#rip black void cookie

[wartieingreek]

A Frozen Void (Black Void Cookie’s Story)

(NOTE: Beast Ancients AU and thus the setting of this story belong to @cuppajj, I make no claim of ownership over anything in this story except Black Void Cookie themself. Have a good read, I don’t write often.)

The weather this side of the Great Icing Ridge wasn’t usually this bad, yes, the seemingly ceaseless blizzard was bad, but not blindingly so. Black Void Cookie, scuttling about on their spidery hind appendages, struggled to see what’s ahead. The cookie body they inhabit not helping despite having more functional eyes. Each stab into the soft snow left a knife like marking, the long sharp limbs keeping them locked with the ground. They wobbled slightly from the sheer force of the snow. Even with the heightened insulation from the worn corpse, Black Void Cookie shivered in the beating weather. They should have turned back at the ridge itself, but the hostility from Dragonberry’s kingdom pushing that thought forever away. Whatever was north-west wouldn’t matter, their primal mind rationalised that nobody would be in or on this side of the ridge.

That was until they stumbled into a wall, dark and rough. They stared for a moment, feelers emerging from the cookie’s mouth to sense it. Chocolate. Frozen cold. Nothing they couldn’t climb. So they did spidery appendages stabbing into the markings on the wall, the distant roaring of the Licorice Sea seemingly picking up. They continued scaling the wall, snow battering their backside then dully falling to the ground. A round obtrusion met their path, easier to scale for them due to it’s grooves, minus the overhang. Once they got on top the cold seemingly increased out of nowhere. The Licorice Sea roared louder, slightly deafening now. They scuttled about the battlements, searching for cookies either to use as new hosts or to flee from. Nobody.

After making sure no cookies were near, they scuttled down the other side of the wall. Tarsi touching down on the snow, soft and delicate. Just in case. Slowly stepping along the snow, the white ground seemingly more cold each time. They moved between stalls and buildings, looking for cookies. Still nobody. That’s good. They moved into the open, each step now with a gentle click as they moved along the path. That’s when the large structure came into view, towering over the rest before disappearing into the blizzard. Black Void Cookie stared, feelers peeking out the cookie body’s mouth as they slowly approached the door. Chocolate again. Their head tilted, accenting their curiosity by tapping the door with a leg.

They immediately regretted that choice. Ice crept up the appendage as they backed up, flailing about along the paths, stumbling into stalls and walls. The ice continued to climb the leg rapidly approaching the joint. The next time that leg hit the ground, it froze there. Black Void tried their hardest to rip it out, three legs trying to push away from the limb. No dice. The ice continued to climb the leg, adrenaline fuelling Black Void’s body making their legs scrape whatever the ends could touch. It continued to climb, nearing the cookie body and thus the rest of the leg connections. They flailed, the internal creature stuck in the body due to the ice. The leg joints froze, flailing reduced to mere kicks. Fear was evident in the creature’s movement as the ice continued to creep over their body. It quickly overcame the rest of the legs, freezing them solid. The cookie body’s limbs, too froze, leaving just the head iceless. That would cease soon, the entire creature frozen solid, like many Dark Cacao natives before them.

(Sorry if my art isn’t the best, my CRK style isn’t the best out there :3)

[neverniko101]

Trying to convince my brain that I cannot make another ask blog (it is not working help)

Anyway, a swapverse! Phastasmverse? Is that too hard to spell?

Uh

Yeah, I might be making another ask blog, probably on an actually different blog this time

I’ll probably alternate between working on this and Horror Dreamtale between STP

Rambling about precious children ⬇️

Amber (Dream by Joku):

- Tall bee man

- Smug asshole

- Got rich off selling his brother’s inventions

- Runs a fancy multiverse-wide Casino/Bar/Restaurant

Pollen (Dust by Ask Dusttale):

- Sweet little guy

- I say “little”, but he’s actually pretty tall

- Botanist obsessed with flowers

- has never killed anyone

- ever

- especially not by poisoning them with flowers

- Terrified of bears, even teddy bears

Cyan (Nightmare by Joku):

- Acts scary but is really a goofy little guy

- Mad scientist/engineer

- Uses inventions to run mazes, haunted house etc. to get negative emotions

- Lives in a giant (very, very heavily trapped and guarded) castle by himself

- Mechanical tentacles/arms, Doc Ock style

Epoxy (Ink by Comyet):

- Acts like a goofy little guy but is really scary

- >:3

- Likes to climb Amber and sit on his shoulder

- definitely not some kind of horror that traps people in resin cocoons and drains their life force

Razor (Cross by Jakei):

- After his AU was destroyed, he ripped a hole into the anti void, corrupting him and destroying the remains of Xtale

- Hunts ‘bugs’ in AUs, sometimes destroying entire universes to ensure the bug doesn’t spread

- Memory issues, doesn’t remember most of Xtale

- lonely someone befriend this man

Stitch (Error by Loverofpiggies):

- Runs around AUs taking parts of them to sew into the broken parts of his own AU, Cross-style

- Often accidentally causes bugs in AUs he visits, corrupting/destroying them himself or causing Razor to destroy them

- On the run from Razor

- Can animate his puppets to do little chores

- Fights with a giant sewing needle as a weapon

- Also needs friends

Mist (Fell by Vic):

- Probably the chillest guy here

- It’s his job to make sure that everyone gets enough sleep

- Will be disappointed in you if you don’t go to bed on time

- Has several pet bunnies

Comet (Outer by 2mi127):

- Angry little guy

- One of two employees at the Multiversal Transportation and Postal services

- Runs exclusively on coffee and baked goods provided by Cookie (the only person he can tolerate)

- Can take you basically anywhere, but you’d have to convince him to do so, which is difficult even for Cookie

- Catches on fire when too angry

Azoic (Fresh by Loverofpiggies):

- Mercenary

- Unnaturally good at making improvised weapons

- Is a cowboy? Don’t know where that came from

- Has a horse named Penelope

- Trying to earn money

Toxin (Killer by Rafbawas):

- He seems fun

- Perfectly mentally stable

- Eats the fabric of the multiverse

- Turns people into mindless rainbow zombies

Marrow (Horror by Sourapplestudios):

- Bounty Hunter

- Able to switch out his body parts with other monsters and humans

- Pretty chill all things considered

Crypt (Reaper by Renrink):

- Uh

- what

- what is that

- just some guy that Palid decided to adopt?

Palid (Geno by Loverofpiggies):

- His name is a mix of Pallid (being pale or dull, like a dead person or ghost) and Paladin (a hero)

- Kind of adopted Papyrus’ personality after his death

- Precious little guy

- Finds Crypt in an ally and is like “yup I’m keeping him”

- Fights with a morning star

Ghost (Blue by Popcorn prince):

- Sad boy

- Able to manipulate water, especially his tears

- Has started following Razor around for no apparent reason

Cookie (Lust by NSFWShamecave):

- Again, just a genuinely nice person

- Runs a bakery!

- Obsesses over people easily

- Can and will give you a hug

Sweettooth/Ttoo (Ccino by Black-Nyanko):

- So high energy (as a result of experiments, probably) that they need to almost constantly be eating high-energy food, typically sugar

- Trying to find a cure along with their best friend, Cookie

- When low on energy, will start to melt and attack any nearby source of energy, including souls

help

[brittle-doughie]

Hey Brittle! Sorry for looking like i'm impatient and Tumbler ate my ask so I'll repeat it here. How about a scenario of y/n cookie spliting into three versions of themselves because of an accident (they were visiting alchemist cookie but a potion fell on them) one being the emotional side, the second one being the logical side (despite this one being the logical side they have an ego) and the third one being what's left of a living being that lacks emotion and logical thinking, the instinct and struggle to survive (this one isn't always going through the struggle of trying to live btw but they do lack some ability to rationally think, they will act now and ask later. This also leads to unfiltered thoughts that are sometimes said outloud, this ranges from very random to very concerning.) The other cookies (specifically the ancients, legendaries, the beasts, and dragons[wow that's quite the group of cookies]) found out about this and go to Alchemist's location to see if they're alright, unfortunately for them the emotional and logical sides hate eachothers existence and will consantly argue with eachother which quickly escilates into a physical fight between them with the third half desperately trying to stop both but because of them acting now and ask later thing, it leads to them picking the worst way possible, especially when into more time of their existence the other two get to the point of trying to kill eachother accidental or not,leading the other two to get horribly damaged in the long run with the emotional side getting perminantly blinded and further into their existence the logical side's vocal chords get ripped out and now they have a voice modulator, leading to the third becoming quite suicidal(an attempt was made in the progress which failed cuz of the other to interfere.) And when they finally become y/n again they held one fourth of each of their injuries, slight rope burn marks on the neck, slight blindness on both eyes, and throat (do cookies even have throats and necks?) has slight injury causing their voice to become a little horse, all of these injuries are caused by the three sides that they split into and are permanent, the worst part about this being y/n misses the comforting black void without to worry about other cookies wanting to be or stalking them ect. Which leads y/n back to alchemist cookie's lab, steals the potion, goes back home, and drinks some of it, causing the other three sides to go back to hating eachother and back into existence and y/n now peacefully in the black void as the their three sides are now back to square one, which after becoming y/n again will worsen their injuries and their condition. Can we have their reactions to this situation? (Sorry for how long this is and take this as a reference to an au crossover i'm making lol) Sincerely- CCCC Anon

Literal wall of text, pls put spaces between paragraphs next time going insane aaaaaa-

Since there are three sides to Y/N Cookie, there will be a split amongst the group of cookies on who they’d likely take the side on. Emotional, Logical, and Instinctual are all still Y/N in their own ways.

But the overall situation would be Y/N wanting to escape their situation of having the cookies crowd and stalk them and want to just hide away for as long as they can.

Cookies that are attuned to your Emotional side like White Lily and Pure Vanilla Cookie would feel horrible that this is all happening because you’re wanting to escape the stalking, the constant attention, it was a horrible thing to hear that this side of you had been blinded. This side of you lived up to your part, unable to control your emotions as the two watch you break down..

Your Instinctal side…that’s something in the Dragons’ side of things. Longan would want you to do what came natural in your general nature as a cookie. Pitaya would want you to just go with what the first thought in your head was to do. For them, it was to fight! Even when you’re all put together as one, they’ll still tell you to just follow your first instinct as a cookie. Crumbling yourself wouldn’t be their answer though…

Some of the others may align with your Logical side. Ice Queen would advise that you should let feelings cloud important judgement on things. Shadow Milk Cookie is more blunt, he was the former Virtue of Knowledge after all. Why should others’ feelings or instincts change the facts, use your head and come to your own decision, and make sure no cookie change your choice. Yes, even if it did result in your voice faltering.

[jmakumatized]

WHEW it's late here already but after watching this episode I just had to find somewhere to pour out my feelings and what better way than the cold black void also known as my Tumblr blog? 😭👊 P.S. sorry in advance if this is a mess

⚠️ Jubilation Episode Spoilers Ahead⚠️

Same Old Creepy Lunatic

Okay, let's start with Mr. Cotton buds here. We all know that this man is actually insane but, oh man, seeing who seems to be Emily as his Siri rip-off got me off-guard. We saw in "Multiplication" that he had to do a full body scan of Adrien in what I assume is a facility owned by the Tsurugis to make his 3D model. I doubt he would have requested Amelie to do this for a number of reasons. So, did he just secretly drag Emily's unconscious body to the facility to get her scanned just so she can be his personal virtual assistant? 💀

Also, we've seen Hawky change costumes many times but I honestly like his old classic costume way better than any other else ESPECIALLY this Monarch one. The new one just looks so much more hilarious 😭😂 like PLEASE why did he randomly decide to have his ears out? And I see that his fake grandkids got their grandpapi's piercing blue eyes.

Kwami and Technology

Ya'll, they literally reminded us in this episode that Kwamis aren't supposed to be detected by tech but then we now see that they're largely being controlled by... guess what? Technology! Like, Hawky is literally transferring their powers to the akumatized's ring as if he were just sending an email. But ya know what? this is Miraculous we're talking about. The logic in this show is non-existent so let's just not think too deeply about this and move on *cough cough*

The Dream

Oh my god. This... this part was a rollercoaster of emotions

Firstly, this shot kinda caught me off-guard again because... Chat Noir in all white... *sobs* at least it didn't give Ladybug any traumatic flashbacks I guess 😭🏃‍♀️💨

Secondly, I love how they get more creepy babies with each next shot 😂 I guess they'll have more than just Louis, Emma, and Hugo.

