#promise i'll reply to all your starters

[viaetor]

i remade my multi-muse blog! ૮ ˶´ ᵕˋ ˶ა i'm still setting it up and i'll keep things more slow there; but so far it already has some muses from genshin, star rails & other games and animangas that i'm testing + some dear ocs of mine. so if you want me to follow you on there, hit that cute lil like button ~

[replenaryindulgence]

Before the Light

Azriel x Calida (ka-lee-duh)/Reader

Summary: After getting lost in the woods on a camping trip and finding herself in an unfamiliar land, 22-year-old Cal must decide what she's willing to do to get back to her life if she still wants it.

Word count: 5.5k

Warnings: Panic, creepy guy in the woods

a/n: I know there’s a lot of backstory, I promise it’s worth getting through! I really wanted to set the stage and for you to get to know our MC.

I didn't intend for this to be so long, but d*mn my little hamster brain kept running on that wheel!!! The MC's name might seem a little strange, it's of Irish origin & I thought it was pretty and unique. Also, she's a redhead because so am I and me plus Azriel equals two (iykyk). Plz let me know what you think! Thinking about throwing in a slight love triangle moment with Morrigan eventually because how dramatic would that be & because our reader might be a little bi aren't we all? Strap in!!!

I'll try to update this as soon as I can! It might be a week or so. (P.S. my asks are always open! Thanks for bearing with me while I relearn how to use tumblr lol)

 Chapter 1

“I don’t think we’re doing this right. No, definitely not, this piece is supposed to bend across that one.” 

“You suck at this An,” Jack threw back. 

“I suck at this? You didn’t get it right either asshole,” Annie quipped. 

You shook your head, amused by the twins struggling to put together the first tent. The ground beneath the large pines was littered with dried needles, perfect for kindling. Circling around, you collected them into your jacket pocket.

“You hearing this, Cal?” Jack called out to you.

Turning to face your friends, you couldn’t help but laugh. 

“You guys are ridiculous,” You threw back, reaching for a small pine cone at your feet and rolling it in your palm.

You walked back and tossed your growing pile of fire-starter near the center of the clearing. It was still a few hours from dusk, but the hike had been long and you were eager to set up and be done with it. Jack and Annie were tasked with the tents while Brooke gathered rocks for the fire pit and scouted the area, something about checking for bears. A ridiculous idea, you had thought, though if you trusted anyone here with your life it was probably Brooke. Your guess was she wanted to get away from the bickering for a while.

The sweat from the hike still clung to your skin, sitting sticky and uncomfortable beneath your jacket. It’s much cooler now than it had been on the trip in. You touched the back of your hand to your nose to warm it. The sun’s rays peeked through the ever-rising pines, and you welcomed the sparse heat. Closing your eyes, you tilted your head back and let the afternoon look at you. Your feet shuffled slightly until light touched your face, and vibrant red filled your vision from behind closed lids. This moment reminded you of being a kid, observing and learning about the world around you. You tried to remember the last time you felt peace like you did now. It seemed as though no matter how hard you tried to clutch it, life slipped quickly through your fingers like sand. The years passed and suddenly, nothing was the same. But, this moment felt still; the sun was warm, and the lake welcomed you back with familiar hands.

”You’ve been a real help,” Jack whispered, startling you. His arm brushed yours, you smiled at the sky. 

“It’s nice that we’re staying out here. I love the cabin, but I think we could all use the seclusion,” you responded, meeting his eyes. He nodded back, folding his arms. Brown hair stuck to his forehead, damp with sweat. 

“Seclusion, huh?” He teased. 

“Seclusion, isolation, freedom from the expectations and burdens of society,” you replied dramatically.

“Okay, Thoreau, can we get some help sorting through the bags?” He questioned.

Before you could respond, you saw movement beyond the trees. Brooke approached and Jack walked over to help her with the arm full of small rocks she carried. 

“No sign of bears,” she stated shortly. “Only one tent? I’ve been gone for twenty minutes.” 

Brooke wasn’t angry, she just had a way about her. A way that was quick to say what was on her mind, and without much thought to how it would be taken. You learn to let it roll off of you when you’ve known someone for years. She’d been your and Annie’s suitemate freshman year. As a sensitive person, you found her bluntness unpleasant, but Annie liked her, and eventually, you came around. 

You’ve known Jack and Annie longer than you can remember. Your parents were once very close; you’d spend weeks out of the year at their cabin just east of the lake. When your parents divorced it got ugly and uncomfortable, like a festering wound, until neither of them came back to the cabin. You were grateful for that. The cabin, the lake, it remained a place untouched by the crumbling debris of your parents’ failed marriage. Jack’s mom had pulled you aside and assured you that you’d always have a place with them. You knew she meant it. Mrs. Henley, Ruth, was a soft-spoken woman, but always sincere. 

The cabin was almost two hours from the water by car, if cabin was the right word for it. You never talked about how much money the Henleys had, and they didn’t seem to care what your family had in comparison. The twins’ Dad, Eric, ran a few publishing companies in Washington, one in Oregon. After graduation, Mr. Henley lined up an internship for you as an editorial assistant, and asked you to persuade Jack to stay in Washington and work for him. A fruitless task, you were sure. Jack was over living out west, he wanted to travel the states, maybe move abroad for a while. No entry level job at his Dad’s company would sway a 22 year old from the intrigue of adventure.

A month ago, Annie suggested we spend these last few weeks before the fall, fully together. Camping was never your favorite, but you couldn’t say no to Annie. Not when you knew she was right. After graduation, you’d spent the summer mostly together, in your apartments in Seattle, at the Henley’s house in the city, or at the cabin. It felt right, it felt how it always did. But now, the discomfort of change was more tangible, less abstracted by time. Jack was talking of moving east with a friend you’ve known since high school and Brooke was heading to Alaska for grad school. Lucky for you, Annie didn’t seem in a rush to solidify plans, besides staying in the city. Who could blame her, with parents like that? 

You joined Annie in the one set-up tent, helping her spread a blanket over one of the thin camping mattresses. You worked silently, unpacking a small pillow, another blanket, and hooking a portable light onto where the poles crossed inside the tent. 

“You don’t need my permission, you know,” Annie said, breaking the silence. 

You furrowed your brows. “Permission? For what?” You continued looking through the bags, setting one aside and adjusting the blanket beneath you.

"With Jack," She said, smiling at your confused look as she grabbed a bag of peanut M&M’s from her bag. She tilted her head back, letting a few fall into her mouth.

You didn’t know what to say. “It’s not like that,” you assured.

”It’s always like that,” she smiled at you, offering the sweets in her hand. 

You took them, rolling your eyes. Annie assumed everyone was in love. You were definitely a romantic, but you also knew what disinterest looked like. You and Jack had shared a few lingering touches and almost-moments on drunken nights, but it didn’t sway you to gamble your friendship on the possibility that he was interested in anything serious. You were content wondering what could have been. You were typically more fond of fiction, anyway.

“Annie, come help me finish setting this up,” Jack called. She smiled at you once more before disappearing from the tent. You laid back, thankful for the swift death of the conversation. 

… 

The second tent was up much quicker than the first. You had organized them; Annie and Jack’s bags in one, Brooke’s and yours in the other. A small pile of sticks and pine needles glowed atop a circle of rock in the center of the camp. Jack and Brooke had found a small log and somehow managed to carry it over. You sat on it with Jack, rubbing your neck, the ghostly weight of your bag on your shoulders. You tried to pack light, but you brought a few books along; a mystery about a kidnapping that took place at a summer camp, some fairy book Brooke had suggested, and, possibly, one too many sweaters, which added some weight. 

The sun was setting now, teasing the horizon with a gentle touch, and although it meant the temperature would plummet, you were eager for sleep. The heels of your feet ached, your calves felt stiff, and you were sure you needed to drink more water. 

Brooke poked at the fire while Annie was engrossed in her phone, probably looking at pictures she'd taken on the hike in. You and Jack shared dried mango slices while you searched the shared playlist Brooke made for the trip. All Things End by Hozier began playing, and you smiled absentmindedly at the memory of hearing it live.

"Everyone is so quiet," Annie said, interrupting the hiss of the crackling embers. She and Brooke sat on a blanket across from you.

“I’m exhausted,” You responded with a yawn, staring vacantly beyond the campground. You thought you could spot the glitter of sunset on the distant water. 

“Let’s get in the lake,” she laughed. “The cold is supposed to be good for your nervous system, or something.”

The prospect of dipping into the lake woke your body slightly, sending a buzz down your spine. You liked the rush of adrenaline, the euphoria following it. 

“I’m in,” you responded with a smile. Brooke looked behind her, towards the direction of the water, and back with a scrunched nose, but eventually agreed. You turned to Jack, he only groaned. Still, he stood, mumbling something about how men weren’t built for cold water. Tell that to the Vikings, you thought.

You grabbed the thin towels from your tent, and headed towards the water. 

…

Pebbles crunched beneath your boots. It was a short walk to the mouth of the lake, Brooke had chosen a good spot to camp. You quickly stripped them along with most of your clothes, leaving you in a thin bra and hiking shorts. You dipped one foot in the water, wincing at the temperature. Your friends stripped behind you, while you tried not to lose your nerve. Jack was taking pictures of the sunset from a few feet away, and you quickly slipped out of your shorts while he was preoccupied. Brooke and Annie took to your sides, and the three of you stood apprehensively at the edge of the lake, glancing over the water that expanded before you.

“It’ll be worse if we think too much about it,” Annie said, folding her arms to hold her body.

Brooke took a few brave strides and sank below the surface, cursing as she came up, before tilting her head back and letting the water caress her. Annie squealed before following suit. You blew out a huff of air, trying and failing to compartmentalize the chill in the water. When it got to your stomach your body shivered. No, this definitely wasn’t helping your aching muscles. You pressed on. 

The water kissed your chest, then your shoulders. Finally, you gave in, dipping your head under. It wasn’t unbearable, but you weren’t sure you’d last long. You felt your pulse slightly in the back of your head as you swam under the surface. It had been almost 80 degrees today, but the water refused to acknowledge that. You broke the surface with a gasp, turning to face your friends who hovered near the edge of the lake. Why had you been so enthusiastic about this idea? You watched as Jack strolled over and dropped his clothes in a pile near the rest, quickly avoiding his gaze. Annie called out to him that it wasn’t so bad, and he shook his head in disagreement as he stood with the water just above his knees. He folded his arms, holding himself how Annie had. You stilled, lowering your head so your nose and eyes peaked just above the surface, and watched him sink further. You took a breath and sank below once more.

You had always loved the water. Brooke said it was biological, that it calmed something in the animal of us to be near it. When you were younger you pretended you were the half-blood offspring of Poseidon, counting how long you could hold your breath in it before your lungs felt like fire and you got light-headed. 

You felt something touch your hand, and you lifted yourself from the water and your daydreaming. Jack had swum out, treading water as he watched the sun set over the mountains behind you. Water trickled down his face, gathering in his lashes, and his golden skin was cast in a reddish-golden light. He looked ethereal. 

Turning, you faced the sunset. The sun lit the sky beyond the mountains in the most vibrant hues of red and orange. Where the darkening sky above you met the sun, pale shades of pink gathered. There was a good ten minutes of light left, and you thought that you’d never forget this moment. The beauty of it burned into your eyes. You saw it even as you blinked.

You broke the peaceful silence, "It feels like everything’s changing. I hate it." Change felt like putting on a new leather jacket. It chafed in all the wrong places.

He sighed, “Everything is changing. I for one am excited to leave this oppressive ass place.”

You thought of the vastness of the city, the lake that expanded before you, the mountains that climbed ahead, and wondered how anyone could call this oppressive. You knew he meant the people, but the city was big and it seemed like an excuse for wanting to leave. You stayed silent, sifting through your thoughts. 

“Dad sure is glad you’re staying. At least one of us won’t disappoint him.” He added, wiping his short hair back from his face.

You laughed at the idea of his Dad ever being disappointed in either him or Annie. Their parents were unusually understanding people. Of course he wanted his kids close to home but he never was the type to force anyone’s hand. Sometimes, you thought Jack wanted a reason to brood. 

“He wants you to stay, but I know he’ll live vicariously through you wherever you go, he’s an adventurer at heart. Maybe we can write about it when you get back,” you replied, smiling as you thought of the times you sat around their Dad’s faded armchair as he read you and the twins stories. He filled your minds with images of half-human creatures and monsters that swallowed ships whole. Of wars waged over beautiful women. Greedy dragons and cursed rings. 

He replied with a smile and a ‘maybe’, and you pictured his portrait in the back of a travel book. ‘Everyone has a story to tell,’ His Dad had said to him years ago. 

You heard laughter and splashing behind you as your friends jumped out of the lake. 

“You’re just like him,” he added, nudging your arm underwater. You raised your brows in question.

He continued, “You should come with me. No author came up with anything interesting to say by staying put. New York, maybe Italy, or Ireland. You’d get plenty of inspiration there.” 

“I want to be where the publishing action is,” you joke, “And I’m no storyteller, at least not yet.” 

“Yeah right, you’re a natural,” He adds, “You’ve got an eye for it.” 

You admired how sure Jack was. You liked how it felt to be near him, it put you at ease. He smiled and you could just picture late nights in the sticky bars of Dublin and Vespa rides along the coast.

Of course, you’d agree you had an eye for storytelling, otherwise you'd have wasted the last four years of your life. But, you didn’t have the option of relying on your rich parents for support as you found yourself at the Cliffs of Moher. The Pacific North-West was beautiful, you couldn't believe anyone would want to leave. You’d travel one day, maybe after you’d settled into your career. Until then, this would have to do. You looked out as the sun took its last breath, bowing to the mountains, passing its watch over to the moon. 

“Let’s go, I’m freezing!” Annie called out from the shore. 

"I’ll start dinner," Brooke added, attempting to shake the last of the water from her short hair. 

You didn’t wait for Jack as you made your way to them. You hurried out, thankful for the thin veil of darkness as you dried off. Jack dressed beside you, his hair falling in short ringlets over his brows. He caught your eye and you pulled your towel over your head, hiding your face, and squeezing the lake from your hair. 

…

The fire started quickly, and you ate slightly gummy re-hydrated pasta that Ruth made for the trip with her food dehydrator. You were sure this was the first time they’d used it. Shortly after dinner you fell prey to the lull of darkness and excused yourself with a ‘good night’ leaving your friends by the fire. The blankets in the tent felt damp. Great. Your sweats, thankfully, weren’t as bad. You fell asleep to hushed conversation, burrowing deep into your hooded sweatshirt. 

