#pulling directly from our conversation about them!

[tixdixl]

Wishmaster's Joy Ride - Fan Event Vignette

Event Banner: @ramshacklerumble

MC: Oisín Anbás (My OC)

Characters: Oisín Anbás, Lilia Vanrouge, Cater Diamond, Eugenio Hernandez ( @the-trinket-witch 's OC), Copper Benoit ( @cyanide-latte 's OC), Kingsley Tyr (My OC), Gia Yugo ( @ramshacklerumble 's OC)

Word Count: 2,543

CW: None

A/N: I've had this vignette idea sitting in my head since we came up with the Twist Tune. Even if the card art isn't finished yet, I still wanted to go ahead and share this. Hope you enjoy!

🎶🎵🎶

The dullahan sank into the tour bus seat. Their trench coat swept across the cushions, draping gracefully in a manner that, regardless of its haphazard execution, retained an appearance of elegance. With blueprint holograms pulled up from their watch, Oisín began to unscrew the front panel off the dashboard. They captured each individual screw on a magnet, slid underneath their glove to hold it in place.

A familiar voice interjected over the ambient chatter of the others, commandeering the tour bus, ��I see Idia and Ortho have rubbed off on you~.”

“Perhaps~,” the dullahan reciprocated the flirting tease, “though I certainly spent more time with Ortho and Ren. I feel like they would have enjoyed the event.”

“And stealing the tour bus?” Lilia retained that coy sense of humor in his tone as he spoke. But it wasn’t enough to coax the dullahan from their focus.

As they popped off the dashboard panel, they commented, “You say that like they wouldn’t be hacking into the security system to ensure our tracks are covered~.”

Despite the lack of TV monitor, the [UwU] spilled from their voice like an overflowing fountain. A warm chuckle erupted out of the vampire as he peered over the back of the bus seat. The dullahan practically felt him watching over their shoulder, the adoration radiating off of him in a way they didn't need to see.

“Besides,” they added, “we aren’t stealing it. Just… borrowing it. For a joy ride.”

They placed the dashboard panel on the floor beside them, careful not to scratch or damage the exterior. Despite the thin carpet stretching out across the floor, they didn’t want to risk getting caught in any capacity.

“So this was your idea, verdad?” came a voice from the otherside of the seat, quiet and yet no less curious and pensive.

As the dullahan dug about the internal wiring of the bus, they responded directly albeit gently, “No, you can thank the trio, Tyr, Yugo, and Benoit for that. They simply asked for assistance to make it happen~.”

While Oisín couldn’t see it, they could faintly hear the rustle of denim as Lilia lightly patted the Ramshackle student’s shoulder. The duo behind them seemed to initiate into a conversation: something about back patches and the Silver Owls. They could easily pick out the shift in Lilia’s tone, moving from awe to reminiscence. However, needing to focus, they tuned out the conversation. It faded quickly into the ambient chatter on the tour bus. At one point, Sebek’s voice erupted, piercing through the veil of background noise. A small smirk drifted over their lips as the wire strippers slid across the wire, revealing bare metal beneath.

As they carefully wrapped the wires together, the dullahan tucked the ends of the wire, to prevent any form of unraveling. They seemed prepared for the venture, despite the impulsive nature of this endeavor, as they pulled out an electrician's cap. They wound it around the wire, and once lodged, gave the two wires a gentle tug to ensure that it wouldn’t come loose. Pulling up the hologram of the blue print, Oisín then reached in and pulled out two more wires. Clearly, the blue prints that Ortho had supplied them with had a thorough mapping of the dash board interior. And within just a few minutes, the dullahan successfully stripped and rewired the tour bus, without tripping any alarms or overtly destroying the bus.

As they slipped the dashboard cover back into place, putting the screws back into place, that familiar voice spoke up again, “I’m curious, have you ever driven a bus before?”

“Can’t say I have,” the mischief didn’t leave their voice, “but I can’t imagine a bus is any more difficult to drive than a carriage.”

Their comment seemed to cause Lilia to erupt into hysterical laughter.

“And here I thought you were still too anxious to take risks,” the vampire mused, “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“We haven’t even started~,” they replied, slipping their tools into the pocket of their trench coat. Oisín sat up, finally turning to look over the top of the seat. With a subtle smile, they raised their voice just a hair, “Ey, leader trio! Where to?”

“Wherever the roads may take us!” Copper shouted with glee.

“Out of the inner city, past where the cops are staking out,” Kingsley added on.

“Hehe ye,” came the sole reply of Gia.

🎶🎵🎶

Rose gold streaks painted the dusk sky. Though, their hues slowly dwindled, merging into a palette of deep blues and purples. A few twinkling gems lit up the night sky with their sporadically dim glow. The moon hadn’t quite graced the night with her presence. Under the evening’s gaze, the tour bus sped down empty roads. The singular intermission gave them enough time to leisurely take the bus for a spin. And as they drove past the city limits, the evening swept over the mountain. Lights from the stadium illuminated the mountainside. The majesty of its jagged rock pierced through the darkness, as technicolor lights reflected even as high as the snowy peaks. Magic, clearly, usurped the place.

From inside the full bus, giggles, music, and boisterous chatter overpowered the metal blaring from the speakers. The energy drinks still pumped through the collective’s veins, like a substitute for adrenaline, albeit beginning to dwindle as the night had clearly started to take its toll. The dullahan glanced into the rearview mirror, their cerulean eyes assessing the energy levels of the diurnal youngsters behind them.

“I think we need to make a pit stop,” the dullahan mentioned quietly, knowing that the vampire beside them could still hear their voice over the rambunctious noise.

“Oh~?”

They could hear the intrigue brimming in his voice, being one of the few who naturally felt most alive in the later hours of the night.

“I can see the early signs of crashing,” they gently explained, “and I know we still have a few hours to go until we hit Wishmaster’s set. I think any, if not all of them, would be upset if they missed out simply by falling asleep.”

“Aaaah, and an energy boost is likely what they are going to need, you think?” Lilia asked, following their mindset perfectly.

“At the very least, if not a power nap,” they commented, “I’m going to give them the option to either join us or take a nap. There are limited seats and limited bunks, but we can make it work.”

“We could have them nap in shifts,” Lilia added on, “Like the good old days.”

“You mean our military days?”

“Well, yeah,” the vampire mused, “because sometimes, we would have to keep watch even during sleeping hours.”

“This is true…”

They considered his suggestion, uncertain how effective it would be given the circumstances. But of course, they intended to maintain their original decision and give the youngsters a choice. And if they as a collective chose to nap in shifts, Oisín already chose to support their decision to the best of their ability. Whether they realized it or not, the parental instincts fully kicked in. At the very least, being a creature of the night, they had the ability and the natural willpower to keep them all safe. Even if they were frankly a bit out of their element.

Without alerting the entire bus, the dullahan pulled the bus into an empty gas station. The set up visually reminded them of any gas station scene in a horror movie. One light out. Another light flickering. Not a single person or car present. One diesel pump seated beside two normal pumps. They put the bus in park, taking up two parking spaces along the side of the lot. Deliberately, they avoided parking in front of the air pump. As they turned the vehicle off, the internal lights flicked on. Immediately, a bunch of heads popped up, expressions full of curiosity. Oisín, stepping up from the driver’s seat, visually scanned all of the different humans, noting the various levels of exhaustion.

Following their lead, the vampire sprung up from their seat. With a giant, brilliant grin, he announced, “Alright, we’re taking a bit of a break! If any of you all want to grab snacks or drinks, Oisín and I are going to head inside. If any of you want to take the chance to grab a power nap while the bus is quiet, go ahead and do so. We’ll just need to make sure we take care of the evidence after the fact~.”

As the door swung open, the nocturnal duo stepped out of the bus, hand in hand, and into the lot. If not for the subtle flamboyancy in their attire, the both of them would have fully blended into the darkness. The two of them made their way under the overpass, the lighting certainly amplified the sort of horror movie ambiance, yet in this case, it was debatable whether or not they were the horrors in the night. Entering the gas station store, the door swung open with a loud DING. The electronic bell blared into the space, seemingly vacant of life. When the dullahan glanced over at the counter, no one stood at the register. Then again, as their eyes drifted toward the self-check out, they wondered if anyone actually manned the store at all. The human obsession with automation both fascinated and disturbed them. Technology benefited everyone greatly, and yet… they couldn’t help but wonder where that fine line sat.

In seconds, Lilia disappeared from their side. Likely off to the juice aisle, they expected to eventually find him with his hands full of tomato juice and jerky. His old habits refused to die, and in truth, they found them completely endearing. On their own, they opted simply to examine the place out of curiosity. In all their life, they’d been to few, albeit of the rumors they’d heard, humans often described gas stations as liminal spaces. Something about back rooms and purgatory. Human mythology certainly struck them as strange. Perhaps, this presented them with the opportunity to explore the phenomenon themself.

Out from their coat pocket, they pulled out the ever aging journal. Its leather bound cover newly cleaned, even despite its centuries of wear. The corners flaked a bit. The cover cracked in a few places. And yet, they never considered replacing it. As they lurked about, they began jotting down notes.

“They’ve got Takis,” commented the vampire aloud, shortly before the electronic bell dinged once again.

“Do you plan on bringing them into the concert?” the dullahan asked, not matching his volume.

“Bringing what into the concert?” came the voice of a familiar card soldier, Cater.

“Takis~,” repeated Lilia.

“Dude, I don’t think it would be a smart idea to bring Takis into a concert,” Cater attempted to course correct, “What are you gonna do? Hold them the entire time?”

“Nah, I figured I’d pass them around the bus. See if anyone else wants them!”

“Grá mo chroí, I’m not sure that’s the wisest idea…” the dullahan commented gently.

Lilia shot them a glance from across the aisle, their expression radiating with sass, “Clearly, I need to take you to more metal concerts. Food brought in will be eaten, even if the venue doesn’t permit outside food.”

“...I suppose you have a fair point,” the card soldier conceded with a sigh, “At that point, you’re just passing the bag to randos.”

“Exactly, and if you’re smart about it, you won’t get caught as the source.”

Oisín opted not to comment or refute the statement. They knew all too well that if any of the crew that had joined them that evening wanted to get away with anything, they would. And in truth, they also knew that they were among the list of applicable culprits. No sense in calling the kettle black. And in truth, the collective clearly was having fun. No sense in raining on the collective parade.

🎶🎵🎶

The drive back into the city lacked the same energy as the drive in. Some of the folks on the bus had opted to take naps while others opted to reserve their energy. And those who still had the energy to keep going opted to, for the most part, respect the choices of those around them. Certainly the dire beast and the reptilian fae struggled in volume control, but largely the collective kept quiet.

The bag of Takis did in fact make its way around the bus. Even those who originally rejected the invitation to share the food eventually caved. Whether they realized it or not, the concert had them burning an immense amount of calories and energy. And while stomachs didn’t necessarily grumble about the bus, the munchies swept over the tour bus in a wave.

As they crossed into the city, the night grew more vibrant. The magic and pyrotechnics of the stadium illuminated the blanket of black that shrouded the sky. The moon smiled down on them in all her full beauty, as if giving approval toward the once in a lifetime experience. Full, bright, and close to the land. Oisín half expected her to dress in scarlet for the occasion. Instead, she retained her pure silver brilliance.

A roar tore through the ambient tranquility, as cheers erupted from within the stadium. Their timing couldn’t have been more punctual. As they pulled into the back of the stadium, it sounded as though the next set had prepared to take the stage. The dullahan, in an attempt to quietly gather the attention of the collective, flicked the lights on and off twice in succession. Treating this as a stealth mission, they quietly gave commands to all those in the back, ensuring that no evidence of their trespass would be noticed. Between magic and the mundane, each person kept to their designated task, and kept quiet, so as to not draw attention to the tour bus. At the very least, not any more than they would have by the bus just up and vanishing.

One by one, led by Lilia and Kingsley, the crew left the bus, leaving the dullahan behind. Both of them trusted Oisín to do what they did best - leave their mission without a trace. And in the silent isolation of the bus, they got to work. They locked the bus up, just as they had borrowed it. They ensured that no person on the bus had left any tracks, not even a speck of dust. Their trench coat not only served the purpose of aesthetic individuality, but it acted as a sufficient tool for concealment. Gathering the last of their trash, they did one final once over of the entire bus. And as they stood there in silent satisfaction, they vanished into a burst of emerald green sparks.

Reappearing only seconds later amongst the crowd, they easily blended in with the slew of concert attendees. Once again, their eyes swept about, searching for any obvious sight of the Night Raven College crew. And upon seeing the vibrant green hair of one Sebek Zigvolt, they knew the mission had finished successfully. A subtle tension released from their hands and their chest as they strode deeper into the crowd, reuniting with their designated collective.

🎶🎵🎶

Tag list: @ramshacklerumble @the-trinket-witch @twstinginthewind @elenauaurs @sunsmilu

@cyanide-latte @theleechyskrunkly @thehollowwriter @twistedwonderlandshenanigans @starry-night-rose

@oseathepebble @twstchaos @cyn-write @twst-the-night-away @tinyvirgodoodle

[shoreskept]

𓂃 ଓ ; @huijarii wrote ;

[ 𝐆𝐀𝐙𝐄 ] for bronya?

the qlipoth fort is warm as ever, the low drone of geomarrow so constant a sound that bronya has long since stopped hearing it. she sits at the supreme guardian's wide desk, in a chair she has still yet to grow into, finger tapping idly atop a stack of paperwork she has leafed through no less than thrice.

it does not get any less heavy, the shadow hanging over her, though lately she has begun to wonder if it is only she herself that can still see it.

the gravelly voice of a guard draws her gaze, pulls her mind from within itself and reminds her to straighten her spine as she rises and lift her chin. in a voice too loud for the room's quiet— that of a soldier, which ricochets off of the room's high ceilings and threatens to make her flinch— he announces the arrival of this afternoon's only meeting.

ah, bronya dips her chin in a curt nod, a silent grant of permission to continue, this.

strange requests come across her desk frequently, such is the nature of her station. people seek an audience over just about anything, or even for nothing at all. remiss as bronya is to turn away a civilian in need, there are instances where she hasn't a choice.

but every now and again, something unexpected will catch her eye. such had this, delivered by the hand of none other than seele herself, a request to which bronya had received quite a few raised brows upon accepting. her miraculously empty book for its date, however, had squashed any argument that her time would be better spent elsewhere.

and she is, admittedly, most curious.

heavy doors are pushed open on silent hinges, a silvermane guard on either side and two trailing their guest as he steps beyond the threshold. bronya is careful with her eyes, waits until the doors are shut and her men are at ease before it is lowered.

pale grey settles upon striking emerald, her expression carefully levelled as she considers the feline curve of the man's features.

" you are dismissed, " she announces— a command that is answered after a beat of hesitation. the room empties of guards, the door slow to shut behind them. bronya does not look away from the man once.

a beat before she takes her seat once more, before her guardian's expression thaws, curiosity betrayed in the tilt of her head.

" to what do i owe the pleasure, mr. koski? "

[xdyledz]

i hate you

at you and bakugous wedding he reveals his true feelings

★・・・・・・★

“ it is now time for the vows, bakugou we will start with you.”

Bakugou reaches into in pocket and pulls out papers, making sure to wipe his hands against his pants.

looking at you and then taking a deep breath and clearing his throat he says “ about a month into our relationship i realized one thing about you. i was in the shower after a date, you had kissed me for the first time. in my head i declared that i hated you.”

gasp filled the room. bakugou looked up from the paper and into your eyes once again, he saw you taken aback. hearing a faint “ katsuki..” from his mom he knew he should continue.

“ i hated you more into the relationship, i had this feeling in me when i thought about you. i hated it. “

“ i hated the way you came into my life like you owned it, and the thing i hated the most about you is that you made me feel human.”

“ dude this isn’t what we planned “ kirishima says from behind bakugou. him and bakugou stayed up numerous nights trying to find the write words to say to you, bakugou would describe his feelings to kirishima and kirishima would write down a sentence, but nothing was good enough for bakugou so when they finally came to an agreement…bakugou tossed it.

“ For example “ bakugou starts again “ i hate seeing you, hearing your voice, being next to you and having you touch me, everything that you did effected me.”

“ i hated how when i slept i wished you were there, when i shared an apartment with kirishima, kaminari and sero i hated how anything i had to do with them i wanted to do with you, i hated being alone because you weren’t there to throw me a smile, i hated your smile, i hated when you smiled that was the only thing i wanted to see, i hated feeling you lips on me because i never wanted them to leave.”

taking a breath in bakugou made sure not to look at you, he didn’t want to see the look on your face,

“ the worst part is that i never hated any of this, i loved it. and that scared me to my core. i never thought i would be able to feel this way about anyone, this feeling was so forgine to me “

“ so i shut you out, for the first 6 months of our relationship i was terrible to you. i never gave you any love, or affection. i wasn’t talking to you, i avoided you. i kept us secret. i didn’t want anyone to know that bakugou katsuki was capable of love because you made me feel like a human being not some hot shot hero with a big ego. whenever i thought i could do anything, beat everyone, you always reminded me that i was human.”

a shaky breathe leaves him “ you scared the crap out of me, i didn’t like what you gave me but i craved it, i craved you. “

“ the moment i think about still to this day is the day you told me you loved me, i didn’t say it back. instead i took your hand off my shoulder and walked to the bathroom and telling you that i had to piss. in that bathroom i wanted to scream “

“ the night it all changed is when i heard you and my dumb friends talking in the kitchen. you had begged me for us to have a sleep over and in the middle of the night you got up. secretly i followed you. i heard kaminari ask you ‘ are you and bakugou gonna break up ‘ at that i froze, i listened further into the conversation and when you said ‘ if me and bakugou break up it will be him doing the breaking up, he’s rude and hot head and not very affectionate but those small moments with him are worth it’ “

“ i don’t know what changed in me that night but that was the first night i initiated touch with you while i was fake sleeping “

“ i hate our relationship because of those first 6 months, i didn’t know how to properly treat you and how to communicate my feelings which i still can’t do.” bakugou lets a tear fall out of his eyes.

“ i hate how i never gave you what you deserved, i worked my butt off and tried so hard after that night to show you that i still love you. i love your smile, your laugh, or when you choose to sleep directly on me instead of your side of the bed and then drool on me. how you cook with me, comfort me after a long day, how you play with my hair, how you always snap back at me. how you love to bake with me. “

“ i love those late nights where you and me just talk about absolutely nothing. i love when when you get a tingly feeling in your nose and you stuff and strunchn into my shoulder for comfort. i love how you jump into my arms randomly, i love when you put your cold feet under my shirt to warm them up. i love when you rub my back and kiss my forehead. i love everything about you and everything you do. i hate how i can never tell you how much i love you.”

