#or it's the weather or some similar thing then also it would have nothing to do with nda

[goldenpinof]

I need to know why he's being so cryptic about Iceland... "that's all I can say for now"? Daniel, respectfully, unless you signed some sort of nda as to why it got cancelled, you can say whatever you want, it's your tour...

he definitely signed an NDA. the question is, what is written in it and how it can be interpreted.

[millersfinest]

the thing in your chest that beats ² | e.w

santa barbara!ellie williams & ex-firefly!reader

wc: 4.5k

mini-series: california | oregon (you’re here) | idaho | wyoming

blurb: you put up a good fight with those rattlers, but it wasn’t good enough—all it got you was strung up near a beach where the sun scorched you dry. abruptly, their set-up gets fucked by their own prisoners, saving your life by only a thread. but the wrath that lingered under your skin was immense, and you’re not the only one to experience that phenomenon. when another damaged soul encounters your brittle state; the dreams that put you in a tough position manifest into reality. along with a few extra miscellaneous things…

cw: angry!r, slow-burn romance, eventual smut, proximity trope, both reader and ellie on a path of redemption, afab body parts mentioned, vulgar language, reader being complicated, mentions of attraction, inner guilt, use of ‘y/n’ and ‘woman’.

note: honestly i just can’t wait for them to kiss (spoiler: not this chapter). but they’re learning to trust each other. just know in the idaho ch we’re gonna be UP! please, enjoy this for now!! (also: i hope the lot of you voted for the presidential election. these are very very important times #harriswaltz2024)

Oregon

Several days and nights were spent on a boat, cruising up the coast of California. It was one of those livable boats, where you could hide from the sun in a room with stable furniture to eat on, and a bed to sleep on. You spent a lot of your time inside the hatch, analyzing a map that Ellie had labeled with a marker. Hoping that you’d maintain your luck enough to actually see Wyoming for yourself.

Ellie had confessed that she came from Jackson, but she still hadn’t told you the why. Instead of asking about it, you refrained, in turn, asking about the settlement. Were the people kind? Did they have horses? Because you heard they had horses.

Those were the questions she could answer easily, with little to no hesitation. Until your questioning began to irritate her—which, in turn, irritated you.

The two of you bickered over the smallest of things in those days on the water. It could’ve been the heat, or the rationed food, or even your similar personalities. You couldn’t help but clash every chance you got. By the time the two of you drifted onto the coastline of Oregon, the conversations had diminished—because of your stubborn attitudes.

Leaving behind the boat was a drag, but there’s wasn’t much of a choice. The rest of the journey toward Wyoming was going to be on foot. Over cracked pavements and between dewey trees. If only the trip could be simplified by the use of a boat—it would be less extraneous.

The weather had gotten significantly cooler the more north you traveled. The mornings were the coolest, and the days were chilled with a gentle breeze. It would rain eighty percent of the time, which made it harder for you and Ellie to continue the trek. But both of you were resilient.

Somewhere between Salem and Portland, you found yourselves looking for a place to stay for the night. You had run across some nefarious people when you first arrived at the coast; and you’ve been recovering ever since. Trying to collect as many things as possible on the road to make up for the lost ammo and supplies. Which is what led to you looking for a place to crash in, basically, pitch black darkness. Navigating the dewey wood with nothing but the lights attached to your bags.

Droplets of water slipped off the waxy green leaves of the trees above. Splashing onto you—and it was shocking every time. The climate sent a gentle chill up your spine, so the water was even colder. Ellie walked ahead of you, mumbling under her breath from the lack of shelter. Her agitation was ruminating off her skin like a furnace. “We should’ve never gone this way— there’s nothing out here!”

Her agitation was obviously laced with panic. Ellie was exhausted from all the traveling and worries about conflict. “We entered a campsite a few miles back. At the very least there should be a cabin out here.” You surmised, squinting your eyes trying to defy the darkness. The auburn-haired woman scoffed under her breath, adjusting the hood of her raincoat. “If you wanna take a break, just say that.” You reached for her wrist, pulling gently. “It’s been a long day…”

“Absolutely not. We need a place to sleep tonight— with a roof.” Ellie pulled her arm away, placing her hands onto her hips. Her head hung low, clearly fatigued.

“How about this: you park it by this tree for a little bit, while I walk around to see if I can find somethin’ for us.” You offer, shrugging your shoulders, casually. The both of you were exhausted, but it seemed that Ellie was suffering a bit more than you were. Was that not that point of a team? To tap in someone else when you need it. Plus, you really felt that there was a cabin nearby. There had to be one. Most campsites had cabins that hikers and campers would go to before they began their adventures. For supplies or even important notices about wild animals.

Or, maybe, you watched too much tv at the firefly base.

She shook her head. “No chance. Separating in the dark doesn’t sound like a good idea to me. What? So, you can get lost and give us another problem to deal with?”

Pinching the bridge of your nose, you press your lips into an irritated line. “Are you seriously insulting my intelligence, right now?” You raised an eyebrow, glaring at the woman in front of you. “I was a firefly for six years of my life—“

“Oh, my God! The whole world knows that you were a fucking firefly, y/n. No need for the reminder.”

Ellie began to walk in another direction, sternly. You scoffed, following after her like confused duckling—which was an embarrassing thought. “You’re so insufferable. All I was trying to do was help you out— because to be honest, you’re not handling this well.” You quip, walking by her side with your hands shoved into your pockets.

She scoffed. “How could I handle this well? Please, tell me.” Stopping in her tracks, she glares at you. Olive irises blown out from the darkness around her, boring into your aggressive frame.

Taking a step closer to her, the corners of your lips curled, mischievously. “You could start by taking a fucking break and letting me take the lead.” There was something that differed between you and Ellie’s versions of frustration and anger. She took it up a level, while you brought it down. It could fool an idiot into thinking you weren’t mad at all, when really you were fuming. The pace of your voice was slow, almost menacing. True fire remained behind your eyes, in your posture—the way your lip twitched as you spoke.

“I’m not some damsel in distress you pull everywhere then blame when shit goes wrong.” You added, taking in her battered features. The scar in her eyebrow and her top lip. The freckles under her peeling skin from the days aboard. “I have a great sense of direction; I’ll have you know.” As you spoke, she examined your features the same way you did. “Stop arguing with me, sit your ass down, drink some water— and i’ll be back in twenty minutes tops!”

Ellie rolled her tongue in her mouth, averting her eyes from you. She was too stubborn to admit her own exhaustion to you—she’d rather be in control of the situation than someone she barely knew. Someone, who at the start of this trip, was, in fact, a damsel in distress. Your body had healed in the days since departing Santa Barbara. Not completely, but in progress. You were walking better, even though you still had a bit of a limp.

Her focus on you made it easy to forget her own ailments. The missing fingers on her left hand, the wound on her abdomen. They were healing, surprisingly. However, her attention still remained on your well-being.

She sighed, itching her nose with her index finger. “Fine. Whatever.” Ellie shrugged her backpack off, leaning against the tree. “Just come back in one piece, yeah?” Somehow, she managed to sound insulting with her hidden words of weariness.

You snickered, narrowing your eyes. “Is that worry I’m sensing or…?”

“Don’t make me change my mind.”

With that, you backed toward the path, chuckling under your breath. Adjusting the hood over your head, you focused to begin looking for the cabin that you just knew was close by. Feet crunching over dead leaves and sticks that were imbedded in the mud.

The light attached to the strap of your bag began to flicker as you pushed between the trees. “Come on…” You hit the light to stabilize it. “Now is not the time.”

When you’re lost in the darkness, look for the light.

Your past affiliations haunted you like a ghost. Somehow, you always found yourself looking for that light. Perhaps, in this case, it’s Jackson, Wyoming—a place far from what you know. That was more of a long-term goal, though. The light you were currently looking for was a building made of wood, preferably insulated.

Ahead of you, you weren’t sure if you were seeing things, but what you were hoping for was coming into view. The brightness of the moon illuminating the starry sky outlined the top of the cabin, exposing its silhouette. In excitement, you rushed toward the building, peaking through the foggy windows. From what you could see, there was nothing inside but old furniture. Thankfully, no infected. You were beat; the last thing you wanted to do was fight that damn virus.

As you peeked through every window you could find, jiggling door handles to try and find a way in, you realized it was a home. Not some hiking administration building you surmised would be around the trail. Spending enough time circling the cabin, you pick up a rock from the ground to crack a window. You were getting in that house one way or another.

The rectangular shape was rather high for your reach. Huffing, you dug your fingers into the divots of the logs. It wasn’t the best grip, but it was enough to get you into that window. After throwing your body through the hole, you landed on the ground with a thud. A shallow pain throbbed in your thigh—the one that Ellie had stitched for you back in Santa Barbara. Shutting your eyes, you took in a breath from the slight pain. You weren’t one hundred percent just yet.

Exhaling, you stood tall on your feet to get a look at the interior. A long plaid couch was placed in front of what used to be a fireplace. Burned logs was still lying in the pit, but they burned to a crisp. You were certain that if you touched them, they would fall apart under the weight of your hand. The dirt shapes on the walls symbolized that picture use to fill this space—the cabin was drained of life.

It’s only source of existence was the fact that you were standing in it.

Before leaving to retrieve Ellie, you jogged up the steep stairs of the cabin. To check the upstairs rooms for any infected or people. You must’ve been one lucky woman, because there was nothing but dust occupying those rooms. Quickly, you went through the front door to grab your partner.

Crunching on leaves and sticks, you startled her. Ellie was spotted sat in front of the tree, leaning her back with her eyes closed—which was the least smart thing to do, but she was tired. The sound of your boots crushing the elements of the forest jolted her from her light sleep. She gripped her switchblade in a fist, looking at you with determination. “Fuck,” She sighed, rubbing her hands over her face. “I thought you were someone else…”

“Nope. Just me.” You breathed, watching her as she stood to her feet. “There’s a cabin about ten minutes from this spot.” Crossing your arms, a slight smile rested on your lips. A smile screaming I-told-you-so.

Ellie slung her bag around her shoulders, dusting off her jeans; doing everything to ignore your antics. “Are we just gonna stand here, or are you gonna show me where it’s at?”

Sucking your teeth, you pivoted, rolling your eyes. She was such a sore loser. It felt good to be right, and for her to be wrong. You didn’t get lost like she thought—instead, you carried out exactly what you planned: finding shelter for the night.

The two of you approached the cabin, Ellie releasing a sigh of relief. Hallow sounds of your shoes walking up the steps of the wooden porch sounded. You opened the door, allowing her to walk through. Staring her down with same smile you had a few minutes ago. “Nice place, huh?” You asked, shutting the door behind you, turning the lock.

She meandered inside, surveying the interior. Her fingers slide along the dusty bannister above the fireplace, pursing her lips. “Not bad…” Ellie lifted an eyebrow, peering over her shoulder at you. Lifting her finger, she eyed the dust that stuck to her skin.

“Told you there was a cabin around here somewhere.”

“I knew you were gonna say that.” Ellie chuckled, dryly. Taking moderate steps toward the kitchen. Every time you stopped, she insisted that inventory was taken of all of your supplies. She achingly tugged her backpack off, sighing. You followed behind her, leaning your arms against the counter—watching her tired movements.

“Why are you looking at me?” She dropped her hands onto the counter, with that familiar irritated glint in her eyes.

You purse your lips. “You know I could do this, right?” Shrugging off your bag, you swing it onto the counter. There was a slight sway to Ellie—the only reason being her exhaustion. “We’ve done this a number of times; you can go rest up. There are three bedrooms upstairs— take your pick.”

Ellie scoffed, continuing the work in front of her. Counting under her breath. You grit your jaw, glaring at her. She was truly insufferable—moments like these really highlighted that. Her stubbornness and pride amounted about the same to yours; causing you to wonder… Were you just as bad? You pity the friends you had in your youth if that was the case. Releasing a meditative breath, you placed a hand over hers. “Seriously, Ellie, I got it. Go get some sleep.”

She looks at you through her eyelashes, allowing your skin to remain on hers. “Aren’t you tired, too?”

“Yeah, but not as much as you… I could stand to be up for a little while longer. You on the other hand…”

She pulled her hand from under yours, pushing off her wet hood. Her auburn strands were damp, sticking to her freckled skin. “All right. Make sure to write down the things we don’t have that we need.”

“I know.”

“And mark the items that we’re running low on.”

“Again, I know.” You motion with her hand to run along with amused eyes. Waiting to begin, you watch as she hesitantly walks toward the steep wooden stairs around the corner.

It was like pulling teeth for Ellie to willingly hand over responsibility to you. In her mind, she was still doing you a favor—she was working for you. But being that she was extremely tired, her inhibitions loosened. The touch of your skin to hers, surprisingly, comforted her concerns; made her sleepier. She heavily stepped up the stairs, leaning on the railing for support.

She walked into the first bedroom she saw. The light from the moon cascaded through the window that the queen-sized bed was pushed against. Shedding her damp clothing, she spread them out onto a dresser before getting into the bed. Before nodding off, she peered out the window with a burdened mind. Remembering the bulk of her actions leading up to Santa Barbara. With the added misfortune of Santa Barbara. Then… You.

The moon reflected over a sparkling pier, that was down a hill behind the cabin. The lake was completely in her view, rippling subtly from the fish beneath the surface. She cracked a smile, peering at the beautiful sight. Rolling up a pillow, she propped it up enough to let that be the final thing she sees before sleeping. Using the elements of the earth as a night cap.

She’d woken up many times throughout the night, but she was used to that habit. When the sun peaked through her window, Ellie had gotten as much sleep as she could have. The smell of cooked fish had wafted into her nostrils, pulling her from the old mattress. With a groan, she swung her legs over, rubbing her eyes.

In a blur, from the corner of her eyes, she saw a figure walking toward the pier. Blinking, she leaned on the pillows against the window, watching as the figure began to remove their clothes—it was you. Ellie watched as you dropped your items, carelessly, before jumping into the water. For the first time in awhile, her mind went blank. Completely empty.

Well… Not that empty.

She checked the clothes she had on from the night before, and for some reason, they still were damp. Enough moisture resided in her jeans that she didn’t feel comfortable putting them back on. Sighing, she began searching through the drawers for anything she could put on in the meantime.

Finding a pair of plaid pajama pants, she slid those on, throwing her holed band t-shirt over her sports bra. “What time is it?” She patted her jeans for the watch she carried with her. Cursing under her breath, she realized it was left in her backpack.

Quickly, Ellie found herself navigating to the first floor. Her eyes widened at the organized sight of all of your supplies. You had grouped similar items together and left a piece of paper with the amounts in each group. At the bottom of the page, you had written a list of the items you needed more of. Ellie’s watch was sitting on the end of the counter, properly placed. “You have outdone yourself…” She muttered, picking up the paper you scribbled on.

When she flipped it over, the subtle grin her lips faded. Seeing the sorrowful words written on the page. Since leaving Santa Barbara, she noticed you pulling out this letter a lot. The one you fetched from under that infected woman. You had never gone into what this letter or note meant to you—probably, because she never asked. That didn’t mean she wasn’t curious about it, though. Ellie never would’ve expected that you’d write on it over something as silly as taking inventory.

There were so many things she didn’t understand about you.

The aroma of fish filled her nostrils again, leading her to slab of rock placed on the counter. A coverage of cloth was placed over the fish to ward off flies. She peeked under it, seeing a perfectly scaled and grilled fish. Hunger got the best of her, and she began to eat the fish with her hands. Humming at the satisfaction of filling her stomach.

After, she grabbed the cracked watch to check the time. It was ten in the morning, the both of you should’ve been back on the road.

