#she's dropping hints that there is something deeply wrong with her <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[elysiumfire]

9, 14, 18, 20, 25 for raven heh 😈💖💗💖

sidestep ask game

naomi🫂🫶🏻

9. how honest are they?

ugh it’s 50/50.

raven does a lot of lying by omission (like being the villain named sidestep 😭😭). sprinkle some half-truths there, tiny little white lies there. offer to help so the evidence doesn't point to you....yes i'll def help find out who broke into argent's mind 😁👍🏻 <- the one who broke into argent's mind.

tbh raven thinks she's smarter than everyone 🧐 which, she has yet to be caught so maybe she's justified there! she's playing some weird 5d chess game with light yagami levels of thinking, meanwhile no one even really suspects she's the villain and in fact are angry on her behalf that the villain is using her vigilante name😤😤

BUT to raven’s credit, she’s honest when it comes to being vulnerable with those she cares about. she'll temporarily forget her huge ego, show some weakness, and really try to connect. she admitted to ortega she needed therapy and even went for him. she didn’t even directly lie to her therapist! (even tho she thought it was a waste of time and thinks she’s unfixable LMAO). she even admitted she’s a re-gene to daniel, which made her want to throw up, and raven almost immediately regretted it. but luckily for her, daniel was a supportive sweetie about it.

14. are they more daring or more cautious?

daring😈😈raven has a fate motivation/ believes everything that’s happening to her and everything she does is inevitable, so she uses that to hand wave any danger(and justify some of her more distasteful decisions🥴). like surely she wouldn’t be allowed to die before doing whatever it is fate has in store for her? (even if she wouldn't mind too much :/ )

18. what is their greatest fear?

that her becoming a villain wasn't inevitable and she could’ve made very different decisions once escaping the Farm again :/ if raven can’t justify her actions with "oh it was always going to turn out like this", then she actually has to face up to what she’s done. and who she’s done it to. raven wouldn’t be able to do that….she’s still struggling to reconcile the Rangers helping and protecting her at the end of retribution with her long held belief they wouldn't care about a re-gene. which, is basically her greatest fear coming true....the Rangers always would've helped her.

20. how do they feel about death?

it’s complicated lol.

fears it, because she’s not free yet. craves it, because it might be the only way she’ll ever be free

25. do they prefer to be alone or with other people?

raven would adamantly insist that she prefers to be alone, but all her actions would say otherwise! always visiting the Rangers HQ, agreeing to train herald (it’s because she’s trying to train the heroes to be better!! promise!! it’s not bc she’s desperate for some kind of human connection!!!), she’s friendly to her henchwoman, rosie, both as her villain self and her puppet, etc. 

raven’s trying really hard to feel like she belongs somewhere, instead of feeling like an outsider :/ but she still feels like she’s missing some vital component that would let her have a deep connection, not just a shallow one.

[maybejj]

The Beginning of Us Part 3

babydaddy!Rafe x sweetheart!reader

masterlist

warnings: mentions of child abuse, mentions of bruises/blood, slight flirting, slight possessive rafe ?

summary: You and Rafe were high school sweethearts that continued into college however Rafe went down the wrong path and you found out you were pregnant. 4 years later finds you and Rafe trying to navigate co-parenting your 3 year old son while overcoming life’s obstacles and past experiences.

word count: 2.2k

“Listen, I’m not going to make it. Rafe’s out of town and I don’t have anyone to watch Asher. I’m sorry, truly.” You apologized to Madeline over the phone while you continued to make dinner. Asher was at the kitchen table drawing in his coloring book, tongue sticking out to the side while he tried to color in the lines.

It was shaping up to be a quiet night when Madeline, one of your girlfriends, had called asking if you wanted to tag along to see the new romcom that was in theaters. You would normally jump at the opportunity to hangout with your friends but with Rafe out of town, you couldn’t leave Asher.

You heard your friend whine playfully on the other side of the phone, “Maybe you could get Sarah or Wheezie to watch him for a couple hours. You know they adore him.”

You squeezed your eyes closed tightly. You knew in your soul they would never hurt Asher. They weren’t capable of it and they did adore your son, worshipped the ground he walked on. They always showered him in love and gifts and hugs whenever they saw him but there was that voice in the back of your head that said it would happen again if you left Asher alone with anyone other than Rafe.

It had only been three months since it happened and you were still reaping the fallout from all the chaos. Asher was getting better, he could finally sleep in his own bed though it was you who held off on making him sleep alone because you wanted him close, wanted to protect him. Rafe was the one who gently coaxed you into letting Asher back in his room after sleeping in your bed for two months. You had sat outside your son’s bedroom door, hand over your mouth, quietly sobbing that whole night.

You sighed deeply as you turned to watch your son. He was so young and already he had been exposed to how cruel the world could be. You wouldn’t let that happen again.

You shook your head even though Madeline couldn’t see you, “They’re probably busy. I’ll have to rain check on this one but you guys have fun.”

There was silence on the phone for a moment before Madeline’s voice traveled through the speaker, her tone of voice held a hint of frustration and annoyance, “I know it’s been hard but you’re going to have to let people help you, Rafe won’t always be here. This is a prime example.”

You were stunned by her words, completely catching you off guard. You knew she could be blunt and up front but this was a sensitive topic.

“Until you have a son of your own, you don’t get to tell me what to do. Especially after someone beat him like a punching bag,” You said as you hung up abruptly. You set the phone down roughly on the kitchen counter while your hands came to rest on the top, your back turned to Asher. You closed your eyes once you started to feel the sting of tears. You dropped your head to your chest and counted to ten. You could feel yourself shaking as you tried to block out the images of seeing him in the hospital, the bruises, the blood. You could still hear Rafe’s frantic voice over the phone telling you to meet him at the hospital. It was the worst day of your life.

“Mommy?”

You sucked in a deep breath and quickly wiped your eyes before turning around. Asher was staring at you with wide eyes from the kitchen table, his drawing abandoned, “Yes, baby?”

He squinted his big green eyes at you, like he knew something was off but couldn’t explain it, “You seem sad. Like when I can’t find my favorite tractor.”

A laugh you couldn’t stop escaped from you, your hand coming up to cover your mouth as you started smiling, “Mommy’s okay. I promise. I was just counting to ten.”

You could see his little mind was going a mile a minute trying to make sure you weren’t lying to him. You always told him lying was frowned upon and that you should always tell the truth. He was a very intelligent toddler for only being three years old. He was very observant too, something he inherited from his father.

“Like you and daddy showed me when I get sad?” Asher quietly asked you. Your heart squeezed in your chest as he recalled what you and Rafe had taught him.

“Yes, baby. That’s exactly right,” you smiled sadly at him. It was something you and Rafe had taught him when he would get upset and didn’t know how to control his emotions. You had taught him to close his eyes and then slowly count to ten, with the hope that it would help clear his mind. After he had calmed down, you and Rafe would sit down with him while he tried to explain what he was feeling so you both could help him through it. Most of the time it worked.

“But that means you were sad mommy,” He furrowed his eyebrows at you while sliding off the chair, making his way towards you. Once he reached you, he wrapped both arms around your waist and hugged you tightly.

You gently put your hand on the top of his head, stroking his hair out of his face while you smiled down at him. You had so much love for this little boy. You were suppose to be there for him, protecting him and here he was doing it for you.

You squat down to your knees so you’re face to face and hug him closer. You wrap your arms around his shoulders and kiss his temple, “You are the sweetest little boy, Asher Cameron.”

You heard him giggle against your neck, “Daddy said I had to take care of you while he was gone since I’m the man of the house now.”

“Did he?” You say as you pull away from the hug, your eyebrows raising as you grin at him.

He nods excitedly. Just as you were about to respond, your computer starts to ring from the living room coffee table.

Asher instantly grabs your hand and drags you into the living room, dinner abandoned on the counter tops. You both plop down on the couch as Asher opens your laptop to an incoming FaceTime call from Rafe.

“It’s daddy!” Asher squealed while you laughed and pushed the green accept call button. Rafes face instantly popped up on screen. You could tell he was sitting against the headboard of his bed in the hotel room. He was currently in New York closing on a deal with a big corporation. As soon as you and Asher came into view, Rafe had a soft smile on his face.

“Hey big man, you taking care of mommy?”

Asher nodded his head and scooted closer to the screen to get closer to his father, “I am! I’m the man of the house now daddy, that’s what you said.”

You smiled at your son, shaking your head. Seeing Rafe and Asher interact never failed to give you butterflies. He was such a good dad to Asher. He always made time for him, no matter where he was. It made your heart squeeze in your chest in the best way possible.

You could hear Rafe’s laugh through the computer as he responded, “I did. It’s a big job I can only trust you with.”

“You can trust me daddy!” Your son said seriously, hand saluting to the computer. Rafe saluted back with a big smile on his face. Before Rafe could say anything more, Asher started talking about his tractor drawing he was working on before dinner. You gently sat back against the couch, tucking your knees underneath you as you watched the father and son talk back and forth. Asher was speaking fast and talking with his hands as he got excited about his drawing he couldn’t wait to show Rafe. It warmed your heart, this was exactly what you needed after the phone call with Madeline.

“And then mommy had to count to ten so I gave her a hug like you do when I get sad.”

Your eyes went wide as Asher recalled what happened in the kitchen just moments ago. Rafe’s attention shifted to you in the corner of the screen as he furrowed his eyebrows, talking a bit slower now, “You did good buddy. Just like we taught you. Why don’t you go finish your drawing so it’ll be done when I get home tomorrow, yeah?”

Asher immediately jumped up from the couch, briefly saying goodbye to his dad on the laptop before zooming to the kitchen table to do as his dad said. Once he was seated, you turned your attention back to Rafe who was already watching you. You leaned forward slightly to turn the volume down. You knew this conversation wasn’t for little ears.

“Anything you want to talk about?” Rafe quietly asked. He didn’t want to push you but he wanted to be there for you. It was a fine line he had been walking since Asher was born. You weren’t in a relationship but you still trusted him more than anyone else.

You glance back to make sure Asher was occupied before speaking softly, “Madeline called earlier. She just said some things that she shouldn’t have. Made me think about what happened.”

Even through the laptop screen, you could see Rafe’s jaw clench. His eyes slightly narrowing as he tried to think about what Madeline had said to you. He had never been fond of Madeline. He thought she was self centered and blunt. Not the kind of good blunt where people needed to hear the truth, it was the kind of blunt where she hurt people’s feelings on purpose to get what she wanted. She was what he classified as a mean girl. He didn’t understand why you were still friends with her but every time he brought it up you demanded he drop it.

Before Rafe could say anything you started talking again, “I already know what you’re thinking and after what was said I don’t think we’ll be hanging out anytime soon.”

“Good. Never liked the bitch anyways,” Rafe was smug when he responded. You rolled your eyes and checked on Asher to make sure he didn’t hear the swear word despite the volume being low.

Rafe hesitated before he spoke next, “Are you okay though?”

“Yeah, I’ll be okay,” You paused briefly before continuing, “I don’t know if you’ve heard but I’ve got a man of the house looking after me now,” You grinned as you brought your elbows to lay on your knees, hands resting under your chin.

Rafe let out a big, booming laugh. His hand came into the screen as he ran it across his chin, a huge grin sliding across his face, “The only man I’ll allow to take my place until I get back.”

You paused as you studied his face and his comment. Despite you two not being together, you did flirt back and forth with each other. It was just natural, you couldn’t stop it if you tried. Just because you weren’t together didn’t mean you no longer found him attractive and as he got older, he only got hotter. The buzz cut he got about a year ago was still your favorite look and made your mouth water.

“The only man you’ll allow, huh?” You countered back, a smirk tugging at your lips.

“Thats right, sweetheart. Don’t act like you got someone else. Besides, Asher would’ve spilled already,” He winked at you. You quietly laughed because you knew it was true. Asher and Rafe were two peas in a pod.

“Yeah I’m aware. My own son would sell me out,” You shook your head as you glanced down at your feet, smiling.

“As long as you have us, you don’t need another man,” Rafe said confidently, shrugging his shoulders.

“Like I want another man. You two are handfuls already,” You couldn’t even imagine starting a new relationship. Having to introduce them to Asher and Rafe. That just sounds like an experience you’d rather not go through. While Rafe was respectful of your boundaries, he still could get very jealous whether you two were dating or not. The good thing was you had no desire to start dating again. Your main focus was your son.

“And don’t you forget it,” He chuckled as he glanced at his watch, yawning. He started stretching his arms above his head as he said, “I should get some sleep. Early flight tomorrow.”

You nodded your head, tucking the hair behind your ear as it started to fall, “Get some rest. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Rafe said his goodbyes and ended the phone call. You closed the laptop as you got up from the couch, ready to finish dinner. As you walked to the stove, you noticed Asher was almost done with his drawing. As you got closer, you could see he had drawn three stick figures in the corner of the page. One of the taller stick figures had long hair, which you assumed was you while the other stick figure stood taller than the rest. The last of the stick figures was small with green eyes, just like your son.

“Is that mommy and daddy holding your hands, baby?”

Asher nodded without glancing at you, too determined to finish his artwork, “You think daddy will like it?”

You leaned down to press a kiss to the top of his head, the love you have for your three year old bursting out of your chest, “Daddy will love it.”

Part 4

[wandaverse]

playing with fire.

— buff firefighter!wanda x college student!reader

— summary: the 5 times you meet and the 1 time wanda lights a different kind of fire

— tags: pure fluff, major horniness, implied smut

— word count: 1,252 words

1. the first time you meet is late at night when there’s a fire in your dorm.

someone down the hall sets fire to their microwave trying to heat up a burrito. deeply asleep with fatigue from the week’s intense assessments, you don’t hear the screeching alarms.

without hesitation, a chilvarous wanda arrives at the scene and kicks down your door, carrying you out bridal style. wanda’s not complaining, not with the way you sleepily nuzzle into the safety of her neck.

through your sleepy haze you wonder who the buff woman carrying you out the building is, she smells like smoked cedar with faint hints of sea salt. you decide that you like this scent and the warmth that accompanies it.

2. you next meet at a sorority party gone wrong.

your friends get the stupid idea of trying fire breathing. the only thing you end up breathing though is clouds of smoke when your sorority house almost burns down. wanda arrives in the nick of time in her blaring red truck and douses the flames.

something else ignites within you though when you meet her properly for the first time, awake and certainly alert. you take in the sight of her breathless figure after rushing to fight the flames. so this is who saved you that night in your dorm… oh.

wanda is not particularly amused at you and your friends’ irresponsible antics. you shrink under the weight of her disapproving gaze, but also can’t help but cheekily grin. wanda can’t stay upset, she has to admit you look cute with ash all over your face.

3. your paths cross again when you notice a kitten stuck in a tree while studying on your campus’ lawn.

after many futile rescue attempts, you call emergency services and once again your knight in shining armour (or rather, reflective PPE) arrives. she gallantly climbs her ladder and saves the kitten. you don’t deny enjoying the view of her sunkissed skin when she takes off her jacket to swaddle the kitten.

afterwards, wanting to prolong the encounter, wanda asks if you want to ride with her in her fire truck to drop the kitten off at the nearest vet. you excitedly accept her offer and enjoy the trip around the city. wanda secretly steals fond glances at you, looking adorable with the kitten in your lap.