“ i never hated you, i loved you. and i was so scared to show it. i hate myself because i can never find the right words to tell you anything because even now i still don’t deserve your love. “

looking into your eyes you see tears falling from his and his lip quivering. bakugous fist are gripping the paper at this point.

“ but you deserve all of mine, y/n i love you “

silence came over the whole building..

“ was that okay?” he asked you in a quiet whisper still having tears fall from his eyes.

‘ even when crying you look beautiful ‘ he thought to himself.

★・・・・・・★

chatness this kinda feels rushed and not really thought out but idk i really wanted to write a fic about this. bakugou is bakugou so i’m a firm believer that in the beginning of any of his romantic relationships it’s very hard. also i was think of writing some of these senarios out idk.

[vanteguccir]

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSTURNIOLO'S GO TO THE SUPERMARKET * NATE DOE

SUMMARY　::　Where Y/N, younger sister of the triplets and Nate's girlfriend, participates on the 'Sturniolo Triplets go to Europe' video.

FEATURING　Nate Doe x sturniolo!reader　REQUESTED?　yes.

WARNINGS　::　none.

AUTHOR'S NOTE　::　that is my work, I DON'T authorize any form of plagiarism; copy, "inspiration" or translation! | english isn't my first language, so I'm sorry if there's any grammar error.

The car hummed softly as Chris maneuvered through the Burger King drive-thru lane, his hand resting lazily on the wheel. Matt sat in the passenger seat, holding the camera aimed casually toward the rest of the group while Nick sat directly behind Chris, leaning forward slightly to catch glimpses of the menu ahead. Nate was behind Matt with his arm draped comfortably over Y/N, who was nestled between him and Nick.

"You getting your apple pie, babe?" Nate asked, his voice low as he turned his head to Y/N, his thumb absentmindedly brushing over her shoulder.

She glanced up at him, her eyes sparkling with mock offense.

"When do I not get my apple pie?" She quipped, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

"Fair point." He said, chuckling, his pearly teeth making an appearance. Nick, overhearing, snorted.

"She’s literally more predictable than Chris when it comes to Pepsi." Nick teased, earning a playful nudge from Y/N.

"You're just jealous." Y/N shot back with a grin, sticking her tongue out at her older brother.

"Yeah, okay." He replied sarcastically. "Jealous of having a partner who steals half my fries every time we eat."

"Nate, blink twice if you need help." Chris chimed in, earning laughs from Matt.

"She doesn’t steal them." Nate answered Nick, purposefully ignoring Chris. "She claims what’s rightfully hers."

Y/N snorted as Matt turned to face the camera, raising an eyebrow.

"This is what we have to deal with every time we come to Boston, folks."

When they reached the intercom, Nick leaned forward with a gentle smile, his tone dripping with kindness.

"Hi! How are you?"

Y/N looked at the woman from above Nick's shoulder, quickly joining in.

"Oh, you’re the pretty woman who got our orders last time!" Her voice sounded warm and cheerful.

The woman on the other end chuckled.

"Back again, huh? Can you just... just give me one second?"

"Of course, no problem!"

As they waited, Nick turned to the rest of the car, holding up his phone.

"Okay, Matt, you’re getting two plain cheeseburgers. Nate, two plain cheeseburgers with pickles. Chris and Y/N, one plain cheeseburger each. Everybody’s getting fries. Chris wants a Dr. Pepper, Nathan wants root beer, and you’re splitting it with Y/N. Matt, you’re skipping soda. Y/N, you want an apple pie."

Everyone stared at him for a beat before nodding in unison.

"How do you remember that every time?" Nate asked, meeting Chris’s eyes through the rearview, widening his as if asking 'how crazy is he for that?'.

"Because none of you have the courage to make your own orders." Nick retorted smugly, folding his arms.

When the woman returned to the speaker, Y/N jumped in to help Nick relay the orders, letting him list the items while she clarified little details, like, "No ketchup on Matt's burger, please", and, "Yes, we want mayo packets".

Once it was finalized and paid for, they pulled forward, settling into a comfortable buzz of conversation while waiting for the food, the sound of Chris's fingers tapping the steering wheel with a rhythm only he could hear echoing as background noise.

Y/N leaned back against her seat, a realization look crossing her face.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you guys." She started, her voice soft but filled with excitement. "I talked to Breanna this morning. She’s so excited about the wedding. And honestly, the way she talks about Ryan..." She trailed off, shaking her head with a soft smile. "She just sounded so in love. It’s the sweetest thing. You can tell how happy they make each other. It’s amazing."

Nick nodded quickly, letting his phone fall from his hands to his lap, turning to Y/N.

"True! I texted her yesterday, and she told me about how Ryan's been so involved with the wedding planning." He commented. "I can't wait to see the decor-"

"I was the knight in shining armor in your-" Chris cut Nick's trail of though, singing a song that, apparently, was on his mind the whole day, showing how little attention he was paying them.

"Chris." Y/N interrupted sharply, rolling her eyes before looking at Nate with a 'is he being serious right now?' look. "Shut the fuck up. That’s the fourth time today."

Chris spun around in his seat dramatically, almost hitting Matt's hand still holding the camera.

"You shut the fuck up."

Before Y/N could fire back, Nick cut in, groaning loudly.

"Can you both shut your gay mouths, please?"

Chris cackled at Nick’s deadpan delivery.

"Nick, don’t call me that with your gay mouth... unless you want me to kiss you on that gay mouth."

"Great, now I forgot what I was saying." Y/N leaned back, sighing loudly.

Nate laughed at them, exchanging a shake of head with Matt while pulling Y/N closer.

Before long, their food was handed through the window, bags crinkling as Matt took them from Chris and carefully distributed everything while the youngest triplet found a space to park.

"Okay, who’s plain cheeseburger with pickles?" Matt asked, holding up a wrapper.

"That’s me." Nate said, taking both burgers with one hand while the other stayed firmly holding the cup full of Dr. Pepper.

As they began unwrapping their food, Matt reached over to steal a fry from Y/N’s box - which she had out on the car console, earning him a swat on the hand.

"Touch my fries again, and I’ll start charging you rent." She warned, narrowing her eyes.

The conversation turned light and casual as they ate, filled with the usual teasing and laughter, with comments directed to the camera. Between bites of her burger, Y/N turned to the group.

"So, are you guys excited? Milan, first fashion show, Prada? Kind of a big deal."

"Are you kidding?" Matt said, wiping his hands on a napkin. "It’s insane. I’m still trying to figure out why they invited us."

"Because you’re their model now, Matt. And they obviously also love Nick and Chris. Do you realize how many gifts you three received from them just in the last three months?" Y/N replied matter-of-factly.

Chris shrugged.

"She’s not wrong. I mean, we’re kind of a big deal there."

"She's right." Nate nodded, noticing that she had just taken the last bite of her cheeseburger. "Matt will be a real model in no time."

His hands were quick to leave his own second burger on top of his legs and pick Y/N's apple pie from the car console, opening the packaging carefully before taking the crumpled wrapper from her hands and tossing it into the paper bag at his feet, finally handing the sweet pie to her.

A bright smile stretched across her face, directed at him, silently thanking him before taking a bite.

"And I'll be waiting for Sebastian Stan's autograph."

　　　　　༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

The bright fluorescent lights of the supermarket reflected off the aluminum cart Matt was pulling, the squeaky wheels occasionally echoing down the empty aisles. The five of them walked together, Chris holding the camera and making sure to record everything.

"All we need to think of is what we’re eating tonight, and then we’re leaving tomorrow." Nick said to the camera, his tone matter-of-fact.

Y/N, holding Nate’s hand tightly, froze mid-step. Her eyes widened as she turned to Nick, her expression a mix of shock and disappointment.

"Wait, no! Is it tomorrow already?" She asked, her voice laced with sadness. Her lips formed a pout as she stared at her older brother, the reality that she just had a few more days with her brothers before they went to Milan and their routine went back to the usual - them in LA, her in Boston - hitting her hard.

Nick turned his head to her, softening at her expression.

"Yeah." He said, almost apologetically. "Tomorrow is Saturday already, so we’ll have breakfast, lunch, and maybe dinner, depending on how late we leave."

Her shoulders slumped slightly, her pout deepening. Nick sighed softly before stepping by her side, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her against him as they kept walking.

"Come here, sweetheart." He muttered, ruffling her hair gently with his free hand. "Don’t look at me like that. You know we’ll be back soon."

Y/N let herself melt into the hug, though the pout didn’t leave her face.

"I just don’t want to be away from you guys again." She mumbled. "It’s been so nice having you here for so long."

Nate watched them with a soft smile, his hands buried on his hoodie pockets.

"We’ll miss you guys, you know? It’s been fun having all of you back." He added.

"We’ll be back in no time." Chris lowered the camera slightly, his tone unusually sincere. “Let’s not think about that now, though. Let’s enjoy the rest of these days, alright? We still have the whole wedding together."

Y/N nodded reluctantly, her spirits lifting slightly as Nick gave her a squeeze before letting her go. Nate reached for her hand again, threading his fingers through hers and giving her a reassuring squeeze.

They turned into an aisle lined with shelves of sweet treats, and Nick perked up instantly, scanning the options.

"I think we should get powdered donuts or something." He suggested, pointing to a shelf. "You guys like those, right? And then we should get milk and cereal." He looked at Chris and Matt expectantly, but neither answered, both seemingly distracted by something on the shelf opposite them. "Yeah?"

Noticing the silence, Nate chimed in, chuckling.

"Yeah, Nick, I agree. Powdered donuts sound good."

Chris snorted at Nate’s answer, glancing up from the camera.

"Yeah, sounds good." He said, finally catching on. Matt nodded in agreement, still looking at the random colorful items on the right shelf.

Y/N looked around them, quickly spotting the sweet treat. She wandered a few steps ahead, grabbing a pack for her brothers. As she walked back toward the group, she glanced at Nate.

"Babe, do we still have powdered donuts at home?" She asked him.

Nate frowned, seeming to think for a second before shaking his head slightly.

"Nah, it’s almost gone. I think there’s like one left."

Y/N frowned thoughtfully, then turned back to the shelf to grab an extra pack, tossing it into the cart.

"Alright, one for you guys, one for us."

Nick watched her as she added the donuts to the cart, then turned back to the camera.

"Okay, so tonight, we’re going to make pasta with sauce-"

"I want Mac N Cheese." Chris interrupted from behind the camera, speaking over him.

At the exact same time, Y/N also talked, turning to them from a shelf full of cookies that she adored.

"If you’re having pasta, I’m having dinner with you again."

Nick stopped mid-sentence, looking between them with exaggerated annoyance.

"Alright, listen." He said, holding up a hand to stop any further interruptions. "We can get mac n cheese to eat tomorrow..." He compromised. "And you both can stay with us tonight." He added, looking at Nate and Y/N. "Deal?"

Y/N beamed, her earlier sadness momentarily forgotten.

"Deal." She said, happily observing Matt grabbing a box of Mac N Cheese from the nearby shelf and placing it in the cart.

Chris turned the camera toward her with a grin.

"The way she’s acting like this is some grand negotiation is crazy."

"Because it is!" Y/N replied, laughing as she moved to stand beside Nate again.

"Y/N’s just excited to spend more time with us." Nathan slid an arm around her waist, pressing a light kiss to her temple.

"She loves us too much." Matt teased, earning an eye roll from his sister.

"Can’t argue with that." Y/N shot back with a grin.

Nick resumed his walk, pulling the cart and making his way to the front of the group as they approached the refrigerated section. Without a word, he reached for the milk, sliding two cartons into the cart Matt was pushing.

"Milk’s in." He announced to no one in particular, already walking again, pulling the cart with him this time.

The others followed behind, their laughter and chatter echoing softly.

As they passed the hygiene products aisle, Matt - who was looking around while talking to Y/N and Chris - slowed his pace, his mischievous grin already forming as he placed his hands heavily on Nate’s shoulders.

"Hey, shouldn’t you grab some condoms, Nate?" His voice carried just enough volume to catch the attention of the rest of the group, quickly bursting into exaggerated laughter, reacting as if he was the funniest person in the world.

Nate froze mid-step, his face going red as a chuckle immediately erupted from his throat.

"Bro, what?" He choked out, his tone both incredulous and amused.

Y/N, walking beside Chris, immediately rolled her eyes, clearly used to Matt’s way. But instead of letting the comment slide, she crossed her arms and tilted her head with a sly smirk.

"Nah, we don’t need them anymore." She quipped, her tone light as if she was talking about the weather, keeping walking.

The air froze for a split second. Matt’s jaw dropped, Chris nearly dropped the camera, and Nick snapped his head around so fast it was a miracle he didn’t break his neck.

"Wait, what?" Nick blurted, his voice high-pitched and absolutely panicked as his wide eyes locked on Y/N.

Nate froze, blinking in confusion before looking at Y/N with a gaze that screamed 'you didn’t just say that', noticing the playful glint in her eye and the way she was trying not to laugh.

Matt, however, didn’t.

"Excuse me?" He shouted, his voice filled with a mixture of horror and disbelief. "You’re kidding, right? You’re kidding!" He gestured wildly between the couple, his eyes going from them to the camera in Chris's hands and back, clearly unsure if he wanted them to keep filming or put the camera down and probably faint.

Y/N, unable to keep a straight face anymore, burst out laughing, doubling over as she clung to Nate’s arm for support.

"Oh my God, you should see your faces!" She wheezed, her shoulders shaking as tears of laughter formed in her eyes. "I'm not pregnant. We're safe. It was a joke, Matt! A joke!"

Nick groaned, dragging a hand down his face in exasperation.

"You are the worst." He muttered, though his lips twitched like he was fighting back a smile, shaking his head while returning his walk.

Chris exhaled a long, dramatic breath, trying to steady the camera above his trembling fingers.

"What is wrong with you?" He asked, his voice still tinged with lingering panic. "I almost had a heart attack, you know?"

Nate chuckled, nodding his head as he looked down at Y/N, who was still laughing.

"You’re trouble." He teased, his tone soft and affectionate, kissing her temple softly before nuzzling her hair, exhaling the fresh scent of shampoo from their shower earlier. "Pure trouble."

Matt finally straightened up, pinching his nose bridge with his fingers.

"You're not my favorite sibling anymore after that." He affirmed, shaking his head.

Still giggling, Y/N waved her hand dismissively.

"You’ll get over it." She said, sealing her lips with Nate's for only a second before walking toward Nick, leaving the others behind.

"Anyone want juice?" Nick asked over his shoulder, his attention already shifting to the brightly colored juice aisle.

"Lemonade!" Matt called out immediately, forgetting about what had happened not even 5 minutes before, spinning on his heel and heading down the aisle without waiting for anyone to answer.

He grabbed a single plastic bottle of juice, walking just some steps closer to the group before placing the lemonade bottle in front of his covered crotch.

"Come drink it, Nate." He said, wiggling his eyebrows and holding the juice suggestively.

Nate let out a bark of laughter, shaking his head as he looked at Matt and then at Chris, who was with a disbelief look on his eyes.

"You’re sick." He said, his tone dripping with mock disgust, waving his hand at the triplet.

Y/N, who had just turned back to pick some apple juice for her, froze for a second, her eyes wide.

"Oh my fuck, Matt." She muttered, running a hand through her face before glancing at the camera. "Well, my boyfriend’s boyfriend, everyone." She said dryly, throwing a pointed look at Nate, who was still laughing.

Nick, who was now at the cart putting some strawberry yogurt in, looked up sharply at Matt's figure approaching with the juice still in front of his dick, his face stern.

"Matt, put it down." He said, his tone that of an annoyed parent dealing with a disobedient child.

Matt laughed harder, but he did as Nick said, setting the lemonade by the yogurt's side with an exaggerated sigh.

"You guys ruin all my fun." He muttered, though the smile never left his face.

Their next stop was the cereal aisle, where Chris immediately zeroed in on a brightly colored box of cereal.

"Fruit Loops Rainbow Sherbet Scoops." He read aloud, holding up the box so everyone could see. His tone was a mix of awe and disbelief while reading the small descriptions.

Nick wrinkled his nose, looking at it over Chris's shoulder for a second without stopping walking.

"That looks horrible-" He began, but Y/N cut him off, her face lighting up as she stepped forward.

"No, shut up, it looks cute! I want it." She said, her excitement clear as she moved to Chris’s side to get a closer look at the box. She tilted her head as she read the description over his shoulder. "Wait, it cools your mouth? That sounds so cool."

Chris grinned, passing her the box.

"Alright, it’s yours, kid." He said, handing it over like it was a prized trophy.

Nick sighed, though there was a hint of fondness in his expression, his eyes meeting Nate’s, who just shrugged as if to say 'there's nothing you can do besides accepting it, bro, I've tried'.

"Fine, put it in the cart." He said, waving a hand dismissively. "But don’t complain to me if it tastes like toothpaste."

"It won’t." She said, grinning.

After that, he group made their way to the pasta aisle. The shelves were stacked high with every type of pasta imaginable, from spaghetti to bowties, and Nick was quick to reach for a box of rigatoni and a jar of vodka sauce, stopping in front of the cart and holding them up for everyone to see.

"Okay, rigatoni and vodka sauce." He said, looking around the group. "Do you guys want to get a different pasta shape, or is this good-"

Before he could finish, Matt’s voice rang out from behind the camera in an exaggerated baby tone.

"I want ice cream sauce..." His voice was so ridiculous that it was impossible not to laugh, and he immediately broke into a fit of giggles at his own joke.

Nick’s expression didn’t falter, his face a mask of pure boredom as he glanced directly at Matt.

"You’re so funny, Matt." He deadpanned, rolling his eyes.

"I’m kidding." Matt said between chuckles, zooming the camera in on Nick’s annoyed face before panning back to the group.

Nick turned back to Y/N and Nate, ignoring Matt entirely.

"So, are you guys okay with this for dinner?" He asked, holding up the rigatoni and sauce again.

Y/N, standing close to Nate, was quick to respond.

"Nick, you know I love vodka sauce." She said, shrugging as she placed a hand on her hip. "You could’ve picked any pasta, and I’d still be happy."

Nate nodded in agreement, his hand resting lightly on Y/N’s lower back.

"Yeah, I fuck with it." He said with a grin, his casual tone earning a laugh from Chris behind the camera.

"Perfect." Nick said, tossing the items back into the cart. "Dinner settled. Let’s find a cashier and get out of here."

The group began walking toward the front of the store, their chatter light and easy as they weaved through the same aisles. They were almost at the registers when Matt, who had been walking beside Nick, suddenly froze mid-step.