Pressing her lips into a line, she walked out the back door to alert you. Her fingers fiddling with the plaid cotton on her legs.

The air was fairly cool, but the sun warmed you up. Basking in the lake was like splashing your face with cold water in the morning—it was a wake-up call. Something that you needed after the night you had. In the room across from Ellie’s, the bed was too firm, and the sheets were too prickly. Your mind kept you up with the image of Honey’s infected body. And, whenever you did shut your eyes, you were back on those pillars again.

You had no choice but to get up early and occupy yourself. So, you fished for a little while, then cooked what you caught—for yourself and the sleeping woman upstairs. After that, you thought you could use a bath. And there was nothing more satisfying than cool lake water—nature’s finest.

You allowed the water to engulf you, embracing your body like a chilled hug. Breaking the surface, you swam comfortable laps around the lake. As you lazily backstroked, you noticed Ellie walking down the steps that led to the dock.

Her auburn hair was spiked all across her head—she must’ve slept well. You chuckled, swimming up the edge of the dock. Placing your hands against it, to pull yourself up a little. Bare shoulders glistening from the sunlight reflecting off your wet skin. “You have a bad case of bedhead, my friend.”

“What?” She immediately became self-conscious, running her hands through her hair. Shaking her head, she adjusted her features, trying to uphold her naturally irritated persona; scrunching her eyebrows and clenching her jaw. “You let me sleep too late; it’s ten. We should start packing up.” Her eyes avoided you, instead, focusing on the plants surrounding the lake. Or your pruned fingers holding onto the dock.

Looking up at her with squinted eyes, you dramatically sniffed. “Why don’t you hop in? You smell like shit.” You ignored her small jabs of blame, coating your lips with a smile. Perhaps, you’ve been spending too much time with her, but her little irritations were beginning to amuse you more than bother you. Or, from the angle that you were peering up at her, she looked really… Pretty. Bedhead and all.

“Excuse me?” She questioned, raising her eyebrows, finally meeting your eyes.

“I’m serious. Let’s resume the trip smelling better than a sewer.” You began to paddle backwards, almost forgetting about your own nakedness. “Take off your clothes… I‘ll give you privacy. Unless you’re too… Chicken.”

She hesitated, watching you swim backwards. Catching an accidental glimpse of your breasts as you turned around. It was true that she didn’t smell the greatest. Before she could formulate her thoughts properly, Ellie spoke. “Chicken? Really, y/n?” She sighed, punching the bridge of her nose. “Fine. But not for long— I wanna make it to Idaho within the next two days…”

Ellie shed her clothes, dropping them close to yours. She jumped into the water, keeping her head from going under, loudly reacting to the coldness of the lake. “Shit!” She exclaimed, treading water.

You turned around, chuckling, noticing her hair still disheveled. “You’ll feel better if you dunk yourself under water.”

“Hell, no! It’s too cold.”

“This doesn’t have to be another I-told-you-so moment…”

She rolled her eyes, clenching her nostrils with her fingers, lowering herself under water. Allowing the cold, earthy, lake water to encapsulate her. The first few seconds were chilling, but her body began to adapt. It became rather comforting—easing her sore muscles and healing wounds.

The lake did the same for you, which was why you were still inside of it. Time stopped at the pier; at least it felt like it did. Existing felt normal, for once. There weren’t any violent rogue people, or hungry infected. Just you and Ellie bathing in a lake.

Ellie broke the surface, running her hands over her saturated strands. Her pale skin was flushed, from what you could only assume, was the briskness in the air and the chillness of water. However, that may not have completely been the case. “Feel better?” You ask, waving your arms under the water to keep yourself afloat.

The corners of her lips curled, subtly. You had to squint to really notice her amusement. She rolled her eyes in a way to avert her gaze. “Yeah, a little.” Ellie finally peered at you, pointing a dripping finger. “Don’t say it.”

“Say what?” A grin plastered on your lips. “I told you so?”

“Do you realize how annoying you are, or just me?”

You pursed your lips, feigning thought. “Just you, I think.”

Honestly, you’re proud of yourself. A lot of the relationship blossoming between your traveling partner and yourself had been developing under the pressure of your attitudes and circumstances. The fact that you could get her to crack a smile, even if it was faint, felt good. It was either the dock’s magic, or your own.

A beat passed while the two of you circled each other. Barely looking at the exposed skin above the water, trying to be distracted by the world around you.

Surprisingly, Ellie was the first to speak—or the first to question you. She rarely every asked you anything. “That letter you carry with you…” The woman awkwardly began. “I saw it on the counter— who wrote it?”

Her voice grabbed your attention immediately at the mention of the note. You held onto it like a totem, a piece of memorabilia from your past. Hesitating, you moved your eyes from left to right in thought. “I know that it came from Santa Barbara. From that house…”

“It’s from an old friend.” You started, lips parting slowly as you spoke. Mouth going dry at the question she asked. You’ve yet to physically get the chance to talk about Honey. From the days aboard the boat, you’ve been trying to forget what you saw. Maybe, you could convince yourself that she was off living the life she wanted—instead of spending her last days suffering under the hammer of infection. “Some girl I met at that God-forsaken resort…” You attempted to casually respond.

“She got infected?”

“Yeah…” You nodded with avoidance, shutting your eyes and moving your head with a cadence of I-don’t-wanna-talk-about-it.

Ellie pursed her lips, nodding. “Why’d you write on the letter? I don’t know… It looks like it means a lot to you— I don’t understand why you would write on it?” She spoke, thoughtfully, as if she didn’t want to say the wrong thing. That was certainly the first time.

You shrug, wanting to hide somewhere, even though there was nowhere to do so. “I just want to forget about it… I guess.”

“If you cared about her, why would you wanna forget about it?”

The muscles in your forehead twitched, bunching your eyebrows together. Your face burned, lips scowling. Ellie’s voice evolved from a soft curiosity, to a judgmental version of it. You sensed the difference the moment it fell from her lips. The intention of her words didn’t matter—it was what she said that bothered you. Did she think you were cruel for wanting to forget about seeing her in that state?

“If I cared about her?” You started, evenly, but with warning. “I did care about her— I do care about her! If I choose not to remember her as a fucking corpse, that makes me a bad person?” Your voice raised, for the first time in awhile, rasping.

Ellie sighed, shaking her head with pleading eyes. “I didn’t say that.”

You scoff, swimming toward the dock. “Well, I’m sure that’s what you meant, right?” Pulling yourself out of the water, you don’t think twice about the exposing of your naked body. Cold air pricking at your wet skin. “I’m the asshole for wanting to remember Honey alive rather than dead…” You wrapped the towel you brought with you around your body, balling your clothes into your arms.

Lamely, Ellie called for you from her place in the water as you left her behind. Before you covered up, she eyed the scars and bruises on your body—maps of what your vessel has been through. Perhaps, she should have entered the conversation with more caution.

Watching you stalk back into the cabin, wiping at your eyes felt like a punishment. A worse punishment than the fact that she didn’t have a towel to dry off with.

“Nice work, Ellie.”

[normansnt]

The real him

(Alastor x male overlord!reader)

No warnings my loves

Perhaps some grammatical errors🥹

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

Alastor was walking down the street to attend the overlords meeting that was taking place today. He has been absent for quite some time so he has not been to one in a while, and honestly he was kind of excited to go again. Not because he cared so much about what they had to say oh no, of course it was useful information for his plan but the one true reason he went was not something, it was someone.

You.

The overlord of music. Since he was the radio demon and you were the music demon you naturally had something to do with each other. Not to mention it just so happened that you both liked jazz that was a first bonding point.

The moment you became an overlord and turned up on one of the meetings Alastor was delighted by you. You were younger than most of them around the age of the Vees however you are very respectful towards the elder overlords. And even though you were one of the strongest ones you were not egoistic at all. If anything Alastor would call you quite humble. You had a happy air around you similar to Charlie, but he could see the smartness and cunningness underneath. For anyone else you just seemed like any happy go lucky idiot in hell but Alastor knew better. He knew that you could not have become an overlord without brains, all though the Vees achieved it. It only took him one conversation with you to know that sly brain of yours which was probably one of the smartest in the room, despite your young age.

Before he left hell it has become a habit that you two sat down for a coffee after meetings and you could talk for hours, one of your favorite activities was playing chess together.

To put it short. Alastor absolutely adored you, and loved spending time with you. The only thing that made him feel even a little bit sad when he left was the thought of not seeing you for a long time.

"Alastor, how fare thee, this way"

Alastor was too caught up in his daydreams about you to notice the tall figure appearing before him.

"Greetings, Zestial" he looked at the overlord while they made their way to the meeting.

"Ah, the weather, doth become this fine day."

"Indeed, looks like we might have some acid rain this afternoon!"

"If our luck doth hold! I do revel in the screams. How art thou?It has been an age since thou hath graced us thy presence. Some hath spun wild tales of you falling to...holy arms."

"Oh, I just took a well-earned sabbatical, nothing serious. Though it's fun to keep everyone on their toes!" Laughed Alastor

"Quite intriguing, Some of us did miss thee more than others" smiled Zestial mysteriously.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Asked back Alastor his smile never wavering.

"Thee knoweth what I mean a certain youngster did miss thy presence gravely"

"(Y/N)?"

"Indeed"

To this Alastor's smile lessened just the littlest bit, barely seeable to naked eye truly. He was not pleased that he caused you sadness. All though deep down in his cold dead heart a spark of warmth emerged to the thought that you missed him.

"Well than shall we proceed" said Zestial at last.

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

When Alastor and Zestial arrived at the meeting he was disappointed to notice that you were no where to be seen. Nonetheless he took his seat, hoping that you will turn up since you do have a habit of losing track of time.

So the meeting began, Alastor sat next to Rosie a charming Women overlord of the cannibal town also a good friend of yours and Alastor.

"Ahhh Alastor such a pleasure to see you again, someone has become quite broody without you here." The powerful women finished her sentence with a cheeky grin.

"Yes it has been brought to my attention as well however I do not see the culprit here anywhere."

"Ohh you know the clumsy, he is always late."

About 10 minutes after the meeting began Velvette bursted through the door throwing the head of an exorcist of the table, and you walked in calmly behind her.

"Must you make such an entrance, and oh look at that now you got blood all over the table you could do it less flashy you know" you said looking at the media demon.

"I'm sorry for being late Velvette here was holding me up" you said rolling your eyes while she stuck her middle finger in your face.

"Anyways what are we-" you stopped talking when you saw Alastor. Your face broke out in a grin which you quickly tried to cover up with a cough and took your place besides Rosie.

"It's quite all right (Y/N) we know how...annoying the Vees can be" said Carmilla smiling at you slightly. You had a friendly relationship with most every overlord, even the Vees all though that was more professional.

After that you had trouble focusing, all you could think about was what you would say to Alastor after the meeting.

When Velvette jumped unto the table and started very disrespectfully yelling at Zestial and Carmilla you wanted to step in but Rosie put her hand on yours shaking her head slightly.

Alastor chuckled, a real hearty quet chuckle not a mocking one. He has always adored the way you like to stand up for people. He often wondered how you ended up in hell. Now he knows of course, your coffee 'dates' have turned quite deep sometimes, thus you are pretty much the only person who knows him. Not his grin he always wears, not his charmingly sick personality, him.

After the rather quick meeting you waited for Alastor outside of the meeting room. You were quite nervous you have not seen him in 7 years.

When Alastor saw you waiting outside he walked over. You waited till the other overlords have left the scene and the moment you could not see any of them anymore you jumped into Alastors arms.

Now, Alastor did not like physical touch. But this was already a routine for you too. Since you are a very touchy person and he does not like it at all you started off slow. Putting your hand on his shoulder as greeting and goodbye. Than patting his back and this way you guys slowly went up to a point where he was comfortable with hugging you. And now he loves it. But only if its you.

"(Y/N)...I've heard you missed me."he stated while smiling, not grinning, smiling at you.

"Weelll, I mean its no secret that you are my favorite there" you smiled shyly

"Only there?" He asked smiling egoistically exactly knowing your answer.

"All right, all right mr.bigshot however that doesn't explain why you were gone for 7 years without telling me where you were?"

You might be happy to see him now but that doesn't change the fact that he hurt you when he left without telling you.

His smile faltered a bit

He took your hand and next thing you know is you guys ended up in his room in the Hazbin Hotel.

Now he could let the smile go. All though a soft one remained on his lips.

"Everything in its time my dear"

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

SALUTATIONS, GOOD TO BE BACK ON THE AIR

YES I KNOW ITS BEEN A WHILE SINCE SOMEONE WITH STYLE-

Ok I'll stop

You see...I WATCHED HAZBIN HOTEL AND ITS AN OBSESSION THE SONGS, THE ART, THE CHARACTERS AAAAAHHHGSHHSGJSGS ITS SOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOD

I already have at least 5 more fics in my notes just waiting to be published but I might wait with those cuz I really have to proof read them cuz when I type fast (like when I have too many ideas in my head cuz I have a new hyperfixation) I make the stupidest ass mistakes😭

SOOOO ANYWAAAHYYSSSS

Thank you so much for reading ladies, gentleman and other, good afternoon good evening and good night🧡��

[sunny44]

Happy birthday Chili

Pairing: Carlos Sainz x wife!reader

Warnings: none

Summary: It’s Carlos’ birthday and Y/n and the twins surprise him.

Monza. The racetrack that always echoed with the history of Formula 1 and the passion of the tifosi. But that weekend, the Italian circuit, usually a stage for intense emotions for any driver, felt like nothing more than a lonely place for Carlos. What should have been a moment of celebration and joy was being marked by a silent emptiness.

The twins had fallen ill the previous week, nothing serious, but enough to prevent the trip. We had talked about the importance of their health and agreed that it was best for them to stay home and recover, as they were too young to be exposed while they were still fragile. Carlos, as always, was understanding, as we had always agreed that the twins were our priority, no matter what. But I knew he was feeling our absence. I could hear it in his voice every time we spoke on the phone. He tried to hide it, but after so many years together, I could pick up on the small nuances in his tone.

This morning, Carlos called me from the hotel in Monza, and I could hear people singing happy birthday in the background.

The sound of his voice was a little more cheerful today, but you could tell by his face that he wasn’t as excited as he usually would be. He talked about the preparations for the Grand Prix, about the atmosphere in the paddock, but what he really wanted to know was about us. He asked how the kids were, if they were feeling better, and how I was handling everything on my own. I reassured him that we were fine and that Sophia and Sammy were doing much better than a few days ago, but I didn’t mention the plans in progress. I didn’t want to spoil the surprise.

At that exact moment, I was packing the twins’ bags for a train trip from Monaco to Monza. We opted to take the train to avoid any additional stress for the children, as they were still recovering. I knew the journey would be tiring for them, but I also knew how much it would mean to Carlos. And to be honest, I was just as excited to see him as he was to see us.

Sophia and Sammy were excited about the trip. Even though they were so young, they understood that it was a special day and that they were going to surprise their dad. I packed some of their favorite toys, along with snacks and the outfits they loved. It was a warm and sunny morning in Monaco, and I knew the weather would be similar in Monza. The train ride would be long, but I was prepared. When you’re the mother of twins, learning to prepare for any situation is a fundamental skill. After their birth, I learned to do things I didn’t even know I could.

The trip was smoother than I expected. Sophia fell asleep almost immediately after the train departed, and Sammy was fascinated, gazing out the window, commenting on everything he saw. He seemed to be recovering much faster than his sister, but I knew she would soon be running around, full of energy again.

