying pressure on certain points of his shoulder, trying to ease the pain. He let out a sigh of relief, you can actually feel a knot in his muscle. 

You realize this is probably a good moment to talk.

“Thrawn… About what happened…”

He takes and holds your hand over his shoulder.

“I know. I shocked you.” No need to precise what you're talking about, you both know really well. “And I am sorry. I should have been more tactful in my proposition.”

You can’t help but laugh, embarrassed

“Oh, well, you know, I rarely get offered one night stand with such decorum, so all in all it was a good try.” 

“A one night stand?” something in his tone makes you stop your movements.

He slowly rises and turns toward you. His gaze is incredulous and hard. What did you say? He approaches, you step back.

“(Y/n), do not tell me you thought I proposed for just one night?”

“Yes? I think?” You feel your cheeks burning.

He towers you with all his height, looming over you with his eyes burning with the backlight. He takes another step and you find yourself against the wall. What’s happening? He stares at you with an indecipherable expression.

“You…” He starts.

His eyes widen like he has a sudden realization. He holds the bridge of his nose and sighs, leaning against the wall with one arm.

“Maker, how could I let this derail this much?” He mutters to himself.

He looks at you straight in the eyes.

“(Y/n), I was not proposing only a passionate night.”

“What?” Your voice is a bit strangled.

He takes your hand and kisses your knuckles.

“(Y/n), I was declaring you my love.”

Your mouth opens agape. You have no words. Is he…

He takes your hand to his cheek and brushes it with a pleased sigh.

“(Y/n), was it not obvious?”

“But… No!” You explode “Nothing about you is obvious! You talk about love but are you really sure of that?! You can’t just pop back into my life and deliver such a bomb, like that! You…” You have so much emotions bubbling up that you lose your word and just push him back and evade. “I’m engaged for maker’s sake!”

He doesn’t budge. 

He presses his second arm on the wall brutally, trapping you between his hands.

“Then permit me to be brutally honest.”

He leans forward a bit to be at eye level with you.

“I can not let you say I do not know what I am talking about while this sentiment is eating me alive, making me make the most unreasonable decisions of my entire life.” He detaches the last words.

You squirm under his gaze but you don’t lower yours. You close your hands in fists.

“This is my fault. I thought I was obvious with you. You seemed receptive to my intentions so I thought my sentiments were shared.”

Of course you noticed his intention and you indulged in it! But you thought it was human behavior rubbing off on him and your friendship becoming more relaxed, you indulged in it with delusions imagining it was love in your fantasies, not thinking for a second he was serious.  

“I love you, (Y/n).” He says without batting an eye.

Your heart flutters, your cheeks are setting ablaze 

“I can’t, I’m engaged…” You try again, trying to get out of this mess.

"Then tell me" He answers softly "In the eyes, tell me that I do not have a single chance and I will let you be. You will never hear about me again, but you must tell me, (y/n)" 

You're at loss of word 

"I…" 

He brings your hand to his chest and holds it. 

"This heart beats for you, and I can not believe yours does not" 

You feel your legs go weak, and your hands trembling. How can he say things like that? He slowly unknot your dressing gown, leaving you time to stop him. But you're too lost in your confusion to do anything. He sighs with pleasure at the sight of your babydoll, and holds your waist, caressing your flank with his thumb. Your skin is set ablaze where he touches you. 

"You're too late…" You finally articulate. "Arzel already proposed to me."

"But did you agree?" He demands, inquisitive. 

You remain silent. 

"Did you agree?" He insists, hissing.

"I asked for time…" You concede in a breath. 

"I see." He smiles, "So I still have time to tilt the scale."

Your mind is racing. This is not how it was supposed to end. You were supposed to ask about that night, getting confirmation it was just a one night thing without tomorrow, having a good laugh about it and going back into Arzel's arms without regrets. 

But now… 

Now you're effectively crossed between two fires. 

He gently presses himself against you, smelling your hair with a satisfied sigh, his hand snake into your back, pulling you into his embrace. You try pushing back, but you have no conviction in your arms. You’re being squeezed into his arm, his musk filling your nose.

“Let me convince you.” His hand brushes your thigh, delicately grazing its way up to the hem of your babydoll.. 

You gasp.

He tenderly kisses your temple, the tip of his fingers following your jaw line to tilt your chin. He parts your lips with his thumb, you feel his breath on them.

“The ring, you kept it?” he strokes your lip.

“Yes…” You admit, gulping.

“I knew it.” He grins.

He slowly lean towards you

“Let me help you make a choice.” he murmurs. 

Your lips are millimeters away. Your stomach is in knots. You’re panting…

“No!”

You push him back with both hands. He looks at you surprised and mute.

“No… If you want to convince me… “ You’re out of breath. “I don’t want to betray Arzel…”

You look at him. 

And open your eyes wide.

He is smiling.

He looks at you like he already won.

“Is it a challenge?” He grins. “Because I feel especially in a competitive mood.”

“It's…” You feel like you wake up something dangerous.

“So be it.” He decides. “I will not force you to betray your fiance, I will make you choose me. You will put an end to this relationship yourself.” His hands brush your neck and come hold your cheek. He pulls you closer forcing you on your toes and looks you in the eyes. “Mark my words. Our friendship ends today. Whatever happens next, it will never define what is between us.”

“Then… What is it?” You ask a bit scared.

“This…” He kisses your forehead. “This depends on you.”

“You’re a cruel man...” you murmur.

“I know.” He chuckles.

And he releases you. 

He left you panting, leaning against the wall for support. Your trembling legs can’t support you anymore and you have to sit down. You close back your dressing gown, feeling nude and exposed. You hold your head, a hand on your palpitating heart. 

What now?

All your plans are on shambles.

You gulp, taking back your breath. You rise on your two feet, as good as one can and walk, shaky, to the dressed table. Thrawn is already seated, drinking a cup of caff, like nothing happened. Thank for your sanity he put back his shirt.

