#setting this shelf up is sorta... closing the deal & all.

[orcelito]

New memorial shelf

Decided to keep the flower hat on Sammy, despite the fact that Cassy was the only one who wore it in life. Idk, I've had it on him for so long, it'd feel weird to switch it now. Sammy's also gotta share some extra space with the paw prints bc they gave me two with Cassy lol. I'm not complaining.

Here's their ashes boxes side by side. Funnily enough, Cassy's the one with the more orange one. I wrote their names on the bottoms to make sure i don't accidentally mix them up later.

They also... gave me bits of his hair in vials. Seeing those is what made me start crying tbh. Made it really sink in.

It is a little funny to see Cassy's paw plates next to Sammy's. Cassy really must have been bigger than Sammy. I got Cassy a whole year after Sammy, so it wasn't something I'd really noticed.

And finally... the stuffed animals. They actually are from the same brand, which explains why they're so similar.

They look like they could've been friends.

[maxdreavus]

Falling Away With You | Ch. 27* (EDITED MAY 6 2025)

Sebastian x F!Reader and M. Rasmodius x F!Reader

Rating: Mature/Explicit

Chapter Summary: The farmer has a scandalous dream, to say the least.

Author’s Note: This chapter has an aphrodisiac/sex pollen sorta deal but not really?? You’ll see what I mean lol, I just wanted to like.. give a warning I guess. Like everything that happens is consensual but I guess it's almost dubcon? Idk but it’s hard to explain without giving anything away wuknefjsd

Also, the set up for this one is a biiiiig ol' reference to either the Romanceable Rasmodius or SVE mod - not sure which - with dialogue taken from it as well!! I recommend it, the heart events are all pretty cute ^^

Enjoy and take care x

Table of Contents + Work Summary

Check it out on ao3!

Prev | Next

Magnus is surrounded by Junimos in the center of his spell circle: all of them speaking over each other, bouncing off his limbs, trying to compete for his attention. In the center, his bright red eyes are blazing with annoyance. 

“Release yourselves at once!” he growls. 

“Razmatasmodiums!” A small pink junimo exclaims, hanging off of his sleeve with their tiny, twig-like arms and kicking their puny little feet around. Another one, hopping in place and using Magnus’ leg to propel themself into various flips, is laughing with glee. A similarly sized red junimo exclaims “Magic! Magink wisard!” as they wave their arms, trying to be noticed.

This is an entire mess, but it is so fucking cute. I walk forward, trying not to show any hints of amusement. When Magnus fails to notice me, I clear my throat.

“Ah!” He gasps, his eyes somewhere between red and pink now, as a similar tint consumes his grey complexion as well. “I’m— agh, will you quit it?!”  He tries to explain the situation to me as his eyes are swallowed by scarlet again, continuing to be cut off by his little friends. “Sto– confound it, you! Fucking hell…” he sighs. “Elise, would you be so kind as to retrieve that book on the ground? Please.”

I do as he says and walk closer, just a few feet from his side. 

“Thank you, now please read that incantation at the bottom of the right page.”

“Mhm,” I hum before following his order.

The chirping of junimos fills the room, and suddenly, all but one are gone. The remaining junimo looks how you’d imagine an animated wild plum to appear. 

Magnus kneels down, and the junimo happily jumps into his outstretched hand. He mutters something to the lil’ creature that I can’t make out while I return his book to its rightful place on the shelf near his workstation. When I come back, I opt for the opposite side of Magnus, nearer to the wall. He places the junimo back down, asking them to tell us more of their background.

After some discussion of the part of the forest they reside in, their culture, and what they do from day to day, the junimo gets sleepy and wants to leave. They wave goodbye from the center of the circle as Magnus recites a spell to send them home.

The wizard sighs deeply with relief. “I merely wanted to commune with the little sprites… in the future, instead of trying to summon them to me, I should probably go into the forest and find them myself.”

“Yeah, that would make more sense,” I tease.

He glares at me, but it turns into an endearing smirk as I giggle and while he closes in on me. “Now, seeing as that’s all taken care of…” 

My laugh morphs into confusion as he continues inching towards me until I’m backed against the wooden low trim of the wall. Both of his large arms extend outward, his palms flat against the stones above my shoulders as he effectively traps me in place. 

I’m dumbfounded by the intimate proximity. A piece of me wants to tear my widened eyes from his, now a deep, syrupy red; but I feel delectably small below his gaze, and quite frankly, I can’t will myself to move.

He finally continues, “Tell me the truth, Elise. Were you tempted to laugh?”

I picture what I’d walked in on, and stifle a chuckle at the thought. “Yeah, absolutely.” 

Magnus sighs and rolls his eyes, but he laughs. A chill runs down my spine as I feel his breath on my face. 

“I suppose it was quite funny… nonetheless, no one hears of this,” he murmurs, a frustrated rasp adding depth to his already low voice. 

I’m unsure of who I'd even tell about this incident, given how few people here know who he is, but I reassure him anyway. “My lips are sealed.”

His eyes flicker down to my mouth, as if taking the phrase literally. They linger as he wets his own lips, seemingly tempted by the close quarters. Fuck, he has nice lips. Those stupid, smooth lips. They curl into a devilish grin before Magnus speaks again, and my cheeks feel hot as coal while my core fills with a familiar warmth.

“While I appreciate your honesty, I ought to punish you.” My heart jumps into my throat. 

“Y-yeah? Why’s that, wizard?” 

Seeming either amused or pleased by my antagonism, he adds, “Indeed. You should know not to poke fun at such significant affairs.”

I roll my eyes. Since when is he so serious? Maybe I caught him on a bad day.

“Well…” I gnaw at my lip for a sec, hyping myself up to challenge him again. “How would you do it?” 

Smirking, Magnus leans down a full, like, almost two feet or whatever the fuck it is to reach my ear, and mutters a quiet incantation against my lobe. I let out a shaky breath and wrap the sleeves of my sweater over my hands as his damp lips graze me. I have no time to be curious about the spell’s purpose. Magnus is so fucking close to me and it’s incredibly distracting.

Not asking questions was a biiig mistake.

The moment he stops talking, I’m overwhelmed with desire. Drunk off of it, even. It’s not the same tingles I had before, or ever, really — this is an insatiable, almost violent arousal. My breath hitches as he backs away, chuckling deviously. 

A few more seconds pass and I’m sweating. I’m in pain. My heart is racing. My lungs are practically convulsing. My head is spinning. I’m going to fucking die. 

“W-what did you do?” I ask. It comes out airy and whiny. “Magnus, what the fuck is this?”

“Punishment fit for a naughty apprentice, of course.” He says it so matter-of-factly. As if it’s just some normal, everyday thing, to be magically turned into a hornball for “punishment.”

My lungs and heart aren’t slowing down. Yoba. I must need water. Water will help, yeah?

I rush to the sink and splash my face, while Magnus writes down his findings from our junimo encounter nearby. 

This isn’t helping. 

I cup a bunch in my hand and begin to drink, not bothering to find a glass. No time for that. Need relief.

FUCK, this isn’t helping either.

I run my wet hands carelessly through my hair, pacing back and forth, before placing my forearms on his cauldron. If I just stare at the bubbles long enough it’ll relax me, yeah?

…Nope.

I breathe out deeply, but it sounds like a moan, as far as I can tell. There’s no trusting my judgment with such foggy hearing, albeit I can definitely make out the intrigued hum coming from the wizard nearby. I can’t be bothered to apologize for the noise because I can barely control myself anyways. I’m hardly able to see at this point, let alone form a sentence.

“Mmm–Mag… how do I…”

My words feel all jumbled. I’m a fucking trainwreck. I don’t want to be seen in this state, especially by Magnus, but I’m not keen on walking all the way back to the farm like this either. Don’t even feel safe using the stairs to go hide somewhere in the tower. Legs’re too wobbly. I continue pacing, hoping the movement will help drive away all the sensations going on inside of me, if not make my legs feel sturdier…

Nope. Not working either. Of course not!

I next find myself leaning against the pedestal off in the small corner room — the one that contains a grimoire for warp points and junimo huts and shit. I close the book, conscious to not accidentally create a village of tiny elemental fruit friends in the tower, and then lay across it, closing my eyes. Hoping it’ll end the spinning sensation if nothing else.

But even with my eyes shut, I can still see, albeit in a more dreamlike manner. 

There are visions of Magnus caressing my head softly as I take him down my throat. Looking down at me through musky eyes and an absolutely sinful grin.

Of our forms tangled on the purple and red sofa downstairs as he fucks me senseless, a stark contrast to his hands gently worshiping my body. 

He’s pumping his length into me as he summons some sort of ghostly appendages to assist him on my clit, my breasts everywhere that he can’t reach, bringing me to the brink. Softly stroking my hair and telling me how good I’m taking him as I writhe against his body.

Fuck, this is… I’m…!!

I open my eyes with a distressed gasp as I realize that I’m actually about to cum just to these delusions. 

Holy fucking shit.

I panic, refusing to follow through. Blue balling myself for the sake of my dignity… whatever the fuck that is anymore. My vision is still hazy as I attempt to seek out refuge. I don’t move – only peer around, hopeless in trying to find my bearings, clinging to the podium.

Magnus, who seems to have tried working on some sort of new potion, seems distracted — maybe even fascinated — by me, as my eyes lustfully skim over his physique against my better judgment. 

It’s hard to tell through my current state, but his irises look red. Is he mad at me? 

He better not be, he did this to me!

He’s leaning over the cauldron as he observes me, his long, slender, veiny hands clutching the pot in front of him. Magnus’ black tunic contrasts beautifully against his ashy skin… slightly unbuttoned to expose some of his chest, clinging to his waist perfectly, while the sleeves are neatly rolled up his forearms. 

He looks irresistible, and I’m growing more fearful as my restraint dwindles over time.

Was I making noise? Is that why he’s watching so intently? Did I hysterically act out any of those mirages on myself in real time, or was it some weird phantom sensation?

Oh my god, did I think so loudly that he saw it all for himself?

“M-Mag— please, I’m…” I groan, sliding to my knees as I’m overwhelmed with desire and exhaustion on the crystalline floor.

He saunters over, looking at first like an ethereal creature amongst a dense fog. But when he’s closer, god, he’s the only clear thing I can fucking see. It’s so hard not to throw myself at him. How strong is this curse?

“H-help…” I murmur, seeming to choke on air. 

He crouches before me as I sob on my hands and knees. Pathetically desperate for release. For his touch too — anywhere, really. 

Spirits in my favor, he brushes some hair from my face before lifting it up towards his own, dwindling me down to a whimpering mess.

“It’s going to be alright, my dear.” Magnus continues to play with my tresses as I nuzzle into his hand. This would be soothing if it wasn’t driving me mad with need. “If I’d been aware that this would have such a powerful effect on you, I would have never recited that spell…” Under his breath, he adds, “T’was only supposed to be a prank, of sorts.” 

Of course his studies on How To Mundane™ did this to me.

He sounds genuinely concerned, which is comforting in its own way, but I’m still just as annoyed as I am ravenous.

“Why… d-di’you…” I shudder as a hand moves to my cheek, wiping my tears away, “do this t’me?”

“I’m afraid this is your own doing.” 

I try to ask what the hell he means, but I just squeak. He seems to decipher it.

“That incantation in particular manifests uniquely from person to person,” Magnus explains. “It curses the spellbound to feel a savage desire towards whatever it is they craved at the time of casting.” 

…Oh.

“The only way to stop it is with a reversal spell, conducted by the enchanter… or to obtain whatever it is you desire so greatly.” 

Oh my god no. 

“O-oh. Great.” 

He huffs out a laugh that I can’t see. I focus on my breathing, keeping my eyes very open in order to avoid further embarrassment, as the cold floor soothes my sweaty palms.

“Most in your position would go running to retrieve the end to their suffering,” he adds softly. Knowingly. “So why is it that you’re still here, calling out my name?” His thumb strokes my cheek as I lean into the sensation. “Why do you seem to respond so… actively, to such a simple touch?” 

Magnus’ thumb trails to my trembling bottom lip. Running gentle lines across its chapped edges. Taunting me. It’s like he knows what I want. He probably read it straight from my head already. Either that, or I said some embarrassing shit while hallucinating before. The shame would make me want to cry, if it weren’t for the fact that I am crying already. 

“I… fff— I-I don’t…” I try to form a sentence, but it’s hopeless. 

He cups both hands around my face and I swallow back a pitiful moan. I shift to sit on my legs, feeling too overwhelmed by his hands on me while I was in such a compromising position.

If he seems to care so much about my situation, then why won’t he undo this fucking spell? Why is Magnus just comforting me through the suffering instead of putting it to rest?

“Ple..please….” 

“Whatever you need, just say the words.”

You fucking know what I need! I think as I let out another ungodly noise of frustration. I sniff, hoping that I’m not ugly-crying too unfashionably.

“Fff… y-you…” I heave. “Fuck you.”

“Come, now, don’t be like that,” he jokes. 

I fall into his chest, groaning as I grasp at the thin cloth of his top, physically feeling unable to ask him to undo the curse. 

I don’t even think I want him to. 

I just want him. 

I need him.

He wraps his arms around my broken form and rubs my back.

“Sadist…” I mumble, muffled by the fabric and my blubbering. 

“Blasphemy.”

“B-bullshit!!”

Another laugh rumbles against my forehead. “Alright, alright. I’ll stop toying with you.”  

Thank go— oh. Nevermind.

He tilts my face back slightly to get a better look at me. Putting me on full display. One hand is close to my nape and the other is on the back of my head, wrapped in my hair. Magnus isn’t tugging, but the grip is killing me regardless. 

“I already know what you desire,” he lilts, tilting his head sadistically as his eyes morph into a seductive, blood-like shade of crimson again. 

He… he already… Oh. My eyes widen at his claim.

“I just want to hear you beg.” 

Oh, for fuck’s sake, that is so hot. 

He’s closing in, and my pulse spikes as I feel the heat of his lips settling so close to mine throughout his next, quiet request: “Will you indulge me, Elise?”

“I…” I’m at a loss for words. My breath is heavy as I try to muster up the courage. I need this to end. “M..mmm… puh… please…”

I whine as I press my forehead to his. Shivering. Screwing my eyes shut... 

Oh, that’s right, nevermind. All I can see when I do that is Magnus’ body on or below mine. 

Cool! 

Upon anxiously opening them back up, I see Magnus’ lips curl into an amused, lopsided grin.

“Please what, Elise?” His grip in my hair tightens. “Surely that vision of yours should serve as encouragement, no?”

Oh ok, so he has been seeing everything. Cool cool cool cOOL COOL COOL—

“Mag… I…” I shudder, my teary eyes panning to his for reassurance. “N-need you.”

My intoxicated mind almost forgot that he could undo this weird, horny curse that I basically inflicted upon myself whenever he wants, but he’s deliberately choosing not to. 

He wants this. 

He wants me.

And he proves it, too. The instant those words left my mouth, his lips were on mine. Our mouths’ movements against each other are smooth and gentle, yet impatient. Hungry, as though seeing me like this is making him just as ravenous. 

Getting fussy, I use the fist on his shirt to bring him closer to me, pressing against him harder. Wanting more. Needing more.

Magnus suddenly pulls me atop him, positioning me to straddle his kneeling leg. I moan into his kiss in shock, not expecting him to so easily fling my body onto his; and then do so again, as my crotch makes even the lightest contact with his thigh. 

He responds to my hopeless whimpers by tugging my body closer to his. Magnus then emits a greedy, mischievous chuckle, which morphs into a satisfied hum. A hum that vibrates into my lips and shoots straight down through my tummy and between my thighs. 

Without putting any thought into it, I slowly begin to grind myself onto his lap. I gasp out of our kiss and lean my face into Magnus’ chest, whining and sobbing and cursing under my breath as I use his fucking leg to stimulate myself.

“Look at you…” His coo is laced with pity, driving me mad as I quiver against him. “I had no idea you were such a perverted little thing.”

I whine again and continue struggling to form the words to defend myself. But the need to have sex with the man I’m moving against is too fucking strong and this just feels too fucking good.

Magnus releases his hug on my body and trails his hands to my waist, assisting my movements. All it takes is his strong grip to send fucking flames through me. 

To ensure that this isn’t nearly enough. I need him on me, inside me, anything more than this. I don’t dare look at his face, terrified of how much I'm embarrassing myself. 

His hands trail from my hips to my outer thighs, rubbing soft and careful circles against them. He then inches his left hand across my right thigh, tantalizingly slowly. His fingers crawl underneath my skirt. When his thumb dips underneath the cotton cloth of my panties, reaching to the crevice where my thighs meet my torso, I swear I could see Yoba.

And just when it seems as though I’ll get what I need, Magnus pulls away, opting to continue over the fabric.

“Ahh— no!” 

Another chuckle. “You poor, poor girl.” 

He still sounds like he’s taken pity on me, which is awfully aggravating, considering he’s willingly doing all of this to me. 

Magnus strokes his thumb lightly up the middle of my underwear. These poor things are probably a fucking mess. I cry out before biting his shirt to contain my sounds.

“Is this not enough to sate you?” he mocks, pressing the slightest bit harder. A moan bursts from me before I can even try to silence myself, and I push further into his touch. 

“N-no— oh fuh~” 

“Try again, my dear.”

Not sure if I need to concentrate more on talking or on moving myself against him, I try again. “P-please,” I squeeze out. 

I reach down with a trembling hand and push my panties to the side. I shift his stalling fingers to my exposed cunt, urging him for more. 

Wanting to communicate my needs to him in any way possible, I look him in the eye, meek yet determined. His orbs are just as hungry as I’d imagine mine look, beaming at me like two freshly polished red quartzes. 

“Fuck,” he growls, a harsh blush coating his cheeks.

One of my hands holds the fabric aside while the other digs into his shoulder. Still gyrating against his lap, unable to last a single second without pleasure. I'm about to try my hand at verbally begging him for mercy again, but—

“Ahh, ple—mmmph!” 

Magnus silences me with his lips as he works my lower half at such a mind-numbing pace that I can’t tell if it feels good or if it’s too much. He heightens my pleasure further as he releases his mouth from mine and trails it down to my neck, peppering me with kisses and love bites wherever he pleases. 

“Fuck, Magnus!”

That was… awfully articulate. Maybe the spell will wear off gradually as more of my needs are met?

Lost in bliss, I’ve been more conveniently repositioned without noticing. I’m now leaning into his shoulder as he fingerfucks up into me with one hand and roams my figure with the other, with my arms around his neck and my core lifted off of his leg.

He finds a pace and spot that work perfectly in unison from the new angle. The most indecent mewl I’ve ever heard comes from my mouth as I lose myself so wholeheartedly into his touch.

“Thaaat’s a good girl,” he praises against my ear. Making me shiver. Tantalizing me. “I have a proposition for you,” he continues, his voice dripping with pride. “I am going to count down from ten. If you could be a dear and cum on my fingers at exactly one, I’ll be sure to stuff your greedy cunt as belligerently as you’d envisioned me doing so.” 

Whoa, holy fucking shit. 

Those… those were words he just said. 

“Does that sound fair, Elise?”

“Ff— mhm, please,” I manage, nodding desperately. 

After some more praise, he begins. It goes painstakingly slowly. My wanton cries are probably deafening in his ear, this poor wizard. As he approaches the final number, I feel myself tightening, and…

And…

…!

I jolt awake gasping the wizard’s name, clutching Eggy with a vice grip in the hand that had been on my friend’s shoulder moments ago. 

My sheets are drenched in sweat and, unfortunately, my arousal. Gross. What am I, a fucking teenager? I breathe heavily as I take in my surroundings, and cradle my lower abdomen, as if it’ll calm the heat pooling in it.

I’m home. I’m at the farm. That was all a dream… none of that was real.

None of it.

The unrelenting need for Magnus’ touch, to kiss Magnus, to fuck Magnus… everything I promised Seb I wouldn’t do… at least without his input first… none of it… was…

Fuck.

[icequeenbae]

Desert Flower (m) Ch. 1 | BBH

Pairing: Baekhyun x Reader x Baëkhyun

Characters: EXO and X-EXO (not all of them mentioned)

EXO vs X-EXO dynamics, complicated relationships, angsty, action, smut (as usual)

Warnings: sorta mingling with your ex’s ‘evil twin’, mentions of blood/ violence (nothing too graphic… I suppose), Y/N gets teary a lot(?), explicit content, rough sex, unprotected sex

Word Count: ~13.5k (full), ~3.7k (Chapter 1)

Summary: Baekhyun, your beloved boyfriend of three years, suddenly breaks up with you and disappears from the city in an attempt to protect you. But leaving you alone and clueless means trouble will surely find you. For it is easy to spot a flower in the desert.

Masterlist   >> One >> Two (m) >> Three (m) >> Four (fin)

Author’s Note: Yay, this is happening!!! My first BaekBaёk, oml I’m gonna-

Ok. I’ll admit right off the bat that I wouldn’t be posting this any time soon without my lovely beta @baekshoney​ 🖤 She’s the person I turn to when I think there’s a million little things I could’ve done better, because that’s what I always think. I had to give myself a cut-off date to finally give up editing this 😅 So, I’d really appreciate it if you guys could share your thoughts and opinions on this too. My asks, dms and comments are places where you’re always welcome! Now, let’s get into this!

Tags: @blahblahblah-boo @baeklightsx @wooya1224 @baekklove

Chapter 1. The beginning of the end 

It was all too sudden.

The words he’d said deafened you. Refusing to believe what you were hearing, you shook your head and took a step back, as if doing so could start the conversation you’d just had over. Or rewind the time and allow you to prevent the words from coming out of his mouth in the first place. But he was firm, unyielding in his stance.

‘I’m sorry,’ he repeated. ‘It’s my fault. I should’ve known better.’

Than to start this relationship, was what he meant. That he should have avoided getting in a relationship with you altogether, and breaking up with you would’ve never become an issue.

‘Why?’ You tried to speak, but your lower lip started to tremble, silencing you at once.

This was all wrong. It couldn’t have been true, what he was saying.

He licked his lips, looking away, hands forming tight fists at his sides as he tried to recollect himself and urge his body to stay frozen on the spot.

That did not work for long – the sight of you, so small, so stunned and defeated, with tears welling in your eyes while you tried to stifle them… He couldn’t. It was stupid of him to break his act so easily, but you were too precious to him to just leave you like this.

Sighing and cursing himself out in his mind, he took a stride towards you and gathered you tightly in his arms.

‘I am sorry, Y/N,’ he continued softly, hearing you hiccup in his unexpected embrace. ‘But I have to leave. We- I should’ve stayed away from you from the start. Forgive me for being so weak.’

You sobbed at his words, shaking your head stubbornly and clinging to his broad chest as an act of desperation.

‘I can come with you!’

‘No,’ he interrupted your crazy idea. ‘I’m leaving you behind. To keep you safe.’

‘Safe from what?’ You questioned, half-annoyed now.

He kept insisting that he wished to protect you, but how was leaving you all alone ensuring your security? And why would you even consider it, when you only felt safe while with him?

‘I cannot tell you. The more you know, the more dangerous it is.’

‘Baekhyunie, please,’ you wiped the tears and grabbed onto his vest as he moved to pull away. ‘You can’t just decide this on your own!’

‘Y/N,’ he took hold of your wrists, not removing them just yet. ‘I know it’s hard, and I never wanted to hurt you like this. But there’s nothing you can say that’ll change my mind. I’d rather break your heart than risk your life, so it’s not really a choice.’

He looked around as if to make sure you were not being watched, and then leaned in to place a farewell kiss on your temple – his favorite spot. You sniffled, realization of the inevitable setting in.

‘Just let me go, flower,’ his voice lowered to a whisper, and you sobbed at the pet name. ‘You’ll be better off without me, I promise.’

‘No,’ you protested as he freed himself from your grasp, and took a step back. ‘No, Baekhyun, don’t leave,’ you clawed at his forearm, trying to stop him. ‘We can deal with it together, we can think of something! I don’t want to be without you,’ you whimpered sorrowfully.

He shook his head, shying away from your touch, while you desperately tried to hold him back.

But you couldn’t. He gently peeled your hands off to walk away, and you missed the pained crease between his eyebrows when he turned his back on you to escape your apartment.

‘Please, don’t do this…’ You whispered, voice breaking in anguish. Just as your heart was.

Yet, Baekhyun kept walking. Leaving you to weep in the unwelcoming emptiness of your home.

Leaving you for good.

***

Your relationship with Baekhyun started almost three years ago.

Still new to university life, you found yourself in the midst of a soap opera worth of drama when a bunch of transfer students joined all at once, some even in the same year as you. All highly attractive, they usually hung out together and spent less time than needed socializing with the outside world.

Not that you cared too much – sure, the excitement going around was making you curious, but they looked too handsome, almost to the extent that you found it intimidating. Ironically, the most intimidating you found Baekhyun. His then long dark hair with strands of red and a mullet hairstyle, the sharp green eyes, the pierced eyebrow, and the lip ring that made him look like a very attractive hooligan... The piercings turned out to be just as fake as the eye color, which did not disappoint you at all.

Funny enough, you only got to know this bad boy because he took a liking to retreating to the campus library. Hiding from all of the attention, of course. While some members of his clique actually basked in it, he preferred to disappear to the remote aisles of the quiet space and read a book, or, more likely, sleep with one on his chest. You saw him like that often, since you were stuck in there yourself – essays for different classes were piling up rapidly. As a diligent student, you were determined to do well in your first year of university, so dragging yourself to the library to stay glued to your laptop was the best option.

Coincidentally, you also preferred to stay in the less lively spaces, as you tended to seek peace and quiet to focus on your assignments. Your attention span… wasn’t impressive, to say the least, so you did your best to avoid any distractions. However, you didn’t count on a certain sleep lover to be one of them.

It was not the first day you spent close enough to notice the tranquil expression he wore on his face as he was snoozing. It was, however, the first time he caught you staring mindlessly in his direction. Burning the deepest shade of red in your cheeks, you grabbed your books and quickly made yourself scarce, thanking heavens for the multiple aisles of books around. You walked around for ten minutes or so, actually placing your books back where they belonged and finding a secluded corner to check out what else was on the shelves. Squinting, you tried to read the name of the tome that had gotten your attention, and raised your arm to get it from the level that was clearly too high for you. Thankfully, someone reached over your head and helped you obtain the book. You turned around to say thank you but instead were suddenly pushed back into the shelf by the taller figure with neat red strands. Speechless, you only held your book close and gaped at him, as he leaned forward.

