#original Female characters

[arrthurpendragon]

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[merilles]

@tolkienocweek day 1: family members

something rather unexplored in lord of the rings is aragorn's human side of the family, those left behind in esteldín. gilraen's younger sister elanna marries halbarad, and together they have three children: amdír, fíriel, and halros. all three would become rangers of the north like their father, serving to protect the free peoples. however, elanna would perish of a dark illness, amdír slain by the nazgûl, and halbarad fallen at aragorn's side in the battle of the pelennor fields.

[makairodonx]

Keiko Yamamoto walks down a trail that leads into dense forest with a juvenile and an adult Torosaurus latus.

[skzfanf1cs]

'Stray Kids Academy' Masterlist

Read On AO3 here > link

A small series where a small group of people created characters as an excuse to date the Stray Kids members in a college setting.

General warnings : Chapters with explicit content will be tagged as such. More specific warnings will be added at the beginning of each chapter.

Pairings :

Bang Chan / Original Female Character > Levi Mitchell

Seo Changbin / Original Female Character > Luna Mitchell

Han Jisung / Original Male (afab) Character > Ezekiel Mitchell

Main Chapters [Word Count (so far) : 45,430]

Chapter 1 - This Was My Favorite Shirt

Chapter 2 - I Don't Forgive You

Chapter 3 - Rough Exterior

Chapter 4 - Cupid's Here

Chapter 5 - Drunken Mistakes [Explicit]

Chapter 6 - Making Up and Tattoos [Explicit]

Chapter 7 - I Need A Cold Shower [Explicit]

Chapter 8 - As Long As It Takes [Explicit]

Chapter 9 - Clubbing and Fighting

Chapter 10 - Later That Night...[Zeke and Jisung Edition] [Explicit]

Chapter 11 - [In Progress]

[sinisterexaggerator]

Stars Above! | Cad Bane

Chapter 15

Explicit: Semi-slow burn, gratuitous smut /pwp, canon-typical violence, mildly dubious consent, angst, Tatooine Slave Culture.

This chapter: No warnings but for a disgruntled Duros.

Word count: 2.7k+

Notes: This is kind of a short chapter, but it feels right to set it apart on its own from what comes next. In fact, writing shorter chapters may make it so that I update more often, as it's easier to manage, and I still have a LOT of story to tell. <3

[ Ao3 ] - [ Masterpost ]

《 Previous chapter || Next chapter 》

Zulara tried her best to not let fear overtake her, for her spiraling thoughts to get the best of her, even as she sat there all alone. Not truly, but it felt as if she had been abandoned, Todo having powered down with Bane still sleeping soundly in the bacta.

Everything was happening much too quickly, though it had been hours since she’d come here; her head was spinning. She hadn’t eaten, having let her meal fall to the ground at Cad Bane’s entrance to her tiny home back on Slave Quarter’s Row the night before.

Zulara realized she didn’t even know the time, not having a chrono of her own. She supposed it did not matter, although Kayson might come looking for her. She wondered if Hondo was able to curb his anger, or to make up some excuse for her, but in her heart she knew nothing would deter her master once he had a mind to do something—find her secret hiding spot.

It was only secret because she was sure he did not know where Bane was docked, or even what his ship looked like. It was the only thing that gave her hope as she gazed longingly at the Duros, wishing he’d wake up.

She regretted leaving Todo just standing there, his form bent forward in a supine slope, but she had been too concerned, too riddled with worry for the hunter, not to go directly back to his side.

She had lost track of how long she had been there, seated on the floor with her legs folded beneath her; her fingers and forehead flat against the glass, Zulara engrossed by Cad Bane’s every breath—she could not help it.

She had almost panicked, having thought to call the youth named Boba Fett, but after the story she had heard, she steeled herself, refusing to bring him back aboard the ship if she could manage it.

Now, it was not Bane who settled into dreams, but the girl beside him. She dreamt of silly things. Things that were nary possible in this life, things that might have made her smile, but she was not so dotty as to put any stock into them.

Imagine her, flying amongst the stars, free from Kayson and from his business, only having to answer to herself. But maybe Bane would be there, maybe he would take care of her, and she would him. Maybe she could join him in his quest across the galaxy, providing him with some relief once he had finished a hard day’s work—how asinine she was to think that. It would never happen.

In reality, space was dark, cold, and unforgiving, she often floundered when she was made to practice piloting. Never before had Zulara felt so claustrophobic, not until she had experienced breaking atmo on Kayson’s orders the first time she left Lothal, no matter that the stars were beautiful.

When she was positive that nothing could go wrong; when she was absolutely sure that Bane was resting comfortably, the girl would climb unsteadily onto her tingling legs and her own two feet—they had nearly been asleep—finally ambling down the corridor to where the little droid resided.

Zulara did her best to move him to his rightful place: the recharge station. No arguments were given, no sassy backtalk had to be endured, yet she found she missed him. The silence of the ship was more than deafening, besides the warbled sound the pod made as it recycled and replenished bacta, as was its purpose, just like he had one—she presumed something, though she had no proof: It was possible in deep space Bane felt too alone, therefore Todo kept his mind sharp, kept him on his game, in addition to keeping the Duros company.

What friends did he have otherwise? Did he have partners that stood by his side? From what Pampy had said to her, he seemed to work all by his lonesome, with a reputation that preceded him.

Perhaps he liked it that way; perhaps she was intruding, yet he had seemed intrigued by her. She worried every second of every minute of every hour what Bane might do should he find her here once he awoke; she prayed to the Goddess of the Twi’lek people that he might find solace with her and not try to kick her out, or worse.

She felt the click, heard the sound that denoted Todo was plugged in. It echoed loudly in the quiet, bouncing from wall to wall. She glanced about her. There were so many things for her eyes to see and study.

There was a lengthy worktable. It was littered with motors, servos, gears, and wires of all sizes. Some parts looked salvaged, while others might be newly purchased, not to mention microchips of unknown origin and lenses, sensors, other various tools and instruments.

She saw a pair of RW-80 welding goggles, along with a protective visor. There were advanced repair kits of all kinds, including those for blasters. Most curious of all was what she thought were trinkets, things that he might collect. There were different kinds of helmets, and what appeared to be weapons of some sort that were unfamiliar. Cabinets lined the walls; she wondered what they might hold. She dare not snoop too much for fear of repercussion.

Still, that would not stop her. She gathered all the bits and pieces of Bane’s wrist gauntlet from off the ground, double-checking to make sure the hunter was still dozing.

Once seated, Zulara would pick up a nearby broken-screw remover, also known as an extractor. This one had a spiral flute structure, which she used to carefully unwind one that was being difficult. Her hands were delicate, though exacting. They had to be for one thing, yet without a measured touch it was possible to add too much torque to the brittle metal, thus making your job that much harder for you.

She removed its outer shell; it was cracked and badly damaged. There was extra paneling meant for droids nearby that could be welded and reshaped, but first thing’s first—she would need to replace the ruined circuits and find a pair of hypersheers for precision cutting and resizing.

---

Lavender eyelids batted open; Zulara found herself in slight repose, her own palm cupping her soft cheek as she had tried to keep her focus. It was at that moment she remembered—she had been cooking rycrit stew! With no sense of time inside Bane’s ship, she hoped it had not become inedible.

She spared a glance, Todo had still not activated. She could not have been asleep for too long, as it only took droids an hour to recharge, or so she’d heard—much less time than her.

Zulara suddenly felt like she could sleep forever, or at least for several hours, but she would not let herself succumb to such a notion. At least not until poor Todo could take over, then maybe she might get some rest before finishing the final touches on Bane’s vambrace.

It had been complicated, finding what wires led to what. She had a scare or two, and nearly burnt her fingers. It was fascinating just how it all operated—she wondered if Bane had built it all himself.

The girl was tempted to check on Bane again, but she did not want to accidentally cause a mess in his little galley, sparsely stocked though nearly spotless, and housed somewhere near the ion engines or another source of power; there was a low humming sound that seemed to burr the whole time she was in there.

Her feet found the rungs to the ladder she would use to climb down into the belly of his ship. His living area, the medbay, his workspace, and the cockpit—they all resided at the top, though separated by double-doors and one almost star-shaped hallway. It led off into four other separate, shallow paths—dead-ending at different doorways, whereas the kitchen and dining area, what looked like holding cells, and ample storage space were down below—so was the boarding ramp and holoterminal with access to the HoloNet.  

She was sure that medbay used to be someone else’s living sleeping place, the way furniture was covered and piled up in the corner as if those items had been an afterthought. There was a spare refresher there, besides the one she was sure existed in Bane’s bedroom.

In addition to all the other nooks and crannies, there was the lift they’d use to carry him. It was industrial, flat, and open on all sides, like the ship’s sole was simply rising. It had been designed to act as both roof and floor between two levels; if you were on the lower deck, you had to wait for it to join you.

Zulara imagined it was useful for heavy items, like the pod Bane was currently occupying. She set her thoughts aside, focusing now on the smell that was emanating from down the hall—it was good, thank goodness, and did not smell like anything but vegetables and rycrit stew, like it was supposed to.

The girl would take a breath as she ran her fingers along the counter—it was made from stainless durasteel. She gathered the lid from off her home-cooked meal, inhaling deeply of the aroma that had been building up within. She ladled a bit of broth in the convex shape of the spoon she’d used to cook, then took a taste to make sure it was perfect.

---

Two wide, yellow eyes—like sparkling jaspers—whirred and vibrated with a light buzzing sound. Servos and joints were manipulated, little arms stretched out for a brief inspection, Todo 360 making sure that his intermotors were all functional and accounted for.

He shook his head, as if clearing unwanted thoughts or a fog that lingered, the faithful droid not quite able to remember what had happened to him. He blinked, his metal body tensing—Mister Bane—he was still inside the tank!

Todo would swivel his large cranium to the left and right; that girl Zulara was nowhere to be found. He wondered if she had gone. Had he made it to his recharge station? Perhaps she had it in her heart to help him, as the last thing he could recall was himself stalling, and only a few meters away from his destination—he was sure he had heard her call his name—if his memory still served him, she had sounded beside herself.