4. the next time you meet is not in the face of life threatening danger, but rather danger to your self-composure.

on a regular trip to the supermarket, you pass the row of calendars and your eyes land on a familiar face on the annual westview firefighters calendar sold for charity. you can’t ignore the curiosity that compels you to take a sneaky peak at its contents.

your cheeks instantly burn red when you turn to february’s page and find your favourite firefighter scantily clad and leaving little to the imagination. standing in a shallow pool of water with flames raging around her, wanda poses with an axe slung across her shoulders, wearing only a black training bra and her firefighter pants. her buff arms and unsurprisingly toned abs are on show as she stares directly at you the camera. you fight the urge to bite your lip at her flexed muscles, her sunkissed skin, the shine of her sweat mixing with ash. you’ve never felt so taken before, you forget your bearings for a second.

that is, until you hear a familiar voice call out your name.

your ears register her presence before your eyes and you quickly shut the calendar, throwing it back on the shelf as if its touch has burned you. you ready to make an excuse until you finally look up and find the firefighter just as scantily clad as, if not more than, her outfit in the calendar’s photoshoot.

wanda approaches you, seemingly in her post-workout fit and you have to stop yourself from drooling at the sight of her sweaty and taut arms and abs, only this time in real life. god, the photo doesn’t even do her justice. wanda calls out your name again with a husky laugh and your blush profusely, realising you’ve been caught ogling her not once but twice.

5. you meet once again when you move out to an apartment near campus and decide to cook dinner for yourself.

you quickly realise that you actually have no idea how to cook when your entire kitchen ends up in flames. wanda arrives just in time and puts out the grease fire. for a second, you can’t help but question fate. it’s as if there’s only one firefighter in all of westview with the way wanda always finds her way back to you. you’re not complaining though.

she turns to you and scolds you for your carelessness, but not before checking that you’re okay and not hurt by the wild fire. your heart secretly skips a beat at the continued display of care. ever the prince charming, isn’t she?

before she leaves for the next emergency, though, she asks you out for dinner instead. unsurprisingly, you say yes.

+1. the evening of your first date arrives.

you’re lounging on the couch in your apartment watching a sitcom when you hear a knock on your window. wanda has climbed up the fire escape and asks to be let in like a lost kitten. you lift open the window with a laugh and she tells you that she’s set up a picnic under the stars on the rooftop. she escorts you back out the window and up the fire escape. you giggle adoringly at her antics.

the evening goes well as you two happily find that the spark between you wasn’t imagined and isn’t going to fizzle out anytime soon. conversation flows naturally and you enjoy the food wanda has cooked for you. she jokes that at least one of you can cook, which earns her a playful slap. but when you reach over to do so, you accidentally knock over a candle and almost burn the entire picnic blanket. the fire is quickly avoided though thanks to wanda’s quick reflexes. she gives you a humuored tsk, but you secretly revel in her display of protection.

the evening comes to an end as the city around you calms down and the stars settle in for the night. wanda escorts you down the fire escape once again and the butterflies in your stomach continue to take flight. when you reach your window, you turn to wanda and thank her for the evening, for thinking of such a lovely idea and packing such a delightful picnic. when you place a goodbye kiss on her lips though and she takes you in her arms, you quickly realise that that’s not the only thing she’s packed.

wanda pulls back and blushes sheepishly at your realisation, but it’s enough to set you off. all night you’ve been teased with the sight of her shirt lifting and showing the slightest glimpse of her abs, the tight fit of her t-shirt’s sleeve around her arms, the simple yet alluringly attractive way she runs her fingers through her hair. she’s been teasing you all night and you decide that you’ve had enough. you quickly engulf her in kisses and pull her boldly through your window.

your night rages on and as the flaming sun begins to rise, wanda pleasantly learns that there’s one particular fire that she just can’t put out.

the end.

[orellazalonia]

⋆༺Bucky Barnes Masterlist༻⋆

Each of these are Bucky Barnes x reader. Will only be specifying any unique pairings/AU’s.

Main Masterlist

Keys | Fluff ✿ | Angst ⛆ | Dark 𓉸 | Hurt/Comfort ❦

Word Count| 600-900 ✦ | 1k+ ✪ | 2k+ ꕤ | 3k+ 𖤓 |Favorites ⏾

Series:

✿⛆❦ Whispers of the Gifted (Masterlist)

A collection of different one-shots with reader having different powers or abilities, each in their own universe. ⏾

✿ Earth’s Mightiest Headache (Masterlist)

A collection of different one-shots with an unhinged reader as a chaotic whirlwind of misplaced confidence, untraceable knowledge, and genuine good intentions. (Bucky Barnes x chaotic!reader) ⏾

⛆ The One You Don’t See (Masterlist)

An ongoing story following you, the quiet presence who keeps everything running, always helping but never truly seen or included.

✿ Shapeshifting Shenanigans (Masterlist)

A collection of different one-shots with a shapeshifter reader causing various mischief, running into precarious situations, and being an absolute menace in feline form. (Bucky Barnes x shapeshifter!reader)

✿⛆ His Sweetheart (Masterlist)

You were just the sunshine girl behind the counter: soft, sweet, and unaware that the quiet man who never missed his coffee order ran the city's darkest empire. (Mafia!Bucky Barnes x Sweetheart!reader)

Multiple Parts:

𓉸 Obsessive Love & Devoted Possession

You and Bucky Barnes fall into a quiet but intense obsession with each other. While your love is sweet, watchful, and clingy beneath a gentle surface, Bucky’s affection turns darker and more possessive. (Yandere Bucky Barnes x Yandere!reader) ✪

⛆ Even If You Forget & I’ll Still Love You

After a mission gone wrong, you lose all memory of your relationship with Bucky. Even though it pains him to the core with grief, he stays by your side and quietly swears he’ll always love you no matter what happens. ꕤ⏾

✿ Out of Time, Into Our Lives [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

A teen girl suddenly appears at the Avengers compound claiming to be from the future. While she tries to avoid revealing too much, she accidentally and subtly drops hints about her life, her siblings, and the deep bond she shares with you and Bucky Barnes both. ꕤ⏾

𓉸 Crimson Waters, Stolen Hearts [Part 1] [Part 2]

Captain Bucky Barnes, a feared yet controlled pirate, captures you, the beloved daughter of a powerful trading magnate. But even though he claims it’s only for ransom, his eyes linger too long, his commands soften in your presence, and what began as strategy begins to feel like something he doesn’t want to let go of. (Pirate AU | Captain!Bucky Barnes x reader)

⛆ Borrowed Time [Part 1] [Part 2] [Alternate Ending]

You and Bucky fell in love quietly and deeply, the kind of love that felt like coming home after war. But when you were diagnosed with a terminal illness, you chose to protect him the only way you knew how: by leaving before he could watch you fade. (Bucky Barnes x terminally ill!reader)

Fics/One-Shots:

✿ Prank Wars

You and Bucky Barnes start as chaotic, bickering frenemies locked in a prank war filled with glitter bombs, insults, and grudging teamwork before evolving into a sharp-edged romance. (Bucky Barnes x Avenger!reader) 𖤓

✿ Covert Attraction

When S.H.I.E.L.D. pairs Bucky Barnes with you, a sharp-tongued, effortlessly flirtatious field agent, it's supposed to be a simple mission: infiltrate a suspected Hydra front in Prague by posing as a newlywed couple. The assignment is all business until it isn't. (Bucky Barnes x flirty!reader) 𖤓

⛆ Tangled Threads

You’ve always felt the red string of fate for better or worse, but when it finally leads you to Bucky Barnes; both of you avoid each other, too afraid of ruining the other. Over time, the unspoken tension wears you both down until a forced confrontation finally brings the truth out. (Soulmate AU! | Bucky Barnes x reader) 𖤓

✿ Drenched in Starlight

You’re a sharp-tongued chorus girl unexpectedly paired with studio golden boy Bucky Barnes for a rain-drenched musical number that sparks something real. As old flames, studio politics, and the glare of fame close in, you and Bucky fight to hold onto the love that bloomed quietly behind the scenes. (Singin’ in the Rain AU | Bucky Barnes x reader) 𖤓

⛆❦ Stayed Through It All

You’d spent most of your life convinced you were too quiet, too much, not enough for anyone to stay. But then Bucky Barnes started showing up in your life slowly and gradually became the first person who made you feel like you didn’t have to be anyone or anything else to be enough. 𖤓

❦ Simple Solace

You duck into a quiet bookstore one rainy day, desperate to escape the cameras. There, you meet a man who doesn’t recognize your face or ask for your name. 𖤓

𓉸 The Soft Thing He Shouldn’t Have Touched

You were supposed to be just another protection assignment for Bucky Barnes: high-risk, high-reward, but temporary. However, what begins begins as quiet protection turns into control and the man assigned to keep you alive becomes the one rewriting the boundaries of your freedom. (Bodyguard AU | Dark!Bucky Barnes x reader) 𖤓

⛆❦ The Silence Between Us

When a mission goes wrong and you resort to bad habits, one of the last teammates you expected finds you. (Bucky Barnes x Avengers!reader) ꕤ

⛆ The Solstitial Truce

You met him at the border between realms every solstice, simply watching the stars together. Two entities out of place, bound by quiet conversation and the kind of silence that speaks more than words ever could. (Demon!Bucky Barnes x Angel!reader) ꕤ

⛆❦ Exactly As You Are

You slowly form a tender, deeply emotional relationship with Bucky Barnes. Despite fears of being a burden, he stays, proving with quiet strength and unwavering presence that love doesn’t need to be perfect to be real. ꕤ⏾

𓉸 Again

You live in a carefully constructed world with Bucky Barnes, unaware he’s been resetting your memories every time you try to leave him. Each time you begin to remember the truth, he gently erases it, cloaking control in affection. To you, it feels like love. To him, it is. (Yandere Bucky Barnes x reader) ꕤ

⛆ The Kind That Leaves

You’re an emotionally distant, nomadic colleague known for disappearing without notice. Bucky Barnes, quiet and observant, notices anyway. He never asks you to stay, but he never stops waiting for you to come back and stay. And, for the first time, you’re starting to wonder if you actually might. ꕤ

✿ Just a Kiss

In the quiet moments between missions, Bucky Barnes finds clever (and sometimes painful) excuses to spend time with you, the medic who keeps him patched up and grounded. (Flirty!Bucky Barnes x reader) ꕤ

✿ Misfire

Bucky Barnes accidentally botches a summoning ritual, leaving you, a laidback, powerful demon, permanently tethered to him and stranded in the mortal world. (Bucky Barnes x demon!reader) ꕤ

⛆ Until the Ship Went Down

You and Bucky Barnes board the Titanic as newlyweds, leaving behind a life of war and uncertainty in hopes of a peaceful new beginning in America. However, on the fourth night, the illusion of a new life shatters as the Titanic strikes the iceberg. (Titanic AU! | Bucky Barnes x reader) ꕤ⏾

❦ The Quiet Anchor

You’ve always been good at hiding your anxiety behind polite smiles and steady composure. Bucky Barnes notices what no one else does as his quiet presence becomes your anchor, a place where you don’t have to pretend and where being seen doesn’t feel like being exposed. ꕤ

✿⛆ A Love For All Time

When you accidentally time-travel to 1943 Brooklyn, you meet a young pre-war Bucky who doesn’t recognize you, but feels an uncanny, unshakable pull toward you. ꕤ

✿⛆ In Another Life

Bucky Barnes lost you during WWII, and for decades, he buried the grief deep beneath war, silence, and survival. When Wanda creates her new life in Westview, her overwhelming sorrow unknowingly taps into his own, conjuring a second pocket reality where you’re alive and waiting for him untouched by pain or time. (Wandavision AU | Bucky Barnes x reader) ꕤ

✿❦ Worth Fighting For

After being diagnosed with polio in 1940s Brooklyn, you quietly endure cruel stares and mocking until Bucky Barnes steps in as the first to defend you, then to stay. Protective, possessive, and unexpectedly gentle, Bucky becomes the one constant in your life who never treats you like you're broken, only like you’re his. (Possessive!Bucky Barnes x reader) ꕤ

𓉸 To Love and Lie

In 1940s Brooklyn, you're a devoted housewife blissfully unaware that your charming husband, Bucky Barnes, is secretly the head of HYDRA. As small cracks begin to show and your curiosity grows, Bucky works to gently steer you away from the truth while your friends Steve and Peggy, who know everything, say nothing. (1940s AU | Soft!Dark!Bucky Barnes x Housewife!reader) ꕤ

𓉸 Because He Always Knows

You're close friends with Bucky Barnes, trusting his quiet, protective nature. What you don’t know is that Bucky is secretly obsessed with you. And he’ll do anything to keep you safe, close, and his. (Yandere Bucky Barnes x reader) ✪⏾

✿❦ Love Letters in the Smoke

During his rehabilitation, Bucky writes anonymous letters to process his thoughts. One night, he drops one at your circus campfire by mistake. You write back as a pen-pal romance begins. (Bucky Barnes x aerialist!reader) ✪

⛆❦ Stay for Everything

After a terrible doctor’s appointment where you were dismissed and invalidated, Bucky doesn’t push you to talk. Instead, he brings you home, quietly cooks your favorite comfort food, and offers gentle presence. (Bucky Barnes x chronically ill!reader) ✪

✿ Wounded Pride

When Bucky overhears you referring to him as not exactly being a badass, he over dramatically makes sure you don’t forget what was said. ✪⏾

⛆❦ Quiet in the Storm

After experiencing a sudden flashback, you spiral into panic. However, Bucky stays calm and gently grounds you, reminding you that you're safe. He offers comfort without pressure, reassuring you that you're not broken and never have to face things alone. ✪

[NSFW, MINORS DNI] Yearning Warmth

The first time Bucky initiates something more with you. ✪

⛆❦ Hold Me Still

You spend the day convincing yourself you're fine, pushing through crowded spaces and overstimulation until the quiet of home cracks you open. (Bucky Barnes x anxious!reader) ✪

✿ Stars, Stripes, and Secret Birthdays

Steve Rogers once claimed July 4th was his birthday in a moment of patriotic panic and now, decades later, he's trapped in an annual circus of fireworks and singing cakes while Bucky Barnes, who knows his real birthday, watches it all unfold alongside you with ruthless amusement.

✿ Date Prank

You prank your boyfriend Bucky Barnes by texting him not to forget “date night,” even though no such date exists. ✦

✿ Arm Dilemma

Your first time catching Bucky using the dishwasher to wash his metal arm. (Husband!Bucky Barnes x reader) ✦

Blurbs/Drabbles: (599 words or less.)

✿ Left Alone with the Air Fryer

You leave him home alone with a new air fryer and strict instructions not to use it. He does it anyways.

✿ Target Acquired

You go to Target with your supersoldier boyfriend for one item. You never would have thought the man who survived hell and back would succumb to the Target effect.

✿ Haunted House

You take Bucky to a haunted house. While you add dramatic flare to the experience, he is completely unphased.

[doberbutts]

Back on my bullshit about games that The Gamers (derogatory) really fucking hate for transparently bigoted reasons:

Dragon Age: The Veilguard:

It was... okay? I played Origins thru Inquisition back when Inq came out and actually did not like Origins very much at all and to this day refuse to replay it for various reasons. Some of it is a bit unfair because I went in blind and my origin choice really locked me out of understanding some of the lore until I played the sequels, but some of it is simply problems I had with the game itself. I did love 2- and am FenHawke forever- and liked Inquisition much better than Origins but not as much as 2.

Mostly my feelings on Veilguard is that it took too long to get here, and thus most of the fire they lit after Inq has burned out. The audience is now significantly more reactionary and deeply entrenched in a bigoted mindset, and what was hard to swallow for 2 and Inq fans has now become completely intolerable by the same players who have been playing a "it is morally wrong to hate people over demographics" story the entire time. This is where we get the people complaining that it's preachy and heavy-handed. It really isn't any more than the other games, though perhaps it's lost a bit of the subtlety of the previous writers due to changes within the writers' room itself.

