#she's stopped bolting from me and will in fact hang out as long as i don't approach

[jensownzoo]

Oops I think I shut one of the neighborhood cats in my garage yesterday.

I'll leave the door open occasionally while I'm home so they can hunt the mice infesting it. Usually the cat (1 of 2) comes bolting out once they hear me futzing around nearby, but maybe she was asleep? Or deeply focused?

Anyway I opened the door to retrieve my clothespins, started hanging thing up on the line, and she was suddenly just there with me, rapidly slinking around to remove herself from the area post-haste.

So yeah, I think she spent the night in the garage.

Hope she feasted well.

[singmyaubade]

Good Luck Babe

poly!marauders x nerd!female!reader

summary: after being a wallflower throughout your first five years at hogwarts, you always thought that you could be invisible. but when you hear the marauders talking cruelly about you and proceeding to ask for your forgiveness after, well good luck babe.

warnings: eventual smut! 18+ heavy angst, cursing, reader wants to kill the marauders , swearing, unprotected sex, praise, oral (male receiving), jealousy

a/n: oh hey... this is kinda based on those cliche 2000's movies where the girl is ugly but not really and she has that glow up or whatever. this was written so quick and not proofread, don't kill me. i hope you enjoy and as always, i apologize if you hate this!

STARTING off your sixth year at Hogwarts being an entirely new person wasn't something that you had planned or expected.

On the inside, you felt exactly the same, the same girl who was bold and could ferociously win a fight when it came to her character.

The same girl who was witty and sarcastic, surprising half of the people around you when you made a joke once in a lifetime.

But on the outside, you didn't have an awkward mis-shaped bob and you no longer wore baggy jackets that didn't do a thing for your figure.

And you didn't hide your face anymore, trying your best to be invisible.

It wasn't that you were shy or that you felt like a loser but you thought social hierarchy was bullshit and the only thing you wanted to focus on was your studies.

You may have been a brave Gryffindor on the inside but on the outside, you had to play the part of a shy mouse as corny as that sounds.

Unfortunately for you, invisibility only tends to last for so long until one moment, you are a nobody and then all eyes are upon you.

And maybe, just maybe, if you hadn't heard the Marauders discussing you the previous year, you would have stayed the same.

You had passed by the boys dormitory to give Remus his textbooks back as you always did when you let you borrow when you heard them speaking of the very person behind the door,

"I still have yet to understand why Lily and the rest of them act like she's some charity case," James huffed, "I mean, she's not some sick patient, they only feel the need to pity her because of how she looks."

You always knew that James had a foul mouth but to be speaking about someone like this, it was cruel.

Remus hissed, "That's not nice Prongs,"

"I'm not even saying it to be a dick!" James groaned, "I just mean, I pity her more for the fact that they don't even invite her to anything outside of breakfast and dinner," He explained, causing Remus to go silent.

Sirius chuckled, shaking his head. "That's absolutely horrid."

James reclined on his bed, a smirk playing on his lips. "I’m just saying, if I were Y/N, I’d be mortified."

Your eyes widened as they began to water, they were speaking about you.

Remus leaned against the wall, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "Maybe she just doesn’t want to hang out with Lily and the others."

"Moony, seriously," James shot back, sitting up. "Where is Y/N right now, and where are the other girls?" His eyebrow cocked, trying to make his point as Remus silenced.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Why don’t we investigate for ourselves?" He unfolded the Marauder's Map with a flourish. "Alright, we’ve got Lily, Dorcas, Mary, and Marlene all at Hogsmeade, but Y/N is..." His voice trailed off, eyes narrowing.

James leaned closer, annoyance creeping into his tone as he grabbed the map, "She's-" He stopped, the color fading from his face.

"Fucking spit it out!" Remus said next as he snatched the map finally and saw that the map had shown that you were right outside their door.

"Shit!" You heard Remus say as he started making his way to the door.

Hearing his footsteps approaching, you quickly moved away from the door, bolting for your room.

Once you made it back to your dorm, you had sinked the floor. You put your hand on your mouth, muffling yourself as you cried silently.

You honestly hated to even say it but you did consider Lily and the rest of them your friends. You had never really thought about how they didn't invite you to places.

And if you were being truthful, they had never asked you to have breakfast or dinner with them.

You had always just assumed that you could join but they never told you to leave or swooshed you off. Another part of you hated how stupid you were, trying to intrude on their private time.

You didn't want to let it get to you what a bunch of seventeen year old boys were saying but it did sting horribly.

But in a way, it also motivated you to be who you were on the inside. You already had the top marks in your entire year and your plan to work in the Ministry after Hogwarts had already been set.

And now your chance to be something at Hogwarts was right in front of you, an opportunity that you couldn't miss.

You had to do it for yourself.

The Marauders had no idea who you truly were or even cared to know. And although Remus was kind to you, you could always see that he never made any effort to be your friend.

Not that you expected him to but it only taught you that they truly thought you were some hopeless case.

And an assignment to make the Marauders bite their tongues was one that you couldn't bare to fail.

After hearing that, you decided to avoid the Marauders for the next month, especially with summer break approaching. To your surprise, you barely saw them outside of classes, never giving them a chance to reach out—even Remus.

And then that summer, everything changed. You let your hair grow past your shoulders, embracing your natural curls instead of straightening them. You started wearing clothes that were trendy and form-fitting, a huge contrast to your old style.

You discovered a newfound love for self-care, enjoying the process far more than you expected. Each day felt like a transformation, and by the end of summer, your mother couldn’t help but notice. “Finally listening to me about your style, huh?” she teased.

You only laughed as you embraced her,

If only she knew what had caused it in the first place.

As you said goodbye to your family, anticipation mingled with dread. You knew the train ride would be the least of your worries, but the welcome dinner and the ceremony ahead felt like they might just be hell reincarnate.

As you entered Hogwarts, you admired it as much as you did when you were a first year. The castle was something you considered a second home and everything about it was magical, there was no doubting that.

A crowd of students, including yourself, moved toward the Great Hall, and you settled into your usual seat at the Gryffindor table.

You spotted the Marauders and the usual group of girls approaching, and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes. They took their usual spots in front of you, with the girls on one side and the boys on the other. James sat beside you, and Lily was directly in front of him.

You never quite understood why they arranged themselves like that, but it hardly mattered in the moment.

They were busy in conversation before James had noticed someone next to him, his eyes widening. You couldn't quite read his face but it seemed like a mix of confusion and flustered.

You stared at him back but he still had yet to mutter a word. You cleared your throat, "Uh hello," You practically whispered.

He snapped back into reality, "Oh sorry, hi," He muttered back.

Silence took over you both as James couldn't find the words of what to say to you.

On one hand, he wanted to call you beautiful, to tell you that you were one of the prettiest girls he’d ever seen. On the other, he just wanted to stare at you for a few more minutes like a creep.

Lily noticed his gaze and leaned in, smirking. "Excuse my friend; we’re still trying to figure out if he has a brain."

"I thought we solved that decades ago," Marlene chimed in, stifling a laugh.

Lily turned to you with a curious smile. "I don’t believe I’ve seen you before. What’s your name?"

Are you actually fucking kidding me?

You scoffed, "I'm Y/N,"

The entire group looked at you in awe, even the ones who weren't chimed in on the conversation.

"Y/N L/N?" Sirius asked, mouth gaping.

"Yep, that one," You snorted.

They all looked like they had seen a ghost, "You look different," Marlene said as Mary shoved her.

"She means in a good way!" Mary added.

"Uh thanks," You said, awkwardly.

They all continued to stare at you like you were an exhibit in a museum, their eyes scanning you up and down.

"Do you all mind not staring at me?" you asked, trying to break the tension. They all looked away, feigning innocence as they muttered apologies.

"How have you been?" Lily asked, clearly trying to ease the awkwardness.

"Fine," you replied, your tone clipped.

You caught the pained expressions on the Marauders' faces, realizing they were the reason for your dismissive attitude.

"That's great," Lily said, forcing a smile.

You felt a wave of frustration at the awkwardness surrouding you and decided it was time to escape. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom," you announced, heading toward the exit before they could respond.

As you walked away, you could already here the mutters and whispers emerging from the table, the fascinating topic being you.

You paced as you heard footsteps trailing behind you, but you ignored them, letting your gaze wander around the castle.

"Y/N!" someone called out, startling you.

You turned to see Sirius, James, and Remus hurrying after you. You only let out a snort before continuing your same way.

A hand suddenly reached around your forearm as you turned to see Remus. You quickly snatched your hand away, finally stopping to look at the group of boys who you despised.

Crossing your arms, you shot them a hostile look. "What?"

"We just wanna—"

"We're so—"

"Listen, we just—"

They all spoke at once, but you scoffed and turned back toward the bathroom, starting to walk away.

You were hoping that they would realize you wanted nothing to do with them but instead, it only made them want to chase you more.

They quickened their pace, and you spun around sharply. "For fuck's sake, what do you want?" you snapped.

James took a breath, his expression earnest. "I'm sorry for what I said. I've been thinking about it since you left. I was an awful twat, and you didn't deserve a thing of what I said."

You let out a sarcastic laugh, "Are you serious?" You asked as your expression changed to furious, "You basically called me a loser and said that Lily and the rest of them were only hanging out with me out of pity,"

James hissed as your statement, feeling the razor in your voice.

"-And now you all want to act as if I should just forgive you since I don't look the same anymore," You got closer to James's face, "Fuck off."

You turned your heel again and this time, the boys didn't follow you.

You finally entered the bathroom and shut the door behind you. Staring at your reflection in the mirror, you struggled to read the expression on your face. You were furious at the Marauders, and the idea of forgiving them felt impossible.

Yet, there was a flicker of gratitude that you felt for the change you’d undergone. You’d gained a new confidence that felt good, but the sting of their cruel words still lingered in your mind.

And you knew that you couldn't let it get to you but knowing they thought that of you, even Remus. It still did things to you that you would never admit out loud.

Snapping out of your thoughts, you realized it was almost time to head to the dormitory.

The rest of the night had flown by, with first years being introduced to their new home for the next six years while everyone else relaxed in the common room. Despite curfews, fifth years and above knew they could hang out longer—the curfew was mostly for the first years anyway.

"Caput Draconis," you muttered, and the Fat Lady nodded, granting you entrance.

Stepping into the common room, your heart sank as you spotted the last group you wanted to see. They noticed you just as quickly, encouraging you to pick up your pace toward the dorm.

"Hey, Y/N!" Dorcas called out, making you wince as you turned to see her waving.

The Marauders looked down, shame etched on their faces, avoiding your gaze as if you were Medusa.

You approached them slowly, dread settling in your stomach as they eyed you like a science project.

"We were just about to play a fun little game," Dorcas said enticingly, while Marlene snorted beside her.

"I don’t know if Spin the Bottle is a great idea for the first night back," Marlene added, taking a sip of her beer.

"A little peck never hurt anyone," Lily chimed in, clapping her hands together.

Of all people, you’d never expect Lily Evans to approve such a thing. This was the same girl who nearly fainted when she heard about Marlene and Dorcas kissing the previous year.

"I don’t know if this is the game for me," you replied, eyeing the group warily.

"Of course it is!" Lily insisted, but you raised an eyebrow. "Oh my gosh! Not like that, I just mean it's a fun game for us all to play," she quickly added, looking flustered.

Part of you wanted to say no and retreat to your bed, but that was the old you, and you knew it wouldn’t help. This was a new year, and you were determined to embrace new experiences.

Besides, you’d never participated in any scandalous games for all of the years you've been at Hogwarts—it felt like a crime in itself.

So, after a moment’s hesitation, you said, "Okay, sure." The girls erupted in cheers, while the Marauders exchanged worried glances.

What if you had to kiss one of them? Would you refuse and create a scene? Would you want to strangle them for even suggesting it?

The possibilities raced through their mind, but there was no turning back as everyone began to form a circle.

As you sat in the circle, a shiver of nervousness enveloped you. You had never kissed anyone before and the whole thought made you nervous within itself.

Don't get it wrong, you've had chances but they never seemed right and you certainly weren't kissing Matthew Trunchbull underneath the bleachers of the Quidditch field.

So when you got offered a shot of firewhiskey to cool your nerves by Marlene, you took it happily as it burned down your throat.

You brushed off all the negative thoughts entering your mind,

What really is the worst thing that could happen?

[targaryenmarvel]

Fallin' All In You (Part 6) - Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Summary: You’ve known Wanda Maximoff since you were children. She was the shy and exceptionally beautiful twin sister of your best friend, Pietro. For the most part, you two never interacted, but that changes when against your better judgment, you begin to develop feelings for the girl. 

Warnings: Only cursing for now

Note: Hey, everyone, I hope you are all doing well. I just wanted to share the last chapter of Fallin' All In You. I'm sorry it took so long, but I had a horrible writer's block for the ending. Good news: I'm already working on my next series. I'll share more info soon. Happy reading, everyone!

Word count: 3,162

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

"Y/N," the blonde boy's voice pierced the air, a potent mix of urgency and confusion. He abruptly halted before the temporary fence enclosing the Ferris wheel, his eyes wide in suspicion.

You were frozen in your tracks as his voice hit you like a splash of cold water. At your side, Wanda gently let go of your hand and took a step away, causing a pang of pain in your chest at her sudden distance.

Pietro's eyes danced between you, yet yours remained fixed on the boy. The longer you remained silent, the more suffocating the atmosphere became. Crystal bounced on her feet uncomfortably and could no longer withstand the tension. She loudly clasped her hands together, drawing the attention of the group.

"I'm just gonna head to the restroom. I'll be right back, babe," she announced, awkwardly walking backward. Pietro half-mindedly nodded as he returned his gaze to you and Wanda.

"This is unexpected," he finally said, scratching his head. "I thought you were doing photography with Shuri today," he told Wanda with a quirked eyebrow before addressing you, "You said you were hanging out with Daisy, but instead, I found you here with my sister."

From your side, Wanda shifted, shooting you a questioning look. You internally kicked yourself for not thinking of a better lie than hanging out with another girl.

Wanda twisted her rings, eyes settling on anything but her twin brother. "Piet, I know you're upset. The last thing you expected to see tonight was your sister and best friend together."

Pietro scoffed and violently shook his head. "Is that what you think? Wanda, I've known about you two since before either of you did." The two of you shared a bewildered look, and Pietro released an exasperated sigh. "Sistra, anytime I mentioned Y/N, you'd grow flustered or hide away when she came over." He turned to you with a scrutinizing glare. "And you're no better, Y/N. Third grade, when Wanda shared her favorite color with the class, you suddenly started buying all things red despite blue being your favorite color."

You froze in place, utterly speechless, as his words hit you like a bolt of lightning, leaving you stunned and reeling. Your brain raced as the haze of the childhood memory disappeared at his words, and you suddenly remembered ruining your school supplies so your mother would have to buy you everything in red.

"I would have to be blind not to notice your little interaction while you're on the field. You were throwing lovesick glances at eachother throughout the game, for god's sake." He waved his arms around to make his point.

Your face flushed red, and you stuttered embarrassingly, trying to deny his words, yet you couldn't. Similarly, Wanda shifted in place, her face burning, as she stared at the grass.

"I'm not mad about you being together. In fact, I couldn't think of a better match since I love you both. Which is why I am hurt you were so afraid to tell me." He stopped stepping closer to you as he took a deep breath, calming himself. "It was fun at first watching you scramble around me, but now, are you that scared of me?"

Your heart dropped.

"Don't be mad at Y/N. She wanted to tell you, but I was too scared. You two have been friends since we were kids, and us being together..." She cast her gaze down, wrapping her arms around herself, and continued in a small voice, "If you want to blame anyone, blame me."

For the first time, you opened your mouth. "Wanda, you can't take the blame for a decision we made together. We are both at fault." You pried her hand away from its confinement, securing it as you turned to Pietro. "I'm sorry we kept it from you, Pietro. And no, it wasn't because I was scared of you. I lied because I was afraid of ruining our friendship."

Pietro's face softened at your declaration. "Y/N, unless you plan on hurting Wanda, you will never lose me, and I doubt you would ever do that to her."

"Never," you assured, shaking your head and glancing at Wanda. The young woman stared down bashfully with a tiny smile, and your heart swelled. You said the following words, staring directly at her. "I'm serious about us. I would have never risked our friendship if I wasn't."

"I know, and I'm sorry if I overreacted earlier. It's just you're my baby sister," he said, looking at Wanda.

She rolled her eyes, muttering, "It's only 12 minutes."

Pietro ignored her, turning to you, "And you're my best friend. That fact that you are together doesn't change anything. I still want you to rant to me when she nags you over playing too many video games like she does with me. Or whenever Y/N is being an idiot because we all know how dense she can be. I mean, it took her ages to figure out she liked you."

You turned red, and Wanda snorted, bringing her hand to cover her mouth in a futile attempt to save you from further embarrassment.

"No matter what, both of you can come to me."

Wanda lunged forward into his arms, hiding her face in his neck. He enclosed her in his arms, squeezing her tightly as he gave you a goofy grin.

"Bring it in." He removed one of his arms from Wanda and extended it to you invitingly. In normal circumstances, you would have pushed the boy for subjecting you to the embarrassing public display of affection. Yet the rollercoaster of emotions you endured clouded your judgment, and you soon joined the siblings, wrapping your arms around the two.

Although you could feel a few curious eyes on you and a tinge of self-consciousness, you still wrapped your arms around the two.

"Aw, how cute," Crystal cooed, settling next to you three, effectively ending the moment as you scrambled away from eachother. "Oh, don't stop on my account."

"Anyway, I wanted to ride the Inversion, but Crystal's a chicken," he flinched as she slapped his arm. "Are you down?"

You looked at Wanda, and she nodded. Yes, you were whipped.

"Lead the way."

The four of you made your way to the ride, only separating as you and Pietro got into the line, leaving the girls to wait on the other side.

Wanda and Crystal leaned on the metal railing, observing the spinning contraption in complete silence. Despite their lack of interaction, Wanda felt comfortable with the girl. Wanda had been around many of Pietro's conquests, and although she knew little of Crystal, she seemed different from the frivolous, self-centered girls his brother liked to date. Of course, she was otherworldly beautiful with her flowing strawberry-blonde hair, striking green eyes, and alluring personality: charismatic, confident, intelligent, athletic, but most importantly, kind. No wonder she was popular, and no wonder Pietro had gone after the girl.

Crystal shuffled on her feet while watching the operator open the railing gate, and more people, including you and Pietro, entered the ride.

"You know, when Pietro mentioned Y/N and Daisy were hanging out today, I thought the girl had finally mustered the courage to ask Y/N out," Crystal mused thoughtfully.

Wanda's furrowing face sharply twisted her way. "Ask Y/N out?

"Yeah, everyone knows she's had the biggest crush on her since freshman year, but you beat her to the punch. I'm not disappointed, though. You two make a cute couple," she explained dismissively, not sensing Wanda's distress, before waving to the moving ride. "Oh, there they go!"

She watched as the platform spun, and the two continued in silence. Wanda's mind lingered on the so-called Daisy. Who the hell was this girl who had a crush on you? Why did you tell Pietro you were hanging out? Did you know of her feelings? Wanda's head filled with insecurities like a dark cloud lumming in the sky.

The thoughts continued as you and Pietro rejoined the girls. However, they eased into the back of her mind as you took her hand and flashed her a bright smile—a reminder that she had the privilege of tasting your lips; she was on a date with you, and you wanted her.

Wanda squeezed your hand as the two of you followed Pietro and Crystal to the game stalls after deciding to continue as a group. The two of you teased her brother as he attempted to outsmart the rigged games as if you hadn't faced the same predicament earlier as you tried to impress Wanda.

"Why don't you try hook-a-duck? Maybe you'll have better luck," you playfully suggested as Pietro failed to knock down the entire tower of cans for the third time. Wanda snickered into your shoulder as her brother fixed you with a glare.

"Fuck off, Y/N. ," he said as he handed the boy in charge of the stall more bills. He recoiled his arm, preparing to throw, before an idea crossed his mind. "In fact, why don't you show me how it's done?" he offered, extending the bean bag to you.

You huffed nervously, looking to Wanda for help, as you remembered how you could only knock over a few cans earlier. Wanda had cleared all the cans.