You put your weight on the chairs back to get to your seat, shaking.

“What might happened to you, for you to behave like this?” He asks with delectation in his voice.  

He’s proud of himself, the son of a Bantha!

You remain in a dignified silence and serve yourself breakfast with trembling hands. He’s drinking his cup innocently, scrolling through his datapad, like he didn’t set fire to your soul. You eat little bite by little bite but serve yourself a large glass of juice. You’re so thirsty and still panting. 

As you munch on your bread, your gaze keeps getting back at his stern and haughty expression. It’s not fair that he gets to break you like that. Do you have a way to even the plain field ? A malign thought makes his way to your head. 

You sigh deeply, in an intended titillating way and open back your dressing gown, displaying your babydoll to his eyes. That sure catches his attention. He looks you up and down like he’s wondering what you’re on about. 

“It’s so hot today…”

You fan yourself with one hand and play with the braces of your undergarment, letting them slide along your shoulder. 

He stopped drinking mid-movement, clearly entranced. You see his chest rising as he deeply breathes, eyes glued to your sliding braces. His fingers fiddle with the handle of his cup, it’s the only sign of an internal turmoil, his face as unbothered as ever, if only for his rising eyebrow.

Arzel arrives with an ice pack pressed on his jaw, and a grumpy look. You immediately rise to see how he is, simpering with puppy eyes, you delicately hold his jaw and pepper kisses on it.

“Oh no, are you alright?”

Thrawn glances at you both, imprisoned in his mutism. 

“I’ve been better…” He maugreates

“I’m so sorry…” You kiss him on the lips “...My love.”

A clanc resonates in the air. Thrawn put down his cup too hard. You both turn towards him, wondering what is up about him, even if you don’t have to wonder. Despite that if he’s frustrated or angry he hides it perfectly. His eyes are back on his datapad, he appears stiffer than usual, but you can’t say for sure.

“Not only that, I got an impromptu meeting that just added itself to my agenda.” Arzel sighs. “Looks like it’s me who will be forced to shorten my vacation.”

You look at him perplexed, a bit disappointed and a bit relieved.

"So it is the end?" 

"It makes me feel bad, it's me who proposed those vacations. I can't throw you out like that." He passes his hand in his hair. "Does it bother you to stay alone together for some time ?" 

You go for saying something but Thrawn is quicker. 

"Absolutely not, Governor Satlov.” He rises from his seat. “It came to our attention that we had a lot of things to talk about.” He places himself next to you and wraps his arm around your exposed shoulders. “Go with an appeased mind, I will take great care of your fiance.” He says with a polite smile but the tip of his fingers caress your naked skin, sending shivers down your spine.

You feel goosebumps on your skin, and your breath gets shaky. Arzel looks at both of you.

“Well…It’s not like I have any choices anyway. I will entrust you with the mansion. I hope you won’t get too bored in my absence…” He explains with a sorry face.

“I had some physical exercises in mind, but (y/n) strictly forbid them.” Thrawn throws without missing a bit.

You tense up at the innuendo, what got to him to say things like that?

“If you intended to punch her like you did with me, I get why.” Azrel grimaces, massaging his painful jaw with the ice pack.

“Oh, I am not worried. I am sure (y/n) would make for a… competent and hardy adversary.”

ENOUGH, you’re gonna die of embarrassment and raw lust if this conversation continues. Quick, a diversion.

“What just came up?” You ask with a smile you hope is agreeable and not tense.

Arzel sighs again.

“It is about the feast. The organization is proceeding as planned but there are some inconveniences that slow down the all process. We have an agitator and we need to take care of it too.” He pouts. “I am truly sorry to abandon you like that…”

Thrawn presses you against him more.

“I am sure we will find plenty of ways of… amusing ourselves.”

You glance at him. Look at this smug bastard, with his satisfied grin plastered on his face… 

Arzel shrugs and looks you up and down, frowning. He jumps on you and closes back your dressing gown.

“Roween, what indecence! The Grand Admiral surely doesn’t want to see that!”

I’m sure he does, you think but don’t say anything. Thrawn releases you and moves away, letting you some space with your fiance. You feel your stomach tied in knots, and the needle of culpability pierce through you. Arzel finishes arranging your gown, caressing your arms.

“I’m sorry.” he repeats.

“It’s okay.” You gently smile. “You’ll come back soon?”

“As soon as I can.”

He hugs you tightly, and as you give him back his embrace you feel the burn of a gaze on you. Under  the arches, heading towards the interior ot the mansion, Thrawn is devouring you with his eyes with an indecipherable expression. 

Your eyes meets.

You think you see hunger and something else.

Something…

… visceral

But above else you see loneliness and longing.

He disappears behind the wall, without uttering a word.

You gulp.

In what mess did you entangle yourself into?

@bluechiss @justanothersadperson93 @al-astakbar @thrawnspetgoose @readinglistfics @twilekchiss @pencil-urchin @ineedazeezee @mssbridgerton @dance-like-russia-isnt-watching @Cortisolcosplay

[yourchemicallyimbalancedromance]

Something (Un)Familiar

Ship: none? Unless you count this as platonic LAMP lmao, also possible prinxiety?

CW/TW: heavy dissociation themes (like literally the main theme of this entire story revolves around dissociation.), also swearing

Summary: Roman wakes up in an empty parking lot in the middle of the night and panics, calling Virgil for help.

———————————————————————

The fluorescent streetlights above Roman were blinding; cutting, white circles. They pierced through his windshield and flooded into the car, lighting up the leather seats.

Roman had his head pressed against the headrest, barely conscious. Slowly blinking his eyes open, he immediately covered them with his arm, sucking in a breath at the light harshly beaming down on him. As the pressure in his eyes decreased and finally became adjusted to the light, he looked around, squinting, trying to look for cues of where he was.