‘Ever heard about the cat killed by curiosity?’ He hummed, eyes piercing you from above.

You swallowed, knees getting weaker as you registered the fresh musky smell coming off of his brightly colored shirt.

To push your buttons, he decided to get even more scandalously close to you, arm holding onto the rack behind you to keep balance.

‘Nothing wrong with being curious!’ You jabbered. ‘In fact, if people preserved the curiosity they have as kids they would’ve had a much bigger learning capacity as adults.’

He huffed. You weren’t sure if he was shocked or amused, because your eyes looked anywhere but his face. In fact, they lowered enough to fix on your forearm, resting across his rib cage, and your fist pressing slightly into his pec to keep him at least at a minimal distance.

At this you gasped, eyes widening and returning to his face, only to catch an inquisitive spark in his retinas as he nudged the lip ring with his tongue. Sighing, he took a step back, finally allowing some space between you.

‘Can’t write a philosophy essay with this, little flower,’ he chuckled. ‘Or if you can… I’d be impressed.’

You looked down in confusion, understanding that the book you were holding was from a Botanics section. ‘The Oxford Book of Wild Flowers’, read the title.

But… How did he know about your philosophy assignment?

***

Only later had Baekhyun confessed that he had had an eye on you for a while by the time this incident took place, but the moment of your outburst was what got to him. When he looked down at your cornered form, holding a book to your chest so innocently, and keeping him away instinctively with one arm. He had to bite his tongue to prevent a smile from making its way onto his face. That was it for him, and even though he wanted to avoid you and keep interactions with you to an absolute minimum, he couldn’t help but find ways to draw your attention. Like that one time, when you walked out of the library because the loud noises from the outside made your concentration for the night crumble.

The source of that noise was, in fact, a certain convertible, blasting the music for the entire campus to hear. You would have come up to complain that your studying was cut short if you didn’t have perfect eyesight. It allowed you to see that there was a red-haired problem sat in the car, with a bare foot resting lazily against the panel. Ready to run the other way, you turned around, meeting a solid chest with your forehead. You discovered that it was a rather cheerful guy in the same year as you, Jongin, and the other one with him was Sehun. And those two stalled you long enough for Baekhyun to make an entrance.

It was the first time he tried asking you out. And got rejected.

However, as much as you wanted to take ownership of that and say that you were playing hard to get when you walked off and left him stunned by your refusal, that was not the case. This guy made your throat go dry at the mere sight of him! He was way too handsome, and he also looked kind of… well, he looked like he’d break your heart without thinking twice about it. And that you couldn’t allow.

But then again, good girls do tend to fall for bad boys. Or was he only pretending to be bad? You’d never heard anything that discredited him, except for the way he stared people down sometimes. That once happened to a fellow student in your class. After he sat next to you during lunch.

Actually, almost the entire week following that incident you had lunch alone because everyone kept making excuses to sit elsewhere. That was how you became friends with Jongin and Sehun. Having had a few classes together, you were more or less acquainted with each other, so you didn’t mind when Jongin suddenly appeared out of nowhere with a tray and asked you if they could join. He even had lunch with you when Sehun wasn’t around – you figured that it made Jongin even more chatty. So much so, that one day he leaned across the table to get slightly closer, and used his most clandestine voice on you.

‘You know, hyung could burn a hole in anyone next to you with his glare, but I’m immune to his ‘charms’, thankfully,’ he giggled and added, ‘Still, I think you should give him a chance. Baekhyun’s a good guy, and he’s kinda torn as it is. Asking you out was a pretty big step for him.’

Honestly, you had a hard time believing that. Baekhyun… was probably the kind of guy, who never even had to ask. You could look around and easily spot a dozen eyes that were fixed on him at this very moment. Why in the world would he want to date you, clearly not the ‘easy-going’ party type? He probably wanted to get into your pants just for sport, like the rest of the pretty boys.

‘Whatever you’re thinking, it’s far from the truth. Ugh, Junmyeon will kill me for this!’ Jongin cursed himself and continued, before you could ask. ‘Hyung looks rough around the edges, but he’s really a softie. Trust me on this.’

‘Are you his wingman or something?’ You snorted dubiously, getting a little timid from this discussion.

‘Ha, are you kidding? He’s gonna strangle me if he finds out. Like I said, he’s torn between staying away from you and persisting in his efforts to take you out. Just think about it,’ he ended with an attempted (but failed) wink.

As if to take away your chance to process the unexpected input, Jongin shoved Baekhyun in your direction the very next day. Disappearing from the cafeteria right after, of course. Envy his subtlety. But, apparently, what he said earlier had an effect, so you only nodded when a flustered figure asked for permission to sit with you. He looked quite different from the previous times you saw him up close – much less confident and intimidating. But he seemed sincere when he said he just wanted one chance.

And that was how your relationship picked up. It took a whirlwind course from the very beginning, and the hot summer before your second year of university was the most torturous time ever for the both of you. Still wary of getting played, you only trusted Baekhyun enough to get intimately close months and months into dating. And he was patient with you, going at a slow pace, letting you pull away whenever you wanted. Until you didn’t want to anymore.

That last leap of faith was a beginning in itself – a true beginning of you and Baekhyun. The final seal was broken, and you entrusted yourself fully to him, which he repaid by showering you in his affection and feelings that he himself had not come to acknowledge just then.

After a year together, you were not simply allowed into the inner circle, but also educated about the special abilities that Baekhyun and his friends had. You were first interrogated by their leader, Junmyeon, who wanted to make sure you had no ulterior motives and were not going to tell a living soul about them. He called it ‘a quick chat’ as he dragged you in a scarcely furnished room where he sat you down at the small metal table across from him. The leader asked you questions and tried reading your verbal and non-verbal cues, so it was clearly an interrogation. Junmyeon was pretty experienced in this, so he could instantly tell that you were harmless. And you also passed the test, answering the most ridiculous questions about Baekhyun – apparently, that was to make sure you were not ‘faking it’ – so, he accepted you into their family.

However, knowing too much was dangerous, so you only learned about their powers and how they came from the so-called EXO Planet when they were young (talk about dating an alien!), and that the organization they called ‘the Red’ amongst themselves wanted to hunt them down. They also used to be held hostage by these people – and that was just about as much you knew about the issue because Baekhyun kept you away from the ‘unnecessary details’. He only told you that they seemed to be hidden well in this town, surrounded by just enough people to blend in and disappear. And you worried, always, because you knew too little about the dangers surrounding the group, and even less about how you could contribute to their safety.

Baekhyun laughed when you once brought it up, finding your concern nothing but cute.

‘You don’t have to worry about it, flower. It’s my job to make sure you’re safe, not the other way around,’ he then said, playing with the curly ends of your hair.

You frowned at that. Why was it not your job to take care of him? If you could help, you wanted to help. But he always brushed you off, saying that the only thing you should do to help is staying out of trouble. Like that was a challenge – you either studied or hung out with him and his friends, not much room to stir trouble. The only other person you talked to regularly was your roommate, and she was also pretty harmless.

As time went by, you got closer to your own graduation, basically, one year left before you had to figure it out for yourself again. Your boyfriend was always supportive, but you couldn’t help but wonder how he imagined your future. He was always up to something but never shared it with you since it was ‘nothing for you to worry about’. Had he not shown you his actual abilities before, you would’ve certainly thought that it was a crazy lie he told you to cover up for some kind of illegal activity. In reality, some illegal activities were going on, especially since hacking and cracking was one of Minseok’s specialties (but mostly because they needed to keep their identities out of sight). Another reason why they didn’t all go to the same school when they arrived, and also why they changed their appearance ever so often. The lucky mullet was long gone by the time you had your first Christmas together, and you had had the pleasure of seeing him in multiple hair colors throughout almost three years of your relationship. Notably, the first dozen or so make-out sessions you had with him took place when he had just cut his hair and dyed it pitch black. And he still wore his fake lip ring at the time, which was an experience in itself. He did know how to use his mouth…

Admittedly, you were kind of used to being the object of the boys’ shameless teasing every time you hung out together. The way Baekhyun kept you close and fussed about everything was, apparently, atypical for their usually chill and humorous hyung. He was their second-in-command, after all, the genius behind the strategic planning of the group, and the mind that kept them hidden for so long in one place.

Because of you.

One of the boys had previously let it slip that they hadn’t lived anywhere for that long before, maybe not even for one full year. But this time Baekhyun was determined to stay for a while, now that he had an anchor.

But the day came. When he found out that they might’ve been compromised, he got scared. The way he’d never feared anything before. And he’d been through a lot, to put it mildly. Baekhyun could maintain a cold and sharp mind at all times, that was his thing, but not when it came to you. Once he figured out that there was a real chance, that they could’ve found the EXO hideout and, thus, could connect you to the boys, he couldn’t think straight. Overwhelmed by a sudden panic, he sought advice from the leader.

‘You know it’s not me who’s supposed to decide,’ Junmyeon sighed, looking at his disheveled second. ‘I told you a relationship wasn’t a good idea. I also think that keeping her close means putting her life in jeopardy.’

His words were cutting through Baekhyun as he paced the room, long fingers grasping his own hair.

‘But it still may be a safer option than leaving her here,’ the leader added, pinching the bridge of his nose. ‘We need to relocate fast, and you have the ‘better of two evils’ situation on your hands.’

‘I know I should leave her,’ Baekhyun stopped in his tracks, turning his head to the leader. ‘But what if they already know, hyung?’

‘Minseok had every trace of her erased, not a single camera in town had a glimpse of her with you. They might have found our footprints in the sand, but those don’t necessarily lead to her. I suppose they should move on as soon as they come here and realize that we’re nowhere around.’

‘Most likely, but what if-’

‘They can very well catch up to us while we run. Like I said, there isn’t a right answer, but a choice. And I think that you’ve already made it when you should give her a voice, too,’ the leader pushed.

‘I-’ Baekhyun turned away to hide the glassy eyes from Junmyeon. ‘I have to give her a chance, hyung. I cannot sentence her to a lifetime of running and danger. And I know she’s silly enough to throw herself into it if she has a say in this.’

‘And if you’re wrong? You’re going to break her heart as a precaution?’

‘She won’t die from a broken heart. Can you imagine what they’d do to her if they find out?’

Junmyeon bit his lip. This time, the choice was completely out of his hands. He thought his second was making a mistake, but it was not his place to decide. Exhaling again, he nodded.

‘Tell her in the morning. We’re moving out as soon as the rain starts.’

>> Chapter 2

A/N: So, what do you think? This is more of an introductory chapter, I know, but it covers quite a lot of their relationship with Baek. You must be excited to see where this goes and when Baёk appears? Or if Baekhyun is coming back? Me too, me too 🙈

[datsrightbby]

Marko (TLB) x Fem!s/o!Reader

How you need me

Warnings: NSFW/Smut, cursing, Dom!Marko (sorta), oral (fem receiving), also you live with your parents in this fic.

When you met Marko it wasn't hard for you to adjust to his nocturnal habits, with many sleepless nights tucked up your sleeve from insomnia it was actually a very simple task on your behalf. Waking up as the sun had just set, you decided to shower before going to meet him at the boardwalk, per usual, you'd lazily got out of bed and walked yourself down the hall, grabbing a towel that was much too short, and setting the temperature on high. Hot enough that within a few minutes it had steamed up the mirrors and windows. 

It was a hissing relief when your skin hit the cascade of water, you closed your eyes and leaned into the warmth, relaxing in the calm aroma. You had just started lathering up your hair with shampoo when you felt a cold breeze swoop across your leg, it gave you goosebumps but didn't deter you enough to open your eyes and pay attention. There were many reasons you could have felt a breeze after all, though you didn't find your mind raking through them in desperate need of answers. Instead, you continued showering in peace, blissfully unaware. It was the creak of floorboards coming from outside the door that had you snapping back to reality, especially knowing you were home alone and trying to come up with any reasonable answer as to who was out there. 

"Mom?" No answer. 

"Dad?" Again, no answer.

Perhaps it was just the wind, although trying to convince yourself of that was deemed quite difficult. You turned your back from the shower door to the shelf where you kept the rest of your hair care products and body washes, albeit a bit more tensely than before, and had started combing through your hair with conditioner when the door to the shower was yanked open harshly. The scream that escaped you was loud enough to shock even yourself, only to be met with the mischievous laugh of your boyfriend. 

"Marko you asshole! I almost had a heart attack. I swear to -" You emphasized the annoyance you felt with a few swift hits to his chest. "Why would you do that to me?"

"Sorry babe, won't happen again I promise." His hand spread out over his chest and you couldn't help the little smile that crept it's way onto your features. Sure, your heart was still beating a million miles a minute, but it was hard to stay mad at him when he was adorning such a big grin. Plus, it was a nice surprise seeing him here instead of the boardwalk.

"May I join you?" The teasing tone in his voice had you grinning back at him.

"How nice of you to ask, usually you'd be in here with me by now." And on that note he started stripping as quickly as possible, you barely even got a glimpse of him before he'd stepped under the water with you, grimacing at the heat of it. "Does it have to be this hot? I feel like I'm melting."

"Well I like it this hot, so deal with it."

"Oh, you're fiery today." In an instant Marko grabbed your waist and pushed your back up against the glass of the shower wall, a gasp leaving your lips at the sudden act. "Wonder if you will be after I fuck you so hard you forget your own name." You could feel his cock, already semi-hard, thrust up against your hip bone as he leaned in to claim your mouths together, tongues dancing in a battle of dominance. The water gushed down on the two of you as his hands went underneath your thighs to lift them and keep you in place. Your hands placed themselves around his neck, one of them raking down his back, nails harshly digging into his skin, no doubt leaving a red slash in replacement.

In one movement of strength, Marko had hiked you up higher against the glass and attached his mouth to your exposed chest. 

"Oh fuck!"

Your head fell back against the glass, hands taking fistfuls of his damp hair, and relying on him to keep you upright in spite of the rushing water making your skin slick. You moaned as his warm mouth took your nipple past his lips, and again as he paid equal attention to the other one. Between your legs you felt tingly, and you rubbed up against him in a bid to create some friction. He smirked against you when as you did so, rejoicing in the fact he could get you turned on so fast. After ravishing your chest in hickeys he moved down your stomach, nosing at your pubic bone and sending up a grin as he rested your thighs on his shoulders, head nestled wickedly in between them. "What do you want (y/n)?"

"Marko -"

"Tell me what you want." You sent him a glare, but it was only returned with a nip on your thigh that made you jump a little, not enough for Marko to lose his hold on you though, which you inwardly thanked him for. You managed to squeak out - "I want you."

"What do you want me to do? Say it for me, baby." Your frustration began to show and your hips bucked up into his face, his hot breath creating a pulsing sensation against you. He didn't relent for you though, insisting on the words to leave your mouth. 

"Use your mouth, do something, please Marko, please. I need you." He grinned up at you wantonly before diving his head further between your legs, his tongue laying flat against you and licking a long stripe, stopping at your clit to suckle against it. You moaned loudly and watched as he ravished the most sensitive parts of you, replaying the actions that had you twitching and squeezing your thighs tighter around him. You were close, the minute he lapped against you and found a particular spot that had you whining in the most sinful way, you could feel it building and building, and he kept up his actions until the coil in your stomach was ready to snap.

“Yes - ugh - that feels so good, I’m gonna -”

He pulled away and the look you sent could have killed...had he not already, technically, been dead.

"Why did you stop?"

"I want you to cum around me.”

Setting you on your feet, you didn’t have time to react as his hands grabbed your hips and spun you around so that your chest was pressed against the coolness of the glass, a stark contrast to the seeping hot water that enveloped the two of you in a misty heat. A loud smack echoed around the room as his palm hit your ass in a harsh smack, he paused before delivering another one and you manage to whine out his name.

"Hmm gonna fuck you babygirl." You nodded in submission and greed for release.

Feeling as Marko lined his tip with your entrance, knowing you were wet from both the shower and his mouth, he sheathed himself inside you instantly, going as deep as possible. He didn't waste any time setting a fast, hip bruising pace. His cock filling you to the brim with each thrust of his hips, and his hands finding a place on your own leaving crescent-shaped bruises in their wakening. One slid up your body and around your neck, giving it a squeeze, and your eyes almost rolled to the back of your head from the overstimulation.

"Ugh fuck - you feel so good around me. You like when I fuck you like this?"

"Y-yes."

He groaned and gave a particularly harsh thrust that had you mewling animalistically. The hand around your throat gave another squeeze and you clawed at the wall in order to find something to grab onto, coming up with nothing. The knot in your stomach was getting tighter the more sinful his actions got, and you could tell Marko was close too as his thrusts were becoming sloppier and more drawn out. A warm sensation inside you took over and your body stiffened -

“I’m gonna cum.”

“Cum for me then.”

With his permission, and the tension of the previously denied release, you let out a scream as your orgasm hit you, Marko coaxing you through it with long, deep thrusts, and throat squeezes, his name falling from your lips in a chant of pleasure, with every stroke his cock hit a place inside you that had you shaking.

His thrusts soon came to a stop and spurts of cum coated your walls, giving a more intense feeling to the aftershocks of your own finish, he moaned in your ear quietly as he pulled out, watching as the rest of his cum spilled out from in between your legs, down your thighs, and onto the shower floor.

You turned to face him on wobbly legs and gave him a small smile, the only smile you could muster, and his hand came up to rest on your cheek as your own wrapped around your body.

"I love you, you know that right?" you nodded up at him, still breathless and fucked out. He kissed your forehead in a shockingly tender manner, for Marko, and twirled your wet hair in his fingers.

"Good."

[extremelyblackandwhite]

handmaid - 02

PAIRING: mob!sebastian stan x ingenue!reader

WARNINGS: age gap

A/N: you guys have been so extremely sweet with this new work i don’t even know how to thank you!! thank you so so much for supporting my writing, it always makes my day. i hope you enjoy xx

NEXT CHAPTER

Y/N was laying in her new room right stuck in between the guest and Gwen’s bedroom. It was a rather bleak room if she was being honest. The walls were all white in exception to one of them that like the entrance was covered in floor to ceiling windows. There was little to no furniture in exception for a king sized bed, a white chest of drawers and a wall embedded wardrobe where she had put most of her clothes already. 

She wondered why a man of such income would like to be surrounded by such bleak colours. From what she had noticed his whole place was decorated in shades of grey and black with the occasional beige and white. Sure, it looked lovely, sleek even, something worth of being in the cover of an architectural magazine, but it wasn’t a home. A home had warmth, lived in sheets, walls and floors, this house however was ... was ghosted, almost as if no one lived in it. 

Rolling onto the comfortable white sheets, she took the contract into her hands, looking at the lettering on the cover itself. Y/N fully understood why he wanted all his employees to have a binding legal document, what she didn’t expect was to see the first line constricted her breathing. “The individual agrees not to follow any legal action against the employer in any circumstance”, it read. This was definitely not what was she expecting. 

     - Y/N? - she shoved the contract under her sheets as Gwen’s voice sounded through the room, her head peaking through the opening of the door. - What are you up to?

    - Not much. How are you? Do you enjoy the new room? - Sebastian had put her in a different room from his, something she had expected but still found odd. They were to be married after all and despite it all being a business move and transaction, it was still a valid marriage. However, none of them seemed to eager to at least try and create some chemistry. 

    - Boring. I need a favour, though. Please and when you decide remember you’re my oldest and best friend since we were babies. - Y/N knew that face and she did not like it. It was the same face that got them both stranded in the Carribean because she just needed to get to know some guy from the opposite terminal before catching the plane. However, she also knew Gwen to be a great driving force of making her do things she didn’t exactly want to do, so she decided to nod her head yes, already overwhelmed with the move and the contract. - I need to head out for a few minutes, could you cover for me?

     - What ... where are you going? 

     - I have a date. - she cheekily entered the room, closing the door behind her after checking if someone was in the hall. The redhead sat in front of her, a childish grin on her face as if she were in high school going out with the captain of the football team. - And he’s really sweet.

     - Gwen, you’re engaged. - the big sapphire in her left hand’s third finger was all she could look at. Of course Y/N wanted to be happy for Gwen, she really did and she really shouldn’t put too much effort in the thought that she was going to get married, after all it was just a strategy, but her mind was screaming at her that it wasn’t right. - Don’t you wanna at least give it a go before you completely give up?

     - No, I wanna go out with Chuck. - she took her engagement ring off, placing it on Y/N’s white sheets. - Please cover for me, please.

     - What if Sebastian notices you’re gone?

    -  He won’t because you’ll cover for me, besides, he probably won’t even leave his office. Please, Y/N? - Y/N sighed. What was the use of saying no if she was gonna leave any other way? Besides, if she were right and Sebastian didn’t leave his office, it should be alright. Losing whatever piece of resolve she has in her, she let out a soft smile, nodding her head yes which led the redhead to hug her with a death like grip. - It’ll one be for a few hours. I owe you one.

     -  I’m pretty sure you’ve own me one since we were one. - Gwen let out a celebratory chuckle before grabbing her bag and leaving Y/N on her own once again. 

The whole house was constantly silent, almost as if all the employees were scared of making a sound which when it came to the demanding presence of their boss, she wondered if that was the case. The only disruption of silence that could be heard was the soft rain against the windows which was enough to lull her to sleep. She would’ve possibly remained asleep if it hadn’t been for a slight knock interrupting her slumber. She took her head off her pillow, confused as if she had slept for so long, Gwen had returned. Another knock made her get from the bed, sleep still in her eyes as she opened the door to come face to face with one of the dressed up employees. 

    - Miss Y/N, dinner is served.

    - Just Y/N please. 

    - I believe it would be more of Miss Forrest’s comfort if you were to inform her dinner is ready. 

    - Oh ... Miss Forrest ... she’s, she’s not feeling very well. 

    - Should we call a doctor?

    - No, it’s just ... you know, that time of the month. - Y/N had the most nervous smile on her face, but as the man heard that specific term, he scrunched his face for a few seconds before returning to his normal formal and stoic posture. Maybe she had gotten away with it. - I don’t think she’ll want any dinner.

    - Oh, alright, would you still like to have dinner, Miss Y/N? - he questioned. She was rather hungry, after all, all she had before coming in was dinner and after sleeping she always awake up feeling like snacking, therefore dinner sounded like a good idea. 

She followed the man into the kitchen that similarly to the rest of the house had the same simple yet modern design to it. The floors were in the same shade of marbled black with few specks of grey, the walls were white with a black wooden backsplash and one of them had the same full amount of windows which gave a beautiful view of the Upper East Side. There were various balconies connected to the walls but the biggest one was in the middle where some chairs were laid. 

Y/N watched as a woman, probably middle aged, set the table. Just like the man who had brought her to the kitchen, she was dressed in sleek, working clothes with her hair held in a perfect bun up-do. 

     - I hope you like goat cheese and bistro salad, m’am. - she set a beautifully prepared plate in front of Y/N as she took a seat in the table. - I can prepare you something if you don’t like it, m’am.

     - No, it’s beautiful, thank you so much. - yes, she was used to living in some sort of high fashion style due to the environment she had brought up with but this, this was different. This was expensive in all sorts, from how the employees dressed, to the way the food was presented. However, Y/N noticed that instead of being surrounded by other people eating like it would normally occur at her prior home, she was instead surrounded by staff watching her eat, no Sebastian in sight. - Is Mr. Stan not joining us for dinner?

     - Oh no, m’am, Mr. Stan eats in his office. - the woman replied. 

     - What about you guys? Don’t you wanna eat? 

     - It’s fine, m’am. We’ll eat after you finish. 

     - Alright ... - Y/N pushed her plate slightly away from her, turning on her chair so she could face the two staff who were now staring at her as if she were any sort of threat. - Where me and Miss Forrest were raised, staff is treated just as well as family members. I don’t know what orders you follow from Mr. Stan but when you deal with me or Miss Forrest, you sit down and have dinner with us if you wish. 

The dinner went a bit better after she gained some company. The staff was sweet, very professional still but sweet nevertheless. After dinner and fighting a bit with the woman named Anna so she could help with the dishes, Y/N decided to walk around the house. Gwen still hadn’t returned and despite her countless messages sent to her, they were seen but not replied to. Thankfully, Sebastian hadn’t left his office as promised which meant she only had to lie whenever any member of staff would ask if she needed something. 

The penthouse was pretty much a regular place with more rooms than she could ever imagine with some being locked and others being open and perfectly decorated yet seemed to be non inhabited. However, what had sparked her interest was the very last room she checked. The room’s wall except for one were filled with book shelves which were filled itself with endless amounts of books. She looked around, wondering if someone was spying on her, before entering the room, her hands grabbing the first book she saw. The Great Gatsby. It sorta made her chuckle how that had been the first book she caught, the story of a wealthy man who lives by himself. The book itself was in rather good condition with the traditional blue cover with those unsettling eyes staring right back at her. She opened the book, her eyes going to the date of print making her realise what she was holding. April, 1925. A first edition. 

      - Looking for a good read, Miss Y/N? - she dropped the book out of surprise, not expecting the voice. Her head snapped in the sound’s direction, watching as Sebastian walked over to her, slowly crutching down to grab the book from the ground.

       - Are these all yours? - this was the biggest self collection of books she’d ever seen, it was somewhat hard for her to wrap around her head it belonged to a single person, specially first editions. 

       - My father made sure I got an expensive education. 

       - Have you read all of these? - her eyes widen at the mere thought of it. Just reading one shelf of books looked like it would take at least five years, at beast. 

       - Not all of them ... some are in Greek. - he couldn’t help but be entranced by her as she lowered her head to hide the small smile that settled itself on her lips. - Are you one for reading?

       - I majored in English Literature, reading was all I did for three years. 

       - Fits. - he put his hands on the pockets of his formal trousers. - You wouldn’t lie to me, would you Miss Y/N? 

       - I wouldn’t think of it, Mr. Stan. - Y/N wasn’t one for lying unless necessary, specially to someone who had a reputation for ignoring empathy and other human emotions. 

       - Where’s my fiancée, Miss Y/N? - the mere question knocked the air away from her. - And please do not use the same excuse you used with my staff. I know everything that goes on in this house and I know for a fact she’s not in her room. 

       - I ... I don’t know. 

       - I think you need to figure out where your loyalty lies, Miss Y/N. - he picked her chin, making sure she looked into his eyes. If there was something he knew was to intimidate someone with his gaze alone, however, she looked embarrassed to be caught in a lie rather than scared. - As my employee, you owe me your loyalty and the truth. 

