#really happy w/ how i drew salem here :)

[starry-rapo]

The bad guys!!

[imaginecredence]

“I’ll see you again.” (part 3)

Summary: A Credence Barebone imagine (Credence x Reader)

Note: This is the third part to this imagine so make sure you check out the first two! I hope you like and reblog it. There also will most likely be a grammar mistake so bare with me. Anyway… I hope you enjoy!

~After Credence didn't show up at the coffee shop where he was supposed to meet you, you nervously search for him on the streets of New York. You end up telling him you love him and he runs away from his feelings and yours. You begin to feel depressed and regret telling him how you feel. 

Date published: January 22, 2017

Warnings: mentions of abuse, and WAY too much cuteness to handle

Year: November, 1926

Word Count: 1,841

MASTERLIST

PLAYLIST

_______________________________________

After Credence left, you were on cloud nine. You flew around your apartment all morning, getting ready for work. You showered and got dressed and you were out the door. You walked to work with a little skip in your step. You couldn’t stop thinking about him, or maybe it was the way he hugged you that seared your brain. It was so unexpected, so tight. You smiled just thinking about it.

You walked into work the happiest you had been in a long time. 

Everything went so good for you that day, you were so happy and felt like a new person. 

You didn’t go looking for Credence that day after work. You decided to wait till the next evening at the coffee shop to see him. You just wanted time to go faster so you could see him again. That night you went to bed early so the time would go by as fast as it could.The next day you tried to keep yourself busy. You worked a short, morning shift so you had most of the day at home. You tried your hardest to not think about the fact that you were going to get coffee with your new friend.

You read your favorite book, cleaned, drew a lot of pointless pictures, trying to get your mind of off everything. Finally it was time to get ready. You started to pick out your dress; it was much harder than you thought it was going to be. You felt kind of stupid that you cared so much. After all he was just a friend, right? You started to think about him being more than that. Then you quickly wiped that from your thoughts. He wasn’t ready for that kind of relationship. He needed a friend, that was it.

You finally picked out your dress. It was a long sleeve, mustard yellow dress with a white collar.

You fixed your hair and put on your hat. Then you went to the book shelf in your room and ran your fingers across the spines of the books. You wanted to bring Credence a book for him to borrow. After you picked out the perfect book, you headed to the door and put on your coat. You paused for a second, gathering yourself for the night ahead. You smiled and closed the door behind you.

You walked out into the cold evening. You were so excited to see Credence. Even though it had only been a day, you missed him so much. You walked the whole way with a small smile across your face. When you arrived at the coffee shop you were a few minutes early. You scanned the room making sure he hadn’t gotten there first. He wasn’t there, so you went to the corner booth and sat, facing the door so you wouldn’t miss when he came. 

Ten minutes had passed, no Credence. It was well over 7:00 by the time you began to get really worried. He must be running late, or he couldn’t get away from his mother. 

7:43…. No Credence.

8:06…. You were starting to get really nervous. You stood up and headed for the door. 

You stepped out into the cold air, walking in the direction of the Second Salem church, where he lived. When you finally got near the church, you saw him standing quite a ways from the church. In the cold, trying to hand flyers to people that passed by. People pushed past him in a hurry to get to their destination. 

Slowly you made your way to him. His back was facing you, so he didn’t see you coming. You lightly tapped his shoulder. He turned around, his red, puffy eyes looked at you. Quietly he said, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t come.” Tears began to fall down is cold, rosy cheeks. 

You wiped them away saying, “It’s fine. We can try another time.” 

“I-I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said walking away, towards the church. You quickly caught up to him, gently grabbing his arm. 

“Hey, What’s wrong? What happened?” 

He stood still, head bowed, and shoulder hunched. 

“Credence?” you said, while lifting his chin.

“W-Why do you do all of this for me?” He said shifting his eyes to yours. “Because you need help and a friend and…” you sighed, looking down. “And I-I love you…” you looked back up to see shock in Credence’s eyes. He thought for a second he heard you wrong, but looking at your face he knew he didn’t. 