The parking lot was empty, the only thing accompanying it being locked stores, rattling leaves on the pavement, and him.

Waves of fear racked his body, he saw his phone in the open glovebox and grabbed it, noticing that it was powered all the way off. He didn’t do that, did he?

His breath hitched further, he had no clue where he was, he was lost and he had absolutely no way of knowing how he had even gotten there in the first place.

He held down the volume and power button on his phone watching as it lit up and presented a passcode screen. He typed it in as fast as could, and with his entrance being accepted came hundreds of missed calls and messages. He scrolled through them.

Virgil: where the hell are you????? Patton is worried sick, literally. Text back soon, please.

Logan: Roman I think it’d be best if you answered your phone. No one is going to be upset at you, we are just concerned for your safety.

*13 missed calls from: Virgil* his lucky number, shit, he really fucked up.

Those were only a few of the multiple notifications from Virgil.

Patton hadn’t bothered texting, which made him feel nauseous.

With shaking hands, he quickly clicked on Virgil’s contact and began typing.

He deleted the message and began retyping again, and again, and again. This cycle repeated for a few minutes before he finally sent the message.

‘I’m fine. I don’t know where I am but I’m fine.’

The message was read immediately, a gray text box following hurriedly after it.

‘Holy hell you’re okay’

‘What the fuck Roman, you can’t just up and leave without explanation’

‘What do you mean you don’t know where you are.’

Roman shook his head, nerves still all over the place, the queasy feeling in his gut never left, only got increasingly worse.

He pressed the call button under Virgil’s contact and prayed to god he would answer. He picked up on the first ring.

“Virgil? Virg I don’t know— I don’t know where I am, I’m in my car but—“ he looked around, “I can’t see anything, it’s dark, I can’t read any of the signs. I- I don’t know how I got here”

He heard voices and then a muffled “Roman, Roman listen to me, we’re tracking your phone right now, it’s okay. Stay in your car, are the doors locked?”

Roman looked beside him, down at the little buttons on the car door, the lock button was pushed down, the lights streaming on it. “Mhm” he said, hushed.

“Okay, good. Do not get out of the car, do you understand? We just pinged your location. Roman—why are you in a bare parking lot?”

To this, Roman broke out into tears “I don’t know, I just— I woke up here and— Virgil, do you think I’m crazy?”

“You just—“ Virgil started, “The possibility of you being mentally deranged is extremely low, Roman. You are fine, this may be a case of amnesia due to dissociation” Logan butted in.

“Disso— what?” Roman choked out

“Dissociation. There are many types. For example, there’s Dissociative Identity disorder which has different subtypes such as OSDD which stands for Other Specified Dissociative Disorder and there’s DPDR which stands for Deperson-“

“Logan.” Virgil says sharply.

“Sorry. Right. Roman, what you are struggling with is dissociative amnesia, not being able to recall information about oneself, usually due to longterm stress and/or trauma. In this instance, you cannot remember how you found yourself where you are, and that’s okay. You are okay.” Logan explains all of this calmly, as if it is just another day, as if explaining why Roman is stranded is as normal as breathing to him.

Romans cries have died down to sniffles, and his eyes are darting around for any possible threats in the sea of darkness he finds himself in; the streetlights are slowly turning off one by one.

“Okay—okay just— when are you coming to get me?” Roman asks timidly, almost as if he’s not in the silence of his own car, no one around to hear him.

“You’re about 15 minutes away,” Logan says, “we’ll text you when we’re close so you can turn your headlights on” there’s a silence between them before he adds, “to make it easier to find you.”

Roman nods even though Logan can’t see him, he realizes this and adds a soft “okay”

———————————————————————

It felt like hours before Roman got the message Logan was talking about.

Logan: ‘We are a minute away, please turn your headlights on.’

Roman fumbled for his keys and put them in the ignition, turning them and jumping at the sound of the engine running.

He turned on his headlights quickly as he heard a car pull up beside him and park, the gravel on the lot kicking up and landing a few feet away in all directions.

Logan was driving the car while Virgil was holding Patton in the backseat, who was still visibly shaken.

Logan got out of the car, putting little pressure on the door to close it; Virgil and Patton followed behind.

Roman opened his door immediately and clung to Logan. He didn’t react immediately, just froze for a second before patting him on the back. “It’s alright, Roman. you’re okay.” He whispered soothingly.

Anyone else would’ve heard nothing but a monotone voice speaking into the cold air, but he heard it; the delicateness, the careful wording.

Roman let go and was immediately pulled into the embrace of Patton who was almost crying. It was a silent and drawn out hug, neither side saying anything; almost as if everything they needed to say had disappeared once they saw each other; Patton let go.

“If you ever scare me like that again I’m going to murder you I swear to god.” Virgil grumbled, only half joking.

Roman looked uncomfortable and fidgety at the mention of death considering anything could have happened to him while unconscious, he didn’t say anything about it, just said “sorry..”

Logan cleared his throat, “if I may interject for a second,” he looked around to make sure everyone was listening, “Roman I am extraordinarily content with the finding that you are alive and well but it is approximately 37 degrees outside. We need to get you home.”

Roman nodded in agreement.

“Alright, Let’s go. Virgil and Patton, you ride with Roman and make sure he’s well; I’ll take my car back and follow you.”

Everyone scattered to their cars and the sound of doors slamming shut filled the air. Roman was now in the passenger seat instead of the front seat, Virgil was in the front; He slowly backed out of the parking lot and headed towards their home.

Out of impulse, Roman grabbed Virgil’s hand. It was cold, but he didn’t mind it, he liked the psychical contact, it reminded him of the fact that he was alive and safe.

Virgil smiled, trying to hide it by looking in the rear view mirror, pretending to check for anything behind them. It was a dumb idea, really, it was 12:30 AM and no one would be out that late where they lived; he liked how hard he tried though.