The service-droid stepped away from the mechanism holding him upright—he was now fully operational and at full power. He actuated his rocket thrusters and propelled himself into the center of the hall; he took to its right side, branching off, then opened up the steel-plated door to peek inside.

“Mister Bane!” the droid cried happily.

Todo realized he had nearly scared the Duros, his sharp eyes widening in breadth. He had halted with one leg in and one leg out, leaving his imprisonment, whether he should or shouldn’t. Todo knew Bane detested bacta—its texture, temperature, and consistency were all things that displeased him. He had argued with him more than once, the droid sometimes wondering just what he would do without him should he not be there to convince him otherwise.

“Your health is not a game!” is what the droid had told him, sounding as if he truly cared, though he was composed of nothing more than ones and zeros. In reality, Bane was thankful for him; he was like the nagging mother he never had, sure that without that droid, he would already be dead.

Still, that did not mean he was ready to entertain his fraught concern. His tone was lacquered with it, and the hunter would not have it.

“Bane! You are awake! I was—”

The Duros shot his droid companion with a look that dared him to keep yapping, Todo at once halting his chipper dialogue. What Bane was truly feeling was easy to decipher, as it was always written on his face, and rarely pleasant.

“Sir, I can tell your mood is poor, however there is—”

“Quiet!” was the only thing his master demanded of him, Bane’s voice gruff and raspy as he was thirsty on top of feeling completely useless. It felt as if he had been hit with an errant hovercar, or an entire starship, his body aching in places he did not know could ache.

Todo made a sound equivalent to indignation, yet he held his tongue, even though he did not have one. Bane’s other foot joined its partner on the ground, the Duros idling, lingering, just standing there for what felt like minutes, trying to regain his equilibrium.

Once capable of movement, Bane would begin his lethargic trudge toward his refresher in his private quarters, thinking the only thing he cared about was a warm, inviting shower; the feeling of the sticky bacta on his microscales was anathema and suffocating.

The hunter would hardly notice the wet, viscid trail he left behind in his ship’s short corridor, or that the droid had followed him, desperate to talk to him about something he imagined would be unimportant. His head ached, and his mind was numb, no thoughts present except those about the pain he was experiencing. He would take something—drink something—deadening those things he felt both from without and from within, not knowing that the girl being aboard his ship was anything but another dream.

---

“Oh, what am I going to do with him? He never listens! And now I suppose I am going to have to be the one to clean up this mess. I am a techno-service droid, not a maid-droid! Not even a thank you for—”

Todo paused in his lonely rant, tilting his head off to one side. His focus remained trained on the little sound he thought he heard—the clank of boots, or footsteps on the nearby ladder’s metal rungs. It was positioned just left of the cockpit’s doors, Todo surprised when he saw a head emerge, covered in dark locks.

“Zulara!” he called to her, coming forward as she pulled herself up, and out, “I thought you had wisely decided to go home,” he started in. “You will be happy to know that Mister Bane is alive and well, and is currently taking a much-needed shower.”

Zulara’s eyes widened with every word; she tiptoed forward, deciding to check on things herself as Todo kept the conversation going, though she nearly slipped in a residue that happened to be foot-shaped. “I am not sure that I can explain your presence here, therefore it may be in your best interest to leave—now—before either one of us gets into serious trouble.”

It was not that she didn’t trust poor Todo, but she had to see with her own two dichromatic eyes; she peered toward the bacta pod. It was open, and Bane was not inside.

The girl would turn, gazing at the floor and at the tacky substance that had left a path to the door across from her; it was obvious that Bane had made his way just as the droid had said. She began to follow it, Todo placing his hands upon his hips as his spheroid eyes broadened and expanded.

“—And just where do you think you are going?” he asked, perplexed.

“To check on Bane,” the girl would offer as a whisper, her footsteps timid; she moved closer to what was sure to be his bedroom. Her heart was pounding, and her internal temperature was rising, all from simply knowing he was somewhere, awake, on the other side.

“That is the worst idea I have ever heard! Do not be foolish!” Zulara would ignore Todo and his warnings, only pausing to hearten her small amount of courage. She could feel him tug her, his little hands having found the backside of her pants, “he will surely kill you!”

“I’ll be all right,” Zulara stated, shooing him away. Like a moth to a flame, she bade herself to go inside.

Todo would balk and scoff, pace back and forth, and wring his hands, but to no avail; none of this would help him. He tried again, “I do not know who you think you are, or what you are doing, but rest assured Bane will—”

The door closed in his face.

“Organics!” Todo would lament, exasperated.

[megggyeggy]

The Hound and The Wolf

Trigger warnings: Non con is involved, if you don’t like that kind of stuff then DO NOT READ. 18+ only. Minors do not engage. Some mentions of blood. Physical abuse is involved. Foul language? If that is even a trigger. I believe that is all.

Keira had heard about her father's death from Winterfell, her brother Robb wanted to go to war to avenge their father. Of course, Keira wanted revenge. But their little sisters were in King's Landing. There could have been casualties.

"Are you sure about this?" Robb questioned Keira, who was preparing her saddle bag. "No." Keira answered with raised brows as she looked over at her brother with a soft sigh, "But one thing I'm sure of..is that Sansa and Arya can't be alone in King's Landing for much longer. They don't have anyone they trust or know to look after them. I will go there." Keira reassured her younger brother with a faint smile before mounting her horse.

"I don't like this, Keira." Robb told his sister, worry written over his features. Keira's eyes softened as she looked down at her brother before shaking her head, "I will be fine. Keep Winterfell together while I'm gone." Keira spoke with a faint grin, which Robb let out a soft chuckle while nodding his head. "Of course." Robb responded with a small smile.

With that, Keira rode off to Westeros..

/// //// //// //// ////

Keira had arrived in Westeros a week later; Robb of course couldn't wait for Keira to return with their sisters. He had already started a war. Keira didn't wait to be greeted; she didn't tell the little bastard of a King that she was arriving. She simply stormed into the castle with her chin held high. She slowed her strides when she heard her sister's weak voice, "Your grace. Whatever my traitor brother has done, I had no part! You know that! I beg you, plea-" King Joffrey over spoke her. "Ser Lancel, tell her of this outrage." Lancel, Joffrey's scrawny little cousin paced back and forth as he spoke. "Using some vile sorcery, your brother fell on Stafford Lannister with an army of wolves. Thousands of good men were butchered."

Lancel took a deep breath before continuing to speak, "After the slaughter, The Northmen feasted on the flesh of the slain." The common people began to gasp and mutter amongst themselves in terror. Keira couldn't help but smirk at the outrageous lies being told but she found it quite amusing. She continued to make slow strides, making her way forward. King Joffrey had his cross bow pointed at Sansa, "Killing you would send your brother a message." Keira could hear her sister sobbing in fear, her head hung low. Keira shifted her jaw in anger at this. "But my mother insists on keeping you alive. Stand." King Joffrey demanded as he placed his crossbow down.

Sansa stood immediately as her cries had quietened, her cheeks red and stained with her tears. "So, we'll have to send your brother a message some other way. Meryn," King Joffrey spoke up which Meryn stepped forward and began to approach Sansa. Keira tensed up at this, narrowing her eyes. She was like a mother wolf..waiting to attack at any given time if her pup was to be hurt. "Leave her face. I like her pretty." King Joffrey demanded as he sat down with a cruel smirk on his face.

Meryn grabbed Sansa by the shoulder and punched her as hard as he could in the gut, causing Sansa to cry out in pain. Meryn unsheathed his sword and hit Sansa in the calf with the back of his sword, causing her to stumble to the ground in pain. "My lady's over dressed. Unburden her." Ser Meryn stepped behind Sansa at King Joffrey's orders before ripping the back of her dress open. "If you want Robb Stark to hear us, you're going to have to speak louder!" Joffrey demanded with an evil glint in his eyes. Ser Meryn raised his sword and got ready to strike Sansa which caused her to scream in fear.

Keira was quick to step forward, taking slow and confident strides forward. "I got your message quite loud and clear, Your Grace." Keira spoke up, a smirk on her face when she saw the shock on Joffrey and Ser Meryn's face. As well as Joffrey's dog, The Hound. Sansa looked up at her sister with teary eyes and let out a sob of relief, hugging her sisters hip as she sobbed. Keira looked at Ser Meryn with narrowed eyes, shifting her jaw. She could hear some people murmuring, "That's Wolf Kissed!" The crowd murmured in fear. "If you want to send a message to my brother, why don't you choose someone your own size?" Keira questioned Ser Meryn, her eyes locked on his. She didn't show fear.

"Or do you enjoy beating little girls...because they can't defend themselves?" Keira smirked at Ser Meryn, his jaw clenched in anger. "Watch-" Keira backhanded Ser Meryn as hard as she could, causing him to grunt in pain..his lip split open from the harshness of the strike. "You can't hit him!" King Joffrey complained with an angry pout as he stood up now. "Kill her!" Joffrey demanded but a new voice spoke up. "What is the meaning of this?" Everyone froze, Keira turned her head to see Tyrion Lannister. "What kind of Knight beats a helpless girl?" Tyrion scoffed while Ser Meryn sheathed his sword and snarled angrily, "The kind who serves his King, Imp!"

"Careful now, we don't want to get blood all over that pretty white cloak." A new voice spoke up, an older man with black armor said with a smug look on his face. Keira smirked at Ser Meryn and hummed, looking him up and down. "Although, it would look much better with a splash of red." Keira spoke in a low threatening tone, the man whose name Keira did not know, looked her up and down with a curious gaze before smiling at her with an amused gaze. "Lady Stark," Tyrion greeted Keira with a look of surprise, Keira smiled politely at Tyrion. "Lord Tyrion." She returned the greetings before helping her sister stand.

"Someone get the girl something to cover herself with." Tyrion demanded, which The Hound was quick to walk over to Sansa and yank his cloak off his back and placed it onto her shoulders as she bowed her head in shame. He didn't seem to give Keira a second chance. "She is to be your Queen." Tyrion scolded his nephew with narrowed eyes, making his way up the steps. Joffrey glared down at his Uncle with narrowed eyes, "Have you no regard for her honor-" Joffrey scoffed, "I'm punishing her." Joffrey explained as if that explained anything. "For what crimes?!" Tyrion exclaimed with raised brows, "She did not fight her brother's battle, you halfwit!" Joffrey's voice seemed to get softer, in embarrassment perhaps. "You can't talk to me like that! The King can do as he likes!" Joffrey raised his voice near the end of his sentence.

