#or wind up way way sicker

[cravingcoldoreocake123]

Lacy | Lorenzo Berkshire

In which your best friend Lorenzo, whom you’re secretly in love with, introduces you to his new girlfriend Lacy during one of Theo’s parties. And jealousy fills your veins as you can’t love him in secret anymore.

TW: Fluff, best friends to lovers, no use of y/n.

I watch her throw her arms around his neck, pulling him even tighter as she looks me straight in the eyes. His hands snake around her frame, sliding them under her shirt, his fingers caressing her supple skin. He rests on the curve of her waist, nuzzling his head in her neck as she giggles, and I can’t help but imagine him holding me that way instead.

He lifts up his head, his eyes falling on mine. “Come! This is Lacy, my girlfriend that I’ve been telling you about.” Enzo says, snapping me back to reality. My body freezes watching him in her arms with the biggest smile on his face. I start feeling dizzy as I hesitantly walk over to them.

I stop in front of them, my heart physically aching at him calling her his girlfriend. “I’ve heard so much about you, it’s nice meeting you.” I smile, extending my hand towards her. Her sight lingers on it for a few seconds before making eye contact with me. “Lacy.” She says, her face not displaying any emotion whatsoever. She finally grabs my hand firmly, as I furrow my eyebrows at her reaction.

“I’ll just grab a drink, um… I’ll see you guys later.” I say retracting my hand, and I scurry off before Enzo gets the chance to speak again. He stares at my back in confusion, I felt sicker with each step I took. I take a few breaths, steadying my ragged breathing. It suddenly felt hot and uncomfortable, and I raise my hand to pat off the sweat collecting on my forehead.

I pick up the first glass of liquor I see, downing all of it in a second. The title “girlfriend” echoed in my head as I stared at their intertwined hands, her thumb caressed his soft skin. My grip unconsciously tightened around my cup. I look up to find him staring at me, with worry in his brown eyes, not listening to a word Lacy was telling him. My heart physically ached, it seemed as if my ribs crumbled down on it caging it, making it feel heavier. All my dreams and my silly scenarios of him suddenly went up in flames, turning into nothing but grey ashes and disappearing with the wind.

I couldn’t bear to look at them for just a second longer, so I grabbed my purse slinging it over my shoulder, heading straight for the doors. His eyes never left my back and his worry grew with each step I took. I didn’t know where I was going, Theo’s house was so vast and I was never around much to distinguish one room from another and remember all the entries and hallways. My sight blurred as tears gathered on my waterline, I walked faster down a dark hall passing numerous rooms, my steps being the only sound heard. I opened a random door, hoping no one would be on the other side.

I sniffled, wiping my nose on my sleeve. I sat on the ground resting my back on the bed. It was a big room with a pretty balcony, overlooking Theo’s beautiful garden, and the moon beamed down on me as I laid my head on my knees. I grew up with Enzo, I was there for him when he got stood up for the first time… he was there for my first heartbreak. We always had each other, we were the best of friends, but I wanted more. I wanted to be the one he comes back to at the end of the day, the one he brags about to his friends, I craved him to love me the way I loved him. But I couldn’t risk losing my best friend, he meant everything to me, he was all I knew. And so, I kept it to myself.

I pretended I was happy when he told me about his crushes, or the girl he had lost his virginity to, I mended my own heart after seeing the bouquets of flowers he got for his lovers, and I tried to outrun my love for him but I obviously couldn’t and there’s only so much a girl can take. Tears slid down my cheek as I remembered the way his arms caged her body so close to his that I’m sure they could feel each other’s heartbeats.

“What do you think?” He asked, giving me a little twirl. I chuckled, nodding. I rested my head on my palm, looking him up and down again and again admiring him. He looked so unbelievably good and my mind was racing with endless excuses to tell him to stop him from leaving. “You look amazing, Enz. Too good.” He turned to the mirror, fixing his hair. “So, is she pretty?” I asked curiously, my head tilting. He stopped and faced me, leaning his back on my vanity. “You’re still the prettiest girl I’ll ever lay my eyes on.” He said, smirking and pinning a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I instantly felt my cheeks heat up, and I lowered my head in embarrassment. I felt like a little high school girl, crushing on a boy for the first time. “Wish me bad luck.” He started walking to the door. “Good luck, you mean?” I chuckled. “No, wish it’ll go bad so that I’ll come running straight to you in no time.” He said, then quickly rushed to close the door before I could even think of an answer.

You bet your ass I prayed the whole time she’d be ugly or fall dead.

I lightly chuckled through my tears, remembering the memory. But it was short lived as the sound of the door cracking open pulled me back to reality. My hands tremble as they wipe the tear stains the rivers I was crying left on my cheeks, and I get up turning to the door. And there he stood, in all his glory. “What are you doing here? I looked for you everywhere-” He stopped as soon ah he saw my red puffy eyes, and the new batch of tears that sat delicately on my waterline. “What’s wrong, love?” His eyebrows pinched together in confusion, he walked closer to me extending his hand. “No. Don’t call me that, Lorenzo.” I said sternly, raising my own hand in front of me, and as much as I lived for him calling me love and all those other pet names, I simply wasn’t. I wasn’t his “love” or “darling” or whatever he called me, I was the girl that he grew up with, the one that loved him in secret.

His face paled and his mouth hung slightly open. “Since when do you not like me calling you love? And when have you ever called me Lorenzo? Are you okay?” He asked, confusion and worry laced with his shaky voice. “Since now. I’m not your love, Lorenzo. As much as I have dreamt and ached to be all these years, I’m still not!” I scream in frustration, letting my bag drop to the ground as I raised my hands to rub my teary eyes. “And you know what pains me even more, Lorenzo? The fact that she looks just like me. Her hair is the same length, our eyes are the same color, we dress the same and we’re the same height, we both even have bows in our hair but it’s not me, it should be me I want it to be me so, fucking bad but it’s not.” I sniffle.

My nails dig into my palms unconsciously, I couldn’t care less about how he thinks of me now or what I’ve ruined, my heart and my mouth both can’t hold it in anymore, it physically hurts to. “I don’t know who I hate more.. you or her. I don’t know if I hate her for having the privilege to hold your hand in public and show you off or you for choosing her.” Sweat forms on my forehead as I can’t think straight anymore, endless thoughts and words roam my head but I can’t seem to form a coherent sentence anymore. My hand clutches my chest, my heart was beating so fast I could’ve sworn it was going to break through my rib cage and rip my flesh open.

I look up to find his sweet eyes on mine, filled with an emotion I could not decipher yet. He sighs and cautiously walks over to me, he slowly raises his hands and rests them on my shoulders. I break eye contact for a short while, focusing my sight on the floor, trying to gather my thoughts and prepare myself before looking up at him again. The moonlight shone through the window and landed right on his face, and somehow he looked even more angelic. I scanned his features as mine softened, I almost forgot the reason we fought in the first place. Almost.

“Do you hate me now?” I genuinely asked, searching his eyes for an answer. His hands dropped from my shoulders and I mentally cursed at the lack of contact. He stayed quiet for a bit just looking at me, before sighing and speaking again. “I could never hate you, even if I tried.” He says. My face drops as I notice the tears welling up in his eyes. “Enz-” He quickly cut me off, shaking his head. “I’m sorry.” He slowly mutters, and I brace myself for the impact that is my rejection, and an even worse fall that’s losing him in every way possible, as my best friend, the person I loved most and the reason why I even pursued Hogwarts. “I’m sorry I wasn’t ballsy enough to admit it to you and I let all those years go by without loving you the way I wanted to, the way I dreamt I should.” My face scrunches in shock at his words and I stay silent. “I was scared. I didn’t want to lose you completely and I didn’t think you felt the same way about me, I thought having you as my best friend was better than not being with you at all.” He quietly says “I loathed being away from you and I feared by telling you how I felt I’d ruin our friendship.” I stay frozen as he delicately raises his shaky hand to cradle my cheek and caress it, I watch a tear make its way down his soft cheek, stopping at his chin. “I love you, and I always have.. not as my best friend. I’ve always tried to date girls that looked like you and I know it’s messed up but I wanted to be with you in any way, even if that meant pretending they were you.” He stops for a second to catch his breath, “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, my love. I didn’t know how much I hurt you, I love you with the fire of a million suns- I’m in love with you. I can’t think when you’re not near me, I don’t even think I can breathe properly when you aren’t.”

Adrenaline rushes through me as I look into his sparkling eyes, his hands still held my face. It takes a second for his words to fully register, my eyes wander from his own down to his trembling lip. He slowly inches closer to me, “I live to be in your presence, you might just be the only reason I breath-” I quickly cut him off, throwing my arms around his neck as our lips meet in an overdue kiss, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt truly alive until then.

His hand glides up from my lower back and tangles itself in my hair, deepening the kiss. I could feel my chest tightening from the lack of oxygen but I couldn’t stop, I was way past addicted. He suddenly pulls back to stare at my eyes, both our chests heaving up and down. His soft hands scramble to hold my face as he flashes me his sugary smile, caressing my cheek with his thumb. “I’m never letting you go.” He says while chuckling, I couldn’t help but feel euphoric in his arms, but there was one thing bothering me still. “What about Lacy?” I hesitantly ask, afraid of ruining the moment.

“I broke up with her before even coming up here, it’s you I want.” He says.

[jasmines-library]

Motion sickness

WHUMPTOBER DAY 3: prompt: ALT ‘motion sickness’

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

Summary: on they way to a hunt you get travel sick and your brothers take care of you.

Warnings: nausea, mentions of vomit, pills

Word count: 700

MASTERLIST ⋅⛤ WHUMPTOBER 24

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Dean sped down the country roads a little faster that he probably should have. While Baby was in good condition, she was still a rather old car. And a luxurious one at that. She was built for roads, not winding country lanes where the car is fenced in my hedges. As Dean turned another corner, your head swam. You had been feeling ill for the last 20 minutes or so. Your head had begun to ache and you could feel yourself beginning to grow nauseous. You had tried rolling down the window hoping that the fresh air would help a little. It did not. And every twist and turn just served to make you feel sicker and sicker. You had even tried closing your eyes and resting your head against the cool glass of the window, but that didn’t help either.

While Sam and Dean talked, you were quiet in the back of the car. Any movement made your head spin and you were too focused on trying not to spill your guts to join in on the conversation. The worst part was you had at least two or three hours of the journey left. Lucky you.

Noticing your unusual silence, Sam poked his head around from the passenger seat. His forehead creased when he noticed that you were looking a little pale and a look of discomfort on your face.

“You alright kiddo?” He asked. At this Dean glanced up into the rear view mirror to look at you.

“You’re quiet.” Dean added.

“Headache.” You just answered rather bluntly. In truth it was more than that. But you didn’t want to go into specifics.

“Feeling car sick again?” Sam asked you.

You hummed in response. You had gotten car sick ever since you were little. Sam rummaged around in the glove box and pulled out a bottle of water, passing it to you. You unscrewed the cap and tooo a sip, savouring the feeling of it. “Thank you.”

“You good?”

“Yeah.”

“You need us to pull over?”

“No.”

Pulling over would just add to the time and the headache and nausea would just come back after you set off again anyway.

“You sure.”

“Yes.”

Dean made a noise as if he disapproved. But he carried on driving. He hated the fact that you were feeling ill and ignoring it. “We’ll stop at the next gas station and get you something for it, alright sweetheart?”

You nodded, regretting it immediately. “Thank you”

It felt like forever had passed before you saw the gas station. Lucky the roads his since smoothed out by then, but your head was still pounding and every movement increased the risk of you throwing up. You were so relieved when you stepped out of the car, stretching out the ache in your bones. The three of you stepped into the gas station, welcoming the cool air of the air con before grabbing some snacks.

Dean haphazardly chucked a packet of beef jerky on the counter along with some chips and a couple of bottles of water. He had also filled the car up with gas. He then picked up a packet of painkilllers and paid for the load, taking the bag before all of you bundled back into the car. Taking a sip of the fresh water, you knocked back a couple of pills, hoping that that would help a little. After a quick snack break and arguing over the music Dean pressed his foot down on the gas an sped off down the road again.

It took a little while but eventually your nausea did calm down. The pills and the water worked wonders on your head and the smoother roads with far less potholes that made your head rattle around helped to ease your stomach. Now you just had to sit through another few hours of Dean’s singing. You weren’t sure what was worse.

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

<- DAY TWO ⛤ DAY FOUR ->

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TAGS:

@hearts4robs @kingshitonly @alicedawitchbish @hell-o-kittys @azure-drag0ness @harleycao @thewhispersofthewaves @batfamsstuff @xxrougefangxx @rosecentury @noisymutantherelol @killxz @rhiodes @inlovewhithafairytale @that-wannabe-vangoghgurl

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

[maliland]

RESENTMENT: PT. 2

"how could you lie?" part one angel(s): e-42 miles morales & black fem reader includes: angst, infidelity, homewrecking, depressing themes, & heartbreak (men being disappointments per usual) synopsis: you used to describe your experience with love as one of complexity and simplicity all at once, but after you learn what your boyfriend did at a party with another girl while you were at home and sick, your heart is left with irreparable damage and an abundance of resentment. wc: 6.7k divider by @/cafekitsune a/n: this is gonna be my last sv fic for a hot min (or forever) 😭 savor and enjoy. ik the tag has been dead and you all have been malnourished, so yw! <3 icl, idk how i feel about it but y'all can lmk 🫶 (p.s: before ppl start nothing non-pg ever happened in this fic at any point in time. just kissing. ion get down like that 👍 thanks.)

when you arise in the morning and before you lay your head to rest at night, one thing is always definite: you are human.

humans are imperfect, so they make mistakes. genuine ones. honest ones. you’ve mixed up salt and sugar while baking chocolate chip cookies. you’ve hit your best friend square in the face while trying to spike a volleyball. you’ve missed assignment deadlines, forgotten about chores, and left the grocery list at home, all honest mistakes. a boy pressing his lips to another girl’s, though he has another he calls his own, is not a mistake. if it were up to you, it’d be a crime punishable by execution. between miles and yourself, no mercy was shown for the loyal one of you two, so why should he be granted any? infidelity; the act itself is the murder of the most important, sacred muscle, so why not return the favor?

you know your intentions before you give into the temptation of them. you knew miles knew. he knew from the moment that girl pulled him over to a vacant bedroom. did he think they’d simply exchange pleasantries? even so, why partake in such with someone who clearly has a taste for you? a taste for insulting the one you love most just as easily as she breathed?

these are all questions that would never be answered truthfully. you’d have to make peace with the reality or the only peace you’d know was the eternal kind that followed after death. and to think that you once believed in those stupid children’s fairy tales. miles made you believe that that kind of love could be real life. he almost made you believe you could attain the happy ending you always dreamed about. you were so close to it too. to have your bubble burst like that by the person you love most..? cold. way colder than the shivers repeatedly sinking down your spine.

it was a stupid idea to leave your window open.

the medicine you had taken for your cold had you knocked out in the warmth of your bed and you slept soundly. the chilly air would blow through the curtains now and then. the wind was only a light breeze at first. it felt nice, maybe even comforting, but when night finally fell, the current picked up. you were woken up by an icy blast hitting your face.

you groaned and slowly rose up, pulling the covers off of you before you swung your legs off of the bed. you drowsily staggered to your window and forced it shut, drawing the curtains closed only seconds afterward. you would just have to hope the mishap wouldn’t make you any sicker than you already were. you mindlessly carried yourself back to your bed and submerged yourself under the covers. you grabbed your phone, which was lying face down beside you.

you unlocked your phone and went straight to instagram, tapping through everyone's stories. most of the people you knew were at the party. parties weren't your cup of tea, so you couldn't really say you wished you had gone. you were more of a homebody than you'd like to admit.

you eventually got to miles' story. all he had posted was a single picture of him and his group of friends, and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. seeing your boyfriend happy made you happy. you smiled to yourself before switching to your messages app. you had notifications from both miles and your friends who were also at the halloween party. you opened miles’ messages first.