     - My loyalty lies with Gwen ... not with you. - she took a step backwards. He sucked his teeth, arms crossed on his chest. - I don’t mean to disrespect you, Mr. Stan but ... Gwen’s my friend and my employee and I owe her my loyalty. 

     - You do realise that if Miss Forrest gets hurt it is you who’s gonna be held accountable. 

     - Please don’t be mad at Gwen. - she rubbed her arms. - She’s never really wanted to get married, at all, to no one. This is a bit of a change she has to adapt to.

     - Don’t flatter yourself, angel. Genevieve Forrest is not exactly the type of woman I’d personally chose to be with but I’m not being childish about it. If you wanna have a good time under my employment then you better reconsider telling me the truth.

taglist: @sideeffectsofyou​

[mcfreakin-bxtch]

could i request a diego x genderneutral!reader where when they come back to the sparrow academy timeline or sum the reader is in the sparrow academy and then they both fall head over heels for each other?? like lots of fluff and angst??

This could’ve turned out better but I hope you enjoy 💞

Warnings: Language, Angst, Fluff

***

Diego Hargreeves thought he’d seen it all.

And he also thought that they saved the timeline, too. Finally stopped the apocalypse that started this whole thing.

Well in a way they did, but there were just... complications now. 

The Sparrow Academy.

A contrast to The Umbrella Academy in nearly every way, it was difficult to wrap his head around the idea of Reginald adopting a whole new bunch just because he messed up the one he had before.

Even though he already hated the man, it was still upsetting to see how easy he moved on and created a whole new academy based off their basic humanity; insulting even.

So Diego, as the rest of his siblings did, looked at them as a threat at first. They had powers, just like them—they had just found out about Lila—so it was not much of a surprise to discover that there were others.

You caught his attention right away. 

Diego wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but you were quiet unless the rest of your... siblings, and you didn’t give them the stink eyes the rest of them were quick to give, but rather one of curiosity and something else, something that he couldn’t decipher.  

So, he watched. 

Your powers weren’t as extraordinary as some of your siblings, but you were powerful enough on your own. You were aware of the weariness The Umbrella Academy showed towards your family and, really, you didn’t blame them one bit for it. Vanya and Klaus was probably the kindest to you out of the seven the first time around. The others, sans Diego, left you alone soon after introductions—you knew Five kept an eye on you, always prepared for an attack.

Diego, however, seemed to pay attention to you when you didn’t know it, and quickly found this out when you were discovered in the one part of the mansion that everyone knew not to bother you in.

“You’re quiet.”

You jumped, surprised that you didn’t hear him at all. A bolt of energy flashed from your hands, hitting a nearby shelf that knocked a pile of books over; they landed with a series of loud thumps, making you wince.

Diego, however, regarded the incident with raised eyebrows, but not a trace of judgement on his face.

“And you’re nosy,” you countered back.

He nodded his head, as if in agreement—well, maybe it was.

“So what’s your power?”

You hesitated, and he caught on to it quickly.

“I can throw knives,” he said awkwardly, bringing said knife up in his hand.

That got you to smile. “Energy manipulation. I come up here when things get to be... too much.”

He sat down slowly and carefully sat on a desk nearby, as if he was scared to disturb the quietness that surrounded the room.

“When does that happen?” He asked with a tilt of his head; he didn’t seem to mind the bangs that slightly covered his eyes. “I mean, what triggers them.”

You shifted in your chair that sat a little away from him—he was close enough that you could see the fainted scars that littered his face and neck—and sighed.

“Well it’s a lot of things, really,” you said with disdain. “Sometimes loud noises will set me off on my really bad days—bad days as in, a minuscule argument with my siblings or forgetting my lessons, etc. My powers don’t just stimulate from my hands, but I can sorta absorb energy, too; human, electrical, whatever it is, I can get it for the most part.”

“‘Sorta, ‘’most part’,” he mocked with a light tone. “Gotta be more specific.”

“Right now you’re nervous. Not too nervous, but I can feel the uncertainty rolling off you since you got here—not that I blame you.” You waited for him to nod. “And I can feel that; it comes to me like a... a weight to my chest, I guess you can say; extra baggage to my own emotions and most of the time I have trouble controlling them.”

He seemed to get it by the way he continued to nod. “Makes sense.”

You chuckled. “So I come here to calm down, otherwise you’d be seeing a lot more of those flashes around the house. The worst that’s ever happened is when I shattered all the windows and nearly destroyed every bit of furniture in the house.”

He laughed. You decided right then and there that you really liked the sound of that.

“I would’ve liked to have seen that. The look on that mans face...”

He trailed off, looking down at his feet. You felt the anger and hurt roll off him, and you had to take a few deep breaths to settle them down.

“It must be weird, being here. How different is it? Your timeline and my timeline, I mean.”

He shrugged, twirling his knife mindlessly, it being second nature to him. “Not by much from what I can tell so far, but I’m sure we screwed this timeline up just like we did the other, something my family and I seem to be very good at.”

You frowned, scooting your chair closer to him. He watched you carefully as you did but made no objections.

“Nah, shit like that just... happens.”

He gave you a quizzical look that made you feel small all of a sudden, yet not in a bad way, but in a way where he was studying you; then, a new wave of fascination bubbled within you.

Then he grinned. And it made your heart skip a beat at the way his face spread so happily, so carefree. 

You talked all night about your lives. You were a little shocked to hear what Diego had to go through living with Reginald, and wanted to curse the man even more for his selfish and abusive behavior. It made you feel closer to him, though, and you could feel the same for Diego. It took some time, but he continued to open up to you, giving you pieces of himself that you returned equally.

It took months for you to realize you were in love with him. And it fucking scared you. You’ve never felt this kind of intensity before, it felt like being reborn, almost; like you were a completely different person yet the same, still.

Your first kiss only heighten the feeling.

“Wow,” you breathed against his lips, breathless and grinning like a fool—Diego matched it with a chuckle, caressing your cheeks fondly while keeping his forehead pressed against yours.

“Wow times infinity,” he said dumbly, making you both giggle before he muffled it with his lips.

It was the best feeling in the world.

But you hated having to sneak around. It was something the both of you agreed on, not wanting to bring any unwanted attention towards you or have Reginald’s wrath darken your love for each other. Not being able to kiss him whenever you wanted, or hold him or even look at him a certain way was starting to get the best of you, no matter the reassuring words Diego spoke to you in the safety of his arms.

“Nobody is gonna take you from me, got that?” His breath tickled your neck. “You don’t have to worry so much, not when I’m here to help.”

“I know,” you scooted closer to him, eager for his warmth. “But I can’t help but feel that everything is going to turn bad, and it just makes me feel so helpless.”

He shook his head, shushing you gently while cradling the back of your neck; your blankets tangled around your bare feet, legs intertwined together and naked chest pressed tightly against one another. 

“We got this,” he said confidently. “You and me.”

Your heart soared. He made you feel safe no matter the situation at hand, and that night you felt nothing but unwavering dedication and love, so much fucking love that it threatened to tear you apart in all the best and worst ways. 

“You and me.”

His lips distracted yours for the rest of the night until he had to climb out your window. Every time you watched him disappear into the dark—after a wave and a kiss blown to your direction—a piece of you left with him.  

Reginald found out about your secret relationship quicker than you thought he would. As usual, he was upfront and brutal about it.

“I forbid it,” he scolded the two of you like you were children. “They do not belong here and you have no right to interfere with these failures, and I will not have them bring you down. You have much potential and a lot of work ahead of you, don’t waste it on him.”

You ran up to your room before you let your powers best you, Diego quickly following in your steps.

You didn’t say anything at first, taking a few deep breaths to calm yourself down. Diego gave you space by leaning against the wall in front of your bed, watching you carefully with his arms crossed across his chest.

“He’s right,” you finally whispered. “This isn’t your place anymore or even the right timeline or whatever it is for you... and you shouldn’t have to deal with this anymore.”

“And neither should you,” he said sternly. “You don’t have to take that from him.”

“I know but—“ you bit down on your lip, hoping the tears wouldn’t escape.

“Just come with us,” he begged, holding on to your hands. “Or I’ll... I’ll stay. I don’t care, as long as I’m with you.”

“I can’t ask you to do that,” you shook your head; you could feel it starting to pulse, the raging emotions flying beyond your control and starting to overtake your senses. “They’re your family and I can’t make you leave them, not when you just got them back. And I’m sorry, but I have to stay here with mine, too.” As much as you loathed them at times, what you were saying wasn’t false—you still loved them dearly and the thought of leaving them behind hurt you. 

Diego had gotten good at detecting when your powers were climbing in intensity. He slowly placed his forehead on yours, telling you to match his calm breaths.

“We can get through this,” he said quietly after a few moments. “But it only works if we leave. At least out of this house and away from them.”

Your bottom lip shook as the tears started to fall. “They still need me too. Just like your family needs you.” You backed away from him, your heart breaking and shattering into pieces at the way his entire face fell; that look would haunt you for the rest of your days, knowing that you were the cause of it.

“So y-y-you’re g-g—” He frowned, frustrated with his stutter that only came out when he was extremely nervous or upset; it made you feel like the biggest piece of shit in the universe. “Going to l-leave me then? Just l-like that?”

You hugged your arms across your chest, as if it would help ease the stinging the rang painfully through your chest. “I don’t want to,” you admitted with a whimper. 

You couldn’t look him in the eyes anymore. It was getting to be overwhelming and you weren’t sure how long it was going to be before your sobs would tear from your throat. 

“Then don’t,” he sighed in defeat, taking a few tentative steps closer to you. “You don’t have to listen to him just because he gave you this big ass mansion, or or made you feel like this was the only place where you would get help and be accepted for who you are. Your family will understand that.” He was desperate at this point, unwilling to be under Reginald’s thumb, or The Umbrella’s or the Sparrow’s anymore, and he wasn’t about to let you fall. “I love you. Just...” he placed his forehead back on yours, giving you the chance to move away. When you didn’t, he wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you to him until there was barely an inch of you that wasn’t touching him. “Please.”

You thought about how loved Diego made you feel. You thought about your siblings, the Umbrella Academy. You thought of Reginald, and a life away from him, away from the end of the world and time travel and different timelines; of found love, of how it felt like you were barely seen, like you were a bomb that could explode any second over the stupidest little things, how Vanya had just started to help you with your powers as she understood where you were coming from. 

Was it really worth it? Throwing it all away because of one man, because of uncertainty? 

“Okay,” you finally whispered. “Let’s go.”

His eyes immediately lit up, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Really?”

“Yeah,” you nodded, smiling through the tears. “Just you and me.”

He kissed you before you could take another breath and fuck if you cared, as long as his lips were on yours. You could get through just about anything as long as you had each other, this love and guidance and acceptance, and that’s all you needed in the end. 

“You and me.”

[ghostly-cabbage]

Frigid (Chapter 2)

Genre: Horror, Angst

Chapter Rating: M (Language, gore)

Word count: 4,391

AO3  FFN 

<<Previous | Next>>

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

Today is really stressful, but hopefully this makes someone out there feel better. Enjoy and tell me what you think!

*

Danny flew through every room in the school, even the basement, but the unidentified ghost was gone. He pushed a gloved hand through his hair and swore under his breath. Just his damn luck. At least he’d caught the mountain lion ghost in the thermos. At first glance he’d thought it was Bertrand and Spectra, but that theory had been dashed. The big cat had got him good but it didn’t seem to have any intelligence beyond a wild animal. 

He’d looked long enough that the ghost alarm had been turned off and people started heading back into the building. It was also long enough that his wound had melded together, and the stains on his gloves were the only evidence he’d sustained an injury in the first place. That too would be gone the next time we went ghost. 

He slipped through the wall of the bathroom and dropped down into a stall to transform back. He poked his head out through the door of the bathroom to make sure no one was paying attention. Everyone was too busy trying to figure who’d seen the ghost to care. It was normal for people to hide in the bathrooms during an attack anyway. Right. First things first, he had to put the thermos back in his locker. Classes would resume in a few minutes. 

Sam and Tucker were waiting at his locker when he got there. They perked up when they saw him. 

“Who was it this time?” Sam asked. 

“I don’t know, it was a new ghost,” he said, trying to seem less troubled than he was.

“Ghost Gage readings put it at a level six,” Tucker reported, turning his phone around to show Danny the readout graph that did in fact place its power level around a six.

“What was the reading on the other one?” 

“Let’s see…” Tuck fiddled with his phone for a second before finding it. “Four and a half? A five at first.” 

“A new ghost, huh? That hasn’t happened in awhile,” Sam pointed out. 

“Tell me about it,” Danny unlocked his locker and set the thermos on the top shelf, safe until after school when he could flush the ghost back into the Ghost Zone. “She didn’t seem to know who I was, which is a good thing I guess.” 

“Well, hopefully they won’t come back after you send ‘em back into the Ghost Zone.”

“Yeah…” He rubbed at the back of his neck as he closed his locker. “About that. I sorta only caught one. The level six hightailed it before I could get her pinned down.” Danny started to walk towards his next class. 

“So what’s her deal?” Sam fell into step on his left, and Tucker on his right. 

“I don’t know, I didn’t get much from her. She had one of those stick things that sheep farmers have though.” 

“A shepherd's crook?” Sam supplied.

“Yeah, that. She didn’t say anything to me either, just... screamed.” It wasn’t that odd that a ghost wasn’t very talkative, but something about her was rubbing Danny the wrong way. 

“Creepy,” Tucker said. “I’ll start a file on the ‘Shepherd’ then.” He tapped on his phone as they walked, not even bothering to watch where he was going. Danny reached out and grabbed Tucker’s elbow to phase him through a trash can just before he toppled into it. “Wait, was the scream anything like your wail?”

Danny shook his head. “No, that’s the thing guys, she didn’t directly attack me. Just her lackee mountain lion.”  

“Huh. Well, with any luck, the next encounter will get us some more solid data. Cause right now we’re lookin’ pretty sorry. She wasn’t around long enough to get a read on her core type either.” Tucker's face was wrinkled in concentration. 

“We’ll take what we can get, thanks Tuck.”

“I should really start charging you for my services. You know how much work all this is?” He waved his phone at them.

Danny laughed. “You wanna do my job instead?” Tucker was quiet for a second. 

“Yeah, not a chance.” 

“You sure? I could go find Desiree for old times sake,” Danny suggested with a shit eating grin. Tucker narrowed his eyes at him. 

“Dude. Low blow.” His tone was good humored and easy. One of the perks of being friends so long. They shared a smile and Tucker punched his shoulder. “Alright, I got History, see you guys,” he gave them a two finger salute and peeled off. 

“Did you do the algebra homework for today?” Sam asked as Tucker left. Danny felt his breath seize in his throat.

“There was algebra homework already?” He squawked. 

“Relax, I’m kidding,” she laughed. 

He put a hand over his heart and let out a huge breath. “Sam, don’t do that! Gave me a heart attack, are you trying to kill me again?” 

________________________________________________________________

After algebra Danny had chemistry. He said goodbye to Sam in the hall and headed to the science lab. When Danny got to class Wesley was already there. He was sitting at their table staring a hole into the white board at the front of the room. 

Danny thought back to the last time he’d seen him, cornered against a locker and eyes filled with terror. He dropped his textbook on the table and Wes jumped so violently Danny was surprised he stayed on his stool. His expression morphed from fear to annoyance as he looked at Danny. 

“What’s wrong, man? You look like you saw a ghost,” Danny said. A part of him almost felt bad for going for such an obvious jab, but Wes had made it clear on day one that he didn’t like him. So why be nice? Danny used his foot to drag his stool out and he slumped onto his seat. 

“Ha ha,” Wes replied, voice brittle. He resumed his staring contest with the whiteboard. Danny shrugged, unbothered. Kids came in and took their seats in small groups. Valerie was in this class too, and came in two minutes to the bell. The two still had an unspoken truce that translated into mutual respect. It was pretty close to a friendship. At least when he was Fenton. She came up to stand next to his desk, books tucked in the crook of her arm.

“Hey, Danny. Did you see the ghost today?” From the corner of his eye he saw Wes glance towards them. Val seemed to notice the attention too. “Just curious, from what I can tell not many saw this one. Which is weird for us.” In his last class all the students had been buzzing about the ghost attack, it was the first one of the new school year after all. Everyone had been speculating on which ghost it was and whether Phantom had shown up. 

Danny shook his head. “Sorry, Val. I was on the other end of the building and evacuated with everyone.” 

“Hmm. Okay, thanks.” Danny could see the gears turning in her head, probably frustrated she didn’t get her hands on it /or/ him, but she didn’t say anything else, and went to sit down at her table. Danny could feel Wesley’s eyes on him, and he sighed, turning on his stool to look at him. He was probably going to regret this.

“Lemme guess, you have questions.” Wesley looked reluctant but no less pissed. 

“Everyone just… Accepts that ghosts are a thing here?” He said it in a low voice, like he was afraid of being overheard by someone. 

“Uh. Yeah? Pretty much. Most people anyway. It’s been like this for like two years so… Yeah, people are kinda used to it by now.” 

Wes looked confused and conflicted. He was silent for a beat, before he asked his next question. “What can you tell me about this Phantom guy?” If Danny had been drinking something he probably would have choked on it. 

“Uh. I don’t know, what do you want to know?” 

“Who is he? Why is he here? What’s so special about him?” 

Danny blinked at the barrage of questions and struggled to find words. “Well, he’s—” the last bell rang and Mrs. Merriweather stood up from her desk. Danny almost sighed with relief. She pushed her rounded glasses up, and soothed down her pencil skirt.

“Alright kids, find your seats and settle down. We’re going to review lab safety today, and tomorrow we’ll be starting our first lab. Also the scheduled ghost drill will still be taking place, and because I detest the regulations I’m going to go ahead and tell you it'll be around 2:15 during this class.” She walked across the classroom and flicked off the lights. The projector hummed from its place hanging from the ceiling and Mrs. Merriweather wasted no time hopping to her powerpoint presentation on proper lab etiquette. Danny took the opportunity to shoot a text to Sam and Tucker about the ghost drill. At least this way they didn’t need to be on high alert. Besides, Danny had practically grown up in a lab, he knew this stuff backwards and forwards.

Wes glanced sideways at him, but said nothing. Danny shoved his phone back in his pocket and slouched forward onto the table. He stifled a yawn and struggled to keep his eyes open. A nap sounded fantastic at the moment, he’d been up half the night trying to talk Kitty through her recent fight with Johnny. Jazz said he should try and be helpful and build trust so they were less likely to take out their lovers' quarrels on him. Not having to get smacked around was all well and good but he wasn’t a ghost therapist. That was way more Jazz’s wheelhouse. He’d never say it out loud, because he’d never hear the end of it, but he missed her.

“Mr. Fenton.” Mrs. Merriweather had her hands on her hips. Crap.

“Yeah?” 

“What did I just go over?” 

“Uh… eye protection?” 

She sighed. “Danny, what part of this seems unimportant?” 

“None of it! Er, I mean, all of it? It is important, but I mean it’s not like I can even use any of this stuff anyways so…”

Mrs. Merriweather pinched the bridge of her nose. “And why do you think that is?” Annoyance squirmed in his stomach. “Not because I don’t know anything about lab safety. I know how to be safe in a lab, it’s not rocket science.” 

“Well, since you know everything there is to know, then you’ll be happy to hear that I’ve just decided to give the class a quiz tomorrow on this powerpoint.” There was a satisfied twinkle in her eyes, and Danny swore she loved to torture kids, and being a teacher was the only legal way she could do it. The class broke out into groans. 

“Nice going, Fenton!” Someone spat from behind him. He wanted to phase through the floor and just go home. 

“Pay attention or get detention everyone!” Mrs. Merriweather warned them. It was her favorite thing to say. She turned back to the slide show and continued her spiel. 

The ghost drill was nothing unusual. Despite knowing it was coming, most of the class still jumped when the alarm started, Danny and Wes included. They all evacuated the building and stood outside in the school yard the exact same way they would a fire drill. It was a waste of time, especially since they’d already had a ghost attack today. 

Thankfully, Wes had slipped off to stand with a guy that looked like his older brother, if the resemblance meant anything. Wes probably didn’t want to be seen talking to him if there was any other option. Danny had to hand it to him, he caught on fast. What that also meant was he didn’t have to try and fumble his way through an entire conversation answering questions about Phantom. Danny just hoped Wes ended up asking someone who had a more progressive opinion on him, someone like Paulina, or hell, even Dash. 

Danny spent the last of the drill hanging with Sam and Tucker. The obnoxious sirens had shut off at least. Danny hated those things, his parents had recommended and got approval for the installation at the start of school last year, along with a state of the art ghost detection gadget. After the third “false alarm”, courtesy of him, they got rid of the ghost detection in favor of the manual alarm buttons. That had been a rough week. Danny hadn’t known a peaceful ghost fight at Casper since. 

Eventually the drill was over, and the teachers started ushering kids back into school for the last period.    

“So, what’s going on after school?” Sam asked as they were funneled into the entrance.  

“I’ll probably swing by my house to drop my stuff off, then I’m gonna look around town, see if I can’t find that new ghost hanging around anywhere.”

“Pizza at my place after?” 

“Aw hell yeah, Sam! Wings too?” 

Sam rolled her eyes. “Yeah sure, Tucker, you can order wings. Just keep them away from me, will ya?” 

Danny snorted. “Sounds like a plan, I’ll text when I’m on my way.”

“Or if you need help with that ghost?” she added sternly. 

“Yeah yeah, fine. That too.” He waved a hand dismissively at her. 

_______________________________________________________________

Tucker and Sam walked home with him like they normally did, exchanging goodbyes and “see you later”’s at his front steps. They continued down the street as Danny pushed into his house. He took a deep breath, relaxing into the familiar smells of home. It was weird, not seeing Jazz on the couch with twelve open textbooks taking up all the space on the coffee table. He headed for the kitchen, his empty stomach not willing to wait for pizza later. He dropped his bag by the banister so he could pick it back up on his way to his room later. 

When he walked into the kitchen, his mom looked up and brightened. She had a bunch of papers all laying out on the dining table, some in piles and some splayed out in an order that probably made sense to her at least. She didn’t have her goggles on, instead she had them pushed back like a headband.

“Hi, sweetie! I didn’t even hear you come in. How was your day at school?” 

 “Fine,” he said with a noncommittal shrug. Danny walked past the table to the fridge. As he passed he noticed that the papers were readouts and raw data sheets. Some looked like her own notes which featured the words “ghosts”, “core”, “ecto-signature” and the like about a dozen times. It wasn’t exactly abnormal for his parents, but it did peak his interest.  

He opened the refrigerator and grabbed a can of strawberry soda and an apple, enjoying the feeling of the cool air on his face. He nudged the fridge door closed with his foot and turned towards his mom. 

“So,” he took a bite of his apple, “what’re you workin’ on?” Normally his parents kept all the research down in the lab, unless of course they were close to figuring something out, and were running out of counter space down there. He walked back over and pulled out a chair to sit.

Over the years he’d gotten somewhat closer to his parents. Well, he was more confident in his secret keeping ability now, which was what it boiled down to. Plus, it was advantageous to try and keep track of whatever ghost obliterating tech his parents had come up with this time, which was easier to do if he acted interested in their work. Especially now that Jazz was gone.

His mom’s grin got even wider at his question and he could tell she was bursting at the seams to talk about it. She put her pencil down, and swept up her mug to take a quick sip. It was white with Fenton Works plastered across the side.

“Ghost cores!” She set her mug back down, and pulled her goggles off her head. It let loose a few locks of her red hair that she quickly tucked behind her ear. “So, as you know all ghosts have power cores,” she shuffled around in her research, looking for something in particular. “Except, all ghosts have different power core ‘types’.” 

“Uh-huh,” he nodded along as if it was all new information. He took another bite of his apple. 

“So! Your father and I are working on not only a better method of categorizing ghosts that takes into account their power level but also the type of elemental core they possess. We think if we can find more commonalities and differences it will help find more exploitable weaknesses.” She found the page she was looking for and offered it to him, standing to lean over the table. Danny set his snack down and took the page to skim over it. It looked like a bunch of data on ghost’s with their power measurement, core type, temperature, ectoplasmic density, each a value that was plugged into an algorithm that spat out a number for a final threat level. 

“See, before, we would base an ecto-entities power level solely on the output of the ectoplasmic energy, but with this algorithm, we can have a more in depth understanding of the possible damage a ghost could do and how to counter it.” 

“Hence the ‘threat level’ rather than just ‘power level’?” he said glancing up at her.

“Exactly sweetie!” Her eyes softened as she looked at him. “Oh, you and your sister, you’re both so smart.” She came around the table to brush his bangs out of his face, and squish him in a one armed hug. “I couldn’t have asked for more perfect kids,” she said and kissed the top of his head before releasing him. He forced a smile. She said that now, but she didn’t know what he was. Who he was.

“Now, the issue is trying to find all the core types.” She leaned a hand on the table to look over his shoulder at the paper he was holding. “So far we know about fire, electricity, ice…” She held her chin thoughtfully. “And despite what the core may be, that doesn’t always mean their powers are a direct derivative, the applications of a core type can be extremely varied with only a thin connecting thread,” she muttered. Danny almost didn’t know if she was still talking to him, or just thinking out loud. “I’m doing research on what determines a ghost's core type. So far the leading theory is based on how they died. We think it’s the main contributing factor but I need more subjects to find anything conclusive.” 

If that were true, he’d have an electricity core. The thought made his breath stick in his throat and a cold sweat break on his forehead. Danny went to open his soda— or he would have, had it still been liquid. Instead there was a thick layer of frost on the outside of the aluminum where he’d been holding it, and the contents were frozen solid, bulging the top and bottom of the can. Yikes. He shot his Mom a panicked look, but she was thankfully too absorbed in her thoughts to notice. He handed her back the paper before he froze that too. 

“Sounds pretty cool, Mom. Welp, I gotta go do some reading for class so—” 

“Danny-boy!” Boomed his dad’s voice. He winced and turned to see his Dad coming up from the lab. 

“Hey, Dad.” 

“Helpin’ your Mom with some good ol’ fashioned ghost research are we?” 

“Actually I was—” 

“Maddie, I did what you asked! I tore the whole lab apart, but I still didn’t find the Fenton Ghost Gage anywhere.” Uh-oh. Danny slowly got up from the table and went to make for the door. 

“That’s odd, I swear I left it by the control panel a few weeks ago...” It was quiet for a moment. “Danny—” he turned back around, feigning ignorance with every ghostly molecule of himself. “—have you seen the Ghost Gage sitting around anywhere?” 

