#please look at this it took a while and I like them a lot

[multific]

Gifts and Cake

Emperor Geta x Reader

Summary: Your marriage was arranged but your love for each other was not.

Marrying him was not in your favour.

He took a liking to you at one of your father's parties and now, you were his wife.

Emperor Geta truly showed his other side to you.

While people saw a raging crazy man, he was kind and sweet with you.

An unmerciful ruler, but a kind husband.

He always made sure you had everything you wanted. 

And as your birthday approached, he came to you during the day.

Bursting into the room you currently sat, reading and eating fruit.

"Tomorrow is your birthday, My Darling Wife, I wish to know what it is that your heart desires?" his question was so sudden you froze for a moment.

"I believe I have everything because I have you, My Husband. But I do know you and you mean gifts, I simply wish for cake, you know my love for sweets and if it's not too much a new pet." you ended up saying.

"A pet? What kind? A tiger or lion perhaps?"

"No, nothing like that, I simply wish for a healthy kitten." 

"A kitten. Why a cat if I may I ask?" you watched as his face filled with confusion.

"I adore them, and I wish for a small companion to be with me when you can't." His eyes lit up at your words and a smile spread on his lips.. 

"My Sweet Darling!" he kissed your hand before darting out of the room you smiled at his actions. 

He left just as he arrived.

—-

The next morning came, you woke up to your husband missing from his side of your bed, but soon, he entered with servants.

All carried presents for you.

"My Love! This day is special, we celebrate your birth after all! To show my love for you, these are all presents from me." 

"Thank you!" you smiled as the servants placed all gifts around you and left, leaving you and your husband who eagerly watched you and waited for your reaction.

You began with a smaller box, it had a beautiful new ring inside.

"To match my own." Geta spoke up and you looked at him, seeing his hand you noticed the same ring on his pinky. 

"I really like it. Thank you."

You looked at all the presents which included a lot of different jewellery, dresses and sweet things.

"I really liked everything, Geta. Thank you." you smiled as he waved a finger at you.

"Not everything. Of course, we will hold a party tonight, there will be cake as I promised and I still have one gift for you." 

The entire day went by pretty usual.

During the evening as promised, there was a party held in your honour.

You had so many sweets and enjoyed the songs. Your husband was there as you laughed and enjoyed yourself.

Caracalla was another pleasant surprise with his lovely gift. He arranged for you and Geta a lovely bath in a popular bathhouse.

But most importantly, your husband finally gave you your last gift. 

"As promised, My Empress, your new pet. Name him as you please." a beautiful white kitten sat in Geta's arms. Such a small and gentle being.

You stood up from your seat and your husband handed you the kitten.

"Thank you, My Love. I'm very happy. Today has been the happiest." you said with a smile and a kiss to your husband's lips.

"It is only the beginning, we still have much wine to drink and we will head to our chambers." he whispered the last part into your ears, and you smiled at him once more.

"I truly love you, Geta."

"And I love you, My Empress." 

You sealed your love with a kiss.

Taglist: 

@castellandiangelo @imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl @manduse @jacalineiscomingforyou 

@mandoloriancookie @deliciousfestsalad @lilliumrorum @asgards-princess-of-mischief 

@fallout-girl219 @dracaryxzs @snowtargaryen 

~Masterlist~

ˇAO3ˇ

/YOU DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO TRANSLATE, TO STEAL OR TO REUPLOAD ANY OF MY WORKS TO THIS OR OTHER PLATFORMS/

[jobean12-blog]

Easy to Fall

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x female reader

Word Count: 2.3K

Summary: You and Bucky have been dating for a while but the tension is building and you both feel you’re ready for the next step.

Author’s Note: Love a shy and unsure Bucky! Especially when he finds his way and is just 🫠🤭and special thanks to Sam for his encouragement hehe 😏thank you all for reading! Much love always❤️❤️❤️ thank you lovely Daisy @firefly-graphics for the divider🥰

Warnings: soft sweetness, fluff, fun, flirting, tension, lots of kisses, fingering, some oral (f rec), p in v, smut

“Maybe you should have a drink or somethin’ before she comes over?”

At Sam’s sincere but pointless suggestion Bucky’s eyes lift from his phone and he just stares wide eyed.

“I wish that would help,” he says. “Maybe I should just cancel.”

“Buck,” Sam says, stepping around the kitchen island. “Don’t. You know you’ll kick yourself if you do that. You really like this girl. And it’s not the first time you’re hanging out. Why are you so nervous this time around?”

“That’s exactly it though. I really like this girl…”

Sam’s eyebrows meet his hairline. “And?”

“I’m gonna fuck it up. Things are good…really good and I think we’re ready…”

Bucky’s words trail off and Sam remains silent, expression still unsure.

“Aw Wilson come on,” Bucky says with exasperation.

At Sam’s continued silence Bucky turns spins around and runs a hand through his hair.

“We haven’t…but I think…”

When Bucky turns to face Sam again the realization finally hits. “Oh. OH!” Sam exclaims.

Bucky let’s out a defeated sigh.

Sam waves him off. “You won’t fuck it up. Just relax and have fun. Enjoy each other. Let things happen…organically.”

Now Bucky laughs. “Organically or…?”

“You said it. Not me,” Sam chuckles with his hands up in defense.

After a beat of silence and unspoken camaraderie Bucky smiles.

“She’ll be here in half an hour. Get out.”

“And there’s the Barnes I know!” Sam grins as he grabs his jacket. “Good luck!”

“Want something to drink doll?” Bucky calls out over his shoulder as you take off your shoes and drop your bag to the floor.

“I’ve got beer, water…juice boxes…”

You come up behind him in the kitchen, pressing yourself to his back and looking under his arm into the fridge.

“You have…juice boxes?”

He shrugs, leaning into you, discreetly inhaling a whiff of your scent, and closing his eyes.

“Buck? Juice boxes?”

He blinks, looking back down into the fridge and focusing on the cold air hitting his face.

“I took Mrs. Adams food shopping last night and she always insists on getting me snacks.”

“You have the nicest neighbors! Mrs. Adams is my favorite of the old ladies in your building!”

“We can invite her to our wedding then,” he teases.

You laugh and lean up to kiss his cheek. “One juice box please.”

“She also got me Oreos, ice cream and tried to get me to buy condoms when I told her I had a hot date with you.”

“Does she think you were going to get lucky tonight?”

“She likes me to be prepared,” he says lightly.

“And well stocked on snacks apparently,” you giggle.

He grabs the juice boxes and Oreos and points to the living room.

“Me. You. A scary movie.”

“I barely got through the last one,” you sigh defeatedly.

“But you did,” he says. “And remember, you can hide in my hoodie again.”

“Probably the best idea,” you say.

You sit down next to each other, arms and thighs touching, the feel burning through your clothes.

The crinkle of your straw wrapper crackles in the air and Bucky turns to you, watching as you cheekily puncture the top of the box and slide the straw into the side of your mouth.

“I love fruit punch.”

He keeps watching, his gaze fixated on your lips. Finally, he looks away from your mouth and back to the television.

“I like them all,” he says. “Sugar.”

He starts the movie, and you settle back against the couch cushions, grabbing for an Oreo. The beginning scene lights up the screen and the suspense builds almost immediately. Something jumps out and Bucky flinches and fumbles his Oreo.

“You okay there, Barnes?” you ask with a smirk. “Even I knew that was coming.”

“My mind was occupied. Lost my focus.”

You shake your head and look back at the screen. “Do I want to know?”

“Probably. But I’m not tellin’ ya.”

The movie continues and you inch closer to him until you’re resting under his arm and against his chest. Your face is half hidden in his hoodie and you’ve got a death grip on his wrist, holding it to keep his hand in front of your eyes.

“You could use your own hand you know,” he jokes.

“But yours is so much bigger!” you whine and tense when you hear the creepy music come to a crescendo.

Before anything jumps out in the movie Bucky sneakily moves his free hand toward you then shouts and pokes you in the side.

You scream and jump up.

“OH MY GOD! You did not just do that!!!

He smiles sweetly, eyes bright and full of mischief.

You reach for your empty juice box and hurl it at his face. Your eyes widen when he deftly catches it and throws it right back at you, hitting you squarely in the chest.

A beat of silence and stillness passes before you lunge for him, shoving him back on the couch before lifting a pillow and smacking him in the face with it.

Your unrestrained laughter hits him right in the chest, and he’s unprepared for your assault, cough-laughing through a flurry of your fingers digging down and tickling roughly.

He bucks up beneath you, growing more aware of your precarious arrangement of limbs, and advances toward you on the couch, swatting at your hands, and darting his fingers between your arms to tickle your ribs.

With his other hand he grabs a pillow from behind you and uses it to hit you right in the face. You shove at him hard, sending him right off the couch and onto the floor, where you dive on top of him, pinning him down, wrestling in earnest.

You’re laughing and yelling and one of you knocks the containers of Oreos onto the floor and it crumbles under you leg when he rolls you over to hover above, getting the upper hand.

He finds the place on your waist that, when prodded with a long finger, makes you cry out in hysterics.

His fingers dance up your sides and under your shirt, the feel of your warm skin only egging him on until his fingertips brush the lace edge of your bra.

At the same time, you both seem to realize that he’s over you, lying completely on top of you, situated between your legs with his hand up your shirt and, in unison, you both freeze.

You have two tight fistfuls of his shirt in your hands and your eyes travel the slow path from where his hand is hidden up to his face.

Your breath catches and you let your legs slide up over his hips. Your body gives beneath his and he’s suddenly intensely aware of the soft warmth between your legs and the press of your curves against him.

“Doll?” he murmurs.

You suck your bottom lip into your mouth to stop from smiling.

He presses forward, not much but just enough to feel more. Your lips part and you watch a pink blush creep up his neck and onto his cheeks.

“Bucky.”

“Fuck,” he growls, bending and pressing his mouth to your neck as he starts to rock against you.

He nearly comes at the sound you make, soft and restrained.

“Kissing you again is all I could think about since our last date,” he admits as his lips trail along your neck.

“Just kissing?” you ask, nearly breathless.

He smirks and kisses you again. A kiss you feel from the place where you lips meet to the tips of your curling toes.

When he pulls away and sits up you mourn the loss of him, but then he falls back down onto the couch and takes you with him so you’re straddling his lap.

His hand slips between your legs to rub you over your leggings, going slow enough that he can check in with you, his expression soft but his eyes heated.

You tilt your head and brush your lips to his, moaning when he rubs small circles right where you need it.

“I…” he starts, his breathing heavy as he slowly slips his fingers inside your pants.

“Please Bucky.”

It’s all he needs to hear as his fingers stop teasing and dip between your legs, sliding into your panties to where you’re ready and wet.

He takes your hand and holds it over his cock, and rocks into your palm. You can see the shape of him beneath the denim of his jeans, long and pressed against his stomach.

A wave of heat flashes beneath your skin and you grab for the bottom of his shirt, lifting it up and over his head. His mouth meets yours and he drags his teeth over your bottom lip.

His fingers push deeper, and you arch into him, his satisfied hiss swallowed by your mouth. Your hands fall to his jeans, and you work open the button and pull down the zipper, reaching in and wrapping your hand around him.

“Oh god.”

He slumps against the back of the couch and watches, his darkened blue eyes dragging from where you’re touching him to where he’s touching you.

His cock is perfect, just like the rest of him.

“Pants off,” you breathe out. “Please.”

You lift up and wait while he shoves them down his thighs. Before you can sit on his lap again he grabs your hips and pins you in place in front of him, hooking his thumbs into the fabric at your waist and slowly peeling it down your legs.

“Fuck baby doll. Look at you.”

Everything in you catches fire when his fingers slide up the inside of your thigh and he sucks in a breath-you’re skin is wet and glistening-and looks at you like you’re a meal and he’s deciding what to eat first.

He makes a guttural sound, and it vibrates down to your bones when his eyes meet yours. His fingers slide over you, dipping inside and teasing. His other hand smooths along the curve of your ass and he pulls you closer, kissing your stomach and then lower, where he licks softly, his nose a soft brush against your skin.

Your hands fall to his hair, and you tug hard, eliciting a moan from the back of his throat. Your stomach begins to tighten, and you whisper his name, giving his head a light push.

“I want to come with you inside me,” you purr.

He licks his lips and reluctantly leans back against the couch, gripping his cock and calling you closer with a crook of finger then guides you over his lap again.

He leans in and tugs off your shirt, kissing along your collarbone and down to your breasts, teasing your nipple with his teeth and moaning around it.

You sink down slowly, and he sits back against the cushions to watch where he’s disappearing inside you.

“Doll.”

You move over him, slowly.

“Fuck you look incredible.”