"You should give it a try," she said with a devilish smirk, crushing any hope of evading the challenge. You stared at her in betrayal, eyebrows drawn together and mouth agape. Wanda revealed in your reaction, finding it humorous and equally adorable, so much so that she leaned in to kiss you on the cheek and whispered, "Aim for the bottom middle, detka."

A blushing mess and dazed, you took the bean bag from Pietro and positioned yourself behind the stall. Detka. The word rang through your skull, and you tried to recognize its meaning. For all you knew, she could be calling you an idiot, yet the soft and endearing tone made you think otherwise. You would ask her later, you settled.

You experimentally swung your arm, analyzing the pyramid. The base consisted of four metal cans, and per Wanda's instruction, you were to aim for the second and third. You inhaled deeply before releasing the bean bag in an underhand throw. It hits the second tier's third can, and three crumble, leaving seven remaining. You run your tongue between your lips, irked that you have missed your target, and you readjust your position. You throw again, this time hitting your target. The remaining cans in the second and third tier fall, and they miraculously knock the first can in the fourth tier, leaving only one left.

Wanda cheers you on from behind, and so does Crystal; Pietro complains beside her. "Babe?" He questioned reproachfully, and you stifled a laugh.

You aim the final bean bag at the remaining can, calculating how much strength to use. The bean bag grazes the can, moving slightly but not falling over.

"Fuck," you whisper defeatedly.

"Not so cocky now, huh?" Pietro mused, quirking an eyebrow at you.

"I don't think you have any room to talk, Piet. She still did better than you," Wanda defended, crossing her arms as you returned to her side with your new keychain.

"She's right, babe," Crystal joined in, biting back a laugh when Pietro turned to her with a look of betrayal.

"Oh, so that's how it's going to be. You're going to gang up on me, now?" He scoffed, his eyes jumping between the three of you. "Traitors."

The three of you could no longer contain your laughter at Pietro's antics. Oh, how you had missed him the past few years. Though you chatted frequently, nothing compared to the banter you shared when you were together.

"You're such a drama queen, Piet," you say, wrapping your arm around Wanda's shoulder, who hides a snicker behind her hand.

Pietro turns to respond, but Crystal takes him by the arm, leaning in to kiss his cheek. The boy's face softens, and the bright lighting of the stall allows you to notice a faint redness on his face as he grins, pleased with himself. He had accomplished what he sought: charming Crystal.

Some of you wanted to tease the boy, yet how could you when his sister had you following her like a lost puppy? Her kiss or a simple touch had you melting like ice on a scorching summer day. The evidence came when Wanda turned to you, a radiant smile spread across her face, causing your chest to tighten and leaving you momentarily breathless.

The group of you wandered around the fairgrounds, and before you knew it, it was 9:45 PM. You could feel your body growing tired, your feet aching after so much walking, and you could tell Wanda felt the same way. As your arms circled her waist with your chin resting on her shoulder, you could see her head tilt up and release a long yawn.

When Pietro and Crystal invited you to watch a local band the organizers booked to play, you and Wanda declined in favor of going home. Wanda fell asleep within ten minutes of your journey home, perhaps lulled by the soft voice of Lana del Rey. Unlike the night she had stayed over, you couldn't afford to admire the sleeping girl lest you wish for disaster. Then, you would undoubtedly replace Jarvis for the worst date ever.

You contented yourself by humming to the music and tapping on the steering wheel. When you parked in front of her house, Wanda remained deep in slumber, her chest rising slowly with each breath. How could she become more beautiful each time you look at her?

You reached over, gently rubbing her arm, and Wanda groaned, scrunching her face into a scowl, disgruntled by being disturbed.

"Wake up, sleepy head. We're here," you said, biting back a laugh.

Her eyes snapped open at your words, embarrassment washing over her face.

"Sorry," Wanda said, rubbing at her eyes.

Your lips twitch upwards, arching a singular eyebrow. "What for?"

"I fell asleep."

"I don't mind. In fact, I immensely enjoyed the little nose scrunch you do when sleeping. It's cute," you teased, recalling the small detail from the one time you risked a glance.

"Oh, god, stop," Wanda grumbled into her hands.

You hummed, your teeth grasping your lower lip, lost in deep contemplation.

"I don't think I will. I like making you blush. It makes you even more adorable," you stated matter-of-factly.

"Is that so? How about you then? You were red as a tomato when Pietro exposed you. Hmm, buy everything red because it's my crush's favorite color."

You opened your mouth to counter, yet nothing came out. She had you.

"Touche," you said.

"Oh, let's not forget all the staring you do. Just so you know, I have noticed. I preferred not to call you out, but why not since we are discussing what's adorable? Definitely adorable, don't you think?"

"I invoke the fifth," you said with a pout, glad for the lack of lighting, which concealed your burning face.

Wanda reveled in her victory with a knowing smirk. She would have happily continued her teasing were it not for a yawn that reminded her of her fatigue.

"I should get going," she signed.

"Okay," you agreed reluctantly, knowing you could talk to her for hours. However, you would not prevent her from getting her much-needed sleep.

Wanda moved to grab the door handle, but you stopped her.

"Let me," you said, rushing out to her side of the car to open the door. "Oh, let's not forget this."

You opened the back door, retrieving the bear you had gifted her. You then accompanied her to her front door, where you both lingered, trying to prolong the moment.

"Thank you for today. It was fun." Wanda wrapped her arms around herself, shielding herself from the light night breeze.

"Best date you've had, right," you remind, and Wanda rolled her eyes with a smile tugging at her lips.

"So far," she countered before giving you a chaste kiss. "Goodnight, Y/N." She turned to leave, but you reached out, grasping her elbow, fueled by the sudden kiss, to ask something you had been dying to.

"Wait," you drew out the word, heart hammering in your chest. "I was waiting to ask you because I wanted to do it right. You know, after we told Pietro—not that I need his permission or anything," you fumbled, scratching the back of your neck. Wanda watched, amused yet curious.

"Anyway," you said, taking her hands into yours and looking straight into her forest-green eyes. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Wanda remained still, processing your words. For a moment, you thought she would reject you, telling you it was too early to commit in such a way. Then, something shifted, and you noticed the unmistakable twinkle in her eyes, reflecting pure happiness. Her wide grin stretched from ear to ear, revealing a set of radiant, pearly white teeth. Her answer came in one word.

"Yes."

"Yes?" you questioned, unbelieving eyes switching her own to her lips as you pulled her closer.

She only nodded, closing the gap. Your lips locked together, fitting like puzzle pieces in a gentle kiss. You quiver under her delicate hands as they settle on the curve of your jaw. Your hands found a home on her waist, pulling her closer and sealing any gap that remained between your bodies. Your lips moved gracefully and in perfect sync in a kiss of pure tenderness and devotion. There was no rush as you parted with a gasp, searching her face and finding her swollen red lips gaping for air and unbridled affection in her green eyes.

The mesmerizing sight ignited a surge of emotion as you retook her lips with intensified passion, causing your teeth to collide in a fierce kiss. Your surroundings disappeared, unconcerned by being discovered by the neighbors or Wanda's mother. You could only think of Wanda, the warmth of her body, and the hunger with which she returned your kiss. You felt your body ascend as you bit down on her bottom lip, and she moaned.

The kiss and the day's events quickly overwhelmed Wanda with emotion, from cracking jokes or intentionally making a fool of yourself just to make her laugh to the heartwarming way you had gifted her your skeeball prize—the same one she had dropped in favor of grasping your jaw. She would have to take better care of the bear. Even being discovered by Pietro had ended pleasingly. Everything had been perfect—everything except...

Wanda suddenly pulled away, lips smacking from the action. The brunette arched an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side in the menacing manner you loved. Although confused by the action, it only made you want to kiss her more. It was only her following words that stopped you.

"Who the hell is Daisy, and why did Pietro think you were out with her today?"

You chuckled nervously, looking at anything but the brunette. You were so in trouble.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

A/N: Thank you to all who have read this story and liked, commented on, or reblogged it. I was hesitant to share my writing, but your support has given me the confidence to continue posting my work. Hopefully, you'll like what I have planned next!

Taglist: @alexawynters

[janovavalen]

✧DON’T LEAVE ME || luke castellan x ares fem!reader

summary: when percy gotten back to camp and found out who the true lightning thief was, he was quick to tell y/n who knew what she had to do.

word count: 1645

warnings: angst, breaking up, luke begging for y/n to join his side…no happy ending (only a part one)

when percy had arrived back to camp, needles to say he made a reputation quicker than anyone did before. not only did he kill a minotaur with its own horn, but he’d managed to finish his first quest in returning the lightning bolt, met four gods and managed to stop a war from happening.

not only did he do that…but he’d managed to find out it wasn’t clarisse who stole the lightning bolt…no, someone he would have never expected at all. and when he found out, y/n was the first to know.

the whole camp in fact knew about y/n and luke. the two were inseparable. since the moment they stepped into camp together they’d never left each other's side. some campers said they would see them holding hands, making out, or just hanging out every minute of every day.

when percy knew he had to tell y/n, he knew what she’d say.

walking into her cabin as she sharpened some of her swords, she looked up at the noise of the floorboards creeping under his foot.

‘oh, percy…what are you doing here?’ she placed the sword down onto the bed and stood up to percy who walked very slowly. she was confused to see him acting like this, like he’d done something wrong.

‘percy what’s going on? did a camper steal your blueberries or something?’ she teased while percy stayed straight faced and quiet. feeling a bit tense he cleared his throat before talking.

‘uhm…y/n there’s something very important i need you to know…something serious…but i don’t want you lashing out. so please just listen to me okay?’ percy talked lowly and slow while y/n nervously laughed and nodded her head in understanding.

‘when we were out on the quest, i’d learned some things about who stole the lightning bolt—‘

‘yeah you said it was my sister—clarisse, right?’

‘yes i know what i said but. seeing that when i got back and chiron didn’t take her out of the camp or get her in trouble…it got me thinking. when me and grover were heading to hades castle, the shoes luke gave us started to pull us to where kronos is held…and when we found clues and hints—‘

‘it was luke…wasn’t it.’ y/n shakily asked while also hoping it wasn’t him at all and this was just some very big mistake. but even percy didn’t deny was when she got her answer.

sighing heavily while closing her eyes she nodded to percy with the understanding of his words and knowledge.

‘luke had mentioned he wanted to get back at the gods for a very long time for what they’ve done and one day he came back to camp acting different…he had something to hide and i didn’t ask or want to know because it wasn’t my place but one day he told me things would change for the better or worse…i just, never thought he’d steal the bolt…’ y/n looked at the ground with her eyes watering with tears while trying to hold them from falling in front of percy.

out of all of the ares kids y/n was probably more of a athena or apollo child out of ares. she was much kinder, open with her emotions—sometimes—-and didn’t feel the overbearing need to be better than everyone—in some things.

she was hard on percy only when it came to things she knew he could do…she was difficult to understand because she kept her thoughts closed off. she was very stern, stubborn, confident and sometimes cocky. but she never let that get in the way of how she was as an individual. she let her siblings go after their father but she? wanted to be more like her mom.

standing in front of percy who happened to somehow grow a bit taller over his quest, the two of them being eye to eye. y/n felt her heart pounding rapidly against her chest.

‘i’ll…i’ll be right back. don’t go anywhere. go to the celebration and stay there with annabeth and grover, okay?’ she instituted percy who nodded slowly but let her leave.

ㆍ୨୧ㆍ

as y/n had been walking into the forest to clear her mind, she was unknowingly followed by luke who had caught her form and tried to call out to her only for her to not answer.

he had been watching her as she placed her hand against head—she’d been thinking of something important that was stressing her—she stopped and took a deep breath—she was hesitant—her shoulders shaking a bit he knew she was crying.

‘y/n?’ he mumbled loud enough for her to hear. turning around to see luke, she inhaled sharply and cleared her throat.

‘luke, hey. what are you doing here? i thought you were going to the celebration?’ she asked. straightening her back to come off as she didn’t just almost cry in the middle of the forest as embarrassing that would be.

‘oh…yeah, i was i just saw you and tried to call out for you but you never answered so…’ he lightly smiled while she nodded her head slowly. seeing through him and seeing through that smile that almost for percy, grover and annabeth killed.

‘yeah, well i just wanted to be alone for a while…so you can go—‘

‘no, i’ll stay here with you, and we can talk about whatever is bothering you—‘

‘no luke! leave, leave me alone okay? i don’t want to talk to you right now okay? please…please just leave me alone’ y/n places her hands together as a pleading motion while closing her eyes.

luke sadly looked at y/n with his heart being pulled into different directions. he was hurt that she wanted him to leave, he was hurt she didn’t want to see him, he was hurt she wanted to be left alone and he was confused as to why.

‘what did i do?’ he calmly asked. his sad eyes watching y/n who had inhaled sharply with annoyance.

‘luke…leave me alone—‘

‘no! why? why don’t you want to talk to me? why don’t you want to be with me—what did i do? why can’t we just talk—‘

‘because you stole the lightning bolt and almost killed my friends!’ y/n yelled on the top of her lungs. the anger held in her eyes had resembled her father so much he almost couldn’t tell them apart.

his heart dropped when she said what she had said and he almost lost it. how did she know? why does she know? who told her this—where did she hear this?

‘but clarisse—percy, annabeth and grover said it was her why would it be me…’ he watched her eyes as she rolled them and placed her hands over her face to bring her anger down to a reasonable level.

‘luke…you’ve told me you always wanted to get back at the gods for a while now. you said one day they’d see us, one day the world would change? percy has met hades who’s almost told him everything he needed to hear…you, are a liar—‘

‘no…’ luke shook his slowly while slight tears welled in his eyes. the fireworks behind the two of them showing red behind y/n and a blue behind luke.

‘yes luke! you lied! you almost got people killed and you almost killed kids at that!’

like she didn't quit almost quickly while y/n shook her head in anger. her eyes burning with tears as his did as well.

seeing there was no way out of this he sighed and gave up—‘i didn’t know he’d give them to grover to wear…’ luke helplessly sighed while the tears in his eyes grew bigger almost dropping from their holding stage.

y/n felt her heart clutch and her eyes well as she heard his words. suppressing any words to come from her mouth that might cause any other trouble she closed her eyes as her nose scrunched in anger.

‘y/n please—‘

‘no! you can’t say that and expect me to trust you luke—i’ll never trust you again! i’ll never put my faith into you! you have lied and you have lost! you don’t belong here anymore luke go!’ she yelled her anger boiling to the surface. that sweet side of her mom is no longer present and replaced with her father.

‘y/n…you don’t mean that…you can’t mean that; don’t you understand it was a mistake—‘

‘what a mistake was believing the lies you’ve told me for years on end and letting you sit on a throne in my life.’ y/n mutters as luke stepped in front of her. when she saw this she was quick it draw her sword as it touched the tip of his adam’s apple. looking down at it, luke gulped a bit and looked into y/n’s eyes to see no softness in them.

‘y/n please…please, please, please don’t do this. don’t leave me alone—your all i have!’

‘stop it luke! just stop! i can’t believe what you say anymore! you almost hurt the ones i love and the one you call family—‘

‘i never meant to do that! can’t you understand im trying to make this a better place…a better world for all of us..for you…’ he trailed off; his tear dropping and rolling down his cheek as y/n’a held no emotion, only anger written on her face.

breathing heavily, y/n let her eye twitch before letting the worse of her take over, aggressively pushing her sword down as it cut a bit of luke’s stomach. wincing in pain as he looked up at her and down at the open wound; he looked at her once more with tears in his eyes to recognize a y/n he’s never met before.

before he could say anything was when percy arrived.

[airaibunny]

dom!yujin x sub!fem!reader - “more than studying” (warnings: smut, first time/inexperience, high school AU, praise, scissoring, breast play, begging)

a/n: requested! omg i’m sorry about the length, i just started writing shit and i didn’t realize how long it was. it wasn’t gonna be an au at first, but i decided against that. i know i’m trying a lot of firsts lately, but this is my first time writing an au, i ask u guys to please give me feedback as per usual. but um, ig hopefully i didn’t fuck it up that much

word count: 3.3k

everybody knows who ahn yujin is. she’s your high school’s “it” girl. you’re not exactly her friend, you don’t even know if she knows who you are. despite this, you can’t help but be completely captivated with her, but not in the way you should be.

all of the other girls look at her with envy. they swarm around her like bugs, they all want to be in her place. on the contrary, you look at her completely enamored. you have memorized every feature on her face, even if you’ve never gotten an up close look at them. the things you think about while looking at her are criminal, but you can’t stop yourself.

if only she’d give you the time of day. you often daydream about her asking you to hang out, or flat out kissing you in the middle of the hallway. but she’s never acknowledged you in the slightest. you’d love to get close to her, but you’re much too sheepish to do so yourself.

her usual flock of friends run to greet her when she walks in the front door of the school. you watch from afar for a few seconds, but quickly run to class in fear of being late.

your grades are entirely too important to jeopardize them for one more meaningless look at yujin. you’re very intelligent, top of your class in fact. you don’t live up to the tv-nerd stereotype however; you’re very pretty. you don’t indulge in vanity though, you hate being the center of attention and don’t crave praise for your looks.

you hear the bell ring and impatiently await the teacher. first period is dreadful to sit through because you can’t stop looking at the clock in anticipation; the only class you have with yujin is the one right after this.

your teacher rushes into the classroom, apologizing for the delay. you quietly sit through today’s lecture, sometimes catching yourself thinking about yujin and not paying attention.

the bell finally rings and you bolt up from your spot, packing up erratically and speeding out the door. you walk down the hallway as fast as you can and into your second period classroom. you sit at your usual spot in the front, closest to the teacher.

you watch the door like a hawk, waiting for yujin to walk in. when she finally does, you abruptly turn away, not wanting her to see you looking her way. you think she’s just going to walk past you and go sit in the back like she routinely does, but you freeze when she sits right next to you.

fuck.

you can feel your heart skip at beat as she takes out her notebook. you’ve obviously been this close to her before, but never for an extended period of time.

“shit. do you have a pen?”

your eyes widen at the remark. you turn your head to look at her, shaking. “yeah, here you go.” you nervously smile, holding out your hand with your own pen. “is this the only one you have? i don’t want to take it if it is.” you pull out another pen from your pencil case and hold it up to show her. she smiles and takes the pen your previously offered.

you turn back to the front, trying to stay calm. that was the longest (and the only) conversation you’ve ever had with her.

“wait, you’re the really smart girl. y/n, right?” you turn back to face her, in shock that she’s still talking to you. “yes, i am.” you hide your hands in your lap in fear that she might notice how shaky you are. “please drop the honorifics, they’re really not necessary.”

you agree with a nod, but you’re squealing inside. the ahn yujin just asked you to speak to her informally. does this mean you’re friends?

she gives you a big grin and you give her one back. “your smile is so cute!” your breathing hitches, did she just compliment you?

“oh, thank you.” you practically whisper to her, too flustered to raise your voice. “of course!”

the bell rings and you’re left to think about your interaction in complete silence. paying attention is extraneously hard, how are you supposed to concentrate when she just complimented you?

you keep looking at her throughout the entire class, but you make sure it’s not noticiable.

you sigh to yourself a bit when it’s over, upset at having to leave yujin. you start packing, but you stop when she starts talking to you again.

“oh my god, did you understand all of that?” you nod, trying to seem cool about the situation even though you are most definitely freaking out internally. “ugh, how? you should tutor me, like, i’m 100% serious. i’m really close to failing this class and i don’t know how my parents will react if i do.”

you’re pretty sure you completely stop breathing. tutoring yujin would mean spending time with her, alone. could you really trust yourself to do that?

“um, i could…” she stands up and you’re forced to look up at her since you’re still sitting. you suddenly feel even more nervous than before. “oh my god! really? that’d be amazing. i don’t have any smart friends. you’re my first.”

she just called you her friend.

this didn’t exactly what you want to be, but it’s a step in the right direction. “oh, that’s great!” you smile again and she giggles. “yeah! how about we hang out after school? you can try to explain whatever it is that the teacher was saying, and then we can just talk if you want.” you nod while still smiling, but you try to dissimulate how truly ecstatic you are.