Otherwise things like lore changes? Those I distinctly recall being hinted at in Inquisition that what Origins and 2 had sold us was not a correct version of the lore. Now perhaps I am more forgiving of the bait and switch because I am a JRPG veteran and JRPGs love doing that, but that's just natural story progression to me. Yes, everything we knew about the elves, the titans, the religions, even the fade itself is different now. Solas has been telling us since Inquisition that we were wrong about this stuff. So to say "they changed it" now feels a little silly, because we have been told already that it was changing.

Gameplay? Eh, it's alright. I would have preferred a more open world but they seemed to like the 2 mechanic of having pre-defined maps and paths. Combat? It's not the most revolutionary and I do actually miss having 3 companions to bounce off of instead of 2 but I had no overall problems with it. I wish there was more interaction between the companions- one of the reasons I stuck around long enough to finish Origins was because I thought Morrigan was hilarious in her banter. I wish the choices felt a bit more punchy, I wish there were more previous game tie-ins, I wish we had actually gut-punch reactions to some of the more gut-punch worthy things.

I thought that D'meta's Crossing was wonderful, as was the chaos of Weisshaupt. I thought Neve's anger and grief and bitterness at the destruction of Dock Town was fantastic, especially for my Shadow Dragon Rook. I wish we had that a bit more often- it seemed like a lot of going "well that sucks, anyway-" in terms of rolling with the punches. Give me an Emmrich completely broken down and barely holding on by a thread as he decides what to do with Manfred. We had Taash screaming into the distance in grief- and mentioning in banter that they were still grieving, but not The Guy Who Fears Death And Has Big Emotions when faced with an ultimatum? Harding barely mentions a crisis of religion and then immediately drops it- give me the devout and religious Harding struggling to come to terms with what this means for her understanding of the Andrastian religion. Give me Bellara having a crisis of faith regarding the elven gods after everything she's been through. Give me the companion's panic at losing so many members during one of the climax and their flood of relief when they find Rook again. Something! Anything! Whre are my punches!!!

So many people are so bothered by Taash and I just don't understand it. Sten also is abrasive and rude for the majority of his time in Origins, and the Arishok was notably cruel and got off to torturing people. Bull himself says this is pretty common for qunari, especially members of the Antaam, and that the reason he isn't a member of the Antaam is because he was different enough to be able to lie and put on a pleasant face. And even he gets off to sadomasicistic kink and canonically gets horny whenever he kills things or gets hit but especially when it's a dragon involved. And people are surprised by Taash's... everything??? Yeah that's just how qunari are, everyone except Bull has been Like That and Bull himself tells you why.

I do think at times the language is too modern compared to previous games- but this isn't about the nonbinary vs trans vs a fantasy term for it discussion. The way the characters speak is often outside of the established cadence of the world, with exception to Emmrich who had a lot of care put into the way he talks.

The plot is... alright? Again, it didn't blow me away and was fairly predictable knowing that we were heading into something like this at the end of Inquisition. I would have loved more twists and turns, but again I am a JRPG guy and twists and turns are the JRPG bread and butter. Honestly that's sort of the problem I have with the entire game- I would have liked more. At every point it was like they came close to doing something really impactful, really lasting, really great... and then at the last minute pivoted away from that for something with less bite. No! You have teeth! Use them! Why are we de-fanging the series that made people argue for 10 years whether you should spare or kill Loghain????

All in all I think a 7 or 8 ish out of 10- it was fun, I enjoyed it, I am 100% an Old Man Fucker apparently, it gave us a lot of firsts and overall I'm not upset that I spent time playing it or investing my energy in it. But I wish it had a little more oomph, so it loses a more solid rating because I kept wanting it to be a bit more than it turned out to be.

[lonely-and-thirsty]

Today my Master has explained to this Cunt that orgasms are no longer for free! So, for the first week of the February this Cunt must pay for everytime she comes by saying smtg disgusting or humiliating about herself.

This Cunt should also force herself to orgasm at least five times while imagining getting fucked by disturbing and unpleasant males met offline.

The game is started!

ORGASM PAYMENT:

~ this cunt is a needy crybaby, spanking herself as a reward for being whorish enough

~ this cunt is a cheap whore, dreaming of becoming a public free use toy

~ this cunt is a pathetic ashtray, rubbing to the thought of public humiliation

~ this cunt is a degradee with a sloppy hole, needing to take a rubbing break while making a list of five worst males she should have spread her legs for

~ this cunt is a submissive coward, easy to blackmail and ready to lick dirty boots while shaking in fear

~ this cunt is a dumb primitive bitch, driven by her carnal need to feel a cock pressing to her cervix and filling her with cum

~ this cunt is a disgusting freak whose status should be made public so that anyone on the street could act with her accordingly

~ this cunt is a public toilet with a gaping asshole, ready to be abused and punished for pretending to be a male bottom

~ this cunt is a rapebait, acting like a victim to bring violence upon herself and deserving to get violently gangraped threatened with her life

STRANGER SUBMISSION:

1.

There's been that customer this week… A weird guy. Offputting. Sometimes you just know the person is shady just by the way they look at you. That one was even hinting that he's a criminal while we smocked together. "There're different ways to push different people", he said. "See how much I can tell about you already without knowing you", he said. "You're a nice guy. Good customer service. I'll return", he said.

He hasn't returned, but I've felt anxious till the end of the shift for no reason. It's not like he's actually guessed anything right about me, not a single thing. But he was unpleasant and smug and extremely creepy. I honestly don't want to meet him ever again.

What if I will, though? What if he did guess stuff right? Precisely about me being a female. How would it feel to get railed by someone so subtly creepy while allegedly non-violent?

2.

That was a brief encounter, but deeply annoying. Young dude, almost a boy, I'd say. Spoke to me about his girlfriend in a degrading way. One of those men who ridicule the mere idea that a female sexuality is something more than craving a dick.

"She wants a sex toy, can you believe it? I'll get her the cheapest and smallest dildo, she'll remember to only want a real thing". I rolled my eyes: sure, dude. I thought that he obviously has a small dick if he's so disappointed that he can't find a dildo small enough for his plan. I hoped the girl will drop him after that shitty present. I haven't had time to be annoyed out loud though, so I just brushed it and minded my own business.

What if I confronted him? What if it slipped that I know what females want in bed first hand? How easy would it be for him to prove me wrong? How embarrassing it would be to come, clenching over his tiny cock?

3.

A scary neighbor. I knew him briefly, not like we've been properly introduced. There's always this aggressive one, blowing up on anyone who breaths the wrong way. He's a veteran, that's probably the reason why his short temper does feel like actual danger somewhere deep in my guts.

He's yelled at me once when I was walking a dog for a friend and it barked in the direction of some child. I apologized and rushed home. I tried to reason with my fear by thinking how ridiculous he was. It wasn't even his child, and said child wasn't frightened by the dog at all. It wasn't any of his business, but he's somehow viewing himself as the guardian of the neighborhood peace. All barking, no biting, just like my friend's dog. Still, I've shivered. Still, my heart was beating too fast for a good hour and I kept thinking of what I should have said if he proceeded bugging me. Of how I could have tried to calm him down to defend myself.

What if he did proceeded? Whould it be me calming him down or him punishing me? How much of a danger to the kids would he find me after finding out what's in my pants?

4.

That clingy guy at the gay bar. Not to the point of harrasment, so I've tolerated him trying to seduce me for a while but too handsy not to be yakky.

Just a normal person, I guess, but I was deeply uncomfortable by all the touching and found him generally not attractive, not my type at all. We've parted peacefully, though he seemed rather offended by me not going along with what he's probably seen as playing shy or hard to get.

And I've left feeling a bit gross and a bit sorry that I've rejected the chance to get sex. Sometimes you have to choose between doing it with someone you're not really into or not doing it at all. And I rarely choose the latest.

What if I decided to do it? What if he got disappointed even more after revealing my anatomy? How would I bear being gross for someone I find gross myself? Would the humiliation he'll put me through differ if he was gay or bi?

5.

And the one that was actually bad. I was scared for my life, not able to escape that man if he decided to harm me. It was at my previous work place, me alone at the night shift at the shop. He comes in, boss me around in a typical middle age ex-gangsta way. Displeasing, but not too scary. One of those customers you should entertain for hours while they feel important and dominant because of your politeness. The thing is — it really lasted for hours. And he was a ranging homophobe in the middle of the crusade for "fracking up fags". There was a car waiting for him, I saw it through a window. Three other guys like him, younger by the looks, his subordinates. I chatted with him, he liked me to the extent of giving me his number in case I need to beat the shit out of someone. After he left, I wanted to throw up from stress. I was tired with my whole body from tension, because that could have ended really badly for me, if he has clocked me out. I had dodged a bullet.

But… What if I didn't?

UPD: There's only one day left and I'm still to fulfill my second task. Meaning I'd have to spend most of that day fucking myself in different ways, remembering all the worst males I've encountered in a raw.

Sounds like a potentially mindbreaking experience. Wish me luck and send me encouragements. I'll probably cum to anything you send me in such state <3

Stay tuned as I'll try to wright down everything in detail!

[asnowdriftsomewhere]

Daylight pt5

Cassian x F!reader

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

AN: Sorry, this one took so long. I got stuck for a bit and wasn't sure where to go next. But its here now! And i hope you enjoy it!

Summary: Cassian and Mor have a conversation along the Sidra. You have a decision to make.

Warnings: none? I dont think so at least

Word count: 1985

“I just don't know what to do about Y/N” Cassian sighed, running a hand through his hair as he leaned back in his seat.

“Why do anything?” Mor asked, sitting across from him at their preferred café along the Sidra. She was enjoying a small strawberry cake the owner had given her for free and seemed to beam with every bite. Cassian took her smiles and let them settle against his soul. Warming his bones from the chill that had burrowed so deeply into him that nothing could fight against it.

It had been that way since Y/N had disappeared before his very eyes, two days earlier. Like a ghost or mirage, he'd watched her fade into nothing and had been too stunned to even reach out a hand. Cassian hadn't seen her since, not even catching a hint of her scent in the hall or the dining room. If it wasn't for Rhys checking in with Clotho that morning he wouldn't even know if she was still in Velaris or if she'd somehow convinced Helion to send her to another Court to continue her research.

The whole thing left him feeling unstable in a way he didn't particularly care for. Like he was missing something right in front of him. Something vital. But no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't uncover the problem, the source of his discomfort. He could feel it, a strange amorphous shape just beyond his reach. Like a word on the tip of his tongue.

It'd been driving him mad, this feeling in his gut. Twisting anxiety and bone deep dread that touched every part of him. Keeping him from sleep, roaring in his head no matter how much he trained and centered himself. He knew why he couldn't shake it, what nightmares it triggered within him. But this was different. There was no war, and this was not a battlefield with the lives of good males in the balance. There was just a female he hardly knew and who wanted nothing to do with him. So why his body was reacting like this he couldn't for the life of him understand.

“I just–” he sighed, looking up to the summer sky above, clear and vast, “There's something about her I can't put my finger on. I can't explain it but…” he trailed off, his words truly failing him as he looked back to her.

Mor was watching him curiously. Her deep brown eyes trailing over him as if assessing a wounded friend before flicking up to meet his gaze again. “You're really undone by this female, aren't you?”

“There's something wrong,” his jaw clenched, “I just don't know what.”

She seemed to consider him for a moment. “If you want,” she began slowly, her tongue flicking over the metal of her fork to wipe away the last bits of pink frosting, “I could talk to her. Get to the bottom of whatever’s bothering you.”

He leveled his gaze at her, “Mor–”

“What?” She raised her hands in innocence. “It's just an offer. Besides, I haven't met her yet, and seeing as she's living with you and Az, it's my job to make sure she's not a secret murderer or something.”

He scoffed, “As if Rhys would have let her over the border if he thought something was off. AND she's one of Helion's advisors. How dangerous do you think she can be?”

“Rhys doesn't always make the best decisions when it comes to who we ally with.” Mor’s voice dropped as her gaze fell to the now empty plate in front of her. That familiar discomfort sparked in his chest as he thought about the tension between his brother and the female across from him. Their once easy and loving relationship now strained in a way Cassian didn't know if they could recover from. He wanted to help if he could, but he also knew that this was something for them to figure out. He couldn't fix it, only they could.

“But besides that,” Mor continued, pulling out that smile that he knew sent lesser males to their knees. “You sometimes forget how powerful knowledge can be. If Helion wasn't our ally, his Court would be our most dangerous enemy.”

Cassian sighed, letting the tension in him flow out as she spoke. “You're right, but I still dont think she's a danger to me or Az. Besides, he's still off in the continent doing Cauldron knows what. Rhys doesn't even know when he'll be back.”

She frowned at that, “He's been gone for months.”

“Oh I'm aware,” he shrugged, “Maybe he'll be back for the Summer Solstice. That's in a few weeks.”

Her frown didn't budge, “He better be. Tarquin said they only way he's allowing you back into the Summer Court is if Azriel's there to stick by your side and make sure you don't get into any trouble.”

“It was ONE building!”

Her lips curved into a smirk, “Apparently it was an important building.”

Cassian rolled his eyes, “Hardly.”

Mor's expression turned pointed, “Don’t think I've forgotten what this little talk of ours was originally about. The female that has you all twisted up inside.”

“It'll be fine,” he leaned back in his seat, splaying his wings slightly to warm them in the summer sun. “Y/N isn't a problem.”

She didn't seem convinced, “Regardless, you should invite her to dinner tonight at the River House. I'd like to meet the female that has you utterly baffled. I think we'll be great friends.”

“She spends all her time in the library below the house,” he rolled his eyes again but smiled slightly. “I don't even see her most days.” But even as he said it, he felt something stir in him. The question flickering to life within his soul: Was that really true? You had the power of invisibility– true invisibility that masked your scent, the heat of your body, and the breath of air that moved in your wake. He'd never known anything like it. So who's to say how many times the two of you had been in the same room while he was none the wiser.

Mor only shrugged, “I'll go down and get her–”

“No,” he spoke quickly as he stood from his chair and she quirked an eyebrow at him. “No, I– I'll find her and see if she wants to come to dinner.”

“Okay,” her smile turned feline as she winked, “Make sure she knows it's not a request. The High Lord's Third wants her there.”

He groaned, “Mor–”

“Kidding!” She laughed while also standing up from her seat; that smirk playing across her lips, “Unless–” She winnowed away before he could speak. Her laugh rang around him like the chiming of bells in the wind, and Cassian only sighed before taking off, back to the house.

***

That evening, you made your way back up the various levels of the library towards the house in silence. Everything went quiet around you these days. The Priestesses had long since stopped trying to engage with you and halted their own conversations whenever you came near. Part of you welcomed the change. You didn't need or want their companionship. You didn't need anyone. But another part of you, the smaller shyer part, couldn't help but feel like you were missing out on something when it came to the females. What it was was beyond you, but you felt its absence all the same.

Clotho stopped you before the stairs to the house, a note in her gnarled hands. Frowning, you bowed your head to her as you took the slip of paper and began your accent.

‘Come to dinner at the River House tonight.’

You bit your lip as you read the hastily scrawled note over and over again. The scent of him drifted from the paper, and you couldn't stop the smile that crossed your features. Even as something like dread twisted in your gut at the thought of seeing him again.