The New and Improved Fenton Ghost Gage was a relatively new invention, which actually worked pretty well. Except of course for the glitch that registered a level ten plus ghost in the house. His Mom had theorized that it was because of the proximity to the Ghost Zone that it was giving the off the charts false reads, and left it sitting in a tub of inventions to be tweaked. It was now safely placed between the drywall and plumbing of Casper High, sending it’s readings directly to Tucker's phone. Of course they’d already made the modifications for it to read core types, thanks to Tucker.  

“Nope, sorry. Have you checked the couch cushions? Or the fridge?” he suggested. 

“Of course! The couch! Good thinking, Dannio!” His Dad clapped him on the back with so much force the soda can flew from his grasp, and promptly exploded on contact with the tile floor. Right. Frozen soda explodes. Idiot. 

The outside had been completely frozen, but apparently on the inside it was slush, which was now all over the floor, the walls, the ceiling, and the three of them. It looked like a sugary crime scene. He quirked a nervous smile.

“Oops?” 

________________________________________________________________

Thankfully the soda caused only minimal damage to his parents research papers, but by the time he was done helping clean, the soda on his clothes had dried and gone sticky. Looked like there was no easy phase clean for him. He excused himself upstairs under the false pretense of doing homework and was gone the next minute. 

Time to find that ghost. 

The wind whipped through his hair and whistled past his ears. It was getting colder by the day and he loved it. The leaves on the trees would start turning soon, turning Amity into a collage of colors. If it weren’t for school, he’d love fall. 

He made it to Casper in a minute flat, and started his search there. The weight of the thermos was a constant reassuring weight on his hip as he circled outward. If she was lurking anywhere, his ghost sense would let him know. He flew up and down streets, block after block, but he was getting nothing. Well, unless he counted the people on the street that whooped and pointed at him as he flew past. 

He’d just gone by the Nasty Burger when a crackling bolt of energy zipped past him and punched a hole through a billboard. He recoiled and adrenaline flared through him; or whatever the ectoplasmic equivalent was. He flipped around to see a familiar ghost hunter. 

“You never learn your lesson, do you, ghost?” Valerie growled. 

“I’ve never been the best in school, so I’m gonna say no,” he said with a grin. Another blast shot past him, but he didn’t give her the satisfaction of flinching. 

“Shut up, I know you were at Casper today. What can you tell me about the new ghost?” Danny huffed. He and his friends weren’t the only ones that had the school bugged. 

“You probably know about as much as I do, Red. She was gone almost as soon as I got there.” 

“Like, I’d buy that!” Despite her helmet he could tell she was just as pissed as ever. He splayed his hands in a placating manner. 

“Honest, why else would I be out here combing the city?” 

“How should I know what you’re planning? You’re probably out here waiting for the opportunity to ruin someone else’s life.” 

Danny groaned. “Seriously Red, I said I was sorry like two years ago, you need to learn to let stuff go.” Danny liked to think that deep down she knew he wasn’t there to hurt anyone. She certainly didn’t like him, but she had at least started giving him an opportunity to explain himself before trying to waste him. Baby steps he supposed. 

“Back at’cha, ghost.” She lifted her blaster and it whined as it charged. Welp, decorum was over for the day. He went intangible and rocketed through the billboard. Once on the other side he went invisible and tore off in a different direction. He knew she could track him, but it was worth the few seconds it bought him. The sound of her jet sled roared as she gave chase. 

Pink charges of ecto-blasts peppered his flight path, near misses and wildly inaccurate alike. He zig-zagged, holding onto his invisibility and intangibility as he slipped through buildings. This was the easiest way to lose her, she had to take the time to skirt around huge objects, or waste the time to go straight up allowing him to widen the gap. Not to mention, while intangible the lack of wind resistance put his speed at around 130 Mph. Last time they’d checked at least. 

Once he was sure he was far enough away from Val to have dropped off her radar, he turned and headed for home. He phased through his window and transformed back, flopping onto his bed. He’d been all over town and hadn’t got a single whiff of the new ghost. At least Valerie was on it too. Still, it didn’t make it any less frustrating. 

He glanced at the clock on his nightstand which read 5:10. He’d check for the ghost again after dinner with Sam and Tuck, maybe then he’d at least be able to avoid Valerie. For now, he could really use a break.      

[lokiamorstuffs]

The Taste of Colors

Summary: Remus and Roman end up getting in a fight over Remus stealing one of his brother's potions. Logan runs into the Intrusive side late at night and comforts the side, sorta.

...

"I wish you'd just stop! Stop existing with the only purpose to be an irrational annoyance!" The words had been spiteful and bitter. "Go find something useful to do and stop stressing me out more! I have too much to do with so little time and you just get me all jittery!! Never helping out just pushing all my buttons!" Roman waved his sword in jester to all the shattered and spilled brews all over the shelf. Remus had looked furious as His hands clenched around the one blue potion he held.

Yes, Roman was still getting used to sharing a room. It had only been 2 months. He should be used to this by now. Especially since this wasn't the first -nor second- Remus had decided to steal Roman's potions.

Janus had gotten his own room, yet Remus' appeared into the left half of Romans. It wasn't fair. He had to deal with the smell of mulch and fish water, stop the bleeding books from crawling over onto his carpet, just on and on. More problems and annoyances coming again and again.

Roman knew he shouldn't have said that. He didn't even mean it. He was just so done with everything and Remus happens to be the last straw. The stress had just built up till one little thing made it boil over. First a creativity block, Logan's and Virgil's distractions, and the headaches. Just one thing after another.

This wasn't fair. Remus usually did stupid and gross things, yet he always had some goal, a reason, even if it was just to be annoying sometimes. Remus had helped people in his own way. Messing with Logan till he took a break from work, teaching Paton a life lesson, even taking the anger off of someone else and putting that focus on him. It was confusing and stupid, but they were just such complex and genius plans.

"Oh shut up." Remus hissed. "I can't believe I stand you! Your just too stingy to share. Just have to have every little thing as 'perfect' as you. Do you know what you did? Instead of letting me have one measly potion, you'd rather maim your whole damn shelve of them!"

Roman looked down at the sword in his hand. Colorful liquid dripped off the end, more scattered with glass along the shelves and floor.

"I-" Remus cut his brother off.

"You what? Are tired of my crap?" Remus growled, "Isn't everyone? The others don't seem this bothers by all my 'stunts', yet no matter what I do it's a problem with-"

"Remus! Just Get out." Roman snapped, tears welling up in his eyes "I don't want- I don't have time for this! Get out!!"

Remus stiffened, caught off guard. He stared at Roman for a moment a look of hurt. Then he sunk out.

Roman invalid sharply as tears flowed down his face. He uselessly and angrily tried wiping the salty water off his face, but more just fell.

Logan stepped downstairs into the kitchen. Midnight coffee is exactly what he needed in this moment of his existence. He grumbled to himself as he wandered over to the coffee pot and started a brew.

Logan leaned against the counter, tilting his head back and closing his eyes merely wanting to head back to his room to finish work for the night.

He rubbed a hand over his face, hoping it would somehow ease the feeling of exhaust from his face. He needed to stick to an ideal sleeping schedule, yet he always had too much work for that. Logan couldn't even begin to count the number of times he had to reduce months of planning. Then again, this happened all the time and the Logical side should be used to it.

Soon the beep of the coffee pot finishing ripped Logan from his thoughts. He sighed moving to poor a cup of the only thing that would help him stay awake through the night.

As the Logical side started to head back to his room, he happened to glance into the living room. Logan was a bit surprised to see Remus. The Intrusive side had hooked his feet over the armrest while the rest of his body hung over the other side essentially letting Remus hang upside down.

"Remus, what are you doing?" Logan questioned as he headed over to the Intrusive side.

Remus didn't move, his gaze glued to the wall, but he did hum in response. Logan took a drink of his coffee, suspecting this may be an even longer night than he anticipated. He sat down on the couch. "What happened?"

"I tried to drank one of Roman's potions. He got mad." Remus mumbled.

"Drink" Logan corrected.

Remus was silent for a moment. "We had a big stupid fight and he kicked me out of the room."

Logan paused for a moment, concluding this most likely was a bigger fight than usual. Remus did upset Roman often and the other way around too. Still, it was rare for the Creative side to actually kick Remus out of the room.

"Why do you keep drinking Roman's potions?" Logan asked, "You know that upsets him."

"I like the way the colors taste."

There was a long pause, till-"Get up." Remus glanced up at the logical side who had decided to stand and take another drink of his coffee. Remus wondered if Logan would pass out if he didn't have that caffeine. "Come on. Get up."

"Why?"

"Remus, I have not an ounce of patience tonight." Logan said, "I plan on comforting you. So get up. We are going to head to the imagination."

Remus sighed as he slid off the couch and fell on his back. He then stood, and with a lazy wave of his hand, a door to the imagination appeared.

Logan took a long drink of his coffee and set the mug down on the coffee table. He'd probably be up all night at this point and was glad he had the coffee he did. The Logical side headed through the door, Remus following behind.

"Okay... Now what? It's not like there's anything special here." Remus mumbled as they walked through the dark dense forest.

"This way," Logan explained, glancing at the intrusive side. His head was telling him this was illogical. He had work to do and he was exhausted already. But this was what he should do. It was the better option over leaving Remus to lay waste on the couch. Logan himself likely needed a break anyway.

The two walked in silence through the thick, mossy forest. Color. Remus had said he had like the taste of the color. Of course that made no sense. Remus usually didn't, but the Intrusive side was unique and different. Logan wouldn't doubt Remus' absurd taste -he usually devoured absurd things on a daily basis-, but he would have questions on it. Unfortunately, that would all be for another time. As for now, Logon needed to make some color combinations of his own. It'd most likely be easier to just use liquids. If Remus liked the tase of color then color he would have more colors to eat.

"There. " Logan motioned over as he led Remus to a small clearing.

"There's nothing here, Lo..." Remus mumbled as he slumped against the Logical side.

"But there will be." Logan announced, "You said you like the taste of colors, does it matter what substance the color is?"

Remus shook his head. "No. But I do prefer liquids. Why? What are you scheming?"

Perfect. Logan smirked, "First, I need you to make a few things."

"Okay! Okay!" Remus said excitedly, bounding over to Logan. "LoLo, I put the other two beakers all together with the setup, you just have to put the tube up and connect the line of Sodium hydroxide and phenolphthalein!"

The two sides were currently in a lab Remus had crafted. It was stocked full of many different liquids, beakers, bottles, and everything else Logan said he'd need. Plus snacks and a coffee machine. Those were essential.

Logan hummed pushed his glasses back on his face. "Alright. I only have to finalize adding the tar and dry ice to this one."

The logical side looked down at the beaker of swirling blue. He gently poured the black tar down on a spoon so it could easily drip into the bowl. Remus expected them to mix or something, but they didn't. The black and blue swirled, yet replied each other all at the same time. Then Logan added the dry ice.

It was just like a smokey galaxy. Logon took a step back from the counter. Remus couldn't stop staring at the beaker of liquid. He loved the smoke filling up and flowing out of the top as bubbles surfaced. The black and blue was mesmerizing, to say the least. No matter how the liquid moved or bubbled the colors never faded and never mixed.

"Is it acceptable?" Logan asked, pulling the safety gloves off his hands.

"More," Remus said as he grinned with excitement as he looked over at the Logical side.

"More?" Logan questioned.

"More of these mixes of liquids. Will you make me more. " He explained.

Logan smiled and gave a small nod. "I definitely can."

Remus snatched Logan up into a hug, and spun "You are the best!" Logan laughed and wheezed as he held onto him for dear life.

"I-It's not difficult, nor trouble." Logan clarified as he Remus stopped spinning.

Remus grinned as he looked down at the Logical side. "You really are the best, Lo. Thanks for helping me feel better."

"Of course. Now we need to complete more of these combinations before I collapse for exhaustion."

Logan had stayed up practically all night to help make the color drinks for Remus. The Intrusive side had convinced Logan to take the day to rest. Remus informed the others on Logan and said he'd been checking up on him latter, not only to make sure he ate but to say thanks.

Remus did notice Roman in the living room when he was informing the others on Logan. He decided to headed upstairs back to his room. On his bed sat a large box of odd-shaped bottles with a wide range of liquids and colors.

Remus summoned a dark melty shelf at the end of his bed so set the bottles on to. He then started to pull some bottles out and line them up on the shelf. Remus stopped when someone knocked on the door. Remus walked over and opened it. Roman stood there, a look of regret on his face. "Remus... I..." He paused and let out a sigh. "Can we talk...?"

Remus paused but nodded. They both headed back into the room. Remus decided to sit on the floor, Roman followed. They sat there for a moment, then roman spoke. "About last night..."

"Yeah," Remus mumbled. " I won't touch your stupid potions anymore. Logan and I made some ourselves so-"

Roman interrupted him, "I'm sorry Rem. I know I was upset with you. You did take my things, but all that anger shouldn't have been put on you over a silly potion." Romans looked over to the spot where he had destroyed the entire shelf. Just a blank space was there now. "I-I was stressed, but you were right. I overreacted. I said so many things. You do exist to do other things. you are important to us."

"Me too... And I know you don't like sharing a room. I don't either. But maybe we can't get this to work."

Roman smiled a bit. "We'll figure it out, but your creepy books have to stop coming over to my side."

Remus chuckled, "No promises."

"At least I don't have to worry about you drinking my potions."

Remus snickered, "We'll, I actually haven't drank any of them I did feel a bit bad so I just kinda saved them."

Roman furrowed his eyebrows. "What."

Remus stood and went over to his bed, Roman followed. Remus kneeled down and pulled out a brown box which he handed to his brother. Roman opened it, finding every potion the he thought Remus had drank. The creative punched his brother. "I hate you."

"Ow!" Remus laughed as he rubbed his arm. "Love you too, bro!"

...

Here ya go @audrithee!! Here's your a story for the @sanderssidesgiftxchange!

[himarifuruya]

Diamond Light [ Open Book ]

Preface: Diamond Light is a non-linear series of stories based around my OC Himari Furuya and her relationship with Tamaki Amajiki or Suneater.

TW: Chapters may contain Rated M [18+] content, such as graphic sexual content, canon typical violence and gore, body horror and explicit language.

Chapter Summary: Midterm exams are just around the corner and Himari knows she needs all the help she can get.

If Himari was asked what part of her heroic education she disliked the most, it would have to be the academic side. On top of their rigorous training, the students of U.A. were also expected to keep up with their regular studies. To get anywhere in this world, students not only needed to be exceptional in skill, but in intelligence as well. It was essential, a prestigious institution couldn’t afford to accept mediocrity.

Like winter’s frosty breath, the young hero could feel the chill of midterm exams creeping in. Every student with a lick of common sense would be cramming their brains out to earn the best results. She could only pray to the Gods that she could muster some passing marks.

As luck would have it, she found her chance

Instead of going home that day, she was in the library, sitting beside her work study partner, Tamaki Amajiki. Earlier that day, she found the dark-haired boy at the far table leaned over his study materials with a severe look on his face. It had been impeccable timing considering she had gone there for a peaceful place to work. Seeing an opportunity to get some help, she decided to reach out. As usual, she managed to give him a near heart attack when she seemed to appear before him out of thin air, asking if they could study together.

Much to her surprise, he agreed to it.

Ever since the two started working together at Fat Gum’s agency, they had been seeing a lot more of each other. Part of it was because Togata and Hado began making it a daily ritual to hang out before class, which sometimes led her to get scolded by the teacher for being late. Some of her classmates even joked that she wasn’t really their classmate, but a spy sent by the other class to ruin them.

The rest had been coincidental.

“S-So, what part are you having trouble with Furuya?” He asked suddenly disrupting her train of thought.

“Hm?”

He was looking away from her, fumbling with his mechanical pencil. “I…just thought that if we shared what parts we are struggling with, we could help each other out better.”

There was a grave look on her face as her gaze shifted from her study guide to the disastrous notes she scribbled during class.

“Everything…”

“I-Is that so?” He sounded concerned, falling quiet as he turned his gaze back to his own work. Himari’s attention drifted as well, suddenly feeling a little awkward. It almost caught her off guard when he spoke up again.

“Could you…maybe, show me your notes?”

“Uhm…” Himari thought for a moment, then closed her notebook. “…I don’t want to.”

He surprised her again with a flat look. “Furuya…”

“Okay, okay, but don’t laugh, English is literally my worst subject.” She held out her notebook as if she were handing out her diary.

After Tamaki took the notebook from her, he flipped it open to see what he was working with. She sat there, stiff as a board, watching him slowly sink back in his chair. His brows lifted as if mystified by what he just laid his eyes upon.

“Oh my god…” He covered his mouth with his hand, stifling a snort. “You confused ‘persecute’ with ‘prostitute’…”

She blinked. “What’s the difference?”

Her question sent him floundering, like a fish out of water. “W-Well, a, ugh, w-well, ehhhh.”

When he couldn’t get the words out, she offered him a sheepish grin. “Sorry, I’ve never been really good at this kind of thing… Even when I took the entrance exam, I barely passed the written portion. Guess I just prefer hands-on work.” She then added quickly. “─Don’t think I’ll use that as an excuse though! Even if it doesn’t seem like it, I am very serious about my studies.”

Something about her humor seemed to help calm him down to the point that he chuckled warmly at her words. “I-It’s okay, I understand that this stuff can be pretty dense…and well…b-boring.”

Himari hummed in agreement, resting her elbows on the table with her chin in the cradle of her palms. “Whenever I listen to an English lecture, I feel like my brain melts inside my skull and bleeds out of my ears.”

Amajiki raised a hand, halting her from further exposition. “I get it, you don’t need to include graphic imagery, dummy.”

“It’s more immersive that way though,” she said.

“Next time, ask for consent first.” His comeback got her giggling, usually when she made remarks like that, she often received weird looks or awkward laughter.

She let out a soft sigh. “I know this is a little too much, but it would really mean a lot to me if I had your help.”

He set down her notebook, scratching his cheek. “To be honest, I-I’m surprised that you would want to study with me.” She noticed he began to fidget as he went on to elaborate. “I-I mean I’m really…really bad at t-talking in general and well, explaining things…that’s all a lot of pressure… I-If I screw s-something up, I-I don’t want that to n-negatively affect you. God…I would feel so bad if that happened…I─”

Before he could ramble any further, Himari pushed a finger up to his lips, silencing him. His eyes widened and his cheeks reddened in response to her touch. He sank back into his chair to get away, staring up at her with a bewildered, almost frightened expression.

She stood up from her seat with her ruby gaze leveled with his indigo ones. If she was being honest with herself, she found his expression to be quite adorable.

“Listen Amajiki, you might think I have the wrong impression of you, but I truly believe you are a reliable person.” She spoke in a subdued tone that didn’t waver. “─Honestly, I really hate asking for help, period, but you’re someone I feel comfortable enough to be around; so, it’s not like I’m asking out of convenience.”

As she went on, Amajiki's terrified expression slowly morphed into wonder. He almost couldn't believe that she could speak such kind things so openly; not only that, but these were things she felt about him.

“Uh-Uhm…” He tore away from her gaze with a hand over his eyes. His voice came out shaky, practically rattling out of his throat. “Okay, Okay… Just….”

Hardly a second later, Amajiki had his back turned to her, folded over, and mumbling to himself. Seeing him trembling made Himari sit down, wondering if her approach had been too aggressive. Still, it’s not like she regretted saying it.

As if on instinct, she reached over and gently laid her palm on the center of his back. Not surprised when his entire body went frozen upon contact. Beneath her hand, she felt every tense muscle stiffen. He didn’t retract from her touch though, even as she spread her fingers over his vertebra.

It perked her intrigue when his shoulders started to slack. There was still a fair amount of rigidity in his posture, but not as much as there had been before. He eventually gathered enough of his composure speak. Though, his voice was so quiet she almost couldn’t make out what he said.

“…Thank you.”

Once she pulled her hand away, Amajiki started to shift around his seat, feeling brave enough to face her again. Sitting more properly, he cleared his throat. “I-I’m not sure how much better your scores will be with my help, b-but I-I’ll show you what I know.”

The girl looked up at him beaming. “If I can do just a little better than what I have been, then that’s more than I can ever ask for. Besides, I can't afford to let you down.”

“I see…” The smile that had moved onto his lips made her chest feel lighter, like the flutter of a soft breeze carrying her off to the warmth of summer. It filled her with an aching curiosity, but anything she might have wanted to say had escaped her. She didn’t mind it though, finding serenity in just being in his proximity.

However, the moment was cut short when a familiar teasing voice derailed them. “And what are you troublemakers doing?”

“M-Mirio!”

He had his face phased through a book on the display shelf behind them. There was a playful glint in his eyes, sounding a little too innocent. “Oh sorry, did I interrupt something? Tamaki, you’re looking pretty red in the ears.”

Amajiki’s hands shot up to cover them. “Sh-Shut up!”

“Sorry, sorry, I just saw you guys here, so I figured I would drop by to say hi,” he said. “You’re studying, right?”

“Sorta, though, I think I’m adding more work onto Amajiki’s plate.” Himari replied, ruffling the back of her hair.

“I-It isn’t a big deal at least, it shouldn’t be…” Amajiki’s eyes dropped to her notebook, suddenly recalling the catastrophe he saw. Under his breath, he mumbled. “I hope…”

“Are you busy, Togata? You could study with us too if you want,” she offered.

“Sure, as long as you guys don’t mind.”

"Togata, are you still spying on them?" Hado's inquired from faraway, sounding like she was ready to scold him.

"Uhm...no...?"

After a bit of of bantering, the group invited Hado to join them as well. With the squad united, they hit the books. Time seemed to fly as they dug into the material, reviewing information, sharing insight, and talking through numerous subjects. For Himari, it was like a breath of fresh air compared to studying on her own.

Admittedly, she found it astonishing how natural it felt to be part of their group. Despite her being in the rival class, they had always treated her as one of their own and never as an outsider. She never felt the need to question why either; their genuine nature seemed to shine through any possible doubt that could ever dare try to cloud her mind.

Her attention wandered back to Amajiki, who was occupied with reviewing his exam materials. Since the group had formed, he had been quiet for the most part, offering some dialogue here and there, but otherwise distracted. It wasn’t a painful silence though, but one that was in peace, relishing in a moment.

She thought he might turn away when he seemed to feel her gaze on him, but no. Instead, he offered her his undivided attention. “I-Is there something you need help with?” He asked with a sweet smile adorning his features.

Right then, she was reminded why she was there to begin with.

“Uhm…” She picked up her notebook, showing him the section she had been plugging away at. “Could you look over these for me?”

“Of course.”

Perhaps, it was selfish of her, but she wanted to cling to this group for as long as they would allow. Like a moth to a flame, she was drawn to their warmth.

[misha-moose-dean-burger-lover]

Destiel - my shower isn’t working can I use yours 😆

Okay, so where I'm going with this one isn't exactly a meetcute to me, but it also could be, if you are into that kind of stuff, I'm not sure about most things, please enjoy the story ~

***

It's been one hour since Dean's gotten up, and the day already sucks.

Things had been fine till all the noise started. It was eleven, on a Sunday morning, and he had been contentedly sitting on his couch, watching Queer Eye as he had his breakfast of milk, cereal and beer, as one does, and wondering about Sammy's whereabouts, even while he prepared punny punchlines for the latter's inevitable walk of shame - when the drilling had begun.

And Dean didn't like disturbing loud noises - not so early on weekends, and not ever.

Obviously some sort of construction work, or maintenance was happening at the apartment across the hall from his. Dean's brain registered it immediately as the one with the ridiculously cute Lit. Major, Cas-something, and his friend (well, Dean hoped, though they did seem pretty close).

Dean didn't know those two very well, because they'd only just moved in like a month ago - which could've made the drilling sorta suspicion-worthy, if their apartment building had had any good reputation at all. Dean had had his midterms then, so he hadn't gotten to know them much - though Sam had told him, from when he went to the mixer they threw like a fortnight ago, that they seemed like good people.

Dean's interactions had thus been pretty limited with Cas - Sam had only remembered that much of his name, for the stupid giant head he has, and Dean couldn't even be sure that it was correct, they'd never conversed so he'd never had a chance to use it - but that's what he calls him when he thinks of him in his head.

And he does. He knows Cas studies Literature, because he's seen him with Professor Moseley. And he knows Cas liked honey, because his friend, Balthazar had come to ask if they had any, because 'his roommate needed it, and was too anxious to initiate social interactions', Dean remembers, in a sarcastic accented drawl. And he knows that Cas runs in the mornings, and that he -

There's a knock at his door, which brings him out of his reverie. He sets down his tray, and went to open the door, expecting Sam - silently regretting using some of the last minutes thinking about his gorgeous neighbors, instead of what all he'd say to get Sam all riled up, when he showed up in last evening's clothes.

But it isn't Sam. It's Cas - or, to play on the safer side, Dean was going to pretend he didn't know his name at all; that would be better than to call him by the wrong name because what kind of asshole does that?

"Hello!" From the other side of the door, Cas - or whatever the fuck his name is, Dean keeps calling him Cas, because he has been doing it in his head, for a month now - breathes out, in a beautiful goddamn baritone. He's looking straight at Dean with unbelievably blue eyes, and Dean's never stood this close to him, in actual reality before.

So, undoubtedly, he is too busy gawking at Cas, to respond to the greeting - but he can't be blamed. Cas is breathless, and sweaty - from the way his fitted grey tshirt sticks to all the right places, and how sweat glistens on his forehead and plasters his black hair to his head. If Dean had ever been able to get Sam's nagging, 'You're confusing reality with porn again' out of his head, his brain could've conjured up some really interesting scenarios.

He stands in front of Dean, dressed in only a tshirt and what are clearly running shorts, and suddenly Dean's aware of the fact that he's wearing flannel pajamas, which are also Sam's, if that isn't embarrassing enough by itself - since he didn't wanna do laundry, and which are hatefully too big for him - a white shirt that has Donald Duck on it, and his fucking heart on his sleeve.

"Uh." He begins, eloquent as ever. "Hey there."

"Do you," Cas's lips twist into some sort of a frown. "Think I could come inside?"

"Yeah. Yeah, sure." Dean mutters, making way for him to enter. The passage is wide enough for there to be zero contact between them, as Cas shuffles inside and Dean reaches forward to shut the door and lock it behind him - and for the first time, Dean wishes he lived in a skimpier apartment. "What's up, dude?" Dean asks, trying to get a hold of himself, as he stares at Cas tentatively, waiting for him to make the next move, as he tries to figure out how to keep looking at him before coming off as creepy. As one does.