"No way!" His tone was incredulous and loud. The abruptness of his reaction startled Nick, who jumped slightly, his hand tightening on the cart.

"What the hell, Matt?" Nick snapped, his tone exasperated as he turned to his brother.

But Matt wasn’t paying attention. His eyes were wide with excitement, and he bolted toward a nearby fridge like a kid in a candy store.

"Y/N, oh my God!" He shouted over his shoulder, his voice filled with pure glee. "Look at this!"

Y/N, initially confused by his sudden outburst, followed his gaze. When her eyes landed on what Matt was pointing at, her face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"No way!" She gasped, her excitement matching Matt’s as she grabbed Nate’s arm. "Babe, it’s apple cider!" She exclaimed, giving him a light shove before sprinting toward Matt.

"I can see that, angel." Nate's soft voice echoed from behind her, a laugh escaping his lips.

Matt was already standing by the fridge, practically bouncing on his heels as he pointed to the neatly lined rows of apple cider bottles.

"I thought it wasn’t the time of year anymore!" He said, his voice still filled with amazement as he grabbed one of the bottles and held it up for Y/N to see.

Y/N joined him, her eyes wide with joy as she stared at the cider.

"This is amazing!" She declared dramatically, picking up a bottle of her own and cradling it like it was a prized possession.

"Kids are losing it over apple cider." Chris said through his laughter, zooming in on Y/N and Matt, who looked like they’d just won the lottery.

Nick, who had finally caught up with the group, shook his head in disbelief.

"You two are ridiculous." He muttered, though there was a fondness in his voice as he watched his siblings freak out over something as simple as apple cider. "Are you actually going to drink that?"

"Absolutely." Y/N said without hesitation, handing the bottle to Nate, who rolled his eyes lovingly, taking it from her before putting it in the cart.

"We can come back after LA to get more, yeah?" He said softly, his voice low enough that only she could hear as his hand found her hair, brushing a strand out of her eyes.

Y/N opened the biggest smile, her eyes meeting his full of love.

"That would be awesome!" She exclaimed, making him laugh, nodding softly.

"Alright, let’s pay and go before these two decide to move into the store." Nick said, steering the cart toward the registers.

As they made their way to the checkout, Matt turned to Y/N.

"I call first sip when we open it."

"Not a chance." Y/N shot back, crossing her arms while frowning deeply.

"Over an apple cider." Chris said sarcastically, shaking his head as he filmed them bickering all the way to the registers.

© vanteguccir

[brittle-doughie]

This Year and You! (Various Fics)

Just a look back at certain stories throughout the months! Can you imagine it’s been another with you and Cookies!

———————————————————————

January - Final Days

“What are you looking at, Y/N Cookie?”

“Hm, oh hey, Pure Vanilla. It’s just..a photo. I took….of me and my friends…”

“Oh? Can I perhaps take a look?”

“N-No, I’m..not ready to share this with others yet. It’s..a sensitive story for me…”

“O-oh, it’s okay! Please, take all the time you need. I’ll be there whenever you’re ready…”

“Yeah…”

You looked at the photo. You and your…former close friends. Smiling, enjoying yourselves.

“Thank you…”

You missed those times together. You had missed your friends. Them. Not what they had become…

———————————————————————

February - Storm Warning

“Where’s Y/N Cookie? Did they skip out on fishing with us today?”

“Yeah, I’d reckon they won’t be fishin’ with us for a while! Something about the ocean havin’ scaring them.”

“They’re afraid of the ocean? I’ve seen them fish in dangerous waters before. You telling me a little storm is scaring them?”

“I tried telling ‘em that. It felt..off when they looked at me in the eyes and whispered somethin’ to me.”

“What was it?”

“That this was no ordinary storm…”

Lightning crashes and thunder booms as the two fishermen cookies jump. They’d normally tried to sweep it under the rug as the storm just picking up.

If not for the sound of crying far off in the distant sea…

———————————————————————

March - Ingrained

You couldn’t move…

Seeing through the vines that shielded you from the outside world, not sure if passing by cookies observing and marveling at you…or the plant that Herb Cookie had become feeding off your life powder…

Vines were pierced into your dough, so you couldn’t even pull them off if you wanted to. You barely had the strength….

Herb Cookie…he said…you wouldn’t die. A part of you actually wished you could…

Or at least wish he was here right now, anything to break the monotony of vines settling and moving around you…

His empty, smiling husk right next to you didn’t exactly look like the type to have conversation with…

———————————————————————

April - The Dessert Report

You had carefully placed the ancient desserts into your office fridge before closing it, locking it by typing in a numbered keypad that was hooked to the fridge on the wall.

“The shift is over, manager. Where is our just dues..?”

You quickly turned around to see Redcap Mushroom and Demoncake Kitsune Cookie hidden in the shadows of your moonlit office.

“Right, right. I know, just let me head to the break room and get them-“

“We saw you place desserts in that fridge just now. We’ll take that…”

“What? I’m sorry, you two. These particular desserts aren’t for anyone to consume.”

Demoncake Kitsune floated fast towards you, leaning down her tall figure to stare directly at you with her glowing red eyes and black slit pupils.

“….”

“Come on, Demoncake. You’re well aware of what I told you both about desserts made from the Ancient Heroes.”

“Then we’ll need double of today’s worth in…pay. We don’t like being held out on, manager~”

“Plenty of Cookies came in today with gifts, that works for me.”

You escorted the two out of your office towards the front of the store.

You take a second to glance back at the locked fridge…

Once you’ve tasted something so s..w..e..e..t, nothing else would ever satisfy…

———————————————————————

May - The Lone Giant

Earthbread officials have declared the Lone Giant a passive hazard that’s meant to stay out of the way of. Attempts to approach the Giant has been met with hostile resistance from a group wearing white masks.

Towns in the path of the Giant are strongly advised to remain indoors until it has passed. Do not attempt to provide aid to Cookies that are outside during these curfews, they are beyond saving.

Do not try to apprehend or go to the Giant as it is considered extremely dangerous, whether the Giant itself or by the hostile group of Cookies spotted close by it.

Many Cookies continue to go missing in the Giant’s path to this day.

———————————————————————

June - Yin and Yang

“I’m sorry, but Y/N Cookie is not in at the moment. Please feel free to leave any message or gift with me.”

“…I see. But do please tell them that I wish to..spend the afternoon with them? Is that right?”

“Right, I’ll go ahead and pencil that in for you, your Majesty-“

“KEEP THE DOOR OPEN! KEEP THE DOOR OPEN!”

Dumpling Cookie and Dark Cacao Cookie turned to see you frantically running towards the castle door, your face completely covered in pink and purple kiss marks! Your culprits in high pursuit behind you, Affogato and Peach Blossom Cookie.

“Oh, why did you have to pull away so soon~ I wasn’t done with our little get-together~”

“Is everything alright, Y/N Cookie~? I had just prepare a special peach bao I prepared just for you.”

“I needed room to breathe!”

You dart in through the gap in the castle door and Dumpling Cookie quickly closes it, turning back to Dark Cacao Cookie.

“Should I tell them of your message?”

———————————————————————

July - Volition’s End

Dark Cacao Cookie climbed up the steps, having to stop to catch his breath when he noticed the statue of Mystic Flour Cookie…along with another Cookie beside her, one he didn’t recognize.

“That Cookie…who..?”

“That would be Captain Y/N Cookie, a guard of Mystic Flour Cookie, my Lord.”

Cloud Haetae was oddly more..quiet when bringing up this Cookie, something Dark Cacao Cookie noticed.

“Their sole duty was to protect Mystic Flour Cookie at any cost, even the cost of their own live itself. And that’s exactly what they did, defending her from Cookies that burned with hatred.”

“I..had never seen Mystic Flour Cookie act the way she did ever since that day. Kind of like you, my Lord. She cherished Y/N Cookie more than anything, holding onto their crumbled body as she returned to her cocoon. Because all she needed was them..”

“Have you ever experienced the feeling of emptiness for so long, my Lord?”

———————————————————————

August - Feathered Envy

“Tell me, truly! Who’s the most beautiful of us two? It’s very clear that it’s me, right?”

“Well…”

“Please, allow my precious to answer for themselves. Their answer must come from the bottom of their heart..”

“What? Are you afraid that my darling little Cookie may prefer the more beautiful one between us, Sugar Swan Cookie?”

“Let them answer for themself.”

“It’s clear who they’ll pick anyway. You might as well fly off already. The season is waiting for you-“

“The season can wait. Let them answer truthfully.”

———————————————————————

September - Tale of the Forced Hand

“Will you be alright, Y/N Cookie?”

You gave Pure Vanilla Cookie a reassuring nod, but you kept clutching your head.

“Yeah…yeah, I’ll be okay. I-I don’t know what happened back there. I just saw you all in danger and something in me just..wanted to do something to help.”

“That power you displayed, it was something Shadow Milk Cookie didn’t expect, yet relished in.”

“That smile of his, he knew something..but what was it…”

“Regardless, it’s possible he’s alerted the other Beasts about you. If what he had done was anything, he may not be willing to let you go a second time.”

“Something’s going on here, Pure Vanilla Cookie. It’s like I…remembered Shadow Milk Cookie, but..I didn’t know him at the same time either…”

“Y/N Cookie, could it be that..”

“No. There’s no way. I’ve lived an ordinary life since the beginning! I remember traveling and staying at the Cookie Kingdom when it used to be rubble.”

“Shadow Milk Cookie’s word cannot help trusted…”

“..yet his words always carry a speck of truth. No, I..couldn’t be this Compassion, right?”

———————————————————————

October - Five Nights with Dragons

“Is everything alright with the Great Dragon recently?

“I don’t know, they’ve been acting different since the sacrifice a while ago…”

“Did they..actually get the sacrifice..?”

“They did, I was there to check out the aftermath, the whole place was a mess. Yet, not a crumb was in sight on the floor.”

“Then what happened to the sacrifice?”

“No one knows. The cameras only caught the Great Dragons dragging them out of the home.”

“Then why…why is the Great Dragon angrier then they’ve ever been before?”

———————————————————————

November - Cookie to the Rescue

“So, you really endangered yourself to rescue Golden Osmanthus Cookie is what I’m hearing.”

“Pretty much. I wasn’t going to just leave her, Dumpling Cookie. I didn’t care if I crumbled off an arm to do so!”

“That’s quite the strong feeling towards a Cookie you’ve only met for a little while..”

“So what? Are you going to be like Crowned about this?”

“I was only asking, ‘kay? Remember that this kingdom needs you, Y/N Cookie. You can’t always throw yourself into danger and come out of it all right.”

“I know…”

“But seeing you go out of your way to help others, it’s one of the many things I like you about, Y/N.”

“O-Oh! Thank you, Dumpling Cookie.”

“So..what’s your relationship with Golden Osmanthus?”

“So nosy!”

———————————————————————

December - Destructive Influence

You hurried into a quiet part of the arena locker rooms, quickly pulling the small bit of incense you had stashed away. Taking a deep breath of its fragrance, you felt his influence slip away bit by bit as your mind calms down.

“And just what are you doing?”

“Keeping you from going out of control. What was that back there?! I-I thought you were just going to rough them up a little, not completely tear those three apart!”

“Hahaha! Why would I hold back against pathetic worms who crumble at the first sign of strength such as mine! I helped you and your bunch of friends, you OWE me.”

“I owe you nothing. You could’ve crumbled them! They may be..not the best sort of Cookies, but-“

“But WHAT?! Will you allow these weak, so weak Cookies to push you around?! Or will you allow me to show you the type of power you can have? Where no Cookie in your way will be able to stop you!”

“I…”

“Or will you end up as dust on like any other Cookie before you…?”

You looked at your right hand, it was trembling as it clenched into a fist. You felt a burning sensation coursing through your very dough, as if he was manifesting his power through it.

“Your enemy will not show mercy. Are you not going to give them the same or are you going to them every ounce of power that COURSES THROUGH YOUR DOUGH?!”

“ENOUGH!”’

You punched the wall in front of you, making the room tremble as you make a large dent in the wall. The burning faded as did Burning Spice’s influence..

Thank Swan for Golden Osmanthus Cookie’s incense. You only hope it can remain effective for as long as you needed it…

———————————————————————

It’s been a great year with you all! Here’s to another!

[mbsneur]

Long time no see

Alexia Putellas x Reader

@melissabarreraswife

Summary: Alexia has not been home for a long time, and she brings you a present that you will surely be happy about

warnings: Smut18+ minors DNI, Cunnilingus, strap using

A/n : my requests are open for wishes

My Masterlist / more from Alexia

A Thursday evening in Barcelona over a whole week had passed when Alexia went to the national team

The apartment was quieter than usual, the scent of Alexia's favorite detergent and the smell of the warm kitchen floated in the air from the small room covering the cloudy weather outside.

You were happy to see Alexia again, the last days had been long without seeing her smile. The long conversations after training weren't the same as being alone without the familiar face you used to see every morning.

The pot on the stove blew softly in the air as you continued stirring you thought about cooking Alexia's favorite meal, fresh pasta with a homemade tomato sauce it has become a little ritual of yours that you always cook her one of her favorite meals after long trips or training.

After a while, you heard footsteps outside the door a key turned in the keyhole. The familiar sound of Alexia's boots came into the room, a broad smile spread across your lips and your eyes widened as you set the spoon down and looked towards the door.

Your heart beats faster as you look into her brown-green eyes. A smile stretches across her face “Hola, guapa” she calls across the room as she closes the door behind her. You sprint towards her and land directly in her wide-open arms.

Your face buried in her neck as you rub against it you pick up the smell of her freshly washed hair. She pulls you tighter against her front "Did you miss me?" she asks with a smile and tries to push herself away from you so she can look at you, but you press her tighter against you. She lets out a little laugh "So that's a yes?” she adds, closing her arms tighter around your hips.

Alexia takes a deep breath as she leans into your embrace, her hands gently stroking over your back and you feel how you both relax against each other "I also missed you, Bonita" she whispers and her voice has a calming effect. A little smile is reflected in your eyes as you pull her into a warm kiss. Her hands are still on your back and your hands are slung around her neck. 

Your lips lock as if you hadn't seen each other for years. You deepen your kiss, and she pushes away from you and looks directly into your eyes "I've got a surprise for you" she says and you slightly tilt your head "May I see them now or must I wait until Christmas?” you joke, and she taps your bottom "You will get your surprise today but for now I smell something good. You have cooked something for me?” she questions and gently detaches herself from your body.

She slides over to the stove and takes a look in the pot "It smells heavenly" she says with raised eyebrows, you smile at her words and go over to the cupboard to take two plates out "Let me set the table since you have cooked", she takes the spoon out of your hand and gives you a quick kiss on the cheek.

// 

When you have prepared the meal, Alexia quickly takes the pot with the noodles and carries it to the table. She taste tests the sauce after you.

// 

You talked about everything possible that happened in the week.

"You know I love football but I’m always looking forward to coming back to you after weeks since which I have only slept in hotels and stood on the field," says Alexia taking a bite of the food.

"it was quiet here without you," you say and smile at her. "I missed you before, I finally called the janitor so now our heating is fixed," you say, laughing and Alexia chuckles also.

She reached out her hand to grab yours.” I mean it seriously, whenever you are not there it feels like a part of me is missing," you say and wrap your hand around hers.

The silence that followed was not unpleasant, just familiar before Alexia pulled her hand back to eat a spoonful of her noodles.

// 

The time passed when you were finished with the dinner. You had cleared the table, and you wanted to wash the dishes but Alexia kept you from it "Put it here, let’s do that tomorrow morning I still have a surprise for you" she whispered and hugged you from behind. Her head rests on your shoulder as you drop against her.

You nod slightly and notice how Alexia’s arms loosen up "So you sit on the couch and I will quickly go to my suitcase and I’ll be with you in a minute," she says as she rushes into the hallway. You run to the couch and make yourself comfortable on the pillow. 

Alexia comes back with a big black casket she looks at you slightly nervously and watches any reaction you make. Your stomach tightens as Alexia comes closer, she sits down directly opposite of you, her back leaning against a pile of cushions, her eyes fixed on yours as she smirks at you.

“it's just a little something but I'm sure you'll be happy about it,” she says proudly as her shoulders rise. She holds out the box to you and you take it nervously in your hands. It is well wrapped with a bow around it “What did I do to deserve this, Ale?”, you ask in admiration as you look at her. “I bought it when I was traveling alone in Madrid, it's just a little something”, she says and shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly. You slowly open the bow and pull the lid off the box. Alexia’s cheeks are now deep red, you notice her nervous demeanor before your gaze turns back to the black box. You see a white velvet bag and your hands start to sweat as you take the gift out.

You open the velvet bag and pull out a new strap, a big one, probably the biggest one you have now. Your jaw drops and your pupils widen as you look up at Alexia again.

You waste no second and lean in immediately to kiss her hard. Your tongue slides into her mouth and it rolls against hers. Your lips become stronger against Alexia’s and her hands find their way to your ass. Your body is tense after a few seconds."I can’t wait to ruin you with this baby", she whispers and nudges her nose. Your lips are wet and red from your previous kiss."Ale, now please" you say to her and your lips meet hers again. This time she gets up and tries with all her might to hover over you. Her hands explore your body as if it’s the first time. "Right here, right now?" she asks with a curved eyebrow and gently strokes over your thighs."Yes right there, right there" you whisper, gasping as you try to push her hands closer to your center with your thighs.

She kisses you further your kisses are all mixed up and wet these obscene noises that you give off are unmistakable "Ale please" you moan and try to rub yourself on Alexia’s thigh.

She bites on your lower lip which makes you shudder. Your hands clasp tightly around her neck to press closer "Please, Ale, I haven’t had you in so long" you moan and you beg again. Your breath trembling as Alexia’s knee presses deeper against your pussy

"Use your pretty mouth baby say what you need" she whimpers as she looks into your radiant eyes. Alexia looks at you, her eyes full of desire for you with lust that she could not hide for so long.

"Alexia, fuck me" you weep and moan, waiting for some kind of reaction. She gets up quickly and removes her clothes, she has some bruises from her training. Her shiny tight skin sticks out immediately which makes you moan again. "Take off your clothes," Alexia demands.

Your hands desperately try to grab her body to speed up the whole thing but Alexia doesn’t go for it. She’s relaxed as she always is. "Give me your gift" She smiles and points in the direction of the silk bag. You take it and put it in her stretched hands immediately. 

She pulls the harness over her hips and you start to whine on the spot. You feel like you almost explode so desperately for your long-awaited orgasm. She bends down to you, her silicone cock rubs the inside of your thighs and her lips find their way to your hard nipples. She sucks vigorously as she grabs your twist to bring down your head. 