9:37pm

miles: hey ma (9:37 pm) miles: i know you’re probably sleeping right now, but i wanted to lyk that i got here okay (9:37 pm) miles: i’m with my friends (9:38 pm) miles: ima go now but i love you 💗 i’ll text you soon (9:39 pm)

10:23 pm

miles: yooo just checking in 🙌 miss you a lot (9:36 pm) miles: hope you’re enjoying that nap ❤️❤️(9:37 pm)

you: hey i’m up now 😈😈 (10:52 pm) you: i saw your ig story 🙃 looks like you guys are having fun so i’ll leave you to it (10:52 pm) you: text me later, i love you so much more 💓 (10:53 pm)

you swiped out of your text thread with miles and opened your group chat with your three best friends, sasha, lani, and nae. while you met sasha and lani not too long ago, you’ve known nae for damn near your entire life.

dollz 💘 9:13pm

sasha: how’s my bedridden baby? 🫶🫶 (9:13 pm)

lani: she’s been unconscious for mad long 👎(9:14 pm)

nae: we should ditch this party n go to her place instead i’m BOREDDD (9:16 pm) nae: and what if bro’s dead (9:16 pm)

jana: girl (9:20 pm) jana: she ain’t dead 🤦‍♀️ please. (9:21 pm)

sasha: ofc not (9:23 pm) sasha: nae's right.. this party lowk boring asf🧍‍♀️ can we leave soon? (9:25 pm)

jana: yes 💋 (9:25 pm)

nae: thought you’d never ask. (9:26 pm)

10:57pm

you: y’all i’m up damn! 😭 (10:57 pm) you: is it really that boring? miles seems to be having fun (10:57 pm)

nae: he buggin then cuz it's been like two hours and this party is STILL boring as shit (11:01 pm) nae: i tried to give it the benefit of the doubt but nvm. (11:01 pm) nae: my niece's fourth birthday party was x100 more turnt than this (11:02 pm) nae: i’m stuffing all the good snacks in my purse nd then we outta this bitch 🏃‍♀️ i’ll be in the car y’all (11:02 pm)

jana: bruh🧍‍♀️ (11:03 pm)

sasha: nae beloved, you already put hella snacks in the passenger seat (11:03 pm) nae: so? 🥱 (11:04 pm) sasha: you don’t need no more tf 😭😭 big backed hungry ass (11:04 pm)

you: yes she does (11:10 pm) you: she’s thinking of me, duh (11:11 pm)

sasha: damn you right.. maybe 🤷‍♀️ (11:15 pm) sasha: or maybe she'll eat up all the snacks and i'll laugh in your face and say i told you so 🤌 (11:16 pm)

jana: uh huh... anw girl can we come over? (11:18 pm)

you: i’d say yes but miles is coming over soon (11:21 pm) you: y’all can come over first thing tmrw morning tho 💋💋(11:21 pm)

right as you sent that message, your phone began to ring and you were met with your own puzzled reflection on the screen of your phone. it was a facetime call from nae. you couldn’t come up with a reason why she’d ever need to facetime you from a party when she could text or call. nevertheless, you picked up. you forced yourself up and out of you warmth of your bed, throwing your comforter and many, many blankets off of you.

you answered the facetime call as you turned the knob to your bedroom door to leave, making your way downstairs to the kitchen so you could raid the pantry for food. when nae’s face popped up on your screen, you noticed that the interior of sasha’s car surrounded her, but neither sasha or lani were anywhere to be found.

“hey danae, what’s up?” you said into the phone as you shut the microwave. you'd settled on instant ramen since you were feeling lazy. when you caught a glimpse of your best friend's face on your phone screen a second time, you clocked that she looked worried and that made you worried too. it didn't help that she was dead silent. you raised an eyebrow. “you alone? where’s lani and sasha?"

“something happened,” nae spoke slowly, disregarding your question. her eyes were bolting back and forth between her phone camera and sasha’s car window.

“what?” you shook your head, your eyebrows furrowing in concern. you set your phone down on the counter, propping your elbows onto the surface while you tried to decipher nae's expression, but that got you nowhere.

“i’m gonna send you something. just hold on a sec.”

“nae, what’s going on?” you inquired, a puzzled expression painting your face.

she didn’t reply. you pressed your lips into a thin line and closed your eyes in both confusion and frustration, strings of air passing through your nostrils. whatever nae was about to tell you was obviously nothing good. you didn't anticipate anything but the absolute worst. you opened your eyes again when your phone dinged. it was photo attachment from nae. you furrowed your brows blinked a few times before tapping it, pulling up you and your best friend's text thread. your entire body went limp when your brain registered the monstrosity on your screen. all you could do in the moment was stare in shock. it was a clear shot of miles and arielle at the party making out in some random bedroom upstairs. arielle who wouldn’t quit making moves on miles. miles who would shut down her pathetic attempts every time. arielle who’s always hated your guts without reason. miles who swore on everything that you were the only one he loved. 

it was all so ironic, truly. arielle was dressed as an angel, a sparkly halo hovering above her head as if she wasn’t concomitantly sinning—shamelessly home-wrecking. and you could see it now: the embodiment of your relationship, or the so-called home you and your boyfriend shared. in your mind, it was ablaze and you were curled up all alone inside of it. you were left to succumb to the searing flames, burning to nothing ash while all that you and miles share burned beside you. 

the boy would come home to the walls still burning and in the process of self-purging. he wouldn’t find you, rather the remnants of what used to be you. the ash would slip through his dirty, unfaithful fingers as they trembled in horror. he wouldn’t be able to live with himself. he’d desperately try to grasp you. he’d try to save you and scoop debris into his sweaty palms so he could salvage what was left of you. still, there was nothing. there wasn't a single thing in the universe that could aid the way you felt in that moment.

now, miles would have to mourn you, for he killed you. and he didn’t even know it yet.

your eyes were squeezed shut because they had to be deceiving you. you must not be fully awake yet. the medicine must be making you hallucinate. you were dreaming. you were a hundred percent dreaming. that wasn’t miles. 

how could that be miles?

“i was looking for lani and found… them instead,” nae muttered. “i don’t know if he saw me take the picture, or what. i left to tell you right after.”

you swallowed hard. though a million different thoughts were racing through your mind, none of them came to be verbal. you couldn’t bring yourself to say anything, because what do you even say when something like this happens? would anything you said be enough? would any quantity of words in any given order be able you place the way you felt? unlikely. highly.

your eyes continue you gape at the photo, even though the sight was making your stomach churn. you couldn’t look away. your eyes were fixed on miles' hands on arielle's hips, then her hands cupping his cheeks. nae was still on facetime explaining whatever it was she was explaining, but you weren’t listening. her words were static to your ears. there was a pit in your stomach and it was growing deeper and deeper, your wounded heart subsiding along with it. you set your phone face down on the kitchen counter and began to clutch your stomach. you swore you were going to convulse and vomit from how ill you felt.

“[name]!” nae snapped her fingers into the mic. “yo, you still with me? i’m coming over. i’m gonna call an uber right now.”

you blinked and shook your head, flipping your phone back over and taking a deep breath. you couldn’t just shut down, not now. you had something you needed to confront. someone.

“no,” you sniffled. 

you didn’t even notice the hot tears rolling down your cheeks. you quickly swiped them away with the sleeve of miles’ hoodie. the realization that it was his hoodie you had on made you freeze up again for a few seconds, and then you buried your face in the palms of your hands.

“what do you mean ‘no?’” nae frowned, bringing the speaker up to her ear in case she heard you incorrectly.

your phone dinged three times. in your notification center were text messages from the devil himself.

miles: hey ma, i’m leaving now (11:25 pm) miles: the party was okay at first but it got boring (11:25 pm) miles: i’ll be there in like fifteen ❤️ (11:26 pm)

you just stared at the messages, biting your bottom lip until it began to draw blood as a plea for you to stop. the taste was metallic in your mouth, but your teeth didn’t budge. you didn't want miles over anymore, but it was far too late to tell him to turn around. it's not like he'd check his phone while he was driving, anyway.

“i keep losing you, girl."

you had forgotten all about nae for a second, her voice grounding you back to earth. you exhaled, your breath coming out unsteady. “miles is on his way over. after i talk to him, i’ll call you and you can come over then.”

“okay, babe,” nae nodded with a gentle sigh. 

“do… lani and sasha know?” “no, they don’t,” nae denied. “i wouldn’t tell them before you.” 

you pressed your lips together and silence engulfed your kitchen. you let your mind wander some more. after all this was over and done with, you'd have to explain to all of your loved ones that miles cheated on you. the very thought of having to tell everyone—your family, your friends, your dad—it embarrassed you. you couldn't stomach the very thought, so you exhaled deeply, opting to take it one step at a time. nae spoke again. “listen, if you don’t call or text me in, like, an hour, ima come over there.”

“okay," you nodded.

“remember that you deserve nothing but the best of the best. i love you so much, okay?”

“i know,” you tried to convene a smile. “i love you more.”

you hung up the phone and rid of any stray tears on your face. after nae's face vanished from your screen, you were left staring at you and your boyfriend's message thread. without putting much thought into it, you began to type.

‘cool, i’m jus—'

your fingers froze. you couldn’t text miles. he didn’t deserve anything so little as acknowledgment. you repeatedly hit backspace until the bar was blank and shut off your cell.

you sat idly on one of the kitchen stools behind the counter, your instant ramen long forgotten about. in the moment, you were feeling indifferent as a result of shock. still, you knew yourself better. when miles finally confessed his sins, you’d want to scream. you’d bombard him with a million questions at once, only to angrily invalidate any explanation that passed through his adulterous lips. you’d want to burn every handwritten love letter, every piece of clothing, and every gift, because they all meant nothing now.

he was a liar, and he knew it. if you could kill a man and face no consequences, miles might’ve been gone before he even walked through your door.

while you waited for him, you sat there and tortured yourself in thought. you couldn’t help it. was this planned? was this the first time? had he always thought of her like this? did he wish you were her when he was with you?

when you’d exhausted all of those questions, you began to think back to your own actions and behavior as you scrolled up on your texts with him. 

maybe i said something that upset him? but i think he would've told me... right..? or have i been distant? no, that’s not possible. we talk every day. is he bored of me? is that it? am i boring? none of these texts are showing signs of boredom, so what is it?

you'd soon resorted to flipping through the pages in your diary. you were really good about documenting your day-to-day life. if something happened with miles in the past that your brain wouldn’t let you dig up in the moment, surely you would’ve written it there. the pad of your index finger slid across the rough pages as your anguished eyes skimmed the entries. ten minutes in, you still couldn’t find a thing. you'd give anything for a straightforward answer, but you knew it wasn't going to come from miles himself.

when you heard a key grinding into the keyhole of the front door, you slammed your diary shut and jumped off of the stool, knocking it over in the process. you sprinted upstairs to your bedroom, shoving the journal under your pillow. as you trailed out of your room, you closed the door behind you and braced yourself for the worst. 

you shuffled back to the kitchen and picked up the stool from the floor, setting it upright. you caught a glimpse of miles unlacing his jordans at the front door. this was real. 

“hey. i thought you’d still be in bed,” miles grinned as he approached you, spreading his arms for a hug. he wasn’t in his costume, but in a red hoodie and black sweats. he must’ve gone home to change. his costume probably smelled like arielle’s designer strawberry-scented perfume, the one everyone compliments her on. she never shuts up about it.

“hi,” you whispered, accepting his hug in an attempt to seem normal. “i was, but i got hungry. how was the party?”

miles smelled like his favorite cologne, except the scent was unusually potent. it wasn't faded in the slightest like it normally was after he'd been out and around other people. the deplorable amount of effort he was making just to mask the truth infuriated you. it angered you even more that he clearly wasn't planning on telling you anything. if you hadn't seen it yourself, you might've never known.

“it was ight,” he shrugged, loosening his grip on you after a couple of seconds. you hated yourself for wanting to hug him for just a little while longer. he sure as hell didn’t deserve it, but for all you knew, that was the last time you’d be in his embrace. he let his hands fall down to your waist instead and it made you shiver on contact knowing he had his hands on arielle's waist not even a full hour ago. “would’ve been better with you there, y’know. you feelin’ okay now?"

“mostly, yeah,” you responded blandly, your throat tight and your voice fairly groggy. “still a bit tired.”

you didn’t know how to bring it up. this wasn't something you could beat around the bush about. you found yourself deep in thought. so deep to the point where you didn't notice that miles had started talking. you were busy staring off into space with half-lidded eyes, way past his gaze. he clocked it and moved his head so that your eyes were boring into his by force, his eyebrows lowering in concern.

“is everything okay?”

you cleared your throat and gently pushed his arms off your waist, stepping back as you began to blink back tears. there was no easing into it. standing there in front of miles pretending like everything was okay was already bad enough. it felt like you were twisting the knife that he plunged into your chest. eyes glossy, you swallowed hard and batted your lashes a few more times, desperately trying to rid of the tears that threatened to spill.