Things had been weird between you and Cassian since the moment in the training ring two days prior. Or, it would be weird if you could bring yourself to drop tour invisibility around the General. You didn't know why you did it, why you hid yourself from him every time you sensed his approach, but you couldn't seem to stop. It was as if, in allowing him to see you in that moment of vulnerability on the roof, your body decided he could not be allowed that close to you again. And part of you wanted that distance, wanted the safety it provided. But the other part could not deny that there was something drawing you towards Cassian. Some force of nature beyond control or reason pulling you into his atmosphere.

You sighed as you entered the room you'd been staying in for the two months and looked at the closets' worth of clothes strewn about the floor. Did you even have anything to wear? If you were going, that is…

As if sensing your line of thought, there was a flash of light on the bed, and you turned to see a gown appear across the comforter. You scowled at the wall, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Busy body,” you murmured to the house before walking over to the bed and running an idle finger over the soft material of the dress. You sighed heavily. You were at a crossroads, and you knew it. The choices before you loomed large and daunting, and while you wanted to wait, to stand in this place of uncertainty forever, you understood that fate would not allow for it. A decision had to be made or it would be made for you. And that you simply could not abide.

Twenty minutes later, you stood before the mirror admiring how the gown fit you. It was a beautiful off the shoulder top with sheer billowy sleeves that fell just below your elbows. The bodice was little more than a few swaths of fabric, the color of lilacs that crossed over your breasts and wrapped around your waist so your mid drift was left bare. The skirt was the same color as the top and fell to your mid thigh in the front. The back draped down to your ankles and faded into the soft orange of dawn's first light. Across your shoulders, down your back and over the waist of the skirt an orange and blue and purple paisley patterned embroidery gave the whole thing an elegance and tastefulness that made you hum in appreciation as you looked yourself over in the mirror once more. You'd left your hair down, only curling the ends that brushed against your shoulder blades and over your collarbones. Around your wrists, you wore bangles and woven bracelets the colors of the dress. On your feet, you decided on solid white ankle boots with a slight heel. It wasn't typical Day Court attire, but it was close enough that you felt comfortable and beautiful even as your stomach twisted again.

For a moment, you thought about staying home. Reading the book you'd set aside for after dinner and accepting a life of isolation. It was safer, you supposed. There was no risk of losing someone like you lost your sister. Of feelings like your soul was being torn in half.

But it was also lonely, and, if you were being honest, the quiet was beginning to grate on you. You needed noise, chatter. An exchange of ideas and thoughts like what you once had at the Day Court. What you once had with Helion and the other advisors. You needed connection and conversation and hope.

You needed hope more than anything.

So, taking another deep breath, you straightened your spine before walking into the hall and heading towards the veranda.

Where Cassian was waiting for you.

Part 6

[queen-scribbles]

benefits of solitude

14. Scratch (WotR Dance of Masks; Etain/Vikkari)

borrowing @haledamage's girl with this one :3 -----

Vikkari appreciated the cover provided by the Kenabres celebrations. Between going strong so late into the night and their nature as a masquerade, it was far easier to sneak out of the city with Etain than he would have thought. There were twenty 'Knight-Commanders' running around, no one spared a second glance to notice his was the real one.

Etain walked beside him, noticeably distracted despite agreeing to come and following his path without complaint. He left her to her thoughts and didn't pry, walking in equal silence until they reached his goal--a small copse of trees circling a boulder large and smooth enough to make an excellent natural seat.

"We're here," he said, giving her arm a gentle nudge.

Etain rolled her shoulders as she pulled her focus back to the moment and surveyed the surroundings. A hint of a smile crinkled her eyes. "Very nice."

She always seemed more relaxed in the woods, but this time some tension remained, a shifting in her stance that spoke of unease. "Everything alright?"

"Mm," Etain hummed, shifting her weight foot to foot. "We just saved the day again, why wouldn't it be?"

Because you seem antsier than Titus when he broke one of our father's beehives. But he just shook his head and gestured to the boulder. "Just checking."

She sat--near the edge, he noted--and cocked her head. "So, any reason in particular for the solitude?"

"I know it's your preference," Vikkari said. He dropped his attention to the small pack he'd brought, and when he looked up she was leaning against the tree behind her, rocking back and forth. "Etain." Bit his lip to hold back a chuckle when she froze. "Is something wrong?"

Etain slouched with a frustrated growl. "I have an itch. Started right before we left the city, and it's right at the top of my wings so I can't reach it, and it's driving me crazy."

The chuckle escaped as Vikkari sat next to her. "Hence the Pippin impression, I assume." He started to reach toward her back, then paused. "May I?"

"Oh, please," she groaned, leaning into his hand like a cat when it settled between her shoulder blades.

"Here?" he confirmed, scratching the top edge of where the feathered wings joined her back.

"Mmhmmmmm," Etain hummed in gratitude, her head falling back against his shoulder as she sagged in relief. She sat in contented silence a moment, then tugged down her mask and tipped her head further to look at him. "Thank you."

Vikkari, quite enjoying the weight of her leaning on him, tipped his head to kiss her temple. "You're very welcome. I know you'd do the same for me." He lightly brushed his fingers along the top of one wing before letting his hand fall.

"Of course." Etain let her head loll against him a moment longer before straightening. "Although I'm pretty sure this wasn't what you had in mind when you asked me out here."

"No, though I'm always happy to help. I, um." A sudden rush of nerves hit him, and he fought the urge to fidget as he pulled the small pack closer. "I made you something."

"Again? The others really will accuse you of favoritism," she teased, gently nudging his shoulder.

"We're well past hiding that, I think," he laughed. "But I'm not talking about whittling." This time. The next of that kind was still in progress. Deep breath as he pulled the carefully wrapped bundle out of the pack. "I've been tweaking one of my recipes, and I think I'm finally happy with it and wanted you to have the first batch."

Etain's eyes lit up. "Cookies?"

Vikkari smiled as he handed them over. "Oh, I hope they live up to that reaction."

From the deeply satisfied groan that accompanied her first bite, he didn't have anything to worry about. She was three cookies in before she stopped and looked at him. "They're delicious."

Vikkari chuckled. "I may have suspected. Thank you, I'm glad you like them."

"I forget how much you like to cook since Seelah does it a lot when we're traveling..." Etain sucked crumbs off her fingers and offered him a cookie, which he declined(he'd tested plenty while making them), before wrapping them up. "You're very good at that, too. Thank you for the cookies, and the solitude. And the back scratches."

"You're very welcome for all three, but," he linked his fingers between hers and brought her hand up to kiss the back, "I don't think we need to be done yet..."

"You don't think they'll miss us?" she arched a brow.

"I think it'd be fun to see how long we can push it," he countered with a smirk.

"No arguments here," Etain said warmly, leaning her head on his shoulder again, and it was quite a while before they deigned to return inside the city walls.

[leejenowrld]

hi bb! this took me awhile because it was released when im in sch, i had to live through the day knowing that bty was updated again. okay fine i admitted i scroll to the bottom to read the authors nptes first because i dont believe its the finale, i rmb how you said this series is meant to continue after their college lives. so frankly speaking, i was more delighted than anxious knowing that we are about to take that step forward. since i started with this info ever since bty chapt 1 dropped, it didnt really came us a surprise to me knowing that jeno and y/n didnt end up together. technically, already hinted at lmb last chapter, the house warming seen.

but still…you got me, you always get me. I am always falling into your traps, ever since the bar exposure scene till chapt 6 cliffhanger. it got me so worried for yn, but im glade it didnt turn our the way i thougught it would be

1. the way coach suh rejected the sex offer. to me, it just shows how truely in love jeno and yn are, i feel like they dont see it in each other, but everyone around them does. they carry it with them, not just in their prescene, but its the end. you dont have to know them to know theyre in love, you can see it if you observe carefully. and the way coach suh was the one who led jeno to the bar? wow…you got me here, it made me questioned how i didnt pick up this earlier on, it was there the entirely time, something lingering between the lines. and the way coach suh mentioned about his dead lover. i think he see her in yn that why for a minute, he wasnt sure of letting go (and he still wacthes their sex tape hehe)

2. the way coach suh and yn planned everything. every little detail got me there. and the way she decided to pass the expose to donghyuck just makes so much sense. she is always thinking about her friends. always there for them. even in times like this, she thinks about them. and how she had to reject jeno to help yangyang? she is truely a person with so much love.

3. yn at the exhibit. i am so proud of her, so proud of how far she came. she didnt take all the credits for herself, she thanked the people around her. she is someone i wish i am.

okay gonna fast forward to the time leap!

knowing that jeno and yn are so deeply in love, its just so saddening to see how the distance broke them. just 4 months in. i am truely happy for how far them came, both shining in their own way.

for me, the most devastating prt is knowing that yn was the one who helped jeno get into nba, but that was the exact thing that broke their relationship. its like, a promise that could never be kept. they are distance apart and nothing is pkay between them. its meant to fall apart. it made me question, have yn thought about this before she sent the documents? because she didnt hesitate for a second when she sent it. her love for jeno is overpowering, beyond limits. and i think what coach suh said reflected here. when you throw two fire flames together, you dont see it getting smaller, they simply swallow each other and continue to burn.

the timelapse to 4 years later. okay i am guessing that he is engaged to nahyun (i truely hope not, perhaps its a new character) but this assumption is based off taeyoung’s interaction with nahyun’s father at the exhibit, i might be wrong, but it could be a marriage ordered by taeyoung. (i hope im wrong, i really dont like the both of them)

i do have some questions though! where will the next chapter pick up from? is it the 4 months mark or the 4 years parts? given that their breakup during the ldr wasnt covered explicitly. and how many chapters are we anticipating before the re finale? i am excited to see how things would go between karina and jaemin. i also wonder about karina and donghyuck, i hope we will be able to unpack some of these in the future chapter. and one of your ask got me, tension between the river court boys. how would it turn out? which one of them fell out? could i get a major, juicy spoiler out of this?

with much love, 🎀

hi angel — i want you to know how much your words genuinely touched me. i read them more than once because it felt like you weren’t just reading the story, you were living inside it alongside me. i could feel how closely you were paying attention, not just to the plot points, but to the pulse of it, the undercurrents, the way every choice and every moment weaves together, and that’s such a rare and beautiful thing. i don’t take it for granted at all. you caught things that are so close to my heart, things that aren’t always spoken out loud in the writing but are there, breathing beneath the surface.

ok so i do wish that u didn't skip to the end to see the authors note but u explained that u remembered it would go post college so !!! i'm happy about that.

you were absolutely right to point out coach suh. he sees more than anyone realises. i love that you saw his depth — it wasn’t about him viewing y/n as a pawn or a tool for jeno, not at all. it was about understanding, on a bone-deep level, what firepower looks like when it’s channelled right. coach suh has known loss, he’s carried grief in his bones, and when he saw y/n, he saw not just her strength but her capacity to carry others, to burn bright enough to light jeno’s way too. your insight about him seeing a reflection of his past love in her... it almost startled me in the best way. that’s exactly it. sometimes you recognise people not because they remind you of others, but because they remind you of parts of yourself you lost.

and you understand y/n in a way that makes me emotional. the way you wrote about her sacrificing herself in quiet ways, the choices she made for her friends, the way she handed the spotlight to hyuck without hesitation, the way she stepped aside for yangyang even in a moment of personal devastation. this is her. this is her core. she is selfless to the point it hurts her. it’s both her strength and her tragedy. and you saw it so clearly, so tenderly. i felt that deeply when you wrote about how she loved jeno beyond limits, even knowing it could destroy her. the way you described their love as fire that only grew larger when they collided — it’s exactly what i wanted to show. they didn’t extinguish each other, they consumed.

your guesses about the engagement and taeyong's quiet moves made me smile because you’re so sharp. you see the strings being pulled, the hidden conversations, the power plays tucked beneath the surface of bigger scenes. and you’re right to suspect them. i won’t say more yet, but you’re asking all the right questions, and you’ll be rewarded for that patience. the next chapters will unpack everything — the timeline, the breakup we haven’t seen, the entanglements of the river court boys, the unresolved tension in every thread we’ve left open. i want you to feel like every question you’re holding is worth it. because it is.

i haven't fully figured it out but i'm planning to write and cover everything important that happened in the four year mark, just trust me guys i will make it so worth it.

your support means the world to me. truly. the way you take your time with the story, how deeply you care for these characters, how you reflect on the pain and the beauty in equal measure — it keeps me going. it reminds me why i write. thank you for being here, for trusting me, for seeing them so fully. and thank you for reminding me that this story is alive not just on the page, but in the hearts of readers like you. i’m so grateful to have you with me for every step of the way. always.

[fastlikealambo]

t𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 p𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚘𝚛 c𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚕. || d𝚊𝚛𝚔 a𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚊! f𝚛𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚢 f𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚡 bl𝚊𝚌𝚔!f𝚎𝚖 r𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 2/3

Summary:The spring semester has begun and Reader finds herself ensnared in the trap of charismatic psychology professor, Henry Creel. When her relationship with the professor becomes all consuming and strange things begin to occur, Robin, Steve, Nancy, and Eddie race to uncover the truth before they lose Reader forever.

Warnings: mental health discussions, past trauma, mental abuse, murder, gaslighting, violence, hypnosis

Link to part one.

“I’ve spoken to your other professors, they say you are brilliant. I think they are incorrect, wouldn’t you agree?” 

You looked at your psychology professor of only three weeks, bewildered with mouth agape, semi resembling a dying sea bass. There’s no sign of joking in his tone or sparkle in his eye, as if he asked you about today’s weather rather than anything else.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand, is this about the test? You gave me an A, did I do something wrong?” You asked, sinking into your blazer while Professor Creel observes you like a cat sunbathing near a mouse, just as content to watch potential prey as it is to hunt it.

“Every answer was correct, I can see that you studied, however I can also see that you are deeply and utterly mindless. Your mind is as empty as it is open and I think you know that.” He said again with no hint of malice. 

You stood up, bag in hand, already going through the hours of the registrar in your mind to see if you could drop intro to psych today, a tight smile on your face. You knew the rules, if you did not smile, you would be seen as angry and to be angry and brilliant is only admissible for whom the world indulges.

“I’m sorry Professor, I think there was a mistake with the registrar and I’m not actually supposed to be in this class. I don’t want to take a spot from a student who needs this class, I hope you understand.” You said voice even and turned toward the office door but his hand closed tightly around your wrist.

Somewhere, a clock chimed.

“Let go, you’re hurting me!” You yelled but a clock chimed again and you stood still.

“I’ve been watching you for quite some time, so lonely, so guilty. I can fix that, I can fix you.” He whispered but you yanked your hand out of his grip, racing for the door.

A clock chimed again and stiff as a board, you fell backwards, silently creaming for help.

For them.

Robin’s scream ended just as quickly as it began, Nancy’s hand over her mouth.

Eddie, Robin, Steve, and Nancy stood almost as still as you did, rooted in fear of you making even the slightest movement. 

Nancy was the first to make a move, fast and silent up the stairs with the rest of her lovers on her heels, whispering back and forth as they made their way to the third floor banister you were poised to swan dive off at any minute.

“What do we do?”

“We have to wake her up!”

“You’re not supposed to wake a sleepwalker, Steve!”

“Does that look like sleepwalking, Robin?”

It didn’t.

It looked like you were frozen in place, eyes open but not open, fluttering this way and that, standing on a thin banister that was not meant to bear the weight of a human being in Bart Simpson socks.

It looked horrifying.

It looked impossible.

Steve made a move to grab you first but Nancy stopped him, drawing him back.

“Nancy, what the hell?!”