"Neither do I, my sweet kitten. So Join me!"

yeah, you heard that? That was my heart shattering into a million pieces. The moment when the umbrella theme music started playing, I knew that this scene would destroy me. the fact that Chat Noir tried to break the clock makes my heart hurt so much. He wanted to stay in this dream so bad that he'd risk everything else. The fact that he also had to stay behind a little longer to grieve everything that he just lost is- is- AGHHHHH 😭 this poor boy just let him be truly happy FOR ONCE! And the way they kissed each other with tears streaming down both their cheeks 🥺😫 Ladybug's line was also seriously so romantic: "But I don't want to lose all of this!" "Neither do I, my sweet kitten. So Join me!" She's saying that she still wants to have this life with him but to truly have this future, they have to wake up 🥺😭 SO IT KILLS ME HOW IN DENIAL SHE STILL WAS DURING THE END SCENE!!! At least we see that Chat was slightly smiling during their conversation about it, which could mean that he knows it wasn't really manipulated and what they both saw are truly what they both desired. *deep inhale of copium*

If you made it this far, thanks again for reading my rambles. *hands you a cookie 🍪* till next time!

[m1lky-wayz]

Vanilla :D

Background:

Vanilla:

Gender: Female

Age: 7

Height: 3’ 7”

Birthday: ???, The Void

Species: Half-Deity

Likes:

Hugs

Cookies

Animals

Flowers

Red

Dislikes:

Being alone

The Narrator

Large crowds

Peter Pan

Appearance:

Tan skin

Short, brown hair with bangs

Brown eyes

Red cape with a darker red heart patch on the side that wraps around her entire body and covers all of her lower body except her shoes.

Red collar held together by a black opal.

Black mary janes

White knee socks.

Traits:

Ambivert

Nice

Innocent

Optimist

Huggable

Nonchalant

Flaws:

Gullible

Blunt

Naive

Emotional wreck

Clingy

Manipulative

Trauma:

Memories wiped

Nearly died

Betrayed by her creator

Quote: “I have no idea! :D”

Weapon of choice: A hug :3 (Wooden toy sword)

Backstory:

After The Embodiment of Chaos, Milky ripped the fear out of her soul, creating a child she dubbed as Vanilla. Milky began raising her until eventually erasing all her memories and sending her to The Land of Everlasting Stories (or as Milky likes to call it, a sh*thole)

[jam-knife]

Is there anything you think is unforgivable? Is unconditional love a real thing?

B took in a breath, mouth opening up as if to say something. Yet, no sound came out. Perhaps it was caution, warning him against opening up to C after the extense history of tragedies that had befallen those naïve enough to pour their thoughts in the boy's glass.

Perhaps the risk of answering was not strong enough to smother his instinct to do so, but instead something else held his tongue in a knot.

B gave himself the time to think about those questions. In the end, he concluded he was beyond a point where whatever C said or did to him could harm him. Not that B would ever give him enough of himself to let that happen ever again; not after everything they'd been through.

'Unforgivable'.

A powerful word. He was certain every person had their own definition for it. To B, something truly 'unforgivable' meant a point of no return; a damage by all means irreparable.

He cast his eyes down, memories flashing in his head. Images of his childhood, of his own gang members selling him out for their own unscrupulous benefit. Then, memories of his adolescence, of a half-open bathrobe covered in cookie crumbs, and a pair of blood-curdling black eyes too disdainful to be capable of a glare, peeking through (still damp) black locks.

He remembered the torn fragments of a letter scattered on the floor of his room, and how the rain and blood on his fingers soiled them further when he scrambled to piece it together to no avail.

So, he answered:

"Betrayal."

It all boiled down to that single concept, in the end.

B wasn't a person characterized for his quickness in trusting others. In fact, every time he had reached the point of trusting someone other than himself, it had been against his will, his soul stripped bare against his consent, against his better judgement.

Not trusting anyone should make avoiding betrayal all the easier, and yet...

"I can condone a lot of things. Put up with and look past an endless list of hideous acts most people would adamantly condemn. I can handle abuse, and find pleasure in revenge. But betrayal is something I don't believe I could ever come back from."

If his chest got torn open, his heart exposed to the elements, his pulse in another's hands, only for it to be squashed... no matter how much the culprit meant to him and no matter the experiences shared, he'd never be able to look at them in the eyes the same way.

Kick him. Berate him. Stab him. Threaten him. Kill him, and see if he cares.

Betray him... and he'll rip out the heart you owe him to fill the void.

"As for 'unconditional love'... I don't think such thing exists. Nothing about human nature, nothing, is truly unconditional."

And even as a fictitious concept, while it sounded romantic in theory, he found it'd be quite disturbing in practice. Blind love that knew no limitations was no different from codependency; no different from genocide in the name of a personal God.

A God that cared not about free will... only devotion.

The highest expression of trust. The finest introduction to betrayal.

[lupes-hat]

I posted 3,798 times in 2022

That's 3,556 more posts than 2021!

20 posts created (1%)

3,778 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@aquitainequeen

@blossomdogthekarmaqueen

@lilactealeaves

@remarkable-ghost

@happinessisntfun

I tagged 3,454 of my posts in 2022

Only 9% of my posts had no tags

#star wars - 446 posts

#a league of their own - 288 posts

#video - 236 posts

#black sails - 159 posts

#the x files - 125 posts

#anakin skywalker - 112 posts

#lupe garcia - 109 posts

#obi wan kenobi - 104 posts

#dracula - 101 posts

#dracula daily - 99 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#if i had a nickel for every time i read a text post about the band fun and then felt compelled to listen to them again i'd have two nickels

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

as a minnesotan, i love that s1 of hannibal was partially set in minnesota

3 notes - Posted May 22, 2022

#4

fuck him UP peggy!

second two isn't great but at least peggy gets to tell thompson off

5 notes - Posted May 7, 2022

#3

i thought that last bit of moon knight ep 5 would be the exact opposite of what it was

5 notes - Posted April 28, 2022

#2

okay in thor love and thunder when thor says his ripped cape will grow back, is it that (1) he is making a joke or (2) his cape is part of his body

personally i hope 2

6 notes - Posted July 20, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I was tagged by @void-zi. i love tag games so thanks for tagging me!

Rules: answer the questions and tag nine people you want to know better

~~~

Favourite color: yellows and pinks

Currently reading: rogue planet by greg bear. i’ve been on a star wars books kick for like two months now and don’t intend to stop any time soon

Last song: tell me i’m a wreck by every avenue

Last Movie: i can’t remember watching a movie in the last two months. i did see what we do in the shadows back in late july

Last Series: a league of their own. obsessed

Sweet/Savory/Spicy: i definitely have a sweet tooth

Currently working on: i am trying to crochet a cardigan for the first time. of course i had to make it difficult on myself by not using a pattern and just freehanding it, which has not worked out. that’s okay; it’s a learning experience

~~~

Tagging: @lawndartz @cookie-memester @genderfunky-lesbian @blossomdogthekarmaqueen @croptopcrowley @butchdreams @remarkable-ghost @castielskywalker @emo-catlady

11 notes - Posted October 4, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[atdutiesend]

10,13 and 5 for Hadi and grim

{ Soulmates | @grumpyascianteddybear }

10: the one where you have a timer on your wrist that counts down to when you meet your soulmate. 13: the one where only your soulmate can kill you. 5: the one where you don’t know your soulmate until you touch them.

The solid black bar, all the way around his wrist, had been there Grim's entire life. It was one of the unusual timers - some people had none at all, matching their lack of soulmate. Some had a broken bar, where their soulmate had died before they were born. Those who had already met their soulmate ended up with a striped band; their skin color when both lived, a bright red when they died. But solid black had only one meaning - though your soulmate lived, meeting them was somehow impossible.

People had lived hundreds of years with black bars, celebrated artists and scientists, accumulators of knowledge, who couldn't die. One had lived for almost two thousand years before they'd finally found a way to meet their soulmate - and it had taken Grim a decade to track down the knowledge that the other black bars left for the next to live. They inevitably came to one of two conclusions - their soulmate lived on a different planet, or a different plane of reality. The man who had lived for two thousand years, who called himself Icarus, had left behind a ritual.

It quickly became apparent why the others had chosen to live for hundreds of years without hope. Icarus' ritual only worked for those whose soulmates were on a different plane of reality, worked by ripping the soul from their body and casting it into the void to be drawn to a new body closer to their soulmate, using that connection. If one's soulmate was on this plane of reality, though, it would leave the caster out of their body - their still living body. Nearly a dozen bodies lay on the floor of the ritual room, laid neatly against a wall as if in repose. The bones of the two successful castings were piled against the opposite wall.

But what choice was there, really? A fragile, unlikely hope, or a certainty of lonely immortality? In the end, he chose the ritual. At least if he was disembodied, he could see the universe.

He woke in a strange body, this one far more suited to him. Framed by the bar on his wrist was a countdown. 1 year, 2 months, 19 days, 17 hours, 21 minutes, 39 seconds. One year. Only a year.

9 months.

12 days.

4 hours.

He eyed the patrons of the Carline Canopy curiously. 20 minutes left. He was exactly where he was supposed to be, and he'd recognized Edda and her band of misfits crying and arguing near Mionne a few minutes ago. That seemed unlikely, but-- He knew the future Warrior of Light would be coming through soon. It was unlikely, but he couldn't stop his nervous leg-bouncing regardless. He focused on the delicious cookies he was nibbling to try and distract himself.

"Grim! Could you come over a moment?" Naoh waved him over towards Mionne's desk. "Mionne has a potential job for you."

"Yeah, coming!" He glanced at his wrist again. Less than a minute. There was a woman at the desk, looking over at him - white hair, freckles, a Garlean third eye.

His ears twitched upright as Mionne introduced her as Hadianna, and said she thought they could work together to deal with a disturbance at Toto-rak. There'd been a few others loosely introduced as also interested in pursuing the job

"Uh, yeah! I'd be happy to help. Nice to meet you, ma'am." He'd smiled and nodded, and waited until Hadianna and the other two were distracted to look at his wrist. It had to be one of them.

"Be careful, I can't heal through walls!" Grim grumbled as they stumbled out of the dungeon. Both managed to half-trip over the same rock, and without thinking, he wrapped an arm around her.

They both froze as a sharp ache signaled their timers had changed to the striped band of soulmates.

"Oh--"

"... So, are we taking bets on if we're their next set of parents?" Grim pulled Hadi closer to him, looking at the stars above them as they strode slowly after Meteion. They had all the time in the world, after all. If they were the only ones who could kill each other, then they simply weren't going to die. "I know I'm infertile now, but we have time."

[voidbears-oc-stash]

*she smirks! before horrifically shape shifting! bones BREAK and tissue RIPS reshaping SO fast and it looked like it HURT! looked like it should've KILLED her- Rush and Hero both throw up at the sight! which only lasted seconds! before she's a physical match for Expo- just having her original colors and her gem more or less the same place!* Black Sandstone: oh~! you're a FUN one~! XASTER don't know much about you~! other then yer tie to that void riddled idiot behemoth~! of course tho! you've never been DRAGGED to the Antivoid! you've been there! i can feel it! thats how ya got here ay pussy cat?

Expo thinks for a bit "Antivoid... is that the World Between Worlds? And what 'void riddled idiot behemoth' are you talking about?" he asks

(I'm assuming the "idiot behemoth" is void cookie-)

[oscars-dumbass-central]

Chapter 12: I act like dead weight // cause I love you

Water rushed into Martyn’s lungs as he tried to wrestle the thing off of his back, but it only latched in deeper.

Words: 1336

Masterpost | Chapter 1 | Chapter 11

Water rushed into Martyn’s lungs as he tried to wrestle the thing off of his back, but it only latched in deeper. It’s needle-like teeth ripping a chunk of flesh out. He elbowed it and heard a horrifically loud screech which echoed throughout the water. With his ears ringing and completely disoriented from it, he pushed away and turned back to see it. It looked like a person, but it wasn’t. Dark black eyes stared back at him from blue-tinted skin. It had fins on each of its limbs and a thick tail which curled behind it in the water. 

“Destroyer,” it hissed at him through the water in Ocearian. “I can’t wait to treat you how your kin treated my world.” 

“Wait!” 

.