You awoke to a sharp, shining light. Brooke was reading something next to you. How long had you been asleep? You hummed a greeting, burying your face further into your blanket, and sank deeply into the comfort of sleep.

The next day consisted of meals around the fire and a short hike to get a better view of the mountains. You trailed behind your friends, deep in thought as you failed to push away Jack’s suggestion that what you needed was travel. You thought of Bilbo refusing to leave the Shire. 

Annie crept scarcely close to the edge of a boulder and you tried to hide your worried face while Brooke took her photo. They pulled you in for a group one, and you held tightly to Brooke as she captured your smiling faces.

The day seemed shorter than the one before, the sunset was more of a dulled pink, dimmed by low-hanging clouds. You made s’mores and failed at telling ghost stories around the fire before turning in early. You grabbed the fairy book from your bag, deciding the mystery should be read in the safety of daylight. You were on page 32 when Brooke joined you, crawling into the tent and kicking pine needles onto your blanket. 

“I swear fantasy writers all had a meeting and committed to only writing weak, sex-depraved female leads,” You tell Brooke as she slips into her sleepwear. 

“That or they become the best fighters and magicians all of a sudden. Can’t a girl just be a girl?” She adds.

You laughed in agreement and attempted to discuss the female archetype in fairy lands while she settled in. You pressed your legs to hers for warmth, and she opened a book about the history of the local tribes in Washington. Your thoughts drifted from the page, unable to comprehend the last paragraph of world-building you attempted to read twice, and you let your head fall back to your pillow. The serenade of cicadas filled your ears, and you tried to commit the sound to memory. A vision tugged at you, of laying on a porch swing in your mother's arms, listening to the cicadas call as she read to you from your book about flower fairies. You laugh at how little you’ve changed, and how much you’ve changed.

“My mom used to read me this fairy book when I was a kid. I’ve probably heard it a thousand times, and I swore I saw fairies in my backyard. My grandma told me if there was a ring of mushrooms, a fairy had been there and I looked all over the yard for them,” you admitted, the memory vivid and colorful in your mind.

“My brother and I used to build little homes for them out of sticks and leaves,” she added. You enthusiastically agreed, remembering sitting outside of your grandparents’ house arranging pieces of earth with your cousins. Hours content in the world of your imagination. You missed that part of yourself, the child in you. You thought of her as you drifted asleep.

…

The next day the sky was filled with thick puffs of soft gray clouds, the air cooler than it'd been a few days ago. You started the morning off slowly, accompanied by Annie as you laid on a blanket near the water and read. Lunch had been brought to the lake, the four of you determined to spend the whole day in this spot. 

Hours later you sat, Jack at your side, and watched as Annie and Brooke swam further and further out. So far this week you’d gone hiking, swimming, read your books, and walked around looking at fauna. You weren’t sure what camping for a week looked like. The longest you’d camped out was two nights, and it was technically in the backyard of the twins’ house. 

“What time are your friends getting here?” You asked Jack as you chewed the inside of your lip. He sat with his arms resting on his knees beside you.

"Mmm, around five I think," he responded, glancing at his watch. 

A few of Jack’s friends were coming to camp for the rest of the week. They were nice guys, and you weren’t exactly feeling antisocial, but you wished it would have stayed just the four of you. 

“Dylan’s bringing is his girlfriend I think,” he added.

You hummed in response. You liked her, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

Mirroring Jack, you looked at your watch; 4:14. Wanting to spare yourself from awkward small talk and having to help set up tents, you decided you’d go for a run along the shore soon. The energy bites Brooke had made and the coffee you drank with lunch were making you restless, anyway. You sat with Jack a little longer, and at half past four you stood, slipping back into your shoes. 

Jack laughed amusingly when you told him of your plan, seeing through your avoidant ploy, but he just reminded you to be careful and to be back before dark or they’d have to form a search party. You called out to Brooke and Annie and they both echoed a warning too. A ‘be careful’, and a ‘bring your charger just in case.’

Back at camp, you threw your small solar charger into your jacket pocket, along with a granola bar, and drank from your water bottle. Anxious thoughts filled your mind, though you weren’t sure why. You’d woken up slightly on edge this morning and chalked it up to the company arriving soon. The path you’d run would be easy and mindless, no reason to worry. You’d stick to the shoreline, and come back the same way long before it got dark; the shore near the camp would be unmistakable. You took a breath and willed your stomach to settle.

You tied your hair up, swinging it to your back, then wrapped your jacket around your waist and began jogging towards the water. You’d gotten a little addicted to running this past year. It trained your breathing and focused your mind, something you’ve been trying and failing to do all your life. In Seattle, you always ran the same four-mile route from your apartment to around the park and back. It took you a few weeks to map down the perfect path. Past the gift shop at the end of the block, steering clear of the traffic near the middle school a half-mile down, and along the widest sidewalk that led to the park closest to your apartment. You focused on your breath and willed your anxious mind to focus on your surroundings. The pines loomed above you, it almost made you dizzy to look at them. The water reflected the mood of the sky. You could see a small group of people kayaking in the water towards the East side of the lake. 

One mile down. 

Deep breath in, deep breath out. The trees thinned out near the edge of the lake and the view was stunning. You sometimes felt like you couldn’t fully experience how beautiful it was here, not in the moment. It would hit you on the way home or when you’d get your film back from being developed. You almost brought your camera but decided it wasn’t worth the risk.

Two miles down.

Stopping, you caught your breath as you snapped a photo with your phone, then slid it back into the band of your leggings and picked up your pace. Your mind drifted to the book you were reading. 

Three miles down. 

Your headphone cord swung annoyingly across your chest, and sweat started to prickle your forehead. A large boulder sat in your path and you swerved around it. 

Shit. You threw your hands up on instinct, hitting something hard. Blinking for a moment, you steadied yourself. How had you not seen this tree? You brought your fingers to your face and winced as your eyebrow stung. Your eyes fell to the blood prickling the back of your hand. You felt it suddenly, the annoying ache of scraped skin and you cursed yourself for being unobservant. You looked at your watch with a sigh; 5:09. You tried not to let your injury annoy you as you turned to start the journey back towards camp. 

Your heart sank. Head darting back and forth, then behind you. Eyebrows knit in confusion.

The lake was gone.

Ripping your headphones out, you scanned the forest before you. What the hell?

Okay, you thought, don’t freak out, don’t panic. Just think. Did you accidentally run further from the shore? You knew the lake was North and camp was West. You looked above you for the sun to verify, but the clouds had gotten even thicker. You scanned the forest confused, trying to find the boulder you had swerved just moments ago. How hard had you hit your head?

Shit. You grabbed your phone and opened the compass app to verify your direction, chewing on your lip nervously as it loaded. You sighed in relief, yes you were facing North. If you walked forward there’s no way you wouldn’t see the lake soon. 

Goosebumps prickled your arms and neck. When did it get so cold?

Throwing on your jacket, you tucked your headphones into your pocket and gripped your phone anxiously. You took deep breaths and tried to settle the sick feeling in your stomach. You’d be fine. 

You walked further and further North, anxiety creeping up into your body with each step. You settled into a light jog and searched for anything familiar. The minutes dragged on. The panic set in. You checked your watch again; 5:15. Keep going.

Darkness flashed suddenly in the corner of your eye and stopped you in your tracks. You swung your head toward where it’d appeared. Your ragged breathing broke the suffocating silence of the forest. Your anxiety screamed into your mind, animal, and all you could think of was Brooke’s comment about bears, but there was nothing. Just you and the never-ending expanse of trees. Did you have a concussion?

The wind howled behind you, and your body reacted before your mind. Shivers ran up your spine into your neck and you ran. Hopping over fallen branches and swerving between trees. The forest grew thicker, swallowing you whole. You felt your vision tunneling; you were panicking but you couldn’t stop moving. You spotted a clearing ahead and prayed to whoever was listening that it was the shoreline. A low-hanging branch scraped your shoulder as you reached the field. The field. Not the shore. Your eyes searched wildly. 

The darkness appeared again, but stood still. 

Not darkness, but pure blackness against the muted brown trunks of the forest. You turned to face it, and there, at the edge of the clearing stood a man in a black suit.

All thoughts left your mind. Something in your DNA clawed at you to run, but you stood, perhaps in shock, staring at this man before you. He was much taller than you, you could tell even through the distance, with golden skin and hair black as night. 

Seemingly out of thin air, another man appeared by his side. Something covered him, or hung behind him, extending above his head. They looked like… What the hell? Was there a group of guys out here role-playing? Your head ached, this wasn’t happening, this had to be a hallucination, maybe from the injury and the anxiety.

The man in the suit took a step further into the clearing and slipped his hands into his pockets. You stood frozen at the edge of the clearing. He cocked his head to the side and squinted, seemingly assessing you. You thought of the group you saw kayaking and a small amount of hope hit you. Of course you weren’t the only people out here, you were bound to run into someone. You could ask for directions back to the lake. If they were playing make-believe in the forest that was their business. A woman with a long brown braid and a dark leather suit walked into view next and you took a calming breath. A woman. 

You swallowed your panic but it stuck in your throat as you took a step forward and lifted your hand to wave. You hoped they didn’t see you shaking. There was a woman, yes, but the two men kept you at edge. Everything seemed out of place.

“Hey, sorry you startled me,” you began with a nervous laugh. “I was running along the shore but I went a little too far, do you know how much further North the lake is from here?” you inquired, heart beating in your throat.

No answer. The suited man looked to the woman next to him, and the man with the giant fake wings kept his arms held tightly at his thighs. Seconds passed.

“Your costumes are great,” you added, trying to sound at ease, and gesturing to the man’s wings. He took a step forward, but the suited man stopped him. 

Time to go whispered into your mind and you managed a tight smile, as you took a few small steps away. 

“Well, I better head back to my group,” you called out. You needed to put more distance between you. You needed to get the hell out of here. 

You started to jog away, but something shot out into your path. You slammed to a stop. Another man, with shoulder-length brown hair half-tied up, clad in black leather gear and the same towering wings rising above his head stood before you. What the hell? He looked at you with creased brows, and glanced at the group of people to your right. He pressed his lips in a line, eyes darting back to you. Your heart raced; you felt like prey. Every hair on your body stood and every instinct told you to run, but the man in front of you was huge. At least six foot five.

You had to go. Whatever this was, you needed to remove yourself from it. They couldn’t run very fast with those things hanging on their back, anyway, right? You took a step back and glanced beside you. You could break for the trees and start heading West.

You began to move, but something stopped you like you'd run into an invisible wall. Whipping around, the suited man now stood before you, just feet away. Your eyes met his. They almost glowed an unnatural purple. He was handsome, they all were, which freaked you out even more. The man next to him looked at you sternly, like he was assessing a threat. What the hell is this?

"I need to get back to my friends, they’re waiting for me," you lied, straining to keep your voice even. 

The man spoke back in a language you couldn’t understand. You tried to pick out familiar words but the dialect was too strange. It wasn’t Native, or any of the Latin languages from what you could tell. You looked to the woman who stood slightly further back, with pure plea written on your face. Her eyes softened and she spoke back in the unfamiliar language. She would help, you convinced yourself. 

They conversed once more. You took a step back, but hands wrapped around your arms tightly, fingers digging into the sleeves of your jacket. You tried jerking them away, but the long-haired man held firm.

Panic now coursed through you in a dam-less stream. “Please, just let me go, what do you want?” you begged them all, looking to the woman once more. She and the suited man exchanged glances before turning to face you. So this is how you’d die, crossed your mind. What kind of sick game had you stumbled into?

The man spoke once more and took a step closer. You looked to the man at his side, the one with towering wings. His hazel eyes met yours. You searched his face, what you were looking for you didn’t know. Sympathy maybe? His jaw loosened slightly and he held your stare. 

You turned to the purple-eyed man before you and pleaded again. He responded, nodding, but you didn’t understand. Tears filled your eyes. A scream pierced your ears. Your scream. It tore its way up your throat as a hot, white pain pierced your brain like a jagged knife. Your knees gave out, but the hands gripping you kept you upright. A golden-brown light filled your blurring vision. Your head fell back, heavy, and your mouth hung open in agony as your body finally gave in.

Darkness washed over you.

...

Ahhh! I'm so nervous to post this but so excited! Already getting started on Chapter 2. Sorry this was so long LMAO I just really wanted to set the scene for some hard-core angst.

[smallmightsupremacy]

Might i be bold and ask you for your fave bkdk fics?

Anon. Anon. I'm so sorry that I've taken forever to reply to this ask, but I hope you understand that this is one of the hardest tasks I've ever had to do I think for starters I'd recommend the 'big 3' bkdk fics. They're all popular for a reason, and if you're looking for something long and angsty, you can count on those to deliver. (Though, I will be honest here and tell you that I never finished twyutd, but from what I hear it's a super good fic!!)

As for specific recommendations, I'll try to condense my list of favorite fics wayyy down and then go on to name some authors that I love so this post doesn't go on forever So, after scrolling in a hot sweat through my bookmarks, here's the final list:

promises kept by gabstar The Night We Met by majjale

glowing skins and pleading fingers by mimisyum

All We Ever Knew by dynamics

warm hands by flowercafe

all that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing by maxisnotokay

Do Not Disturb by surveycorpsjean

headliner by passengerside

As for bkdk authors, here are a few of them whose works I adore and go back to read day after day: ladyofsnails

sapphicflower

Etherealbeing

panpanicatmha

red_sneakers

comradekiwi

Happy reading anon <3

[toomuchracket]

you would cook, i'd do the nappies (birthday party!matty x reader smut)

honeymoon. babymaking. need i say more? enjoy <3

“shit, shit, matty, i'm close, m'so fucking close - oh, fuck!”

your husband groans happily into your core, hands latched onto the sides of your shaking thighs, dragging you back and forth over his face to catch the last of your orgasm. you release your grip on his hair, softly carding your fingers through it as the aftershocks subside, and release your thighs’ grip around his head; matty quietly says “nooooooo” when you climb off him and lie back down, and laughs when you roll your eyes.

for a couple of minutes, the two of you do nothing but peacefully lie side by side and catch your breath, listening to the ocean and the call of seabirds outside. once he's regained his, matty rolls over and rests his head on your bare chest, kissing the soft skin between your tits before he speaks. “morning, wifey.”

“hi, my love,” you pout your lips, and matty meets them with his own immediately. the tang of your own arousal on his lips makes you beam. “thank you for the lovely start to the day.”