“If you do it too fast, she could get hurt, you could get hurt! Look at her, she’s not moving at all, we’ve made noise, there are noises all around this house and she’s still not moving. Whatever we do, we have to do it slowly.” Nancy explained, looking back at you, the fear she had tried to keep from her face in full force.

Steve nodded, moving slowly with Eddie on his other side, practically in slow motion in their short agonizing walk to you. Steve gently snaked one arm around your waist, the other around the back of your knees while Eddie waited to guide the rest of you safely down to the ground. 

Robin scampered over to an old ratty chair on the landing, grabbing its cushion and placing it down on the ground as a marker for them to place your head. Nancy took a spot right next to them, three fingers in the air.

“On the count of three, okay?  One, two-

“So no one told you life was gonna be this way?”

The downstairs tv blared and a clock somewhere else chimed, causing you to open your eyes wide with a gasp.

And your foot to slip.

You don’t know how he was not seen but Creel carried you to his car like a broken down doll, your eyes wide open and stuck as he shoved you in the trunk with something else.

Not something.

Someone.

“Please don’t try to scream, you’ll choke. She was a failure like you but I couldn’t make her better, I tried so hard to make her better!” Creel bemoaned, hitting the steering wheel over and over until his knuckles turned red before straightening in the driver’s seat. 

“You won’t remember this but it’s nice to have some company for the kedeia. We can go over your new academic career while we drive!  You will be seeing me four times a week for tutoring, evaluation and further punishment.  After this semester should you not disappoint me and I don’t kill you, you will change your major from that garbage to a double major in classics and psychology with me as your adviser, won’t that be perfect? You will have to live with me and leave those degenerates behind but it’s a sacrifice you’re willing to make.”

Creel continued to talk but all you could do was stare into the face of a dead young woman you now recognized as your former classmate, her bloated face frozen in an expression of pure terror mere inches from your own.

He propped you up in the car somewhere in the woods behind campus and made you watch as he reorganized a funeral pyre.

He had done this before. 

“To Athena, we commit one of your failures to the earth. May her disappointments burn away as quickly as her flesh.” Creel whispered, tossing a lighter onto her body.

All you could do was let out a choked guttural moan as he got back in the car.

“Don’t be afraid, it will be over soon.” He whispered, lips on your cheek.

Somewhere, a clock chimed.

You were falling.

There was no time to wonder how you were falling or why when hands roughly lifted you, your arms nearly pulled out of their sockets as your lovers hauled you back over the railing, falling over in one breathless heap.

No words are spoken on the floor, just weak attempts at catching breath and subtle glimpses at the railing to affirm that whatever just happened really fucking happened. 

Robin’s around your middle first, her head resting on your stomach, tears wetting your apparently sweaty t-shirt, holding you so tight it should have hurt but the weight of her keeps you from dissolving into screams.

Nancy’s next, hands running up and down your body to check for blood or bones that would have broken had you actually fallen. When she’s satisfied you are not mortally injured, she draws her forehead to your feverish one, hand cradling the back of your neck, a series of quiet sobs escaping her.

Eddie’s hands sort of hover over you, face in between in worry and damn near grief, too scared, too relieved, too everything to touch you at first before giving in and leaning you against his chest, rocking you, for his benefit or yours you’re not exactly sure but you don’t want him to let go.

Steve’s lips meet every inch of exposed skin, a fury of wet kisses all over you in an attempt to drown out the sound of his own muffled crying but with one last kiss on the top of your head he breaks, big fat tears rolling down his cheeks, arms stretched wide to somehow hold each and everyone of his lovers.

The moment you’re truly enraptured by their almost sorrow is when you allow yourself to shatter, sobbing in fear and confusion, holding on to Robin, Nancy, Eddie, and Steve as if your life depended on it.

Because it did.

A clock chimed somewhere but this time, you didn’t hear it.

“The last thing I remember is you coming to pick me up from tutoring, everything before and after that is a blur. Everything’s been blurring together these days, I know there’s something wrong but I don’t know what, it feels like I’m losing time.” You said, draped in just about every blanket in the house, sitting on Steve’s lap, his arms around you like a seat-belt, Robin holding one hand and Nancy the other.

“You don’t remember anything that happens when you see Creel?” Eddie asked, pacing around the living room.

“Not really,  I have these flashes, a clock,  the trunk of a car,  a fire but I can’t put them together, it’s like something doesn’t want me to.”

“ Or someone.” Nancy said grimly.

“Professor Creel is doing something to me, something I can’t fight, something I can’t control, all I know is that it-

“Will all be over soon?” Robin finished, placing your notebook on your lap and you look down at the pages.

“This is my handwriting but I don’t remember writing this. Fuck, what’s happening to me?” You exclaimed, eyes watering all over again as Nancy took you in her arms, transferring you from Steve’s lap to her own.

“What if this isn’t you losing your mind? What if you were warning yourself?” Robin asked, looking down at the paper again. 

“ Again, share it with the class Robin.” Steve huffed.

“Whatever Creel is doing, you’re fighting it, you just don’t remember doing it. Those flashes, this paper, you’re leaving yourself clues. You’re not a mad woman, you’re a goddamn survivor.” Robin said, kneeling in front of you, taking your face in her hands.

“What if I’m not strong enough to fight him?” You whispered.

“You don’t have to be, we are.” Steve said, with a hand on your shoulder, kissing your neck.

“We won’t let anything happen to you angel, he doesn’t know that we know and we can use that to our advantage.” Eddie said.

This was all so overwhelming, your head was killing you, and you couldn’t help but feel like someone was watching you.

“Baby, your nose!” Robin exclaimed and you looked down to see blood dripping down onto the blanket.

“He’s going to kill me.” You muttered quietly but Nancy calmly tilted your head forward and kissed your blood stained lips.

“Not if we kill him first.”

This is going to be a three part story! Sorry for the wait, but I hope this makes up for it.

𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚡 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛: 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚊𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚊 𝚊𝚞

[assholepants]

Like John is a character but he's also like the symbolic idea of a Protagonist. He's the first character we meet, the first one we control, whenever there's Tutorial Style Exposition it's delivered directly to John. John is the character we control in all the early flashes. And also like. While the other 3 kids gain their powers through external means (Dave gets his turntables from future Dave, Rose obtains knowledge of the future from a variety of sources, Jade fuses with Bec), John gets his wind powers in a deeply stereotypical moment of 'Protagonist focuses really hard during a moment of peril and find the power was inside them all along!'. People often talk about John as a character who is constantly repressing things, and I think part of that reflects the kind of ignorance Characters need to have to exist within a narrative without becoming aware of it.

Rose as Reader in that she functions as John's server player and is able to watch him as he begins his Hero's Journey Steps. Also in that she's able to interact with John's environment and often ends up telling him what to do in the same way that homestuck readers were able to give commands. But also the way Rose's seer powers work whereby she gathers information from a bunch of different sources in the narrative and strings them together to predict what will happen, much like a reader base picking up on hints and foreshadowing to create theories and expectations of what will happen later in the story. Plus the fact that sometimes she does this and she's Wrong. She falls for red herrings and then Doc Scratch, another author insert figure, comes in to laugh at her for falling for red herrings, as Hussie often did to the actual Reader base at the time.

Dave as authorial insert I feel has been covered in pretty extensive detail by Homestuck Made This World, but to recap. Dave's first dialogue being a real chat log between Hussie and a friend, meaning that from there Dave has to use Hussie's real life chat voice. Dave making weird meta comments and also Dave being the one to do some of the Tutorial dialogue with John towards the beginning. And then also like, Dave as a time player is able to create and see offshoot timelines, which I've always viewed as paths the narrative could have taken but ultimately didn't. An author would also be making these offshoot paths and then going back and deleting them until you're left with the main narrative. I know something like homestuck wouldn't do this in the traditional sense of like drafts and editing, but the author would still likely have a lot of ideas about where the story could go that ultimately don't get used. And finally, as Hussie becomes disenchanted with homestuck as a property, it seems that Dave's attitude towards his role in the work also becomes increasingly negative.

And then Jade as Narrative. Jade's house is full of artefacts from skaia and paradox space, which in and of itself is a symbolic stand in for the concept of a Narrative. Unlike Rose, when Jade sees the future she does not see a variety of possibilities and then made accurate educated guesses about which one is most likely. For Jade the story is already written and all she is seeing is fixed narrative pinch points and plot beats. Jade's ability to see the future gives her awareness of the narrative consequences of her actions, but also gives her awareness that her actions are not her own and that everything she does is pre-determined. Jade also spends large portions of the comic orchestrating plot beats with full awareness that this is what she's doing. I'd even go as far as to say that her foreknowledge of where the narrative is headed is what allows the narrative to begin, by telling Rose that she's going to play a game and see her cat again, thus prompting Rose to be on John's case the day Sburb drops.

For John, homestuck is a story that he is living day to day. For Rose, homestuck is a story that she can observe, in order to create accurate theories as to its trajectory. For Dave, homestuck is a story with many potential paths, that he can write and rewrite until he creates the main path. And for Jade, homestuck is a story that has already been written, and she is playing her part in taking it to its conclusion.

There's something to be said there about John as Character, Rose as Audience, Dave as Author and Jade as Narrative but I don't have full sentences rn

[leossmoonn]

Personal Pillow

masterlist

pairing - jess mariano x fem!reader

type - fluff

note / request - requested by @elovescm “ok so i’m thinking jess mariano x fem!reader in which reader calls jess & says she can’t sleep so jess climbs in through her window to cuddle and read her to sleep <3 and just to add a little something - jess definitely would be very touchy (not necessarily in a sexual way) like playing with your hair etc” . not really edited, enjoy!

summary - jess comforts you after a restless night 

warnings / includes - very mild language (like on or two words), lots of loving touching (hair playing, back scratching, etc.), kissing, jess reading little experts from the color purple (literally one of the best books ever)

————

*gif isn’t mine*

“c’mon, pick up, pick up,” you muttered as you laid by the phone, praying that your boyfriend was also having a sleepless night, or was still for other reasons. 

“hello?” jess picked up after the fifth trill.

“oh, thank god,” you muttered. “y/n, what’s up? it’s one in the morning,” jess asked.

“i’m having a lot of trouble sleeping. every time i try to sleep i feel so uncomfortable. i have weird dreams and i just wanted to talk to you,” you explained.

“i’m sorry,” jess sighed groggily. “it’s fine. i don’t know why my brain and body won’t shut up. i know it’s fall break, but i’d still like to get a decent amount of sleep,” you huffed.

“let me see if i can help,” jess said. “please do,” you exhaled deeply.

you heard some rustling from his end before he talked again.

“your folks still in south carolina?” he asked. “yep, and won’t be back until tomorrow night,” you answered. “great,” jess said, a hint of a smile in his voice.

you didn’t think anything of it, though. it was best not to question him and his devious plans. you would always find out later, anyways.

“it’s really weird not having them here. i know i’m almost an adult, but it’s still weird to be alone here. like, this house is too big for just one person. it feels so cold and lonely and… ah, i’m creeping myself out.” your heart started to race and you shrunk back in your bed, finding comfort in your warm blankets.

“don’t think about that. think about… all of the cute decorations your mom is bringing back to you.”

“mm, yeah, i am excited for that. i love souvenirs,” you smiled. “i know you do. you better not break those, though. remember that one keychain i bought you when i went to michigan with my mom, and you somehow broke it by dropping it?” jess teased. 

“ah, yes! but that wasn’t my fault. it was made poorly,” you giggled. “mhm, sure. you just don’t want to admit you’re clumsy,” jess stated. 

“well, because i’m not!” you denied. “yeah, when you’re not clumsy, pigs will fly,” jess snorted. 

“i thought you were here to make me feel better, not worse,” you pouted. “oh, i’m sorry, bubs. you know it’s all in good fun, though,” he said. you could hear his smirk.

“yeah, i know,” you smiled. 

you frowned as you heard footsteps from outside. twigs were snapping, leaves crackling; it was like you were in your own stephen king book. 

“jess,” you called out wearily. “what’s wrong?” jess asked. “i-i think someone is outside my window,” you whispered. “i’m going to hang up, and-and call the police.”

“no, y/n! it’s me!” jess exclaimed. you then heard a knock on your window, the same sound coming from his end of the line. 

“what?” you jumped out of bed, running to your window, gasping to see jess down below, holding a few pebbles. he was in a wife-beater and blue and green  plaid pajama pants. a smile lit up your face and you hung up the phone, hastily pushing the window open. “what are you doing here?” you whisper-shouted. 

“well, you said you couldn’t sleep and that you wanted me to be here, so here i am,” he grinned. 

you laughed, “i meant on the phone, silly.” “oh, so you’d rather me just go back home?” he tilted his head. 

“no! i just… you are just full of surprises, mariano,” you sighed dreamily. “why, thank you. now, hold this ladder,” he said, putting the ladder against your wall.

“you brought a ladder?” you raised a brow. “yeah, how else was i supposed to get up through your window?” he smirked. 

“you can just walk through the door, you know.”

“and that would ruin this romeo and juliet thing i got goin’ on.”

“i didn’t know you were such a romantic,” you teased. “you know you love it,” he winked. 

you moved back so he could climb into your room. once he got in, you shut the window, then turning your attention to him. 

“hello, beautiful,” he grinned at you. your body warmed under his gaze and you looked at him shyly, your eyelids lulling shut. your brain and body seemed to finally relax from just him being in your vicinity. it was magic how someone you loved could make you go from scared and lonely to warm and fuzzy. 

“hey, handsome,” you grinned back. 

his hand reached up to your face, cupping your cheek. his thumb ran across your cheekbone back-and-forth. you nuzzled into his touch, looking into his eyes with sparkling, dazed eyes. his other hand gripped your hip, caressing your skin through your over-sized tee. you watched his big, pretty brown eyes waver from your eyes to your lips. you both started to lean in, your noses rubbing together. your breathing stopped momentarily as his lips brushed against yours. so soft and gentle, you could faint. 

his lips engulfed yours in a wet, tender kiss. you sighed contently, your hands crawling up his arms and up to his disheveled hair. your fingers ran through his raven locks, cradling his head closer to yours. his hand that was on your cheek went to the back of your head, running his fingers through your tangled hair.

he pulled away slowly after a few more moment, eyes fluttering open. “wanna go back to bed and cuddle?”

“yes, please,” you nodded eagerly.

he slipped his hand into yours as you led him to your bed. you both climbed in, you laying you head on his chest as soon as he got settled. you closed your eyes, bunching up his shirt in your hands.

“feel better?” he asked. “mhm,” you nodded.

“are you going back to sleep?” he asked. you hummed in thought, peering up at him. “maybe in a few minutes. i want to stay awake for as long as possible while you’re here.”

“you should go to sleep now, baby. i’ll be here when you wake up in the morning.”

“you better,” you pouted. “of course, dove.” he sat up, bringing his lips to your forehead. 

you closed your eyes, butterflies fluttering in your chest. he laid back down on your pillow, bringing his arm up and sliding it behind his head. 

“so, what exactly is making you uncomfortable when you try to sleep?” he asked. “i’m either too hot, too cold. my shirt, like, wraps around my body and suffocates me. oh, and the washing machine is going and it keeps waking me up. it’s creeping me out and stuff.”

“i’m sorry to hear that. well, you know, if the sock goblin jumps out of the washer and dryer and makes its way up to your room, i’ll protect you.”

you giggled, looking up at him. “why, thank you. my knight in shining armour.”

“you know me,” he remarked. 

“did i wake you up?” you asked, worry suddenly clouding your mind. “kind of. i had just gotten finished with reading and was trying to go to sleep,” he explained. 