You gave him a small, nervous smile.  

“Well, you shouldn’t,” he said, pulling away from your grasp again, starting to run towards the church. You stood there with your hand slightly extending where it used to hold Credence’s arm. Your eyes filled with tears as you watched him run away from you.

When Credence got back to the church, he went up to his room quietly so he wouldn’t be noticed. He laid, curled up on his bed. It felt like the room was closing in on him. He couldn’t believe what you had said to him. “I love you.” It played over and over in his head. Did you mean it? Did he love you too? But he quickly wiped these thoughts away. You deserved much better than him and all the pain he came with. You deserved a strong man, someone who could protect you. He fell asleep with those bitter thoughts. You walked home crying. Your tears felt cold as they streamed down your cheeks. You finally got home and went straight to your bed, crying yourself to sleep as well.The next day you woke up early and headed off to work. The last thing you wanted to do was work, but you couldn’t afford to take the day off. So you trudged to work. You didn’t try to look for Credence that day. You thought you should back away and hope he would come to you when he was ready… if he would ever be ready. This feeling of regret had been hanging over you since you said those three words. When got off of work it was time for dinner, so you decided you were going to make some soup. It was a dreary, rainy day, which didn’t help your mood. And you had totally forgotten an umbrella, so you had to walk home in the pouring rain.

Once you got to your apartment you were soaked. You quickly changed so you wouldn’t catch a cold. 

Then you started to make the soup. When you were cutting up vegetables you started to think of how much fun it would be if Credence was here to help cook. Your eyes started to well up with tears. You quickly wiped them away and got yourself together.After you finished the soup you filled up a bowl and sat at your small kitchen table. You sat with your head bowed. You didn’t feel like eating. You looked up at the chair in front of you and began to cry. You sobbed as you stared at where Credence had sat only a few days ago. You sat there crying for a few minutes when you decided you had to see him. You couldn’t just let go of something that made your lonely life so great. You left the steaming bowl of soup on the table, grabbed your coat and umbrella, and left your apartment in search for your only friend.It was still pouring rain when you left your apartment, but you didn’t care. You searched for Credence, walking up and down the streets. You were about to give up when you saw him in the distance. He was handing out flyers in the pouring rain. He didn’t have a coat or an umbrella. You quickly made your way to him. He was staring at his feet when he noticed two feet stop in front of him. The rain had stopped peacefully hitting him when your umbrella was over you both. He slowly raised his head to see your sweet face. Your eyes and nose were red from crying. You managed to give him a small smile. 

You looked into each others sad eyes, trying to figure out what to say. “Credence, I can’t do this without you. You’ve brought so much happiness into my life these past few weeks,” you said nervously, “Before I met you I was so lonely and I didn’t have any friends.” you were embarrassed to admit all of these things to him, and you couldn’t look him in the eyes. But he was looking at you. He couldn’t understand why he meant so much to you. How could he bring you happiness when he himself was so sad. After you had finished admitting everything, you stood there with your head bowed. Credence took a step closer to you, as the rain poured down outside of the umbrella and the people rushed by you. 

“Y/N, you have helped me more then you know,” said Credence quietly, head bowed as well. “But you deserve better. You deserve someone strong, someone kind, someone who isn’t me.” 

The words broke your heart. You looked up at him, his head was still bowed, so you slowly lifted his chin and his eyes met yours. You looked at him with broken eyes and said, “Credence, you are kind and you are strong. You have made it through so much.” 

He looked at you and slightly nodded, looking down again. 

“When you said you loved me-” he started. “did you mean it?” he partially raised his head. 

“Of course.” you said quietly, raising your head also. 

You looked into each others eyes, both taking a step forward. You put your hand on his neck, your eyes never leaving his. 

“C-Can I kiss you?” he whispered.

You smiled, leaning forward on you toes. Your lips touched softly to his. Credence’s shaking hand went to your waist. The world froze. Every rain drop stopped in midair and all of the people passing, looked as though they were walking in slow motion. You pulled away slowly, looking into his eyes. You both blushed and smiled. You went back in for a tight hug. With one arm around his neck and one holding the umbrella, you stood there for a while, embracing. 