“i know you kissed arielle at the party,” you barely managed to speak the full sentence, your voice cracking when you spoke her name. “and i’m confused.”

miles’ eyebrows knitted to be one as if this news stunned him. you wished you could hear all his thoughts from start to finish after you spoke. you wanted to know whether he was planning to lie or tell the truth. would he gaslight you or admit to his wrongdoings? you wouldn’t find out now because you didn’t give him an option. this already hurt enough and it would end the same either way.

“nae told me. and she sent me pictures.”

silence fell between the two of you. it felt like it was eating you from the inside. the chirping of the crickets outside and the noise from the refrigerator running slightly compensated for it. not much.

“i just wanna know why you did it. and why her? why the girl that hates me with every last atom in her body?” you broke the silence, shrugging your shoulders. you were hugging your arms, rubbing them in an up-and-down motion as if you were cold.

miles was dumbfounded, guilt painting his features. he couldn’t meet your eyes anymore. you wondered what you would say if you were in his shoes, but it didn’t give you any insight because you knew you'd never do this to him, so you gave up. instead, you stared at the neat middle part in between his two signature braids that cascaded down the back of his head, down to his shoulders. you’d braided his hair only a couple days ago, back when nothing seemed impossible—nothing like now. 

though he wasn’t, miles’ hair still looked clean, freshly done even. what if arielle had redone his braids for him? she did say she was practicing, and she'd made it a goal to practice on him. you mentally cursed yourself for worrying about something as minuscule as miles' braids at a time like this. you didn't want to give yourself another reason to freak, but your brain wouldn’t let you rest. not even in silence. if miles wasn’t going to give you an answer, you’d send him on his way and come up with one by yourself.

“i don’t know why i did it,” he finally retorted.

“oh, word?” you laughed humorlessly. you were trying not to slap the hell out of his shamefully beautiful face. “it happened not even two hours ago. you know why you did it. your memory is sharp, it always has been, so tell me.”

miles exhaled, rubbing the palm of his hand on his forehead. “look, she came onto me while i was grabbing a soda. it was a heat-of-the-moment kind of thing! it didn’t mean any—“

“that’s what they all say, morales,” you cut him off with a scoff. “it didn’t mean anything but somehow you traveled from the kitchen downstairs to a spare bedroom upstairs so you could swap spit without anyone catching you?!” miles tried to speak, but you cut him off again. “were you even gonna tell me? because you came up in here acting like shit was sweet as if you weren’t just making out with the girl you swore i’d never have to worry about, meanwhile, i was home, sick! a fucking cold, miles!”

“i wasn’t gonna keep it to myself. i didn’t wanna hurt you,” miles said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “it wasn’t gonna happen again, i swear.”

none of the words miles spoke were convincing enough for you in the slightest, so you disregarded them.

“did i do something to you? are you holding a grudge about something and trying to get me back?!” you yelled, your voice trembling.

“no, it has nothing to do with you!” he hollered back, squeezing his eyes shut as if he was stressed out. he had no right.

“so then why the fuck would you go and do this shit?!” you were silent for a few seconds, chest heaving up and down while your heart beat out of your chest. your breath was sprinting away from you and you were trying to catch it. "it's bad enough that you kissed another girl, but arielle?"

miles pleaded, “it was a mistake.”

“damn right it was!” you narrowed your eyes to slits. “i can’t believe i trusted you, like, seriously. you’re sick.”

“i let you down, princessa, i know, i’m—“

“sorry?” you finished his sentence, folding your arms. you were far more angry than sad now. “miles, you weren’t sorry when you were kissing her. don’t be sorry now either. you were gonna kiss me with her bright pink lipgloss dried on your lips like it was nothing. you were gonna sit here and play me like i'm stupid. you were never gonna tell me!”

miles couldn’t counter that. he knew you were right, so it was back to uncomfortable silence apart from your hefty breathing and sniffles. miles had never seen you so angry. you'd never seen yourself so angry. there was no one else to blame but miles. you had no idea where to go from there. it was only after you asked the question that you were about to ask on impulse that you realized you should’ve wrapped this up many minutes before.

“is this the only time this has happened?”

miles was hesitant, his eyes growing wider. “yes!” he spat.

miles had a tell—not just his disinclination to answer your question the way he normally would, but also the way his eyebrows would position as if he wasn’t so sure himself. his teeth would clench behind his sealed lips, but you could tell because his jaw was tight and he swallowed hard, and he wouldn’t know what to do with his hands. 

you knew all of this about miles, yet you felt like you were gazing into the eyes of a stranger. 

this wasn’t the miles you fell in love with.

you muttered under your breath, “you know what? i’m wasting your time... and my own. you won’t have an answer that’s both truthful and something i wanna hear. we’re done, you and i. give me the key and get the hell out.”

“mami, come on—“

“nigga, deuces! i said leave!” you snapped as you backed away from him, holding your hand out.

miles dug deep in the right pocket of his black sweats, handing you the key. you flinched when your skin made contact with his. you didn't hesitate to trap the key in the palm of your hand, dropping your arm back down by your side. miles sighed to himself and trudged to the door to lace his shoes back up. you didn't even watch him leave, opting to turn around and battle the tears threatening to spill from your eyes instead. when you finally heard the front door shut, you rushed to lock it. you turned around and pressed your back to the door, face twisted in pure disbelief. 

this was real.

you slid down to the floor and pulled your knees to your chest, your cries echoing through your empty house. you’d never been more grateful that your father was gone for the weekend. miles wouldn’t have heard the end of it. at least now you had time to make up some lie to cover for miles' ass, and it'd be the last damn time.

not even five minutes passed before someone knocked on the front door three times and you sniffled. miles was going to drive you insane. “go the fuck away!”

“it’s me, baby,” a muffled voice said from outside, but it’s one you recognize, and it’s most definitely not miles.

you wiped your tears with the sleeve of miles’ hoodie and stood up, twisting the lock to open the door for your best friend. she was holding a box of pizza in her hand with a tote bag strap over her shoulder.

“you’re early,” you mumbled, one of your hands pressed against the rim of the door.

“i ubered home and got my car. when i got here, i just parked and waited,” nae pushed past you. you closed the door and locked it again, following her to the kitchen, where she set the box of pizza down on the countertop. “you wouldn’t have called me either way. i know you.”

she was right. you weren’t mad at her for being there though. she had always been so good to you.

nae walked over to the dining table and placed her tote bag in one of the chairs. “i brought your favorite type of pizza, and i stopped by the store to grab some snacks and soda. those are still in my car though, so—”

“i don’t think i can stomach anything right now,” you stated as you rubbed your arm. “i broke up with miles.”

saying that out loud felt weird. and final.

“oh, my love,” nae’s brows lowered and she shuffled over to you with open arms. she wrapped them around you and you did the same, sighing into her shoulder. you really didn't want to cry.

it hadn’t been long and you were already over feeling the way you did. you wanted to fast forward to the part where you got over miles for good. as an attempt to console you, nae was rubbing your back in a circular motion. 

“you did the right thing,” she spoke lowly.

you withdrew from the hug and slightly opened your mouth, fixing to ask nae a question only god knew how to answer. “why did he do it though?”

she led you to the couch in your living room and sat you down, massaging her thumb over yours in a back-and-forth motion as your hand stayed clasped in hers. you stared down at your lap, sniffling every couple of seconds and swiping away stray tears.

“boys are just greedy, babe,” she shook her head. “so very greedy. they want it all. there are so many different reasons why people cheat. it’s difficult to pinpoint just one. my random guess is that… miles has issues?"

“issues?” 

“mm-hmm,” she hummed. “internally. maybe he's insecure about himself, i don't know. whatever it is, it doesn’t justify infidelity. you were more than enough, it was him who was lacking."

“i don't get it. i mean, none of this makes any sense… unless i'm blind or stupid, it came out of nowhere. literal thin air. and when i asked, he said he didn't know why he kissed her,” you muttered.

nae sighed. “even if he isn't lying, he still did it.”

“i know,” you nodded. “and i'm sure it wasn't the first time. that’s why i left him.”

“and i’m so proud of you for that,” nae gave your hand a tight squeeze. “walking away isn’t easy for anyone. it takes forever for some people, but you did it just like that.” 

“yeah, well, i kinda had to. it’s bad enough that arielle is gonna rub it in my face until we graduate, and even after that, she’ll probably find a way to .”

“there won’t be any of that,” nae promised. “miles isn’t going to take her seriously—if he even takes her at all. he lost you because of what he did with that bitch. he won’t even be able to look at her without feeling guilty.”

“she can have him, i don’t care either way,” you scoffed. that was a lie. you did care. you cared more than you’d let on if you ever even admit it.

“yeah, you do,” nae raised an eyebrow as if she had effortlessly read your mind. “let yourself feel. it’s how you’ll heal.”

“oh, i’m feeling alright. i’m weighing the pros and cons of murder,” you shakily exhaled, balling up your fists and closing your eyes. “i can’t believe this nigga. seriously.” 

“i’d help you, but i’m not going to jail for him and neither are you.”

you let out a soft sigh, your gaze now fixed on your lap. the tears welling up in your eyes were beginning to cloud your vision. how someone could throw away so many years of loving one another so easily was so far beyond you.

“nae, i’ve been with miles for so long. he’s always been there—i don’t know how to be without him. he’s why i gave love a chance after swearing not to... now he’s shattered my perception of it. the worst part is i should hate him, but i don't. somehow, i still love him and—”

“hey,” nae cut you off. “that’s normal. how you feel is normal.”

you sniffled. “is it?"

“pshh, girl, yeah,” nae assured you, flicking out her wrist. “listen, breakups are terrible. you’re gonna cry and scream. you’re gonna wish you never met him. you’re going to go through old texts, swipe through old photos, and mope in his hoodies. all of that is okay. the worst thing you could ever do to yourself is force yourself not to feel,” nae paused. “if this is who he really is, then it's not your loss. i know it doesn't feel like that right now, but trust me... it just takes time. i don't know how long, but i know my best friend, so no matter how long it takes, you’ll be better than good without miles. i promise." "i'm still gonna miss him," you muttered, sniffling and drying your tears as they fell. nae wrapped her arm around you and exhaled. you sobbed into her shoulder, releasing all the pent-up frustration you'd been concealing in the name of keeping your cool. you'd never felt so inconsolable in your life. "i know, babe. i know."

❤︎₊ ⊹

it was late. 3:28am. time had never moved so slowly. you were genuinely considering calling 911 and telling them you were suffering from a heart attack. you were thoroughly convinced that this was damn near the same exact thing.

the moon wasn’t full tonight, but a waning crescent. it reflected you and how soulless and dejected you felt. the moonshine bleeding through your curtains was also the only source of light you would tolerate, the rest of your bedroom completely dark. you lay on your side facing the window, allowing the icy gusts of wind to hit your face. you were practically drowning in a sea of blankets all while still being in miles’ black hoodie.

nae was gone. she’d left about two hours ago, but not before suffocating you in countless hugs and forcing you to eat a slice of pizza and drink two glasses of water, despite your not wanting to ingest anything due to your unwavering nausea. you told her you’d be okay alone. you knew you wouldn’t and so did she, but you wanted to be alone, so she gave you your space and promised to check in on you when the sun rose. you loved nae dearly and you'd never take her for granted. you felt lucky to have such a kindhearted best friend.

you'd been in a 1v1 with your thoughts for a while now. your phone was powered off and shut away in one of your nightstand drawers to help resist urges. you hated that you wanted to call miles, but you did. you wanted to scream at him. belittle him until you just couldn’t anymore. and you wanted him to sit there and watch you do it without protest. you wanted him to be honest and tell you the truth. you wanted him to promise it would never happen again, and then you wanted to curl up under the covers of your bed with him and sob in his arms while he planted kisses on your forehead, apologizing profusely. you wanted him to tell you he loved you until you believed it again.

you couldn’t do any of that—you wouldn’t. it’d mean you have no respect for yourself. it felt like you hardly had any now, so you needed to keep the scarce amount that remained.

your thoughts were blank and sporadic all at once. you’d never been through a breakup, but you had a rough idea of how these things go, so you spent some time mapping it out in your head.

you'd eventually have to meet up to exchange one another's belongings. maybe rio would apologize on miles’ behalf and say she’d always love you. she’d call you a couple times a week. the calls would eventually come slower and grow more infrequent. soon, the calls wouldn’t come at all. even if there was the acknowledgment that rio’s arms were always open for you, they’d still feel closed. you'd treat them as such.

you'd barely eat because you couldn't stomach a single thing. you'd rot in your bed and binge all your favorite movies and shows. you'd go to war with the urge to run back to miles. you'd read old diary entries where you were gushing about how much you loved him and how amazing he was to you. you'd look back at old photos and videos. you'd reread old texts until you were sobbing so hard that you couldn't breathe.

you'd write letters that nobody was ever going to see and all the tears you shed would smudge the black ink and ruin your fancy penmanship. you'd lie to your dad and tell him that your relationship had just run its course and that you and miles needed to work on yourselves. your friends would check in on you, and of course, you'd tell them that you were okay every time, even if that was the furthest from that.

word gets around fast. when this dreadful weekend was over and monday crept up on you, you'd have to return to school and deal with the piercing stares and shameless gossip. you weren't ready for any of it, because now, everyone at school would know you as the girl who got cheated on by her long-term boyfriend for arielle. rumors would spread. words would be twisted and lies would be told, both about you and miles. in retrospect, it was all the more embarrassing for miles, but you still felt utterly humiliated. not to mention that you had no doubt in your mind that arielle was ready to run to his defense, preferably by kicking you when you're down.

sometimes, just for a fleeting moment, you'd forget about it all and your mind would go quiet. your heart wouldn't swell in longing and you wouldn't feel sick to your stomach. it never did last long before the same thoughts you desperately wanted to leave you alone started to pester you again. "but you two seemed so in love!" nosy girls at your school masking their prying motives behind what they thought were "supportive words" would soon tell you. the worst part is that you'd never know how to respond, because you thought you and miles were in love too. he was your sun and you were his moon. how could you so quickly forget that the sun didn't need the moon to shine, it was the other way around? you thought it was and always would be your heart tethered to his, but now you were left with a broken chain and a heartache.

you thought things would be different with miles. you truly did. now you knew that anyone could screw you over even if they crossed their heart. there weren't any exceptions, not anymore. miles proved that you can do everything right and still get done wrong. it wasn't fair. you should've known you weren't exempt from something like this happening, yet you still let yourself believe you were. maybe you jinxed it, or maybe you thought your case was special. maybe you thought this would never happen because you believed you were special. you only did because he made you feel that way.

you were sick and tired of brooding over your misfortune. you rolled onto your back with a frustrated groan and gaped at your ceiling, the cold air from outside still blowing against the side of your face. as exhausted as you were, sleep just wouldn't grant you sanction in its assuaging embrace.

what hurt the most is that you were so sure that you'd bagged a kind of love that was for the books. the kind of love you thought you could only dream about. though you weren't searching for him, the stars sent you miles morales. in your eyes, he was perfect. you loved and adored him, and swore he was your soulmate, made just for you. he was godsent and you never wanted to let him go, until tonight, when you learned that you were never the one who needed to hold on to begin with.

you came to the humbling conclusion that maybe the reason people told tales of faultless love was because real love was far too sickening to bear. it was merely a way to cope. nothing more, nothing less. maybe "happily ever after" had been a hoax all along. all the fairytales you had read growing up always began with “once upon a time”, but your story with miles ended with it, because loving him was easy—once upon a time.

maliland ©

[creativeashproductions]

Shadows of Haven // Luke Castellan

IN WHICH: Reader's been a sleeper agent for Kronos longer than most campers have been at Camp Half-Blood. Patiently waiting for the last piece of the plan it's a pleasant surprise that that piece happens to be the boy who see reader as his haven.