Time seemed to pass slowly as I watched the Italian landscape unfold outside. I was anxious, trying to imagine Carlos' reaction when he saw us. Part of me wanted to tell him we were on our way, to relieve some of his sadness, but the idea of surprising him, of seeing that sparkle in his eyes, kept me firm in the plan.

When the train finally arrived in Monza, the warm Italian afternoon enveloped us as we stepped onto the platform. The children were a bit sleepy, but the excitement on their faces was undeniable. I had spoken to Charles through messages to help me with the passes for me and the kids to enter the paddock, and he also arranged with the hotel reception where they were staying so I could go to his room when we arrived. When we got to the hotel, I managed to enter with the children through a quieter area, as I didn’t want any photos to leak, and I didn’t want to overwhelm the kids with the large crowd.

"Y/n, darling." I heard his mother’s voice, and when I turned around, I saw her and his father.

“Grandma!” the kids shouted and ran over to them.

“I thought you weren’t coming,” she said when I approached.

“At first, I wasn’t. The kids were sick, but they got much better, and I decided to surprise him.”

“I’m sure he’ll love it,” she said.

“Did you get a room?” his father asked.

“Actually, Charles helped me, and I got the key to his room.” They nodded.

“Well, we’re heading to the paddock now, so we’ll give you some time to settle in.”

“Of course, see you in a bit.”

They left, and I took the kids to the room, left the bags in a corner, and we still had three hours before the race, so I put the kids to bed for a nap. After they fell asleep, I took a shower and changed clothes. Since I couldn’t sit still, I started organizing some of Carlos' clothes scattered around and then packed the kids' essentials for the paddock. Soon, they woke up, so I got them ready, and as we headed to the hotel lobby, I saw his cousin there.

“Carlos, hey,” I said as he hugged me and the kids.

“I’ll take you to the paddock.”

We arrived at the racetrack, and the energy of the place was contagious. The engines roaring in the distance, the sound of fans, the familiar smells of fuel and burnt rubber. Everything was there, as always, but with a special touch that day, because I knew that soon we’d all be together again.

We headed to the paddock, and as I walked with Sammy in one arm and holding Sophia’s little hand with the other, my heart beat faster.

Finally, as we approached the Ferrari garage, I saw Carlos' team. Some of the engineers immediately recognized us and smiled warmly. Sammy was already aware of what was happening and was fidgeting in my arms, eager to get down, so I put him on the ground and walked with them, one on each side. We made our way toward the area where Carlos was likely to be, and the anticipation grew with every step. Finally, he appeared, his back to us, deep in conversation with one of the mechanics.

I took a moment to absorb the scene before calling his name. He turned around, and I saw the shock and absolute happiness cross his face. "Surprise!" I said, trying to hold back the emotion in my voice.

Carlos approached, his eyes shining with surprise and relief, and before he could say anything, Sophia and Sammy let go of my hands and ran toward their dad, shouting, "Daddy!" He scooped her up, spinning her in the air as his smile grew even wider. Sammy nestled into Carlos' other arm shortly after. I couldn’t help but approach too, hugging him, feeling the warmth and familiarity of his touch.

“You came!” he said, still in shock, his voice slightly choked with emotion.

“Of course we did,” I replied. “I couldn’t let you spend your birthday without your babies.”

Carlos set the kids down and pulled me into a tight embrace, one of those hugs that communicated more than any words could.

I felt his lips touch the top of my head as he murmured, “This is the best gift ever.”

“I’m glad you’re happy.” He smiled.

“So, how did you manage to come here alone with the two troublemakers?” He said, watching the kids playing with the mechanics.

“After giving birth to twins and spending so much time alone with them, you learn a lot of tricks.” He laughed. “I’m serious, there’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“I believe you, dealing with those two is no easy task.” He said, hugging me. “Did you bring your stuff here?”

“No, Charles helped me with a few details, and one of them was your hotel room. We left our things there.” He nodded.

“Daddy,” the kids came to our feet.

“Mommy said it’s your birthday,” Sammy said.

“It is.”

“Happy birthday then,” he said simply, stretching his arms for a hug, and we all laughed.

We spent the rest of the day together, divided between the frenetic atmosphere of the paddock and quieter moments in a reserved room where we could just be ourselves. The kids, now full of energy, ran and played while Carlos and I exchanged knowing glances, content just to be together. He made sure to show Sophia and Sammy the car, something that always fascinated them. The sparkle in their eyes was a reflection of the pride and love they felt for their father.

Later, Carlos had to return to his team duties, but now he was different. The sadness I had heard in the morning had disappeared, replaced by a quiet joy. He was whole again, with his family by his side, ready to face the rest of the weekend with renewed energy.

At the end of the day, we returned to the hotel where the team was staying. I put the kids to bed and joined Carlos on the room's balcony, where he was admiring the night view of Monza. When I approached, he wrapped his arms around me, and we stayed silent for a moment, just enjoying the tranquility and each other’s presence.

“Thank you for this,” he finally said. “You made this the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

“You deserve it,” I replied, smiling. “Happy birthday, my love.”

And with those words, we ended a day that had begun with longing and uncertainty but concluded with the certainty that as long as we were together, everything would always be in the right place.

Bonus scene!

Y/nSainz instagram post

Liked by @carlossainz, @charlesleclerc, @scuderiaferrari and others 917392

@Y/nSainz Today is the day of the best husband and Papa in the world. I couldn't ask for anyone better to spend the rest of my life with.

Since I met you, my life has changed completely. I remember the day we went out for the first time and the first time you told me you loved me. If I close my eyes, I can remember it as if it were yesterday. But the best memory of all was when I told you I was pregnant. I really didn't expect you to be so happy and so scared at the same time, but I wouldn't change a thing.

Happy birthday, my love. You definitely make my life the happiest ever. I love you.

Sammy and Sophia are lucky to have you as their papa.

@carlossainz I love you so much hermosa, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I’m so grateful that you gave me Sophia Sammy, being their papa is the best gift you could have ever given me. And thank you once again for coming by train from Monaco all the way here just so I could spend my birthday with you and the kids.

Liked by @y/nsainz

@charlesleclerc happy birthday mate, so happy to have you as my teammate

@user28 let’s be thankful that we have Y/n to bless us with these photos. Happy birthday Carlos

@scuderiaferrari let’s all wish the happiest birthdays to our Smooth Operator 🌶️

[mcflymemes]

AS SAID BY DORIAN PAVUS  *  assorted dialogue from dragon age inquisition, updated version

i don't care what they think about me. i care what they think about us.

i like you. more than i should. more than might be wise.

discretion isn't your thing, is it?

all this dancing, politics, and murder makes me a bit homesick.

i suppose it really depends. how bad do you want to be?

living a lie... it festers inside of you, like poison.

i'm a man of many talents. what can i say?

the moment i saw you, i thought "there's a man who knows quality."

if you don't come through this, i swear i'll kill you.

i'm curious where this goes, you and i. we've had fun. perfectly reasonable to leave it here.

here is my proposal: we dispense with the chitchat and move on to something more primal.

i tease you too much, i know.

i'll have to find something we can do that doesn't involve teasing.

time to drink myself into a stupor. it's been that sort of day.

i see you enjoy playing with fire.

i like playing hard to get.

i'm not suggesting we venture into mutual domesticity.

if it's a trap, we escape and kill everyone. you're good at that.

talk to me. let me hear how mystified you are by my anger.

oh, i'm not arguing. just pointing out the ridiculously obvious.

if you choose to leave your door unlocked like a savage, i may or may not come.

now... what was i talking about? ah, yes. me.

i am apparently an incredible ass at accepting gifts.

i prefer the company of men.

would you prefer me bound and leashed?

sometimes the ones you love are also the ones who disappoint you the most.

you are the man i love, [name]. nothing will truly keep us apart.

the things you ask are just... very personal.

sometimes... love isn't enough.

there will always be an "us." we'll just be... farther apart, for a time.

i had no idea something like you was possible.

i'm imagining what you would look like in a dress.

i've never seen you smile so much!

i have no idea what you're talking about.

you stand there, flexing your muscles, huffing like some beast of burden with no thought save conquest.

you're shaping the world for good or ill. how could i aspire to do any less?

my footsies are freezing, thank you.

don't you ever bathe?

you're not suggesting we're similar.

watch where you're pointing that thing!

i'm not wearing a skirt.

it's significantly more impressive than hitting them with a sharp piece of metal.

i only meant to say i'm very sorry for your loss.

we can continue this dance forever, if you wish.

i'm saying we should be careful what we assume when it comes to such matters.

demons don't appreciate a man with good hair.

what i wouldn't give for some proper wine.

your outfit's entertaining. i'll give you that.

he had to leave early on account of assassination.

it's nice to know you have friends.

i'm here to do what is right.

come on, just answer the question.

they were asking me about you. personal things.

you said we'd be ass-deep in trouble. this is more like knee-high.

so what's your estimation? think we can win?

you can't call me pampered. nobody's peeled a grape for me in weeks.

you startled me. you're always so... nondescript.

you're a special and unique snowflake. live the dream.

i wanted to see you make flowers bloom with your song. just once.

you've done a lot less dancing naked in the moonlight than expected.

i've never seen anyone in this part of the world do it.

i realize there's more to you than that.

have i offended you?

for hating the outdoors, you sure seem to like bad weather.

i can't figure you out, [name].

you don't play their stupid game, they send an assassin or three your way.

i can't believe you're scared of magic.

i'm going to take that as a compliment.

still don't like me, [name]? after all this time?

[name], i owe you an apology.

i suspect people will use any excuse to hate us.

why be ashamed? power should be respected, not swept under the carpet.

maybe you're not a complete moron.

i just need to know you're capable of higher thought. for my own comfort.

it would take work. and soap. lots and lots of soap.

[tfyoulookingatgiuxs]

Hello! I’ve read a bit of your stuff and really like it. Could you do a cute secret relationship story with Billy Hargrove x fem reader pls.

Thank you!

• Hmm...why not? It would be interesting. Worth a try! (I'm not a big fan of Billy but I'm happy to be able to satisfy your requests).

Together Forever

Billy Hargrove x Female!Reader

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: You and Billy have been engaged for more than two years in secret, without the knowledge of the citizens of Hawkins but also without the knowledge of the boy's father. You both want only one thing, to live together. And staying in Hawkins is not part of your plans.

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: Fluff, fem!reader, bad language, use of Y/N, you're surname is Williams, daddy issues, abuse, sigarettes, secret relationship.

𝐀/𝐍: Here it is! This is the first request, I really hope I exceeded @unamused-boss expectations Sorry for my English, this is not my native language. Please support new writers and reblog. Hope you enjoy! (DIVIDER NOT MINE)

In Hawkins the air was cold and this week the forecast said it would bring down the flood. You savored the air which made you smile. You never hated rain or gloomy weather, in fact you found them relaxing and perfect for drinking a nice cup of milk or hot chocolate, as if you were back in winter close to the Christmas period.

You moved some leaves as you crept further towards the house, a classic house and welcoming and tidy on the outside. You were in the garden, but hey, let's calm down, you're not going to rob! But you are looking for the window to the room of Billy Hargrove, your boyfriend. Yes exactly. You Y/N Williams, an ordinary student at Hawkins High, engaged to the big and strong Billy Hargrove! You didn't believe it either, to tell the truth. You were not popular, much less well-regarded by most of your classmates, you were silent and perhaps even mysterious, you were good at school, sure, but you had a temper that perhaps half the students at school envied, and that is precisely what triggered a connection in you and Billy the day you met.

In his eyes you were normal, nothing that Billy cared about, you were just like all the other girls, but he changed his mind as soon as you won a verbal battle with him, leaving him breathless. No one dared to challenge him and especially with such confidence, but you, you were the first girl to do so, and it left the students shocked for at least two weeks. You seemed like sworn enemies, after that spat neither of you tried to annoy the other so as not to start a war, but in reality you realized that in the end you weren't that far apart, in fact you could even say they were quite similar.

You remembered when you and Billy attended Mrs. Davis's classes, which were really boring. The boy wouldn't stop giving you glances and giggling every now and then, only to both get scolded and sent to the principal. The students were tired of this, you were seriously cat and dog! Unbearable! But what people didn't know was that both of you weren't teasing each other to cause anger or annoyance to the other, but it was totally the opposite, they were pure and true digs. At first you didn't notice, you thought it was normal, something for friends. But apparently this was not the case. From secret friends you have become secret lovers.

Wow...

You seriously didn't expect this...you had to be honest about this. After you both got together you saw a side of Billy you never thought you'd seen. From the obnoxious, arrogant, vulgar and popular boy he was, he had finally revealed himself: kind, loving, difficult and sweet.

In short, never judge a book by its cover, right? The same thing apparently goes for people.

But now you're wondering... why in secret? Why were you two secret friends and now secretly engaged?

This was because Billy had a great reputation at school and was afraid of being criticized by others. You felt very sorry for him and you understood it. In Hawkins High, gossip is the fruit of its existence and if there wasn't anyone to criticize or make fun of, what would the students of this fucking school do? Exact. Just nothing. This is why you understood that your school was perhaps the shittiest of all. They would torment not only Billy but you too. You showed such confidence and superiority towards Billy that day and now you are friends? In short, something that cannot be heard!

You have therefore decided to keep the matter in secret so as to be left alone.

As for the relationship, well, both of you were actually ready to no longer hide and face those dick faces, but you immediately backed out when you found out that Billy's father strictly forbade going out with you and doing anything. something more productive in his life. The boy had never told you about his family until that point and when he told you about his father you were horrified by it. His father was a violent and aggressive man, he hurt him while demanding respect from his son who he threatened or even beat if he disobeyed, a father that no one would like to have...

The night you and Billy got ready to go out on a date, he called you and canceled without telling you why. Then when you met and talked about it you became calm again and consoled him. Billy vented and it hurt, you couldn't know what it meant to live in that hell. For your boyfriend, however, it was fine, especially when he met you, for him you were an angel, one of the most beautiful and sweetest girls he had ever seen, for him, you were a divine salvation from his torment, and if he had to suffer all this to stay with you then he would have tolerated it.

Seriously, this guy turned out to be more amazing than you thought.

For his father you were just an adventure, a simple whore with whom Billy would be satisfied and therefore he ordered him to leave you alone and look for something to earn, since Billy recently left school.

In short...a beautiful but complicated relationship.

You arrived in front of his closed window and as soon as you saw his figure from behind while he was lifting some weights through the glass, you knocked and he turned around. He smiled at you showing his docile face and opened the door for you. Most of the time it was you who barged into his room to visit him, unlike him, other than part-time work, you had nothing to do.

“My bad girl barges into my room again, I should start worrying” He said teasingly as he helped you up. You smiled "Nah, you don't need it, I'm used to it by now" you both gave each other a kiss on the lips as a greeting. That afternoon, all members of Billy's family were out: Max was with his friends, Susan was shopping and his father was at work.

"How are you?" You asked as you eyed his weights. It was now a legitimate question to ask every time you saw him training. An outside observer might think he did it to maintain his beautiful physique, true. But he also does it to let off steam...Billy does nothing but lift weights to vent an enormous anger that he is holding back. He smiled sweetly at you "Good darling, don't worry. Training doesn't hurt me" with this the boy winked at you and moved a lock of hair from his face and then placed his palm on your cheek "And what about you? How is my girl?" He smiled one of his own and you couldn't help but giggle, he loved teasing you with these silly nicknames and you couldn't help but blush and flatter yourself.

"Very good, today I received my pay at work and I got an excellent grade in biology!" You said as you ran a hand down his chest. "But didn't you hate biology?" He said as he invited you to sit on his bed. His room was tidier than you remembered it from two years ago. Billy was messy, and let's say he put his things in plain sight, thank goodness that since he got engaged to you he started hiding inappropriate things to make you feel at ease.