“okay, can we meet at your house?” you nod again. “let me put my number in your phone.” you immediately hand your phone to her. you can’t believe she’s giving you her number. you quietly watch as she makes a contact for herself and hands your phone back. she took a selfie for her contact picture and named herself “yujin-ah🩷”

“let’s meet up outside the school gates after school, okay?” you nod for the hundredth time and she waves goodbye at you. you sloppily pack up as you realize how much time you and yujin spent talking after class.

the rest of the day goes by dismally slow. you sit through every class tapping your pen on your desk and shaking your leg. you blankly stare at the clock during your last class of the day, anticipating every move of the handle.

when the bell finally rings you almost hurt yourself getting up. you stuff all of your things into your backpack, which is very out of character for you. you hurriedly run outside and to the school entrance. you stand there, looking in every direction to see if yujin was coming.

“hey y/n!” she somehow sneaks up behind you and startles you. “oh, sorry.”

“no, don’t apologize, it’s okay.” you smile at her and stop her from bowing. “well, do you want to get going?” you nod and start walking away in front of her, but she links her arm in yours. you continue walking, but you can feel your cheeks and ears getting hot.

“am i being to forward, is that why you won’t talk to me?” you harshly turn your head towards her and furrow your brows. “no! not at all, i just don’t talk to a lot of people.” she stays silent for a few seconds. “oh. well, you can talk to me freely, seriously.”

“oh, okay.” you surprisingly talk the entire way to your house, taking her up on her word. sometimes you think you’re being too much, but they way she’s attentively looking at you encourages you to go on.

when you finally arrive at your house, you lead her inside and lock the door behind you. “i forgot to tell you my parents are at work, we’re alone.”

“that’s fine, i don’t mind.” you take her to the living room and ask her if she can unpack both of your supplies from your backpacks while you get a snack. she nods and you disappear into the kitchen, finally letting it sink in that she is at your house.

you take a few minutes to compose yourself before going outside with a few apple slices and drinks.

“are you ready?” she asks, lifting her eyebrows. you nod and sit down beside her.

you explain the material to her for about two hours before she decides she’s ready to give up for the day. she follows through with your agreement and just talks to you for a while. you listen to her every word very attentively. you’re still in awe that she’s treating you like this.

“it’s getting dark, i should probably head home.” you help her pack up and walk her to the front door. you try just waving goodbye, but she gives you a hug. you hug her back, smiling to yourself. “we should do this again!”

“yeah!”

and you did. you and yujin met up almost every day for the next month. your amazement died down after you got fully acquainted, but your crush has only grown stronger. now that you two are so close, you feel more immersed in her than ever. you’ve had to stop yourself from kissing her multiple times, and you can barely look at her without a vulgar thought popping into your head. will you ever be able to tell her?

“are your parents home?” she asks when she meets you at your usual spot outside the school. “yeah, they are.” you nod along with your sentence, curious about why she’d ask that. “can we go to my house today?” you find her second question stranger than the first, but you agree with her nonetheless. “awesome, let’s go.”

this is your first time going to yujin’s house. you wonder why she chose today, and if your parents being home influenced her decision. you brush it off, thinking she just feels like being alone.

she’s very quiet on the way to her house which is usually not how she acts. you’re both normally loudly laughing and making silly remarks on your walks after school. why is she acting so strange?

you get to her house and she pushes you inside, making you stumble a bit. you shoot her a ‘what the fuck’ look, but she’s facing away from you and locking the door.

“lets go upstairs.” she takes your hand and drags you up the stairs, not letting you respond. “where are your parents?” she doesn’t bother to look back at you.

“not here.”

a sudden thought pops into your head. the fact that she asked to go to her house because she knew her parents weren’t home is strange, what does she want to do? it can’t possibly be what you’re thinking. she just thinks of you as a friend, there’s absolutely no way.

she shoves you inside her room and turns around to lock that door as well. you giggle in confusion and somewhat fear. “are we doing some top secret studying, what’s going on?”

she drops her backpack on the floor and walks up to you to do the same to yours.

“we’re not studying, but it is top secret.”

with that, she grabs your face and crashes her lips into yours without a warning.

your mind stops working for a second and you just let yourself melt into the kiss. her lips feel infinitely better than you imagined. they’re smooth and pillowy, you can’t help but imagine how they’d feel elsewhere. you part your lips, allowing her to push her tongue inside your mouth. you try fighting her for dominance with your own, but she ultimately wins.

you can feel the slick running onto your underwear just from kissing her.

she only pulls away when you’re both gasping for air. “is this okay?” you respond by smiling and pulling her back in, wrapping your arms around her neck. “you’re so pretty. can you smile for me again?” you comply and she looks down at your shirt, slightly tugging at it.

“can i take this off?” you shamelessly nod and help her pull your shirt over your head. her hands land on your waist, pulling you closer to her. “have you ever done this before?” she brings her lips to your neck. “no…” she stops to look at you with a sickeningly sweet smile. “okay, i’ll be very gentle.”

she plants a kiss on your forehead and goes back to your neck. she leaves sloppy kisses and bruises all over it, earning soft moans from you. one of her hands moves to your back and unclasps your bra. you let it fall, but cover yourself with your hands.

“don’t cover up pretty girl, let me see.” she moves your arms out of the way and stares at your chest. your face turns red with embarrassment and she immediately notices. “don’t worry, there’s no need to be shy.”

she takes one of your breasts into her hand and pulls you in for another kiss with the other. you moan at the sensation of her hand on your tits, but also at the puddle forming on your underwear. you become hyperaware of the fact that she’s still fully clothed and whine out in frustration while pulling at her shirt.

“yujin-ah…” she quickly catches on to what you want and practically rips her shirt off. she lets you take off her bra and throws it on the ground. you stand frozen for a second, not knowing what to do next.

“do you want to touch?” you nod, but hesitate to bring your hands forward. she rolls her eyes with a smile and grabs them, placing them directly on top of her breasts. your face turns scorching once more, which earns another giggle from her.

“do you need me to guide you?” you nod again and she brings her hands to yours, making you caress her breasts. you let it happen, completely astounded at the fact that this is happening. you’re enjoying getting to touch her, but it’s just making you focus more on the wetness growing between your legs.

luckily, yujin notices how squirmy you’re being. “do you want to move on?” you respond to her verbally this time. “yes, please.” you see that same provocative smile spread across her lips, so you make an mental note of your response.

she unzips her skirt and lets it fall to the ground. she does the same to her underwear and you nearly faint. you’re completely sure you’re awake, but this still feels unreal. you watch the sway of her hips as she walks to the bed and sits down, beckoning you closer. you comply and walk in front of her.

she places her hands at either sides of your shorts and slightly tugs them down. “is this okay?” she pauses for a second but you give her your consent to keep going. she pulls your shorts and underwear off, leaving you completely bare. she holds onto your thighs and leans in to plant a soft kiss on your abdomen while looking up at you.

you twitch at the feeling of her lips and gasp a bit. she chuckles to herself and pulls you onto her lap. “i love making you so flustered, it’s so cute.” she leans in for another peck on the lips before moving on to your neck once again.

she uses one of her hands to massage your thigh and the other to do the same to your breasts. she continues marking you for a few minutes, making you whine out with her every move.

the hand on your thigh moves further up, stopping to ask you for permission. “can i touch you?” you remember her reaction to your previous response and answer in the same way. “mhm, please, yujin-ah.” she doesn’t need to hear another word before she brings her fingers to your core.

you let a loud moan escape your lips and hold on to her shoulders. you hear her breathing get shaky and wonder what’s wrong.

“you’re fucking soaked.”

your state is clearly eliciting a physical reaction from her because her hand feels shaky. “are you sure you want to keep going?” you whine in annoyance again and lift her face up to your own to give her a kiss.

“stop asking, please just go. ruin me, please.”

you don’t know where your sudden boldness came from, but yujin seems pleasantly surprised. “okay pretty girl, whatever you want.” she begins rubbing small circles on your clit and you immediately become a mess.

her lips land on your breasts, she sucks on them, leaving more red marks everywhere. you push her head farther into you, earning small laughs and witty remarks.

you feel a paralyzing knot building in your stomach and tighten your grip on yujin’s hair. her fingers speed up, sensing that you’re on the edge. her agility is impressive, you’re amazed that she’s not tired.

“yujin…” you whimper, causing her to detach from your chest and plant a kiss on your lips. “it’s okay. i’ve got you, go ahead.”

you feel the pressure release as soon as she finishes her sentence. you instinctively bury your face into her neck as your hips stagger to a stop. she keeps her fingers pressed against your clit, gradually slowing until you’re completely done.

“you were amazing, princess.” she strokes your hair, letting you calm down and regain your normal breathing pattern.

once you’re back to normal, she moves you out of her lap and onto the bed. she’s pushes you, making you fall on your back. she positions herself on top of you and bends down to kiss you.

“can you lift your leg for me?” you oblige without thinking about it, your mind is so foggy, you’d do anything she asked you for. “good job, you’re so good at following directions.” you feel the familiar heat return to your core with that sentence and become immediately impatient.

she brings one of her legs over yours which leaves her core hovering over your own. you think she’s going to let her hips fall, but she brings her face to your breasts again, continuing to tease you.

“yujin, no teasing. please, just sit.”

you push her face away from your chest to look at her in the eyes. she licks her lips and chuckles down at you. “you’re such a needy girl. you’re lucky i don’t feel like being mean.”

you mutter another ‘please’ at her and she finally gives you what you want. your hips jerk forward as soon as you come in contact with her core, which earns a small moan form her. you take her breasts in your hands without thinking about it, playing with them exactly like she showed you earlier.

her hips move at a steady pace. your legs twitch a bit every time her clit brushes against yours. you’re both extremely loud, you’re very thankful her parents aren’t home. she looks absolutely heavenly on top of you. you can feel yourself inching closer to the edge every time her eyes meet yours and she shoots you a smirk.

she leans back, resting on her hands. your own hands leave her breasts and go to her thighs. she speeds up and her pace becomes erratic.

you think she might cum first, but you suddenly feel a wave of ecstasy wash over you. you dig your nails into her thigh, causing her to whine out. she keeps the same sporadic pace going for a few seconds until she finishes as well.

you can feel her juices leaking out onto your folds and mixing with your own. her bangs are stuck to her forehead with sweat and the air around you feels thick. you’re both gasping as yujin halts her movements.

“did you like that?” she leans down to kiss you and whispers against your lips. “mhm.” you smile at her. “i love your smile so much.” she drags her thumb across your bottom lip and looks down at your chest. her eyes widen when she finally sees what she did.

“sorry i left so many marks.”

[thegreenthepeacetheorange]

Everlark (Catching Fire, Ch. 24-25)

katniss being angry that peeta hasn't come to help her before she realises he literally can't

peeta putting his hand up against the wall and her putting hers up to meet him. these two are so angsty romance-coded

"i just stare at his face, doing my best to hang onto my sanity"

peeta holding and rocking katniss on his lap, lifting her chin so she looks at him. husband. he loves her so much.

(as an aside, johanna and finnick basically being katniss's and peeta's older siblings is so adorable. what a cute fun brokem damaged little family)

when katniss finds out that finnick loves a "poor, mad girl back home", i can't not think of the parallels being set up between annie/finnick and peeta/katniss in the next book

ah the beach scene

"everything. that's what peeta wants me to take from him"

"i realize only one person will be damaged beyond repair if peeta dies. me"

"i do. i need you"

i'm dead at this point. how can people say katniss didn't love peeta. i got the evidence right here!

So before he can talk, I stop his lips with a kiss. I feel that thing again. The thing I only felt once before. In the cave last year, when I was trying to get Haymitch to send us food. I kissed Peeta about a thousand times during those Games and after. But there was only one kiss that made me feel something stir deep inside. Only one that made me want more. But my head wound started bleeding and he made me lie down. This time, there is nothing but us to interrupt us. And after a few attempts, Peeta gives up on talking. The sensation inside me grows warmer and spreads out from my chest, down through my body, out along my arms and legs, to the tips of my being. Instead of satisfying me, the kisses have the opposite effect, of making my need greater. I thought I was something of an expert on hunger, but this is an entirely new kind. 

the idea of peeta trying to talk despite katniss kissing him and then just giving up is too much

the warmth that grows inside of her exclusively due to peeta

the line about a new kind of hunger. bars

she's so down bad for him, and i think she truly realises here, even if she doesn't let herself think about it too much.

finnick waking up and realising the way they're wrapped around eachother and being like... "um get a room? if you want?" is hilarious too

i truly wonder how far they would've gone if they hadn't been interrupted by the lightning bolt. judging by katniss saying there's nothing to stop them this time but them, i think she might've not stopped at all. and the wrapping around each other. i know they were about to cut away in the capitol feeds.

peeta again being husband and making katniss lie down and leading her to bed. "i let him lead me over to where the others are." the "i let him." this books is just a masterpiece in showing the change in their dynamics.

lol at katniss being like "fuck no" at the suggestion of having kids with gale. "for one thing, that's never been part of my plan." like how much clearer has she got to make it. contrasting this to when peeta dropped the baby bomb and she was like: it could be true by now if it wasn't for the games, right? she's so shameless

i honestly feel like crying every time katniss says she thinks of peeta's child safe in the meadows. the fact that it's just peeta's child makes me think that the unnamed, unidentified unspoken of mother, is her. like that's who she's picturing in this fantasy, in this dream.

"when i wake, i have a brief delicious feeling of happiness that is somehow connected with peeta" and she clings to it as long as she can

just something so beautiful that all this talk of love and family and peace and the future is linked with peeta and thus her own happiness. like my heart aches for her.

she can't look at peeta the next morning after their kissing the night before. i think a big part of it was because she just allowed herself to think all these thoughts involving peeta and then came back down to earth very quickly and realised that this wasn't possible for her because of the QQ

the pearl, their inside joke because of effie! the fact they remembered, the fact that they laugh together like this even with everything going on

katniss determining that peeta is her biggest enemy because their desires are the complete opposite when it comes to survival. "i promise myself i will defeat his plan." and even despite them both realising they're at odds, despite peeta not being able to look at her after, they sit together hand in hand.

the pearl and everything it comes to symbolise with these two kills me.

[lucid-loves]

Black Blood Red Kiss ~ Simon "Ghost" Riley ~ Part 2

Pairing: Ghost x vampire!reader (fem!reader, 141!reader, callsign “Fangs”)

Word Count: 2.5k

CW: angst, violence, blood, strong language, scars, fluff, attraction and sexual tension, reader POV and ghost POV, minors DNI, smut, biting, teasing, kisses, grinding, dry humping, office sex.

Let me know if I missed any CWs.

Story Synopsis: Being turned into a vampire never stopped you from joining the military. In fact, it only made it easier for you with new strength, stamina, reflexes, and precision. The only challenge you now faced was keeping your true nature a secret. This is incredibly difficult to do when your new teammate, Ghost, smells so delicious. What will happen to your relationship with him once you both get a dangerous taste of each other?

Chapter Synopsis: Hoping that Ghost would forget about the bite, you've been dodging all of his efforts to talk to you. With an acute sense of his scent, it has been easy. Ghost finds a way to corner you, though, and things quickly get heated in more ways than one. (SMUT ALERT)

Part 1 ~ Part 2

Damn it, how much longer was he going to tail you? Ever since you bit him, Ghost has been trying to talk about it with you. You knew based on how he tried to approach you. Purposeful. Urgent. Each step he took said he was a man on a mission. 

And you have been doing your best to completely avoid him. 

Since the night you tore away on your motorcycle after drinking his blood, your mind has been scrambled. Horny, hungry, and anxious. You didn't mean to bite him. Instinct to satiate your hunger just took over. And now your whole life was in jeopardy if Ghost put the pieces together. 

That's probably what he wanted to confirm with you. 

Ignoring his sharp gazes, walking off before he could speak, and changing directions once you smelled him has helped you avoid the confrontation. Yeah, the boys thought you hated his guts, but it was better than having to explain that you were secretly a vampire. 

Fighting maddening arousal too since you had to leave yourself hanging. 

“That's all. Meeting adjourned.” Captain Price dismissed everyone after a rather long, agonizingly boring meeting. General overviews always had you feeling bored out of your mind. Besides the fact that this was a mandatory meeting, Ghost was also driving you nuts by sitting next to you the entire time. 

He was sure to catch you this time. 

Yet, as soon as Price dismissed the team, you bolted right out of the room. Before anyone even stood up, you were gone. At this point, Ghost was getting pissed. He's been chasing you all week. 

When you dined and dashed on him, it left him stunned and unbelievably excited. He was so startled that he didn't stick around with the boys at the bar. All he did was say goodbye and head home. There wasn't a single second where his mind wasn't on you. 

Aside from wanting an explanation on what happened that night, he's been dying to get some of your attention again. 

But all he got from you was the cold shoulder. 

Soap gave a small chuckle to lighten the mood. “You make her angry or something, L.T? It looks like she’s been avoiding you like the plague.”

“Kinda spooky how she knows when he’s coming too. One moment, I’m talking to her. The next, she’s out the door. Then just a second later, Ghost is in her place.” Gaz chimed in, his own nosiness coming through.

All Ghost did was give a curt grunt. He didn’t have a good answer for them. Were you angry at him? No, probably not. How could he explain that you drank his blood though? This was between you and him.

Price, noticing the growing tension, waved Soap and Gaz away to talk to Ghost in private. Like the observant captain that he is, he has realized that you were completely avoiding his lieutenant unless it was mandatory to be with him. At this point, he was concerned that something was splitting his team apart. “You didn’t get into a fight with Fangs, did you?”

Ghost looked away and crossed his arms. “Not exactly.”

“Then what? We are supposed to be a team. I’m not saying that you are at fault here since I don’t have the full context, but that’s exactly what I’m trying to understand. Can you give me anything that could help patch things up between the both of you?” Captain urged, taking this as seriously as a combat zone. 

“To be honest, Captain. Even I don’t know the full context. I’m still figuring it out.” 

“Well, figure it out soon if you can. We can’t have this strain during a mission.”

With those final orders, Ghost left the conference room with a heavy heart. That was it. He was going to talk to you now, whether you liked it or not.

~

Jesus, fucking finally! You have been around the entire base hiding from Ghost, and he finally disappeared. You had better speed and stamina as a vampire, but anyone would be exhausted trying to avoid a very stubborn man. You have barely gotten any work done all day since working at your desk was a no-go. You had no choice but to hang out in the ammo closet within the shooting range, laptop in hand to get what you could done. Unless you wanted to play the reverse bloodhound game with him again, it was gunpowder city for you.

After working for several hours to catch up, it was close to midnight when everyone should be done with work, asleep, or heading home.  There was no way in hell Ghost should still be looking for you. Any sane person would have called it a night. With this benefit of the doubt, you exited the closet, returned your laptop to your desk, and began gathering your things. 

You didn’t even notice him standing within the shadow near the door.

When the door closed, you jumped, startled that he could sneak up on you like this. Damn ammo closet probably clogged your sense of smell with the metallic scent of gunpowder. It didn’t help that Ghost always seemed to vaguely smell of it too. You cursed under your breath and attempted to take your leather jacket off from your desk chair.

A large hand held it down in place. “Talk to me, Fangs. What happened that night?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s forget it ever happened.” You tried to brush off, avoiding eye-contact as much as you could.

Ghost wasn’t ready to let up. “I’ve been trying to talk to you all week about it. You’re not avoiding this.”

You scoffed and tugged the jacket out from under his grip. “It’s personal.”

“Yeah, it is fucking personal.” He agreed in his own way, before taking your wrists in his hands. Firm so you couldn’t escape like you always did, but gentle enough not to hurt you. To stop you from pushing and pulling, he stood extremely close to you. With your back against the desk and your chest facing his, you were pinned. 

Even now, as irritated as you were, you were still so beautiful. “Tell me, Fangs. That’s an order.”

He had you now. You took your job so seriously that you wouldn’t dare disobey a direct order. Being on your best behavior made people less suspicious of your real identity. This habit still stuck. Clicking your tongue, you prepared to say goodbye to the life you worked hard to build.

“Isn’t it obvious? I drank your blood because I’m a hungry vampire. I hadn’t eaten in a while and you were a meal right in front of me. Anything else, Lieutenant?” You confessed with venom, hoping to somehow hurt him before he could hurt you. 

The tension between the two of you was heated. Thick. Ghost had never heard you be so aggressively defensive before. So insulting with your tone. However, he knew you spoke the truth, as much as it sounded hard to believe. If you didn’t bite him that night, he probably wouldn’t have believed you.

Ghost wasn’t done yet. There was another pressing matter he needed to get closure on. The matter that did make all of this really personal. “When you bit me, it didn’t feel painful. Quite the opposite. Why?”