Warnings: Swearing, angst, hatred of the gods, dark!reader, manipulation vibes, Kronos mention, talk of death, and talk of betrayal.

Pairing: Luke Castellan x fem!reader (nicknamed Haven)

Words: 1.1k

A/N: I binge-read all of the PJO books and the Heroes of Olympus books. And the idea of the reader being in cahoots with Kronos and nudging Luke to join Kronos has been festering in my brain since the last episode.

Masterlist

You’d known Camp Half-Blood longer than most of the campers. Call it cruel, but it was a mixture of having no mortal parent and also watching naive, wannabe heroes stupidly dying for the gods. You had no love for the spawns, how they were abandoned by their godly parent and spent their short, meaningless lives trying to make them proud.

It made you sick.

It made you sicker that one of those gods was sentenced to be camp director. Not only did you have to hear about the gods from the demigods, but you also had to breathe the same air as a god.

And you couldn’t speak openly about it with anyone at camp either. No one shared your disgust or your thirst for vengeance. To change things. You want glory, too. But you didn’t want the novelty glory these children wanted. The glory that came with the plan that had been brewing ever since you were found nestled in a bassinet on the stoop of a house that never became your home.

Your skin itched to leave the climate-controlled bubble of Camp Half-Blood and finally put the plan in motion. There was only so much talk of quests and playing Capture the Flag you could take. The plan finally started heating up when you saw the seeds of unrest, hatred, and wrath. It just made it so much better that it happened to be your boyfriend of two years.

The cold October wind bit through your thick jacket. Standing on the edge of the training grounds, your gaze was fixed on the scar marring the skin of Luke’s face. The jagged line was a fading colour from the once brilliant red it had been in July when Luke returned from the quest. 

You kept your voice low, watching Luke’s shoulder heaving from deep breaths, training with his sword. “Luke, I know you’re angry. I know you feel betrayed by the gods.”

The disgust in your tone twisted around the word god like it was a serpent coiling around itself. More apparent than ever, and took Luke by surprise. In the five years he’d known you and the two years he’d been dating you, he’d only ever gotten the feeling you were neutral to the gods.

Luke turned to stare at you, “What-“

“What if I told you there’s a way to make them pay? To make them kneel before humanity?” You spoke with such conviction that it was obvious this wasn’t something half-baked but a real, thought-out strategy.

Luke dropped his sword on the ground, preferring to clench his fists, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light of rage, “What are you suggest, Haven?”

You stepped up in his space, only peering around your surroundings before whispering into his ear, “Join us. Join Kronos. With your wrath, we could finally overthrow the gods and bring a new era. An era where we have real glory, and Kronos can rule as it should be.”

You used Kronos’ name with such familiarity it was like the Titan lord was merely a long-time friend. Luke’s expression of rage faded into a mixture of shock and disbelief. His sweet girlfriend, who played referee between campers and pleaded military neutrality, was in cahoots with the absolute worst Titan, yet Luke wasn’t entirely resistant to the idea.

“You’re serious?” Luke asked, shifting his brown irises between your orbs. Only determination lights up your pretty irises.

“More serious than I’ve ever been. Luke, together, we can change the world. No more being errand runners for a bunch of selfish assholes. No more being entertainment for a bunch of fuckheads pitting us against each. Discarding us when they get bored like death isn’t permanent for us. No more fighting monsters.”

Luke’s attention was caught by the idealist future: “We could have our own home? If we want, we could have a family who won’t have to be scared.”

The wistfulness in his tone made you hide the sadistic smile on your face in the crook of his neck. You knew you made the right choice. You barely had to do anything with all the rage bubbling under Luke’s skin.

As the sun faded beyond the forest, it cast long shadows over the training grounds, and Luke made his decision. He was tired of living a life the gods thought he owed them, tired of the games, the excuses, and the responsibility that bred maturity sooner than a teen should have had.

“Lead the way. I’m with you.” Luke firmly spoke, defiantly smiling, and that same sparkle appeared again in his eye.

“Whoa there, hero.” You breathed firmly, pressing his shoulders to stop him in his tracks. “This is more delicate and important than a five-minute planned prank you and your siblings like to do. It has been in the works far longer than either of us has been alive.”

Luke furrowed his brow, “Then what—“

“You’ll find out more. When he comes, don’t fight it. It’s worse if you do. No one can know about this plan, either, Luke. You’re an important piece, and when it comes to that time…well, we’ll need your role as the camp’s Golden Boy.”

Luke captured your lips in a deep kiss before pulling away, his determination written all over his features. “When do we start?”

“First, Kronos will come into your dreams. Call him lord. Two, we’ll need to get you a weapon that fits you better.” Your nose wrinkled up in distaste at the sword Luke had used since he was fifteen.

Hands intertwined, you led Luke away from the training grounds to the trail leading back to the cabins. You steered away from the main twelve cabins to the smaller one hidden behind Zeus’ and Hera’s cabins. Zeus demanded a cabin to be built, and its location made it obvious why, even if everyone who didn’t know the reason was an idiot. Zeus was a mama’s boy at his core, and he’d protect her. Why else would he allow a cabin behind his own?

Luke hesitated after he saw it in the distance because even he had never been inside. Rumours swirled camp why you had your own cabin, and no one could find out the truth, just like why absolutely no one knew who your mom was. Luke knew your mortal parent was a man because you mentioned you lived at camp. After all, he died years ago.

When your hand touched the doorknob, the cabin door opened, “Welcome to the cabin of Titaness Rhea.”

“Kro—“

“He’s my stepfather. And what better way to overthrow the gods than by using Rhea’s own child.” Luke’s lips parted to match the grin on your features. 

The cabin door slammed shut, sealing you and Luke away from the camp you would soon betray. Plans were in motion, and fuck that so-called Great Prophecy.

[boytumms]

at the doctor, a one-way valve is secretly installed at the base of a boy's esophagus that makes him unable to burp, and within days he's moaning and holding his poor bloated belly constantly, unable to deflate his stomach without having gas slowly and painfully wind all the way through his intestines. When he goes back to the doctor for his terrible stomachaches, the doctor tells him that he clearly needs more fibre and that perscribes that he eat more beans and cabbage and ginger ale, compounding his agony. Watching the boy sob while he rubs his groaning, aching belly, the doctor resolves to give this "procedure" to everyone who comes in for a checkup.

Ooo that’s such a good idea, he can’t get any gas up or vomit no matter how sick and full he feels. His tummy just keeps bloating and getting sicker, and he keeps going back to the doctor, desperate for relief not knowing the doctor is the cause of his agony. Each time he goes in, he’s gets a painful abdominal exam where the doctor pushes and prods his swollen tummy harshly, pressing down hard and making the boy writhe and cry out at each touch.

His stomach aches so badly, getting tighter and tighter over the weeks until he feels like it’s going to burst, all because he’s blindly doing everything the doctor tells him to. He has no idea he’s just making his tummy sicker and more painful with strange diets and pills the doctor puts him on, hardly thinking about what he’s actually doing because he so desperately wants the pain in his belly to go away

[grandlinedreams]

Bestie I’m back. So you know the audio in scooby doo where he’s like “only a fool would drop a girl like you.” But with our boy Ace. Pretty please, I’m begging. 😩🫶🏻

YES but not me putting sonne in the bg bc that's all I ever hear that audio to lmao

[Heads up!: mentions of heights, brief description of falling, afab/fem aligned reader, spiderman!Ace bc we all need that, upside down kiss? Upside down kiss!, reader is not gwen stacy (oops)]

From so far above, the lights of the city look like something from a painting. The wind that whips at you is cold, made more biting for the elevation ㅡ and the longer you peer below from the edge of the roof, the sicker you feel.

You're so high up. A fall from here would undoubtedly kill you, leave you a shattered shell ㅡ but it'd be quick, you guess. Maybe even peaceful.

"Easy there." Fingers curl around your wrist, easing you from the ledge. Ace gives you a look somewhere between concern and amusement, his mask gripped in his other hand. "You trying to fly on me?"

"No," you say, taking another step as he lets go of your wrist. "You're the one who decided a rooftop date would be a good idea."

"And it was," Ace counters. "Nobody bothered us."

"Nobody usually bothers us, because nobody knows aboutㅡ" You gesture to the skin tight bodysuit that covers him, the mask in his grip that he raises to put back on. "This. Besides me."

"And you got lucky with that."

"I asked you, Ace. And you're the idiot who confessed to being Spiderman."

"Don't be mean," Ace huffs as he sets his mask into place. "I could leave you up here."

You stare. "You wouldn't." You don't have to see it to know Ace is grinning, and you give him a look of warning that he laughs outright at, hands held up in placation.

"Okay, okay, I wouldn't." He approaches you, head tilting. "Only one way down, though. You ready?"

You remember the sheer drop down, the deceptive glow of warm white lights. Suppressing a shiver, you nod. "As I ever will be."

The descent down goes like this ㅡ Ace with his ever trusty rope of webbing, and you, clung to his back like a comical parody of a koala. The hard rubber lines of his suit make it easier to hold on, though Ace glances back at you.

"How are you holding up?"

"Managing," comes your muffled reply, face pressed into the meat of his shoulder. "Promise not to drop me?"

Ace laughs at that, but not out of spite or malice. He laughs because to him, that's the silliest thing in the world. "Only a fool would drop a girl like you, sweetheart."

Even with his words of reassurance, you still feel the tension of his muscles as he descends. It doesn't take much longer for your feet to be on the ground, and you grin at your boyfriend.

"Such a friendly spider man," you tease, imagining that he's rolling his eyes as he moves to leave, and you huff. "Ace!"

"What?" His head turns, and you raise an eyebrow. "Oh, right." The backwards lean is easy, practiced ease in the way he hangs upside down before you, both hands locked around the rope of webbing. "Goodbye kiss, right?"

"Duh," you say as you approach. "But upside down this time? Really?"

"It can be romantic," he says, muffled laughter in his voice. You roll your eyes before you reach up, rolling his mask up (or down, at this angle) enough to expose his chin and lips before you lean in.

True, the angle is awkward but no less sweet as you kiss, humming when Ace leans with you to try and prevent you from pulling away. "Sorry," you say when he whines as you correct his mask, "but you have a city to keep safe, Spiderman."

"True," Ace laments. "But I'll see you later, right?"

It's equal parts hopeful and pleading, to at the very least get to cuddle with you in the wee hours of the morning before you head off to work ㅡ and you smile.

"Of course."

[usmsgutterson]

Cal, my love, how are you???

If heard your call for Kaz x Reader requests. If LOVE to see what you come up with for Kaz x Grisha!Reader (I'm feeling inferno, squaller, or Durant, but obviously it's up to you!) where the reader gets sicker and sicker from not using their small science! It's such a fascinating concept to me and hardly ever explored!

Back To Normal- K.B x gn! Squaller! Reader

Okay, hi! It's been nearly two weeks since you sent this in and I did write it! Editing it just took me longer than I expected and I woke up after a nap last night to discover that I have a bit of a cold developing so I couldn't edit the remainder of it and post it like I'd hoped, but I got it done today so yay, I hope you like this one!

This concept is one I've never seen a fic for but one I've debated writing a fic around in the past because the concept in and of itself is a really intriguing idea to me, and this gives me an excuse to write it and also an excuse to write a squaller! reader, which I've thought about doing but have never actually done, so I was really excited when I saw this in my inbox! Thank you so much for sending this in, and if it's not exactly what you had in mind, feel free to reach out and let me know, I'll totally rewrite if you'd like lol.

Fic type- hurt/comfort with moments of angst

Warnings- mentions of sickness, frailness, feelings of weakness, heart palpitations, loss of appetite, and there's reference to the second chapter of Six of Crows so slight spoiler warning too for people haven't read the books

As a Grisha, once your abilities to summon the small science were discovered, there were consequences for not summoning. You grew sick, your body grew weak, your bones fragile and you felt frail, even the smallest actions leaving you winded.

It was the universes way of punishing you for not using the gift you'd been given, another show of like calls to like. Refraining from summoning calls to sickness, and summoning calls to health.

You'd read Grisha theory, both in your time at the Little Palace before you left in the last few months before the war and in the time since, in the times wherein you needed something to read and happened upon a book containing Grisha theory and figured it would be good to pass the time.

You knew that you wouldn't last if you didn't summon, but you eventually stopped finding reason to. Nobody in the Dregs knew you were a squaller, and what good did wind do, anyway, unless it was summer and grossly humid as Ketterdam always got when the weather warmed up? You saw no point in using your small science, so eventually, you just stopped.

For a while, the differences weren't really noticeable. You didn't notice them, nobody in the Dregs noticed them, none of the crows did. You hadn't relied on your abilities as a Squaller since you'd lived in Ravka, and before you'd decided to stop, you mostly used them in summer or when Kaz needed a distraction in the middle of a negotiation in the rarer times they'd taken place outdoors, something to put the opposition a little on edge.

But then, they became noticeable. You stopped sleeping quite as comfortably as you used to, spending hours trying to get comfortable, trying to will your mind to quiet. You woke up and took to coffee to keep you awake, often running on between two and four hours to boot.

Because of your tiredness, dark circles developed under your eyes. Your appetite lessened and you grew to be tired all the time, even on a rarer night where your body rested for seven or eight hours. You still relied on the coffee even then, and Nina was beginning to take notice of the fact that you hardly ate.

Kaz had long taken notice of the exhaustion you exhibited even after jobs that you'd always considered pretty easy, ones that didn't require as much effort, as much physical strain, as the bigger heists always tended to.