The water from the stream is cold and fresh as he rests in it, letting it run over his body and pool into the lake further downstream. The bruises scattering his body are a soft yellow colour the days having stolen both the pain and deep colour from them. He’s nestled himself deep into the stream, watching the sunlight filter down through the water barely reaching him. 

It was peaceful, up until a small pebble slammed into his chest. Sputtering, he pulled himself up out of the stream and gasped in greedy mouthfuls of air. “You asshole!” He threw the pebble back, completely missing the woman crouching down right next to him. “I was having a nap!” 

“Sure thing fish-boy,” the woman giggled as she ruffled his damp hair which stuck down flat to his forehead. “Anyways, it’s almost sundown and if I have to drag you back home spattered with arrows again, I will steal your cookies.” 

“Netty, you can’t do that to a man!” He couldn’t hide the smile which stretched across his face. “Void, you’re the worst,” He pulled himself up onto the shore. 

“You’re the worst too,” She smiled as he kissed her gently. 

.

Martyn was missing by the time the three of them had gotten down the path to the cliff’s edge. His heavy worn shoes were placed off to the side neatly, his cigarette case was open and a still smouldering one was sitting on the sandy ground abandoned. The scene looked completely normal, completely average. 

If it wasn’t for the splattering of blood and the strange clawed footprints on the sandy ground. 

“Fuck,” Doc broke the silence between them all. “Something attacked him.” 

“Every evidence said that this place was completely peaceful!” Zedaph was chewing on one of his fingernails and was probably only seconds away from full-blown panic. “The information we were given must’ve been wrong!” 

Jimmy wrapped his wings loosely around Zedaph, “Hey, hey, it’s going to be okay,” He wasn’t entirely sure of what he was saying, but it helped. “Whatever creature it was probably sent them both into the water, and Martyn is the best swimmer I’ve ever known.” 

“Whatever thing attacked him had webbed feet,” Doc noted from his position crouching down to look at the footprints closer. “Probably an aquatic creature, probably trying to drown him.” 

Zedaph made a high-pitched pining sound as he pressed himself closer into Jimmy’s wings. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s gonna work,” He shrugged. 

“What?” 

.

The creature stared at Martyn for a few seconds, a look of pure and utter confusion plastered along its slightly human face. “You…” it trailed off, pointing at him with one long clawed finger. The claw was sharp and almost certainly deadly, if the creature had gotten the chance to he would’ve been dead by now. “You speak the language of my kin.” 

The creature’s eyes flickered over Martyn, floating awkwardly in the water, blood gently ebbing out of the deep gash in his shoulder. Its eyes eventually landed on his gills on his neck. They were barely open, having dried out from far too long without submersion and the creature made a small, pitiful noise. 

“You are kin?” It asked, quietly and as if it didn’t want to realise what was going on. It darted towards Martyn who held his arms up in front of him, but after a few seconds where it didn’t attack, he paused. The creature was staring down at him, fidgeting with its hands and its long tail flashing behind it occasionally. “Hurt you,” Dark tears were drifting off of its face and into the water around them. 

It pressed a hand against his shoulder and pain blossomed out making him gasp. The creature flinched away, its hand stained a deep red. “It’s okay,” he managed to say, cringing at his horrific accent. Void, he hadn’t spoken Ocearian in years at that point. “I need to leave now.” 

“Why?” It frowned. 

“My”— he paused, unable to find the right word in Ocearian, —“kin,” he settled on. 

The creature broke eye contact. “Will they hurt me?” 

“No!” He assured her. “They’re worried about me. Probably.” 

“Oh,” The creature shifted awkwardly before grabbing hold of his arm and beginning to swim to the surface. Before he could even protest or realise what was happening, sunlight was beating down on him and he was gasping at the fresh air. The creature nodded at Martyn in goodbye before turning away and disappearing back into the deep water. 

“Martyn!” He heard Jimmy call from the distant shore. “Are you okay? What happened?” 

.

The sharp sting of the disinfectant made Martyn hiss out a breath of pain. “We could just wash it out with water, don’t gotta use that painful shit,” That statement was met with an annoyed glare from Doc who then proceeded to go back to working on his shoulder. 

“You’re the one who got bit by a sea monster,” he grumbled, rolling his eyes as he pulled a length of thin thread. “Lean your head to the side, and this is going to hurt.” 

True to his word the small prick of the needle sliding into his flesh fucking hurt. “Fucking hels,” He screwed his eyes shut and clenched his hands into fists, focusing on the controlled pain of his nails digging into his palms. Yeah it added more pain to an already excruciating experience, but at least this was a pain he was in control of. 

“I thought you’d be better with pain,” Doc noted as he pulled the stitch tight and once more slipped the needle into his flesh. “With being someone with no consideration for their wellbeing and all,” Was that a touch of humour that he had in his voice? 

“I’m good with pain, when I got adrenaline in my system,” Martyn snorted but quickly winced as another stitch was pulled through his skin. “But void, I never look forward to this shit,” His nails dug in further to his palms. 

“I can keep talking, if that helps with the pain?” His voice was quiet as if he was unsure of what he was saying, or even that he was nervous. 

“Yeah, yes, do that, fuck that one hurt.” 

Doc made a small considering hum before he began to talk. “I guess I’ll tell you a story of a stupid thing I once did. Have you ever been to the HC-08 system? Doesn’t really matter if you have or haven’t for this story I guess. But I spent a good deal of time there, before everything happened.

“But a while back me and a couple friends got into a playful spat with another group there. Started off rather playful of course, but with who we were it ended up in a bit of a system-wide war. Was ridiculous and it all started with someone defacing a garden. 

“It ended up being settled via a series of stupid little games, we all were great at making them. Was a good time killer for all of us with nothing to do, which was most of us back then.” 

“Did you win?” 

Doc snorted. “We came close to, but alas–” 

“Alas? Did you seriously just say ‘alas’?” 

“Yes, now be quiet I need to finish these stitches.”

[alwaysachorusgirl]

Of Wolves and Witches

Pairing: Werewolf!Bishop Losa x Witch!Reader

Word Count: 3088

For: covers the monster square for @adarafaelbarba 's moodboard fall bingo

TW: violence and accidental death via a nightmare/flashback sequence, brief mentions of mental, emotion, and physical abuse, PTSD, and covering up a crime scene

Author's Notes: The Mayans Werewolf AU that no one asked for, but i wrote it anyway. It starts out dark, but ends with fluff, I promise. This is my first time writing for Bishop, so please go easy on me... a big thank you to @itsjustmyfantasyroom for letting me run this idea by her and reassuring me that it wasn't crazy, and for encouraging me to write it.

Tags: @madamsnape921; @prurientpuddlejumper; @thatesqcrush; @welcometothemxdhouse; @raulesparza4eva; @teamsladsandgents; @rosequcrtz

He stormed into your living room, rage storming in his eyes. His aura was a swirling void of red and black. He shouldn’t have been able to break the locks on your front door, he shouldn’t have been able to walk right through your magical wards, but here he was. You straightened your posture and stood your ground, determined to not let him see how terrified you were.

“How did you get in here?”

“Really?” He pulled a glowing amulet from out of his shirt. “Not that hard when you have a little help. Benefits of having hunters for friends.”

Your eyes went wide as you realized what you were looking at. It was an enchanted amulet, one strong enough to get through your warding. You could only hope that it wasn’t strong enough to dampen your powers.

“Yeah, that’s right,” he smirked. “I know what you are. Makes me a wonder what else you haven’t been telling me.”

“Alex, get out! I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I have to.”

“You little bitch!” he spat back. “You think you can just break up me? You think you can just walk away?

“I can and I did. We’re done, Alex, it’s over. You don’t get to hurt me anymore. It’s not my fault that your fragile, insecure male ego can’t take a fucking hint.”

“Bitch, I’ll fucking hurt you whenever I fucking want to! And I don’t see your little biker friends here to protect you.…”

Then he charged, and suddenly you were on the ground with his hands around your throat.

“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live!”

You could feel the murderous intent radiating off him, and put your hands on his chest, trying to push him off you, but then you felt the release of kinetic energy through your palms, and Alex was flying across the room. He hit the wall, and you prayed to whatever goddess was listening that the sickening crack you heard was just the drywall breaking behind him. But then his eyes rolled back in his head, and his head lolled to one side, at what could only be described as an “unhealthy looking” angle. His lower body twitched a few times before going limp. He hung there for a moment, suspended in the air, pinned to the wall by your invisible force. Still shaking in terror, you finally lowered your hands, and Alex’s lifeless body fell to the ground with a thud.

*********************

“No!” you cried out, sitting bolt upright on your couch. You were covered in a cold sweat and your whole body was shaking. Your lungs gasped for air and your eyes darted around the room, searching for Alex, but he wasn’t there. You weren’t even in your old house anymore. You held your hand in your hands and took deep breaths. You were in your apartment, in Santo Padre, Alex was dead, and you were safe. The Saturday afternoon sun streamed in through the window, and the TV was still on, a marathon of Guy’s Grocery Games playing at a low volume.

“I must have fallen asleep,” you said softly to yourself, “it was only a nightmare.”

You grabbed your phone off the coffee table and checked the time. It was only 3:30, plenty of time to shower and freshen up before Bishop would pick you up at 6. You stood, and after checking your locks and wards, made your way to the bathroom.

***********************

Despite your best efforts to push them down, the memories of what happened next came flooding back as you stood under the warm shower spray. You had been in shock, understandably so, but you were now exposed as a witch, and had to protect yourself. The logical side of your brain kicked in and you got to work. After verifying that Alex was dead, you had used your telekinetic abilities to rip the amulet off his neck. A quick examination verified that it had only been enchanted enough to allow Alex to breach your magical wards without getting zapped, but not enough to block your own powers. The enchantment was also crude and amateurish, probably done in haste by someone with limited knowledge of witchcraft. He had mentioned having hunters for friends, and you cursed yourself for not sensing that sooner. He hadn’t been one himself. You would have read that in his aura the moment you met him, but you also hadn’t sensed his dark side. The mentally and emotionally abusive and manipulative side, the one that turned violent during an argument when you had tried to call him out on his bullshit and break up with him the first time. You had ended up in the hospital, and when you confronted him the second time, you had friends with you to back you up. And after destroying the amulet, those were the friends you called on for help with your predicament.

The Blood Moon Motorcycle Club was a found family werewolf pack, led by Jack Reynard, a fearsome and intimidating Alpha. But Jack was fiercely protective of his friends and allies and didn’t hesitate to show up with four of his most trusted lieutenants when you called and tearfully explained your situation. They got to work cleaning up the scene and going through Alex’s phone and wallet. They found a business card for an elite and dangerous organization of hunters, and the contact’s name and number on the card matched up with one of the contacts in Alex’s phone. Jack told you to start packing your bags and to make sure that you included any magical artifacts that you had. You would spend the night at their clubhouse under round-the-clock security, and in the morning, they would get you out of town. Anything that couldn’t be packed that night would be shipped to you once you were settled elsewhere. They would dispose of the body; it wasn’t the first time they’d had to do so.

Jack had called Bishop Losa, president of the Mayans Motorcycle Club in Santo Padre, California. Jack and Bishop had served together in the Marines in their younger days, and the Mayans and the Blood Moons were allies as a result of that friendship. The Mayans were another found family werewolf pack and protected Santo Padre alongside the Galindo Pack. The town was a safe haven for all supernatural beings and the humans who lived there were none the wiser.

And now you had been here for six months. You worked in a bookshop owned by another a witch, Matilda, and lived in the apartment above it. In addition to the books, you also sold your homemade herbal teas and did Tarot card readings in the shop. 2-3 times a week you would bake cookies and muffins and sell those in the shop. Your teas were so popular that you now did tea making demonstrations on Saturday mornings. You were thriving but were still plagued by nightmares and PTSD and attended therapy once a week to help you work through your struggles.

And then there was Bishop. At first, the Mayan president and Alpha had been your friend and protector. You had been too traumatized to even think about pursuing a relationship, and so you both denied the unquestionable and inexplicable attraction. The more you got to know each other, the more you were drawn to each other. Two months ago, he finally made a move while the two of you had been outside getting some air at a party at the Mayans clubhouse, asking if he could kiss you. You’d been a couple ever since.

*********************

You had just finished lacing up your boots when you heard the sound of a familiar motorcycle pull up to your building. You ran to the window and looked down to the street. You saw Bishop getting off his bike and removing his helmet. You exited your apartment and ran down the stairs, meeting him at the entrance at the side of the building. You threw your arms around his neck and kissed his lips. His arms encircled your waist and pulled you close.