You sat on his bed with your back against the beige wall of his room, he stood next to you.

"Yes, it's true, but I wanted to improve myself, I have to be good in all subjects to improve my future" You said taking his hand "Aren't you tired of all that studying?" Billy said taking a cigarette and placing it between his thin lips "To be honest yes, I really fucking can't stand the thought of opening another literature book or something" You laughed at the idea. Despite being a studious girl, you have never loved studying. So many things, so many poems, so many equations and bullshit like that, in short, enough! Too much! "But, you know, I'm doing it to do better in the future, so I'll have more job opportunities" Billy let out smoke from his mouth and you smelled the smell of tobacco in your nostrils "What would you like to do in the future? In short, it seems that you already know what you want to do with your life, sweet girl" he said looking at a fixed point "Actually, no, I don't know, there are many things and I couldn't decide" He seemed surprised by your answer but then it took him a while to answer you.

"Well there aren't many things you can find here in this shitty town, God, I wish I could get out of here" He finally said almost whispering as more smoke spread into the room. This statement of his made you think...

You never really thought about staying in Hawkins, the city, as welcoming as it was, was also a bad place that you really wanted to escape from, you don't like the people, much less the mayor who runs it. Thinking of wanting to move to have other opportunities and change your life seemed like an impossible dream. You looked at Billy and you looked at him "I share your thoughts, if it were up to me I would leave here too, maybe to New York, or I don't know, to Boston, there are many places outside of here where I would like to spend my life. Instead you Billy, where would you go?" He looked back at his fixed point in front of him. He remained silent for a while and then answered you with a smile "California...I would like to go back there" he said it with a note of sadness and your heart melted. You knew how much he wanted to return to California, after all it was one of the most beautiful places for him, because of his precious memories with his mother.

“Maybe then we would go together…” You said resting your head on his shoulder feeling his sweaty skin “Together?” He seemed paralyzed by your proposal and you nodded “That's impossible darling…” he gave a light chuckle but his tone didn't seem joking, it was as if he wished that proposal had come true. "Why do you think it's impossible?" He shook your hand as he placed his cigarette in the nearby ashtray "Because that's how it is. Look at us, I work as a lifeguard and earn little anyway, you on the other hand are still studying, moreover my father wouldn't allow me to go back to California, he says that he hates it and that neither Max nor I should go back, and also because he wouldn't approve of me going with you" True. He wasn't wrong and this made you stay silent for several minutes thinking about how to find a solution.

You knew it was absurd, in short, Billy was now an adult, if he wanted to leave and move somewhere else it wasn't his father's business, but by now the man seemed to have taken control of his life too and this had taken you by surprise. . The father wanted Billy, like Max, to stay close to them so as not to worry Susan, who unlike the man was worried about the two and certainly knowing that one of the two was too far away worried her, so much so that she asked her husband to order both him and Max to stay in Hawkins in the future. But that didn't mean you would have given up.

"You know, in California there are many chances of finding a job and someone like yours earns well there. Then if I managed to graduate here I could very well walk away with the money I earn from part-time work" He smiled "You planned the your life plan?" You looked at him with a grin "our life plan, you are part of my life, Billy" she immediately smiled so much that he blushed but shook his head "No. With me your future will only be turbulent and then as I said before, it's impossible"

"Nothing is impossible Billy. Together if we want we can do it, obviously if you want to do it" you raised your head and he took a deep breath and kissed you. You laughed in the sweet kiss "Of course I want" You smiled again "Only, my father worries me"

“Don't worry about him, I actually already have an idea for this” you smirked evilly as you stroked his golden locks. Billy looked at you for a while to then understand what was going on in your little head "My smart girl" He said as he approached hungry for another kiss, you laughed "Have I always been or am I wrong?" You both gave each other more kisses.

Exactly two more years passed. It was a rainy night. Midnight. The streets of Hawkins were deserted as the rain got heavier and heavier. A wonderful night, especially for the two of you. You had recently graduated and had saved money, and Billy had done the same thing with the little he earned.

You headed towards the boy's window only to see him land on the ground and take out his bags trying to make as little noise as possible. You on the other hand, had brought yours too and helped Billy by trying not to get him and his bags wet thanks to your umbrella. You gave each other a kiss while the adrenaline was rising. It was the big day and you were as anxious as you were excited. You both headed to the boy's car putting down your bags and stuff and got into the car.

“Are you sure Y/N?” He said holding the steering wheel tightly, you nodded "Yes, remember that together we can do it" you reassured him and he nodded happily. He seemed reborn, new and fresh, a different person. He was about to leave that old life full of suffering to start a new one with the love of his life, you and for you he would also trigger his father's wrath. In the meantime you took a cigarette and started lighting it with the lighter "Ok, together forever, darling" he told you and then put on his sunglasses, you laughed since the sun wasn't out, but he was ready to leave and to adjust to the place “California, we are coming” You said in a confident tone as smoke spread through the car.

[ateez-himari]

SUMMER SONIC FESTIVAL

Atiny show concern over the physical health of the group.

August 19, 2024 (2:55PM)

ATEEZ's consecutive performances at the Summer Sonic festival mere days following nearly two months on tour raises concerns about the members' conditions, as some were seen struggling in the blazing heat. While the sets were indeed much shorter than normal concert performances, only fifty minutes, the weather that day was so humid even locals have found it unbearable.

While the moment was only partially captured as it took place behind two flags used during the Guerilla introduction, the youngest was seen nearly bowed down in pain while clutching her chest and members who witnessed this happening hurried over immediately. Using the recently released statement from KQ Entertainment netizens were able to infer that they were likely on edge due to the cardiac arrest she experienced the previous year, which stemmed from a level of fatigue quite similar to the one that was observed during the festival. It would seem that there is no need to panic as the vocalist rapidly regained her composure and with the flawless performance that followed, attendees standing away from this area remained unaware of this slight mishap.

Another thing that caught attention however was the return of an elastic rib brace, which was only seen during the first week of touring while she recovered from surgery that reportedly took place in the middle of the year. It became visible during day two when the heat had exhausted her to the point of having to use the main rapper as support during one of her verses, although with their interactions now being more freely close it seemed rather inconspicuous. His worried expression while gently steadying the young woman with two hands around her waist was what gave away the situation.

"Baby, do you need to stop ? Do you need me to get you some water ?" Could be seen being asked by Mingi in a video. His girlfriend simply denied and went off to dance in front of fans after giving him a quick kiss.

Attendees exiting the stage area in order to watch other artists also noticed that medical staff was already on standby the moment their set ended, one of them immediately checking the youngest's pulse while holding her upright. When these clips began circulating through social media fans were shocked as there seemed to be nothing wrong during their performance, the energy behind every aspect of it being the same as during regular concerts.

During the exiting bow on day one attendees noticed that the extreme heat had gotten to another member as well, San, who was seen biting down on his thumb briefly in order to stay conscious prior to stumbling away backstage. Throughout both performances he was seen stumbling during choreography, his facial expressions having also lost their usual animation with much more tiredness becoming visible. One singular video of their main vocalist, Jongho, looking as though he was about to faint any moment went viral alongside these clips which lead to atiny wondering whether they were truly getting enough rest.

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[keithsandwich]

Belonging

Gen (referenced Keith/OC - Maeve)

Word Count: ~1.4k

Rating: General Audiences (SFW)

Tags: Time Traveling, Kid!Maeve, Mild Blood (Scraped Knee).

Summary: Maeve receives an unexpected guest in the conservatory.

Notes: Thank you @solacedeer for the idea and @lorei-writes for always being amazing and helping me edit my stories 💕 Also, thank you @fang-and-feather for kindly letting me use an Indicolitian name for Maeve's father :)

Maeve hummed a song mindlessly as she poured hot water into the teapot. Golden dried flowers swirled inside, releasing a soothing aroma that mingled with the symphony of herbal scents already filling the conservatory air. It was such a peaceful time of day. The kids were either studying or napping, and Keith was about to take a quick break to join her there. Sharing these little moments with her husband made her chirp like a bird. The tea was brewing. The galettes were crispy. The fruits were fresh.

Everything was perfect…

…Until Maeve heard a tiny little hum echoing her own.

She stopped immediately, and the voice quieted a second later. Her green eyes darted around, intrigued and scanning the familiar surroundings; the usual plants were all in their places. There wasn't even a breeze to disturb the stillness of the leaves, and it was only birds that made a cheerful fuss here and there. Just as Maeve began to suspect she was imagining things, a rustling sound caught her attention, and behind a flowery shrub, she spotted another pair of green eyes, so similar to her own.

“Luna?” She hurried toward the little girl who was clumsily trying to hide, only for her to duck further behind the plant. Maeve felt her heart clutching inside her chest. “Sweetheart, what's wrong?”

Maybe the urgency in her voice made the girl realize how serious she was. Or maybe it was just curiosity. When the child stood up and they were face to face, Maeve saw that it wasn't understanding or curiosity that had made her look up. The poor girl was scared too. And she definitely wasn't her Luna.

“Oh…” Maeve took a step back, giving room for the little one to reveal herself completely.

Nothing but a dirty pair of knitted stockings covered her little feet. Shabby and yellowed, they disappeared under the hem of her plain, colorless woollen dress. The girl rubbed her reddened eyes before letting Maeve get a good look at her face again. She didn’t have many freckles, but the patterns of the ones she did were all too familiar to Maeve.

“Lady, do you know what this place is?”

Maeve looked up at the glass ceiling. Of course, for a girl who had never left her small village, being suddenly transported to a distant time and place was strange enough. But to find herself in a conservatory — a huge glass cage filled with plants, some she had only seen in the wild, and others she had never seen before — must have been overwhelming. Maeve herself didn’t know how the girl ended up there, but soothing a child's mind was more important than unraveling her own confusion.

“This is a conservatory. It's a nice place, isn't it? We can take care of plants in here, even the ones that are too rare or too fragile to be outside in the weather.” Maeve’s words made the child furrow her brows, so she giggled to try to lift her spirits. “It took me a while to get used to it, too. I’ve always thought nature belonged in the wild. But the plants enjoy it here too.”

The girl still looked at her with suspicion in her eyes, and Maeve wondered if she herself had always carried such an intense stare. It suddenly didn’t matter, however, as the girl bounced toward the table like a curious little bird. She held onto the edge and stood on her tiptoes, taking in all the different pastries, juicy fruit, and the steaming teapot.

“Would you like to have tea with me?” Maeve offered, but the child emphatically shook her head. “Oh,” Maeve said, her mind suddenly filled with nostalgia. “Mama told you to refuse food from strangers because they might be fairies trying to entrap you, right?”

“Do you know mama? You were humming the lullaby she sings to me…”

“I do,” Maeve replied, crouching down to her eye level. The girl was still suspicious and scared, the poor thing. Maeve had to take a deep breath to hold back her tears as she spoke the next words. “You're Mabel and Bruno's daughter. They're shepherds. You have a little lamb named Rose, you gave her this name because roses are your birth month's flower.”

“Who are you, lady? I’ve never seen you in the village…” she mumbled shyly. “You are a fairy, aren’t you?”

“Well, I’m not a fairy, nor do I have any interest in entrapping you, but while you’re here, you should at least take a seat, okay?”

The child nodded slowly, and Maeve smiled before pulling out a chair for her. As she sat down, Maeve noticed a small spot of blood on her right stocking.

“Are you hurt?” Maeve asked gently.

The girl lifted the hem of her dress to reveal a scraped knee.

“I fell from the oak tree,” she lamented. “I couldn’t climb it, and I tore my stocking. Mama will be angry with me.”

“No, mama won’t be angry. She’ll be worried because you’re hurt, that’s all,” Maeve said with a soft laugh. “Do you mind if I tend to it?”

“You would?” The girl’s little face lit up. “Can you fix the stocking too?”

“Sweetheart, your wound is more important right now.” Maeve served the tea just to dip a napkin in it. “It’s calendula. It tastes delicious, but it can also prevent your wound from getting infected.” The girl flinched when Maeve tried to put the napkin on her scraped knee, but Maeve smiled reassuringly. “And best of all, it doesn’t hurt. Will you let me?”

“Okay…” the girl murmured with half-trust, but it was still enough of trust for Maeve to carefully start cleaning her knee.

“You know,” Maeve began, “that oak tree was too tall for you right now, but you were so brave for trying to climb it.” She smiled to herself. She had started talking to distract the little one while she tended to her scraped knee, but now she realized she was searching for the words she would tell her younger self if she could turn back time. “Many people will tell you it’s better to be safe rather than brave. Some will say it out of worry, like mama, but many will say it because they think they know your destiny. They’ll tell you, ‘You’re a peasant girl, you can’t dare to be anything else.’ But you’re going to be so many things you can’t even dream of now. Life is… really, a strange thing. The Goddess takes us to places where we feel like we don’t belong, like this conservatory. But we’re never where we’re not supposed to be. In the end, only the Goddess knows our destiny, right?”

“Right…” The little one blinked a few times before nodding.

Maeve knew it was too much for her to understand at once, but she hoped the girl would remember her words when she needed them most. She took her own clean handkerchief and tied it gently around the girl’s knee.

“Are you MH?” the girl asked, looking down at the handkerchief. “I’m learning letters, and those are the letters of your monogram, aren’t they?”

“Yes, yes you’re right! I’m MH.” Maeve nodded, as she touched the embroidered monogram on the handkerchief.

“My name has an M like yours. I’m MS! But I don’t have a monogram,” the little girl said, more at ease than before. “Yours is beautiful.”

“You’ll have one. One as beautiful as this, you'll see.”

Finally, they shared a smile — an honest, warm one. Without warning, the girl threw her arms around Maeve, hugging her with all her little might.

“Thank you, Lady MH! I don’t know who you are, but I feel like I know you somehow,” the child said cheerfully.

“I’m the Queen of Jade,” Maeve replied, gently holding her back. “And you, my dear, are the very soul of this kingdom. The prince in the woods will recognize that within you.”

When Keith arrived in the conservatory, he found his wife with her dress lifted to reveal one of her knees, her head bowed as she traced an old, faded scar with the tips of her fingers. She had once told him she got that scar as a child when she tried to climb an oak tree that was too high for her.

“Mae… Is everything alright?” he asked softly.

She nodded and looked up at him. There were tears in her eyes.

But she smiled.

And it was one of the most radiant smiles he had ever seen.

.

.

.

Taglist: @evansnoir @bicayaya @queengiuliettafirstlady @candied-boys @fang-and-feather

@scummy-writes @hellecat @nightghoul381 @lorei-writes - let me know if you want in or out of my taglist!

[teewritessmth]

Babysitting Bonds

(Sharky x f! reader)

Summary : You call Sharky over to film a vlog with you where he helps you babysit your cousins. But on thing leads to another as you find yourself on top of him.

Warnings : kids, mentions of kissing, thunderstorm, spice if you squint

You had a brilliant idea for a new video. Your uncle and aunt were going to go and celebrate their marriage anniversary and had no where to leave their little kids. You volunteered to babysit those 3 little angels so they could spend their much needed quality time.

You call up Sharky's number, and tell him to pull over to your house. The internet loved your friendship, some even said you two would make a great couple. Truth be told, you've liked Sharky for a really long time. Even when he was making those rap battle videos with Chunkz and darkest. You smile remembering the time you had roasted the living hell out of darkest and Sharky in Chunz's video. Aah the good old days.

Sharky arrives within 20 minutes. "Hey Y/n, what are we doing today?". Sharky pulls you to a side hug and his eyes widen when he sees three little toddler run towards him. Before he makes a comment, you start recording-

"Hey guys welcome back, I'm here with Sharky today and we will be babysitting my cousins".