His hands settle on your waist, gripping softly but strong enough to keep the rhythm. He kisses you like he still can’t believe he’s doing it, and you adjust the position of your knees and you both gasp as you bottom out, your ass coming to rest on his thighs.

“Oh Bucky,” you moan, pressing your face to his neck while you catch your breath.

His palms smooth along the curve of your spine and down to your waist and he presses his fingers into your hips, rocking you faster then slow again.

“I want you in my bed,” he says through a grunt. “I want to spread you out under me. I want to kiss and feel every inch of you.”

He sits up, nips at your neck before sucking gently. You kiss for what feels like forever and your movements narrow into small rocks forward and back, just feeling him inside you. You try to keep it together when he reaches down, and his thumb starts moving in practiced circles over your clit.

Your hands dig into his hair, steering his mouth back to your breasts and watching as he captures your nipple with his tongue. He bares his teeth, sliding them over the sensitive flesh and you cry out, feeling him twitch inside you.

The tightening in your belly builds and he’s watching you, watching the way you move together and the place where your bodies connect. You follow his gaze and look down, the way the muscles in his stomach clench, where the beads of sweat have collected in the dip where his dog tags lay. You circle your hips, and he groans, tightening his grip where he holds you.

“Fuck baby. Do that again.”

You do, moving over him and using the back of the couch for leverage. He throws his head back.

“I’m so…I’m…” he says between gasps of air.

His fingers return to your clit with renewed enthusiasm and with each rock of your hips and each thrust of his the cord around your spine tightens until his name is spilling from your parted lips.

He presses up into you, hard and fast and over and over until he’s coming with a long, helpless groan against your shoulder.

With such softness it steals your breath, he reaches up and cups the back of your neck, bringing your lips to his and whispering, “stay with me tonight.”

[aquaticmercy]

Waste a Moment / Part 15

Summary : Bucky had always kept his distance, but seeing you get hurt on a mission changed everything. For the first time, he has a chance to start over with you.

Pairing : Bucky Barnes x avenger!reader (she/her) 

Warnings/tags : Mentions of food. Cursing. Memory loss. Head injury. Reader used to work in a museum.

Requested by :  @remoony

Word count : 2.7k

Note : I have a lot on my inbox and I haven’t been replying a lot lately, but I will go through them tomorrow! Please let me know if I miss anyone on the tags! Enjoy!

Series Masterlist

“Name a Price”

Tuesday.

You had said it all—every bitter feeling, every thread of anger that festered so deep inside you that you barely knew where you ended and it began. Alex hadn’t interrupted, hadn’t even shifted in her seat.

She just sat there beside you, listening like she did the first time.

Not as someone who pitied you— but as a friend.

For a while, she didn’t say anything. 

You stared at the glass case in front of you, the one holding Bucky’s war uniform— a symbol of his past that he was still piecing together.

You began to wonder if he’d been someone else back then— someone untouched by Hydra’s corruption. 

But you knew better. That uniform belonged to a man already carrying scars from war you couldn’t begin to fathom. Hydra just amplified it, took advantage of it, added to it.

“I’m not defending Bucky,” Alex finally spoke, “But let me ask you something—hypothetically. If you were still with him, and he somehow forgot all about his Winter Soldier days, would you remind him?”

What?

You turned to her sharply, mouth agape with shock. “That’s not fair.”

“I’m not trying to be fair,” she replied calmly, “it was just a hypothetical question.”

Your hands clenched into fists in your lap. “But that’s neither here nor there,” you muttered, looking away.

“Is it?” Alex pressed, her tone patient but unrelenting. “The only difference I see is scale.”

Her words lingered in your brain like a disease spreading. You wanted to snap at her, to tell her it wasn’t the same thing at all, but… wasn’t it?

“Well,” you said, your voice faltering a little, your conviction a little less absolute. “It’s not the same,” you insisted. “It’s a painful memory for him, and he wouldn’t know how to process it. I wouldn’t want to…”

Your voice trailed off, realising your answer.

The truth— the truth was that you wouldn’t tell him. 

You wouldn’t tell him because you couldn’t bear to see the pain, to see the humanity ripped away again. You wouldn’t be able to look at the way it would twist his beautiful blue eyes and pull him back into the darkness he’d spent so long trying to climb out of. You wouldn’t tell him because you didn’t think you could survive watching him rip himself apart, questioning his very existence, his place in the world.

But was that fair? Could you make that choice for him?

Alex’s voice cut through your spiralling thoughts. “Doesn’t he deserve to know the truth?”

You flinched, feeling the words hit like a punch. 

“It wouldn’t be my place to give it to him,” you said, your tone harsher than you intended— like it was your last line of defence. 

“So you’d be complicit,” Alex said bluntly.

That word stunned you. It froze you in place.

Complicit.

You felt your chest tighten, your breath stopping for a split second. 

Complicit. 

Like Yelena.

The realisation struck you like a punch to the gut. 

Even as you tried to tend to the wounds, you still held a grudge against Yelena for what she’d done, for keeping the truth from you. You hated the way she had looked at you with pity in her eyes. You hated that she’d known all along. You hated that she knew when the truth came out, it would destroy you. 

But now, you realised, if you were in Yelena’s shoes, wouldn’t you have done the exact same thing?

“And how do you think he’d feel if he found out the way you did?” Alex continued quietly.

You swallowed hard, but the lump in your throat wouldn’t go away. 

You didn’t have to imagine it. You already knew— you knew exactly how he’d feel.

He’d feel like the ground had been ripped out from under him, like the air had been stolen from his lungs. He’d feel betrayed. Hurt. 

Like his entire world was a lie.

Just like you had.

You loved Alex— she was your friend— but you hated how exposed you felt, how easily her words broke down the walls you've built around yourself.

“It’s not that simple,” you said, your voice breaking.

“I know,” Alex replied, she put her hand on yours, trying to keep you steady. “But I think… Bucky did what he did out of love. It doesn’t make it right, but it doesn’t make it wrong either. It makes it human.”

“So what?” You almost snapped if not for the stray sob that escaped your mouth. “I’m just supposed to forgive him? Pretend like it’s all okay because he meant well?”

“No,” Alex said firmly. “You’re allowed to be angry. You’re allowed to hurt.” She paused, her eyes holding yours. “But ask yourself this: what’s holding on to this anger costing you?”

You knew exactly what it cost you: it cost you your happiness, and his.

—

When you stepped into your apartment, you saw him.

Bucky stood in the kitchen, his back turned to you, shoulders tense he moved around the stove. The soft clatter of utensils and the low hiss of simmering liquor on the burner made your apartment feel like him. 

The scent was rich, warm, and familiar. It was your favourite dish. 

On the table nearby, your clear vase was now home to a bouquet of flowers, your favourite flowers— the ones he always teased you about loving because they never lasted long. You’d playfully huff, telling him it bloomed so beautifully in the short time it had lived. 

They were arranged with painstaking care—one you knew Bucky was capable of. The petals were flawless, the colours vibrant, as if he’d combed through hundreds of blooms to find the most perfect ones.  

“Hey,” he said softly. He turned to face you, his movements careful, as if afraid to shatter the fragile truce between you. 

When his eyes found yours, a tentative smile curved his lips. His voice was different— gentle, stripped of the defensive edge you had expected.

Your breath hitched.

You’d imagined this moment countless times while you were laying in the hospital bed. 

In some versions, your fury took centre stage, unleashed on him like a storm. In others, the anger had dulled, leaving only an all- consuming sadness, refusing to acknowledge he existed all together. 

You had breached for him to plead, to beg. But this? This peace, this tenderness—it wasn’t what you’d prepared for. 

“Hi,” you managed to say, your voice barely more than a whisper. It felt heavy, like the first crack in a dam threatening to spill. You closed the door behind you, and walked to the dinner table, sitting down before your knees gave out.

Bucky turned back to the stove, setting the spoon down, giving himself a moment to gather his thoughts. He wiped his hands on a towel before walking over to the table. 

His movements were careful, like a man walking a tightrope. “I didn’t want you to come back to… an empty home. Not again,” he murmured, his hand raking through his hair, as it always did when he was anxious. “So I thought I’d, uh, take care of the place. Until you came back. If you came back.”

You stared at him, then at his careful effort he’d put into making the apartment feel welcoming. After all this time, your home didn’t feel yours anymore— not entirely.. It felt like it belonged to both of you. 

“You didn’t have to do this,” you said finally, your voice trembling. 

“I know,” he said, his voice barely holding steady. His eyes met yours, and for the first time since the hospital, there was no mask, no shield. No defences raised, no excuses. “But I wanted to.”

The vulnerability in his eyes was an invitation, not a deflection.

“Dinner’s almost ready,” he said, breaking the moment as he turned back to the stove.

You nodded, fingers brushing over the soft petals of the flowers. Questions swirled in your mind—so many questions, accusations, words you’d rehearsed over and over. But you didn’t say any of them. Instead, you let him take care of you as you once did— you let him finish dinner.  

When he finally brought the plates over, he sat across from you, his hands resting on his knees like he was bracing for impact. You stared at the food, then at him.

“Thank you,” you said. Picking up your fork felt… comforting. It felt like home.

“I can go,” he said suddenly, almost panicked. “I’ll do the dishes and leave.”

“No,” you said quickly, the word surprising even yourself. Your chest tightened as you recalled your conversation with Alex, her reminder that he was human, a reminder that healing could only start if you accepted that he could make mistakes. You set your fork down and met his eyes. “I’m ready to talk.”

Bucky hesitated, his fingers tracing anxious patterns along the table. His muscles tightened, his eyes fixed downward as if the weight of what he was about to say could shatter everything between you. “I don’t… I don’t know where to start.”

You swallowed, the lump forming in your throat. You forced yourself to breathe through it. 

The thought of finally hearing him out was terrifying, but you knew you owed it to yourself. “I don’t care where you start,” you said gently.

His hand stilled in a grip that held the table’s edge a little too tightly. “I know you know I wasn’t always this w-way. This perfect person you’ve known these past few months… I’ve always wanted to be him, for you.”

His words hit you like a wave, the sincerity pulling at your heartstrings. 

“I never needed you to be perfect, Bucky,” you said, the tremble in your tone almost taking over, “I just needed you to be honest.”

He lifted his gaze then, his eyes clouded with regret, pain, and mostly— shame. “How could I?” He murmured, his voice cracking, “For so long, I thought I was protecting you by keeping parts of myself locked away. By being… distant. I thought that if I didn’t let you get too close, you’d be better off. Safer. I didn’t… I didn’t know how t-to justify this change.”

“But why?” you asked, your voice sharper than you intended. “Why did you think I couldn’t handle it? Why didn’t you trust me enough to let me in?”

He flinched at your tone, his shoulders dropping as if the question had drained him. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking before answering. “Because I didn’t think I deserved you.” He looked at you then, his eyes so full of pain. “I told myself you deserved someone whole, someone who wasn’t… broken. And I thought that if I kept my distance, you would hate me. But you didn’t. Not until… not until now.”

But he was wrong. You didn’t hate him— you never could. You hated that he lied, But him? No, you could never bring yourself to hate him.

“So you pushed me away,” you said quietly, a confirmation of what you knew all along.

He nodded, lI thought I could keep my distance and pretend like it was for the best. But every time I was around you, I felt this… like I couldn’t breathe.”

There it was again. 

He couldn’t breathe around you, he admitted time and again. But not because he hated you. Not because he found your presence suffocating.

It was because you were so damn precious to him that the very thought of sharing the same air as you felt like a privilege he hadn’t earned.

“Instead of facing it,” he continued, “I built a wall around myself.”

Today, his words weren’t excuses; they were admissions. Every letter felt like it cost him a piece of himself.

“I know I hurt you,” he said, his voice breaking. “And I know I can’t undo that. But when you lost your memory… I don’t know. It felt like I had this chance to—to start over. To be the man you deserved. To show you the kind of love I’ve always wanted to give you.”

You blinked back tears. It was like piecing together the puzzle of your past, one fragment of pain at a time. “But you didn’t think to tell me?” you asked, “You didn’t think I deserved to know?”

A pang guilt crossed his face, his mouth falling into a frown. “I should have,” he admitted, “I should’ve told you everything from the start. But I was so scared that if you knew, you’d see the worst of me. That you’d hate me for it. And losing you… I couldn’t handle... couldn’t think….”

You wanted to yell at him, to tell him how much his silence had hurt you, how it had made you question everything. But you also understood, in a way that only love could explain. Alex’s little thought experiment made you connect to his fear— the paralysing fear of losing that meant so much to you. 

“I’m not going to pretend this doesn’t hurt,” you said, your voice steady despite the tears welling in your eyes. “I can’t go back to the way things were before, Bucky. No more lies, no more walls. If we’re going to try this— I need to know all of you. The good, the bad, the broken. All of it.”

