#peep Emma in the back

[sleepysnk]

they’re so fucking cute

LOOK AT THEM 😭😭😭😭😭😭

[lyekisses]

as if i would blow up the spot without ordering for myself first 😈

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

since the rusty lake tags are about to be a hellscape of nastiness toward albert fans who enjoy him in any other way than one-dimensional unattractive hate sink,* i just want to say y'all are valid and it's great that you're having fun and contributing to the fandom, and i hope the new content brings you the excitement and joy you've been looking forward to ✨️

*(boy i could go on about how Very Yikes the latter trend is for a number of reasons, but that's a whole post of its own and i will be making it lmao)

[lesbianpepsi]

sweet as honey | part iii

pairing: jenna ortega x blind!fem!reader

words: 4.741k

masterlist

warnings: ableist remarks, swearing, mentions of smoking/drinking, bad writing

authors note: hey guys, i just wanna say thank you to the anons who pointed out my mistake and made me realise how insensitive my old ver of this chapter was. i have rewritten it and changed it, i hope this is better

After your first date with Jenna the two of you have gone on many, many more dates. 

By the third date you and Jenna did actually go to that restaurant you were supposed to go on your first date. 

You couldn't help but feel utterly euphoric anytime Jenna asked you out on another date or even held your hand, hugged you and kissed you. If there's a heaven you're more than sure it's with Jenna.

Altogether you've been on six dates with Jenna, and each date you could feel yourself falling harder and harder for her.

Maybe that's why when Jenna calls you on a sunny Sunday morning her words leave you stunned with silence.

"Y/n? Did you hear me?" She asks, breaking the silence. You dumbly nod your head, coughing soon after as you shake your head.

"No, yeah, I- what?" You stumble over your words with confusion as Jenna giggles over the phone.

"I asked if you wanted to be my date to the Wednesday Emmy Party." She repeats for your sake. Yet again, the words feel like a positive slap to the face. 

Jenna wanted you to go to the party with her? A party full of famous actors? 

"It's not gonna be huge, if that's what you're worried about. Just a small gathering of the cast at Joy's apartment to celebrate that the show won twelve emmys." Jenna explained in a reassuring manner, taking your stunned silence as a sign of rejection.

"Oh yeah, just a small party full of famous actors, no biggie right?" You finally say, laughing nervously. "Are you sure you want me to be your date though? I'm not exactly the same level as you guys." 

"Of course I want you there, I know for a fact Emma is dying to meet you. I can tell she's getting annoyed with how much I talk about you to her."  She says with a giggle, probably biting her bottom lip nervously as she awaits your answer. 

You let out a breathless sigh, a nervous smile on your lips. What's the absolute worst that can come out of it?

"Okay, I'll come as your date." You finally answer her question, your smile turning into one of relief as Jenna immediately starts saying 'yes!' over and over like an overused child finally getting the toy they've been begging for.

You chuckle as you nod your head, biting your lip. 

"You talk about me to your friends?" Jenna groans through the phone as you laugh, a smug smile on your face. 

"Shut up." Jenna replies through a small laugh. "The party is on Wednesday, I'll pick you up?" She confirms as a small static sound rippled through the phone.

You snort a laugh at the day, finding it much more ironic than Jenna was. 

"Yeah I'm free Wednesday and Thursday, so it doesn't matter if I get hung over." 

"I didn't know you were so rebellious to drink under the legal age." Jenna teases you, her voice becoming more static on the phone. You rolled your eyes as you scoffed. "Like you didn't admit to being hung over when recording a scene in 'X'." 

"Stalker much?" She quips back with a dry laugh. 

"Oh yeah because I would be such a stalker with my binoculars, staring and following you around the place like a peeping tom." 

"Oh whatever, I'll see you Wednesday?" Jenna replies, you chuckle as you nod your head, as if Jenna could see you.

"I'll be waiting." You say with a nostalgic smile. "I won't make you wait too long." She finished with her own soft smile.

—————

"I'm so fucking nervous." You complained with a groan as you dropped to sit down on your bed, rubbing your sweaty palms against your jeans. "All of them are actually famous people. All of them!"

Delilah -your childhood best friend- chuckles as she patted your shoulder. "You're overthinking it, babe, they're just a bunch of dickheads who are known while we're a bunch of dickheads who aren't known." She tries to reassure you but it simply went into one ear and right out through the other. 

"But they're Jenna's friends, if they don't like me then Jenna might lose interest in me." 

"You're crazy if you think that. Everyone can see she's head over heels for you, hell, the media even knows." She replies swiftly as she squeezed your shoulder with a reassuring squeeze. 

You turned your head to look at hers. "Well I can't see that, can I?" Delilah shakes her head as she laughs softly, loosening her hand on your shoulder before you feel her take it off.

"Then you can hear it in the way she speaks to you, it's as if she's the one who's speaking to a famous actress." Delilah says as she stands up from the bed, picking up the dishevelled clothes off of your floor and folding them for you. "If it is shit then just give me a call and I'll pick you up, okay? I'm staying the night here anyway so it's not an issue."

That's true, Delilah had to ask to sleep at yours since she had a fight with her own girlfriend Claire, and like the good friend you are you told her obviously she could crash at your place.

You sigh as you nod your head at her words, running a hand through your hair. "I guess you're right." Delilah smirks at you as she opens the drawer full of clothes, neatly keeping the now folded clothes. "Of course I'm right." 

Abruptly, loud knocks are heard from the other room. You let out a rigid breath as you stand up stepping towards your wardrobe as you grab your cane. 

"Wish me luck." You ask Delilah as you run the cane along the wooden floor, heading towards the living room. "You won't need luck." She replied with ease as she walked alongside you to the door.

Opening the door for you, Delilah stood by your side as she grinned at Jenna. 

The brunette looks slightly surprised at Delilah but she doesn't stop smiling as she gives an awkward wave.

"Hey, nice to meet you, I'm guessing you're Delilah?" She asks as Delilah nods her head with a grin. "The one and only. Nice to finally meet you Jenna, Y/n talks about you very often." 

You not so subtly elbow her side as you smiled at Jenna, walking out of the apartment as you naturally went to grab her elbow. "She's more delusional than me, ignore her." You tell Jenna as she giggles, looking back at Delilah who leaned against the doorway waving at them.

"Have a great time, remember curfew is at midnight, young lady." Delilah teases as you and Jenna walk towards her car, rolling your eyes under the glasses as Jenna giggled once again. 

"So you talk about me to your friends, huh?" Jenna jabs at you playfully as she opens the car door for you, reciting your words from Sunday's phone call. 

"Shut up." You grumble as a soft blush attacks your cheeks. "Bullying the blind is a very cancelable thing, you know."  

Jenna is the one to roll her eyes this time as she smiles, taking your cane once you've sat down on the car seat.

She joins you in the front soon after she keeps your cane in the back seat, revving up with its surprisingly quiet engine.

"So who's at this supposed casual party then?" You ask her with a curious face as you nervously play with the hem of your shirt, a habit you've picked up since you were little. 

"Emma, Hunter and his husband Fielder, Joy, Georgie, Steve, Naomi, and Johnna and. Oliver can't come since he's currently filming another movie which is in another country." Jenna lists off as she drives towards Joy's apartment, where the party was being held. "I told you it isn't a massive party, so don't worry. Plus they're all very excited to meet you." She reassures you once again, at the same time she speaks, you feel her place a hand on your thigh.

You smile as you lay your hand over hers, gently caressing your thumb along her knuckles.

"I'm just as excited to meet your friends too, even though I'm shitting bricks over it." You say afflicting a chuckle from Jenna, you feel her squeeze your thigh in an attempt to calm you down. "If you feel uncomfortable at any moment just tell me and we'll leave early, okay? Nobody will shame you or be mad."

You let out a gentle sigh at that, a bit relieved at her kind words. "Thanks Jen."

Jenna smiled at your side profile briefly before she turned back to focus on the road. 

The rest of the car ride was full of mindless conversations between you and Jenna as the low music of Hozier filled the rest of the car. 

As usual, when Jenna parked the car she went to grab your cane before opening your car door open for you, and just as usual you gave her a small kiss in gratitude, resulting in Jenna having a soft blush on her nose and cheeks.

Jenna's elbow is already out for you to latch onto with your non-dominant hand. She double checks you're ready before the two of you make your way to Joy's apartment which thankfully has elevators since she lives on the ninth floor.

"I think they're playing UNO, right now." Jenna mentions as the two of you entered the elevator, her pressing the button '9' as the soft hum of elevator music filled your ears. 

You dryly laugh as you lean against the metal wall as the doors close. "Don't think I'll have much of a chance of winning." Jenna rolls her eyes as an amused smile rises on her face.

"Don't worry, they get distracted so easily that I bet they'll forget about it within five minutes." She says as she moves to stand by your side, leaning her head on your shoulder as you grab her elbow gently, drawing small circles on the clothed skin with your thumb. 

You chuckle at her words. "So they aren't like you then, little Miss Competitive?" You tease.

Jenna can get quite competitive, that's something you picked up quite quickly. Whether it be board games, video games and especially with football (or soccer as she calls it). 

"Oh no, Georgie is even more competitive than me. We once played one match of monopoly that lasted two days in total. In the end we had to call it quits but I was so close to winning." Jenna replies confidently, as if she was truly the one who was going to win.

You chuckle as you nod your head, turning your head soon after to place a feather light kiss to her head. "I don't doubt that for a second." You whispered with a low chuckle before pulling away from her head, leaning your head back against the metal cold wall of the elevator.

The elevator dings loudly as the door slides open, a robotic voice coming through the small intercom telling you and Jenna that you're on floor nine.

With a nervous smile you and Jenna make your way to Joy's apartment, Jenna knocking loudly three minutes before entering.

Music hits your ears the moment the door opens, the familiar voice of Lady Gaga filling it up even louder as you enter further into the apartment.

Your nerves spiked as you heard the chatter get loud and louder as you and Jenna walked into the living room where you could smell the strong scent of tobacco mixing with alcohol infiltrating your nose.

"Hey guys." Jenna greets the group, their heads instantly snapped towards her voice as you and her stood side by side. "This is Y/n, my-" She stops, not knowing what to say.

You haven't asked Jenna to be your girlfriend. Jenna hasn't asked you to be her girlfriend.

"-date, she's my date." Jenna finishes swiftly as she grins proudly at the fact you're her date.

A mix of "Hey, Y/n" and "Hi"s are thrown around the room by a myriad of different voices.

"Hey, Y/n, nice to meet you! Finally I can put a name to a face." A feminine voice speaks up, her voice sounding as smooth as a pearl. By her voice you guess you guess it's Emma Myers, one of Jenna's closest friends.

You chuckle aa you turned your head in the direction of the voice. "Wish I could say the same." You joke, hoping, praying they'll laugh at it rather than freezing up and wondering if they should or not.

Thankfully a snort of laughter is heard along with a few gurgles before the person laughs even harsher than before, coughing loudly.

"Jesus, someone take Naomi's drink away from her." A more masculine voice says this time, chuckling as he does.

"That's Georgie, the one who sucks ass at monopoly." Jenna whispers in your ear as she guides you to a free spot where you and her can sit on the couch. 

"I heard that." The voice you know as Georgie speaks up from close to where you sit. 

"Well, it is true Jen was winning and you were on the brink of bankruptcy." Someone else speaks up with a slight slur in their voice, indicating they've definitely drank a few before you and Jenna arrived.

"That's Johanna, she's a lightweight." Another voice speaks up before Jenna does, the voice is coming from beside you making you turn your head in the direction. "I'm Joy by the way." She introduces before she points at Hunter and Fielder who are sitting on the floor. "Hunter and Fielder, our local gays are currently sulking on the floor since they lost at Uno."

"I only lost because Hunter got me out." A deep voice says which you presume is Fielder's voice. "That's only 'cause you're the worst at Uno." Hunter replied with a smirk as he took a sip of his drink.

“I’m Steve.” Someone else announced from the other side of the room. You turned your head in the direction of the voice as you smiled politely. “Hi Steve.”

“Fielder might be bad at Uno but you lost seconds later, Hunter.” He remarks as he ate some of his chips from a bowl.

You laugh lightly as you loosen your grip on your cane but don't let go. Now knowing everyone's voices gives you much more confidence.

"Thanks for having me over, by the way, and congratulations on the twelve emmys." You say with a smile as you turn your head to look at the direction of where the music was coming from.

"No need to thank us, we're all more than happy to finally meet you after Jenna has been chatting our ears off about you." Joy replies, sipping her wine as she smirks at Jenna.

You grin as you turn your head to your side where Jenna was sitting. "So not only you talk Emma's ear off about me, but to everyone?" You jab playfully at her once again, Jenna's cheeks turn a scarlet hue shade as she turns to glare at anyone who laughs at your words.

"They're being dramatic and they're drunk, they don't know what they're talking about." She murmured trying to sound annoyed, but she had a small smile on her lips the entire time. "Sure." You remarked with your own smile.

Your fear and anxiety dissolved as the minutes passed, your fear that Jenna's friends wouldn't like you absolutely thrown out of the window.

Well that was until two hours passed.

You were in the middle of a conversation with Emma as Jenna and a few others such as Naomi, Georgie, Fielder and Johanna had left the room to go smoke on the small balcony near the kitchen. 

As Emma finished her sentence you felt a tap on your shoulder, jumping slightly your turned in the direction of the touch.

Steve chuckled awkwardly at your reaction as he plopped down next to you, forcing you to move up on the couch.

“Can I ask you a few questions about, you know?” He asked you with a slur to his voice, his breath having a strong smell of alcohol which definitely confirmed that he was quite drunk.

You nodded your head as you smiled at him. “Of course, and you can say blind, it's not like it's a bad word.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he laughed.

“Aight, cool. So do you know what Jenna looks like or what any of us looks like or are you completely blind?” He questions curiously as he sips out of a beer bottle with a burp.

“I lost all eye sight when I was in my teens so I don't know what any of you look like.” You explained to him before adding. “I did get a description from Jenna on how she looks, so I’ve got a pretty good idea in my mind.” A soft smile forms on your lips as you think of the memory.

On your fifth date with Jenna, you went over to her apartment for the first time and Jenna cooked for you an incredibly delicious meal. 

That night Jenna let you explore her body but it wasn't in a sexual way. She was wearing a shirt and jeans the entire time as your hands roamed her body as she described herself to you in great detail. 

She held your hands as she placed your hands on different parts of her as she described herself in detail to you. 

Her hair, her face, her neck, her arms, her waist, her stomach and even her legs. There wasn't anything sexual about the interaction, it was only meant to be viewed as something soft and intimate. 

Steve hummed as he dropped his now empty beer bottle to the ground, yawning as he lazily turned to look at you.

“Okay, okay.” He mumbled. “Why do you wear glasses inside then? Is it ‘cause like blind people's eyes kinda get nasty after they turn blind?” 

“Steve.” Emma whisper yells as he gives the drunken boy a look. He raises his hand, faking arrest as he rolled his eyes. “Jeez Emma, chill. I’m only asking questions and she said she was alright with it. Didn't you, Y/n?” 

You decided not to take his words to heart before you nodded your head. “It’s fine, honestly.” You reassure her with a sweet smile. “Before I turned fully blind I always wore sunglasses since it would reduce the glare from the sun and could help me much better with seeing with the small sight I had. After I completely lost my vision I guess I just never stopped taking them off, and I guess it’s because I also don't like how my eyes look.”

“That's fair. I mean no offence or anything but blind people’s eyes just look so creepy.” He replied with a lazy smile as he chuckled, moving his hand to scratch at his small beard. 

“Don't be a dick, Steve.” Joy voices up from her seat, glaring at the boy momentarily before going back to talk with Hunter. 

He scoffs slowly as he ignores her, deciding to see how far he could push you. 

Not knowing what to say you awkwardly laugh as you shuffle further away from him. 

After a few moments passed you presumed he was done speaking to you but you were unfortunately proven wrong the second you opened your mouth to speak to Emma.

“I couldn't imagine being blind, it sounds proper shit and miserable.” He says with an exaggerated sigh. “I mean you can't even see your girl, you only have to imagine her.”

“Steve, stop.” Emma repeats again as her voice becomes more firm. You swallow down your emotions as you try to give a small smile.

“Life isn’t automatically bad just because I’m blind, I actually love my life and wouldn't exchange it for any other life.” You reply trying to keep your emotions at bay and not let his words affect you. 

He sighs dramatically once again as he shakes his head. “I dunno man, being blind sounds shit. How're you supposed to even please your girl if you don’t even know where she is without her speaking?”

“How’re you supposed to please your girl with your one inch pinch?” Hunter remarks, sounding annoyed as his eyes narrowed on him. “Just shut the fuck up.” 

Steve snickered as he narrowed his eyes back at Hunter, crossing his arms over his chest. “Jesus, people are such snowflakes these days.”

As Hunter and Steve get into a heated argument you lean closer to Emma, in a whisper you ask her, “Can you please go get Jenna?” 

She nods her head immediately as she squeezes your shoulder in a silent agreement, standing up moments later and heading towards the kitchen.

“We’re not sensitive, you're just being a blatant asshole to Y/n.” Joy intervenes as she defends your honour, you smile in relief as you scoot further away from Steve, the grip on your cane tight. 

“I was just asking the blind chick some questions, is that a crime now too?” He asked in a mocking voice as he now turned to glare at Joy. 

A blind chick? Is that really all he saw you as? 

You swallowed nervously as your fingers began unconsciously tapping against your cane, a small frown on your lips.

“Why are you being such a dick?” Hunter asks him with his voice becoming more gruff. Steve laughs in disbelief as he turns to look at you. “You said you didn't mind my questions, true or false?” He questions you with a click of his fingers. 

You didn't know what to say as you tried to open your mouth, no words coming out as you felt incredibly uncomfortable by the entire situation. 

Steve scoffs as he clicks his fingers at you again acting as if you're a dog and he’s your owner. “Are you dumb as well?” He asks you in an annoyed tone.

“What the fuck did you just say?” A voice that reminds you of heaven says darkly, storming into the room. You sigh in relief as you gingerly put your hand out for Jenna to grab, to which she holds onto instantly, interlocking your fingers. 

You stand up next to Jenna as you grip your cane tightly.

He shakes his head again as a breathless sigh escapes his dry lips. “Nobody can take a joke these days.”

Jenna scoffs angrily as she glared at him. “Jokes are meant to be funny, I hear nobody fucking laughing, Steve.” She snarled as she ran her thumb along the skin of your hand. 

“That’s ‘cause you all can't take a fucking joke, nobody appreciates dark humour these days, fucking hell.” He grumbled, glaring right back at Jenna as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

You're frozen in place as you listen to the unfolding argument, your heart speeding up uncomfortably in your chest. 

“Apologise to Y/n right now.” Jenna demands dryly, not breaking eye contact with him. “If she can tell me where the remote is then sure.” 

Jenna’s grip on your hand tightened as her jaw clenched at his words. Fearing the argument was going to escalate quickly you tug at her hand making her break the staring contest to look at you with concern. 

“Apologise to my girlfriend right fucking now.” She growled out in a venous voice, her eyes never leaving the boys. 

Your heart stopped at her words as your eyes widened under the glasses. Girlfriend? Jenna thought of you as her girlfriend?

The two have an intense stare off as everyone else in the room holds their breaths, not knowing whether they should stop the argument or let it be.

Steve scoffs as he takes his eyes off Jenna standing up, laughing drunkenly with a shake of his head. “Fuck this, I’m out. This party was too lame for me anyway.” He announced as he headed towards the apartment door, slamming it shut behind him. 

Nobody moved, nobody uttered a word; all frozen in spot as to what just happened. 

You couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt crawling up your spine at the argument. If you didn't come none of this would've happened. 

Swallowing down any emotion in your voice you shakily slipped your hand free from Jenna’s. “Can you take me home please?” You gingerly whispered to her, your head hanging low. 

“Of course, I’ll go get my keys.” She replies instantly leaving the room to go retrieve her keys from the kitchen. 

“It was really nice to meet all of you.” You say, turning your body to face where the rest of them were, a weak smile on your lips. “I’m sorry for the whole mess and leaving early.” 

Emma moved to squeeze your shoulder momentarily as a sympathetic smile toyed on her lips. “You don't have to apologise for something that wasn't your fault.” She informs you.

You sigh as you nodded your head weakly, trying to let Emma’s words win the battle against your guilt. 

“We need to hang again, but without Steve this time.” Georgie says making you and a few others let out a weak chuckle. 

Jenna waltz back into the living room moving to your side and you quickly latch onto her elbow with a weak grip. 

“Thanks for having us over.” She says to them as she gives them a soft smile. All of them smile back as Joy nods her head.

You and Jenna make your departure without another word; no words being exchanged between you two as you head into the elevator.

The moment the doors closed in the elevator Jenna let out a sigh before she pulled you into a bone crushing hug, you're almost surprised you didn't drop your cane at the sudden movement. 

“I’m so sorry he said those things to you, Y/n, you didn't deserve any of that.” She whispers in a feather light tone of voice, her small arms surprisingly strong as they wrapped around your waist.

With one hand you wrapped it around her neck as you smiled a weak smile. “I know but it's okay, I promise. People say stupid shit all of the time especially when you have a disability; you just have to learn to not take it to heart.” 

“But he shouldn't have even said any of those things to you.” She added, removing one arm from around your waist to place her soft hand on your cheek. “You out of everyone don't deserve anything like that.”

Your heart melted at her words, nodding your head weakly. “I don't care about what he said, what I care about is what you said.” 

Jenna cocks her head to the side confused as she gazes at you. “What?” She questions confused, not knowing what she said.

“Apologise to my girlfriend right fucking know.” You quoted with your smile growing on your lips. “Last time I checked I didn't even know I was your girlfriend.”

Jenna’s cheeks turned a scarlet red shade of embarrassment as she let out a little. “Oh.” 

You giggled amused at her words as your fingers played loosely with the hair at the back of her neck. “Oh? Is that all you have to say?” You teased her before adding in a whisper. “Ask me.” 

“Ask you what?” Jenna asks, confused as she leaned into your touch. You rolled your eyes under the glasses as you paused your movement. “Ask me what I think of being called your girlfriend.” 