The camera zooms to Sharky's shocked face, who still hasn't recovered from the surprise of being greeted by three tiny humans.

"I have been lied to, I thought we were gonna do some random video but turns out Y/n wanted me to come and provide daycare service". Sharky laughs and looks at your cousins, they looked so similar to you. He could find some traces of similarity between your features compared to your cousins.

You smile and pat his arm, "We give the internet what they want Sharky, you and me in a vid reaches the max amount of views on my channel".

"if you do what the internet tells you to, are you gonna date me?". Sharky retorts, looking deep into your eyes. Your breath gets cut off for a second as you look at that beautiful man infront of you. Before you can respond, Sharky plays 'Die for you' by weeknd and doubles down on the floor laughing. You force out a bitter chuckle and try to change the topic.

"Well we're not going to be doing anything crazy really, just gonna give these 3 some food and spend the rest of the day playing with them". You tell the camera.

Sharky nods, "I'm gonna ace this, I love kids".

"Ayo?!". You raise an eyebrow.

"Oh my days, not like that Y/n".

The rest of the day passes by in a flash. the kids seemed to love Sharky. It was heartwarming to see him be so good with kids, you know he'd make an absolutely wonderful father. Bittersweet feelings creep into your heart realizing Sharky would never return what you felt for him. Your mood shifts in the midst of brushing your cousin's hair.

"Hey, what's with the sad face. C'mon we have the company of three cute children, smile". Sharky pinches your cheeks.

You wrap up the rest of the video by reading them a bedtime story and eventually tucking them in.

"Well, that's it for today. The kids are asleep and I'm glad they were on their best behavior today-". Your words get abruptly cut off by the sound of thunder.

"There you go, now a storm's on the way". Sharky takes the camera from your hands and finishes the outro.

"Miss y/n is shocked by the thunder at this time but I'll wrap up for her. Thank you for watching me get bullied by a woman in her 20's and 3 very adorable children. Subscribe to the betasquad and my channel. We'll see ya soon". He turns the camera off and looks at you, grinning ear to ear. This might just be one of my favourite videos with you yet.

"Yeah?". You reply looking down, pretending to be busy with something else.

Sharky grabs your hands and makes you sit on the couch. "Y/n you've been acting strange all day, what happened?".

"Nothing happened Sharky let it go. Also I'm not letting you drive back in this weather." You look up at the man who already had his keys in his hand.

"Y/n it's fine really, I don't want to be a burden right now. I can drive". He starts walking out, but you pull him back to the the living room.

"Are you really that uncomfortable around me that you're willing to drive in the storm?".

Sharky freezes, "What?! No!. I'm not uncomfortable around you, I just didn't want to be a weight at this point in the night".

"You're not arguing with me on this". You reach to grab his keys but he has them lifted up high. You both get knotted up as you try reaching for his keys and he lifts them higher.

Amidst this, one of the kids get out of bed and walk past Sharky scaring the life out of him, grabs his teddy and goes to bed.

Sharky falls back on the couch, pulling you along with him.

You initial reaction is pure shock and horror as you stare at the man. Your face gets flushed, realizing no one is making any effort to get up. He looks at you, his eyes drifting over to your lips. He tightens his arms around you and shuffles on the couch, relaxing into the cushions.

"Here, I'll drop my keys". He tosses them on the table, still maintaining eye contact with you, strong arms draped around your waist. He strokes your cheek with the back of his hand and he cups the side of your face. "That's why I didn't want to stay, now I gotaa tell you how I feel".

That was all the confirmation you needed. You hold his face and kiss him. He sits up and puts you on his lap, his hands holding your waist while you kiss him, full of need and desire.

He whispers against your lips, "I love you so much Y/n, I always have. I'm sorry for being such a bitch today".

"I love you too Sharky, so so much. Now stop talking and kiss me". You smile and kiss his cheek.

He hoists you up and takes you to your bedroom and locks the door.

God, was Sharky glad that kid needed his teddy tonight.

[yanderes-galore]

Romantic Pucci with prompt number 2 from deadlaughter's yandere prompt list!

Sure. You are an amnesiac similar to Weather/Wes so Pucci can keep you in the prison... you may have also been volatile with him in the past but... who's to say, right?

Prompt Here

Yandere! Enrico Pucci Prompt 2

"My love for you is a force that not even God can stop."

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Brainwashing, Amnesia, Delusional behavior, Manipulation, Isolation, Pucci takes advantage of your amnesia, Dubious relationship.

You didn't belong here.

Not like you knew that, though. Pucci was careful to make sure you didn't. You two have indeed had some... falling out in the past, in his eyes you didn't need to remember.

Not only that, but Pucci enjoyed the idea of you needing him for guidance. He's always been quite the calm man as a priest. You are one of the few things Pucci enjoys... other than DIO and God.

Part of him knows he should feel bad for doing this to you. He's treating you like an oblivious bird in a cage. Forced to believe the narrative that you've killed someone... when Pucci merely lied to keep your presence close.

Well, you have killed people in the past... but that's not why you're here.

Despite being a priest, Pucci is good at lying. He even lies to the guards, saying you're meant to attend cathedral work with him during your sentence. He convinces the guards by saying you're well behaved... that Pucci will call if anything happens.

He never does, not when you keep looking up to him with curious gazes.

Pucci kept your discs hidden away where only he can find them, no doubt always on his person within his robes. He no doubt has a memory disc for you... but perhaps he even has a Stand Ability. You are no threat to him... just his prized bird in a birdcage.

Keeping you here is like... a fresh start. One where you two aren't fighting, where you aren't running. A new start where he can refresh the relationship between you.

This time he plans to make you love him willingly.

As though he's committed no sin, he captures your attention with charismatic words. The priest knows how to speak to people. It isn't hard for him to make you fond of him.

Everyone trusts a priest.

He doesn't care if using amnesia to keep you is wrong. Pucci believes you're both happier this way. He loves you... adores you... is obsessed with you...

Nothing could pull him from you... He'd do anything just to have you.

Such an obsession is a flaw in him. Desire is a poison that can distract him from achieving heaven. Yet he can't help it.

God could tell him to let you go... maybe even DIO...

Yet Pucci would still cling to you, wanting you to rely on him, even if it means making you only remember your name.

"My love for you is a force that not even God can stop." Pucci whispers to himself as you continue your duties in the cathedral. You're so cute when oblivious... completely unaware that the priest you trust has fabricated your entire life in this prison in a way no one else can.

You deserve to live your life at your home, when you were doing your usual life. You no doubt deserve a life before Pucci came along and got attached. You should be better off without him...

But Pucci is not better off without you.

You have no clue of his obsession or true feelings. He's no fool, he knows to wait for when the time is right. When you're most receptive to him... when you love him... he'll confess and officially make you his again.

However, until then, Pucci takes comfort in you being here with him. In a way... you're still his at this moment. You may not know it yet... but you are his.

You rely on him, he has your memories... and even before you came here he claimed you as his. Ever since he first saw you, a fellow compatriot of DIO... He couldn't get you out of his head. When DIO passed, Pucci proposed the idea of you being his.

You didn't agree, either fully loyal to DIO or wanting to separate yourself from anything involving him. Such an idea was admirable and understandable... but made Pucci frustrated. You two fought, you even tried to leave as you felt threatened... but in the end you became his.

Pucci can't help but release a fond sigh. You are defenseless without your memories and Stand. Just his cute little partner, no longer a deadly assassin whose loyalty was only to DIO at one point in time.

This is the second time Pucci has had to disarm someone close to him with his Stand... but in the end, he feels it's worth it.

This way... This way he can encourage you to give him a chance, to love him in a more secure environment....

He'll never have to share you if you only trust him... his plan has worked so far... you're his...

He'll do anything to keep you as his... to keep you both happy.

[strniohoeee]

Can I request something with Matt x fem!reader where they go on a walk or something and all of a sudden it starts raining like crazy so they rush back home and get in comfy clothes and then start making out or something? Can get as smutty as u want it to be

Also sorry if you’ve already written something similar, im new to your page and only read a few things but I love your work really really much!!

Torrent

Pairing: Matt Sturniolo X Female Reader

Synopsis: Y/N is having a bit of anxiety, so she stays back to try and calm her mind, but when Matt comes home he decides to take her for a walk to clear her mind, but then the weather gets crazy, and they head back home🫂

Warnings⚠️: This is SMUT! There’s shower sex, but nothing crazy. It’s pretty cute actually🥹

Song for the imagine: Cigarettes out the Window- TV Girl

⚠️This is an 18+ story, so minors do not interact, or do??⚠️

Today just felt like a drag. I was having the worst anxiety, and I didn’t even know why. I spent the whole day with my heart thumping, my head racing and my body shaking. I hated this feeling, and the only person who could help me was Matt.

Sadly Matt was out today filming with his brothers, and doing some stuff at the warehouse. He had asked if he wanted me to join, but I was so anxious I simply couldn’t get up.

I knew they would be gone pretty much the whole day, so I tried to keep my mind off of things. I decided to cook, clean and do some laundry while listening to music. I lit some candles to ease my senses, but still I couldn’t shake this anxious feeling.

I was trying to eat lunch, but my mind wouldn’t let me. I began to feel nauseous. I just wanted to feel okay, and for some reason I couldn’t. I was watching Cars on Disney plus since it was my favorite childhood movie, and taking deep breaths, when suddenly my phone pinged with a message, it was from Matt

Hey baby, how are you doing? I miss you

Hey baby. I’m doing okay. I miss you more

are you sure? You seemed off this morning

yeah… just having a bit of anxiety, but I’m doing alright

want me to come home??

No baby don’t worry I’m okay! I’m watching Cars and eating now. Thank you my love

okay! Just let me know if you change your mind. I’ll be over real quick

okay.

I decided to take a nap to keep my mind off of things since I couldn’t eat, or really calm down.

I had fallen asleep around 2, and woke up when I heard the front door opening. They were home!!

They came up the stairs as I was stretching

“Hey! It looks so clean in here, and smells amazing” Nick said looking around

“Thanks! Did some of that anxiety deep cleaning” I said smiling at them

“I appreciate it! You didn’t have to tho” Chris said

“No, don't even worry! I love it” I said getting up and grabbing my plate to bring to the kitchen, Matt had followed me into the kitchen

“You didn’t eat?” He asked looking at my plate still full

“I tried to, but I just couldn’t” I said

“Baby why didn’t you call me? I would’ve came and spent the day with you” he said looking at little but upset

“Don’t worry baby! I’m okay” I said tossing the food out

“Want to go for a walk?” He asked me

“You know that might actually help me a lot” I said

“Alright let’s go” he said. I went and put my shoes on and grabbed my phone, and we headed out

“So tell me how dirty was the house” Matt said laughing

“Actually it wasn’t too bad. I mean not till I got to Chris' room to put his laundry on his bed for him. That was something out of this world” I said laughing

“Oh god. Chris is actually a child. His room looks like it got flipped upside down repeatedly for 10 minutes” Matt said laughing

“I cleaned it up a bit for him, just so it wasn’t too bad” I said

“Aww you’re so sweet cleaning up after that pig” he said kissing me on the cheek

“I love to clean helps my mind clear” I said to him

“Oh look at that flower” he said pointing behind me

I quickly turned around, and saw a beautiful pink flower hanging off of a vine on someone’s fence.

“Oh that’s so pretty” I said grabbing it and looking at it

“Take it” he said

“No it’ll die by the time we get home” I said frowning a little bit

“But it’ll be a memory” he said

“Yeah, but it looks so pretty right now” I said back to him

He was looking into my eyes, when all of sudden it started to poor on us

“WHAT THE FUCK” we both screamed and started to laugh

“Since fucking when was it supposed to rain” he said grabbing my hand as we started to jog back to the house

We were laughing, and running back to the house trying not to slip or step into any big puddles on the way back

When we got back to the house we were drenched, and cold, and laughing about how bizarre this situation was

We had taken our shoes off at the door, and started to walk up the steps. When we got to the top I slipped and fell to my knees

“OH MY GOD” Matt said laughing so hard, and trying to help me up, but we were laughing too hard we couldn't even focus on each other

“Oh my fucking god” I said holding my stomach and laughing

“Get up” he said doubled over laughing and holding his stomach

“I’m trying” I said as I was trying to get up, and all that we kept hearing was my wet feet squeaking on the floor trying to get up

“I CANT FUCKING BREATHE YOU SOUND LIKE A SQUEAKY TOY” Matt said trying to help me up, but we literally could not get it together

Finally we calmed down, and I got up holding onto Matt as we kept laughing and walking to his room

“Oh god. My knees are going to be tore up tomorrow” I said walking into his room

“It’s okay I’ll put some ointment on them for you” he said shutting his door

“I’m colddddddd” I said shaking my body

“Want to take a warm shower with me?” He asked stripping himself of his wet hoodie

“Ouuu yes that sounds nice” I said also taking off my wet hoodie

We had stripped ourselves of our clothes and left them in a wet pile in his room, and then walked to his bathroom

He got the hot water started, and we both got in

“This feels great” I said letting the hot water hit my back

“It really does” he said also letting the water hit him

We showered together talking and laughing about how funny my fall was, and that he wish he had it recorded

I had finished washing my face when I turned to Matt, and we already looking at me

“You’re so beautiful” he said looking down at my lips

“Thank you baby” I said wiping the water out of my eyes

“Kiss me” he said before pulling me in by my waist

I smashed my lips against his as I ran my fingers through his wet hair

“How does shower sex sound to you?” He asked pulling away from me

“It sounds hot” I said kissing his neck

Matt continued to kiss me, and went down to my neck peppering little love bites here and there.

I sighed at this

“I love you so much Matt. You treat me so well” I said

“I love you more baby” he said coming back up to kiss my lips

“I would get down and suck your dick, but my knees are already hurting from falling” I said, and we both started to giggle thinking back to the fall I had

“Don’t worry baby. I wanna pleasure you” he said laughing a little bit

“I’m ready Matt” I said to him kissing him one last time

Matt had pushed me back against the shower wall allowing the cool tiles to kiss my warm skin. He grabbed my leg lifting it up slightly and with his other hand guided his dick to my entrance.

Slowly he started to slide into me. And then completely bottoming out

“Fuck” I said throwing my head back a little bit

“Shit baby” he said looking at me

Matt started to slowly thrust into me. Making sure we both don’t fall this time. He was kissing my neck as he thrusted deeper and deeper

“Shit matt this feels so good” I said starting to get wobbly in the knees

“I know baby” he said putting one hand on the shower wall next to my head, and the other wrapped around my waist to keep me close

Matt kept fucking into me as a delicious pace, allowing me to feel every inch of him. This felt amazing, and I needed this so badly. He was keeping my mind off of all my worries by fucking me in the best way

“Shit Matt I think I’m gonna cum” I said pulling at his hair in the back of his head

“Me too baby, me too” he said still thrusting into me

“Fuck Matt” I moaned one last time before cumming on his dick. My legs shaking, and my upper body convulsing

He allowed me to come down from my high to catch my breath before pulling out of me

Matt started to jerk himself off before moaning my name and cumming into his hand.