His eyes widened.

A second chance—after everything he’d hidden from you? 

It seemed impossible— yet here you were, offering it to him.

He hesitated, then reached for your hand, still not believing that he deserved your touch.

When his trembling fingers brushed against yours, you didn’t pull away. Instead, you turned your hand, weaving your fingers through his.

“I promise,” he said, “I’ll be better. I’ll be honest. No more walls, no more hiding.”

His fingers tightened around yours, afraid you might still let go, afraid you might change your mind. 

But you held on, your grip firm “I don’t need you to be perfect,” you repeated. “I just need you to be honest. I need you to let me in.”

His breath faltered, and for a moment, he looked at you like you were the only thing that could keep him tethered to this earth. “I’ll let you in,” his voice broke. “I’ll spend the rest of my life proving to you that you made the right choice.”

As you sat there holding his hand, you felt the presence of something stronger than fear—hope.

“Can I kiss you?” He finally asked

Your heartbeat quickened, your chest tightening at the sincerity in his request. 

For a moment, you saw it—the life you both wanted, the way it could feel so right, so safe, in his arms. And yet, the cracks of what you’d been through together were still there. The answer that rose within you wasn’t what you’d expected, but it was clear.

“No.”

The word left your lips gently, but firmly. His thumb froze against your skin, his body tensing. The faintest flicker of hurt crossed his eyes. 

He opened his mouth to apologise, but before he could, you interrupted him.

“I’m not saying no forever,” you said, “But I want to take things slow. I need to trust that this—whatever we’re building now—isn’t just us rushing to cover up the hurt. I need to know it’s real.”

For a moment, he just looked at you. Slowly, his shoulders relaxed. A small, almost shy smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “We’ll go as slow as you need,” he said.

He leaned back slightly, letting his fingers slip from yours.

There was no more resentment, no bitterness— only understanding. 

The two of you continued eating in silence, exchanging glances that lingered just a little longer than usual, small, subtle smiles that promised a fragile piece. Each moment felt like a step forward, like a rebuilding of trust, brick by brick, piece by piece.

When the meal was over, he stood to clear the dishes. As he walked past your chair, he paused. His fingers brushed against your shoulder, a fleeting touch. It wasn’t possessive or pleading anymore. Instead, it was a quiet reminder. I’m here. I’m staying. I’m not going to hide anymore.

And for the first time, you truly believed him. Not because he’d said the right thing, not because he was perfect. But because he was trying. 

Because he was human, and he finally saw himself that way. 

-To be continued…

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[magics-neptunes-things]

Mockingjay - Part 10

Hello :)

Once again sorry for the delay, but here is the next chapter for Mockingjay!

Please enjoy ♥

TW : Death or mention of death, blood, injury, suggestive, fight

Chapter before

After their mutual declaration and several (a lot of) kisses exchanged, Lucy finally falls asleep, exhausted by her fight and her injuries. Ona didn’t ask Lucy what happened exactly during the fight, she keeps her questions for later.

Ona was awake all night, looking at Lucy. Just in case she wakes up with pain or something bad happens. But Lucy’s sleep seems peaceful, she only winces from time to time, while changing position. We must say that maybe the ground of a cave isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world.

Being in that position is strange for Ona, she’s not used to being the strong one. It’s usually Lucy who took care of her during their moments together, not the other way. She likes the idea of Lucy being at ease enough with her for it, but of course Ona hates the fact that Lucy is hurt.

They never heard the cannon, so Ona assumed that Tony must be alive somewhere. He doesn’t seem to have any allies, unless they’re all dead already. But the weapon he had was probably from a sponsor. Ona doesn’t know if she will receive more things after the attack she did against her compatriot.

But she stands her ground. Between Lucy and Tony, there she has not a single hesitation.

While Lucy sleeps, Ona lights the fire again and puts some wet tissues on Lucy’s forehead to ease her fever. It seems to work; Lucy’s forehead seems less hot with time.

Ona makes herself more arrows too, she used almost all of them during their fight with Tony. She wonders briefly where the man is, before deciding that she doesn’t care. He might be Joan’s friend; she still has to fight for herself. And the girl she’s in love with.

Talking about Lucy, the girls finally stir for good, but groan in pain while turning on her back. Her face is clenched and Ona hurries to come closer to her.

“Where are you hurt?” she asks softly, removing some hair from her face.

“My head”

“Your head? You didn’t say anything about your head yesterday!”

Ona tries to make Lucy move a little to see which part of her head is hurting. The latter tries to fight against Ona at first, but it was before seeing how determined Ona was. Lucy sighs softly, finally turning on her side.

“Lucy what the fuck”

Lucy doesn’t answer anything and it’s maybe better like this. Ona is mixed between worry and anger against Lucy. There is a wound here too, one that Ona didn’t clean yesterday because Lucy didn’t say anything.

“You couldn’t have done anything anyway” Lucy finally mumbles.

“I still could have cleaned it” Ona answer, her gaze burning.

Lucy chooses widely not to answer anything and crosses her arms when Ona starts to look at the injury. It seems less important than the one on her stomach, but still less superficial than the ones she has on her arms.

Ona cleans Lucy’s head, wondering how she missed the dry blood in Lucy’s hair, before making the girl roll on her back to clean the injury on her stomach.

“How did he manage to attack you by the way?”

Lucy raises her eyes on Ona’s face. The brunette isn’t looking at her, concentrating on her work in Lucy’s body. Lucy sighs softly before answering.

“He took me by surprise. I was looking for food when he jumped on me from behind. He hit me with his weapon. I didn’t hear him coming. He smashed me on my head and from then it was hard to fight back.”

Ona nods softly, wondering if the noises she heard while she was alone in the forest was actually Tony. She hasn’t mentioned it to Lucy until now.

“I think I heard footsteps when I was waiting for you. At that point I was thinking it was you, but when I turned around there was no one. I wonder if it was him.”

“Maybe” Lucy answers after several seconds of thinking. “If it’s him, it means that he chose not to kill you.”

“Yeah…” Ona says slowly. “Or that I could have save you earlier”

Ona was finished with Lucy’s tape since several minutes, so Lucy takes her by her arm to take her closer.

“Don’t reflect like this. You saved me. If you came earlier, maybe you wouldn’t have been able to shoot him like you did. Great aim, by the way.”

Ona rolls her eyes and smiles, snuggling against Lucy as much as she can while being careful not to hurt her more. She smiles when she feels Lucy sighing from well-being, softly kissing her jaw.

“All of those trainings’ session are finally paying off. Looks like training his force wasn’t as useful as he thought.”

“Looks like listening to your mentor was a great idea” Lucy teases.

“It was. It’s because of her advice that I’m still alive”

“I’m glad Alexia Putellas is a genius then.”

Ona hums, stroking Lucy’s neck with her nose. She doesn’t know how much time they will have for themselves, she’s decided to enjoy it as much as she can. She loves Lucy’s scent and how hot and soft her skin is here.

“You know that he’s in love with you right? Tony?”

“I don’t care” Ona answers, kissing Lucy’s neck between her two sentences. “I’m in love with someone else.”

Lucy smiles at this, grabbing softly Ona’s chin between one of her hands.

“Look at you, you little flirt” she says with a smile, before taking Ona’s face against her to kiss her.

Ona smiles against Lucy’s lips, deepening the kiss quickly. Lucy lets her access to her mouth and Ona kind of forgets where they are. All she can think of is Lucy, Lucy’s hand, Lucy’s skin against her, Lucy’s touch. She still remembers not to hurt her, but when Lucy gently tilts them so that Ona is on her back, Ona can’t help but break the kiss.

“Your stomach…” Ona begins.

But Lucy smiles again, putting a finger on her lips.

“I’m fine” she whispers.

She looks in Ona’s eyes again before leaning in for another kiss. After two seconds of hesitation, Ona kisses her back, passing her arms around her neck. Ona is pretty sure that she could kiss Lucy all day long without being used to it. Or tired.

She shivers when Lucy’s fingers slide under the tissues of her clothes, stroking her skin with her fingertips. The sensations are even better than what she remembered or imagined, but when Lucy starts to suck her neck, she feels heat waves in her body and especially between her legs. Under the pleasure, Ona’s fingers (who were under Lucy’s clothes too) sink into the skin of Lucy’s back.

Lucy is very respectful about what Ona told her while still in the Capitol. Ona is sure that Lucy remembers that she never has been intimate with someone else like this. When Lucy is satisfied with her work on Ona’s neck, she kisses the skin lovingly here.

But Lucy seems to come back to reality for real when Ona tries to remove Lucy’s shirt.

“Ona, we don’t have to – “

“No. I want it”

Lucy hesitates for several seconds, looking deep in Ona’s eyes. But Ona only smiles at her, letting her hands run on her back and on her hips.

“I’m sure” she adds, seeing hesitation in Lucy’s eyes.

“Just… Tell me when you want to stop, please”

“I will.”

Ona wanted to answer that she won’t have to say it, because she was certain of what she wants. But she doesn’t have time, Lucy leaning another time for another kiss. Ona doesn’t wait any second to kiss Lucy back. She wants it, she’s sure about it. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they might be dead in several hours, but there isn’t another person in the world she would do it with.

Ona’s clothes are suddenly too much on her skin, but Lucy’s hands manage to smooth her skin with their strokes.

There is no rush between them; they both take their time to discover each other and to remember each other at their fingertips.

And some time later, Ona is pretty sure that she never felt so blissful than now. When she looks up at Lucy who is holding her close against her body, she thinks that Lucy feels the same way.

Lucy feels Ona’s gaze on her because she looks at Ona back, offering her one of her perfect smiles.

“How are you?”

“Pretty great” Lucy smirks at Ona over the fire.

“I was talking about your head” Ona chuckles.

She’s still a little mad at Lucy for having kept that injury away from her. But Lucy shrugs, still adding another branch of wood into the fire. The night is here now, and they had to leave the cave for several hours during the day. It has been their refuge and Lucy is a little scared that the leaders of the Games will try to make them get out of it.

“Can I see it?”

“Will you take no as an answer?” Lucy arches an eyebrow.

“No” Ona smirks.

Lucy rolls her eyes but turns around to let Ona have a look. The younger girl doesn’t wait a second and kneels behind Lucy, gently looking at Lucy’s wound. She hums when she sees it. It doesn’t look very good, but it seems to heal as best as possible.

“It looks okay” Ona whispers. “Are you still in pain? Honestly.”

“It’s okay. Pounding sometimes but I will survive.”

Ona bites her bottom lip, preferring not to remember that they are in a Game fighting for their life. She stays silent and Lucy doesn’t seem to catch what she is thinking about. She starts to talk anyway, taking Ona’s mind away from there.

“We need a plan now. To know how to fight against the others.”

“What do you have in mind?” Ona asks, going to sit in front of the other girl.

“First, we have Camden and Kayla. Camden is hardly injured, but Kayla doesn’t have any injury as long as I’m aware. It would be a hard fight if we were crossing their path. The best thing would be to have them separated. They were near the starting point until now, but they might have changed now.”

Ona nods. It would make sense; Lucy is now with her, and she knows where they were staying. Plus, one of them is hurt and they would probably want to hide him as long as possible.

“Then we have Tony. You hurt him pretty badly.”

Ona nods once again. She doesn’t know if it’s pretty bad, but he wasn’t able to stand up for several minutes at least. It’s still something.

“How would you feel about fighting against him again?” Lucy asks. “I know he’s a friend of your brother but…”

“I’ll do it as many times as I need if it means you will be safe” Ona doesn’t hesitate to answer.

There is a moment of silence, during which they share a look. Ona is determined and very certain of what she just said. She would give her life for Lucy, so she doesn’t mind a single second fighting against her district’s partner.

Lucy, on the other hand, gives the impression to Ona that she’s looking for something special in her eyes. But Ona let her look, not having anything to hide from her. After a moment, Lucy finally talks again.

“And then the two girls. We don’t know if they are together, but we can guess they are.”

“Haven’t you seen them at one point?”

Lucy shakes her head to answer no.

“They might be hidden somewhere. They haven’t killed anyone for now.”

“Could they be in the desert? That’s what we wanted to do with Teagan, we were almost sure that no one will come for us there”

“Maybe…” Lucy answers slowly, looking by the entrance of the cave. “I know there is an oasis somewhere, if they found it it’s probably the safest place in the arena.”

“How do you know that?” Ona frowns.

“I went to it at the beginning”

Lucy shrugs and Ona frowns. Lucy asked her a lot of questions about her adventure until they met again, but Ona sometimes feels like she doesn’t want to talk about hers. Which is a little strange in Ona’s eyes.