“Hola Querida, you look beautiful.”

“Thanks, you’re not too bad, yourself, handsome.”

That got a chuckle from the Alpha. He removed one of his arms from around your back, revealing the bouquet of roses in his hand. “These are for you.”

“Bish, they’re gorgeous, thank you. You shouldn’t have.”

“And pass up the opportunity to surprise you? Not a chance.”

“Come on up. I’ll put these in water, grab a few things, then I’ll be ready to go.”

Bishop nodded and held onto your hand as he followed you up the stairs.

************************

You held onto Bishop as the two of you went speeding down the back roads, away from Santo Padre. You loved dates like this: just you and Bishop on the bike, heading somewhere unknown, away from all the stress and bullshit of the day-to-day. His torso felt warm, sturdy, and safe. You could feel the vibrations from bike rattling through your body as you watched the scenery fly by. You’d been on the road for at least half an hour now.

“Almost there, Querida,” Bishop called back. “You’re gonna love this spot, I promise.”

After a few more minutes he pulled off the road and the motorcycle slowed to a stop. Bishop turned off the engine and stored the keys in his pocket. You both got off and removed your helmets. You looked around at the small, wooded area and smiled, breathing in the fresh air.

“This is nice, babe.”

“Oh, this isn’t the spot, “he told you, unlatching the soft fleece blanket and cooler from the back of his bike. He handed you the blanket. He took the cooler in one hand and grabbed your free hand with his other, interlacing his fingers with yours. “It’s this way.”

You walked for a few minutes down a short path before finally arriving at a grassy clearing. The view was breathtaking. You could see everything from your elevated perched; Santo Padre, the valley, green leafy trees swaying in the breeze, fields of wildflowers. A sense of calm settled over you that you hadn’t felt in months. You didn’t jump when Bishop came up behind you and slid his arms around your mid-section, instead relaxing into his touch and leaning against his sturdy frame. Bishop softly kissed your shoulder.

“You okay, baby?”

“Yeah,” you sighed, “this is perfect, this place in perfect. The energy here is so peaceful, and so alive. I love it.”

“I’m glad. I was thinking we could eat dinner, watch the sunset? And wait until the stars come out…You can show me all the constellations?”

You turned and slid your arms around his neck, resting your forehead against his.

“You would have thought that you were such a romantic?”

“Just don’t tell anyone, okay? Gotta maintain my tough guy image, you know?”

“Mmm…your secret is safe with me.” You pecked his lips once, twice, three times, each kiss lasting a bit longer than the rest. When you finally pulled your head away you noticed that the blanket was laid out on the ground with cooler sitting on top.

“Come on,” said Bishop, directing you over to it. You both sat down, and Bishop opened the cooler and started setting out its contents: sandwiches from the local deli, fresh strawberries from the farmer’s market, giant cupcakes from the gourmet bakery, a bottle of beer for each of you, and bottled water. He popped the caps off the beer bottles and handed you one. “Cheers.”

The two of you sat and ate, completely at ease with each other, and the conversation flowed easily. Bishop told you about the day’s antics down at the scrapyard, and you told him about the business plan you and Matilda were working on to expand the bookshop into the empty café next door.

“The theory is, that having a space to sell food and drinks will drum up more business. I can sell my tea and baked goods and do my demonstrations there. We would obviously need to hire some extra people to help, but I think we can make it work. We can’t tear down the wall between the buildings and expand without the proper permits.”

“I’m sure the town will approve whatever permits you need. They’re not going to say to ‘no’ to something that will bring more business into Santo Padre.”

“Wow, you weren’t kidding about the sunsets,” you said, gazing at the red, orange, and purple hues of the evening sky. “How did you find this place?”

Bishop laid down on the blanket and you stretched out next him, placing your head on his chest.

“Me and the guys had just come back from a run,” he began, “Things didn’t go so well, and I was pissed, needed to blow off some steam so I just rode around for a while. Next thing I knew, I was here. I shifted, ran around for a while until my head was clear. I come back whenever I need to get away from everything.”

You tilted your head up to meet his gaze. “Thank you for bringing me here. I needed this.”

Bishop caressed your cheek with his fingers. “You’re welcome, Querida. I’ll bring you up here whenever you want.”

“Bish, can I ask you a personal question?”

“Of course, Querida, you can ask me anything,” he replied with a chuckle.

“Can I see you in your wolf form sometime? There’s no pressure, only if you want to…”

Bishop mulled the question over in his head. You had caught him off guard with the query. None of the women he’d ever been with had asked to see his wolf form, not even his ex-wife. These days, he only shifted when it was absolutely necessary. There were advantages to being an older and more experienced wolf. He could shift at will and didn’t have to worry about losing control. But what if you didn’t like what you saw? What if he scared you away? He’d never forgive himself if that happened. Your soft, sweet voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Bish, I’m sorry, forget I said anything- “

“No, it’s okay,” he kissed your forehead, “I just wasn’t expecting that question. I’ll do it if you want me to, but just be prepared, okay? I promise I won’t hurt you, but it might not be what you’re expecting.”

“I trust you completely, and I promise, I won’t be scared.” You looked at his aura and saw the hesitancy there. He was scared. “You’re not going to lose me.”

He cupped your face with his hand and his lips found purchase with yours. He had a way of kissing you that made your mind go blank and get lost in the moment, and you loved every minute of it. You kissed him back with equal fervor, hoping that somehow you were able to convey the trust and faith you had in him. The smile on his face when you broke away seemed to indicate that you’d been successful.

Bishop rose and walked a few feet away.

“What are you doing?” you asked, confused by his actions.

“Shifting is a lot easier without clothes on,” he replied with a wink, beginning to undress.

“I’ll close my eyes and give you some privacy then,” you giggled, shutting your eyes, but occasionally cracking one open to steal glimpses of his increasingly naked form; and damn if you didn’t like what you saw!

Bishop finished disrobing and crouched down on the soft grass. He breathed deeply and cleared his mind, focusing his intention. He felt his muscle start to ripple and his joints and bones shift. It didn’t hurt at his age; it was just slightly uncomfortable. All his senses sharpened. Body hair became fur, his hands and feet morphed into oversize paws with razor sharp claws. Even his teeth changed shaped, becoming longer and more pointed. A few moments later, he stretched and shook out his fur. He looked over towards you, still sitting there with your eyes closed, and cautiously padded toward you.

************************

You could hear the footfalls of his paws, and then felt his large wet nose nudging your arm. You opened your eyes and saw a massive wolf standing before you. His fur was brown and black, with specks of gray in various places. His legs were strong, and his paws appeared large enough to take out a person with one blow. But his eyes, his eyes were gentle, and you would know them anywhere.

“Oh, Bishop, you’re beautiful!”

He sat and cocked his head to one side, appearing confused.

“Yes, you heard me correctly. May I?” You held out your arms to him. Bishop bowed his head and leaned forward, allowing you to embrace him and bury your face in his fur. “Your fur is so soft!”

He put his head on your shoulder and let out a contented groan when your fingers began to massage the spot right between his ears. You giggled at that. “I take it you like that, huh?” Bishop lifted his head and licked your face in response, making you laugh even harder. You massaged his head for a little while longer before resting your forehead against his. “Thank you for letting me see you like this. I love you, Bishop.”

There was suddenly a very naked, human man in your arms. Bishop’s hands cupped your face, his eyes scanning it for any indication that he might have misheard you.

“Bish- “

“Say that again, Querida.”

“I said, I love you, Obispo Losa.”

Bishop pulled you into his lap and pressed his lips to yours, kissing you with more intensity and tenderness than he ever had before. Any doubts that you may have had about him not feeling the same quickly melted away. It went on for what felt like forever before the two of you had to pull away and come up for air.

“I love you, too, mi reina.”

You held onto one another like that for while before Bishop got dressed and rejoined you on the blanket. You spent the rest of the evening wrapped in each other’s arms and gazing at the night sky. And when a shooting star passed overhead, you made a wish that you could stay this way forever. No more looking over your shoulder, no more nightmares; just you and Bishop, ready to take on whatever the future might hold.

[sehunniepotwrites]

a day of firsts | j.jh

🎄SYNOPSIS— You didn’t think your first day back at NC Toys would lead to a  boy asking you out on a date, but hey, you weren’t complaining, even if he was dressed in a Nutcracker suit. 🎄GENRE— christmas!au, fluff, humor 🎄PAIRING—jung jaehyun x female!reader 🎄WARNING—cursing, sexual innuendos  🎄WORD COUNT— 2633

It was the first of December and you were heading to your favorite seasonal job: a worker at the famous NC Toys. 

As a lover of Christmas, your younger self always dreamed of working at that famous toy store. You had made so many cherished memories there with your family— moments running through the aisles, waiting in line to talk to Santa, drinking hot chocolate to keep yourself warm, and playing with the people dressed in nutcracker costumes. You loved it all and now, you were about to start your second season at the shop. A rush of excitement hit you as you gave yourself a last-minute check in the mirror. 

You smoothed down the material of your work uniform: an ugly Christmas sweater with a red flared skirt that ended an inch above the knee. Placing a beanie over your head and slipping on your winter coat, you grabbed your bag and keys with a skip in your step.

Locking the door to your apartment, you hurried your way down the staircase and into the winter cold. Something cold nipped at your exposed nose and you looked up to see small specks of snow fall from the sky. A wide grin took over your lips— the first day back on the job and it was the first snowfall of the season. 

You extended a hand towards the sky, hoping to catch a snowflake on your fingertips. Unaware of your surroundings, you weren’t able to catch a tall figure charging his way down the sidewalk. His strong build bumped into yours, sending you down into a pile of snow. The cold seeped through your stockings, wetting the material and you groaned— what would your manager say when you clocked in with a damp uniform? 

“Ow, my shoulder,” a deep voice whispered.

You looked up to see a bundled up man with a bright red coat hanging on his forearm stopping in front of you for a second. He had a black beanie covering his flattened caramel hair but the tips of his red ears peeked out of the hat. You only caught a glimpse of his face but he sure looked handsome in his laid-back fit. He made no moves to help you up— he only stared blankly at your fallen form. 

His dusty eyelashes flickered against his rosy cheeks as he blinked at your figure. “Why are you just looking at me like that?” You whined, slipping on the snow as you attempted to get up. 

His brown eyes widened and the boy quickly bowed his head as he continued his way down the walkway. 

“I’m sorry!” his melodic voice called out. If it weren’t for the unfortunate situation, his voice sounded as sweet as the treats left for Santa. 

“Hey!” you glared at him from your place on the freezing ground. “The least you could do is help me up, you asshole!”

“Sorry,” the handsome boy yelled over his shoulder. He gave you a bright grin, a silver of a dimple coming out to play. “I’m running late for my first day at my new job!”

You watched his figure disappear as you pushed yourself off the sidewalk. “Ugh, how rude,” you muttered as you brushed the snow off your clothing. After checking the floor for any dropped items, you continued on your way to work. You took a second to check your watch for the time and you gasped to see that your shift started in less than fifteen minutes.

Cursing, you quickened your pace, trying to ignore the cold air hitting your skin. You ran into many people along the way as it was the first weekend of the Christmas season; many families were out and about carrying shopping bags filled with intended presents. You murmured more than a couple of half-hearted apologies before you finally made it in front of NC Toys.

Your hands rested against your lap as you huffed for air. Your face was flushed with heat as you tried to calm down your pounding heart— a clear reminder to get back in shape in case this happened again. 

Glancing up, your eyes landed on the teddy bear shaped door handles and the rush of childlike excitement returned. You pushed the doors open only to be hit with the warmth of the store’s heater and Christmas music blasted through the speakers. The bright holiday displays were already set up and parents gathered their children in front of them for pictures. The sounds of delightful laughter filled the room as you continued your way to the back of the store. The familiar scents of gingerbread cookies and peppermint reached your nose and you breathed it in while passing the store’s famed cafe, making a note to drop by during your break. 

You took a glance at a decorated stage in the middle of the store. It was surrounded by nutcrackers and fake pine trees but the stage itself was empty— that was weird. You didn’t remember this set up last year. Shrugging that thought off, you continued going on your way to the back, walking by all the thrilled children waiting to meet Santa. 