“i should be thanking you, darling,” matty kisses you again. “letting me pull you onto my face when you were still half-asleep and all.”

you smile bashfully. “like it when you wake me up like that, baby. you know,” you can feel your cheeks burning. “you could wake me up by, like, actually fucking me, too, if you want.”

matty tilts his head to look at you properly. “really?”

you nod. “i think starting my day full of you would be the ideal way to do so.”

“christ,” matty buries his face into your chest - when he reappears, his pretty face is stretched into a shit-eating grin. “yeah, you're just desperate to be full of me, aren't you? i remember what you said last night, sweetheart.”

“oh my god,” you cover your face in your hands.

“ah! don't you hide from me, mrs healy,” matty pulls your hands from your face and takes them in his own, smiling; his love for you is evident in those beautiful eyes of his, and his excitement to finally be married to you is even more evident in the way he says your shared name. “it was hot as fuck, you telling me you want me to get you pregnant. i want it too, darling - starting a family with you has been a dream of mine for a long time, you know.”

“yeah?”

“yeah,” matty kisses your nose. “a kid that's half you and half me, the best writer and the best frontman in the world? they'd be messianic levels of cool. and good-looking.”

you cackle, stroking his cheek with the side of your finger. “you're an idiot, you know that, yeah?”

“but i'm your idiot.”

“too fucking right, baby,” you beckon matty up to you with your index finger, wrapping your arms around his shoulders and connecting your lips to his. he kisses you back eagerly, whining into your mouth when you bite his lower lip and soothe it with your tongue - his hips begin to grind down into yours as the kiss deepens, want for you clear as the september morning itself. smiling against matty's lips, you reach for his left hand and the cool metal band on his ring finger. “you're mine, and i'm yours. forever.”

“fucking love the thought of that,” matty moans into your open mouth. “fucking love you.”

“i love you,” you whisper, moving your hips up to meet his. “and i want you. please?”

“shit,” comes the gasping reply - much to your irritation, though, matty’s hips slow to a stop. “i wish we could, baby. but we've got a brunch booking to get to.”

you whine. “but you've already eaten!”

matty laughs. “but you haven't! and you need to, darling - can't have my wife not being properly nourished, can i?”

“ugh, fine,” you frown; it drops from your face, though, as you look at your husband's rock-hard dick and an idea pops into your head. “can i have a starter now, though? promise i'll be quick.”

he smirks in response, shifting to lie back against the pillows with his hands behind his head. “by all means, sweet girl.”

***

humming happily, you lean your head back to rest on matty's chest, turning it to look up at him lovingly. “god, you really do have very talented hands.”

“well, i try,” matty pecks your lips, moving said hands from between your thighs so he can wrap his arms around your waist. the warm water of the bath sloshes further over your body as he does. “can't keep them off you, to be honest, sweetheart.”

“good. i don't want you to,” you sit up slightly, moving onto your knees to face your husband, beaming when he moans softly at the sight of your bubble-covered chest. his hands find your hips and pull you close to him - you both laugh at the way your knees slide on the slippery bottom of the bathtub, laughs that fade into a contented silence as you look into each other’s eyes. you rest your arms on his shoulders. “i love you.”

“i love you, my perfect girl,” matty presses his lips to your forehead, then to your own. “shall we get ready for bed now?”

“you're tired?” you giggle, tracing little patterns into your husband's shoulders. “s'pose it has been a long day.”

“no, i just want to take you to bed.”

“then take me,” you smile. matty opens his mouth to say something, but you beat him to it. “yes, that was a deliberate double entendre. who do you think i am?”

matty drops his head and nuzzles it into the crook of your neck; he drags his tongue up it, kissing over your jaw and cheek so he can whisper in your ear. “you’re my wife.”

the combination of matty's words and sultry tone send shivers careening across your body. has anything ever been so erotic? you doubt it.

“fuck,” you whine, hands clutching at the nape of matty's neck and at his side. “yeah, let's go to bed, baby.”

“whatever you want, wifey,” matty kisses you sweetly a final time, releasing his hold on your hips. “stand up for me, please, darling.”

you oblige, using him as leverage to move off your knees and blushing when he looks up at you and says “yeah, i like this view” - matty only laughs and pulls himself up to stand, leaning in to kiss you quickly before stepping out of the tub. he holds his hands out, and you gratefully take them as you step out too. the next little while is spent drying off, which really equates to you and your husband pressed up against each other while wrapped in a single plush towel, tenderly rubbing the other's skin and languidly making out. you've been desperate for matty to fuck you since he woke you up this morning, and these acts of intimacy - of pure love, actually - have you aching for him.

still, though, you prolong going to bed with him; once the two of you are suitably dry, you detach yourself from matty. “you go ahead through, baby, i need a second.”

matty's eyes fill with concern. “you alright, darling?”

“yeah, i'm fine,” you nod, smiling. “can feel a spot developing on my chin - just need to look and see if i packed spot gel or not, so i can put it on before i get… preoccupied.”

he giggles. “the realism of domesticity and married life. amazing. i'll meet you out there, sweetheart.”

“see you in a second, lover.”

a final wink, and matty leaves you alone in the bathroom, closing the door behind him. as soon as it clicks, you crouch and reach to the very back of the cupboard where you've stashed your skincare and makeup bags, not stopping until your fingertips make contact with a smooth cardboard box. carefully, you lift it over the bags, catching your spot gel with your middle finger and lifting it out too - you might have fibbed to matty about the main reason you stayed back in the bathroom, but you weren't kidding about the spot on your chin - and laying everything in your hands on the countertop.

after quickly applying the spot treatment and washing your hands, you lift the lid off the box and pull back the layers of tissue paper inside, revealing the most delicate piece of lingerie you think you've ever seen. it's new and custom-made for you, ivory-coloured and beautiful; the thong and babydoll dress are mostly silk, with ribbons for shoulder straps and a soft chiffon skirt-thing that does absolutely nothing to protect your modesty. you love it dearly, and you have a sneaking suspicion that matty will too. 

he's also going to some effort for tonight, it seems - while you slip into the lingerie, you hear him connect his phone to the sound system in your villa and shuffle through his intimacy playlist, and it makes you smile. when he finally settles on otis redding's these arms of mine (a favourite for slow dancing in the kitchen at home, and also for subsequently having sex on the table), you take a deep breath, pull the claw clip from your hair, and step into the bedroom.

matty doesn't look at you right away, sat at the end of the bed tapping at his phone (likely queuing more songs of this ilk to soundtrack the romantic evening you have ahead of you). but you don't mind, not in the slightest; it just means you get to look at him undisturbed, freshly-tanned skin almost glowing in the dim light of the bedroom and curls made wilder by the steam from the bath. his wedding ring catches the light as he reaches to put his phone on the bedside table, and the sight of it sends a flush of lust right through you.

he's so beautiful. and he's yours.

“hi, darling,” matty starts as he sets the phone down, still not looking at you. “d'you find the- fuck me.”

you giggle as your husband looks at you and your outfit for the first time - half because of his swift change in conversation, half because the way he's looking at you is so overwhelming. 

those eyes of his are filled with nothing short of wonder. it's like you've entranced him, actually. matty makes no attempt to move, or speak, or even blink until you've wandered over to stand in front of him; only when you softly cup his jaw does he move - to smile - and speak. “i am, without a doubt, the luckiest fucker on the planet. look at you, sweetheart.”

“you like my outfit, then?”

“like?!” matty scoffs. he brings his hands to your hips, sighing happily when you card your fingers through his hair. “it's beautiful. and it's so sexy. you look like fuckin, i don't know, aphrodite or something.”

you chuckle, leaning down to kiss his head. “thanks, baby,” you straighten up, and matty's gaze doesn't leave your chest for a second as you do. “oi, healy, my eyes are up here.”

he goes bright red - god, you love that you still have the ability to fluster him - and grins. “sorry, healy - fuck, i love saying that to you - but they were right there! what else was i meant to do? you know i'm obsessed with them.”

“well, do you want to see them now?” you say, hands moving to the ribbons on your shoulders.

matty laughs. “you're eager tonight, wanting to take your pretty outfit off as soon as you put it on.”

“mmm,” you kiss him, pulling back just as his tongue starts to swipe at your lower lip. “just been thinking about having sex with you all day. m'needy.”

“believe me, i know - two orgasms already today, and you want more?” matty tuts, but he can't keep the smile from his face. “don't worry, gorgeous, you'll get them. gonna give you everything you want, my love.”

“everything?”

you don't specify exactly what you mean, but matty nods slowly in understanding anyway, a small smile on his pretty face. without breaking eye contact, he lifts the skirt of your dress up and kisses your bare stomach. “gonna put a baby in there tonight, sweetheart.”

fuck.

“promise?” you say, shakily, breathily, legs on the verge of giving way from the plentiful desire striking between them.

“promise,” matty nods, still pressing gentle kisses to your belly. his hands move to the backs of your knees, tugging you forward to straddle him. “but i think we should do it again tomorrow, just to make sure. and the day after that, and so on, etc etc. you'll be flying home pregnant, i'll make sure of that, sweetheart.”

“hope that won't be too much of an effort for you,” you tease, giggling when he blows a raspberry into your neck - it turns to a full-on cackle when matty leans back and rolls you both over, caging your body into the mattress and continuing to blow raspberries into the bits of your exposed skin that he knows are ticklish.

“nah, it's a treat when you've got a wife as beautiful as i have,” your husband pulls himself up slightly to look in your eyes. there's nothing but love in his gaze, and you know yours is the same. “can i tell you a secret?”

“ooh, yeah.”

matty kisses you deeply, a proper head-spinner of a kiss, before murmuring against your lips. “i love making you cum.”

“that has got to be the worst-kept secret of all time.”

“well, let me tell you another one, then.”

“alright.”

another kiss, less gentle than the last; matty takes your lip between his teeth, dragging it to release as slowly as honey dripping from a spoon. “i really want to make you cum now.”

“again, obvious,” you pant out, body tingling with want. “can feel how hard you are, baby.”

matty laughs breathily, rolling his hips into yours almost as slowly as he released your lip. “and i can feel how wet you are. maybe we should take that pretty underwear off before you ruin it, yeah?”

“and then you'll ruin me?”

“of course, darling,” matty giggles, kissing your nose. “will you shuffle back and get comfy on those pillows, please?”

you nod. “d'you want me to take off my dress first, or…?”

your husband thinks for a second. “may i?”

“of course,” you smile. “just pull the end of the bows on my shoulders, and…”

“obsessed with that. you're like a little gift i get to unwrap,” matty beams. “well, you're already a gift. but you know what i mean. anyway,” he giggles excitedly as he undoes the straps of your lingerie, then moans softly when it falls down enough to reveal your chest. “fuck, you're so hot.”

“back at you, gorgeous,” you wink. “now - please get me naked and get inside me, baby.”

“as you wish, my love. what is it they say, again?” matty’s brow furrows in thought as he carefully pulls your dress and thong down - tapping your hip so you can raise it and he can slide them off - and lays them at the bottom of the bed. “happy wife, happy life?”

“yeah, think so.”

“well, mrs healy,” matty grins, leaning down to make out with you again and wrap your legs around him. “i'm about to make us both really bloody happy.”

you moan when he slides the head of his dick through your folds, gathering the abundant wetness. “sounds good- oh.”

“christ,” matty hisses as he slowly pushes into you, your body rearranging to welcome him home. he smiles down at you once he's bottomed out. “feel fucking perfect, as always.”

“shhhhh,” you giggle, hiding your face in his neck. “you know i can't take compliments. but,” you smirk. “i can take you.”

matty laughs, throwing his head back before kissing yours. “yeah?”

“yeah.”

“well, in that case,” your husband pulls his hips back, almost fully leaving you, before thrusting quickly back in. you sigh happily at the feeling, and matty smiles. “feel good, my love?”

“perfect,” you breathe out, dopamine clouding your brain more and more with each precise thrust of matty's hips. a particularly pointed one has you keening. “oh, do that again, please.”

“this?” matty repeats the movement, over and over, groaning when you cry out and clench around him. “fuck, sweetheart, m'gonna cum if you keep doing that.”

“good.”

he smiles. “no, not yet, it isn't. wanna get my sweet girl off again first before i fill her up.”

there's another gush to your core. matty notices, of course, and laughs slightly deliriously. still fucking you borderline-animalistic, he leans down to take one of your nipples in his mouth, dragging his tongue up your chest and neck so he can talk directly in your ear. “you like me talking about that, darling? how i'm gonna pump you full of me, get you all sticky and dripping, with a baby in your belly? my baby? our baby?”

every muscle in your body is taut with pleasure; your throat is so constricted that you can barely speak, but you manage a whimper. “please. want…”

your brain is too cloudy to finish the rest of the sentence. somewhere in its recesses, you worry that matty will give in to his slight sadistic streak and make you finish it, but luckily, today, he understands. of course, that might be because he's just as fucked out as you are - he certainly looks it, eyes black and heavy, jaw slack, a sheen of sweat glistening on his pretty face. he's gorgeous, though, and he smiles shyly when you tell him as much. “i love you, my girl. gonna make you cum soon, yeah?”

you nod enthusiastically, softly reaching up to caress his face with your left hand. matty turns his head slightly, still fucking you, and kisses your rings, those pretty signifiers of the two of you belonging together and to each other; you smile as he does. “love you.”

“you're so fucking cute,” matty kisses you passionately. his leaning forward lets him thrust deeper inside you, and he moans into your mouth when you suddenly jolt and clench like a vice around him. “that the spot?”

“yeah.”

“in that case, then…” matty leans even further forward, quickly detaching your legs from his waist and resting his elbows beside your head. incongruous with the feral way he's driving his hips into your own and hitting that spot inside you, your husband tenderly brushes your hair from your face and smiles. “feeling good, darling?”

“so good,” you lift your head to kiss him, teeth sinking into his bottom lip in reaction to a particular thrust sending shockwaves through your nervous system. “m'getting close, baby.”