Your fingers hang in her blonde hair as a whine comes from your lips. As she takes the other nipple firmly in her hand, she teases every inch of it as the strap presses against your front side. Your hard nipple touches her fingertips. She takes your breast in her mouth and moans against your nipple.

She starts to care for the other nipple as her tongue snaps against it “Fuck Ale, please do something" you whine and press her head further down but she just hums against you and continues her work. With a loud plop, she lets go of your nipple and looks up at you, her eyes are big. She looks so horny, lips swollen just like your nipple.

She looks into your ruddy face. Your eyes are also full of desire "You make me crazy you know" she says breathlessly as she pierces her fingernails into your ribs which makes you squeal slightly. Her tongue drives a long strip over your belly she spreads your legs further apart to detect your smell.

"I need you please" you whine and push her against your body. Now her hands have no choice but to leave your ribs. She smiles naughtily as she looks down at your dripping pussy before you have a chance to beg again she shoots out her tongue and licks a long stripe from your entrance to your clitoris.

Only a desperate hum comes from your throat. Her lips close around your clitoris as she starts to suck. You rock against her mouth, her strong arms lie you down. Your thighs and your mouth are wide open when she fucks you with her tongue. Your fingers catch in her hair as you beg for more. 

"Give me your fingers Ale," you say as you moan. You buckle against her as one of her arms detaches from your thighs and wanders to your core. Her middle finger teases you easily which makes you babble.

At your next breath, Alexia presses two of her fingers deep into your hole which makes you let out a little scream. She makes her finger curl perfectly against your g spot where her tongue has not yet stopped sucking on your clitoris. Obscene sounds fill your room, the moist noise becomes louder with every push, and this makes you groan.

A wave of lust overcomes you as you let out a pornographic moan. "Oh mierda" you moan and lift your hips against Alexia’s face and try to fuck her face. When you look down you see that her eyes already know each inch of your body. Alexia’s licks at your clitoris become stronger which makes you cry loudly.

This feeling brings you closer to your first orgasm and Alexia feels how tight your hole around her fingers gets "I’m so close fuck" you moan and bend your back again. Your moan gets deeper as you feel your legs turn into jello."Don’t stop I’m gonna come" You moan and your muscles start to tense.

You let it happen and with a loud whine. You tremble on her fingers as you come. She comforts you until you have calmed down completely.

Alexia looks longingly up at you her eyes are glassy and her face looks like she's just had an orgasm her fingers are wet with your juices as she wipes them on your stomach making you wince underneath her. 

.

“I want your cock now” you moan as she gently removes herself from you, causing you to whimper softly.

‘“How bad do you need it?” She taunts and looks down at you, your mouth open in horror “Don't be ashamed I love it when you are such a desperate cock slut” she adds with a grunt “Yes, baby please fuck me” you answer her and moan as she pulls away from you completely.

She now guides the tip of the cock to your entrance you let out a throaty moan as you feel her move it up and down. Another moan escapes you as she pushes the toy into you and lets you adjust before pulling it out and eagerly thrusting her hips forward.

“Mierda” you moan as she starts to pick up a brutal pace your hands clasp around her neck searching for any free flesh for your fingernails to dig into. Red streaks form all over Alexia's back.

“How tight are you mh? Haven’t been fucked for a while? “She asks herself before kissing you and swallowing every little sound you make. You feel the toy stretching you completely and you wrap yourself around it so full she pulls away from you to look down and see how well you're taking her.‘“You’re so pretty you know that?”She gasps as her hips get faster and faster. 

She reaches the spot that makes you fidget and squeal. "Can I come, please?" You beg and moan as she goes deeper into you. The clapping echoes through the quiet room."Fuck come for me, Bonita" she stutters and stops. She starts to stretch you open and that’s all you need to get on her cock. Your hips are shaking and Alexia is trying to prolong your orgasm in which her finger finds their way to your clitoris and rubs circles. You scream as your legs cling to her hips and tremble uncontrollably.

Your orgasm overcomes you as she attempts to pull out of you. "Alexia no stay in me" you whine and she chuckles at your words "Good girl" she whispers as she pushes you on your belly. "Get on your knees," she says grunting and helping you up.

You try to come up to breathe but t, there is no time for that. She firmly pushes into you. Her hand wanders and taps your butt. She focuses vigorously on what makes you cry before she pumps back into you. Her hands rest firmly on your hips and your sight is clouded as Alexia fills you again so well.

Her name comes out a few times in a croak. Whines leave your lips before her tempo once again quickens. Alexia draws you closer to her so you don’t fall.

A moan comes out of alexias mouth as the strap rubs on her clit. Her orgasm gets closer her head falls back her fingers drill harder into your hips and you whimper and whine under her.

Your second orgasm comes closer as you hear Alexia moaning louder and louder. "Please" you whine when you hear how Alexia starts to sound more desperate "Please come in me" you beg again and alexias moaning turns into deep grunting.

Your orgasm overtakes you both at the same time your legs tremble again but this time only slightly. Your eyes are turned firmly in the back of your head and you feel how Alexia pushes slower and her hands become softer on your hips.

She gently rubs your clit until it becomes too much. Your hand pushes Alexia’s away.

She takes her cock out of you and lets herself fall on the bed next to you. You crawl immediately onto her chest and give her small kisses on her cheek. “I missed you and your gift was great" you whisper, relieved and Alexia begins to smile "Your pasta was also very tasty" she whispers back.

[microclown]

I was rewatching s1e3 and something finally clicked for me..

Please forgive me if this seems obvious to you. It helps me to type out my thoughts, but I'm sure I'm just an idiot and no one else needs this explained to them, lol. That said - I was always slightly confused by the emotional weight of the holy water arc during the flashback sequence. Particularly I was confused by how angry Crowley got when Aziraphale referred to their relationship as fraternizing in the 1862 fight. I mean, "to associate or form a friendship with someone, especially when one is not supposed to" is exactly what they are doing, right? So why the 80 year breakup?

Crowley says he wants the holy water for if "it" all goes pear shaped. The phrasing is necessarily vague, and could mean lots of things. Since I know what he eventually uses it for, I was thinking about it in the context of Armageddon, or maybe more generally and vaguely about Crowley not always choosing to go along with Hell, and associating with Aziraphale. But there was not much reason for Crowley to already be thinking about Armageddon back then.

As we know from the full diary entry Neil posted, the timeline of the Edinburgh entry, and the cut bookshop opening scene, it seems like Crowley and Aziraphale were spending A LOT of time together by the 1800's. When Crowley is pulled back down to Hell in 1827, he learns that Hell is paying more attention to him than he'd previously thought. Crowley realizes at this point that spending so much time with Aziraphale is actively putting him in real danger. He recognizes that, and instead of breaking things off, or seeing Aziraphale less, he doubles down. If this relationship is dangerous, then he wants the tools to fight for it.

That's what I think I didn't get about the holy water request. It's not just general insurance, it's specifically insurance for if Hell finds out about him and Aziraphale. It's also a super vulnerable request because in making it, Crowley is openly acknowledging how important their relationship is to him. Aziraphale casually brings up the arrangement at the beginning of the conversation, and that's part of it, right? Because the whole basis of their relationship is the arrangement. It continues to be the pretense under which they meet, despite the relationship clearly having developed beyond that. And the arrangement, as Crowley proposed it in 537, is born out of convenience, and the assumption that Heaven and Hell would never notice anyway.

Crowley's request for insurance breaks that facade. He's acknowledging that it's not convenient, or safe, but he wants to do it anyway, despite the risk.

Aziraphale, on the other hand, is not ready for the screen to be taken away so abruptly. To make it worse, he assumes Crowley wants the holy water as an escape, rather than a weapon. Suddenly he is confronted with both the danger their association poses, and the idea that Crowley might choose to take his own life. He can't imagine the guilt of being directly responsible for the latter.

I also think the strength of his own emotional response to the thought of losing Crowley catches Aziraphale off guard. He hasn't admitted to himself how much he actually cares, and it scares him. Worrying about Heaven is more comfortable and familiar, so he falls back on that and switches to "If they knew I'd been... fraternizing!"

But bringing up the threat of Heaven reads to Crowley as Aziraphale saying "You may be willing to put yourself at risk for the sake of our relationship, but I am not." The word choice of "fraternizing" comes off as a dismissive and demeaning way to describe a relationship that Crowley just admitted he would risk his life for.

It's an unintentionally deep cut when Crowley is already at his most vulnerable, and so he lashes out. As far as we've seen, this is possibly the first time Crowley has truly lashed out at Aziraphale. So yeah, 80 year breakup makes sense!

And what makes this so much worse is what happens next. Crowley reaches out again in 1941 with a dramatic gesture (rescuing Aziraphale from the Nazis, saving his books). It's clear they've missed each other. They don't discuss the fight, but it's there subtextually. Aziraphale, tentatively and thrillingly, refers to them as friends, for the first time ever. He tells Crowley that he trusts him.

And then, that very same night their worst fears are confirmed. Just when they've finally reconciled a fight over the dangers of their relationship, and just when Aziraphale has finally admitted that it is not a relationship of convenience, but genuine friendship, they are exposed. Crowley is going to face punishment from Hell, explicitly for being Aziraphale's "trusted confident", and he doesn't have insurance. If Aziraphale's trick hadn't succeeded, Crowley would have had no way to protect himself.

idk it just makes me feel things ok

[wickworks]

Lancer Tactics dialogue layout crisis of faith

(from this month's backer update)

Every so often, I'll run into something in development that eats away at me until it pushes me to a crisis of faith and I have a breakdown, burn down a bunch of work, and build something better from the ashes. These are moments of transformation and we're almost always able to come out the other side with something much better than what we started with.

This all sounds very dramatic until you take a step back and see the issue in question is just, like, the layout of a menu. But if medieval priests were able to have schisms over angels on pins I can have strong feelings about graphic design, dammit!

This month's episode revolved around how we're doing character dialogue. For reference the plan was to do a standard 4-slot visual-novel talking heads layout. I call it a 4-slot because there's usually four positions that characters can stand; two on the left, two on the right:

I had it ingame, and it was working. But... something felt off. Do you see the difference between every one of the above examples and this?

It's all about perspective, baby.

Answer: all the character art in those examples are drawn at a slight angle so they can be flipped back and forth to be made like they're looking at each other.

Trying to do this with the perspective we chose early — straight on — makes for a chorus line of weirdos who are looking directly into your soul as they ostensibly chat with each other. Credulity is strained; the illusion of these puppets interacting in the same space is paper-thin.

(I was skeptical of choosing this perspective for this reason, but we ultimately went with it to make the customizable assets in the portrait maker easier to fit together)

We tried a bunch of different layouts, but they all at least one of these problems:

they'd stare into your soul while ostensibly directing comments elsewhere.

they felt like text messages; this would be fine if that's what we were going for, but we wanted something that could represent face-to-face conversations. (Tactical Breach Wizards was able to pull this style off because they had little 3D dioramas to go along with it)

or, most damning of all, they felt like zoom calls.

So, my heart aflutter and spirit in want, I spent a day doing a research dive into various dialogue layouts (bless the Game UI Database!) to see if any other games had managed to pull this character art perspective off. I ended up with this massive non-chronological taxonomic tree:

(fullsize here)

The type of layout that particularly caught my eye was this style where each character had their own little box. These layouts borrow a concept from comic books called "closure" where the space and time between characters are left blank. Freed from the constraints of trying to simulate a single space, these layouts allow the reader to fill in the blanks with something that feels more true-to-life than anything we'd be able to render ourselves.

I was especially impressed with the dynamism of Tales of Symphonia and The World Ends With You; rather than sticking to single slots they would animate the entire panels moving around to indicate motion an relative position of characters.

So we threw out the old code and copied them. Here's what we've come up with:

We'll be able to have portraits interact, like smacking each other (I felt like a kid hitting two action figures together, lol)

We can also apply effects like princess-leia-holograms and full-screen "lighting" effects like warning banners:

Carpenter and I came up with a number of arrangements that the portraits can smoothly transition between:

I've also implemented support for choices during a dialogue, potentially leading to branching paths.

Overall, I feel SO much better about this system than our initial designs. It might feel a little more cartoony, but I think we're making a cartoony game so that's not a problem.

Whew. We bit a lot off to chew with this project. I feel like I just made a second visual novel game engine inside of the first. Fingers crossed that it all ends up worth it.

[mullermilkshake]

Even praise hurts

Part 5 <- Part 6 -> Part 7

The association dinner goes mostly the way Jinwoo expects, yet he suspects that something darker is at play.

Yandere!Jinwoo Sung x Fem Hunter!reader Tags - Mentions of unprotected sex/public sex/gore and violence/murder/drowning, mentions of babies/pregnancy, dark thoughts, intrusive thoughts, mild treats, alcohol, drinking

<<< For more Dark/Yandere content, click this link to go back to the Masterlist! >>>

<<< Or back to this fic's Master list. >>>

“What took you guys so long?” Baek leant on the bar with a whiskey swirling in his hand.

Jinwoo thought it best to say nothing. If he had it his way, he’d tell the whole restaurant and bar exactly where he was and how deep, just for his own entertainment. Though he doubted you would have appreciated it.

“Traffic.” You said casually, your hand still in Jinwoo’s like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Hm,” He did not sound convinced. “Sounds about right. There’s always jackasses on the road. Glad you’re here, we’re all sitting in the back room waiting for you.”

Jinwoo fought hard to hold in his smugness, keeping everyone waiting whilst his load was dribbling from your thighs was potentially one of his top five moments in his life so far. He led the way behind Hunter Baek right through to the back room where the others were talking and smiling, Jong-in noticed you immediately and smiled, putting Jinwoo's back up immediately.

So irritating. 

“You’re here,” he grinned with his glass. “We almost thought you’d gotten lost.”

“Lots of traffic.” An adorable laugh left your lips. “Lots and lots of traffic.”

When you grinned back, Jinwoo watched Jong-in closely. Were those kind eyes, or ‘fuck me’ eyes he was giving you? Yeah, they were definitely ‘fuck me’ eyes. Just what the hell was that?

“It’s good that you’re finally here Hunter Sung, we were beginning to worry.” The Chairman did not address Jinwoo directly, rather he was looking at your hand entwined with his, a knowing stare that flitted every so often.

“We apologise, Chairman. It wasn’t our intention to arrive late.”

Jinwoo took his glances as a contest, doing the exact same towards him and Jin-chul, an all knowing glance for the conversation preciously, noting how he was studying you and Jinwoo just as closely.

The Chairman grinned and allowed you and Jinwoo to sit. “It’s quite alright, now we can make a toast to the happy couple.”

Happy couple… that’s rich coming from a man that gave them no choice.  

Hunter Lim sat next to Jin-chul, totally impassive. His arms folded the way they were signalled that he wasn’t entirely present, not until he took notice of Jinwoo. “Hey, glad you two finally made it, Yoonho’s been boring the hell out of me with random crap.”

“Were you waiting long?” Jinwoo asked with caution, according to his calculations, you and he were only late by ten minutes.

“Eh, we all decided to meet a little earlier, you didn’t get the message? So its more like forty minutes, no one could reach either of you.”

Oh shit. Well, in this case, you and Jinwoo would have arrived late regardless if he’d fucked you in his car or not, somehow it didn’t make the situation as dire as it could have been.

“Oh,” Jinwoo pulled out his phone and pretended to check through it like it actually mattered. “No, I didn’t get anything sent to me.”

Lim dismissed it and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Maybe you’ll see Yoonho get drunk this time, that can be entertaining.”

“Right… uh, where’s Hunter Ma?”

“Oh, yeah, he’s off somewhere. He couldn’t wait much longer for you so I think he went to get a light bite. He’ll be back shortly… but I guess we can get to celebrating the happy couple as happy as they can be, being forced into this like they have.”

Out of the two, Jinwoo had faith that you and he would be happy, but he saw right through the facade that Jong-in and Hae-in put up, and it fascinated him. So much so that he let one of his shadows go and attach itself to Jong-in. Just out of curiosity behind closed doors.

Jinwoo pulled out your seat for you and only then did you let go of his hand, he waited until you were seated properly. He watched the interactions between them as a toast was announced, you said something to Hae-in but his concentration picked up on the little things.

Despite popular belief, You and Hae-in rarely spoke the last two months, and even before then, it seemed to be more of a show for the public eye rather than a genuine friendship. The act of survival when one’s life is threatened to change often brings people together, and Jinwoo saw that it was that case with you and Hae-in.

She wasn’t entirely invested, it was obvious by the extra few inches distance her chair sat from jong-in, never touching hands, always at her side unless picking up her glass of water. Jong-in was more invested in you than the mother of his child, barely making eye contact with her or exchanging more than a word or two.

Trouble in paradise. And the chairman thinks it’s appropriate to berate us, instead?  

“Hey, guys!”

“Oh,” Lim snorted. “There you are, big guy. Thought you got lost too.”

Ma chuckled and flopped down in the seat next to Baek with a satisfied grin and a fleck of sauce on his cheek. He noticed you and Jinwoo and waved. “Hey you two, thought you were never gettin’ here!”

Before anyone could address that elephant in the room further, the Chairman stood up to command the room with his scotch glass. “Let’s toast to the first step in the reclaiming of our country's security and the future of the Hunter’s association… To Hunter Choi and Hunter Cha!”

Everyone toasted, raising their glasses whilst the Chairman ordered food and ordered everything to fill out the table. The mood seemed fruitful, enthusiastic, despite the ominous response to it two months ago. Even you seemed more on board with it now, chatting more and smiling a little warmer than previous weeks.

The others might not have seen it, not even you, yet Jinwoo could think of nothing else. Chairman Go and Jin-chul’s watchful eyes on everything across the table. Watching closely, Jinwoo found that as the night progressed, Jong-in and Hae-in became touchy.

A hand brush every so often, a little whisper in her ear with a smile sweeter than treacle to rot the entire table’s teeth for endless cavities. Though when those moments vanished, Jong-in was clinging on to you, with the hope of what, exactly? That he’d eventually come clean to how in love he was with you, or try to convince you that he was a better person despite having a child with another woman?

Just the thought made Jinwoo brood, grit his teeth through the boring dinner during parts he wasn’t listening just to think of ways he’d kill the man in a fit of fuelled jealousy that Jong-in even had the gall to talk to you with such familiarity-

“Jinwoo.” 

He blinked, looking down at you with softer eyes. “Hm?”

You leant closer and whispered. “You’re spacing out… are you feeling okay?” 

God… Those eyes staring up at him so innocently when Jinwoo knew you weren’t the innocent persona you allowed the public to perceive you as. If only publix sex was legal, and he definitely would have had you over the dinner table and no one could have stopped him. That would have set Jong-in straight.