"The Mad King did as he liked, has your Uncle Jaime ever told you what happened to him?" Tyrion spoke with narrowed eyes, "No one threatens his Grace in front of the Kingsguard!" Snarled Ser Meryn as he stepped one foot closer. "I wasn't threatening the King, Ser. I am only educating my nephew. Bronn, the next time Ser Meryn speaks..Kill him." Tyrion demanded as he kept his eyes locked on his nephew. Bronn simply nodded while Keira stifled a snicker. "That was a threat. See the difference?" Tyrion exclaimed as he looked at Ser Meryn with raised brows. Ser Meryn kept awfully quiet now, a coward is always a coward. Tyrion turned and began to walk towards Sansa and Keira. "I apologize for my nephews behavior." Tyrion apologized to both the Stark Sisters.

//////

Keira had gotten settled in King's Landing, she even had her own chambers now. How exciting. Sansa wouldn't return home, and Keira wouldn't leave without her. Not only that, but Keira couldn't find her youngest sister, Arya.

"Rest for tonight, take a lavender bath. Yes? I've had your handmaid's prepare one for you." Keira told Sansa with softened eyes, kissing her sister on the forehead before taking a step back. "I'll be back in the morning, okay? You aren't alone anymore." Keira reassured her sister with caring eyes. Sansa quietly nodded as she looked at her older sister with bloodshot and teary eyes. "Thank you." Sansa whispered softly. Keira swallowed thickly as she faintly smiled and nodded, "Always, little sister." Keira spoke just above a whisper before turning and exiting the room.

Keira made her way down the corridor with her chin held high, she let out a soft sigh as she walked. However, when she turned down the corridor, she had bumped into someone. "Pardon-.." Keira said with a smile, but her smile dropped when she saw who it was. Sandor Clegane. The Hound.

Sandor stepped forward while Keira stepped backward until she was pinned against the wall. Sandor placed his hand beside her head as she looked her up and down with a smirk. She knew that look. Nothing good ever came of that look. "You think the King will be okay with the little wolf ruining his fun?" Sandor spoke in a stoic voice, his eyes holding a certain glint within. Keira forced a smile as she let out a scoff, "Oh, I'm sure he is having a tantrum as of now-" She grunted in surprised when The Hound grabbed her by the bicep, squeezing so harshly that she was sure her arm would snap in half. "The King doesn't have any use for you," Sandor said through gritted teeth, his eyes narrowing as he glared into her eyes.

"That means he will either kill you...or he will reward some of his men with a little wolf.." Sandor said, an evil grin forming across his features. "And I do sure hope I am one of them, little wolf." The Hound's voice dropped, leaning in closer as he took a sniff of her scent. Keira glared up at Sandor as she gritted her teeth, "Unhand me." Keira snarled angrily, which caused Sandor to cackle. "Or what? What can you do to me, little wolf?" The Hound snapped, barring his teeth. "What're you doing, Clegane?" A familiar voice spoke, Keira turned her head to see Tyrion. Oh, her hero. Keira looked back at Sandor who removed his hand from her and looked at Tyrion with a bored expression.

"Never mind it..I was only-"

"Go find a tree to piss on." Tyrion demanded, which caused Sandor to glare in the dwarf's direction before turning and walking away. Keira cleared her throat and raised her head to try and show that the interaction didn't bother her one bit. But the way her heart was pounding against her ribcage, said otherwise. "Thank you, Lord Tyrion." Keira spoke in a calm voice, looking at the dwarf with a softened direction. "That is twice you've helped my family. I'm grateful." Keira said with a faint smile, while Tyrion looked surprised that she spoke to him so kindly before his eyes softened. "Would you like me to escort you back to your chambers, Lady Stark?" Which Keira smirked down at Tyrion.

"I appreciate the offer, Lord Tyrion. But that won't be necessary." Keira spoke softly as she started to walk away. "You need to be careful, Lady Stark. The Hound wasn't wrong. You are of no use to The King nor the Queen. Who knows what The Lion will do to The Wolf away from its pack." Keira arched her brow at Tyrion's analogy. Keira looked down at her feet, pursing her lips in thought. He wasn't wrong though. She was in danger. "I'll keep that in mind, Lord Tyrion." Keira responded before walking back to her chambers.

/// /// /// /// Two Weeks Later /// /// /// ///

Keira was laying in her bed, in a deep sleep..she had a dream..a curious dream. There was a baby lion that was feasting on a corpse of a wolf. The baby lion was surrounded by corpses of wolves. Keira didn't get to finish her 'wonderful' dream because she was yanked out of her bed by her hair, she cried out in pain as she dug her nails into the gloved hand that was intertwined in her hair. She blinked fast to try and focus her sight, looking up to see Ser Meryn. Keira grunted in annoyance, "That isn't a face I wanted to wake to,"

Keira grumbled before hissing in pain when the Knight shoved her to the ground harshly, she fell to her side and didn't have time to catch herself. She was still in her nightgown slip, it was sheer and didn't do much to hide her body. She stumbled to her feet only for Ser Meryn to grab her by the hair again and drag her along, "The King has great plans for you, Wolf Kissed." Ser Meryn sneered her nickname with venom, dragging her to the throne room where King Joffrey sat, The Hound standing guard in front of him like a good dog.

Ser Meryn shoved Keira to the ground in front of the iron throne, Keira groaned in pain when her knees hit the ground. Keira looked up at King Joffrey with narrowed eyes, her lips twitching into a smirk. "Is that how your mother taught you to wake a lady?" Keira questioned which some of the crowd in the throne room had chuckled at her remark but Ser Meryn easily backhanded her which caused her lip to split open, some blood dribbling down her lip and onto the ground. Keira's head jerked to the side and she let out a moan of pain, her eyes narrowing.

"Lady Keira, if you are going to stay here in King's Landing. You will need to have some type of use. You can't just stay here without pulling your weight." King Joffrey said with a smirk, his eyes raking over her body that her sheer nightgown did nothing to cover. Keira looked up at King Joffrey and shifted her jaw to loosen it from the harsh impact. "Oh yes, my apologies." Keira snorted as she shook her head in amusement, "And how will I pull my weight?" Keira said with an amused gaze, looking up at King Joffrey who clenched his jaw.

"By doing the one thing that you were created for. Baring children." King Joffrey said with a smug look but it quickly dropped when Keira laughed loudly, "Sorry-..sorry..it's just-.." Keira snickered as she tried to stop herself from laughing, shaking her head. "You're not my type, your Grace. I'm flattered, though." Keira said with an amused gaze which it was Joffrey's turn to smirk and chuckle. "Not my children, you dumb wench." Joffrey spat as he looked around his Kingsguards and his eyes landed on The Hound. "Dog..how would you like a little breeding bitch?"

King Joffrey questioned Sandor, who smirked faintly down at Keira. His eyes raking over her body slowly before he hummed in approval. "Aye." Is all Sandor said which caused Joffrey to chuckle, looking down at Keira with an evil glint. "Alright then, you two shall be wed!" He exclaimed, while a Septon had begun to emerge from the crowd, standing next to Sandor. Keira's brows raised as she looked at Sandor with a glare before looking at the Septon. "What? Now?" Keira scoffed softly which Sandor nodded his head with a smirk. "Your father is dead. You don't have any family here aside from my beloved. No one to hand you off. You're no one special. So, no need to make it all grand." King Joffrey chuckled and gestured his hand towards Keira which Ser Meryn grabbed Keira by the hair and yanked her to her feet.

Ser Meryn dragged Keria to Sandor and the Septon, shoving her into Sandor's chest who caught her roughly with a stoic expression, staring down at her with narrowed eyes. Although, within his eyes-..she could see the amusement.

///// ////// ///// ////

Keira was a married woman now-..or she officially will be when she and Sandor consummate. Which is why Sandor was dragging her roughly by the arm to Keira's chambers. He shoved her inside and she just barely caught herself, gasping softly. Keira turned to glare at Sandor as she gritted her teeth. "If you think I will lay a fucking hand on you-" Keira was backhanded harshly, her head jerking to the side and she had to grab ahold of her bedpost to keep herself from falling. Keira cupped her cheek as she looked at Sandor with wide eyes who looked at her with a cruel smirk.

"Keep talking, girl and I will fuck you bloody." Sandor warned as he began to approach Keira who quickly climbed onto the bed to try and avoid the man. Sandor patiently began to remove his buckskin belt, not bothering to remove his armor.

"I will not let you do this, you fucking imbecile!" Keira snarled only to yelp in surprise when Sandor grabbed her by the ankle and yanked her towards him. "I warned you, little wolf." Sandor said as he grabbed Keira by the shoulder and tossed her onto her stomach on the bed. Keira reached behind her and shoved her hand against Sandor's armored chest. "Don't fucking touch me!" Keira snarled, barring her teeth like a cornered animal. Sandor simply laughed as he looked down at her with an amused gaze.

"What will you do, little wolf?" Sandor questioned in amusement as he shoved his pants down his legs before yanking the skirt of Keira's nightgown over her hips, he let out a hum of approval at the sight of her pussy. "Freshly shaved, it's as if you knew." Sandor proved with a smug smirk, grabbing Keira's arms and pinning them behind her back harshly. Keira hissed in pain, and she could feel angry tears threatening to spill. "Please, Ser!-"

"Ser?! I am no Ser! I am a dog, remember?!" Sandor raised his voice now; it was filled with venom. "And you are my little wolf. A little breeding bitch." Sandor said with a smirk, even though he truthfully didn't care to have children. That's not why he was doing this. It was for the pleasure. Hot and angry tears rolled down Keira's cheeks as she closed her eyes tightly. "Please, don-..Ah!" Keira's pleads were interrupted when she felt Sandor pushing the head of his cock into her cunt. She wished she could say she was dry as a desert, but that would be a lie.