You finally met his eyes and blinked a few times incredulously. Was that really important right now? Was he really asking you why he was hard for you?! Your cheeks rapidly grew red with his blunt questions. The gunpowder stench that lingered on your nose was beginning to fade, allowing that sweet and spicy scent of Ghost to make your heart race. 

Fuck, why did he have to smell so fucking good?! Why did his eyes have to be so blue?!

Ghost was feeling the pull too. It happened when he first saw your vulnerable side and it was happening now. His heart beat loudly in his chest as you became flustered. Brows furrowing in both frustration and embarrassment. Cheeks turning a cute rosy hue. Chest rising and falling rapidly as you tried not to lose the cool everyone knew you as. 

Without even getting bitten first, Ghost wanted to fuck you right on your desk. 

“Bite me.”

“Wh-What?!” You stuttered, unsure if you heard him right.

Ghost leaned forward closer to speak directly into your reddening ears. His voice became husky as he lifted up some balaclava to reveal a smooth neck. “Bite me, Fangs. That’s an order.”

Reacting on a mix of vampire and soldier instinct, you bit into him to taste his delicious blood. Electricity zipped on your tongue as you drank, the energy traveling all throughout your body. Power. Arousal. Fuck, this was good.

With a burst of strength, you broke out of his grasp and put him in yours instead. It was so sudden that Ghost had to brace his hands on the desk, papers and mugs shaking from the force. Sharp nails dug into his skin, tugged at his shirt, pulled him closer. Pressing your bodies together, you moaned, sending vibrations through Ghost that had him hiss from the sudden pleasure. 

Of course, he was as hard as a rock. His cock pressed tight against his pants almost painfully. The bite didn’t even hurt with how strong the aphrodisiac effect was. But he was still unaware if you felt it too. To test this, his hands went to your waist to lift you onto the desk. Now in between your legs, he pressed his clothed erection into your covered, dripping cunt. Just for a second. 

That second was enough. Your body tensed and you moaned sharply. Dizziness overcame you so bad from your lost breath that you had to stop drinking. Panting hard, you tried to regain some control. 

Ghost lost all of his, though. 

Without a second thought, he took your hips into his hands and grinded into you some more. You gasped and released a melodic moan that just made Ghost more eager. Damnit, if there weren’t any fucking clothes in the way he would take you now.

For now, he wanted to make you cum just like this. Not that you were going to stop him at this point. You wanted to cum so badly too. Ever since last week you’ve wanted him to make you cum. His grip on you, the lingering taste of him, and bated breaths only heightened the feeling. The teasing. Your panties were hot and soaked for him. A dark, wet spot was starting to spread through the fabric of your pants.

“F-Fuck!” You whimpered, brows furrowing and back arching in hopes to make more pleasurable friction. Legs began to tremble as the pleasure spread. Drool began to drip down the corner of your mouth with how much you were salivating. Fuck, just a little bit more!

You weren’t the only one that was going crazy. Ghost was struggling to not tear your clothes apart with his bare hands. Miraculously, he was close to cumming just from the clothed grinding too. It was like you were a drug. A sexy, beautiful, blood-thirsty one. He couldn’t get enough of the way you cursed within your moans. How you moved your hips in-sync with his for more. 

Your toes curled as you teetered right on the edge of orgasm. The feverish friction on your clit, against your folds, all of your wetness spreading around was getting too much. Noticing how close you were, Ghost grinded harder. Even if you squirmed, you weren’t going anywhere. Not again. 

Eyes fluttered closed as the feeling overtook you. Before you knew it, you were screaming it all out, pussy tightening around nothing. You wished that his cock was buried deep inside you so badly that it almost hurt. The grip you had on his shirt was sure to stretch the fabric out. Not that Ghost cared. All he could focus on was how fucking hot it was to watch you climax which triggered his own.

You felt the pressure of his hands on you to keep you still. You noticed how he froze and held his breath before choking out a groan. Witnessing how much your lieutenant could fall apart in pleasure turned you on.

But, you were done. The both of you were. For now, at least. As you both tried to catch your breath, sweat dripping down your temples, you got back on the ground to be on your feet. Every nerve in your body felt like jelly, but at least some of the pent-up arousal you’ve been holding in all week was relieved. Not only that, you were recovering faster from the recent meal.

Out of habit, you began to put on your jacket to leave. Yet, Ghost wasn’t ready to let you go. His voice sounded deeper and strained when he spoke. “Wait. We’re not done talking.”

You sighed, exhaustion now a thing of the past for you. “You plan on telling everyone what I really am?”

“No. I wouldn’t do that.” He replied resolutely, startling you. There wasn’t a shred of dishonesty in his blues that told you otherwise. 

It didn’t make sense on why he would keep this secret for you, but you weren’t going to question it. You didn’t want to give him second thoughts. “Then what? What else needs to be said?”

Ghost felt a sting in his heart from your curtness. Making you cum didn’t seem to soften your edges at all. 

He wanted to fix that. Taking your hand gently in his, he gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m your Lieutenant. Rely on me more.”

Your heart skipped a beat from this gentle and confident side of his. The desire to kiss him passed through you for a moment. You haven’t even seen his face yet, but you knew that Ghost would be your undoing if you weren’t careful.

Pulling your hand back, you headed towards the door. With your back still turned to him, you paused at the doorway. “I’ll let you know when I’m hungry.”

“And I’ll feed you. Promise.”

[writing-havoc]

Let it be that

♡ Summary: It's late in the night when his demons wreak the most havoc. You're there to keep Nikolai company.

♡ Pairing: Nikolai x reader

♡ Fandom: Shadow and Bone, Grishaverse

♡ Warning(s): None,,,, I think. There's a bit about a snake swirling in a gut if that's a particularly bad ick

♡ WC: 2.4k

Yooo a Nikolai fic for the Nikolai lovers.

This is written in sort of a weird in-between stage? He has control over the nichevo'ya in him, so the sleeping tonics aren't really necessary anymore, but he's still king. So do with that what you will.

It's basically 2k+ words of him yearning.

Please excuse any spelling or grammar mistakes.

Hope you enjoy <3

∘₊✧──────────────────✧₊∘

Eye bags threaten to weigh down his entire face from beneath the wanning tailored mask. He was told by Zoya he looked as if he lost a fight with an ambidextrous boxer. And if the tired, yet handsome, man in the mirror truly was him, then she was right.

He really needed some sleep.

But it refused to come to him. Tonics and blood coming to mind at a mere glance of his bed. It makes his stomach turn and gives him the uncomfortable urge to constantly look over his shoulder, despite the threat being inside. And when he realizes that, he can't stop staring at his hands and chest, and it almost looks and feels like the black that covers his fingers is trailing up his palm, and then he blinks and it starts all over.

No matter how in control he feels, some days there's just a lingering anxiety about it.

Sleep isn't coming. Not for a long time. Not until he physically exhausts himself and passes out, and then still he may resist.

But it's not like he has anything to do. His quarters are barren of anything he may find interesting at this hour, and he would rather not get piss drunk just to pass the time with an early meeting tomorrow- today?

He takes a look out his window, marking the positions of the shadow from the moon, and confirms that it is, in fact, today.

It only makes his eyes hurt, a low growling coming from in his mind and possibly escaping his throat.

A knocking on his doorway startles him out of it.

"Enter." He says a lot more curtly than he intends. He bites his tongue.

"I don't think I want to anymore given that tone." Immediately he bites it harder, if only to stop a long winding nervous ramble about the new flower placed outside his window, which also happens to be your favorite.

You stand in the space of his open doorway, hand on the handle and your body half ready to tuck tail and flee. "May I?"

"Of course." He says, a bit too fast, and takes out his chair from his desk and drags it over to beside the bed.

The door shuts with a grand thunk, and your footsteps pad over quieter than ever. He places a pillow on top of the hard wood, just how you like it, and gestures for you to sit.

"I know you aren't a fan." You say, sitting atop the pillow. "So I wanted to hang out for a bit."

He smiles softly, and vaguely notes the roses drifting in at the corners of his eyes. "You mustn't stay up just for me. Beauty sleep is vital, especially for someone as attractive as thee."

You snort, giving him a look that at surface level reads annoyance, but he knows better, seeing the fond disbelief for what it is. "'Someone as attractive as thee?' Really? Didn't know this was a poetry class."

"I have to keep you on your toes. Can't allow you to know everything now can I? How would I ever surprise you?"

"You surprise me every day, Nikolai." His heart thrumps against his chest. "I don't think a change in vocabulary is required."

He snorts. "You have me there."

"That I do."

He takes in your appearance, and nearly gets on his knees when he realizes the soft white cloth that covers your torso has small embroideries on it, all of which hold a certain interest to your craft and possibly his own.

Gears, nuts, bolts, and wires stipple along your shoulders, falling down to your torso, where they plunge into flowing water at the hem. A design similar to a grisha kefta dances along your other sleeve, the same color at the bolts with dashes of purple if you look close enough.

He realizes you are the one that embroidered the details into the shirt, your signature shading technique used throughout the piece.

"How long did these take you?" He barely brushes his finger over the hem of the shirt, then presses down to feel the individual stitches.

You pick up the hem, feeling your own work as well. "A lot longer than I would like." Your voice is low and rumbly as you try to remain relatively quiet. "I kept messing up and changing the color part way through. I actually had to change shirts because I restarted so many times on the first one that the threads didn't want to hold together."

He believes it.

The care you take to make sure every line serves a purpose is inspiring. It makes him want to tinker with the parts around his room, take apart a clock like the young boy he once was did, now that all the clocks are his.

Perhaps he could sneak to Lazlayon. David will probably still be there. The three of you could work until his meeting.

But you'd be cranky the rest of the day. You'd have no problem staying up late to accompany him until it becomes a problem, and then you do yourself the disservice of playing it off like it's fine when everyone else is giving you a very wide berth in the halls and courtyard.

He would like you to have a social life.

"You alright?" He hears you ask.

You're half smiling when he looks up, trying really hard keep his eyes locked on yours and not elsewhere. "I'm not that readable. I know I'm not."

"You had nothing on your face." You admit, leaning in. "And that was the problem."

And doesn't that make him feel bare, vulnerable. To be known so well that even a lack of an expression is an expression in and of itself.

He feels his lips pull apart, the slight stickiness of his mouth slowly separating as he tries to think of something witty, something fast, and it feels like his mind is blank except for the blaringly obvious reason.

"I can't sleep." He whispers, eyes fluttering. "I can't sleep, and everything that could help is exactly the reason why I can't." He let's the hem fall from his fingers, dragging what feels like 40 pounds of dead weight back over to his own lap. "And you're sitting here, staying with me, and there's nothing I can do about the ocean of guilt my stomach and heart and any other organ that has the capacity for feelings are swimming in."

Guilt is the reigning emotion, making it feel like a snake is swimming through his gut, playing with his liver and choking his heart and lungs. If he thinks about it he can feel the tongue flickering and tickling stomach.

He's grateful you're here, but he wants so badly to either force you to leave or drag you into his bed so that you might get some modicum of sleep.

But you'd fight him every step of the way, pushing your heels into the floor (which would scratch them up and you'd complain about it tomorrow) and getting yanked out by his guards when they assume the worst.

And if he chose the second one... it twists his insides in a more pleasant way, but makes his head swim, and really really scares him. Because if you take it the way he really wishes it was, the way he dreams about, then he loses you, and may be seen as just like his father. And that's the worst thing he could ask for.

So he's stuck. He's stuck with the guilt until you decide to leave.

"I feel like we have the same conversation everytime I'm here." You chuckle, and he chuckles too.

"It's probably because we do. Or at least some version of it with varying words of vulnerability."

You lean forward more, arms crossed over your chest. "And it always ends up the same."

It does. It always ends with you sitting there for a few hours until you tire and then he has a guard guide you back to your room.

"But it doesn't need to." He scoots along the side of the bed, sinking into the sewn cloth filled with wool and feathers. "You're tired when you walk out of here and need an extra four cups of coffee when you wake up, and you hate coffee."

"But I like you." You turn in his chair facing directly towards him and he can't breathe anymore.

He doesn't know what way you mean that, if it means in any capacity the way he yearns for it to be. So he waits, with baited breath, for you to elaborate.

"I like you." You emphasize once more. "I like staying up into the latest hours of the night, either talking about everything and nothing or sitting in silence. I look forward to them, actually. Just existing in your presense is enough to make the obscene amounts of caffeine worth it."

It's on the edge. It could be a confession or it could just be you being nice. And he would rather throw himself into the unsea than be one of those guys he hears you complain about.

"I want to be here." You stand and move your chair, pushing it away from the bed. He barely has time to sit up straight before you're right in front of him, legs falling open to allow you closer as your hands come up and rest on his cheeks.

"I want you, Nikolai, wholly and completely, just as you are now. With every flaw and blemish etched into your being, a demon awaiting in your chest." Your thumbs gently glide over his bottom lip, coming to rest at the corner of his open mouth. "But there's a small part of me that fears you do not want me in the way that I want you."

He doesn't know how to respond. He couldn't possibly begin to string together any number of words that could convey even a semblance of the sincerity you ambushed him with.

He's a king for saints sake. Words are supposed to come to him in times of need.

But his mind is an endless fog, and the only thing he can think of is you.

You standing above him, pads of your fingers touching him so gently, palms radiating a warmth that makes him want to lean in and soak in it (he does), and a perfect mouth and mind that pair so well.

He needs to convince you. He needs to somehow tell you that you mean everything to him and more.

"Did you know my favorite drink is brandy?" He asks, looking you right in the eye.

Your eyebrows crinkle, but you smile. "I did."

He tugs you towards him, hands sliding up your back as you take tiny, unsure steps closer and closer. His fingers trail under your shirt, right against your warm skin and in the divet of your spine, and squeeze you until you're completely between his legs, chest leaning back just to get a look at him.

"If there was ever a time where you wanted the last drop of it, saints, the whole bottle, I would give it over in a heartbeat." Goosebumps dance along his skin when your fingers meet the base of his neck, toying with the hair. "If you hated the way a painting looked, i'd throw it out of the castle, and have it burned on the steps if it should please you. If you wanted a pastry from a shop two hundred miles away, i'd fly there immediately, ride there as fast as I could, or sprint the entire distance, if it meant you could eat it."

Your eyes scittered around his face, watching his brows, his eyes, his mouth, and even his ears, for anything. Anything he would give you to tell you he was lying.

But there was nothing to give.

He really would give you the last drop of brandy. He really would fly, ride, sprint two hundred miles for a pastry. "I would kiss you right now if you should request it, or leave from my own chambers should you request that instead."

"Nikolai." You whisper his name, his eyes fluttering the same time as his heart.

"I want you." He tells you forthright. "I want you in the way you want me. If you should ever need to be confident in something, let it be that."

Please, please let it be that.

You look at him, and all he can see is someone he wants. There isn't a thing about you that makes him turn away. Not your eating habits, not your hygiene, not your smell or your walk or your stance.

And as you lean down, placing those perfect lips right over his, definitely not your taste.

It's coffee and whatever berries were leftover from supper, the stickiness of sugar coating your lips from when you licked them clean.

You lean back, and he feels your lips press themselves over his cheek. His stomach turns and turns and turns and it won't stop. It makes his breath shakey and his closed eyes roll even further and further back in into his skull until he's sure they won't ever come back.

But more importantly it makes him feel warm, and warmer yet as you place a kiss over his eyes, the corners of his lips where your fingers rested, between his brows, the awkward bridge and tip of his nose, his chin. Your hands are gentle as they rest in the space between his neck and shoulder, and even still as your fingers find his nape and your lips kiss his again. Each part of him feels raw and exposed.

It's terrifying, and every bit as pleasing.

When you lean back a second time, he opens his eyes, and sees you smiling.

He hums. "If this is where not sleeping gets me, I'm going to have to do it more often."

"You already do it almost every night." You chuckle. "Besides, you don't need to go through all of that just to get a few kisses. I'd be happy to hand them over whenever you like."

"Whenever?" He presses.

"Whenever."

"Now?"

"If you like."

"I would like very much."

He's not all that surprised when you indulge him.

[asteriastarr]

soo you;re bored i see

how about part 2 to the messing around before class one you did. that was awsome and i N E E D pt 2 for it!

from ya fave fangirl - Maddy!!!!!

A/n: I FINALLY UPLOADED BESTIES! Sorry for the long wait- uh just a warning, this one may not be the best (at least at the end)- I did hint more towards Y/n being a plant monster like venus by mentioning the fact her blood is green and stuff. Also yes, yes I did look up Deuce's middle name for this.

PT 2 to this

POV: Deuce and Y/n skipping class

Deuce and Y/n walked down the halls, scanning for any teachers before bolting down towards one of the secret passageways, this one in the form of a statue of a harpy. Y/n pulled down the statues left wing, causing it to move aside allowing them to go through.

The passageway was dark, damp, dreary and often had a weird decaying smell that they had no idea of the source, and yet, this was where Y/n and Deuce would go to get away. They didn’t mind the fact the stone bricks was growing mold, or the fact the ground was always slippery and uneven which often caused Y/n to trip over and Deuce having to steady her. They didn’t mind the fact it was near impossible to see anything other than their eyes without a flashlight, nor did they mind the fact the walls kept sprouting vines that would attack Deuce (particularly since it was Y/n doing that as revenge for him laughing at her for tripping).

As long as they were together, they didn’t mind.

Y/n pulled her flashlight out of her bag and switched it on, Deuce doing the same. The two pointed their flashlights at their faces as Y/n leaned against the cold stone wall, a sigh escaping her lips as she ran her free hand through her hair.

“Is it bad that I found that oddly stressful?” Y/n asked, leaning her head back on the wall, lowering her hand from her head to summon a vine to hold her flashlight for her.

“No, I did too.” Deuce responded letting out a small laugh.

“Do you think Draculaura knows my blood would technically be… greener than red? Since you know I’m pretty much a plant.” Y/n pointed out raising a brow as she lifted her head to look at Deuce.

“Who knows, I was more focused on Heath ‘You would be SUCH a cute couple’, ‘You should ask her out dude.’” Deuce mimicked making Y/n laugh before groaning.

“I never wanna go to that class again.” She groaned slamming her head against the wall.

Deuce chuckled before speaking.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to, we can just skip Mr Komos’s class for the rest of the year, hang out in here.” He suggested.

“Nah, I don’t really feel like failing that class, my parents would kill me.” Y/n shrugged.

At this, Deuce merely smiled and spoke without thinking.

“Well, you could always come stay with me for the holidays, they can’t kill you then.”

Y/n once again moved her head off the wall to look at him, quirking a brow.

“Oh? Is that an invitation your extending Mr Gorgon?” She asked smirking.

“And so, what if it is Ms L/n?” He asked, smirking himself.

“I suppose I’d agree, although it depends.”

“On what?” Deuce asked raising a brow.

“On how much I like you at the end of the year.” She shrugged causing Deuce to playfully scoff and roll his eyes.

Y/n laughed at his behaviour for a moment before turning serious.

“Do- do you think our friends see something we don’t?” She asked looking at him.

“How do you mean?”

“I mean all of our friends think we’re a couple, they constantly ask us if we’re together and I kind of understand why.” Y/n mused.

“I don’t understand…”

“I- Deuce…” She sighed before speaking “Do- do you like me? Because and- I hate to admit this because you are my very best friend and I fear what may happen to our friendship if I do admit this but- I really, really like you Deuce Phorcys Gorgon- like a lot, so much so it hurts.”

Deuce paused, looking at the girl of whom’s cheeks- just like she’d said- had gained a greenish tint.

“Y/n… I do like you, more than you know- when you’re not around, I can barely breathe, I can’t stop thinking about you Y/n, you and you alone are the keeper of the key to my heart- Y/n my heart is yours. If you asked me to, I would die for you. Y/n I- I love you.” Deuce spoke.

Y/n gazed into his green eyes, her own eyes welling up with orange tears.

“Can- Can I kiss you?” He asked tentatively.

Y/n nodded, the flashlights flickering as the batteries grew low.

“Are you sure because I really want to-”

“Just kiss me you idiot.” She breathed stepping closer to him.

He dropped his flashlight and closed the gap between them, pulling her into a deep and passionate kiss as the flashlights died, leaving them in total darkness, their eyes closed as they kissed- only pulling away to breathe.

“Might be a good idea to… not tell our friends about this.” Y/n breathed, her arms wrapped around Deuces neck and her forehead leaned against his “They’ll be relentless.”