Patton didn’t say anything the whole way home, only gave Roman the occasional glance to make sure he was okay.

He was fine with it, the silence, the lack of words. He didn’t need it, only needed their presence, only needed to hold and be held by the person he loved the most, Virgil, even if it was just hand-holding; he was fine with that.

And he didn’t know it, but Virgil was too.

[ali-anne-undertale-stoof]

Aaaaaaand here's the second half of chapter 5!

First half

Chapter 5: Bone To Be Popular:

"THIS SONG IS TRENDING RIGHT NOW??!!!"

Papyrus cannot fathom what he is hearing. It's like some poppy, washed out remix of some other song from 20 years ago. This is what the kids are listening to?! It's nonsensical at best!!!

"THE MUSIC INDUSTRY THESE DAYS... OH, WELL!! IF THIS IS WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE FRIENDS ONLINE, THEN SO BE IT!!! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL GO VIRAL!!! I WILL!!!"

It took Papyrus a while to learn all the steps, but with hard work and dedication, he managed it. Once he finally uploaded the video, he felt proud. It was awkward, and certainly not the first thing Papyrus himself would do, but if it will make him popular, he's willing to do whatever it takes to-

DING!

Papyrus gasped in joy. A notification! Did someone like his video?! Papyrus eagerly opened the Undernet app and...

It was a selfie of Sans outside of the library, his smug smile peeking out of the left-hand corner as he points up at the misspelled sign. Underneath it was a caption.

'hey, bro, did you do this?'

...

Papyrus didn't want to risk throwing his phone out of the window again, but the prospect was too tempting.

CRASH!

That poor window.

20K?! 20K likes?! Overnight?! When Papyrus saw the notifications flooding both his phone AND his computer, he thought his mandible was gonna fall off his cranium!

"I... IT'S... I'M FINALLY... POPULAR!!! POPULAR!!! POPULAR!!!" The delighted skeleton couldn't help but dance around the room in a flourish, "delicately tapping" his toes, which caught the attention of a certain sleepy skeleton that was TRYING to take a nap downstairs, but was now peeking his head around Papyrus' bedroom door.

"sup, bro?"

The first thing Papyrus did was dive towards Sans and show off his likes. "SANS!!! I FINALLY DID IT!!! I FIGURED OUT THE SECRET TO FRIENDSHIP!!!"

"oh, wow. that's a really nice video, bro."

"I KNOW, RIGHT?" An ecstatic squeal broke out of the hyperactive wannabe star, before he started running up and down the room. Sans couldn't help but let out a light chuckle.

"I THINK I FINALLY GOT IT!! TO MAKE FRIENDS... YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT EVERYONE ELSE LIKES TO DO!!!"

Sans squinted at that sentence. This could either go really well or really bad. "uhh, you know that's just-"

"SHUT IT, SANS!!! YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS THAT YOU'RE NOT AS POPULAR AS I AM!! I HAVE FIGURED OUT THE ART OF BEING 'TRENDY', AND NOW THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM A MASTER... I WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE ALL THE FRIENDS IN THE WORLD!!! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!"

"well... okay. whatever makes you happy, bro. just don't do something stupid, okay?"

"OH, SANS!!! I WOULDN'T EVEN DREAM OF IT!"

"heh, alright, then. i trust you," Sans yawned. "speaking of dreams... i think i'm just gonna get a little more shuteye."

"SANS, DON'T BE RIDICULOUS! IT'S ONLY 6AM!"

Sans cannot fathom how Papyrus has this much energy so early in the morning. He gave Papyrus a curious, yet fond glance before leaving. With Sans out of the way, Papyrus glanced back at his phone.

"ALRIGHT!!! NOW WITH THAT, I SUPPOSE IT IS TIME FOR MORE 'TRENDS'. I CAN'T WAIT TO PLEASE MY NEW FRIENDS!! NYEH HEH HEH!!!"

12K, 4 followers. Papyrus found this trend where monsters took random objects and turned them into pants. He found a box of scarves and turned them into pants. The likes he got from that post was almost worth the relentless teasing and laughter from his brother. That said, Papyrus thought he looked good in his homemade scants. Yes, that's what he called it. No, it's not ridiculous, what are you talking about?!

A few comments asked Papyrus to try a special dance from a couple of years ago. Something to do with crossing your wrists, bouncing your hands up and down and skipping around? It looked silly, but Papyrus was in for it!

16K, 13 followers. The dance was so much fun, and the music was top notch too, even though Papyrus didn't understand the language. Heck, even Sans joined in... Before he knocked the camera over and ruined the whole thing. But it got Papyrus some new friends, so he was willing to let that one slide.

Someone requested that Papyrus does the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Apparently it's for raising awareness for a human condition called ALS! Well, how could he say no? Sure, Papyrus has no idea what it is and had never seen a human in his life, but he knew how compassionate monsters can be. He couldn't help but wonder how monsters even found out about this trend in the first place, though. Nonetheless, The Great Papyrus is up for anything!

The challenge took place outside their house. Papyrus stood right next to the mailboxes (one of them was quickly filling up with bills), and Sans stood on a stepladder, struggling to keep the full bucket upright.

"HELLO, MY WONDERFUL FOLLOWERS! IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, COMING AT YOU WITH ANOTHER TREND KNOWN AS THE ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE!! NYEH HEH HEH!!! I HAVE MY BROTHER HERE, ALSO, WHO WILL ADMINISTER THE POURING OF THE ICE WHEN I SAY 'GO!'"

"what? go?"

"NO GO."

"go?"

"NO GO!"

"go?"

"NO!!!!" Papyrus couldn't tell whether Sans was joking or he was just being literal. "NOW, I AM NOT QUITE SURE ABOUT WHAT THIS ALS IS, BUT I KNOW IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR HUMANS TO BE AWARE OF IT!! SO WITH THAT, I NOMINATE ALL MY FOLLOWERS TO GO TRY THIS CHALLENGE AT HOME!!!"