"I - well, I -" He begins, and then stops abruptly, holding his hand out to Dean. "I'm Castiel, by the way, and I live across you."

Dean nods, wetting his lips, as he shook his hand. "I, uh, know." He says, uncertainly. And then realizing he hasn't introduced himself either, he hurriedly adds. "And I'm Dean. I live across you, too."

Castiel smiles at him, in spite of the lame joke, and Dean is grateful, because he was about to start looking for a hole to bury himself in. Then, Castiel starts speaking too, and Dean shifts his focus between his words and the way his voice sounds, to keep up. "As I guess you've probably heard, Balthazar is getting some repairs done at our place. I didn't know it was today until right about now, but this thing might take time. Shelves to be made, showers to be fixed, fire alarms which actually work to be installed -" Dean snorts at that, then is instantly appalled at himself, because that's the most unattractive way he could laugh, fucking get your act together, Winchester. "And so on. I'm sorry on both our behalf, because the noise must be disturbing, and -"

"Nah, nevermind." Dean interrupts. "It's not a big deal." What else is he supposed to say? 'I wanna kill myself because of it, so please don't need a new shelf, ever again?' Pfft.

"You're very understanding," Castiel smiles once again, and it's a polite one - and Dean is suddenly hit by the realization that that is perhaps what Castiel is here for. To be polite and curtesical about the fact that they're disturbing the whole building. Not because he wants to have anything to do with Dean - perhaps he did this with everyone on all the floors, and gave compensation-cookies, but then ran out of them before he came to Dean, but didn't think Dean was worth that much of an effort.

Dean's subconscious does make an effort to put a pause to the annoying workings of his mind, but as always, the other side triumphed. And then Dean stands there, feeling ridiculous about himself having internally made such a big deal of something like this.

But then, Castiel start speaking again. "And, I know this is such an idiotic favor to ask for -" So there is more, thinks Dean. "And you are allowed to turn me down, okay?"

"Ask away, dude," Dean tells him. I'd literally bend over on the centerpiece for you, if you asked nicely, he doesn't say, because. Well. Boundaries and crap.

Castiel seems to be gathering his words.

Dean wonders what it could be.

He hasn't wondered far, when Castiel finally lets it out. "I - I just came from my run, and I really think I need to shower. And my shower isn't working, could I use yours?"

Dean is stunned. He didn't think things like this we're supposed to happen in actual frigging reality. Castiel - the totally hot dude from across the hallway was asking to take a shower in his apartment. Dean's brain was practically stuttering, at this point.

"Dean?" Castiel echoes.

Dean's brain goes around the roundabout, and starts to take the route back to a safer place. It's obviously not like Castiel is going to be in the shower, and then asking Dean to join. That, now that would be something that would honestly throw him off. But this is cool, right? The guy has a reason. (And no porn has such legitimate explanations, okay?) So perhaps Dean should go looking for his brain in the gutters, and respond.

"Yeah. Uh, sorry about that." He shrugs, and then nods. "You know what? Sure. You can. I mean, why would I say no, you know?"

Castiel blinked at him. "Are you sure?"

"Of course." Dean nods, way surer now that Castiel looks insecure of ever asking. And Castiel gives him a small smile. "Thank you."

A moment passes, and they're simply looking at each other, and Dean is obviously trying to alternate gazes between his eyes, and his lips. Then suddenly, Castiel clears his throat, and raises his eyebrows with a slight tilt of his head and Dean returns to the present.

"Right!" He swallows. "Right now. Okay, yeah, okay." He doesn't really know what to do for a moment there, but then he looks at Castiel, who's sporting an absolutely adorable gummy smile.

"You do know you don't have to do anything, right?" He supplies, somehow reading the tension in his body. "Just, uh, direct me towards your bathroom, please."

And Dean's brain stops short on the verge of short-circuiting - he doesn't know why, okay!? - and he just nods. "Yeah, uh. Sure. That's smart. It's this way."

When Dean has shown Castiel to the bathroom - the one attached to his bedroom, and not Sam's - he instantly fetches a towel for him, too. Kind of a 'I'm not always as slow as I just was in the living room' gesture, and Castiel accepts it with a smile. "Thank you, again."

"It's not an issue, seriously," Dean promises, still hovering, even though he's shown Castiel to the bathroom and handed him the best towel he owns. "Oh, right." Dean suddenly steps into the bathroom, remembering - Castiel follows him in, like he's obviously supposed to, but now it's just the two of them in that confined white-tiled space, and Dean's mouth feels dry. "About the, uh, thingy? Contrary to what you may infer from the symbols, left is hot, and right is cold. We actually installed it wrong."

"Oh," Castiel takes it easily. "Thank you for telling me that."

"Yeah." Dean checks himself, and then the space around him, and is sure he's done all he can do - to help Castiel, to embarrass himself, etcetera - and he takes his leave. "I'll, uh, go now. Enjoy, I guess."

And he hears a bit of a chuckle behind him, as he practically rushes out of his bedroom and back to the living room, where he sits with his legs folded on the couch, and screws his eyes shut - trying to focus all his energy on going back to a happier timr, where he hadn't said 'enjoy' to Castiel, before leaving him in a fucking bathroom.

*

Dean tries to not think about it - he really does. He tries not to listen to Cas showering, and tries not to hear Castiel's almost-mute (maybe non-existent) humming, and he tries so frigging hard to not imagine a very naked Castiel in his shower. Or what he might be doing, and - OH, that is another level of gross, even for him.

And because the world is so fair to him, he manages to stop thinking about it - for one goddamn moment, before he's now thinking of worse things. Like all the kinds of things there are in his bathroom. Fuck, there's probably some gross hair in the drain from when he shampooed a few days earlier. There's that one crack in the tiles, where Dean had fallen - one very, very complicated afternoon. And, Jesus fucking Christ, there was lube on some rack somewhere.

As Dean sits on the couch by himself, regretting all of his life choices all at once, and wondering how much easier it would be if he flees to Alaska for the rest of the time Castiel is at Stanford - he tries to tune out the sounds of the water to the backdrop of Queer Eye - and all the drilling, obviously, but he still notices when the water is turned off.

It couldn't have been more than ten minutes, if he's being honest, but it feels a lot longer. Sighing, Dean throws his head back against the couch, and rubs the palms of his hands against his eyes -

And that's when Castiel yells for him.

Dean is thrown off at first, but then he's rushing, because why the hell would Castiel be asking for him now - when he's clearly just finished showering - if it wasn't something important.

So Dean crosses the living room with large steps, and is going into his bedroom when he sees Castiel, standing in the doorway of the bathroom - completely naked, except for the towel around his waist.

If Dean had thought he'd been having trouble looking away before, well, he certainly had no chance against this. Castiel's arms were a feast for his eyes - his fucking biceps would've been as big as Dean's, easily. His entire torso was lean and muscled, and his shoulders combined with his pecs were something that would certainly feed Dean's fantasies for a long, long time. And all the running had certainly paid off, because he had these beautiful fucking calves, and all his -

Shit. Dean is extremely not okay, when it comes to this guy. He needs to stop.

"Dean." Castiel's voice hits him with a jolt, and Dean's eyes turn up to Castiel's - wishing with all his heart, that he had not caught him checking him out. "I'm so sorry."

"What?" He blinks. What had he done? Wait, did he somehow break his shower, because Dean kind of had feelings for that shit.

"I need to ask another favor of you," Castiel looks truly apologetic, like it pains him as much to be asking Dean to do this - as it pains Dean to not go back to staring at him. "And this one is all sorts of dumb, but I -"

"What do you need?" Dean cuts him off; the apologising routine was cumbersome.

"My clothes, from my apartment. Mine are drenched from the run." He emphasizes. "And I was about to go get a towel and a change of clothes before, but then you handed me that towel, and I was too distracted - I mean, I wasn't thinking of it then, and Dean - I obviously need clothes." With his jaw fucking dropped, Dean waits for him to finish. "And I don't think I should go into my apartment like this," He looks down at himself. "There's other people working there."

Some part of Dean wants to hang onto the part, which hints that Castiel is fine being this way in front of Dean - but not in front of those workers, but then he instantly realizes that's dumb and nothing romantic at all. There is no comparison.

"Dean." And now, he's giving him a full on puppy stare. Sam-level. "Would you please -"

"Wait." Dean hears himself speaking, though he's almost sure he's not thinking those things through. "That's not smart. I wouldn't know where your stuff is, and I'm not going to pick out pants and shirts for you. It would be easier if you just wore something of mine. We're basically the same size." And this time, Dean has somewhat of an excuse to space another glance to Castiel's naked upper-body.

"But," Castiel looks like he might try to protest, but then he doesn't. "I do think that is the smarter option. I just hope you don't mind."

It's better than me playing dress-up on you, Dean thinks. 'There's no way I'd survive looking at your wardrobe, even.' But he keeps it to himself. "I don't. You can, uh." He leans in and slides open one door. "Pick anything from here."

"Okay." Castiel swallows. "Thank you, Dean."

"Yeah." And it comes out a little bit strangled, because now Dean has another thing that makes him feel suffocated, but in all the best ways. Castiel, in his clothes. And also because he's still staring at him, a little bit.

"Thank you for everything, Dean." Castiel sighs, and Dean - for a fleeting second - imagines that he's gonna get a hug but then it's like they both remember in the same instant that Castiel doesn't have clothes on.

Now that would've been a surefire way for Dean to have finally gotten the attack he's been on the verge of, since the moment there was a knock on his door.

*

Almost an hour later, Sam stumbles back in. He might be in last night's clothes, but he looks tardy in the 'all-night-group-study' sense, and not the fun sense - and Dean wouldn't put it past his geek of a brother.

But Sam comes in to find Dean has a guest over from across the hallway - and the-Cas-guy is wearing Dean's AC/DC shirt (or maybe Sam's just sleepy) and they're having grilled cheese while sitting too close on the couch, as they watch Queer Eye.

(Dean fills him in later, that because Dean had kinda helped Cas out that day, he says with a bit of a blush, Cas had offered to make him breakfast to repay him; but Sam knows that's Dean's cereal bowl in the sink, but he can easily imagine how Dean must have leaped at the the offer of a second breakfast, as long as Cas, the cute guy Dean hundred-percent has a crush on, offered to make it - and in turn, stayed some more.)

***

I'm finally back to destiel! It took me a while ;) but I found my way back ~ this was so fun to write, and I almost lost my draft for a bit there and then it came back and I was like, THIS ISN'T SAFE IN QUEUE, POST IMMEDIATELY (≧∇≦) Anyways, thank you @petrichoravellichor for the prompt! I keep thinking, I'll do the cookie fic next, and there's this huge hype around it, and then I think that maybe I'm not ready yet and I start creating something else Ψ(￣▽￣)Ψ The next is gonna be Sabriel, I think!

This time, I'll just tag the list as it is, because it's destiel: @ctrl-alt-design @emmii4 @awkward-penguin-in-a-trenchcoat @styggtroll @petrichoravellichor @all-or-nothing-baby @moderatelypanickedbiromantic @elvenlicht @legendary-destiel @noemithenephilim @galaxy-charm @trenchcoatsandfreckles @naitia @ladywaywarddsc @zoerayne2426 @thekidsmaybealright @hellfire37 @3dg310rdsupreme @impulsivedandelion @iamcharliebradburylevelperfect List is Open! Send me messages, I guess, if you wanna be added/removed.

That's all for today! Maybe leave me a comment to gush about. Hope you all have an amazing day ~ Keep it sailing ~

[jinxthequeergirl]

In The Dark

Chuck Steinberg x reader

Requested by: @mjvenvy also @genderfluid-geek27

Request:Hi I loved your first chuck x reader from ssttitd! Could you make a chuck x reader where she goes through her story and he is trying to save her along with Stella and the others?

Warning: swearing, horror stuff???”GoRe??? Eye gore

Ok so important to know that 1) this is sorta a prequel to "Panic settles" in which the reader is blinded 2) I am straight up to lazy to go back and check if there is a story like this so the story the reader goes through is something I made up!