Ona stands, pretending to be looking for something in their bags. She doesn’t like that feeling in the bottom of her stomach. And it has nothing to do with the kick she received during her fight.

“You never told me”

Lucy shrugs one more time before answering, still sitting on the ground.

“I went with Declan. We just wanted to see what was there.”

Ona hums only, her back turned to Lucy. The brunette catches easily that something is disturbing Ona, only by the other girl’s behavior. Ona usually never hides her eyes to her, or even her face.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Lucy asks.

“Nothing.”

 But Lucy knows better. Rather than letting it go and talking about something else, she gets up to press her front against Ona’s back, passing her arms around Ona’s waist. Her chin is on Ona’s shoulder when she talks again.

“Ona, what’s wrong?”

Ona sighs softly. She knows she’s probably stupid about her reaction and she’s a little bit ashamed, to be honest. But Lucy is waiting patiently for her answer, and she finally opens her mouth again.

“It’s just… Sometimes I feel like you are hiding something from me. I don’t like it.”

She knows she’s right when Lucy bites her bottom lip before answering. Ona turns her head as good as she can given their position, looking for Lucy’s green eyes. When Lucy stays silent, Ona talks again, whispering this time.

“What happened?”

Lucy sighs at her turn, letting Ona go. The younger girl doesn’t like the way her body suddenly seems very cold without Lucy’s embrace. She squeezes her arms around her body, looking at Lucy.

“It’s just that I have to do some things. And I’m scared that if you know them it will change how you see me.”

Ona tilts her head, searching for Lucy’s eyes. Lucy seems so tense that it scared her. Suddenly she’s not a tribute at the Hunger Games, she’s just a girl waiting for the love of her life to admit what fault she did when they weren’t together.

“Like I told you, I had to do things and play a role at the beginning. I needed people to think that I just wanted to win and that we weren’t even friends you and me”

Ona nods, waiting more or less patiently about the end of Lucy’s confession.

“To show people that I was really into it, I had to kill. A lot of people. In fact, after killing Seth, I’m the one with the higher number of murders.”

“Oh…” Ona breaths.

She wasn’t expecting this to be honest. She doesn’t know what she was expecting, to be honest. But Lucy is still looking at her feet, not able to look up at Ona. So, the younger girl approaches her, kneeling a little bit to have their eyes at the same level.

“Lucy, it’s okay. You did it for us. You didn’t have the choice”

“I didn’t” she repeats. “If I had… I just needed to be with you again.”

“We are now”

“Yeah”

Ona smiles softly at Lucy, who smiles almost shyly back. She doesn’t like to be seen as weak or something, but the way Ona cups her face to kiss her makes her feel lighter than ever. She still doesn’t understand what she did to find a girl as sweet and kind as Ona.  

The morning after, they decided to sort out their things to know what to take with them in their backpack and what to leave in the cave. They let some food they know would be damaged in their bag during the day, for example. Ona is never leaving her hoodie under her jacket, loving the soft feeling against her skin.

They take their weapons of course, the medical kits and the most important things to survive.

“Okay, let’s go” Lucy says, looking at the fire behind them.

Ona is looking at the cave with a little pout. She feels like they won’t come back, and it makes her a little sad. It’s once again a memory of her history with Lucy where she probably won’t be able to come again.

Easily understanding what Ona is feeling, Lucy smiles softly and passes her arm around Ona’s shoulders.

“Come on, Love. It will be okay”

She kisses Ona temple before taking her to go down the mountain again. Ona let her do, blushing softly at Lucy’s surname. It’s the first time she calls her something like that. Of course, she loves it.

They decided to go to the desert, Ona hoping not to cross someone else’s path during this. Or at least someone they can kill easily. They walk silently, just in case. Ona asked Lucy if she saw the wolves too, but the older woman answered negatively. But it seems to her that one of the tributes died because of the wolves. The idea made Ona shivers.

Lucy is walking first; Ona really closes behind her. She has to fight against Lucy to prevent her not from carrying all the heavy things. Ona is really scared that Lucy’s stomach will start bleeding again. She changed Lucy’s bandage before leaving, putting the old one in the fire.

The walk is pretty long, it seems that there is only one bridge to cross the breach. And that it is far away from where they are.

“It’s weird that we haven’t crossed anyone’s path” Ona mumbles at some point.

“Yeah” Lucy answers. “I think they used the fog to make people come closer to each other, I wouldn’t be surprised if they do something similar soon.”

Ona hums. She doesn’t really like the idea. The last time she had time with Teagan to leave, but it wasn’t the case for Lilith. Her death might have been harsh If Ona remembered correctly the screams of pain that she lets go before dying.

When they finally reach the bridge, Ona takes a last look behind her before crossing it, still behind Lucy. As soon as they arrive on the other side, the heath strikes them hard.

“What the fuck” Ona says, instinctively tying her hair.

Lucy smiles when she hears and sees Ona. Then she looks around, trying to remember where she went with Tony.

“I’m pretty sure the Oasis isn’t that way” she says, pointing somewhere right in front of them. “That’s where we went with Declan. Maybe we should go there?”

Ona nods, not having anything to say. She never came here before. The heath and the sand everywhere are very impressive, to be honest. But if they find the oasis, they could have something very interesting to have.

Still walking, Ona looks at Lucy’s neck and the drop of sweat running slowly on her skin. The sun is still high in the sky, which is a good thing because it means they still have a lot of time before the night. But they are still very hot because of the sun too.

“Are you okay?” Ona asks Lucy for the thousand times since they left.

“I am” Lucy answers patiently. “What about you?”

“I’m fine.”

They walk for some time more, seeing nothing around them other than sand and blue sky, until…

“This is the end of the arena”

Ona raises her head to look where Lucy is pointing. She doesn’t see anything at first, until she finally sees something looking like mini light blue lightning running in front of her eyes.

“We turn around?” Ona proposes.

Lucy bites her lips, thinking for several seconds before answering.

“I don’t know. If we do that, we will lose time and maybe we won’t find the oasis. But at least we know where we are exactly.”

“We were coming from the east to west. We just had to look at the sun to know where to go back” Ona shrugs.

There is a moment of silence, Lucy looking at Ona blankly for some long seconds, before answering.

“You know how to find your way with the sky?”

Lucy’s amazement is easily audible in her voice when she asks that question. But Ona just shrugs before smirking.

“I thought you would be able to do it too, aren’t you the one coming from the best fisherman’s family of Panem?”

Lucy rolls her eyes and smiles.

“I have nothing from the Bronze. And we have a compass and that kind of thing.”

They are walking next to each other now, softly bumping into each other from time to time while talking. There is nothing around them and they would easily see if someone else was here.

But they have to admit at some point that finding the oasis is harder than they thought. The sun is now hiding behind the horizon, gradually plunging them into the night.

“Do you want to take the torch?” Lucy asks Ona.

“I don’t know. Is this not going to draw attention to us?”

Ona looks at Lucy for several seconds before answering, not wanting to scare the girl.

“Are there not scorpions that come out of the sand at night?”

Lucy froze and looks at Ona, her eyebrows softly frowned. It’s something they learned during the survival courses, but to be honest, Lucy completely forgot about it.

“You are right…” Lucy answers slowly, before opening her eyes wide. “Wait, what is on your arm?”

Frowning at turn, Ona looks at her arm. A scorpion. There is a scorpion on her arm.

Next chapter (Coming soon...)

[ipilokko]

Hello! This is me attempting to write after a looong time. I was not home today so i wanted to try again. I don't think I'm the best at it and i probably made a LOT of grammar mistakes since English is not my first language. So i might get embarrassed and delete this later 💀

The thing is under the cut...

From the warmth of their home, Mollie stood in front of the window, she could hardly make out her immense husband between the layering raindrops. It was getting colder and colder each day as the weather pulled away from autumn and was being dragged more into winter.

His back facing her, he was wearing a dark brown coat with his umbrella on his hand, creating a spotlight on him free from the raindrops. She gripped the ladder, slowly climbing down to reach the ground. She put on her jacket, her hat, took her own umbrella, her gloves and went outside from the human door.

The oversized raindrops were a bit sticky as the surface tension was, for sure, directly proportional to the scale. She slowly made her way through him, whose gaze was lost in the foreverness of the ocean. She watched as he stretched farther over her horizon line, much farther over her head and then finally, as he completely took over her vision as she got closer.

The raindrops stopped falling on her when she passed the lineage of the circular waterproof fabric hundreds of feet above. He wasn't acting like it but she was sure he had noticed her coming, he always did.

"Always by the sea... Why do you hate me so much?"

Mollie teased before letting out a short-lasting laugh, cranning her neck to be able to see his face... Well, more like underside of his jaw. He looked down and his eyes landed on her. She was not even sure if he could see her eyes, yet it WAS an eye contact. Roy smiled kindly and looked back up to his own vanishing point. He moved his umbrella to her direction and centered it on top of her, even though he knew it was already covering her before. The sound of huge raindrops falling just a few feet away from her tickled her ears.

"What so nice here anyway?"

She walked closer to his feet. She could smell the fresh polish he applied on his shoes just a day ago.

"Stay here with me for a little longer and you will find out" He replied softly without breaking his eye contact with waves for a moment, then glancing at her.

She shifted her attention back to the ocean and glanced around between the waves. "I guess I'll be here for a while, then"

"I would love that" he once again, smiled calmly.

She was a bit cold, but it was no excuse to get back into the house. Yes, maybe she didn't understand what he liked so much about the sea but just staying with him made her happy. And her staying with him made him happy. Despite her being really talkative, it was actually the speechless moments of pure togetherness she adored the most.

His long legs shifted behind her, transferring his weight onto them with a soft tremour, shielding her from the cold breeze. His movements calm and bare of rush, as they always were. After a short amount of time, she felt a movement behind her and noticed he was lowering himself on the ground, his stature folding in half and getting more than twice as big with the affect of perspective. He smootly reached for her and slightly spread out his fingers to reveal his palm, inviting her to join him up in the sky. She glanced at his ring, which was a symbol of their marriage. it warmed her heart seeing how well he took care of it, not a single piece of dust between the elegant engravings.

With her barely perceivable touch, she put one of her hands on the inner side of his forefinger and the other one on his thumb. She supported herself and climbed on it, her small weight barely forming a dent on the soft flesh. She felt the welcomed thrill of weightlessness as he began to rise her up in the air, making her previous ground shrink and shrink more until it stopped.

"Shoulder, please" she requested. He obeyed after he deeply studying her with his soft gaze. She took a step that led her on his shoulder after his hand was aligned with the level of it. She carefully passed his and made herself comfortable near the wall of his neck with the warmth of his life blood leaking on her. His presence was dominating yet somehow, so recessive that she felt like she was taking advantage of him. She was always grateful that the gentle giant was always so patient, so respectful and considerate of her needs. He was a gentleman from every angle and his manner and accent only made her opinion stronger.

She once again paid attention to the sound of rain, a wee bit muffled now as she was further away from the origin.

"Shall we go in?" His voice rumbled through her from where she was leaning her head on. Weird enough, even though she was this close to his voicebox, his voice always touched her so gently.

[yeoldeghostofmushrooms]

Hello! I found a pack of some old gel crayons and I had an unexplainable urge to try and draw Anya with them.

It was a lot of fun trying to figure out how to use a medium which I have no familiarity with and that's why I'd like to encourage you to try as well! Just try and take a look around your home, find some medium that you haven't used in a while/aren't very good with and give it a try! It can be anything, a doodle, collage, painting… just try to go out of your comfort zone and have some fun in the process :)

Also, please tag me if you do, I'd love to see your attempt! :D

(Please excuse the poor quality, I was a bit worried about the colors staining our printer, so I just took a photo of the piece with my phone 😅)

In case anyone is curious, here are the gel crayons I used:

The fine lines in the doodle were made by scraping off the top layer with a skewer.

[dumpsterfire-daydreams]

TW: Drinking/Intoxication, Drinking Games, Friendly 141, Drunk König, Jealous Ghost, Possessive Ghost, Dominant Ghost, Flirty Soap, Playful Soap

Translations:

"Ye feart of a wee nip?" - Scottish slang for "You scared of a little kiss?"

"Jessie" - Scottish slang for "coward"

...is it too obvious that I want them all?

Reader POV:

The music was already quite loud from outside the club doors. But the minute they swung open, the pounding rhythm of electronic dance music hit you full force. The thrashing beat vibrated through your whole body, instantly making you feel alive and eager to dance. But there were patrons pressing in on all sides as everyone else surged forward with the same goal in mind.

Thankfully, Ghost pulled you along through the crowd and made a beeline for the bar. You reached back and took König’s hand in yours, pulling him along with you as Ghost pressed on through the ruckus. When you finally reached the bar, it was still crowded with people. But the numbers had thinned just a bit and there were a few open seats available. Ghost pulled one out for each of you, but he was content to stand.