Jesper had long taken notice of how much coffee you drank, the fact that you always seemed to have jurda on you even in the middle of the day, and Inej noticed it when your pace began to slow, afraid to walk at the pace you normally did because you didn't want to risk heart palpitations.

Wylan was beginning to notice when those heart palpitations kicked in, was the one to grab your hand and look at you, brown eyes silently trying to ask if something was wrong only to receive nothing in response.

One by one, each of the crows noticed something, and still, none of them said a word. They could've been wrong, they knew. All of them acknowledged that they could've been dramatizing things, making things out to be worse than they actually were.

The only one who was sure of the things they'd noticed was Kaz. You were someone who mattered to him. Of course he was going to notice if you were out of sorts. Observance was his pedigree.

So, one day, Kaz showed up at your door. "What's wrong?" He'd asked. "What is wrong with you, Y/N?"

You'd laughed, a lame, tired laugh. You'd barely slept three hours, and the long-term exhaustion was starting to finally have an impact. Kaz's tone was humorless, blunt like the edge of a knife gone too long without being run across a sharpening block.

It was normally gravel, normally coffee grounds being poured into a coffee press, but it was not that, not that day. It was the unsharpened edge of a knife, the voice that did not belong to the man you loved but rather to one they called Dirtyhands.

"What's wrong with me?" You asked. "Nothing, Kaz. Nothing is wrong with me."

"Exhaustion," Kaz said. "You drink coffee and chew jurda near constantly. You sleep hours after jobs that aren't even tiring. You are constantly tired because you can't sleep unless you are at the point wherein your body will die without resting. You get two hours most nights, four, six, on luckier ones. Nina has also noticed that you eat less lately. Wylan says you've been having heart palpitations and Matthias has noticed you zoning out. Why?"

"Why do I feel like that's a rhetorical question?"

"It's not. Stop trying to flirt."

"I'm not trying to flirt," you laughed again, a shallow, hollowed out version of the laugh Kaz recognized. "If I were trying to flirt, you'd know. I would know it was working because your cheeks would be tinged pink, which, of course, is something you'd deny."

Kaz laughed humorlessly once more. "What, are you sick?"

You paused. Some part of you had known he'd guess at that. With that realization came the one that he already knew why you were sick. Inej must've known, must've snooped for Kaz when the trust you shared was still developing. He was Kaz Brekker, and he had to know somehow, didn't he?

"You're a Squaller," he said, the words falling from his lips like they were something he'd forgotten, like the fact that you could summon the wind was something he'd merely heard and disregarded after having deemed it unimportant. "You're a Squaller, and you're one who hasn't summoned for at least six months. Why not?"

"I saw no point," you said. "Let me guess, though, you've known since I came in, since I joined up?"

"I've known since the night we confronted Bolliger about double dealing," Kaz said. "Geels, the negotiations. It was the day before--"

"The day before you came to me with the Ice Court proposition," you said with a nod. "I remember. What tipped you off?"

"The breeze," Kaz said. "It was late winter, and breezes like that are commonplace, sure, but after a bout of rain? Wind like that doesn't just happen. Especially not considering the fact that it nearly tipped Geels over, and Geels was nearly seven feet tall. It gave me something to use in the moment, and I just kind of noticed whenever you'd do it while I was falling short from then on. Nobody else knows."

"Well you'll need to grant me some leniency, Brekker. I stopped summoning because I didn't see a point."

"if the point of summoning is to keep you alive and healthy, I have to say, I see no sensible reason that one would stop," Kaz said. "You're deteriorating. I know you think it can't get any worse, but it can, and it will."

"I know," you said. "Relax. Let me find the proper time, when it doesn't feel like it'll be an inconvenience, and I'll give it a go."

Kaz looked at you solemnly for a minute before he nodded.

"Right, then," he said. "Work needs doing." He turned to go, and you watched him leave, not saying a word as he left, only closing your eyes and hoping for even another few moments of rest.

-

The next time you summoned, it was June and you hadn't summoned in a year. You were sitting in Kaz's office, the window open as you discussed heist plans with him, Jesper, Inej, and the rest of the crows.

The heat was growing unbearable, so you willed a strong breeze to flow gently through the room, making the area feel a bit colder, much to everyones delight. Kaz shot you a look because Ketterdam in the summer was not prone to breezes on humid days like that one, and you felt some of the energy that was long gone move back into your system, a spark of joy and pride at your small science lighting up in your chest.

You allowed yourself a small smile as you leaned back in the chair you'd occupied.

You were still sick, still frail and tired and coffee-reliant, but you were getting back to normal. You decided, in the moment, that that was what mattered.

[6feathered6siren6]

Saved by a snake(V x reader)

Notes: I somewhat had a hard time chosing what to write for this fic tbh, but honestly kinda like it. My friend said it was gay so I hope it feels like it. Sorry for the long intro too!

Trigger warnings

- Gore

- Blinding

- Slight torture(?)

- Cringe(Hard to write about being blind)

Silverhaven. A town you were born into. A sweet haven, a town your parents looked for before you were born. It was a town safe from the bad monsters outside of it. But your parents stated it was for you, and to make sure you were safe. 

After a year of you being born, your father randomly disappeared and your mother won’t speak about it. Leaving her as a single mom, nothing out of the sort to you. Sure, the leader of Silverhaven was a bit weird in your taste. But, it was manageable to deal with. 

As you got older, your mothers life declined. Leaving you to take care of her as she slowly lost her battle to whatever illness it was. The doctors always told you, ‘A monster cursed her to die.’ You clutched the wet cloth in your hand. It was unfair. Who could curse an innocent woman? 

Placing the cloth on her, you could see the tension loosen on her body. She was getting sicker and sicker by the day. Nothing you could do. The murmur was back, people were talking outside of your house. Unable to understand them, you try to tune them out. It was not your business. You have to take care of your mother. 

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

A tombstone is now what is left of your mother. Next to your father. The leader, Perry, puts his hand on your shoulder. Giving a small comfort to you. Since your mother passed, Perry has been helping you recover and cope with the loss. He’s the light in the darkness you needed. Somewhere for comfort. 

His sweetened words and invites brought you into this village more. Bringing you into the activities here. Things your mother banned you from since you were born. You never knew why. 

Perry has also started giving you gifts. Everything wrapped in white silk. Accessories, flowers, gold, and even clothes. The clothes given to you were white as well, and untouched by anything. Not a speck of dirt or dust. Like something you expected a god to wear. 

Like the past few gifts, it was wrapped in white silk with a note. ‘Attend the activity with this outfit tonight. - Perry’. Turning back to the gift, you slowly unwrap it to show another white outfit. It was gorgeous in your opinion. It had white and gold accents. It shimmered when light was near it. You couldn’t deny his request with this outfit. 

You wore it and showed up to the activity. No one was here. You were by yourself. Until your sight was obscured. 

“Hey!” You had a bag over your head, unable to attack your aggressor with him tying your hands. You were pushed to walk to an unknown area, and kicked by your knees, making you kneel. 

The bag was ripped off and you can see everyone in the village. Perry was next to you, the baker was the man who put the bag on you, your neighbor was behind you, making sure you were still. 

“Ladies and gentleman!” Perry started off, looking into the crowd. “We are gathered here to grant us more years of peace and safety from the monsters outside this village! Sadly, our sacrifice died before we could do anything. But we have their child! Our replacement!” 

Replacement? The fire behind you felt way too hot, burning the air around you harshly. 

“Let us rejoice as we prepare them!” 

You felt hands on your head keeping you still, and Perry holding a dagger. He walked closer to the flames, burning the blade til it was black. Then to you, him holding your chin. The last thing you saw before you heard screaming was the stars and the trees. 

꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒰ঌ‪‪♡‬໒꒱꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷

Feeling the wind and the grass around you, but you couldn’t open your eyes. At least that's what you think. Stumbling as you stand up, your clothes feel heavier than yesterday. You could smell the ashes around you but not see anything. 

Small, shakily, you tried to speak, “..H.. Hello? Is anyone there?” 

No reply. 

You could feel the air get colder as you took a step forward, almost tripping. You stumble for a moment until you are able to stand again. You tried to open your eyes again, but no luck yet. You still could see right?

Taking a breath, you took another step, there has to be a back way home. Or shelter, it feels colder and colder by a minute. At least, that’s what it felt for you. 

You could feel your bare feet touch the dirt and rocks beneath you. You knocked your head into a tree, using that clutch for a bit, you felt your way around by the trees around you. You could feel your feet bleed and blister as you continue your journey, you aren’t even sure where you are going. 

You heard rushing water, it might be a river. You walked to the noise, you were unsure until you felt it with your feet. Sitting on the river bed, you stayed there. Washing the charred feeling off of your face. Until you heard a branch snap, making you jolt and whip your head around. But still can only see the darkness that welcomes you.

“H… H-hello? I- Is someone there?” Your throat felt like sandpaper grinding together. But you don’t know what danger awaits you. 

No response, but another noise.

“I.. I- if someone is there, please speak, I don’t think I can see…” You try to hear anything after but it was quiet. Before you could hear footsteps. Then someone sitting a bit away from you. 

“Don’t think you can see?” The voice was deep, but calming. “What do you… mean?” 

“I… I don’t think I can… open them. Who… are you?” You replied back. The figure next to you was quiet. You felt guilt, the first person to come into contact with you after… How long were you out? And from the… sacrifice? You still didn’t know what happened that night.

Softly, you can hear the male mumble under his breath, “Humanity is so cruel.” Before you can speak another word, you were picked up. 

Yelping, “Hey, hey!” You didn’t know who this man was, his arms were around you, holding you in the princess carry you see some people in the village do. But even then, you still don't know this man. “Let go of me!” You started to move aggressively, kicking your legs and moving your arms. 

“Wait, wait. Calm down. I’m trying to help you.” He said. He was trying to keep holding you in his arms. “Hold still! You need help, let me help.”

“Why should I? I don’t know who you are?!” 

“Call me V, now that introductions are aside. Please sit still so I can carry you.” He yelled out when you tried to push him away. “Will you calm down?” 

You still try to get away from him until you feel like you were placed down back onto the ground. 

“You need to calm down, I am just trying to help you. Since you refuse to be picked up, I’ll have to treat you here.” You felt a hand trace over your eyes. It felt like a mix of flaking something off of you and nails going into your eyes. You yelled in pain as you felt the hand leave you. “It’s worse than I thought, you humans are foul creatures.” 

In a mix of pain and confusion, you wanted to ask but you felt like your eyes were getting worse. Your head felt like it was getting lighter and you didn’t feel pain for a moment. 

-

Maybe it was a dream… but you can only see black. You put your hands over your eyes to feel bandages. 

“Oh, you’re awake. Finally.” You felt something next to your cheek but you were unsure. “Leave the bandages on your eyes, they were damaged pretty badly. Can you explain why?”

The bed bounced a bit as the male you remember that called himself, ‘V’, sat down next to you. But… your eyes are damaged… how… Perry.. and him saying you were a sacrifice. You still didn’t know what that meant. 

“I know there are a few villages that sacrifice the people who live in them. For some immunity I believe. Were you from one of them?” He must have felt the shock from you, because he continued. “You were, weren’t you? It is disgusting how you humans kill each other just to protect yourselves. Vile even.” 

“But protect from what?” You could feel your hands on your arms, hurting yourself in the process. “You make it sound like you aren’t human. Hell, like there are monsters out there?” 

You don’t know how but you felt the air shift. “You… don’t know? Please tell me that you are joking. This is a serious matter.” 

You stayed quiet, what could you say to someone to say something a bit… insane. You could hear him groan, as you felt something graze your cheek, even licking you. But as you want to touch it, it feels… like scales. A snake? 

“You seriously didn’t know? Were you sheltered?” Rubbing the snake's head, you hear him sigh.

“I was. My mother didn’t allow me to be by myself until I was out of my teen years. I know I was at least sheltered, but still, no way a snowflake in hell chance there's inhuman beings out there.” Distracting yourself a bit by petting the snake that now lays on your wrist. 

Receiving another sigh, “There are monsters in this forest, werewolves, gorgons, selkies, fae, fairies, angels and demons of themselves. By the sight of your eyes, you were supposed to be a sacrifice. To the fae’s or angels, I believe. White and gold are their calling cards.” 

“Angels and fae’s? I… I won’t believe it. It’s just a fairy tail.” 

“How can you say that while petting my snake? I am a gorgon, human. The snake is attached to me, and yet you say you don’t believe monsters are alive.” 

You paused, you were petting this guy’s… hair? Yeah… right… You started to trace the snake up, hopefully to feel a tail, but no, more snakes and a scalp.

He was right. 

You didn’t know what to do. 

“Now do you believe me?” You hesitantly nod. “Good. Now I don’t believe I got your name. May I ask for it? I’m not like a fae who would use it against you.” 

“Reader.. My name is Reader…” This… you couldn’t believe it.. 

“Well, again, call me V. Unfortunately,” You felt him getting up and the snake was no longer in your grasp. “With you losing your eyesight, I will care for you until you can care for yourself, or find another caretaker. Now, I believe humans eat most things. I will be back.” You can hear him walk away from the room after he shut the door. 

You slowly raised your hand to touch near your eyes. You felt the cloth he wrapped around your eyes. Grimacing, he said you lost your sight. Remembering that night? Was it yesterday? Time was hard to tell without it but… Perry had that blade, the one he put in the fire… From piecing it together… Perry blinded you. Leaving you to rot in the forest for what V mentioned, the monsters to eat you. 

After everything Perry did, why did he sirened you into his little… Now looking back… it was planned from the start, he said someone was supposed to take your place but since… It was your mother… they were gonna sacrifice your mom, the one who brought you into… world… 

You don’t even know where to start.. Monsters, sacrifices, Perry, and V. Weirdly, V was.. Kind but weird. Very weird. 

-

It’s been 3 weeks, at least, that is what V has stated. He’s been helping you, allowing some independence as well. Making sure if you want to leave or when he finds someone to dump you on them, you would be fine. But, V? Somehow… you started to fall for him. Sure, you realized there was more than just humans, but he was sweet. He doesn’t lie, and is very blunt to you. Something you need at the moment. 

Living in V’s place, it was apparently a makeshift house in the forest. He said he was cold blooded. So his place was warm all the time, and you were never too cold. On the porch and covered by the over roof, you were dry as you listened into the rain. You always loved seeing the rainfall, but without your sight, you were able to at least listen to it. 

You heard V’s steps, then a jacket around you. “You will get cold if you don’t have a coat, or a blanket.” 

You felt your lips pull into a smile, “Thank you V. Join me.” You pat the spot next to you on the bench. 