When you pulled away you looked up at him and said, “Don’t leave me like that again. I don’t know what I would do without you.” 

He nodded and half smiled. He couldn’t believe someone cared about him this much. When you left, you insisted on leaving him your umbrella. He refused, but gave in when you didn’t give him a choice.

Credence stood there as he watched you dash away, pulling your coat over your head. You were soaked when you got home, but you didn’t mind. He had just kissed you and you both couldn’t believe it and both of you couldn’t stop smiling.

To be continued…

PART FOUR

[snippychicke]

Monsters & Men--Nine

@idesinfection​, @crowleys-poppet-queen-of-asgard​ @aislinsekhem​ @arcadiasblog​

Title: Of Monsters and Men

Rating: Innocent (G)

Chapter: Nine

Go to the ---> First

When you had a feeling things had shifted, you had no idea how true that would prove to be.

A few days after that odd encounter, Nahuel once more demanded an evening walk after a boring day at McNally’s. And honestly, seeing Graves actually sounded like a better idea than usual. To have someone happy to see you, to see warmth in someone’s eyes directed towards you instead of the vacant, shadowed look in Credence’s, or the annoyed look that McNally had today when you had a very quiet yet intense argument about money and your apparent lack thereof. Honestly, the man was becoming worse than your own parents.

Just one smile. That’s all you needed. Just a smile and maybe a friendly hello, and it would make up for the gloomy day.

You gave the usual knock on the polished brass, and waited rather nervously with your hands in your coat pockets. It wasn’t long before the door opened with a slight click, but barely enough for Nahuel to slip in before closing again, leaving you a little lost for a moment.

W-what the heck? Your hand was a mere second away from knocking again, demanding an answer before you caught yourself. Maybe-maybe he had a busy day. Surly that was it. Tired and overworked as yourself, and you had just caught him at a bad time. Your hands slipped back in your coat pocket, though your feet were hesitant to leave, almost praying that the door would open again and he’d give some perfectly logical excuse as an apology.

Except it never came, so you begrudgingly left the brownstone, feeling a little worse than when you had arrived.

---

Nahuel continued to lead you to Graves, but he was nothing like before. Now he was aloof; polite but distant. Each time, he either said nothing or offered a brief yet polite thank you as Nahuel made his way into the apartment before he closed the door. No more friendly smiles, or simple questions that led to flustered rambles. No quirky smirks that left you feeling flush. No offers to escort you home, no kisses to your knuckles. None of the Percival you had come to expect. The man that you loved.

You missed him. You saw him at least twice a week, but you missed him. And you were clueless to the sudden change. Was he that opposed to the Second Salemers? Yes, they were crazy, but it wasn’t as if you agreed with any of their ideals. You had simply expressed that odd feeling in your gut that something was amiss. You didn’t even really believe magic being a serious option.

Frequent fall rainstorms continued to depress your mood with grey skies as you worked at McNally’s, and the long nights at the club didn’t help either.

You were tired.

Overworked.

Miserable.

Stressed.

Worried.

Lonely.

“Hey Nahuel,” you muttered as the sleek cat trotted up the stairs of the fire escape, where you had taken refuge. No one would hear you crying out there, unlike the paper thin walls inside. The tawny cat paused for a moment, giving you a critical look before headbutting your bent knee, purring loudly as you reached out to him, making you smile. “At least you still like me,” you whispered as he climbed in your lap, acting as if he was starved for affection.

Rather like Credence. The young man that initially was hesitant, but once understood your touch wasn’t going to hurt simply curled into your embrace, or gripped your hand so tight it hurt. His actions spoke of such desperation, yet couldn’t say anything; because when you did, he only drew away from you.

He may not be much younger than you in years, but he inspired a fierce maternal instinct that was hard to deny. Yet, you couldn’t protect him. Just tend the wounds after the fact, and hope you could mend the emotional ones as well.