“Y-yeah… I’m okay. Just tired, I think.”

You seemed to buy it. “Okay… we’ll leave soon?” 

“Sounds good.”

The Chairman cleared his throat and addressed Jinwoo properly for the first time with full eye contact. “So, Hunter Sung, when will you greet the association with the good news?”

This went against Jin-chul’s advice on keeping the night about the Hae-in's pregnancy. It was a direct threat too. Every hunter alive treated the Chairman with the respect and decency someone of his position and temperament dictated, but Jinwoo saw straight through it like glass.

By this threat, Jinwoo suspected that the Chairman had another agenda.

Why is he so hellbent on getting results this eagerly?

He glanced up at the system's quest screen, still unchanged. It wouldn’t give him an unobtainable quest so pregnancy was still possible, but with the Chairman’s urgency, something told his gut to shut it down immediately.

At the end of the day, whenever you finally fell pregnant, you and he were keeping the baby close.

“Well, we’re trying our best, Chairman. Each week we’re hopeful.”

In other words, it translated to, back off old man. 

“Well I look forward to the happy news, I have high hopes for you both.”

Long story short, what he meant to say was, hurry the hell up you two, I’m growing impatient. 

“You’ll be the first to know, Chairman-” The eruption of Jong-in’s laugh pulled Jinwoo out of the conversation.

“It’s true! Ask Yoonho.”

“Don’t ask me anything.” Baek turned away and chugged his drink with heavy eyes.

Jong-in chuckled and took a sip of his own drink, clearly giddy. “While we’re guild rivals, we get on better than others think, even Tae-gyu knows what I’m talking about- oh… maybe not.”

Hunter Lim snored away on the table, dribbling and nursing a bottle of Soju. The table acknowledged the humor and Hunter Ma commanded the table with anecdotes. Jinwoo wanted to join in, he did, because it made him understand the people he spent the most time with, but his gut told him to observe Jong-in closely.

You were unaware of this, watching Ma chuckle and tell embarrassing stories of a drunken and foolish Baek. Jong-in stole brief glances at you now and then, each time softer than the last. What was he thinking about?

About you? Friendly or intimate- no doubt there were intimate thoughts going through that head of his like a neanderthal. 

He bet Jong-in had all kinds of lewd thoughts up there in that head of his, all fabricated of course. Seeing as Jinwoo had seen you naked, touched the curves of your body and came inside you most nights, whatever Jong-in could conjure up in his mind sure as hell wouldn’t be anywhere near the real thing. Jinwoo had that edge over him, though it never got rid of the intrusive thoughts. The darker side he’d been battling with since he killed that staff member, well, even before then. Maybe after the first person he'd killed.

Each thought darker and more violent than the last though he never usually acted on them.

Since having you in his grasp, Jinwoo found them cropping up more and more often and the thought of being in a position that he’d be expected to let you go in a month didn’t help alleviate the symptoms.

It made his eye twitch, seeing another man look at you the way Jong-in did, he wanted to hurt him in a way he'd never recover with all of the mage healing in the world. He wanted him gone from your life completely, eradicated and wiped from existence.

How could he look at you the way he was doing right now when the time came and you had a newborn baby in your arms? Jong-in had a reputation to uphold as a guildmaster and having a child of his own would make quite the scandal if he was pursuing another woman.

Though Jinwoo simply wouldn’t have it, he couldn’t just get rid of him in the way he was fantasising about.

A quick dagger slice to his throat to watch the red slip out all over the floor, to see Jong-in gargle and panic because his mana would slip away with his consciousness and no amount of stupid fire would save him.

Maybe drowning him in a water dungeon, so that the only way his fire attacks would serve him any purpose would boil the water until his flesh melted from his face.

It had to be something slow… something painful. Something memorable-

“Jinwoo? Are you ready to go?”

Had he zoned out again? “Yeah, let’s get going.”

“I’ll see you in a few weeks, Hunter Sung.”

Another threat from the Chairman. Jinwoo saw it on the shining rim of his scotch glass, Jin-chul watched him too over the edge of his sunglasses. He stood and waited for the Chairman, allowing him space to pass and land a firm hand on Jinwoo’s shoulder.

“I’m counting on you.”

I bet you are, Chairman Go. 

Jinwoo was counting on it as well, to keep you close to him and take care of you. There was a lot to think about, much to discuss with you. Many concerns he wasn’t so sure he should come out with until he could investigate further.

Though his quest remained the same.

To get you pregnant within the next month.

Part 5 <- Part 6 -> Part 7

If you would like to be tagged, please let me know! Thanks so much for all the support on this likes, reblog and comments appreciated! ❤️

Tag list - @bubera974, @snowy-violet, @sky2lar, @starrynights23x, @minh907

@yessirr7, @aussie-boys-wife, @yihona-san06, @mashiromochi, @daiyanomochi

@justatimidcreator, @alia-17, @otomegamesforlife @m00n-estelle, @towomatos

@stormnightingale, @johnnysactualgf, @solarisstarrsolomonsbeloved, @johnnysactualgf, @notleclerc

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@chahaezii, @athanasia10

DISCLAIMER - Crossposted from my AO3 - I do not own any of the characters or anything from the anime or manhwa. This is a work of fan fiction and is absolutely not representative of the views or intentions of the original creator(s).

Also please don’t post any of my work without permission thank you!

[leighsartworks216]

Lap Dog

Sylus x gn!Reader

I wrote this at like 2 am. Can I not keep getting the best inspiration/motivation at the absolute worst hours??

Inspired by my own post

Warnings: violence, guns, threats, kissing, biting, hair-pulling, cuddling, literal sleeping together, no smut, fluffy ending

Word Count: 1,600 (oooh nice)

Main Masterlist

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AO3

Tag List Form (Updated)

Two knocks sound on the door, but there is no pause before it opens. All conversation dies. The black market Protocore dealer and his two lackeys are silent as they watch you enter.

Your attire is casual, if not a bit tantalizing. One of Sylus’s shirts hangs loosely on your frame, partially unbuttoned. Shorts hidden beneath give the impression of nudity. And to top it all off, a gun is very visibly strapped to your thigh.

They all stare, baffled at the entrance of Sylus’s infamous bodyguard. The discrepancy of the horror stories detailing your ruthlessness and capabilities and the soft, lazy way you pad across the floor to settle directly into Sylus’s lap. It’s harder to take you seriously, if anything.

Sylus smirks, naturally, always accepting any affection you feel he’s worthy of. His hand slips under the loose edge of the shirt to hold your waist, his touch warm and protective. You wrap an arm around his neck, the other resting its hand on his chest. Your head leans on his shoulder, eyes closed. You don’t seem to give a damn about the state of affairs you’ve just barged in on. The client can’t say anything about it, though; this is the Onychinus leader’s home, he can’t disrespect that.

Sylus tilts his head nonchalantly, like nothing ever happened, like the only thing interrupting the meeting was the client’s own self-imposed silence. “You were saying…?”

The dealer balks for a moment. He looks between you and the man he came to do business with. After a beat of silence, where he struggled to grasp onto the threads of the conversation, you open your eyes to glare at him, not even bothering to turn your head. It’s sharp. A warning. Speak, or else.

He clears his throat. “O-Of course, sir. As I was saying, I was able to get my hands on some rare variants of pearl and violet Protocores. They’ve been examined by our lead scientists, and it seems they are highly receptive to alterations.”

“Did you bring any with you, or do I just have to truth your word?” Sylus questions.

“I brought one along,” the man quickly reassures. Your face turns to watch him as he gestures for one of the henchmen to bring forward a steel briefcase, setting it on the rich wooden desk. He clicks the latches open and lifts a tube out with both hands. Floating within the glass is a spiky violet Protocore. “This is one of the weaker ones, of course. It’s bad business to bring the best product to the first meeting.” He holds it out to Sylus with both hands. When the leader gestures for him to bring it closer, he carefully rounds the desk to present it up close.

You squint your eyes at the crystal for a moment. In one swift motion, you pull your gun from its holster and point it at the man’s face. He nearly drops the container in shock. Instead, he clutches it to his chest, staring down the barrel of the gun.

Sylus tsks. “Black market salesmen, always claiming they can scrounge up the best of the best, only to fall short.”

The lackeys reach for their guns. One draws and aims at you. The other hesitates, hand hovering over his holster. The dealer takes a step back.

“Wha- Call off your guard dog!” he pleads.

“Why should I? They’ve just sniffed out a liar. I’m inclined to reward them with a little treat,” he muses. “Feel up to hunting, sweetie?”

You don’t answer.

“No! P-please I-! These are the real deal, I swear!”

Your gun moves from his face to his henchmen. Before the armed lackey can fire, you shoot first. The bullet rips through his hand, traveling up his stiff arm and lodging itself firmly in his elbow. He screams in agony as his gun clatters to the ground, reduced to his knees beside it as he clutches his injuries to his chest. The other one lifts his hands up in surrender, not wishing to further test your ire.

“Was it all a lie, I wonder?”

The gun returns to aim directly at him. He drops the tube, glass shattering on the floor, to cover his face with both hands as though it would save him if you pulled the trigger. “Wait! Wait! I know where I can get the Protocores!”

Sylus hmphs. “Heel.”

You obey immediately, returning the gun to your holster. The dealer uncovers his eyes to watch as you lean yourself back against Sylus’s chest, face resting against his neck and eyes closed, as if you were tired of threatening him.

It doesn’t put the man at ease at all.

“Then go fetch them,” Sylus demands. “Two days. If you try to run away or return empty handed, I guarantee you a fate worse than death.”

The man gaped, slack jawed. His hands twisted his tie anxiously. “Two days?! S-Sir that’s impossible!”

“That’s none of my concern.”

In all his years of selling to big-ticket bosses, cutting corners and swindling them outta their money, never had he been so blatantly dropped at Death’s doorstep. And now here he was, unsure if he should scream or cry, or beg for a quick death from the two Grim Reapers that decided his fate.

So he was left staring at Sylus and his guard dog, hands shaking and throat choked up. It’s the second henchman who steps forward to grab his employer and associate, dragging them out of the office. They scurry down the halls, desperate to leave as soon as possible.

Sylus chuckles once they leave. You just sigh against his neck.

“They were boring.”

“Next time, I’ll let you deal with them as you please,” he promises. His voice is softer. No longer does it have the edge of intimidation and danger, the edges smoothed away with affection.

You hum, lazily accepting the offer.

Sylus’s free hand moves to your exposed thigh. He works diligently to remove the holster, undoing one strap at a time, until it slides free from your leg. Red and black tendrils carry it to the desk, resting it softly on the dark wood. He tenderly rubs at the indents in your skin from the leather, drawing a contented sigh from you.

“You should go back to bed, sweetie,” he coos. “You didn’t need to bother yourself with this.”

You shake your head languidly from side to side, nose running up his neck, his jaw, until it presses behind his ear. “It’s part of our deal. Wake me next time,” you whisper.

He closes his eyes, savoring the sound of your breaths, the hush of your voice.

When he first met you, you didn’t say a word. The auction house awed and feared you, just as they awed and feared him. Two terrible forces of nature. When he danced with you that night, you’d tapped on his shoulder to communicate - one for no, two for yes. It wasn’t until your fourth encounter, when he proposed an agreement, that he heard your voice.

“Our deal has been long since fulfilled,” he reminded you. He turned his head, nose brushing against your cheek. “Or would you like to upgrade our terms?”

You breathe long and slow against him, silent. He knows better than to accept it as an answer one way or the other, where most people would consider it an immediate dismissal.

“I want… to go back to bed.”

He chuckles, but complies with your request. He lifts you effortlessly as he stands, your faces still tucked close together as he navigates the mansion. He can just hear Luke and Kieran laughing to themselves downstairs.

He passes by your old room. It was where you stayed for the first several weeks of your employment, before you wordlessly began climbing into his bed. It was a grand compliment. You encroaching on his space like a stray cat, finally deciding he is worthy of your mere presence.

The door to his bedroom opens with his Evol. He nudges it closed when he enters. Your side of the bed is still unmade, blankets shoved down to the end. Mephisto paced playfully along his perch. No doubt that’s how you’d learned of his meeting.

He lays you down, but before he can stand back up and pull the blankets over you, your arms wrap around his neck and pull him in for an unhurried kiss. He supports himself with a hand beside your head as the other cups your cheek. It’s sweet as honey, stinging like a bee when you bite down on his lip. He groans softly, suppressed by another sweet kiss. Your nails scratch up the back of his neck. One hand tangles within the soft white locks.

And pulls.

His head follows the movement, lips forming a delighted smirk as he looks down at you through half-lidded eyes. You grin minutely as you release him. “Stay?”

“Of course, sweetie.”

Your arms fall from his shoulders as you turn onto your side, facing his half of the bed. He stands up straight and goes back to his task of drawing the blankets back up around you. Even as you lay still, seemingly already fast asleep, he knows you’re listening intently as he disappears into the closet and changes into his sleepwear. You’re still awake when he slips into bed, and as he shifts to the middle. You slot yourself easily into his arms with a pleasant sound.

He falls asleep to the gentle rise and fall of your chest, and the warmth of your hand holding onto him.

[kingalooo]

❀𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐒 *:･ﾟ

A little jealous dbf!miguel x fem!reader for those who are like me and are STARVED for more of this man. It’s concerning how much I want him :(((

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

Summary: After a sorority event at your college a guy decides to give you flowers. Bringing them home with you, your dads best friend Miguel gets a little jealous.

Word count: 2.7k

Pairing: dbf!miguel x fem!reader

Proof read-ish

⋆┈┈┈┈┈┈┈｡ﾟ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ❁ུ۪ ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ｡┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ⋆

(Outfit: baby pink long sleeve with really short shorts for the thick mamis yummy)

A crush was an understatement.

Definitely an understatement when it came to this man.

I peered outside of my bedroom window to look down at the pair that were standing in the yard. My attention wasn’t currently on my dad that hadn’t stopped talking for the past 5 minutes but instead was on the other man directly in front of him.

It was as if God himself came down to earth just to carve this handsome and incredibly sexy human being into existence.

Miguel continued nodding to whatever was coming out of my dads mouth with his arms crossed over his chest, making his veins fairly visible even at a distance. I felt myself drooling over this man. Quickly shaking my head I grabbed my school backpack and headed off to the sorority meeting that I needed to attend.

I took a deep breath before stepping out of the door to face both of the men outside.

“Princesa! A donde vas?” My dad quickly turned his attention to me as I opened the door, making Miguel’s eyes stray. I gulped. (Princess! Where are you going?)

“Apa I have to go see my sorority team for our charity event today, remember?” I crossed my arms over my chest as I spoke, knowing he had completely forgotten. (Apa- Dad)

“Ya te estás poniendo viejo! Como no te vas a acordar de los eventos de tu hija?” Miguel playfully hit my dads shoulder as he spoke. (You’re getting old! How are you going to forget your daughter's events?)

My eyes darted to Miguel as he made his comment. My dad instantly glared at him before turning back to me.

“Okay que te vaya bien mi niña…” My dad sighed before giving me a kiss on the forehead. Miguel stood there eyeing me before giving me a small grin and waving his hand. (Okay my girl good luck)

“Como andas mami?” He asked kindly, I felt my heart skip a beat. With a genuine smile I make my way towards him as well to give him a hug. He placed his big hands on my waist and gripped my hips tightly. (How are you mami?)

“I-I’m good…y tú?” Fuck me. God was not on my side this morning with the way my legs gave in a bit. I felt my face heat up as I quickly pulled away from his grasp. My gaze found his, he grinned down at me it almost felt taunting.(and you?)

“Bien mami, que te vaya bien hoy al rato nos vemos.” He said softly before turning his attention back to my dad. I nodded quickly and said goodbye to both of them before heading to my car. (Good mami, good luck I’ll see you later.)

My mind was everywhere after that simple conversation, it’s been like this since my dad and him became friends back in my freshman year of college. Both of them ended up working at the same carpenters company and became close instantly. He would invite Miguel to our cookouts, family parties, or just to watch the soccer games. My heart would beat out of my chest anytime he’d come over. Whenever he would come talk to me and let me chismear with him about college, he would always seem so interested in how I was and how school/life was going. Which was one of the reasons why I was starting to crush on him. (Chismear = gossip)

Not just because of how undoubtedly attractive he was. But it was definitely on the list.

I tried my best to draw my attention to anyone else in school to at least diminish the crush but it never worked. It would always be the comparisons between the guy and Miguel.

Was he attentive? No. Miguel would always be attentive to me.

Did he make sure to make me feel comfortable? No. Miguel always makes me feel comfortable.

Does he know your favorite color? No. Miguel knows my favorite color.

No.

No.

No.

It was aggravating how none of these other guys, who were my age, fit the Miguel checkbox. It was tiring enough to have a crush on my dads best friend.

•✿❀✿•

The sororitys charity event had gone smooth thankfully. It was dark out by the time I got back home. I quickly lock my car and unlock the front door to the house. Chatting and laughter was instantly heard as I stepped in.

He’s still here?

I grip the bouquet of flowers in my hands and make my way into the living room.

“I’m back apa.” I say before giving my dad a kiss on the cheek.

“Como te fue mija? Y esas flores que?” My dad asked curiously as he eyed the bouquet in my hand. I flush instantly. (How did it go sweety? And what about those flowers?)

“The event went well! A-Ah…this guy at the charity event gave them to me! He was one of the freshmen that came to assist us.” I stammer noticing Miguel’s stare from the corner of my eye.

“Why?”

Both mine and my dads eyes snapped towards Miguel. His tone wasn’t soft and sweet like how he would always talk to me but instead cold and harsh. After noticing the questioning looks me and my dad were giving him, he quickly changed his intense expression.

“I mean…was it for all of you girls or for the event?” He cleared his throat and caught himself quickly.

“Oh…no it was just for me actually. It was a really nice gesture.” I smiled genuinely as I tried to ease the awkwardness. My dad chuckled.

“He likes you~” My dad teased while poking my ticklish side.

“Apa no! He was just being sweet, that's all!” I frowned at him and swatted his hand away.

Miguel on the other end wasn’t having it. He was fuming in his seat as he took another sip of the beer in his hand. His eyes stayed on the bouquet of roses in your hand making him want to throw them away just to get you a better bouquet and not from some random boy.

Was it stupid to be jealous over someone younger than him? Sure. Did he give a fuck? Definitely not.

The daughter of his best friend has been a plague in his mind ever since he stepped in this house. He purposely tried to come over any chance he could just to see you. The way it was obvious how nervous you would get whenever he was around. The way you stammer over your words whenever he gets too close. The way your innocent eyes would look at him. He desperately wanted to see those eyes rolling back as he ruined you and pounded into you mercilessly.