You heard him sit down, the more you got used to you being blind, the power you got. You sometimes hear someone else in the house. A soft sweet tone that sinks fangs in you to siren you into her words, a loud chaotic voice, one that screams for pranks and joy, and another deep voice that twists his words for other meanings. You never met them on V’s account, he said not to as they also kill humans. 

“You humans are interesting, how does rainfall intracing you to keep listening to it?” You felt a few of his snakes touch your cheek and you lifted your hand to pet a few of them. 

“It’s calming. At least to me, I know what rainfall looks like, and smells. Rain could be cruel and harmful but in other ways, it helps others. Some humans don’t like it because it’s cold and wet, while plants thrive from it. There’s always two sides of a coin, one object but two different sides.” You felt your lips pull into a bigger smile as you explained. “I always liked reading while it rained. A hot beverage as well. It was a good day to stay indoors.” 

V was quiet, before giving a huff you know was positive. “You have vastly different views. But, interesting nevertheless. Reader… if there is anything you want from your village.. What would it be?”

“From Silverhaven?” You pondered. What would you want? For sure, none of the gifts you were given. But what? You couldn’t read. “A stuffed animal. It was this… old bear, my father gave it to me when I was born, it was the only thing I got from him before he died.” 

The gorgon was quiet for a while, “Do you want me to retrieve it?” Was there a change in your face to show what was on your mind to make him say what was next? “Is that a no?”

“I… just don’t know what to say, V.. I do love it.. But… I just accepted that I lost everything from that village.. My parent’s grave all my clothes and belongings. I just… I also don’t want you to be hurt by them. So… I think I would be fine, Snakey. I promise.” You smiled at his direction, at least you hoped.

“You’re looking the wrong way.” He sounded like he had a smile, at least by the huff he gave. You felt your face burn up as he started softly laughing. “At least your other senses are getting better, that means your body is adapting.” 

If you still had your eyes, you would have rolled them but you softly shook your head. As you were about to speak again when thunder was heard. 

“Let’s head inside for the night, Human. The rainfall turned into a storm and it looks bad.” You gave a small nod as he took your hand and pulled up to his house. 

You honestly like it so far. V was fair and helpful.

-

You were able to memorize his place by heart, leaning on the wall towards the kitchen. You wanted to get a glass of water by yourself without disturbing the one who owns the place. You could do it. Most likely. 

As you got in, you felt around the cupboard he labeled with dots for you, as you were learning braille. Grabbing the plastic cup, as V replaced the ones you could reach with plastic to not have another accident with glass in your feet. You still could feel it at times. You felt around on the counter. It was colder here. You got to the faucet and poured some water for yourself, placing the cup on the counter with no spills! New record so far. Back to feeling around, you wanted to make your water flavored a bit, you were back into the cupboards. 

Finding a bottle with no label on it, you were about to put it back as you heard, “What are you doing, human?”

Screaming, you threw the small bottle, hearing it smashed nearby. 

“Wow, you were close to hitting me with my own poison.” He sounded amused. 

“Poison?! Why do you have poison here? And in the kitchen?!” You yelled out. 

“I’m a gorgon, reader. I have poison glands, now again. Why are you up?” You could hear shifting, most likely crossing his arms. 

“Water.” You gestured guessly, hopefully pointing to your glass of water. But you received a huff of laughter. 

He sighed as he walked closer, a step was a bit longer, he took a step over it. “I told you, I could help you. I am supposed to be your caretaker.” 

“I was fine until you showed up.” You huffed out as now you are the one that crossed your arms.

“You were about to pour poison into your drink.” His voice was almost deadpanned. 

“Was not!” You felt a hand wrap around yours as a glass was picked up. “I wasn’t! I was putting it back!” 

-

You were in his kitchen, drinking a hot beverage from V when he sat you down for something. 

“Your village, Silverhaven.” He started off, by the table creaking, he was leaning on it, maybe half sitting. 

“What about it?” You took another sip.

“The villagers are dead, and the town was burnt to a crisp by a demon, a fae, and a kitsune. Do you remember what a kitsune is? Fae?”

You didn’t worry about what the monsters were, it was the village. “It’s… it’s gone?” 

“Yes.” The man was blunt, he always is. He jokes, but… this wasn’t one. “The village was a cult in a way. From what some people heard, the village was starting to kill themselves from a curse from what I believe was a fairy. Took a deal they shouldn’t. And someone had to take care of it.” 

Was it… revenge in a way? To be happy at their downfall? 

“But, I was able to go there last night while you were sleeping and grabbed this.” Something was placed into your lap. You know this texture, the smell as well. It was the bear you told V about a few weeks ago. “I heard it from a little bird and went to check it out to see if it was true. It was. It was bloody and gruesome. But it seems they will not sacrifice their own kind for immunity.” 

It was the end of Silverhaven. You wrapped your arms around the bear and pulled it closer. Hiding the smile you shouldn’t have behind it. You were happy that they were gone. The people that took your eyes were gone. 

The gorgon got off of his table, making the table creek again. “I would say I would show you but…” 

“Your words are enough. I have known you for a while, and I trust them.” 

You heard a breath leaving him, you can tell he was smiling. He was happy to have your trust. 

-

It felt like forever, you know you are under the night sky with the chilly air of summer. The wind is blowing around you. You could hear something running on all fours and light footsteps. Angel and Misaki. You could hear Misaki panting with laughter as Angel screams to get something back to her. A loud devilish laughter from Ronin as he could see the chase. You felt a few snakes near your cheek and neck, touching you for affection. You learned that the snakes had V’s intentions, wanting your affection. Intertwining your hands together with his, as he commentates the chase for you. 

Some headcanons of Gorgon V

V understands that you can’t see but he tries to commentate what is happening

He learns human braille for you, and also teaching you it as he learn, he wants to help you

Nicknames, him being called Snakey was on purpose as you got annoyed by him just calling you ‘human’ or a while

He was the one that killed the village, he didn’t have the heart to tell you at first, as he didn’t know how you would react. Especially after hearing what Perry did, he made sure that his death was slow. (Ronin and Feli were the ones that burnt it. He didn’t light it.)

After accidentally almost poisoning yourself, he placed it somewhere, even when he was gone, you still couldn’t find it. It was on the fireplace

He cares for your disability, helping you by saying there is a step or something. 

He introduced you to his ‘acquaintances’, even helping describe what they look like. He doesn’t like Ronin a lot, that's what you figured out with how he describes his appearance. 

He taught you about monsters and what they can do, making you a rule list that continues to grow larger with each monster.   

His snakes betray him often for your pets, even pulls them away when they distract you from him

-------

Over 3k words guys, new record! Anyway, choose which one I should work/finish up.

[katyawriteswhump]

the freak in the penthouse pt 13

E-rated (for sexual content), accidental millionaire eddie/sex-worker steve. On tumblr: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3.1 Part 3.2 Part 4.1 Part 4.2 Part 5.1 Part 5.2 Part 6.1 Part 6.2 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 or search #thefreakinthepenthouse :) On AO3

Chapter 13: Just tryin' to kill the pain

Five days earlier

“I asked you a question, man!” yelled Dickchester. Godchester. Eddie didn’t give a flying fuck either way.

He breathed hard and fast through his nostrils. His teeth grinded. Then he turned about and picked up Robin’s rolling pin.

…

Half an hour later, Eddie huddled behind a dumpster in an alleyway, hugging his guitar case to him. He recalled what had happened next in vivid flashes.

His red-hot rage when it grew crystal clear how Godchester had hurt Steve. 

The horror contorting Godchester’s reddened face, when Eddie went for him, rolling pin raised. 

The hint of ‘wtf-am-I-doing?’ when Doreen pawed at his shoulder—“Eddie, no!”—and his grip on the rolling pin faltered.

The flash of Godchester’s cane in the corner of his vision eclipsed his growing doubts. He jerked out of the way. The rolling pin slipped from his clammy grip. He punched the son-of-a-bitch in the face, again and again, his rings acting as knuckle dusters, till the sucker went down.

Doreen gasped. Eddie fled, blindly.

He’d bypassed the elevators, and tore down a stairwell, winding down, down, down. The slap of his sneakers on the steps jarred through his shins. His hand hurt, his arm hurt and his shoulder hurt. He’d left everything! Oh, okay, no. Not everything. He’d gotten his original beloved guitar, handle clutched in his sweaty hand, with no recollection of grabbing the thing. He thought about Steve, and it felt for a flash like he’d left everything else he’d loved in that lousy penthouse.

No. Steve was gone. 

That son-of-bitch lay bleeding on the floor, and Eddie felt… numb.

Kinda sick, actually. He literally hadn’t known he had that in him.

At the bottom of the endless stairwell, he blundered out through a fire-escape. In the passage between the hotel and the next block, he gagged on the stench of stale garbage. Then he reached the sidewalk. The raw horror of his situation slammed home.

People.

Lots of them, walking, talking, shouting, laughing, stepping in and out of stores. Vehicles hooted, scooters droned, and breaks screeched. He’d rooted himself to the spot. He glanced up at the too-wide, way-too-bright sky, and it threatened to cave in on him.

He attempted a step. Another step. Three or four more, then froze up completely. His heart galloped like a Derby champ, and he squeezed his eyes closed. Gaudy sun-blobs spoiled his quest for darkness. Somebody shoved him from behind:

“Watch it, buddy—I’m walking here!”

Eddie shuffled onward. The sweat streamed from his brow, sizzled down the back of his neck. His hair stuck to him. He faintly recalled Henderson had sent a ride for him. No way could he go back to the hotel now.

Shiiiiit. 

I CAN’T DO THIS.

He plunged up the nearest dark alleyway. So, there he was, snivelling behind a dumpster, cradling his bruised knuckles, the flesh swollen around his rings. The sky darkened, the streets quietened slightly, and the rats grew bolder. His thoughts were a scattered mess, and he needed to find Steve. 

No! Again! Terrible idea. Steve is safer with Robin.

Eddie couldn’t even keep himself safe. Couldn’t walk down a street. His heart panged then settled into a dull, gnawing ache.

After dark, he flagged down a ride, and asked for the bus depot. He spent the cash Henderson gave him, to settle any sundries on his final check, on a one-way ticket to Portland. To Wayne.

The Greyhound bus was quiet. Eddie hunkered down at the rear, started thinking clearly again, and he grew sicker than ever. He hated LA. He hated the penthouse he’d escaped from, and he didn’t regret handing that limey son-of-a-bitch his ass. He could never regret it. The world didn’t do justice for folk like him or Steve.

But his dreams of being with Steve—of taking care of Steve—were as long gone as his fortune.

I’m gonna have the cops on my tail playing hunt the freak. Always knew I’d tippy-toe into my old man’s footsteps one day.

He clonked his forehead to his precious guitar case and wept till the stickers smudged and streaked.

...

Five and a half-days later

“How far to the next gas station,” asked Robin. “I need to pee.”

Steve was pretending to be asleep. He cracked an eye open and noticed dawn had broken. Dustin had passed driving duties over to Suzie and now gawked back at Robin, incredulous. 

“We stopped an hour ago,” said Dustin. “How many times do you need to go?”

“As many times as I need! Your chuggy-chuggy Volvo makes me wanna hurl and the I-5 gives me the creeps.”

“How can a road give you the creeps?” asked Nancy.

“Have you any idea how many serial killers operate on this strip of asphalt?” replied Robin. “Too many. They’re literally tag-teaming it, as we drive merrily along… very possibly to our doom.”

“Seriously, Robin?” Steve rubbed his eyes. “You read way too many crime mags.”

“Yeah? Let’s hope your boyfriend doesn’t get his face in one any time soon.”

The loaded silence was like a deep breath before a plunge into a pool. Then Dustin relaunched the defence of Eddie that Steve had caught snatches of all night. Dustin was for sure a loyal buddy. Yeah, he was also a mouthy little shit. Steve warmed to him anyhow.

“I find it difficult to comprehend that Eddie would ever hurt a fly,” concluded Dustin. “I mean, he’s been framed, obviously—this is Eddie !”

“I’m sorry, Dingbats,” said Robin. “Still not in the fan club. He got my best friend arrested. He’s flushed about a billion pounds straight down a gold-plated toilet. He’s wanted by the cops. Even if we find him, how exactly are we gonna get the hairy-ass loser outta that dingy hole?”

“If you’d stop shitting on him for five seconds,” said Dustin, “we might let you in on our plan. Oooh, and here’s a curveball—you could help us! You work at that doily-saturated hovel, right?”

“I hope I still do,” said Robin. “Another reason we need to stop somewhere—I gotta call in sick this morning or I’m gonna be in deeper do-do than Eddie-‘America’s-Sweetheart’-Munson.”

“I’ll pull over at the next opportunity, I promise,” said Suzie, and then, “Nance, you gonna tell them?”

Nancy shrugged. “Sure. So, Dustin got wind that the guy pressing charges against Eddie was a Lord-something.”

“The right-honorable Jacob De la Moer Gurderville-Smythe, aka Lord Godchester,” chipped in Suzie.

“Dickchester,” spat Robin.

Yeah. I know who he was. Steve slid down the seat and pretended to doze off again.

“Nomenclature aside, Godchester’s lawyered-up to his aristocratic ears and bullying the police into a manhunt for Eddie. Contesting the charges against that kinda ammo is gonna be tricky. However, if we could dish some real dirt on a bona-fide Lord and threaten to sell it to a high-profile newspaper, we might get enough leverage for the charges to be dropped. So, Suzie and I did a little undercover espionage—”

“—we pretended we were temping in reception—”

“—and got talking to the staff. Lord Godchester had only been there 48 hours and he'd upset a ton of people—”

“—Lord Gropechester would be a better title.”

Lalalala, not listening.

Steve groaned softly to himself and wilfully blanked their voices out. Robin was right about the chuggy Volvo and its stinky seats. He hadn’t felt carsick like this since he was a kid, and it didn’t help that his stomach was growlingly empty.

Thinking about Eddie, on the other hand, helped slightly.

He clung to memories of those final precious moments in the penthouse. Snuggling on the bed, with his head tucked beneath Eddie’s chin. It hadn’t been about the sex anymore. It’d been about being together, about tentatively learning to trust. About needing each other as bad as the air they breathed. And then, that sweaty hug before they’d parted. 

“I’m crazy about you, Stevie,” Eddie had whispered.

In the past few days, Eddie’s vow had seeped like a healing balm into Steve’s skin. Though Eddie had disappeared without a word, Steve trusted the words Eddie left him with. Even his own arrest hadn’t shaken his faith in Eddie for more than a few, fleeting heartbeats. Now, every sinew in Steve’s being yearned for Eddie.