Eager to know your answer Jenna repeated your words with ease as she smiled nervously. “What do you think of being called my girlfriend?”

You smirked as you leaned even closer to her, your lips hovering over hers as you whispered. “That it's the only thing I've wanted to hear from you since our first date.” 

Jenna’s lips immediately connect with yours the second you finish speaking, sighing against your lips as she pulls you even impossibly closer to her.

You've never had what you'd describe as "perfect" in your life. But now to you, Jenna is the epitome of it. It's how you've always wanted life to feel, calm, and content; and you have that when you're with Jenna.

—————

taglist: @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @canvascoloredin @alexkolax @wol-fica @caitlynscat @jyucejpg @omega-horus @andsoigotabutterfly @fanboy7794 @jjsmaybank20 @zhasmindoesntknow @jujuu23 @214-sofa @ssinfulprayers @nitchxhdc

if you wanna be added to the taglist comment and i'll add you:)

authors note: i hope this was better

[joesalw]

I think the only awkward situation would be Margaret. She does the absolute most all the time (including with Joe back when they were friends) and while the friendship may be over for obvious reasons, I would hope they could be cordial as colleagues. I didn’t see any interaction with them at all which is fine. I would steer clear of her if I was Joe. I would not want her getting a single detail of what is going - who he is dating, what he is up to, what projects he may do - knowing it’s all going back to someone.

I loved the video from yesterday of Joe and Emma and Hunter laughing and talking while leaving the premiere and her “Joe! We’re still on camera!” And there is the video too of them talking with Emma being very animated with her vape! It’s great to see but considering how much he supported her on social media through Poor Things, I always figured they were still good friends.

Margaret is definitely the big white elephant in the room. Apparently everybody clapped for Joe after his speech only except Margaret. Guess what, that woman doesn’t know how to maintain a professional act. She even unfollowed Joe on insta so i literally have no respect left for her. I think she's very annoying too. Kudos to Emily for maintaining a good relationship with Joe. She's a class act ofc. I also adore Joe and Hunter's friendship (my pro palestinian peeps). I'm just glad that he's surrounded with good people and one nagging co-star will be no harm to him really.

Also didn’t wanna post this video but now I want to. Enjoy 😂😂😂

the smile leaving his face the moment he spotted her😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 joe i love you😭😭😭😭

[mie779]

Don't Kiss and Tail

A/N: This is an alternate/what-if version of season 3 episode 17 “The Jolly Roger” where we have Zelena pose as Ariel… What if it was the real Ariel who spoke with Killian, how pissed Ariel would be and go tattle to dear old daddy dearest and have Killian cursed, and not only his lips.

This story is part of CSSNS2024, and I have some peeps I’d like to thank. 

@whatevenisthisbloganymore (on Tumbler) for beta reading this. Without her, this would have looked so messy. 

@iamstartraveller776 , who made the beautiful banner for this story. It was also through a talk with her that the title finally came to be. And that title sparked my muse, (damn it!) so perhaps one day I’ll write some original mermaid story. 

It’s been such a blast being part of this event, (again), and it's sad to see this will be the last year. I love the stories already having been shared, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the stories. 

My inspiration for the theme was several CaptainSwan fan art with a mermaid theme, from Wild-white-werewolf (Julia Volkova) and Svenjaliv. And plotting began and I tried to find a place to do an alternate spin on an episode… On a rewatch I stumbled over the episode “The Jolly Roger” and the whole talk with Zelena posing as Ariel had my muse thinking… so here you are, without further ado, my contribution to the CSSNS24. 

READ ON AO3 if that is your thing (like me) https://archiveofourown.org/works/57458686

Don’t Kiss and Tail

“You're a monster… “ The following sting of the female hand slapping his cheek still burned as Killian watched the mermaid leap from the dock and dive into the dark water. The flip of her colorful tail was the last thing he saw. 

“Bloody hell. “ He understood the mermaid perfectly as he'd been so bullheaded in that missing year in the enchanted forest. His focus on getting his beloved ship back and this having not helped Ariel find Eric might have been stupid. He paced the docks. The whole town was still in a mighty uproar over the wicked witch. So he wasn’t going to worry about a pissed-off mermaid right now. 

He kept his pacings to the docks, but he staggered back in surprise when Ariel again came striding towards him, this time from behind the old fisherman’s shack. How did she get back there? He shifted his gaze towards the water where she’d vanished moments ago. But before he could contemplate this the mermaid spoke. 

“How am I supposed to trust a man who doesn’t believe in love?” Ariel curled her lips in disgust. 

“I still do,” Killian whispered, his face contorted in agony. 

“Then swear to me on it. This woman broke your heart. Do you still love her?” 

Killian looked down, the word tearing through him like a thousand blades. “Yes.” 

“Then swear to me, on her name.” Ariel lifted her chin in an unspoken challenge. 

“Then I swear on Emma Swan.” Her sweet name was the only easy word falling over his lips. 

A smirk forms over Ariel, “Thank you, captain, that’s exactly what I needed to hear.” She flipped her fingers towards him and something green and warm wrapped around his lips; the sensation confused him and he covered his lips with his hand, “What the hell?” 

He looked back up at the mermaid. But the next second a swirl of green smoke engulfed the girl and in her stead was now the wicked witch. “Zelena it was you.” Killian drew his cutlass, “where’s Ariel?” 

With a quick flick of her wrist, Zelena tore his weapon out of his hand.

“Relax. She wasn’t here right now, I’d imagine she’s gone tattling to her dear ol’ dad, boo hoo, the pirate wouldn’t tell me where my beloved is.” Zelena rolled her eyes and chuckled. 

“I don’t understand why you would pretend to be her?” He frowned.

“To corrupt your love. I have known all about your dirty little secret for some time, and have seen the guilt on your face ever since making that decision that day. I knew it haunted you. I knew I could use it.

“Use it for what?” 

“When you evoked the name of your love, your selfish plea for redemption, I was able to curse you. Or more specifically your kiss - you see the next time your lips touch Emma Swan’s all of her magic will be taken. Everything that makes her special, that makes her powerful, that makes her a threat will be gone.”

“I won’t do it. I’ll tell her, then she’ll defeat you.”

“Then I’ll send the Dark One to kill her before you can.” The self-satisfied smile on her face pissed off Killian even more, but he saw right through her bluster.

“No, you won’t. If you could have killed her you would have. You need her power removed. That is why you didn’t kill her when she came to the town. It’s why your monkey looked after her in New York instead of killing her.” Killian gave her a satisfied smirk. “For some reason, you can’t.” 

Zelena pursed her lips before saying, “It no longer matters, because you’re going to remove her powers. I may not be able to hurt Emma, but I can hurt those around her.” She lifted her eyes briefly as if to contemplate who to put on that list, “Her parents, her friends,” she shifted far too close, “her child.” 

“Do not go near him.” 

Zelena chuckled and grinned knowingly. “Yes you’ve become quite fond of the boy, haven’t you? I will enjoy turning him into a monkey’s breakfast.” 

“I’ll stop you.” Killian sneered.

“No, you won’t. That pointy little hook of yours can scratch a mere mortal but me…” Another chuckle. “You’re out of your depths, pirate. The choice is yours, kiss Emma and remove her power or everyone she loves dies.” The words came out in a hate-filled staccato, baring her teeth as she sneered at him. 

Before Killian could make another retort she was gone in a swirl of green smoke. 

“Bloody hell.” Killian slumped back on the crate behind him, his lips still tingling from the curse Zelena had cast upon his lips. “Bloody hell that woman is crazy as shite.” He shook his head and gazed upon the dark waters, the moored fisherboats swaying on the gently lapping waves. He had no idea how long he’d been sitting there - he wasn’t sure where to go from here, all he knew was that he wouldn’t tell Emma about the curse. He wouldn’t have her worry about another thing in her life. He would attempt to avoid her advances to become closer. He knew they were closer than ever to crossing that line of a real relationship. 

The moored boats started to crash against the dock, the wood scraping against the concrete. Something was stirring up the water and when he rose to his feet he spotted a swirling vortex out in the water. Moments later a white-haired man with a tri fork floated in the water. 

“Bloody hell, now what?” Killian groaned. 

“You’re Killian Jones?” The voice of Triton boomed over the docks, the trident pointed at Killian. 

Killian gulped down and was about to lie his way out of this predicament when a far too familiar mermaid rose from the water. 

“That’s him,” Ariel said and crossed her arms over her chest. 

“What did I do?” Killian wavered. 

“You refused to help my daughter find her love, and now you shall pay.” Triton lifted his weapon and boomed, “Ye shall live a life under the sea. Return to the dry lands will only be possible by a true love kiss.” 

“What the bloody hell…” Killian stepped back but swirling white magic leaped from the trident and within seconds it wrapped around Killian. The magic pulled at his form and he felt pain shoot through his body. “What are you doing to me?” His voice pained and he dropped to the edge of the dock, while his hands grabbed his legs. The magic swirled over his form from head to toe. 

“You’ll have to live your life as a merman.” Ariel huffed. “You didn’t want to help me find my Eric.” 

“Bloody hell, you went and tattled to you dear old…” Killian gritted his teeth, the magic did some crazy ass shite to his body. “... Dear old daddy.” 

“See, father, he’s nothing but a vile and ruthless pirate.” Ariel glared at him. 

“I see, my daughter. And now he will not be able to walk around on dry land and pursue his happiness.” 

“Bloody hell, Emma…” He nearly blacked out from the pain. 

“Yeah, now she won’t be able to find you.” 

When Killian finally opened his eyes again the pain had vanished, but as he inspected himself he quickly saw how his body had changed, his torso now bare, and from the waist down his legs had transformed into that of a merman’s tail. Its dark scales glinted in the streetlights behind him. It would be crazy to try and slither his way into town like this. With a roar of anger, he leaped into the water and headed for where Ariel and her father had been. But the harbour was empty and the king and his daughter were nowhere to be found. 

Killian lifted his head above water and roared, “Bloody hell, what do I do now?” 

*********

Emma was nursing her second mug of cocoa at the diner. It had been two days since she or anyone else had seen Killian and by now she was more than worried. With Zelena on the loose wreaking havoc around them, it was safe to bet she might have had something to do with his disappearance. 

Where the hell are you, Killian? Emma thought, taking another sip, and gave her son a reassuring smile. His observant brown eyes were wrinkled in concern. How was she supposed to share her worries with her son? He had no memory of anything related to magic. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, you know it’s just my case that has a lot of loose ends.” Emma mused, “I’ll go to the docks and see if I can find any leads.” 

“Will Killian be there?” Henry licked up the remaining crumbs of his breakfast with his finger.

The mention of his name had Emma’s heart skip a beat. “I don’t know kid, I haven’t seen him” 

“His boat is still down in the harbor.” 

Emma blinked in surprise, the Jolly Roger wasn’t there. “Oh yeah, the fishing boat he took you out in.” 

Emma finished her cocoa before she ushered Henry outside, and they walked down to the waterfront. Sure enough, the fishing boat Killian had borrowed was still there. “Look kid, I’m just going to ask around. Why don’t you go to the beach and see if you can find something interesting?”

Henry looked a little put out by this so she added, “Look, this case is not exactly kid friendly so I don’t want you to be part of it. I’ll come for you in half an hour.” 

Henry nodded mutely and trodded towards the nearby beach; she could still watch him from afar if Zelena chose to show up. 

Emma asked the harbor master if he’d seen Killian, but the only answer she could get was that the old man had seen Killian three nights ago talking with a red-haired woman. That could either be Ariel or Zelena so it wasn’t much help. But why would Killian speak with either of them, unless it was Zelena who then had taken him somewhere?

“Moooom.” Henry’s shout startled her and she rushed towards her son who was waving his arms in the air as he rushed towards her. 

“What’s wrong, what happened, are you okay?” 

“Yeah.” Henry waved his arms in front of him taking a few deep breaths, “I’m fine, I just think I saw something out in the waters.” 

“What?” Emma felt a cold shiver run down her spine, and flashes of Killian lying dead in the water shifted through her mind.

“It was some kind of a large fish.” Henry looked a little puzzled, then shrugged, “It had to be a fish, the tail looked like a fish but it was big, like a grown man.” 

“A small whale?” Emma mused, unsure what kind of large sea creatures roamed the coast of Maine. 

“Maybe, but I haven’t seen any whales with scaly shimmering tails.” 

“What did you just say?” 

“It had black shimmering scales.” Henry paused and looked at her with worry. “What's wrong?” 

Emma shook her head and masked her worry with a smile. “Nothing, I don’t know what you saw but it could have been a large fish I guess.” Inside her head, she thought: it could be a mermaid. She had no idea where Ariel was off to, and now that she thought about it she hadn’t seen the red-haired mermaid for a couple of days either. Did Zelena whisk her away too? That crazy-ass wicked witch of the West needed to be stopped in whatever crazy plan she had set up. 

Emma suggested they head back home to Mary Margaret and David, and as they walked along the beach she couldn’t help scanning the water to get a glimpse of whatever creature Henry had seen out there. 

Just as they reached the docks again she looked over the rocks jutting out from the coastline and she could have sworn she’d spotted a dark-haired creature hiding between the rocks, but it was gone in a flash and the last thing she saw was the reflection of the sun in a dark tail. “What the hell?” 

“What is it, did you see it too?” Henry asked excitedly. 

Emma shook her head and waved him off, “No I don’t think it was anything, a seal perhaps.” Or a selkie… oh wasn’t that over in good old England they were legends? Emma wrapped her arm around Henry and urged him to walk to the docks. As they rounded the corner she couldn’t help herself and took another glance over her shoulder. The same dark-haired creature which now looked remarkably like a human was holding onto the rocks but was too far away to see. What the hell is that? she thought to herself, and she couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling that had settled inside her. Who was out there? 

Emma couldn’t focus on the talk at the dinner table that night and Mary Margaret did ask if she was okay. Emma waved off her mother’s worry and assured her she was merely trying to string together all the loose ends she had in her case. She glanced at Henry who had helped clear the table and then settled onto the couch with his game console. 

Her sleep was filled with strange dreams of sea creatures waving at her from the water, all twirling around in a mismatched chaos of confusion. When the first rays of the sun peeked through the thin curtains she slipped out of bed and left a note for Henry before heading for the beach. 

*******

Killian kept a close eye on the shoreline, still staying out of sight as he wasn’t sure who would spot him. It was infuriating and damn near impossible to figure out what the hell he should do. He knew his main hope was finding Emma, and spotting her with the boy yesterday afternoon he’d damn well nearly jumped up on the rocks and called out for her. But Henry was there and he still had no memory of any fairytales or curses so the lad was sure to be spooked out of his wits seeing a real merman speak with his mother. 

Then there was the whole conundrum with the curse Zelena had placed on his lips. He would never let her willingly give up her magic for him. 

The early morning sunlight glinted behind him as he scanned the beach, he was sure Emma had spotted him the day before so he hoped she would return, this time without Henry. 

A flash of golden hair and a red leather jacket caught his eye, and he swam closer to the beach. It had been a learning curve the past few days navigating underwater and he realized there was a colony of merfolk some miles south of here keeping their existence unknown beside a small island off the coast. They had not exactly been friendly but they had not been hostile either, only made it clear that he had no business there as they somehow had sensed he truly didn’t belong under the sea. 

Emma had walked to the beach and neared the long row of rocks going out from the beach. She pushed away her loose hair from her face as she scanned the water. 

Killian reached the first rock, lifted himself halfway out of the water, and waved, “Emma?” 

Emma nearly stumbled over her feet as she stepped out on the first couple of large boulders. “Killian, is that you?” 

Killian swam closer and he saw how her face contorted into surprise and worry at the same time. “Aye.” 

“How the hell did this happen to you?” She narrowed her eyes as she focused on his tail. “You have a tail.” 

Killian refrained from rolling his eyes, only nodded and with a quick push of his hand, he lifted himself on a low boulder and sat there. 

“What happened?” Emma moved closer cautiously as if trying to gauge if this was some kind of ploy to fool her. 

“It’s me, love. Don’t worry, I won’t bite.” He tilted his head and smirked. 

Emma rolled her eyes and settled on the rock beside her, her knees bent so her boots didn’t get wet. She reached over and touched his arm. “It really is you.” Her eyes scanned over his form and a blush spread over her cheeks. 

He gave her a knowing smile, this might be the most naked he’d been in her presence and the color on her cheek indicated that she didn’t mind. 

Then she frowned, “What happened to you, who did this?” 

“You know how Ariel came to town some days ago.” 

Emma nodded, “Yeah everyone was so surprised to see her.” 

“Well, she was here on a mission.” He looked down at his hand and hook. When he’d transformed he’d been surprised that his hook was still there. 

“What mission?” 

“To find me and avenge me for failing to help her back in the Enchanted Forest.” 

“Why didn’t you help her?” 

“I was so focused on finding my way back to you that I declined to help her find her Eric.” Killian sighed and pushed his wet hair away from his forehead. He looked at her, “I was a fool, I know that.” 

“That was a foolish choice.” Emma’s hand on his arm rubbed up and down, “but seems like a long stretch to curse you into a merman.” 

“That was her father’s doing.” Killian mused. 

“She went and tattled to her father?” Emma exclaimed and turned fully towards him, “Are you serious?” 

“Very much so. The king of the sea, Triton cursed me to be a merman, until…” He paused and closed his eyes. 

“What?” 

“It’s nothing.” Killian brushed it away, how on earth was he ever going to tell her that kissing her might be the only thing bringing him back to his human form? But in doing so he would also remove her magic, giving Zelena a better chance at getting whatever witch wanted. 

“Do you know how to reverse the curse?” Emma asked and leaned closer. He could smell her perfume now and his heart beat a lot faster. Gods she smelled good. 

“I… it’s going to be bloody complicated.” He grimaced, rubbing over his face.

“Tell me, please,” Emma begged. “Whatever it is we can make it happen, we can go get Regina if it’s…” 

“No!” He exclaimed, “No one else needs to see me like this.” 

“Oh, it’s not exactly a bad look you have going here.” Emma mused and her eyes scanned over his form again, the blush on her cheeks darkened. 

Killian tilted his head, getting a better look at her, her eyes sparkled with mischief something that was rarely seen these days with all the stuff going on with Zelena and her son still not remembering anything. 

“So you see something you like here, love?” He lifted an eyebrow. 

“Perhaps.” She looked down at her hand resting on her bent knee, her fingers tracing over the seam in her jeans. 

Killian chuckled, leaned closer, and caught her eyes, “So you’d not mind having a merman as a friend?” 

Emma choked back a laugh, “I can’t believe you’re so at ease about all of this, I’d be in a total panic had it been me turned into a mermaid.” 

“I did panic at first, but I knew you’d come looking for me. I saw you on the beach with your boy yesterday.” 

“Why didn’t you call out then?” 

“Henry doesn't remember anything about magic, so I imagined seeing a real-life merman might be too confusing.” 

“He’d survive I’m sure. He might not remember, but he still has a vivid imagination.” Emma chuckled, then sobered, “But how can we reverse the curse?” 

“Thought you wanted me to stay like this?” 

Emma shook her head, “As much as I like this look I still want the real Killian Jones in my life.” She blinked a few times, “I can’t imagine not having you in my life, Killian.” 

“Oh.” Hope bloomed inside him and he smiled, “I’d very much like that.” He glanced down at his tail and smoothed his hand over the black scales. 

Emma reached over and asked, “May I?” 

He looked up at her in surprise and noticed the curious glint in her eyes as she looked at his tail. “Aye.” 

Emma moved forward and smoothed her hand over the black scales, it was a strange sensation feeling someone else touch his merman tail like this. The warmth of her hand seeped through to his core. 

“This is so strange.” Emma mused and kept her hand on his form, when she looked up at him her eyes were filled with wonder, her lips looking so damn inviting he nearly leaned forward. But when she moved first he pulled back and rubbed over his mouth. 

“I can’t…” Killian looked to the sky, the sun had now fully risen and the sea birds flew over them in circles, their cries echoing over the waters. 

“What?” Emma pulled back and hugged herself. “This… what do you mean you can’t I thought you wanted to… you know kiss me.” 

“Bloody hell I do want to kiss you.” It’s all I’ve been thinking about since we returned to Storybrooke. 

“Then why… “ Her voice trailed off and she gasped, “Did Triton do more to curse you?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“So if you kiss someone they die or something like that?” 

“It wasn’t Triton.” Killian sighed and shifted in his seat. The rock beneath him started to feel uncomfortable. 

“Then who?” 

“Zelena…” Killian whispered. 

“Seriously!” 

“Aye, I’m afraid so, the witch came to me in disguise as Ariel, and since I thought it to be the actual mermaid who’d just jumped into the water I couldn’t have known. The woman was livid and had me swear on the woman I love’s name and she cursed my lips.” 

“What?”

“She cursed my lips…” 

“Yeah yeah, I heard that… it’s the love part I’m curious about.” Her voice was wary and guarded but when he glanced at her a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. 

“Aye, you’re the woman I love.” Killian reached over and touched her leg, “It’s always been you.” He looked down, “But if I kiss you now we’ll never defeat Zelena.” 

“Why?” 

“The bloody witch cursed my lips so that should you ever kiss me, your magic will be taken from you.” 

“Great.” Emma rolled her eyes and pursed her lips, “Just freaking great.” She looked at his tail, biting her lips.

“I can’t ask that of you, love.” 

“Why not?” Emma exclaimed, “You can’t continue living like a merman.” She tilted her head, “Or do you want to be a merman forever?” 

Killian shook his head. “There’s got to be another way?” 

“And if not?” 

“I will live my life hunting down Triton and defeat him.” 

“That is a fucked up plan. You know that, pirate?” Emma rolled her eyes, “What I know of Triton he is very powerful and you will have every merman hunting for your tail.” 

“You will need your magic to defeat that wicked witch, whatever it is she’s plotting, it can’t be good for anyone in this town.” Killian mused. 

“Look, let me ask around and see if we have a chance to work around this curse.” Emma reached over and cupped his face, his skin burning by her touch. She was so bloody close he could smell her. 

“Don’t make too much of a ruckus just for me, darling.” He placed his hand over hers. 

“Let me be the judge of that, eh?” Emma smiled, her thumb caressing his skin. Then she moved closer wrapping him in a tight hug, “I can’t lose you, Killian.” Her words whispered into his skin and shivers ran down his spine at how close she was now. 