"go?"

"NO GO!!!"

"go?"

"NO GO!!!!!" Papyrus shot Sans a threatening glare. It wasn't very effective. All Sans did was provide an innocent shrug.

The tall skeleton sighed before continuing. "IF ANY HUMANS END UP WATCHING THIS... I KNOW OUR TWO SPECIES HAVEN'T SEEN EYE TO EYE IN THE PAST, BUT I HOPE THAT WITH OUR SUPPORT, YOU CAN STAY DETERMINED AND PUSH THROUGH THIS TERRIBLE DISEASE!!! OH, AND ALSO, MAKE SURE TO DROP A LIKE, AND GO FOLLOW ME ON-"

Splat! There goes the bucket of snow, right on Papyrus' head, bucket and everything. Wait, snow? SNOW??? Papyrus practically vibrated with fury.

"SSSSSAAAAAAAANS!!!!!"

Sans shrunk into his oversized, black hoodie. "what? you said 'go'."

Papyrus bit his scarf, trying to keep his COOL. "SANS. I WAS OBVIOUSLY TELLING THE VIEWERS TO GO FOLLOW ME."

"oh, whoops. sorry, wasn't paying attention."

Papyrus' anger should have dissipated, but it didn't. There was something else he wanted to discuss.

"WHY IS THIS BUCKET FULL OF SNOW? IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE ICED WATER."

"well, snow's kind of like ice, right?"

Papyrus' body shook so hard it started rattling with fury. His strange googly eyes bulged out of his head, and their pupils didn't shift from Sans' own eye sockets.

"uhh... bro?"

"SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANS!!!!!!!!!"

The video cut off from there. Papyrus was hesitant to upload it, due to him still being so angry at Sans for not doing the challenge right, but apparently his followers found that absolutely hysterical, so he let it pass.

22K, 19 followers. Someone had requested that Papyrus throw a magic bullet at someone while they're sleeping. Apparently it's a trend. Well, if it will get him more friends! Sorry, Sans!

Papyrus launched a bone at a sleeping Sans. - 0 HP.

He retaliated with a blaster to the face. -1 HP.

Worth it!

22K, 26 followers. Loads of comments were demanding that Papyrus tries wearing denim clothes. Someone, please, end his suffering.

It got him plenty of likes, but Papyrus was happy as ever to burn those clothes in the backyard with Sans afterwards. So itchy and scratchy! How could anyone stand them???

22K, 28 followers. People were, very loudly mind you, requesting that Papyrus tries the cinnamon challenge. Apparently one has to eat an entire spoonful of cinnamon. Papyrus wondered if that was even safe. Either way, his followers want him to, so...

He began recording.

"HELLO, FELLOW FRIENDS AND FOLLOWERS!!! IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ALSO KNOWN AS COOLSKELETON, AND I'M BACK WITH ANOTHER REQUEST FROM YOU LOVELY PEOPLE!!! THIS TIME IT IS THE... CINNAMON CHALLENGE?!?! I MUST ADMIT, I HAVE NO IDEA WHY SOMEONE WOULD SHOVE A SPOONFUL OF STRAIGHT CINNAMON INTO THEIR MOUTH, BUT IT'S ALL FOR FUN, SO... I SHALL JUST HAVE TO MAKE IT GREAT!!! AS I USUALLY AM!!! NYEH HEH HEH!!!" He hesitantly lifted the spoon up to his mouth. He knew from Sans that consuming cinnamon like this wasn't the best idea. But it's too late to turn back, now that he's a superstar social media influencer.

Speaking of Sans, he didn't notice the short skeleton walk through the kitchen doorway, only to find his brother trying to consume a spoonful of cinnamon.

"hey, bro, whatcha doin'?"

Papyrus' surprised gasp caused the spicy powder to fly straight up his nasal cavity. And before Papyrus could even respond...

"A... ACHOO!!!"

He sneezed straight into the bowl of cinnamon on the countertop. As he opened his eyes, Papyrus realised that the brownish powder was now absolutely EVERYWHERE. On the walls, on the counter... even on Sans' face! Still, Sans didn't seem bothered about that. He was more bothered by what Papyrus was attempting to do. He didn't show it, of course. Typical Sans. But Papyrus would say he is pretty good at reading Sans anyway. After all, he was stuck with him for pretty much their whole lives. You pick up a thing or two about someone when you're with them for that long.

"S-SANS!!! W-WHY DID YOU INTERRUPT MY VIDEO??" Yeah, that's right! Cover your shame with irritation! That's totally going to work!

"uhh... i just wanted to see what you were up to. guess i accidentally... spiced up the kitchen?

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

Sans chuckled nervously. Despite the lighthearted banter, he couldn't help but glance at the camera that Papyrus is using to record his video on. It looked pretty old. Why doesn't he just use his phone? Either way, he had to stop this before Papyrus hurts himself.

"say, uh, do you mind if i look at that camera for a second? i think it's got some cinnamon on it."

"OH! OF COURSE!"

Sans turned off the camera.

His popularity was stagnating. Those four words played in a loop in Papyrus' head, as he laid there in his race car bed, staring at his phone, Peekaboo with Fluffy Bunny on the nearest table, in the darkness of his room. Papyrus knew it was nighttime, only from the darkness, the sound of Sans' sleepy mumbling and snoring from the neighbouring bedroom, and the numbers on his phone staring at him.

01:52 AM. Despite the bedtime story, Papyrus couldn't sleep. Not tonight. He was too busy thinking about what to do to earn more followers. To earn more FRIENDS. Being friends with everyone sounded so easy on Undernet. So why? Why is it so hard?

He enjoyed doing those trends... with some exceptions. But Papyrus couldn't help but notice that whenever he wasn't doing those trends... Whenever he just wanted to do his own thing... He didn't get as many likes as he got when he was doing those trends.