Screw crazy. I’m in love with you Eddie Munson. And I’m dead worried about you. And your agoro-wotsit. Where the hell are you, you dopey idiot?

As promised, Suzie pulled over at the next gas station. Robin had no sooner peed, than she sought out Steve. He was trying to have a quiet moment with a banana, his prevention meds, and some Cherry Coke. She hooked her arm through his, and urged him toward some trees, which he felt a deep urge to flee into.

“Steve,” she said softly, “are you really not gonna say anything?”

He tugged himself free, nearly choked on his banana. “About what?”

“About Dickchester! Listen, I’ve been down on Eddie, but I’m starting to get it. Dickchester was one of them , right?”

He stared at her, weathering the latest shockwave. If her voice wasn’t so soft, her gaze brimming with concern, it would’ve been easy to yell at her. Now… God, was he gonna flip out again? He felt shaky and drained, as if his days of recovery at her mom’s had never happened.

Worse, Steve was starting to ‘get’ what Eddie had done too.

“Eddie said that somebody from your past had reared their ugly face,” she said. “I gave him an utterly Dickensian rogue’s gallery of suspects, and I guess you told him—"

“I told Eddie squat.” Steve ground his toe into the dirt. Now, he had to think about the scary stuff. Eddie was accused of attacking a man who’d abused him. Eddie could go to jail, and Steve couldn’t handle that.

Robin’s words kept coming: “Listen, Steve. If Nancy can dish some real dirt on that shitbag, she could destroy him. I mean, it’s not only about getting Eddie’s charges dropped. You can't imagine you're the only person he… they … hurt. This could be your chance to get even with some of the bastards who used you when you were paying back your trust fund and your parents’ debts.”

Steve’s face burned. He knew she meant well, that she wanted to help. But his mouth hung open, his throat too dry to speak. Jesus, how could he make her see?

“You had to pay back your trust fund?” asked Suzie, startling Steve so badly his hand flew to his chest. “That’s not right. Look, I only study law at bedtime—I find it profoundly relaxing—but I’m pretty sure trust funds can't be in debt.”

“Yeah well, mine was,” croaked Steve, raw anger forcing his tongue into action. “End of story. Let’s move on.”

It was Dustin’s turn to drive again. Steve secretly prayed that Suzie would take a nap, or at least have other ‘business’ on her mind.

Unfortunately, she was excruciatingly bright-eyed and super-earnest. Before Dustin had shifted into third gear, she renewed her attack: 

“Steve, it’s highly unlikely you would be liable for your parents’ debts. And trust fund investments fundamentally don't work that way. You need a better lawyer. What was your parents’ lawyer’s name?”

The first part of this speech had stressed Steve out. The final question throttled him, mind and body. 

No, no, no, no, no, no. Can’t!

“Stop right there, Miss Shiny-shoes,” snapped Robin. “Can’t you see he doesn’t wanna talk about it?” Steve snorted because it was actually hilarious, given she had been the one ‘poking the grizzly’ five minutes ago. 

Poking the grizzly. Oh God, Eddie, I miss you. I know we’re a pair of sad-sack morons, but how did we screw things up this bad?

Still, Robin had saved him for now. He unleashed a shuddering sigh and prayed the others would reinstate finding Eddie as the hot topic. Then he glanced at Nancy. Her pursed lips alone begged a million questions from him.

He had to deflect, before he blew a gasket. Or did something worse, like crying: “This is doubtless a dumb question. If you guys are loaded, why are you driving to Oregon?”

...

Part 14 on ao3 Part 14 on tumblr

Thank you for reading. Likes, reblogs and comments much appreciated and will feed the bunnies🐰💕🐰💕🐰💕🐰💕

On tumblr: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3.1 Part 3.2 Part 4.1 Part 4.2 Part 5.1 Part 5.2 Part 6.1 Part 6.2 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 or search #thefreakinthepenthouse :)

On AO3 All my ST stuff on AO3

[cooliogirl101]

Been looking back at the Powerpuff Girls AU I wrote and I kinda want to write about what would happen if Reina, after her “death”, gets launched into the canon Naruto verse instead. A few ways this could go:

Reina wakes up in the body of canon!verse’s Kobayashi Reina, who never attended the Academy and by all appearances was a perfectly average civilian woman.

- She either wakes up pre-Uchiha Massacre, in which case she’d run straight to Mikoto and tell her everything (doesn’t matter if it’s not her Mikoto, she would love any version of Uchiha Mikoto). Mikoto might actually have a harder time adjusting to Reina than vice versa, to having someone look at her with so much love and trust and affection that it aches.

Reina comes from a world where the Uchiha are widely respected and closely connected to the other clans, instead of cast aside and isolated. Reina gives her hope, and she doesn’t know what to do with that.

- OR she wakes up post-Uchiha Massacre and has to live with the realization that in this nightmarish parody of her world, her godson (one of the people she loves most in the world) killed her best friend (another one of the people she loves most in the world).

She wakes up completely and utterly alone in this world and the more she learns about it, the sicker she feels. Sakumo-sensei never survived his suicide attempt and his son is drowning in Anbu, Minato and Kushina are dead, their son is hated and abandoned by the village, Mikoto and the rest of the Uchiha were slaughtered by Itachi (and how could it be Itachi? How could the boy she loved and helped raise be capable of such a thing?) leaving behind a shattered Sasuke, Orochimaru has turned into someone she no longer recognizes, her team is broken and scattered to the winds, Hizashi died a pointless death saving a village that should have gone to war for him goddamn it and Neji— oh dear god, Neji—

In the midst of violently throwing up, body shaking from the force of her sobs, Reina rests her cheek on the toilet seat and sends a mental apology to those she’s left behind. It appears that she’ll be taking a bit longer to find her way home.

She has things to do first.

[cuddlepilefics]

Can’t stop puking

Fandom: Enhypen

Sickie: Heeseung

Caregivers: Enhypen

@monthofsick

Heeseung can't fall asleep and starts to feel sicker as the night progresses. He tries to stick it out by himself, not wanting any of his dongsaengs to have to deal with him and his mess but that can only work for so long.

TW: emeto; real person fiction

No one’s POV.:

Heeseung was usually quite fond of having a room to himself. Tonight was one of those rare occasions though when he wished for a roommate. He had felt a little off all day and had spent the past two hours tossing and turning as he tried and failed to fall asleep. By now, his sheets were soaked with sweat and he found himself dazedly staring up at the ceiling. Heeseung’s head pounded and there was no doubt in his mind that he had managed to fall ill. All he wanted, no needed, were a few sips of water to soothe his parched throat but his body felt so heavy, getting up from his bed seemed impossible, and he had no roommate he could call out to for help.

There was no way of telling just how long he had lain there, the numbers on his alarm clock blurring in front of his eyes. Heeseung squeezed his eyes shut and rolled onto his side, drawing his knees up to his chest. His stomach was churning now too, probably from the lack of food. Since he hadn’t had the slightest appetite all day, he hadn’t managed to force down much over the course of the day, so hunger pains were to be expected but the rising nausea was not. Huffing a shaky breath, Heeseung contemplated his options. It would probably be safest to go and sit in the bathroom for a bit, if the funny feeling at the back of his throat was anything to go by, but he was so exhausted. The way too the bathroom seemed so impossibly far.

Laying in his feverish daze for a few more minutes, Heeseung barely noticed how his mouth started to water and startled when his stomach suddenly seized. He barely had time to lean over the sized of his bed, hands fisted in his sweat-damp blanket as he watched the mouthful of stomach acid splatter the floor boards. Yeah, he should’ve most definitely headed to the bathroom. Giving a strained cough, Heeseung heaved again and was glad that he hadn’t eaten much. A string of saliva dangled from his lips and he spat in disgust, hoping to get rid of the vile taste. His already dry throat burned now but he didn’t crave a drink as much as he had a little while ago, figuring it wouldn’t sit well while his stomach still turned.

The room span for a few seconds as Heeseung sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, careful to avoid the puddle. Shakily, he made his way to the bathroom and slumped against the sink as he stared at his ghostly pale complexion. His hand trembled and he struggled to catch enough water in his palm to rinse out his mouth. At least, most of the taste was gone now. Heeseung splashed some cold water on his face before sinking to his knees and slumping against one of the cabinets. His cheeks puffed with a queasy burp and he sighed, trying to find the energy to clean up the mess in his room.

It has taken Heeseung a little while but he eventually got his bearing and tiredly shuffled back to his room, cleaning supplies in hand. He was a little proud of himself that he managed to clean his mess without the stench making him sick again, though there were a few close calls. What Heeseung didn’t have the energy for though, was changing his sheets. They were absolutely sweaty and disgusting but mopping the floor had left him winded. The thought of just going to sleep on the couch with a bucket close by crossed his mind but the likelihood of one of his dongsaengs finding him in a pathetic state was too high for him to risk it.

After throwing his bedding onto the floor, Heeseung wrapped himself in a fluffy blanket, which did nothing for his chills, and laid down on his bare bed. He wouldn’t be able to rest for long though. His stomach was cramping badly and knowing he wouldn’t have the energy to clean up after himself a second time, Heeseung unwillingly dragged himself back to the bathroom and settled on the rug. With trembling hands, he flipped up the toilet seat and pulled his blanket tighter around his shivering frame. It only took a few minutes for Heeseung to find himself gagging again. The strain made his head pound and brought tears to his eyes, which he hurriedly wiped away when he heard footsteps approaching down the hallway.

A hand appeared on Heeseung’s upper back, giving a few hesitant pats when the eldest coughed. “What happened, hyung?”, Niki hummed, sleepily slurring his words, “Do you need anything?” Heeseung tensed when he realized that it was their maknae, who had walked in on him. Tightly gripping his blanket, he choked out: “Water an’ Jay, please?” – “Sit tight”, Niki agreed, squeezing his hyung’s shoulder before hurrying off. Heeseung coughed up another mouthful before tearing off some toilet paper and weakly cleaning himself up. By the time Jay joined him, he had drawn his knees up to his chest and tiredly rested his head on them.

“Hey, what’s going on, hyung?”, Jay frowned as he crouched in front of his friend. Looking up at the other, Heeseung slurred: “Sick.” – “Yeah, I can see that but you seemed alright when we got home earlier, so when did this come on?”, the younger worried, feeling Heeseung’s forehead. Giving a pathetic sniffle, the eldest admitted: “Felt a little off all day. Like, no appetite and all but it wasn’t bad. Then when I went to bed and tried to sleep, I couldn’t and it just got worse and worse from there. Started sweating like crazy and threw up a while ago. Thought I was empty, so I tried to sleep but seems I can’t stop puking for long.” While he was speaking, what little color he had, drained from his face and Jay helped him lean over the toilet again. “Where is that even coming from”, the younger frowned, “I don’t remember you eating anything at all.”

When the spell was over, Niki handed Heeseung a bottle of water and the older rinsed his mouth before taking the tiniest of sips. “I did eat a little but-“, Heeseung slurred, muffling a belch against his fist, “Shouldn’t be anything left though. Gosh, it burns.” – “Your face is r ally hot to the touch”, Jay informed, carefully brushing his bangs back in place, “Do you want us to help you back to bed? We’ll bring a bucket for the next round.” The older shook his head though, taking another sip to soothe his shredded throat. Feeling humiliated, avoided eye contact when he admitted: “Don’t have sheets on my bed right now.” – “Alright, how about the couch”, Jay nodded. Seeing as he had already been discovered in a poorly state, Heeseung agreed and allowed his friend to pull him to his feet. He stumbled weakly, leaning most of his weight on Jay, who supported him to the living room. Niki was nowhere to be found and the eldest deeply hoped that the boy had gone back to bed.

“There’s a bucket next to you”, Jay informed as he set the bucket down before fixing the blanket around his hyung’s shoulders. Heeseung was already drifting off when Niki returned to let them know that he had put fresh sheets on the other’s bed, so Niki only whispered it to Jay, wanting his hyung to sleep, no matter where. Seeing that Heeseung was resting for the time being, Jay told Niki to go to bed, while he’d be camping out in the living room with their hyung in case he needed to be sick again at any point of the night.

That happened to be the case twice more. Both of those times, Jay sat with Heeseung, rubbing his back and supplying him with water and tissues. By the time morning rolled around, Jay was knocked out cold. Jungwon was the one to find them and comparing their face shades, figured out that Heeseung was sick, while Jay was merely exhausted. Gently waking Jay, the leader whispered: “What happened last night?” – “We’ve been up for most of the night because hyung couldn’t stop puking”, the older muttered, “Probably a stomach bug ‘cause he’s quite feverish.” – “Do you wanna go lay down for another hour or two, hyung? I’ll call management and let them know Heeseung-hyung is sick. If we pack some breakfast for you to eat on the way, you could sleep in late”, Jungwon offered fumbling with his phone. No matter how badly Jay wanted to be strong and just go about his day like normal, he was too exhausted and the offer too tempting. He trusted his dongsaengs to wake him on time, so he agreed and headed back to his room.

While Jungwon was on the phone, Jake joined him in the common area. He had woken up when Jay entered their shared room, so the older had quickly explained what was going on before going to bed. The Aussie quickly packed a lunchbox for his hyung before making sure everyone else was up and eating breakfast. Heeseung was eventually woken up by all the commotion and even let Sunghoon talk him into having a few bites of rice before downing a pill for his fever. Unsurprisingly, the eldest found himself over the bucket, painfully retching it right back up as soon as Sunghoon had gone to the bathroom to get ready.

This time, the comforting hand on his back belonged to Sunoo, who shot him a sympathetic smile as he offered him some water to rinse his mouth with. “Good morning, hyung”, Jungwon hummed when Heeseung collapsed back into the cushions, “Management is informed that you won’t be attending our schedule today. You want me to rinse that out for you?” – “Thank you, Wonie”, the eldest rasped, his voice shot from how many times he had thrown up in the past twelve hours. Jungwon took the bucket from him and hurried to rinse it out, wanting to return it to his hyung as fast as possible.

Jake left a pot of tea and Heeseung’s favorite mug on the coffee table, pleading: “Try to stay hydrated, hyung. We don’t want to find you in worse shape when we get back tonight.” – “There’s rice in the kitchen and a pot of soup on the stove. I know, you probably have no appetite but please try to eat something at some point, hyung”, Niki smiled sadly, placing a pack of saltine crackers next to the tea. “You shouldn’t have gone through the trouble. It’ll just come back up”, Heeseung forced out, fighting back tears, “I’ll give it a try once it feels a little safer.” – “That’s good enough for us and, hyung, it was no trouble. We don’t mind even if you end up throwing it up. At least, it won’t hurt as much as dry heaving, right?”, Jake comforted, glancing at the clock, “Niki-yah, could you go and wake Jay for me?” The maknae nodded and hurried off to his hyungs’ room.