“oh, i’m sorry.”

“no worries. i’ll sleep better here anyways.”

“mmm, always the charmer.” “i get it from my dad,” he snorted. 

“you sure you didn’t get it from you mom’s side? you know, from luke and them?” you teased. 

he grimaced, “don’t even start.” you giggled, “you love me.”

“that i do,” he confirmed. 

“well, do you mind doing some more reading? help me go to sleep?” you asked.

“of course not,” he nodded. he turned his head to your nightstand, picking up the color purple. “i thought you had already read this?”

“it’s one of my favorites,” you yawned and shrugged. he chuckled, “mine, too.”

he opened to the page where you had placed your book mark. he held the book open with one hand, stroking your head with the other. he started to read from the top of the page, his voice changing pitches as he read the dialogue between characters.

his voice was music to your ears. it was low, raspy, but mellow. his eyes followed the words, rapidly going from one sentence to another. he spoke smoothly, barely any pauses of stuttering. it was amazing how fluid he was.

“here’s the thing, say shut. the thing i believe. god is inside you and inside everybody else. you come into the world with god. but only them that search for it inside find it. and sometimes it just manifest itself even if you not looking, or don’t know what you looking for. trouble do it for most folks, i think. sorrow, lord feeling like shit. it? i ast.  yeah, it. god ain’t a he or a she, but a it.”

“shug is a genius,” you mumbled. “that she is,” jess agreed.

he kept on reading. this was your favourite letter that celie wrote in the book. there was so many lessons to learn from the color purple. so much truth in the words that celie wrote to nettie and god. you had always read the color purple once a year, around this time. not reading it would be like caffeine withdrawal. it was even better now since jess was reading to you. 

his fingers twirled your hair around his fingers, massaging your scalp. you breathed in deeply, his masculine, sweet scent filling your nostrils. you breathed out, shoulders falling up and down dramatically. you closed your eyes, basking in his voice, his chest rising and falling, his fingers that were now gently scratching your back. the pads of his fingers crawled up your back, diving under your shirt. you shivered in pleasure at his warm touch, your muscles going limp. 

“i believe god is everything, say shug. everything that is or ever was or ever will be. and when you can feel that, and be happy to feel that, you’ve found It.”

“this is making me cry,” you laughed softly. jess looked down at you, smiling fondly. his hand went back up to your head, running his fingers through your hair. “powerful stuff, huh?”

“it is to me,” you nodded. “well, it is to me, too,” jess said. 

you laughed, “yeah, right. you’ve read this book like, once, and you didn’t even read it. you just skimmed.”

“well, i might have to take another look at it after tonight.”

“you can borrow my copy,” you offered. “just don’t write in it in, okay? you’re annotating drives me crazy.”

jess chuckled, “i’ll do my best.”

you sat up, your elbow holding you up. “if i see even a tiny dot of ink, you will never see your records again.”

jess grinned, admiring your barred teeth and furrowed brows. “yes, ma’am.”

you leaned up and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. you laid your head back down on his chest, closing your eyes once again. 

“you’re like, my personal pillow, you know? so comfortable and warm.” you snuggled deeper into his chest. 

“well, i’m glad to be of service,” he rubbed your back. 

you sighed contently as he massaged your shoulders, working out all the knots and kinks that had developed from midterms last week. 

“thank you,” you said. “well, i’m your boyfriend. this is what i’m supposed to do, you know,” he shrugged, 

“no,” you shook your head slowly. “you could’ve just stayed on the phone with me. talk to me about your book and how much you hate working at the diner. but no, you came here in the middle of the night, carrying a ladder. you are just the best.”

“i love you, y/n,” he spoke softly. “i would do anything. even if that means carrying a ladder for a mile.”

you smiled as you began to lull to sleep. you clutched his tank top, inhaling his scent one more time. jess peered down at you, watching you with loving eyes as you fell into a deep sleep. he smiled, his hand returning to your scalp. he entangled his fingers in your soft locks, massaging your scalp once more. 

“goodnight, bubs. sweet dreams.”

————

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@arkofblake @myalupinblack @lukes-orange-beanie @gallysonegoodlung @iaminlovetomhollandmarvel​

[holylulusworld]

Heavy

This was written for @jay-and-dean​​​‘s 3k celebration.

My prompts were: I had Sam (3rd char) + Someone is hurt + Prompt #11 (“You said that 3 times already, I get it.”)

Summary: It’s Dean’s birthday and everything goes wrong. 

Pairing: Dean Winchester x fem!Reader

Characters: Sam Winchester, an unnamed boy

Warnings: angst, language, bad luck, birthday blues, it’s Dean’s birthday, getting old, grumpy Dean, hurt Dean, fun, a hint of crack, written in Dean’s pov ;)

Words: 1,7 k

Divider by the talented @firefly-graphics​

 Dean’s PoV

“Son of a bitch,” I grunt, groaning a little too loud as I step out of the grocery store only to drop the bag full of my favorite sins. “No, not the bottle.”

Pathetic, I know. But I want to shed a tear for the wasted booze. It was my favorite and now, it lies abandoned on the sidewalk, broken like me.

It’s my birthday and I wanted to do something nice for myself. I bought pie, booze, beer, and the latest issue of Busty Asian Beauties. Damnit, now I got no money left and my booze is already gone.

My pie swims in a sea of beer and booze and, of course, my Asian beauties didn’t make it out alive. In other words, it's a usual day in my life.

“Fuck this,” I close my eyes, inhaling deeply. “One,” I grunt. “Two.” Fuck, this doesn’t work. “Three.” Whoever dares to even look at me the wrong way will feel my wrath. “Four,” Y/N said this will help me control my anger. “Five.” Yeah, it’s not working at all.

“I need to find something to kill,” I abandon my ruined bag full of goods and walk back toward my beloved car, empty-handed. Now I will spend my birthday alone at the bunker as my brother and Y/N decided it’s time to buy more ancient books. “I love books.”

Boy, I’m still pissed when I open the door to the driver’s seat. I bend down to throw my wallet onto the passenger seat only to hear something crack in my back. I grunt in pain, trying to straighten my back but it hurts so bad I can only crawl onto the seat.

Now I lie with my upper body over the seat while my ass and legs are still hanging out of the car. “Fuck’s sake. You fucking son of a bitch! Today out of all days you want to piss me off?”

“Dude, what happened?” someone snickers behind my back. I know that voice. It’s the annoying kid working at the post office in town. I hate him. He always looks at Y/N as if she’s his latest meal. Fucking creep.

“I love to hang over the seat,” I say, sarcastically. “What else do you want to know?”

“I can see the crack of your ass,” he giggles like a schoolgirl. “Dude…that’s so funny…”

“Fuck’s sake, call Y/N or my brother and tell them I got hurt!” I snarl in the boy's direction, hoping he’ll have enough sense of decency to call someone to help me. “Now!”

“Uh, Y/N is such a sexy minx,” I’d like to strangle the boy, but right now, I can barely move. “Lemme call her. I bet she will love to see me before the weekend. Maybe she’ll agree to go out with me.”

“Damnit, call her,” he steps closer to poke my ass with a stick, at least I hope it’s a stick. “What?”

“I don’t have her number. Can you give it to me?” I hate to give Y/N’s number to that boy, but I got no choice. Fucking life.

“Fine, it’s…” I wiggle on the seat, grunting in pain as the boy dials Y/N’s number. I only hope she won’t strangle me for ruining her shopping trip with Sam.

“She’ll be here in ten,” I sigh, relieved my brother and Y/N didn’t already leave the bunker. At least someone will come for my aid. “Damn, she will see your ass too. I bet she’ll take a picture.”

“I swear, if you take a picture, you are dead by the end of the day,” I threaten. “Y/N will never talk to you too. She will hate you for the rest of her life.”

“Fine, gramps. No pictures of your misery,” the boy chuckles, running off as I lie there on my seat, cursing my back.

“DEAN! Fuck, what happened?” I can hear Y/N’s panicked voice not ten minutes after the boy left my side. “Shit, where does it hurt?”

“My back,” I whine as Y/N moves her hands over my back, fingertips digging into my muscles. “I can’t get up, sweetheart.”

“Dude, what did you do?” the boy is back, and I already look for my gun to shoot him. “You’re really old, huh?”

“I’m forty-two,” I retort. “Forty is the new twenty.” Y/N moves her hands to my pants to tug at the fabric, helping to cover my ass.

“He’s turning forty-three today,” she tuts, hands now moving to my waistline. “Damn, you put a number on your back, huh?” Y/N muses, hands wandering back to my ass to feel me up. “He’s getting old.”

I yelp, hissing in pain seconds later as I moved a little too fast. “Sweetheart do not take advantage of me! And I’m not getting old. I’m like fine wine. Well-aged.”

“Well-aged?” the boy laughs behind my back and boy; do I hate that brat. “You’re an old man, not able to get up. I bet you can’t—”

“Don’t end that line,” Y/N grunts. “Thanks for calling, but now leave us alone, and lose my number. Fucking kids these days…”

“Kids?” I tilt my head to look at Y/N who seems to be lost in thoughts. “Y/N, what are you doing? I need to get back up.”

“Nah, you won’t move, Winchester. You’re hurt, and your back will get worse if you move. Now lie there and wait for Sam and Castiel to come around.”

“You called them too?” I bury my face in the leather seat, sighing deeply. “Great. Sammy won’t stop teasing me. He’ll laugh about his old brother.”

“Just wait here. Lie still and lemme handle this,” Y/N says as she moves her hands back to my ass, squeezing my cheeks. “Hmm…your ass is fine, I guess. Must be the back.”

“What happened?” Sam snorts as I lie on the seat, defeated by my own body. “Dude, you—” he laughs loudly, and I bet he will take a picture too.

“Stop laughing and help me, asshat,” Y/N mutters, pushing my brother toward my car. “Where’s Cas? I need him to heal Dean!”

“He’s unavailable or something. Angel business, ya know,” my brother says, and I fear that I’ll spend my birthday like that, unable to move. “We can handle this, Y/N. We only need to get him into the backseat.”

“Oh, yeah. And how do you want to get that tall guy onto the backseat, genius,” she undoubtedly has her hands on her hips and cocks her head. “I had the same idea, but he’s too heavy.”

“I’m not heavy,” I complain. “Do not call me heavy!” first they call me old and now I’m heavy too? I will kick their asses when I feel better. That’s a matter of fact!

“Aw, you’re cute when grumpy,” Y/N coos in my ear as she leans over me. I feel her hands wander to my waist, and I yelp again as she drags me out of the car. “Sam, his upper body!”

Right in time, my brother grasps for my shoulders, or I would’ve ended up face first in the dirt. “I hate both of you,” I grumble as they carry me toward the backseat of my car. “Hey, careful with the goods.”

“Shut up, you’re heavy,” Y/N pants as Sam tries to shove me onto the backseat. Y/N holds my legs in a tight grip as my brother simply shoves me onto the leather seat, snickering as I whine in pain. “Now, all is good. Heavy man landed on the seat.”

“You said that 3 times already, I get it,” Y/N rounds the car to carefully put her jacket under my head. “Stop saying I'm heavy,” I whine, hating she thinks I’m fat. “I’m not heavy.”

“Aw, you’re so cute,” at least she pecks my head before Sam and her try to get the rest of me into the car, making me cry out in pain as I end up in an odd position. “Fuck, almost done.” She pants while Sam and her work in sync to stuff me into the backseat. I don’t know how, but they made it.

“Done,” I hear my brother grunt. “Happy birthday. You’re getting old…jerk.”

“Bitch,” I snarl in his direction. “I swear, if you scratch my car hippie, you are done for…”

“There, all good now,” I smile up at Y/N, nodding as I feel like I’m walking on air. She gave me the good stuff. Thanks to the pills, my pain is gone.

She and Sam tugged me in bed, and now Y/N is hovering over me like a mother hen, she stuffs pillows behind my back, fluffing them before she covers me with a warm blanket.

“Happy birthday, my heavy hero,” I hope the face I give her is a bitchface, but I’m not sure right now. “You know, I like you are heavy. I can imagine it feels good to have your weight on top of me.

“Sonofabitch,” I slur, looking up at Y/N as she pecks my cheek. “You smell like pie,” I groan as Y/N holds a slice of pie in her hands. “Uh—it’s burning.”

“That’s a candle, Dean,” she laughs wholeheartedly. “Castiel will be back soon. Until then, I’ll nurse you back to life. We will start with eating the pie I baked for your birthday and later, you’ll get some greasy food. If you need more pain meds, I’m your girl.”

“You’ve got the good stuff, huh?,” I look at her, making Y/N chuckle. “What else do you have?” she smirks as I slur the words.

“We prepared a birthday party for you, Dean. I had hoped to celebrate your birthday with you,” she sits next to me to lean her head against my shoulder. “Blow it out and make a wish. But don’t tell me.”

I look at the pie, smirking as I got something dirty in my mind. Of course, I can’t move right now. But when I’m healthy again, I let Y/N feel my weight on top of her with pleasure.

“Dirty old man,” she whispers in my ear after I blow out the candle. I chuckle as Y/N seems to read my mind. “I wouldn’t mind, though. Just don’t hurt your back again while going at it…”

“Sonofabitch…!”

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[watchyourbluesturngolden]

howard stern

I'M BACK BESTIES!!!!! i'm not totally back to my normal writing, but I finally got through a whole piece! anyways I really liked this and i hope you do too :)

warnings: howard stern being a bitch, talk of weight & body image

word count: 2.1k

"Hello Harry, how are you doing today?"

"I'm well, thank you," Harry answered with a smile. He was on the Howard Stern Show, his first interview since Stevie had been born. He hadn't really wanted to; Howard was kind of a prick. Everyone knew this, but Jeff was convinced this was the right move. He said it would be good for Harry to get back into the swing of things, and no one else was available on short notice. In the end, Harry only agreed because you had pushed him to, reminding him it wouldn't be a very long interview and then he wouldn't have to interact with the abrasive man again for a long time.

"That's good to hear," Howard said. "How have you been these past couple months? Have you been getting anything done?"

"Not much that's music related, honestly," Harry laughed. "I've been busy with family things."

"Yeah, you've kind of been hiding away from the world for a while here, what's that about?"

"Well, as I'm sure you already know, my wonderful wife had a baby recently, so I've been pretty busy... just navigating the world of fatherhood." A smile crept onto his face at the mention of Stevie.

"That's a lot, isn't it? Babies are awful at that age," Howard chuckled.

"Uh- I wouldn't say awful," Harry's smile dropped a little and he sighed internally. He already knew how the rest of this interview would go: thinly veiled insults, questions that were way too personal, and having to pretend he didn't want to get up and walk out of the room. But he knew that wouldn't be a very good look for him, so he gritted his teeth and tried to think of happy things. Specifically, the fact that he would get to go home to his wife and baby in less than two hours. "She's a very sweet baby, we're completely in love with her."

"Yeah, sometimes they're cute, but mostly they just cry and wake you up in the night, don't they?" Howard asked smugly, as if he knew Harry's baby better than Harry did.

"Well, of course she wakes up in the night sometimes. She's hungry, can't blame her for wanting food, can I?" Harry asked, trying to speak lightly and with a smile, but he could feel his patience slipping. He was ready to go home and he was not in the mood to pretend to be happy when this man was clearly insulting his child.

"Sure, I just wish babies could be a bit less annoying when they want something."

Harry nodded, plastering a smile that hopefully looked real on his face.

"So, besides the annoying baby, how's the family? Everybody healthy over there?"