“I’m right here, love.” 

She pressed a small kiss to his neck and whispered, “Good thing it’s only your lips she cursed.” 

“Bloody hell, love, you… gods.” Killian groaned and wrapped his arms around her holding her close. 

They stayed like this for some time and it wasn’t until they heard some of the fishermen shout to each other from the docks that they pulled away.

“I better dive down into the water again,” Killian mumbled, gently untangling himself from Emma’s embrace. 

“Yeah, I’ll come back here tonight, okay?” She looked up, “after sundown.” 

“Aye.” He grabbed her hand and kissed her palm, “Tonight, hope you find a way.” 

Emma rose to her feet and stepped back onto the beach before she turned around and gave him a parting wave, “See you tonight then.” 

Killian waved back and jumped into the shallow waters below him and swam for his usual hangout spot he’d found at the end of the peninsula jutting out into the sea. It was going to be a long day, but hunting for fish would perhaps keep his mind off of things. 

**********

Emma’s head was buzzing with everything she’d learned this morning. Killian was a freaking merman now, long black scaly tale included. Her face heated up when she recalled how damn good he looked sitting there with a bare chest and tail. Damn, she hadn’t known she might have a thing for mermen. Well, this one merman in particular it seemed. 

She sought solace in a cup of hot cocoa and a Bearclaw from the diner and when Ruby placed her order on the counter the brunette asked, “You look a bit off kilter this morning, what happened?” 

“Oh…” Emma pushed away her hair and sighed, “It’s a long story.” 

“I have time, the morning rush is over.” Ruby rested her arms on the counter, “So spill, girl.” 

“I found Killian.” 

“Oh, the elusive pirate has shown his face again, where is he?” 

“In the sea,” Emma mumbled and blew on her cocoa. 

“Well, he’s a pirate.” 

“No I mean, he is IN the sea, two curses included.” Emma sighed. 

“Who cursed him and why?” 

Emma explained what she’d learned from Killian, making sure that no one nearby was eavesdropping. But the diner was mostly deserted so she could share her story with Ruby. 

“That is such a crazy story, even for this place.” Ruby waved her hand around and Emma couldn’t agree more. Even with everything going on right now a man cursed to be a merman and on top of that also with cursed lips so he wasn’t able to kiss her. That last part had Ruby waggle her eyebrows and comment, “So the question is are you willing to pay with your magic so your pirate will have his legs back?” 

“The question is more if he’s willing to let me kiss him.” Emma sighed. 

“What do you mean?” 

“He seemed reluctant to let me just kiss him, he wants me to keep my magic as it will no doubt be useful when we go against Zelena.” Emma mused and shrugged her shoulders, “I need to speak with Regina, perhaps she has another way.” 

Emma enjoyed her breakfast and took off to find Regina, but the mayor had no idea how to reverse a curse that was linked to a true love’s kiss. And she agreed with Emma that she might be the only person Killian loved. But if she kissed Killian she would lose her magic. 

*******

Killian kept a close eye on anything happening at the docks, hoping Emma would come down early. But when he did spot her she was accompanied by Henry so Killian kept his distance and watched Henry drag Emma onboard the small vessel he’d borrowed from the fisherman in the past week. 

“What are you doing, lad?” Killian asked in wonder. Sure he’d taught the boy a thing or two about boats and sailing, but it wasn’t safe for anyone to go out there with so little training. 

“Come on Mom.” Henry’s voice rolled over the water, “I wanted to go fishing, and since Killian is missing I need you with me.” 

“Okay, kid, I don’t know how to sail this thing.” Emma sighed and placed her hands at her hips. 

“It’s easy. See here.” Henry started up the engine and leapt down to release the boat from the docks and jumped back on board. 

Killian contemplated showing himself and warning the pair not to go out there. The skies were getting darker further out and he felt a storm rolling in, but it might be hours before it reached the shoreline. 

Henry sailed the boat out on open waters and stopped the engine, and soon Killian could see him preparing the fishing rods. Emma was still arguing with her son about the safety of this, but Henry eased her worries and soon Emma had settled down on a crate on deck. 

The sun disappeared behind grey clouds and before either Emma or Henry knew what hit them the rain started falling heavily. Henry scurried to get the engine started while Emma struggled to get the fishing rods packed away. In her haste, she stumbled over something on the deck. Her body slammed into the railing and she lost her balance. Killian could only watch in horror as Emma tumbled into the dark waters below. With a quick flip of his tail, he dived towards where Emma was slowly dropping to the bottom.

Henry’s cries for his mother were muffled by the water but they pierced through Killian like knives. He wasn’t about to leave this boy without his mother.

Emma wore her red leather jacket and it had weighed her down so much that she wasn’t able to swim upwards. Her eyes were filled with panic when Killian finally reached her. 

Her body went limp in his arms as he ascended to the surface and broke up into the air. He looked down at the woman in his arms, her eyes closed, lips blue and lifeless. 

“Mom?!” Henry’s frantic voice sounded from above, then “Killian is that you?” 

Killian didn’t pay attention to the lad right now, all he cared about was the woman floating in his arms. Her skin was more and more pale and he leaned closer and realized she wasn’t breathing, her lips turning blue. 

“Emma?” He called out frantically, his hand cradling her face. 

“Give her mouth to mouth,” Henry called from above him. 

Killian swallowed; he knew he had to breathe life into her, “Her magic will be lost.” He called back, his voice breaking, this couldn’t be happening. 

“What?” 

“My lips are cursed.” He looked up and when he spotted the bewilderment in the lad’s eyes he knew he’d screwed it up. Henry had no memory of magic or fairytale characters. There was no time to explain so the decision was all up to him and as he watched Emma lie lifeless in his arms his heart broke. He couldn’t live without this woman in his life, be damned her wrath if her magic was gone, he needed her. 

Pressing his mouth to hers he breathed into her mouth, feeling her chest fill with air. A woosh of magic spread out around them and he felt his tail vanish and turn into a pair of legs again. The motion to keep them afloat changed but he managed to balance himself and Emma above water. He blew more air into her mouth and then Emma violently coughed up seawater.

“Killian?” Her voice was weak and her eyes searched his face, “What did you do?” 

“You were drowning, I couldn’t… I’m sorry, but I couldn’t let you die, not like this. Not in front of your boy.”

“Mom?!” Henry bellowed from above them, “Are you okay?” 

Emma gave her son a weak smile and wave before returning her focus to Killian. “You saved my life.” She cupped his face and he marveled at the feel of her hand against his cheek. 

“Aye.” He swallowed deeply, “But your magic… I’m sorry love.” 

“We’ll find another way to beat Zelena.” Emma soothed and pulled herself closer to him again and kissed him. 

This time it was a real kiss, profound and filled with untold promises of a future together. 

“I have a rope ladder here,” Henry called out and interrupted their kiss, both adults looked sheepishly up at the teenager who rolled his eyes. “Don’t go around doing that too much from now on, okay?” 

“Aye, lad.” 

Emma chuckled and coughed a little, clearly not fully recovered from her near-death experience. 

“Come now love, let’s get us back home.” He maneuvered them both to the rope ladder Henry had dropped over the sides. “Are you okay going up on your own?” 

“I’m fine, Captain.” Emma smiled and hauled herself up the ladder, slow and steady and Killian followed her to the deck where Henry greeted them both with a hug. 

When Killian pulled away to get the boat started Henry stopped him, “Did you just have a tail before you saved my mother?” The lad’s eyebrows were lifted to his hairline. 

“Henry.” Emma interjected and took her son’s arms, “There’s a lot of things that aren’t as they seem.” Emma looked at Killian, “Some things will be a bit hard to understand, but let me tell you why we’re really here in Storybrooke.” She urged him to sit on a crate and turned to Killian, “Get us back home.” 

“Aye.” He saluted her with a grin and let mother and son talk alone on the deck while he took the wheel. The boat wasn’t as majestic as his old lady The Jolly Roger, but it would do for now. He watched Emma speak with her son, who looked more and more confused and sometimes even worried. 

When they reached the dock they were greeted by Mary Margaret, David and Regina, who all looked relieved to see them all. Killian included, which surprised him a bit. But apparently, a lot of people had been worried about his whereabouts in the past few days. 

“Mother.” Henry greeted Regina with a hug and when he pulled back, “Killian was a merman.” 

Everyone gasped in surprise and a load of questions was thrown at him, he lifted his hands and said, “I’m here now in human form and that is what matters.” He grasped Emma’s hand, “We’re ready to fight off that green witch, any ideas what her plans are?” 

Mary Margaret stepped forward and said, “Henry this is for you.” She presented him with a storybook, a very familiar storybook. “You need to believe.” 

“In what?” Henry took the book and a burst of magic swirled around them and he gasped. “I remember.” 

Everyone cheered and no one seemed to ask more about their adventure on the water, not until it became clear that Emma’s magic indeed was gone. But that was a worry for another time as the threat of Zelena still hung over Storybrooke. 

All Killian cared about was having his legs back on dry land again and Emma by his side. He wanted her there for the rest of their lives if he had anything to say about it. 

THE END

[rose-riot-johnson]

Hi my Tumblr Peeps👋😃 Since I did write about Mikey in the previous Tokyo Revengers fanfic, I did decide to write about him, because even tough I did write about Mikey first due to him winning the poll about which Tokyo Revengers should I write about 1st , when I do write a fanfic involving a Tokyo Revengers character, I still will write a fanfic about Draken, despite of not mentioning about writing about the character who hasn't won the poll just as well as I did for the character I have written a fanfic about😁👍

*This fanfic contains some pronouns in 1 or more paragraphs and contains 1 or more long paragraphs 😅

🐉He Is Going To Makesure You Enjoy Your Special Night With Him🐉((Adult) Ken Ryuguji, aka, Draken x Female Reader)

Genres: Smut, Possible Angst(?), Possible Comfort(?), And Fluff (Warning +18⚠️: Mentions of Murder and Death, Mentions of Break-up, Mentions of cheating (accusation(s)), depending on the reader's imagination, Oral (Both Receiving (cock sucking and pussy eating), Nudity, Nipple Sucking, Nipple Play, Nipple Pinching and Pulling, Boob Groping and Holding, Language, Pussy Fingering, Ass Touching, Praise Kink(?), and Vaginal Penitration)

You were one of Draken's childhood friends. However when both you and Draken were teenagers, you haven't confessed your feelings for him, because you knew how much Emma meant to him, you respected his space with Emma. However, a week before Emma was killed, you were already in a relationship with someone else.

When you first heard about Emma's death, you were very sad, because not only you felt bad for him, you were also one of Emma's friends. The day you bought the significant other you were in a relationship with to have (him/her/them) meet Draken, you did decide to comfort him, just as a friend. Unfortunately after you and significant other got back to the place you share with (him/her/them), your significant other has shown jealousy about Draken, as your significant other tried telling you that ((s)he/they) better not find out you were anywheres near Draken ever again, as ((s)he/they) accused you of cheating on them, just because you were only trying to comfort him, which made you decide to not bring your significant other with you, when you do make plans on having a (once in a while) just as friends visiting Draken. Everytime you do visit him and he asks you why you didn't have your significant other with you, you never answered before changing the topic.

Years later, Draken decided to visit you, as he called you to ask if you're planning anything or not, before he before making any plans to hang out with you. He went to the house you're living in, as he then knocked on the door, which you answered the door, before unusually, hugging him tightly, trying to hide your face. Once he sat at your kitchen table, while you were trying to cook some curry and make a warm beverage (for him) he then said, "Anyways (Female Reader Name), I have a question or so, to ask you... How is (significant other name) doing? I haven't seen (him/her/them) with you after the first time you introduced me to (him/her/them)... I have been noticing this pattern... While I'm here to visit you, however I just wasn't sure why you haven't answered me about, your significant other, when I asked you about (him/her/them)... Is everything okay? I will be there for you, if you do need me for anything...". At first you did broke down in tears and proceeded to hug him, then once you calmed down, you told him about the fact your significant other has been jealous of him, only because you were trying to comfort him, then you confessed to him about how you recently went through a very rough break-up with your significant other, because (up to the reader's imagination on what happened that lead to the break-up and why the break-up happened, and if the reader broke up with the significant other or the significant other broke up with the reader), before you confessed that you had a crush on him for a long time, while mentioning reasons why you never pursued him. He then comforted you, before inviting you over to his place about a week from him visiting your place, which you accepted his invitation to come over to his place he's living in now.

A week went by as Draken is decorating his place in a very special way, so he can be prepared for when you first come inside his house. While it's not typical that he decorates any part of his house, this is because of that fact he has some things to confess to you... It's not just you that likes him and not just Emma he cares for... While he doesn't want to push you into anything, he doesn't get why you believe he never felt the same way about you as you did him. He personally feels it time to show you how he truly has been feeling about you for a long time.

You knocked on his door and he answered the door right away, knowing it was you. Draken letted you inside the house, as you noticed how he decorated the inside of his house, as he mentioned, "This isn't how I usually have my house decorated... Let's just say I decorated the house for this special occasion...". You became confused about what he said, as you were following him to his room. When he showed you his room, you have noticed some rose petals on the floor and a few candles lit up in certain areas of his room. Despite of his efforts to decorate his in romantic ways to show you how he felt about you, his hints didn't cross your mind.

When you were about to ask Draken about you wanted to cook something for him, you then noticed his hard on poking at the inside of his pants. You were having a hard time trying to control every urge to kiss him, as it is, and now you're having a harder time holding back on your sexual desires, as you pleaded, "I'm very sorry, Kenny... Please forgive me for what I'm about to do...". Draken then asked, "Why are you apologizing? What are you asking me to forgive you for?", before you proceeded to unzip his pants and pulling both his pants and his boxers down, with his bare, hard, cock showing. You kept apologizing and pleading about your worries that you might be pushing him, then he decided to pet your head, as he cooed, "It's okay baby girl... There's no need to be sorry... There's not even a thing to forgive... You did nothing wrong... You're not being pushy with me about a thing... Tonight is your night, beautiful... Whatever you feel comfortable with, just do it...", assuring you it's okay to take the initiative.

The next thing you did was start sucking on his dick, as he continued to pet your head. Draken knew it was a good idea to let you initiate any form of physical and sexual contact, including with getting his cock sucked on by you, however he was surprised he would get aroused from how you were taking care of his cock with your mouth, the way you are doing so. A few minutes went by, you heard him groaned loudly, before you stopped, as you asked him, "Was I being rough on you, Kenny? Was I doing something wrong?", wondering if you were hurting his cock at all. He touched your face, as he replied, "Ofcourse not, babe... You're not hurting me at... Infact you did amazing with sucking on my dick like this... I can promise you that... But is there anything else you would like to do with me or you want me to do, my dandelion?". All you could think of answering him with is by completely taking your clothes off, to the point that you became fully naked.

Draken blushed from his enjoyment of seeing your naked body for the first time ever, as he asked, "I take it you want me to take care of your breasts, (Female Reader Name)?". You then put on of his right hand on your left boob, before you kissed the left side side of his facial cheeks, giving him the okay to take care of your boobs. He groped both of your boobs a few times, while using his thumbs to play with you nipples, before he started to suck on your left nipple and gently pinching (and pulling) with your right nipple with his left thumb and pointer finger (while holding your right boob with his same hand of the thumb and pointer finger that he's pinching and pulling your right nipple with).

While Draken was sucking on your left nipple and pulling (and pinching) your right nipple gently while holding your right boob, he would hear your quiet moans, as he would occasionally look at your face, as he could tell you are enjoying what he has been doing with your tits, however your moans are so quiet that he wasn't sure if you're panting or just trying to keep your moans quietly. Once he got done sucking on your left nipple and pulling (and pinching) your right nipple, he whispered, "I could tell you are enjoying how I'm taking care of your breasts, princess... It's just that... From how you tried to keep yourself quiet... I think you want more than your breasts tooken cared of...", as he moved his left hand to play with your pussy, before he started fingering your pussy with two of his fingers, then started to suck on your right nipple while pinching (and pulling) your left nipple (while holding your left boob with his right hand). While he was pinching (and pulling) your right nipple (with holding your right boob), sucking on your left nipple, and using two of his fingers of his left hand to finger your pussy hole, he heard a louder moan, however while he would occasionally look at your face, he could tell from seeing the way you were biting your bottom lip that you were trying hold back your moans. He continued to finger your pussy, pinch (and pull) your right nipple (while holding your right boob), and suck on your left nipple, until he felt a little bit of your pussy juices on two of his left fingers he had fingered your pussy hole with. He then cooed, "I'm impressed how you were enjoying the way I was pleasuring you... The only thing is, now I'm convinced that you've been holding your moans back... Anyways, my rose bud... Would you like me to clean you?", as he was eyeing at your pussy. You nodded you head (telling him yes), as he letted you climb on the front of his shoulders, while you're preparing for him to eat your pussy out.

The next thing that happened was you had your legs wrapped near his shoulders (and around the back of his neck) and his arms around you with one of his hands on your back and his other hand one of your ass cheeks, as he proceeded to start feasting on your clit. The way he was eating your pussy, was what he meant when he asked you if you wanted him to "clean you", because he will lick your clit for the first thirty seconds, then switch to sucking on your pussy for the thirty seconds, then switch back to licking your clit for another thirty, and so on. He just wants to over stimulate you this way and it's working well, as you wrapped both your arms around his head and you began to have a hard time with holding your moans back, as you were about to cover your mouth. Before you could keep your mouth covered (as an attempt to prevent a possible loud moan leaving your mouth), Draken managed to gently put you on the bed, then move both his hands from your back and one of your ass cheeks to both of your wrists, while staying on top of you, as he smirked, while he growled, "I know what you were trying to do when you had both of your arms around my head, pretty girl! You were actually naughty, for trying to keep quiet by covering your pretty mouth, like that... While I usually prefer being secretive, however tonight is your night and I don't feel like silence, especially from you, miss... Since I got both of your wrists, you will have no choice, but to be loud for me, especially when I continue to dine on you... I feel praised when I hear you making noise for me! Please relax for once, pretty girl... Do it me...", before he went to lick at the pearl of your pussy.

You tried your hardest to hold back on moaning loudly, however Draken madesure to overstimulate you, all the more, as he continued licking in circles on the pearl of your pussy, then sucked on your clit, while doing so, to the point you loudly, whimpered, "God, Kenny! You're so amazing! It's just... Fuck! I need you inside me! I think I'm having an orgasm! Please!", as you released yourself inside his mouth. Once he got done feasting on your pussy, he would take his shirt off, as he then cooed, "I take it, you want me to use my cock to get your pussy all sore and for me to cum inside you, baby doll? Well... Since my naked, angel has been a good, naughty, girl, by expressing how much you enjoyed me, making a mess out of you and begging for me to get extra rough with you, I will reward you... I'm still going to restrain both your hands, just incase you cover your mouth and try to prevent expressing that you're having a good time with me, like you have been trying to do...", before moving both of your wrists above your head and making sure to use one of his hands to keep both your wrists together, keeping your restrained and keeping his other hand free.

When Draken first had his cock inside your pussy (while he was on top of you, with your legs around his hips and his lower back), he went in a slow and gentle pace, then a couple minutes later, he slammed himself inside of you, as he kept going in a faster and rougher pace, the longer he kept fucking you. Your whimpers and his moans has started filling not only the room, but his whole house as well, because of how cock drunk you have gotten, which Draken can easily sense it. He then smirked at you and barked, "I bet no one has pleasured you, like this before! I can also tell I'm the first one who has overstimulated and spoiled you, like this! Am I right, my naughty, princess?", as he is wanting to see, if you would be able to give a response, however despite of you being really, cock drunk, you answered in whimper, "Ofcourse Kenny, babe! You were right! You just... Feel... So good...", which made him very happy that he was able to pleasure you.

Once Draken started to cum inside of your pussy, he letted go of your wrists, emptied himself inside of you, then touched your face as, he then asked, "Do you remember a week ago, when you confessed how you truly felt about me? And about your feelings for me, (Female Reader Name)?". You shook your head "yes", before he said, "While, I don't usually say the stuff I am about to say... Anyways... Since the day you have comforted me, when I needed someone to comfort me the most, years ago... I have been feeling something for you that I didn't think I would ever feel ever again... Since we both feel the same way about eachother... Like this... Would you like to be with me? In a relationship together? You can stay as long as you like to stay... Regardless of your answer I will respect you and still care for you, (Female Reader Name)...". You answered, "Ofcourse I would like to be with you, Kenny... Since you feel the same way about me, as I do you, then I am willing to stay with you for a long time... And I promise to be good with you, as you are good with me...", before the both of you kissed eachother, then proceeded to snuggle together for the rest of the night, and most of the morning.

🍉🍛The🐉End🍛🍉

I hope really enjoyed reading this fanfic with Draken in it🐉🍉🍛😁👍I'm not going to lie, my Tumblr Peeps, with writing about him, smut is the first genre I honestly thought about with writing about him🤷‍♀️As for why I put fluff, as 1 of the genres in the genres section of this fanfic, it's because I have written about Draken unusually decorating his house in a romantic way, especially a few candles being in his room (with rose petals on the floor), and I have written about kissing and cuddling, so I figured why not🤷‍♀️😃👍Anyways I wanted to try writing about this Draken fanfic, a little differently than I typically write about the fanfics I have written, especially with smut fanfic and the smut fanfic that mentions a break-ups, honestly, and hopefully I did do well with an attempt to being atleast little creative with this fanfic💡😁👍

Fun Fact: While there are other characters aside from Mikey (Manjiro Sano) and Draken (Ken Ryuguji), who like from Tokyo Revengers, to be honest Draken is my most favorite character from Tokyo Revengers🍛🍉🐉😃👍

[daisynik7]

Hanging by a Thread

Pairing: Takashi Mitsuya x Original Female Character

Rating: Mature (please heed content warnings as this chapter contains potentially triggering content - violence, dialogue that suggests SA, blood)

Word Count: ~6.5k

cw: angst, underaged drinking, dialogue that suggests SA, violence, blood, canon divergent, explicit language, suggestive sexual content, switching POVs (2nd and 3rd person)

Summary: After leaving the Tokyo Manji Gang, Mitsuya feels like his life is on the right track. They have their fearless leader Mikey back to his usual self and Mitsuya’s relationship with Hana grows stronger day by day. They graduate, ready for the next big step in their lives. But with everything said and done, the past will always haunt the brothers of Toman, for better and for worse.  