“I can’t do anything right, can I?” you confessed to the cat. “Can’t keep a friend. Can’t protect anyone. Heck the other girls here think I’m some weirdo and won’t have nothing to do with me. All cause I don't wanna rely on a guy. Heh, and here I am mooning over one.” There was a huff of laughter as you shook your head, “I’m a mess, ain’t I?”

Nahuel mewed in agreement, which earned a sharp bark of laughter from you. “You agree, huh? Well, let’s get this over with so I can come back for a good cry.”

There was an odd look in his eye, but he made no protest as you stood. He walked by your side instead of leading the way, which surprisingly helped ease the ache of loneliness. But didn’t help the sense of dread that replaced the nervous jitters that once consumed you as you approached the fancy brownstone. You didn’t want to see that detachment on the face that once made your heart race. The cold stony gaze that replace the warm, fond look in those beautiful dark eyes.

So, instead of waiting after giving the knocker one quick rapp, you turned and retreated. Nahuel yowled, but you ignored him for once, especially as you heard the door click open.

And yet, you still couldn’t resist pausing a few moments later when you reached the staircase, turning you head just enough to see down the hall. You expected it would be empty, but he was there, standing outside his door halfway down the hall. For a moment, you swore you something flash across his face; maybe regret, loss, something. But as quick as it came, it disappeared and he retreated back into his home.

So, this was how heartbreak felt like. Tears pricked at your eyes as you rushed down the stairs, but you didn’t manage to leave the building dry-eyed. Couldn’t make it off the block before your knees crumpled and left you sobbing on the sidewalk, unaware of strangers giving you a wide berth as they passed.

You were alone. Well and truly alone.

And Lord, if it didn’t hurt.

***

Nahuel protested loudly at the door, scratching at it. Or trying to, his nails scratching at the magical barrier that kept his own magic from opening the door. The tawny beast paced back to where Graves sat at his desk, jumping up in the middle of the heavy tome he had been flipping though.

Graves leaned back in the chair with a sigh, meeting the cat’s steely gaze with his own. “For the last time, Nahuel, no.”

The wampus argued by thrashing his tail, upsetting the piles of paper that sat around him. The papers floated in the air for a moment before settling back in their appropriate stacks, only to be disrupted again by Nahuel as he continued to glare at the wizard. “You can’t keep leading her here,” Graves argued against Nahuel’s silent demand. “It’s only making things worse.” Because each time he saw her, it about broke his resolve. Seeing tears form in her eyes, a broken expression on the face that was usually so sunny, smiling ear to ear.

But he would have never guess watching her walk away would be even worse. She may not have said a word, but he got the message clearly enough. She was done with this. With him. He would respect her wishes, as much as it killed him.

Honestly, what had he expected, befriending a no-maj? There wasn’t going to be a happy end to that scenario. In fact, this was probably one of the better outcomes. And maybe, if he kept telling himself, he’d actually start believing it.  

***

Two weeks. Two weeks with no sign of Graves. Two weeks without a visit from Nahuel. Two boring, quiet weeks. You had wanted the drudgery of walking the cat home end, to stop having your heart broken every time. Except...except this felt worse. Seeing him, knowing he was okay...that was better than this complete absence.

“Um, ma’am,” Credence started, breaking you out of your thoughts, especially when he hesitantly used your name. “You..haven’t been...yourself lately,” he started, holding the broom tightly in his grip while his eyes carefully stayed on the straw bristles. “Are you mad about something?”

“Oh, honey, no,” you quickly reassured. “I’ve just been kinda down lately, that’s all.”

You had rather hoped the explanation would be enough, but here was a moment before he looked up, his eyes as dark as Graves but seemingly fathomless and shadowed. “Why?”

You sighed, putting down the rag you had been washing the windows with--it was after hours, thankfully, though a few people still passed on the sidewalks outside. “A-A friend of mine...well, he doesn’t want to be my friend anymore. And I don’t really understand why.” You didn’t dare tell him your suspicion that the simple little leaflet had caused the massive rift to form.