“good girl.”

shit. your eyes roll back in ecstasy at the phrase, and you cling to matty in a wordless plea for him not to stop. wordless, because your jaw is shaking too uncontrollably from the electric pleasure in every nerve ending on your body for you to talk. he knows, though.

and he knows exactly how to blow the fuse. “taking me so fucking well, sweetheart. will you cum for me?” matty coos, fucking you impossibly faster and deeper, dragging whines from your lips. “need to feel you, darling, need you to cum on my dick like a good girl and make me cum, make me fill you up with our baby. you'll do that for me, won't you? cum for me, so i can get you pregnant?”

you will. and you do, so quickly after the words leave his mouth that it would be embarrassing if you weren't so in love; your entire body tenses, so hard your muscles will surely ache tomorrow, and then releases. your limbs quiver, flailing wildly against the mattress, and your chest heaves as you cry out your husband's name. he cries out yours in reply, before crashing his lips onto yours, still erratically fucking into you even as you feel him spurt hot cum deep in your cunt.

matty all but falls on top of you once he's finished, your sweaty, satisfied bodies breathing heavily in rhythm. neither of you make any attempts to move for a while, aside from you gently stroking the back of his head and him pressing soft kisses to your collarbone - neither of you dare, lest you let any cum spill out of you instead of doing what it's designed for. you like being like this with matty, anyway, as physically and emotionally connected to him as possible, and you know he loves it too.

he's the first to move, though, lifting his head to kiss you softly before sitting back up onto his knees as best he can without slipping out of you. “i love you.”

“i love you too,” you smile sleepily, stretching your arms with a yawn. “loved that. i think babymaking is my new favourite kind of sex.”

your husband laughs. “same, definitely,” he smiles, manoeuvring your legs so they're at a 90° angle to the rest of your body. “can i stretch your legs back a little bit, sweetheart? think it'll be the best way to pull out but still keep my cum in you.”

you nod, pulling your legs back enough so your backside lifts off the bed, while matty sucks air in through his teeth and pulls out. he grins. “that actually worked! god, i am so smart. right, let me just run and clean myself up

“ok, baby,” you smile as he speeds to the ensuite, sliding your hands under your backside to keep it up. giggling, you push it up and rest on your elbows in a sort-of shoulder stand. “feel like this is also quite smart, actually.”

matty peers around the doorframe and cackles. “you are literally doing gymnastics to keep my cum inside you, you weirdo.”

“your weirdo,” you tease, as matty comes over and carefully wipes the wetness from your entrance. he flops on the bed beside you, kissing your cheek. “but what can i say? i just really want to have your baby.”

matty rolls onto his side, stroking your cheek. “i want that too, darling,” he murmurs softly. “i really hope it happens soon.”

“i think it will,” you kiss him sweetly, then smirk. “if it's a boy, are we still naming him after you?”

“oh, fuck off.”

[fabricated-misslieness]

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: gekko x male reader

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: gekko hopes its a simple crush, one that'll pass, but he hasn't had one since the first light, so his expectations for how this will go are skewed. slightly.

ʀᴇ𝐐: no ~ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 4761

reader knows spanish but doesn't look like he does

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: swearing

ᴍᴀʏʙ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: guess whos back baby

☾⋆☆⋆☽

"You might want to keep your little friends in check." Reyna remarks. She leads a steady pace as she guides Gekko through the halls of what will be his new home away from home, yet the new recruit still has to fight to keep up. "There are quite a few rule-enforcers here."

His eyes wander everywhere, from the mundane tiled floors through which he could see his own reflection to the interesting sign declaring the firing range. He rushes forward to catch up with Reyna, "What do you mean?"

Instead of answering, she only nods her head towards one of his buddies. Wingman. "Hey! Dude, put that down!" Then there were "Mosh, Dizzy that is not how you play baseball! And not where you should, either." and finally "Thrash! You little monster, get back here!"

"That is what I mean." Reyna smirks, and Gekko could do nothing but laugh nervously.

"I promise they won't go wandering off, at least not without me."

☾⋆☆⋆☽

At first, he didn't know why Reyna would be so apprehensive; then, when his friends snuck out of his room without permission and caused havoc in the living quarters that led to Brimstone scolding him with a passive-aggressiveness he's never quite witnessed before, he understood. But it wasn't so bad—he kept them under control afterwards, and even then, there was only so much they could do in terms of destruction. He hadn't thought about what else they could do, at least not until he met you.

"Dizzy?"

Where was she? She couldn't have gone far. Well, she could fly, but she did it slowly. How could she have gotten past him so easily?

She's done it before, actually, usually in the mornings, but it was the afternoon now. She usually made her own way back to him too, but it had been to long and Gekko was starting to worry.

"Dizzy!" Gekko opens a door and calls obnoxiously, for he wasn't expecting what he saw before him.

He saw you, and her; and you were sleeping, the both of you. Dizzy slept often when there wasn't much action, and he guesses that you do too, although his loud call disturbs you from your sleep.

You stretch your limbs above your head and roll over to face him, unfortunately knocking Dizzy off the couch.

"Shit, sorry for waking you."

He swoops down to pick Dizzy off her back but you do it before he can. The little critter snuggles into your chest and Gekko swear she can feel the gesture himself as his chest warms.

"Mm, 's all good." You reply, words slurred like you're too lazy or tired to put in the effort to speak.

"You sleep a lot." Why did he say that?

"Do I?" You yawn, "Sometimes the couch is more comfortable than my bed could ever be."

"Maybe it's the feeling that it's different." Gekko suggests. He wonders if he should sit, but where would he? You take up the length of the couch and anywhere would be intrusive. He didn't want to be intrusive but... he also wanted to sit with you. He settles for an arm rest.

"You mean, like novelty?"

"What?"

You snicker, and he feels a warmth spread up to his cheeks, whether shame or something else, he doesn't know. "Nevermind."

Maybe he shouldn't have stuck around in the first place. Gekko sweeps Dizzy from your embrace, missing the disappointment on your face in his haste, and moves to make his quick escape with a swift excuse, "I think that was Reyna calling my name. Right? Yeah, I think so. I'll, uh, see you later."

He's out the door before he can even hear your own goodbye.

☾⋆☆⋆☽

"Reyna, I need you to make up an excuse for me."

The conversation starter certainly gets Reyna interested. "Harbor needed you?"

"No, I mean, an excuse for why you would call me." At that, she raises an eyebrow. She also glances at Dizzy, who remains in Gekko's arms and not in his bag.

But first came making up an excuse, she cared for him, after all. "Gun training." It's only then that he notices the gun in her hands. Reyna raises a smirk and turns back to the targets, "Why?"

"Well, I..." Gekko grabs a rifle from the rack and decides to shoot along with her, maybe to keep his mind off things. "I don't know, really."

Reyna doesn't prod. Instead, she fixes his stance and continues to shoot.

He tries to focus, to recall everything Reyna's told him before on shooting. He's good at it, maybe not better than Reyna but certainly better than Neon; she relied more on her finger guns, after all, but today he was worse. Thoughts ran rampant through his mind without limit, and it felt like they would spill out from his ears.

He shoots and he misses and he shoots again and he misses again.

"¿Que paso, cariño?" (What happened, dear?)

"No sé." (I don't know.)

He takes a deep breath and steadies his gun on the target's head. You sleep a lot. Why did he say that, instead of anything else?

He shoots and he misses.

"Steady your gun, steel yourself–"

"I know." Gekko interrupts her, "You've said it a million times." He's too frustrated, lost in his mind that he doesn't watch his tone.

"Well, you're not following it today." Reyna's voice is like a dagger. It cuts his thoughts and brings him back to reality.

"Sorry."

She shakes her head, "You're off your game. Do you know why?"

"I'm acting before thinking."

"But now you're thinking too much."

Gekko can only offer a shrug. He only had one possible explanation, and that was it. Reyna sighs, "¿Supongo que es algo sobre tus sentimientos?" How could she tell? Gekko's face becomes the answer, and Reyna can read him easy. "A crush." (I'm guessing it's something about your feelings?)

Gekko's had his fair share of crushes. He knows the telltale signs, he knows the heat on his skin, the sweat, the feeling he can't quite name, how his mouth can't catch up with his thoughts and his face won't seem to cooperate.

He's just not so sure he has one on you. What did he see in you? You were pretty, you were smart, you've saved his ass more than once in missions, you were handsome—could he go on? Yes, yes he could. Okay, he saw it.

Reyna breaks him out of his thoughts, "This is not something I can help you with."

"Why not?" She only raises an eyebrow in return and Gekko remembers who he's talking to. "Yeah, okay."

Normally she would fire back with sass but now she just laughs, "Sage would be better help."

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Gekko didn't seek out Sage's help. He didn't need it. This was just a simple crush. It would pass, just like most others. He was just crushing on you because of the–how did you put it?–novelty of it all. You were a new person in his life, a person much cooler than him. He was just adjusting to getting new friends so suddenly.

Now Thrash was gone. For a creature so loud, she made no sound when she snuck out of his bag and or his room.

"Thrash?" She could only have so much energy. Either he'd find her or her globule.

But then—a sound.

"You can't be sneaky anymore," He calls out as he walks, slower now in order to not startle her immediately, "I can hear you~"

As he rounds the corner, he spots her trying to hide behind a plant pot. He could see the top of her head behind the leaves. He walks even slower, makes his footsteps even quieter, and shuts his mouth. He would catch her soon, but only if he was careful. If he wasn't...

...she would run. "No, Thrash, don't go!"

And suddenly there was a chase. Thrash rounded sharp corners swiftly and Gekko followed behind much more sloppily. He held onto the wall's edge to swing himself around it and gain momentum, but she just kept going faster. "You have nowhere to go!"

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Watching the agents in the simulated training room was always good entertainment. Especially since the team took out the fierce nanobomb collab bot together, as now the agents wanted to try facing them on their own again. Doing it together proved it was defeatable; doing it alone would prove they were skilled.

On your end, you would rather save yourself the trouble... and also bet with Yoru along the way, which, really, was a scam.

"Why do I keep betting for the agents if we both know the bot will win?"

Yoru shrugs, "That's a problem for you and your wallet."

You scoff, "You little sl–"

Suddenly, a huge creature falls into your arms. You recognize her immediately as Thrash by the slimy feeling of her underside. You also recognize that she's knocked your mug out of your hands. What a detain! The problem is that mug was not yours, and instead, it was Commander Brim's huge dad mug. Oh, you were in so much trouble.

You brace yourself for the shattering of the porcelain but it never comes. Instead, you find Gekko again. He stands quickly with the mug in his hands and flashes you an apologetic smile.

Begging for attention, Thrash turns over on her back, placing her rough back against your hands instead and chirps as if to plead, and you know just what for. You scratch, scratch, scratch behind her ear, below her chin, and on her slimy stomach. She seems so pleased that she disappears into a globule right in your hands and takes her sticky residue with her.

"I'm so sorry." Gekko takes her immediately and places her in his bag.

"It's okay."

His eyes drag down and he gasps dramatically, "Oh no! I got a huge stain on you!"

You only laugh and reply "It's okay." again. "Although, I do wonder why your little critters are seeking me out."

"I don't know neither..." Gekko admits himself. He scratches the back of his neck, pondering for a second, and you can't help but find it cute.

Your attention is ripped away by the blue edgy man behind you, "It looks like you pissed yourself."

"Oh shut up." You roll your eyes.

Gekko takes the opportunity to leave, but as soon as he steps out the door, as soon as he can't see you anymore, his thoughts decide to be rational, or irrational, as they are only about you. He was down bad.

☾⋆☆⋆☽

The main meeting was over. Gekko was set to join the next mission in Norway, and you were to stay in HQ. Maybe he was a little disappointed that you weren't coming with, but at least you wouldn't be in any danger. He was glad about that, if anything.

Groups divided to talk, really, about anything. That was one of the main things Gekko was surprised about. Everyone talked so freely. The atmosphere felt like one of his big family reunions.

But he wasn't talking to anyone. He was only looking.

You really were so cool. Everyone here was cool but he always seemed to be especially entranced with you. He could stare at you like a painting on the wall, except that was the problem. He could never approach you on his own.

His buddies, however, seemed to have no problem with it. "Dizzy, wait!" He whisper-shouts.

Dizzy ignores him and curls into a ball and rolls your way, a new technique Gekko'd never seen before from her, knocking at your feet until you pick her up. You continue your conversation like it's nothing and mindlessly pet at the critter in your arms. Gekko can do nothing but watch.

He was jealous of his own buddies for being able to approach you so easily, but it was also heartwarming to see you regard them so fondly.

Reyna leans on the wall next to Gekko, letting her heels announce her presence. "Te ves estupido." (You look stupid.)

Gekko's eyebrows scrunch up, "What the fuck, Reyna?"

She only laughs, "Es la verdad." (It's true.)

He scoffs and turns back away from her, and it's only natural his eyes fall on you. "Is it Dizzy you're looking at, or him?"

"Him?"

Reyna continues to read him like an open book. It's the way it says it–him, so softly, like speaking is the first thing on his mind and like staring at you is his only priority–that answers her question.

"For your sake, let's say both."

"Reyna?" Gekko perks up, all shy and timid.

It was interesting to her. "Hm..?"

"Do you know why they stick around him so much?"

Reyna knew what he was talking about, who "they" was and especially who "he" was. It was endearing how he trusted her with these things. But she had already told him before. She wasn't good help with these sorts of things. "You're the critter handler."

"Right..."

"But," She still had a hypothesis, "las mascotas hacen lo que sus dueños les muestran." She sends a wink somewhere ahead and Gekko takes a look, only to find you offering the two of them a smile. He almost melts. Thank God you don't know Spanish. (Pets do what their owners show them.)

"Reyna...¡para de echarle leña al fuego!" He whines. (Stop adding fuel to the fire!)

"Aww," Reyna coos, almost like she's going to pull his cheeks, "no huyas de las oportunidades, cariño." (Don't run from opportunities, dear.)

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Pets do what their owners show them. What did that mean? Dizzy liked to sleep, he supposes so does he. Sometimes Wingman tries to sneak a drink from his boba. The whole bunch of them have a lot of energy, and he knows others see that in him. But why would she bring that up now? I do wonder why they always seek me out... Oh no. They liked you too, which really did confirm he had a crush.

"Ay, diosito, cómo te he provocado..?" Gekko groans, sinking his head further into his pillow. A knock to his door. Thinking it's just Neon, or maybe even Phoenix, he shouts "Come in!" from the bed.

However, instead of an electrically charged or pyrokinetic agent, it's you. "Hi, Gekko."

"Oh!" He straightens up on the bed.

Either his surprise woke them or they sensed your presence; whatever the case, his little buddies wake from their slumber in his discarded globule bag. They pounce on you harmlessly. Thrash climbs up to your shoulder, Dizzy flies atop your head and Wingman hugs your legs. Mosh obediently stays a globule on the table, but he threatens to roll off the edge. You catch him before he can create a pit.