Harry nodded. "Everybody's happy and healthy. A little sleep deprived, of course, but we're managing well, i think. And by we, I mean Y/N. She's truly... just amazing. I have no idea how she does it- she's the one keeping everything together. There's no way I could do any of this without her."

"Yeah, she seems pretty great! I remember though, at first we were all a little uncertain about her. She's not exactly like the other women you have a history with, is she?"

"She's-" Harry started talking, but Howard cut him off.

"I just mean, we were used to seeing you with models and actresses and the like, so it was a bit of a shock to see you with one of us commoners, you know?"

Harry huffed a small laugh, still trying to sound polite. "When you love someone, that's all that matters."

"Right, of course, but don't you get bored sometimes? You stopped going out so much when you got with her, almost like she was keeping you captive or something," He laughed.

"Are you asking me if my wife forced me to stop hanging out with my friends?" Harry squinted at the man.

"No, of course not, but..." He leaned closer with a malicious gleam in his eye, like he was about to hear some big secret. "Did she?"

"No," Harry said firmly. "She did not."

"Okay, okay, if you say so," Howard put his hands up, but then he leaned in again and spoke in an exaggerated whisper. "Blink twice if you need help."

Harry played it off with a laugh, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He's good," Howard laughed loudly. "Anyways, let's move on. Since you two are supposedly so happy-" He paused again, as if he expected Harry to cut it and give some dramatic confession about how terrible his relationship was behind closed doors. Harry only raised his eyebrows, signaling him to continue talking. "Tell us about that. When did you two get married again?"

"Almost 2 years ago," Harry said with a smile. "Our anniversary is coming up, actually, it's in 3 weeks."

"Oh wow, you guys moved fast with the whole kid thing, huh?"

Harry nodded. "We both knew we wanted kids and were ready to have them, so... yeah."

"Yeah, no point wasting time, right? How was Y/N after having the baby- Stevie, right?"

"Yeah, her name is Stevie," Harry smiled. "She was good. Again, she's amazing for going through that. She's- i'm just so lucky to have her."

"Did she bounce back right away?"

"I'm sorry?" Harry's brow furrowed.

"You know, did she get her figure back fast? I know that's a big issue for some women," He laughed again.

"Are you-" All traces of Harry's smile were gone now.

"I just mean, I hope she's working to get rid of the baby weight," Howard said casually, as if his words weren't extremely rude. "Just to make sure she can fit into her old clothes!"

Harry cleared his throat. He knew he had to speak very carefully, since this was something you had been very self conscious about. "Well, the two of us are concerned with the new life she brought into the world, not some old clothes, but she looks as beautiful as ever. The amount of pressure women face to live up to certain standards is disgusting to me, and it's especially bad for new mothers. My wife just went through an incredible process, she grew an entire human being in 9 months, then went through labor and the delivery, and she's being told to worry about her figure? That's wrong."

"Right, right, of course," Howard smiled, but Harry could tell he was annoyed at how he couldn't be tricked into speaking badly about his wife.

"I'm really over the whole thing, honestly," Harry said. "And I'm not even the one going through it."

Howard laughed nervously, seeming to finally take the hint that Harry was uncomfortable and annoyed with the topic. "Let's talk about your latest movie, why don't we?"

Harry was closed off through the rest of the interview; anyone could see that. He laughed less, his arms stayed crossed, and his answers were short. He was professional, but it went no farther than that. There was no more playful joking or easy conversation, just Harry trying to get through the interview as fast as he could. When it finally came to a close after his final song, Harry couldn't pack up fast enough. He made sure to say a polite thanks and goodbye before he hurried out to his car.

He sighed deeply before picking up his phone to call you.

"Hi baby!" your happy voice came from the other end. That was good, he assumed that meant you hadn't listened to the interview yet.

"Hi love," he smiled, his mood already improving just from hearing your voice. "Did you listen to the interview?"

"I have been- I couldn't right at the beginning, Stevie was crying, but I caught the end. Why?"

"Why was she crying?" Harry ignored your question, instantly worrying about his baby.

"Sometimes babies cry for no reason, Harry. She's okay, I promise. Anyways, what's up with the interview?"

Harry sighed. "Just the normal for a Howard Stern interview- he asked some very personal and rude questions. Just prepare for that."

"What else is new?" You laughed. "Are you coming right home?"

"Yeah, unless you need anything?"

"Nope, I think I'm good. See you soon!"

"Love you, bye," Harry said, ending the call and starting the car to begin the drive home.

-----

"I'm home," Harry called, removing his coat as he walked in the door.

"We're in here," you responded, not moving from your spot on the couch where you were nursing Stevie.

Harry walked in, a small smile on his face as he looked at the two of you.

"Hi," He sighed, plopping down on the couch next to you.

"That bad, huh?" You asked, taking in his dejected tone.

He hummed in response, leaning his head on your shoulder. "Those interviews are... always something."

"Yeah, I only caught the end, but you sounded pretty upset. What did he say?"

"He just..." Harry shook his head. "I don't think you should listen to it."

You turned your head to look at him. "Why not?"

"He's just very rude and pushy, as always."

"Yeah, i figured, but I wanted to hear your songs," you argued with a small frown. "Did he say something really bad, or...?"

"He just makes some very impolite comments about you and our family."

"Oh," You nodded lightly. "I think I'll be okay, baby. I appreciate you trying to protect my feelings, but I'm used to it at this point, and I really couldn't care less about his opinion of me."

"Alright," he sighed. "If you're sure." He pulled out his phone, checking his email and going through some messages while you started the interview from the beginning. You could hear him grumbling under his breath and huffing every time Howard said something rude, but you ignored it, just laying a hand on his leg to calm him down.

By the time it was over, Harry was clearly not too happy. "I can't believe I went back on that show," he shook his head. "I'm never doing that again. I'm so sorry about what he said about you, I honestly should have just left-"

"It's okay," you cut him off with a smile. "Also, it was kind of hot to hear you get mad at him."

"Yeah?" He smiled back. "I thought I was very tame, actually. I wanted to say some other things, but I figured that wouldn't be a very good look for me."

"Right, but the way you attacked him but stayed professional... very hot," you laughed, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," He smiled, turning his head to kiss your cheek in return. "Is she done? I really need to hold her after the day I've had," He sighed dramatically, throwing his head back.

"I'm sure," you laughed, handing Stevie over to him and pulling your shirt back into place. "She's all yours."

"Hi baby," he cooed, holding her close to his chest. "I missed you so much."

Stevie yawned in response, cuddling into him.

"Oh, you missed me too?" He grinned. "See that? She missed me."

"She did," You agreed. "She was looking around when she heard your voice on the interview, she wanted to know where you were."

"I'm sorry," he pouted down at her. "I'll never go away again, and I'll never let the bad man be mean to you again."

"I don't think she's too upset about it, Harry," you laughed. "She is only 3 months old. She didn't exactly understand anything that went on."

"Excuse me," he said, looking very offended. "She may only be 3 months old, but she's very smart."

"Right, she's a genius baby, how could I forget?"

"I don't know," Harry shook his head at Stevie. "How could she forget how smart you are, hmm?"

Stevie yawned again, stretching her arms above her head.

"She's ready to take a nap," you said.

"Can I just hold her? I know it's not a good habit, to let her be held to sleep, but I don't want to put her down yet," Harry said, looking up with such pleading eyes, you couldn't possibly say no. Not like you would have said no anyways, but he didn't need to know that.

"Of course you can," you stood up, kissing his forehead before you turned away. "I'm gonna do the dishes, then we can watch something if you want."

"No, let me do those," he immediately protested.

"Harry, it's okay, I haven't done anything around the house since she was born-"

"And I'm not about to let you start now," he cut you off. "Come back here, please? Let's start that new show we were looking at the other night."

"Fine, but later I'm going to help you with the dishes."

"Fine," he smiled, agreeing with your compromise, even though you both knew he would argue later. "Now come back here."

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Bound Blood (Cassandra Dimitrescu/Reader, Soulmate AU) Pt. 5.5 Bonus

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Rating: T+ for language Warnings: None Summary: Local feral human spends some time with their new family. Four short bits featuring Daphne (Maiden OC), Bela, Lady D, Daniela, and a surprise guest. Enjoy. Previous Chapters: 1: Sharing Is (Not) Caring; 2: Bloodbath, Baby!, 3: Haunt Me Dearly, 4: Portraits For Ghosts, 5: Heart Of The Matter

5.5: Family

i.

“Wait, you’re telling me that you came here willingly?” You asked, mouth agape, eyes wide. It felt like every time you talked to Daphne she had something incredible to say. Which was, of course, why she was your favorite maiden to talk to. That, and the fact that she had adapted so quickly to your ‘charming personality’. So far she was the only servant you had been willing to be honest with. Mainly about your feelings regarding your blood bond, but also just about your relationship with Cassandra in general. Something about Daphne simply made her incredibly approachable. From what you had heard, you weren’t the only one to think as such, with her being fairly popular among the castle workers.

“More of us do than you might expect. Some consider it an honor to serve one of the four Lords, and Castle Dimitrescu is certainly… nicer than either the factory or the reservoir. Personally, I came here for a friend of mine. She, well, had less of a choice. I couldn’t bear the thought of her being here without knowing anyone, so it felt like I only had one option. Can’t say I regret my decision, if you can believe it,” Daphne explained, folding laundry all the while. At the same time, you carefully sort through the not yet washed clothing, separating them into two baskets. After all, you wouldn’t want Lady Dimitrescu to end up with a pink dress! Technically this wasn’t your job, nor did you have a job at all, but you hated having idle hands- especially when talking to someone who was working. At first Daphne had protested, but she had given in upon realizing just how stubborn you could be.

“That’s… impressive. I mean, holy shit, that's a real ride or die friendship right there. Is she, uh, is your friend still, you know, around?” You stuttered, cursing your tongue for asking such a thing. If the answer was no, you were going to feel like a real asshole. Which, admittedly, you had a tendency to be. But this wasn’t one of the times where it was intentional. Thankfully, Daphne is all smiles, and even seems amused by your spluttering.

“Yes, we’re even roommates. Well, us and five others. Possibly with a sixth one on the way, if we ever get someone to fill the empty space,” she replies, pausing to think. Then she’s back to work, refusing to waste any time. “Speaking of roommates… I know I said I’m not one for gossip, and I meant it, but a little songbird told me that Cassandra seems to be in a much better mood these days. Are the two of you, well, getting along? It would be nice to know that soulmates can overcome even the roughest of introductions.” There’s a hint of something odd in her tone, and you take a moment to wonder what she’s (unintentionally) hinting at. Had she met her soulmate, only for things to go poorly?... Before answering her, you make a mental note, deciding to see if any of the other maidens had a scar across their nose.

“It’s not like she and I are dating or anything. We’re just, you know, not hating each other. Currently,” you said, shrugging. But Daphne raises an eyebrow at you, and you find yourself instinctively feeling guilty, somehow feeling small next to the shortest person you knew. “Alright, alright, we might have… Okay we kissed. And promised each other not to die, because having your soulmate die hurts like hell. Also maybe she showed me her mom’s art collection and I made a joke about the titty sculptures because holy shit, this house has a lot of titties.” At this, Daphne bursts into laughter, grinning from ear to ear.

“Amen to that, for sure.”

ii.

“So… fan of science, I see,” you say, awkwardly, bouncing a little on your heels. Next to you is the eldest Dimitrescu daughter, who had unexpectedly joined your table in the library. There were several other places she could have sat, with both more comfortable seating and more workspace, but for some reason she had chosen here. So far she hadn’t said a word. Hell, you hadn’t spoken to her since your first meeting, where she had suggested killing you. Naturally, you weren’t quite sure what to make of her. Something told you that she felt much the same about yourself.

“Fan of oversimplification, I see,” Bela counters, after a few tense seconds. Then she sets down her book- a heavy text about Romanian avian fauna- to give you her full attention. “It would be more accurate to say that I enjoy studying biology, particularly the branch of zoology.” Well, this conversation was certainly… happening. Honestly, you couldn’t tell whether she was legitimately judging you, or merely chaffing you for her own amusement.

“You’ll have to, er, forgive me for being overly broad. Consider it a side effect of my nerves, those themselves being due to our unsavory introduction. In case you don’t recall, you put that sickle of yours into my shoulder,” you reminded, with a sarcastic smile. To your surprise, Bela chuckles at this, almost as if fondly remembering the incident. Seriously, you think, why did my soulmate have to be from this family?

“Staying silent was an option. Perhaps that would have suited you better?” Bela says, now clearly teasing, smile much more genuine than your own. Knowing she had a point, you’re quick to blush, mildly embarrassed.

“Touche. I am curious, however, why you decided to sit next to me in the first place. I certainly wouldn’t have tried starting a conversation if you hadn’t,” you explained.

“Like I said… I enjoy studying zoology,” Bela replies, with a sly grin. It takes you a few moments to understand the intended implications. Once you do, however, you’re giving her a hard stare. Then you scoot your chair a few inches away from her, in exaggerated movements. “Don’t worry, I was only joking. Though you certainly are an interesting human. Much more, hmm, cheeky? Compared to the servants, at least.”

“Somehow I get the feeling that they simply prefer being alive, as opposed to not being as snippy. Except maybe Daphne, now that I think about it. Very sweet, that one,” you muse. “Regardless, I think I’ll return to my book now, for it lacks a tongue, and is therefore less likely to taunt me.” Doing just as you had said, you open the book, holding it a bit higher than what would be comfortable, so that it becomes a ‘shield’ of sorts. Nothing was quite as satisfying as subtle body language.

Accepting your words with a shrug, Bela also resumes reading, turning to a bookmarked page. Roughly an hour of relative quiet passes. Neither of you so much as glance at each other, not even when she drops the pen she had been taking notes with. In the end, you are the one who leaves first, and finally the silence is broken. You give your goodbyes, and Bela returns them politely. Though you do not know it, she sets her book down as soon as you leave, pausing to think about you. Now that things had ‘calmed down’, it was reassuring for her to know that you weren’t always full of spite. Still, you held onto your cleverness (for the most part), leaving her with no doubt about the universe’s decision. You were her sister’s soulmate.

iii.

“It’s official: I’m lost in a creepy castle. The universe hates me. Probably should have realized that sooner, considering how it decided to introduce me to my soulmate,” you mutter, scowling deeply, as you wander unfamiliar halls. How had you even gotten lost? Sure, you had taken a wrong turn, but it hadn’t taken long for you to realize your mistake! Evidently you somehow managed to make another one while backtracking. Now you were standing in the center of the corridor, hands on your hips, desperate for some maiden to come rescue you. What you really didn’t want was Cassandra to find you, because she’d make fun of you for the rest of your life. It’s not like she had specifically joked about you getting lost before. Except that was exactly what had happened.

A few minutes pass uneventfully. There aren’t even any distant sounds of life; no footsteps, nor echoing voices, nor the squeaking of floorboards. All you can hear is your own breathing. As well as the occasional sigh, admittedly. By this point, there’s a part of you that’s starting to panic. After all, there was a chance that the castle was big enough for certain sections to be abandoned. Hopefully that’s not the case, you think, I mean, they’d cut the power to those parts, right? Here’s hoping… With that in mind, you get back to wandering, figuring that you’d have to eventually run into a familiar landmark. Or better yet, someone who actually knew the castle’s layout.