"Seven hells," Sandor growled through gritted teeth when the woman's walls clenched around his cock. He grunted softly as he sheathed himself deep inside of her, balls deep. Keira couldn't stop the moan that escaped her. Sandor raised his brow and smirked widely, "Are you enjoying this, little wolf?" The Hound mocked her, which caused Keira to glare back at him, tears continuing to roll down her cheeks. "Fuck you." Keira snarled which Sandor wiggled his hips inside of her, "You are." Sandor responded with a wide and cruel grin.

Sandor gripped Keira by both of her forearms and began to pull her back against his hips, pounding into her. The movement made the bed shake, the bedpost clanging against the wall with each thrust. Moans were being dragged out of Keira's mouth as she screwed her eyes shut, Sandor grunted along with each thrust. "What would your brother think?” Sandor mocked her as he thrusted harshly into her, drawing a sob of a moan out of the woman. “Hell, what would your father think? Perhaps he is looking upon you now, seeing you clenching your cunt around my cock.” Sandor continued with mocking Keira.

Keira cried out softly as she screwed her eyes shut even tighter, Sandor thrusted even harder into her which Keira could feel the tip of Sandor’s cock surely bruising her cervix. The sudden pain caused her body to jolt forward which caused Sandor to snarl, “Where do you think you’re going? Stay right here, little wolf.” Sandor chuckled out as he gripped her forearms even tighter as he pounded into her.

Keira could feel her stomach twisting and tightening, she felt the way her insides warmed up. Keira let out a loud and drawn out moan when she came around Sandor’s cock. Sandor let out a breathy laugh as he continues with his harsh and quick thrusts. Until he sheathed himself deep inside her, releasing his sperm deep inside of her. Keira could feel Sandor’s thick cock throbbing from inside of her as he emptied himself within her. Sandor pat Keira’s ass before leaning down, whispering into her ear.

“What a good bitch..you’re a natural.” Sandor chuckled out as he pulled himself out of her and he grabbed a cloth, wiping himself off before tossing the dirtied cloth onto the bed beside Keira. “Clean yourself up.” He said in a stoic tone before pulling his pants up. Keira glared at Sandor before sitting up with a wince and she smacked Sandor across the face. Sandor and Keira both seemed to freeze, staring at one another. Both stunned that she had done so. Sandor grabbed Keira by the jaw, yanking her close to him. “You only get one of those. Next time, I’ll fuck your skull.” Sandor warned Keira with narrowed eyes, gritting his teeth angrily before shoving her back onto the bed harshly.

Sandor then exited the room, leaving Keira to clean herself and comfort herself. Keira grabbed the dirtied cloth with a scowl, glaring down at it as she squeezed it in her fist with a snarl. She took a deep breath as she looked at the door that Sandor had exited from, tears flowing down her cheeks before she inhaled sharply. “Winter is coming.” Keira whispered softly as she clenched her jaw before she began to clean herself.

[decayhearts]

i wait for you.

detective andrei duncans (big bad wolf) and ray ellison (the undead girl), morden fables.

commission done by @azperja

- AHHH, my favorite fabled fairytale couple, the big bad wolf detective and his undead girlfriend, LOVE THEM! real talk, though, these two turned out absolutely AMAZING and I gotta thank @azperja for this lovely commission of my two OCs, detective andrei duncans and ray ellison, I adore how they turned out and azperja did a wonderful job at drawing these and GAH! I adore them so much.

them.

[hardcore-lonewolf]

"Who run the world? Girls!"

(Kaldur'ahm | Jackson Hyde X Fem!Perseus Jackson - Portrayed As Asami Sato)

(Conner Kent | Kon-El X M'gann M'orzz | Megan Morse)

(Wally West X Artemis Crock | Linda Park)

(Dick Grayson X OFC - Portrayed As Gwen Katherine Tennyson)

(Victor Stone | Cyberion Technis X Koriand'r | Kory Anders)

(OMC - Portrayed As Kevin Ethan Levin X Raquel Ervin)

(Male!Annabeth Chase - Portrayed As Noah Nixon X Zatanna Zatara)

(Garfield Logan X Raven | Rachel Roth)

[onlycodcanjudgeme]

Tell Us More Tuesday: Original Female Characters

We have amazing original female characters that have been developed by the fandom community, and we want to highlight them all today!

If you have an original female character for Call of Duty, please share them with us - either tag us @onlycodcanjudgeme or #tellusmoreCOD and we will reblog here.

We will also be having questions and prompts for your OCs today, so stay tuned!

*Image above showcasing: Charlotte Jade Le Jardin by @sleepyconfusedpotato, Alyssa M created by @alypink, Alejandra Emelie Lopez (image drawn by @sleepyconfusedpotato, character by @alidravana), Sage by @samithemunchkin, and Elvira Wolff by @pricescigar. Thanks everyone for permissions in sharing your creations!

[dragon-creates]

5+1 AU Characters as Taylor Swift Songs

I got bored yesterday and my ADHD + my swiftie brain decided to put together what says would go together with the characters of my fic. This was mostly done for fun but if you know the meanings behind these songs, I'm going to enjoy feasting on your suffering 😈

Here's the link to my fic here if you haven't read it yet.

Pomni/Penny: Mirrorball

And I'm still a believer, but I don't know why. I've never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try

I thought this song best fit Pomni/Penny due to her complicated relationship with her dad and how that affected her as a person, always trying to do her best despite what's thrown at her, even if it hurts her in the process and she doesn't know why.

Jax/Jack: This Is Me Trying

Could've followed my fears all the way down And maybe I don't quite know what to say. But I'm here in your doorway I just wanted you to know. That this is me trying

I mean, I think its kinda obvious (cough cough chapter 5 cough cough). Jax/Jack went through a lot as a kid before he moved in with Winter and the Alvarez's and yes while he's hurting, he wants to heal but as ya'll know, relapses happen. But he'll always keep trying.

Riley: Karma

Karma's gonna track you down. Step by step, from town to town. Sweet like justice, karma is a queen

I had fun with this one. As ya'll know, Riley is quite protective over those she cares about (she's also an FBI agent so if you hurt Penny you probably won't be seen the next day). Riley is always gonna make sure that those who decide to fuck around are gonna find out. After all, karma is a bitch.

Winter: 22

You don't know about me but I'll bet you want to. Everything will be alright if we just keep dancing like we're 22

Ah Winter, my sassy lesbian queen. Winter has always been fun to write due to how positive and fun she is. Teasing Jack, being lovey dovey with Riley and hyping up Penny as well. She would be one of those people who throw the wildest parties and dread cleaning up the next day, but doesn't care as long as she and others are having fun.

Amber: Tolerate It

Lay the table with the fancy shit. And watch you tolerate it

Amber, mother of two and the ex of the man that everyone in discord wants dead. This reflects what her marriage to David was like and her releasing how awful he was after they divorced. Amber is a strong and protective mother bear, but she was hurt first emotionally to become that strong. Sometimes there will be moments will break, but she always picks herself back up for her girls, David forgotten at the back of her mind for their sake.

~okay let's focus on some duo/trio songs~

Pomni/Penny & Jax/Jack: Wildest Dreams

Say you'll remember me. Standin' in a nice dress. Starin' at the sunset, babe. Red lips and rosy cheeks. Say you'll see me again. Even if it's just in your wildest dreams

Come on, are you really surprised? It's the title of the last chapter and basically this fic's theme! Even if they don't realise who each other are, there memories stay in their dreams and their shown just how beautiful their love was!!!!

Riley & Winter: Paper Rings

I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings. Uh-huh, that's right. Darling, you're the one I want

Let's go! Let's go lesbians let's go!!! The yuri deserve a nice lovey dovey song. These two are just so sweet with one another and the reason why Jack and Penny got together (much to Riley's disappointment lol) and they deserve all the happiness. And yes this song was in their wedding playlist.

Pomni/Penny & Riley: Safe and Sound

No one can hurt you now. Come morning light. You and I'll be safe and sound

This song is definitely a parallel of Penny and Riley's sisterhood, especially growing up with David still in the picture. Riley doing her job as an older sister, shielding her little sister whenever David wanted to target her with his verbal abuse. Riley hates every fibre of her father's being, it only got worse after he involved Penny in the car accident. No matter what, even as adults, Riley will always protect her baby sister from everything...until the day she couldn't.

Winter & Jax/Jack: The Best Day

God smiles on my little brother, inside and out. He's better than I am I grew up in a pretty house and I had space to run. And I had the best days with you

This was how Winter viewed her and Jack when he moved in with her family. Jack is and always will be her little brother, even if they aren't blood related. She and her family give him the life he didn't and the space to thrive, and neither she or Jack would trade it for the world even after all these years.

Pomni/Penny & Amber: Bigger Than The Whole Sky

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. You were bigger than the whole sky

Hehe ya'll gonna hate me for this one. But yeah, after Penny went missing, it hit Amber like a freight train. Penny was her baby, she watched her daughter go through hell and back, and helped with her healing, watched her fall in love, comforted her through her heartbreak and the next day she disappeared, and no one can find her. She grieves her daughter every day, as though she truly passed away. She and Penny had a relationship like no other, there's nothing stronger than a mother's love for her child.

Riley & Amber: Dear Reader

The greatest of luxuries is your secrets. Dear reader, when you aim at the devil make sure you don't miss. Never take advice from someone who's falling apart

While Amber loves Penny, never once did she neglect Riley or see her problems as inferior. She loves both her babies more than anything. But she can tell that Riley has gone through a lot, watching her father grow apart from her and seeing her little sister get hurt over and over again. This song is kinda reminiscent of chapter 3 (with Amber reassuring Riley that she's not wrong to feel upset with her dad), but also Amber teaching Riley what she knows and so she doesn't make the same mistakes as she did.