He started to come down from his high, trying to catch his breath before cleaning himself off one last time, and I did the same

“Thank you baby that was amazing” I said kissing his back as he cleaned himself up

“Always for my pretty girl. I’m always here for you to help you take your mind off of anything” he said turning around and kissing me

We both hopped out of the shower and got dressed in his room. Changing into some warm clothes, and then putting our wet clothes to wash

“Wanna watch The Notebook” I asked him laying in his bed

“I’ve never seen it. I’m down” he said after shutting his door, and coming to lay with me

I put the movie on, and we snuggled into each other while watching. Eventually we fell asleep….in each others arms watching a romance movie…..oh how cliché

The End

I’m powering through these requests🤞🏽, and hope you guys enjoyed this one. And for the person that requested this I hope you liked it as well lmk!!!!❤️

-J💅🏽

[azrielbrainrot]

The Devil I Revel In - Part II

Pairing: Demon!Azriel x Priestess!Reader

Description: You thought it would be harder to come to terms with your near death experience, but the one thing that wouldn't escape your mind was the demon who saved you.

Warnings: none

Word Count: 3992

Notes: This was supposed to be a bit darker but I crave fluff. With the ideas I have it will get darker eventually though. Also I hope Az isn't too ooc but since it's an au he has to be a little.

Part I

The weeks after your encounter with the demon were spent in a limbo-like state. Some days it feels like you actually dreamed the whole thing up. Your ankle doesn't even have a scar after almost being cut off in the trap. There's nothing left of that day but your memories, memories that go against everything you ever thought you knew.

Not only did a demon help you but he also showed you the wards never protected you from demons like you had been taught your whole life. You didn't know what to believe anymore. It felt like your whole life changed but, at the same time, you were stuck in the exact same place.

When it was time for your next monthly visit, the ground was covered in ice and snow, making it impossible to make the journey. This usually happened in the last month of the year, you were used to it, but, for some reason, this time you insisted with the priestesses to let you go anyway. Of course they didn't let you and almost punished you for being so persistent. They reminded you of your place in the temple and gave you a few extra chores.

It was after this incident, while you were washing clothes outside and your hands trembled horribly because of the cold, that you remembered you were just playing a role. You remembered how many times you got in trouble when you were young simply for asking questions or wanting to play. You remembered how, one day similar to today, where everyone else was getting ready for dinner and you were left with extra chores that were too hard on your body, you had chosen to go along with everyone else so you could at least have some peace of mind. You had almost lost yourself in this role, and maybe coming so close to death had reawakened you.

During the next month, you found yourself not paying much attention to the prayers for peace and safety, only asking that no more snow fell when it was time to go into the forest. Even the prayers asking for forgiveness had stopped. You didn't feel guilty anymore about hiding the truth of the wards from everyone. The demon was right, there had never been an attack by a demon despite the wards not working on them and they wouldn't have listened to you, they never do.

You hadn't realized he specified that demons were the only creatures able to pass through the wards until a few days later. This meant the wards still protected you from other monsters and that demons just didn't choose to attack humans, at least in this area. Your whole life you had been told that demons were mindless creatures, who only craved death and destruction. You now knew this wasn't completely true. You weren't so naive to think that all demons were kind just because one helped you but just as there are good and bad humans, there must also be good and bad demons.

When it was finally time to go back to the forest, the sun was shining and the road was dry. You had never thanked the Gods so earnestly in your prayers before. You weren't sure if the good weather had anything to do with divine intervention but you thanked them anyway, yearning to get out of the suffocating walls of the temple that seemed to be closing in on you more and more each day.

You're not sure if it was your sense of justice or just a lack of self preservation that prompted you, but you decided to thank the demon properly after what he did. You would have died in a truly horrific way if he hadn't found you before the vampire that laid that trap. You don't know much about vampires, but you know they feed on blood and drain any living thing they can find. You would thank the demon on your knees for saving you from that fate if you had to.

Of course your judgment wasn't completely clouded after a singular act of kindness. Part of the reason you want to thank him is that you don't want to owe the demon anything. There was also some hope he would answer some of your questions about the wards, it seems like he's the only one you can trust now.

The walk to the forest is done in almost half the usual time. With no flowers or berries to pick, you have no moment to spare and if you wanted to catch the demon you'd have to be there at the same time as before. This might have also been the first time you had walked past the first row of trees without stopping to look around and enjoy the silence and freedom only the woods could provide. You briefly hesitate before praying to the wards, and then walk in the direction of the stream.

You stare at the mark on the last tree just as you had done the last time you were here. Curiosity had led you ahead before but today you can only call this stupidity. You had no way of knowing the demon would be there. You also had no way of knowing any vampires or other monsters wouldn't be there. Still, you start walking beyond the wards again.

With every step to the clearing you had met the demon at, you questioned your decision more and more. There was no saying the creature wouldn't kill you just because he didn't before. He wasn't exactly friendly either but you reckon you were just judging him by human standards. Who are you to say he wasn't nice amongst demons? Somehow that didn't sound right.

You walk over to the same bushes you had stepped into the trap, feeling your stomach revolting at your choices. You had almost died in this spot. Looking down at the stream that started it all, you see it's barely running, still half frozen from the cold winter. You didn't even get the chance to watch it last time since you were preoccupied with the demon in front of you but, after what happened because of it, you didn't feel too excited to see it anymore.

Walking back to the clearing, you find a tree somewhat hidden and sit against it. Even with the undercurrent of fear moving through your body, you feel much better here, in between the trees, than at the temple. You never understood why they kept the walls so high around the land if they already had magical wards protecting them, the white walls just made everything look more detached from the world. You don't know why they won't let you leave either.

You let out a sigh and close your eyes, breathing in the scent of the forest still slightly damp from the rain a few days ago. The sun wasn't quite warm enough but at least the wind was quiet. You wanted to sit under the sun, your body was getting cold now that you stopped moving, but that would probably make you an even easier target. You really hoped the demon would be around.

After a while you felt the forest go quiet, the same way it did all those weeks ago. You opened your eyes and looked around until you saw a pair of red eyes watching you. You'd like to say you were less scared this time but seeing the demon made your body freeze up. He was watching you from the bushes, half hidden in his shadows. You wondered at that moment if they were to completely cover him, would you even be able to see him.

Willing yourself to move, you sit up straighter and push your palms against the floor, standing up to meet the demon across the clearing. But he beats you to it, taking careful steps to you. His face was as unreadable as always but there was a look you know was of curiosity in his eyes, and you were proud of yourself for being the reason for it. Your heart calms a bit.

You get a better look at him today and notice he wore the same leathers. You hope the Gods won't punish you but you can't help but think how beautiful he is. His face looks perfectly carved, as if someone took their time making sure it was flawless, and the scarlet eyes shine strikingly against his skin. You thought the blood red eyes were scary the last time you saw him, but now you think they definitely suit him. In fact, as scary as the black leather, huge wings and the cold mask on his face make him look, they suit him extremely well.

“Didn't learn your lesson, priestess?” It's like he could read your thoughts and decided to remind you he was a demon after all. The way he managed to speak to you with a hint of condescension and amusement but somehow not give away anything on his face made your blood boil a little. However, as annoying as it might be, it gives you something to focus on other than your fear.

“I came here looking for you.” His head tilts a little to the side and the confusion is clear on his once expressionless face. You suppose it makes sense. You aren't entirely sure why you'd do such a thing either, but it's too late to back down now. “You helped me and I wanted to thank you. I would have been dead if it weren't for you.”

“I don't care about that,” his face went back to his usual mask which only seemed colder with the bluntness in his tone. You deflated slightly and even the demon must have realized how cruel those words sounded because he continued speaking, “It's too dangerous for you beyond the wards. You shouldn't come here just to do that.”

“You helped me and I like to thank people properly for it. Especially when they save my life.” You almost want to pat yourself on the back for being able to maintain eye contact and a steady voice after what he said before. You knew better than him how dangerous this was, you were the one at risk after all, but this was important to you, even if you weren't sure why it mattered so much.

He was studying you so intensely you could almost see his brain working. Did he think this was a trap or something? Walking beyond the wards was a bit weird but you didn't think it was the reason for such surprise. It wasn't the first time after all.

“Do demons not thank each other? Is that not a thing in your world or something?” You should have just taken his bland response and gone back the way you came from but, for some reason, you wanted to keep talking to the demon and to have him accept your gratitude.

“Of course we do.” He almost sounded defensive, like it was an obvious fact. You had never talked to a demon before, you're actually not completely sure you didn't actually die that day and are just dreaming all of this up and demons don't exactly have a good reputation, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to think they have different customs either.

“Then you don't need to look so surprised,” you try to sound nonchalant but you can barely speak louder than a whisper or stop fidgeting, you've never been so keenly aware of your every movement. Even knowing the demon might not kill you, he's still tremendously intimidating. And, well, still a demon. “It's just a thank you.”

“You're thanking a demon,” he reminds you, as if the red eyes and giant wings sprouting from his back weren't a dead giveaway. You cross your arms, trying to defend yourself from the cold as well as his inquisitive gaze. He was looking at you like he could figure out your darkest secrets if he stared long enough and you weren't sure if he wasn't capable of it.

“I know,” you offered, “It's not something I ever thought I'd do either. Believe me.” You had been questioning your own sanity before but having the demon do it too makes you turn a little defensive.

He eyes you for a few more moments and then one of the corners of his mouth quirks up almost seamlessly. It seems he found the answer he was looking for. The demon walked a little closer to you, you suspect to test the waters and see how you'd react. You try to tell your body not to tense up, too much at least, but you know he can still detect the fear and apprehension in your body language.

“Did you come all the way from the temple to thank me?” Now that he's closer you realize the top of your head barely reaches his chest. You have to look up at him almost the same way you'd have to look up at a tree.

“No, I come to the forest every month.” You didn't want him to think that you came all this way just for this but deep down you know that, if the temple let you go out whenever you wanted, you would have come here sooner just to talk to him. “I simply walked a little further to thank you.”

“The forest is dangerous for humans.” Maybe you can't blame him too much for thinking you're a reckless idiot given how you met but it's still annoying.

“That's why I stay inside the wards.” The look he gives you tells you what he's thinking immediately. “Last time was an exception. I heard the creek and wanted to see it,” your cheeks warm slightly as you explain it, embarrassed that you almost lost your life over something so trivial, “I'd never seen one before since I'm not allowed to leave the temple.”

“You're not allowed to leave at all?” You're starting to think his face only knows the usual blank expression or this look of confusion.

“No,” you tilt your head slightly, “I'm a priestess.” Demons definitely don't have those.

“A lot of priestesses can leave their temples if they wish to. Some don't even live there,” he tells you matter-of-factly, like he expected you to know this.

“And you're an expert on how human temples work?”

“It looks like I know more than you.” The fact that he wasn't even trying to be condescending as he said this almost makes you want to scream out in anger. He's just stating a fact. The sky is blue, the trees are green and you don't know anything outside of the temple walls.

“Before you left,” you hesitate for a second, not sure if you're ready for this conversation, “You said the wards didn't work on demons” He just nods once. You both saw him take you to the stones, inside the wards, with no issues so it was a pointless question really. “Can other monsters walk through them? Were the wards always made to only stop other creatures? Why would the Gods do that? As nasty as the other monsters are, demons are a lot more dangerous. That much I know.”

Everything you've been holding in for the past months is trying to come to the surface. It looks like he doesn't want to answer your questions though. He's just studying your face with that irritating look on his face again. Why would he be hesitating when you're the one who has so much to lose?

“You can't expect me to find out about all this and not have more questions.” You try to level your tone, reminding yourself that you're talking to a demon you barely know and that it's not really his fault you don't know anything about this world. “It's not like I'm going to tell anyone, and if I did they'd just kill me and solve the problem for you anyway.”

He doesn't start speaking immediately, letting his shadows move over him until one hovered over his ear. It almost looks like it's talking to him, you wonder if that is even possible but you have no idea how magic works, you've seen him disappear in one place and show up in the other in a matter of seconds after all.

“Some things are better left unknown.” You can't help the glare on your face, but it seems like he doesn't pay it any mind as he continues, “Don't bite off more than you can chew, little priestess.”

“Can you not call me that?” One thing the other priestesses were definitely right about is that demons can lure you to do things you never would otherwise. You've never been this annoyed in your life, if fear didn't ground you, you couldn't be held responsible for your actions. “I have a name.”

“Giving your name to a demon can be a very dangerous thing,” that terrifying, self-confident smirk was back, “Have they not taught you anything at your little temple?” They had. Giving your name to any creature, especially a demon, could mean letting them have power over you. No one truly knows what they could even do with it but you'd rather not find out. The thing is: you're almost certain this demon won't hurt you, name or no name.

“You've already crossed that line so it might be better for you to know.” Some of the amusement lingered on his face, not at the fact that you didn't know anything but because you wanted to know more, despite your teachings and his warnings. “Demons are the only creatures that can go through the wards, everything else wouldn't even be able to get near them. There probably wouldn't be any humans left if they could.” You had been right then. But this is just leaving you with more questions. “The wards were always only meant to protect the humans from less powerful monsters. As to why… The Gods didn't create those wards.”

“That's impossible. No human could take those stones and carve them out like that.” Not to mention the magic needed to actually create the wards around them.

“I didn't say it was a human.” You search his face. He can't be implying…

“What do you mean?” You ask knowing the answer but needing to hear it from his mouth.

“This happened a long time ago so there's not much information left but it seems like a human king managed to strike a bargain with a very powerful demon a long time ago. Bargains are unbreakable after they're accepted. The human asked for the demon to protect them from the monsters and the demon became the first demon lord possibly through making them.”

“Were the Gods even real?” You didn't know what to believe or think at this point. Every word that comes out of the demon's mouth chips a little more at your reality. If you choose to believe the demon then nothing you were ever told is true. The worst part is it's not a choice. You know the demon is not lying.

“Yes. Some might even still be alive but even demons don't know much about them. They lived before us. It is thought that They helped humans a long time ago, some even say They were the ones who taught the human king to make the bargain.”

You stay quiet for a while, trying to digest all this new information. The temple was built to honor The Gods who created the wards, who protect the humans from these vicious creatures. Were all the prayers even worth it? Was living inside those walls to honor them worth it? Have you been wasting your life this whole time?

From what he told you there might not even be any Gods left. You never thought death was possible for them. Even if They are out there… It was a demon that created the wards, despite being at the king's order and with possible ulterior motives, the first demon lord was the one who created the wards protecting you. Should the temples be in honor of him instead? That's almost laughable. The thing keeping you safe was created by someone who probably wouldn't think twice about eradicating your entire race. Or maybe he wouldn't. The demon said it was because of a bargain, whatever that means, but the demon lord couldn't have been too opposed to it.

Could the Elders at the temple know about this? They have rooms full of ancient books and are revered for their knowledge. And if they do… What else could they be lying to you about? Gods, you don't know what to think anymore. Your brain feels like it's going to melt.

“Shouldn't you be going back to the temple by now?” The demon looked like he wasn't sure what to do with you, this is probably the first time he's had to deal with a human having a severe mental breakdown.

You look to the sky, seeing how much darker it already was. It seems you were lost in your thoughts for a long time, you had even sat back down against the tree without noticing. Looking up at him, you try to use his presence to ground you into the moment, like an anchor against your flowing thoughts. If you don't show up at the temple soon the priestesses will have questions, they were already suspicious after the last time.

“Can you take me like you did the last time?” Walking back all the way is out of question. You would never make it back before nightfall.

“Already asking me for favors? Those come at a price where I come from.” The expression on his face is less taunting and more teasing now, and, if you weren't already having trouble processing so much, you'd realize that the demon might be trying to make you feel better in his own way, if only so you stop shaking in front of him.

“Please,” you hate how soft your voice came out, it was just a hair short of begging, but you find, after finding out about all this, you're even more scared of what the temple could do if you were late. You keep talking, not wanting to sound so weak in front of such a powerful creature, “You said a dead priestess in the forest would only bring you trouble, right?”