It was addicting.

Too addicting.

Sometimes he’d have to keep himself from looking too long just like today. Those fucking shorts were too short for your own damn good. The plumpness of your thighs and how the meat of your ass was almost out for everyone’s eyes. It was too much for him. The way the color pink makes you look so innocent but so sexy at the same time made him go ballistic.

The sudden sound of a phone ringing snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Pinche madre… ahorita vengo me anda llamando el jefe. Bueno!” My dads voice echoed down the hall into his bedroom as he shut the door behind him. (Motherfucker…I’ll be right back, the boss is calling me. Hello?)

Silence.

I cleared my throat before heading into the kitchen and leaving the flowers on the counter. My heart was racing too much. I tried to keep my cool before speaking again.

“Do you want anything else to drink Miggy?” I called out to him.

Silence.

“Miguel?” I called out again. I pursued my lips together as I heard footsteps, assuming they were my dads I turn my back to the living room and grab water. The foot steps drew closer while I turned back around with a cup of water in my hand.

“Is Miguel mad apa?-“ I ask before two arms trapped me against the counter. My eyes widen as I look up to see Miguel’s eyes staring back down at me.

“Am I mad?” He asks back in a harsh tone.

My mouth fell open as I tried to answer back with my mind going completely blank.

“Cant even get an answer back…” He spit, he took the cup from my hand and took a sip before putting off to the side.

“I am mad mami because some random little boy decided to give you flowers…” He said with a grin before twirling a strand of my hair with his finger. My brows furrow, my hands press against his chest.

“And what about it? I-It was just a nice gesture!” I say back and turn away from him with a huff.

“Ha…a nice gesture? Don’t defend him mami because you and me both know that little shit likes you…”

I don’t respond but instead pushed him away from me. He stared down at me as I put some distance between the two of us.

“Why are you mad about it anyway…”

I mumble turning my back to him. My fingers delicately run over the petals before his hand gripped my wrist in a swift motion. His chest was pressed against my back as he leaned into my ear.

“Because I don’t want any man giving my girl flowers…”

Holy shit.

My breath hitched but not only because of how close he was. But “My girl?” My legs quivered a bit but I tried my best to stand my ground.

“No soy tuya…” I spit back knowing damn well I would drop at the chance of being called his again. He chuckled in my ear before pressing himself closer against me. (I’m not yours)

“Don’t pretend that you don’t like me mami. Those pretty eyes of yours tell me everything I need to know…” He whispered as his hand trailed up and down my waist.

“Miguel my dad is going to come out any minute!” I try to push back only to be met with his hips pressed against my ass. His hand grips my waist as he rubs himself against me.

“Mami me vale, lo único que quiero ahorita es tenerte para mi y solo para mi…” The tone in his voice softened down almost to a whisper. The way he spoke did something to me, it made me not care about my surroundings and the consequences of getting caught. I threw any sense of control away as I slowly leaned down on the counter to arch my back a bit. His hands gripped my hips tightly as he brought me closer to him. (Mami I don’t care, the only thing I want right now is to have you and only for me)

“Ves? Sueño en tenerte así…” He moaned softly, seeing me oblige to his touch. (See? I dream about having you like this)

”¿Sueñas conmigo?” I tease, completely letting go of the shyness that I originally felt. I rub my ass against his stiff erection that touched my inner thigh. He groaned in response. (You dream about me?)

“How the fuck could I not? Mírate mami…te rezo…” His tone only made me weak. He thrusted against my clothed area almost begging to take off what was separating us. (Look at you mami…I pray for you)

“Miguel~…” A soft whine left my lips as the dry thrusts were only making my neediness worse. He huffed in a frustrated manner.

“Fuck this.” Was all he said before moving the denim fabric to the side as he inserted two fingers into my dripping cunt. A small moan left my lips before my hand quickly covered my mouth.

“Calladita mami…we wouldn’t want your dad to hear how needy you are do we?” He whispers in my ear as he pumped faster into my cunt. My eyes shut tightly while my walls tighten around his thick fingers. (Quite Mami)

“You’re swallowing me mami…”

His dirty words only made me want more from him. My dad begin a couple rooms down from us completely left my mind, all I could think of now was Miguel. The adrenaline was sky rocketing as my hips bucked against his fingers for more friction.

“M-Miguel this- this isn’t right…” I moan helplessly, feeling a knot in my stomach forming once he sped up.

“Oh but it’s so right mami…look at you moving all on your own for my fingers.” He mused in my ear. Quiet moans were muffled by my hand as he continued to finger me mercilessly. But before I could release against him, the soft vibration of my phone echoed in the kitchen. My eyes darted instantly to the phone next to me before Miguel’s hand grabbed it. A small ‘tsk’ left his lips before he clicked answer.

“Hello?”

“H-Hi is Y/N there?”

“She’s busy right now. Who is this?” He mumbled back in an annoyed tone as he slowed his pace. I whine softly and I turn to glare at him.

“Can you let her know that Eric from the charity event called? I just wanted to ask if she liked the flowers…”

My eyes widen once I heard that familiar voice. Miguel instantly inserted another finger and fastened his pace again but this time more aggressively. I gripped the counter top tightly trying to hold back my moans while he was on the phone.

“We’ll this is her boyfriend speaking and I’d appreciate you not giving my girlfriend flowers.” He spat back before hanging up and putting the phone back down of the counter.

“Did you like the flowers mami? Tell me right now if you liked him giving you those fucking flowers.” He asked harshly into my ear as he continued pumping into me. I shook my head in response, feeling my release nearing again.

“Use your words mami…”

“N-No~ I-I didn’t like them…” I whine back as quietly as possible.

Satisfied, he pumped faster and faster before my sweet release dripped all over his hand. I held myself up with the little bit of energy I had left in me before standing up straight again.

“That’s my girl…always doing so good for me…” He said, staring down at me with a smirk as he licked on his fingers and hand until he was all cleaned up. He pulled me against his chest while I adjusted my shorts again before frowning at him.

“You didn’t have to be so mean you know?” I cross my arms over my chest as I tried to ease my panting. He shrugged before kissing my cheek.

“Serves him right for liking my girl.”

“Dónde están?” (Where are you guys?)

Our heads snapped to the sound of my dads voice getting closer. I pushed him away and quickly sat on the opposite side of the counter before my dad came in.

“Aquí estamos apa!” I say back. He stepped into the kitchen and stared at the both of us. (We’re in here dad!)

“Por que tan callados?” He asked suspiciously, turning his attention to Miguel who shrugged. (Why are you guys so quiet?)

“Por nada solo le decía que ese muchacho que le dio flores está enamorado de ella” Miguel smiled in a teasing manner before my dad turned back to me. (Nothing, I was just telling her that the guy that gave her flowers has a crush on her.)

“A lo mejor si mija échale ojo!” My dad laughed before going back into the living room. (Maybe my girl, keep an eye on him!)

I glared at him. He motioned me over with his hand, making sure my dad was out of sight. I peer into the living room before going back to him again.

“What?” I whisper.

“There’s gonna be something waiting for you tomorrow morning. Be on the look out okay?” He whispered back before planting another kiss on my cheek. I smiled before nodding as we both head back into the living room.

•✿❀✿•

I woke up bright and early to get a head start on my homework before running some errands. After finishing some assignments there was a soft knock at the front door. I waited a bit before heading out and opening the door.

An enormous bouquet of roses laid on the door mat. My mouth fell open as I looked around for anyone in sight that could have left them. I pick them up and shut the door behind me. There was a small note on the top that read:

“Estas flores son más hermosas que las que te dio ese idiota.

Con mucho amor, M”

(These flowers are way more beautiful than the ones that idiot gave you. With love, M)

Yeah. Definitely an understatement.

[thevoidstaredback]

Batman pulled up a world map as soon as the alarm started blaring. There was a red dot centered in Illinois, so that's where the map zoomed in.

"That's Amity Park!" Robin exclaimed.

Batman hummed. "Robin, contact Red Huntress and find out what's going on from her end." The boy nodded and left the room. "Constantine, Zatanna, figure out what's going on."

"Already on it, Batsy!" Constantine called in English before going back to his now four alternating conversations in Esperanto and Latin. Zatanna didn't even acknowledge the order.

"Everyone else," he continued as though he hadn't been interrupted, "set up a perimeter a few miles out from the town. Keep it in your line of vision, but don't get too close." He turned to look directly at The Flash. "I want you to run recon. Make sure this is the only place they're coming from. Once we find out their goal, that's what you'll be looking for."

"Aren't they looking for a child?" The Flash asked. He was ignored.

The heroes emptied the room swiftly, quick to ZETA as close as they could to the town before setting up a perimeter ten miles out. Close enough to see the town, but not close enough to cause any panic.

It was nearly twenty-five minutes later before Constantine and Zatanna joined them all. Though, they were both quick to make it known that the town was wholly aware that they were there.

Constantine went to join the hero's block-in, though he didn't stay in one place. He moved from hero to hero, keeping both eyes and one ear on Amity Park. If it was going to move, he would be aware of it only seconds before it did. He needed to be ready.

Zatanna pulled five of the American based heroes away from their posts to explain what she knew. It was barely any better than a recap from the meeting that they had vacated.

"Like we tried to explain earlier, they're looking for a child that the US Government took from them."

"The one from the pictures right?" Aquaman said, "Phantom??"

Zatanna nodded. "Yep. He's the town vigilante; Operating for several months longer than Red Huntress. From what Deadman told me and Constantine, Phantom is a baby ghost; he's only been dead for about a year." She ignored the various reactions. "He's also favored by several Ancient Beings."

"'Ancient Begins'?" Superman asked.

"Think Primordials,"

"Oh, dear," Wonder Woman muttered.

The magician continued, "Don't attack any of the R̶͎͔̿̅ḛ̴̗̦̯̭͇̰̎͑a̸̻̜̤̼͕͔̘̱̫̓ĺ̴͉̘̥͚̪̹́̈́͋̓͜m̶̬͇̅͑͌ṣ̷̨̺̜̣̮͔̤͕̃̍́͂ denizens under any circumstances. They're already going to be hostile towards us, we don't need to give them another reason to be."

"A bit late for that, don't ya think?" A new voice called, startling the heroes into falling into defensive stances.

It took several seconds to find the source. When they did, Batman asked, "Who are you?"

The being, female in appearance, was above and slightly to the left of the group. She looked to be in her late teens with teal-grey skin, a slight teal glow, and flaming teal hair tied in a high pony, bangs framing her face. Her eyes glowed the same radioactive green as Phantom's had in the picture, though less so. She was wearing black pants, a black crop-top, grey knee boots, and a single black elbow glove. There was a guitar strapped to her back that gave off a slight purple glow. Even from where the Justice League heroes were standing, they could feel heat radiating off of her.

"It doesn't matter who I am, does it?" the girl sneered down at them, "What matters is that you dickheads took on of ours, and we intend to get him back." She very obviously assessed the group, not hiding her distaste. "Phantom told me this world had other heroes." She lowered slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Where were you."

"Excuse me?" Green Lantern asked.

"Where were you?" she reiterated.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean."

"You're talking about the threats here, right?" Zatanna asked.

The being turned her full attention to the magician. "You knew?"

Zatanna nodded. "My colleagues and I have been keeping an eye on Amity Park since the rifts opened up last year."

The girl's eyes narrowed and she nodded at the five heroes. "These your colleagues?"

"Technically."

"I don't much like technicalities," she hummed. "You must be the one Deadman told us about."

"You know Deadman?" Green Lantern asked. He was ignored.

"Yeah?" Zatanna nodded.

"I'm Ember," she said after a moment, touching down in front of Zatanna. "Deadman convinced the Council to hold in Amity Park until the end of the day. The second the sun goes down, we act on our own."

"I'm Zatanna," she shook her hand, "We're going to find him."

Ember glared, her grip tightening. "You better. He's done more for your world than any of you could ever acknowledge." She turned her glare on the five heroes before flying back up. "And once he's back with us, where he belongs, we'll think about calling a ceasefire." She left before another word could be said.

Zatanna fell into a crouch, her hands covering her face. "This is a nightmare," she whispered before popping back to her full height. "That could've gone better."

"It also could've gone worse." Aquaman tried to console. It didnt work.

"Well, you heard her, we have less than twelve hours to find the kid before the R̶͎͔̿̅ḛ̴̗̦̯̭͇̰̎͑a̸̻̜̤̼͕͔̘̱̫̓ĺ̴͉̘̥͚̪̹́̈́͋̓͜m̶̬͇̅͑͌ṣ̷̨̺̜̣̮͔̤͕̃̍́͂ denizens set themselves loose."

The group shared a loo, quickly moving to pass on the word to everyone else. Off to the side, Superman was relaying to The Flash.

***

Barry had worked on time limits before. Hel, he was usually pretty good at meeting them ever since he got his powers! What he wasn't great at was working under huge amounts of pressure.

He had to cover the entire United States in less than twelve hours. Easy, done. Adding on every out-of-country US Base around the world? Slightly less easy, but still very doable. Looking for a child in what was probably a secret, undocumented, or at least heavily covered, US Base is a bit harder, especially undetected.

Normally, the Justice League would have no problems with making their opinions on matters known, but this was a delicate matter. Even more delicate than the Metahuman Rights Act and Diplomatic Missions to other worlds. This was an issue they'd not been previously aware of, and the dimension that it most affected was now very close to decaring war.

No pressure.

He'd already cleared all of the known Government Bases along the East Coast and was steadily moving inland. Superman, upon Zatanna's and Constantine's advisement, was being productive away from Amity Park. With The Flash covering the US and Superman literally everywhere else, they had hopes of finding the child within the next few hours. The problems were going to start anew after that.

Batman was already working on several extraction plans based off of the blueprints for every US Gov. Base he has access to- don't ask. But, without knowing the actual building's layout, guard posts, shifts, security, whereabouts, etc., no one could make a concrete plan.

There were too many unknowns and it was upsetting everyone.

Robin had managed to get ahold of both his team, readying them for evacuation, and Red Huntress. Apparently, there was nothing she could do. She'd tried to capture the ghosts - as she'd called them - but they'd quickly overwhelmed her. Everyone was locked in their homes until further notice. Luckily, the ghosts seemed content to them the humans alone as long as they stayed out of the way.

There was now five hours until the sun set in Illinois, and Barry had only just cleared the Midwest.

Nothing. Not a single hint as to where they were keeping this child! They had the two fastest heroes out looking for him, the had pictures of what he looked like! By all means, they should have found him already! And yet, they were still empty handed.

The people of Amity Park were getting restless. The ghosts that had taken over Amity Park were getting restless. The Justice League were getting restless.

Constantine and Zatanna had declared that the town would likely not be moving any time soon, not that anyone even knew what the meant. They'd still be keeping an eye and ear on the town, but it no longer had most of their focus. Instead, they were trying to get ahold of Deadman with little success. If they didn't reach them soon, one of them would have to go into the town proper and talk to the ghosts. No one was very excited for that.

Minutes before the sunset in Illinois, Robin received an emergency call from Red Huntress. One that everyone was patched into.

A boy was missing from his house. Daniel Fenton, son of the town's resident Ghost Hunters, hadn't been accounted for.

The sun set over Amity Park Illinois.

Part 3 Part 5

[futbolfatale]

Origin Story: Morning After

Pairing: Alpha Alexia Putellas/Omega Reader, Omega Mapi León/Omega Reader, Alpha Ingred Engen/Omega Reader, Omega Ona Battle/Omega Reader

Summary: You run into Maddie after class luckily Alexia is there to save you.

Okay, maybe going to the after-party was a stupid idea you stumble your way to your 7 am lecture with a pounding headache and an ache in your cunt. You left Mapi’s apartment at 5 and caught a cab to get to your apartment so you could change and get to class on time.

There is no doubt that you reek like them but you didn't have time to shower and get to class on time. Leaving early had the added benefit of avoiding any awkward conversations since they didn’t know where you went to school and you hadn’t exchanged numbers with any of them. Surely they wouldn’t want to see you again after last night. You can’t help but wonder what life would be like if you were with them as unbelievable as that is. How happy you would be if you had always had a special connection to the omegas in your life and this pack has two it's like heaven for you.

Your lectures wrap up about four hours later and you trail out into the hall trying to avoid Maddie like the plague. But her lily and patulio scent hits you like a brick wall making you stop in your tracks. it seems your efforts are for nothing as Maddie rounds the corner walking directly toward you. So of course you like any normal person turn and start speed walking away from her. “Are you seriously running away from me right now?” She growls snatching your wrist. “Oh sorry Maddie I didn’t see you.” you smile fakely at her. “You owe me I can’t believe you just abandoned me at the game you could have at least helped me out” She glances down at her sweats and your eyes naturally follow. “I don’t believe I owe you anything” You try to pull away but her grip stays strong. She pulls your hand to palm her cock through her sweat and you bite back bile.

“Bebita there you are” a voice down the hall calls at you the strong scent of old spice filling the hall. “Oh, so you're a slut just not for me” Maddie spits. “Get your hands off my omega,” Alexia growls she grabs Maddie’s wrist holding it so hard you fear it might snap. “And who do you think you are” Maddie tries to pull away but can’t and a look of fear crosses her face. Alexia just pushes her away and pulls you behind her and out of the school quickly. “How did you know I was here,” You ask as Alexia helps you into her car. 

“I made some call Mapi and Ona were so das when They woke up so I promised to come find you and let them tell you how much of a bad girl you are.” She leans across you to buckle your seatbelt and her scent overwhelms you. “Im the bad girl’ you ask slightly annoyed with her. “You left without saying anything. It won’t be safe for you by yourself anymore.” Alexia warns as she pulls out of the parking lot. It hits you that you are in a car with this woman you barely know this is the beginning of every kidnapping. “Maybe I should go” You try to pull on the door but it’s childlocked.

“Wherever you want to go I’ll take you but you can’t go alone.” her eyes never once leave the road as she speaks. “And why can’t I go alone” You say with some bite your scent no doubt turning sour. “The paparazzi will be all over you pictures from the party are all over. Plus I wouldn’t be surprised if my pups were already in you.”She smirks and it makes you want to bite her and not in a sexy way. “I can’t have your pup. I can't have anyone pup im in school full time” You try to open the door again to no avail. “Mapi and Ona can’t have pups till they retire. We need you” Alexia’s voice has turned to a needy whine. “So you want me to be a baby maker”

“No, I want you to be our omega, and pups would be an added bonus. Just see if you like it one week. If you hate it, you can go back to school, and we will leave you alone,” Alexia promises. “ I can’t not go to school; I’ll lose my scholarship.” You are over this whole conversation, but she doesn’t seem to be letting it go. “ I will sponsor your school, please. Just try that's all im asking you.” Alexia looks like a kicked puppy and you can’t kick her again. “Fine one week”.