When salvation at last reveals its holy visage, it is not in the form of a lowly servant, rather the muffled voice of none other than Lady Dimitrescu herself. Neither her exact words nor who she’s speaking to is clear. At first, you can’t even tell where her voice is coming from, but you quickly approach one closed door, then another, searching for the source. Several doors later you’re certain you’ve found her. By then you can tell that she’s not alone. Not wanting to seem rude by interrupting, you take a few steps back, leaning against the wall to wait. For the most part you still cannot make out what’s being said, but a few words do reach your ears.

“-expected more from you. How am I-” the voice gets cut off, not by Alcina, rather a sudden gust of air, akin to massive wings flapping. When the speaker continues, they are both louder and angrier. “Someone is listening. Have you not taken steps to ensure our privacy?” Then the door is swinging open, revealing your soulmate’s mother. At first she’s practically shaking with rage, but her expression turns to shock when she sees you.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with Cassandra?” Lady Dimitrescu asks, clearly stressed, as she steps into the corridor. There’s movement behind her, although you cannot make out any details. Besides, you’re quick to answer her, wishing to avoid her wrath (and that of whoever she was speaking to).

“I’m so sorry, Lady Dimitrescu, I was walking from the dining hall to Cassandra’s studio, and I took a wrong turn. I’ve been wandering for half an hour now. When I heard your voice, I thought perhaps I could, well, enlist your assistance. But you were busy, so I figured I’d wait outside. If I had-...” you pause, gulping, as the other figure steps into view. It’s a face you’re all too familiar with. One that popped up countless times through the village, and again throughout the castle, the owner’s name always spoken with acclaim, with worship. Mother Miranda, in the flesh, wings spreading out behind her, somehow cutting a more impressive silhouette than even Lady Dimitrescu. Instantly you’re falling to your knees, knowing that your sharp tongue was no match for this practical goddess.

“Who is this, Dimitrescu? Why isn’t their blood staining your claws?” Miranda questions, gaze never leaving your trembling form.

“This… this is one of my daughters’ soulmates. They were brought in with the last group of sacrifices,” Lady Dimitrescu explains, uncharacteristically hesitant. ‘Twas a true testament to Miranda’s power, as well as her influence, that she could make someone so powerful seem so weak. Which was exactly why you were shaking with anxiety. But to your surprise, the goddess does not immediately order your execution for your trespass.

“And already they know their place, hmm? Kneeling before me?” Miranda says, a strange smile dancing on her lips. Whatever anger she had been feeling a minute prior had faded, though you couldn’t even begin to guess as to why. Regardless, both Alcina and yourself are quite relieved, though neither of you are quick to show it. “Either they have a good head on their shoulders, or you still take care of some of your duties. Very well, they may live. For now. But I expect next week’s report to be far more favorable. I don’t need to remind you of the price for failing me.” With that said, Mother Miranda turned to leave, a swirling mass of dark feathers flying past you.

A minute passes, maybe two, before either of you feel capable of speaking up.

“Let’s get you back where you belong, yes?” Lady Dimitrescu says, quietly, before placing her hand on your shoulder to guide you. Tension hangs clear and heavy over both of you. Even as you walk down corridor after corridor, the feeling does not ease. At least not until you’re back in familiar territory, near where you had originally made your mistake, finally able to breathe a little. It’s here that Lady Dimitrescu pauses to speak once more. “Tomorrow I will assign one of the servants to give you a tour, in the hopes that this does not happen again. Furthermore, I ask that you forget everything you heard earlier, for it is neither your business… or my daughter’s.” You’re quick to nod, and with that she bids you farewell, leaving you alone. Now, you think, was it left from here, or right?

iv.

“I’m just going for a walk. Why do you care so much? It’s not like it’s any of your business,” Daniela assures you, despite the fact that all you had done was say ‘hello’. If this was her attempt at casting aside suspicion, she had done a terrible job of it. What made her so nervous? Was it even worth investigating? Only one way to find out.

“You’re rather bundled up, planning on being out for long?” You ask, trying to sound casual, leaning against the wall as you did. In response, Daniela pretty much stomps her foot. There’s something odd in her expression, however, that implies your question hit a soft spot. Certainly wasn’t what you had expected. “Don’t mind me, just trying to make conversation with my soulmate’s sister. Speaking of her… have you seen Cassandra? Is she, perhaps, going with you?” A little misdirection never hurt anyone. Probably.

“No!” Daniela replies, fast as a gunshot, too much emphasis to be unintentional. But she realizes her mistake as soon as she’s made it, and makes a clear effort to relax herself. “She’s probably in her studio, doing whatever it is she calls art, on the other end of the house. Besides, I don’t want any company for this walk.” For a moment you merely squint at her, unsure of how to proceed. In the end, you decide that it really is none of your business, being more than satisfied by what teasing you’ve already done.

“Alright, alright. Well then, I’ll leave you be. Just… be careful, yeah? If you get hurt, and your mother finds out that I didn’t stop you from going… not sure Cassandra could save me,” you say, with a shrug. At first Daniela can’t decide whether to be upset or relieved, but she seemingly settles for the latter, giving you a brief nod before heading outside. As the door shut behind her, you couldn’t help but wonder if you had done the right thing.

[imthatchishiyasimp]

I fucked my way into this mess, and I’ll fuck my way out.

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

“Oh shit” was all I could say, looking at the now crimson red-hoodie.

“You better fix that”.

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

Hi!!! Had this idea and couldn't resist writing about it, also the title helped to develop it hahahaha.

it's not NSFW, but it hints a bit about it at the end, so be careful. Also, TW: death and blood are both mentioned and described.

The previous game night I got my sweatshirt broken, and since then I had been borrowing people’s clothes. I wasn’t able to search for a new decent one and I was planning on scabaging a few stores on my way back to the Beach after this game.

I had managed to steal a few clothes from Kunai and some other people, and they didn’t mind. No one minded but Chishiya, that bastard. His hoodies were so clean and soft, wonders where he took them. So, given that he didn’t want to lend them over, I broke into his room and stole the best one. It was pure white, big and comfy with a front pocket and a hood.

He wasn’t supposed to go out and play tonight, so it would have been fine. He wasn’t even in the car when I got there. But, out of nowhere, he was at the lobby of the game arena I was supposed to clear.

I mean, the mad look he gave me? Dude, I was scared.

We were playing a spades game, an easy one. In total there were eight participants, two of them were new to the games and scared to the bone.

“REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED. THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 8 PARTICIPANTS. THE GAME WILL NOW COMMENCE.”

I looked around and saw a path going up the stairs and into a wide corridor. Two small tables were placed at the bottom of them, one holding the phones left after we all took our own, and the other one with several collars. I had heard of them in other games, but I didn’t have the pleasure of trying them on.

While the phones were informing us of the difficulty of the game, I got closer to Chishiya, step by step, judging if he was mad enough to give me the silent treatment. Apparently not, because he didn’t push me away nor did he go to the other corner of the mini crowd we formed. I tucked my hand into the pocket and balanced on my toes, listening to the rules of the game.

“GAME: TARGET SHOOTING.”

“PLEASE, PUT ON THE COLLARS PLACED ON THE TABLE”.

Reluctantly, we all clasped the collar around our necks. It felt wrong and cold, like the hand of a murderer patiently waiting to squeeze harder and harder until you died. I swallowed hard, rolling my head and trying to get used to the feeling. My eyes drifted to Chishiya’s form and I wasn’t surprised to find him unaltered. His hands were hidden in his pockets, his face covered by the hood, but I caught a glimpse of his eyes.

He looked at me, from head to toes. Would he forgive me because I looked good in his clothes? Probably not, but I could wish.

“RULE: MANAGE TO SHOOT ACCURATELY TO THE TARGET WITH THE CROSSBOWS LEFT IN EACH ROOM”.

“CLEAR CONDITION: PASS THE 10 ROOMS WITH PERFECT AIM. IF YOU FAIL, YOU WILL BE ELIMINATED. IF YOU MAKE ANOTHER PLAYER SHOOT IN YOUR TURN, YOU WILL BE ELIMINATED”.

“TIME LIMIT: 30 MINUTES, EACH ROOM HAS A MAXIMUM OF 3 MINUTES. IF YOU DON’T CLEAR THE ROOM IN THAT TIME, YOU WILL BE ELIMINATED”.

“THE GAME WILL START ONCE YOU OPEN THE DOORS”.

Without a word, we all took the stairs up to the first mark pointing to door number 1. Some guy opened it and we walked inside. It was almost empty, leaving one table with a crossbow and a handful of arrows. At the end of the room there was a kind of dart-board, but the red center was way bigger than usual. Just a few steps from the door there was a mark with two feet, signaling the shooting position.

Our phones chimed with the time starting the countdown. Below the time apparead the face of one of the players, giving him the first turn. A black haired boy took the crossbow with confidence, getting the arrow ready and shooting with efficiency.

“Are you mad at me?” I whispered to Chishiya.

He gave me the eye and grunted. “I clearly remember telling you not to steal my clothes. Are you going deaf?”

I giggled and hid my nose in the hoodie. It smelled like him, one of the very first reasons why I stole it. I love the way he smells of new things, undiscovered fragrances and fresh days. It brought me peace and calm; I felt safe.

“I was cold and couldn’t find anything else. You weren’t supposed to see, I thought you weren’t due yet”.

The first three participants did well, the last one getting too close to the limit but managing anyway. I was next.

Taking an arrow and getting ready for the shooting, I placed myself on the mark and breathed deeply. I didn’t like guns, but I had a good aim when needed. With a clear shot, I gave the crossbow to the next player.

We all passed the room within the time limit and left for the next one. Given the easiness of the first room, a bust of confidence started to grow in each player, so when the target became a pain to shoot, panic bursted in the room.

It was room 4 where the first player died. An old woman that was trembling with fear and exhaustion missed the red circle. She dropped the crossbow and looked at us in fear, grabbing the collar and pulling with force. I walked backwards until I met the opposite wall. Chishiya was next to me, with his eyes locked in the body of the lady going down after the bomb exploded. I couldn’t look at it.

The next player had to move her body to be able to step on the mark, and that was when all of us were aware of the situation. While I knew what the collar meant, some of the participants didn’t.

“I will return it after the game, I promise. Just wait until we finish and I’m able to take something from some mall” I told him walking towards room number 6. No one was talking, so my voice was easy to pick up above the steps of the players. They looked at me from the corner of their eyes, wondering how I was so calm, how I was able to think of something else apart from the game.

Chishiya brought my hood up and placed it on my head, covering my hair with it. “If you don’t bring it back, you will face consequences” And then he walked faster to the next room. I gulped, not wanting to know what would await me if I didn’t. The feeling of his fingers through the strands of my hair still alive on my mind.

Room 8 only held four players. Chishiya and I were with the boy with shooting experience and a girl with short hair. Both of them were young and composed, getting through the game without a word from their lips.

It was getting noticeably difficult. The target was in higher places and getting smaller by the point. A headache was starting to grow and it made me clench my fingers more often, almost making me shoot a moment before I was ready. The pressure of the time was smaller since we were less people, but it meant we took more time to get ready and I was getting nervous.

The four of us made it to room 10. It looked like the last one, extremely difficult with a very small target and too high to comfortably shoot. The boy was called first and he got ready to shoot. His confidence had wavered in the last rooms, same as the rest, but he still made an effort on showing a calm facade.

I was sure he was gonna clear the game. I think all of the players in the room thought so. And I was behind him, waiting for my turn, looking anxiously at the time getting close to the end. But also, we all thought there wasn’t going to happen anything else. No one saw the vents opening and giving a rush of air, making the arrow go a bit to the left and missing the target. It was a soft breeze, but enough to change the course of the arrow.

“No. No, no, no. No! This wasn’t supposed to happen! They didn’t tell! It’s not fair! I was the first one to shoot!” He shouted. He started screaming at us because now we knew about it. He died in the middle of a cry, shaking me from the shoulders. And I just stood there, listening to his cries and too shocked to fight him.

I got all his blood spattered on myself, his dead eyes printed on my mind.

I don’t recall what happened after. I just remember throwing the body of the dead player to one side, taking the crossbow and shooting to the target. I almost missed, having miscalculated the force of the air released by the vents. I think the girl went after me and cleared the game too. We waited until Chishiya shot and stood there, listening to the beeping sound of the phones.

“GAME CLEAR”.

“CONGRATULATIONS”.

Leaving the hotel next to Chishiya was a bit awkward. He was playing with the card in his hands, looking at it with an interesting face. And he wasn’t talking, not even humming. He liked to point out things about the game after he cleared them, about the rules, the players or the place we played in. But he didn’t. We arrived at the nearest car that was going to the Beach and I made a move to get in. I wasn’t in the mood of walking all the way back, but Chishiya stopped me before I could open the door.

“Nope, you are not coming” He told me, pushing me away from the car.

“What? Why?” I asked, frowning my eyebrows. He pointed to my chest and I looked down. “Oh shit” It was so far gone. There was not a single white spot in the hoodie. It was absolutely red. “Oh fuck, oh no, I’m so sorry”. I looked at him, my face showing full remorse, big eyes asking for forgiveness. I tried to reach him, failing when he moved out of my reach.

He just smirked and shook his head. “I will wait until tomorrow night. You better fix that before then”. And he got in the car, leaving me alone in the street, hands still in the air.

“Chishiya you bastard! I didn’t do it on purpose!”

So there I was, going into every shop I could find, searching for an identical hoodie and taking advantage of the trip to pick a few things for myself. It wasn’t a special hoodie or something, but most of them were either the wrong size or too dirty. I took my precious time looking for a perfect one, also taking some more to give as an apology and for me to match. We would see who would try to steal then.

I had miscalculated the time it would take me to walk back to the Beach. The ride to the game arena was a bit longer than usual, but I didn’t think walking would take me that much.

The sun was going down when I reached the Beach. I was famished and thirsty as hell. I was only able to take a fast lunch and I walked a too long distance. I went straight to the kitchens and I gulped down a full bottle of water with some snacks.

After I was satisfied, I stood and took my bags to my room, putting away the clothes I picked and changing into something clean. Taking the ones I chose for Chishiya, I left my room and went to his.

I knocked and waited until I heard footsteps coming to open the door. I fought a smile miting my lip and tried to remain calm. He opened the door just a bit to see who was knocking, opening fully seeing me there.

“Do you like this one?” I said while turning around and opening my arms. “It’s exactly the same one, size and all, and don’t forget the hood and the pocket!” I watched him lean into the door frame and smirk behind his hair. He gave me a look crossing his arms and letting out a breathy laugh.

I remained serious and gave a sorry look. “I mean, if you don’t like it, I have a few more for you to choose. Here, let me try them on so you can see how they look” Taking the sleeves, I pulled my arms out and started to take the hoodie off in the middle of the corridor.

I heard him moving just when I was about to take it off. Suddenly I was being dragged by the arm and thrown into Chishiya’s room.

I laughed out loud, almost tripping because of the strength and the lack of vision due to the hoodie being over my head. His room smelled like he did and I was high on it.

“Do you need to be such a pain for me to do something?” He said with a smug voice, taking the hoodie completely off me. His dark eyes checked me out and I felt so vulnerable under his gaze that I felt chills running through my body.

Could he be any more handsome? The way this eyes held the whole world’s knowledge made me shiver in both fear and awe. The white strands of hair dancing around his face, making him shine even more. His smile, a rare but precious sight.

His touch was warm and delicate. His fingers went through my hair, to my cheekbones and to my neck, going slowly and leaving me breathless.

I took a step forward and grabbed at his clothes, feeling brave for a moment, getting close to his ear to whisper with a soft and heavy voice: “It worked, didn’t it?” Besides, now I know what it takes to bring you down”.

“You’re on”.