"What do you like to drink, Princess?” He shouted, cupping his hand around his mouth. “Tonight's on me."

"Oh, thanks! I like Long Island Iced Tea a lot.."

"Of course? König, you want anything?"

König paused to think for a moment. "A Jagertee, please? If they have it?"

"Alright then,” Ghost said, giving a curt nod. “Sounds good to me."

After a moment, the bartender rushed over to take your orders. Though he was no doubt stressed by the constant drink requests, he had a cheery smile and friendly eyes.

"Sorry for the wait, folks," he laughed, wiping his hands on the front of his apron. "Name’s Elliot. As you can see, we're pretty slammed tonight. But what can I get started for you?"

"Nothing fancy," Ghost said, having to raise his voice over the noise. "Just bourbon. Neat."

"I like it," he grinned, jotting the order down before turning to you. "And for you, miss?"

You opened your mouth to speak, but Ghost quickly stepped in.

"She'll have a Long Island Iced Tea. And he'll have a Jagertee, if that’s something you can make."

Elliot pulled out his phone, looking up the unfamiliar beverage. As he perused, he nodded excitedly. "Yep, I think I can make that work. Are we doing separate tabs tonight?"

Ghost didn’t respond, simply draping one arm over your shoulder before resting the other on König’s. He held the bartender’s gaze all the while, his unspoken response was clear.

When the meaning dawned on him, Elliot grinned and closed his notepad with a snap. "Alrighty, together it is. I'll have those right out for ya!"

Ghost gave him a nod of gratitude and turned away from the bar. He leaned back against the countertop, crossing his arms over his chest and casually eyeing the rowdy crowd of partygoers.

"Thank you for this, Ghost," König yelled, leaning towards him. "It's very kind."

Ghost’s eyes smiled behind his mask. "My pleasure."

Once the bartender handed off your drinks, you all returned to weaving through the crowd towards the small seating area. You craned your neck in an effort to spot the rest of your crew. A little ways ahead, you saw Soap waving both arms over his head to catch your eye. He was standing at a table where Price and Alejandro were already seated. And the three of you were eager to join them.

"What took you guys so long?" Soap laughed, taking a long sip from his drink. "Thought we lost ya for a minute there."

"Just needed a chat to set things right," Ghost shrugged, meeting Price’s gaze across the table. "Wanted to keep my word and get rid of any tension between us."

"Oh," Price leaned in, intrigued. "And how did it go? Y/n?"

"It went great," you said, shyly. "I think we can finally bury the hatchet. Ghost’s not a bad guy after all! I like him."

Price beamed with pride. "Fantastic! See? That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

Soap nudged Alejandro, motioning for him to scoot over so the three of you could join them on the bench.

"That’s a pure tidy choker ya got there, lass," he chirped as you slid onto the bench beside him. "Real cute."

You felt heat quickly rising on your face, but smiled through it. "Thanks! I think so too."

Ghost quickly settled in beside you, stretching out with a sigh as König sat down next to him. The significance of the collar hidden in plain sight paired with Ghost’s thigh snugly pressed against yours? It gave you a thrill. Smiling to yourself at the naughty secret, you took a sip of you drink. You braced for the sharp flavor of alcohol, but were surprised when there was none at all! It was absolutely delicious! You weren’t fooled though. From the way it instantly warmed your stomach, you knew there was a potent mixture of vodka and tequila hidden within it. You quickly took another sip, reminding yourself to be careful just how many of these you had tonight.

“So,” Ghost began, resting his forearms on the tabletop. “What did we miss?”

“Not much,” Price laughed. “Soap here was trying to explain a drinking game to us. What was it called again? Jinx or some rubbish like that?”

“It’s called high jinks! An old classic.”

You perked up, more than ready for some fun to start. “Oh? I’ve never heard of it. How do we play?”

Soap rummaged in his pockets and produced a pair of dice.

“Here’s how it goes. First, we all decide some dirty deed that befalls the unlucky loser. Then, we go ‘round the table and roll the dice. You read em low number first, higher number second.”

He demonstrated, shaking the die in his hand before tossing them on the table.

“I got a 2 and a 6, so that would be a score of 26. If you get a number higher than your neighbor, you get to take a drink! But if you get a lower one, you either have to do whatever dirty deed the team has in store for you or you're out of the game.”

“And if I was to play. And I said if ,” Alejandro laughed. “How do we win?”

“You win by being the last man standing. That or all of us are too pished to keep it up. So who’s in?”

One by one, everyone at the table began to raise their hand. Rolling his eyes in jest, Alejandro raised his hand as well. You quickly rose your hand and was pleased to see both Ghost and König follow suit. With a full table of willing participants, Soap rubbed his hands together. His eyes sparkled with mischief as his grin widened.

“Right then!” He lowered his voice, leaning in conspiratorially. “What’s our first dare?”

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

It wasn’t long before the game was in full swing. Laughter roared from the booth and the drinks continued to arrive in a steady flow. So far, the antics hadn't been anything too terrible. Alejandro had lost in the first round. So he begrudgingly rose from his seat to ask a pretty girl for her number. Even Soap had lost a round! But if his punishment bothered him at all, he hadn’t shown it. He’d put his whole heart into his performance, dutifully dancing on the table to the delight of his teammates. Price spent a majority of the moment bowled over in laughter and Alejandro had his phone at the ready to capture the scene.

You snorted when he stopped in front of your seat to gyrate his hips in your face. And when you tucked a dollar bill into the waistband of his pants, the clamor rose all over again. Even Ghost and König laughed nearly to the point of tears.

With a flourished bow, Soap reveled in the team’s applause before hopping down from the table and reclaiming his seat.

“I dare anyone to top that,” he beamed, helping himself to another drink. “Now what’s next?”

The table went quiet as everyone plotted the perfect punishment for the next loser. You crossed your arms and sat back, deep in thought. You wanted the next one to be perfect. Who knew how long the game would go? Suddenly, König sat up and raised his hand.

“How about this?” he giggled. “The next loser has to make out with Price.”

You almost choked on your drink. König was definitely drunk or tipsy, at the very least. Because you never would have expected that kind of idea from him. From Soap, it would have been completely unsurprising. But from König? It was totally off brand!

Soap was all for it, giggling and clapping his hands in anticipation. “Oh, I love this already! Ye feart of a wee nip, captain’?”

“If you’re asking what I think you are, I’m not the one to ask. I don’t wanna get a black eye tonight,” Price chuckled, gesturing at you and König. “I’m alright with it if you two are.”

“I’m not a sore loser,” König shrugged, sipping at his drink. “If I lose, I will take my punishment. Maus?”

Your eyes flitted to König and then to Ghost. König’s eyes were full of excitement, so you knew he had no complaints about the proposition. But Ghost’s expression was unreadable behind his mask. You tried to subtly ask permission with your eyes, but he just stared back and crossed his arms.

“Choose,” he murmured in a monotone voice, raising his mask to take a swig of his bourbon. You saw his jaw clench, but he didn’t speak any further.

“Welp, I tried,” you said to yourself with a shrug before turning back to Price.

“You can count me in,” you laughed. But you jokingly narrowed your eyes at Soap, nudging him with your elbow. “But I haven’t lost yet and don’t plan on losing now.”

Soap smirked, sliding the dice across the table towards Price to start the round. “Oho! We’ll see about that!”

Price shook the dice in his hand, pausing to blow on them for good luck before letting them fall.

“Ha, twenty-one. Beat that!” he bellowed, passing them along to Alejandro before sipping his old-fashioned.

Alejandro let them fly and was quite pleased when he rolled a thirty-six. But Soap quickly scooped them up and shook them in both hands. He drew out the suspense for a good while, too. It wasn’t until Price told him to quit stalling that he finally let the dice clatter against the table. And when they rolled to a stop, the team oohed and ahhed at his result. He’d rolled a twenty-two!

“Vaya! That was a close one!” Alejandro shook his head in awe.

“A shame, too,” Soap smirked at Price, puckering his lips. “I was gonna land a good one on ya.”

The captain rolled his eyes with a chuckle. “Shut up and pass the dice.”

Everyone leaned in as you plucked the dice from the table. Taking a page out of Price’s book, you blew into your hand as you shook them. And with a deep breath, you opened your hand and let the dice slip from your grasp. Silence settled over the group as the dice chose your fate.

“Fourteen, eh?” Soap announced with a click of his tongue. “Looks like your luck ran out after all, lass. Pucker up or you’re out~”

“Fine,” you sighed, nudging Ghost to let you out of the booth.

König quickly stood, eager to see your punishment play out. But Ghost took his sweet time scooting across the bench before finally stepping out of your way. You felt your face burn a bit as you made your way over to where Price sat. There was laughter in his eyes as he quirked an eyebrow at you.

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, Y/n,” he offered, watching your approach. “You can always sit out until the next round.”

“Yeah, if you’re a jessie,” Soap teased. He took another sip of his drink, excitement plain on his face. “Come on, it's just a kiss!”

“Sorry, John,” you said, tugging your dress down before sitting next to him. “I’m too competitive to back out now.”

After Soap's recent performance, you knew you'd have to add a bit of spice to one up him. So, you threw a leg over Price's thigh to straddle his lap, resting your hands on his shoulders. Ever the respectful gentleman, Price didn’t presume to touch you. He let his hands sit idly on the bench as you shut your eyes and leaned in. It wasn’t a bad kiss. And he tentatively kissed you back. His lips were soft and the coarse hairs of his mustache tickled. He tasted warm, like alcohol and cigar smoke. After a few seconds, you backed off.

“Damn, that was sexy as hell,” Soap said with a laugh. “You feeling okay over there, captain? Need to go tug one off in the men’s room?”

Price smiled, patting your leg to signal that you could climb off his lap. “Okay, let’s not go making things inappropriate,” he chided.

You laughed, giving the team a little bow before heading back to your side of the table. König’s eyes were wide in surprise, but there was a spark of intrigue in them too. He giggled again, giving you a nod of admiration as he stepped aside. “Well done, Maus!”

He handed the dice to Ghost, who looked far less amused though. He stood at the entrance to your side of the bench with his arms crossed, blocking your way. And there was a glint of both jealousy and possessiveness in his eyes. The bottom of his mask was still lifted, which revealed his lips pressed into a thin line of displeasure.

“I ain’t kissing my captain if I lose,” he growled, shaking the dice in his hand. “But how about this? Since she’s in such a generous mood, I’ll kiss her instead.”

A collective gasp went up around the table. But you ignored the reaction, keeping your eyes locked on Ghost.

“Fine,” you shot back, boldly accepting his challenge.

Ghost discarded the dice onto the table behind him, not even stopping to look at his score before yanking you into an aggressive kiss. His hands gripped your body, pressing you flush against him as his lips claimed yours with a hungry growl. And you let him, giving in to the brazen display. It was not a gentle kiss. He kissed you recklessly, desperately. He kissed you as if he wanted to wipe every last memory of the previous kiss from your mind and body. And when he finally let you go, you were flushed and gasping for breath.

Everyone else looked on in stunned silence, jaws on the floor. Even König was surprised Ghost had shown his hand so unexpectedly. But Ghost was unbothered. He was smirking, eyeing the rest of the team as you bashfully reclaimed your seat.

“What? If you’re gonna kiss her, at least do it right,” he shot Price a look before pulling out a cigarette. “Need a smoke. I’ll be back.”

“Por Dios,” Alejandro laughed, watching him go in disbelief. He moved to exit the booth shortly afterwards. “After what I just saw, I think I need another drink.”

Price’s gaze flitted between you and König before realization hit him. With a knowing smirk, he downed the rest of his beverage and stood to let Alejandro out. “I think I’ll join you.”

"Could you get me one too, König?" You raised your empty glass.

“Of course,” König chirped, grabbing your cup before hurrying off behind them.

The only person left at the table was Soap. And you half expected him to slip away, too. But he was more than content to stay exactly where he was. He sat there mixing his drink with his straw, eyeing you with increased interest.

“So,” he leaned in, grinning mischievously. “You and Ghost, huh?”

You flushed bright red, not meeting his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Rubbish, you can’t fool me,” he snickered, poking your arm. “You’re just picking us off one by one, aren’t you? Trying to add as many soldiers to your roster as you can?”

“No! Oh my god," you covered your face with your hands, continuing in a timid whisper. "I-König likes to… share. So now, I'm kinda dating Ghost, too. Please don't tell anyone, though. Okay?"

"My lips are sealed. But after that kiss? I don’t think anyone needs tellin'."

"Fuck, I'm so embarrassed. I don’t want you guys to think I'm a slut or something!"

Soap adamantly shook his head.