[onceinablueberrymoon]

(cheers) to the future | salesman (recruiter) x reporter!reader

next: scavenger hunt | intermission (mild nsfw) scenario: the final game has finished, and player 456 is the winner. after signing off, reporter!reader visits the recruiter for a well-deserved, celebratory dinner. setting: in seoul during season 1, directly after the squid game between gi-hun and sang-woo (my other beloved rip) warnings: (mostly?) light, fluffy smut; (they truly love each other!); fem!reader; no use of y/n; second person POV; salesman is referred to as recruiter; reader ranks about equal to recruiter in the games’ hierarchy; brief mention of alcohol; just in case, minors dni! word count: 1.1k notes: baby’s first nsfw, i hope it lives up to your expectations :’) please comment and let me know what you think of this, i appreciate any feedback ♡

you can read part 1 here! and happy lunar new year, everyone! 🌙 borders by @enchanthings-a and @strangergraphics-archive!

“No! Sang-woo, no…”

A cry rang throughout the arena.

“And with a bittersweet ending to this gripping fight between childhood friends, the 33rd edition of the Games has concluded. We will return shortly with the highlights of Player 456’s journey to victory. Our coverage will begin in three hours. Thank you for watching.”

Bowing to the camera, you remained frozen in place until the director gave the all-clear. You sighed. The final game didn’t turn out the way you – or anyone, really – expected. The once cheerful, happy-go-lucky man had won because of his friend’s sudden sacrifice. Surely, there would be lots of questions from viewers around the world. You pinched your nose – just thinking about it gave you a headache.

At least you were on break for a couple of hours. While the others at the studio would most certainly go out for drinks to celebrate the end of the Games, the recruiter had invited you for dinner at his apartment. It wasn’t very far, only a 15 minute walk. You gathered your belongings and slipped out before anyone noticed you left.

“Wow, you prepared a feast!”

Much to your surprise and delight, the recruiter had prepared a lovely meal of soft tofu stew, multigrain purple rice, and a variety of side dishes. He had even lit a few candles to add to the ambience. He pulled out a chair for you to sit on before going to sit across the table from you.

As the two of you began eating, he congratulated you on your wonderful performance over the last week.

“I heard you may be up for a promotion,” the recruiter noted in his usual casual tone. 

You scoffed, “I don’t know if it counts as a promotion, per se… They want me to report on the upcoming American version of the Games.” You shrugged. “I imagine it can’t be too different from the Korean Games.”

The recruiter smiled, but his eyes held a darkness to them.

“On the contrary. Rumour has it that gambling and addiction run more rampant there than in Korea… I expect those Games to be equally, if not even more, exciting. And with our dear reporter on the case…” He leaned forward, his eyes twinkling.

“Absolutely electrifying.”

You blushed, breaking eye contact with him. He laughed and continued eating his meal.

As always, the conversation flowed easily between the two of you. You commended him once again on his top-notch recruiting skills. 

“Did you catch the final game? I still can’t believe 456 won… I was truly rooting for 218. Someone like him could be the next Frontman, don’t you think?” You asked, picking at your favourite side dish with your chopsticks.

The recruiter nodded, but seemed as if he was lost in thought. 

“He wasn’t hard on the eyes either. Charming, sharp… Maybe he could have become a recruiter as well? We could have had some fun.” This caught the recruiter’s attention, his eyes gazing into yours. 

He cleared his throat, but your comment clearly affected him. “I’ve already started gathering information on prospective players. I think these new ones will be even more interesting.” 

“Oh?” you cocked your head to the side, “Do tell.”

He continued, “A cryptocurrency streamer on YouTube, Lee Myung-gi. Many of his followers are one click away from falling into serious debt. It’s only a matter of time before his advice leads them to desperate measures.” The recruiter’s eyes sparkled. “I can only imagine how he fares when his loyal fans turn on him.”

Intrigued, you smiled softly. He had clearly been working hard on this case.

Once you both finished eating, you helped him clean the table.

“I’m still surprised you went all out for dinner. I thought it’d be something simple, like ramyeon or take-out,” you paused, “Not that this wasn’t perfect. You made an amazing stew.” You moved to peck him on the cheek. 

The recruiter’s eyebrows raised slightly. “Ramyeon? Well, why didn’t you say so?”

You groaned. Of course he’d turn your comment into an innuendo. 

“I’m always open to ramyeon with you.” 

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the two of you moved to his sofa, and got a bit handsy with each other. It started with innocent touches and kissing. By the time you broke for air, your lips were swollen and your faces were flushed red. 

The recruiter loosened his tie, making you bite your lip in anticipation. You helped him shrug off his suit jacket before tossing it on the floor.

As you continued to kiss, you straddled him and pressed yourself against the growing bulge in his dress pants, making you both moan. He pulled you closer and you ran your fingers through his neatly styled hair. 

He easily popped open the buttons on your blouse with his teeth, a skill he’d perfected from your many trysts. He pushed aside your bra cup before taking your breast in his hand to gently fondle it, brushing his thumb over your nipple. You whimpered, and he flashed his classic smirk before drawing circles around your nipple. His other hand was on your waist, keeping you steady while you rocked your hips against his. 

As you attempted to unbutton his shirt, he trailed kisses down your neck and left a few hickeys, despite your protests. 

“Seriously? I go live in like,” you glanced at the clock on the wall, “One hour!” 

The recruiter took in your disheveled appearance and was very pleased with his handiwork. The world would see that their enchanting reporter had already been claimed — only he was privy to your full attention.

“Wait, one hour?” You did a double-take at the clock. 

You panted, stopping your rutting pace entirely. He groaned, grinding his hips up against yours in an attempt to lure you back in. 

“Sorry, I have to go. Makeup’s going to have a field day with these hickeys…” 

You lifted yourself off of him, much to both his and his body’s displeasure. However, he knew he couldn’t keep you from your job. The higher-ups would throw a fit otherwise. You could continue your session later tonight.

As you cleaned up and made yourself presentable for the public, the recruiter went to his kitchen and returned with two glasses of wine. He handed one to you and made a toast.

“To my lovely, charming reporter, who continues to fascinate me every day.”

You blushed, then replied with your own toast.

“To my handsome, mischievous recruiter, who never fails to impress me.”

He smiled, and kissed you on the lips.

“And to the games that brought us together.”

You both clinked your glasses, wishing for an even more thrilling spectacle to come.

[rizzlesregal13]

Whoa, Is Grandma A Ghost? Cool!

Agatha x Reader 💜 When your two kids have an impromptu séance, bringing forth Evanora’s spirit.

You know that saying, “If your kids go quiet, something’s up”? Well, with our two, it’s like that saying is written in stone!

I swear I gained an added sixth sense when Nicki was born. By the time Ella arrived, it had only sharpened. Some mothers get that instinctive feeling that tells them their kid is about to take a tumble off the sofa or cram something unholy up their nose. My version? It wakes me at 1 a.m. because my children are summoning the dead.

I had been happily wrapped around Agatha, snuggled in bed, my arm draped over her waist. She’ll never admit it, but she loves being the little spoon. She says it’s because I’m always warm and she’s naturally cold, but I know that’s just an excuse. I had no reason to wake up. There had been no sound, no thud, no suspicious giggles. And yet, something pulled me from sleep.

Something was off.

I slipped out of bed as quietly as I could, my feet light on the wooden floors. I checked the kids’ rooms first, a habit that had become routine at this point. Nicki’s bed was empty. So was Ella’s.

My stomach tightened.

I didn’t panic… not yet. These were our children. I had found them in strange places before. That one time I caught Nicki trying to teach Ella to hold on to the electric garage door as he opened it? A highlight of my parenting career. But something about this was different. The air in the house felt… thicker.

I moved down the stairs, my fingers tingling with magic, just in case.

And there they were.

Cross-legged on the living room rug, a candle flickering between them, a—oh, for the love of magic itself—a Ouija board sat between them.

Ella, four years old and entirely too confident, had her fingers on the planchette, her lips pursed in concentration. Nicki, eight and always the ringleader, was watching intently.

“What,” I said, my voice calm in that deadly parent way, “are you two doing?”

Nicki startles, eyes wide, before his instincts kick in. He moves fast, too fast for an eight-year-old who’s definitely up to something—and tries to cover the Ouija board with his hands like that’ll somehow make it disappear.

Ella, ever the innocent one (relatively speaking), lets out a tiny squeak, fingers flying to her mouth as if she’s just now realizing they might be in trouble.

I narrow my eyes. “Where did you get that?”

Nicki shifts, glancing at his sister like they’ve rehearsed this.

“Uh… the attic.”

I blink. “The attic?”

I was pretty damn sure our attic wasn’t supposed to have haunted paraphernalia lying around for my children to find.

Nicki fidgets, looking at Ella. She looks back at him. They exchange a silent conversation, one of those wordless sibling agreements that I know means I’m about to hear an absolutely ridiculous excuse.

“It was her idea,” Nicki blurts, throwing his little sister directly under the bus. “She said we could contact a pirate and ask him where the buried treasure was!”

I should have expected that. She’s four, which means Ella's current life goal is to experience everything, even the things that should, logically, terrify her.

Ella gasps, scandalized. “Was not!”

Nicki points. “You lit the candle.”

Ella crosses her arms. “But you said we needed it for ‘atmosphere'.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Oh, fantastic. So we’re dabbling in theatrics now, too.”

I shift my gaze to the candle, still flickering innocently between them, and arch my eyebrow.

“Right.” I exhale slowly, because if I don’t, I might actually scream. “And the matches?”

Nicki hesitates. Ella does not.

“I found them in the kitchen drawer,” she announces proudly. “Right next to the spoons.”

Next to the spoons.

I feel my soul leave my body.

Nicki, sensing my reaction, jumps in quickly. “But she was very careful.”

Ella nods enthusiastically. “Very, very careful.”

I stare at them.

They stare back.

I take a long, slow breath. “You both know you’re not supposed to play with matches.”

Nicki folds his arms, trying to look self-important. “Technically, she played with them.”

I point at him. “You don’t get to ‘technically’ your way out of this, Nicholas.”

I hear footsteps come down the stairs and turn just as Agatha materialises in the doorway, wearing my robe, because of course she is. She leans against the doorframe, arms crossed, looking far too entertained by the antics of our mischievous children.

“What’s all the noise? You could wake the dead…”

I glare at her. “Funny you should say that.”

She quirks an eyebrow. I gesture at our children.

“Your children—”

“Our children,” she corrects smoothly, smirk firmly in place.

I take a deep, steadying breath and keep my glare level.

“Our children,” I amend begrudgingly, “have decided to do just that and have a séance.”

Agatha tilts her head, curiosity flickering in her eyes.

“Oh? Any luck?”

“Agatha!”

“What?” She shrugs. “You have to admit, if they managed to actually wake something, that’s pretty impressive.”

I groan, rubbing a hand down my face.

“Do not encourage them.”

Nicki takes this as his moment to jump in.

“We followed the instructions!”

I freeze, my brain short-circuiting for a second.

“…Instructions?”

Nicki nods, completely serious. “Yeah. In the box.”

I blink. “The box - has instructions?”

He nods again.

I turn to Agatha, who is now walking over to a discarded box behind the kids. She picks it up, eyes scanning the front. Then, with an amused snort, she flips it around and holds it up for me to see.

For ages 3+.

I stare at her. She smirks, then turns the box toward the kids.

“Well, that explains it. Clearly, it’s child-friendly necromancy.”

Ella, sitting proudly on her knees, beams up at me.

“See, Mama? I’m old enough to play!”

I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment. “Maiden, Mother, Crone, give me strength.”

And that’s when the planchette moves.

A slow, deliberate slide across the board.

None of them are touching it.

The room goes still. The candle flickers, the air shifts, and I feel that deep, undeniable sensation of something unseen but very much present.

Nicki and Ella stare, eyes wide with pure wonder, not fear. Because of course they aren’t scared. Most kids would be, but not ours.

Agatha watches with a raised brow, then side-eyes me.

“Okay. That’s interesting.”

I exhale through my nose. “I told you.”

Nicki whispers, eyes fixed on the board, “Did you see that?”

Agatha crouches down behind the kids, watching intently as the planchette moves again, slow and deliberate, like it’s savoring every letter.

A.

G.

A.

T.

H.

A.

I exhale sharply, my stomach twisting. “Well, looks like someone wants to talk to you,” I say, my voice steady, but there’s a weight settling in my chest. Apprehension creeps up my spine.

Agatha, ever unfazed, tilts her head, watching the board with an almost lazy curiosity. Then.. because she’s Agatha and handles the paranormal like a Tuesday morning inconvenience… she deadpans, “Well, that’s never a good sign.”

And then, a voice.

A low, whispered voice.

“Agatha.”

The kids freeze. My breath catches.

And Agatha? She goes completely still.

For the first time in a long time, I see something flicker in her expression… something unreadable, something unnerved. The candle flickers violently, a gust of cold air sweeping through the room. Ella grabs my hand, pressing close, and instinct takes over as I move forward, protective mom mode in full force.

“What did you actually say when you started the séance?” I demand, my voice firmer now.

Nicki swallows, looking guilty for the first time.

“Uh… we just followed the instructions. It said to say, ‘We invite you to speak with us'.’”

My stomach drops. Oh, great. An open invitation. Just wonderful.

Agatha doesn’t react to them. Her blue eyes are still locked on the board, something dark swirling in their depths.

“Agatha,” the voice calls again.

And this time, she recognizes it.

I see the exact moment she realizes who it is. She exhales, slow and measured.

“Mom?”

I stiffen. Nicki’s eyes widen. Ella clutches my arm.

Evanora.

The woman Agatha never speaks of. The woman who made Agatha who she is... sharp, untouchable, dangerous when she needs to be. And now, she’s here.

Agatha tilts her head. Her voice, when she finally speaks, is perfectly neutral.

“Well. That’s unexpected.”

I stare at her, incredulous. “Unexpected?”

She flashes me a dry smile. “What? It’s not every day your long-dead mother crashes a family séance.”

The candle flickers again, the flame stretching unnaturally tall before snapping back down.

Ella tugs on my sleeve. “Is Grandma a ghost?”

I tighten my grip on her. “Sweetheart, she’s not the bedtime story kind of grandma.”

Agatha smirks, but it’s thin, distracted. She turns back to the board. “Alright, Mom. You went through all this trouble—what do you want?”

Evanora materializes in front of us, her form shimmering at the edges, the air is thick with the weight of her presence. The candlelight flickers wildly, casting long, jagged shadows on the walls. A cold prickle runs down my spine, and without thinking, I pull Nicki and Ella in close, wrapping my arms around them.

Agatha stands perfectly still. Not in shock, not in fear, just... watching. Her face is carefully blank, but I know her well enough to see the tightness in her jaw, the sharpness in her blue eyes. This isn’t surprise. This is calculation, and she’s trying to be three steps ahead.

It’s Nicki who speaks first. “Whoa, Is Grandma a ghost? Cool!”

Ella peeks out from behind my arm, eyes wide but more curious than scared. “You look like the princess from the bedtime story mommy told us. The scary princess.”

Evanora shifts her gaze toward them, the smallest hint of amusement flickering in her eerie, pale eyes.

“Ah. My grandchildren.”

Nicki beams. “That’s us!”

I tighten my grip on them.

“Okay, time out,” I say, shooting Agatha a sharp look. “Are we just accepting this? Your mother is dead—she should not be able to stand in our living room like she’s just popped around for a cup of tea.”

Agatha exhales through her nose, rubbing her temple.

“Yeah. I gathered that.”

Evanora turns her attention back to Agatha, her voice cool, smooth.

“It’s been a long time, daughter.”

Agatha crosses her arms. “Not long enough, apparently.”

Evanora hums, tilting her head slightly, like she’s inspecting her.

“You’re just as sharp as ever. And yet… softer.”

Agatha bristles, but her smirk remains in place.

“I hate when people call me that.”

Evanora’s eyes flick to me, then to the children, and something shifts in her expression.

“You have… a family.”

Something dark flashes across Agatha’s face.

“Perceptive as always, Mother.”

I don’t like the way Evanora is looking at us…assessing, measuring. Judging.

I step forward slightly, keeping my hold on the kids.

“Why are you here?”

Evanora’s eyes settle on me, and I swear I feel the weight of her gaze pressing into my skin.

“You should ask them that,” she says smoothly, nodding toward the children. “They were the ones who called me.”

Nicki gasps excitedly. “So the séance did work!”

Agatha groans, pressing a hand to her forehead.

“Of course it worked. Only the two of you could have enough sheer stubbornness to break through the damn veil.”

Nicki beams with pride.

Ella tilts her head. “Did we break it?”

Evanora smirks slightly. “No, little one. But you did… open something.”

I don’t like the sound of that. Not one bit.

I glance at Agatha. “Tell me that doesn’t mean what I think it means.”

Agatha exhales slowly, then looks at Evanora, her smirk fading.

“Alright. Enough with the cryptic bullshit. What did they open?”

Evanora’s expression turns serious.

“A door,” she says simply. “A door that was meant to stay closed.”

Ella gasps dramatically. “Like in The Little Mermaid when she opened the treasure chest and...”

Agatha holds up a finger. “Not helpful, honeybee”

Nicki frowns. “So… can we just close it?”

Evanora’s gaze flickers with something unreadable.

“It’s not that simple.”

Of course it’s not… It never is. I let out a slow breath.

“Okay. Well, let’s make it simple. How do we close it?”

Evanora’s pale eyes settle on Agatha again, almost like she’s waiting for something.

Then, she finally says, “You need me.”

Agatha goes completely still.

I swear, the temperature in the room drops several degrees. Agatha’s voice, when she finally speaks, is carefully measured, edged with something dangerous.

“You expect me to believe that? That we suddenly need you?”

Evanora lifts a brow. “You may not believe it, but it’s true. There are things beyond even your comprehension, Agatha. You were reckless once... your children have inherited that.”

Nicki beams again, completely missing the insult.

Agatha scoffs. “Oh, please. Don’t pretend to care about my parenting skills.”

Evanora sighs, tilting her head again, her gaze flicking briefly to the kids.

“I don’t care about parenting.” She looks back at Agatha, eyes dark. “I care about survival.”

Agatha clenches her jaw. I can see the war in her... every sharp, bitter piece of her past colliding with the present.

I reach for her and squeeze her arm gently.

“Agatha.”

She exhales, then looks at her mother.

“What’s the catch?”