Amber & Riley & Pomni/Penny: Never Grow Up

Oh, darlin', don't you ever grow up. Don't you ever grow up. Just stay this little. Oh, darlin', don't you ever grow up. Don't you ever grow up. It could stay this simple

Let's end it off bittersweet with our three girls. This is reminiscing over her daughters, more so the good moments of their childhood (David isn't in these memories which isn't a surprise). It kind of hits Amber when she sees her girls all grown up and living their own lives, just how far they've come since they were kids. She gave birth to them, helped them take their first steps, cried at their first words, dropped them off both at their first days at school, teasing Riley over her first crush on a girl, comforting and spending each day Penny was in hospital after the accident, letting them cry in her shoulder over David leaving, reassured Riley that she wasn't abandoning Penny once the older of the two left for college, helped Penny overcome her eating habits, watched her girls fall in love. It leaves her tearful and proud of how much they've grown.

I hope you guys enjoyed this, and keep an eye out for my next funnybunny fic on ao3 and tumblr called 'Royally Screwed'. It's a royal AU based on the ideas and art of one of my friends on discord and I hope ya'll like it when it comes out!

[telffiin]

some oc stuff...

[yuu3585]

𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬. 𝐜𝐡. 𝟐 - 𝐒𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝

Backstory: Lead to the shrine of the king of curse, Tsumi encounters a coming fear of just what she’ll face at his hands

Pairing: …

Ch.1

Word count: 1.8k

Warnings: Blood, murder, Sukuna (it’s Sukuna he needs a warning), name-calling, oc x canon, DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT!

Extra:

----

The snow crunched as Tsumi stepped, the curse was quiet as they walked, not talking like she was to Dai. Tsumi thought it was weird shouldn’t Sukuna collect his Sacrifices? Or was this curse close to him in some manner, and if so how close to Sukuna was she a servant, or maybe even his love?

“You're falling behind”

Tsumi's head shot up at the curse's sudden voice, she was indeed falling behind the curse was a good ten feet away from her “I-I’m sorry” Tsumi apologized quickly walking up to the curse, “Don’t let it happen again…” Tsumi hummed as the curse hissed, before stepping ahead, Tsumi sighed as cold winter air nipped at her, gripping her cover-up tighter for a bit of warmth

“Tsumi, correct?” the curse asked, her pink eyes looking back, “Y-yes” Tsumi answered, the curse hummed looking away from Tsumi as she shivered “My name is Ahmya, I’m one of the two heads of Master Sukuna’s servants'' Ahmya spoke, her name was seemingly nice. Tsumi nods as she looks forward, eyes staring at the snow falling onto the ground… “We’ll be at the shrine soon, don't fall behind!” Ahmya informs voice harsh, Tsumi hums nodding her head

----

Ahmya was right about being at the shrine soon. It was big, looking like the mouth of a skull–colors of black, gray, and dark red–with the color of the white snow on top of it. Ahmya pushed open the large shrine doors gesturing to Tsumi inside, “Follow” Ahmya ordered as she closed the door. Tsumi nodded following close behind Ahmya her aura strong, as they passed by two curses

The curses were pale, paler than Tsumi was both had rusty red hair. “Look, a new human!” one teased, the other laughed. It was horrifying, echoing in Tsumi's ears, Ahmya groaned rolling her eyes at the two “Come, Sukuna must be informed of the changes” Tsumi hummed, eyes looking back at the curses they smiled sinisterly, waving before disappearing. Tsumi shivered before looking back in front of her

As the two walked, Ahmya stopped in front of two large doors engraved with beautiful patterns. Ahmya raised her hand ready to knock, but before she could it opened, a white hair person stepped out their eyes met Ahmya, and bowed before stepping aside two women walked out bodies barely covered with their kimonos barely even on, Tsumi turned away gripping her Kimono tightly uncomfortable, they were concubine’s

One of the two women looked over at Tsumi, she had tan skin, her hair was Raven black, and her eyes were chocolate brown. She smiled, waving slightly before walking off with the other concubine, her hair was a dark orange color, and she seemed quite young but way older than Tsumi “Come” Ahmya ordered bowing at the white-haired person, Tsumi did the same as she walked past them. The Chamber was large, and the dark only light was the few amounts of torches that dimly lit the chamber, Ahmya stopped getting down onto her knees and bowed

Tsumi, realizing what was going on, quickly got onto her knees bowing. A low groan filled Tsumi ear’s “Ahmya…” the voice echoed throughout the chamber “Yes my Lord?” Ahmya answered, “Who is this…?” the voice asked, anger seeping from his lips. Ahmya breathes before answering

“This is the Ito clan’s sacrifice… Tsumi. She took her sister's place, my lord!” Ahmya explained a hum left the Lord's lips. “Ahmya you may leave” he spoke, Tsumi froze fear creeping into her mind “Yes my Lord” Ahmya answered, she stood up, bowed and lefted the wooden door echoing as it shut. Tsumi shook as she could hear the breaths of the man Ahmya was talking to “Raise your head.” he ordered, Tsumi raised her head eyes not looking anywhere but at the ground

“You're quite obedient, scared like a little lamb.” He said, voice harsh as he spoke, Tsumi didn't speak fear consuming her. “What should I do with you…?” he questioned, he thought for a moment, the chamber went silent as he thought “Uraume!” he shouted, the white-haired person from earlier entered the chamber, and they bowed before leaning up “Yes, Lord Sukuna,” Uraume says voice monotone, “Take her to the servant chambers,” Sukuna says, Uraume bows “Come” they order, Tsumi stands bowing to Sukuna before following after Uraume

The walk is quiet, with barely any sound other than the laughs of a few women, in one of the three rooms they pass “This is the servant chambers,” Uraume says stopping, Tsumi raises her head, looking to Uraume. “Thank you!” Tsumi says bowing slightly, Uraume hums sliding the door open, Tsumi breathes before stepping past Uraume, through the door. It slides shut signing to Uraume's departure

The chamber was larger than the Ito clan's servant chambers, and warm, it's nice on Tsumi's cold skin “I wonder what’s in store for me here?” Tsumi questions. Ocean blue eyes scan the room, a noise from behind Tsumi snaps her out of her thoughts. It was another servant, her hair was a chocolate brown color, her eyes met Tsumi's, they were emerald green “H-hello…” Tsumi says waving slightly, “Uraume told me to give you this…” she says, stepping toward Tsumi, it's another kimono.

It’s white with blue stitched into it, “here I’ll wait for you outside!” she says bowing before she leaves, Tsumi smiles before she undresses. Quickly removing her blue kimono, Tsumi puts the other one on. Tsumi breathed before sliding the door open the servant from earlier was standing a few feet away from the door, “Follow” she said softly, Tsumi slid the door shut following the woman “You’ll be in charge of mopping up Sukuna’s meeting room with humans,” she says looking back at Tsumi “Alright” Tsumi answered smiling a little “Other than that you’ll clean whatever Uraume or Ahmya tells you to!”

Tsumi hums, “Sukunas in a meeting with someone I suggest getting a bucket…” The woman murmured “A-alright…”

----

The air felt denser, it wasn’t warm in this part of the shrine. Tsumi breathes as she sets the bucket down. A noise catches her attention from inside the room. It seems to be yelling, the voice sounds scared, Tsumi snaps her head back at the sound of footsteps. The two rusty red haired curses from earlier come into her view, they stare at her. “You're Tsumi right?” One asked, stepping closer to Tsumi he was a foot or so taller than her,

“Ahmya said not to bother the servants, Reiki!” Tsumi is caught off guard by the sudden voice, “Thanks for reminding me Daiki!” Reiki mocked turning to the curse which was called Daiki, Tsumi is tense for a moment as the two seemingly twin curses stare at one another. But they are different Reiki the one closest to Tsumi has black streaks in his hair while Daiki has white, and their kimonos are different as well Reiki wears a black, and red kimono, while Daiki wears a red and white one

A scream breaks the silence of the three causing Tsumi to jump a little, Daiki walks up to Reiki grabbing his shoulder “We should leave!” Reiki rolls his eyes “Let us go, bye Tsumi!” He mumbles waving as they both walk away, Tsumi's knees shake as she hears the sliding door open turning fast she bows, it’s Sukuna he steps out of the room sliding the door closed before he steps away

Tsumi raises her head sensing that Sukuna is gone, she sighs standing up, and grabs the bucket before sliding the door open, she almost drops the bucket choking on her breath. Looking away Tsumi sets the bucket down covering her mouth, stopping herself from throwing up. The site before her was sadistic, a man’s body was scattered across the room, his blood covered the floor and the wall closest to the door. Tsumi grasps for air, coughing harshly

Her eyes scan the room, turning to the bucket Tsumi sighs bending down, and grabs the sponge. Tsumi turned keeping her head down, staring at the blood-stained floor

----

Tsumi roughly scrubbed away at the last remaining blood, her hands lightly stained scarlet red… she had been at the murderous scene for a while, and the sun seemed to set, Tsumi sighed as the last stain of blood blurred away. Tsumi breathed dropping the sponge into the blood water bucket, stretching her arms Tsumi stood grabbing the bucket before exiting the room sliding the door shut, eyes lingering where the body of that man once was

The wind of winter blew harshly against Tsumi's skin as she emptied the bucket, snow fell landing on her blonde braided hair that lay lazily on her back. A rough voice filled Tsumi's ears as she stepped back into the shrine shivering slightly

“I want her somewhere else Uraume!”

“As you wish my lord…”

Tsumi stood still listening quietly, what was going on? What was Lord Sukuna talking about with Uraume? Who was she? Tsumi moved quietly from her spot trying not to alert Sukuna or Uraume that she was there

“You may leave Uraume…!”

Sukuna ordered his voice echoing in Tsumi's ears, she heard a shift before the sound of footsteps echoed through the hall outside the room she was in. Trying to gain some confidence to move forward, Tsumi hears the door of the room she was in slide open.

Tsumi's knees buckled under herself, fear filling her mind quickly she dropped to her knees staring at her scarlet-stained hands

“Seems there’s a lamb, not asleep!”