"Oh please, far from it! We're all grown here, we don't judge. Personally, I'm impressed,” he sat back, crossing his arms behind his head. “I thought you took the cake this morning. But never in my life have I seen Ghost do something like that. He’s got it bad for you, lass. Real bad.”

You relaxed a bit, relieved you hadn't ruined the friendly dynamic you had built with the team. Soap rubbed your back, assuring you everything would be just fine. Across the room, you could see König headed your way with a fresh drink. And everyone else was right behind him.

"Before they get back," he whispered, waggling his eyebrows. "Ya got room for one more?"

You stammered, completely caught off guard. But your surprise turned to playful annoyance when Soap fell into a fit of laughter.

"Relax! I'm just giving you a hard time. But oh, that face was priceless!" he continued laughing at his own joke before finishing off his drink. "But I'll say this. If duty ever calls, I'll answer~"

"Lovely," you shook your head, giving him a playful shove. "I'll remember that."

[dedeinthewild]

Omd please if you could do a story where arvids girl is teasing him abt being more boyfriendy with pepe bcos they're in the 'honeymoon" phase and she gets jealous

soo, I'm really sorry 'cause it isn't exactly what you requested but I had an idea with Pepe and I wrote it down. Let me know if you like it anyways, or I will make one just like you wanted it!

pepe martí x reader, established relationship

~ "that's a terrible one"

Pepe was determined, kind, and so intelligent that he could make anyone smile just by meeting him.

But above all, he was dedicated.

He was deeply grateful for his journey in motorsport and always trusted the Red Bull driver academy and his team, despite the terrible luck that had made his season challenging.

With the two-month break from Formula 2, and his girlfriend busy with school, lessons, and studying, he had plenty of time to reconnect with the junior categories and work alongside the academy’s new entries.

Among them was the incredible Formula 3 rookie, Arvid Lindblad, who had left everyone in awe and was set to join Campos in the 2025 season.

In the preceding weeks, the Spaniard had traveled to Barcelona to watch the Eurocup3 and Spanish Formula 4 race weekends, reconnecting with his roots. Then, at the team’s request, he and Arvid attended the final MotoGP race, surprising everyone with their instant chemistry before even racing together.

On one side was the tall, polite, composed Spaniard who listened and responded with a smile. On the other was the whirlwind of words that was the British rookie, dressed in oversized trendy outfits, bringing a fresh vibe to Campos.

They had spent a lot of time together, laughing and creating content around the circuit, perfectly delivering what the team wanted while giving fans exactly what they loved.

A week later, Gaby and Christian had decided to organize a weekend in London with Pepe and his girlfriend.

“He’s got Arvid now; he won’t even look at me” his girlfriend joked to the British woman walking beside her, loud enough for Pepe to hear from ahead where he was walking with Christian.

“Sorry?” the Spaniard turned around, hands buried deep in the pockets of his blue jacket.

“I said you don’t even look at me anymore. You’ve got Arvid now.”

“He’s been cheating on me, and you didn’t care to tell me?” Christian chimed in, clutching his chest dramatically as they strolled through St. James’ Park.

Everyone burst out laughing while Pepe’s girlfriend tucked her hands into her scarf, hiding her nose and cheeks, which were slowly turning red from the cold.

“I’m sorry for cheating; Gaby will treat you right” Pepe teased Christian, pretending to steal his girlfriend while Christian clung to his own.

Pepe’s girlfriend, a petite five-foot-something figure walking beside him, smiled. Her hair was tucked into her scarf, and she breathed in the air of a London she loved.

“Are you cold?” Pepe asked, taking her hand and slipping it into the pocket of his Red Bull jacket, his thumb stroking her knuckles.

“I’m always cold, Pepe” she replied, knowing full well that her constant chilliness was something he always took care of.

Pepe and Christian had a strong bond, and seeing them together was a joy. So, when the F3 driver invited them for the weekend, they had packed their bags immediately. Spending time with Christian and Gaby also brought the two women closer, as they, like their boyfriends, perfectly complemented each other, creating a fun and close-knit group.

They loved teasing and joking with each other, and this was the perfect moment to poke fun at Pepe. His girlfriend seized the opportunity without hesitation.

“And what do you mean about Arvid?” Pepe asked, glancing down at her as they walked along the little path that ducks shared with their ducklings.

“He’s all you’ve been thinking about for the past month. Don’t even get me started on those videos.”

Pepe chuckled, raising his eyebrows as if to ask if she was serious. She, however, maintained an honest expression.

“Are you saying that for real?”

“I mean, you’re really boyfriendy with him.”

“And I guess you’re implying that I’m not with you.”

Her head tilted back slightly, the wind brushing her cheeks as she gave him a playful smile. She was joking, and both of them knew it, but they were curious to see how far it would go.

“I mean, you spend a lot of time with him and look at him as if he were the love of your life.”

“And what should I say about you and Gaby?” he retorted, grinning. “You’re always going on your dates; I think she’s a pinned chat on your phone, and—”

She couldn’t help but laugh as Christian and Gaby lined up at a café while she and Pepe stopped, standing face-to-face.

This spot was one of her favorites in London, where she loved walking with a hot chocolate in hand, headphones in, and music blasting.

“I should remind you that it’s only because you’re in your honeymoon phase with Arvid. You’ll see the bad sides later.”

Pepe took her other hand, slipping it into his jacket pocket to warm it with his, moving closer with that sweet look he always wore.

“I have to say, it’s a great honeymoon nonetheless.”

She bit her cheek to keep a straight face, though her playful expression was giving her away.

“And what do you mean by bad sides?” he asked, curious. “Are there bad sides to being with me?”

“Many, many for sure.”

Pepe leaned down slightly, wrapping her completely in his arms and burying her face in his blue Red Bull jacket.

“List them, then,” he teased.

“You’re too nice, and everyone loves you.”

She placed her hands on his shoulders, hugging him back, as Christian and Gaby returned with steaming cups of tea.

“That’s a terrible one" joked the Campos driver, kissing her forehead before handing her the cup Christian had given him.

As they strolled down The Mall, the four chatted, surrounded by a slightly windy but not too damp London, kissed by timid sunshine.

The scent of falling leaves mixed with the sweetness of candied almonds from nearby stands, while some passersby asked for directions, and others watched them laugh and enjoy their time together.

“Pepe and I decided something” his girlfriend suddenly announced, grabbing the attention of Christian and Gaby while Pepe played along.

“We’re splitting up but staying good friends,” she said seriously.

At that moment, the world seemed to crumble for the Australian and the Brit, whose jaws dropped as they stared at Pepe to figure out if it was a joke or the truth.

“We realized we have some differences that the other doesn’t enjoy, unlike with other people, so it’s better this way.”

“What do you mean?” Christian asked, his eyes wide in shock.

“We’ve had some flings” she replied casually.

Gaby, convinced that if those two broke up, she’d never believe in love again, couldn’t process it. Pepe and his girlfriend were the perfect match—two people who effortlessly connected in ways she’d never seen before.

“No, you haven’t” Gaby declared, shaking her head.

Pepe and his girlfriend smiled, struggling to keep the joke going, even though their friends’ sad, confused faces made them feel a bit guilty.

“With who?” Christian asked, earning a gentle smack on the hand from Gaby, who thought it wasn’t the time for such questions.

“Your girlfriend” they replied in unison.

The Australian furrowed his brow, confused.

“Both of you? Pepe?” He was at a loss for words.

“No, stop this nonsense; it’s not funny” he said, visibly upset.

At that moment, Pepe and his girlfriend burst into laughter, exchanging looks as if they had just pulled off the joke of the decade while walking ahead of the group.

“You assholes!” Christian exclaimed, exasperated.

“You actually believed it?” Gaby asked, holding onto Christian’s arm, relieved to see them laugh it off.

“As if you didn’t” Pepe retorted.

That evening, after a lovely dinner at a restaurant near Chinatown, they all headed back to their hotel, trying to teach Pepe how to navigate the Tube using a rule his girlfriend had devised.

“If you miss a train or anything, just get off at the first stop and wait there. We’ll come find you.”

“I’m not a child,” the Spaniard protested, sitting on one of the Piccadilly Line trains with his arms crossed, playfully nudging his girlfriend’s feet as she studied the map.

“I’m quite positive you are” she replied with a smile, focused on the intricate map, unaware that Pepe had taken out his phone and snapped a picture of her.

Later, once they were in their room, changed into their pajamas, and cuddled in bed watching a movie, Pepe sent her the photo.

As she opened the message, he began to speak.

“Honeymoon or not, you’re the only thing about me without bad sides” he said.

She smiled, her eyes soft and warm.

“And I love you like I love yapping about nerdy facts.”

“I think that’s the most thoughtful way you’ve told me you love me.”

Pepe leaned his head back against his hands.

“Still, maybe you’re right. I’m rather boyfriendy with Arvid.”

“Be careful, I’m a little jealous of you,” she said, giving him a quick kiss where his ear met his jawline.

“You said it—everyone loves me,” he joked, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her closer, breathing in her scent and feeling as though, even fifty years from now, they would still be just like this.

Because, as Gaby thought, if those two ever broke up, no one would believe in love anymore.

Beyond all the jokes and teasing, Pepe and that girl had found each other through some stroke of fate, and they were never meant to let each other go.

~ not proofread or anything so there might be a few errors, I hope you all like it 🍀

(please find me a pepe, thanks)

[blueskylinesx]

Everyone say thank you to @artificialbreezy because ever since she texted me the other day with some Jesse Cash thots I haven't been able to shut my brain up. Also another huge thank you to @thefallennightmare because she also contributed to the Jesse Cash brain rot and now here I am.

Jesse Cash Christmas blurb below. Please enjoy & let me know your thoughts! This was my first time typing up one of these and I had a lot of fun!

18+ CW: Mostly just a ton of sweet fluff with soft Jesse. Kissing, making out, grinding, taunting/teasing, language.

“How do you like your hot cocoa, with marshmallows or with whipped cream? Or both?”

You let out a light chuckle at Jesse’s question, “hmm surprise me!” You shouted back towards the kitchen where Jesse had been preparing two cups of hot chocolate for your Christmas movie marathon night.

Jesse had just gotten back from a three month tour with ERRA yesterday afternoon, and he had made a promise to you that once he was back home you both could have a night together watching all of your favorite christmas movies.

His tired eyes weighed heavy all day and you had told him multiple times that you could reschedule the movie night for another time but Jesse always kept his promises to you, no matter what.

You were cuddled up on the couch under an array of different blankets with both your knees brought up to your chest while you scrolled through different TV apps deciding on a movie.

Jesse emerged from the kitchen wearing a pair of plaid Christmas pj pants that matched yours which he had paired with his long sleeve cream colored shirt and the pair of long fuzzy Christmas socks you had given him earlier.

Coming to a halt in front of you, he extended his hand towards you holding out a snowman mug, “here you go beautiful, one cup of hot cocoa with whipped cream and marshmallows.” A matching snowman mug filled with hot cocoa rested in his other hand.

You reached out to grab the mug, wrapping both hands around it while letting the heat warm your skin. “I can see the mountain of whipped cream, but where are the marshmallows?” You teased while taking a small sip, unsure of just how hot the contents inside were.

Jesse sat down on the couch cushion next to you, “I put them under the whipped cream so that way you get a little marshmallow surprise in each sip.”

Finally deciding on the live action version of The Grinch, you hit play on the remote, and then leaned back against Jesse’s chest, resting your head against his shoulder blade. “Thank you for making us hot chocolate, babe.”

Jesse reached around you to pull the blankets back up over you both, “anything for you darling.” He took a sip of his cocoa and did his best to keep the mountain of whipped cream and all the extra chocolate drizzle he coated the top with from dripping down onto you.

You both sat there cuddled up & taking each other in while the glow from the TV screen casted against your faces, making up the time for having to be apart the last few months. 

Jesse reached over to place his mug down onto the coffee table and when he leaned back into his original spot he wrapped both his arms around you, holding onto you as if you were to slip from his grasp any moment.

With your head resting against his shoulder you tilted your head up to look at him, “I missed you too.” You said while rubbing your thumb along the front of his hand.

“I’m glad I made this promise. Even if you did make me wear these fluffy socks that are making my feet sweat. Any moment spent with you is special, but nights like these always mean the most. Just you and me, Darlin.”

Jesse tilted his head down to lay a gentle kiss against your lips and you hummed in delight at the taste. As he pulled away you spotted a little bit of hot cocoa and whipped cream that was tucked away in the corner of his mouth.

You reached up to wipe it away with your thumb, “looks like you got a little bit of your whipped cream chocolate syrup mountain stuck over here.”