“Yeah, probably.” Deuce breathed, looking into the girl’s eyes.

[canislupus-exe]

Made for Each Other | eddie munson

fandom | Stanger Things

character | Eddie Munson

reader | he/him/amab (she/her/afab ver.)

requested | anonymous

warnings | smut/nsfw, mutual perversion, peeping, mild degradation

word count | 1,804

keys | (Y/n) = Your name

summary | can u maybe do an eddie munson smut where the reader catches him masturbating to a polaroid of him and then the reader fucks him 👉👈

editor | @feliscatus-exe

>> back to prev <<

Keep reading

You sighed as you checked your watch, the time read 9:17. The day had been surprisingly slow so you decided to hang out with your best friend, but found his company had barely changed that fact. You’d burned through two movies with him and were going to start a third when he suddenly realized something and bolted out of the room. 

That was a few minutes ago and now you were waiting for his return, sprawled out on his bed. You yawned and laid your head against the pillow. Nothing happened until finally, you heard the bedroom door open. You lifted your torso and leaned on your elbows, raising your eyebrows at him. A bright flash caused you to blink rapidly and groan.

“Dude, what the hell?” You asked, sitting up fully and rubbing your eyes. You could hear Eddie laugh before feeling the bed shift as he sat next to you.

“Ain’t he a beaut?” He asks. You stop rubbing your eyes and look at what’s in his hand. It’s a Polaroid picture of yourself. Your shirt is slightly lifted and your pajama bottoms are slightly misplaced, revealing a small bit of your hip area. Your eyelids are slightly drooped, making you look sleepy and even somewhat sultry.

“When did you get a Polaroid?” You asked.

“I found it at the thrift store just outside of town. I seriously couldn’t believe my luck. It was a little busted right here, see, but nothing some duct tape couldn’t fix.” He raved, showing you all parts of the camera. You smiled fondly.

“That’s awesome Eddie.” You say, handing him the picture. He looks at it for a couple of seconds before looking back up at you.

“You don’t want to keep this?” He asks. You shake your head.

“Nah, what purpose do I have for a picture of myself?”

“Wouldn’t I have even less of a purpose for a picture of you?” He asks with a laugh. You shrug and smile.

“I don’t know. Use it to remember me or if you miss me.” You say with a snicker.

“That’s the corniest shit I’ve ever heard,” Eddie replied. You laughed before standing up from the bed.

“I should probably go home now Eddie. It’s getting late and we have school tomorrow.” You say, grabbing your car keys from his nightstand. 

“Already?” He asks a twinge of sadness in his voice. You smile.

“I’ll be back, probably sooner than you even realize. Thanks for letting me hang and keep you company though.” You said. He nodded and stood from the bed, walking you toward his front door.

You said bye and locked up his door, hopping in your car and starting it up. Your house wasn’t too far from the trailer park, which you were thankful for. It made your visits to his place that much more convenient. You whistled to the song on the radio, mindlessly tapping your steering wheel while focusing on the road.

As you pulled up to a crossroad to take a right turn, you realized how cold you were. You always kept your windows rolled down when you drove but it was much chillier than usual. You were about to turn when it dawned on you that you left your jacket at Eddie’s house. No wonder I’m freezing, you think to yourself as you pop a quick U-turn and backtrack to the trailer park.

It doesn’t take long since you didn’t get very far. In a matter of six minutes, you’re putting your car back in park in Eddie’s driveway. You toss your keys in your jean pocket, knocking on his door. There’s no answer, and you can’t help but assume he’d fallen asleep. Normally, you wouldn’t intrude, but the freezing Indiana temperatures urged you to use the spare key he’d gifted you years ago. Just for emergencies, he told you, and if you stayed out there any longer without a protective layer you’d freeze your dick off, which was as close to an emergency as you could damn near get.

You opened the door and shut it quietly behind you, not wanting to wake him up. You quickly scanned the living room, searching for your jacket. It was nowhere to be found but you didn’t fret, you probably just left it in Eddie’s room. You walked toward his bedroom door, seconds away from pushing it open when you heard a noise.

Not just any noise, though. A very distinct type of noise that caused your feet to stay planted on the floor and your stomach to meet them there. It was a moan. A moan that no doubt belonged to your best friend. Your heart began to thump louder than it ever has but you tried to drown it out, listening for another noise to prove you weren’t going crazy. 

And there it was again. A whiny, high-pitched moan that sent tingles down your spine and blood rushing to your crotch. You clasped a hand over your mouth in an attempt to regulate your breathing, scared you’d make a noise and alert him that you were here. Which you should’ve done, you knew that. You knew how wrong it was to listen to someone get off, but you couldn’t move your feet.

And to make matters worse, your eyes found themselves drawn to the crack in the door. You weren’t just listening now, you were full-on peeping on your best friend jacking off, and God was it making you hard.

The sliver in the door was small but if you angled yourself just right you could see enough. His right hand rapidly moved up and down his shaft while his left held a picture that looked almost familiar. Further up you could see his shirt lifted and his left hand holding a piece of clothing to his nose, which he was no doubt sniffing with fervor. The item of clothing was also familiar. It almost looked like…

“(Y/n)~” Eddie whined breathlessly, and the air around you seemed to turn cold. That couldn’t have possibly been…

“Fuck- (Y/n)…” He moaned again, and you were sure of it this time. He was, without a shadow of a doubt, moaning your name. That wasn’t the only thing he was doing. As he continued to furiously pump his shaft with his fist you realized why everything looked so familiar. He was holding the Polaroid he took of you earlier and sniffing your jacket. Eddie was masturbating to the thought of you.

“God p-please I need you~” He moaned, panting heavily. You got so warm in the face and so fuzzy in the brain that you acted without thinking. You pushed the bedroom door open and walked in, causing him to yelp and throw everything off of him. He scrambled to pull a blanket over himself to salvage a shred of his modesty but you’d already seen too much.

“Don’t stop on my account sweetheart. In fact, let me help you~” You say, popping the button of your jeans. His face turns bright red, staring at you in utter disbelief.

“(Y-Y/n) I can explain-“

“Explain what? That you were jacking off to a picture of me? Mmm, what did you imagine we were doing Eddie?” You asked, pulling the blanket off as you licked your lips. 

“I-I wasn’t-“

“Come on Eddie~ You can tell me. If you ask nicely, I might even do it to you~” You whisper in his ear, gently placing your hand around his already twitching cock. He gasps and whimpers, covering his mouth to stop the needy noises from spilling out.

“You were so loud before, what happened to ‘I need you’?” You asked, moving your hand up and down his shaft. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he lowered his hands, babbling for a second as he presumably tried to find the right words.

“I was i-imagining you- ah- fucking me into the- hng- mattress.” He gasped out, balling his hands into the sheets. You smirked, pulling your hand away and watching him practically chase your touch.

“That can be arranged.” You reply, pulling your pants and boxers off all the way. He watched with wide eyes as your cock sprung out, standing at attention and making his mouth water. He watched you bend and spit on his hole, gasping at the sudden cold sensation. You rubbed it into his asshole, expertly spreading him out in seconds and causing him to turn to putty once again. 

Once you were finished prepping him, you positioned your cock head at his tight asshole, teasing by gently prodding it. He whined, staring at you with pleading eyes. You decided to take mercy on him and finally push yourself inside, groaning as he enveloped you. He bit his lip harshly and squeezed his eyes shut, overcome with the pleasure of being filled.

“Look at you, you filthy little pervert. Getting fucked by the guy you were jacking off to.” You practically growled at him, an irregular dominance clouding your mind. He moaned and covered his face, too embarrassed to look you in the eye.

“Maybe we’re made for each other though.” You say somewhat fondly as you pick up your pace. He moans, face still covered, but he manages to get out two words of inquiry.

“W-We are?” He asks meekly. You laugh almost sadistically as you grip his legs.

“We are… wanna know why?” You ask, slowing your hips just the slightest bit to grab his focus.

“Why?” He asks breathlessly.

“Because I’m a pervert too Eddie. I watched you jack off to me. I liked watching you jack off to me.” You say, giving him no time to process what you’ve said before starting to plow into him again. This practically sends him over the edge, whimpering and begging to cum as you fucked into his prostate like never before. He wraps his arms around your back and begins moaning frantically

“Fuck fuck fuck I’m- agghn!” He gasps for air and scratches down your back, body shaking as spurts of cum shoot from the head of his cock. The sounds he’s making and the tightness of his ass proves to be too much as your hips sputter and you let out a low groan, emptying your load straight into his suffocating hole.

You gasp in an attempt to regain your breath, Eddie still latched onto you like his life depends on it. You chuckle and let your body weight fall onto him, electing to clean yourselves up later. You do however decide to plant a gentle kiss on his cheek at the moment, and you’re glad you do when you see his flushed face fondly smile.

[miss-tc-nova]

Behind That Smile - Ruggie Bucchi x Reader

I like animal facts. Definitely recommend checking out the vet!yuu tag by blackopals-world.

Premise: Hyenas can bite through bone

Words: 1,537

Warnings: Intrusive thoughts, Halloween event spoilers

~~~~~

               “Ruggie, if you don’t slow down, you’re gonna be sick.”

               Those cloudy-sky eyes manage to tear away from his plate long enough to peer up at me. It’s impressive he doesn’t choke as he swallows all the food in his mouth.

               “Are you kidding? I’m just getting started!” He catches sight of Epel walking by with a plate of meat and he awes. “Oh I haven’t tried that yet! I gotta go get some!”

               In a bolt, he’s out of his chair, already filling another plate. I shake my head with a sigh; however, at my side, the Diasomnian vice-housewarden chuckles.

               “Isn’t his appetite simply astounding?”

               “It’s impressive alright,” I hum. “I just wish he’d slow down before he chokes.”

               “But he still has so much to go through if he hopes to sample everything here,” Lilia says.

               He is right about that. Malleus, Lilia, Grim, and I had set out to help the ghosts enjoy the Halloween party that they missed. We had a beautiful venue, Malleus had the music covered, and we had the rest of Night Raven College on a scavenger hunt for mirror shards to fix our atmospheric lighting. However, one of the most astonishing features of the night were the tables absolutely stacked with food from all over Twisted Wonderland—courtesy of the ghosts themselves.

               And Ruggie is having the time of his life.

               Said hyena returns with various meat piled on his plate, but at the bottom sits a hunk of beef still clinging to the bone. It’s comically large and I honestly thought food like that only existed in cartoons. Yet Ruggie isn’t perturbed in the slightest as he chomps through everything he brought.

               I have a small chat with Lilia while Ruggie eats. It comes to a stop though when the hyena cleans the ridiculously large bone.

               “Finished already?” Lilia asks.

               “Not even.” He holds up the large bone in his hand. “This is the best part.”

               Without hesitation, Ruggie puts the skeletal matter into his mouth and bites.

               The crunching sound that follows shocks me to my core; it echoes in my ears. The sight of the splintered bone infests my brain and intrusive thoughts force me to imagine that as my arm. It’s mind blowing to think that this kid I’ve been hanging out with nearly every day could chomp through something so solid with such little effort.

               “My, that’s quite a bite you’ve got there,” Lilia remarks.

               Ruggie gives him a glance between getting at the marrow of the bone. “Yeah, I get told that often but it’s pretty normal in my family. My grammy used to give them to me when I was little.” He laughs. “She said it kept me quiet when I was annoying her.”

               “I’ll have to make note of that,” Lilia laughs. “I suppose that means there really isn’t much you won’t eat.”

               A shiver flies down my spine as he crunches the bone like candy. “Hey, if it’s edible, it’s worth trying at least once.”

               Throughout the rest of the night, I can’t get the image of Ruggie breaking bones out of my head. Again, the intrusive thoughts don’t help.

               The night ends and Malleus returns everyone safely to Night Raven College. There’s seems to be a lot of relief that Halloween has finally ended, but everyone agrees that it’s time to get some sleep.

               “So you had a hand in this entire mess.”

               My heart skips as Ruggie catches up to me and Grim on our way back to Ramshackle.

               “I guess you could say that.”

               “Heck yeah we did!” Grim climbs my costume to stand on my shoulder. “And we planned the best party ever!”

               “Yeah you did. The food was great.” Immediately, I divert my eyes away from Ruggie’s grin. I’m not sure I can ever look at that smile the same again.

               Though the conversation stays light, I keep my gaze occupied on the way back to my shabby little dorm. I would look at anything—the castle overhead, the rising sun, the rusted gate, the drowsy cat in my arms—as long as it wasn’t Ruggie.

               I tuck the blanket around my magic partner who quickly crashed on our way back. With a soft smile, I place his hat on the nightstand and stroke his head. The feline mumbles something about “awesome dance moves” as he rolls over to continue his dream.

               “Man, I thought he’d be up for hours with how wired he was,” Ruggie says as I close the door behind me.

               I glance down the hall, trying to put on a light-hearted air. “I think he just finally hit that sugar crash.”

               “Hey, are you okay?”

               “Yeah, I’m fine.”

               “Then why won’t you look at me?”

               Embarrassment simmers in my ears. This whole thing is stupid.

               “It’s nothing. I’m just being silly.” Raising my head, I look him in the eye and put on a smile. “I’m fine.” Immediately after those words leave my mouth, I can’t help glancing at his lips and my gaze instantly averts.

               “Yeah right. You’re avoiding me.” Ruggie ducks down, trying to look me in the eyes, but I just can’t. “Aw, c’mon. You mad at me or somethin’?”

               “N-No.” I avoid him again.

               “Then what?”

               The intrusive thoughts themselves aren’t really anything to be ashamed of. “Look, I just…I’m trying to block out the intrusive thoughts, okay?”

               There’s a pause. “What kind of intrusive thoughts?”

               But the contents of those thoughts kind of are.

               “Ruggie…” I groan.

               “Just tell me, will ya. You know I’m not gonna leave you alone ‘til you do.”

               He’s right—I know he won’t. It takes me a few moments filled with deep breaths and expectant stares to finally get the words out.

               “I’m just having a hard time getting the image of you crunching through that bone out of my head, okay? Can we just drop it now?”

               “The bone?” Glancing to him, I can see the gears turning in his head. “You’re not tellin’ me you’re scared of my bite now, are ya?”

               I pinch the bridge of my nose. “It’s less that I’m afraid and more that I can’t stop imaging you biting through things.”

               “You mean like this?”

               My stomach flips when the hyena grabs my arm. In a swift motion, he draws my sleeve back and brings the limb to his mouth, those massive, gleaming teeth resting against my skin. The image of that snapping bone fills my head. I shut my eyes and brace for the core-rattling snapping sound and the inevitable pain to follow.

               Instead I hear a soft chuckle. Warm, gentle lips meet my skin, instantly drawing my gaze back. Embers smolder behind his eyes as he trails soft kisses down to the back of my hand. A last reverent press of his lips meets my knuckles before his fingers intertwine with mine.

               “You gotta know I could never hurt you.” Even his voice is infested with the heat quickly enflaming my own bashfulness. This smooth criminal then leans in, lips brushing against my cheek causing the air to hitch in my chest. “Not even if my life depended on it.”              

               Then, Ruggie retreats, that ever-lovable simper warped into something warm and gentle. Meanwhile, with my skin on fire, I press against the wall in an attempt to keep myself from collapsing. I’m positive his ears—even hidden beneath that marauder’s hat—can hear the pounding in my chest. And if he didn’t hear that, the shuddering exhale from my mouth is probably thoroughly satisfying.

               “What’s wrong, sugar?” he asks, absolutely full of himself right now.

                My free hand presses to my face in a shoddy attempt to calm my nerves. “What a cruel criminal you are to toy with my feelings like this.”

               “All in a days work for a scurvy pirate—stealin’ such precious treasures as hearts, shyehehe.” There’s that smooth tongue. “But who said I was playin’?”

               The grip on my hand tightens and I swear he’s squeezing my heart.

               “Ruggie…?”

               “Didn’t even need to trick-or-treat to get me the best prize.” Some of his mischief returns. “Man, a full feast and I get the cutest kid on campus? I really did make off like a pirate with all the treasure this year.”

               It seems my legs are stable enough to hold their own weight again. “I don’t know about that.”

               “Oh I do. I could just eat you up.” He laughs in the face of my glare. “Too soon?”

               “I’m going to bed now.”

               My announcement doesn’t seem to deter Ruggie from pestering me, chattering about random things. Yet I’m not entirely inclined to send him off. Instead, he sheds his coat and boots and flops onto the bed beside me—his hand finding mine like the greedy man he is. It doesn’t take long after that for the conversation to lull and consciousness to drift.

               Those intrusive thoughts return frequently from then on out. Ruggie always had the potential to seriously hurt me. But every time he smiles, I’m reminded of that pirate in Ramshackle on Halloween night. I remember just how gentle that mouth can be—and how quickly it can sink those fangs into my heart.

~~~~~

Nova’s Twisted Wonderland Masterlist

[wexhappyxfew]

I’d love a lil something for Vivian and #39 off the touch prompts list if it sparks your brain!!

OMG HEYYYYY!!!! thank you so much for this - and for letting me explore viv a bit more!!! her character was fun to come up with and i haven't really been able to dig deep into her thoughts and character yet and this gave me the PERFECT opportunity, so thank you so so much!!! i feel writing for me has been angsty recently and that's the direction we seemed to take with this here lol! BUT, we get a bit of ev blakely, whom i have been eyeing as of late for some writing and he plays the perfect part in comfort. it's been a few weeks where i had the first half of this in writing and couldn't figure out where i wanted to go with the second half - and HERE WE ARE!!! please enjoy!!!

ease the pain

(a/n): a lil look into vivian ratcliff and her emotions for long-time boyfriend james pennington across a war-torn sea. we get a bit of comfort in the form of ev blakely. prompt is: leaning into the other's side, which i absolutely LOVED and think worked really nicely here! viv, you deserve the most sweetheart, please accept the comfort blakely is trying to give you <3333 and enjoy your mashed potatoes too girl!!!

Vivian ran her fingers along the side of Silver Bullets, her calloused hands running over every bolt ever pumped into the sides of the B-17, careening over paint and brandished edges of metal that had been knocked back in place, mission after mission.

There was something comforting about the B-17, a maternal force none of them had out here, that carried them from mission to mission, always present. Always there.

Vivian stepped back and let her hands fall to her sides, hanging empty and broken. All the girls were back at barracks, Interrogation the shit show it normally was, cleaning up and readying for a night to forget. She was here. Staring at the B-17 in silence.

"Sergeant Ratcliff," Vivian turned quickly, glancing over her shoulder, and found Ev Blakely coming her way, removing his peak cap and smoothing a hand over his head, "some of the girls were beginning to wonder where you wandered off to." Vivian stared at him, as he came closer and then looked back at Silver Bullets, her eyes wandering up to the silver pant along the name on the nose and then sighed.

"Just came to take a look at her," Vivian said quickly, patting the side of the metal for a moment, before turning to him and crossing her arms, "needed a minute." He came to a slow stop in front of her, crossing his own arms and raising a brow slightly as he tilted his head. He nodded to her.

"You okay?"

Vivian had been a waist gunner for Ev Blakely back in their training days for a few months, before Captain Faulkner had started gathering a crew and requesting people, and she was transferred. But, she'd grown to enjoy his company and his thoughts, as well as what he had to say to his crew. She also enjoyed the fact that when she was spiraling, he was always there for her, even if he never cared to admit it himself.

"Fine," she said with a nod, shaking her head, before considering the look on his face, "what, what's that look for?" Blakely smiled at her and then glanced up at Silver Bullets, his face softening in the light before looking back at her.

"You were looking sentimental, wanted to make sure you were doing okay." he said, and then his face grew serious, "You heard from James?" Vivian grew quiet at his words and then glanced towards his eyes again.

"Not in a few weeks." she said softly, and then nodded, "It's fine though, he's fine. It's fine."

James Pennington had not written back in almost three weeks and nearly everyone seemed to know; even the men, who usually didn't get involved in any sort of discussion of lovers outside the realm of East Anglia.

But they all knew about Viv's Jimmy Pennington and Bessie's Tommy McKenzie.

Blakely watched her, and she knew, she knew from that look he was giving her that he didn't believe her for one second, but she swallowed that thought down.

"I survived another mission, I can't complain," she said quietly with a nod, "Jimmy'll get back to me when he does. He's fighting a whole other war across an ocean and a continent. I just….have to get out of my head. Gotta be grateful, too." Blakely continued to watch her as she spoke and she was sure she sounded half like a lunatic but she didn't care.