The demon ends up agreeing with a lot less effort than you thought - it seems using this kind of magic is routine for him - and, faster than you could blink, you were covered in those mysterious shadows and back inside the wards, right at the tree line. He must have sensed your urgency to get back because he brought you even further than last time.

You turn to thank him again but he was already half covered in shadows, ready to leave you behind. For some reason you feel your heart twist at the thought.

“You're just going to leave?” You can't help but blurt out. The way he tilts his head a bit in confusion is the only sign you're given that he heard you at first but, after a few moments of staring at each other, he finally speaks up.

“We're here. You said you were late."

“You can at least warn me before leaving. A goodbye would be preferable,” you hike up your skirt and start walking backwards, “You need to work on your manners.” You give him what you hope is a teasing grin, though you can feel it lacks strength considering the state of your mind at the moment, and turn around, leaving him behind this time. You did, however, catch a glimpse of the small smile playing at his lips. You carried that smile with you all the way to the temple even through your racing thoughts.

[howtofightwrite]

What's gonna happen if someone gets shoot in the head? Will flesh and blood go all over the place, or will it be a small entry and exit, or will it be something else? Tryna write a zombie story rn and I'm not sure 😭

Usually, they die.

How much damage the head suffers will depend on what was fired. Specific cartridges result in different wound patterns, and if you have a forensic background, you may even be able to identify the bullet used based on the entrance and exit wound. Smaller handgun rounds are likely to result in less tissue disruption. Rifle rounds are more likely to cause serious structural damage, and shotgun shells (particularly buckshot) are likely to cause serious tissue disruption. But, there's another consideration, the more the decomposed the target, the more a round is likely to do. This one's honestly pretty hard to assess in generalities, because there are a lot of factors for decomposition.

This also leads into a far more difficult question, “what happens if you shoot a zombie in the head?” The answer might be, “nothing.”

So, there's two groups of zombies in popular fiction, and the answer to the above question hinges on which one you're examining. Zombies can either be infected with rabies or actual undead, and the latter are far more uncommon in modern pop culture.

A lot of popular zombies are, technically, alive, but cognitively functioning on a more animal level. In many cases, their symptoms are fairly similar to a sever rabies infection (though, the 28 Days Later series is one of the rare cases where the infection is, explicitly, a variant of rabies.) This also includes cases where the infection is from a parasite (many of the later Resident Evil games and of course The Last of Us are examples of this.) In these cases, destroying the brain stem (and, for that matter, destroying the brain) should be effective. The zombie is still propelled by using their nervous system. There's a bit of an exception in cases where the infection creates a second, parallel, nervous system in the victim, which can operate independently of the victim's original.

Living zombies became more popular in the 90s, and were extremely frequent in the mid-2000s. Most horror films that try to downplay the supernatural component, or look to play up the bio-hazardous nature of zombies, is likely to use some variant of these. (As mentioned earlier, a lot of these tend to behave like mutant strains of rabies. And, while it might sound like I'm being flippant here, rabies is a pretty terrifying virus.)

Living zombie apocalypses are, basically, impossible. There's the usual problem of asking how did the zombies actually get to critical mass? But even beyond that, eventually the infected would simply start dropping as their bodies decayed and the victims died. They'd still be a bio-hazard, but you wouldn't see waves of the undead pressing against the defenders' barricades.

If you want a much more detailed breakdown of the biology of various critters in pop culture (including a lot of zombies), Roanoke Gaming on YouTube is an excellent reference.

The other variety of zombie are far more rare in pop culture, and these are the actual revenants. Either they've been raised by some necromancer, or they're returning due to some other factor. Critically, these zombies are, truly, undead. Shooting them in the head might take it apart, but it's also quite likely that won't put them (back) down, as they're not actually using their original nervous system for anything meaningful. These kinds of zombies are far more threatening. In theory, things like extreme cold would cause further damage to these, but if the necromantic forces animating them don't care about the condition of the zombie, then having fingers or toes freeze off in cold weather, or setting them on fire, might not have the desired effects. You may need to resort to fully dismembering the corpses to get them to stop trying to kill you. (Note that these don't have to be, strictly, supernatural. The Dead Space series remains an excellent example of a non-magical zombie apocalypse of this variety, with some extremely “creative” uses of dead biomass.)

In the case of reanimated zombies, firearms are not a particularly great option for putting them down in general. The damage they inflict simply isn't relevant to destroying the undead. Firearms are designed to poke holes in people and get their body to spring a leak, but if something is already dead, that's probably not going to matter unless you're using the gun to deliver some other kind of payload.

-Starke

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[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

What’s up with the ties between Sally & Eddie?

There are quite a few - to the point where I’m starting to suspect that they may be foils, or at least inherently tied together in the story.

First let's bring things back to the clocks. The “day” side has an obvious resemblance to Sally, like how the “night” side resembles Eddie. There’s not really much I can say here since we don’t know much more yet, and who knows if this has changed behind the scenes. But just think about that, the rarity of the color purple, night vs day, and the “monster”. Keep it in your head, I think it may be important. 

Also the fact that Eddie is the only one with a watch, but Sally’s face has an incredibly similar face on her door.

Obviously Sally has some sort of beef with Eddie, despite him being nothing but friendly and (to our knowledge) being undeserving of it. One thought I entertained was “maybe Sally is dismissive of him because he’s a worker,” but that holds zero water when you consider how perfectly friendly Sally was with Howdy (karen Sally debunked <3). The second thought I had was “maybe Sally senses the queer in Eddie and it intimidates her” - which would make sense if Sally is a lesbian like I suspect. Internalized homophobia, anyone? This holds up if Eddie is going to turn out to be - not open about himself, but comfortable in his skin in a way that, say, Frank isn’t. Which I have a feeling that will be the case, which would likely make Sally put on airs even more so than usual. 

Anyone else seeing a continuous trend of (social) masks and performances unfolding in the Neighborhood? I sure am.

But let’s talk about why I think they might be foils. They balance each other out in an interesting way, despite their only solid similarity being that Both will work/perform no matter the weather. They have a lot of closely related differences:

Eddie has been mentioned (and implied within the story so far) to have a deeper well of knowledge than he lets on, but acts humble about it. Sally has been mentioned (and implied) to know less than she portrays, but acts like a bit of a know-it-all - she pretends to know things that she doesn’t. 

Eddie’s role is about helping others at his own expense, while Sally’s is using others to reach fame. 

Eddie strives to connect with his Neighbors and is all about accuracy/precision. Sally is in her own little world and has proved to be more than willing to improvise / not think things through before acting.

Eddie is slow to anger, and Sally is easily irritated. 

Selfless vs Selfish.

Night vs Day. 

And to put them in the Johari Window - i believe that Sally resides in the Blind Spot (known to others, not known to self), and Eddie resides in either the Facade (not known to others, known to self) OR the Unknown (not known to others, not known to self). Personally I’m starting to believe that Eddie may reside in both. 

It’s far too early to draw any real conclusions, and theorizing on all of this is difficult. I feel as though - as usual - we have puzzle pieces but no frame of reference for the way they fit together, what picture they build. And who knows, tomorrow’s update may shred this to ribbons, but I doubt it. 

One thought I had was that they’re in cahoots about something - it doesn’t have to be something malicious or some sort of secret plot, it could simply be something they both know and are trying to keep quiet about. Eddie is trying to connect with Sally since they have this in common, but Sally is actively putting distance between them to preserve their secret / plausible deniability. Do I actually believe this? Meh. I’m just throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.

So current base thoughts: Sally is dismissive of Eddie either because he intimidates/scares her on an internalized level, or she’s actively trying to put distance between them for a currently unknown reason. There’s probably a secret third option I haven’t even considered!

[anyzstuff]

ONESHOT LOREDUMP, HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD

One of the things I love and hate Oneshot for, is how small our knowledge about it's world actually is, and how much place for discussion and speculation we have. Which is why I also look forward to The Margin of the Strange (I'm gonna use MotS for short) so much.

I am not the first person to bring up the theory about MotS and Oneshot existing in one multiverse, like this one, which is the strongest evidence we have to back up this theory (for now)

From the official MotS site/steam page description :

I am saying "for now" since we can't know for sure, and since MotS community has found an ARG on the official site. (Shout out to Margin of Error on YT) And though I do not know if it's been solved, this may give us more lore info and maybe some signs that it IS a part of the same multiverse the world of Oneshot takes place in, but it's now its just a speculation.

Tho if MotS WILL be a part of that multiverse it could give us an incredible amount of information we didn't happen to know about before regarding the Real world Oneshot originates from. Like for example why do worlds die? Is it a common event in the multiverse? How does the process of the world dying looks like and is it similar for all of the worlds? Is there any kind of system of balance, where if one world dies, the other ones can be affected by it as well, like some kind of a domino effect? What's the space BETWEEN the worlds? Void? Right now we cannot answer any of these, and it would be really nice if MotS could maybe give us at least some information about it, since from what we can see, in Ling's world the whole topic of researching about another worlds and the multiverse itself is a much larger and more important part of the game then it was in Oneshot, where we pretty much saw nothing except Author's notes, George and some info the solstice trio gave us.

These are just the topics i would've loved the fandom to talk about more. As if for my own thoughts: the process of the world dying is probably a common thing in the multiverse (at least i would think so, that's more of a headcanon since we don't have anything on this topic AT ALL). But it's genuinely scary to think about how the dying world looks like. I would speculate that it's pretty much a cold weather that gets even colder as the time goes on (since the sun is dead), lack of clouds or snow(for the same reason) and lack of food like fruits, vegetables or plants in general, if they weren't able to adapt to cold temperatures and dry air (which I'm sure most plants wouldn't adapt to). That's just something i imagine when i think of the process of the real world dying based of of information we're given. We can also see that a lot of Oneshot characters who we see outside DO wear warm clothes, scarfs, coats, ect. (Lamplighter, Cedric or even Niko themselves) Or have feathers/fur can help to warm up (yeah I'm talking abt glenfolks and Rue). Even Author himself is seen wearing a warm jacket, scarf and a hat in every official art we've seen. But this all can be explained as just design elements and not actually mean anything, but it's still a funny thing I've noticed.

CEDRIC

OHHHHH THIS IS THE SECOND HUGE PART OF THE POST. BECAUSE I HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THIS GUY.

Despite the fandom pretty much pushing this character aside compared to the rest of the Solstice trio, which upsets me a lot not only because I've had a literal hyperfixation on this guy for nearly 8 months, but also because he's literally one of the most interesting characters in the whole game. He's literally THE SON OF THE AUTHOR, ONE OF THE CHARACTERS THAT WE DON'T KNOW SH- ABOUT. THE CREATOR OF THE TWM. GUYS, I MEAN-

We also do NOT know about his origin, but I am personally heavily leaning towards the "Cedric is a robot" theory, not only because of one dialogue that we all know about (the one where Cedric and Rue answer Niko's question abot how it is to be a robot), and that one tweet Night made that "Cedric technically counts" while talking about cute anime tobot boys, but also because of the lack of his mother-

Okay-okay, I know it sounds weird, BUT. We literally have ZERO mentions of Cedric's hypothetical mother/Author's wife, which I highly doubt could've been a case if she DID exsist at all, because of how Cedric refers to The Author a lot, and because of the fact that i think that if Cedric's mom DID exist, Author would've tried to save her in the simulation, or at least would've mentioned her at least once in any of his notes, even if she was dead. So this all makes me think that Cedric did NOT have a mom at all, and has.

Also, as we know, Cedric is pretty fckn young, not much older then Proto, which mean that the world was already decaying by the time Ced came to life (born or made, I'll use the word made since I'm assuming he's a robot). This makes me ask a question: Why was he made? Author couldn't just waste time on something like this while he was working on TWM and trying to save the dying world? So that makes me think that Cedric, just like Proto, was made with a purpose. We do now what it is, maybe it's operating the flying machine, maybe Author already made a backup plan that later became the solstice route, or maybe Author created Cedric as someone who would in the the future continue his own research on the multiverse in the simulation. We don't know.

But here's a problem with this theory: we clearly have a picture of Cedric, where he's seen as a child.

(official art by Nightmargin, based on a sprite we see in game)

This. This can either be explained as Cedric having two or three different versions of the body (kinda like Proto being the first design for Prophet bot), but adjusted to imitate him "growing up" OR an indicator of Cedric not being a robot/not completely being a robot. Sadly we do not have any information to back up either the first or the second theory. Tho I saw a third one about Cedric dying at some point in live and being revived as a robot, this is a pure speculation since again, lack of information, tho there was a mention of Cedric previously crashing into a wall on a flying machine and in my mind, i have no idea how the hell did he survive, if he didn't jump off in time (and we know he has a parachute lmao). Tho i also do not know when it could even happen. Maybe in the real world or the previous iterations of The World Machine.

Cedric truly fascinates me as a character. We know so little about him and his and his siblings past life. He seems to have such a traumatic and heavy past, he's a literal TEEN who's a part of a master plan and one of the few on who's shoulder there's a literal fate of the digital remainings of his homeworld and his own life. His father just DISAPPEARED and we still have no idea where and how Author is, in what state he is. A ghost? A spirit? A God just like us? Or is he in the Void somewhere and that's why he can't see what ACTUALLY happens in the world, tho he can feel what's happening? Or maybe he's in the core of The World Machine, since it needs a living soul inside of it to operate? So many questions, so many theories, yet they're pretty much left out in the fandom.

I fckn love Oneshot and i can talk about it for hours. If i missed something or you have something to say - be free to reblog, it's an open conversation and I am more then happy to read y'all's thought and opinions.

[sweetbillwriting]

The Blackened Branches

ONE

Description: Hayden and Eric have a long history together but also secrets, hidden under blackened branches.

Characters: AU Eric from The Crow played by Bill Skarsgård. The story is completely its own thing.

Warnings: 18+, NSFW, heavy themes.

Notes: A new Eric story! I missed him at once. 🖤 Once again, thank you @b-afterhours!

We had a big oak next to our house when I was little. It stood alone on a field by our street before the forest spread out behind it. When I was really young, it had been healthy, big, and green, but through the years, it had dried up and stood like a skeleton left behind. There was an oak I had collected acorns by, and given to my mother, but when it died, so did my childlike interests for the tree, until I met Eric.

I was eleven when we met; he was thirteen, but he had a way about him that made him seem younger. I was on my way from school when I saw a boy sitting on a branch at the top of the dead oak. He wore just shorts and a big shirt, and his feet were bare. It was way too cold at the end of October to be dressed like that, so I stared at him a bit too long. When he looked at me, I lowered my eyes and took longer strides to my house. I could feel his eyes on me, but more than that didn't happen. I worried he would say something right then and there, but later, while sitting by the TV with my parents and older brother, I felt disappointed. Nothing exciting ever happened to me, and seeing a weird boy barefoot in a dead tree was the most exciting thing that had happened to me. I wish he had said something, just something that I could have answered cool and relaxed on, but something like that didn't happen to me; I just continued life like someone had perfected it to a predictable psalm.

“Did you see that boy running through the neighborhood today?” asked my mom to my dad which made him tear away his eyes from the TV. My brother, Illowa, and I did the same, but he was annoyed that they spoke over the TV, while I wanted to hear if it was the same boy I've seen.

“Yeah, I tried to catch up with him with the car to see if everything was alright, but he was too fast! Just ran through The Gray’s yard!”

My mom nodded with big eyes.

“Ida thinks he's a burglar. They just get younger and younger, you know.” My mom looked worried for our sake, but my dad had another sort of worried expression.

“Poor kid. The next time we see him, we should see if he's hungry or something. He ran out in his underwear in this weather!”