ENJOY THOUGH!

~~~~~~~

You ran up the stairs of the old house quickly looking for the two boys who had Separated from your small group.

"Chuck? Auggie!?" You pushed open a door and stepped inside. "Chuck? Are you in here?"

You moved to a wardrobe and pulled it open. "Gotcha!" Chuck let out a scream upon you doing so.

"Wow chill, it's me nerd!" he quickly hopped out of the wardrobe and took your hand pulling you from the room.

"We have to get out of here." he said hastily pulling you along.

"Chuck! What's the big deal!?"

"Uh nothing...I Just think we've spent enough time here...STELLA!?"

You followed him down the steps somewhat bored. "C'mon chuck, you're acting as if you saw a ghost." on that note you lit up. "Did you see a ghost!? Is that why you don't wanna be here? Oh MAN that would be sick!" 

“No it wouldn’t!” he hissed. you stopped pulling his hand so he stumbled back to you. “chuck.” 

“what?”  you rolled your eyes and crossed your arms after letting his hand go. “chuck I've known you since i was ten, i can tell when you’re lying to me so what did you see?” he huffed. “ok...while i was hiding from auggie i opened the door to check if he was there but i saw some...some lady and her do-"

Chuck was cut off as auggie jumped out yelling "BOO!"

"Agust you ass hole!" You slapped his arm and he ran off laughing. "What I wasn't going to let Chuck get me this time!"

You rolled your eyes but stopped when you heard Stella calling for you. You looked at chuck and smiled softly. "Lets go, promise I'll talk her into getting is outta here ok?"

He smiled back as you tossed your arm around his shoulders and lead him to where Stella was calling. "Thanks but I don't need you to protect me, y/n." you shrugged. "Yea ya do." You teased.

You finally all ended up in the basment listening to Stella explain how it was Shara Bellows room and that kids would come and listen to her tell stories, then once they did they would die.

"Legend has it she'll still tell you one if you ask her too." you added picking something up.

"Oh yea?" Chuck asked from beside you. "Yea." you smirked. "I can ask her right now."

"I would rather you didn't." said auggie from across the room. Stella picked up a book from the shelf and flipped through it. "This is her book, Shara Bellows book."

Everyone turned to her as she continued to look through it. Suddenly the door slammed shut, you jumped instinctively grabbing chucks arm before he followed Ramon up the steps to the door to try and open it.

"Shara Bellows tell me a story..." Stella muttered behind you as the boys attempted to open the door.

"C'mon this isn't funny, Tommy!"

There was soft muttered arguing coming from the opposite side of the door and then it swung open.

"Ruth!?"

She smiled and opened her mouth to speak but Tommy shoved her in and slammed the door shut.

"Shit, tommy c'mon!" Ramòn yelled wiggling the door handle. Suddenly it popped open and he pushed it open.

"Thank god!" Chuck grabbed your hand once again and quickly followed Ramòn out the door. "Stella put the book away and lets go!" he urged, pulling your arm.

She looked at the book then the shelf and you stopped in the door frame. "Hey it's just a book...what's the worst that could happen?" you winked and she smiled back, shoving the book in her bag before following both of you from the house.

That's where it all started, first Tommy then auggie, ruth and none of you knew who was next.

You slammed the flashlight against your hand finally able to bring it to life. "Y/n, sweetie hurry up!"

"Alright! Alright I'm going as fast as I can!" you yelled back before running down the steps furthering yourself into the basment. You hummed to yourself as you did so, attempting to calm your nerves.

Like every kid in a five block radius you hated the basment. It was always dark no matter the time and the pully light at the bottom of the steps only illuminated less than half the room.

You continued humming and shined the light in front of you once you reached the bottom of the steps. You snapped your fingers along to the tune of your song.

And froze when someone snapped back from the darkness. "Trevor? Trevor of that's you I swear!" you yelled at the black obiss in front of you. The only response you reseved was the door at the top of the stairs slamming shut.

"Trevor!" you yelled again hustling back up the stairs to open the door. "TREVOR THIS ISN'T FUNNY! MOM'S GONNA BE PISSED." you slammed your fist against the door, wiggled the handle and shouted more.

The light at the bottom of the steps flickered on and off catching your attention. "T...Trevor..."

Stella ran down the street right behind Chuck and Rámon and continued to read the words out loud.

"Y/n stopped her shouting and turned to face the flickering light at the end of the stair case. "Trevor!?" she called slowly as she inched down the stairs."

Chuck let out a muffled yet audible "shit." And picked up the pace taking the lead and turning down your street.

The light stopped and illuminated your face once you stepped under it. You snapped your fingers, and waited. With in moments a mocking snapp came from the darkness once again.

Suddenly the snapping stopped and quickly turned to an ear piercing sound of something horrible dragging across the concert floor of the basment. You drew back holding your hands up to your ears.

"The sound stopped abruptly, yet was replaced by the tip tap sound inching closer."

"Mrs. L/n! Let us in!" Chuck pounded on your front door as Stella continued to read. "The tapping closed in on her until needle like fingers appeared in the ring of light."

The door swung open and your brother stood there annoyed. "What do you want dingus,Girl dingus and new dingus?"

"Trevor, Where's y/n!?" Chuck asked paniced. He simiplt shrugged.

"A second set apperared in front of her and soon the face of the creature it belonged to-"

There was a scream from within the house catching everyone's attention.

"Y/n!" Chuck yelled pushing passed your brother and into the house.knowing the house like the back of his hand, from many after school hang out's and late night sneak outs, he was quick to find the basment door and set to work attempting to pry it open.

"Y/n!!"

"A fear full tear slid down the girls face as the needle fingered, lanky creauter stood to it's full hight and...and.."

"And what!?" Rámon asked turning to her from the door. Stella looked up at him fearfully dread spread across her face. "Chuck open the door! Open the door!" She moved next to him and attempted to help open the door.

Slamming and kicking it just like you had tried to do to get out. "Y/n run!"

"Y/n!" your mother and brother both rounded the corner to see the three kids struggling to open the door. "What's going on!?" you mom asked.

Rámon took the book from Stella as they worked at the door. You could hear them calling for you, muffled yet loud enough to travel down to you. The monster in front of you was tall, terrifying and slim.

It's needled fingers pinched your cheeks between them and it's face. Its face was what got you. The creatures face was pale with deep dark sunken in holes with no eyes to full them, a toothy grin and patchy dark hair that did no good at covering the sight.

It's face closed in taking a deep sniff of you. You shut your eyes and clenched your fists dropping the flashlight. You wanted to call out for chuck, for Stella but you where afraid to speak, afraid to move.

"The girls breathing picked up as the children on the otherside still struggled to save her...the monster dragged it's fingers down her face leaving little marks....she opened her eyes ever so slightly just in time to see-"

Rámon was cut off by the sound of your scream once again, this time it was pain filled and agonising. Chuck turned to Rámon.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING!?" he swallowed thickly and looked back at the book. "The monsters only wish was to see again so as she opened her eyes she opened them in time to see the thin needled hand be raised high above it's head before clashing across her face..."

The door clicked and Stella pulled it open. "Y/n!?" Chuck yelled once again taking lead and racing down the steps.

"Chuck!!!" you screamed. He stopped at the bottom of the steps seeing you sat on your knees in the dimmly lit section of the light.

"Holy sh-" Stella and Rámon stopped right behind him. Stella gasped and turned into Rámon, who also looked away. "HELLO!? Chuck!?" you words came off as sobs but it was hard to tell of you where or not do to the deep red holes that where in place of where your eyes where supposed to be.

"Y/n..."

"Chuck help! Help me! Where are you!?" he quickly crossed the room and sat beside you pulling you into a hug. "C..Chuck..I...i..I can't...can't see...."

"I know...I know..." he wanted to tell you it was alright, it was his job to tell you so, but at this point he knew he would be lying and that there was no point.

He kissed the top of your head and held you as your mom hurried down the stairs.

"Oh...Oh my god!" She took you and lead you upstairs as you still made sounds of crying. Chuck was sure to follow making sure he was there when you where at the hospital.

Stella grabbed his arm. "Chuck i-"

He pulled away. "No Stella just...I'm going with to the hospital just...not now."

That night you sat there in the hospital bed scilently, motionless. Your eyes now had white bandaged around them, with a faint red stain in the place of your eyes. Chuck pulled a seat up next to your bed and carfully took your hand.

"Hey...how are-"

"It's so dark....it's ways dark now...its like when you have your eyes closed for a while..." You swallowed. "Not like when your trying to sleep." you added before continuing.

"And...and your eyes just get sick of seeing the dark so you open them for a break....except I never get that break...it's so terrifying...and I'm...all I can see is that monster and I can't..."

"I know...I know.." you scooted over in bed making room for him. "Sit with me for a while?" he climbed up on to the bed with you and lied beside you.

You manuvered the best you could and cuddled next to him.

[javelon]

Crossroads Deal - Bad Ending

A demon deal. Jack hadn't wanted to believe it. When Marvin and Henrik told everyone what they found he had argued that they must be mistaken. He couldn't bring himself to think that Chase would have done such a thing, all to save him. It was just a coincidence. 

Then Anti went into Chase's phone and found the location history. Most of it was normal; house, gas station, grocery store. That sorta thing. Then he found an odd location in the country, not far from them. Jack had gone there with Marvin and Anti to check it out and found a dirt crossroads. Marvin went to the center and used his magic to dig up a box that's contents made Jack's blood run cold. Inside this small unsuspecting box was dirt, a bone, and a picture of Chase. And Jack hated it. He didn't even want to look at it as it was undeniable proof that Chase had made a deal to bring Jack back. 

"I just don't get it, Chase. Why? Why would you do this?" Jack whispered to his comatose friend, clasping one of Chase's too cold hands in his.

The egos said Chase had been having a hard time. Henrik told him about the anti anxiety and depression pills the doctor had prescribed to help with Chase's mental health and about the counselor Henrik had tried to get Chase to go see. Jack wishes he had been here to help. 

"Please wake up, Chase. You've got so many people here who miss you and need you. Anti's become a living statue now. Marv never performs any of his shows. Jackie spends more and more time away from home and when he does come home he's a mess of injuries. Hen speaks in German more than English now which you know he only does when he's really stressed. And Jamie keeps compulsively cleaning everything, says he wants to make sure you don't have to worry about anything when you wake up. And your kids, Chase...Stacy says they wake up every night crying cause of nightmares of losing you."

Jack paused to wipe away at the tears forming, trying to compose himself, "I need you too, man. You're my best friend. And you've done so much good with the channel! The PMA movement is amazing! And I know you'd love the new memes the fans come up with. How..." Jack bit back a sob, "H-how can I keep that up without you? How did y-you do it? You're....fuck you're so much stronger than me. I can't...I c-can't do this w-without you, Chase. P-please. Please wake up." 

Unable to suppress it anymore, Jack covered his face with his hands, loud sobs filling the room.

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

Marvin growled in frustration as he threw another useless book away from him. Running his hands through his disheveled hair (When was the last time he cut it?) he grabbed another book off the shelf and used his magic to start slipping through the pages. 

Six months. Six long godforsaken months since they'd found that thrice damned box and Marvin was no closer to figuring out how to wake up Chase than he was before they found the box.

It was surprisingly easy to find information on how to summon a crossroads demon. But after that there was almost nothing. No passages about demon weaknesses. No books about ending deals. No hints even on what demons took in return.

That's what scared Marvin the most. He had no idea what Chase gave the demon in exchange for the deal. And the crossroads demons Marvin had summoned weren't interested in telling him. They would laugh at him and say he'll find out soon enough then they'd poof away. 

"Useless fucking book!" Marvin snarled as he flung another book away with his magic, jumping when he heard a cry of alarm from where the book impacted the wall next to the door.

"Henrik! Oh God I'm so sorry!" Marvin rushed to the doctor's side, "I didn't hear you enter! Are you alright??"

The doctor waved him off with a weak smile, "I'm alright, mein freund. Merely startled me. So long as you veren't aiming at me I'm sure zhe book had it coming."

Marvin hovered for a moment before a quick scan of Henrik with his magic confirmed that the doctor was indeed fine. His shoulders slumped forward in relief, "I'm still sorry. I should know better than to lose track of my surroundings." 

Henrik's hand gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze, "It's alright. I zhould have been more careful myself. I heard zhe noise and came to check on you. I haz never seen you throw books so carelessly before, Marv. Talk to me, mein freund."

Papers and books fluttered in the sudden breeze as Marvin clenched his fists, "It's been a year, Hen. A fucking year and I still can't figure out how to wake him up!"

"It's alri-"

"IT'S NOT ALRIGHT!" 

Henrik gasped as the floor around Marvin was suddenly in flames, backing away from the either the fire or his anger. Marvin wasn't sure which and didn't care at the moment.

"I'm a magician, Henrik! Marvin the Magnificent! My specialty is the supernatural and yet I can't even save our brother!!"

With a snarl Marvin whirled towards the fire and extinguished it with a blast of icy wind, leaving a slippery patch on the floor in its place. His chest heaved with his anger as the two stood there in silence.

"I'm going to summon another demon tonight, where he did. It's the one year anniversary after all. Maybe the demon that shows up with finally tell me something useful as they gloat about it."

Henrik frowned at him before finally giving a nod, "Ok. If zhey don't though....kick zheir ass for me."

The grin Marvin gave was humorless and bloodthirsty, "I can promise that."

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

The next couple hours passed slowly as Marvin gathered the supplies he needed then waited for sunset. He was originally going to summon the demon at the same time he figured Chase would have but he got too restless to wait anymore. Ten minutes early he teleported to the original crossroads and buried his box, pulling his magic to his hands as he waited.

"Well it's not often I get a light show when summoned. What's the occasion, darling?"

Marvin whirled around at the voice, hands at the ready but paused when he saw the being before him. All the demons he had summoned before had been attractive in some way or another. But this woman...she looked more like a supermodel than a demon.

The smile she gave him was sultry and dangerous and set off every warning bell possible in him, "Hello, Marvin."

The magician backed up a step as she stepped towards him, wanting to keep distance between them, "You know me?"

"Of course, darling." This time she took a step to the side with him stepping to the side in the other direction, both still facing the other, "Who doesn't know Marvin the Magnificent and his wonderful little magic shows? Such a shame you haven't had a show recently."

Anger bubbled up in him as Marvin growled, "Kinda hard to put on a show when one of your brethren has placed my brother in a coma."

She cooed in sympathy, her body language convincing enough that Marvin would have believed her if he didn't know she was a demon, "Such a tragic thing to happen. But he did summon us you know. Crossroads demons don't make deals with the unwilling. We're not that cruel." 

Another step to the side.

"Yet you're cruel enough to take payment from someone who's desperate and had been drinking!" Marvin retorted. 

The woman hummed, "Perhaps. We are still demons after all. But I can assure you he was still sober enough to make the deal with a clear head. He did not get anything he did not ask for nor was he coerced into doing something he did not desire."

At this point the two were slowly circling each other, watching the other closely as if searching for a weak point to strike yet waiting for their opponent to make the first move.

"I'm sure the demon was just as sympathetic to his plight as you are before taking Chase's payment. Tell me what did Chase offer in exchange for his deal?"

A look of almost amused surprise crossed the woman's face, "He didn't tell you? Oh yes of course he didn't. I suppose I didn't give him enough time to confess what he'd done." She shrugged unconcerned, "Oh dear. Well I did promise to let him see his dear Jack awake first so I still held up my end if the deal."

Marvin froze in place, "Your end...?" His eyes widened in realization before glowing green in fury, "You! You're the one!"

Her cruel laugh filled the crossroads, "Ding ding, let's give a treat to the kitty for finally figuring it out. I must say I've never seen someone work so hard on the behalf of my client to cancel their contract, it's been rather amusing to watch."

Marvin surged forward with a snarl, grabbing the woman by her throat and lifting her off the ground. His hand crackled with magical power as he held it to her face, "You will free my brother from his coma, bitch, before I send you back to the hell pit you crawled out of."

The smug grin and raised eyebrow fueled Marvin's fury, "But how can I tell you what I took from your dear brother if I'm in hell? Isn't that what you wanted to know so desperately?"

Her smile widened when he hesitated, "I took what all demons want. His soul."

Marvin's jaw gaped slightly in shock and horror. The demon woman cooed in mock sympathy again, "It's alright, darling, he didn't know either at first. But I did tell him before we finalized the deal if that makes you feel any better."

Taking advantage of his distraction the woman teleported out of his grasp to a spot a few feet away, "Now if you'll excuse me, unless you have your own deal to make I really must be going. Queen of the Crossroads and all. Keeps me rather busy. Besides I think your creator really needs to speak with you. I'll be sure to tell your brother hello for you, dear."

Marvin's phone rang in the suddenly empty crossroads and the ground rumbled from where his fist punched the dirt, a cry of rage echoing in the stillness. The phone went silent only to ring again, keeping Marvin from sinking further into his anger. Jack's name flashed across the screen. With shaking hands Marvin answered, "Hello?"

Sobs immediately assaulted his ears causing him to jerk to a stand, "Jack?? Wha-??"

"Marv!! He-hh-e...oh g-god" 

The magician felt his heart pounding from where it had lodged itself in his throat and he teleported to Jack's location. Immediately he was assaulted by the smell of copper and sulfur and decay and the sound of heart wrenching sobs.

"What..." Marvin's eyes bulged at the sight before him.

Jack had been in the hospital room but it wasn't anything like what it had been before. Furniture was turned over or broke, the shattered glass from the window strewn about the floor. Jack, Henrik, and Jameson sat on the floor, holding each other as they sobbed. And the blood. Oh God the blood was everywhere... The walls, the furniture, the ceiling! But the majority of it was in a very large pool in the center of the room.

And in the center of the pool was Anti, his clothing torn to shreds with large claw and teeth marks all over his body, sobbing shaking his form as he curled over someone in his arms. Next to him lay the unmoving body of a hellish canine beast, Anti's knife buried in its throat. A hellhound...

Marvin gasped and took a step towards Anti. Hellhounds worked for demons, carrying out tasks for them like guarding places from mortals and... And collecting souls. 

"Anti..." Marvin called quietly, desperation choking. No no he had to be wrong. Please...

The glitch's red rimmed eyes gazed up at him in despair, allowing Marvin to see the torn open body of his brother in Anti's arms.

"Chase-?!" 

The house shook as the magician fell to his knees, his cries of rage and grief joining those of who remained of his family.

[skizmin]

Ravenclaw Seungmin

(my sweet sunshine i hope i can do you justice)

Genre: fluffy as FUCC yo, seungmin is a precious baby, he’s book smart then falls in love and has nO fuckin idea what to do, ugh hes so cUTe, confident til you (my lovely gender neutral reader) come along type shit lmao sue me

Words: 6330 holy shit

A/N: alrighty so i put some more effort into this one bc apparently yall didnt appreciate my woojin one (lookin at you you well rested hoes) and yeah. for the love of coke please stop sleeping on woojin and seungmin it hurts my heart.

this all sorta starts in the middle of exam season

seungmin is lowkey stressed

okay possibly highkey stressed

especially when his friend hyunjin drags him out of the study hall to go see some quidditch game

“hyunjin seriously i need to study” 

but hyunjins carrying seungmin over his shoulder screaming about something called stress relief and fun

but anyway, here seungmin is in the stands very begrudgingly 

thinkin about that lil song he made to remember how to pronounce that one pet hair expelling spell lmao

when he sees you

he knows you of course, always coming extremely close to his top mark in all his classes

once, in second year, you even beat him in defence against the dark arts which seungmin felt a bit down about for 3 weeks but also he knew you had an immense interest in jinxed plants which was the topic of half of the test

rip seungmin

anyway, he’d always sorta just ignored thinking about you unless it was his competitive side coming out 

for real once he almost gave up studying for a divination in class essay but was reminded you were in that class and just nYOOMED to finish his final draft

he only ever really thought about school anyway, much to the dismay of his friends who for once just wanted to get to know him more and take him out to hogsmeade or something

okay so anyway, hes in the stands and he sees you

he doesnt exect you to be there lol like

you study just as much as he does, right? 

not only are you there, but you arent even watching the game

youre in it

seungmin chokes on his motherfuckin pumpkin juice

hes all

W-WHAT

NO WHAT

HOW

hyunjin looks at him like wtf bro

seungmins just

“Y/NS IN THE QUIDDITCH TEAM? BITCH? WHAT??”

hyunjins like what???? ohhhh y/n?? dude theyre like one of the best chasers in the damn school

seungmin just looks from hyunjin to you (trying to intercept a pass from the other team) with wide eyes

“seungmin why do you look so shocked? do you know them?”

“yeAH THEYRE THE ONE THAT BEAT ME ON THAT TEST ONCE”

“hmm? what in second year??? dude you have GOT to let that go.”

but by now seungmins not even paying attention to hyunjin, he’s watching you speed past with the quaffle and scoring almost effortlessly

seungmin had never really paid much attention to quidditch. now much at all

aside from happily congratulating his friends on their most recent win and smiling brightly along with jisung when he begins screaming about the new chudley cannons line up

seungmin never really followed the world cup or anything

he simply decided when he was sorted into ravenclaw that he would dedicate himself to his studies

and he struggled to get the grades he does even though felix’s favourite thing to say to him was “all you do is study”

but he was proud of his grades

seungmin never really paid much attention to quidditch

but now? watching you?

your house colours billowing behind you as you smiled to a teammate, listening to their instructions on your next course of action.

he was mesmerised

wholly?? fully?? mesmerised??

he didnt know why but his heart sort of ached

he thought, why would he feel like this?

he understood though that he simply felt completely and utterly inferior to you

hes fine with being inferior to you in terms of quidditch, he doesnt play quidditch

rarely has flown a broom actually, unless necessary

but in terms of school work?

he genuinely set his soul to do that

he’s wholly dedicated to studying to achieve the almost record grades he has

and you?

you were right behind him

dont get him wrong, he doesnt think you dont deserve it, not at all. he would never say someone doesnt deserve recognition for their hard earned work.

he was upset because, honestly?

he saw how often his friends practised their quidditch skills. the team practise, individual practise, game plans, codes, flying methods, opponent studies

all of it

it was very nearly the same amount of time he spent studying.

and his friends? 

he remembers the time his friends minho a few years back struggled to scrape by a pass due to his commitment to the sport. even with copious amounts of tutoring that drove him into the early hours of the morning so often

the stress ate away at him. it was a particularly busy year for slytherins team and he was on high demand. the lack of interest in school kicked in after his grades began dropping

it wasnt a good time, not a good thing to witness. eventually he passed purely on all nighters full of cramming before exams

all his quidditch playing friends struggled to get above average in their grades, no matter how enthusiastic they were about learning and magic 

how did you, who was on par with their skill, manage to follow so closely behind him whilst studying?

of course, he was prefect, but that consisted of simply once a week meetings and helping younger students with school related things. sometimes an odd counselling session here and there and some advice on how to handle situations

but that took up rarely any of his time

not nearly as much as quidditch would

he felt sort of empty, like he had lost some kind of purpose. 

how was he going to deal with this? how was he going to deal with the fact that you were so so so far above him in all ways possible? the one thing he fully applies himself to is now meaningless to him

he wants to be better 

“minnie?? the games over. y/ns team won.” hyunjin called from beside him, nudging him with his shoulder

“ah, right.”

hyunjin furrowed his brows at seungmins down attitude but shrugged it off because

it be like that sometimes

ya’know??????

,,

fast forward to one week later and seungmins friends were getting increasingly more worried. why?

his usually immaculate notes were empty, he went straight to bed instead of studying (yet the bags under his eyes were dark and prominent. one of his dormmates reports to jisung that he has been sleeping quite fitfully.), he sat for hours on the weekend in the study hall tapping his quill on the table but his paper remained blank

hell, he hadnt even borrowed a new book from the library after finishing his most recent read

it was at this point jeongin forced hyunjin to confront seungmin about it

“so uh, whats up?”

“huh? oh nothing just chilling.”

“no i mean recently, youre acting odd.”

“o-oh?? (worm)”

“yeah, so you okay??”

“definitely, just busy sorting something out.”

hyunjin smiled and left seungmin be at that

seungmin realised that was the last straw, he was going to do something about how this affected him

so the next day, after classes ended, seungmin made his way to the library. after that he walked down to hagrid’s, their groundskeeper and teacher of magical creatures’, hut. then after that he walked up to the hospital wing.

when he returned to the great hall and jisung asked him where he had been, he just smiled and shook his head

what had be been doing?

volunteering.

volunteering to help at the library and help madam pince 5 nights a week every fortnight, volunteering to help hagrid tend to the animals and feed them and give them exercise every sunday, and finally, volunteering to run errands for madam pomfrey for 5 nights every other week and to tend to small injuries that can be handled with a simple muggle first aid kit if thats what the student would like

anyway once his friends found out what he had done they were very happy!! and confused??

and also worried

seungmin had aways had this habit of overworking himself

,,,,

okay so 3 weeks later he was in the library volunteering

pushing a trolley full of misplaced books up the isle while yawning widely

he thought he was doing pretty well. he was more than confident on the two exams that had passed during the time he spent volunteering n stuff

he walked along, still yawning occasionally, blaming it on the warm cozy feeling of the library late at night

but he jumped as he felt a tap on his shoulder and whipping his head around so fast his neck couldve snapped off

and then he saw you, looking nervous as you twisted your fingers together in front of you

he swore he couldve melted right then and there

wait?????? what???????

“u-uh, hey! um. yeah madam pince she-, she told me to ask you. ask you where to find a b-book that is! ha. haha.”

seungmin watched as your face got red and his heart sorta swelled?????

“oh! u-uh yeah! sure! which book?”

you smiled at him widely, relieved you hadnt asked the wrong person. “magical mediterranean water plants and their properties???”

seungmins heart stuttered

he had never really paid much attention to you before he saw you on the quidditch pitch, thinking of you purely as competition. but recently

god, recently he couldnt stop thinking about you. your face. your smile. your laugh, remembering the rare times you would joke around in class.

was this what it was like to have you smile at him?

he would fetch you 1000 books if he got to see 1000 of those smiles

oh my oh my was his heart beginning to beat faster and faster

“o-okay, uh- follow me?” he turned around quickly and began walking. he’d memorised the library way before volunteering anyway, madam pince getting sick of him asking where books were every second day

he walked up 3 isles and turned right, walking up the middle before tugging out his wand from his robes and softly flourishing his wand

from a high shelf, a black leather book floating down gently, seungmin extended his hand to grab it before passing it to you, cheeks red

“is this it?” seungmin already knew that was the book you were looking for. he read it last term to jog his memory before a herbology test

fUCK THERE WAS A HERBOLOGY TEST COMING UP RIP SEUNGMIN

anyway

“yeah!! seungmin, right? thank you so much.” you shyly smiled at him

“u-uh yeah!! just um, ask me for help if you need it and you see me. y/n, right?” god his brain was a mess

“of course!! well, i’ll see you around yeah??”

seungmin nodded, cheeks getting slightly redder

and with that you walked away, cheeks equally as red as seungmins and hands clasping tightly around the book he got for you

anyway, in the next week you and seungmin sometimes exchanged small smiles and waves but nothing more

you highkey wanted to talk to him but you were too shy so

it was okay bc he was shy too so

but anyway, you had been in your care of magical creatures class, talking to your professor as you attempted to befriend a porlock

(a small horse guardian thing that doesnt quite trust humans)

anyway, simply you got onto the topic of how hagrid could possibly look after all his creatures constantly to which he replied with a smile and 

“well theres a ravenclaw boy that helps me now. seungmin. do you know him? he helps me care for all of them every sunday.”

you furrowed your brows, it couldnt possibly be

“kim seungmin?” you questioned

“thats the one!” 

you smiled, saying you knew him before getting lost in your own thoughts.

didnt seungmin already volunteer at the library? maybe that was a one time thing. right????

surely he wouldnt be volunteering at two places at once. thats impossible

not with his grades, he couldnt possibly keep up. how much overworking would that be?

you were taking out of you thoughts with a sharp stinging pain on your wrist

you looked down to see your porlock obviously angry and trying to escape the calming hold you had on him

hagrid noticed you gasp and his eyes widened as he saw the blood trickling down your arm

“oh no! are you alright????”

“i’m fine! just got bitten is all.”

“here let me take the porlock, you should get yourself to the hospital wing. the last period bell is gonna go anyway so take your bag too”

you were stunned at your professor being so panicked

“im sorry its just ive filled out three incident reports in the last week”

you laughed, tugging your satchel over your shoulder and holding your wrist with your free hand to stop the bleeding somewhat

you greeted you friends goodbye before climbing up the grassy hill to hogwarts on your way to the hospital wing

as soon as you reached the castle, chimes came loudly from the bell tower above

you groaned, you knew you had quidditch practise in half an hour so you began to speed walk through the halls that were filling quickly with students

reaching the hospital wing you pushed the big oak door open, searching around for madam pomfrey

“excuse me?”

madam pomfrey popped out from behind her desk

“oh! y/l/n! im just about to head out on an emergency. some kid ate sat on a firework from that pesky store. is it serious?”

“uhhhhh, no?? i can patch myself up.” you smiled at the frantic nurse

she nodded and walked passed you, calling out as she rushed through the door in a hurry

“the kits on my desk! and if kim seungmin shows up tell him i dont have anything for him to do!”

you smiled quickly to her before she was gone

wait a minute? seungmin? what would he be doing here???

anyway, you walk up to her desk and drag out the first aid kit

you knew how to use a first aid kit

you were Cultured

anyway you were looking for something to dress your arm, you found a big ol’ dressing with all that sticky shit

bitch yes

anyway as you were struggling to open the dressing up, the gigantic oak door opened suddenly and you almost dropped the dressing you were holding to see a panting seungmin

your eyes widened as he crouched over and spoke

“madam- madam pomfrey im so” large breath in “sorry im late i just-” another pant “a student asked me where vectors office was and-” 

he finally stood up, eyes widening when he saw you

“o-oh! y/n? whatre you doing here??”

“uh, porlock.” you replied dumbly. not thinking enough to elaborate bc wow kim seungmin was right there looking gorgeous n shit

“porlock?????? the animal??????” he furrowed his brows

you nodded and suddenly remembered what the nurse had told you

“oh! uh, madam pomfrey is out right now but she said theres um,,, nothing for you to do???” you asked him, sounding unsure to whether or not you heard her correctly

seungmin furrowed his brows “o-oh.”

you looked away, and began fumbling with your dressing and spoke up again “do you help out here too?”

“uhhh. yeah, i do.” he replied somewhat awkwardly

“hagrid said you help him as well. do you get any rest?” you asking, sounding exasperated

but like,,,

low key lmao

“oh uh. yeah i try my best i guess.” he sounded so??? nervous???

“wait! y/n, let me do that. its what im supposed to be doing anyway” seungmin sheepishly says as he walked up to you

oh god what now???????? uh???????? seungmin very possibly touching you and being that close??????? uh??? a bitch is scared for their health but shhhhh

“n-no! its fine!” you mumbled back, suddenly very shy under seungmins gaze

“y/n you cant even get it open, not to mention your arm and hand are still covered in blood.”

he had a point

“oh. right.”

seungmin moved you over to one side of the table as he pulled out a bowl and a washcloth from one of the cabinets next to it.

he mumbled a soft aguamenti, creating water from his wand into the bowl, smiling in accomplishment

then he dipped half of the cloth into the water and wrenched it to get the excess water out

“can i uh- can u have your arm??” he  stuttered, suddenly realising how close you were, cheeks dusting pink

you held your arm up for him and he started wiping at the blood on your skin, you didnt actually mind the cool feeling of the water at all. 

you decided to use the awkward silence to have a little conversation with him

“why do you volunteer so much?” you questioned

seungmins movements halted for a second before he started cleaning your arm again

“no particular r-reason. i-, i like it?” he replied, not meeting your eyes

“why do you sound so unsure?” your pried, wondering why exactly the question was difficult for him

“im not unsure!” he assured you, taking a glance at your face finally before dumping the cloth in the water because he was done

“alright i guess”

“i uh,” he started whilst ripping open he package to the dressing, “i didnt know you played quidditch.”

you were surprised by this, everyone knew you played quidditch

“oh! really?? i thought it was obvious.”

he began placing the dressing on your wrist, trying to make sure there was no crinkles in the plastic sticky part

(yes i dont know the actual term for it fucking SUE ME)

“ah, i dont really pay attention to quidditch so.”

“oh. how’d you find out then?” you were curious as to how he knew if he barely knew you and didnt even like quidditch

“hwang hyunjin, you might know him, hes in our year. anyway he dragged me out to watch and you were playing so.”

“ah right. hyunjin’s the slytherin right?” 

“yup!”

cue: silence

seungmin was smoothing out the dressing on your wrist 

“y-your robes...” seungmin started, picking up his wand from the desk and mumbling a short “tergeo”

suddenly your robes grew warm and the blood siphoned off of them cleanly into seungmins wand

you were now comfortably warn in your robes as you went to pull your sleeve down before seungmin stopped you gently with his hand, checking the dressing was on properly one last time

you shivered at the feeling of his cold fingers, and decided to return the favour of hhim helping you

pulling out your wand, you muttered a soft incantation of a heat charm, pointing your wand over seungmins hands that adorned a pink hue due to the cold of the water earlier

“oh my god thank you” seungmin practically groaned, rubbing his hands together in front of your wand

you laughed quietly at him, finding his satisfaction amusing before he looked up to your face and realised, blushing a deep shade of pink

okay imma keep it real with you chief

you liked seungmin a lot

idk he just??? made you feel so giddy. your stomach like,,, dipped when he smiled at you n stuff

i mean you werent the only one,, there were heaps of people in your year that fawned over the smart boy. hard-workers are always the most popular like come on

but you sorta just knew there was no chance between the two of you and you were perfectly happy being friends with the boy. his friends always hyped him up a bunch like he was some kind of god

you definitely agreed he was good company, even when you two werent necessarily comfortable around each other yet

but anyway, seeing him standing there blushing in front of you made you uwu SO HARD

and you were glad he knew you from something you loved, that being quidditch

wait

fuCK QUIDDITCH PRACTISE YOU ALMOST FORGOT

“seungmin!! im so sorry i have to go!! i have inter house practise!!”

seungmin’s eyes widened a little

i mean yeah you had to go to practise but like also

that was the first time???????? you’d said his name to him???????? excluding the time you asked him if it was in fact his name but like

oh my god seungmins blush got even darker because he didnt know he could like how someone said his name but he definitely likes him name 20 times more when youre saying it and and youre smiling and running out of the infirmary and waving to him and its all too much like his heart rn??? dead. his brain??? he doesnt know her, it turned to mush

seungmin walked over to one of the beds in the hospital wing and sat down, sighing

he was so fucked

,,,,,,,,

 “you’re friends with kim seungmin right?” you questioned jisung as you waited for the rest of the schools quidditch players to exit the change rooms

“yeah!! we’re close actually. why?” 

jisung was always so excitable and held such confidence in everything he did, he was comfortable to talk to

“oh nothing, i just ran into him at the hospital wing is all”

“hospital wing? he’s still volunteering there??”

you furrowed your brows, “yeah??? is something wrong????”

jisung sighed, scuffing his boot along the grass of the slowly filling pitch and tossing his bat up into the air before catching it nonchalantly (imagine being That Cool)

“yeah. he’s been overworking himself way too much lately. he used to only focus on studying but he’s trying to fit in all this helping staff out and he looks so tired all the time.”

looking back you do remember seungmins hair being a bit more dishevelled than usual, and under his eyes was a little bit darker

“why though? i mean its nice he is but like, he doesnt need to?”

jisung nods thoroughly at you

“thats what we all said! he wont tell us why he’s had this sudden change in heart though.” jisung pouted and you laughed lightheartedly at him

“oh well, he’ll come around right?”

,,,,

he didnt

its been 3 weeks since your conversation with jisung and you can guarantee seungmin was overworking himself to the max

he came into astronomy studies late and ended up falling asleep the other day. it was one of the easier classes to fall asleep in of course due to the whole jinxing the ceiling to look like a nights sky in a dark room n stuff but like still

seungmin never was late to class

seungmin never fell asleep in class

lately youve noticed him turning up to morning classes barely on time, tie askew and hair a complete mess

you’d find it cute if you werent worried for his health 

okay you did find it cute but YoU weRe sTiLL WoRRieD

anyway, so it was one day in herbology theory when he fell asleep again

sprout wasnt too happy but let him sleep anyway bc like. if you can sleep through her basically screaming explanations to the class due to her half deafness than yeah, you probably needed it

at the end of the class you packed your things and saw seungmin still peacefully sleeping at his desk and you frowned lightly

so you decided to let him sleep but you sat at your table for a while, using spare parchment and a scribing spell to copy your notes for him

after it was completed, you left it on the table next to him with a bottle of pumpkin juice you were saving for later, your eyebrows still furrowed

why was he overworking himself?

sighing, you just left, deciding it was creepy to be there for so long

anyway, that night you went to the library to find a book you needed for your ancient runes course test

you didnt really expect anyone to be there so late (it was almost curfew, you were forgetful)

and it sorta slipped your mind that seungmin volunteered there until

“need help?”

holy fUCK he scared you like boy you cant go sneakin up on people in an almost empty library and speak loudly like that

anyway so you violently flinched away and he started laughing whilst apologising profusely

you smiled bc he was cute adalsfafrfpi;fef seungmin omg stop

but yeah once he was done, he reiterated “sorry, but is there any book youre looking for?”

“uhhhhh yeah, ancient runes made easy??” you sorta felt dumb saying it out loud but oh well, you needed to pass this test

“follow me then!” seungmin led you out of the tall shelves confines to the middle corridor before delving into another set of shelves, this time he didnt pull out his wand to get the book down, instead he simply reached up and plucked it from the shelf

“here you go!” he handed it to you, it was indeed the book you were looking for and it was in mint condition. not surprising as basically no one took the ancient runes elective rip

you mumbled a thanks, cheeks sorta going a bit red as you stared at your feet because like

kim seungmin

(thats a phat mood btw)

“oh! i almost forgot!” seungmin started, dipping his head down a bit to try and catch your eyes. when you looked up, he smiled

“uh, thanks for what you did today. you know, the notes a-and the pumpkin juice and stuff.”

you watched seungmins cheeks get pinker as he went on

you were full on uwuing at this point

“its okay! really!” you blurted out like omgkimseungministhankingme

suddenly it fell into an almost awkward silence between the two of you

shoes shuffling on the ground and cheeks red

“um, what do you need help with in ancient runes? im all caught up. i could explain something if you want?”

and thats how you ended up on one of the large library tables after curfew with special permission from madam pince

seungmin legit took 15 minutes to explain some stuff to you but now yall were just chillin (in cedar rapids)

you began talking about nothing in particular really

seungmin asked about your quidditch, you asked about his volunteering which he brushed off almost immediately

seungmin and you felt like time didnt exist as you kept talking and talking

you subconsciously moved closer to each other until your thighs were touching