Sukuna mocked, laughing cruelly as the door slid shut, Tsumi's breath caught in her throat as she bowed to Sukuna, “Raise your head!” Sukuna ordered his voice unpleasant to the ringing in her ears, hesitantly Tsumi raised her head avoiding to stare at Sukuna’s face

“Look at me!�� Sukuna ordered again, voice harsh, Tsumi hesitantly looked up, eyes locked with Sukuna’s. Four scarlet red eyes stare back. Tsumi froze in fear, eyes widen as she took in his looks

He was large in a sense, four arms crossed in front of his chest and stomach. Tsumi's eyes looked up at his face, it was covered in markings, she shuddered as her eyes stared at a wooden-like mask that covered the right side of his face. Sukuna smirked as Tsumi stared at him

“Servants are supposed to be in their chambers by sundown…” Sukuna said his voice low, Tsumi tensed up at his words, “I-I’m sorry my lord…” Tsumi apologizes, pressing her head to the ground, “I-it won’t happen again… I promise my lord!” Tsumi explains, her body beginning to shake. Sukuna stares down at Tsumi eyes lingering on her tense form

“You may leave…” Sukuna ordered, Tsumi raises her head shocked “Have a good night my lord…”

Tsumi stands up quickly, avoiding Sukuna eyes as she walks past him, letting out a shaky breath she steps out of the room sliding the door behind her shut

----

Divider credit - Sweetyparty

[makairodonx]

Keiko, Robby, and Vicky stop before an overgrown tank that stands amongst the ruins of a battle that was fought decades and decades earlier as they hike through a forest trail.

[callalillywrites]

Birthday Week Schedule

It's officially the start of my birthday week!

I have all the birthday pieces I've created for this week completed, and I'll be dropping one each day. I'm hoping to continue the tradition each year, but let's get through this one and go from there.

Here's how that will look this year:

Monday, July 29th: Alpha! Jake Jensen

Tuesday, July 30th: Character Intros and Birthday Reactions for Cupid's Arrow (Chris Evan's character universe with a few other fandoms thrown in - Matchmaking AU with some soft Mafia AU mixed in)

Wednesday, July 31st: Beta! Pre-serum Steve Rogers

Thursday, August 1st: Character Intros and Birthday Reactions for The GODDESS Project (MCU soulmate AU and canon rewrite)

Friday, August 2nd (MY BIRTHDAY!!!): Omega! Reader

Saturday, August 3rd: Character Intros and Birthday Reactions for Something Witchy in the BAU (Criminal Minds/Charmed Crossover/Fusion AU)

Each piece will be posted no later than 12PM CST.

[skzfanf1cs]

Stray Kids Academy - Chapter 4 : Cupid's Here

Series Masterlist

Main Pairing [This Chapter] : All Pairings

Warnings : beach day (stay hydrated guys), brief mentions of anxiety, awkward flirting, mentions of 'friends with benefits' relationship

Word Count : 3,710

The Mitchells

It was a record high for the early fall. The AC unit in the apartment had decided to keel over and die. Maintenance wouldn’t be able to come by until tomorrow.

“I’m dying.” Zeke was laying on the floor in nothing but his boxers, sweat coating his exposed skin.

Luna was sticking her head in the refrigerator before moving to the freezer. “I’m in hell. I’m literally in hell.”

Levi walked to the freezer, pushing Luna out of the way, took out the ice tray, walked back over to Zeke, and poured the contents onto him. “Live. We all have to live with this.”

Zeke jumped up in surprise as the ice hit his chest. “Jesus.” Then, he left the ice on his stomach. “Actually, get more ice. I’m starting to cool down now.”

Luna went to sit back down on the couch before grabbing a magazine and started fanning herself with it. Then, she perked up. “We should go to the beach.”

After hearing this, Zeke perked up as well. “Yes, absolutely.” The two looked over at Levi. “Can we go? Please?”

Levi looked over at her twin and younger brother before rolling her eyes. “Fine.”

Faster than they had moved all day, the three siblings quickly grabbed their beach supplies and put on their swimsuits under some clothes. Then, they were off, walking to the nearest beach.

Once they got there, they noticed it was completely packed. Of course, it would be packed. The siblings went to find a spot, until Levi noticed Chan in the distance.

“Shit.” She cursed under her breath and started to walk away. Chan was cute, really cute. But, she also yelled at him a couple weeks ago. But, also also, he fixed it.

Did she want to see him? Yes, but also no. Not really.

“Hey, it’s the music nerds!” Zeke’s eyes were definitely on Jisung, though. He grabbed onto Levi before making their way towards Chan and the rest of his crew, Luna trailing behind them.

Felix was the first of the boys to notice the siblings. He smiled widely and waved. This obviously caught the attention of the rest of the crew.

Changbin quickly goes up to greet the three of them. “We didn’t know you guys were gonna be here. You should join us!”

“What a great idea!” Zeke pulled Levi closer to the group. Luna stayed behind and was ogling Changbin’s body - not as discreetly as she might think she was.

“Hey, Lover Boy!” Minho and Jisung looked over at Zeke. Jisung suddenly looked freaked out and quickly hid behind Minho.

“Hey, Zeke.” Minho answered back, trying to pull Jisung out from behind him.

“Hey, there. Mon Amour.” Zeke looked behind Minho once he was close enough to the two men. “Whatcha doin’ back there?”

“O-Oh. Um.” Jisung looked at Zeke over Minho’s shoulder, but was obviously still using Minho as a shield. “So, this beach. Am I right?”

Jisung was obviously uncomfortable, but Zeke couldn’t quite pinpoint why. He then noticed Jisung’s body language. He had his arms crossed over his bare chest and was now looking away from Zeke, his breaths starting to become uneven.

Oh.

Zeke quickly looked around the sand and found a shirt. “Hey, you probably dropped this.” He picked up the black fabric and tossed it over to Jisung before walking over to greet the others. They could talk later when Jisung wasn’t obviously uncomfortable.

Levi made her way towards Seungmin and Jeongin. “Hey. Pup, Smiley. You’re wearing sunscreen, right? You know, we have a game coming up and, frankly, I’m gonna need you to not suck because you hurt from a sunburn.

Levi was the manager of their college’s baseball team and she took her job very seriously.

Seungmin and Jeongin looked at each other before slowly reaching into their bags and producing a bottle of sunscreen.

“That’s what I thought.” She then looked over and saw Hyunjin over on his towel with his camera. He was probably going to take pictures for his social media accounts. She walked up to him. “Need any help with that?”

“Yes.” Hyunjin stood up and raised his sunglasses to the top of his head. “You’re a lifesaver.”

Changbin and Luna

Luna had to pry her eyes from Changbin’s chest and quickly turned to find a spot to put her towel down. She just wanted to read her book in peace. But, as she was putting down her towel, Changbin appeared again.

“Hey, how you doin’, beautiful?” Changbin put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. He still felt the need to impress this girl. They hadn’t talked in a few days and Luna’s rough exterior was back in full force.

She just rolled her eyes. “I was doing fine.”

“Cool, cool.” Changbin’s smile widened. “Are you hungry? Cause, I’m hungry. And we brought food. You want to eat some? With me?” He shimmies his shoulders a bit. “Together?”

She looked at him up and down, still frowning. Though, she was trying her best not to blush right now. “No.”

“Cool, cool.” Changbin nods his head slightly. “I’m gonna go get some.” And he puts up the finger guns. “Be right back.”

He runs over to the food where Seungmin and Jeongin were already digging into the fruit and chips. Seungmin gives him a look. “What are you even doing over there?”

“I’m flirting.” Changbin digs through the basket of food, trying to find the perfect snack.

“Ew.” Jeongin and Seungmin speak at the same time.

“You two are children, you wouldn’t understand.” Changbin proceeds to grab several snacks from candy to sandwiches. He looks over at Seungmin. “A child who makes goo-goo eyes at Levi and she won’t even give you the time of day.” Then over at Jeongin. “And, Jeongin, the Baby-Bread act can only get you so far.

“I can flirt just as good as you can.” Jeongin puts a comforting hand on Seungmin’s shoulder, who suddenly finds his food very interesting to look at.

“Oh, yeah?” Go for it then.” Changbin challenged. “Go flirt with someone.”

Jeongin stood up, whipped off the thin fabric of his tank top, and walked over to Luna. She had finally placed down her towel and umbrella, brought out a book, and was peacefully reading. “Hey.”

“Oh, hey Jeongin.” Luna put on a small smile, placing a bookmark in her book before setting it aside. “What’s up?”

Jeongin took a seat next to her. “Just wanted to see how you’re doing.”

“Well, that’s sweet of you.” Luna decided to humor the younger man, giving him a gentle smile. “How are you doing today?”

“Better now that you’re here.”

Luna lets out a laugh, playfully hitting his shoulder. She found his flirting attempts adorable. “Oh, you.”

On the side, Changbin’s fist clenched over a half eaten sandwich. She never laughed at him like that. But, Jeongin was able to make her laugh after just ten seconds of talking to her.

“I think he just stole your girl.” Seungmin said with a smug look on his face.

Jisung and Zeke

Jisung was sitting on the beach, watching Zeke rough-house with the other boys. A few minutes ago, Zeke had discarded the thin white button-up he was wearing. Now, he was completely shirtless. And Jisung couldn’t get enough of the view.

Jisung knew Zeke hung out with Chan and Changbin at the gym from time to time. But, now he was seeing the results of it.

He was lean, thin muscles lined his biceps. Small splatters of freckles dusted his shoulders and chest. The thin top surgery scars under his pecs were prominent against his pale skin, but Jisung knew Zeke didn’t care. His eyes started to travel lower, from his ribcage, to his stomach-

That’s when Minho’s hand ran across Jisung’s field of vision. “Hey, buddy. You’re staring.”

“I am not.”

“You’re still staring.” Minho put his face in front of Jisung’s, blocking his view. Jisung nearly jumped out of his skin at the closeness of Minho’s face. “Stop acting so desperate. Let him come to you.”

“But, what if he doesn’t come to me?” Jisung’s shoulders sank.

Minho gave him a look. “He will. I know he will.” He patted Jisung’s face before getting out of his face, letting Jisung continue to look over at Zeke.

Zeke was glazing over at Jisung now. He made a heart with his hands towards Jisung and nodded his head at him. Jisung quickly brought his knees up to his chest and hid his head in his knees. His face was warm, but he couldn’t help but smile.

“And, I want my shirt back.” Minho bumped Jisung’s shoulder.