Successfully making it into the employee break room, you stripped yourself of your outerwear and  set your belongings down in a locker. Just as you were going to clock in, someone pounced on you from behind with a high-pitched giggle. You knew that voice anywhere.

“Joy!” you squealed, tugging your friend into your arms. Your tall and beautiful friend laughed into the embrace, happy to be reunited with her work wife.

“Second season in a row, baby!” she yelled as she clocked in on the desktop. The system deployed her first assignment and she stepped aside for you to do the same.

“The dynamic holiday duo is back,” you chuckled while clocking in right on time. You grabbed your first assignment and groaned.

“Aww, why the groan?” Joy asked, peeking over to see what you were deployed to do.

“Clean and monitor the stage area, how boring,” you muttered. “Guess they have too many people on the floor right now.” 

Your friend hugged your side, “Aww, I’m at registers but at least you get to see the new nutcracker!”

“Who?” You raised an eyebrow at her. 

“There’s a new nutcracker this year— oh my god, even with all that blush on, he’s so hot,” she said, fanning her face. “Perfectly sculpted face and from what I saw, pretty nice arms, too.”

“First day back and you’re already on the hunt for eye candy?”

Joy gave you a pointed look, “Listen, if you saw him, you would totally fall for him, too.” You rolled her eyes at that comment. You were there to work and Joy was obviously there for other pressing reasons. 

“Mhm, what I’d do just to lick his candy cane,” she muttered under her breath. 

Shrieking, you slapped her arm. “Joy!”

“With a peppermint cond—”

You let out a louder squeal, hands moving to clamp her mouth. 

“I’m just saying,” she said into your hand, licking your palm when you kept it on her mouth for far too long. Wiping your now wet hand onto your skirt, you glared at your friend and she innocently smiled back. 

Someone from behind cleared their throat. You and your friend turned on your heels to find your manager on duty, Kyungsoo, giving you an unamused look. “Day one of the job and I already find you two gossiping like little school girls instead of working?”

Joy sent him a sheepish smile, “Sorry, boss.” You repeated her apology in the same tone, hands playing with the edge of your red velvety skirt. 

He sighed and pointed his finger to the door. “Go,” he commands with an authoritative voice and you scramble out the room with Joy right at your tail. You stopped at the stage area, surprised to see more nutcrackers on display than what you saw just five minutes prior. 

Huh. Weird.

Joy let out a flirtatious giggle the moment she skipped past, shooting a wink at you. Or behind you? You honestly weren’t too sure. Someone coughed behind you but you only saw the stationary nutcrackers. 

Did someone pass by? 

Shrugging at the odd interaction, you sighed upon seeing the area you were assigned to clean. Loose Christmas ornaments surrounded the fake trees, the ropes lining the stage were in the wrong place, and the uniforms of the nutcracker displays weren’t as prim and proper as they usually were. One by one, you hung the ornaments back onto the trees and aligned the ropes, taking you around ten minutes. You whistled along to Christmas songs playing in the background mimicked the announcements that rang through the speakers, having them memorized since the last season. It was an odd habit but it helped fill the void of working by yourself. 

Glancing at your watch, you had ten minutes until the first nutcracker show of the day— you pondered if the new guy Joy was talking about would be part of the spectacular. Stopping yourself, you wondered why you even cared— you were there to earn money not to get attached to a pretty boy that just stood there to take pictures.

Walking to the first of the nutcrackers, you started to fiddle with its skewed uniform. Taking note of its condition, you noticed that there were rips in the costume and faded paint on its face. You clicked your tongue— you had to bring that up to Kyungsoo later. It looked sloppy compared to the shinier ones on display. 

“Five minutes until our Nutcracker Spectacular! Please come to our center stage!” Joy’s cheerful voice boomed through the store’s sound system. You heard the chatter of the crowd approaching your area, sending you into a panic. You needed to finish up with the last nutcracker before the audience arrived.

Making your way to the one standing closest to the stage, you realized this nutcracker looked different than the others lining the area. It’s face was so realistic— it almost looked like a real person. The nutcracker has the brownest of eyes and full eyelashes that highlighted his glossy orbs. There was this rosy blush painted on its cheeks along with a constellation of freckles that brought out the nutcracker’s porcelain complexion. Soft tresses of caramel hair peaked out of its long black hat and you felt tempted to comb the stray strands back but you were running extremely low on time. 

“Geez, this one is such an upgrade compared to the other ones. It looks so real. We need more nutcrackers that look like this,” you said to yourself.

If you were paying more attention, you would have seen the figure you were working on holding back a chuckle.

Your hands immediately reached out to dust some snow off the nutcracker’s chest. Why the display had traces of snow on their uniform, you didn’t know— they never made their way outside the store. Straightening the medals on its breast, you realized this display was sturdier than the others. Must be new material. 

Your nimble fingers danced to the nutcracker’s high collar to fix a piece of stubborn material that was folded down. The warmth of your hand brushed against its neck and you thought you were seeing things when the nutcracker slightly shifted. You blinked before carrying on.

The crowds were approaching fast and you were almost finished. You tugged on the red coat’s sleeves, making sure there were no wrinkles on the material before stepping back to admire your handy work.

“Wow, this one’s really handsome,” you said aloud, before moving forward to fix one last crooked medal. 

Just as your hand touched the decoration, it— rather, he spoke. “Ma’am, I know I’m handsome but could you please stop touching me?” 

“Jesus fucking Christ!” you shrieked so loud, the incoming crowd all turned in your direction. You clamped your shaking hand over your mouth and backed away. 

The boy in the nutcracker sent you a quirk of a smile, the tips of his pink lips turned up to reveal a dip in his painted cheek. “Yes, that is the name of the Christmas birthday boy,” he amusedly whispered. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” you hissed back, heat rising to your cheeks. 

“And stop a cutie from calling me handsome? Nah,” he teased, his tone playful and flirty. Aware of the crowd and the Christmas Carol loop stopping, you quickly turned your head and began to walk away. You were stopped, however, by a warm hand to your wrist. It was a minimal movement, not to attract the attention of the big crowd— he didn’t want to ruin the magic of the upcoming show.

“Wait,” he muttered, doing his best to keep his lip closed. “I just wanted to say sorry for bumping into you earlier, I didn’t want to be late for this— I’ve wanted this job for a while.” 

Your eyes searched his sincere ones as his ears flushed with a burning red. “You were the rude guy from before,” you stated in a hushed whisper, your mind flashing back to the handsome stranger. 

“Can I make it up to you?” He tugged on the sleeve of your ugly sweater.

“How would you do that?” your voice flirted back. Wait, where did that confidence come from?

“We clocked in around the same time, yeah?” You nodded in reply.

“How about we take our break together at the cafe? Grab some some cookies and hot cocoa— I’ll pay,” he shyly offered, his confidence disappearing for a short moment. If he wasn’t on stage with an audience, he would be rubbing the back of his neck to deal with his sudden burst of nerves.

“Sounds like a date,” you giggled. The boy released the material of your sleeve, his fingers lighting brushing against yours. You squeezed your hand at the fluttering feels that sent shivers down your spine. 

“One minute before our Nutcracker Spectacular!” Joy’s voice ran through the speakers again.

“Well, I’ll be watching, Nutcracker,” you winked. 

“Jaehyun,” he blurted back.

“Hmm?”

“That’s my name,” he smiled, “Jaehyun.”

“Well then, break a leg, Jaehyun.” Another wink and a smile and you quickly make your way out of the crowd to stand behind the bustle of people. 

The show goes off without a hitch— the children were amazed at the handsome nutcracker coming to life when a girl playing Clara came on stage. They sang familiar Christmas songs, danced with gorgeous smiles on their faces, and laughed happily at the audience interactions. You had fun simply watching them from the back. The best part, though, was when Jaehyun would look over at you and charm you with the brightest grin as he sang. 

Jaehyun braved himself to sing a line with his gleaming eyes directed straight at you. “All I want for Christmas is you,” his baritone voice projected through the microphone. You bit back a smile as he sent you a shameless wink. A few teenage girls in front of you swooned, thinking it was for them, and you shook your head with a ghost of a smile.

Maybe keeping the stage area clean wasn’t that bad of an assignment as you thought it would be. After all, you had some great eye candy in the form of a handsome nutcracker that kept glancing your way.

Checking your watch, you had another two hours until your first break and you couldn’t wait for it to come. And by the looks of it, Jaehyun couldn’t wait either. 

What a way to ring in the holiday season— first shift back at your favorite job, first snowfall of the year, and a first date with a cute nutcracker who won your heart with a corny Christmas song.

🎄AUTHOR’S NOTE— happy december 1st, y’all! i wrote this a month ago and i’m so happy i can finally post it! more fics coming your way this month! stay tuned! uwu

[echo-hiraeth]

Chapter 6: “Te quiero”

Part of the “Illicit Limerence” series

Pairing: Javier Peña x F!Reader

Summary: Having her back in his arms, Javier needs to figure out what happened and more importantly what to do next.

Warnings: swearing, medical check-ups, angst, mentions of abusive household/parent, mentions of injury

Masterlist

Previous chapter

Next chapter

“¿Qué paso?”, he repeated, dashing his way over to you.

You opened your mouth but the only thing you managed to choke out was a loud sob. Protesting, aching muscles as you launched yourself into his arms, knees buckling as he grabbed a hold of you, entire body shaking with pent-up fear and emotion. He clung onto you, slowly sliding down the door to sit on the floor, keeping you pressed against his chest. Your cries sounded almost like screams, the intensity of it all causing Javier’s heart to go in a frenzy of trepidation and alarm. He’d never seen you like this, he knew what you were like when you were shaken or anxious, and this was anything but that. You were fucking hysterical, the way you ripped at the fabric of his shit not lost on him.

He stared straight ahead of him as he just held you, not bothering to say anything or try to touch you. It was best to let it all out now and God-fucking-damn was he happy he was here. When you hadn’t called him even once today, he grew a little worried, though not enough to do anything about it. It wasn’t until he’d talked to Steve about it, who revealed what had previously gone down in your childhood home, that he grew worried. By the time he’d gotten home from work, which was rather late, you still hadn’t called him. It was then Javier decided to call the hotel and after some light blackmailing the receptionist informed him that you’d left a couple hours ago. He’d fucking ran out of his apartment, not bothering to even tempt the hell that was evening traffic as he just sprinted through the familiar streets. By the time he was in front of your door, out of breath and soaked in sweat, it was about half past eleven. He knew there was a late flight and that you could be coming home any minute, so he decided to call Connie and Steve, informing them about what he’d discovered. They’d promised to call him if you showed up at their door, but just as he hung up the phone, disappearing in the bathroom to wash the sweat off of his face, he’d heard you come in.

 The poor man’s heart had crumbled at the sight. You were hunched over, eyes completely void of their usual light and joy, shirt torn and stretched out jeans not looking any better. Whether you’d been snatched by your father or a sicario was unclear to him – hell what happened was a complete fucking mystery. As your wailing diminished in volume and intensity, he carefully started scanning your face, scolding himself for not just being able to read you.

A black eye had begun to form, bottom lip busted and you had some smaller scratches scattered across the rest of your face. Your nose seemed to be somewhat askew as well, though that might’ve just been the lighting or even his paranoia. It was hard for him to be calm, anger and frustration fighting his self-discipline for the upper hand. But he wouldn’t allow it, you needed him to be there, you needed your Javi, not the vengeful, bloodthirsty agent. So he closed his eyes, pressing a tender kiss to the crown of your head as he counted to ten, taking a set of essential, deep breaths.

When the sobbing died down to sniffles and silent tears he slowly started to move, standing up with you in his arms. You were limp in his arms even though you were fully conscious and aware of your surroundings. He laid you down in the bed, slowly unlacing your tennis shoes as you looked up at the ceiling. You were usually very talkative so your lack of babbling was incredibly unsettling to Javier.

“I’m gonna take these clothes off, okay?”, he softly announced, searching you for any sign of protest.

He slowly got you out of your ripped jeans, shirt and underwear, only leaving the room to throw them into your laundry bin. While he was in the bathroom he wet a washcloth and grabbed a towel to help you wash up. As he sat back down next to you, he put a hand on your knee, to let you know that he was right there with you.

“Stop me if it hurts too much”, he whispered as he started dragging the cloth over your face.

You were still looking up at the ceiling, hands fisted in the sheets. Painfully aware of every sore spot as Javier carefully cleansed your skin. A hand found its way to your abdomen, slowly resting on the warm skin there, preventing him from touching you there.