seungmins speech had slowed into a comforting lazy slurring of words, his voice getting heavier with the need for sleep. you felt the same though

his eyes stayed intently on you, even with his cheek in his hand as the conversation slowed to a pleasant silence

you yawned, a hand coming to your face. you knew you should go to bed but you didnt really want to at this point

you looked at seungmin to see him softly smiling at you and your heartbeat picked up. your obvious feelings for him going crazy

“youre really pretty y/n” he mumbled lowly, you almost didnt hear him

of how you wished you didnt hear him because now you were a mess, heart thumping in your chest and red creeping up your neck to your face

how do you reply to that? you were stumped for words honestly

seungmin didnt seem to mind though as he smiled wider, sitting up straight and stretching his arms over his head

“wait here, ill go put out the lamps and we can walk back”

you barely nodded, face still red as seungmin climbed from his seat to wander around, blowing out the candles lighting the library

on your walk back, it was silent. it was comfortable though and seungmin didnt seem to mind your lack of response to his compliment that still had your mind reeling 

seungmin waved bye to you as you parted ways, smiles on your faces

seungmin didnt study when he got into his dorm room, falling face first onto his bed and falling into a deep sleep almost immediately

,,,,

waking up, seungmin first realised he was late, only 30 minutes of breakfast left

and then, the memories of seeing you last night flooded it

mid throwing his covers off of his body, he groaned loudly, how on earth had he said that

his cheeks got red just thinking about it

this was a crisis. he dragged on his uniform and grabbed his satchel and sprinted the whole way to the great hall

once he made it, he spotted his friends at the hufflepuff table and dashed to them

“i have a problem”

jisung, hyunjin and jeongin looked up towards seungmin

“what is it?” jeongin asked, eyes lighting up with curiosity. oh did he love seeing his friends suffer

“so i was in the library with y/n last night” 

“waiT Y/N THE ONE YOU” hyunjin started before jisung harshly elbowed him in the side

seungmin loves jisung

“yes, shut up hyunjin. anyway i was really tired and not thinking straight and i called them pretty and they didnt even respond im so ashamed”

jeongin started laughing, hyunjin smiling along whilst rubbing the sore spot of his side

seungmin groans and stomps his foot, not happy with the lack of support from his friends

jisung tosses him a sympathetic look, “your problem man, i cant really help.”

seungmin pouts but sits down to eat anyway

,,,,,

okay so its been 3 days and seungmins worried

like seriously 

whenever he tries to talk to you your eyes just widen and you walk to other way before he can even get a word out

whenever he passes you in class or in the hallways, he prepares a smile only to be met with you ducking your head to look at the ground as you speed past him

his small waves in class seemingly go unnoticed

but he knows you dont hate him

how? simple. youre still leaving him notes and treats every time he falls asleep in class

so what does he do? like any other desperately in need boy he hatches a plan. 

today last period you both share astrology. he’s simply fake falling asleep and confront you whilst you left him the classes notes

seungmins game plan didnt really work tho bc he actually fell asleep like a dumbass

it was last period astrology and seungmin was lying on his books, passed out

the bell rang and you went through your normal routine, copying your notes which included your immaculately drawn sketches of the constellations you’d studied that day

you waked over to his desk and placed them next to his head, the corner of a page accidentally bushing his nose and you like,,, froze

bc he twitched and scrunched his nose up which wouldve been so cute if you werent terrified of him waking up

you put down a cauldron cake as well once he went back to looking peaceful and frowned bc

“seungmin why don’t you rest more?” you whispered

he exhaled deeply in his sleep and a piece of hair fell into his face, subconsciously you went to brush it away and carded your fingers ever so lightly through his hair

but then you halted bc like

wtf thats super creepy

you quickly turned to leave b-but uwu cliche

seungmin grabbed at your wrist yO SEUNGMINS DAINTY ASS FINGERS CURLING THEMSELVES AROUND YOUR WRIST IMAGINE

anyway

you squeaked and turned back around bc wtf it scared you

and seungmin was just sitting up now, arm outstretched grabbing onto yours, eyes wide and hair a fucking cute mess

you were like uhhhhhhhashlfbfkacbsdcbigev

“uh, dont run away, please?” seungmin said, super duper shyly aw hes so CUTE

you like just,,,, shakily nodded at him

seungmin smiled lightly and let go of you, climbing out of his set in lightning speed to stand in front of you

“i uh-, i just wanted to ask why you’ve been avoiding m-me i guess” seungmin started and you cringed

bc this was hella awkward like no 

seungmin cut you off before you could say anything tho with a 

“bc like if its because i called you pretty and stuff im so so so sorry i didnt mean to make you uncomfortable at all and i feel really bad bc i shouldnt have said it and i was really tired and my judgement wasnt the best and i accidentally made things awkward between us and i dont want that and i just feel really really bad like you dont even have to forgive me or anything i swear”

he said all that in like, under 15 seconds. eminem who???

anyway your eyes just went wide as you processed his words n n you lowkey got a bit emo when he said he said it bc he was tired n stuff n just :^((

“why dont you get enough rest seungmin?” you said blankly

“w-what?” seungmins heart rate SKY ROCKETED

“why dont you get enough rest?”

“uh-, i just um,,, i do get e-enough rest!” he was like, nervously laughing

“no you dont, you fall asleep in 40 percent of your classes.”

“i-, i uh-” “why can’t you tell me??” you questioned, eyebrows furrowing at his anxiousness towards the question

“its uh-, its sorta embarrassing” he replied, looking ANYWHERE but your eyes

“is it bad? did you get into trouble or something?”

“nO! god no!”

“then it doesnt sound that bad to me.” oooh go y/n hold ur ground bub

“uhhhh” seungmin sighed, defeated “okay ill tell you.” you just hummed in response and waited patiently

he exhaled loudly and stared blatanly at your feet before beginning

“i uh. you play quidditch really well and- and you also get near all my scores on tests and stuff and i just felt. idk, dumb or something so i wanted to prove to myself that i could do extra curricular sort of stuff like volunteering and still g-get top scores i guess.”

once he finished he looked into your eyes and you were like ????? what the fuck

you were so confused,,, he was volunteering bc you played quidditch and got good scores???

“seungmin i dont work nearly as hard as you do”

his eyes widened “what do you mean! yes you do! you’re like, on par with jisung and he practises religiously!”

you laughed a little and seungmin furrowed his brows

“seungmin, jisung is muggleborn. whereas my older sister is captain of the tutshill tornados. i dont need to train that hard in quidditch” oh seungmin

the pooor boy

after you made that comment seungmins face just went BRIGHT red lmao

“uhhhhh,,, uh,, uhhh” he didnt know what to say

“anyway seungmin, i suggest you take a break and get some rest so you dont keep saying things accidentally” you said, adjusting your satchel strap on your shoulder and preparing to leave

“what?? acidentally???” seungmin said, preventing you from leaving “you don’t mean me calling you pretty right bc like. i meant that” okay but how was seungmin now so confident especially when he said that

“w-what?” you said, red going ALL over your face lmao like everywhere

“i meant it when i called you pretty i just. i know there was a better time to say it probably” seungmin started getting shyer now like his ears going red he was so cute

‘you think im pretty????????” you were so confused like. kim seungmin?? the kim seungin? thinking youre pretty??? you discreetly pinched yourself, checking this wasnt a dream

“d-dont say it so forwardly like that!” seungmin exclaimed

“you said it forwardly first!” you laughed back at him, ngl you were feeling a little giddy 

seungmin just sorta sunk back into himself, feelin super duper shy

your face got even more red as words tumbled out of your mouth before your common sense could stop you

“f-for the record, i-, i think you’re pretty too”

oh my GOD

1) y/n sweetie thank you for telling seungmin this for all of us

2) yoU JUST CALLED SEUNGMIN PRETTY AND NOW HIS EYES WERE WIDE AS FUCK 

HE SQUEAKED

HE MCFRICKIN SQUEAKED CAN YALL IMAGINE

he brought a hand up to his mouth in surprise and by this point you were like

too shy to do anything lmfao

so you sorta just looked down at your shoes bc wow all of a sudden your black leather school shoes were immensely and intricately beautiful

not

anyway there was a bit of silence as seungmin regained composure and you were way to embarrassed to say anything at all

but then

but thEN

get ready omg

you dont even notice but suddenly seungmins  right in front of you and he’s leaning toward your face and and hes

hes kissED YOUR CHEEK

oh my GOD his cute ass lips just came in contact with your cheek, as quick as lightning but of my god it was worth it

your head whipped up and you gasped

seungmin stood there with an inCREDibly nervous look on his face and his eyes prompting you to respond

like,,,, in any way. pls y/n do something

your mind was fuzzy and the low swooping feeling in your stomach compelled you as you stepped impossibly closer to seungmin, yours and his cheeks radiating a magnificently bright red glow

and you kissed him

thanks again y/n for doing the world a good deed

you sorta squeaked afterwards and went to leap back bc seungmins face was suddenly too close and you were embarrassed and nervous and and

oh my god your heart was beating louder than ever jesus

but before you could leap back, seungmin was wrapping his arms tightly around you, hugging your body and preventing you from distancing yourself from him

his breathing was rapid as his mouth found home near your ear to stutter out a question that would make you squeal if it werent for the fear your legs might give out

“w-wanna go on a-, a date with me? maybe?”

as soon as seungmin felt you nod against him (you didnt trust your voice rn lmao) he smiled, easing into the hug more and essentially melting his heart with yours

uwu

hope you liked it!!!

[lukin08]

Hindsight

Happy Holidays @frenzy5150!  I’m your secret Santa!  Two years in a row now!  Since you are all around awesome and you also just celebrated a birthday, I decided to do something a little different.  First you get a two parter- one for your bday and one for Christmas.  Second, I went out on a limb a bit and went a different direction than I’m used to.  This is kind of sorta inspired by a show I watched with the same name maybe five years ago.  I hope you like it!  Part 2 will be up later in the week.  

Part 2 HERE

Modern AU

Rating: T 

Words: 4600

If you could go back and change one thing about your life, one decision, one answer, one mistake, what would you do?  Knowing everything you know now, would you make the same choice and somehow get it right this time?  Or would you start over?

 The question was at the tip of her conscience as she flipped through the pages.  She looked so happy.  They both did.  Her wedding. Her first one.  With the exception of her sister, no one would have guessed on that day how her marriage would implode on itself.  You married the wrong person, she thought to herself.

Almost twenty years later, Anna still thought about that day.  Her first husband, Harry, and she had been so in love.  Or that’s what she had told herself.  They were definitely crazy.  …and impulsive.   And so stupid!  

Anna closed the album with a sigh and walked over to the closet to tuck it safely on the shelf. The best place for it now, she decided, was under other stacks of photo albums and scrapbooks she had collected over the first twenty years of her life when she had occupied this room.  She never brought them with her when she moved out. All the digital files were with her, but she had still wanted to print them all out.  There was something permanent with pictures in a book.  Maybe she was old fashioned, but she preferred to look at them this way.  With the exception of one wedding album that joined the stack a long time ago, none of them ever left.  Anna preferred the nostalgia of being able to sneak in every so often and steal a glimpse of her past.

The layers of photos and books heaved as she tried to lift up the bottom.  Anna rammed the album in only for the entire pile to shift to the right and begin to tip.  If it hadn’t been for the box of books stored next to them, the entire thing would have come down on top of her.  The albums came to an abrupt stop, sending several pictures fluttering down to the floor.

She quickly picked them up and went to stuff them back in one of the pages.  But something stopped her when she glanced at the photos. Those eyes were staring back at her. Young and hopeful and without the sadness they carried the last time she had looked into them.  She slowly flipped through the others.  They were all pictures of the summer she spent that summer at her parent’s lake house and it was her favorite memory.

There were two of her and Elsa.  Both smiling and making faces at the camera.  It was easy to forget over the years how close they had once been.  The rest were of friends including another picture she stopped to look at again of the one she considered her best for a very long time.  That was the first summer they met and she thought they would be in each other’s lives forever.  Incredible how she was wrong about so many things.

“God, I miss you,” she said, running a finger over the photograph.  

A spark touched heart for a brief moment before the knock on the door made her jump.

“Anna?  We were supposed to leave ten minutes ago.”  The door opened as Andrew popped his head in. “Everything okay?”

Anna twisted on the bed and offered a smile.  “Yes. Yes!  Good.  I had a little fight with the closet, but its fine!”

He walked into the room and offered his hand to Anna.  “Good. I was beginning to think my fiancée was getting cold feet.”

“Don’t be silly!” Anna wrapped her arms around Andrew. She felt him pull her closer for a moment.   Then one arm let go of her as he fumbled in his pocket.  When she looked up at him, he had a ridiculous grin on his face.

“What is that?”

“Mistletoe.”

“I know what it is, but why do you have it?”

“Because you and I both know that tonight is going to be crazy and I want one kiss with you alone with no party and no people.”

Anna smiled and reached up to kiss his cheek.  “Hold on to that until after the party.  I’ve kept us too late already.”

“But I won’t see you after the party.”

“Then we’ll have to find a few minutes to sneak out of it.”

She walked past him and down the hall to the front door.  Andrew quickly caught up to her, grabbing her coat and helping Anna into it.

“Are you sure you’re up for this.  An engagement and Christmas party all rolled into one?”

“Of course.  We are getting married and everyone is in town and its Christmas.  What better excuse do we need to host a party?”  She winked at him and reached for the door to head out.

 ----

Okay, you can do this.  Just get a drink in your body before you talk to your sister.

Anna strode through the room, keeping ahead of Andrew, smiling and waving to the guests.  She found the closest bar and ordered a glass of champagne.

“There’s the blushing bride.”

Anna spun on her heels, setting a pleasant look on her face.  “Hi Elsa.”  

They gave each other a quick hug, one that would never happen if they were not in the public eye. Elsa gave Anna a once over, not hiding that she was checking to see if Anna was dressed appropriately.  

“You look worried.”

“Elsa.”

“Okay, You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.  And you look beautifier. Beautiful, I mean.  As always.”

Elsa nodded, then turned her gaze to the crowd of people.  “Thank you for agreeing to this.  Since I couldn’t convince you to pick a more sensible time after the holidays for your engagement party, I think this is the best compromise.  I will admit it makes it easier to host the Christmas party and Andrew’s parents run in the same social circles, so co-hosting with them makes sense.”

Anna held in the intense desire to roll her eyes.  “That and it’s one less function you have to attend now.”

“An added benefit, yes.”

“Wouldn’t want to make you look bad.”

“That hasn’t seemed to bother you in the last twenty years.”

“Can we not get into that? I just want tonight to go smoothly.”

“Relax.  You’ll be fine.  You’ve done this before, you know.”

Elsa glided away, greeting a valuable client with her usual diplomacy.

Anna couldn’t resist. She cupped her hand to her mouth and yelled out.  “I love you too, Els!  Merry Christmas!”

She turned back to the bar and downed her glass.  By the time her second was in her hand, Andrew had whisked her away to make the rounds to all the guests.  The evening began to blur.  Anna found nodding along with Andrew instead of engaging in conversation an easier path for the night.  It didn’t help that questions from her boss kept scrolling in and she had to excuse herself to answer them.

“Where do you keep going?” Andrew asked as they walked together during a brief moment alone. Anna could hear the tint of annoyance in his voice.

“It’s Simon.  I have to keep helping him for a meeting prep he has tomorrow.”

“You work too much.”

“What else am I supposed to do?’

Andrew sighed and turned to Anna.  “Maybe one of these days, you should put your tail between your legs and talk to your sister about working at the company you are partial owner in.”

“That’s never going to happen.”

He smiled that exasperated smile at her.  It hit her how genuine he was.  How much he loved her.  Andrew was the opposite of her first husband in every way.  He was sweet, kind, responsible, had a job.  But did he set Anna on fire?  

She was warm. That had to count for something.

By the time the toasts began, Anna could barely hide the look of despair as her body fought the duel urge to run and stay.  You look worried.  There was no hiding the truth from Elsa.  She had noticed it instantly.  Doubt crept into Anna’s thoughts.  Was she making the right choice or was this about to be another bad decision in the string of ones that defined her life?  Anna yearned for a trusted shoulder to lean on right now. But she didn’t have her sister to talk to and she hadn’t spoken to her best friend in years.  

She made it to the bathroom and was able to hide in a stall before full panic took over.  This whole engagement was a mistake.  It was screaming at her.  It was the same warning that she missed before her first marriage.  Just get through the holidays.  You can deal with it then.  Tonight you need to stay calm.  Anna took a deep breath, but before she could move, she heard two people walk in.  

“You must be so relieved she’s finally settling down.  She could probably still have a baby if she froze her eggs.”

It was her cousin. Anna had never gotten along with her and she seethed at hearing her voice.

“Let’s hope this one sticks. Anna’s always been.  You know, a little flighty,” Elsa replied

Anna’s mouth dropped at hearing her sister.  She had to clamp her hand over her mouth to stop the squeak from leaving her mouth. She peered through the slats in the door to get a view.

“Anna’s been successful in other areas of her life. She does well with her career.”

“Please, she’s a glorified secretary.”  Anna’s hand came up to her heart at the harshness of Elsa’s words.  “I always thought she’d have a bigger life.  You know, do something extraordinary.  Or at least something that made her happy. She’s so talented, but she was consumed by that husband… then the job.”

“Anna made her choices. Bad ones, yes.  We both told her that her priorities were out of whack.  So her first marriage was a disaster.  Sometimes it’s better to let people do what they need to do so they can work it out themselves. We’re here now and she’s finally settling down with a nice man.”

“You’re right.  I’ve just been worried about her for so long. I won’t dwell on the past. I’ll… I’ll try to be happy for her now.”

The women finished up and headed out.  Anna’s cousin spoke again.  “Who knows? Maybe Anna will come to her senses and apologize to you and come to work at the company where she belongs.  Where family should be.”

The door closed and Anna let it out, punching her fists in the air as hard as she could.  Elsa, please see through her bullshit.  She’s just trying to get her husband a position at the company.  The room was silent and Anna was left with her thoughts of Elsa’s words.  It wasn’t a surprise to hear, but they tore at her still.

Anna slipped out of the bathroom and away from the party until she found herself in the front lobby. She needed to talk to someone. But not just anyone.  She needed one person that would listen to her, understand and not judge her.  She longed for his comfort and how he could pick up her spirits when it seemed the world was collapsing around her.  But she had ruined that as well and it cut her down more than anything.

A flash caught her eye, making Anna look up.  In the lobby, was a grand Christmas tree all decked out in the finest decorations. Ornaments and garland glittered all the way to the top where it was fitted with a gorgeous star.  It took her a second to notice the two girls who were working the party in front of her admiring the tree.  

One of them caught her staring at her and elbowed the other.  “We’re sorry ma’am.”

Anna shook her head. “Don’t mind me.”  She looked back up at the tree.  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Both girls smiled back at her.  “It’s our last night working before Christmas.  We had to get our wishes in.”

Anna tilted her head at them.  The other girl added before she could ask.  “Some of these decorations from the tree are original to when this hall opened. I don’t know which ones besides the star.  But there’s a story that if you make a wish to the star, it will be granted.”

“It doesn’t hurt to try, right?” The other girl added.

The corners of Anna’s mouth turned up.  “No. No it doesn’t at all.”

The girls excused themselves.  Anna went to go back to the party, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off the tree.  “I know what my wish it would be.”  She took one last wistful look at it and went back into the party to find Elsa to tell her she was leaving.

It took a few minutes of searching and ducking out of small talk with people to find Elsa.  They may have not be close anymore, but Anna was still aware of Elsa’s tricks and hiding spots.  After a few tries at more obvious locations, Anna spotted Elsa off in a side room with a bar.  It was secluded enough that most of the people didn’t use it and exactly why Elsa requested it stay open every party.  

She was half way in the room before she noticed who Elsa was with. She froze in place, unable to move. Her sister sensed her, looked her way while tapping the arm of the person seated next to her.  Elsa slipped off her stool and walked towards Anna. For a fleeting moment, her face was soft and she paused to place her hand on Anna’s shoulder.

“Go talk to him,” she whispered.  “I’ll cover for you.”

It took some convincing for her feet to move.  Anna finally took a hesitant step closer.  Then another. And another.  He had already turned back to the bar and she watched him take a long draught of his beer.  Her hand gripped the back of the stool next to him.  She noticed the two other empty bottles sitting off to the side.

“Is…is this seat taken?”

Kristoff huffed and a slight smile brushed over his lips.  He glanced at her before looking straight ahead, pulling another swig of his beer.

“It’s your party.  I think you can sit wherever you want.”

It probably was the best invitation she would get.  She stepped up to the stool, keeping both legs facing him.  “It’s really Elsa’s party, we both know that.”

“She’s not here to kick you out the seat, so I guess it’s yours for now.”

The both chuckled, Kristoff stole another glance at her holding her eyes to him.  He had aged well, despite everything he had been through. He was smaller than she always remembered him, his hair was short, with just a hint of grey at the temples.  It fit him, but Anna missed that mop of hair that she always had to fuss with and yell at him to remember to cut.  “Kristoff.” She reached up and stroked his cheek. When he didn’t jump back from her touch, she dared ever so softly to place her hand on top of his that was resting on the bar.  She could feel her heart start to race, a surge of energy running through her body. “What are you doing here?”

“I was invited, remember.”

There it was.  That grin.  Suddenly he was twenty-one again and not a day had passed between them.

Anna arched an eyebrow, grinning back.  “You’ve been invited to at least the last ten.  You’ve never showed up before.”

He shrugged and turned to the bar again.  The break in contact, felt like losing him all over.  Anna pulled her hand close, her fingers still tingling where they had touched him.

“I was in town. Didn’t have anything else to do. I figured there’d be free food and drinks.”

“Okay Bjorgman. Whatever you say.  You sure that’s the only reason?”  She bumped her shoulder to his, hoping to keep the mood light.

He didn’t look at her, keeping his beer close to his lips.  “Kind of wanted to check in on you, too.”

“And hiding in another room is how you do that?”

“No.  I saw you earlier.  You were busy talking to…everyone.  I decided to hold back and see if I could find you later.”

“I’m glad you’re here.”

They fell into an easy rhythm.  Anna told Kristoff everything that popped into her head.  She talked about work and how busy she was, ignoring the messages from her boss.  She talked without a filter and she couldn’t remember how long it had been when she didn’t have to reign in everything she wanted to say.

Kristoff was listening to her and it felt so good to feel significant to someone.  He shifted in his seat as if he was studying her.

“Anna, are you okay?”

“What?  Of course I am!  I’m wonderful.  It’s Christmas and I’m getting married.”

“But are you happy?”

“Why do you think I’m not happy?”

“I don’t know.  You just seem…  not like yourself.”

Anna stiffened at that. “You haven’t seen me in over ten years. You don’t know who I am.”

“I know when something isn’t right with you.  That hasn’t changed.  I can see right through you.  What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine.”  Anna crossed her arms.

“No you’re not.”

“Kristoff, I told you-“

“It’s because you’re about to marry a guy you don’t love and you are absolutely miserable, isn’t it?”

“No!”

He squinted his eyes, leaning closer.  “Yeah, that’s it.  About to make the same mistake again.  Did you not learn anything from your first marriage?”

“How dare you!”

“How dare I what? Call you out on your bullshit? Can’t handle hearing the truth, princess?”

“Don’t call me that. You don’t get to call me that anymore.” Anna turned away from him, but she couldn’t stop herself from glaring back at him.  When she moved, he looked so smug and satisfied that she saw red.  

“Who do you think you are anyway?  Waltzing in here after years!  What? Did you find out I was engaged and you had to run over here just to try to rub in all my misery?  Poke at all my weak spots.  Make me feel worse than I already do?  Well you did!  Are you happy?  Why do you care?  We aren’t even friends anymore!”

“You made sure of that, didn’t you?”

“You don’t think I don’t feel horrible about that?  I do every day, Kristoff!   I hate that I wasn’t there for you and that I wouldn’t listen… and…  I miss you every day.  But you stopped talking to me!  And you can’t come here and tell me I’m not happy when you don’t know me anymore.”

“I know you better than you know yourself!  Look, forget it.  This is pointless.  I shouldn’t have come here tonight.”  He pulled out his wallet to fish for a tip.

“Kristoff, why did you come here tonight?”

“Why did you invite me?”

They stared each other down. Anna gnawed at her bottom lip unable to take it anymore.  “I asked you first.”  Her voice was barely a whisper as she struggled to stay in control.  

Kristoff sighed. “Because I didn’t try to stop you before.”

“You did.  I wouldn’t listen.”

“Look, Anna.  You’re right.  I don’t know what’s wrong other than you are not happy.  I had to come see for myself.  And I see you and you have the same look on your face that you did before.  I didn’t try to stop you the way I should have last time.  I wasn’t honest with you and it wasn’t fair to you.  I thought if I showed up this time…that…”

“What?”

He shook his head and laughed to himself.  “I never could tell you to no.  Ever.  No matter what crazy idea got in your head. Even when I watched you marry someone you didn’t love.  I couldn’t stand the thought of causing you pain.  But I should have then.  Or at least I should have figured out when to walk away.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because there never was a time when I wasn’t in love with you.”  Kristoff fumbled for something at his legs.  “I have to go.  I’m sorry Anna.  I shouldn’t have come.  Forget I was here.”

Anna sat frozen in her chair.  She watched as Kristoff carefully slid off the stool and take a measured step with the cane.  The memory of his accident flashed in front of her.  The doctors said he was lucky to even be alive.  Then the guilt washed over her.  She hadn’t been there for him.  Too wrapped up with Harry to be the friend he needed the most.

He got to the entrance of the room before what he had said sunk in and Anna could move again.  She hopped off the stool.  “Kristoff… I invited you all these years because it kept the door open the tiniest bit. It was all I had, but there was always hope that I would see you again.”

“I know.”  He stopped and dropped his head.  “Do not pursue the past. Do not lose yourself in the future. The past no longer is.  The future has not come.  Look deeply at life as it is.”

“What?  Kris, I don’t understand.  Please, just stay-“

He looked at her once more and smiled.  But it was distant and he took another step away.  “It’s a Buddhist Proverb.  One of my therapists told it to me when I was rehabbing.  I used it as a mantra to help me keep going when I thought the pain was too much.  I never forgot it.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Your past doesn’t define you, Anna.  You can make your future what you want it to be.  Remember that.  Please.”

“Kris.  No.”

“I have to go.  Don’t invite me again.  Goodbye, Anna.  Merry Christmas.”

He disappeared into the crowd in the main room.  An ache shot directly into Anna’s heart. She couldn’t breathe, choking on the air as tears streamed down her cheek.  He was gone and this time it was for good.  It was as if a part of her had been ripped off.  She couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing him again.

She caught her breath, her mind racing.  No, this wasn’t going to be how this ended.  Not this time.  Not when she finally understood what she had been wanting all along.

“Kristoff!  Wait!”

Anna darted through the crowd, trying not to look too desperate as she wove through the people and headed towards the lobby.  She had to be able to catch up with him.  She pushed out the main doors, and past the tree she had stood in front.  A reflection from the lights hit her in the eyes, making her wince.  He wasn’t there.  Anna hoped she could catch up to him before he got any further.

“Kristoff!”

Anna yelled as she raced down the stairs and onto the sidewalk.

“Kristoff wait! Please!  Where are you?”

She ran into the streets, checking in all directions, looking into the vehicles before they could move from the light.

“Kristoff!”

But he was gone.  It was as if he vanished right in front of her. Anna threw her head back in defeat looking to night sky.  She was too late.

A snowflake hit her eye. Anna flinched and stumbled backwards. When she caught her balance, she looked around and saw that it had started snowing.  She loved the snow.  It should have felt magical, but all she wanted to do was get to her bed and sleep for a week.  

She trudged back to the venue.  Somewhere inside was her coat.  She needed to find that before she figured out how to get home, all the while trying to avoid Andrew and her noted absence.  Anna was going through scenarios of how to sneak in and back out when she found herself in front of the tree.  She slowly followed the layers of ornaments up to the star as the rage and sorrow from the night built.

“Wishing tree my ass.” She let out of woeful laugh.  “How many people have come here over the years? What do they ask for?  Money, I bet.  Or their health.  Or love.” Anna waved her hand dismissively. “For what?  All because someone came up with some ridiculous story who knows how long ago to draw in customers.”  She stared up at the tree again.  “How many people have you let down?  Christmas wishes…  You know what wishes solve?  Nothing! You’re still poor, or sick or lonely, or… or…”  She stopped to wipe away the tears.  “You know what my wish would be?  To fix this! To fix me!  Make this night never happen this way!  But you can’t because you’re a stupid tree!  A stupid, dumb, plain ole, non-wishing tree!”

Anna stepped back. She could feel a headache coming on. “What’s wrong with me?  Now I’m talking to the tree,” she mumbled.

Her headache quickly morphed into a dizzy spell.  Anna held onto the wall waiting for it to pass.  Her eyes caught the lights of the tree.  They were blinking.  Had she not noticed that before?  The room started spinning.  Then it got faster.  Anna went to call for help but couldn’t make a sound.  She lost her grip on the wall, stumbling forward, passing out before her body slammed to the floor.

 ----

The beeps were faint but steady.  Anna groaned at the sound.  She turned, not fully awake yet.  That noise? Where was it coming from?

“It’s Saturday,” she drawled out.  “Alarm off.”   The sound didn’t stop.  “Snooze.”  No change. “Disconnect!  Off! Stop!”

Anna sat straight up. Great, the sensor on this thing was going to have to be fixed again.  She didn’t even want to know how much that was going to cost.  She stretched, waking up more…  Wait.  That sound was different.  It was farther away, muffled almost.  She scrambled around.  The sound was coming from her bed.  No, from in her bed, under the blankets.  Anna threw them off, searching until her hand felt something hard, like metal.

“Ah ha!”

Anna’s hand flew up in triumph with the offending source of the noise.  She brought it down closer and stopped.  “How much did I have to drink last night?”  

She turned the device around and stared at the phone.  Her finger reflexively swiped at the screen setting the alarm to off.  “I didn’t know I still had this.  …or why.”  But it was hers she remembered that case that was designed to handle being dropped. Lord knows she dropped it enough times. It was a wonder the phone even turned on.  

Anna laid back down. She was going to have to find Andrew and talk to him.  First to find out what happened; a huge part of the night was a blur and then… nothing. She remembered going to find Elsa, but after that was blank.  But more importantly talk about them.  She couldn’t mask over her feelings anymore.

She ran her hand through her hair and stopped.  “What?” She pulled a handful forward to look at. “H-how?”  It was long.  Last night it was,pulled back and short.  Her hair didn’t go past her shoulders.  The last time her hair was this long, she was…

Anna’s mouth dropped as she looked around. This wasn’t her old home.  It wasn’t even her current place.  It was… it was…

She hadn’t noticed the TV was on, but her head flicked to the screen as the morning news came on.

We are officially entering the Christmas season here folks.  Welcome channel seven news for Saturday, November 24th 2018. Your home for all traffic weather and…

Anna bolted straight up.

“Wait, what?  Did he just say 2018?!”

[buckyscrystalqueen]

Natural Born Killer

Pairings: Dean x Reader (sorta)

Warnings: Swearing

Word Count: 3,213

A/N: This is a story I started on my old blog, and I finally came up with an epic ending! 

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

“Do you want to see something cool?” You asked your high school sweetheart as you lay next to him on the black roof outside your second story bedroom window.

“Sure, why not?” Dean said as he rolled off his back onto his side. His fingers gently twisted a strand of your hair and in the moonlight, his emerald eyes glistened with curiosity. You rolled your head to the side to look over at him with your hands rested on your stomach and your fingers intertwined across your white tank top to stop them from shaking.

“Okay, if I show you this, you have to promise you won’t freak out on me. And you can’t tell a soul.” You said, your (Y/E/C) eyes pleading with him to not break your trust once you revealed the biggest secret of your life. Dean dropped the strand of hair he had been playing with and sat up next to you.

“I cross my heart.” Dean said as he crossed his heart, before mimicking a zipper closing his lips. You sighed and sat up as you ran your fingers through your hair to get any fallen strands out of your face. You crossed your legs, pulling your flowy light blue skirt over your knees and peered over the edge of the roof and looked at the scattered fall leaves that lay in your back yard. You reached out your hand casually, pointed your finger at the dead foliage, and twisted your wrist in a half circle, causing the leaves to spiral on the ground before you lifted them off the air. To any passersby, it would appear to be a simple gust of wind but to Dean, it meant trouble.

“No, no, no.” He groaned as he scooted away from you. You dropped the leaves quickly in fear.

“No, wait. Don’t freak out. It’s just…”

“You’re a witch?” Ke hissed, keeping his voice down as he looked around and you felt tears well up in your eyes.

“I wish I could say no, but I am. Only natural born witch in 2 generations.” You said as you started to cry.

“Listen to me.” He said as he scooted back across the roof, taking your face in his hands as his panicked eyes searched yours. “You need to run. Pack a bag, get out of town, and don’t ever look back. My family… my family and I are hunters and I can’t stand the idea of something happening to you. I love you to damn much.”

“Wait, you’re a hunter? That… my nana told me hunters weren’t able to get to this area.” You said as you quickly scooted toward your bed room window with Dean following right after you.

“Well (Y/N), sorry to break it to ya but Nana lied. Just please, get out of here, and don’t look back.” He said as he watched you pack a backpack with some clothes, your box of spell supplies, and your nana’s personal grimoire she had given you when you came of age. As you zipped up your bag, and tossed it over your shoulder, a thought occurred to you.

“Dean, if you are a hunter, why have you been in this town so long?” You asked as you walked over the window, suddenly in fear of the man you loved. You looked back at him as his head fell forward, and his shoulders heaved a sigh.

“We’re hunting a coven.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“Those are lovely tattoos you have.” A voice said from the far side of your bar. You dropped the case of Bud Light you were carrying next to the cooler, and flipped your (Y/H/C) hair back as you stood up, turning toward the man who was casually sitting on a stool.

“Thanks, but we aren’t open yet.” You said as you glanced at the door to see if you had forgotten to lock it when you came in earlier.

“Oh, I think you can make an exception for me darling.” He said as he gestured to your shoulder with a smile. “Enochian warding?” Your heart froze in your chest. Your instincts took over, and you threw an internal protection spell on yourself as you backed away from the man.

“Who sent you?” You asked as you backed into the wood bar, and the man cocked his eyebrow at you.

“A natural witch… interesting.” The man said as he got up from his chair and he shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants as began to stroll over to you. You put your hands up in front of you, channeling your energy into your palms, no longer attempting to hide your identity.

“Look, mister. I don’t know who you are, but I don’t want any trouble, and I didn’t do anything. I stay out of trouble, and I don’t draw attention to myself. As far as the world is concerned, I just own some dive bar in the middle of nowhere.” Your panic raged as the man got closer, and a light blue glow began to emit from your palms. Your heart raced as he continued to walk toward you, studying you as if he was purposely attempting to upset you. “Dude, please stop. I don’t want to do this!” You pleaded but he didn’t heed to your warning so you slipped into fight mode. You pulled every ounce of power you had from the depths of your being, causing the symbols and sigils you had tattooed on your body to glow light blue, fueling your spell.

“Retrorsum!” You screamed as you shoved all of your energy through your palms and toward the stranger. With a yelp, he was thrown across the poorly lit bar. You dashed toward the door, unlocking it, and pulling it open as you ran. Just before you passed the threshold, the doors slammed shut, and a heavy weight seemed like it held you in place.

“Well, well. Isn’t this an interesting surprise.” He said as he slowly walked over to you, his dress shoes tapping against the wood floor in a patient cadence, and you felt yourself turn in your spot despite how hard you fought against the force holding you.

“What do you want from me?” You asked as fear fueled tears ran down your face, and he tisked at you.

“Darling, I am not here to harm you. I simply wish to talk.” He stopped in front of you, his hands back in his pockets as his eyes dragged over you, looking at your tattoos more than your body. “If I release you, can we have a conversation that doesn’t involve you tossing me around?” You studied him through slightly squinted eyes and with a nod, you felt the force holding you down lift. 

“Who are you?” You asked as you stepped around him hurriedly, wiped off your cheeks, and walked back over to your bar to finish setting up for the day so you didn’t have to look directly at the man who absolutely terrified you.

“Name’s Crowley however, the better question is who are you, pet?” He asked and you couldn’t stop the anger that flowed through you at the disgusting nickname.

“Call me pet one more time. I dare you.” You said as you looked up at him over the bar as you shoved beer bottles in cooler. “I’m (Y/N).” You sighed as you held out your palm, and unloaded the rest of the beers from the case and into the cooler. “Now, can you tell me what you want with me? Or, better yet, how you found me?” You asked as you walked toward the back, floating out two more cases of beer, and two buckets of ice. You figured since you were in mixed magical company, the display of your abilities wasn’t an issue since you already blasted him across the bar.

“My apologies for the name, darling. It was not my intention to offend. I was actually in this fine establishment last night, and was intrigued by your warding.” He gestured to your body as you continued to restock your bar for the day. “Where did you learn those marks?” He asked as you checked the liquor bottles on the back wall, writing down a list in midair of the ones you needed.

“My nana taught me before she was killed.” You said as you finished your list, and turned to Crowley. “Can I offer you a drink and a seat at the bar or are you going to continue to stare at me from across the room?” You asked before disappearing into the back room to grab the couple bottles you needed.

“Was your nana natural born as well?” Crowley called out as he sat down at the bar. You nodded as you walked back out the front room.

“She and I were the only ones in 5 generations. All the other members of my family were self-taught.” You put the bottles on the shelf and turned to look at Crowley, your arms crossing in front of your chest exposing more of your self-made ink, and you watched Crowley tilt his head slightly to admire them.

“May I inquire their fate?” He asked as he forced his eyes off your ink. Memories of the boy from your rooftop flooded your mind.

“They were murdered by a family of hunters. My… well… one of them let me get away, and I have been hiding ever since.” You gestured to the ink on your appendages. “The ink goes from my chest down, in case you were curious since you seem to be having a difficult time looking at my face when you talk to me.” Crowley blushed ever so subtly before recovering as he snapped himself a drink.

“I have a proposition for you.” He said as he raised his glass at you, and your cocked your eyebrow without a word as you waited. “I have never met a natural witch as powerful as you, and I believe you could come in handy with a situation I am dealing with.” You huffed as you pushed yourself off the back bar.

“Not interested.” You said as you turned to walk away.

“It involves Dean Winchester.” Crowley said, his voice suggesting a hint of smug sarcasm.

“I don’t know a Dean Winchester.” You lied as you tried to walk toward the back room but as you tried to push the door open it wouldn’t budge. 

“Now do I have your attention?” Crowley asked and you spun around.

“Look, I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but I am not getting involved with Dean Winchester or Sam or their dad for that matter. I want nothing to do with hunters or you. I have spent 12 years hiding out, and I am damn sure not putting a target on my back to die anytime soon! So, if that is all I would appreciate it if you got the fuck out of my bar and never came back!” You screamed as you turned and blasted the back doors open in a blast of blue light, leaving the thoroughly amused King of Hell in your wake.