I looked out through the window; the sky cried big tears, but slowly, like it was sorrowing something in silence.

My mom looked unsure but then sighed. They had a silent agreement they would be good to people and teach us kids to treat people in need with respect.

“You're right. We should.”

I sat confused because I didn't really understand why Ida believed a small boy was a thief, and I couldn't understand why a kid would be running outside in his underwear. I was too privileged and too ignorant to have learned that.

“Hayden, have you seen the boy? He seems to be your age?” asked my dad.

I didn't know why, but I shook my head and looked towards the TV. It wasn't anything private, and what I've seen wasn't worth much; still, something stopped me from talking about him.

×××

For a couple weeks I thought about the boy, looking for him without results. My dad had seen him one more time, dressed in a similar way. He had run away from him again much to my dad’s frustration. He said he wanted to help the boy, but I think he was also just as curious about his story as I was.

“Have you heard anything about a homeless boy at school? Maybe overheard some teachers talking?" Asked our dad, me, and my brother again when we sat together to eat dinner on a Friday night. I shook my head because I hadn't, but Illowa played with two pieces of cucumber on his plate. My dad looked at him intensely, and after a while, Illowa gave in.

“These are not my words, but I heard Frankie's mom talking with another woman, and they said, 'A white trash family had parked their trailer in the woods'. It's not my words!”

My brother could say some bad things when he was with his friends, but he would never do it in front of our parents; he would be grounded, so it was obvious he told the truth. My parents looked at each other a bit uncomfortably, especially when I asked what “white trash” meant.

“It's a bad word; don't say that,” said my mom and stood up, starting to put away the dinner without asking us if we were done. My dad scratched his beard while looking out from the window.

“What people say about a family in need says more about them than the family... If you see that boy again, I want you to invite him to our home. He's a child; he should be taken care of by all grownups surrounding him.”

That was how Eric suddenly stood in our hallway. Illowa had seen him by the tree and invited him into our home, even if he thought the boy was just dirty and weirdly silent. He stood in just orange plaid boxers and a big gray t-shirt, his dark blonde hair messy, and he had dirt from his feet up to his knees. My dad looked at the poor boy with a genuine smile and scratched his beard. He, on the other hand, just gazed down at the ground. Illowa had taken some steps away from him, and his facial expression told me the boy probably smelled.

“What's your name?” My dad tried, but the boy still didn't even look at him. Instead, he looked towards the kitchen, maybe as a hint to why he was there. My dad tried again to ask for his name, but it made him just back away towards the door. I could see in my dad's face that he felt panic, and instead of pressuring for a name, he made a nod towards the kitchen.

“Are you hungry?”

The boy looked at him with big eyes. I think we all inhaled deeply in that moment. His eyes were big like a doll’s and his lips were full like a cherub's. He was beautiful and it made his ragged clothes and smell even more like a punch in the face. The contrast was too big. When I took a deep breath I could smell the sour odor from him. He smelled like old trash but also cheap tobacco smoke that had stuck on his skin and been there for ages.

“Are you hungry?” Asked my dad again and moved to the kitchen doorway. Finally, the boy nodded and slowly approached my dad, like a frightened animal. Both me and Illowa swallowed hard. He might be much smaller than our father, but we didn't know what he could do.

Our kitchen must have made him nervous because he backed out when he met the bright white walls and the colorful art. My parents saw themselves as bohemians, but it was obvious they had a bit too much money to really be bohemians, and my mom seemed to have lost a bit of the interest with age. She wanted a secure life.

“Come in, it's okay,” said my dad to the boy, and carefully he walked in again while playing with his t-shirt. Dad opened the fridge and looked around.

“I can make you a sandwich? We have some left overs from the chicken yester-”

“Oh man..!” Scoffed, my brother disappointed. My dad shot him an angry look, and he quieted down, but I could see his disappointment in his face.

My dad coaxed the boy to one of our turquoise chairs and fixed him a meaty sandwich. All of us watched the boy eat, but he didn't seem to care; he took big chunks of the sandwich but chewed slowly and well. My dad sat down opposite of him by the table, but me and Illowa continued to look at him from afar.

“You live in the forest?” Asked my dad, gaining the boy's attention. The food in his stomach and the hospitality had probably made him trust us a bit more, and he nodded a bit.

“What's your name?”

The boy turned uncomfortably on the chair but then looked up at my dad's kind eyes.

“Eric.”

My dad smiled at him and then sat silent until the boy had finished his sandwich.

“Do you want to take a shower?”

Eric looked down at his dirty fingernails and then concealed them in his fists. He looked embarrassed. He gave Illowa a fast look. He had, like many other boys in their early teens, overstyled hair, a crystal earring, and a pricy hoodie. Eric stood up awkwardly.

“Thank you,” he said with a broken voice, in the same instance he ran towards the door. It was obvious he was afraid my dad would catch him, and he ran for his life. My dad looked really upset, and both me and Illowa looked at him worriedly. I knew Illowa wanted to comment on Eric's smell—that he just wore boxers or that he had legs like sticks—but my dad would have been angry then.

“I hope you see how privileged we are to live like this. There’s many children out there living like Eric.” My dad looked at us seriously, and for a moment I had guilt towards Eric. It was also then that I decided to do everything in my power to take care of him.

×××

The forest by our street was small and didn't stretch out more than a half mile to another street on the opposite side. It was a middle class area where the kids could play in the forest in safety, but it changed that day when two older teens had heard gunshots from the forest. What it was about was never solved, but from that day on, the forest became a place the parents of the neighborhood warned the kids about.

I was five when it happened, so my whole childhood I saw the forest as frightening. In my imagination, there were murderers and thieves living there, and the trees stood so close together it would feel like walls going by them.

I was in the forest with my dad a few times, but I pretended to be uninterested because, in reality, I felt anxious being in there. My father believed me and didn't try many more times to take me there after. The oak was enough for me. It felt like it was the entrance to the woods but was still standing on safe ground. There I could daydream about adventures in the woods without needing to visit it. When I was eleven, those childish thoughts started to die, but instead Eric came out from the woods, just as mysterious as my daydreams had been.

I had decided to find him again, this time without my intrusive dad or my judgmental brother. It felt like I could handle Eric better than they could, especially because we were probably the same age too. After a week with no luck in finding him, I started to think about actually visiting the forest. A Saturday morning, before my parents had gone up, I walked towards the tree. The crows lifted from the branches when I came close and made black silhouettes against the white sky. It looked dramatic and sad, and when I lowered my gaze, I could see Eric standing by the tree looking at the same image as me. He looked just as sad and pale as the sky did, and even if he wasn’t crying, I got the urge to comfort him.

“Hey,” I said carefully. I still was quite far from him, but it felt like he would run if I just walked up to him with determined steps. Eric looked at me, his green eyes standing out in the gray weather.

“Hey,” he said with an exhalation, like he had given up. Maybe he knew I had been looking for him. I looked at him up and down. His legs and left arm were badly bruised, and his knees had dirty, bloody wounds.

“Have you fallen?” I asked, gazing at his knees. Eric peered down at them too and nodded. He looked embarrassed, maybe because I was a girl.

“In the woods?”

Eric nodded again and leaned down, trying to wipe away some of the dirt, but it just smeared in the thick blood.

“I can help you clean it if you want to?”

He looked up at me but didn't say anything. I would probably need to be the one out of us to talk, but it didn't faze me; he was probably just shy.

“I can get some stuff? Like things I can clean the wounds with?” I pointed to my house, and Eric looked towards my house too but then lowered his eyes again. I stood a moment hesitating if I should go back or if I should stay but realized I wouldn't be able to stop him from running either way.

“I’ll get some stuff!” I said and started to run home, leaving him by the tree.

I ignored that it smelled like coffee in the house; I ignored that the morning news was on in the living room; I even ignored my dad when he called after me. I grabbed everything I could imagine you’d need to have to take care of his wounds from the bathroom, and I even filled up my water bottle from soccer practice with water, then I was out of the door. It took me maybe three minutes all of it, but still I expected Eric to have left, but he sat under the tree looking at his wounds like he just realized they were there. I sat down next to him even if I could smell smoke and dirt from his skin. I couldn't imagine what could make a person smell like that but did everything in my power to not react to it.

“Ehm… We must start with cleaning it with water first…” I said carefully. It was hard to find the words I wanted to say because Eric looked at me with such big puppy eyes I had to focus on not drowning in them.

“Okay,” he answered and stretched out his legs. I cleaned his wounds with water and then a wound cleanser. I prepared him for pain, but I didn't get a reaction; Eric just looked at the wounds with the same empty gaze. I looked at him with warm cheeks when he finally smiled a little. From the things I've carried, he pulled out two bandaids with My Little Pony. My cheeks that had been pink turned beef red when I saw what he held up. I had bought them because I thought they were cute but then never used them because it felt too childish.

“They're old. I would never use them now. I'm too old for that!” I tried to laugh even if I felt panic in my chest.

“I want them,” he said with a sweet little smile. For a second I thought he was messing with me, but when I met his kind eyes, I knew he was serious.

“Yeah okay…” I said with a giggle and helped him put them on along with two other bandaids. I looked at my creation with mixed feelings. It looked like I'd tried to fix a crystal vase with tape. It was obvious Eric still was broken. He was dirty, bruised, and probably had even bigger wounds on the inside of his chest. We sat in silence for a longer time than it felt like while I looked at his knees; they looked too big for his skinny legs and stood out weirdly on the sides.

“What's your name?” He timidly asked and cleared his throat like it was the longest sentence he had spoken for a while.

“Hayden,” I said with a giggle and looked up at him with innocent fascination.

“How old are you?” I continued, my curiosity taking over.

“Thirteen,” he said and looked down. He looked a bit ashamed, and maybe he knew he was older than me and that boys like Illowa would make fun of him spending time with a younger girl, but I didn't really know; something also told me he wasn't the type to care what others thought.

“I'm eleven. I'm twelve in March. So soon, twelve!” I said and tried to sound confident. Eric gave me a strange look but nodded a little.

“So like, I'm not that young!” I laughed uncertainly and shrugged my shoulders embarrassed. The more I looked at Eric, the more I felt my cheeks heat. He was painfully cute but also had a blank look that made it feel like everything I said was silly.

I took a deep breath and sat up a bit. I had forgotten about the smell from Eric's skin, but when he also fixed his position, I could sense the sour smell again.

“Do you live in the forest?” I asked after being reminded of the last time I had seen him. Eric waited to talk until he had found his words and licked his lips over and over.

“For now.”

“In a trailer?”

He nodded again and looked at the high trees stretching out opposite my street.

“For now,” he said again and nodded to himself.

“What school do you go to? Is it here close by? Maybe we-”

He interrupted me with a clearing of his throat.

“I work.”

I looked at him with furrowed brows in disbelief, and it must have made him upset in some way because he suddenly stood up on his gangly legs. I stood up too, mostly to be able to look at him. We were the same height even if he was two years older than me, the same age as Illowa.

“Thank you,” he said shortly and looked towards the forest. The fear of never seeing him again took over my body, and I stretched out my hand after his. He looked down at our hands with an unreadable expression but then up to my eyes with furrowed brows, like he didn't understand the act.

“Please don't leave. Ehm… My parents will go to work soon. Can't you come home with me? Please, I will not tell anyone. We can just hang out?”

“Hang out?” He asked, confused.

“Yeah. Maybe you're hungry?”

Eric looked down at his filthy feet. It was obvious it had affected him. He was hungry, and because of that, he had a hard time saying no. I knew that, and I used that to have him close.

×××

Illowa had taken the right as a teen and slept in that Saturday when my dad went to his job, a small music store in the city, and my mom as a healer, went to a bachelorette party. It was easy getting Eric into the house. I thought it would be a struggle to make him take a shower, but instead of me proposing it, he was the one to ask. I gave him a big white towel, steered him to my parents’ bathroom, and pointed out my dad's products so he didn't need to use my mom’s that smelled like lavender. I sat on my parents bed, watching cartoons and waiting for him. It was easier to let him shower there than in our family bathroom because that was just next to Illowa’s bedroom, and I didn't need the drama.

I thought about everything Eric had told me. He said he was working, but it didn't sound right that a thirteen-year-old worked, especially not looking like he did. What kind of work could he do dressed like that? I wondered if he had ever been to school. I had learned so much in school I wouldn't have known without it, and I felt a stomach ache when I thought about if he had learned those things. Did he know how to read? Could he do math? Did he know that earth spins around the sun?

I thought about what my dad had said—that me and Illowa were lucky for not having a life like Eric. He talked like he knew what kind of life Eric had, but I felt I knew nothing; I didn't understand a thing. Who even lived in a trailer?

While I sat in deep thoughts, Eric came out from the bathroom, dressed in my dad's big blue robe. It looked heavy on Eric's short, skinny frame, and he looked smaller when his wet hair hung around his face. I had given the robe to him to spare myself the awkwardness of seeing too much skin, but it was still an awkward moment, especially because I had recently started to see boys as interesting, especially in the ways they were different from me.

“You can stay here and watch TV while I fix some food? Then you don't need to meet Illowa. He can be a bit of a jerk.”

Eric nodded a little and sat down carefully, like he expected me to say no. He stretched out his skinny legs and gave me a small smile. It looked strained, like he wasn't used to moving those muscles, but I still smiled back and went to fix us some sandwiches and hot chocolate. I loved that hot chocolate could always make me feel better, so I hoped it would have the same effect on him.

I already felt I liked Eric, even if he had said so little. It was easy in that age for me to see people as friends, and he was now my friend without questions and friends you took care of. I would protect him now, even if I didn't know anything about him.

That's why the situation with my mom became so hard. I really thought I would be able to hide Eric, protect him from my nosy family, but I knew I had failed with that as soon as I heard my mom open the front door. I could hear in her movement that she was irritated; she stomped her feet, threw her bag to the side, while taking off her outerwear. I ran out to the hallway in panic and looked at her irritated face.

“They had given me the wrong day! I hope they don't do the same thing with the wedding to the priest! Christ!” She said, irritated, and pulled off her knitted cardigan. I looked towards the stairs, thinking of a way to make her move towards the living room instead of her bedroom, but I knew there wasn't a chance. She always walked to the bedroom to take off her jewelry—the first thing she did when she came home. With the years, her braided bracelets and crystals switched to diamonds and pearls, and because of that, they were also more important to take off in a secure place. 

“Are you okay, Hayden?” She asked and played a bit with my hair. I smiled and nodded even if it wasn't at all what I felt. I should have said something or done something, but I couldn't come up with anything other than pretending everything was fine. 

It felt like my mom walked in slow motion up the stairs, but after that everything went so fast. I followed her close behind, unable to stop what would happen, especially because I didn't know what could happen. She stopped in the doorway to the bedroom and didn't say anything; she just looked towards a point in the room. I sneaked up next to her, and even if I knew who I would see, I didn't know what I would see because there was Eric, back in his clothes, making a pocket of his shirt and stuffing it full of my mom's jewelry. Big green eyes looked at me in horror and shame.

××× 

Same green eyes looked at me, but without some of the boy's innocence. There was a darker color under them, small crow's feet in the corners, and a diamond tattoo under the left one. I could drown in those eyes forever. 

Eric laughed, and the crow's feet became deeper and his eyes closed. 

“Eriiic…!” I whined with a laugh. “I really thought you would win this!” 

He laid back against the white pillow, his long, tattooed body stretched out in the hotel bed with me half on top of him. 

“I'm serious, not angry! You're more angry than me!”

I looked at him with a smirk and shrugged my shoulders because it was true. Eric laughed again, then took a grip around my neck with one hand and pressed his lips against mine.

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