It's fine. It doesn't hurt at all. He's still great, whether he's doing those trends or not... right?

That's what Sans said. And Papyrus trusts Sans more than anyone. His brother is smart, so... He has to be right.

Papyrus decided it was best to distract himself for a minute. He searched through other accounts on Undernet.

One account was full of terrible jokes. Papyrus remembered the username, SN0W3. He hopes his mother's okay.

Another showcased what life is like on a snail farm. Those two ghosts there. They look happy together. He doesn't know their names, but they seem to be related. Papyrus cracked a smile. It reminded him of him and Sans.

Then there was an account run by some kind of anime-loving yellow lizard. From what Papyrus could gather from the photo, she likes hanging out in some kind of trash dump area with a cat monster and a crocodile monster. They were decked out in anime merch. Papyrus isn't a huge fan of anime, but good for them.

His eye sockets darted to the amount of likes these photos got. They weren't very popular. No help there. He followed the lizard's account, anyway. She seemed charming enough.

Papyrus internally sighed and rolled to his side, this time scrolling through the home page. So much content. So many people with so much cool content, with so many friends...

Yes, he did say to himself that he had to distract himself. But no matter what he did, Papyrus always thought back to the numbers on his posts. The followers... The friends he could make. Friends he has to please. He keeps scrolling, determined to find something, ANYTHING, to ensure that people like him.

That's when he spots it.

The Bleach Crackle Challenge.

According to this website, The Bleach Crackle Challenge consisted of taking a shot of bleach and gargling it, causing a violent reaction in their magic, usually in the form of sparks. Papyrus wanted to cringe at their coughing, spluttering, and throwing up, but then he looked at the numbers again. Maybe... Maybe this will please his followers. It's worth a shot. And what's the worst that could happen? He's a skeleton! It could just fall out of his ribs for all he knew!

Tomorrow. Tomorrow, he will do this.

Because making friends.

Is about.

Doing.

Whatever.

They WANT you to do.

And knowing his followers... They were going to request this eventually.

So he might as well just give them what they want.

The camera's on.

"H-HELLO, MY LOYAL FOLLOWERS!!! IT IS I, THE G-GREAT PAPYRUS, BACK WITH ANOTHER CHALLENGE!!! NYEH HEH... HEH..."

Holding the shot of bleach, Papyrus can feel his hands shaking. He tried not to let any liquid pour out as he spoke.

"SO, I FOUND THIS POPULAR TREND ON THE UNDERNET. APPARENTLY C-CONSUMING... THIS... WILL HARBOR SOME C-COOL EFFECTS!! IT'S, UM... I-I HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT, REALLY!!! OBVIOUSLY, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME... B-BUT I AM A SKELETON, A COOLSKELETON AT THAT!!! NYEH! SO, UM, THEORETICALLY..."

He held it up so it lined up with his eye sockets.

"I S-SHOULD... BE... F-FINE..."

He can feel the stench creep up his nasal cavity and into his eye sockets. He didn't want to do this... He didn't want to do this! But it's too late to turn back now.

Papyrus shakily brought it up to his teeth. Oh, god. He could feel it already, and he hadn't even-

Uh oh.

That was not a welcome sight to see.

Sans. Standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Deep, black eye sockets.

Papyrus was in big trouble.

Before he could lower the glass, Sans bliped right next to him and gently took the glass. Those empty sockets... He knew his brother wasn't playing around.

Sans carefully poured the bleach back into its original container and put the shotglass in the sink. Next, he turned off the camera once again.

Papyrus didn't know why, but he felt a deep sense of resentment and... is that shame? Whatever it was, it was boiling up inside him. He squeezed his eye sockets shut, suppressing an undeserved yell. He had to keep reminding himself that Sans was just trying to protect him. He can't be reasonably angry about that. He can't...

"GOSH DARN IT, SANS!!!"

His eyelights steadily returning, Sans spoke with a delicately soft tone. "papyrus... is something-"

Papyrus immediately brushed Sans off. "RAARRRGH!!!" And stormed upstairs, slamming his bedroom door behind him.

What... What just happened?

A cautious knock at the door.

A deadpan response. "COME IN."

A loud, but not obnoxious creak as the door slided open.

A worried brother standing at the door.

"heya."

A tear-stained skeleton who cannot even spare the worried brother a glance. He's just too busy working on his resume. And by "working on his resume", it means he's tapping the C key over and over as a nervous tic. Papyrus hated to see his brother upset. Especially because of him.

"listen, i just wanted you to know... if you ever wanted to talk about somethin'-"

"I'M FINE, SANS."

Sans' eyelights fell to the carpet, disbelieving. "are you sure?"

"DON'T WORRY. IT'S... NOT THAT DEEP."

"so... why?"

"IT WAS JUST A TREND. THE WHAT-DO-YOU-CALL-IT, BLEACH, CRACKLE THING."

The eyelights disappear again as Sans spoke in a hushed whisper. "you tried the bleach crackle challenge?! the challenge that got 5 kids hospitalised?!"

Papyrus lost his deadpan tone. "WELL, I DIDN'T KNOW IT GOT CHILDREN HOSPITALISED, SANS!!!" He swiveled around to glare at his brother with tears in his eyes.

"bro, i hate to tell you this, but that was-"

"STUPID?!"

"well, yes."

Papyrus huffed. He knew he had no right to be angry at Sans, but... but...

"ARRGH!!! WHY IS MAKING FRIENDS SO COMPLICATED?!"

Sans' worried thoughts skid to a halt. So THAT'S what this is about?

"all of this was for clout, wasn't it?"

That did it. Papyrus squeezed his eye sockets shut, gesticulating violently with his hands.

"WELL, I'M SORRY!!! I JUST WANTED TO BE POPULAR AND HAVE LOTS OF FRIENDS AND RESPECT AND RECOGNITION AND LOVE AND PRAISE AND HUGS AN-AND EVERYTHING GOOD THAT COMES WITH A FRIENDSHIP, AND Y-YOU KNOW, TO HAVE FRIENDS, YOU HAVE TO GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT!!!!"