"Hey guys. How are ya?" You push Wingman onto just one of your legs so you can wobble towards his bed, which is of course still quite the task, but you finish it all the same.

You plop yourself down next to him on the bed and, he doesn't notice it but, he scoots closer. "Reyna wanted me to check up on you. Said she was worried."

"..why?" He had a feeling he knew why, but he asks anyway.

"It's almost eleven."

Gekko glances at the alarm clock on his table. "Oh."

"I'll admit," You begin with a small laugh to mask your evident anxiousness, "I was quite worried too."

"I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to apologize all the time, you know." Your growing smile lights one up on his face as well. "Well, let's see, do you have a fever? Did you not get enough sleep last night?"

"No, I–"

Despite him denying it, you press a hand to his cheek, then his forehead. "My, you're burning up."

He pushes your hand away, "It's not what you think."

"Really?" But you bring it back up to monitor the heat on his cheeks.

"I assure you, I'm fine." He nods, taking your hand in his so that you don't continue to raise the temperature on his cheeks in a way you don't even notice. He's never seen you so worried before. Usually, you were so laid back and chill. This was a new side of you he didn't expect, and a part of him felt warmed by the thought that you cared for him so dearly.

"Do I need to tell Brim to take you out of the upcoming mission?" You stress, fighting his hold that keeps you away.

"Really! I'm all good!" He squeezes your hand to reassure you. "You don't have to worry about me."

You huff but nod, "Okay, fine. But if you are bedridden tomorrow, don't say I didn't try."

☾⋆☆⋆☽

He's glad, for once, that one of his buddies doesn't lead him to you. Instead, he finds his way to you on his own, whether for good or for worse. It was just a crush that he wanted to end. But he was prolonging it when he was with you, alone; although, he couldn't just avoid you. He really did want to be around you. It's a dilemma.

"What are you doing here?" It was mid-afternoon. Lunch was over two hours ago and he was sure he saw you there, and not only because his gaze always drifted towards you like a magnet.

"Oh, hey Gekko." Your voice is cheerful as you greet him. "It was meant to be a surprise, but I'm baking cookies... or cupcakes. Can't decide."

"For who?" He curiously asks.

"Celebration for after the mission, so everyone, but I guess... you."

His face quickly lights up with surprise, "Oh." Then a grin makes itself present on his lips. He's trying to hide it, but he can't and you spot it.

You chuckle, and a little shame climbs up his cheeks and surely paints them pink. "You're welcome to help, if you're not actually sick. "

"I told you, I'm not," He shakes his head with a laugh, "and I'd like that."

"What do you like?" You move to maneuver the cabinets much more familiar to you, grabbing flour from the top ones and eggs from the fridge and milk and all. "Between cupcakes and cookies, I mean."

In his growing anxiousness, Wingman sneaks out of his bag. His eyes remain on you, watching your every move. He could definitely mess this up if he wasn't careful. "Cupcakes. More toppings that way."

"You're right."

Out of the corner of his eye, he spots Wingman hopping and trying to grab the flour off the counter. "Hey, Wingman..." He warns sternly, "no te atrevas." (don't you dare.)

You push the flour out of the little man's reach and play along, "You mess things up, I'll mess you up!"

Gekko follows your lead. He hasn't really baked anything before, except for the cake boxes at the grocery store. He was... out of his field of expertise. Wingman, too, tries to help, and he has half the mind to put him back in the globule pack but you seemed to be enjoying his presence. It could be worse. Wingman was his only buddy that had actual appendages.

Everything you called for, he reached for. Cinnamon? Vanilla extract? Whatever it was, he looked for it, even if he didn't always know where it was; unless Wingman beats him to it.

Sometimes neither of them could find it, though, which meant you had to go for it yourself. The space between the counters was limiting, hardly enough comfortable space for one person. Maneuvering around each other should've been hard, but you had a simple solution.

You take his hips in your warm hold and pull him gently to the side, then walk past him. It only takes a few seconds. Usually he wouldn't allow himself to be so malleable, nor would he let this pass; but you were you. It got him quite confused but also so enamored. Your touch absolutely brought tingles up his side. It was driving him crazy.

"Three trays." You announce as you close the oven. "Good enough, yeah?"

"..yeah." His eyes trace your figure as you stand up proudly, hands on your hips. You were beautiful. Your smile shined brightly, your eyes crinkled with the same joy, and he couldn't keep his eyes away.

"Gekko?"

You were just lovely.

"Mateo?"

At the use of his actual name, Gekko shakes his trance off. "Yeah?" His voice breaks and he fights the urge to shrink in on himself. He clears his throat, "What did you say?"

"They'll be ready in about twenty minutes, so we've got time for a break."

He nods his head slowly, "Okay. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know, I–oh no." Your face drops suddenly.

He follows your petrified gaze down, down at himself. "What? Oh." His waist was absolutely covered in flour the shape of your handprints that stood out stark white against his lilac tee.

"I am so sorry, Mateo." You place a hand over your mouth, "I–"

He pulls it down before you can cover your lips with inedible flour, "It's okay. Just like that stain on your pants a few days ago, right?"

You laugh, comforted by how quickly he got to consoling you. "Yeah, alright." But you lift your hand to show him one last thing, his fingers stained in flour from holding yours. "Oopsie."

Gekko bursts out laughing, and you laugh along with him.

Wingman hops up and down–for a little guy he jumps real high–to catch your attention. Much to Gekko's dismay, you give it to him.

"Who's such a good little helper? You are, Wingman, right? You are~"

He doesn't know whether to be jealous or happy.

☾⋆☆⋆☽

"Mateo, hey!"

He loves the way his names roll off your tongue. It feels sweet, like the cupcakes you'd made together, even if he'd promised to hold off and eat them after the mission. You said so perfectly, too, without even the slight hint of an English accent. He loves the smile you send his way too and how cute you look waving at him for attention; but you hadn't gotten his attention, after all. He wasn't listening, too focused on your face.

"Mateo?" You call again.

He clears his throat, right, yeah, you were saying something, "What's up?"

"Good luck." You nod encouragingly. "Not that you'll need it."

"Well, I still appreciate it." He offers a grin, "Thank you. I'll make sure to come back in one piece," He doesn't know where the sudden courage comes from, but he winks and says, "just for you, of course."

You shake your head with a laugh, "You better."

☾⋆☆⋆☽

It was the most beautiful, no, one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen in his life.

The mission went successfully, so there was some extra time for perusing an actually inhabited and not evacuated part of Norway. He had no idea this would be here, this tulip field. Huge rows of different colored flowers shined under the golden hour of the setting sun. The ship was coming soon and he'd have to leave soon, and normally he wouldn't even want to leave, but now he only wished you were here to see this with him.

He snaps a pic and turns around, but not before a thought occurs to him. There were so many... thousands of them. Surely a single pink tulip wouldn't be missed?

☾⋆☆⋆☽

"Dios, te amo... te amo tanto." The cupcakes taste so good! They made him want to kiss you right now, so badly, but he knew he couldn't, even with his mind half-drunk off sweetness. (God, I love you. I love you so much.)

You raise a brow and Gekko is so glad you don't know Spanish because it almost looked like you knew what he said. "What does that mean?"

But he's still petrified, "Don't worry about it..."

"It means the cupcakes are great, sort of." Reyna places a hand on Gekko's shoulder as she settles down next to him, a cupcake in her other hand. It's decorated with dark chocolate, which is certainly fitting. "Cuidate, Mateo."

"Right..." Gekko shakes her off.

"How was the mission?" You ask.

"Oh, it went great," He perks up in his seat, "everyone did so well. Harbor's water powers were cool as always and Skye didn't flash anybody! Wingman even got to plant the spike."

"Mateo did a significantly good job." Reyna states, patting his head in an attempt to ruffle his hair up, "He deserves some praise... but he also made some funny mistakes."

"Really? What'd he do?"

Gekko can only sit there and listen to Reyna make fun of him endearingly while you listened to her every word. He chimes in with his own jokes about the situation as a way to lighten his own shame.

"Nuh-uh, Reyna, you know I–"

"Almost tumbled down the steps?" She smirks, "You could've squashed Mosh into a pit."

He groans and hides his face with his hands. His mistakes were bound to run out soon enough, right? No more of listening to this anymore. Except they aren't over yet when Gekko perks back up.

You wrap a comforting arm around Gekko's shoulders and it causes him to stiffen up. You, on the other hand, seem so nonchalant; but he can tell with the way you glance at him that you're nervous too, maybe over him. It's reassuring.

It also means the jokes come piling in, now that he's comfortable.

☾⋆☆⋆☽

The tulip in his hand is red, a deep pigmented red. If he'd have thought about it–or maybe he didn't even know about the language of flowers–he would've googled its meaning. Red tulips are a sign of confession and love, much like roses, but, to him, roses would've been way too romantic. It was just a little crush, after all.

Your friendship was blossoming. He was finally becoming more comfortable around you. What if it went wrong? What if this would mess everything up?

"Mateo?"

It was just a little crush. It could still pass; but Reyna had told him not to let opportunities go to waste, and she always had objective suggestions for him.

He turns to you with a jump, placing the tulip on the hallway table behind him and hiding it with his body. "Hey."

But he didn't have it in him.

"Something wrong?"

"No." He shakes his head, "Everything's fine."

Gekko's buddies had a deep love for you, and, unlike Gekko, they didn't have shame. Wingman pops out of his pack without even alerting him. He made sure to be sneaky and quiet, but Gekko's attention was entirely on you, so he didn't have much to worry about.

Wingman snatches the tulip from the table with a little hop, and the "plop" sound of his feet making contact with the ground again alerts Gekko, but by the time he looks down he's already at your feet.

"Bloop." Wingman holds the flower high.

"Hey, little guy, this for me?" You bring him up with one arm, taking the tulip with the other. "Don't think you got this all on your own. This yours, Mateo?"

"Yeah." He admits.

"Thank you." He watches you attentively, waiting to see a big, drastic reaction. "A red tulip..."

"Listen, I–" He clears his throat, preparing himself only briefly in his mind. "Te quiero, tanto y no tengo ni la primera idea como decirtelo, pero sí puedo decir que tu eres increible y tan, tan bonito. Soy tan estupido que te lo estoy diciendo en español y tu no sabes lo que estoy diciendo y sera muy dificil decirtelo otra vez en ingles. Mierda." The words fall out his mouth like tumbling dominos. (I like you, so much, and I have no idea how to tell you, but I can tell you that you are incredible and so so beautiful. I am so stupid that I'm telling you this in Spanish and you don't know what I'm saying and it'll be so hard to tell you in English. Shit.)

"Increible, ha?" You snicker, shaking your head, "Quiero que sepas que te encuentro muy bonito tambien." (Incredible, huh? I want you to know that I find you very beautiful too.)

What? "Tu sabes español?!" (You know Spanish?!)

"Sí, amor." (Yes, love.)

"Dios santisimo..." Gekko could melt into a puddle right then and there. He covers his face with his hand and breathes out a sigh, but it's one of relief. (God...)

"Ah, y," You begin, placing Wingman down and cupping his cheek, in the process moving his hand away from his beautiful face. "te quiero tambien." (Oh, and, I like you too.)

Maybe he rushes, but he can't hold back with the warmth your hand brings to his face. He kisses you, and even if it was rushing, you kiss him back. It's nothing and everything like he's imagined at the same time and he can't have enough.

Thank you, Wingman.

[barbarianbookhoe]

Chapter 5

Taglist: @vainillasmil157

After Nina made sure to check on Y/N's wound (and constantly tease her about Kaz), she went to bring Inej some water. The shapeshifter asked Nina about her, and made her promise to tell her when she was awake. Y/N thought of Inej as part of her family, and she didn't feel like going to a funeral in the near future.

Kaz checked on her as she asked, and she soon fell asleep not long after he left. When she woke, her limbs were sore from the uncomfortable position she sat in the chair. She noticed Kaz's coat draped over her and she smiled at the familiar scent.

Y/N slowly stood up from the chair and began putting on the change shirt Kaz smuggled into her bag. She also put on the leather vest, because feeling the fabric around her body made her feel secure, though she didn't put the knives back on. Y/N took a deep breath and opened the door, only to be met with Jesper's surprised gaze.

"You're awake?" He asked but then quickly corrected himself. "Well, of course you are since you're standing here. Saints, was I worried about you," He went to hug her but was stopped by when he heard Y/N wince from his touch. "Shit, did I hurt your wound?"

"Yeah, you kinda grabbed the wrong shoulder," Y/N answered and put a hand over her left shoulder.

"Sorry, I'll try to be careful next time," Jesper replied and then carefully put his arm around her, while leading her on board to the others. He began talking about what happened after Kaz brought her to the cabin, and she slept.

"I swear on all of Inej's Saints, that he was extremely brutal, like, I've never seen him act like this before," He said, "And I've seen lots of things in the Barrel," Jesper added.

"What did he do?" Y/N asked somewhat curiously, because the way Jesper talked, it sounded like he held some fear against Kaz. "For starters, he beated the shit out of Oomen, the man who wanted to drown you, then cut out his eye for Inej, and after learning he was sent by Pekka, he killed him and threw him into the water," He answered and his words made Y/N halt in her steps. "I'm sorry. Did I hear you say Pekka? As in Pekka Rollins, the one man Kaz hates more than anything?"

"Yes," she heard Kaz answer from next to her. She then realized Jesper not only lead her on board, but directly in front of the three boys and Nina. "He sent those men to the harbor to stop us from getting to Fjerda and the Ice Court. I have a suspicion that he took on the job as well, and intends to be the only one finishing it." Kaz told her and Y/N furrowed her brows.

"There's also a chance he might kill us once we step inside the Ice Court," Wylan added which made Kaz roll his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. If he's half as smart as he thinks, he won't kill us in the prison, because that would alert the guards. He's going to wait until we do the hard work, and then catch us," He said nonchalantly, like it wasn't their deaths he was talking about.

"Fine!" Jesper sighed. "But if Pekka Rollins kills us all, I'm going to get Wylan's ghost to teach my ghost how to play the flute, just so I can annoy the hell out of your ghost," He told Kaz and Y/N grinned at his words.

Kaz smugly looked back at him. "I'll just hire Matthias' ghost to kick your ghost's ass," Matthias grumbled. "My ghost won't associate with your ghost,"

Y/N straightened her back under Jesper's arm. "My ghost will be having a wager with Nina and Inej's ghost on which one of you is the biggest idiot,"

"That would be me," Jesper smiled at her and she sent a quick glance to Kaz as she spoke. "I wouldn't be so sure, but you're close," The boy laughed at her and let go of her shoulders to take a look at Wylan's drawing. It was complete now, and Y/N needed to admit that the boy had talent.