When Vivian had been sick as a dog a few weeks back, Blakely hung around at night and talked to her as best as he could through her coughing and vomiting. He'd seen her sweaty and half-dead after missions, distraught and in tears, drunk that one time off her ass when she couldn't deal with this stupid thing called war, bringing her to barracks and helping her settle in bed. Sometimes, she looked at him and swore in is eyes there was something there neither wanted to discuss, but she ignored it and took his friendship head-on more than anything.

"I'm fine, seriously," Vivian said, with a nod, convincing herself alongside Blakely, "everything's fine." She stared at him, "What?" Blakely smiled slightly and nodded.

"Let's get you some dinner, step away from Silver Bullets for a bit, she'll be here when you get back," he said softly and she felt the tension from her shoulders release a bit as he turned and wrapped an arm over her shoulder, "c'mon, there's barely a soul even in there. Plus, you need some food in your stomach before we even oughta consider drinks."

Vivian walked beside him slowly, a small laugh escaping from her lips as she leaned into his side a bit more as they walked, for once, trying to grasp onto something to stabilize herself more than anything. Because out here, when the mission was all said and done and you were alone with your thoughts and feelings, there was no one but yourself.

"What if he doesn't write back, Ev?" Vivian whispered quietly as his hand squeezed gently on her bicep, narrowly avoiding where part of her jacket had been burned from a bullet graze, "What if-"

"He's going to write back." Blakely said, stopping her spiral and glancing down at her as they continued moving forward, "You've told me in length about Jimmy and his writing and how he keeps up with it all. For you. He's going to write you back. It may be a war on, but guys don't forget that sorta stuff." Vivian swallowed the emotion in her throat and nodded against him.

"Ev?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Vivian said quietly, reaching up to wipe at her eyes which hard turned misty just at the thought of Jimmy somewhere out there in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with the Navy, on a submarine or aircraft carrier or wherever he was that he couldn't reveal.

She thought of his kind smile, those deep, brown eyes, his hugs, his touch. The last time they'd seen each other, and she'd held onto him for as long as possible before he'd had to go. How deeply and longingly he'd kissed her, whispering that he'd see her again and they'd be back on her daddy's ranch in no time. And she had believed him.

Now, with no letter, and no sign of life, she was spiraling.

They entered into the mess hall and found some of the cooks cleaning up, wiping down tables and turning up chairs. But, upon entering, Blakely let out a whistle and some of the cooks glanced over.

"You guys still serving?"

"Yes, sir." one of the cooks said, looking to Vivian, who stood quietly by his side, staring off at nothing in particular, "Two plates? I'll bring them over."

"Thank you." Blakely said as he led Vivian over to a table in the corner, pulling out a chair and helping her to settle into the wooden seat before sitting across from her. She sat there quietly for a moment, her body closed in on itself as she stared at the placemat in front of her, her mind spinning, her eyes struggling not to fill with tears.

"Hey, Viv," Blakely said, leaning forward and reaching across the table to put a hand on her shoulder, "you can talk to me, you know that? It wasn't long ago you were my left gunner and a part of my crew, remember that?" Vivian looked at him and nodded, sniffling briefly before leaning against the table, covering her mouth with her hands in an attempt to hold in her want to sob.

"I feel like I lost him, Ev," Vivian whispered quietly, her voice breaking as a tear snuck out her eye and trailed down her cheek, before she tried to gather herself together in some sense, "it's not like him. Not to write. I…." She shut her eyes and shook her head.

"It's stupid to even talk like that. When he…he could be alive, just….." Vivian shook her head, "I don't know this time." Blakely watched her with that familiar, calming presence that she had grown used to. He always had that extra care of keeping an eye out for her at the flying club or when they were at interrogation or even just around base at breakfast. He was always there, always a comfort. And right now, the only thing keeping her afloat.

"Here you are, sir," the cook said, coming over with their meal of turkey and mashed potatoes, with green beans, another cook behind him with coffee and water, placing down the plates, as Blakely leaned back and Vivian ran her hands down her face, "ma'am." The cooks nodded, with thanks and then disappeared as Vivian's stomach rumbled looking at the plate. But her heart ached and her head pounded and the tears in her vision hurt.

"There's nothing to ease that sort of thought and pain, Viv," Blakely whispered quietly, "but you can only do what you can for now. And taking care of yourself and eating are things that are possible. That's something you can do now." Vivian watched him as she wiped at her cheeks, and nodded.

Staring at the meal, she thought of that first date with James, back in Fort Collins, Colorado - out to Stewart's down the road, hot turkey, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, peas and carrots. Shakily, she lifted a forkful of turkey to her lips and ate it, before leaning back against the chair and biting back her bottom lip. She looked towards Blakely who was a mix of eating and worriedly watching her.

And in a split second of time, he was standing and coming around the table and pulling her into his arms, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Just for a moment, to be held while she felt like her world was coming undone, was the only thing to ease the pain in her mind and heart.

[demonic0angel]

Chapter 5 of Ghost Games is out!

(Please start subscribing, I'll stop posting chapters on tumblr after the first arc)

TW: there is mention of a person hanging in this chapter

Nightingale had broken off from Sparrow and Robin unintentionally when they all started running. When she had turned around, she hadn't seen either boy at all. Anxiously, she could only continue running and hoped that they were fine. She didn't stop until she was assured of her safety, going up a flight of stairs and sighing in relief as she spotted nothing but empty hallways.

When she heard bloodcurdling screams, Nightingale immediately went inside of a supply closet, shutting the door behind her and grimacing. The sound of something hitting against meat made her hair rise, but thankfully, it seemed to come from downstairs.

She turned around to lean against the door and sighed.

Where was Robin and Sparrow when she needed them?

She had never felt so anxious before. The thought that she had could’ve prevented those deaths made her feel heavy and icky all at once. 

The moment she looked up, she froze.

A corpse was hung from a rope from the ceiling, and it turned slightly in circles as if an invisible wind was spinning it.

Its limbs swayed as the body hung heavy on the rope.

Nightingale choked up from a mixture of fear, concern, and overwhelming sorrow. The corpse was of a girl's, one wearing a female school uniform and had brown hair tied into a messy bun. She wore glasses that were slipping off her face and there was blood on her forehead.

She wanted to bring down the body, unable to understand why anyone would just let the dead girl swing like this.

Nightingale didn't hear the shadow or the screams again, so she stepped forward and reached out to untie the poor girl.

That was when the girl's head lifted and then stared straight at Nightingale with piercing dark eyes.

Nightingale jumped and nearly screamed. The only thing that stopped her was the fact that the girl didn't seem hostile and Nightingale didn't want to alert the hallway monitors or the shadow.

The girl in front of her looked sad and tired. A large mangled scar covered her cheek and there were heavy bags underneath her eyelids. She blinked dewy eyes at Nightingale and asked softly, "I'm s-s-sorry. Who are y-you?"

Nightingale hesitated for only a moment before she responded, "Nightingale. Would you like me to get you down?"

The girl stared at her wearily. "P-Please," she said softly in agreement. Her voice sounded wrecked and scratchy, stuttering no matter how slowly she tried to speak.

Nightingale reached out to pull her down when she paused.

A distant screech pierced through her ears. It was a sound of fury and hatred, as it came closer and closer. Nightingale paused and then bowed her head, quickly calculating the likelihood of that sound being the shadow and coming towards her. In the end, she couldn't be sure so she decided to be safe rather than sorry. "I'm sorry, I have to go! But I'll definitely get you down, I just have to go now!"

Nightingale immediately exited the small closet.

Before she closed the door behind her and fled, she heard the soft words, "Goodbye."

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a black mass coming towards her.

Nightingale didn't hesitate to bolt down the hallway and away. Her long legs pumped as she ran as quickly as she could. She knew the feeling of being chased by a ghost. It was cold and although there wasn't any footsteps, there was always an audible hum from something like a whirring engine.

She didn't hear any of it.

Pausing, she stopped in place. Had the ghost left her behind in favor of the dead girl? As she caught her breath, she debated with herself before turning around.

When she entered the hallway where the supply closet was at, the door was open a little, and she could hear muffled words. It sounded soft, almost sweet. There was no signs of fighting and the trembling air around the closet was not hostile or cold. Whatever was happening in there, there was definitely a positive relationship and a correlation between the corpse and the ghost.

Nightingale tried to hear the words but couldn't. After a while, she left to find Robin and Sparrow.

This was definitely important information.

————

Nightingale immediately told them when she saw them.

"And because I didn't hear the ghost chasing after me, I went back and saw that... that the door to the closet was open and somebody was talking to the girl inside. I don't think the urban legend here is simple."

Robin stared at her silently, while she and Sparrow shared a glance.

From the moment she saw him, she had known that he was important to her. His identity was something that she knew and somehow, she could even tell that his white hair wasn't his true hair color.

It was black.

But how did she know that when she couldn't even remember her own name? It would've been terrifying, if she didn't find it so natural.

Although Nightingale was equal parts intrigued and burdened by her attachment to Sparrow, she also knew that she couldn't focus too much on it. She was Nightingale now, and she couldn't be whatever she used to be.

She had to survive.

Robin frowned. "Is there more than one ghost?"

"Could be possible." Nightingale said. "Do you think the corpse is Marina's?"

"Maybe it's not two ghosts, maybe it's her spirit protecting her body." Robin sounded unsure.

Nightingale had no idea how she knew, but she just knew that it was impossible. "No, if the shadow and the corpse are both Marina, she shouldn't have been able to move and talk with me at the same time as me."

Sparrow was silent but then he said, "Before, when we were talking to that girl, didn't she mention other people's names?"

"Oleander, Ryan, Brittany, Hannah, Emily, Ross, Kevin..." Robin listed them absentmindedly. "She gave information on them, but they were all really dense."

"Brittany has a crush on Oleander, Ryan is Brittany's ex, Hannah and Emily are best friends with Brittany but Emily and Brittany secretly hate each other..." Nightingale faintly recalled the information. The girl had offered a lot of information. If the scenario worked conveniently like films and stories, then that meant that what the girl said was important somehow.

Then Nightingale frowned.

Was she forgetting something?

Sparrow also had a heavy frown on his face. He was clearly searching for memories, but he couldn't remember them. Robin sighed and both Sparrow and Nightingale put down their thoughts to turn and listen to him.

"Clearly, we're still missing something. I don't know when the scenario ends, but we still have time. Let's regroup tomorrow morning and then search for the closet. Maybe we can find the girl there and ask her questions."

They both nodded, but Nightingale hesitated as she looked outside of the little space underneath the stairs.

Nightingale looked at the empty hallways. The time was 1AM, close to 2. She didn't want to go sneak back into her dorms. The hallway monitor there was more slippery than the boys' hallway monitor, and she had a whip in her hands that could easily snap Nightingale's spine in half. The thought of having to sneak back was harrowing.

She was tired, and very, very afraid. It seemed as though her reluctance was clear on her face because Robin softened immediately and said, "You can stay with us. I'll sleep in Sparrow's bed."

Sparrow raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

Grateful, Nightingale only nodded and smiled. The three of them snuck back to the male dorms and collapsed on top of the beds. Nightingale had dropped into Robin's bed, face planting into the pillow before she immediately fell asleep. No matter what sounds she could’ve possibly heard, she had long since fallen asleep and couldn’t wake up.

Her dreams were filled with two people. One of them had died.

The other quickly followed without hesitation, because all they had was each other.

And the two of them descended into hell.

————

The next morning, Nightingale was able to escape the male dormitories with the help of Sparrow and Robin. It was almost funny how seriously they did it, sneaking about like criminals as they tried in vain to hide her body. Thankfully, they had woken up early enough that they were fine and Nightingale could use the excuse of looking around the school to explain her appearance near the male dorms.

When they arrived at the cafeteria for breakfast, Nightingale observed her surroundings and noticed that more than half of the other players had died. And just as she thought that, the familiar vampire man from a few nights before approached their table again for the first time in a while.

Sparrow nudged her hard. She gave him a light glare but still turned to the man. "Hello." She greeted politely.

She took a glance at Robin, who had his face down as he ate cereal. Somehow noticing her gaze, he glanced up and smiled reassuringly before looking back down to focus on eating.

Nightingale felt embarrassed to be caught staring at him so she forcefully turned away. The man raised an eyebrow at her and said, "Do you have more information?"

"We might." She said. "What can you offer us?"

The man paused for a while. Then he said, "Is your information enough to guarantee your victory?"

Pausing, she deliberately didn't turn to look at Robin, no matter how much she wanted to. She didn't know if it meant something, but clearly information was important and although Nightingale wasn't good at lying, she could at least do this much.

"What do you mean?"

The man paused and then explained, "There is usually only one winner of a scenario. If they complete it before anyone else, they're able to escape to the Night Bus and leave the scenario. Any other survivors can also find the bus and then leave once it is unlocked and found, but they will not be given rewards."

"The rewards are the cards, right?"

The man nodded. "I do not mind giving you information if you can win the game for us. It's already difficult enough in this scenario, I have no need for more deaths."

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Sparrow and Robin frown. She didn't say anything, but her expression couldn't hide her confusion.

The man tilted his head. "What seems to be the matter?"

"The scenario is difficult to you?" She asked slowly. She had been with Robin and Sparrow the entire time, and besides at night and the attack from the librarian, their time spent in the scenario could almost be called peaceful.

The man frowned. One of his companions said, "Yes, we are forced to go to class every day. Once inside, it's impossible to escape unless you have defensive cards. Teachers and students will attack you indiscriminately and if you don't follow the rules, you are punished. Even if you do not attend the class later, you will be caught and punished. We have seen other players attempt it and the NPCs kill them every time."

Nightingale was astonished. Then she reviewed what they said and asked, "Did all of you attend class on the first day?"

"Yes," the vampire man said. "It is better to not take risks to survive."

Nightingale's eyebrows rose.

Did that mean that Robin's decision to make them skip class entirely had kept them off of surveillance? If they had attended class the first day, they most definitely would've been put on the roster and then unable to explore the school as they wanted to afterwards.

She couldn't help but look at Robin. He was calmly sipping on a carton of orange juice, ignoring Sparrow and Nightingale's starstruck expressions.

He was so cool.

Nightingale gushed to herself silently but then tried to calm herself down. "I see. Yes, we might be able to complete the scenario. Perhaps in 2 days? We have clues and we're close to figuring out the urban legend."

The man nodded. "We'll help you. For one, we know that the urban legend is about a girl who was bullied and then died during the time of 12-3AM in the morning. That is why the ghost attacks us during those times. There is a group of students that sneak out each day and meet up in the fine arts building to discuss what to do. Capture the girl and you can find out the names of the people involved in the story." He went off to summarize what Nightingale and the others had already found and continued, "They’re all dead now.”

“Dead?” Nightingale said, startled. “Weren’t they alive just yesterday?”

“I’m afraid not. They died last night, all three of them, so that information is now lost. Thankfully, we know it. Lastly, we found the homeroom teacher of Marina and got this off of her."

He presented an image.

Nightingale, although bothered by the deaths of the three people, still took the paper gingerly and she and the other two came together to look at it.

It was a very creepy picture.

It was an old picture of a classroom of students. In the middle of the rows of students was a girl with glasses, messy hair, unblemished skin, and an exhausted expression. Every student in the class did not look at the camera, only at her with varying expressions. Some held disgust, others held rage, some had a malicious smile. Each student surrounded the girl in the middle, looking like sharks ready to tear her apart with their teeth.

Nightingale's eyes widened. She slowly turned to look at the man. "Who's this in the middle?"

"It's Marina," the man replied.

Nightingale's blood turned cold. She turned to look at Robin and Sparrow, who also shared her shock.

She had described the looks of the girl she had met yesterday to them, and she definitely couldn't forget her appearance.

The girl in the middle was Marina.

And she was the girl who had hung herself in the supply closet.

Then...

Who was the ghost?

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Ik that I made all of my chapters in a pattern but don't expect this pattern to be consistent 😭 I'll try my best but it's hard

We're a step closer to the ending of this arc!!

[mynamesaplant]

Love is a Cold Bowl of Soup (Part Two)

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I've been working on this one for a bit. I hope you enjoy!! Thanks to Monsoon-of-Art for the beta! Don't want to read it on Tumblr? I have it on AO3! The most recent chapter is not up just yet, but it will be soon.

Summary: Akari's been tasked to find some ingredients for soup and learns to ask for help from the people in her life.

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“Professor?”

She knocked at the half ajar door, twisting the hem of her tunic in anticipation and gnawing on the corner of her lip. Laventon’s merry summons almost alleviated her anxiety… Almost.

Akari swallowed and pushed through the doors, shutting them quietly behind her as she saw the professor at the hearth. There’s the smell of freshly baked bread in the air - Rei had already stopped by with his offerings before making his own speedy getaway.

The smell is heavenly, especially when compared to some of the professor’s past food experiments, and Akari willingly parts with her own collection. Laventon smiled wide and gave her a little encouraging nod to sit. He asked how her hunting went over his shoulder as he began his preparations, Akari fidgeting in place as she murmured that it was fine.

He was speaking idly but she wasn’t really listening, the room was warm, and the armchair overstuffed and comfortable. She didn’t mean to be rude when she asked,

“I’m… I’m going to take a nap. Is that okay?”

“Oh! Of course, my dear. You must be exhausted from collecting all my ingredients for me. By all means.”

She closed her eyes, listening to him hum softly as he works, the wooden spoon clattering against the side of the pot every so often and the crunch of vegetable matter being sliced into easily with a sharp knife. The ambient noise from within the hall and the cooking sounds did eventually lure her overactive mind into sleep.

Her heart was stuck in her throat. She had no idea how to broach the topic she so desperately wanted to talk about. How does one bring up such fears and concerns organically? How could she be totally honest with Laventon? Instead of answering that, she chooses to close her eyes and mull it over in the dark, but not getting very far before sleep claimed her. Blissfully, her sleep was dreamless, Cresselia offering her a silent blessing this afternoon.

She stirred to the sound of voices many hours later. She didn’t open her eyes just yet. The professor was talking with a man and a woman, the familiar voices of the captain and the warden were a little surprising to hear.

Ingo was usually willing to indulge the professor in all his new culinary experiments, too polite to refuse the professor’s kind invitation when everyone else was running for the hills. The captain being here was a bit surprising.

Captain Cyllene had written off the professor’s cooking to be hazardous material. The conversation was idle, the professor asking the captain about the most recent reports she had been filing, which clued Akari into the fact that at least the captain hadn’t been there long.

“A few massive mass outbreaks up in the highlands. There’s been a bit more active up there recently. It’s a pity that Akari just left the area. If I had gotten to this report sooner, I would have asked her to extend her stay.”

The girl almost sat bolt upright. She rarely heard the captain refer to her by name! But what was that she was saying? There were more massive outbreaks up in the highlands. That’s what the captain had said. Akari hadn’t seen Mai and her Munchlax in the area, and they usually lingered by the basecamps stationed up there.

There was always a possibility that Mai was hanging out with Melli in the Moonview Arena, she hadn’t really gone that far up the mountain to find out. The closer she reached the summit, the heavier the impending sense of dread weighed on her young shoulders. They were calling to her and she was ignoring their call.

That’s why she had come to the professor. She needed to talk to someone, even if she had her doubts and her worries. She simply could not bear this weight alone… But in front of the captain and Ingo? There was no way.

She felt a bubble of shame rising in her sternum. These were people she trusted, right? These three more than all the others. She was glad she was facing toward the cushion because her fingers curled tightly into fists as she tried to mentally tackle this predicament.

She had psyched herself up to talk to the professor, not the other two. Laventon and Ingo had at least seen her breakdown like this, they had done their best to comfort her, but Captain Cyllene? Nope. Never. Certainly not today.

Akari would fabricate any excuse not to cry in front of her captain. She did not want the captain to perceive her as weak. That thought – that one in particular, felt completely unbearable. So, she shifted in her “sleep” and the conversation continued.

“I have no doubt Akari would go back if you asked her to, Cyllene.”

Whoa! Did the professor just refer to the captain by name?

“Yes, Akari is a very diligent young woman. I know she would go back if I asked.”

The captain replied, Akari could hear the rustle of pages and the scratch of pen on paper. The captain was still in the process of annotating some report or editing a memo to be distributed amongst Galaxy Team. And she called Akari diligent.