Author’s Note: I know this is a drastic change in tone from this otherwise romantic plot. However, this is how I’ve always imagined the story to play out, so I apologize if I’ve blindsided you by this dramatic turn! Thanks for all the support I’ve gotten so far on this. Please let me know what you think in the comments.

Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter (coming soon)

“Takashi Mitsuya!” 

Despite his request to them earlier in the week to not cause a ruckus, his friends and family are the most obnoxious bunch during the graduation ceremony. From the stage, he spots Draken standing with Mana sitting on his shoulders, the both of them hollering as Emma attempts to quiet them down. Mikey is next to her, lifting Luna up by the armpits, who’s yelling enthusiastically with her tiny hands surrounding her mouth to emphasize her cheers. Mitsuya’s mom, dressed in her best kimono, cries into a wad of tissues, unable to contain her happiness. 

Today, he’s an official high school graduate. He bows politely to his homeroom teacher and the principal before accepting his diploma, holding it gingerly in his hands like a prized possession. He never imagined feeling this way about a simple piece of paper, yet here he is, the proudest he’s ever been of himself. He beams at his cheering squad, then at Hana, who’s seated in their student section. She winks at him, cheeks round and eyes shining, clapping emphatically. He blinks away tears, in disbelief that this is all actually happening. His dreams have become a reality. 

When it’s Hana’s turn shortly after, his friends and family are up on their feet once more, shouting their encouragements for her, enough for everyone in the audience to hear. Mitsuya peeps Hana’s parents, standing up and clapping. Her father glances to the back, his expression wary for a split-second, then he smiles proudly at his daughter walking the stage. 

Since he formally left the gang, Hana’s father has relented his stance for them to break up. While there is still that awkward tension between them, there is no longer animosity, and Mitsuya considers this good progress. He’ll continue to work hard to prove to Mr. Shimizu, and to himself, that he’s capable of being the loving, supportive boyfriend that Hana deserves.

When the last student’s name is read and the traditional graduation song is sung, they file into their homeroom for one last class with their teacher, who congratulates them with high praise. It’s during all this hustle and bustle that the couple find a sliver to time for themselves, holding hands in the back of the classroom, squeezing each other lovingly. They sneak in a kiss while everyone else is distracted, and for this fleeting moment, it’s the two of them in their own little world. 

Soon, there’s more commotion when they’re all dismissed to prolong the festivities in the courtyard. Mitsuya joins his mother and sisters to take pictures. Luna and Mana wear the dresses he made for them specifically for special occasions, making his heart swell more than it already has. He poses for more photos with his Toman brothers and Emma, who rib him for being a “nerd with a diploma”. 

Hana’s mom approaches them first, introducing herself to Mitsuya’s mother and crouching down to meet his sisters. Mr. Shimizu does the same, the usual tension in his brow apparent. They all come together for a group photo, Hana and Mitsuya in the middle, his hand on her waist keeping her close, the two of them surrounded by loved ones. “I love you,” he whispers to her. It’s a picture-perfect memory that he’ll never forget. 

The two of them part ways, agreeing to celebrate separately with their own families. Draken and Emma graciously host, serving a homecooked feast courtesy of the father-to-be, who prepared special dishes to honor the new grad, including the nostalgic beef karubi-don from when they first met as kids. Others join them, including Takemitchy, Hina, Hakkai, his sister Yuzuha, and Chifuyu. Their apartment is filled to the brim with people celebrating Mitsuya’s accomplishments. When it’s time for Luna’s and Mana’s bedtime, his mother bids them all farewell, making sure to warn her son, “Don’t get too crazy tonight, okay?”

“I won’t,” he assures her, kissing her on the forehead, waiting for them to board the bus, waving at the window as they head home. 

He returns to the apartment, kitchen counter now stacked with bottles of liquor, ready to be consumed. Hakkai is halfway through a beer when he embraces Mitsuya jovially. “You are the fucking man, Takashi! I want to be you when I grow up!” 

Yuzuha, who graduates in a week, pats her brother’s back, laughing. “It’s a too late for that, don’t you think? You’re a high-school dropout.”

“It’s never too late for anything!” he slurs, tipping the remaining alcohol into his mouth. 

She rolls her eyes, prying him off Mitsuya. “Don’t make me take care of you when you get drunk.”

“Too late!” he hiccups, skipping into the kitchen to retrieve another, where she follows him, annoyed.

Mitsuya chuckles, amused by the two siblings and their usual banter. He examines the room, noting how all the most important people in his life are by his side, despite no longer being in Toman. Draken sips on a sparkling water, refraining from drinking alcohol in solidarity with his pregnant girlfriend, who sits on the couch with a sober Hina, gossiping. Mikey torments Takemitchy and Chifuyu in a game of Mario Kart on the television. An unusual sense of peace washes over him, and though he’s surrounded by his friends, he finds himself missing Hana immensely, wishing he could share this sentiment with her. 

There’s a knock on the door and his wishes are miraculously granted. She steps inside the apartment, donned in her favorite jean jacket, the one with the heart they stitched together on the sleeve. Her gaze immediately meets his and they reunite in a big hug. “What are you doing here?” he asks, surprised and elated. 

“Emma texted me and told me you were still celebrating,” she explains. “We finished dinner early and my parents told me it was okay to see you.”

“I’m so happy you’re here. I missed you.”

“You really can’t go a few hours without me?” she teases, nuzzling her nose to his. 

“No, I can’t,” he admits, completely serious. He kisses her, instantly melting into her lips.

“Oi! Get a room, you fucking perverts!” Draken calls out, smirking. Emma and Hina giggle as Mitsuya flips the bird at his Twin Dragon.

They don’t partake in any drinking tonight, Mitsuya already love drunk and Hana too afraid to get caught by her parents later when she goes back home. Nonetheless, the party is full of merriment, especially when Mikey suggests karaoke. 

Past midnight, Hana rests her head on her boyfriend’s shoulder, fingers laced seamlessly, listening to Takemitchy perform a particularly heartfelt ballad to Hina. Most of the others have left, except for Mikey, who nods along to the music, and Chifuyu, who finishes off the cake they had for dessert, eating it straight from the box. Draken sits on the other side of the couch with Emma’s head on his lap, sleeping soundly to the tone-deaf warbles of Takemitchy’s voice. His hand gently massages her pregnant belly. 

Before it gets too late, Mitsuya and Hana say their farewells to their friends. They ride the near empty streets of Tokyo on his bike, enjoying the bright lights as they whiz through the city. She holds him closely, her warmth a comfort he’ll never take for granted now that he has it. They park a couple houses down from hers, kissing each other under the stars until they’re breathless. He walks her to the front door, sneaking one more kiss, wishing her a good night, already missing her once she’s inside. And although he has plans to see her again later for the festival, it isn’t soon enough. 

There’s this perfect balance that Mitsuya has somehow achieved amidst the chaos of being a delinquent. He’s always struggled to find that until Hana came into his life and changed it for the better. She gave him a reason to do something different in his life, to accomplish the dreams he had so often deemed impossible to attain. He can’t imagine a future without her now. 

He doesn’t know yet how quickly it can all change in a flash. 

~~~

There’s always this rush you wake up to in the mornings, a feeling that blossoms in your chest, has you staring up at the ceiling with a soft smile on your face. And it has everything to do with Takashi Mitsuya. 

It’s the way he greets you with a cute good morning text without fail, always the early bird to prepare breakfast for his sisters. You’ll never get tired of seeing his name on your screen, opening your notifications to read his message. Evidence that your love for one another exists, palpable and tangible. Not a dream you have to wake up from, but a reality you’re lucky enough to wake up to. You grin at his text, accompanied by a selfie of him, Luna, and Mana, posing with fluffy pancakes on their plates. This is the life you get to live now, and you wouldn’t trade it for anything.

His mother has this weekend off and plans to take the girls to their grandparent’s until Sunday, leaving Mitsuya free to attend the local festival tonight. It’s one more celebration before you start university later in the week. Another opportunity to make more special memories with him to add to the collection. 

You were dreading graduation, unsure what will happen to your relationship. School became a welcomed part of your routine, mostly because it gave you the chance to see Takashi on a regular basis. However, yesterday made all your concerns fade. It became clear to you that being with Takashi is as easy as breathing. You don’t need to think about it. The two of you find all the little ways you can be with each other. A lingering glance in the middle of a crowded auditorium, a secret kiss in the back of the classroom, holding hands at a party with their friends. A picture with your two worlds together to prove that all of this is real, that this love is real. You laugh at yourself for being worried over nothing.

You head downstairs, dressed casually with your tote bag hanging off your shoulder where your yukata is tucked neatly inside for later. Takashi invited you to his house before the festivities start, giving the two of you some much needed alone time. Your parents sit on the couch, watching one of their favorite cooking shows on TV. You approach them, sticking your head between theirs from behind. “I’m heading out now,” you announce, giving them both a smooch on the cheek.

Your mother smiles at you. “Have fun at the festival, dear.”

“Be careful,” you dad mutters, staring straight ahead. 

“I will. I love you.”

“We love you too, honey. And tell Takashi we say hello!” she adds, returning to her program. Your father snorts, making you chuckle. He hasn’t quite warmed up completely to your boyfriend, but it’s definitely progress. 

You take your time during the stroll to Takashi’s, enjoying the crisp air of the welcoming spring season. Sakura blooms around you, soft pink petals falling slowly until they paint the ground in their beautiful pink color. You make it to his house, knocking on his door twice, excited to see him. When he answers, you immediately launch forward to give him a hug. 

He laughs, squeezing you tightly. “Hi sweetie.”

“I missed you,” you say, burying your face into his collarbone.

“Now who’s the one who can’t go a few hours without me?”

You pout. “Yeah, you got me there.”

He laughs harder, scattering sweet smooches all over your face. “You’re the absolute cutest, you know that?"

The two of you cuddle on the couch, indulging in your favorite snacks while watching a movie that you barely pay attention to. Instead, you focus on Takashi’s lips on yours, his usually steady breathing becoming uneven as you deepen your kisses. His hands explore your body, slipping beneath your blouse to graze the plush skin of your belly, inching closer and closer to your bosom.

“Takashi,” you whisper, tugging at the collar of his shirt, unsure if you want him to keep it on or off, leaning towards the latter. You haven’t had sex yet, though you’ve gotten excruciatingly close to it, especially in heats of the moment like this. 

He pulls back, removing himself from you, blushing. “I’m sorry. We should…we should get ready now,” he murmurs, running his hand through his hair, catching his breath. Before you can respond, he stands up and rushes into his room, closing the door. 

You sit up on the couch, confused and concerned. You don’t want to stop. You want this. You want him.

“Takashi?” You tap your knuckles gently on the door, which is ajar and not shut all the way like you expected. 

“Come in,” he answers. He’s sitting on the edge of the bed, elbows to his knees, head bowed, like he’s ashamed. 

“Takashi,” you repeat, taking a seat beside him. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m sorry. I don’t want to rush this. I don’t want to do it if you’re not ready. I just…can’t control myself with you.” 

You pull him close. “Then don’t.”

“What?”

“Don’t control yourself.” You kiss him, placing his hands on you, giving him full rein. “Make love to me, Takashi. I’m ready. I want it.”

“Baby,” he gasps, kissing you back eagerly. “Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?” 

“Yes.” You lift your arms for him to hoist your top off. “Absolutely sure.”

It’s clumsy and messy, even a bit uncomfortable at first. But Takashi is careful with you the whole way, takes his time treasuring you as if you’re the most delicate, precious jewel he’s ever held in his hands. And while it feels good to be this physically intimate with him, it’s the way he looks at you that makes this more special. He doesn’t say it; you see it in his eyes. You’re safe with him, you always will be.

You snuggle in bed, gazing at each other with goofy grins on your faces. He cups your cheek, tracing the outline of your lips with his thumb, unable to contain his smile. He turns to reach for his phone on the nightstand, checking the time. “I guess we should start getting ready,” he suggests, clearly more comfortable being here than anywhere else. 

“We still have tonight. After the festival,” you mention, trying to sound nonchalant. 

He tickles you under your chin, covering you in smooches. “You naughty girl! You really can’t get enough of me, huh?”

You giggle, putting in minimal effort to shrug him off. Honestly, you’re completely content with the idea of spending the night in with Takashi, then you remember the commitments you made to your friends who are expecting you. Eventually, you both get up to slip into comfortable clothes underneath your yukatas, appropriate attire for the occasion. As you inspect your reflection in the mirror, Takashi stands behind you, his hands on your waist, his mouth grazing the back of your neck. “You’re beautiful.” 

“You are too.” You reach behind you to pat his head, noticing something hanging from your sleeve. “Oh no, there’s a loose thread,” you point out, showing it him.

He examines at it carefully, tugging on it. “It’s not too bad,” he reassures you, giving you a peck on the cheek. “I’ll fix it later.”

When you’re ready to leave, you hop on the back of Takashi’s impulse with the helmet on your head, bunching the robe up your legs. He does the same, starting the ignition and driving off. It’s another lovely night, the bitter cold of winter replaced with the warm breath of spring. Everything seems so perfect when the two of you are together; maybe this is what people mean when they talk about being in the honeymoon phase. It may not be perfect forever, but to be able to experience it in the first place is enough for you. You’re the happiest you’ve ever been, and it’s all thanks to Takashi Mitsuya. 

You arrive about half an hour later than you said you would. Draken is the first to spot you, beckoning the two of you with a wave. Emma has her arm linked to his while Takemitchy and Emma hold hands next to them, everyone adorned in yukatas. They don’t question why you’re tardy, though you catch Draken nudging Takashi in the ribs, snickering. 

Mei and Keiko are also here; you retrieve your phone from your purse, texting them that you’ve arrived. They’re quick to respond, sending you their location so that you can meet with them. This seems like a great opportunity to introduce them to your new gal pals, so you, Emma, and Hina bid farewell to your partners.

Takashi smiles at you. “Have fun. I love you.”

You kiss him sweetly. “I love you, too.”

Draken points into his open mouth, faking a gag, while the two girls coo at how cute the two of you are. Your boyfriend gives you a wink, watching you leave with the girls. 

It doesn’t take long to find your friends, who are waiting at the carnival games for you. They introduce themselves to Hina and Emma, hitting it off right away when they compliment each other on their yukatas. Together, you make your way to the food stalls, everyone craving something different. Hina and Emma decide to stand in one of the longest lines for fresh strawberry mochi, which the soon-to-be mother claims is what the baby craves. Mei and Keiko have a hankering for okonomiyaki while you are undecided, wanting to peruse your options. “I don’t know what I want yet, so I’m going to keep looking around,” you tell them.

“Are you going to be okay by yourself?” Keiko asks, concerned.

You nod. “Of course! I won’t be gone long. These two will probably be stuck here another half hour.”

“Maybe, but at least we’ll have delicious mochi in our bellies,” Emma teases, sticking her tongue out at you. 

You laugh, waving goodbye to them, setting off to explore on your own. At the third booth, you find a menu item that catches your eye. While you read the description, you’re bumped by someone from the back. Startled, you glance at the stranger behind you, the gold glint on his wire-framed glasses glaring amidst the festival lanterns. 

“Sorry about that,” he says, not sounding apologetic at all. It’s an unfamiliar voice, one you don’t recognize. Still, you have a sick feeling in your gut that something’s not right about this. In fact, something is terribly wrong. 

Nervous, you focus on the menu in front of you, avoiding him. “It’s okay,” you mutter, not really meaning it.

He continues to stand there, encroaching on your personal space. You can feel his eyes bore into you, watching you intensely. “Hana Shimizu. It’s you.” It isn’t a question, he doesn’t need a confirmation. He knows exactly who you are, as if he’s been seeking you out. Takashi’s Toman crash course from a few weeks ago replays in your mind and it’s now that you realize the man currently stalking you is Tetta Kisaki. Your heart races, terror stuck in your throat. You don’t respond to him, praying with every fiber of your being that he goes away, leaves you alone, as long as you ignore him.

His body presses against you, his mouth stifling on your ear as he whispers, “It’s dangerous to be out alone like this. Isn’t your boyfriend aware of that?”

You’re frozen in fear, feet rooted to the ground, unable to move. Trembling, you ask, “What do you want?” You desperately search for the vendor behind the table, who’s too busy speaking to another customer to aid you in your panic.

“I just want to talk. In private.” He grabs your wrist, holding you firmly.

“I’ll scream,” you threaten him, with as much conviction as you can muster at this point. 

He barks a harsh laugh. “Kinky. I can see why Mitsuya likes you so much.” His grip tightens, enough for you to start losing circulation. “But you won’t. Because if you do, Shuji will do exactly what he wants with those stupid friends of yours. He has his eye on sweet Keiko. He might try her out first.”

“No!” You face him, tears in your eyes, pleading with him. “Leave them alone. Please. I’ll…I’ll go with you as long as you don’t hurt them.”

His eyes narrow, the awful grin on his face widening. “Good girl.” Without taking his gaze off you, he reaches into his pocket for his phone, holding it to his ear. “I got her. Let’s go.”

You swallow thickly, resisting the urge to vomit as he leads you through the crowd of people who have no clue the danger you’re in. 

~~~

The festival is huge, one of the biggest in the district. There are food vendors on either side of the fairgrounds and the boys happen to be on the opposite end where the girls are. Mitsuya stands between Draken and Takemitchy, all three of them munching on takoyaki they stood twenty minutes in line for. When Takemitchy spits one out because it’s scorching hot, they laugh at him, giving him some of theirs to replace it.

“So,” Draken muffles, mouth full of food, “did you and Hana finally fuck?”

Takemitchy nearly chokes on another octopus ball, outraged by his friend’s lack of tact. “Draken! You can’t just ask him that!”

He shrugs, unbothered. “Why not? They were obviously late. Might as well have a good reason for it.”

Mitsuya chuckles. “It’s okay. I’ve learned a long time ago to accept this dude’s crude behavior.”

“So, I’m right, aren’t I? You two…” This time, Draken makes a fist in one hand, then pokes into it with his finger, deciding this obscene gesture was more appropriate.

Mitsuya smiles to himself, remembering it fondly. “Yeah, we did.”

“That’s my fucking boy!” Draken beams at him proudly. “How was it?”

“Draken!”

The younger boy is ignored while Mitsuya muses, “Amazing. She’s amazing. I love her so much.”

Draken jokes, “Damn, Taka. At this rate, Ken Junior might have a friend to grow up with.”

“No, no. We were safe.” He stares down at his shoes, still smiling. “I mean, that wouldn’t be the worst thing. I’d love to have a family with her someday.”

Takemitchy gawks at him. “Mitsuya, you’re really serious about her!”

He nods. “I’m seriously in love with her, yeah.”

When they’re about finished with their food, Mitsuya’s phone vibrates in his pocket. “It’s Emma,” he announces, confused. He picks up, and without waiting for a greeting, she asks, “Is Hana with you?” She sounds distraught.

“No. Why?”

“Oh my god,” she gasps, inaudible as she hands the phone off to someone else. 

It’s Hina now, shaky though a tad calmer than Emma. “We can’t find her. She’s not answering her phone.” She gulps loudly. “Mei and Keiko said that Hanma introduced himself to them at one of the booths. Gave them really weird vibes.”

At the mention of his name, Mitsuya’s heart sinks and panic immediately sets in. It’s his worst nightmare coming true. “Is Kisaki there?”

Keiko answers in the background, “Yes, he mentioned being here with his friend Kisaki. Mitsuya, what’s going on?”

Without thinking, he tosses the cell to Draken, who catches it, a concerned expression on his face. “Takashi, what’s wrong?”

“They took Hana!” he yells out, making a dash for the exit.  

“Who did?” They trail right behind him, doing their best to keep up in their robes. 

“Hanma and Kisaki!” he shouts, sprinting faster. 

“Those motherfuckers,” Draken curses, putting the phone in his pocket. “Takemitchy, stay with the girls. Keep a lookout for Hana and for those assholes!”

“Got it,” Takemitchy responds, changing course to follow his new orders. 

The Twin Dragons reach the parking lot, splitting up to hop on their own motorcycles. Draken rides his Zephyr next to Mitsuya, waiting to follow him wherever he goes. When he puts his helmet on, Mitsuya can hear his own blood pounding against his eardrums. His stomach turns with dread. How could he have let this happen? 

Suddenly, Draken cuts the engine off, reaching into his back pocket to answer Mitsuya’s vibrating phone. He shows the screen to him, an unknown number displayed. He quickly grabs it from his friend’s grip, answering it without speaking, certain who it is.

“Hey there, Little Taka.”

He clenches his teeth at the sound of Kisaki’s voice. “Where is she?”

“You shouldn’t have left her alone. Shuji warned you someone would come along and take her.”

“Where is she?!” he yells, spit flying out of his mouth.

Mitsuya can practically hear the snide grid on Kisaki’s face when he sneers, “We didn’t take her far, don’t worry. Your friends will find her soon enough. I’m surprised they didn’t hear her screaming already – ”

“I’ll fucking kill you,” Mitsuya seethes through ragged breaths. “I’ll fucking kill you and Hanma. Make you fucking regret what you did until you’re both rotting in fucking hell.”

The other man snorts, unvexed by the threat. “Consider this payback for not minding your own fucking business.” Before he hangs up, he mutters, “I guess I’ll see you in hell.” 

Mitsuya’s hands shake violently, his entire body convulsing in a fit of rage. Just as he’s about to slam his phone into the pavement, it vibrates once more, Hina’s name flashing across the screen. 