Jesse kept solid eye contact with you as you cleaned around his mouth and when you went to wipe the whip cream off on the paper towel that rested under Jesse’s mug, he gently grabbed your wrist to bring your finger back to his mouth so he could suck off the whipped cream.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself, you know I can never resist a sweet treat.” Jesse winked back at you.

You turned in his embrace to position yourself so you could properly face him, “you know, you look like a sweet treat yourself.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” You whispered against his lips.

Jesse’s hand slid up under your shirt brushing along your back leaving goosebumps in its trail. With slight force, he pulled you into him leaving absolutely no space in between you two.

You brought your hand up and around his neck and dragged your fingers through his curls to pull him in for another kiss. This one being more passionate than the first.

Jesse glided his tongue along your bottom lip and you opened your mouth to let your tongue brush against his. He tasted of chocolate and marshmallows and you savored the taste as it filled your mouth.

The kiss was lazy and it was messy, both of your body temperatures rising from the body heat that was casting off of the both of you.

You pulled your head back to take in a breath, “we are getting distracted and we are going to have to rewind the movie.” You chuckled up against his lips.

“Shit you’re right, I’m sorry.” Once you adjusted yourself back down into his chest Jesse reached around you to grab the remote and started rewinding the movie back to the beginning. “Gotta be serious this time, no funny business.”

“It’s okay, part of that was my fault.” You said while leaving a kiss to the inside of his arm.

Your full attention was back on to the TV in front of you but Jesse couldn’t help himself from staring down at you, taking you in as the lights from the Christmas tree in the corner glistened across your face.

He leaned down to occasionally brush kisses along your forehead and a smile would creep across your face each time.

As your eyes started to slowly blink away the tiredness that fell down upon you Jesse leaned forward to place more kisses across your forehead, then down to your cheeks, coating your face in a kiss attack.

“Jesse!” You shouted through a fit of giggles, “You’re blocking the TV and I can’t see anything!”

“That’s the point, I want all of your attention on me, Darlin.”

“Jeesh, you’re so needy.” You joked.

“I can show you needy.” Jesse taunted back.

Unable to keep up the fight any longer, you threw the blankets off of you and climbed up into Jesse’s lap to straddle him. Your mouths meeting in another fiery make out session. One that lasted all throughout the night, leaving you and Jesse to reschedule your Christmas movie marathon for next week.  

[cyb-by-lang]

Cascade (part 8)

Wherein player [x+1] joins the battle.

“Don’t drown him, Gekkō-san.” 

Midoriya seemed less alarmed by Kei’s choices and more just resigned. She’d already demonstrated to his satisfaction that nobody died in her watery doom constructs unless she wanted them to. Else the USJ would’ve had a lot fewer arrested villains and a lot more body bags than just the big one.

At least it gave them data on how the Nōmu guys worked. Still, Kei nodded. “I won’t. Oh, and Iida-kun?” 

Iida couldn’t turn his face away to hide from her, thanks to whatever Stain’s Quirk was, but he did close his eyes. It was all he could do. 

Maybe it would help to hear this. Maybe it wouldn’t. But Kei could at least be honest this once. “You already know I’d kill him.” And that got Iida to look up. Just with his eyes. “If this man targeted my little brother, he’d be dead.” 

And her hold on Stain’s throat never changed, despite that. 

Iida’s expression was a terrible whirl of turmoil. Like he couldn’t believe Kei’s blatant hypocrisy any more than Stain’s fragmented philosophy. Whatever he’d been forced to listen to before Midoriya and Kei showed up, at least. “But—”

“I don’t pretend that’s a good thing. Just a human one.” And not something they should be discussing here. 

Even if Kei had no actual intention of letting Stain go free, she had to at least pretend to care about procedures. If Obito recovered from his Kamui overuse and returned to the greater Tokyo metropolitan area tonight, Kei figured shoving the problem off on him was a decent backup plan. After, say, the police or heroes. Obito would remember not to kill the guy, right?

And then there was someone running their way. It wasn’t until the blue shape in the dark got closer that Kei heard a familiar voice shout, “Midoriya!” 

While most of their group either couldn’t move on their own (Iida, Native) or had more immediate problems (Kei, Stain), Midoriya did jump to his feet and wave. “Todoroki-kun! You got my message?”

“For reference,” Todoroki continued as he arrived and took in the scene of moderate carnage and a lot of awkward standing around, “try to give more information than just a location next time.” 

Though there was fire trailing up his left side and frost coating his right sleeve, he didn’t look like he’d been hurt. Just like he’d had to run all the way here, fully anticipating a fight when he arrived. Instead, he got to see a bit of a clown show instead. 

Kei shrugged when Todoroki aimed a silent question her way. She still had the armed—yes, his knife and sword were still drawn—Hero Killer in a Water Prison, it was polite of Todoroki to notice.

At least, Todoroki asked, “Did all of this happen in just five minutes?”

“Oh, y-yeah. Sorry about only using a pin, but that was all the time we had.” Midoriya didn’t bow, but it looked like a close call. “Thanks for heading here so fast, though!” 

“Not fast enough,” said Todoroki, clearly taking note of the blood still present on the ground. Sure, Kei had gotten Native away from his original bloodstain, but Midoriya didn’t have enough bandages for him and for Iida, and one of Iida’s injuries was dangerously close to an artery. 

“I think showing up before the villain kills everyone is good enough,” Kei said, and rotated the Water Prison so Stain could breathe again. When Todoroki took a step closer, possibly to freeze the villain in place, Kei held up her free hand. “I’ve got him, Todoroki-kun. Help the others, please.” 

Todoroki sighed, and the result was an icy fog. “All right.”

While getting Iida bandaged was a trial without him being able to cooperate, Stain’s Quirk wore off while Todoroki and Midoriya were trying to figure out where the catches in his shoulder pauldron were. In short order, the three boys managed to get upright and talked mostly to each other in low, sharp tones. From what Kei overheard, Midoriya filled Todoroki in on everything he’d missed. Iida, meanwhile, got two lectures right over Native’s head once all the information laid bare between them. 

Iida may have been crying. Kei focused on Stain to give him plausible deniability if needed. 

Honestly, Kei would’ve left them to it. She didn’t have anything helpful to say that they couldn’t handle without her. No canned phrases or quaint sayings. All she had was a careful balance of truth shrouded by lies and omissions, neither of which relied solely on her. Staying standoffish for most of the school year so far—barring the 1-A girls’ friendship blitz—was a good stealth strategy on paper, but it retained some key flaws. Like her total inability to comfort any of these kids after a traumatic encounter. 

What I wouldn’t give for a shock blanket—

Do you hear that? Isobu interrupted, kicking Kei back into full alertness. Like the menagerie he was, half-a-dozen animal instincts all clamored for Kei’s attention at once. 

Iida shouted, “Gekkō—!” just as lightning descended from the sky. 

[rottenherbs]

Just A Squib (pt.4) // F.W x squib! reader

Word Count: 1.6k

Summary: You arrived safely to a hospital, no memories, no family, no friends. How could you start over now?

Authors Note: Very reader heavy but i loved writing this ! Maybe two more parts to this series?

// REQUESTS OPEN //

[Masterlist]

Much love, Saige

———

“Ms.Potter?” A soft voice rang through your ears.it was unfamiliar yet comforting.. All you could see was black, a vast open landscape, small flashes of red just out of reach.

You could feel your body, heavy as lead. You register all ten toes, all ten fingers but no energy to move any of them. You tried to look down at your body, only seeing more unending darkness. It frightened you deeply. You attempted to move your hands, to reach out.

‘I can’t’ you thought to yourself.. It felt like purgatory, only a woman’s voice bringing you peace. She grounded you, at least as much as you could be.

It felt like you floated in this liminal space, not in control. All unknowing yet acutely aware of your senses. You wish you could scream. God just do something. You took a deep breath in, attempting to move your body in anyway possible. It felt successful, your index finger raising in your mind. Your voice groaned in pain at the attempt.

“It’s okay. Please stay still Ms.Potter.” The woman called out. You could feel cold hands placed on your arm holding you down lightly. They weren’t forceful but they did the job. Your finger relaxed back in place.

It felt like you got ripped from reality as the black environment around you was replaced by stark white tile. The change blinded you, your ability to shut your eyes willingly took you by surprise, the light still shining through your eyelids. The soft red hue of your skin is the only protection for your sight. Your ears rung, the room spinning around you. All of your senses were being tested.

Where were you? Were you hurt? How did you get here? Can you move your body? What happened?

You opened your eyes after a moment adjusting your focus to the room around you. White linens and machines all matching the walls and floors. It felt sterile and untouchable. Your attention was soon directed to a nurse to your left holding your hand in hers. She smiled down at you.

”It’s alright. I know its a lot but you are alright”. She cleared her throat You stared back at her in confusion.. She was older, dressed in white. Her grey hair tugged tightly behind her head in a bun. She was beautiful. She felt safe. “You’re at St. George’s hospital.” Her smile was unwavering, her eyes empathetic to your fear.

St.George’s Hospital? London?

You didn’t understand anything. Your throat was dry, unable to question further. You felt. lump form in your chest, the painful choking following your welling eyes. The nurse squeezed your hand noticing the shift of emotion on your face. She nodded in acknowledgement, almost like she could read your mind.

“You were dropped off by a stranger. You came to our desk and fainted. We're just doing a routine check on your physical state.” She stood up, lightly letting your hand fall to your side. She walked around to the front of your bed retrieving a clipboard.

“Do you have someone to call? Can we make any arrangements for you to head home?” Her questions were simple, yet you sat silent.

You didn’t. You didn’t have anyone to call. You didn’t have anywhere to go. You wracked your brain of a family, of friends. You could only think of the barbaric pair of aunt and uncle over in Little Whinging. While a lot of your memories were foggy, something deep inside you told you that was not an option.

You looked at the nurse, mouth slightly agape clawing for the voice in your throat. She waited patiently, not interrupting your attempts. It took you a moment, but soon words came out -

“No ma’am.” Your voice is hoarse and somber. You sat there, this nurse being the only human who knows of your existence at this moment. Only this hospital has records of you. They probably had more records of your life than you could recall. You sat there broken-hearted. She nodded and set your chart back down.

“Ill be back with your things. You are free to go when you are cleared, okay?” Her voice was understanding but I knew she couldn't help. You closed your eyes praying you had something in my belongings that could reveal any information.

She came back with a large suitcase of clothes, a purse, paperwork and a baggie of jewlery and pendants they took off your body. She left them at the edge of the bed, leaving the room and giving you the privacy to look over everything.

A scarlet dress, dirty and worn. Several sweaters seemingly hand knit, but otherwise ordinary. A couple pairs of pants and various undergarments. It wasnt until you dug to the bottom where you found a large stash of money and your wallet. Stacks of different colored bills all tucked carefully between clothes. You wouldn't believe your eyes. Thousands of dollars in front of you. All of the clothes were yours you knew that, but this money was new. It was not yours.

Your heart raced gripping the money tightly. You could start over anywhere with this. You had a sudden rush to hide the money back in your suitcase, terrified that someone would see it and take it away from you. You got up from the bed slowly, making sure that your legs worked along with your balance. You got dressed in one of the warm sweaters and a pair of simple sweatpants just before the nurse came back. The clothes smelled of fire wood smoke, cloves, and butterscotch. It smelled of fall. Of a place untouchable.

“You’re on your feet!” The nurse entered, breaking you from the smell of your clothes. Her smile was genuine, happy to see you in a better state than earlier that day. She handed you some paperwork to sign. You took the pen consenting to be discharged from the hospital. She filed the paperwork and she walked you out. You gripped your wallet nervously in your pocket, standing at the curb waiting for the next available taxi.

Let’s start with a hotel room.

And that you did.

—-

Three years passed. Your life in downtown London is becoming second nature and you finally feel like a local. You found a beautiful flat at an exceptional price being able to live alone for the first time in your life. Your roommate was a small ginger stray cat, always howling at your door to be let in or fed. You found comfort in his presence. You loved having something to care for, to live for. As much as you saved him, he saved you.

Your job as a Tesco cashier was within walking distance. Life was simple and you found love in the little things. Everyday you grappled with the loss of memories, but you soon found it therapeutic. You got to fully start over, with yourself, with your surroundings, with everything. Not many people had the privilege.

You shrugged on a cost, swinging a scarf tightly around your neck. Just as you closed your apartment door, you shoved your foot between the crack in the door blocking your foster fail from leaving.

“Stay! Please!” You hushed attempting to keep the cat inside. He fought to escape but you closed it briskly before he could. You sighed and shook your head.

Just another day.

You made your way outside, a brisk wind catching you off guard. Pulling up your hood and zipping your jacket closed, you nestled yourself in for the walk to work. With only your eyes visible, you keep your head down walking within pace of the other people on the street. Looking up only to check your peripherals, you strut across a small parking lot. You cut behind a car, hoping to save time, and end up running into an stranger. You both stumbled, him more than you. He fell to the ground as you caught yourself on the car next to you. Your hands outstretched hoping to help him.