After some more talking about the plan, Kaz dismissed everyone and Y/N decided to go with Nina to check on Inej. She felt guilty for not doing it sooner, but the heartrender reassured her that it was better for her to rest, if only for a few hours.

They went inside the room and when Y/N saw how lifeless Inej's body looked on the table, her stomach turned. She sat down on the chair next to her and glanced at the bandage around her torso.

"How bad is it?" She asked as she turned around, and the look on Nina's face turned into worry in an instant. "It's a pretty deep wound. Lucky for her the blade wasn't poisoned, so her chances are better,"

"So there's a chance she won't wake up," Y/N whispered and took a glance at Inej's peaceful face. "But she's going to, isn't she?" She looked up to see Nina standing next to her with a sad face. "I really hope so," She said and gently grabbed Inej's face to pour some water into her mouth, to keep her hydrated.

"You mind if I stay here with you? I don't want to sit alone in that cabin," Y/N said to Nina and she tried to hide a smile. "Really? I thought after your encounter with Kaz, you'd like that cabin," Y/N let out a gasp at her words.

"Nina Zenik, what are you implying?" She asked dramatically to which the girl playfully put her hands on her hip. "I'm just curious why the two of you lolked so flushed," She replied and her voice changed to a teasing tone. Y/N tried to hide the embarassment from her face as she answered.

"I had a bullet wound, we were both freezing from the water. That's it," Nina looked at Y/N with raised eyebrows. "And I'm the Queen of Ravka. You do know that I'm a Heartrender? I can hear everything," She smiled knowingly at Y/N, but she refused to look back at her. Then Nina sighed and put a hand on her shoulder and spoke softly.

"Look, whatever is happening between the two of you, it's clear that you don't want anyone to know. I can't promise that I won't interrupt you again, because I'm a naturally curious person, but I swear, that I won't tell anyone about it,"

Y/N finnaly looked at her and smiled in relief. "Thanks a lot, Nina"

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

For the next three days, they took shifts in looking after Inej and her wound. They would try and feed her, keep her hydrated and talk to her, tell stories and old ravkan tales, as if she could hear them.

The two girls got to know each other better, now that they had the time for it. Y/N loved how confident and humorous Nina was, and sometimes the way she talked it reminded her of her mother. It made her chest feel warm. She also told some things about her childhood when she still lived in Os Kervo, and noticed the surprised glances she got from Nina after a few of her stories.

"Sometimes I'm really surprised by you," Nina told her on their third night, when they were both in the room with Inej. "Yeah? Why?" Y/N asked with a slight smile. "You're a gunsmith and a shapeshifter thought to be extinct, yet, the stories you tell, they're so...stupid, and childish and happy, I mean-"

"How did I end up in the Barrel, is what you're asking?" Y/N questioned and Nina nodded her head. The shapeshifter sighed and leaned back in her chair, as she thought about her answer. She trusted Nina, but not yet enough to tell her all the details. "Let's just say that I was using my powers when I shouldn't have, and a powerful person's men saw it, and we had to escape,"

"We?" Nina asked and Y/N lightly chuckled at her question. "Yeah, me and my brother, Raffiel. Ghezen, was he a pain in the ass. But I'd do anything for him and his family," She told her honestly and Nina smiled widely at her words.

"Ooh, does he have a wife? Or a husband maybe? Kids?" She asked quickly and Y/N laughed at her. "I see. Now that you can't pry into my private life, you want to pry into my brothers?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a cruel Grisha woman, clearly seducing you for imformation about your brother. I'm so evil," Nina sighed dramatically and then looked at Y/N, waiting for her answer.

"Well, he has a wife and a son. The kid's so full of energy I swear if they let him outisde he'd run to Fjerda and back in one day. But he's the sweetest kid you could ever meet. And those green eyes? It's like staring into a pair of emeralds," She shook her head with a smile. She hoped it wasn't the last time she saw her nephew.

Every day they got closer to Fjerda, a knot appeared in her stomach, and each day it got tighter and tighter. She knew Kaz had a solid plan and she believed in him with every inch of herself, yet, there was also a small voice in the back of her head telling her that it won't work out, that they'll get caught and stay in prison till their death. She ignored the voice, but soon enough it was going to cause trouble for her.

And when Inej woke up, Y/N never saw someone cry as much as Nina did in the next few minutes. After they got her drinking and eating a few bites, they told her everything that happened at the harbor, including the few details of Kaz's plan. Y/N left out the fact that she almost drowned, and Nina left out what she assumed between the two. When they began talking about the Crow and the Cup tattoo, Inej lightly turned her head towards Y/N, who was standing beside Nina, next to the table.

"When did you get it? I know that it was already on you when we first met," Inej asked quietly, still somewhat week from her wound. Y/N's brows raised in surprise as she looked at the girl.

"And you're asking me this now ?" She asked and Inej let out a small smile. "I almost died, and there's lots of things I needed to ask, so...least you can do is give me an answer," The girl paused before whispering, "Before I bleed out again," Nina alet out a half chuckle hald yelp, but Y/N just stared at Inej.

"I hate you right now," She said, but seeing that the Suli-girl won't back down, she sighed.

She gave her a short answer, that she was certain she was going to regret later, not to mention the lecture she was going to get from Kaz when he hears about it.

"I got it along with Kaz, when we were fifteen,"

[mcrcki]

here i come with another MASSIVE event plotting / starter call (this time with over 20 characters bc who even am i) !! before i get too much into event stuff, i just wanna put up some housekeeping things so i'm not just repeating myself over and over in the discord : i will be dropping almost all of my pre-event threads. meaning, i will only be keeping the thread if it is an active plot that needs to be continued because we aren't at a place to infer the ending. i am just so utterly overwhelmed with my number of drafts that i really need to just start fresh, so i'll be using this as my chance to spam the heck out of y'all's calls and get way more threads that i actually have muse for. i'm sorry if we had a thread you really wanted to continue, i just need a fresh start. now for housekeeping for my call, as always this will be capped. i wanna write with everyone but i can't if i get a million requests from one person so!! the cap is three starters per writer!! blind date starters will not count towards that cap. otherwise, please LIKE for plotting messages, and REPLY for starters (pls specify muses unless previously discussed!!)!

in the meantime, if you wanna see what my clowns are wearing, please follow this link to my pinterest :))

alani tiure | star wars | blind date w. cami o'connell ( 3 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : imma be so for real and say that they think they're absolutely too good for this lmao, their dad is a crime lord in the city, and really they're just here to take advantage of some free drinks and maybe check in on some clients. her date is going to have to be okay with her being slightly stuck up but will absolutely be down for some dancing despite it. potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : sofia robbin sloan torres, ellie williams, cami o'connell

beatrice | over the garden wall | date w. wirt ( 1 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : going with her favorite boy loser, wirt. definitely here just for the free party and to do something fun, now that she's human again she's taking advantage of all the things they missed out on as a bird. will definitely be here to make friends, they're a little rude at times but i promise they're kind when you get past the kind of rude exterior !!! down for shenanigans !! potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : xiao chiye

branwen | a court of thorns and roses | blind date w. enola holmes ( 1 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : winnie LOVES THIS, she hasn't gotten to have fun in pretty dresses in ages, she was still young the last time they were able to have any kind of formal party so they're really enjoying this. she wants to see everything this party has to offer so she'll be dragging her date around everywhere, wanting to take it all in potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : he xuan

daniela dimitrescu | resident evil | blind date w. jeremy smith ( 2 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : ok tbh, daniela only came to this and signed up for a blind date to possibly grab an easy snack. they're a man-eating monster idk what anyone expected here. but tbh, once they saw the girl she's actually simping over (and will not make a move yet for one reason or another) they're going to be flirting and going so far to make her jealous, it doesn't matter with who tbh. also open to some absolute chaos if you wanna do something Bad potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date (for murder purposes)

starters : myri tiure, henry creel

danika fendyr | crescent city | flying solo ( 3 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : listen danika like.. just got here, she's just getting used to the city and her memories again with her friends, since so much happened back home. she's spending the majority of her time crashing her bestie's date, for various reasons, but will be out on the floor dancing and drinking as much as she wants, enjoying the hell out of a free party potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : bryce quinlan, apple caramela, hunt athalar

elain archeron | a court of thorns and roses | date w. lucien vanserra ( 2 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : this is elain's first ball in the city, and she's very much looking forward to a night where she can just dress up in a beautiful dress and dance with her husband. things have been... rough with her family unit so she's just happy to let loose a little bit and enjoy everyone's company and dance the night away potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : lu junyi, lucien vanserra

evangeline ennar | throne of glass | blind date w. choi nam ra ( 2 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : evangeline grew up in a high fantasy world, getting dressed up in fancy clothes for a ball is all she could've hoped for coming here, and now she's old enough to really enjoy it, she is going to be having the best time for real. will be helping her mom glare at her not dad, but other than that, she would love some friends so just dance around with all night potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : choi nam ra, aedion ashryver

kaya dura | star wars | blind date w. lola flemming ( 2 / 4 )

they/she pronouns : kaya is not really in the dating and dancing mood, they are still getting over their ex after a very hard breakup, where her ex killed her and all that fun stuff. so, they're really trying to like.. get themselves out there and get over her, so they signed up for this blind date and are forcing themselves out into public again. will probably get drunk for the first time and just want to forget everything to have fun potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : kaiden monsula, kasil monsula

keelan cardulo | fourth wing | date w. mira sorrengail ( 0 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : lowkey her and mira's first public appearance as a couple, especially after everything that happened back home that resulted in keelan's death, she is very much looking forward to getting to dance with their girlfriend and just enjoy that. is a bit anti social if they don't know you, so when mira is inevitably somewhere else, find them hanging to the shadows potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters :

leia organa | star wars | date w. han solo ( 3 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : mom and dad night out!!! leia's a mom of six now, and while ya know four of the six are adults with some having children of their own, and the other 2 are less than six months old, she just wants to have a little fun. the past year has been.. hard. and despite being the president and having to be here for this ball, she would so much rather be home right now, avoiding all the memories that valentine's day now brings out in her mind. last year was the worst night of her life and she will in fact be drinking a lot to forget all that bastilla did a year ago. #thereturnoffloorgana potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : din djarin, ahsoka tano, winter celchu

louise vance | harry potter | date w. thea hughes ( 4 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : a party???? hell yeah lou is gonna be there, they love this whole vibe. will 100% be testing the limits of security and trying to ride the t rex skeletons and any other shenanigans they can get into. they're here with their best friend in the whole world, thea, and they're definitely just friends, if you see them slow dancing really close that's just what besties do potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : thea hughes, emmeline vance, bucky barnes, willie

marlene mckinnon | harry potter | flying solo ( 2 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : marlene lowkey is working this, and will be having fun but trying to stay focused on her job. she's unaware currently so, they'll just be hanging around with whoever is kind of hiding in the outskirts of the party, could absolutely be convinced to dance/will flirt given the chance, but mostly just here to have a fun day at work potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : dora tonks, esther mckinnon

morrigan | a court of thorns and roses | date w. cassandra dimitrescu ( 2 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : this thing with cassandra has been a bit of a whirlwind romance, and she's found herself really swept up in the other, and will absolutely be spending a lot of her time in their arms. but considering how her family life has been lately, she will also be checking in on family and doing what she can to make sure reporters aren't going too wild with everything going on with rhys and her family. potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : cassandra dimitrescu, rhysand

omega archeron | star wars | date w. kirei monsula ( 1 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : if i had a nickel for every time one of my muses is on a date with their best friend and convincing themselves it's not a date, i'd have 2 nickels-- anyways, omega will be here, fulfilling her role as senator archeron's messy as hell kid, and drunk as shit nearly getting kicked out for shenanigans around the maze, and also perhaps drunkenly making out with their best friend kirei that they've been pining after for years. potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : hunter

rosemary winters | resident evil | flying solo ( 1 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : now for my girl that knows she's in love with her best friend but her best friend doesn't know her and is here with another girl!!!!! honestly rose will be in a corner getting so drunk, glaring daggers at mouse's date and wanting nothing more than to be the one dancing with them. please come try to drag them out of this slump they are sulking HARD potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : lyra ayala

rowena ravenclaw | harry potter | date w. hunter ( 1 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : rowena is uneasy after the last masquerade that happened in the city, and last valentine's day, and will be spending a fair amount of time at hunter's side until she realizes that this is actually safe, that things are normal and she can cut loose a little. will be spending a lot of time dancing and mingling, happy to talk to anyone who needs some friendly conversation, even if she may just info dump at you. is VERY excited that this is at the museum and may spend more time wandering the exhibits than actually dancing. potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : arnold

sella palpatine | star wars | date w. allana solo ( 4 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : oh sella is LIVING FOR THIS. valentine's day is her fucking holiday and she will be making up for how hellish the last one was. considering the fact that her and allana have yet to have a single good date on a holiday, she is going to be spending as much time as possible making her girlfriend twirl her around the dance floor. if anyone needs a dancing partner, sella will also let you spin her :)) she is just here to get a little tipsy and enjoy all the love in the air potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : rey palpatine, steve rogers, sion val palpatine, allana solo

sophie hatter | howl's moving castle | date w. howl pendragon

she/they pronouns : once again, sophie has been dragged to one of these parties because their husband loves these things far more than she does. howl dressed them, and as long as he agreed to a babysitter, sophie agreed to come to this. they are not the biggest dancer, a bit too self conscious to put themselves out there like that, she doesn't like drawing attention to herself. which is difficult when your husband is wearing a glittery pink suit but... potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : cindy moon

sorrel blackbeak | throne of glass | flying solo ( 2 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : i am planning on letting sorrel get their memories back during the event so she's going to be having a little bit of a time trying to find the rest of the thirteen and reunite now that her memories are back. once that's sorted though, she will be a little anti social but if someone asked her to dance, they're not one to say no. potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : asterin blackbeak, manon blackbeak

tatum riley | scream '96 | blind date w. conrad fisher ( 2 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : tatum is just trying to put herself out there, to enjoy some good things in the city, even if she's a little on edge with just throwing herself into a blind date roulette, she knows she's gotta get out of her comfort zone so she's going to make the most of this party and enjoy the heck out of it. even if that means someone's gotta drive her ass home cause she's gonna be gone potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : sam carpenter, jake wheeler

vesta starkos | star wars | blind date w. riley matthews ( 1 / 4 )

she/they pronouns : listen vesta is unaware and super normal right now, and she wants to dance with a pretty girl. even if she's a little sus of all the people who keep staring at her like they know her, they just wanna dance and have a little fun, to cut loose instead of thinking about school. is up for some shenanigans and drunken adventures if people are down potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : ramona flowers

victoria sutherland | twilight | date w. james witherdale ( 2 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : vic will never pass up an opportunity to dress sexy and dance on her mate, she has absolutely zero shame and does not care who is watching them. she also loves to use these events as a perfect little hunting ground. vic will probably be upset that it's not turning into a nightmare but, she can make it a nightmare if she really gets that bored. until then? she will be annoyingly hanging all over her mate all night. potential plots ➛ drinking (not alcohol) || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date (for a drink ;) )

starters : heidi volturi, bella swan

violet sorrengail | fourth wing | date w. xaden riorson ( 2 / 4 )

she/her pronouns : did violet show up to this ball 90 minutes late, looking very flushed? yes. is she going to talk about it at all? absolutely not, her siblings are here and her friends can infer what's going on. now that she's here, vi will be happy to dance and enjoy the party with her friends and just get a few moments of normalcy considering the ticking timebomb her life has turned into, she is going to be savoring any moment of normal young adulthood with her family and friends thank you potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters : sgaeyl, xaden riorson