“No way.” Jisung clung onto the collar of the black fabric. His heart was still racing when Zeke gave him the shirt, just because he noticed Jisung was panicking. He normally wasn’t self conscious about his body, but the thought of Zeke maybe comparing him to someone like Chan or Changbin made him panic a little. “He gave it to me. Get your own shirt.”

“I will.” Then, Minho suddenly tackled Jisung and tried to get the shirt over his head. Jisung struggled as hard as he could until he was finally free, shirt still intact.

Jisung quickly stood up and started running away. He looked back to see if Minho was chasing him. Seeing that Minho still hadn’t gotten up yet, Jisung quickly turned his head around again. Suddenly, his forehead hit something really hard, disorienting him and making him fall down.

His eyes shot open when he realized he was surrounded by water. He didn’t even notice he’d stepped into the water till now. And now, he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t even swim up to resurface if he wanted to.

Jisung felt arms around his chest as he was pulled up out of the water. His arms instinctively wrapped around his savior and he breathed in fresh air. He opened his eyes to see his was face to face with Zeke, who also was soaking wet.

“Hey, there.” Zeke gave him a pained smile. “You know, you have a really hard head.” He brought a hand up from Jisung’s body to rub his forehead. But, his other hand lowered to Jisung’s waist.

Jisung unwrapped his arms from Zeke’s torso, his hands lightly resting on Zeke’s chest. “Y-Yeah…so do you.” He managed to say. His head was spinning.

“You were flailing around there, I was a little worried.” Zeke gave him a concerned look.

Jisung lowered his head slightly, his face ablaze. “Yeah, I can’t swim.” He mumbled. “So, I freaked out a bit.”

Zeke gave him a sad smile. He wrapped both his arms around Jisung’s waist, then rested his chin on Jisung’s shoulder. “It’s okay now.”

He didn’t feel the need to mention that they were standing in water that was barely up to their knees. Jisung was already embarrassed, Zeke didn’t want to make him feel worse.

Bang Chan and Levi

Chan watched silently as Levi and Hyunjin were huddled together on his towel, examining all the photos they had taken on his camera.

He felt a pang of jealousy crawl up his throat. He found out recently that the two were dating and he just didn’t like the idea of them being together. But, he also hated that he wasn’t happy for his friend for being in, what seemed like, a good relationship.

He shook his head and tried to have fun with everyone else. But, a lot of things have apparently happened while he was spacing out.

Felix was building sandcastles next to Minho, who was drawing cat faces in the sand.

Changbin was pouting as he watched Jeongin talk to Luna.

Jisung was now soaking wet as he sat back down on his towel in the sand with Zeke, both icing their foreheads.

He just sighed and went to sit next to Seungmin. Maybe he’s just hungry?

“What’s up with you?” Seungmin said as he sat down next to him and reached into the bag or a sandwich.

“Nothing’s up with me.” Chan said as he bit into the sandwich.

“It’s Levi, isn’t it.” Seungmin stated as he looked over at Levi and Hyunjin. “You like her, don’t you?”

Chan’s face heated up slightly. “It wouldn’t matter if I did, she’s dating Hyunjin.”

Seungmin gave Chan a weird look. “Dating? No. Levi doesn’t date.”

Chan looked confused. “But, you said they were dating?”

“No, I said ‘I’m surprised you don’t hear them’. They just fuck.” Seungmin rolled his eyes. “Like I said, she doesn’t date.”

Chan frowns slightly. “Why doesn’t she date?”

“That’s not my story to tell.”

Changbin suddenly sat next to Seungmin. “You talking about Levi?” Then, he threw an arm around Chan. “You know, I think I could set you two up. I’m basically cupid.”

“You are not cupid.” Seungmin rolls his eyes. “You can’t even get your own girl to like you.”

“I’m working on it.” Changbin stated and turned back to Chan. “But, seriously. I will hook you up.”

“But, she doesn’t date. Do you know why that is?” Chan asked.

“Oh, no clue. And, don’t worry about the ‘no dating’ thing. Cupid’s got this.”

~~~~~

Hyunjin and Levi were still huddled together. After going through all the pictures, Hyunjin looks back at the group to see Chan and Changbin looking over at them.

“So, Chan’s been staring at you a lot lately.” He started to say. “Should I be worried?”

“What? No.” Levi said. “You know I don’t date.”

“Yeah, but you did say he was hot the last time you were drunk. Amongst other things.” He playfully bumped his shoulder against Levi’s.

“Yeah, I was drunk.” Levi rolled her eyes. “I don’t say accurate things when I’m drunk.”

“Drunk words are often sober thoughts.” Hyunjin joked. Then he looked over at Chan again. “He’s still staring. And, he looks kind of sad.”

“Well, tell him to stop.” Levi refused to look over at Chan.

“Okay.” Hyunjin started to get up before Levi quickly grabs his arm and pulls him back down. He smirks. “So, you do care.”

Levi’s face heats up. Son of a bitch.

“Well, if you decide you want to date.” Hyunjin gives her a smile. “Just let me know.”

~~~~~

It was later in the day. Chan was standing on the shore, his feet in the water as he looked out at the sunset. He heard someone step up beside him and was surprised to find Levi there.

“You were staring earlier.” She stated as she also looked out at the sunset.

“No, I wasn’t.” Chan tried to deflect.

“Yes, you were.” Levi finally looked over at him. “Why?”

Chan’s face heated up again. “There was a bee.”

Levi blinked. “A bee?”

“Yeah, in your hair.” Chan knew that Levi knew it was a lie. But, he still couldn’t look at her.

She turned her body towards him. “Why don’t you tell me why you were really staring.”

“It’s because he likes you.” Changbin was suddenly behind them. As soon as the words left his mouth, he sprinted off.

Chan couldn’t help but laugh. “He’s really taking this cupid thing seriously.”

“Cupid thing?” Levi laughed.

“Yeah. He’s convinced he’s a matchmaker now.” Chan shook his head. He knew it was ridiculous, but some part of him really wanted it to work.

Levi laughed. Chan could listen to that sound all day. “If anyone could be a matchmaker, I guess it would be him.”

Then, it was silent after their laughter died down. “Can I ask you something?” Levi asked Chan as she looked him in the eyes. He nodded. “Why was it so important for you to have me forgive you?”

Chan sighed. “How do I explain this?” He mumbled before he started again. “I didn’t do it for me. Being angry at someone takes a lot out of you, doesn’t it? Seungmin used to hold a lot of grudges and he was miserable.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. “So, you got me snacks and flowers just so I wouldn’t be miserable being mad at you?”

“I just don’t like seeing people I care about be miserable.”

Levi’s eyes widened slightly. “So, you care about me now?”

“What? No.” Chan’s face heated up and he spoke without thinking.

“So, you don’t care about me?”

“Well, yes and no.” Chan pinched the bridge of his nose. “I mean I do, but-”

“He’s so in love with you!” Changbin sprints by them with a giggle.

Chan covers his red face. This was going horribly wrong. Even if Changbin was enjoying himself with this cupid bit, it now made Chan want to strangle him.

Levi saw how flustered and frustrated Chan was getting. She needed to change the subject. “You know.” She started. “Maybe, I’ll let you buy me a coffee one of these days.”

Was that too flirty? She wasn’t sure.

Chan lowered his hands and looked over at her. Once Levi thought she made a mistake, Chan suddenly smiles at her. “I don’t need your permission to buy you things. If I was going to buy you something, I’d just do it.”

It was now Levi’s turn to cover her face in embarrassment. But, she couldn’t help but smile. “You’re such a cliche.”

Jisung and Zeke

Jisung’s head was finally clearing. Zeke’s head really was hard. Even though he spent most of the day under an umbrella, icing his forehead, he still had a fun time talking to Zeke. Right now, Zeke was over by the cooler, taking out some drinks. He came back with two water bottles and sat down next to Jisung.

“I figured you could use some water.” Zeke handed over one of the bottles.

“Yeah, thank you.” Jisung raised his hand to take the water, their fingers brushing against one another. Jisung felt like he could feel electricity go through his fingers. But, the little contact their fingers had was over way too quickly.

“Yeah, Jisung really needs that water.” Changbin was suddenly behind them, throwing his arms around their shoulders and pulling them closer to each other. “He’s very thirsty.” He smirks over at Zeke, wiggling his eyebrows.

Jisung’s face gained so much color, he looked like a tomato. He suddenly pushed Changbin’s face away, making him fall over in the sand.

But, Changbin’s smile never faded. Jisung and Zeke were now shoulder to shoulder, their faces inches from each other.

“Hey, there.” Zeke smirked. “So, thirsty?”

Jisung started to stutter about nothing in particular. He couldn’t even get a proper sentence out.

Zeke then wrapped an arm around Jisung’s shoulder and caressed Jisung’s cheeks with his other hand. “I don’t mind, Mon Amour.”

Jisung’s eyes flicked to Zeke’s lips. He wanted nothing more than to kiss him. And, by the looks of it, Zeke wanted the same thing. They started to lean in till their foreheads touched, then their noses brushed against the other-

“Hey.” Minho’s voice cut in, making Jisung jump away from Zeke. Minho made his way over and sat next to Jisung. “Look, I know I told you Zeke was a good kisser. But…for the love of god. Do it in private. You have an audience.”

Jisung’s face was still bright red as he glared over at Minho.

“And, I still want my shirt back.” Minho grabbed the hem of the black shirt again, pulled Jisung in and suddenly, they were wrestling again.

“You know.” Minho whispered in Jisung’s ear when Minho had him pinned, quiet enough so Zeke wouldn’t hear. “If you just gave me the shirt earlier, I wouldn’t have interrupted you.”

Changbin and Luna

Changbin was having so much fun playing cupid with everyone else, he completely forgot about himself. He scanned the area for Luna.

Once he spotted her, he walked up to her and placed his hands on his hips. “Hey, beautiful.”

Luna looked him up and down before rolling her eyes. “What do you want?”

“Well, I’m playing cupid.” He explained. “So, I figured, cupid deserved some love too. So, Luna Mitchell, would you do me the honors?” He held out his hand.

Luna looked down at his hand in disgust. “You’re joking, right?” When he didn’t immediately respond, her eyes widened. “You’re serious?”