“I’m so sorr-“ you stared down at the man, he already turned to face away from you on the ground. His hands and knees holding himself up, only his fiery red hair and tall frame noticeable to you.

“It was my fault. Have a nice day.” He said over his shoulder. He got up and walked away abruptly leaving you alone in between the cars.

You stood in shock for a moment confused at the altercation all together.

What a weirdo.

You looked around, not able to find him again. It seemed like he was gone for good. Your eyes caught sight of a small note in the spot the man fell. You leaned down hesitating to grab it. You shoved it in your pocket and looked around once more. Suspiciously, you quickly walked out of the parking lot and towards the entrance to your work.

Shaking the interaction out of your mind, you attempted to relax in the back room for a few minutes before your shift started. You reached into your pocket - your fingers searching for the small piece of paper. You held it for a moment inbetween your fingers before revealing it to yourself. Something told you it was meant for you. Even the thought sounded ridiculous to you but you still held it closed infront of you. You took a look at the clock. 7 minutes.

You let out a shallow sigh flicking the paper open. It was a stained piece of old cardstock, an intricate crest with a large H in the center. It was drawn in pencil, the image of a shield with 4 corners, each with a crude drawing of an animal.

It felt like Deja vu. Like you’ve seen this before; but nothing in your mind could decipher it. You felt like you could throw up, overwhelmed with your thoughts.

Who was that?

[hearthtales]

Dragonflies. The first time they flitted in his face, the boy stumbled away from them, startled. Their true purpose soon clicked in his mind, though. They were leading him. He’d been lured into danger before, so he initially wavered, fearing a trick. But then he saw how they flew in the same direction as fresh tracks, and his suspicion shifted to hesitant trust.

He ran down the trail, following the dragonflies and the footsteps in the soil. His heart thudded in his chest. Please be alright. Please, please, please—

And there she was. Seated before a headstone in a meadow, arranging bunches of fresh wildflowers beside the dead flowers that already rested there. Apparently unharmed and perfectly content.

She spotted him and beamed. “Look! I found lots of flowers, and I made friends.” She tipped her head slightly toward the dragonfly on her shoulder. Her gaze brightened. “You found friends too!” The dragonflies that guided him there, she meant.

Bran stared at her, breathless from both the journey and his relief to find her in one piece. “I— I told you not to go far. I didn’t know where you’d gone.”

Nettie’s smile faltered, guilt crossing her face. “I’m sorry.” She looked back at the headstone and fidgeted with the flowers. “I, um… I wanted to— I thought I could find them, maybe. In the forest.”

Bran’s relief briefly turned to confusion tinged with frustration at her disappearance. He took a breath to stifle it, reminding himself he was the one at fault. He should have kept a closer eye on the child.

He approached Nettie and sat beside her. “Find who?” he asked, his voice kept low and steady.

“Maude,” she replied quietly. “And Arthur.”

Bran’s heart sank. “You… they aren’t… they’re gone, Nettie. You won’t find them anywhere.”

She bit her lip. “When are they coming back?”

A lump formed in Bran’s throat. He swallowed it and went on softly. “They’re not coming back. They… died back there, before we got here. I’m sorry.”

Nettie was silent for several seconds, not looking away from the headstone. She shook her head. “But they can’t die. They’re strong. Maude’s got magic.”

“I know she does.” Bran grimaced and corrected himself. “Did. She did. But… something even stronger got them, in the end. They didn’t make it.”

“But they—” Nettie’s voice hitched. She sniffled, her shoulders hunching. “… they’ll come find us...”

Bran scooted closer to the child and wrapped his arms around her. She collapsed into him and hugged him tightly, her damp face pressed into his sweater. “I’m sorry,” the boy murmured into her hair, guilt heavy in his chest. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Another sniffle, her muffled voice hoarse and pleading. “I’m scared. I want to go home.”

“I know.” Bran inhaled shakily, shoving his own sorrow down before it could drown him, and rested his chin on her head. “We can’t go home just yet. I’m sorry. But I’ll figure it out, a way to keep you safe. I promised I’d look after you. Don’t worry.”

Nettie didn’t say anything else. She just cried while Bran held her, and they stayed like that for a while before the headstone. The fresh bundles of flowers shone brightly amidst the dry ones at their feet.

The moment Bran stepped outside, there were another pair of dragonflies waiting to chaperone him - whether he noticed them or not. When it looked like he was going the opposite direction of where Nettie went, the dragonflies flitted before his face and coaxed him to follow the other way.

Always on the path. Never off the path.

The morning had brightened up the Sundown isle tremendously. Though mist still pooled close to the ground, it was easy to see freshly-made tracks in the soil. Birds started to gather in the trees and watch the new guests from afar.

Meanwhile, Nettie was off collecting wildflowers with one dragonfly seated on her shoulder. The other remained on the headstone, keeping watch.

[pastamurdercats]

FLUFFY Po3 FAMILY ENJOYERS RISE UP.

Me when. Me when floof and pastel colors. If anyone draws these I will love you forever but I understand how fucking complex they are.

Warrior cat design requests are opened and encouraged I am enjoying this.

[moeblob]

What's an otome?

You read a picture book to romance fictional characters, anon.

(for reference: on page 2 the second panel characters are from Steam Prison. Vita touch mechanic mention is Bad Apple Wars and the sexism call outs is in Sweet Fuse.)

I struggle personally with the self-insert intended otome because I look at characters and go "that's my son now" and I can't romance my son! That's why I prefer games with a designated design and some bare-bones personality protags. THEY can romance my son.

[crystalpallette]

get you a girl who can give you everything

this started a long long time ago when I made a joke about how sega should put ringo in more dresses, and then my friend reminded me that oh yeah!! I can do that instead!!! and then one thing led to another and we joked about punk ringo and I drew that too. using ringo like a dressup doll is so cathartic it's kinda crazy

some bonuses (original designs, timelapse) under the cut bc I like these designs!! I might do some more with them!! please disregard the band poster in the first second of the timelapse that's something else!!!

[wcrldcffantasy]

"Apparently a return of true royalty~" Phoebus said as he was swinging his sword skilfully to red of the shard demons, and then hummed while letting out a breath, "And there are forces that are preventing them from coming to where they belong."

"Don't get distracted, Captain Sun God~" Jasmine was flipping and jumping like a speedy rabbit at how she was taking down monster after monster, using parkour and a lot of her weapon in the air. She landed gracefully on the ground and then stood up, some black goop from the monsters stained her face, "After all, I have a feeling their boss is nearby controlling them..."

Phoebus frowned as he was then nodding, "Right..."

It was then Phoebus saw how Sano and Hak were finishing up the fight and then placed his sword away, knowing that the battle was over with. But now they have to sniff out the rat that brought these monsters in the first place.

As that was going on, Hime watched Prince Dantè with wide eyes, her eyes suddenly sparked in gold but it was gone as soon as it came. But she nodded and soon rushed in the portal and both Amiboshi and Maria followed. Bambi was the last to go in, but let out a loud cry of pain when one of the dying shards aimed it's claws as a last act before it was killed...

"BAMBI!" Hime yelled when the buck stumbled out and fell to the ground, seeing the blackening veins appearing on the hind legs of her companion, "No, no, no, no--"

"Princess--" Amiboshi skidded to his knees and checked over the creature, his eyes softening before looking at Maria, "Lady--"

"I'm on it!" Maria was quick to place her hands above her hands over the deer's legs and tried to extract the cursed wounds and heal him, closing her eyes as her hands started to glow.

Hime hiccuped with tears as she placed Bambi's head onto her lap carefully, stroking his head as his breathing seemed to be too low and slowing, and she tried to comfort him, "Please don't go, please!"

"Considering Faith is trying to take advantage of Zen, there's no doubt that she might also try to take him out for power as soon as his uses are up," Edward hummed as he was leaning back in his chair before breathing out, "What sort of hold does she have on him?"

"Maybe the promise of finding Shirayuki and Obi's souls without going through Truth and it's Law of Equivalent Exchange...?"

Edward sat up for a moment with wide eyes as he looked to his brother, then he shook his head with a scoff, "Doubt. There's no way that woman would be stupid enough to dangle the impossible. Even if she managed to help Zen revive a few, but that's mostly because of some loopholes. Zen would have to give up something greater than himself to bring back people personally for his own gain..."

"...Unless he has a Holy person. Like a Saintess." Alphonse pointed out as he looked to the Council, "I've heard the rumours. That there is indeed a woman of that title going around Kingdoms. And Zen will be definitely interested..."

"Okay, you didn't tell me that during your solo-patrol," Edward narrowed his eyes at Alphonse, who shrugged.

"I didn't think of it important...at first," Alphonse murmured before he had a serious look on his face, "That was until I got realiable news from one of our own, they witness her revive an army from a small country before their very eyes..."

Milo hummed as he was skimming through the shelves but then glanced up at the other before turning to Wěi qí, "While I can read to my hearts content, there are just some that I cannot be allowed to touch. Which, I respect..."

It was then he sat himself down comfortably in the couch, and gestured for Wěi qí to sit by him, "So...how are you?"

Davion looked at the pictures and his eyes watered and he let out a slight sob. Gods, he has truly missed so much. The fact that he sees the kids, grown up and there are others that were tenderly loved and cared for by his two soulmates...it honestly was a sight.

And he was not in it.

He leaned against Beelzebub and took a breath, just letting out his silent cry of missing everything, and that he was glad to be alive once more. Never again will I lose anyone or lose myself...

"Let the White King try, Ed. Doing so would mean to undo the seal, and we all know that our Emperor has been eager to set us free once again." Carmen reminded the alchemist. "Investigating us would also be pointless, as the same issue would arise."

Iago seconded that, but he also admitted that they can't put anything past Zen. "So I vote we take caution, Carmen. Better to side on that and ensure that our Emperor doesn't lose Davion again." "Agreed, Iago. None of us desire to see our Emperor lose one of his loves." Carmen replied and gave a nod before the next subject came about: what else the Elric Brothers learned.

One of the other females, a dark elf, asked if Ed heard from their little spy within the walls. "Lord Typhon has pointed out that with Faith making herself comfortable by the White King's side, then we should be prepared for anything that damned Bitch throws our way."

Citalee and the others agreed before letting the brothers take their stand.

Laughing at Eric's cute and obvious crush on his nephews, Wěi qí waved as the fallen prince headed back to where the boys were. "That'll help soothe Yun's worry." He added with a soft giggle. Sometimes, he wondered if-ah, well, that would come sooner than he expected. "Ah, young love."

Letting Milo inside, he chuckled and nodded at his question. "Yun did say that you have access to the entire library." With the extracted promise that Milo would not read anything aloud lest he was told that the book he may have is safe.

Wěi qí led Milo to the area he had been in, which had their tea and snacks waiting. And yes, it had the books that he loved to read in this area.

Back with Davion, Beelzebub smiled and set his glass aside before hugging the dragon knight. "Oh Baby, that ain't wishful thinking...it's sweet." The demon king replied as he shed a few tears. "Losin' you took a toll on both of us. And the kids."

He summoned a family photo showing Davion, the five boys who were the dragon knight's sons. Stephan had grown into a confident, if not mischievous, tide dragon, Li hanging off of him and appearing just as innocent as ever. But the trio that Davion had yet to meet were none other than Onyx, Eclipse, and Ivory, who was holding their service animal, a lion who looked a LOT like a certain lion's former uncle.

Before any harm could come to Hime, a roar was heard and then what looked like black spikes appeared from the shadows, impaling the Mirror Shard Creatures. "I REALLY hate these buggers."

It was none other than Prince Dantè who whistled for his familiars to take care of the shard creatures, and then, he turned to face the group. "Use the shadows, they'll get you to the town square and to safety. Mim, Archimedes, guide Hime and her companions."

The shadow wolves barked before flanking Bambi's side, nudging him to show that they wouldn't attack while keeping the group safe. "Go. I'll meet you there!"

With Sano and the others, members of the town saw what was happening, and someone sounded the alarm. And that was when the sound of the conch shell was heard, causing the town to cheer.

Polaris and her crew arrived in the nick of time!

"Kaito, FIRE!"

A laugh that sent the town scattering only to be drowned out as the s cannons fired, the balls directly hitting the Mirror Shards. And of course, Sano's group was shielded by a certain sea dragon who sighed. "Whoopsies...Sorry!" Kaito barked at the group.

"Blithirin, Ejit..." The dragon growled before noticing Phoebus and Jasmine. "Blithirin' Nine Hells...What that lass see to send in her top four?"