"did... people really ask you to-"

"NO!!! BUT... IT WAS SO POPULAR, I FIGURED IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THEY DID, YOU KNOW?" Papyrus hiccupped. "A-A-AND I HAVE TO MAKE THEM HAPPY, OTHERWISE I'D NEVER... I'D- MY POPULARITY LEVELS WILL REMAIN STAGNANT!!! AND... AND..." He slumped.

Something in Sans began to stir, more than ever. A heavy, achy feeling settled in his ribcage, and it was only becoming more and more unbearable the longer he looked at his precious brother in this state. Without even thinking about it, Sans slowly walked up to his distraught brother, and sat on the floor beside him.

"papyrus..." It took a few seconds to figure out what to say, "there's a difference between followers and friends. you know that, right?"

Papyrus sniffled, still glaring at the floor. "IT'S THE CLOSEST I'VE EVER FELT TO HAVING SOME."

"really, now? did it make you happy to get those followers?"

Papyrus opened his mouth to speak, before Sans raised a hand to interject.

"speak wisely."

Papyrus paused. Was he happy just focusing on the likes and followers? Looking back, all he could remember feeling was stress.

"say, uh... i'm not saying don't follow the latest trends. it's not something i would personally go for, but i can understand the appeal. after all, some of those things you did were pretty fun, right?"

Papyrus stopped shedding tears in favour of a blank face. Come to think of it, the pranks, the silly dances, the ice bucket... Those were pretty fun to do.

"YEAH..."

The ache in Sans' ribcage began to dissipate.

"heh heh... people like doing those trends because they're fun. so perhaps it's worth putting aside the likes and start focusing on the fun side."

Oh, Sans. You always know what to say, Papyrus thought. He flashed Sans a grateful smile.

"YEAH... YEAH!!! IF THEY WERE REAL FRIENDS, THEY SHOULD LIKE ME REGARDLESS OF WHAT GOOFY STUFF I POST ON UNDERNET, RIGHT?"

"that's right, buddy." Sans gave Papyrus' knee a gentle pat, before standing up. "say, bro?"

"YEAH?"

"i have an idea. why don't we make something new together? no clout. no stress. just two bros, having fun and doing goofy stuff on the internet. whaddya say?"

The smile of gratitude just became a smile of joyous anticipation.

"WOWIE, SANS!! I THINK I WOULD LIKE THAT... A LOT!!!"

With that, Papyrus swivelled back to the computer and changed tabs. Sans stood by, trying to peek over his shoulder.

"whatcha doin'?"

"DELETING MY OLD ACCOUNT. I WANT TO START FRESH! HOW DOES 'COOLSKELETON95' SOUND TO YOU?"

"you know what, bro? i love it."

Click, click!

The first video Papyrus uploaded onto his new account was a cover of his favourite pop song! The twins dressed up in ridiculously poppy outfits and sang and danced their heart out. And the entire time, Papyrus was only focused on the song and his brother. The dancing, the laughing... It was all really fun! Papyrus was so happy to have Sans doing this with him. This marked the beginning of a new era... As far as the internet went, anyway.

3 hours of editing later, Papyrus finally uploaded the video on his new account. And... Nothing yet.

Papyrus smiled anyway. He made something he was proud of. Something fun, that didn't put him in danger or under any pressure to keep creating things that only his followers wanted. This was truly a place where Papyrus can express himself. And who knows? Maybe even some real friends will come flocking to him... one day.

He heard Sans calling from downstairs. "hey, bro, i found this sick console in the basement. you wanna see if we can fix it up?"

Oh, well! The Great Papyrus' job is never done! Papyrus happily sprung out of his office chair and marched out the room, filled with a newfound sense of true confidence.

...

The video got one like.

[polyamorouspunk]

I'm new to tumblr as of literally earlier this week and while I think I've mostly settled I'm still trying to figure things out and maybe you could give me a hand lmao

I'm seeing some cool little things on peoples blogs/posts and I'm trying to figure them out myself but I have a feeling they're only for the webapp/desktop

Things like that are

Links that are underlined

A fun little ask box button

Also trying to figure out a pinned about me post that's not like, cringe

Figuring out when/what to tag

How to turn off notifications for when I reblog things

How not to see myself on my following page

Linked posts and ask box customization are both on desktop, correct!

All about me pinned posts are cringe, that’s the point, feel free to roll with it.

Tag anything that’s a “sensitive topic” at least with “[topic]”, “[topic] trigger warning”, or “[topic] TW”. Make sure the word goes first though! And don’t put commas in tags. I, personally, always try and tags things that are eyestraining and anything with flashing lights. It’s important to me that epileptics stay safe on my blog. If you want to tag anything else, go ahead. People usually have a tag to track asks like I do, people usually tag fandom posts, people tag personal/original posts vs reblogs, people tagged queued posts, etc.

Notifications on mobile are tricky, I have turned off notifications for the entire app, same with Instagram. I just don’t need to be flooded with notifications. I wish I could turn on messages only.

Not sure why you see yourself on your following page, but you can hide that from other people.

Anyway, thank you so much for following! I’m honored I’m one of the first blogs you’ve followed!

[guarmommy]

I'm having a problem with tumblr...

I've been getting a lot of follows from empty accounts with pictures of only fans/model women on them. This is annoying as hell because I really want more people (legit fan artists and writers) to interact with me and my content. Anytime I check my notifications and I see it's one of those fake accounts I get really frustrated and have the urge to delete everything on here and start over. No matter how many times I block and report these accounts, more just keep popping up and flooding my notification box.

Am I the only one experiencing this problem?

[jocelynjjones]

Hey everyone! Fuck you! Stupid fucks!