[iterum]

hi everyone ! i'm bambi (s/her), here with my boy HWA SOONWON ; i was not prepared for opening at all but promise i am so excited for opening ! i am throwing this intro together last minute haha so if it's lacking in anyway please don't mind and please feel free to message me for more deets ! ( also as an fyi , i am a student with a full-time job so if i am sporadic in replies, please know i just gotta make that money make purse ;u; )

basic tldr down below ; otherwise for more in depth feel free to check out any of these links ( basics — life — momentos — memories )

trigger warnings: death, war

basics

hwa soonwon

twenty-four

floor two , unit five

courageous and honorable ; confrontational and harsh

owner and funeral home coordinator at ansong funeral home

unlocked one core memory — his mother's funeral

lived during the 1910s - 1940s ; was involved in the war though he didn't fight directly as soldier

family consisted of his parents and younger twin siblings who all passed away in their own tragic ways. death being a big theme in his life has certainly bled over into what he came into doing at ansong as a funeral home owner and coordinator

but ! everyone in ansong is already dead so no one really needed the funeral home services. soonwon's still gotta make money to pay bills though so he eventually decided to rent/lease out unused space for the community to host their own recreational activities.

owns a stray white jeju dog named duyu (he couldn't choose between tofu or milk)

he does not want to remember his life. based off the one core memory he's unlocked now, he doesn't believe his life to have been a good one (which is unfortunately true)

also have very minimal basic memories unlocked (also because i couldn't figure out what to choose tbh)

plots/connections

please give me neighbor dynamics that bother him for silly things or mundane things, or any reason to be honest ; or he keeps getting your mail because for some reason it always gets mixed up in the delivery process

maybe you think he's the crappy neighbor doing something but it's actually not him or ; he's confrontational and maybe he thinks you did something and corners you like why do you keep leaving your empty ramen cups on the tables in the rec room

maybe his dog jumps you, or chases you because you forgot you have food in your pocket which leads to soonwon apologizing profusely

anyone teaching or hosting classes or meetings at the funeral home rec hybrid center ! maybe no one signed up for the class so soonwon attends (could be out of curiosity or pity) ; maybe you're upset about the price to rent out rooms ; or you have ideas to expand the rec center uses ; try to convince him to turn it into a full time rec center

for the ladies (or even guys too maybe) a meet cute ? i have no idea, i just think meet cutes are fun to write though i don't know how much soonwon would perceive it as a meet cute feeling wise and internally lol

finding out soonwon is a sharpshooter at a carnival or game? and he has no idea why because it's his "first" time shooting

if you are interested in any plots above or would like to do a quick brain storming session to get a thread going please give this a like and i will roll into your dms! otherwise, if my single braincell allows it, i'll try to get some open starters up because i also love going with the flow!

[anomalousanalogy]

South Park Zombie Starter

I'll accept any canon character, only tentative on Cartman! I'd prefer no violence between our characters, at most a distrust that doesn't build into anything worse ideally.

This was a reply for a TLOU starter - initially Butters found his way to Stan's farm but for this it could be anywhere, or anyone taking shelter in Tegridy, etc. Ideally it would also be just a generic zombie plot as well!

The idea is this is several years after the outbreak Butters finally has to move on from where he'd been holed up and ends up falling into a pit trap near your character's base.

Putting the starter under a break for length and also because it has some language involved. Please don't feel obligated to match length! I just go a little overboard on starters sometimes. Just let me know where you'd like to set up the RP and we can jump into it!

Butters isn't kidding himself. He knows the only reason he's still alive after all this is pure fucking insane luck. He's not strong, he's not a fighter, he's not particularly smart in a way that might've been useful during times like these, he didn't live in a family of doomsday preppers, and he's crafty but nowhere near crafty enough to get by as well as he has up until now. Maybe the biggest boon had been just how small and out of the way the town was. Not a lot of attention from the rest of the world, and after the first wave of the outbreak, almost no one stuck around that would've drawn in that kind of attention. That didn't mean there hadn't been threats or close calls, but somehow, out of everyone else in town as far as he can tell, he must have the best luck in the damn world. That, or someone out there really likes him. Unfortunately, good luck doesn't keep the shelves stocked, and he'd gone as long as he could rationing what he had left, but he's on his last bag of shitty cheese snacks (the Last Resort for food options, but at least they were pumped so full of preservatives that they stayed edible years after expiring) and he needed to find a new source of food before his strength started to wane. He'd already picked the houses and shops as clean as he felt safe enough to do; unless he wanted to risk getting trapped in an unfamiliar cramped location with something trying to eat him, he figured it might be time to start wandering. Besides, he remembered there being a few patches of farmland near town anyway. Most likely there wouldn't be anything still growing, but grain usually lasted a while, right? The first farm he hit came up bupkis and the sounds coming from inside the buildings themselves were enough to get him to move right along. The next though... way more promising. The fact that it looked like it was still being maintained to a degree was a great start, but as much as he wants to believe in the good of humanity, Butters isn't ready to risk a fight without getting something fresh in his stomach first. He doesn't even get close. Traps hadn't even been a possibility in his head. Stupid. The fall knocks the wind and the sense from him, and a throbbing pain in his leg tells him it's at minimum sprained, but probably not broken. His shoulder and head hurt more; rebound must have knocked him a goose-egg to be proud of, but at least he wasn't face down and vulnerable. When a face pops over the edge of the pit, he scrambles for the hammer at his hip - a stupid weapon, close range and slow, but it was the only thing he felt confident wielding - but it must have slipped away in the fall. Thankfully those few seconds he grappled with the dirt and leaves for it were enough time to realize this wasn't a monster. But now he can't be fully sure he wasn't just seeing things after a knock on the head and after so long being alone. So he figures a greeting wouldn't hurt - either it's not real and he's just going to be weird by himself until his head stops spinning, or... Well. He lifts both hands and waves them in a jaunty little jiggle before weakly calling out, "Yuh-you got me!"

[countlessrealities]

I've thought about it and I've decided to take next week (starting from Monday 2nd) off from posting replies. I only have a couple already written and I know I won't be able to get more done and queued during the week, so I'd rather take a break, so I can catch up properly.

I apologise for the people who have been waiting on me (even if I'm sure that I've gotten all the replies that date back to July, so all the ones I owe are from this month) and I promise that I'll do my best to get the replies done chronologically, so I can queue them in order starting from next week.

As for this week, I'll focus on queueing said replies and I'll answer the asks I have in my inbox, reply to the two non-queued and write the starter I owe. Also, I'll focus on answering DMs here and on Discord, so I can properly plot stuff with the folks who are waiting on me!

I thank you all in advance for your patience! If there's a thread you've been waiting on and you're no longer feeling, please let me know! So I won't answer it and scrap it, and so I can reach out to you for new interactions.

~ Scotty out !

[itzr1anne]

Nah, Ian never leavin' you.

disclaimer!: i don't really like using y/n because i would rather ME imagining it then smb else lol, so yea i'm gonna use a random name. (all the writing and all my ocs BELONG to ME)

warnings!: nun but-- fluff, slight self-doubt(insecurities), reassurance, little mention of s£x lol

characters!:

Layla Melowive - Lala - Lay

32

Fiancée of Joshua Fatu

Joshua Fatu - Jey Uso - Josh

38

Fiancé of Layla Melowive

igh let's go --- --- ---

__________________________________________________

"Yeah..." Layla was finished off her sentence just when she saw the door handle to their bedroom twitch. "I'm finna go to bed boo, I'll call you tomorrow" Lala said on the phone to her best-friend, Angela, in which she responded "Yeah, that's alright, night baby". Lay said her good night then ended the call just as soon as her husband walked in.

"Who was you on the phone to?" Jey questioned, his face expression blank and unreadable.

"Just Ang?" she replied back, her eyebrows furrowing. Joshua hummed in response before crawling into the bed. He turned so that his back was facing her face. That was weird..

Layla dropped her phone (not literally) onto the nightstand; laid on her bed, allowing her pink, silk bonnet to connect with her wonderful silk pillowcase.

----

It's been around 15 minutes and Lay is still having struggles to fall asleep.

"Man, could you stop moving?" Jey mumbled. She shrugged, knowing that he couldn't see her. "Sorry" she murmured back. He turned around and looked into her eyes for a split second. She was crying. Well, from what he saw anyway. Josh sat up and took the hand of his fiancée to let her know that he's there for her. "What's wrong, ma?" he asked gently before giving the 5'6 woman a kiss on the forehead. She shook her head. "Nothing" she said wiping away her tears and checking her fingers afterward to see if there were still anymore left.

"Bro, don't tell me nothing. Sums' up, wassuh?" he held her in his arms for a while until she pushed him away and finally built up courage to ask him the question that's been on her mind for a total of 3 weeks now.

"Jey, baby?" she called for him. He nodded. "Do you still wanna do this? Am I good enough for you? Ba- matter of fact, do I deserve your fine self?" she asked, tears running down her cheeks as she pronounced each word. "Yes, definitely and heck yeah! Are those real questions, baby? Huh? That's what's been on your mind, hmm?"

"But bae.. I see the way you look at other girls. I'm nothing like them. I feel like you liked me, then you loved me and now we've just grown apart and you aren't even close to liking me anymore- like I'm a bur den to you. A distraction, almost."

"Respectfully, are you stupid?" he asked. She stared straight at him and gave his the meanest, dirtiest mugs ever. Way worse than ANY of his (lolss).

"Wha-?" she was about to say something but he cut in. "Because you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life. For starters, I do not ever look at other women, ma, secondly- don't chu' dare accuse me of not loving you." he started off, whispering. She looked away, sniffing. "Ay, look at me when I'm talm to ya, you are the love of my life. Why'd you think I put this ring on you, huh? Why'd you think I wanna commit myself to you and this relationship if I didn't love you?" he lifted her chin. "Dang, don't even get me started on how good chu' are in bed. You's a master, fa sho"

Layla blushed at that comment. "Eh, listen babe, ian even jokin' around, you is way too good for all this to handle, I promise" he says, chuckling softly as Layla does the same. "Sexy girl."

She kisses and lays in bed, in his arms, for a while longer before drifting off to sleep. Jey notices and says this, "I love you, nobody can replace you, word" he kisses her cheek and then falls asleep as well.

[uravityxo]

𝘽𝙇𝙊𝙂 𝙋𝙇𝘼𝙉𝙎 ; important !!!

heyhey friends !! just dropping by to say a few things, a little update for all of you about my plans with this blog and some other ideas/blogs i wanna do !! so here is a lil list of my plans,, please read if you have the time just so you're aware !! i'll hide below cut as there's quite a bit to share !!

✩ ⸺ i am going to prioritise replies that i'm feeling the most at the time. this does not mean i won't reply to yours. i will get around to it at some point. but i've recently realised i found it easier to get back into writing and to write what im feeling over "what needs replies first" !! don't worry !! i will get to it- however if you think i missed a reply or something.. please message me and let me know !!

✩ ⸺ thread tracker has just been set up, however i'm still getting the hang of it and adding everything/figuring it out !! however i fully intend to try keep this constantly updated !! i'll slowly start getting to it though, so if there's a thread you want me to add to it- let me know and i'll add it on sooner rather than later !!

✩ ⸺ inbox and asks !! i have so many sitting in there and i promise i will get to them, but another thing im focusing on is current threads and getting the replies and starters i owe out first !! and then i'll eventually get around to my inbox !! im sorry for such a long delay with inbox stuff... i really do apologise for it taking a long time.

✩ ⸺ denki kaminari blog is actually going to be revived (for real this time), i have many plans for him and i'm super excited to finally get to writing him again. however it will either be low activity or inactive until i get replies on this blog under control !! if you want to follow the blog, let me know and i'll send it your way/follow you from there !!

✩ ⸺ multimuse and oc blog is also under the works, at first i was considering having a multimuse oc blog AND a multimuse canon blog however i feel that'd be TOO much to handle. so i'm going to combine the two blogs together. this will most likely always be low activity for whenever i'm feeling a certain muse !! ochako and denki are my main muses! which is why they're going to have their own blogs !!

✩ ⸺ headcanons and stuff , im considering starting to write headcanons and drabbles (is that what they're called?) !! just for when im not vibing with any replies and still want to let out some creativity !! so expect to see those more <33

thank you for giving this a lil read my friends !! i will reblog later for people who aren't online rn !! but yea... i thought i'd share all this stuff for people just so you all know whats going on 🩷🪱

[more-than-a-princess]

Just popping in to announce that I'm on a hiatus for vacation/DragonCon (if it isn't clear already from the lack of posts over here)! Work, birthday, and con prep have eaten up all of my time and that's likely not going to change anytime soon.

@dcviated, @phantasmalnightmare, and @91cmspoilers: I know I owe the three of you replies. Those will be the first things I get to when I get back (unless I have a little time on Wednesday to write and queue some things for when I'm gone). Otherwise, I'll start working on replies next week and hopefully have replies going out before the end of next week. After these three replies are done, I'll get to whatever's next in my reply list and/or plotted starters, if applicable (on my end to start or reply to your starter).