~~~~~~~~~ 6 months later ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

‘How did I get into this mess?’ You thought as you poured out four shots for the group in front of you. You looked around the bar that was full of hunters, and shook your head, praying to God that none of the men would recognize the sigils you had decorating your body, strategically hidden amongst a giant tree of life, dozens of lotus flowers, a sun and moon mosaic, and other brightly colored tattoos. 

“Hey, darlin’! How about you shimmy that hot ass of yours down here and give me a beer?” A tactless man from the far side of the bar yelled. You bit the inside of your cheek to hold your tongue and not blow your cover in the middle of a dozen men that would kill you in a second.

“How about you blow me.” You grumbled to yourself as you grabbed a brew from the cooler. You tapped it twice as you walked it over, putting a small spell on it to make his hangover 100 times worse in the morning. But as you were about to set it down, a firm hand wrapped around your wrist.

“Try again.” A sickeningly familiar voice from your past said and with a smile, you looked toward the man you hadn’t seen in 10 years. You gasped as you stared into jet black eyes that turned to dark, broken green ones in the blink of an eye as a smirk stretched across his nearly perfect features. He tilted his head to the side as he appraised you. “Miss me?” He asked as you ripped your hand out of his.

“Dean… how…?” You asked as backed away from the stranger that stood before you. 

“Bar’s closed people.” Dean said as he stared at you like a predator stalking his pray. “NOW!” he yelled when no one moved as he pulled a strange looking blade from his back pocket. The moment the hunters realized what and who he was, they ran from your bar as you backed yourself into a corner and tears began to flow down your face.

“Dean, please. I didn’t do anything, I swear.” You cried as he stalked toward you, spinning the blade in his hand casually. As he moved his arm, you caught a glimpse of a red glowing mark on his arm; a mark you recognized from your nana’s book.

“Please, don’t do this.” You begged and your body began to glow as you feebly tried to protect yourself against Dean and the Mark of Cain. “I swear, I didn’t do…”

“Oh, (Y/N)… I let you get away once, I won’t do it again.” He seethed as he stared you down. “Consider this unfinished business. Enjoy Purgatory.” He said as he pulled his arm back over his head. You put your hands in front of you in a desperate attempt to stop your eminent death but before you could conjure a spell, the First Blade pierced through your rib cage and your world went black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“Come on, you bastards!” You screamed into the dark woods as you waited for the next beast to crawl out of the shadows. You could feel them, lurking in the darkness, planning their next attack as you stood with your back next to the only water source in a two hundred mile radius. “What, are you scared of one little witch?” You taunted as your body glowed bright against the dark landscape. You felt a movement off to your right, and you turned in time to see two gorilla-wolves lunge out of the brush into your waiting blast of energy, obliterating them to dust and smoke as you ducked an attack from a vampire you nearly missed coming at you. 

You had been in purgatory for what seemed like forever, and from the moment your feet came in contact with the forest floor, the attacks began. You thanked whoever was looking out for you that when you got to your hell, your powers were still intact because that gave you a fighting chance of survival in this unfamiliar atmosphere; however, your now ever present blue glow that never went away drew predators to you like moths to a flame. Your nana’s grimoire had mentioned this place, the final resting place for monsters and the unfortunate grave yard for witches such as yourself, and you had always prayed you would never show up here.

As you ducked another attack, scraping your knee against the gravel lining the river bed, you sent another blue blast into the night sky, when a voice you never thought you would be happy to hear spoke right behind you.

“Get down!” Crowley shouted. You instantly flattened your body to the ground, your hands covering the back of your head as you heard the screeches and screams of any nearby beasts dying. “Go!” He bellowed as he pulled you to your feet by the back of your dirty, torn shirt, and shoved you to your left. You took off running in the direction he pushed you as the two of you sent flashes of red and blue spells into the woods.

“Crowley, what…?” You said as ran through the underbrush, blasting anything that moved.

“Less talking, more running.” He said as he snapped. A portal you couldn’t see must have appeared to the left of you because Crowley grabbed your arm, and threw you through it. You landed in a bright room on a cold, hard concrete floor and bounced slightly as the momentum of your running came to an abrupt stop. You rolled into a crouch with your body still glowing in defense as you surveyed the new scenery.

“What the hell is going on?” You screamed as you searched for an escape route, your mind still deep in fight mode from years of being on your guard every minute of every day.

“I have been looking for you for months, (Y/N). What the bloody hell happened?” Crowley questioned as he walked over to his throne, catching his breath quickly as he snapped himself a glass of something. “Stand down, love. You’re safe now.”

“Dean fucking Winchester happened.” You said as you sat down on the ground and leaned against a cold stone pillar as you pointed to the ground in front of you to produce a glass of water as you caught your breath. “He came into my bar with the Mark and those creepy black eyes, and shoved that nasty looking blade through my chest.”

“Hold on a moment. Dean Winchester killed you when he was a demon? That was nearly two bloody years ago.” He said and you looked up at him weakly with a small smile.

“Two years? Is that all? Felt like decades.” You chugged your glass of water before refilling in once more as you realized that you were sitting down for the first time in almost two years, and you didn’t have to worry about dying. “How did you find me?”

“Heard rumors from a rogue reaper about a blue witch ruling purgatory with an iron fist.” You looked down at the stone floor as he stared at his glass of whisky and chuckled. “Imagine my surprise when, after some searching and torturing a handful of people, I found out that witch was you.” You shrugged, but kept your eyes down.

“Just trying not to die again. Didn’t want to find out what happened to a witch once she died in purgatory.” You lifted up your empty glass with your powers and spun it in a slow circle as you thought. “Thank you.” He smirked, his eyebrow raised as he watched you spin your glass. 

“For what, pet?” He asked and you sighed, too weak to even fight against the nickname.

“Getting me out of there. I was reaching the end of my ropes and honestly, if you hadn’t shown up… well…” He simply waved you off.

“No matter, let’s get you cleaned up. I have some work for you to do to pay me back.”

Natural Born Killer’s Revenge

[likethetailofacomet]

Viewing Party

So the other night @ooo-barff-ooo and I were talking about how much we loved our TRR MCs, Claire Berkley and Joanna Malone, and how it would be cool if they were friends and I was like well what if they were and then this happened. 

Without further ado, I give you the ultimate friendship of C and J, getting drunk together and watching everyone’s favorite fairy tale on live television: The Royal Romance- Liam and Riley’s wedding. 

FEATURING: JOANNA MALONE, CLAIRE BERKLEY, AND DAN DAN THE BARTENDER MAN. 

“See you tomorrow, Dan,” Claire called from behind the bar.  “Same bat time, same bat place.” He said over his shoulder. He gave a one handed wave and strode toward the front door and sweet freedom. He’d been there since 11 am and it was approaching midnight- the joys of working a double shift- and he was due for another one in the morning, so he couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Claire had come in at 5pm, and would sling drinks until last call at 4am, when the shift workers and doctors and construction guys and fisherman had had either thier first or last drinks of the night. Joanna would open, Dan would pull the double, and Claire would close. That was the general flow.

Tonight, though, was not a general night. At roughly 5 am EST the most anticipated marriage of the year would be televised live- the Cordonian Royal Wedding-New York bartender Riley Brooks was rising to the rank of queen as she married future king Liam Rys after falling in love with him in the most modern of Cinderella stories: she took out the trash at his bachelor bash and ended up stealing his heart and his hand.

Claire checked on her ten or so customers, making sure that all of their glasses were full before slipping into the closet they called a kitchen. There was a single basket fryer, a flat top that could fit no more than four frozen burger patties, and a coffee maker. She reached for the can of Folger's on the top shelf and scooped some of it into the brew basket before jamming it into the machine and pressing "start". She leaned against the counter ledge as she waited for the deep brown liquid to fill the little clear pot, pulling her phone from her apron to text Joanna.

-Hey girl, you're stopping for snacks right? I'm starving. 

Jo had been off from work since 5pm when Claire got in. She'd gone home and taken a nap before running a few errands for the viewing party they'd been planning ever since they saw that first tabloid article about the Prince choosing his bride. Claire and Jo were not the type of girls who would normally get so involved in the billion dollar weddings of fancy rich nobles and dignitaries around the world- hell they had been invited to Steve's wedding- a guy they used to work with and actually knew without the need for magazine or television coverage- and despite their manager saying that they could close the bar for a night so everyone could go to the wedding, Claire and Jo declined, not really liking Steve...or weddings. "I have a school thing that night...um...presentation. Of my...thesis," Jo had said. She was working on her Master's degree while slaving at Keagan's, so her excuse seemed to work, even though it was a summer course and she wouldn't actually be working on her thesis for another five months.  "And um, I have an...appointment that afternoon that....I can't reschedule..." Claire chimed in her thinly veiled excuse. She did have an appointment...for hair color...and she'd really rather not reschedule it just to go sit at Steve's wedding. But this wedding, dubbed "The Royal Romance" by the media, was a different story, namely for who would be standing next to the Prince as he said his "I do's".

-Um, did you see the pictures of the Prince's friend? The dude with the hair and the eyebrows and the denim? He's all the snack we need, C. (but yes I also got snacks for eating) 

Claire laughed at Jo's response, typed out a quick one back saying how excited she was, and then poured herself a large black coffee before heading back to the bar to finish up her shift. As the last patron stumbled out the door and it shut with a tingling of bells, she flipped the sign to the closed side, locked the door and turned off the neon lights in the windows. She went back to the bar cooler and took a tray of jello shots out, setting them on the freshly cleaned bar top. She then went to her bag and took two brightly colored headbands that she’d attached lace and tooling and feathers and beads to, and set them next to the shots. Changing the channels on all the televisions to various news stations, she sat back and enjoyed the “pregame coverage” of the wedding while she waited for Joanna. Just as she finished the last of the coffee she’d brewed hours earlier, she heard a tapping at the window and looked over to see her friend waving excitedly and holding up a bag. Claire set her empty coffee mug down and crossed the bar to open the door and let Jo in.

“Welcome to the wedding of the century, Madame,” Claire greeted her with a flourish and a funny bow.

Jo did an awkward curtsy. “Why thank you Madame, so pleased I could join you.” The two dissolved into laughter and headed over to the bar. Joanna hopped up onto a stool and took stock of the things Claire had laid out while adding the bag she’d brought with her. She picked up one of the headbands and laughed. “Oh my god, Claire, did you really make us fascinators?”

Claire raised her eyebrows. “Um, yeah I made us fascinators! Riley has been obsessed with fancy hats throughout the whole social season! Homegirl would not shut up about them- like, every chance she could get to wear one she did and she even brought them up in interviews… I thought it would be weirder if I didn’t make us fascinators.”

“Good point. I really don’t know how Prince Liam is looking past that. He must really love that dizzball.” Joanna plopped the colorful headpiece on top of her noggin and Claire took the other one and shoved it into her frizzy hair. Next Joanna picked up one of the shots Claire had made. “Ew, Jell-o shots?” she made a face, pulling one half of her mouth up to show her disgust.

“Caramel apple jell-o shots, to be exact. You know, because Cordonia’s obsessed with apples? And caramel because I’m obsessed with caramel.” She shrugged. “Once we’re a few drinks in we won’t care if they’re gross.”

“So true my friend. So,” she opened the shopping bag she’d had with her and pulled out several small plastic containers. “We’ve got…olives…stuffed grape leaves…and, drum roll,” Claire obliged, rapping her pointer fingers on the bar top. “Baklava! You know cause,” Jo shrugged, “Cordonia, Greece…they’re sorta the same right?”

“Sure. Probably not but sure.” Claire laughed and Joanna tossed an olive at her.

“Okay well they are tonight. Also,” next she pulled out a sheet of paper. “I made up a drinking game for this here wedding.” On the screen they were showing a photo montage of Riley and Liam from all the different events from the social season. “Okay, rules- If anyone mentions apples, or there’s a flag with apples or we see an apple tree or they say “Cordonian Ruby”, we take one of these gross shots here,” she pointed to Claire’s Jell-o shots. “Any time we see fancy hats, or some noble lady curtsies or some dude in a suit bows, we take a sip of our ciders. If they call Riley “The American” we finish ‘em.”

“Wait, let me get this straight. You made up a drinking game with no whiskey involved?” Claire asked, skeptically narrowing her eyes at Joanna.

“I wasn’t done, C! Okay, so any time Mr. broody Mc Brooderson Drake Walker, love of our lives and real reason that we are watching this ridiculous wedding at 5am, is shown looking like he wants to kiss Riley, we do a shot of whiskey in his angsty honor. I was going to suggest Fireball but-“

“But you remember the holiday party from last year. Yeah, everyone does,” Claire hid her face in her hands embarrassed, preferring to forget that night and the drunken mess she’d been.

“Right. I remembered the holiday party and how Fireball turns you into a demon. So, I figured SoCo would do.”

“Yeah, that’s never made me dance on the bar while trying to fight Steve, so good call.”

Joanna nodded. “Any rules you want to add?”

Claire thought for a moment and then something blue and…unique…caught her eye on the screen. They were talking about Maxwell Beaumont again, and his propensity to wear themed suits. He had this hilarious blue suit with a squid on it; even the bow-tie was a tiny cephalopod. “Oh! Yes! Every time they have to pan away from that,” she pointed to Maxwell in the suit, “so as not to ruin a picture or a shot, we take a cider sip.”

Joanna laughed. “Deal. Oh! Its starting!!” She spun her stool so she could lean back against the bar to watch. Claire poured them each a cider and they clinked them together before taking a sip, pinkies out. “Ugh, and to think, this girl worked right down the street from us. Like, this coulda been us, C!”

Claire blinked before they both burst into laughter. “Yeah we’d both make excellent queens, I’m sure.”

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

Dan unlocked the bar door and opened it, setting the bells jingling. Before he had even set one foot inside, he heard the raucous laughter of his two best friends, and shook his head wondering what he was about to walk into. “Is it just me, Jo, or does the Queen Mother look like a Royal Ducking Bitch?” Claire’s voice was sing songy and full of laughter.

Joanna was laying her arms and top half on the bar top, laughing hysterically, almost to the point where she couldn’t get her words out. She managed to respond, “Quack, mother ducker!!” before giggles swallowed her ability to speak further.

“Did…did you two really just autocorrect yourselves?” Dan called, hands on his hips taking in the scene in front of him. They each had a funny looking headband dangling from their heads, empty jello glasses littered the bar, and at least three shots of whiskey each sat next to them. If only Drake hadn’t been pining for Riley The American Queen so badly, they wouldn’t have had to nearly finish the bottle of SoCo.

“Yes, Dan, we are at a fancy ducking event here.” Claire pointed to her fascinator, to how it was barely staying together after she and Jo had danced and drank and laughed and flopped against the bar top.

“Yeah, and we can’t be ducking rude and curse like sailors, Dan!” Joanna chimed in. “The Queen would not allow it!”

“She would not!” they had put on silly accents by now, not coming anywhere close to the Cordonian accent…or any accent in the world, really, but forcing so much laughter from one another that they cried.

“Okay tweedles C and J,” Dan clapped them both on the back. “Outta my bar, you drunkards. Go sleep off the wedding, I’ll see you back for your shifts in a few hours.” Now it was his turn to laugh almost to the point of tears, as they both groaned thinking about bartending while hungover at 3 in the afternoon.

“Worth it,” Jo said to Claire, high fiving her sloppily.

“Totally.” Claire answered.

tagging people who i think might find this funny even though its really the most gratuitous thing i’ve ever posted: @ooo-barff-ooo @sleepwalkingelite @brightpinkpeppercorn @zaffrenotes @endlessly-searching-for-you @mind-reader1 @andy-loves-corgis @agent-bossypants