Akari shifted again, now that she was awake, it was hard to ignore the ache in her limbs from sleeping all curled up. Her foot felt staticky tucked away under her knee and it was getting hard to ignore the feeling. If she kept shifting, it would become apparent to the adults in the room that she was awake. She didn’t want them to think she was being nosy.

Especially after the captain of all people had sung her praise.

“What do you make of it, warden? The highlands have been abuzz with activity. Have you ever seen anything like it?”

“No, this is quite unusual. All the rain is wreaking havoc though. The natural erosion of the cliffs and slopes in the highlands has been accelerated. The number of mudslides in the past month is alarming. Warden Melli and I have had quite the time trying to clear boulders for safe passage.”

That startled Akari a little bit, she had been wondering why Ingo seemed wearier than usual. He was taking more frequent trips to and from the highlands. The girl’s heart only sank lower as he continued on a drawn-out breath.

“We’ve had a few instances of Pokémon being caught up in landslides. A few of the Ginkgo Guild were severely delayed in a shipment of supplies up to the settlement. A delivery of some much-needed medical herbs and supplies. There’s been a nasty bout of dysentery from a bad crop of sand radish.”

“You should have said something sooner, warden. Galaxy Team could have offered help in clearing the debris. We could have dispatched a team from the Medical Corp to assist your clan.”

The captain’s reply, while a little curt, still held notes of concern. Laventon made a sympathetic noise over hearth. He asked Ingo if the clan was okay.

“Thankfully nothing too serious. Ginter wisely sent a few of the guild by Staraptor to the icelands. Once Sabi found out, there was no stopping her and Lord Braviary. Lady Irida was very grateful. So, the concern is appreciated captain, but the situation was under control.”

Although Akari couldn’t see his face, she could hear the gratitude in the cadence of his words. It was the easiest way to tell what Ingo was thinking at any given point. The captain and the professor collectively breathed a sigh of relief at this news, but the discussion of the strange occurrences in the highlands continued.

In listening to the captain telling them about the abnormal amount of massive mass outbreaks with more and more alpha Pokémon gathering during those storms and all the damage those storms had wrought to the inhabitants of highlands, Akari realized the ramifications of her inaction. She would not heed the call and they were starting to get impatient. One of their hundred hands subtly weaving a narrative that grew harder for her to ignore.

Come find me. Face me.

Do not ignore me.

A frightened gasp almost made it past her lips. She muffled it by clamping her mouth tight shut. She was to blame for all of this. What if people in Pearl Clan had died? What if there had been a nasty blizzard in the icelands that prevented the Staraptors and their riders from reaching their destination? How many Pokémon had lost their homes or had had their lives disrupted thanks to a massive landslide or a horde of invasive alphas?

How many would needlessly suffer until she did what Arceus had asked – no, demanded of her?

Ascend the mountain. Return to Spear Pillar. Play the azure flute… Then what? Would they just appear? Or would she find herself in a place outside of time and space, like she had in her fight against Dialga? She didn’t know. And that alone was frightening.

“Warden, would you be so kind as to throw that blanket over Akari?”

There was the creak of an armchair and Akari did her absolute best not to freeze or look any different than she had a moment ago, she did not want to arouse suspicion. The blanket in question was already warm, most likely it was the afghan that the professor’s mother had knit for him that usually hung over the back of the armchair Ingo had just gotten up from.

It smelled fresh and clean as Ingo draped it over her, tugging it over her frame and tucking it around her. Akari didn’t expect Ingo to gently pat her head before the man and seat groaned in protest as he resumed his place.

The gesture was unexpectedly tender. Moreso than Akari’s poor heart could manage. It took everything in her power not to burst into sobs, but her shoulders quaked with the effort.

“Dear me… Still shaking.”

A few footsteps across the carpeted floor and then the rustle of cloth before something else was draped over her. Something toasty warm. The professor’s lab coat. She was sure of it. Laventon made a comment about how he shouldn’t have had her out all day looking for ingredients.

“She’ll appreciate the soup when it’s done, Amaranth.”

Amaranth? She had never heard the captain refer to Laventon as anything other than professor. Was that really his first name?

“I hope so. I think everyone will like this recipe. It came from Kalos this time!”

The professor moved back to the hearth with Ingo questioning him on his technique and the captain breathing an audible sigh of relief. A milk-based soup, the professor explained. All the ingredients needed to be chopped up finely. The only issue was that many of the ingredients needed to be locally sourced unless the professor wanted to pay an arm and a leg for enough soup to share.

It should be fine, he assured the duo, even if it seemed like he was doing his best to reassure himself. All of the ingredients he had Akari retrieve were all medicinal in nature, how would that affect the nature of the soup? Cyllene seemed to be of the same mind as Akari.

“You don’t think the medicinal leeks will change the flavor?”

The wooden spoon stopped clanging against the side of the stockpot. The professor’s response was not reassuring, but he stumbled through an optimistic dismount.

“We should never let the unknown change our curious natures, eh captain?”

Captain Cyllene scoffed quietly from her own armchair and rifled through her papers, clearly not of the same mind but, for whatever reason, willing to indulge him at least one last time.

It was then that Akari chose to wake up. She tried to make it convincing, mumbling a little sound and twisting out of her position in a big stretch. A held breath escaped her as her tightened limbs relaxed, Akari stared up at the ceiling with the eyes of three silent adults on her. The breath turned into a yawn, yanking the afghan up and over her face.

“Sleep well, Akari?”

She nodded her covered head in response to Laventon’s chipper greeting. The whole tone of the room changed. The captain mumbled a polite greeting and Ingo made an effort to keep his voice lowered, the excitement detectable as he addressed the girl.

He, like the professor, loved to engage Akari in conversation. Especially if that conversation was about Pokémon! Akari, however, still felt quite unsettled from the overheard conversation.

Her responses to the warden were mechanical. Her expression mask-like, mostly to placate the adults in the room. When was she going to rejoin him at the training grounds for more battles? Soon, she assured him. Very soon. Anything to avoid going back to the highlands.

Anything to avoid the looming presence of god over her shoulder. She shifted her gaze to the floor as Ingo turned his attention momentarily to the professor, asking him some questions about his home region. Akari could hear the voice in her head. Booming like the warden’s. Authoritative like the captain’s. Familiar like the professor’s.

Do not ignore me, chosen.

And what if she did? She squeezed her eyes tight shut. What would they do that they haven’t already done? What additional misery could possibly befall her for ignoring Arceus over and over again?

Her phone rang.

“What was that?”

Everyone heard it. It was impossible not to. The captain hadn’t seen the phone before, so she had no way of knowing what the sound was. Ingo had seen her use the phone once or twice, thinking little of it except that it looked faintly familiar but knowing the sound was usually associated with something to Akari. Laventon had seen her use it many times. He didn’t know its purpose, but he knew it was quite helpful to Akari and her surveying. The girl stood up abruptly, eyes wide and all the color drained from her face in an instant.

“P-Professor, I forgot something in my quarters for the soup!”

Terrible diversion. Absolutely atrocious. Akari did not care at that instant. She needed to get out of there. Laventon looked at her initially with confusion, only for it to change a split second later because he could tell something was gravely wrong with the girl.

“Akari?”

His voice was so kind, but she could not stop herself from flinching. Extricating herself from the coat and blanket, she dumped them unceremoniously on the armchair. She could feel all eyes on her. It was enough to make her skin crawl. It was enough to bring the smallest pinpricks of tears to her eyes.

“My girl, what’s the matter? You’ve gotten all my ingredients.”

Laventon was rushing forward to intercept her as Akari tried to beat a hasty retreat. To her dismay, he caught her at the door. She had grabbed the door handle that the professor had broken ages ago and was too embarrassed to ask to have it fixed. She closed her fingers tightly around the broken handle, unwilling to let go as he tried to coax her back to her chair.

Her phone rang again.

“Recruit, what is that noise?”

The captain’s curt and professional tone felt too much like a slap, it wrung a gasp from Akari that hurt her lungs. Keenly aware of Akari’s distress, Laventon and Ingo attempted to do a little damage control on the teenager’s behalf. Their excuses, however, were not much better than her diversion. Ingo being an atrocious liar and Laventon being mildly terrified of the captain and her potential ire.

“Akari, what was that noise?”

Captain Cyllene silenced the two men with a look, Ingo ducking his head and hiding beneath the brim of his hat and Laventon shying away from Akari like being in close proximity to the distressed surveyor would somehow upset the captain faster. The teenager stared blankly at the door.

Her options were limited and her heart slammed against her ribcage like a Starly breaking through some thick underbrush with that knowledge. She flinched again when her superior said her name.

Why did she have to sound so much like her mom?

That was what broke her. The thought of her mom and just how disappointed she would be in her in this instant.

Akari knew Captain Cyllene was not her mom. Not even close. Her mom was her number one fan. Rooted for her when she attempted the gym challenges and decided to stop after the third gym badge. Cheered her on from the bleachers as she dolled up Glameow for contests and just couldn’t find that spark of magic that had caught her mother’s interest. Comforted her daughter when she thought she was doomed to mediocrity because Akari just couldn’t find something she loved passionately.

Cyllene was not her mom. She was distant. She was careful not to get too close to any of her subordinates. She did not show favoritism… But she still gave Akari the benefit of the doubt when the odds seemed stacked against her. And to Akari, that was the closest thing to motherly affection she had had in nearly two years. Of course it broke her.

The closest thing she had to a mother figure was upset with her.

The captain was quite shocked to witness the girl slump into the door, sobbing uncontrollably and blubbering incoherently. She had seen Akari upset before, heartbroken and aggrieved as she was shunted out from the only place she had to call home, and cut off from the people who meant the most to her.

Cyllene wasn’t blind to his blatant unfairness, but she believed in the commander – that, however, that was a step too far. She could understand the commander’s logic, that did not mean that his judgment was fair.

She had done what she could for Akari, she helped her in secret to get her Pokémon to her out of the pastures – even the bugs. The teenager had gotten through it all without shedding a single tear in front of her, so what could possibly have broken her?

Laventon was at her side in an instant, his heart aching as he put an arm around her and tried to deduce the problem as Akari wept more openly than he had ever seen before. He asked her in a hushed tone, trying to get her to take a deep breath, trying to get her to calm down in the slightest, but all she seemed to be able to do was sag into him when he was close enough.

Ingo was on her other side. He knew from past experience that Akari did not like an audience when she got like this. Even if the captain wouldn’t like it, even if she found his actions to be out of order, he was going to get Akari out of there. He said her name gently in her other ear, hand covering hers and attempting to pry her hand loose from the door handle.

“I can escort you to a safe station if you wish. Somewhere quiet. Just give me the signal, Miss Akari.”

“Warden, I asked her a question.”

“I’m afraid the question will have to wait, captain. As you can see, my passenger is in no condition to be answering much of anything. Passenger safety is of the highest priority, so we will return when this derailment has been assessed and put back on its tracks.”

Her brow furrowed, a retort on her tongue for this supreme insubordination from the warden, but more importantly, from Akari. The girl was so distraught that she would not answer her captain and that, admittedly, shocked Cyllene more than she cared to admit.

Laventon exchanged a quick look with the warden over her head. Ingo didn’t move his head or say a word, his gray eyes just flicked momentarily in Cyllene’s direction and Laventon knew what he was being asked to do. Obviously, Akari was not going to get away with not answering her captain, but she was not currently able to do much beyond sobbing.

The professor moved between subordinate and superior, standing up to his full height and saying with an authoritative quiver,

“Cyllene, please. Let her rest. Whatever answer she gives you right now wouldn’t be very satisfactory. Give her some time to recover her faculties, eh?”

He withered under her intense gaze, but he could tell she had relented when Ingo had said something. Behind him the door had already opened and shut softly, the muffled sounds of Akari’s crying fading from the hall.

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[lpmurphy]

Spring in Tchakova Park

Read on AO3

Master List

Chapter Playlist

Summary: Green was the color of the grass where he used to walk in Tchakova Park.

In which John meets a stranger in the park, Violet learns of the care and keeping of Spartans, and Cortana offers dating advice. (Completed 5/7/24)

Chapter Four: The Rock

“How much longer do we have to be up here, Doctor? My ass is starting to hurt.”

Violet sat back in her harness and kicked off of the rock face to turn herself to face the grouping of young botanists hanging beside her. The field team responsible for the damaged sample from the Karpos Mountains were scattered across the rock, each working diligently to excavate and take samples from the cliff face. The fair haired botanist beside her looked over at her from where he dangled from his belay in front of a patch of gray-green lichen with collection scalpel gripped in a gloved hand. He watched her with an anticipatory look, and the dark haired doctor raised a brow at his question before she turned back to the rock.

“That depends, Donaghy,” she said plainly. She grunted as she pulled herself up the rock face so that she hovered over him. “Keep turning in compromised samples and you’ll find yourself sleeping up here. Now, show me again.”

He sighed as he gently gripped the lichen and inspected it for a worthwhile section to sample. He selected a leaf before he gave her a hopeful look. Violet approved his action with a nod of the head. He took the plant gently in one hand, sliced through it with the scalpel with the other, and gingerly placed it inside of a vial. He looked back to Violet, who nodded again. 

“Good, tag it and take a root sample next. I want to see it when you are finished,” she instructed before she started her climb towards the next member of the team. Her foot slipped on the stone and sent a spray of crumbled rock down below. Violet groaned as her hands slipped from the rock and left her to swing out over the floor of Greenhouse #2 fifty feet below. 

The team’s horrendous fuck up had resulted in a morning of hands on training. Each member of the team had spent the past three and a half hours suspended on one of the several, vast manufactured cliff faces that served as the interior of the greenhouse known to the department as the Rock; webbed and draped in a variety of rock-dwelling plants that spread across the surface. Violet found herself clipped into her own belay beside them as she checked their work to clear them to return to the field with bulky field bag clipped around her waist as she corrected, instructed, and marked off on each of their clearance forms. 

She didn’t necessarily mind the work; only the fact that it had to be done in the first place. Her previous colleagues had warned her about her new position and the lack of field work she would be subjected to, and they had been sorely right. The time spent on the wall had been the closest she had come to the work she loved the most in the few months she had been at FLEETCOM. Violet was grateful for the feeling of stone under her fingertips and the ache in her muscles as she climbed and breathed in the earthy scent of disturbed soil. It reminded her of summers in college spent working at the Bíbor Cliffs working as a climbing guide and nights spent in portaledges under the stars.

The belay device above her whirred as she climbed. The ropes clipped to her harness fed into the cylindrical brake system bolted into the top of the wall with each inch she ascended, keeping the ropes taut with each foot she climbed up. She twisted her grip onto one hand, her fingers grasping at a protrusion in the wall as she analyzed the surface for her next movement. Sweat clung to her body and dampened her clothes. Violet felt it trickle down her back and stopped to wipe it from her brow with the sleeve of the thin long sleeve she had changed out of her uniform into. She spotted the next natural handhold that sat just slightly out of grasp. She shifted and released a breath as she focused on the spot, summoning her strength and propelling herself upwards towards it. After a series of short, deliberate movements, she found herself over the next team member, the fine hairs that had escaped from her bun sticking to her neck.

The climb has served as a welcome distraction as well from the smiley face that had clouded her mind since the night before. She had flipped back and forth into their message thread on her pad and read over the brief exchange over and over again, examining it as if it were some ancient, forgotten language she needed to decipher. She hadn’t been prepared to hear from him when the message vibrated her pad on her nightstand and threw blue light into the darkened bedroom. She had picked it up without much thought, expecting to see a reminder pop up regarding the upcoming training at the Rock the following morning. She had audibly gasped when she saw the three messages on her screen, lined up neatly one after the other. Her stomach nearly fell into her ass as she paused the trashy dating reality show she had been mindlessly watching as Sadie snored beside her in bed. She had paced the floor of her bedroom after she responded, whispering curses under her breath at the use of the stupidly uncreative nickname she had used for him in response to ‘goose girl’. She had practically leapt onto the bed when his response came in. Sadie let out a frustrated groan at the disruption to her sleep before she burrowed under the comforter.

She had stared at the collection of punctuation that served as his final message of the night the following morning as she poured her coffee, still trying to make sense of the meaning. What had he meant by it? Had he meant anything by it? She had agonized over it all morning while she typed out different messages only to promptly delete them as she found fault in every line she wrote out. She chastized herself for allowing herself to act so childish. Besides, he was the Master Chief. And she was just… Violet. But the night before, as they stood in the rain, he had laughed at her jokes. He called her funny. He had thrown the ball for her dog and walked her home and had just been… John. Rain soaked and waiting for her beside the pond. And she had just been Violet. 

The botanist below her cleared her throat. Violet’s thoughts shifted from soft smiles and hazel eyes back to the cliff side. She used her finger to lift the root system of the plant the young woman had gently pried from the crack in the rock it grew from and checked for external damage to the thin soil covered veins. 

“Good. Next time, try not to remove as much of the plant from the rock. It could go into shock and have a difficult time recovering. It could lead to us losing the whole plant.”

The young woman nodded and opened her mouth to respond. A different voice called Violet’s name; a deep rumble that boomed up from the base of the wall and made her skin feel too tight.

“Doctor Harris!”

She twisted with one foot keeping her anchored to the wall as she looked down, finding John at the bottom of the wall in his black undersuit. Her stomach fluttered when he smiled up at her from where he stood. His eyes followed her as she swayed side to side, her toes pressed firmly to the rock. He looked out of place among the various work tables full of seedlings and soil and potted plants that surrounded him. She returned his smile with a little wave, which he returned before he quickly dropped his hand back to his side. She heard the team begin to whisper around her as all eyes fixed upon the Spartan below.

“Holy shit, is that Master Chief?” Someone whispered. Violet looked up at the team to find them all staring down as if they were watching a caged animal and not another human being. She rolled her eyes at the lack of decorum and cleared her throat noisily.

“Alright,” she called out. Ropes creaked as the five climbers turned to face her, “That’s enough for today. Thanks, everyone.”

A collection of relieved groans and grumbles about numb rear ends and legs sounded as they kicked off the wall and belay devices whined under the weight of their rappel down. She remained on the wall, still hovered above him as John smiled up at her from the ground below. The team watched him with wide eyes and whispered to one another as they detached themselves from their ropes and slowly removed their harnesses. Violet had never seen the usually quick actions done with such careful and deliberate motions as they tossed their harnesses into the basket at the base of the wall haphazardly and slipped out of their soft climbing shoes to replace them with their stiff uniform boots. John adopted a neutral expression as they passed, his arms crossed as he nodded in response to the greetings of “Master Chief” given as the team made towards the exit, still peeking over their shoulders with astonished glances. 

Donaghy remained at the base of the wall, jerking sharply at the carabiner that attached his harness to the belay device at the top of the wall. Violet watched as the clip slipped out of his hand and shouted out a warning to the young man. The brake drum of the device pulled the rope straight up the wall with a screech as it whizzed up towards her quickly. 

She saw John’s neutral demeanor falter before he took a few helpless steps towards the wall, his hand reached towards her as he shouted, “Watch out!”

Violet pushed off the wall to swing away from where the clip cracked against the wall beside her and sent a shower of rock shards tumbling below. John covered his face with his outstretched arm to block himself from the sharp rock that rained down onto him. The clip smacked against the device with a loud crack that turned the heads of the staff working below. She cursed as she swung back towards the wall and braced herself against the impact with her feet, her heart pounding from the close call as she looked down to shoot a look at the young botanist. She found that Donaghy’s eyes were no longer on the wall, but on the Spartan across from him who’s own scowl made Violet’s look like a cheery grin. Donaghy sputtered nervously as he looked between John to where Violet hung before he called up, “Sorry, Doctor Harris!”

She sighed and rubbed her chest where her heart still thundered. She waved the botanist on and called for him to go to lunch, but Donaghy took one final look at John before practically running to the exit. Violet looked up the remaining few meters to the top of the wall where the belay devices sat and began to track her path from her location on the wall to the top.

“Be down in a sec!” she called down. John’s eyes didn’t leave her location as he nodded.

She clambered up the wall to the errant hook with a grunt. Giving it a hard tug down, she strained against the tension as she clipped it to her harness. She released the hand break that allowed her to descend from the top, a gentle whirring filling her ears as she kicked off the wall and rappelled down, down, down in great leaps. 