“As a heart attack.” Changbin looked her in the eyes with a smirk. “‘Give a second chance to cupid’?”

Luna’s lips quirked up in a small smile. “‘But now, I’m left here feeling stupid’. You know, that song is about hating cupid, right?”

“Is it?” Changbin seemed genuinely surprised. “Well, maybe just skip the hating part this time?” He wiggled his fingers on his still outstretched hand. “Just give me your hand, okay?”

Luna shook her head slightly before giving him her hand. With surprising force, Changbin pulled her close till they were chest to chest. He interlaced his fingers with Luna’s, he then put his other hand on her waist and started swaying. Out of instinct, Luna put her other hand on his shoulder.

Luna lightly squeezed his shoulder. “Good to see your shoulder isn’t fucked up anymore.”

“Careful, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were feeling up my muscles.” Changbin stuck his tongue out at her. ‘Not that I’d mind, though.”

Luna rolled her eyes. “In your dreams.” But, instead of pulling away, she leaned in closer and rested her head against his chest as they continued to sway together.

Changbin started humming a melody as he rested his chin on top of Luna’s head. It’s like they were the only people on the beach. Luna was mesmerized by Changbin’s humming as she closed her eyes and listened intently.

Eventually, they parted from one another and looked into each other’s eyes.

Luna looked over to see everyone else start to pack up their things. It was darker outside than she remembered. Just how long have they been dancing?

“We should probably get going.” Changbin mumbled as he also noticed his friends packing up their things.

“Yeah.” Luna mumbled back. Then, she did something she never thought she would do. She stepped forward, leaned up, and planted a soft kiss on Changbin’s cheek before going over to her siblings. “See you later."

[of-twilight-and-moonshadow]

Take the Chance - Darby x Emery

Finally back with some more Dark Angel of the Bullet Club content! I've been in my Darby feels here lately and I had been wanting to do this piece for a while-- so happy with how it turned out!

Word Count: 1,753

Tag List: @summertimefun1982 @katries (If you want added to the tag list, let me know! )

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“Friends don’t shake hands—Friends hug!”

Emery stood backstage, watching the screen with disgust, her arms crossed. Her body shuddered as the tingling went down her spine and ran through her arms and legs. Beside her stood Darby, arms crossed in front of him, and as the interview ended, he shook his head slowly, disbelievingly.

“I think I’m gonna be sick….” Emery muttered, causing a ghost of a smirk to float across Darby’s face, but it quickly faded. Wordlessly, he lifted his hands and raised the hood over his head before turning away from the TV.

Shaking her head, Emery continued watching the screen for a moment, the next match’s participants doing their entrances before the sound of a consistent whirring reached her ears. Curiosity peaked, Emery turned her head to the side, glancing behind her just in time to see Darby float by, disappearing out of her line of sight. Turning around completely, her brown eyes watched in fascination, attention glued to him as he passed by her once again, heading in the opposite direction.

It was intriguing to her how Darby was able to balance so effortlessly on the board, shifting his weight just enough to alter his direction and turn around. His eyes briefly flickered in her direction, noticing her attention on him before kicking off the ground again and speeding up again. As he reached her, though, Darby altered once more and stepped off before stomping on the end, sending the tip toward the sky, and catching it in his hand.

He turned his crystal blue eyes in Emery’s direction, looking every bit the bringer of death with his back and white face paint, tattoos, and hooded cloak. His lip twisted up slightly once more, causing Emery’s breath to catch in her throat as she stood there staring at him.

“Wanna ride? I got an extra board.”

Brown eyes widened as she began to shake her head, waving her hand a few times, “No, no- that’s—that’s fine. I’ll… pass…”

Emery averted his gaze, looking down to the side, thus missing his eyes narrowing ever so slightly at her answer. Four months ago, if you had told him that the two of them would become close friends, that he would seek her out backstage on multiple occasions, that he would worry about her safety when she would be in the ring or ringside—Darby would’ve laughed at you and called you an idiot.

But here they stood, and though he might never admit it to anyone, Darby considered Emery one of his closest friends, one of the few people he trusted… one of the few people he whole-heartedly cared about, maybe as more than an ordinary friend. And that scared him, which was something Darby would never admit.

“Emery…” he drawled softly, catching her attention, “Do you… not know how to skate?”

She swallowed the lump in her throat, goosebumps raising her skin over Emery’s entire body as she again lowered her gaze. The wordless admission stirred something inside of Darby—and after fighting an inward battle with himself, whether or not he should make his feelings known or not.

Was that a line he was ready to cross?

Would it only chase her away? If it did, would he be able to stomach losing her?

“Fuck it,” thought Darby before stepping towards Emery and slowly raising his hand towards her face. His fingers dipped under her chin, his thumb resting on the top of her chin, just under her bottom lip. With a gentle pressure, Darby lifted her head until their eyes met. He could feel the whirlwind of emotions flow through her by looking into her brown orbs: uncertainty, surprise, worry, hope… and something more….? Or was he seeing what wasn’t there?

“Do you trust me?” Darby questioned, his voice barely audible. Emery felt her breath catch in her lungs once more, as she could feel his breath fan across her face from how close they were standing. Slowly, she nodded, a breathy ‘yeah’ in response. Darby stood there, staring into her eyes for a moment before seeming to return to his senses and dropping his hand from her face, taking a step backward.

Placing a foot on the end of his board for leverage, he lowered the skateboard back to the ground and stepped around it before stretching his hand out for Emery to take. After a brief moment of hesitation as she took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves, Emery reached a shaking hand out towards Darby’s extended one. When he felt her skin on his own, Darby reached out his other hand for her to grab onto before lifting his foot onto the middle of the board to steady it.

“Step onto it, one foot at a time…” he gently instructed, watching as she looked down before slowly lifting her left foot and placing it on the board. However, as Emery moved to place her other foot, the board began to shake, and panic flew through her. Her hands gripped Darby, both feet quickly dropping back onto the floor below.

“It’s alright, I got you,” Darby told her, his thumbs beginning to rub soothing circles into her hands, “Try again…”

One more big breath before attempting it once more, Emery lifted her left foot onto the board.

“Take your time…”

Listening to his advice, Emery slowed down and took a few more breaths before trying her right foot again. Now aware of the wiggle of the board, she was prepared for it this time—and as she lifted her foot, her grip tightening on Darby once more, Emery quickly stepped fully onto the skateboard below her. The speed sent the wheeled object into a minor frenzy as it wiggled even more below her, causing her brown eyes to widen in fear as she stared at the floor.

Darby kept his foot planted on the center of the board, ensuring it wouldn’t move from its spot until Emery was ready. A few minutes passed as she worked on evening out her breathing, before slowly Emery looked up from the floor below to find Darby’s icy blue eyes trained on her, not blinking, patiently waiting.

He noticed her breathing evened out and squeezed her hands ever so softly in encouragement; now the fun began.

“Ready?”

“….for what?...” Emery asked, not sure she liked where this was going.

“Can’t just stand there lookin’ pretty,” Darby smirked, not even thinking about his choice of words until they fell from his mouth.

Emery’s eyes widened in surprise and fear—unsure which was affecting her more. The fact that she now had to move while on the board…. Or that she was almost positive Darby just flirted with her.

Had he?

No…. he couldn’t have.

Could he?

“I’ll be right here,” Darby told her, “I ain't gonna let anything happen to you….”

Giving him a shaky nod, Emery tried mentally preparing herself for what would happen. Slowly, Darby began to sidestep but stopped after only two moves as Emery swayed dangerously. Her hands tightened around his, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

“It’s alright… I got ya…” he soothed before pulling his arms back. Emery’s arms followed, still hanging onto Darby for life. Gently, one at a time, he uncurled her fingers from him and placed her hands onto his shoulders. Then, deciding not to even think about his actions, Darby reached out and placed his hands on Emery’s waist. He heard her take a deep breath in at the contact, which stirred something deep within him, but he ignored it momentarily.

Without giving a warning, Darby began sidestepping once again, going along the hallway slowly.

“Open your eyes….” He encouraged her softly, and after a moment, her eyes flickered open hesitantly.

“Oh my….!”

“See? Not so bad, is it?” Darby asked, a gentle, knowing smile on his face. Her grip on his shoulders eased slightly as a small smile floated across her face, and Emery looked around.

As he walked along, an idea came to his mind, and once again, he didn’t stop to think it over before acting upon it. He told her, and told himself, that nothing would happen to Emery- and he meant that. So, if this went south, Darby would put his body on the line to keep her safe.

With her attention still diverted from him, Darby stepped onto the board and pushed off the floor, sending them floating down the hallway quickly- his hands still firmly on Emery’s waist. The sudden change caused Emery to let a screech escape her throat, her arms slipping from Darby’s shoulder and wrapping around his neck, tightening and closing any distance between them.

Darby’s experience on boards allowed him to keep them balanced as they went along, every so often reaching down with one leg and pushing off to keep them gliding. Emery stared up into his eyes, afraid to look anywhere else- but also finding herself not wanting to look away from him.

He offered her a small smile, his heart fluttering when she returned it. They were coming to the end of the hall, where a small ramp led to the outside, and Darby gave her a mischievous smile at the knowledge. Her brow crinkled in confusion before the sudden drop was felt, and she let a startled noise escape her throat- but kept her arms wrapped around Darby. After a few moments, the road leveled out, but before the skateboard stopped, Darby tightened his hands on Emery’s waist once more. Suddenly hopping off the board, he took her with him, his grip on her changing as one arm slinked around her waist and the other dropped to support her thighs. A startled sound came from her, but it quickly turned into a soft giggle as she peered down into his eyes, Emery’s arms loosely draped around the back of Darby’s neck.

The world around them seemed to disappear, and for that moment it was just the two of them. After a moment, Darby slowly lowered her to the ground below them, the two continuing to stare into the others’ eyes.

Nothing needed to be said between them, there was nothing that either could mutter that could match the moment. Instead, Emery rested her head against Darby’s shoulder as his arms wrapped around her a little snugger, leaving absolutely no space between them.

She was his humanity, his angel, and he would be damned if he let anything happen to her.