Her voice is quiet and solemn on the other line, fighting back a sob. “We found her.” 

~~~

Mitsuya isn’t sure how long it takes them to reach Hana. Five minutes, thirty, an hour. Whatever it is, it’s too late; the damage is done and he has to see it with his own eyes. She’s sprawled on the ground, her yukata undone with the sleeves torn, her clothes underneath shredded and roughed up. There are scratches all along her arms, as if she was dragged across the pavement of the alleyway they currently gather in, outside the festival grounds. Her lip is split, cheek swollen, her right eye puffy and bruised. Blood trickles from her brow line down her face. He can’t bear to look at her, heart breaking each passing second as he holds her limp body in his arms, cradling her delicately. She’s unconscious, but breathing, and it’s the only solace he finds in this nightmare come true. He doesn’t realize that he’s screaming until Draken pulls his face into his chest to muffle his anguished cries, distracting him while the paramedics lay her out on a stretcher.  

It's all a blur, his memory in fragments. Draken shoving him in the backseat of Hina’s car. Keiko and Emma consoling him while he sobs, “It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault!” over and over again. Mei in the passenger seat, breaking the news to Hana’s parents, barely able to keep her composure. They make it to the hospital, Draken and Takemitchy following soon after on motorcycle. None of the girls can get Mitsuya out, so the two Toman brothers hoist him up by their shoulders and drag him inside the waiting room. 

When her parents arrive, Mrs. Shimizu is in hysterics, immediately demanding the staff to lead her to her daughter. Mr. Shimizu marches directly to Mitsuya, grabbing him by the collar and shoving him against the wall, hard. “This is your fault, you son of a bitch! You let this happen!”

Mitsuya doesn’t try to defend himself because he’s right; this is his fault. “I’m sorry,” he stutters, unsure what else to say. “I’m so sorry.”

Draken attempts to separate them while Takemitchy pleads with Mr. Shimizu, “Please, sir! It’s not his fault!”

Ignoring them, he snarls, “She should have never given you a chance! You ruined her life, you good-for-nothing thug!” He loosens his grip, wrestling away from Draken’s hold. “Don’t ever come near my family again,” he threatens, following his wife past the double doors leading into the ER. 

Mitsuya slides down the wall, tucking his head between his knees, bawling into his hands. He hasn’t stopped sinking into this darkness since she went missing, an abyss he didn’t even realized existed. 

Draken kneels besides him. “Hey man, don’t listen to him. It’s not your fault.”

“No, he’s right,” he snivels. “I ruined her life.” 

Takemitchy and Hina chime in with their own words of comfort, but nothing they say will make any of this better. Eventually, they leave him alone while they wait for any updates on Hana’s condition. 

Only the sound of Mr. Shimizu’s voice brings Mitsuya back to reality. He glances up, noticing him talking to Mei and Keiko as they follow him out, presumably to take them home. Emma is asleep on Draken’s shoulder while Hina has her boyfriend’s head on her lap, massaging his temples.

Suddenly, Mrs. Shimizu pokes her head through the doors. her eyes catching Mitsuya’s, her expression serious. She nods, beckoning him. He gets up and follows her through the hallway of the ward in uneasy silence. Finally, she says, “Hana is still unconscious, but stable. I thought maybe you’d like to see her.” 

He stares down at the linoleum tiles beneath his feet, his entire body moving in auto-pilot. Still, he manages to utter a quiet, “I’m sorry.” He doesn’t expect forgiveness from her, not right now, maybe not ever. He can’t even forgive himself. 

She doesn’t respond to his apology. It’s quiet between them until she stops in front of an open door near the end of the hallway. “Five minutes,” she states sternly, looking directly at him. “You have five minutes to say what you want to say. After that, you leave. I don’t want you near our daughter ever again. Do you understand, Takashi?”

He nods, unable to look at her, biting back tears. 

“Five minutes,” she reminds him, stepping to the side to let him through. 

He forces his feet to move, slow languid steps into the dimly lit hospital room. Hana’s in a gown, the scratches on her arms covered in ointment and gauze, in the process of healing. Her head is bandaged up, stitches noticeable on her right eye socket, where she must have been punched. There’s an IV and heart rate monitor attached to her, beeping steadily. He studies the way her chest rises and falls with each breath, ashamed to feel relief at a moment like this. She’s stable. She’s alive.

Three minutes into his allotted time frame, he finds the will to speak. His throat is sore from screaming, his voice coming out in rasp. “You didn’t deserve this,” he starts, already sniffling. “This should have never happened to you. I’m so sorry, Hana.” He takes a step closer, carefully placing his hand on hers. “You have to forget about me. You have to find someone that will protect you the way I couldn’t.” 

Flipping her palm face up, he tugs off his earring, dropping it into her hand, closing it into a fist. “I love you.” He brushes his thumb against her, relishing her soft skin one last time. “I’ll always love you.”

He leaves promptly, his gait quicker than it’s been all night, a fury ignited in him that can only be dealt in one way: revenge. As soon as he returns to the waiting room, he approaches Draken. “Give me the keys.”

He refuses. “You can’t go like this, man. It’s not safe – ”

“Give me the fucking keys, Draken!” he yells, startling the others. 

Takemitchy tries to reason with him. “What do you think you’re going to do, Mitsuya? Kill them? Go to jail? Get yourself killed?”

“I don’t care what happens to me anymore. I’m going to make those two pay even if it does kill me.”

“You’re being crazy right now! Let’s wait until the morning to figure it out –”

“Please,” he begs, tone changing to one of desperation. “Just give me my keys.”

There’s a heavy pause. Finally, Draken sighs, reaching into his pocket and tossing them to him. “How are you going to find them?”

Mitsuya retrieves his phone. “They want to fight. All I have to do is tell them I’m ready for one.” He selects the unknown number at the top of his call list, typing out a simple message: Let’s settle this.

A minute later, he receives a response, a pin to a familiar location displayed without any additional message. Mitsuya scoffs, oddly amused at how easy it is. He knows the game Kisaki is trying to play. 

“This is crazy!” Takemitchy exclaims. “You can’t go there by yourself!”

“He’s not,” Draken says. “I’m going with him.”

Emma tugs him by the wrist. “Ken, are you sure?”

He kisses her on the forehead. “Don’t worry, sweetie. The Twin Dragons are gonna rough them up, enough to scare them off. I’ll make sure Mitsuya doesn’t do anything reckless.”

“Fine, then I’m coming too!” Takemitchy puffs his chest out bravely. 

Hina makes a noise in her throat, but Emma pats her back. “They’ll be fine, Hina. Toman boys always know how to handle business.”

~~~

The three of them head to the location, Mitsuya on his Impulse and Draken on his Zephyr with Takemitchy riding with him. They end up at the empty parking lot of his school, where they were just at yesterday for the graduation ceremony. He ignores the tragic irony behind this to focus his attention on the two men standing in the center of the lot under a lamplight. “This doesn’t seem fair, does it?” Hanma jeers, sauntering towards them with his hands in his pockets. “It’s three against two. We’re outnumbered.”

“You didn’t care about that when you attacked Hana,” Draken counters, scowling at them, clenching his fists.

“Fair enough,” he shrugs, revealing a pocketknife, casually tossing it in the air to catch by the handle. “Oh well, we’re still going to kill all of you.” Hanma pounces first, throwing a dangerous jab at Draken, who dodges it smoothly, the blade barely grazing him. He launches a kick, sweeping his opponent by the ankle, knocking him to the ground.

Mitsuya homes in on Kisaki, running at him in a full sprint, wrestling him into the pavement. He’s stronger than him, especially on an adrenaline high like this. The mere thought of Hana covered in injuries sends him into a fury, his fists sinking into Kisaki’s face easily. What’s strange is that the other man doesn’t seem to want to fight back, taking each blow with a bloody smile. 

He wraps his hands around Kisaki’s throat, squeezing tight. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” he shouts, disturbed by the persistent look of satisfaction on his face.

With a few teeth missing now, he smirks, voice barely a whisper as he chokes. “I told you, didn’t I? Told you I’d see you in hell.”

It’s too late to realize that Takemitchy is yelling his name, keeled over with blood leaking from his mouth. Too late to notice Draken is sprawled on the ground, a gash in his stomach that’s pooling crimson all over his yukata. As soon as Kisaki utters those words, Mitsuya is lifted back up to his feet, grabbed from behind. 

Hanma’s breath is hot on his ear, the blade cold against his throat. It’s cutting into his skin already; any slight movement and he’s dead. “She put up a pretty good fight, you know,” Hanma whispers into his ear. “Kicking and screaming the whole time. I had to drag her all the way into that alley before I could shut her up.” Then, he laughs, depraved and sinister, lacking any of joy or mirth. "Bet she’s just as feisty when you fuck her. If I had more time, I would have found out for myself.”

“I’ll fucking kill you,” Mitsuya seethes through gritted teeth, every breath he takes making the knife dig deeper into his neck.  

Hanma’s cackle suddenly stops, his grip loosening on the weapon, causing it to fall to the ground. Mitsuya turns around to find Draken holding a knife, the blade stuck in Hanma’s back. 

“What the fuck…” Hanma stammers, blood sputtering out of his mouth, collapsing on top of Mitsuya, who catches him. Draken stumbles, his wound worsening by the second. Police sirens are blaring in the distance, and it’s only now that Mitsuya realizes that Kisaki is gone, driving away from the scene of the crime on his bike. 

Hanma continues to cough up blood, dying in Mitsuya’s arms. Takemitchy is beaten, but not as badly as Draken, whose injury could be fatal if not treated soon. In this split second that Mitsuya makes a decision, fond memories from his life play in his head like a movie in fast-forward. Luna’s first steps and Mana’s first words. His mom’s homemade cake for his seventh birthday. The day he reunited with Draken, finding out they both had dragons tattooed on their heads. The summer they found Toman with Mikey and the rest of his friends. The night he confessed to Hana and every day he’s had with her until tonight, when he had to say goodbye. I’ve had a good life, he thinks to himself. It’s a short one, but in the end, he’s lucky to have experienced it in the first place. Now, it’s time for him to return the favor to all the people who’s gotten him this far. 

“Takemitchy,” he calls out, removing his yukata and throwing it to his friend. “Take Draken’s bike and get him to a hospital. Wrap this around his wound so he doesn’t lose any more blood.”

He nods, obeying his orders and draping Draken’s arm over his shoulders, hobbling with him to the motorcycles. “Okay, we’ll see you there.”

Mitsuya shakes his head. “I’m not going.”

“What?”

The police sirens grow louder. “They’re going to wonder who did this. We can’t let them know it was Draken.”

“It was self-defense though!” Takemitchy argues.

“It doesn’t matter. They won’t let him off the hook for that. So, I’m going to take the fall for it. Watch after Luna, Mana, and Mom for me. And Hana. Please.”

Draken lifts his head slowly, clutching the robe against him, groaning in pain. “Fuck that. Come on, Takashi. Let’s go.”

“You’re going to be a great dad, Draken. And you’re going to do great things, Takemitchy. I’m sure of it.”

“We’re not leaving you behind!” 

In the distance, Mitsuya can see the flashing lights and they’re out of time. “Get out of here, now! Emma and Hina need you! Please!”

At the mention of their names, Takemitchy and Draken stiffen, not arguing any further.

“Get out of here!” he repeats, desperately pleading with them. 

Takemitchy rubs the tears away from his eyes, hauling Draken with him, who tries to protest, but is too weak. Mitsuya watches them leave on the Zephyr with a satisfied smile on his face, the sirens ringing loudly in his ears, finally at peace. 

[previousloversandmuses]

FREQUENCY: Episode 6 - A Soldier Boy Story

FREQUENCY:  A Soldier Boy Story

EPISODE 6: “You Make Me Feel So Young”

WORD COUNT: 7736 (sorry)

PAIRING: Soldier Boy X Reader 

WARNINGS: (NSFW) Foul language. Offensive slurs. Violence, depression, and mentions of suicide. Slow burn. Drinking, and drugs. 

A/N: This story is dark, and covers mature themes. The main character, as well as other major characters, are offensive in nature, and may offend some people. Please peruse with caution, and remember that this is fiction. Reader discretion is advised. Please message me for any questions, comments, or concerns. 

Masterlist | Taglist 

Everything was exactly where she usually would have left it. Hm, he thinks. Totally stumped. She’s never gone this long without telling him. Her apartment, vacant and cold, hadn't seen her around for about a month, and neither had he. Not since the last time she had come over, at least. 

He stalks around her place. Taking a peep into the fridge, only to be greeted by the smell of spoiled milk. He grimaces, shutting it so hard the door comes off of its hinges. Fuck. He leans it back up against the body of the refrigerator, not really bothering to fix it. Maybe she wouldn’t notice? 

He takes note of her bedroom. Her worn laundry is still in the hamper, including that little get up she had on the last time she came to see him. He reaches down into it, grabbing onto the black lace underwear, and taking a deep whiff. Still smells like her, which surprisingly brings him little comfort. He knew she did her laundry every day, or else the smell alone would drive her close to insane.

He rummages through her drawers, observing that almost all of her undergarments are gone. She’s also missing shorts, flannels, and her hiking shoes. Okay, he thinks, perhaps she’s just gone home for an extended period of time. Perhaps she is angry with him because of his reaction to her most recent proposition. Lord knows when she’d be back. But he knew he could always check. 

Leaving her apartment, her black lace underwear stuffed into the sleeve of his supesuit, he knocks on her neighbors door. He knows they are home, he can hear them. An older woman answers, her eyes wide, mouth dropped. 

“Good evening, ma’am, I was wondering if-“ She passes out before she can answer. 

Great. 

He knocks on the other neighbor's door. He stomps his foot with impatience. His lips formed into a tight line. He crosses his arms over his chest and swallows his irritation with feigned patriotism. 

“Hello Sir, would you mind if I asked you a quick question?”

The man stammers, completely dumbfounded.

“Wow! Homelander, what a wonderful surprise,” He turns to look over his shoulder. “Honey, come look! Homelander is here!”

John rolls his eyes, only to resume his pleasant expression once the imbecile turns back to meet his gaze. 

“What can we do for you, Sir?” The idiot asks. 

“Well, I actually had a question about your neighbor.”

“Which one?” The man beams, a goofy grin on his face. His wife joins him at the door. 

“My God! Homelander! To what do we owe the pleasure?”

Homelander smiles back at her, nodding his head. His irritation becomes a lot more difficult to hide. 

“Yes ma’am. I was actually asking your husband here a few questions about your neighbor.”

“Who, Old Emma?” The woman asks. “She’s demented. Whatever she did, we had nothing to do with it.”

He raises an eyebrow at them, shaking his head. 

“Uh…no, no, not the old—I was asking about your young neighbor. Apartment D.”

“Ohhhh,” They both say simultaneously. The woman slapping her head, showing her idiocy. “Well, we don’t hear much from her, right Steve?”

The man looks at his wife, nodding, turning back to John. 

“She in some kind of trouble? Not one of those supe terrorists, is she?”

“No, no, God no.”

“Is everything alright? Anything we should be worried about?”

“No, just curious about the last time you saw her.”

The couple turn to each other, scratching their heads. Visibly searching their brain for some sort of answer. 

“Maybe a few weeks ago? She’s quiet. It’s not out of the ordinary. She usually comes and goes late at night anyway.”

John sighs, nodding to them. 

“Alright, thanks anyway. Sorry for bothering you two. Stay safe out there, okay?”

As he begins to walk away, Steve, the husband, calls after him.

“Hey homelander!” John turns back to them, a flicker of hope in his eyes. “Do you mind if we get a picture?”

Kill me now. He thinks. 

“No, not at all!” He walks up to the two of them with open arms. 

The two of them eat dinner every night together for a few weeks. He comes home from a long day of work, which again, he chose to do willingly. Something she still thinks is a feat in itself. He slips off his boots, and lays down on the couch. He’ll turn the TV on and flip to whatever channel is showing reruns of M.A.S.H. Although he does happen to enjoy Two And a Half Men, he was good friends with Charlie Sheen's father back in the day.

Last Tuesday she had borrowed one of Amas cookbooks, deciding on a southern style pot roast. Didn’t look too hard. You just stuff everything into a crockpot, wait eight hours, and call it a night. 

By the time he got home the house smelled heavenly, and had been obsessively deep cleaned by the freak herself. He had noticed during their time together that she had to deep clean every few days, otherwise it’d drive her up a wall, and she’d start acting like a deranged mental case. Although regular, established, modern people would just refer to it as irritability. He will never not call her out for it, no matter how many times she tells him that upsets her. 

Because of this interaction, his enjoyment of smelling whatever she had cooking for him would usually be cut short, ending in some ridiculous, twenty minute bicker. The two of them are equally hard-headed, and would never admit they were wrong. At this point they both give up, and begin to eat in silence, on the couch, side by side, watching some sort of movie. Finally beginning to talk normally from some obscene observation on his part. She’d never say it, but times like that she did find him funny. 

He was crass, and gross, and condescending, and simply everything she thought she’d hate in another human being. But, unfortunately, there was a part of her that found it charming. And come present day, she realized she might be sad the day he doesn’t come home to bother her. She’d been by herself for so long, the idea of even any sort of companion drove her crazy. But she had gotten used to this. And his nightmares had gotten at least a little better to the point where she could fall asleep without headphones, and lie back, being soothed to the sound of his steady heart beat. 

All that is short lived when she wakes up to a screech, or a shout--or something. Either way she knows it's him. 

Typically, in this situation, or what she’s done so far to cope, is turn on “Swan Lake” on her headphones. She cranks it up, rolling her eyes, and flipping over on her side. Facing away from his side of the house. But tonight, after a particularly heated conversation about the Star Wars Prequels, she can't help but feel a tinge of guilt.

She lies awake, staring at the ceiling, her box fan only doing so much to conceal his soft whimpers of misery. She gnaws on her lip, her heart aching with a sudden remorse for the oh-so-broken man that lies tortured by his own sleep. When was the last time he slept a full night? She thinks. When was the last time he woke up feeling rested? She knows he's strong as steel, and biologically augmented. He probably didn’t even really need the sleep. But mental anguish? Cognitive health? She knew from her own experience that can take a toll on even the strongest of Supes. Take John, for example, even he was a loose cannon for Christ's Sake!

She sighs, standing up, and making her way into the living room. It’s at least worth a try. She didn’t even really know what to try. She was never one for comfort, even with the likes of John. Hell, she didn't even know how to expect people to comfort her! 

He lies on the pull out bed, resting on his side. Small, innocent, puffs of air fall from his lips. He almost looks sweet like this. Like a little boy, so wholesome and demure. She's sure that won't last long when he wakes up. With this man's amount of pride, she's sure he'd have her in a chokehold for even thinking consoling him was a good idea. 

She softly sits to the left on him, making sure to not create too much noise. Did he wake up to stuff like this? Could he sense her presence or maybe he's well equipped to military style combat even when half asleep? She definitely wasn’t willing to find out. 

Another round of his wimpers start up again. She looks around awkwardly,  unsure how to go about this situation. She reaches her hand down, it hovers over his damp forehead. He’s going to snap my wrist, she thinks, grimacing. She bites her lip in preparation. Anything to get this wild, uninhibited man to have a full night's sleep. Shit, anything to get her to have a full night's sleep!

Fuck it. 

She begins cascading her stiff hand through his wet hair. She's moving like she doesn't have control of her arms. I look disabled, she thinks, shaking her head. It was a funny sight. If she were to tell someone she had cerebral palsy, she’s sure they'd believe it. She snorts at that. What an awful thing to think. She had definitely been hanging around him too much. 

He shifts over onto his back in his slumber, her hand moving away from him quickly. She eyeballs him to make sure he's not awake. His little breaths continue to puff away. She sighs in relief. She watches as he stiffens up, his whimpers bubbling from his throat again. Her eyes widen. She drops her hand back down to his scalp and begins to scrape her fingers through it. He starts to calm down. Like magic, she thinks. She shuts her eyes for a moment, suddenly desperate to feel any sort of electrical current dancing around underneath the top layer of his skull. And she does. It lights like a wildfire as his nightmare begins to calm down--

That is, until he nearly breaks her wrist, of course. He's up with a jolt, as he wraps his hand around her delicate, unaltered bones.

“What the fuck are you doing?” He demands, her eyes going wide.

She tries pulling her arm out of his vice grip, her bones creaking under the strength of his fingers. 

“You were having a nightmare,” She argues, slightly embarrassed. “I was trying to help.”

He laughs at her, dropping her arm into her lap. He stands up, separating himself from her.

“Only little boys have nightmares, and last time I fuckin’ checked, I’m a grown man.”

“You have kept me up every night for a week now.”

“What happened to your phoneheads?” He demands. “Those keep you from hearing things.”

She rolls her eyes at him. Hearing things. Whatever gets you to sleep at night, pal. Which was, obviously, nothing. 

“They are uncomfortable.”

“Yeah? Well, I’m uncomfortable when you come and caress me in my sleep-” He stops himself, thinking about that statement for a second. Well, maybe not that kind of caressing.  

“You’re perverted.” She already knows exactly what he's thinking.

“And you don't listen. How many times do I have to tell you I dont have fuckin’ shell shock?”

She shrugs, “You’re gonna have to keep telling me, because thirty years of captivity seems like it’d do a lot to a guy.”

“Yeah, well, maybe to one of those pussy desert storm vets. Those are the ones who were left fucking half-retarded.”

She stands up, scoffing, brushing past him, and walking back into her room.

“You liked it,” She states. “It shut you right up.”

He stares at her.

“But okay, tough guy, I won't do it again.”

He looks down at his feet, kicking at the floor. “Good, glad we're on the same page.” He says.

She closes the door on him. 

John has been sitting in Vought Security for the past four hours trying to find any surveillance he could of her quiet escape. He just wanted to make sure she really did go home. That she wasn’t flaking out on him. That she wasn’t abandoning him. Not that he cared or anything…

“Doesn’t she have a tendency to take out security cameras?” The young intern asks. 

He had stolen her from her minor duties as a security assistant. She wasn’t even sure what she was doing.

“Yes, but don’t you think we’d at least see her take them out?”

“Yes Sir, but if she left, then I’m sure we would have seen her leave by now.”

“Don’t question me. Filter through the next hour, I’m sure we’re almost there.” He breathes down her neck as he hunches over, getting himself closer to the screen to see.

And anyone could have missed it, but he didn’t. There goes her shitty old car, flashing past the screen.

“There,” He shouts. “Go back, pause it.”

The young girl sighs, rewinding the footage, and stopping on the blurry still of the car.

“There she is,” He smiles, “Now where the fuck are you headed?”

The two of them sit there for another hour as they watch her car travel from camera to camera across the city. That is until she reaches a big dumpster behind some shitty supermarket on the outskirts of Queens.

The camera on the lamp post that recorded this had to be at least twenty years old. It looks like it had been filmed on a fucking microwave.