Something shifted in his dark eyes as he looked back down and resumed sweeping. “I’m sorry.”

You sighed again, “It’s not your fault. It happens sometimes, I guess. I just wasn’t prepared for it.” After all, everything had been going good. More than you could have hoped. You had felt you had been on the precipice of something special, only to have this happen instead.

You shook those thoughts out of your mind and shot Credence a small smile. “Hey, at least I got you, right?”

That got a shocked looked from him, which made your smile grow just a bit. A smile inched its way across his face as he bashfully looked away once more. “Y-yeah. You have me.” He froze as you impulsively breached the distance between you and pulled him in for a hug, this time for your comfort instead of his. His arms wrapped around you after a slight hesitation before he repeated himself quietly. “You have me.”

***

Wizards were idiots.

Nahuel lounged in the dying sunlight that filtered through the window, looking out over New York. It was common knowledge that most of wizarding kind were rather dim. Actually, all humans were, magical or not. They all thought they knew everything when honestly they were oblivious to the true nature of the world. Just like little children. He had thought this wizard had an ounce of intelligence; after all, he was one of the few that seemed to understand him.

But yet, here he was. That boy was suffering, the swell of dark magic becoming nearly tangible to anything with the slightest sense of magic that resided in the city. He had literally led Graves the one person that could help him save the boy, who could stop the dark magic before it grew out of control. Because when that power did become too much, when it finally erupted in all of its glory and not these small burst that only delayed the inevitable…. It would be impossible to contain. It would wreak destruction across the city, killing anything in its path.

It was Graves job to keep the city safe, yet what did he do? Stuck to that silly wizard law, even when it was plain to see his instincts were telling him otherwise. Somehow, he wasn’t connecting the dots, and Nahuel was starting to question if he even could. Perhaps he had put too much faith in him.

He wouldn’t let the boy die. He wouldn’t be responsible for hundreds, possibly thousands, of lives that would be lost. If Graves wouldn’t open his eyes and help, he would.

***

When you returned to your small little room after yet another depressing day, you were met with Nahuel was spread out on your bed, giving a small chirp as a greeting when you opened the door. You paused for a moment, surprised, and secretly delighted.

“What are you doing here?” You asked as you sank down on the bed next to him. He predictably gave no answer, but pressed his head against your hand with a purr so you would scratch between his ears. “Is Per...Is Mr. Graves out of town again?” Again, no answer, so you sigh and gave into the urge of snuggling down against the cat, letting his warm fur brush your cheek. “Well, I guess you know the drill. Just stay out of sight, okay?”

He gave a slightly affronted meow, making you laugh slightly. “I know, I know, how dare I imply that the great Nahuel would be caught.” Still, it felt nice to have him crashing with you again. Especially as you readied yourself for bed before crawling underneath the already warmed covers and feel his familiar weight settle along your back.

If Graves was out of town again, for whatever reason...you sent a silent prayer he would be okay.

[dazzledbybooks]