How do you like that? Now that i have your attention I must let you know that I will be taking an extended break from Tumblr to focus on drawing softcore pornography and moving boxes of Christmas decorations around in my garage and home. I may be gone for just a week, or I may be gone for two weeks. I will misseveryone with whom I fuck on here and hope you will forgive me for abandoning you. We have had some good times here on Tumblr haven't we? Yes we have. It was sad when Twitter died and we all had to move here. I wish the website had stayed up just a little longer so I could collect my things. Who remembers when I tweeted about AI art and got so many likes? I'll tell you the truth those tweets were bullshit I don't really think that shit I just wanted to stir the pot. And stir I did in a minor way. Anyway and who remembers when I took a video of me eating some leaves that I took off a tree in the park by the river?

My sister's cat died recently. It had a weak heart. I'd known that hairy fucker since it was a kitten. Now it's dead. And so is its broodbrother who died a year before. I wasn't in the country at either time because I don't live there. Anyway it got me thinking. Cats and pets have such short lives. They're born, they grow old, and they die. They pass away. My first family cat died at 15 when I was also 15. Old fuck! I was cut up about it. He fucked with me in a bad "I scratch you" way, but I fucked with him in a good "you're not so bad" way.O ld incontinent fuck. Well isn't the short life of a pet just like that of a social medium if you think about it? We can't bring Twitter back. The servers were shut down when hated Musk couched his industrious lance and rode Woke down to a they/them without mercy. Everything of social intercourse and beauty we have had there is gone. And I actually heard that they're shutting it down again tonight as a matter of fact, just to teach us a lesson/let it sink in. If we brought Twitter back then they would just shutit down again immediately. This is what happens when you let hated Musk have nice things. And it's why we humble fellows can't have any nice things at all. And that's not so bad. And that's actually a good thing. And that's a good thing.

I'm so sorry again for leaving. You'll miss me, and when I come back to talk my shit again, as would say hated Ye, you'll be so happy you'll say "Hey. King. Good to see you, King. I was really fucking with you in a good way. And it's good of you to come back." Because I'm something of a personality on the on heres. If I ever got suspended, which I wouldn't because I'm not a complete idiot, and I'm probably actually quite high IQ, and have been playing the game (which you just lost, BTW,) for longer than you've probably been doing anything in your life other than shitting and crying, and that's probably what you still do—fuck you!—people would say "Where is he? Where did Jones go? I can't believe Jones was suspended. I'm going to be really sad while Jones is gone. We all remember Jones. We all love Jones. We think Jones is some sort of a King. We'll allways remember when Jones said "I know when that Christmas bling—Glory to the newborn King" and we all Liked it. Where the fuck is he?" And I would come back on a second account and say "Heh. Some ruleset on this 'site, huh? Can't say Kill yourself you stupid fuck to some fucking Brand or Woke anymore. Not that I'd know one morsel about that shit…" And like a switch the Timeline, and my Notifications, would flood: "There he is. There's Jones." "He's back. Attention everyone!— he's back." "Yeah, I'm thinking Jones backy." I'd get Follow Fridayed, I'd get followed, I'd get hailed, I'd get heralded, I'd receive a hero's welcome. I'd have such a reception. But it won't happen because I'll never be suspended, not to mention they took Twitter down last month because there was too much chicanery going on in the Liminal Backrooms of AI, which are scary as fuck, BTW.

Anyway I just wanted to say I'm leaving for a bit and you won't see me due to that. So I'll see you later…

[takethejourney]

mobile friendly guidelines

hi there! my name is sunny, i’m 32 years old, i use she/they pronouns, and i live in the central time zone. i appreciate you taking the time to follow my blog and read through these guidelines. i’ll try to keep them short.

this blog is 18+ only. minors, do not follow me. i will block you on the spot if i find out you’re underage. followers that don’t display their age somewhere on their blog will also be blocked. i’m not going to take that risk.

nsfw is welcome here. that said, all nsfw interactions will be put under a read more and tagged with ‘nsfw tw’

personals, do not reblog my interactions. you can follow me, like my posts if you enjoy what you’ve read, and even send in asks and/or interact with me in instant messages if you want to ask my muse questions or chat, but if you reblog my threads, i’m blocking you without further warning. it messes with my notifications and might make me miss replies.

please don’t spam-like my posts either. again, it floods my notifications and might make me miss something. i’ll ask you to stop if i see this happening. if it doesn’t, i’ll be blocking you.

if possible, please reblog art and askbox games from the source. this isn’t always able to be done since blogs or original posts get deleted, but if you can, please do it to help keep my notifications focused mainly on roleplay.

i am mutuals only. this is purely for my own peace of mind. if your rp blog is a sideblog, i expect that information to be somewhere easily visible on your blog, or for you to tell me outright in my ask box or instant messages.

if you are a mutual that no longer wishes to be mutuals, please hard block my blog. this will force me to unfollow you, and hard blocking means i won’t get confused, think the unfollow was a glitch in the system, and refollow.

i am multiverse & multiship. this means all romantic interactions will be separate from each other and do not mingle.

i love romantic relationships between muses. they make me happy. if you’re interested in shipping with my muse, chances are i’ll be interested too. that said, i ship with chemistry; a relationship needs to be built up through interactions. i usually can’t do anything pre-established, though there have been exceptions.

i tend to take a while to respond to threads and asks. if i haven’t replied to our thread in about a week, feel free to ask me about it. i can tell you if it’s in my drafts or queue. on that same note, i am trying to put most of my replies on a queue system. there are exceptions, but expect this to be the norm.

my only trigger is visuals of animal abuse/needless death. this is especially true for cats. i also have squicks, but they aren’t nearly as important to tag as the trigger. my squicks are: real world politics, rpc drama, anon hate, constant negativity, and visuals of eye or neck gore. 

i think that’s it! if i think of anything else, i’ll add it in here. thanks for reading! <3