“Is there any way we can make this image clearer?” He asks, gesturing to the screen.

The young intern shrugs, pressing some buttons, and filtering out at least a little bit of the grain.

“It’s not much better,” She sighs.

He pats her shoulder, she goes stiff, ready for this loose cannon to fire any second.

“This works.” He states, yanking her out of the seat and taking her place.

He gets obnoxiously close to the screen, squinting his eyes, and watches as Freak throws something into the trash can.

“Is that a body?” The intern gasps in horror.

John rolls his eyes, “No, it's not a fucking body.”

He begins to rub at his chin, “...At least, I don’t think so…”

The girl reaches over his shoulder, clicking a few buttons, then walks over to the printer and hands him the location.

“This is where this camera is located. I doubt whatever she threw out is still in there, but it's worth a try, I guess.”

“Wow, thank you so much for your input that I definitely did not ask for.”

Deadpan. The girl would rather him put her out of her misery by this point. They stare each other down pathetically for a moment, before he shoos her away to go about the rest of her day. 

He waits for the young girl to leave. Sighing as he turns back to the screen, he watches as Freak hops back in her car and drives off. He keeps the speed of the footage up, and only a few seconds later does he spot a homeless man walking over to the dumpster. He pauses the video quickly, putting it back into real time. The homeless man looks around suspiciously, before launching himself over the side of the dumpster.

John is at the edge of his seat. Please, Christ. He thinks. He begs. Anything that will get him on her trail. 

After a few minutes, the homeless man pops his head back out. He hops back onto the ground, something shiny under his arm. Maybe a laptop, he thinks. He follows the man on nearby security cameras until he reaches a pawn shop. The man is in there for a good five minutes before he walks back out, envelope in hand. He immediately walks next door and into the liquor store. Typical.

This is worth a try, John thinks. Although, this was recorded over a month ago. Even if it was sold, he's sure they wouldn't mind giving him the information on who bought it. I mean, he is the Homelander for Christ's sake. 

With that in mind, and location of the pawn shop in hand, he makes his way out of Vought Security, and then launches himself out of the tower. He’d find her. Even if it was the last thing he’d do.

They didn’t talk for two days after the nightmare fiasco. He’d come home to a dark house. She was either asleep, or hanging out with Ama until late. She never told her what really happened, just that his senile ass was getting on her nerves. 

All the young adults on the res had plans to go out on friday night. He didn’t really know what that meant. Partying wasn’t like it used to be, and he isn’t sure if he would even like to party at all. 

“You coming tonight?” Asher asks, taking a drag off a cigarette.

He and Ben lean up against a brick wall outside of the diner that they all frequent for lunch. 

“What’s it we’re doing exactly?” Ben asks, pulling a cigarette out of his pack and up to his lips.

“It's like a bar honkey-tonk.”

“A honkey tonk?” Ben grimaces.

“It ain’t too bad, they barely play any country, either. Usually old classics, disco, that kind of thing.” Asher adds.

“Old classics…what the hell does that even mean?”

Asher laughs. Ama and Freak had ended up telling the rest of the young people on the res about Ben. Who he was. Why she broke him out. What the plan would be come summer.

A lot of them were hesitant at first, and for good reason. The Soldier Boy they knew had not necessarily been too kind to them. He understood their resistance for acceptance. Hell, he didn't even really want to be talking to these people anyway. The further they stay away, the better. But, of course, that wasn’t how it seemed to work. Everyone had been harassing him about stories from the past. Hell, he was once the most famous man in the world at the time. 

“Old classics…80’s and under.”

“80’s and under?” Ben gapes. “Spare me.”

“Your version of old music is what…Beethoven live?”

Ben shakes his head, laughing.

“Fuck you,” He drags from his smoke. “So old music, drinking, and dancing?”

“Think you can handle that, old man?” 

“We’ll see.”

Asher finishes his cigarette, dropping it to the ground, and crushing it with his foot.

“There will be some girls there too, I’m sure. Plenty for you to choose from.”

With Ama and Freaks' admission about who Ben really was, also came everyone knowing that the two of them weren’t really together. He didn’t mind…Or, at least he didn’t think so. A few days after they let everyone know, Ben watched one of Ama’s brothers pull Freak off to the side of the outdoor pavilion. He rested his arm above her head and looked down at her with a glowing admiration. Soft, big puppy dog eyes, doing what they do best. A look she seemed to send right back to him in return. She had never looked at him like that.

Did he even want her to? He swallowed that feeling down before he let himself answer. 

“I’m a little rusty. I’ll come out for a little while and then turn in.” Ben sighs, still smoking on his cigarette.

“Your choice.” Asher shrugs, beginning to walk back inside the diner.

In theory it would probably be best for Ben's mental health to at least try to stay out later. Be social. Did he have to talk to women? No. These were baby steps. He could stay out, drink with the few friends he’s made, and listen to songs that made him feel comfortable. Think back to the good times. Hell, he might even get to see Freak let loose. 

“...Christ on a cross…” He lets out a heavy groan. He had almost forgotten about what happened a few nights ago. There's no way she’d be going out, he thinks. And even if she did, she sure as hell wouldn’t get anywhere near him. 

He felt bad for his reaction to her sweet gesture. How it was purely innocent, and kind. Something he rarely saw from her. She wasn’t cold-- well, not really. It was more like the idea of letting herself become comfortable with someone was, shocker, uncomfortable. His response to the situation ended up making him look weaker than what he was afraid of. He was acting like a little boy terrified of catching cooties.

He had always considered himself to be an open book, because to him there wasn’t much to be open about. He didn’t have any feelings that weren’t manly, and if he did, they were suppressed by bouts of irrational anger and rage. Reactions which he's sure led to his existence as a lab rat for thirty years. 

He was cold to all of Payback, especially Noir, who was always agreeable and pure. And even to Countess, who he claims he loved. No man would ever treat a woman they cared about that deeply with such discontent and hatred. He acted like she made him sick. He’s sure he had even slapped her around a few times. But he was so arrogant, and she wasn’t built like regular women. He thought she could take it. She was strong. She needed that treatment. She needed that to be stronger. 

In reality, his behavior all led him right back to his father. To his silver spoon childhood. His father, who was a disgrace. His father, who was unfair and disgustingly evil. His father, who was everything he turned out to be. Ben's personality was purely the result of mistreatment. Of parental negligence. Of deep rooted insecurity. Worst part is, he knows that now. He's been having to live with it. He’s been having to deal with these weird, foreign, repressed emotions. Ones that bubble to the surface as a short temper that's taken out on another broken human being who doesn’t deserve it. 

He remembers dinner with her about a week ago. She was freshly showered so her hair was dripping wet, making a little puddle on the floor. The back of her shirt damp, and sticking to her skin. She was ridiculously shiny, which was the result of some face mask from the nearby pharmacy. It smelled like blueberries, and he’s sure she could tell. Most definitely an overpowering mixer with their steaming plate of macaroni and cheese. She grimaced as she took a bite. 

“You put a lot of effort into yourself for a girl who’s so set on dying.” He says, breaking the silence. He had been refering to her planned suicide mission in the coming weeks. 

She widened her eyes at him, setting her fork down, and reaching over to take a sip of her water. She had been exhausted that day. There had been a big music festival thirty miles down in one of the valleys. That's all she had heard and felt for the past twelve hours. A little self care is what she needed. Anything to treat her pounding headache, and sore muscles. 

“I would've done it a long time ago if I wasn’t so set on revenge.” She stated, rubbing the sides of her temples with her fingers. 

He shakes his head, putting his fork down.

“You can’t let these people have such power over you.” He argued.

“I’m too tired to have this conversation right now.” She sighs.

She pokes around her plate with her fork, resting one side of her head on her hand. He watches her as she mopes.

“Y’know, sometimes people in my blast zones don’t even die they just…end up losing whatever fucked up thing the V did to their DNA.” He tries to act nonchalant about it.

She looked up at him. It was a sweet gesture, she thought. He obviously didn’t think she was worthy of dying. Worthy of throwing her entire tortured life away. He was willing to help her find an alternative to her suffering. The question was whether or not she was willing to do that. And at this point, she didn't think so. 

“Ben, it’s a nice gesture, really.” She smiles weakly.

She had always thought she was one of those people who were born to die. Like her whole purpose in life was death. That her existence had a deeper meaning, and that she wouldn't die in vain. She’d die in sacrifice. In the way she wanted to. She thought it was beautiful that she would be the final factor in her demise. That cancer, or John, or Vought, or an atomic bomb--any outside source wouldn’t have the ability to take control of her ultimate cessation. 

“We can keep you at a close distance so you wouldn't get hurt. It’d be quick, and you wouldn’t have to worry about shit like today anymore.” He sounded excited almost.

“This thing that V gave me, I hate it,” She starts. “But I wouldn’t know how to live without it, either.”

He nodded along. That he understands. 

“Like today for example; the ground is shaking, I feel it everywhere. It gives me a headache, raises my blood pressure. And the sound, the fact I can hear the bass from thirty miles away. I mean, to say my ears are ringing is an understatement. But, at the same time, the way I experience music is an incredible gift. I can hear chords and choruses and notes and keys--things machines couldn’t even be able to pick up…Without this curse, I would be just an empty shell. I wouldn't know how to live. So I guess, maybe the real curse, is just continuing to exist, compound V or not.”

By the time John gets to the pawn shop it had already been closed for thirty minutes. He lands just as the shopkeeper is locking up for the night. The man’s coat flies up from the force of John's arrival. He jumps in response. He turns to face him, John already putting on a shit eating, manufactured smile. The man freezes, dropping all of his belongings on the ground.

“How are you this beautiful evening, Sir?” It had been raining all day.

The man stammers, searching for some sort of coherent response. John grits his teeth. Deep breaths. He goes out of his way to continue the conversation. 

“I’m looking for something that may have come through in your shop, do you mind if I have a look?”

“I-I-I…”Almost there, it’s nearly out. “I’ve just closed up for the night Sir, can this not wait until m-morning?”

Sorry--wait until morning? Does this absolute fucking imbecile retarded fucking moron not understand who hes talking to? John stalks up closer to him, the shopkeeper trembling enough to drop his keys onto the ground. John watches them as they fall, only to turn back up to the man.

“You gonna pick those up?” John asks, cornering him.

“Uh, y-yes sir.” The man stutters, squatting down and picking up his keys. 

“Good job,” John praises. “Now, are you going to unlock this door and let me inside or am I going to have to force my way in myself?”

The man audibly swallows, turning back to the knob and unlocking the door with an old, rusted key. When the door opens John is hit with a waft of moth balls, old cigarettes, and dust. God this place was a slum. Who the hell would buy anything from there and expect it to be any quality higher than dog shit?

“Are you looking for anything in particular, Sir?”

John scans the room. There is furniture; some old and ripped, some newer and draped in red velvet. There is a section for jewelry, he's sure none of it is real. There is silver, china, guns, knives, japanese art, again, definitely not real.

“Do you have any electronics?”

The man gestures down in front of him. There is a glassed case that houses a few flip phones, a handful of Blackberry’s, some walkie talkies, and, Ah, laptops.

“We actually just got in a few new flip phones, Sir,” The man leans in closer, looking around, speaking under his breath. “Including a first generation keypad Nokia.”

John snorts, shaking his head. Unbelievable. 

“I’m actually looking for a laptop.”

The man takes a deep breath, “Aw man, we just sold our last one today. Microsoft Windows I think.”

John feels himself getting agitated. He’s sure he can no longer hide the look of discontent on his face. 

“So, no apple computers then?” 

“N-no, unfortunately not, sir.” The man swallows hard again.

John takes note of his blood pressure. One-eighty over ninety. He must be hiding something. He begins to laugh at the man.

“What was your name?” John asks.

“A-Akash.” He stutters, his palms beginning to sweat.

John could smell it.

“Okay, Akash,” John leans in closer, grabbing him by the collar. “I know an apple computer came through here a few weeks ago. And I’m gonna assume by the pounding of your heart rate that you bought it off of some homeless guy for thirty dollars and some change.”

Akash nods, beads of perspiration forming at the top of his hairline. 

“And I’m gonna bet that since you got such a good deal on a new, nice laptop, that you decided you were gonna keep it yourself. Is that right?”

Akash squeaks something, but John can hardly understand him due to his crushing vice grip.

“Sorry, what was that?” John says, pulling Akash up closer to his face, his feet hovering off the ground.

“Y-yes!” Akash cries, “P-please, Homelander, I have a family at home. Take whatever you want!”

“Where's the laptop?” He asks.

The man points down to his briefcase.

She stands in the kitchen, doing her makeup in the reflection of the microwave. She likes the natural lighting. She turns around, reaching to grab the controller, and turning the TV on. The New York news station is reporting about some Pawn Shop that caught on fire. Good, she thinks. As long as it has nothing to do with Ben. She's relieved to know that the two of them continue to be white noise. 

And ugh, speaking of Ben, she prays he won't be going out tonight. Maybe he’ll continue to be antisocial and isolate himself at home, watching reruns of “Happy Days”, and snorting mountains of benzos. She's tired of getting them for him. 

After she finishes up on her mascara, she walks back into her room and slips on her dress for the evening. It's black, tight, vintage Guess. She had gotten it from the consignment store the other day. Everyone had planned on going to dinner first, but most of the guys had a long day. They would rather go home and relax, and then go back out later in the evening. The club had alright bar food anyway. Well, at least from what she can remember. 

Smoothing out the edges of her dress with delicate hands, she sits back down on her bed, and turns on the TV. Waiting for when everyone was ready to go out. She’d rather be ready early than having to scramble during an already stressful evening. She hadn’t gone out in ages. 

As she settles back onto the pillow, she hears the front door creak open. She goes still, hoping he won't come in to bother her. He doesn’t, just goes to hop right into the shower. He must be going out then, she thinks. And if he is, there is absolutely no way he's leaving after her. She will be fashionably late. He can happily go early and hopefully turn in before midnight like the old man he is. Anything to guarantee avoiding an unwanted interaction. 

She's still and silent as she listens to him get ready. Her TV on mute. Her face heats up as she hears the familiar zipper of his jeans. She had gotten used to hearing that everyday. He clears his throat, keys jingling as he shoves them into his pocket. The clock on the wall now read 9:03. People would slowly start to turn up at the bar. 

Suddenly his phone rings, the one that she got him from Wamart. It was a cheap flip phone that had minutes. He still didn’t understand how any grown man is ever able to type on the tiny little keypad. His whole fingertip takes up half the screen.

“Yeah?” He answers, opening the front door and walking outside. It was Asher. “I’m leaving now…No, I don’t know if she's coming…Well tell Ama to call her that’s not my fuckin problem.”

She hears Tough Guy’s big ass truck pull up outside of the house. It growls as it comes to a quick stop on the gravel drive. He hops in, hanging up the phone as he does so. 

Thats not my fuckin problem. What an asshole. 

She bolts up after that phone exchange. Her skin was hot. She was embarrassed. Why the hell is he acting like this whole situation was her fault? All she was doing was trying to help him! She stomps over to the floor mirror, reaching for the ties on the back of her dress. She pulls it tight so her waist cinches in significantly. She reaches over to her makeup bag again, adding a load of eyeliner and an even thicker layer of mascara. Popping off the lid to her perfume, she drenches herself in it, making sure to get all of the parts any man would love to smell. The places that catch in the wind, only to make their breaths catch in their throats. 

What was this going to do for her? What sort of gratification was she wanting here? Is this her way of getting back at him for being a piece of shit? By acting like a slut and taunting him with something he couldn't have? Maybe. She’s sure it might work. She’s sure it would do something. Even if he didnt feel that way about her. The fact that she was letting loose and having so much fun without him. 

But what if this made him angry? What if this backfires and he blows the whole place to the fucking ground with everyone still in it? Or worse, what if he decided to back out? He says “fuck you, and fuck the family,” and leaves in a cloud of dust? She’d really be fucked then. Well, her rational brain wasn't thinking tonight anyway. She grabs her keys off the console and says fuck it. 

The car ride there was hot, and sweaty. Tough Guys AC in his car had stopped working and he was too tired to fix it. Although he must've been 200 more pounds than Ben, he wasn’t blessed with the likes of Compound V. That shit made him a human heater. They had the windows rolled down, which made everyones hair look fucking crazy.

Once they make it to the bar, all the guys hop out of the car. The place is buzzing with people. All different ethnicities too, which surprised him to say the least. You’d think the rednecks would've ran these people out of town by this point, he thinks. One thing everyone had in common though, almost all of them were wearing cowboy boots. Ben felt significantly out of place, and not just because he was a century older. 

The inside of the club is blasting “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees when they walk in. Okay, he could get behind that. In the center of the dance floor is a good amount of people, mostly couples or groups of girls. Some of the couples were grinding up and down on each other. It was inappropriate beyond gross proportions. I mean, some of these girls were literally rubbing themselves on these guys' thighs. The older crowd, anywhere between 40 and 70, stood by the bar, watching the dance floor. A lot of them were grimacing, although slightly amused by the ridiculous display of affection. Feeling the same way about it that Ben was. There were high top tables over there, one of them just freeing up as they headed over. The four of them wrap around the table, looking around for their friends. 

“I’ll go look for the other guys.” Tough Guy says, they all nod at him.

Asher looks around, craning his neck, searching for his girlfriend. 

“Ah, there she is,” He says. “Just in time.”

The music changes in the club “Who’s That Lady” By The Isley Brothers coming on. Ben turns his head to follow Asher. Ama and the rest of the girls begin to walk in the door. Perfect timing for this song, he thinks--And then his breath catches in his throat.

She walks in behind the rest of them, sticking out like a sore thumb. Girls like her beelong on the silver screen. They belong in films. On the cover of magazines. In art museums hanging up on a wall surrounded by a sea of onlookers taking her picture. She is it. She is money. She is light. She is so radiant in that tight, black dress he thinks the whole place quiets down when she walks in. Okay, he was not expecting that. 

The herd of girls say hello to him as they walk up to the bar. He nods, not paying attention. His eyes glued to the sight across the room. Adohi, the guy that had her up against the pavilion the other day, saunters towards her, two drinks in his hand. He passes her one, she accepts it happily, leaning in to give him a hug. 

“I'm surprised you could make it!” He yells over the music, she grimaces.

What an idiot, he thinks. Who the hell would forget that about her?

“Sorry,” Adohi says, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m just surprised you can even handle the music.”

She smiles at him, gesturing towards a pair of earplugs. She knew they didn't do much. But, those plus the gifts of alcohol made it much easier for her to tolerate. Once she got drunk enough her body would end up feeding on the sensation of the bass through the floor. She downs the drink quickly at the realization. Then starts sauntering over to the bar. 

She catches him in her peripheral, not daring to look at him. She knew where he was sitting the moment they pulled up. His heartbeat was so unique, it was easy to spot even from a mile away. 

“Freak,” He calls. Fuck. She wasn’t expecting that.

She looks over her shoulder quickly, not stopping her pursuit towards the bar.

“Hey,” She says, sounding completely uninterested. She said it in a way that you talk to someone whose name you don't remember. She is ice cold. Leaving him frowning on the chair.

Ouch, he thinks. This was going to be harder than he thought. Good thing he's persistent.

Throughout the span of the next few hours the both of them had their fair share of drinks. Ben was buzzed, and so was she. Not to the point where the two of them were incapacitated, but enough so the room was brighter, and they were significantly happier than they were the moment they walked in.

The two of them stood at opposite ends of the club all night. Both stealing glances, pretending that they didn’t catch the other one looking. She made it obvious she was putting on a show. Dancing with Adohi provocatively when any sensual songs came on. Ben gave up on moving slowly with women about an hour ago. After she had her first dance with Adohi. Currently, Ben sits at the bar leaned into a woman's ear. He has her howling with laughter, his hand resting on the small of her back. 

Ama and Asher watch from the entrance of the club after going outside for a smoke break. You could cut the tension in the room with a knife. It was embarrassing, and immature, to say the least. These were two grown adults acting like petty teenagers to get back at each other for the sake of their own pride. They had had enough. 

Ama stomps over to Freak, who was currently grinding on Adohi on the dance floor. She was flushed and sweaty, her hair poofed up from the humidity within the club. 

Ama grabs her arm, “Mind if I steal her for a minute?” She asks.

Freak gives her a what the fuck look, as Ama drags her off to the bathroom.

“Sorry, I didn’t want to go alone.” She says, blatantly lying.

“Couldn’t you tell I was in the middle of something?” She asks as the two of them walk through the bathroom door. 

“Yeah, exactly why I pulled you out of it.” Ama pulls them into a bathroom stall. It's small enough where their feet are on top of each other.

“I was having a good time.” Freak argues.

“Adohi is three years younger than you and has a heart murmur, there is no way you are dancing with him because you want to.”

“I am so.” She crosses her arms over her chest.

“You are not,” Ama argues, looking down at the time on her phone. “Okay, one second.”

Ama reaches up and ruffles Freaks hair. Making it sexier, messier, voluminous. Then she takes her thumbs and drags them under her eyes, wiping away the running mascara.

“Didn’t your mom ever teach you about waterproof?” Ama teases.

“I don't have a mom.” Says Freak plainly.

Right, Ama thinks. She then reaches to unlock the bathroom door and pulls them back out.

“Hey, I thought you had to go to the bathroom!”

Ama drags them both out onto the dancefloor, the familiar intro of “How Deep Is Your Love” beginning to play from the speaker.

“It, uh, went away?” Ama says, looking around for Asher.

He sees him coming towards her, and just as Barry Gibb begins to start singing, Ama pushes Freak into Asher, who pushes Ben into her. The two of them running into each other. Out of habit, Ben wrapped his hand around her back to steady her. Having no idea who it was at first. They both stare at each other for a minute, not knowing what to say. It would be too immature and awkward if the other decided to just storm off, leaving the other one alone.

Looking around, all the other couples slowly start to slow dance with each other. A new one coming off of the side lines and onto the floor every few seconds. Freak eyeballs him, then slowly lifts up her arms and onto his shoulders. Not looking him in the eye. In fact, she looks everywhere but him. The ceiling was interesting this evening.

He rolls his eyes at her. He was so sick of her acting like a little teenage girl. Although, he thinks he's no better. The two of them dance in silence until the song is almost over. 