I usually have more time to get to everything before con, but this year just isn't working out due to extra work obligations (and the 9 costumes that need final touches/ironing/pressing/packing, alongside all of their accessories/wigs/makeup).

For those curious, here's my lineup (under the cut!):

This con is devoted to all things pop culture, so I try to bring minimal anime and video game costumes for this reason: they're worn so often to other events! But I promised friends I'd join them for some One Piece shenanigans one evening, so that's that.

First column, top down: Evelyn (The Mummy), Elain Archeron (A Court of Thorns and Roses), Nadja of Antipaxos (What We Do in the Shadows)

Second column, top down: Trixie (Call the Midwife), Penelope Featherington (Bridgerton), Bertha Russell (The Gilded Age)

Third Column, top down: Nico Robin (One Piece), Lysandra (Throne of Glass), Nesta Archeron (A Court of Thorns and Roses).

[lcftyambiticons-archive]

RULES.

GNEREAL

25+ ONLY. This blog is written by an adult for other adults, so please act accordingly.

I'm careful about how I curate my online space. The block button and I are besties. Muns who engange in OOC drama, OOC bigotry and LGBTQA+ phobia of any kind, callout posts, OOC political discourse will be blocked on sight. I also tend to steer clear of writers who have lots of DNIs or triggers.

This blog is anti-censorship. Fiction =/= reality. If you don't like someone's content, block them. Protecting your online space is a mature thing to do, and I promise I'll 100% support that. What's NOT okay is trying to police adults on what to write on their blogs (go touch some grass).

Triggers you may encounter on this blog: violence, murder, abuse, gore, monsters, gaslighting, manipulation, cults, canon-typical fantasy racism and overall offensive / problematic themes. Triggers won't always be tagged. If you're triggered by any of these, this blog isn't for you. I love angst and exploring dark content!! If you have any triggers, let me know.

Communication is key! <3 Writing is so much more fun if the muns get along. I promise, I don't bite!!

INTERACTION

This is a private blog simply because I can't spread myself too thin. I'm particularly selective when it comes to mumu-blogs featuring muses from fandoms outside the DnD / BG3 verse. If I follow you, I have read your rules and want to interact! Don't be shy <3 I will also assume that if you follow me back, you're fine with me sending you memes / tagging you in starters / sliding into your IMs to plot.

Personals are welcome to follow, but no touchy my RP stuff.

If you're a RP blog, I'd love it if you follow with the intention of interacting. Also, if you followed me first, I'd appreciate it if you reached out first to start things off — I'll do my best to do the same! I feel like this approach makes it easier to get interactions going.

If we're not mutuals: You're welcome to send headcanon and plot-idea asks! If I can take on another thread, I'll let you know. <3

Formatting: For accessibility reasons, I won't follow if you use spaced out words and punctuation, all caps or all lowercase (for entire paragraphs).

MEMES. YES! If you want to continue a meme, go right ahead!

Plotting: Hmu with a plot idea anytime! I'm not a fan of plotting out every detail, but Lorroakan is a particularly uncooperative muse. Having a general idea of where we want this to go really helps to keep the ball rolling, even if we end up going in a different direction!

SHIPPING / RELATIONSHIPS

This blog is multiship, male lean. Fair warning; Lorroakan isn't particularly interested in romance or sex, and he's a prick. I'm open to shipping, BUT ships will most likely be toxic / one-sided, particularly with Rolan (with the potential to develop into something wholesome over time!), and slow burn. By slow I mean glacial. In most cases, at least.

I won't write smut on the dash. The steamy stuff will be moved to discord or IMs.

Pre-established relationships: Yes. While first meeting or "they have been business partners" threads can be fun, they often take a while to get juicy, or they end up fizzling out. What if your muse was Lorroakan's childhood bestie? Another (former?) apprentice? A fellow scholar of the arcane he used to work with? An ex?

MUN NOTES

Mun =/= Muse, I obviously don't condone any of Lorroakan's bs IRL. While I will absolutely respect your boundaries OOC (if you talk to me beforehand about them, pretty please with a cherry on top), I won't water him down.

I have the memory of a soggy pickle. If you don't want me to interact with you, hard-block.

Activity: Sometimes I'll reply super fast, sometimes it takes me ages, and sometimes I can only focus on specific threads / muses.

Discord is available for moots I interact with frequently.

They / Them, hatched 1995, dog parent, hyperfixating on problematic villains, D&D player.

[izukuthebunny]

(OOC) Please read before interacting!

Have you ever wanted to interact with Izuku "Deku" Midoriya? Ever wanted to get advice or comfort from him? This blog is for you! I have been roleplaying as Izuku and writing Izuku fics for years, and am VERY dedicated to not breaking character!

Please read this entire post before sending any asks or dms! Thank you! I'll keep this post updated if anything changes, and I'll keep a note here when it was last updated: Last Updated 9/30 Some links were added!

This is an in character blog, and it's not a proper roleplay blog, meaning I'll answer any ask you send in character, as if you're speaking to Izuku Midoriya himself.

I do NOT answer roleplay asks, either in script style, or otherwise, so basically, that includes paragraph starters, and things like actions in asterisks! They'll be deleted immediately, sorry!! I DO have proper roleplay accounts, but I don't share them publicly anymore! This blog is separate from that entirely, so this blog doesn't roleplay! PLEASE REMEMBER THIS! Thank you!

The timeline that this blog takes place is fluid on purpose, it depends on who I'm interacting with, and what they need to help pick them up! So, sometimes, Izuku will be a student at UA, and other times, he'll be a pro hero! It really depends on what you, as the person he's speaking to, need or want from him!

This blog is meant mostly to spread positivity for people who look up to Izuku, or find comfort in him. You can always interact with him directly if you need him, and you can ask him for advice. I will never decline in character asks, if your oc or self insert needs some in-universe guidance, but this blog is aimed towards real people who need help, and would like to receive it from Izuku!

He'll also occasionally pop up into the replies of people who might need him, if you'd like him to NOT pop up in your replies, shoot this blog a DM asking politely for me to not leave in character replies on your posts! I promise I don't bite!

9/30 - If you want Izuku to show up in your reblogs/replies, please interact with this post!

As this blog begins, I'm mostly focusing on mutuals and people I've interacted positively with in the past, but I'd love to branch that out more as people become more familiar with this blog

However, if all that's a bit too much for you, I don't mind if you block this blog! Whatever's easiest for you!

I ask that you please, please, PLEASE do not send anything sexual or extremely violent to this blog, a real person runs this blog at the end of the day! Whatever you wouldn't say to a real person, you shouldn't say to Deku! As of 9/29 Mutuals/friends can send some sexual stuff, as a treat! All sexual content will be tagged "Playbunny" please blacklist this tag if you're under 18 or do not want to see sexual content! Any sexual content Izuku is 25 his current canon age, so he's a teacher and pro hero!

THAT BEING SAID. I'm alright with somewhat heavier topics when you're asking for advice from Izuku, but on the topic of things like SA, please keep specifics to a minimal, thank you! Izuku's happy to help you, and to be a listening ear for you, and to provide a bit of comforting words, but please don't give me, or him, extreme details on triggering topics! A few details here and there are okay, just please don't give me a step by step breakdown on it!

Also, please do not try to hold conversations with Izuku on other people's posts, it's not polite to blow up someone's notifications like that! Izuku reblogging a post is not an invitation to talk to him in the reblogs or replies of the post! You're welcome to talk to him on his own posts, or even your own posts if you tag him, or he's already in your replies! Thank you!

I trigger tag all triggering content to the best of my ability! If I miss a tag, please tell me! I want this blog to be a safe space for people to vent and find comfort in a character they love!

Also, I may occasionally post original photos that are in character, these are to add flavor to this blog and give it a bigger sense of being "alive" so to speak! So, things like photos of official merch I own that I think Izuku would also own, photos taken out and about that I think Izuku would've taken, things like that!

Also, as a note, no ships are canon for this blog, so Izuku isn't in any relationships, and I don't mind a little bit of playful flirting with him if that's what you want to do! Just keep in mind it might go right over his head, or he might be too flustered to think straight! I intend on keeping him single, and he won't have any explicitly canon crushes on his classmates.

However I may occasionally imply crushes on a handful of his classmates (if a student in the current time of post)/coworkers (if a pro hero in the current time of post) for a funny bit, it should never be considered serious! Characters will include Katsuki, Ochaco, Eijiro, Shouto, Tenya, and a few others! I just think Izuku is the type of person to confuse strong platonic feels for romantic! This is again to add a bit of life to the blog!

One last thing, this blog is a sideblog, NORMALLY I'd make these kinda of blogs their own accounts, but I wanted this to be a blog I check more regularly, in case someone needs Izuku for something, so it's a sideblog on my mainblog I use daily and am on almost all day! As a result, I do not follow from this blog! And I would like to keep my mainblog a secret! Thank you for understanding!

Also! This blog is run by a gay trans man, and, as a result, transphobes and homophobes (and tbh anything similar) will be blocked! Izuku doesn't tolerate bigotry!

[starsvein]

🛌

moonlight aesthetic starters // (🛌) Our muses make a pillow fort.

Standing in Eiden's bedroom, Veoc eyes the pile of couch cushions, pillows, blankets, and poles that Eiden's gathered on the carpet floor in doubt. "I don't think this will be structurally sound..."

"Don't worry, it's just for fun!" Grinning despite himself, Eiden boldly takes Veoc's hand and leads him to treasure trove of soft, squishy materials.

It had started out as a normal evening. After work, Eiden had met up with Veoc for dinner while the two talked about their lives, and at one point the major general had expressed his interest in military forts. From what he gathered, things were far less mobile in the ancient era and unlike Syren, who was ship, weapon, barracks, and station all in one, Earth forts were simply freestanding structures standing around like sitting ducks for anyone to besiege and attack.

They didn't even have the simplest force fields to protect them from natural disasters.

In response, Eiden had promised to show him a pillow fort. Veoc didn't expect that meant taking apart Eiden's furniture to build one personally by hand. After a few failed tries, the major general finally got the hang of it and was securing the the last bit of "roofing" when Eiden poked his head out from inside the tent-like folds of a blanket.

"You should come in and take a look," he suggests casually.

Arching a brow, Veoc first brushes the string of lights hanging in Eiden's face out of the way, then ducks his head to take a peek. It's a small, intimate space with a floor of pillows and a soft duvet, with the human sitting cross-legged in the center.

"It doesn't look like there's much room," Veoc observes politely.

"It's more cozy this way—oh hang on, I'll get the lights," Eiden pauses to look for a socket before sticking in the plug. Instantly, the interior is lit up with a soft golden glow as the string lights come to life.

"They can blink too," Eiden adds enthusiastically while pressing a button. "Or change colors—was saving these for the Christmas tree, but it's not a bad idea to use them now, heh."

He pats the space besides him and tries again. "Come on. It's different from the inside."

Veoc hesitates. He still has some doubts about stability, but carefully adjusts his posture to half-crawl into the space. Once he's fully in, Eiden closes the blanket door behind him and holds it shut with a convenient clothespin, leaving them alone in the fort.

"What do you think?" Eiden asks after a while.

Veoc feels the soft flooring beneath him and exhales. "This wouldn't hold up in a military exercise."

"Pfft—!" He gets muffled laughter in return. "Like I said, it's not that kind of fort!"

Veoc turns to reply, but happens upon something extremely soft. He grasps it with his hand and picks it up, revealing an unusually long, beige-hued pillow with...ears and arms and legs? Some sort of animal, he guesses after spotting a nose and two round, dark eyes. "What is this?"

Eiden stops laughing to look, only to grin and push the pillow into Veoc's arms. "Hey, you've got Topper!"

"What's a Topper?" Veoc ends up half cradling the stuffed animal (?) pillow (?) against his chest.

"He's..." the human trails off, gaze growing nostalgic. "A friend of a friend who's not here anymore. A girl I know liked him too, and made a giant body pillow of him for me..."

Never mind that Mary Sue's ultimate goal with the Prototype Topper Body Pillow was marketing goods for her Quincy fanclub—that would be another afternoon of explanations for Veoc to understand.

When Veoc hears "friend," he tries to return the Topper pillow to Eiden, but the latter insists he hold onto it instead. "It looks good with you," Eiden encourages.

"Your friend is an accessory?" Veoc cracks a smile and rests Topper whimsically on his head.

It's a lethal strike, one that leaves Eiden breathless as he stammers again. "N-no but, you know what? You can keep him there."

Now it's Veoc's turn to look helpless. "I won't be able to do much like this."

"Ah well, I was just kidding, hahah...!"

They eventually move on to other things. Eiden's managed to sneak in his laptop and coaxes Veoc to watch a movie with him. Intrigued by the concept of Earth movies, the major general agrees.

...not expecting him to say yes so quickly, Eiden sits up in a flash. "Then I should make some popcor—"

Too late, his head bumps into one of the pillow supports for the blanket roof, loosening it too much. The entire pillow fort starts to collapse seconds afterward, and Eiden instinctively shields himself from the avalanche of sticks and blankets and cushions that he's sure will fall his way.

In the middle of the chaos, something tackles him to the ground.

But nothing hits him after that.

Instead there's something pinning him down, as well as a wave of heat—he opens his eyes to see an eyeful of Veoc's shirt at chest level, with the rest of the major general kneeling above him to shield him from the barrage. The pinning sensation was the man's knees straddling him at the hips to keep him in place.

Eiden's eyes dart up to Veoc's face as red rushes to his cheeks. The major general seems nonplussed, pushing aside a segment of blanket draped over his head to let in the cooler air from outside their ruined fort before looking back at him.

"All you all right?"

"...huh? Uh, sure! Yeah, I'm fine!"

Veoc straightens up next, pushing cushions and string lights aside as he stays on his knees. "It's fortunate that we chose only soft materials to construct your fort."

"R-right...'' Eiden tries to sit up, but isn't sure what to do after pushing himself upright. He ends up propping himself up with his arms while watching Veoc work. "We can rebuild it again pretty quickly."

"Yes, I can think of a few improvements to brace the supports..."

Eiden stares at the man who seems perfectly fine, and sighs internally. Why was he the only one getting flustered? Until he hears a cough, and blinks to see Veoc deftly unbuttoning the first few buttons of his shirt.

"It's a bit hot," he offers by way of explanation before turning away. Alas, that gives the human a perfect view of his pink-tipped ears.

Eiden grins.