“How are you feeling now, hyung? Aside from ‘seconds away from puking’”, Sunoo whispered as he watched Heeseung curl up on the couch. The older smiled sadly when his dongsaeng helped him tuck the blanket tighter and sighed: “Tired, sore, my head and stomach hurt, my throat’s on fire and everything is freaking cold. To sum it up: shitty.” – “Hm, give me a minute”, Sunoo hummed before he disappeared to the kitchen.

When Sunoo returned to the living room, he handed Heeseung a hot water bottle and smiled: “Should help with both, the stomach cramps and your chills. To soothe the headache and make sure the hot water bottle won’t raise your fever, I got an icepack to put on your forehead.” – “You’re truly an angel, Ddeonu”, the eldest rasped, hugging the hot water bottle to his sore middle. “Try to get some rest, hyung, and text us whenever you feel like it”, Jay instructed, still messing with his hair in an attempt to look presentable. Wincing when he spotted the dark circles under Jay’s eyes, Heeseung promised: “I will. Try not to overexert yourself today and thank you for last night.”

[goldenempyrean]

Twinkling

« Day 15: Fairy Lights »

« Pairing: WandaNat »

« Notes: this was cute to write :) horribly unedited so I apologise :,) »

〘 Check Out My Masterlist! 〙〘 Advent 2023 Masterlist! 〙

“You don’t get it Nat, the lights are what makes it christmas! It’s the one thing I love every year, they’re special!” Is what the feverish witch had yelled - well, croaked to be more accurate - earlier in response when Nat had put her foot down and decided neither of them would be attending the city’s national light switch on event.

Natasha hadn’t said it to cruel or unfair, she did have a point. Wanda was sick. Way too sick to be stood around shivering in the cold, even if she’d worn a coat, the icy bite in the wind would’ve been sure to have left her with the chills. Still, the watery tears that had slipped helplessly down her wife’s flushed red cheeks at the news had made her feel horribly guilty at her decision. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been looking forward to it too, the whole team usually met up. It was always a good night but she simply knew that Wanda would’ve gotten herself 10x sicker in the process.

Wanda hadn’t been said much after that, she simply wiped her tears and taken herself back to their bedroom, shutting the door behind her with a slam louder than necessary - a clear sign she wasn’t in the mood to simply talk things over.

As Natasha stood alone in the dimly lit living room, she couldn't shake off the weight of Wanda's disappointment. She knew it was probably the fever heightening her emotions but the way her bottom lip had wobbled as she tried not to cry at the news had her heart torn into bits. She could’ve leave it like this.

For now though, she gave Wanda space. Fighting back the urge to slip into their bedroom and hold her through the tears. Instead Natasha quietly slid past the room, being mindful of the creaking floorboards that threatened to give away her plan and headed up towards their attic.

Creeping open the attic door, the smell of dry air and dust make her cough instinctively as she crept inside. It was a little dark but it wasn’t hard to spot the piles of boxes in one of the corners. Wiping the settled dust from the top of one, she read the label scribbled on in black sharpie, “Christmas Decoration’s.”

“There we go.” Natasha whispered to herself, as her vision began to slowly come into plan.

She continued to open up the several boxes, searching around in them to grab exactly what she wanted and in the end she was left with countless strings of wire and bulbs.

Back downstairs, she looked around the toom with determined eyes and a softened resolve.!Natasha began draping the twinkling lights around the living room. She carefully wove them through the bookshelves, wrapped them gently around the framed photos on the walls, and adorned the windows with a warm, festive glow.

As each strand illuminated, Natasha couldn't help but smile, imagining the joy it would bring to Wanda. The room slowly began to transform from it’s somber atmosphere into a magical haven of twinkling multicoloured lights, creating dancing shadows and sparkling glows on the walls.

She even took extra care to fashion a cozy nook in their favorite corner, entwining the lights around their shared armchair. The room was now a symphony of colors and warmth. Everything looked perfect and Natasha found herself taking a step back, resting her hands on her hips as she admired her work. She was going to love it.

After a final checkround, the redhead flicked off the lights, the room being consumed by darkness in their absence. It took a moment for her eyes go adjust but when they did, she made sure everything looked tidy before smiling to herself and heading to their kitchen.

Despite her fluffy socks, tiles were cold against Nat’s feet as she padded over to their cupboards to search the shelves. It didn’t take long to find what she wanted. She took careful care of quieting preparing Wanda’s mug. Now hot chocolate would’ve been the go to in a normal situation but she didn’t want to risk upsetting her stomach again after how long it had taken for it to settle the previous night. So instead Natasha made a soothing cup of sweet lemon tea, making sure to add in a generous helping of honey.

Natasha carried the steaming mug back to the bedroom, knocking softly on the door. "Wanda," she called out gently. "Can I come in baby?”

There was a muffled response, and Natasha took it as an invitation. Slowly pushing the door open, she found Wanda curled up under the blankets, looking both exhausted and fragile.

"I thought you might need some warmth," Natasha said, offering the cup of tea. Wanda looked up, her eyes still puffy from crying, but a faint smile tugged at her lips.

"Thanks," Wanda whispered, taking the cup from Natasha's hands.

The aroma of sweet lemon filled the room as she took a careful sip. Natasha sat down on the edge of the bed, watching as Wanda seemed to relax a little. "I know the lights outside are special, but you understand it’s not worth putting your health at risk for.” She murmured, her soft finger coming to trace the spots where previous tears had been on her wife’s cheek, “But I still wanted to make it special for you…”

Without much more of a warning, Natasha slid her hands underneath Wanda, lifting her with ease as she gave a small yelp of surprise before clinging onto her shoulders tightly. She found herself being carried back to the living room but before she could question everything, they stopped as they stepped foot into the dark room. Nat had slipped her a small remote, smiling down with an unmistakable grin.

“Press it.”

Wanda turned her head to cough raspily before she looked up in confusion, “What?”

“Just press it!”

Wanda hesitated for a moment before pressing the button on the remote. Instantly, the room erupted in a breathtaking display of twinkling lights. The rainbow of glow shimmered around them Wanda’s eyes seemed to echo their sparkle as they widened in surprise.

"I... I don't understand," Wanda whispered, her voice shaking a little as Natasha carefully set down onto her feet beside her. The witches gaze moved from the lights to Natasha, her heart swelling with emotion. "You did all this for me?"

Natasha nodded, her eyes reflecting the sincerity of her actions. “I know how much you love the lights, I just wanted to cheer you up a little bit my love.”

Wanda's lips quivered, but this time it wasn't from sadness. "Nat, you're incredible," she said, pulling Natasha into a tight embrace. The room was aglow with warmth, both from the lights and the genuine love between them.

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[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

It would be great if I didn't have to worry about building up enough of a customer base to reduce my work hours because I'd love to just switch over to part time now and focus on the business.

Unfortunately even with a good product (especially with a boutique/artisan price tag), you need to have enough people who A) want the thing, and B) can and will buy the thing from you, at least if you want to make any money and not just do it for the love of the game.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to being able to "work" from bed more often, especially if I keep getting sicker. Nearly passing out in my doctor's office got me the specialist referral I needed, but his literal first available appointment was in September TWENTY FUCKING TWENTY SIX, nearly two years away. I spoke with the practice nurse about the urgency, and he said to have my primary coordinate consultation and appointment speed-up that way, but warned I may well need to wait out the time. That'll be easier to do if I can keep us fed, clothed, and cared for even if I have to do less at the office

The good news is that the topsoil replenish has gone beautifully and we have the start of a perfect garden plot ready for seeds come spring (planning toraise the greenhouse in January so we can sprout things until frost is well past.

I've started discussions with my cosmetic supplier again, and have been researching companies to test my oil blends for manufacture and sale. I've been practing logos and label designs, etc. I've been drafting initial pattern blocks for my designs, which is something I haven't done since high school. I'm really excited to see how they turn out. I want to make myself some sample outfits to photograph (and wear obvi lol) but I'd also love to get some early commissions I can showcase too.

All I know is that it's gonna be nice to start shifting towards a more sustainable life for us. I just have to hope the wind up doesn't linger lol

[fishysos]

GETTING SICKER BY THE MOMENT. Calcelmo really loves Faleen.. like imagine going your whole life thinking you wouldn't ever find Real Love bc that's just what you were taught to expect, then you wind up as some court wizard and find this beautiful woman and you feel that for probably the first time.

CENTURIES of thinking you'd either end up unhappy or alone and then you find someone you really truly want to be with... oh I'm sick.. Oughhhh I'm actively writing fanfiction when I say this, but I mean the chances are high (eheh) that Calcelmo's parents were in a loveless marriage, so imagine being raised around that thinking you'd end up the same. Ughhhh and the way he talks about Faleen is so sweet too... they're so CUTE I CAN'T

WHY WASN'T THE DRAGONBORN INVITED TO THEIR WEDDING!! Another way Bethesda has failed me.. .

[wolfytae-exe]

hi saw your inbox was open and well this is more of an angsty thought but what do you think would the guys reaction would be to you wanting an abortion because you aren't just ready for the child and want to focus on your career...

Hi anonieee!! If anyone knows me they know I love angst more than anything!

TXT REACTING TO WANTING AN ABORTION (a)

Warning: mentions of abortion, angst, premarital sex insinuated

At the ripe age of his 20s, never did ____ think he’d be having a baby, he always thought about in the future of course he would, but now that he was sitting here with you in his arms waiting with the pregnancy test, he felt more excitement than he’d ever felt in his life.

You on the other hand, were terrified. For as long as you could remember, pregnancy and child birth scared you. You didn’t like the thought of it, felt too young, like you were throwing your life away to take care of another. You felt sicker than this morning at the possibility that you could be having a child growing inside you right now.

A few minutes passed of ____ rubbing his hands on your arms and pressing kisses to your head while saying how happy he would be to be a father and guilt just ate away at you. You just prayed this was a fluke and you wouldn’t have to break his heart.

Once _____ watch went off you grabbed the pregnancy test and flipped it, hands shaking as you scanned the reader. “two lines..” You muttered before peering up at your boyfriend. His smile made your heart sink deeper into your stomach. “I’m gonna be a father. We’re having a baby!” ______ cheered and squeezed you tighter while you just cried.

Fat tears rolled down your cheeks while you pressed your hand over your stomach, fear and guilt ate at your heart and you sobbed and sobbed Im sorry’s until your boyfriend let go and tried to calm you down. “Why are you sorry? You’re giving me the best gift I could possibly ever want?” He said with a sad smile, the way you sobbed hurt his heart.

“I cant g-give you this baby ____.” You whimpered, hands still holding your stomach as if the baby would grow if you didn’t hold it down. “What?” _____ gasped, voice breaking almost immediately. You gulped before hanging your head in guilt. “I- Im not ready to be a mother, we’re still so young- I just can’t do it. I want to get an abortion.” The confession is as deep as expected, silence follows your words as cold as wind in a snow blizzard.

“We- We still have time.. We can try again when we’re older, I just can’t right now, I have so much I want to do in life.” You plead with him not to be mad, knowing it wouldn’t do any good. “Okay..” Is all you get in response, _____’s face is emotionless besides the tears that welled up from beforehand. “I have to go, I’ll see you later.” He mutters before getting up from the bed and walking out.

You didn’t have it in you to chase after him, not wanting to make it worse. “later..” You whisper before breaking down into tears, falling to cry into the sheets of your bed. This wouldn’t have gone this way if it wasn’t for you and your fear. You broke his heart, and now he’s walked out on you. There is no one else to blame but yourself, shame will follow you for as long as you stay together.

Maybe in the future.

[suniside-crossing]

drabble written for @voodoodaaddy because this has been a LONG time coming

Lucifer stares at the long little box he’s just purchased from the kindly imp running the drug store of this bathroom. 

He could have gone home first. Maybe he should have gone home first. Truth is: his apprehension and excitement made him hurry back here once he’d smacked a bill much too large in comparison to the price this box actually cost. A tip, he justifies in his own mind. It’s not as if the king is short on money. He won't miss it. 

Besides, if this turns out the way he’s hoping it will, that ‘tip’ would be well-earned.

It’s been a few weeks since he’d fooled around with Alastor during his rut. This past week, Lucifer's been feeling some cramping in his lower pelvic area, as well as a sensation of “fullness”. He’s also been feeling nauseous out of nowhere, and while he normally loves coffee to the point that he doesn’t get through a morning well without at least one mug, he’s recently begun feeling sicker just by thinking about the stuff. His chest has felt tender and slightly fuller, and he’s found himself needing to pee more often than usual.

From what he’s read, all of these are signs that Alastor's breeding efforts were successful – but to know for sure, he has to open this box.

He finally tears one end open so he can remove the two tests tucked away inside, along with the instructions on how to use them. It’s always recommended to take more than one, in case there’s a false positive, and even a faint line on the test can mean he’s expecting.

They’re taken one at a time. He has to wait three minutes for each test to finish. Six minutes total. Exactly three minutes each; too long, and it might wind up being inaccurate. He counts the seconds in his head in three intervals of sixty, pacing the bathroom while he waits due to his nerves.

Someone bangs on the door and tells him to hurry up. He doesn’t answer. Hell he hardly even registers that they’re there. 

All he can think about is how many lines are going to show up on these tests.

Once he’s done counting down the three minutes for the first one, Lucifer immediately moves back to the sink where he’d set it down so he can lean over and look.

Two lines. Clear as day.

Positive.

His heart skips a beat – but he still has the other test to confirm. It, too, is taken from its box, used, and set down next to the first before he goes back to pacing and mentally counting. 

“How long does it take to piss!?” There’s more banging on the door. “Hurry it up in there!!”

Again, Lucifer doesn’t acknowledge whoever’s yelling on the other side. Again, he barely knows they’re talking to him. Is it selfish to take up the drug store’s restroom like this? Probably. Would he care if he realized he was? Probably not. They don’t matter to him right now.

What matters is lying on the edge of the sink.

…fifty-eight…fifty-nine…SIXTY! That’s the last one. He hurries back over to the sink one last time and peers down at the second test.

Two lines. Clear as day.

Positive.

The sinner outside the door doesn’t even know what hit them as Lucifer slams it open and runs out of the bathroom at top speed, clutching the box containing both used tests against his bosom as if they were precious keepsakes.

In a way, they are.  They’re proof that he’s finally going to have a second chance to be a good dad from the start.

Now, all he has to do is break the news to Alastor.