“I’m sorry,” He says suddenly, breaking the tension. “I’m sorry for all of it.”

She blinks at him, tilting her head to the side. She wasn’t expecting that to come from him so easily. 

“I was just- It was- I haven’t…” He trips over his tongue trying to find the right words to say. 

He takes a deep breath, looking her in her eyes. 

The song switches to “You Make Me Feel So Young” By Frank Sinatra. They usually played Frank this time of night before the older couples decided to turn in.

“I’m an asshole, and I’ve always been an asshole. And I know that now and I’m trying to be kinder and to adapt but I don’t know what to do or what to say or how to even exist…” He trails off, looking over to the side of the club.

“I get it,” She says, smiling softly. He turns back to her as she continues “I have a hard time feeling like a real person too.”

He looks down at her outfit, his voice getting quieter, his eyes becoming heavy.

You make me feel so young

You make me feel there are songs to be sung

Bells to be rung

And a wonderful fling to be flung

“You look so beautiful.” He says.

“Thank you,” She says, her eyes watering, her throat dry.

She doesn’t think anyone has ever said that to her in her life.

He thinks he's never said it and meant it before in his whole life. Not until now. This was the first time in his life he's ever felt it. The first time in a hundred years. When he looked into the eyes of someone and had the answers to every question he’s ever asked. 

And even when I'm old and gray

I'm gonna feel the way I do today

'Cause you make me feel so young

“I’m sorry,” He starts, resting his forehead on hers. “This is the closest to home I’ve ever felt. I’m such an asshole.”

She looks up into his eyes with a misty glimmer, a devious gaze. One that holds the whole world within it. A soul pouring out into another. And he caught all of it in the palm of his hands.

She leans up and places a gentle kiss on his lips. He’s reluctant at first, but slowly begins to smile into it.

This felt like home.

Masterlist | Taglist | Episode 7

Taglist: @sl33pylilbunny @Lanassmarty @Sydneyyyya @1-800shootmeplease@muhahaha303@nancymcl@speedyrebelfan@ghh05ttt@agentorange9595@let-me-luve-you @peachytits @darkdahl @deans-spinster-witch @soggybasementfries @ladysparkles78 @madamthemoo @lyarr24@sadlittlecountess @mickaelly007 @mrscountryclub @vtheoneandonly @decadentanchorwerewolf @wonderland2022@buckybarnes-1917@rebeccathefangirl@daisy-the-quake @tiredbibi @greyish-wallpaper@previousloversandmuses@is-this-a-febreze-commercial@justrealizedimmascifygurl@broimamy@freewastelandstrawberry@breadsgalore@savagemickey03@franblaq6466@lustendreams@atinylittlebee @VtheOneandOnly

[streaminn]

Song 1: Shine your Star (Prod. By ZICO)

Real quick, let's talk details

I've been listening to shine your star and I was like, yknow who a real star is? The bride, in her wedding

Then wabam, this came to be!

I'm unoriginal asf, so the first thing I did was legit drape a fur coat on Wednesday. Her dress is also based on what she wore for the Raven as well! Her veil is also connected to a band of thorns, rose thorns to be exact. Morticia helped make them.

Doesn't she look happy? Not surprising, she's getting married after all.

Enid meanwhile, was made straight from memory. Her hair is based alot on Emma Myers and so is what she wears! It's that yellow suit she did for a magazine if I remember correctly but enough of the outfit-

Let's talk abt eyes, for the peeps who have been with me long enough, grimwolves or Enid have this neat ability to shift at will or if triggered by an emotion, shift to respond to that

So.. That lil fuzz along her jaw? It's not just shitty line art yall. The claws? While it can give an easy manicure, it's a lil too sharp no?

Awh, wednesday is getting married! That's so cute, congrats to the couple :D

She's not getting married to Enid.

We all know that.

Anyways, this is for a spin off to my au streamer Enid! Where she has a twin that Wednesday marries and welllll.. Enid doesn't take it too well

But it's okay, she can just imagine that she is the one Wednesday is walking too.

Fun fact! Enid may look like she's on the right but if you see them from the back she's actually on the left. The opposite side from the groom :)

[heckhellstuff]

Big thanks to the peeps who wanted to hear more about my version of the Guide

Headcanons and story stuff under the cut

First things first - Because this AU focuses mostly on my made up backstory I had to give her a name

Emma Van de Laar is what I settled with A Priestess from Holland born sometime in the 1400's Devout woman her entire life

Unfortunately for her everything supernatural seemed to disagree with her peaceful lifestyle - The most notable incidents being her run-ins with vampires and beasts alike

When she was 25 a Strigoi made it's way into her home, impersonating her beloved dog who went missing few days prior Then in her late 40's she was forcefully turned by a Vampire

Being turned into a creature of the night caused great distress, faith was all she had her whole life, she couldn't bear to lose it

It took 20+ very painful years but she managed to regain her faith in spite of her vampirism Trying to put her life back on tracks she once again took up her position as the head of the local Church

Fast forward 300 years things started getting a little boring Emma started yearning for all of the things she's missed

This is when what I call the Party Girl Era sets in Accidentally joined a cult And all of the things mentioned in her therapy session with Laszlo happened

Which brings me to the most worked on part of this AU Her relantionship with Van Helsing

I asked myself ""How fucked up would it be if they actually loved each other ?"" Here's the story I put together

Van Helsing was sent back to Holland by the Church - they heard some vampires might be targeting the local Priestess What they didn't know is that Emma is the vampire seen in the area

When Abraham arrived Emma was slightly shapeshifting to hide her most noticeable vampiric features She knew he was a vampire slayer

They spent around two months just kinda hanging out together During that time Abraham slowly fell in love with the holy woman It didn't take long for Emma to feel the attraction as well

But uh oh - then there was the accidental reveal Emma burnt herself on Abraham's silver ring (while they were flirting no less) Mortified by the possible consequences of her slip up she tried to escape

When Abraham caught up, instead of killing her, he tried to talk things out A lot of feelings spill out during that conversation Fed up with the tension, Emma makes a move and that's how their affair starts

A bunch of trust building later and they do end up being an actual couple Would love to show the comic I made for this but it's like 38 panels long and Tumblr would piss itself In total they spend five years together before everything goes to hell

Hell started when the Vampiric Council finally had enough of Emma's bs Forcefully seperated her and Abraham Took her to America And drilled into her mind for so long she dissociated so hard she ended up getting amnesia After successfully rooting her into the Council's system she got the position of the Guide

Abraham didn't want to give up on his beloved and spent years searching for her Unfortunately... When he found Emma it wasn't her anymore The brilliant woman he once knew was no longer there

After that point the timeline starts lining up with the Show Some things do differ but it's not anything major until the Nightclub comes around

Obviously Guidja happens in this AU With the backstory I gave the Guide their dynamic is really fun to mess around with

Oh and lastly What the hell is a Strigoi ??

Basically: vampire 2 electric boogaloo I thought it would be fun if there were different species of vampiric creatures

Strigoi have some interesting folklore attached to them It was super fun to mess around with and bend in all sorts of directions

Emma is actually a Vampiric Strigoi which is one of the four Strigoi variants I put together Which basically means she's not really a vampire but something closely related

My idea for making her a Strigoi comes from the Show and folklore Strigoi seem to be put into a similar category as Wraiths and apparently they can learn magic ?? So that was a super easy connection to make

I have a lot of different design notes for my version of bestie Guide too but this mess is already way too long

So I'll end it with songs that were a huge inspiration when I started working on this AU

Powerwolf: Sacramental sister, My will be done, Midnight Madonna, Demons are a girls best friend, Reverent of rats Ghost: Cirice, Mary on a cross

[mod-bubamon]

I think I'm finally getting back i to pokemon...slowly. also my lil siblings got me hooked back on ben 10 so here's a cosplay of sorts with vinny, grace and emma i just doodled :p

Vinny the human belongs to @ask-guardian-gallade and is ben 10! Or Ven 10

Grace is dressed as ghost freak [Ectonurite] And Emma is four arms [tetramand]

Also reblog idea for fellow ben 10 and poke ask peeps, reblog this with your oc turned into a ben 10 alien cause that would be neat.

[dark-frosted-heart]

3rd King of the Beast Collection (short?) summaries - all

These stories are based on their promises for the election.

🦌 Keith - It's annoying how good the bully is at getting what he wants

Emma finds Keith hunched over his desk writing something and it doesn't seem like he's noticed that she's in his room. She goes to take a look and in that moment, alter!Keith calls her out for peeping. Emma tries to explain that she was curious and alter!Keith asks if she wants to take a look. Except when she reaches for the journal, he hold it out of his reach and taps his lips. He wants her to beg. The light kiss that Emma gives him is not enough and alter!Keith demonstrates the kind of kiss he wants from her, one with a lot of tongue. Emma tries her best and alter!Keith asks if she wants to see the jorunal that badly. Emma replies that she wants to know more about him, and she can't help it if he's purposely keeping it from her.

Alter!Keith then says that Emma's fallen for his trap, causing the latter to wonder if he made a show of writing on purpose. Then she recalls how she hadn't spent with this Keith the day before. Suddenly, she's become adorable in his eyes.

The journal's a diary that both Keiths use to write about Emma, with Keith being the one to write more often. Hearing that the contents are embarrassing to read makes Emma even more curious than ever. Alter!Keith makes Emma beg again and the desire to satisfy him lights a fire in the woman. She gently bites his thumb that's on her lower lip.

🐻 Luke - Teddy bears are the best

Luke and Emma are making stuffed animals to donate to the orphanage. Emma marvels at how cute the ones Luke made are and how they're so much fluffier. After getting some tips, the two go back to making the stuffed animals and Emma sees Luke hold up a kind-looking teddy bear. It's the cutest out of them all and the sleepy look reminds her of Luke. Seeing the sparkle in her eyes, Luke asks if she wants the bear. While Emma does, the children come first. The joy on their faces is more important. Luke then asks if she's fine with that. Is she really, really, fine with it.

Emma picks up a rabbit and uses it to talk to him, asking if the kids will like them. Luke responds back with the bear, responding that they definitely will since Emma put her heart and soul into them. They're as cute as the person who made them. He then brings the bear close and makes it look like it's kissing the rabbit. The two continue playing and talking with the stuffed animals when Luke suddenly kisses Emma. His excuse is that he's imitating the stuffed animals. With her permission, Luke kisses her repeatedly. He thinks they should take a break. The kisses become more intense and Luke starts to get handsy.

A few days later, the day to deliver the stuffed animals arrives. Luke wakes up first, looks at a sleeping Emma, and puts a package topped with a ribbon by her. The most important thing to him is seeing Emma happy. He waits for her to wake up, imagining the smile on her face.

🐍 Sariel - Sariel's secret treasure

Emma goes to Sariel's office to deliver some documents when she sees his desk drawer half open. She's about to close it when she notices a canvas in side. As she's about to take a look, Sariel catches her. Emma asks about the canvas and why it's in the drawer. Sariel explains that it's his own little secret. He can tell she's curious gets this dangerous smile on his face. He'll let Emma see it if she keeps it a secret from others.

Before showing her, Sariel tells her that it's a portrait of the princes in their childhood. Emma realizes that she's never seen any childhood portraits of the princes and Sariel explains that because of the princes' complex childhoods, there was never a good time to have portraits be done. This portrait he has was done in secret.

Emma then asks if there's a portrait of Sariel from when he was young. He says that's not something interesting to see, which means that it exists! Emma stars at him with hope in her eyes and he sighs in surrender. The twins had actually found out about the portrait he commissioned so they wanted one of Sariel done too. Sariel's embarrassed to show her but he will if she gives him something of equal value in exchange. There's an evil glint in his eyes as he tilts Emma's chin and tells her the he'll show her when she feels as embarrassed as him. Emma touches his cheek. They have an agreement. Sariel kisses her to signal the start of an evening of debauchery.

🦅 Jin - Wanted! Jin's handmade sweets

Emma and Jin are enjoying tea with some pastries they had bought in town. Emma's enjoying the food a lot and Jin chuckles at how well she eats. He loves watching her eat and so feeds her his share. He wants to feed her more. Jin says he should've bought all the pastries and Emma worries about table space. She only wants to eat her favorites and the ones that catch her interest.

Emma asks Jin if there were ever times when he wanted to eat sweets but couldn't. What does he do then? Jins replies that when he's going to be out of the castle for an extended period of time, he'll bring some that he knows won't go bad for a while. If he runs out, he'll make his won. Emma perks up at that. Jin says that he doesn't make anything spectacular. He makes do with what ingredients he has.

The image of Jin baking makes Emma smile and she asks if he could bake her something some time. Jin replies that she'd be better off eating sugar straight, but Emma insists. He can't refuse her. Emma tells him that she'll make some sweets in exhange, but Jin doesn't think his are worthy of exchanging with hers. It's worth it to Emma though, plus it's full of his love. Jin asks her to let him practice first and then he'll feed her until she's satisfied.

🐶 Rio - I'll do anything for you, you know?

Rio wheels in a wagon of tea and cakes into Emmas room and sees her poring over a thick book. Emma explains that she's reading a book on foreign princes as a refresher. She wants to work hard as his fiancee. Rio notices that there's so many books stacked up that it'd be a disaster if they toppled over. There's a lot of people for Emma to learn about, but because the information's so spread out, she has a lot to go through. Rio tells her that he knows of a book that has only info about the princes. He'll bring it to her next time. You can almost hear a sound effect with Rio's wink.

Int he meantime, Emma should take a break and have some tea. And since she's supposed to be resting, he'll feed her. As she's enjoying the cake, Rio licks the corner of her lip and agrees that it's good. Emma's heart can't handle it so she'll feed herself. Aww, but Rio wanted to make her heart race more. Emma’s heart has had enough, thanks. Oh no, he’s giving her puppy eyes. She'll let him pamper her for just a little bit longer.

Some days later, Rio comes by with a book, but Emma feels uneasy as she opens it. Why is it handwritten? Moreover, why does the handwriting look like Rio's? Rio looks at her with eyes filled with joy; yep, it's a book he made specially for Emma to use. This way, she can spend less time on other princes. It wasn't too much work for him since it meant helping her out. Emma gives him a hug and kiss as thanks. She'll give him kisses until he's satisfied. Rio tells her that he doesn't mind her learning about other princes, but how about some more Rio first?

🐈 Yves - This magic's only for you

While Emma's getting her hair brushed by Yves, she asks him if he makes his own clothes since he makes hers. The question came to her after she saw some designs on the table. Of course he does, he replies. The designed the outfit he's currently wearing. He knows best how to dress to make himself stand out, though the tailoring's done by a court craftsman. Emma asks if there's any outfits he's made completely by hand. That's how he made her clothes.

Yves' thought about designs for his brothers too, but tailoring-wise, he only makes clothes for Emma. When he's done with his current designs for his brothers, he'll show her. Emma tries to hold in her curiosity but the sad look on her face makes Yves huff. He'll show her if she does something for him in return. He's got some new clothes for her to try.

Yves lays outs some outfits on his bed and tells Emma that he'll dress her himself, which surprises her. As Yves goes to remove her nightgown, Emma holds it to her chest in embarrassment. Yves tells her that he can't undress her if she does that. She's acting like this is the first time he's done this. Emma focuses on calming her heart as she watches Yves undress her and put on the new outfit. As Emma looks at herself in the mirror, Yves hugs her from behind. Just by holding her, he's thinking of more designs. There's still more outfits for Emma to try and she won't get to see his designs until she's tried them all.

🦁 Leon - Your personal dress-up doll for the day

Leon and Emma are at a clothing store they reserved. Leon's holding clothes and accessories that he thinks would look good on Emma, but the latter reminds him that they're at the store to pick out clothes for him. She wants to see him in a different outfit. Emma looks at the men's section and holds some shirts up. Leon looks good in anything so she's in a bit of a pickle. She never thought it'd take so long to choose a top and Leon reminds her that there's also pants and shoes to match. Accessories too, Emma adds. It's going to take forever to coordinate his outfit.

Leon can't help but kiss Emma over and over. Emma stops him, embarrassed since they're in a store. And if he continues, Emma won't be able to pick out an outfit. Leon apologizes but he doesn't look sorry at all. Emma holds the shirts against Leon and thinks about what would go well with each shirt. Leon suggests trying each outfit. As Emma reaches for a hat that'd go well with one of the shirts, Leon hugs her from behind. That's why he didn't get the hat for her earlier.

Leon's feeling really happy at the fact that Emma's thinking a lot about him and then tells her that he won't bother her anymore. As an apology, he'll try on all the outfits she's picked out. Well then Emma's going to dress him up like a doll. Leon pats her head to assure her that he's okay with it. He's planned on being with her until she's satisfied. Leon spins Emma around and kisses her again. He then asks if she'll let him kiss her after every outfit. Emma replies that she'll allow it if he doesn't do anything too embarrassing. Leon makes no promises.

🖤🐯 Gilbert - If you want to be trampled, come here

Just a moment ago, Emma was reading a romance novel given by Gilbert when said man plucks it out of her hands and asks if she only wants him in her sights and to be trampled by him. He closes the distance with her and she doesn't know what to make of the situation. Gilbert explains that he's the only one in her line of sight. Guess Emma will just keep staring. They stare at each other for a while and Emma starts to feel a bit embarrassed from the staring. One, because she's beautiful. Two, because he's someone she loves and staring at him for even just a little bit makes her heart race. Unable to stand it any longer, Emma looks away but her gaze is turned back to him by a cold finger. Gilbert tells her to keep her eyes on him. He caresses her cheek and nibbles her lips as punishment.

The two stare at each other again, but Emma's again unable to stand it. Gilbert kisses her cheek and trails down her neck, teeth grazing her skin. Emma tries to back away, but Gilbert hugs her close. Her hand brushes against the book she was reading and remembers that she was at a good part before it was taken away. Gilbert calls her out for spending a lot of time thinking while with hm. Emma tells him that she's thinking about him and wondering why he asked that question earlier about being trampled while having only him in her sights. Gilbert tells her to change "him" to "her". Emma's about to say that she wants to be trampled with only him in her sights, but stops. She doesn't want to get trampled!

Gilbert asks if she has an answer to why he's doing this. Emma has a guess: she was too engrossed in the book that she ignored him. Emma then yelps when he bites her shoulder. She finally realized it. Jealous as always, Emma thinks. But she finds herself smiling and apologizes. She'll read later. Emma wants to make it up to him, perhaps make him some sweets. There's time to bake him a cake. However, Gilbert's not letting her go anywhere and he cups her cheeks. She won't be able to look at him if she bakes. Did she lie about wanting to be trampled just then? He squeezes her tight to the point of it being painful. It's going to be a fun day for him and Emma's not exactly opposed.

💎🐶 Silvio - A gaudy box packed with love and a red face

Emma's out in town on a date with Silvio when she sees some commotion going on at a corner. Silvio tells her it's a raffle using tickets based on the amount of money spent while shopping. That explains the one Emma got. The top prize is a beautiful tea set. Emma asks Silvio if she can try it out and he tells her to go ahead. It looks like she's enjoying the whole concept.

Emma ends up drawing the 8th prize with is just a participation award, a discount coupon to use in town. She goes back to Silvio and tells her what she got. He says that getting the top prize isn't easy, but Emma thought she'd be able to draw it because Silvio was with her as her lucky charm. Silvio tells her that she's got a lot of nerve and ruffles her hair before asking if she wants to pull again. Emma responds that once is enough. Even though she did want the tea set, she 's more into the thrill of pulling.

A few days later, Silvio visits Emma's room with a fancy box. It's a raffle box he made that he thought would be useful for business. Emma wonders if he made it because of how much fun Emma had with the raffle in town. She tells him that she'd be happy to test it out. Silvio's prepared some prizes too. Nothing too expensive since he knows she wouldn't accept them. The prizes are something he knows she'd enjoy. He stumbles over his words when asked about what he thinks would make her happy. Emma goes to pull but Silvio stops her because he's changed his mind. Emma asks if one of the prizes involves Silvio. Perhaps a coupon to have a drink with him, or words of love from him. Embarrassed, Silvio tells her to knock it off. Emma gives him a few kisses on the cheek for knowing what she wants and steals the box from him. She goes to pull as he tries Silvio tries to get it back from her.

🦊 Nokto - The most extreme night together

After a party, Emma and Nokto retire to Nokto's room. Looks like he's not going to let Emma sleep at all. Except he's just joking. Emma's had a little too much to drink. He leaves the bed to get some water and Emma lets out a small whine. She hopes he didn't hear her. It looks like he didn't, given how he continues on pouring a glass of water. Going from being touched so much by Nokto just then to him suddenly leaving her side fills Emma with a sense of loneliness.

As Emma drinks the glass of water, she's confused by this feeling in her chest. She can't believe she's upset that Nokto's not touching her because he's taking care of her. Turns out Nokto did hear her whine and knows she yearns for his touch. Emma turns redder than before. Nokto notices a hungry look on her. Did she not have enough? Emma tries to deny it but Nokto knows it's a lie. Emma calls him a bully and he replies that he would've granted her wish if she answered honestly.

Nokto runs a finger along her body while coaxing the answer out of her. He dodges her hand that reaches out for him and taps her lips. He wants to hear it from her. Emma gets up from the bed and ends up stumbling. Nokto catches her and points out how drunk she is. Emma takes this chance to kiss him. Nokto asks if she stumbled on purpose. Yep, it was revenge. She didn't want him to leave the bed and wants them to go at it one more time. Nokto asks if this boldness is coming from her being drunk. Regardless, he'll do what she wants and pushes her down on the bed.

🐺 Licht - Pictures of memories and a very difficult quiz

Licht's quizzing Emma on the thing she drew in a sketchbook. Emma looks at a picture of what looks like four legs sticking out of a yellow body and asks if it's a fox. Nope, it's chair. She can see it now after hearing the answer. Licht tightens his hold on Emma's waist. So far, she's gotten every drawing wrong. Next, Licht points at a brown oval. Emma asks if it's a table since the last drawing was a chair. Nope, a cat. Licht gives her a couple of kisses and smiles. Even though Emma got everything wrong, he's in a good moon. She wonders if this quiz is an excuse to be touchy with her.