Evanora smirks. “Oh, there’s always a catch, dear.”

I feel Nicki and Ella press closer to me.

Agatha’s smirk is sharp, but there’s something cold behind it. “Of course there is.”

Evanora’s voice drops to something almost fond.

“You always were the smartest.”

And that is when the candle blows out.

The air shifts, heavy and electric, and I swear I feel something just beyond the veil, waiting.

Watching.

Agatha flicks her wrist, re-lighting the candle. Ella tugs on my sleeve.

“I really, really don’t like this game anymore.”

Nicki, for once, doesn’t argue.

Agatha straightens, rolling her shoulders, and when she speaks again, it’s in that low, dangerous tone she only uses when she realises we are about to go down shitts creek in a canoe… without a paddle.

“Alright, then.” She steps forward, eyes locked on her mother. “Let’s make a deal.”

Evanora watches her, sharp and poised, like a predator sizing up its prey. “Clever girl,” she murmurs. “You always knew there’d be a price.”

I really don’t like where this is going.

I shift slightly, keeping Nicki and Ella tucked close, my body instinctively forming a barrier between them and whatever the hell is unfolding in front of us.

Agatha tilts her head, her smirk thin. “Of course. You don’t do anything for free.”

Evanora smiles, slow and eerie. “You wound me.”

Agatha’s expression doesn’t so much as flicker.

“Doubt it. Now, tell me what we have to do to close this damn door.”

Evanora lifts a hand, lazily gesturing to the air around us.

“It’s already begun,” she says, voice almost amused. “The energy you let in—this house is no longer… safe.”

Nicki perks up. “Wait, like haunted haunted?”

I squeeze his shoulder. “Not the time, bud.”

Evanora continues like she wasn’t interrupted. “The door exists because of them.” Her gaze flicks briefly to the kids. “Because they called it open.”

A sick feeling churns in my stomach. I glance at Agatha. She’s tense, and that does nothing to help the unease causing through me.

“So we close it,” I say, voice firm. “Tell us how.”

Evanora gives me a slow, knowing smile. “It’s not so simple, my dear.”

Of course it’s not.

“The door is tied to their magic,” she explains, gesturing to Nicki and Ella. “Or rather, their potential for magic. It was an invitation, a ripple in the balance. If you want to shut it, you have to do it properly.”

Agatha’s blue eyes darken. “And the price?”

Evanora’s smirk grows. “Ah. There’s the real question.”

I exhale sharply. “Just say it.”

Evanora steps closer, and I instinctively push the kids back a step. She eyes Agatha carefully, then speaks in that smooth, dangerous voice.

“One of them must be bound.”

The room drops into silence.

The candle flickers.

Agatha’s expression doesn’t change, but I feel the way her magic coils around her like a snake ready to strike.

I blink. “I’m sorry. What?”

Evanora tilts her head. “One child must be bound. Their magic—what little of it exists now—must be sealed away. Permanently.”

Nicki stiffens. “Wait, what? Why?”

Agatha’s voice is deadly quiet. “Because she wants to make sure they never become a threat… to her”.

Evanora meets her gaze, unreadable. “Because the balance must be restored.”

Ella clutches my arm, her small voice trembling. “But… but I don’t wanna be bound.”

Fury flares in my chest. “That’s not an option.” I take a step forward, my body taut with pure, protective rage. “You’re seriously standing here, telling us we have to strip our own child of their magic...”

Evanora lifts a hand. “Potential magic. They’re too young for it to manifest fully. If it’s done now, they won’t even know what they’ve lost.”

“That makes it worse,” I snap.

Nicki looks between us, suddenly understanding the weight of it.

“Wait, so… one of us would never have magic?”

Agatha exhales through her nose, slow and dangerous.

“She wants to clip your wings before you even have the chance to fly.”

Evanora sighs, almost bored. “You make it sound so cruel.”

“It is cruel,” I snap. “And it’s not happening.”

Evanora shrugs. “Then the door stays open.”

The candle flickers violently, a gust of wind sweeping through the room. Shadows stretch unnaturally along the walls, and the house groans, like something deep within it is waking up.

Nicki looks at Agatha, eyes wide. “But if we leave it open—”

“Something else will come through,” Agatha mutters.

A chill runs through me.

Evanora smiles. “You see the dilemma.”

Agatha’s jaw clenches. Her whole body is taut, coiled, a blade on the verge of striking.

I know her. I know how she works. She’s running through every possible scenario, every loophole, every way out of this.

I step closer to her. “There has to be another way.”

Evanora tilts her head. “There is another way.”

Agatha’s eyes narrow. “Spit it out.”

Evanora’s smirk is slow and knowing. “You take the binding.”

I freeze.

Nicki inhales sharply. Ella’s grip on me tightens.

Agatha just watches her mother, unmoving.

“You want me to strip my own power?”

Evanora lifts a brow. “Yes, your power is already controlled, is it not? You barely use it to its full potential anymore. What difference would it make?”

Agatha doesn’t move.

I do.

“Absolutely not.” I step in front of her, my voice sharp as a knife. “She’s not doing that.”

Evanora exhales, almost exasperated. “Such dramatics.”

“Go to hell.”

She smiles. “Already there, my girl .”

Agatha places a gentle hand on my back. When she speaks, her voice is steady, but low.

“No.”

Evanora blinks. “No?”

Agatha tilts her head, her smirk dangerous. “You heard me.”

Evanora watches her for a long moment. Then she laughs, shaking her head.“Oh, Agatha.” She sighs, almost fondly. “You always did have a problem with authority.”

Agatha’s smirk doesn’t waver. “Guess I got that from you.”

Evanora hums. “Very well. If you refuse to bind the children, and you refuse to bind yourself… then the only other option is to force the door closed.”

I hesitate. “What does that mean?”

Evanora’s expression turns serious. “It means power. More than either of you may be able to handle.”

I glance at Agatha. She meets my gaze, and I see it—the fire, the certainty.

I exhale. “What do we have to do?”

Evanora smiles, slow and knowing, like she’s enjoying the fact that we’re backed into a corner. Of course she is.

“You must sever the connection,” she says smoothly, as if this is just a casual conversation and not a crisis. “You and Agatha must direct your magic to force the door closed. But—” she tilts her head, her gaze piercing, manipulative, “—you will have to balance each other. Too much force, and you may tear something worse open.”

My stomach twists. “And if we don’t use enough force?”

Evanora smirks. “Then it stays open. And they will come through.”

Nicki swallows hard. “Who’s they?”

Evanora simply smiles.

Yeah. Not ominous at all.

I turn to the kids, my voice firm. “Okay. Nicki, Ella—go stand in the far corner. Stay together. No moving until I say.”

Nicki frowns, looking like he wants to argue, but one look at my face and he thinks better of it.

Ella, ever the curious one, tilts her head. “But I wanna watch—"

“Corner. Now.” Agatha says backing me up.

Nicki grabs Ella’s hand and drags her back.

I take a breath and rub my temple.

“Why… why couldn’t we just have one normal, quiet night at home?”

Agatha snorts. “You married me. That ship sailed long ago.”

I shoot her a look, but she just grins. Then, without even trying, she conjures a swirling ball of purple energy in her palm, the familiar electric crackle of her magic filling the air.

Show-off.

My own fingers tingle with power, and I feel the magic pulse at my fingertips, building. It’s been a while since I’ve used it for anything remotely interesting. The occasional floating object? Sure. The rare accidental spell when one of the kids has pushed me to my limit? Absolutely. But this…this is powerful. This is something I haven’t done in years.

Agatha glances at me, smirking. “Need a minute, hon?”

I huff. “Oh, please.”

I flex my hands, and with a deep inhale, I let the magic flow... gold and deep, curling from my fingertips, lighting up the space between us. The house hums in response, the weight of power filling the air.

Across the room, I catch Ella’s face—her wide, amazed eyes locked on Agatha’s magic, on mine, absolute awe written across her tiny features.

Oh, great. She’s already a mini Agatha, and now I can see her tiny brain whirring, probably dreaming up all the chaos she’ll cause when she’s older. I dread to think what her magic will be like when it finally manifests. She’s enough of a challenge at this age without it.

Nicki watches too, but he looks more cautious, like he’s analyzing how it works. Typical. He’s always been the thinker.

Agatha glances at them, then back at me. “You ready, Y/N?”

I take another breath, steadying myself. “As I’ll ever be.”

Evanora watches, her expression unreadable.

“Then begin.”

Agatha doesn’t hesitate. She raises her hands, magic crackling like wildfire, her signature purple energy sparking in the air.

I follow suit, my own magic flaring gold, the two forces surging toward the damn Ouija board sitting smugly in the center of our living room rug.

The moment the magic collides, the board erupts in flames, burning unnaturally hot, the fire licking up the edges in deep, curling tendrils. The room hums, the air vibrating as the energy from the séance is ripped apart.

For a second, I think it worked.

Then I hear the unmistakable sizzle of fabric, followed by the distinct, horrifying pop of something catching.

The flames die as fast as they came, leaving behind nothing but a gaping, charred hole right through the damn rug.

I stare.

Agatha tilts her head, assessing the damage. Then, with all the grace and calm in the world, she hums.

“Well...That could’ve gone worse.”

I whip my head toward her.

“Agatha.”

She shrugs. “I mean, the house is still standing, so I’d call that a win.”

I rub my temple, breathing through my nose.

“That rug cost a fortune.”

She smirks. “I told you not to buy something so expensive when you live in a house full of chaos gremlins.”

Ella peeks out from behind me. “We are gremlins.”

Nicki nods solemnly. “We really are.”

I sigh, but before I can respond, I realize something... Evanora is still here.

She hasn’t vanished, hasn’t flickered away with the last remnants of the séance. She stands, watching the charred remains of the board, her face unreadable.

Then, to my absolute shock, she looks back at Agatha… and she almost—almost—looks proud.

“It’s done,” she says simply.

Agatha crosses her arms, unimpressed.

“Yet you’re still here.”

Evanora tilts her head, her eerie smirk returning.

“Disappointed?”

I fold my arms. “Are you going, or have you decided to haunt us?”

Evanora’s smirk widens, like she enjoys the idea far too much. But then she exhales, casting one last glance at Agatha, something strange in her gaze... something that looks almost… soft.

She steps back, and her form begins to fade, the edges of her body dissolving like mist.

Ella grabs my hand. “Bye, Grandma.”

Nicki lifts a hand in a little wave. “Uh… yeah. Bye, Grandma.”

Evanora’s eyes flick to them, and...for the briefest moment... her smirk turns into something almost resembling a real smile.

Then, with a final look at Agatha, she vanishes completely.

The air settles. The room feels lighter.

The séance is over.

For a moment, none of us move.

Then, Agatha lets out a sharp breath, turning to me with a grin. “So, hon… shall we make this a new family tradition?”

I stare at her.

I grab the nearest throw pillow and chuck it at her head.

She barely flinches, catching it midair with that damn smirk that makes me hot under the collar, still plastered across her face.

“Not even funny!” I snap, though the way she’s looking at me—like she’s thoroughly entertained by my frustration—makes it very clear she thinks it is.

She tosses the pillow onto the couch, utterly unbothered.

“Oh, I disagree.”

I exhale sharply, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“Right. You two...” I turn to our tiny chaos-makers, who are still standing between us, “... get up those stairs. Now.”

Nicki hesitates. “Are we in trouble?”

Agatha snorts. “So much trouble.”

I cross my arms. “You’re lucky you’re not being grounded until your 18th birthday’s.”

Ella gasps dramatically. “That’s so long!”

Nicki, ever the negotiator, tilts his head. “Can we at least still have pancakes in the morning?”

I level them with a look. “Move.”

Ella lets out a little whimper but scurries toward the stairs. Nicki follows, pausing only to cast one last, longing glance at the burnt patch on the rug.

“Man… I really wanted to know if the pirate had treasure.”

Agatha chuckles under her breath.

I glare at her. “Do not laugh at this.”

She holds up her hands in mock surrender, but her smirk is still there, full of mischief.

We get the kids upstairs, the tension from earlier slowly easing, but the exhaustion settling in like a weight.

Nicki trudges ahead, Ella clinging to my hand, her little legs working twice as hard to keep up. Agatha, ever the troublemaker, trails behind, her amusement barely masked beneath the surface.

By the time we get Ella into bed, she’s already yawning, but her mind is still buzzing with questions. She clutches her stuffed rabbit tightly, looking up at me with wide, curious eyes as I tuck the duvet around her.

“Do you think we’ll see Grandma again?” she asks, her voice small, unsure.

At the doorway, Nicki lingers, his hands gripping the frame like he’s not sure if he wants to step in or stay safely outside. His face is unreadable—thoughtful, maybe even a little wary.

I exchange a glance with Agatha, who sits on the edge of Ella’s bed, smoothing her daughter’s hair back with gentle fingers.

“I don’t know, sweetheart,” Agatha murmurs, and for once, her voice is free of sarcasm, of teasing. It’s just honest.

Ella frowns, chewing on the edge of her bunny’s ear.

“She wasn’t scary.”

Nicki scoffs from the doorway. “She kinda was.”

Ella shakes her head stubbornly. “Not like a bad scary. Like�� like a big storm. You don’t know if it’s gonna be fun to watch or if it’s gonna break stuff.”

Agatha raises a brow, impressed. “Well, aren’t you poetic.”

Ella beams sleepily. “I’m very smart.”

I press a kiss to her forehead. “That, you are.”

Nicki still hasn’t moved from the doorway. His brows are furrowed, his lips pressed into a thin line. He’s thinking. Hard.

I straighten, tilting my head. “What is it, bud?”

He hesitates, then asks, “Did she open the door… or did we?”

Agatha’s expression doesn’t change, but I feel the way she stiffens slightly beside me.

Ella, unfazed, snuggles deeper under the duvet. “We did. But she didn’t try to hurt us.”

Nicki bites his lip, clearly unsure about that answer.

I sigh, gesturing for him to come close, so I can reach over to ruffle his hair. “It’s over now. And that means bed.”

He frowns but doesn’t argue, stepping back toward his own room.

Agatha leans over, whispering conspiratorially to Ella, “I’m still voting for a pirate next time.”

I give her a sharp look, and she grins, slipping off the bed.

Ella giggles. “Me too.”

“No one is summoning anything,” I warn. “Now sleep.”

Ella hums, already drifting off, her tiny fingers curled around her stuffed bunny.

Nicki lingers for one more second. “Do you promise it’s over?”

I meet his gaze, then glance at Agatha.

She doesn’t lie to him. She just walks over, and pulls him into her side, and says, “It’s over for tonight.”

Nicki doesn’t look thrilled with that answer, but he nods anyway and disappears into his room.

Once the kids had finally fallen alseep, we headed back downstairs and I turn to Agatha arms crossed.

“Well? Are you going to help me figure out what to do about this?” I gesture at the scorched rug.

Agatha hums, stepping closer, eyeing the damage with a critical expression. Then, ever so casually, she flicks her wrist.

A small surge of magic pulses through the air, and the rug, still visibly burned but now sporting more of a stylised distressed look rather than a gaping hole...smooths out slightly.

She grins. “There. Rustic charm.”

I stare at her. “I hate you.”

She slides her arms around my waist, pulling me close.

“No, you don’t.”

I sigh, letting my forehead drop against her shoulder.

“Our kids just summoned your dead mother, nearly ripped a hole in reality, and I now have one less expensive rug than I started the evening with.”

She hums, pressing a kiss against my temple.

“All true.”

I lift my head to glare at her. “And you think this is funny.”

Her smirk widens. “I think this is our life.”

I groan, but even as I do, I let her pull me in. Because, honestly? She’s right.

And knowing our children, this won’t even be the tip of the iceberg of what havoc they’re going to cause us.

Also on AO3 - Writtenwhiledreaming 💜 (Second chapter of No! You Can’t Hex A Four-Year-Old).

[inbabylontheywept]

xc lends itself to stories well because it has all the weird overlapping insanities of group dynamics and hypoxia and Male Bonding and definitely a little bit of masochism.

and for my second xc story in like a week, we used to do this run down to the local public pool in the summers of hs because the temp was like, 110-115. fucking bastard heat. and this one girl had The Audacity to wear this extremely normal and fine two piece swimsuit that showed approximately a half inch of waist and a bellybutton. this of course was a mortal insult to one particular group of mormons who were so scandalized that they talked to the coach who in turn talked to the group about how Someone Wore a Two Piece Swimsuit and it made Some People very uncomfortable and that the dress code was now one piece swimsuits. and of course the poor girl was absolutely mortified.

now, the varsity were actually really good people in general, but one of them, who i shall name RJ, was just awesome. that sonofabitch could run like a 14:00 5k, but he still had this big ol potbelly, and he was the only person i knew who didnt get nauseous after running. the absolute brainfuck of running in the 110 degree heat along the canals, just struggling to breathe, and then getting smoked by this potbelled toothpick eating a bag of flaming hot cheetoes is just hard to understate. hed go up into the stands during track and buy hotdogs. just a legend. fuck that guy, but you know, in the way where im really just jealous of him.

anyway, RJ took genuine offense to this girl being called out for her totally normal swimsuit so when the next public pool run came around he showed up in a speedo. and it was the xc hivemind thing, where we all knew if we could just, somehow, keep the coach from noticing this guy until we actually pulled out and started running down the block, we were golden. so me and a bunch of other guys gathered around him like the secret service, and we did our stretches, got ready and left, and then RJ, being the beautiful majestic man muffin that he is, popped his shirt off, ran directly to the front of the mormon group, and proceeded to give himself the most brutal wedgie i can describe. practically stretched the speedo over his shoulders. you couldnt get a clearer vision of this mans ass with the hubble telescope.

so the mormon group tried to pass him, which was like stupid of them - nobody passed RJ unless they were willing to piss blood. they tried, they tried so hard to get around him and avoid the blaring eyewatering burn of this mans ghost white ass, but it didnt work, so they tried slowing down which is also something RJ could do indefinitely so eventaully they just kind of gave up and tried not to notice the extremely noticable hairy white butt camped in front of them for the entire three mile run to the pool.

the coach did notice about halfway through the run, but by then there wasnt much he could do. we argued very eloquently between panting and coughing and generally suffering that a speedo is, in fact, a one piece swimsuit, and thus the letter of the law had been fulfilled. id say, i dunno, maybe a hundred of us argued the case.

surprisingly, there was no follow up conversation banning speedos. RJs disapproval of the ban wouldve been enough, but the speedo underlined it in red a few times and at the next run to the pool, several other girls wore tankinis and nobody said shit.

(RJ told me if they had, the next run to the pool wouldve just been him winnie-the-poohing it, and i almost dont doubt it.)