He understood the message and left it alone, finishing up on your legs before chasing the wet skin with the soft towel. The chances of you speaking up about it tonight were low to non-existent, even he could figure that out for himself. So he decided to just help you into a fresh pair of underwear and a t-shirt, sliding the covers over your still form when he finished.

“I’ll be right with you baby, I’m just gonna give Murphy a call”, he promised, sat on his knees beside the bed. “If you need anything, just shout.”

When he left the bedroom he felt like screaming. He was fucking angry, enraged, livid. Who in their right mind would hurt his girl.. he wanted – needed answers. That’s when he dialled his best mate’s number, no matter the hour, he needed to figure this shit out, right this instant.

A groan was heard from the other side of the line, followed by some shuffling. “Murphy.”

“She’s in bed, battered and bruised”, Javi stated, voice completely monotone.

“Shit – do you need me to come over?”, Steve replied, sounding more awake already.

Javier rested a hand against his forehead. “I need some of my stuff, I’m staying with her but I don’t want to leave her alone.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course, I got that spare key around here somewhere. Fucking hell Peña… did she say anything?”

He sighed into the horn, feeling completely drained of any energy. “Not a single word, she was hysteric.”

“And the baby?”, he asked, tone changing.

“I-I don’t know.. didn’t really see any bruising but I don’t know.”

There was some more shuffling on the other end, the sound of metal hitting the floor. “I’ll be there in thirty.”

Hanging the phone back on the wall, he leaned over to glance into the room. You were still there, facing the door, eyes closed. He came back into the room, trying his best not to make any noise. As he got closer he could tell you were asleep, hands clutching onto the pillow next to yours, the one he slept on. He heaved another sigh, not entirely sure what to do now. He didn’t want to lay down next to you, reeking of sweat and knowing Murphy would be here soon. So he headed back into the other room, making his way over to the kitchen. Fuck he wanted a smoke, you probably had a pack around here somewhere. He started a frantic search, the urge to soothe the tension and panic growing stronger every passing moment. And there it was, a half empty pack of neatly rolled cigarettes, stowed away behind an empty cookie jar. He pulled the lighter from his back pocket, hands shaking with anticipation. The first drag felt like pure elation, so much so that he moaned at the sensation, his free hand tangling in his matted hair.

“Fuck baby, you’re breaking my heart”, he muttered with his eyes closed, bud pursed in-between his lips.

As soon as the smoke started curling towards the bedroom he stepped away from it, opening the windows in the living room. He smoked two more cigarettes and got your bag up off the floor before Steve arrived. The familiar knock making Javier jolt out of his slumber-like state. He opened the door, an overnight bag immediately pushed into his hands.

“She in there?”, Steve asked, already making too much noise for his liking.

“Yeah”, he put the duffel bag on the couch, “but keep it down.”

Steve rubbed a hand over his moustache, glancing into the room from where he stood. “Hysteric you said?”

“She was fucking weeping man”, he spat, lighting a fourth cigarette.

“Her dad?”, his friend asked, helping himself to a cig as well.

Javier let his head drop as he took a deep breath. “I don’t know, she’s been dead silent. Has he done this before? Is there a case against him in the States?”

“Not that I know of.. her mother just sorta made her promise never to get authorities involved, saying he’s still her dad and shit.”

“Bull fucking shit, a father doesn’t throw hands like that. You should’ve seen the state of her, jeans ripped to shreds, lip fucking busted open.. fucking repulsive.”

Steve put a hand on his shoulder, quirking an eyebrow towards the bedroom. “Watch the voice Javi, let’s just go outside.”

He shook his head, extinguishing the cigarette in the sink. “I wanna be here if she wakes up.”

“I understand, let’s just sit down, you need to settle down”, the blonde offered. “Let’s just have a beer and talk things through, yeah?”

The two men sat on the couch and shared a couple of drinks, talking everything over. When you were ready to talk they’d listen to you and if you’d be willing to file a case, then they’d fucking handle it for you. Steve had brought up the baby again, suggesting Javier take you to a hospital and get your injuries noted down. Javier had confided in Steve about how scared he’d been, frantic upon hearing you’d left the hotel. He’d listened to him, reassuring him you were a strong and smart woman and that you’d tell him if something was wrong. Furthermore Steve had promised to handle things at the embassy the next day, ensuring your boyfriend could stay with you all day. Javier had gratefully agreed, not wanting to so much as set a foot out of your apartment until you’d tell him you were okay.

“I should head back for the night, Con doesn’t like sleeping alone.”

He followed him to the door, clapping him on the back as he reached for the door handle. “Thanks, Steve, I appreciate it.”

“Just do us all a favour and take a shower, you fucking stink”, Steve teased, shaking his partner’s hand. With that he left the small apartment.

“Pendejo.”

But he was right. The bathroom sink and a hand-towel would have to do for now, the shower way too noisy at this hour. He slipped into a fresh pair of briefs, putting some cologne on before joining you in the bed. Your hand was still on his pillow, so he carefully pried it off, holding it in his as he scooted closer towards you.

 When you came to a couple hours later, all you could smell was him, your face nestled in the crook of his neck, a warm palm resting on your neck. By the light pouring in from the windows you could tell it was morning, but you felt completely exhausted still. As your brain slowly woke up as well you felt the way your body started quivering again. The man beneath you groaned lowly, nudging his chin against the top of your head as he changed positions. The more you focused on trying to make the trembling stop the worse it got, to a point where you just started crying out of frustration. Javier was quick to notice, rolling over onto his side, covering your body with his, ready to shield you from any harm. When he noticed what was going on he just laid back down, pulling you on top of him and securing you in a loving, comforting hold.

“S’okay, I gotchu, nothing’s gonna hurt you here”, he murmured into your hair.

The shaking got less and less severe the longer he held you, lips pressed to your forehead. You felt like you could finally breathe again, as if the heaviness within your chest had finally lifted, so that’s what you did. Javier’s ears perked out as he heard the shuddering breath.

“Need some fresh air?”

You looked up at him, eyes meeting his for the first time in ages. It took your breath away, suddenly very aware of your surroundings and what had occurred last night. The words left your lips before you could even comprehend it: “I love you.”

His eyes went wide with shock. “W-what?” It wasn’t that he hadn’t heard you, he just didn’t understand it. Well, he understood the semantic meaning of the phrase but he didn’t understand why you said it.. to him.. like now or at all. “Wait- shit, are you sure?”

It was your turn to just stare at him, not comprehending the situation yourself. “Huh?”

“I’m gonna kiss you, yeah?”

You closed your eyes, letting his lips slowly hit the space above your upper lip, strategically avoiding the injured one.

“Did you hit your head or something”, he softly joked, thumb tracing the outline of your cheek.

The tiniest smile formed on your lips, fingers lacing with his. “Thank you for being here.”

“Are you feeling up to eat something?”

You just nodded, not finding the energy to do much more. He got out of the bed, walking over to your side to help you stand. You braced your hands on his chest, forehead resting on his sternum. It wasn’t that you needed the support, you’d be fine walking on your own, you just wanted to be close to him a little longer.

“I-I’m scared”, you blurted out.

“Hmm?”, he questioned, tilting your chin up to look into your eyes.

“The baby- I-I haven’t felt… pregnant.. What if-“

He put a finger over your lips, encouraging you to stop talking. “We’ll go see a doctor after you’ve eaten something, I promise.”

You let out a shaky breath before cupping his jaw, giving him a half smile before walking out of your bedroom. The fact that he was here was beyond your comprehension. This was all you ever wanted and yet you couldn’t find it within yourself to be happy about it, the gnawing feeling of knowing the baby might not be okay eating away at you.

 After the two of you had eaten a small breakfast he drove you to the clinic as promised, his hand laced with yours the entire ride. He didn’t ask questions, instead respected your silence and didn’t push on it. His aviators rested on your nose, preventing the early sun from blinding you as you drove through the bustling streets of Bogotá.

“You want me to come with you?”, he asked, eyes squinted at the bright sunrays.

“Uh yeah, if you don’t mind..”, you shyly answered, raising a hand towards the window to provide some shade.

He pulled on the handbrake, turning his head to look at you. “I’ll only be there if you want me there, corazon.”

 The hospital was rather calm, aside from some emergency patients being rolled in. Javier had flashed them the good ole’ DEA badge, making you somewhat of a priority patient. He insisted you get some scans and x-rays done first, wanting to make sure none of the bruising and swelling was anything serious. Afterwards the two of you were put into a waiting room together, him with a coffee in his hands and you with your head on his shoulder, resting your eyes just a little while longer.

“Peña”, someone announced. Javi gave a nod, and the two of you followed a man into yet another room. “I hear baby needs a check-up too?”

“Uh yeah, we’re just a little worried”, he told the doctor, a protective hand on the small of your back.

The doctor gestured for you to take a seat in the medical chair, wheeling a cart carrying various equipment closer to it. “Well let’s have a quick look then. You can take a seat next to your wife.”

Javi sat down in the chair next to yours, giving your shoulder a reassuring squeeze as the doctor lifted your shirt. The gel was absolutely freezing, making you huff out an awkward chuckle. The applicator slid over your skin, the doctor trying to locate your baby as you looked over at Javier, who seemed to be entranced by it all. His brows were furrowed as he closely watched the doctor’s every movement, ready to step in if needed.

“There we go”, you both looked up at the screen, “baby looks good so far.”

“N-no complications?”, you squeaked out.

The doctor smiled at the two of you, flipping a switch on the cart to let the two of you hear a thumping sound. “Heartbeat is perfectly normal as well.”

You covered your eyes, letting out a sob as you listened to the rhythmic pulse. Javier was right there with you, eyes glossy with unshed tears. There was something so strange about it all, the stress and tension of the previous weeks suddenly just disappearing. It was peaceful, a moment nobody could intrude on or steal away. That was his baby right there, on that small screen. This was it, his everything, the woman he loved and the baby he never knew he wanted- needed. The doctor had stepped out, muttering something about giving you some time alone.

“I-I love you”, Javier expressed, bringing your free hand up to his lips and he’d never meant it more.

You dragged him down to you, crashing your sore lips on his. When you broke apart you wiped one of your tears off his face, slowly chuckling to yourself. “Te quiero Javi.”

 After your ultrasound finished up you got your results and when you were told there was nothing to worry about, the two of you set out on your way back to your apartment. Along the way you’d discussed filing for a restraining order and Javier had swerved the car back around, heading straight for the embassy.

“I-I don’t know if I should go inside”, you protested, suddenly feeling very nervous and self-aware.

“You’ll be fine, amor, it’s lunchtime anyway”, he assured you, pulling the keys from the engine.

You trailed behind him, clutching onto his hand as you walked into the building, looking down at the floor to avoid any and all stares. He swiftly pulled you into your shared office, where Steve sat in his chair, feet propped onto his desk. He promptly extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray on his desk, standing up to walk over to the two of you.

“I’m gonna start a case”, you announced, engulfing your friend in a lingering hug.

He patted your back, closing his eyes as he squeezed you a bit tighter. “I’m so proud of you, girly. We’ll get through this.”

The guys helped you set up your defence, Javi eventually taking one of the polaroid cameras to capture the evidence. He had you strip down to your undergarments, fixing the lighting to make sure the bruises and scratches were plenty visible. When he’d gathered images of your body be eventually got started on photographing your face, tilting your chin and adjusting his angles every so often. Steve had walked in, when you were once again fully dressed, staring into the lens.

“I take it baby’s good then?”, he asked, examining some of the developed polaroids.

“Yeah, don’t need to go back for another four weeks”, you’d replied, not wanting to overshare in the moment.

“This a maternity shoot or what?”, he joked, noticing the effort his colleague was putting in.

Javier put the camera down, ignoring Steve’s joke as he neatly stowed the images away in a brown envelope. “Let’s get some statements and then we can send this shit in.”

“Are you sure you want to be here for this?”, Steve asked so only him and Javi could hear.

“I need to know what that scumbag did to her.”

The blonde sighed, shaking his head: “This is about her, yeah? So keep your cool.”

He hit his partner on the head with the envelope. “I’ll go get the tape-recorder.”

You told the story just as it happened, sparing them no details. The urge to just get up and leave was there, but you wanted this all to done and dealt with. So you bit your tongue, answering Murphy’s questions one by one, taking five minute breaks after the really tough ones. By the end of it you were just about ready to get the fuck out of there.