Licht's about to go to the next picture but stops. It's a picture he drew with Yves and Nokto. Emma says the three must have been close as kids. Licht replies that Yves' always worried over them. He recalls Yves saying how he wanted to bake cookies based on the picture and the three did end up making cookies together. Not every drawing though; Licht points out which ones became cookies. Well, Yves did the baking. The twins helped, with Licht doing the cleanup. It must be a good memory because of how Licht's smiling.

Licht goes to the next page and Emma sees a bunch of overlapping purple circles. Emma asks if they're grapes. Finally, she got one right. Licht goes "this sucks" and pulls her in for a deep kiss. Emma asks what he meant and he tells her that the drawing was done by Nokto. He kisses her again and asks her to guess his drawing next time. If she gets it wrong, he'll do something more extreme. With the grapes being the last drawing in the sketchbook, Licht gets a quill and starts drawing in the book. He'll do his best to draw something Emma can guess. Emma in turn will do her guess to guess.

🐆 Clavis - Love storage expansion plan!

Clavis has given Emma presents in various situations and each time, Emma gets excited. However, recently, she's been feeling troubled. One day, Clavis enters her room and announces that he has an extraordinary gift for her. It's a lot heavier than she thought. Tearing the wrapping apart reveals an oddly patterned clay figure. The first time she got a clay figure from Clavis, she was confused. But now, she finds them adorable.

Clavis can tell something's bothering her. Emma apologizes and explains that she was trying to figure out where to display it. She's running out of space. She wants to display them properly since they're all precious gifts to him. Clavis has one more present for her then. A closet that can hold 100 clay figures. Emma asks if he's going to use an empty room. Currently, there aren't any rooms large enough to fit the figures. Clavis says he'll have a new room with sturdy shelves built. He's going to make an elaborate closet. He continues to spout off ideas and Emma stops him. She'd love to have more space to display her gifts but an extension's just too much. Clavis suggests Emma pay a fair price for the extension so that she doesn't feel bad about it. He pushes her down on the bed and ties her hands with the ribbon from the present. Clavis asks if he can receive Emma like this and she tells him not to bother asking since he already has her. Clavis reminds her that he's a gentleman so Emma tells him that he can do as he pleases. He assures her that she'll enjoy herself too.

A few days later, some noises in the castle makes Emma leave her room. Wow, Clavis really did go and start building an extension. She sees the man directing the construction. As usual, Clavis does things on a grand scale. Emma's never seen another person go to such lengths for their fiancee. Emma's so filled with love that she squeezes Clavis in a tight hug. She loves him so much and can't wait to fill the closet with clay figures.

🐯 Chevalier - I'll go along with it until you're satisfied

One afternoon, Emma visits Chevalier's room and asks him if she can read a book to her. It's the first time she's ever asked him to do something like this and she waits nervously for his answer. Chevalier notices that it's a book written in an archaic language. Emma explains what the book's about and how she's tried to read it before, but there are a lot of parts she doesn't understand. Chev gestures for her to sit and asks why she's so surprised. She did ask him to read the book to her. Emma just didn't expect him to grant her request so easily.

Emma can't control her happiness but tries to calm herself. It'd be embarrassing if he found out about her true intentions. Chev has a condition. He pulls her onto his lap and wraps his arms around her. Her seat while he reads. Seeing the look on her face, he asks if she's disappointed. Emma stutters out that she's happy but internally wonders if he knows what she had planned. While it's true that Emma has trouble reading the book, what she really wanted was listening to Chev's voice. Emma turns nervously and meets his gaze. he asks if he should start from the beginning. Emma can't believe he's actually going to read the book and is feeling nervous. And over the moon.

Wait, she doesn't hear his voice. She looks up at him and is met with a surprise kiss. He smirks, returns his gaze to the book, and starts reading. In contrast to him reading calmly, Emma's sitting there with her heart racing. His low voice is relaxing. Emma holds her blushing cheeks as he puts his lips by her ear. Chev says it's just like her to get so happy and restless from something like this. Emma replies that it's only natural since he's reading a book to her. Chevalier knows that's not the case. She can feel him smiling. He'll have her get used to it and tells her to think about the next book for him to read before he finishes the current one. It's embarrassing to know that Chev can easily see through her desires, but she's glad she asked. As Emma fidgets at Chev's voice in her ear, she wonders how much more her heart can take.

[sofasoap]

First step

Pairing: König x  f!Reader ( OC aka Mini MacTavish ) + Simon " Ghost" Riley + John " Soap " MacTavish

Summary: Unexpected coffee date with your teddy bear.

sequel to "You are very huggable" .

Warning: M rated. swearings, violence, mention of alcohol consumption ( be responsible drinker peep.) mature themes. English isn’t my first language, apologise for mistakes.

A/Note : This is part of the world what I dubbed “ Mini MacTavish Universe”. Inspired by  @saltofmercury ’s “ “The Favorite MacTavish”. Highly recommended to read her brilliant story first to get an idea to the backstory of this series.

 “masterlist” for more stories to this Mini MacTavish expanded verse.

DING!

With your face buried into your pillow, you groaned at the loud notification waking you up from a fitful sleep. Blindly waving your hands towards the bedside table, you manage to swipe few random stuff off it before you grab hold of your phone.

Turning your face towards the side you saw a new message from unknown number. opening it up, it's a image of a large hand with a little wooden teddy bear. You have absolutely no idea who in the hell will send you a random picture of a wooden bear at this not-so-early morning.

You see the sender must be still online as the little typing bubble appearing and disappearing. You decided to wait for a little bit to see what the sender got to say, but after 10 minutes, nothing came through.

Ignoring the message for now, you push yourself to sit up ( which you realise it a very bad move ) you feel the room spinning a bit. Those God damn alcohol you drank last night is starting to catch up. Mentally slap yourself for not drinking enough water, You shuffle towards the door to search for water in the kitchen.

Soap was relaxing on the couch with TV on low volume, while Ghost had his back to you sitting at the dining table, mask pulled up and sipping on tea.

Both men greeted you after seeing you slowly making your way to the kitchen cabinet in search of some miracle cure that will get rid of your half dead state.

"How you feeling this morning?"

" Terrible. I should have drank more water last night."

"Hell slap it intae ye! Told you to go easy on the Scotch and not downing it like water. " Soap interjected as you reply Ghost's question.

" Can you lower your voice you bampot, my head hurts your voice is gonna make me boke."

"Ohhh She’s pure grabbiit the day."

"... English , MacTavish."

" Dar ye knapp ony leid ither than English Simon." You retorted.

Ghost smirked into his tea and turn towards the window. You drop two electrolyte tablets into your glass of water and went sat down beside your brother.

" Where is Emma? She should be back from her night shift. You didn't bother her did you?"

" She's sleeping. She nearly stepped onto my head when she came into the room, gave me a mighty fright."

".... I did tell you not to sleep with your head towards the front door so many times, and I think you might have frighten her more than YOU getting scared."

" Well I did apologise to the bonnie and she got another fright when Simon turned to face her."

" argh my fault. I forgot to tell her BOTH of you were staying over last night."

" So what is the plan for today?" You ask soap as you sipping on your drink slowly, not to make yourself nauseous.

" Simon and I are heading back to the barrack today, You?"

" I need to go into town, Ma ordered something for Da's 60th and she wants me to pick it up from Oxford Street. Can you guys drop me somewhere close to there please?"

" Get ready in five and I will think about it."

Rolling your eyes, you gave him a kiss on the cheek and hurried back to your room to get ready to go out.

" Thanks for dropping me off boys, Johnny, remember Da's birthday is in 4 weeks time."

" I'll see what I can do. Take care."

" Safe driving!"

Waving his hand the boys drove off. you hurried off to complete the list of task your mother wanted you to do for the upcoming party for your father.

Going around the corner, you accidently bumped into a group of suspicious looking men, dropping few of your stuff on the floor.

" Watch it bitch!" gruff man growled at you.

" Sorry!" You apologised and quickly drop down to pick up the stuff scattered across the floor. Another man grabbed you by your arm and pull you up roughly.

" Apology isn't enough woman, give us what's in your bag."

Great, bunch of crackheads is now trying to rob you? fist clenching tight, you were ready to strike the men the face, with house key between your fingers ( gotta thank Johnny later for teaching you few self defence tricks, you thought).

" Let her go." Suddenly a low voice appeared behind the men, you looked up, to your surprise, it was König. with his same simple black mask on from last night, turtle neck, long black trench coat, tight black denim jeans and combat boot on, piercing blue eyes he look every inch of a soldier, a predator ready to pounce towards his enemy.

König slowly and surely stride towards you and the group of men, Towering over them, two of the men coward in fear, the third man who was still holding onto you arm sneered at him ( must be still high on drug, you concluded ) " And what you gonna do, you freak?"

All of sudden the man got yanked up by his neck and thrown onto the wall. König pulled you behind him, shielding you from the other two criminals, " Anyone else want to face their death?" You trembled at his cold tone, he is definitely not the quiet, socially awkward man you saw last night, not the big huggable teddy bear that froze in your embrace. Part of you think back to what Johnny had said to you ;

" they are contracted killers. Don't get close to them." Is this what they are like on the battlefield, ready to kill at any enemy insight, without mercy. Part of you is afraid, but part of you also feel sad this is the life your brother has chosen.

The two men left scrambled and ran, left their unconscious mate behind on the sidewalk. Turning back to you, König's expression soften.

"Liebling, are you OK? Sorry if I scared you.. " hands hovering your arm, not daring to touch you, mistaking your adrenaline high tremor as a sign of fear, he was ready back off and let you be.

Grabbing onto his arm to stop him , " Wait König... Thank you for saving me," lightly squeeze his bicep, you can see him blushing just above his face mask " Can I treat you to a coffee? probably not enough as a thanks you.."

" oh Um. Ah. I .. I would love to."

" Great! I know a great cafe not far from here. Come on." Pulling him along, you took a look at the unconscious thug on the ground, " Oh I better call the ambulance for him.. "

"... Why? " confusion and you can see a flash of coldness came and went as he ask you.

' König, I am a health care worker, i swore an oath to help people, criminal or not. Besides," You look at the thug again " I'll just tell the paramedic that he was on a high and tripped himself on the kerb and knock himself out. Don't worry, I won't dob you in. " You pat his chest lightly and took out your phone to call the ambulance.

Within 10 min, the ambulance came around, and you know one of them from the emergency room that you work in.

" Hey girl! surprised it's you that called the 000. What happen to the guy?"

" Oh. Um. uh, My friend and I saw him tripping on the Kerb and knock himself out... all his vitals seems to be stable though." You look at König nervously as you try to tell bit of lie.

" Your friend..?... OH" Jane the paramedic followed your sight to the extremely tall König who is standing beside you, fidgeting nervously. Looking at how your arm is now hooked around his, she smiled and said " Alright, we will take it over from here. Thank you for reporting. I will let you two get on with your.... date."

Before you can reply she turned back to her colleague and proceed to treat the man.

" Come on , let's go König. " you pull him slightly. Leaving the scene both of you walk towards the cafe.

"What would you like to drink?"

" Mocha with cream on top.. you sure you going to buy me a coffee? I can buy one for you.."

Your eyebrow raised surprised with his choice but you didn't comment on it. " Ah nonsense, you saved me today, this is the least I can do. Do you prefer sitting outside? the sun is quite nice this afternoon."

" If you don't mind. There's too many people inside.." his eyes darting left and right with the crowd inside the cafe.

" Alright, can you find a seat for us then? I will go and order."

Ten minutes later, you came back with coffee in hands, you saw him twirling with something small in his hand, as you approach he quickly stash it away into his pocket and stood up to grab the coffee off you, and gently place it on the table.

Both of you sipping on the coffee in silence, he pull his mask down each time to take a sip, you couldn't really see his whole face. You did notice he has really beautiful blue eyes, strong aquiline nose from what you can see when he pull his mask down quickly, slightly crock though, maybe he broke his nose before on a mission? You thought to yourself as your eyes roam around his face. Poor boy face is all red with your stare.

Breaking the silence you decided to try open a conversation.

" So what are you doing in town today?"

" oh.. um. We are due to fly out tomorrow to go back to each of our country base... So .. I thought I want to find my mama a little souvenir. She wanted a specific scone her friend was gushing about when they came to London for a holiday last year.. Um... how.. about you?" Quickly hiding his face in coffee after the question, you chuckled " Well, I am running errand for my mum, she is trying to organise my Pa's up coming birthday party. I guess both of us are doing stuff for our parents eh?"

"hehe.. um.. yea. "

Both of you ended up going around and complete the chore for both of your mothers, he even walked you to the train station at end of the day.

" So.. this is me. Thank you for spending the afternoon with me. I hope I didn't stress you out too much. And thanks again for saving me." You notice he was fidgeting with something again in his pocket.

" You are welcome... um.. I.. I... " He took out whatever he was playing around and put it in your hand. the wooden bear.

Oh. now you know who sent you the message this morning.

That's right, in your drunken state last night after Ghost hauled you indoor you scribbled down your phone number and made Gaz promise he will pass it onto König.

"little teddy bear...did you carve this yourself ??" you brought your hand up and look at the little intricate details. Who can guess with his large hand he can carve something so small and delicate?

" Ja.. I like to carve things as a hobby, my Opa.. um grandpa taught me some wood working skills and carving when I was a boy.."

" Thank you so much! I was wondering who sent me the message this morning." you chuckled. You put your shopping bags on the ground and gave him a hug.

" You are too sweet my big teddy bear. I WILL treasure this." you teased him. You felt him going bit stiff and tremble a bit.

" Would you mind, Can I, If I can.. um. keep texting you?"

" Sure! Oh my train is arriving soon. Better run. Bye König, keep in touch!"

" Bye... Liebling."

" How was your date? Jane messaged me. she said you were with a big tall hunk this afternoon."

" It's not a date. We just ran into each other and went and had a coffee and went shopping and I help him with few stuff." Damn Jane, word travelled fast. You rolled your eyes replying Emma and deliberately left out the incident that happened this afternoon.

" But you went for coffee together. that's something people do on their first date right?"

".. I suppose."

Three weeks later, just before you head back up to Scotland for your father's 60th birthday, you received a parcel that was addressed to you. There was no sender address, but the parcel came from Austria.

Carefully unwrapping the box, there was a set of wooden cup and a wooden folding knife, with very intricate carving on the handle.

A note came with it

" For your father's birthday

König. "

König is a sweet boy when he isn't in killer mode.

[happilychaengs]

jihyo - like a fool

word count: 1,075

jihyo x gn!reader

i wrote this late at night so i apologize if it doesn't make much sense

you hated jihyo. you really did. sure people may ask how and you'd be reluctant to say anything and jeopardize her career but you couldn't just put into words how much you hated her. the gall on her to be able to leave you behind. to leave your daughter behind. to just waste years of your life and leave you alone to raise a child.

so when your doorbell rang at some ungodly hour and you looked through the peep hole, only anger coursed through your body. you were fuming. you aggressively pulled the door handle as you glared at her.

"what the fuck do you want?" you whispered as you leaned on the doorway.

"where's our daughter?" she asked as she tried peering behind you.

"why are you asking? so you can leave us again?" you asked as you closed the door behind you and stepped on the porch.

and then she said what you had hoped to hear almost 5 years ago. but now it was one that you most absolutely despised to hear. "no y/n. i want to come back. i want to raise her with-"

"you do not get to come back here after 5 years and tell me that you want to raise her. leave right now jihyo."

"no. let me see her! I have as much a part a life as-" she said adamantly as she stared directly into your eyes.

"save your shit!" you shouted, "i don't want to hear it! i have to lie straight to my daughter's face whenever she asks where her mom is and i didn't even know myself! so no jihyo. fuck you. you had your chance."

"you're not going to give emma the chance to have two parents?"

"no! you do not get to turn this on me! my daughter will be just fine without you involved in her life!"

your jaw clenched as you kept on going, "you had absolutely no effort to try and stay in her life! look at everything you missed! her birthdays! her first christmas! you obviously don't care jihyo! i don't know why you wanted to come back now of all times!"

"what's so wrong with wanting to stay in my daughter's li-" her argument got interupted by the door peering open and revealing a little girl in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes.

"oh god..." you muttered before kneeling down in front of her. "emma honey can you please go back inside?"

she just shook her head as she looked at jihyo, surprised and with eyes of wonder, "mommy?"

jihyo's eyes softened as she kneeled down beside you and pulled her closer, "hi darling."

as they released the hug, emma pulled at jihyo's sleeve, making her wonder what she wanted. "what is it darling?"

"can mommy come in?"

jihyo's eyes lit up as she got up before glancing over at you and seeing the fire in your eyes. "of course she can." you choked out with a fake smile plastered all over your face. you weren't one to deny your daughter like that. truth be told, you missed jihyo but you weren't going to tell her that ever. hell, you haven't even tried meeting someone new after she left.

you followed the two back into your house and sat on the chair facing the opposite of jihyo. emma had excitedly went to her room and wanted to show jihyo her drawings. she was a creative and bright kid. just like her mother.

"y/n." she spoke. "i know you hate me but... please... let me be in her life."

"tell me why." you spoke.

"why what?"

"why you left. why you wasted 5 years of my life. why you left me with a kid to raise myself."

she let out a small sigh as she started looking down and fidgeted with her fingers. "i wasn't ready. when i knew we were having a daughter, i knew that. i was terrified of what may happen to me and my job. i spent years working so hard and i... didn't want to risk losing that but now i know i was wrong. i-"

"mommy!" emma shouted as she ran back to jihyo, almost tripping up on her own two little feet. "look!" she said as she proudly displayed the drawing above her head. it was mostly scribbles and three stick figures but you knew exactly who it was.

"oh? what is this masterpiece darling?" jihyo asked as she gently took it out of her hands and looked at it. and you swore you could see stars in her eyes as she glanced over it.

"it's us!" emma shouted again as she propped up on the seat next to jihyo. "we live in a big house and we have a dog!"

"a dog?" you laughed, "where'd that come from?"

"i told her that before." jihyo said softly before looking up and meeting your eyes, "i always was busy and i thought she felt lonely sometimes and i said i'd get her a dog but you know... that didn't happen."

you just hummed knowingly as you interrupted, "i think it's time to go bed honey." emma let out a big whine as she hugged jihyo tightly, "but mommy will leave again!"

you were taken aback as you were almost at a loss of words. a 5 year old shouldn't say that. not ever. "no... no. she'll still be here. right jihyo?"

jihyo almost looked as surprised as you were, "... yes of course!"

thank god that's all the convincing she needed as she just huffed and reluctantly waddled to her room which was not far at all but you knew you'd have to tuck her into bed after you were done with whatever was going on right now.

jihyo held the drawing still in her hands as she glanced between it and you, finally making you realize that she just has gotten so much more beautiful over the years. "what did you mean by that...?"

"she misses you. i... miss you. i won't object anymore if you want to stay."

"wait wha-"

"but," you interrupted, "if you leave again, i will not forgive you. do you understand?"

she quickly nodded as only one question seemed to escape her lips even when after all these years, you could tell she had a million things to say. "do you really... miss me?"

"yes jihyo. i d-"

she quickly got up and hugged you tightly, almost taking the air out of you, "god... i'm such a fool to leave."

[love-songs-for-emma]

Shuffle your favorite playlist and post the first five songs that come up. Then copy/paste this ask to your favorite mutuals. 💌💛

OMG ty adrey!!! i love any excuse to share my music!!!!

songs BE SHUFFLED‼️

1. With A Little Help From My Friends (Remastered 2009) by the Beatles :3

2. death bed (coffee for your head) by Powfu & beabadoobee

3. How To Never Stop Being Sad by dandelion hands

4. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing by Jack Johnson

5. Ocean Man by Ween

HOLY COW. WHAT A GENUINE SHUFFLE ALCBKSCN USUALLY SPOTIFY IS SO BAD AT SHUFFLING WHAT!!!!! I love all of these songs actually omg

This was not apart of the task but im using this as an excuse to talk about these songs below the cut:

1. Beatles songs fill me with such warmth. Hugs. My sister loved them sm and anything my sister loved, I loved. She was ten years older than me. I was raised on the Beatles. Plus they remind me of my beloved emma ( @love-songs-for-maria ) and her family/her mom. My second family being a Beatles household is so nice c: I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends :')

2. There was a time period where i could Not stop listening to this song. I started making art about it back then; this is absolutely reminding me to finish it omg. Also, this song actually /sampled/ beebadoobee's song "coffee," it's not just like a song they made together. So check out "coffee" for a song about healing that makes me CRY and also feel like I'm being HUGGED. Love u beebadoobee

3. Wow. What a classic. How To Never Stop Being Sad was my ULTIMATE cry song when I was like 13. I still think about some of lines (it reads more like spoken word/poetry with backdrop) more as How To *Stop* Being Sad, yknow? Motivational. Like "Become a background character to your own motion picture" -> Be the main character in your life. Take up space. EXIST. ♡

4. The album this comes from, "In Between Dreams," sounds like childhood. Like sitting on the lil fold down square seats in the back of my dad's old lil red pickup truck as we drive to other side of the island to go dirtbike riding with my mom and brother. It's also become something I dont /have/ to associate with that. I got a vinyl record of it when I was about 15/16 and used to play it while dancing around the front room and making breakfast (various friends and partners over the years there or not). It's also mine. My solo drive peaceful music. Sittin, Waitin, Wishin :)

5. This is the sound of the Spongebob Squarepants Movie ending. That's it. That's what it is. First credits song. One of the rare movie endings where the credits actually go SO HARD and I actually prefer letting them play out. I watched this movie a billion times since it came out when I was a kid. The end credits when this plays show waves crashing and it looks like you're surfing and reminds me of Hawai'i, which is where I was still living when it first came out and I'd watch the DVD endlessly!! Perfect song. 0/0 notes. Ocean Man, Take Me By The Hand, Lead Me To The Land That You Understand

Lastly,, I probably would have skipped a song if I didn't like it bc I've been unliking a lot of my Liked Songs on Spotify lately so that my shuffle on Liked Songs is better and bam! There's the payoff! Didn't even skip one for this ask! Wahoo!

If anyone read this to the end, thanks for sharing these memories with me. :) Much love, always. I'll send this out to a few peeps, but if anyone wants it sent to them specifically so they too can be involved and/or ramble on, DM me/let me know! MWAH