Selah has waited her whole life for a happily ever after. As the only daughter of the leader of Potomac, she knows her duty is to find the perfect match, a partner who will help secure the future of her people. Now that day has finally come. But after an excruciatingly public rejection from her closest childhood friend, Selah’s stepmother suggests an unthinkable solution: Selah must set sail across the Atlantic, where a series of potential suitors awaits—and if she doesn’t come home engaged, she shouldn’t come home at all. From English castle gardens to the fjords of Norge, and under the eye of the dreaded Imperiya Yotne, Selah’s quest will be the journey of a lifetime. But her stepmother’s schemes aren’t the only secrets hiding belowdecks…and the stakes of her voyage may be higher than any happy ending. The Beholder (The Beholder #1)by Anna BrightPublisher: HarperTeenRelease Date: June 4th 2019Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Retellings Favorite Quotes: "I knew our history as well as I knew my duty. But duty had felt different when it had looked like Peter." “I don’t know how you do things in New York. I don’t know what makes a lady, in your eyes. Where I come from, a lady knows how to help people.” “You mean I have to know what I want.”  “I mean you have the power to choose.” “‘No one knows how many years he has, Seneschal-elect. Life is short and death is certain….So every moment I am aboveground and not below it, I want to feel the difference. We’ll all be in our graves soon enough.'” “‘Not everyone is fast. Not everyone is clever. I could only stay one step ahead of my enemy before my reinforcements arrived. But if you’re one step ahead of them, they still haven’t caught you.'” "Set your course and trim your sails, Seneschal-elect. And whatever your heading, keep your eyes ahead'” Book Links: Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36558159-the-beholder Amazon: https://amzn.to/2OWvM02 B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-beholder-anna-bright/1128751049?ean=9780062845429#/ Bookdepository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Beholder-Anna-Bright/9780062845429?ref=grid-view&qid=1554744094457&sr=1-1 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-beholder-6 Google Books: https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Beholder.html?id=Qm61uwEACAAJ&redir_esc=y Review: The Beholder by Anna Bright is a lot different than what I expected. I think it was different in a good way. I was expecting a fierce warrior woman to go on an adventure and prove everyone wrong. Really we have a protagonist that is a bit timid, she is super trusting, and she is super soft. I was definitely surprised. Selah is rejected by the boy she loves. Now she is being sent away to find herself a husband. It doesn’t matter that she has made herself present in her country, everyone wants her to be a bride. Selah just wants to lick her wounds. Let’s discuss the world building. I really enjoyed how Bright used both real and fictional places for this book. I felt like it really made the worlds collide. Selah goes on the adventure of a life time. She may have been hesitant to leave but she is getting to explore the world. She is visiting new places and meeting new people. I thought it was very unique to have Selah know different stories about each place she visited but at the same time it really made her get to know the different places more. I could just live in this world. I loved it so much. Another thing that I really liked is that Selah really grows on her journey. She becomes someone that is afraid and always worried about making a mistake to someone that accepts herself and embraces her mistakes. I think Selah really finds herself on this journey. She is beginning to realize the type of person that she wants to be.Bright is a fantastic author. She drew me into the story right away and I was hooked. I really loved getting to know this world and all the characters. I feel like I've known Selah my whole life. When you get that feeling, then yo know the author is a fantastic author because they could make you feel. The feel of the book also had a great pace. I am really looking forward to book two. I can't wait to see what happens to Selah next. This book is definitely refreshing and you should give it a chance. Book Excerpt: https://aerbook.com/books/The_Beholder-217912.html?social=1&retail=1&emailcap=0 https://www.epicreads.com/blog/sneak-peek-the-beholder/ About the Author:  I believe in woods, mountains, highways, cobblestones, roller coasters, dancing, concerts, cherry Pop Tarts, books, and magic. When I'm not reading or writing on my couch, I'm dragging my husband off on an adventure, communing with Salem (my kitten/spiritual familiar), or causing trouble at One More Page Books, where I work. Author Links:  Website: https://www.annabrightbooks.com Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17310926.Anna_Bright Twitter: https://twitter.com/brightlyanna Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightlyanna/?hl=en Tumblr: http://merryandbr1ght.tumblr.com/ Blog Tour: May 29th The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club - Welcome Post May 30th Book Slaying - Review + Favourite Quotes A Court of Coffee and Books - Review + Favourite Quotes OlaReadsBooks - Review What's She Reading? - Review May 31st Bookish Looks - Story in 3 or 5 GIFs The Book Nut - Review + Playlist Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile - Review Dazzled by Books - Review + Favourite Quotes June 1st Wishful Endings - Interview Moonlight Rendezvous - Review + Favourite Quotes Here's to Happy Endings - Review Book Rambler - Review + Favourite Quotes June 2nd Confessions of a YA Reader - Book Style A Dream Within A Dream - Review ashleigh jayne - Review Bri's Book Nook - Review June 3rd Pages and Pugs - Story Behind the Cover L.M. 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