“You got a good lawyer back home, in case he takes it to court?”

You looked up at Steve, lips pursed into a thin line as you impatiently tapped your fingertips against the table. “I’ve got some ideas, yeah. But if we’re done I’d really like to go home, I’m fucking bushed.”

He got up off his chair, stowing your signature and tape into the envelope containing the pictures. “’Course, you coming in on Monday then or?”

“Well I technically still have another week off, but I’ll see, I’ll give Con a call.”

“C’mon let’s go”, Javier intercepted, a hand on your upper back.

Once out of earshot you leaned into his side, whispering: “What was that about?”

“I want you all to myself tonight, amor, tonight is all about you.”

Taglist: @pedritomando @peterhollandkait @ophelia-ingenue @radiowallet @phoenixhalliwell @diogodxlot @rosiefridayrogersunday @a-court-of-feysand-and-elorcan​

[katymacsupernatural]

Under the Texas Sun Part 2

Jensen Ackles x Reader

Story Summary: Having been best friends with Jensen since kindergarten, Jensen has always been there for Y/N when she’s needed it the most. Best friends turned roommates, but will he still be there for her when things turn south? Or will his friendship turn into something more?

Catch Up Here: Masterpost

Two weeks later and you were completely moved into Jensen’s house. Your tiny little apartment had sold quickly, and you used part of the money towards your photography studio, saving the rest for a rainy day.

Moving hadn’t been too hard. The furniture in your apartment had gone to a thrift store, back to where you had first purchased it. Jensen had let you borrow his SUV, and it had only taken one trip to bring your most important possessions to his house. Your room was on the second floor, on the far side away from Jensen with a perfect view of the backyard. Your own huge walk-in closet and bathroom made it a perfect little oasis when you needed to get away from Jensen. Which wouldn’t be often, since he was still busy filming in Vancouver.

It had taken some getting used to, changing your living space from 600 square feet to over four thousand. His place was huge, and so freaking quiet when it was just you. You loved his living room, with the plush couches and the gigantic TV. A TV you would turn up a little louder than necessary, trying to drown out the silence.

Tonight was just like the other nights. A quiet dinner after a busy day at your studio. Wrapped up in your favorite blanket, you had the TV on while you scrolled through your phone. It was only Wednesday, and you were all ready for the weekend. To have your buddy Jensen back to help fill the void you were beginning to feel.

Just then your phone rang, Jensen’s face flashing up on your screen, and you picked the phone up, grateful for the distraction. “Hey, Jay!” You exclaimed, muting the TV.

You could hear people talking behind him, yelling and horns honking. “You must still be on set.”

“Yeah, it’s a late one tonight,” he muttered. “Just wanted to call and see how things are going with you. Settled in?”

“Fully,” you answered. “Even have my favorite chips in the pantry. Oh, and I bought ingredients for that casserole you really liked. Thought I could have that ready on Friday when you get in.”

You could hear the hesitation in his voice. “Listen, I don’t have much time, but that’s why I was calling. Looks like we’re going to have to work longer this week. I don’t think I’m gonna make it home.”

“Really?” You sighed, trying and failing to keep the disappointment from your voice. “Work that rough?”

“We’ve dealt with colds and weather. Even Baby got stuck in the mud. And to keep the episodes coming in a timely manner, we’re filming Saturday. But hey, I can make it up to you next weekend. Dinner at any restaurant you pick. It’s on me.”

You could hear them calling his name, so you let him go, staring down at your phone long after he hung up. You had been really looking forward to this weekend. To spend some time with your best friend. Some time with someone other than the people who paid you to take pictures of them.

“That’s it,” you muttered to yourself, tossing your blanket off and standing up. You weren’t just going to sit at home and feel sorry for yourself. Instead of sitting in silence, eating a thing of raw cookie dough, you bounded up the stairs, forcing yourself to keep moving. Throwing off your sweatshirt you had stolen from Jensen, you pulled on a low-cut black top, pairing it with your favorite ripped jeans. With a quick dab of perfume and lip gloss, you climbed into your little hatchback, turning it towards your favorite bar.

The place was packed. A group of college kids playing pool in the back and a bridesmaid group giggling like crazy in one of the booths. You took the only stool left at the bar, quickly ordering a whiskey. Downing it, you held your fingers up, ordering a second while you glanced around the bar.

Twangy country music played in the background, muffled by the loud laughter of the college boys. They didn’t hold your attention long as you continued to glance around the dimly lit bar. A couple of older gentlemen were the only other ones sitting in a booth. A group of men about your age took the last of the bar stools, watching the football game on the TV. Nothing that interested you, or could take your mind off of things.

“Fine, I’ll stick with the whiskey,” you muttered to yourself, knowing it was the smart thing to do. Whiskey would give you a headache in the morning, but that was it. A slight reprieve for the night.

That Saturday morning you snuggled deeper into your bed, planning on spending the day tucked under the covers. Sure, you’d probably surface at some point to find something to eat, but otherwise, you felt like staying in bed for the day. Then maybe, later in the evening, you would hit that bar again.

“Y/N!” Jensen called out, pushing open your bedroom door. “What the hell are you still doing in bed?”

Sitting straight up, you rubbed the sleep from your eyes. “What the hell are you doing home?”

He sank down on the foot of your bed, and you could see how tired he was. “We filmed through the night to get caught up. Jared and I flew home at three in the morning.”

Lifting your blanket, you offered him part of your bed. Sliding in beside you, he yawned. “I did promise you that dinner.”

You snuggled back down into your bed, relieved to have your best friend back home once again. “We can do that later. Right now you need some sleep, and I could use a nap myself.”

He was snoring softly before you even finished your sentence. His long lashes fluttered against his freckled skin, and you pulled the blanket up over his chest. Laying there, you couldn’t help but think how lucky you were to have such an amazing friend such as him. If only you could find someone like him to fall in love with you.

Read Part 3

Dean/Jensen Tags: @acortez82 @acreativelydifferentlove @adoptdontshoppets @a-girl-who-loves-disney @akshi8278   @bi-danvers0  @cap-just-said-language @colette2537   @deansgirl215  @flamencodiva @hamiltrash1411 @its-not-a-tulpa @jerkbitchidjitassbutt @justanotherwinchester @just-another-winchester @karouwinchester @keikoraventeller  @krys198478 @librarygeekery @magssteenkamp @misspygmypie @mlovesstories @mrsambroserollinsacklesmgk  @mrspeacem1nusone @nothinbuttrouble2​ @ria132love​ @ruprecht0420​  @screechingartisancashbailiff   @sortaathief​ @superseejay721517​ @squirrelnotsam @team-free-will-you-idjiot @thing-you-do-with-that-thing @thoughts-and-funnies @torn-and-frayed @tricksterdean @wonderfulworldofwinchester @woodworthti666 @beabutterfly987 @pink-sparkly-witch

UTTS Tags:  @deanwanddamons @fanfictionismydeath @supernatural-love14 @jbbarnesgirl @deangirl7695 @ladyofmaidensandwine @compresshischest09 @thevelvetseries @that-one-gay-girl @supraveng @laycblack 

Forever Tags: @aditimukul @alexwinchester23 @algudaodoce03-blog @amanda-teaches @andreaaalove   @artisticpoet @atc74 @be-amaziing @camelotandastronauts @caswinchester2000 @cpag7 @chelsea072498  @closetspngirl @deanwanddamons @docharleythegeekqueen @emoryhemsworth @ericaprice2008  @esoltis280   @tatted-trina6 @foxyjwls007 @gh0stgurl @goldenolaf25 @growningupgeek  @heartislubbingdubbing @heyitscam99 @hobby27 @horsegirly99blog @imsuperawkward @internationalmusicteacher @iwriteaboutdean  @jayankles @jensen-gal @justsomedreaming @just-another-busyfangirl @karlee-fay-my-wayward-son @linki-locks11 @littleblue5mcdork  @lowlyapprentice   @mersuperwholocked-lowlife @mogaruke @monkeymcpoopoo @musiclovinchic93  @nanie5   @percussiongirl2017 @plaid-lover-bay25   @roonyxx @ronja-uebrick @roxyspearing  @samanddeanmyheroes @sandlee44 @shamelesslydean @simonsbluee @sillesworldofwriting @sgarrett49 @spnbaby-67 @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester @spnwoman   @superbadassnatural @thatcrazybookwormgeek   @thewinchesterchronicles @valsworldofcreativity @vvinch3st3r  @whimsicalrobots @winchester-writes @zombiewerewolfqueen

[feralphoenix]

HOWMST BELL THE CAT? - A treatise on one aspect of how the Pale King sealed the Radiance

sup hollow knight fandom, i’m back with the picante takes again after having Noticed A Thing.

as with my previous essays i’ll put this guy up on dreamwidth later for accessibility purposes, since my layout text may be too small for high-res pc users. i will attach that in a reblog at a later point.

CONTENT WARNINGS FOR TONIGHT’S PROGRAM: This essay discusses canon-typical body horror and bodily boundary violations, with some side mentions of colonialism.

all game screencaps are mine. the screencap of the wiki is from the “developer notes” (style guide) section of the “cut content” page.

ALSO: if youre from a christian cultural upbringing (whether currently practicing, agnostic/secular, or atheist now), understand that some of what i’m discussing here may challenge you. if thinking thru the implications of this particular part of hollow knight worldbuilding/lore is distressing for you, PLEASE only approach this essay when youre in a safe mindset & open to listening, and ask the help of a therapist or anti-racism teacher/mentor to help you process your thoughts & feelings. just like keep in mind that youre listening to an ethnoreligiously marginalized person and please be respectful here or wherever else youre discussing this dang essay, ty

HOWMST BELL THE CAT? - A treatise on one aspect of how the Pale King sealed the Radiance

We understand more or less how the Pale King’s plan was supposed to work. Stuff Radiance into a no-thoughts-head-empty and silent Pure Vessel to trap, isolate, and silence her, both putting an end to the Infection and killing her for good. Stick that vessel in the Black Egg, which harnesses Void BS to both keep the vessel alive indefinitely and to cover Hallownest (and its neighbors) in a time-defying stasis so that the Pale King could successfully hoard his favorite shiny FOREVER, threatened by nothing. Then put a seal on the Black Egg to prevent anyone from getting inside and harming said vessel while it’s strung up and helpless. And THEN, put protective seals on the anchors (the Dreamers) to the Black Egg seal to protect them from any external harm: The stasis means the Dreamers won't die of old age or starvation.

All in all, a pretty foolproof plan!

...except that the Dreamers are still vulnerable to having their minds breached with the moths’ magic... and the Pale King failed to take into account that his Pure Vessel was a person actually and the amount of toxic stress his training/upbringing put on them made them REALLY POORLY SUITED FOR THEIR JOB... and also that killing 99% of his million children and turning the Abyss into a landfill for baby corpses would take enough of an emotional toll on his wife and #1 enabler the White Lady that she would walk out on him, ensuring he’d only ever have one shot at this whole deal...

Basically it’s the sort of plan that an emotionally constipated, low-empathy sort of guy who pours all his points into INT and has a big fat zero for WIS might think is foolproof. It has big holes in it that the Pale King did not consider to be big holes until he got owned by the various consequences of his actions and fell down said big holes, making the shocked pikachu face all the while. Rip in die, my guy.

Anyway, there’s a lot of incidental information scattered about the game that gives us more insight into the stages of TPK’s plan. Looking at Monomon’s notes in the Archive suggests that she was probably involved in designing the Black Egg; the hidden room in the Weavers’ den points to their being the ones to blueprint the Dreamer seal; the White Palace’s hidden rooms reveal both TPK’s morbid fascination with the Void and his mea culpa wrt his motives and the Path of Pain is certainly suggestive of a lot of things. The White Lady tells us straight out that she walked out on the Pale King because she wanted no part in a second vessel batch, but how TPK didn’t handle that is only revealed via map design and some incidental dialogue from the Old Stag.

This stuff presents us with, if not a full picture, then at least a decent connect-the-dots of certain aspects of crater politics and Pale Court drama at the time, and how exactly TPK’s plan came together.

But there is still one glaring question that these cookie crumbs do not provide us an answer to:

Who shall bell the cat?

How did TPK et al manage to stuff Radiance into Hollow in the first place?