“This is a surprise,” she called as her feet found the wall. She steadied herself before pushing off again and releasing the hand brake, the rope whizzing through as she descended a few meters and applied the hand brake again. She regretted her choice of words instantly as she touched down again on the wall and noticed that he looked away. It was a surprise, she thought, but she didn’t mind his presence within the greenhouse one bit. Violet tucked her feet under herself and let herself dangle about ten feet from the ground. He barely had to lift his chin to peer up at her, that same soft look from the park in his eyes as she added hurriedly, “A good surprise. Sorry about them. We don’t get many visitors out here.”

“I tried your office. They told me I might find you out here,” he explained, then added quickly, “I sent you a message.”

She glanced to where her pad sat on the work bench below where it had sat untouched over the last several hours. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly, “I’ve been up here all morning.”

He nodded before his attention turned to the various cliff faces and plant life around. 

“I’ve lived on this base almost my entire life and have passed these buildings a couple hundred times. I had no idea all of this,” he gestured with a finger in a sweeping motion around them, “was in here.” 

“We botanists are a secretive bunch,” she shrugged, “Can’t let you Spartans have all the fun now, can we?”

He huffed out a laugh; a low throaty sound that made her skin prickle. “Guess not,” he agreed, still looking around the greenhouse, “The air feels thinner in here.”

“Because it is. The greenhouse was designed to simulate high elevation environments so we can study the plants that grow there in their ideal conditions,” she explained. She kicked herself off the wall and allowed herself to swing absently. John tensed at the motion and took a step towards the wall, a nervous expression splitting his face. With another hard kick, she swung back again, his eyes following her until the, “So technically, we’re about 6500 meters above sea level without leaving the ground. Pretty cool, right?”

Her feet touched down on the opposite side of the wall, John still watching her with an unwavering intensity as she swayed. His shoulders stiffened as she kicked off again and her foot slipped as she touched down. Violet curled her toes to correct herself before she could slam against the wall. She watched as the sharp line of his jaw set, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. She released the hand brake again and continued her rappel down. 

“Am I making you nervous?” she called. Her feet found the wall again a few feet above where he stood.

“I’ve already found at least 15 ways you can injure yourself up there.”

“Me?” she pressed a hand to her chest with a performative gasp. John rolled his eyes, the shadow of a smirk lifting his mouth, “The poster child of climbing safety? Hurt myself? Please, you insult me. I’m basically a pro at this thing. Watch.” 

She leaned backward and allowed her weight to flip her over, watching as an upside down John reached for her again. Panic flickered in his eyes as he moved towards the base of the wall to step under her trajectory. She pressed her feet together against the rope and lifted an arm over her head in a showy motion. John shook his head, the panic replaced by amusement as he chuckled at her. Violet grinned at him, suddenly very aware of how close her face was to his as she hung there.

“See? I’ve got it all under control,” she stated proudly. 

The rope swung backward to bring her back banging against the wall with a pained grunt. Her raised hand went to the back of her head, rubbing the place where it had collided with the rock with a soft groan. John laughed and grabbed the rope to pull her away from the wall.

“Sure. Get down.”

“Okay,” she let out an exaggerated sigh as she righted herself and rappelled down the last few feet at his request. The tension in his shoulders noticeably dropped as her feet hit solid ground, “But not because you told me to.”

He rolled his eyes as she unclipped the second carabiner that hooked her harness to Donaghy’s rouge rope and held it out to John.

“Can you hold this while I unclip? Be careful,” she commented. John took the clip from her hand as she looked down to undo her own, “It has a bit of a pull.”

She unclipped her own rope, fighting the sharp tug upward that came as soon as it left her harness, and looked up at John. He held his own rope as if it were a balloon string, unbothered by the upward tension as he watched her. Heat crawled up her neck as she realized how silly her warning had been to him and struggled with her rope. She pointed towards the anchor hooks at the base of the wall before she gave the rope a hard tug toward to create a bit of slack as she secured it to the wall. John replicated her motions with an astounding ease and clipped the rope he held onto the anchor before he strained up and wiped the chalky dust that had transferred onto his hands on the leg of his black undersuit.

She busied herself with loosening her harness. A wonder she had never expected to see in the eyes of a Spartan as John’s eyes roaming over the greenhouse again. “Are they all like this?” He asked.

“This one is the only one with climbable walls. You should come out for a tour sometime,” she tossed her harness into the basket with the others and wiped her hands on her pants. Her heart jumped at the notion of him following her along the paths as they went from greenhouse to greenhouse. It seemed like a nice way to spend an afternoon,  “They’re actually pretty neat.”

“I might have to take you up on that,” he said, peering up the wall. “I assume you have a favorite out of all of these? Or does a botanist not have a favorite plant?”

“Oh, we surely do. Well, my favorite that we do have would have to be the giant ferns in Greenhouse #1,” she explained, “But we actually don’t have my favorite plant here.”

“Yeah? What would that be?”

She hoped the giddy smile that split her face at the mention of her favorite plant didn’t come off as off-putting as she took the few steps to the workbench her data pad rested on and snatched it off. She noticed his message sent two hours prior as she unlocked it, ;

117: Hey goose. Was hoping to see you today. Busy later?

She tried her best not to blush at the nickname and flicked the message to the side. She opened her digital catalog database and scrolled with a finger through the entries until she reached the one she searched for.

“I haven’t encountered one in the field, which makes it dumb that it’s my favorite, but I came across it during my studies and it’s just the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” she caught herself, swallowing hard to slow the increasingly quick cadence in which she had started speaking. She tapped at her pad until the image of a lily with large, silvery petals appeared and held it out to John. 

“There’s this flower, the lilium floraphos, that grows in low light environments deep within the rain forests of a few outer colony planets. They only get about two to three hours of direct sunlight at a time; so at some point in its evolution, it began to store energy from those few hours of sunlight within its cells and produce its own light to photosynthesize with. It’ll just open up and produce this silvery light until the plant has collected all of the energy it needs to sustain itself, and then close again until it finds itself in need again. There are records of explorers encountering them believing they came across a fallen star.”

She gestured to the image as she spoke, John watching her fingers glide against the different parts of the plant. At some point in her rambling, he had placed his hand under her own that supported the pad to tilt it towards him so he could view the image better. His hand was warm and calloused under hers, so large that it covered hers entirely. She felt too hot in the air conditioned building.

“That was a painfully long, specific answer to your question,” she said sheepishly. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes absently, embarrassingly aware of the thin layer of sweat that covered her whole body. “I’ve been told that I can get a bit carried away. Sorry.”

Those soft eyes watched her still as she looked up and found that he was no longer looking at her pad. He had just the faintest bit of brown in his green eyes, she noticed. 

“Don’t be,” he ran his thumb over the back of her hand. Violet wondered if the lower oxygen levels had finally caught up to her when she found it difficult to breathe. “It was nice.” 

Her pad chimed and both looked down at the message that illuminated her screen. Violet sighed as she read over Lorelei’s message requesting her presence back in the lab. John dropped his hand and Violet felt a tinge of disappointment in the absence of its warmth, her skin tingling where his thumb had brushed over it. She tapped back a quick response to Lorelei before she tucked her pad under an arm and looked up at John.

“I have to head back,” she said apologetically. John watched as she gathered her things, still planted to the spot beside her, his presence beside her warm and firm.

“Can I walk you to the lifts?” He asked. He fell into step with her as she moved towards the exit. Violet nodded wordlessly as they traveled the spice bush and wild hydrangea lined path to the exit. She peered out at the gray skies, rain bouncing off the pavement outside of the greenhouses in a thick sheet. She grabbed the large black umbrella she had found in her office from beside the door and undid the strap as John stepped beside her into the cold.

“Wanna share? I feel badly enough about how wet you got last night, I’d hate for you to catch a cold.”

“I can’t catch colds,” he stated.

An acknowledging sound hummed from her throat at his comment and she nodded, wishing that she could sink straight into the ground. Of course they couldn’t, she thought. She raised the umbrella and opened it overhead as they stepped out of the greenhouse. She grimaced when the umbrella poked him in the back of the head with a surprised blink and quickly muttered out an apology. His response was a brush of his fingers against hers as he took the umbrella. Her body tingled under his fingertips as if his touch were a live wire. The large umbrella looked like a child’s toy in his hands as he positioned it over the two of them, “Here. I’ve got it.”

“Are you calling me short, big guy?” She joked.

“Your words, not mine.”

“I hate to have to break it to you, but I fear your height is not the target demographic of my umbrella. So if anyone’s height is a problem, I don’t think it’s mine.” She teased. John shook his head as he grinned. It was a bit crooked, she noticed. Cute. She liked it when he smiled.

“Is that your official observation, Doctor?” He asked with a chuckle.

“Consider it observed and cataloged. I’ll be waiting for the Spartan Research Department to reach out for my findings.”

He chuckled again, Violet feeling the vibration of his body in the excruciating proximity. Her shoulder clumsily bumped his bicep as they stepped out into the rain and she attempted to keep his much wider stride. The Spartan adjusted his step to keep beside her in what she was sure was a painfully slow crawl for him. Trying to keep an appropriate distance under the average-human-sized umbrella, she stepped to the side, feeling the heat that radiated from his large body like a furnace. Rain drizzled down the side of her umbrella onto her shoulder that poked out into the elements. He glanced over and took notice of the thick water stains that dappled her shoulder. 

“You’re getting wet,” he said, his voice a low murmur.

She waved a dismissive hand, “Just a bit. It’s fine.”

He didn’t respond. Instead his hand pressed against the curve of her waist, large and strong against her skin as he directed her towards him under the umbrella and out of the rain. Her shoulder pressed against the hard muscle of his bicep and Violet felt heat climb up her neck. His hand lingered on the small of her back for a moment, unsure and gentle, before it dropped to his side.

“Better?”

“Better,” she forced out breathlessly. 

They walked the remaining distance to the lifts in silence. Usually the lack of conversation would itch at her skin until someone spoke, but it felt different as they walked together; like there wasn’t a need for words. John kept stride with her in what she was sure was a maddeningly slow pace for the man. At one point, they both opened their mouths to speak, their words tumbling over one another’s before they both let out an apprehensive chuckle and returned to the silence as they continued towards the lifts. John lowered the umbrella as they approached before handing it to her as they stood in front of the door. 

“Are you...?” She pointed upwards in question as she pressed the call button.

He shook his head and jerked a thumb behind him, “I’m this way, actually.”

The two shared a silent smile as the lift doors opened and she nodded. She swallowed hard, her mouth feeling abnormally dry as she spoke. 

“If you’re not busy tonight,” she began, the words flooding from her, “there’s a quartet playing at the amphitheater in the park I wanted to check out. I’ve heard them play from my apartment and would love to see them perform in person. Would you want to come with me?”

“I would.” His response came without hesitation. 

Violet chewed her lip and bit back the grin that threatened to split her face as they lingered in front of the lift.

“Okay,” she managed. The lift doors sliding open to a group of officers all focused upon their datapad screens, “Then it’s a date.”

He gave her a nod, his own lips lifting into a small smile, “Okay.”

---

Violet tugged nervously at the hem of her jacket as she walked the path to the amphitheater. The persistent rain that had settled over New Alexandria continued to drizzle on, dampening the curls she had quickly tamed her hair into upon returning home that evening. She regretted not wearing something with a hood, but the frantic pile she had left upon her bed had left her feeling as if she hated just about every article of clothing she owned. Her umbrella did little against the misty rain that hung over the park.

Sadie had nearly had a fit when Violet breezed through the apartment in a whirlwind of primping and changing and the pup waited patiently by the door for her evening walk. It had taken a fair amount of treats and belly scratches to satiate the irate dog, especially at the mention of John’s name. Violet had been able to push past her as she slipped out of the apartment with a final adjustment of her hair in the mirror and a nervous sigh. Her stomach twisted anxiously as she walked along her street and crossed Cornelia Street into the park.

She had visited the small amphitheater on the far side of the park only a handful of times. It usually housed local musicians, all of which she could hear from her apartment if she left the balcony door open, their music carried in on the breeze like her own private concert. She checked the few posted directories as she walked, triple checking that she wasn’t headed in the wrong direction and leaving him waiting. 

John came into view as she turned the corner and fiddled nervously with her hair at the sight of him.He straightened up when he saw her, that soft smile lifting his mouth from under his hood. She returned his smile, but it faltered as she looked beyond him and confusion washed over her as she saw the empty amphitheater.

“Where is everyone?” She asked, worried that she had mistaken the date or time of the performance. 

John gestured to the notice posted on the sidewalk that announced the cancellation of all park activities under the reason of inclement weather. She let out a groan. 

“Guess not everyone is willing to stand out in the rain,” she sighed. She swapped the shoulder her umbrella rested on as she stepped in front of John. 

“Guess not,” he repeated.

Disappointment bubbled in her chest as she glanced back at the amphitheater. The stone benches glistened with the rainwater that pooled in the stands. An uncertainty came over her as she looked back at John, his eyes still fixed upon her from under his hood as he watched her patiently. She swallowed hard as her mind reeled, unwilling to leave the night there.

She pointed in the direction of her apartment and shrugged slightly. “We’re not too far from my place. I have a bottle of wine I’ve been meaning to open. We could just,” John watched her with that quiet, soft intensity that made her thoughts feel hazy as she searched for her next words. Her hand fell to her side to grip her jacket nervously as she finished, “talk. Besides, I’m sure Sadie would love to see her new favorite person.”

He tilted his head in the way he had several times when they spoke, as if straining to hear a far away sound. She matched the action and offered him a soft smile. 

“What is that?” She asked.

“What?”

She copied the motion again, a flicker of recognition in his eyes as if she caught him unprepared. His head straightened before his eyes returned to hers. “I’m just,” he paused, “thinking things through.”

She smirked, “And how do things look?”

“Perfect.”

She smiled before she gestured towards the path with a tilt of the head. “Let’s get out of the rain,” she said simply, the two stepping towards the path. John took the umbrella from her hand again to raise it above the both of them as they walked. He placed his hand against her waist, but unlike their walk from the greenhouse, she hadn’t felt the rain upon her shoulder before he gently guided her to his side.

[saralayne]

We Are (A) Family 🩷

Chapter 10: Where Is My Husband?

As Kelly’s life hangs in the balance. Stella has an emergency of her own.

Over the years there hasn’t been many times Kelly Severide felt paralyzing fear. Sure over the course of over a decade, he found himself in many sticky situations but he always kept his nerves in check. Never actual fear. The difference being he only thought of himself and how any close calls impacted his life alone. Now, every ‘sticky’ situation he found himself in not only effected him, also his wife and unborn baby daughter. That feeling alone, made his heart shatter in a million pieces. He never wanted Stella to feel that helpless feeling. He knew how he felt on a few occasions when her life was in danger. Times when they were just friends, when they were dating, when they were engaged and most recently that crippling feeling newly married at the RPG scene. Never in a million years would he ever want her to have that feeling of helplessness, worried for his safety. But here they were.

Kelly sitting on a dingy warehouse floor. Arms and legs bound with wire. Many gashes piercing through his skin. He could feel by each passing minute his blood flow and circulation decreasing. He kept telling himself to fight. Never give up. Nothing was going to stop him from getting home to his wife and daughter who was to come into this world any day now. He had been dreaming of the moment he would finally hold his baby girl in his arms. In danger of not making it home. He couldn’t think that way, needing to remain positive. He was certain he was alone and the men had bolted. They knew Kelly was a arson investigator which probably meant he was a firefighter as well. And would have ties with Chicago PD and people would be diligently looking for him. The danger now was Kelly keeping his strength up. He was dehydrated at this point. Not having any nourishment in close to two days. His limbs were bound and his skin was turning to a bluish colour which meant he was losing circulation. Also not knowing his location, he could be in a secluded location. They had smashed his phone, not allowing him to contact anyone if by chance he was able to free himself. ‘Fight, Kelly, Fight. Fight to get home to your girls. Stay strong Stella. Don’t fall apart’ racing through his mind.

Meanwhile, at the firehouse Stella was starting to fall apart. Trying everything to remain as calm as possible. Always thinking of their baby girl. Not wanting to send herself into early labour. All the rigs had been out on a call. Stella found herself alone and lost in her thoughts. All of which were dark. As she was laying on the bed in Kelly’s quarters. Desperately, trying to feel close to her husband. As she finally allowed herself to close her eyes. Letting the exhaustion set in. Stella heard a quiet knock.

“Stella”

Opening her tear filled eyes. Seeing Upton. Her friend.

“Upton. Hailey. Is there any news?”

“Stella. The team got a lead. Voight, Atwater and Ruzek are on top of it.”

“What kind of lead? Please Hailey tell me. I feel so helpless. WHERE IS MY HUSBAND?”

“A long haul trucker saw 3 men forcefully leading someone into a abandoned warehouse just outside of the city. Matching Kelly’s description. I am here for you. To support you. I know you have your 51 family here but I want to lend my shoulder for you. Reassure you. I promise you. Our team will stop at nothing to find him”

“Thank you, Hailey”

As the intelligence team arrived at the location they were given. Not knowing who was inside the warehouse. Guns raised as they bolted in. “CLEAR” each of them yelled running through”

Voight, seeing a figure pushed up against a back wall. As he moved closer. Seeing it was in fact Kelly. Immediately pushing his fingers over his carotid artery. Feeling a pulse. “I GOT HIM. CALL IT IN. He’s breathing. Unconscious” Voight relaying into his radio. “KELLY. KELLY. Can you hear me?” Voight hearing Kelly mumbling. “It’s OK, we got you. Help is on the way” reassuring Voight. As the paramedics arrived. Ruzek and Atwater leading them into the warehouse. Meanwhile, Voight had released the ties around Kelly’s limbs. Kelly was quickly placed on the gurney with oxygen. Slid into the back of ambo and racing towards Med. Voight ordering Ruzek to call Upton to inform Stella.

Hailey and Stella were still sitting in Kelly’s office. Hailey trying to keep Stella’s spirits positive. All of a sudden, Stella let out a earth shattering scream.

“STELLA. Are you ok?”

“NO. My water broke”

Hailey seeing the small puddle of fluid surrounding Stella.

“OW. OW. I’m having contractions”

Hailey running into common room where rigs had returned from their call. “STELLA NEEDS HELP” screaming Hailey. Violet jumping up from her seat, running towards Stella. Violet doing a assessment while Stella was crying. Measuring for dilation.

“Cmon Stella. I got you. Let’s get you to Med. You’re definitely in labour. Baby girl Severide is coming” Violet guiding Stella towards the ambo.

“This can’t be happening. Kelly should be here. I can’t do this alone. It’s too early.”

“Stella, you are 37 weeks along. That’s more than safe” reassuring Violet.

As Hailey was looking on to Stella being led to 61. Her phone started ringing. Trudy relaying the news that Kelly had been found and was on his way to Med. Telling her he was alive. Breathing. Hailey running towards the ambo as Stella was laying on the gurney. Deep breathing. Trying to keep the pain at bay.

“STELLA. They found him. He’s alive and breathing. On his way to Med.”

Tears streaming down Stella’s cheeks. Looking over to 51’s PIC. One of her best friends.

“H- HE- HE’S OK?”

“He’s OK, Stel. You will see him soon. Now let’s get you to Med and meet that beautiful baby girl”

Kelly had arrived at Med and was immediately being treated for his injuries. More importantly, getting his fluids and dehydration to a good level again. His vitals were still not in a normal range but he was stable and with some IV treatment they would get to a normal level. Kelly had started to become responsive. All be it, exhausted. Asking for his wife. Not knowing Stella herself was on her way to Med herself to have their baby girl. Intelligence team still standing outside of where Kelly was being treated. Hailey updating them on Stella’s status. Hailey walking towards Kelly as the nurse was administering his IV. As the nurse was almost done, Kelly springing up. Hailey and the nurse pushing him down. Not allowing him to leave his bed.

“I NEED TO GO. I NEED TO BE WITH STELLA. I’M NOT MISSING THE BIRTH OF MY DAUGHTER”

Hailey placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Kelly. You need to get treated. So you can be at your best for Stella and your baby girl. I will go see where she’s at. I promise, you won’t miss this. Please, just relax”

“Please, Upton. She must of been so terrified for me. I need my girls to be ok. I need to be with her. “

“I got you, Severide”

As Hailey walked out. Kelly tears now flowing. He had remained so strong throughout this ordeal but now all he wanted was to be at his wife’s side as they welcomed their princess.