This is the subject of a lot of memes and jokes within the fandom because it's so absurd. Radiance fuckin hates that dude! She’s probably gonna be pretty wary of him considering how he stole her people in the first place! And considering the anti-colonialism slant of the writing - beyond the general sympathetic view Team Cherry gives of each indigenous bug society, Seer makes it very clear that Radiance has very good reason to take violent action against Hallownest - the answer is probably not something like “she’s just that stupid” or “she rolled a crit fail”.

Well... I have an idea of how TPK managed to get Radiance in there. It raises about as many questions as it answers, mind, but it may be someplace to start.

[desc: the hollow knight's entry in the hunter’s journal. top text/ghost’s comment reads: “Fully grown Vessel, carrying the plague’s heart within its body.” bottom text/hunter’s comment says: “The old King of Hallownest... he must have been desperate to save his crumbling little world. The sacrifices he imposed on others... all for nothing.”]

Here we have Hollow’s bestiary entry. Most of what we’re concerned with here is the top text, which says the seal has literally trapped Radiance inside their body. (First of all, ew, TPK.)

We already knew Radiance is literally actually inside Hollow, though: The Infection is leaking out of their body, and to get to fight Radiance, Ghost has to go traipsing into their sibling’s mind. So what’s significant about that here?

[desc: screencap of the outside of the black egg temple, post-infected crossroads. there are large infection blobs in the foreground and background, connected to each other by veins that come from inside the temple.]

The infection blobs are weird and get weirder if you kill enough Lightseeds for the Hunter to tell you their origin story, i.e. that the literal actual sun has been having a very long bad day and cried a lot, and some of the liquid coalesced into living flesh, and some of that living flesh took on a mind of its own to become Lightseeds. (Hollow Knight is a WILD place.)

Lightseeds are Radiance’s accidental children and share a lot of her traits: They are harmless creatures that try to avoid conflict if possible but if pushed will get creative and find ways to fight regardless of their physical limitations. (For the Lightseeds this involves hiding inside Broken Vessel’s corpse and puppeting it around to try to stab you.) They even have her same distinctive yell. And according to the Hunter, they’re born from the infection blobs. These enemies only ever appear in the Ancient Basin, which both Radiance and the Void have ransacked, and in the Infected Crossroads.

The infection blobs are connected to and sort of a weird extension of Radiance because the Infection itself is sort of a weird extension of Radiance. In the game’s internal style guide Team Cherry explains that the Infection started as an accident, not her original intention but what happened when Hallownest tried to block her out.

[desc: screencap from the wiki of style notes attached to seer that describe a sketch of radiance’s finalized backstory. text reads: “The moth tribe were (perhaps) descended from Radiance. However, the King convinced them somehow to seal Radiance away. I guess so he could rule Hallownest with his singular vision, as a god/monarch with no other gods. The moths sealed Radiance away by forgetting about her. Hallownest was born and flourished. However, the memory of Radiance lingered (eg [sic] the statue at hallownest’s crown) and soon she began to reappear in dreams and starting [sic] exerting influence. The King and the bugs of Hallownest resisted this memory/power and it started to manifest as the Infection. Thus the first attempt to seal Radiance failed, and the King had to try another method - the Vessel.” emphasis mine.]

Some fans have posited the blobs as deposits of pupa juice, but given Team Cherry's description of the Infection’s origins I don’t know how likely that is. Since the Void also sticks its squamous tentacles into things via veiny looking things and the Nightmare’s Heart has similar veiny nonsense in the Nightmare Realm, I wonder if it isn’t just a Meddly God Shit thing in general.

Whatever the case, the blobs are very much connected to/a part of Radiance.

And when you’re hanging around them, you will notice two things: They pulse like they’re part of a circulatory system, and you can hear Radiance's heartbeat emanating from them.

[desc: screencap of the game’s title screen with the infected menu theme in use: a glowing orange ball at the center of a lot of black tendony webbing.]

Let’s also think of the Infected menu theme, which you unlock after getting either of the endings where Ghost takes over from Hollow and absorbs Radiance out of them. Ghost is infected and then sealed inside the Black Egg in Hollow's place. It’s suggested by the animation’s staging that Radiance briefly struggles to get out of Ghost after absorbed but is ultimately stuck in them, at which point the seal is reestablished.

If you haven’t used the Infected menu theme yourself, the... interesting thing about it is that it moves organically. The light ball expands and contracts - y’know, sort of like a living organ - and so does the black webby stuff around it.

Also, Radiance’s heartbeat is included in the theme's ambiance.

[desc: hollow’s bestiary entry again]

To cut to the chase, this part of Hollow’s bestiary entry that says “the plague’s heart”? I don’t think that’s just Ghost/Team Cherry being poetic. I think there’s a good chance it’s LITERAL.

I think TPK is the sort of person who could cram a native woman’s literal living beating heart inside his own child’s body so they can use it as... say, a focus to absorb and trap her mind/spirit inside their body, too. Mr. No Cost Too Great is capable of a lot in the name of keeping other people’s claws off his Big Shiny kingdom. This is kind of his whole brand.

But also, like, yuck.

This fits the worldbuilding too; generally speaking Hollow Knight is Body Horror City. Also there’s the case of Grimm: While he and Radiance are loose counterparts at best with WILDLY disparate outlooks and ethoses, his existence serves as precedent that a Higher Being’s heart specifically can be separate from the rest of them.

As I said before, though, this DOES raise as many questions as it answers. If this is another piece in the puzzle of how TPK belled the cat, we’re now left wondering how he got Radiance’s heart to use as Hollow's focus to begin with.

We know he has access to the Dream Realm because that’s ultimately where he hid when Hollow’s seal failed, but who did he send to do the stealing and how did they get away with it? (TPK certainly wouldn’t have gone; his own life’s the one cost too great for him to willingly pay.) Was Radiance’s heart separate from her like the Nightmare’s Heart, or was it a part of her body? (I think the latter is more likely just from her personality; Grimm’s hidden heart makes sense because of how he keeps even his own servants at arm’s length emotionally, whereas Radiance is all heart all the time. I think this makes more sense with their equal opposites schtick too. But this would make for a WAY riskier mission.)

I can imagine all kinds of possibilities. None of them are definitive, but the thing they have in common is that they are all Awful... and how on-brand that is for Hollow Knight as a whole is, maybe, the most persuasive argument for It’s Literally Actually Her Real Physical Heart there could be.

[unholyhelbig]

Werewolf Prompt: Chloe and Beca are cleaning up the house after werewolf!Chloe escaped and recked the house.

Read the Whole Series here | Request prompts here 

It never mattered how long Chloe brushed her teeth, she couldn’t get the coppery taste out of her mouth. Her tongue was caked in cotton and the minty taste of toothpaste didn’t’ do anything to quell it at first. She would scrub and then spit and then drag the brush against her teeth again.

Eventually, she had enough and threw the toothbrush back into the cup where it rested comfortably next to Beca’s. She dragged her thumb against the corner of her lip and shut the light off. Her whole body ached after nights like this- it didn’t matter how many years she’s had to do it, how long she’s been tasting blood.

She padded into the hallway, happy to feel the spongy carpet under her feet instead of wet dirt. It didn’t’ take long before she had made her way down the stairs and into the family room. There was an unsettling breeze that swept through the lower level of the house. She stopped on the bottom stair and lifted an eyebrow.

“You’ve managed to break another window,” Beca said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Chloe couldn’t’ stifle the smile on her lips, though it was thin. She flexed her fingers, and they stung. She had done a bad patch job with whatever bandages they had laying around. She would be healed by the time they got eggs on the stove but it made her feel more human to try.

Beca wore whatever she had scooped up from the floor, a cotton button-down that had a few droplets of blood, or maybe it was pen ink, on the collar. She had secured it against her skin and was rooting around the pantry for the broom. Chloe took it innocently, wrapping her fingers around Beca’s.

“I didn’t cause too much damage, did I?”

“No,” She fretted, “but I’m afraid you did wake the neighbors.”

Chloe let out a loud groan and palmed the dustpan before lowering herself to the ground to scoop the shards of glass into a neat little pile. Beca rooted around in the drawer and produced masking tape and unfurled the paper that she had brought in this morning.

They worked in silence, Chloe getting as much of the sliding glass door. They had replaced it twice since they relocated to the small townhome. It was an upgrade from the apartment with the creaky radiator, but they hadn’t yet figured out a safe way for her to transition. A good patch of land was more than an hour away.

Beca had begun taping the corners of the paper to ward off the chilled morning breeze. She flicked the first section of the news and squinted to see the tiny letters. She wouldn’t admit it, but she needed glasses to read, and drive at night. She tucked them away at the back of the medicine cabinet and strained herself instead.

“Chloe?”

“Darling?”

She heard the detrimental tone in the woman’s voice. Her legs ached as she stood from her position on the floor, dumping the pile of glass into the nearby bin. Beca moved the paper closer to her face, so close she could smell the ink and freshly printed paper.

“Do you remember anything from last night?”

“Not much, why?”

She grasped the news, not having to keep it as close as her wife did. There was a photo of a small intersection, each one with nearly the same housing as they had. They were cookie-cutter, the HOA making sure that the hedges were cut and the grass was mowed.

“A whole chicken coop, Chloe?” Beca asked, snatching it back before ripping a large strand of tape from the roll. “I mean, you ate the half-rack of lamb that we left in the freezer. I didn’t think you would be hungry after that but I underestimated your stomach yet again.”

“Miss Jensen will get more chickens,” Chloe reasoned. She snaked her arms around Beca. She pushed herself flush against her, placing her chin on her shoulder. Beca smelled like clove cigarettes and vanilla. Chloe kissed her neck gently.

“Mm, this is not helping your case.” Beca turned in her arms, having secured the paper. She draped her arms over Chloe’s shoulders “I know we’re only stuck here for a year but I don’t need the neighbors beating down our door with pitchforks and torches.”

Chloe chuckled “That’s impossible, Sweetheart. I’m much too charming.”

As if on cue there was a swift knock at the door. Both of them stiffened and Chloe turned her chin towards the front of the townhome. She nodded apprehensively at Beca and rolled her shoulders back before padding across the room. She took a deep, steadying breath before opening the door with a smile.

A couple, their neighbors, she recognized, beamed with a casserole dish. Chloe could smell the flour and the gravy already and it made her stomach turned. With her luck, she would burp up a wet feather and incriminate herself more. Beca didn’t’ waste any time joining her, fitting into Chloe’s side.

“Hi,” They said in unison, but cocking their heads to the side. They were too pristine. The woman’s jet black eyes flicked towards the half-covered window, void of glass. “We’re the Sief’s, we live across the street.”

“Ah,” Beca turned on her charm “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Beca, this is my wife Chloe. What can we help you with today?”

Mr. Sief’s smile never faltered “Well, we’ve never had the pleasure of welcoming you to the neighborhood. We also wanted to check to see if the two of you were okay. With all those recent animal attacks.”

“It’s just awful isn’t it?” Mrs. Sief shuddered, gripping the Pyrex pan tight enough to shatter it. “What happened to your window?”

They were being eyed, and Chloe stuck her bandaged fingers into the pockets of her pajama pants as smoothly as she could without irritating the lacerations. Beca gripped on tighter, the fabric of Chloe’s shirt shifting under her touch.

“Oh, just some neighborhood kids with a ball, it sure startled us. Right honey?”

“Right, it’s not something you want to wake up to in the morning.”

Mrs. Seif narrowed her eyes and thrust the pan of casserole forward. She considered it customary for a funeral and not for a welcome committee. Beca took it with a smile and thanked them in a tone that was sweet enough to make her teeth fall out.

“Thank you so much for the casserole,” Chloe beamed “It’s very nice of you.”

The woman nodded with exaggeration “You all should consider pressing charges. Teenagers shouldn’t be out that late anyway.”

“We’ll think about it. Nice to meet you!” Beca closed the door entirely before they could say anything else. They waited for a few long moments, making sure that the couple had at least made it to the curb before Chloe couldn’t hold her laugh in any longer.

Beca shoved her shoulder, mocking a frown “It’s not funny! I’m pretty sure they poisoned that. Who puts tater tots in a casserole?”

“Oh, I’m not eating this. But our accountant neighbors are a far cry from angry townsfolk, wouldn’t you say?”

Beca rolled her eyes and shoved the glass pan into Chloe’s entirely healed hands before walking over to the window to finish taping it up. Chloe would pull the business card from the magnet on the fridge and call the handyman again. At this point, they could earn a punch card.